《Realm of Myths and Legends》 Chapter 1 Izroth The sound of rain constantly hitting the pavement echoed throughout the night. An average looking young man, with pitch ck hair, ck eyes, and an average body type was outte at night. Jin was running home in the pouring rain, the forecast hadn¡¯t called for rain tonight so he was caught off guard without an umbre or even a raincoat. "Even though I might catch a cold because of the rain, it¡¯ll all be worth it once I finally aplish my dream. Then, I can finally take care of my mom and have thestugh to all those who¡¯ve wronged me" Jin thought to himself while gripping tighter onto the bag containing the new fully immersive VRMMORPG, Realm of Myths and Legends or RML for short. Beep Beep Vroooooom! A motorcycle shot past Jin as he was running across the street, though it barely manages to shoot past without crashing into him and kept on going. Jin was startled for a moment and zoned out after almost bing ate night news story. He shakes his head a few times snapping himself back into it. "I have to calm down and pay more attention to my surroundings" he said trying to calm himself even though his heart was still racing quite fast. He finally came to the final main road before he would be back within the distance of his home. Jin stopped at the crosswalk patiently waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green for him to walk across. He had learned his lesson from the previous incident and would not make the same mistake twice. "I wonder what mom is making for dinner tonight.." Jin thought to himself as the crosswalk signal finally turned green. "You like my new ride babe? My dad bought it for me imported from out of the country." Wendell said while ncing over at his girlfriend. "Your dad sure loves you to get you something like this." Genesis giggles before snuggling up to Wendell¡¯s arm. She yfully pouts, "Wenny, I saw this really cute purse at the mall yesterday and I just have to have it~" Genesis pushes up closer to Wendell, her peaks rubbing up against his arm in temptation. "Heh, you¡¯re my girl and I take care of my girl. Besides, you know I can¡¯t resist you when you make a face like that." Wendell said before leaning into giving her a kiss on the lips. Just as Genesis was leaning forward to return the kiss, out of the corner of her eye she saw a slight silhouette that looked like a person in the middle of the road. "WENDELL LOOK OUT!" she screamed suddenly which shook Wendell to quickly hit the brake in a panic causing the car to slide and swerve on the wet slippery road. SKKKKKKKKKKKKKKRT... BAM! Bump bump..! .... "What¡¯s going on..? Why can¡¯t I move..?" Jin thought to himself as he bodyid on the cold hard pavement of the road. Suddenly he heard voices that sounded in panic as they stood over him for a bit saying something before rushing back to their car and driving off. "Eh...? Wait, don¡¯t leave me... Please, I feel cold..." Jin felt something warm throughout all that coldness, and that was the blood slowly leaving his body from a wound on his head. His vision started to get more blurry and his consciousness started fading. His eyes began to unhurriedly close. "Even though I¡¯m still alive they left me... Even though I waited for the crosswalk signal... Am I going to die here...?" Jin wanted to speak but no words left his mouth and his body would not move. The rain downpour seemed to increase and everything turned quiet as though the entire world stopped emitting noise. Jin eyes finally shut, he had died. Just as Jin died, what seemed like a bolt of lightning struck out from the sky and hit his body. A strange light hovered around his body before finally settling down and losing its brilliant glow. ... Izroth, a legendary cultivator from another world who reached the pinnacle of the seven realms suddenly felt a great surge of pain rush throughout his body. "I... I¡¯ve seeded, the Heavenly Immortal Print technique I created has reincarnated me into another body" Suddenly Izroth felt an incredibly sharp pain in his mind as new memories flowed into it. These memories didn¡¯t belong to him, but the body of someone called Jin! "It seems as though it was only partly sessful. Originally, I should¡¯ve reincarnated into a brand new life, but ording to the memories of this body it has already been alive for a bit more than two decades." "What are all these strange memories flowing into my mind..? I¡¯ve been to all seven realms and have never seen one like this. Earth is it?" Izroth could endure the pain from the memories overflowing into his mind, after all, he has lived for thousands of years so a couple of decades is but a drop of water in the ocean to him. But he discovered something interesting from these memories, apparently, he was not in any of the seven realms! This was shocking, one had to know that with his cultivation level there was no ce he could not go and did not know of in the seven realms! "Never heard of it before..." Izroth was absorbing the fragmented memories from Jin and organizing them. Due to the strength of his soul, he could remember all the things Jin had ever seen or done. Even the things Jin couldn¡¯t recall himself like the day of his own birth, Izroth could clearly remember as though he was actually there. "I can sort through the rest of thister, but for now... I should probably do something about my current state" Izroth wasying on the cold hard pavement as Jin had been when he died. If he didn¡¯t do something to salvage the situation soon, he might die as soon as he reincarnated into another body! How tragic would that be! "M-My cultivation..! It¡¯s back to nothing! This body is so weak and spiritual essence here is scarce. But my soul strength is untainted." Izrothpletely calmed his mind and concentrated on the state of his body and surroundings. "The spiritual essence of this world is incredibly weak, I can¡¯t circte enough to cultivate the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection technique..." Izroth was in a bit of a pinch. He could not cultivate the heavenlyw in this world because of theck of spiritual essence, but that was the only thing that could save him right now! "Hold on a second... There is something else I could use, and since it requires the strength of my soul, I should be able to cultivate using it. The Heavenly Golden Body physique!" Since a physique didn¡¯t require a massive amount of spiritual essence like a heavenlyw did and mostly required a firm heart and soul, one could cultivate it even with a miniscule amount of spiritual essence. Izroth began to do the basic breathing technique, even though it was difficult with his body in its current state, he had to do it in order to survive. Spiritual essence began to slowly flow into Izroth¡¯s body, stopping the bleeding from his head and returning some warmth to his body. "I can currently cultivate to the first stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique, but with it, I should be able to survive a minor wound like this" Izroth had plenty of times lost an arm or two fighting legendary beasts so a small wound like this was within his tolerance range. After a few minutes, Izroth finally had enough strength to stand to his feet. Though he still felt a bit disoriented, at least now he could walk and no longer be at death¡¯s door. As he was organizing his memories he observed Jin¡¯sst moments in this world and a cold look formed in his eyes. The people who ran over Jin was his ex-best friend and ex-girlfriend of all people! They had clearly seen it was him yet still abandoned him and left him for dead. They had actually seeded in killing Jin and did not bother to check if he was alive or call for help! "Even though I¡¯ve inherited your body, I¡¯ve also inherited your memories from your soul. So you could say that we¡¯re the same person now. I always repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold." "I¡¯ll make right all the wrongs that have been done to you, your revenge shalle." Izroth was getting ready to walk away but something felt missing. He looked around and on the ground not too far from him was a stic bag, the same one Jin was holding on to even at the moment of his death and didn¡¯t let go. Izroth didn¡¯t notice it before because he was focusing on cultivating his physique and released it, but for some reason, in the very depths of his soul a voice was crying out for him to not leave it behind. Izroth walks over to the stic bag and picks it up looking inside. In the bag was a box with a headpiece inside and a metallic-like card with some symbols inscribed on it as well as RML written in the top left-hand corner. "yer ID card...?" a lot of things in this world was new and strange to Izroth but he had seen many strange things in the seven realms during his travels so he could adapt to new things. Even so, he was still shocked by some of the memories he absorbed and how this world had many things that did not exist here and was only seen as fantasies and legends. Izroth held onto the stic bag with the gaming equipment inside and began to walk towards home ording to the memories of Jin. As he was walking he felt as though an overwhelming excitement and worry was taking over. This excitement came from the depths of his soul, as though a small lingering piece of Jin was still remaining and had regrets so couldn¡¯t depart. "It¡¯s called a video game? I¡¯ll y it! Since you¡¯ve given me this body even though it wasn¡¯t nned, I¡¯ll aplish your goal of bing #1." Though the remnant of Jin¡¯s soul dissipated a bit, just a small piece still remained as though it was waiting for something, after all, Jin¡¯s soul had fused with Izroth so he knew what kind of person he was. If he made a promise, he kept it without failure. "Don¡¯t worry about your mother either, as long I remain in this world no harm shalle to her." Izroth never had parents in the world he was from as he started out just a poor orphan and had a lucky encounter that started him on the path of cultivation. But he could tell by how strongly Jin¡¯s soul was holding on because of his mother, that he loved her with all his heart. Finally, thest piece of Jin¡¯s soul dissipated and fully integrated itself into Izroth¡¯s soul. Now Izroth waspletely Jin. Izroth arrived home opening the door and walking inside, then lightly kicking off his shoes and setting them to the side. His footsteps were silent as though his feet weren¡¯t even touching the floor as he walked. He eventually arrived in his room before heading off to take a bath. After rinsing all the filth off his body, Izroth finally got into the bath. A rxing feeling passed throughout his entire body as he closed his eyes and began to cultivate the Heavenly Golden Body physique. Although it was slow due to theck of spiritual essence in this world, it would still be enough to greatly strengthen this currently weak body. "Although this bath is quite small, the convenience of it is nice." Izroth finally had the time topletely rx and organize all of his thoughts. "Realm of Myths and Legends... RML... I have never yed one of these video games before, but ording to the original owner of this body, it should be an interesting experience." After finishing his shower, he was heading to his room when he heard the door down the hall open up and a woman exited from the room. That woman looked middle-aged, and even though she looked worn out and aged before her time, her natural beauty couldn¡¯t be fully hidden. She had long silky ck hair that reached down to her lower back, fair skin, big beautiful emerald eyes and a thin figure that still hid some curves. You could tell that when she was younger, it would not be an exaggeration topare her to a fairy. That woman was Jin¡¯s mother, Reilei. Izroth heart ached to look at this woman who was supposed to be full of life and happiness but was reduced to such a state from the built-up stress and work. Even though she did not give birth to Izroth, now that Jin soul was absorbed into his own, he felt the emotional attachment of a real mother from this woman. A gentle smile appeared on Reilei¡¯s face as she saw "Jin", but suddenly she frowned and hurried over towards him with a look of worry in her eyes. The mark on Jin¡¯s forehead may have closed but it still didn¡¯t heal all the way and he looked a little pale from the earlier loss of blood. "Does it hurt? Did those gangsters do this to you?" her voice sounded as gentle and refreshing as an autumn breeze. Izroth felt his heart stabbing with pain as he shook his head, "I just fell down because of the wet rain is all, there¡¯s no reason to worry mother." He smiled at her as to wash away that feeling of worry she had. That gentle smile returned to Reilei¡¯s face as she lightly touched Jin on the cheek, "You will never stop worrying me will you?" she lightly shook her head letting out a small sigh of relief. "I have to head to work now, I left dinner in the fridge so all you have to do is warm it up in the microwave. Try not to stay up toote okay? I want you to focus on your dreams, but I also want you to focus on your health." Reilei said as she walked towards the front door. Izroth nodded in response, "...Thank you..." those words managed to escape Izroth¡¯s mouth just as his mother¡¯s hand touched the doorknob. Reilei turned around and smiled at Izroth full of joy, "I believe in you and your dream. So don¡¯t worry about anything else and just focus on your dream, I will always believe in you, Jin." a sweet smile formed on her face before she finally left off to work. Izroth was a bit speechless for a moment. In his world, he had met many women, but most were always scheming behind the scenes or were after certain benefits. To meet such a selfless woman who would give everything for a person she loved, was incredibly rare even in all the seven realms! This made Izroth even more determined than before to aplish the goals that Jin left behind, he was beginning to not just see them as just doing Jin a favor, but as something, he himself wanted to aplish. After all, he was the number one cultivator in his world, so he would strive to be number one in something within this world, and that was video games! Specifically, RML! "The game servers go live in another 12 hours... I should cultivate until then and try to solidify my Heavenly Golden Body physique and improve upon it." Izroth went into his room and sat cross-legged on his bed cultivating, waiting until RML finally goes live. He had this feeling in the pit of his stomach, it was a feeling of excitement for the unknown. No matter what world he is in, he has always enjoyed the unknown the most. "From now on I am Jin, my goals are simple. I must seed in RML, take care of my mother and get my revenge against those who have wronged me! I must be number one!" An oppressive aura surrounded Izroth as an unshakable determination filled his eyes. So begins, the journey of Izroth from another world of cultivation, to be the greatest gamer in the Realm of Myths and Legends; the greatest gamer in the world. 12 hourster... Beep... Beep... Beep... System booted! Fully Immersing... Running scan... yer ID recognized as an authorized yer. Please insert your character name. "Izroth" Wee Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends! Chapter 2 Breaking Parameters Wee to Realm of Myths and Legends, please wait a moment as we generate your character. "ording to the manual I read during my 12-hour wait, the system scans your body and then generates a character based on its traits. So someone who has trained well in real life will have a huge advantage over those who haven¡¯t. Luckily I had the chance to cultivate the Heavenly Golden Body physique. Although it isn¡¯t mastered to perfection yet, it is more than enough to give me an edge." Izroth was thinking to himself as the game was finishing up the creation of his character. His character looked exactly like Izroth, well Jin but since they are the same person now he would not bother trying to constantly differentiate them. You could customize the character some, but could not change the gender or the appearance drastically, this was due to the game concerns about yer safety and fraud. Beep Beep! Character generationplete, please choose your ss. RML had many special and hidden sses, but the starting sses were limited. But do not think for a second the choice was not an important one. After all, this determined what role your character would y in a party, be it for dungeons or raids. Izroth knew all of this due to the memories he absorbed. Izroth did not hesitate and chose the Combat Master ss. There were 9 different sses to start off from in RML: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Cleric, Summoner, Shaman, Ranger, Fighter and Combat Master. These sses branched out into a numerous amount of different or hidden sses. The Combat Master ss was frowned upon by many because of its strict requirements. Beta testers said that it was an impossible ss to y and incredibly hard to do anything with because of one reason: it required you toe up with your own skills! This may sound easy, but you have toe up with logical moves that the AI epts and registers as a skill, and if youe up with some half-baked moves then you end up with a trash ss. It had a lot of poor feedback from the beta testers because a skill from that ss would never pass a grade D skill. Skills are ranked by grades in RML from strongest to weakest SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F. One was supposed to dream of obtaining an A rank skill, not a C rank skill! So anyone who became a Combat Master would most likely be useless in groups. This spread fast amongst the gamingmunity as everyone had their eyes glued to the beta testers advice trying to gain the slightest advantage over others in the race to be the strongest yer or guild. In fact, some of the huge guilds and gaming clubs forbid any of their members from being Combat Masters! But what others saw as impossible and trash, Izroth saw infinite potential. "If I could recreate the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection heavenlyw here..." Izroth already began to think of all the possibilities avable to him. As he was thinking a ding sound went off. Character creationplete... Generating Stats... Ding! Because your Constitution is strong you have been given an HP boost! Ding! Because your HP cannot exceed game starting parameters it is limited to the max of 100! Ding! Because your Constitution far exceeds the starting parameters, parameters for your character have been increased! Ding! Because your Physical Strength is strong you have been given an Attack boost! Ding! Because your Attack cannot exceed game starting parameters it is limited to the max of 20! Ding! Because your Physical Strength far exceeds the starting parameters, parameters from your character have been increased! Ding! Because... Alerts from the system were filling up Izroth¡¯s vision, making him a bit dizzy from trying to keep up with them. In the end, his character came out like this: Name: Izroth EXP: 0/100 Level: 1(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 200/200 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 40 DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 20 MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: None Skills: (Skill Points: 0) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S Rank) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 0 Bronze: 50) Empty Fame: World Fame: 0 If anyone would have seen these stats, even the game developers, their eyes would have popped out of their sockets! These stats were not even supposed to exist at level 1! Parameters were set in ce so that even if someone went a bit beyond the limits it would halt them until they further advanced in levels. But, Izroth was so far beyond the limits that the game made an exception and broke those parameters to give him an extra boost and a special passive! He was probably the only and first yer in the world to even get a skill! "Breaker of Limits? A passive skill that allows me to surpass my limits. I did not expect such a benefit after having only cultivated the Heavenly Golden Body for a few hours. It¡¯s a shame I could not cultivate the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection technique... Or else I may have broken the game." Izrothughed, but it was filled with joy for the power he felt flowing through his entire body. Even though it was only a video game, it was fully immersive and one would feel as though it were no different from reality itself! Izroth¡¯s vision became entirely white before seeing an entire world that seemed endless, that was the world of RML. Massive mountains, endless abyss, monstrouslyrge forest, huge deserts, all kinds of monsters and beast! This was a small cutscene to give yers a taste of the vastness of RML! When Izroth opened his eyes once more he was in a small vige, it was the starting vige where all yers start known as Opal Town. It was a nice little vige situated in a rtively safe zone. Izroth looked around, the game interface was helping him to navigate more smoothly as he used the minimap to follow the beginner tutorial quest. A few yers had already run off and started to try out fighting monsters with their bare hands and got ughtered. Izroth saw this scene and shook his head, those yers obviously had not bothered to read any guides or manuals. It was clear that it would be near impossible to defeat monsters or beast without first obtaining your ss weapon. That was unless you were in a simr situation as Izroth who had a major stat boost or someone who was highly skilled. But someone highly skilled would not necessarily make things harder for themselves on purpose, or else Izroth would have also just gone straight to fighting monsters. Soon enough, Izroth arrived in front of a small rundown building. Even though Opal Town was a small vige, it was only small when taking the entire RML world into ount. But, ifpared to something on Earth it would be about the size of a small country! Izroth stepped into the building and inside was an old man sat up against the wall snoring away with an empty sk in his hand asleep. It was obvious that this man was a drunkard, but the tutorial started here for sure, Izroth knew this because the system would not have guided him here otherwise. "Hello, I am Izroth a Combat Master. I havee to seek the guidance of you, honored elder." Izroth was very respectful. After all, he never sought to make enemies but was never afraid of those who wanted to bully or offend him. The old man¡¯s snoring suddenly stopped as his eyes slowly opened, "Honored elder...?" the old man let out a smallugh. "I have been called many things before, but that one is a first..." the old man stood up wobbling a bit constantly looking like he was about to fall over. He moved the sk up to his lips to take a drink before realizing it was empty and tossing it aside. He then pulled another sk from his inner coat pocket and started drinking. While doing so, he took the time to size Izroth up. "The path of a Combat Master is not for the light-hearted, it¡¯s only for those with true determination and will... Are you sure this is the path you want to choose..?" for just a brief moment the old man seemed to release a mighty and oppressive aura as to test Izroth. "As I thought, he¡¯s not just a drunken old man..." Izroth thought to himself as he felt that oppressive aura, although it did not affect him it, could make those with a low willpower quake in fear and run away. Without hesitating, Izroth made his decision. "I am sure this is the path. Determination? Will? If I said that I was second best at having those traits then no one would dare say they were first!" Izroth eyes showed the look of an unshakable will. The old man was slightly surprised for a moment before suddenly bursting out inughter, "Hahaha! Good! Good! It has been a while since I have actually been somewhat excited! Since you are sure then I will give you the quest, it¡¯s simple really. Juste up with your own skill that is at least C rank, and you can be an official Combat Master." the old man took another drink from his sk but still kept his attention on Izroth to see his reaction. Izroth was honestly impressed with the AI function of this game, they were simr to life puppets back in his world but there was always a feeling of no life from those. However, one would be hard pressed to believe that they were not actually talking to a real person in this game! Though this might be a small problem... At least a C rank skill and he had to create it from nothing! It was no wonder that yers said this ss was trash, most yers could not create a skill past D rank and yet the tutorial for the ss to get a weapon made it so you had to create a C rank skill at the very minimum! Izroth was deep in thought, he was unsure if any of the cultivation techniques he knew would even work here. After all, this world was much different from his own and this was a video game as well. He closed his eyes concentrating for a moment, but slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the old man who was back slouching up against the wall with that sk in his hand. "I understand, thank you for your guidance" Izroth cupped his fist towards the old man before leaving the small rundown building to give something a try. "While I do not know if it will work, I won¡¯t know for sure until I try..!" Izroth thought to himself while finding a nice isted area, though it was quite difficult with the number of yers running around. "I have to search through my memories for a suitable technique to learn. If it¡¯s something too weak I won¡¯t be able to advance further, but if it¡¯s something too profound it may not even work at all." Izroth took the time to sort through his memories before finallying to a realization. "Of course! Why did I not think of it sooner! It has to be that heavenlyw, the Three Baneful Swords" Izroth took a deep breath before concentrating on remembering the movements of the Three Baneful Swords. It was a powerful sword technique he learned in his early cultivation years. Three Baneful Swords, one sword to destroy, two swords to kill and three swords to annihte! It was a domineering heavenlyw! "The question still remains, can I create it without using a sword?" Izroth did not know the answer to that question but still decided to give it a try. With his arm and body, he moved in the exact motions from his memories of the first of the Three Baneful Swords, the sword of destruction. The sword was just an extension of one¡¯s arm for a true sword master. Izroth had mastered the sword long ago, it was just the matter of getting this new body used to it. Time seemed to slow down for Izroth as he waspletely immersed in his technique. A few yers passed by and gave him weird looks, thinking he wasgging or maybe AFK. Some even thought he was just a weirdo who was probably just doing that to try and troll people. But all of these people were ignored by Izroth as he had only one thing on his mind, his sword. Game time flowed at a 10:1 ratio, so for every 10 hours in the game world, it was only 1 hour in the real world. Izroth had spent 5 hours fully immersed in his sword until finally, an alert went off. Ding! Congrattions, yer Izroth has created a new skill! Please name the skill! Izroth was snapped out of his trance from the sound of the alert, this is what he was waiting for! "It works...!" arge smile appeared on his face, it looks like Jin¡¯s gamer heart fused well with Izroth, he was actually pretty excited about this! "Name the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction" Izroth said not even having to think about the name. Generating skill... Complete! Skill Name: First Baneful Sword: Destruction Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Active: Deals 300% of user Attack as damage. Has a chance of causing the ¡¯Fear¡¯ effect in those it targets. Description: A sword filled with a concentrated amount of destruction. Beware! A single strike of this sword technique can destroy those who stand in its way! This strike is not its full potential. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 50%." An A ranked skill! High damage with a chance of crowd control and it could even be used bare handed! There was only one word for a skill of this caliber especially this early on in the game, overpowered! Though Izroth did not get to fully enjoy the skill before another alert went off! Ding! Congrattions yer Izroth, you have created the first skill in Realm of Myths and Legends. You have been awarded +1 skill point! You have been awarded +100 EXP! You have leveled up to level 2! You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up! You have gained +100 World Fame! Name: Izroth EXP: 0/200 Level: 2(Stat Points: 3) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 200/200 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 40 DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 20 MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: None Skills: (Skill Points: 1) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S Rank) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 1/3 (A Rank) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 0 Bronze: 50) Empty Fame: World Fame: 100 System Message: Would you like to announce your name to the world? Izroth thought about it for a moment but decided against it. After all, right now was not the right now to do so. He had to wait until he had a more solid footing in this world before revealing himself. "No, do not announce my name" Ding! World Announcement: yer XXXX has created the first skill, rank A! They have been awarded... The instant that announcement went off yers were in a frenzy trying to figure out who could have created their own skill already! The game had not even been out for 1 hour real time yet, that was insane! Maybe it was some famous pro yer from a big guild or a beta tester, but that did not make any sense, usually big guilds loved free promoting whenever they could and that would have been a perfect chance! While everyone was trying to figure out the identity of the incredible yer that created the first skill, Izroth had already returned back to the old rundown building. The old man was still in the same spot, but when Izroth walked in he seemed to be fully aware. "Honored elder, I havepleted the task. Have a look." Izroth made a very simple motion with his hand, but this motion was filled with sharp destructive energy that seemed as though it would devour anything that stood in its way! Izroth used the ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ technique without a sword! The eyes of the old man widened as he turned serious and quickly stood uppletely in shock. That was an A ranked skill! Those were incredibly hard toe by and yet this young man had not even been gone for half a day and already came up with such an incredible technique by himself. How could the old man not be shocked?! "Will this suffice as having passed the tutorial?" Izroth said with a smile on his face, of course, he knew it was more than enough to pass the tutorial. After all, the old man only requested a C rank skill but he had instead made an amazing A rank skill! If even he could not pass it with that then Combat Masters really would be a joke. "Yes... Yes! Of course, it will suffice!" the old man seemed excited as though he was a child going to the amusement park for the very first time. "Hahaha! Incredible! Such talent! I have not seen your kind of talent in a long time young man! Comee, you must choose a weapon! I also have something else to reward you for your capability" the old man did not even have the sk in his hand because he was so excited about the situation. He led Izroth to a back room in the small building. Izroth thought it would be cramped but it was actually quite spacious, much more so than it seemed to be from the outside. "My name is Gear. I used to be somewhat of an adventurer back in my prime days, now I just spend my days here passing them by a day at a time. I never believed that I would manage to meet such a genius within my lifetime" Gear let out a small sigh that seemed to be filled with a sense of eptance of his fate and many other unknown emotions. Before Izroth was a rack that contained many different kinds of weapons. Gloves, swords, daggers, hammers, axes, clubs, maces, staffs, spears; you name it and it was there. Of course, due to the potential variety of the Combat Master ss, it had to have such arge weapon choice avable. A weapon instantly caught the attention of Izroth the moment it came into his view. "That¡¯s..." Chapter 3 Scheming a thousand years too soon "That¡¯s..." Izroth attention was drawn to one of the swords in the very middle of the rack of weapons. It was a sword that looked lonely and deste, it had no hilt and a de that was around two meters long. One could feel a slight chill radiating off of it if they concentrated hard enough, that chill was killing intent! Izroth was a bit shocked that something like this was in here! But what Izroth didn¡¯t know was that he unlocked one of the hidden features of the game for the Combat Master ss! Because he created an A rank skill and was the very first Combat Master toplete his own tutorial, the AI that ran RML wouldn¡¯t be cheap and would reward him properly of course. Izroth hand rested upon the sword and once it touched he got an alert from the system. Ding! You have selected the ¡¯Nameless de¡¯... Disying stats... Weapon Name: Nameless de Weapon Rank: Rare Weapon Level: 10 Requirements: Be the first Combat Master to create a sword skill that is ranked A or higher. Attack Damage: 30 Weapon Skill: Sword Force(Active) - Control sword force with the help of this de in order to increase your next attack¡¯s damage by 200%. Cooldown: 2 minutes Strong! That was the first thing that came to Izroth¡¯s mind. This sword was simply monstrous and it was Rare! Probably the first Rare weapon in the game! Izroth knew from the memories he absorbed that if he were to sell this weapon, he would be rich and his mother could easily stop working 3 jobs! But he knew that if he did that, he may not be able to keep up with yers who constantly progressed. He wanted to build something more solid, not something that could fall apart with ease. "Just wait a bit longer... I promise I won¡¯t let you suffer much longer" Izroth said with a slightly serious face. Ding! Do you wish to im ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ as your weapon?" Without even having to nce at the other weapons Izroth responded, "Yes" Ding! Congrattions, ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ has been sent to your inventory. Ding! Since no main weapon is equipped, system automatically equipping ¡¯Nameless de¡¯... Suddenly on Izroth¡¯s back, a de in its sheathe materialized as though it came out of nowhere. "Congrattions onpleting the Combat Master tutorial, Izroth. Since you seem to have some real talent, take this." Gear handed a worn out old book to Izroth. "While you can create skills yourself, you can also learn it from skill books. What I¡¯ve given you is a skill I personally created back in my prime days. Use it well, after all, it¡¯s just collecting more dust here." Gear seemed to be throwing away trash but when Izroth looked at the skill in the book his eyes couldn¡¯t help to reveal a shocked expression. Skill Name: Flickering Steps Skill Creator: Gear Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: A Active - For the next 10 seconds, the user Agility is increased by 300%. Cooldown: 5 minutes Description: A skill created by the Famous Adventurer, Gear of the Flickering Steps. His trademark move allowed him to remain untouched on battlefields and only a light flicker of his silhouette could be seen before a foe is in just moments after. Such a domineering skill! Gear may have sounded as though he was throwing away trash, but this skill was a true treasure! 300% Agility increase, that could save his life in many situations! Izroth did a respectful slight bow with his fist cupped towards Gear, "Honored elder, thank you for such a treasure, I will never forget your kindness." "Hahaha, don¡¯t thank me, young man. Thank that talent of yours, after all, I wouldn¡¯t have given that skill to just some talentless person after all. Alright, you¡¯ve stayed around here long enough, go out and explore the world Izroth. Remember, determination and will ovee a great many things." Gear finally went back out of the room with Izroth following him and resumed his positionying up against the run-down building walls with a sk in his hand. No one would ever think that someone like him was once known as a great adventurer! Given howrge RML was, that was saying a great deal of that old man¡¯s true strength! Izroth nodded his head towards Gear before leaving the building. Ding! Congrattions, you havepleted the Combat Master tutorial! Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP! Ding! Since you are the first Combat Master toplete the tutorial, you receive 10 world fame! So many things happened in thest few hours that Izroth didn¡¯t really get a chance to fully look at his character information, so he took a moment to nce it over. Name: Izroth EXP: 50/200 Level: 2(Stat Points: 3) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 200/200 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 70(40+30) DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 20 MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: Nameless de - Main Weapon Skills: (Skill Points: 1) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S ss) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 1/3 (A ss) Flickering Steps(Active) Level: 1/3 (A ss) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 0 Bronze: 50) Empty Fame: World Fame - 110 "For now I¡¯ll save my stat points and skill points. Since skill points are quite hard toe by, I should think carefully before spending them. For now, I need to level up and earn some currency" Izroth made his decision before closing out his character window and walking towards the exit of the vige into the ins. A bit further from the ins was a forest, but you would have a chance of running into higher level monsters and beast there. As Izroth was walking towards the forest area a man looked a bit shocked staring at the weapon on Izroth back. It emitted a light glow that only rare weapons would emit! A rare weapon in this run-down vige, how was that possible?! "Hey, what¡¯s wrong Mick?" another man came out from inside the building next to Mick and caught him staring down someone. "Ryder, I think I just came up with a little side quest for us" a small grin appeared on Mick¡¯s face. "Side quest? Are there even such things in this little run down starter vige? I want to leave here as soon as possible and get some real experience, skills, and gear" said a woman who came out with the building with Ryder. "Heh, trust me on this Tina, if we pull this off we could be filthy rich!" Mick looked excited as he spoke. The three of them were real life friends who formed a party together and was getting ready to go out and try to kill some monsters in the forest. They were already level 5 with their starter weapons and had their beginner ss skills. Mick is a Warrior ss, Ryder a Rogue and Tina a Cleric. They had a decent line up for a party but wascking a magic caster. "Hey, you! Wait a moment, are you going towards the forest? How about we party together? After all, there are some high-level monsters there." Mick said with a smile on his face as he followed after and approached Izroth. Ryder and Tina looked a bit shocked at first but when they realized that weapon on that guy back they finally realized what Mick meant. They nced at each other and a small evil grin appeared on their lips. But they quickly turned it into a ¡¯friendly smile¡¯ while approaching Izroth. "Yeah, you should party up with us. We are missing a spell caster but... Since we can¡¯t find any we can invite you and share all the loot equally" Ryder decided to follow along and try to tempt Izroth more. After all, there were 3 of them and 1 of him, if he felt they were unfair or sensed their motives, they could lose a huge opportunity! "Indeed, you look very strong. Our party would only be stronger and not weaker with you in it" Tina put on a gorgeous smile. She was quite pretty and had a nice body with curves in all the right ces. She was making subtle gestures such as slightly leaning forward or tilting her head a little to the side to try and make herself seem more appealing to Izroth. Izroth stopped and observed the people who walked up to him. While he may have been unclear of many things dealing with games and this world, he had the memories of a hardcore gamer inside of him! Add on to thousands of years of experiencing hardships, plots, and schemes; it was nearly impossible trick him without incredible nning and perfect execution. Izroth decided to y along with the group. After all, he didn¡¯t believe that many people had his kind of advantages this early on in the game. "Party? Is that like a group gathering or something?" Izroth decided to y ignorant. A small light shone in Mick eyes, this was going to be as easy as taking candy from a baby! That same line also shone within Ryder and Tina eyes, this guy was for sure a noob! He might just be some rich kid who decided RML was cool and didn¡¯t know a thing about video games! An ideal target! "Yes it¡¯s something like that, you see we work together as a team and fight monsters toplete a quest or gain experience. We¡¯d be more than happy to teach you some things, of course, we¡¯ll still divide everything equally and fairly with you" Mick kept up his appearance with that friendly smile on his face. Izroth seemed to be trying to decide what to do, as though he was making a tough decision. "Okay, I¡¯ll be happy to join your party. I¡¯ll be in your care" Izroth did a slight bow, but before he could even finish his sentence a system alert popped up! Ding! yer Mick would like to invite you to a party along with yer Ryder and yer Tina! Do you wish to ept? "ept" Izroth responded as he joined the party his teammate levels, HP and MP/Energy disyed on his interface. Mick, Ryder, and Tina were all level 5! "A warrior, a rogue, and a cleric huh...? All level 5... I might have to use some caution" Izroth thought to himself. Although he was confident in himself, dealing with 3 enemies at once that was more than twice his level would probably cause him some trouble. yer Name: Mick ss: Warrior Level: 5 HP: 450 MP: 50 yer Name: Ryder ss: Rogue Level: 5 HP: 225 Energy: 100 yer Name: Tina ss: Cleric Level: 5 HP: 150 MP: 300 yer Name: Izroth ss: Combat Master Level: 2 HP: 200 Energy: 100 The instant the others saw Izroth¡¯s level and ss they didn¡¯t know whether to feel sorry for him or burst outughing to mock him. A Combat Master! This guy was actually a Combat Master and only level 2 at that! Forget being as easy as taking candy from a baby, this would be as easy as drinking water and breathing air! A look of disdain appeared on all of their faces which didn¡¯t escape Izroth, but he chose to ignore it. They had thought that he may pose a small threat, but that notionpletely left their minds now. It was already impressive that he even managed to get to level 2, but it was all probably because of that rare weapon on his back! They had to have it! Mick finally recovered a bit from his daze before regaining that friendly personality, "Level 2 is already quite impressive for a Combat Master, you must have a lot of talent" Ryder and Tina pretended to suck up to Izroth and agree with Mick, even though that look of contempt in their eyes was easily noticeable. "Alright, Izroth right? I know you probably already know from the party interface, but I¡¯m Mick, he¡¯s Ryder and she¡¯s Tina. Now that introductions are out of the way, we should start leveling up" Mick seemed like he couldn¡¯t wait any longer standing around. Izroth nodded in agreement still looking quite clueless to the entire situation. Mick along with Ryder and Tina began to walk towards the forest leading the way. To be honest, they didn¡¯t expect Izroth to contribute anything to the party, they just wanted his sword after all. So it didn¡¯t matter if he was in the front or back of the group. Though for some reason the three of them felt a small chill from behind them as though an ancient ferocious beast was about to devour them. They couldn¡¯t help but feel cold sweat down their backs before turning around, still seeing that clueless Izroth there. It must¡¯ve been their imagination, it was probably some strong monster hidden somewhere watching as they entered the forest but it was fine. Those type of monsters usually wouldn¡¯t attack this early and was only there for intimidation purposes. A small grin appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he thought to himself, "Just a bunch of people don¡¯t know the vastness of heaven and earth. You dare to try and scheme against me? Fine, but just know I show no mercy to those who scheme against me! You are scheming a thousand years too soon!" a cold look shed across Izroth eyes for a moment. They finally arrived inside the monster forest! Ding! yer Izroth has discovered a new location ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯! Ding! yer Izroth has left the safe zone and can now be attacked! Chapter 4 Willowed Fores As soon as the system alert went off Mick, Ryder, and Tina all looked at each other as though they understood. A condescending smirk appeared on all their faces. Now that they were no longer in the safe zone, this Combat Master noob only had one of two choices: obey or die. They understood the situation very well though if they were to cause amotion near the beginning of the forest there was still a small chance he could escape. But more importantly, it might draw the attention of others. If some of the bigger guilds got involved after figuring out this noob had a rare weapon, it could turn really ugly and they would have no ce to evenment. While rare weapons aren¡¯t the strongest of weapons, having one this early could give top yers a huge advantage over others. They would be able to clear monsters and level up faster and get first clears for dungeons and bosses! Imagine the potential of a rare weapon at this stage of the game, it was almost cheating! One had to know that even Umon weapons were extremely hard to find at these stages. Weapons and armor pieces alike in this game had seven total ranks: Common, Umon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Unique and Divine. So people would go insane if they found out a noob was carrying such a precious treasure! In fact, that noob could even offer it up to the big guilds and make a fortune while getting revenge on them for trying to attack him! This thought sent small shivers down Mick¡¯s spine, but he still remained calm. The n was simple, lure him deep into the forest and then when his guard is down, that¡¯s when they would make their move! Izroth shook his head within his mind, these guys were amateurs at best. They didn¡¯t even know how to hide their intentions and believed him to be just another gullible noob, while it¡¯s true that Izroth has never yed a video game before, he absorbed the soul of a hardcore gamer and had thousand years of actualbat experience! If he was to im to be the second best fighter in this realm with itsck of spiritual essence, then no one would dare im to be first! Not too long after getting into the forest some bushes around 5 meters ahead of the group shook. Immediately Mick had a serious on his face and became alert, slowly taking out his sword and shield while taking his position at the very front of the group as a tank. A deep squealing sound came from within the bushes as something rushed out at a fast speed towards the group! "Squeeeeeeal! Grrr...!" "It¡¯s a boar! Not just a beast though, it¡¯s a monster demonic boar!" Mick was a bit shocked to run into such an aggressive monster so soon. But he still gritted his teeth and held his ground firmly against the demonic boar sudden charge! Izroth silently observed the boar from behind, he looked unsurprised and quite calm while watching the three in front of him scramble into position. They didn¡¯t even trymunicating with him because they figured he would be useless and in the way regardless. After all, he was just a Combat Master who probably didn¡¯t even have any useful skills. Name: Demonic Boar Level: 5 HP: 500 ATK: 100 DEF: 15 AGI: 30 Skills: Charge(Active) - Charges at a high speed towards their target dealing 200% of ATK as damage. If the target is sessfully hit, they are stunned for 2 seconds. Mick couldn¡¯t manage to get his shield up in time, the charge was just too sudden! Suddenly he was knocked back some and became unable to move before a chunk of his HP dropped! -188 HP! 262/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) "Quick use Cure!" Mick said a panic state, he had lost a lot of his HP from just that surprise attack alone! The boar had a really high ATK for its level and he didn¡¯t even get a chance to block! Tina quickly nodded her head, "Cure!" a light green light surrounded Mick¡¯s body, he felt a feeling of warmth ovee him. Skill Name: Cure Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: E Effect: Heals the target for 50% of the user Healing Factor. Healing Factor was a special stat that only healers possessed. It was determined based on their MAG stat. +50 HP! 312/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Mick still had 1 second before he could move again, but just when he was about to get out of his stunned state, the demonic boar rammed its tusk right into Mick! -88 HP! 224/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Mick honestly felt like crying at this point, a stupid demonic boar gave him so much trouble all because he was too excited about getting a new piece of rare equipment and let his guard down! The stun was finally lifted and in a fit of rage, Mick swung his sword towards the boar hitting up against its side! -30 HP! 470/500 HP Remaining! (Demonic Boar) Ryder didn¡¯t let this chance slide by, he was waiting for the right opportunity to strike the boar, hitting it from behind with his dagger using the Backstab ability of rogues! Ding! Skill Name: Backstab Skill Level: 2/5 Skill Rank: D Skill Damage: Deals 120% of the user ATK as damage. Has a great chance to Critical Hit if the opponent is caught off guard. Requires being behind the target to use. Description: A deadly technique that strikes with precision from behind a target, many have fallen under its edge. Critical Hit! Backstab sessfully! -70 HP! 400/500 HP Remaining! (Demonic Boar) As soon as his attack struck, Ryder quickly retreated to the side and didn¡¯t follow up with another attack. After all, Mick still didn¡¯t have full aggro control over the demonic boar. This meant that if he identally did too much damage it would turn its attention onto him. While he was somewhat confident in his ability to dodge, that demonic boar could almost one shot him if it used that Charge ability! Izroth was just observing the battle quietly from the back with his arms folded. He was just about to draw his weapon to step out and help when suddenly, Tina was backing up trying to gain some distance to be in a safe area to heal from bumped into him. She red coldly at Izroth before losing herposure for a moment and shouting at him, "If you aren¡¯t going to be useful, then at least don¡¯t get in the way noob!" she was furious at the fact they ran into one of the more troublesome demonic monsters in this area so when she found a source to redirect her anger, she let loose. Izroth was a bit shocked, he was just getting ready to lend a helping hand but before he could even draw his weapon he was already told that he was in the way! Izroth slightly nodded before stepping to the side and calmly watching the battle! ... Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated Demonic Boar! Ding! You have been awarded 150 Experience! You have leveled up to level 3! You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up! Loot Drop: -80 bronze coins -4 demonic boar hide After a few minutes, they finally managed to defeat the demonic boar without Izroth lifting a single finger. This made the other three furious! Mick had almost died a few times and even had to use a precious HP potion just to stay alive! It cost him 1 silver to buy it! What a waste! But, at least with the drops they got, they would be able to regain some loses and even make a bit of a profit. Mick grit his teeth as he spoke to Izroth, "You, why didn¡¯t you help out?!" Mick had a grim face as he started towards Izroth. Ryder and Tina¡¯s eyes fell upon him too, they both had an equally grim face. Izroth blinked a few times confused, wasn¡¯t it the Cleric that said to not get in the way? Didn¡¯t they say that he was a noob and not useful? Yet now they were asking why he didn¡¯t step in to help? Izroth heart grew cold as he looked at the three of them, their looks of disdain and contempt before he could ignore, but not they were also trying to pressure him and make him feel guilty? Who was he? He was Izroth! The greatest cultivator in the seven realms! While he was humble by nature, he would not constantly allow himself to be looked down upon! "Wasn¡¯t it that Cleric that said not to get in the way since I wasn¡¯t useful? Why should I help out if you think I¡¯ll just be in the way" Izroth said coldly ring at Tina. "Y-You...!" Tina looked absolutely livid, this noob had the nerve to try and point a finger at her! She as just was about to snap at Izroth a voice sounded next to her. "Enough!" it was Mick who spoke and Tina didn¡¯t continue on further. Even though she was fuming at the moment, she knew that they had something valuable at stake here and so calmed down. "It was just a misunderstanding. We were all just a bit worked up because of the battle is all. Right?" Tina and Ryder looked at each other before lightly nodding. Mick had a seemingly friendly smile on his face, but his eyes looked cold and ruthless. His words sounded like they contained not a hint of truth to it. "Come, let¡¯s continue on further into the forest. Who knows? We may find ourselves some valuable treasure there." Mick then started to divide the loot into three parts to split between himself, Tina and Ryder. While the demonic boar wasn¡¯t a boss monster, it was one of the stronger monsters in this area so it dropped pretty decent stuff. "Hold on a second, we have to divide everything evenly, that¡¯s what we agreed on after all." a sudden voice sounded out from behind Mick, it was Izroth who spoke. Mick, Ryder, and Tina all pulled a long face as they were trying their best to hold themselves back. First, he doesn¡¯t lift a finger to help them and now he¡¯s asking to be rewarded for standing there?! Screw him! Screw his entire family! So many vicious thoughts were going through their minds at that moment, it was almost impossible to control them. Mick gnashed his teeth as he spoke withholding his anger, "Friend, do you really think it¡¯s fair to divide the loot with you when you didn¡¯t contribute anything at all?" he was trying to intimidate Izroth. Izroth shook his head, "We had a deal when I first joined you told me that we would split the loot equally. You gave me your word so you must honor it." Izroth stood his ground firmly not intimidated at all. "You...! Do you think that-!" as Tina was getting ready to snap, Mick held his hand up and she instantly stopped talking. She could tell that Mick was beyond infuriated by this point. Ryder also coldly stared at Izroth with killing intent, one could tell that he wanted to just rush over there and attack, but he knew that without Mick giving the orders it could ruin everything. "He¡¯s right, I should honor my word. Down to thest detail." Mick suddenly looked calm, but it was a type of calm that hid an endless amount of anger. In his book, even if he got his hands on Izroth weapon without any trouble. He was still going to make sure he would suffer for having to swallow this humiliation. Mick then divided the loot into four equal parts between all of them. Even though Ryder and Tina were visibly upset, there was a smile on Izroth face as he nodded in thanks towards Mick. This made them almost want to cough up blood from anger! Ding! You have gained 20 bronze coins! Ding! You have gained x1 demonic boar hide! It has been added to your inventory. "Come, let¡¯s continue further into the forest find some real treasure and experience." Mick, Ryder, and Tina all began to move deeper into the forest as Izroth followed behind them. A slightly amused smile appeared on Izroth lips, "You think you can bully me and not pay the consequences? Hmph, just wait and see your fate in the end" a cold look invaded Izroth eyes. He had no feelings of the slightest remorse for those who would bully him, these people sooner orter would fall under his sword. ... "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" a loud howl shook the surroundings of the middle area of the forest! "T-This boss is so strong, what is it doing here in this forest?!" said one of the party members in a panic. They had run across this boss by chance and thought it was the perfect chance to get some loot, but they knew they couldn¡¯t do it alone so teamed up with another party nearby. Even though they had 10 people, they couldn¡¯t defeat this monster! "Gah!!!" a male warrior was swiped back with the w of a giant demonic wolf instantly dying. It was about the size of a school bus on earth, it had silky ck fur, ferocious red eyes gleaming with killing intent, razor-sharp teeth and ws and its movements were almost like a blur. 4 people already died under this ferocious demonic wolf attacks. They didn¡¯t even have time to properly respond or react! "Regroup! As long as we stick together we can-!" ZOOOOM! CRRRRRNCH! The person who was talking looked dumbstruck, as they felt their entire body floating in midair. They had died. The remaining party members couldn¡¯t help being ovee with a sense of dread. All of them would probably die to this monstrous boss. ... Izroth and the others heard a loud howling sound out of nowhere that shocked them. That was the howl of a strong demonic monster! Judging by how noisy it was, it sounded like people were fighting against it! Mick looked at Ryder and Tina as he nodded, "Let¡¯s go take a look, even if we can¡¯t get anything from it it¡¯s still good to watch these kinds of battles. Who knows? We may even gain some benefits and be able to get a piece of the loot." Mick wasn¡¯t too optimistic about it, but it wasn¡¯t too far away from their current location and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to look. Izroth frowned slightly while still remaining towards the back of the group. His hearing was quite acute thanks to the Heavenly Golden Body technique and the game allowing real-life advantages, of course, this was one of them! He could hear from the movement that at least 6... No, now 5 other people were fighting against something quiterge and from the sound of things it seemed as though they were in a panic state. "Going there could be deadly if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯ve only recently reached level 3. I don¡¯t know how strong that huge monster is, but it definitely isn¡¯t weak. Well, if things get too bad, I can always use ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ to make my escape" Izroth thought to himself as he followed the three of them towards the direction of fighting sounds. When they got there, they hid carefully within the trees making sure to not be seen, but what they saw shocked them greatly! "T-this... This is an absolute massacre...!" Mick mumbled to himself. Izroth eyes narrowed as he stared at the scene before him... While sweeping his eyes over the scene, something suddenly caught his attention. Chapter 5 Luna "This is bad... I¡¯m running out of MP and I only have a single MP potion remaining. It isn¡¯t enough... I can¡¯t hold on healing for much longer...!" Luna looked calm on the outside but on the inside of her mind was chaos. She had just joined this party by chance while finishing up her tutorial quest. Clerics were always wee to parties because every party needed a healer. She wasn¡¯t ying with anyone else so she thought it would be a good idea to join and make new friends. Little did she know that she¡¯d be dragged into such a hopeless situation and left in a pitiful state. "Gah!!" one of her party members were flung aside and bitten down on by the wolf instantly killing them! There were only her and 4 other people remaining from the original strong party of 10 yers. 2 of them were from the party she joined and the other 2 were from the party they teamed up with to take down this boss. 1 warrior, 1 fighter 2 mages, 1 cleric were all that remained. "T-This isn¡¯t possible to beat right now...! We have to escape from here!" one of the mages from the party Luna¡¯s group teamed up with said in a nervous state. He was constantly ncing at his other party member which was the fighter in the remaining group as though giving him a hint. The warrior couldn¡¯t see what they were up to because he was too busy holding off the monstrous wolf! The fighter was slowly starting to withdraw further and further from the fight while nearing his mage party member. While the warrior was keeping the wolf upied, they would find a chance to slip away! After all, if you died in this game your gear had a chance of dropping and you lost EXP! How tragic would that be if they only slowly waited for their deaths! Although the warrior or mage from Luna¡¯s party didn¡¯t notice the other two members movements, Luna herself did. She looked extremely gloomy as she thought to herself, "Even if I shout out to warn my party members, there¡¯s a chance that I¡¯ll only end up distracting them and causing one of them to die." Luna waspletely seething at the actions of those two yers. RIIIIIIIP! The sound of a w tearing through armor could be heard as the warrior took a massive amount of damage! Luna was barely keeping up with the heals and her mana was rapidly decreasing. If he took another hit like that too soon, they would bepletely done for! As soon as that demonic wolf monster struck the warrior the fighter and mage made a run for it! They actually ran away from the battle! The remaining warrior and mage were shocked! But it didn¡¯t take long before that shock turned into a rage! They abandoned them without warning! Anyone would be boiling with anger after all the sacrifices made for this fight! "COWARDS!" the warrior shouted in a loud fit of rage before taking out his anger on the demonic wolf beast before him. "Halls, Luna, we¡¯ll probably all die here but I¡¯d rather lose a bit of experience and an item than run away with my tail between my legs like those guys!" the mage said visibly upset with a cold look in his eyes as he watched the two yers run away. "Focus on the fight, for now, we still have a chance if we work together properly" Luna mostly said that to cheer herself up. She knew that it was nearly impossible while staring at this monstrous beast before them. Name: Demonic Beast Shadow Wolf (WORLD BOSS) Level: ?? HP: 3,645/10,000 ATK: 200 DEF: 60 AGI: 80 Skills: ??? ??? ??? Halls and Quince had grim faces when they heard Luna speak. They knew that she was just trying to cheer them up and give them hope, but this situation was absolutely hopeless. Though, even knowing that they still decided to not give up! ... "A world boss!" Mick said as a look of greed shed in his eyes. That same look appeared in Ryder and Tina eyes as well. That was a world boss! Perhaps even the only known one so far! If they could defeat it the EXP and rewards would be out of this world! "Look! It¡¯s HP is almost down to 1/3rd, if we help them out, maybe we can actually beat that thing! As for the rewards..." Mick didn¡¯t need to say anything further. The three of them knew each other well enough to understand what he was getting at. While they were busy being blinded by greed, Izroth was looking over towards the direction that two other people ran. Cowards! That was the only thing that came to mind as Izroth scoffed at their actions. He then turned his attention back to the battle that was going on. "The stats on the monster are pretty high..." Izroth took a moment to search his memories or rather those he inherited. "I see, so that¡¯s why it has such high stats. A world boss is meant to be taken on by quite arge group of people. This could be considered one of the easier world bosses taking into ount its strength. I guess being a hardcore gamer has its benefits" Izroth thought to himself as his attention shifted over towards the Cleric in the back, Luna. "She manages to perfectly time the heals, there hasn¡¯t been a single MP or heal wasted. She is also keeping calm under such an intense situation, not bad. Being able to remain calm in these kinds of situations is something that¡¯s hard to aplish" Izrothmented within his mind. He had a certain respect for people with that kind of temperament. After all, you could easily teach techniques or skills, but learning how to remain calm under extreme circumstances, not many could sessfully do this. While Izroth was observing the battle on a more in-depth nature he suddenly got an alert! Ding! You have been kicked from the party! The max number of party members was 6 people. Since there were 3 of them and 3 people left fighting, they had to make some room. After all, there was no way this noob dared to run away this deep into the forest, plus they might get something even better than a rare weapon from this world boss! Though of course, they wouldn¡¯t let Izroth off that easy after what he put them through. "Stay here, we¡¯re going to go help them finish off that boss! If you try to run away, heh well don¡¯t me me for being impolite!" Mick looked at Izroth with disdain written all over his face. This was the first time that Mick through aside all acts and finally revealed his true nature! Izroth heart grew extremely cold as he was talked down on and threatened as he stared at Mick. He dared to threaten him?! Izroth couldn¡¯t even remember thest time someone dared to threaten him! He was respected as the number one cultivator in all seven realms, no one had even dreamt of threatening him. Mick had a smug look on his face when he saw Izroth wasn¡¯t responding or trying to run away. He thought that he¡¯d scared Izroth silly and they dared not to move! Little did he know that he silently sealed his own fate. Mick nodded towards Ryder and Tina who looked satisfied now that they believed Mick put Izroth in his ce. They would make sure to have their own fun and repay the humiliation from earlyter on. The three walked out of the trees and towards the world boss, the situation was even dire than it was a few moments ago! The fact that the three of them were holding on by themselves could be called a miracle, but Luna healing was so perfectly timed and calmly ced that it was keeping them in the fight much longer than expected! Though she couldn¡¯t take all the credit, Halls was always a good tank timing his blocks perfectly and avoiding damage any time he could, but still maintaining the aggro on the Shadow Wolf. Cling! -50 HP! 3,250/10,000 Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) Halls struck out with his sword doing some damage to the wolf, though at this rate it was hopeless. A fireball formed in Quince¡¯s hand as he aimed it towards the Shadow Wolf! Wooooooooosh! The fireball flew through the air striking the Shadow Wolf near the right side of its face! -150 HP! -3,150/10,000 Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) The Shadow Wolf angrily howled before smashing down with its massive w towards Halls! Halls managed to block the w with his shield, but he still felt like his knees were going to copse from the pressure! BLOCKED! -120 170/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) 120 damage from a normal attack that was blocked with a shield! That was crazy damage! Suddenly a warm light green light enveloped Halls healing him for some of the damage he just took. It was Luna who used Cure on him! "Nice heal!" Halls thought to himself. All the fights up until now have been extremely easy as though they didn¡¯t even need to try, now he understood why that was. Luna was an absolute monster of a Cleric! The timing of her heals were so exact it was almost like she was aputer programmed for that specific task! +100 HP 270/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) "My MP can¡¯t hold out for much longer, I have another 3 Cures remaining before I have to drink my MP potion." Luna was growing weary. Keeping up this level of concentration under such an intense situation was exhausting on a mental level. One small slip up could cause everything to copse, that¡¯s why it¡¯s important for her to remain calm as much as possible. When Halls and Quince heard that, they were silent as they continued to battle. They knew that Luna tried her best and if it was any other healer they would have long since died. They could only silently wait until she ran out of mana and for their inevitable deaths to arrive. Just as they were all in an extremely gloomy mood a shout sounded from not too far away. "Hey, we¡¯vee to help! Invite us to the party with you!" Mick said while charging out, behind him was a woman with a cleric staff in her hands. Another person was there too, but he disappeared soon as they entered the battle range. That was most likely a rogue! Halls seemed extremely shocked and speechless at least but quickly regained hisposure. Help had arrived! They had a bit more hope atst! He quickly made a bit of distance between him and the Shadow Wolf and invite Mick and Tina to the party! Luna frowned a bit on the inside, she didn¡¯t know why but the feelings those two gave off was very cold and detached... She may just be imagining it, but she still was a bit on guard trusting her gut feeling. "Mind handing me party leader? I have a rogue I need to invite to the party as well" Mick said with that friendly smile of his. Halls frowned a bit, asking for party leader was a bit much... After all, he was aplete stranger! But, this situation called for all the help they could get, so he had no choice but to trust them. "After you invite him, return the party leader back to me" Halls handed over the party leader to Mick and soon another person joined their party. Because they were now a part of the same party the others could clearly see a rogue sneaking up behind the Shadow Wolf. A small grin appeared on Mick¡¯s face, he soon rushed forward towards the Shadow Wolf! "Look out!" he ran forward and blocked the attack from the Shadow Wolf! BLOCKED! -180 HP! 270/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Halls was furious that Mick hadn¡¯t given him back the party leader, but he didn¡¯t have time to speak because the Shadow Wolf started focusing its attacks onto him again! Luna¡¯s expression grew a bit cold as she seen the actions of this shameless person. Party: Name: Halls ss: Warrior Level: 6 HP: 270/700 MP: 60 Name: Quince ss: Mage Level: 6 HP: 250/250 MP: 70/260 Name: Luna ss: Cleric Level: 6 HP: 220/220 MP: 60/250 ... Izroth was watching what unfolded and couldn¡¯t help but to look towards Mick and his little group of friends with a look of contempt and disdain. He already had a good guess at what they were nning. There was no way those three greedy people would ever share anything with anyone. As soon as they got the chance, they would stab them in the back. A small smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s lips as he looked at the battle, finally, he looked at the group of three filled with killing intent. "Don¡¯t worry, if any of you make it out of this forest alive, may I be struck down by the heavens themselves!" Izroth took a very serious oath! One had to know that when one starts on the path of cultivation, any oath made to the heavens had to be kept or they really would be struck down! Izroth slowly left the trees and appeared within view of the group fighting the Shadow Wolf. Chapter 6 Instant Kill Izroth remained at a distance observing the fight. One wouldn¡¯t know what he was doing just by looking at him but he was in his character interface! "It¡¯s about time I use these stat and skill points..." Izroth thought to himself. After seeing the stats of that Demonic Beast Shadow Wolf, he knew that if he wanted to increase his chance at survival, he would need to use everything at his disposal! This was a world boss! These things were not easy toe by, so the rewards and EXP were always quite generous. He was just waiting for the right moment to strike. Those three he was in a party with reeked of bad intentions, they would definitely make their move when the boss HP dropped below a certain point; that is when he would strike. So far, Izroth had 6 stat points and 1 skill point to spend. The skill point was actually quite rare as you¡¯d only get 1 every 3 levels. There were so many different skills that one had to be careful of where they spent their points. As for stat points, you gained 3 every level so there was a bit more room for error with that. After thinking it over for a brief moment, he decided to invest 2 points in HP, 2 points in ATK and 2 points in AGI. As for his skill point, although he was very hesitant to spend it, in the end, he chose to spend it on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ skill. He chose this skill because it was his only life-saving skill and he didn¡¯t regret his choice after looking at the skill again. Skill Name: Flickering Steps Skill Creator: Gear Skill Level: 2/3 Skill Rank: A Active - For the next 15 seconds, the user Agility is increased by 350%. Cooldown: 4 minutes Description: A skill created by the Famous Adventurer, Gear of the Flickering Steps. His trademark move allowed him to remain untouched on battlefields and only a light flicker of his silhouette could be seen before a foe is in just moments after. The cooldown was reduced by 1 minute, but the most important thing was 5 seconds got added to the duration that he could use ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and it increased the amount by 50%! One could only dream of trying to catch him in such a state. He had confidence that as long as he wanted to, he would be able to escape from the Shadow Wolf if things went south! Now his character window looked more like: Name: Izroth EXP: 0/400 Level: 3(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 300/300 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 90(60+30) DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 30 MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: Nameless de - Main Weapon Skills: (Skill Points: 0) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S ss) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 1/3 (A ss) Flickering Steps(Active) Level: 2/3 (A ss) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 0 Bronze: 70) -x1 Demonic Boar Hide Fame: World Fame - 110 ... Izroth then turned his attention back to the fight after making sure everything wasplete and only one word described it... Disorganized! The fight was a total wreck! Mick had messed up the aggro with the Shadow Wolf and it had almost cost Luna her life! A tank was supposed to know how to properly manage aggro, but Mick just randomly used skills and didn¡¯t pay attention to any of his surroundings. To make things worse, Tina was only healing Mick even though most of the damage was going straight to Halls, the main tank! To top it all off, Ryder wasn¡¯t even attacking seriously only popping out to deal damage every once in a while before retreating back to the distance. Luna took out an MP potion and drank it down quickly! It had a very bitter taste, but she felt a rejuvenating feeling ovee her. +100 MP! 140/250 MP Remaining! (Luna) Luna red at Tina who seemed to be taking it easy while focusing on healing only Mick. To make matters even worse, that Mick guy almost got her killed by messing up the aggro! It was like these guys were trying to slowly whittle away at them! Though what made Luna more nervous than anything a new unknown person who appeared not too far away from them, just out of the distance of the battle. That person looked calm with cold eyes as though the people he was watching wasn¡¯t even in his sight. Luna¡¯s heart was racing as the situation just seemed to deteriorate more and more by the second. Luna finally couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore and spoke in a cold tone towards Tina, "Hey Cleric, how about you try to heal someone who is actually taking damage?" She was usually a very quiet person and rarely spoke to others. In fact, the number of sentences she spoke to her current party since they met could be counted on one¡¯s fingers. But even she was patient as she was, couldn¡¯t continue to ignore their actions! Tina¡¯s eyes narrowed as she stared towards Luna as a smug look appeared on her face, "Eh? Are you stupid or something? I¡¯m obviously healing my tank while you heal your tank. Isn¡¯t that how it goes? Why should I hold your hand healing a tank you¡¯re supposed to be healing?" Tina snapped back with a cold tone. Luna was fuming but she kept a serene mind while focusing on healing Halls! Tina obviously had no ns to help with healing Halls, to begin with even though he was the main tank. She didn¡¯t even bother trying to heal Luna when she was attacked because of a mistake made by Mick. Luna simply scoffed before ncing over in the direction where Izroth was standing. He was still standing there with his arms folded, like a ferocious beast waiting to pounce on its prey. "HOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" the Shadow Wolf howled loudly as everyone within range took a hit! -100 HP! -100 HP! -100 HP! -100 HP! -100 HP! -100 HP! It was a sound attack, so defense was useless against those kinds of attacks, but luckily the damage had a set amount of damage it did. Halls shed forward with his sword shing at the Shadow Wolf! He managed to get a nice blow in on its neck! ng! sh! Critical Hit! -100 HP! 1,545/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) They had managed to get the Shadow down to almost 15% of its HP even while not fully cooperating with together. Mick seemed to withdraw for a moment before an alert went off. Ding! Party Leader has changed Loot Settings to Party Leader Only from Roll! As soon as Luna, Halls, and Quince saw that their faces all turned ugly! How shameless could this guy be?! He barely contributes, almost gets one of their members killed and now he changes the loot settings for the party? Were they fools? He obviously nned on taking all the loot for himself and his group! Halls eyes immediately turned cold as he gave Mick a death stare, "What¡¯s the meaning of this?" Halls voice sounded ice cold as he spoke while trying to restrain his anger. "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only to make sure the loot gets divided fairly. You have my word, I¡¯ll make sure to divide the loot fairly amongst all of us!" Mick said with confidence as though he was inplete control of the situation. Divide? Ha! He would never do that, only Tina and Ryder would get a cut, the others... Well the EXP should be enough for them to be satisfied. Luna, Halls, and Quince were so blinded by rage at that moment that even the always calm and observant Luna missed a very important alert at the same moment that Mick changed the loot settings. None of them saw that it said: ¡¯Ding! yer Ryder has left the party!¡¯ The rogue Ryder had left their group and not a single person noticed! ... As they kept fighting even though they were visibly upset, Luna suddenly felt something was off. She had a frown on her face as her first reaction was to look towards Izroth, but he was still just standing there with his arms folded. What was it? What was this gut feeling gnawing at her... Luna eyes suddenly widened, "The rogue!" she mumbles to herself before looking around but not seeing them anywhere! She then nced at the party and saw that there was one less member. Finally, her eyes fell upon the alert she missed! Luna had only lost her calm for a brief moment but during that time they managed to set all of this up, this is bad! Just as she was about to warn Halls and Quince she heard a shout of pain from her side! It was Quince! "Gah!!" Quince felt a jolting pain in his neck and then a sharp pain stabbing into his back, he couldn¡¯t move at all! Behind him was a rogue, it was Ryder! He had used two rogue skills on Quince ¡¯Pressure Point¡¯ and ¡¯Backstab¡¯, before following up with a basic attack. Mages had naturally weak defenses and no protection skills this early on, so rogues were their absolute bane! Skill Name: Pressure Point Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: D Skill Damage: Deals 50% of the user ATK as damage. If you use this attack while stealth, it deals 100% of the user attack as damage. This skill has a high chance of stunning the target for 1 second if it sessfully hits. Description: This skill allows the user to control their target or regroup during a fight, it can change the entire flow of a fight if executed correctly! -50 HP! Critical Hit! -100 HP! -50 HP! 0/250 HP Remaining! (Quince) Ding! yer Quince has died! Quince was absolutely shocked, he couldn¡¯t even react before he died! He only had 150 HP remaining after that sound attack by the Shadow Wolf, and during that time Luna couldn¡¯t ord to heal him before he was killed by Ryder! "Quince!" Halls shouted when he saw the alert, but the Wolf aggro was still focused on him, if he turned away, it would probably chase after Luna next because of her healing aggro. He couldn¡¯t let her go through that after all the help she gave them! Halls was almost sent into a frenzy at that moment, he felt as though he was being toyed with by these guys. But what he regretted the most was that he was the one who invited them to the party out of desperation! "Good job Ryder! Hahaha, now take care of the Cleric so we can finish off this boss and collect the prize, don¡¯t worry, with the three of us here there¡¯s no way the warrior can survive!" Mick said full of authority and confidence as though he was a leader with unmatched scheming. Luna¡¯s heart became ice cold as she saw Ryder smirk before vanishing from view. "You animal! Do you dare to fight me first?!" Halls couldn¡¯t help it any longer and turned his back to try and run towards Luna to protect her, but before he could even get halfway there the Shadow Wolf pounced on him! SLASH! The Shadow Wolfshed out with itsrge w towards Halls, the aggro was still on him after all! -240 HP! 250/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) He had paid the price for turning his back on the Shadow Wolf while having aggro, he had lost a whopping 240 HP! Halls was skating on thin ice and had no choice but to turn and continue to confront the Wolf. Meanwhile Mick and Tina seemed to be enjoying the show that was going to happen soon. Tina especially was excited, after all, Luna had spoken to her as though she above her! "Hmph! Acting all high and mighty, let¡¯s see you do so now!" Tina smiled waiting for Ryder to make his move. Luna was on high alert, she was still trying to focus on healing Halls, but she only had 80 HP Remaining! She bit down on her lower lip trying to maintain a calmposure, but she didn¡¯t know what to do in this situation! "From the back...!" Luna suddenly turned and raised her staff up to block! WOOSH! Ryder actually attacked from the front, so when Luna turned around shepletely let her guard down! Arge grin appeared on Ryder¡¯s face, this was going to be an easy kill! Luna was shocked, she was so exhausted from the constant high tension battle that she miscalcted! This was it, it was all over... She simply closed her eyes and waited for the dagger to strike her. Swish! Ziiiiiiiiiiiiing! nk! Luna still had her eyes shut tightly but she didn¡¯t feel anything, in fact, she felt as though she hadn¡¯t even been struck. She slowly opened her eyes and turned aroundpletely shocked! It was him! But when did he even get here? Suddenly what she saw and heard next surprised her. "First Baneful Sword: Destruction..." That sound earlier was the sound of Izroth unsheathing, striking awnd sheathing his sword all in one smooth motion. Ryder stood there, his eyes widened as though he couldn¡¯t believe it! Mick and Tina were also surprised by the sudden turn of events. That noob who they thought was just some lucky or rich guy actually attacked! They were utterly infuriated! Ryder saw the damage number on his screen and thought it must¡¯ve been a bug, that guy was only level 3 when he was in their party, there was no way he could be that strong! It had to be a bug! -250 HP! 0/225 HP Remaining! (Ryder) It was an Instant Kill! Chapter 7 Shameless Ding! yer Ryder has died! Izroth nced at Luna before turning back to look over at Mick and Tina. He thought about just eliminating everyone and iming the prize for himself after all the world of cultivation was ruthless. But this wasn¡¯t the world of cultivation, he had goals that he had to aplish in this world and wouldn¡¯t needlessly create enmity with everyone he came across. "Hey, Cleric. How many more of those heals do you have left?" Izroth spoke but his eyes never left Mick and Tina, it was as though he was an ancient beast waiting to devour its prey. Luna blinked a bit few times, but even though she was still quite shocked Luna quickly snapped out of it and regained herposure and a serene mind. "I have 5 heals remaining" Luna had taken herst mana potion earlier and used a heal to recover some of Halls HP, but before she could continue healing Quince was suddenly attacked! So she had enough mana to use only 5 more heals. Luna didn¡¯t know who this person was but he had saved her life and didn¡¯t seem to hold any malicious intent. Plus, it seemed as though he had some grievances with those other yers to settle. Izroth nodded, "You and the tank leave the party and invite me. Try to stay alive until I finish those guys off. Think you can handle that?" Izroth said as he pointed towards the direction of Mick and Tina. Luna¡¯s heart grew extremely cold as she nodded. Originally there was no reason to conflict with one another, but these yers shamelessly killed one of her party members and almost killed her! Even if one had the patience of a saint there was still only so much they could tolerate! "I can!" Luna sounded firm and resolute. Luna spoke with Halls over the partymunication and he agreed. At this point, there wasn¡¯t much else he could do except firmly hold his ground and hope for the best. Besides, throughout this battle, he learned to trust Luna and her judgment, if she thought it was best to do so then he wouldn¡¯t fight her on it. Ding! yer Halls has left the party! Ding! yer Luna has left the party! Ding! yer Luna would like to invite you to a party along with yer Halls! Do you wish to ept? "ept!" Izroth said without hesitating in the slightest manner. Luna and Halls were both curious as to what ss and level this yer would have to be to one shot someone and when they saw his level they were utterly shocked! A Level 3 Combat Master?! They were surprised, never in their wildest dreams would they have thought he¡¯d be a Combat Master and only level 3 at that! This had to be some kind of bug right?! "M-Mick, what are you going to do? That guy just instant killed Ryder!" Tina was frightened! She had told Izroth earlier that he was useless and in the way. She looked at him with disdain and contempt as though Izroth was beneath her, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t want revenge! Tina¡¯s face turned very ugly as she thought about all those things and her potential fate. Tina wasn¡¯t the only one nervous, Mick had cold sweats on his back. Wasn¡¯t this guy just a noob or some snotty rich kid? Wasn¡¯t he a Combat Master, the most trash ss in the entire game? He was only level 3, a nobody! Mick fear slowly started to turn into anger at allowing himself to be fooled by Izroth, he had to die no matter what! "It was just luck! Ryder was already low on HP from the Shadow Wolf¡¯s sound attack. He must¡¯ve just put all his stat points into nothing not attack and got a lucky critical hit! Hmph, trying to pretend he¡¯s amazing, he just got lucky!" Mick was starting to feel more and more confident as he came up with reasons that justified what happened. "Besides, he¡¯s just a coward who sneaks attacks others, how shameless!" Mick spat to the side in a show of scorn. "T-that¡¯s right, he just got lucky... That has to be it! Heh, and to think I was actually a bit scared for a moment there. Just a tiny lizard who thinks he¡¯s a dragon!" Tina had also regained her confidence after listening to what Mick said to her, it all sounded logical and without fault. Halls and Luna almost coughed up blood from anger when they heard the shameless words leaving Mick and Tina¡¯s mouths! Shameless? Coward? Sneak attack? Weren¡¯t they describing themselves?! First, Mick and his two members offered to help them. Then, when Halls gave Mick the party leader position to invite the rogue, he suddenly jumped into battle without giving the lead back. To make things even worse, they were purposely sabotaging some moments of the battle and almost got Luna killed! Their Cleric was only healing Mick even though Halls was taking most of the damage. The worse thing of all was that not only did Mick change the loot settings to party leader only, but their rogue left the party and sneak attacked Quince and tried to even finish off Luna! Yet they had the nerve to sit here and call Izroth all those things?! How could Halls and Luna not bepletely enraged by their attitudes?! Izroth grinned a bit while slowly walking forward closer to Mick and Tina. He didn¡¯t even find it necessary to waste words on trash like this, but he couldn¡¯t help but speak after seeing how foolishly they were acting. Luck? Did he need that? Coward? In his thousands of years of cultivation, no one had dared call him a coward! Sneak attack? He was clearly standing in the open before he attacked, they were justpletely ignoring him because they believed he wasn¡¯t a threat. "Good, very good. I can¡¯t remember thest time someone has called me a shameless coward. I guess that must make the both you a piece of trash. No, even a piece of trash is too good for you, you¡¯re nothing. You¡¯re just insects who feast on pieces of trash!" Izroth didn¡¯t make wasting any more words and made his move rushing forward towards Mick and Tina. "Flickering Steps" Izroth said to himself as his agility shot up as his body seemed to be flickering in and out of existence! A 350% boost to his agility for 15 seconds! His base agility was at 30, so with the help of ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ his agility would be 105! That was even more than the Shadow Wolf¡¯s monstrous agility, and it is a world boss! Mick and Tina could barely even react to the Shadow Wolf¡¯s agility of 80 and that was only because Halls was such a good tank, constantly keeping the focus on him and shifting to cover for their weak spots and making good calls. All they saw were flickering afterimages of Izroth as he moved closer to them. They were scared senseless! Such speed shouldn¡¯t be possible! He was even faster than the Shadow Wolf! Doomed, they were doomed! Mick and Tina¡¯s faces turned extremely hideous at the turn of events. But they had no choice but to fight now, there was no way Izroth would forgive them by this point. Mick grit his teeth and tightened his defenses, "Look you can have all the loot okay? We will even help you get rid of those other two and listen to what you say from now on. Okay, so how about we just let bygones be bygones?" Mick was still trying to salvage things even in this situation. When Luna and Halls heard Mick, they both wanted to strangle him themselves! Even in this situation, he could still act so shamelessly! But would Izroth trust the words of a such a shameless person? The answer was no! Even if he did, Mick and Tina had crossed his bottom line time and time again, they both had to die! "First Baneful Sword: Destruction" Izroth sword in one smooth motion was unsheathed, shed forward and then sheathed once more. -260 HP! 0/150 HP Remaining! (Tina) Ding! yer Tina has died! Tina didn¡¯t even have time to heal. Nothing much had to be said about a Cleric¡¯s poor defense. Before she could even react, Tina suddenly fell over. She had died! Another yer killed with only a single strike! It was an overkill! "In fights, one should always target the healer first, otherwise the entire battle could be dragged out until your inevitable death if the healer can heal for more damage than you can output" Izroth recalled the memories of that hardcore gamer that was absorbed into his own and targetted Tina first. He wouldn¡¯t even give her a small window of hope! Mick finally lost hisst bit of confidence as Tina was taken care of in one strike just as Ryder was. Was he also going to die here the same way? He could only feel regret for his actions. If he had decided to instead make friends with this person, perhaps they would¡¯ve been able to get many benefits from his strength. But it was toote now, they had already be enemies and nothing could change that. Mick clenched his sword and shield tightly in his hand as he shed out towards where Izroth just was after he killed Tina! Miss! Mick didn¡¯t attack anything but the flickering afterimage of Izroth, and not too long after he felt a sharp pain on his side! -70 HP! 380/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Too fast! He was way too fast! Mick couldn¡¯t even put up his shield to block in time, he couldn¡¯t see the attacking at all! Mick started to panic and just wildly swing his sword around him trying to get a hit off! It was like trying to hit a phantom! Miss! Izroth had a smirk on his face and his eyes werepletely cold as his sword cleaning cut Mick on his neck! Critical Hit! -140 HP! 240/450 HP Remaining (Mick) "It seems if you hit actual vital points, there¡¯s a high chance that it¡¯ll be a critical hit." Izroth thought to himself as he continued his assault against the utterly defenseless Mick. Izroth sword shed across Mick¡¯s back, of course, none of Mick¡¯s attacks would hit by swinging his sword randomly. Izroth could easily avoid that level of attack with his current agility. -70 HP! 170/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Even though Mick was a warrior, he invested most of his points into strength, one of the worse things you could do for a tank. While it would seem like a good idea in the beginning because you get to do more damage, as you get further into the game you wouldn¡¯t be able to be a tank or damage dealer because you wouldn¡¯t be able to take or deal enough damage! ... While Luna was indeed concentrating on the battle with the Shadow Wolf along with Halls, she couldn¡¯t help but keep some attention towards the battle going on over there. Terrifying! That was the only word she could think of when seeing that flickering afterimage moving around everywhere. "What skill is he using...? That has to be at least a B... No, an A-ranked skill with that kind of power. Combat Master... I thought they were supposed to be a trash ss, but maybe there¡¯s much more to it than that. After all, I doubt thepany would add in apletely useless ss. Also that weapon..." Luna thought to herself. She was correct, thepany would never add in a useless skill! It wasn¡¯t that Combat Masters was trash, it was just that they required a unique kind of yer. After all, creating skills may seem easy, but one had to know that it was actually very difficult to create a strong skill! It just wasn¡¯t worth it to have potentially a bunch of weak skills and no strong skills, at least with a defined ss you would eventually get a strong skill. But with Combat Master, there was just simply no absolute way of knowing. ... Critical Hit! -140 HP! 30 HP Remaining! (Mick) Izroth had once again struck Mick in at a vital point with his sword and managed to get another critical hit! Now, he was only one strike away from death! Mick eyes were filled with fear, it hadn¡¯t even been more than 6 seconds since the fight began and he was already in such a state and Tina had died! Mick started to think back to the moment that he first came across Izroth. He had a sh of brilliance when he saw that rare weapon sitting upon his back. He had to have it! But the more he thought back, the more his fear slowly started to turn to pure hatred for Izroth. Mick felt as though he had been toyed with all along and that it wasn¡¯t him scheming against Izroth, but Izroth scheming against him! "I won¡¯t rest until you die!" Mick shouted though it was thest thing he shouted before a sword descended towards him shing cleanly across his chest. "Then, I¡¯ll be waiting" Izroth spoke in a cold tone as he sheathed his sword. -70 HP! 0/450 HP Remaining! (Mick) Ding! yer Mick has died! Mick, Ryder, and Tina had all been eliminated by Izroth, just one person who was 2 levels below them! What a frightening yer! Izroth then turned his attention towards the battle with the Shadow Wolf, it seemed things were bing more and more intense since they had no damage dealer to do any real damage to the Shadow Wolf. Its HP didn¡¯t move much from where it was before. 1,225/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) 150/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) 80/180 HP Remaining! (Luna) 300/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth ced his hand on the hilt of his sword, he still had 7 seconds remaining on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ after dealing with Tina and Mick. It was time to defeat a world boss. Chapter 8 Clearing the First World Boss Izroth rushed towards the Shadow Wolf as it was swiping its massive w at Halls! BLOCKED! -120 HP! 30/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) +100 HP! 130/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) Luna had used ¡¯Cure¡¯ on Halls just after the moment the Shadow Wolf attacked! She only had enough mana for 2 more heals remaining! But she couldn¡¯t copse under the pressure and had to keep focus, one wrong slip up and Halls could die! Izroth arrived at the side of the Shadow Wolf. Even though the Shadow Wolf was incredibly agile, it only had 80 agility while Izroth still had ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ active and had a monstrous 105 agility! It could not avoid Izroth¡¯s sword as it shed against the joint on the Shadow Wolf¡¯s left leg. 6 seconds Remaining on ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯! -60 HP! 1,165/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) Izroth continued to flicker around the Shadow Wolf, his attack speed was fast! He could get off at least 3 attacks every in 2 seconds! His movements couldn¡¯t be seen clearly by Luna or Halls, it just looked like some blur constantly moving around the Shadow Wolf toying with it! This was a world boss! Luna was astounded when she saw that frightening sight, maybe that was a legendary S rank skill! His agility was so fast that even the Shadow Wolf had no chance of avoiding it with its monstrous speed! Izroth sword didn¡¯t stop moving for a moment! It swept underneath the massive Shadow Wolf and then again on that same joint that Izroth targeted before on the Shadow Wolf¡¯s left leg! -60 HP! Critical Hit! -120 HP! 985/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) 4 seconds Remaining on ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯! Halls waspletely dumbstruck by what was going on at this moment, he had thought that everything from the beginning would be wishful thinking. But they could really do it! They could defeat a world boss! When Halls came to this conclusion it caused his blood to boil with excitement! He became even more daring helping out with the assault now! He swung his sword out and struck the Shadow Wolf! -50 HP! 935/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) Halls felt a warm feeling over his body, it was Luna using ¡¯Cure¡¯ to heal him! +100 HP! 230/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) The Shadow Wolf became enraged when its health dropped below 10%! "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" The Shadow Wolf howled loudly as its eyes turned blood red with an endless beastly rage! Ding! Shadow Wolf has entered an enraged state! Ding! Shadow Wolf Attack has been increased by 100%! Ding! Shadow Wolf has gained the skill endless rage, every 1 second its attack will increase by 5%! Luna eyes instantly widened when she saw that alert! She instantly cast her veryst ¡¯Cure¡¯ on Halls! +100 HP! 330/700 HP Remaining! (Halls) With itsrge jaws, the Shadow Wolf bit towards Halls aiming to bite down on him whole! Halls quickly reacted, he knew that things weren¡¯t looking good for him, especially since Luna was now out of mana and the Shadow Wolf entered an enraged stage! He was furious by the fact that if Quince hadn¡¯t been backstabbed by that rogue, they would have the damage to have probably already finished this fight! Now they were walking on a tightrope! BLOCKED! -310 HP! 20/700 HP Remaining! 310 damage! And that was to a tank who blocked with his shield! The Shadow Wolf was truly deserving of being a world boss! Izroth wasn¡¯t cking off at this moment either, he was waiting for the right moment to strike! "So this is what the enraged state of a boss looks like... 100% attack increase instantly and 5% more attack every 1 second, how frightening. If a fight gets drawn out too long, then it could even kill tanks instantly" Izroth thought to himself. 2 seconds Remaining on ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯! Izroth eyes shed with a cold glint as he arrived below the Shadow Wolf¡¯s neck! This is the moment he was waiting for! While the Shadow Wolf couldn¡¯tpletely keep up with his speed, it still kept its vitals well guarded! But while in an enraged state, it wouldn¡¯t care about taking damage as much as it did dealing damage! "First Baneful Sword: Destruction!" Izroth sword rushed out towards the neck of the Shadow Wolf, but he wasn¡¯t done yet! "Sword Force!" Izroth shouted out as his sword became coated in a soft light blue aura! Although that aura seemed to be weak and not harmful, a strong oppressive force was behind it! Izroth used the active skill from his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ called ¡¯Sword Force¡¯. It gave the next attack on the of the user a 200% damage increase! It was like a free critical hit! As Izroth sword tore through the neck of the Shadow Wolf, he got one more alert to go along with everything. Critical Hit! -1,020 HP! 0/10,000 HP Remaining! (Shadow Wolf) Luna, Halls and even Izroth himself was dumbfounded when they saw thatrge damage number pop up! 1,020 damage at level 3! If other yers learned of this, they would definitelyin to the gamingpany that something was bugged or broken! The Shadow Wolf tried to give another Howl, but its blood red eyes slowly dimmed as the howl wouldn¡¯t leave its mouth. It fell over to the ground and a small tremor followed. It had died! Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated Demonic Beast Shadow Wolf! Ding! You have been awarded 2,667 EXP! You have leveled up to level 6! You have been awarded +9 stat points for leveling up! You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up! Ding! Congrattions, your party has cleared the first World Boss! Ding! Since you are the first party to clear a World Boss, you have received +100 fame! Ding! You have been awarded 500 EXP! Ding! You have been awarded +3 stat points! You have leveled up to level 7! You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up! You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up! Ding... The alerts seemed to be going off nonstop in their character windows! Izroth most of all since he was only level 3, he gained great benefits from this, his level had shot up from level 3 to level 7! That was 4 levels from defeating a single world boss! Izroth had a thought about just searching for world bosses and killing them to gain EXP and rewards, but how could it be that easy to find a world boss let alone defeat it? After all, even though technically 14 people fought this world boss that was rtively weakpared to those monstrous ones, 11 still had died! Although, 3 were eliminated by Izroth and another by Ryder that rogue. Izroth tossed that idea to the back of his head, he knew that this was just a lucky encounter. The chances of it happening again so soon was incredibly small. Besides they were indeed lucky! If the big guilds got a hold of the news of a world boss, even Izroth himself couldn¡¯t fight against thousands of yers alone, yet! He would¡¯ve had no ce in the fight for the world boss! An alert appeared on Halls screen and he turned to look at Izroth. If they didn¡¯t have his help then both him and Luna would¡¯ve died. They would¡¯ve done all that work for nothing in the end, so he was very thankful towards Izroth. Halls looked towards Luna who was smiling and nodded. She had a good idea what he wanted to do and she had no objections to it. If not for Izroth, there was no way they would¡¯ve been able to pull through that situation and gain benefits from it! Ding! yer Izroth has been promoted to party leader! Izroth looked a bit startled when he saw that he was suddenly the party leader, but he didn¡¯t even have time to question it as another alert appeared in front of his face. Ding! Please enter the name of your party for clearing the first World Boss! Izroth eyes widened a bit, ording to the memories he absorbed this was something huge! Your name would be announced to the world and you could be famous overnight! For them to give it up to him had to be an incredibly tough decision. Just as Izroth was about to talk Halls interrupted him, "Alright you don¡¯t have to say anything, just ept it. We both already agreed that without you we would have no gains and only loses. This is our most sincere way to say thank you" Halls had a bright smile on his face. All that tension from a moment ago was gone, even though he still despised those three yers from earlier, he had set them into the back of his mind to enjoy this moment. Luna nodded, "You¡¯ve earned it. You saved my life earlier and I never got a chance to thank you so, thank you" Luna had a bright smile upon her face and had no looks of disagreement whatsoever. Izroth looked at the two of them before nodding, he knew it would be rude to refuse after they made the choice to give up such a huge privilege! "Then excuse me for being impolite," Izroth said as he began to enter a name into the menu. He didn¡¯t have to think too long on it, after all, he had the perfect name in mind. ¡¯Izroth¡¯ that was all he put in the menu! How domineering! The entire world would see that name and under the cleared yers they would see his name. For one person to put his name as the party name, how absolutely domineering! Luna and Halls were a bit shocked too, though they had decided to let him make the choice of what to put and didn¡¯t regret it. Ding! World Announcement: The first world boss has been cleared by the party ¡¯Izroth¡¯! Party Leader: Izroth Party Member(s): Luna, Halls They have been rewarded for their efforts! The system then went on to show all the rewards the party received from clearing the first world boss. This was breaking news! The first world boss had been cleared and it wasn¡¯t by any big guild or even a small guild, but by Izroth! A party with only 3 members who, get this, party leader name was Izroth! The big guilds immediately sent out people to ask around about this Izroth or any information on the other yers who cleared the first world boss. They had never heard of anyone or any guild with the name Izroth, and neither of the other two yers was famous names. Big guilds had to have information on things like this, it was how they stayed above all the otherpetition! But most of them were after one thing and that was the spawn location of that world boss! After all, even though they wouldn¡¯t get the first clear, it would still drop loot they could use. The world chat was going crazy! Everyone was talking about the same thing, how only 3 people cleared the first world boss! "Is that even possible?! How could only 3 people kill a world boss? Maybe they were pro yers?" "Pro yers? Ha! I follow the e-sports closely and I can tell you that no famous pro yers have those names, if they were that skilled they would¡¯ve been known a long time ago!" "They had to find or a bug or cheat, right? I mean, 3 people fighting a world boss this early is a bit suspicious..." "Oh shut up! You¡¯re just mad because you didn¡¯t get those rewards! Those are some insane rewards!" "Your mom is an insane reward!" "LOL" "ROFL, he got you dude!" "What did you say noob?! Meet me by the Willowed Forest and say that to my face!" ... As the world chat was going crazy, Izroth, Luna and Halls were staring down at the pile of loot near the Shadow Wolf. Loot! This was the thing all yers looked forward to the most when defeating monsters, especially boss levels monsters who dropped the best loot! It was even better since this was the first time the Shadow Wolf has been killed, so the loot will be the very best! Luna and Halls were very excited but still managed to hold themselves back. They were waiting to see how Izroth handled things. After all, even though the fight was over Luna had no mana and Halls was one hit away from dying. They would have a death wish if they provoked him at this moment. Izroth sensed that they were bit nervous and smiled towards them. He had a simple saying, he would always repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. Izroth had no enmity with these two and they seemed like good people from the way they handled things. He would, of course, be fair about things. Izroth shook his head, "We¡¯ll divide the loot fairly between us. While it¡¯s true that I did kill it, it was you guys that got it that low to begin with." Luna and Halls rxed a bit and let out a sigh of relief. Luckily Izroth was a fair person and had no grievances with them. This improved his image even more in their minds. Izroth reached down to pick up the loot and the first thing that he saw left him shocked! Izroth let out a sigh in amazement, "Truly worthy of being loot from a world boss" Chapter 9 Dividing the Loot and An Unexpected Gain Loot Drop: -10 silver coins -x3 Shadow Wolf Hide -x1 Concentrated Demonic Beast Core -x1 Shadow Fang Sword -x1 Shadow Ne -x1 Eye of the Wolf Ring -x1 Skill Book: Shadow Movement What amazing loot that dropped! The rarest thing that dropped was without a doubt the skill book! The chances of such a thing dropping were astronomical, most likely less than 0.001%, but because it was the first kill on this world boss, their chance increased greatly and they were lucky enough toe across it! Even though the skill book was the most valuable item, that did not mean the other items were useless. In fact, there were essories which were quite difficult to get a hold of, especially this early in the game. Their gains from this would cause those with bad intentions to have a great deal of greed, especially if they knew about that skill book! But, none of the three here were stupid enough to disclose the items they received so lightly to others. The silver coins, on the other hand, that would obviously just be divided evenly between them. 1 silver coin was equal to 100 bronze coins! That meant 333 bronze coins for each of them with 1 bronze coin to spare, of course, it would most likely go to Izroth. The first item that Izroth had picked up and sighed at amazement because of was the skill book. When he read the description of the skill, he could not help but react that way. Skill Name: Shadow Movement Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Requirements: 50 Agility Active - Increases your Agility by 200% and fuses the user with their own shadow so that they may move freely for 30 seconds, or until their shadow state is released or broken. The user cannot attack or perform any other actions while in this state. The user can still be attacked while in this state if discovered. Skill Cooldown: 7 minutes An A ranked skill and a life-saving skill at that! One could choose tounch a stealth attack and catch their enemies off guard, or even escape an encirclement with rtive ease! This was an ideal skill for a rogue. If Ryder was here and saw that skill he would be so green with jealousy and feel endless regret for not being able to obtain it. That was an A ranked skill! Eventer into the game, they were going to be quite difficult toe by! Izroth did not have the agility requirements to use this skill quite yet, but he did have some stat points he could invest, after all, he leveled up a total of 4 times! Luna and Halls could not help but sigh with amazement as well if only the skill book would¡¯ve been suitable for one of them they may have had a chance to obtain it. But, since neither of them was an agility based ss and could not bother wasting points on such a thing, it could only belong to the Izroth who was obviously very fast! "Since neither of you belongs to an agility based ss, this skill is most suitable for me. Do you have any rejections?" Izroth looked over at Luna and Halls. "Even if we wanted to fight with you over it, we should at the very least be a ss that can use the skill. So it only makes sense that this skill belongs to you" Luna gave a reassuring smile. "Indeed, if it was a warrior based skill or a cleric based skill then we might have something to say, but there is not even much need to think this choice over" Halls sighed with a bit of regret that it was not a warrior based skill. How amazing would that be to own an A ranked skill? If he knew that Izroth already had 2 A ranked skills and was about to obtain his 3rd, he would probably curse him for his good luck and drown in sorrow! Izroth nodded and didn¡¯t hesitate to even use the skill book as soon as it went to his inventory! System Alert: Are you sure you wish to learn this skill? Ding! Congrattions, you have learned Shadow Movement! The skill was grayed out on his skill list showing that he didn¡¯t have the requirements to use it yet. But he wasn¡¯t too worried about this since he would have what was required soon enough. The next thing Izroth did was divide up the silver. He received 3 silver and 34 bronze coins while Luna and Halls received 3 silver and 33 bronze coins. Neither of them was going to make a fuss over 1 bronze coin so it did not matter anyway. The next items he divided was the Concentrated Demonic Beast Core and the Shadow Wolf Hide. Halls offered to give up his piece of Shadow Wolf Hide for the Concentrated Demonic Beast Core. Izroth had no problem with this and neither did Luna, he had contributed much to this victory so he deserved certain benefits. Izroth gave all three pieces of Shadow Wolf Hide to Luna, after all, he had gotten a skill book so giving up that item could be seen as a small token of his appreciation. Luna did not bother being shy about it and received the x3 Shadow Wolf Hide from Izroth. She wouldn¡¯t use them but sell them for silver. After all, this kind of material was extremely rare at this stage in the game and a lot of the big guilds would pay a nice sum for it. Next up was one of the essories, the ¡¯Eye of the Wolf Ring¡¯. It was an umon item, but that didn¡¯t take away from its value at all. essory Name: Eye of the Wolf essory Rank: Umon essory Level: 10 Requirements: 50 Magic Mana: 100 essory Skill: Eye of the Wolf(Active) - Allows the wearer of the ring to perceive the battlefield with the heightened vision of a shadow wolf. Last 2 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes "What a useful ring.." Izroth thought to himself as he nced towards Luna¡¯s direction. Her eyes were sparkling while looking at that ring, most women loved essories, after all, be it in real life or a video game. Even in the seven realms where Izroth was originally from, women loved jewelry and all kinds of essories. Most would probably be disappointed that the skill didn¡¯t do anything but give you heightened senses, but Izroth knew how amazing that would be, especially in an intense or confusing situation. It would allow for one to gain an almost perfect understanding of the battle happening around them! That was a huge advantage in group fights! Izroth and Halls didn¡¯t even need to think or speak about it as the ring obviously went to Luna. Luna had the requirements to equip the ring and so she instantly put it on and a lovely smile blossomed on her face as she admired her new piece of equipment. Izroth without even taking a moment to decide tossed the sword to Halls. When Halls received the sword his eyes nearly popped out of their socket and he almost shed tears of joy! Izroth threw him a weapon like this so easily?! He wasn¡¯t dreaming, right? He wouldn¡¯t wake up the next moment and find out this was all just a dream right? He was so excited that that smile on his face wouldn¡¯t go away. Luna was also quite shocked by how generous Izroth was when she saw that weapon he gave to Halls. She let out a long sigh... If only more yers were so fair when dividing loot a lot of problems could be avoided. Most yers in this situation would do their best to get all the items possible, but Izroth was instead sharing fairly just like he stated he would. She gazed at Izroth, her eyes filled with endless admiration. Izroth already had a good sword, so he wouldn¡¯t take all an item he would not bother using. Weapon Name: Shadow Fang Sword Weapon Rank: Rare Weapon Level: 10 Requirements: 70 Attack Attack Damage: 30 Weapon Skill: Shadow Pressure(Active) - Releases an intimidating pressure in the atmosphere causing those within 10 meters to be ¡¯Feared¡¯ for 3 seconds. Deals 50% of the user attack as damage every second the enemy is feared! This skill damage ignores physical defenses! Cooldown: 5 minutes A rare sword with an active skill attached to it! This would make Halls one of the top tanks on the server at the moment! One had to know that most people had onlymon weapons right now and those who had umon weapons were considered extremely lucky! Those who had rare weapons or items at this moment could probably be counted on just one hand! Halls had to control his breathing as he equipped the sword instantly after spending his stat points! The sword sat on his side, it was a dark ck color with a smooth body and an incredibly sharp edge. It gave off a light milky aura that was the trademark of all rare weapons. Izroth had a slight smile appear on his face from the way Halls reacted. He could not help but to be amused by it as he retrieved the veryst loot item the Shadow Wolf dropped which was a ne. essory Name: Shadow Ne essory Rank: Umon essory Level: 10 Requirements: None Agility: 30 The ne itself didn¡¯t have any sort of special effect, but it gave an insane amount of agility to make up for it. Luna and Halls were already very satisfied with the items they received, especially so for Halls who received a rare weapon! Neither of them would have any problems with the Ne going to Izroth. Izroth saw that neither of them had anyints so he put the ne in his inventory and instantly equipped it. Izroth felt as though he became a bit lighter when that ne equipped onto him. As soon as he equipped the ne, the grayed out Shadow Movement skill became like all the other skills, he could now use it without a problem. They finally finished looting the corpse of the Shadow Wolf as it turned into energy particles before dispersing in the atmosphere. Izroth had a small grin on his face as he looked at his character window, "I never thought that these video games could be so rewarding and exciting" he mumbled to himself. After thinking about it for a moment, Izroth decided to save his stat points for now and spend 1 skill point to finish maxing out ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯. Skill Name: Flickering Steps Skill Creator: Gear Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Active - For the next 20 seconds, the user Agility is increased by 400%. Cooldown: 3 minutes Description: A skill created by the Famous Adventurer, Gear of the Flickering Steps. His trademark move allowed him to remain untouched on battlefields and only a light flicker of his silhouette could be seen before a foe is in just moments after. Name: Izroth EXP: 367/2,800 Level: 7(Stat Points: 15) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 300/300 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 90(60+30) DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 60(30+30) MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: Nameless de - Main Weapon Shadow Ne - essory(1) Skills: (Skill Points: 1) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S ss) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 1/3 (A ss) Flickering Steps(Active) Level: MAXED (S ss) Shadow Movement(Active) Level: MAXED (A ss) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 4 Bronze: 4) -x1 Demonic Boar Hide Fame: World Fame: 210 Izroth was fairly surprised, it had actually upgraded to an S rank skill! He actually received an S rank skill from Gear! It was only at A rank because he had not mastered itpletely yet but now that he had, it had be a monstrous skill. A 400% agility boost for 20 seconds! He could practically toy with his enemies during that entire time and if he wanted to escape and used that along with Shadow Movement, no one could even think of catching him! Ding! You have received a friend request from Luna, do you ept? Ding! You have received a friend request from Halls, do you ept? Izroth snapped out of astonishment when he heard the system alerts going off. He looked over at Luna and Halls with a curious look on his face. "We should party some time when you¡¯re free. We could even run dungeons together in the future if you¡¯re up for it. You can call us any time you need something, we¡¯re in your debt" Halls said with a friendly smile on his face. It was rare to meet such strong yers randomly, so he would like to be friends with Izroth. "If you ever need a Cleric for a quest or hunting you can feel free to contact me. You seem like the reckless type to go into dangerous situations alone after all" Luna had a small smile on her face and looked very gentle and serene at that moment. Izroth nodded before epting both of their friend requests. Ding! You have added Luna as a friend! Ding! You have added Halls as a friend! "We haven¡¯t had a chance to properly introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Luna, a Cleric. Nice to meet you" although they could tell each other names from the party member list, it was still a show of respect to offer a proper introduction. "I¡¯m Halls, a Warrior. Hahaha, I¡¯m not all that good with greetings and stuff" "I¡¯m Izroth, a Combat Master. You¡¯re both quite skilled" Halls and Luna blinked in surprised when they heard him say that. Coming from a yer like Izroth who was monstrous, the fact that he called them good should be considered a hugepliment. Though they could only blush in shame as they knew they couldn¡¯tpare to him, at this moment. "You really know how to give someone face hm? Hahaha" Halls justughed it off yfully. Luna couldn¡¯t help but release a light giggle by how straightforward Izroth was. She had met a lot of guys before and they either tried to hit on her or were utterly repulsive to talk to. They always whispered sweet things to you but never meant any of it. Honest guys like Izroth were quite rare, she couldn¡¯t help but be a bit more interested in him. "We¡¯re going to head back to town for now and meet up with the people we originally formed a party with, do you want toe along?" Halls offered even though he knew the most likely answer. Izroth shook his head while responding, "That¡¯s alright, I n on exploring a bit more since I¡¯m already out here. You can head back without me" Ding! yer Izroth has left the party! "Take care of yourself, there are a lot of dangerous monsters in this forest" Luna warned Izroth a bit worried for his safety. Although she knew that he was strong and could take care of himself, she couldn¡¯t help but show a bit of concern for him being out here all by himself. "You two as well, have a safe trip on your way back. Also if those guys from earlier give you any trouble let me know, I¡¯lle over as soon as possible" a cold glint shed in Izroth eyes. He was referring to Mick, Ryder, and Tina. Those three were no good people and now that they saw that world boss slip away right through their fingers they might try to get revenge. "Heh, don¡¯t worry if those guys dare try to bully us, let¡¯s just see how they like my Shadow Fang Sword" Halls said confidently. Luna and Halls then headed off back towards the direction of Opal Vige. Izroth looked towards the other direction heading further into the forest before finally starting to walk that way. But what he didn¡¯t notice was that not far from where he was, a lone shadow was peering at him from within a tree. This person had to be extremely skillful in order to avoid Izroth¡¯s natural detection abilities. How terrifying! "Heh, how interesting..." the shadow said before vanishing from his position leaving no trace behind. Chapter 10 Cultivating in an VRMMORPG? Izroth was walking deeper into the Willowed Forest while remaining alert of his surroundings. This forest reminded him of when he was just a boy and would roam freely and wildly through such dangerous ces. A frown appeared upon Izroth¡¯s face, for some reason he felt as though he was being watched. Although he didn¡¯t have his peerless cultivation of the past, his instincts and intuition still remained sharp as ever from many years of experience. "Could it be those people from beforeing to look for trouble?" Izroth thought this to himself but quickly dismissed the thought. They simply were not his match at the moment and would not dare to venture this far into the Willowed Forest. "Then who-" a sharp flint shed in Izroth eyes as a light green blur shot past him. He managed to barely react in time but still felt a sharp pain invade his right arm. During that short window of time, he instantly counterattacked his sword striking onto the figure zooming past him! The fact that he could still manage to counterattack when being taken by surprise was due to the strong strength of his soul and his countless years of first-hand experience in actualbat! -40 HP! 260/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Ding! You have been poisoned! You will lose 10 health every 2 seconds for 10 seconds. -80 HP! 420/500 HP Remaining! (???) When the light green-blue stopped moving and appeared a couple of meters away from Izroth heard a slight hissing sound. That creature had a sinister look in its eyes as it locked onto Izroth. "Hssssssst..." Name: Three-Fanged Snake Level: 8 HP: 500/500 ATK: 40 DEF: 10 AGI: 70 Skills: Poisonous Fangs(Passive): There is a chance to poison any targets struck by its fangs. Those poisoned will take 10 damage every 2 seconds for 10 seconds. Venom Spit(Active): Spits out poisonous venom in a fan dealing 100% of attack as damage. Those it hit will be poisoned and take 10 damage every 2 seconds for 10 seconds. It seems that this little thing didn¡¯t have much attack or defense, but its agility was quite high. Add on its poison to that and it could be a nightmare for yers! But Izroth wasn¡¯t worried the slightest bit, he still had that tranquil look on his face as he paid close attention to the movements of the Three-Fanged Snake. Izroth had to end this fight quickly, he couldn¡¯t allow for it to draw out and continuously be poisoned. "First Baneful Sword: Destruction" Izroth sword filled with an incredible amount of destructive energy rushed towards the Three-Fanged Snake. It wanted to dodge and evade the strike, but Izroth followed its movements closely as though he had already thought many steps ahead! This Three-Fanged Snake agility was higher than his own, so he had to read its movements and react properly if he wanted to keep an advantage of it. Izroth attack sessfully hit on the back of the Three-Fanged Snake! -260 HP! 160/500 HP Remaining! (Three-Fanged Snake) -10 HP! 250/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) The snake hissed in a fit of rage as it spat out a fan of venom towards Izroth! That venom seemed incredibly deadly as it dripped from the fangs of the Three-Fanged Snake and melted the earth it touched beneath. Izroth decided this was the perfect moment to test a skill he received not too long ago. "Shadow Movement". Izroth¡¯s body vanished and disappeared into his own shadow! While in this form his agility increased by 200%! That means his previous agility of 60 was now 120! Although he couldn¡¯t attack or perform any other actions, it allowed him to move freely throughout the battlefield. The Three-Fanged Snake looked confused as to what just happened. It had spat out its poisonous venom and then its target seemed to vanish into thin air as its attack hit nothing! Izroth swiftly rushed towards the direction of the Three-Fanged Snake at full speed, and it had absolutely no clue to where he was! -10 HP! 240/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) As Izroth took another tick of poison damage, his shadow form was instantly dispersed, but it was toote for the Three-Fanged Snake to do anything about his next attack! "Sword Force" Izroth¡¯s sword was suddenly covered by a milky aura as it shed out viciously towards the Three-Fanged Snake! It tried to slither away to avoid the iing attack, but that struggle did notst much longer. -170 HP! 0/500 HP Remaining! (Three-Fanged Snake) Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated Three-Fanged Snake! Ding! You have been awarded 250 Experience! Loot Drop: -20 bronze coins Izroth was a bit surprised when he checked the loot. The loot that it gave was not as good as the level 5 demonic boar from earlier, but then it suddenly something crossed his mind. "I suppose defeating demonic type monsters have more benefits of defeating regr beast" this was the conclusion Izroth came to after the few encounters he had. The boar and wolf were both demonic type monsters, while this snake was just a regr beast. "I see... So these demonic type monsters are like the demon beast from the seven realms, while the normal beast is just like the ferocious beast" Izroth thought to himself as he found a nearby tree to rest by for a moment. The poison continued to damage him and he would wait for it to fade and regain some health before he decided to venture further. When the poison finally stopped a few momentster, his HP sat at 210. Out of pure habit, Izroth decided to close his eyes and begin to meditate. During this time he thought about many things, his previous life, the memories of the person whose body he lived in, his promises, his betrayals... Much had been sacrificed for him to reach the pinnacle of cultivation. MAny of those he loved had died and withered away, he had grown tired and weary of such a lonely life... Unknowingly to him, Izroth began to circte spiritual essence ording to the method of the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection technique he originally cultivated... An immense amount of energy from the atmosphere was drawn towards him as he remained in apletely serene state, unaware of the phenomenon he was causing. ... A few momentster Izroth opened his eyes and felt an incredible power flowing through his body. He was astounded, this power felt simr to the ¡¯Boundless Emperor Void Perfection¡¯ technique! But that shouldn¡¯t be possible, this world didn¡¯t have enough spiritual essence for him to cultivate such a high-level heavenlyw! Ding! A mysterious energy has invaded your body! Ding! System parameters have limited your further increase in power! Ding! The skill ¡¯Breaker of Limits¡¯ has been activated, system parameters have been bypassed! Ding! You have gained an unknown skill! The system cannot generate this skill! ¡¯Processing...¡¯ Ding! This skill will take 24 hours to generate and process, would you like to generate this skill? Izroth was reading the alerts and he shook down to his core. While a small part of it was due to the various system announcements the main reason was that he could feel with his soul, that his body in the real world cultivation level increased! That shouldn¡¯t be possible given the limited spiritual essence but something happened to make this possible. "Yes, generate the skill" Ding! Beginning to generate skill... ¡¯Processing 24 hours Remaining¡¯! Izroth tried to calm himself and regain his wits andposure before thinking about things logically. "When I tried to sense the spiritual essence in this realm, it had so little that I could not even cultivate some of the lower level heavenlyws. Yet, my body seems to be absorbing energy from another source, as though it is directly linked to an unknown gateway..." Before getting too excited, Izroth decided to give it a try one more time, but suddenly the swelling power inside of him vanished as he received an alert from the system! Ding! The system cannot generate this skill at the moment! ¡¯Processing 23 hours 59 minutes 32 seconds Remaining¡¯ Izroth could only sigh in a bit of disappointment as he saw that message. But with this he came across something amazing, he potentially had a way to cultivate in this realm! Not just something that would make him stronger in game, but also increase the cultivation level of his real body in the outside world as well! Izroth had traveled to all seven realms and had nevere across a phenomenon such as this. But nevertheless, he was exhrated at this moment! Before he had no other goals in this realm, or rather a universe as they called it, besidespleting the certain task so the soul of Jin the original owner of this body would eternally rest in peace. But now, this event changed everything! He may very well be able to cultivate again, but he would not any solid proof until this skill the system was generating finished. 1 hour in the real world was 10 hours in this world, so it would take a bit more than 2 hours to finish, though it would feel like 24 hours in the game. During this time he could only let out a small sigh of regret for not being able to have answers immediately. Izroth could only wait for the results and hope that things were the way he perceived them to be. For now, he would try to be stronger so that he could aplish the goals he already set for himself and keep the promises he made. Izroth stood to his feet and briefly observed his surroundings. He felt as though a new type of energy was lingering around him but he could grasp its existence quite yet. It was a very mystical feeling. But he did not dwell on it too long before starting his journey further into the Willowed Forest. ... A shadowy figure was sitting silently on a tree branch quite a distance away from Izroth, but still had a clear sight of him. One couldn¡¯t tell because of how well hidden he was, but there was a slight look of shock on the face of that shadow. "What was that oppressive energy I felt...? A skill maybe? But for a skill to contain that kind of power, it would have to be..." the shadow mumbled off to himself. "I should continue to maintain my distance and observe carefully. If they are the one I¡¯m seeking then they must not know I exist yet before it is time. Grow stronger soon, what awaits you will require strength beyond your current means" The shadowy figure seemingly vanished into thin air once more... ... Izroth was now deep within the Willowed Forest. But strangely enough, he had not run into any monsters in this area. A frown appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he didn¡¯t run into any monsters on his way to this location beside that Three-Fanged Snake from earlier. How was he supposed to level up if he couldn¡¯t fight any monsters to fight? Just as he was about to turn back around he noticed something peculiar in the distance. It was a waterfall not too far from him and if one observed close enough they would notice the way the water flowed was weird! It didn¡¯t flow down like a waterfall but instead flowed upwards as though it was being pulled towards something. Though that was only a brief mirage that appeared, one couldn¡¯t tell if that was its true state or not. Izroth got a bit curious and walked towards the direction of the waterfall. As he moved closer he noticed that behind the waterfall seemed to be an entrance of sorts. From a distance, one would not be able to notice it very well unless they had a very keen vision. But the closer you moved you more visible it became behind the waterfall. "A cave behind a waterfall?" Izroth looked towards the side and saw a very unclear and rocky path leading behind the waterfall. It was made out of a bunch of uneven rocks stacked next to and on top of one another, so it did not seem like a very stable path. Nevertheless, he still decided to venture into the entrance behind the waterfall. If there was a strong monster behind it and he could defeat it that would be great! But if he couldn¡¯t, he could always escape using ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ so he wasn¡¯t too worried about the risk. But what Izroth failed to notice as he had his attention on possible gains, was a small alert that appeared on his screen silently. ¡¯You have entered the Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯ Chapter 11 Narrow Passageways The further Izroth traveled into the cave-like structure, the darker it became until he could not even see his own hands in front of him. This didn¡¯t cause him to panic though as he was using his sense of hearing and feeling to get by just fine. Although he had only managed to cultivate the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique to the very beginning stage, it still greatly sharpened his senses. After traveling for around 30 seconds a small light came into view. It looked as though it was the light from a torch hanging on the side of the cave walls. As Izroth arrived closer to the torch, he saw strange markings and a weird looking staff with all kinds of trinkets and small beast materials attached to it. In front of him were two different passageways and he didn¡¯t know what awaited at the end of neither of them. So he could only choose to depend on luck and so chose to follow the right path. It was still quite hard to see, but there were torches lined up every so often on the side of the cave walls so he could at least make out the path. This reminded Izroth of his adventures as a young cultivator where he would often discover mysterious ces. He had almost died countless times back then when he was still so young, headstrong, and naive. Crrrrreeeeeeeeek... Izroth ears twitched a bit as he picked up a low creaking noise. It sounded like something was constantly whining in a very low voice, but it was mixed in with inaudible noises and tones that Izroth had never heard before. It came from in front of him. Izroth looked frontward and saw a pair of dark beady eyes staring at him. The creature seemed to be very startled by the sudden appearance of an outsider. But it didn¡¯t waste any time and leaped in the direction of the intruder with a small knife in its hand! Izroth was able to react and time, but he could not avoid the attack within such an enclosed space and could only try to parry off the attack! Ding! The sound of metal shing against each other rang out within the narrow pathway. PARRIED! -45 HP! 255/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) At nearly the same time as the attack finished, Izroth struck outunching a counter-attack with his sword striking and knocking the small creature backward! -80 HP! 720/800 HP Remaining! (???) When Izroth knocked the creature backward, he finally got a good look at what attacked him. It was a strange and small creature with sewage green skin. It hadrge beady ck eyes and a vile stench with a long nose and short limbs to match its small body. Name: Goblin Scout (Normal) Level: 10 HP: 720/800 ATK: 80 DEF: 10 AGI: 30 MAG: 0 Skills: y Dead(Passive): If a goblin is near low HP it will try to y dead. If it remains untouched andunches a sessful attack, it will deal 200% of its attack as damage that ignores defense! Scout Call(Passive): When a goblin scout feels threatened they will instinctively call out to their fellow goblins nearby. "What tricky skills.." Izroth thought to himself. If one were fighting a group of these things and let their guard down, then it could cost them their lives! Izroth noticed something that he didn¡¯t see on other monsters before and that was next to the monster name it showed ¡¯Normal¡¯. But he figured that it wasn¡¯t really worth looking further into it. Even though he had the memories of a hardcore gamer, it would only manifest when he recalled them. Think of it as a file on aputer; while it was stored there and one had ess to it and search through it freely, they would not necessarily keep that file open all the time and stare at it. The one thing he had little to no control over however were the feelings of the original owner of this body, Jin. "It isn¡¯t that strong, but I can¡¯t evade too well within this narrow pathway. I have to end this fight quickly and push forward to a more open space before I run into any stronger monsters" Izroth eyes were filled with a look of determination! Crrrrrrrreeeeeeek... Izroth¡¯s sword started filling up with a concentrated destructive energy, "First Baneful Sword: Destruction" ¡¯Sword Force!¡¯ Izroth activated the weapon skill attached to his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯! In one smooth motion, Izroth struck the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ with his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ that was surrounded by a milky aura. The ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ was much smaller and had more room to move in such an enclosed space, however, its agility was still only half that of Izroth¡¯s, so there was no way to avoid his de at this distance! sh! -530 HP! 190/800 HP Remaining! (Goblin Scout) This little creature was extremely vicious, as though it didn¡¯t care for its own safety, itunched right at Izroth. Izroth tried to avoid it by moving to the side, but the side of his body knocked up against the wall of the cave, this space was simply too narrow! The Goblin Scout bit down onto Izroth¡¯s arm! -60 HP! 195/300 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth¡¯s greatest ability at the moment which was his agility was rendered useless in this situation, so he could only try to defend or parry the attacks. He didn¡¯t expect this little creature to suddenly bite down on his arm after receiving such a heavy attack! Izroth immediately kicked the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ in its stomach with his foot, before just a bitter following up with a swing of his sword towards its neck! The ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ cried out while releasing those inaudible noises from before and not too long after that same inaudible noise seemed to travel from further within the cave. Izroth¡¯s sharp hearing picked up on those noises traveling from deeper inside of the cave. He heard footsteps approaching at a rapid pace. 1.... 2... 3... 4... There were 4 of them! He didn¡¯t know if they were the exact same monster as this creature or a stronger monster, but he could not afford to stick around and find out. But he wouldn¡¯t pull back his attack now, he would finish things! -35 HP! 155/800 HP Remaining! (Goblin Scout) Critical Hit! -170 HP! 0/800 HP Remaining! (Goblin Scout) Ding! Congrattions you have defeated Goblin Scout! You have been awarded 300 EXP! Loot Drop: -10 bronze coins Izroth quickly picked up the bronze coins. He needed to temporarily retreat and spend his stat points before starting to venture deeper inside. Originally he didn¡¯t believe that he would need to spend his stat points unless it was an emergency, however, it seemed that kind of thinking had been naive. Although Izroth had the memories of a hardcore gamer, he was still aplete noob himself when it came to video games. Izroth knew he could not always rely on the memories of that hardcore gamer because he knew that this game was the first of its kind in this world. So, he had to slowly learn certain things by himself. It was just like cultivation in a way; even if one had a good teacher, as long as that person never tried to improve themselves and was always relying on their teacher, they could only amount to just being okay. ¡¯Shadow Movement!¡¯ The cooldown period for Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ had long since been over, so he decided to use it to hide from the iing enemies so that he would have a bit of time to better prepare. Izroth fused together with his shadow and with the help of the cave, one would¡¯ve to have otherworldly senses in order to discover him. He retreated back to the beginning of the split passageways before silentlyying low. ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯sted for 30 seconds, so he could only hope that would remain enough time. If not, he would have no choice but to also use ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and escapepletely from the cave! That monster from before gave him a nice sum of EXP and he had this gut feeling that if he traveled deeper within the cave, he would only have gains and not losses! Not too long after, 3 creatures who looked just like the Goblin Scout but slightly different, arrived at the location Izroth had left just a few moments ago. They all did not look too bright, but there was another creature with them who was twice the size of the small creatures around it making it almost as big as the average human adult. It was obviously the leader of the group as it spoke to them in that inaudiblenguage as though it was giving orders. The creature who was the leader of the group sniffed with itsrge nose, but it couldn¡¯t pick up any scent nearby. The scent seemed toe from the direction leading outside of the cave and then stop here before disappearing without a trace. It saw the body of the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ seemed to be utterly furious, but since it did not have any leads it could only return back from the direction it came. The three other creatures followed behind it. ... Izroth let out a small sigh of relief as his ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ technique ended. If he would have fought that group within that narrow pathway, he had no confidence ining out of the situation on top. That was even more so if more of those monsters all came rushing at him in endless waves. If it was a more open space where he could use his agility, then he would not even put those creatures in his sight! Izroth opened his character window and decided it was time to use the stat points to improve his current strength. At the moment he had 15 stat points, so after pondering on the matter for a bit he decided he would invest 5 into his agility, 6 into his attack and 4 into his HP, so his stats now looked like: Name: Izroth EXP: 917/2,800 Level: 7(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 395/500 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 120(90+30) DEFENSE(DEF): 20 AGILITY(AGI): 85(55+30) MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: Nameless de - Main Weapon Shadow Ne - essory(1) Skills: (Skill Points: 1) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S ss) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 1/3 (A ss) Flickering Steps(Active) Level: MAXED (S ss) Shadow Movement(Active) Level: MAXED (A ss) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 4 Bronze: 34) -x1 Demonic Boar Hide Fame: World Fame: 210 After going over everything and making sure it was okay, he decided to sit down and rest for a bit to regain his missing HP. He had observed that during the fight against the Shadow Wolf, some of the yers were drinking something that seemed to be elixirs that restored some of their missing MP or HP. "I should get a couple of those when I return to the vige..." Izroth thought to himself. After a few minutes of resting, his HP was now restored to full. 500/500 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth waited a bit longer until his ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ was off its cooldown and stood to his feet while looking back towards the right side of the cave. This time he would be ready! He felt as though those creatures from earlier would also give good EXP, so there was no way he would give up such a chance. Izroth once again took the right path inside of the cave going back towards the direction he killed the previous ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯. The corpse that was there before had already dissipated and turned into particles. As Izroth walked further down the narrow pathway it slowly started to expand more and more until he finally came to arge open area and what he sawpletely baffled him. "This... How can there be so many monsters in one ce?" Izroth drew in a breath of cold air as he saw the sight before him. There was arge group of monsters who looked just like the creature he killed before, workings and moving various things around inside this open space as though they were constructing something important. They were scattered everywhere and there was always some distance between each of the groups or individuals. In the middle of them was a creature twice their size constantly shouting in an inaudiblenguage at the goblin workers and seemed to be their leader. Ever since he entered the Willowed Forest he had yet to run into even a small group of monsters together, and yet here there were easily over 50 gathered in one ce! On the opposite side of the cave were many other paths leading to ces unknown to Izroth. For some reason at that moment he had a feeling, this ce was indeed not as simple as he thought. Chapter 12 Dungeon: Goblins Paradise Izroth was pondering his next move when he received an alert from the system. Ding! You have received a quest! Ding! Since you are not in a party, the quest rank has been increased! Ding! Do you wish to ept the quest? Quest Name: The Mysterious Goblin Rmended Level: 10 Rmended Party Size: 4-6 yers Quest Rank: S Quest Objective: In the depths of this strange cave there is a mysterious goblin up to something. Whatever it is, it can only bring about a disaster. Find and eliminate this mysterious goblin and put a stop to its ns. Time Limit: None 0/1 Eliminate the ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ Reward: ??? Izroth felt as though this quest would not be so simple. Anything having to do with being ¡¯S Rank¡¯ could never be simple. Besides, the rmended level was 10 with 4-6 yers! What that meant is that this ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ was most likely incredibly strong! But this did not mean that Izroth would simply give up on the quest just because it was hard. It just meant that he had to use more caution than usual. How could be afraid of a challenge? He weed challenges, especially difficult ones. "I ept" Ding! The quest ¡¯The Mysterious Goblin¡¯ is now active in your quest logs! Izroth navigated to his quest logs and indeed the quest was there just as the system had said. It was the first quest he had received in this game, so he wanted to make sure that there were noplications. After obtaining the quest, Izroth naturally turned his attention back to therge area in front of him. The closest group was about 10 meters away from Izroth, and they seemed to be chatting with each other in that strangenguage that just sounded like a bunch of inaudible noise. "3 monsters in total..." Izroth observed the closest group of creatures to him. They looked exactly like the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ he killed not too long ago. The only difference was that their skin was a slightly lighter shade of green and instead of a knife they held pickaxes in their hands. Name: Goblin Worker (Normal) Level: 10 HP: 400/400 ATK: 70 DEF: 10 AGI: 20 MAG: 0 Skills: y Dead(Passive): If a goblin is near low HP it will try to y dead. If it remains untouched andunches a sessful attack, it will deal 200% of its attack as damage that ignores defense! These creatures were incredibly weak! They had lower stats than the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ he had faced earlier and their agility wasughable. Maybe this would be a lot easier than he believed, that thought slowly started forming in his mind. But nevertheless, he would not let his guard down just in case something unexpected urred. "It seems like all the monsters here have that annoying skill" Izroth was referring to the ¡¯y Dead¡¯ skill. With this many of them, he would have to be sure that he eliminated them thoroughly, or else he would regret it and risk taking damage that could have been avoided. Izroth slowly began to move closer to the group of goblins nearest to him. 9 meters... 8 meters... 7 meters... When Izroth got to around 5 meters away, the goblins became aware of his presence and looked directly at him. "5 meters seems to be the range of their perception" Izroth had discovered something from the monsters he previously faced. They would not attack unless he was close enough as though they had a limited level of perception. One of the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters made that strange creaking noise, before running at Izroth with a pickaxe in its hands trying to swing it at him. The two other ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters were not too far behind the first one. It seems like he aggroed all of them at one time! Izroth did not panic and had a peaceful look on his face as though he was unaffected by his current predicament. But was it really a predicament to him? His agility was currently at 85, that was more than four times that of these goblins! In his eyes, they might as well be moving in slow motion. Miss! Izroth skillfully evaded the first iing attack before drawing his sword, "First Baneful Sword: Destruction". Izroth in an unwavering manner swung his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ aiming it precisely at the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ neck who attacked him first. Although it was a bit harder to strike the neck of these creatures, it was one of the more consistent vital points that had a high chance of causing a critical hit. Critical Hit! -710 HP! 0/400 HP Remaining! (Goblin Worker 1) It was a swift death for the first ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯. Izroth smiled at the amount of damage he dealt. Ever since he used his stat points, his damage had soared to another level! He was much more deadly than before and would make quick work of these monsters. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 150 Experience! Loot Drop: -5 bronze coins Izroth was a bit disappointed by the small amount of EXP and poor loot these monsters gave, but he understood that because of how weak and numerous these creatures were it was understandable. But if he eliminated all of them and they gave the same amount of experience, he could easily get arge amount of EXP because of quantity, not quality! Not too long after the first ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ had been in, the other two charged at Izroth in a wild manner aiming to impale him with their pickaxes! Creeeeeeeeeek! Creeeeeeeeek! Swoosh! Izroth thought about how troublesome it was to deal with multiple enemies at once. It would not be much of an issue if he had some sort of skill that could damage numerous enemies. He would definitely think deeper into that matterter on, but for now, he must deal with what¡¯s in front of him. Izroth abruptly stepped back just as the pickaxes were about tond on him! Miss! Miss! Both of the attacks from the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters missed! Not missing this window of opportunity, Izroth repositioned himself slightly by shifting his right foot and pushing off his left footunching towards the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ on his left side. A cold de shed right across that ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ midsection. It had absolutely no way to follow Izroth¡¯s movements! -110 HP! 290/400 HP Remaining! (Goblin Worker 2) Izroth did not stop there as he used the momentum provided by his first attack, lowered his body slightly, and spun around fully slicing into the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ a second time before it could even register the first attack! It was almost like a phantom following right after the first sword attack! -350 HP! 0/400 HP Remaining! (Goblin Worker 2) Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 150 Experience! Loot Drop: -5 bronze coins That ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ cried out loudly in a fit of regret and rage as though it was throwing a tantrum before finally falling over. It had been eliminated! Thest remaining ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ attacked from the right side of Izroth as he was busy assaulting the other ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯! Izroth kicked off his right foot to put some distance between him and the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯. -25 HP! 475/500 HP Remaining(Izroth) Izroth almost sessfully avoided the attack from the right ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯pletely, but still managed to get barely grazed by the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯. The move he just tried felt a bit weird in the sense that even though he wanted to strike with the next attack faster, there was some invisible force slowing him down purposely which threw off his reaction time for dodging. Ding! Congrattions, yer Izroth has created a new skill! Please name the skill! Izroth was startled by the sudden system alert, what did the system mean by he created a new skill? When did he do that? He honestly had no idea and thought that maybe something was wrong with the system. As Izroth was thinking about the message he just received from the system, the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ did not halt their assault. It was obvious that they would not stop until one of the sides perished. Izroth pushed the alert into the back of his mind for now and decided to finish the fight in front of him first. Miss! Izroth easily evaded the iing assault from the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ while urately shing with his sword towards the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ eyes! Critical Hit! -230 HP! 170/400 HP Remaining! (Goblin Worker 3) Battle Alert: ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ has been blinded for 5 seconds by yer Izroth! "You can do this as well?" Izroth was pleasantly surprised. He had expected for a critical hit to be possible, but he did not think that the system would register blindness as well! Even though the blinding was only temporary, it was possible to change the entire flow of a battle within that amount of time! With a chance like this handed to him, why would he not take full advantage of it? Izroth mercilesslyunched a full-out assault against the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯, and it could only use one of its hands to cover its eyes because of the pain while swinging its pickaxe around only relying on luck to hit its target. There was no chance for this ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ to survive under the ruthless attacks of Izroth during its moment of being blinded. It quickly met a simr fate as the two ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters before it. It had died. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 150 Experience! Loot Drop: -5 bronze coins That entire fight had only taken Izroth around 20-30 seconds toplete. Izroth returned his sword to its sheath before finally taking the time to look at the system alert he received during the battle. "What skill did I create and when did I create it?" mumbled Izroth to himself trying to think about when he ever took the time out to create another skill. But he did not have to wait for long before he heard a system alert go off. Ding! The skill was created by yer Izroth during his battle a few moments ago. Reying skill... The system then went on to yback the moment when Izroth attacked the second ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ twice in quick session. As Izroth saw the moment he came to a sudden realization, that was why his attack felt so slow at that moment and hit for more damage than usual for a regr attack. It turned out that he had created a skill unknowingly at that moment! Izroth could not help butugh a bit when he thought about how people said that the Combat Master ss was trash and unyable. Was this unyable? Was this trash? The ability to endlessly grow, that was the strength of the Combat Master ss! "Name the skill Phantom Strike" Generating skill... Complete! Skill Name: Phantom Strike Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: B Active: A two-strike sword skill that deals 100% of the user attack as damage on the first strike and 150% of the user attack as damage on the second strike. Description: One sword closely follows the other, like a phantom striking unexpectedly. If you try to follow this sword with your eyes, you may be able to avoid the first strike, but the second will not miss. Cooldown: 1 minute Izroth had actually created a B rank skill during hisst battle without even trying to do so! Even though it was only a B rank skill, that did not mean it was useless. In fact, even though Izroth had A rank and S rank skills, he knew that just like in cultivation, even lower level heavenlyws had a purpose. After reading over and learning his new skill, Izroth had a small grin on his face as he stared at all of the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ enemies before him. There were 30 of them in small groups or standing alone by themselves. "3 down... 30 to go" it did not take long before Izroth started to sweep through all the groups of ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters scattered around. There were some ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ monsters in some of the groups, however, he quickly eliminated them before they had a chance to use that ¡¯Scout Call¡¯ skill and call for more help. "The benefits are not bad at all" Izroth said to himself. Not only did he get a nice amount of EXP and coins, but he also gained an unexpected bonus! Chapter 13 Goblin Foreman Rthuja In total, it had taken Izroth around 20 minutes to clear out all the group of goblins, except for the goblin in the very middle who seemed to be their leader. It was holding a muchrger pickaxe in its hands that seemed to be of much better quality than that of the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ weapons. It originally should not have taken him so long, but he had to y it safe and wait for some of his skills to get off of cooldown before attacking any groups that contained a ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ in it. In total, Izroth had gained 5,400 EXP as well as 1 silver and 65 bronze coins. He also managed to get extremely lucky as one of the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯ monsters he killed dropped an item called ¡¯Lesser Healing Potion¡¯. It was an HP potion! Item Name: Lesser Healing Potion Usage: Drinking this potion will heal the user for 150 HP. Cooldown: 1 minute 150 HP may not seem like much, but that was 30% of Izroth¡¯s current health! It could very well save his life. Izroth had leveled up twice and was now level 9, but he did not use his stat points just yet. He felt as though he still had somewhat of a correct mindset when distributing them. Izroth would only use them when he felt as though he absolutely needed to. After all, 1 stat point in the correct area at the correct time could potentially save him. Izroth eyes finallynded onto that lone goblin standing in the middle of therge open area. His eyes narrowed as he viewed the stats of this monster before him. Name: Goblin Foreman Rthuja (BOSS) Level: 12 HP: 3,000/3,000 ATK: 180 DEF: 50 AGI: 75 MAG: 0 Skills: Goblin Call(Passive): Calls out for a certain number of ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters depending on how many enemies it is facing when its HP drops below a certain point. Goblin¡¯s Trickery(Active): Deals 125% of its attack as damage using tricky methods! This skill has a high chance of causing ¡¯Confusion¡¯ to its target! A boss monster that had 3,000 HP and an attack of 180! It also had a decent defense and high agility. In fact, its agility was only slightly lower than Izroth¡¯s! "A boss monster!" Izroth was thrilled to run into a boss monster here. He hoped that it would drop loot as good as that world boss he fought earlier, the ¡¯Shadow Wolf¡¯. Izroth took a moment to size up the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ before moving his hand to the hilt of his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯. He had to be extremely careful as this would be his very first time fighting a boss level monster alone. Izroth knew that these type of monsters were usually meant to be a group effort, but he never really had the chance to fully test himself yet in this game and this would be the perfect chance! Izroth decided to take the initiative to attack andunched himself directly at the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rhthuja¡¯. He lowered his stance a bit before kicking off with his right foot and elerating in the direction of the monster. "Sword Force! First Baneful Sword: Destruction!" Izroth decided to start out with his strongestbination attack so far, a merger of the ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ skill from his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ and a skill of his own creation, the ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯. A light milky blue light with a strong oppressive force appeared around Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ as it was aiming to strike the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ directly across its neck. Creeeeeeeeek! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ immediately sensed Izroth when he entered into its range of perception and instantly became fully alert. It made strange noises as though it was trying to spew insults at Izroth for even attempting to fight it! sh! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ managed to adjust its position enough to where it avoided a hit aimed at its vital point, and instead took the hit on its chest area. Nevertheless, it was still greatly injured by the blow! -670 HP! 2,330/3,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin Foreman Rthuja) It really was worthy of being a boss monster! Even though Izroth had thought he would manage to catch it by surprise and get a critical hit at the beginning of the fight, it had managed to still react and protect its vital point in time! "It seems as though boss monsters are quite good at protecting their vitals, even when caughtpletely off guard" Izroth thought to himself while not taking the time to halt his assault. "Flickering Steps" Izroth activated the new S rank version of ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ increasing his agility by 400% for 20 seconds! His current agility was at 85, so a 400% increase would grant him a monstrous 340 agility! This was the power of an S rank skill,pletely domineering by nature! If other yers knew about this skill, they would definitelyin to the gamingpany to have it nerfed! Izroth¡¯s afterimages flickered around the battlefield, the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ had absolutely no chance of hitting Izroth as itshed out with itsrge and sturdy pickaxe. But Izroth was just too fast! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ pickaxe hit nothing but an afterimage of Izroth. Miss! Izroth did not waste any time and attacked once again with his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ shing against the sewage green body of the boss monster in front of him in quick session. Swiiiiiiish... sh! -70 HP! -70 HP! 2,190/3,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin Foreman Rthuja) Izroth¡¯s attack speed had greatly increased to the point where he had no problem attacking multiple times. The system did not restrict him because his cheat like agility was able to handle the action! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ was incredibly frustrated by this human constantly buzzing around it as though it were a fly! Its HP had dropped below 75%! Soon after, an unusually strange tone seemed to sound out from the mouth of the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯. Its passive skill ¡¯Goblin Call¡¯ had been activated! Creeeeeeeeek...! Not too far away from the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ was a small open pathway on the side of the cave wall. It was not big enough for a human to fit through but was more than enough for something the size of a goblin to do so. As Izroth heard that ear retching creaking noise emitted from the mouth of the boss monster, he had a gut feeling that something was about to happen. He became much more vignt and aware of his surroundings, and not too long after his ears twitched as he heard small footsteps approaching rapidly. A few momentster, a ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ scurried out of that small open pathway with a pickaxe in hand! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ eyes were darting all over the ce trying to keep up with Izroth¡¯s speed but to no avail. It could only roar angrily and brandish its pickaxe while striking at one of the many afterimages of Izroth. But it did not stop there, it was crazily attacking multiple afterimages left behind by Izroth. However, could such attacks even touch him at this moment? Izroth still had 16 seconds remaining on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and so he had to take full advantage of it! He had noticed the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ rushing over towards him but it was still around 10 meters away. During that time, he would be sure to whittle down the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ HP as much as possible. ... Meanwhile, at Opal Town inside one of the small buildings, there were many yers gathered. Some yers were leaving and others were going into the small building. This was the temporary headquarters of a guild known as ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, one of the top 10 guilds on the MMORPG scene. Of course, when the first VRMMORPG was released, they invested much more resources into growing and advancing in RML. A yer rushed into the building looking a bit excited, "Captain! I have found someone who says they have information on that world boss as well as some information on the yer called Izroth. You know, the one who cleared the first world boss!" At the back center of the room was a desk with a chair behind it. On the chair sat a male with a sturdy build, brown hair and light green eyes. He wore an ocean blue armor with light blue markings all over it in the shape of ocean waves. On his face was a sharp look and although he did not look incredibly handsome, he still had the looks and gave off a peculiar aura of confidence that was enough to sway the heart of many women. That man who was referred to as ¡¯Captain¡¯ yer¡¯s name was Niflheim. Niflheim looked up at the yer who hurried in with a look of interest. Did he manage to find out something that fast? Niflheim was visibly surprised. He was tasked by the guild leader to look into the matter of the world boss spawn point as well as Izroth, the yer who cleared the first world boss. "Is it from a reliable source, Olohas?" even though Niflheim wanted information, he would not just believe anything he heard. As one of the seven captains belonging to ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, he had a responsibility to make sure things were done with efficiency and the correct way! "Captain, I can guarantee you that the information you¡¯re about to hear cannot be false. There¡¯s even something incredibly rare involved!" Olohas quickly waved his hand towards the entrance area as though he was calling for someone toe in. "Captain, this yer said that he and his friends were in a party with the yer known as Izroth. This yer Izroth shamelessly kicked them out when the world boss was low on HP, and then sneak attacked to kill them taking all the loot for himself and his two other friends! How cowardly!" Olohas seemed to be infuriated by the injustice that had taken ce. "Is what he said true?" this time Niflheim was talking to the person who walked into the entrance after Olohas gestured for him to enter. "Yes, it¡¯s all true. Those shameless cowards took everything for themselves! That yer called Izroth even had a rare weapon! I can show you where the world boss spawn is, I only have one request. I just want justice to be carried out!" the yer who Olohas had brought in was none other than Mick! Niflheim eyes slightly narrowed as a cold glint shed in his eyes, "Tell me more" ... Izroth had no idea what was taking ce at the moment in Opal Town, as he was focused on fighting the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯! His ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ had run out quite a while ago, but he managed to deal with the two ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters that spawned and dealt a great amount of damage to the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯. They seemed to spawn every 25% HP that the boss loss. But Izroth himself also took a bit of damage as well. 1,020/3,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin Foreman Rthuja) 295/500 HP Remaining! (Izroth) "I never expected to be given so much trouble by that skill!" Izroth thought to himself recalling the skill used by the boss monster, ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Trickery¡¯. When he killed one of the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ monsters that the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ called out, it had exploded as though it was carrying an explosive! Izroth did not expect the sudden explosion and had no time to retreat. He ended up paying the price for it and taking 205 damage and bing ¡¯Confused¡¯. Luckily, he was a good distance away from the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ at that moment and did not get attacked again right away or else he may have been in a more desperate situation! Izroth¡¯s ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ and ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ were finally off cooldown again. He would attempt to end it with his next strike! "Sword Force... First Baneful Sword: Destruction!" Izroth¡¯s agility was no longer that monstrous 340, but only 85. However, he was still slightly faster than the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ as that light milky blue aura apanied by an oppressive and destructive force descended towards the side of the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯. Just as the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ was getting ready to block the sword strike, Izroth suddenly changed the direction of the attack midway and aimed it towards the neck area of the boss monster! He had not been wasting his time during this fight. He learned that if feints were executed properly, one would have a higher chance of sessfully striking at a boss monsters vital points, even if they were on guard! Though changing the trajectory of an attack midway may seem easy, it required a lot of skill! The ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ cried out in its strange goblinnguage as if it were trying to call for another ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ toe and assist it, but it was toote. Izroth¡¯s sword arrived at its neck! Critical Hit! -1,390 HP! 0/3,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin Foreman Rthuja) Izroth let out a small sigh of relief and soon after a smile formed on his face. He had defeated a boss monster by himself! Though strangely the quest he had was still notpleted, so that meant that there was possibly more than a single boss in this cave! What luck! Though, Izroth had no idea that multiple bosses were amon thing for dungeons. The system alert finally went off in Izroth¡¯s ears. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯! Chapter 14 Gilidores Plea Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 2,880 EXP! Loot Drop: -x6 silver coins -Foreman¡¯s Gloves -Miner¡¯s Pickaxe -Goblin¡¯s Essence Izroth began to look through his loot and the first thing that he picked up was the silver coins. He smiled when he saw the amount he received, 6 silver coins! That was a huge gain for him at the moment, after all, he did not even have 10 silver to his name before this! The following item that Izroth collected from the loot drop was the ¡¯Foreman¡¯s Gloves¡¯. They looked exactly like those on the hands of the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ that he had just fought against. As he scrutinized the gloves, he did not have any major reaction to it. Armor Name: Foreman¡¯s Gloves Armor Rank: Umon Armor Level: 10 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 30 Attack ATK: 10 DEF: 10 Izroth put the ¡¯Foreman¡¯s Gloves¡¯ into his inventory and equipped them instantly since he had nothing else on his hands. Although it did not have any type of special effect or an active skill attached to it, it still gave him a +10 stat increase to his attack and defense. It was not as good as his ne essory, but it was better than nothing. The next item was the ¡¯Miner¡¯s Pickaxe¡¯. Weapon Name: Miner¡¯s Pickaxe Weapon Rank: Common Weapon Level: 1 Requirements: None Attack Damage: 1 Miner(Passive) - The user of this pickaxe gains the ability to mine ores. Mine ores? Izroth searched through the memories of the hardcore gamer within him and came to a brief understanding of what this item¡¯s function was. In fact, he had alreadye up with the same conclusion but just wanted to make sure he was correct. This item would allow him to gather materials that could be used in crafting different weapons and armors. Izroth simply sat the ¡¯Miner¡¯s Pickaxe¡¯ in his inventory to deal withter. Izroth did not believe that he would be mining ores any time soon. He had too much to aplish and mining was not exactly at the top of his priority list. Thest item Izroth picked up from the loot drop was ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯. Crafting Material: Goblin¡¯s Essence Details: The essence of a goblin that has been developing within its host. This material is an ingredient for different types of potions. Izroth put the ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ into his inventory as well. He would most likely never use it himself, but he decided to keep it because it may hold some value. Ultimately, it was still an ingredient that was used in making potions, a lifesaving item! After gathering all the loot dropped from the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯, Izroth looked towards the multiple entrance ways located on the opposite side of the cave from where he entered. In total there were six entrances and they all looked the exact same from the outside. Izroth walked closer to the six entranceways before he stopped to ponder for a bit. Maybe this was some type of puzzle he had to solve before advancing? Or perhaps they led to different locations throughout the caves? He might just be overthinking things and there was nothing special about these entrances, and they all ended up leading to the same ce! Izroth let out a small sigh, "There does not seem to be a difference between any of the six paths... Is there something I¡¯m missing? Or am I really just overthinking it after all...?" Izroth mumbled to himself. He decided to reluctantly give up and just choose a path at random. He walked towards the fourth path and entered inside. Izroth could not see anything as it was pitch ck, however, he stayed on full alert while taking his time to walk through the passageway. After around 1 minute of walking, he finally saw some light in the distance. But the strange thing was, it seemed like sunlight! "Did I find my way to the exit?" Izroth frowned but continued walking until he finally left the passageway. When he saw the sight before him, his eyes slightly narrowed. What was this ce? It was not the outside, but there was something shining down light as though it were the sun itself. When Izroth looked to his left and right he could see in total another five exits that looked just like the one he hade out of. "So you would arrive at the same destination no matter which path you chose" Izroth felt a bit embarrassed about being so indecisive in his choice. Little did he know that the other five paths were filled with all kinds of traps and hidden dangers. There was only one safe path and that was the fourth path that Izroth selected! How lucky! In front of Izroth was an area filled with stones of different sizes and shapes. Some of them were big enough to be called boulders, while others were small enough to be considered just a normal stone. On those stones though, no matter how big or small, they all shared a simr carving of strange symbols. Izroth had no idea what those symbols meant, but for some reason, he had a very foreboding feeling. Izroth had a feeling that these stones might be rted to the ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ he was supposed to eliminate. He was notpletely sure, it was just a hunch he had. Not too far away there was arge open building with no roof over it. Two creatures were standing guard in front of the only way to enter inside. They looked just like the ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ except they were of simr size to the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯, only a bit shorter and much bulkier. Name: Goblin Soldier(Elite) Level: 11 HP: 1,800/1,800 ATK: 160 DEF: 60 AGI: 70 MAG: 0 Skills: Smash(Active): Deals 120% of goblins attack as damage. Has a small chance of stunning the target for 1 second. Club Swing(Active): Deals 100% of goblins attack as damage to all enemies in front of them. Has a small chance of knocking back the targets. "Elite?" Izroth had already seen a boss monster and a normal monster, but this was his first time seeing an elite monster. From the stats it had, it seemed to be something that was in-between a normal monster and a boss monster! "I wonder if the loot it drops is any good.." Izroth thought to himself as he was preparing to engage in a battle. But after only taking a few steps in the direction of the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯, he heard a voice call out to him, "Wait! Please wait! Are you an adventurer?!" Izroth was bbergasted by a voice calling out in his direction from seemingly nowhere. He looked around before his eyesnded on someone hiding behind one of the manyrge rocks. There was a head peeking out from behind it and it belonged to a human! Was there another yer here before him? Izroth frowned because just a few moments ago he did not sense any presence around him, the fact that this person could hide from his range of perception meant that he was incredibly skilled. The person who called out to Izroth stepped out from behind therge rock but still remained hidden from the sight of the ¡¯Goblin Soldier¡¯ monsters as though they did not want to be discovered. "Please, you must help me, fellow adventurer! My name is Gilidore, and there is something I must get back no matter what!" Izrothid his eyes upon the person who approached him. It turned out to be a male who was almost six feet tall, had crimson red hair, light gray eyes and a cape on his back. Though what caught Izroth a bit off guard was the character information disyed before him. At least it exined why he did not discover this person with his incredible senses. NPC Name: Gilidore (Elite) NPC Level: ??? Izroth frowned, "Why do you need my help?" This was the first time Izroth had seen the level ¡¯???¡¯ since he fought against the world boss ¡¯Shadow Wolf¡¯. That had to mean that this NPC was incredibly strong! But if that were the case, why would it need his help to get something back? "Please, you must! If they discover the true power of the item they¡¯ve stolen, it could mean the destruction of all the nearby viges and towns! Fellow adventurer, you must assist me in retrieving that item at all cost!" Gilidore said while pleading in a serious tone. Izroth suddenly received a message from the system! Ding! You have received a quest! Ding! Since you are not in a party, the quest rank has been increased! Ding! Do you wish to ept the quest? Quest Name: Relic of Power Rmended Level: 10 Rmended Party Size: 4-5 Quest Rank: A Quest Objective: The goblins have stolen a precious relic of power that contains an untapped and mighty energy. If this energy is harnessed properly, it can grant its user great and unforetold power! Time Limit: 2 hours 0/1 Find the location of the stolen ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ before its secrets are uncovered. 0/1 Return the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ to Gilidore. Reward: -x8 silver coins -Gilidore¡¯s Cape (Umon) -??? When Izroth saw the rewards a smile instantly arrived on his face. Even though Izroth could not see one of the rewards when it showed as ¡¯???¡¯ that meant it had to be something good! "I will help you recover the lost relic, I ept" Izroth said with a firm resolve. Ding! The quest ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ is now active in your quest logs! Ding! The quest time limit of ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ has been started! 2 hours remaining! "We must hurry! I¡¯ll take care of distracting those two ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ while you go ahead. I¡¯ll soon catch up with you! Remember, we do not have a lot of time left before its toote!" Gilidore seemed ted at the fact he had finally found some help. Gilidore then turned around and while using the giant stones as cover, increased the distance between him and Izroth but decreased the distance between himself and the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯. There was a little sack attached to Gilidore¡¯s waist as he reached inside and pulled out two small sphere shaped items. Gilidore tossed the two small sphere shaped items directly at the feet of both the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ standing guard. The ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ looked down at the small round object at their feet. They began to speak in an inaudiblenguage to one another as though they were trying to discover what those objects were. One of the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ reached down to pick up the item sniffing it a few times and was just about to eat it when all of a sudden the two small objects blew up in their faces! "BOOM!" Although the explosion wasn¡¯t huge, it was enough to absolutely enrage both of the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ as they waved around theirrge clubs in an enraged manner. Gilidore knew that goblins were simple-minded creatures. There were some rare variants, but most had the intelligence of a child or worse. He was aware that those miniature explosive spheres would cause them to be infuriated! Gilidore stepped out from hiding behind the stones and waved in the direction of the ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯. "Heeeeeeeeey! Over here! What¡¯s the matter? Afraid of a little explosion? Hahahaha!" Gilidore tant behavior caused the furious ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯ to rush over towards him. But the closer they got, the further he retreated making them chase after him. Not too long after, the entrance to the building was clear of guards. Izroth felt a bit of regret, "Those monsters probably gave quite a good amount of EXP and loot...". He had yet to fight against an elite monster, but with a title like ¡¯Elite¡¯ how could it not give good rewards? Izroth could only continue onward. Besides, he still had the rewards from the quest to look forward to! Not too long after he arrived at the entry point of therge building with no roof and took a look inside to see no monsters guarding the hall entering into it. Izroth walked inside of the hallway and came to a wooden door, and on it was a sign with writing. But the writing was not in some weird or strange goblinnguage, it was actually in humannguage! ¡¯Beware! I know foolish humans will try to stop! But cannot! Humans know not power! Humans waste! Power will make king!¡¯ The sentence was a bit choppy and hard to understand. In the writing, it kept referring to humans as though it were not one of them. Could it be that this was a goblin¡¯s writing?! Izroth was fairly surprised by the writing but understood what the basic message behind it was. "Maybe that goblin is the one who has the relic of power..." Izroth thought to himself. However, he would not get answers standing out here. Izroth finally pulled open the door to the building while remaining on guard. Swoooooooosh! PARRIED! -90 HP! 410/500 HP Remaining! (Izroth) An arrow had flown out and struck Izroth! Even though he was on guard and managed to draw his ¡¯Nameless Sword¡¯ in time to parry it, the arrow still dealt a good amount of damage! Izroth eyes turned cold as he looked in towards where the arrow had shot out from within the inside of the building. Creeeeeeeeeek... Izroth heard that strange noise and knew instantly what had attacked him... A goblin! Name: Goblin Archer(Elite) Level: 11 HP: 1,500/1,500 ATK: 150 DEF: 45 AGI: 80 MAG: 0 Skills: Piercing Arrow(Active): Deals 110% of the goblin archer attack as damage. Ignores some physical defenses. Arrow Rain(Active): The goblin archer releases a hail of arrows dealing 75% of the goblin archer attack as damage every 1 second to all enemies within the arrow rain¡¯s range. Last 5 seconds. Chapter 15 Digging Ones Own Grave This was actually the first ranged monster that Izroth had ran into since he started ying RML. Though, with his countless years ofbat experience, it was not his first time fighting a ranged opponent. Since he himself had no ranged skills there was only one thing to do, and that was close the distance! The hallway was no more than 30 meters long as the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ stood in front of an opening that seemed to lead directly into the main area of therge building. The monster started to nock its arrow onto the wooden bow it was holding. It was shouting in the goblinnguage and although Izroth had no idea what it was saying, from its actions alone Izroth had a feeling that it was telling him he was not wee here. Izroth shifted his right leg backward before moving his left leg forward a bit and slightly widening his stance. He held his left arm out in front of him while his right hand holding onto his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯, hovered behind him. Izroth propelled himself forward by pushing off of his right foot and rushing straight at the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯. They were around 28-30 meters apart from one another, but Izroth was swiftly closing the distance! The ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ however, did not just stand there and wait for him to approach, it shot off a second arrow aimed at Izroth¡¯s head! Swooooooosh! The arrow flew across the hallway approaching Izroth. Everything seemed to slow down around Izroth as the arrow inched nearer and nearer. Just as it was about to pierce into his forehead, without hesitating in the slightest Izroth adjusted his position to some degree and tilted his head to the right. Miss! Izroth was sessful in avoiding the second arrow! As he persisted onward, he heard a light clinking sound as if metals were scraping against one another. He hastily swung his sword in a sideward arc out in front of him as the arrow shed against his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯! Clink! PARRIED! -25 HP! 385/500 HP Remaining! (Izroth) "It seems like this area is filled with traps... How troublesome" Izroth thought to himself, but he did not let that slow him down! He would just have to be more careful now that he was aware of that fact. A frown appeared on Izroth¡¯s face, "What a strange ce... Usually, traps are set up in ces where there is no one there to stop someone from trespassing. There are obviously monsters guarding this area, so why are there traps here?" Izroth murmured to himself. Creeeeeeeeek! It wasn¡¯t too long until the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ released another arrow towards Izroth, though this arrow had a peculiar spin to it as though it was prating through the air. The ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ had used the skill ¡¯Piercing Arrow¡¯! At the same time Izroth heard a soft clinking sound, he knew that a trap was targetting him at the same time as the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ arrow! Izroth did not panic and kept calm under these unfavorable circumstances. As soon as he heard the sound of the trap beginning to activate he lightly pushed forward at an angle off of his left foot. Swiiiiiiish! Swooooosh! Just as both arrows were about to pierce through Izroth, his position suddenly shifted and the two arrows struck one another! The arrow that the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ fired off shattered the arrow shot out by the trap located within the side wall, but it was still affected and knocked off its course, missing its intended target, Izroth! Miss! Miss! 18 meters was the distance left between Izroth and the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯. Although Izroth was tempted to just use ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ or ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯, he did not know what troubles he would run into once he arrived at the main area of therge building. He felt that the current situation did not necessarily require the use of them and instead kept the skills for lifesaving purposes. Plus this made his blood boil with excitement! Ever since he arrived in this world, he never really had the chance to let loose. He felt as though he was slowly but surely regaining that feeling of power that came naturally to him. However, what really made Izroth ecstatic was the fact that he could feel his ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique progressing! Cultivation was not just about sitting down and meditating all day. One needed their body to experience actual battles to further improve, especially when it came to cultivating physiques! "I can feel my body getting closer to the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique... It seems that all the continuous fighting has sped up its advancement by leaps and bounds!" Izroth thought to himself while not getting too distracted. As Izroth was growing closer and closer to the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯, it shouted out in the goblinnguage as though it was angry that he had not yet died! It nocked its third arrow before firing it off at Izroth! Though Izroth had already gotten used to the attack speed of the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯, so there was no way he would allow himself to be hit at this point! Izroth ducked down and the arrow flew right over his head evading the attack! Miss! At the same time, he increased his speed and finally closed the remaining distance between him and the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯! "Creeeeek?!" the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ was visibly shocked and had to quickly set aside its bow and take out a knife attached to a belt on its waist. It could not possibly use a bow at this distance as it would have no chance of firing it off! As soon as he was within range, Izroth swung his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ towards the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯, but something was strange about this attack. A phantom that seemed to be an exact replica of the sword itself followed closely behind it! When Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ finally shed into the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ chest area, his body spun rapidly before a second cut appeared on the neck of the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯! Izroth had used the skill ¡¯Phantom Strike¡¯! -85 HP! Critical Hit! -215 HP! 1,200/1,500 HP Remaining! (Goblin Archer) But Izroth did not stop there! Around his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ a light blue milky aura formed along with an oppressive force behind it! Izroth had used his current strongestbination attack, ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ paired with his ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯! The ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ tried its best to put some distance between Izroth and itself so it could attack with its bow again! It was temporarily using the knife to defend itself, but s, it was a fruitless effort. Now that Izroth had closed the distance between the two of them, how could he allow for it to grow once again? Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ seemed to home in on the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ wherever it moved as though its movements were being predicted! The ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ could not avoid this attack and held out its knife to try and block it, but Izroth altered the course of the attack midswing by reading the actions of the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯! Ziiiiiiiiing! sh! -735 HP! 465/1,500 HP Remaining! (Goblin Archer) A cry of pain left the mouth of the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ as it stabbed with its knife at Izroth¡¯s neck area! Miss! Izroth took a quick step backward avoiding the knife with ease. At the same time, he was still within attack range and so swung his sword in an upward arc at the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ while it was still in the middle of its attack! It had to way of pulling back or defending against it! -85 HP! 380/1,500 HP Remaining! (Goblin Archer) It was already toote for this monster, it could not handle the onught brought about by Izroth. There was only one path for the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ at this point and that was death. Izroth followed up with yet another attack, he was relentless with his assault! The ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ HP was dropping rapidly! 295/1,500 HP Remaining (Goblin Archer) 210 HP... 125 HP... 0/1,500 HP Remaining! (Goblin Archer) Izroth could finally rx when he heard the system alert go off in his head. He let out a deep breath before sheathing his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 700 EXP! Loot Drop: -1 silver coin -x1 Goblin¡¯s Essence -x1 Skull Key Izroth was happy about the amount of EXP he received. It gave more than two times that of the ¡¯Goblin Scout¡¯, how generous! He went on to pick up the loot and nothing really stood out, apart from one item called ¡¯Skull Key¡¯. Item Name: Skull Key Usage: Unlocks a certain room¡¯s door located within the main building of ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯. A key? It seemed to open a door somewhere within this building! Maybe it contained some type of treasure? Or may it was a trap... After all, an item with the name ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ did not exactly scream treasure but rather danger. Izroth decided to set the key in his inventory and worry about itter. He already had two quests toplete, one had a time limit to it! So he would focus on that first and if he still had time left over, he would use it to search for a door¡¯s lock that the ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ fit into. "I should not consume too much time staying here. I have less than 2 hours to find this relic of power..." Izroth did not waste any more time and walked into the main area of therge building! ... Back in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯ Mick had told his entire side of the story and events to one of the seven captains of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ guild known as Niflheim. Of course, he left out certain events and painted himself to be the victim and Izroth the viin! Niflheim had an indifferent and cold expression on his face as he listened to Mick talk about what happened with the world boss as well as the events that urred between him and Izroth. Olohas, the yer who brought Mick to meet his captain, had a frown on his face as he listened to Mick retelling the events. When he listened to the story for a second time, there were some inconsistencies with the story Mick told him at the moment when they first met! He was no fool or else he would not be a person the captain trusted! For some reason, he had a feeling that he would regret bringing this person here today. "Foolish, truly foolish...!" Niflheim thought to himself as he observed Mick. On the surface, he was still calm and collected, but on the inside, he was fuming with rage! There was one thing that Niflheim could not tolerate and that was tantly lying to his face! Who was he? He was one of the seven captains belonging to ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, one of the top 10 guilds! Niflheim was a veteran when it came to gaming and had to deal with thousands of people on a regr basis. He had dealt with situations like this in the past and could tell when someone was a snake. From Mick¡¯s bodynguage down to his vague details of certain events, it was obvious what was truly going on in the eyes of Niflheim. In fact, when he first started making a name for himself in the gaming world, something simr happened to him which almost caused him to quit gaming for good! Luckily, he was saved by the guild leader of ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ and became indebted to them. But how could Mick know about this? Niflheim coldly red at Olohas for a brief moment and Olohas felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He knew what that look meant! His captain was infuriated at the moment! However Mick did not notice the intense atmosphere and kept going on and on, "Can you believe it respectable captain? How could that noob-" "Alright, I¡¯ve heard enough!" Niflheim held up his hand to stop him from talking and Mick did not dare to continue. Niflheim was quite intimidating and Mick did not want to offend a captain of one of the top guilds. "I want to meet this Izroth" Niflheim had a cold look in his eyes as he stared at Mick. Mick was overjoyed! He had misunderstood Niflheim¡¯s intentions and thought that he was finally going to have his revenge on that insufferable noob! "Hehehe, let¡¯s see how you deal with one of the top 10 guilds as your enemy!" Mick thought to himself. In fact, Mick was very satisfied with his ability to scheme at that moment! Little did Mick know, his actions at that moment would be what sealed his fate in RML. Chapter 16 Red Orbs and Reminiscing The first thing that came into sight when Izroth arrived inside of the main area of therge building, was the many goblins patrolling it. That bright light also seemed to be much stronger and brighter inside of this area than that of the outside and in the middle of it, was a huge open space! There were huge pirs of stones lined up in a formation shaped like that of a square. Carved onto those pirs of stones were symbols that looked exactly like the ones Izroth saw on the strange stones where he had met Gilidore. At every corner of the formation, there were red orbs levitating in midair and emitting a bizarre kind of energy. He also noticed that no ¡¯Goblin Workers¡¯ or ¡¯Goblin Scouts¡¯ were amongst the monsters present. They were all ¡¯Goblin Soldiers¡¯, ¡¯Goblin Archers¡¯, and even some unknown type of goblin that Izroth had not yet seen before. Though all of them had one thing inmon, they were all elite monsters! Izroth eyes shone brightly as he looked at the number of elite monsters before him. There were a total of 8 goblins patrolling back and forth around the open ground, and 4 of the unknown type of goblins. Each of the unknown goblins was pouring some type of energy into the red orbs as if they were its source of power. If the ¡¯Goblin Soldier¡¯ and unknown goblin monsters gave the same amount of EXP as the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ then he could gain over 8,000 EXP! That would be enough for him to level up twice and gain another skill point! Izroth took a moment to further observe his surroundings and soon noticed that there was only one path that leads out of this ce, not counting the path he took to get here of course. It was located on the opposite side of where he was, and there was a barely discernable barrier that seemed to be blocking the way inside. "It appears that some kind of barrier is set up over there to prevent me from moving deeper into the building... I also have to be a bit careful, I don¡¯t know what kind of power those strange red orbs possess" Izroth thought to himself. Izroth took around 5 minutes to rest and let his HP be fully restored. When one was outside of a battle for a certain period of time their HP would be regenerated. The lower your HP was the longer it would take for it to regenerate, though thankfully Izroth had only lost around 23% of his HP and so it only took 5 minutes for him to gain back what he had previously lost. There was ¡¯1 hour and 51 minutes¡¯ remaining on the time limit for his quest to find the relic of power. He did not know how many ces there were to search in the giant building and so he had to make haste! "I have a strange feeling about those red orbs and those strange goblins... I feel like I should take care of them first" Izroth made his decision as he started heading towards one of the corners of the stone pirs. He stopped and waited for a moment, stopping at least 32 meters away as a patrol of 1 ¡¯Goblin Soldier¡¯ and 1 ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ passed by. Izroth knew that the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ had an incredibly long perception range of around 30 meters! He knew that he could handle those two monsters, but he wanted to get within close enough range to observe the unknown goblin first. After waiting for a brief period of time, the goblins were finally out of range and Izroth immediately sprinted towards the bottom right corner of the stone pirs! When he arrived around 30 meters away from the unknown goblin he could, atst, see what it was! Name: Goblin Sorcerer(Elite) Level: 11 HP: 1,200/1,200 Mana Shield: 1,000,000 ATK: 10 DEF: 10 AGI: 30 MAG: 180 Skills: Energy Channel(Active): The goblin sorcerer channels their own energy into a target object continuously. Cannot be interrupted. If the goblin sorcerer is channeling their energy into a mysterious red orb, they may still cast other spells while channeling. Mana Sphere(Active): Deals 100% of the goblin sorcerer magic as damage. Mana Barrier(Active): Gains a temporary mana shield equal to 150% of their magic. This shieldsts for 15 seconds and absorbs all iing damage until it is destroyed. Great Protection(Passive): As long as the goblin sorcerer is channeling energy into the mysterious red orbs, they gain 1,000,000 mana shield. Izroth¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he read the skills of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯. That skill ¡¯Great Protection¡¯ gave it 1,000,000 shield?! This had to be a joke right? Even if he was very confident in his own abilities, how could he tolerate such a broken skill? Did he really have to deal over a million damage to kill a single ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯? There were 4 of them in all, that meant that he had to deal over four million damage total! Even if he used his strongestbination attack of ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ and ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ and he was to get a critical hit every single time, it would still take over 2,500 attacks to kill all 4 ¡¯Goblin Sorcerers¡¯! But those were skills and had a cooldown time to them so it would actually take many more attacks than that! Izroth was caught in a predicament, how could he possibly finish the quest in under 2 hours this way? It was impossible! Izroth let out a long sigh before taking a deep breath and began to concentrate and scrutinize every single inch of this ce. Even though he was on a time limit, if he did not stop and think about this then he would have zero chance atpleting it. There had to be something he was missing or overlooking here! Izroth¡¯s eyes darted all around him trying to find a solution, however, no matter how hard he looked he did not see anything out of the ordinary! He even searched the memories of the hardcore gamer inside of him, but even they had never seen a situation like this before! After all, they had not yed RML before in their life since it was just released. Never would Izroth had thought that he, the number one cultivator in the seven realms would be bested by... A video game! Izroth could not help butugh, he actually found the entire predicament to be amusing. When he thought about the fact that he could once uproot mountains, flip entire oceans, pluck stars from beyond the sky and solve the greatest mysteries of cultivation, and yet here he was now, having absolutely no clue how to go about things in a game! Most people would be incredibly frustrated at the moment, but Izroth felt that this was not a bad thing! Izroth closed his eyes and recalled something that his teacher had once said to him. Izroth¡¯s teacher was a wise old man with deep and profound knowledge, and even though he had surpassed his teacher in the realm of cultivation, he never once acted arrogantly in front of him. "Izroth, one day you will surpass me and with your talent reach a realm that may be even beyond myprehension. But you must always remember that no matter what, loneliness is the onlypanion that can keep you apanied for a lifetime. But it does not have to be the only thing you carry around in your lifetime. Hopes, dreams, happiness,ughter, you must always make room for them, because there may be a day when all there exist is nothingness" there was an incredibly deep and profound look on his teacher¡¯s face, but within his eyes was a look of eternal loneliness. At that time, Izroth never understood what his teacher meant until he reached the very top and there was no longer anyone he could call his equal. No one that could travel the seven realms with him and nothing left for him to ponder on the path of cultivation. But now Izroth had a new life with goals to achieve, knowledge that he did not yet fully understand, and an entirely new realm to explore! How could he notugh from happiness at this moment when thinking about that? Izroth opened his eyes with a refreshed look on his face and almost instantly something popped into his mind. "Of course...! How could I not see this before?!" Izroth had a look on his face that showed he made a discovery! It was so simple that he felt a bit embarrassed by overthinking things. Izroth may have had thousands of years of experience as a cultivator, but he was still aplete noob when it came to video games! The answer was simple, the red orbs! If he could destroy the red orbs, then the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerers¡¯ would have nothing to channel their energy in to. If there were no red orbs for them to channel their energy in to, then they would not have that insane mana shield protecting them! Izroth did not think to attack the red orbs before because everything until now in this game had just been about killing monsters and did not require much thinking. But ever since he entered into this cave behind the waterfall, there had been traps, quests assigned to him, multiple paths to choose from and now this situation with the red orbs. He had been too simple-minded in his approach to this video game. "I have to begin thinking of this as more than just a game where you go around and kill monsters. It seems I still have much to learn indeed..." Izroth thought to himself. But having found a viable solution to his problem, he felt much more energetic than before. "Now the only tricky part is dealing with the attacks of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯, as they won¡¯t just allow me to destroy the red orbs without retaliating" Izroth unsheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ as he slowly moved closer and closer to the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ trying to figure out its range of perception. 28 meters away... 25 meters away... As soon as Izroth arrived 20 meters away from the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ it turned its head towards him. "Human! Bad human intrude! Must die! Orders of great one!" surprisingly this goblin was able to talk using the human tongue! A sphere of blue colored energy started to form in the hand of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ as though a great power was gathering to a single point. Izroth was a bit startled to hear the goblin actually speak in the human tongue and not that iprehensible goblinnguage! But what caught his interest was something the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ had said, they mentioned something about ¡¯orders of great one¡¯. "Could this ¡¯great one¡¯ be rted to the mysterious goblin from my quest?" Izroth thought to himself, but he pushed it to the back of his mind for now and decided to focus on the fight in front of him! This was the first time Izroth would be fighting against a monster that could use magic! The sphere of energy finished forming in the hand of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ before flying towards Izroth at an amazing speed! How fast! Izroth could clearly see the sphere of energy heading directly towards him as he elerated forward heading right for the red orb, his primary target! Buuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzz! The sphere of energy emitted a strange buzzing noise as if a bunch of static was constantly crackling! It arrived right in front of Izroth as soon as he reached the red orb! Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ met the ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯ shing head-on with it! PARRIED! -144 HP! 356/500 HP Remaining! (Izroth) What incredible damage! His defense seemed to bepletely useless against the ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯! He made a decision that he would have to avoid even attempting to parry those attacks, or else he would die within 3 more hits! But Izroth¡¯s mood improved when he appeared right before the red orb, and a smile formed on his face. Magic Item Name: Mysterious Red Orb Magic Item Rank: B Magic Item HP: 3,000 Magic Item ATK: 0 Magic Item DEF: 0 Usage: ??? Izroth was correct! You could indeed attack the red orb to destroy it! "A magic item...!" Izroth said talking under his breath. It was the first time Izroth had seen a magic item and although he could not see its usage, it was only a B rank magic item! If such a powerful item was only ranked at B, he could only imagine the strength of an S rank magic item! Chapter 17 Destroying the Barrier Izroth cut at the mysterious red orb with his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ and met with no resistance! As the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ was still charging up its ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯ skill, Izroth took the opportunity to strike at the mysterious red orb a second time! -130 HP! -130 HP! 2,740/3,000 HP Remaining! (Mysterious Red Orb) Buuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzz! The ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯ shot out of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ hand and soon reached right in front of Izroth. But this time he would not try to foolishly block it, but rather instead evade it! Izroth had to temporarily leave the attack range of the mysterious red orb as he kicked off his left foot at a slight angle, propelling himself away from the iing ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯! BOOM! Miss! Izroth managed to sessfully avoid the ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯ as it exploded in a small radius on impact with the ground where he had just been standing not too long ago! "Although the casting time is a bit slow and predictable, the actual speed of the projectile is troublesome..." Izroth thought to himself as he hurriedly went back into the attack range of the mysterious red orb. Izroth once again struck the mysterious red orb twice before retreating and evading yet another ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯! If someone were watching the battle from the side, it would almost look like Izroth and the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ were a part of a neverending game cutscene that constantly repeated itself! Miss! It did not take long to reduce the HP of the magic item down to 0. Soon small cracks appeared on the mysterious red orb as it fragmented into countless little pieces! Ding! You have destroyed 1/4 ¡¯Mysterious Red Orbs¡¯! The barrier has weakened! Izroth nced over towards where the barrier was located and sure enough, it seemed to grow a bit more transparent as though it had lost a small chunk of its power! "No! Human must die! Broke treasure, must die!" the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ said as the faint aura of power that was surrounding it before started to fade away, but it was soon reced by a much weaker aura. The ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ did not waste any time and used the skill ¡¯Mana Barrier¡¯! +270 Shield! (Goblin Sorcerer) When Izroth checked its stats again, the 1,000,000 shield was nowhere to be found and in its ce was 270 shield, however,pared to that massive shield it had before 270 was quite negligible. A small grin slowly found its way onto Izroth¡¯s face as a look of excitement shed in his eyes. Even with the addition of 270 shield to its 1,200 HP, how could it withstand the barrage of attacks from Izroth? It only took a brief moment for Izroth to close the distance ande face to face with the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯. He swung his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ horizontally in the form of a crescent moon at the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ stomach, and what followed behind was a phantom-like sword! "Phantom Strike!" The ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ had no way of avoiding the iing attack with its 30 agility! It could only hold its staff up to try and block the strike, but the sword seemed to phase through its staff as though it was something spectral and shed directly across its neck! -120 HP! Critical Hit! -250 HP! SHIELD BREAK! 1,100/1,200 HP Remaining! (Goblin Sorcerer) Izroth instantly shattered the ¡¯Mana Barrier¡¯ surrounding the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ as that faint aura fully vanished from around it! Creeeeeeeeeek! The ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ cried out in pain as it took a direct hit after its barrier was shattered, it started to once again gather energy into the palm of its hand, but would Izroth give it another chance to cast a spell this close? "Sword Force... First Baneful Sword: Destruction" a light milky blue aura that released a ruthless force descended right towards the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯! -770 HP! 330/1,200 HP Remaining! (Goblin Sorcerer) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has interrupted the casting of ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ spell ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯! The spell that the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ was forming in the palm of its hand had disintegrated due to arge amount of damage Izroth dealt it its HP. Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ did not stop moving and swiftly his sword once again sliced into the body of the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯! Every time the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ would try to start casting a spell, Izroth would attack and interrupt it! There was nothing it could do in this situation except wait for its inevitable oue, death! 210 HP... 90 HP... 0/1,200 HP Remaining! (Goblin Sorcerer) "One down, three to go..." Izroth felt a strong power welling up inside of him. He could feel that he needed one more major push to break through to the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique! Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 750 EXP! Loot Drop: -1 silver 23 bronze coins -x1 Lesser Health Potion -1 Wooden Spell Staff The ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ had actually given 50 more EXP than the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯! It had also dropped a ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯ and an item that Izroth himself could not use, which was a staff. Weapon Name: Wooden Spell Staff Weapon Rank: Umon Weapon Level: 11 Requirements: 50 Magic Magic: 25 Mana: 100 Even though Izroth could not use the staff himself, it was still an umon weapon that he could probably sell for a decent amount of coins. So he kept it in his inventory for now with the other loot he received. As soon as he finished picking up the loot, Izroth did not waste any more time and started heading towards the location of another orb to destroy it. ... About 40 minutester, Izroth had finally managed to destroy all the mysterious red orbs and eliminated all 12 of the goblins guarding the room! In total, he received 8,600 EXP and leveled up twice! Izroth was now level 11 with 12 stat points. But his biggest gain was the skill point he gained from reaching level 10! He also received over 10 silver coins, 1 additional ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯ and 4 ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯. Izroth decided to spend his stat points, investing 3 points into agility, 5 points into attack, and 4 points into his HP! He also decided to spend 1 skill point on his ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯! Izroth was reluctant to use any skill points after putting some into his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ skill, but after taking into ount the fact that he had an S grade quest toplete, he gave in and used a skill point. Skill Name: First Baneful Sword: Destruction Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 2/3 Skill Rank: A Active: Deals 350% of user Attack as damage. Has a high chance of causing the ¡¯Fear¡¯ effect in those it targets. Description: A sword filled with a concentrated amount of destruction. Beware! A single strike of this sword technique can destroy those who stand in its way! This strike is not its full potential. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 40%. If this skill kills its target, it has a chance of resetting the cooldown." Cooldown: 2 minutes Izroth was satisfied with the damage increase of 50% and it seemed like the chance to cause the ¡¯Fear¡¯ effect was higher now. He had yet to activate that effect even though he used the skill plenty of times, maybe his luck just wasn¡¯t good enough. Izroth slightly nodded his head, as he viewed his character window. Name: Izroth EXP: 1,847/7,200 Level: 11(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 700/700 Energy: 100 ATK(Attack): 160(120+30+10) DEFENSE(DEF): 30(20+10) AGILITY(AGI): 95(65+30) MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: Nameless de - Main Weapon Shadow Ne - essory(1) Foreman¡¯s Gloves - Armor(Hands) Skills: (Skill Points: 1) Breaker of Limits(Passive) Level: MAXED (S Rank) First Baneful Sword: Destruction(Active) Level: 2/3 (A Rank) Flickering Steps(Active) Level: MAXED (S Rank) Shadow Movement(Active) Level: MAXED (A Rank) Phantom Strike(Active) Level: 1/3 (B Rank) Inventory: (Gold: 0 Silver: 14 Bronze: 37) -x1 Demonic Boar Hide -x3 Lesser Health Potion -1 Miner¡¯s Pickaxe -x6 Goblin¡¯s Essence -1 Wooden Spell Staff Fame: World Fame: 210 "Still not quite enough is it...?" Izroth felt infinitely close to reaching the next stage of his ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique, but was just a single step short! He felt as though if he fought against that mysterious goblin, he would break through his current bottleneck! As Izroth stood in front of the entryway where the barrier used to be, he furrowed his brows. Gilidore said that he would catch up with him, but Izroth had been fighting for over 30 minutes and still saw no signs of him catching up. "Forget it, I only have a little more than an hour left on the time limit, I should keep moving forward" Izroth strode into the entryway with his hand rested upon the hilt of his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. Whatever or whoever was behind this barrier had to be extremely important given the extravagance of so many guards and security features! That was a good thing for Izroth as he knew the more difficult the challenge, the more generous the reward. When Izroth entered into the passageway he could see a single path with a single door at the end. The light from outside no longer shone down because of the roof now over his head. It was a bit dark, but there were torches spaced out on the walls bringing some light onto the path. Izroth approached the door and pushed it wide open, and the first thing he saw was someone with their back turned to him. They were in front of a desk with paper spread all over in a messy manner. The room was incredibly huge and at the center was a circle filled with weird totems that had a strange light emitting from them. That light was filled with an incredible power that made Izroth narrow his eyes slightly. "Human! I smell you! You are interrupting research! Research! Important, power must be harnessed for the king!" a creature that was a bit taller than the average human adult turned around to look at Izroth with vicious blood red beady eyes. It had the darkest of green skin, incredibly sharp and cruel looking teeth and in its hand, it held a book. It stepped into the circle as if it were waiting for Izroth to walk towards his very own demise. Izroth unsheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ while coldly staring at the creature in front of him. When Izroth saw the stats and skills of this creature, he knew that this fight would be very difficult. Name: Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja (BOSS) Level: 15 HP: 8,000/8,000 ATK: 200 DEF: 60 AGI: 100 MAG: 200 Skills: Mana Burst(Active): Deals 100% of the casters magic as damage. This skill can be cast instantly. Firestorm(Active): Summons down a rain of fire that deals 50% of the casters magic as damage every 1 second for 5 seconds. Mighty Blow(Active): Deals 120% of the goblins attack as damage. Has a chance of knocking back the target. Blessing of the Goblin King(Passive): This goblin has received the blessing of the goblin king. Izroth skills were all off of cooldown, his HP was restored to its full state and he had x3 ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯. Back when Izroth fought against the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯, he felt his blood boil with excitement. But that feeling was nothingpared to what he was currently experiencing. It was the first time he would fight against a monster whose agility exceeded his own without using ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯, excluding the ¡¯Shadow Wolf¡¯! If he loses his focus for even one moment it could be the end of him! A carefree smile appeared on the face of Izroth, though that was just what it looked like on the surface. Below the surface was a slumbering ancient beast that was about to awaken from what felt like a thousand-year slumber! Chapter 18 Goblin Kings Commander Jruloja Izroth took one step at a time before arriving at the very edge of the circr tform surrounded by those strange totems. He looked at the totems expecting them to be some sort of magic item like the mysterious red orbs, but there was nothing that popped up. Izroth then turned to face the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ as he walked forward entering onto the tform. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! As soon as Izroth stepped onto the tform, the strange totems lit up brightly and released a powerful energy wave. The energy swept in a circle making contact with all the totems and forming a nearly transparent barrier that prevented anyone from leaving once they were inside. That barrier looked a bit simr to the one created by the red orbs, but when one took time out to observe closely, they would discover that the powerful energy was noting from the totems. There was a faint light red trail thin as a piece of hair, that flowed across the ground resembling something that was extremely ethereal. Izroth followed with his eyes to the location that they all seemed to connect to, however, he was not sessful in finding anything. The trail seemingly vanished midway as though it was not linked to anything at all, to begin with. "I am Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja! You mess with my research, must be my research!" the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ said as the book it held in its hand, pages flew open rapidly flipping until stopping on a certain page. An intense energy converged into a single point in front of the boss monster before firing out straight at Izroth! It had used the skill ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯! Izroth was prepared from the moment he set foot into the room itself and so responded to the sudden attack in a heartbeat. A light blue shapeless form of mana rushed out towards Izroth. It was simr to the ¡¯Mana Sphere¡¯ that the ¡¯Goblin Sorcerer¡¯ used, except it was not nearly as predictable and the cast time was insanely fast, this was the power of a boss monster! "Flickering Steps!" Izroth did not hesitate and immediately used his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ skill to gain the upper hand. Izroth was unsure of its attack patterns, so he would use his monstrous agility to safely gauge the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ abilities. Miss! The ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯ hit nothing but air and shed against the transparent barrier behind where Izroth stood just a short while ago before, losing all of its power and dissipating. Afterimages of Izroth could be seen spread throughout the entire circr tform flickering constantly, as his agility with ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ activated, reached a monstrous 380! Before the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ could even perform its next action, Izroth had already arrived directly in front of it, he had immediately closed the distance between the two of them! "Sword Force... First Baneful Sword: Destruction!" Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ moved at such a speed that it seemed to be illusory. Izroth¡¯s sword which was covered its trademark light milky blue aura from thebination of his skills had shed directly across the neck of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯! His speed was too great, the boss monster simply had no time to defend its vital point! Critical Hit! -2,180 HP! 5,820/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) Izroth had dealt over 2,000 damage! His ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ dealt 350% of his attack as damage, add to that his ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ skill from the ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ weapon and a critical strike, his sh dealt 1400% of his attack as damage total! How absolutely terrifying! Such damage was not supposed to exist this early on in the game and yet Izroth used a single strike to reduce the HP of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja by more than 25%! Creeeeeeeeeeeek! The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ cried out angrily from being attacked so suddenly. The book in its hand closed and what appeared in its ce was a battle axe. The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ swung in a full circr motion around itself as the air seemed to split from the great amount of force behind the battle axe¡¯s swing. Just when it looked as though Izroth had been hit by the battle axe, it turned out to be one of his afterimages as it soon flickered out of existence. Miss! Izroth did not waste any time, he had to deal as much damage as possible before his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ ran out! Because the instant it did, he would automatically lose his speed advantage. Izroth rushed forward swinging his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ in a horizontal arc that resembled that of a crescent moon. Not too far behind that strike was a phantom that resembled the attack itself! "Phantom Strike!" This time the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ had its battle axe out and could properly defend its vital points. But Izroth was not aiming for the neck as he knew that area would be heavily guarded by the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ and so instead his first attack sliced into its stomach area. The second strike targetted the right leg of the boss monster! -100 HP! -180 HP! 5,540/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) Izroth was satisfied with the assault, however, he could not help but be a bit disappointed in the end. He had thought that if he could damage the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ leg that it would slow it down. Simr to how when he attacked the eyes of a ¡¯Goblin Worker¡¯ earlier on, he had received a battle alert saying it was blinded. "Puny human! Burn!" the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ said as it put away its battle axe and a book appeared in its hand. A massive amount of mana began to gather above its head constantly swirling around and raising the temperature of the room! Izroth had a bad feeling about this and so he treated to a safe distance from the boss monster, or at least he thought. A crackling sound filled the entire room as a storm of fire formed above the circr tform! The fire began to rain down over the entire battlefield, it seemed like the range of this skill took up the entire circr tform! The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ had used one of its skills, ¡¯Firestorm¡¯. -100 HP! 600/700 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth felt as though he was being cooked alive by this fire! He had not expected the range of the attack to be so massive that it would cover the entire tform! If this kept up, he would only have 200 HP remaining by the time the skill finished! -100 HP! 500/700 HP Remaining! (Izroth) The whole tform was filled with a raging me that emitted an intense wave of heat, it was very hard to clearly see but in the middle of it all the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ was standing at the very center with its hands held to the sky. Izroth peered in the direction of the strange totems and noticed that the mes seemed to not be able to reach the very edge of the circr tform as though the totem was repelling the fire away from itself. When he saw this, he immediately dashed over using his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and arrived there soon after. His theory was proven to be correct, the entirety of the battlefield was covered in the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯, however, the very edges near the totems were free of any mes! Although Izroth had to waste 3 seconds more waiting for the fire to clear, it was the much better choice when it came to that or taking 300 extra damage to his HP. After 3 seconds passed, the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ cleared out from the tform and the storm above vanished from sight. The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ instantly cast ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯ at Izroth when the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ ended before taking the time to then switch back to its battle axe. Izroth only had 12 seconds remaining on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯, so he had to put it to good use! He evaded the iing ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯ and flickered with great speed straight at the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯! Although Izroth¡¯s attack skills were all on cooldown, that didn¡¯t mean he could not deal damage in the meantime! Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ soared through the air slicing into the right arm of the boss monster! The ¡¯Gobin King¡¯s Commander Jruolja¡¯ battle axe swept out in a ring around itself! Izroth had managed tond his strike sessfully, but he could not evade the attacking towards him at the same time and so shifted his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ closer to himself parrying the iing battle axe! -100 HP! 5,440/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) PARRIED! -130 HP! 370/700 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth used the momentum from the attack he received and retreated backward. He then quickly took an item from his inventory, it was 1 of the ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯! He gulped it down not caring for the bitter taste it had and regained back some of his lost HP! +150 HP! 520/700 HP Remaining! (Izroth) "How troublesome.." Izroth mumbled to himself before kicking off his right foot and charging back in the direction of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯! There were only 8 seconds left on the time limit for Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯. Most monsters seemed to stick to a specific attack pattern no matter if it would lead to their eventual demise. But a few had an exception to this rule. One of them was the ¡¯Shadow Wolf¡¯, a world boss. Its attacks were unpredictable and it would adapt to the situation at hand instead of following a specific order of attack. Another seemed to be boss monsters like this ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯. It had clearly ignored the strike it would receive from Izroth¡¯s attack on its right arm and decided to return an attack back. It was taking damage to deal damage! If that was the case, then Izroth would have to be even more careful from now on. He could not afford to get into a contest of endurance with this boss monster, as he would be the inevitable loser. Izroth flickered in constant circles around the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ and as it finally swung out with its battle axe passing through one of his afterimages, Izroth cut in an upwards motion towards the eyes of the boss monster! However, it managed to adjust its position slightly avoiding a direct hit to both of its eyes and only one of them were struck! Izroth did not stop his assault there as he shifted the position of his wrist in a counterclockwise manner. His ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ passed across the neck of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ on its descent downward! -100 HP! Critical Hit! -260 HP! 5,080/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) Battle Alert: ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ has been partially blinded by yer Izroth for 10 seconds! Immediately after his second attacknded, Izroth took exactly three steps back in a quick session and not long after he did a strong force of wind brushed up against him. It was the battle axe belonging to the boss monster swinging just before him but hitting nothing at all! Miss! As soon as Izroth evaded the attack from the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯, his body suddenly felt as though some shackles that were locking it in ce were being shattered! Izroth felt an overwhelming power flowing throughout his entire body. It was as though a dam that was stopping this power from passing had beenpletely broken apart! Izroth¡¯s eyes shone with excitement as he soon heard the system alert go off in his mind. He was using thest bit of time left on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ to avoid the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ assault as he knew that the current system message was too important to ignore! Ding! A mysterious energy has invaded yer Izroth¡¯s body! Ding! Because of system parameters, you cannot advance further! Ding! The skill ¡¯Breaker of Limits¡¯ has been activated! System parameters removed! Ding! Generating skill... Skill Name: ??? Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/10 Skill Rank: S Passive: The more the user of this skill battles the stronger their body bes, permanently raising all of their stats. Enhances all user senses by 100%. Current Stat Buff: HP: 200 ATK: 20 DEF: 20 AGI: 20 Description: A skill created by Izroth, the more the user battles the stronger they be over time. Special Effect: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. System Alert: Please name the skill! Izroth could sense with his soul, that his body in the real world strength had increased by much more than twofold! This was the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique! "Name the skill, Heavenly Golden Body!" Izroth said without even having to think about it. Ding! Generating... Complete! You have named the skill ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯! At the same time, Izroth¡¯s time limit on his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ had finally run out! Chapter 19 Prelude to the Unforeseen Even Name: Izroth EXP: 1,847/7,200 Level: 11(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 520/900(700+0+200) Energy: 100 ATTACK(ATK): 180(120+40+20) DEFENSE(DEF): 50(20+10+20) AGILITY(AGI): 115(65+30+20) MAGIC(MAG): 0 .... The ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique! How could Izroth not be excited about such a thing? Even though the spiritual essence of this world was incredibly weak, he was somehow still able to cultivate as if he was linked to some unknown power source. What was most strange about this was the fact that the spiritual essence from that unknown power source, was not any weaker than any of the seven realms. "How can this be?" Izroth was perplexed. Could it have something to do with his ¡¯Heavenly Immortal Print¡¯ technique? Woosh! While Izroth was trying to figure everything out, the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ fired off a ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯. It would not simply halt its attacks on Izroth just because he was thinking after all. Izroth had not forgotten that he was in the middle of a battle and remained on guard as he reviewed the system alerts. Although his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ was no longer active, thanks to the stat increase he obtained from the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ skill his agility was now at 115. That was a bit more than the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ agility of 100. That formless mana rushed directly towards Izroth as he kicked off his left foot dodging off to the side, evading the iing ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯. Miss! "When I get into close range it changes to its battle axe and when I¡¯m at a distance it changes to that book. The only deviation was when it used that ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ skill" Izroth thought to himself as he sped straight at the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯. Even though he could not manage to close the distance near instantly as when his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ was active, it still did not take him long before he once again arrived in closebat range with the boss monster. The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ took out its battle axe when Izroth was around 3 meters away from it. As Izroth was rushing forward, it swung its battle axe downward as if it were trying to split Izroth in two. Izroth sidestepped to the blind side of the boss monster as its battle axe crashed down onto the tform forming a miniature crater. Miss! Now that Izroth had his natural advantage of agility again, he would be ruthless with his assault. With his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ in the palm of his hand, Izroth almost seemed as if he were performing an ancient sword dance. Although his movements were the most basic of sword forms, he had clearly mastered them to the point of perfection. The HP of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ was dropping at a steady pace. 61% HP... 55% HP... 49% HP... When the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ HP hit below 50% HP, the battle axe in its hands vanished and was reced by a book. "Puny human, burn!" Izroth knew that this was a start to the boss monster skill ¡¯Firestorm¡¯. He instantly began to retreat to the edge of the circr tform. However, he could not reach the safety zone before being struck by the fire raining down from above. -100 HP! 420/900 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth did, however, manage to arrive before taking another tick of damage from the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ skill. "As I thought... Without using ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ it¡¯s impossible to make it to the outer area of the tform without taking a bit of damage" Izroth muttered to himself. As soon as the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ cleared away from the circr tform, a ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯ shot out towards Izroth. By now, he had more or less figured out the attack pattern of the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯. It seemed like the only time it would deviate from that pattern is when it was in melee range, wielding its battle axe. But besides that, every time it used ¡¯Firestorm¡¯, immediately after it would shoot out a ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯. Knowing this ahead of time made it quite easy to avoid the skill. Miss! Izroth darted off to the left side of the circr tform before adjusting his left foot slightly and pushing off of it zooming directly at the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ and continuing his assault against it. 42% HP... 36% HP... 30% HP... 24% HP! Izroth let out a deep breath as the ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ within his hand sat atop his right shoulder. He had just retreated from another ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ and was waiting for it to die out before going back into the fight. He had taken a hit from it and so his HP was now at 320. But, what he did not expect was the door that he hade in through would be opened by someone. Izroth nced over and noticed that it was Gilidore that entered into the room, he had finally arrived! Gilidore looked right at Izroth and a friendly smile appeared on his face. "Fellow adventurer, I have finally found you! Did you located the relic of power yet?" he dashed towards the circr tform that Izroth stood on. When Gilidore approached he noticed a barrier appeared to be preventing him from entering inside. A small frown began to set on his face as he stopped in front of the barrier. Izroth shook his head slightly, "I have yet to find the relic of power" when Izroth finished speaking a ¡¯Mana Burst¡¯ was rushing straight at him as he skillfully evaded it. The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ skill ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ had just ended and so Izroth returned to his fight. "Then I shall continue to search!" Gilidore shouted out at Izroth before beginning his search around the gigantic room. He moved very quickly, searching every little corner of the room as Izroth was fighting against that monster. As Gilidore continued on with his search, Izroth pounced at the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ with a light milky blue aura surrounding his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. Apanying that aura was a suffocating force and as it connected with the body of the monster, it made a cruel wound appear across its entire torso! Izroth was using the skills ¡¯Sword Force¡¯ and ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯! -1,200 HP! 720/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) Ding! ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ has entered an enraged state! Ding! ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ Attack and Magic has been increased by 100%! Ding! ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ has gained the skill ¡¯Endless Rage¡¯, every 1 second its attack and magic will increase by 5%! The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ eyes turned blood red as it entered into an enraged state. It held up one of its hands and instead of the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ that took at least a moment to cast because it had to switch to its book, this one happened instantly. "My king, grant me strength!" -200 HP! 120/900 HP Remaining! (Izroth) The skill was so sudden that Izroth did not even have the usual small window of time to begin his retreat from the attack! But even within that situation, he remained calm and under control. Immediately, Izroth took out a ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯ and gulped it down regaining some of his lost health. +150 HP! 270/900 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Instantly after that, he activated the skill ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯, turning into a shadow and making his way to the edge of the circr tform with his speed greatly increased. Though he did not make it far before his shadow form broke after taking another tick of damage from the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯. -210 HP! 60/900 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Just as the third tick of damage was about to go off, Izroth had managed to safely arrive at the very edge of the tform barely avoiding his death. Izroth had that carefree look on his face, but on the inside, he was actually filled with a calm rage. When was thest time he, the number one cultivator in the seven realms, got pushed so near to his death? It was a good thing that Izroth had picked up some ¡¯Lesser Health Potions¡¯ from some of the monsters he eliminated earlier, or else things may not have gone so well just then. "A boss monster¡¯s enraged state is really troublesome, it appears not only do they gain an immense damage boost, but their abilities also increase in overall strength". Izroth made a decision at that moment, he would take time out along the way to create some more skills. Now that Izroth knew that the system could generate a skill as powerful as the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique, he had great confidence in creating a good variety of skills so as to have more options in unfavorable situations such as this. There was still another minute left before Izroth could use another HP potion, but did he have time to wait around for it? Izroth¡¯s been in countless battles of life and death, yet he always came out on top by never epting defeat as a possibility. Besides, the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ would not just wait around for his HP potion toe off cooldown and he could not retreat due to the barrier, so there was only one option remaining, fight till the end! Izroth elerated forward with his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ held outwards behind him. If one observed closely, they would notice a very faint shadow that looked like a phantom following next to this sword. The ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ took out its battle axe, but it was toote. The de from Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ had already passed by its neck twice while it was in an enraged state. Critical Hit! -300 HP! Critical Hit! -480 HP! 0/8,000 HP Remaining! (Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja) "Noooooooo! My king... I have... Failed..." the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ eyes slowly turned back into those ck beady goblin eyes as he fell over onto the surface of the tform defeated! Ding! You have defeated ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 6,000 EXP! You have leveled up to level 12! You have gained +3 stat points for leveling up! Loot Drop: -12 silver coins -x1 Goblin¡¯s Essence -x1 Commander Boots Ding! Congrattions, you havepleted the dungeon ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯! You have been awarded 500 EXP! You have been awarded 50 world fame! You have been awarded +1 skill point! Ding! Congrattions, you are the first yer to clear ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯ and have been rewarded! Would you like to announce it to the world? Armor Name: Commander Boots Armor Rank: Umon Armor Level: 15 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 50 Agility DEF: 15 AGI: 15 Izroth went over to pick up the loot, then put it into his inventory as the ¡¯Commander Boots¡¯ instantly equipped to his boots slot. The ¡¯Commander Boots¡¯ were not all that great and so he was a bit disappointed that he did not get another rare item, but at least they helped to boost his stats some. What really made him happy though was the fact that he received a skill point. They were not easy toe by since you only obtained one every 3 levels. Izroth blinked a few times as he read the system messages. Dungeon? ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯? Izroth searched through the memories of the Jin, hardcore gamer inside of him and found out some interesting things. "So that¡¯s why this ce provided such great loot and exp... That also exins why this ce had two strong bosses and unusual tricks to it" Izroth hade to a sudden understanding as to why it seemed his luck was so good and bad at the same time in this ce. Dungeons turned out to be one of the main ways of gaining EXP and loot in video games. He did not have to think about whether he wanted to announce to the world or not, especially since he had already decided to let himself be known by this point after he defeated the ¡¯Shadow Wolf¡¯. Soon after a world announcement system message sounded off. Ding! World Announcement: The first ¡¯Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯ run been cleared by the party ¡¯Izroth¡¯! Party Leader: Izroth Party Member(s): None They have been rewarded for their efforts! The system then went on to show all the rewards Izroth had received for being the first to clear the ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯ dungeon. Almost instantly after that alert went off Izroth, received two messages from the system. Chapter 20 An Unforeseen Even Izroth had received a message from Halls and Luna. System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "You cleared a dungeon by yourself? I had a feeling you were reckless but I had no idea you would go and do something like that... Next time call me over to heal for you! I could use some EXP and loot too you know? Anyways, congrats on clearing the dungeon :)" System Alert: yer Halls has sent you a message, "How could you clear a dungeon without me?! I thought we were friends T_T, you have to let me tag along the next time alright?! First, a world boss and now a dungeon! Your luck¡¯s too amazing man" A slight smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he read the messages and he shook his head a bit, "I suppose it would not be a terrible idea someday" Izroth had replied to both of their messages with that statement before closing out the system alerts. Izroth was happy from the rewards, exp, and loot he was given from defeating the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ and clearing the dungeon. But a frown suddenly appeared on his face as a question came to his mind, why had he notpleted the quest ¡¯The Mysterious Goblin¡¯? He cleared the entire dungeon and yet still it did not say hepleted the quest. Also, he only had around 25 minutes remaining on the time limit for the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ quest and had not found any clues! Suddenly, the entire room began to shake and release tremors as though an earthquake was taking ce! Izroth scanned the room for the source of the tremors and what caught his attention was Gilidore standing next to a stone wall that was opening up like a secret passageway of sorts! Gilidore turned his head to look at Izroth before dashing into the secret passageway disappearing from view. Izroth furrowed his brows when he saw how Gilidore ran into the passageway that just opened up inside of the stone wall. There was this strange feeling eating away at Izroth as if it were trying to warn him of something. When he first entered into the room he already looked everywhere possible and found no door or entrance beside the one he came in through. This means that if he required answers or clues to finishing his quest, he would have no option but to proceed onward. The sole problem was that his HP was incredibly low right now sitting at 60, and if he stepped into an unexpected trap or met with another incident soon after following Gilidore into that room he may not survive. Izroth decided to sit down and rest before continuing on. Even if he could not gain back all his lost HP in time, he at least had to recover enough to take a hit and still be able to retreat afterward if things got bad. "It¡¯s very strange... I feel as if the entire chain of events that have transpired so far has been highly unusual. Not to mention..." Izroth was in deep thought as he rxed a bit. After around 5 minutes, he decided to stand up and began to step towards the open entryway inside the stone wall. Izroth HP had managed to climb up to 285 and he still had a single ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯ remaining just in case of an emergency. The time limit on the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ quest was ticking away quite fast, there were less than 20 minutes remaining for him toplete the quest! When Izroth entered into the hole inside the stone wall, the first thing that he sensed was something simr to when the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯ was gathering mana all to a single point. Except, the converging of this mana was much more powerful and tyrannical than a mere skill from that boss monster. As Izroth got a clear view of the room when he entered, he noticed that Gilidore held a purple stone in his hands. That stone appeared to be the source of the tyrannical force as the mana was all gathering around it as though it were swallowing the energies of the world itself. He was behind a barrier simr to the one Izroth had run into when he first entered into the main building area. A broad smile could be seen on Gilidore¡¯s face and when he saw that Izroth hade he could onlyugh out of pure happiness. "It¡¯s all thanks to you that I managed to retrieve this item, fellow adventurer. If not for you, I would have never been able to get past the barrier in this ce. Of course, I must properly reward you" Gilidore said with that friendly smile on his face. Izroth eyes moved around the room and not far away he saw a small figureying on the ground, it possessed sewage green skin, a long nose and resembled something very close to a goblin... That¡¯s because it was a goblin! Name: Mysterious Goblin(Rare Boss) Level: 15 HP: 0/14,000 ATK: 0 DEF: 40 AGI: 150 MAG: 300 Skills: ??? "The mysterious goblin!" Izroth was baffled. Wasn¡¯t this the ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ that he was supposed to eliminate for his quest? How could he kill it if it was already dead? Did that mean he failed orpleted the quest because it had died? Also, he had not located the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ but rather Gilidore did even though he still had some time left until the quest was over. What kind of broken system was this where one did not even have a chance ofpleting a task given to them? On the bright side, Gilidore said that he had a reward for Izroth so he didn¡¯t feel all bad about it. Plus, for some strange reason, he still had the quest in his quest logs... So maybe he hadn¡¯t entirely failed the quest. However, the words that Gilidore said next caused Izroth to be confused, bewildered and feel cold to his core by the sudden turn of events! "You should be grateful, fellow adventurer. You get to personally watch as the great guardian of the firmament is resurrected before your very eyes! As a bonus, I¡¯ll also let you keep your life" Gilidore was behaving in a bizarre manner. Izroth frowned as he heard the words Gilidore said. Watching the great guardian resurrect? As a bonus, he¡¯ll let him keep his life? Izroth was absolutely livid for being looked down upon like he was some nobody. Thest time that someone told him that they¡¯d let him keep his life, heter returned to take theirs and annihted their entire sect! Any decent impression Izroth held before of Gilidore, even though their meeting was brief, hadpletely left his mind. From that single statement alone Izroth already knew that he was bound to kill this person. Gilidore abruptly turned around and faced a foreign te object that was made from an unknown material which was embedded into the stone wall with unfamiliar symbols written all over it. At the center of the te, there was a hole that seemed to be the key to unlocking it as though it were sealing something. Gilidore ced the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ into the hole located at the center of the te and the entire room began to shake as tremors were released in small waves. The te cracked in half beforepletely shattering, but the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ remained floating in midair shining bright enough to illuminate the whole area. Though instead of shining bright like a star, it was instead full of a brilliant darkness that seemed to be devouring the light that the te provided, absorbing it into its own power beforetching itself onto the stone wall with the strange symbols! The entire wall started falling to pieces and the more pieces that fell, the more clear the view behind the wall became. What appeared was some type of ss-like material that wasn¡¯t quite ss. It seemed a lot sturdier and the aura it gave off resembled that of something not of this world. One would think it would be easy to shatter, but few knew that it was actually one of the hardest substances known in RML! It was a divine type of material that was nearly impossible to find, yet here there was such arge quantity. Behind the ss made of an unknown substance, there was a giant humanoid figure. On their back was a pair of wings that were originally bright red in color, but one could see a dark aura that gave off an oppressive evil force slowly corroding that brilliant red color. Some sections of the wings that the humanoid figure had begun to turn ck, but the red part seemed to be suppressing the dark aura as though it were in a constant battle against it. The eyes of the being trapped inside of the ss gradually opened. One of their eyes were scarlet red in color while the other was pitch dark, as though if one stared into it for too long they would lose their way and be devoured by pure darkness. Izroth stared at the humanoid figure behind the ss and when it opened its eyes, Izroth could feel that suffocating aura within the atmosphere. Though his eyes just grew a bit cold, after all, how could he who was once the number one cultivator in the seven realms be affected by something like this? But even though Izroth was not affected by the aura, he was still surprised when he observed the humanoid figure. Name: Corrupted Vozrak, Guardian of the Firmament(LEGENDARY BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? ATK: ??? DEF: ??? AGI: ??? MAG: ??? Skills: ??? Corruption of the Relic(Passive): This once mighty guardian of the firmament has been corrupted by the relic of power. As long as the essence of the relic of power remains inside of the guardian of the firmament, they will have to constantly fight for control over their own body while slowly being corrupted. Craaaaaaaaaack... Crash! The ss-like substance slowly began to crack and fall down, crashing onto the ground beneath and losing its power as well as its luster. Gilidore got onto his knees and bowed down, "Vozrak! Guardian of the Firmament! I, your humble follower have released you from your eternal prison! Grant me the strength to be of greater service to the great one!" As Gilidore spoke the huge humanoid figure with red and ck wings along with its heterochromia eyes, stared down at him. It held out its hand and an overwhelming amount of power flowed into the body of Gilidore. When Izroth observed Gilidore once more, his eyes had narrowed and his hand subconsciously moved onto the hilt of his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. If he was going to go down, he would go down fighting. Even if Gilidore said before that he would let him keep his life, it did not mean that he would not have to fight that other powerful boss monster. Besides, if things got too bad he still had his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ which were off cooldown by now. He just hoped that that would be enough for the current situation. Name: Gilidore, Betrayer of Mankind(EPIC BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? ATK: ??? DEF: ??? AGI: ??? MAG: ??? Skills: ??? Servant of Vozrak(Passive): This person draws their power from the great guardian of the firmament. As long they remain eternally loyal, they shall be granted immense strength and an immortal soul. Vozrak stepped out of its ss encasement and looked down at Gilidore and Izroth. It was as though it did not put them in its sight at all, but at the same time it seemed like it was calling out for help and its soul was being tormented. It then split open space itself showing an endless void of nothingness, but this was actually a way to teleport for stronger beings. Vozrak gestured for Gilidore to follow it and so Gilidore rushed to his feet and chased right behind Vozrak as they both disappeared into the void. The hole in space sealed itself up as if the world was repairing the damage caused to it. Soon after it left, a single small bright orb shaped item dropped onto the ground where the void opened up at and the barrier slowly lost its power. Ding! You have failed the quest ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯! Ding! You have failed the quest ¡¯The Mysterious Goblin¡¯! Ding! You have received the World Quest ¡¯The Beginning of Beginnings¡¯! Do you wish to ept? "A world quest?" just when Izroth was sighing about failing both quests and obtaining no rewards, he saw the details of the world quest. How could be anything else but shocked? This was something that had the power to change the entire world of RML! Chapter 21 Its Only the Beginning Quest Name: The Beginning of Beginnings Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: The ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ is a divine item that should not be in the hands of mortals, as it contains the power to corrupt the strongest of beings. Gilidore has unsealed the guardian of the firmament and corrupted them with the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯. If Vozrak is permitted to be fully corrupted, there is no telling what will be of the entire world. You must put an end to this before the day of beginnings. Adventurer, know that this is only the beginning. Time Limit: 90 days Part 1: -0/1 Find clues regarding the background of Gilidore. -0/1 Find the lost page belonging to the ¡¯Book of Beginnings¡¯. Rewards: -Gain +3 levels -10 gold coins -Gain +3 skill points -Gain +300 world fame -One Epic rank equipment Failure Penalty: -Lose -3 levels -Lose -300 world fame -Destruction of the Capital Amaharpe Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. As Izroth read over the quest information, an odd expression formed on his face. It was a fusion of excitement, confusion and a bit of regret. Izroth was no fool, he understood that those two bosses were unique and would probably be very difficult to find again in the near future. One was an epic boss while the other was legendary! After facing multiple bosses in a short period of time, examining the corpse of the ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ when he entered the room, and how those two revealed themselves; I was much easier to piece together precisely how the bosses of this game worked. "If I¡¯m correct, then bosses should be ranked simr to that of equipment. The only difference is that it seems likemon and umon are just normal boss monsters like the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ and the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯. The ¡¯Mysterious Goblin¡¯ was a rare boss, Gilidore became an epic boss using the power of the legendary boss Vozrak. The world bosses may fall into the same category, but I¡¯ve only met one for now so I can not say for sure..." Izroth was quickly piecing everything together to make some sense of it all. Izroth felt excited due to the various rewards he would receive if he managed toplete the world quest. The most valuable thing was definitely that epic ranked equipment since it would help him to be stronger just by equipping it. However, he could suffer a tremendous loss if he failed by not only losing 3 levels and 300 world fame but, if he invested too much time in the quest then it was possible that his leveling speed may slow down and hees up empty handed through it all. The source of his confusion came from mainly three things. The first was finding out clues about Gilidore¡¯s background. He had no idea where Gilidore was from or where to even begin, so how was he supposed to find clues to his background? The next was finding a lost page from the ¡¯Book of Beginnings¡¯. Once again, he did not even know where to start searching for something by that name! It was as though the game wanted him to fail by leaving him no hints at all. The final thing was the destruction of the Capital, Amaharpe. Izroth possessed absolutely no knowledge of a ce called Amaharpe, so why was it so important that it was a potential target for destruction? There were too many unclear things and unanswered questions, Izroth could only sigh and shake his head a bit. The reason he held onto some regret, was the fact that he was not yet strong enough to fight against an epic or legendary boss! How could he not be frustrated by his ownck of strength? Though if any other yer heard him say that at this moment and knew of the skills he had, they would want to strangle him to death. If hecked strength, then what was left for them tock? As far as epting the world quest went, so what if there were failure penalties? On the path of cultivation failure often meant certain death. How could he possibly fear those penalties more than death? Of course, he would ept the quest! Ding! The world quest ¡¯The Beginning of Beginnings¡¯ is now active in your quest logs! Ding! The quest time limit of ¡¯The Beginning of Beginnings¡¯ has been started! 90 days remaining! Izroth released a small sigh of relief. With this, everything was settled for now and he could finally leave this ce after having gained many benefits. As Izroth began to walk away and go back towards the way he came originally came from, a loud ringing sound echoed in his ears causing him toe to a sudden halt. It was as though something was crying out for attention and did not want to be left behind. It did not take long before Izroth found the source of the noise. A single small bright orb shaped item was ced on the ground where Vozrak and Gilidore had gone in through the void. Izroth turned around and stepped in the direction of that small orb object, arriving before it and reaching down to take it into his hand. When he inspected the item, it dawned on him that he was indeed left a small hint after all! Magic Item Name: Vozrak¡¯s Gift Magic Item Rank: S Magic Item HP: ¡Þ (Indestructible) Magic Item ATK: 0 Magic Item DEF: 0 Usage: If the user of this item is close in range to a page from the ¡¯Book of Beginnings¡¯, it will lead them directly to it. This item can properly store pages from the ¡¯Book of Beginnings¡¯ and cloak its incredible energy. Detection Range: 1,000 meters Special Note: This item cannot be traded or sold. If a page from the ¡¯Book of Beginnings¡¯ is not held inside of this item within 90 days, it will shatter and turn to nothingness. "An indestructible magic item that¡¯s rank S?" Izroth muttered to himself in a low voice. Ever since he began his journey inside of this cave, there has been one surprise after another. When Izroth first started ying this game, he believed that it was going to be dull and boring. After all, it was just running around and killing things, right? But even he had to admit that he may have judged it too soon. Every time Izroth believed he had something figured out, another event would happen that altered the already preconceived notion he formed of it beforehand. Izroth put away ¡¯Vozrak¡¯s Gift¡¯ into his inventory before looking around at the room once more. After not finding anything else, he decided it was finally time to leave from this ce as soon as he finished up onest thing. "The skull key..." Izroth removed a skull-shaped key from his inventory. It was the same key that he looted from the ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ a good while back in that room filled with traps. Izroth had already looked all throughout this room and the boss room. There were also no doors in that huge open field area where the red orbs were located. So then, what door could this ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ possibly open? Was there something he missed? Izroth just shook his head, "If it¡¯s not meant to be, then it¡¯s not meant to be". Just as he was getting ready to return the key to his inventory as he moved outside of the room inside of the stone wall, the ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ shook slightly in his hand before flying out of it. A few momentster, a small clinking sound was heard, as though some gears were shifting around into ce. Izroth had a puzzled look on his face as he watched the key levitate in midair above the space where the red misty light of those strange totems all converged at. "This...?" Izroth dashed over and stood directly in front of the key and when he reached out his hand to grab onto it, a line appeared in the middle of the air and slowly opened up as though it were a doorway! What surprised him the most was that something like a random elite ¡¯Goblin Archer¡¯ was holding a key that opened a strange doorway within the boss room. When the door opened a bright light shed blinding Izroth, causing him to squint his eyes as a strong force pulled him inward while the door shut itself tightly after he entered. The ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ that floated in midair vanished and the door that was just opened up was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, Izroth felt as though he was floating just beforending onto his feet without much issue. When the blinding light faded, he stopped squinting his eyes and his vision became clear once again. In front of him was the waterfall area where he began his journey into the dungeon ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯. "So it turns out the ¡¯Skull Key¡¯ did not give any treasures, but rather just allows for one to return to the beginning of the dungeon" Izroth thought to himself. Although, he would be lying if he said he was not a bit disappointed by that oue. A light smile surfaced onto Izroth¡¯s face as the waterfall started to split apart in front of him. A clear pathed formed leading straight into the area where the dungeon was located. Though he had no idea that after someone cleared a dungeon in RML for the first time, it would no longer stay hidden and reveal itself to everyone. Izroth no longer had anything else to do here, thus it was time for him to return to ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. ... At the moment, Izroth was utterly clueless as to how famous he was bing amongst the yers of RML. Not too long ago he was in a 3-man party that cleared the first world boss. Just a few hours after that, he managed to clear an entire dungeon by himself and it was one that he was the first to discover! Everyone was curious as to who this yer was and why he belonged to none of the big guilds or pro teams. There were only a handful of people who¡¯ve met Izroth so far and that was Luna, Halls, Mick, Ryder, and Tina. So there was not much information to go on since Mick only spoke to one of the seven captains of the guild ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, Niflheim about him. As for Ryder and Tina, they would naturally follow after Mick. Luna and Halls just decided to keep quiet about the entire situation, even from the members of the original party they were in. They knew how powerful Izroth was and so they would not go carelessly speaking of him behind his back. While most were happily discussing Izroth, there were a few people who were unsatisfied with the attention he was getting. They felt that it was undeserved and all of that attention was supposed to belong to them. Of course, it was Mick, Ryder, and Tina. Niflheim tasked Mick with looking out for Izroth arriving in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯ and to inform him immediately if he returned. He promised to take care of the "problem" for good. This made Mick extremely confident since he had such arge backing now. An evil grin appeared on Mick¡¯s face as he spoke to Ryder and Tina, "Hah, that noob better pray that he stays away from ¡¯Opal Town¡¯ or else he¡¯ll only be walking into his own demise. Even if killing isn¡¯t allowed in a safe zone, if he refuses to leave then he won¡¯t be able to level up. If that happens then hehe, we can kill him any time we want when we be even stronger". "Hmph! Serves him right for trying to toy with us!" Tina had a smile of delight on her face as though she could not wait to see the show! Ryder chuckled a bit as his eyes turned cold. He was the first one killed by Izroth, so of course, he hated him to his very core. "Oh? What¡¯s this pile trash doing here? Could it be you didn¡¯t learn your lessonst time? Or have youe to beg for forgiveness?" Mick, Ryder, and Tina suddenly heard an extremely familiar voiceing from the side of them. "It¡¯s you...!" Mick facial expression turned extremely ugly when he saw the person who dared to talk to them in such a manner. But shortly after, he couldn¡¯t control his happiness at the thought of what would soon happen to this person before him as a huge grin formed on his face. Izroth, atst, returned to ¡¯Opal Town¡¯! Chapter 22 Returning To Opal Town Mick turned his head towards Ryder and nodded a little. Ryder knew what this meant and gave a slight nod in return before sprinting away. Mick then put his attention back on Izroth as a cold look invaded his eyes and an irritable smirk emerged on his face. He folded his arms and tilted his head back as if he was looking down on Izroth. "Good, good, I¡¯m d we¡¯ve managed to meet again. Some people think that just because they have a bit of luck and strength, that they can do whatever they want. Heh, let me tell you noob, the second you came back to ¡¯Opal Town¡¯ is the moment your fate was sealed. The captain of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ will take care of you." Izroth frowned when he saw how arrogant and confident Mick was acting. "It seems as though all realms have people with eyes who still refuse to see." he thought to himself and could only shake his head at this little act. Izroth was already being generous by not taking further action against Mick and his group of trash, but now here he was creating trouble for himself. When Tina saw the look on Izroth¡¯s face, she thought he was frightened by the idea of a captain fromrge guild like ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ing after him. "It¡¯s toote for regrets now. You should have known that this would be the only oue from you crossing us. Of course, if you bow down right now and apologize we may be able to forgive you" a lovely smile blossomed on Tina¡¯s face, but behind that smile was an ice cold heart. Would she forgive Izroth if he apologized and bowed down? That just wasn¡¯t possible at all. There was too much enmity between them, she just wanted to see him beg for mercy and then crush all his hopes at escaping after he embarrassed himself. Izroth blinked a few times while staring at the two of them and thought to himself, "These guys... Are theyplete idiots?" he could not believe the words they were saying to him. Captain of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯? Who the hell are they? Toote for regrets? Bow down and apologize for forgiveness? How could they be anything other thanplete idiots! Morons! This entire situation reminded him of when he was a young cultivator in the seven realms just starting to make a name for himself. One day he was buying an item, then soon after ran into a random cultivator. He did not have any sort of backing and so that self-proimed genius cultivator thought he would be easily bullied out of the item he acquired. Let¡¯s just say that cultivator did not have a good ending... "You know to bepletely honest, I don¡¯t even remember your names. I had forgotten all about your insignificant existences. However, since you¡¯ve been kind enough to remind me then let me remind both of you of something as well... There are certain people you can and can¡¯t afford to offend, but there are few who you should not even dream of offending." Izroth had already dealt with this kind of nonsense during his younger years as a cultivator on his path to the top. He did not care what kind of backer they had then and he doesn¡¯t care now. Whoever tries to block his path forward will be mercilessly removed, that is the path of cultivation. Mick red at Izroth with a cold expression, "It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to remember our names. After today, you won¡¯t be able to think about anything else except what you could have done to prevent what¡¯s about to happen from taking ce" Mick was trying to taunt Izroth into not running away. He knew how aggressive his personality was, so he decided to try and trick him and enrage him to get them to stay put long enough for Niflheim to arrive. Little did Mick know that Izroth never nned on running away to start with. In the distance, Ryder could be seen walking behind someone in a respectful manner. He was giving the person in front directions to where Izroth was located. Behind that person was another yer with a cold look on his face. The one in front was Niflheim and the other yer with them was Olohas, who Mick originally told his "tragic" story to. When Mick saw that Ryder was returning with Niflheim, he became much bolder and decided to make a spectacle of things. "Izroth! Now that a mighty captain of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ guild is here, there is nowhere left for you to run!" Mick was shouting on purpose, trying to draw attention to them. Of course, when people heard the names ¡¯Izroth¡¯ and the title ¡¯Captain of the Blue Oasis¡¯, they couldn¡¯t help but be interested in what was going on. "What¡¯s going on? Is Izroth going to fight against a captain from the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯? This is my first time actually seeing him... Is he insane though?" "I think he has a good chance of winning. He did beat the first world boss and cleared a dungeon by himself! I don¡¯t think even a captain of ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ could do something like that." "Fool, don¡¯t you know? Izroth is not in any guild! That means that he¡¯s most likely a solo yer with no support. No matter how strong he is, how can he go against ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ who has thousands of yers?" The crowd was gathering nearby to see the events going on and talking amongst each other about who would win in a fight between Izroth and a ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ captain. Mick was very satisfied with the way things escted. "That noob will never be able to show his face again after this humiliation..." Mick held back hisughter, he wanted tough out of joy from finally obtaining his revenge against Izroth. Niflheim frowned when he saw that Mick was intentionally drawing a crowd in to witness what was going on. When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was a pair of eyes staring him down. Those eyes were ferocious, resembling that of a beast. It was Izroth sizing him up. "Oh? That doesn¡¯t seem like a coward who would sneak attack at all.." Niflheim thought to himself as he also took the time out to size up Izroth. As Mick saw the two of them staring at each other, he tried to take this opportunity to instigate things. "Respectable captain Niflheim! This person here is Izroth, the one I told you all about who cowardly sneak attacked us and stole the first world boss from us. He¡¯spletely shameless!" Mick said raising his voice so all those around him could clearly hear the words he spoke. The crowd started mumbling and whispering amongst each other. "I never knew that Izroth was such a person, and to think I actually started to respect him." "You idiot, can¡¯t you see that guy is obviously lying. I meane on, wouldn¡¯t a coward had run away by now since it¡¯s a safe zone?" "Huh? Who cares about that guy, I just want to see the captain of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ and Izroth go at it. Besides, you guys have to be curious about his strength to clear a world boss and then a dungeon all alone right?" Everyone had different opinions regarding the matter, but one thing was nearly the same throughout all of it. They wanted to see Izroth fight against Niflheim! "How amusing.." Izroth said to himself before resting his hand on the hilt of his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. "You say I¡¯m a cowardly person whounches sneak attacks in order to win? Thene and fight me, all three of you together!" Izroth shouted loud enough for everyone to hear as he pointed to Mick, Ryder, and Tina. All three of their faces turned extremely hideous. They understood how powerful Izroth was and stood no chance at all. That¡¯s precisely why they invited along a captain from the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ guild. Would they be stupid enough to toss aside their advantage over Izroth and let him have his way? "You don¡¯t get any say here! You need to le-" Mick was speaking when he was suddenly interrupted by a voice behind him. "Alright, that¡¯s enough!" Niflheim was the one who spoke and interrupted Mick in the middle of speaking. "It shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem for the three of you at once to take on the person who attacked you by surprise. This time, everything is fair and there are no surprise attacks." Niflheim had a cold and distant look in his eyes as he watched the events unfold before him. "You have no problem with that either, right?" he said looking towards Izroth with a much friendly expression than Mick and his friends. Izroth stared at Niflheim for a bit before slightly nodding. It did not seem as though Niflheim was going to interfere. In fact, it even looked like he was pushing them straight towards Izroth to deal with as he saw fit. Mick was a bit surprised when he heard Niflheim¡¯s response, he felt a cold shiver run down his back. "R-respectable captain... Such a shameless bastard does not deserve fairness, he should be punished and-" as Mick was trying to elegantly talk his way out of things, Olohas suddenly spoke out from behind Niflheim. "Are you trying to question the judgment of my captain? You should choose your next words very carefully!" Olohas was already fuming with rage on the inside for even believing such a stupid story! Now his captain would question his judgment in the future and it may make it harder for him to advance further in the guild hierarchy. All because he was trying to do the right thing and impress his captain by showing his side of justice, but now he came off as an ignorant fool. How could he not be boiling with anger on the inside at Mick? Mick swallowed back the rest of the words down his throat. Everything was okay, he still had the backing of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯. They would step in and defend him if things got too out of control right? Izroth would not dare to kill them with Niflheim present unless he himself had a death wish. Yeah, that was it... Why was he trying to question the judgment of a ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ captain? Mick nced at Ryder and Tina before making a small gesture towards them. "Alright, we ept your challenge! It¡¯s too let to beg for mercy, and regret your actions now." Izroth had a smirk on his face, looking down on Mick and his group in disdain. Trash like that did not even warrant his attention, but some people could only learn by firsthand experience. He then started to walk out of the safe zone and towards the beginning open area in front of the ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯. Niflheim, Olohas, Mick, Ryder, and Tina all followed after Izroth. Arge portion of the crowd decided to follow along as well since they already spent so much time here they wanted to see someone fight at the very least. PvP did not happen much this early on in the game, so to witness it happening out in the open like this was quite rare at the moment. As soon as Izroth arrived outside of the safe zone, a system alert went off. Ding! yer Izroth has left the safe zone and can now be attacked! Izroth removed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ from its sheath and sat itzily upon his right shoulder with a carefree expression on his face. Mick and his group also left the safe zone and as soon as they did Ryder went into stealth mode, prepared to battle. Niflheim and Olohas stood at the very edge of the safe zone, one could not fully tell if they were inside or outside of the safe zone at that moment. "You three should know something very important... Before wanting revenge, you first have to possess the strength to take it" Izroth said lookingpletely indifferent. He understood that if he did not disy an overwhelming amount of strength, idiotic people may continue to think of him as an easy target to bully. So he would show them, all of them, an overwhelming level of strength. Chapter 23 Before Your Journey of Revenge, Dig Your Own Grave... Or Three When Izroth said those words, it made the crowd think of one word, confidence. You first have to possess the strength to take it! What an incredibly bold announcement to make, however, they had to admit that it was a simple but urate statement. No matter how much someone desired revenge, if they did not have the strength to take it then it was useless to even think about it. Mick scoffed and retorted, "You are only one person. Don¡¯t think for a moment just because you managed to get lucky once that it will happen a second time. Now that we¡¯re all a higher level, there¡¯s no way out for you in this battle!" Mick charged straight towards Izroth with his shield leading in front of him. Ryder was slowly sneaking up behind Izroth, trying to position himself for a sneak attack. He would strike as soon as Mickmenced his assault. Tina was lingering back at a safe distance from the entire battle with her magic staff in hand. She was ready to heal Mick or Ryder the very moment they took any damage. Niflheim was observing the battle with his arms folded. It would be a lie if he said he wasn¡¯t curious as to what kind of strength Izroth possessed. After all, if he turned out to be strong then he would try to recruit him into ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ and offer him a good starting position. But if he turned out to be weak... He would still lend a hand and invite him to at least be a member of the lowest level in ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, that way people would think twice before messing with him. Niflheim knew better than anyone what it was like to be without a backer. Usually, he was very strict in the way he ran things with the guild members stationed under his wing. But, Izroth¡¯s situation reminded him of himself when he first started gaming all those years ago and so he could not just turn a blind eye to things. Though this was a yer who cleared the first world boss and beat a dungeon solo. How was it possible for them to be weak? As Mick was charging forward, Izroth remained standing still with his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ resting against his shoulder. "So slow..." ever since Izroth reached the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ technique, his overall senses received a great boost. This meant that Mick who was part of the warrior ss that did not specialize in any type of speed, he was moving in what seemed like slow motion to Izroth. Although Ryder was currently in stealth mode, Izroth already discovered the weakness of that skill. Just because someone was invisible didn¡¯t mean you would not be able to hear them or sense any sudden shift and changes in your surroundings. He knew that Ryder was attempting to creep up on his back andunch an attack. The whole n was actually not that bad considering the three people executing it, but it was simply not enough to even challenge Izroth. Since they wanted to humiliate him, he would return the favor one thousand times over. Just as Mick¡¯s sword was getting ready to strike Izroth from the front and Ryder was preparing to stab his dagger into Izroth from behind, two words left his mouth in a low murmur. "Flickering Steps..." Woooosh! Izroth had vanished from the spot he was in, but he left behind an afterimage in his ce. When Mick and Ryder¡¯s attacks approached where Izroth just stood, they both formed smiles on their face as if they were victorious. But soon after they were utterly dumbstruck as their weapons phased straight through Izroth¡¯s body! Niflheim was visibly shocked when he saw what just happened, but he did not even have time to ponder over it before what happened next. "Phantom Strike" Ryder only heard two words enter into his ears before everything around him turned gray. Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ struck his body twice, not even giving him a chance to defend himself properly. -160 HP! -250 HP! 0/375 HP Remaining! (Ryder) Ding! yer Ryder has died! Ryder was the first to die once again! He felt thoroughly humiliated and furious at not even being able to scratch Izroth. How could a yer be so strong already? He did not even know how he died! Izroth continued onward flickering right past Mick, but as Izroth was going by he shed Mick right across his neck area. It was not to kill him, but just as a show of power. Izroth¡¯s action said to Mick, "I decided to let you live, so you lived. If I want you to die, then you can only die." Critical Hit! -320 HP! 380/700 HP Remaining! (Mick) Tina was scared out of her mind! All she witnessed was Ryder¡¯s HP drop to 0 instantly and then Mick losing almost half of his HP. She immediately tried to cast her new skill, ¡¯Heal¡¯ on Mick, but before she could even cast it she felt something slip quickly across her neck area. "Eh? Why isn¡¯t my skill casting...? Why can¡¯t I use heal...?" Tina was trying toprehend what was going on, however, just like Ryder she died without even understanding how! Izroth had easily eliminated Tina with one precise cut to her neck. With Tina neglecting her defense and health stats, she could not even take one of his normal strikes. Critical Hit! -350 HP! 0/330 HP Remaining! (Tina) Ding! yer Tina has died! Izroth then stopped moving around until all of his flickering afterimages vanished as he stood still staring at Mick in a cold and detached way, his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ still resting on his shoulder in a carefree manner. There was only silence in the entire crowd. Even Niflheim was utterly astounded! How could such a skill exist? That had to be at least an A ranked skill! Part of Niflheim had a strong feeling that it was an S rank skill, but he could not ept that. How difficult was it to obtain an S rank skill? "...Amazing..." someone in the crowd muttered out those words from their mouth. "Hey... That has to be an S rank skill right? I wonder where he got it from..." "How fast! I did not even see how the two of them died." The crowd whispered amongst each other and most of them were wondering where he found such a strong skill at! Even if it wasn¡¯t an S rank skill, it had to be at least A rank. Those were extremely hard toe by at this point! Mick felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Too fast! He was way too fast! If he wanted to kill him, then there was nothing Mick would be able to do to stop him. He turned his head towards Niflheim, "Respectable captain! Please take justice for me!" Mick tried to run towards the captain from the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯. Niflheim expression turned cold as he still witnessed Mick putting on such a pathetic act. Didn¡¯t he already have all the proof he required from this brief encounter? It had only been a few seconds and Izroth defeated two members of Mick¡¯s group. Would someone like that need to use a sneak attack? They could just take what they want by force from such a useless group of yers. What was even more shameful was that even in this situation, Mick still tried to pretend he was the victim of everything when he was really the problem. Niflheim put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side and took one step forward getting ready to strike out at Mick. But before he could even do so, a silhouette flickered in front of Mick. An oppressive aura filled the entire atmosphere causing some yers watching to shiver. A cold de with a light milky blue aura silently passed by Mick¡¯s character. "It can be tomorrow, the day after or even a year from now. If you want revenge you¡¯re more than wee toe and take it. However... There will be absolutely no mercy" Izroth said in an icy tone before sheathing his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. -1,220 HP! 0/700 HP Remaining! (Mick) Mick eyes were wide open in disbelief as though he couldn¡¯t process what was currently transpiring. Didn¡¯t he have the backing of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ captain? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to have his revenge against Izroth? He felt as if once again he had been toyed with like a fool! At that moment, Mick oddly did not feel hatred or anger. He just felt suffocated as though all the walls around him were closing in and he had no way to stop them from doing so. "I¡¯ve been a fool..." Mick muttered to himself before falling over onto the ground. Ding! yer Mick has died! Izroth had stayed true to his words and used an overwhelming show of strength to defeat 3 yers in an instant! Niflheim withdrew his hand from his sword¡¯s hilt and walked over towards Izroth. "Hey what¡¯s going on? Are they really going to fight?" "This is going to be awesome! I don¡¯t think the captain of ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ is going to stand a chance. Did you see that skill he just used? It¡¯spletely broken!" "I think you¡¯re underestimating the captain from ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯. He¡¯s a veteran yer and no pushover. In fact, he was ranked top ten in PvP on the MMORPG I used to y before this." "How can you possiblypare a regr MMORPG to RML? It¡¯s a totally different conceptbat wise. Just because he used to be good on that game doesn¡¯t necessarily mean he¡¯ll be good here." "You can¡¯t teach experience though, that¡¯s a fact." As the crowd was talking amongst themselves, Niflheim was face to face with Izroth. Izroth furrowed his brows a bit as he looked at Niflheim. What exactly was this person after? Apparently, they were supposed to be on the same side as Mick and his group. But from the moment they first exchanged nces until now, Izroth never sensed any ill intentions from him. "My name is Niflheim. I am the 7th captain of the guild ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you in person, Izroth." Niflheim said with a weing expression on his face. Izroth nodded in response to his greeting. "Guild...?" Izroth thought to himself as he searched through the memories of the hardcore gamer before sooning up with an answer. "I see, so these guilds are simr to the sects of the seven realms. Interesting..." As Izroth was thinking to himself, Niflheim continued speaking not bothered by Izroth¡¯s way of responding. "You seem like someone straight forward who dislikes those who beat around the bush. So I¡¯ll just say it, how would you like to join ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ as a Commander? You¡¯ll get many benefits from doing so. We can provide a basic set of full umon equipment and if you need coins, we have that as well". Join ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ as amander?! That was shocking! One had to know that thousands of people were a part of a guild as huge as ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ and many would kill to hold onto amander position. After all, it was only a single position below being a captain. It took years to get to such a point and yet Niflheim was offering it to Izroth without hesitating! "What an amazing opportunity" the people in the crowd were surprised by the offer. Most of them dreamed of having such a high position in a guild like ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, one of the top ten guilds in MMORPG¡¯s. Everyone was wondering how Izroth would respond to the offer. "I¡¯ll have to refuse" Izroth shook his head. Even though Niflheim did not seem like a bad person, Izroth was not someone who liked being tied down by rules. He knew that sects, or rather guilds, in this case, had many rules you must follow in order to be a part of them. The only way he would ever join a guild is if it was one he created himself! The people gathered there were stunned at the fact Izroth declined such a position. A lot of them already began to leave as though all the fun parts were now over. Izroth and Niflheim clearly were not going to fight. Niflheim let out a small sigh of disappointment. He figured that this would be the case given the performance Izroth¡¯s been showingtely. But, it was still worth a try nheless. That did not mean he wouldpletely give up though since talents like Izroth were hard to find. Ding! You have received a friend request from Niflheim, do you ept? "I see, that¡¯s quite a shame. However, since fate has brought us together, I believe our paths will cross again in the future." Niflheim spoke as he sent a friend request to Izroth. Izroth did not have a bad impression of Niflheim and saw no reason to reject himpletely. Besides, he may need some information one day and he knew the best way get it was to make connections, especially withrge groups such as the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ that Niflheim was a part of. "Fate is it?" Izroth smirked a bit when he heard that saying. Ding! You have added Niflheim as a friend! Niflheim nodded towards Izroth, "I shall take my leave. If you change your mind or need anything, don¡¯t be afraid to message me." he then walked away along with Olohas. As Izroth was walking back towards ¡¯Opal Town¡¯, a system alert went off in his head. Ding! System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message. Chapter 24 Onward to Amaharpe Ding! System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Are you back in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯? Well, I¡¯m sure you are since I doubt anyone else named Izroth could cause such a scene. I heard you¡¯re pretty close to one of the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ captains now... Are you really not going to join them?" Luna was at the shop gathering some items to begin a journey when she overheard the nearby yers discussing the events that took ce with Izroth just a bit earlier. What happened only a few moments ago had already spread so fast, Izroth was a bit surprised. "Then again with this kind of way to ry messages, it¡¯s not all that shocking when you think about it..." he thought to himself as he replied to Luna. He wouldn¡¯t necessarily say that he and Niflheim were anywhere near close, they were more on a professional level. After all,rge groups that could move a lot of people at once were typically the best at amassing all kinds of information and Izroth understood he could eventually cash in on such a thing. "News has spread fast... I am back in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. As for joining ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯, I¡¯m not interested and I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say I¡¯m close to that guy." System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Hmmm, is that so...? I see... It does seem just like you to turn down an invitation, even from a guild as popr and strong as ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯." Luna could not help but to lightly giggle as she envisioned Izroth¡¯s straightforward attitude when conversing with the captain from ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯. She understood he wasn¡¯t a bad person at all, merely that most may see his straightforward nature as offensive. Though it looked as if nothing important happened between Izroth and the ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ captain, so she let out a sigh of relief when she arrived at that conclusion. A very light blush arose onto Luna¡¯s cheeks as she realized that she was actually worried about Izroth. They¡¯ve only met once and could not be deemed as close friends, but Luna felt at ease when talking to Izroth. He possessed no ulterior motives and was an honest person, it was very trying to meet guys with those two qualities! System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Halls and I are getting ready to travel towards Amaharpe. Ah right you might not know yet but Amaharpe is the capital city of the region we¡¯re in. The real game doesn¡¯t truly start until you at least reach there... Would you like to travel with us?" Amaharpe! Wasn¡¯t that the name of the capital city that would be destroyed if Izroth failed toplete the quest ¡¯The Beginning of Beginnings¡¯? There might be clues there linked to the quest, so he should definitely pay it a visit. Although he had 90 days to finish the quest, Izroth held onto no other leads besides ¡¯Vozrak¡¯s Gift¡¯ to go on. "Okay" Izroth replied back to Luna. System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Great, I¡¯ll send you the coordinates of where we¡¯re meeting at. You should shop for some items like potions and receive your rmendation letter from your ss teacher. It¡¯s only with that letter that they will permit you entry into Amaharpe. We¡¯ll meet there in 20 minutes, see you soon". Ding! yer Luna has sent you coordinates! Izroth skimmed over the coordinates that Luna sent before closing out his system alerts. "I was originally contemting about selling off some of the items here, but it may be a better idea to hold off until I get to Amaharpe to receive more benefits. He then walked around and not too long after saw a shop sign with the words ¡¯Timothy¡¯s Potion Shop¡¯ written on it in big letters. When he entered the shop, there were several yers already inside acquiring potions. There was a single individual behind the counter of the shop, it was a thin middle-aged man with sses. Izroth approached the thin man and as he got closer he was able to view the man¡¯s name. NPC Name: Timothy NPC Level: 1 upation: Alchemist "Hello, I¡¯d like to purchase some health potions. How much do they cost?" Izroth spoke in a tone that was polite but not overly so. There were still many elements unknown to him about this world and how it functioned, but it appeared the characters known as ¡¯NPC¡¯s¡¯ reacted as though they were actual people. If that was the case, he would not suffer any losses treating them as real people instead of objects. "Wee valued customer!" Timothy immediately had a grand smile on his face when he heard Izroth¡¯s greeting. Most yers did not know this, even Izroth himself didn¡¯t know, but all NPC¡¯s possessed a hidden ¡¯Reputation¡¯ stat. This stat determined the benefits one could receive from certain NPC¡¯s. In this case, Izroth already had a world fame stat of 260 as well as his offering of a pleasant greeting, so his reputation with the NPC secretly went up causing such a warm and weing reaction from Timothy. "Of course here at the ¡¯Potion Shop¡¯ we only serve the finest quality of lesser potions! Each ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯ cost 1 silver coin, but because you seem like a genuine person I¡¯ll do you a favor and reduce the price by 20%. Therefore, it¡¯ll onlye out to 80 bronze coins per ¡¯Lesser Health Potion¡¯. How many would you like to purchase?" Timothy said with arge smile on his face. Izroth blinked a few times as he was not expecting a 20% discount, but he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. "In that case, I¡¯ll have to trouble you for 4 ¡¯Lesser Health Potions¡¯." Izroth felt that he should not go overboard when it came to buying potions. After all, he was preparing to travel to a capital city. If capital cities held a simr status to those in the seven realms, then there would be various things avable to buy there that you simply could not find in a location such as this. So he chose to save the majority of his coins for such a situation. "Please, it¡¯s no trouble at all esteemed customer!" Timothy then reached behind the counter before taking out x4 ¡¯Lesser Health Potions¡¯. "The original price is 4 silver coins, but with your discount, your totales out to 3 silver coins and 20 bronze coins". Izroth had no problems with the price and removed the number of coins from his inventory, giving them to over to Timothy. "Thank you for your business, valued customer! Pleasee again!" Timothy gave a respectful bow. Izroth nodded before cing the x4 ¡¯Lesser Health Potions¡¯ into his inventory, and heading out of the ¡¯Potion Shop¡¯. It was time for him to get a rmendation letter from Gear, the Combat Master ss teacher. Izroth started walking towards the location of that rundown building that belonged to the Combat Master ss yers. When he reached there, as usual, there were no other yers to be seen at all, only an old man with a sk in his hand resting with his back reclined up against the wall. Although this old man looked insignificant and weak, he was actually a powerful adventurer known as Gear. When Gear heard Izroth entering into the building he stood up and took a sip from the sk in his hands before smiling. "I didn¡¯t expect to see you back here so soon young adventurer hahaha" he already took a liking to the talent Izroth possessed as well as his respectful attitude. "I did not expect for you to be such a famous adventurer, Gear of the Flickering Steps" Izroth said with a slight smile on his face. "Oh please, that¡¯s such an old name from my young days, you shouldn¡¯t tease an old man like that. Hahaha, now I¡¯m just a normal person who likes to quietly spend my days drinking and sleeping. Truly the ideal life for any adventurer" Gear spoke as he strolled over to a small desk in the corner of the room with papers scattered all over the surface. "Then I won¡¯t bother consuming too much of your time. I havee to retrieve a rmendation letter in order to enter Amaharpe". Gear took a moment to examine Izroth from head to toe with a serious look on his face. After a few moments, a smile surfaced on his face as he gave a nod of approval. "I have no problem giving you a rmendation letter. The only reason it¡¯s required is due to new adventurers getting ahead of themselves and dying while venturing through the ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯ in order to reach Amaharpe. You¡¯re strong enough to reach there without much issue now, so go ahead and take it" Gear tossed a rolled up letter towards Izroth and he caught it within his hands. "That letter will allow you entry into Amaharpe. Since you¡¯re headed that way, I have a favor to ask of you. There¡¯s an old friend of mine who lives in Amaharpe that I haven¡¯t seen for quite some time now. I need you to deliver this separate letter to him. Of course, you won¡¯t go unrewarded" Ding! You have received the quest ¡¯An Old Friend¡¯! Do you wish to ept? Quest Name: An Old Friend Rmended Level: 10 Rmended Party Size: 1 Quest Rank: C Quest Objective: Travel through the ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯ and deliver a handwritten letter by Gear to an old friend of his located at the Combat Master facility within Amaharpe. Time Limit: 1 day -0/1 Deliver the letter. Rewards: -2 silver coins -500 EXP -1 Official ss Badge Izroth, of course, epted the quest without hesitation. Since he was already headed in that direction, why not receive some benefits out of it as a bonus? Ding! The world quest ¡¯An Old Friend¡¯ is now active in your quest logs! Ding! The quest time limit of ¡¯An Old Friend¡¯ has been started! 1 day remaining! "Good, good! I¡¯ll remember this favor young adventurer. Now go, I expect great things from you" Gear handed the second letter to Izroth before sitting back down with his back against the wall taking another drink from his sk. Izroth nodded slightly before taking his leave from the old rundown building. It was time to meet up with Luna and Halls to head towards Amaharpe. ... Luna and Halls were waiting by the INN located on the outer region of ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. "You said he¡¯sing right? I¡¯m surprised he agreed! He seems more like one of those solo yers who hates parties" Halls said in a cheerful tone. He witnessed firsthand how strong Izroth was and if they had someone like that in their party they could travel through the ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯ with rtive ease. Luna nodded her head, "I sent him the coordinates and told him to meet us here within 20 minutes. He should be on his way soon". Not long after Luna spoke, she spotted a male silhouette not too far in the distance walking over. He had a carefree expression on his face, but if one looked close enough they would notice a sharp and oppressive aura the sword on his back gave off. Izroth finally arrived at the meeting point! Ding! yer Halls would like to invite you to a party along with yer Luna! Do you wish to ept? Izroth received a party invitation immediately when Halls saw him approaching, he, of course, epted the invite. "You¡¯ve leveled up so fast... When we first met you were only level 3, now you¡¯re all the way at level 12 in such a short period of time." Halls said in disbelief before even managing to let out a proper greeting. Luna let out a small sigh of defeat, Izroth really knew how to make others feel underaplished. Izroth only responded to their astonishment with a faint smile. Party: Name: Halls ss: Warrior Level: 13 HP: 1500/1500 MP: 100/100 Name: Luna ss: Cleric Level: 13 HP: 600/600 MP: 625/625 Name: Izroth ss: Combat Master Level: 12 HP: 900/900 Energy: 100/100 "Let¡¯s go! Onward to Amaharpe!" Halls said in an extremely excited voice. The three finallymenced their journey to the capital of Amaharpe. Chapter 25 Learning New Heavenly Laws Izroth, Halls, and Luna were currently on the path leading through the ¡¯Willowed Forest¡¯ directly to the capital city of Amaharpe. They had been traveling for over one hour already but did not to run into any monsters that posed a threat to them. Halls let out a sigh of disappointment, "I was really hoping we¡¯d run into a world boss soon, but it¡¯s been one hour and we haven¡¯te across any decent EXP or loot yet". Luna shook for her head in response to Halls disappointment, "Can it be that easy to find a world boss? We were incredibly luckyst time and happened upon it by coincidence. The probability of us finding another one by chance is extremely low". Halls knew that what Luna said was true. They were indeed fortunate enough to run into a world boss. Expecting the same thing to ur once more could only be considered as wishful thinking. Luna nced over in the direction of Izroth and noticed that he appeared to be in an almost trance-like state. Whenever they ran into a monster he would not interfere but maintain that state. This was most likely due to him not feeling threatened in any way. After all, the monsters that they had run into so far were all level 10 or lower. It would be embarrassing if she and Halls could not handle such monsters alone and needed the help of Izroth to do so. Luna did not want to be impolite and stare so she was only taking little sneak peeks at Izroth and noticed that the way he moved was... Strange. This made her a bit curious as she watched Izroth closely. But before she had the chance to further observe him she heard a voice call out to her. "Luna? Hey, are you listening?" Halls was trying to get Luna¡¯s attention for the past few moments but she seemed to be in a world of her own. Luna snapped out of it and understood that she had begun to stare at Izroth without realizing it. A light blush formed on her cheeks from embarrassment as she quickly turned her head away and held her head down. "I¡¯m listening, I¡¯m listening alright?!" Halls was a bit surprised, that was actually the first time he heard Luna sound a bit agitated. He figured that he did something wrong and just rubbed the back of his head in confusion. How could he know that she was just simply embarrassed by her actions? During the entire hour, Izroth had not been wasting his time simply walking and doing nothing else. If one examined closely, they would discover that each of his footsteps was exactly the same distance apart from thest. The bizarre part was that it appeared as if each time one of his feet were about to touch the ground, they would suddenly stop as if they were hovering above the ground, moving in a strange slithering motion. Izroth was taking this time to create more skills. He realized from the time spent inside of the dungeon ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯ that although the skills he possessed were powerful, he did not have many of them that he could use consecutively. The skill ¡¯Breaker of Limits¡¯ helped him to bypass a lot of the system parameters, but it still did not allow him to freely use the abilities as if he were in the seven realms itself. In the seven realms, as long as one had enough spiritual essence they would be able to use the technique, however, in RML there was something called a cooldown in which during that period of time you would be unable to perform that skill. Izroth noticed that lower ranked skills cooldown times were much lower than that of higher ranked skills, at least from what he could tell thus far. But it made sense in a way since it would require a longer recharge time to use higher level techniques, than that of basic level techniques. Not only that but higher ranked heavenlyws took much longer to learn than lower ranked skills. For example, it took him 5 hours to learn the A ranked skill ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ while it only took a few moments in the middle of battle to obtain the B ranked skill ¡¯Phantom Strike¡¯. Even though the skills were separated by a single rank, one still took much longer to learn than the other. If that were the case, then he would create a few lower level heavenlyws as to allow himself to have a more versatile battling capability. He wasn¡¯t only working on that one heavenlyw itself, but rather two other different kinds of lower level heavenlyws at the same time! Even though they could not match up to the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique or even the ¡¯Three Baneful Swords¡¯ heavenlyw, that did not mean the techniques themselves were useless. Besides the heavenlyw Izroth was practicing using his footsteps, he was also moving his index finger in a peculiar motion. It gave off an incredibly piercing aura as though it would not have any problem breaking through tough defenses. Thest heavenlyw Izroth was practicing was actually a palm technique. As his palm moved, it was followed by a myriad of illusions and each one seemed to have an existence and mind of its own. The three skills that Izroth were learning was ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯, ¡¯Fissuring Point¡¯, and ¡¯Myriad Elusive Palms¡¯. Not much deliberation was needed for Izroth when choosing these three heavenlyws as they suited his requirements to allow for a more versatile fighting style. None of the techniques were particrly impressive whenpared to the ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯, especially when it came to attacking power, but their uses would be much more frequent. Not too long after Izroth received his first system alert! Ding! Congrattions, yer Izroth has created a new skill! Please name the skill! The first skill Izroth obtained was the Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯ heavenlyw. So, of course, he named it as such without having to think about it. Skill Name: Serpent¡¯s Bite Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: C Energy Cost: 35 Active: The user kicks with deadly precision dealing 75% of the user attack as damage. This skill has a high chance to ¡¯Paralyze¡¯ the target struck for 1.5 seconds preventing them from taking any action. Description: A skill created by Izroth that focuses on precision and immobilizing the target for a short period of time. Beware the serpent¡¯s bite! Cooldown: 10 seconds Izroth was satisfied with the overall performance of the skill. If he had this skill back when he fought against the ¡¯Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja¡¯, then he may have been able to escape from the ¡¯Firestorm¡¯ skill it used by giving himself a 1-second window to retreat using ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯ just before it could cast. Although the damage on it was not that high, it was the ¡¯Paralyze¡¯ effect that made the skill shine inbat. Though what surprised him a bit was a new thing called ¡¯Energy Cost¡¯ on the skill. To be honest, Izroth had always wondered why he possessed an ¡¯Energy¡¯ stat that seemed to serve absolutely no purpose. It wasn¡¯t that the stat was useless, but just that no skill that he obtained thus far required the use of it. The strange thing was that his ¡¯Energy¡¯ stat was always at 100 no matter which stat he used a stat point on. Out of curiosity, Izroth used the skill ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯. His right leg seemed to move in a motion simr to that of a snake striking its prey. It was silent, precise and incredibly fast. Izroth took the time to examine his ¡¯Energy¡¯ stat and noticed that it went down from 100 to 65. Exactly one secondter it went up to 68 and the next second 71. As his ¡¯Energy¡¯ kept increasing, Izroth concluded that after using a skill which required ¡¯Energy¡¯, it would slowly regenerate 3 energy every 1 second. That means every minute he would regain a total of 180 ¡¯Energy¡¯. "I see... Although the cooldown is low, it now requires the use of ¡¯Energy¡¯. It seems I¡¯ll have to pay attention to it in future battles" Izroth thought to himself. A few minutester, yet another system alert went off. Ding! Congrattions yer Izroth has created a new skill! Please name the skill! Skill Name: Fissuring Point Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: C Energy Cost: 30 Active: Deals 100% of the user attack as damage. The damage from this skill ignores all shields and 60% of the target¡¯s defense. If this skill deals damage to someone with a shield active, the cooldown of this skill is doubled. This skill cannot be ¡¯Blocked¡¯. Description: A skill created by Izroth that can prate through almost any defenses with ease. Trying to block this skill is futile. Cooldown: 8 seconds Izroth could not help but be astonished by the uracy of the system that managed this game. He at first held some reservations about it being able to perceive his actions and form them into skills, but it exceeded his expectations. "The fact that it¡¯s able to analyze and generate heavenlyws is extraordinary." Izroth knew first hand how difficult it was to learn heavenlyws and even more challenging to understand them. One must possess a high level ofprehension in order to learn specific heavenlyws. Thest skill left for Izroth to acquire was ¡¯Myriad Elusive Palms¡¯. This heavenlyw was meant to face multiple enemies at once. At the moment, he did not have any other skills that could attack multiple opponents at once. It seemed that even with the skill ¡¯Breaker of Limits¡¯ it would not let him bypass this rule. There was always an invisible force that concentrated single attacks onto whoever was being targeted. It felt weird having to get used to that kind of restricted fighting style, but Izroth was one who learned to adapt. With Izroth able to focus all his attention on thest remaining heavenlyw, it barely took a moment before the final system alert Izroth was waiting on to go off. Ding! Congrattions yer Izroth has created a new skill! Please name the skill! Skill Name: Myriad Elusive Palms Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: C Energy Cost: 35 Active: Deals 100% of the user attack as damage to all enemies within 3 meters. This skill has an increased hit rate and is difficult to evade. Description: A skill created by Izroth, capable of striking multiple targets with hard to follow movements. One true strike hidden within a myriad of palms. Cooldown: 25 seconds A slight smile formed onto Izroth¡¯s face, he now possessed three additional skills that would increase hisbat prowess by leaps and bounds! Truth be told, he really wanted to finish learning the ¡¯Three Baneful Swords¡¯ heavenlyw, however, it took him 5 hours to learn the ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ alone. Thus, he decided it was best to wait until he could find a quiet ce to settle down for an extended period of time and begin learning the finally two forms of the ¡¯Three Baneful Swords¡¯. After all, the strength of the next two swords was not as simple as two plus two equals four. Just as Izroth finished ¡¯Myriad Elusive Palms¡¯, he suddenly heard a voice sound off from in front of him. "We¡¯re here!" Halls spoke with a voice full of enthusiasm. Izroth came out of his trance and took a look at what was in front of him. He could see city walls that towered so high that it seemed as though they were trying to touch the clouds in the sky. A thin transparent barrier covered the entire city, protecting the capital from potential threats. There was a colossal metal gate leading into the city with all kinds of weird symbols on it. Guards stood at the entrance of the gate wearing a glorious full ted armor and giving off an intimidating aura so as to prevent any trouble from taking ce there. Many yers were entering inside after handing off their rmendation letter to the NPC¡¯s managing the entry into the city. They finally arrived at the capital city of Amaharpe! Chapter 26 Amaharpe Izroth, Luna, and Halls approached the gate leading into Amaharpe. There was a group of yers queued up in an orderly fashion waiting for their entry into the capital city. "Next" a man sat behind a small table next to the gate called out in a monotone voice as though he was used to doing this all day. As he called out, the next few yers walked up and handed the man their rmendation letters. They observed the yers from before doing it that way and soon after gaining entry into the city without a problem. The man sitting behind the small table looked over their rmendation letter before waving his hand over it. On the letter formed a unique magic mark that was proof that one was allowed within the walls of Amaharpe. If someone was caught wandering the streets without having this magic mark, then only an unfortunate death awaited them. "Next" It was finally Izroth and his party¡¯s turn to enter into the city. The three of them gave their letters of rmendation to the man as he examined them closely. When the man read the letter Izroth handed over he was quite surprised. This was the first letter of rmendation he had reviewed that was from the Combat Master instructor in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. But he was just a bit surprised, nothing else. Like all the others before them, the man waved his hands over the letters of rmendation before handing them back to Izroth, Luna, and Halls. Once they obtained the magic marking, the three finally entered into that massive gate taking their first steps into the capital city Amaharpe. The first thing that came into sight was an extremely grand pce in the distance. It was located at the back of Amaharpe, but it was so enormous that one could view it when first stepping through the gates. "Woah... That pce is huge...!" Halls was startled by the size of the pce. It made some of thergest skyscrapers and buildings on Earth look like a small condo inparison. The scene wasn¡¯t too shocking for Izroth who had seen pces many times bigger than this in the seven realms. In fact, this could be considered fairly small and would most likely belong to some small kingdom in the seven realms. Luna, however, was just as shocked as Halls, just not nearly as outspoken. She did manage to utter a small, "Amazing..." from her mouth. "I heard that the quest here can¡¯t bepared to those in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. They give much better EXP and rewards." Halls had a few people on his friendslist who were already in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. Though they were all a part of guilds and so even though they kept in contact with one another, ying together was another story. Luna nodded, "That¡¯s to be expected of a capital city like Amaharpe..." Izroth looked around scanning his surroundings. He was not sightseeing like the two other members of his party, but rather searching for the Combat Master ss building. He had not forgotten the quest he received from Gear. Plus, he would need to eventually find the building either way since it seemed as though if one wanted to progress further down their ss path, they would need the assistance of the NPC teachers. Izroth did not have anyck of skills, but maybe he would receive a better weapon than the ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ he currently possessed. Although the skill attached to it was powerful and it was a rare weapon, in the end, it was only level 10. Izroth was currently sitting at level 12 having not outgrown the weapon yet, though it would not be too long before he did so. Izroth started walking forward towards the main streets of Amaharpe, "I need to tend to some matters here". Halls and Luna looked at each other and soon after Halls nodded before saying, "We need to find our ss buildings and search for some quest. Otherwise, we can only dream about learning new skills. How about we all meet up back here at the gate in an hour? That way, we all have time to take care of some task first." Izroth didn¡¯t bother responding and simply held his hand in the air giving a thumbs up as he continued walking forward. It was simply his way of saying he had no issues with it. Halls looked over at Luna and gave a helpless smile. He knew that Izroth was strong enough to do as he pleased and did not even need to be in a party with them. Part of him always questioned why a yer as strong as Izroth epted their friend request and even joined a party with them. What did he possibly gain from doing so? ... Izroth was walking leisurely down the main street of Amaharpe. He had been doing so already for around 10 minutes. Along the main road, there were yers trying to sell off or buy some equipment and items shouting out what they were looking for. "I¡¯m selling a Demonic Bull¡¯s horn for 10 silver coins! The price is fixed, no negotiations!" "Buying low to mid grade crafting material for the Alchemy profession! Willing to talk about prices and buy in bulk!" "Selling ¡¯Umon¡¯ equipment from level 10-12! 50 silver is the starting price for the lower level items!" These were all the people who did not want to go through the game¡¯s auction house system and pay for the fee it cost to put items on sale there. Although it was faster and much more efficient, some yers decided that it was worth the wait to obtain a higher profit by selling or buying items using a yer to yer transaction method. The thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the yer buying low to mid grade alchemy materials. He remembered that Timothy back in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯ had ¡¯Alchemist¡¯ as his upation and was selling potions. From there, he recalled that the ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ in his inventory was an ingredient used to craft different types of potions and he currently owned seven of them. Izroth approached the yer buying crafting materials. "Yo, are you selling any crafting materials? I only run a legitimate business here so the prices are fair. If you sell in bulks of 5 or more ingredients, I¡¯ll even throw in a small bonus amount. Oh yeah, I should ask what kind of materials you have first hahaha." the yer selling the ingredients wore an old stylefortable looking robe with sandals on his feet. A conical hat was ced upon his head as if he were trying to give the impression of being a traveling salesman or a wanderer of sorts. "I have seven ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ to sale. As long as the price is fair, I wouldn¡¯t mind trading with you." Izroth took out one of the ¡¯Goblin Essence¡¯ items for the yer to examine. It was shaped like a small orb the size of a marble and there was a light green color dancing around inside as though something was trying to escape from its confinement. The yer buying the crafting materials examined the item Izroth held out for him to see. "Ah, this is ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯! You don¡¯t see many of these in Amaharpe..." the yer eyes narrowed a bit as if he were thinking about something... "How rude of me! I forgot to properly introduce myself, my name is Metronome. May I have the honor of knowing the name of my benefactor?" Izroth noticed the slight chance in expression Metronome made but decided to pay it no thought. If he held any ill intentions, it would only be weing a disaster. "Izroth". When Izroth said his name, Metronome immediately formed arge smile on his face. "I see, I see! So you¡¯re Izroth! Hahaha." he did not know for sure, but he had a feeling that there was a chance this yer could be the one who by himself cleared the first run of the dungeon ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Paradise¡¯. After all, having seven ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ all at once was not something the average yer could just pull out of their inventory at this point. That was unless they belonged to arge guild who possessed a massive amount of resources due to the number of yers farming for them. Information about Izroth was actually really popr amongst the guilds these days. Even if guilds could not recruit him, at the very least they would be able to obtain a better understanding of his strengths and weaknesses as well as his level of overall threat to their interest. First clears were a thing dominated by therge guilds and so if one went against that wave only trouble would be awaiting them. Though therge guilds never took action themselves, they always used a smaller guild under them to manage the task since they could not sully their reputation and be known as a guild that bullied yers. It would not be good for their public image especially since RML was just released! Izroth frowned when he saw that Metronome was going so far off topic, "Would you like to purchase the ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ or not?". Izroth was supposed to meet up with Halls and Luna in an hour and he still had yet to find the Combat Master ss building. Not only that, but he also needed toplete the quest Gear entrusted to him. Metronome was a bit embarrassed by hisck of proper etiquette, "Ah yes, yes, of course, I¡¯ll buy them" after thinking for a bit he came up with a fair price but showed a bit of restraint since he wanted to be friends with a strong yer like Izroth. "Even though ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ is umon at this point, it isn¡¯t to the point of being extremely rare or hard to obtain. However, sincerge guilds are hoarding materials and buying up the market it bes more difficult for small yers like me to get ahold of it inrge quantities. Taking all that into ount, I can offer you 2 silver and 20 bronze coins per essence. The bronze coins are an increase of 10% of the total value due to you having them in a batch of 5 or more. Though if you want to sell less than 5 then I can only do 2 silver for each. That¡¯s my offer." Izroth observed Metronome carefully as they spoke. From their bodynguage all the way to their tone of voice and the dtion of their pupils. Even though Izroth held no knowledge of the prices items were worth in this game, he still lived for thousands of years and had experience in telling when someone was lying or not. If someone wanted to lie in front of him then they would need nearly perfect control over their body and emotions, which was an incredibly difficult thing to aplish. Izroth did not respond right away and waited a few moments. Metronome was waiting patiently for Izroth to reply to his offer. It was a solid offer and definitely not one he would make as a first purchase attempt from some random yer. He wanted to form a small connection with Izroth so that in the future he could possibly seize a chance to capitalize on it. "I have no problem with the price, however, I do have one condition" Izroth finally broke the silence. Metronome frowned on the inside, he had already given Izroth the best possible deal. If Izroth were to ask for any more than that, then it would mean he wanted Metronome to suffer a loss! That was asking too much. "I want the location of the Combat Master ss building. If you can give that information to me, then I¡¯ll sell you all seven ¡¯Goblin¡¯s Essence¡¯ at the price you set". Metronome let out a sigh of relief when he heard Izroth speak and that huge smile returned to his face. Even though he was shocked that Izroth was asking for that location, he could connect the dots and figure out that most likely his ss was a Combat Master. That¡¯s the kind of information that he could easily sell off to those bigger guilds looking into Izroth. He had no intentions of making an enemy of someone like Izroth since he knew his own limits, but it shouldn¡¯t hurt to sell just a little information about him. "Of course, that¡¯s no problem at all. If you add me to your friend list, I can even message you the coordinates!". Most yers probably would not know where the Combat Master ss building was since anyone in their right minds would not bother picking that ss. However, Metronome had happened upon it by chance while exploring Amaharpe for the first time. Ding! You have received a friend request from yer Metronome, do you ept? Izroth found no reason not to approve and so epted the friend request. Ding! You have added Metronome as a friend! Metronome soon after sent the coordinates over to Izroth as they popped up in his system alerts. The two then went on toplete the original transaction. Izroth acquired a 15 silver and 40 bronze coins from Metronome and now was at a grand total of 38 silver and 26 bronze coins. "Pleasure doing business with you, Izroth. I hope that if youe across any materials in the future you¡¯ll inform me so I can purchase them off of you! Even if I myself have no use for them, I have some connections and should be able to find you an appropriate buyer" Metronome stated trying to discreetly tell Izroth that being acquainted with him would have its benefits. Izroth understood his meaning from his words and actions. It was not a bad thing to have someone who could deal with selling off materials for him. After all, he would not have time to sit around like this and sell them off himself. Izroth gave a slight nod before walking off heading towards the coordinates he received from Metronome that contained the location of the Combat Master ss building. A few minutester Izroth stopped in front of a majestic building. "This is the Combat Master ss building of the capital...?" Izroth was bewildered by the difference between this building and the one located in ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. The difference was like that of night and day! Chapter 27 The Friend of Gear Izroth almost thought that Metronome gave him incorrect coordinates, however, after seeing a sign that said ¡¯Combat Master¡¯ along with the symbol of the ss ced at the very center of the building Izroth knew that this was indeed the correct location. He walked up to the door and opened it entering into the extravagant building. When he stepped inside it wasn¡¯t any less luxurious. Paintings were everywhere, with marble flooring and crystal chandeliers dangling down from the ceiling. Just as Izroth was looking all around him he heard footsteps approaching from a hallway located near the back of the main entrance area. Not long after, a man emerged from within the hallway with a stern and strict look on his face. He wore luxurious robes with a gold lining running along the edges of it. His hair was held in ce and went smoothly backward looking tidy. He gave off a noble aura of authority that hid a fraction of pressure behind it that matched perfectly with his sturdy build. Izroth could tell at first nce that this was someone who most likely held an important status within the capital city Amaharpe. But this man seemed to live apletely different life than that of Gear, so there was a chance this person may not be the friend he was looking for. The man stopped around 5 meters from Izroth and started sizing him up, examining him from head to toe. "What business do you have here? This is a holy ce for Combat Masters, not just anyone can enter." the man had a serious look on his face. A holy ce for Combat Masters? This person appeared to have an incredibly elitist kind of mindset as if he were above everyone and everything. Izroth never got along too well with people like that from the time he started his journey of cultivation, all the way until he reached the apex. He wouldn¡¯t bother being polite after receiving such an unwee greeting. "I have a letter here to deliver to someone who knows a man named Gear" Izroth retrieved the letter he obtained from Gear ced within his inventory before leaving ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. There was a special seal on the letter so one would be able to tell if the contents were really sent by that person or not. The seal definitely matched that of Gear! When the man moved into range, Izroth was finally able to see his information. NPC Name: Terminus (???) NPC Level: ??? Terminus took but a moment to examine the letter and although his facial expression was still stern and strict, he no longer tried to put pressure on Izroth with his aura. "Hmph... What does that old drunken fool want now? If he wants more gold coins then you can just tell him to forget it. I¡¯ve already sent him enough tost more than ten lifetimes" it appeared as though he knew Gear personally after all. "Gear told me that it was important this letter gets to you. I¡¯m just doing a favor is all. Whether you ept it or not has nothing to do with me" Izroth said in a firm tone. Terminus narrowed his eyes as he looked at Izroth. It had been a long time since someone dared talk to him in such an unruly manner. But, when he heard the words Izroth said he knew the matter had to be serious for that old fool to say it was important. That meant it was something even he wasn¡¯t confident in handling alone. He decided to receive the letter from Izroth and read over it. The more Terminus read the uglier his facial expression turned, "How could this be possible...? They should still be sealed..." he finished reading the letter and had an incredibly gloomy look on his face as he massaged his temples. "If what he says in this letter is true, then it won¡¯t be long until ¡¯it¡¯es for that item here in Amaharpe..." Terminus muttered to himself. He could only let out a deep and long sigh at the discovery. "Young adventurer, you have done an incredibly important deed bringing me this letter. My greeting earlier was unsatisfactory, you have my apologies" Terminus impression of Izroth improved greatly after knowing the task he justpleted. Also, even though he badmouthed Gear they were actually really close friends who faced life and death together. If Gear trusted Izroth enough to deliver such an important letter, that meant that he must have been a talented person worthy of Gear¡¯s trust and respect. He then tossed a small badge at Izroth with a unique magic signature embedded into it. Ding! Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ¡¯An Old Friend¡¯. Rewards: -2 silver coins -500 EXP -1 Official ss Badge Izroth caught the badge and looked down at it. Item Name: Official Combat Master Badge Usage: Free entry into any officially recognized Combat Master facility. Free entry into the capital of Amaharpe without a rmendation letter. A 10% fee discount at the auction house located in Amaharpe. This item cannot be sold or traded. Izroth put the item into his inventory before giving a slight nod to Terminus. He was curious as to what the contents of the letter were as it was obviously something of great importance, however, it did not seem like information Terminus was willing to share. "Then, I shall take my leave" Izroth turned around and started heading towards the exit of the building. "Wait a moment!" Terminus called out to Izroth as he stopped and looked back towards Terminus with a frown on his face. Terminus seemed to be a bit hesitant at first, but after remembering this was someone approved by Gear he felt a bit more rxed about the matter. "I have a favor to shamelessly request of you. You will be rewarded without doubt, but you must take great care with what I¡¯m about to entrust you with" Terminus had a solemn look on his face while speaking to Izroth. Izroth thought about it for a moment and figured that it might have something to do with the letter that Gear wrote. For no reason other than satisfying his curiosity, he decided to hear Terminus out. "I can¡¯t go into that many details about it. But I need you to confirm something for me. What I¡¯m about to tell you is currently only known by myself, Gear and most likely five others. Therefore, I¡¯ll have to ask that you be careful handling this information, or you may bring destruction upon yourself. I am saying this for your own good and not as a threat" he felt it was only right to inform Izroth about the potential danger he would be in if he epted his request. But how could Izroth be afraid of a little of danger? "I¡¯ll listen" Izroth started to reevaluate Terminus. Even though he acted like an elitist, he was still able to set aside his pride and ask for a favor as well as apologize earlier on. This meant that he did not ignore the bigger picture of things. "Around 10 kilometers west of Amaharpe there is a region of mountains nearby. Unfortunately, I¡¯m unable to make the trip myself as I must prepare for... Certain uing events. Therefore, I need for you to journey to the center of that mountain region and obtain a particr item from a Seer there known by Tererestiaa. She is a powerful Seer capable of ncing into the near future, so she¡¯ll know why you¡¯re there. It¡¯s important that you return with this item, extremely important. I only entrust this task to you because you are someone that Gear trust, and although he may be an old drunken fool he does not give away his trust to others so easily" Terminus exined the task he had for Izroth and soon after a system alert sounded off. Ding! You have received the quest ¡¯Journey to the Seer¡¯! Ding! Since your party does not meet the rmended requirements, the quest rank has risen! Ding! Do you wish to ept? Quest Name: Journey to the Seer Rmended Level: 15 Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: S Quest Objective: Journey to the mountain region west of the capital city Amaharpe. There, you must find the Seer Tererestiaa, retrieve the important item from them and return to the capital city of Amaharpe to deliver the item to Terminus. Time Limit: 2 days -0/1 Find the Seer Tererestiaa -0/1 Retrieve the special item -0/1 Deliver the special item to Terminus in Amaharpe Rewards: -1 gold coin -10,000 EXP -One Rare rank equipment Failure Penalty: -Loses 20,000 EXP -??? Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. When Izroth saw the generous rewards frompleting the quest, he was thankful he decided against ignoring Terminus and walking out of the building. If that happened, he never would¡¯ve gotten the opportunity to receive such an amazing quest! Izroth did not hesitate to ept the quest, he immediately did so after seeing the rewards, not putting the failure penalty in his sight. Ding! The world quest ¡¯Journey to the Seer¡¯ is now active in your quest logs! Ding! The quest time limit of ¡¯Journey to the Seer¡¯ has been started! 2 days remaining! Terminus nodded his head in a satisfied manner when Izroth epted his favor. "I warn you once more to tread carefully. I must take my leave" Terminus figure grew blurry as though it were phasing out of existence before he soon vanished altogether. "What an interesting skill..." Izroth thought to himself as he watched Terminus disappear. It may have been a movement skill on par with Gear¡¯s ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯, maybe even slightly more powerful. It was getting closer to the time he was supposed to meet up with Luna and Halls by the gate. He still had around 25 minutes to waste away and so decided that he would explore Amaharpe a bit more to familiarize himself with it. Izroth exited from the Combat Master building and started to wander around. "So this is the city that will be destroyed if the quest ¡¯The Beginning of Beginnings¡¯ is notpleted... How much power would be needed to do such a thing?" Izroth had a rough estimate at how strong characters like Terminus and Gear were. There were bound to be people as strong or maybe even stronger than them in the capital of Amaharpe. Also, the magic barrier protecting the entire city must¡¯ve cost an astronomical amount of resources to build and maintain. If something or someone was powerful enough to destroy the entire city, it must¡¯ve meant that their power could be considered as unparalleled inparison to the people of this capital! After exploring the capital for around 20 minutes, Izroth decided that it was time to head back to the gate to meet up with Halls and Luna. "Hey! Hold on a moment!" someone called out to Izroth as he was walking. Though Izroth did not think someone was talking to him and continued walking. "You with the sword on your back! Wait right there!" the voice sounded out once more. This time Izroth stopped and turned back to take a look at the person calling out. It was a woman with bright red hair, a dangerously curvy figure and a pretty face that would have many men fighting to win her love. "What is it?" Izroth didn¡¯t flinch when he saw her beauty. After all, this was someone who was the number one cultivator within the seven realms. How could he not have seen his fair share of beauties? The woman was a bit startled by Izroth¡¯s nonchnt attitude. Usually, men would always try to gain her favor or swoon over her, but Izroth seemed unaffected by her beauty. Though she was surprised for a moment she quickly regained herposure and continued on, "I¡¯m by myself and looking for someone to party with. Do you mind if I join you? Ah, I¡¯m a Mage by the way" the woman had a lovely smile on her face as she spoke to Izroth in a polite and alluring tone. "She¡¯s lying..." Izroth narrowed his eyes as he thought to himself. Chapter 28 The Meeting Poin The woman¡¯s pupils slightly dted when stating that she was by herself and her bodynguage felt forced at certain points. Most people would be unable to perceive such a small change, but after having reached the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ physique Izroth picked up on it with ease. Izroth kept his eyes on the woman in front of him but his senses were actually focused on searching nearby. "Fools..." Izroth thought to himself when he noticed three other people observing him from an alleyway not far away, he knew exactly what kind of people they were. "If you want to plot against me, you have to put in a little more effort" Izroth said within his mind. During his younger years of cultivation when he was very inexperienced, a beautiful girl approached him and asked if he would like to apany her on a mission. Being his naive younger self, as well as being drawn by her beauty, Izroth agreed without hesitation. Izroth soon after found himself in a situation where he almost lost his life after being ambushed and betrayed by the beautiful girl he was with. He walked directly into a trap in which the girl lured him away from safety and then her acquaintances all attacked him at once. He promised himself from then on that he would never let beauty sway him again. Thinking back to such a memory Izroth could only internally shake his head from how ignorant he was. Normally he would ignore such a thing, but some people wanted to the source of their own destruction. Izroth gave a slight smile, "I already have two other yers in my party. If they agree to let you join, then I have no issues with it" there was no way that Halls or Luna would disagree with letting someone Izroth brought along with him join their party. The woman feigned relief and an excited expression when Izroth responded to her. "That¡¯s alright, you can discuss it with your party members first. I¡¯m called Scarlet, may I know your name?" she spoke in an understanding tone. On the inside, she was a bit annoyed that Izroth had others with him, but there was a chance they could still go through with the n. If they turned out to be too strong then she would just make up an excuse to leave and find another target. However, if they were able to be handled without issue then this could be an even bigger catch than normal! "Izroth" he responded while starting to walk once more towards the gate to meet with Halls and Luna. For some reason when she heard that name it sounded incredibly familiar to her, but she couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it while thinking to herself, "Why do I feel like I¡¯ve heard that name before...?" a small frown appeared on her face as she tried thinking but came up empty. "It may just sound simr to a name I heard before.." she thought to herself. "Nice to meet you, Izroth" she followed after him as she held tightly onto the spell staff in her hands trying to catch up with Izroth¡¯s walking pace. Soon after Izroth and Scarlet left, three figures stepped out from a nearby alleyway. There were two of them with a dagger on their waist and the other one had a bow ced upon his back. "This is a big score! That¡¯s a rare weapon, I can tell by the aura around it! Hahaha, this is our lucky day boys." "Heh and to think that we were just getting ready to leave after not finding any decent targets. Such a big fish walks itself right into the to be caught." "Scarlet sure knows how to y her role properly. That guy is probably blinded by her beauty and has no idea what awaits him. Well, he can only me himself for shing such a thing around." The three men names were Coldface, HappyTimes, and FatalSymmetry. Along with Scarlet, the four of them went around Amaharpe looking for potential yers to make a profit off of. So far they¡¯ve onlye across small targets that did not have much to offer, but this time was different. They discovered someone who possessed a rare weapon! How valuable was a rare weapon this early in the game? Most likely only those big guilds managed to obtain a few for their core members and they did not dare think about stealing from them. So when they saw Izroth moments ago leaving from the Combat Master ss building, they knew the chances of him being a part of a strong guild was extremely low. One had to know that mostrge guilds banned their members from ying the Combat Master ss because of how unreliable and unpredictable it was. So much so that they decided to just regard it as a trash ss. "Hehe... We¡¯ll make a killing off of this boys. We can directly sell something like that without the auction house and earn arge profit! Once we convert the gold into real money, who knows how much we can make?". In RML there existed a system that directly linked yers bank ounts to the game when they first registered for it. This was because coins could be exchanged for real-world currency! At the moment the currency for gold to RMB was 1:1000. This meant for every 1 gold coin exchanged, yers would receive 1,000 RMB in return. If they sold that rare weapon to the highest bidder, the minimum received would probably be around 50,000 RMB! The best time to do so was this early into the game when gold coins were notmonce amongst the vast majority of yers. As more and more yers began to trade in their coins for RMB the value would naturally lower. The bigger guilds would do whatever was needed to stay in the lead ahead of others. Right now rare weapons were the strongest avable weapon and they were not numerous. All thergest guilds were sponsored by incredibly wealthypanies who felt the investment was worth it for a game like RML. ... Izroth reached the front gate where Halls and Luna were already waiting. Though when they saw Izroth brought along someone with him they were surprised. Wasn¡¯t he a loner? Howe he came back all of a sudden with someone else? Luna frowned and felt ufortable when she saw the person Izroth returned with was a woman! Not only that, but she was very pretty with a nice figure. "Maybe that¡¯s more his type..." Luna thought to herself. But she quickly cleared her head of such thoughts while questioning herself. Since when was it her business who Izroth kept in hispany? Luna wouldn¡¯t admit it to herself, but at that moment she felt a little emptiness in the pit of her stomach as though a small hole had formed. Izroth approached Halls and Luna with Scarlet trailing right behind him. "This is Scarlet, a Mage. They are alone and wish to join us. Is there any trouble with this?" Izroth gave Halls and Luna a meaningful look. Although neither of them understood his intentions, they had no reason to not allow another member into their party. Plus, that person was personally invited by Izroth! There was a high chance that maybe he fell for her. Luna was reluctant to agree, but when she saw the meaningful look Izroth made she could only give up on any signs of protest. "I have no problems with it" Luna forced out from her mouth. Halls was a bit surprised when he heard Luna give her approval before he even spoke. He may have been a bit dense sometimes, but not so much that he didn¡¯t realize the way Luna had been looking at Izroth. If she agreed already, how could he possibly not do so as well? Halls nodded his head before saying, "If she¡¯s a friend of yours Izroth then, of course, we¡¯ll invite her" he sent a party invite to Scarlet and she soon epted. When she first arrived at the gate, the first thing she noticed was the sword at Halls waist. That was a rare weapon! Two rare weapons in the same party? Her heart started racing as she noticed that and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Are you all a part of a guild?" she could not risk offending one of the big guilds and so she had to understand exactly what she was getting herself in to. Halls shook his head, "None of us are in any guilds. Our meeting was based purely on fate" when Halls answered Scarlet, she felt a huge relief in her heart. But when she realized what their levels were she felt kind of silly for even asking the question. There was no way those big guilds would give rare weapons to someone who was only level 12 and level 13. Party: Name: Halls ss: Warrior Level: 13 HP: 1500/1500 MP: 100/100 Name: Luna ss: Cleric Level: 13 HP: 600/600 MP: 625/625 Name: Izroth ss: Combat Master Level: 12 HP: 900/900 Energy: 100/100 Name: Scarlet ss: Mage Level: 15 HP: 660/660 MP: 830/830 Luna and Halls were a bit shocked, she was actually a level 15 Mage! They expected her to be at the same or lower level than their own, but she was actually a higher level. Although Halls did not find it strange, Luna found the situation bizarre. It all didn¡¯t add up to Luna that a Mage higher leveled than them would be without a party and wanted to join a group of people with a lower level. She had a bad feeling about Scarlet, but since Izroth was the one to bring her here she could only silently endure. "Did you guys manage to find any good quest? I found a few that are C rank and pretty easy toplete. The EXP isn¡¯t too bad, but the loot isn¡¯t that great for it" Halls said sounding a bit dispirited. He spent most of thest one hour searching for a quest to do. He was hoping to find at least a B rank quest but came up empty-handed. Luna nodded, "I found a few C rank quest. But I also managed to find a B rank quest by chance". Halls let out a long sigh, "Can I have some of your luck please Luna? Some of us were born under an unlucky star" Halls joked around. "I have an S ranked quest" Izroth spoke in a nonchnt manner. But when Halls, Luna, and even Scarlet heard that, their eyes all widened in shock! An S ranked quest? Did they hear correctly? "Haha...ha... Sorry sorry, I think my character¡¯s listening function broke for a moment. I could have sworn I heard you say an S ranked quest hahaha..." Halls was in denial. Izroth nodded, "I do have it. But I can only share it with two other people. Since the three of us formed a party first, naturally it would be you two" this was a lie Izroth told. In fact, he could share the quest with up to 5 people, but why would he give benefits to someone trying to scheme against him. When Scarlet heard that her facial expression turned grim, but quickly fixed it. An S ranked quest was something she could only dream about! The rewards were sure to be incredible! She had to find a way to make Izroth choose her instead of one of his current party members. "Hey... Since I¡¯m the highest level here and will be of most help, shouldn¡¯t you give one of the quest slots to me? No offense, but I¡¯ll be far more useful than either of them" Scarlet said with a voice full of confidence. When Halls and Luna heard what Scarlet said, their impression of her hit an all-time low and a frown revealed itself upon both of their faces. Izroth shook his head, "We have been in a party since ¡¯Opal Town¡¯. It¡¯s only fair that the two slots go to them" Izroth sounded extremely firm and set in his decision. This made Scarlet scowl but even more so she felt angry inside that Izroth could dismiss her so easily. "Fine, enjoy your stupid S ranked quest. Hmph, we¡¯ll see if you can evenplete it..." Scarlet¡¯s heart turned cold but she didn¡¯t continue to press the matter. Izroth shared the quest with Halls and Luna, however, soon as they saw the quest they felt cold sweats on their backs. This was an authentic S ranked quest! The EXP and rewards were amazing, especially the rare piece of equipment. Another thing that caught their attention was that at the very bottom of the quest they noticed that it could be shared with up to five people. This confused them since Izroth just said a few moments ago it could only be shared with two other people. Halls and Luna both exchanged a small nce before looking at Izroth. He currently had a carefree smile on his face as they watched at him. Although Halls didn¡¯tpletely understand the situation, he knew there was no chance Izroth hadn¡¯t noticed the quest could be shared with more people. Luna, on the other hand, pieced things together a bit better than Halls. Even if Luna wasn¡¯t able to grasp everything, her feeling from before told her something was going on that Izroth decided not to tell them about. It was strange considering his straightforward attitude, but he must have his reasons so Luna did not question him about it. Halls was all pumped up and ready to go with the motivation of an S ranked quest! "Mountain region here wee! Hahaha!". Izroth, Luna, Halls, and Scarlet exited from the gate of Amaharpe. Their destination? The mountain region to the west! Chapter 29 Dangerous Mountain Region After traveling for around 30 minutes, Izroth and his party arrived at the very outer section of the mountain region. It was at this point that they were no longer within the jurisdiction of Amaharpe and instead in an area that belonged to the various monsters and small tribes living in the mountain region. As the tank, Halls was naturally in the very front of the group to make sure any monsters they came across would aggro onto him first. Izroth was not too far behind Halls walking at his own leisure pace. Luna and Scarlet were at the very back of the group which was the natural position for ranged ying styles. Not too far ahead of them, Halls spotted what seemed to be a group of rocks bundled together moving around. At first, he believed that his eyes were ying tricks on him, but the more he looked the less it seemed to be so. "Get ready" Izroth said in a low voice to Halls. ... Around one hour ago back when Izroth was still inside of the Combat Master ss building speaking with Terminus, at the headquarters of the gamingpany who made RML were two people in a small room. The room was crowded with all kinds ofputers, wires, and monitors running all over the ce. A man with sses and messy hair sat in front of a desk which was surrounded by the electronics. Behind him was a woman with bright red hair and a small frown on her face. "Are you sure we should involve regr yers in this? I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t feel bad leading a group of yers to their potential death. I have no problem going in but... What exactly is it that you want me to discover...?" the woman with bright red hair said. "You don¡¯t have to do much really... Just act like a friend but y the enemy in secret. The goal is only to confirm my theories and for that to happen I need you to witness it first hand. Your character is already set up and ready to go." the man in sses spoke while not looking away from hisputer screen. The data in front of his eyes was too amazing to turn his head away from! He¡¯d never seen anything like it before in this world. The woman let out a sigh, "I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so interesting about one yer... But, since I owe you I suppose I¡¯ll y the viin as repayment" she said reluctantly. The man let out a smallugh, "I¡¯ll shamelessly ept that repayment. Don¡¯t worry, just login on to your character and follow the n. Even if he figures you out that¡¯s fine as well. Just remember, don¡¯t break your character, the more you believe it to be true the more urate the data. You are the viin in this scenario, after all, it is a roleying game". The woman with red hair nodded and silently walked off. "Let¡¯s see exactly what makes your character so special..." the man sitting in front of the desk said with a slight smile on his face. ... When the party arrived around 15 meters away from the group of bundled together rocks, it began to shift and move. A few secondster a pair of lifeless blue eyes stared at the group of yers that stood before it. It was a type of rock monster! Name: Mountain Golem(Normal) Level: 15 HP: 5,000/5,000 ATK: 280 DEF: 100 AGI: 20 MAG: 0 Skills: Tremor(Active): Deals 100% of the golem attack as damage to all enemies within 10 meters. Stone Toss(Active): Tosses arge stone up to 25 meters at a target enemy dealing 150% of its attack as damage and stunning them for 3 seconds. Earth Magic Resistance(Passive): Earth magic used against this golem has its damage reduced by 90%. What high HP and attack! Its defense stat was also fairly high. Not to mention it also had a skill which could stun a target for 3 seconds. But the thing that made it bearable to deal with was its incredibly low agility stat. That meant it wouldn¡¯t be hard tond an urate attack on it because itcked the speed to avoid it. As for its magic resistance passive, only a fool would use earth magic on something made entirely from earth. Halls was the first to step forward, unsheathing his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯ that he acquired from defeating the first world boss and holding his shield out in front of him. His shield lit up a bright red color as a strange aura rushed out enveloping the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯. Halls used the skill ¡¯Taunting Aura¡¯ to lock the focus of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ onto himself. Skill Name: Taunting Aura Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 10 Warrior Mana Cost: 20 Active: Releases an incredible battle aura towards a target enemy making them focus their attacks on the user of this skill. Increases ¡¯Threat Level¡¯ by 50%. Cooldown: 25 seconds The Mountain Golem let out a deep roar and slowly moved forward. Halls rushed forward to meet the monster swinging his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯ outward striking against the golem¡¯s tough stone skin. -40 HP! 4,960/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) "What tough defense...!" Halls was shocked by how little damage he dealt with his attack. Even though he was a tank, he was still proud of his above average attack due to possessing the ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯, but this golem had such incredible defense that it was difficult to even scratch it! Wooooooosh! A strong wave of heat invaded the air as a ball of me mmed into the body of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ causing it to halt its steps for a moment. Scarlet used the skill ¡¯Fireball¡¯ on the golem. Since she dealt magic damage instead of physical damage, the amount of her ¡¯Fireball¡¯ did much more than Halls basic attack. This made her feel proud of herself because Scarlet knew that she would be the most useful out of everyone here. Skill Name: Fireball Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 10 Mage Mana Cost: 50 Cast Time: 2 seconds Active: Shoots out a fireball infused with highly concentrated mana dealing 150% of the user magic as damage to an enemy within 20 meters. Cooldown: 5 seconds -293 HP! -4,667/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) Halls and Luna were surprised by the amount of damage Scarlet dealt with only one skill. With just one blow she managed to knock off more than 5% of that golem¡¯s ridiculous HP! However, after remembering who else was in their party, they couldn¡¯t help but feel as though it was stillcking inparison. Izroth moved in a natural manner, as he unsheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ and shing right at the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯. His sword was surrounded by a light milky blue aura apanied by its trademark oppressive force. Izroth used the skills ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ along with the weapon skill ¡¯Sword Force¡¯. Ziiiiiiiiiiiing! sh! -1,160 HP! 3,507/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ¡¯Feared¡¯ Mountain Golem for 3 seconds! Izroth was pleasantly surprised, this was the first time his ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ activated its ¡¯Fear¡¯ effect. Halls and Luna were much better prepared for a ridiculous damage number, however, Scarlet waspletely dumbfounded! Izroth dealt over 1,000 damage to a monster which high physical defense, that was insane! Scarlet shivered to feel a cold sweat run down her back. What was that damage? "He¡¯s a Combat Master... How can he deal such high damage...?" Scarlet eyes filled with shock. At some point, a feeling of doubt started rising up within her. Scarlet felt as though even if her group had two level 15 rogues and one level 16 ranger, they may not be able to deal with such monstrous attack damage. While the golem was under the ¡¯Feared¡¯ effect, Izroth did not let up on his assault. Concentrated energy converged on the tip of his finger. Just a momentter he struck straight towards the neck of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯, Izroth was attacking with one of his newer skills ¡¯Fissuring Point¡¯. Izroth¡¯s finger pierced through the stone golem defenses with rtive ease. -140 HP! 3,367/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) "As I thought... The neck of this golem is not considered as a vital point..." Izroth thought to himself. He expected as much, but still thought it was worth testing on the off chance that he was incorrect. Scarlet was not sitting back and rxing during that time. She was already charging up her next spell, "ming Spear!". Fire formed in the shape of a spear directly in front of Scarlet. A strong aura of mana danced around the spear before firing off towards the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯. Skill Name: ming Spear Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 15 Mage Mana Cost: 150 Cast Time: 3 seconds Active: Fires off a spear infused with highly concentrated mana converted into a powerful fire aura dealing 275% of the user magic as damage to an enemy within 25 meters. Cooldown: 45 seconds -536 HP! 2,831/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) Although her damage was not as high as Izroth¡¯s, it was still an impressive amount. The ¡¯Feared¡¯ effect on the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ had finally ended as it lifted its fist up into the air. When Izroth saw the golem do that, he instantly retreated backward to a safe distance. Soon after Izroth retreated, the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ mmed its fist onto the ground causing a tremor to ur. -180 HP 1,320/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) Halls lost his bnce a bit from the sudden tremor caused by the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯. As he was regaining his bnce, the golem did not halt its attack as it lifted up a stone into the air and tossed it right at Halls! He managed to get his shield up in time to block part of the attack damage, but still took quite a hit. BLOCKED! -240 HP! 1,080/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) Battle Alert: Mountain Golem has stunned yer Halls for 3 seconds! +225 HP! 1,305/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) Luna used ¡¯Cure¡¯ on Halls to keep his HP above 75%. As usual, her heals were timed with precision. Izroth kicked off his right foot and rushed back in towards the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯. His right foot suddenly seemed to transform and move as though it were slithering, imitating the movement of a snake striking out to attack its prey, ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯, Izrot¡¯s foot mmed into the body of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ shaking it to its core and stopping it from moving altogether! -35 HP! 2,796/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ¡¯Paralyzed¡¯ Mountain Golem for 1.5 seconds! Even though the damage on the skill was incredibly weak, that wasn¡¯t Izroth¡¯s main focus when learning this skill. It was because of the Paralyze¡¯ effect that this skill shined amongst the heavenlyws he learned on his way to Amaharpe. With that window of time given to Halls, he did not take any more damage before finally being rid of the golem¡¯s stun effect! The golem itself also managed to free itself of Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Paralyze¡¯ effect around the same time as Halls broke free. Woooosh! Scarlet hit the golem head-on with another ¡¯Fireball¡¯ spell! Halls followed up as his sword turned into the form of a shadow releasing a terrifying pressure. This was the weapon skill attached to his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯ called ¡¯Shadow Pressure¡¯. The same time that Scarlet and Halls attacked, Izroth arrived behind the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ shing outward with his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. His sword appeared to have a shadow tailing just in the back of it as Izroth spun rapidly connecting yet another strike onto the golem. ¡¯Phantom Strike¡¯. The HP of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ dropped rapidly falling close to 40%. The group did not halt their assault, relentlessly chipping away at the HP of the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ before them. 35%... 25%... 10%... The ¡¯Mountain Golem only had around 500 HP remaining, but before it could get another skill off Scarlet had just finished casting the killing blow, ¡¯ming Spear¡¯. Woooooooosh! A spear engulfed in fire with mana concentrated around its entire form, pierced through the body of the golempletely making it crumble into nothing but dust. -536 HP! 0/5,000 HP Remaining! (Mountain Golem) Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 600 EXP! Loot Drop: -x6 silver coins -x2 Tough Natural Mineral The ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ gave a total of 2,400 EXP, but since they were in a party it divided it amongst all of them and so they only received 600 EXP each. Though, 600 EXP for defeating a monster in around 1 minute give or take was quite a lot. If they continued to farm these monsters for an entire hour then they could gain a potential 36,000 EXP and level up multiple times! However, they came here for a quest and so would not lose track of the main focus. Halls was the party leader and naturally divided the loot fairly amongst the party. Each member received 1 silver and 50 bronze coins. As for the x2 ¡¯Tough Natural Mineral¡¯, the group rolled for those items. One of them went to Halls himself while the other found itself in the possession of Izroth. Crafting Material: Tough Natural Mineral Details: The natural toughness of this mineral makes it ideal to use in crafting low to mid ranked armor. Adding this material to certain forms can greatly enhance the overall defensive capabilities. Chapter 30 This Mountain Region Is Strange! After the group finished their fight with the ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯, they came across five more on their way towards the main area of the mountain region. Their current partybination was strong with Izroth and Scarlet dealing damage, Halls receiving the damage, and Luna healing near wlessly. The group had no issues defeating the other five ¡¯Mountain Golems¡¯ gaining a total of 3,000 EXP as well as 7 silver and 50 bronze coins each. Izroth narrowed his eyes as the party was traveling towards the mountain region, but something strange was taking ce. "We aren¡¯t getting any closer..." Izroth thought to himself. He was not entirely sure before, however, after walking for another 10 minutes straight they weren¡¯t any closer to the main mountain region. A light fog formed on the ground beneath their feet. It wasn¡¯t long until the other three realized that something strange was going on as well. Halls frowned, "Why do I feel like we aren¡¯t getting any closer?" "Because we¡¯re trapped in some type of illusion" Izroth responded to Halls while maintaining his usual carefree facial expression. From the moment they defeated the first ¡¯Mountain Golem¡¯ Izroth felt as though all of them were confined to a limited area. He was very sensitive to changes within the atmosphere and so when he felt a major shift he could guess that something was wrong. This whole time Izroth was actually looking for a way out. Usually, things like this had a core that needed to be destroyed or someone secretly controlling it from the shadows. "An illusion? How do we escape?" Halls was startled by the revtion. Since when did they step into an illusion? "I thought there was something weird about this... Although, I wasn¡¯t absolutely sure until Izroth just confirmed it." Luna spoke in a low voice as though she were concentrating on something else while speaking. Scarlet, on the other hand, was busy keeping in touch with the other members of her group making sure they did not get lost in illusion. If that happened and they couldn¡¯t find a way out, her entire purpose for being here would be useless. "Wait" Izroth came to a sudden halt. Soon after everyone else stopped to turn and look at him with a curious look on their faces. Did he discover something about the illusion? Izroth quickly kicked off his right foot, unsheathing his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ and charging straight towards Scarlet. Scarlet did not have any time to react, "Wa-!" she was shocked by Izroth suddenly turning around and rushing at her. Did he realize see through her and so was taking this chance to remove the threat? She witnessed firsthand how powerful Izroth¡¯s attacks were and so even if she used a barrier it would be destroyed in one hit along with all of her HP. Scarlet closed her eyes tightly awaiting her certain death. Pluuuuck! Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh! There was a loud high pitched screaming sound that pierced the eardrums of everyone present. Scarlet slowly opened her eyes and discovered that she was still surprising alive. Then she was shocked when she felt something slithering and squirming around near her feet. A shiver ran down her spine as she slowly looked downward. When she saw the creature, her entire face turned deathly pale. It was a strange monster that resembled a mixture of a ¡¯tta orientalis¡¯ the size of a cat with a weird group of worm-like feelers upon its back. It was the creature that released that ear-piercing noise just a moment ago. Name: Illusionist Mountain Bug(Normal) Level: 15 HP: 0/150 ATK: 50 DEF: 20 AGI: 120 MAG: 150 Skills: Illusionist Pact(Passive): This bug always travels within underground mountainous regions in a group of 10 or more. While doing so they produce a strong illusion that can trap travelers inside unknowingly and wearing them out mentally before devouring them. This skill is only effective when there is at least 5 ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bugs¡¯ present. Earth Swimming(Passive): This creature can travel through the earth as though it were a fish swimming in water. Devour(Passive): As long as enemies are trapped within the ¡¯Illusionist Pact¡¯, this creature deals 100% of its magic damage as bonus attack damage. This skill ignores all defenses. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bug¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP! These creatures were incredibly weak but were also very numerous. If what its skill said is true, that meant there were at least nine at the very least stalking them underground. They did not give much EXP but since there were at least ten of them total it would add up to 500 EXP. Scarlet wanted to scream but swallowed it back down and quickly moved away from the bug-like creature. She did not want to appear weak, but her face had already lost all its color and she was wobbling as she walked. Scarlet possessed a natural hatred and disgust for bugs. Even Luna who was usually calm and collected couldn¡¯t help but slightly shiver when she saw the creature squirm around pierced through with Izroth¡¯s sword, her face also lost a bit of color. When Halls saw how Luna and Scarlet reacted he couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. "Hahaha, rx it¡¯s just some weak little bugs. You can let us guys handle this. Hahaha!". Luna and Scarlet gave Halls a death re that immediately shut him up. He rubbed the back of his head and avoided direct eye contact with both of them. Izroth noticed that the earth beneath them kept constantly shifting as though something below was changing and moving it around. Whatever was doing it was fast and difficult to pinpoint urately. That¡¯s why Izroth was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike once he discovered them. "There¡¯s still 9 more, we need to eliminate 5 of them to break the illusion" Izroth spoke in a calm manner as he swiftly moved a few meters to his right piercing his sword into the ground once more. Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh! -160 HP! 0/150 HP Remaining! (Illusionist Mountain Bug) Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bug¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP! In but a moment Izroth had eliminated two of them with ease. If it were someone else these bugs would be tricky to lure out into the open before defeating them due to their high agility stat, however, Izroth possessed an astronomical amount of battle experience and could make urate predictions to their next movements. Izroth then sprinted in the direction to his left, "Halls, in 3 seconds strike the ground next to your left leg using your weapon skill. Scarlet, aim your first fire spell 10 meters directly in front of you, start casting it in 2 seconds. Luna, try to prevent any bugs from burrowing back into the ground once they reveal themselves if you¡¯re able to". Izrothmanded as if he were used to leading a group into battle. In fact, back in the seven realms in the days of his youth, he used to be the leader of an elite small group of cultivators that would go on highly dangerous missions for the kingdom he fought for at that time. However, because the king feared their power was growing too strong and he would no longer be able to control them, he ordered their deaths. Izroth was the only one who survived and managed to escape from that kingdom, holding onto his life by a single thread. As those memories slowly crept into the mind of Izroth, he could not help but let out a sigh of regret. If only he were strong enough to protect everyone at that time, they would not have needed to sacrifice their lives in order for him to survive. There were not many people Izroth trusted or respected outside of his teacher, however, every member of that small elite group held both his trust and respect. Even though Luna and Scarlet were disgusted by the bug type monsters, they still followed through with Izroth¡¯s instructions. Halls also took action, following Izroth¡¯s exact orders and stabbing his sword into the ground. He released the skill attached to his weapon called ¡¯Shadow Pressure¡¯ and a dark oppressive aura spread out 10 meters from his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯. It wasn¡¯t long after Halls heard three high pitched screams and 3 secondster all of them stopped. He eliminated three of them in one go leaving only 5 remaining. The group gained a total of 150 EXP from that attack alone. Just soon after Halls struck his sword into the ground, Scarlet fired off a ¡¯Fireball¡¯ spell at the location Izroth gave her beforehand. Internally she frowned because it would be a waste of her mana if there was nothing there, but after seeing that Halls was sessful it made her feel like maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a waste after all. Woooooooosh! A ball of fire streaked towards the ground smashing into it as yet another ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bug¡¯ eliminated and incinerated in the fire. Scarlet defeated thest bug required to break the illusion and soon the fog beneath their feet cleared outpletely. The group could see a few things actually moving in the distance, they had sessfully broken the illusion of the ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bug¡¯! Thest remaining 4 ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bugs¡¯ tried to group together and flee, but why would Izroth let go of free EXP? Although they were fast, Izroth was still slightly faster and felt their movements underground by the shifting of the earth. When they all converged onto one point, Izroth struck out with his palm causing a myriad of illusions to form in the shape of his palm smashing into the ground where he targetted! He used one of the new skills he learned while traveling to Amaharpe, ¡¯Myriad Elusive Palms¡¯. Not only could this skill attack multiple targets, but it also possessed an increased hit rate and was difficult to avoid, making it perfect for fast creatures like these bugs. Eeeeeeeeeggggghhhhh! A group screams came from the ground beneath as Izroth¡¯s palm struck each of the four points where the ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bugs¡¯ were located. Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Illusionist Mountain Bug¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 50 EXP! Ding! Congrattions... Izroth eradicated thest remaining creatures gaining 200 EXP in the process! They did not drop any coins or other loot, so that was a bit disappointing. On the bright side, they were finally free of the illusion. The party reorganized and continued their journey towards the main area of the mountain range. After traveling for around 15 minutes, the group finally arrived before a dark and deste valley. They could only see darkness and nothing else, not even a single stone within the valley. "Is this the only way inside? There¡¯s no way we can see inside, if we¡¯re attacked we may not even be able to defend ourselves let alone find our way out" Halls frowned while examining the valley. There were no other entrances nearby and if they traveled too far away only to not find another way in, then it would waste too much time. "It¡¯s fine" Luna spoke as her staff lit up brightly with an illuminating light. "It¡¯s one of the first skills all clerics learn called ¡¯Illuminate¡¯. This should give us enough light to travel inside without issue". Skill Name: Illuminate Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: F Mana Cost Per Second: 0.2 Cast Time: Instant Active: Creates a bright light that illuminates the surroundings within 5 meters of the user. Description: Even in the darkest of nights, the light remains a beacon of hope. "It only cost 0.2 mana per second to maintain, so it should be more than enough tost until we find another source of light" Luna also had ¡¯Lesser Mana Potions¡¯ on her so she was not worried about running out of mana even if it did take a while to find a light source. Halls nodded, "In that case, we¡¯ll need you closer to the front just behind us". Luna moved forward closer until she was only a few steps away from Izroth and Halls. "Let¡¯s go" Izroth started walking forward towards the valley which made Halls also start moving to maintain the frontal position as a tank. Ding! You have discovered a new location ¡¯The Valley of Death¡¯! Chapter 31 The Valley of Death Part 1 It was dark and cold inside of the valley. The only bit of light that shone within the darkness was confined to a 5 meters radius around Luna. The only noise that could be heard were the footsteps of four people traveling inside of the valley. "This ce is really creepy... It feels like someone is constantly watching us..." Halls muttered to himself. As soon as he stepped into the valley, Halls felt as though many eyes were gazing upon him. He wasn¡¯t the only one who sensed it. Izroth, Luna, and Scarlet also felt as though they were being watched closely. A small frown formed on Izroth¡¯s face as he thought to himself, "How bizarre... It does not feel like the eyes of monsters or even people but rather something with an absence of life itself." it was simr to something Izroth knew called a gazing artifact. With a gazing artifact, one could observe events happening from far away without being present in that location. It was mostly used by kingdoms and sects to view major events taking ce in the seven realms without getting directly involved. Scarlet was staying close to the group with a gloomy face. She absolutely despised dark cramped ces such as this valley. It was barely wide enough for 4 people huddled up together close to one another to stand side by side. Not only that, but she also had to remain extremely close to the group or else there would be no source of light she could use to navigate. She thought to herself, "I swear it¡¯ll be your turn to owe me after this...". Hwooooooooooooo~ Hwooooooooooooo~ A wailing cry suddenly invaded the atmosphere. It sounded as though souls were being tormented and bellowing out in agony with tones full of hatred. This caused all of the group, excluding Izroth, to feel a shiver run down their spines. Scarlet had it worse than Halls and Luna, after all, there was a reason she never went out to see scary movies. She was too easily scared when it came to these types of things! Just a few secondster something odd took ce... Ding! yer Izroth has sessfully passed a ¡¯Willpower¡¯ check! Ding! yer Halls has sessfully passed a ¡¯Willpower¡¯ check! Ding! yer Luna has sessfully passed a ¡¯Willpower¡¯ check! Ding! yer Scarlet has failed a ¡¯Willpower¡¯ check! Battle Alert: yer Scarlet has been possessed by a ¡¯Vengeful Valley Spirit¡¯! They will remain in this state until their HP falls below 50%! Scarlet suddenly stopped moving as her eyes turned lifeless and she could no longer control the actions of her character. "What¡¯s going on?! Why can¡¯t I perform any actions?!" she was in too much of a panic when she started not being able to move and failed to notice the battle alert. Before the group even took note of the battle alert, a ball of fire formed in front of Scarlet aimed in the direction of Luna who was closest to her! The fastest to react to the situation was Izroth, but it did not take long for Halls and Luna to feel the intense heating from behind them. "Step aside" Izroth said as Luna quickly moved aside and soon after he zoomed right past her. Izroth¡¯s leg appeared to turn into that of a snake slithering to strike out at its prey aiming right at Scarlet¡¯s left leg. The spell she was charging immediately dissipated into nothingness and her body became unable to move. He used the skill ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯ to ¡¯Paralyze¡¯ Scarlet and prevent her from taking any further action. -105 HP! 555/660 HP Remaining! (Scarlet) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ¡¯Paralyzed¡¯ yer Scarlet for 1.5 seconds! Battle Alert: yer Izroth has interrupted the casting of yer Scarlet¡¯s spell ¡¯Fireball¡¯! When Izroth checked the system alerts and discovered what needed to be done he decided to not consume too much time. While Scarlet was under the effect of ¡¯Paralyze¡¯ it made her vital points extremely vulnerable and Izroth would not miss such a chance. His ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ was swiftly unsheathed and passed smoothly across Scarlet¡¯s neck. Critical Hit! -330 HP! 225/660 HP Remaining! (Scarlet) Battle Alert: yer Scarlet has been freed from the possession of the ¡¯Vengeful Valley Spirit¡¯! Izroth put his sword back into its sheath before walking back to his position towards the front of the party with Halls. But as he was walking away he said to Scarlet, "A weak Dao of Heart is bound to fail on the path of cultivation". Though it was only after he spoke did Izroth remembered that he was no longer in the seven realms, but on a called Earth that did not have anything such as cultivation. It has been many centuries since hest felt a bit embarrassed, but he did not show any change in his facial expression and kept his carefree attitude. "Dao of Heart? Cultivation? What is he on about..?" Scarlet thought to herself and felt a bit upset at how nonchnt Izroth was towards her. It almost felt as though she were a burden and only dragging them down from the way he spoke. It did not help that the words he spoke were utter nonsense. Maybe he was just the type who was into the roleying part of this game and tried to appear wise. "Hmph, trying to sound like some kind of expert, who¡¯re you trying to impress?" she wouldn¡¯t speak these words out loud but they sounded out within her mind. "Well, it¡¯s fine... The sooner this is over with the better". "What was all of that about?" Halls muttered to himself as he read the system alerts and realized what took ce. The one thing he didn¡¯t understand was howe Scarlet was the only one affected by the ¡¯Vengeful Valley Spirit¡¯. Besides, what the heck was a ¡¯Willpower¡¯ check in the first ce? "I believe there is a hidden stat called ¡¯Willpower¡¯. It¡¯s unclear how the system determines it, but it seems like ours were strong enough to resist the possession of the ¡¯Vengeful Valley Spirit¡¯. As for Scarlet..." Luna exined and did not need to say anymore as everyone already understood what she meant. "This ce is sure is creepy. It reminds me of a haunted house I went to in grade school with some friends of mine. One of them actually pissed their pants from being so scared hahaha" Halls was speaking in a casual manner. To him, this was just like another haunted house and rather than fear it produced adrenaline from the excitement of the potential scare. However, if someone¡¯s heart rate were to exceed a certain amount, the game would automatically disconnect their character and contact the nearest listed hospital if the yer did not confirm their well-being within 10 seconds of being disconnected. This was a protection feature thepany implemented as an emergency measure in case the yer could not handle certain gaming content. Scarlet moved in closer to the group as Luna used ¡¯Cure¡¯ to slowly heal her up back to full HP. Even if Scarlet hated to admit it, she knew that the best ce was as close as possible to the group so that if such a thing happened again at least she could be stopped much easier. Though her pride wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it if she were to be possessed like that again. Izroth, along with everyone else moved forward through the valley. It was unknown how far the valley stretched as they could not see the end of it due to the darkness. After advancing for a few minutes, the group could hear a scuttling sound from above them as though something was constantly moving around within the darkness on the valley walls. A pair of bright red eyes could be seen above Izroth and his party members, staring at them with a hateful gaze. A loud screeching sound resembling that of a bat was released by the creature from above. Screeeeeeeeeeech! -150 HP! -150 HP! -150 HP! -150 HP! The creature lurking in the darkness used an AOE sound-based attack. Those kinds of attacks could not be blocked and usually ignored all defenses of their opponents. The downside to it was usually that the attack was only capable of dealing a specific set amount of damage. The creature then swooped down aiming right for Luna in the middle of the group due to her being the source of that detestable light. Halls hurriedly moved to cover Luna as she ducked down to avoid the attack, holding his shield above her and taking the hit of the creature. BLOCKED! -206 HP! 1,144/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) During that time Izroth reacted swiftly as his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ silently left its sheath before managing to just slice the leg of the creature. It howled out in pain and once again flew up into the air. Though everyone managed to get a good look at what it was. -130 HP! 2,170/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) Name: Valley Lurker(Normal) Level: 15 HP: 2,170/2,300 ATK: 300 DEF: 50 AGI: 130 MAG: 0 Skills: Supersonic Sound Wave(Active): Deals 50% of the lurker¡¯s attack as damage to all enemies within 20 meters range. This skill ignores all defenses. Wrathful Dive(Active): The lurker dives down at an incredible speed temporarily increasing its agility by 50% and dealing 125% of its attack as damage. Night Vision(Passive): This creature is able to see clearly in the dark. Flight(Passive): This creature is capable of flight. What a high agility stat! Not only that but when it dives down its agility actually increases by 50% putting it close to 200. The fact that Halls was able to react in time to defend Luna and Izroth was able to sessfully get an attack off on the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ went to show how skilled they were as yers. Scarlet was startled by the sudden monster diving down out of nowhere and could not even see it strike within the darkness. The light provided by Luna was limited and so she only caught a glimpse of it when it struck Halls shield before it retreated back above their heads. When she saw that during that short period of time Izroth, Halls, and even Luna were able to react to the situation, she could not help but feel extremely impressed. Even though Izroth was only a level 12 Combat Master, for some reason he gave off a terrifying aura. The scariest part about it was that you could not notice it at first due to his carefree expression if you did not observe closely. But if one did stare for an extended period of time, they would feel an overbearing pressure slowly start to form and suffocate them. The ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ scuttled around on the walls of the valley and swooped down once again. This time they were aiming for Izroth since he dealt damage to it before Halls had a chance to pull the aggro onto himself properly. This time everyone was prepared for the attack. Swoooooooosh! BLOCKED! -206 HP! +225 HP! 1,163/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) Halls managed to position himself in a way that he was able to react and defend against the attacks of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ if it targeted another member of the party. This time he managed to properly pull aggro from the creature by using the skill ¡¯Taunting Aura¡¯ to swap its focus from Izroth to himself. The moment the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ damaged Halls, Luna cast ¡¯Cure¡¯ in order to heal him. The ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ once again returned back to the upper half of the valley. Though something surprised it when it was safely on the top walls of the valley. A sword came flying at it directly shing it, making it cry out in pain and crash down into the ground. -1,160 HP! 1,010/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) Everyone waspletely dumbstruck by what they just witnessed. You could do something like that too? Ding! You have learned a new skill ¡¯Wall Walking¡¯! Chapter 32 The Valley of Death Part 2 Skill Name: Wall Walking Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Requirements: 100 Agility Energy Per Second: 8 Passive: Grants the user of this skill the ability to walk on walls while moving at a speed above 99 agility. The user cannot exceed a height of 30 meters from the starting point of this skill. Description: This skill is the prerequisite for the skill ¡¯Air Walking¡¯. The user¡¯s ¡¯Energy¡¯ is only drained while wall walking, not during regr movements. Craaaaaaash! The body of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯nded directly in front of Halls squirming around and trying to stand itself up. Maybe even this part was intentionally done by Izroth as well, but at this point, they would not put anything past him. Izroth himself did not know for sure if such a thing would work, but he still thought it was worth giving it a try and the results were satisfying. He obtained a new C-ranked skill, but he was not able to name it as it already possessed a name of its own. Izroth then thought to himself, "It appears that the system has some skills that it has already defined and given a name to. Does that mean that anyone can learn those skills? Or is it just another specialty of the Combat Master ss?". Izroth decided that he would look further into this when he had a chance. The skill ¡¯Air Walking¡¯ looked interesting as well and his guess was that it required specific circumstances and higher agility to unlock. What an amazing skill! This was the only thing going through everyone else¡¯s mind right now. Izrothnded back on the ground not long after the body of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ crashed down. There was only one word that the party could think of to describe Izroth and it went through their minds at the same time, "Monster". He ran up a wall and struck a target moving at high speed in midair with exact uracy in a harsh and dark environment. Did he have night vision or echolocation to track the monster in such a precise manner? Halls wasted no time in pushing his shield towards the body of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯. The shield in his hand emitted a light blue aura as it mmed into the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ trying to stumble to its feet while wildly pping its bat-like wings. Halls used a skill he recently picked up from the Amaharpe warrior ss teacher, ¡¯Shield Smash¡¯. This skill shined the most when it was used against a target that was knocked down. Skill Name: Shield Smash Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 13 Warrior, ¡¯Shield¡¯ Equipped Active: Deals 75% of the user attack as damage. Stuns the hit target for 1.5 seconds. The damage of this skill is tripled to 225% if the target is knocked down, and the stun duration is increased by 0.5 seconds. Increases ¡¯Threat Level¡¯ by 75%. Cooldown: 1 minute Description: A shield is not only for blocking! -265 HP! 745/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) Battle Alert: yer Halls has ¡¯Stunned¡¯ ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ for 2 seconds! Scarlet lightly tapped her spell staff on the ground as a wave of mana rushed towards the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯, and just a bitter the entire body of the creature lit up on fire. "Ignite". Skill Name: Ignite Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 13 Mage Mana Cost: 100 Cast Time: Instant Active: Deals 40% of the user magic as damage every 1 second for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 seconds -78 HP! 667/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) The ¡¯Ignite¡¯ skill Scarlet used was slowly eating away at the HP of the immobilized ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯. Izroth swung his sword at the body of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯. As he was swinging it, a phantom formed behind his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ giving off a much more deadly aura than the sword itself. ¡¯Phantom Strike¡¯. -78 HP! (Scarlet¡¯s ¡¯Ignite¡¯) -130 HP! -220 HP! 239/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) Another tick of Scarlet¡¯s ¡¯Ignite¡¯ damage went off further burning the body of the creature. The ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ finally had its ¡¯Stunned¡¯ status lifted, but it was already toote as its fate was sealed. Izroth returned his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ to its sheath, and as he did so concentrated energy began to converge at the very tip of his right index finger. He was using the skill ¡¯Fissuring Point¡¯ to pierce through the creature. -160 HP! -78 HP! (Scarlet¡¯s ¡¯Ignite¡¯) 1/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) What are the chances? The Valley Lurker actually managed to survive with just 1 HP remaining. It took the chance to try to fly up into the sky and escape from the battle. But before it could do so, a wooden staff mmed against its body from out of seemingly nowhere. -1 HP! 0/2,300 HP Remaining! (Valley Lurker) Ding! Congrattions, you have defeated ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯! Ding! You have been awarded 700 EXP! Loot Drop: -6 silver coins -1 Strange Bracelet(Quest Item) Everyone stared nkly at the person who just finished off the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯. The one who got the killing blow on the creature was actually Luna! There was of silence for a moment before Halls burst into a fit ofughter. "Hahaha! Luna, I think you¡¯re the first cleric I¡¯ve seen kill a monster in one strike, how amazing! Hahaha, one wooden staff to y dragons!" Halls spoke jokingly. "Alright you, if you continue tough let¡¯s see if you get anymore heals from me" Luna spoke with a smile on her face. Halls immediately halted hisughter, "Okay okay, this lowly one apologies to the mighty healer Luna" he took a bow in aedic manner. Luna could not help but release a light chuckle from how ridiculous Halls was behaving. Izroth only shook his head as a slight smile formed on his face. Only someone like Halls wouldugh so hard and act this way over something so trivial, but Izroth found it amusing nheless. On the ground near the corpse of the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯, something was constantly glowing and emitting a mysterious soft light. As he was bowing in a yful way, Halls saw the light glow near the corpse and began to walk over towards it. He reached down and tried to pick it up but a system alert sounded off in his head. System Alert: This ¡¯Quest Item¡¯ can only be picked up by the main recipient of the quest ¡¯Journey to the Seer¡¯! Halls frowned and tried once again to pick up the item but he received the same system message. "I think this item will only let you pick it up, Izroth" he said rubbing the back of his head in confusion. This was the first quest bound item that Halls hade across that only the yer who personally received the quest could loot. Izroth moved over to grab the glowing item and examined it once it was within his hands. It was a dark purple color with little bright white beads embedded into it. As Izroth held it, he could feel it giving off a warm temperature which was strange considering how cold and dark this valley was. Item Name: Strange Bracelet(Quest Item) Usage: This item does not always guide you to where you want to go, but rather where you need to go. Only the one fated to hold this item will discover its true purpose. Special Note: This item belongs to a mysterious Seer that resides within the mountain regions west of Amaharpe. As he read the usage and note on the item Izroth easily pieced things together. It was obvious that this belonged to the Seer Tererestiaa that he was supposed to retrieve some item from. But the real question was why did this ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ have her bracelet? Could something have happened to the Seer before he even arrived? That would not make any sense as they still had ample time toplete the quest. "Whatever the reason, this item has to be of some use. It¡¯s supposed to guide us to where we need to go, but not necessarily where we want to go. Does that mean this thing can help us locate the Seer?" Izroth thought to himself as he furrowed his brows. The other members of the party were looking at Izroth and wondered what was that item that only he could pick up. "I¡¯m not entirely sure about this, however, I believe this item will guide us to the Seer. Or at the very least provide us with some clues as to her whereabouts. We already know that she resides at the center of this region, but we still have no idea on how to go about getting there" Izroth said while cing the ¡¯Strange Bracelet¡¯ into his inventory. As soon as it was ced within his inventory, a band of light formed around his right wrist and it looked like an exact replica of the ¡¯Strange Bracelet¡¯. Izroth could feel the band of light around his wrist giving off a warm feeling as though urging him to continue his path forward through the valley. "I¡¯ll lead the way since this bracelet seems to be pulling me in a certain direction. Halls, you can stay near the center and guard against any other potential attacks from a ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯" Izroth moved into the lead position of the party. Halls had no issues with this since he knew even if a monster attacked Izroth he would have no problem reacting in time, especially with that move he used earlier. Plus, it wasn¡¯t as though his HP was low enough to die in one or two direct hits. He remained at the center of the group staying alert for anything that may be lingering above their heads. Luna and Scarlet continued onward with Halls standing guard next to them, making sure not to stray too far from Izroth in the lead. After traveling forward for around 10 minutes, the band of light on Izroth¡¯s wrist began to increase in temperature. It felt as though it were trying to incinerate his wrist, but he knew that they must be close to the location that the bracelet wanted or rather needed them to be. "It¡¯s light...!" Halls eximed in surprise as he noticed a crevice up ahead with a source of lighting from within. In this kind of darkness, it was hard to miss unless you were literally blind as a bat. Everyone else spotted this light as well. The band of light grew hotter and hotter the closer it came to that crevice until it finally stopped and vanished when they arrived in front of it. It felt as if that was its way of saying ¡¯You¡¯re here!¡¯. The crevice was wide enough for them to fit through one at a time. "I should go first just in case there are monsters waiting to attack us once we enter inside" Halls said keeping his shield ced firmly before him. "Careful", Izroth nodded believing this to be the best course of action as well and so Halls went into the crevice and for a brief moment, there was silence. Everyone was quietly waiting for Halls to say something but after 10 seconds they still did not hear anything. "Maybe we should-" just as Scarlet was getting a bit annoyed and was about to suggest they go in after him, a voice sounded from deep within the crevice. "Come on in guys! You have to see this!" the voice that shouted out belonged to Halls. Izroth was the first to enter inside after Halls, followed by Luna and then Scarlet. Now that they had a source of light, Luna no longer needed to maintain her skill ¡¯Illuminate¡¯. Although it did not eat up much mana, you never know when even a little extra mana could save someone¡¯s life. When they all finally exited from the crevice, a shocking sight appeared before them. "Such a ce exist...?" Luna muttered to herself. She was astounded to see the sight before her because this ce was like another world of its own! Chapter 33 Reilei ... Around 14 hours ago... Reilei closed the door behind her as she left out of the apartment with a smile on her face. Every day she would leave for her third job around this time to a nearbyte-night restaurant as a waitress. When she heard the sound of that door close all the way the smile on her face slowly vanished and was reced by an expression of exhaustion. Reilei worked around 18 hours every day and had not taken a bit of time off since she was married. When Reilei¡¯s now ex-husband left her and Jin behind, she had no money, no job, she was just a normal housewife not used to working at all. But nheless, she persevered because she knew that she had to take care of the only important person left in her life, Jin. There were many times where he suggested that he take a job and work but she would not allow it. He was still young and full of life with dreams, Reilei would never be able to forgive herself if she got in the way of that. So even if this was a burden she had to carry alone, she would do so for the sake of her son and his dreams. Reilei gave herself a light p on the cheeks and slightly shook her head and soon after a smile once again found its way to her face. "You can¡¯t let Jin see you like this Reilei. Keep it together" she thought to herself as she began to walk down the street heading to work. The restaurant wasn¡¯t a very far walk from the apartment she lived in and so themute was not bad. After walking for around 5 minutes, Reilei noticed a group of three guys hanging out on the sidewalk rolling dice and throwing money down. She recognized the group as some local small-time gangsters that always bullied Jin when they had the chance. They were always up to no good and was a troublesome batch of youths with no direction in life. Reilei decided to simply cross the street to the other sidewalk and continue onward. But as she passed by them on the opposite side, one of the gang members was looking over in her direction and tapped the guy next to him with his elbow. "Hey hey, check her out. She¡¯s freaking hot bro!" The guy who was tapped looked over to where his friend was and saw Reilei. "Oh yeah! Dan, that¡¯s who I was telling you about! That¡¯s the mother of that loser we always run into. What¡¯s his name again... Lin? Fin? Something stupid like that. Anyways, what did I tell you? She¡¯s a freakin¡¯ beauty right? How the heck is that loser even rted to her?" "You mean that brat Jin? Haha, I¡¯ve known that bastard since primary school, he was always just a nerd with his face stuck in video games all day" the third guy ogled at Reilei. "Man... Her husband must¡¯ve been blind to leave something like that... I¡¯m gonna go talk to her,y down some moves. Just sit back Dan and Victor, let a pro show you how its done" the third guy got up and started walking over. "How fast do you think Rhodes is gonna get shut down?" Dan said as heughed it off. "I give him 3 seconds tops, and that¡¯s me being generous" Victor responded as he shook his head. They were speaking so loud that Reilei had no trouble hearing them from all the way across the street. When she heard them speaking she decided to speed up her walking pace. These kids were around the same age as her son, so she felt a bit sick hearing them speak about her in such an inappropriate manner. "Hey! Wait for a second!" Rhodes called out to Reilei, however, she kept walking not paying him any mind. This agitated Rhodes as he started to run to catch up with her, stopping in front of her which caused Reilei to be startled and halt her steps. "I was calling out for you. Didn¡¯t you hear me?" Rhodes spoke in what he believed to be the voice of prince charming, but the way he sounded only made Reilei feel disgusted. "I have to get to work soon. If you¡¯ll excuse me" Reilei tried to step around Rhodes but he quickly blocked her path once more causing her to frown. "Don¡¯t worry I can pay you for your ¡¯time¡¯ if you want heh. What? Too good for someone like me? I know you can use it right?" Reilei shivered from head to toe. She had never been so humiliated and infuriated before! But she held herself back from erupting and spoke in an emotionless and calm voice, "I have no interest, so I¡¯ll kindly decline your offer. Now, I must get to work before I¡¯mte" Reilei slipped past Rhodes not bothering to wait for him to respond. "Hey, I¡¯m still talking to you!" Rhodes reached out and grabbed Reilei by her wrist tightly. Reilei winced from the pain, it felt as though her fragile wrist would snap at any time. "Y... You¡¯re hurting me..!" she tried to pull her wrist away from Rhodes but his grip was too strong. "Hurting you? I just wanted to talk to you and maybe take you out. You want to act all stuck up like I¡¯m not worth your time?!" Rhodes never had much luck withdies. In fact, when he was in high school there were plenty of beautiful girls he wanted as a girlfriend, but they all ignored him and wouldn¡¯t give him the time of day. So when Reilei rejected him just now it brought back up those bad memories and upset him a great deal. "I¡¯ll show you what really hurts" his grip around Reilei¡¯s wrist tightened as he lifted his hand up about to p her. Dan and Victor were already rushing over and managed to make it there in time to stop him. "What are you doing bro?! You trying to get the cops after us or something?!" Dan said as they were holding Rhodes back. Even though they might do some bad things it was only the asional street fighting or robbing someone, but Rhodes seemed like he wanted to do somethingpletely different! "Dude, just let it go! Come on, let¡¯s just get outta here, she won¡¯t say nothin¡¯!" Victor said trying to calm Rhodes down. He was like a loose cannon sometimes, so there was no telling what he¡¯d do to this woman if he got pissed off. While Dan and Victor were holding Rhodes back, his grip loosened on Reilei¡¯s wrist and she immediately ran away without looking back. "I¡¯ll find where you work! I know your son! You hear me?! Nobody treats me like nothing! Nobody" Reilei could hear Rhodes shouting out from behind her but she did not stop running until she waspletely out of sight. Reilei was gasping for air and hunched over trying to catch her breath. She had not run so much since high school during the physical fitness test. There was a light sniffleing from her as little droplets of water could be seen hitting the ground at her feet. But she quickly rubs her eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. But she was still shaking and could still feel the pain in her wrist from being clenched so tightly. There was a red mark left around it that made her feel as though she had been almost vited. She felt nauseous and sick to her stomach, however, she still had to go to work. Reilei could not afford to have a single day off or else all the bills would stack up higher than they already were. "I must endure... I must..." she muttered to herself as she stood up straight. She took out a small handkerchief from her purse and wiped her eyes clean and removed some of the sweat from her face. Since she ran for quite some time, Reilei was not too far away from where she worked and in just a few minutes arrived at the restaurant. As soon as she entered through the door, a short and chubby man with neat and tidy hair approached her. He was the manager of the establishment and Reilei¡¯s current boss while she worked here. "You were almostte again Reilei. Look, I like you and you do a good job but I need workers that are going to be on time" it was bing amon pattern now that Reilei would show up a few minuteste or just barely make it on time. Even if he wanted to y the nice guy, business was business at the end of the day. "I apologize, I promise it will not happen again manager Benson" Reilei gave a respectful bow. She couldn¡¯t possibly tell him of that situation that made her almostte today. It was too humiliating to even think about. Manager Benson let out a sigh, "Alright alright, go ahead and get ready for your shift. Shelly is leaving soon so you can take over her tables" he then went back to taking care of other tasks that required his attention. "Thank you very much" Reilei bowed once more before heading off to the employee¡¯s changing room and swapped into her waitress clothes. "Hey Reilei, I see Benny is still giving you a hard time hm?" a woman was sitting on one of the benches in the employee¡¯s changing room, stretching as if she were exhausted from having just finished a long shift. Reilei shook her head, "It¡¯s my fault for always losing track of time Shelly. Thank you for covering for me yesterday so I could work my other job. I promise I¡¯ll pay you back somehow" Reilei looked a touch sad. When she made that sad face with a tiny pout and looked at Shelly with those big beautiful emerald eyes, Shelly couldn¡¯t help but to let out a long sigh and admit defeat. Shelly giggle and said, "I told you not to worry about that Reilei. I know you have a lot on your te since that bastard husband of yours abandoned you and your son. If you need for me to cover your shifts at times, I don¡¯t mind. You deserve a break too you know?" the woman then stood up and went over to give Reilei a hug. "An angel like you shouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much, so let this little devil of a friend take some of that suffering away okay?" Shelly said with a sweet smile. A genuine smile blossomed onto Reilei¡¯s face as she nodded her head in response. The truth was, she knew that Shelly would be willing to cover for her. But, she couldn¡¯t take advantage of her only friend like that. She was unwilling to push her burdens onto someone else if she did not absolutely have to. Shelly then released Reilei from the hug and said, "I¡¯m going now. Try not to work too hard okay? Also, careful of those guys at table 13, they¡¯re total tools" she then left out the back door of the restaurant after saying farewell to Reilei. Reilei gave a small wave as Shelly left through the back door. She still had another two minutes before her shift began but for some reason, she could not stop shaking. She hid it well from Shelly, but as soon as they left she could no longer hold it back. Reilei sat down on the bench with her hands ced upon herp. She moved her left hand over to cover the bruise on her right wrist where she was grabbed earlier. Tears slowly started to stream down from her eyes as she silently wept. She curled into an upward fetal position and buried her face into herp. Reilei was there all alone at that moment. If not for Jin, who knows what dark thoughts would invade her mind in times like these. "I¡¯m sorry, Jin... I¡¯m not strong at all... I¡¯m not strong at all..." she muttered quietly to herself, unable to control the flow of tears... ... Chapter 34 The Village of Tears/Information About The Seer ... Ding! You have discovered a new location ¡¯Vige of Tears¡¯! A vige wasid out before the eyes of the party. There were people roaming around trading items with one another,ughing cheerfully, and some were even wrestling with each other. The unusual thing about this ce was the sky and the blue light it gave off. It was not the sun or sky located outside of the mountain region before they entered into the valley, because this sun was more simr to a blue supergiant star. The only difference was that it was not nearly as hot or else this entire ce would be nothing but ashes. The vige was surrounded by a beautiful forest that stretched into the distance for as far as the eye could see. The ground was not paved with any sort of roads and was just a simple mixture of dirt and patches of grass here and there. This vige was much warmer than the cold temperature of the ¡¯Valley of Death¡¯. One of the children in the vige who was a little girl was ying with some sort of ball made out of leather and stuffed with some soft type of material. As she was kicking the ball it slowly rolled over towards Halls stopping just before his feet. Just as the little girl was going to run over and chase after it, she noticed a group of strangers that did not belong in their vige. Frightened by them, she quickly ran away leaving her ball behind. The little girl darted into one of the vige buildings located in the center area. "She was probably terrified by your intimidating face! Now if we run into trouble, you¡¯ll only have yourself to me" Scarlet said with her arms folded. Halls scratched the side of his cheek while looking helpless. Terrified by his intimidating face? Since when was his face intimidating? "Be on guard, we may receive an unfriendly wee" Izroth watched as the little girl entered into one of the buildings inside of the vige. It was the biggest building in the entire vige so it must be an important location. "Isted and remote ces like this aren¡¯t used to outsiders. Add on to that a name like ¡¯Vige of Tears¡¯... It doesn¡¯t sound like a ce of paradise..." Luna said giving her opinion of the situation. Not long after the little girl went into the building, a middle-aged man hurried out. He was around 2 meters tall with a well-built body, tanned skin, ck hair, light green eyes, and strange tattoos all over his body. On his back was a spear releasing a savage killing intent as though it had been soaked in the blood of various enemies. The man spoke a few words to a group who were wrestling one another and they all stopped and turned to look in the direction of the crevice that led into the ¡¯Valley of Death¡¯. People had actuallye from the other side?! They knew how dangerous that ce was because it was a ce of exile. If one of their vigersmitted an unforgivable crime, they would be sent to the ¡¯Valley of Death¡¯ as punishment and not a single one has managed to return alive. They all straightened themselves up releasing a battle-hardened aura to show that if needed they were ready to fight at any time. The man who appeared to be the leader of the group began to walk towards Izroth and his party. Trailing right behind him were six other men who were all part of the group that was wrestling not too long ago. They all stopped around 5 meters away from the assembly of strangers. The leader of the group scrutinized the intruders from head to toe. "I am the head warrior of this vige, Hajitin. State your purpose foring here" Hajitin was on guard and ready to respond if they tried to force their way in or bring trouble. Izroth also took the time out to observe the people before him namely, the man named Hajitin. NPC Name: Head Warrior Hajitin (Elite) NPC Level: 17 "We are on a journey to find the Seer that lives in the center of the mountain regions. Do you know where they are?" Izroth got straight to the point not bothering to hide anything. The bracelet had guided them to this ce which meant that it was at the very least rted to the quest for finding the Seer. The moment the vigers heard that these strangers were searching for the Seer, they immediately took a hostile stance. Hajitin¡¯s face darkened as he spoke, "What business do you have with she who possesses the eyes of truth?" it looks like the vigers did indeed have some knowledge about the Seer. Maybe they even knew her current location! "We mean you no harm. We were sent by someone who knows the Seer personally" Luna tried to soothe things over before they spiraled out of control. If they were attacked by this group of NPC¡¯s all at once they may be able to somehow manage or escape. But, it was unclear if there were more warriors in this vige or not. On the off chance there was it would not be wise to agitate them for fear of being overrun with numbers alone. "Leave! She who possesses the eyes of truth does not meet with just anyone. You must be chosen and you allck the qualifications" Hajitin spoke in a firm tone. There were many vigers who dreamed of being able to personally visit the Seer and could not do so. How would a group of unknown outsiders possibly be able to do so? Izroth¡¯s eyes turned cold as he stared at Hajitin. When was thest time someone told him that hecked the qualifications to do anything? "Then what must we do in order to gain the proper qualifications...?" Izroth¡¯s hand rested on the hilt of his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. The current atmosphere was tense with neither of the two sides backing down from one another. "Enough!" a voice echoed from far away. An elderly man that needed to use a cane to walk, stepped out from within the vige building that Hajitin left appeared out of earlier. "Great Elder!" all the vige members immediately showed their respects giving a bow. Even Hajitin gave a slight bow to the old man as he began to approach them. "Great Elder, these people are here to cause trouble for she who possesses the eyes of truth. We cannot allow them to remain in our vige, it may bring us a disaster" Hajitin said in a serious voice. "Disaster? Fool, do you not realize the power of the great possessor when it is right in front of your eyes?!" the Great Elder appeared to be upset at Hajitin at his way of handling things. Hajitin was confused as to why the Great Elder spoke to him in such a manner. In fact, it was very rare to see such a kind man upset so Hajitin felt as though he did something wrong without realizing it. "You" the Great Elder pointed to Izroth, "Where did you find that Bracelet?" he was pointing to the band of light surrounding Izroth¡¯s wrist. Most would not be able to notice that it was from the ¡¯Strange Bracelet¡¯ in his inventory, but this old man seemed to capable of sensing it without an issue. "We came across it after defeating one of the creatures inside of the valley and it brought us here. We¡¯ve traveled far to visit the Seer and hope that you can tell us where she currently is" Izroth responded to the Great Elder getting right to the matter at hand. The Great Elder looked as though he were in deep thought. "Hmm..." he began to turn around and walk back towards the direction of the building he exited from. "Follow me. If that bracelet has guided you to this ce then it is not without purpose". Hajitin was shocked, the Great Elder was lettingplete strangers into their vige! But he could not verbally express his disagreement as the Great Elder held a much higher status than him. The only person that would be able to change his mind was the vige chief, however, he was currently away from the vige. "Should we follow him?" Halls said looking over at Izroth. Luna and Scarlet also nced over at Izroth as well. Since it was his quest and he has shown leadership abilities, everyone started to naturally leave the important decision to him. Izroth nodded his head, "We¡¯ll follow him. He knows about this bracelet and the one they call ¡¯she who possesses the eyes of truth¡¯ is most likely the Seer Tererestiaa that we¡¯re searching for" Izroth stepped forward following after the Great Elder into the building ced at the center of the vige. Halls, Luna, and Scarlet trailed behind him entering in as well. Hajitin waved his hand as the group of warriors dispersed and went back to doing their own thing. Hajitin decided to head over and return to the building as well. It was his job as the head warrior to protect it and just in case anything went wrong he should be nearby to respond. Once he entered inside he took a seat behind the Great Elder while constantly observing Izroth and his group. The inside of the building resembled that of a hut, but it was quite spacious inparison to an actual hut. The walls were made from some type of wood wrapped in the hide of various animals or beast. The floor had beast fur ced all over it like carpet and that is what everyone was currently sitting on. After giving everyone a moment to get situated the Great Elder finally opened his mouth and spoke. "I do indeed know the location of she who possesses the eyes of truth... Or the Seer as you call her" the Great Elder reached next to him and pulled out a bead about the size of a marble. It was violet in color and gave off no aura whatsoever as though it were just a regr bead. Izroth and the party examined the bead looking for something special about it, but none of them were able to perceive anything that seemed out of ce. "This is a ¡¯Sacred Bead¡¯ given to us by the great Seer. She once told us there woulde a day when someone came searching for her. When that dayes, we are supposed to give this bead to them. I do not know its usage or purpose, but if it was given by the great Seer then it must be important" the Great Elder held out the bead towards Izroth. When Izroth was about to reach for it the bead slowly levitated in midair and started naturally drifting in his direction. Though it wasn¡¯t actually moving towards him but rather the band of light on his wrist. When the bead came in contact with the band of light it illuminated the entire building in a soft violet hue. Everyone was startled by the events taking ce, no one knew what was going on! The violet hue began to gather at the center of the room forming a small vortex of powerful energy. When they saw what was taking ce, everyone instantly put up their guard except for the Great Elder and Hajitin. The two of them gave a deep bow as an image began to form from within the vortex. Izroth noticed the behavior of the two and came up with a guess at what or who the image was forming in the middle of that swirling vortex of energy. A few secondster the face of a woman wearing blindfolds took shape within the vortex of energy. She looked pure as though she werepletely untainted by the world. However, if one observed closely they would notice a look of helplessness on her face as if she were resigned to her fate. "She who possesses the eyes of truth!" the Great Elder and Hajitin spoke at the same time in a respectful tone of voice while bowing deeply. It was the face of the Seer Tererestiaa! Chapter 35 Lake of Tears The face of the Seer Tererestiaa was looking straight at the holder of the bracelet, Izroth. "I am the Seer Tererestiaa... One gifted with the eyes of truth by the all-seeing goddess, Heltiaa. The one who possesses this bracelet did not happen upon it by chance, but rather by fate" the voice sounded light and delicate yet it carried along with it a heavy burden. "You must seek me out by the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯, it is where I will be residing and awaiting your arrival. Make haste, if you are receiving this message then it means ¡¯they¡¯ have been freed from the seal of eternity. We do not have much time... Must... Hurry...." the face started to distort and be blurry before finally dissipating. The bracelet on Izroth¡¯s wrist lost its brilliant glow and cracks began to form all over the item as it then shattered into little pieces. System Alert: The item ¡¯Strange Bracelet¡¯ has been destroyed. It has been removed from your inventory! "The ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯ is it..." Izroth muttered to himself. Everyone else looked shocked by what they had just witnessed, it even more so for the Great Elder and Hajitin who revered the Seer. From the way the Seer spoke, it was as though something very significant was going to take ce soon and they were right smack in the middle of things. "Where is this ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯ anyways...?" Halls asked ncing over at the Great Elder and Hajitin. "It is a sacred ce that only the Seer of Heltiaa may reside. It lies at the very center of the mountain region. If anyone trespasses there without approval, it is said that their souls are lost forever. You must be careful on your journey there as the forest has many unseen dangers... You must not stray from the holy path" the Great Elder was really polite towards their group. After all, these were people chosen personally by the great Seer Tererestiaa. It was their honor to receive such esteemed guest. "Great Elder, if the great Seer is in some sort of trouble, should we not help?" Hajitin sounded worried when he heard the message just now. If he could do anything to aid the Seer then he would not hesitate to do so. The Great Elder, however, shook their head in response to Hajitin. "We have not been chosen by the great Seer and so it is not our fate. But, nevertheless, there are other means by which we can assist them without directly interfering, so you must bear with only that" the Great Elder would¡¯ve of course been more than thrilled to be of any assistance to the great Seer, but he understood better than anyone that only those the Seer had fate with could be of any true help. "Hajitin will escort you to the edge of the forest territory belonging to the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯. He cannot go any further than that and so you will have to ultimately depend on your own strength" the Great Elder signaled at Hajitin and he stood up with eyes filled to the brim with admiration. Hajitin gave a small bow, "I apologize for my rude weing earlier. Please, allow me to act as your guide as a sincere way to make up for my personal error of judgment" there was not a hint of arrogance or any kind of threat hidden within his voice. Those epted by the great Seer were all exceptional people and could not possibly have any bad intentions. Even though he was a proud head warrior, at the end of the day he was still a man who knew when to admit his faults. Izroth gave a slight nod to show his approval. He could not me Hajitin for doing what he felt was only protecting his vige from potential danger. Would Izroth be so shallow as to hold a grudge against him for defending what he loved? The answer was obviously no. "I would propose for all of you to stay as a guest, but you must leave at once as the Seer requested. I can only offer you the best of luck on your journey. May the goddess Heltiaa protect and guide you" the Great Elder spoke in a solemn voice. Hajitin hurriedly moved to the exit of the building, showing a sense of urgency. Izroth, Halls, Luna, and Scarlet all stood up to their feet and followed after him. "I wonder what¡¯s at the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯. Since this is an S-ranked quest, do you think we¡¯ll end up fighting a Loch Ness monster or something?" Halls was curious and excited as they headed into the forest. "This quest has been a bit too easy for an S-ranked quest. I fear that we have yet toe to the truly difficult part..." Luna spoke in a low voice. Izroth believed that Luna was correct. Everything up to this point has been so easy that if all S-ranked quest were like this then wouldn¡¯t it be a little too simple? He felt as though the true battle was going to start very soon. As the group advanced deeper and deeper into the forest, they noticed that they were not running into any monsters. It was as if there was some unknown force keeping them away, or that they just simply did not exist at all within this forest. But that could not be the case since the vigers made the inside of that building floor with the fur of multiple beasts. Scarlet couldn¡¯t help but to inquire of Hajitin, "Hey, why haven¡¯t wee across any monsters yet? Are there none in this forest?" Hajitin shook his head, "There are indeed monsters in this forest, but this is the path to the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯. No monsters would dare to trespass on such a holy pathway, it brings about a natural source of fear for them". As the group was walking on the path towards the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯, Izroth decided to check on the progress of the skill being processed by the system. It would not be much longer until it was 24 hours from the moment the system first started generating the skill. He tried to circte that mysterious energy which resembled spiritual essence in the same way as cultivating the ¡¯Boundless Emperor Void Perfection¡¯ heavenlyw. Not too long after he received a system alert! Ding! The system cannot generate this skill at the moment! Ding! The original time required is insufficient to generate this skill... Processing... Ding! The data required to form this skill is limited by system parameters! Ding! Because you possess the skill ¡¯Breaker of Limits¡¯ system parameters have been bypassed! Ding! This skill processing time has been increased to 30 Days! Izroth had a helpless look on his face and issued a small sigh when he saw the massive increase in processing time. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to just be 24 hours? How did it be 30 days all of a sudden? Just as he was trying toprehend what was going on, he heard Hajitin speak, "We¡¯re here. This is as far as I¡¯m permitted to go. Please be cautious on your way there. While there are no monsters that would dare to attack you while on the path to the ¡¯Lake of Tears¡¯ you should still be careful" Izroth pushed it to the back of his mind for now and there was nothing he could do about it. "Well, I suppose I¡¯ll just have to wait out the 30 days and see how things turn out" Izroth thought to himself. Even though he was a bit disappointed it wasn¡¯t as though he would not receive it at some point. Hajitin gave a slight bow, "May the great Seer guide you" he then turned around and proceeded back towards the path they just came from. To be honest, he was tempted to disobey the Great Elder and rush onward to help them. However, he was not chosen and he just had to ept that fact. Izroth and the party continued forward following the path ahead, but then something unusual happened. It was as though they passed through some type of gel as the atmosphere around them seemed to have shifted from one ne of existence to another. When looking back they could see a ripple in the air simr to as if someone tossed a stone onto the calm surface of some water. "Woah... What was that?" Halls imagined that was exactly how it would feel to swim through a pool filled up with lead instead of water. It felt heavy while on the inside but as soon as your body came out onto the other side it felt incredibly light. "I think this is the reason why Hajitin said he could not follow us all the way... It may be some kind of protective barrier that only allows certain things or people to pass" Luna spected. To Izroth it wasparable to a boundary rift from the seven realms. Its purpose was to separate a ne of existence into two different parts while maintaining the natural connection. It was usually used by powerful beings to hide away from the world due to just wanting to be isted, or because someone was after them. He thought to himself, "With the power to see into the future, one would have many people after them" "I¡¯m going to scout ahead a bit, wait here for a little while" Halls said holding out his shield in front of him and moving forward through the trees. If there was any danger then he was confident enough that he would be able to retreat or at least hold off until everyone else managed toe to his aid. Scarlet was silently observing Izroth the entire time. Of course, he felt her staring at him but decided to not pay it any mind. There was no chance that she would cause trouble at this point under such unknown circumstances. Scarlet thought to herself, "What was that strange energy a few moments ago... I don¡¯t remember seeing anything like that in-..." her train of thought was soon interrupted by a shout from within front of her. It was Halls who went to scout out the area ahead and what he saw was extraordinary! "You all have toe and look at this!" Halls urged the group onward waving them over with his hands. Everyone walked over and saw an elegant scenery. There was argeke with crystal clear water, it appeared as if not even a single drop of impurity was within it. There was a small temple with steps leading up into it. Even though the temple was small, it still gave off a divine and majestic aura as if it were above the realm of mortals. On the very top of the temple was a statue of a beautiful woman whose appearance transcended that of a human and she could only be called a goddess. That¡¯s exactly what that statue was, the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa. Luna pointed over in the direction of the temple, "That statue on top is simr to the one I saw before at the clerics building. I think that must be the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa that the Seer was talking about. She has to be inside that temple or somewhere nearby" Izroth nodded and began to walk towards the temple, "Then we should go check it out". There were no monsters in sight and it wasn¡¯t as though Tererestiaa was going to personally invite them here just to attack them. A few momentster the group all arrived in front of the small temple. "I have been expecting all of you" a voice sounded out from within the temple. Not too long afterward, a woman resembling that of a pure maiden appeared at the top of the temple steps. There was a pair of blindfolds covering her eyes as if to blind them from the lies and impurities of the world. She had pure silky ck hair that reached all the way down to her ankles and she gave off a divine aura as if she were blessed by a great deity. "I am the Seer, Tererestiaa. We finally meet, brave adventurers" a smile soon found its way onto the face of Tererestiaa. Chapter 36 Seer Tererestiaa The party all recognized the Seer as the person whose face appeared within that vortex of energy back at the ¡¯Vige of Tears¡¯. The only major difference was the level of divine and holy aura that flowed endlessly from her being as if trying to purify everything in the world, it was much stronger standing within her actual presence! Soon an alert from the system went off for Izroth, Luna, and Halls. Ding! ¡¯1/1 Find the Seer Tererestiaa¡¯ has beenpleted for the quest ¡¯Journey to the Seer¡¯! "Please,e in" Tererestiaa turned and went back into the temple. She was moving so naturally as if she were not blind at all, but rather possessed perfect vision. Izroth was the first to start walking up the steps and into the temple with the party following behind him. When Izroth and the party passed through the entrance of the temple, they felt a surprisingly rejuvenating aura wash over their entire bodies. Ding! You have entered the ¡¯Temple of Heltiaa¡¯! Ding! Your HP regeneration has been increased by 1000% while inside the temple! Ding! Your MP regeneration has been increased by 1000% while inside the temple! "I feared that this day would soone... I prayed every moment for the visions I saw to be a lie but... This power that many seek out willingly is a curse for the corrupted mortal mind" Tererestiaa spoke as she strolled through the hall of the temple. The inside of the temple was simple and refined. There were no fancy statues or grand carpets rolled out, just a simple pillow ced at the end of the hall with a small table nearby. On top of that table was a miniature statue of the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa. Tererestiaa took a seat on the pillow in an elegant manner and said, "My apologies for not preparing proper seats for you, but you will not stay here long for you are needed elsewhere" her voice drifted throughout the silent temple hall. Izroth gave a small nod, "We havee here to retrieve an item that a man named Term-" but before Izroth could even finish speaking Tererestiaa cut him off mid-sentence. "I know why you havee. The man named Terminus saved my life once and brought me to this ce. It was fate that the two of us crossed paths... However, even though he has once saved my life, I cannot go against the wheel of fate. I cannot give you the item" she shook her head to show that she was helpless to do anything about it. She couldn¡¯t give them the item? Then, had theye all this way just to be sent back empty-handed? Wouldn¡¯t they fail the quest that way? Halls frowned when he heard the words of the Seer, "Then, why did you guide us here?" he felt as though they were being toyed with by Tererestiaa. She said she was expecting them to visit and even led the party here, but now she was saying that she won¡¯t hand over the item? What kind of nonsense was that? But the Seer kept quiet not responding to Halls question. Izroth also frowned but he felt there was more to this than the Seer was letting on. "Then if you cannot give us the item, does that mean it is not currently within your possession yet know of its location?" A lovely smile appeared on the face of the Seer when she heard Izroth¡¯s response. Most people would lose their temper after having been on a journey for so long only to be told they could not have the item. However, he maintained a cool and clear head which made Tererestiaa¡¯s impression of him improve greatly. "You are correct. I cannot give you the item because I do not have it, however, I do know of its location and how to obtain it" Tererestiaa spoke in a calm and gentle tone. Halls felt a little ashamed by his trail of thoughts. When he truly stopped to think about it for a second it made sense. Wouldn¡¯t it be too easy for an S-ranked quest if they just had to talk to someone, get the item, and then return to Amaharpe? "The item you seek lies near, beyond the realm of this world and into another... The realm of the Shadahi, or as you call them, demons. If the Shadahi are released then... I fear the world as we know it will change forever..." Tererestiaa looked to be calm on the outside, but as she recalled the visions she saw of the terrible destruction that the Shadahi would unleash upon the world... She sped her hands together tightly praying to the goddess Heltiaa, "All-seeing mother... Please grant your humble servant the strength to endure in order to do your will..." she spoke in a low voice, but since the hall was so quiet everyone currently present could hear her clearly. Beforeing here, all of them with the exception of Izroth thought that the power to see into the future was cool and amazing. How marvelous would it be if such power existed in reality? However, the truth was far different from what they were making it out to be. They only thought of seeing personal things like maybe the winning numbers to a contest or if an event was going to go well for them. But... If they had to deal with seeing not only the pleasant visions but also the gruesome and dark visions, it would feel as though it were a curse more than a gift. Izroth waited until Tererestiaa finished and ced her hands back into herp before saying, "Then, the sooner we leave the better is it not?" "That is the case... But everything is up to fate. Even the very time you spend here is all for a reason" she held her hand out and within her palm appeared a white sphere without a single blemish ced upon it and the item almost looked simr to the full moon on Earth. "This item will allow you to cross to and from the realm of the Shadahi. Without it, you will be lost forever within their world. You must take care of it and return it to me when you recover the item from their realm. If you do not, then the bnce will be broken and a permanent rift will appear between this world and that of the Shadahi¡¯s" Tererestiaa spoke with a serious tone of voice. "You have my word, the item will be returned to you once we recover the... What item are we recovering?" Izroth noticed that everyone kept referring to it was ¡¯the item¡¯ or ¡¯special item¡¯ but he honestly had no clue what he was looking for. What if he grabbed the wrong item by mistake? Or if he had to keep going back and forth through the realms in order to verify if he¡¯d found the correct item? Tererestiaa shook her head, "This is information I do not possess for it changes its form every time it appears throughout history. Thest time it was a ring, and the time before that it was a sacred tree branch. The only one who will recognize its true form is the one it calls for. You brave adventurer, are the sole individual capable of recovering the item, for it is not fated with another". Izroth assumed that everyone just liked to purposely speak in riddles when it came to the item, but as it turns out none of them even knew what it looked like. How troublesome! Izroth could only sigh at theck of details regarding the item and would simply hope for the best. The white sphere floated over to Izroth¡¯s hands and its information was disyed before him. Magic Item: Boundary Sealing Sphere(Quest Item) Magic Item Rank: S Magic Item HP: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Magic Item ATK: 0 Magic Item DEF: 0 Usage: Seals or unseals the boundary between the Mortal ne and the Shadahi ne. This item keeps the bnce between both worlds and if moved too far from the boundaries will lead to a disaster. Special Note: If one is not within the vicinity of the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯ while within a realm not belonging to them, they will be rejected and lost between the boundaries forever. This effect willst for as long as the seal remains intact. Izroth set the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯ into his inventory and then went on to ask, "Where is the boundary that connects the two nes located?" after he saw the description of the item he developed a much better understanding of the matter. Tererestiaa stood to her feet, "Follow me" she did not walk out of the temple but instead touched the palm of her hand against the miniature statue of the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa. The whole temple shook violently as if it were going to crumble and fall apart but instead, a pathway opened up in the floor leading deep underground. Tererestiaa walked down the path that was lit up by some magic stones embedded into the side walls. Izroth, Luna, Halls, and Scarlet all apanied the Seer down the pathway and soon after the entrance that led down into it closed tightly. "Man... A small temple is sitting on top of this giant thing...?" Halls mumbled to himself. The underground area was at least 30 times the size of the small temple that they had just left from. Embedded into the stone walls were many magic stones glowing with soft lights and at the very center of the underground room was a magic circle with many weird symbols that emitted a divine power. At the core of the magic circle was a giant lock with chains that looked impossible to break using brute strength alone. "These are the ¡¯Chains of Mazi¡¯ made from a divine metal that has the power to seal away anything. The only way to bypass it is with the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯ that is now in your hands, brave adventurer" Tererestiaa spoke as they arrived at the front of the magic circle. Izroth removed the item from his inventory and held it out towards the circle. Not too long after, many tiny white lines started to emerge from the sphere and prate directly into the magic circle. There were thousands of little white lines weaving back and forth as if they were crafting something. The group was amazed by what was taking ce. It looked like a beautiful dance of white threads weaving together an artistic masterpiece! An image began to form into an oval-shaped portal and it did not show what was waiting for them on the other. "Go now and find what it is that you seek. If you are sessful, we may have a chance at dying or even stopping the release of the Shadahi" the Seer said in a grave tone. Izroth nodded, "We shall return soon" he did not hesitate and stepped through the portal. Right after him Halls followed, then Luna and finally Scarlet. When all of them entered into the portal it closed behind them and things went back to the way they were as if it never existed to begin with. Tererestiaa sped her hands together tightly, "May the all-seeing goddess Heltia protect you all..." ... When Izroth and his party entered into the portal, the experience was like their whole body was being sucked into a ck hole as if there was no escape once they were inside. What appeared before the group was a deste dark and cold world with no moon or sun in the sky. But strangely the world was lit by a constant red hue and they had no problem seeing. "So the item we¡¯ve been looking for is in this location...?" Halls was examining his surroundings. This world made a wastnd look like a paradise inparison. "Something feels really off about this ce..." Luna furrowed her brows as she looked up at where the sky was supposed to be, but it was more like the world was just in a sphere of its own existence and nothing was beyond it. Ding! You have discovered a new realm, ¡¯Realm of the Shadahi¡¯! Ding! Since you are the first to discover a new realm you have been rewarded 100 world fame! Chapter 37 Realm of the Shadahi They had finally arrived within the realm of the Shadahi and theck of life was disturbing. There were trees with no leaves growing out of them, only rotten branches that looked as though they were ready to fall off at any moment now. In the distance, a river was flowing throughout what seemed to be the entirety of the realm, however, there was no clear water inside the river but rather a thick red liquid that resembled blood. The sight before them made the group feel uneasy. Izroth, on the other hand, had seen many worlds within the seven realms that made this ce look like a utopia and so he was not bothered by it as the others were. "How can anything survive in a world like this?" Halls was curious because there did not seem to be any kind of vegetation or even normal beast running around, it lookedpletely deserted. Luna furrowed her brows, "The Shadahi are demons ording to Tererestiaa, therefore they may not necessarily need the same things we do to survive. After all, some creatures evolve over time to adapt to their surroundings. I do not understand the full backstory of these creatures, but we can at the very least expect them to be strong having to live in this hell". Izroth was scanning the environment and far off in the distance, he noticed arge pce. Others may not be able to see it from their current position, but thanks to having reached the second stage of the ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ Izroth had no troubles doing so. "There¡¯s a tremendously powerful aura of oppressioning from that pce..." Izroth thought to himself. While everyone was busy taking in their new surroundings Izroth finally spoke, "We¡¯re on a time limit and have to move out. There¡¯s a pce located not too far from here in that direction" Izroth pointed over to the west of their current position. "There¡¯s a high chance we may find some answers there". Everyone looked over in the distance where Izroth pointed to but they did not see any pce at all. Scarlet frowned and had her doubts because she could not see anything at all where he was pointing at. Halls began to walk the way that Izroth pointed, even though he could not see what Izroth saw he would trust Izroth¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t that Halls blindly followed hismands, but he knew during the period of time they¡¯ve spent together that Izroth had yet to be wrong in guiding them. Halls led the way through the wastnd with Izroth following next to him and Luna in the rear along with Scarlet. After traveling for 5 minutes, they heard a low growling sound from up ahead. Halls immediately went on full guard as he began to step forward little by little until the creature growling finally came into sight. "What is that thing...?" The creature had dark red skin with piercing crimson eyes. Sharp teeth filled their mouth with row upon row, their ws looked as deadly as a de, and it was over two meters tall! Rooooooooooooooragh! The monster before them released an ear-piercing battle roar as they charged forward at full speed wanting to run straight through Halls. Name: Lesser Shadahi Patroller(Elite) Level: 16 HP: 5,000/5,000 ATK: 400 DEF: 75 AGI: 100 MAG: 200 Skills: Demonic mes(Active): Fires off a deadly demonic me dealing 200% of its magic as damage. Has a chance to inflict a ¡¯Burning¡¯ effect on the struck target. Demonic Charge(Active): Rushes in a straight line while increasing their agility by 100% during their charge and deals 150% of their attack as damage to the struck target. If the target is hit from behind they will be stunned for 2 seconds. Grasp of the Nether(Active): Locks onto and pulls any single enemy within 15 meters directly in front of them. Shadahi World Blessing(Passive): If a Shadahi is within their own realm they cannot die. Instead, they will enter a state of deep soul slumber and eventually regenerate within 1 day. Physical Resistance(Passive): Reduces all physical damage it takes by 10%. This counts as physical defense. Magic Resistance(Passive): Reduces all magic damage it takes by 10%. This counts as magical defense. It couldn¡¯t die while inside this realm? Then would they even receive any rewards from it? That was the thought on the minds of the party when they saw its skill ¡¯Shadahi World Blessing¡¯. Halls reacted swiftly, holding his shield up in front of him and activating the skill ¡¯Taunting Aura¡¯ so that the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ would focus on him. It was moving so fast that Halls was relying mostly on pure instinct to respond. He swung his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯ out to retaliate against the creature. BLOCKED! -250 HP! 1,250/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) -59 HP! 4,941/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) The Shadahi did not stop there though, as pitch ck mes formed in the palm of its hand and it punched right at Halls causing him to slide back and take arge amount of damage! Halls could not help but feel extremely frustrated by hisck of damage. However, he understood that when he reached level 20 that would be when his ss started to truly shine. Although he had a few damage skills, most of them required specific circumstances to do any real damage. -400 HP! 850/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) What a deadly assault! In just a few moments Halls lost almost half of his HP from two attacks alone. Luna cast a new skill she picked up when visiting the cleric ss teacher in Amaharpe. ¡¯Healing Essence¡¯ and instantly after that, she cast the ¡¯Cure¡¯ skill on Halls as well. Skill Name: Healing Essence Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 12 Cleric Mana Cost: 70 Cast Time: Instant Active: Heals an allied target for 10% of the user¡¯s ¡¯Healing Factor¡¯ +2% of the allied target¡¯s max HP every 3 seconds for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 25 seconds +75 HP! +225 HP! 1,150/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) At the exact same time that the Shadahi struck Halls with its ¡¯Demonic mes¡¯, Izroth had already unsheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ and around it was a light milky blue aura apanied by an oppressive force. He was using ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯ along with ¡¯Sword Aura¡¯ and aimed at the small opening on the neck of the Shadahi. However, the Shadahi did not try to dodge and instead took the attack head-on. In doing so it managed to prevent its neck from being hit... Or so it thought. Izroth adjusted his swing mid-air changing its trajectory. It was as though his sword could bend and twist to find its way through the enemy defenses. Having encountered so many battles thus far, Izroth was finally getting used to his new body and was able to move much more freely within it. He thought to himself, "I feel as though I¡¯m not far frompletely adjusting to this new body... The ¡¯Heavenly Golden Body¡¯ sped up the process much faster than I believed it originally would..." The tip of Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ slid across the neck of the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ and forced it to jump back and distance itself. Critical Hit! -2,201 HP! 2,740/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) Everyone¡¯s jaws nearly dropped to the floor when they saw the damage number... That was over 2,000 damage! Izroth was only level 12 and already dealt much more damage than a level 15 mage like Scarlet. Maybe even yers at level 20 would not be able topete with that amount of damage! Scarlet eyes widened when she saw that number and her face turned extremely gloomy. She could no longer keep trying to make excuses and convince herself that he was just lucky or a little skilled. With that one strike, it was probably enough to kill any yer on the server in one hit at the moment! Scarlet knew that if she fought against Izroth even with the help of the other 3 members, even though they were an overall higher level it would be aplete massacre. She was grinding her teeth out of frustration. "That guy better be thankful for this... I swear he¡¯ll owe me next time!" Scarlet thought to herself as a spear engulfed in mes appeared in front of her. "ming Spear!" the spear flew out towards the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ piercing it through and causing it to roar out in more pain. At the same time, Scarlet tapped her staff against the ground lightly using the skill ¡¯Ignite¡¯ to light the body of the Shadahi on fire. Rooooooooooargh! -483 HP! -70 HP! 2,187/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) The ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ was enraged by how much damage it had taken in such a brief period of time. It raised its right hand forward and dark purple aura appeared around it forming into a demonic purple w of pure energy. This w shot out towards Izroth and pulled him directly in front of the Shadahi. Even though Izroth saw the skilling, for some reason it was as though he could not avoid it. There was some kind of force of suppression that locked him into ce as the w grabbed him. Soon as Izroth appeared in front of the creature itshed out aiming to tear Izroth into little pieces. Halls may have used ¡¯Taunting Aura¡¯ to pull the aggro onto him earlier, but 2,000 damage was just too much and made Izroth the main focus of the Shadahi now. Halls was feeling gloomy at the moment. The worse thing a tank could do is not maintain aggro after they had it. But how could anyone think of ming Halls for losing aggro? Izroth¡¯s damage was simply too high for him to do anything about this early into the game. After all, the skills he currently possessed to draw in aggro were limited. Izroth did not panic when the Shadahi pulled him in using it¡¯s ¡¯Grasp of the Nether¡¯ skill. Just as its w was about to tear into Izroth¡¯s body he vanished into thin air. Everyone was surprised when they saw Izroth disappear. Were Combat Masters also capable of learning stealth skills like rogues? The skill Izroth used was ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯. It wasn¡¯t that he vanished, but rather he turned into a shadow and sessfully evaded the iing attack. The ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ seemed to be confused as to where its target went. But since it currently had no target, it turned its attention back to Halls who was the second highest on its threat list and rushed straight towards him using its ¡¯Demonic Charge¡¯ skill. However, midway during its rush, a shadow appeared at its back forming into a person. A blurry streak shed across the back of the creature resembling a snake quickly biting into its prey. Izroth exited from his shadow form early and used the skill ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯. With his agility increased from using ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯, he was able to easily catch up to the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ in the middle of its charge and stop it dead in its tracks. -54 HP! -70 HP! (Scarlet¡¯s Ignite) 2,063/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ¡¯Paralyzed¡¯ Lesser Shadahi Patroller for 1.5 seconds! As Izroth ¡¯Paralyzed the Shadahi, Scarlet ¡¯Fireball¡¯ spell had finally finished charging up as it soon after shot out and smashed into the body of the creature. Izroth did not halt his assault as he shed towards the head of the Shadahi with his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ as it was being followed by a phantom. ¡¯Phantom Strike¡¯. -263 HP! (Scarlet¡¯s Fireball) -70 HP! (Scarlet¡¯s Ignite) Critical Hit! -257 HP! Critical Hit! -419 HP! 1,124/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) The ¡¯Paralyzed¡¯ effect on the Shadahi faded away as its hand was covered in a demonic me while turning around and punching behind its back. However, it hit nothing but air as Izroth had already retreated to a safe distance. Halls waved his ¡¯Shadow Fang Sword¡¯ out in front of him unleashing the built-in skill, ¡¯Shadow Pressure¡¯! Since it ignored all physical defenses, it would deal a total of 210 damage over 3 seconds and ¡¯Fear¡¯ the Shadahi during that time frame. The ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ could not survive that onught during the time it was ¡¯Feared¡¯. The damage of Scarlet¡¯s ¡¯Ignite¡¯ skill was still ticking away at its HP as she cast another ¡¯Fireball¡¯. Izroth also pushed forward and struck out at the Shadahi¡¯s vital point with his ¡¯Fissuring Point¡¯ skill followed by a sh from his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. The ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ roared out in pain as its body turned into a sphere of red energy and floated high into the sky before vanishing. The creature¡¯s skill ¡¯Shadahi World Blessing¡¯ took effect and it could not die. However, not long after that, a system alert went off for the party. Ding! You have defeated ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯! Chapter 38 Isnt This A Little Impossible? Ding! You have been awarded 1,155 EXP! You have leveled up to level 13! You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up! You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up! Loot Drop: -10 silver -x1 Concentrated Demonic Beast Core -x1 True Blood of the Shadahi "The EXP these things give is amazing, it¡¯s more than a 50% increase from what the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ gave us!" Halls almost wanted to say forget the quest and focus on farming these monsters to level up. However, he understood that he would end up regretting it in the end because the quest reward included a rare piece of equipment. He was already in possession of a rare weapon and so if he received another rare item on top of that, then wouldn¡¯t he beparable to those top-ranked guild yers? He might even surpass them with gear alone! "It¡¯s because the ¡¯Valley Lurker¡¯ was, in the end, a normal type of monster. The thing we just fought was of the elite rank so naturally, it would give us more EXP and better rewards" Luna spoke while also being pleased with the amount of EXP they gained. If they kept things going at this pace then all of them should be able to level up again in no time at all. "We should hurry and loot so we can continue towards the pce. Since that creature was on patrol, if it doesn¡¯t report back at its usual time then whatever or whoever is inmand of this realm or that pce will grow suspicious" Izroth said as he sheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯. Of course, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure that they would show up in greater numbers, but it was safe to assume so given the name of the Shadahi. It would not be a problem to face one, two, or even a bit more. However, this was the realm of the Shadahi and they could not die due to the passive they possessed. Therefore, if they kept fighting and the Shadahi kepting wave after wave, not only would they fail the quest but it could lead to all of their deaths! Understanding Izroth¡¯s intentions, Halls hurriedly picked up the loot. He first divided the coins evenly giving each member, including himself, 2 silver and 50 bronze coins. As for the other two items, each person rolled for them. The ¡¯Concentrated Demonic Beast Core¡¯ went to Luna while the ¡¯True Blood of the Shadahi¡¯ found itself in the ownership of Izroth. Halls could only envy how lucky Izroth was when it came to rolling for loot. Crafting Material Name: True Blood of the Shadahi Usage: This item is used in crafting mid to high ranked potions. Adding this item to any batch of potions will increase their strength by 20%. Special Note: This item cannot be used on low ranked potions as it will overpower the entire mixture. Izroth examined the crafting material and thought that it should sell for a decent amount. He was no alchemist and so he had no use for it. "That Metronome guy might be interested in something like this" Izroth thought to himself as he ced it into his inventory. The group took a few moments to wait for Luna and Scarlet to regain their MP. Thanks to Luna¡¯s skill ¡¯Healing Essence¡¯, Halls was pretty much back to full HP by now so they did not have for too wait long. They finally started moving again heading towards that pce in the distance. 10 minutester the group could faintly see the pce just ahead of them. It was barely discernible due to a weird fluctuation of energy dancing around the whole structure. For some reason, a strong cold and oppressive aura stayed lingering within the atmosphere. Though all of them werepletely baffled when they saw the sight in front of the pce. "This... Isn¡¯t this a little impossible?" Halls eyes were widened in shock. Luna let out a long sigh, "It seems like an S-ranked quest is an S-ranked quest after all" "Hey... Shouldn¡¯t we turn back? Isn¡¯t it better to just give up instead of running to our deaths willingly?" Scarlet spoke with a gloomy expression on her face. She did not want to go into that monstrosity down below and end up dead! Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the scene before him. In front of the pce was arge group of Shadahi numbering within the thousands! It appeared as though not even a drop of water would be allowed to prate through their defenses. Izroth felt that with his ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and ¡¯Shadow Movement¡¯ he would have no trouble sneaking past all of the Shadahi without them being aware. However, there were two things wrong with that n. The first was obvious and that was the fact the party would not be able toe along with him if he were to do that. The second thing wrong was he held no clues as to what lied inside the pce. Even if he did make it inside unscathed, he would have no way of escaping if he were to be surrounded by thousands of them within the pce walls as well. Even if he was extremely confident in hisbat abilities, he did not currently possess the strength to handle thousands of enemies at once. To Izroth this all did not add up. It was only an S-ranked quest, not SS or SSS. Even though the difficulty level was supposed to be high for this kind of mission, this was obviously an impossible task for even 6 yers at level 15. Given how logical the system was, it would not assign them something that could not bepleted. "There must be another way in..." this was the thought that came across Izroth¡¯s mind. He narrowed his eyes while scrutinizing every single angle of the pce. Everyone else was looking helpless and felt that trying to continue the quest would be just as Scarlet said, running to their deaths willing. Luna was trying to think of a possible solution to the situation. Even though she could not see through things as fast as Izroth, she was still very talented when it came to thinking during difficult times. To be honest, she also felt a bit helpless but that did not mean she would give up without trying. Just as she started to form a theory simr to Izroth¡¯s, she heard a voice sound out. "There has to be another way in. I¡¯m sure of it" Izroth was the one who spoke sounding confident in his words. Luna¡¯s facial expression still appeared as though she were in deep thought as she said, "I¡¯vee to the same conclusion... There must be a hidden entrance. If not, then that means our quest objective must be in another location within the realm of the Shadahi" she felt given the heavy guard of the ce it was highly likely that this was the location they needed to visit. But, she would not totally rule out the possibility of it being the incorrect ce. "If that¡¯s the case then, where do we even begin to look?" Halls said as he started looking everywhere. This pce was enormous and if they wasted time searching all the way around it then there was a chance they would never find it before the time limit of the quest was up. Izroth thought to himself for a moment before finally deciding on their next course of action. He first put 4 stat points into his agility stat and thest remaining 2 stat points into his attack stat. With this, his agility was now at 150 and his attack went up to 200. "Stay here. I¡¯m going to search the surroundings" before anyone could even respond Izroth¡¯s figure flickered as he moved at an insane speed towards the pce. He used the skill ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ and his agility shot up to a monstrous 600. All the party could see was the slight flickering afterimages of Izroth. "How can someone be so fast...?" Halls sighed and thought how cool it must feel to move so fast. There was a small part of him that even wished he chose the Combat Master as his ss. But there was also another part of him that knew how troublesome it was to actually y such an unpredictable ss. Only people like Izroth could make it look as though it were as easy as breathing air and drinking water. Izroth only had 20 seconds so he must act quickly. He flickered throughout the outside area of the pce. The hidden entrance had to be in a location thatcked a proper guard or else it would not be hidden. Therefore, the question wasn¡¯t how he would find it, but rather when. He maintained a safe distance from the Shadahi grouped up around the pce as his eyes darted all around, "Where is it...?" he thought to himself as the time was ticking away on his skill bit by bit. As Izroth was zooming by a certain ce, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. "Found it...!" ... Halls, Luna, and Scarlet were waiting for Izroth to return from his search. Scarlet kept to herself not bothering to socialize with either of them. Luna and Halls felt a bit awkward having her around without Izroth nearby. After all, he was the one who personally invited her to join their party. But it seemed as though she had no interest in holding a conversation with them. Just as things were growing more awkward, they felt something rush past them before stopping nearby. They were all alerted and were about to defend themselves, but they noticed it was a flickering image of Izroth and so they rxed. Izroth¡¯s ¡¯Flickering Steps¡¯ finally ended as he looked normal once again. "I found the way in" he got straight to the point. The others felt relieved when they heard he¡¯d found another way in. They had a chance toplete this quest after all! "I¡¯ll lead the way" Izroth started walking but he was not going towards the pce but rather off to the side. The other party members looked a bit confused by his actions. Weren¡¯t they going away from the pce? However, since Izroth said he found the way in there was no reason to trick them. They all followed closely behind him. After walking for approximately 12 minutes, Izroth stopped in the middle of the wastnd still a bit away from the pce. Everyone was looking around for the entrance but found nothing except more wastnd. Just as someone was about to ask where the entrance was, Izroth reached down towards the ground and pulled upward revealing a small entryway. Most yers would be stumped by this part of the quest, as the path was so well hidden that if one did not have sharp senses, a skill, or stumble upon it by chance then the probability of them find this small underground door was almost 0%! "Let¡¯s go" Izroth was the first to go inside as everyone else followed in after him. It was damp within this narrow passageway, but a gentle red light lit up the entire underground path. It was strange because there was no visible source of lighting to be found anywhere nearby. A few momentster the group came upon a small door located on the ceiling with some wooden stairs leading up to it. Izroth gave Halls a slight nod as Halls moved to the front of the group and slowly opened up the small door and took a look around to make sure the area was safe to exit from. He did not see any Shadahi and so gave a thumbs up before climbing all the way out. Everyone else trailed behind and as they left the underground passageway they all received an alert from the system. Ding! You have entered the ¡¯Pce of Syxirius, The Unworthy¡¯! They had sessfully prated the defenses of the pce and arrived on the inside! Chapter 39 Palace of Syxirius, The Unworthy: Commander Ekquilore When the party climbed up into the pce, they checked the surroundings trying to figure out their current location. The room had what appeared to be stone walls with a deep green seaweed color, as well as many different shapes and sizes of cauldrons spread throughout the room that was apanied by a wretched stench. "What is this ce...? It really stinks!" Halls was the first to be hit by the smell when he left from the underground passageway. He guessed even the sewers would not smell as bad as this. "You can turn your sense of smell down through the character settings" Luna instantly turned her settings down as soon as that stench floated across her nose. She loved the realistic elements the game provided, but most people would not choose to endure such a terrible odor willingly. Scarlet already had her smell sense on low ever since they entered into this realm. The weird smell here was strange and she did not find it pleasant at all. Halls went into his character settings to turn down his sense of smell and felt much better. Izroth shook his head, "Purposely limiting your senses lowers your overall awareness" he thought to himself. This odor did not bother him at all, he was much more interested in what purpose these cauldrons served. Magic Item: Demonic Cauldron Magic Item Rank: C Magic Item HP: 1,000/1,000 Magic Item ATK: 0 Magic Item DEF: 0 Usage: Processes various materials to form a demonic brew. The uses of this demonic brew are unknown to all but the Shadahi. "We have to be inside some type of alchemy room within the pce" Izroth said as he pointed to the east side of the room. "That appears to be the only way in and out excluding the pathway we just took to get here" Izroth found theck of enemies a bit disturbing. Usually, rooms like these were always under heavy guard because it contained many precious materials or resources. However, there was not a single Shadahi in sight. But the more he thought on it the more it started to make sense. "If the Shadahi are basically demons, they most likely have a hierarchy where the strong rules over the weak. Add that on to being within the safety of their own realm and pce, it made sense to have no guards here. After all, who would dare to even think of stealing from someone far more powerful than them on the food chain?" Izroth had a feeling that the source of that strong and oppressive aura he sensed earlier was the leader of these Shadahi. Even though he was curious as to what the use of the cauldrons and the concoction inside of them was, they were on a time limit so he must firstplete the task at hand. The party started to advance towards the door with Halls and Izroth acting as the vanguard. When Halls approached the door he pulled it open with his shield protecting him. ... Deep within the ¡¯Pce of Syxirius, The Unworthy¡¯, a Shadahi that was simr in appearance to the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ was kneeling before a throne. The main difference was that this particr Shadahi was over 4 meters tall and released a much more powerful aura than the patroller. Sitting upon the throne was a huge Shadahi who was at least 10 meters tall with chains and locks around it that bore a striking resemnce to the ¡¯Chains of Mazi¡¯ which sealed the ¡¯Realm of the Shadahi¡¯ except, they were much weaker inparison. However, even though the seal was much weaker, it was still strong enough to suppress the creature who made normal Shadahi look like little children inparison. "Lord Syxirius, the boundary between our ne that the mortal ne has been bypassed!" the kneeling Shadahi spoke in a respectful manner. Its voice carried a mix of fear and awe for the powerful Shadahi it was in the presence of. The one who sat upon the throne was indeed Syxirius, the lord of this pce. He shook violently for a moment before calming down. A deep voice resonated throughout the room, "I can feel it Ekquilore...! The power of the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯... It is here!" Syxirius sounded impatient as though he was waiting for eons. "You must retrieve that sphere at all cost! With it, we will all be restored to our former strength and glory. The mortal ne will stand no chance against our invasion and you my loyal servant... You shall be handsomely rewarded by me personally!" Although Syxirius could not move from the throne thanks to the chains, he was still powerful enough to instill fear into a mighty Shadahi like the one named Ekquilore before him. That alone was a testament to his strength. If he could have such influence while being severely limited by his current state then one would only be able to imagine his true level of power. Ekquilore stood to his feet, "My lord, I shall bring you the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯. I will not fail you" he gave a deep bow before turning to leave the room after being dismissed by Syxirius. When Ekquilore left, he nced at the two ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patrollers¡¯ outside the door and said, "Go and check if anyone is missing. If they are, send someone to report back to me immediately and then start a widespread search within 35 kilometers in every direction. You can focus more within the immediate vicinity of the boundary" The two ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patrollers¡¯ left to execute the orders without question. In the world of the Shadahi, as long as one was powerful enough there was not a single being who would dare to defy them. Ekquilore let out a deep groaning sound, "My lord has been bound to the throne for many centuries already. I cannot fail him...!" he would personally go and search for the sphere. Even though he was very strong when matched against most other Shadahi, he was not worth mentioning before Syxirius. His lord was in a weakened state during this time, but he remained an insect whenparing their power. Ekquilore feared the consequences should he fail in this task as he may lose the strength granted to him by his lord. ... Izroth and his party were currently fighting against a ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯. For some reason, the Shadahi¡¯s presence seemed to have increased greatly in thest few moments of their arrival within the pce. At first, there were only a couple of Shadahi in sight, but after wandering around the pce for a while, their numbers appeared to spike out of seemingly nowhere. "Could it be they¡¯ve discovered we¡¯re here?" Izroth thought to himself as his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ slid across the neck of the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯. He understood that there was a possibility of his guess earlier about the patroller was urate and that someone knew that they were here. However, they were probably unaware of their exact location or else they would have already been overrun by the Shadahi, considering the massive numbers waiting outside the pce. If that happened, then there would be no escape! Critical Hit! -293 HP! 0/5,000 HP Remaining! (Lesser Shadahi Patroller) Ding! You have been awarded 1,155 EXP! Loot Drop: -10 silver This was already the 7th Shadahi they ran into so far within a 25 minute period. If they kept going at this pace even though they would gain great EXP, their MP and HP would be unable to hold up. The party would end up going through all of their potions without having the slightest chance to rest and eventually be ughtered. Luna furrowed her brows, "We have to get out of these halls and find a proper ce to recover. If we keep going on like this then I¡¯ll ultimately run out of MP" the intervals between battles was currently too short and so her MP was not able to be fully restored while outside of battle fast enough. Until she received an MP regen skill that was effective while in battle she would always have to depend on potions and resting. Scarlet was slightly better off as she learned the mage ss basic MP regen skill at level 15. However, even she would run out of MP at this rate. Izroth did not have such a problem since the Combat Master ss possessed the energy stat which was constantly being restored even during the middle of a fight. He also did not have to worry about taking much damage due to his reaction speed and high agility. However, other sses besides the rogue did not have the same advantage of having an energy stat. "We¡¯ll try to find an empty room to stop and rest in. Though we do not know for sure if at this point any rooms will be empty" Izroth spoke while continuing to move forward. For now, they could only fight and survive. Halls picked up the silver coins before dividing it between all of them and took the lead in front of the group. The way this pce was structured made it difficult to navigate but thankfully Izroth seemed to remember all the different routes they took so that their party never ran in circles. Izroth suddenly sensed a strong presence nearby. But it was a challenge trying to figure out its exact location because of the interference of whatever or whoever was releasing that strong and oppressive aura he felt when they first arrived in the pce. Just as he was about to warn everyone- "This pce is just simply too big. We¡¯ll be searching forever in this -" as Halls was speaking and turned a corner he bumped into something solid. "Be careful!" Izroth warned Halls when he finally managed to lock onto its position, but it was already toote. Halls blinked a few times before lifting his head up and while doing so his face began to turn quite unsightly. He swiftly lifted up his shield, but before he could fullyprehend the situation and properly block, he was knocked away over 10 meters tumbling across the of the hallway like a rag doll by a huge dark red fist with a pair of ws. -800 HP! 450/1,500 HP Remaining! (Halls) Everyone was shocked when they saw Halls flying across the hallway and crashing into the floor. Their facial expressions turned dark when they saw the amount of damage that thing did. This was the worse possible time to run into this kind of monster! Luckily Halls HP was not too low or else he would have died in one shot. Izroth narrowed his eyes at the creature before them. It was a Shadahi but it was more than twice the size of the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ and obviously much strong. He unsheathed his ¡¯Nameless de¡¯ and charged at the Shadahi keeping his movements simple yet unpredictable with each step. "What¡¯s this? Little bugs wandering inside the castle of my lord Syxirius? Hand over the sphere!" the one who spoke was Ekquilore, amander and loyal servant of Syxirius, The Unworthy. These intruders must¡¯ve been the same group who killed one of the ¡¯Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯ outside the pce. They had to be the people in possession of the ¡¯Boundary Sealing Sphere¡¯ as there was currently no other way into their realm for mortals. Name: (Weakened)Commander Ekquilore(Rare Boss) Level: 17 HP: 25,000/25,000 ATK: 600 DEF: 100 AGI: 150 MAG: 300 Skills: Demonic Hellfire(Active): Rains down a demonic hellfire dealing 50% of its magic as damage every 2 seconds for 6 seconds within a 25 meters radius. Demonic Press(Active): Swings outward with theirrge fist at a target enemy dealing 150% of its attack as damage. The enemy hit with this skill will suffer a ¡¯Knockback¡¯ effect, the stronger the attack the longer the distance of the ¡¯Knockback¡¯. Demonic Suppression(Active): Randomly stuns a single enemy target within a 30 meters range for 2 seconds. Shadahi World Blessing(Passive): If a Shadahi is within their own realm they cannot die. Instead, they will enter a state of deep soul slumber and eventually regenerate within 1 day. Physical Resistance(Passive): Reduces all physical damage it takes by 15%. This counts as physical defense. Magic Resistance(Passive): Reduces all magic damage it takes by 15%. This counts as magical defense. Power of the Seal(Passive): At random intervals, the ¡¯Commander Ekquilore¡¯ will be unable to act for 6 seconds due to the power of the seal ced upon his lord Syxirius who he draws his strength from. During this period of time, all of its defenses are ineffective and damage dealt to ¡¯Commander Ekquilore¡¯ is increased by 100%. This was the power of the Shadahi creature in a weakened state? How strong were they at their peak strength? Those were the questions going through their minds at that moment as Halls stood up and rushed back towards the battle. He was feeling somewhat gloomy after being flicked away like nothing by this Shadahi. ¡¯Commander Ekquilore¡¯ spread his hand into a palm trying to crush Izroth into a paste. Izroth quickly kicked off his left foot and ran up the wall inside the hallway. He used the skill ¡¯Wall Walking¡¯ to avoid the palm of the Shadahi before stepping off the wall and flying over the head of the ¡¯Commander Ekquilore¡¯ and used ¡¯Serpent¡¯s Bite¡¯. Izroth¡¯s leg moved like that of a snake as it struck towards the neck of the huge Shadahi. Critical Hit! -170 HP! 24,830/25,000 HP Remaining! (Commander Ekquilore) Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ¡¯Paralyzed¡¯ Commander Ekquilore for 1.5 seconds! Izroth knew from the moment he saw the ¡¯Commander Ekquilore¡¯ and its abilities, that this would be his most challenging fight yet. Chapter 40 Isnt This Boss Fight A Little Too Easy? ... The Shadahi were different from other monsters and beast within RML due to one major thing; the way they increased their power. Most demonic existences do not evolve like the Shadahi, which is why long ago the divine beings beyond the firmament split the mortal ne and Shadahi ne into two separate parts. The all-seeing goddess Heltiaa along with Mazi the god of craft and many other divine beings, worked together to imprison "him". However, since "he" was too powerful to kill or banish from the mortal ne, they could only use the ?Chains of Mazi?. The ?Chains of Mazi? was crafted from a divine material that could seal anything including divine beings, but even with such a formidable force suppressing "him", the seal would notst for an eternity as it was supposed to. What made the Shadahi unique was the fact that they were all given life by the same existence. As long as that existence remains sealed, the source of their power would be severely limited. However, there was one item that if its energy was harnessed correctly, could remove a Shadahi¡¯s weakened state and bypass the seal ced upon "him" in order to directly draw strength from the source. Syxirius drew his strength directly from "him". Ekquilore, however, received his power from Syxirius and this dilution of power continued all the way down to the bottom of the Shadahi food chain. The reason Syxirius wanted the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? was so that he and every Shadahi under him would be restored to full power and if that happened then the seal ced upon "him" within the mortal ne would also naturally weaken. Syxirius was sitting upon his throne, locked in ce by a weaker version of the ?Chains of Mazi?. He was growing impatient and felt that he would soon be freed from his imprisonment. He thought to himself, "If the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? is here, then that means the ?Relic of Power? has been unleashed..." an evil grin formed on his face. "That terrifying thing carries the blood of the great one within it, so those polluted by its power will have only one task... Ha... Muwahahaha! MUWHAHAHA!" the entire pce began to violently shake as if it were going to copse from the pressure. Syxirius calmed down trying not to get too excited, "They shall be the one who will free the great one!" ... As Halls charged forward, Luna cast ?Healing Essence? once and ?Cure? twice to bring his HP back to a safe point. She used a total of 150 MP within just 2-3 seconds and so quickly removed a ?Lesser Mana Potion? from her inventory and drank it to regain some MP back. ?+75 HP? [Healing Essence] ?+225 HP? [Cure] ?+225 HP? [Cure] ?975/1,500 HP Remaining? [Halls] ?+100 MP? [Lesser Mana Potion] ?415/625 MP Remaining? [Luna] Just as Izroth¡¯s ?Nameless de? was about to pass by the neck of Commander Ekquilore, the whole pce began to shake violently throwing everyone off bnce, even the huge Shadahi before them. Izroth¡¯s sword just missed Commander Ekquilore¡¯s vital point as he sliced into their chest area. However, Izroth adjusted himself midair and quickly used ?Phantom Strike? to urately strike the neck of Commander Ekquilore, making his sword sh out twice in quick session. ?85 Damage? [Basic Attack] ?Critical Hit: 255 Damage? [Phantom Strike] ?Critical Hit: 425 Damage? [Phantom Strike] ?96% HP Remaining? [Commander Ekquilore] ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore is no longer ?Paralyzed?¡µ As the ?Paralyzed? effect ended on Commander Ekquilore, Halls was back within fighting range and used ?Taunting Aura? to pull the focus of attacks onto him. The same time that took ce, a zing ball of fire soared through the air and crashed into the body of Commander Ekquilore. Scarlet shot off a ?Fireball? and was getting ready to instantly follow it with her ?Ignite? skill, however, just before she was about to cast it she felt an unbearable pressure fall upon her. "Weak mortals!" Commander Ekquilore unleashed a deadly aura of suppression from his body as it engulfed Scarlet and locked her into ce. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Scarlet is ?Stunned? for 2 seconds¡µ Afterward, the temperature within the atmosphere seemed to skyrocket and everyone felt as though they were being boiled alive. Scarlet was already cursing her bad luck to be the first one hit by that stun ability, but she did not even have time to finish doing so before another unfortunate event took ce. Izroth could sense that something was about to happen and instantly retreated. Soon after, the hallway was covered in pitch ck mes that raged about. Luna was smart enough to retreat a few meters back. Judging from the heat filling the atmosphere this was definitely the ?Demonic Hellfire? skill. Luna was not too far away from the limit of its range and so only had to retreat a few meters back. Scarlet, however, was unlucky enough to be the target of Commander Ekquilore¡¯s ?Demonic Suppression?. She was unable to retreat to a safe distance since her ?Fireball? skill required her to be within 20 meters of the target in order to cast it. ?249 Damage? [Fireball] ?95% HP Remaining? [Commander Ekquilore] Halls understood that he did not have the agility to escape in time, so he could only make the best of it and use one of his emergency skills. After all, this boss hit way too hard for him to leave anything to chance. His body became cloaked in a soft light blue energy, but even though it appeared to be soft it was actually a sturdy defensive aura. This was one of the new abilities he learned after reaching Amaharpe, ?Shielding Guardna?. With this skill stacked on top of Luna¡¯s ?Healing Essence?, the damage from the ?Demonic Hellfire? was almostpletely negligible. Skill Name: Shielding Guardna Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 13 Warrior, ¡¯Shield¡¯ Equipped Active: Reduces all iing damage by 35% for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes Description: Do not let its soft appearance fool you, this defensive skill is extremely sturdy and difficult to prate. ?98 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ?+75 HP? [Healing Essence] ?952/1,500 HP Remaining? [Halls] ?150 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ?510/660 HP Remaining? [Scarlet] Halls and Scarlet were struck by the mes. However, Izroth and Luna were sessful in retreating out of range in time. Luckily the skill was not instant and possessed a small time window in order to retreat for those close enough to the edge of the skill range, or fast enough to sprint out of it like Izroth. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Scarlet is no longer ?Stunned?¡µ The ?Stunned? effect finally ended on Scarlet and she immediately cast ?Mana Shield? to protect herself from further damage. It was toote to move out of the attack range for her and so she could only take the remaining damage andunch a counterattack. Skill Name: Mana Shield Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 13 Mage Mana Cost: 75 Cast Time: Instant Active: Creates a shield of mana around the caster equal to 150% of the user¡¯s magic that absorbs iing damage for up to 15 seconds. Cooldown: 45 seconds Thanks to her ?Mana Shield? skill, Scarlet receive no loss of HP from the final two ticks of the ?Demonic Hellfire? damage. After the 6 seconds passed, Commander Ekquilore became motionless as the fire within the hallway began to vanish. ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has been affected by ?Power of the Seal? for 6 seconds¡µ When the party received the battle alert, all of their eyes instantly turned fierce. This was the exact moment they were waiting for. Izroth was the first to act using ?Flickering Steps? to get back into attack range instantly. His ?Nameless de? was already covered in a light milky blue aura with an oppressive aura following behind its sh. How could he let this opportunity slip away? He aimed for the head of Commander Ekquilore showing no mercy in his assault, using ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? and ?Sword Aura? in abination attack. At the same time, Scarlet was furious at the monster for choosing her as a target. She would use this chance to take her revenge. A ming spear took form in front of her and a few momentster streaked across the sky, piercing into the body of Commander Ekquilore. She then tapped her staff against the floor as his body was engulfed in a ze of fire. Scarlet used the skills ?ming Spear? and ?Ignite? during its increased damage state. Halls also took the opportunity to use the skill ?Shadow Pressure? attached to his ?Shadow Fang Sword?. The HP of Commander Ekquilore fell rapidly from the barrage of attacks. The most ridiculous amount of damage was dealt by Izroth. ?Critical Hit: 5,600 Damage? [First Baneful Sword: Destruction/Sword Aura] ?1,073 Damage? [ming Spear] ?156 Damage? [Ignite] ?140 Damage? [Shadow Pressure] ?67% HP Remaining? [Commander Ekquilore] 6 secondster... ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore is no longer affected by ?Power of the Seal?¡µ By the time Commander Ekquilore¡¯s ?Power of the Seal? state ended, its HP had dropped all the way down to 55%! The fact that it¡¯s HP fell by such arge chunk within only 6 seconds... Everyone had the same exact thought on their minds at that moment and couldn¡¯t help but to frown inwardly. Isn¡¯t this boss fight a little too easy? Izroth frowned while continuing his assault using ?Flickering Steps?, he could not help but think to himself, "Something feels really off about this fight..." this boss was much tougher and stronger than any of the previous monsters he fought. He had a feeling that this fight would be a challenge, yet that was not the case at all. Izroth trusted his intuition when it came to things like this because it was nearly always right. Even though they all had this bad premonition, none of them stopped attacking. They were shaving away at the HP of Commander Ekquilore. 50%... 40%... 30%... 25%... When the Commander Ekquilore¡¯s HP reached the 25% mark, something happened that made everyone¡¯s facial expression slightly change. Approaching from down the hall were a total of eight Shadahi. It was not the Lesser Shadahi Patroller that they were used to fighting against, but rather a different type of creature. Name: Shadahi Crawler(Normal) Level: 16 HP: 350/350 ATK: 0 DEF: 0 AGI: 130 MAG: 0 Skills: ??? When the group saw the stats of the Shadahi Crawler they all rxed. If it were a group of eight Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡¯s then they would be in a difficult situation, however, those creatures could be totally ignored because they possessed no attack or magic. The only notable thing about them was their high agility stat, but what was the use of that if they could not even deal any damage? However, this was still a boss fight after all so they would notpletely let their guard down. The only person weary was Izroth. He believed that these creatures did not just happen toe across them by chance. Although he did not move to attack them immediately, he still paid close attention to them so that if anything unexpected urred he would be able to react properly. Just as Halls was moving to intercept the Shadahi Crawlers so that their focus would fall onto him, they ran right past him without attacking and instead jumped at Commander Ekquilore. Everyone was shocked, but something happened next that made all their faces turn dark. As soon as the eight Shadahi Crawlerstched onto the body of Commander Ekquilore, they dissipated into nothingness as though he was absorbing them. ?+5,000 HP? ?+5,000 HP? ?+5,0... In only an instant, Commander Ekquilore¡¯s HP was restored to full. Izroth let out a small sigh, he had been careless. He expected them to explode when they moved in closer or maybe even try to do something that would hinder them in some way, such as in his previous battle against the ¡¯Goblin Foreman Rthuja¡¯ when it called for those goblins mid-battle. He was fully prepared for that, however, hisck of experience in the gaming world revealed itself in moments like these. Although he possessed the memories of a hardcore gamer, he had to manually ess them and even then only the general information was useful. For example, there would be no memories of Commander Ekquilore because the original owner of this body never yed RML before. "Weak insects, I shall show you the power bestowed upon me by my lord!" Commander Ekquilore spoke in a scornful way. When Commander Ekquilore finished speaking, the party received two battle alerts from the system. ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore begins to draw in a greater power!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has entered his second phase!¡µ Chapter 41 Blessing or Curse? Definitely A Blessing! As more power flowed into Commander Ekquilore, his body began to slowly increase until he was 2 meters taller. A thin and transparent chain started to appear around his body as if it were going to suppress the sudden surge in power. It was the ?Chains of Mazi? activating, however, Commander Ekquilore¡¯s power stopped growing just before the effects of it rendered him as a greater threat, and so the transparent chains forming around him vanished. During that period of time, Izroth felt the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? within his inventory grow restless and slightly vibrate as if something were disturbing it. It was as though the item was trying to force its way out of his inventory. "Mortals, relinquish the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? so that you may die a quick and painless death, free from an eternity of suffering" Commander Ekquilore looked even more intimidating than before, but the party obviously would not listen to the words of a monster. Even more so when their only option was death! Izroth still had around 11 seconds remaining on his ?Flickering Steps?. His afterimages were constantly flickering all over the hallway as he was observing the changes that happened to Commander Ekquilore. The strange thing was that after Commander Ekquilore entered into the second stage, his stats and skills had no major changes whatsoever. The only notable difference was its increase in height and size, as well as, the stronger aura it released from its body. There was also a ????? at the bottom of its skill list. "It can¡¯t be that simple..." Izroth thought to himself as he dashed forward continuing his assault on Commander Ekquilore. He was confident that as long as he was not the target of that ?Demonic Suppression? skill, there would be no way to touch him during his current state. But, he was already careless once this fight and would not let it happen again. So he was still on guard against that unknown ????? skill Commander Ekquilore gained from its second stage. Izroth began to gather energy onto his right index fingertip aiming for the back area of this giant Shadahi. He was going to use ?Fissuring Point? to pierce through Commander Ekquilore¡¯s defenses. The way Izroth moved when he used ?Fissuring Point? was a bit strange. It was almost like when he was back in ?Opal Town? and first learned the ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? skill. It was as though he were using specific motions to practice something... After his battle in ?Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise?, Izroth discovered the best way to learn new skills was through actualbat. It had taken him a bit more than an hour to learn three C-Ranked skills while practicing it normally, however, it only took a single moment in battle to learn ?Phantom Strike?. With this in mind, he decided to test out his theory with this battle. Commander Ekquilore swung hisrge fist downward at Halls who managed to grab ahold of the aggro. Luckily, the threat level seemed to reset itself when the boss entered its second stage and Halls had the opportunity to lock the aggro onto himself. This time, he would be ready for its ?Demonic Press? attack. Izroth¡¯s damage made it extremely challenging for Halls to keep his threat level high enough. However, he found the situation to be a good learning experience overall. If he could maintain aggro with the amount of damage Izroth was dealing, then he should have no trouble doing so with anyone else. ?136 Damage? [Fissuring Point] ?99% HP Remaining? [Commander Ekquilore] ?Blocked: 400 Damage? [Demonic Press] ?1,002/1,500 HP Remaining? [Halls] This time Halls braced himself and only slid back a few steps, unlike the previous time he was hit and was knocked back over 10 meters. He used ?Taunting Aura? to further reinforce his threat level for Commander Ekquilore. As the party was fighting against Commander Ekquilore for a while, Izroth retreated back over 25 meters. Everyone was confused by his actions, but they did not halt their actions. The reason Izroth left the range of battle was due to what was taking ce within his inventory. He removed the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? from his storage and held it in the palm of his hands. "What does it want to do...?" Izroth thought to himself. The ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? was shing with a multitude of colors, drawing the attention of everyone within the hallway, especially Commander Ekquilore. When he sensed that powerful energy he knew exactly what item that was and so his eyes turned crimson red as he charged towards Izroth. ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has entered an enraged state¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore¡¯s Agility has been increased by 50%¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore¡¯s Attack and Magic has been increased by 100%¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has gained the skill ?Endless Rage?, every 1 second its Attack and Magic will increase by 5%¡µ Everyone was startled when they witnessed the battle alerts going off. Commander Ekquilore¡¯s HP had not yet approached 10%, but it still entered into an enraged state. Forget about this fight being too easy, wasn¡¯t this a little unfair? If his attack and magic increased by 5% every 1 second while it still had such a massive amount of HP, then wouldn¡¯t it be able to one shot all of them? Not to mention he also gained a boost to his agility. The threat level on Izroth appeared to rise above Halls just from his action of removing the ?Bounday Sealing Sphere? from his inventory. Not only that, but it also caused Commander Ekquilore to be enraged. It seemed as though he would do anything to obtain that item. However, even with the 50% increase to his agility, Commander Ekquilore could still not keep up with Izroth¡¯s preposterous ?600 Agility? while his ?Flickering Steps? was still active. Izroth easily avoided the iing charge and still had enough leeway to split his attention onto the sphere within his hands. The ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? was emitting a very calm energy, but behind that calmness was a ferocious power ready to devour everything before it. This was something they received personally from the Seer Tererestiaa and so whatever this item wanted to do should not be a bad thing. Little thin colorful strings of light began to dance all around the hallway within the pce. When Commander Ekquilore saw the lights he immediately he felt an unimaginable sense of danger. However, before he could even take a few steps, the thin colorful strings began to wrap around his massive body. An overbearing aura of suppression fell down upon Commander Ekquilore preventing him from taking any actions. ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has been suppressed by the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere?¡µ Izroth observed Commander Ekquilore as the thin colorful stringsing from the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? wrapped around him in an endless stream as though a caterpir was forming its cocoon in order to turn into a butterfly. Izroth did not understand what was going on, after all, there was nothing listed about this on the item¡¯s usage. But how could Izroth know that all S-ranked magic items carried with it a hidden effect that one would only be able to rely on luck in order to discover? Not even the Seer Tererestiaa knew of this hidden power within the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere?. Izroth took a moment to re-examine the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere?. Magic Item: Boundary Sealing Sphere(Quest Item) Magic Item Rank: S Magic Item HP: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Magic Item ATK: 0 Magic Item DEF: 0 Usage: Seals or unseals the boundary between the Mortal ne and the Shadahi ne. This item keeps the bnce between both worlds and if moved too far from the boundaries will lead to a disaster. Hidden Effect: This item has the power to restrain and suppress any being trying to forcefully draw power from anything or through anyone affected by the ?Chains of Mazi?. During this suppression, the target will be unable to act for 10 seconds and lose 5% of its maximum HP every 1 second. If the target is affected by ?Power of the Seal? they will also take 100% increased damage from all damage sources excluding the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? Special Note: If one is not within the vicinity of the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? while within a realm not belonging to them, they will be rejected and lost between the boundaries forever. This effect willst for as long as the seal remains intact. Commander Ekquilore struggled to break free from the bindings, however, no matter how much his strength increased it was like a small droplet of water consumed by the vast oceans. If even the Seer Tererestiaa who was the keeper of the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? was unaware of this hidden power, how could a Shadahi like him know about it? While everyone was shocked and stopped moving for a moment to take in what was urring... When Izroth saw the effect of the item he only said one thing that snapped everyone out of their stupor, "Attack!" When that word left his mouth, the party instantly tossed this bizarre urrence into the back of their minds for now. This was a rare boss! If they defeated it, wouldn¡¯t the EXP and loot be spectacr? They must take advantage of this opportunity! No one held back anything as they threw out every attack they had against Commander Ekquilore. With the help of the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere?, the boss monster¡¯s HP could not hold up under the merciless assault. Izroth¡¯s ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? and ?Sword Aura? were off their cooldown and so he used both skills together to deal massive damage to Commander Ekquilore. Those strange movements of his from earlier were still present within his movements, even more so now that he used the ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?. Scarlet was also relentless as she used ?ming Spear?, ?Fireball?, and ?Ignite? on Commander Ekquilore. Even though Scarlet had an MP regeneration skill, she still needed to drink a ?Lesser Mana Potion? to regain some MP after using so many skills within such a short period of time. Halls used his ?Shield Smash? and Luna cast a magical attack skill for the first time called ?Holy Smite?. She usually reserved all of her MP for healing, but after seeing the damage from the battle alert and how rapidly the HP of Commander Ekquilore was dropping she decided to drop healing for now and also focus on damage. Though Luna would notpletely drop her attention from healing and be sure not to use too much of her MP. Skill Name: Holy Smite Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: D Mana Cost: 30 Cast Time: Instant Active: Calls down a holy smite dealing 40% of the user¡¯s magic as damage. Cooldown: 2 seconds 75%... 50%... 25%... It did not take long for Commander Ekquilore¡¯s HP to drop down to 25%. Just as it did, eight Shadahi Crawlers appeared and rushed from down the hall at a fast speed. They were trying to heal Commander Ekquilore once more. This time Izroth was prepared as he stopped his assault on Commander Ekquilore and turned to meet the eight Shadahi Crawlers. Although they were fast, Izroth was still faster. He positioned himself in such a way that when all eight Shadahi Crawlers were within a 3 meters range of him, he struck out with his palms in all directions. One could not follow the movement of Izroth¡¯s palms with their eyes alone due to the hundreds of afterimages they formed, hiding his true attack amongst them. Eeeeeeeeeeeergh! Izroth managed to strike every single Shadahi Crawler using the skill ?Myriad Elusive Palms?. As he did so, every single hit was aimed directly at the head of the Shadahi Crawler in the area where their eyes were located. Izroth was unsure if they possessed a vital point there, however, the head was usually always a safe bet when it came to weak points. He was correct as all eight of the Shadahi Crawlers took critical hit damage. ?Critical Hit: 400 Damage? ?Critical Hit: 400 Damage? ... The Shadahi Crawlers only possessed high agility. As for their other stats, they were all 0 excluding their HP which was only a meager 350. Although Izroth made it look easy, it was already very difficult to hit eight targets moving at high speed. But to alsond a critical hit against every single one of them was some terrifying uracy! Halls, Luna, and Scarlet were all speechless when they saw Izroth¡¯s movements just then. Or rather, because of the fact that they couldn¡¯t see his movements. All they saw were the eight Shadahi Crawlers rushing out towards them and before they knew it everyst one of them was eliminated. "Is the Combat Master ss really so fearsome...?" Scarlet thought to herself. Usually, damage sses had high single target damage or average to low multiple target damage. However, Izroth and the Combat Master ss did not seem to be limited by such a tradition. Scarlet was not the only one with those thoughts, the same question passed by Halls and Luna¡¯s mind. The suppression effect of the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? finally ended. Commander Ekquilore was very dangerous at this moment. He was in an enraged state and 10 seconds had passed. That meant his original ?600 Attack? was now ?1,500 Attack? and his ?300 Magic? shot up to ?750 Magic?. If any of them were struck by such a devastatingly high attack, they would not be able to survive. The only one who could live after one hit was Halls and even then he would notst long even with Luna¡¯s healing abilities. Izroth formed a small smile on his face finding the situation amusing as he thought to himself, "Is this a blessing or a curse?" Commander Ekquilore sat at 10% HP, but he was now free from the suppression and his focus was only on Izroth. With Izroth¡¯s ?Flickering Steps? having run out, Commander Ekquilore was now much faster than him thanks to the 50% agility increased he received from being enraged. Commander Ekquilore had Izroth in his sights. Even though Halls used ?Taunting Aura?, it waspletely ignored. "You shall hand over the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? and your life!" it was obvious that Commander Ekquilore was angered for falling into such a pathetic state. How could he face his lord if he did not sessfully retrieve the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? when it was right in front of him? Izroth took a deep breath as he prepared to face Commander Ekquilore. All it would take is one hit and he would be eliminated. But, a grin found its way onto his face as he finally received the alert he had been waiting for since the start of the battle against Commander Ekquilore. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, yer Izroth has created a new skill. Please name the skill¡µ This was definitely a blessing! Chapter 42 Kill When Izroth received that alert from the system, he could not help but to reveal a small grin on his face. This is exactly the kind of result he was looking forward to. He did not get his hopes up too much as he knew the chance of it working were not absolute, but Izroth still had a strong feeling about it. Izroth did not have the leisure to examine his new skill as Commander Ekquilore was already before him. However, if the system kept to its pattern then it would not be too far off from the actual skill itself. If that turned out to be the case, then Izroth may have just uncovered the fastest way for himself to progress. Commander Ekquilore smashed down with hisrge fist trying to tten Izroth using its ?Demonic Press?. At the moment, he was faster than Izroth by 50% and so Izroth could only rely on his vast natural battle experience to cope with the difference. Although Izroth had no problem keeping up with Commander Ekquilore¡¯s movements, the system itself still limited how fast he could move based on his agility stat. So if he was not careful and made a single misstep in his movements, then it would mean instant death for him. Halls was charging forward trying to catch up to Commander Ekquilore, but the gap between their speed was just too much. Halls did not have any crowd control abilities yet and so he could only try his best to push forward. Luna used a ?Healing Essence? on Halls as a safety measure just in case Commander Ekquilore unleashed another ?Demonic Hellfire?. As a cleric, Luna¡¯s agility was definitely not her strong suit and so it would take her a while in order to get back within range of the battle. During that moment, she at least wanted to make sure that some form of healing was present. As for Scarlet, she had alreadye to terms with how hopeless this situation was. No matter how strong Izroth was, the enraged state of that boss was just too much. It would only take a single strike to end them and Scarlet was not exactly fond of walking to her death willingly. But she could only sigh and use ?Mana Shield? to at least survive two hits of that ?Demonic Hellfire? ability if it urs. "I swear when I get out of here..." Scarlet mumbled under her breath with a gloomy expression on her face. Scarlet was in a bit of a better position than Luna because of theyout of the hallway, and so she was much closer to the fight. Or at least close enough to still use her skills without having to move too far from her current location. Izroth skillfully evaded the iing ?Demonic Press? from Commander Ekquilore. As therge Shadahi¡¯s fist mmed into the ground, it caused the entire hallway to quake from the amount of force behind it. "Little insect, stay still!" Commander Ekquilore was furious and used ?Demonic Suppression? to try and Izroth in ce. There was no escape from that skill, however, just as Izroth felt that invading energy lock onto him, he immediately used ?Shadow Movement?, sessfully avoiding a near absolute death. Commander Ekquilore was outraged by Izroth¡¯s sudden disappearance. In a state of being enraged, there was nomon sense or calm thinking, only anger and more anger. In his mind, the one with the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? had just escaped from under his nose. How could Commander Ekquilore not be absolutely livid? How would he face his lord, Syxirius? He stomped his massive foot on the ground as the temperature within the atmosphere rose rapidly. When Halls felt the increase in temperature he became rmed. If either him or Izroth got caught in that skill, then they would not be able to survive for long. Commander Ekquilore still had 9%-10% HP remaining. They would not have enough time to eliminate him before all of them were turned to ashes. Halls grit his teeth and continued pushing forward. There was no point in overthinking things now. This was a chance! If he failed then the worse that could happen is that he¡¯s sent to the graveyard and loses some EXP. However, if he were sessful then the rewards would be plentiful. Halls finally got close enough to use his skill ?Shadow Pressure? which was now off cooldown. Every single bit of damage counted in this situation, but most importantly he wanted to use the ?Fear? effect to interrupt the ?Demonic Hellfire? that Commander Ekquilore was casting. ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore is enraged and has resisted the ?Fear? effect¡µ Halls was a bit startled by the battle alert and let out a helpless sigh; his n had failed. The ?Demonic Hellfire? went off and this time its range was massive, filling the entire hallway with its mes. Even Luna who was the furthest away was affected by it. There did not seem to be any escape from this ?Demonic Hellfire?. ?375 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ?375 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ... Everyone within the party took damage from the ?Demonic Hellfire?, even Izroth within his shadow form received damage and was forced out of it. Luna quickly used ?Cure? on herself since she was the only one in immediate danger of dying. Izroth and Halls were still out of Luna¡¯s healing range, but both of them had more HP than her remaining and Scarlet had her ?Mana Shield? active. So everyone survived the first tick of damage from the ?Demonic Hellfire?. Though something happened next that made Halls, Luna, and Scarlet despair. Instead of the 2 seconds the ?Demonic Hellfire? needed tounch its next wave of damage, this time it took only 1 second before the next tick of damage. This was the unknown ????? skill that Commander Ekquilore gained called ?Endless Demonic Hellfire?. Skill Name: Endless Demonic Hellfire Active: Summons demonic hellfire from the depths of the Shadahi realm dealing 50% of the user¡¯s magic as damage every 1 second, until the death of the user of this skill to all enemies within a 100 meters radius. ?383 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ?383 Damage? [Demonic Hellfire] ... ?142/900 HP Remaining? [Izroth] ?319/1,500 HP Remaining? [Halls] ?67/600 HP Remaining? [Luna] ?195/660 HP Remaining? [Scarlet] It was over. There was no way for them to possibly escape or do enough damage within 1 second. They had to face the facts, this S-Ranked quest was too much for just 4 people to handle alone. Just when everyone was ready to face their death from Commander Ekquilore¡¯s ?Endless Demonic Hellfire?, something beyond their expectations transpired. ¡´System Alert: Generating skill... Complete!¡µ Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.... Zing! A tremendous amount of deadly killing intent filled the entire hallway causing shivers to run down the backs of Halls, Luna, and Scarlet. What was releasing such a bloodthirsty aura? Though all of them did not have time to think as the ?Endless Demonic Hellfire? mes that filled every corner of the hallway vanished without a trace, and there was a thick smoke that scattered throughout the air. The party members eyes were widened with shock and disbelief as no one couldprehend what just took ce. Why did the mes suddenly vanish after that deadly killing intent filled the air? Also, what happened to Izroth during thatmotion? All they saw was him disappear but his HP bar in the party window still showed him as alive and well. When the thick smoke finally started to clear up, the group was stupefied by the sight that emerged before them. Commander Ekquilore was on the floor defeated and standing in front of his body was Izroth, with their ?Nameless de? emitting an aura simr to the one they felt earlier when that deadly killing intent appeared out of seemingly nowhere. "Second Baneful Sword: Kill" Izroth sheathed his sword as he spoke. This battle really had been the toughest one yet. After all, if he was not sessful then who knows what the oue of this battle would have been? While everyone was trying to process what was going on, Scarlet¡¯s face turned extremely ugly when she saw the battle alerts. "This guy... He¡¯s an absolute freak...!" she could not help but think that to herself when she examined the information before her. ?1,615 Damage? [Second Baneful Sword: Kill] ¡´Battle Alert: Commander Ekquilore has been affected by ?Execute? ¡µ ?6,250 Damage? [Execute] ?0% HP Remaining? [Commander Ekquilore] When Luna and Halls took a look at the battle alerts toprehend what had just happened, they shook their heads and let out a sigh of defeat. Was this even possible topete with? Maybe Izroth did not need their help at all inpleting this S-Ranked quest and could have done it all by himself. Izroth still had that carefree expression on his face, and on the inside, he was quite pleased with the results. This system never ceased to amaze him with the way it could analyze and process things. Even though it was not the strongest of heavenlyws, it was certainly far from being weak. "The cooldown time is a bit long, however, the skill itself is highly urate..." Izroth thought to himself when he saw the information for the skill. Skill Name: Second Baneful Sword: Kill Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/5 Skill Rank: S Active: Unleashes a single wave of powerful sword energy filled with endless killing intent, dealing 1,000% of the user¡¯s Attack as damage to a target within 20 meters. This skill has a high chance of causing the ?Fear? effect in those it targets. If the target¡¯s HP is equal to or less than 25%, there is a high chance of activating the ?Execute? effect. The lower the target¡¯s HP, the higher the chance. If the skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? is used just before this skill, the damage, and cooldown of ?Second Baneful Sword: Kill? are increased by 100%. ?Execute?: Instantly kills the target regardless of the amount of HP they have remaining as long as their HP is equal to or less than 25%. Description: A sword filled with an enormous amount of concentrated killing intent. Beware! A single strike of this sword technique can kill anyone that stands in its way! This strike is not its full potential. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 50%. If this skill kills its target, it has a chance of reducing the cooldown by 50%. This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Cooldown: 5 Hours The party finally defeated Commander Ekquilore and soon after the Shadahi¡¯s body formed into arge crimson red sphere before floating away at top speed. They thought that maybe something different would happen this time, but the Commander Ekquilore still could not die while within the Shadahi¡¯s own realm. Even so, they did not have to worry about running into him again any time soon due to the 1 day respawn time for all Shadahi who "died" while within their own realm. Everyone received the system alerts they were all waiting for... The rewards from defeating Commander Ekquilore, a rare boss! ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Commander Ekquilore¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 17,085 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 14¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +3 stat points for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 15¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +3 stat points for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Shadahi has fallen by 500, you are considered a target¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa has risen by 200¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with Mazi the god of craft has risen by 100¡µ Loot Drop: -1 gold coin -x4 True Blood of the Shadahi -x1 Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest -x1 Hellfire Crafted Mana Gloves -x1 Secret Room Key(Quest Item) Izroth was shocked by the amount of EXP he received from defeating a rare boss. 17,085 was a huge amount and it was enough for him to level up two times! But what he did not know was that because his level was so much lower than Commander Ekquilore¡¯s and he dealt the most damage, the system adjusted the gain of EXP to make sure he was properly rewarded. After all, it was quitemon in MMORPG¡¯s to give more EXP the lower a yer who defeated the boss monster was. However, how could Izroth know such a thing when he was still personally considered a noob when it came to the most basic of gaming knowledge? Izroth looked over at Halls, Luna, and Scarlet only to realize that everyone was staring at him like he was some kind of monster. Izroth helplessly shook his head inwardly as he nced over towards the loot. The rewards obtained this time was sure to be bountiful! Chapter 43 I Think I Know Where It is! As Izroth examined the loot, he noticed a glow simr to the one when he first picked up the ?Strange Bracelet? that belonged to the Seer Tererestiaa. "I wonder if all quest items glow in such a manner..." Izroth thought to himself as he picked up the item. It turned out that his guess was correct and it was indeed a quest item. Except unlikest time, it was not a bracelet, but rather a key. The key bore a resemnce to the ?Skull Key? he received back in the ?Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise? after defeating one of the elite monsters there. The only difference was that this key felt much heavier and was coated in a crimson red color. Item Name: Secret Room Key(Quest Item) Usage: Allows the holder of this key to ess the secret room located within the ?Pce of Syxirius, The Unworthy?. Izroth began to wonder if it may have the same effect as the ?Skull Key? and just take them back to the exit of the pce. Though it would be a bit disappointing that there were no extra rewards, it would still save some time on a return trip if that were the case. But, he had not forgotten about their main objective and reason foring to the Shadahi¡¯s realm. It took everyone a while, but they finally snapped out of their little trance and realized that they had just defeated a rare boss! At the moment, besides world bosses, rare bosses were the highest ranked boss monsters that any yer had yet to discover. However, if they knew that Izroth had actually run into epic and legendary bosses, all of them might actually faint from shock. The fact that they did not receive a system alert saying that they were the first to clear a rare boss meant that someone else had already beat them to it. This caused Halls and Luna to feel a bit dejected after experiencing that brief period of fame for being the first to clear a world boss. But, they both knew that the big guilds must have already run into some rare bosses if they already obtained some rare equipment. Them being able to acquire the first clear on a world boss was due to pure luck. If any of the big guilds discovered the world boss first or even while they were in the middle of fighting it, then there would have been no room for them to interfere or gain any benefits. Nevertheless, Halls felt as though after that disgraceful performance as a tank who could not even hold aggro, he did not deserve the party leader spot. Usually, tanks were supposed to direct and lead the battles so there was normally no arguments when they decided to be the party leader. The only time this rule really changed was if it was a guild based party and the tank was not the highest ranked member. Or, if a tank joined an already premade group and was just a random yer who the premade group would obviously not trust with the party leader role. Halls opened the party menu and let out a long sigh before changing the party leader over to Izroth. Deep down inside, Halls knew that he could not bepletely med for his poor performance. It was just that Izroth was too much of a freak when it came to damage. Even those top-tier pro yer tanks might have trouble holding on to aggro with Izroth in their party. ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has been promoted to party leader!¡µ Truth be told, Izroth originally did not really care about being party leader or not. But, the more he started ying the more Izroth started to realize how valued such a position was within a party. Most people would not give up full control when it came to loot distributions and other things, so when someone willingly gave up the party leader role it could be seen as them admitting to their ownck of abilities. Izroth gave a slight nod to Halls and received one in return. Halls understood that Luna would be not against Izroth being the party leader. He did not know for sure about Scarlet, but since Izroth brought her along there should be no problems. Plus it still would have been two against one. Izroth began to divide the loot amongst the party. They received 1 gold coin and so he gave everyone 25 silver coins each, even Scarlet. Even though Izroth knew that she was up to no good, there was something off about her. From the way she acted when they first met, all the way up until now. There were various inconsistencies with her behavior that did not add up at all. He decided to bring Scarlet along because he knew that along with her, three other yers were targetting him. Izroth was of course very confident in hisbat skills, however, he still did not fully understandbat against other yers in this game or how strong they were. He needed to fight against more than just monsters if he truly wanted to improve. If she gained a few tiny benefits in the process so be it. Izroth was thinking of the bigger picture and how to further progress within RML, otherwise, how could he be the number one yer? Just like within the seven realms, it did not matter how many beasts you could kill. The most important thing to bing the number one cultivator was being able to defeat every other cultivator and fight against them to hone your skills. Izroth decided it was a good opportunity to gain some battle experience against other yers and so decided to y as though he were ignorant and go along with things. "Well, it¡¯s fine... Soon she will have no choice but to reveal her hand..." Izroth thought to himself. He reached down and picked up one of the items that dropped from Commander Ekquilore. When everyone saw that item their eyes all shined with excitement. That was a rare piece of equipment! The item Izroth picked up was the ?Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest?. Armor Name: Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest Armor Rank: Rare Armor Level: 15 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 100 Agility HP: 300 DEF: 30 AGI: 60 Armor Skill: Hellfire Rampage(Passive) - Every sessful attack against an enemy without missing, increases the Agility of the user by 10 for 3 seconds (MAX: 100 Agility). If the user misses an attack or does not attack for at least 3 seconds, then the buff from this armor will end. What wonderful stats and passive! There was no one else here who could possibly equip this armor because of its agility requirement, and so the only person it could go to was Izroth. No one would say anything since Izroth was the one who contributed the most to the fight after all. Izroth equipped the ?Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest? and watched as his stats shot up. "The passive works perfectly with my currentbat style" Izroth thought to himself as a slight smile appeared on his face. The others could only envy the amount of luck that Izroth possessed when it came to receiving rewards. It seemed as though he was born under the king of lucky stars. Name: Izroth EXP: 4,972/12,000 Level: 15(Stat Points: 6) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 1,200/1,200(700+300+200) Energy: 100 ATTACK(ATK): 200(140+40+20) DEFENSE(DEF): 95(20+55+20) AGILITY(AGI): 210(85+105+20) MAGIC(MAG): 0 Gear Equipped: ?Nameless de? - Main Weapon ?Shadow Ne? - essory(1) ?Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest? - Armor(Torso) ?Foreman¡¯s Gloves? - Armor(Hands) ?Commander Boots? - Armor(Feet) ... The next item grabbed was the ?Hellfire Crafted Mana Gloves?. An item like this could go to either Luna or Scarlet... But even though Izroth would let Scarlet gain some little benefits, there was no possible way he could hand over such arge benefit to her. This item would go to Luna without a doubt. Armor Name: Hellfire Crafted Mana Gloves Armor Rank: Rare Armor Level: 15 Armor Type: Cloth Requirements: 100 Magic MP: 200 DEF: 10 MAG: 30 Armor Skill: Hellfire Mana Essence(Passive) - Regenerates 2% of the user¡¯s maximum MP every 3 seconds. This effect continues on even during the middle ofbat. Izroth gave the ?Hellfire Crafted Mana Gloves? over to Luna. A blossoming smile could not help but find its way onto Luna¡¯s face when she saw the stats and effects of the item. This was her first rare piece of equipment so how could she not show some excitement? Scarlet was extremely gloomy when she noticed that it was a cloth based rare item and Izroth did not even consider her for a moment and instantly gave it to Luna instead. This made her lightly curse him under her breath. But, she knew she would have no say in the matter, especially since the item was already within Luna¡¯s inventory. What fool would willingly hand over a rare item after it already became theirs? Halls was also very gloomy but for another reason entirely. Commander Ekquilore only dropped two pieces of equipment and neither of them had been for his ss. He really was unluckytely as if he already used up all his luck when receiving the ?Shadow Fang Sword? from the Shadow Wolf world boss. For thest remaining x4 ?True Blood of the Shadahi?, Izroth divided them fairly and gave one to each party member. With this, all the loot from Commander Ekquilore was finally divided and now it was time for the party to continue on with their main purpose foring here. Izroth turned towards the party to speak to them, "I¡¯ve picked up another quest item from this monster. It may be where the item we¡¯ve been looking for is located... Or at least will give us a clue as to where it may be located" Izroth showed everyone the ?Secret Room Key? he picked up from the loot pile. Luna furrowed her brows when she saw the key, "There are many rooms within this pce and it¡¯s huge. Also, it probably will not be that long until the Shadahi discovered we have defeated Commander Ekquilore. If that happens then... We can expect even more Shadahi to be roaming the halls". Izroth nodded as he came to the same conclusion as Luna. If it were just another normal Shadahi it would not be that bad, however, since they defeated a rare boss Shadahi the search was bound to increase. If all those thousands of Shadahi outside joined in, then they would stand no chance. "So we just have to find the room door that this key can open before we¡¯re found right?" Halls spoke while trying to think if he¡¯d seen any doors that looked suspicious while moving throughout the pce. Scarlet did not have the quest and so she did not bother trying to give any input on the matter or help out at all. She would not gain any benefits from doing so. Izroth thought for a moment beforeing up with a decision, "Then, we¡¯ll just follow the path Commander Ekquilore originally came from. We might find it somewhere along the way" Izroth did not believe this system would leave them with zero clues. There must be something he was overlooking. After walking forward with the party towards the direction Commander Ekquilore originally came from, Izroth was thinking as it suddenly dawned on him. "Of course... How could I miss something so obvious?" he thought to himself. Sometimes, certain things were just so obvious that it was quite easy to overlook them. "I think I know where it is...!" Izroth spoke under his breath. He suddenly stopped which caused the three others behind him to halt as well. He knew the location of the secret room because they were given the location when they first arrived here! From the moment they left the demonic brew room, there were thin strings of red light on the floor of the hallway. At first Izroth thought that they may have only just been a part of that oppressive energy running throughout the entire pce, however, that wasn¡¯t the case at all. While he was not incorrect, he was only partially correct. The thin strings of red light were indeed the source of that oppressive energy, but they all seemed to flow within the same direction towards the same source. Wherever all the thin strings of red light converged, must hold some clues to the secret room¡¯s location or maybe even lead to the secret room itself! Izroth looked down at his feet and sure enough, those little strings were still there and more abundant than when they left from the demonic brew room. It seems like they were on the correct path. Izroth continued onward following the thin strings of red light and eventually came before arge door. This door had different kinds of faces carved into it that looked as though they were in an endless cycle of torment. Evil and dark energy emitted from beyond the door which made one feel cold to their bones. At the very center of the door was a lock that one needed a key for. Izroth removed the ?Secret Room Key? from his inventory before putting it into the lock and soon heard a clinking sound. Therge door before him slowly opened up. As soon as the door opened, the entire party was hit by an incredibly strong force that seemed as if it wanted to devour them alive. It almost caused them to be blown away just from the intensity of that pressure alone. Not long after, the entire party received a system alert that made them highly alert. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the throne room of Syxirius, The Unworthy!¡µ Chapter 44 Anivaritys Bell Izroth narrowed his eyes as he felt that oppressive aura. It was exactly the same one that was lingering around outside of the pce as well as throughout the entire hallway. He did not even need to read the system alert to take a guess at who was within this room. Sitting on arge throne locked in ce by an abundant amount of chains, was a huge Shadahi who was over 10 meters tall. This Shadahi was not like the others, it gave off a much more suffocating aura. Its eyes were crimson red with little ck lines constantly flowing within them, its skin was a deep nightly ck rather than the standard dark red of a normal Shadahi. If it were not bound by those chains, then the party felt as though they would have already died 100 times over. "Insignificant mortals... You dare to defile the throne room of I, the great Syxirius, with your presence?!" a deep voice resounded loudly from the mouth of Syxirius. He was already fuming with rage because of the failure of his trusted Commander Ekquilore and now mere mortals dared trespass into his throne room. He unleashed an even greater pressure upon the party making them feel as if thousands of pounds of force was trying to crush them into nothingness. Izroth eyes grew cold as he looked at Syxirius sitting upon the throne, locked in ce by the ?Chains of Mazi?. He was not bothered by the pressure thanks to the ?Heavenly Golden Body? skill he possessed, however, the others were not quite as fortunate and had a hard time simply standing up. Name: (Weakened)Syxirius, The Unworthy(EPIC BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? ATK: ??? DEF: ??? AGI: ??? MAG: ??? Skills: ??? Chains of Mazi Binding(Passive): This being is bound by the ?Chains of Mazi? and cannot unleash their full strength. The original strength of this being is ?Legendary?, however, due to the ?Chains of Mazi? it is reduced down to ?Epic?. Although this being is unable to move or act, the pressure of a ?Legendary? existence still allows for them to pose a threat to those weaker than itself. They were all shocked when they saw Syxirius and even more so when they read one of the passive skills. This was the first epic level boss that any of them had seen excluding Izroth, but it could also technically count as a legendary level boss! This kind of news was amazing and if sold to those top guilds could give one a small fortune. After all, even if those guilds could not fight against such a boss monster at this moment, there woulde a time when they obtained the strength to do so. Halls and Luna felt as though this quest was not so simple after all. Would they have to fight that monster? Even if Syxirius was sealed in chains and could not act, just from the pressure it gave off alone made it difficult for them to move freely. If they tried to fight that thing, only death would be the oue is what they felt. That was still originally a legendary existence within RML after all. Izroth knew that at the moment fighting against Syxirius was not possible with the way the system limited yers based on their stats. He understood that things in this gaming world and the real world were very different and that his current strength was not yet sufficient. He was no fool that would willingly march towards his death. If this Shadahi was many times stronger than Commander Ekquilore who he only barely managed to defeat, then he could infer that the fight against Syxirius would be way more demanding. "You all can stay there, I¡¯m going to go take a look" Izroth said as he decided to ignore Syxirius and started to walk around inside the throne room, examining his surroundings. When Syxirius saw that he was being ignored, he instantly reached the peak of his anger. When had anyone dared to ignore the great Syxirius? He was a legendary being that few could rival and he was being ignored by a mere weak mortal? Syxirius focused most of his attention on Izroth as a strong force pushed down on him. ¡´System Alert: You are being suppressed by a strong level of energy¡µ ¡´System Alert: Checking Willpower...¡µ ¡´System Alert: You resist the force of suppression¡µ Everyone else could barely take a single step forward, yet Izroth was casually walking around the room as though he were on a rxing stroll. "How is this possible...? A mortal who has not approached my level of power should be unable to move around so freely under my legendary pressure..." Syxirius thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes. Who exactly was this mortal? Izroth could hear a faint chiming sound within his mind as though a small bell was constantly being rung. When he first entered into the throne room he heard that sound, however, it was very faint and almost inaudible. But when he stepped deeper into the throne room, the sound began to grow louder. "Where is that sounding from..?" Izroth thought to himself as he furrowed his brows. It was as if the noise wasing from every single direction within the room. But there was some strange force guiding him towards it. Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! The sound that resonated inside of Izroth¡¯s head was much louder than thest few weak chimes. He stopped moving and before Izroth was a small bell hanging on the walls of the throne room. There was nothing special about this bell beside its antique like beauty and the dim glow emitting from it. Izroth reached out to touch the bell and as soon as he did, it instantly jumped into his inventory. The ringing noises faded out, but it was reced by the sound of the system alert. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Retrieve the special item has beenpleted for the quest ?Journey to the Seer?¡µ Izroth could not help but smile when he saw that system alert. With this, his purpose foring to the Shadahi¡¯s realm wasplete. Now all that was left was to return the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? back over to Tererestiaa and then return to ?Amaharpe? in order to give this item to Terminus. Izroth opened his inventory to examine the item that jumped inside before he had a chance to see any information about it. Magic Item: Anivarity¡¯s Bell(Quest Item) Magic Item Rank: ??? Magic Item HP: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Magic Item ATK: ??? Magic Item DEF: ??? Usage: ??? Special Note: A divine item that changes forms every time it appears within the world. This time it has taken the form of ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell?. This item can only be used once before it disappears into the world, never to be found again for many centuries. This item can naturally guide its possessor in their time of need. Izroth was a little disappointed that it did not even show the usage of the item, but the fact that its rank was ????? made that part understandable. "What an interesting item... One use before it disappears for hundreds of years. It must be incredibly powerful" he thought to himself. Even though it was a powerful item, in the end, it only had one use and Izroth did not even know what power the ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell? possessed. He was also a man of his word and so he did not have the slightest bit of greed, not thinking for a moment of wanting to keep the item for himself. Syxirius was confused as to why Izroth would take a useless decorative bell. But, after realizing that he could not get Izroth to willingly submit, he must resort to other means to obtain the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere?. Even if it was hiding within Izroth¡¯s inventory, Syxirius was still able to sense its presence because of how near it was. "Mortal... If you relinquish the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? to me, then I shall grant you power far beyond your imagination, rare treasures that would make kingdoms destroy each other. However, should you be so foolish as to decline my generous offer then I promise you this... No matter where you hide within the mortal realm I, Syxirius, shall eventually find you and end your pathetic life. You shall never again have a single day of peace" Syxirius looked down on weaklings like Izroth, however, he needed the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? to break free from his imprisonment. Otherwise, how could he negotiate with someone far weaker than him? Izroth had a carefree expression on his face as he listened to Syxirius words. It was fine to try and tempt him with rewards. But the one thing Izroth would never respond to was a threat. He was once the number one cultivator within the seven realms, was he afraid of some little threat? "Then I¡¯ll be waiting" those were the only words that left Izroth¡¯s mouth as he turned to walk towards the exit of the throne room. No matter how many benefits Syxirius offered him, Izroth would never submit to anyone. Especially if that person threatened him. Syxirius did not think that Izroth would ignore his offer so easily. "Wait! Mortal, halt your steps! Do you hear me?! I am the great Syxirius! Destroyer of continents! Lord of a legion of Shadahi! You dare to walk away from me mortal! ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHH!" as Izroth walked away the entire pce began to violently shake. All of the Shadahi within the pce and even those outside of it shivered with fear. This was a natural fear embedded into them from birth towards Shadahi of a higher level than them. Their lord was enraged and they could feel how terrifying he was at the moment. Halls, Luna, and Scarlet all had cold sweats running down their backs. The fact that Izroth could maintain such a carefree attitude in the presence of so much bloodthirst and anger was unbelievable. Izroth no longer paid any attention to Syxirius as he exited from the throne room with the others and the doors slowly closed behind him, drowning out the furious shouts of Syxirius. Given how upset Syxirius was, there were bound to be an endless amount of Shadahi pouring into the pce soon towards their location. "We have to leave from this ce as soon as possible. I doubt he¡¯ll let us casually stroll out of here without attempting to stop us" Izroth said as he began to move. The rest of the party followed after him, if they were to remain here then they would be trapped between an endless wave of Shadahi. As Izroth was moving quickly throughout the hallway, he could hear the light chiming of a bell. It was the ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell? within his inventory making that sound. This time the sound of its chiming was more focused, as though it was trying to guide Izroth somewhere. The chiming grew louder as Izroth approached a solid wall at a dead end. There was nowhere else to go, but the chiming was still very loud. A few momentster, the party could hear what sounded like arge group of Shadahi approaching. It wasn¡¯t just two or three either, there was at least an entire small army of them judging by the number of footsteps! "We¡¯re going to be trapped here soon, we have to move!" Halls warned Izroth, but he was not responding and looked as though he were thinking about something. The steps of the Shadahi grew closer and closer as everyone began to prepare for an intense battle. Izroth touched the wall before him and something abnormal happened. When he touched the wall he did not feel anything solid but rather his hand went straight through it! This must be a hidden passageway or some kind of portal. There was only one way to find out. "Follow me!" Izroth went through the wall which startled everyone. But, they did not have any time to hesitate as the Shadahi were closing in on them, and so all of them rushed through the wall. When they arrived on the other side of the wall, they received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: You have been transported outside of the ?Pce of Syxirius, The Unworthy? by a boundary rift¡µ The group had arrived not too far away from where they first entered into the Shadahi realm. They didn¡¯t know how it happened, but they felt ted. None of them knew what a boundary rift was but they were thankful for it. When they thought about it though, it must¡¯ve been something simr to the way they entered the Shadahi realm. The only difference was that it seemed it was linked to the Shadahi realm and not to the mortal realm. What was more amazing though was how Izroth discovered such a hidden ce. A few momentster the party arrived at the area where they first entered into the Shadahi realm. Izroth took the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? out of his inventory as it shined brightly before all of them vanished into thin air. Not too long after, a system alert went off. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the mortal realm¡µ Atst, they had returned to the mortal realm! Chapter 45 Returning to Amaharpe Part 1 "Wee back, brave adventurers" the party heard a voiceing from behind them and when they all turned around they saw it was the Seer Tererestiaa with a lovely smile on her face. "Your trip seems to have been a great sess" Tererestiaa was very sensitive to divine energy and easily perceived the ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell? located within Izroth¡¯s inventory. Such powerful divine energy could only belong to "that item". Izroth nodded, "If not for you lending us the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? then things may not have gone so smoothly" he said before removing the ?Boundary Sealing Sphere? from his inventory and handing it over to Tererestiaa. When the spherended in Tererestiaa¡¯s hands it disappeared. They figured that she must have held onto an item or some type of storage device simr to their inventory system. "You must make haste and return at once to ?Amaharpe?. What you have just aplished may have just saved an entire city from annihtion. Even if no one else knows of your deeds, I and the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa will always remember, brave adventurers" Tererestiaa lightly sped her hands together. ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Blessing of Heltiaa?¡µ Skill Name: Blessing of Heltiaa Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: +15% Magic Resistance, +15% Physical Resistance, +1 Luck Description: A blessing bestowed upon those deemed worthy by the Seer Tererestiaa in the name of the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa. Only a few are lucky enough to receive this blessing! Izroth was not the only one who obtained the passive, but Luna and Halls also received it. Unfortunately for Scarlet, she did not get the skill because she did not have the quest ?Journey to the Seer? within her quest logs. Izroth examined the skill he obtained from Tererestiaa and knew immediately what the magical resistance and physical resistance stat was, however, he saw something else for the first time. He had a good idea of what the effect of it was though just based off its name ?Luck? alone. "Luck..." Izroth took a moment to search through the memories of the hardcore gamer and came to a conclusion soon enough. "I see... So it most likely provides me with a higher chance of obtaining good loot or receiving special quests" that was the general information he found out. There was not a single downside to having luck as he thought. Even though he was unsure of how it worked in this game, it should not be too different from what the memories showed him. Luna and Halls were both excited from having obtained their very first A-Ranked skill. They would never forget that this was all possible thanks to Izroth bringing them along on his quest. The two of them would remember this moment and if Izroth ever needed something from them, he only needed to say the word for it to be done. They respected Izroth¡¯s character and his strength. Both of them were d that they were not his enemies. Tererestiaa and the party headed up the stairs and to the main temple above the underground area they were currently located, heading in the direction that they originally entered into the temple at. After returning from the deste wastnd that was the Shadahi realm and seeing the beautiful sight just outside the temple entrance, the group could not help but feel a sense of rxation ovee them. "Then, we¡¯ll be on our way. Take care, Seer Tererestiaa" Izroth gave a slight nod to the Seer Tererestiaa. Now that they were done here, the only thing remaining was to return to ?Amaharpe? and give the ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell? to Terminus. The party started to journey back towards the way they entered into the ?Lake of Tears?. "And you... Brave adventurer..." Tererestiaa spoke in a soft voice after the party had already left. ... It did not take long before the group returned back to the ?Vige of Tears?. When they walked into the vige this time, the vigers were all bowing down towards them. No one knew why they were doing so, after all, even if they were chosen by the Seer Tererestiaa, wasn¡¯t this a little much? The Great Elder of the vige approached them and also gave a deep bow. "We wee your return to our humble vige" the Great Elder was looking towards the group with eyes full of envy. "What¡¯s going on? Why is everyone bowing down?" Halls was confused as to why the vigers were bowing down towards them like they were some sort of deities or lords. "You have the blessing of the great all-seeing goddess Heltiaa. We are sensitive to the power of the divine one. The vigers can feel the divinity flowing out from you inrge quantities, which belongs to the divine one. They feel as though they are within her presence, and I as well. We can only bow to show our utmost respect" the Great Elder exined. "So it even has an effect like this hm..?" Izroth thought to himself before saying, "We must return at once to ?Amaharpe?. Is there a quicker way out of here besides the ?Valley of Death??" he believed that there had to be a faster way out of this ce. The Great Elder shook his head and let out a deep sigh before responding, "s, there is only one way in and one way out of our vige is that is through the ?Valley of Death?. It is why no one besides the vige chief and the head warrior would dare to venture outside the mountain range". Izroth could only inwardly sigh, but it was worth a shot asking. "Then, we must be on our way. We thank you for your warm wee" Izroth gave a slight smile. The Great Elder wanted to ask them to stay for a grand feast, however, he understood that they were on an important mission regarding the great Seer. The Great Elder nodded his head, "Please, stay safe on your journey. May the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa protect you" the Great Elder gave onest deep bow. Izroth nodded as him, Luna, Halls, and Scarlet began walking towards the ?Valley of Death?. ... Outside the ?Valley of Death? were three people hiding using the ?Stealth? skill. These three were the yers who were discovered by Izroth back in ?Amaharpe?, Coldface, HappyTimes, and FatalSymmetry. With their ?Stealth? ability, it was pretty easy to slip past the monsters of the mountain region unnoticed. "Hey, how long is this gonna take? We¡¯ve been waiting here forever man!" HappyTimes was getting a bit agitated after having been in ?Stealth? for such a long time. It felt like they were waiting an eternity for them toe out of the valley. "Just have some patience. I don¡¯t know why Scarlet changed her mind thest second and decided to call off the attack, but we won¡¯t let such a juicy target slip away through our fingers" the one known as Coldface spoke. "Who knows? Maybe she just fell for that guy or something. Either way, there¡¯s no way we can just let things go that easily. With this, we¡¯ll make a ton of cash" FatalSymmetry had a greedy look in his eyes as he spoke. The three of them did not understand why Scarlet decided to call off the attack as she gave them no reason whatsoever. How could they ept that? It was fine if she did not want to participate as it meant more money for them, however, if she tried to interfere then she couldn¡¯t me them for getting nasty. A few momentster, the three heard footstepsing from within the valley. It must be them! They instantly became alert and prepared to ambush them, however, when they saw who came from out of the valley they were a bit surprised. It was not an entire party of people, but only a single person. Did his party members stay behind and he decided toe out by himself? If that were the case, then this would be even easier than they originally nned. The person who exited from the ?Valley of Death? was Izroth. When he stepped out of the valley, he still had that carefree facial expression. "How sly..." Izroth thought to himself as he remembered what Scarlet did a while back. ... A few moments ago just before the group entered into ?Valley of Death?... As the party was walking towards the crevice which led into the valley, Scarlet suddenly halted her steps. When the others noticed that, they all paused and turned to look back at Scarlet wondering why she was stopping. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed her. Was she finally going to make her move? But he did not sense anyone around themying in wait, so it would be suicidal of her to try something against them now after seeing how strong he was. Scarlet let out a sigh, after having thought about everything she knew the nature of those three idiots and they were unlikely to give up. She had alreadypleted her task plus repaid the favor, and so there was no need to go any further. "This should be more than enough for that guy to be satisfied with... Those three won¡¯t provide anything worth sticking around for..." Scarlet thought to herself. Scarlet looked over towards Izroth, it was unclear what was going on through her mind at that moment. "Careful on your way out..." she said in a low voice before the party suddenly received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: yer Scarlet has logged off¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Scarlet has disconnected and been removed from the party¡µ The entire party stood there blinking with a bewildered expression on their faces. Luna and Halls were wondering what that was all about. Scarlet had suddenly logged off after muttering some words. Izroth, on the other hand, understood her intentions from her actions and words. It appeared as though whatever she originally had nned, she felt as though it was not worth it to proceed. Otherwise, she would not have said those words to him before leaving. Izroth had to admit, he expected a lot of different oues, but this was one he did not foresee. Since the ?Vige of Tears? was considered as a safe zone and they had yet to enter into the ?Valley of Death?, Scarlet took the opportunity to log out and avoid the problem altogether. Izroth could only inwardly shake his head, it seemed like not everyone was eager in bringing about their own inevitable demise like those yers he met back in ?Opal Town?. Izroth would not bother going out of his way to find a method to confront Scarlet since they did not have any sort of deep grudge. If she did something unforgivable that crossed his bottom line, then it would not matter where she chose to hide as he would eventually find her and repay the event a thousandfold. The one thing Izroth had a difficult timeprehending was Scarlet¡¯s actual goal. What was it that she wanted to aplish? He noticed her observing him throughout the entire journey, but he thought she was just looking for potential weaknesses to exploit. Maybe there was something to this than he thought? Everything about her character felt forced and off from the very first time they met. Others may not notice, but with his heightened senses from the ?Heavenly Golden Body? and having dealt with arge variety of people throughout his lifetime, he could perceive things that most would easily miss. "There¡¯s no point in thinking about it now that she¡¯s gone" Izroth thought to himself. "She isn¡¯t returning. We should keep moving on. Also when we get to the exit of the valley, stay back for a while. It¡¯ll be much easier to deal with the little creatures that way" Izroth said to Luna and Halls. Naturally, they thought that Izroth was talking about those illusionist bugs that they faced on the way towards the ?Valley of Death?. They nodded in agreement and walked to the crevice that led into the valley. ... Izroth stood out in front of the valley with a carefree expression on his face. "Haven¡¯t you all stayed hidden long enough? Why not show yourselves? It¡¯s one versus three after all" Izroth spoke in a voice loud enough for them to hear clearly. Their ?Stealth? skill was nowhere near good enough to evade Izroth¡¯s perception. The three yersying in wait were shocked, how did he discover them? Could it be that Scarlet really betrayed them? Maybe this was some kind of trap... No, it didn¡¯t matter. At the moment it was one versus three and they were confident that if all of them attacked together, there was a high chance that his rare equipment would drop upon his death. With theirbined attacks and high agility, they could eliminate him, pick up the rare item, then escape before help coulde if it was indeed a trap. This was too huge of an opportunity to give up. Obviously, the three of them would not leave their ?Stealth? and forfeit the element of surprise. They remained practically motionless whilemunicating with each other to all make a move at the same time. "That¡¯s fine then... If you won¡¯te to me, then I¡¯ll juste to you" Izroth said. The three of them were confused by his words, it sounded like he actually knew where they were. Was that some kind of joke? They were currently in ?Stealth? and staying near perfectly still, even the most skilled of yers would have a difficult time finding them, let alone some random yer. Suddenly, the three yers saw something that made them think they were hallucinating. The yer who was just standing outside of the valley... His figure began to flicker as though it was there but not there at the same time. Chapter 46 Returning to Amaharpe Part 2 Izroth used ?Flickering Steps? to leave a flickering afterimage of himself behind as he moved towards the direction where he sensed the closest yer to him. They may have thought Izroth was just bluffing, but he really did know their exact locations. It was not too hard to discover their positions as there were small abnormalities where the three were standing. Even if they believed that they were staying perfectly still, there was no way to achieve perfect stillness unless one possessed countless years of training. The first person Izroth appeared before was HappyTimes. They did not have any time to react as Izroth unsheathed his ?Nameless de? which was covered in a light milky blue aura. It was done in an instant as Izroth¡¯s sword sliced cleanly across the neck of HappyTimes using the ?Sword Aura? skill from his weapon. Soon after, at the tip of Izroth¡¯s right index finger, concentrated energy began to gather. He used the skill ?Fissuring point? and quickly pierced through the throat of HappyTimes before flickering away. He did not stop there and immediately flickered over towards FatalSymmetry who was the next closest target. The group had not yet even registered what happened to HappyTimes before an oppressive aura was unleashed from Izroth¡¯s ?Nameless de?. Using the skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?, Izroth aimed directly for the head of FatalSymmetry striking with deadly uracy. Afterward, he slightly adjusted his position before lightly kicking off his left foot and elerating towards thest enemy, Coldface. Izroth quickly shed out with a phantom trailing behind his ?Nameless de?, he was using the skill ?Phantom Strike? to attack Coldface. As he appeared in front of Coldface, Izroth aimed the first strike at his head and the second strike towards his neck. His uracy was incredibly frightening. After that was finished, the flickering afterimages of Izroth spread throughout the area began to vanish one by one until all that remained was Izroth¡¯s true body. He was standing where he first made his move with his hands behind his back, and his ?Nameless de? already returned to its sheath as though he never left that spot to begin with. Izroth let out a small sigh of disappointment, "I didn¡¯t expect them to be so weak... Maybe I should have held back a bit..." Izroth thought to himself. He felt a bit of regret using ?Flickering Steps? and ending the fight so fast. He was supposed to use this chance to hone his skills and get used tobat against other yers, however, these three could not even handle a few moves. How was he supposed to practice that way? Coldface, Happytimes, and FatalSymmetry were all dumbstruck. All they saw was their screens turning gray and not a single one of them were able to take any action. What just happened? Did they die? That was impossible! It all happened in a mere instant. In less than a second, Izroth eliminated three yers. It¡¯s not like these yers were a much lower level than him, in fact, one of them was even a level higher than him! ?Critical Hit: 380 Damage? [Fissuring Point] ?Critical Hit: 750 Damage? [Basic Attack/Sword Aura] ?0/825 HP Remaining? [HappyTimes] ¡´System Alert: yer HappyTimes has died!¡µ ?Critical Hit: 1,360 Damage? [First Baneful Sword: Destruction] ?0/825 HP Remaining? [FatalSymmetry] ¡´System Alert: yer FatalSymmetry has died!¡µ ?Critical Hit: 370 Damage? [Phantom Strike] ?Critical Hit: 570 Damage? [Phantom Strike] ?0/875 HP Remaining? [Coldface] ¡´System Alert: yer Coldface has died!¡µ The three yers who were about to surprise attack Izroth wanted to cough up blood. Not only did they not seed in forcing Izroth to hand over that rare item or killing him to have a chance for it to drop, but they had died and did not even know how! They felt wronged and as the saw the battle logs their faces all turned extremely ugly. This guy was a freak! He dealt so much damage in such a short period of time and managed to kill all of them before they could even move against him. Their entire group was using ?Stealth? and yet he still urately located all of them andnded a critical hit with every single strike. It wasn¡¯t until this moment they understood why Scarlet called off the attack. It had to be a lie that this yer was the unyable and trash Combat Master ss! They had been so blinded by greed that they ignored the warning of danger and ran straight to their own doom. What made them even more regretful was that after hitting level 10, one would receive a penalty for dying. The first was a loss of EXP, and the next was being in a weakened state for 1 hour which meant they would lose an entire hour of leveling up. Thest thing that made them want to cry was that they all dropped a piece of ?Umon? equipment! For yers like them, that was the highest level of gear they would receive for a while until rare bosses became moremon. So the fact that all of them dropped one of their ?Umon? pieces of equipment, made them want to faint from anger at themselves. How could those three know that they were just unfortunate to run into Izroth who just recently obtained the ?Luck? stat? Izroth walked over and looked at the gear for a moment before just tossing it into his inventory. The things that dropped were two weapons, and a torso piece. There was no way that any of that equipment was better than what he currently possessed, so he would just sell it to the highest bidder. "You two cane out now, I got rid of the little creatures" Izroth said with a slight smile on his face as he spoke towards the direction of the ?Valley of Death?. Not too long after, Luna and Halls exited from the valley. The had helpless expressions on their face, but they were not shocked by what just urred. At this point, they felt as though anything Izroth did from now on would be unable to surprise them as they had grown numb to it all. "Ha... Ha..." Halls could only let out a weakugh. Luna chose to remain silent and just inwardly sigh before thinking to herself, "I have to find a way to catch up to him... At this rate, he¡¯ll leave me in the dust..." Luna was verypetitive by nature, but when it came to Izroth she had to admit that she held little hope atpeting with such a monster. The group once again started their journey back to ?Amaharpe?. Luna and Halls were naturally excited from havingpleted an S-Ranked quest. The thing that they were looking forward to the most was that rare piece of equipment they would receive! ... In a small room within the headquarters of RML, a woman with bright red hair stood by the door of a small crowded room with different types of wires andputers everywhere. At the desk sat a man with sses and messy hair who looked like he had not slept in days. When he heard the door open behind him, he turned around with a smile on his face, "How was it? ying the viin that is heh..." the man with sses asked the woman with bright red hair. She let out a long sigh with her arms folded as she shook her head, "Tiring... It¡¯s really not something I enjoy. Just know that you owe me now. I think with this, I¡¯ve paid you back many times over" the woman held a small memory drive in her hand. "I transferred all of the rey data to this device" she tossed the small memory drive to the man with sses. He fumbled around with it a bit before sessfully catching it within his hands. "Hey hey, you should treat technology with more respect you know? They are a very fragile existence" the man with sses said in a sincere tone of voice. "Whatever you say tech freak... If you need me again please, do make sure you hesitate to call me" the woman with bright red hair said before walking out of the room. "Aye... It seems like she¡¯s really upset at me this time haha..." the man with sses helplessly rubbed the back of his head. He then switched his attention to the memory drive within his hands. "Now, let¡¯s see what surprises you have for me..." ... The group traveled for a bit more than 30 minutes before arriving back at the gates of ?Amaharpe?. The process of getting through the gate this time was much faster since they had the magic mark and could just walk on through without checking in. A couple of minutester, the group arrived at the Combat Master ss building. Luna and Halls were shocked by how extravagant the building was because it was even more luxurious than their own ss buildings! Wasn¡¯t the Combat Master ss supposed to be the weakest of sses? Izroth entered into the building with Luna and Halls following closely behind. When they arrived inside, the space before them seemed to distort and soon after a figure appeared from out of thin air. The one who appeared was Terminus. Due to the nature of Terminus power and the fact that he set up certain things here, he could tell when someone entered the Combat Master ss building and instantly travel there. It was the same movement technique Izroth saw him use when he leftst time. "I hope you bring good news, time is not on our side" Terminus had a gloomy expression on his face as though he were very troubled by something. He hoped that Izroth was sessful in obtaining that item from the Seer. He briefly nced over in the direction of Luna and Halls but found nothing that special about them. Though that divine aura they were emitting was a bit interesting. There were not many people blessed by the divine beings. Izroth nodded before removing the ?Anivarity¡¯s Bell? from his inventory. As soon as Terminus saw that item his eyes widened in disbelief as he appeared directly in front of Izroth examining the item closely. "This..." Terminus only knew of the item from the sacred library within the main pce. Not many had ess to that sacred library beside a select few that could be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone. "The abundant divine power... The change in appearance... This has to be it...!" the gloomy expression on Terminus face immediately disappeared and was reced by a pleasant smile. He was not one to smile often and so when he did it was because Terminus was very pleased. "What you have aplished, I Terminus shall never forget in this lifetime!" Terminus facial expression turned very serious. One could tell with just a nce that his words were quite sincere. Izroth handed the item over to Terminus and with that, they finallypleted the S-Ranked quest ?Journey to the Seer?. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Deliver the special item to Terminus in Amaharpe has beenpleted for the quest ?Journey to the Seer?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Journey to the Seer?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 1 gold coin¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 10,000 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 16¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded ?de of Lightning?¡µ When Halls and Luna received their own rewards, they could not help but look at Izroth with eyes full of respect. This was a debt that they would probably never be able to repay, and so they both thanked Izroth from the bottom of their hearts. Izroth responded with a small smile at Luna and Halls thanks. He was still quite new to this world, so it would not hurt to create some solid connections. Izroth knew that with the way Halls and Luna were, they would always remember his kindness and try to repay him any way they could. Izroth examined the ?de of Lightning? he received from the quest. When he saw how strong this item was, he immediately thought to himself, "It seems as though the ?Nameless de? will be useless from now on... I think it¡¯s about time I sell it...". Izroth actually had quite a lot of items to sell at the moment. "This game has something called an auction house if I recall..." he remembered that on the ?Official Combat Master Badge? he received from Terminus, there was mention of an auction house. Originally, he was going to go through Metronome to sell the items, but he did not know him well enough to trust him with selling a rare item and various other things. "I¡¯ll have to find the auction house and see how things work after I leave from here..." Izroth thought to himself. Izroth unequipped the ?Nameless de? and reced it with the ?de of Lightning?. With this new de, it would be like giving wings to a tiger! Chapter 47 Auction House Weapon Name: de of Lightning Weapon Rank: Rare Weapon Level: 15 Requirements: 140 Attack Attack Damage: 100 Weapon Skill Lightning Charge(Passive) - Every time the userpletes a sessful attack they gain 1 ?Lightning Charge? (MAX: 10). When the user reaches the maximum of 10 ?Lightning Charge?, they can unleash a powerful skill known as ?Lightning Field?. ?Lightning Field? - When the user reaches 10 stacks of ?Lightning Charge?, a field of lightning is summoned within a 15 meters range around the user. Every 1 second an enemy is within the lightning field, there is a 50% chance for them to be ?Paralyze? for 0.25 seconds. While within the lightning field, the user¡¯s Attack and Agility are increased by 50% and all their attacks deal 20% bonus damage as ?Lightning Damage?. This skillst for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 13 minutes Although Izroth was a bit disappointed that he would no longer be able to use the ?Sword Aura? skill from the ?Nameless de?, the effects of his new weapon left him extremely satisfied. The thing he found most useful was the ?Paralyze? part of the skill. To a lot of people, 0.25 seconds may not seem like that much time, however, to those who were truly skilled it would be a nightmare if they were affected by it or a huge window of opportunity if they were the ones using it. This effect was not just a one-time thing either and had a chance to happen every 1 second for 10 whole seconds. Just imagine, every action or skill you were about to perform was suddenly interrupted before you could properly execute it. This would leave someone with many vulnerabilities to exploit and this was even more so for a person such as Izroth. If he used his ?Flickering Steps? and ?Lightning Field? abilities together, who would even dream ofying a single finger on him? The ?de of Lightning? was ced upon Izroth¡¯s back. It was sheathed and as such one would be unable to see its extremely sharp edge as well as the light blue color of the de itself. However, if someone looked close enough they would notice small crackles of lightning jumping about every now and again outside of the sword¡¯s sheath. "I must take my leave at once and report this matter" Terminus soon vanished within that distorted like space once more. Halls thought how cool it would be to have such an awesome skill one day. Halls stood up straight and gave a respectful salute to Izroth as if he had some form of military training. "Izroth, from today onward you have my word. I, Halls will alwayse to your aid if you ever need me, even if it¡¯s to hell and back" Halls had a very serious expression on his face. This was about more than just him receiving a rare item or some benefits from Izroth, it was because Halls respected Izroth from the bottom of his heart as a man. The way he took action and did not hesitate in his decisions, all the way to how powerful he actually was. Halls knew that even though this was a game, RML gave a lot of freedom to its yers, especially those who possess certain skills in real life. From the way Izroth moved and reacted in this game, he was not just a monster in RML, but must also be one in real life! Halls was a very loyal person whose true friendship was hard to earn, yet in less than a day Izroth had managed to do so. Even though considering the in-game time it was already the second day. Izroth gave a slight smile and nodded. Straight-forward guys like Halls were always easy to get along with for Izroth. They were never afraid to speak their mind and did not try to scheme against you. These were the type of people you could put your trust in and not be afraid of it getting betrayed. "Rest assured. I will not forget the words you¡¯ve spoken to me today" Izroth responded to Halls. Halls chuckled a bit before saying, "Then, I will hold you to that" Luna approached Izroth and took a moment to observe him. "If you call him but do not call me, then I won¡¯t heal him ever again" she pointed to Halls. Halls almost fell over when he heard Luna¡¯s words. Why was he going to suffer instead of Izroth in that case? Wasn¡¯t this a bit unfair? "Rest assured. I will not forget the words you¡¯ve spoken to me today" Izroth gave the exact same response as he did with Halls. This caused Luna and Halls to look at each other beforeughing. They did not think Izroth was capable of jokes, but it seemed like he knew how to joke around as well. However, Izroth was surprised by their suddenughter as he had no idea what was so funny. "Maybe it¡¯s something from this realm that I do not yet understand..." he thought to himself. "Well, I should get going to the ss building. I have work in a few so I have to head off soon. Take care Izroth, Luna" Halls gave them both a thumbs up before heading off and waving goodbye. ¡´System Alert: yer Halls has left the party¡µ Izroth and Luna said their farewells to Halls. Luna then went on to ask Izroth, "What are you nning to do now? I should also head to the ss building to learn some new skills... After that, I promised to meet up with a few friends who started ying before I did, they should be back in ?Amaharpe? by now. Of course, you¡¯re more than wee to join us" Luna smiled in a reassuring manner. Izroth shook his head, "I have a few things to take care of. Do you know where the auction house is?" he decided to ask, after all, it was much better than randomly wandering around until he found it. "Ah... I actually saw the auction house on my way to the cleric ss building. There sure were a lot of people gathered there trying to ce their items up for sale. I¡¯ll send you the rough coordinates. You can¡¯t miss it" Luna sent the coordinates for the auction house to Izroth. Izroth took a moment to check the coordinates before nodding his head, "You have my thanks". Luna shook her head, "I don¡¯t think something as small as this garners thanks after all you¡¯ve done. I should be the one to say it, so please allow me to do so. Thank you, Izroth" a lovely smiled blossomed onto Luna¡¯s face. A single word came to Izroth¡¯s mind when Luna smiled and that was "pretty". Since the game did not allow one to alter their characters too much, it was safe to say the Luna before him was the same as the Luna in the real world. Though, Izroth did not have any impure thoughts about Luna. She was just like a breath of fresh from a gentle spring breeze, very pleasant to be in the presence of and just rx. Izroth smiled in return as Luna finally decided to take her leave. ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has left the party¡µ ... A few momentster, Izroth was standing outside a crowded building with many yers going in and out. This was the sole auction house located within ?Amaharpe?. There were guards standing at the entryway to make sure that the peace was kept. The building itself wasrge enough to be a mansion. It was no wonder Luna said that he would be unable to miss it. When Izroth entered into the auction house, he saw most yers facing the walls of the auction house. On the walls were various items with different prices listed next to them. It was known as the auction screen and yers could search through it in order to purchase items from the auction house. The other group of yers which were much smaller inparison was the ones at the receptionist desk. It was at that desk that yers could begin to put up their items for auction at the auction house. Even though Izroth had never been to the auction house within RML, it was not that much different from the auctions houses within the seven realms. The only major difference was the auction screen and instead of an actual person selling the item while epting bids, it appeared to all be done automatically. Izroth walked up to one of the receptionist desks with no one in line. Sitting behind the desk was a woman with long pointed ears, perfectly fair skin, long blonde hair, sapphire colored eyes and a thin figure with curves in all the correct ces. This was someone of the ?Trephasia? race within RML, or moremonly known by the yers as Elves. There were many different kinds of races in RML, but yers would rarely run into them this early into the game. When Izroth reached the front of the receptionist desk he was greeted with a weing smile. "Hello, my name is Mia. Wee to the ?Amaharpe Auction House? adventurer! Is this your first time visiting?" Mia spoke in a pleasant and respectful tone of voice. Izroth nodded, "This is indeed my first time. I¡¯d like to put some items up for sale in your auction house". Mia sped her hands together in excitement and tilted her head slightly to the side with a smile on her face. "Yes, I would more than happy to help you with that" she then pulled out a cube from behind the desk and sat it on top. "This is called the ?Auction Cube?. Every adventurer thates into the auction house to sell items will have their very own ?Auction Cube? registered in their name. With this, we will know who each and every item within our auction house belongs to" Mia exined to Izroth. "When you enter into an auction house once you are registered to an ?Auction Cube?, you will immediately be able to put up or take down any items you¡¯ve ced on sale. Of course, removing an item that has already been put up for sale and has a potential buyer will result in a cancetion fee". "You may also directly exchange the coins you earn from selling your items into RMB through the auction house. What this means is that instead of receiving coins once your item sales, you will instead be given the RMB amount. At the moment, the exchange rate is 1:1000 gold to RMB and the conversion fee is 10%" Izroth was absorbing all of the information Mia was unloading onto him. RMB? That was the first time he heard of that term... Wait, wasn¡¯t that the same thing listed on that receipt looking piece of paper he saw when he first removed RML from the stic store bag? "RMB must be the currency of this world..." Izroth thought to himself. He then took a moment to search through the memories of Jin about RMB. What he saw was a bunch of numbers and how it was used in daily life. "Bank ount? It¡¯s simr to a storage ring where you hold valuables..." When he searched through the memories of Jin about RMB, he discovered things such as his bank ount numbers, how to spend it and it¡¯s current value in the world. Izroth also found out that Jin linked his bank ount directly to RML when he first purchased the game. "I have not forgotten my promise" Izroth was talking about the promise he made Jin to take care of his mother. If RMB was the currency of this world, then it was now obvious how he could earn money from this. It did not take long for Mia to finish exining all the details regarding the auction house. "Now then, please put up any item you¡¯d like to auction off. There will be a small 20% transaction fee, but since you have the ?Official Combat Master Badge?, there will only be a 10% transaction fee". Izroth had quite a few things in his inventory that he did not have any use for at this time. The items Izroth decided to put up for auction was the three umon items he got from defeating those yers earlier, x1 ?Demonic Boar Hide?, ?Wooden Spell Staff?, x1 ?Tough Natural Mineral?, x5 ?True Blood of the Shadahi?, and of course the ?Nameless de?. Izroth thought for a moment before deciding what to do with the ?Nameless de?. He set the minimum takeaway price to 20 gold and set the time limit for 1 hour which was the lowest time that it could be set for. He also made it so that the coins he earned from the items would be automatically converted into RMB. The reason he did this was to see for himself exactly how the auction house functioned. Besides, if he felt the price was too low, he could simply cancel it and would only have to pay a small fee. But, what Izroth did not know was the amount of chaos he would create from such a simple act. Chapter 48 Chaos At The Auction House As soon as Izroth put the ?Nameless de? up for sale, a bid was immediately ced on it for 10 gold. At this point in the game, 10 gold was not at all a small amount. In fact, the average yer probably only had around 2-3 gold to their name or even less than that. The only people capable of taking out more gold than that were big guilds or rich yers. Though 10 gold was just the beginning, not too long after it, the price went up to 15 gold... 20 gold... 30 gold... The price was quickly rising! "Hey... Look, a rare weapon...!" one of the yers in the auction house looking at the auction screen with his friend said in a shocked tone. But when he saw the current bid price on it he instantly gave up on the idea of buying the weapon. 30 gold?! He barely had 5 gold and that was after painstakingly gathering and selling items. When his friend heard what he said, they decided to take a look at the item on sale. "Woah... Dude, that¡¯s like a free critical strike! Plus, look at that attack bonus. I still only have amon weapon... With that weapon, my damage would skyrocket!" he really wanted that weapon, but unfortunately it was something he could not afford. Other yers overheard their conversation and charged over to start looking at the weapons. It was really there! An actual rare weapon was put up for auction. Who would give up such a precious treasure? One had to know that even within those top guilds rare weapons were extremely scarce. "Hey... is that really a rare weapon up for auction...?" A random yer thought their eyes were ying tricks on him. It was not long until almost everyone within the auction house was looking at that rare weapon currently up for sale. Most of them could only dream of obtaining it when they noticed the price did not stop rising. Those were the yers that let out a sigh of defeat and cursed their ownck of wealth. Some yers had plenty of money to just throw away in order to get what they wanted, and they unfortunately weren¡¯t one of those yers. Some other yers began to contact their respective guilds to see if it was possible to retrieve the funds from the guild resources. But, for most guilds, it was very challenging to do so with the limited time set on the auction of the rare item. At the moment, although yers were officially a part of a guild, the first actual guild in RML had not yet been created through the system. What this meant is that no one has sessfully unlocked the guild feature in RML. To create an official guild in RML, yers needed to obtain an ?Official Guild Sanction?. ording to some of the beta testers who leaked information about the matter, there were two known ways to acquire an ?Official Guild Sanction?. The first is to defeat a level 20 or higher boss which is at the rank of rare or higher. The drop chance was astronomically low for a rare boss; however, it was currently the easiest way to get it. The second was to defeat a world boss. The drop chance was much better for a world boss. However, the main issue was not just finding a world boss, but also defeating it. World bosses like the Shadow Wolf were very weakpared to those higher level world bosses. Some of the stronger ones could even wipe out a thousand yers with ease. Izroth was watching as the price on his ?Nameless de? was continuously going higher and higher. He did not expect it to sell for such a ridiculous price! He thought that the limit would at most be around 30 gold, but it was already at 43 gold! At the moment, Izroth had less than 2 gold to his name. Even if he were to convert that to real money, he would only receive a little less than 2,000 RMB. But, if he were to trade in 43 gold coins... He would make over 43,000 RMB with the current gold to RMB exchange ratio! Of course, after the fee from the auction house it would be 10% less. Even though he would not be filthy rich by the standards of this world, it would definitely be more than enough to achieve his goal. The only reason Izroth set the minimum to 20 gold was so that he could at the very least ease the burden on Reilei who was the mother of the original owner of this body who he made a promise to. Though, after seeing how much she sacrificed and suffered, even if he did not make a promise with Jin, he would have still done something for her in the end. After all, she was technically his mother while he is in this world and inside of Jin¡¯s body. Izroth grew up as an orphan in the seven realms and never had a mother. He imagined that if he did grow up with a mother, she would have the same endless love for him as Reilei did for Jin. At first, this was only supposed to be a temporary measure until Izroth could find a more stable flow of ie. However, Izroth believed that he just discovered a way to create a massive amount of ie in a short period of time! ... "Did you hear Ewan? Apparently, someone is selling a rare weapon at the ?Amaharpe Auction House?" a bulky man with short hair said. He was sitting down at a table located at an inn within ?Amaharpe?. The drinks and food here tasted like those in the real world, so one would be able to actually enjoy it. "Yeah, I heard that Wess is going to see if it¡¯s within the budget. Though, I¡¯m much more curious as to who would sell a rare weapon at this point in time... Aren¡¯t you too, Dragus?" the man named Ewan responded. One could not make out his facial features due to the strange bird shaped mask he was wearing. However, one notable trait was his long silver hair that stopped at his lower back area and the crystal clear cyan color of his eyes. From those two traits alone it seemed like he was probably very handsome underneath that mask of his. The bulky man with short hair named Dragus burst into a small fit ofughter. "Am I curious? Of course, I¡¯m curious. Who else besides us top guilds have the power to obtain a rare item at the moment? It has to be some strong solo yer or maybe a beta tester with some hidden knowledge" despite Dragus¡¯s all brawn and no brains appearance, he was actually a very informative individual. Ewan gave a thoughtful smile before saying, "You know, I actually found out something interesting a bit earlier today... Do you remember that yer who cleared the first world boss?". Dragus nodded his head, "Yeah, how could I not remember? They put their own name as the name of the party hahaha! I admired that kind of boldness". "Do you know what ss that person is?" a grin formed on the face of Ewan as he spoke. Dragus furrowed his brows, "If I had to guess I would say a warrior or fighter. Though, I¡¯d lean more towards a warrior since he was the party leader in a party of only 3 members" he gave his opinion on the situation. Ewan, however, shook his head in disagreement. "He¡¯s not a warrior or a fighter but rather... A Combat Master" Ewan spoke calmly. Dragus had an expression of shock on his face. A Combat Master? That ss was extremely challenging to y! Even pro yers did not want to touch that ss because of how unpredictable it was. "Are you sure that¡¯s correct...? How did youe across that information?" Dragus slightly frowned, not believing what he just heard. "I¡¯m positive. The information is from a very reliable source that can be trusted" Ewan joined his fingertips together as though he were thinking of something. "Interesting... Really interesting..." Dragus could see a small glimpse of the path Ewan was seeing in his mind. "If that¡¯s true then we should try to meet with them at some point". "No. It is not yet time for us to approach him. We have to make sure that it was not just a fluke... Only then can we be sure of our decision" Ewan gazed outside of the inn¡¯s windows as though he were staring at something far away. ... Back at the auction house, it was now inplete and total chaos. yers were flooding through the doors trying to enter inside. The NPC guards there tried to calm them down and make them enter in an orderly fashion, however, it was useless. Some yers were there just to see the rare item and if what they heard were true. Others were there to try their luck in buying it. While a few were there for information about who was selling the item. As Izroth noticed the auction house bing packed with yers, he released a helpless sigh. It was only a single rare item, why was there so much chaos over it? But what Izroth did not fully understand was that rare items, especially the weapons, were only avable in a very limited quantity at the moment. If a yer got ahold of that weapon their overall damage and usefulness would skyrocket. Though, there were some rich kids there who just wanted it for bragging rights alone. The price for the ?Nameless de? was currently at 50 gold coins. Even if the ?Amaharpe Auction House? removed the 10% fee from it that was still 45 gold coins! 45,000 RMB for a single piece of rare equipment, that was insane! Though, it was somewhat understandable given that even though the weapon was only level 10, it could easilypete in damage along with a level 20 umon weapon. Add on to that the effect it possessed which was pretty much a free critical hit, it was worth it for some people. All of a sudden, the price shot up from 50 gold coins to 80 gold coins. Everyone was shocked when they saw that sudden big jump. Who was rich enough to take out such arge amount of gold coins? 80 gold was the equivalent of spending 80,000 RMB! That was way too much for a level 10 rare weapon... Even being at 50 gold coins was already pushing it to the limits. Not too long after that 80 gold bid for the ?Nameless Sword? was ced, everyone within the auction house heard a loud voice. "This item belongs to me! If anyone dares to ce another bid on it then they will forever be an enemy of my ?Sage Falls? guild!" The voice of that person was very loud and could be clearly heard throughout the entire auction house. They must¡¯ve been using some item to increase the sound of their voice; otherwise, it was impossible for it to be so loud. Izroth frowned when he heard what that person shouted out. The item was naturally supposed to go to the highest bidder, but this person was trying to intimidate potential buyers with a threat. He had seen many "rich young masters" like this back when he first started his journey as a cultivator in the seven realms. But, the majority of yers in the auction house had a different reaction than Izroth¡¯s. "Did he say the ?Sage Falls? guild...? Isn¡¯t that guild full of those despicable people who do whatever it takes to win...?" one of the male random yers said. "Shhhh! Are you crazy man? If they hear you then you better just delete your ount now and save yourself the trouble... Those guys are nothing to fool around with. I heard rumors that the leader of the guild has ties to the triad..." a friend of the random yer spoke in a low voice so he would not be overheard. "I heard about that too... They say that someone once insulted the leader of ?Sage Falls? on this old MMORPG I used to y and the next day in the real world that person had disappeared into thin air! It was like they never existed and the police did not bother to look into it..." another one of his friends said almost whispering. The one who originally spoke felt shivers run down his spine when he listened to them speak. Was there any need to be so serious over a few insults in a game? He immediately shut up and did not dare to speak any further. The noise inside of the auction house grew a bit silent after that loud statement. Chapter 49 Its A Start! At one of the auction screens nearby, a young man was surrounded by 5 other yers who looked naturally intimidating. The young man looked incredibly arrogant as if he towered above everyone else in the auction house. Some of the yers thought that he was just another idiot. Most yers did not even have enough gold to purchase such an item, only thoserge guilds would be able topete with such a price. If he was actually going to buy the item, then he would be offending those top guilds that also wanted to purchase the item. A smile formed on the young man¡¯s face as he saw no one else was bidding. There were around 10 minutes remaining on the auction time and then that rare weapon would be his. He had been looking for a weapon better than umon for a while now and so he felt this was his lucky day. "No one would dare to bid against me. This weapon is as good as mine" the young man was thinking to himself but right after, he suddenly received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have been outbid for the item ?Nameless de?¡µ When the young man heard the alert his facial expression immediately darkened as his eyes scanned the room. "Who dared to bid?!" he shouted in a tone that sounded as though he was suppressing his rage. "I dared to bid! The question is, what is it that you want to do about it, yer?" the one who spoke was... a child? No, that¡¯s not right. He was just short as if he missed his growth spurt during puberty. The young man was so short that he would often be mistaken for a child. His hair was dark red, while his crimson red eyes possessed irises resembling that of a ferocious tiger. yer was the yer name of the one who was just outbid by the short young man. When yer looked over in the direction of where the voice came from, his voice became condescending, "Ha! Don¡¯t think that being a member of ?Cross Haven? is enough for you to be safe Wess" it seemed as though the two knew each other and had met before. "Did he just say Wess? Isn¡¯t that one of the Lieutenants of one of the top guilds ?Cross Haven??" one of the yers nearby was surprised to hear that name. That was because Wess was a young and uing pro yer who was getting a lot of publicity this past year. "Wess? As in Godspeed Wess? I heard he¡¯s currently the fastest yer in RML...!" everyone started mumbling to each other, excited about the action that was about to take ce. Izroth was observing from the sidelines as he smiled inwardly. To him, this all just resembled one big performance. Neither side was willing to back down and give face to the other. This was the best case scenario for him, as the price would keep rising due to no one wanting to back down. Izroth did not personally care who purchased the item, but he would much rather see Wess gets it rather than that yer person. At least the former did not threaten everyone in the auction house not to bid. Though Izroth didn¡¯t mind yer obtaining the item as well... At a much greater cost that is. Which at this rate was bound to happen given how prideful yer appeared to be. "Even if I wasn¡¯t a member of ?Cross Haven?, do you think I would not dare to bid? Let me tell you, I would not be afraid to bid regardless. You can bully others, but not me!" there was a yful smile on the face of Wess as if he were goading yer. yer¡¯s expression grew cold, "If it were your guild leader or your vice guild leader, I might consider giving them some face. However, a brat like you shouldn¡¯t get so ahead of yourself just because of the fact that you¡¯re a little famous now" yer then went on to bid once again on the item. Wess smirked, "Why try to oveplicate things with words? Since you want to say so much then I¡¯ll keep it nice and short. I want this weapon so I¡¯m buying it" after he said that, Wess increased his bid on the ?Nameless de?. yer gritted his teeth out of anger. This rare weapon was barely worth 40-50 gold so paying 80 gold for it should have originally been more than enough to safely obtain it along with a few threats. However, his ns had been totally and utterly wrecked by Wess who now set the bid at 90 gold coins. No matter how much he cursed and insulted that brat, he just kept smiling with that annoying look on his face. It was as if he was purposely trying to antagonize him! This only made yer even more enraged as he bid 100 gold coins. If he backed down now then he would be aughing stock. Wess stared at yer for a brief moment... He then threw his hands up in a surrendering manner as he spoke in a sarcastic voice, "Oh man, you sure did outbid me. I guess this weapon is all yours now. Congrattions on your new rare weapon, yer" Wess had a huge smile on his face. yer was dumbfounded, but then he realized that Wess had been toying with him the entire time. Wess knew that he would never give up on this item because of his fear of bing aughing stock. Since he knew this, he purposely continued to raise the bid just to get him to spend more. If looks could kill then Wess would have already been dead countless times over. yer was infuriated by the actions of Wess, however, he would not cause amotion here and risk further humiliating himself. There were a couple of yers that began to chuckle and giggle when they understood what Wess did. yer red at those yers and they instantly looked away not making a single sound. A few minutester, yer received a message from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully obtained the item ?Nameless de?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Insufficient gold coins, activating RMB Surplus...¡µ ¡´System Alert: 100,000 RMB has been charged to your ount¡µ For yer it was a bittersweet victory. Even though this ?Nameless de? was a rare weapon, it was far from being worth 100 gold coins. He red at Wess onest time before iming his item and leaving the auction house. "Just you wait... I¡¯ll repay you for this one day" yer thought to himself with an evil smile on his face. Wess looked around for a bit and when his eyes fell onto someone, they widened a bit before soon returning back to normal. He then walked out of the auction himself soon after. At the same time yer obtained the ?Nameless de?, Izroth also received a message from the system. ¡´System Alert: You item ?Nameless de? has sessfully been sold for 100 gold coins¡µ ¡´System Alert: Converting 1000:1 gold to RMB ratio... Conversion sessful!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 10,000 RMB(10%) has been removed for the auction house fee from the total of 100,000 RMB¡µ ¡´System Alert: 10,000 RMB(10%) has been removed for the conversion fee from the total of 100,000 RMB¡µ ¡´System Alert: 80,000 RMB has been sessfully added directly to your bank ount¡µ The 80,000 RMB was not the only thing Izroth received. Adding together all the other items he put up for auction, they sold for a total of 19 gold coins. After the auction house fee and the conversion fee, he gained an additional 15,200 RMB. In the end, Izroth made a total of 95,200 RMB. From searching through Jin¡¯s memories about RMB, Izroth understood that 95,200 RMB was not enough tost for a lifetime. If he wanted to keep good on his promise, he would have to find more ways to earn money. "For now, this should be enough to at least remove arge majority of her burden" Izroth thought to himself. Even if Reilei could not live off 95,200 RMB for a lifetime, it was enough for her to at least take days off from work. It was also definitely enough for her not to have to work 3 different jobs. Though Izroth knew in order to fully make good on his promise, he would have to earn enough so that Reilei would have no worries. Izroth had been ying for around 3-4 hours straight now, but due to the time ratio of 10:1 it felt as though it were 30-40 hours. Within that time, he managed to reach level 16, learn many different skills, and earn 95,200 RMB. One of the most important things was that his body in the real world seemed to be experiencing changes ording to what he could sense using his soul. "I can feel my body in the real world increasing in strength... The ?Heavenly Golden Body? seems to have progressed to the second stage" Izroth thought to himself. Although he was a bit disappointed that he did not get a chance to see if the ?Boundless Emperor Void Perfection? heavenlyw would work in the real world as well, he could only helplessly sigh and wait for the 30 days to go by. For now, this would have to suffice. "There are still many unanswered questions..." Izroth muttered to himself before leaving the auction house. ... A short young man with dark red hair and crimson colored eyes entered into a certain inn within ?Amaharpe?. That short young man was Wess who was just at the auction house not too long ago. "I see you¡¯ve returned, Wess. Was your trip fruitful?" the one who spoke was Ewan. He was still sitting at the table along with Dragus. Wess threw his hands up in a helpless manner, "That idiot yer from ?Sage Falls? bid 100 gold coins for it. Even if it was a rare weapon that¡¯s way over budget. Though, I made sure to help... Persuade such a brilliant investment" Wess chuckled as he thought back to what urred at the auction house. Dragus burst out into a short fit ofughter, "You rascal! Causing trouble again huh? Knowing that yer guy, he probably kept giving you death res and threats huh? Hahahaha!" Ewan shook his head at the way Dragus and Wess acted. He then turned to took directly at Wess, "Did you manage to find him?" "Hm... I¡¯m positive I saw him there as well... If the description you gave me is correct, then I did find him" Wess nodded his head. "I see... So then he really is here in ?Amaharpe?... Aegis..." Ewan let out a deep sigh before standing up from his seat. When he stood up, around 90% of the people in the inn also rose to their feet, including Dragus. "Let¡¯s go, we have a new dungeon to clear" Dragus moved closer to Ewan, speaking in a low voice saying, "If Aegis is here... Doesn¡¯t that mean the others are here as well?" Ewan furrowed his brows, though one would not be able to see it due to the mask on his face. "That should be the case. Even if the others are not currently here in ?Amaharpe? with him we can assume that eventually, they will meet." Dragus rubbed his chin as he started walking side by side with Ewan towards the exit of the inn. "If that¡¯s true then... We may not get the first clear on this dungeon" Dragus said. "Do not fret Dragus. That group is one full of monsters. They should not be interested in a simple dungeon" Ewan spoke with a voice full of confidence. "But, we should still keep a close eye on them. After all, even though there are only twelve of them they are a very dangerous group... ?Heaven¡¯s Law?" ... "It¡¯s a start" Izroth thought to himself as he read through the system alerts one more time to make sure he did not miss anything important. Although Izroth would like to stay within RML for a longer period of time, he knew that keeping the promises he made came first. He decided it was time to log out for a while and take care of some things. Chapter 50 Logging Ou ¡´System Alert: You are now being logged out of Realm of Myths and Legends...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Please wait a moment for the adjustment of your senses...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Adjustmentplete! You are now logged off!¡µ Izroth removed the headset from his head and put it onto the desk. After doing so, he sat cross-legged on the bed in a meditative position with his eyes closed. The first thing Izroth needed to do was check the current status of his body. He used his strong soul to sense the various changes that urred during his time spent within RML. ¡¯The spiritual essence in this world is still weak, but somehow my ?Heavenly Golden Body? really did advance much faster than anticipated.¡¯ Izroth thought to himself. When Izroth was still logged into RML, he could sense the changes happening to his body in the real world as well. But the thing that shocked him the most, which he did not perceive while in the game, was the increase of spiritual essence within his body. Althoughpared to the Seven Realms, it was almost negligible. If matched against the original miniscule amount of spiritual essence within this realm, it could be viewed as arge quantity. "It really has reached the second stage, how fascinating." Izroth was referring to the fact that he was able to cultivate while in-game and gain such huge benefits. He originally held no hope of ever learning heavenlyws and reaching at most the 3rd stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique, but this changed everything. He found a way to cultivate in this world! Izroth spent around twenty minutes making sure that everything was in order within his body. During that period, he began to learn more about the world he was in and many things regarding Jin¡¯s personal life. Izroth waspletely absorbing all of Jin¡¯s memories now that he was at the second stage of his physique. If he tried this before when he first arrived in this world then the information would have been fragmented due to how weak this body originally was. As Izroth was fusing with the memories of Jin, the original owner of this body, Izroth could not help but let out a long sigh. ¡¯What a miserable life...¡¯ he thought. The lifespan of mortals seemed to be extremely short in this realm as well. On average they were able to live up to 80-90 years of age. Living for such a short period of time made it very difficult to climb up within the world and once you fell down, it was challenging to get back up. It was the same for cultivators, but the average lifespan of even the weakest cultivators were around 250 years old. There was a much greater chance at seeding as long as one had the determination and drive to never give up on the path they chose. Izroth stood up from his bed and stretched, making different body movements as to fully adjust to the changes of his body. "This body is in a much better shape from when I first received it." He was not just referring to the near-death state, but even the state of Jin¡¯s body before that. Jin¡¯s body held many impurities and while it was not in the worst of conditions, it was still far off from being in proper shape. Though now thanks to reaching the second stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body?, his body was in much better shape. It was not just an average looking body with no defined muscles; it was now as if Jin¡¯s body was shaped from steel with how well-defined his current muscles were. He also no longer gave off a weak and pathetic vibe, but rather one of confidence. The present Jin looked as though he inherited his mother¡¯s good looks, instead of the previous average and unkempt appearance of his. Izroth began to concentrate as energy started to gather on his right index fingertip. He suddenly thrust his index finger forward as the air around it released a sharp piercing sound. It was as though Izroth¡¯s finger was destroying anything in its path that would halt its advance. "I really can use heavenlyws here..." A smile could not help but find its way onto his face. The move he just used was ?Fissuring Point?, one of the heavenlyws he learned while within RML. The whole situation was bizarre and there were many things he still did not understand, but he would leave that forter. Right now, he must make good on at least one of his promises, and that was to take care of Jin¡¯s mother Reilei. Izroth walked towards the door of the room and pulled it open before stepping into the hallway. He looked down the hall in the direction of Reilei¡¯s room. ording to the memories of Jin, she should currently be sleeping within her room at this time. Having now fused with all of Jin¡¯s memories and his soul, Izroth held a more thoroughprehension of things. "It seems the worldly attachments of this body is quite strong..." he thought to himself, referring to the bond between Jin and Reilei. Working 18 hours a day did not leave much room for anything besides sleep for Reilei. Izroth walked down the hallway and approached the door of Reilei¡¯s room. Just as he was about to knock on it, he heard a very quiet noise. Izroth stopped himself from knocking and listened closely, it sounded like... crying? Though it would be difficult for anyone to make out that sound given how muffled it was, Izroth was at the second stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique and could do so with ease. A frown appeared on Izroth¡¯s face when he heard that noise before releasing a sigh inwardly. He didn¡¯t know what caused such a thing, but he was more than capable of taking a guess. Reilei was abandoned by everyone around her and left in such an unfortunate situation. She was just a mortal and could only take so much, and Izroth understood that. ¡¯No matter how strong one appears to be, everyone has a breaking point...¡¯ he thought before knocking on the door lightly. Izroth decided immediately that he would not ept no for an answer, she would not continue working three jobs. He made a promise to Jin that he nned on keeping. Now that he found a way to earn ie within RML. Reilei could even quit all of her jobs if she wanted. And since he held onto two rare pieces of equipment, he could sell them off at any time if it was needed. Though after fusingpletely with Jin¡¯s memories, he knew that getting her to quit all three jobs at once and depending entirely on him was out of the question. If that was the case, until he made enough that she could not argue against, he would at least try to convince her to quit the other two jobs. When Reilei heard the sound of a light knock, she instantly grew silent. She wiped her eyes with a nearby cloth and pped her cheeks trying to fix her facial expression. It didn¡¯t matter if anyone else saw her like this, however, Jin was the only one that she would never let herself be seen to in such a state. She shook her head a bit before a lovely and caring smile appeared on her face. Jin was the one thing that was right for her in the world when everything else felt so wrong. Reilei walked up to the door and opened it slowly. Though when she opened the door fully and saw Jin, Reilei was a little startled. She noticed that he had... changed. He did not look as timid as before... Not just with the aura he gave off, but also his appearance looked much sharper. It was like her son had be much more handsome and took better care of himself. Of course, how could she know that this was the work of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique removing all the impurities from Jin¡¯s body? "Mother?" When Reilei heard Jin¡¯s voice she snapped out of it. She was just a bit surprised by how much Jin seemingly had changed in such a short period of time, it was bewildering. But, she pushed it aside for now. She did not get to spend much time with Jin, so she would cherish every moment. "Did you eat the dinner I left for you in the fridge? You lose track of time ying so easily sometimes. Though, it looks like you¡¯re remembering to eat properly now" Reilei caressed Jin¡¯s cheek in a motherly manner. Izroth was feeling a bit embarrassed from his current situation. He was not used to such unconditional love from a mother-like figure. He grew up as an orphan and never knowing his parents, so it was a strange experience for him ¡ª though, it was not that he disliked such a warm feeling. A smile formed on Jin¡¯s face as he gave a small nod. "I did, thank you. Though, I have something more important to talk... about..." as Jin was speaking, hisst few words kind of trailed off as if he was focusing on something else. Even though Reilei was wearing long sleeves, Izroth still noticed the bruising around her wrist area when she reached her hand up to touch his cheek. Reilei noticed Jin¡¯s eyes looking over at her wrist so she quickly removed her hand and pulled down her sleeve. "How embarrassing, the bracelet I tried on was a bit too tight and caused such an unsightly thing." She smiled in a reassuring manner. ¡¯She¡¯s lying.¡¯ Izroth thought as he noticed Reilei¡¯s bodynguage. She appeared shaken when the topic was about the bruising on her wrist. Also with their current circumstances, there was no way Reilei would even think about buying something like a bracelet; this was another clue that Izroth would not miss. On the outside, Izroth was still calm, but on the inside he was furious. How could he ignore the fact that the cause of the bruise was due to a hand gripping around Reilei¡¯s wrist? Even though Izroth only saw the bruise for a brief moment, his senses were more than enough to uncover that fact. Izroth made a promise to Jin, the owner of this body before him, to keep Reilei safe and take care of her. Yet, someone had dared toy a hand on her while she was under his protection. It was painfully obvious that she did not do this to herself, nor was it because she wore a ¡¯bracelet¡¯. The moment Izroth made that promise, he would not kill those who dared to assault Reilei as that was an easy escape. There were many fates worse than death and he would be sure to deliver them to those responsible. Though given Reilei¡¯s overprotective personality, there was no way she would let him know willingly. Izroth could only try to discover the truth for himself. He believed it wasn¡¯t too challenging considering the strict time schedule Reilei was on. He just had to retrace her steps to find some clues. While he was infuriated, he held in his anger until after he was done here. For now, he would not pressure Reilei about the matter as it may only cause her to put a heavier guard up so that he was unable to find any other clues. Jin cleared his throat, "Mother, I have something important to discuss with you that involves your jobs. I just wanted to-" before Jin could even finish he was cut off by Reilei. "Absolutely not, Jin! We have already talked about this. You just have to focus on your dreams, let me worry about everything else okay? You promisedst time that you wouldn¡¯t bring this up again..." The smile from Reilei¡¯s face quickly turned into a frown. "No, I just wanted to-" Reilei shook her head and interrupted Jin once again. "Jin, I won¡¯t let you give up. Even if I have to spend the rest of my life working, I refuse to let you give up. As your mother, it¡¯s my job to take care of you. Furthermore..." Reilei seemed as though she were about to give Jin an entire speech. Izroth was dumbfounded. He was once known as the number one cultivator within the Seven Realms, and yet he was unable to even speak a full sentence before a mortal. If others in the Seven Realms knew about this, they wouldugh it off as the biggest joke ever told. Seeing that he was not going to be able to use words to get his point across, Jin took out his phone and pressed a few keys. He then held up the phone in front of Reilei for her to see with her own eyes. "Plus, ever since you were a child you... it¡¯s... that..." As Reilei spoke, she started to lose track of her words, as she saw what was on Jin¡¯s phone, covering her mouth with both hands. Reilei felt as though the entire world around her was spinning as her legs grew weak and she fell over. Luckily Jin caught her in time, "Mother, what¡¯s wrong?" he said in a concerned tone of voice. Reilei had trouble letting out even a single word. "You... Jin, what did you do..?" Tears started flowing down her face. What did her son do to have over 90,000 RMB within his bank ount? One did not juste across that kind of money. Loan sharks? Stealing? All sorts of bad scenarios yed out within her mind. She was worried that her son may have gotten into some trouble that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get himself out of! If she lost Jin then... Reilei could not even bear to think of such a thing. Chapter 51 Jin... Am I Allowed To Be Happy...? He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at how Reilei reacted. He originally thought Reilei would be happy, but her face turned extremely pale as though she was frightened by what she saw. The thing that caught him off-guard the most were her tears. "Jin... You must tell me where you received this money from. We can return it... Or, I¡¯ll work it off and pay the interest if I have to must. We can even anonymously drop it off at the ce it came from." Reilei felt as though she was having a panic attack. Her thinking was all over the ce as she tried to think of a solution to their current issue, but she was unable to calm herself. He almost fell over when he heard her words. Return it? Pay interest? Drop it off? He finally understood why she reacted the way, she thought that he hade across this money by illegal means! How could she not be in a state of panic after thinking such a thing? , Jin shook his head, "Please calm down, mother. I promise, this money was earned due to my own hard work and there are no connections to anything illegal. This is from an item I sold on the game I¡¯m currently ying" he said trying to calm her down. Reilei sniffled a little as she wiped her tears away, "Game...?" she blinked a few times with a confused look on her face. When she heard Jin¡¯s promise, it made her feel a sudden sense of relief. Reilei would not doubt the words of her son, especially if he made a promise, but she was still worried. Jin nodded his head, "Yes, it¡¯s from the game I most recently purchased. I¡¯ve found a way to generate ie so that you won¡¯t have to work so hard" a smile formed on his face after he finished speaking. Reilei¡¯s eyes were widened in shock, "But... that¡¯s over 90,000 RMB... You¡¯ve made so much in less than one day? How is that possible..?" She never really understood anything about video games. When Jin was just a little child he used to try to get her to y with him, but she simply could notprehend them. "The details are pretty long... How about we talk about it over lunch? My treat of course" it would not take that long to exin, but he wanted to use this chance to drag her away from having to work. "I would love to but I have work in-" this time, Reilei was cut off before she could finish speaking. "Mother, trust me. You¡¯ve taken care of me for all these years, so please allow me a turn to take care of you now. Trust me" Jin spoke in a serious tone. Reilei almost felt like tearing up when she heard those words. It was not because Jin was offering to take care of her, but more so that he asked her to trust him. The way Jin spoke made Reilei feel as if she were seeing her little boy be a man right before her eyes. To be truthful, part of her was reluctant to see such a thing happen. After all, it was difficult for most parents to see their child grow up as they may not need them or depend on them anymore. Reilei seemed sad yet happy at the same time. Even though the majority of parents did not want to see their children grow up, they still wanted them to be happy and well off. Reilei wiped her eyes and prevented herself from tearing up. She then nodded her head while smiling in a joyful way, "I trust you, Jin. Of course, I trust you." Reilei gave her everything for Jin¡¯s sake. She would trust him since he appeared to be very serious about the situation. In fact, this was the first time Reilei had seen her son behave in this manner. She then cleared her throat before lightly pushing Jin out of the room, "Out you, your mother can¡¯t go out like this... She looks like a mess, so you must give her a second to freshen up" Reilei closed the door as Jin was forced into the hallway. When she closed the door a lovely smile blossomed onto her face. Jin held his hands up in a helpless manner as he was pushed out of the room. "Haha..." he who was once known as the number one cultivator within the Seven Realms was powerless when faced with this mortal woman. Who in all of the Seven Realms would dare to believe such a thing? A few momentster... Reilei stepped out of the room wearing a lime green pleated skirt that stopped just a bit before her ankles. Along with that, she wore a simple white blouse and white peep toe wedge sandals. It was a very casual look and yet most men would fawn over Reilei with her current appearance. "Well? How do I look?" she asked with a small giggle. This was something that she couldfortably move around in. Reilei could not remember thest time she actually dressed up in any clothing besides the ones she worked in. Jin let out a sigh, "Mother... How can I fend off all the men who will try to approach you?" he said in a tone of voice that sounded powerless but there was a smile on his face in the process of saying so. Reilei yfully pinched Jin¡¯s cheek, "Alright that¡¯s enough out of you mister. You shouldn¡¯t tease your single mother. Besides, my little Jin is the only man I need in my life" she locked her arm with Jin¡¯s. Reilei was startled inwardly when she locked her arm with Jin¡¯s... When did her son start working out so much? "It seems he took my advice on taking better care of himself," she thought to herself. Jin had already changed into some normal jeans, with a ck V-neck shirt and some ck tennis shoes. It was the first time Izroth had worn such clothing and although they were not asfortable as the clothing he was used to wearing, it was not bad for mortal clothing. While he was sensing the changes in his body earlier, he was also properly organizing all of Jin¡¯s memories. The ?Heavenly Golden Body? did not just change the outside of the body, but also the inside. This included things such as the bones, heart, brain and all other organs. If he tried to absorb all of Jin¡¯s memories directly into his mind, it would be unable to handle the sudden payload of information and may cause the memories to be very scattered and fragmented. But now, he no longer had to depend on his soul to slowly search through the memories of Jin manually every time he needed information. One could say that Izroth was finallypletely one with Jin now. Reilei released Jin¡¯s arm as both of them walked to the front door and left the house heading outside. "Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to call for a ride?" Jin closed the door behind him and locked it after letting Reilei exit out first. He had more than enough money at the moment to call them a ride, but Reilei seemed to be against the matter. "I am absolutely sure. The restaurant is not too far and... we have not gone for a walk since you were 10 years old. I¡¯ll actually enjoy this much more than a ride" Reilei was content just spending time with Jin. Jin decided to let Reilei pick the restaurant they were going to. She chose one that was within walking distance and had affordable prices. Even though Jin told her she could choose anywhere, Reilei was still very reserved. ... Jin and Reilei were sitting down at the table of a restaurant. It was nothing fancy, just a nice local family¡¯s owned business. The people here were polite and friendly. The two had already ordered their food and finished eating. Now they were just having a casual conversation. "Mother, there¡¯s something I want to talk to you about" Jin looked directly at Reilei with a determined expression. It was time to bring up the topic that he¡¯d been putting off for quite some time now. Though, he knew it may be somewhat challenging to get the answer he was looking for. "You know that you can talk to me about anything, Jin. Is something bothering you?" from the way Jin was speaking to her and looking at her, it sounded serious. "I want you to quit your jobs" he decided to juste out and say it. Reilei was caught off-guard by that request. Quit her jobs? But there were debts, bills, she had to take care of herself and Jin. Even if Jin had over 90,000 RMB right now, that was not enough to settle everything. Also, was such constant payment even guaranteed? How could she let her son take on such burdens by himself... What kind of mother would she be? "Jin, you know that I can¡¯t-" "You can" Jin removed his phone from his pocket and pushed a few keys. Just momentster, Reilei could hear the phone go off in her purse. "Check your phone" Jin smiled slightly. Reilei was confused by Jin¡¯s request, nevertheless, she still dug her phone out from her purse and checked the alert. She moved her hand over her mouth in shock, "Jin... I can¡¯t ept this..! You¡¯ve worked so hard for it, I..." she quickly shook her head. Jin transferred 70,000 RMB over to Reilei¡¯s bank ount. This left him with around 25,000 RMB remaining for himself. He was not too concerned about how much he gave away at this moment because he still was in possession of two rare items. Also, each of those rare items was worth more than his ?Nameless de?! The only reason he kept 25,000 RMB for himself was just in case there were any unforeseen expenses. But, this should definitely be enough tost him until he sells off another piece of equipment. "As you¡¯ve said, this is something I have worked hard for. If that¡¯s the case, then I should be able to decide how I want to spend it. So if I want to give it to you, mother, then I can do so. Trust me, mother... I just want you to be happy." Reilei smiled wearily as she let out a long sigh, "Jin has changed so muchtely... I haven¡¯t even had the time to see most of those changes take shape because of my jobs. But still, this is..." she thought... Reilei was feeling extremely conflicted right now. Was it okay for her to do so? Was she allowed to be happy and have a normal life not working 18 or more hours every day? After so many years of being pushed down by the world around her, it was hard not to feel such a way. At some point, Reilei gave up her own happiness. She solely focused on Jin¡¯s happiness which was enough for her. Now, he was telling her that she could be happy. He wanted her to be happy. Reilei faced downward, "Haha... Look at me... I¡¯m crying so much today that it¡¯s a little embarrassing..." Jin stayed silent and waited patiently. This was someone who buried any thoughts about a carefree and normal life. If one had to dig through all of those memories full of burdens, and hardships while dealing with this overwhelming feeling of bliss... He understood controlling so many emotions at the same time was nearly impossible for anyone who possessed them. "I can be happy..." Reilei mumbled to herself. She lifted her head up to look at Jin with an exquisitely beautiful smile, tears were flowing down her cheeks, but they were tears of endless joy. "Jin... Am I allowed to be happy...?" ... Author¡¯s Note: This was unable to fit in the little author¡¯s note box, so I¡¯ve decided to just post it down here. The story is moving at a pretty slow pace at the moment, however, things start to pick up in the next chapter. :) Enjoy the double release and have a wonderful day everyone! Special Note: I would love to be able to do more double/mass release, however, 1 chapter a day + the asional double/mass release is already a miracle with my schedule. I do hope that one day I¡¯ll be able topletely focus on the novel and just improve myself a little bit at a time. Thank you all for your love and support. :) Chapter 52 Vengeance Reilei did not enjoy crying in front of Jin, as she wouldn¡¯t want him worrying about her. However, she was too overjoyed to control herself properly. Even the words she uttered out of her mouth were said without really thinking about it. To Reilei, this was a perfect example of one joy scatters a hundred griefs. Jin was her one joy in this life and to see him working hard, plus wanting to take care of her... This was her definition of bliss. Jin gave a reassuring smile, it may have been because of how he recentlypleted total fusion with this body, but Izroth felt genuinely happy about what he was doing. Even if he was once the number one cultivator within the Seven Realms, matters of the soul were still mysterious. It was seen as something that was solely controlled by the heavens and so while one could have a deep and unfathomable understanding of the soul, there were still many unknown mysteries surrounding it. Even someone like Izroth barely scratched the surface of the subject. "How could you not be allowed to be happy? If you do not deserve to be happy, then this is a world that does not deserve you" When he spoke those words he meant that in a figurative way as well as a literal way. Reilei couldn¡¯t help but giggle when she heard Jin say those words. She shook her head slightly, "In the end, if I had to do everything over again and be born into a different kind of life, I would be unable to do so. If there is a chance that life does not include you, Jin, I do not believe I could ever truly be happy" she pulled out a handkerchief from her purse to wipe her tears away. A light shade of pink invaded her cheeks. "Making your mother cry so much in one day... How cruel, Jin..." Reilei pouted but that lovely smile did not leave her face for a moment. Reilei was just embarrassed by the fact that she showed such an unsightly thing to Jin. But, she felt much better after finally being able to release all of her various frustrations. Jin smiled helplessly as he waved over the waitress to pay for their meal. Afterward, both Jin and Reilei stood up from their seats and went outside to begin their trip home. "Are you sure there¡¯s nowhere else you wish to go?" Jin asked as they were turning around the corner. Reilei ced her index finger upon her chin as if she were thinking of something. "Hmmm... Ah, how about-" just as they were walking down the sidewalk, Reilei suddenly halted her footsteps. When Jin noticed that Reilei was no longer moving, he turned back to check on her. Reilei was shaking as she instinctively covered her right wrist with her left hand to try and calm herself down. However, it was not working very well as she could not stop shaking. Reilei even started to have cold sweats as she was reminded of that unpleasant memory. Across the street hanging out in front of a convenience store were three people. It only took a single nce to realize that it was a group of troublemakers. They were antagonizing anyone that walked by and looked in their general direction. Most people just kept their heads down and continued forward trying not to make eye contact. Jin frowned inwardly when he saw how afraid Reilei appeared to be out of nowhere. He followed, with his eyes, to the location that Reilei was staring at. When he discovered what, or rather in this case, who Reilei was staring at his heart grew extremely cold. The three individuals he observed were the same people who used to bully the original owner of this body. There was even one time where the beating was so bad that he was sent to the hospital. Hospital bills were not cheap and it caused his mother to take on even more burdens in order to pay for it. The police turned the other way on the assault and did not press any charges and till this day they never understood why. Izroth was no fool, he understood perfectly clear that these were the culprits he was going to eventually have to search for that assaulted Reilei. Even if they never did anything to her, he would still take care of them for wronging the original owner of this body. This would just be killing two birds with one stone. The three gangsters across the street spotted Jin and Reilei from afar. The one who assaulted Reilei, Rhodes, smirked when he saw them looking over in their direction. He then blew a kiss over at Reilei which made her entire face turn pale. Jin¡¯s current facial expression was calm, but it was the scary kind resembling the calm before a vicious storm. Their fate had already been sealed. Jin rested his hand on Reilei¡¯s shoulder, he did not say a word and simply kept that calm look upon his face. Reilei snapped out it when Jin touched her shoulder and soon realized that she had zoned out just then. "No... Um... There¡¯s nowhere else I wish to go today, just home..." She looked down at the ground, she felt sick to her stomach just looking at those three guys. She just wanted to go home and get as far away as possible from them. Jin nodded his head, "You¡¯ve had a long day at work, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself and get some proper rest" Reilei silently nodded her head, such a wonderful and dreamlike day had been shattered by such a simple encounter. As they began to walk once more, Jin nced over at the three gangsters and narrowed his eyes. Usually, he had a very carefree personality, however, there were certain lines that could not be crossed. Those three not only crossed it, but they even dared to taunt them after the event. ¡¯Fools...¡¯ That was the sole word that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. ... Reilei and Jin arrived back home not too long after. Reilei did not speak another word on the entire trip back home. Though, she could not be med after what happened to her. When they entered their home, she still forced a smile on her face as she looked over at Jin. "Jin, thank you for such a wonderful day. Today has been the most fun I¡¯ve had in a long time, you¡¯re truly my happiness." She leaned in on her tippy toes and gave Jin a motherly kiss on the forehead. "I¡¯m a bit tired now so I must rest..." After Reilei said that she went off to her room and closed the door gently. When the door closed all the way, that calm look Jin¡¯s face had finally vanished. It was reced by a dark expression, one filled with actual killing intent. "Good... Very good... Let¡¯s see how I deal with you all." He went into the room to change into some other clothing before leaving the house a few momentster. ... Inside of an abandoned warehouse, three individuals were tossing rocks at beer cans. "Hey, did you guys see the look on her face? She was totally daydreaming about me." The one who spoke was Rhodes. He tossed a rock at a nearby can and just barely missed it. "Tch..." "Daydreaming about you? Hahaha, if that¡¯s what you want to call it bro. But hey... Did you notice something a bit different about that Jin brat?" Victor tossed the cigarette he was smoking away since he finished it out before exhaling. "Yeah, usually that loser doesn¡¯t dare to even look at us but he actually had the guts to do so this time. Heh, he just needs to be taught another lesson. It¡¯s been too long since west put him in his ce after all. Though, I shouldn¡¯t be too harsh on my future step-son hahaha!" Rhodes burst outughing. Dan shook his head, "Step-son? Dude, you actually want to get married one day? That¡¯s a trap, a trap I tell you. Trust me man, marriage drove my folks crazy". As the three of them were talking, a shadow was perched upon one of the metal beams running across the ceiling of the warehouse. The shadow was dressed in all ck clothing, wearing a masquerade mask that covered up the top half and nearly the whole left part of his face. ¡¯Found you...¡¯ Izroth thought to himself as he looked down at the three having a joyous time. Put him in his ce? What a joke! The only reason he bothered to wear a mask was due to thews of this world. Although he was unafraid of the consequences, it would be unfair to risk dragging Reilei into such matters. This was something he would take care of by himself. After having fused with all of Jin¡¯s memories, Izroth knew all the hangout ces of those three pieces of trash. He knew because they used to bring the original owner of this body to all kind of locations ande up with creative ways to bully him, it was often borderline torture. He dropped down from the metal beam silently and once he reached the group he slowly walked out from that patch of darkness into the open. As Dan, Victor, and Rhodes were talking to one another, Dan caught something out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and noticed that it was someone dressed in all ck clothing wearing a strange mask. This was their hideout, even the other local gangs knew not to trespass in this ce. "Heh, looks like we have a lost littlemb here boys" when Dan spoke, Victor and Rhodes turned around to see what Dan was talking about. Rhodes frowned, "Who the hell are you? Do you know who¡¯s territory this is?" He spoke but that person just stood there not saying a word. Victor thought that the person was just scared stiff. They may have just been some weirdo hopped up on drugs and didn¡¯t even understand what was going on around them. "Hey, we¡¯re talking to you, are you deaf or something?!" Victor walked over towards that person with the strange mask and tried to grab onto his shirt cor. However, that would be thest thing he remembered for a while. Rhodes smirked as he saw Victor marching over to deal with the problem, but before he could even say another word Victor flew back like a ragdoll and crashed into some wooden cratesying nearby. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head, he had lost consciousness! The eyes of Dan and Rhodes widened when they saw that. What just happened?! All they saw was Victor fly back when he was just about to grab onto that person and teach them a lesson. That person just stood there with his hands behind his back as if he hadn¡¯t moved a single inch. Victor may not have been the best fighter amongst them, but he was still tough as a nail. To be defeated so easily meant that this person before them was probably an expert. But, they did not remember offending anyone who could be associated with such an expert. After all, even though they were reckless, the three of them understood who they could and couldn¡¯t afford to offend. "You... Who the hell are you?! What do you want?!" Rhodes was frightened by the sudden turn of events. He slowly reached towards his pocket keeping his hand on the handle of the knife, while staring at this person before them. Dan was also on guard and picked up a rusty old crowbar that wasying on the ground nearby. Was it a rival gang? But, he did not know any rival gangs with such a strange appearance. But if not, then who was this person and what did they want? "Vengeance" he said that single word before releasing a monstrous killing intent that resembled an ancient beast awakening from a long slumber. This was vengeance, none of them should be thinking about escaping from this ce in one piece. Chapter 53 Its A Demon! Vengeance? What did he mean by that? Dan and Rhodes were confused since when had they done anything that called for any kind of vengeance. "Look, you probably have the wrong people. If you leave now, we¡¯ll look the other way on what you just did to Victor." Rhodes was buying some time and tried to bargain with the masked man. It was clear they were up against one strong bastard seeing how he sent Victor flying. It would be much easier to resolve things without fighting if possible. However, he wasn¡¯t afraid of a fight if there was no other choice. The strong had a natural respect for those with strength and power. But, if faced with a challenge they wouldn¡¯t necessarily just back down. Jin smirked as he heard the words that Rhodes spoke. He almost wanted to burst outughing, but he only gave a light chuckle of amusement. They¡¯ll look the other way? No, he wanted them to have a clear view of the consequences that would befall them for offending someone they should not have offended. "You talk too much... Hurry up and draw your weapon if you want to, it won¡¯t make a difference. From the moment I appeared in front of you, your fate was already sealed. Your life is no longer your own, it now belongs to me." Jin¡¯s voice sounded much deeper and even a bit raspy. "Tch..." Rhodes pulled out the knife hidden away in his pocket, holding it out in front of him in a threatening way. "Just because you¡¯re strong, doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯re afraid of you. You may have caught Victor off guard, but we¡¯re not-" before he could even finish his sentence, a hand was covering his face. "As I said, you talk too much..." Jin was suddenly in front of Rhodes with his hand covering his entire face. He gripped onto Rhodes¡¯ face and yanked downward causing his whole body to m into the ground. Of course, his face was the first thing to hit the surface below. Fast! They did not even see how he closed the distance between them. Jin used an advanced movement technique to close the distance in a very fast way. It was not any kind of heavenlyw, just a martial arts footwork skill. Its main purpose was to eliminate useless actions and reduce the amount of time it takes to move from one point to another. This particr martial arts skill was known as ?Light Feather Steps?. The people of this world were not like cultivators from the Seven Realms, and so mastered martial arts techniques were considered very deadly in this realm. Rhodes waspletely oblivious to what had just happened. Thest thing he remembered was talking to some weird masked guy and the next thing he knows, his face mmed into the ground. It was a miracle that he was still conscious. However, how could he know that it was only because Jin did not want him to have such an easy way out? From the way Rhodes looked at Reilei and behaved back when they were heading home from the store, Jin knew that he had to be the main culprit. The one who dared toy his hands on someone he promised to protect. He would not have it as easy as Victor did. Dan swung the rusty old pipe that he picked up earlier, aiming directly at Jin¡¯s head. Dan did not care if he injured this person severely, now was a chance to attack while they were focused on Rhodes. Crrrrrrrrrrrck! Dan had a smile on his face as he felt the bar in his hands hit something, but that smile did notst for long. His face slowly turned extremely ugly as he began to sweat profusely. "Gaaaaaah! My hand! You broke my hand!" Dan was suffering from an intense amount of pain. The bones in his wristpletely shattered and his wrist was bent in an unsightly manner. The wrist of humans was not made to bend that way. Jin did not bother looking over at Dan when they attacked. Such amateur movements were easy to predict. Not to mention that Jin had already advanced to the second stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique, a rusty old crowbar wouldn¡¯t be able to put even a tiny scratch on him. Rhodes was disoriented and tried to regain his awareness. He shook his head trying to snap himself out of it and a few momentster he struggled to look upward and what he saw then shocked him immensely. It was Dan holding his wrist in pain, but it was bent in such a strange way that it looked inhumane. When Rhodesid his eyes on Dan¡¯s wrist and then looked up, he could see a pair of demonic like eyes staring down at him. For some reason at that moment, Rhodes felt as though he was looking at an actual demon. The amount of killing intent hidden in those eyes was unlike anything he¡¯d ever seen before. This wasn¡¯t someone from a local gang, this was a professional killer! This was someone who has ended countless lives! Rhodes shivered from head to toe as reality slowly started to creep up on him. It appeared that he finally grasped the kind of situation he was in. Jin¡¯s eyes were coldly staring at Rhodes, he did not have a shred of pity in his heart for people like this. They did not care about anything and anyone but themselves, only when their lives were in danger would they finally realize their mistakes. "L-Look... Sir... No, respectable sir. I do not know how we have offended you, but I¡¯m sure my father would pay you a great sum for my safety!" Rhodes was terrified by this man before him. He was no longer arrogant and cocky, he feared for his life! "He¡¯s amander of the Dragon Stone, so he doesn¡¯tck money." Rhodes said that name in hopes of scaring this mysterious person. The Dragon Stone is the strongest gang in this area. Their power and influence even reached into the local police department, with some dirty cops on their payroll. That was how Rhodes and his friends got away with so many things throughout their lives. All his father had to do was give the word and everything would disappear. Unless someone lived under a rock all their lives, they should know how dangerous the Dragon Stone gang was. There was no way someone would risk offending them! But what Rhodes did not know was that the person before him did not care about who his father was. Even if he hated this person to the core, his fear was currently stronger than that hatred. ¡¯Just you wait... When my father finds out about this, you¡¯ll have nowhere to hide.!¡¯ Rhodes thought to himself. He had never been so humiliated in his entire life! Victor was instantly put out ofmission, Dan was kneeling over in pain from a broken wrist, and he was unsure of what was going to happen to him. This was a dangerous situation. "Oh...? Is that so...?" Jin held his hand out to Rhodes with a smile on his face, "I would like to pay a visit to this father of yours." Rhodes had a smirk on his face as he thought to himself, "Heh... When they heard the name Dragon Stone, they must have realized who they were offending and now suddenly want to make peace..." But would he let them go so easily? "If you know who the Dragon Stone gang is then... You know who you¡¯ve just offended right? Well, maybe if you beg for forgiveness I can consider looking the other way. I¡¯ll even make sure my father shows mercy on you." Rhodes attitude took a full 180-degree turn. Just moments ago, he was behaving in a docile manner, but now he was speaking as though he was the highest form of authority present. However, he was unaware of his own ignorance. The instant Rhodes grabbed onto Jin¡¯s hand to try and stand up, Jin squeezed down shattering all the bones in his fingers. "Ahhhhhhhh!" Rhodes shouted in pain, but no one would be able to hear his screams due to the location of this abandoned warehouse. It was the main reason they chose this ce as a hangout, now it wasing back to haunt them. Dan was staring daggers at Jin, his face was extremely gloomy. Rhodes father was a powerful man, this person had no idea who he was messing with. There would be no ce for them to hide in this town. Jin released Rhodes¡¯ hand as they held onto it in a great deal of pain. "Y-you...! You bastard! Do you not have any idea who my fa-" before Rhodes could even finish speaking, Jin punched out towards Rhodes¡¯ mouth. Rhodes was sent tumbling backward. He covered his now bloody mouth with his hand, his teeth were scattered all over the ground from having been knocked out by Jin. There were still a few teeth left hanging in his mouth, but for the most part, he¡¯d lost nearly all of them from a single punch. Dan¡¯s face turnedpletely pale as he stayed as silent and still as possible. This person was unafraid! Even if they did get avenged, it was pointless if they were dead! He thought to himself, ¡¯I have to find a way to escape... I have to get out of here...!¡¯ He no longer cared about Rhodes, he wanted to live. "This guy, he¡¯s not a human... It¡¯s a demon!" that was the only thing that crossed Dan¡¯s mind at that moment. "You¡¯re dead! You hear me, dead! You, your family, your friends, all of you are dead!" Rhodes words were hard to understand with hisck of teeth. His anger was now much stronger than his fear, he was not thinking straight at all. He was furious at having been yed with and even worse, getting injured. Not even his own father hadid his hands on him and yet some total stranger he did not even know had done so. "Just this much and you¡¯re already this way...?" Jin¡¯s deep and hoarse voice sounded like the voice of a demon to Dan and Rhodes. "This is just the beginning... Your actions are to be paid a thousandfold." Jin slowly took one step at a time, moving closer and closer to Rhodes. "Staph rit der... Dunth an clothmr! Dunth her!" It was hard to understand Rhodes with his teeth missing, but it was obvious that he was trying to plead with Jin. Each step felt as if he was moving closer to death. Rhodes at that time had the same thought as Dan, this was definitely not a human with that amount of killing intent... It was a demon! ... "Boss!" A man ran into the room with an urgent look on his face. He appeared to be hesitant to speak. "Hm...? What have I told you about bothering me when I¡¯m in the middle of rxing?" The man who spoke bore a striking resemnce to Rhodes. That was because he was themander of the Dragon Stone gang as well as the father of Rhodes, his name was Jian. There was a scar running across Jian¡¯s face, he was taller than the average person and had a strong build. He red at the man who came in and interrupted his time of rxation. "It¡¯s..." The man did not want to be the one to deliver this news, but the others pushed the task onto him. He wanted to cry for having to be the person to do so. "If you don¡¯t spit it out, I¡¯ll take that tongue of yours so that you no longer have to worry about it." Jian¡¯s tone was serious as he was already annoyed. "It¡¯s... It¡¯s your son boss...! He¡¯s been, well... You should see this yourself!" The man¡¯s face was extremely pale. He would not dare to describe the state of Jian¡¯s son, it was too... That was not something a human would do! "What about my son?!" Jian¡¯s eyes became fierce as he immediately stood up. But, he could never have prepared himself for what he was about to see. Chapter 54 This Is A Disaster ¡¯It seems he really was not lying when he said that his father would be able to pay...¡¯ Izroth thought as he stood on top of the building he dropped Rhodes off in front of. ... 20 minutes earlier... Rhodes was lying on the ground in the warehouse unconscious. He was unable to take the unbearable pain and all the violence that had been inflicted to him. All of his fingers were broken or the bones were ground to powder, his teeth were knocked out of his mouth, both of his eyes were swollen, his ankles had been snapped and the bones crushed into dust, he would never be able to use his hands or feet again. The thoracic vertebrae on Rhodes¡¯ spine werepletely shattered and there was no hope of him being any more than a cripple that would be unable to lift even a single finger. At this point, death would be a form of mercy, however, it was not something Jin would give him. Rhodes would have to spend his entire life as a cripple and being incapable of epting such a thing, he fainted from shock. The worst thing about all of this was that he had no idea who he offended to bring this upon himself. Dan had tried to escape earlier which was a huge mistake on his part. His right leg had been broken by Jin and was snapped backward in a 45-degree angle, it looked extremely painful. He too had fainted from shock. The one with the least amount of injuries was actually Victor who was the first to try and assault Jin. Though there was a reason for that, and it was because Jin was far from done. For all the years of suffering the three of these scum put the original owner of this body through, as well as daring toy a hand on Reilei, this was just the start of it all. He would uproot everything from the core, this was the price for their crimes. Jin walked over to Victor and swiftly used his finger striking him in multiple acupoints. A few secondster, Victor¡¯s eyes shot open as he sat up gasping for air. What happened? Where was he? He couldn¡¯t remember a thing! Victor was holding his head in pain, his body felt as though he were hit by a truck. "Thest thing I remember..." He tried his hardest to remember but to no avail. When he began to recall some fragmented pieces, he looked around and saw the terrible states Dan and Rhodes were in. His face immediately became pale as he was frightened by the sight of their mangled bodies, were they even alive?! It did not take Victor long to realize that someone was standing in front of him. As he slowly looked up to see who it was, he started shivering from head to toe. A demon was staring directly at him with bloodthirsty eyes, he nearly copsed just from the sight of it. "Tell me... This Dragon Stone gang, are they nearby?" Jin understood that because Rhodes¡¯ father was amander of the Dragon Stone gang, the three of them always got off the hook for all the trouble they caused. Everyone in this town knew exactly who the Dragon Stone gang was. If something illegal was going down then the chances were high that it had something to do with the Dragon Stone gang. They weren¡¯t just some random street gang that focused on fist fights and small time stuff. "I-It¡¯s nearby! It is! Their headquarters is at the five-story building under the guise of being a hotel, it¡¯s called Dragon¡¯s Paradise. I swear to you, please just let me go. I won¡¯t tell anyone about you alright? I¡¯ll even leave town and never return." Victor tried to plead with Jin. "Dragon¡¯s Paradise...?" Jin muttered to himself, he knew exactly where that was located and it was indeed nearby. "Since you¡¯ve been such great help, I suppose I should reward you." Before Victor could even respond or react, Jin¡¯s hand had already shed across his face. Victor felt a sense of relief when he heard Jin¡¯s words, but all of a sudden, the vision from his right eye wentpletely dark. "Eh...?" It took ce in an instant. Within Jin¡¯s hand was the right eye of Victor, he crushed it before tossing it aside like trash. Compared to the state of Dan and Rhodes, this could already be seen as Jin showing some form of mercy. It was so quick and painless that Victor did not even know that he was missing an eyeball. Of course, it was only painless because his brain had yet to fully register the events that just urred. Victor slowly waved his hand in front of his face, however, he was entirely blind on his right side. When he saw that eyeball within Jin¡¯s hand being crushed like nothing, the pain finally struck him. "Ah... Ahhhh... Ahhhhhhh! My eye!" Victor covered his now empty right eye socket with his hand. Why? What had he done to deserve this? Jin hit the back of Victor¡¯s neck knocking him unconscious. Jin made sure to break one of Victor¡¯s legs in the process, he would not release him with such a light injury after all. Though his current state could still be considered better than that of Dan and Rhodes. Even though all of them were severely injured, he was skilled enough to avoid life-threatening strikes. They would have to live their entire lives with the consequences of their actions. This is what vengeance meant for Jin. "Now... Let¡¯s see who raised such an unfilial son." Jin grabbed ahold of Rhodes and walked out of the warehouse. With his vast experience and skill set, it was easy to travel to the Dragon Stone¡¯s headquarters undetected. ... Lying on the infirmary bed inside of the Dragon Paradise hotel was a young man who looked to be in his mid tote twenties. Both of his eyes were swollen, his nose broken, he only had three teeth remaining within his mouth. That was not the worst part of it... All of his fingers were broken beyond the point of return, as well as his ankles. For his entire life, he would have to depend on someone to feed him, bath him, clothe him, and even assist him in using the restroom. Standing by the side of that bed was a man with a dark expression on his face. He was surrounded by twelve men who did not dare to utter a single word. That man was Jian, themander of the Dragon Stone gang and currently, he was enraged. His son had always been reckless, but they always knew who they could afford to offend. But, even if his son had offended someone within this town he shouldn¡¯t have, they would not ignore his status and give him some face. However, the person who did this was cruel and merciless. At the moment, their personal doctor was tending to the wounds of Rhodes and while his life was not in danger, he would forever be crippled. "What happened...?" Jian¡¯s voice was calm, but those who knew him would know that now was the time to be careful with one¡¯s choice of words. All the men in the room stayed quiet, they were afraid to speak. The reason was that none of them had a single clue about what happened! All they knew was that Rhodes was dropped off in front of their hotel. This meant that whoever did this knew exactly who they were and still decided to do this to theirmander¡¯s son. That person must possess no fear of death! When Jian saw that no one was speaking he kicked over a nearby desk that made a loud banging sound when it hit the floor. "Speak! Who the hell did this to my son?!" He red at the man who was the one that brought him the news of his injured son. That man felt cold sweats run down his back, he wanted to curse his bad luck at having agreed to inform theirmander about the matter. Now, if he was to upset Jian while he was this agitated, he may not necessarily be able to keep his life. "B-boss... I really have no idea what happened... I just walked outside and saw him lying their unconscious I swear. There was no one in sight, no letter, nothing." The man could only tell the truth. If he were caught lying, it would put him in an even worse position. "Just lying there...?" Jian¡¯s eyes turned extremely cold as he stared at the man who just spoke. "Did you check the cameras?" His tone was chilling. "Well no boss, I thought it was more important to bring in-" before the man could even finish his sentence a fist was already before his face, his nose was broken from the force of impact. The man held onto his nose in pain but, he did not utter a single noise or show his displeasure. This could already be considered a light punishment. "Check the cameras! I want to see who has the audacity to personally drop off my injured son on our doorsteps and then walk away!" The man did not waste any time and immediately went to do as he was ordered. ... ¡¯It¡¯s about time...¡¯ Izroth thought as he entered onto the top floor of the hotel from the rooftop. There were two people located on the top floor of the hotel, both of them were a part of the Dragon Stone gang. "Hey did you hear about themander¡¯s son? Apparently, someone beat the living daylights out of him and left him crippled on the doorsteps." One of the men let out a long sigh. "There isn¡¯t going to be much rest these next few days until we find out who¡¯s behind this." The other man shook his head, "Themander¡¯s kid was out of control, it was bound to happen eventually." Of course, he would never say that to Jian¡¯s face. "I think he should be lucky that he¡¯s still alive with those type of injuries. I¡¯ve never seen someone so mangled up before." As the two of them were talking, their attention was drawn to a figure walking down the hallway step by step. That individual was wearing a strange masquerade mask that covered the top half and the entire left side of the person¡¯s face. That person waspletely dressed in ck with an emotionless look on his face. The men instinctively ced their hand near their hip close to their firearm. "Stop right there! Do you know who this ce belongs to? State your purpose for being here!" Despite their words, that strange figure continued to take one step at a time drawing closer to the two men. "My purpose...? Well now, that¡¯s quite simple. I¡¯m here to collect on some unpaid debts." The strange figure was Jin, he spoke in a deep and hoarse voice. The two men looked at each other in confusion. Collect on some unpaid debts? Since when were they, the Dragon Stone gang, the ones who paid debts? They were always the ones to collect, not the other way around. "Hahaha, this guy must be insane, that¡¯s the only exnation." One of the men said not taking this seriously at all. Jin pushed off his left foot and in a sh, he appeared in front of the man who just spoke. With the palm of his hand, Jin aimed directly for the man¡¯s chin. When his palm struck the man¡¯s chin it rattled his brain and made him lose all power within his legs. As the man was falling to the ground, Jin swept his leg outwards kicking the man aside. This made the man¡¯s body m into the hallway wall, knocking him unconscious. When the other man saw hispanion was in trouble, he drew his gun and aimed it at Jin. As the man¡¯s finger was pulling down on the trigger, Jin had already begun to move. To him, every action that man took was like looking at someone move in slow motion. Based on where the man was aiming, Jin could easily avoid the iing shot before it was even fired. Bap! When the man fired his handgun, he was startled. ¡¯Where did that strange person just go? Did he avoid a bullet at such close range? Impossible!¡¯ Before the man knew it, everything around him suddenly turned dark. Jin appeared at the man¡¯s side and struck his temple knocking him unconscious. ... When the group of men on the lower floors heard the sound of that gunshot, all of them were put on high alert. Jian frowned when he heard the gunshot as he turned to look at one of the nearby men, "You, go see what those bastards upstairs are doing! I swear if they¡¯re ying around up there, I¡¯ll personally put a bullet in both of them!" The man hurriedly went off to see what was happening upstairs along with two other men apanying him. Little did Jian know, the Dragon Stone¡¯s downfall was imminent. Chapter 55 Invasion Of Dragons Paradise Izroth concentrated on the environment around him, using his senses to identify the various people moving within the building. ¡¯There¡¯s 15... No, 14 people in total...¡¯ Izroth thought as he looked towards the elevator. He subtracted Rhodes and the two men he had already knocked unconscious from the equation as there was no way they would be able to move any time soon. "Three are heading this way, most likely due to the gunshot. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter as I nned on going to them anyway." He looked over at the two men lying unconscious on the floor. "That little metal tool called a gun is interesting... It¡¯s possible for mortals to kill weak cultivators with something like that. ording to my current knowledge, with the ?Heavenly Golden Body? trained to the second stage, a handgun would leave a small scratch at most." "However, I would have to train the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique to the third stage toe out unharmed against what they call an assault rifle..." Jin was once obsessed with this one first-person shooter game and learned about all different kind of guns and the power they possessed. Izroth had to admit, he underestimated what this world was originally capable of. While the weapons were nothingpared to the artifacts or weapons from the Seven Realms, the thing that interested and surprised him was that any mortal could wield them. Though, he still found them just to be little toys at best. He could hear the three men approaching the fifth floor that he was currently on. ... "Tch... I really hope for their sake they aren¡¯t just fooling around. Themander is unstable right now after what happened to his son, he even broke Red¡¯s nose." One of the three men that Jian sent to check on the status of the guys upstairs, was having a conversation with the other two. One of the other men let out a sigh, "I just want to go home and chill man... I doubt themander is going to let any of us go home until this whole mess is resolved." The three were inside an elevator and it only took them a few moments to arrive at the fifth floor. Ding! The doors to the elevator slowly opened and just as the man in front was about to step out, something quickly brushed past his throat. Jin was waiting in front of the elevator door and as soon as it opened, using the thenar area of his right hand, he struck the throat of the man. This cut off the man¡¯s ability to breath as he ced his hands at his throat trying to grasp for air. Jin stepped into the elevator, the men inside were too close to each other to risk using their handguns and so the two men could only try to physically overpower Jin. However, how was that possible when Jin possessed the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique? Jin used the elbow of his left arm to strike one of the men in his diaphragm located between the upper abdomen and the chest area. This knocked the wind out of him and would cause him to eventually faint from theck of oxygen. Thest remaining man punched out at Jin, but his punch was easily evaded. Just when he was getting ready tounch another attack, his entire body froze. Jin struck the man on three separate regions of his torso with his index finger and after doing so he tapped against the center of his chest with the back of his hand. That tap appeared to be gentle, however, it caused thest man¡¯s body to shiver uncontrobly before freezingpletely. "3 down, 11 to go." Izroth tossed the bodies of the three unconscious men out of the elevator before pressing the button to go down to the third floor where he heard most of the footstepsing from. "They all appear to be converging onto one main location... Their leader is most likely there." ... Jian was getting impatient as he was waiting for the three men he sent upstairs to report back. It had already been over 5 minutes and there was no word from them. Was everyone just trying to purposely upset him today? ¡¯Useless... All of them are useless!¡¯ "Commander Jian, I¡¯ve found the footage you were looking for!" A man sitting down at a chair in front of the security camera monitor said in an unsteady voice. He could not believe what he just saw on the camera feed. "y it back!" Jian concentrated on the monitor showing the footage of what took ce when his son was dropped off in front of Dragon¡¯s Paradise. However, all he saw was a dark streak and the next moment his son was suddenly lying on the ground. Jian narrowed his eyes, "Is this some kind of joke? Is there an error in the footage?" The person sitting down hurriedly spoke, "There¡¯s no problem with the footage, it¡¯s just that... They¡¯re moving too fast for the camera to capture them if it isn¡¯t slowed down. I thought it was weird too, so I tried to slow it down and got this." He clicked a few buttons before reying the video. "What is that...?" Jian said in a low voice as he examined the security footage. Just for a brief moment, that shadow was clearly shaped like a humanoid figure. However, there was no way a human could move that fast, so that had to be impossible. "Slow it down more Vince!" Jianmanded in an angry tone of voice. Thest thing Vince wanted to do was further infuriate Jian and so he slowed down the video even more. This time, they were able to see things clearer. Although they were unable to tell who it was, they at the very least looked human. There was something off about them though, but Jian couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. Bap! Bap! Bap! Bap! There were gunshotsing from the hallway on the floor Jian was currently located on. The gunshots startled everyone within the room as they all drew their guns without hesitation. ... As soon as Jin stepped out off the elevator, a man turned around to greet him thinking that he was one of theirpanions that went upstairs to check on the situation. However, that man was instead greeted by a kick to his gut that sent him tumbling backward and mming hard against the wall. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid to kill anyone, it was just that death was just an easy way to escape from one¡¯s actions. He would make them have to live in shame for the rest of their short lives. But, his main target was Rhodes¡¯ father, Jian. These handguns they had were like cute little toys to him and unable to harm him, so he would not see that as a threat to his life. If his life, however, was in any actual danger he would not have any second thoughts about eliminating the threat. This was about the person responsible for his son¡¯s behavior that allowed him to continuously bully the original owner of this body without any consequence. This person was also the same reason why everyone in town never bothered to report anything to the police that involved his son and his friends. If they identally reported to someone on the Dragon Stone¡¯s pay list, then wouldn¡¯t they be technically bringing disaster upon themselves? When the four other men saw one of their members tumbling across the floor. They all immediately pulled out their firearms and pointed it towards Jin. The four men could notprehend what was going on, but they thought that it was something major. However, when they saw that it was just a single person wearing a strange mask, they all felt a bit relieved and began to ease up. "You better have a good reason for barging in here and attacking one of our members. Do you know what this ce is?" One of the men tried to intimidate Jin. "Is this ce not called Dragon¡¯s Paradise?" Jin asked with a smirk on his face. Did he know what this ce was? Of course, he knew! "If you understand that then you¡¯re either insane or have a death wish. Either way, we¡¯ll let themander decide what to do with you." "Impressive, I¡¯ve yet to meet a person within this world capable of judging me." Jin rushed towards the four gang members. The four of them each fired from their handguns! If this guy had a death wish, they would dly grant it to him. Bap! Bap! Bap! Bap! Just before the four men pulled the trigger on their handguns, Jin positioned himself in such a way that judging by the angle at which they were aiming and the trajectory the bullet would travel, it was bound to miss its intended target. The four were shocked that all of them had missed! That was highly improbable unless they were all just terrible at aiming, but they couldn¡¯t possibly be that bad right? They tried firing again multiple times but ended up with the same result, all of their bullets missed without fail every single time! Just as they were trying to reload their clips, Jin had arrived before them. Jin¡¯s palms were moving in an incredibly elusive manner. It was as if hundreds of palms were raining down upon the four men, however, there was only one true strike hidden within. Jin was using the ?Myriad Elusive Palms?, a low-ranked heavenlyw, to attack the four men simultaneously. Of course, he controlled the power and uracy of each blow perfectly. Unlike within RML, there was no system to guide along the attack to its intended nearby targets. Jin had to aim precisely using his own skills to do so. Each of the four men was hit on their chins, rattling their brains around and causing them to faint soon after. ... There were currently five other people behind the door along with Jian making for a total of six people. All of them had their guns drawn and ready, aimed directly at the only way into the room which was through the front door. Thest remaining person that Jin sensed earlier was the doctor who was in another room tending to the wounded Rhodes. They had their own medical equipment in case of emergencies, after all, there were times when they were unable to go to the hospital itself. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Everyone within the room heard the sound of four bodies dropping to the floor from the other side of the door. What was going on out there? That was the question on everyone¡¯s mind. Jian was already in a bad mood and now he had to deal with this unknown person. This would have been much easier if they had cameras installed everywhere, however, they were only ced in specific regions such as the front door and backdoor. This was because Dragon Paradise received important guests sometimes that enjoyed their privacy. A bunch of cameras in every corner did not exactly scream privacy. The doorknob started shaking slightly and not long after that, the door was pushed open. "Alright, that¡¯s far enough! You have just 10 seconds to exin what exactly it is that you think you¡¯re doing." When Jian saw that it was some strange person wearing a mask, for some reason he had a bad feeling about this person. But, he couldn¡¯t appear weak in front of his gang. Jin stood at the entrance of the doorway as his eyes scanned the room. Everyone had their guns pointed directly at him, but he was not fazed by it at all. He was able to tell who Rhodes¡¯ father was in an instant as their resemnce was remarkable. "Exin...? Very well then, I¡¯ll tell you the same thing I told your foolish son." Jin¡¯s eyes were ice cold as he stared at Jian and said one simple word, "Vengeance." Chapter 56 What Paradise? This Is Hell! Jian pieced things together and came to the conclusion that this person before him was the one responsible for the current state of his son. "You¡¯ve saved me a lot of trouble by delivering yourself to me personally. Have youe to beg for forgiveness? You have guts I¡¯ll give you that, but that can only take you so far." Jian appeared calm on the surface, however, he was absolutely livid on the inside. "Beg for forgiveness?" Jin wanted to burst outughing. Why would someone go through all this trouble just toe beg for forgiveness? Wouldn¡¯t that be asking for their own demise? Jin knew that words would be useless and decided that it was best to demonstrate his purpose foring here with his actions. The individual closest to Jin was a huge and bulky man who was at least 2 meters tall. Just with his appearance alone, it was more than enough to discourage most people from putting up a fight. The bulky man was within Jin¡¯s arms reach, thest thing he expected was for Jin to make a move with so many guns locked onto him. Jin swung his arm outward using the back of his hand to smash into the face of that gang member. Whenever he disyed his speed, others were not capable of keeping up with him at all. As the bulky man that Jin struck was getting ready to fly backward, Jin reached out to grab him by his shirt cor and threw him in the direction of where Jian, as well as the other gang members, were standing. As soon as Jian and the others were about to fire their handguns, one of theirpanions was tossed right at them. Jian and the rest of the Dragon Stone members were all startled by how reckless Jin behaved with so many guns aimed at him but even more so by the monstrous strength he showed. There was no way that strange person could have the strength to toss someone that big with no effort. None of the gang members had a clean line of sight on Jin and lost his current position due to theirpanion blocking their vision. By the time the man who was thrown towards themnded, Jin was nowhere to be found. "Find him! He could not have gone f-" Jian was ordering the men around him to get ready to chase after Jin. However, before he could finish his sentence he felt a small breeze float past him. The strange thing about this breeze was the fact that there were no windows in this room. This was the room the Dragon Stone members used to keep an eye on the entrances and exits. It was also a room they used as a temporarymand center. Why would they have windows in the room? Just moments after Jian felt that breeze rush by, he heard a scream right next to him. When he turned his head to look in that direction, all he could see was a dark streak that was simr to what he viewed earlier on the security monitor. As Jian was trying to locate the source of the sound, every time he finished looking in the direction of where it was originating from all he would see is one of his subordinates lying on the floor in pain. "Are you curious as to why I¡¯vee here..?" Jian heard a voiceing from behind him that sent shivers down his spine. He immediately spun around and fired his gun without hesitation. Bap! However, there was no one there when he turned around and his bullet did not hit any target. Jian thought that he was slowly going insane and his previously confident attitude was slipping away. All of his subordinates had been knocked unconscious with either their arm or leg broken ruthlessly. "For years, your son performed many unforgivable deeds and as a father, you¡¯ve let him get away with all of it unpunished. This is merely your retribution." that deep and raspy voice once again came from the blind spot at Jian¡¯s back. "Fight me like a man!" Jian began to fire shots randomly around the room relying on luck to hit a shot. This person was like a ghost, they were here one moment and then gone the next! Jian was starting to crack under the pressure and his tough guy facade began to crumble apart. Click! Click! Click! Jian ran out of bullets for his gun and angrily tossed it aside. He was staying vignt as his eyes darted all around the room trying to spot Jin. He heard a quiet noiseing from his right side and quickly threw a punch containing all of his power in that direction. ¡¯Found you...!¡¯ However, Jian¡¯s fist swung and hit nothing but the air before him. "Impossible...!" That strange person was nowhere to be found, he was just hearing things. As Jian¡¯s fist was mid-flight, he felt his feet leave the floor and it was as though he was floating in zero gravity as his entire body spun around. Jin used his left foot to sweep Jian off his feet. As he did so, Jin reached around with his left hand formed in a w-like grip towards Jian the moment his feet parted from the ground and twisted it in a counter-clockwise motion. This caused Jian¡¯s entire body to spin in mid-air for a brief moment as if he were a de on a fan. A strong force crashed into Jian¡¯s stomach as he was spinning and sent him smashing into the wall. Jin casually lowered his leg that he used to kick Jian in his stomach. In less than 10 seconds, he had incapacitated everyone within the room without a single scratch on him. Jian coughed up blood as his body mmed into the wall, his vision grew blurry and he became slightly disoriented. He struggled to sit up, however, there seemed to be no strength left in his body. "Wait a moment...! Just wait okay!" Jian had reached his breaking point, he no longer cared about losing face. This was no human, it was a demon! The name of this hotel was Dragon¡¯s Paradise but... What Paradise? This is hell! "Okay... Okay, I understand alright? What do you want huh? Just name it already. Money? Power? Women? Just name it and I can give it to you, I only ask that you spare me!" Jian feared for his life and tried his best to strike up some kind of bargain. "That damn son of mine...! I let him do whatever he wanted, I gave him whatever he wanted and this is how that brat repays me!" Jian thought as his facial expression turned extremely gloomy. This was all the fault of that unfilial son of his! Jian was in this kind of world for over three decades already, ever since he was a kid. He understood better than anyone, that there were certain people you could afford to offend and certain people that you could not afford to offend. His son obviously performed thetter and dragged the entire Dragon Stone gang into it. How could Jian not be infuriated at him when that thought crossed his mind? "Like father like son I suppose." Jin looked at Jian with an icy cold stare as he walked over towards him. "Well if that¡¯s the case then, shouldn¡¯t you two be matching in looks?" Jin did not have a shred of mercy for Jian and would not ept any offer he tried to present. This was the price of daring toy a hand on someone he promised to protect. Jian¡¯s face turned pale when he heard those words. ¡¯Matching? Wouldn¡¯t that mean he¡¯d be crippled for the rest of his life as well? If that was the case, who would take care of him or his son? They would be better off dead!¡¯ Thest thing that could be heard from that room were the cries of Jian as he soon ended up with the same appearance as his son. ... Around 30 minutester... Jin arrived back home and as soon as he walked through the front door, the first thing he saw was Reilei sitting down on the couch in the living room watching the television. Usually she did not watch television, however, she received a call from Shelly telling her to turn on the news. "Jin, you muste and look at this...!" Reilei seemed to be baffled by what she was watching. Jin did not think that Reilei would be out of her room so soon after what she experienced a bit earlier today, but her mood appeared to be much better than when he left. It was as though arge amount of fear and anxiety had been lifted off her shoulders. "What¡¯s going on mother?" He looked over at the television and saw a familiar sight. That was the ce he¡¯d just came from, the Dragon¡¯s Paradise hotel! What was it doing on the news? The news was talking about how a local gang was attacked by what appeared to be a rival gang moving in on their territory. They showed pictures of some of the victims and Jian¡¯s as well as Rhodes¡¯ faces were shown up there. The news reporter spoke, "Eyewitnesses report that the attack was initiated by what they seem to be calling a ¡¯demon¡¯. Reports appear to be simr and consistent across the board as all eyewitnesses recall the same gruesome events taking ce. One thing is for sure, this was the work of someone or something merciless." Jin pretended to be startled by what was on the news, "I suppose this is what they call karma..." He said in a low voice, but it was loud enough for Reilei to hear it clearly. "I am thankful to have such a wonderful son who did not turn out in such a way." As a mother, One of Reilei¡¯s wishes was for her son to have a good life. But her greatest wish was for him to stay healthy and safe above all else. Jin smiled as he went on to ask, "Mother, have you had time to think about what we discussed at the restaurant?" Jin wanted to make sure that Reilei knew that she did not have to work so hard any longer. Reilei helplessly smiled when Jin asked that question. She could see that Jin was unwilling to take no for an answer. The truth was that she had already decided back at the restaurant but was just waiting until they got home to let Jin know of her decision. However, she lost that train of thought when she saw Rhodes across the street. "While I can¡¯t agree to leave all of my jobs... I promise to only do one from now on. Since my son said to trust him, then I¡¯ll trust him." Reilei finally felt like she was given the freedom to im her own happiness. Jin nodded his head in response. He understood that this was already the best case scenario at the moment and so, for now, it was good enough. The important thing was that now at least Reilei would have time to herself and be able to properly rest without having to push herself so hard every single day. "Thank you, mother." Jin smiled in a pleasant manner. Reilei giggled a bit as she shook her head, "I should be the one thanking you, Jin. I want you to focus on your dreams and make theme true. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever wanted for you." "I know, mother... I know." Jin felt an unnatural warmth spread throughout his body. It was not in a physical sense but rather more of an emotional one. ¡¯I see... This is a mother... It¡¯s not a bad feeling at all... ¡¯ Maybe it was because Izroth waspletely fused with the owner of this body now, but that was his current thought. ... "There are still a few things left unsettled here but for now, they¡¯ll have to wait untilter..." ¡´System Alert: System booted! Fully Immersing... Running scan...¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth recognized as an authorized yer. ¡µ ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ "After all, how can I be the number one yer if I fall too far behind?" Izroth had finally logged back onto RML, it was time for him to continue his journey. Chapter 57 Returning To Realm Of Myths And Legends ¡´System Alert: You have been logged out of the game for more than 24 hours, adjusting...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Adjustment Sessful!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Since you have been disconnected for 24 or more hours, you have gained the temporary passive skill ?Equalizer? ¡µ Izroth had been logged off for around 3-4 hours in real-world time, the equivalent of 30-40 hours within the game. So there was a lot of catching up to do. Now that he waspletely fused with the original owner of this body memories, many matters that he was unclear about before were now much easier toprehend. Thanks to that, he knew exactly what benefits the ?Equalizer? skill gave to yers, especially those who were unable to y for countless hours like yers withinrge guilds. After all, the original owner of this body researched RML extensively, as this was going to be the game that was going to eventually change their life. Skill Name: Equalizer Skill Rank: Unranked Passive: The user gains a temporary increase of 100% EXP for all quests, kills, and EXP gained rted to professions. Time Limit: 1 Hour Special Note: The timer for this skill does not start until the user gains some form of EXP. This skill was something that developers put into the game so that yers would not fall too far behind other yers due to the time ratio of 10:1. At the very least, they would not feel as badly punished for having to log off and tend to things in the real world. The longer a yer was gone for, the longer the time limit on the ?Equalizer? skill wouldst. Of course, this skill had its own limitations. Izroth was standing just outside of the ?Amaharpe Auction House?, which was the location where he logged out. It was not as crowded as when he put the ?Nameless de? up for sale, but there was still arge crowd of yers gathered. ¡¯Before I leave ?Amaharpe?, I should look into getting myself a profession. It¡¯s long overdue...¡¯ Because he didn¡¯t need to manually search for previously gained knowledge anymore he felt like a tiger with wings. This early into the game, those who excelled at their profession were capable of having the most stable of ie. Also, having a profession came in handy as it would reduce the cost of items you could make yourself. The very moment he arrived in ?Amaharpe?, he should have taken a profession. In fact, there were many opportunities that he could have capitalized on. For instance back when he was within the ?Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise?. There was something called ¡¯Full Clearing¡¯ and it was when a yer would sweep through the entire dungeon to eliminate all the monsters and gain the maximum amount of EXP. There were various pathways inside of the ?Dungeon: Goblin¡¯s Paradise?, however, it never crossed Izroth¡¯s mind that there may have been hidden bosses or even some treasures and monsters. ¡¯It appears I¡¯ve not been viewing the bigger picture of some of the things I¡¯ve previouslye across.¡¯ What¡¯s done was done and there was no way to turn back the hands of time, so Izroth could only move forward. The carefree expression returned to Izroth¡¯s face as he started walking towards the profession district within ?Amaharpe?. The entrance to the district was on the other side of the road, not too far from the auction house. Originally, Izroth was interested in having ?Alchemist? as his profession, however, something else had caught his attention when he discovered the avable choices. ¡¯It appears that this profession was made just for me.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the ?Apothecary? profession. Being an ?Apothecary? was considered the most time consuming and difficult of all the professions due to the unique way that it functioned. While an ?Alchemist? was mainly focused on potions and transmutations, an ?Apothecary? was centered around pills. Unlike potions, the main goal of pills was to permanently increase the overall strength of the yer. Though that was not the only thing that pills were capable of, there was a multitude of temporary effects they were able to grant the user in dangerous situations. What really separated ?Apothecary? from ?Alchemist? within RML was the way each profession created their products. Unlike an ?Alchemist? who simply mixed together the ingredients listed on a recipe, an ?Apothecary? had to formte their own methods and procedures. While basic recipes did exist for the ?Apothecary? profession, they were solely to build the foundations of the yers. After that, yers would have to depend on themselves to progress further. This was the reason why all of the top guilds had an ?Apothecary? division. yers within that division were primarily focused on making advancements that would put them ahead of thepetition. The temptation of permanent stat increases and other effects was too much to ignore for those looking to be the very best guild in RML. Those who picked the ?Apothecary? profession would have to spend the majority of their time finding new methods to create pills that produced the wanted results. However, ording to the new information Izroth received from having fusedpletely with Jin, this was made for him! Not only was Izroth the number one cultivator when he resided inside the Seven Realms, but he was also a master apothecary. The main challenge of converting his experience and vast knowledge from the Seven Realms would most likely be learning the different names of ingredients. But a good apothecary coulde up with various recements for specific ingredients, and the game with its ability to perfectly describe item usages would make this transition much easier for Izroth. ¡¯I can¡¯t fall too far behind in leveling, so I¡¯ll just get the profession for now and then when I have the time I¡¯ll look deeper into it...¡¯ This was the n that Izroth hade up with. There was only basic information avable about the ?Apothecary? profession, after all, no yer would want to leak anything major to give others an edge. As Izroth was walking around the profession district, he located a nearby sign that disyed the names of the various professions within the area and pointed in their direction using arrows. It only took him a brief nce to find out which way the ?Apothecary? building was. Izroth followed the direction of the arrow and within less than 10 minutes he arrived at a huge structure that was even bigger than the Combat Master ss building! At the first top of the structure was a sign with the words ?Apothecary III? written down; it was using Roman numerals instead of a number. There were guards ced at the entrance just like at the auction house because of the importance of this location. Izroth entered into the ?Apothecary? profession building without any trouble and when he stepped inside a powerful aroma drifted into his nose. The aroma smelled as if it was formed by a mixture of many diverse ingredients. It reminded Izroth of the first time he learned about being an apothecary back in the Seven Realms. ¡¯The simrities are uncanny.¡¯ There was a middle-aged man with a rough around the edges appearance sitting behind what appeared to be a receptionist desk. His hair was unkempt, his eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn¡¯t slept in days, and he was currently concentrating on reading the book on his desk. When Izroth got within range, the system revealed information regarding the middle-aged man. NPC Name: Rigius NPC Level: 10 upation: Apothecary I When Rigius heard the footsteps approaching him, he nced up from his book but saw that it was just a strange man. "We do not sell any pills here. All pills made by the official apothecaries of ?Amaharpe? belongs solely to the governing entity of the capital city of ?Amaharpe? to distribute." Rigius¡¯ response sounded like he¡¯d practiced rehearsing it over and over again. That was due to many yers trying toe into the ?Apothecary? profession building trying to purchase pills directly from them. However, this was against thews of ?Amaharpe?. Any pills made by yers themselves could be sold freely in an open market, however, pills created by the official apothecaries of ?Amaharpe? were not to be sold in an open market. All of the official apothecaries were paid by the governing power and provided endless research funds so money was not an issue. Izroth shook his head, "I¡¯m not here to purchase any pills, I wish to be an ?Apothecary?." Rigius looked up from the book he was reading and closed it before letting out a small sigh. "Are you sure this is the profession you wish to learn? Once you learn a profession, you can never learn another one. Let me tell you, this profession is nothing like the others." "Most people may spend their entire lives stuck at the 1st rank of ?Apothecary?. If you do not possess the aptitude for it then you will be wasting your time. So I¡¯ll ask you again, are you sure you wish to be an ?Apothecary??" Rigius was giving Izroth a fair warning, as he did with all yers. Izroth nodded, "I¡¯m sure of it, this is the profession I¡¯ve chosen." He was extremely confident in his abilities, but Rigius viewed it as ignorant arrogance. Rigius had been trying to progress to the 2nd rank of an ?Apothecary? for many years now but was unable to do so. Too many people looked down on the difficulty of this profession and could only regret itter on when it was already toote to turn back. Rigius stood up from his seat and started walking down the corridor on his right side, "Very well, follow me." Rigius would not let his personal feelings interfere with his job, so he gave Izroth no problems. Izroth followed after Rigius until they arrived at the end of the long corridor. There was a huge door made of an exceptionally tough and durable material. Rigius pushed open the doors which turned out to be much lighter than they appeared to be. The room was incredibly spacious, however, there were not many things inside it. At the very center of the room was a bronze colored cauldron. Not too far away were a few tables with various ingredients spread out everywhere. "In order to be officially recognized as an ?Apothecary?, you must first pass a simple test to determine your aptitude." Due to how challenging the ?Apothecary? profession was for average yers, this was thest opportunity to back out provided by the game developers. "To sessfully pass the test, you must use any of the ingredients here to create at least 1 grade one pill. You can only perform the test a total of three times, after that you will be forever unable to be officially recognized as an ?Apothecary?." Rigius did not bother mincing his words and was very straight-forward. "Of course, we are not heartless. We will also provide you with ten basic pill recipes to choose from. The ingredients and basic techniques are listed in every recipe, therefore, it ultimatelyes down to your natural talent." Rigius exined everything to Izroth. "The time limit is one hour. After that, if you have not sessfully created a single grade one pill, then the test will be counted as a failed attempt. The time begins the moment I leave the room. Also, do not bother trying to cheat and bring in an already made pill. The person who will judge the pill is a 3rd rank ?Apothecary? so it will be impossible to try and fool him." Izroth nodded showing that he understood all of the rules. He was curious if other professions had a simr aptitude test. "I¡¯m ready." Izroth did not want to waste more time here than necessary, he wanted to get back to leveling up as soon as possible. Rigius stepped out of the room, "Your time begins now." as Rigius closed the doors behind him. ¡´System Alert: The time limit for the ?Apothecary? aptitude test has begun: 1 Hour Remaining¡µ Izroth walked over to the table containing the ingredients and examined every single one of them. ¡¯Interesting... I might as well try them out since I have three tries.¡¯ The next thing Izroth did was examine the cauldron in the middle of the room. It was just as he anticipated, the cauldron was indeed a magic item! Chapter 58 Apothecary Izroth examined the cauldron sitting at the center of the room. It was bronze in color with magical symbols carved into its outer surface and had a height of around 1.2 meters. Below the cauldron was a me that appeared to be produced by the cauldron itself. Name: Bronze Cauldron(Magical Item) Rank: D Durability: 5,000/5,000 Usage: This bronze cauldron is used by apothecaries to create pills that are grade-two or lower. Special Note: This item can be damaged or destroyed during pill crafting if its durability reaches 0. ¡¯It¡¯s only a D-ranked magical item... It can create grade-two or lower pills hm...¡¯ Izroth discovered that pills, as well as the level of apothecaries, worked a bit differently from what he was used to. In the Seven Realms, all pills created were given a rank based on how powerful and concentrate the pill turned out to be, with Spirit being the lowest and Divine being the highest. Each rank also contained 5 tiers which were Low, Average, High, Pinnacle, and wless. Every rise in the tier of a pill was not as simple as two plus two equals one, but rather the effect of the pill was multiplied by leaps and bounds. ording to the information that Izroth acquired on the ?Apothecary? profession within RML, which was very limited at the moment, is that pills were divided into different grades. The higher the grade of the pill, the stronger its intended effects would be. One of the most fascinating characteristics of the ?Apothecary? profession within RML was how unrestricted it waspared to other professions. For example, if a cksmith was not a high enough rank, there was no chance that they would be able to craft powerful gear. However with an ?Apothecary?, the ranks were given based on what grade pills they could create, and it was not there to limit them in any way possible. Take Rigius who just left the room, he could only create grade-one pills so his profession showed as ?Apothecary I?. If he were to create a grade-two pill, then it would be changed to ?Apothecary II?. Izroth did not know how far one could progress in this profession because no yer had ever reached its limits. Though it was like that for all of the professions, since beta testers only managed to get so far into the game and therefore no one knew what would be awaiting them at the end of their journey. After studying the ?Bronze Cauldron?, Izroth decided it was time to view the ten recipes provided to him. This was so that he received a more thorough understanding of the process and steps of pill creation within RML. As Izroth read through the ten pill recipes, a frown was slowly forming on his face. ¡¯These recipes are all really low quality... It¡¯s a waste with the ingredients provided.¡¯. Izroth understood that this was just an aptitude test so that one may be an ?Apothecary?, however, he felt as if he should capitalize on this chance. ¡¯The ?Bronze Cauldron? can create pills that are grade-two or lower... After looking over some of the materials, I have an idea but...¡¯. Ever since Izrothpletely fused with the original owner of this body memories, he learned that video games usually rewarded yers for performing a difficult task. It was like back when he became the first Combat Master and was rewarded the ?Nameless de?. Another interesting thing Izroth noticed about the cauldron was the me beneath it. As he focused on that me, he received an alert that showed separately from the cauldron itself. Name: Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core(Magical Item) Rank: D Durability: 5,000/5,000 Usage: This fire core was extracted from a two-tailed fox beast and is used to provide a powerful source of me for a cauldron. Special Note: This item can be damaged or destroyed during pill crafting if its durability reaches 0. ¡¯It appears that you need two pieces to sessfully operate a cauldron... The cauldron itself and a fire core.¡¯ After thinking for a brief moment, Izroth finally decided what to do. ¡¯Most of the ingredients here have very simr traits to some of the herbs and materials back within the Seven Realms. The names are altered but the core concept still remains. If that¡¯s the case, then I should be able to recreate a pill with an identical effect to the ?Five Cycles Pill?¡¯. The ?Five Cycles Pill? is a Spirit rank pill that¡¯s infinitely close to bing an Earth rank pill. Its purpose is to boost the natural basic five senses of the user. It was one of the most valuable pills within the Spirit rank and could even outshine some of those lower Earth rank pills. Another reason Izroth wanted to make an attempt at creating this pill was that of its potential market value. This pill was ideal for any yer, whether they were focused onbat or their respective profession. ¡¯If I market the ?Five Cycles Pill? correctly then it can turn into a stable source of ie. After all, there are many things I n to do in the future that will require some capital. Though for now, I should first see if this is even possible.¡¯ Izroth was fairly confident in the ability of the system to urately recreate the ?Five Cycles Pill?. The system was capable ofprehending heavenlyws so a pill theoretically should also be doable. Izroth spent around 15 minutes familiarizing himself with everything and had approximately 45 minutes remaining for the aptitude test. ¡¯Alright, I should begin.¡¯ The first thing Izroth did was touch a magical symbol located on the right side of the ?Bronze Cauldron?. Even though he was not using any of the ten recipes, he still read through all of them. All of them exined various basic techniques on how to operate the cauldron. The symbol on the side of the magical cauldron when touched, allowed for the user to have full control over the cauldron if someone else was not already controlling it. Of course, this only applied for cauldrons that were not directly bound to the user. If it was bound then the user could skip this process entirely and control the cauldron without any issues. Izroth raised the temperature to as highest possible point. ¡¯The mes are weak, but it should be enough for a pill of the Spirit rank. The quality may suffer a bit though...¡¯ He walked over to the table and grabbed 5 of the ingredients resting on top of the table. ?Yellow Roots?, ?Charity Leaf?, ?Oak Treant Powder?, ?Isted Water Droplet?, and ?Basic Binding Agent? were the name of the five ingredients that Izroth chose. The listed description of each item was a close match to the original five ingredients that would form the ?Five Cycles Pill?. ¡¯Time to begin.¡¯ Izroth approached the cauldron with the ingredients within his inventory, he was ready for his first attempt at creating a pill within RML. ... Rigius was sitting at the receptionist desk reading the same book as earlier. 25 minutes had passed since he took that fellow to perform the ?Apothecary? aptitude test. This was around the time that most people realized how challenging it was to be an official ?Apothecary? and threw in the towel. Why would yers want to waste their time in a profession that was impossible for them to further progress in without investing a tremendous amount of effort? They wanted to fight monsters, clear dungeons and do other fun things, not just sit around trying to make pills all day. Where was the fun in that? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The entire building shook violently as the sound of an explosion spread throughout the area. Rigius was startled and nearly fell off the chair he was sitting on. What was going on? Did one of the apothecaries fail to create a grade-two or grade-three pill? But there were only a handful of people capable of creating pills at that level and they were all on the second or third floors. The sound of that explosion originated from the first floor, however, it did not make any sense. There should be nothing on the first floor that could cause such an explosion, even if someone failed in creating a grade-one pill. Rigius knew this because he¡¯d failed many times before obtaining the title of ?Apothecary I?. The explosions were more like a little fireball, not a cannonball barrage followed by an intense tremor. Rigius was not the only person who heard or felt the explosion, all of the apothecaries on the second and third floors did as well. This caused some of them to mess up on the pills they were in the middle of creating which in turn infuriated them. They were marching out of the room to protest the matter. "Rigius! What¡¯s going on down there?!" one of the apothecaries on the second floor shouted. They were one of the individuals whose pill was messed up by the explosion that just urred. It was a middle-aged man with an average build, ck hair with streaks of gray mixed in and sharp eyes. "Senior Malcolm!" Rigius became a bit gloomy when that middle-aged man spoke to him. Rigius was in charge of everything that took ce on the first floor and an ident urred on his watch. Not any small ident either, it appeared to have interrupted many of the apothecaries in the middle of their pill creation process. Rigius had to discover whoever was behind this explosion to avoid all of the consequences falling onto him. Right now, he was receiving death stares from many of the apothecaries who stepped from out of their rooms to see what was going on. ... Izroth coughed a few times as he waved his hand in front of his face, fanning away the smoke from his nose. ¡¯That was also possible?¡¯ He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at the situation. Everything was going perfectly smooth until the finished product was about to be formed that is. The ?Five Cycles Pill? was only a Spirit rank pill, even if it was close to bing an Earth rank pill it was still not one at the end of the day. With that in mind, Izroth figured that there should be no problems, but thest thing he expected was for the ?Bronze Cauldron? to explode! However, the end results were not what he¡¯d expected. Izroth received a series of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The magical item ?Bronze Cauldron? is reaching its limit.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! The magical item ?Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core? is reaching its limit.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The grade of the pill being created exceeds the ?Bronze Cauldron? parameters.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Breaking Parameters? has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully created a grade-three pill.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The magical item ?Bronze Cauldron? has been destroyed.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The magical item ?Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core? has severely damaged.¡µ Izroth was pleased that he sessfully created the pill, however, he just destroyed a magical item. From the knowledge he¡¯d recently acquired, he understood that even the lowest grade magical item was worth at least 50 gold coins. If Izroth had to pay for the destruction of the ?Bronze Cauldron? and the damage done to the ?Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core?, then he would only be able to do so after selling another piece of his rare equipment. He expected to at most created a grade-two pill, but a grade-three pill was beyond his expectations. ¡¯It appears that I¡¯ve miscalcted... Grade-one pills are most likely equal to the lowest of Spirit rank pills, and so a grade-two pill must be somewhere around the middle.¡¯ Izroth shook his head, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. At the location where the ?Bronze Cauldron? was previously sitting, floating in midair were three pills with a gentle aura surrounding it. They were light purple in color and gave off a strong sweet medicinal scent that was almostparable to candy. Izroth reached out to grab the pills and received another system alert. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions yer Izroth, you have sessfully created a grade-three pill, please name it.¡µ "Five Cycles Pill" Izroth did not have to think about a name since the pill already possessed one. ¡´System Alert: You have received x3 ?Five Cycles Pill?.¡µ When Izroth viewed the effects of the ?Five Cycles Pill?, he felt 50 gold coins would be nothing if he made and sold more of these properly. Even though he was unsure of the value of the ingredients he used, it should not be too high considering that it¡¯s used for an aptitude test. ¡¯This system never ceases to amaze me.¡¯ Chapter 59 Five Cycles Pill Name: Five Cycles Pill(III) Rank: Grade-Three Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Superior Perception?. ?Superior Perception?: Increases the user senses of sight and hearing by 100%. Increases the user senses of smelling, tasting, and touch by 30%. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effects. If someone with excellent senses like Izroth consumed this item, then their awareness and reaction speed would rise tremendously. Even if normal yers were to consume such a pill, this pill would enable them topete with others that were naturally above them in skill. If an entire guild consumed this pill, the advantages gained from were enough to leave other guilds in the dust. However, this was all in theory. Izroth still had no idea on what actual cost of the ingredients he used to create the ?Five Cycles Pill?. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to go back to the auction house and take a look after making up the time I¡¯ve spent offline.¡¯ The explosion of the ?Bronze Cauldron? or any cauldron was extremely dangerous, especially in the middle of creating a pill. Luckily for he was in a safe zone and received no damage from such an explosion. If this had been outside of a safe zone, then he may have had to use ?Flickering Steps? to escape the explosion before it went off. It appeared that in order to create pills of higher grades, he would have to find a good cauldron. Just as Izroth finished examining the ?Five Cycles Pill?, the doors to the room were swung open. Rigius and a group of twenty individuals trailed behind him as they all wore a light blue ssic schr robe with a badge on their chest. The badges on their chest differentiated the grades each disyed by how much one progressed on the path of an ?Apothecary?. For example, Rigius had an I symbol on his badge, but nearly everyone behind him had an II and very few even had a III on their respective badges ¡ª the higher the number, the higher the grade. All of the people who gathered there wore a gloomy expression on their face while some were furious, each holding themselves back. How could they not be upset? Their hard work was ruined by the explosion that originated from this location! Though everyone was shocked by the level of damage done in this room, no one noticed a strong medicinal scent lingering in the air ¡ª the aftermath of a pill formed sessfully. When everyone saw what was left of the cauldron at the center of the room, they finally understood what happened as they all came to a simr conclusion. The person behind all of this must have tried to mix-in foreign ingredients that were not a part of the provided materials. That was the only logical exnation they coulde up with; how else would such arge explosion ur on the first floor? Since Rigius was not only the one in charge of the first floor and guided Izroth to take the aptitude test, he was the main person to also be held responsible for such mishaps. Izroth nced over at the group of people that had gathered at the entrance into the room. As his eyes swept over all of them, he noticed that they were all NPC¡¯s. ¡¯What a realistic reaction.¡¯ ording to the original owner of this body memories, such realistic emotions from NPC¡¯s was never done in other games before RML. He believed it to just be a natural thing for this world, but he failed to realize before just how much of an aplishment it actually was. "Rigius, you are in charge of this floor, so you must deal with this problem!" One of the apothecaries with an III badge spoke in a serious tone. He appeared to be near the end of his forties with a rigid face, ck hair, gray eyes, a slightly messy beard, and a thin build. "I shall get to the bottom of things at once, Senior Physing." Rigius spoke in a respectful and polite tone without any signs of displeasure. Not only was Physing a 3rd rank ?Apothecary?, but he was also a close friend of the current head of the ?Apothecary? division within ?Amaharpe?. ... Around 10 minutes ago... Name: Yellow Roots(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: Yellow in color with the shape of a small tree root, this ingredient often used to stimte the natural senses. It gives off a slightly hot temperature when mixed with other wood-type ingredients. Name: Charity Leaf(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: Despite its name, it is not an actual leaf but rather a type of dark green moss shaped like a leaf, hence its name charity leaf. This ingredient is often used naturally to treat small ingredients, however, if heated to a certain degree it will raise the sensitivity of the skin. Name: Oak Treant Powder(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: A dark red colored powder made from a special kind of oak treant. This ingredient allows for essences to travel throughout the body unhindered in a constant cycle until all of the essences is used up. It releases a very chilling aura when mixed with other wood-type ingredients. Name: Isted Water Droplet(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: A crystalized water droplet that acts as a purifying agent and cleanses natural impurities. Name: Basic Binding Agent(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: A basic binding agent that holds together the ingredients in order to sessfully form the pill itself. When creating a pill, an ?Apothecary? requires precise timing, a specific order for ingredients, and temperature to control the essence of each ingredient ced into the cauldron. Izroth waited until the ?Bronze Cauldron? temperature reached its highest point before pushing the ?Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core? to its limits. ¡¯This should be good here, now...¡¯ As soon as the cauldron reached the highest temperature, the first ingredient Izroth threw in was the ?Isted Water Droplet?. If any of the other apothecaries saw this they would faint from the amount of ¡¯ignorance¡¯. The ?Isted Water Droplet? acted as a purifying and cleansing agent. If there was nothing inside the cauldron to purify, then why would one ce it in first and risk wasting the ingredient? However, Izroth¡¯s reason for putting it inside the cauldron first was to purify the mes itself! The ?Five Cycles Pill? needed a very delicate bnce in order to be sessfully formed and this was the most important step in creating the ?Five Cycles Pill?. If one missed when the ?Bronze Cauldron? had reached its maximum temperature, then the entire pill would fail no matter the actions one took afterward. ¡¯It¡¯s been quite a long time since thest time I¡¯ve created any pills.¡¯ In less than a single breath of time, Izroth immediately dropped the temperature of the ?Bronze Cauldron? down to its lowest point before swiftly tossing in the ?Yellow Roots?. After that, he waited for around five minutes before he increased the temperature of the cauldron back to its peak and sprinkled in the ?Oak Treant Powder?. Just as the chilly aura from the ?Oak Treant Powder? was being released, it was suppressed by the temperature of the ?Yellow Roots?. The reason Izroth lowered the temperature down to add the ?Yellow Roots? in was due to its effect. If the temperature of the cauldron was lower, then naturally ?Yellow Roots? would heat up at a slower pace. This meant by the time Izroth increased the temperature back to its peak and add the ?Oak Treant Powder? into the mix, heat would be released ?Yellow Roots? suppressing the chilling effect of the ?Oak Treant Powder? without a violent reaction. As?Yellow Roots? finished fully suppressing the chilling effect from the ?Oak Treant Powder?, Izroth tossed in the ?Charity Leaf? and then the ?Basic Binding Agent?. He kept the cauldron at the hottest temperature as the cauldron¡¯s durability rapidly decreased, even after when the ?Yellow Roots? reagent suppressed the ?Oak Treant Powder?. The ?Bronze Cauldron? began to shake violently, not able to withstand a constant peak level temperature as small cracks began to form in the ?Two-Tailed Fox Fire Core?. A bright light began to emit from cauldron as Izroth began to receive a multitude of messages from the system. But before he even had time to check, the cauldron finally reached its limits and exploded. ... Rigius approached Izroth with a solemn expression on his face. "Would you mind exining yourself?" Although Rigius was upset at the moment, he tried his best to hide his displeasure but failed toplete do so. "The cauldron exploded because it was simply too weak." Izroth shook his head in disappointment at the durability of a magical item. While it was indeed his fault for pushing the cauldron beyond its limits, it was equal parts their fault for not providing a strong enough cauldron. A D-ranked magical item was too weak? Is this some kind of joke? The group of people at the entrance stayed silent when they heard Izroth¡¯s response. All of the 1st and 2nd rank apothecaries found such an excuse to be full of arrogance. However, when a few 3rd rank apothecaries heard what he said, they furrowed their brows and started to scrutinize the room down to thest detail. A strong medicinal scent still filled the air hinted the conclusion of a sessfully formed pill, but a grade-one or a grade-two pill could not bepared to such a powerful scent. But that would mean... No, that was simply impossible. They wouldn¡¯t even bother thinking such a thing was possible, even if everything pointed to the answer. This was the aptitude test room and which the person inside was aiming to be an ?Apothecary?. If this were the case, then this person here failed to create a pill as it was his first time doing so. Rigius let out a long sigh, "It¡¯s best if you tell the truth saving us the time of having to investigate," attempting to give Izroth chance to do what was right. He did not question solely for Izroth¡¯s sake, but mainly for himself as well. If it was confirmed to not be the fault of Rigius, then he would not worry about any punishment or paying reimbursement charges. Even if being an ?Apothecary? paid well, the price of 2nd rank and 3rd rank pills were far from cheap. "Whether you choose to believe my words or not, what I said is the truth." If Rigius chose not to ept that as the truth, then there was nothing else to be said about the matter. They could investigate all day and would see that he was being truthful. Rigius frowned at Izroth¡¯s response trying to unsessfully convince Izroth toe clean, "Look, you will only need to pay for the destroyed cauldron. As for reimbursing-" "Inconceivable...!" Physing eyes widened as he walked towards the direction of Izroth and Rigius. He was not being idle from he arrived within the room. After being in the room for a few moments, he could feel a powerful aura lingering in the atmosphere. At first, it was extremely difficult to sense even for a 3rd rank ?Apothecary? like himself mainly because the aura from the destroyed ?Bronze Cauldron? still lingering around as a magical item that had been recently destroyed was bound to leave behind dense energy within its surroundings. But as Physing reached the center of the room where now only pieces of the ?Bronze Cauldron? remained, he was convinced that pill had sessfully formed here. This was not a cause for surprise as anyone with some talent for being an ?Apothecary? could create a simple grade-one pill. What was startling about this specific event was that the residue lingering in the atmosphere surrounding the broken ?Bronze Cauldron?, did not belong to that of a grade-one or grade-two but rather belonged to that of a grade-three pill! What made the matter even more baffling was that the ?Bronze Cauldron? was only capable of creating pills at grade-two or below. However, Physing possessed arge amount of experience as a result of being an ?Apothecary? for decades and confirmed that this residue belonged to a grade-three pill. Rigius stayed silent as the rules of the apothecaries were very strict, especially when it came to seniority. Age was not counted since all that mattered in this organization was for one¡¯s skill that corresponded to one¡¯s ?Apothecary? rank. The level of skill one possessed superseded the amount of time one invested in the profession. Physing turned to observe Izroth from head to toe, "Young man, can you show me the pill you¡¯ve created? Do not worry about this silly cheap cauldron or the cost of damages, I will handle it personally." When the group before the door listened to the words of Physing, they were all confused. However, in order to be an ?Apothecary? one must possess a good sense of judgment. This meant that even though they were all furious by having their pill crafting interrupted, they must still be able of thinking with a clear mind. A clear mind was one of the most important traits of bing an ?Apothecary?. If you failed to keep a clear mind while creating a pill, then you were bound to fail. Izroth didn¡¯t mind showing the ?Five Cycles Pill? to Physing. He still wanted to have ?Apothecary? as his profession, so his pill would be judged sooner orter. Also, Izroth was pleased with how he was not senselessly persecuted. In a fit of anger, many were often blinded by the truth. However, it appeared that this was not the case for Rigius and Physing. Although Izroth could see the displeasure on Rigius face, he was still treated well. Izroth nodded his head, "I have no problem showing you." He removed one of the ?Five Cycles Pill? from his inventory and held it outward in his hand for Physing to see. As soon as Izroth removed the pill from his inventory, the powerful medicinal smell floated by Physing. "Incredible...! This is a grade-three pill!" The more Physing examined the ?Five Cycles Pill?, the more he was amazed by it. Even though he was a 3rd rank ?Apothecary?, creating pills at the rank of grade-three was still incredibly challenging even for him. For the young man before him to have created a grade-three pill while taking the aptitude test, he could only be a genius! The crowd of apothecaries that gathered thought that they had misheard wrong. A grade-three pill? But it shouldn¡¯t be possible for a cauldron like the ?Bronze Cauldron? to handle the creation process of the pill. Suddenly realization struck everyone within the room, including Rigius whose mouth was open from disbelief. The young man was telling the truth without a hint of arrogance earlier. The cauldron such as a magical item like the ?Bronze Cauldron? would be unable to manage the creation of a grade-three pill and exploded as a result. Instead of anger, the surrounding apothecaries began to feel amazed. For some of them, making a grade-two pill was challenging enough. "This is incredible! I¡¯ve never seen a grade-three pill like this before! What is the name of the pill called and how did you create it? What effect does it have? This is not one of the ten pill recipes so how do you have previous experience as an ?Apothecary??" Physing began to barrage Izroth with questions. Izroth gave a helpless smile as he was bombarded with questions by Physing. He simply wanted to obtain a profession before resuming his grind to level up. This wasn¡¯t exactly what he had in mind when he first came here. ¡¯Maybe it would¡¯ve just been easier to pay for the damages.¡¯. Chapter 60 Apothecary III "The pill can increase the five senses to such a degree?! This pill is capable of boosting the overall strength of any group if distributed in arge quantity." "A Charity Leaf could be used in such a manner? Interesting, truly interesting!" "What¡¯s more baffling is how the Yellow Roots and Oak Treant Powder were used in the same pill recipe. Back when I was young and curious, I once tried to find a way to use the two because of the traits they possesspliment each other, but I was unsessful. It¡¯s simr to trying tobine fire and water." "Exactly! Those two ingredients if used together could theoretically increase the quality of a pill tremendously. However, that¡¯s only in theory so to see it actually done is..." The few third rank apothecaries were discussing the Five Cycles Pill after listening to Izroth give some details about the creation process. The 1st and 2nd rank apothecaries that had gathered earlier were all dismissed by Physing. None of them were upset anymore, only regretful that they could not use the opportunity to learn more about that grade-three pill. It was not every day that a grade-three pill appeared within the Apothecary building. Izroth did not mind sharing the ingredients with the apothecaries. Even if they possessed the exact ingredients, the Five Cycles Pill required a very tricky and specific technique in order to be sessfully made. While the Five Cycles Pill was only considered as a Spirit rank pill that was infinitely close to bing an Earth rank pill in his previous world, one should not underestimate the difficulty of crafting such a pill. Izroth withheld certain details to prevent the recipe from being useful to anyone but him as this was something that could potentially be a source of ie in the future. After listening to the apothecaries discussion for around five minutes and answering some questions about the pill, he spoke to Physing, "I hate to interrupt your discussion, but as for the results of the aptitude test..." Physing gave a loud and joyfulugh before he could finish his sentence. "Young man, such an aptitude test is beneath you. You are already qualified to be a third rank apothecary from the ?Five Cycles Pill? alone." The other third rank apothecaries nodded their head in agreement. Originally they had a difficult time epting that this was Izroth¡¯s first time crafting pills, but the after exining the process and ingredients ¡ª his knowledge was more advanced than theirs. While this was Izroth¡¯s first time creating pills within RML, he was quite the master apothecary back in the Seven Realms. "The head is currently away tending to matters at the pce. While he was is away, I am the one in charge of epting new members. Normally only the head is able to promote someone to a third rank ?Apothecary?," Physing was exining the situation to Izroth. "However, there is another way. If a person creates a grade-three pill and has the approval of at least five third rank apothecaries, then that person may be granted the third rank of an ?Apothecary?." Physing looked around the room at the four other 3rd rank apothecaries. "Let¡¯s put it to a vote, shall we. All opposed?" Not a single ?Apothecary? raised their hand. After seeing that no one was raising their hand, Physing then asked, "All in favor?" He was the first to raise his hand and the four other apothecaries lifted their hands in the air. "Then it¡¯s decided! Congrattions young man, you are now official a 3rd rank ?Apothecary?! May I ask what your name is?" The other four apothecaries also congratted Izroth. Izroth gave a slight nod showing his thanks, "Izroth." "A wonderful name! Come Izroth, I shall personally hand you your official ?Apothecary III? badge!" Physing began to walk towards the same door he entered from with the group of apothecaries. The other apothecaries still had many questions, but if it were up to them Izroth would here all day. ... On the third floor of the ?Apothecary? building inside a room located nearly at the center of the third floor, was Izroth and Physing. There was a wooden desk that appeared to be made from a very sturdy material. Besides that, everything else in the room was simplistic and not at all luxurious. Yet, there was still a calming feeling about being inside this ce. At the center of the room was a dark blue cauldron with magical symbols carved into it that was much moreplex than that of the ?Bronze Cauldron?. It was releasing a cold and chilly aura that Izroth felt from the moment he entered into the room on the third floor. When Izroth examined the cauldron it made him think about where he would find a cauldron for his own uses. The only people that were able to obtain a magical item at this time were those top guilds and there was no way they would be willing to sell it. Even if by some stroke of luck a random yer found a cauldron and wanted to sell it, Izroth was not worried about the price but rather the time. He would have to wait at the auction house to bid on it as soon as it came up. However, he did not possess that amount of leisure time. Large guilds are capable of sending people to monitor the auction house in rotations. This allowed them to react fast when an item they wanted showed up for sale. ¡¯A guild... Maybe I should start thinking about-¡¯ As Izroth thinking to himself, his thoughts were disrupted by a system alert. ¡´System Alert: Would you like have ?Apothecary? as your profession? Warning: Once you choose a profession it cannot be undone. You may only have one profession.¡µ Physing held a badge within his hand that was identical to the one ced upon his chest. "With this badge, you will officially be a 3rd rank ?Apothecary?. This profession has many obstacles that you must ovee that will not be easy. However, I believe with your talent you will make it very far on this path." Physing was offering the ?Apothecary Badge? to Izroth. Izroth did not hesitate to ept the badge from Physing and bing an official ?Apothecary?. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions yer Izroth, you are now an ?Apothecary?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the item ?Apothecary Badge?¡µ Name: Apothecary Badge(Soulbound) Rank: III Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Usage: A badge that provides the proper proof of identity and rank of the person holding it. Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold. Izroth ced the ?Apothecary Badge? into his inventory. Just as he was about to ask where he could find a cauldron, Physing removed a small cube from his desk that resembled the ?Auction Cube? provided at the ?Amaharpe Auction House?. However, this cube was a little less than half the size of the ?Auction Cube?. ¡¯It seems these little cubes areparable to the higher grade spacial storage rings from the Seven Realms.¡¯. "Normally new apothecaries would have to find their own cauldron or use one of the rooms within the ?Apothecary? building when a free room bes avable." Physing stared at Izroth as if he were assessing him. "I¡¯m sure the head would agree with me on this matter, therefore, I shall take full responsibility for my actions. Izroth, I want for you to have this cauldron." Physing lightly tapped on the small cube and soon after a cauldron appeared in front of his desk. It wasrger than the ?Bronze Cauldron? Izroth used to take the aptitude test with but, smaller than the cauldron that Physing had ced at the center of their room. It was pitch ck in color with deep magical carvings spread all over its exterioryer and emitted a naturally fierce aura. "The cauldron is known as the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? and is something I have been fortunate enough toe across during my many years as an ?Apothecary?. The head and I are already too old to use this cauldron and therefore we agreed to grant this item to someone talented and worthy enough to possess it." Physing was full of regret for not havinge across the cauldron at a younger age. Due to the special characteristics of this cauldron, even if he or the head used the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? it would never reach its full potential. "At the moment it only has a D-ranked fire core and so if you wish to increase the power of its mes you will have to find a higher level fire core on your own" Physing exined. As Izroth examined the cauldron, he was pleasantly surprised by how this cauldron worked. Name: Dark Abyssal Cauldron(Unbound) Rank: D+ Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Usage: An ancient pitch ck cauldron made from an unknown indestructible material. It can be used by apothecaries to create pills that are grade-three or lower. The more an ?Apothecary? pushes the limits of this cauldron, the stronger it will grow. Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold once it is ¡¯Soulbound¡¯. This was a growth type item that advanced with the yer. Growth type items were incredibly challenging to obtain, so much so that even beta testers did note across any during their ythrough. Or at least if they did, it was not information they were necessarily willing to release. Izroth touched the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? with the palm of his hand. It was cold to the touch and when he looked down inside the cauldron, it was as he was staring into an endless dark abyss. ¡´System Alert: This item is currently ¡¯Unbound¡¯, would you like to be ¡¯Soulbound¡¯ with the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron??¡µ Izroth, of course, epted the soulbinding. Besides the ?Vozrak¡¯s Gift? which was technically a quest item, this was the very first magical item Izroth imed as his own. ¡´System Alert: You are now ¡¯Soulbound¡¯ with the item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron?¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? has been added to your inventory¡µ The ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? vanished when Izrothpleted the soulbinding process and put itself into his inventory. "I thank you for your generosity." Izroth knew how to appreciate a person¡¯s kindness. Physing did not have to give this magical item to him but still chose to do so even with knowing its worth. Physing shook his head, "You can thank me by showing me how far you can go with that item. If it remains a mediocre cauldron then I will never be able to forgive myself." Physing was sure that with Izroth¡¯s natural talent there was no way that the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? would end up as a mediocre item. Izroth nodded, "Do not worry, this cauldron shall be far from mediocre." Izroth was confident in his abilities as an ?Apothecary?. He would be sure to take full advantage of this amazing cauldron. After chatting for a few minutes, it was finally time for Izroth to leave the ?Apothecary? building and start to focus on leveling up again. Before leaving, Izroth asked if he could purchase some of the ingredients here, however, Physing informed him that they only sold binding agents. The ingredients provided to the ?Apothecary? division in ?Amaharpe? could not be freely sold. Izroth was a bit disappointed by that fact, but he still purchased some ?Basic Binding Agent?. The price was 10 bronze coins per 10 units and so Izroth spent a total of 1 silver coin to purchase 100 units so that he would not have to constantly return here. He was seen out of the building personally by Physing and gave his thanks once more before heading to the ?Amaharpe Auction House?. Izroth decided to drop by there and put a single ?Five Cycles Pill? up for sale before leaving ?Amaharpe?. This time he set the time limit for the auction to 10 hours since he was in no rush. He also took a few minutes to search through the materials section on the ?Auction Screen?. He was specifically looking for the four other ingredients used to create the ?Five Cycles Pill?. ¡¯These ingredients are all amazingly cheap...¡¯ three out of four the ingredients were listed at 10-20 bronze per unit. There was only one item missing and that was the ?Isted Water Droplet?. Izroth had no clue as to where it was located, but he knew someone who may know something. ¡¯For now, I¡¯ll just get the ingredients that are avable.¡¯ Izroth went on to purchase 50 of each ingredient spending a total of 22 silver and 50 bronze coins. It was a well-ced investment for the expected return from the ?Five Cycles Pill?. Izroth decided to take the chance to also look for a fire core. However, there were currently none up for sale inside of the auction house. ¡¯It seems I¡¯ll have to find my own fire core.¡¯ Izroth finished up things at the ?Amaharpe Auction House? and left towards the gates of ?Amaharpe?, it was time for him to start leveling up once more. ¡¯I have to find a way to use the ?Equalizer? passive to the fullest extent.¡¯ With that in mind, Izroth opened up the ?Exploration Logs? on his character interface. After fusingpletely with the memories of the original owner of this body, he now held the knowledge of many things that were unknown to him beforehand. ¡¯Just as I expected, one is not too far away from here and has already been discovered, most likely by one of therge guilds... This is the perfect way to put the ?Equalizer? skill to good use, right inside of a dungeon.¡¯ Izroth memorized the coordinates and started his journey towards the dungeon. ¡¯I wonder if it¡¯s located under water... The ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard?.¡¯. Chapter 61 Crossing Paths ording to the coordinates that Izroth received from the ?Exploration Logs?, the ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard? was located south of ?Amaharpe?. It was currently the nearest dungeon to ?Amaharpe? and had a level range of 18-23. The level range was the rmended level for a yer to attempt a dungeon, but there were no actual requirements to enter a dungeon. So, in theory, a level 10 yer could enter inside of a level 20 dungeon, however, surviving once inside was a different story altogether. Also, it would be useless for higher level yers to try and power level lower level yers. Power leveling was when higher leveled yers would take lower leveled yers along to a ce beyond their original capabilities, and attempt to increase their level rapidly by clearing monsters there. However, RML had a merit-based EXP distribution system that was strict when it came to parties withrge level gaps. This meant that if a yer did not contribute enough to the battle, then they would obtain a negligible amount of EXP. The system possessed its own unique way of determining a yer¡¯s contribution to a battle. As Izroth was walking on the road that ran south of ?Amaharpe?, he came to a forest that was simr to the ?Willowed Forest? he traveled through on his way to the capital city. This forest had gigantic trees that easily reached heights of over 100 meters making the trees inside of ?Willowed Forest? look miniature inparison. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Towering Oak Forest?¡µ The trunks of the trees were so wide that even five people linking hands would not be able to fully wrap around the tree. The ground of the forest was covered in verdant grass that appeared to be almost unrealistically perfect. Before traveling further into the ?Towering Oak Forest?, Izroth removed a ?Five Cycles Pill? from his inventory. A strong medicinal smell instantly rushed out towards him and invaded the surrounding atmosphere. When Izroth consumed the pill, it instantly dissolved within his mouth and a refreshing feeling ran throughout his entire body. Everything around him suddenly became increasingly vivid and his overall sense of perception rose tremendously. Thanks to his natural experience, along with being at the second stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique, Izroth senses could already be considered as monstrous even whenpared to top yers. So adding the ?Five Cycles Pill? to the equation provided a great boost. Izroth wanted to wait until he was in a ce with monsters lurking nearby in order to feel the difference between and after using the ?Five Cycles Pill?. He needed to have a full grasp of his sense of perception. ¡¯The difference really is huge, my overall sense of perception has risen at least twofold.¡¯ The deeper Izroth journeyed into the forest, the more he felt as if he was being watched. But this was not like that feeling back at the ?Valley of Death? where it was simr to the gazing artifact. This was someone observing from a far away distance, whoever or whatever it is was close. Izroth frowned, that feeling did not disappear even after traveling for 5 minutes, someone was definitely observing him. ¡¯Even with my senses heightened to such a degree someone still managed to get this close before I could discover them... Interesting.¡¯ The fact that someone could get so close to Izroth without him realizing it meant that the person was incredibly skilled at hiding their presence. So much so that they appeared to be one with their surroundings in a natural manner. Just as Izroth was about to call out, bushes that were around 20 meters away from him rustled a bit. It was in the same general direction that Izroth felt as if he were being watched from. What stepped from out of the bushes was a young man that looked as if he was in his mid tote twenties. The young man had short dark red hair that was slightly spikey, and crimson red eyes with pupils that looked abnormal. The pupils resembled a lemniscate and were just like an infinity symbol. There was this strange light red energy constantly running in an infinite loop around the lemniscate. The young man was quite handsome and stood at around 178cm tall, and possessed a very lean build, but he was not at all bulky in any way. On the right side of his face was a small tattoo sitting just under his right eye of a symbol or shape that Izroth had never seen before. The young man gave off a very calm aura, but underneath that calm aura was a ferocious beast. It was very simr to the aura that Izroth himself naturally gave off at times. The young man stopped a few meters away from Izroth. When the young man stepped out, Izroth¡¯s feeling of being watched disappearedpletely. The strange thing was that the aura this person gave off was a bit different from the one earlier, but he may have just been imagining it. ... "Nice timing..." on top of a tree branch more than 50 meters away from Izroth was a shadowy figure. It was the same shadowy figure that had been following Izroth since he was back in the ?Willowed Forest?. "I did not expect for his strength to increase so rapidly... He may be ready sooner than I anticipated. It seems as though I have to be more careful from now on and maintain a further distance or I¡¯ll risk being discovered..." the shadowy figure was impressed by Izroth being able to sense him. Due to a special ability that the shadowy figure possessed, even those who were many times stronger than he was would not be able to notice him. If that other yer did not appear when he did, then the shadowy figure may have had to reveal himself earlier than he wanted to. "Oh...? That other guy is pretty interesting too..." the shadowy figure turned into a blur before disappearing from his current position. ... Izroth examined the yer who stopped a few meters away from him. He was unsure of what their intentions were, but he was not afraid of a fight if the yer that stood before him wanted one. Izroth found something intriguing about this yer besides his strange eyes, and it was the two swords were ced upon his back. Based on the knowledge Izroth recently acquired, there should be no dual-wielding sses within RML this earlier into the game. The young man was sizing up Izroth and narrowed his eyes when he realized that it was impossible to get a solid grasp on Izroth¡¯s strength. This was the first time the young man ran into this kind of yer. He was just heading back to town to turn in a quest when he had a strange feeling as if someone was hiding their presence nearby. But even with his eyes, he could not lock onto their exact location. That was when he discovered Izroth. "Do you have some business with me?" Izroth still had a carefree expression on his face and his tone of voice sounded rxed and without worry. This yer had approached him first and so he did not know of his intentions. "Amusing... I was going to ask you the same question." When the young man spoke, his voice was tranquil. It was as if just by listening to his voice alone one would find themselves at peace with the world around them. ¡´System Alert: You are being targeted by a mental skill.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a Willpower check!¡µ Even though Izroth was immune to the mental skill of that yer, he could still tell that it was not a normal skill. The facial expression of that young man changed for a brief moment and a small frown appeared on his face, however, it quickly disappeared. ¡¯That skill... It¡¯s almost simr to a...¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes slightly. This person was the first to make a move against him and so he would not be polite. Izroth kicked off his left foot and as he did so, his right foot struck out like a snake wanting to sink its teeth into its prey, he used the skill ?Serpent¡¯s Bite?. The yer standing before Izroth took half a step back at the veryst moment and avoided the iing kick. He then reached out with the palm of his hand aiming directly at Izroth¡¯s right shoulder area. As that palm was rushing to hit Izroth¡¯s right shoulder, Izroth shifted his left foot forward half a step and narrowly evaded the attack. At the same time, Izrothunched a counter-attack as his palms rapidly descending at the other yer, leaving behind a myriad of illusions that appeared realistic. This was the skill ?Myriad Elusive Palms? and it was exceedingly difficult to avoid its one true strike. Just as Izroth¡¯s palm was about to strike at that yer dead center in his chest, something bizarre happened. The hand of that yer appeared to be moving so slow that it was almost as if it were not moving at all. However, as his hand was moving, it left behind a trail of afterimages and each one shot out to meet with one of the palms aimed at him. All of the iing strikes were being intercepted by that yer. But just as he believed he blocked the skill sessfully, his eyes widened slightly as he tried to immediately retreat. However, it was toote and the palm struck him dead center in his chest area slightly to the left side where his heart should be located. He was knocked back by the force of the palm and slid backward a few meters beforeing to a halt. He had a look of disbelief written all over his face. When was thest time he lost an exchange? Izroth was fairly impressed by this yer and their reaction time. If it was before Izroth consumed the ?Five Cycles Pill?, then it may have taken him a few more moves before hended a blow. Besides that, this yer managed to avoid a direct hit and reacted in time to minimize the impact of the blow and so they only receive a partial amount of damage. The yer who was just knocked back by Izroth stood up straight and stared at Izroth. This time, however, his gaze was bing increasingly serious. There was also a look of respect hidden away behind that gaze. "May I know your name?" Although his tone was not submissive in any way, he still spoke in a respectful tone as if Izroth was his equal. True experts could somewhat gauge the strength of someone from a brief exchange. Aegis knew that if he were to fight seriously against this yer, he would not necessarily have an advantage over him. Izroth still had that carefree expression on his face as he spoke, "Izroth." "Izroth... I see... I shall remember that name. I hope that you can remember mine as well, as we will definitely cross paths once more in the future, I can see it clearly. I am called Aegis." "Oh? You sound as if you¡¯re about to leave. Why not stay a bit longer and exchange some pointers with me?" Of course, Izroth did not really need anyone to exchange pointers with. It was just that so far the yers he hade across were disappointing, to say the least when it came tobat. In order to further improve upon the ?Heavenly Golden Body? and to gain more experience from fighting against other yers, he needed someone who could live through more than one or two of his moves. Izroth the impression that Aegis did not use his full power during that brief exchange, however, neither did he. He was interested in seeing exactly how strong this person before him was and if he could level up his ?Heavenly Golden Body? skill in the process, or at least make some progress. Aegis shook his head, "Normally I would never turn down a fight. However, I have already made other ns, so I¡¯ll have to decline your generous offer." "I insist that you stay." Izroth¡¯s voice was still carefree and calm, but that was only how others would see it. Aegis awareness level was much greater than that of normal yers. Other yers may only see the surface of things, but he could see it with his eyes. This yer called Izroth was another monster. Aegis furrowed his brows, he was a little regretful that he would not be able to fight against Izroth. "As I¡¯ve said before, I have ns. So you¡¯ll have to pardon me." The space located before Aegis distorted and his figure began to turn into a blur. In an instant, he disappeared from the spot he was previously standing at. ¡¯That skill resembles the one that Terminus used back in the Combat Master ss building... It looks like a skill that allows for its user to travel instantaneously...¡¯ There was nothing that Izroth could do about it now since Aegis left in such an abrupt manner. ¡¯The power he used earlier seemed incredibly familiar... I wonder...¡¯ Izroth was thinking to himself as he continued onward towards the ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard?. ... Around 20 minutester located somewhere within ?Amaharpe?, a male yer walked into a building that did not have much traffic when it came to yers. That male yer was Aegis, and as soon as he stepped into the building, someone spoke in an agitated tone of voice. "You¡¯rete Aegis. What makes you think you have the qualifications to make us wait?" The yer who spoke was a woman with long purple hair that went down to the lower end of her back and possessed violet-colored eyes that gave off a mystical feeling. With her appearance and figure, she could easily be mistaken for a professional model. She had curves in all the correct ces and even just sitting down in a chair was done with a high level of grace. In total, there were eleven other yers sitting or standing around the room making for a total of twelve yers, this was including Aegis now that he finally arrived. "Should I remind you of my qualifications to do so, Mysphia?" Aegis looked coldly at the woman who just spoke to him. "Alright you two, if someone did not have the qualifications to be here then they would not be here. We have more important topics to discuss right now. However, you should give us a reason for your tardiness Aegis, it¡¯s very unlike you." The one who spoke this time was a male yer covered from head to toe in a ck cloak. Even if you looked closely you would be unable to see their facial features. This yer went by the name of Xalvizek. "I just ran into someone interesting and got dyed, that¡¯s all." Aegis kept things nice and simple. Mysphia narrowed her eyes when she heard that statement. Although she was annoyed from having to wait for Aegis, she was no fool and knew that he was very powerful. Someone capable of catching his attention was most likely not normal at all. "Oh? Someone interesting enough to grab your attention...? Do you know their name?" Xalvizek was a bit surprised. Aegis was not the kind of person to use the term interesting lightly. "He called himself... Izroth." The moment Aegis said that name, all eleven of the yers seemed to pay more attention and look in his direction. "Did you say... Izroth?" Xalvizek appeared to be thinking about something, however, he quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. "It¡¯s probably just a simple coincidence... Well, enough of that. Now that you¡¯re here we can finally begin." ... Chapter 62 Cross Haven Izroth carefully avoided the monsters inside of the ?Towering Oak Forest?. He nned on saving the temporary skill ?Equalizer? when he arrived at the ? Sea Pce Graveyard? in order to maximize its usefulness. After traveling twenty minutes south at top speed, Izroth arrived at the other side of the ?Towering Oak Forest?. Thanks to the ?Five Cycles Pill?, it allowed him to navigate through the forest avoiding monsters or hidden dangers along the way. The first thing that came into view was the vast amount of sand that stretched as far as he could see. The strange thing about this sight was theck of heat normally found in a desert as well as the abrupt change in environment. ¡¯Strange.¡¯ The coordinates showed that the ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard? was around 5 minutes east from his current location. But even with how great his vision was, Izroth could not see an entryway into the dungeon. He continued in the direction of the coordinates listed on the Exploration Logs. A little less than five minutester, Izroth came to the edge of a sand dune. At the bottom of the dune, sand constantly swirled around and began sinking into the earth itself simrly like quicksand. A frown found its way onto Izroth¡¯s face as he checked the coordinates again, making sure that this was the correct location. ¡¯These are the exact coordinates.¡¯ He began to examine the surroundings of the sand dune, as well as the bottom area of the sand dune. There really was no entrance around this ce, no matter how thoroughly he checked. ¡¯Eliminate all other factors and the one that remains must be the truth.¡¯ This was the correct location and there was only one thing that seemed to be an entrance. Izroth stared at the swirling sand at the bottom of the sand dune, which was constantly sinking into the earth. He then slid down the sand dune and fell right into the sinking sand and soon after disappearing from sight. ... ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Ruins of Kashysh?¡µ When Izroth fell through the sinking sand, he traveled for around 20 seconds on a path that felt as though it were going straight down. After finallying to a halt, everything around him changed. ¡¯I suppose that exins why I could not see a dungeon entry before as it was located underground. Well, it¡¯s more preferable to being underwater at the very least.¡¯ While Izroth entered the Ruins of Kashysh, he had not yet entered into the dungeon as the ruins were only a precursor to the dungeon itself. In the distance, he spotted a circr gateway with strange unknown symbols lit up in a light blue color. The surrounding buildings appeared to be from an ancient civilization that met with some kind of disaster as everything was in ruins. However, with a single nce, anyone would be able to tell that this civilization was quite advanced for its time. When Izroth stepped forward, his foot knocked into somethingying on the ground. Held in his hand was a mermaid figurine made simrly out of stone. However, the object was still badly damaged as it was missing a few chunks of the figure itself as if someone threw the object in a rush to run away from the disaster that struck this civilization as well as surviving the decay of time. Over twenty-four yers stood near the gateway patrolling the gateway as one of them entered inside of the circr gateway, shing with a brilliant light. When the light dimmed down, the yer had vanished into thin air. ¡¯That has to be the entrance into the ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard?.¡¯ Izroth took a brief period of time to observe the yers near the gateway. Even though there were originally twenty-four yers there, only eighteen of the yers went inside. The other six yers were guarding the dungeon entrance preventing others from entering. "Why do we have to be the first group in guard duty? It should¡¯ve been Jonah¡¯s group that goes inst on the rotation." One of the yers guarding the entrance of the gateway was dissatisfied with their current circumstances. "It can¡¯t be helped since one of their members were amongst the first to discover the dungeon. If it hadn¡¯t been, then they would¡¯ve beenst in the rotation as always." His partner said as he was more understanding of the situation, unlike his guildmate. "Well, it¡¯s not like they were really first or anything. The main guild members were a part of the first wave anyways. We¡¯re fortunate to have met some of the core members while doing this so it isn¡¯t all bad." He felt that it was not a bad trade off, staying guard in order to meet some higher ranked guild members they may not ever have the chance to meet personally. "You know, I heard that there¡¯s a hidden boss inside with an insanely low spawn rate. In fact, only the guild leader¡¯s group who made the first run came across it. Get this, it¡¯s a rare boss!" One of the party members who remained silent suddenly spoke up trying to join in on the conversation. "Are you kidding me? That has to be a lie. Between all the groups, this ce has already been run over 100 times ¡ª so even if webine them all together what you mean to tell me it only appeared once? It¡¯s probably just some guild members starting rumors." She scoffed at the ignorance of her fellow guild member for buying into that ridiculous rumor. Izroth had been listening on their conversation long enough as he walked towards the circr gateway. Every second he wasted standing around and waiting was another moment top yers were leveling up; he¡¯d been idle long enough. As Izroth was approaching the gateway, the six yers who were guarding nearby became alert. However, their guard was lowered as they saw that it was just one person. If possible, they would rather not run into a troublesome group while it was their turn to stand watch. "You¡¯ll have to stop right there. This dungeon is currently under the ownership of ?Cross Haven? so your journey here has been wasted." said the male with the appearance of an eighteen-year-old and slicked backed hair and the disy name of Arctim. He presented himself as the leader of the party as he was the first to speak out when he saw Izroth approaching. While this was not the first time that people ventured down here, it was the first time that someone appeared traveled solo. "The exit is over that way. It won¡¯t take you back to where you came from, however, if you got to this ce in one piece then you shouldn¡¯t be in any danger when you exit out." Arctim said as he pointed towards a gateway located on the other side of the room. Its shape was almost exactly like the circr gateway that led into the dungeon. Izroth frowned inwardly when he heard them speak. He¡¯d already expected something like this to happen based on the words they spoke and seeing them be the sole group to stay behind. But, someone deciding that an entire dungeon belonged solely to their group was quite ridiculous. Most top guilds went by a certain silent code ¡ª as long as the prize wasn¡¯t too valuable, they would give each other some face and let the finder benefit for a set period of time. This certainly did not include things like world bosses, mining sites, or locations where valuable herbs grew as top guilds would plot and manipte to obtain such benefits. However, conditions for an early dungeon were different in which as long as the first clear was imed by the guild, that same guild would have control over it for a period of time. This was a silent agreement that all the top guilds had with one another while also restricting casual yers as they were excluded from having a say in such a manner. If such yers forced their way in, they should be prepared for the consequences of such actions. "Last time I remembered, dungeons were for all yers and not just a specific group of people. If I want to enter into this dungeon it¡¯s a right I have and you don¡¯t have the power to revoke." Izroth was already here, so why would he give up and leave after traveling all this way? Arctim facial expression grew dark when he heard those words. He was trying to be polite, but this yer talked to him as if he didn¡¯t take the name ?Cross Haven? to heart andpletely ignored his kindness. ?Cross Haven? is one of the most powerful groups in the MMORPGmunity. Needless to say, all of that power naturally transferred over to RML. This was something ofmon knowledge to nearly anyone who ys MMORPG¡¯s. "Since you don¡¯t want to listen when I tried to be reasonable then don¡¯t me us. We¡¯re just following orders." Arctim nodded his head at his fellow party members and they all drew their weapons getting ready to attack Izroth. Even if he was just one yer, they did not know his strength or abilities. It was always better to y it safe, especially since there was a penalty for death. They were not leaving anything to chance. Izroth narrowed his eyes as his hand rested on the hilt of the ?de of Lightning? ced upon his back. If they wanted to respond with force, then he would not hesitate to fight back. Besides, this might be a good time to test out the Lightning Field skill attached to the de of Lightning. Just as the group was about to make their move, the gateway behind the lit up in light as a party of six yers exited from within. When one of the yers looked over and saw Izroth and then the group of six yers about to attack, their face immediately darkened. "Stop!" A furious voice sounded from inside of the gateway as a yer jumped down from it. The yer who jumped down from the gateway was a young boy, or at least his appearance was as such. The young man was so short that he would often be mistaken for a child. His hair was dark red, while his crimson red eyes possessed irises resembling that of a ferocious tiger. This young man¡¯s name was Wess and he was one of the Lieutenants of the guild ?Cross Haven?. The six members standing guard were all startled by the sudden arrival of Wess as well as him shouting, but a smile appeared on all of their faces. Now that Wess was here, this situation was as good as dealt with and they wouldn¡¯t need to lift a finger. However what urred next was beyond their expectations. "Are you all incapable of following simple instructions?! Put your weapons away!" Wess red at the group of six. All six of them were dumbfounded, but they listened to his orders and put their weapons away. When did they not follow instructions? They were just guarding the gateway as per their instructions and now they were being scolded? Life truly is unfair! Izroth furrowed his brows as he observed the events unfolding before him and not understanding what was going on. Wess then looked towards Izroth was a smile formed on his face. He seemed to behave in a friendly manner when it came to Izroth. This person was someone that caught Ewan¡¯s eye, so it was best to maintain a friendly rtionship. There were not many people aware of this fact within ?Cross Haven?, but this yer before him may eventually join their guild. While ?Cross Haven? did notck talented yers, RML was a different breed of a gamepared to the ssic MMORPG¡¯s. Ewan was nning for the future of RML and what would eventually be the main focus for all of the top guilds. "It" would be something that separated the strong from the weak as Ewan was preparing ahead of time for when it became a reality. Wess understood that there was a reason for every action Ewan took, therefore, when he viewed members of their own guild getting ready to fight against Izroth, he couldn¡¯t help but be upset. Though, a simple scolding was sufficient since he knew that the group was just following their orders. "I am Wess, a Lieutenant of the guild ?Cross Haven?. You¡¯ll have to excuse the behavior of my guild members." Although Wess was smiling and acted friendly, his gaze resembled that of a ferocious tiger and he was attempting to see through Izroth, but to his amazement, he was unable to. Izroth removed his hand from the hilt of his ?de of Lightning?. He was a bit disappointed that was currently unable to test the ?Lightning Field? skill, however, there was always another time. What confused Izroth more than anything was how friendly Wess was acting. ¡¯He doesn¡¯t appear to be up to something but...¡¯ Izroth did not detect any ill intentions from Wess, however, the way Wess was sizing him up did not go unnoticed. Chapter 63 The Other Side of The Gateway Wess let out a sigh of relief inwardly. If a fight broke out before he arrived here then it may have already been toote to keep a friendly rtionship with Izroth. The situation would¡¯ve been even worse if someone was killed in the process and a grudge was permanently formed. Wess was the highest ranking guild member present and so the responsibility rested with him to keep the situation under control. Ewan would not punish him, he would be disappointed with his performance. There were two full parties of six yers present making for a total of twelve yers. Most likely all of these yers were at a higher level than Izroth. Even though Izroth did not fear a fight against them, he would prefer not to waste his time doing so. Izroth still remained vignt as he spoke with a carefree expression on his face, "A small mimunication, I¡¯m sure. However, if you also n on telling me that I¡¯m unable to enter this dungeon, then you¡¯ll have to forgive me for being impolite." The Cross Haven yers were all baffled by how someone with such a calm and carefree appearance could be so arrogant. There were a twelve of them and only a one of him and not to mention the fact that Lieutenant Wess was also present. Did this guy have a death wish? Wasn¡¯t their Lieutenant already being beyond understanding? Wess smiled, he was intrigued. Personally, Wess wanted to fight against Izroth to see what exactly made him so confident, though there was another reason as well. Wess was recruited by Ewan himself and is the most recent addition to the main roster for the ?Cross Haven? guild. It was only natural that he would have apetitive spirit against someone else who was being scouted by Ewan. He wanted to see which of them was the better yer as his battle aura rose when Izroth said those words. But in the end, reason won Wess over and he let out a disappointed sigh. There was plenty of time to see who was better in the future when Ewan finally makes his move. "There¡¯s no need for that. While it¡¯s true that this dungeon is currently under the jurisdiction of my ?Cross Haven? guild, exceptions can be made. Of course, you can enter inside if you¡¯d like. If anyone gives you trouble here again, just mention my name." The previous battle aura that was swelling up inside of Wess vanishedpletely. Izroth did not understand why Wess held himself back as he clearly wanted to fight, but he didn¡¯t concern himself with such matter. He gave a small nod before heading towards the circr gateway. "Wait a sec, you aren¡¯t nning to run this dungeon alone are you?" As Izroth walked past Wess, he couldn¡¯t help but ask him that question. "That¡¯s the n." Izroth stopped walking and turned his head a bit to the side to look back towards Wess. Wess shook his head, "You won¡¯t be able toplete the dungeon alone. Of course, I¡¯m not questioning your strength it¡¯s just that..." Wess seemed a bit hesitant to speak. This was something people would normally have to find out by experiencing it firsthand. Guilds like ?Cross Haven? and many others, sold information or traded it something of equal value. It wasn¡¯t typically given away for free, but he decided to make an exception this time as Ewan probably would not have minded. "Oh?" In fact, the first thing Izroth thought was that Wess was questioning his skill. "Once you progress about halfway into the dungeon you¡¯ll understand why I said those words to you. Though I will give you a tip, just remember that a trident has three points." Hopefully, he would understand such a clue, as the rest was solely up to him. Wess, however, knew that Izroth would be unable toplete this dungeon alone even with this extra bit of information. Izroth furrowed his brows, ¡¯A trident has three points?¡¯ Wasn¡¯t that prettymon knowledge? "I¡¯ll remember. I will be taking my leave now." Izroth jumped into the circr gateway as a brilliant light shed, illuminating all of the surrounding areas. "Lieutenant, why did you let him enter inside?" One of the yers who were in a party with Wess asked out of curiosity. His yer name was Toxic Epiphany and he¡¯d been with Wess long enough to know that he wanted to have a battle with the yer who just passed by. It was unlike him to not fight when he felt like doing so. Wess felt even more depressed after that yer spoke, being reminded of missing a perfect opportunity to fight. Noticing Wess mood take a downturn, one of the yers, Camellia, tried to cheer him up. "It¡¯s okay Lieutenant, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll run into him again in the future and you¡¯ll have a chance to fight until your heart¡¯s content." "Camellia, you¡¯re such an angel~" Wess used the crying emote to make his character manually cry and he hugged Camellia. "There there, Lieutenant," Camellia said as she pats his head as if he was her adorable little brother. She gave a lovely smile as she did so and the others all shook their head inwardly. They all were used to this behavior when their Lieutenant did not get to have his way. Toxic Epiphany let out a sigh as he shook his head, "If you keep spoiling him he¡¯s going to keep being all pouty. Just let him wallow for a bit, he¡¯ll shake it off... Eventually." "Agh..! Cruel! You¡¯re so cruel Toxic! Come on, let¡¯s fight! Let¡¯s fight!" Wess angrily iled his arms at Toxic Epiphany. "I¡¯ll dly go a few rounds with you, Lieutenant." Toxic Epiphany ced his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Now now you two..." Camellia smiled helplessly as she tried to calm both sides down. The six yers who were guarding the gateway were all dumbfounded. Was this the same fierce Godspeed Wess who was known for his love of fighting? ... When Izroth first entered into the circr gateway, a bright light shone as if he was floating in midair. However, it also felt as though he was jumping across space itself to arrive at his destination. ¡¯This almost reminds me of the teleportation arrays back in the Seven Realms... Though these lights are peculiar...¡¯ When Izroth examines the light closer he came to discover that it was not produced by a single source. There were tiny light particles of light drifting around throughout the atmosphere. They were difficult to spot if one was not already aware of their existence. However, since Izroth was at the second stage of the ?Heavenly Golden Body? physique and taking the ?Five Cycles Pill?, Izroth senses we¡¯re definitely the best within RML at this moment. The whole trip onlysted a few seconds. When the bright light vanished, Izroth¡¯s environment went through drastic changes. He was no longer standing in a pile of ruins like when he first slid into the swirling sands. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Dungeon: Sea Pce Graveyard?¡µ There was a beautiful scene that unfolded before Izroth. Crystal clear water was falling down from the sky above. You could not see where the waterfall began as it seemed to stretch upward endlessly towards the firmament. Various species of nts were growing from out of the ground, most of which took on unique shapes. There were some nts that resembled an hourss and was dark blue in color. Another nt was dark green in color with white spots and looked more like a sculpture than a nt. There were no suns or moons in the sky above, but there was a massive magical symbol that stretched across the sky, all the way to what was probably the very edge of this ce. ¡¯I suppose I should not get too used to a scenery... Though what¡¯s really strange is that this ce looks nothing like a graveyard.¡¯ Less than 15 minutes passed and Izroth already went through three different kinds of sceneries. To be honest, he was expecting undead creatures and a gloomy atmosphere, not one so rich of life. Izroth took a brief moment to study his surroundings, and it wasn¡¯t too long until something caught his eye. He walked a few steps forward and pushed one of the strangely shaped nts aside. What he found was a small statue around 90cm tall made of material simr to the decayed stone-like object his foot knocked against when he first fell into the ruins. The statue was of a woman with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish holding onto a trident, she was a mermaid. There were three words written below the statue, it was most likely the name of the mermaid but it was not in anynguage that Izroth hade across before. ¡¯I wonder if it¡¯s one of the goddesses of this world like Heltiaa.¡¯ Izroth did not think about it too long and continued on his way forward. The further Izroth ventured into the dungeon, the morerge bodies of water began to appear around him. There was always a clear path forward, however, it was bing increasingly narrow. Now, there was barely enough room for three people to walk side by side in afortable manner. When Izroth stepped onto a path surrounded by one of therge bodies of water, he immediately unsheathed his ?de of Lightning? and became vignt. He stared down into the water and in the distance as a small dot began swimming towards him at a fast speed. As the dot grew closer to the surface of the water, Izroth managed to make out the appearance of the creature rushing at him with so much hostile intent. ¡¯It¡¯s a merman...¡¯ A few momentster, a creature with the upper body of a human male and the lower body of a fish broke through the surface of the water. The merman flew over Izroth¡¯s head and within his hands was a bronze trident. With the trident, he swung directly at Izroth aiming to knock him off the path he was on. "Surface dweller! You dare to taint the holy Sea Pce!" The merman sounded furious, his rage made it appear as if Izroth was his mortal enemy. Izroth, however, was already prepared for this and evaded the iing trident strike. The ?Five Cycles Pill? was truly worthy of being a Spirit rank pill that was infinitely close to being of the Earth rank. Izroth could see and hear every single move of the merman and used his ?de of Lightning? tounch a swift counter-attack as it flew over his head, slicing the tip of his sword right across the merman¡¯s torso. -220 The merman fell back into the water, but Izroth managed to get a clear look at its information before it managed to do so. He could still feel it lingering around beneath him, ready to strike again. Name: Sea Pce Guard(Normal) Level: 18 HP: 3,780/4,000 ATK: 350 DEF: 50 AGI: 200 MAG: 0 Skills: Underwater Speed(Passive): While underwater, this creature has their speed increased by 50%. Water Pulse(Active): Using its innate gift of water control, this creature propels itself out of the water andunches a strike using its trident dealing 150% of its attack as damage to the target. Aqua Wave(Active): Swings its trident upward while within the water, causing a wave of water to crash against its target violently, dealing 200% of its attack as damage and stunning the target for 2 seconds. Chapter 64 Sea Palace Graveyard ¡¯It¡¯s fast... Though it¡¯s only fastest than me while it¡¯s inside the water Its movements are a bit wild, but manageable nheless. It¡¯s HP is pretty low for a level 18 monster, but it makes up for it with its high ATK and AGI.¡¯ Izroth remained vignt as the ?Sea Pce Guard? swam underneath him. ¡¯There!¡¯ Izroth swung his ?de of Lightning? in a 180-degree arc, striking out behind him. Just as he did so, the ?Sea Pce Guard? leaped out of the water and started to run straight into Izroth¡¯s sword. However, at the veryst moment, the ?Sea Pce Guard? pped its fish-like tail against the surface of the water shifting his position as it propelled his body in a different angle, avoiding the de aimed at him. Izroth smirked as he suddenly twisted his entire body, spinning around and striking outward with his right index finger with energy converging at Izroth¡¯s fingertip. While the body of the ?Sea Pce Guard? changed its direction to move closer to the left and sessfully evaded Izroth¡¯s sword strike, Izroth¡¯s fingertip drilled into the ?Sea Pce Guard?. The Sea Pce Guard¡¯s was brought to an abrupt halt for a split second, as its body was hit by the ?Fissuring Point? skill. ?-250? Izroth acted quickly as his leg shot at like a vicious snake ready to sink its fangs into its prey. Using the skill ?Serpent¡¯s Bite?, Izroth¡¯s foot smashed into the torso area of the ?Sea Pce Guard? without mercy. ?153 Damage?] ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ?Stunned? Sea Pce Guard!¡µ The body of the ?Sea Pce Guard? mmed onto the narrow earth path that Izroth stood on. There was a brief window of opportunity to whittle away the creatures HP. Izroth¡¯s ?de of Lightning? released an oppressive aura as light energy formed on its edge. He executed a well-timed ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?, aiming at the dead center of the ?Sea Pce Guard? neck. ?Critical Hit: 1,840 Damage? Izroth did not end his assault there and continued on as he swung his ?de of Lightning? once again, except this time trailing behind it was a shadow that was almost like an exact copy of Izroth¡¯s ?de of Lightning?. Each struck twice in rapid session, hitting the head and neck of the ?Sea Pce Guard? while it was still in a ?Stunned? state. He was a bit disappointed that the ?Fear? effect did not go off when he used ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?, but at this rate, it would not make much of a difference. ?Critical Hit: 490 Damage? [Phantom Strike] ?Critical Hit: 760 Damage? [Phantom Strike] In only a few moments, Izroth had already taken away over 90% of the ?Sea Pce Guard? total HP. ¡´Battle Alert: Sea Pce Guard is no longer ?Stunned?!¡µ The ?Sea Pce Guard? was finally able to move once again as the first thing it tried to do was make its way back into the water. However, how could Izroth let it escape from his sights when it was already so close for it to be defeated? Besides, what if it fell into the water when he killed it? Would he still receive any loot or would he have to dive into the water just to collect it? It was a question he¡¯d rather not have to go through the trouble of figuring out the answer to. "Surface dweller! The demise of your world shalle soon when my brethren-" The ?Sea Pce Guard? was yelling out while attempting to jump back into the water to escape. However, just as it was about to jump into the water, a blue trail of light shed across the back of his neck ¡ª it was Izroth¡¯s ?de of Lightning?. ?Critical Hit: 490 Damage? The ?Sea Pce Guard? HP reached zero and it iled around a bit on the pathway before it stopped moving, it waspletely lifeless. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Sea Pce Guard?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 2,880 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect of the skill ?Equalizer? has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The timer for the skill ?Equalizer? has started. 59 Minutes 59 Seconds remaining.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 2,880 EXP from the skill ?Equalizer?.¡µ Loot Drop: -1 silver and 65 bronze coins -x1 ?Merfolk Scale? Izroth¡¯s eyes shone briefly when he saw the amount of EXP he received from just one monster alone. That was over 5,000 EXP! It was mainly because he received bonus EXP due to the level gap between him and the ?Sea Pce Guard?, and so when that acted together with the ?Equalizer? skill, it provided an abundant amount of EXP. ¡¯I have to push this skill to its limits.¡¯ He was referring to the ?Equalizer? skill, as every second of this skill was precious! Izroth did not bother even ncing at the ?Merfolk Scale? and simply ced it within his inventory along with the coins. Izroth dashed forward on the pathway and as he did so, feeling out the presence of three more creatures as their focus was locked onto him from underneath the water. He stopped sprinting and concentrated on the exact positions of these creatures. All three of them were Sea Pce Guards as they leaped out of the water with their tridents locked onto Izroth. "We shall avenge our brother!" One of the Sea Pce Guards cried out. Izroth stood still waiting for the right moment. As soon as all three of the ?Sea Pce Guard? were within a range of 3 meters, Izroth¡¯s palm shot out. Hundreds of illusions of Izroth¡¯s palm formed descended unto the three Sea Pce Guards like it was like an endless barrage. Of course, hidden inside of these hundreds of palms was only one true strike. The ?Myriad Elusive Palms? was one of Izroth¡¯s most useful skill when facing multiple opponents at once. Each strike was aimed at a vital point of the ?Sea Pce Guard?. The head, neck, and the gills of lifeforms for those that lived in the sea were the obvious vital points for the ?Sea Pce Guard?. ¡´System Alert: You have reached 10 stacks of ?Lightning Charge?. The skill ?Lightning Field? is now avable for use.¡µ This was the skill Izroth was waiting for ever since he received the ?de of Lightning? he wanted to test out the power of the ?Lightning Field? skill. After all, it was important to have a full understanding of your own strength. During his fight against the first ?Sea Pce Guard?, Izroth used seven attacks in total to take it down. When he used the skill ?Phantom Strike? earlier, he realized that instead of gaining a single stack of ?Lightning Charge?, he received 2 stacks instead. If that was the case, then with a skill like ?Myriad Elusive Palms?, as long as he was facing multiple enemies, he would be able to stack 10 ?Lightning Charge? without much of a problem. ?Critical Hit: 490 Damage? [Myriad Elusive Palms] Immediately after Izroth¡¯s ?Myriad Elusive Palms? finished its third strike, a pulse of lightning was released from the current location Izroth was standing at. Bzzzzt... Bzzzzzzt! In an instant, a field of lightning spread out fifteen meters around Izroth. There were purple bolts of lightning striking down as if there was an invisible sphere around Izroth and the three ?Sea Pce Guards?. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the skill ?Lightning Field?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your ATK and AGI has been increased by 50%.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your attacks now deal 20% bonus damage as ?Lightning Damage?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: ?Sea Pce Guard? has been ?Paralyzed? for 0.25 seconds by yer Izroth¡¯s ?Lightning Field?.¡µ ... Izroth¡¯s luck was quite good with the first strike of lightning as it managed to sessfully paralyze all three of the ?Sea Pce Guard?. Even though the ?Paralyzed? effect onlysted a mere 0.25 seconds, it was still plenty of time for Izroth to take advantage of in the middle of battle. With his attack now increased to 405 and agility increased to 315, these poor ?Sea Pce Guards? did not stand a chance. ¡¯I can sense everything perfectly while inside of the ?Lightning Field?, it¡¯s almost like everything within the sphere of influence is in my control.¡¯ Lightning crackled intensely around Izroth¡¯s ?de of Lightning?, and it was giving off a low rumbling noise that resembled the sound of a thunderstorm. When Izroth shed at the nearest ?Sea Pce Guard? with his sword, it hit the area near its ribcage where its gills were ced. Bzzzzzt! ?Critical Hit: 1,408 Damage? Izroth hit for over 1,000 damage with a simple basic attack aimed at its vital point. Why was his damage so high? That was due to the ?Lightning Damage? effect against the water-type creature ?Sea Pce Guard?. The entire body of the ?Sea Pce Guard? waspletely covered in water, so the effect was quite intense. Izroth¡¯s original basic attack damage of 405 was increased by 50%. Then, thanks to the bonus 20% damage from ?Lightning Damage? and the critical hit, the amount of damage he dealt was insanely high. ¡¯10 seconds... That should be plenty of time.¡¯ Every step that Izroth made, he left behind a small trail of lightning without a sound. But around 1 secondter, a loud crashing sound echoed where Izroth just stood moments ago. Although his movements were simple, they were incredibly refined to a masterful level. The ?de of Lightning? held within his hand was performing a deadly dance of death as every strike with his sword was aimed to deal as much damage as possible. Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzt! Izroth took full advantage of the ?Paralyzed? effect and hit each ?Sea Pce Guard? once. As the next second passed, Izroth was not as lucky as only one of the ?Sea Pce Guard? were ?Paralyzed? from the effect of his ?Lightning Field?. The other two ?Sea Pce Guard? stabbed downward with their tridents, attacking Izroth from two different directions at the same time. There was not too much space to maneuver on this pathway that grew more narrow with every step. However, with the addition of the agility boost and the ability to read iing attacks urately, Izroth took half a step backward, evading one of the trident strikes as it smashed into the ground causing a bit of rubble to shoot up. The other trident was speeding directly at his throat, was aiming to pierce one of Izroth¡¯s vital point. Izroth did not panic as he calmly stepped onto the trident that mmed into the ground just a moment ago. As the ?Sea Pce Guard? lifted its trident upward, Izroth used the momentum tounch a few meters into the air. By doing so, Izroth dodged the second trident locked onto him. He stayed in the air for less than a second beforending back down onto the pathway. As he did so, the ?Lightning Field? unleashed another barrage of lightning bolts that struck all three of the ?Sea Pce Guard? once again. Even if the ?Sea Pce Guard? were moving inside of the water, they would still be unable to keep up with Izroth¡¯s current speed. However, they did not even get the chance to return to the water after they began their assault on him because of the?Lightning Field? constantly interrupting their movements. It wasn¡¯t long until Izroth finished off the three ?Sea Pce Guards?, with a few seconds remaining on his ?Lightning Field? skill. It had taken him less than 10 seconds to deal with three creatures that were two levels above his own! ¡¯This skill is really useful.¡¯ The field of lightning surrounding Izroth slowly vanished as the crackling sound released from his ?de of Lightning? died down. As the corpse of the three ?Sea Pce Guard?id motionless on the pathway, Izroth received a string of system alerts. Chapter 65 Great Kashysh Sea, The Underwater World ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Sea Pce Guard?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 2,880 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 2,880 EXP from the skill ?Equalizer?¡µ ¡´System Alert... Izroth earned a total of 17,280 EXP from the three Sea Pce Guards. He leveled up one time and was not too far off from leveling up again. He also received 4 silver and 95 bronze coins. The other loot that dropped were five additional Merfolk Scales, which gave Izroth six in total. As Izroth continued on the pathway, it became so narrow that only one person would be able to walk on the path. Which means that if an entire party was walking on this pathway, they would have to do so in a straight line. Though for some reason, there were no longer any Sea Pce Guardsing towards him. ¡¯Strange... Why did they all suddenly stop swimming up here?¡¯ As Izroth took one more step forward, his foot felt as if it were sinking into a body of water. He immediately halted his steps and moved his foot back a full step. His first thought was that he stepped into the body of water by ident, however, with the control he had over his body such a mistake as highly unlikely. Izroth reached his hand out and touched the air before him. As he did so, his hand sunk into the space in front of him. The feeling was the same as his foot from earlier and it felt as though his hand was sinking into a body of water. ¡¯It¡¯s simr to the time I entered into the ?Lake of Tears?, except it feels more like water instead of lead.¡¯ Izroth stepped forward moving his entire body into the area in front of him. When he arrived at the other side, it was not like traveling through ayer of space. Instead, it was simr to jumping into ake or river and when you reached the bottom you would not touch the bottom surface. It was as if when you were about to reach the bottom the world around you would be flipped upside down and before you knew it, you were back at the surface. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Great Kashysh Sea?¡µ When Izroth entered into the Great Kashysh Sea, he was surprisingly standing atop a vast sea, walking on the water as if it were solid ground. There was no end in sight, no matter which direction Izroth looked in. ¡¯How unusual.¡¯ Izroth nced down at his feet and observed the constant movement of the water. There were numerous unique structures underneath the water that was filled with a great variety of different colors. It resembled a magnificent coral reef with many species of small fish swimming around all throughout it. There were signs of civilization everywhere within the coral reef. Small structures that appeared to be naturally shaped by the sea itself were spread out within the coral reef. These small structures were the equivalent of vige huts. Although Izroth could not see what was on the inside of them due to their ceiling like constructs, he would asionally see creatures swimming in and out of the structures. Izroth took a few steps forward and soon enough, a-like barrier appeared before him. This meant that Izroth had run into the zone boundary and could not travel any further. ¡¯Do I just dive down?¡¯ Izroth tapped his foot against the surface of the water, however, nothing happened. His body would not sink into the sea no matter how much force he exerted. While there were multiple pathways when he first entered into the Sea Pce Graveyard, they all ultimately converged at the same point. So no matter what path someone chose, in the end, that person would end up on the same narrow pathway that Izroth traveled on to get here. Izroth did not believe that the game would have this area here for no reason and so there must have been something he was missing. He then remembered the item he received from eliminating the Sea Pce Guards earlier, the Merfolk Scale. Izroth had not checked the benefits the item provided since he wanted to focus on leveling up and would sort out the lootter. However, now was a better time than any as it may be the key to continuing onward. Izroth removed one of the Merfolk Scales from his inventory and examined it. Name: Merfolk Scale(Reageant) Rank: None Usage: A single scale belonging to a Merfolk that releases a fishy smelling special chemical when heated to a high temperature. The effects of this special chemical are unknown, but it is thought to give the user a stronger affinity with water-based techniques. This scale can also be ced, in its natural state, on one¡¯s skin to grant them the ability to enter the Underwater World and breathe freely underwater until they exit from the Underwater World. ¡¯It seems I should at least spare a nce at the items I receive from now on.¡¯ Izroth set the Merfolk Scale onto his left hand. The moment he did that, Izroth¡¯s body began to sink slowly into the sea beneath him. In less than five seconds, Izroth¡¯s body waspletely submerged underneath the water¡¯s surface. He was now in an entirely different world from the one outside the Sea Pce Graveyard. Strangely enough, his actions did not feel at all impeded by the water. While it took a bit of getting used to, the movement felt fairly simple and would not give yers who did not know how to swim a hard time. This may have been due to the system making it easier for yers to adjust to being within this type of environment. The closest area to Izroth was the coral reef he spotted from above. Izroth started swimming in its direction and the closer he moved to the reef, the more clearly he was able to the perceive creatures located there. There were a few that resembled the Sea Pce Guards from earlier, however, they appeared harmless and held onto no weapons. There were also multiple fish-type monsters swimming back and forth. They were at least six meters long and possessed a simr build to a great white shark. One major difference was that their skin was deep blue in color with yellow markings ced in certain areas. Their razor sharp teeth were being clearly disyed like a warning sign to prevent anyone or anything from approaching too close. Their beady looking eyes were red in color and those razor-sharp fins attached to the side of their bodies looked as if it could cut through solid stone. Name: Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark(Elite) Level: 20 HP: 10,000 (100%) Izroth understood that eventually, he woulde across this situation. Once monsters reached level 20, all their stats with the exception of HP, and skills would no longer show up for the yer. This was because the system stopped holding the yer¡¯s hand around this point in time. This wasmon knowledge that yers were capable of discovering in any beginners guide online released by beta testers. Izroth was venturing into the unknown and therefore, he decided now was a perfect time to use the stat points and skill points he¡¯d been saving thus far. At the moment, Izroth had a total of 12 stat points and 4 skill points that were just sitting there unused. This early into the game, stat points were extremely important in how they were divided and so yers had to be careful of using them incorrectly. For example, even though Halls was a tank, he put too many stat points into his defensive stats and could barely deal any damage. However, Mick who Izroth met back in Opal Town put too many stat points into his attack stat andcked a proper defense. It was important to find a certain bnce this early on as it affected how efficient you would be in leveling up and advancing faster into the game. Izroth was confident in his ability to urately read the moves of his opponents. Therefore, he was not too worried about his defensive stat and would let the equipment he obtained cover that part for him. The main reason he invested more points into his HP was due to certain skills that may be unavoidable such as most sound based skills. There were also times where he would have to deal with skills simr to that enraged instant cast Firestorm ability he ran into against the final boss of the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise. Izroth already knew what kind ofbat style suited him. It was one with urate, fast and deadly blows that would eradicate his target before they could even register what hit them. Power and speed! Izroth put two points into his HP, five points into his attack and thest remaining five points into his agility. With his skill points, Izroth ced one point into the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction maxing out its level at longst. Skill Name: First Baneful Sword: Destruction Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Active: Deals 400% of user Attack as damage. Has a very high chance of causing the ¡¯Fear¡¯ effect in those it targets. Description: A sword filled with a concentrated amount of destruction. Beware! A single strike of this sword technique can destroy those who stand in its way! This strike is not its full potential. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword. If this skill kills its target, the cooldown on this skill will be reset. Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds The first difference Izroth noticed was the fact that he could now use First Baneful Sword: Destruction without a sword and not have to pay the price of having its damage reduced. ¡¯I wonder...¡¯ Izroth had an interesting theory that he would definitely test at some point during this dungeon run. After thinking it over for a bit, Izroth decided to invest two skill points in the skill Phantom Strike. Even though it was only a B-ranked skill, it was a move Izroth used quite often when it was avable. Another reason was that the S-ranked skills that he learned did not ept skill points. Instead, the skills required Izroth to use them in battle in order to increase their levels. Skill Name: Phantom Strike Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: B Active: A three-strike sword skill that deals 50% of the user attack as damage on the first strike and 100% of the user attack as damage on the second strike, and 150% of the user attack as damage on the third strike. Description: Two swords closely follows the other, like a phantom striking unexpectedly. If you try to follow this sword with your eyes, you may be able to avoid the first strike, but the second and third will not miss. Cooldown: 1 minute Although the cooldown on the skill remained the same, Izroth gained an additional sword strikes. This would assist in him stacking Lightning Charges quicker in single opponent battles. When Izroth finished spending his points, he then turned his attention to the nearest Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark and started swimming towards it. ¡¯If it¡¯s anything like the Sea Pce Guard, then it should have its agility increased by a certain amount while inside a body of water. If that¡¯s the case, I can expect for its speed to most likely exceed mine while I¡¯m within this Underwater World.¡¯ When Izroth was about 18 meters away from the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark, its menacing red eyes locked onto him. With a great burst of speed, it shot directly at Izroth like an arrow leaving its string with its de-like fin seemingly ready to cut through anything that it touched. Its speed was definitely greater than that of the Sea Pce Guard. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning and decided to parry the iing de-like fin. He wanted to have a good grasp on how powerful the attack of this monster was and with his HP, he was unafraid of dying so quickly. ?Parried? -258 He was knocked back slightly from the impact of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s attack. ¡¯It has an attack of at least 500. I suppose it¡¯s only natural for a level 20 elite monster.¡¯ Now that Izroth had a general idea of its attack power, he would not take damage again so easily. Chapter 66 Isolated Water Drople Even with Izroth sessfully parrying the blow, with his current defense stat of 95 and the 15% physical damage reduction from the passive skill Blessing of Heltiaa, he still received almost 300 damage from one attack. Izroth managed to quickly sh out with his de of Lightning, counter-attacking with a strike that hit just below the dorsal fin of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark. -220 Sadly, his de of Lightning did not deal bonus lightning damage due to the skill Lightning Field not being activated, however, he did seed in shaving off a little more than 2% of its total HP with that one attack. ¡¯Even though it has 10,000 HP, its defense is not all that impressive.¡¯ After the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark knocked Izroth back, it did not pursue him. Instead, it opened its enormous maw and the water surrounding the monster seemed to bepressing into a spherical form. Izroth would not wait to find out what this attack was and immediately executed an evasive maneuver. He swiftly swam down at the angle to position himself below the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s body. Izroth paid close attention to the monster¡¯s gaping maw and when he saw that the water had stopped beingpressed, he instantly elerated downward in a vertical line. In less than half a secondter, apressed sphere of pressurized water shot out at Izroth like a cannonball. Its speed was incredibly fast and this was definitely not an attack he wanted to meet head-on. Although Izroth elerated just as the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharkpleted its skill, the attack still locked onto Izroth as if it already knew he would try to avoid it. Izroth remained calm and just as thepressed sphere of pressurized water was about to crash into him, he dived down behind one of the corals. The attack crashed into the solid coral destroying a great deal of it in the process. ¡¯Even if you have an advantage in water, let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you little fish.¡¯ Although this creature was several timesrger than Izroth,pared to some of those sea creatures in the Seven Realms who were the size of a small world, it was just a little fish. The Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark eyes turned beastly as it swam downward towards the coral reef where Izroth was located. Izroth decided it was the best course of action to fight in a more restrained and enclosed environment. Fighting in the open sea against a creature with nearly twice his own speed would just be making matters more difficult for himself. The coral reef was filled with a multitude of corals, rocks, and a seaweed-type nt. This type of area would severely limit the movements of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark with its huge body. For Izroth, however, it was an ideal battleground. As the sea creature neared the coral reef, its speed noticeably decreased as if it were attempting to avoid crashing senselessly into the various objects. By the time it arrived inside of the coral reef and moved closer to Izroth, its speed was reduced by more than 30% of its initial amount. The Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark was about to chomp down on Izroth, but when it snapped its jaws closed there was no resistance whatsoever. Even though the sea creature was still a bit faster than him, Izroth evaded its bite with rtive ease. Of course, if he were to use Flickering Steps then it would be simply impossible for it to touch him at all. However, there were too many unknown factors about this ce and so, it was more reasonable to save its usage until it was actually required. As Izroth dodged to the left side, he quickly shed out with his de of Lightning, leaving behind a light purple trail in the process. This strike was targeted at the gills of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark located not too far away from its pectoral de-like fin. Though this was not just a regr attack. Izroth¡¯s sword had two faint shadows following every movement it made. This was the improved Phantom Strike that Izroth had just achieved the maximum level with. The Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark was able to prevent its gills from being struck with the first strike. However, it was powerless to stop the next two strikes from slicing into its gills, even though it was sure it sessfully protected its vital point. -60 ?Critical Hit? -540 ?Critical Hit? -860 Just as Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strike hit with its third strike, the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharkshed out at him in a furious way, spinning its body around rapidly to use its sharp caudal fin to attack Izroth. It just received an extensive amount of damage and its precious gills were nearlypletely butchered by Izroth and so it was only natural that it would be angered. Izroth reacted swiftly, repositioning himself slightly so that a sturdy coral blocked the path between his body and the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s sharp caudal fin. The Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s caudal fin pulverized the coral, however, it lost all its power when it did and there was none left to even remotely damage Izroth. With his strategy of using the corals and rocks as a way to deter the sea creature¡¯s assault, Izrothunched a counter-attack at every avable opportunity, causing the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s HP to decrease rapidly. 80%... 63%... 41%... 24%... When the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark¡¯s HP reached 24%, Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning released an oppressive aura as it streaked in the sea in a dominating fashion. As Izroth¡¯s sword was closing in on the sea creature, its movements began to be chaotic as if it were scared of something. This was due to the feared effect from the First Baneful Sword: Destruction that Izroth was currently targetting the sea creature with. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning sliced cleaning across the body of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark, starting from its eye, over its gills, and all the way down to its caudal fin. ?Critical Hit? -2,460 That final strike was enough to bring the sea creature¡¯s HP all the way down to zero. ¡´Battle Alert: The cooldown time for your skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? has been reset.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 5,400 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 5,400 EXP from the skill ?Equalizer?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 18¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up¡µ Loot Drop: -1 silver and 75 bronze coins -x1 ?Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark Fin? Izroth was inside of this dungeon for less than 10 minutes and he already leveled up twice in such a short period of time! Of course, this was due mainly to him having the Equalizer skill in effect and soloing a dungeon meant for multiple yers working together to conquer it. ¡¯The amount of coins received does not go up by much at all.¡¯ A level 20 elite monster gave such a small amount of coins. Though Izroth figured this was how the system made it so that the majority of yers would have no choice but to earn coins through other various means. As he picked up the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark Fin, Izroth checked its usage before sitting it inside of his inventory. Name: Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark Fin(Reageant) Rank: None Usage: While most of the fins located on the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark are all incredibly sharp and dangerous, its dorsal fin is very soft and harmless. It releases a strong fishy smell when heated and causes those caught unprepared to enter into a bestial state when it is inhaled. ¡¯Its effect when inhaled reminds me of the main ingredient for a certain pill recipe... I¡¯ll have to do a bit of research when I have some free time.¡¯ Izroth swam up a few meters and not too far in the distance patrolling different sections above the coral reef were three Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks. When Izroth was preparing to head over to the nearest one of the sea creatures, something shiny was glistening on the sea floor, hidden away by the seaweed-like nts. ¡¯Isn¡¯t that...¡¯ Izroth went down into the field of seaweed-like nts and found a pleasant surprise waiting for him. At first, he was unsure if it really was that item because it was much bigger than the one he used during the Apothecary aptitude test. ¡¯It really is an Isted Water Droplet.¡¯ Izroth reached down and picked up the shiny crystallized shaped marble water droplet. ¡´System Alert: You have received x5 ?Isted Water Droplet? ¡¯So five droplets are condensed into a single item. The one used for the Apothecary aptitude test must have been separated individually by one of the apothecaries there. These droplets are not rare by any means. It simply blends in with the environment so naturally that unless someone is intentionally searching for one, it would otherwise be challenging to find.¡¯ Izroth searched the surrounding area thoroughly and managed to collect a grand total of 75 Isted Water Droplets. ¡¯With this, I¡¯ll be able to craft the Five Cycles Pill and still have some left over to run some experiments.¡¯ After gathering all of the Isted Water Droplets in sight, Izroth swam towards the nearest Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark. ... Izroth spent a total of 10 minutes collecting the Iste Water Droplets and clearing the remaining three Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks. He used the same exact tactics as he did against the first Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark he fought. Thanks to his First Baneful Sword: Destruction skill, as long as he lowered the HP of the sea creatures down to 24% and struck one of its vital points, the cooldown on his First Baneful Sword: Destruction would reset. This reduced the total amount of time needed to eliminate the sea creatures. Izroth received a total of 32,400 EXP. He wished that the Equalizer skill would be permanent. Though he understood that the system would never allow such an unfair advantage as a permanent 100% EXP boost. He was also awarded 5 silver and 25 bronze coins, as well as two additional Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark Fins. Sadly, the sea creatures did not drop anything that valuable. Izroth stared into the distance and was unable to see the end of the coral reef. However, he soon noticed a beautiful colossal coral that appeared as if it was molded by an artist. At the top of that colossal coral was a small statue of an intimidating looking merman riding atop a noble and majestic seahorse-type sea creature. This merman, however, had actual legs covered with scales. He swam through the coral reef and the only sea life he ran into were the different species of small harmless fish. Izroth arrived in front of the arc-shaped colossal coral and swam through it. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Calder¡¯s Reef?¡µ The scenery did not change that much as his view was still filled with countless corals, rocks and nts. However, in the distance was a grand structure made entirely out of rainbow-colored corals. The corals were emitting a majestic aura as if this sea was not fit to host its presence. Izroth observed the grand structure for a moment before swimming in its direction. The entire area surrounding the grand structure had bright yellow colored sand covering the whole sea floor. It was most likely due to the majestic aura of the rainbowed-colored corals that the grand appeared so enrichedpared to the neighboring sand. At the bottom of the grand structure was a hole big for all four of those Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks from earlier to swim through together without touching one another. Izroth swam into the hole and when he arrived on the inside, there were corals emitting a luminescent light-blue glow. When Izroth moved closer to the coral, the water around it felt warm andfortable. There were numerous holes spread all throughout the inside of the rainbow-colored coral and there seemed to be no clear path. However, Izroth could sense multiple presences swimming around him. Izroth remained vignt and swam upward into one of the openings. Chapter 67 Calder, The Seahorse Knigh The area within the rainbow-colored reef was very spacious once inside, despite their average sized outward appearance. Different color lights matching that of a rainbow were continually flowing within the walls like a pulsating heartbeat. It was as if the rainbow-colored coral itself was alive. When Izroth entered into the opening that was above him, he spotted three tiny fish just up ahead. They were no bigger than the palm of his hand. The three tiny fish were floating not too far from the top of the tunnel-like construct and were swimming in a continuous circle, it was almost mesmerizing. Izroth furrowed his brows as he continued to swim upward in the direction of the three tiny fish. There was definitely something strange about this ce. When he reached the top of the tunnel-like construct, the fish did not bother attacking him and just continued to swim in a circle. Name: Rainbow Coral Fish(Normal) Level: 1 HP: 50/50 ATK: 10 DEF: 0 AGI: 5 Even though these fish appeared to be harmless at first nce, it was better to be certain of it. Izroth cut through one of the Rainbow Coral Fish and it instantly died. He did not receive any EXP or items from it, most likely due to therge level gap between him and the sea creature. The other two fish, even after seeing theirpanion be sliced in half, did not stop swimming in a circle. Izroth eliminated the other two Rainbow Coral Fish and advanced onward. A few momentster, Izroth¡¯s head left the surface of the water and he was in a normal air filled atmosphere. However, he was still inside of the rainbow-colored coral. He knew this because the effects of the Merfolk Scale were still present. Izroth leaped out of the water andnded safely onto the area just before a huge circr tform. He gazed up at the ceiling and found that he was actually inside of a giant bubble. However, there were numerous holes within the bubble, but it did not show any signs of popping. It was also strange how the water was unable to flow freely into this area. It was most likely due to magic. Standing at the far end of the huge circr tform was a man with well-defined muscles standing at least 2.5 meters tall. He had long blonde hair with streaks of gray running through it that stopped halfway down his back. Shiny rainbow-colored scales were covering his arms and legs. Sat upon his the man¡¯s back was a golden trident. It gave off an aura that was many times stronger than the tridents the Sea Pce Guards used. A silver chain was attached to the bottom of the golden trident and was curled around the entire right arm of the man. Izroth observed the man on the other side of the tform who resembled the statue of the man on top of the seahorse-like creature he viewed atop the arc-shaped coral. Name: Calder, The Seahorse Knight(Boss) Level: 22 HP: 32,000 (100%) Izroth jumped up onto the tform and as soon as he did, Calder struck the area beneath himself with the bottom end of his golden trident. "Surface dweller, this is the domain of Kashysh. After countless years of fighting an endless battle, I would have let you return to your surface world unharmed, however, I smell the blood of my brethren on your hands. For that, do not think of leaving this ce with your life." The gigantic bubble began to shake violently and water began to slowly pour out of the various openings that lead into the bubble. Though, the amount was almost negligiblepared to the size of the bubble. At the rate it was entering into the gigantic bubble, it would take hours to even fill it up halfway with water. Izroth already had his de of Lightning unsheathed and was prepared for the battle ahead of him. Even if Calder was willing to let him go if he hadn¡¯t killed his brethren, he would not let a boss monster slip away from his grasp. The silver chain wrapped around Calder¡¯s arm unraveled as he grabbed ahold of the golden trident ced upon his back. He then stretched right arm back in a throwing position as a light yellow colored energy coated the golden trident. This was one attack Izroth would not try to test how much damage it dealt. He could not afford to be careless, especially with so many unknown variables present. He immediately started to dash in a diagonal angle, closing the distance between himself and Calder without running in a straight line towards him. Woosh... After a full second passed, Calder hurled the golden trident at Izroth. It seemed as if the weapon was tearing through the air itself inside of the gigantic bubble as the light yellow energy was rotating around it. Fast! The golden trident resembled a bolt of lightning striking down from the sky above. However, it barely made any sound, only a very light woosh noise that most yers would be unable to detect. But, thanks to Izroth¡¯s heightened senses, he picked up the quiet sound as soon as the golden trident left the hand of Calder. Izroth used that small window of opportunity to abruptly kick off his right foot and change his direction as he was dashing. Craaaash! The golden trident crashed into the tform where Izroth was just standing at not even half a second ago and created a small crater around the size of a bowl. While it may not seem that impressive or powerful to most, Izroth knew that the attack Calder just used was incredibly powerful. There was no way a boss monster would have such mediocre attack when the level of the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark he fought just moments ago had at least 500 attack. Lingering at the center of the small crater was a light yellow energy. ¡¯It was a good decision not to try and parry that attack. The level of energy concentrated into it was not a small amount.¡¯ The attack was sopressed together that if the bottom side of this tform was within sight, there would be a giant hole the size of at least a quarter of thisrge circr tform. Calder yanked on the chain that he was now holding in his left hand and the golden trident soared into the air heading in his general direction. However, Calder did not take the golden trident into his hand to toss again but instead, he grabbed a different part of his chain with his right hand and swung the golden trident around rapidly in circles using the chain. While Calder was swinging around the golden trident, it created a gust of strong wind. Woosh... The golden trident pierced down from above, intending to run right through Izroth¡¯s head cleanly. Izroth, however, had other ns as he once again used his keen hearing to determine where the golden trident would strike from and evaded the weapon as it came crashing down at him. Izroth sped in the direction of Calder and seeded in closing the distance in between them. Calder pulled on the chain contacted to his golden trident and as it was returning to him, a sphere of pressurized water appeared in the palm of his hand. He pped out at Izroth who was now within his melee attack range. Izroth shifted his body to the side, evading the pressurized water sphere. However, he noticed something strange about that water sphere. But before he could even think about it, he heard a muffled popping sound. Pop! Izroth instinctively moved his de of Lightning to the side of his body that was closest to the pressurized water sphere. Not too long after that action, that popping sound turned into an explosion. BOOM! The pressurized water sphere exploded just as it passed by Izroth¡¯s body. Luckily his reaction time was incredible and he actually managed to block part of the damage. ?Parried? -383 Even with sessfully parrying the blow and the 15% damage reduction provided by the passive skill Blessing of Heltiaa, Izroth still took nearly 400 damage from one strike. A single attack had taken nearly 30% of his HP away. ¡¯Interesting.¡¯ The skills that Calder possessed were not disyed as his level was not below 20. However, so far Izroth had discovered three different skills and one of them was surely a passive type. Izroth remained calm even after losing nearly 30% of his HP and quickly struck out with his right leg like a strike wanting to sink its deadly fangs into its prey. Using the skill Serpent¡¯s Bite, Izroth kicked Calder on their right thigh and paralyzed him due to its effect, though the damage the skill dealt itself was not high by any means. -100 Although his attack barely scratched Calder, using Serpent¡¯s Bite aplished Izroth¡¯s main goal of temporarily keeping it in ce. The golden trident seemed as if it possessed a will of its own and even though Calder was paralyzed, it still moved toward him. Izroth used this chance to dish out some major damage of his own. He went straight for the gills located near the lower area of Calder¡¯s ribcage with his de of Lightning and two shadows that looked like copies of it traveled right behind it. ?Critical Hit? -180 ?Critical Hit? -500 ?Critical Hit? -820 Each of Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strike shes struck with amazing precision scoring a critical hit with all three strikes. He did not stop his assault there as he continued hacking away at Calder. ... Back in the main pce located in Amaharpe, there were six people gathered together in a room usually used for a war council sitting down at a round table. However, the situation this time was so dangerous that the six people here would rather deal with war rather than this potential disaster. If Izroth was there at the moment, he would immediately recognize two out of six of the individuals. One of them was Terminus while the other person was surprisingly the old man Gear that Izroth had met back in Opal Town who gifted him the skill Flickering Steps. Amongst the remaining four people were two women and two men. The whole room was filled with a gloomy atmosphere. There was not a single person within the room without a darkened expression on their face. It was so quiet that one would be able to hear a pin drop. The one who broke this silence and spoke first was Gear trying to lighten the mood. "What¡¯s with all the long faces? We haven¡¯t seen in each in years, shouldn¡¯t this call for a grand celebration? Hahaha." Gear removed a sk from his jacket pocket and held it up as if he were toasting to everyone in the room before taking a drink. Terminus shook his head, "The situation this time is too serious to celebrate. Even with the Anivarity¡¯s Bell, there¡¯s still not a 100% chance of sess." Given their current circumstances, it was hard for Terminus to stay optimistic. One of the women present spoke in a helpless voice, "Isn¡¯t that friend of yours a powerful Seer for the goddess Heltiaa? Can¡¯t she ask her for help directly?" Terminus let out a long sigh, "Impossible. A divine being will not intervene until the seal breakspletely." Though by the time that happened countless lives who have already been lost. The man who was sitting at the head of the table in the most luxurious chair looked as if he were in deep thought with his eyes closed. A few secondster he opened them and a look of hope shed in his eyes. "That¡¯s it...!" He abruptly stood up from his chair which surprised everyone. "Everyone, that portal is opening up soon." The man had nearly forgotten due to the current events, but it was exactly what they needed right now. "However, we are unable to enter due to the power restrictions ced upon that realm. But... We can still send people inside in our ce." Gear, Terminus, and the other three individuals all looked at the man speaking in disbelief. Of course... Why didn¡¯t they think of that sooner?! If the people they sent sessfully reached the end of that ce then along with the power of the Anivarity¡¯s Bell, their chances of sess would increase by leaps and bounds! "Yes... Yes of course! But, who do we send?" Terminus was the first to express his approval. "This..." the man who presented the idea stopped to think for a moment before finallying to a decision. "Why don¡¯t we all choose at least one person to go in our ce? Someone with a suitable amount of talent that will raise the overall chance of sess." "You mean-" "Yes, it is the only way." The man spoke in a firm tone. There was only silence afterward as if everyone was in deep thought. However, there was one person who was calmly drinking from out of his sk as if he had already decided. That person was Gear. ... Izroth had no clue about what was currently taking ce in Amaharpe inside the pce. Right now, his attention was focusedpletely on dealing with Calder. ¡¯I suppose now is as good a time as any to try "that" move.¡¯ Chapter 68 Skill Fusion Izroth was currently moving at a high-speed around Calder. At the moment, Izroth had yet to acquire the skills necessary for a long-range battle. Therefore, in order to avoid bing simple target practice for Calder, Izroth stuck close to him and did not retreat in the slightest once he closed the distance. Izroth did not spend this time simply running in circles around Calder. Every opportunity that presented itself was not wasted and Izroth made sure to attack whenever possible. His strategy so far was working perfectly, as Calder was incapable ofnding a solid hit on him. ¡¯He¡¯s getting faster.¡¯ Izroth realized that although Calder possessed a high attack stat, his agility stat seemed to be a littlecking inparison. In fact, Calder¡¯s speed appeared to be slower than that of the Sea Pce Guards Izroth fought when he first arrived inside the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon. Though Izroth linked this to Calder not being within a body of water and not a gigantic bubble. Hence, he did not receive the increase in agility as the Sea Pce Guard or Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark did. However, as time passed by Calder¡¯s agility was slowly improving. It was hard to notice such a change since it was happening at a steady pace. But eventually, even if a yer did not have Izroth¡¯s heightened senses, it was only a manner of time until Calder¡¯s speed increase became obvious. There was another event going on at the same time that was the most suitable exnation as to why Calder was getting faster. ¡¯The water level in this room is rising. The rate at which it¡¯s filling up the room has more than tripled since the beginning from when I first stepped onto the tform. Also, there¡¯s something else that has been bothering me...¡¯ Although Izroth was pondering a few things, he did not let himself get distracted from the battle in front of him. Izroth swept his de of Lightning past the lower left ribcage of Calder, shing at the location where his gills were located. ?Critical Hit? -500 With that strike, Izroth dropped Calder¡¯s HP down to the 50% mark. When that happened, the water pouring out of the openings leading into the gigantic bubble began to gush out like an endless stream. There were also numerous Rainbow Coral Fish floating around, though all of them just kept swimming in a circle without a care in the world. Calder¡¯s speed skyrocketed and Izroth could no longer remain so close to him, as his attacks were bing more challenging to evade. If Izroth focused solely on avoiding the attacks then it would not be much of an issue, but if he did that then he would be unable tounch any counter-attacks. The battle would then be locked in a stalemate with both sides unable toe out victorious. Of course, Izroth could always use Flickering Steps or the Lightning Field Skill from his de of Lightning to keep up, but something kept urging him to hold off on using them for now. Izroth could feel a deadly energy gathering around Calder. The golden trident in his hands was shaking violently as if something wanted to burst free from it. Izroth quickly fell back and created some distance between Calder and himself. "It has been too long since I¡¯vest fought a battle in water. Surface dweller, you should feel honored." Calder brandished his mighty golden trident, sending a powerful wave of water in Izroth¡¯s direction. There was a light yellow energy glowing faintly in front of the wave releasing a heavy aura. ¡¯The usual strategy in this type of situation would be for the tank to limit the movements of Calder to limit the effects of his agility increase. Although running dungeons solo provides a bountiful amount of EXP, in the end, it¡¯s far from being practical and efficient.¡¯ ¡¯Though I suppose there is an upside to everything.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the fact that the loot he found would belong solely to him. If he was in a party then the Isted Water Droplets he uncovered earlier would have been split into equal parts amongst all the members. However, Izroth still believed that sooner rather thanter, he would require a party. His reasons were simple. Izroth did not start things he would not finish. He wanted to be recognized as the number one yer in RML. If he wished to aplish that goal then he needed a way to achieve more recognition. How does one stand out in a world full of millions upon millions of yers this early in RML? The answer was simple, dungeons! Not just discovering them and clearing them, but rather doing so in record time. Although Izroth was confident in his ability to clear a dungeon sessfully, to do so in record time would be practically impossible due to skill cooldowns and various other factors. While he was more than capable of learning new skills, Izroth felt that learning too many high ranked heavenlyws would cause the system to further dy the skill it was already currently processing, the Boundless Void Emperor Perfection. Originally the skill only needed a single day to finish, however, as Izroth began to learn additional skills, the time limit shot up to 30 days. While it may not be entirely because of him learning new skills, it could have an unknown influence. Therefore, Izroth made the decision to limit his creation of new skills for now. Or at the very least those that would be considered S-ranked or higher. He already took a huge risk when acquiring the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. Izroth¡¯s main focus was still on the boss monster before him; he did not let his thoughts distract his fighting capabilities. "I should feel honored? You either think too highly of yourself or too lowly of me." Izroth maintained that carefree expression on his face as if everything was in his control. Even though Calder¡¯s speed was constantly rising, with his heightened senses and countless years of battle experience, it did not take long for Izroth to figure out how to deal with whatever Calder threw at him. The water inside of the gigantic bubble was now up to Izroth¡¯s mid-torso area. As the wave cutting through the water was heading in his direction, Izroth moved out of the way in time, sessfully dodging the attack. However, something strange urred as the wave continued to travel well past Izroth and struck the rainbow-colored coral directly. This caused the rainbow-colored coral inside the gigantic bubble to form cracks on its surface. The cracks began to growrger and it appeared as if something was breaking free from within the rainbow-colored coral. "Come, my trusty steed! Follow me into a glorious battle once more!" Calder shouted as the area where his attack hit the rainbow-colored coral had pieces falling down. It resembled shards of broken ss dropping to the ground. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he nced over towards where Calder¡¯s attacknded. That attack was never meant for him, it was being aimed at the rainbow-colored coral behind him all along. Crrrrrrrck! Neeeeeeeeigh! ¡¯So that turned out to be the case...¡¯ The area of the rainbow-colored coral that was crackedpletely broke apart and what emerged from it was a magnificent seahorse creature. It was deep midnight blue in color with rainbow-colored scales covering the front section of its body. The seahorse eyes were filled with boundless confidence and it looked down on other creatures that it felt was lesser than itself. The sole reason Calder had such a noble and powerful steed was that he saved its life when it was weak and no bigger than 2cm. But now, this majestic seahorse was over 3 meters tall and did not look anything like its former weak self. This was a Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse, one of the few in existence within the Great Kashysh Sea. The seahorse was not the only thing that came from within the rainbow-colored coral when it broke apart. Water spewed into the gigantic bubble in a seemingly endless stream and it was not long before the entire battlefield was underwater. The Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse charged over at a frightening speed to meet up with Calder before turning itself to Izroth¡¯s direction. When it arrived near him, Calder hopped onto its back and held his golden trident outwards pointing it at Izroth. Calder charged forward on his Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse at an incredible speed. It was obvious that his agility had easily more than double that of Izroth¡¯s. Riding atop his seahorse mount, Calder zoomed past Izroth and as he did, he stabbed his golden trident through him cleaning. Izroth¡¯s body was run through with Calder¡¯s golden trident, however, his HP did not budge from its original spot. A split secondter, Izroth¡¯s body began to flicker and his body that was supposed to be stabbed into with a trident suddenly vanished. Wooosh! Wooosh! Wooosh! Suddenly, throughout the entire battlegrounds, afterimages of Izroth flickered everywhere. He used Flickering Steps to evade Calder¡¯s golden trident strike. There was no problem dealing with Calder¡¯s speed alone, however, once he started using the Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse as a mount Izroth had no choice but to use Flickering Steps. The sea creature was too fast for him to react in time, even if he could see the attacking ahead of time, he currently did not possess the base agility to respond properly. Therefore, he was left with having to use Flickering Steps. Izroth¡¯s agility of 235 shot up to 940, soaring past Calder¡¯s own agility. But Izroth did not stop there and a faint buzzing sound with low crackles mixed in could be hearding from his de of Lightning. Bzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzt! The de of Lightning in Izroth¡¯s hands began to emit a crackling sound as a field of lightning spread out within a 15 meters radius from Izroth¡¯s current position. Purple bolts of lightning began striking down from the invisible spherical atmosphere formed by the Lightning Field Skill. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the skill ?Lightning Field?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your ATK and AGI has been increased by 50%.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your attacks now deal 20% bonus damage as ?Lightning Damage?.¡µ When Izroth activated his Lightning Field skill, his agility went from 940 to 1,410. At this level of agility, even with Calder riding the Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse, Calder was attacking nothing but Izroth¡¯s afterimages. A bolt of lightning struck Calder and his mount, paralyzing them for 0.25 seconds which with Izroth¡¯s current agility, enabled him to swiftly arrive at Calder¡¯s side. A deadly and oppressive aura epassed Izroth¡¯s right index finger along with a sharp aura that seemed as if it wanted to cut through everything in its path. Energy began to converge at the tip of the same finger, though it was much calmer than that oppressive aura. ¡´System Alert: You have perfectly executed two skills with highpatibility.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions yer Izroth, you have created a fusion attack! Please name the fusion attack.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Please note, this skill will share a cooldown time with the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction and will not be usable when it is on cooldown. This skill will also consume 60 Energy.¡µ "First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point." Izroth quickly leaped into the air and his finger prated straight through Calder¡¯s neck. The power behind the attack was incredibly concentrated to a single point and was able to cut through all of Calder¡¯s defenses like a hot knife through butter. Along with the bonus lightning damage from his Lightning Field skill and Calder being a sea creature, with just one attack Izroth removed more than 17% of Calder¡¯s total HP. ?Critical Hit? -5,704 If anyone saw such a high damage numbering from someone with Izroth¡¯s level, they would be dumbfounded. The only yers who would probably not be surprised by anything at this point were Luna and Halls. A small smile formed on Izroth¡¯s face, ¡¯It¡¯s about time to finish this fight.¡¯ Chapter 69 Sapphire Gem Izroth received some additional system alerts after learning the skill fusion technique. Right now, however, he wanted to end this fight against Calder and so set it aside for the moment. The time for his temporary passive skill Equalizer was slowly ticking away. He had a bit less than 40 minutes remaining. Using the skills Lightning Field and Flickering Steps together, Izroth had no trouble oveing Calder and his Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse¡¯s speed. Izroth¡¯s luck with the paralyze effect from the Lightning Field skill was also quite good, sessfully activating more often than not. Thanks to the bonus lighting damage dealt while within the lightning field, Izroth was chipping away at Calder¡¯s HP rapidly. While he only had 10 seconds to use Lightning Field, Izroth made full use of it. Along with the Hellfire Rampage skill from his Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest, Izroth¡¯s speed was terrifying. Izroth originally lost the stats as he had to temporarily fall back earlier, however, it did not take him long to receive the maximum 100 Agility given from Hellfire Rampage, the skill attached to his rare chest piece equipment. 28%... 22%... 15%... 10%... "I have tried to give you a merciful death, surface dweller. However, you have dared to push me this far!" Calder shouted as the seahorse he was riding on eyes turned bright red in rage. The golden trident in Calder¡¯s hands shook violently as it unleashed a very aggressive aura. ¡´Battle Alert: Calder, The Seahorse Knight has entered an enraged state¡µ When Calder¡¯s HP hit dropped to 10%, he went into an enraged state. During this state, Calder¡¯s agility, attack, and magic would gain a huge boost. Not only that, but he would also gain the skill Endless Rage which would increase his attack by 5% every 1 second. This was something Izroth had already expected to happen and so he was not at all caught off-guard by it. He did not slow down or halt his assault and continued to skillfully evade Calder¡¯s attacks. Calder charged forward towards Izroth on the back of his seahorse mount with the golden trident in his hands still shaking violently. However, there was arge amount of destructive power hidden behind the iing attack. Even though it looked incredibly unstable, it was actually perfectly executed. But, how could Izroth be hit by such an attack with his current level of monstrous agility and heightened senses? Even if Calder may be considered fast to the average yer,pared to Izroth he might as well be standing perfectly still. Izroth¡¯s body flickered leaving behind an afterimage in his ce as the sword in his hand seemed as if it was descending from above like a lightning strike. Bzzzzzzzt! Crasssssh! Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning sliced through Calder¡¯s body multiple times. Izroth¡¯s attack speed at the moment was frightening. He could perform a total of 5 attacks every 2 seconds. This attack speed could only be matched by a dagger-wielding ss who typically attacked fast thanks to their small and light weapons. However, even if those type of sses could match Izroth¡¯s attack speed, the damage was a different story. "The Great Kashysh shall avenge me! Surface dweller, your end is... Near..." As Izroth¡¯s final strike passed by Calder and his Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse, Calder managed to speak a few words before ultimately copsing in defeat. Izroth had ovee the first boss monster inside of the Sea Pce Graveyard. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Calder, The Seahorse Knight?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 18,127 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 18,127 EXP from the skill ?Equalizer?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 19¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 skill points for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 stat point for leveling up¡µ Loot Drop: -22 silver coins -x1 ?Sapphire Gem? -x3 ?Merfolk Scale? -1 ?Damaged Sea Trident? -1 ?Kashysh¡¯s Scale Chest? Izroth furrowed his brows as he browsed through the loot. From the look of things, the drops given by Calder were not all that great. But, that was just because Izroth already had a rare chest piece and weapon. If not, then the loot could actually be considered pretty decent. At least that¡¯s what Izroth thought until he looked at the effects of the Kashysh¡¯s Scale Chest. Name: Damaged Sea Trident(Umon) Level: 22 Requirements: 230 Attack ATK: 100 Name: Kashysh¡¯s Scale Chest(Umon) Level: 22 Type: te Requirements: 130 Defense HP: 600 DEF: 50 Set Effect(2): The user is able to travel freely inside the ?Underwater World? without the use of a Merfolk Scale. Set Effect(3): Grants the user +50% bonus speed while within any body of water. Set Effect(4): The user gains +30 ATK, +20 DEF. Set Effect(5): The user gains +2,000 HP, +50 DEF. Set Effect(6): The user gains +4,000 HP, +50 ATK, +50 DEF. Special Note: This equipment piece is part of the ?Kashysh Scale Set? and when equipped with other set pieces, grants the user extra benefits. The Kashysh¡¯s Scale Chest was actually part of an equipment set series! By itself it was not that great, however, if used together with the other pieces of the Kashysh Scale set, the benefits would be amazing! If any tank managed to receive all six pieces of the set, just from the set effects alone they would gain 6,000 HP, 80 ATK, and 120 DEF. This was not including the stats provided by the item itself and was solely from the set effects. ¡¯It¡¯s too bad that the requirements and armor type doesn¡¯t suit me.¡¯ Izroth already had the Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest equipped which was morepatible with his high-speed ystyle. Kashysh¡¯s Scale Chest, on the other hand, was more suited to a defensive ystyle. Izroth set the coins and items into his inventory. He would figure out what to do with them once he was outside of the Sea Pce Graveyard. However, he left one item out of his inventory. It was the Sapphire Gem. Before examining the Sapphire Gem, Izroth checked back on the system alerts he received after using a skill fusion. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions yer Izroth, you are the first yer to perform a Skill Fusion.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +100 World Fame¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 stat points¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 gold coin¡µ The rewards were actually not that bad. He could always use more stat points and skill points, but he still had yet to feel the benefits from having World Fame. Though, Izroth understood that eventually, it would reveal its advantages. He then began to examine the Sapphire Gem he looted from Calder. Name: Sapphire Gem(Dungeon Item) Rank: None Usage: This Sapphire Gem, when used together with its counterparts the Aquamarine Gem and Moonstone Gem, allows its possessor to pass through one of the deepest levels of the Underwater World. Special Note: By itself, this gem does not have any value or use. If this gem leaves the Sea Pce Graveyard, it will be destroyed. ¡¯So I still need to find the Aquamarine Gem and Moonstone Gem in order to travel to the deeper levels of the Underwater World. Does that mean this dungeon has at least two more boss monsters?¡¯ The Goblin¡¯s Paradise dungeon that Izroth cleared before only had two bosses. Though if you included the hidden boss then it would be a total of three. Apparently, this dungeon also had a hidden boss to it, therefore, if he needed to defeat two more bosses then there were most likely four boss monsters total in this dungeon. Of course, this was only a theory Izroth came up with. The gems could very well be somewhere entirely different within the Underwater World, not necessarily in the hands of a boss monster like Calder. Izroth set the Sapphire Gem into his inventory and as he did, the water started to drain out of the gigantic bubble. The area of the rainbow-colored coral that was destroyed by Calder¡¯s attack to summon his seahorse had repaired itself to its original undamaged state. When the water finished draining out of the gigantic bubble, the Rainbow-Coral Fish that were swimming around in circles began to move in the same direction. There were over one hundred of them, but all of them were in groups of three. Izroth observed the Rainbow-Coral Fish and saw that they were drifting downward. They were heading towards the bottom side of the tform near where Calder was initially standing when Izroth first arrived on the circr tform. Izroth walked over to the side of the circr tform and when he reached the edge, what he saw was a pathway resembling a slide with water running rapidly on the bottom of it. He made sure to check his surroundings when he first stepped onto the tform and this was not here before the fight. ¡¯It must have opened after I defeated Calder.¡¯ He slid down the waterslide-like structure with numerous twist and curves on the way downward. There was a transparent solid material that Izroth could clearly see through as he traveled on the slide. Outside the transparent material, there was a stunning sight that unfolded before his eyes. There was a city with countless buildings made from corals that scaled over 15 stories high. A gorgeous colorful soft blue hue lit up that entire area of the sea and a magnificent aurora was above the city. The aurora was filled with a myriad of colors and remained in a continuous circr motion around the sky of the city. Many Merfolk that appeared to be citizens were swimming around below. Some of them had legs with scales on them like Calder, but most of them were just like the Sea Pce Guards and possessed the lower body of a fish. There were even some citizens who had the upper body of a fish and the lower body of a human. It was a unique experience for most yers, however, to someone like Izroth who had traveled throughout all Seven Realms, it was not an umon sight. ¡¯It¡¯s very simr to the Third Realm Aka¡¯Zmin... A water-based society.¡¯ The scene did notst for long as Izroth soon reached a more isted part of the Underwater World. It was unknown exactly how deep this sea actually was, but ording to the Sapphire Gem, this was far from the deepest level. The whole tripsted no longer than 15 seconds. When Izroth reached the end of the waterslide, he was in a badly lit and cold part of the sea. However, the Rainbow-Coral Fish that drifted down here before him, provided Izroth with a source of light thanks to their colorful luminescent scales. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Orkallion Trench?¡µ Izroth moved his hand to the waterslide and when he tried to enter inside, there was a strong force pushing his hand away. ¡¯It seems as though I¡¯ve taken a one-way trip.¡¯ Izroth began to explore the Orkallion Trench and when he looked upward, he could barely notice the surface of the Great Kashysh Sea. Though, there was probably some invisible boundary that would prevent him from swimming all the way up. After swimming for around 5 minutes, Izroth heard a faint sound. The further he swam, the louder the sound grew. When he listened closely, it resembled a whale song. It was difficult to lock on to the location of the whale song, it seemed to be echoing from every direction. Oooooooo... This time, the sound clearly came from directly below Izroth¡¯s current position. He stared into the seemingly bottomless trench and did not see anything at first. But, a few secondster, a massive eyeball opened up right next to Izroth. The eyeball itself was the size of arge house. ¡¯Impossible, how could I have not sensed something so enormous?¡¯ The size of the sea creature was colossal and easily spanned more than 100 meters in length. Izroth was more than close enough to get a look at the monster¡¯s name. Name: Colossal Sea King Scagmag(Legendary Boss) Level: ??? A legendary boss with its level hidden! This meant that the level of this monster was much higher than Izroth¡¯s own level. The strange thing was that this boss did not bother attacking Izroth and instead it just stared at him for a moment before continuing to swim onward. ¡¯A legendary boss? How is that possible?¡¯ There should not be a legendary boss in a dungeon with such a low level, even if this dungeon did have a hidden boss. If that was really the case then no matter what, Wess would not have let him inside the dungeon. This information was too valuable to disclose to just anyone. ¡¯Does that mean none of the yers from Cross Haven ran into that creature yet?¡¯ Izroth was thinking to himself when he received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: You have received the temporary passive skill ?Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song?¡µ Chapter 70 Memories Of The Sea Everything around Izroth suddenly turned bright white, it was like his consciousness was being pulled into a different ce. A few secondster, he was standing in the air above a majestic city that made the one he viewed earlier seem insignificant inparison. He tried to view his skills to see the effects of Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song, however, he was unable to ess his skills at the moment. ¡¯Where is this ce?¡¯ Before he knew it, Izroth was within a marvelous throne room. Sitting upon the throne was a mermaid who resembled the statue Izroth saw hidden within the strangely shaped nts. Her beauty was the stuff of legends, she appeared otherworldly as only the word perfect could describe the mermaid. She had long flowing aqua hair that if let down normally would reach all the way to the end of her tail, a beautiful pair of moonstone eyes that if one were to stare closely into, they would notice a boundless sea hidden within them. The scales on the lower part of her body were a pure aqua color and emitted a faint glow. ¡¯It¡¯s her.¡¯ No one seemed to notice Izroth¡¯s presence there; it was like he did not exist at all. Another odd thing was that Izroth could not feel the presence of anyone in the room, as though none of them were actually there. Standing in an orderly fashion below the throne area were 14 individuals. There was something unique about every one of them, but they all had one thing inmon and that was they were all sea creatures. Izroth surprisingly discovered a familiar face amongst the individuals present. It was a man who bore a striking resemnce to Calder, except he seemed to be more youthful and in his prime. Resting on that man¡¯s shoulder was a small Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse no bigger than 15cm. "Calder, you dare bring a pet before her majesty?!" One of the individuals snorted when he noticed the seahorse sitting upon Calder¡¯s shoulder. Unlike the mighty seahorse Izroth faced earlier that looked down on everything, this seahorse released a small whine before hiding behind Calder¡¯s back. The man really was Calder! ¡¯Where exactly am I?¡¯ Izroth examined his surroundings but nothing seemed even remotely familiar to him. "If her majesty has nothing to say about it, what gives you the right to, Glekan?" Calder responded in a firm tone of voice. The one called Glekan had the face of an octopus and the body of a human. The main difference was that Glekan¡¯s arms were a pair of tentacles. But he did not have just two tentacles, he had a total of eight with two of them being attached to his back. His eyes matched those of a cephalopod. "Both of you, silence! You are in the presence of her majesty, it would be wise to show your respect!" The one who spoke possessed the head of a jellyfish with countless tendrils and a strange spectral body. It was difficult to tell how it was speaking as no mouth was in in sight. "Since when do you speak for her majesty, Trestix? If anything, you¡¯re being arrogant to think that you can guess the wishes of her majesty on a whim!" Glekan did not back down. The woman sitting upon the throne held the palm of her hand up. When she did, everyone present wentpletely silent. "It¡¯s alright, Trestix. Even if we are not rted by blood, I still consider all of us to be family." She gave a heartwarming smile that would melt the coldest of hearts. "Your majesty please forgive my insolence but, you have the blood of the Sea Goddess Eotl flowing through your veins. You are her direct descendant. We are not worthy of such an honorable position in your heart, your majesty. " Trestix lowered his head. "We are not worthy, your majesty!" Everyone else in the room lowered their heads as well. Even if everyone had disagreements or disliked one another, in the end, they would all die for this radiant and noble mermaid before them. She then nced at Calder and then looked over towards Glekan. "A Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse is a rare existence in these waters. Calder must take good care of him if he hopes to maintain its respect and one-day work together with it. After all, a Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse is a noble mount." "If your majesty says so, then obviously I have no issue with such a trivial matter." Glekan gave a respectful bow and did not mention anything about the seahorse again. "Come, little one." Her voice echoed through the room, though it sounded more like a song with a pleasant and mesmerizing tune. It was a voice no sea creature could resist, the Sea Goddess Eotl¡¯s Song. As a direct descendant of the goddess, the mermaid inherited her ability to naturally dominate all sea creatures. The Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse was frightened and scared by suddenly being called out to, however, for some reason it suddenly felt really safe and trusted the voice calling to it. It was a little hesitant at first, but it swam over towards the mermaid and stopped before her. When it arrived before her, she reached out and gently took the Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse into the palm of her hands. "Little one, you must take good care of Calder when you¡¯re big and strong. Will you promise me this?" she revealed a lovely smile that would make many people sigh in admiration. The Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse turned its tiny body and looked over in Calder¡¯s direction. It made a light clicking sound and nodded its head. Despite its small appearance, it was a very intelligent creature. It then rubbed its head submissively on the palm of the mermaid. The atmosphere in the room was incredibly peaceful at that moment. However, the doors to the throne room were abruptly pushed open. When that happened, the 14 individuals standing below the throne facial expressions all darkened. Who could be so insolent as to charge into the room of her majesty?! Just as they were about to rebuke this individual, when they saw who it was, none of them spoke out. This was someone who was close to their majesty. Though Glekan still showed his displeasure at the disrespectful attitude of that person. ¡¯Why do they seem so familiar?¡¯ Izroth stared at the person who just barged into the room unannounced. For some reason, he felt as if he¡¯d seen them somewhere before this but he could not put his finger on it. "Kashysh! You must reconsider!" The person who barged into the room was a middle-aged man with ck hair that had streaks of gray showing, ck eyes, and a strong appearance. He actually looked just like a human and did not have any traits of a sea creature visible. He gave off a powerful and suppressing aura that was not intentional, but it still engulfed the entire room and eventually, it felt as if the man was everywhere at once. However, the area of water surrounding the mermaid sitting upon the throne was unaffected. The one called Kashysh was actually the name of the mermaid everyone kept referring to as your majesty. The same person who the great and boundless sea was named after. When Kashysh noticed who it was, she could only return his advice with a helpless smile. "I have already made up my mind. If we standby and do nothing then my people will suffer. I refuse to let the children of the sea go through such a thing." Kashysh seemed to slowly be disheartened, "If anyone can understand my intentions, it should be you... Uncle Scagmag." While he was not her uncle by blood, Scagmag and her father were very close and could be considered as brothers who fought side by side in the first Great Sea War. ¡¯That name... It¡¯s the sea creature I met beforeing here.¡¯ Izroth remembered that the name of the colossal sea creature he saw just moments ago was Scagmag. It was too much of a coincidence for the two to be unrted and so they had to be the same person. Izroth met many existences capable of shapeshifting, especially if they were powerful enough. So he wasn¡¯t too shocked that RML also had simr creatures. After all, with how huge Scagmag is, it was impossible for him to travel to the throne room in his natural form. Scagmag let out a long and deep sigh. "While I do understand your heartfelt intentions, you need to look past the present and into the future. If irreversible harm were to befall you, how could I ever face your father in the afterlife?" There was a hint of worry in his eyes as he spoke to Kashysh. A graceful smile found its way onto Kashysh face. She did not me Scagmag for worrying and understood his concerns, however, she felt as though there was no other way. "Then it is a good thing that you will not die any time soon, Uncle Scagmag. You will not have to face my father for quite some time." Scagmag shook his head and could not help but to also smile after seeing Kashysh expression. "You have your father¡¯s stubbornness and your mother¡¯s intelligence. Aye... It is difficult to convince you." "I knew that I would not be sessful, however, I still had to give it a try. Kashysh, I will remind you once again, every existence in this sea depends on you for guidance. Without you, there is no path left in the future for all the existences in the Great Sea. You must be extremely careful." Kashysh nodded, "Your worries do not go unnoticed, I will be careful. You have my word." Scagmag scanned everyone in the throne room with a serious expression on his face. "You all, be sure to take care of her majesty. If anything happens to her, don¡¯t expect to keep your lives." He then smiled at Kashysh once more before turning and walking out of the throne room. When the doors closed behind Scagmag, the first to speak was Glekan. "Your majesty, I know that he is a close friend of your father, but he should show you more respect as the ruler of the Great Sea." Kashysh looked coldly at Glekan. It was the first time she showed her displeasure towards anyone here. "Glekan, because of your loyalty I shall ignore what you just said this one time. Do not let such words leave your mouth again or else next time, I will not be able to overlook it." Glekan immediately fell onto his knees and kowtowed. "Your majesty, I meant no offense, please forgive me for being so insolent!" How could he not be afraid? Thest thing he wanted to do was offend her. He just felt that as their ruler, she should naturally be above everyone else. "Uncle Scagmag has the respect and power to speak to me as an equal. Not to mention, he was like a brother to my father and took care of me until I became old enough to sit upon this very throne. You do not understand because you have not witnessed his power firsthand, but what I can say is that even I am not confident in being victorious against Uncle Scagmag." Everyone was shocked when they heard those words leave her mouth. They knew that he was powerful, however, they never imagined that he reached such a high level in which he was capable of rivaling a direct descendant of the Sea Goddess Eotl. "Alright, let¡¯s set that matter behind us. There¡¯s a reason I called you all here. It¡¯s time I visit the Overside World. We cannot afford to be at odds with them with what¡¯s soon approaching." Kashysh spoke in a calm voice. While displeasure was visible on nearly all of their faces, all 14 of them knew that she was correct and so they could not express their disagreement. "Good, since none of you disagree, we shall be leaving tomorrow. Nerita, Sakod, Trestix; you three shall apany me." Kashysh pet the head of the Rainbow-Coral King Seahorse before releasing it back to Calder. "Yes, your majesty!" They all responded in unison and bowed respectfully. ... Everything around Izroth was reced by a bright white light, and soon after he was back in the same location as he was just a few moments ago. The events that just unfolded made him feel as though he were in a dream. ¡¯Why was I shown that?¡¯ Izroth felt that it was more than just a simple cutscene that all yers would experience in this dungeon. During normal cutscenes, yers should be able to ess their character window, however, Izroth was unable to do so. That showed how important the events that transpired were. ¡¯There¡¯s no use in thinking too much on it. The answers will naturally reveal themselves when it is time.¡¯ Izroth could only continue moving forward and cross that bridge when the timees. Chapter 71 Locating The Moonstone Gem As Izroth swam through the Orkallion Trench, he did note across that legendary boss Scagmag again. Maybe it was never really there from the very beginning and what Izroth experienced was just something left behind by Scagmag. After all, it would exin how a legendary boss could be in such a low-leveled dungeon. However, that was simply a theory. While he was swimming, Izroth used the opportunity to view the skill he received from Scagmag before he was made to watch the events that previously unfolded inside the throne room. He did not have a chance to inspect it before experiencing what appeared to be an event from the past. Skill Name: Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unknown Active: Unleashes Scagmag¡¯s whale song dealing 25,000 Damage to all enemies within a 100 meters radius. This skill ignores all enemy defenses. Uses: 0/4 Special Note: This skill can only be used while inside of the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard. Boss level monsters damaged by this skill do not grant the user EXP or loot drops. ¡¯A temporary active skill that deals a fixed amount of damage. It only has four uses but... What purpose does it serve?¡¯ To Izroth, the system would not randomly gift him such a powerful temporary active skill out of the kindness of its heart. It also did not make sense that it was just to make the dungeon easier for him to clear. Wouldn¡¯t he be able to defeat any boss instantly with this skill? Though when he thought about it, the deterring factor of using it against a boss was that the yer would not gain any EXP or receive loot drops from it. One of the main reasons yers ran dungeons was to level up and acquire better gear. Why would they give up a profitable target like a boss monster just for some additional damage? Even though it could only be used a total of four times, it still deals 25,000 damage that ignores all defenses and has no cooldown time to it. That¡¯s a grand total of 100,000 damage at his fingertips. If he acquired this skill before his fight against Calder it would have been an instant kill. Even if Izroth used the Second Baneful Sword: Kill with Lightning Field andnded a critical strike, he would still be unable to deal 25,000 damage, let alone 100,000 damage. Then again, he could just be overthinking things and everything that urred was simply a normal part of this dungeon. Izroth had no way of telling until hepleted the dungeon, which is exactly what he ns on doing. Izroth was currently following the same path as the numerous Rainbow-Coral Fish. Not a single one of them drifted off on a different course. It appeared that something was pulling them towards the same location. Although the Orkallion Trench was massive, there were really only two choices for yers to make when it came to which way to swim. They would either have to travel down or forward. Izroth chose to go forward due to two reasons. The first was that the Rainbow-Coral Fish is the only proper source of light in this trench. If he were to take a chance and swim off from near them then it may prove challenging for him to find his way around, even with his heightened senses. The second reason was just a small gut feeling of Izroth¡¯s. After swimming for ten minutes straight, Izroth almost started to believe that maybe he chose the incorrect way and the Rainbow-Coral Fish was taking him nowhere. The time on his temporary passive skill Equalizer was being wasted which was problematic. However, the surrounding waters started to warm up. Izroth noticed all the Rainbow-Coral Fish swimming into arge crevice. There was a warm blue lighting from within the crevice, which was surprising given how bound to darkness this ce appeared to be. When Izroth arrived in front of the crevice, he saw that the light seemed to be emitted from the symbols carved onto the walls. The pressure of the water was shooting up like an underwater geyser. When the Rainbow-Coral Fish swam into the crevice, the pressure from the underwater geyser made them travel upward. The crevice was more thanrge enough to amodate several yers at once. Izroth swam into the crevice and began to follow the same path as the Rainbow-Coral Fish before him. His journey up the geyser was fast and short-lived as he was soon shot out of the water and into the air by the pressure from the geyser. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Nerita¡¯s Cavern?¡µ ¡¯Nerita?¡¯ Izroth remembered that it was the name of one of the 14 individuals within the throne room he viewed a while back. Specifically speaking, it was the name of one of the people called out by Kashysh to apany her to what she referred to as the Overside World. Since he was currently inside of the Underwater World, Izroth could hypothesize that the Overside World Kashysh was referring to signified thend outside of the water of this sea. Izroth examined his surrounding environment and realized that he was inside of an underwater cavern. The location he was shot out of by the geyser closely resembled that of ake with many stones protruding out of it. He adjusted his body andnded safely on a sizable stone that was nearby. Scattered around the cavern were crystals that were solid white in solid. There was nothing special about them besides the huge amount of them and the fact that they appeared to provide a natural source of lighting for the cavern. The cavern was spacious and had pathways that one would be able to walk on, however, they were narrow and only two yers would be able to fit side by side at the same time. The Rainbow-Coral Fish were swimming around in different sections of theke. They were not moving any further as if they had sessfully reached their intended destination. There was a trail of stones that were spaced apart from one another that lead deeper into the cavern. The stones were big enough for someone to step onto, but it would be easy to lose one¡¯s bnce trying to jump from one to the next. Izroth, however, had to trouble as he followed the trail of stones. The deeper he ventured into the cavern, the more numerous the crystals. It was as if Izroth was getting closer to the source of whatever was causing these crystals to form in this location. ¡¯There¡¯s something here.¡¯ Izroth felt a strong source of energy nearby, it most likely had something to do with the creation of the crystals inside of Nerita¡¯s Cavern. He could feel the presence of multiple creatures up ahead, which for Izroth was a good sign. It meant that he was on the right path and he would be able to put the Equalizer skill to use. There were no sea creatures within the Orkallion Trench besides the Rainbow-Coral Fish and that colossal legendary boss; if it was really actually even there in the first ce. Therefore, he was looking forward to his encounter with these sea creatures. When he reached the end of the stone trail, there was an open and quite spacious area. However, that depended on how one would define spacious. While the area itself was sizable, white crystals covered up nearly every part of it. At the center of the room was a huge white crystal that at least twenty times the size of all the other crystals. Though there was something unusual about this crystal. There was a small oval-shaped stone with a faint glow ced inside of the very center of the crystal. The Sapphire Gem within Izroth¡¯s inventory suddenly started shaking intensely. It was trying to get Izroth¡¯s attention and he immediately understood the reason why. That small oval-shaped stone was definitely one of the gems he required in order to travel to a deeper level of the Underwater World. Judging from its familiar appearance, it was the Moonstone Gem. It looked just like a normal moonstone gemstone except, there were tiny crystals floating around freely inside of it. ¡¯Found it, though I doubt they¡¯ll just let me walk up and grab it without a fight.¡¯ Hiding amongst the crystals were monsters that would be challenging to spot for most yers. The creatures blended in with the surrounding crystals, however, there was a distinct difference that would allow yers with good attention to detail to differentiate between the two. Izroth examined the creatures and as he expected, their HP was not that impressive. But what really surprised him was exactly how unusually low its HP was. Usually, monsters thatunched sneak attacks would not be well-known for their durability, but this was a little extreme. It¡¯s HP was actually less than that of a level 15 Mountain Golem! This is what made it so that Izroth would not let his guard down, as monsters like this tended to possess specific traits to make up for that weakness. If its HP was that low then that meant its strength in other areas would be boosted greatly. Either that or... ¡¯It¡¯s a pack.¡¯ Name: Inglipsm Crystal Walker(Elite) Level: 21 HP: 3,350 (100%) After further scrutinizing his surroundings, Izroth discovered that the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers were each in groups of eight. Izroth wasted no time and immediately engaged the closest group on the way to the Moonstone Gem. Krrrrrrreeeeet! The Inglipsm Crystal Walkers made a strange screeching noise. It sounded as though someone was dragging their nails down a chalkboard. After having their cover blown, the monsters turned into a dark green color and revealed their true appearance. Their appearance was the fusion between a lizard, fish, and bird. They possessed rough looking scales covering their entire bodies and was around 1.3 meters in length. Their eyes were simr to that of a reptile and they had extremely sharp ws. Its tail made up nearly half of its total body length and morphed into that of a fish-like tail fin when it showed itself. On its back were a pair of small wings that could not have spanned more than 75cm, it hardly seemed to be durable enough to allow these creatures to fly. ¡¯Even though their HP is extremely low for a level 21 elite, each of them still has 3,350 HP. It¡¯ll be a bit troublesome to fight each group one at a time.¡¯ In total, there were at least twenty groups of eight Inglipsm Crystal Walkers. But, if Izroth wanted to grab ahold of the Moonstone Gem he only needed to defeat five out of twenty of the groups. Izroth thought about using his newly acquired skill, Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song, to clear out all of the creatures. However, after thinking about it for a bit he decided that it was best to hold off on using the skill for now as it maye in handyter on. There was another reason why he preferred to use his own abilities. It was due to the fact that Izroth could feel that he was extremely close to breaking through to the next level of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. He was just a half-step away from reaching the next stage. In order to level up the Heavenly Golden Body physique, Izroth needed to experience actual battles. Thest time he managed to make progress on the skill was during his fight against the boss in the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise. Since then, Izroth had already journeyed throughout the dangerous mountain regions, to the Shadahi Realm, fought against a rare boss, and was currently soloing a newly discovered dungeon. After being in so many battles, he just needed a little push until he managed to make a breakthrough. ¡¯I¡¯ll use this opportunity to advance to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique.¡¯ Luckily, Izroth simply needed to drop each creatures HP down to a certain amount before using his First Baneful Sword: Destruction skill. After all, now that it was maxed out, as long as Izroth eliminated a monster using the skill the cooldown on it would reset. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning and began his assault against the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers. ... Meanwhile, not too far from Amaharpe in a vige called Raumutan, a meeting was taking ce amongst ten yers. One of those yers was someone Izroth had personally met. He was a member of the top guild known as Blue Oasis, Niflheim. Seven of the yers present, including Niflheim, were the seven captains of the Blue Oasis guild. Two out of three of the remaining yers were the guild leader and vice-guild leader of Blue Oasis. Thest yer was just a low-ranking guild member with no real standing. Though that may improve after the information he just delivered to the upper echelons of the guild. "Are you sure? You realize the consequences of betraying our trust don¡¯t you, Vanter?" The one who spoke was Niflheim. He was speaking to the lowest ranking guild member present. The reason Niflheim was verifying the matter for the third time was that this low ranking guild member was a part of his squadron. It would reflect badly on Niflheim as a captain if one of his own members led him and the entire guild on a wild goose chase. However, if there was a single thing Niflheim was confident of, it was his ability to judge the character of a person. The yer who came to him with this information was not one to make such wild usations with no evidence. "Of course, captain! You have my word, there really is a territory that¡¯s going to be avable to im soon!" Chapter 72 Obtaining The Moonstone Gem "It just doesn¡¯t make any sense. It¡¯s too soon for a territory to be avable, especially this early into the game. Something doesn¡¯t add up." One of the captains who went by the name of Abstract gave their opinion on the matter. From the voice alone, one would have a difficult time telling if Abstract was a male or female. Their figure and face were also well hidden due to the assassin style cloak Abstract was wearing. The guild leader, vice-guild leader, and the other six captains all agreed on that point. It was baffling to them that a territory would reveal itself this soon to be imed. ording to their knowledge and research, it should not be for at least another six to eight weeks until the first small territory would be up for grabs. However, a part of them did not want topletely dismiss the possibility. After all, if it was true and they ignored it, all the yers present would feel endless regret if another guild managed to im it before them. There were many benefits to owning a territory, that as a top guild, Blue Oasis would be more than capable of taking full advantage of those benefits. A steady and stable source of ie from the taxes, being able to set up a base of operations, and most importantly they would be the first guild to do so! Most yers did not remember the name of the person who did something second or third, but rather those who took action first. If Blue Oasis could indeed im the first piece of territory then it would put their reputation in RML a step above that of the other top guilds. "I am sure I speak for everyone present when I say that we all have some doubts about this." The one who spoke this time was the guild leader who was known by the name Asgard. He was a handsome man who appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties with short ck hair, dark green eyes, and he gave off the aura of someone that people naturally wanted to show their respect to. "Therefore, I wish to assign this task to Niflheim. After all, Vanter is under hismand and he was the one that came across this information. If he finds undisputable proof that what Vanter says is true then... We¡¯ll mobilize every single member of Blue Oasis that we have to im that territory. I assume no one objects to these arrangements?" Everyone remained silent to show their approval. This matter was too delicate to discuss over long range channels and therefore had to be discussed in person. Normally, the gathering of all seven captains was an incredibly rare event. If the matter wasn¡¯t so important, then no one would havee to this meeting. No one wanted to waste time chatting when they could be leveling up. If Niflheim did not have the trust and respect of his guild leader and fellow captains, then it would have also not been possible. Niflheim stood to his feet, "I¡¯ll start immediately. Leader, vice-leader, everyone." Niflheim gave a respectful nod to his fellow guild members before turning his head to Vanter and signaling with his eyes that it was time to leave. All of the other captains also stood to their feet getting ready to leave. "Ah, wait for a second Niflheim." The guild leader approached Niflheim just as he neared the door. "You have another task for me?" Niflheim stopped to face the guild leader. The guild leader shook his head, "That¡¯s not it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the rumors too, right? That yer you met back in Opal Town hasn¡¯t made any big disystely. Could it be your intuition was wrong this time?" Niflheim was silent for a moment, however, he soon responded with a small grin on his face. "Leader, I¡¯m never wrong when ites to trusting my guts. If you were there in person you would understand better. That guy... He¡¯s one of those hidden dragon types without question." ... Izroth palm shot out in multiple directions, striking all eight of the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers he was currently in a fight against. Using the skill Myriad Elusive Palms, Izroth struck the area just on the back of the monster¡¯s heads. Izroth already cleared out fifteen out of twenty of the groups and was at the moment, facing off against his sixteenth group. Although each monster only gave 800 EXP, after defeating an entire group of Inglipsm Crystal Walkers, Izroth earned 6,400 EXP. Thanks to the effects of his Equalizer skill, that amount was doubled to 12,800 EXP. So far, he managed to obtain a grand total of over 190,000 EXP and level up 3 times in the process! However, Izroth¡¯s temporary passive skill Equalizer finally ran out after he defeated the fifteenth group of monsters. Also, once he reached level 20 the amount of EXP required to level up made a huge jump. While he was below level 20, even if he gained a level the EXP required to progress to the next level only went up by a couple thousand. But, once Izroth reached level 20 the EXP value went up by at least 30,000 EXP per level. That was arge difference in the way the EXP was scaling! Having fought against over one hundred of these creatures, Izroth had already uncovered the best possible method of dealing with them and became aware of their vital points and attack patterns. If the creatures were too close to the Moonstone Gem located at the center of the room, they would constantly regenerate HP. Izroth also had to lure some of the groups further away from the Moonstone Gem while avoiding other monsters, therefore, it took him a while to properly clear out fifteen groups. However, after getting the hang of it and with the number of total monsters decreasing, it was bing much easier to maneuver around the room freely. ?Critical Hit? -506 -506 ... ¡¯At this rate, the Heavenly Golden Body physique will reach the next stage after I clear out this batch of monsters. Even though its taken a bit longer than excepted, it should not be much longer now.¡¯ The Inglipsm Crystal Walkers were incredibly fast and agile. The power behind their attacks was not the scariest part, but rather the poison they released. Having to face eight of these creatures at the same time would be a nightmare for any party, especially if the party was unprepared. Even Izroth was hit by their poison a few times in the first few fights. This was because the creatures had different ways to release the poison from their bodies. Though after going through all of the different variations and tricky ways that the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers could release their poison, Izroth had not been hit by it since then. Although the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers HP was not as much as the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks or even a level 15 Mountain Golem, its scales seemed to provide a decent amount of defense. Izroth knew this because he was doing less damage overall to these creatures than the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Shark earlier. His guess is that they most likely have a physical resistance passive skill. After whittling away the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers HP, it dropped low enough for Izroth to make his next move. He shed outward with his de of Lightning as it unleashed an oppressive aura. He used the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction and sliced one of the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers on the lower part its back near its tail. ?Critical Hit? -2,234 ¡´Battle Alert: The cooldown time for your skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? has been reset.¡µ Just as Izroth finished executing his attack against the Inglipsm Crystal Walker, one of the other creatures bolted towards him with its sharp ws swiping at his head. Many of the other monsters alsounched out at Izroth during his attack, but he had already grown ustomed to their attack patterns. Izroth had his eyes closed as he leaned slightly to the left, evading the first iing attack. He wanted to rely on his other senses as he felt himself breaking through to the next stage of his Heavenly Golden Body physique. When the First Baneful Sword: Destruction cooldown time reset, Izroth instantly swung his de to meet yet another one of the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers and eliminated it in the process. Krrrrrreeeeeeeet! The creature cried out before falling over motionless. Izroth would repeat this process until all eight of the monsters were sessfully eliminated. ... When his de of Lightning sliced through thest remaining Inglipsm Crystal Walker from that group, Izroth received a system alert. It was the alert he had been waiting for since he began his fight against the creatures. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, the skill ?Heavenly Golden Body? has increased by +1 level.¡µ Skill Name: Heavenly Golden Body Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 2/10 Skill Rank: S Passive: The more the user of this skill battles the stronger their body bes, permanently raising all of their stats. Enhances all user senses by 110%. Current Stat Buff: HP: 500 ATK: 50 DEF: 50 AGI: 50 Description: A skill created by Izroth, the more the user battles the stronger they be over time. Special Effect: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Izroth could feel a refreshing feeling flowing throughout his entire body as he broke through to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. ¡¯Even though it only increased my senses by 10%, the effects should be greater since I¡¯ve consumed the Five Cycles Pill. The stat increase is somewhere around what I predicted it would be.¡¯ Overall, Izroth was satisfied with the end results. Although there was much more to the Heavenly Golden Body physique, he was currently at the early stage of it. The more he advanced, the more his Heavenly Golden Body physique would show its true power. Izroth scanned the room for the four remaining groups of Inglipsm Crystal Walkers. Even if his Equalizer skill already ended, he would not give up such a nice source of EXP. He charged over towards the remaining groups of monsters and finished clearing out the rest of them. In the end, he obtained 25,600 EXP from thest four groups. As for coins, each creature only gave Izroth 20 bronze coins. Therefore, he earned a total of 32 silver coins. Unfortunately, the monsters did not drop any additional items or equipment that he could use or sell. Izroth then looked over in the direction of the Moonstone Gem. He walked over to it and reached out his hand to grab it. As soon as he touched the gem, it vanished from within therge crystal and appeared inside of his inventory. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Moonstone Gem?. The item has been added to your inventory.¡µ Name: Moonstone Gem(Dungeon Item) Rank: None Usage: This Moonstone Gem releases a strong aura which causes white crystals to form around it in great quantities. When used together with its counterparts the Sapphire Gem and Aquamarine Gem, it allows its possessor to pass through one of the deepest levels of the Underwater World. Special Note: By itself, this gem does not have any value or use. If this gem leaves the Sea Pce Graveyard, it will be destroyed. ¡¯With this, I have two out of three of the gems required to venture into the deeper levels of the Sea Pce Graveyard. Now, all that I¡¯m missing is the Aquamarine Gem.¡¯ Not too far ahead of Izroth located on the opposite side of the room, was an underwater geyser simr to the one he used to arrive inside of this cavern. He¡¯d already examined the surrounding area and realized that when he grabbed onto the Moonstone Gem, the geyser activated and started erupting upward at certain intervals. Izroth moved over towards the geyser stepped onto it. A few secondster it pushed him upward through a long tunnel. It did not take long for him to reach the exit. He was shot out of the geyser andnded safely on his feet. He did not receive a new region alert from the system, therefore, he must still be within Nerita¡¯s Cavern. ¡¯Why does this ce feel so restricting?¡¯ Chapter 73 Gravity Pocket, Down The Center Path ¡´System Alert: You have entered a Level One ?Gravity Pocket?.¡µ ¡¯A level one gravity pocket? Strange, my body feels heavier than usual here.¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows when he received the system alert. This was something he had no prior knowledge about; he¡¯d never heard of a gravity pocket within RML. Though from the effects alone, it was easy enough toe up with a conclusion of what purpose it served. Izroth felt as if he was carrying another person around due to the increased gravity. It would be difficult for yers to adapt to the sudden shift in gravity. However, thanks to Izroth¡¯s Heavenly Golden Body, the transition only provided him with mild difort. When he took his first step forward, he received yet another system alert. After reading over the alert, Izroth finally grasped what was behind this level one gravity pocket. ¡´System Alert: You have received a quest!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Since you are not in a party, the quest rank has been increased! Do you wish to ept the quest?¡µ Quest Name: Gem of The Sea Rmended Level: 21 Rmended Party Size: 3-4 Quest Rank: B Quest Objective: Venture into Nerita¡¯s Cavern to retrieve one of ?Nerita¡¯s Scale? located near the deepest part of the cavern, past the ?Gravity Pocket? caused by a mysterious gemstone. Once you¡¯ve obtained a ?Nerita¡¯s Scale?, you must ce it inside of the ?Dreaming Wave Pond? to purify the corruption devouring the scale¡¯s essence. Time Limit: None 0/1 Retrieve one of ?Nerita¡¯s Scale? located past the ?Gravity Pocket?. 0/1 Take one ?Nerita¡¯s Scale? and ce it inside of the ?Dreaming Wave Pond?. Reward: -x10 silver coins -?Aquamarine Gem? -5,000 EXP ¡¯It¡¯s thest gem that I need in order to enter into a deeper level of the Underwater World. Although the EXP is not all that great, it¡¯s not too bad for something that was originally a C-ranked quest. Given the rank of the quest, it should not be too difficult to retrieve the scale and obtain the Aquamarine Gem.¡¯ As Izroth took in his surroundings, he noticed three separate paths. There was one path directly in front of him, one path to his left side, and thest path was located on his right side. Above the paths were different numbers carved onto some type of metallic alloy te. The te on the left side had the number one written on it. The te straight ahead of Izroth had the number five written on it, and thest te to the right had the number three written on it. Izroth did not have any clue as to what these numbers meant until he approached a nearby sign with writing on it. It gave a description of what a yer would go through depending on which of the paths they decided to take. The path located on Izroth¡¯s left side was the easiest path, however, it was also the longest path. yers traveling through that path would only have to deal with the increased gravity, but ording to the sign, it would take at least one hour to arrive at the next location! There was also some powerful restriction magic in ce on the pathway that prevented yers from moving above a certain speed. That meant yers who decided to venture down that path could only move slower than they were used to, not faster. Izroth immediately dismissed this option, after all, why would he want to waste an hour walking down a path? This path was probably for yers that could not make it through the other two paths. ¡¯I wonder what path those yers from Cross Haven chose.¡¯ Izroth then examined the second listed pathway which was the one positioned closest to his right side. This path was perfect for most yers to take as long as there was a person within the party capable of being agile and resourceful enough to reach the end. The right path was filled with various traps and there were certain parts of the pathway that made it difficult for someone to maintain a proper footing. If one made too many mistakes, then they could end up dying and having to respawn all the way at back to the beginning of the dungeon. However, the best thing about this path was that only one yer within the party had to sessfully reach the other side. As long as that yer was sessful in reaching the other side then the path would open up for the rest of their party members to cross unhindered. ¡¯This path doesn¡¯t sound all that bad. I wonder if the traps are simr to the ones I encountered at Goblin¡¯s Paradise.¡¯ Izroth was confident that with Flickering Steps and Shadow Movement active, it would be as easy as breathing going down that path. However, the path that caught his attention the most was the one located just ahead of him. ¡¯Interesting...¡¯ The center path would be the fastest way to arrive at the other side, however, there was just one problem. While it did not have any traps, it was safe to say that yers with weak willpower would want to stay far away from it. ording to the sign, the center path was a level two gravity pocket. From the level one gravity pocket alone, Izroth already felt as if his body weight had double. A level two gravity pocket may not be as simple as tripling his body weight, however, he understood that the system would not create something that was impossible for yers to do. ¡¯Although the level two gravity pocket will be a bit troublesome, I believe that it will not cause any major issues. However, isn¡¯t it still a bit unreasonable to create a path like this?¡¯ What grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention were the words Siren Call. It did not give too many details about the Siren Call, however, it did mention that yers would have to go through a constant willpower check. If it were only the Siren Call then there was not anything to worry about, but Izroth did not have the proper skills in his arsenal required to deal with the creatures lurking in there. Located along the center pathway were creatures known as Spectral Jellyfish. They resembled the ghost-like jellyfish creature Izroth had observed when he was shown the throne room, Trestix. However, they were much smaller inparison and did seem as powerful. The creatures werepletely immune to all normal physical attacks and could only be damaged by magical or energy based attacks. The only energy based attack Izroth had in his arsenal at the moment was the skill Second Baneful Sword: Kill. Although the Second Baneful Sword: Kill was a powerful energy based attack, the cooldown time on it was too long. Even if the cooldown time was reduced by 50% after killing a target it would not suffice. Furthermore, there was not a 100% chance of the skill cooldown resetting. Izroth also had the lightning damage from his Lightning Field skill, however, that skill onlysted for ten seconds. Who knew how many Spectral Jellyfish were lurking on the pathway? Of course, he could always just use Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song, but would it be worth it? ¡¯The center path is the quickest way, but if that¡¯s all there was to it then I would be better off choosing the right path as itpliments my current skillset. However, I can¡¯t ignore thest sentence on that sign.¡¯ Thest sentence for the center path made Izroth curious. Written on the sign was . It was vague and did not say what the gift was, but Izroth knew that the gift rewarded would be equal to the given task. ¡¯I¡¯ll try the center path. If things get a bitplicated then I¡¯ll just use Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song as ast resort.¡¯ Izroth decided, he would journey down the center path and take the risk for a potential reward. Besides, he was far from worried about a test of willpower. His mind, body, and soul were all strengthed to a ridiculous level, especially whenpared to the average person. He highly doubted the system took into ount someone with his level of willpower. After all,pared to the arduous path of cultivation, this could be considered as child¡¯s y inparison. Izroth walked towards the center path and when his foot stepped onto the pathway, he immediately felt a crushing weight pushing down on his entire body. As he predicted, this was much more than a simple tripling of body weight. He felt as though the gravity had increased tenfoldpared to the time before he entered the level one gravity pocket. ¡´System Alert: You have entered a Level Two ?Gravity Pocket?.¡µ ¡¯Even though the level of the gravity pocket only increased by one, it¡¯s around five times greater than the level one gravity pocket. It feels as if an invisible force is trying to crush me. I wonder, what level do gravity pockets go up to?¡¯ Izroth was calmly walking step by step down the center pathway. Each step left a deep footprint in the ground beneath his feet. From the outside, it looked as though Izroth was just casually going for stroll, however, the truth was that he was currently traveling at his top speed without the use of any movement skills. His current agility stat was at 300 after he reached the second stage of the Heavenly Golden Body and invested 7 of the 18 stat points he earned from leveling up into his agility stat. He also put 7 of the stat points into his attack stat and thest 4 into his HP stat. The system was more unreasonable than Izroth originally thought. To ask yers to withstand such pressure while going through constant willpower checks from the Siren Call, and deal with the Spectral Jellyfish that were immune to physical attacks was far from easy. Though that was a good thing for Izroth as the harder the challenge, therger the reward forpleting it. After walking through around a third of the pathway, Izroth suddenly heard a soft singing voice. It was alluring and seemed to call out to him. When he ignored the call, it began to turn into a loud high-pitched scream with a frequency high enough to shatter ss. It was the Siren Call that he¡¯d read about on the sign outside the pathway. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a ?Willpower? check!¡µ The further into the pathway Izroth traveled, the more intense the Siren Call became. That was not all that changed, when he reached the halfway mark he could see a spectral being with the head of a jellyfish rise up from underneath the ground. Oooeeekkkk! Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the creature that appeared before him. It was the Spectral Jellyfish that he was warned about. Name: Spectral Jellyfish(Elite) Level: 22 HP: 9,450 (100%) ¡¯It has more HP than expected.¡¯ Izroth figured that the monster would be like the Inglipsm Crystal Walkers that he fought not too long ago and have low HP because of its normal physical attack immunity. However, its HP was almostparable to the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks swimming around Calder¡¯s Reef. Not too long after the first Spectral Jellyfish appeared, another one phased through from the ceiling. It did not stop there and two more phased in from the side walls. In just a few seconds, Izroth was being approached by four Spectral Jellyfish. While they were numerous and had high HP, their agility was not impressive at all. They were only moving slightly faster than Izroth who was being weighed down by the level two gravity pocket. Since they were spectral beings, Izroth knew that it was unlikely that the monsters would be affected by the gravity pocket the same way he was. Therefore, their agility stat had to be somewhere between 35-50. If not for the gravity pocket, these Spectral Jellyfish would not be a threat to almost any yer with above-average agility. Izroth activated his Flickering Steps as the Spectral Jellyfish were hovering closer and his agility instantly shot up to 1,200. Though while inside of this gravity pocket it felt more like 120 agility. However, that was still more than twice as fast as the Spectral Jellyfish. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a ?Willpower? check!¡µ The screeching Siren Call grew even louder than before as Izroth was growing closer to the exit of the pathway. The number of Spectral Jellyfish also began to grow with at least one spawning with every step Izroth took. The twenty seconds on Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps skill did notst that long, but he managed to cover a good amount of distance. There was just one small issue, there were over fifty Spectral Jellyfish following closely behind him and the number was only increasing every second that ticked by. ¡¯Will I have to use Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song after all?¡¯ Just as Izroth was getting ready to use hisst resort skill, he saw a bright light slowly forming up ahead. As Izroth closed the distance to the bright light, the sound generated by the Siren Call became so loud that it started to create sound waves which attempted to push Izroth back and away from the bright light. However, it was not enough to make him falter. Izroth passed the final willpower check and just as the Spectral Jellyfish were about to reach him, he managed to safely arrive at the location that was emitting the bright light. When he stepped into the bright light, the Spectral Jellyfish vanished as if they were never there to begin with. The Siren Call had ended as well and that high-pitched screeching noise slowly faded out. ¡´System Alert: You are no longer within a ?Gravity Pocket?.¡µ The pressure pushing down against Izroth eased up once he left the pathway and arrived inside of a small room. The first thing Izroth noticed was a gorgeous pink scale resting upon a bed of lovely pure white pearls, but there was something unusual about the scale. There was a dark corrupted aura being emitted from it that felt incredibly familiar to Izroth. Izroth frowned when he felt the familiar sinister aura. ¡¯This aura... Doesn¡¯t it belong to the Shadahi? Why is it being released by a scale located so far away from the Shadahi Realm?¡¯ Chapter 74 Dreaming Wave Pond That sinister aura was something Izroth was extremely familiar with. This was because while inside of the Shadahi Realm he could feel that it was lingering throughout the entire atmosphere. Izroth figured that whatever Shadahi infected the scale, it could not have been recently. This was due to the fact that the Shadahi were currently sealed away in their own realm. In order to bypass the seal on that realm, Izroth needed the S-ranked magical item that the Seer Tererestiaa lent him, the Boundary Sealing Sphere. He had no way of knowing for sure, but he was doubtful that there were many items like the Boundary Sealing Sphere around. While it was not impossible, it was highly improbable. Another reason he believed it to be so was due to the events which took ce in the throne room that he observed. Kashysh was not the only mermaid inside of that throne room. There was one more mermaid with sparkling pink scales on her tail. Izroth did not manage to get a good look at her because of the angle at which he was spectating the events at, but he was positive that the mermaid he saw there was the same Nerita whose name was called out by Kashysh. It was also safe to say that it was the same Nerita who this cavern was named after. He walked over towards the scale resting upon the bed of pure white pearls and grabbed ahold of it. When the scale touched his hands, he felt cold energy trying to gradually drag him under its influence. Strangely enough, he did not receive a willpower check alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Nerita¡¯s Scale?¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Retrieve one of ?Nerita¡¯s Scale? located past the ?Gravity Pocket?, has beenpleted for the quest ?Gem of The Sea?.¡µ Izroth took a moment to scan the small room he was in. He was looking for something that the sign outside promised him once he sessfully reached the end of the center path, a reward. However, there was nothing in sight that appeared to be any kind of reward and he did not see anything in the system logs indicating that he had been rewarded. ¡¯Could it be that even though I have reached the end of the pathway, I was unsessful inpleting it?¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows, thinking back to the words written on the sign. He remembered every single word on that sign. There was no other instructions or requirements as to what he needed to do in order to have cleared the path sessfully and obtain his reward. In that case, there was only one usible exnation and it was that he had yet to reach the true end of the pathway. ¡¯I¡¯ve left the gravity pocket and the Spectral Jellyfish have stopped chasing me. The Siren Call has ended as well... Is it still possible that the path continues on past this room?¡¯ There was only one way to find out. Located just behind the bed of pearls was a door with strange carvings on it. It resembled the same carvings that were on that statue of Kashysh back when Izroth first entered into the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon. He opened the door and as he did, it made a small creaking sound as though this particr door had not been used for countless years. When he stepped through the door, it immediately closed shut on its own. Izroth tried to open the door, however, it did not budge. ¡¯It seems I have no choice but to continue moving forward.¡¯ In front of Izroth were a flight of stairs that led down into darkness. There was no form of lighting and so it was very difficult to see the steps beneath one¡¯s feet. If one were not careful enough then it would be fairly easy for them to lose their bnce and fall down the flight of stairs. However, a little bit of darkness was not enough to impede Izroth. He swiftly traveled down the stairs and when his feet touched down onto the bottom of the stairway, Izroth felt himself being pulled underneath the ground below. He was slowly sinking into the ground and was unable to break free of it. ¡¯It¡¯s like I¡¯m trapped in some sort of quicksand... Though this is more troublesome to break free of.¡¯ Unable to escape from the quicksand-like ground, Izroth resorted to using the skill Shadow Movement. He instantly turned into a dark shadow before leaving the area of the sinking ground and traveling forward at a high speed through the tunnel. While in this shadow form, he could move around freely and did not have to worry about running into that sinking ground again. Even though Izroth possessed heightened senses, he was unable to detect the sinking ground. Since there was no movement or activity going on within the ground itself, there did not seem to be anything off about the surroundings. After all, it was still impossible for him to see through the earth or solid objects. ¡¯I suppose that sign was not kind enough to include everything.¡¯ The walls began to tremor and they started closing in on Izroth. Thanks to his skill Shadow Movement, he could stay in the shadow form for up to 30 seconds while having his agility increased to 600. That was plenty of time to make it to the end of the passageway at his current speed. On the ceiling of the tunnel, a few sharp pointed objects began to materialize out of thin air. They fell down from the ceiling as Izroth was moving forward, however, he skillfully evading them just before the objects were able to hit him in his shadow form. If he were to take damage while using Shadow Movement then it would forcibly cancel his shadow form. Izroth spotted a faint glowing light up ahead. It wasing from a small square tform releasing magical energy. In just a few seconds, Izroth reached that tform with plenty of time to spare. The walls had note anywhere near to closing all the way due to how fast Izroth traveled in such a short period of time. While this type of trap may be dangerous to the vast majority of yers, it was not a problem for Izroth who had personally experienced ces many times more life-threatening than this tunnel. After sessfully making it to the square tform, Izroth¡¯s shadow form was automatically canceled as his body began to turn into countless bubbles. The square tform beneath him emitted a luminous light and it felt as if he was being carried off to another location. ... ¡¯Where is this ce?¡¯ When the bright light died down around Izroth, he appeared before a beautiful pond. The water inside of the pond was constantly sparkling and it released a refreshing aura that made one feel rejuvenated. There were no monsters or other lifeforms within the water and there was not a single drop of contamination. He could feel his body that was scattered into countless bubbles, converging and rematerializing at a single point. ¡¯This pond is even more wless than the Lake of Tears.¡¯ Although the pond was not thatrge in size, only spanning a few meters, that did not make it any less impressive than the Lake of Tears. When Izroth¡¯s body finished materializing, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully cleared the center path.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Underwater World Treasure Chest?¡µ Name: Underwater World Treasure Chest(Soulbound) Rank: Rare Usage: Contains a single preserved Common, Umon, or Rare relic of the Great Kashysh Sea inside. Common Item Chance: 20% Umon Item Chance: 50% Rare Item Chance: 30% Special Note: This chest is rewarded to those who manage to sessfullyplete the center path inside of Nerita¡¯s Cavern located within the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon on their first try. This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. This item cannot be opened while inside of the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard. It was the reward he¡¯d been waiting for, ever since taking on the most challenging of the three paths. The chest showed the chances of obtaining a rare item which could be considered quite high. The good news was that there was at least a 30% chance of him acquiring a rare item. The bad news was that there was also a 20% chance of him receiving amon item. Though the most likely oue was obtaining the umon item, as it had a 50% chance assigned to it. Izroth shook his head after examining the Underwater World Treasure Chest. The system made him go through all of that just for a chance to possibly receive amon item? How cruel would that be if he were to obtain amon item when there was a chance to acquire a rare item? ¡¯Let¡¯s hope that my 1 Luck states in handy.¡¯ Izroth set the Underwater World Treasure Chest into his inventory for now. After doing so, he approached the edge of the pond. He opened up his inventory and removed the Nerita¡¯s Scale from it before cing it down into the pond. The corrupted energy that surrounded the scale became faint before disappearingpletely and not leaving a single trace behind. The only thing remaining was the dazzling pink scale that seemed to gain a new breath of life when the dark aura was extracted from it. It gently floated to the bottom of the pond. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Take one ?Nerita¡¯s Scale? and ce it inside of the ?Dreaming Wave Pond?, has beenpleted for the quest ?Gem of The Sea?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Gem of The Sea?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 10 silver coins¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 5,000 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded x1 ?Aquamarine Gem?¡µ Inside of the Dreaming Wave Pond, a small hexagonal shaped gem floated up to the surface of the water. It was aqua in color and continually released pulsating energy waves throughout the pond. Just being near the object itself caused one to feel as though they were being weighed down by an invisible force. The Sapphire Gem and Moonstone Gem in Izroth¡¯s inventory were shaking as if calling out to that hexagonally shaped gem. The gem rose up into the air and stopped right in front of Izroth. He reached out to retrieve the gem and it felt much heavier than the Sapphire Gem or the Moonstone Gem he previously obtained. Name: Aquamarine Gem(Dungeon Item) Rank: None Usage: This gemstone creates powerful gravity pockets outside of its immediate surroundings. When used together with its counterparts the Sapphire Gem and Moonstone Gem, allows its possessor to pass through one of the deepest levels of the Underwater World. Special Note: By itself, this gem does not have any value or use. If this gem leaves the Sea Pce Graveyard, it will be destroyed. He set it into his inventory with the other gems before looking over at therge metallic door on the opposite side of the room. Positioned in separate areas within the room were three circr shaped discs ced on top of a stand made from a solid stone type material. Each of the circr shaped discs possessed a slot in the middle of it that would only fit a specifically shaped object into it. The slots shapes matched those of the three gems Izroth obtained while inside of the Sea Pce Graveyard. When Izroth reached therge metallic door, a hologram was projected in front of him. It was projected by the magical symbols carved onto the door. The hologram was instructions on how to pass through this door and enter into a deeper level of the Underwater World. After reading the entire hologram, Izroth remembered back to the moment when he was just about to step into the entrance for this dungeon. Wess had warned him that he would be unable to finish this dungeon alone. It was not because Wess believed hecked the skills to do so, but simply because of this door in front of him. Izroth finally understood why Wess said those words to him. ¡¯Now it makes sense... That¡¯s why he said it would be impossible for me toplete this dungeon alone.¡¯ Izroth remained calm despite his current set of circumstances and he could not help butugh inwardly. The reason that this would normally be impossible to do alone was due to the fact that in order to enter through this door and into the deeper levels of the Underwater World, each gem needed to be set into the proper slot within less than one second after another gem was ced in. This meant that if one gem was set into its slot toote, then it would not work and Izroth would be unable to continue on with the dungeon. Normally at this part, a party of yers could easily split the gems among themselves and set them into the slots at the same time without issue. But, Izroth was currently running this dungeon solo and although the room itself was not that huge, the circr discs were still located at least 30 meters apart from one another. Wess would have been correct if it were any other yer, however, the yer just happened to be Izroth. ¡¯I might cut it a little close, but it should be possible.¡¯ Chapter 75 Memories Of The Sea II Izroth removed all three of the gemstones he collected from within his inventory. He took a brief moment to closely inspect the circr discs and the shapes of the slots located at their centers. He had to make sure he knew which gems would fit into their respective slots. He then moved over to the stand holding up the circr disc that was positioned on the right side of the room. The slot at the center of that disc had the shape of the Sapphire Gem, the first gemstone that Izroth obtained after defeating Calder. ¡¯Let¡¯s see...¡¯ Izroth ced the Sapphire Gem inside of the slot and immediately after, he dashed towards the direction of the next stand. However, when he was around a third of the way there, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The gemstone sequence has failed. x1 ?Sapphire Gem? has been returned to your inventory.¡µ ¡¯A little more than 10 meters. That was to be expected.¡¯ Izroth understood that it was unlikely for him to close 30 meters in under one second using only his base agility alone. Based on his attempt just now, he would need approximately 900 agility to sessfully make it to the next tform within a one second time frame. However, his movements had to be incredibly urate or else there was a chance that he would miss the gem slot and have to start over again. ¡¯With Flickering Steps, my agility will increase to 1,200. It should be more than enough to arrive at the next two stands in time. However, the slots are only a few centimeters in size. To be safe, I should use the initial few seconds of Flickering Steps to attempt some test runs.¡¯ He did not want to have to wait three minutes for the cooldown on Flickering Steps to reset to try again in case he happened to be unsessful. After all, the sign outside of the three pathways did not have every single detail of information listed, so maybe what he read on the hologram was only a section of the true requirements. Of course, this was just a spection. Izroth removed the Sapphire Gem from his inventory before he walked back over towards its proper circr disc. His figure began to flicker, seemingly in and out of existence, as he activated the skill Flickering Steps. He traveled swiftly from one tform to the next in the blink of an eye. He made sure to match the correct gem with its respective slot. The results were that on his first attempt, he was slightly off and missed the second gemstone slot. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to adjust for the increased weight of the Aquamarine Gem.¡¯ The second slot, which was located more towards the center of the room, belonged to the Aquamarine Gem. When Izroth tried to ce the Aquamarine Gem into its slot, the mass of the item was having constant fluxations at the final moment just before it was about entered into its slot. This caused Izroth to be slightly off in its cement. He still continued onward towards the third and final slot which belonged to the Moonstone Gem. It did not appear to have any issues and went in without any trouble. After all the gemstones were sessfully returned to his inventory, Izroth quickly moved to his starting position by the Sapphire Gem¡¯s circr disc slot. He still had ten seconds left on his Flickering Steps as he set the Sapphire Gem into its slot. Immediately after doing so, Izroth elerated to an unimaginable speed and instantly closed the distance between the first and second stands in less than one second. This time he was prepared for the constant shift in weight of the Aquamarine Gem and did not have any mishaps. He seeded in cing the Aquamarine Gem into its slot as he pushed on to the final circr disc. Fortunately, nothing unexpected urred and he was able to sessfully set the Moonstone Gem into its slot with some time to spare. The entire process took Izroth less than a total of two seconds! The afterimages formed from Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps still remained, lingering at the locations at each stand. But, his real figure had already appeared in front of therge metallic door. There were various unlocking mechanisms that sounded from inside of the door. The magical symbols embedded into the door began to light up one by one as the gemstones which Izroth ced into the circr disc started to emit brilliant lights. Each gemstone released a concentrated beam of energy and all three of them struck a colorless gemstone that was located at the top of the metallic door. The whole room was filled with a breathtakingly beautiful aurora light as the colorless gemstone slowly floated into the air. The Sapphire Gem, Moonstone Gem, and Aquamarine Gem all began to gravitate towards the colorless gemstone. When the three gems arrived in its immediate vicinity, they began to orbit the colorless gemstone. The rotation of the orbit was bing faster and faster as every second passed until eventually, the three gemstones that were circling the colorless gemstone had appeared to vanish. The colorless gemstone started to gain some color to it. It was not just a single one, but rather a myriad of colors. The now rainbow colored gemstone, crashed into therge metallic door creating a loud sound that resembled that of a gong. This sound resonated constantly throughout the entire room as therge metallic doors started to open. Izroth could not see clearly what was on the other side, as a luminous rainbow colored light blocked his sight. He felt as if he were being pulled into a portal simr to the one located at the dungeons entrance area. Izroth was dragged into the door, as it soon closed shut and the gemstone lost all its brilliance. ... "Where is she?! Where is Kashysh?!" Izroth heard a loud voice as he slowly opened his eyes. When he took a look at his surroundings, he realized that he was in a situation simr tost time when he came across Scagmag. The people around did not seem to notice him and he was unable to ess his character window. ¡¯Is this another vision?¡¯ As he observed the room he was in, Izroth soon discovered the source of the voice. It was the middle-aged man Izroth saw during hisst encounter, Scagmag, in his human form. However, the real question was what exactly did Scagmag or whatever was causing these visions, want him to see? What grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention more than anything was a figure lying unconscious inside of a giant m filled with gorgeous sea anemone. The sea anemone was glowing with a light green color as if it were trying to rejuvenate the figure inside of the giant m. However, no matter how much it tried to, there was some kind of dark and corrupted energy that repelled its attempts. This corrupted energy was covering the figure lying down in the giant m and Izroth realized who it was with a single nce. ¡¯Kashysh... Her appearance has changed since thest time I saw her.¡¯ The individual lying down unconscious inside of that giant m was indeed Kashysh, the ruler of the Great Sea. She was engulfed by a dark and invasive cold energy. There was arge w mark across her stomach region and her once dazzling pure aqua-colored scales were now tainted and had turned pitch ck. Although Izroth could not feel the dark energying from Kashysh, its appearance matched the same corrupted aura attached to the pink scale that he recovered inside of Nerita¡¯s Cavern. More likely than not, that dark energy unmistakably belonged to the Shadahi. ¡¯A Shadahi powerful enough to injure Kashysh has to at least be as strong as Syxirius.¡¯ If he took her words at face value, then Kashysh and Scagmag should be equal or at least close in strength. For someone to injure her meant that they must have been at least a legendary Shadahi that was around the same level as the sealed one Izroth met during his journey to the Shadahi Realm. "Sir Scagmag, her majesty is in no condition for visitors-" The one who spoke was Glekan, however, before he could even finish what he was saying, he was blown away by a powerful invisible force. Glekan flew back coughing up a blue liquid which was probably his blood. Scagmag had a cold look in his eyes, "Those who block my path will not be forgiven. This is my final and only warning!" Who would dare to bar his path after that powerful demonstration? No one interfered as he approached the giant m which the unconscious Kashysh was lying in. After staring at her for a period of time. He suppressed his anger while asking, "What happened...?" Scagmag made a promise to Kashysh¡¯s father who was like a brother to him, to take care of her. But, even if he did not make that promise, he already considered Kashysh as his only family. For her to be injured under his protection... How could he not be infuriated? Everyone was silent as none of them knew how to answer that question. When her majesty returned, she was alone and in bad shape. Trestix, Nerita, and Sakod were nowhere to be found. Their current locations were unknown, however, everyone knew that if her majesty was in such a terrible condition, then the chances of those three surviving were... "Answer me!" Scagmag was growing impatient as everyone present remained silent. Glekan¡¯s facial expression darkened as he was severely injured from a single aura attack. However, he managed to struggle to his feet. "Her majesty... Was attacked in the Overside World...!" Although he was unhappy at being assaulted, after that disy he was sure that he could not risk angering Scagmag any further. "Where are the three who journeyed with her?" Scagmag ced two of his fingers onto Kashysh¡¯s forehead before furrowing his brows. The corrupted energy was already too deeply rooted. It hadpletely integrated itself with Kashysh¡¯s entire physiology. Even if he were to take her to the Dreaming Wave Pond, it would have little effect. "Her majesty returned alone... The fate of the other three are still undetermined but it¡¯s most likely that..." Glekan stopped speaking for a brief moment. He did not want to say it as he was afraid it may be a reality. After all, he may disagree with some of the others, but he still respected their strength and undying loyalty to her majesty. Glekan finished his sentence, "It¡¯s most likely that those three have perished while securing her majesty¡¯s retreat. Knowing them, even if they had to die, everyst one of them would be unwilling to let this harm befall her majesty. Their deaths are the only usible oue." Scagmag appeared to be lost in deep thought as he continued to examine Kashysh. "Where are the others?" Scagmag turned to look at Glekan. "They have gathered their troops and prepared a march to the Overside World. The only reason I did not join them was that one of us had to look after her majesty. Otherwise... I would have dly rushed to eradicate all of those vile surface dwellers!" Glekan had a look of endless hatred in his eyes. "Fools... All of you, fools! Did everyst one of you lose your mind now that her majesty is unconscious?!" Scagmag was furious, however, he could not me thempletely. Compared to him, they were all young and inexperienced. None of them had actually fought against the type of vile creature that inflicted this wound before, and so none of them had any clue who was actually behind this. "Are we to just sit here and do nothing while we let them get away with this?!" Glekan tried to hold back his anger, however, it was bing increasingly difficult to do so. He was already upset that he could not personally join the battle and this was only reminding him of his helplessness. Scagmag shook his head before looking back towards Kashysh. "Her majesty has tried her best to ensure that war does not happen with the Overside World. She could foresee the disaster that would take ce soon; a disaster that no race would be safe from. Yet all of you..." Scagmag managed to calm himself down after a while before heading towards the exit of the room. "I will try to catch up with those fools. Let us hope that I am not toote and the war can still be avoided. I will find a way to cure her majesty. If any additional harm should befall her while I am away, then don¡¯t me me for taking your life." Scagmag then vanished from out of the room. There was an eerie silence that lingered in the room. A beautiful mermaid was still lying unconscious within the giant m. There was a strange beauty to her resting face. At that moment, she appeared to be... Peaceful. ... Before he knew it, Izroth was no longer at the same location. He had arrived in apletely unfamiliar environment. He was also now capable of essing his character window without any issue. ¡¯Scagmag, Kashysh, those 14 individuals, the Shadahi, and the people on the surface. Something happened between all the involved parties that Scagmag or someone must be trying to show me.¡¯ Izroth had a feeling that whatever took ce here or in the Overside World, was something that changed the fate of the entire Underwater World. Chapter 76 Great Sea Palace Outer Layer In the distance was a colossal structure that resembled a sand castle. It was made up of various types of corals, sturdy underwater nts, and many unknown materials. It did not appear to be as luxurious as the pce located within Amaharpe, however, it held onto its very own rustic and elegant charm. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Great Sea Pce Outer Layer?¡µ Izroth was currently positioned on top of some kind of underwater cliff. However, he could not move forward any further as the system boundary was set in ce. While the colossal sand castle structure was the first thing that grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention, it was not the only thing. There were a total of fouryers surrounding the sea pce. The outeryer, which was theyer that Izroth had been dropped off into by thatrge metallic door, was theyer positioned furthest from the sea pce. There were two middleyers and then the finalyer which encircled the sea pce itself. Eachyer was surrounded by a gigantic bubble. It seemed to be a barrier of sorts that prevented theyers from interacting with one another. ¡¯It looks as though the system does not want me to just swim over freely. Could it be that I have to break through all fouryers toplete this dungeon?¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows as he thought about his current situation. It did not make any sense. This was only a low-leveled dungeon, it should not require so much effort just to clear it. After thinking for a few moments, something suddenly dawned on Izroth. He realized that he may not have to journey through all of theseyers in one go. The set up of this dungeon reminded him of some ssic MMORPGs. ¡¯Of course... If that was the case then everything would make sense. There¡¯s a good chance that the Sea Pce Graveyard is not just one dungeon alone.¡¯ In some ssic MMORPGs, some dungeons were linked together and at the same time, split up into different parts. But certain parts would not be essible until one reached a higher level and they located the entrance. Of course this was just a theory of Izroth¡¯s, however, it would exin many of the unanswered questions he asked himself. There was even the possibility that in the future this could lead to something far more rewarding than a mere dungeon... A Raid! Though, the chances were unlikely when Izroth really thought about it. After all, what are the chances that he woulde across such a huge discovery? But, everything seemed to be pointing in a favorable direction. ¡¯Forget it. I¡¯ll get the answers when I reach the end. For now, I should just deal with the things as theye.¡¯ Located not too far from Izroth was a water slide simr to the one he traveled down after defeating Calder. The only difference was that this water slide was much shorter and Izroth could clearly see the bottom part of it. Since the water slide was the only visible way out of this area, Izroth decided to head down. It took less than ten seconds for him to reach the bottom end of the water slide. When Izroth reached the bottom, there were two mermen that closely resembled the Sea Pce Guard¡¯s Izroth had previously encountered. However, these mermen looked much more intimidating and released a battle-hardened aura. Instead of the bronze tridents that the Sea Pce Guards used, these mermen were holding onto a silver trident. The silver trident was releasing a faint glowing yellow energy that wasparable to the one Calder used in his fight against Izroth. But, the energy the weapons released was much less threatening than that of Calder¡¯s weapon. Izroth examined the mermen that were around 20 meters away from him, standing guard by in front of an entryway the led into the next area. Right now, Izroth had returned to the water environment. This meant that there was pretty much an absolute guarantee that those mermen would receive an agility boost. Name: Sea Pce Imperial Guard(Elite) Level: 23 HP: 15,000 (100%) There were no objects to lead them around or any obstacles that would hinder their speed. It was an open room with only one way in and one way out. ¡¯The two guards are too close to each other to fight one at a time. I¡¯ll have to be a bit careful during this fight. Even with the effect of the Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest, it¡¯s still highly likely that their base speed will be faster than my own.¡¯ With the Hellfire Rampage passive skill that was attached to his Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest, as long as he kept attacking within 3 seconds, he would be able to maintain its total agility boost of 100. Izroth was confident that with the 100 agility added on to his 300 agility, it should be enough to retaliate and react properly. After all, even if he could see the attacksing thanks to his heightened senses, it was useless if the enemy was too fast for him to react the attack. 400 agility should allow him to receive little to no damage without the use of Lightning Field or Flickering Steps skills. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning. There were little crackles of lightning flowing throughout the entire de. Now that he thought about it, he was quite lucky to receive a lightning based weapon and that the closest dungeon was filled with water-type monsters. Izroth swiftly moved forward and when he was around 15 meters away, the two Sea Pce Imperial Guards noticed his presence. "It¡¯s a surface dweller! Stop right there!" Both of the Sea Pce Imperial Guards swam forward at an incredible speed. Just as Izroth thought, the two of them were naturally faster than him while inside of a body of water. One of the Sea Pce Imperial Guards swung outward with their silver trident, releasing a powerful wave of yellow energy. The energy appeared to create a concentrated and pressurized wave of water that looked as if it could sh through solid objects without much resistance. Izroth reacted quickly and before the Sea Pce Imperial Guard unleashed their attack, he had already begun to make his move to avoid it. The skill the creature used had the same prerequisite action for its skill activation as Calder¡¯s attack did for his. So Izroth was prepared ahead of time for the iing attack. Miss! Izroth waited until the two Sea Pce Imperial Guards were within 3 meters before a myriad of elusive palms shot out towards them. He aimed for their gills positioned just beneath their ribcage, however, they managed to protect their vital point which forced Izroth to adjust his attack. While his attack sessfully struck, he just barely missed their vital point. -266 -266 ¡¯Their agility is a bit higher than I expected.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s agility increased by 20 thanks to the Hellfire Rampage skill after both of his attacksnded sessfully, making his current agility 320. The second Sea Pce Imperial Guardshed out with his silver trident. The merman wanted to cut right through Izroth in one fell swoop. The other merman was not too far behind and had positioned himself to cut off Izroth¡¯s path of retreat. Izroth moved his de of Lightning in front of his body to parry the iing silver trident. Sparks flew when the two weapons collided against one another. ?Parried? -289 Just as Izroth seeded in parrying the silver trident, the other merman tried to ram into him. Izrothunched a swift counterattack, shing with his de of Lightning across the neck of the Sea Pce Imperial Guard who struck him. The merman had not yet readjusted his position after his strike which made it easier for Izroth to hit his vital point. It was also thanks to the increased agility he was constantly receiving from the Hellfire Rampage skill. ?Critical Hit? -631 Afterpleting his counterattack, Izroth immediately moved off to the side to evade the merman¡¯s ram. He quickly spun around, swinging his de of Lightning towards the same merman who just missed with his attack. There were two shadows following behind his de aimed at the merman¡¯s gills. ¡¯Their attacks aren¡¯t that much different from the Sea Pce Guards. However, there is more power behind them and the Sea Pce Imperial Guards have higher HP. Though, that¡¯s to be expected this deep into the dungeon.¡¯ .. After fighting for around 30 seconds, it did not take Izroth long to adapt to the attack patterns of the Sea Pce Imperial Guards. There were no more surprises or new attacks that they used that Izroth had not already seen. Izroth had managed to reach 10 stacks of Hellfire Rampage which boosted his agility by 100 points. Right now, his agility was at 400 which made dealing with the two sea creatures less challenging. He pressed on with his assault and was able to eventually defeat both of the Sea Pce Imperial Guards in under two minutes. He used simr tactics as when he fought against the Yellow-Razored Kryrco Sharks, saving his First Baneful Sword: Destruction as the final attack so that he could receive the skill¡¯s cooldown timer reset. Izroth had only been struck a total of two times throughout the entire battle. Though he was able to sessfully parry the blows and did not receive any major damage. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Sea Pce Imperial Guard?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 6,600 EXP¡µ Loot Drop: -1 silver 85 bronze coins ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... The EXP was pretty decent, but as usual, the coins left something to be desired. The entryway that the two Sea Pce Imperial Guards were protecting had a thinyer of bubble-like substance protecting it. The entryway would lead one down a long hallway with a huge clear ss cylinder acting as the surrounding walls of the pathway. When Izroth passed through the thinyer of bubble-like substance, he reached the other side and arrived inside of the pathway. To his surprise, the pathway was actually not filled up with any water. Although yers did not have their movements impeded while battling in water, it was still a weird feeling if one was not used to it. Therefore, most yers would probably want to avoid underwater battles as they just felt ufortablepared to fighting onnd. Izroth observed the pathway and did not see any other sea creatures guarding it. He walked along the pathway until he reached the end of it. In the room at the end of the path, was a sea creature with the lower body of a human and the upper body of a barracuda. It had beady ck eyes and dark scales covering its muscr legs. It was a frightening appearance. However, this individual was someone Izroth was familiar with. It was one of the sea creatures within the throne room in the vision he saw earlier. That particr sea creature was standing next to the one called Glekan with a vicious look in his eyes the entire time. ¡¯Another familiar face. Though it¡¯s strange that such a creature would not fight in the water... Could this sea creature be simr to Calder and change the battlefield during the middle of the fight?¡¯ There was no tform like the time when Izroth fought against Calder. It was just a rocky ground surface that mimicked the sea floor. Izroth moved close enough to obtain more information about the boss monster. Name: Vicious Barbados (Dungeon Boss) Level: 23 HP: 48,000 (100%) Izroth let out an inward sigh after seeing the dungeon boss. He was beginning to miss the system providing him with all of the creatures stats and skills before the fight began. After all, who wouldn¡¯t want such a massive advantage when it came to a boss fight? But, Izroth was never afraid of a challenge. Even though this boss was meant for an entire group of yers to ovee together, he did not believe the challenge to be above him. Izroth did not wait any longer as he charged in with his de of Lightning already drawn. Chapter 77 Vicious Barbados Izroth charged forward with his de of Lightning in hand. He remained vignt, as he did not currently have any sort of understanding about Barbados stats. When Izroth entered into Barbados range of perception, the sea creature stared at him with those beady vicious eyes of his. "Your presence taints the Great Sea! Death to all surface dwellers!" Barbados instantly went into attack mode and elerated in Izroth¡¯s direction. His speed was faster than Izroth¡¯s, but it was still manageable. This was probably due to the fact that Barbados was not receiving the agility boost that sea creatures usually did because he was not within a body of water at the moment. ¡¯Its agility isn¡¯t going to cause too much trouble. I should have no problem matching its agility once I have the full stacks for Hellfire Rampage active.¡¯ Barbados had no weapon in its hands, but instead, it depended on its rows of various sized razor sharp teeth to rip through its enemies with. Barbados opened its jaws as it tried totch onto Izroth and tear him to shreds. Izroth quickly positioned his de of Lightning to intercept Barbados¡¯ attack. His sword was locked in ce with the sea creatures mouth. There were sparks flying from the sh as though Barbados teeth were made out of an incredibly tough material. ?Parried? -544 ¡¯What a high attack stat... It has to at least be around 1,000.¡¯ When Izroth parried the blow, he felt as if a crushing pressure had descended upon him from that single attack. The worse part of it was that it seemed like that was just a basic attack. If a basic attack did so much damage, Izroth would have to be extremely careful as its skills may not be as friendly as its basic attack. Izroth¡¯s body began to flicker as copies of himself started to appear throughout the entire battlefield. He activated the skill Flickering Steps, increasing his agility to 1,200. He shed out twice in quick session at Barbados. -337 -337 After his counterattack, Izroth created a small distance between himself and Barbados. He consumed a Lesser Health Potion, restoring his HP by 150 points. He did not know the full extent of Barbados abilities just yet and so it was best not to take any chances. Izroth¡¯s current HP after consuming the potion was at 1,406. ¡¯It¡¯ll be one minute before I can use another potion. Though with Flickering Steps activated, it¡¯ll give me plenty of time to max out the stacks the for skill Hellfire Rampage.¡¯ Izroth did not wait for too long, as he would risk losing his stats from Hellfire Rampage if he went for more than 3 seconds without a sessful attacknding. Right after drinking the Lesser Health Potion, Izroth kicked off his back foot and shot towards Barbados, leaving behind a series of afterimages. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning had two shadows trailing behind its de as each strike was simply too fast for Barbados to react properly to in time. Izroth directed his sword towards Barbados lower body with the first strike. He then adjusted his attack to aim directly for Barbados gills that were located where its neck would be if its upper body was that of a human¡¯s, with his second and third strike. Izroth used the first strike of Phantom Strike and forced Barbados to guard the vital point near the lower end of its body. While Barbados managed to properly safeguard that vital point, the sea creature was unable to stop Izroth¡¯s next two strikes from hitting their intended target. -144 ?Critical Hit? -724 ?Critical Hit? -1,111 Thankfully, while Barbados possessed an insanely high attack stat, its defensive stat was a different story. It was even weaker than some of the regr elite monsters that Izroth fought earlier on. Though this kind of trade-off was to be expected, after all, if something with such a deadly attack stat also had a sturdy defense, it would be a nightmare. ¡¯At this rate, it shouldn¡¯t take too long to finish this battle.¡¯ Things were looking up for Izroth as he pressed on with his assault, quickly shaving down Barbados¡¯ HP. Barbados could only sit back and take the attacks as every time it tried to hit Izroth, it would instead strike nothing but his afterimage. 94%... 86%... 80%... When Barbados HP reached 80%, its eyes started to glow bright red and the sea creature unleashed a bloodthirsty aura. It looked as if it were being possessed by some kind of demonic being with the amount of killing intent it was releasing. "Come to me, my brothers! Devour the surface dweller and restore what is rightfully mine!" Barbados shouted in a maddened tone of voice. All of a sudden, the ground beneath Izroth¡¯s feet released a few tremors. Before he knew it, water began to fill up the room. However, it did not fill it up all the way, but rather just enough to reach Izroth¡¯s knees. ¡¯Is it happening already?¡¯ Izroth guessed that the room would eventually be filled up all the way with water like at the end of his boss fight with Calder. However, it appeared the rate at which the water was going to fill up was much faster than it did during his fight against Calder. Swoosh... Chomp...! Izroth could hear the sound of something constantly flopping around in the water. It was not long until he began to hear the sounding from all directions. When he pinpointed the source of the noise, he saw fish that looked just like Barbados closing in fast on his position. While these fish resembled Barbados, they were not nearly as big as him and also had the lower body of a fish, not a human. However, the fish swimming in Izroth¡¯s direction had that same naturally vicious look in their eyes as Barbados. There were a total of four of them. ¡¯Adds.¡¯ Name: Great Sea Barracuda(Normal) Level: 23 HP: 7,000 (100%) Izroth had dealt with quite a few number of adds so far in RML. Adds was a gaming term which referred to the additional monsters that spawned, usually, during a boss fight. It wasmon for them to give little to no EXP and drop zero loot. Adds sole purpose was usually to hinder yers in their attempt to defeat a boss monster. While the majority of the time their HP and stats were not as strong as regr monsters, there were still numerous ways adds operated in a boss fight; so that rule may not always apply. There were various reasons adds would spawn during a boss fight. It could be to heal the boss, damage the yers, or protect the boss. There were countless ways a scenario could y out when dealing with adds. If the adds were left alone, it was possible that the boss monster could be much more challenging to deal with throughout the fight. While adds did not spawn in every boss fight, it was still amon urrence in numerous fights. Therefore, yers should always be prepared to deal with adds ordingly if they appear in the middle of a boss fight. Although the Great Sea Barracudas were only normal monsters with 7,000 HP, Izroth did not underestimate them for a single moment. He had already made that mistake once against his fight with Ekquilore back in the Shadahi Realm. He decided it was best to break off his attack against Barbados and deal with the Great Sea Barracudas before resuming his assault. Bzzzt... Bzzzt! The electricity around Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning started to be more active, releasing a crackling noise that was soon followed by a loud crash that sounded as if lightning was descending from the skies above. Lightning bolts began to rain down within the surrounding 15 meters of Izroth as his movements quickened and his attacks became more fierce. Barbados did not sit still and wait for Izroth tounch his attack. The sea creature moved forward at a speed that was at least 50% faster than its original pace. Even though Barbados was notpletely submerged in water, he was still capable of gaining such a massive agility boost. Since Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps had already run out, he used Lightning Field to maintain his speed advantage over Barbados. With the effects of Lightning Field and Hellfire Rampage, Izroth¡¯s agility was sitting at a steady 600 points. Izroth agility was evenly matched with Barbados even with its newly found speed. However, Izroth¡¯s reaction times and battle experience were far superior to Barbados, giving him an advantage over the sea creature. Izroth had a simple solution on how to deal with the Great Sea Barracudas. The de of Lightning within his hands started emitting an oppressive aura. In a sh, Izroth was already before the first of the Great Sea Barracudas as his sword shed out with amazing precision, cutting cleanly through the sea creature¡¯s head. ?Critical Hit? -9,288 ¡´Battle Alert: The cooldown time for your skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? has been reset.¡µ Thanks to the reset from Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction, it made dealing with the adds rtively easy. The increased damage due to sea creatures being weak to lightning-based attacks also helped to smooth things over without issue. Even though Barbados speed matched Izroth¡¯s, it was not difficult for him to finish eliminating the Great Sea Barracudas that spawned before they could do any real damage while also dealing with Barbados. Especially with the paralyzing effect of the Lightning Field Skill. It may have been because of his 1 Luck stat, but the number of times Barbados was paralyzed happened more often than not. After finishing off the Great Sea Barracudas, Izroth immediately rushed towards Barbados. At the moment, Barbados was dyed for a brief period of time due to the Lightning Field and was incapable of taking any actions. Izroth did not miss this window of opportunity as he mercilessly began his barrage of attacks, targetting Barbados critical areas. Even if Barbados managed to move, it was not long until he was paralyzed again by Izroth¡¯s Lightning Field. While this fight appeared to be extremely easy, it was only due to the fact that Barbados opponent was Izroth. Barbados was actually the best kind of boss Izroth could ask to fight. The sea creature focused purely on physical based attacks and did not seem to possess any ranged or magic-based abilities. Ranged or magic-based bosses were much more difficult to predictpared to physical type bosses. Of course, there were always exceptions given certain circumstances but for the most part, the majority of yers would much rather fight against a physical type boss monster. Izroth¡¯s barrage of attacks was quickly chipping away at Barbados HP. Due to the bonus lightning damage from Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning, the extra damage dealt to Barbados was not small at all. 70%... 60%... 50%... 40%... When Barbados reached 40% HP, it once again called upon some Great Sea Barracudas. This time the water in the room filled up all the way to Izroth¡¯s torso and a total of eight sea creatures spawned. Izroth used the same tactic asst time and executed his First Baneful Sword: Destruction skill in order to quickly deal with the adds. However, there was something different about the adds this time around. The Great Sea Barracudas spewed out a dark green liquid after they perished. The liquid was absorbed by Barbados and as he took in more of the liquid, his nature became increasingly more violent. That was not all that changed, but his agility had increased again thanks to the room filling up with more with water. However, it was still within Izroth¡¯s tolerable speed difference range, even though Barbados was now faster than him. ¡´Battle Alert: Vicious Barbados has been consumed by Bloodlust!¡µ ¡¯Bloodlust?¡¯ Izroth knew what Bloodlust was, but he was unsure of its exact effects within RML. However, he was sure that it was not put there to make this boss fight any less challenging. All of a sudden, Izroth felt a strong force pulling his body down underneath the surface of the water! It felt as if he was being dragged down by a powerful whirlpool. Chapter 78 An Unexpected Clue! Izroth loss control over his character¡¯s movements as the entire room filled up with water. A whirlpool had formed out of nowhere exactly where Izroth had been standing when he was forcibly dragged underneath the water. There wasn¡¯t any warning to the sudden changes. Also, Izroth just happened to be unlucky. The whirlpool did not have a set spawn point. It could have appeared anywhere within the entire room and yet it chose right underneath Izroth. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by a Whirlpool¡µ When Izroth loss control of his character¡¯s movements, it took him a brief moment to readjust his body. However, Barbados did not wait for him to recover as the sea creature sped towards Izroth andnded a solid hit on him. -725 ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by Vicious Bite.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You will now Bleedout every 1 second for 10 seconds for 50 damage.¡µ -50 ¡¯The bleedout is ignoring both my physical and magical resistances. I suppose that was to be expected.¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes when he was struck by that attack. However, he did not panic and swiftly countered with an attack of his own. Most yers would be unable to act while inside of a whirlpool spinning so fast, but Izroth was able to sessfully strike back against Barbados. -995 If Wess and his party were there to see what just urred, they would all be dumbstruck. Not at the fact that Izroth was able to attack while inside of a whirlpool, but rather he was able to instantly adjust to it andnd an attack on his very first try. It also looked as if he was now unbothered by the whirlpool and could react properly even while spinning around inside of it. Izroth had fought battles in conditions far worse than this whirlpool and managed toe out on top. While he was caught off guard by the initial loss of control of his character¡¯s movements, he still quickly adapted to it in time to counterattack. Though his current situation was not looking too good. Izroth had just taken heavy damage from Barbados and he was now affected by bleedout. He could not afford to get hit by another blow like that without parrying or else he may not be so fortunate as to survive next time. The whirlpool that had dragged Izroth into it slowly began to disperse. However, when it finishedpletely disappearing, two more whirlpools formed on the battlefield at random locations and this time Izroth was not anywhere near the whirlpools. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to be careful of those whirlpools. Even though I¡¯ve already experienced it once, it¡¯s best to avoid it if possible. After all, I¡¯d rather not be tossed around while going up against this boss monster.¡¯ Vicious Barbados did not appear to be affected by the whirlpools and could even swim directly through one without its movements being hindered. Its speed was even faster than before now that the water was covering every corner of the room. Barbados zoomed right towards Izroth at an incredible speed. The sea creature resembled a silver streak traveling through the water with two beady red eyes filled with bloodlust leading the charge. Izroth removed a Lesser Health Potion from his inventory and immediately consumed it. +150 Thanks to the Lesser Health Potion, Izroth¡¯s HP went up to 781. Even though it only healed him for 150 points, it was enough to cancel out 3 seconds of the bleedout effect. Right now, every bit of HP counted. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to look into purchasing some higher grade potions.¡¯ Lesser Health Potions were not made for yers that were level 20 or higher. They were not that effective against higher level monsters that could dish out high damage. Izroth¡¯s Lightning Field ran out and his agility dropped back down to 400 points. Thankfully, he still had the max stacks for his Hellfire Rampage. However, Barbados agility was now at least double that of his current agility stat. ¡¯This¡¯ll be a bit risky, but it¡¯ll pay off nicely if it works.¡¯ As Barbados closed in on Izroth, he began to swim towards one of the whirlpools. Although the whirlpools were not located near Izroth¡¯s current position, he was still fast enough to make it there before Barbados arrived. When Izroth was thrown into the whirlpool, he received the same battle alert as before and lost control of his character¡¯s movements for a brief instant. However, Izroth was prepared this time and so he instantly regained control of his character. Barbados pierced through the whirlpool aiming to shred Izroth into countless little pieces with its rows of sharp teeth. But just when Barbados mped its jaws shut, Izroth¡¯s body was suddenly pulled out of Barbados attack range. Barbados changed its direction and pressed on with its assault, but every time it was just about to sessfully hit Izroth, his body would be yanked into a random direction making it miss with its attack. ¡¯Even a curse can be a blessing in certain situations.¡¯ Izroth was using the force from the whirlpool to his advantage against Barbados. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s speed was nowhere close to Barbados. Therefore, he came up with a n that could possibly even out the ying field. When being pulled into a whirlpool a yer would lose control of their character at first. The whirlpool moved incredibly fast and so it was difficult to regain control once it was lost. But for Izroth, now that he had experienced the sensation once, it was enough to be familiar with the feeling of being within the whirlpool. He was using the erratic movements caused by being affected by the whirlpool to naturally increase his speed. This was something unthinkable and no yer would even dream of attempting such a difficult strategy. It was one thing to stay still and regain control one time once you lost it while inside of a whirlpool. But, to do it freely and use it as a way to increase your agility... That was something only one of those monstrous yers could do! After getting used to it for a few seconds, Izroth was capable of striking out with his de of Lightning as if he were fighting normally. A few moments after that, he was actually able to aim precisely at Barbados vital points. The whirlpools dispersed and then even more appeared throughout the entire battlefield. Most yers would dread more whirlpools appearing, but for Izroth it was like paradise now that he was used to it. ¡¯The amount of whirlpools seems to double every time they respawn. I wonder if there¡¯s a limit to it.¡¯ Now that Izroth had a new method on how to deal with Barbados, he began to shave away at its HP slowly but surely. 28%... 15%... 9%... It was not long before Barbados HP dropped down below 10% and caused it to enter into an enraged state. ¡´Battle Alert: Vicious Barbados has entered into an enraged state¡µ Vicious Barbados already possessed a very high attack stat. Now that it was enraged, it would only be more deadly as the seconds ticked by. It would not be long before even the whirlpool strategy Izroth was using became useless. He did not have a lot of time to finish the battle. Izroth thought about using Second Baneful Sword: Kill, but he was unsure of what he would face after this battle and so would rather save it for the time being. There was also Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song but if he were to use that then he would receive no EXP and no loot drops. That was not a tradeoff he was willing to ept. "ept your death surface dweller!" Barbados grew faster every second. Its attacks were gradually making its way closer to Izroth. Barbados shot right past Izroth, just barely missing its attack against him. Izroth acted without hesitation as his leg was already heading towards Barbados. It resembled a snake striking out mercilessly at its prey. Izroth purposely waited until Barbados moved in close enough to execute Serpent¡¯s Bite so that the chance of it missing was drastically reduced. -240 Barbados came to an abrupt halt when Izroth¡¯s foot mmed into its body. Izroth only had 1.5 seconds to finish things up and he intended to do just that. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning sliced through Barbados gills, but Izroth did not just stop after one attack and swung out once more with his sword, striking Barbados in the head. ?Critical Hit? -724 ?Critical Hit? -724 After Izroth¡¯s second attacknded on Barbados, the sea creature broke free from the paralyze effect. With its current agility, there was no doubt that the next attack it hit Izroth with would be the end of the fight. Barbados elerated forward before turning its body around. Instead of charging in a normal straight line, Barbados kept its actions unpredictable. However, no matter how much Barbados moved around, Izroth was able to urately keep track of its movements. Even though he could keep track of Barbados movements, avoiding its attacks were another question altogether. Izroth stayed still and did not attempt to retreat from his current position. He understood that it would do him no good to fall back as there was no ce to go. Barbados arrived before Izroth, but just before its attack was about tond, Izroth turned into a shadow and disappeared from his current position. However, when Barbados just shot past Izroth, he instantly canceled his Shadow Movement skill. The sea creature was startled when Izroth suddenly vanished and was confused for a brief moment, especially since it was in an enraged state. When Barbados noticed that Izroth was behind it, the sea creature swiftly turned around. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning shed out carrying with it an oppressive aura before quickly returning to its sheath. Barbados was mere centimeters away from Izroth, but its body stopped when it was struck by Izroth¡¯s sword. The water inside of the room began to drain at a rapid pace. The whirlpools naturally stopped when the water finished draining out of the room. ?Critical Hit? -3,046 ¡¯I¡¯ve underestimated the number of tricks this game has to offer. I wonder if life essence heavenlyws will work properly here. Well, I¡¯ll find out eventually.¡¯ Izroth used First Baneful Sword: Destruction to finish off Vicious Barbados, sealing his victory against the boss monster. ¡´Battle Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Vicious Barbados¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been awarded 27,695 EXP¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the dungeon ?Sea Pce Graveyard?¡µ Izroth blinked a few times when he received thatst system alert. This was the end of the dungeon? What about Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song? What about all the visions he was shown? Did he really just overthink everything from the beginning? Izroth shook his head and went over to pick up the loot. There was nothing he could do if that was the way things were. However, when Izroth noticed one of the items inside of the loot pile had a faint glow around it, he was a bit surprised. He knew what that glow indicated. ¡¯A quest item?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth only had one quest active and that was the SSS-ranked world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. If it really did have something to do with that quest, then there was only one possible thing it could be. Izroth was in possession of Vozrak¡¯s Gift, an item that would guide him to a page from the Book of Beginnings. However, it was supposed to warn him if he was close by to a page, so the chances of the item being a page from the Book of Beginnings were nonexistent. If that were the case, then it must have something to do with that guy! ¡¯Gilidore, Betrayer of Mankind.¡¯ When Izroth picked up the item, he received an alert from the system and it was just what he predicted it to be. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Find clues regarding the background of Gilidore, has beenpleted for the world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings?.¡µ What Izroth held within his hands was a small purple m. Out of all the ces that could have held clues regarding Gilidore, what were the chances that it would be a dungeon that Izroth just happened to choose? He could have spent weeks searching and came up empty-handed! ¡¯What does this have to do with Gilidore¡¯s background?¡¯ Chapter 79 Memento Clam Izroth examined the purple m within his hands. It was no bigger than the palm of his hand and was dark purple in color. There was an unusual symbol that resembled a parade of des intersecting with one another. The m gave off a faint energy pulse every few seconds as if it were breathing. Name: Memento m(Magical Item) Rank: A Usage: This item is used to collect, store, and view memory fragments. Memory Fragments Stored: 1/10 Special Note: An ancient relic of the Great Sea that has survived through the test of time. Once this item stores a specific memory fragment, it will be unable to store unrted memory fragments. ¡¯Memory fragments? There¡¯s already one stored inside.¡¯ Izroth touched the top of the Memento m and soon after, the m popped open. There was a beautiful multi-colored pearl resting within the m. When Izroth tried to pull it out, he was unable to do so. It was as if the pearl and m were one and the same. However, just a few moments after Izroth touched the pearl, it began to release a brilliant light. The light encircled Izroth and started to slowly take form. It took the form of a transparent screen with static showing and what was on the screen was bing clearer by the second. Izroth could not make out much because the images that appeared were too choppy and fragmented. But, he managed to see the image of a man and a woman constantly flickering in and out of view. The woman was holding something in her hands wrapped in cloth but it was unclear what the object was. ¡¯How is this rted to Gilidore?¡¯ The image was in a constant loop as it repeated itself after around five seconds. Izroth furrowed his brows as he tried to make sense of it but he did not know the man or woman that was shown on the screen. ¡¯Perhaps I¡¯ll need to collect and store more memory fragments before I¡¯m able to receive a proper understanding of it. However...¡¯ Izroth had no idea where to even begin searching for memory fragments! This quest was bing more and more unreasonable. How vast was RML? A yer could spend an entire year doing nothing but exploring and still be unable to cover every corner of RML. Izroth shook his head and ced the Memento m within his inventory. ¡¯It may be that my previous prediction is urate. Otherwise, the events that transpired while inside of this dungeon and its structure would not make any sense.¡¯ He was referring to the fact that the dungeon had ended after only defeating two bosses, but there was still much more of it left to explore. Izroth, however, was unable to ess the otheryers at the moment. ¡¯The memory fragments may reside within the otheryers. After all, this is supposedly only the outeryer of the Sea Pce. In order to find answers, I¡¯ll have to first discover a way to enter into the otheryers of the Sea Pce.¡¯ Izroth was in no rush as the system gave him 90 days toplete the first part of the world quest. It would not give him such arge time limit if it was going to be that easy to figure out everything involving the world quest. Izroth then turned his attention to the other loot that dropped from the dungeon boss Vicious Barbados. Loot Drop: -25 silver coins -x2 ?Merfolk Scale? -x1 ?Vicious Edge? -x1 ?Kashysh¡¯s Scale Legs? -x1 ?Vicious Stigma? The loot was actually much better than Izroth expected it to be. He even obtained a second piece to the Kashysh¡¯s Scale set. It was too bad that the set was meant for tanks instead of damage dealers. There was one item that immediately caught Izroth¡¯s attention. It was a piece of equipment that he had yet to acquire, a trinket! essories were the hardest pieces of equipment toe by in RML, with the exception of trinkets. If a yer was fortunate enough toe across a trinket, then they could only be considered as being extremely lucky! Trinkets had an active or passive skill attached to them which was able to benefit yers greatly. In fact, trinkets were the only items in RML that yers could use regardless of their level. That meant yers could use a trinket from level 20 all the way to level 50 due to the nature of the item. Of course, yers would prefer a powerful trinket if possible. Since trinkets did not have a level, yers could only use the rank and skill to determine its usefulness. essory Name: Vicious Stigma essory Rank: Umon essory Skill: Blood Stigma(Passive) - Attacks have a 10% chance of causing the opponent to Bleedout for 10% of the user¡¯s attack damage every 1 second for 10 seconds. This damage ignores all defenses. This skill can stack up to 5 times. ¡¯What a useful skill for long battles or boss fights.¡¯ If Izroth was able to stack the skill up to 5 times with his current attack stat of 430, then the Blood Stigma would deal 215 damage every 1 second and a total of 2,150 damage every 10 seconds. This skill would work out perfectly for him as it would be even more deadly when he had Flickering Steps or Lightning Field active. Izroth equipped the Vicious Stigma trinket without hesitation. A yer could only have two trinkets equipped at the same time, though most would be lucky if they were able to find even a single trinket. He then ced the Merfolk Scales and the silver coins into his inventory before examining thest two remaining item drops. Name: Vicious Edge(Umon) Level: 23 Requirements: 200 Agility ATK: 80 AGI: 40 Name: Kashysh¡¯s Scale Legs(Umon) Level: 23 Type: te Requirements: 150 Defense HP: 400 DEF: 30 Set Effect(2): The user is able to travel freely inside the ?Underwater World? without the use of a ?Merfolk Scale?. Set Effect(3): Grants the user +50% bonus speed while within any body of water. Set Effect(4): The user gains +30 ATK, +20 DEF. Set Effect(5): The user gains +2,000 HP, +50 DEF. Set Effect(6): The user gains +4,000 HP, +50 ATK, +50 DEF. Special Note: This equipment piece is part of the ?Kashysh Scale Set? and when equipped with other set pieces, grants the user extra benefits. The Vicious Edge was not too bad for an umon weapon. It gave a decent attack and agility increase. However, it still failed to live up to Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning. As for the Kashysh¡¯s Scale Legs, its stats were not too far off from the chest piece Izroth had received from Calder. ¡¯A tank who manages to collect all six pieces would probably be immediately put on the top list of tanks just based on equipment alone.¡¯ Izroth put the Vicious Edge and Kashysh¡¯s Scale Legs into his inventory. He still had the Underwater World Treasure Chest to open, however, he could not open it while inside of the Sea Pce Graveyard. He looked around the room and noticed that a circr gateway had appeared on one of the walls. It was not there before and must have only appeared after Vicious Barbados was defeated. Izroth walked over towards the circr gateway and just as he was about to step into it, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Hey, the strangest thing just happened. I was finishing up a quest with some friends when I received an alert from the system telling me I¡¯vepleted a part of the world quest. Any idea why?"¡µ ... Luna had just returned to Amaharpe to turn in a quest she finished with her friends. She was startled when she heard the system alert sound go off and realized that a part of the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings had beenpleted. She did not remember doing anything oring across something that was rted to it. If that were the case then... Luna opened up her friendslist and saw that Izroth was online. She knew immediately that it definitely had something to do with him. Though, she felt a bit dejected for some reason that Izroth did not bother inviting her to tag along. She shook her head as a light blush formed on her cheeks trying to clear her mind. "He has no obligation to invite me. What am I thinking?" she muttered to herself before sending a message to Izroth asking him about the alert she just received. ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has sent you a message, "Just a bit of unforeseen luck."¡µ When Luna read the message he sent, she immediately gave a helpless smile. Unforeseen luck? If it were anyone else she might question that, but during the short period of time that she had known Izroth for, she knew that he was being straight-forward. "Completing a part of an SSS-ranked world quest by luck... Is that even fair?" as Luna was muttering to herself, she suddenly felt someone ce their hand on her shoulder. "Nana, we¡¯re going to take a break and go eat. Are youing with?" When Luna turned around, she saw that it was one of her friends that she was in a party with. She had short azure hair with a lovely pair of eyes to match the color. She was very petite and possessed a captivating smile that would make those around her feel refreshed and full of energy. Luna let out a helpless sigh, "I told you that nickname is embarrassing, Jia." Jia giggled yfully, "But I think that it suits you, Nana. So, are youing or not?" Luna could only give up as she shook her head, "I¡¯m going to stay on a bit longer. I have a few things I want to finish doing." "Ugh... I¡¯ve been rejected by Nana, I¡¯m heartbroken~ How mean! Waaah!" Jia was acting overdramatic and making a scene, causing the yers around them to look her and Luna with confused expressions on their faces. Luna¡¯s closed her eyes and endured the stares as her cheeks turned bright red due to the amount of embarrassment from the scene Jia was causing. "You- Don¡¯t you know how to behave decently in public?" Jia burst outughing when she saw how Luna reacted and stopped her act. It was one of her favorite pastimes to tease Luna until she reached this state. After all, they had known each other ever since they were children and so Jia knew many of Luna¡¯s weaknesses. "Bleh! Fine, we¡¯ll go eat without you. See youter, Nana!" Jia yfully stuck her tongue out at Luna before logging off. Luna let out a sigh of relief and quickly made her way away from her current location to escape the stares of the crowd. ... A new group of yers from Cross Haven was standing outside of the circr gateway that led into the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard. It was a different group from the one that was there earlier. One of the yers yawned, "It¡¯s always so boring when we have to wait our turn... Can¡¯t we all just go in at the same time? What¡¯s the big deal if someone else enters?" "Idiot, since our guild was the first to locate this dungeon it¡¯s only obvious that we reap the most benefits and take advantage of it. How could you even say such a-" Just when one of the other yers were responding, the circr gateway behind them lit up and a figure stepped out from within the gateway. ¡¯Level 22... I wonder how far along the top yers are right now.¡¯ Izroth had traveled through the circr gateway located inside of the room he fought against Vicious Barbados in. The gateway had transported him back to the entrance of the dungeon and into the ruins that he was in before he stepped inside the Sea Pce Graveyard. "Are you Izroth?" one of the yers asked when he saw Izroth exit from out of the gateway. He came out by himself and the member of Cross Haven was informed by the previous group and their lieutenant that a solo yer named Izroth was inside of the dungeon. Izroth nced over at the yer before he nodded, "I am." "Lieutenant Wess told us that you would being out. Though, the time was way longer than expected. He just wanted me to inform you that if you could not spread the word about this ce, he would be grateful." Even though the dungeon showed up on the Exploration Logs, it was still a bit tricky to find. If possible, Wess wanted to avoid an influx of yers. After all, if too many yers poured in at once then even if they were a top guild, it would not be worth it to antagonize the general public. Izroth had no reason to guide anyone to this location, so he did not mind the request. "You have my word." He then walked towards the gateway located on the other side of the room. It was the gateway to leave these ruins. Though if he remembered the words of that yer correctly, it would not put him at the same location where he first entered into the ruins from. Izroth stepped into the gateway and made his exit from within the Ruins of Kashysh. Chapter 80 Who Could Possibly Comprehend The Words of Zhi? When Izroth traveled through the gateway he was transported to a remote region with nothing but towering trees in sight. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Towering Oak Forest?¡µ ¡¯I have returned to the Towering Oak Forest, however, it should be nowhere near the location of where I originally entered into the dungeon.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze over his surroundings. From what he could tell, there was not a single presence within his range of perception. He then reviewed his current coordinates to get a grasp on where that gateway had transported him to. When he looked over the coordinates, Izroth noticed that he was deep within the Towering Oak Forest. However, he would have no trouble returning to Amaharpe from this ce. Given the distance, it would take him 30 minutes if he walked at a normal pace to reach Amaharpe. Though he would get there much faster if he sprinted all the way. ¡¯I wonder if the Five Cycles Pill I ced within the auction house has already been sold.¡¯ Izroth began his journey back to Amaharpe. He was moving at a high speed and had no difficulty maneuvering his way around any objects that blocked in his path. After traveling for nearly five minutes, Izroth felt the presence of a single person. He halted his steps and looked over in the direction where he sensed the presence. Normally Izroth would not bother stopping just to view a single presence, however, there was something peculiar about this one. ¡¯That presence... There¡¯s something off about it.¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows. He could not put his finger on it but something was definitely off about it. It was as if that single presence epassed everything in Izroth¡¯s surrounding range of perception. As though they existed everywhere and yet, nowhere but the ce they were located at the same time. This feeling reminded Izroth of a simr phenomenon that happened within the Seven Realms. While there were minuscule differences, they were still almost identical. This made Izroth curious and so he began to head over in the direction where he originally sensed the singr presence. When Izroth reached his destination, he spotted an old man with his eyes closed shut, meditating on arge tree stump that most likely used to be one of the towering trees within this forest. There was a powerful invisible force lingering around the entire tree stump that Izroth had recentlye across while inside of the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon. ¡¯He¡¯s meditating inside of a gravity pocket. It appears to be much stronger than the one I entered into back in that pathway.¡¯ Izroth stopped just before the tree stump and observed the old man. NPC Name: Zhi(???) NPC Level: ??? ¡¯As I thought, I¡¯m unable to see his level. I suppose there¡¯s not much use wasting time here.¡¯ Izroth was just curious because of what he sensed, but he would not bother disturbing the old man¡¯s meditation just to satisfy his curiosity. He then turned and was getting ready to leave before he heard a voice sound out from behind him. "The pinnacle is unforgiving. Young man, do you care to have a chat with this old man?" Izroth paused and turned around to see that the Zhi now had his eyes opened. The look in his eyes gave off a deep and profound aura. They appeared untouched by the simplicities of the mundane world. When Izroth observed the look in Zhi¡¯s eyes, he was fairly surprised. From what he¡¯d understood about this world so far, it should be virtually impossible for something such as this to be replicated within this realm. That was due to the simple fact that this world was severely limited by itsck of spiritual essence. Without spiritual essence, no matter how talented or philosophical one might be, they would still be limited by the thoughts of a mortal. However, Izroth was able to recognize with a nce that Zhi¡¯s thoughts were not bound by the intricacies of the mundane world. How could an NPC possess knowledge that this world itself does not possess? This is what baffled Izroth. "I was just thinking that I would like to have a chat with you, so of course, it is no problem." Zhi gave a friendly smile as he held up one of his arms and gestured for Izroth toe and join him on the tree stump. Izroth prepared himself before stepping onto the tree stump. The moment he did a crushing force descended upon his body, wanting to drive him into the ground. ¡´System Alert: You have entered a Level Three ?Gravity Pocket?¡µ This gravity pocket made the other two seem like a casual stroll through a park. Izroth estimated that his agility was barely at 15 right now and he could only move bit by bit until he arrived in front of Zhi. ¡¯The pressure is around twenty times that of normal gravity. This old man is meditating under such constant pressure and his movements do not seem at all to be hindered by this force.¡¯ Izroth kept a carefree and calm expression on his face as he sat down in a meditative pose. Sitting still was much less strenuous than constantly moving while inside of a gravity pocket. "Not many can endure a gravity pocket of this level, at the moment. Your willpower appears to be boundless. To travel through a gravity pocket, willpower is the most important trait one must possess. Tell me young man, who is your greatest enemy?" "My greatest enemy is myself." Izroth responded without hesitation to his words. "Good answer... Indeed, a good answer." Zhi hade across a few yers already and yet they all answered in a simr fashion. They judged their greatest enemy to be someone or something else while ignoring the one enemy that mattered the most, themselves. To fight a battle against one¡¯s self is the only battle where defeat is guaranteed as the end result every time. "We seek the pinnacle and yet, the pinnacle is unforgiving. Enlightenment bes a myth and the myth transforms into reality. We see reality as what is possible and a myth as what is imusible, what bes of enlightenment that exists as both a myth and reality?" Izroth stared at the old man when he asked that question. That was a level of questioning that should not be here! ¡¯How is this possible?¡¯ "Your question is one that has no answer that is correct or incorrect." Izroth answered. Zhi¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard Izroth speak and a look of shock briefly shed by within his eyes. "Do not all questions have an answer to them?" Izroth shook his head, "Some questions can lead only to another question. Do we dare tobel those questions as answers when they do not provide one? Only a fool would believe they have an answer for everything." "Only a fool..." Zhi closed his eyes as if he were in deep thought. A few momentster, a golden medallion appeared in the palm of his hand out of seemingly nowhere. The golden medallion seemed in and ordinary with no special traits about it. However, there was a symbol ced at the center the golden medallion that emitted an aura of authority. Zhi tossed the medallion to Izroth. Strangely enough, the medallion was unaffected by the gravity pocket. Izroth caught the golden medallion and immediately examined it. Name: Zhi¡¯s Medallion(Magical Item) Rank: S-Ranked Usage: ??? Special Note: Who could possiblyprehend the words of Zhi? ¡¯An S-ranked magical item? However, what exactly is its purpose?¡¯ Izroth read the special note on the item Zhi¡¯s Medallion and furrowed his brows as a result. The special note was stating the truth. There should not be any individual within this realm capable ofprehending the words of Zhi. Yet, there was obviously someone who did if this NPC existed. When Izroth lifted his gaze, the old man had already vanished from the tree stump. The level three gravity pocket had dispersed as if the old man from before was the cause of it being here. Meeting Zhi left Izroth with even more questions than what he had before his encounter with the old man. Izroth set the Zhi¡¯s Medallion into his inventory before standing to his feet. While he still had many questions, he would not learn anything more by sitting here and pondering about them. He felt that as long as he continued to explore deeper into this world, he would naturally receive some answers. Izroth once again began his journey back towards the capital city Amaharpe. ... Somewhere currently within the Towering Oak Forest... "Despicable! You had all of this nned before we even left Amaharpe didn¡¯t you?!" The person who spoke was a male yer known as Guan Yu. Of course, this was not his real name and he was just a fan of the historical figure who was seen as a God of War on the battlefield. Guan Yu was wearing full ted armor, but even with the armor on, one would still be able to tell that he was well-built. His eyes were dark brown in color and while he was not extremely handsome, he could still be considered as having above average looks. Guan Yu held a guandao within his hands and was currently standing in a defensive position, surrounded by ten other yers. There was one other yer who was also surrounded and in the same predicament as Guan Yu, a female yer known as Zi Yi. Zi Yi had long midnight ck hair that reached down to her knees. She possessed a lovely pair of emerald eyes and a body that was the true definition of having curves in all the correct ces. At the moment, she had a fierce expression on her face and her eyes were filled with anger. However, even though she was angry it did not do any injustice to her beauty. She was wearing light green leather armor with a skirt that stopped a bit more than halfway down her thighs. She held tightly onto the magnificent longbow within her hands. "What¡¯s the meaning of this, Gripler?" Zi Yi understood exactly what was going on, but she was just trying to stall for time to think of a way out of this situation. While she did not personally know Guan Yu and had only joined a random party to level up, it appeared as though the two of them were in the same boat. So, they could only team up to deal with the ambush of these yers and their so-called party, that betrayed them. "What¡¯s going on? You can¡¯t possibly be that oblivious! Hahaha, we¡¯re robbing you! What else is going on?!" The yer who spoke was one of the many encircling Guan Yu and Zi Yi, the one who she referred to as Gripler. From his sword, shield, and heavy ted armor one could easily tell that he was a tank. "If you want to fight then fight me fair and square! Why resort to such despicable and dishonorable means?!" Guan Yu was furious. He did not mind a good fight, however, he did not like the fact that they would use an ambush in such a shameful manner. Zi Yi let out a sigh inwardly, she believed that Guan Yu was not all that bright. After all, why would people who resort to such underhanded tactics bother caring about whether something was dishonorable or not? "Eh? Are you an idiot? You¡¯re in no position to make any demands! You know, it was frustrating having to put up with your headstrong attitude this whole time. Listening to your idiotic sense of justice was driving me insane!" Gripler would not even bother entertaining Guan Yu¡¯s suggestion. "Here¡¯s the deal, unequip all of your equipment and hand over all your coins. After that, we¡¯ll allow you to leave without killing you. But if you fight back then... Don¡¯t me us for getting nasty." Gripler had a smirk on his face. He was used to having this amount of control over other yers. "You¡¯re being unreasonable!" Guan Yu erupted in anger and brandished his guandao taking on an offensive stance. It was obvious that this group would not let them off, regardless of whatever choice they made. "Bastards...!" Zi Yi was infuriated by those unreasonable demands. She nocked an arrow onto her bow, ready to fight until the bitter end. ... ¡¯Oh? A fight is getting ready to take ce over there.¡¯ Izroth was calmly sitting on a tree branch over 30 meters from where Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and those "bandits" were located. Chapter 81 The Fierce Guan Yu and The Determined Zi Yi! Gripler shook his head, "I offered you a way out and you¡¯ve rejected my kindness. You two seem to mistake my kindness for weakness but let me tell you... Those who don¡¯tply can all just die!" Gripler lifted his hand in the air, giving the signal for hispanions or rather underlings to begin their assault. Out of the ten yers surrounding Guan Yu and Zi Yi, six of them rushed over. Three of them were fighter sses and the other three were rogue sses. Out of the four yers who stayed back and did not charge forward were one ranger, two mages, and one shaman. "Kindness? Laughable!" Guan Yu swung his guandao outward in a horizontal arc with a mighty force, causing the yers who rushed towards him and Zi Yi to fly backward. "In that case, allow me to repay your kindness with gratitude!" Name: Guan Yu Level: 23 ss: Spear Enforcer "Tch... The second-tier sses really are much more powerful than the first-tier sses." When Gripler saw the six yers who charged forward get knocked back with such ease, his facial expression grew a bit more serious. "However... It¡¯s still ten of them up against just two yers." When yers reached level 20 in RML they were able to upgrade their ss to one of its various second-tiers. For example, Guan Yu originally started the game with the warrior ss, but after reaching level 20 he upgraded his warrior ss to one of its second-tier options, the Spear Enforcer. There were numerous different directions a yer could take their character when it came to second-tier upgrades, however, all the upgrades had one thing inmon. They gave yers a massive boost in overallbat abilitypared to a first-tier ss like warrior or rogue. The Spear Enforcer ss was a te-wearing damage ss that could also double as a tank if the situation required it. Of course, they could notpare to a pure tank ss when it came to taking punishment, but Spear Enforcers were definitely capable of holding their own ground. If a yer wanted to upgrade their ss, they were required toplete a ss quest depending on what ss they would like to upgrade to. Some were much more challenging than others but the payoff was often worth it. The only exception to the ss upgrades was the Combat Master ss. Combat Masters were not capable of upgrading to a second-tier ss due to the unique nature of their ss. Then again, this was just something recorded by yers who never really went in-depth when it came to that ss. "If you want to live, then protect me." Although Zi Yi believed Guan Yu to be a little simple-minded, she had to admit that his strength was not at all weak. "Alright! But I¡¯m only protecting you because it¡¯s what a man should do!" Guan Yu took a defensive stance and remained vignt of the six individuals who were knocked back. They had regained their footing and was now looking for a proper opening to attack. Zi Yi released the arrow that was resting on the bowstring and aimed right for the shaman that was now positioned at the back of the group for their own protection. Shamans were a healing ss and since it was already ten versus two, not including Gripler, having to deal with a shaman would just make things more stressful. "Block it!" The Shaman could see the arrow heading his way. He was not used to fighting against other yers and had just recently joined this group. So to suddenly be picked out as a target caused him to panic. "Heh, you think such a simple arrow can go through my defenses?! Keep dreaming!" Gripler finally took action and stepped in front of the flight path of the arrow that was aimed at the Shaman. The arrow was moving incredibly slowpared to the way normal arrows soared through the air. Gripler held his shield up to intercept the arrow, however, just when the arrow was about to touch his shield, it elerated and vanished into thin air. "Wha-!" Gripler was shocked by the arrow¡¯s sudden eleration and thought that he was in trouble, but the arrow just disappeared into nothingness. Could it be that the attack was so weak that it still was unable to prate through his defenses? "Heh, you almost scared me th-" Just as Gripler spoke, he heard a loud screaming from behind him. "Gaaah!" The shaman surprisingly had an arrow pierced right through his chest where his heart was located. There was a look of disbelief on his face. How could the arrow reach him? Didn¡¯t Gripler block it? "How..?!" Gripler also had a look of disbelief on his face. He assumed that he had already seen every skill that the both of them had to offer. However, this was not a skill he witnessed Zi Yi use before. "Hmph, I¡¯m not done!" Zi Yi swiftly materialized another three arrows and shot them off in random directions. The strange thing was that these arrows were not targetting anything in particr. It really appeared as though Zi Yi was just shooting randomly and wasting arrows. However, just like before after a certain period of time, the arrows vanished into thin air. Name: Zi Yi Level: 22 ss: Void Seeker ... Izroth was watching the battle below unfold and was quite impressed by the way those two handled the situation. The thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention the most were the arrows being shot out by that ranger down below. ¡¯Those arrows would be quite tricky to deal with, even with my heightened senses. However, after the first two shots, the pattern bes a bit predictable so I would not have any issues. But if they were capable of creating a moreplex attack pattern then...¡¯ This was Izroth¡¯s first time seeing other yers fighting against one another. He observed the fight closely in order to receive a better understanding of thebat capabilities of yers at the moment. ¡¯Well, they may not have much of a problem eleven versus two but... It seems that the other side came fully prepared.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze over the area surrounding the location of the main fight. He could sense multiple other presences hiding away within the forest. The true fight had yet to even begin. Izroth leaped from off of the tree branch with a carefree expression in his face. ... Gripler¡¯s group had no way of defending against Zi Yi¡¯s assault. Every time someone would attempt to block or evade the iing arrow, it would disappear and then before they knew it, the arrow would be sticking out of their character. How were they supposed to defend against something like that? The six melee yers tried tounch a pincer attack, but even with the rogues hiding in stealth mode, Guan Yu managed to react in time and kept to his promise of defending Zi Yi. The two of them together was like a small two-person army! The shaman had already met his demise under Zi Yi¡¯s deadly urate assault and she had just released another arrow that reaped the life of one of the other mages. Zi Yi already eliminated two yers and not a single scratch had befallen her or Guan Yu. "Enough! Obviously, you two don¡¯t know when to give up so let me make things easier for you!" Gripler whistled loudly. Guan Yu furrowed his brows as a serious expression found itself upon his face. "Eleven versus two isn¡¯t enough so you have to call for backup! Can you be any more shameless...?!" Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression darkened when she saw the yers stepping out of their hiding spots nearby. Now, there was a total of twenty yers! No matter how strong the two of them were, being up against numbers like this, it would be difficult toe out on top. "You two should feel honored. Normally, a force of this size isn¡¯t mobilized. However, you two have something quite valuable and we just happen to want it. You can curse your own good fortune." Gripler had to practically beg his guild leader formand of these yers. He had already lost two of them due to his carelessness and so he had to make sure that the rewards were well worth it. Guan Yu and Zi Yi both were in possession of some rare pieces of equipment. If they managed to obtain at least one rare piece of equipment from both of them, then he could ignore the two deaths and just reimburse them. However, if he returned empty-handed then his guild leader would not forgive him so easily. After all, his guild leader was a ruthless individual. "You should run, I¡¯ll try to create an opening for you. There¡¯s no reason that both of us should die here..." Guan Yu spoke under his breath so that only Zi Yi could hear him. "Hmph, since when can you tell me what to do? If I want to stay and fight then I¡¯ll stay and fight!" Zi Yi was determined to stand her ground rather than run away with her tail tucked between her legs. Zi Yi was many things, but she refused to be a coward! "Well said!" Guan Yu brandished his guandao and took an offensive stance. There was no point in trying to defend against this many yers at the same time. "I¡¯ll have to go all out so I won¡¯t be able to protect you, think you¡¯ll be alright?" "These guys are just all bark and no bite, I¡¯ll survive." A small gust of wind formed beneath Zi Yi¡¯s feet. "Then, I¡¯ll be going!" Guan Yu¡¯s right foot put so much pressure onto the earth beneath it that he left a deep footprint within the ground as he pushed off and charged forward at an incredible speed. This speed was not something that should belong to someone wearing ted armor. "How fast...!" Zi Yi was a bit startled by how quick Guan Yu moved for his ss type. But, she would not allow herself to be shown up. The wind beneath her feet shot her into the air, causing her to leap in an arc above the nearest group of yers. Zi Yi released a single arrow from her bow, but the single arrow split into two and the two split into four. The arrows kept multiplying until there was a total of sixty-four and they rained down upon the group of enemy yers. Guan Yu was heading towards the group¡¯s back line, but the original six melee yers blocked his path. "Out of the way!" A light blue aura epassed Guan Yu¡¯s guandao as it swept outward in the direction of the six yers. However, the guandao was not anywhere near close enough to hit them. "Heh, what are you swinging a-" Just as one of the six melee yers was about to taunt Guan Yu, he felt an overwhelming force crash into his body and sending him tumbling backward. Woooosh! Soon after, the other five melee yers followed in his footsteps as they were all swept clear of Guan Yu¡¯s path with a single swing of his guandao. A fierce fight broke out as Guan Yu and Zi Yi were each holding their own against the wave of enemies. However, the harder they fought the more fatigued they felt themselves bing. It was not natural fatigue but one that seemed to be induced by an outside source. "What¡¯s going on... Why am I getting tired so fast?" Guan Yu asked himself as his breathing became erratic and unsteady. Usually, he was able to fight for extended periods of time without feeling fatigue, but he had only been fighting for a few minutes and was already so tired. Zi Yi was in even worse shape than Guan Yu. She was having trouble with a simple action such as lifting her longbow. Her uracy had also considerably worsened and she missed shots that she should have been able to hit with her eyes closed. Gripler had an evil grin on his face as he watched Guan Yu and Zi Yi battle it out against his guild members. "Keep struggling, the more you struggle the more your demise is inevitable." he muttered to himself. Chapter 82 Should I Assist You? No need! Guan Yu and Zi Yi continued to fight without backing down, however, the fatigue was slowly bing too much for them to handle. In total, they managed to eliminate thirteen yers. This included the two yers Zi Yi defeated before the other group revealed themselves. But the cost was great as both Guan Yu and Zi Yi were barely holding on at this point. "Hey... C-can you still fight?" Zi Yi¡¯s voice was trembling as she spoke. It was difficult for her to even speak at the moment. She had no idea what was going on as she had gone hours straight battling without a single sign of fatigue. This was somethingpletely unfamiliar to her. Zi Yi felt an abundance of gratitude towards Guan Yu. Even though the two of them had never met one another before today, he still guarded her during many asions when the fatigue started to severely affect her. "Of course!" Guan Yu stood straight up and stabbed his guandao into the ground before him. His voice may have sounded reassuring, but one could tell that he had already reached his limit. In fact, if he tried to move he may not even be able to maintain his bnce properly. There was now a total of eight yers remaining, including Gripler, and they were all surrounding Guan Yu and Zi Yi. Gripler had an incredibly ugly expression on his face. These two had been more trouble than he originally believed them to be. Thirteen! Thirteen yers were killed by two yers alone. This was an embarrassment and even if he did seed, his guild leader would question his ability to carry out a job efficiently. He had to try and capitalize on Guan Yu and Zi Yi¡¯s helplessness and reap more benefits. "It¡¯s over. However, I¡¯m still willing to show somepassion. After all, I am notpletely heartless. I will forgive you, under one condition that is." Gripler spoke in a very magnanimous tone of voice. "Compassion? Forgive us? Why do we need your forgiveness? How about I offer you a deal... Think of it as my way of showing youpassion. Kowtow and beg for our forgiveness and you may still escape in one piece!" Guan Yu did not hesitate to speak out. He was sick of dealing with such a deceitful person. When Gripler heard the words that left Guan Yu¡¯s mouth, he almost lost control and erupted in anger. However, he was able to maintain his calm and in control demeanor. "Suit yourself then! Does he answer for you as well?" Gripler looked over towards Zi Yi. He felt as if she would be more sensible. Zi Yi stared coldly at Gripler. She would not bother wasting her words on such an insignificant person any longer. Zi Yi tilted her nose up at Gripler to show that she looked down on him. She had an icy cold look in her eyes and it felt as though she were looking at a small speck of dust. Even though she had trouble making the slightest movement, she wanted Gripler to know that he wasn¡¯t even in her sights. That small gesture made Gripler lose hisposure. If there was one thing he couldn¡¯t stand, it was being looked down upon. "Good... Very good... I haven¡¯t been this angry in a long time. It¡¯s been a while since someone has dared to look down on me!" Gripler was no longer using that magnanimous tone of voice from earlier. Now, his voice was filled with unbridled rage. "Don¡¯t think that after I kill you this once that everything will be over. Every time you leave the city, we¡¯ll be waiting. You¡¯ll die over and over again until I¡¯m convinced that you¡¯ve learned your lesson. I¡¯ve had enough of trying to talk sense into you two fools!" Gripler raised his hand and gave the order to finish them. Guan Yu and Zi Yi both had darkened expressions on their faces. However, neither of them could even lift a muscle to defend themselves. It was over. They could only wait for the inevitable now, their deaths! "Ahhhhhh!" Just when the group was getting ready to begin their assault, they heard a loud scream sound out from nearby. Everyone seemed surprised when they heard that scream, except for Gripler. His face turned extremely pale. Everyone turned to look in the direction of the scream and saw that a hooded yer was lying dead on the ground around 20 meters away. There was apparently another yer hiding nearby that had yet to reveal himself. However, everyone present appeared to be startled by the sudden scream. Everyone except for Gripler who looked as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. "Impossible...! How...?!" Gripler sounded flustered and panicked. The person who just died was a second-tier ss holder in their guild. He personally begged his guild leader for their assistance because of the unique nature of their ss. Them dying was definitely not a part of the deal! The hooded person who was lying on the ground eliminated possessed the second-tier ss known as Curse Ghost. Their main specialties were ideal for yer versus yerbat, however, they were not very useful in fighting against monsters outside of boss fights. The Curse Ghost ss was an upgrade option from the mage ss. Their main focus was bombarding the enemy with multiple curses until they were rendered useless. The only problem was that curses usually took quite a bit before the effects are felt by the yer infected by them. It was even more so for low-level curses, which was why it took some time before the full effects began to show for Guan Yu and Zi Yi. This ss was more of a support than anything and if used correctly, could be a huge deciding factor in a battle. One of the scariest things about the Curse Ghost ss was that unlike most sses that showed when their skills inflicted a status effect upon its intended target, the Curse Ghost ss did not. That meant whenever a yer was inflicted with a curse, they would bepletely unaware of it until it was toote. Out of the bushes, just a few steps beside the hooded individual was a young man with a sword in his hand. This sword had bits of electricity jumping around it and emitted a faint thunderous sound. That young man was Izroth. Izroth had a calm and carefree expression on his face as he stepped out of the bushes and returned his de of Lightning to its sheath. ¡¯I did not originally n on interfering, however... It was bing a bit boring watching this guy sit back and make things uninteresting.¡¯ Izroth looked down at the body of the yer he just killed. Although he was well hidden, he could still not escape Izroth¡¯s perception. Izroth then turned his attention over to Guan Yu, Zi Yi, Gripler, and the remaining yers. "You... Do you know what you¡¯ve just done?" Gripler had an extremely gloomy look on his face. He knew that even if he was sessful in eliminating those two, he would still have to answer for the death of Doctor Dark, the yer who just died. When Doctor Dark died, Guan Yu and Zi Yi felt as if an incredible burden had been lifted off of their shoulders. The fatigue disappeared at a rapid pace and they felt as though they had been given a second wind. This was due to one of the downsides of the Curse Ghost ss. When the caster of the curse died then all of their curses would vanish along with them. So when Doctor Dark died, the curses naturally removed itself from Guan Yu and Zi Yi. However, neither of them were in a good state, having taken a pretty decent amount of damage while they were incapacitated. "A friend of yours?" Guan Yu was once again full of energy, despite the heavy amount of damage he had received. Guan Yu saw that Gripler seemed to be infuriated by the death of that hooded yer and so he assumed that whoever that mysterious yer who appeared was, had to be on their side. Zi Yi shook her head, "I was about to ask you the same question. They may have unsettled business with one another. Either way, it seems that we owe him." Zi Yi then nced over at the hooded figure lying on the ground by Izroth¡¯s feet. "That yer on the ground over there was most likely the cause of our fatigue. It disappeared as soon as they died." Zi Yi pieced things together quickly. After all, it did not take a genius to connect the two. Guan Yu was surprised. He thought it was because of a miraculous second wind that had ovee them, not because of the death of a yer that was hiding away. "Even with so many yers, they still had to stoop to such low methods. How sickening...!" Guan Yu was usually a very understanding and forgiving individual, but these yers had gone too far past his bottom line. Izroth ignored Gripler and set his gaze upon Guan Yu and Zi Yi. "Should I assist you?" Gripler was furious at being ignored by a total stranger. It seemed to him as if everyone was out to make his life more difficult today. "No need!" Guan Yu and Zi Yi shouted in unison. The two of them were determined to finish this fight alone. After all, how could they shamelessly ask for help from a stranger when he had already helped them more than enough? Izroth smiled ever so slightly. He inwardly nodded his head in approval. If they asked for help, he would have given it to them, however, his good opinion of them would have drastically decreased. He also would have felt that it was not worth helping them to begin with. But, their answer left him intrigued. Guan Yu and Zi Yi unleashed a fierce and relentless assault against the remaining yers. Gripler did not have time to deal with Izroth and had to assist his underlings in their fight. However, they could not handle thebined attacks of Guan Yu and Zi Yi. A few momentster, the only yer from the opposing side left standing was the tank, Gripler. He had a maddened facial expression and a look of hatred had taken root deep within his eyes. "You all have no idea who you¡¯ve just offended! My Headhunter Syndicate will not let you off! You will have nowhere to hide in all of RML!" Gripler roared at the top of his lungs. "And you!" Gripler looked over towards Izroth. "You havemitted thergest offense! Don¡¯t dream of e-" Ksssshhhhht! Gripler looked down at his chest and saw that a ded object was sticking out of it. His eyes widened from shock and soon after, he copsed onto the ground. He had died from that final strike. Guan Yu pulled his guandao out of Gripler chest and spun it a few times before cing it upon his back. "Hmph, Headhunter Syndicate? Never heard of them!" He did not fear this Headhunter Syndicate. Even if it was a top guild like Cross Haven or Blue Oasis, he wouldn¡¯t care. He refused to sit back and be bullied by anyone! Zi Yi had her eyes closed and her arms folded as she let out a long sigh of relief. Honestly, that fight had exhausted her. Unlike Guan Yu, she was not a te wearing character and so her defensive skills were incrediblycking. If she made one false move she could have easily died while under the effects of that fatigue. Guan Yu and Zi Yi both nced at each other before looking over towards that mysterious yer who aided them earlier. Although he only eliminated a single yer, it was enough to change the entire flow of events. If not for him then they may very well have been killed by Gripler and his group. Guan Yu was the first to approach Izroth and he immediately cupped his fist and gave a slight bow. "You have saved both of us from a disgraceful ending. You have our thanks." He was very sincere in his thanks and did not mind showing a proper level of respect to someone who helped him. Zi Yi also gave a slight nod. It was her way of saying thank you. Though it was something she was not used to doing. To most people, it maye off as unappreciative or arrogant. However, Izroth could tell from her bodynguage that neither of those was the case. Izroth slightly nodded in response, "I only happened to be passing by and gave a small helping hand." "May I know the name of our benefactor?" Guan Yu stood up straight and got a closer look at Izroth. He could not tell what ss Izroth was no matter how hard he tried. He was also unable to make any rough estimates when it came to his strength. However, Guan Yu had a gut feeling. He could tell that the mysterious man before him was not an individual to be taken lightly, even with such a carefree expression. "Izroth." Izroth kept his response short and simple. "I see, Izroth. A noble name indeed!" Guan Yu nodded his head. "I am Guan Yu." He then pointed towards Zi Yi, "And she is known as... As..." Guan Yu paused. "Hm?" When Izroth noticed that Guan Yu paused, he figured something must have been wrong. Zi Yi, on the other hand, had a cold look on her face. "What was your name again...?" Guan Yu rubbed the back of his head as he gave a small awkwardugh. Izroth stared nkly at Guan Yu. There was only one thought that went through Izroth¡¯s head at that moment. ¡¯I have a feeling him and Halls would get along just fine...¡¯ Chapter 83 Headhunter Syndicate ... "Fools! All of you, fools! You had one simple task! There were more than twenty of you and you still couldn¡¯t handle two yers? Useless trash!" Somewhere in a remote region inside of a small yet spacious building within the capital city Amaharpe, Gripler and the group of yers who died just moments ago were all standing before a man who was shouting furiously at them. "B-boss Wend-" "When we¡¯re here in RML you¡¯ll refer to me as Vault! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Vault, the one who Gripler called boss,shed out at him. "Yes, of course. Forgive me boss Vault..." Gripler quickly apologized for his mistake. "Boss Vault... You see, another person interfered and-" Gripler was getting ready to exin the situation, but when he saw that cold piercing gaze from his boss, he immediately shut his mouth. "So what if another person joined! You couldn¡¯t handle three people?! I see I was the foolish one for providing you with my trust." The one who Gripler referred to as boss Vault was the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate. The Headhunter Syndicate was a new and uing guild in RML. However, for a new guild, their size is incredible and they are continuing to grow every day. Even the top guilds are keeping an eye on them as they believe it to be inevitable that someday soon, the Headhunter Syndicate join the top ranks. At the moment, rare pieces of equipment were still incredibly difficult toe by. Most yers would not sell them at the auction house and if they did, the top guilds would always be the ones to walk away with the item. Unfortunately, the Headhunter Syndicate did not yet have resourcesparable to those top guilds. Therefore, in order to rapidly increase the overall strength of his guild, Vault was willing to resort to these underhanded tactics. He would do whatever it took to join the ranks of the top guilds. When Doctor Dark died, he was furious at having lost valuable EXP. He even dropped an item after his death! He immediately approached Vault about hispensation. After all, he was guaranteed protection and they had failed to provide it. It was only right that he bepensated for his troubles. When Doctor Dark exined the entire situation to Vault, his face turned extremely ugly. At first, there was regret and then there was just endlessly fury. Since Gripler had begged him, Vault decided to give him a chance due to the potential profit that could be made from that "transaction". However, not only did they not manage to bring back a single item, they even got annihted by three yers! After yelling and scolding Gripler, as well as, the yers who apanied him, Vault finally managed to somewhat calm down. He then turned to look over in Doctor Dark¡¯s direction. "Doctor Dark, I¡¯ll fully reimburse you for your troubles. As for that yer who killed you, you¡¯ll have your justice. Do you have a name?" To Vault, Doctor Dark was an important core member of his Headhunter Syndicate. He was one of the main yers who had an abundance of experience as a pro yer in multiple MMORPGs and had alreadypleted his second-tier ss quest. He was an essential piece to Vault¡¯s core group. Doctor Dark shook his head, "I died before I could even see him so his name isn¡¯t even in my battle logs! However, he is definitely rted to those two who were the original targets. If we find them, we¡¯ll find him! I simply want the chance to eliminate him as he did me." Doctor Dark had a vicious look in his eyes. In RML, if a yer killed someone before they were discovered or seen, then their name would not show up in the battle logs. However, if even one person in the party was able to view the yer then their name would show up without issue. The problem was that Doctor Dark was not in a party with any of the members who saw Izroth after he stepped out into the open. He was solo and so, therefore, the system defined Izroth¡¯s attack as one performed by an unknown enemy. This was a feature in RML that those who picked assassin type sses enjoyed. Vault nodded, "I agree. If we let people think that the Headhunter Syndicate can be offended so easily without retaliation, then how can we be a top guild? We will, of course, find that yer who attacked you and his two friends. There¡¯ll be no safe ce for them to hide within all of RML!" "As for you!" Vault stared coldly at Gripler which sent shivers down his spine. "The one thing I hate the most is having lost something without gaining anything in return. I¡¯m lowering your rank to that of a regr member." When Gripler heard those words his face turned pale. He had worked hard to earn his current position and now he was being kicked down all the way to a mere regr member? However, he was unable to make an objection as this could already be considered a light punishment. "Yes, boss Vault..." Gripler felt incredibly dejected. This was supposed to be an easy job, but it was all ruined by that one yer! When Gripler thought back to that moment and how carefree that yer appeared to be, rage and hatred slowly started to form. "However, I¡¯m not a merciless person. You can redeem yourself and have your old position back after you keep good on your original promise. This time, however, you¡¯ll have to rely on yourself and your own resources toplete the task." Vault spoke in a cold tone of voice. "I also want you to find out the name of that third yer and any information regarding him since you know what he looks like. He interfered in our guild¡¯s affairs and has to be taught a proper lesson. Otherwise, he¡¯ll think we¡¯re just a bunch of pushovers." When Vault gave those orders, Gripler regained some hope of once again obtaining his previous position. He already wanted revenge against that yer who interfered and so this would be like killing two birds with one stone. "Yes, boss Vault! I won¡¯t let you down!" Gripler gave a deep bow. Gripler understood that he would have to invest his own time and resources into this. Although Vault stated that he was not a merciless person, he was sending Gripler to face off against three people. Two of which he knew could battle against twenty yers at the same time ande out victorious! However, Gripler had certain connections that he could use and some favors he was able to call upon. No matter what, he was determined to regain the face he recently lost. "Hmph, you better not let me down. I can be forgiving once, but if you fail twice... I can¡¯t guarantee my kindness will extend that far." Vault was not making an empty promise. If Gripler failed again forget about a rank reduction, he would bepletely finished! Vault nced behind himself. There were two yers standing there, but both were hiding within the shadows so it would be difficult to detect them. "Put out a message to all the Headhunter Syndicate members. Be on the lookout for two yers called Guan Yu and Zi Yi. As for that third yer... Find out anything you can about him." Although Vault gave Gripler a chance to find out more information, he did not trust Gripler¡¯spetence in the matter. But, it was always good to have a backup n. One of the two individuals that were hiding in the shadows spoke in a hoarse voice, "What should we do if we find them during our investigation?" Vault thought for a moment before sooning up with an answer. "I want you to report back to me and do not engage them. They¡¯ve already been underestimated once. I do not n on repeating the mistake of an underling. Once we¡¯ve learned enough about them, only then will we take action." The two yers hiding in the shadows gave a slight nod as they vanished after Vault finished giving his orders. Vault had already done all he could and now must wait for the results. "Offending my Headhunter Syndicate... Let¡¯s see who dares to do so in the future!" ... "Ahahaha! I knew your name seemed familiar! It¡¯s because I¡¯ve already seen it twice before! So you¡¯re that Izroth, ahahaha!" Guan Yu behaved in quite a lively manner. He was trying to figure out where he¡¯d seen Izroth¡¯s name before and surprisingly, Zi Yi was the one who pointed out where she had seen the name. Izroth only gave a slight smile in return. He personally did not believe it to be that big of a deal. He had much greater things nned and those two matters would only provide some kind of small foundation. When Zi Yi spoke about the first world boss clear and the solo dungeon clear, Guan Yu remembered the two events. It made his impression of Izroth go up by another level when he was reminded of those facts. Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi were currently traveling towards the capital city Amaharpe. Guan Yu was very insistent on Izroth apanying them and since Izroth was already heading that way, he had no reason to refuse his offer. The most talkative of the three was Guan Yu. He had many questions and would often go on a rant about the romance of the three kingdoms and spew random quotes. Zi Yi, however, was quite the opposite. She was very reserved when it came to having a conversation. But, she was not afraid of giving input on a certain matter or correcting any inuracies about something that Guan Yu stated. Guan Yu looked as if he were about to speak, however, he was hesitant to do so. It was quite strange considering how open he was when it came to speaking withplete strangers who he had only just recently met. Izroth noticed Guan Yu¡¯s hesitation and decided to free him of his worries. "If you have something to say, then you can just say it." Izroth did not feel that Guan Yu had any ill intentions and so he knew that whatever it was that Guan Yu wanted to say was most likely something personal. Guan Yu was a bit surprised when Izroth spoke. He did not think that he was showing his thoughts so clearly and felt a bit embarrassed by it. "Well you see, it¡¯s kind of a personal question. Some people would rather not say. It¡¯s a bit of a private matter..." "Oh?" Izroth was curious as to what question would make someone as open, sociable, and long-winded as Guan Yu be embarrassed. Zi Yi ears perked up slightly as she listened to Guan Yu words. She was also interested in what he had to say. From the short time she had known Guan Yu, she could say that he was definitely not someone you would ever associate with the word shy. "Your... Uh... What¡¯s your ss? I have not yet seen a set up such as yours. I¡¯m just curious." Guan Yu had been unable to find even the slightest hint as to what Izroth¡¯s ss could possibly be. That was because Izroth¡¯s equipment did not fit with any ss that he was aware of. Guan Yu felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off of his shoulders after asking that question. Zi Yi almost coughed up blood when she heard Guan Yu speak. She thought it was going to be something extremely serious, but it turned out that he was just curious about Izroth¡¯s ss. How could someone who was being so fierce just a few moments ago, behave in such a coy fashion? Zi Yi felt foolish for even entertaining the possibility that he was going to ask something serious! Izroth was also caught off-guard by the simple nature of the question. He shook his head inwardly. He did not care about revealing what his ss was, after all, he had no reason to keep it a secret. "My ss is Combat Master." When Izroth finished his sentence, both Guan Yu and Zi Yi had shock clearly written all over their faces. Combat Master? Wasn¡¯t that a trash ss that no one would dare to pick? But, that did not make any sense when they pieced together the facts, or rather when Zi Yi pierced together the facts... At least a first it did not make any sense. "I see now..." Zi Yi muttered to herself. When the realization of what type of person Izroth truly was struck her, she had to admit that the thought was pretty scary. She understood that Combat Masters were required to create their own skills. Even if someone tried to brush Izroth¡¯s first world boss clear off as a fluke, it was undeniable that he was capable of soloing a dungeon. Even if the dungeon was a lower level dungeon, it was still considered an impressive feat. It was certainly not something that the average yer could imitate. Guan Yu, on the other hand, did not piece together things like Zi Yi. He was just surprised that Izroth was a Combat Master. But, that did not mean he would no longer show respect towards Izroth. In fact, Guan Yu had even more respect for Izroth now that he knew what his ss was. Daring to y the difficult Combat Master ss was something even he would not dare to attempt. If someone tried and failed, they would lose a lot of precious time and eventually fall too far behind other yers. From Izroth¡¯s demeanor alone, Guan Yu could tell that he was a strong yer. A strong yer that showed no arrogance and was always calm on the surface. Those were the scariest type of people to deal with in Guan Yu¡¯s opinion because you could never tell what it was that they were truly thinking. ... Around 20 minutester, Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi finally reached the gates of Amaharpe. However, there was something unexpected that awaited them upon their arrival. "Woah, talk about an upgrade in security...! They look strong. Heh, I¡¯d like to fight against one if possible." Guan Yu was getting all fired up. Zi Yi shook her head, "It¡¯s unlikely that you would survive even one strike against that." She could tell that those select individuals were the elite of elite soldiers. "It appears as if something big is going to happen soon..." Zi Yi made an educated guess after examining the Amaharpe city gates. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the scene before him. He was sure that this had something to do with Amaharpe¡¯s impending disaster! Chapter 84 The Calm Before The Storm Part 1 The NPCs who were previously standing guard and making rounds by the gates of Amaharpe were no longer present. Instead, these new guards made the prior ones seem insignificant byparison. They wore bright red ted armor and their faces were all covered by a helmet in the shape of a dragon¡¯s head. Each of the guards wielded a mighty halberd that was constantly exuding a heavy aura near its surroundings. They were all extremely disciplined and the aura each guard personally released was astonishing, to say the least. There was the head of a dragon carved onto their left chest te. Even from far away, yers were able to identify the new NPCs guarding Amaharpe. NPC Name: Crimson Corps Guard(Elite) NPC Level: ??? There were many yers lingering outside of the gates entering into Amaharpe just to observe the new guards ced there. The yers were speaking to one another and specting as to why new guards had appeared at the gates of Amaharpe. "Those guards look so powerful! I wonder if it¡¯s possible to get their gear from a special quest." "Bah! You? Getting that kind of high-level armor? Keep dreaming! We¡¯re still a long way away from getting to that level. I¡¯m already level 17 and I still can¡¯t see what level those guards are. Plus, that gear is definitely at least rare quality." "Maybe there¡¯s some kind of event starting soon." One of the yers shook their head in response. "I haven¡¯t seen anything announced on the forums or the official events page that said anything about an event in Amaharpe." "Still... That doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be one, right? Not all the events are announced. But... It is strange that the guards just changed out of nowhere." As yers continued to chat away on the topic of the new guards, Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi headed towards the gates to enter into the capital city. "Crimson Corps Guard... I¡¯ve seen the insignia of the dragon on their armor somewhere before. If I recall correctly, there are no more than one hundred Crimson Corps Guards. All of them endure torturous training and very few even qualify to attempt the test to be a Crimson Corps Guard." Zi Yi was exining her current knowledge about the new NPCs. "How do you know about that kind of stuff? I¡¯ve never even heard of or seen any Crimson Corps Guards before this." Guan Yu was curious as to how Zi Yi came across this information. He had been all around Amaharpe and had note across anything remotely rted to them. Izroth was also interested as to how Zi Yi had ess to such information. "Hmph, it¡¯s not luck. It¡¯s due to the simple fact that I actually read. As long as you pay a fee, you can have direct ess to Amaharpe¡¯s library. There¡¯s a lot of information essible there and even some hidden secrets. Of course, all the real knowledge lies in the pce library. Sadly, there¡¯s no way to enter the pce library. At least, not that I know of." "How lucky that you managed toe by such information. But... It¡¯s really impressive that you find the time to read and still keep your level up." Guan Yu said. Zi Yi was currently level 22 and he was level 23. Their current levels were higher than that of the average yer. Even some of those who had been ying since RML first officiallyunched. The further into RML yers ventured the more defined and apparent the defined skill gaps between yers became. "It isn¡¯t luck. I have an eidetic memory. Reading a few books isn¡¯t too difficult." Zi Yi corrected Guan Yu¡¯s mistaken choice of words. Though, Zi Yi was being quite modest when she said a few books. In fact, she had gone over hundreds of books in Amaharpe¡¯s library in a very short period of time. "An eye titanic memory? What¡¯s that?" Guan Yu asked curiously. "Not eye titanic! Eidetic memory! It means that I¡¯m able to easily retain and recall information that I¡¯vee across in much greater detail than the average person." Zi Yi let out a small sigh. She felt as if Guan Yu was purposely agitating her at times. "That¡¯s so cool! It¡¯s almost like a real-life superpower! I¡¯ve always wanted photographic memory." Guan Yu was a bit envious of Zi Yi. Zi Yi shook her head, "Not photographic memory. That sort of thing doesn¡¯t really exist. It¡¯s difficult to exin but... It¡¯s definitely not like looking back at a clear picture that I¡¯ve taken mentally." "I see... Well, it¡¯s still a cool ability. Ahahaha!" Guan Yu gave a cheerful thumbs up. Izroth, however, knew that photographic memory was actually a real thing. After all, he himself possessed it! But, Zi Yi words were not entirely incorrect. Izroth was capable of cultivating which allowed his mind to work differently from that of a normal mortal mind. For a normal mortal, possessing a true photographic memory was impossible. But for a cultivator, it was as easy as breathing and drinking water. The ability came to cultivators naturally. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the Crimson Corps Guard?" Izroth wanted to gather some additional information if possible as it may rte to the world quest that he had acquired. Or, it may even have something to do with the quest that Terminus entrusted to him back when he first arrived in Amaharpe. Zi Yi was surprised when Izroth asked her a question. He did not speak much ever since the moment he had appeared before them. She could usually read people with ease and get a decent understanding of their character. However, she had no idea how to define Izroth which troubled her for some reason. She did not leave her thoughts idling for too long and replied to Izroth. "I don¡¯t know much else about them. But I can tell you that only one out of ten thousand people can be a Crimson Corps Guard. So that¡¯s to say out of 1,000,000 people, only one hundred was chosen in the end." "Also, outside of an emergency or a potential city-wide disaster, they almost never take action." Zi Yi added. Izroth nodded his head to show his thanks. Just with those few facts alone, Izroth somewhat grasped the gravity of the whole situation. If he was 99% sure before that this had something to do with the impending disastering towards Amaharpe, then now he was 100% sure. ¡¯I still have an ample amount time remaining for the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. Therefore, this all most likely has something to do with the quest I received from Terminus. Though the question still remains, how much time is left?¡¯ Izroth understood that quests provided by the system were not always absolute. Changes could ur at any given moment, simr to what happened when Izroth was within the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise. Not to mention that this was a world quest! Anything could happen in Izroth¡¯s opinion. Izroth, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi entered through the gates of Amaharpe without being stopped by the new guards. When they arrived inside of Amaharpe they noticed that there were more soldiers making rounds than usual. Guan Yu cupped his fist towards Izroth. "I have some matters to attend to so I must regretfully take my leave." Guan Yu wished that the journey couldst a little longer, but there was something that he absolutely had to take care of. "I¡¯ll have to ask that you allow me to repay you. While I may not be skilled in many areas, I¡¯m still confident inbat abilities. Therefore, if you ever need assistance I¡¯lle charging over to repay the favor." Guan Yu had a rare serious expression on his face. Izroth nodded his head in response. He would not decline Guan Yu¡¯s offer when there were no losses to be had after epting it. "I don¡¯t like owing people." Zi Yi had been waiting for the right moment to bring up the subject. "Therefore, if you deem my assistance as a necessary requirement in thepletion of a challenging task, I shall offer my aid." Zi Yi did not mince her words. Although she spoke in a very roundabout way, Zi Yi was saying the same thing as Guan Yu. That she would repay Izroth¡¯s favor. "Actually, there is something that you may be able to assist me with." Izroth surprisingly had a request to make right away. "Oh?" Zi Yi was curious as to what Izroth had in mind. ... Somewhere located within the main pce area of Amaharpe. "Sir, he has returned to the city. Should I personally escort him to the pce?" The individual who just spoke was being extremely courteous to the old man before him. It was a Crimson Corps Guard, someone with an incredibly high status that was acting so respectful. Lying down on a couch in azy manner, while constantly drinking out of a sk, was the old man Izroth had met back in Amaharpe. The Combat Master ss teacher, Gear. Gear let out a long yawn as he said, "Sure sure, escort him here to this location." Gear waved his hand to chase away the Crimson Corps Guard. "Sir." The Crimson Corps Guard bowed before he turned around to exit from out of the room. "Now, I wonder how much you¡¯ve improved since ourst meeting." Gear sat straight up. As he took another drink from his sk, his appearance began to slowly change, bing more youthful until he resembled a strong middle-aged man. A spatial distortion formed in front of Gear, however, he was not on guard since he knew who wasing through. A few momentster, Terminus appeared from within the spatial distortion. There was a visible look of shock written all over the face of Terminus. "You¡¯ve regained your old strength?" "Ahahaha! You have quite the imagination old friend. This is only temporary thanks to the effects of the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid. I¡¯ll convert back to my original self when the dosage runs out." Gear shook the sk in his hands for a brief moment before returning it to his pocket. "Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid?! You¡¯ve actually kept such a thing hidden away in mere Endless sk this entire time?" Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid was a legendary medicine that was capable of healing all wounds. Even those one step away from death, as long as they were still alive could bepletely healed by the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid. However, Terminus had a worried expression on his face. "The wound from that time is truly beyond mortal means. If even a legendary medicine like the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid taken inrge quantities can not heal that wound, then I¡¯m afraid only a divine being can do so." He let out a long sigh. "Cheer up my old friend. If I had to do it all over again, I would not hesitate. This small sacrifice is nothing worth mentioning." Gear smiled as he thought back to his previous days as an adventurer. A few momentster he stopped his reminiscing and got back to the matter at hand. "I doubt this visit is a social one. Is the realm still closed?" Gear asked. "It still requires more power if we wish to open it ahead of time. However, in order to do so, we¡¯d have to redirect power from the magic barrier surrounding Amaharpe which as you know is out of the question." A hint of frustration could be heard in the way that Terminus spoke. "If we have to wait a bit longer then so be it. It¡¯s important that the portal is stable, otherwise, even if they were to make it to the realm sessfully, getting back would be nearly impossible." Gear said. Terminus nodded, "On a side note, I assume you have already made your choice as for who you are sending?" "I was just informed a few moments ago that he had returned to Amaharpe. He should be arriving here at the pce soon. " Gear responded. "This mission has to seed. It¡¯s the only way to guarantee the survival of Amaharpe and all of its citizens. It¡¯s only right that he knows exactly what he¡¯s getting himself into." Terminus had a grave facial expression. "Of course, he has a right to know. After all, even though the rewards from that ce are plentiful, the price of failure is not light by any means." Gear started walking towards the door. "Hm? Where are you heading off to?" Terminus asked as he saw Gear leaving the room. Gear halted his steps. "It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve gone for a little walk. It¡¯s not often that I¡¯m able to experience the strength of my prime. Besides, I¡¯ll be back before he arrives here." While Gear was speaking, his figure was constantly flickering. His actual body was already over one hundred kilometers away from the pce! This was the true power of the Flickering Steps and the reason that enemies on the battlefield feared Gear¡¯s presence. Terminus shook his head, "He calls that a little walk?" The space before Terminus distorted as his figure blurred and he took his leave. ... Meanwhile at the auction house in Amaharpe... ¡¯It actually sold for such a price.¡¯ Izroth was currently at Amaharpe¡¯s Auction House. He needed to see what price the Five Cycles Pill sold for. ¡¯If what she said is really true then I¡¯ll have to make a trip to that ce at some point in the future.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the favor he asked of Zi Yi before they parted ways. Chapter 85 The Calm Before The Storm Part 2 Before parting ways, Izroth inquired of Zi Yi about her knowledge regarding fire cores. At the moment, Izroth had a mediocre at best fire core for his cauldron and needed a more powerful one that would enable him to create stronger pills. Zi Yi sadly did not have any information about where he could find a fire core for his cauldron, however, she had told Izroth something that intrigued him. Although she did not have any knowledge about how to locate powerful fire cores, she managed to piece together a theory based on the bits of information she acquired during her visit to Amaharpe¡¯s library. In her words, searching for a fire core is the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. Except sometimes, the needle may not even be there, to begin with. Fire cores were dropped by strong fire type monsters. However, not all fire type monsters dropped fire cores. As for those who did, it was not a guarantee that the item would drop. The thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention the most was the possible method she spoke of at obtaining a fire core with virtually a 100% chance. Of course, it was only her theory but Izroth found it to be a sound and logical conclusion based on the facts provided. To sum up what she said, it was "the angrier monster, the better the chances". What she meant by that was based on what she understood, all fire type monsters that possess a fire core share a simr trait. It was that they all were fueled by an unexinable rage, even more so than usual for monsters. The longer a fire type monster that possessed a fire core fought, the more intense their mes would be. The more intense their mes became, the more power they would draw from their fire cores. In theory, as long as a fire type monster who possesses a fire core reaches the peak of its me intensity, the more likely the system was to reward a yer with the fire core as a drop item. Zi Yi regretted that she did not have ess to the pce library or else she would have been able to provide a more solid theory. However, Izroth decided to test her theory when he had the time to. ¡¯This system seems capable of a multitude of things. The chances of her theory being correct are quite high.¡¯ Izroth opened his Auction Cube to check on the status on his Five Cycles Pill. When he did, he at first believed that the number he saw was incorrect. ¡¯Such a price... I did not think a single Five Cycles Pill would do this well.¡¯ A single Five Cycles Pill had sold for 50 gold coin! He only spent a few silver coins to purchase enough ingredients to make 150 pills and had already earned back his expenses as well as made arge profit. But, Izroth did not fully understand the true reason as to why his pill sold for such a high price just yet. However, Izroth was satisfied with the generous amount he acquired. Even if he sold all 150 pills that he would eventually create for 1 gold coin each, they were enough to Izroth a total of 150 gold coins! At the current RMB exchange rate of 1:990, that would make for a grand total of 148,500 RMB! Of course, that was before the taxes were taken out. There were millions upon millions of yers on RML. Even if the price would eventually fall off, the potential profit was still astronomical! If he could generate a steady ie from this then it would not only provide him and Reilei with all the expenses they would require, but it would also help for him to set in motion something he had been thinking about for quite some time now. ¡¯For now, I will focus on crafting the remaining pills. Since the cauldron I was gifted can handle grade three pills, there should not any unexpected idents this time around. I¡¯ll head over to the Apothecary building.¡¯ While Izroth could craft pills anywhere thanks to the cauldron he possessed, he did not want to do it in such a public ce. He was not afraid of anyone stealing his pill recipe since that was virtually impossible. Izroth just wanted absolute concentration so that he couldplete the pills as fast as possible, put them into the auction house for sale, and then finally return to leveling up. Izroth collected his coins from the system, not bothering to convert it into RMB. After all, he would still have a use for the coins itself to purchase items sold by NPCs. Izroth left from out of the auction house and was heading towards the Apothecary building until he suddenly heard a thunderous voice directed at him. However, no one else seemed to be able to hear this voice except for him. "Sir Izroth! Your presence has been requested at the pce. Please report immediately as it is an urgent matter!" Izroth furrowed his brows. His presence was requested at the pce? What could the pce possibly want with him? ¡¯Could it be that they¡¯ve figured out something about Vozrak and the world quest?¡¯ A few secondster, a Crimson Corps Guard appeared in front of Izroth. It seemed as though he was the source of the voice and was able to transmit it in such a concentrated sound wave so that only Izroth was capable of receiving his message. ¡¯A Crimson Corps Guard?¡¯ "Sir, I ask that you follow me to the pce." There were many yers going back and forth, however, most of them stopped when they noticed that a Crimson Corps Guard had approached a yer. They all started to be excited. Could this be the start of a huge event? "Hey, that yer is talking to a Crimson Corps Guard. I tried once and didn¡¯t even get a nce spared in my direction!" "Forget that! Did you hear what he just said? He called that yer sir! A powerful Crimson Corps Guard actually referred to him as sir! Who exactly is that yer? What did he do to earn such respect from the Crimson Corps Guards?" "He must be some super elite yer from a top guild! That¡¯s the only exnation I can think of." The yers were alling to different conclusions about the situation, however, Izroth nor the Crimson Corps Guard paid them any attention. "Oh? I¡¯ve never been to the pce before. May I inquire as to why I¡¯m needed?" Izroth responded in a carefree manner. He would not intentionally be rude to someone who has so far shown him such a good deal of respect. "Sir, I am afraid this matter is confidential. However, your questions will all be answered if you follow me. Of course, this is a choice, not a demand." The Crimson Corps Guard remained extremely professional. He understood the dangerous journey that Izroth may eventually embark on. If "that" person thought of him as a worthy individual, then he deserved a proper level of respect. Izroth thought about it for a moment and decided that he could always craft the pills after he finished whatever he was needed for at the pce. "Alright, lead the way." The Crimson Corps Guard turned and began to walk towards the direction of the pce with Izroth following him. As he walked down the streets with the Crimson Corps Guard, Izroth attracted the attention of many yers. Some of them wanted to go up to him and ask how he made contact with the Crimson Corps Guard, however, when one of them came too close they were forced back by the Crimson Corps Guard. There were not physically touched, but rather a strong force knocked them back and a heavy pressure fell down upon their bodies. ¡¯One out of ten thousand... What a well-defined aura.¡¯ Although yers could not get too close, there were still a few that did not need to do so and were only there to observe. Those were the few that monitored any noticeable events that took ce within Amaharpe and ryed the information directly to their guild. Though, that was mostly only the top guilds who had the resources and manpower to do so. A lot of the top guilds were interested in the matter. However, it was not enough to draw their attention away from something else that was many times more important than a mere event. There was already a rank three Apothecary within RML! What appeared in the auction was a grade three pill. In RML, there was no other way to receive pills except from other yers or by making them yourself. NPCs did not sell pills and the pills created by them were regted by the city they resided in. Of course, a grade three pill itself was not worth 50 gold coins at all. The hope was to purchase the pill in hopes of deciphering it, studying it, and retrieving the recipe for the pill. The guild who was fortunate enough to obtain the grade three Five Cycles Pill was, in fact, one of the top guilds, Sage Falls. Sage Falls was known for their aggressive and domineering behavior. All the members that were a part of Sage Falls were extremely arrogant and looked down on yers that were from other guilds. The leader of Sage Falls, yer, was also the person who purchased Izroth¡¯s Nameless de. At the moment, the guilds were trying to find out clues as to who this mysterious Apothecary was. After all, there was a great possibility that he was not in a top guild and they could rope him in. How could a top guild willingly sell a grade three pill? It did not take long for Izroth and the Crimson Corps Guard to reach the pce. Normally anyone who entered into the pce would have to go through various checkpoints. However, since Izroth was personally being escorted by a Crimson Corps Guard, no one dared to block their path. ¡¯This ce is even more luxurious than the Combat Master ss building.¡¯ The pce was grand and majestic, giving one the impression that whoever could create such a structure was truly a gifted architect. But, Izroth only spared it a nce. He believed that it was only above average based on what he had observed so far within RML. After walking through the pce halls for a few moments, the Crimson Corps Guard stopped in front of arge and sturdy wooden door. Just as the Crimson Corps Guard was about to knock, the door slowly cracked open by itself. "I¡¯ll leave you to it. Good luck." The Crimson Corps Guard gave those few words before leaving away from that location. Izroth pushed open therge sturdy wooden door and stepped into the room. When he entered, he noticed a small flicker shot right past him. The first thing he saw when he looked into the room was a middle-aged man sitting on a couch within the room. That middle-aged man reminded Izroth of someone he had met back in Opal Town. When Izroth observed a bit closer, he realized that there was a striking resemnce between that middle-aged man and Gear! In fact, that middle-aged man just appeared to be a more youthful version of Gear. "I¡¯m d you¡¯ve taken the time out of your day toe and visit this old man. Ah, I guess old man would not be entirely urate at the moment." Gear took out a sk from his pocket and took a sip from it. With those words and that action, Izroth could already guess the identity of the individual before him. "You seem to be in good spirits, Gear. However, requesting for me to journey here was a little on the unexpected side." Izroth kept a carefree expression on his face. "Ahahaha, good spirits? Good spirits indeed young man! I haven¡¯t felt in such good spirits for quite a while now. It¡¯s an important matter, but let us catch up a bit first." Gearughed wholeheartedly. It would be untruthful if he said he did not enjoy being in his prime and that it did not make him happy. After catching up for a few minutes, Gear turned the conversation in a more serious direction. "Young ma- No, Izroth. I have a personal request to make. I hope your answer is one that is satisfactory." Gear was serious and there was no signs ofughter or fooling around. Izroth narrowed his eyes when he heard Gear¡¯s words. He gave a slight nod, "You have gifted me such a wonderful skill and weapon back when I did not have much. If you have a request to make then it would be ungrateful of me to not, at the very least, hear you out." Chapter 86 The Calm Before The Storm Part 3 "In that case, I suppose I should start off by telling you a story." For a brief moment, a look of sadness shed within Gear¡¯s eyes. The memories were far from pleasant and too much had been sacrificed. Gear gestured for Izroth to take a seat at the couch positioned opposite of him. Izroth sat down on the couch, sitting face to face with Gear. The sadness that surfaced for that small instant did not go unnoticed by Izroth. After a moment of silence, Gear finally began to speak. "Many years ago, creatures known as the Shadahi were able to freely travel throughout our very own world." Izroth nodded, this was something he had already figured out during his journey to the Shadahi Realm and by meeting with the Seer Tererestiaa. "There is something you should understand. All monsters, without exception, are born with an innate talent. Some have much higher talent than others, but it¡¯s how the weak are separated from the strong. When a monster is born their strength cannot exceed a certain level, no matter how hard they try." Gear exined. ¡¯It seems as if monsters within RML are simr to the weaker ferocious beasts within the Seven Realms. Judging from what I know about the Shadahi, they would beparable to the sentient beasts.¡¯ Back in the Seven Realms, sentient beasts did not have a limit to the strength they could gain. In fact, they were simr to cultivators in that aspect. However, it was exceedingly difficult for a sentient beast to be born. Gear continued, "However, for the Shadahi things were different. They were capable of learning, adapting, growing, and bing increasingly deadly with every encounter they survive. The Shadahi are creatures with infinite growth potential. I should not have to further borate about how dangerous they are." Izroth had fought against the sealed Ekquilore and met with the sealed Syxirius while within the Shadahi Realm. He had also seen thousands of Shadahi located just within that one area. The Shadahi Realm was seemingly boundless and so who knew how many more powerful creatures existed? "All Shadahi are creatures which are birthed from the same lifeform. In other words, their very existence is linked to only one being." When Gear mentioned that being, his facial expression darkened. There was a hint of fury and rage, two emotions that Izroth had never seen Gear express before. ¡¯Now there¡¯s something interesting.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the fact that all Shadahi came from the same lifeform. Wouldn¡¯t that make the being who created them the equivalent to a God of Shadahi? A being that could create a seemingly endlessly amount of Shadahi that were all capable of growing stronger by natural means... How terrifying! Of course, Izroth was viewing it from the perspective of the world of RML. There were obvious limits to this world and so he could only imagine the amount of blood that was spilled during the struggle with such a being. Gear managed to calm himself down. To Gear, it was very personal which caused him to lose his usual calm demeanor. "In the beginning, the Shadahi were not numerous by any means. We simply thought that they were a new breed of monsters, created by the natural order of the world to bnce out good and evil." "However, we were wrong. By the time we realized our mistake, it was already toote. The problem had grown into something that affected and threatened our entire way of life. After deploying hundreds of thousands of soldiers to deal with the situation, we realized just how dangerous these Shadahi were." "They could learn as they battled our soldiers. Unknowingly, we had created an even stronger breed of monsters. By the time we reached the source, there were only seven of us remaining. Myself, Terminus, Jiox, Wave, Felicia, Nova, and my beloved wife, Asteletiaa." When Gear mentioned the name of his wife, sorrow could not help but find its way to him. "It was even more powerful than we imagined. The result..." Gear lifted up the shirt he was wearing and revealed a deep wound that was dark purple in color and emitted a foul aura. The energy being released by thatrge and deep wound across Gear¡¯s torso was even more powerful than the aura of Syxirius. ¡¯He actually survived this entire time with such a wound? I could not feel even the slightest bit of aura from it.¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes to examine the wound. One could see cracks formed all around the wound as if Gear himself was breaking apart into different pieces. It was an extremely unpleasant and sinister sight to take in. What was even more shocking was that Gear was wounded to such an extent! Izroth had felt the power of the Flickering Steps for himself. It was safe to say that the system gave him the watered down version of the skill as wasmon in games. However, Gear could most likely use the skill at its full potential. If that were the case then the skill itself was most likely at the SS or even SSS rank! How terrifying would a creature who could keep up with Gear at that speed and even wound him be? Gear put down his shirt before letting out a long sigh. "This wound has reduced me to a weakened state and I am forced to constantly drink medicine just to suppress its effects. However, such a small wound cannote close toparing what I lost during that fight..." "Although seven of us fought against that being, only six of us managed to escape with our lives. My wife, Asteletiaa, had perished to reserve our lives... To reserve my life. Trading such a pure and magnificent life for my own insignificant life...!" Gear shivered slightly as he clenched his fist. Gear was angry at himself for being so weak. He was not strong enough to protect the most important person in his life. She sacrificed her own life, so full of promise, just to save him after he was wounded by that being. How could he ever forgive himself? Izroth remained silent, however, he inwardly sighed. He could see just how much Gear loved his wife from the amount of frustration he disyed. Izroth was also able to see just how pained Gear was at losing the love of his life. ¡¯Love... An eternal feeling birthed by a fleeting moment. The only fleeting moment whichsts an eternity.¡¯ Izroth was reminded of someone he too failed to protect back when he first stepped onto his path of cultivation, because of how weak he was. It was one of the few regrets in his life. After a few moments, Gear collected himself and reorganized his thoughts. "Ahahaha, alright enough about the sad parts!" He smiled, but any fool with eyes could see that Gear was just suppressing the thoughts and the pain which apanied them. Izroth knew that it was bad manners to linger on a topic of such sensitivity and so he did not mention anything about it and simply listened. After all, sometimes a person was not necessarily searching for answers, but rather just wanted to speak freely. "That bastard sure was tough." Gear took in a breath of cold air. "In the end, we barely seeded in escaping with our lives. I don¡¯t remember much since I eventually fell unconscious due to the pain from the wound, but that¡¯s pretty much the gist of it." "The being was able to survive, although in an incredibly weakened state. However, if it could recover its power then it would all be over. After fighting against the seven of us, there was no mistake that its power would grow beyond our means by the time we ourselves managed to recover from the fight." "As we feared, we were correct in our assumption. The being was about to step into the divine realm and its power could be felt throughout the entire world. However, just before taking that step, the divine beings finally decided that they could no longer sit back and allow the being to reach the divine level. They broke their own rules and intervened, imprisoning the being and splitting the nes to create a realm just for the Shadahi." Izroth had personally seen the seal ced on the Shadahi Realm which was located underneath the temple next to the Lake of Tears. In order to cross over at the moment, one needed the Boundary Sealing Sphere, an S-ranked item. "As for my request, I believe it will not only benefit me, but it will benefit you as well." Gear saw the potential within Izroth from the moment they met back in Opal Town. "My request is for you to journey into the Chaotic Dogma Realm and reach the very end of it. Only by doing this can we guarantee to stop the impending disaster set out to happen against Amaharpe and all of its citizens." Gear exined. "However, while it is true that the rewards in the Chaotic Dogma Realm are plentiful, the cost of failure is not light. You must know what you are agreeing to." Gear observed Izroth¡¯s facial expression, however, there was almost no noticeable change during the entire time. "Those who travel to the Chaotic Dogma Realm... If a person dies inside of that ce, they will experience an existence wipe." The threat of an existence wipe alone was enough to make most individuals stray away from epting the task. ¡¯Existence wipe?¡¯ "Can you borate a bit on this existence wipe?" Izroth was curious as to what Gear meant by that. It was a term he had never heard used before or seen anywhere within RML. Gear nodded, "Naturally, it is only right that you know all the details. An existence wipe is just as its name sounds, you will cease to exist. Although you are immortal and blessed by the divine beings, you will return to nothingness instead of being reborn if you die while within the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Izroth furrowed his brows. ¡¯Isn¡¯t that the equivalent of a character wipe?" Izroth understood that there was no possible way the system would do anything to threaten a yer¡¯s actual life. Such a game would not be permitted to exist and would be shut down immediately. However, having to recreate a new character from scratch if you were to die inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm was extremely harsh punishment. ¡¯Such a huge risk... Surely the rewards will match.¡¯ Izroth was never worried for a moment about taking a risk. He knew that if he truly wanted to reach the top he would have to take on a countless amount of risks. Given Gear¡¯s character, he must have thought it was likely for him to seed. Otherwise, he would not willingly send Izroth to his inevitable demise. Though, Izroth was curious about something else entirely. "This appears to be an important task. Why is it that you or Terminus do not personally go?" Izroth did not know their exact strengths, but fighting against a being that was one step away from the divine level meant that they were incredibly powerful. At least, much more powerful than he was at this current moment. Gear shook his head, "If that were possible, we would do so. Unfortunately, the Chaotic Dogma Realm has a powerful restriction ced upon it that will not allow anyone above a certain level of power to enter." Izroth nodded his head. It must have been a legendary or divine level restriction if even Terminus and Gear could not bypass it. "Now that you know all the details of my request, I ask you Izroth, will you ept?" Gear set his gaze upon Izroth and awaited his answer. Gear would not me Izroth if he decided not to go through with his request. After all, an existence wipe was too much to demand of anyone. While he would be disappointed, he would understand Izroth¡¯s choice. Without hesitating, Izroth responded. "I ept." Gear had a shocked expression on his face, but it was soon reced by one of joy. He did not expect Izroth to ept without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Ahahaha! Of course, you never disappoint in your actions! Good, good!" Immediately after Izroth epted the request, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The quest ?Journey To The Chaotic Dogma Realm? has been added to your quest logs.¡µ Chapter 87 The Calm Before The Storm Part 4 Quest Name: Journey To The Chaotic Dogma Realm Rmended Level: 25 Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: SS Quest Objective: A potential disaster is looming over the capital city Amaharpe. In order for Amaharpe to have a greater chance of surviving the impending disaster, you must travel through the portal and reach the end of the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?, where a mystery awaits you. Time Limit: 1 Day(After the portal status is Open) Current Portal Status: Closed 0/1 Reach the end of the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?. Reward: -Gain +2 levels -One Epic Rank Equipment -Gain +200 World Fame -Gain +1 skill point -x1 ?True World Treasure Chest? Failure: -Existence Wipe Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. Izroth took a brief moment to look over the quest information. He figured the quest would be challenging, however, he did not expect it to reach this level. ¡¯It¡¯s an SS-ranked quest... The rewards from this alone are already quite generous. Though that just goes to show how difficult this journey will truly be.¡¯ When Izroth saw the True World Treasure Chest listed as a reward, he was reminded of the item he received while within the Sea Pce Graveyard. The Underwater World Treasure Chest! He had neglected it since he could not open it within the Sea Pce Graveyard. Also, he had further pushed it to the back of his mind when he met with that mysterious old man. That and the fact that there was no immediate danger or reason for him to open the chest. ¡¯I suppose when I finish taking care of some things and before I enter inside of the portal, I will open the chest. After he decided on that matter, Izroth furrowed his brows due to some suspicions he held. ¡¯This quest seems to be rted to the current world quest I have, but...¡¯ While it was true that both quests had to do with the fate of Amaharpe, the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings clearly defined that failure was the destruction of Amaharpe itself. However, this quest did not have such an absolute failure listed. That meant even if Izroth seeded inpleting the world quest, Amaharpe could still potentially be destroyed if he failed this quest! Though this caused yet another question to surface in Izroth¡¯s mind. Why are so many events being centered around Amaharpe? What is within this city that is so important? Izroth shook his head inwardly. There was no reason for thinking about it right now. All he could do was continue pressing forward until he uncovered the answers he was searching for. He pushed that to the back of his head for the time being and focused his attention on the status of the portal listed on the quest. At the moment, the portal was currently listed as closed. He had a time limit of one day once the portal was opened. However, he had no idea how soon that would be. "Do you have an estimate as to when the portal will be opened?" Izroth asked. Gear brought his thumb and index finger to his chin as he appeared to be in deep thought about the question. After a few seconds, he responded to Izroth. "The earliest will be three hours. Thetest will be around a full day. The estimate is a little rough since we are opening the portal ahead of time." ¡¯Three hours to a full day worth of time... I¡¯ll have to make some proper preparations.¡¯ Izroth did not know what would await him once he stepped into the Chaotic Dogma Realm and so he would take the necessary precautions. After all, he would definitely rather not have to start all over again. While he was confident in his ability to regain his current strength, he would have a more difficult time executing what he had already begun to set in motion. Izroth and Gear talked about a few small details for a couple of minutes, however, there was no specific information Gear could give Izroth on the Chaotic Dogma Realm since it changed every time. Gear let out a burst of joyousughter, "I did not expect you to reach that high of a mastery level with your Flickering Steps in such a short period of time. It took me years to aplish that ahahaha." Izroth only gave a slight smile in return to hispliment. He would not becent just because he mastered a single movement skill. However, it would be rude to repay kindness with discontent. "Creating a technique from nothing is many times more challenging than learning one that already exists. I¡¯m sure you would not be any slower in mastering such a skill if our roles were reversed." Izroth said. There was a definite truth behind his words. Some people spent decades creating, learning and mastering a single technique. However, those that came after them could be considered fortunate, as they only had to learn and train, not create. Gear nodded his head in approval, "Your wisdom does not suit your age. There is an old saying that goes with agees wisdom. However, it seems such a saying does not apply to you." Gear¡¯s impression of Izroth rose a great deal when he heard Izroth¡¯s reply. To have so much talent while not beingcent nor arrogant. When he spoke he was neither submissive nor aggressive, but rather words of wisdom often left his mouth which prompted others to listen. There was a certain bnce to him and a high level of confidence that Izroth carried with him. Izroth maintained a carefree expression, but he did not know whether tough or cry in regards to Gear¡¯sment. In truth, he was still fairly young for a true cultivator, only a couple thousands of years old. In fact, if his true cultivation age waspared to the age of mortals on Earth, he would be considered to be in his mid-twenties! But, that did not change the fact that he had lived for thousands of years and umted a vast amount of wisdom during that period of time. So, of course, his wisdom would not match his current age in this realm. "Alright, I¡¯ve kept you long enough." Gear held out a single finger toward Izroth. "Imprint!" A magical symbol formed on his fingertips and shot towards Izroth. Izroth did not feel any malicious intentions from the magical symbol, and so he did not bother trying to avoid it. Also, it was simply too fast for him to avoid, even with his heightened senses. The magical symbol sunk into Izroth¡¯s forehead before soon disappearing. A small light shed for a brief moment, bing faint before eventually dying out. "That magical symbol will alert you once the portal is sessfully open. When that happens, you must immediately return to the pce. Don¡¯t worry, as long as my imprint is with you no guards will dare to block your path." Gear reassured Izroth. Izroth was just wondering if the system would automatically warn him when the portal was opened or not, however, it seemed as though his worries were unnecessary. "You must have many preparations to make, Izroth. You should take the time to do so as being underprepared can lead to a disaster. We will meet again before your entrance into the portal." Gear said. Izroth stood up, "Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave for now." Izroth had a few tasks to take care of before he ventured into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. He began to head towards the door, but just as he was about to exit the room he heard Gear ask a question. "Do you have any people you have in mind to apany you?" Gear knew that Izroth was strong, however, there was a time limit and one person could only do so much alone within that time. Also, the Chaotic Dogma Realm was not a ce to take chances. Izroth halted his steps and slightly turned his head around. On his face was his usual carefree smile. "I have a few people in mind." With that, Izroth walked out of the door and headed in the direction of the pce exit. ... Around 15 minutester... Izroth had already arrived at the Apothecary building and was currently inside one of the rooms located on the 3rd floor. There were not many rooms located on the 3rd floor due to the fact that there were not that many rank three apothecaries within Amaharpe. Izroth removed his Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and ced it before him. He then initiated the heating process for the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and raised it to its peak temperature, pushing the fire core to the very limit of its capabilities. At the moment, Izroth had enough ingredients to sessfully create a total of 150 Five Cycles Pills. He nned on putting the majority of the pills up for sale and keeping part of them for potential bargains. Either way, the cheap ingredients made it quite easy for Izroth to create as many Five Cycles Pills as he wanted without having to worry about the production cost. The only troublesome ingredient to obtain at the moment would be the Isted Water Droplet. This was because Cross Haven was presently in control of the Sea Pce Graveyard. Which meant that if Izroth wanted the Isted Water Droplet, he would have to constantly make trips to the Sea Pce Graveyard, which was impractical. Or, he would have to acquire the item from Cross Haven directly. Izroth could not waste his time farming Isted Water Droplets. Besides, he was unsure if Cross Haven was even aware of the reagent located within the dungeon they were guarding. ¡¯I am unsure of the way Cross Haven operates when ites to such things, however, judging from my previous brief encounter with them, at the very least, they don¡¯t seem unreasonable.¡¯ Izroth had already started crafting the Five Cycles Pills. His speed was astounding during the process and all of his movements were precise. Not having to worry about pushing the cauldron too far, Izroth was able to rapidly produce batch after batch of Five Cycles Pills, all of which were grade three in rank. It was a tedious process having toplete the same set of actions fifty times, but it did not bother or wear down Izroth since he was used to crafting higher level pills that required more... Finesse and did not allow for the simplest of mistakes. After about fifty minutes, Izroth had finished creating all fifty batches of Five Cycles Pills, which made for a grand total of 150 grade three pills. All the pills were set into his inventory. Izroth noticed that the Dark Abyssal Cauldron did not leave a single bit of medicinal essence left over. It devoured everything remaining. ¡¯Interesting, it bes stronger by feeding off the medicinal essence left over from crafting pills.¡¯ Izroth had an idea and tried tossing one of the Five Cycles Pills he made into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron to see if it would have a greater feeding effect. However, there was no reaction whatsoever. He ced the cauldron and the pill back into his inventory. ¡¯It seems as if it can only feed off of the leftover essence and not directly from the pill itself.¡¯ It was a bit disappointing, but the cauldron would naturally grow stronger as Izroth used it more frequently. Izroth then removed the Underwater World Treasure Chest from his inventory. Now was a better time than any to see what was inside of it. There was a 20% chance to receive amon item, a 50% chance for an umon item, and a 30% chance to obtain a rare item! Izroth believed that the reason the rare chance was even higher than themon chance was due to the fact that the chest itself was a rare ranked item. However, a 30% chance for a rare item could already be considered a favorable probability. He opened the Underwater World Treasure Chest and soon after, the item disappeared from his hands and was reced by a gentle glowing light. A few momentster, an item appeared within Izroth¡¯s hands that had a faint aura surrounding it. He heard the sound of the system alert go off when the new item emerged from the Underwater World Treasure Chest. ¡´System Alert: You have received 1 ?Crystal Sea Head Ornament?¡µ Chapter 88 Making Preparations Name: Crystal Sea Head Ornament(Rare) Level: 23 Type: Unknown Requirements: None HP: 700 DEF: 30 AGI: 100 Crystallization(Active): Encases yourself, an ally, or an enemy within a case of powerful magic crystal for 20 seconds. While within the crystal, the target is unable to perform any actions. If the target is an enemy, they can channel their mana or energy. By channeling their mana or energy, the enemy can reduce the amount of time spent crystalized. The crystal integrity will always start off at 100%. The encased target cannot take damage or heal while crystalized. The user of this skill can deactivate it at any time. Cooldown: 10 minutes Special Note: An old relic that still retains some of its power that was left behind after first Great Sea War. It once belonged to a famous merman of great status. The equipment gave great stats for a headpiece. In fact, the stats were even better than that of his level 15 rare torso piece, though that was to be expected. Usually, however, the torso piece would be the item that gave the most desirable defensive stats to the majority of yers. Even though the defense stat itself as fairly low, the agility, HP, and active skill made up for it. Izroth was a little surprised by the 20 seconds listed on the skill. Rendering an opponent helpless for that amount of time could be devastating during a team fight! Even more so for an item that was only level 23! He could also use the item to save allies in a pinch. ¡¯It must be due to the enemy being able to pour in mana or energy to reduce the amount of time spent within the crystal. I do not know how much effort one would require in order to break free. It is even more difficult making an estimate when ites to boss monsters.¡¯ There were still quite a few things Izroth had left to figure out about the Crystallization skill attached to the Crystal Sea Head Ornament. However, he understood that he would naturally obtain that information after using it a few times. Izroth wasted no time and instantly equipped the Crystal Sea Head Ornament after he finished reading it over. With this, his overallbat power and arsenal had risen to another level. Name: Izroth EXP: 98,561/120,000 Level: 22(Stat Points: 0) Title: None ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 2,500/2,500 Energy: 100 ATTACK(ATK): 430 DEFENSE(DEF): 155 AGILITY(AGI): 400 MAGIC(MAG): 0 Physical Resistance: 15% Magical Resistance: 15% Luck: 1 ¡¯I should head to the auction house to put the Five Cycles Pills up for sale. However, since I¡¯m already here and have some time, I should experiment a little.¡¯ Before he started, Izroth examined the misceneous reagents sitting within his inventory. ¡¯Ah, I should probably give them a heads up.¡¯ Izroth opened up his friendslist and sent out a message to three people on his friend list, but he kept the message a little vague. It would be much easier to tell them all at once in person rather than discussing it with them on at a time. The first to return his message was Luna. At the moment, she was outpleting a quest. However, she said that she would return to Amaharpe within the next hour with plenty of time to spare. Of course, she had no problem tagging along. Izroth then saw the fourth name on the list, however, he was unsure if they would be able to journey with him to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. That person was Halls, who said that they had to head to work shortly after Izroth logged off earlier. As a tank, Halls would be on the frontline and therefore, he would be in the most dangerous position. It was an SS-ranked quest with a rmended level of 25. If he left and only returned to RML a few hours ago, it was highly unlikely that he had even reached level 20 yet! If that were the case then, the risk of Halls facing an existence wiped was almost guaranteed. Izroth decided to still send Halls a message. He wanted to, at the very least, know what level he was able to reach. After all, there was still a chance that the portal itself would not open up for another 23 hours. After sending off his message, Izroth received a message in return near instantly. When Izroth read the contents of the message, he did not think it was right to call such a situation fortunate, however, it was fortunate for Halls. Or else there was no way he would be able to tag along. It turned out that just when Halls was getting ready to head to work, he received a call from his boss at thest minute informing him that they were closed for today. Apparently, the daughter of his boss had an emergency and they were unable to open up for business today. It was a locally owned ce and so there was no one who could rece or cover for his boss. Therefore, Halls was only offline for a few minutes before logging back into RML. He was then, by chance, offered a party invite and had simply been leveling up since then. To Izroth¡¯s surprise, Halls had already reached level 22! Although he could still not bepared to Luna who had already reached level 23. Even though Izroth took on a dungeon by himself and had the assistance of the temporary passive skill Equalizer, he was still offline for 30 to 40 hours in game time. Such a gap was not easy to close right away and it could already be considered as a frightening leveling speed after he caught up so fast. The other two people Izroth messaged was Guan Yu and Zi Yi, who Izroth had just be acquainted with only hours ago. Before going their separate ways, the both of them sent Izroth a friend request which he, of course, epted. Guan Yu did not hesitate to ept Izroth¡¯s vague request and did not ask for any additional details. Zi Yi, however, was a bit more inquisitive. However, Izroth did not mind that kind of personality at all. It was good to gather as much information as possible before deciding on your next course of action. Izroth was being barraged with question after question. After not seeing an end in sight, he simply told Zi Yi that she would be allowed ess, at least temporary ess, into the pce. With that, she may have a chance to inquire about ess to their library. When he said those words, Zi Yi immediately epted without asking any further questions. Izroth let out a small sigh as he finally turned his attention back towards the reagents within his inventory. ¡¯Now that everything is settled, it¡¯s time to experiment a bit.¡¯ Izroth then started his various experiments with the misceneous reagents like the Merfolk Scale and Yellow-Razored Kryco Shark Fin that we¡¯re within of his inventory. ... After spending slightly more than one hour experimenting with the various reagents, Izroth grasped a much better understanding of the way Apothecaries functioned within RML. While some ingredients bore nearly the exact same traits as others he had encountered before back in the Seven Realms, there were sometimes slight variations. However, correcting such variations only required him to run a few tests and mostly correct the distribution ratios. Although, he may be required to waste a few ingredients in the process. There were multiple tools avable for yers to use inside of the rooms located on the 3rd floor of the Apothecary building. Grinding tools, a liquefying kit, and many other items were usable. Izroth had to admit, RML went all out when it came to the process of pill creation for apothecaries. However, it was still nowhere close to the level of apothecary reached within the Seven Realms. He made a few interesting discoveries during his experiments, but he still required more resources so that he could solidify his basic understandings of the ways of an Apothecary by RML standards. Izroth still around one hour left until the gates had a chance of opening. ¡¯By now, everyone should already have returned to Amaharpe, or be on their journey back.¡¯ Izroth believed that it was best if everyone met ahead of time to discuss the specifics of the situation. Luna and Halls had yet to meet with Guan Yu and Zi Y and vice versa. It was not exactly ideal to have them wait until it was time to enter into the Chaotic Dogma Realm to meet one another. After making sure he had everything with him, Izroth left the room on the 3rd floor and started walking towards the exit of the Apothecary building. His next stop was the auction house to put up the Five Cycles Pills for sale. It only took a few moments for Izroth to arrive at the auction house and set 135 of the pills up for auction. He chose this number because he nned on giving away four of the pills, in total, to the four who would be apanying him on his journey into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. He kept the remaining bit of pills as a bargaining chip. Just in case he came across an item that someone was reluctant to part with, or if he ever needed to obtain information from someone, he could use the Five Cycles Pill to his advantage. Izroth had only one more major preparation to make and that was obtaining potions. At the moment, he had only acquired the lower grade HP potions, which were slowly bing useless. It would be even more apparent once he entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Therefore, he needed to acquire a higher grade HP potion. He checked the auction house, however, there was not nearly enough. In total, there were only around five medium grade HP potions. ¡¯Therge guilds much be sweeping the auction house clean... I suppose I¡¯ll have to use n B.¡¯ Izroth still did not know much about that person and so he was not sure if that person was worthy of his trust just yet. There was an Alchemist Izroth had met when he arrived in Amaharpe for the very first time. While that person was fair in his exchanges, there was still something off about him. Izroth was referring to Metronome, the yer he sold the Goblin¡¯s Essence too. He checked his friendslist and saw that Metronome was still online. He sent him a message about a potential business opportunity. However, before Izroth could further borate, Metronome said that he would rather speak face to face when discussing business. After thinking about it for a moment, Izroth saw no harm in agreeing to meet him face to face. Besides, there was still some time left before he had to meet up with the others. ... Around fifteen minutester, Izroth was sat down at a small INN. A familiar yer sat across from him. That yer was naturally Metronome. "Hey, hey... That¡¯s a little unreasonable. You¡¯re asking for the impossible." Metronome let out a long sigh. He did not think that Izroth would be so stubborn with his request. "The words from your very own mouth just moments ago said that it was not impossible, just highly unlikely. The question is no longer whether or not you¡¯re capable of achieving the goal in time, but rather if you¡¯re willing to." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Metronome could only give a helpless smile. "Alright, fine. I got it. I¡¯ll make it happen somehow." He wanted to build some kind of solid connection with Izroth and so it would not be beneficial to his goal if he turned Izroth down now. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯re more than capable of handling the matter." Izroth stood up from his seat and removed 20 gold coins from his inventory. "I¡¯ll give you the remaining 20 gold coins once the job is finished." Metronome ced the 20 gold coins into his own inventory before he stood up. "I still can¡¯t say that it¡¯s 100% possible, but I¡¯ll nevertheless try." He then left in a hurry as he did not have much time toplete Izroth¡¯s ridiculous request. Izroth understood that his request was a bit harsh, however, this was his simple way of testing Metronome. Not long after Metronome left, Izroth received a system alert as he headed out of the INN. ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "We¡¯re all at the meeting spot. Just waiting for you now. Please hurry, I don¡¯t think Zi Yi can survive much longer."¡µ Izroth had already informed the others about who would be in the party once everyone agreed to meet. Therefore, they should have all already added one another. Although, Izroth was a bit confused as to what Luna meant by Zi Yi would not survive much longer. Their meeting point was clearly located in a safe zone within Amaharpe. ¡¯I¡¯ll head over now.¡¯ Izroth sped towards their agreed meeting point. Chapter 89 Zi Yis Effor ... Within Amaharpe, the top guilds and many of therger guilds all received shocking news. Most of them did not dare believe it at first, however, after verifying the authenticity of the information several times, they all hurried into action. More of those grade three pills had appeared, but this time there was not just a single pill. There was a grand total of 135 pills! That amount may seem like a lot to the average yer, however, to those top guilds it was still just a drop of water in the ocean. "What?! How is that possible?! This is a grade three pill! There is no possible way that so many appeared at the same time!" Somewhere within a dungeon located a bit further away than the Sea Pce Graveyard from Amaharpe, yer had received news of more grade three pills being put up for auction. "Tch, 50 gold coins wasted! Now every other guild may have the chance to unlock its secrets." Although yer¡¯s guild Sage Falls had yet to uncover the process of creation for the Five Cycles Pill, in his mind he had already imed the pill as his own and nned on creating a monopoly. yer had already ordered an investigation into the creator of the pills to try and rope him into Sage Falls. yer felt that with the number of resources he could provide, there was no way the Apothecary would refuse his offer. "I have to maintain control... I can¡¯t miss this opportunity to profit." yer grit his teeth before ordering the person next to him to send a message. "Tell them to spare no effort in obtaining as many pills as possible. We need to prevent other guilds from acquiring the pill!" Meanwhile at the current headquarters for the guild Cross Haven... "We must obtain at least thirteen pills. It will not be possible to acquire any more than that due to the other top guilds that will be aiming to get their hands on that pill. Thirteen is all we need for now. So make it so." Ewan calmly spoke to one of the members of his guild stationed at the auction house. "Heh, just as we were about to head out, those guys go and send this interesting bit of information." Dragus was next to Ewan with a strong and hearty look about him. "Indeed... Yet, we still do not have any information regarding the creator of the pill. Sage Falls managed to get away with thest one. However, yer must be regretting the 50 gold coins he spent. I know perfectly well what sort of ns he had in mind." Ewan said. Cross Haven and Sage Falls had never been on good terms before, even while ying some of the previous MMORPGs. There existed no grudges between the two, it was just that their guilds were not a very good match when it came to getting along. yer was overly aggressive, arrogant, maniptive, and would do whatever it took to win. Ewan, on the other hand, was calm,posed, insightful, open-minded, and had a natural air of authority to him, rather than arrogance. The differences between the two leaders alone were enough for their members to not get along. "Double the avable personnel and locate the Apothecary behind the pill. I find that he or she may not be so simple." Ewan gave a slight smile. Simr conversations were going on for all the top guilds. Even some of the smaller guilds were trying to umte more information about the mysterious Apothecary. The chances were almost negligible, but if they could get that Apothecary to join them then their status as a guild would soar. Izroth, however, waspletely oblivious to the top guilds eagerness to find him. ... Izroth rushed towards the meeting point that was previously agreed upon. He arrived outside of a small building around five minutester, as it was not located too far from the auction house. This building was not one that was frequented often by yers. This is why they chose it as a meeting location. Zi Yi was the one who informed Izroth and he agreed that it was a suitable idea. Izroth opened the door that led into the small building, but just as he did so, he heard a loud shoute from behind the door. "Idiots! You two have no shame! You dare to team up against me! Aren¡¯t you two men?!" ¡¯That¡¯s Zi Yi¡¯s voice.¡¯ Izroth stepped into the room and the first thing he saw was Guan Yu with his arm around Halls¡¯ shoulder in a brotherly manner,ughing up a storm. Zi Yi¡¯s entire face was bright red and she looked incredibly agitated at the moment. She grit her teeth as she was tried hard to suppress the insanity that those two created when they got together. After all, she could barely handle Guan Yu when he was just by himself. Luna was off to the side with a helpless smile on her face. She tried her best to calm Zi Yi down, but Guan Yu and Halls turned out to be too much of a handful for her. Izroth blinked a few times before staring nkly at everyone inside of the room. Everyone was so caught up in the moment that none of them noticed Izroth¡¯s entrance into the room. "Ahahaha! You hear that, my brother? We have no shame! Ahahaha!" Guan Yu gave a burst of joyousughter. "Shame? Brother, what have we said or done to even think about bringing up shame? Ahahaha! We¡¯re true men! True men have no shame!" Halls wasughing in the exact same manner as Guan Yu. In less than one hour, Guan Yu and Halls were already calling each other brother. How could twoplete strangers who had never met before today get along like they¡¯ve known each other for their entire lives? Izroth shook his head at the sight before him. Although he predicted that the two of them would get along, he did not expect for them to get along this well so soon. It seems he had underestimated Halls and Guan Yu. ¡¯They haven¡¯t known one another for more than one hour and they¡¯re already like this?¡¯ Izroth did not even need to ask what was wrong with Zi Yi, as he now understood what Luna meant in the message she sent to him. "Fine, since we¡¯re so generous then we¡¯ll give you the chance to regain your lost honor! Big sis Luna will be the judge this time." Guan Yu said in an almost borderline taunting way. Zi Yi grit her teeth, "Fine...! Then how about this one!" Luna had backed away from the situation to not be dragged into it, however, she still ended up being pulled in regardless. She could only sigh and give a small nod as her response. If she left them to their own ord, then Zi Yi may notst much longer. Zi Yi cleared her throat and straightened herself up. "Parallel lines have so much inmon. It¡¯s a shame they¡¯ll never meet." When she finished speaking, the entire room became dead silent. There was not so much as a single chuckle or giggle. "Ha... Haha..." Luna tried to make herselfugh, but it was far from her specialty to fake such a thing. It came out as forced and awkward, so it was not believable at all. Guan Yu and Halls almost coughed up blood from how stale that joke was! The way she told that joke should be considered a lethal weapon! An S-ranked skill! "H-hey... I actually feel kind of bad now... She¡¯s really trying hard and putting in a lot of effort, brother." Halls said with a tinge of regret in his voice. "Yeah, maybe we shouldn¡¯t have made that remark... Isn¡¯t this a form of torture?" Guan Yu responded to Halls with a gloomy look on his face. Zi Yi had an expression of shock written all over her face. However, it was soon reced by a look of defeat. The truth was, Guan Yu and Halls were messing around, being unruly, and telling jokes. Zi Yi called their jokes immature and unoriginal, which prompted their response. The two suggested that Zi Yi simply could not understand the jokes and had no true sense of humor. In fact, they bet that she would be unable to tell a single joke that could make themugh. Zi Yi saw this as a challenge that was beneath her, but after seeing the smug looks on Guan Yu and Halls¡¯ faces, she could only ept. When Zi Yi saw that no one reacted to her joke, her face turned red from embarrassment. She was sure that the joke she just told would, at the very least, warrant some type of reaction! Well, Lunaughed a bit but... It was obviously forced. That was a pityugh! How could Zi Yi not be embarrassed? When Izroth closed the door behind him, he made it so that it would be loud enough to catch their attention. However, it was still just shy of being an actual door m. After hearing that someone else had entered into this remote area, Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi all looked over to see who it was. "You... How long have you been there?!" Zi Yi had just shown a very unsightly side. The fewer people to know about it, the better. She had not seen Izroth walk into the building. "I... Thought it was an amusing joke." Izroth said in a straight forward manner. Everyone in the room was shocked when they heard what Izroth said. He actually liked that kind of stale joke? "Unique men have unique taste..." Guan Yu muttered under his breath. "Indeed..." Halls agreed. Luna could not help but giggle at the way Izroth kept such a straight forward and carefree face while saying such a thing. That in itself was enough to make herugh, albeit in a reserved manner. However, instead of making Zi Yi feel better about the situation, it somehow made her feel even worse! If someone like Izroth believed that the joke was amusing, chances are that it was probably, no... Definitely a terrible joke! Everything settled down a few momentster when everyone saw how serious Izroth was. He was usually carefree, however, he had a serious expression on his face at this time. Izroth had to take such a stance to let them know the gravity of the quest. He himself was already prepared for the potential consequences, but it was important that everyone was ready. "You were pretty vague over the system message. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all curious as to why that was so, correct?" Zi Yi had regained herposure and was now back to her normal self. She swept her gaze across the room. Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls nodded their heads. The message Izroth had sent them did not mention many details, only that it was an opportunity that they would regret missing. "Luna and Halls should have a bit of a better understanding of the situation since they¡¯ve been with me on another quest that is linked together with this one in some way. It involves Amaharpe itself and what the future may bring." Izroth said. "Does it have to do with the seal on the Shadahi Realm?" Luna guessed. "Did that chained guy manage to break free or something?" Halls asked curiously. Guan Yu was confused by their conversation. Shadahi Realm? Chained guy? What were they talking about? Zi Yi was also surprised and just as confused as Guan Yu. She had never read anything about this so-called Shadahi Realm. But, little did she know that such delicate information was only essible within the pce library, and so she could not be med. Izroth shook his head, "I¡¯ll exin everything." Izroth then went on to exin everything Gear had spoken to him about. He also added the previous information from the quest that he, Luna and Hallspleted together. Deciding not to hold anything back since he found Guan Yu, as well as, Zi Yi to be trustworthy, he even spoke of the world quest. Luna and Halls were not even surprised by these chain of events. They had been around Izroth long enough to have built up a resistance and immunity stat to the shocking events that surrounded him. However, Guan Yu and Zi Yi were totally dumbfounded. This guy already had an SSS-ranked world quest,pleted an S-ranked quest, and now also had an SS-ranked quest given to him. What was with that insane luck?! Was that even possible? Chapter 90 Consequences And Rewards This was a lot of information to take in all at once for Guan Yu and Zi Yi. Although it was a bit easier for Luna and Halls, it still affected them a great deal. However, when Luna and Halls remembered the type of person Izroth was, they believed that he would not purposely lead them to their demise. Needless to say, they trusted him. There was one thing, without exception, that Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi were a bit uneasy about. It was the failure that Izroth had told them about called an existence wipe. To lose all the progress they¡¯ve made up until now would be detrimental to them. Coins, weapons, equipment, items... There was a chance for them to lose it all in one go! However, everyone understood that because an existence wipe was listed as the failure result, the Chaotic Dogma Realm must have some pretty amazing stuff inside of it. Not to mention the fact that they would receive an epic rank piece of equipment! Not rare, but epic! No one within all of RML had an epic piece of equipment yet. In the end, everyone here was confident in their own abilities. If they were not, then Izroth would have never bothered inviting them to join him in the first ce. "Hah, an existence wipe? So what! That only makes things more interesting!" Guan Yu said as he became fired up and ready to go. "Well said! Who cares about a little existence wipe? I¡¯ve already made a promise to go where you go, even if it¡¯s within this Chaotic Dogma Realm you speak of, I¡¯ll follow you until the end." Halls gave his response. "While it would be unfortunate to lose everything we¡¯ve gained up until now, it would be even more regrettable if we missed something that has the potential to shift all of RML into a different direction. I believe such a risk is eptable." Luna spoke in an unrushed manner. The only one who had yet to say anything was Zi Yi. Everyone looked over in her direction. At the moment, Zi Yi looked as if she was in deep thought. For someone like her who always weighed out the eptable level of risk, this was a bit much to decide on so suddenly. After all, she knew that Guan Yu was powerful and most likely Izroth as well due to his past achievements. However, she had no clue as to how strong Luna and Halls were. It was safe to say that they should be considered powerful yers due to Izroth inviting them, but that was mere spection. If there was one thing Zi Yi did not like putting her faith in, it was spection. The more Zi Yi thought about things, the more difficult the choice became. One of her good yet bad traits was overthinking everything. Sometimes it was good to be that thorough, however, at times one had to just charge forward, even in darkness. "Our fears will always outnumber our actual dangers. Creating fear and worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. Do not make such a mistake." Izroth spoke in a carefree manner. When he had seen how undecided Zi Yi appeared to be, he decided to give her a slight nudge. Izroth¡¯s words were enough to snap Zi Yi out of it. She had to admit that he was correct. One of the mostmon mistakes when overthinking things is that you may often create fears that are never really there. She understood the rewards and consequences, now she simply had a choice to make. This may be the only way for Zi Yi to have ess to the pce library. Such a treasure trove of knowledge was something she was unwilling to pass by. Spection? She decided to push that to the back of her head and trust in her intuition about those around her, something she would never normally do. "This may be the only shot I get to enter into the pce library. Also, the rewards will not be small for our aplishments. Therefore, I have no choice but to ept everything, including the risk and potential consequences." Zi Yi finally stated her answer. Izroth nodded. He could still sense how tense everyone was about the whole situation, despite some of their words. However, he could also tell that none of them were lying when they said that they were willing to follow him into the Chaotic Dogma Realm or ept the risk. The first thing Izroth did was share the SS-ranked quest with everyone present. He also decided to share the SSS-ranked world quest with Guan Yu and Zi Yi. The two of them were shocked when Izroth shared the quest, but of course, they epted it. That was an SSS-ranked quest! The rewards were unimaginable. If they were willing toe along with him into unknown territory and face the dangers he faced, then Izroth believed that the two of them were worthy of receiving his trust and the SSS-ranked quest. However, there was one thing that bothered Izroth. They had no magic damage dealers! ¡¯If there are monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm that have high physical resistance, then it¡¯ll be quite difficult to get past them without a magic caster. However, there¡¯s only one magic caster I¡¯ve been in a party with so far and there were too many unknowns about her.¡¯ Izroth was, of course, referring to Scarlet. Though even if he did have her on his friendslist, which he did not, he believed it would not be a good idea to invite someone with unknown intentions on such a dangerous mission. ¡¯I suppose we¡¯ll just have to make due.¡¯ There was nothing he could do about it but hope that he happened toe across a powerful magic caster before the portal into the Chaotic Dogma Realm opened. But, the chance of that happening was highly unrealistic. Izroth removed four Five Cycles Pills from his inventory. "This is called a Five Cycles Pill." He held one of the pills up clearly for them to see. "This will help improve our chances of sess." He then gave one pill to everyone present. The pills were light purple in color with a gentle aura around them. They gave off a strong and sweet medicinal scent that resembled candy or some type of sweet treat. It was very easy to mistake it for something that a confectioner would make. When Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, and Zi Yi received a Five Cycles Pill, they were all stunned. This was a grade three pill! But, how did Izroth manage to get his hands on something like this? Or rather, why would he willingly give away such a valuable pill? One had to know that only rank three apothecaries could create a pill like this. There should not be any rank three Apothecary yers within RML at this time! So how could they not be surprised? If they sold one of these pills they would be able to make a huge profit. But, would any of them be so foolish as to sell a grade three pill? After all, this was a gift from Izroth so that they would have an edge within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Not only that, but it was unclear when and if they would receive another grade three ranked pill in the near future, and so no one was willing to pass up this opportunity. "This pill is amazing!" Guan Yu and Halls said at the same exact time in synch. To melee fighters like them, especially for Halls who was always at the front of every attack, this kind of pill would allow for them to reach new heights! They were extremely grateful to Izroth for such a marvelous item. Luna and Zi Yi had the same thoughts, however, they were more reserved and did not just blurt it out like Halls and Guan Yu did. "What a wonderful pill. I did not think that I would be able to consume a grade three pill this early on. With this, the timing of my heals can be even more precise and exact than before." Luna took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the pill itself. Everyone thanked Izroth for his generosity and even wanted to pay him for the pill itself, however, he turned down their offers. He was doing this for his own benefit as well and so there was no need for any kind of payment. Also, a small gesture would go a long way. This would be a moment all of them would not soon forget. Zi Yi finally started to see why Luna and Halls remained so calm after Izroth mentioned certain astonishing things. They must have already been used to it! It appeared that every time she blinked, Izroth woulde out with a new way to surprise them. After a while, one had no choice but to build up a natural immunity or resistance to it. This pill was perfect for a ranger-type ss like Zi Yi that depended on a level high of uracy and their ability to hear their surroundings. A 100% increase in her sight and hearing senses was like giving a pair of wings to a tiger! The four of them consumed the Five Cycles Pill and immediately felt as if their entire surroundings became even clearer than before. It was almost like observing the world around them in a different fashion. "So this is the strength of a grade three pill..." That was the one thought going on through everyone¡¯s mind. They felt as if a wave of energy was constantly pulsing throughout their entire bodies and enhanced their overall sense of perception. "We still have a bit of time until the portal has the prospect of opening. However, if it does not open immediately, then we cannot afford to wait around for it to do so." Izroth did not want to waste time waiting around when they would possibly have to wait another 20+ hours for the portal to open. Therefore, he felt that even if they traveled quite a bit of distance away from Amaharpe, as long as they started heading back once the Izroth received the alert that it was open, then there should be no issues since the 24 hours time limit would not start until that moment. "Since the chances of it opening immediately are pretty negligible, then may I make a suggestion?" Zi Yi said. There was something she wished to bring to Izroth¡¯s attention that should improve their overall odds of sess. Izroth had no problem listening to suggestions and so he nodded his head to show his approval. "This will be the first time we have all been in a party with one another and we are aiming toplete an SS-ranked quest. This would be challenging even for a party of veteran yers that have been together for a long time." Zi Yi exined. No one disagreed with Zi Yi¡¯s statement. Even a normal S-ranked quest was difficult. So much so that Izroth, Luna, and Halls ended up fighting a rare boss during theirst S-ranked quest. If not for Izroth unleashing that powerful skill at the very end and the help of the Boundary Sealing Sphere, then it may not have ended so well for them. Zi Yi then continued, "I suggest that we take the opportunity to work on our teamwork. Even though we won¡¯t obtain a perfect level of teamwork in such a short period of time, at least we¡¯ll have a general idea of each other¡¯s abilities. That way, we can be prepared for the worse toe." "Even if it means potentially losing a couple of hours in the process, I believe it would be a fair exchange. Of course, there will be nothing to lose if the portal does not open while we are outside of Amaharpe. Since there is the chance that it will not be open for another possible 20+ hours." Zi Yi gave her view and opinion on the matter. Izroth agreed with Zi Yi¡¯s point of view and suggestion. It would be unreasonable for them to have perfect teamwork, however, it was still possible to at least find a certain bnce and have a basic understanding of each other¡¯s current capabilities. Going through a dungeon a few times would not take up too much time and would enable them to keep leveling up in the meantime. "Since you¡¯ve suggested it, I assume you already have a dungeon in mind?" Izroth asked. Zi Yi shook her head, "The closest dungeon to Amaharpe within our level range is under the control of the guild Cross Haven. While that would be the most ideal situation, we could always substitute that method for questing. Either that or we have to travel a bit further away to the next nearest dungeon." Chapter 91 What We Lack "It should not be a problem. I know the ce that you¡¯re speaking of." Izroth knew that Zi Yi was referring to the Sea Pce Graveyard. He gave Wess his word that he would not spread the word about the Sea Pce Graveyard. Therefore, it would not be going back on his word if he brought along others who already knew about it. "Even if you know about it, that does not change the fact that Cross Haven is in control of it. While I¡¯m sure we would have no problem getting past anyone to enter inside, I would rather not make enemies of a top guild over a dungeon." Zi Yi said. "Bah, who said that only one guild can im a dungeon as their own?" Halls said displeased. "Well said, brother! What gives them the right to do so?" Guan Yu added on. "Strength, power, influence- Should I continue?" Zi Yi red at Guan Yu and Halls which caused them to quiet down and avoid eye contact with her. "Zi Yi is only taking everything into consideration to make our lives easier. She is simply worried, that¡¯s all." Luna reassured Halls and Guan Yu. "H-hmph! Who would worry about those two fools?" Zi Yi folded her arms and tried to decline Luna¡¯s statement. "It should not be a problem at all, trust me." Izroth stood to his feet. He still had a calm and carefree expression on his face. Zi Yi let out a deep sigh, "You¡¯ve brought us all together and so the choice is obviously yours. I just thought I should give you a fair warning." Izroth nodded. He knew that Zi Yi was just giving him a heads up. In fact, he was impressed by how much knowledge she held about RML itself and even the top guilds. That kind of information did not just happen upon someone by chance. She had obviously done her research. "Then it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll head to the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard." Izroth said. ... It did not take long for Izroth and his party to arrive at the entrance into the Sea Pce Graveyard. The group that was waiting there was the one Izroth had run into on his way out of the Sea Pce Graveyard thest time he was here. The group did not give him any trouble and allowed for him, as well as, his party members to enter into the dungeon. Of course, they sent a message to Lieutenant Wess who was in charge of this area for confirmation purposes. His response was, "It¡¯s fine if he¡¯s in a party with them." The four with Izroth was surprised that they let them through so easily without so much as trying to halt their advance. One of them even greeted Izroth as if they had met before. "You... What connection do you have to Cross Haven?" Zi Yi asked curiously. Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls were curious as well. "Connection? I don¡¯t have any." Izroth then entered into the gateway and into the Sea Pce Dungeon Graveyard. The four of them had looks of disbelief written on their faces. No connections? Who did he think he was fooling? Would a top guild just allow anyone to stroll into a dungeon they already imed as their own? However, if Izroth did not want to talk about it then they would not mention it any further. The four of them followed him into the gateway. ... Around two hourster... ¡´System Alert: Warning! A limited time portal is about to be opened into the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?.¡µ "Oh? What nice timing." Izroth said as he and his party had just finished up another run of the Sea Pce Graveyard. Fortunately, low-level dungeons like this did not have a limited number of runs to them and so they could be run as many times as yers wanted. ¡¯We should head back to Amaharpe before the portal is fully opened.¡¯ The group hadpleted the dungeon a total of four times. They could have done so even more times, however, the main purpose was to understand each other¡¯s skills and learn basic teamwork. Each of them managed to level up at least once. Luna was already close to reaching level 24 before they began, thus she was able to surpass Guan Yu and was now the highest level member of the group at level 25. Although, Guan Yu was not too far behind her. Halls and Zi Yi had reached level 23 and were extremely close to level 24. As for Izroth, he was only around 22,000 EXP away from level 23 and so he was able to level up twice, reaching level 24 in the process. "The portal is about to open soon. We should head back right away." Izroth knew that they must have received the system alert as well. Within two hours, each of them had a good understanding of their fellow party members strength. The strongest damage dealer in their party was without a doubt Izroth. Some of the numbers he was hitting for should not even be possible at their level. However, most of his damage came from his ability to locate and precisely strike at his opponent¡¯s vital points. It was extremely rare that he missed a critical hit on his target. His speed was also astonishing when he used his skills to boost it. In conclusion, he was just a total monster when it came to damage. The member with the highest damage after Izroth was, of course, Zi Yi. Izroth found out that even during the fight against those twenty yers, she did not show all of her skills. In fact, if they were fighting a long and drawn out battle, her damage would be enough to surpass even Izroth! While Guan Yu was able to dish out massive damage strikes, he was not able to keep a constant high DPS as Zi Yi could, therefore, he did not deal as much damage as her. However, he made up for it by being quick, as well as, durable and he was capable of acting as an off-tank if necessary. There was not much to be said about Halls and Luna¡¯s damage numbers. Although Halls dealt top notch damage for a tank, he was still a tank in the end and his damage could notpare to the other damage dealers. As for Luna, she was a healer and so it was only natural that she dealt the least amount of damage out of everyone present. Izroth and his party left the Ruins of Kashysh and began their trip back towards Amaharpe. "I find that we¡¯recking when ites to magic damage. If wee across a monster with insanely high physical defense, it will be challenging to ovee it. Even though I have a few armor piercing skills, I doubt it would be enough." Zi Yi decided to bring this to Izroth¡¯s attention. Izroth nodded in agreement. He had already thought about this, however, he did not know any mages personally and so it was impossible to do anything about it. "I, also, would like a magic caster to join us, but finding one on such short notice is a little too much." "Finding a good magic caster is quite difficult. They are one of the most yed sses in RML and so it is not challenging to find a magic caster, however, finding one with skill is..." Luna furrowed her brows. "There¡¯s also the question of if they would be willing to risk the loss of their character." Izroth reminded Luna. Luna could have tried to invite one of her friends who was a mage, but her friend was not all that skilled and mostly yed for fun. Also, there was no way that her friend would risk losing her character on a quest. Guan Yu and Halls were at the front of the group fooling around as usual. When it came to conversations like this, the two of them usually distanced themselves and left it to Izroth, Zi Yi, and Luna. After all, they were not good with the technical stuff and their answer to almost everything was to charge forward. Zi Yi appeared to be in deep thought as she rested her thumb and index finger on her chin. Izroth noticed Zi Yi¡¯s thoughtful expression. By now, he had discovered that whenever Zi Yi was skeptical about something or specting, she would often keep it to herself until she felt as if everything was sorted out. She was definitely the perfectionist type. Luna had also realized this about Zi Yi and could not help but to shake her head and give a slight smile. Zi Yi reminded Luna of someone she knew a long time ago and so Luna often, unknowingly, revealed a much softer side of herself when dealing with Zi Yi. "Zi Yi, you should not be afraid to speak your mind around us. Ever since we¡¯ve met, I have yet to hear a terrible idea or n leave your mouth." Luna said as she tried to encourage Zi Yi to speak her mind. "I may have someone to fill our magic caster spot but... They¡¯re a little... entric is the best way to describe them." Zi Yi instantly regretted her words once she spoke them and her face turned slightly gloomy. In a way, this person was even more unfiltered than Guan Yu and Halls. While they did not have Guan Yu and Halls headstrong attitude, that person was quite the "unique" individual. "Why did you wait until we finished our dungeon runs to mention it?" Izroth was curious as to why Zi Yi seemed so dispirited once she mentioned the magic caster. entric? Didn¡¯t they already have a few entric people in this group? What harm was there in adding one more to the mix? Zi Yi rubbed the temples on her forehead as she tried to soothe her mind. But, when she heard Izroth¡¯s words, she immediately looked down and was constantly pushing her index fingers up against one another. She appeared as if she was a child who just got caught redhanded and was trying to think of an excuse. "I thought maybe we¡¯d get lucky and find a magic caster before we entered..." Zi Yi spoke softly and mumbled underneath her breath, hoping that no one would be able to hear her. However, thanks to the Five Cycles Pill, everyone heard her quite clearly. Izroth and Luna blinked a few times before they nced at each other. They then looked back towards Zi Yi with inquiring expressions on their faces. Guan Yu and Halls halted their steps when they overheard Zi Yi. Although they distanced themselves from the conversation and were fooling around, it did not mean they ignored it altogether. "Brother, it has to be her boyfriend that she¡¯s embarrassed about, right?" Guan Yu turned to Halls and said. Halls shook his head, "My brother, you¡¯re talking about Zi Yi here. Who could possibly be capable of surviving one of her famous torture jokes? He would be a true man amongst men!" Halls and Guan Yu looked as if they were having a debate about a serious topic. Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression darkened and she immediately drew her bow and notched two arrows, aiming them at Guan Yu and Halls. "Do you two always have to use your mind and tongues for such ridiculous things?!" Guan Yu and Halls had personally seen Zi Yi¡¯s scary uracy with those arrows. They quickly made a 180-degree turn with their statements. "Joke, we were just joking big sis Zi Yi! My brother is willing to hand you his life as forgiveness for both of us!" Guan Yu was the first who responded. "Tch... I¡¯ve been betrayed by my own brother...!" Halls pretended to be distraught. "You two...!" Zi Yi was clearly agitated by their little performance. "Alright both of you, those who pick on Zi Yi will not receive any of my heals." Luna spoke in a cold tone of voice. "Forgive us, big sis Luna!" Both Halls and Guan Yu bowed to apologize. Zi Yi calmed down and put her bow away and let out a long sigh. Izroth only gave a small carefree smile at the way everyone behaved. While it may not seem like it on the surface, he knew that all of them got along quite well. Even though none of them had known each other for that long, it was already like they had known each other for months or even years from the way they interacted. "You were saying something about entric?" Izroth reminded Zi Yi. Zi Yi cleared her throat, "It¡¯s difficult to put into words. You would have to meet him to understand. He¡¯s extremely skilled and would not mind the risk but... You must be prepared." Zi Yi¡¯s expression darkened. Izroth was even more curious to meet the person who could make Zi Yi act and talk that way. He had already decided how to respond. "I¡¯d like to meet him. Is it possible?" Izroth asked. Zi Yi nodded, "I¡¯ll tell him to meet us in front of the pce gates..." Zi Yi was reluctant, but since she had already mentioned it she could not take it back. ... It took Izroth and his party around twenty minutes to return back to Amaharpe. ¡¯Good, the gate is still listed as closed so we haven¡¯t wasted any time. It should be opening soon since we¡¯ve already received a system alert.¡¯ Izroth and his party headed straight towards the Amaharpe pce. Chapter 92 Mariposa As Izroth and his party walked towards the pce gates, he suddenly received an alert from the system that someone had sent him a message. ¡´System Alert: yer Metronome has sent you a message, "I¡¯ve finished what you¡¯ve asked for, though it was far from being a walk in the park. Next time, how about some sort of heads up so that I¡¯m better prepared? Do you want me to bring it to you personally?"¡µ Izroth halted his steps as he read over Metronome¡¯s message. To bepletely honest, he knew that it was a longshot that Metronome would be able to aplish the task which he bestowed upon him. Everyone was confused as to why Izroth stopped moving. The portal should be opening very soon and they still had to meet with the magic caster that Zi Yi mentioned. To Izroth¡¯s surprise, Metronome seemed to be more capable than he originally anticipated. But, he would not jump to any conclusions until he reviewed the final products. He sent a swift reply to Metronome. "I have to take care of onest task before we enter into the pce." Izroth said. "The portal may open at any given time. Haven¡¯t you alreadypleted all of your preparations?" Zi Yi asked. Izroth had told them to make the proper arrangements for the journey and so it would be quite difficult to believe that he did not do the same. "I¡¯ve, of course, prepared everything needed. Just think of this as an extra bit of insurance for ourselves." Izroth reassured them. "It should not take too long. Since it¡¯s on our way to the pce, we can all make the trip together." After he finished speaking, Izroth continued walking towards the pce, however, there was a slight deviation from his original path. He veered off a little, but it was still not enough to lose more than a few minutes on their trip. Izroth and his party soon arrived at an average looking building. There was a yer waiting outside by the door, just as Izroth had instructed him beforehand. The person that stood by the building was Metronome and when he saw Izroth approaching his location with multiple people, he was a bit surprised. But when he remembered that Izroth had partied up back when he cleared the first world boss, his surprise quickly subsided. Metronome swept his gaze over Izroth¡¯s party and saw that it was a decent enough bnced party. However, they obviously had no magic caster besides that healer. After examining them for a brief moment, he returned to his professional attitude. "I assume there were no issues or troubles you ran into?" Izroth asked. Metronome shook his head, "Quite the contrary, there were endless issues and troubles. However, I still managed to get the job done somehow." Metronome removed two items from his inventory. Both of the items contained some form of liquid in a thin ss-like beaker. One of the liquids were deep red in color and gave off a slightly refreshing air. The other liquid was actually transparent and resembled in water. However, there were tiny little sparkles floating throughout the liquid. "These are the two items you¡¯ve requested. Of course, I also have the rest of the batch and will deliver it once you¡¯ve confirmed that the quality of the goods meets with your standards." Metronome handed the two items over to Izroth for him to examine. ¡¯These are...¡¯ Izroth was astounded when he read over the items and within a matter of seconds he removed twenty gold coins from his inventory and handed them over directly to Metronome. "These are more than satisfactory. I did not expect you to use that item on this batch." Izroth added. Metronome removed the remaining items from his inventory and traded them over to Izroth. "Just a bit of good fortune in being able to obtain it. Besides, what are friends for?" Metronome knew that such a small disy would eventually pay off in the near future. Also, he received a total of 40 gold coins during the course of the entire business transaction. He had made a considerable profit and suffered no loss in the end. Izroth understood Metronome¡¯s intentions and saw that he was earnestly trying to form a positive business rtionship with him. Since Metronome could aplish this much in such a short period of time, Izroth¡¯s impression of him had risen. After the items were sessfully transferred into his inventory, Izroth turned and signaled for the others that it was time to resume their trip towards the pce gates. "Our paths will soon cross again." Izroth gave a slight nod to Metronome, as he and his party walked away with hastened steps. When they left, Metronome let out a deep sigh of relief. "At least every member of that party had a rare item equipped. They¡¯re obviously not a typical party... What exactly are they preparing to do?" He was extremely curious as to what Izroth needed with such a strong party and that uniquely requested potion. ... Within a few moments, Izroth and his party reached the entrance to the pce. Everyone stared in amazement at the grand and majestic pce before them. There were two Crimson Corps Guards standing at each side of the gate that led into the Amaharpe pce. The one who was most excited about this was Zi Yi. This may be her only chance to discover how to ess the pce library. How could she not be excited? This was the ce that they were supposed to meet the magic caster at, however, there was not a single yer in sight. After all, one could not simply stroll into the pce and so there was no reason for yers to visit it or be near it unless they had a specific purpose. Izroth furrowed his brows when he realized that there was no one waiting for them when they arrived. He nced over towards Zi Yi in search of an exnation. The others were also confused when they noticed that no one else was around. "The portal is opening soon and he¡¯s not even here yet?" Guan Yu frowned. He should have had plenty of time to arrive before them, as Zi Yi sent out the message ahead of time for them to rendezvous at this location. "He¡¯ll be here." Zi Yi said reassuringly. "Ah, Zi Yi? Is that you?" A woman¡¯s voice sounded out. However, the voice was noting from one specific direction, it came from all around them. The space before the pce gates distorted which put the two Crimson Corps Guards on high alert! When Zi Yi heard that voice, she immediately felt shivers run down her spine. What was that person doing here?! Zi Yi instantly positioned herself slightly behind Izroth. This was the one person she wanted to avoid at all cost while within RML. Izroth was surprised by Zi Yi¡¯s sudden timid nature. The others were also shocked, however, if someone was there to cause Zi Yi trouble, then they would not hesitate to fight alongside her. A spatial rift split open and six female yers stepped out. When Guan Yu and Halls saw the six female yers, their facial expressions noticeably changed. These women... Were all beauties! In RML, you could not alter your character¡¯s appearance in any major way, and so these women were all beauties in the real world as well. This was even more so for the woman at the front of the group. She had long midnight ck hair that flowed down to her lower back, beautiful and enchanting emerald green eyes, curves in all the right ces, and her voice carried a naturally pleasant tone. For some reason, she seemed extremely familiar to them. Izroth, however, was more interested in the spatial technique that was performed. It was simr to the one that Terminus used to travel, however, it was not nearly as powerful andplex. But, it was obviously at the very least, an A-ranked skill. As for the beauties, Izroth had seen plenty of transcended beauties that kingdoms would actually go to war over. While they were beautiful in their own right, they still could notpare to those peak cultivation goddesses who held onto no impurities. When the guards realized something about the woman, they ignored her and were no longer on high alert. "Are you following me around again, Mariposa?!" Zi Yi red at the woman leading the group of beauties, however, she made sure to maintain her distance. Mariposa giggled and was amused by Zi Yi¡¯s reaction. She then swept her gaze over everyone around Zi Yi. Her gaze stopped on Izroth, the individual that Zi Yi was clearly hiding behind. There was a hint of displeasure in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "I have not followed you, but this must be fate. You rejected my invitation so many times and now we meet here. Is this what you meant by having other ns?" Mariposa¡¯s gaze never left Izroth. Izroth remained standing there unaffected, with a carefree expression on his face. Mariposa was inwardly surprised by Izroth¡¯s reaction. Usually, men would be fawning all over them and yet, there was not a single hint of lust within Izroth¡¯s eyes. As for the other two men... Guan Yu and Halls¡¯ eyes scanned over Mariposa, as well as, the women who apanied her. The two of them obviously did not have Izroth¡¯s self-control and eyes lit up when they saw the women exit from the spatial rift. "I had already made other ns before you asked. Besides, you have plenty of other people to fill an empty slot with. Also, you have bad intentions!" Zi Yi said. Mariposa sighed, "Ah, Zi Yi... You¡¯re going to break your big sis frail and delicate heart. What bad intentions could I possibly have towards my cute and adorable little sister?" Mariposa¡¯s eyes were filled with affection as she looked over at Zi Yi. Big sis? That was why she looked so familiar! She was actually Zi Yi¡¯s older sister! ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth could tell that their rtionship was... Strange to say the least. There was no hatred or strong resentment that he could sense. However, there was a certain level of caution and fear that Zi Yi expressed. Mariposa then set her attention on Luna. "Aren¡¯t you going to introduce me to your friends?" She gave a lovely smile and spoke in quite the elegant manner. Luna gave a small respectful nod to Mariposa as a friendly gesture, which she soon returned in a polite manner. "Who I hang around is none of your concern!" Zi Yi quickly responded. Everyone was a little confused as to why Zi Yi was behaving in such an irrational way. The Zi Yi they knew would be calm and calctive under most circumstances. This, however, was another side of her entirely. Besides, her sister seemed like a friendly person. "You...! Ourdy is just showing that she cares for you. How could you be so ungrateful?!" One of the women who was silently standing behind Mariposa could not take it anymore and spoke her mind. "Who gave you permission to talk that way to my cute little sister?!" Mariposa¡¯s eyes became ice cold as she red at the woman who just spoke. One could feel a level of anger that was unnatural over such a smallment. The woman who spoke was immediately frightened and bowed her head. "Forgive me, mydy! I spoke without thinking!" It was obvious that she was terrified of Mariposa when she became that way. Guan Yu and Halls took in a deep breath of cold air. It¡¯s a good thing they did not tease Zi Yi while Mariposa was around. How frightening! However, Mariposa¡¯s icy stare did not leave the woman and only became more intense. "Forgive...? You think that-" When Zi Yi saw what was taking ce, she stepped out from behind Izroth. "Why are you here big sis?!" When Mariposa heard Zi Yi call her big sis, she instantly forgot all about what that woman just said. She turned all of her attention towards Zi Yi. "You just called me big sis..." Mariposa¡¯s mood improved considerably as she had pushed the offense of that woman to the back of her mind. "If you must know, I am here for an important quest. One of great consequence if I should fail. But, the rewards are too good to pass up. That¡¯s why I wanted you toe along with me. This is not an opportunity thates often." Mariposa was still trying to convince Zi Yi to tag along with her. Zi Yi shook her head, "I¡¯m also on a quest with the same set of conditions. Also, I¡¯ve already made my decision." She stood firmly by her choice. Mariposa was shocked at first, but then she helplessly smiled, "I see... So it¡¯s like that..." It appeared as if she understood something at that moment. Izroth had the same exact thought as Mariposa as he seemed to understand something as well. ¡¯There¡¯s more than one group entering into the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡¯ From what was implied, Izroth knew that Mariposa and her party were most likely here for the same reason as them, to enter the Chaotic Dogma Realm! Chapter 93 I See You Two Have A Unique Taste "Then, it seems as though neither of us has the luxury of waiting around here." Mariposa then scanned Izroth and his party onest time before settling her sight on Zi Yi. "Please take good care of my adorable little sister." Mariposa bowed elegantly towards their group before entering into the pce with the other five women following behind her. Zi Yi scowled, "I can take care of myself!" Mariposa giggled and waved towards Zi Yi as the pce gates closed. It only took a few moments for Mariposa and her party to disappear into the depths of the pce. "Zi Yi... Your sister is-" Guan Yu was getting to speak, however, Zi Yi gave him a death re that made him have second thoughts about what he wanted to say. "Never mind." Guan Yu avoided direct eye contact with her. "Your rtionship with that you have with your sister is a very close one." Luna said. It was obvious to anyone who observed them that Mariposa cared deeply for her little sister, Zi Yi. "Are you sure you were watching the same thing as us?" Halls was dumbfounded. He did not see any sign of closeness between either of them. In fact, Zi Yi even seemed terrified of her sister. "Okay, that¡¯s enough about my sister!" Zi Yi snapped. After doing so, no one bothered to bring up Mariposa again. Izroth could hear the footsteps of someone approaching them. However, footstep was a bit of an inurate statement. It was simr to a light tapping noise that was carried along by the wind. The sound was difficult to pick up unless one was to intentionally search for it. ¡¯Is that some kind of skill?¡¯ Izroth turned towards the direction the footsteps were resonating from and saw a figure in loose and uniquely designed dark blue schr robes. The figure wore a wizard-style hat on their head that was nted and covered the top left part of their face. "It¡¯s been quite a while, Zi Yi. It seems as though I just missed something very entertaining." A soft and delicate voice flowed from between the lips of the individual. Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls all turned their attention towards the new ier. Izroth furrowed his brows as he felt something was off about this person. ¡¯One should not be allowed to alter their character appearances to such an extent.¡¯ Guan Yu and Halls were pleasantly surprised. It seemed that today was their lucky day as they kept running into beauties after beauties. "Zi Yi, you have so many beautiful friends!" Guan Yu said with a bit of envy behind his voice. Halls nodded in agreement with Guan Yu and let out a sigh, "Brother, we can only look from the earth as the mist drifts by in the heavens." Zi Yi¡¯s expression darkened when she heard what Guan Yu and Halls said. "You two-" She suddenly stopped herself as she thought back to all the moments Guan Yu and Halls had teased her. Her expression straightened out. "I see you two have a unique taste." A delightful smile appeared on Zi Yi¡¯s face. Luna noticed Zi Yi¡¯s strange behavior and it made her piece together a few things. When she nced over at Izroth and saw him standing there with his brows furrowed, she covered her mouth with one hand in surprise. "It can¡¯t be that-" Zi Yi gave Luna a meaningful look. She did not want her one moment of victory to be ruined on such short notice. Luna closed her mouth and could only smile on helplessly. Luna felt a little bad for Guan Yu and Halls, however, when she saw that pleading look in Zi Yi¡¯s eyes, she yielded to her request. "Beautiful...?" The yer who approached them let out a softugh. "It has been a while since a man has called me that directly to my face." "You¡¯re being too modest." Guan Yu obviously did not believe them. The yer before Izroth and his party had ck hair that stopped halfway down their back. One was unable to see the color of their left eye, however, their right eye was sapphire in color and apanied by a pair of lovely flowing eyshes. When Zi Yi had seen that Guan Yu was fawning all over the person before them, she finally spoke up before he reached a point of no return. "You¡¯rete, Valentine." "I had a few important matters to take care of since it was ast-second request. Though, I regret not being able to say hello to your sister, Zi Yi. How is Mariposa doing?" Valentine asked. Zi Yi scoffed, "She is being unreasonable and coddling as always." Izroth was the current party leader and so he invited Valentine to the party and shared the SS-ranked quest with them. Otherwise, they would be unable to enter into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Valentine was startled when they received the SS-ranked quest. "So it is true... How exhrating." This was the first time Valentine had seen an SS-ranked quest and the rewards, as well as, the failure was not small at all. "Any friends of Zi Yi is a friend of mine. I¡¯ll be in your care." Valentine gave a polite bow. "Alright, since everyone is here then we should not waste any more time and head inside." Izroth said as he stepped towards the pce gates. Guan Yu and Halls were confused, weren¡¯t they still waiting for Zi Yi¡¯s friend to show up? "Are we taking Valentine with us instead of Zi Yi¡¯s other friend?" Halls asked curiously. Of course, he had no objection to the matter. Luna shook her head, "We have already met him and we are still taking him with us. There¡¯s no longer any reason for us to wait around here any longer with the portal being on the verge of opening." Halls and Guan Yu still did not understand. They did not remember meeting any men in front of the pce, only women. When could they have possibly met Zi Yi¡¯s friend? "I should have properly introduced you. Valentine, this is Izroth, Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls." Zi Yi said as she introduced everyone. "Everyone, this is Valentine. He¡¯s the magic caster that I told you about previously. Zi Yi was in an unusually happy mood when those words left her mouth. Guan Yu and Halls were strangely quiet at the moment. They were both extremely gloomy, it appeared that they had underestimated Zi Yi¡¯s level of cruelty! How could a guy be so pretty that even other women would be jealous of their looks?! This was definitely something Zi Yi would hold over their heads for a long time. Guan Yu was much worse off than Halls since he had indirectly called Valentine beautiful! He was incredibly dispirited as he and the party walked deeper into the pce. Since Izroth had received Gear¡¯s imprint, he and those within his party were not stopped by the guards. The coordinates for the location of the portal was clearly marked and so it would not be difficult to find. ¡¯Gear said that he would meet up with us before our entrance into the portal.¡¯ There was something Izroth wanted to rify with Gear after he had run into Mariposa at the gates. It could potentially be a matter of life and death when they entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, therefore, it was best to receive as much information as possible. ... Around ten minutester, the group had arrived in front of a gigantic bolted metallic-alloy based door. There were multiple locking mechanisms and a powerful wave of magical energy was constantly being emitted from the other side of the door. Izroth and his party had traveled into the deepest part of the pce. They discovered that the pce itself was actually built over the portal that was heavily guarded. They had met more than twenty Crimson Corps Guards on their way to the portal! One had to know that there was only one hundred Crimson Corps Guards in total. "What a sophisticated andplex magic structure..." Valentine muttered to himself as he examined the door. Izroth was fairly surprised. Although he did not know much about magic within RML, he had studied variousnguages and matrices. He had not yet received enough information about magical symbols and so he was still unable to fully grasp it. "You can understand the magic symbols?" Valentine nodded, "It¡¯s a bit tricky when the magic print is moving so rapidly throughout the numerous set of matrices. If I had more time to study it I could..." Valentine then went on and on about the various types of magical structures and matrices as he muttered to himself from time to time. As he examined the magic symbols ced upon the door, he became more and more lost in his thoughts. "Amazing...! This is something that we may not see again for a long time...!" Valentine¡¯s breathing was getting heavier and more rapid as drool slid down the side of his mouth from all the excitement. He pushed the side of his face up against the door and began to rub his cheek on it as if it were something incredibly precious and priceless in value. "Okay, that¡¯s enough out of you! Have you forgot what we came here for?" Zi Yi reminded Valentine. She was the one who personally invited him. It was already bad enough that they ran into Mariposa and now Valentine had revealed some of his true colors. If this kept up, everyone would believe she was only associated with weirdos! Valentine pouted, "But, but the magic structures..." Valentine looked incredibly pitiful and reluctant. "Have you forgotten why I invited you in the first ce?" Zi Yi red at Valentine. Valentine wanted to protest, but when he saw the re Zi Yi gave him, he silently held his head in defeat. Zi Yi let out a sigh. Whenever it came to anything having to do with magic, it was like a switch flipped on and Valentine turned into an entirely different person. While he may appear calm and collect at times, that was not the true Valentine at all! He was actually an obsessive magic freak! As they were speaking, a light suddenly pierced into Izroth¡¯s forehead. Everyone, except for Valentine and Izroth, was shocked and instantly became alert. However, when they noticed that Izroth¡¯s HP remained unchanged, they were baffled. "It appears as though this door was made to search for something in anyone who approaches it. Think of it as a highly sophisticated security measure." Valentine exined. ¡¯It must be searching the for the imprint that Gear left behind.¡¯ The light was indeed harmless and onlysted for a few seconds. Afterward, the locking mechanisms on the door began to shift and change. The magic structure that wasid out began to glow as the huge door slowly opened. As soon as the door opened, a strong flood of magical energy nearly blew everyone back. However, they were all able to stand their ground. "What incredibly concentrated magical energy...!" Valentine had a shocked expression on his face. He had never observed such a massive source of concentrated magical energy up close before. At the very center of the room was a swirling vortex of visible energy that converged onto a single point. That vortex of energy appeared to be the source of the phenomenon Izroth and his party just experienced. "It seems thest group has arrived. Good, the portal will be opening shortly and there are still a few things to go over." A voice echoed from the tform that was positioned behind the portal. ¡¯It¡¯s them.¡¯ Izroth recognized two of the six people currently standing on the tform. One of them was Terminus and the other person was Gear. As for the other four people, Izroth had no clue as to who they were. Izroth¡¯s eyes then drifted to the yers that stood below the tform. There were a total of five parties and four of them had six yers. However, one party only had three yers. Almost all of them turned around to size up Izroth and his party. Mariposa and the five women she came in with made up one group. Another group also caught Izroth¡¯s attention. The group with only three yers could not be urately perceived by Izroth. Also, one of the yers who were among the group of three stood out to Izroth, as he had crossed paths with that person once before on his way to the Sea Pce Graveyard. A pair of eyes with lemniscate pupils had been locked onto Izroth ever since he first arrived inside of the room. ¡¯It¡¯s him.¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes when he felt that powerful gaze locked onto him. Chapter 94 Zendai Proximus The yer who had his gaze set upon Izroth once he stepped into the room was Aegis. Izroth had a brief encounter with him back in the Towering Oak Forest where their paths first crossed. Although Izroth hade out on top in their little exchange, he could tell that Aegis did not fight seriously. Izroth returned Aegis gaze with one of his own. He kept a carefree expression on his face. Izroth observed a hint of eagerness for a brief momenting from Aegis, but it soon disappeared. Izroth felt a little regretful that their fight was cut short. Aegis was, notably, the most skilled yer Izroth had run into so far within RML. However, Izroth had a strange feeling that Aegis wascking in some manner. But, he was unable to put his finger on it. When Luna noticed that Izroth was staring at someone she curiously asked, "Is he a friend of yours?" "Just a former acquaintance of mine." Izroth was neither a friend nor enemy to Aegis, they had met by chance and were merely acquainted with one another. There was no deep grudge between them or any type of camaraderie. "You¡¯vee at a good time, the portal will be opening in a few minutes. There are still a few things to exin before your entry and so we ask you to join us." The man who spoke was the same person who did so when Izroth and his group first arrived inside of the room. Although the man was well past his prime, he was still very sturdy and had aged well. He managed to keep his handsome appearance, despite his actual age. The man had short red hair, fierce red eyes, a battle scar that ran down the right side of his face and another one that was located on the left part of his face near his cheek. The man released an endless flow of mana that was being directly channeled into the vortex of energy as if he were personally feeding it. However, the vortex appeared to have no limit to the amount of energy it sucked in. It was like a bottomless pit and its thirst was insatiable. The man made a slight gesture as Izroth and his entire party vanished from the positions they stood in and reappeared at the bottom area of the tform where the other groups were located. It all happened in a mere instant. "What elegant teleportation magic... It was instantly cast with no effort while channeling such a massive amount of energy. Such a boundless mana pool... Whatplex magical sequences, there¡¯s at least three hundred..." Valentine was a bit too excited to meet a magic caster of such great power. He lost himself in his thoughts again as he muttered what sounded like a bunch of nonsense to himself. ¡¯Mana... It¡¯s very different from spiritual energy, but there are certain simrities.¡¯ While the group was initially surprised by the sudden shift in positions, none of them lost their control and stayed calm during the process. If there was one person who lost their control, then it would be Valentine who was both literally and figuratively drooling over the magic before him. The man who channeled the energy into the vortex voice carried throughout the entire room as he spoke, "I am the Y¡¯Zati of the third kingdom, Zendai Proximus. It is with great honor that I received you, heroes." "Zendai Proximus...!" Zi Yi and Valentine both said at the same time underneath their breath, as though they were in a state of disbelief. There was a look of worship in Valentine¡¯s eyes, however, Zi Yi had more of a respectful expression. When Halls noticed Zi Yi and Valentine¡¯s reaction to the speaker¡¯s name, he could not help but to ask, "Who is that guy? Is he someone important?" Of course, Halls spoke in a low voice so that he would not be seen as being rude. "Who is he? He¡¯s a legendary figure who hase up with some of the mostplex and revolutionary magical structures, sequences, and matrices ever known. He is one in a million... No, he is a one in a billion existence." Valentine said. The more he spoke, the more his voice began to tremble with excitement. "Not only that, but he¡¯s also the rightful heir to the third kingdom. However, due to some unknown circumstances, he forfeited his right of session. Instead, his younger brother was made the ruler of the third kingdom and Zendai was granted the title of Y¡¯Zati." Zi Yi added. "Y¡¯Zati? What kind of title is that?" Halls asked. Zi Yi stopped to think for a second, before she answered, "ording to the library, the title Y¡¯Zati has many meanings. But, if I were to summarize its meaning it would be the equivalent of a protector." "Protector... What a manly title." Guan Yu¡¯s voice was full of respect for Zendai. Someone capable of protecting an entire kingdom had to be amazing and transcend all previously set limitations. Izroth and his party were not the only groups who were interested in Zendai¡¯s background. They did not know nearly as much about Zendai as Zi Yi did and so they listened in on their conversation while speaking quietly amongst themselves. "Right now who I am is of no importance, for in this situation I am powerless to do anything except speed things up a bit." Zendai could not enter into the portal himself and so he offered his assistance in the only way that he was able to. He was using his endless amount of mana to speed up the opening process of the portal into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. "Hah, I never thought I¡¯d live to see the day such humble words would leave your mouth, Zendai." Gearughed joyously before taking a sip from his sk. Zendai smiled slightly, "Back then I was young and arrogant. However, time often has a way of changing things and shifting them into unexpected directions." Terminus cleared his throat and kept a professional demeanor as he tried to keep Zendai and Gear on track. "Gentlemen, the portal." "Right, there is not much time remaining." Zendai chuckled before turning serious. "Six of you have been chosen by us because we see the potential you hold deep within. Right now more than ever, we need that potential to awaken. You are not guaranteed to return from your journey to the Chaotic Dogma Realm as I¡¯m sure you all know." Zendai scanned over the group constantly to monitor their reactions. "We hope that you¡¯ve chosen trustworthypanions to apany you for your own good. Once you are inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm there are only two escape ways to escape, reach the end within 24 hours, or death. As long as even one individual reaches the end, everyone remaining will be automatically transported out of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Zendai added. "I object." One of the yers who stood on the bottom of the tform said. They were wearing a cloak that hid all of their features. In fact, his entire party was wearing cloaks that hid their appearances. The yer who voiced his objection was the leader of the party who went by the name Silent Step. Everyone looked in Silent Step¡¯s direction wondering what it was he was up to. "Why are you sending six parties instead of just us? We don¡¯t need any assistance in clearing this ce so there¡¯s no need for any others to tag along, they¡¯ll only be in the way." Silent Step¡¯s voice was filled with arrogance and confidence as he spoke. Everyone¡¯s facial expression darkened when they heard Silent Step¡¯s arrogant words. He spoke of them as if they were easily discarded trash. "Such confidence, but you know what they say about a dog whose bark is worse than his bite." Mariposa said. "Better run back into your little cocoon to hide little butterfly, this doesn¡¯t concern you." Silent Step snapped back. "My... Then should we just settle things here?" Mariposa smiled in a lovely way, however, it was a smile filled with deadly intent. Mariposa and Silent Step group took up their fighting postures. "Alright you two, there will be no fighting here!" Terminus voice interrupted them and caused everyone to settle down. "It would seem as though it is your lucky day." Mariposa got thest words in as she then ignored Silent Step. "Oh?" Zendai narrowed his eyes as his gaze locked onto Silent Step. "You¡¯ll have to forgive his outburst, Zendai. He¡¯s young and ambitious, I¡¯m sure you can rte in many ways. I haveplete faith in his abilities toplete this task." The one who spoke was a cloaked individual who stood next to Zendai. The cloak he was wearing bore a striking resemnce to the cloaks that Silent Step and his party possessed. Zendai nodded as he answered Silent Step¡¯s question, "This mission is too important of a task for one group alone. Originally, we nned to only send one group of the six of you, however, we know how important teamwork is. Asking six people who most likely have never met each other before to cooperate and work together is a little unreasonable." "Therefore, we decided to let each individual pick out members of their own teams before sending them into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. This way, the chances of one of you reaching the end rises astronomically." Zendai exined. ¡¯It seems my assumption was correct after all." Izroth was curious as to why so many groups were present when it would only create a potentially dangerouspetition at a time when teamwork was needed. To him, it was a much greater risk sending in so many different personalities to aplish the same goal. However, Izroth also understood Zendai¡¯s point of view. The chances of six strangers, who were all more than likely to be confident of their strength and leadership abilities, working together were unlikely. It would just be an unnecessary power struggle and they may be defeated before they even entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm by their own selfishness. "The Chaotic Dogma Realm can hold no more than thirty-six people at one time. If any additional people trespass over during that time, then they will be lost forever. This is the reason why we limited the number of people chosen to enter into the portal." Zendai added. Many of the yers present was wondering why this was not some type of open world event. As it turned out, this SS-ranked quest seemed to restrict them in various ways. However, there was still one more important question that needed to be answered before any of them stepped into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. "So, do we all receive the rewards as long as one personpletes the task?" Silent Step asked. That question grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. Indeed, ording to Zendai, as long as one person reached the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, it would automatically transport everyone remaining outside. In order toplete the quest, they had to reach the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. If only one team could do so then did that mean only one team could receive the rewards listed? "Ask yourself this young man, does every person whopetes in a race win the same medal as the one who finishes first?" With that statement, Zendai had made the answer to Silent Step¡¯s question clear. Everyone became increasingly serious after those words left Zendai¡¯s mouth. This was an SS-ranked quest and the rewards were too good to pass up. If what Zendai said was true then whether he liked it or not, chaos was sure to be present once they crossed over. "Then, I have nothing more to say." Silent Step had already received all of the answers he needed to determine what course of action he would take. "While it is true that you would not receive the same reward as those who reach the end first, we will not forget your contribution and still reward you ordingly." Zendai gave some reassurance. However, everyone understood that those rewards could not bepared to the ones obtained frompleting the quest sessfully. Zendai sensed the tension in the atmosphere and how eager everyone was to jump into the portal as soon as it opened. He could not deceive them or give them false hopes. He only hoped that they would set aside their differences once inside and realize the bigger picture. "The fate of Amaharpe rest in your hands, brave adventurers. Those who have personally chosen you will now exin the rest of the details." Zendai then pped his hands together as everyone within the room disappeared, except for him and one other group. Zendai looked towards the group of three yers who remained behind, as he was the one who personally chose Aegis. "I expect good things from you and yourrades, Aegis." Aegis nced towards Zendai before staring at the vortex of swirling energy as only one word left his mouth, "Naturally." ... Izroth and his party were transferred to an empty white cube-shaped room. ¡¯Where is this ce?¡¯ "Pretty interesting stuff, isn¡¯t it? I see you¡¯ve brought along some interesting people, Izroth." Gear¡¯s voice echoed from behind Izroth and his party. Izroth and his party turned around to face Gear. At the moment, Gear was still able to maintain his more youthful appearance of a middle-aged old man. "This may be thest time we meet, young man." Gear said as he smiled. But, hidden behind that smile was a trace of solitude. "Once the portal opens into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Amaharpe wille under assault by a countless number of beasts, as the barrier around the city weakens. This will not stop until the portal is closed. For the sake of your fellow adventurers and the citizens of Amaharpe, you must seed." Gear said. ¡¯ording to the SSS-ranked world quest, Amaharpe¡¯s destruction should not happen for quite some time. Could this simply be some kind of special event linked to the SS-ranked quest?¡¯ Chapter 95 The Beginning Of The Storm Part 1 "I know that all of you may still have many questions you wish to ask, however, let¡¯s keep it short since we do not have much time to spare." Gear said getting straight to the point. "Is there any other information you have regarding the Chaotic Dogma Realm?" Izroth asked. "Everything that¡¯s important has already been exined. I wish there was more to give you to all of you, however, the Chaotic Dogma Realm is unpredictable and forever changing. It does not stay settled for long and is never formed in the same way twice." Gear exined. ¡¯A ruthless ce indeed. There is no way to be fully prepared since it experiences constant shifts in its environment.¡¯ "Anything at all is fine. It does not have to be important. As long as it pertains to the Chaotic Dogma Realm, no bit of information is too small." Zi Yi said with some anticipation hidden away behind her voice. If she was going to put herself at risk, the least she could do was leave no stone unturned. "Oh?" Gear raised his brows as he looked at Zi Yi. "And who might you be, youngdy?" "I am called Zi Yi, it is an honor to meet one of the seven heroes." Zi Yi spoke in a respectful manner. She had read about some things and managed to connect them together once she heard Zendai¡¯s name. Back in his young adventurer days, Zendai went by another name to hide his identity at the time. The name he was known by in the world at that time was Wave. "Seven heroes? Is that something amazing? They sound strong!" Guan Yu asked curiously. To him, there was nothing more manly than a hero charging forward and braving dangers that no other man dared to. "Ahahaha, seven heroes? Yes, yes I remember someone wrote a few tales about our adventures. However, we¡¯re no heroes." Gear lifted his sk to his lips and took a drink of some of the medicine inside. He was reminded of the painful memories of theirst major battle against "that" monstrosity. Heroes? They did not deserve such a title! They had only managed to wound it and the divine beings had to interfere in order to seal it. Too much had been lost for Gear to enjoy the title of hero. Everyone grew silent as the atmosphere changed into a heavy and depressing one. When Gear realized that his words and attitude were affecting his surroundings, he decided to push down all of the troubles and lighten up the mood. "Well, now that you say it I don¡¯t think I mind it. "Heroes" does have a nice ring to it, ahahaha!" Gearughed joyously. Although the atmosphere did lighten up, Izroth already knew what it was that troubled Gear. After all, he had personally told Izroth of the story concerning their final stand and the sacrifices made. For years Gear has had to live with the guilt and feeling of being powerless to protect the person he loved the most. To Gear, such a situation should be like an eternal punishment. However, Gear had grown skilled and ustomed to misdirecting those around him. "As for your question, there are a few things. But, I don¡¯t see how any of it would be of any assistance to you." After thinking for a moment, Gear had finally remembered a few details that remained somewhat constant inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. "ording to our records, there are only three constants within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. The first is that one must reach the end in order to be sessful. The second is that if one does not reach the end, it is impossible to return from the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Thest is that it has two blood moons." Gear exined. Zi Yi listened carefully as Gear spoke and memorized the information in an instant. "How strong are the monsters there?" This time, Halls was the one to ask the question. After all, he was the party¡¯s tank and would have to face the highest level of danger head-on. "I can¡¯t give an exact estimate of their strength, however, just know that there are no weak monsters that exist within the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Gear responded. "Isn¡¯t it too risky sending in so many groups at once? From what I understand, it¡¯s to motivate the groups to aplish the quest faster. Also, it seems to me as if you do not wish to put all of your eggs into one basket. However, this can have an opposite effect of what was originally intended." Zi Yi pointed out. Gear sighed, "Once that guy makes up his mind, he won¡¯t budge from his position. Even with danger looming over us, he will always think of a way to inspire growth inpetition." "Working together with the other teams to reach the end is the most ideal situation. However, to him, it is the most boring and unrealistic solution. It¡¯s a bit tooplex to exin with the time we have remaining, but I can say this... I trust that man with my life and so I trust his decision." There was no pause or hesitation when Gear made that statement. There was a brief period of silence throughout the room once Gear finished speaking. Izroth was the first to break the silence. "Then, what do we do if someone forcibly attempts to halt our advances?" Izroth himself already knew the answer to that question, but he wanted to let his fellow party members hear it directly from Gear himself. "Of course, you do what you must to survive." Gear spoke in a firm tone of voice. There was no way he would tell them to run away or just submit and ept the consequences. There was only one thing to do when your survival was at stake, fight back! However, he hoped that it would note to that with everything that was on the line. The party grew a little tense after they thought about having to deal with the Chaotic Dogma Realm and potentially dangerous yers at the same time. The people who were entering into the Chaotic Dogma Realm were not weak by any means. If they got into a fight, there was a chance that not all of them would survive. Izroth could not possibly protect everyst one of them no matter how strong he was. However, they were confident in their own capabilities and did not feel the need to be protected. "All of you will enter into the Chaotic Dogma Realm one group at a time. Every team will be sent to different locations, but the distance to reach the end should be the same no matter where you start off." Gear exined. He then continued, "While the chances of running into another group before nearing the end are extremely low, it is not impossible. So you must use caution from the very moment you enter the Chaotic Dogma Realm." After they asked all of their questions, the party had nothing to do except wait for the portal to open up. When Guan Yu and Halls figured out have strong Gear was, they took the opportunity to ask for any pointers and about the stories of his days as an adventurer. Zi Yi, however, had another topic on her mind. "Is it possible to gain ess to the pce library?" This was one of the main reasons she tagged along on the quest. She had not forgotten about her original goal of being able to freely enter into the pce library. Although she knew it may not be possible, there was still a chance. Gear stopped to think for a bit, "This..." He appeared to be in deep thought for a moment as if he were trying hard to remember something. Zi Yi secretly sighed in disappointment. She knew that Gear was trying to find a way to let her down easily. Maybe the pce library was just for show and no yer would ever be able to truly gain free ess to it. "There¡¯s a library here...?" Gear had a genuinely surprised expression on his face. "I¡¯m not much of a books person, so I can¡¯t help you out much in that department. However, I¡¯ll have a word with Terminus and that other guy about your interest in it." The only way Gear would bother reading in his free time is if it involved his fist or a de. Zi Yi¡¯s face lit up with excitement, however, she quickly calmed herself and gave a polite bow. "Thank you for your consideration." Just as Zi Yi finished thanking Gear, Izroth and everyone within his party received a system alert. They were not the only ones, as the other teams that were invited also received the same exact system alert as them. ¡´System Alert: Warning! A limited time portal into the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm? has been opened.¡µ ¡¯It¡¯s time.¡¯ Izroth and his party bodies started to dissipate and turn into small light blue particles. ¡¯What a strange feeling. It¡¯s almost... Refreshing in a way.¡¯ Everyone was examining their hands and feet as they were slowly vanishing. "You will be transported directly into the Chaotic Dogma Realm from this room. Since all that needed to be said has already been said, I¡¯ll just say one final thing. Good luck, fellow adventurers." Gear smiled and gave a thumbs up. Izroth and his party had, atst,pletely disappeared leaving behind arge white room with only a single man standing inside. "Well then... I suppose it¡¯s time this old man took action." Gear¡¯s body flickered before, he too, vanished from the white room. ... At the same moment that the teams within the pce were sent into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, an alert went off to all yers located within Amaharpe and all of its surrounding areas. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The city of Amaharpe ising under attack in thirty minutes! The event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? has been initiated.¡µ The system alert listed the rewards one would gain from participating in the Protection of Amaharpe event. The quest itself was fairly simple, protect Amaharpe from any monsters that tried to invade the city. Every monster eliminated would grant a yer a set amount of points depending on how strong the monster was. Rewards were given out by the system based on the number of total points a yer could rack up. The point system was quite different for healers, as instead of eliminating monsters, they received their points based on the amount of healing done on the battlefield. The tops guilds were caught off guard by the sudden event. There was no warning to it and so they immediately began to organize themselves to prepare for the event. After all, the top prize was something no one would be able to ignore. Meanwhile at the Cross Haven temporary guild headquarters... "Leader, there aren¡¯t many details about this event. I believe that for now, we should ally with another top guild in order to gain more control over the situation. Our rtionship with Hyper Symphony is pretty good, I would suggest them as our first choice." A female yer by the name of Petals suggested. Petals had short pink hair with light gray eyes. A pair of sses set upon her face as the bridge sat gently on her dainty button nose. She was cute and most men would feel the natural need to protect her. She was one of Cross Haven¡¯s tactical officers. The one she referred to as leader was the current guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. "Guild rtionships within RML has yet to be properly formed. This is the first major event to ur and it may very well shape the future rtionship for all the top guilds. This, in turn, will also affect the smaller guilds." Ewan said. "While Hyper Symphony is the most ideal choice to form an alliance with, I believe we should proceed with caution in doing so as to prevent any sort of falling out. Guidelines have to be set in order to avoid confusion and so I¡¯ll leave this to you and Hyper Symphony¡¯s tactical officer." Ewan responded. "Understood, sir." Petals gave a respectful bow before leaving the room to make the proper arrangements. Once Petals left the room, there were only six people remaining there. Ewan, Dragus, Wess, and three other yers were within the room. Luckily, all of them were already together discussing another important matter. However, other guilds may not be so lucky. "Hah, thirty minutes to prepare for a surprise event? How ridiculous." Dragus voiced his displeasure. "We can be considered fortunate that they have granted us a thirty-minute window to prepare." Ewan said. "I wonder if there will be any strong monsters thate running along." Wess was fired up and ready to battle. Chapter 96 The Beginning Of The Storm Part 2 Ewan looked over at one of the other three yers that were inside of the room along with him, Dragus, and Wess. The yer was a male with short ck hair, dark green eyes and had an average appearance. "tic, how is the purchasing of the grade three pills going?" Ewan asked. tic had an excited expression on his face when Ewan mentioned the grade three pills. "Leader, it¡¯s actually going a lot better than expected. At first, Sage Falls was attempting to clear out the market of the pills, however, there was no way their own wealth could match up to all the other top guildsbined." "When we showed that we were unwilling to back down, they had no choice but to give up on the pills that we¡¯re attempting to procure. ording to thest update I¡¯ve received from the members posted at the auction house, our bid for the thirteen pills are currently untouched and sitting at 25 gold coins each." The only reason the Five Cycles Pill sold for 50 gold coins the first time was due to the fact that it was the only known grade three pill. Such an investment was definitely worth it to obtain the chance of unlocking its secrets and making a profit out of discovering its secrets. However, its actual value was less than half of that. In fact, the pill itself should not exceed 20 gold coins, however, since Sage Falls was so persistent, it was difficult to force them to give up if one did not show an unyielding level of relentlessness. "Since you¡¯ve requested we obtain thirteen pills no matter the cost, I¡¯ve had to pull back on some of our expenses for other necessities, however, the cost differentiation is negligible. So far, we¡¯ve invested a total of 325 gold coins." "I¡¯ve left enough leeway so that even if we have to reach 500 gold coins, it should not be an issue. However, I highly doubt the bids will continue to increase at this point. I calcte other top guilds will not go over 30 gold coins to obtain a single pill. But, we still cannot rule out wealthy solo yers." tic finished his report without error to Ewan. Ewan gave a slight nod in response as a small smile appeared on his face. "Good, very good. Once you¡¯ve obtained the pills, send one to the Apothecary branch and have them run some test to see if they can learn and progress from it. The other twelve are to be delivered to me personally." "Yes, leader. However, it will still be a while before the timer set on the auction runs out." tic was the person in Cross Haven who managed their finances and divided resources. He, of course, knew of Ewan¡¯s intentions for purchasing exactly thirteen pills. tic let out a sigh, "It¡¯s a shame that there are only 135 pills. With millions of yers, such a small number is a drop in the ocean." "Indeed... If a guild managed to get their hands on this recipe and produce it inrge quantities, then there are two paths they can choose to take. The first is to keep it to themselves to increase their guild¡¯s overallbat prowess, or to regte and sell it for a tremendous profit." Ewan exined. Ewan then continued, "Although the pill cannot be used multiple times, the advantage it provides is too great to ignore. Right now, it¡¯s still not something the average yer can afford. However, if that dayes then even if only one million yers spend 1 gold coin on it, that still totals to one million gold coins." "It¡¯s only natural Sage Falls wants a piece of that profit. Even I am tempted by such an astronomical amount of wealth. However, by that time the gold to RMB exchange ratio would be very different. Though, the profit will still not be small by any means." Ewan was interested to know more about the Apothecary who made the pill but for now, he had other important matters to attend to. Ewan opened his interface and checked the countdown timer for the Protectors of Amaharpe event. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The city of Amaharpe ising under attack in 20 minutes and 12 seconds!¡µ "We still have twenty minutes remaining until the attack on Amaharpe. Petals should be wrapping things up with Hyper Symphony by now. tic, I want you to go and join your squad once you¡¯ve confirmed the status of the pills at the auction house once more." Ewan stood to his feet. When he did so, everyone else in the room followed suit and also stood to their feet. "I want everyone to prepare. Potions, pills, scrolls, whatever you need to ensure your full strength, I want you to acquire it. We¡¯ll meet at the front gates of Amaharpe ten minutes before the event begins. Dragus, Wess, you two will be with me. We¡¯ll meet up with Petals, Harp, and Too Risky to form the vanguard group. Dismissed." Ewan said, giving his orders out. "Understood!" Everyone responded in synch and headed towards the exit to prepare for the uing event. Ewan stood in the room alone and looked incredibly solemn, locked in that single moment. There was a part of him that was saying that something about the sequence of these events felt off. Such a huge event and there was no warning whatsoever? He had a gut feeling that there was something or someone who triggered this. But, if that were the case then there was only one usible exnation. However, it was something that he did not dare believe to be true. It was much too early for what he had in mind to be possible, but it would offer the best answer to his gut feeling. "Someone has received a world quest..." Ewan spected. The Crimson Corps Guards suddenly appearing, yers having to defend the city, bizarre quest popping up all around Amaharpe, not being made aware of a major event... It was the only reasonable theory he coulde up with. "If someone really has triggered a world quest, then things may change very quickly before we even have time to adjust to the current situation at hand. RML as we know it may not be the same afterward." Ewan then walked step by step out of the room as the door slowly closed behind him. ... All over Amaharpe, from the top guilds to the bigs guilds to the small guilds, everyone was preparing for the first major event to take ce within RML, the Protectors of Amaharpe. In order to gain more benefits, some of the smaller guilds were grouping up with one another so that their numbers did not look so scarce. After much deliberation, most of the top guilds decided on separate areas to stay in so that they would not interfere with one another. However, it was decided that if any boss level monsters were to spawn, it would be free game no matter which guild¡¯s territory it was in. But, there were two of the top guilds who did not agree with that method and chose to do things their own way. Those two guilds were Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo. While the other eight top ten guilds agreed to the arrangements, those two guilds did not show any interest in doing the same. Right now, something very peculiar was taking ce in one of the sections located in front of Amaharpe¡¯s gates. The guild leader of Sage Falls, yer, was meeting with the guild leader of a guild that had recently been making quite the name for itself. The guild was known as the Headhunter Syndicate, led by the yer Vault. At the moment, Vault was talking face to face with yer about a potential partnership during this event. "You must take me for a fool, huh?" yer looked coldly at Vault. There was no hint of warmth in his voice as he spoke to Vault. "Quite the contrary, I think you are a very wise and insightful person. However, that¡¯s not the only reason I¡¯ve brought this proposal to you and you alone." Vault exined. "The other guild leaders are too... Soft would be the best way to describe them." yer stared at Vault without a change in his expression. However, he did not chase him away immediately which meant that he was interested in what Vault had to say. Vault continued, "You, on the other hand, can do whatever it takes to get the job done. While I¡¯m confident that your guild is powerful and can survive alone without any help, I still believe that my proposal would us the most profit given the set of circumstances." A grin formed on Vault¡¯s face. yer stayed silent as he observed Vault, looking for any signs of deceit or ulterior motives. However, Vault was just as his name implied, difficult to see inside of without the right set of conditions. While yer could not see any deceit in Vault, that did not mean he would let his guard down around him. yer knew for a fact that people like Vault were the most dangerous type to deal with when it came to so-called "mutual benefits". Although the core strength of the Headhunter Syndicate was not as strong as Sage Falls, the number of people within the guild itself was huge. It was unknown how a mystery force managed to grow so quickly, but there was no doubting their growing influence within RML. It would not be long before the Headhunter Syndicate joined the top ten guilds. After thinking about it for a while, yer figured that the best course of action was to try and take the Headhunter Syndicate under his wing. That way the influence and power that Sage Falls had would increase by leaps and bounds. However, he knew that he had to handle Vault in the correct manner. "I¡¯m not entirely against... Cooperation as you¡¯ve called it. I¡¯ll, of course, need to hear more of the details on the matter before I make an actualmitment. However, I do hope that this can be the start of a new and wonderful friendship between our two guilds." yer became a little more respectful, even if it was only for show. "The guild leader of Sage Falls is wise, just as I¡¯ve been told. If that much is true, the rumors about your immense strength and vast experience must also be the truth. It is a great honor for you to consider my guild as a friend of your own." Vault ttered yer, even if it also was only for show. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The city of Amaharpe ising under attack in 03 minutes and 05 seconds!¡µ "We¡¯ll skip all of the formalities since there isn¡¯t much time remaining until the event starts, begin." yer said in an unrestrained manner. "Here¡¯s what I had in mind..." Vault then went on to exin, down to the veryst detail, the n he had in mind for both of their guilds. It only took Vault around two minutes to exin his entire n, but by the time he was done, yer had arge grin on his face. "Now I can see why the Headhunter Syndicate has been able to grow and expand at such a fast pace. You... Are quite ruthless, guild leader Vault." yer could not help but burst out into a fit ofughter. He had met some ruthless people in his time, but given what Vault had in mind... It could very well work for both of their benefits! "Then since we¡¯re in agreement, I¡¯ll be taking my leave, guild leader yer. I¡¯ll see you on the battlefield." Vault cupped his fist and made a respectful gesture towards yer. yer actually stood up and returned the gesture to Vault. "Our paths will soon cross once more. I¡¯m looking forward to the future rtionship between our two guilds." After parting ways, yer turned to one of the men by his side and whispered a few words. That man only gave a slight nod and left from his current location. ... ¡´System Alert: Warning! The city of Amaharpe ising under attack in 10 seconds! Adventurers, the first wave is iing!¡µ It was finally starting atst. But, little did everyone know, that this event would be known in the future as one of the most merciless and cruel events to ever take ce within RML. Chapter 97 Protectors of Amaharpe: First Wave ¡´System Alert: The event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? has officially begun!¡µ When the system made the announcement, an invisible barrier was formed at the ends of Amaharpe¡¯s city walls. yers outside of that boundary would not gain any points for the event and could not interfere with what was taking ce inside of the barrier. However, yers would still be able to pass be through the barrier to participate in the event. Monsters would be unable to stray away past the barrier walls, but they were still capable of making their way into the city if they managed to ovee the yers and guards. At the moment, the Crimson Corps Guards stood guard by the main gates of Amaharpe. Their job was to ensure that no monster made its way into the city. The yers would act as the first line of defense against the monsters. As for the normal army of Amaharpe, they were positioned at various key points within the city itself just in case a breach took ce. At least one thousand of the soldiers were stationed on the walls with a bow in hand. Mounted onto the city walls were numerous magic cannons. However, the magic cannons were only ast resort measure. Although they were extremely powerful, they were also very costly to operate. Just one magic shell alone cost 1,000 gold coins. In total, there were twenty magic cannons. That meant that every volley would cost 20,000 gold coins! That, however, was not the sole reason for the limited use of the magic cannons. The magic shells were difficult to create and Amaharpe simply did not have the materials needed to create more than a set amount of magic shells every year. Even a capital city like Amaharpe could not afford tounch an endless barrage and have the magic cannons in constant use. But, if the city was threatened to be overrun then they would not hesitate to use everyst magic shell. A vast sea of yers assembled in front of Amaharpe city walls. Many yers that did not have a guild simply formed their own party with their friends or other solo yers. For an event like this, it was best to team up to produce the best results. After all, the rewards were not only given to individuals who performed well, but also to parties who disyed their strength. Located near the middle section of Amaharpe¡¯s walls was the guild Cross Haven. They formed a clear perimeter around their location so that there was no discord or confusion amongst its members. Ewan stood at the front of his guild as his party was the main vanguard for this event. Not too far away from Ewan were five other yers. These five yers were well known within the gamingmunity as the "Five Great Generals" of Cross Haven. The Five Great Generals had at least two hundred yers under their directmand. Those two hundred yers all fought hard to join Cross Haven and could be considered as above average or veteran yers. While Cross Haven was not asrge as the other top guilds number wise, it is still considered one of the strongest guilds thanks to their quality over quantity recruiting method. "Leader, I don¡¯t trust Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo. It¡¯s suspicious that they refused to agree to such a perfect arrangement even after eight of the top ten guilds found it to be reasonable." The person who spoke was an averaged size male who wore full ted armor and the only visible feature was their face. On his back was a shield at least 1 meter in size with magic symbols carved into it. At his side was a saber with a faint aura glowing around it, the trademark sign of a rare weapon. He had hazel colored eyes and an above average appearance. At the moment, he had a serious expression on his face as he felt uneasy about the two huge unknown variables of this event. Ewan set his gaze into the distance and what he saw was a legion of monsters stampeding over towards Amaharpe. Some of them were incredibly weak, while other monsters could be considered fairly tricky to deal with. However, their overall strength should not be a problem for the yers present in front of Amaharpe. "I also share your uncertainties, Wang Qiang. However, we cannot act without any proof of their ill intentions. In the end, taking action solely based on an assumption can lead us down a very dangerous path of no return." Ewan said. Wang Qiang knew that Ewan was correct in this matter. If he were to ultimately pursue them and it turned out that he was wrong, he may end up causing war for Cross Haven against Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo. While they were not afraid of a fight, it would allow for other top guilds to pull ahead of them if they were to be too preupied with it. Also, even though Hyper Symphony was their ally at this time, the same would not necessarily be the case if a guild war broke out. Most guilds would take a neutral stand and look for ways to gain benefits and pull further ahead of the other top guilds in that type of situation. This was something Ewan wanted to avoid at all cost. "I understand. I shall no longer pursue the matter. I will return to my position." Wang Qiang respectfully cupped his fist before he turned to start walking back to his proper position. "Wang Qiang." Ewan called out while keeping his focus on the monsters that were now less than 50 meters away from them. Wang Qiang halted his steps and turned to face Ewan, "Leader?" "I trust in your judgment. Arrange for an advanced watch team on the movements of Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo. If they are up to something then I would like it if we are not caught off-guard by it. If you turn out to be right, then we¡¯ll respond to their actions ordingly." Ewan said in a calm and steady manner. Wang Qiang bowed respectfully, "Yes, leader!" He immediately went back to his position to execute his orders and make sure everything was in ce. Ewan did not choose just anyone tomand a squad of Cross Haven members. He had learned from experience to trust in the instincts, experience, and abilities of those under hismand. The monsters closing in on Amaharpe was currently only twenty meters away from the walls. Some of the mages and archers had already started firing off attacks. However, most of those attacks came from the smaller guilds or randomly formed parties. The top guilds had yet to make their move as if they were waiting for a precise moment. The first wave of monsters that charged over was only between the levels of 14-16. There were a few elite monsters mixed in, but there were not that many of them. There were thousands upon thousands of monsters rushing forward. The average level of RML yers was around level 15. Of course, those were the more casual yers. As for the elite yers and those core members of the top guilds, they were in another league entirely. "Eh? Why are they so weak?" Wess frowned as he observed the iing wave of monsters. He was visibly disappointed by the low-level monsters. "You¡¯re being impatient again, Wess." Ewan said with a slight smile on his face. "The first wave is simply a test of sorts. Normally, there would be no need for us to take action as there is nothing worth obtaining, however, the point system makes it so that we cannot afford to sit back and wait to strike." Ewan reached to his back and removed a sword from its sheath that resembled an ancient qin jian. There was a faint aura around the sword and the de itself was pure silver in color. The hilt was azure in color and had the head of a phoenix where the pommel was ced. When he drew the sword from its sheath, the loud cry of a phoenix sounded throughout the entire section of the battlefield where Ewan was located. It caused some of the smaller guilds and solo yers to be startled as they believed for a moment that it was the cry of a true phoenix. How frightening would that be if an actual phoenix showed up during this event? There was no way a creature like that was anything less than legendary! However, the cry was due to the unique nature and ability of Ewan¡¯s weapon. It was called the cial Phoenix Mimicry Sword. Ewan charged forward, ahead of the rest of his guild as they all took a moment to stand back and watch their guild leader take the first action as they were awaiting his orders. The aura which epassed Ewan¡¯s cial Phoenix Mimicry Sword grew brighter and stronger as he neared the wave of monsters. When Ewan was exactly five meters away from the monster¡¯s front line, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he uttered a single word in a low voice, "Resonate..." At first, there was a strange and almost eerie silence in Ewan¡¯s surroundings. All of a sudden, there was a light screeching sound that was barely audible. The sound quickly escted and became much more intense as the screeching became increasingly mighty. It created a soundwave that carried with it a piercing cold bone-chilling energy. As the soundwave came in contact with the first group of monsters, the creatures stopped their movements. The screeching sound resonated throughout Ewan¡¯s surroundings before slowly dying down. Once it died down, a small wound appeared on the five monsters Ewan¡¯s soundwave made contact with. From those small wounds, a shard of ice suddenly erupted from it and encased the entire bodies of the monsters in a block of ice. Ewan pointed the tip of his cial Phoenix Mimicry Sword in the direction of the group of monsters that were now frozen over. He then lightly tapped the silver de of his sword using two of his fingers. Once Ewan¡¯s fingers made contact with the de, it vibrated and released a low frequency as the monsters who were encased in a block of ice instantly shattered into countless fragments. However, it did not stop there. The fragments of ice shards flew out three meters from its host location and struck the nearby monsters within range. The ice shards sunk into their flesh and they too became trapped in a block of ice. This repeated itself until there were no monsters remaining within three meters of thest creature that died. In less than a few seconds, Ewan had eliminated a total of 125 monsters! All of the smaller guilds and randomly formed parties were dumbfounded. What was that skill?! It was able topletely clear out arge portion of monsters that was rushing over and left a huge empty patch in the battlefield with a single strike! There was a chilly air lingering around that part of the battlefield which caused those who were near its location to shiver from the drop in temperature. Ewan had earned a total of 62.5 points which immediately gave him a massive lead over other yers. "So that¡¯s the Resonating cial Paradise skill. I remember the leader saying it wasn¡¯t all that good for one on one fights. I thought he was just being humble and didn¡¯t want to show it, but now I understand." Wess was amazed by the chain reaction the skill had that could reach enemies so far away from Ewan himself. "Although the damage on the skill probably isn¡¯t all that powerfulpared to those single target attacks, it¡¯s perfect in situations like this when you face such a huge number of creatures. Weapon skills are noughing matter." Dragus said as heughed joyously. "Cross Haven!" Ewan pointed the tip of his sword towards the heavens. "Leave nothing behind!" Ewan, at that moment, resembled a mighty general leading his troops to battle with overflowing charisma. When the members of Cross Haven heard those words, they charged forward without hesitation and released a battle cry as they met head-on with the wave monsters. However, no one at that time knew, that the real battle had yet to begin. Chapter 98 First Encounter ... Meanwhile, somewhere located between the middle and the end section of Amaharpe¡¯s walls, the guild Blue Oasis were sweeping away the monsters in their area. However, they did not manage to rack up as many points as the other guilds due to unexpected guests in their section. But, since it was the first wave, the leader of the guild Asgard did not pay it much attention. On the other hand, Niflheim relied much more on his natural instincts to perceive things. Right now, there was something wrong with this picture to him. "The random parties in our section seem to possess above average gear and are not as chaotic in their movements as the other sections, ording to scout reports." Niflheim furrowed his brows. Each guild had a few members posing as a "random party" in order to monitor the movements and progress of the other guilds. "It may just be that we are unlucky." Niflheim released a small sigh. He tried to convince himself, but he was unable to shake this foreboding feeling. "Is something wrong Captain Niflheim?" Vanter asked. "No, nothing at all. Prepare for the next wave. Also, tell everyone to stay on their toes. Just because the first wave was easy, does not mean that the next wave will be the same." Niflheim said. "Yes, Captain!" Vanter immediately left to carry out Niflheim¡¯s orders. The first wave had ended sessfully with no casualties on their side. However, this was only the beginning. ... Standing on the air above the clouds far above the capital city of Amaharpe were five individuals. They were the same five who had just sent off the different groups into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Grrrrrrrrrrooooollll... The sound a low growl echoed throughout the skies. Although the yers could not see the individuals in the sky, that low growl resembled a thunderous noise. "Your protective barrier has fallen atst. You shall return to me what is rightful mine!" The voice which spoke sounded deep and had a constant ringing noise lingering just after each word was spoken. "Little bird, have youe to y again?" Zendai had a small smile on his face as he addressed the entity as little bird. When it heard that name, the clouds in the skies above Amaharpe started to darken and the clouds turned gray. It was as though a thunderstorm was getting ready to descend down upon the city. "Still up to your light shows I see. Come, I¡¯ll entertain you, little bird." Zendai held the palm of his hand up. However, just as he was about to take action, someone next to him grabbed his wrist and stopped him from doing so. "We still need you at full strength. You¡¯ve already used up arge portion of your mana while opening the portal much earlier than it was originally intended to be opened. Although your mana pool is boundless, it was still no small amount. Let me handle this." The person who spoke was a woman. She had long flowing pink hair that fell down to her ankles, sparkling eyes that had no irises in them, but rather looking into her eyes was like staring directly into space and seeing the countless stars engulfed in darkness. Her ears were slightly pointed which indicated that she was a part of the Trephasia race. She was extremely beautiful, however, she was not as pure and dazzling as Tererestiaa. But, there was an aura of charming maturity that Tererestiaa did not possess. She removed the cloak she was wearing and underneath was a pure ck skintight battle suit. The instant she removed her battle suit, bright pink magic symbols began to form all over it. Her head was then covered by a dark visor which left only the bottom part of her face visible. Her hair wrapped itself neatly into a long ponytail. "It¡¯s you! Hateful!" The moment the woman dawned that appearance, the "little bird" seemed to grow even angrier and more furious. The lightning bolts became more intense. However, whenever it was about to strike any of the individuals that stood in the air, it was blocked by an invisible barrier. "Be careful, Nova." Zendai cautioned her. Although he was confident in her strength, that "little bird" was still a legendary existence. Dealing with it alone would not be easy, but they could not afford to divert their power away from their main task. "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine!" Pink glowing patterns began to appear behind Nova. She kicked off the air and shot further into the skies. There, she saw a huge bird that resembled a roc. The size of the bird made Nova look like a mere insect byparison. "I¡¯m ttered that you remembered me. But, it seems as though I did not properly teach you a lessonst time if you¡¯re back for more, Kinljrin." Nova vanished from the spot she was in. The huge bird who was known by the name Kinljrin felt an overwhelming force m into itsrge body. Luckily, its defenses were sturdy and it was not gravely injured, however, the space behind it ripped open forming a spatial rift as a result of the blow. Kinljrin was sucked into the spatial rift as Nova followed after it. Once Nova entered the spatial rift, it closed behind her. The moment it closed, a loud sound that resembled an explosion followed by a thunderp rang throughout the skies. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The sound was finally able to catch up to Nova¡¯s movements and it caused the clouds in the sky to swirl and form arge wind vortex. It disappeared a few secondster. "Will she be alright?" Terminus had a worried look on his face. He knew how powerful Nova was, but Kinljrin was nothing to scoff at. "She will have to be. We cannot afford to lose anyone else if we want to stand a chance. Let¡¯s continue on our way. Gear should have reached "that" ce by now. We must not bete at arriving at our own location." Zendai said as he continued on his way. "Besides, she is the most fierce Trephasia I¡¯ve ever met." Zendai said in a voice full of confidence. Nova was unlike most Trephasia who pursued magic or archery. She liked to fight using her fist, which was considered a very barbaric action by the Trephasia race. The other four, including Terminus, followed next to Zendai. ... ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! Time Remaining: 23 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds until realm closure!¡µ The moment Izroth was transported out of the room, he felt as though his body was floating throughout a ne where matter did not exist, only energy. The feeling resembled being shackled and bound for countless years and then suddenly being released of those bindings. Although it onlysted a few seconds, it felt as if itsted for minutes. When Izroth and his party rematerialized, they found themselves in a dark and damp cave. There were small cracks within the cave itself that light peeked in through. Thanks to the Five Cycles Pill, everyone had a much easier time adapting to their new environment. ¡¯Quite a strange ce to start.¡¯ Izroth sensed that everyone had made it through sessfully and there were no issues in sight. "So this is the Chaotic Dogma Realm... It certainly lives up to its name." Halls moved closer to the front of the group. It was dark, damp, creepy, and there was this strange chilly wind that blew by every few moments. "We are in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, but my guess is that we transported somewhere into an underground cave. The question is, how far are we from the surface?" The first thing that Zi Yi did when she finished rematerializing was to examine their current location. Due to the fact that they were receiving a source of what appeared to be sunlight, she spected that they should not be located too far underground. However, they were in an unknown realm and so that source of light could be from anything. Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssh! Out of nowhere, the ground within the cave began to spew out hot steam. It was followed by a sudden tremor that made it feel as if the entire cave was going to copse on top of the party. A few secondster, the tremors stopped and the steam subsided. "I rmend we find the exit before we¡¯re crushed to death." Zi Yi suggested. How unlucky would they be if they were all crushed to death before the quest had even begun? The would probably set a world record for fastest failed SS-ranked quest! Izroth nodded his head in agreement. "Halls and I will take the lead and Guan Yu will guard the rear. As for you three, you can stay in between us." Izroth believed that this was the best formation avable given their current situation. Everyone moved into ce, except for Luna. She stood still with her brows furrowed as if she was troubled by something. "Big sis Luna, is something wrong?" Guan Yu asked when he noticed Luna¡¯s facial expression and that she did not move. Izroth was also curious as Luna was usually the first one to react when he spoke. "Our message system is blocked. We can¡¯t make contact with anyone through it." Luna frowned. All of the other functions were working properly. Every time she tried to ess the message system, she received a "Restricted" system alert. Out of curiosity, Luna tapped the logout button. She was not worried that it would actually log her out since it always asked for confirmation before doing so. ¡´System Alert: Warning! You are attempting to logout while within the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?! Doing so will result in an immediate wipe of your character. Do you still wish to continue?¡µ "It appears that if we attempt to logout while inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, the system will consider it a forfeit of the quest and immediately proceed with an existence wipe." Luna exined. Luna obviously declined before she moved to her position near the center of the group. Once everyone heard what Luna had to say, they opened up their own character interface. It turned out that it was the same for everyst one of them. "Tch... So this is a one-way trip all the way huh?" Guan Yu said in a displeased tone. "Brother, I¡¯m just d I went before I logged on today." Halls said as a sense of relief could be heard within the tone of his voice. ¡¯It must be a way to prevent us frommunicating anything outside of this realm unless we are willing to lose all of our progress to do so. However, would anyone be willing to make that sacrifice willingly?¡¯ "Since it¡¯s already like this then we can only keep moving forward and locate the exit to this cave. Let¡¯s move." Izroth and Halls started to move towards arge crack on the side of the cave walls. It seemed to be the only way in and out of their current location. The rest of the party followed behind Izroth and Halls. As they were walking, Valentine¡¯s eyes were constantly shifting from one ce to another. When Zi Yi noticed his Valentine¡¯s stranger than usual behavior, she asked, "Do you see something?" Valentine rested his index finger and thumb on his chin as he observed the cave as he and the party were walking. "It¡¯s... I could be wrong, but these rocks appeared to have been formed by magic. It was very faint, but I could have sworn I saw a few magic sequences form when we experienced the tremors. Of course, I don¡¯t have any absolute proof so..." Valentine was intrigued by the ghost-like magic sequence. "Maybe I should go back and check it out." Valentine began to drool from his mouth as arge grin appeared on his face. "Don¡¯t even think about it, magic freak!" Zi Yi instantly voiced her objection. This guy was really ready to risk his character¡¯s permanent wipe just for a peek at some magic sequences. Valentine pouted and whined, "But-" Before he could evenin, the tremors began once again. This time, however, it was much more intense and felt closer than before. "?!" Izroth did not realize it at first due to how chaotic the vibrations in this ce was. He believed that it was just another small tremor, but it turned out that they were actually being followed by something. ¡¯It¡¯s blending in almost perfectly with the earth.¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning. "Prepare." After Izroth said that single word, everyone put their guards up. However, Valentine was a littlete in doing so since he did not participate in the dungeon runs with them. Izroth knew that they were getting ready to see exactly how dangerous the creatures within the Chaotic Dogma Realm could be. Chapter 99 Chaotic Dogma Realm Izroth concentrated on separating the noise of the tremors from the creature itself in order to lock onto its location. It was much more difficult to detectpared to those bugs that moved around underground back in the mountain region. "What¡¯s going on?" Halls asked as he kept his shield raised and his guard up. He did not know that there was a monster nearby, as his senses were nowhere close to Izroth¡¯s. Halls acted purely on instinct when he heard Izroth call out. In fact, it was the same for everyone else there. But, they all understood that if Izroth unsheathed his sword then there was trouble nearby, even if they currently were unable to see it. "Is it a monster or another team?" Zi Yi inquired. However, she already had a good idea of what it could be. After all, what were the chances of them running into another team as soon as they were transported? Could the Chaotic Dogma Realm truly be that small? If that were the case then reaching the end would not be a problem at all. "One monster. It¡¯s most likely the cause of the tremors we¡¯ve experienced while within this cave. The tremors are growing stronger the closer it moves in our direction." Izroth exined as he kept track of the creature movements. "It will not be safe if we fight on a narrow passageway. We should retreat back to the room with open space to confront it." Luna suggested. "Agreed." Zi Yi seconded Luna¡¯s suggestion. While the passageway they were currently moving deeper into was not incredibly narrow, it was only as spacious as two people standing side by side with their arms spread out. It would be difficult to maneuver under such circumstances. Also, ignoring the fact that the passageway may copse on them given the intensity of the tremors, if the monster possessed any type of AOE attack, then it would be impossible to even consider avoiding it. Izroth also believed that to be the best course of action. The passageway was filled with some twist and turns. For all they knew, the passageway could be smaller the further they traveled down. Why would they purposely set themselves at a potential disadvantage? "We will turn around and face it back at the location we were transported to." Izroth said as Guan Yu moved over to their position and Halls, as well as, Izroth shifted over to Guan Yu¡¯s old position. Now, Izroth and Halls were leading the way back to where they came from and Guan Yu was still tasked with protecting their rear. Just as the party was getting ready to leave, Valentine raised his hand to stop them from doing so immediately. "Ah, wait a second." Valentine removed a small rock looking object with various magic symbols inscribed into it. He tossed the item onto the ground and pointed his index finger towards it. He muttered a few words as the rock began to glow. "Seek." Valentine finished chanting and soon after the rock cracked open and a teal colored orb the size of a fist formed in its ce. The orb instantly shot through the passageway and disappeared from the group¡¯s field of vision in a matter of seconds. "What did you just do?" Zi Yi narrowed her eyes as she looked at Valentine wondering what that magic freak was up to. "Just think of it as an extra set of eyes, don¡¯t worry." Valentine smiled in an innocent manner. ¡¯A bit interesting.¡¯ Izroth maintained his carefree expression as he and his party continued to move. Since Izroth and his party did not travel far, it only took them a few moments to arrive back at the open room. On their way, the group felt the tremors intensify and sharp shards of rocks fell from the ceiling. One of the rocks almostnded directly on top of Halls and crushed him into meat paste. However, it missed him by a few centimeters and so he could be considered lucky. Halls face was extremely gloomy. All of the sharp rock shards that fell from the ceiling only went for him as if it were intentionally picking on him! He had to constantly dance around in a humiliating way to evade them. The entire time, Guan Yu wasughing without holding back in even the slightest manner, and Zi Yi had a smug expression on her face that pretty much said, "serves you right for teasing me". Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrck! The ground beneath and all around Izroth and his party began to crack as a hot wave of steam rushed out from within cracks. Wooooooooo! When everyone heard that disturbing sound, they shifted their attention to arge crater that was formed by the ground sinking inward. The sight resembled a beast devouring the earth. Something slowly started to climb out of the ground. The first thing the group saw were two massive curved horns with small lines running across them. That strange noise definitely came from this monstrosity before them. It had the face of a vicious bull and when it rose out of the ground it stood 3 meters tall. It was extremely muscr to the point where it was a little disturbing and had razor sharp ws on its hands. Its skin was maroon in color and had numerous glowing red cracks that covered its entire body. It bore a resemnce to a rock that was about to shatter into countless fragments. Its tail swung freely back and forth, but it appeared to possess a mind of its own. The monster released a strong burst of bloodthirst towards the yers before it. "So ugly...!" Halls couldn¡¯t help but say those words when he observed the monster¡¯s appearance and how bloodthirsty the monster seemed to be. Its pure ck eyes were simr to looking into nothingness, which would frighten most people. Name: Earth Devouring Groundbull(Elite) Level: 25 HP: 70,000 (100%) 70,000 HP! What a tanky monster! Not even the boss monsters within the Sea Pce Graveyard had such arge amount of HP. The Earth Devouring Groundbull roared angrily as if responding to it being called ugly, as it charged over towards Halls. "Brother, it seems that your new taunt skill was effective!" Guan Yu joked as he took an offensive stance with his guandao. Halls shield lit up with a bright red color as a wave of aura sped outward from his shield and epassed the entire body of the Earth Devouring Groundbull for a few seconds before vanishing. Halls had used the skill Taunting Aura to set the monster¡¯s focus onto him. The Earth Devouring Groundbull was not that agile, however, it was not by any means slow with its charge as it leaned its shoulder downward to ram into Halls. It wanted topletely run through him. Halls stood perfectly still as he held his shield out in front of him steadily. Just as the Earth Devouring Groundbull was about to make contact with him, a transparent ss-like barrier formed on Halls¡¯s shield. CRASH! The body of the Earth Devouring Groundbull flew backward when it crashed into Halls¡¯s shield. Its own momentum was used against it thanks to a skill Halls had acquired. The skill was called Rebound and it was one of the core skills of Halls new second tier ss, the Rebound Champion. Skill Name: Rebound Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 20 Rebound Champion, Shield Equipped Mana Cost: 50 Active: Forms a transparent rebound barrier in front of the user¡¯s shield for 0.5 seconds which causes any enemies ites in contact with to be knocked back. The more momentum an enemy has when striking the rebound barrier, the more powerful the knockback effect. This skill negates 50% of the damage for any attacks that strike the rebound barrier and counts as a sessful block. The cooldown time for this skill is reduced by 10 seconds when an attack is sessfully "Rebounded". Cooldown: 15 seconds The Rebound Champion was one of the more difficult sses to obtain, as the ss quest required endless endurance and perseverance. It was definitely not a ss that anyone could acquire. The Rebound skill made the ss incredibly tanky and hard to deal with in a battle. However, it was not an easy ss to use. If a yer miss timed a Rebound, then they would pay the heavy price of having to wait for its full 15 second cooldown time. In a close battle, that could mean the difference between life and death. ?Blocked? -676 5,974/6,650 HP Remaining! (Halls) "What powerful attacking strength...!" Halls was shocked by the amount of damage he received even after sessfully blocking the attack by using Rebound. Its base attack was at least 1,000 and that was a very conservative guess. Izroth kicked off his back foot and shot towards the flying body of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Trailing behind Izroth was Guan Yu who also pressed forward to join the assault. An arrow soared through the air aimed at Guan Yu¡¯s back. However, the arrow¡¯s target was not Guan Yu himself. Zi Yi was using Guan Yu¡¯s body to hide the arrow she just released. The arrow vanished just as it was about to pierce through Guan Yu. Zi Yi quickly released another arrow, but this was one aimed directly towards the Earth Devouring Groundbull. The Earth Devouring Groundbull could not react to the arrows as they arrived in the blink of an eye. The first arrow, which had disappeared just moments before, had managed to reappear above the monster¡¯s head. It was able to prate the defenses of the Earth Devouring Groundbull with ease and shot into its skull. The second arrow soon arrived as its speed was faster than both Izroth and Guan Yu, but it did not disappear as the other arrow did. Instead, it continued forward normally and struck the monster in the middle of its torso area. ?Critical Hit? -1,180 -220 Zi Yi had used the same skill during her fight against those yers who ambushed her. The skill was called Void Jump. Skill Name: Void Jump Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 20 Void Seeker Cost: 2 Void Essence Active: Creates a small hole that leads to the void which causes the user arrows to enter the void and disappear from sight. The arrow will reappear at least 65 centimeters away from the target at the point of the user¡¯s choosing. Attacks that jumps through the void has its power increased by 100%. The Void Seeker ss did not use mana or energy, but rather a substance called Void Essence. In a way it was simr to energy, however, it was more unforgiving and not as flexible or expendable as mana and energy. It also came with a built-in regeneration feature, just as energy did. Just as Zi Yi¡¯s second arrow struck the Earth Devouring Groundbull, Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning shed outward with two phantom shadows following closely behind it. The first hit of his Phantom strike connected with the Earth Devouring Groundbull¡¯s head. The next two strikes that followed struck the monster¡¯s neck twice in session. ?Critical Hit? -244 ?Critical Hit? -588 ?Critical Hit? -932 With just a few attacks, the Earth Devouring Groundbull¡¯s HP dropped by nearly 5%. Its defenses were incredibly tough, however, Izroth and Zi Yi attack powers were nothing to scoff at. When Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strike hit he was getting ready to follow up, but the Earth Devouring Groundbull finally regained its bnce after being knocked back and sent flying. As it did, it swiftly mmed itsrge fist into the ground which caused tremors to shake the entire cave. Sharp fragments of rocks ruptured out from the ground and rushed towards Izroth and his party. Izroth reacted the fastest and jumped into the air when he felt and heard the noises of something getting ready to erupt from underground. Halls did not bother trying to avoid the attack and simply braced himself for impact. It was the same for Guan Yu as he halted his charge and took on a defensive stance. Zi Yi was agile and had no trouble jumping up and out off the way of the iing attack. A small thin string of mana flowed from Valentine¡¯s fingertip and slowly made its way towards the Earth Devouring Groundbull. He had already raised up a mana barrier and so was not worried about the damage he would receive from the attack. He was more focused on the current spell he was casting. As for Luna, her mobility wascking and the attack did not leave her any room for escape. However, Luna did not panic and instead, she simply took two steps to the left just as the attack was about to strike her. At that moment, something astonishing happened. Chapter 100 Earth Devouring Groundbull As the rupturing earth spikes rushed towards Luna, it rose up everywhere around here besides the one spot she stood in after moving over two steps. It was as if she knew the path that the rupturing earth spikes were going to travel and what areas would be affected by it. Everyone was amazed at how lucky Luna was to avoid the earth spikes. However, Izroth had clearly sensed Luna¡¯s precise and unpanicked movements when it came to what had just transpired. He understood that there was more to it and not just simple luck at y. ¡¯Could she possess a skill that increases her sense of perception to such a high level?¡¯ During their time clearing the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon, Luna had never been in any type of real danger. With Izroth, Zi Yi, and Guan Yu dealing heavy damage, as well as, Halls absorbing the attacks, Luna was virtually untouched. She was never in a position to move against her will. During the fight against Barbados, Luna had never been close to getting caught up in a whirlpool. But, Izroth quickly dismissed the thoughts he had in mind. The system may be wondrous, however, if her skill was what he believed it to be then it would be what gamers called a true cheat ability! Though, Izroth would not mention anything if Luna herself did not want to shed any light onto the situation. Everyone managed to sessfully evade the attack, except for Halls and Guan Yu who intentionally did not dodge and decided to receive it head on instead. Halls was able to block the earth spike, while Guan Yu used his guandao to stop the earth spike from piercing directly through his body. ?Blocked? -225 5,749/6,650 HP Remaining! (Halls) ?Parried? -600 3,625/4,225 HP Remaining! (Guan Yu) As a pure tank, Halls possessed higher defensive stats than Guan Yu. Also, since Guan Yucked a shield, he was only capable of parrying at most and was unable to block attacks to further reduce their damage as Halls was able to do. Guan Yu then continued onward with his charge towards the Earth Devouring Groundbull. When he arrived before it, he swung out in a mighty arc with his guandao. The weapon sliced cleanly across the Earth Devouring Groundbull¡¯s body as if there was nothing solid to halt the guandao¡¯s advances. Skill Name: Arcing Armor Crusher Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 20 Spear Enforcer, Guandao Equipped Mana Cost: 75 Active: The user sweeps their guandao outward in a mighty arc dealing 175% of the user¡¯s attack as damage, and prating through their enemy¡¯s defenses. This skill ignores 50% of all enemy physical defenses. Has a small chance of causing the ?Fragmented? effect to ur on a sessfully struck target. ?Fragmented?: All damage done to the target is increased by 10% and ignores 20% of all the target¡¯s defenses for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes -1,053 93% HP Remaining! (Earth Devouring Groundbull) The attack power of Guan Yu¡¯s two-handed weapon, the guandao, was extremely powerful. However, since it is a two-handed weapon, he was unable to attack in quick session. But, Guan Yu¡¯s speed was still considered astonishingly fast for someone who wore ted armor. "Tch... It seems my luck isn¡¯t all that good." Guan Yu muttered to himself. He was referring to the fact that he was unable to trigger the Fragmented effect from the Arcing Armor Crusher skill. "It¡¯s finished." Valentine said with a smile on his face. The thin string of mana Valentine had sent out towards the Earth Devouring Groundbull finally reached the monster¡¯s feet. As soon as the thin string of mana made contact with the Earth Devouring Groundbull, it quickly wrapped around its entire body. Mooooooooo! The monster roared loudly as it tried to break free of its bindings, however, it was unable to do so. The mana strings seemed to be stronger and more durable the more the Earth Devouring Groundbull struggled to break free. It was not long until it was trapped within a cocoon formed from pure magic. "Shatter." Valentine directed the magic flow around the cocoon as several cracks appeared throughout the structure. Instantly the cocoon shattered into countless pieces, however, Valentine¡¯s assault did not stop there. He pped his hands together as a strong burst of mana gathered above the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Above the monster¡¯s head, five magic symbols and magic sequences appeared in the shape of pentagons which were yellow in color. "Zarkox First Sequence: Release." Valentine chanted as the magic pentagons moved rapidly and ovepped one another forming a total of fiveyers. A powerful surge of magical energy converged at the very bottomyer as a sphere of mana was created in the process. A beam of light instantly epassed the whole body of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. The beam of light soon vanished, however, another one took its ce a few momentster. This urred until a total of five beams of light fired down from above. It was like a constant barrage of magic energy was crashing down onto the monster. Valentine used two skills with precise timing. The first skill was called Epassing Mana String. Its purpose was to immobilize and control the movements of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. The second skill was known as Zarkox First Sequence: Release. Its main task was to inflict damage. The ground surrounding the Earth Devouring Groundbull waspletely charred as if it met with an intense source of heat. Skill Name: Epassing Mana String Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 20 Sequence Mage Mana Cost: 100 Cast Time: 1.5 seconds Active: The user sends out a thin string of mana which epasses the targetpletely in magical strings, forming a cocoon that encases its target and prevents the target from taking any action for 3 seconds. Damage dealt to the target while encased within the cocoon is reduced by 75% of its total amount. The user can activate this skill¡¯s secondmand, ?Shatter?, during the 3-second duration. ?Shatter?: Shatters the cocoon encasing the target so that they may once again take action. This removes the reduced damage effect on the target, however, their mobility is reduced by 80% for 2 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds Skill Name: Zarkox First Sequence: Release Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 20 Sequence Mage Mana Cost: 200 Cast Time: 2.5 seconds Active: The user forms five stationary magic sequences within apressed pentagonal shaped field of mana above its intended target. The user must then properly ovep the magic sequences into fiveyers which will then create a strong burst of light based energy in the form of a beam. The beam fires down in 0.4-second intervals for 2 seconds, dealing 125% of the user¡¯s magic as damage. Cooldown: 5 minutes 30 seconds Special Note: A brilliant, powerful, andplex magic sequence created by Zarkox, a famous Sequence Mage. One can only learn this skill if they have a true affinity with magic! This skill is awarded to the first yer thatpletes the quest to be a Sequence Mage. Valentine had used the Epassing Mana String to bind the Earth Devouring Groundbull in ce before making sure to free it before his Zarokox First Sequence: Release finished charging. This was so that the Earth Devouring Groundbull would be unable to avoid all five beams of light and still take full damage thanks to the effects of Shatter. -506 -506 ... The magic defenses of the Earth Devouring Groundbull were practically nonexistent. Valentine managed to deal a considerable amount of damage to it with each of the five beams of light, which hit for a total of 2,530 damage. If not for Valentine¡¯s perfect use of the Epassing Mana String, there was a chance that only one or two of his light beams may have sessfully hit. After all, the light beams had only one shoring and that was the fact that it could not strike outside of the spot it was initially cast in. However, this seemed to only further feed the rage of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Tremors once again shook the entire cave, but this time the steam that spewed from within the cracks was higher in density. Soon enough, a thick cloud of steam filled the whole room, making it difficult for the party to see even a few steps in front of them. Thankfully, all of them had taken the Five Cycles Pill and so their senses were greater than the average yer. If not, then they may even be unable to see even a few steps directly in front of them. Their hearing was also rendered useless thanks to the now non-stop tremors. Izroth, however, was a bit better off as he had already gained the experience of separating the tremors from the sound of the Earth Devouring Groundbull itself. His vision was also better than the rest of his party, but he was still incapable of seeing more than three to four meters outward from his current position. With the thickyer of steam limiting the party¡¯s range of perception, the Earth Devouring Groundbull took the opportunity to resume its assault on Halls and shot over in his direction as it burrowed underground. Halls had his shield raised, keeping his guard up against possible iing attacks. However, it was difficult to do so with the constant tremors that caused his stability to be thrown off. "Is everyone alright?" Halls shouted. Everyone checked in and none of them had experienced anything more than the steam being a nuisance. "Where did the monster go?" Guan Yu examined his surroundings, but he was unable to discover the position of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. It was bizarre since he was the closest to the monster before the steam appeared. Given the size of the Earth Devouring Groundbull, it was unlikely that he would miss it moving right before his eyes. Izroth furrowed his brows as he stood with his de of Lightning in hand. ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ Izroth had lost track of the Earth Devouring Groundbull a few seconds after the steam filled room. ¡¯It must have returned underground and fallen back in synch with the tremors.¡¯ While Izroth was still capable of locating the monster, it would take him a few moments to discern the difference between the new tremors and the movements of the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Out of nowhere, Halls felt as if he was sinking into the ground slowly. However, the feeling was more simr to stepping into a muddy swamp. Halls¡¯s entire body was not actually sinking, but the ground beneath him had turned soft and wrapped itself around his legs halfway up to his knees. "?!" Halls was immediately rmed. Though, he could not react in time as it happened in a mere instant. "It¡¯s here!" Halls yelled out as he tried to turn his body to defend himself, but it was toote. The Earth Devouring Groundbull had traveled underground and used its abilities to soften the ground that Halls stood upon. Afterward, it moved above ground behind Halls andunched a surprise attack. -1,628 4,121/6,650 HP Remaining! (Halls) Halls took a massive hit and lost a lot of HP from one strike due to his inability to block the surprise attack. Once the Earth Devouring Groundbull¡¯s attack connected, the steam within the room started to clear up. Luna instantly cast Healing Essence and Cure on Halls when the steam cleared. Due to the steam, she was unable to lock onto anyone since they were not within her direct line of sight. +183 HP +500 HP 4,804/6,650 HP Remaining! (Halls) The party continued their assault against the Earth Devouring Groundbull once the steam cleared up. Izroth and Guan Yu rushed over in Halls direction. Izroth¡¯s sword and Guan Yu¡¯s guandao fiercely struck out at the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Zi Yi and Valentine resumed their ranged onught. The total amount of damage Izroth and his party was outputting would frighten even those top guild yers. They acted quickly and chipped away at the monster¡¯s HP. The party did not have to deal with the steam surprise attack again. It appeared that the Earth Devouring Groundbull was only able to use that skill once. However, if the target had been Zi Yi, Luna, or Valentine directly, then they could have very well lost someone during their very first fight within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. 85%... 60%... 25%... 5%... The Earth Devouring Groundbull had around 3,500 HP remaining. Zi Yi released another arrow which soon disappeared and then reappeared next to the monster, piercing into its neck with amazing uracy. Although Zi Yi could notnd critical hits as often as Izroth did, her sess rate was well above average for an archery-type ss. ?Critical Hit? -1,180 Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning released an oppressive aura as small crackles of lightning could be hearding from his sword. Izroth¡¯s sword shed outward and cut down vertically from the Earth Devouring Groundbull¡¯s head all the way through its torso, slicing it cleanly in half. ?Critical Hit? -2,652 ¡´Battle Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Earth Devouring Groundbull¡µ The body of the Earth Devouring Groundbull turned into ash the moment it was defeated. Izroth and his party were victorious. They had survived their very first encounter with a monster from the Chaotic Dogma Realm without losing a single member. However, none of them were celebrating. This was only a level 25 elite monster and yet it was so strong, much stronger than normal elite monsters. This was most likely the average level of strength that monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm possessed. It may be even weaker than that! If that was the case, then the road ahead of them would be a challenging one. Chapter 101 Restriction ¡´You have been awarded 5,763 EXP¡µ Loot Drop: -x4 ?Purified Earth Shard? -x1 ?Sealed Chaotic Essence? -x1 ?Heart of the Earth? -x1 ?Earth Devouring Gauntlets? "So tanky! Are all the monsters inside of this ce going to be the same?" Halls let out a small sigh. "It could be due to the Earth Devouring Groundbull being an earth elemental type monster. The other monsters may not necessarily have such high HP. However, even considering that fact, it¡¯s likely that monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm are naturally stronger than the monsters wee across normally." Zi Yi responded. "In other words, these monsters are super elites!" Guan Yu said as he ced his guandao onto his back. The Earth Devouring Groundbull dropped quite a few items after its defeat. The closest to the loot was Izroth since he dealt the final blow to the monster. He started looking through the loot and was pleasantly surprised at how generous monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm were. Name: Purified Earth Shard(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: A purified earth shard that can only be obtained from monsters and areas that have been submerged underground for long periods of time where a high level of heat is present. Can be consumed in its natural state to slightly increase the overall defenses of the consumer. However, when introduced to a pure and untainted water source, the purified earth shard qualities multiplies many times over. Name: Sealed Chaotic Essence(Unknown) Rank: Unknown Usage: ??? Special Note: This item is currently sealed. To unseal it, you must locate and acquire a Chaos Fragment. Name: Heart of the Earth(Reagent) Rank: None Usage: A nearly indestructible piece of earth that is incredibly difficult to use when making any item or piece of equipment. Though when it is properly integrated, it provides an aura of near indestructibility. Armor Name: Earth Devouring Gauntlets(Umon) Armor Level: 25 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 150 Attack HP: 300 ATK: 55 DEF: 35 Izroth decided that everyone should have a chance to roll for the items that dropped, however, everyone rejected the idea. The reason was due to none of them having a profession that required the items that dropped from the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Also, they received a grade three pill for free from Izroth. It did not take a genius to piece together what Izroth chose as his profession. After all, they too had heard rumors of a rank three Apothecary within Amaharpe. They assumed that it was just mere rumors at first, but after Izroth freely gave away so many Five Cycles Pill, they had a better understanding of things. If these items would be useful to Izroth, then they would not botherpeting with him to acquire them. This was their way of paying him back indirectly for the Five Cycles Pill he gave to them, even if it was only a small gesture. As for the Earth Devouring Gauntlets, Zi Yi was the only other person who used leather amongst their party. But, she did not take a second nce at the Earth Devouring Gauntlets due to theirck of an agility stat. Zi Yi preferred her current gauntlets which provided her with a higher level of mobility. It was not something she was willing to trade just for a bit of extra damage and physical defenses. Therefore, the item could only go to Izroth. Izroth suggested that they still roll for the items and he would pay a fair price to whoever won, this was his way of being fair. However, this idea was immediately turned down as they insisted that Izroth simply take the items. If there was one thing everyone within this party had inmon, it was that they were unwilling to back down. Izroth did not continue to pursue the matter and epted their good will. He equipped the Earth Devouring Gauntlets, recing the level 10 umon Foreman¡¯s Gloves that he obtained back in the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise. He then put away the remaining items into his inventory. ¡¯The Purified Earth Shards and Heart of the Earth may be exactly what I need to make up for my currentck of defense.¡¯ Although Izroth was confident in his speed and reaction time, there was always the chance that something unexpected would ur or the attack may be instant and unavoidable. In that situation, his speed and reaction would be rendered near useless and he would have to rely on his natural defenses to absorb the impact. "We¡¯ll search for the exit to this ce and try to leave before wee across another one of those creatures." Izroth said as the party moved into their previous formation and traveled down the pathway they were on before being forced to return back to the location they originally arrived at. If they kept having to fall back every time they walked down a passageway, then it would take an eternity to exit this underground cave. While they were interested in the loot and EXP the Chaotic Dogma Realm gave, it was still nowhere near close to the reward they would receive forpleting this SS-ranked quest. ... Around ten minutester, Izroth and his party emerged from within the underground cave. When they reached the outside, the sight before them caused everyone to be left speechless. For a ce that was supposed to be chaotic, it was extremely peaceful and beautiful! There was a lush green forest surrounding them. Within the sky were three spheres that resembled suns that were all different sizes. The skies were crystal blue with white clouds drifting by at their own leisure. An abundance of magic energy filled the entire atmosphere. The difference between the underground cave and the surface was like the difference between night and day! "I expected this ce to be all gloomy and full of undead monsters or something but this is..." Halls was the first to voice his opinion. "You can take a vacation at a location like this!" Guan Yu eyes darted in every direction, taking in his new environment. "The magic energy here is so dense!" Valentine¡¯s eyes sparkled as he felt the immense natural magical energy within the atmosphere. As he thought about the source that was able to release such concentrated magical energy, he began to drool uncontrobly at the prospect of discovering it. As for Izroth, Zi Yi, and Luna, they were all strangely silent. They too were surprised by the sudden shift in the environment. However, something felt off about this seemingly beautiful paradise before them. It seemed to be almost... Illusionary. Zi Yi frowned, "This doesn¡¯t feel right. I know we were told that this ce changes every time it appears, however, it definitely does not feel chaotic at all." "It could just be another variation of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Luna suggested, but she herself did not believe that to be true. Izroth gazed into the distance and furrowed his brows slightly as he realized something. It was still a bit unclear, however, he could not risk ignoring the possibility. When he thought about how powerful the source of this phenomenon had to be in order to produce something on this scale, he cautioned his fellow party members. "We¡¯re being observed by something or someone." Izroth said as his gaze never left the direction he was looking in. But, no matter how hard he tried to, Izroth was unable to fully grasp it from this distance. "Is it simr to the creatures we ran into back in the Valley of Death?" Luna asked curiously. Izroth shook his head, "No, it¡¯s different in many ways. One of which is that whatever is there may be responsible for this little trick." Izroth smiled in a carefree manner. ¡¯Strange, it almost feels as if I¡¯m staring at nothing. But there¡¯s definitely something there.¡¯ "Little trick?" Zi Yi nced towards Izroth. It appeared that she was right in her decision not to ept this at face value. Izroth nodded, "If I¡¯m correct, once we walk for a certain period of time within the forest, we¡¯ll be returned to the location where we originated from. Of course, this is just a spection." Even though it was only a spection, Izroth was sure that he was correct. "Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out." Zi Yi said. "It¡¯s an illusion, I¡¯m sure of it. Quite a powerful one too." Valentine suddenly said as he was still absorbed in trying to further understand the magic energy around him. "How can you be so sure?" Zi Yi asked. Valentine pointed towards the forest, and what emerged a few secondster was a floating teal colored orb about the size of a fist. It was the same orb that Valentine had sent out before they had to turn around to face the Earth Devouring Groundbull. Valentine noticed the bizarre inconsistencies of the magic sequences back inside of the cave when they first arrived within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. He sent out the orb earlier to confirm his theory. The orb slowly drifted towards Valentine. He held out his hand as it gentlynded on his palm before losing its brilliant and turning into a small rock looking object. Valentine set the item back into his inventory as he exined, "The orb should have kept moving in a single direction until I called it back, however, it returned to me of its own ord." "So you¡¯re saying that you never changed its direction and yet it still somehow managed to turn around and move back towards the cave? If that¡¯s the case, then Izroth¡¯s spection may not simply be mere spection anymore, but rather a fact." Zi Yi was amazed at how perceptive Izroth was. She just had a vague feeling, but Izroth spoke as if he knew his words were true, despite his humble choice of words. Just who exactly was this person? "We¡¯ll head towards the source. We should find some answers on how to escape from this illusion there." Izroth and his party entered into the forest and began to head towards the source of the illusion. Less than thirty seconds after Izroth and his party made their way into the forest, a mist started to form out of thin air. However, this mist did not obstruct their vision, but rather their hearing and sense of touch. Even Izroth with his astonishing hearing ability could not hear a single sound. The group looked towards one another and spoke, but no one could hear anything the other person said. Each step everyone, except Izroth, took was incredibly awkward. This was because they could not feel a thing! There was no feedback from their feet touching the ground and so they had to constantly look down every so often to not lose bnce. If one was to make aparison, it felt as if they were constantly standing still and felt nothing at all. Izroth had no trouble adapting because he had been in many battles when he had to rely solely on instinct to fight due to all of his senses being robbed from him. Also, since Izroth was a cultivator, it was much easier for his body to rely on pure instinct and adapt, unlike his fellow party members. Izroth checked his battle logs to see if he was unknowingly affected by some sort of skill, but the only information listed on his battle logs was from the fight against the Earth Devouring Groundbull. There was nothing that appeared to be out of the ordinary. Since the message system was revoked, there was no way for them tomunicate with one another outside of using hand signs or making certain gestures. ¡¯Is this the work of the thing that has us within its illusion? Or, is it somethingpletely unrted?¡¯ Izroth made a gesture to focus everyone¡¯s attention onto him. He then pointed straight forward towards their previous heading. He was attempting to tell them to continue towards the source. He then pointed two fingers at his eyes and then waved one of his fingers in a circr motion above his head a few times. Everyone seemed to understand Izroth¡¯s intentions. From his gestures, he wanted them to move in the direction he pointed while making sure to pay attention to everything around them. In other words, he wanted them to be cautious as they advanced forward. After making a few more gestures, the group was now walking in a tight formation. This was so that they could respond if one of them were to be attacked. After all, without their sense of hearing or touch, if they did not see or smell the enemy then it may be toote if someone got ambushed. ¡¯The question still remains, how do we undo this restriction?¡¯ Chapter 102 Phenomenon: World of Shadows and The Temple As Izroth and his party journeyed deeper into the forest, something happened which caused Izroth to inwardly frown. The closer they came to the source, the more Izroth¡¯s vision slowly started slipping away. ¡¯It¡¯s affecting our sight. At this rate, we¡¯ll lose our ability to see within ten minutes.¡¯ Izroth thought about turning back, however, he was unsure if the effects would disappear or not after they returned to their previous location just outside of the cave. If everyone lost their vision, then no one would even know how they died. The effects were even worse for the others since their senses were not as strong as Izroth¡¯s. Even though there were no clues linking the source of the illusion to their loss of senses, Izroth trusted his gut feeling and proceeded onward. With every step Izroth and his party took, their vision worsened and soon enough, their sense of smell also began to fade. The group hastened their movement as most of their vision had turned into a blur. It was like looking through translucent ss. One could make out subtle details but had to guess what it actually was. Around eight minutester, just as all of their senses had started to fade away, everyone saw what appeared to be a ck hole a few meters away from them. That ck hole had numerous lines constantly rotating around it. Although they were cautious at first, when their senses began to clear up the closer they moved to the ck hole, they did not halt their steps and continued to approach it. Izroth was still on guard and would fall back at the first sign of trouble, however, he believed that it would not be necessary to do so. "W..." Zi Yi opened her mouth and managed to utter a small sound. The surprising thing was that everyone was able to hear the noise she made. Their senses were returning to them, but it was only a slight change. When the group was around one meter away from the ck hole, it suddenly vibrated and shot away as though it were trying to escape. Izroth quickly turned into a shadow using his skill Shadow Movement and swiftly caught up to the ck hole. To suddenly escape when they closed the distance was suspicious. He felt as if he had to act now or else their current condition would remain unchanged. Although the ck hole was incredibly fast, it was still not as fast as Izroth while he was using Shadow Movement. In the blink of an eye, Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning which released an oppressive aura and shed outward. He was using the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction just to be on the safe side. Oooooooooooooooooooooooom! A loud sound reverberated throughout the entire forest when Izroth struck the ck hole. The surroundings were engulfed inplete darkness, but it was a strange type of darkness. Although everything around them was covered in darkness, everyone could see white outlines of one another. "What¡¯s going on?" Zi Yi suddenly covered her mouth with one of her hands in shock. She was able to speak now! She could also hear, feel, and see without any issues as well. That was definitely a feeling that she would rather never experience again. Slowly losing control one¡¯s senses was an extremely terrifying experience! "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Guan Yu shouted at the top of his lungs which startled Zi Yi. He then started tough without restraint and Halls soon joined him in doing so. They were both just happy to regain their senses. They were not at all worried about their current situation. Valentine was too busy examining this unique type of magic which epassed the area they were in. It seemed to form at the same time that Izroth destroyed that ck hole. Though one thing was for sure, that ck hole was definitely responsible for what happened to them. "This ce is bing more and more bizarre. An underground cave, a mist, an illusion, and now a world of darkness. It¡¯s quite unpredictable." Luna said in a calm tone of voice. "Maybe this is the true appearance of the Chaotic Dogma Realm?" Zi Yi suggested. After all, it was unlikely that they cleared one illusion just to run into another one right after. The chances of that urring were highly improbable. "This is the Chaotic Dogma Realm, but at the same time it is not." Izroth stated as his gaze swept across his surroundings. He then looked down at his hands and noticed the white outline. The forest was still around them, but it was no longer a lush green forest. The trees were like shadows with white outlines. It was like they were in a world without an absolute form, a world of shadows. The phenomenon onlysted for ten seconds before everything regained its proper color. The forest was no longer a vibrant and lush green color, but rather a deste wastnd. The trees were a silver metallic-like alloy and the grass that was beneath their feet was dark blue instead of green. However, the sky itself remained unchanged. This was the true appearance of the Chaotic Dogma Realm this time around. But there was one thing lingering within everyone¡¯s mind at that moment. How exactly do they reach the end of this ce? Izroth and his party were only told that they needed to reach the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. The SS-ranked quest also said the same thing and did not provide a method of finding where the "end" was located at. "What should we do now?" Zi Yi asked. After thinking about it for a bit, Izroth responded, "We were told that each team would be transported to different locations. However, no matter where a team is transported to, they are still the same distance away from the end as we are. Then again, there is a chance the end represents something else altogether." "Why is this ce so confusing?" Halls frowned. Ever since they arrived here not too long ago, it had been one thing after another. Now, things were bing even moreplicated. "For now, we¡¯ll just have to continue exploring our new environment while looking out for potential clues. I¡¯m interested in this Sealed Chaotic Essence I picked up and the Chaos Fragment needed to unseal it. There¡¯s a good chance that our next course of action will depend on whether or not we can acquire any Chaos Fragments." Izroth said. "I agree. We will not be able to solve anything if we stay here guessing all day. We have to learn more about the current state of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. There may be more of those ck hole objects spread throughout this ce, we should proceed with caution." Zi Yi added. Izroth nodded, "We¡¯ll head in the direction it tried to escape in." There was the possibility that it was attempting to return to arger source or to a safer location. However, Izroth had no way of confirming this at the moment as he did not perceive anything nearby that matched that description. Though, that did not mean he was incorrect. Izroth and Halls took the lead, as they walked with hastened steps in the direction that ck hole attempted to escape in. The mist had long since disappeared and thankfully, all of their senses remained well intact. "The fact that an illusion was set up in this area meant that whatever it was trying to keep us away from cannot be too far from here." Luna was not that knowledgable about illusions, but she understood that it was mostly used to hide the truth. Whether it was a location, an object, or even a person. Zi Yi rested her thumb and index finger on her chin, thinking to herself. For some reason, she felt as if they were missing something important. But, she could not quite put her finger on it. ... Izroth and his party traveled for around twenty minutes and hade across a few monsters in the process. During that period of time, they noticed something quite peculiar. They had not run into the same monster more than once. In other words, it was possible that every monster within the Chaotic Dogma Realm was unique in their own way. That meant every time they fought a new monster, it was apletely different experience from thest. There was no strategy they could form beforehand to face a monster. Izroth and his party had to rely on their own ability to adapt and so far, they had sessfully eliminated seven elite monsters. Unfortunately, they had yet to locate any Chaos Fragments. Then again, they were not entirely sure if Chaos Fragments even dropped from monsters. "That weird snake creature... I never want to fight anything like that again." Halls spoke in a gloomy voice. "Ahahaha! Brother, I also did not expect it to be so fierce. When it bit you in that ce, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t intentional." Guan Yu tried hard to hold back hisughter, however, he could not help but let a little slip out after he remembered what happened. He was in tears fromughing when Valentine asked Halls if he wanted him to remove the poison. Halls immediately rejected the offer and rified that he only liked women. This caused Valentine to be confused, but Guan Yu knew what method of poison removal Halls was thinking about. "Disgusting!" Zi Yi had a look of disgust on her face. That was one thing she unquestionably wanted to be erased from her memory. As the group continued forward, a temple soon appeared before them. It was in a state of ruin. There were only rubble and broken pieces of stone scattered everywhere on the ground. "A temple?" Luna was bewildered by the appearance of a temple in a ce like the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Who would, or rather, who could build a temple in such a deste ce? Was it another illusion? That idea was quickly dismissed as the group moved closer to the temple ruins. At the center of the ruins, there was a stairway that led downward. It was impossible to see what was all the way at the bottom, but they felt a familiar sensation wash over them. It was very faint, but it was simr to the effects of the ck hole they experienced earlier. ¡¯The ck hole wanted to return to the location of this temple. But, for what purpose?¡¯ Izroth and his party stood before the stairway that led down into an unknown area. When they gathered near the stairway, the torches on the side of the walls lit up all the way to the bottom of the stairway. It appeared to be a normal stairway, however, at the end of the stairway was a giant stone door that was shut closed. "Wait here." Izroth said as he walked down the steps one at a time. He was confident that if this was a trap that he would be able to make it back to the surface in time to avoid it. With Flickering Steps and Shadow Movement off cooldown, he could cover the distance in an instant. When he reached the stone door, specific parts of it started to glow and release a small light. Soon enough, it formed many words that were surprisingly understandable. ¡¯In the beginning, there was nothing. From nothing came chaos, from chaos, came order. Order shall return to chaos, and chaos shall return to nothingness.¡¯ "This should not be possible..." Izroth muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows, troubled by the words before him. It was not that he was unable toprehend the words, but rather he had heard these exact words during his time within the Seven Realms. ¡¯This is the chant of Raza¡¯Til.¡¯ Raza¡¯Til was once the strongest cultivator within the Seven Realms. If not for his untimely disappearance countless centuries ago, Izroth may not necessarily have be the strongest in the Seven Realms at such a young age. "Do you see anything down there?" Halls called out when he realized that Izroth had been silent for too long. Izroth snapped out of it, "There are no issues down here. You can alle down." Izroth responded as he calmed his mind and put on a carefree expression once more. He had hoped to get some answers once he stepped inside. Although it could just be a coincidence, it was nearly impossible for it to be so. Halls, Zi Yi, Luna, Guan Yu, and Valentine made their way down the steps. They read the words on the door and had no clue as to what purpose it served or its meaning. Izroth ced his hand upon the stone door. When his hand made contact, the door opened on its own. He stepped inside and immediately received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Unknown Temple of Ruins?¡µ Chapter 103 First Death? ... "Leader." Niflheim called as he walked over to Asgard¡¯s side during the peaceful period in between waves. They had just cleared the second wave and was awaiting the third. The second wave was more of a challenge whenpared to the first wave, however, the difficulty level was still not that high. "Hm? Niflheim? It¡¯s unlike you to leave the area you¡¯re stationed in. You didn¡¯t have toe all the way over here personally... Why did you not just ry a message?" Asgard asked. Since they could not send messages while participating in this event, they relied on scouts and messengers to ry orders or deliver important messages. For Niflheim toe here personally before the start of the next wave Niflheim shook his head, "I¡¯ve known you long enough, leader. If I had given someone else the message to deliver, you¡¯d think of it as me just being overly cautious. The fact that I came here personally reveals how serious this may be." Asgard blinked a few times before he examined Niflheim¡¯s expression. He then let out a deep sigh, "If you feel so strongly about it then I obviously won¡¯t turn you away, Niflheim. What is it that causes you to personally pay me a visit in the middle of an important event?" Asgard now had a serious expression on his face. Even if Niflheim was one of the seven captains of Blue Oasis, he still had to follow orders. This was even more so for captains so that they did not lead by bad example. Blue Oasis was a top guild with arge number of members. If there were no rules set in ce, then there would only be chaos and confusion. When Niflheim saw that Asgard had his full attention he said, "Sir, the movement in our sector, as well as, the guild Juxtapose Hypocrisy has been inconsistent with the movements of the other top guilds." Niflheim stated. Juxtapose Hypocrisy was one of the top ten guilds within RML. They were currently ranked at the very bottom of the list. However, do not let their rank fool you. Juxtapose Hypocrisy was still one of the top ten guilds and had a major source of influence. Their overall power was nothing to scoff at. "I doubt that would cause you, one of my handpicked captains to ignore orders and leave his area. There must be something else." Asgard said. Niflheim nodded, "You¡¯re correct, there is something else. I¡¯ve noticed that Cross Haven has taken some extra precautions. No doubt it¡¯s Wang Qiang¡¯s doing. It¡¯s possible that he has the same eerie feeling as me about what¡¯s taking ce." Asgard furrowed his brows when Niflheim mentioned the name Wang Qiang. Wang Qiang was well known as one of the Five Great Generals of Cross Haven. When it came to foresight and strategy, Wang Qiang had few that could rival him. "What¡¯s taking ce?" Asgard asked, not understanding what Niflheim was implying. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized it as well, leader. The yers settled within our sector are above average... Too above average for it to be a mere coincidence." Niflheim expression darkened as he spoke. "Captain Niflheim, what exactly are you trying to imply? Be blunt!" Asgard¡¯s facial expression also darkened with a hint of rage present. Indeed, he did notice the level of solo yers and random parties were well above the average skill level of the casual yers. However, he originally just associated this with bad luck. But now, it seemed that he may have been naive in his way of thinking. "Someone is making a move, leader. I am unsure of who, but all the major parties of the top guilds seem to be present and no key yer is missing. There is no shame in not having discovered this, as it was obviously carefully nned by someone quite meticulous." Niflheim exined. Asgard frowned, "That doesn¡¯t make any sense. If it isn¡¯t any of the top guilds, then who could possibly amass enough above average yers to settle within two of the top ten guilds sectors?" Niflheim opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, however, he refrained from doing so. He had doubts and possessed no proof for such a wild theory. If he was wrong, then he could very well start a guild war with an up anding guild. As a guild was who ranked within the top ten, they would be seen as oppressive bullies and their image would suffer because of it. If that happened just because he had a hunch, then Niflheim would not forgive himself for putting Asgard in that position after all he had done for him. Asgard ced a hand onto Niflheim¡¯s shoulder. "Since the day we¡¯ve met, I knew that you would one day be a captain of my Blue Oasis. I chose you because you see things that others simply cannot. Your instincts have yet to lead us astray even once. So this time as well, do not hesitate to say what¡¯s on your mind, Niflheim." Niflheim possessed a great deal of respect for Asgard. This was why he did everything in his power to keep the well-being of the guild in mind before anything else. If he was right, then he would be doing just that. There was no need to hesitate! Niflheim then went on to exin his findings thus far and what he believed to be taking ce right under their very own nose. When Asgard finished listening to Niflheim¡¯s exnation, the third wave was getting ready to begin in approximately one minute. Asgard had a peaceful expression on his face. However, those who knew him understood that he was actually furious on the inside. "Good... Very good. Captain Niflheim, return to your area and make the proper arrangements. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance of personally meeting with the leader of Cross Haven within RML, otherwise, they may be a little easier to approach about this matter." After thinking for a bit, Asgard decided what to do. "I¡¯ll need you to send someone to discreetly deliver a message for me. Those who have such malicious thoughts towards my Blue Oasis... Hmph, let¡¯s just see who dares to try so again after today." Asgard said. "Sir!" Niflheim brought his right fist up to his chest and gave a respectful salute. He then took his leave back towards his designated area. On his way back, he suddenly thought about that interesting yer he had met back in Opal Town. "He¡¯s been pretty quiettely. I wonder what that fellow is up to..." ... As the stone doors opened, Izroth and his party entered into a room with an abundance of empty space. Just like the scene above ground, this ce was also in ruins with piles of rubble scattered all over the floor. "Is this really the ce that ck hole was trying to return to?" Halls asked as doubt filled his voice. There was nothing within the room but rubble and dust that covered a small fraction of the room. Strangely enough, there was lighting inside that did note from any visible light source. It was as if someone grabbed ahold of light itself and ced it there. "This is definitely the correct location. The same type of magic that the ck hole was emitting matches that of whatever lies buried within this ce." Valentine answered. "I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now but... You say all this stuff about sensing magic energy and seeing sequences... How can you see those things when we can¡¯t?" Guan Yu inquired. "Ah, it¡¯s a skill I possess called Eyes of Magic. It allows me to see magic energy and sequences in a way that makes it easier for me to understand and process the source of information. Think of it as looking through a microscope. It¡¯s not that the microscopic specimens aren¡¯t there, but rather our eyes just aren¡¯t naturally made to observe them. But, the Eyes of Magic are made for such a tedious task." Valentine exined. "What a useful skill..." Guan Yu muttered to himself. Izroth set his gaze upon the other side of the room. There were a total of six simple looking wooden doors. Nothing, in particr, seemed to stand out amongst the doors. There were no symbols written on the wooden doors or any distinct differences present between them. "This ce doesn¡¯t belong here..." Izroth said without realizing that he spoke out loud. It was rare that such a thing happened to him without control. "Hm?" Although it was not that loud, Zi Yi still managed to pick up on it. Since her hearing was already well above the others, the Five Cycles Pill increased it to a level that remained above the others. "Did you say something?" Zi Yi asked when she heard Izroth utter a few words. Izroth turned and revealed his normal carefree expression. "Just simple curiosity." Izroth had not told a lie when he said those words, he was indeed curious about this ce. "There does not seem to be anything worth noting here. We should continue." Izroth said as he started to make his way towards the six wooden doors. Everyone followed after Izroth and remained vignt of their surroundings as they soon came before the wooden doors. "Which door should we take?" Halls asked curiously. He did not see any difference between them. How were they supposed to know if they chose the correct door or not? "Valentine?" Zi Yi nced over in his direction, however, he could only helplessly shake his head in response to her request. "My Eyes of Magic cannot see anything located on the other side of a specific door. If I were to make a wild guess, I would honestly say that they all lead to the same location." Valentine responded. "They all lead to the same ce? Then what¡¯s the point of having so many doors?" Halls asked in a baffled manner. "Who knows, brother? Maybe one door for each mistress." Guan Yu said in a serious voice. "I see, good thinking. That is the only logical exnation for this." Halls said as he replied in a simrly serious tone of voice. Zi Yi¡¯s scoffed and looked down on Halls, as well as, Guan Yu. Those two always had their head in the clouds! "Wolves!" Zi Yi scowled. Luna stepped forward and moved next to Izroth. She noticed that he seemed to be troubled by something ever since they discovered this temple. "Is everything alright?" She asked in a way that did not sound too invading. Izroth gave a slight smile in response to Luna¡¯s inquiry. "Have I done something to make you think otherwise?" Izroth asked. Luna shook her head, "That¡¯s not it. Forgive me if this sounds too personal, but ever since we¡¯ve arrived inside of this temple your thoughts seem to be at another ce. Of course, if it is a personal matter, then I hope that you¡¯ll excuse my rudeness." Izroth saw a hint of worry sh across Luna¡¯s eyes. "There is no need to think too much into it. I just felt that this ce was familiar is all. Nothing too personal." Izroth stated. "I see. Then I¡¯ve misunderstood." Luna felt as if there was something more to it, however, she would not continue to pursue it. ¡¯Such a sharp level of awareness.¡¯ Izroth was impressed at Luna¡¯s awareness. Even though he only revealed a few signs, she was still able to perceive them and confronted him about it. Izroth thought at that moment that she would have probably a good cultivator within the Seven Realms. After thinking over it for a while but being unable toe up with any clues, the group chose to enter the second door on the left. There was no specific reason for doing so, just that they needed to choose one. After all, if Valentine was correct then it truly did not matter which door they chose. "Then, I¡¯ll go in first." Halls raised his shield and walked towards the second door. He made sure to proceed with caution. He was well aware of the consequences of dying in this ce. He slowly opened the wooden door and entered inside. When he saw that nothing was wrong, he turned around and waved everyone over. "It¡¯s safe to ent-" SLAM! The wooden door suddenly mmed shut and nothing could be hearding from the other side. Everyone was shocked by the sudden turn of events. Guan Yu dashed towards the wooden door that Halls entered into and tried to open it, however, it wouldn¡¯t budge! He tried attacking the wooden door with his guandao, but it remained undamaged. The group was silent. Had they truly lost Halls so easily without getting a chance to even fight back? Chapter 104 Hidden Secrets of The Six Doors There were no signs that a trap awaited them on the other side of the door. Everything happened too fast and without warning. There was no time for anyone to react before the door closed shut. "Such a vile trap!" Guan Yu was clearly upset that he was unable to help the person he dered a brother. He continued to attack the door, however, no matter what attack he struck it with, the door did not move. "Striking that door will not aplish anything!" Zi Yi sternly reminded Guan Yu after his countless failed attempts to breach the door. "I have to at least try! It won¡¯t help if we stand here and do nothing." Guan Yu responded. "Halls should not be in any real danger. After all, his HP bar in the party interface has not been affected in any way. Therefore, he should be safe... At least for the time being." Zi Yi pointed out. Guan Yu took a moment to check the party interface and noticed that Zi Yi was correct, Halls was indeed fine ording to his HP bar. He felt a bit embarrassed by his actions. The logical thing to do would have been to check the party interface before jumping to any conclusions. "Halls is more than capable of taking care of himself for the time being. If the doors truly do lead to the same ce then we should meet up with him once we go through one of the other doors." Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. Since Halls was a tank, Izroth was not worried about him dying any time soon even if he dide across some trouble. Plus, Halls was no pushover. "It may be better if two of us enters at the same time. That way, if we are separated from the others, at least we¡¯ll be in pairs of two. As for the person who would go solo..." Luna suggested as she looked over in Izroth¡¯s direction. Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and Valentine¡¯s gaze all followed Luna in Izroth¡¯s direction. It was obvious that if anyone had to go solo, it would be Izroth. His speed alone granted him the ability to escape from nearly any situation untouched. However, even if they were to ignore his speed, his attack power was the top within their party. He possessed the highest chances of surviving by himself. Izroth gave a simple nod to show his agreement. He did not mind splitting off by himself since he felt that the others grouping in pairs of two would be the safest way for them to go about it. "Why don¡¯t we all just enter through the same door?" Guan Yu asked. "Although the chance is small, there¡¯s still a possibility that this is a trap. If all of us are caught in the same trap and are unable to escape, then everything would be hopeless. It¡¯s best if we split our chances and simply test our luck." Luna said not faltering in her suggestion. "Then, I¡¯ll go with Luna. You can go with the magic freak." Zi Yi said as she moved closer to Luna. "You-" Guan Yu wanted to object, however, it was already toote. "I¡¯ll be in your care." Valentine bowed politely towards Guan Yu. But, those words were definitely not something Guan Yu wanted to hear leave from out of Valentine¡¯s mouth! When he heard those words, Guan Yu could not help but feel shivers run down his spine. After deciding on the pairs, everyone moved towards different wooden doors. "See you all on the other side... Hopefully." Guan Yu said as he opened up the wooden door he stood in front of. Izroth also opened up his wooden door and stepped into it. He then noticed that although Guan Yu was able to step through the door he had chosen, Valentine was unable to follow after him. The situation was simr for Luna and Zi Yi. Although Zi Yi was able to enter into her chosen wooden door, Luna was unable to step through the door. It was as if there was an invisible barrier that sealed off the entrance once someone had stepped inside. However, that was all Izroth managed to see before everyone around him was engulfed in total darkness. The only thing he heard was the sound of the door closing and the faint voice of Luna trying tomunicate something to Zi Yi. ¡¯I can¡¯t see a single thing.¡¯ Izroth tapped his foot a few times against the ground. He could tell that he was in a room that had a limited amount of space avable. The room was empty enough that the echoes of his foot tapping against the floor could be heard clearly. Though something caused Izroth to furrow his brows when he heard and smelled it. What he heard was a crackling sound. He also smelled that some type of wood and oil was burning nearby. ¡¯A fire?¡¯ Izroth inwardly frowned. That did not make any sense. How could there be fire? The room waspletely dark without a single source of light in sight. As he thought about it, Izroth then came to a sudden realization. ¡¯Could it have something to do with the powers that the ck hole possesses?¡¯ The ck hole had enough power to slowly rob him and everyone else of their senses. If that were the case, then the same thing may be happening to him here, except on a more concentrated scale. Izroth did not feel any of his other senses fading. The only thing that appeared to be missing was his sense of sight. Everything else was in perfect order. But, that did not mean it would stay that way indefinitely. He suddenly had an idea of what the purpose of the doors could be. It was possible that every door robbed them of one of their senses. The reason that each door only allowed a single person to enter may be due to the secrets it hid. There was a chance that each door represented a different sense. But, there was something wrong with this theory which made Izroth have certain doubts about that being the case. ¡¯There should only be five senses to ount for in this ce... Why does a sixth door exist?¡¯ Izroth had no way of finding out for sure or of confirming his theory. However, his current situation remained unchanged. He was blind and had to find a way to meet up with the others if it was possible. He would have to find a way to undo this blinding effect. After all, he would rather not go through an entire SS-ranked quest without his vision present. Though, thanks to his other heightened senses and his strong soul, Izroth did not have any trouble maneuvering around while being blinded. It reminded him of a special training not too long after he started his cultivation journey. The situation was very simr to the one now, except it was a bit crueler and more suitable for a cultivator. Tap. Tap. Tap. Izroth listened closely and heard the sound of footsteps heading in his direction. These footsteps sounded extremely familiar and he had heard them quite often. He then heard the sound of a wooden door slowly creaking open followed by the sound of footsteps which rushed over towards him. They seemed to be in a hurry and slightly flustered. No, excited was closer to the way they were feeling. The individual reached out and gave Izroth a friendly pat on his shoulders, like a friend saying "good to see you". ¡¯This is... Halls?¡¯ "Halls?" Izroth asked even though he was already quite sure of the answer to his inquiry. Halls nodded intensely, however, he noticed that Izroth¡¯s vision had been unfocused this entire time. It was as if he was not even looking at him ever since he stepped into this room. When Halls entered into the wooden door, he had lost his ability to speak once the doors closed on him. One could say that he actually managed to get off with one of the lighter effects, but for someone who enjoyed talking and socializing as much as Halls, it could be seen as one of the worse senses to lose. ¡¯Could it be that the sixth "sense" in this case is speech? Or is it just a substitute for tasting?¡¯ The five basic senses, in this case, were sight, smell, touch, hearing, and tasting. However, tasting would not deter yers in any way. Therefore, there was a good chance that tasting was intentionally reced with speech. From Hallsck of response and his constant use of shoulder pats as a means tomunicate, Izroth could only conclude that the wooden door Halls went through represented speech. As for the other wooden doors, they should have a simr effect and rob one of a specific sense. However, if he was correct about speech being the recement for tasting, then that still left the sixth door full of mystery. But for now, they had to regroup with the others. "We should regroup with the others. Are there other rooms in this area? You can tap your foot tomunicate. One tap for yes, two taps for no." Izroth said. A few secondster, he heard one tap sound out from the floor. Luckily Halls did not lose his ability to hear, or else this situation would have been a little awkward trying to find a way tomunicate. "You¡¯ll have to lead the way. I¡¯ll follow behind you." Izroth said. After hearing Izroth¡¯s instructions, Halls walked back towards the door he entered in from. Izroth followed after him without the need of any assistance. In fact, it would be difficult to tell that Izroth had lost his sight. Soon enough, Izroth and Halls had checked all of the nearby rooms and everyone was indeed within them. Just as Izroth expected, everyone had one sense taken from them. For Zi Yi it was hearing, for Guan Yu it was touch, and for Luna it was smell. Luna could be considered the most fortunate amongst everyone present. A sense of smell was something that did not have any major drawbacks in this situation. As for Valentine, he appeared to be perfectly fine on the surface. However, his current situation was more severe than everyone else. Valentine could not see, hear, speak, or even feel them touching him to get his attention. There was a good chance that he had lost everyst one of his senses! "We have to find a way to break this! Is this the doing of another ck hole?!" Zi Yi yelled unknowingly. Thanks to herck of hearing, she could not control the volume of her voice. Thankfully, she was quite skilled at reading lips and so she could still understand everyone as long as she was looking at them. "Since Luna only lost her sense of smell, I think that she should take the lead until we all find out what happened to us! Guan Yu, you¡¯ll have to carry the magic freak!" Zi Yi added. Izroth and everyone else agreed with this arrangement. Although Izroth did not have any trouble getting around while being blind, if he came across a ce with too much sound and became unable to separate the noises, it would prove to be quite challenging. ¡¯It¡¯s too bad I have yet to reach the 5th stage of the Heavenly Golden Body Physique. Even if I lost all of my senses, it would not be an issue.¡¯ Luna, of course, had no problem taking the lead until they removed the restrictions ced upon them. There was only a single door that the group had yet to go through which was located at the end of the hallway. Luna moved closer to the front of the group near Izroth and Halls as they made their way through the door. When they stepped through the door, it was as if their bodies were being transported to a different ce. By the time they reappeared, they were startled by their new surroundings. "This ce... Isn¡¯t it simr to the forest illusion?" Guan Yu asked. "If we had the magic freak we could verify how simr, but we¡¯ll just have to rely on our own judgment. From what I can tell, this ce is definitely the same type of illusion as the forest, however, it¡¯s many times more powerful and feels... Real." Zi Yi stated. ¡¯So this is the ce that the ck hole was attempting to escape to.¡¯ Chapter 105 Chaos Fiends Although Izroth was blind, all of his other senses were functioning at very high levels. So in a sense, even though he no longer had his sight, he was not blind. Chi... Chi... Chi... Izroth¡¯s ears twitched slightly as he picked up a strange sound. It resembled the sound of someone shaking around a basket full of beads. However, it was extremely faint and difficult to pick up if one were not concentrating on trying to hear it. All of a sudden, the forest transformed into a wastnd. Then, only a few secondster the wastnd turned into and of snow. A fierce snowstorm appeared out of seemingly nowhere with chaotic winds. Just a few moments after that, it returned to a peaceful forest once again. Everyone was baffled by the constant changes in the environment. It was as if this location was running on some type of environmental setting roulette. "I¡¯ve been to ces with moody weather before but this..." Guan Yu said in low voice. "There¡¯s one thing that stayed constant throughout all of that." Luna had activated the effect attached to the ring she received from defeating the world boss, the Eye of the Wolf. It boosted her senses greatly and allowed her to perceive many things she would normally miss. She had not bothered using this skill since Izroth already possessed such a monstrous range of perception, however, he did not have his sight at the moment. Therefore, she had found that now was the best time to use this skill. Luna pointed towards the northwest direction. "There¡¯s a strange mass located over in that area. It looked just like the ck hole we ran into earlier, except its many timesrger." "Is there anything else that appears to stand out?" Izroth asked. Luna continued to examine her surroundings, however, she came up empty-handed. "There does not appear to be anything else that remained throughout the multiple shifts in the environmental settings." Izroth nodded, "Then we¡¯ll pursue that lead." "Yes, but in our current state if we run into any trouble then..." Luna frowned. If one were to look at their party from an outside point of view, then they would bebeled as a bunch of cripples. To make matters even worse, their strongest yer was blind and would most likely be unable to contribute much. If that wasn¡¯t enough, they had one yer who waspletely out ofmission. They were also unaware of how close the other teams were to reaching the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Right now, nothing appeared to be going well for them. "If we stay here and do nothing then there¡¯s no guarantee that we won¡¯t run into any trouble! We should get rid of these side effects as soon as possible so that we can continue with our quest!" Zi Yi shouted. She was still not used to adjusting her voice after being made deaf. Halls pat his chest and gave a reassuring smile. It was as if he was saying, "You can count on me". After deciding on their next course of action, Izroth and his party began to move northwest towards therge mass. As they were walking, Guan Yu who was in the back of the group carrying along Valentine observed Izroth. When he saw how Izroth seemed to have no problems getting around with his sight taken away, he couldn¡¯t help but to ask curiously, "Brother Izroth, howe you can get around so easily while being blind?" Since Halls considered Izroth to be his brother, then Guan Yu would naturally do the same. A brother of his brother is his brother! "Now that you mention it..." Luna was also curious as to why that was. In fact, she had slowly started to forget that Izroth had lost his sight in the first ce. "One does not see using only their eyes. We see in many ways that are often overlooked because our sight some times heightens our ignorance to what lies around us. I can still hear, smell, and feel. Every step, every movement, I can "see" all of it. Just not in the sense that you are used to." Izroth said. "Using your other senses to see? Is such a thing even possible?" Guan Yu asked a little skeptical. Although he had heard about other senses bing stronger after someone loses one of them, he did not believe the effects to be as exaggerated as Izroth made them out to be. Izroth gave a carefree smile in response. "One is only limited by the limits which one sets as their limit." Guan Yu was even more confused than when he first asked his question. However, he did not simply brush Izroth¡¯s words off and instead took a moment to contemte its meaning. Luna remained silent as she also absorbed those words. Some times, she felt as if Izroth possessed wisdom that far surpassed his age. As the group continued towards therge mass, Izroth heard the same sound as earlier. Not too long after that sound, the environment once again underwent a cycle of changes. Once may have been a coincidence, but two times caused for a bit of suspicion. Woooooosh! A shadow suddenly rushed out of the forest. Its form was simr to Izroth when he was using the Shadow Movement skill. It had no absolute form and moved at an incredible speed. "Halls, your right side." Izroth warned as the shadow closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Chi! Chi! Chi! Woosh! Woosh! Two more shadows soon appeared not too long after the first one. They followed down the same path as the first shadow andunched an attack without warning. It was an ambush! When Halls heard Izroth call out, he immediately adjusted his position to block whatever was heading in their direction. Although he did not see anything at first, he did not let down his guard for a second. Not too long after he got into position, he felt a strong force crash into his shield. ?Blocked? -356 The impact sent him sliding back one step, but he was still able to maintain his bnce. However, before he had time to make his next move, he felt two additional powerful forces m into his shield. This time, he was sent sliding back a few meters with thebined attack of the two shadow creatures. ?Blocked? -356 ?Blocked? -356 In an instant, Halls had lost over 1,000 HP even though he sessfully blocked all of the attacks. However, he did manage to get a good look at the shadow creatures who attacked him. Once they made contact with his shield, they took on a more solid form. Name: Chaos Fiend(Elite) Level: 26 HP: 35,000 (100%) To put their appearance in simple terms, they resembled shadow demons. The monsters had razor-sharp ws in ce of their hands and released a sinister aura. A pair of pure red eyes stared at Izroth and his party. While the Chaos Fiends took on a more solid form, they were still closer to a state of liquid. Izroth made his move and dashed towards the Chaos Fiends. He swiftly arrived within melee range and activated the skill Lightning Field attached to his de of Lightning. Bzzzt! Bzzzzzzt! The crackles of lightning around Izroth¡¯s sword became increasingly intense as bolts of lighting began to strike down within a 15 meters radius of Izroth. The first strike managed to paralyze all three of the Chaos Fiends. Izroth¡¯s palm struck out in various angles creating a myriad of strikes that rained down upon the Chaos Fiends. His true palm was elusive and hid behind the illusions of his other strikes. Each palm was able to hit its target without fail. -404 ... To everyone¡¯s amazement, Izroth was able to move at his usual speed without stumbling over. But what surprised them, even more, was that even while being blind, he could still aim his attacks with such precision. In fact, his attacks seemed even more precise and deadly than ever before! Luna cast a Healing Essence on Halls so that he could slowly regenerate the damage received from the Chaos Fiends initial attacks. +183 ... +183 Guan Yu set Valentine down and removed his guandao from his back. Although he had lost his sense of touch, he was beginning to get used to moving around without it. At first, it was a really weird and foreign feeling. However, as this was his second time experiencing losing his sense of touch, he had a much easier time adapting to the sudden change this time around. His movements were sloppypared to the way he usually moved, but it was definitely a great improvement whenpared to thest time. He swirled his guandao at his side in a constant circr motion as he charged forward. Guan Yu swept past the Chaos Fiends with his guandao and almost instantly after his first attack connected, his guandao shed out in the shape of a full moon. With just two sets of attacks, Guan Yu had shaved off almost 10% of the Chaos Fiends total HP. Their physical defenses were not that high at all, however, they did have some form of resistance to physical attacks. Woosh! Woosh! Chi! Chi! Two additional Chaos Fiends had appeared from within the forest making for a grand total of five Chaos Fiends! Izroth and his party were now facing five elite ranked monsters at once that were stronger than regr elite monsters. Everyone¡¯s expression darkened when they saw that two more Chaos Fiends had shown up. However, before they could even ept what happened to them, three more Chaos Fiends joined the fray! Now, there was a total of eight Chaos Fiends. At this point, they were not even sure if there was an end to these things. Five was already pushing it in their current condition and now they had to face eight? Everyone was extremely tense and on edge at the moment. They felt that if they made a single mistake, then they may very well be faced with an existence wipe. ¡¯It seems we¡¯re starting to truly experience the challenges of an SS-ranked quest.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s body began to constantly flicker as he took on a simple but profound sword stance with his de of Lighting in hand. ... "Hehe, what luck that our paths would cross like this, don¡¯t you think... Little butterfly?" A man wearing a cloak said as he yfully tossed the throwing knives in his hand up and down. Mariposa stared coldly at that cloaked man. "Silent Steps, are you aware of the consequences of your actions?" At the moment, she and her party were at the brink of copse. What infuriated Mariposa the most was the fact that one of her party members had been killed by Silent Steps and his party performing a despicable ambush as she was scouting ahead. "Good or bad deeds, all have consequences which we must be willing to live with. Trust me little butterfly, I am willing to live with this." Silent Steps had a vicious look in his eyes. "There¡¯s nothing to be gained by fighting amongst ourselves besides giving the other teams an opportunity to reach the end. Your actions are inconceivable!" Mariposa was trying to stall for time to figure a way out of her current predicament. While Mariposa had a high chance of escaping by herself, she would not leave her fellow party members behind. "Nothing to gain?" Silent Steps burst into a fit ofughter. "Such short a short-sighted view. You see, I have plenty to gain. You have no idea what this quest is truly about, do you? Save Amaharpe? Like I care about something like that! You see, I was made a much better offer. As long as Iplete the task given to me, who cares about a useless epic rank item?" Mariposa was shocked by those words. A useless epic ranked item? One had to know that within all of RML, not a single yer had managed to obtain any epic ranked items as of yet. How could they be useless? "I would offer you a chance to join me, however, my instructions were very clear. Leave no one alive." Silent Steps held one of his hands up as five other shadows appeared. "You¡¯re mad..." Mariposa scowled as she prepared herself for the fierce battle toe. Chapter 106 Struggles Although Mariposa was prepared for the battle ahead, it was one that she was unwilling to participate in. After all, her main purpose foring to this ce was not only to help Amarharpe but to also obtain the hidden treasures of the Chaotic Dogma Realm that she was informed about. Her original ns were to avoid direct contact with all other teams and sweep up as much loot as possible from this ce. However, her ns were ruined by the people she wanted to avoid the most while on this quest. Silent Steps was the leader of Fatal Touch, an organization that specialized in PVP. They were simr to a guild, however, the members of Fatal Touch were given a muchrger amount of freedom. If one had to make aparison, it was closer to a mercenary group or union with yers that had amon interest, rather than a guild. Fatal Touch mostly took on assignments such as assisting other guilds in securing resources, bosses, or even assassinating other yers for the right price. Of course, their services were usually not requested by top guilds and more so by smaller guilds or some bigger guilds trying to gain more influence. Although Fatal Touch was not within the top ten guilds, their level of influence was not to be underestimated. Even the top guilds would consider giving them some face as long as they did not cross their bottom line. As for Silent Steps, he was known within the gaming world as the number one assassin! This was due to the fact that no matter which MMORPG or game he touched if he yed an assassin type character, he was practically unstoppable! From her short exchange so far with Silent Steps, Mariposa knew that this rule applied to RML as well. She hated to admit it, but she was currently no match for Silent Steps with her present set of abilities. Rogue sses were the bane of mage sses by nature. Also, due to the uniqueness of her ss, Mariposa did not have arge set of skills at her current level to deal with an assassin yer like Silent Steps. If it were any other assassin she would be confident, however, she was not very optimistic about her present situation. "Just tell me one thing. You said you were made a much better offer. By who? What were you offered?" Mariposa was discreetly channeling energy to the magic staff in her hands. It was very faint and difficult to detect, especially from a distance. "Hah, why should I tell you? Some things will naturally reveal themselves in time. That time will be when I am the undisputed number one yer within all of RML. At that moment, you will see why it is that I say that you are very narrow-minded." Silent Steps knew that Mariposa was trying to stall for time. However, he also knew that it was useless since it was likely that she was unable to ess her message system, just as he could not do so. Even if she was able to send a message, no one would be able to enter the Chaotic Dogma Realm to provide assistance. "Wh-" Just as Mariposa was about to continue speaking, she was suddenly cut off midsentence by Silent Steps. "Alright, that¡¯s enough stalling for time. I¡¯ve been patient enough only because we have some history. I still have three more teams to go after you." Silent Steps smirked as he made a slight hand gesture and the five shadows who appeared earlier all vanished. Soon after, Silent Steps vanished as well. Mariposa understood that the moment she attempted to cast any spell that required more than one second to cast, she would die. "Star formation!" Mariposa ordered and the four remaining members of her party got into position. The tank of the party stood at the very front of the group. Two members stood behind the tank, one on her left side and the other on her right side. Finally, Mariposa herself and the healer of her party shifted their positions to be a bit closer to one another and stood furthest in the back. Poof! Poof! Poof! All of a sudden, a smokescreen epassed the area of Mariposa and her party. This caused them to tighten their formation, however, they still maintained enough distance from one another to not be easy targets for AOE attacks. Swish! A dagger cut through the smoke and was aimed right at Mariposa. It was reasonable that she would be their first target since she was the leader and the strongest amongst them. However, Mariposa had already prepared for such a turn of events and before the dagger reached her she activated the skill, Mana Shield. Ding! The sound of the dagger striking a solid surface resonated throughout the battlefield. Mariposa would not just sit back and wait for her death, she would fight until the bitter end if necessary. She tapped her magic staff against the ground three times in rapid session. Not too long after shepleted her actions, two unstable spatial rifts appeared. One of the spatial rifts floated in midair a few meters above the yer who just attacked Mariposa. The other spatial rift appeared beneath that yer¡¯s feet and caused them to fall into the hole. "?!" The yer who fell into the spatial rift was rmed when he was suddenly dragged down forcibly by an overwhelming force. He did not even have a chance to evade the attack as he did not see Mariposa cast her spell. However, unknown to the yer caught within Mariposa¡¯s magic, she had actually cast three different spells in that brief period of time. She cast two Spatial Rifts and thest spell she cast was called Spatial Rend. After falling through the spatial rift beneath him and reappearing in the spatial rift above, the yer continued to experience an endless loop of falling through the spatial rifts. Every time their body left the spatial rift, the sound of something shattering and tearing apart could be heard. Swoosh! A group of throwing knives soared through the air aimed directly at Mariposa. However, she did not bother trying to dodge them. The tank within her party reacted quickly and was able to block the iing throwing knives. Even if their vision was impeded by the smokescreen, Mariposa and her party were all top yers with the skills to prove it. "Ahhh!" One of the members of Mariposa¡¯s party screamed out as they were pierced through with multiple daggers. There was a look of disbelief and shock on her face. Their n was never to eliminate Mariposa first as that would cause a long and drawn out battle. What they really wanted to aplish was to take another one of Mariposa¡¯s party members out of the picturepletely. "I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve failed you... Lady Mari-" A dagger pierced through her chest and directly through where her heart would be. "Fei Fei!" Mariposa instantly cast Spatial Rend at Silent Steps location, however, he managed to retreat just before the attack took effect. "Two down, four to go." Silent Steps voice sounded from within the smokescreen. It echoed throughout the affected area and one could not tell which direction he was in. The healer tried to heal Fei Fei, however, not only was Silent Steps¡¯ party DPS extremely high, but the smokescreen interfered with the party interface. The healer also had her attention focused on Mariposa, as she believed that Mariposa or herself would be the main target. After Fei Fei¡¯s death, Mariposa and her party threw caution to the wind and carried out an assault that they would never normally risk. However, they were able to eliminate a member of Silent Steps party. "You said earlier that you wanted to know why I¡¯m willing to give up something like an epic ranked item? I can¡¯t tell you, but I¡¯ll be more than happy to personally show you!" Silent Steps said as soon after, a dark and invasive cold energy engulfed the surrounding atmosphere. He was enraged after they killed one of his members. The temperature seemed to suddenly decrease by a few degrees and within the smokescreen, one could see something simr to a Will o¡¯ Wisp floating around inside of it. However, it was not a gentle light, but rather a great concentration of dark energy. The smokescreen slowly dispersed and when it fully cleared, Mariposa was startled by the sight before her. Epassed around Silent Steps entire body was a dark aura with specs of white mixed in. It looked as if the energy itself was corrupted and was filled with malicious intent. His eyes were red like those of a demon and his skin turned red in color. "What kind of transformation is that...?" Mariposa furrowed her brows as she muttered to herself after witnessing Silent Steps bizarre transformation. "This is only a fraction of the power I was promised. Well, how is it? Eventually, even an epic rank item bes useless. However, this power is something that will always be with me, little butterfly. Ahahaha!" Silent Stepsugh was filled with joy from the amount of power he felt flowing through his body. But, to those around him, Silent Stepsugh was not one of joy, but rather one of a sinister monster! "Now, all of you can join the other team I¡¯ve already taken care of!" Silent Steps unleashed a powerful burst of dark energy. With a simple flick of his wrist, Silent Steps tossed out dozens of throwing knives which were each epassed by that dark and invasive cold energy. "Spatial Rift!" Mariposa tapped her magic staff on the ground and a spatial rift appeared in between Silent Steps and the location of her party. Just as the throwing knives approached the spatial rift, the dark energy actually devoured it, causing the spatial rift to copse. "?!" Mariposa was shocked. How was it possible that his attacks could devour such a high concentration of spatial magic? Woosh! Woosh! The throwing knives knocked against the tank¡¯s shield, causing them to slide back a few meters and take a massive amount of damage. However, one of the other members were not so lucky. The healer was run through with at least a dozen throwing knives. Her heals and shields were useless against it! In fact, it seemed to only feed the dark energy. Mariposa cast five Spatial Rifts in front of her, but the same thing that happened to the other Spatial Rift took ce once again. It was hopeless, she could not defend against such an overbearing attack. What kind of skill this was that? Mariposa let out a long sigh and closed her eyes as she awaited her fate. Ding! Ding! Ding! After a few moments, Mariposa noticed that she was still alive. When she opened her eyes, she saw a male with red hair standing in front of her. When he turned to look at her, she could see that the pupils in his eyes were not normal and resembled that a lemniscate. "You are..." Mariposa was surprised to see the person who stood before her was none other than a member of Heaven¡¯s Law! But, why would he bother saving her? They had absolutely no history together and so it did not make any sense to her for him to interfere. "It¡¯s you!" Silent Steps was infuriated that his ns had been derailed. "I nned on saving your group forst. But it seems that you¡¯re in a rush to die." Silent Steps would normally never offend a member of Heaven¡¯s Law, however, since he had obtained this newfound power, he was not afraid of offending anyone. The yer who appeared was none other than Aegis. At the moment, he had been separated from the other members of his group by some strange power which resided within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Aegis happened upon these two teams fighting by chance and noticed that Mariposa was capable of using spatial magic. If that were the case, then she may prove to be useful to what he had in mind. Aegis ignored Silent Steps and his empty threats. He then asked Mariposa, "Can you locate others using your spatial magic?" Silent Steps expression darkened when he was ignored by Aegis as if he was not worthy of a simple nce. Mariposa was still in shock, however, she soon snapped out of it and regained herposure. "As long as they¡¯ve been affected by spatial type magic, I should be able to follow the spatial anomalies left behind after space is altered." She answered truthfully. Aegis gave a slight nod in response and then turned his attention towards Silent Steps. "Scram from here and you can keep your pathetic little power. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being impolite." Silent Steps did not even consider Aegis¡¯ offer and believed that he was just being arrogant. He immediatelyunched towards Aegis, his dark energy even more powerful than before. "Fool..." Aegis muttered before unsheathing one of his swords. ... "There¡¯s too many of them!" Zi Yi shouted. At the moment, Izroth and his party were running while fighting against the Chaos Fiends. There were more than fifteen Chaos Fiends chasing them. They had managed to kill four of the monsters, however, they just kept appearing. "We¡¯ll head towards therge mass while picking the monsters off one by one." Izroth instructed as he shed outward with his de of Lightning and eliminated the fifth Chaos Fiend. ¡¯We won¡¯t be able to keep this up for much longer. There must be a way to regain our senses so that we¡¯ll at least have a better chance.¡¯ Izroth could feel that everyone was reaching their limits. Unlike Izroth, they were not used to fighting battles without all of their senses present. Chapter 107 Source of Despair The closer the party moved towards therge mass, the more frequent a Chaos Fiend would appear. The party¡¯s surroundings also experienced an increased rate of cycling through various environmental patterns. Though what interested Izroth was one of the items Luna picked up after they eliminated one of the first Chaos Fiends. It was a small purple crystal with three orbs at the center of it moving in an orderly fashion. ording to Luna, the crystal was known as an Order Fragment. In total, three Order Fragments had dropped from the Chaos Fiends that were defeated thus far. The usage of the Order Fragment was outlined clearly, yet it left something more to be desired. Name: Order Fragment(Unknown) Rank: Unknown Usage: Sets order to chaos. Special Note: This item cannot exist outside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth was still thinking about the Order Fragment¡¯s usage and cautioned against using it right away. At the moment, they were in a ce where logic did not necessarily apply. It may seem like a blessing only to turn out to be a curse. However, they may not have much of a choice but to risk it at this rate. ¡¯There are now thirty Chaos Fiends and the number seems to only be increasing. At this rate, we¡¯ll have no choice but to turn and fight. However...¡¯ If Izroth was by himself, then he could easily shake the Chaos Fiends loose or even slowly deal with them one at a time. But, even if he stayed back and lured the Chaos Fiends away, there was no guarantee that more would not spawn and chase after the rest of the party. If that happened then there was only one result that awaited the rest of the party, and that was an existence wipe. ¡¯I suppose we¡¯ll just have to take that chance.¡¯ "Don¡¯t stop running. In ten seconds, I¡¯m going to grab the aggro on the Chaos Fiends. During the ten second wait, do not attack any further." Izroth said as one of the Chaos Fiends leaped towards him with its deadly ws. Izroth leaned slightly to the side and evaded the w while sending out a counterattack, sweeping his de of Lighting three centimeters upward from the center area of the Chaos Fiend¡¯s body. ?Critical Hit? -808 After cutting at the Chaos Fiends a few dozens of times, Izroth had located one of their vital points. Since none of the regr vital points seemed to work, Izroth figured that as long as he cut from as many different angles as possible, he would eventually discover a weakness. In the end, his efforts had paid off. "What do you intend to do? Not even you can handle thirty elite monsters." Luna frowned when she heard what Izroth suggested. If they ran away and left him to deal with things alone, then even with his amazing abilities, it was unlikely that he would survive. Luna was against sacrificing someone just to save herself or someone else. It just did not sit well with her and so she protested the idea. It was at moments like these that Zi Yi would throw in her opinion, however, her attention was currently on attacking the Chaos Fiends. Zi Yi did not have the leisure to read lips. Izroth gave a carefree smile, "I have a n. However, if all of you are around then it¡¯ll only make things moreplicated. Once you reach therge mass, try using some of the Order Fragments. I believe if you do so then our senses will return to us." Izroth exined. Luna furrowed her brows as she thought deeply about it. She was unwillingly to leave Izroth behind, but she understood that since she was the one to lose her sense of smell, she had to stay with the rest of the party. "Brother Izroth, we can¡¯t just leave you to face this alone! What kind of man would I be if I ran away from a battle?!" Guan Yu voiced his objection. "One of the most important things in battle is knowing when to advance and when to retreat. If things don¡¯t go as nned, I¡¯ll simply escape using my Flickering Steps. Right now; this is the best avable n. Though if anyone has a better idea then we can, of course, go with that one instead." Izroth said. Luna and Guan Yu were unable toe up with a better idea on the spot and so, they could only reluctantly go along with Izroth¡¯s n. "Be careful..." Luna waved to get Zi Yi¡¯s attention to inform her that they would be moving on ahead. "He¡¯s insane!" Were the first words to leave Zi Yi¡¯s mouth, but she herself understood that Izroth¡¯s n had the highest chances of sess. Even if it was a long shot, what other choice did they have at this point? Exactly ten secondster, Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps was off cooldown and he immediately activated the skill. His silhouette flickered throughout the crowd of monsters shing them mercilessly with his sword. Since the other party members halted their assaults, it was quite easy for Izroth to gain control over of the aggro. "Now!" Luna pointed forward and everyone broke away from Izroth as he led the Chaos Fiends in a different direction. A few momentster when they managed to create some distance between themselves and the Chaos Fiends, they noticed that no additional monsters had spawned to chase after them. "We have to hurry. If this doesn¡¯t work, we have to rush back and help Izroth before it¡¯s toote." Luna said as the others nodded their heads in agreement and began to move with hastened speed towards therge mass. Meanwhile, Izroth was being attacked from every possible angle by the thirty Chaos Fiends. With Flickering Steps active, Izroth focused mainly on dodging the iing attacks and counterattacking when possible. Swoosh! One of the Chaos Fiends nearly touched Izroth with its w, however, it missed by less than one centimeter. ¡¯The sounds and vibrations are bing too concentrated in one area. If I¡¯m unable to find a way to separate each individual sound, it¡¯ll be troublesome once my Flickering Steps end.¡¯ It suddenly dawned on Izroth, there was one thing he had yet to attempt that may help with his current situation. Or, at the very least provide him with enough time to think of an alternate n. Izroth shifted his focus on attacking instead of defending. His attacks were not random and were concentrated on a specific group of four Chaos Fiends. Hundreds of palms shot out towards the Chaos Fiends with only one true palm hidden amongst them. ?Critical Hit? -808 ?Critical Hit? -808 ... Izroth¡¯s palm connected with the four Chaos Fiends with incredible precision. However, he did not stop there. His de of Lightning instantly released an oppressive aura that engulfed one of the Chaos Fiends and caused it to shriek as if it were fearful of the sword. The feared effect for Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction had been sessful in activating against the Chaos Fiend. ?Critical Hit? -3,230 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully defeated Chaos Fiend¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 10,571 EXP¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The cooldown for the skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? has been reset.¡µ Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning continued to reap the lives of the other three Chaos Fiends due to the cooldown time reset on his skill. Due to him defeating the Chaos Fiends on his own and the level difference, the system awarded him with much more exp than usual. He quickly swiped the loot that dropped from the four Chaos Fiends. The random vibrations were finally making it too difficult to keep track of the various Chaos Fiends. Therefore, Izroth had to act fast before he lost control of the situation. After he grabbed the loot, he was immediately besieged with nowhere to escape. However, just before the Chaos Fiends were about to overrun him, a strange yet beautiful multi-colored crystal started to grow on various parts of his body. In the next moment, Izroth¡¯s entire body was covered with the multi-colored crystal. He used the skill from his Crystal Sea Head Ornament, Crystallization. Although he could not perform any actions while within the crystal, he would be invulnerable to all sources of damage for twenty seconds. ¡¯This will give me twenty seconds to find a solution. In the meantime, they should have reached their destination by now.¡¯ ... Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, and Guan Yu carrying Valentine reached their destination. The first thing that stood out was the constant change in temperature. One moment it was extremely hot and in the next, it became ice cold. The fluctuation appeared to ur in random intervals. Floating above the ground was a huge ck sphere with dark energy spinning around. It released a light purple hue on its surface and although it seemed to be solid, it was actually formless like a shadow. Luna examined the ck sphere and was surprised to find out that it was actually a magic item! Name: Source of Despair(Magical Item) Rank: SS-ranked Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) State: Active Usage: Unknown Special Note: A concentrated source of chaos that generates despair in various forms. There was not much information avable besides what was listed on the special note section of the magical item. "An SS-ranked magic item...!" Guan Yu was shocked. He had not even seen an A-ranked magic item, let alone one that was SS-ranked. However, it would exin why the effects were so strong and had such a terrifying range. Zi Yi was also stunned when she realized that she was staring at an SS-ranked magic item. As for Luna and Halls, they had already seen an S-ranked magic item. Even though they were startled a bit, they were not in the same state of shock as Guan Yu and Zi Yi. Luna approached the ck sphere and reached out to touch it. Bzzt! Luna¡¯s hand was knocked away by one of the streams of dark energy circling around the ck sphere. "Careful!" Zi Yi called out. Zi Yi thought that it was unlike Luna to be so reckless. Luna only gave a slight nod. She then removed a few Order Fragments from within her inventory. "Sets order to chaos..." Luna said in a low voice as she read over the effect of the Order Fragment once again. While she did not know if it would work, she had to at least try. If the Source of Despair was a concentrated source of chaos, then there was a good chance that the Order Fragments would have a purifying effect on it. Luna reached out once again towards the ck sphere, except this time she had an Order Fragment in her hand. The dark energy once againshed out in her direction, however, when it was about toe in contact with the Order Fragment, it retreated in a fearful manner. It was as if it was alive and afraid of touching the Order Fragment. When the Order Fragment came into direct contact with the Source of Despair, the entire Chaotic Dogma Realm began to shake violently as if an earthquake had arrived. The Source of Despair was attempting to resist the power of the Order Fragment. When Luna saw that it was working, she immediately removed another Chaos Fragment from her inventory and pressed it into the Source of Despair. When the second Order Fragment touched it, the ck sphere shrunk in size. It had actually decreased in size by 33%! The Source of Despair lost a third of its total mass by bing exposed to the Order Fragments. Luna decided to put all of the remaining Order Fragments into the Source of Despair. Ooooooooom... The violent earthquake stopped throughout the Chaotic Dogma Realm and everything became eerily silent. When Luna checked the status of the Source of Despair, she noticed that its state had changed from active to dormant. "Did it work?!" Zi Yi shouted. However, when Zi Yi realized that she was shouting, she immediately lowered her voice. "This... I can hear again...!" Zi Yi had regained her ability to hear once the Source of Despair entered a dormant state. "You did it!" Halls yelled. But, his loud voice was on purpose. Hallsughed happily as he was able to talk again. Luna and Guan Yu had also recovered the senses they had lost. They had been sessful in recovering their lost senses. Which meant that Izroth should also have his vision back by now. However, there was one thing that they did not understand. Valentine, who was still being lugged around by Guan Yu, had yet to move in the slightest. "Hey, I¡¯m not going to continue carrying you around now that we have our senses back!" Guan Yu said as he shook Valentine. However, there was no response. "What¡¯s going on...?" Luna furrowed her brows. Everyone should have been released from the negative effects of the Source of Despair. However, Valentine was still under its influence! Chapter 108 A New World Is Born From The Egg of Chaos Izroth had caught up to his party and arrived at the now dormant Source of Despair. It was his first time seeing a magic item this huge within RML. When the Source of Despair entered into its dormant state, the Chaos Fiends had vanished into thin air. It was only natural to conclude that the Source of Despair was behind the appearance of the Chaos Fiends. ¡¯It may be that the Source of Despair created the Chaos Fiends as a defensive mechanism to protect itself. But...¡¯ However, there was one thing wrong with that line of thinking. The Chaos Fiends dropped Order Fragments when they were defeated. Why would a magic item produce a way to protect itself while also making itself increasingly vulnerable at the same time? Though at the moment, there was an even bigger issue that needed to be resolved. Valentine had not regained any of his senses when everyone else had already recovered their own, ording to Luna. This caused Izroth to revisit his spection about the sixth door and its meaning. If it was possible to figure that out, then there was a good chance that they would be capable of finding out exactly what happened to Valentine that was different from themselves. Plop! ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth felt something wet touch his nose. Soon after, the sound of rain drizzling down from the skies could be heard and felt. Then only a few momentster, the rain began to pour down. At first, it was just a light sprinkle, however, it had quickly transitioned into a heavy downpour. ¡¯Rain?¡¯ Unlike before when it constantly cycled through environmental settings, this time it stayed raining even after a full twenty seconds. It did not appear that it was going to let up anytime soon. "Why did it start raining all of a sudden?" Halls asked. The rain was so heavy that it made it difficult to see into the distance. "Could it have something to do with the Source of Despair being in a dormant state?" Zi Yi spected. "That is a possibility, however, the strange part is that rain was not a part of the original cycle changes. Also, this seems to be a permanent change, at least for now." Luna responded. Ding... Ding! There was an almost melodic sound that echoed throughout Izroth and his party¡¯s surroundings. It resembled the sound that harmonious bells would make when struck with a small tool in a synchronous manner. "What a beautiful melody..." Luna muttered to herself. Everyone else was thinking the same thing as Luna at that moment. The melody itself was almost mesmerizing to listen to. As the sound of the bell resonated, a pathway started to form within the heavy rain. In just a few seconds, aplete pathway had formed that was untouched by even a single drop of rain. It was unclear where the pathway led, however, it was clear that this was the way they would have to go if they wanted some answers. "We¡¯ll follow the pathway. For now, Guan Yu will continue to carry along Valentine until we find a way to fix whatever it is that may have happened to him." Izroth instructed. "What will we do if the Source of Despair enters into its active state again?" Zi Yi inquired. Since it was currently within a dormant state, there was a good chance that it would only temporarily remain that way. Izroth examined the Source of Despair onest time before he decided. "Since there¡¯s no way of knowing for sure, it¡¯s just a risk we will have to take. Hopefully, it¡¯s a bridge we will not have to cross any time soon. But for now, we will not obtain anything else useful from this location." No one had any further concerns and so, Izroth, Luna, Halls, Zi Yi, and Guan Yu who carried Valentine, started down the pathway that revealed itself within the heavy rain. ... Izroth and his party had been walking down the pathway for around fifteen minutes now and there was no end in sight. It was as though no matter how far they walked, the end just simply did not want to show itself. However, just as the group was bing a little restless, a swirling vortex appeared before them. It was simr to the vortex they encountered after they first met with Zendai Proximus and the others. The only difference was that this vortex was extremely stable and looked incredibly pure. "Could it be that someone has already reached the end and this vortex is for us to go back?" Halls was startled by the sudden appearance of the vortex. "That¡¯s highly unlikely. We were told that we would automatically be teleported out of this ce once someone reached the end. So far, it does not seem that we are being forced to step into the vortex. There is a possibility that this vortex leads to somewhere totally different." Zi Yi stated. "There is also a chance that it could transport us out of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and we would have no way to return." Luna said. Everyone believed that it would be unfortunate if that were the case since they would not get a chance to acquire the rewards within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. However, in the end, there was only one way to find out. Izroth was the first to walk into the vortex. He was soon followed by Halls and then the rest of the party members. After everyone had stepped through the vortex, it disappeared and the rain hade to a sudden halt. The Chaotic Dogma Realm felt as if it were separated into numerous worlds that had all been formed from the chaos. It was like constantly removingyer afteryer only to find that there was no center or core, only chaos that was buried beneath further chaos. When Izroth and his party rematerialized on the other side of the vortex, they were inside of a temple that closely resembled the one that was in ruins, the Unknown Temple of Ruins with six wooden doors. It was much more refined and there were not any signs of rubble or dust. There was one major difference between this temple and the Unknown Temple of Ruins. Instead of six wooden doors, this temple had six stone tablets, each with different writings carved into them. There were no doors or portals that led to anywhere else and there was only this room that existed as if it were a world of itself. However, what really grabbed Izroth and his party¡¯s attention was a pure ck egg that satfortably upon a podium. The egg itself seemed as if it were created from a high-quality unblemished marble. It had no ws in sight. When Izroth examined the egg, he was able to discover only one piece of information about it, its name. Name: Egg of Chaos(Unknown) There was nothing else to determine exactly what the egg was. They did not even know if it was a magic item or not. "There¡¯s something about this ce that feels almost... Otherworldly..." Luna said without thinking. Although the others were quietly looking around, they all agreed with Luna. Even the usually talkative Guan Yu and Halls were silent. Izroth walked over towards the six stone tablets and swept his gaze across them. ¡¯Sight, hearing, touch, smell, speech, and soul... Soul?¡¯ Could it be that the sixth door represented one¡¯s soul? It would certainly exin why Valentine was unable to perform any action whatsoever. Without a soul, one¡¯s body would just be an empty shell without purpose. Izroth reached the palm of his hand out and brushed his fingertips against the stone tablet that represented the soul. When he did, it released a powerful surge of energy. In the next moment, a light blue orb shot from out of the stone tablet and into Valentine¡¯s forehead. The orb startled everyone, especially Guan Yu who it seemed to be headed for. However, he was surprised to see that it had ignored him and went towards Valentine instead. Valentine¡¯s body began to glow and emit a light blue hue. A few secondster, Valentine¡¯s body stopped glowing and his eyes started to slowly open. Soon enough, Valentine blinked a few times before realizing that he was now in apletely different ce. "He¡¯s awake!" Zi Yi was the first to make the announcement. Valentine got down from Guan Yu¡¯s back and observed the temple they were in. "What an interesting flow of magic!" Those were the first words to leave his mouth. However, that was not the only thing to leave his mouth, drool could be seen falling out the corner of his mouth as arge smile appeared on Valentine¡¯s face. "You- Is magic the only thing that goes on in that head of yours?!" Zi Yi felt foolish for actually being worried about Valentine. After all, they had known each other for quite a while and despite her constant rebuke of his personality and behavior, she considered Valentine one of her few true friends. Valentine had a look on his face as if he did not know what he had done wrong. Halls and Guan Yu could not help butugh at Valentine¡¯s facial expression after being scolded by Zi Yi. "Wee back, Valentine." Luna gave a slight smile. "Back? But I was with you guys the entire time." Valentine had a confused look on his face. "Are you trying to trick us? You were obviously extra baggage that we had to lug around everywhere ever since we entered through those wooden doors." Zi Yi scoffed. "?!" Valentine furrowed his brows as if he were locked in deep thought. "But that can¡¯t be... The Chaos Fiends, the environmental changes, the sphere- I was there for all of it, fighting alongside everyone." Valentine said in a serious tone. "Impossible, maybe you were aware of what was going on around you, but you were unable to move in the slightest." Zi Yi rified. "What Zi Yi says is true. This entire time Guan Yu has been the one carrying you around with us. You were in no condition to help us fight, that much is a fact." Luna stated. Valentine had a look of shock on his face. "But, it was so real... I was there and..." The look of shock was soon reced by one of confusion and uncertainty. "It could have just been an illusion created by the Source of Despair. However, you have returned now and we can guarantee that you are not within any illusion this time around." Izroth said as he approached the Egg of Chaos. Valentine still had many questions, however, he pushed them to the back of his mind for now and decided to focus on the present state of things. He calmed down and gave a nod to show that he understood. Izroth reached out to try and touch the Egg of Chaos, however, the distance between the egg and his hand appeared to be millions of miles apart! No matter how close his hand seemed to be, there was always some distance between it and the egg. It was as if he was reaching towards something that appeared close but was actually far away. "Tell me, can you see anything unusual about this egg with your Eyes of Magic?" Izroth asked. "I¡¯ll take a look." Valentine moved closer to the podium the Egg of Chaos sat upon and observed it carefully. Within his eyes, one could see numerous magic symbols floating about. After he examined the Egg of Chaos for around ten seconds and noticed no changes or anything unusual, Valentine let out a helpless sigh and shook his head in disappointment. "From what I can tell, there¡¯s nothing un-" Just as Valentine was about to report that there was nothing unusual, there was a sudden spike and shift in the information his Eyes of Magic received. "This is-"Valentine¡¯s eyes widened in amazement. It was as if he was staring into nothingness and then all of a sudden, a world was formed. It all happened in the fraction of a second before being destroyed and repeating itself. "This egg contains an entirely new world waiting to be born!" Valentine said as he was fully immersed in the information he received. ¡¯A new world born from chaos?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as he set his gaze upon the Egg of Chaos. He began to piece together everything and it all started to make perfect sense. Yet at the same time, it created more questions than answers. ¡¯For every one question answered, I discover that ten more appears.¡¯ Chapter 109 Soul Essence "How did youe to that conclusion?" Izroth asked. "I... I don¡¯t know. I guess I can just sort of feel it? It¡¯s like watching an endless amount of puzzle pieces fall into ce as if it were a natural urrence." Valentine had a challenging time trying to describe the sensation. As Izroth and Valentine discussed the Egg of Chaos, Halls was busy searching around the room for a way out. However, no matter which corner of the room he looked in he could not find an exit. As Halls made his way back to the group, he told them about his findings. But, there was a part of everyone that was not at all surprised by that result. From the way the Chaotic Dogma Realm functioned so far, they understood that there was a reason they were led to this specific location. After he observed the Egg of Chaos for a while, Izroth turned his attention back towards the six stone tablets. When he touched the stone tablet that represented soul, it caused something to ur. He was curious as to what would happen if he touched the stone tablets that represented the other senses. Izroth lightly pressed his palm up against the stone tablet that had sight carved into it. He chose this one because it was the sense that was taken away from him earlier. As soon as Izroth¡¯s palm came into contact with the stone tablet, he instantly felt a powerful force wash over his entire body. It was simr to trying to stand up straight as the waves of an ocean crashed into your body without mercy. However, Izroth was able to withstand this overbearing force. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a Willpower Check¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a Willpower Check¡µ ... ¡´System Alert: Your Level is currently too low to possess a stronger Soul Essence.¡µ The longer Izroth kept his hand against the stone tablet, the more Willpower Checks he had to go through until he reached the twelfth check and it stopped. The powerful force was soon reced by a pleasant and refreshing feeling. Afterward, Izroth received a surprising alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have unlocked the hidden trait ?Soul Essence¡µ ¡¯Soul Essence?¡¯ Izroth possessed no previous knowledge of anything called Soul Essence that was rted to RML. He opened up his character interface and checked what this new Soul Essence trait was. Trait Name: Soul Essence Trait Level: 12.0 Essence: 120 Essence Regeneration: +1 per minute Trait Effect: The user has unlocked the mysterious Soul Essence that raises the overall strength of their character. The stronger one¡¯s Soul Essence, the more powerful one bes. When the user reaches level 20 Soul Essence, the user will unlock an additional effect. -?Flow of Essence?: All Stats are increased by 6%. -?Soul Empowerment?: Increases the effectiveness of your skills and attacks by implementing Soul Essence. Every 1 point of Essence boosts the skill effectiveness by 5%. -?Soul Weakness?: If the user¡¯s Essence is drained too rapidly or drops below a certain point, the user enters into a weakened state, which reduces all stats by 75% for 5 hours. -?Soul Sense?: The user is able to sense things, that are normally hidden from them, by using the strength of Soul Essence. Special Note: The soul has no limits! ¡¯A trait with no limits?¡¯ Izroth was a little disappointed that his level was too low to further increase his Soul Essence. Otherwise, who knew how far it would go? Another thing that was interesting was the fact that the level actually had a decimal attached to it. This was unlike any other form of levels Izroth had seen before within RML. Though, it may be due to the fact that it was a trait. ¡¯My Breaker off Limits skill did not break through the parameters set for this trait. Could it be due to the fact that it has no limits?¡¯ Although the skill mentioned "no limits" within the special note area, Izroth was skeptical. He understood that it was naturally limited by the level of the user. So whenever he reached the max level, the strength of his Soul Essence would be limited by that factor. ¡¯I wonder if the level will rise by itself when I level up. Or is there something I unique that I must do in order to level up my Soul Essence?¡¯ Izroth still had a few questions that needed to be answered, but for now, he was curious about something else. Was it possible for everyone present to obtain this Soul Essence? There was only one way to find out. "Everyone,e and touch the stone tablet of whichever sense was taken from you." Izroth said. Everyone had been staring at Izroth standing there motionless with his palm against the stone tablet the entire time. He waspletely silent and he appeared to be focused. Therefore, they remained quiet to let him concentrate. It created a peaceful and serene atmosphere. However, when he spoke and suddenly told them to touch the stone tablets, everyone snapped out of it. "Is there something special about the stone tablets?" Halls asked as he moved towards the stone tablet with speech carved into it. Everyone else was also curious as to why Izroth made such a strange request. But, they still went along with it since they knew Izroth would not do anything to intentionally harm them. Plus, he had already done so himself, therefore, there could not be any danger to it. Zi Yi went up to the hearing stone tablet. For Luna it was smell, Guan Yu was touch, and Valentine was thest one, soul. Soon after everyone¡¯s hand came into contact with the stone tablet, that same overbearing force descended upon them. The first to remove their hand was Valentine. After that was Halls, followed by Zi Yi and then Guan Yu. Surprisingly, thest person to remove their hand from the stone tablet was Luna. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth was a little surprised by the results. He had expected Guan Yu to best with Luna as a close second. But, it seemed that he had underestimated Luna¡¯s willpower. The first thing everyone did after they removed their hand from the stone tablet was to stare at Izroth as if he were a freak. He had casually kept his hand on the tablet as if it were nothing. The pressure ofing into contact with the stone tablet was not light at all. Each and everyone one of them was pushed to their limits and tried to hold on for as long as possible. Yet, none of them managed tost even half the time that Izroth did. They could only sigh helplessly at how wide the gap between themselves and Izroth was. However, this experience did not cause them to be disheartened. In fact, it made them want to work even harder so that they would not be left behind by Izroth. "You- A warning would¡¯ve been nice!" Zi Yi pouted. Zi Yi felt that if she were prepared, then the chances of her making it further would have been higher. She could not help but pout a bit since she was caught off guard by that crushing force. Izroth only gave a carefree smile in response. Zi Yi wanted to continue, but she was unable to say anything else. "I finally understand that saying about the weight of the world crashing down!" Guan Yu stretched as he felt incredibly stiff. Halls was gloomy at the moment. He had only managed to beat out Valentine and was the second person to remove his hand. He thought that with his training, he would be able to do better than that. However, he could not be med. It was just that the three people after him led very unique lives that he was unaware of. Valentine, on the other hand, waspletely fine with his results. After all, it was not like he was unable to make any progress in the future. He felt that if he studied and trained hard enough, eventually he would reach a higher level. Luna smiled a little. It would be a lie if she said that she was not happy with her results. "This trait is incredible! I¡¯ve never even heard of traits within RML. Just from this alone, even if we don¡¯t reach the end and someone else does, this trip to the Chaotic Dogma Realm would be worth it!" Guan Yu said in an excited matter. This gave Izroth and his party one more reason not to fall within this ce. Aftering across such a strong trait, the party was even more motivated to survive. "I was able to reach level 4.4, what about the rest of you?" Guan Yu asked curiously. Everyone then stated their levels, even Halls who was reluctant to say so at first. It turned out that Valentine reached level 2, Halls level 3.2, Zi Yi level 3.5, and Luna level 5.1. Though, everyone was not satisfied with that alone. They all set their gaze on Izroth. Izroth shook his head inwardly. "Level 12." When those words left his mouth, everyone had a look of disbelief written on their face. Level 12?! What kind of Willpower did he have?! Luna and Halls, on the other hand, actually thought that it would be something more along the lines of level 100 or some other ridiculous number. After all, they would not be surprised so long as it was Izroth who managed to do so. However, Izroth left out the part about the system limiting his Soul Essence level due to his character level being too low. After all six stone tablets were used, a few momentster the entire temple began to shake violently. All of a sudden, everyone was pulled towards the Egg of Chaos and sucked into it. Before they knew it, they had arrived back outside of the temple. Their current location was at the surface of the temple just before they descended down the steps and towards the stone door. However, the steps that led downward were no longer there. "We¡¯re back outside?" Zi Yi examined her surroundings. Things had happened too fast and they had no time to react. Luckily, it only ced them outside of the temple back to where they started. "What happened to the stairway?" Halls looked around and did not find any type of stairway or a hidden door. "Who knows? Maybe it was all one big illusion and it was never really there to begin with." Zi Yi responded. Even though it was meant as a joke, it was a possibility within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth stared at the spot where the door used to be located. He had onlye out of that ce with more questions than answers. Now that he was able to acquire the mysterious Soul Essence trait, he became even more curious. Izroth then turned his attention towards the party. "We¡¯ll continue to search for a way to reach the end. Two hours have already passed and the other teams may have already covered a lot of distance. We¡¯ll have to hasten our steps." Izroth said. Just because they had received such an amazing reward, that did not mean that they were ready to give up on the main prize. They were fired up and ready to continue their exploration of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth and his party walked with hastened steps towards a tall tower that was in the distance. It was reached into the sky and one could not see where it began and where it ended. It was the only visiblendmark that appeared when they broke free of the illusion. They decided that it would be their next destination. However, unbeknownst to Izroth and his party, certain changes were happening within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. While it went unnoticed at the moment, in time it would have Izroth and his party¡¯s full undivided attention. ... Meanwhile somewhere near the front gates of Amaharpe... "Is everything in ce?" Vault spoke to one of the shadowy figures behind him. "Yes. However, there have been some unexpected movements by Cross Haven and Blue Oasis. We may have to alter our original ns." The shadowy figure responded. Vault had a displeased look on his face, but there was still plenty of time to try and salvage that part of the n. "I¡¯ll make contact with yer of Sage Falls and let him know that there may be a slight change of ns. I doubt he¡¯ll take it very well with his impatient attitude." Vault let out a sigh. "For now, I¡¯ll speak to Menerva about how to proceed from here. We have alreadye this far and expended countless resources for this moment. We will not fail." Vault had a serious expression on his face. "Understood." The shadowy figure soon vanished from where he stood. "One of the top ten guilds... Heh, my Headhunter Syndicate will soon have that honor!" Arge grin found its way into Vault¡¯s face. Chapter 110 Anomalies The third wave of the event Protectors of Amaharpe went by without anything major transpiring. If there was one noticeable difference, it was that Blue Oasis¡¯ sector had numerous yers that left their area. It happened while the third wave was in progress so that their movements would go mostly unnoticed. However, this shift was perceived by Niflheim, one of the seven captains of Blue Oasis. After being informed of the withdrawal, Niflheim spected that there was a good chance they pulled back due to their ns being discovered. "Strange..." Wang Qiang furrowed his brows as he received the report of the movements going on within Blue Oasis¡¯ sector. His first thoughts were simr to Niflheim¡¯s, however, he felt that there was another reason as to why this was so. "What is it, Wang Qiang? You appear troubled." The yer who spoke stood next to Wang Qiang. It was a male with a magnificent long spear on his back. He wore fully ted armor that was silver in color with white markings positioned in certain locations. He possessed short ck hair that was slicked back, light green eyes and was quite handsome in appearance. He was a bit shorter than Wang Qiang, but he was by no means any weaker. He was one of the Five Great Generals of Cross Haven, Zhang Jie. "Zhang Jie, tell me something. If you found that your ns had been discovered by your target before you took action, what would be your next move?" Wang Qiang gazed into the distance towards a certain direction located in front of Amaharpe¡¯s walls. "That¡¯s a little too broad of a question. There are too many unknown variables." Zhang Jie responded. "Don¡¯t think too much on the variables. Just look at it from amon standpoint." Wang Qiang insisted. "Amon standpoint? That¡¯s simple then. If my ns were discovered then I would call them off. Though if possible, I would try to salvage the situation." Zhang Jie answered. "Precisely. Now, what would you do if you had someone simr in strength to your target assisting you?" Wang Qiang continued to question Zhang Jie. "Well now, that changes things. Even if my ns were discovered, I would execute them regardless. However, I would adjust the timing of my execution of said ns." Zhang Jie said. Wang Qiang nodded. "So then tell me, why would someone back out at thest moment if they had such a trump card hidden up their sleeve?" Zhang Jie furrowed his brows at that question. He supposed that if someone was being overly cautious, it would cause them to back out. However, there was such a thing as being too cautious as it could cause one to miss a prime opportunity. However, something suddenly urred to him. "Misdirection..." Zhang Jie said without realizing it. Wang Qiang grinned, "Correct. However, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple. Whoever is behind this knows quite a bit about strategizing. Their strategy reminds me of fish in disturbed waters." Zhang Jie suddenly realized something else, "Feigning an attack in the east, and attack in the west...!" Zhang Jie was startled. If what Wang Qiang spected was true, then whoever was behind all of this was an incredibly skilled strategist! "If such an enemy truly does exist, then this event will not be so simple. I¡¯ll have to inform the leader of this. If things go ording to that person¡¯s ns, then Cross Haven may be pulled into this confrontation. In fact, it¡¯s likely that none of the top guilds will be able to sit on the sidelines. Though the question remains... Who is the anomaly?" Wang Qiang said in a serious tone of voice. Zhang Jie was silent when he heard Wang Qiang¡¯s words. A part of him hoped that Wang Qiang was wrong and it stayed as just a random guess. However, he knew that the chances of Wang Qiang being wrong was highly unlikely. ... "What¡¯s your progress so far, Menerva?" Vault asked of a figure hiding in the shadows. It was difficult to make out anything regarding their specific features, however, one could tell that the figure was without a doubt, a woman. "Just a minor hup. I have already prepared a contingency n in case something like this happened. Do not worry, it will be sessful." The one called Menerva replied. "This entire n was your idea so it had better work properly. I hope you remember our agreement." Vault spoke in a tone that was ice cold. Menerva was quiet at first, however, she soon responded with a simple, "Understood...". If one could see her eyes at that moment, they would notice the sh of regret that appeared within them. But surfaced above that regret was something much stronger. It was the look of extreme determination. ... Back within the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth and his party were currently on their way to the mysterious structure in the distance. Luckily, they had note across any additional illusions ever since they left from that temple in ruins. At the moment, the group was discussing the new trait they received from the stone tablets, Soul Essence. "The Soul Weakness part of the trait is a little vague. It does not give a specific amount when ites to being drained too rapidly or dropping below a certain point. I would consider that as some need to know information." Zi Yi said in a slightly frustrated manner. "There is a chance that the values differ for everyone who obtains the trait. That would exin why there is not an exact number listed for neither of the parts. It may be something that we have to discover for ourselves and through our very own experiences." Luna gave her own opinion. "It¡¯s a little frustrating considering the consequences of overusing Soul Essence. A seventy-five percent reduction to all stats for five hours is quite severe. Not only do we lose a lot of precious time, but if we¡¯re in the middle of a battle that could be devastating." Zi Yi stated. "That is why it will be important to not move too fast when ites to adjusting to the usage of this new trait. To be on the safe side, we should try not to exert more than ten percent of our total Soul Essence at one time. Also, we should avoid dropping below the fifty percent mark overall." Izroth said. "It¡¯s a shame that the Soul Weakness is a part of the trait. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be like a superhero¡¯s finisher move if you could pour all of your power into one attack for an ultimate strike?" Guan Yu spoke in an excited manner. "Oh! I was just thinking the same thing, brother! What kid did not want to have their own superhero finisher move growing up? Ahahaha!" Halls said. Zi Yi shook her head in response to Guan Yu and Halls superhero statement. She then turned her focus back to the conversation at hand. "Although it¡¯s unlikely that the threshold will be fifty percent, it is better to be safe rather than sorry. Even more so since we are currently within a ce that does not allow for many errors to be made." Zi Yi ultimately agreed with Izroth¡¯s assessment. Luna also gave a nod to show her agreement. Needless to say, the others would obviously go along with that rmendation as well. "Hm?" Valentine halted his footsteps as he noticed something strange taking ce within the surrounding atmosphere. It was hard to tell at first, however, after he observed a bit further, he discovered something quite peculiar. When Zi Yi noticed that Valentine had stopped walking along with them she paused and asked, "What is it?" Everyone else also halted their steps after both Valentine and Zi Yi did. "I- Hm..." Valentine wanted to exin, but it was difficult to do so. To him, it did not make any sense whatsoever. It was something he was incredibly unfamiliar with. However, if Mariposa was here then she would realize what was going on at first nce. "When did you be so timid? Are you going to speak or not?" Zi Yi frowned. Usually, Valentine acted in apletely different way. But, ever since they entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, he had been preupied with the abundance of unknown magic around him. It had caused him to be a little less outspoken and more focused. "It may be nothing, but there are specks of what appears to be ck dust spreading throughout the atmosphere. It doesn¡¯t appear to be from any source and there is a good chance that it is just a normal urrence within this specific Chaotic Dogma Realm, however, I¡¯m having a hard time separating the magic sequences in our surroundings." Valentine said. ¡¯ck dust? I wonder if it has something to do with this strange interference I¡¯m sensing.¡¯ When they had first started their journey towards the structure in the distance, Izroth felt a strange sensation that was simr to a type of perception interference skill. It was as if within certain parts of his surroundings there were small holes of nothingness even though there was something in its ce. "Are these specks harmful?" Izroth asked. Valentine studied the specks, however, he came up empty-handed. "I cannot tell. But for now, it does not seem to have any direct effect on how we function. Therefore, it can be considered harmless. At least, for the moment." He answered honestly. "Then, we¡¯ll continue on our way. If they do pose a threat, it¡¯s just a bridge we will have to cross when wee to it." Izroth said as he began to move once more. Everyone moved along with him. After walking for around five minutes, Izroth and his party came across a creature made entirely out of some type of metallic alloy. It had no eyes, no mouth, and no ears. It was over three meters tall, a little bulky, and had four arms. "What luck...!" Halls was shocked and excited at the same time by their good fortune. They had just obtained an amazing trait and now they were presented with this fortunate encounter. ¡¯Running into this type of monster here was unexpected.¡¯ Name: Silverline Entity(Rare Boss) Level: 25 HP: 180,000 (100%) "What a scary amount of HP...! But that only makes things more interesting." Guan Yu said taken aback, yet fired up at the same time. He understood that creatures within the Chaotic Dogma Realm were naturally stronger than those outside, however, the bosses were even more exaggerated than the elite NPCs in this ce. "But, is it worth it?" Zi Yi asked, which surprised everyone except for Izroth and Luna who appeared to be contemting those exact same words. "Is it worth it? That¡¯s a rare boss! It may be a little risky fighting it, but since when are we afraid of a good fight?" Halls said with confidence. Guan Yu agreed with Halls¡¯ statement. Why would they give up a free rare boss? Zi Yi let out a long sigh as she then exined, "If we waste our time fighting against this boss when we¡¯ve already lost so much time being trapped within those illusions, then we may lose sight of our true goal. This ce is filled with many treasures, but all the treasures in the world be pointless if we never get the chance to use them." Zi Yi continued, "In other words, these treasures are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they allow us to be stronger. However, on the other hand, the treasures also work as a way to distract us from our main purpose, and that is to reach the end of this ce. After all, if every team bes preupied with finding loot and forgets about the goal, then none of us will manage to walk away with anything we have gained." Halls and Guan Yu were startled by Zi Yi¡¯s words. They had not thought about it that way. Indeed, if they became so obsessed with acquiring loot then there was a high chance that they would only be able to enjoy it up until the Chaotic Dogma Realm closed. If that happened, then only regret awaited them. Everyone looked at Izroth as if awaiting his decision. ¡¯To fight or not to fight.¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Silverline Entity. He had made his decision in an instant. Chapter 111 Silverline Entity ¡¯Is there even a need to truly think about it? Of course, we¡¯ll fight.¡¯ "We can assume that the other teams are running into simr issues as ours or at least some type of impediment. I doubt they would pass up the opportunities that present themselves in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Therefore, we also should not be afraid of facing what¡¯s in front of us. We will fight." Izroth said without hesitation. Since Izroth had decided, none of them would question his choice. Besides, he was correct that other teams may have experienced more vicious situations than their own. There was also a part of them that was incredibly reluctant at having to give up a rare boss that appeared right before them. "This creature looks bizarre. It looks more like a weapon than a monster." Zi Yi frowned at the strange appearance of the Silverline Entity. The fact that it had no recognizable facial features creeped her out for some reason. "It looks pretty harmless to me." Even though Guan Yu said those words, that did not mean he would underestimate the Silverline Entity. After all, it wasn¡¯t just a rare boss, but it was also a monster that resided within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It may appear harmless at first nce, but it was definitely not weak. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning. When he did so, everyone else also drew their weapons and prepared for battle against the Silverline Entity. Halls was the first to make a move and steadily closed the distance between himself and the Silverline Entity. 30 meters... 20 meters... 10 meters... 5 meters... This was strange, very strange. Usually, a boss monster had a veryrge aggro range. However, Halls was less than five meters away and yet the Silverline Entity did not react to him. Itpletely ignored him as if he did not exist. Halls turned to look back at the others with a confused look on his face. Could it be that this was actually a boss monster that would not attack unless provoked? Or maybe it did not know that they were there since it possessed no eyes or ears that could be seen. Izroth gave Halls a slight nod, signaling for him to proceed. Halls looked back towards the Silverline Entity and charged forward, quickly closing the five meters gap. He shed out with his sword and aimed right towards the Silverline Entity¡¯s chest area. While his attack was in motion, he activated the skill Taunting Aura in order to build further aggro onto himself. Ding! -268 A loud clinging sound rung out as Halls¡¯ sword made contact with the Silverline Entity. However, the Silverline Entity simply turned its head as if it would be staring at Halls if it had eyes of its own. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it did not retaliate and just stood there motionless. ¡¯Would the system really make such an easy rare boss to defeat?¡¯ Everyone else was having simr thoughts to Izroth¡¯s. They were suspicious and had certain doubts, but they still decided to continue on with the fight, if it could still even be called that at this point. "Stay alert and remain cautious of any sudden changes." Izroth directed as he dashed in the direction of the Silverline Entity. He swept his de of Lighting right across the neck of the Silverline Entity. -378 Even after it was struck by Izroth¡¯s attack, the Silverline Entity continued to stand there with its "gaze" locked into Halls. ¡¯Hm... A strange creature. It does not react to any of our attacks and appears to possess zero intelligence or any obvious weak points. Its defenses are also quite pitiful.¡¯ No matter how Izroth looked at this monster, it was more like some fodder beginner monster rather than a rare boss. Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and Valentine joined in on the attack. Soon enough, the group managed to drop the Silverline Entity¡¯s HP down to 90% with their assault. When its HP reached the 90% mark, the Silverline Entity made its first move. Everyone noticed this and immediately went on high alert. It had finally reacted after all this time and its first move was directed at Halls. One of the Silverline Entity¡¯s arms became a formless silver liquid. A few momentster, it slowly began to take shape and formed into a guandao. Its appearance was simr to Guan Yu¡¯s guandao, however, there were some discreet differences between the two. The Silverline Entity swung its guandao shaped arm outward in an arc directly at Halls. Even though the sudden attack startled him, Halls remained vignt this entire time and so he reacted swiftly. He used his skill Rebound to block the iing attack and to try to interrupt the Silverline Entity¡¯s movements. Swoosh! The Silverline Entity¡¯s guandao cut through Halls cleanly as if there was nothing there at all. When Guan Yu saw that skill he was a bit shocked. He was not the only one who was surprised, Izroth also recognized that move the Silverline Entity just performed. However, it could just be a coincidence and the moves just bore some resemnce to one another. Therefore, they did not think much of it but still kept it in the back of their minds. ?Blocked? -1,696 Everyone was rmed by the amount of damage the Silverline Entity just dealt. Even though Halls had sessfully blocked the attack, he still took such a massive amount of damage! If any of them were hit by that, there was a good chance that they would die in one or two strikes alone. However, thanks to how powerful the attack was, the Silverline Entity was knocked back more than ten meters. This gave Luna enough time to cast a few healing spells. She quickly cast a Healing Essence on Halls to start the healing process and then proceeded to use one of her new skills after reaching level 20, Heal, the more advanced version of her Cure skill. Skill Name: Heal Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: B Mana Cost: 160 Cast Time: 2 seconds Active: Heals an ally target for 220% of the user¡¯s ¡¯Healing Factor¡¯. Cooldown: 2 seconds Although it was more powerful than Cure, it had a longer cast time and cost more mana to use. It was something she was unwilling to use unless someone received a great deal of damage. It seemed for this fight, Luna would have no choice but to use Heal over Cure. After all, an attack that was blocked dealt over 1,600 damage. +1,485 HP Halls had nearly all of his lost HP restored thanks to Luna¡¯s Healing Essence and Heal skills. If he had missed the timing on his Rebound skill, then he would not have gotten away with such a light scratch. Zi Yi fired off an arrow that soon disappeared into the void. Around 1 secondter, the arrow reappeared above the Silverline Entity¡¯s head and pierced right into what could only be referred to as its skull. -687 "Even that things head has no weakness!" Zi Yi notched another arrow, however, just as she was getting ready to fire it off, she sensed something forming above her head. She immediately took action and used an evasive roll maneuver. Swoosh! Crash! Less than half a second after Zi Yi moved, a silver arrow pierced into the ground where she was previously located. The ground around the arrow could not withstand the pressure and soon copse upon itself. This created a small crater of around two meters. Zi Yi knew this attack because it was one she had used many times before. That was definitely her skill, Void Jump! But how was that possible? At first, she believed that maybe her own skill was reflected back to her, however, that arrow she previouslyunched was still sticking out of the Silverline Entity¡¯s head. If it was not for the Soul Essence trait Zi Yi recently acquired, then she would have been forced into using a life-saving skill so early into the battle. ¡¯First Guan Yu¡¯s skill and now Zi Yi¡¯s. Could it be the reason for itsck of response was simply that it did not know how?¡¯ Once could merely be considered a coincidence, however, two times caused grounds for suspicions. This Silverline Entity was the most dangerous type of enemy, one that could learn and adapt by just observing. "Everyone, try to limit your higher ranked skills for the moment. At least until the Silverline Entity¡¯s HP reaches closer to its endpoint." Izroth said as he rushed towards the monster. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to avoid using the Lightning Field and Flickering Steps until we have managed to grasp the limits of this creature¡¯s copy ability.¡¯ "Zi Yi, what grade rank does your skill Void Jump carry?" Izroth asked. It was obvious that a skill that involved space would possess a high rank, but Izroth needed to know its exact rank. "Hm? It¡¯s A-rank, why do you ask?" Zi Yi was curious as to why Izroth told them to hold off on using powerful attacks for now. Did he discover something about the Silverline Entity? She had a general idea about the abilities of this monster, but she only had a theory, not proof. ¡¯It can even mimic A-ranked skills?¡¯ Izroth knew that there was a good chance that it would be able to do so, but he hoped that it would not be the case. He wondered if it was also capable of copying S-ranked skills. However, did he want to risk finding out? Frankly speaking, there was no one here who could track Izroth during his Flickering Steps. The people with the best chances of doing so were Luna and Zi Yi. This was because of Luna¡¯s unique ability that she had yet to disclose, and the fact that Zi Yi possessed the most refined senses out of everyone present. But even then, they would not be able to handle that kind of speed for a full twenty seconds. "I believe that this Silverline Entity is capable of copying any skill that we use against it, even those at A-rank. Earlier, it used Guan Yu¡¯s skill and just now it used your own skill against you." Izroth said as he arrived in front of the Silverline Entity. "You mean that it can copy whatever skills we throw at it?!" Halls was there to witness Izroth¡¯s use of the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. If it was able to copy that skill, then there was no way any of them could survive against that strike. Everyone now understood why it was that Izroth wanted them to avoid using their higher ranked skills. It would only mean making things more difficult for themselves. Izroth¡¯s leg shot towards the boss monster as if it were a snake striking at its prey. Since the Silverline Entity did not appear to have any vital points, he decided to use the same method as when he uncovered the weakness of the Chaos Fiend. A light glow formed around the body of the Silverline Entity. When Izroth saw this glow, he instantly tried to slow his attack as much as possible. However, the system appeared to be restricting his ability to do so and the attack carried forward. When Izroth¡¯s foot crashed into the body of the of the Silverline Entity, its entire body was locked in ce. -283 Izroth used the skill Serpent¡¯s Bite. Although its damage left more to be desired, it served its purpose in sessfully halting the movements of the Silverline Entity. However, Izroth was knocked back a few meters as a result. The Silverline Entity had used Halls¡¯ Rebound skill. But, the strange thing was that it did not block any of the damage as Halls¡¯ Rebound skill should do. Izroth instantly regained his footing as the knockback effect ended. He was unsure of the reason, but the Silverline Entity was only able to copy a part of Halls¡¯ skill and not the whole skill like with all of the others. This made Izroth think of one important question. ¡¯What is it that was different about that skill?¡¯ Chapter 112 Monster See Monster Do Izroth and his party were locked in an awkward exchange with the Silverline Entity. At times, it was like it had no intelligence. However, at other moments, it was extremely fierce and attacked without mercy. Halls arrived back within melee range of the Silverline Entity. Although it had recentlyunched a surprise attack against Zi Yi, its main aggro was still very much focused onto Halls himself. From the short exchange so far with the Silverline Entity, it appeared to at times attack targets at random regardless of how much aggro the targetted person held. This made everyone even more cautious than before. But what was even more baffling was the fact that the Silverline Entity did not seem to possess a set attack or magic stat. Even though it damaged Halls for over 1,600 damage, one of its attacks had struck against Valentine¡¯s Mana Shield and only hit him for a total of 850 damage. It was needless to say that Valentine¡¯s defenses were nowhere near as powerful as Halls¡¯ defensive capabilities. Also, Valentine did not have a physical shield and so he was incapable of blocking an attack and further reducing the damage. He also did not cast any additional skills outside of Mana Shield that would forcibly cut out some of the damage. Thankfully, most of the damage was absorbed by his Mana Shield and Valentine only took a minimum amount of damage. However, the Silverline Entity¡¯s attack patterns were bing more erratic and unpredictable. It also stopped pausing in between assaults as much as it did before. Now, it only halted its movements for around one second after taking action before it started up once again. But, it was clear to the party that this one second would most likely grow even shorter and its reaction time, as well as, the monster¡¯s active period would be increasingly faster. Izroth and his party shaved away at the Silverline Entity¡¯s HP until it reached the 75% mark. The group had not used any higher level skills and kept the skills they exposed to the Silverline Entity limited. Therefore, it was much easier to deal with than most rare boss monsters. At least, that was the way it appeared to be at first. But, when the Silverline Entity¡¯s HP hit the 75% mark, its metallic-like body darkened slightly and it formed a deeper shade of silver. Woosh! The Silverline Entity¡¯s agility slowly began to rise with each sessful attack it made against Halls. It swung itsrge metallic arm that was in the shape of a guandao downward at Halls. Halls had just recently used his Rebound skill and it was not yet off its cooldown. So he lifted his shield up to intercept the attack and block it the normal way. The Silverline Entity¡¯s attacks did not stop there, it pressed on with its assault and struck out three additional times at Halls. However, Halls was able to intercept those attacks as well. For thest iing attack, he activated his Rebound skill which knocked the Silverline Entity backward. If not for that, he was unsure if the barrage of attacks would ever slow down. ng! ng! ng! ng! ?Blocked? -625 ?Blocked? -452 ?Blocked? -870 +1,485 HP ?Blocked? -488 5,200/6,756 HP Remaining! (Halls) Luna cast her Heal skill between the attacks and restored most of Halls¡¯ missing HP. However, she was not at all confident keeping up with the Silverline Entity¡¯s damage if its attacks maintained such a high level of speed. "If the Silverline Entity¡¯s agility continues to increase, I¡¯ll have to revert back to using Cure in order to save mana. However, if I swap back to Cure this early on then Halls may notst until the end of the fight." Luna stated. "If it bes too difficult to maintain, then Halls and Guan Yu should share the aggro of the Silverline Entity. It should give them enough time to regain some of their lost HP between aggro swaps." Zi Yi suggested. "Then, we¡¯ll go with that n. Luna, we¡¯ll leave the timing up to you." Izroth said as he watched the movements of the Silverline Entity closely. He noticed something peculiar, but he needed to verify it. "Valentine, can you cast the same crowd control skill that you used against the Earth Devouring Groundbull on the Silverline Entity?" Izroth asked. Valentine nodded, "I can. However, the effects will probably not be as strong since the Silverline Entity is a rare boss and the Earth Devouring Groundbull was only an elite monster." Valentine rified. "It¡¯s fine, just shave as much time off of the moment until its next attack that you can. Three seconds is all I need. Halls, Guan Yu, create as much distance between yourselves and the Silverline Entity. I will do the same." Izroth retreated soon after he said those words. Not too long after he fell back, Halls and Guan Yu did the same. Although they were confused by Izroth¡¯s instructions, they knew that he must have had a good reason for telling them to do so. Just as Izroth instructed, Valentine cast the skill Epassing Mana String and it soon wrapped around the entire body of the Silverline Entity, trapping it inside of a mana cocoon. However, around 1.5 secondster the mana cocoon was broken and the Silverline Entity charged straight towards Halls. During that charge, another 0.75 seconds passed by. Just as the Silverline Entity was ready to ram into Halls, Izroth appeared at its side and his leg swept out towards the body of the Silverline Entity, smashing into it and paralyzing it thanks to the effects of his Serpent¡¯s Bite. -283 Even though the paralyzing effectsted less than one second, it gave Izroth the three seconds he needed. When the Silverline Entity broke free of the paralyze effect, its agility was no longer as fast as it was before. It had slowed down considerably aspared to just a few moments ago. Everyone noticed the change in the Silverline Entity¡¯s agility and was shocked. What had Izroth done to reduce its agility just by stopping it for three seconds? ¡¯It can even copy those skills.¡¯ This might be even more troublesome than he originally anticipated. "The Silverline Entity appears to be capable of copying our passive skills as well. Not just our normal passive skills, but also the skills that are attached to our weapons and armor pieces." Izroth said. Copy their passive skills? Wasn¡¯t that cheating? After all, there was no way to forcibly deactivate their own passive skills. There was no counter against something like that. "How did you figure that out?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "One of the skills attached to my armor is called Hellfire Rampage. To put its effect into simple terms, as long as I hit a target within three seconds, I maintain an agility boost that continues to increase. Of course, there is a limit to it, but the agility increase is not small. I had a feeling that it copied this skill without our knowledge as its a passive skill and would normally go unnoticed." Izroth exined. Halls and Guan Yu finally understood why it was that Izroth had instructed them to fall back. He wanted to verify whether or not his suspicion was warranted. "So if we use skills, it copies them. If we don¡¯t use skills, it still copies them? What kind of broken thing is that?" Guan Yu felt as if they were dealt a bad hand. If this thing managed to absorb all of their skills, wouldn¡¯t it be unstoppable? "However, there seems to be a limit or time restriction on the number of skills it can absorb. For example, my Blood Stigma skill has not yet been demonstrated by the Silverline Entity. While this could also be contributed to just being lucky, I highly doubt that is the case." Izroth said. Woosh! The Silverline Entity used the skill Epassing Mana String which engulfed Halls in a bundle of mana and restricted all of his movements in the process. The attack did not have a cast time like it did when Valentine used it and so it came at an unexpected time. "We have to find out what that restriction is. If we can control the skills it learns and when it learns them, then we can create a false attack pattern for it. If we did that, then countering this Silverline Entity should not pose any issues." Zi Yi suggested as she shot an towards the Silverline Entity. -343 Valentine fired off a Fireball towards the Silverline Entity that arrived at nearly the same moment as Zi Yi¡¯s arrow. Since he started off as a normal mage, he still possessed the skills he learned during that time period. Since he was unable to use higher ranked skills, he had to settle for things like Fireball for the time being. -810 Now that the group was aware of the Silverline Entity¡¯s ability to copy passive skills, they could at least stop its agility spike thanks to Izroth¡¯s Hellfire Rampage passive skill. It would allow Luna a bit more breathing room with her heals. 65%... 50%... 40%... -504 ... -504 At the moment, Izroth had five full stacks of Blood Stigma damaging the Silverline Entity. It was ticking for 504 damage every one second. Unfortunately, the party had been unable to learn anything further about the Silverline Entity. Its choices appeared random and it kept all the abilities it had learned thus far. Swoosh! Swoosh! Izroth had not been simply wasting his time just attacking senselessly. Within his basic attacks were certain sword patterns. It was simr to the time he identally created the skill Phantom Strike within the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise, except this time he was intentionally doing so. When Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning cut through the air, it was lifted high into the sky as if it were pointing towards the heavens. His sword then descended downward as if it were the judgment of the heavens that the Silverline Entity should be struck down. However, Izroth¡¯s attack did not stop there. Instantly after his sword finished descending, the tip of his de of Lightning curved upward in an arc. As it rose into the air, it stopped on the left side of the Silverline Entity¡¯s body at a level near the center of its body. Izroth¡¯s sword shed in a perfectly horizontal line. There was a slight pause in between attacks due to the limiters ced upon him by the system. It was a small resistance that made his attack flow in an unnatural manner rather than in a single uninterrupted motion. There was light blue energy that lingered around in the shape of a cross in the two areas Izroth¡¯s sword had passed through. -378 ?Critical Hit? -756 Izroth¡¯s second attack had caused a critical hit to ur on a target that, to his knowledge, possessed no such vital points. What it meant was that he was sessful in his attempt. Soon after, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have learned a new skill. Would you like to name the skill?¡µ The skill itself was one of the ten sword forms that Izroth had learned in his earlier years of cultivation. Although in terms of raw power it could notpare to that of the Baneful Swords or Izroth¡¯s other heavenlyws, it was still incredibly powerful with a wide variety of uses and should not be underestimated. When one mastered all ten forms, they would be granted a heavenlyw of great power. That was why this particr set of sword forms were referred to as the Way of the Heavenly Sword. The name itself was overbearing, however, it deserved to be so. After all, no one could call themselves a true sword master if they did not perfect the ten forms of the Way of the Heavenly Sword. Originally, Izroth was going to learn this set of sword forms before the Baneful Swords, however, he did not understand enough about the system at that time. Also, the set of sword forms requiredplete control over one¡¯s body and spirit. At the time, Izroth had not yet adjusted to his current body, however, that was no longer an issue. ¡¯That guy would surely lecture me if he discovered I learned two of the three Baneful Swords without first mastering the Way of the Heavenly Sword.¡¯ To Izroth, those past days were full of pleasant memories and strong bonds. In a way, it shaped him into the individual he became. The ten sword forms themselves were nameless. Therefore, Izroth had toe up with a name for the skill due to the system¡¯s request. "Name the skill First Sword Form: Converging Paths." Chapter 113 Limits of the Silverline Entity Skill Name: First Sword Form: Converging Paths Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: After sessfully striking a target with a sword, the user¡¯s next sword attack can be used instantaneously. The sword attack executed using this sword form has a 100% critical hit chance. This effect can only ur once every 1 minute 30 seconds. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds The cooldown time was much higher than Izroth initially expected, however, that would most likely change as he leveled the skill up. There was something which caught Izroth¡¯s attention, and that was the fact that this specific skill could also be increased by using it repeatedly. Izroth had only seen such a thing with S-ranked skills. Though, it may be because of the unique nature of the Way of the Heavenly Sword. After all, even though this system assisted yers with their actions, Izroth felt that if one used skill points to level up the sword forms, the skill¡¯s potential would be limited. Izroth¡¯s n was to learn as many sword forms as he could while within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. They woulde naturally to him in battle as long as he executed them properly so that the system was able to perceive it as a possible skill. Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech! All of a sudden, the Silverline Entity emitted a loud screeching noise that sounded as if someone were dragging their nails across a chalkboard. The body of the Silverline Entity glowed brightly and released a brilliant white light which blinded everyone around it. Everyone could not help but cover their ears at the ear-piercing noise, but a few secondster the noise came to an abrupt halt. When the white light dimmed down, the Silverline Entity had changed in its appearance. Now, the boss monster appeared more humanoid. The Silverline Entity stood around two meters tall and had a well-defined body. Although it still possessed no facial features, at least its form was closer to that of a human than a monstrosity. However, just because it looked weaker with its current appearance, everyone could sense that its strength had not fallen due to its change, but rather increased by leaps and bounds. It was as though something was warning them about the Silverline Entity. Woosh! Zi Yi¡¯s arrow flew through the air, empowered by the skill Void Jump. Since the Silverline Entity already possessed the skill, she was free to use it as she saw fit. The arrow disappeared into the void and reappeared behind the back of the Silverline Entity. But, just as the arrow was got ready to pierce through the body of the Silverline Entity, it suddenly vanished. For some reason, Halls felt a chill run down his back and immediately turned around with his shield raised into the air. He activated his Rebound skill, however, there was nothing behind his back! "Halls, below you and don¡¯t hold back." Izroth called out in a fast manner. To everyone else, the Silverline Entity may have disappeared, but for Izroth it was different. He understood exactly what happened because of the skill used by the Silverline. It was a skill he was very familiar, Shadow Movement! The Silverline Entity had not truly disappeared, but instead used the skill Shadow Movement to enter into a shadow form. Doing so, it managed to avoid Zi Yi¡¯s iing arrow while simultaneouslyunching a sneak attack against Halls from below. The most frightening part was that Izroth had not used the skill Shadow Movement during the entire duration of this fight. That meant the Silverline no longer required them to use skills in order to copy them. It was perfectly capable of obtaining their skills by its own methods. Halls reacted quickly to Izroth¡¯s warning and jumped off to the side. Since he missed the timing on his Rebound skill, he could only rely on his regr block. But, he did not just depend on his block skill since he did not know the current strength of the Silverline Entity after its transformation. Halls used another skill from his ss, Rebound Champion, called Rebounding Aura. Skill Name: Rebounding Aura Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 22 Rebound Champion, Shield Equipped Active: Epasses the user in a constant Rebound Aura which reduces all iing damage by 60% for 6 seconds. During this time period, all damage dealt to the user is reflected back to its source for 50% of the attack¡¯s original damage amount. Cooldown: 5 minutes Now that he activated the skill Rebounding Aura, Halls was confident that no matter what attack the Silverline Entity threw at him he would be able to take it head-on. Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! One of the Silverline Entity¡¯s arms had transformed into a sword that resembled Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning. When it made contact with Halls¡¯ shield, a loud ringing sound echoed throughout the surroundings. One could actually feel the soundwaves pressing up against their body. ?Blocked? -2,140 2,259/6,756 HP Remaining! (Halls) What a powerful attack! It had actually managed to damage Halls for over 2,000 damage even though he blocked and used the skill Rebounding Aura. How high would the damage be if he did not take such precautions? The Silverline Entity¡¯s attacks no longer possessed any of its previous pauses. Now, it attacked without halting its assault. This caused the pressure on Luna to increase by a great deal. She immediately cast a Heal on Halls which brought up his HP to 3,744. She made sure to keep the skill Healing Essence constantly on him so that he would always have some form of healing. However, the Silverline Entity was relentless in its attacks and Halls¡¯ HP kept constantly falling. "Everyone, you no longer have to hold back with your skills. The Silverline Entity no longer needs us to use them in order to copy it. Therefore, there¡¯s no longer any need to be polite." Izroth said as crackles as lightning started to sound from his de of Lightning. Bzzzzt... Bzzzzt! A few momentster, a field of lightning appeared and covered fifteen meters of the area Izroth stood in. He activated the skill Lightning Field which was attached to his de of Lightning. The first bolt of lightning struck down and paralyzed the Silverline Entity. Although it did notst that long, it was still enough to impede the movements of the Silverline Entity as long as it remained within the field of lightning. Valentine was not just sitting back and enjoying the show. He had been casting a skill this entire time. It was the same one he used against the Earth Devouring Groundbull, Zarkox First Sequence: Release. The pentagonally shaped magic sequences appeared above the field of lightning and over the head of the Silverline Entity. The beam of light crashed into the monster¡¯s body without mercy. Thanks to the Lightning Field, Valentine did not need to resort to his own method of crowd control in order to ensure his skill would sessfully strike its intended target. That¡¯s not all Valentine did, he also infused two points of his Essence into the skill, increasing its overall power by a total of 10%. -500 ... -500 Izroth¡¯s Lightning Field managed to control the Silverline Entity¡¯s movements quite well and it was unable to escape the range of Valentine¡¯s attack. Valentine damaged the Silverline Entity for a total of 2,500 damage thanks to the increase he received from his Soul Essence trait. "This trait truly has a limitless amount of possible uses...!" Valentine muttered to himself when he saw how much more effective his Zarkox First Sequence: Release became with the infusion of just a bit of Essence. At the moment, he only possessed twenty points of Essence, therefore, he had to manage it carefully. It was the same for everyone else as well. They did not receive an abundance of Essence and so they had to pick and choose how they went about using it. But for Izroth, it was different. He had 120 points of Essence to spare. However, Izroth only integrated small amounts into his attacks every so often. He would do so until he learned more about Soul Essence and got a good feel for how much needed to be used in order to cause Soul Weakness. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning shed outward towards the Silverline Entity at the same moment it was paralyzed by his Lightning Field. Thanks to the effects of his Lightning Field, Flow of Essence, and Hellfire Rampage skills, his current agility was at 786. Although the Silverline Entity was fast, it had not been able to maintain its stacks of Hellfire Rampage and so it slowed down considerably. -680 Izroth did not stop there with his assault. As soon as his de of Lightning made contact with the Silverline Entity, it released an oppressive aura. Since Izroth never actually used the official system made sword form skill he recently acquired, it had not gone on cooldown. Therefore, his next attack came instantly and with a force that was twice as strong! His de of Lightning descended upon the Silverline Entity¡¯s body with deadly uracy as he unleashed the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction. Izroth poured twelve points of Essence into this attack, boosting its overall strength by a total of 60%! Add that along with guaranteed critical hit from the First Sword Form: Converging Paths, the damage against the rare boss was frightening! ?Critical Hit? -8,700 With a single attack, Izroth had knocked off nearly 5% of the Silverline Entity¡¯s massive HP of 180,000! Everyone began to rain down attacks on the Silverline Entity without mercy. Halls maintained a nearly perfect aggro lock on the monster, except when it would randomly choose a target to attack. Though, that waspletely out of his control. As Izroth and his party chipped away at the Silverline Entity¡¯s HP, they began to realize something. The Silverline Entity had a limit! It could not just spew out high ranked skills without a cooldown period. Also, it had not used any of Izroth¡¯s S-ranked skills. Either they were just lucky or the Silverline Entity was simply incapable of copying S-ranked skills. Thetter was the most probable answer. After all, ever since it transformed, it would mostly use the best skills at its disposal. Such as Valentine¡¯s Zarkox First Sequence: Release. However, another weakness of the Silverline Entity was the fact that it did not know how to chain skills. Valentine¡¯s Zarkox First Sequence: Release skill was incredibly easy to dodge if the target¡¯s movements were not impeded by anything, such as Valentine¡¯s Epassing Mana String. Therefore, it did not cause the group any trouble. The HP of the Silverline Entity began to dwindle rapidly. 25%... 20%... 15%... 10%... ¡´Battle Alert: Silverline Entity has entered an enraged state¡µ It was here, the most dangerous state of any boss monster, the enraged state. However, since this was the Chaotic Dogma Realm, it was even more dangerous than usual. The Silverline Entity finally formed its first facial features; a pair of crimson red eyes. Soon, a mouth that resembled melting liquid formed as the Silverline Entity released a loud roar. Although its stats increased while within an enraged state, it was nothing Izroth and his party could not handle. After figuring out the limits of the Silverline Entity, they just had to be cautious of stray attacks. The group did not panic and rapidly cut away at the Silverline Entity¡¯s remaining 18,000 HP. Izroth, Halls, Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and Valentine were all ruthless in their assault. Luna was constantly casting Heal on Halls to keep up with the damage the Silverline Entity dealt. Her mana was rapidly draining in the process, however, she was confident at being able to oust the Silverline Entity. Woosh! A few momentster, just as Luna was about to go through herst bit of mana, Guan Yu¡¯s guandao cut through the body of the Silverline Entity with nothing there to block its path. It was the skill Arcing Armor Crusher. -1,072 With that attack, Guan Yu had reaped the life of the Silverline Entity. Its entire body melted into a pool of silver liquid and within the puddle sat various items. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Silverline Entity¡µ ¡¯It¡¯s over.¡¯ Izroth sheathed his de of Lightning as the battle ended. They had, atst, defeated the Silverline Entity, a rare boss within the Chaotic Dogma Realm! Now it was time to reap the fruits of theirbor. Chapter 114 Adaptation Cape ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 32,095 EXP¡µ Loot Drop: -x2 ?Liquid of Silverline? -x1 ?Chaos Fragment? -x3 ?Concentrated Chaos Core? -1 ?Silverline Halo? -1 ?Adaptation Cape? ¡¯The bosses of the Chaotic Dogma Realm sure are generous when ites to the amount of experience they grant.¡¯ Izroth looked through the loot that dropped from the Silverline Entity and the first two things to grab his attention were the two rare item drops. However, he ran into an unexpected surprise while checking through the loot, and that was a Chaos Fragment! ¡¯Is it possible that Chaos Fragments only drop from boss monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm? Or is there simply a greater chance for it to drop?¡¯ Whatever the fact was, there was now a Chaos Fragment at his disposal that would allow him to unlock the mystery behind the Sealed Chaos Essence that he picked up from the Earth Devouring Groundbull. However, first thing was first, he had to divide the loot that dropped from the Silverline Entity. ¡¯Oh? An interesting item. Too bad that it does not suit me.¡¯ The item Izroth referred to was the Silverline Halo. It was a rare headpiece suited to magic users. However, even if he could equip the item, Izroth already possessed the Crystal Sea Head Ornament. Therefore, he would not have been greedy and rolled for it. Name: Silverline Halo(Rare) Level: 25 Type: Unknown Requirements: None HP: 300 MP: 500 MAG: 100 Silverline¡¯s Imprint(Passive): Copies and stores one active magic type skill that can be used instantly without the need for any cast time. The user is capable of storing a skill that they cast or a magic skill used within 20 meters of their location. The stronger the magic skill, the more MP it cost to store the skill sessfully. This skill cannot copy the skill ?Release? or a skill that exceeds this item¡¯s capabilities. Release(Active): Instantly cast the stored skill. Cooldown: 1 hour While the skills attached to the Silverline Halo had a nearly infinite number of uses, it only allowed magic type skills to be stored. Izroth¡¯s current magic stat was zero and he did not n on deviating from his original path. Also, the stats it provided were obviously for magic using sses. Although, he would have been a little tempted if it could store any skill. After all, if he could store away one of his Baneful Swords, then it would make for a deadly item. However, this item would go to either Luna or Valentine. "What a great item!" Guan Yu said with a bit of excitement within his voice. Even though he could not use it, the effects of the rare item were something he found incredibly powerful if used correctly. "Too bad it only allows for magic skills to be stored inside of it." Zi Yi shook her head in disappointment. "Luna and Valentine are the only two who magic casters. Therefore, the two of you will roll to decide who obtains this Silverline Halo." Izroth said. Even though Izroth had known Luna for a longer period of time, Valentine had contributed to the fight as well. Therefore, he would be fair and allow the chance for both of them to acquire the rare item. Valentine nodded as he smiled and said, "Sorry, Luna. But my luck when ites to rolls is just too good." Valentine was fairly confident that he would win the Silverline Halo. He would always win the roll for good items in all of the other parties he was in, so this should not be any different. Luna only gave a small smile as a response. She would like to acquire the Silverline Halo, however, she would not be disheartened if she was unable to do so. Valentine used the party interface to roll a number from 1-100. It appeared on everyone¡¯s screen and they could see the numbers constantly shuffling. Ding! The system made a small sound when the rolling process finished. When everyone saw what number Valentine rolled, they were shocked. His luck was something alright, but it was definitely not good! "Ahahahaha!" Halls and Guan Yu could not help but burst out into a loud fit ofughter. "Indeed! Your luck knows no bounds!" Halls said as he continued hisughter. "Aye, his luck is just too good brother! Enough to reach the apex! Ahahaha!" Guan Yu followed up. Valentine had a defeated and gloomy look on his face. Usually, his luck was indeed very good! But for some reason, the number he rolled this time did not reflect that. ¡¯Some people are just born under an unlucky star.¡¯ First, Valentine picked the worst wooden door, and now he actually rolled a 1 for a rare piece of equipment! Zi Yi had a slight smirk on her face, "Next time, you should not brag about your luck and maybe you¡¯ll have better fortune." "Ugh..." Valentine groaned. Luna rolled and received a perfect 100, theplete opposite of Valentine¡¯s roll. It appeared that Luna was the lucky one! Izroth handed the Silverline Halo over to Luna, "It now belongs to you." "Just a little luck is all." Luna said as she graciously epted the item from Izroth and immediately equipped it. A silver halo formed above her head and emitted a very faint yet strong aura. Its appearance suited Luna who was a healer quite well. The next rare item was one that everyone present was capable of using. However, the two who could use it the most were Izroth, and Zi Yi. Unlike all the other pieces of equipment, the Adaptation Cape did not have a type listed; not even as Unknown. Name: Adaptation Cape(Rare) Level: 25 Requirements: None Adapt(Passive): Increases the user¡¯s highest base stat by 100 points. Silverline¡¯s Life Essence Magic(Passive): Grants the user +3% ?Lifesteal?. ¡¯A lifesteal item?¡¯ Izroth was pleasantly surprised by the lifesteal passive listed on the Adaptation Cape. He had note across any items which provided lifesteal within RML as of yet. He understood that although such items existed, they were incredibly difficult to obtain. Even without its Adapt passive, the lifesteal alone would make this item worthy of its rare item grade. After a small discussion, Luna decided to forfeit her roll for the item. She felt it would be unfair to everyone else if she rolled and managed to obtain both rare items. If Izroth had chosen not to include her she would have understood. But, she had made her own decision which everyone respected. Everyone, except Luna, rolled in order to acquire the Adaptation Cape. ¡´System Alert: yer Halls has rolled 35.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Zi Yi has rolled 76.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Guan Yu has rolled 14.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Valentine has rolled 99.¡µ "I guess he was telling the truth after all!" Halls was surprised that Valentine was able to roll a 99 after his previous bad luck of rolling a 1. Zi Yi sighed helplessly, "It seems like this item will go to the magic freak." She had hoped to get her hands on the Adaptation Cape, however, it seemed thatdy luck was not on her side today. "I told you, my luck with rolls is quite good." Valentine said in a cheerful tone with his gloomy mood no longer present. Thest person to roll was Izroth. Though the chances of him beating out Valentine roll were extremely low and no one really expected him to roll for 100. Well, Halls and Luna did have a strange feeling about something. They felt as though Valentine was going to learn the hard way that Izroth¡¯s fortune was not something so easily ovee. ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has rolled 100.¡µ Valentine stood there silently staring at the number 100 as if it were taunting him. He did not know whether tough or cry at rolling a 99 just to lose in the end. Halls shook his head and went over to pat Valentine on his shoulder. "Don¡¯t feel too bad. When ites to luck, my brother is invincible." Guan Yuughed and said, "Aye, it seems like the only person who can match that invincible luck is big sis Luna! Ahahaha!" Izroth gave a carefree smile before he equipped the Adaptation Cape. At first, the cape was without color. However, just a few secondster it began to transform and match the color of his armor. Since Izroth¡¯s highest base stat was his attack, it was increased by 100 points thanks to the effect of the Adaptation Cape. "You look even mightier than before, brother!" Halls said giving a thumbs up. Izroth inwardly shook his head as he picked up the remaining items. Since he and Luna had already acquired two rare items, neither of them botheredpeting over the Concentrated Chaos Cores. One of the items went to Halls, another to Valentine, and thest to Zi Yi. Although they were not as valuable as a rare item, they would still fetch a good price due to being a reagent that was not readily avable. Those tops guilds would love to get their hands on something like that. When Izroth saw one of thest two items, the Liquid of Silverline, he immediately became interested in it. ¡¯This is... Yes, that just might work.¡¯ From the moment Izroth read the usage of the Liquid of Silverline, he knew that he had to acquire it. Of course, he would not just take it as he believed in fairness, but he would make an offer to everyone. "For this Liquid of Silverline, I hope to obtain this for personal matters. I will not force you to give it to me for free, as I am willing to pay a fair price for it. Of course, if you still wish to roll then I will not discourage you to do so." Izroth said. Everyone was a bit stunned that Izroth personally requested an item drop. They did not know its exact usage, but if Izroth wanted it then it must have been for a good reason. "I don¡¯t have a profession so it doesn¡¯t really matter much to me." Guan Yu was the first to respond. "I am quite interested in the item, however, as long as the exchange is fair I have no problems. After all, I simply wanted it for knowledge purposes, not anything else." Valentine said. Everyone else also felt that Izroth deserved to be given face. If he said he needed it, then they would notpete with him for it. Most people in Izroth¡¯s position as the party leader who contributed so much would not even bother asking and just take it. They respected Izroth for being impartial and fair in his distribution of the loot. Izroth nodded, "When I¡¯m sessful, I will reimburse all of you as promised." Even though most of them were willing to just give it to him, Izroth did not want to take advantage of their kindness. He would repay them properly when he got the chance. Izroth grabbed thest item which he had been most interested in, the Chaos Fragment. "Thisst item is something all of us can-" Just as Izroth was ready to speak about the matter regarding the Chaos Fragment, Valentine interrupted him and spoke in a hastened manner. "Something¡¯s happening!" Valentine shouted. He seemed startled by something, but no one knew what that was. "Hm?" Izroth looked over towards Valentine. He understood that there must have been a good reason for Valentine suddenly cutting him off. After all, Valentine was a lot of things, but he was not disrespectful. Zi Yi looked around and noticed that there was nothing strange anywhere close by. "What¡¯s happening? I don¡¯t see anything." "The ck specks that I mentioned earlier are changing!" Valentine said, however, before anyone else could ask about it, ck bolts of lightning suddenly struck down from the sky and hit everyone present. Everything urred within the fraction of a second and no one had any time to react. Ziiiiiiiiiiiit! The spot that Izroth and his party stood in just a few moments ago was now just another empty space within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Everyst one of them had mysteriously vanished. ... ¡¯What just happened?¡¯ One second Izroth was with his party, but the next moment he had suddenly appeared in an unfamiliar location. None of his party members were near him as they had been just moments ago. He stood there with the Chaos Fragment still within his hand. Izroth set the Chaos Fragment into his inventory for now and decided to deal with itter. "It¡¯s you!" A voice filled with shock sounded out a few meters from behind Izroth. It was a voice that sounded quite familiar and carried a certain level of elegance to it. But it also currently had a hint of frustration drifting about in it as though the speaker was stressed out about something. ¡¯It¡¯s her.¡¯ When Izroth turned around, he saw the woman he met in front of the gates of the Amaharpe pce. It was Zi Yi¡¯s elder sister, Mariposa. However, she did not appear to be in the best state right now. Chapter 115 Chaotic Shif ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by a Chaotic Shift.¡µ "Where did youe from? Where are my sister and your party?" Mariposa was startled by the sudden appearance of Izroth. But, she was concerned that since Izroth was alone, Zi Yi may have met with some kind of misfortune within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. During her time here, Mariposa understood the potential danger of this ce. There were quite a few times when she believed that her party would suffer some kind of major loss. However, they had been fortunate and skilled enough toe out on top in every situation they ran into so far. At least, that¡¯s how it was until they came across Silent Step and the other members of Fatal Touch. One of her party members was ambushed and killed without mercy. After that, Silent Step made some bizarre transformation and killed another member of her party. Mariposa did not understand his reasons for doing so, but she did not care. In her mind, Fatal Touch was now a sworn enemy of her Sleeping Gardenia guild. While she would not purposely go out of her way to antagonize Fatal Touch before this encounter, they had made the first move and so she no longer cared about giving them face. "I was separated from everyone else and was transported here without my knowledge or consent. As for your sister, I assume the same thing has happened to her. Where I came from... Well, that¡¯s something I¡¯m unsure of myself. Though I believe it has something to do with being affected by what¡¯s called a Chaotic Shift." Izroth spoke in a calm and steady manner. "Chaotic Shift...?" Mariposa muttered to herself. Wait a second, Aegis did ask her before if she was capable of locating someone using her spatial magic. At that time, she did not understand why he had asked such a question. But, with the sudden appearance of Izroth and given the information he just provided, it most likely had something to do with this so-called Chaotic Shift. "Then, I think you¡¯re in the same situation as him." Mariposa pointed over in the distance. Cling! Crash! Izroth heard the sound of fighting nearby. However, since it had nothing to do with him and he was speaking to Mariposa, he did not bother turning his attention to it immediately. But for some reason, he could sense two familiar presences. One of those two familiar presences were very vague as though he had onlye across it once or twice. But, the other presence strong as if he hade into contact with it for an extended period of time. Izroth could not help but to inwardly frown when he fully grasped the second presence. At first, he thought that maybe it was just because of the interference of the Chaotic Dogma Realm that he mistook the presence for something else, but now he was sure. The second presence Izroth felt belonged to that of a Shadahi! How were the Shadahi linked to this ce? Or better yet, how did they get into a ce like the Chaotic Dogma Realm? Weren¡¯t they all sealed within the Shadahi Realm? ¡¯This presence feels like that of a Shadahi, but it¡¯s a little off. It¡¯s as if the aura of the Shadahi has been diluted and the amount of dark cold energy present is nowhere near as powerful.¡¯ When Izroth turned to look in the direction Mariposa pointed towards, he saw a humanoid figure with red skin and demonic red eyes. That humanoid figure emitted the Shadahi-like aura he had sensed. But when Izroth examined the humanoid figure, he was surprised to find out that it was not a monster, but rather a yer! ¡¯Why does a yer have the power of the Shadahi?¡¯ There was also something else that bothered Izroth. How did that yer manage to get into the Chaotic Dogma Realm without his Shadahi ties being discovered? After all, the characters who were behind sending them into the Chaotic Dogma Realm were all legendary figures. They were not naive and would not just trust anyone to aplish this mission. Izroth felt uneasy and things did not seem right to him no matter how he thought about it. It all just did not add up. ¡¯It seems the Shadahi has already found a way to start spreading their influence through yers. Are things already starting to move into ce behind the scenes?¡¯ There was nothing Izroth could do at the moment but specte the multiple possibilities. However, that would get him nowhere with his current set of circumstances. Right now, the most important thing was to regroup with his party members. Izroth then turned his attention towards the other yer who fought against the Shadahi-like yer. This was someone he seemed to be running into quite often as ofte. ¡¯I didn¡¯t expect to run into him here. It appears he was also separated from his party through a Chaotic Shift, ording to Mariposa.¡¯ Izroth was referring to Aegis, who calmly stood before the Shadahi-like yer with one sword in his hand. Although he lookedpletely defenseless at a nce, he had absolutely no openings whatsoever. It was the mark of a master swordsman! "Do you know the two yers fighting over there?" Izroth asked Mariposa. Mariposa nodded, "The one with the red hair name is Aegis if I remember correctly. He is a member of the famed guild, Heaven¡¯s Law. Well, if you can call twelve members a guild. They are a group of extremely skilled and powerful yers. No one knows their origins, but their power is the real deal." she exined. Her voice then grew cold as she continued, "The other one is called Silent Step. He is the leader of an organization called Fatal Touch. You can think of them as mercenaries with no sense of honor, willing to do anything to further their own interest." It was obvious from Mariposa¡¯s attitude that she did not think very highly of Silent Step. Aegis felt someone else enter into his range of perception as he fought against Silent Step. He nced over and saw Izroth standing there with a carefree expression on his face. "It¡¯s him... Did he also experience that phenomenon?" Aegis muttered to himself. When Silent Step saw that Aegis had let his attention stray away from their fight, this angered him and he felt as if he was being looked down upon. "You dare to look away during a fight with me?!" Who was he? He was the number one assassin! No one had ever dared to look away from him during a fight for fear of instantly regretting it. Being at the top for so long, he had gotten used to that sense of superiority and level of respect. He would ignore others, but not the other way around. Silent Step vanished from the spot he stood in just moments ago. It was an empowered version of a rogue¡¯s Stealth skill called Vanish. Unlike Stealth, Vanish did not impede a user in any way and allowed for them to move almost freely throughout the battlefield. However, while Silent Step may give many others a difficult time with his mastery of stealth-type skills, his worse possible matchup was Aegis. The lemniscate¡¯s which formed Aegis¡¯ pupils began to glow with a faint aura constantly traveling along its lines. To everyone else, Silent Step waspletely invisible and could not be seen at all. But, in Aegis¡¯ eyes, he could see everything with great rity. This was the power of a unique trait granted to him by the system when he first started RML. The name of the trait was the All-Seeing Eyes. Aegis was actually the very first yer within RML to receive a trait from the system. With the power of his All-Seeing Eyes, Aegis did not have any trouble leveling up or oveing difficult battles. It was due to the amazing effects the All-Seeing Eyes bestowed upon him. At the moment, Silent Step was closing in rapidly on Aegis. His movements were made in such a way that they limited the number of motions required and quicken his speed in reaching a specific point. He held a dagger in his hand that was pitch ck with specks of white aura floating around it. It appeared as though the weapon itself was also influenced by Shadahi energy. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! The four yers that were a part of Silent Step¡¯s partyunched a pincer attack on Aegis. Their goal was to upy his attention while Silent Step waited for the perfect moment to strike. As they surrounded Aegis, Mariposa started to grow restless. Although she offered to assist him, Aegis insisted that he could handle it alone. However, his current situation did not look very favorable. ¡¯They won¡¯t touch him.¡¯ Even though the yers going up against Aegis were not weak by any means, the gap was still toorge between the two involved parties. Izroth had a brief encounter with Aegis, but he was able to somewhat grasp his level of strength and skill. The yers who were performing the pincer attack had good coordination, but their individual skills left much to be desiredpared to Aegis. Soon enough, Aegis was locked in a fight of five against one. Though, one of them was hiding and waiting to strike. As the four yers shed out towards Aegis and threw out multiple skills, Aegis seemed to be able to predict their movements and always just barely avoid their attacks. That was not all, he would strike out with deadly precision with his counterattacks and the amount of damage he dealt was not light. Aegis¡¯ sword moved with such precision and grace that it almost appeared as if the sword itself was performing a type of dance. However, it was not a peaceful dance, but rather a waltz of death! "Ah! No... All of my hard work!" One of the yers who was attacking Aegis yelled out as Aegis¡¯ sword swept across their body and dealt the killing blow. Their character soon dissipated and experienced an existence wipe. Just like that, he had lost all the work he put into his character on RML. The moment Aegis¡¯ sword reaped the life that yer, Silent Step took the opportunity tomence his ambush from behind Aegis. After all, what better time to attack then when an enemy had a taste of victory? However, Silent Step had grossly underestimated Aegis. Aegis gaze was locked onto Silent Step from the moment he appeared. This rmed Silent Step and he wanted to fall back to try again, however, it was toote to call off his attack. Swoosh! Silent Step¡¯s dagger hit nothing but empty air as Aegis sessfully side-stepped the attack. Aegis swiftly struck Silent Step¡¯s body three times with his sword which caused him to be knocked back a few meters from the impact. This caused the other three remaining yers to temporarily fall back. By the time Silent Step regained his bnce, he had an ugly look on his face. How was this guy so strong?! Even without this transformation, Silent Step was still a top tier yer. Therefore, when he used this transformation no one should be able to harm him in the slightest. However, this guy was a monster amongst monsters. Silent Step grit his teeth, "Retreat!" He decided that the best course of action, for now, was to temporarily retreat and regroup. After that, he would another time to deal with that member of Heaven¡¯s Law. The three members followed Silent Step¡¯s orders without hesitation and immediately retreated. A part of them was terrified of losing everything just as two of their other members had already done. So when Silent Step gave the order to retreat, they were obviously relieved. "Just you wait! One way or another..." Silent Step did not bother finishing as he soon disappeared and retreated along with his party members. Aegis sheathed his sword and had an unbothered expression on his face. "Just a bunch of dogs that only knows how to bark." He then turned his attention towards Mariposa and then Izroth. "Our paths seem to cross quite often as ofte, Aegis." Izroth said in a carefree tone of voice. "You two know each other?" Mariposa was shocked. How did Izroth know a member of Heaven¡¯s Law? Chapter 116 Gears Reques ... Meanwhile, somewhere far away from Amaharpe, Gear¡¯s silhouette could be seen constantly flickering. At the moment, he was moving at an amazing speed. On his way, he came acrossrge and vicious looking monsters. However, none of the monsters dared to provoke him. Just a few secondster, Gear came to an abrupt halt when he arrived before a small hill with a simple wooden hut located at the top. There was a stairway paved with a stone-like material that led up towards the small hut. But, Gear did not take even a single step onto that stairway. Instead, he called out towards the small hut. "Gear pays his respects to master! I humbly request your permission to enter!" Gear cuffed his fist and gave a deep bow. There was not a hint of dissatisfaction or arrogance in his voice. One could tell that whoever was in that wooden hut was someone Gear respected. However, how strong would someone have to be to earn a legendary figure like Gear¡¯s utmost respect? Not even when speaking to Terminus or Zendai did Gear show such respect since they were his equals. At first, there was nothing but silence. But Gear did not be impatient and simply maintained his posture. Then around ten minutester, an old man appeared out of seemingly nowhere at the bottom of the steps. A smile could be seen on his face. The look in his eyes gave off a deep and profound aura. It was as if everything within the world was clear to him. If Izroth were present, he would immediately recognize that old man. It was the old man that he met on his way back towards Amaharpe after hepleted the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard. The same old man that spoke words that should not exist anywhere inside of this realm, Zhi. "Little Gear, you finally had to courage toe and face this old man, hm?" Zhi said as he studied Gear. Gear was still bowing and did not yet lift his head up. "Master, how could I ever face you again? After what happened to-" Just as Gear was getting ready to speak, he was cut off by Zhi. Zhi held up the palm of his hand, "Alright stop right there. I already know what you want to say." A hint of sadness shed across Zhi¡¯s eyes, however, it onlysted for a mere instant. "You have already punished and med yourself for countless years." Zhi let out a deep sigh as he continued, "What happened was not your fault. I know that you did everything within your power to try and save her. Just as I¡¯m sure my foolish daughter did everything within her power to protect you. Love often makes even the wisest of men be fools." Zhi sat his hand upon Gear¡¯s shoulder, "Come, lift your head. If you do not, then you will be denying me face." Gear reluctantly raised his head. There was a look of heartfelt sadness that drifted about inside of his eyes. "Master, if I never convinced her to leave this ce then..." "Then she would not have led such a happy life. To live life only to simply live is to live not at all. Yes, she may still be alive in the present, but if she had to do it all over again, my daughter would not hesitate to do so. After all, she takes after her mother." Zhi gave a smile that was full of warmth. Gear was silent as he did not know how to respond. All this time, he had not been able to visit this ce because it brought back memories that were too painful to bear without his other half here with him. "Forgiveness starts within little Gear. My daughter has not left you with nothing. It is soon time for my granddaughter to meet her father. She cannot stay in that ce forever." Zhi said. "This... I understand, master." Gear could not argue with that statement. He had held himself back for many years already. It was about time that his promise to his wife was fulfilled. "Alright, you did not simplye all this way to apologize and talk about this. You came because of the relic that was unleashed, correct?" Zhi said. Gear was fairly surprised. Usually, his master did not keep in contact with the affairs of the outside world. So it came as a shock to Gear that he would know his reason for making the long journey here. "If you already know master, then you understand what I came here for." Gear said. Zhi shook his head and responded, "It is still not possible for me to do so. This is something you know quite well." "Even after so many years, you are still unable to act, master?" Part of Gear was extremely frustrated. Not at his master, but by the individuals that did not want his master to interfere. If he did, then it would have far-reaching consequences. Zhi set his hands behind his back and gazed towards the sky. However, it was as if he was looking far beyond that point and into the heavens. "The situation has be even moreplicated and unstable over the years than it was before. As you know, my situation is unique. I am not yet a divine being, but I have already reached a Realm well above the existences on this ne." Zhi continued, "Because of this, the divine beings have restricted my movements on this ne and I am unable to interfere in mortal matters. If I do, then only chaos awaits us. Many years ago, I learned this in the most difficult way possible." After he stayed silent for a moment, Gear said, "The divine beings have too much influence over our world even after they can no longer descend to this ne. Master, forgive my bringing it up in the first ce." Gear knew that it would be a long shot, but he decided to test his luck anyway. "Master, the original reason I came to you is indeed because of the relic. However, I know that you cannot personally make a move. Therefore, I have another request to make of you." Gear said in a serious tone of voice. "Oh? Speak, if it is within my power then, of course, I will help you." Zhi was quite interested in what Gear had to say. "I wish to borrow that item you left within the care of the Dragon King¡¯s Pce." Gear said. As soon as those words left his mouth, Zhi immediately set his gaze upon Gear. There was an overbearing aura that caused even those powerful monsters thousands of kilometers away to copse under the pressure. "Even if you are her husband, I may not be able to save you. I shall ask this only once, how do you know of that item?" Zhi said in a calm and steady manner. Gear stood strong before that overbearing pressure. However, this reminded him that the gap between himself and his master was still very far apart! ... Izroth, Aegis, and Mariposa were currently standing face to face with one another. At the moment, there were only two members of Mariposa¡¯s party that had managed to survive that assault. They were all injured and had to use potions to slowly heal back their lost HP since their healer was killed by Silent Step. Aegis had just finished exining to Mariposa the details of what happened when he was forcibly separated from his party. "From your words, as well as, Izroth¡¯s words, it seems that these Chaotic Shifts appear at random and without any prior warning signs." Mariposa said as she furrowed her brows. She could understand why Aegis asked for her help in locating his party members. After all, her ss was focused on spatial magic. "The mage in our party was able to see ck specks scattered throughout the atmosphere where we experienced the Chaotic Shift. It¡¯s possible that it may have been some type of warning, however, we were separated before he could finish exining anything." Izroth said. ¡¯The Chaotic Dogma Realm is a very dangerous ce. Hopefully, the others managed to stick together. If not, then there¡¯s one ce everyone should be heading.¡¯ Izroth saw a tall tower in the distance. Although it was further away than he remembered. it should be the ce where he would be able to meet up with the others. After all, it was their original destination. "ck specks?" Mariposa then removed a small monocle-like object from her inventory. She held it up to her eye and when she did, magic symbols began to form on its surface. It was a useful magic item she picked up called Magic Lens. It worked in a simr way to Valentine¡¯s Eyes of Magic. It was not as precise as Valentine¡¯s Eyes of Magic, but it was more than enough to view the ck specks spread throughout the surrounding atmosphere. "Strange... The ck specks all seem to be randomly floating about. However, there¡¯s a certain order to the chaos. It¡¯s weird to exin, but each and every ck speck is a unique type of spatial debris. But, I have no idea what could have left behind so much spatial debris." Mariposa did not even know where to begin. "Are you able to locate others using your spatial magic?" Aegis asked once again. The only reason he interfered with the fight was due to Mariposa¡¯s ss being space rted. If she could not help him, then he would have had wasted his valuable time. "You seem eager to cut our meeting short once more, Aegis." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Aegis narrowed his eyes while staring at Izroth, however, he soon closed his eyespletely. "I am in no particr hurry. Besides, there is something I have been meaning to discuss with you." he said in neither a humble nor arrogant way. Mariposa was trying to find the spatial signatures left behind within her range of perception, however, she came up empty-handed. She helplessly shook her head, "There is too much interference from the ck specks. I cannot precisely locate any spatial signatures that I am not within the immediate vicinity of. But, if I move close enough to one, I should be able to sense it instantly." Aegis nodded in response. Even though it was not the most ideal solution, she could still potential locate his party members. Therefore, it was better to go along with her for the time being, rather than wander around aimlessly. "I¡¯ll also be burdening you. Of course, that is if you do not mind my intrusion." Izroth said. Mariposa gave a weary smile. To be honest, her party was not in the best state right now. They had lost two of their damage dealers and their healer. Their party was currently crippled and had almost zero chance of being the team toplete the SS-ranked quest. She was more than happy to have Izroth and Aegis tag along given her current set of circumstances. Also, she did not know when Silent Step would show up again. They would not survive another ambush. At this point, Mariposa¡¯s goal was no longer to finish the quest first, it was just to escape this ce without having to undergo an existence wipe. "It¡¯s no trouble at all. After all, you are a friend of my adorable little sister." Mariposa responded. Aftering to an agreement, Mariposa requested that they wait a bit so that she and her party could heal up some from their previous battle. Around five minutester, Mariposa and her party were ready to move out. Their destination was the tall tower in the distance. However, their main goal was for Mariposa to find spatial signatures left behind by Izroth and Aegis¡¯ party members. As everyone walked, Izroth and Aegis stayed near the back of the group. Since Aegis said that he wished to speak to Izroth about a few things, Izroth decided to hear what he had to say. Chapter 117 The Beginning Of Menervas Terrifying Strategy ... The fifth wave of the event Protectors of Amaharpe had just ended. At the moment, the number of casual yers who originally participated in the event had decreased by approximately 25%. This was due to the difficulty level of the waves increasing the further along the event proceeded. "These monsters are so tough! I¡¯ve traveled all around the Towering Oak Forest quite a bit, but I¡¯ve never even seen some of the monsters that appeared in thest wave." One of the casual yers participating in the event sounded exhausted as he spoke. "At this rate, will we be able to evenst until thest wave?" One of his party members questioned. He could only remain silent in response to that question as he had no idea if they could manage the sixth wave, let alone the tenth! However, if he showed too much doubt then the other members may back out. After all, one would lose precious experience if they were killed at their level. Meanwhile, at the sector the guild Cross Haven was located in, Wang Qiang took the time in between waves to pay a visit to his guild leader, Ewan. He was currently discussing what he had gathered so far from the information provided by the scouts he sent out to monitor the movements of Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo. "Leader, no matter how I look at it, there appear to be no movements from both Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo ording to the scout reports I¡¯ve received. However, I still strongly believe that one of them has something to do with this." Wang Qiang said in a tone full of confidence. Although he did not have definitive proof as of yet, his instincts and experience told him that something was off about one or even both of those guilds. Ewan gazed into the distance, far up in the sky. He was thinking back to when there was a sudden thunderstorm that appeared without any warning signs and then vanished without a trace. Then afterward, a huge vortex was formed in the sky. It was an astonishing sight to witness firsthand. But, he did not let his thoughts wander off too much and listened closely to Wang Qiang¡¯s words. "Then, what exactly are you suggesting? Without any proof, the other top guilds will not believe a word we say. At most, Blue Oasis and Hyper Symphony may believe us, however, you understand better than anyone that making a move based on simple usations is something that my Cross Haven has never done." Ewan said in a calm and steady voice. Wang Qiang stayed silent at the response. This was because he had known Ewan for many years already. By now, he already had a good grasp on how his guild leader would proceed with certain matters. He would trust the choice of the man he chose to follow. "However, looking the other way when there¡¯s a potential danger lurking in the shadows is also something that my Cross Haven has never done. Tell me, hypothetically of course, how would you deal with this situation?" Ewan said as he turned to look at Wang Qiang. "Well, hypothetically, I assume that every action up until now has been a test of sorts. Testing our response time and how we react in order to have a better understanding of how we function. It was unlikely that whatever they had nned would go undiscovered with the tant way they did things, however, I believe it was a throwaway n." Wang Qiang exined. He then continued, "In other words, if it worked then good, but if it did not work then everything was also fine. Right now, I would suggest we keep a reasonable level of contact with Blue Oasis and Hyper Symphony. While the other guilds may not believe us, those two have a high chance of doing so as you¡¯ve said before." "The point, Wang Qiang." Ewan said as he knew that Wang Qiang could go on for an extended period of time giving every bit of detail if he let him do so. Wang Qiang paused for a brief moment and cleared his throat. "We should inform everyone that their guild may be the target of a great scheme." He got straight to the point. "Oh? If we did that, we would be alerting Sage Falls, Hollow Tempo, or whoever is responsible of our awareness of their ns, correct?" Ewan asked. Wang Qiang nodded, "Yes, that would be the case. It¡¯s exactly what we need to do under these circumstances. Right now, they are probably already aware that we have discovered certain elements of their ns. However, in the end, they still have thefortable feeling of being in the shadows and remaining unwatched." "If we were to alert all of the top guilds, including Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo, then even if the majority refuses to entirely believe our words without proof, they will still take some type of precaution to be on the safe side. After all, they will be unable to ignore uspletely." "By doing this, we not only shed a bit of light on the hidden shadows, but we should be able to gain more insight as to who is behind all of this. This is all, of course, hypothetical." "What message would you send to the other guilds?" Ewan questioned. Wang Qiang gave a meaningful smile as he responded, "Watch your backs, there are snakes lurking in the shadows!" Ewan closed his eyes to think for a moment. A few secondster, he opened his eyes as they now had a look of rity within them. "Very well, make it so." "Yes, leader!" Wang Qiang set his right fist to his chest as a way to salute in a respectful manner. He then headed back to his area to carry out his task. ... Ten minutester, every single top guild had received a message from Cross Haven. It was almost cryptic in a way. It was a short and simple message. "Watch your backs, there are snakes lurking in the shadows!". In most cases, the top guilds would not care about such nonsense. However, there were two reasons that caused them to, at the very least, consider the possibility. The first reason was that the message was delivered by the guild Cross Haven. If it were any other top guild, they would immediately dismiss it. But, Cross Haven was known for their fair y and did not rely on underhanded tactics to seed. The second reason was that Cross Haven had Wang Qiang! Wang Qiang was a brilliant strategist that no guild would want toe across on a battlefield. If you were to ask someone to name the top five strategists within the gamingmunity, no list would be without Wang Qiang¡¯s name. At the moment, yer had a darkened expression on his face after receiving that message from Cross Haven. "That fool promised me that things would go forward without any furtherplications. Then, what do you call this mess?!" yer angrily shouted at the member who delivered the message to him. The member that delivered the message was terrified. He had seen what yer was capable of when his mood got to this point. He wanted to cry for being forced to deliver the bad news. "You! Did you not tell me that everything was going ording to n?!" yer turned his focus onto the cloaked figure who was dispatched by Vault earlier to be his eyes and ears. "Rest assured, yer. If our leader says that everything is going ording to n, then there is no possible way that it¡¯s not. However, if you are getting cold feet and want to back out, I will ry your message without fail." The cloaked figure responded. "Cold feet...? What gives an underling like you the right to talk to me in such a way?! Do you have a death wish?" yer coldly red at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure smirked. "Those who can see are some times blind in their own way." When yer heard that, he was just about to erupt in a fit of anger, however, he paused when he heard the next few words. "The terrifying thing about "her" ns is that even those who take part in it directly are unaware of its true intricacies. I¡¯ve heard the message. Watch your backs, there are snakes lurking in the shadows. Everything that has happened up until this moment has been within her expectations. You see, guild leader of Sage Falls, even your reaction was calcted by her." the cloaked figure said. yer narrowed his eyes as he listened to what the cloaked figure had to say. His reaction was calcted by her? Who was he talking about? yer calmed himself down before he asked, "Who are you referring to?" "That piece of information is not important. I was simply told to tell you that you shall have your answer soon." the cloaked figure said. Something that yer hated more than anything was being spoken to in riddles. However, he was willing to ept therge risk for a potentially huge return. "Hmph, we¡¯ll see. However, should your Headhunter Syndicate fail to deliver on its promise, I shouldn¡¯t need to tell you the consequences for wasting the time of my Sage Falls guild." yer said in a threatening manner. "You may do as you wish. After all, the end results shall be the same." the cloaked figure simply smirked at yer¡¯s reaction. "She" had predicted this as well! ... "Everything is ready on your order." Menerva who currently stood behind Vault said in a soft voice and almost timid voice. "It¡¯s about time. I was beginning to grow impatient with the wait. Begin at once!" Vault said as arge grin formed on his face. "Understood..." Menerva then sent out her orders. ... "Sir, some members of Blue Oasis havee to see you. They said that it¡¯s regarding the message you sent, they came to request your assistance to instantly resolve the matter. Something about having found out the identity of who¡¯s responsible." One of the members of Cross Haven approached Wang Qiang to deliver the message. "Hm?" Wang Qiang was surprised. It had only been around fifteen minutes since he sent the message out. How did they discover something so fast? He frowned, "Are you sure they are from Blue Oasis? Did you verify their identities?" The guild member nodded his head, "Yes, sir. I¡¯ve made sure to verify that they are indeed from Blue Oasis. In fact, one of their Lieutenants is within the group." Wang Qiang furrowed his brows, "Since a Lieutenant of Blue Oasis has personallye, then there is a good chance that they have indeed found out. Send them here." Although Wang Qiang was a little skeptical at first, since a high ranking member like a Lieutenant showed up he could be somewhat at ease. "Yes, sir!" The guild member said as he left to carry out his order. A few momentster, six yers had arrived before Wang Qiang. Indeed, they were members of Blue Oasis just as the guild member had said. This made Wang Qiang disregard his previous suspicions of imposters. "It is good of you to personally pay me a visit, Lieutenant. Tell me, what information have you brought?" Wang Qiang spoke in a friendly, yet serious manner. "I have heard of the feats of Wang Qiang. I have been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time. It took a little digging, but we have finally figured out who was behind this whole mess." The Lieutenant approached Wang Qiang as he reached out his hand for a handshake. Wang Qiang reached out his hand to ept the gesture. However, just before their hands made contact, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger. He immediately reacted, but it was toote. Swoosh! Wang Qiang¡¯s entire body was paralyzed as a sword swung straight for his chest. He was actually being attacked by a member of Blue Oasis! The other five yers who were with the Lieutenant moved fast and pressed on with their assault. The surrounding Cross Haven members were shocked. They would dare to attack their general in such a dishonorable way?! All of the nearby Cross Haven members rushed to the aid of their general. ... "Sir, General Wang Qiang has been attacked!" One of the members of Cross Haven reported to Ewan. "?!" Ewan was shocked. Attacked? How did someone manage to get close enough to attack one of his generals? Or better yet, who had the guts toy their hands on one of the highest ranking members of Cross Haven? "What of General Wang Qiang? Who was behind the attack?" Ewan said in an extremely calm voice. However, there was a hint of coldness to it. "General Wang Qiang survived the assault, but if he had been a bit slower then he would have been killed by the surprise attack. Sir, it was members of Blue Oasis. I have already confirmed that the information is urate." The guild member responded. Ewan was relieved that one of his generals had not suffered a huge setback. However, that relief was soon reced by a feeling of coldness by the act of one of his generals being attacked. "Blue Oasis?" Ewan was bewildered. What reason did Blue Oasis have to attack one of his generals? Could it be that they had overlooked something? One thing was for sure, whoever was responsible would have to pay a price. He wanted answers and he would have to start with Blue Oasis. "Inform Dragus to gather a small party. We will be heading over to get some answers from Blue Oasis, personally." Ewan was determined to get to the bottom of this. It would not be long until the next wave started and so he had to act fast. ... Back within the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth and Aegis were currently walking side by side having a conversation. At first, it was simply idle talk. However, Aegis soon changed the topic at hand. "Your skills during our previous exchange were quite refined. It is not often that I encounter someone of your skill level." Aegis said. Izroth maintained a carefree expression, "Your skills were also not bad." Aegis narrowed his eyes at that response. He felt as if Izroth was trying to intentionally provoke him. However, he could not read this person at all. "Tell me, what is the meaning of your name?" Aegis asked in a straight forward manner. Izroth was a little surprised by the sudden question of his name¡¯s meaning. This was something he had never been asked before. Chapter 118 You Should Not Be Here, Izroth "Oh? Is there a reason behind your curiosity?" Izroth asked. "It is just a question, nothing more. Feel free not to answer." Aegis replied. Izroth saw no reason to refuse to answer the question. "The name Izroth means one who holds tranquil thoughts holds the heavens." Izroth, however, found the name to be ironic when he thought back to the beginning of his cultivation days. He was many things, but someone who holds tranquil thoughts was definitely not a name that suited him in those days. In fact, the name itself a little audacious for someone of his unknown status back then. Those were the days when Izroth acted purely based on his emotions and only thought about the consequences of his actions when they were before him. Aegis nodded, "I see." "This is not what you truly wished to talk about, is it?" Izroth knew that it was unlikely that Aegis wanted to speak with him just to ask the meaning of his name. Aegis did not immediately respond, however, after a few seconds he spoke, "You are correct. There is something else I am more interested in. For example, where did you learn your skills?" From Aegis¡¯ understanding, Izroth¡¯s ss was the Combat Master. It was a ss with unlimited potential, however, it was not a ss any yer could y. "I¡¯ve had the luxury of training for many years." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "Where did you train?" Aegis asked. "I have trained at numerous ces. If I were to name them all, I am sure I would bore you to death." Izroth said as he waved his hand. "I would like to visit a ce capable of teaching such profound techniques. Where is it located?" Aegis pressed on with his questions. Izroth nced at Aegis for a brief moment before returning his gaze to its previous position. ¡¯He seems to have his mind set on having me divulge more information about myself. However, his questions are a bit...¡¯ "It¡¯s not any ce that you¡¯ll be able to go. That ce is closed off." Izroth responded. Aegis appeared to be a bit agitated with Izroth¡¯s responses. "Based on the skills you¡¯ve disyed... You should not be here, Izroth." Aegis said bluntly as he moved forward to speak with Mariposa to see if she had detected any spatial signatures. From the responses Izroth gave to him, Aegis knew that he would not obtain the answers he sought at the moment. ¡¯I should not be here?¡¯ Izroth set his gaze upon Aegis as he slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡¯Interesting...¡¯ He would not over specte exactly what Aegis meant by that statement, because the implication behind such a thing was too huge to even consider it a potential possibility. But one thing was for sure, there was something more to Aegis than Izroth originally believed. However, neither parties involved were willing to be the first one to fullyy out any sensitive details about themselves. In the end, Izroth nor Aegis knew one another well enough to take that tremendous risk. After walking for around twenty minutes, Mariposa came to an abrupt stop. "I¡¯ve found something!" Mariposa said which immediately grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. Izroth pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind for now before he approached Mariposa. "A spatial signature?" "It¡¯s difficult to tell, but the concentration of ck specks in this specific location is strong. If I¡¯m not mistaken, there was definitely someone brought to this location by some type of spatial influence." Mariposa said. "Can you tell who the spatial signature belongs to?" Aegis inquired. Mariposa shook her head. "It¡¯s impossible for me to be that exact with my current level. But, I can tell you that this spatial signature appeared within this area approximately 35 to 40 minutes ago." Aegis furrowed his brows, "That is around the time I was affected by the Chaotic Shift." "In the case, there¡¯s a high chance that this spatial signature belongs to one of your party members." Mariposa then pointed eastward. "There is a faint level of spatial residue that leads from the spatial signature in that direction. I assume that is the way your party member headed in. I could give you a more precise reading if it were not for the spatial interference." "You¡¯ve done more than enough. You have my gratitude. I shall now take my leave." Aegis gave a slight nod to Mariposa. "I should be the one expressing my gratitude. After all, if not for you then we may have all been wiped out. This small task is the least I could do." Mariposa said as a weary smile appeared on her face. Aegis began to take his leave, however, just before doing so he stopped and looked in Izroth¡¯s direction. "Remember my words, Izroth. In the future, you should not concern yourself with what urs. It will not be your ce to do so." After those words, Aegis vanished from the spot he stood in. It was the same skill he had used to escape from Izroth in the Towering Oak Forest. Izroth did not reply and simply pondered the words Aegis left behind. First, he told Izroth that he did not belong here and then he said that he should not concern himself with what urs. It was as if Aegis was trying to dictate what he could and couldn¡¯t do. Obviously, regardless of Aegis¡¯ words, Izroth would follow his own path. ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Law, is it? A daring name to have!¡¯ Mariposa was curious as to what kind of conversation Izroth and Aegis had. While the conversation did notst that long, it seemed that the two were not on good terms from the way Aegis spoke, telling Izroth basically not to interfere. "We should continue." Izroth said when he noticed that Mariposa¡¯s thoughts seemed to drift. Mariposa snapped out of it. She was a little embarrassed about how she let herself get so lost in her own thoughts. She quickly proceeded forward and cleared the matter from her mind. Mariposa then turned her focus back on locating the spatial signatures. They were still currently headed in the direction of the tall tower in the distance. ... "Izroth? Halls? Zi Yi?" Luna eventually called out everyone¡¯s name, however, she received no response. Right now, she was all alone inside of this dangerous realm. But, she did not panic and instead tried to assess her current situation. "Thest thing I remembered was Valentine speaking of ck specks. After that, we were all struck by a bolt of dark lightning..." Luna muttered to herself. She then checked her logs and saw something called a Chaotic Shift had taken ce. "Chaotic Shift?" Luna had never heard of that effect before. Then again, she had never heard of a gravity pocket before entering inside of the Sea Pce Graveyard. Whatever it was, it definitely had something to do with her being transported to this ce. She wandered around for quite some time in search of clues, however, she came up empty-handed. She decided to activate the skill attached to her ring, Eye of the Wolf. Everything around her became much clearer and the range of her perception increased exponentially. Thankfully, the interference in this specific location was not that strong. The first thing she noticed was that the original distance to the tall tower was now further away than it was from her previous position. The next thing she noticed was that a group of yers was headed in her direction. From their movements, they appeared to be running away from something. "It¡¯s them..." Luna recognized the group of yers as the same party that spoke out against other teams participating in this quest. They were not a very friendly group of yers. Luna decided that it was best that she avoided them and wait for the group to pass by. After all, she was a healer and her damage, as well as, mobility was limited. If that group held bad intentions and discovered her, then there was not much she could do about it except fight for her own survival. The group was only around thirty meters away and so she had to act quickly. She swiftly moved herself to hide behind one of the metallic-like trees. She stayed low and made sure that her body waspletely hidden from view based on the direction the group moved in. At the moment, Silent Step returned to his normal appearance as his transformation had already ended. Although he managed to create a considerable distance between himself and Aegis, he did not stop running. He had to make sure that they were not being followed. There was a look of frustration on his face. "Heaven¡¯s Law, I thought their members were just a bunch of overhyped trash, but for one of them to actually be so strong, tch..." Silent Step said. "Who would¡¯ve thought that those exaggerated rumors were true? It¡¯s not your fault, boss. Besides, we were caught unprepared for that confrontation." One of Silent Step¡¯s party members said. "Hmph, as an assassin-type ss, I¡¯m obviously at a disadvantage once my presence is known by my enemy beforehand. Just wait until next time, I¡¯ll make sure to return this humiliation!" Silent Step said as a look of determination shed within his eyes. He had something special nned to deal with those members of Heaven¡¯s Law. Silent Step and his party approached the location where Luna stood just moments ago. However, just as they were getting ready to speed by, one of the members came to a sudden halt. "Hey, why did you stop running?!" Silent Step stopped as the rest of his party soon followed. Luna¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she discovered that everyone had stopped moving near where shest stood. However, she continued to remain perfectly still and silent, being sure not to make so much as a peep. "Boss, my Proximity skill went off as we were getting ready to pass this ce." The member replied. "Hm? Then someone was here within thest five minutes? If that¡¯s the case, they could not have gotten very far. It¡¯s likely they are by themselves after the Chaotic Shift. Heh, it¡¯s a good thing we were given a magic item by that person to protect us against anomalies. Find them!" Silent Step ordered. Everyone followed Silent Step¡¯s orders and spread out to search for whoever was nearby. They had to eliminate everyone here in order to im their reward, therefore, they could not let a single soul escape from this realm alive. Countless thoughts began to form inside of Luna¡¯s head at that moment. Should I run? Should I fight? Should I call for help? What is it that they want? Tap... Tap... Tap... Luna heard a yer¡¯s footsteps moving closer and closer to her. She gripped the magic staff in her hands tightly and just as she was about to take action, the yer¡¯s footsteps stopped when Silent Step spoke and a group of different footsteps sounded from not too far away. "What are you do-" Before Silent Step could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the person in front of the group. "I saw what you did to the other team and your actions a few moments ago against the members of Sleeping Gardenia. I know that you¡¯re weakened after your fight with that member of Heaven¡¯s Law and fighting Sleeping Gardenia before that. I¡¯ve simply decided to strike first." The yer at the front of the group said which caused Silent Step to go silent. That yer had long hair that went all the way down to his ankles, however, it was tied up neatly. He possessed sharp crystal blue eyes and was incredibly handsome. He was wearing something simr to that of a gofuku that was blue with ck markings, except it was styled in a way that made it suitable to move around in while fighting. On his hands were a pair of ck fingerless gloves with blue symbols embedded into them. His name was Qi Jiguang and when it came to hand-to-handbat, he was considered a prodigy of his time. However, within RML, he was not well known at all and had yet to make a name for himself. When he saw the actions of Silent Step and his party, he predicted that eventually, he would run into one of their ambushes. Therefore, he decided to covertly follow them from a safe distance and face them when they least expected it. Since Qi Jiguang was aware of the fact that one of Silent Step¡¯s party members had the Proximity skill, he made sure to stay far away enough to not be detected. Qi Jiguang used Silent Step¡¯s other fights to understand what he was facing. After watching them fight a few times, he had a good understanding of their overall strength. There was a saying, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles! Luna was relieved when someone else had appeared. If they were going to fight, then she could use the opportunity to escape. However, something Qi Jiguang said caught her attention. If she remembered correctly, Sleeping Gardenia was the same guild Zi Yi¡¯s elder sister Mariposa was in! It hade up in some small talk she had with Zi Yi. Could it be that Mariposa¡¯s party got into a fight with Silent Step¡¯s party? "Heh... Ahahaha! I see that¡¯s why we lost track of your movements!" Silent Stepughed out loud in a maniacal way. "However... Aren¡¯t you underestimating me a little too much?!" Silent Step¡¯s expression immediately darkened as he began to transform. Qi Jiguang was startled. He should not be able to transform again so soon! But, he was still weakened from his fight earlier. Qi Jiguang was confident in defeating him, even with his transformation active. Luna¡¯s eyes widened when she peeked around the tree and saw Silent Step¡¯s appearance. She was shocked, "That¡¯s... A Shadahi?" said silently to herself. How was this possible? Chapter 119 A Cornered Beast Is The Most Dangerous Kind Luna did not expect to run into a Shadahi within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Well, it was not exactly a Shadahi, but the two definitely had a certain connection to one another. At the moment, Qi Jiguang and his party were facing off against Silent Step and his group. Qi Jiguang was a fighter-type ss. He was extremely agile while his strikes were precise and quick. That, paired with his footwork, made him a deadly yer to face in one on onebat. However, Silent Step was no pushover, especially now that he was transformed. Qi Jiguang was personally fighting against Silent Step Silent Step. "My name is Qi Jiguang, remember it!" Qi Jiguang said as his fist soared through the air leaving behind dozens of afterimages. Even though the afterimages were not solid, they released a small contained explosion which forced Silent Step to retreat. "There¡¯s no need to learn the name of a man marked for death!" Silent Step said. He was incredibly frustrated and hated to admit it, but this Qi Jiguang¡¯s skill level was nothing to scoff at. It was like fighting against someone with years of training and experience inbat. "Gah!" One of the yers who were a part of Silent Step¡¯s group screamed out as a bolt of blue lightning shed by and struck their body. The yer struck by the blue lightning was not yet fully healed up since theirst encounter and could only take so much damage. His body instantly began to dissipate before he vanished and experienced an existence wipe. "You!" Silent Step tossed out a wave of throwing knives towards the yer who just killed one of his party members. The yers he gathered were not just some low-tier trash within Fatal Touch, but individuals he chose due to their specific skill set and experience. Now, he had lost a total of three members! To make things worse, even if they were to defeat Qi Jiguang and his team, Silent Step was not confident about dealing with the members of Heaven¡¯s Law if they were to regroup, even with his trump card. This mission was bound to be a failure and it was the fault of two people. The first was Aegis for interfering in the fight against Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia. The second was Qi Jiguang who found out about his ns and waited for the opportunity to strike first when they were weakened. It was obvious that Qi Jiguang was unwilling to risk the death of his members in mutual destruction. Therefore, instead of immediately taking action, he first sat back and analyzed the situation. For some reason, this infuriated Silent Step the more he thought about it. He was supposed to be the one doing the attacking, not the other way around. "How skilled..." Luna was surprised. She experienced firsthand how strong a Shadahi was. If that yer managed to gain the power of a Shadahi, on top of being a yer skilled enough to enter into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, then the yer fighting against him must be a monster for still having the upper hand. "Ahhhh!" Another one of Silent Step¡¯s party members met with their demise under a de. Now, there was only Silent Step and one other yer that remained within his group. Silent Step¡¯s facial expression darkened. He could no longer afford the luxury of saving the trump card given to him. Silent Step swiped outward with his dagger and forced Qi Jiguang to retreat. "Originally, I was going to save this for the members of Heaven¡¯s Law. However, you¡¯ve forced my hand! Everyone here can just die!" Silent Step¡¯s expression became hideous and filled with rage. It may have been due to the Shadahi transformation, but he looked like a true demon at that moment. Luna suddenly felt shivers run down her spine. It was as if something was warning her to get away from this ce as fast as possible! She had been so distracted by the Shadahi transformation and the fight, that she had forgotten her original objective to escape from this ce at the first chance she got. "I have to escape." That was the only thought that drifted across Luna¡¯s mind at that moment. But, what she did not know was that it was actually the skill Soul Sense that forewarned her of the forting danger. Luna no longer cared about being discovered at this point. Right now when everyone else was distracted was her best chance to leave this ce. Luna immediately ran away from the area of fighting. Qi Jiguang had a foreboding feeling as Silent Step had a perfectly shaped ck cube within his hand. This cube had purple magic symbols of unknown origins carved into it. If Valentine were there, even he would be unable to understand the symbols with his Eyes of Magic. "Retreat!" Qi Jiguang shouted, however, just a few seconds after he yelled out, a wave of darkness filled the entire surrounding atmosphere. Ooooooom... After running for around ten seconds Luna heard what sounded simr to a chorus of buddhist chants. However, the chants were disoriented and carried with it a dreadful kind of energy. Luna felt as if a hand was reaching out from the darkness and wanted to pull her in to devour her. She knew that she would be unable to outrun whatever it was that wasing for her. Therefore, she could only brace herself. Luna stopped running and sped her hands together. She then began to mutter a kind of mantra as a faint yellow light could be seen forming in the space between her hands. "State..." That was thest word Luna said before the wave caught up to her and engulfed her into a world of darkness. If one were spectating from above, they would see a giant pitch ck dome structure that spanned at least 100 meters. At the top of the dome was a skull that appeared to beughing at the misfortune of those within its clutch. A few momentster, the ck dome disappeared and all that remained was a state of deathly silence. ... Izroth halted his steps and furrowed his brows as he felt a sudden sense of danger. However, it onlysted for a brief period of time before vanishing altogether. ¡¯Strange...¡¯ Izroth observed Mariposa and her party¡¯s expressions and none of them appeared to have sensed whatever it was that he just did. He then continued walking forward after he was unable to find anything further from his observation. ¡¯Is this a feeling given by the Soul Sense skill?¡¯ Since the feeling had disappeared and Izroth had no idea where it came from, he could only increase his level of awareness. After all, one never knew what to expect within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Mariposa suddenly stopped walking as she tapped her staff lightly against the ground. "Hm..." There was a look of uncertainty written on her face. "There is definitely some type of spatial signature here, however, it¡¯s warped in various locations. It¡¯s like something or someone was ying with the surrounding space in this area." ¡¯ying with space?¡¯ "Do they lead into any specific direction?" Izroth asked. "Most of the warped signatures are within that direction." Mariposa pointed off towards a direction slightly west of the tall tower they were headed for. "But it¡¯s very strange. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say it looks as if someone is fighting while on the move." "Oh? How did youe to that conclusion?" Izroth questioned. If that was the case, then there was a chance that he knew the person who was transported to this area. "Well, the warped spatial signatures aren¡¯t big enough for someone to have transported through. I would say it¡¯s onlyrge enough for some type of small object. There¡¯s a considerable amount of these warped signatures in different locations. It¡¯s almost as if someone punctured through... Space..." Mariposa words drifted off. Mariposa turned to look at Izroth, however, what she saw was only a flickering silhouette. The real Izroth had already sped off towards the direction Mariposa pointed in after he listened to most of her exnation. It was then Mariposa confirmed her suspicions. The person who was most likely caught up in a fight was her younger sister, Zi Yi! "Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re following him!" Mariposa gave the order as she and her party followed after Izroth. Mariposa was secretly shocked at how fast Izroth was capable of traveling. "What kind of skill lets someone move so fast...?" One of Mariposa¡¯s party members could not help but be astonished. As they followed after Izroth, every time they believed that they had caught up to him, it would turn out to only be a flickering afterimage. It was obvious that Izroth had left them in the dust! ... Zi Yi was currently locked in a battle against a monster with the snake-like body that resembled a basilisk. It wasrge and spanned over twenty meters in length. When Zi Yi was transported, she immediately felt on an overwhelming sense of danger. She acted quickly and jumped as if she were evading an attack and less than a fraction of a secondter, arge snake-like tail had mmed into where she stood and crushed the ground. If it were not for the skill Soul Sense, then she may not have been so lucky as to survive that surprise attack. Right now, she was facing off against this fierce and relentless creature before her. Name: Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk(Elite) Level: 26 HP: 33,750 (45%) The Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk had scales that were various shades of green and a terrifying pair of snake eyes. The two most dangerous qualities of this creature were its speed and stealth. Although it wasrge in size, its speed was still incredible and its movements were not at all easy to follow. There had been plenty of times when Zi Yi was on the brink of death during this fight. Using its ability to hide, it would oftenunch ambushes from unexpected ces. Hsssst... Zi Yi scanned her surroundings while moving nonstop. She was using the metallic-like tree branches to move around and attack whenever there was an opening. Other than that, she spent most of the time focused on evading the creature¡¯s attacks. After all, she was not a tank like Halls and could not just take attacks head-on. The monster released a low hissing sound as it rapidly closed in on Zi Yi. Zi Yi immediately kicked off the tree branch she was on and shot an arrow towards the direction of the hissing. Woosh! Her arrow pierced through something solid. Zi Yi had believed that she was sessful with yet another attack against the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk. However, her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that her attack did not hit the monster, but instead pierced into some kind of molted skin! Hsssst! The monsterunched itsrge body into the air with its jaws wide open. Its fangs were ready to sink into Zi Yi. Zi Yi was still in mid-air and was unable to escape! She had already used both of her lifesaving skills. She could not predict that the monster would use such a sly method of distraction and then attack immediately after it worked. Zi Yi moved her bow in front of her body to brace for the attack. However, that attack did note. Her body started to slowly be enveloped into a crystal as it soon covered her entire body. At first, she assumed that it was some sort of skill the monster used against her, but when the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk tried to chomp down on her, it was unable to deal any damage! "What¡¯s going on?" Zi Yi was startled as she tried to figure out what was going on. "You seem like you can use a hand." A familiar voice sounded out into Zi Yi¡¯s ears. It had a certain carefree tone to it that could not be mistaken for anyone else she knew! Since the monster was no longer able to damage Zi Yi, it did not continue to attack her. Instead, it turned its attention towards the neer. Of course, this neer was Izroth. Zi Yi let out a sigh of relief as she responded, "By all means, lend a hand." She was d to finally run into a familiar face after such an intense battle. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning as the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk rushed towards him. Chapter 120 Next Course of Action Izroth used the skill from his Crystal Sea Head Ornament, Crystallization, to save Zi Yi from the attack against the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk. When the monster realized that its attacks were having no effect against Zi Yi, it rushed to attack Izroth. The Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk opened its jaws and wanted to devour Izroth whole, however, when it chomped down it bit into nothing but thin air. There was a look of confusion on the monster¡¯s face as it was sure that Izroth was still there. But, how could the monster know that it had only attacked Izroth¡¯s afterimage? Swoosh! Izroth¡¯s appeared behind the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk and swung his de of Lightning outward towards the back of its long body. He infused two points of Essence into his attack to increase its effectiveness by 10%. -517 Izroth did not stop his attack there. Instantly after his first attack connected, Izroth¡¯s sword unleashed an oppressive aura that descended down upon the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk¡¯s entire body. For this attack, Izroth infused ten points of Essence! The monster suddenly began to il its massive body in a wild manner as if it were afraid of something. This was due to Izroth triggering the fear effect attached to his First Baneful Sword: Destruction skill. That, along with the guaranteed critical hit from the skill First Sword Form: Converging Paths and Essence, let Izroth remove arge portion of the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk¡¯s HP. ?Critical Hit? -5,636 Having dealt such arge amount of damage with a single strike and Zi Yi halting her attacks for some time, Izroth immediately jumped to the top of the aggro list. When this happened, he released the Crystallization skill on Zi Yi and she rejoined the fight. Zi Yi fired off two arrows simultaneously in two different directions. However, after only traveling a few meters, the arrows disappeared into the void. Woosh! Woosh! Around one secondter, the arrows reappeared on both sides of the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk. The first one pierced into its lower belly area and the remaining arrow pierced into its back. She would have infused Essence into the attack, but she had a very limited pool and had already used up quite a bit. Thest thing she wanted to do was experience Soul Weakness in the middle of a battle. ?Critical Hit? -1,414 -707 Thankfully, the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk seemed to be a weaker version of a true Basilisk. After all, itcked one of the mostmon skills that basilisk was known for, a petrifying gaze! With their assault, Izroth and Zi Yi managed to shave off around 10% of that monster¡¯s total HP. Now that the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk¡¯s attention was on Izroth rather than her, Zi Yi could focus on dealing damage instead of dodging. She unleashed a flurry of attacks down at the feared monster. Along with Izroth¡¯s high damage, the two were able to bring a swift end to the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 4,440 EXP¡µ Loot drop: -x1 ?Scale of the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk? -x2 ?Eye of the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka Basilisk? -1 ?Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka¡¯s Camouge Ne? Since Izroth had arrived after the monster had already lost more than 50% of its HP, he did not receive as much EXP as Zi Yi did. However, the amount was still quite generous and he was one step away from leveling up. Izroth left the loot for Zi Yi to deal with as she saw fit. After all, he did help her but she had already taken off more than 50% of the monster¡¯s HP. Izroth would not demandpensation for helping a fellow party member. Zi Yi jumped off the metallic tree branch and over towards Izroth. Shended around one meter away from him. "You chose quite a time to make your appearance. Thank you." Zi Yi said as she set her bow upon her back. Zi Yi then went over to pick up the loot. She kept the Aah¡¯Ro¡¯Geka¡¯s Camouge Ne to herself and gave the other two items to Izroth. She would not selfishly keep all the loot to herself even if Izroth let her choose freely what to do with it. Besides, those two items would be more useful to Izroth than to her. Izroth gave a simple nod in response and said, "We¡¯re party members so, of course, I would lend a hand." Zi Yi then looked around and noticed that Izroth was alone. "Are none of the others with you?" She thought that maybe she had been transported away by herself. Therefore, her first course of action was going to be heading towards the tall tower, but she was attacked before she got the chance. Though while fighting, she still managed to travel in that direction, hoping that she ran into her party members along the way. "Unfortunately, I believe everyone was affected by the Chaotic Shift. Though there¡¯s no definitive proof that this is the case, I would say that it¡¯s safe to assume by this point." Izroth said. From what he knew, Aegis¡¯ entire party experienced a Chaotic Shift, but there were only two other members within his party. Therefore, there was a small possibility that the Chaotic Shift only happened to a few members. Zi Yi furrowed her brows and a slight frown appeared on her face. She was not worried about Halls and Guan Yu since they were both te users capable of taking heavy damage. She had a bit of concern for Valentine, but his damage and arsenal provided him with the ability to survive alone if needed. However, she was worried about Luna who had weak attack power, low mobility, and low HP. She was a healer, a ss meant to support others, not be alone. If it were any other ce Zi Yi would not have these worries since healers could sustain themselves for quite some time. However, this was the Chaotic Dogma Realm where everything was at least an elite level monster. Not to mention the other various dangers of this ce. A question then crossed her mind, how did Izroth locate her? "How did you manage to find me?" Zi Yi asked curiously. She did not believe that it was just byplete chance. That would be too much of a coincidence. Maybe Izroth had some method of locating the other party members that she unaware of. "Well-" Just as Izroth was getting ready to speak, Mariposa and her group finally caught up. When Mariposa saw that Zi Yi was safe, she felt a sense of relief. "Ya-hoo~ My adorable little sister!" Mariposa called out in a tone full of happiness. It was as though her weariness from earlier had disappeared and her energy was replenished when she saw Zi Yi. Zi Yi¡¯s became extremely gloomy. "You- Why are you here? Are you going to stalk me even in this ce?" "Ugh... You used to be so cute when you snuck into my room in the middle of the night because you were afraid the monsters in your closet were going to-" Mariposa was cut off my Zi Yi. "Alright, that¡¯s enough out of you! Will you only be satisfied when you¡¯ve embarrassed me to death?!" Zi Yi¡¯s cheeked flushed with a light shade of pink out of embarrassment as she angrily stomped her foot on her ground. "I was able to find you with the help of your elder sister. It would seem as though we both owe her." Izroth exined. Zi Yi was surprised when she heard Izroth¡¯s words. It was her elder sister who helped to locate her? She suddenly felt a bit bad for using her of stalking and not even saying thank you. Zi Yi then spoke in a low voice and said, "Thank you, big sis... I owe y-" Even though it was low, Mariposa was still able to hear it clearly. Mariposa rushed over using spatial magic before Zi Yi could even finish speaking and hugged her. She then rubbed her cheek up against Zi Yi¡¯s while patting the top of her head. "Owe me? Then, I shall im my reward now." Zi Yi wanted to find a rock to crawl under as her entire face turned bright red. However, she endured it as this was her way of thanking Mariposa. Even if she embarrassed her at times, Mariposa was still her elder sister whom she had a great deal of respect for. But, this was something she would never tell her at the risk of being smothered to death. "I feelpletely recharged now!" After having her fill, Mariposa released Zi Yi and had a bright smile on her face. The other members of Sleeping Gardenia also smiled when they saw how happy their guild leader was. It was a rare sight to see her genuinely smile. Zi Yi cleared her throat as she turned to face Izroth, "I believe our next course of action should be to locate Luna." "My thoughts are the same, however, it¡¯s currently out of our hands." Izroth said. "Out of our hands? Didn¡¯t you say that my sister can locate other yers?" Zi Yi asked. "I can locate other yers. But, I cannot pinpoint anyone¡¯s exact position due to the interference of the ck specks. While I can still discover spatial signatures, I have to be within a certain range in order to perceive them. This ce limits my abilities in many ways." Mariposa exined. "So we have to rely on luck? Given how big the Chaotic Dogma Realm is, there¡¯s no guarantee that we can even find them before the time is up." Zi Yi frowned. If there was one thing she hated doing, it was putting her faith indy luck¡¯s hands. "For now it¡¯s all we can do. Though, we may not have as challenging of a time locating the rest of our party as I originally believed. There¡¯s a possibility that we can find the others without relyingpletely on luck." Izroth said. "Hm? What do you mean?" Zi Yi asked curiously. Mariposa was also curious to hear what Izroth had to say. So far, they had been relying strictly on her abilities to find others. If he had some way to narrow the search field, it would certainly help out a lot. "When we were transported, I believe that we were not separated at random. Usually, within chaos, there exists no form of order. However, the Chaotic Dogma Realm is different. While on the surface everything seems to be chaotic, there is always a certain level of order to it." Izroth exined. He then continued, "At first, I assumed that this was just due to the system making things fair, but it was more than that. Everything we¡¯ve experienced up until now, there has been an answer on how to resolve it. This Chaotic Shift should be something simr to those situations." Izroth said. Zi Yi set her index finger and thumb onto her chin as she thought about Izroth¡¯s words. "You mean to say that we were transported for a reason and there may be a way to find the others? But, if you¡¯re wrong then..." Izroth nodded, "Indeed, it¡¯s only mere spection. However, we cannot afford to take our time. Everyone may be facing dangers simr to your situation. We have to take a risk if we wish to find them before it¡¯s toote." He spoke in a calm and steady tone. Zi Yi knew that Izroth was correct. If they kept heading towards the tall tower, there was no guarantee that they woulde across the others. If the others were stuck in a fight or some other situation then there was a good chance of them never making it to the tower. Also, Zi Yi trusted Izroth¡¯s judgment. Even though she would not blindly follow him, she understood enough about Izroth to know that he gave serious thought to whatever ns he came up with. "Then, what¡¯s your n?" Zi Yi asked. "We head that way." Izroth pointed in a direction that was east of their current location. "That¡¯s nowhere near in the direction of the tower. Why that way?" Zi Yi questioned. "If I¡¯m correct, we¡¯ll find a spatial signature in a pretty specific location." Izroth said as he began to walk towards the direction he pointed in. Although Zi Yi and Mariposa remained unclear on how Izroth came to that conclusion, they followed after him. The other members of Sleeping Gardenia would naturally go wherever Mariposa went and followed along as well. There was something else that Izroth failed to mention to both Zi Yi and Mariposa. It was due to the fact that he had no positive evidence until he verified his first theory. ¡¯If I¡¯m right about this, then it may provide a clue on how to reach the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡¯ Chapter 121 Back To Square One? Zi Yi, Mariposa and the remaining members of Sleeping Gardenia were currently following after Izroth who led the way. "How did you meet with my sister?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "The location I was transported to happened to be only a few meters away from where she stood." Izroth responded. "It was a good thing that you did. If not, I may still be fighting to keep my life against that monster from before." Zi Yi then nced over at Mariposa who was walking beside her. There was another question on her mind, however, she was a little hesitant to ask. Mariposa noticed Zi Yi¡¯s constant nces towards her. It was one of Zi Yi¡¯s habits to do such a thing when she wanted to ask a question but did not know how to do so. Mariposa could guess what it was that she wanted to ask her. "You¡¯re wondering where the rest of my party members are, right?" Mariposa decided to bring up the topic. When she did, all the other members of her party facial expressions immediately turned gloomy. Just remembering what happened to their party members and those despicable members of Fatal Touch, how could they not be infuriated? Zi Yi gave a small nod to respond. It was true, she was curious as to why they were down to so few members. After all, they entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm with a full party of six. But, from the way everyone reacted, she assumed that whatever urred was something unpleasant to speak of. "It all started when..." Mariposa then went on to exin the events that led up to their confrontation with Silent Step and Fatal Touch. She exined everything all the way up until they managed to find her spatial signature. When Mariposa finished speaking, Zi Yi was absolutely livid. "How detestable! The members of Fatal Touch sure know how to behave in a shameless manner!" Zi Yi could understand why it was a topic they seemed reluctant to talk about. Just the thought alone would be more than enough to upset them. "Hmph, I will deal with both Silent Step and Fatal Touch once we¡¯re outside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. They¡¯ll understand that Sleeping Gardenia is not someone they can bully so easily and expect to get away with it." Mariposa said. "Still, I never thought that a member of Heaven¡¯s Law would interfere. From what I heard, that bunch is very selective of who they choose to associate with." Zi Yi originally believed that it would have been Izroth who was the one to step in, however, it turned out to be Aegis, a member of Heaven¡¯s Law. But, from what she understood, it was only due to the fact that her elder sister was a magic caster that specialized in space. If not for that, then there was a good chance that Aegis would have ignored her situation altogether. However, in the end, that did not change the fact that he helped them. The group continued their journey in order to confirm Izroth¡¯s theory. Along the way, they came across a few elite monsters which the group had no trouble taking care of, even without a healer present. This was mostly due to the Sleeping Gardenia party having a skilled tank and the added damage of Izroth, Zi Yi and Mariposa. The tank of Sleeping Gardenia was frustrated at the moment. She already had enough trouble holding aggro with the amount of damage Mariposa dished out and now she had to deal with two more freaks. She wanted to cry at the struggle of maintaining aggro against such high damage numbers. During that time, Izroth managed to level up and reach level 25. Thanks to that, he gained an additional skill point and three stat points. Izroth currently had 9 stat points and 5 skill points that were unused. He felt that it would be a waste to use it on the First Sword Form: Converging Paths skill since he could level it up just by executing it properly multiple times. However, the only other skills he had avable at the moment that was not maxed out and epted skill points were all C-ranked skills. Therefore, Izroth decided to max out two of them for now and had 1 skill point left over. The two skills he chose to level up were Myriad Elusive Palms and Fissuring Point. He believed that he would gain the most use out of those two skills and he was quite pleased with their newfound power. Skill Name: Fissuring Point Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Energy Cost: 20 Active: Deals 200% of the user¡¯s attack as damage. The damage from this skill ignores all shields and 100% of the target¡¯s defense. If this skill deals damage to someone with a shield active, the cooldown of this skill is increased to 30 seconds. This skill cannot be ¡¯Blocked¡¯. Description: A skill created by Izroth that can prate through almost any defenses with ease. Trying to block this skill is futile. Cooldown: 5 seconds Skill Name: Myriad Elusive Palms Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Energy Cost: 25 Active: Deals 150% of the user¡¯s attack as damage to all enemies within 6 meters. This skill has an increased hit rate and is difficult to evade. The cooldown of this skill is reduced by 4 seconds for each target sessfully hit. Description: A skill created by Izroth, capable of striking multiple targets with hard to follow movements. One true strike hidden within a myriad of palms. Cooldown: 20 seconds The overall strength of both skills increased by a great deal. The biggest two changes were that Fissuring Point now ignored 100% of all defenses and the Myriad Elusive Palms cooldown would be reduced by 4 seconds for each target struck. That meant as long as he struck five targets, the cooldown of the Myriad Elusive Palms would be reduced back to zero! However, Izroth only possessed 100 energy and the cost of Myriad Elusive Palms was 25 energy. Therefore, if he had max energy then he could use it up to four times! But, he would be out of energy and would have to wait before he could use any other skills that required energy. ¡¯I wonder if there¡¯s a way to increase my maximum amount of energy.¡¯ As for the nine stat points, Izroth chose to save for them now. There was something he needed to do before he invested any further stat points. The group continued to walk for around twenty minutes until Izroth came to an abrupt stop. When everyone saw that Izroth stopped moving, they also halted their steps. "It should be somewhere around here." Izroth said as he looked towards Mariposa. Mariposa nodded as she began to search the surroundings for any spatial signatures. However, after she searched for around five minutes, she shook her head helplessly. "There are no specific spatial signatures in this area." Mariposa said as she furrowed her brows as if she were in deep thought. It appeared that something else was on her mind after she examined the nearby space. ¡¯Could I have been wrong?¡¯ Izroth was positive that it would be around this area. However, if Mariposa said that there were no spatial signatures then there was a chance that he had been mistaken in his original assumption. But, when Izroth noticed the expression on Mariposa¡¯s face that looked as though something bothered her, he asked, "Is there something else?" Mariposa was unsure and so she decided against saying anything until she had more conclusive evidence. Though there was a good possibility that there was no way to obtain said evidence. "It may be nothing but, the ck specks in this area are minimal. The ck specks are forming arge dome that¡¯s at least one hundred meters in height and width. It¡¯s as if something pushed them outward. Therefore, if there was a spatial signature here it would have been swept away by the same force that caused the ck specks to form a dome." Mariposa exined. She then continued, "Then again, this could just be a natural urrence within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It is something that I cannot verify the authenticity of. I believe that it is natural because the other two options are highly improbable." If there was even a small chance that he may be correct, Izroth would pursue it. Or at the very least, he wanted to hear the other possibilities. "What might those be?" Izroth asked. "Well, the first is that an incredibly skilled spatial magic caster formed the dome. However, even at my current level, I would be unable to do something on this scale. You can call it boasting, but when ites to spatial magic within RML there are very few who can aplish what I¡¯m capable of. But, there are none that are this far above me." Mariposa said with a hint of confidence in her voice. Izroth nodded. It was unlikely that this was the work of a yer or monster from the Chaotic Dogma Realm. After all, if they really were as powerful as Mariposa suggested at this point, then others wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. "The second option is a magic item with a tremendous amount of power behind it. So much that it can influence the surrounding space on arge scale. However, I believe that even A-ranked magic items would not be capable of something like this. It would have to be at least S-ranked! But, how difficult is it to find and obtain an S-ranked magic item?" Mariposa said. If Mariposa knew that Izroth was in possession of two S-ranked magic items, even though they were for nonbat purposes, and had even already used one personally within the Shadahi Realm, she would be dumbfounded. Finding one was hard enough and yet Izroth had alreadye across so many! ¡¯A magic item?¡¯ Izroth was reminded of the Source of Despair magic item that he ran into earlier. It was possible that a magic item really was behind this phenomenon. If that were the case, then he may not be wrong after all. "Is there any way to determine which direction the spatial signature was dragged in?" Izroth asked. Mariposa shook her head, "Impossible. The only way would be that we search little by little. Even then it¡¯s not guaranteed that we¡¯ll find any traces. There¡¯s also a chance that we¡¯re looking for something that doesn¡¯t exist. Forgive me for being blunt, but I would not like to waste my time searching for a needle in the haystack when the needle may or may not be there." Izroth agreed with Mariposa. She had already helped them quite a bit, to ask her to embark on an arduous task for no purpose other than to confirm his theory would be unreasonable. But if this was a dead end, then they were back to square one. ¡¯A dome...¡¯ Izroth suddenly had an idea. "You said that ck specks are forming a dome, correct?" He asked. "Yes, that¡¯s right." Mariposa answered. "Then, is it possible for you to guide us to the center of the dome?" Izroth asked. His idea was simple, if they were in a dome and a magic item was the cause of it forming, then would not the magic item be located at the center of the dome? After all, it was natural for an object that released a force in all directions to be at the very center of things. Even if the object was no longer there or it was something else entirely, it would still provide clues as to what took ce here. Right now, this was their only option. "That should be possible. Though, I¡¯m not sure what you hope to find there." Mariposa said. "Answers." Izroth responded with one word. Mariposa then led the way, headed towards the center of the dome. It took the Izroth and the group only a few minutes to reach the center of the dome. Izroth studied his surroundings closely and instantly became aware of something quite peculiar. Although there was nothing suspicious in sight, there was a strange aura lingering within the area. It was faint and the source was no longer present, but Izroth was able to detect it. ¡¯Why is there the energy of a Shadahi lingering around this ce?¡¯ Chapter 122 Wounded This was the second source of Shadahi energy Izroth had felt within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Though, just like with Silent Step, this Shadahi energy was many times weaker than that of a true Shadahi. Izroth believed that it was unlikely for two yers with the same Shadahi transformation skill to be inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. If there was, then Silent Step would not have been the only one to transform in the fight against Aegis. After all, for two different teams to contain ties with the Shadahi was highly improbable. Therefore, Izroth concluded that this aura belonged to Silent Step. Given what he¡¯d learned from Mariposa so far about Silent Step, it was safe to say that if Luna came across him by ident sometime after she was transported, then she could have gotten into some kind of trouble. Izroth looked around quite thoroughly and could not locate any type of magic item. However, Mariposa had a slight look of disbelief on her face from what she discovered. "This... There¡¯s actually such a huge spatial anomaly...!" Mariposa was shocked. The size of the spatial anomaly was only around two meters long, however, that was terrifying enough. Spatial anomalies were usual subtle and hard to discern. This was Mariposa¡¯s first time seeing one of this scale. "Did you discover something?" Zi Yi asked curiously. She had been using her time to search the area nearby, but she did not see anyone or anything that was out of ce. Mariposa exined her findings to both Izroth and Zi Yi. "You mean to say that it¡¯s possible something really did happen at this location?" Zi Yi did not notice anything strange, but based on the information Mariposa provided, she had to rethink things. She could not look at this in the simple way of what she could physically see. But, how could any of them have known that a shocking event called upon by Silent Step was the reason for the dome and the unusuallyrge spatial anomaly? ¡¯A magic item capable of influencing the surrounding 100 meters of space is definitely one that¡¯s at least S-ranked.¡¯ There was one positive thing about this. Thanks to whatever caused this, the ck specks that interfered with Izroth¡¯s perception had been cleared out. But, he would not be able to sense anything that was too far away while being this close to the spatial anomaly. "I¡¯m going to go look around for a bit." Izroth said. "What a-" Zi Yi was going to ask what he was nning, but all that remained in the spot Izroth stood just moments ago was a flicking silhouette. ... "That was close..." Luna let out a sigh of relief. When that overwhelming dark force engulfed her, she acted just in time and managed to preserve her life. However, she barely made it in time. If she had been just half a secondte, she may have already dissipated and experienced an existence wipe. Luna could not help but frown due to the skill she was forced to use. "It¡¯ll be another two hours before I can use that skill again." She stood up straight and studied her current surroundings. Nothing appeared unusual and the environment was still intact with no noticeable destruction. "How could such a powerful attack leave behind no damage?" Luna was bewildered. She was sure that at the next moment she opened her eyes, she would be greeted by a wastnd of destruction. After all, the scale and force of that attack were simply too monstrous. Luna wondered if the yers who were caught in that were okay. Though, she doubted that anyone could have survived that without some type of major lifesaving skill. Chsh... Chsh... Luna instantly went on high alert when she heard the sound of something dragging on the ground. She immediately felt a sense of danger and was ready to retreat once more. However, before she could do so, piercingly cold energy shed by her almost taking her head with it in the process. "Hold it right there!" A voice shouted from the direction of the sound and where the piercingly cold energy came from. When Luna looked down a few meters in front of her, she saw a throwing knife sticking out of the ground. She froze and various thoughts started to form in her mind. At the moment, she did not have any damage skills that could do a great deal of damage. While she was confident in her ability to survive, her mana was still low. After the fight with the Silverline Entity, she was transported and although she regained some of her mana back, she used most of it casting the skill to protect herself. Right now, she was not in fighting condition. However, that did not mean that she would simply bow her head and ept defeat. She turned around and saw Silent Step who was still transformed like a Shadahi. However, she noticed that he was alone and thest yer of his party no longer apanied him. Silent Step himself appeared to be in a sorry state. But, Luna did not underestimate him. After all, she had witnessed the power of that transformation in his fight against Qi Jiguang. "What do you want?" Luna¡¯s tone of voice was cold and distant. To greet her byunching an attack was something she saw as disrespectful and rude. Silent Step facial expression darkened when he noticed Luna¡¯s rude attitude towards him, however, he kept his calm. "You¡¯re a healer, right? Then heal me." Silent Step had already used a potion, however, it was not nearly enough. He was currently walking on a thin line between life and death. He discovered that Luna was a healer ss due to the small image of a goddess attached to her cleric¡¯s robe. It was the main goddess of healing and prosperity within RML that nearly all healer sses had attached to their cleric¡¯s robe. If it were any other yer he would have kept hidden, however, how could a mere healer be of any threat to him? In fact, this was a chance! If he healed up then he could immediately go and hunt down anyone who may have survived, even if the chance of their survival was unlikely. Luna stared coldly at Silent Step. First, he attacked her and now he asked her to heal him? Did he take her as someone to order around freely as he pleased? "You attacked me and now you want me to heal you? Isn¡¯t that a little unreasonable?" Luna said while gripping her magic staff tightly in her hands. Since Silent Step had requested for her to heal him, his condition must be even worse than she originally thought it was. If that were the case, then if he made a move against her, Luna would fight back with everything she had. She would bet everything on her mana ousting his HP. When Silent Step saw how Luna was not intimidated by him and even seemed to be taking an aggressive stance, he was infuriated. He had not been treated with so much disrespectful in his entire life as he had been in his short time inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. "Do you know who I am? I¡¯m the guild leader of Fatal Touch, Silent Step! If you ever want to have any peace while ying, I suggest you do as I say and heal me!" Silent Step said in a threatening manner. "Who you are is irrelevant. Also, Fatal Touch? Never heard of them." Luna said with an unchanging expression. Silent Step snapped at that response. He was already at the peak of his anger after being confronted by Qi Jiguang and now he was even being looked down on by some nobody. "Then you can just die where you stand!" Silent Step did not waste any more words and unleashed a barrage of throwing knives in Luna¡¯s direction. It was the same attack he used against Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia. Luna had already prepared for Silent Step¡¯s attack and although her agility was not high, this kind of attack would never be able to hit her thanks to the unique skill she currently possessed. She moved a few steps over and stayed perfectly still. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The throwing knives all passed right by Luna and missed her by a thread of hair! Silent Step was surprised. She had managed to avoid his throwing knives? However, he believed that it was just dumb luck. He immediately dashed forward with his dagger in hand. His speed was extremely fast, however, due to her trait Soul Sense, Luna was able to grasp the general movements of Silent Step. Woosh! Luna stepped to the side and evaded Silent Step¡¯s dagger, however, the dagger suddenly changed directions in the middle of the attack. It was as if it had bounced off of thin air and shot directly towards Luna. "I¡¯ve already seen that trick once! Don¡¯t underestimate me!" Silent Step shouted furiously. He was still a top level yer and could adapt quickly to various situations. Luna wanted to evade, but her agility was simply not fast enough to keep up with her unique skill. The dagger made contact with her and shaved away almost 10% of her HP. She immediately cast the skill Healing Essence, but right after she finished, another dagger attack was headed straight for her taking yet chunk of her HP away. -164 +143 -164 1,700/1,885 HP Remaining! (Luna) Fast! Although the power behind the attacks was not all that strong, Silent Step was capable of attacking multiple times in the fraction of a second. Luna had expected as much after she observed Silent Step¡¯s fight against Qi Jiguang. Watching it and experiencing it firsthand were two different things. Qi Jiguang made things look easy, but that was just because of how skilled he really was. Plus, his ss was more suited to close quartersbat. Luna cast the skill Illuminate as a shining light appeared that caused Silent Step to close his eyes from the sudden brightness. Illuminate was only an E-ranked skill that Luna picked up back in Opal Town. It cost 0.2 mana per second to use, but she only needed it for that brief moment to create some distance between herself and Silent Step. After all, if Silent Step continued on with his assault then her HP would notst very long. Many healers would never think of using Illuminate as a move to throw off the attacks of melee yers. In fact, the majority of healers believed that Illuminate was only useful as a light source for dark ces. To use it in PVP was something that did not even cross their minds. Silent Step was disoriented for a bit due to the sudden sh of bright light. Even though he was able to regain his sight in about one second, he was now even further enraged. But, before he could take a step forward, he was struck by a bolt of pure white light. Luna deactivated the Illumination skill and cast the skill Superior Holy Smite on Silent Step. Just like the normal Holy Smite, it was able to be cast instantly. It also dealt 100% instead of 40% of the user¡¯s magic as damage. -450 Silent Step grit his teeth and his character soon vanished into thin air. Luna remained vignt as she knew that it was unlikely that Silent Step retreated. He was an assassin-type ss who would use stealth to his advantage. Just two secondster, Luna felt an ominous presence behind her. She instantly shifted her magic staff and cast the skill Illuminate once again. Swoosh! Silent Step¡¯s dagger hit nothing but air as he was once again caught off guard by the Illumination skill. He was even more shocked at that fact Luna could determine where he would appear from and act ordingly. He hated to admit it, but maybe he underestimated this healer. It was time he started to consider her as a true threat. Luna was using her unique ability and her newly attained Soul Sense trait to the fullest. However, she could not keep that up for long. It seems that when one uses Soul Sense constantly inbat, it starts to drain Essence. If she pushed the Soul Sense trait too hard, then she may experience Soul Weakness. There was only one thought in her mind at that moment, to finish off Silent Step before he eliminates her! Chapter 123 Going To Get Some Answers ... In front of the gates of Amaharpe during the small intermission in between waves for the Protectors of Amaharpe event, Ewan assembled a small group to head over towards the Blue Oasis section that was previously agreed upon. He nned on getting some answers for the surprise attack on one of his Five Great Generals. An attack against them was an attack against his Cross Haven guild. If he failed to respond to such a direct attack when it was out in the open and so many people had seen it, then people would think that his Cross Haven guild was full of a bunch of pushovers. Ewan could not afford to throw away the face of his guild that he worked so hard to build up. Dragus, who was walking slightly behind Ewan, had a darkened expression on his face. The implications behind this were too big to ignore. If it had just been a regr member of Blue Oasis then it would have been a lot easier to exin as a member who had "gone rogue". However, this was a Lieutenant of Blue Oasis that led the surprise attack! A rank that was just below that of the Seven Captains of Blue Oasis. This made things much moreplicated and it could not simply just be brushed off. To make matters even worse, the next wave was going to start in less than ten minutes. "You should have let me gather more people. If Blue Oasis really does have ill intentions then we¡¯ll be stepping into the palm of their hand. At the very least, leader, you should not be apanying us." Dragus said voicing his opinion. "This matter is too serious to entrust to anyone else, Dragus. I¡¯m sure you are fully aware of that fact. Unless Blue Oasis wishes to make a lifetime enemy out of my Cross Haven guild, then they will noty so much as a finger on me. Asgard is no fool, that¡¯s exactly why this is a little hard to ept at face value. However, men are often blinded by greed and power." Ewan said. He then continued, "Besides, if we deployed arge force and marched towards the Blue Oasis sector, wouldn¡¯t this rm every top guild? We could very well end up starting an unintentional guild war when there is nothing to gain from doing so." Dragus let out a helpless sigh. He knew that he would be unable to convince Ewan, but he still had to give it a try. "The timing of this is too good to just be a coincidence. Right after we send out a message warning everyone about a potential danger, Blue Oasis makes a move against us as if trying to warn or silence us. This news will spread fast to all the other top guilds and everyone will have eyes on how we respond to such a tant provocation." Ewan said. He then continued, "The main question remains, what does Blue Oasis have to gain from all of this? So far, that question remains unanswered." Dragus furrowed his brows. He was never too good at thinking about the oveplicated stuff. He was just after justice for Wang Qiang, a fellow guild member. "Do not worry, Dragus. No matter what, in the end, it was still a member of Blue Oasis who made a move against us. I will not take silence as an answer on this matter." Ewan said as he and his small group finally arrived at the border that led into the Blue Oasis sector. ... At the moment, Asgard was furious. He had received news not too long ago that one of his Lieutenants and some of his members assaulted a member of Cross Haven. However, this was not the worse part of it. That member of none other than the famed Cross Haven strategist and a member of the Five Great Generals, Wang Qiang. "Who was it that did it...?" Asgard asked as he tried to control his anger. "All of the members who participated are under Captain Minus¡¯mand. It was his Lieutenant that led the assault, Lieutenant Red Days. We¡¯re still trying to-" Before the member of Blue Oasis who was giving the information could finish, he was suddenly interrupted by another member who approached them in a hurried manner. "Leader! The guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan wishes to meet with you! He has brought along a small group of yers with him. He said he hase for some answers." The guild member said. Asgard massaged his temples after he received that message. Great! Just great! He himself did not even know what was going on and now guild leader Ewan wanted some answers when he had none to give! However, could he really just say "Yes, my Lieutenant attacked your general but I had no idea about it." and expect everything to be okay? Obviously not! While he did not fear Cross Haven, they were definitely one of thest guilds he wanted to deal with. Although their size was not thatrge for a top guild, the quality of their members made up for it. Though most important of all, he did not wish to for his Blue Oasis to suffer any losses due to actions that he waspletely unaware of. Asgard decided to send someone to ry a message to Minus telling him to report to this area. "Go and deliver a message to Captain Minus, tell him his guild leader requires his presence here at once!" he said as he turned his attention towards the other member. "You, allow guild leader Ewan to enter with his entourage. Escort him here personally, we do not need any more mishaps. However, take your time doing so. He cannot arrive here before Captain Minus." Asgard ordered as the two members left to carry them out. Niflheim had rushed over to meet up with Asgard after he learned of the events that unfolded just moments ago. When Niflheim arrived, he could already see the frustrated look on Asgard¡¯s face. "I rushed over as soon as I heard. Is it really true?" Niflheim had a serious look on his face. Asgard sighed and said, "Sadly, it is the truth. Guild leader Ewan is already here to get some answers." "What will you tell him?" Niflheim asked. He was sure that Asgard was not behind this whole mess. But, even if he was not the one to give the order, that did not change the fact that it was still a high ranking member of Blue Oasis that participated in the assault. "What can I tell them? I have nothing to say besides I don¡¯t know. We can only hope that Captain Minus can shed some light onto this situation." Asgard gave a weary smile. "Niflheim, we must avoid war at all cost. We cannot afford to waste time with war and watch as the other guilds pull ahead of us." Niflheim nodded, "I agree. But, is it even avoidable at this point?" He looked towards the distance and saw Ewan approaching with his entourage. Despite the guild member best effort to dy Ewan as much as possible, Ewan did not slow down his own pace. Minus had also arrived, but the main culprit who was behind the assault, Lieutenant Red Days, was nowhere to be seen. Minus reached Ewan¡¯s side with a slight look of shame in his eyes. After all, it was someone under hismand who had put the guild into this situation. Ewan arrived in front of Asgard, Niflheim, and Minus. He stopped a few meters away from them. "I am the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. Guild leader Asgard, you should know the reason that I¡¯vee to personally see you and so I shall do away with the pleasantries. Do you have an exnation?" Ewan set his gaze upon Asgard. There was a certain pressure that Ewan gave off when one was face to face with him. Asgard had erased his previous weary and frustrated expression. Right now, he had a calm look on his face, one befitting that of a guild leader. He naturally would not allow himself to be intimidated by Ewan¡¯s presence. "Guild leader Ewan, of course, I know the reason you¡¯vee here. However, I¡¯m afraid you will not ept what I have to say." Asgard said. "Oh?" Ewan waited to hear what Asgard had to say. ... Swoosh! Swoosh! -328 +143 -164 859/1,885 HP Remaining! (Luna) Silent Step used his speed to his advantage and pressed on with his assault against Luna. He had just executed one of his skills and shaved off quite a bit of Luna¡¯s HP. Thankfully, Luna¡¯s Healing Essence ticked and restored some of her lost HP. -450 The moment Silent Step second attacknded, Luna cast Superior Holy Smite followed by Illuminate. This time, however, while Silent Step was unable to avoid the Superior Holy Smite, he closed his eyes before Luna¡¯s Illuminate skill was activated. This stopped him from bing disoriented due to his eyes sudden exposure to a bright light source. He retreated soon after to a safe distance. Silent Step had tried multiple times to get some form of crowd control on Luna, however, every time she managed to sessfully evade it. It was as if she could see into the future the way she dodged his most deadly attacks with such precision. Luna had already predicted that Silent Step would soon adapt to her Illuminate skill, but it was still much faster than she expected. However, she did not panic and stayed calm. She noticed that Silent Step was bing more and more cautious with his attacks. He also appeared to be under a tremendous amount of pressure. Luna could tell that Silent Step must be only a few more moves away from being eliminated. However, Luna also did not have much more to offer. Right now, she only had 175 MP remaining. She had already consumed a potion not too long ago and it was currently still on cooldown. Casting Superior Holy Smite cost her 100 MP. She could save a bit of MP by casting the regr Holy Smite, but if Silent Step was really so close to death, should she be ying it so safe? "It¡¯s still not toote. If you agree to heal me, I can spare you." Silent Step stared coldly at Luna as he took an offensive stance with his dagger in hand. "My answer remains unchanged, I refuse." Luna did not hesitate as she held her magic staff out in Silent Step¡¯s direction. "Then you¡¯ll perish here!" Silent Step dashed towards Luna with quickened steps and he was much faster than before. It was as if he used some kind of skill to increase his agility. Luna was prepared to risk it all and cast another Superior Holy Smite, but just as she was getting ready to, Silent Step vanished. She then heard a voice call out from the distance, "You will no longer have any ce to hide within all of RML! Remember my words!" The voice belonged to Silent Step. One could tell from his voice that he felt extremely humiliated at having to retreat from some nobody healer. He, the number one assassin, was forced into such a pathetic state! Silent Step wanted nothing more at the moment than to bathe in Luna¡¯s blood, however, he was unwilling to risk losing everyone and falling far behind the other yers. To Silent Step, this was the greatest humiliation of his entire gaming career- No! His entire life! He had never felt this level of endless rage and to him, Luna was someone he would eventually destroy. That voice grew further and further away until it disappearedpletely. He had run away! Luna, however, still kept her guard up and remained vignt. While it may seem as if he was gone for good, she knew what kind of character Silent Step possessed. He may still be nearby and just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. After around five minutester, Luna did not see any sign or indication that Silent Step was still nearby and so she rxed a bit. She lowered her magic staff and started to cast Cure on herself, as well as, drink a potion to regain some of her lost MP. However, just as she finished, she could feel someone or somethinging towards her. Their speed was incredibly fast and they were only moments away from closing in! "Did he return already?" Luna muttered to herself as she prepared herself to engage in battle once more, however, she would never get the chance to. "Have I offended you?" A familiar voice sounded out as a flickering silhouette soon appeared in front of Luna. Luna rxed and shook her head in response to that question. She lowered her guard as a lovely smile found its way onto her face. Luna knew this voice quite well and was relieved that he was alright. "How did you find me?" Luna asked as the silhouette before it stopped flickering. The person who arrived was, of course, Izroth. "It would seem that we both have some questions to ask." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Chapter 124 Going Separate Ways Izroth, as well as, Luna walked and chatted as they headed to meet up with Zi Yi, Mariposa, and the others. At the moment, Izroth and Luna were exchanging details about what happened after the Chaotic Shift urred. One of the topics that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the item Luna described to him which was supposedly the reason behind therge spatial anomaly, as well as, the dome formed around them. "Did you manage to get a good look at the item he used?" Izroth asked. Luna shook her head, "All I can say for sure is that it reminded me of the same pressure we faced when we came across that one boss within the Shadahi Realm. However, it was much more unrestrained and ferocious. I felt that if I let that attack strike me head on, I would slip away into an endless abyss of eternal darkness." ¡¯First a Shadahi transformation and now someone who has gotten their hands on such a powerful item...¡¯ With this, Izroth had confirmed his previous suspicions that something definitely did not add up. If it were just the Shadahi transformation then it could be brushed off as the Shadahi influencing yers. However, such a powerful item actually found its way into the hands of a yer that entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Was what awaited them at the end of this ce really worth the Shadahi using such drastic measures to keep them from it? This only made Izroth want to reach the end even more so than before. Izroth felt a bit at fault for the predicament Luna was put in because of Silent Step. Just by Silent Step having ties with the Shadahi, it was more than enough of a reason to eliminate him. After all, with the stunt Izroth pulled inside of the Shadahi Realm, as well as, his reputation with them, they would always be enemies. ¡¯Next time, I will not be so lenient.¡¯ Izroth realized early on that this world was not the same as that of the Seven Realms. However, there were certain aspects that seemed to carry over. One of those aspects was that sparing those who would eventually give you trouble was not a good idea. While Izroth originally had no personal issues with Silent Step, after attacking one of his party members, it had be personal. After talking for a while, the two finally arrived back at the location that Zi Yi, Mariposa, and the others waited at. Zi Yi let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Luna was alright. Of course, she was not worried in the slightest about anything happening to Izroth with his terrifying speed. "You didn¡¯te across any trouble, did you?" Zi Yi asked. Luna gave a simple smile and responded, "Just a small matter." She then properly greeted Mariposa and the others from Sleeping Gardenia. After doing so, she gave a brief summary of the events that transpired once she was transported away by the Chaotic Shift. Mariposa and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia had a darkened expression on their faces when they heard mention of Silent Step. That was now a name of taboo for them and the mere mention of it turned their stomachs. "Hmph! It¡¯s just like that despicable dog to resort to such underhanded methods when things do not go his way." Mariposa said with a hint of contempt carried within her tone of voice. "The members of Fatal Touch are so unruly because their leader is the same way!" Zi Yi despised people like Silent Step. When they could not get what they wanted, they would try to use force in order to take it. After a while of talking to one another, an important question then came up which was asked by Zi Yi. "So, what now?" Zi Yi looked towards Izroth and then at Mariposa. "That depends," Mariposa turned to face Izroth with an inquiring look on her face, "Can you locate the other members of your party with the same method you used to find Luna?" While Mariposa and her party were not in the best state, they were still elite members of a top guild and could take care of themselves. After all, if they continued to travel with Izroth and his party then they would only end up interfering with each other¡¯s gains. Therefore, Mariposa decided that it would be best to part ways if Izroth was sure of his method. Although he was unable to fully confirm his theory, Izroth was confident that he was correct. If not for thatrge spatial anomaly and Silent Step using that powerful item which influenced the surrounding space, he was sure that Luna¡¯s spatial signature would have been in the position he previously predicted. Since she was somewhere nearby, that was enough for Izroth to have, at the very least, some sort of proof that he was not on the wrong track. However, he could not just toss Mariposa and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia away after he received their help. Izroth would always repay kindness with kindness! Even though he did not have much to give at the moment, there was one thing that they may not yet have. "I believe that we will be able to find the other members of our party without much issue. I won¡¯t trouble you any longer, but I insist that you let me thank you for your assistance, even if you did help us because of Zi Yi." Izroth said as he removed three Five Cycles Pills from his inventory and handed them to Mariposa to divide with her remaining party members. "This is a small token of my thanks." Izroth said. Mariposa was just getting ready to reject Izroth¡¯s kind offer, but when she saw the grade and effects of the pills handed to her, those words of rejection were quickly swallowed down. These were grade three pills! Who in all of RML was able to casually take out grade three pills at this point in time? The answer was no one! Well, not quite no one. ording to her knowledge, there was just one yer within RML who was capable of crafting a grade three pill. However, nothing was known about the identity of that unknown Apothecary, at least until now. Mariposa¡¯s mind immediately entered into a guild leader mode and she quickly sent a friend request to Izroth. "Since you are such a dear friend of Zi Yi¡¯s, you should not consider yourself a stranger if you ever need anything in the future." Mariposa said with a smile on her face. Though behind that blossoming smile was someone withrger ns in mind. If what Mariposa believed about Izroth to be true, then she would try her best to maintain a harmonious rtionship with him. After all, there were only gains to made and no losses to be suffered. Izroth was a bit surprised by the sudden friend request, however, he saw no reason to turn her down. Besides, he understood what intentions Mariposa held and he would not necessarily be against what she probably had in mind. Though, that was something to consider at ater date. "I shall remember your words then." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Mariposa also sent a friend request to Luna as well. Luna appeared to be on friendly terms with her little sister, who did not make friends easily. Therefore, a friend of her little sister was a friend of hers. Zi Yi had a doubtful expression on her face that also held a shadow of worry. "Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright with so few people and no healer?" Mariposa smiled and hugged Zi Yi as she said in a teasing voice, "What this? Is my adorable little sister worried about me?" Zi Yi scoffed as she squirmed her way out of Mariposa hug. "You- Hmph! Fine, just go and get lost or something!" Zi Yi frowned. Mariposa raised one hand over her mouth and giggled. She could tell that Zi Yi was actually worried about her but did not want to juste out and say it. However, it still made her really happy that her little sister felt that way. "Do not worry. We are still strong members of the top guild Sleeping Gardenia. Even if we do not manage to reach the end, we are confident of holding our own until the very end. Besides, even if you are my little sister, as a guild leader, I cannot afford to share any loot with you." Mariposa said in a yful manner. "Who wants your loot?! We can find our own just fine!" Zi Yi stomped her foot. Luna, who observed the two from the side, could not help but give a small giggle. Usually, Zi Yi behaved in a mature and straight forward manner, however, she was like a helpless little girl before her elder sister. Luna, who was an only child, was slightly envious of the two¡¯s close rtionship. After teasing Zi Yi for a bit longer, Mariposa and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia began their departure. She stopped and waved once more before going on her way. The only yers who remained were Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi. Now that Mariposa and her group had left them, they would have to rely on Izroth¡¯s methods to locate Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine in order to be aplete party once again. Izroth stepped forward and led the way towards the next location that one of the other party members should have been transported to by the Chaotic Shift. Zi Yi was curious as to what method Izroth used to locate the position of the other members. She could not help but ask, "How exactly did you discover such a method? I still do not understand how the Chaotic Shift could be seen as anything other than random." Luna was simrly curious as to how Izroth managed to locate her. "At first, I too, believed that the Chaotic Shifts transported us to random locations. However, after discussing things with Mariposa and a certain individual, I was able to specte otherwise." Izroth said. He then continued, "The Chaotic Dogma Realm is all about chaos, that much is undeniable. But, just as much as it¡¯s about chaos, it is also equally about order. For every chaotic event that urs in this ce, there is an orderly event that eventually bnces it out or provides a means of escape. This Chaotic Shift is no different from any of those other situations." "If I am correct, the next member we run into should be straight that way." Izroth said as he pointed further east. "Why that way?" Zi Yi was still unclear about Izroth¡¯s methods. Izroth gave a carefree smile as he answered, "Because it is a ce that we have been before." Zi Yi wanted to ask another question, but she had a feeling that Izroth would not answer her. However, something suddenly dawned on her after she heard Izroth¡¯sst statement. Luna, on the other hand, slightly furrowed her brows as if she were contemting Izroth¡¯s words. If it were anyone else they would believe Izroth was just speakingplete nonsense and had no idea what he was doing. That was due to the fact that they had never once been in the direction Izroth pointed in ever since they stepped foot into the Chaotic Dogma Realm! Therefore, how could it be a ce they have visited once before? However, they understood that Izroth would not lead them on a fruitless journey. So even though they still had many questions, they followed Izroth along to the next location. ... Meanwhile, somewhere currently within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Guan Yu scratched his head with a frustrated look on his face. The reason for his frustration was that he was utterly lost! One moment, he was with everyone and the next he was by himself in an unfamiliar area. "Why can¡¯t I find anyone?" Guan Yu had been searching the surrounding area, however, no matter how much he called out or looked there was no one who was nearby. Guan Yu set his gaze upon the tall tower in the distance. That was the location they agreed to head to next. Since there were no clues around here, the only course of action he could take was to head in the direction of the tower. Chapter 125 The Difference Between Both Mortals As Guan Yu continued his journey towards the tall tower, he felt as if something were constantly warning him about a potential threat. Although this feeling was extremely vague and not as powerful as Izroth¡¯s or Luna¡¯s Soul Sense, Guan Yu could still perceive it. At first, however, Guan Yu did not really pay it much attention as it was barely noticeable. But, the further he walked the more clearly he was able to feel the effects of his Soul Sense. Now he was sure that something or someone was stalking him! "You can stop hiding now! Show yourself!" Guan Yu said in amanding tone of voice whileing to an abrupt stop. He stood tall and proud with his guandao in hand ready to face whatever came before him. However, after waiting for nearly thirty seconds, no one revealed themselves and it left Guan Yu with furrowed brows. He was confident that someone or something was tailing him. Even though Guan Yu thought with his fist instead of his head most of the time, that did not mean that he was incapable of piecing together a few things. There was a good chance that whoever was stalking him was not a monster from the Chaotic Dogma Realm, but rather a yer who entered inside of this ce along with the other teams. After all, he had yet to encounter one monster within the Chaotic Dogma Realm that patiently stalked its potential prey. While it was not impossible, it was highly unlikely. "If you refuse toe out, then don¡¯t me me for being impolite!" Guan Yu spoke in a slightly more aggressive tone this time. If this yer held bad intentions towards him, then he would obviously not bother being polite. "If you do not show yourself in five seconds, then I will personally pay you a visit! 5... 4..." Guan Yu began counting down. Of course, he had no idea where this yer was hiding and was just hoping that they would not call his bluff. After all, his Soul Sense only gave him a vague feeling of being followed. Just as Guan Yu counted down to two, he felt that maybe there really was no one there. However, just when this thought crossed his mind, a figure emerged around twenty meters away from Guan Yu behind one of the metallic-like trees. When the figure finally showed themselves, Guan Yu set his gaze upon the figure and confirmed his previous suspicions. It really was another yer that was tailing him! But now the question remained, why was this yer following him around? If Luna were here, she would immediately recognize the yer that showed himself. He was that same highly skilled yer that held an advantage over Silent Step even while he was within his Shadahi transformation state. That yer was Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang stayed on guard, however, he did not take any immediate hostile actions against Guan Yu. He had barely escaped from Silent Step¡¯s devastating attack. Every single member of his party were all killed in one go, even the tank who was definitely no pushover! The only reason he was able to leave with his life was mostly due to luck. Qi Jiguang possessed a unique skill that gave the user the ability to live through what should be a fatal attack. However, the user would be left in a weakened state for a period of time after the skill wore off. If not for his luck in activating it without even the slightest bit of hesitation, then he would have definitely suffered the same tragic ending as the other members of his party. He had grossly underestimated Silent Step and the extent of power he held within the palm of his hands. However, how could Qi Jiguang know that the item Silent Step activated could only be used once before shattering into pieces? Nevertheless, Qi Jiguang still med himself for the death of his party members. If he did not lead them to strike first, then the yers who suffered that fate would have been the members of Heaven¡¯s Law, not them. When Silent Step escaped during the confusion, Qi Jiguang chased after him in a fit of rage. But with no clue as to what direction Silent Step escaped in, he could only choose a direction at random and hope for the best. However, after his anger subsided and he cleared his mind, he had to stop to think about his current state. He was weakened and would just be an easy target for Silent Step. Qi Jiguang knew better than to let anger guide his actions and he almost made one of the most amateur mistakes a fighter could ever make. That was miscing and redirecting one¡¯s source of anger in a negative form, ack of discipline! It was not long before he came across Guan Yu, but after his experience with Silent Step, he was not willing to take a chance and trust anyone so easily. But at the same time, he could not wander around the Chaotic Dogma Realm in a weakened state. Even staying in one spot for too long could be potentially dangerous. Therefore, Qi Jiguang made a decision. He would follow Guan Yu around and trail behind him in order to cover for his weakened state, letting Guan Yu face any dangers they ran into. After he recovered, he would be on his way while Guan Yu was none the wiser. However, he did not expect Guan Yu¡¯s range of perception to be so frightening! Qi Jiguang was confident in his ability to hide his presence, but little did he know that Guan Yu had a special trait which allowed him to discover his presence, Soul Sense! Guan Yu sized up Qi Jiguang. At first nce, there did not seem to be anything special about him except for his handsome appearance. But after taking a closer look, Guan Yu noticed that Qi Jiguang had absolutely no exploitable openings! He was definitely a top level yer and this made Guan Yu execute a level of more caution than before. "So? Why are you following me? Just so you know, I like women!" Guan Yu said in a serious manner. Qi Jiguang was baffled. He likes women? What did that have to do with him? However, it only took a brief moment for Qi Jiguang to understand the meaning behind Guan Yu words. His facial expression immediately darkened. "Like your head! I, Qi Jiguang, only like women as well!" Qi Jiguang snapped back. Guan Yu let out a sigh of relief as if a great burden was just lifted off his shoulders. However, Qi Jiguang felt the sudden urge to forget about his weakened state and just punch Guan Yu. Why did he look so relieved? Did he really think that he was following him around for something so vulgar? Guan Yu frowned, "Then why have you been following me for so long?" "This-" Qi Jiguang was uncertain of what to tell Guan Yu. If he told this stranger about his weakened state then he may very well take advantage of him, or even worse, eliminate him on the spot! However, if he did not give an eptable exnation, then his situation may not be any different. For Qi Jiguang, it was a lose-lose situation! After thinking about it for a bit, Qi Jiguang decided that he would tell Guan Yu the truth. Although this fellow appeared to be a little thick-headed, those types were usually the easiest to deal with when you approached them with honesty. Qi Jiguang chose to trust his gut feeling. "I ran into some trouble with some devious people who plotted against all of us. When I confronted him with my party members, he used some type of powerful item to eliminate every single member of my group. The only reason I survived was due to some... Special set of circumstances. However, I¡¯m currently in a weakened state so..." Qi Jiguang was reluctant to continue. "Hm..." Guan Yu observed Qi Jiguang as he told his story. After doing so, he came to the conclusion that Qi Jiguang was either a really good liar, or he was telling the truth. Though just like Qi Jiguang, Guan Yu was also one to trust his gut feeling about a person. "So you need someone to protect you in this dangerous ce while you are in your weakened state, is that it?" Guan Yu nodded his head with arge grin on his face. A part of Guan Yu had always wanted to y the role of a hero saving the weak and now he was getting a chance to do just that. Qi Jiguang was quite a prideful person, however, he was also a person withmon sense. He knew that too much pride could be a dangerous thing and it often led many fools to their end. Therefore, he swallowed his pride at the moment and gave a simple nod in response. "Heh, don¡¯t worry! I, Guan Yu, will protect you during your time of need!" Guan Yu said in an almost heroic tone of voice. If Zi Yi were here at the moment, she would have had a look of disgust on her face from that creepy and happy expression Guan Yu currently had. Qi Jiguang was extremely gloomy at having to put his life in the hands of someone with a possible heroplex. However, this was his only option for now and so he would learn to live with it for the time being. Qi Jiguang suppressed his personal feelings and cuffed his fist towards Guan Yu in a respectful manner, "You have my thanks." Even if he was unhappy with the current set of circumstances, it had been instilled in him from a young age to repay kindness with some form of gratitude. Guan Yu nodded, "Leave it to me!" ... "Any idea who we will run into next with that method of yours?" Zi Yi asked. At the moment, Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi were not too far away from the position Izroth said that one of their other party members should have been transported to. Izroth shook his head, "That part is impossible to tell. Although there is a certain level of order to the chaos within the Chaotic Dogma Realm, chaos would ultimately not be chaos if every single aspect of it had some kind of order. There always has to exist some form of the unknown." he exined. "This ce feels strangely... Enlightening in a way. It¡¯s as if it was built to chip away at one¡¯s understandings and bestow a more profound point of view on them." Luna said. Zi Yi nodded in agreement, "I also feel that this ce offers a unique outlook on matters that I would have never considered before. I think I¡¯m beginning to understand the words written on that stone door a bit." When Izroth heard Zi Yi¡¯s words, he could not help but to inwardly shake his head. While all that she said was true, she had in the end, not even scratched the surface of the meaning of the words written on that stone door. However, for mortals, Izroth was quite impressed that both Luna and Zi Yi were able to grasp even that much. To him, it was already quite a remarkable feat. ¡¯The mortals of this realm live a more intellectual lifestyle than those within the Seven Realms. I suppose it is to be expected that there are some who are able to, at the very least, perceive that there is something present in the first ce.¡¯ Within the Seven Realms, putting it in the most polite terms possible, mortals were considered as disposable trash by the majority of cultivators. After all, even the weakest of cultivators were seen as unbeatable deities by mortals. Most mortals within the Seven Realm would live their entire life doing one of two things. The first was being some cultivators personal servant or living out their life peacefully cultivating thend. While there were mortals who controlled kingdoms, they were nothing before the eyes of a cultivator and could easily be overturned within one night. Although there were a few exceptions to this, such as mortals who became martial art practitioners, even at their peak they would be no match for a cultivator. It was also seen as a waste of time since true power, in the end, was bing a powerful cultivator. Therefore, their thought process was limited by the fact that "all cultivators are untouchable beings", the absolute highest level of authority. To try to fight against that authority would be tantamount to signing one¡¯s own life away. However, the mortals within this realm explored a much deeper pattern of beliefs and philosophies than those within the Seven Realms did. This was due to the simple fact that although some of the people within this realm believed in divine beings, they did not let that stop their own advancements from urring. This was something Izroth found fascinating. ¡¯Maybe it will be possible for the mortals of this realm...¡¯ Izroth suddenly had quite an interesting thought pass through his mind, however, he felt that it was a thought for a muchter date. "This ce indeed holds many mysteries. I am afraid that twenty-four hours is not enough to unravel every single one. But, I believe that if we are the first to reach the end, we may at the very least, uncover some of those hidden mysteries." Izroth said. Chapter 126 Shifting Earth Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi reached the next location of where one of their party members should have been transported to if Izroth was correct. However, they had no way to tell for sure until they found their lost party member in the surrounding area. This was even more so since Izroth¡¯s sense of perception was once again limited by the ck specks in the atmosphere. He had to mostly rely on his powerful Soul Sense and capped off senses to discover any clues. The most simple train of thought was that whoever it was would head towards the tall tower in the distance, however, both Luna and Zi Yi had experienced different difficulties after they were transported which caused them to deviate from this obvious option. In fact, if not for Aegis already fighting against Silent Step, Izroth may have been the one to face off against him. Therefore, they no longer had the luxury of assuming that the tall tower would be the direction their party member would be headed in. Izroth studied his surroundings carefully, however, there was no visible indication of anyone ever being here. Though that was to be expected. Izroth could already consider himself quite lucky since he was able to find Zi Yi and Luna without much trouble. "I will quickly search the surroundings, remain cautious." Izroth said before flickering off to begin his search. Hopefully, his previous luck would not elude him this time. Zi Yi then turned to Luna and asked her a question that had been on her mind for quite some time now. "Luna, how did youe to meet with Izroth?" Zi Yi was not blind and would often see Luna¡¯s gaze wander off in Izroth¡¯s direction. Therefore, she thought that maybe they had known each other from some previous games or maybe even in the real world. Not only that, but Izroth also had a very... Unique air about him. Also, although the others may not have noticed it before, Zi Yi had observed times when Izroth had an incredibly distant look in his eyes. He would be looking straight ahead or towards the sky, but his gaze would iste his surroundings. Luna blinked a few times. She had not expected Zi Yi to ask such a random question. However, she did not have any reason to hide it from her. "It started back in Opal Town.." Luna then went on and retold the events that led up to her, as well as, Halls bing acquainted with Izroth. Zi Yi was shocked when she found out that Izroth, Luna, and Halls had only met during the beginningunch of RML. From the way Halls called him brother and they both respected him, she figured that there was a much deeper history between them. Even if it was not in the real world, at least very least, in the virtual world. But that turned out not to be the case at all. Not too long after Luna told Zi Yi her summarized version of how she had met Izroth, he had returned from his search. But unlike the times with Luna and Zi Yi when he came back with someone, this time there was no one who came along with him. "Anything?" Zi Yi asked. "I found a small cave with what appears to be a few tunnels linked together up ahead. One tunnel is straight and appears to lead to the other side. I¡¯ve returned here because I am unsure of what lies in that cave. It would be unfortunate if we became forcibly separated again after such a short period of time." Izroth exined. One could never be too safe within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. While Izroth would have no trouble taking care of himself, he felt it would be unfair to Luna and Zi Yi if he left them waiting here for him to return. "A small cave? Do you think that one of the guys would have gone inside alone?" Zi Yi asked. "There¡¯s no guarantee that they did, however, there¡¯s also no guarantee that they did not. If we do not find anyone inside, we¡¯ll just have tobel this as a dead end and proceed towards the tower." Izroth replied. Indeed, there was no way to tell for sure if someone was inside of the small cave, but it was currently their only lead to pursue, excluding the tower route. With their decision made, Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi walked towards the small cave that Izroth had discovered during his search. When the group arrived, they saw the small cave entrance that was no more than a few meters high and wide on a lengthy sized rock-based structure. It almost resembled a piece of artwork, rather than something that was naturally formed by nature. There was also the straight path that Izroth mentioned before and the group could see the light source from the other side of the cave. If they were to travel around the entire rock-based structure, it would take them a considerable amount of time. Inside of the cave was a faint light being emitted by an unknown light source. However, the light was bright enough so that yers who entered would not have a challenging time adjusting to the area. "If someone dide here, I wonder if they went straight through the cave, or decided to stop and explore for a bit." Zi Yi pondered for a brief moment. She could not say for sure, but she believed that all three of those guys would have chosen to explore this ce out of pure curiosity with their simplistic mindset. "Since the cave itself is not toorge, we should be able to go through all of the tunnels within twenty minutes or so. If they are not at the end of the straight path, then we will simply proceed to the next step and search the tunnels." Izroth said. Izroth led the way into the small cave with Luna and Zi Yi trailing right behind him. It only took the group a few minutes to reach the halfway mark. But, before they could continue any further, a loud rumbling sound went off and the entire cave began to shake. They were rmed by the sudden earthquake. However, when the group looked forward, the straight path to the other side was no longer there. The rocks around them were constantly shifting around as if someone was sliding the earth itself into direction positions. "The earth is actually moving by itself!" Zi Yi watched as therge b of stone slid past her and into a different location. When the rocks came to aplete stop, the once small cave was now a maze where the group could not see the way the came from, nor the end where they were ultimately headed. ¡¯A maze that¡¯s disguised as a cave?¡¯ If one of their party members really did enter into this ce, then they may be lost. He did not know how skilled Halls and Guan Yu were when it came to mazes, however, they were probably not the best people to deal with this situation. As for Valentine, Izroth felt that he would have an advantage with his Eyes of Magic. "It almost felt as if the earth in this area was alive." Luna said. Izroth and Zi Yi also thought the same thing. The way the earth moved seemed unnatural and it was as though someone was controlling its actions. "Our original n does not change. We¡¯ll-" Izroth was speaking when suddenly, a low rumbling sound echoed in the near distance. Unlike the loud and very distinct sound from before, this one was more subtle and concentrated in a very specific area that appeared to be on a path set straight for their current position. The chances were that it was not friendly by any means. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning and turned his focus towards the direction of the rumbling sound. Izroth¡¯s actions caused Luna and Zi Yi to also prepare for a potential battle. At first, they did not hear anything, however, after a few seconds, the sound became loud enough for them to catch. "What is it?" Zi Yi focused her attention in the same direction as Izroth. The rumbling sound grew louder and louder as the moments past. However, there was no way for them to go but towards the sound based on their current location. No matter what, they would have to face whatever it was that appeared before them if they wanted to advance any further. "It appears that we are about to find out." Izroth said. Cheeeeeeet! Chet! Chet! Soon after those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, an odd bestial like noise came from the ground in front of them. They could not see the creature that appeared before them clearly, but they were able to make out a few of its features and see the information about it. Name: Earth Shifter(Elite) Level: 26 HP: 50,000 (100%) ¡¯For a level 26 monster, its HP is on the lower end of the spectrum.¡¯ However, low HP usually indicated one of two things. The first was that the monster had other special qualities that required a lower HP value. The second was that the monster was a part of a group of other monsters. But, the only group of monsters Izroth and his party had run into since they began the Chaotic Dogma Realm were the Chaos Fiends. However, did that truly count? After all, when all was said and done, the Chaos Fiends were the byproducts of a powerful magic item. If they took into ount the natural monsters they had encountered thus far, then there was never a repeat. "Earth Shifter, by its name I believe it¡¯s safe to assume that it has something to do with the sudden shift of the earth within this cave." Luna said. The Earth Shifter resembled a groundhog, however, it was around 1.5 meters in size and possessed a much more intimidating appearance. It had no eyes as if it had been living in a dark ce for its entire life and its tail was simr to a beaver¡¯s tail. Its tail constantly tapped against the ground beneath it. It had a light coat of fur that was dark brown in color with ck patches ced in various different locations. The most frightening feature about the Earth Shifter was its pair of ws. On each hand, was one long curved w with a sharp point extended outward in a threatening manner. Those were the same ws it used to tear through solid earth like it was nothing. The Earth Shifter did not waste time and immediately went after the closest target, Izroth. It, quite literally, swam through the earth and rapidly approached Izroth. The monster swung its sharp ws towards Izroth. It was incredibly fast and its ws came down rapidly. However, Izroth managed to evade the iing blows and parried one of the attacks to get a decent understanding of the Earth Shifter¡¯s attack power. ?Parried? -330 2,638/2,968 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Izroth was quite surprised that even though it possessed such a high attack speed, the Earth Shift still had a high attack stat. However, this would exin its lower HP valuepared to other monsters of a simr level. ¡¯It¡¯ll be a bit troublesome to constantly evade its attacks within this enclosed space. However...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s surprisingly did notunch an offensive, but rather his initial sword stance had changed. It went from one that was aggressive, to one that was calm and iparably patient. The two styles were almost theplete opposite from one another. Izroth ced the palm of his left hand gently on top of his right wrist. Afterward, he tilted the de of Lightning within his right hand at a slight angle of 45-degrees with its tip pointed in a counterclockwise way. ¡¯This is the most ideal situation to learn the second sword form.¡¯ Chapter 127 Blood Enemies The Earth Shifter mmed its powerful tail against the ground and used the momentum granted by that action to instantly elerate itself towards Izroth. Its movements were incredibly precise and exact, almost to a fault. When something was too perfect, it eventually would be easy to read the next course of action. Izroth leaned slightly to the right side while maintaining his sword stance. He sessfully dodged the Earth Shifter¡¯s attack. At almost the same instance as the Earth Shifter¡¯s deadly w missed Izroth, he shifted his sword 90-degrees clockwise and quickly sliced down through the air and struck the body of the Earth Shifter ruthlessly. As soon as his attack connected, Izroth immediately resumed his previous stance. During that entire sequence of movements, Izroth¡¯s left hand remained rested upon his right wrist. The effects of his Hellfire Rampage passive made it so that his agility would raise with each sessful attack. However, in order to maintain this boost, he had to attack again sessfully within three seconds. The agility boosted granted by the Hellfire Rampage would make it easier to respond to the Earth Shifter¡¯s actions. -388 +12 Thanks to the lifesteal effect attached to his Adaptation Cape, Izroth regained some of his lost HP simply from dealing damage to the Earth Shifter. Although three percent did not seem like arge amount at first, in the end, all the attacks would add up. This was even more so for a yer with the type of speed and power based ystyle that Izroth possessed. Woosh! Less than a second after Izroth¡¯s attack sessfullynded, Zi Yi¡¯s arrow exited the void and pierced through the body of the Earth Shifter. -680 After the Earth Shifter was struck by Zi Yi¡¯s arrow, it instantly burrowed into the ground. A few momentster, the ground beneath everyone¡¯s feet began to vibrate slightly. When everyone felt that slight vibration, they knew that it could not be a good sign. Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi swiftly moved from the spot beneath them that was vibrating and around two secondster, the ground that the three of them just stood on moments ago had copsed into itself. If they had stayed there, they would have sunk into the earth and been at the mercy of the Earth Shifter. The Earth Shifter once again appeared above ground in front of Izroth andshed out with its ws. Every attack that the Earth Shifter performed grew closer and closer to striking Izroth as the battle went on. However, just when it seemed as though the monster¡¯s attack was going to cut Izroth into little pieces, he would always avoid it by using the bare minimum of movement. That was not all that happened, every time the Earth Shifter failed its attack Izroth punished it for being defenseless right after the moment it missed. His de of Lightning shifted 135-degrees to the right and cut into the body of the Earth Shifter. -388 +12 But, Izroth¡¯s assault did not stop there as he became morefortable with his new stance. Behind his de of Lightning lurked two phantoms of its edge. He instantly spun rapidly as all three strikes brutally connected to the Earth Shifter. Izroth executed the skill Phantom Strike empowered by the effect of his First Sword Form: Converging Paths. ?Critical Hit? -388 +12 ?Critical Hit? -876 +26 ?Critical Hit? -1,364 +41 -61 ¡´Battle Alert: Earth Shifter has been affected by yer Izroth¡¯s ?Blood Stigma?¡µ Izroth received an unexpected surprise, which was the fact that his Blood Stigma skill had activated against the Earth Shifter. Now, it would take 10% of his attack damage that ignored all defenses, as damage every one second for a grand total of ten seconds! That meant he would deal a total of 610 damage over ten seconds without even having to lift a single finger. In only a few seconds, Izroth had managed to shave off nearly 10% of the Earth Shifter¡¯s HP alone. He took up his previous sword stance once again and skillfully managed the iing attacks of the Earth Shifter. Izroth swapped between sword stances depending on the opportunities that presented itself. Needless to say, Luna and Zi Yi were not just sitting back idly enjoying the show. Since Izroth was capable of holding aggro against this monster, and any damage the Earth Shifter dealt to him was healed back thanks to the lifesteal passive he recently acquired, Luna simply focused on damage. She used Holy Smite whenever it was off cooldown, which was every two seconds. Although it only did 40% of her magic as damage, unlike Superior Holy Smite which did 100% of her magic as damage, it was still enough for her to contribute something towards the fight. She felt as though Izroth and Zi Yi were more than capable of dishing out enough damage, therefore, she did not feel the need to go all out and waste mana using a higher level skill. -280 Zi Yi sent another two arrows through the void, one of which pierced directly into the head of the Earth Shifter. -680 ?Critical Hit? -1,459 The HP of the Earth Shifter dropped rapidly as the group pressed on with their assault. 80%... 60%... 40%... 20%... The attack patterns of the Earth Shifter were too predictable. It followed the same exact approach to its attack every single time, which made dealing with it much easier than the other elite monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. The only skill Izroth and his party had to watch out for was the vibrating earth beneath their feet. It appeared as though the more times it used the skill, the faster it formed. Besides that, there were no other major changes. Swoosh! -915 Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning cut through the air many times faster than any of his previous attempts, however, there was a small restriction ced upon his movements. This was the system purposely limiting his actions due to one reason at a time like this, it had finally recognized Izroth¡¯s movements as the execution of a skill. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have learned a new skill. Would you like to name the skill?¡µ Thanks to the Earth Shifter¡¯s quick attack speed, Izroth was able to learn the second sword form much faster than he originally anticipated. It appeared that creating skills below the S-ranked level truly had no effect on the skill that was currently still processing. This made Izroth even more determined to learn all ten sword forms as quickly as possible. If he managed to master all ten sword forms, there would be no yer within all of RML who could even dream of facing him in a close range fight. "Name the skill Second Sword Form: Returning Wave." Izroth said in response to the system alert. Skill Name: Second Sword Form: Returning Wave Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: After you sessfully evade an attack, your next sword strike gains the temporary ability ?Sword Counter? and ?Sword Return?. Sword Counter(Active): Immediatelyunches an instant counter attack with the user¡¯s sword at the opponent dealing 150% of the user¡¯s attack as damage and ignoring all the opponent¡¯s physical defenses. Sword Return(Active): Counter the next attack or skill used against you with your sword and redirect it towards a target of your choice. This skill cannot return attacks that are too far above the user¡¯s total attack damage. The cooldown on this skill is doubled if this skill is used. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 3 minutes The system did not let Izroth down. It provided him with a skill that was incredibly close to the actual sword form itself. He was once again impressed with the precision and capability of the system within RML. The Second Sword Form: Returning Wave was all about waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike one¡¯s opponent. Until that moment, one waited with endless patience. However, when that moment arrived it would be a move that was enough to change the entire oue of a battle with one swing of the sword. 10%... 5%... 1%... An arrow appeared from within void and prated through the body of the Earth Shifter without so much as a single bit of resistance in the process. -680 With that arrow, the Earth Shifter released a small bestial sound before ultimately falling over in defeat. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Earth Shifter¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 8,295 EXP¡µ Surprisingly, there was no loot drop from the Earth Shifter. However, the amount of experience it gave was quite generous. Since only three of them fought against the monster, the experience was somewhat more than usualpared to if they were in a full group of six yers. Izroth sheathed his de of Lightning. As if ying on Izroth¡¯s timing, as soon his sword entered into its sheath, the earth began to shift once more, changing the entireyout of the maze. It appeared that defeating the Earth Shifter had no effect whatsoever on the nature of this maze. It may just be that this was a normal area within the Chaotic Dogma Realm that the Earth Shifter lived in. At least, that would exin why its name and skills matched its environment. "How are we supposed to leave this ce if it changes every few moments?" Zi Yi frowned. If the maze kept constantly changing, then it did not matter where they went inside of the maze, it would always trap them. The only way to escape seemed to be by relying on pure luck. Either way, Zi Yi was not the type to leave everything up to luck and hope that things eventually work out for the best. "It may only have changed because we have just defeated the Earth Shifter. If that¡¯s the case, then we would not have to endure any more sudden changes in the maze¡¯syout. As long as we do not run into any other monsters." Luna said, giving her opinion on the matter. However, while those two were having a conversation about the maze, Izroth¡¯s attention was focused on a specific tunnel area located around thirty meters away from them. It was very faint, but Izroth could feel a familiar presence within that tunnel. It may be due to the ck specks having less interference within this small cave, but Izroth¡¯s range of perception had improved considerably ever since they entered inside. But, he was only able to pick up this presence after the maze shifted. When Luna and Zi Yi noticed Izroth¡¯s silence, as well as, his gaze set onto a specific tunnel, they wondered what he had discovered this time. "Did you find a clue on how to escape from this maze?" Zi Yi asked. Izroth shook his head, "No, but I may have found one of our party members." Luna and Zi Yi were startled by Izroth¡¯s words. However, if he truly did manage to locate one of the guys while inside of this maze, his sense of perception was even more frightening than they originally anticipated. "We¡¯ll go and take a look." Izroth said as he started to head in the direction of the tunnel he felt the familiar presence in. Of course, Luna and Zi Yi followed after him. A few momentster, the group had already walked for around thirty seconds and arrived deeper into the tunnel. All of a sudden, they heard a frustrated voice spewing all kind of insults directed at the maze. "You- Maze, you are now my sworn enemy for life! We are blood enemies and can never reconcile our differences! You have gone too far this time! We cannot exist in this world together!" The voice said as if the maze itself was an actual person to file a grievance against. ¡¯This voice, it belongs to Halls.¡¯ Izroth immediately recognized the voice when they closed in on its position. However, when he heard the words Halls spoke, he could not help but to inwardly shake his head. iming that a lifeless ce was your blood enemy was a little much, even for Halls. But, Halls did not think that this was the case at all. When he had finally managed to reach the end of the maze after so much painstaking effort, it suddenly shifted and denied him the goal right in front of his eyes! Just mere meters away from leaving this ce after being trapped all this time, how could he not be angered to this point? Chapter 128 A Lost Child? "How can you be blood enemies with something that does not possess a single drop of blood?" Zi Yi said as she shook her head in response to Halls¡¯ behavior. Halls was startled by the voice he suddenly heard. During his time inside of this maze, he had yet to hear or notice anyone else that was trapped inside along with him. When he turned around towards the source of the voice, Halls immediately recognized the three individuals who appeared before him. However, he had a cautious look on his face. "Is this another one of this maze¡¯s tricks?" Halls could not trust anything at face value when it came to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Besides, it was a little suspicious how three of his party members just happened to find him within this maze. How big was the Chaotic Dogma Realm? The coincidence was just too much. "Tricks?" Luna observed how Halls reacted with so much caution. Could it be that this ce, like many of locations of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, was capable of conjuring up illusions? However, there was a simple way to confirm that they were not an illusion. After all, the illusions within the Chaotic Dogma Realm were usually of a massive scale. But, one thing all the illusions had inmon was that they were not overly sophisticated. In other words, even if the Chaotic Dogma Realm were to copy one of them, it would be unlikely that the fake would possess their true personality. Luna cast a simple Cure on Halls which restored some of his lost HP from the damage he previously suffered. "This should be fine." Halls could feel a refreshing aura wash over his body. If this really was one of the maze¡¯s tricks, it would definitely not restore his HP, but instead, attempt to make things more difficult for him. An awkward smile appeared on Halls¡¯ face as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry everyone, I¡¯ve just been wandering around this maze for so long that I lost track of myself for a moment. I didn¡¯t know what I could trust." Izroth nodded, "It¡¯s best to remain cautious and vignt when you¡¯re inside of this realm." Izroth understood the way Halls reacted and did not me him for it. Halls then looked around and found that only Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi were present. There was no sight of Guan Yu or Valentine. "Where is the rest of the party?" Halls asked as he walked over towards the group. "All of us were forcibly transported away during the Chaotic Shift into different locations. We¡¯ve only just recently regrouped ourselves." Zi Yi exined. So that¡¯s how it was! It turned out that everyone had been affected the same way as him. Halls asked a few more questions that were all answered without issue and had a pretty good understanding of what happened once everyone was split up. The group walked throughout the maze as they attempted to locate the exit. During this time, the group ran into four additional Earth Shifters. When this happened, the group spected that ces, such as the temple they entered into before, and this maze were the only locations that had multiple monsters that were the exact same. Around ten minutester, the group safely arrived outside of the maze. Luckily, it did not shift again or it may have taken even longer. It may be that the maze shifts at certain intervals. The first thing Izroth and his party noticed when they stepped outside of the maze was that the tower in the distance was now much closer than it was before. "How can this be possible?" Zi Yi was shocked that they were now so much closer to the tower than when they entered into the cave. Judging based on the amount of time that passed and the distance they traveled since entering into the maze, they should not have reduced such a huge gap so quickly. Izroth set his gaze onto the tower in the distance and indeed, they were many times closer than before. ¡¯There is a chance that the exit to the maze acts as some kind of portal.¡¯ However, there was also the chance that this was some sort of optical illusion. But there was no way to know for sure until they moved a bit closer to its location. After locating Halls, Izroth and his party were only missing two of its members, Guan Yu and Valentine. "What direction are we headed in next?" Luna asked. "Since we¡¯ve moved even closer to the tower, this makes things a little easier than I originally anticipated. We¡¯ll head directly for the tower. The next two locations should be right on our path." Izroth said. Izroth journeyed forward with Luna, Halls, and Zi Yi. After traveling for a few minutes, the group all realized something. The interference caused by the ck specks were growing weaker and weaker the closer they moved towards the tower. This made it so that there would not be as much strain on their Soul Sense trait. If used for a prolonged period of time, it would start to drain their Essence. This was something Luna had informed them about when she described her battle against Silent Step. After that, they felt as if there may be other hidden things that they were unaware of regarding Soul Essence. "The strain on my perception seems to be weakening." Zi Yi said. "It may be due to the tower that lies just ahead of us. I have a feeling that if we keep on our path, eventually, there should be little to no interference." Izroth exined. Just as Izroth spoke, the group heard the sound of a wind rapidly blowing. However, the strange thing was that this wind sounded as if it were located on the ground and not in the air itself. Everyone looked towards the direction that the sound came from. A few secondster, an individual emerged from within one of the metallic trees. Literally, their body was sticking halfway out of the metallic tree as if they were a part of it! The person inside of the tree blinked a few times and had a look in their eyes that was full of curiosity. "A lost child?" Zi Yi said as she furrowed her brows. No matter how she looked at it, the person before her seemed like nothing more than a lost little child. She had long silver hair fashioned in a drill curls style, and clear baby blue eyes that sparkled like a sapphire tossed into a riverbed being struck by the passing moonlight. She had pure pale snow-like skin as if she had never bathed in the sunlight. "Uuf." She made a small sound as she jumped out from within the tree andnded on her feet. She stood no more than 140cm tall and had a petite frame. She stared at the group before her and had a startled look on her face as if she had just noticed them. Izroth and his party returned her stare with one of their own. Who was this child that appeared from out of nowhere? They did not see her with any of the other teams back at the pce. After all, someone such as herself would have definitely stood out back there. "So cute..." That was the thought that went Luna and Zi Yi¡¯s mind at the same time. They were sure that when she grew up, she would surely be a top-level beauty. Izroth, on the other hand, felt as though her presence was one that he had felt before, however, he could not quite put his finger on it. If he did evere across her, then it must have only been for a brief period of time since the feeling was extremely vague. This was quite strange given Izroth¡¯s ability to perfectly recall any memory. His first thought after that was that maybe she was an NPC or a monster in disguise. But, that theory was quickly debunked since he was unable to see any information about her from the system. Even the legendary bosses he ran into showed, at the very least, their names. Therefore, there was no doubt that this little girl before them was a yer! "Where am I...?" The little girl asked as her eyes slowly took in the surroundings. There was a hint of caution about her as if she were on guard. Izroth nced towards Luna and Zi Yi with a meaningful look in his eyes. It was obvious that he believed it would be best to let those two handle this particr situation. After all, it wasmon for children to feel morefortable speaking to women who were strangers instead of men who were strangers. Of course, Luna and Zi Yi understood Izroth¡¯s intentions as they stepped forward. "I¡¯m Zi Yi and this is Luna." Zi Yi said as she made a proper introduction. "Those two over there are Izroth and Halls. Can you tell us what your name is?" The little girl nodded, "My name is Ying Yue." Ying Yue kept ncing over in Izroth¡¯s direction. "Then, Ying Yue, do you remember how you arrived at this ce?" Zi Yi asked. Ying Yue shook her head, "Everyone except for me just disappeared after the lightning struck. After that, I ended up all alone." From her words, it was safe to assume that her party experienced a Chaotic Shift. However, what caught everyone¡¯s attention were the first few words she said. Everyone except for her had disappeared! That meant that Ying Yue had somehow not been affected by the Chaotic Shift! But, how was such a thing possible? "Do you remember what happened after everyone disappeared?" Luna asked with a gentle smile on her face. However, Ying Yue shook her head, "I don¡¯t know." After asking her a few more questions, Zi Yi and Luna did not manage to receive that much information about Ying Yue. Just that she had ended up here by wandering around inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm in search of her party. The bad news was that her party was most likely the same party that Silent Step and his group had already wiped out! If that was the case then, Ying Yue was truly all alone inside of the dangerous Chaotic Dogma Realm. Either she was just lucky to have survived up until now, or incredibly skilled. "Hey, brother Izroth. Do you notice that she keeps staring at you? Do you know her?" Halls whispered to Izroth. Izroth, however, did not know how to respond to that question. Indeed, he might know her, but he was unsure at this point. There was a very faint and vague feeling present. It was like an unconscious passing thought rather than an actual memory. Zi Yi and Luna also noticed that Ying Yue¡¯s gaze seemed to often wonder towards Izroth. "Is there something you want to ask him, Ying Yue?" Zi Yi said. She could tell that Ying Yue was hesitant to speak whatever it was that was on her mind. "This- I..." Ying Yue was embarrassed to announce it, but she could not help but say what was on her mind at that time. "It¡¯s just that he reminds me of someone. Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to stare..." She spoke in a very soft and apologetic voice. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. So that¡¯s why she kept stealing nces in Izroth¡¯s direction. He reminded Ying Yue of someone that she knew! "Since your team is no longer inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, what will you do now?" Zi Yi asked. Ying Yue had a helpless expression on her face as she did not know how to respond to that question. She was originally searching for her party, but it seemed that there was no longer any reason for her to do so. Luna then looked over towards Izroth with a meaningful look on her face. Izroth already knew what Luna wanted to suggest. Besides, he also felt that he may eventually remember something if Ying Yue journeyed with them. He gave a small nod. Luna smiled before turning towards Ying Yue, "Would you like toe along with us?" Ying Yue¡¯s eyes sparkled after Luna asked that question. She rapidly nodded her head repeatedly, "Yes!" A smile soon found its way onto her face. Chapter 129 A Shocking Discovery As Izroth and his party traveled towards their next destination, Ying Yue stuck close to Izroth and gazed at him with sparkling eyes. Luna gave a helpless smile. Ever since they began walking, Ying Yue had stuck close to Izroth like glue. However, Izroth did not mind Ying Yue doing so. After all, he understood her reason for doing so and she was also just a child. Would he, Izroth, bully a child by telling her to move away? The answer was obviously no. Zi Yi, on the other hand, was curious to find out more about Ying Yue. So she began to ask her a few questions. Of course, she tried not to get too personal with the questions she asked. "Ying Yue-" "You can call me Little Yue, big sis Zi Yi." Ying Yue said with a smile on her face. Zi Yi nodded, "Then, Little Yue, how did you join the team that entered inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm?" Zi Yi was curious as to how a group of elite yers would allow a child to join them on an SS-ranked quest. Ying Yue blinked a few times with a slightly confused look on her face. She then shook her head, "Big sis Zi Yi, I invited them along with me on this quest. That¡¯s why..." She could not help but frown after being reminded of what happened to the members she invited. Ying Yue felt that if she had never invited them along, then they would not have experienced an existence wipe and lost all their hard work. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ One had to know that everyone who picked an individual to represent them was all legendary characters within RML. Therefore, one of those legendary characters obviously saw something within Ying Yue, despite her young age. Everyone was shocked when they heard those words. Ying Yue was the original quest holder for the SS-ranked quest? Didn¡¯t that mean that she was, at the very least, a top level yer? It would seem that they should not underestimate her based on her appearance alone. When Luna saw that Ying Yue was saddened, she tried tofort her. "You should not me yourself, Little Yue. I¡¯m sure that no one mes you. In fact, I¡¯m positive that they are grateful that you even gave them the chance to apany you on this SS-ranked quest. They must have been aware of the potential dangers, therefore, you should not be too hard on yourself." "Yeah! If anyone deserves the me then it would be that Silent Step fellow and his party." Halls said with a hint of disdain in his voice. Halls believed that real men would not resort to such underhanded tactics. From all he had heard regarding Silent Step and Fatal Touch, Halls already had a bad impression of them. "One will find that karma always has thestugh. It may not be now or tomorrow, but eventually, he will not be able to run away when karma arrives to collect its debt." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Ying Yue happily nodded. She felt much better after listening to everyone¡¯s words. "I¡¯m curious, I did not see you back at the area where all the teams were gathered together. How did you enter into the Chaotic Dogma Realm without the help out the vortex?" Luna asked. Everyone else was curious about this fact as well. Ying Yue would have stood out in the crowd and been quite hard to miss. However, on the off chance that everyone else missed it, Izroth should have not done so with his monstrous sense of perception. "Ah, you mean..." Ying Yue¡¯s body was engulfed in bright white light. A few momentster, she had apletely different appearance! She was now just as tall as Luna and even her clothing changed. Everyone was shocked by Ying Yue¡¯s sudden change in appearance. She was now wearing a long robe with a hood pulled over her head. Her overall appearance was very discreet and one was unable to make out any of her facial features. She would indeed how gone unnoticed by most people, however, Izroth remembered seeing her at the gathering by the vortex. After realizing that everyone was staring at her, Ying Yue immediately ended her transformation and returned to her true appearance. "It¡¯s a skill attached to a trinket I found called Alter. It allows me to temporarily change my appearance..." she said with a soft voice. "What a cool skill!" Halls said with a bit of envy in his voice. "So that¡¯s why we did not see you at the vortex. But, why would you hide your true appearance?" Zi Yi asked. Ying Yue fiddled with her fingers a bit as she said, "My party members believed that our party would be looked down on if the other teams found out that I was the one leading them. So, they thought it would be best if I used the skill attached to my trinket. At least until we entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Everyone could understand the reasoning behind that. After all, who wanted to be led by a child? But, that did not mean that they necessarily agreed with her party members. ¡¯However...¡¯ Izroth still had this vague feeling that this was not the thing that bothered him. He was sure that he hade across Ying Yue somewhere else before and it was definitely not at that moment in the Amaharpe Pce. Izroth and his group continued towards their next destination. So far, they had not yet run into any monsters or trapsid out by the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It was strangely peaceful the closer they moved towards the tower. During this time, Ying Yue once again had her attention set on Izroth. When she thought back to a certain moment in her life, she ended up muttering her thoughts. Ying Yue muttered quietly to herself. However, to Izroth who possessed such heightened senses, he heard what she said as if she practically shouted it out loud. Izroth stopped, which caused a chain reaction and everyone else halted their steps as well. Everyone wondered why Izroth had suddenly stopped walking. Could it be that they had reached the next location already? Izroth turned to look at Ying Yue. "What did you just say?" Ying Yue was startled. She had spoken without thinking and ended up speaking her thoughts out loud. Everyone was currently staring at her with a curious look on their face which made her even further embarrassed by the situation. "I-It was nothing." Ying Yue yfully fidgeted with her fingers and looked down at the ground to avoid direct eye contact. Izroth furrowed his brows as he sunk into deep thought. There wasplete silence and no one had any idea what was going on. It suddenly dawned on Izroth where he had seen Ying Yue once before. Or to be more precise, where Jin had seen her once before! ¡¯It¡¯s her...! That exins why the feeling that we have met before is so vague.¡¯ Although Izroth had a perfect memory, in the end, a mortal¡¯s mind remembered things differently than that of a cultivator¡¯s mind. To put it in simple terms, the majority of a mortal¡¯s memory was simr to the bokeh effect on a camera. So even though Izroth had those memories, he still had to decipher some of the more hidden parts that were not so memorable. This girl was indeed one he had run into before, however, to be more urate it was someone Jin hade across before without even realizing it himself! But, thanks to the power of Izroth¡¯s soul and the fact that he was nowpletely fused with Jin, he was able to find where he had met Ying Yue before within his memories. It was one day around six years ago that Jin¡¯s father visited him when his mother, Reilei, was out at work. He had actuallye there to, in simple terms, ask Jin to sign a contract that pretty much said that he would not take any legal action to try and gain any of his wealth if something were to happen to him. Also, he would not make contact with his new family. He wanted to leave everything to his new family and have absolutely nothing to do with them! To him, Jin and his mother was just a stain on his past life. Jin was absolutely infuriated by how shameless that man was and never understood how his mother could fall for someone so slimy. Even more so, he was ashamed that such a man was his father. After arguing for a while, Jin signed the contract and told him to nevere around there again. Jin understood that even though that man was a scumbag, he could still make his and his mother¡¯s life even worse than it already was. Jin did not care about what happened to himself, but he could not and would not allow his mother to suffer any more than she already had been. However, unbeknownst to Jin, inside of the ck tinted window car in the back seat was a young girl at around the age of five. This young girl looked extremely innocent as if the wickedness of the world had never touched her. That young girl in the car bore a striking resemnce to Ying Yue! In fact, that girl was most definitely Ying Yue! The reason Izroth had such a challenging time remembering was due to the fact that Jin himself was unaware of her presence in the car on a conscious level. However, he still picked it up on a subconscious level. Izroth did not want to jump to any conclusions. There were various possibilities and until he had more information, it was best not to let his imagination run wild. However, there was one absolute truth out of all of this. Jin had indeed "met" Ying Yue one day six years ago, even if he waspletely unaware of it. ... Guan Yu frowned as he looked towards Qi Jiguang and said, "Hey, you¡¯re moving too slow. The time for this quest will be up before we manage to reach the tower if we keep moving at this pace." Qi Jiguang almost coughed up blood when he heard Guan Yu¡¯s words. What did he expect him to do?! His agility stat had been reduced by 75%. Of course, there was no way that he would be able to keep up with this strangely agile te user. For a te user, Guan Yu was incredibly quick. Even with his agility reduced, Qi Jiguang was still confident in keeping up with a te user, but Guan Yu was proving otherwise. Qi Jiguang had a gloomy look on his face. "My weakened state is almost over. When it ends, I won¡¯t trouble you any longer." Since Guan Yu was currently his benefactor, he maintained his calm just as he was taught by his master. BOOOOOOOM! Guan Yu and Qi Jiguang were startled and immediately went on full alert when they heard and felt an explosion nearby. It was around thirty meters away from their current location. "That explosion sounded really powerful!" Guan Yu said as he scanned his surroundings. He quickly discovered the direction of some smoke that was filling up the atmosphere. "We should go take a look." Guan Yu said as he started to head in the direction of the smoke. "I¡¯m still in a weakened state. We should at least wait until I fully recover before going." Qi Jiguang responded. "What? Are you a man or not?! If someone¡¯s in trouble, then we should help them. What happens if we wait too long and we arrive toote? Besides, if things get too tough for you then I¡¯ll just protect you." Guan Yu said with a voice full of confidence. "You-" Qi Jiguang was being asked if he was a man or not. How could he not be angered? Even if Guan Yu was his benefactor, he could only take so much. "Are youing or not?!" Guan Yu shouted as he did not halt his steps. "Of course I¡¯ming along too!" Qi Jiguang¡¯s manhood was just called into question. How could he ever suffer that kind of humiliation by standing back and doing nothing? Even if he was in a weakened state, he would not allow for his pride to also weaken. When Guan Yu and Qi Jiguang reached the area where the explosion took ce, they saw a crater that was at least 15 meters wide and 1.5 meters deep. "Someone is there." Guan Yu said as he noticed a figure hidden away by the smoke. He could hear the sound of constant coughing as the smoke slowly began to clear away. "Another failure!" A voice sounded out from within the smoke. It was one that Guan Yu instantly recognized. He put away his guandao which surprised Qi Jiguang who was still on guard. "You can rx. This is someone I came to the Chaotic Dogma Realm with." Guan Yu said. Qi Jiguang frowned, "Someone you came here with? What are they doing inside of that crater?" Guan Yu shrugged. How should he know the answer to that question? "Oh? Is that Guan Yu? Have youe to heroically rescue me?" The voice at the center of the crater said as the smoke finally cleared away. The individual who stood at the center of the crater was none other than Valentine! "Save you? How am I supposed to save you from yourself?" Guan Yu shook his head. When Qi Jiguang saw that the two of them really did know each other, he rxed his guard a bit. However, he was still wary of the unknown yer before him, even if they were a friend of Guan Yu. Valentine eyes darted away, "Ah, were you separated from everyone else as well? That Chaotic Shift sure is troublesome." Valentine then set his gaze onto Qi Jiguang. "Oh? Boyfriend?" "Boyfriend your head! I told you that I like women! Women!" Guan Yu had an ugly expression on his face. Qi Jiguang facial expression immediately darkened at that remark. If he were not in a weakened state, he probably would have instantly made a move. However, even if he was in a weakened state he could only endure so much before defending himself. "Do you dare to repeat that?!" Valentine chuckled at their responses as he said, "A joke, just a joke." He did not expect them to take it so seriously. "I wanted to test a few more things but... Ah well." Valentine let out a small sigh as he mumbled to himself. "Then, shall we meet up with the others?" Valentine said with a small grin on his face. Guan Yu was shocked by Valentine¡¯s words. Meet up with the others? Was that even possible? "You have a way of finding them?" Guan Yu asked. Chapter 130 Proposal ... Meanwhile, in front of the gates of Amaharpe within Blue Oasis¡¯ sector... Right now, Asgard, Niflheim, and Minus were face to face with Ewan, Dragus, Wess, and three other members of Cross Haven. The current atmosphere was heavy on both sides. When Ewan arrived, of course, he demanded an answer for the tant attack against one of his Five Great Generals. One had to know that attacking a General of Cross Haven was the same as attacking the entire guild. It was not something they could afford to ignore and not respond to. However, Asgard had told Ewan everything he knew about this attack, which was absolutely nothing! Asgard truthfully had no idea as to why a Lieutenant from his guild attacked a high ranking member of Cross Haven. But, this answer was obviously not enough to satisfy Ewan or Cross Haven. "Guild leader Asgard, there must be something you can tell me. Anything that would indicate that this is not some kind of ploy by Blue Oasis." Ewan said as he frowned. If there was not a single shred of evidence, then that would furtherplicate things. "This-" Asgard nced towards Minus who had been silent this entire time. Ever since the beginning, he had yet to say a single word. Red Days was a Lieutenant under his personalmand, therefore, Red Days actions would be seen as a reflection of Minus¡¯ very own actions. Minus gave a slight nod towards Asgard. "Guild leader Ewan, if you do not mind, I would like to say a few words." "Oh? You¡¯re... Captain Minus, correct?" Ewan kept good track of the high ranking members of top guilds. "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this Lieutenant was under your directmand. Maybe you can offer me a bit of insight on this matter." "I ept full responsibility for the actions of my Lieutenant. As hismanding officer, I failed in my duty to maintain order in my ranks. Therefore, if you want to me anyone, do not me guild leader Asgard or Blue Oasis, I will personally bear the responsibility." Minus said as he made an apologetic gesture. Niflheim frowned when he heard the words Minus spoke. There was something bothering him about this entire situation. Also, although Minus was trying to shift the me to himself to make things less difficult for the guild, there was no way that things would just end with that alone. "By your very own logic, Captain, since you are under guild leader Asgard¡¯smand then you would hold him responsible for your actions. So you see, no matter which way we look at it, it all leads back to Blue Oasis." Ewan said. Asgard tried his best to maintain a calm attitude, but right now he felt as if his Blue Oasis guild was being bullied. They were still a top guild and would only allow so much insult. "Guild leader Ewan, I have remained respectful but you-" Just as Asgard was about to speak up on the matter, Ewan spoke. "...However, I respect and admire Captain Minus¡¯ courage of epting the responsibility for the entire matter. Due to such a show of sincerity, I have a proposal to make, guild leader Asgard. I hope you will not find it to be unreasonable." said Ewan with a slight grin on his face. But, this grin was one that was difficult to read. Asgard furrowed his brows at Ewan¡¯s request. However, if he wanted to avoid things being escted any further, he had toe to apromise. "What did you have in mind?" ... "Ahahaha! I see, I see! So that¡¯s what you meant! Tell me, how did you get a Lieutenant of Blue Oasis to attack one of Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals? Ahahaha!" yer was in an extremely good mood at the moment. It seemed that he had really underestimated Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate. "Those fools will have no choice but to defend the reputation and face of their guilds. During that time, hmph, let¡¯s just see how they will manage to interfere with our ns." yer said with arge grin on his face. "It will soon be time for your Sage Falls guild to take action, yer. Is everything in ce?" The cloaked figure who was sent there by Vault said. "My Sage Falls guild is always prepared. Just worry about things going right on your side." yer said with a voice full of confidence and arrogance. ... "It is done." Menevra said in a soft tone of voice. "Excellent! How are the two sides reacting?" Vault asked with a sly smile on his face. "The guild leader of Cross Haven has already left his section to pay a personal visit to the guild leader of Blue Oasis. Although Wang Qiang¡¯s elimination would have been the most ideal situation, it still does not interfere with the overall n. In a few moments, the information about-" Menerva exined, but she soon stopped speaking as someone rushed in and whispered something in her ear. "Hm? What is it?" Vault was displeased that Menerva suddenly stopped talking halfway through her exnation. "I apologize, but I¡¯ve just received word that the guild leader of Cross Haven and his entourage were just sent away by the guild leader of Blue Oasis. ording to the information I just received, it seems that both sides were unable to reach a properpromise." Menerva said. "Good, very good! Contact yer from Sage Falls and inform him of our ns. After all, he is a keyponent in what we hope to aplish. If everything goes as nned, I¡¯ll make sure that I uphold my end of the bargain." Vault said as a vicious grin appeared on his face. Menerva bowed in a polite manner, "Understood." As she bowed, there was a look of relief in her eyes when Vault said thosest few words. However, there was also a hint of guilt hidden away behind that relief. Was this truly something she should be using her gifts for? No, there was no room for her to have second thoughts. There was too much at stake and Menerva knew exactly what she had to do. She could not allow herself to falter, even if it meant betraying what she truly believed in. ... "You said that we¡¯re going to go meet up with the others, but how do you even know their location?" Guan Yu asked with doubt apparent in his voice. At the moment, Guan Yu and Qi Jiguang were following after Valentine within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Qi Jiguang had also regained his full power and his weakened state hade to an end. However, he did not like leaving a debt unpaid. Therefore, he said that he would apany them and offer any assistance he could until they were able to locate their party members. Also, since everyst one of his party members was eliminated by that strange item Silent Step used, he did not have anyone else to rendezvous with. But, that did not mean he was without a n or purpose. As soon as he finished his business here, he would make it his goal while within the Chaotic Dogma Realm to hunt down Silent Step and have him pay for what he did. "Do you really want to know how?" Valentine said with a slight smirk on his face. "Why wouldn¡¯t I want to know?" Guan Yu responded. "Then, if you look at the magical sequence formed by the Chaotic Shift andpare it to the ck specks, which are most likely miniature spatial deformities, then you can realign the patterns present within its infrastructure in order to reverse engineer how the two interact with one another and function overall. What I was attempting to do earlier was-" Valentine exined but was cut off. "Okay, I got it! You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t want to know!" Guan Yu¡¯s mind was swirling from all the nonsense being spewed from Valentine¡¯s mouth. He didn¡¯t understand a single word of it! Qi Jiguang was simrly baffled by what Valentine spoke of. Then again, both he and Guan Yu were sses that focused mainly on the physical aspect of things. While his ss had a few magic skills up its sleeve, it was nothing on the level of an actual magic caster and was more for support or enhancement purposes. It appeared that the higher levels of magic within RML worked quite differently. A smile appeared on Valentine¡¯s face. "To put it in the most simple of terms, everyone has been transported to a ce that we, as a party, have visited once before." Valentine exined. Guan Yu frowned, "Then, why did I appear in a location that I have never seen before in my life?" "Ah, that¡¯s the wonderful part of this whole thing. You see, it¡¯s not in the literal sense of where we¡¯ve been before. Think of it like this, do you remember when we first arrived inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and was trapped inside of a massive illusion?" Valentine said. Guan Yu nodded, "Of course I remember. But, what does that have to do with anything?" "I noticed that the walls in that ce were formed by magic. However, I originally believed that it may have been something created by the Earth Devouring Groundbull that we encountered, so there were not too many questions to ask. But, it turns out that I missed a very important detail that I failed to notice until just recently." Valentine exined. He then continued, "No spatial deformities, or ck specks as you know them by, were present inside of that cave. Though, that¡¯s not really the important part. Back when we entered into that temple, did the area there not feel simr to a certain other ce?" Although to everyone else at that time Valentine was unaware of anything, he was actually experiencing the same things except in a different way. In other words, it was as if he was there with them throughout the journey past the six wooden doors. Guan Yu furrowed his brows and tried to think about it. That temple ce was strange and the area inside kept shifting through multiple environmental settings. To his knowledge, it did not remind him of anything he had encountered within RML thus far. "Still nothing? Alright then, I¡¯ll just say this. If you were to look down from the sky with both ces side by side, the only difference would be the environment. However, everything else is the exact same. If I¡¯m not mistaken, any other team who has experienced a Chaotic Shift must have also entered into an unusual area of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Valentine said. Guan Yu was startled. Everything between both ces was exactly the same? "You mean to say it¡¯s not a ce we¡¯ve actually been to before in this specific location, but rather a ce we¡¯vee across while inside of the area with the ck sphere?" Guan Yu asked. "Precisely. Therefore, all we have to do is retrace our steps and we will eventually find some clue as to where the others are." Valentine said. "You- You really are a magic freak." Guan Yu said as he shook his head. Valentine gave a helpless smile and shrugged his shoulders. How could he help his interest in all things magic? It was something that had been with him before he could even walk. Guan Yu and Qi Jiguang continued to follow after Valentine. But, little did they know, a pleasant surprise awaited them ahead. ... Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, and Ying Yue did not stop for long and kept walking after their brief pause. However, there was now an awkward silence present. Though, this was to be expected after everything that was just said a few moments ago. This all started when Izroth asked Ying Yue what should have been a simple question. However, after that question, Izroth had not bothered to ask or answer any further questions regarding the matter. This, in turn, caused Ying Yue to be quite dejected. Everyone was confused by sudden silence and why Ying Yue had such a pitiful expression on her face. Chapter 131 Regrouping ... As Izroth and his party continued towards the tower, they noticed that monsters seemed to be bing more scarce. "Strange, we have note across any monsters." Zi Yi said as she observed her surroundings. Everyone else had realized this as well. Now that their sense of perception was clearing up, it became much easier to notice certain things that they would have missed before. After all, even though Soul Sense was useful, it could still not rece their natural sense of perception in situations like this. ¡¯Does this have something to do with the tower in the distance? Or...¡¯ Izroth was thinking to himself as he heard a soft voice next to him speak. "There are three people that seem to be heading on an intercept course with us." This soft-spoken voice naturally belonged to Ying Yue. "Hm?" Izroth looked at Ying Yue. His current sense of perception was at a monstrous level with the Heavenly Golden Body, Five Cycles Pill, and the recent addition of Soul Sense. Right now, he could positively say that there was no one within all of RML who had surpassed him in this aspect. Therefore, if even he did not sense anything, he wondered how Ying Yue was able to do so. Luckily, Izroth was not so narrow-minded as to dismiss Ying Yue¡¯s words. There were countless other methods within RML that he may be unaware of. However, he still had to confirm how she came by that piece of information. When Ying Yue saw Izroth look over at her, she understood that he sought an answer regarding how she could tell when no one else could. Everyone else in the party was also curious about this. They all knew how astonishing Izroth¡¯s sense of perception was and so if Ying Yue could detect something even Izroth was incapable of, then how monstrous was her own perception? Ying Yue was a bit flustered when everyone focused their attention onto her, however, she still maintained a somewhat calm demeanor. "It¡¯s due to a skill I possess. Whenever I pass through an object, I leave behind a residual trace for a limited period of time, about an hour or so. As long as anyone or anything passes near that object, I will know immediately." Ying Yue exined. So that was the case! It wasn¡¯t that her perception was greater than their own but rather due to a skill. However, everyone had a slight look of disbelief on their face. Wasn¡¯t that skill a little too overpowered? From the sound of things, while it had a time limit, it did not appear to have a range limit. Therefore, Ying Yue would be able to keep track of anything for a full hour that passed by an object affected by her. If this worked on stealth yers as well, she could be a rogue¡¯s worse nightmare. Izroth was a little surprised by Ying Yue¡¯s skill. He was curious as to what ss she was and the rank of the skill she used. However, they currently had a more pressing matter to attend to. ¡¯Three people? Could it be his group?¡¯ There was only one party that entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm with three people. It was the same group that Aegis belonged to. While thest time they met Aegis was separated from his party, there was a good chance that they had already regrouped with one another. However, there was also the possibility of it being Mariposa and the remaining two members of Sleeping Gardenia. Since the interference in the space near the tower was pretty much nonexistent by this point, it would not be difficult for Mariposa to locate a spatial signature and head there. But, what would be the purpose of doing so? There were currently multiple possibilities. "Can you tell who the three individuals are?" Izroth asked. Ying Yue shook her head, "At my current skill level, I am only capable of differentiating between yers and non-yers. I¡¯m sorry I cannot be of more help to you..." Ying Yue looked down with a small frown on her face. Luna stared at Izroth with a meaningful look in her eyes. Strangely enough, Zi Yi also turned to give Izroth a simr look. Halls was still unsure of what exactly was going on and was just looking back and forward between everyone with a slightly confused facial expression. ¡¯Those two...¡¯ Izroth sighed inwardly. Since when was he, the number one cultivator in the Seven Realms, pressured into doing anything by mortals? However, Izroth was not a heartless individual. Also, it may be due to the fact that Ying Yue reminded him of a certain person back within the Seven Realms, but Izroth felt a wave of remaining wash over him which invoked his next action. Izroth ced his hand on top of Ying Yue¡¯s head. "You¡¯ve done well." A rare and genuine smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face which surprised everyone. Ever since they had first met Izroth, they had yet to see him genuinely smile. There was always a carefree expression or a small change, but never one like this before. ¡¯If only I had been stronger at that time...¡¯ There was a distant look in Izroth¡¯s eyes at that moment. But, he soon regained himself and removed his hand from the top of Ying Yue¡¯s head. That carefree expression had once again found its way onto its face. Ying Yue was startled at first, but it was instantly reced by a feeling of happiness. A blossoming smile found its way onto her face. She understood that Izroth only looked simr to the person she knew, but she had always wanted to meet him ever since she knew of his existence. She knew that she was only living in a fantasy. She knew this and yet... "Ah..." Without even realizing it, tears began to fall from Ying Yue¡¯s eyes. Though they were not tears of sadness, but rather that of joy. For just that brief moment, it was like her dream hade true. But still, that alone would not be enough to spark such an emotional response. When Izroth saw Ying Yue tears and her smile that was paired with it, it reminded him of that person he had met long ago within the Seven Realms. He had seen this exact response before in her. ¡¯It would seem as though the both of you have been isted.¡¯ Izroth was an orphan and so he never really had any family growing up. However, there were a few that came close to a true family member, such as his teacher and the girl in memories. But, Izroth never really understood family until he came to this world and encountered Reilei. He never realized how strong a true familial bond is until he felt it for himself. It was like something infused into every cell in the body that would be impossible to break free of. However, would one truly want to break free of such a thing? "Little Yue, what¡¯s wrong?" Zi Yi asked after she saw that Ying Yue¡¯s tears. Ying Yue shook her head as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I am just happy, big sis Zi Yi." As Izroth and his group continued their journey, ording to Ying Yue, it seemed that if they stayed on their current set course, they would run into the three yers within approximately five minutes. After being reminded of Aegis words, Izroth believed that it would be best to make sure everyone was prepared for a potentially hostile engagement. "Remain vignt." Izroth warned. Of course, everyone would follow that advice, especially in a ce as unpredictable as the Chaotic Dogma Realm. As Izroth and his group moved closer and closer to the three yers, Izroth began to sense two familiar presences. However, the third one was unknown. A few momentster, they arrived at the location where the next spatial anomaly should be located. "This should be the location that either Guan Yu or Valentine was transported to." Izroth said. Izroth then turned his gaze towards the direction of that the three yers wereing from. ¡¯Oh? It seems both of my original assumptions were incorrect.¡¯ As the three yers approached their position, Izroth immediately recognized two of the yers. They were surprisingly Guan Yu and Valentine! "I¡¯m telling you there¡¯s no way that¡¯s-" As Guan Yu was speaking, he was thrown off by the sudden appearance of the yers before them. It was the other members of their party! Well, there was one unfamiliar face among them. Luna, Zi Yi, and Halls were just as shocked as Guan Yu. What were the chances of them running into each other like this? No, it was definitely not a coincidence. "Hm? It¡¯s him." Luna recognized the other yer that was with Guan Yu and Valentine. It was the same yer she saw fighting against Silent Step. If she remembered correctly, he referred to himself as Qi Jiguang. But, what was he doing with Guan Yu and Valentine? To be honest, Luna was mostly surprised by the fact that he was still alive. She wondered what kind of lifesaving skill he used. However, since none of his other party members were present, there were only two possibilities. The first was that they experienced a Chaotic Shift. However, that was highly unlikely in this particr case. The other was that his party had been wiped out by that strange power Silent Step revealed. "What¡¯s this brother? Are you recing us with another member so soon?" Guan Yu said jokingly as he saw Ying Yue. But when Ying Yue saw how direct and open Guan Yu was, she hid slightly behind Izroth. For some reason, Ying Yue had a hard time dealing with people like Guan Yu who was so outspoken and full of energy. "I was not intending to take anyone¡¯s ce..." Ying Yue said in a soft voice. "Hey, hey I was just kidding you know?" Guan Yu rubbed the back of his head as he gave an awkwardugh. He did not expect her to take it in such a literal way. "Are you going to resort to bullying children now?" Zi Yi said as she scoffed. "This-" Guan Yu didn¡¯t know how to respond. "Ahahaha! Brother, do you know your sins?!" Halls could not help butugh and poke fun of Guan Yu. "Ugh... Betrayed once again by my own brother!" Guan Yu said as he shook his head. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Guan Yu and Halls¡¯ behavior. He then looked towards Qi Jiguang who was simply standing there with his eyes set on Izroth. "That guy..." Qi Jiguang muttered a few words to himself. Call it a vague feeling or a fighter¡¯s sixth sense, but for some reason, Qi Jiguang felt that the yer before him was capable of rivaling him when it came tobat! There was a certain natural air that experts gave off. However, Qi Jiguang felt absolutely nothing from Izroth! He hade across countless people, however, never had he felt nothing at all from a person. But, there was something else that warned him that Izroth was dangerous. Beneath that nothingness, for just a mere instant, one was able to sense an overbearing pressure. It was like being stared down at an ancient beast who was constantly warning you not to challenge it! A part of Qi Jiguang was excited because there were few people who were capable of making him feel this way. In fact, he could count the number of people on his fingers alone. "This is Ying Yue. Her party met with misfortune inside of this ce and now only she remains." Izroth exined. Izroth then turned his attention towards Guan Yu. "It appears you¡¯ve made yourself a new friend." "Hm?" At first, Guan Yu was confused by Izroth¡¯s words. But then he remembered that Qi Jiguang was still with them. He had forgotten since he was so quiet most of the time! "Ahahaha! Brother Izroth, you¡¯re mistaken. I was just protecting this guy who waspletely defenseless. You can just say that I¡¯m his hero!" Guan Yu said with a hint of pride in his voice. Qi Jiguang¡¯s face turned extremely ugly at that statement. While it was true that he did help him out, he was still nowhere near close enough to be considered a hero! "You- How can you say such shameless words with such a straight face?!" Qi Jiguang said as he was obviously bothered by Guan Yu¡¯s words. "What? Did you not following me around like a puppy when you were weakened?" Guan Yu asked. Qi Jiguang almost coughed up blood at Guan Yu¡¯s words. He had to get out of here before he did something he regrets to someone he was supposed to repay. "You¡¯re with your members now! I, Qi Jiguang, shall take my leave!" Qi Jiguang quickly turned and left that ce. After traveling for a bit, Qi Jiguang managed to calm himself down. Now there was only one other thing on his mind, to find and eliminate Silent Step. Izroth still had an important question to ask the Valentine and Guan Yu. Well, really this question was for Valentine since he knew the chance of Guan Yu having anything to do with it was practically nonexistent. "How did you find us?" Izroth asked. He did not believe that it was just a coincidence. Chapter 132 Reaching The Tower "To be perfectly honest, I did not expect to find all of you at once like this. I was unsure of who we would run into first." Valentine said. He then continued, "As for how we managed to find you..." Valentine then went on to exin in the same way that he exined to Guan Yu. Except for this time, he did not have to leave out as many parts as before. When Izroth heard Valentine¡¯s exnation, he was a little surprised. However, he knew that if anyone could see through the Chaotic Shift it would be either Valentine or Zi Yi. There was also a chance for Luna to do so, but it would not be nearly as fast as the other two. As for Halls and Guan Yu, if they were in a party with yers that were the same as them, they would be running around the Chaotic Dogma Realm like chickens with their heads cut off. ¡¯I should find some time to learn a bit more about the way higher level magic works in RML.¡¯ Although Izroth hade to the same conclusion as Valentine, it had not been through an identical method. If not for Izroth¡¯s sensitivity to certain changes around him, given the strong power of his soul, then he would not have been able to arrive at the same conclusion as Valentine so fast. "We¡¯re all together now, but..." Valentine nced over towards Ying Yue who was hidden slightly behind Izroth. Now there was another problem at hand. What to do with the extra yer? The maximum number of yers that could be in a party was six. Obviously, it would be unreasonable for any of them to give up their spot. However, they could not just leave her here all alone. What kind of heartless people would they be if they did that? Everyone understood what Valentine was trying to say. What would they do with Ying Yue? "Little Yue can still travel with us even if we can¡¯t be in a party together. She just has to stay close is all." Zi Yi suggested. She was against leaving Ying Yue to simply fend for herself. Even if they had yet to run into any monsters within this area, that did not mean it would continue to be that way. If they left Ying Yue by herself and something happened to her, Zi Yi would have a guilty conscious. However, Valentine shook his head in response to Zi Yi. "There¡¯s no guarantee that the tower we¡¯re going to will be safe. In fact, it may be safer for her to remain outside of the tower where there are no monsters instead of dragging her into the tower where potential danger awaits." Zi Yi furrowed her brows when she heard Valentine speak. She, of course, had thought about this too. After exchanging a few more words and seeing that both Zi Yi and Valentine still had their disagreements, Izroth believed that they were overlooking one very important thing in all of this. Izroth turned his head slightly to the side to look back at Ying Yue who was still hiding behind him. At the moment, Ying Yue felt as if she was just causing trouble for everyone. When Ying Yue noticed that Izroth was looking directly at her, she stared at him with a curious look on her face. "What is it that you want to do?" Izroth asked. He believed that every person had to make their own choices. After all, that person would have to live with the consequences of their actions and so it was only right that they were the one who chose. When Zi Yi and Valentine realized that during their back and forth they had not even once asked the person in question what they wanted, both of them felt a little ashamed. Who were they to decide for someone perfectly capable of choosing for themselves? Ying Yue looked as if she wanted to say something, but she was hesitant to do so. "We will respect whatever decision you make, Little Yue." Luna said after she saw the hesitation written all over Ying Yue¡¯s face. Izroth also gave a small nod to show that he would stand by the words Luna just spoke. He understood that not just anyone would receive an SS-ranked quest. It would be different if Ying Yue was tagging along with her other party members, but she was actually the quest holder! Which meant that she was definitely notpletely helpless. However, in everyone¡¯s eyes, she was still just a child. Ying Yue felt relieved and no longer hesitated as she said, "I want to go with all of you..." Zi Yi nodded, "Then it¡¯s decided, you can-" "However, there is something I must aplish no matter what while inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. That will be impossible to do from that tower. Therefore, I must part ways with everyone." Ying Yue said reluctantly as she gave a polite bow. Everyone was surprised as they thought that Ying Yue would want to tag along with them no matter what. So it was quite unexpected when she said otherwise. Zi Yi frowned, "Something you must aplish no matter what? Isn¡¯t there anything we can do to help you?" Ying Yue shook her head, "You¡¯ve already helped me enough with the information about my party members. Big sis Zi Yi, thank you for your kindness." Ying Yue said with a smile on her face. Though one could still see a slight unwillingness hidden behind that smile. "But-" Zi Yi still wanted to object, but Izroth cut her off. "Alright Little Yue, we¡¯ll respect the choice you¡¯ve made." Izroth said. When Zi Yi was getting ready to say something once more Izroth spoke, "You appear to be taking after your elder sister, Zi Yi." Zi Yi considered Izroth¡¯s words and soon realized that she had been treating Ying Yue almost exactly the same way that Mariposa treats her. Although she understood that Mariposa tried to do what was best for her, there were still countless times when she did not want to speak to her elder sister because she felt that she was being unfair. Zi Yi gave a helpless smile as she let out a sigh. Izroth was correct, she was behaving just like her overprotective elder sister. However, this did help her to see things from Mariposa¡¯s point of view and have a newfound level of respect for some of the choices her elder sister made. "Then it¡¯s decided, we¡¯ll part ways here." Izroth said. Ying Yue looked a little saddened when she heard Izroth speak those words. But, she knew what she had to do. "I thank all of you for allowing me to apany you this far. I hope that we can meet again soon." Ying Yue said in a soft tone of voice. "I am sure that we¡¯ll meet again outside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Luna said. Zi Yi nodded, "Make sure to take good care of yourself. If things get too dangerous, don¡¯t be afraid of retreating." Zi Yi cautioned her. Ying Yue was constantly twirling her fingers in a nervous manner. "If it is not inconvenient, I would like to add you as friends..." she muttered. They had not known each other for that long, but no strangers had ever treated her with such genuine goodwill. All of her life, there were only two types of people she had met. The first were the people who only wanted to get close to her because of her family. The second was those who only had their own agenda to benefit themselves. Even those she invited to go with her on this quest were the same, but she refused to believe it at the time and even felt guilty about their existence wipes. Luna and Zi Yi looked at one another with smiles on their faces. Soon after, Ying Yue received a friend request from both Luna and Zi Yi. Ying Yue happily epted their friend requests. She then turned her attention towards Izroth. Ying Yue¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she stared at Izroth as if she were waiting for something. Everyone else also stared at Izroth with smirks and grins on their faces. Unless he waspletely heartless, there was no way he could back out of giving Ying Yue what she wanted. Izroth shook his head inwardly. He had nned on doing so regardless since there were still some unanswered questions. There was no need to look at him as if he were trapped with no way to escape. He then sent a friend request to Ying Yue. A lovely smile immediately found its way onto Ying Yue¡¯s face when she received Izroth¡¯s friend request. Of course, she epted without hesitation. After saying their final farewells to one another, Ying Yue waved goodbye as her body began to slowly sink into the ground. Everyone was shocked at first, however, they soon remembered how she popped out from inside of a tree, as well as, the way she described her skill earlier. But, the same could not be said for Guan Yu and Valentine who werepletely baffled. What kind of skill was that? In less than a few seconds, Ying Yue had disappeared from their sights. Although they could still feel a faint presence, it soon faded into nothingness. Ying Yue had gone her separate way. Valentine was now a bit regretful that he did not have the chance to ask her more questions about that skill and her magic. ¡¯Interesting... But, now that everything else is settled...¡¯ Izroth and all the members of his party were finally together again after being forcibly separated by the Chaotic Shift. The tall tower in the distance was much closer than it was before the Chaotic Shift urred. Their destination at this point was quite obvious. "We¡¯ll head to the tower. I have a feeling the answers we¡¯ve been looking for all along awaits us in that ce." Izroth said. Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine began their journey towards the tower. However, no one knew that what awaited them in that ce was not only the answers to their questions but also, the beginning of their inevitable demise. ... Around ten minutes after Ying Yue went separate ways from Izroth and his party, she arrived somewhere quite far away from the tower. Thanks to the skill set her ss possessed, she was able to travel to ces much faster than most other sses. Ying Yue stood before a tombstone with strange and unknown symbols carved into it. However, there was a single line that any yer would be able to read. "The beginning of beginnings..." Ying Yue said quietly to herself as she read the words carved into the tombstone. If Izroth was here at the moment, he would recognize those words immediately! Ying Yue ced her hand onto the tombstone. As the palm of her hand made contact with the tombstone, the symbols began to emit a bright red light. A few momentster, the tombstone along with Ying Yue had disappeared from that spot. ... Izroth and his party finally reached the front of the tower. If one looked up from beneath the tower, they would still be unable to see where the tower ended. If one looked down, they would be unable to tell where it began. That was because there was arge abyss surrounding the entire tower. In order to enter the tower, there was only one way and that was by walking onto a rope bridge that led to its entrance. Inside of the abyss was total darkness. However, one could hear the sound of howling and a turbulent wind blowinging from within. "This ce gives me a really eerie feeling." Halls said as he observed the gloomy atmosphere surrounding the tower. "If we fall down that hole, how far do you think we¡¯ll fall?" Guan Yu asked curiously. However, there was no one present willing to test it out. If the top of the tower seemed endless, then there was a chance that the bottom was endless as well. Even if it wasn¡¯t, there was a good possibility that they would simply fall to their death. ¡¯What¡¯s this peculiar aura I¡¯m sensinging from the very depths of this tower?¡¯ "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he walked towards the rope bridge that led to the tower. As soon as his foot stepped onto the bridge, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Endless Pandemonium Tower?¡µ Chapter 133 Endless Pandemonium Tower Izroth and his party were currently walking across the rope bridge and towards the entrance of the Endless Pandemonium Tower. As they walked, the rope bridge swayed from side to side. There was also a chilly wind that blew every few seconds and was strong enough to knock them off into the dark abyss below them if they did not maintain their bnce. "Why do I feel like this bridge is going to break any second now?" Valentine said with a gloomy and sick expression on his face. It was easy to tell that he was no fan of heights. His legs wobbled with each step as he gripped tightly onto the ropes at his side. "What¡¯s the matter magic freak? Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re actually afraid of heights?" Zi Yi said in a teasing manner. Of course, she knew very well that Valentine was afraid of heights. Valentine scowled as he said, "Do you think that I won¡¯t dare to tell everyone about happened you were ten years old?!" "You wouldn¡¯t dare go that far!" Zi Yi immediately regretted her decision to tease Valentine. "Oh? What happened when she was ten years old?" Halls asked curiously. "Yeah, let¡¯s hear it! It has to be something interesting if she doesn¡¯t want us to know. Ahahaha!" Guan Yu said. Even Luna was a little curious about what Valentine had to say. "Well, it all started with her-" As Valentine was beginning to speak, he was interrupted by Zi Yi. "You- If you continue, don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t throw you off this bridge myself!" Zi Yi said as she stomped her foot. The already unstable rope bridge swayed violently when Zi Yi stomped her foot and made it so that everyone had to grip on tightly to the ropes. Valentine almost lost his breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one go. "Okay, okay! I get it! I was wrong! I¡¯ll stop, just don¡¯t do that again!" Valentine became extremely nauseous and just wanted to hurry up and step foot off of this bridge. Zi Yi had a triumphant look on her face. After walking on the rope bridge for a few minutes, Izroth and his party safely reached the entrance of the Endless Pandemonium Tower. "Solid ground... Sweet solid ground." Valentine muttered happily to himself. Izroth had his attention focused onto the tower¡¯s entrance. There was no door for them to open, only a pitch ck hole. They could not see anything on the other side of that pitch ck hole and did not know what awaited them ahead. However, they had alreadye this far and would not turn back. "Is something about this ce bothering you?" Luna stepped up next to Izroth and asked him. She had noticed that his gaze had not yet left the tower ever since it came into full view. "I can clearly sense multiple presences within this tower. However, it¡¯s a little unusual." Izroth said. "Oh? How is it unusual?" Luna asked. "It¡¯s as if everything is linked together. So while I am indeed sensing multiple presences, in the end, there is only one true presence. Everything else almost seems like an extension of that single presence. However, it could just be a trick of this tower. After all, there are too many unknown factors." Izroth exined. "Could it be something simr to the Chaos Fiends and the Source of Despair?" Luna spected. Izroth, however, shook his head. "It¡¯s simr in some ways, but the core concept is still different. If I had to make an urateparison, the closest would be that it resembles the same rtionship that the Shadahi has with one another." Luna was startled. It was a rtionshipparable to the Shadahi? "Maybe it has something to do with why Silent Step came to this ce and wanted to prevent us from reaching the end." Luna said. Izroth nodded, "That is also a possibility. However, there¡¯s only one way to get some answers." Izroth stepped forward and entered into the pitch dark hole that led into the tower. Soon after, everyone else followed in behind him. ... A few moments after Izroth and his party entered into the Endless Pandemonium Tower, a group of three individuals arrived before the same rope bridge that Izroth¡¯s party used to cross over into the tower. "It seems that they¡¯ve already entered into the tower. Looks like we¡¯ve fallen behind, Aegis. Chichi!" A cloaked figure who stood next to Aegis spoke in a bizarre manner. They also made a strange sound at the end of every sentence that left their mouth. The three individuals were Aegis and the two other members of Heaven¡¯s Law who apanied him on this SS-ranked quest. After parting ways from Mariposa and Izroth, Aegis tracked down his other two party members. "We would have arrived here sooner if not for this one cking off." Aegis said as he red at the other individual who stood next to him. At the moment, the yer who stood next to Aegis was actually sleeping while standing up! It was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties with curly pink hair and a careless yet beautiful appearance. She wore an elegant schr¡¯s robe that was pure white in color and had golden outlines. At her side was a thin stick with a pointed end that almost resembled a conductor¡¯s baton except, the handle was much thinner. It was also pure white in color with golden symbols etched into it. A gentle golden aura lingered around the object. "You brought her along because of her usefulness. You knew that she would be this way most of the time. Besides, none of the other members would have bothered tagging along with you. No one likes you, after all, Aegis. Chichi!" The cloaked figured said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Hmph! It doesn¡¯t matter to me if anyone likes me or not. As long as they respect me, they can hate me for all I care. Carry her, they should not have gotten too far ahead of us." Aegis said. The cloaked figure grabbed the sleeping beauty and put her over his shoulder. Aegis, along with the two other members of his party, crossed the rope bridge and entered into the Endless Pandemonium Tower. ... When Izroth and his party first entered into the tower, there was only a cold lingering darkness present. It was so dark that one was unable to see their own hand directly in front of their face. However, a few secondster, there appeared an almost blinding light. Before Izroth and his party knew it, they were inside of a spacious room that seemed to be made out of old stones. The bright light had vanished, but there was still a source of light being emitted inside of the room from an unknown source. Scattered throughout the room were a few ck lines or cracks that appeared to be some kind of rupture in the surrounding space itself. However, it was strange that everyone could see a direct influence on space when they were unable to do so before. "Is that what a spatial anomaly looks like?" Zi Yi asked curiously as she studied her surroundings. Valentine was surprised by Zi Yi¡¯s words. "You can see this as well?" Without something simr to his Eyes of Magic, no one should be able to physically view any changes in the surrounding space. "So you all can see it too?" Halls also saw the various cracks and ruptures in space. However, it seemed to be more of an illusion to him. "Normally, it should be impossible to physically view changes in space within RML without an item or skill that specializes in doing so. The only other way is that the spatial influence is so powerful that it bes physically visible. However, it appears that this tower ignores that rule. The spatial anomalies in this ce are not particrly powerful and yet it is visible to everyone." Valentine exined. "Then, there¡¯s a chance that this entire tower is actually a magic item of some kind?" Guan Yu said in a state of disbelief. Could such a huge magic item actually exist? Valentine, however, shook his head. "That¡¯s unlikely. After all, if it was a magic item then we should have at least viewed some information when we approached the tower. Though that¡¯s not to say that it¡¯spletely impossible. However, I believe that we¡¯re just inside of a unique environment that this tower has total control over." ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have learned the skill ?Spatial Awareness?¡µ Izroth suddenly received an unexpected system alert. Skill Name: Spatial Awareness Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: The user can sense and physically see, as well as, understand spatial influences or interferences. Izroth could now see the spatial anomalies before him with much more rity than before. He was curious as to why the system suddenly granted him this skill. ¡¯Is it possible that by physically viewing the spatial anomalies, the system recognized my ability to understand it and converted it into a skill?¡¯ However, how could the system possibly know that he understood the various changes because of his already profound understanding of space? When Izroth observed everyone else¡¯s facial expressions, it did not appear that any of them had received the Spatial Awareness skill. Even Zi Yi who had a ss that manipted space for its own benefit did not seem to gain this skill. ¡¯How peculiar...¡¯ "The first trial has begun." An eerie voice echoed throughout the entire room. There was no clear indication of where this voice hade from. Everyone was rmed and immediately went on full alert mode. Where had that strange voicee from? What first trial was it referring to? "First trial? How many trials are there?" Izroth maintained a calm and carefree expression as he spoke. "You have entered into the Endless Pandemonium Tower. How many trials? A foolish question. The trials... Are the endless trials!" The voice responded. Halls frowned, "Endless? Isn¡¯t that a little unreasonable? If it¡¯s endless, how are we supposed to leave this ce?" "Leave? Those who arrive at the Endless Pandemonium Tower can enter, but not leave freely. There is no way to escape. None have passed the endless trials." The voice replied in an emotionless manner. Everyone¡¯s facial expression darkened. Could this tower be some kind of trap? If what the voice said was true, then regardless of what happened, they could never leave this ce! But if that was the case, then they could only start over from nothing. Would the system truly be so unfair? Izroth did not believe the words of the mysterious voice. Or rather, it seemed as if the voice was trying to purposely confuse them with its words. He referred to the trials as the endless trials, but he evaded Halls question when he asked how many trials. While the voice responded with "the trials are the endless trials", it never actually said that the trials were endless in number. He simply said the name of the trials, the endless trials. Also, its words were contradicting. It clearly said that one can enter but not leave freely. Then it went on to say that there is no escape, followed by none have passed the endless trials. From its words, it was indeed possible to leave, just not when they wanted to. Also, just because none had passed the endless trials, did not mean that it was impossible to do so. Which meant that there was a way to escape! ¡¯However, if the Chaotic Dogma Realm changes every time it appears, how is it possible that anyone else has ever attempted these so-called trials?¡¯ "What¡¯s the first trial?" Izroth asked. "Hmph... Arrogant! Foolish! Hopeless!" The voice seemed extremely annoyed but, in the end, it still told them the first challenge. "The first challenge is simple. You must make it to the second floor. Do this, and you will havepleted the first challenge. However, do not think that it will be easy!" The voice slowly faded away. ¡¯The second floor?¡¯ The challenge seemed a bit too simple, however, Izroth was not afraid of a challenge. Besides, that voice appeared to look down on him. He was not the type that would just walk away after being looked down upon. Wooooooosh! A portal that was around three meters tall appeared before Izroth and his party as if beckoning them to enter inside. "Remain alert." Izroth cautioned before he stepped into the portal with his party following behind him. When they stepped from out of the portal, the group was shocked to discover their current location. ¡¯This is...¡¯ Izroth and his party had been transported to the front gates of Amaharpe! There were thousands of yers outside of the gates and they seemed to be preparing for arge scale battle. "What¡¯s going on...? Did we leave the Chaotic Dogma Realm?" Zi Yi was dumbfounded. ¡¯Could this be a part of the first trial?¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows as he set his gaze upon the Towering Oak Forest in the far distance. He was nowpletely positive, they had arrived in front of the real gates of Amaharpe! This was not an illusion. Chapter 134 First Trial: Avatars and Returning Shard "We¡¯re back at Amaharpe!" Halls said with a hint of disbelief in his voice. How did they manage to leave outside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and arrive at this ce? Didn¡¯t that voice just say not too long ago that there was no way for them to escape? Then, what did you call this? "Is it possible that we¡¯ve already reached the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and the trial was just a hoax all along?" Guan Yu asked. Zi Yi frowned, "That should not be the case. It would be pointless to lie to us. Even more important than that, our SS-ranked quest has yet to say that we¡¯ve sessfully reached the end. Therefore, it¡¯s impossible for us to have done so without realizing it." "Oh, right..." Guan Yu rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He hadpletely forgotten to even consider that part. "I believe the most important question to consider is, why were transported here in the first ce? Also, if this is a part first trial as the voice said, how exactly do we go aboutpleting it?" Luna said. "ording to the voice, in order to finish the first trial, we have to make it to the second floor. However, is that even possible considering our current location?" Valentine furrowed his brows as he observed the surroundings with his Eyes of Magic. At first, he believed that it may just be an borate illusion. However, Valentine did not discover anything that appeared to be out of ce. There was no doubt in his mind that they were currently in front of Amaharpe. If this was an illusion, then it was one way above his current skill level. After all, even his Eyes of Magic had its limits. As everyone was specting and trying to figure out what was going on, Izroth carefully studied the surrounding area. He was more sensitive to sudden changes, especially when the change involved his own physical body. This was one of the benefits of cultivating the Heavenly Golden Body physique, as well as, having a strong soul. ¡¯Strange...¡¯ Izroth stared down at his hand as he moved his wrist around in a circr motion. The more he moved his body around, the more suspicious he became. Izroth then closed his eyes and concentrated on using his powerful Soul Sense trait to perceive his surroundings. Just a few momentster, his eyes opened with a look of rity within them. ¡¯So that¡¯s how it is. If not for my Soul Sense trait, I would have never been able to tell the difference with absolute certainty. However, this method leaves no room for doubts.¡¯ When everyone noticed Izroth¡¯s actions, and how he seemed to have found an answer by the look of rity in his eyes, they could not help but be curious. "Did you discover something already?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "It will be easier if you experience it yourself. Concentrate on using your Soul Sense trait to perceive your surroundings. Do not trust any of your other senses and you will understand." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. When Izroth said those words, everyone immediately turned their focus onto using their Soul Sense trait. The first person to discover something was Luna. After she opened her eyes, she looked at Izroth with a slightly confused expression on her face. What she found out was shocking! She was here, yet she was also not here at the same time! In other words, this was not her real body. A few momentster, everyone opened their eyes and had baffled expressions on their faces. Surprisingly, even Halls and Valentine were able to pick up on the changes with their Soul Essence being the lowest out of the group. "This..." Guan Yu wanted to say something, but he did not know how to put it into words. "Could it be that our real bodies are still within the Chaotic Dogma Realm and these current bodies are copies of sorts?" Zi Yi said with a voice full of uncertainty. She had never heard about anything like this happening within RML, however, that did not mean that it was impossible. Izroth nodded, "That¡¯s basically how it is. You can say that we are currently avatars of our avatars. Well, to not make it soplicated, we¡¯ll just say we are a form of avatars at the moment. Our real bodies have not actually left from within the Endless Pandemonium Tower." Everyone was shocked by that sudden revtion. But, at least making it to the second floor was possible if their actual bodies were still within the tower itself. After Izroth spoke those words, the same voice that spoke out not too long ago, appeared once again. "Hmph! Maybe you are not a totally hopeless bunch after all. However, you¡¯ve only solved a mere piece of the puzzle." The voice said. "How do we reach the second floor?" Zi Yi asked. "You¡¯d like to know, wouldn¡¯t you?! Tch, people these days can never do anything without help! Useless! Hopeless! Foolish!" The voice continued to spew out insults. Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression darkened. This voice was being extremely rude! All she had done was simply ask how to reach the second floor and it just constantly insulted them without purpose. "You-!" Just as Zi Yi was about to scold the voice, it stopped its insults. "Prove yourselves! Find the Returning Shard or stay trapped within the tower forever. Either way is fine with me, after all, everything is hopeless in the end." The voice then faded out once again before anyone else had a chance ask any other questions. "Returning Shard? What the heck is a Returning Shard?" Halls said as a frown appeared on his face. That voice sure was vague in everything it said. It did not even leave them with any clues as to how to find this so-called Returning Shard. "We should be grateful that it even told us that much with its attitude." Zi Yi said as she let out a small sigh. "I wonder what¡¯s going on at Amaharpe... There are so many people in front of the gates. Is there something big going on?" Guan Yu said. This same question crossed everyone¡¯s mind as well. Why were there so many people gathered? "I¡¯ll see if I can find out anything from one of my friends." Luna said as opened up her system interface. However, she was still unable to ess the messaging system. Luna shook her head as she said, "The message system seems to be blocked for our avatars as well. I suppose it¡¯s due to our main bodies still being within the Chaotic Dogma Realm." However, how could Luna know that even if their real bodies were here, the message system would still be inessible thanks to the event currently going on? "For now, we should focus on obtaining some form of information as to what is taking ce here. Halls and Guan Yu will ask around to aplish this task." Izroth said. "Leave it to us!" Guan Yu said with a voice full of confidence. "We¡¯ll make sure to gather as much information as we can before we return." Halls responded. Halls and Guan Yu then began to go around collecting information from the nearby yers. Even if they were not able to handle theplicated stuff, at the very least, they could collect information without much issue. "Zi Yi, do you have any idea as to what the Returning Shard would look like?" Izroth asked. Out of everyone here, Zi Yi was the most knowledgable about the world of RML. After all, she had read hundreds of books that were avable within the Amaharpe library. If there was anyone who would have any clues regarding the Returning Shard, it would be her. Zi Yi rested her thumb and index finger on her chin as she began scanning through her memories. A few momentster, Zi Yi muttered some words to herself. "Ah, that¡¯s it...!" She remembered that she had indeede across the name Returning Shard somewhere before. Or rather not the name, but something simr. "It¡¯s not much, but I remember that a shard which returned someone to their home was mentioned briefly in a popr fable I read at the Amaharpe library. I¡¯ll spare you the entire story." Zi Yi said. She then continued, "A man went on a journey far away from home. In the end, he aplished his goal, but he was cursed to wander in a world without direction. At the end of the story, the man eventually battles against a powerful beast for seven days and seven nights. With his willpower alone, the man managed to tear the beast¡¯s soul from its body and from it, a shard was formed. He then returned home atst." "Could the shard in the story be the Returning Shard that voice spoke of?" Luna asked. Zi Yi nodded, "There¡¯s a good chance that the shard in the story is rted to the Returning Shard." "In the story, the shard was formed after the man tore the beast¡¯s soul from its body. Obviously, I do not believe that anyone here is capable of such a feat at this point. However, we may not need to be." Izroth said. Valentine thought about it for a bit. He then said, "A powerful beast... If we were to give it an equivalent, then that would be an elite or boss monster. In this situation, it may be safer to assume that it¡¯s thetter." "Agreed. Though, the easiest way to find out is to simply test it for ourselves." Izroth said. Aftering to that conclusion, as Izroth awaited the return of Guan Yu and Halls, he approached the gates that led into Amaharpe. However, when he tried to enter into the city itself, there was an invisible barrier blocking his path. ¡¯Just as I suspected. Our avatars cannot enter into the actual city itself.¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory and discovered that he could still ess the items there as if it were his actual body. It seemed that besides a few restrictions here and there, their avatars were basically an exact copy of their original bodies. A few momentster, Halls and Guan Yu finally returned with some important information. Apparently, sometime after they entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, a surprise event popped up out of seemingly nowhere. The name of that event was Protectors of Amaharpe. yers who participated in the event would defend the gates and walls of Amaharpe against wave after wave of monsters. After exining all of their findings to Izroth and everyone else, it gave them a much clearer understanding of their current situation. "Then, do you know when the next wave will start?" Izroth asked. "In around five minutes. It should be listed in your events section." Zi Yi responded. During their conversation, she was reminded of the events section of the system interface. She had nearly forgotten all about it due to everything else that urred within such a short period of time. If she had remembered sooner, it may have saved them a bit of time. However, they still would have needed more information regardless of that. "Then, we¡¯ll face the first elite monster we see. If it fails to grant us a Returning Shard, then there will be no choice but to defeat a boss level monster." Izroth said. However, doing so would be quite tricky in this situation. Not only were numerous guilds present, but those top guilds would be vying over the bosses that spawned. Izroth was told all about the sectors of the top guilds. It was no different than when those top sects within the Seven Realms used to im certain territory as their own during important events. ¡¯A boss that spawns in the sector of a top guild will give them an obvious advantage. Our best chance is to deal with the boss before it approaches close to Amaharpe. But, that may not bepletely possible. However, if we were to do that it would mean...¡¯ "Right now, we should make our way to the frontline. This first trial may not be so simple after all." Izroth said as he began heading towards the frontline with his party members following after him. They were going based on pure spection at the moment. There was a good possibility that the Returning Shard the voice spoke of could be metaphoric or hidden away somewhere else on this battlefield. But, in the end, the only way to find out was to push onward. Chapter 135 Before The Sixth Wave Began ... "Menevra, is everything ready on Sage Falls¡¯ end?" Vault asked in an impatient tone of voice. The first web had already been spun and the insects had be ensnared. Now, it was time for the spider to make its move. "I have just been informed by one of Fade¡¯s subordinates a few moments ago that everything should be prepared on their end by the end of the sixth wave." Menerva said with a soft voice. "I sent Fade to watch over yer because he¡¯s one of the few individuals I canpletely trust. Plus, he¡¯s not the type to be intimidated by someone in yer¡¯s position. Tell me, does he suspect anything?" Vault said as he stared coldly in Menerva¡¯s direction. "ording to Fade, yer had his doubts up until the conflict between Blue Oasis and Cross Haven was initiated. By this point, his doubt should have been cast aside. Everything is proceeding within the expected parameters." Menerva responded. "Hmph, it had better be. If this n fails, you can forget about my promise. Then, you¡¯ll only have yourself to me for what lies ahead." Vault said without a hint of pity in his voice. Menerva stayed silent. She understood what was at stake and that was why she would do whatever it takes to make this n a sess. However, there was still a part of her that made her question if this was truly the right thing to do in the end. To the majority of yers, RML was simply a fun game to casually y with friends. However, to those top guilds, this game was their livelihood. In many ways, what happened in this game would directly follow them back and affect them in the real world. Potentially, she could very well be ruining or making much more difficult, the lives of many people. But, Menerva quickly tossed all of these thoughts into the back of her mind. She was determined to seed now that she had alreadye this far, no matter the consequences of her actions. "I hope that you do not me me for being so cold..." Menerva said quietly to herself. "It will seed." Menerva gave a slight bow before leaving to make some final preparations. Though, somewhere buried underneath all of that determination was a quiet voice that was silently hoping that someone would stop her. But, was such a thing even possible at this point? ... Dragus, who was currently walking back towards the Cross Haven sector with Ewan, Wess and the other members of his guild, had arge frown on his face. "Is there something bothering you, Dragus?" Ewan asked without looking in his direction. He already knew that Dragus would not be happy with how he decided to handle this matter. However, he would not openly voice his objection with the other members present. But to Dragus¡¯ surprise, Ewan actually asked him such a question in front of the other members. Dragus was reluctant to say anything that would cause any doubt to rise. When Ewan realized that Dragus was unwilling to say anything, he pressed on. "Speak freely, Dragus. I wish for everyone else present to hear what¡¯s on your mind as well." Ewan said in a reassuring manner. Dragus furrowed his brows as he finally spoke up and said, "I just can¡¯t understand why you would offer such a generous proposal to Blue Oasis after what happened to General Wang Qiang. Shouldn¡¯t we have been more demanding of an exnation?" Although the other members were quiet the entire time, they all secretly agreed with Dragus. Didn¡¯t their guild leader let them off too easily? A small grin found its way onto Ewan¡¯s face. "I offered such a proposal because it¡¯s what was given to me by the same person who was attacked, General Wang Qiang." Ewan said in a nonchnt way. However, everyone was shocked when they heard their guild leader¡¯s words. Such a proposal was actually the idea of General Wang Qiang? But, how could that be? "What did you just say? It was General Wang Qiang¡¯s proposal?" Dragus had a look of disbelief written on his face. Why would someone who had suffered an assassination attempt that was almost sessful be so generous? "We are not fools, Dragus. Whoever is behind this entire thing knows this very well. It¡¯s also the reason why they used such a method to leave us with little to no room to maneuver." Ewan exined. He then continued, "No matter what happened, in the end, neither Blue Oasis nor my Cross Haven would be willing to put aside our face. To put it in simple terms, our options should be limited to confronting Blue Oasis directly or letting them go without taking any action. Either way, this would be a loss for us." Dragus nodded in response. If they did either of those things, there was nothing in it for them besides potential losses. However, Dragus understood that a top guild could not allow something like this to go unanswered. Therefore, there must have been something he missed. "You should not try to think about it too hard. There are few with General Wang Qiang¡¯s talent. Just know that there is another option to clean up this entire mess." Ewan said. "Why didn¡¯t General Wang Qiang inform us of any such n? What was the point in keeping it hidden?" Dragus asked with a frown on his face. Ewan halted his steps as he looked towards Dragus and said in a calm yet powerful manner, "In order to truly fool your enemies, you must first fool your own allies." ... Izroth, Luna, Halls, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine started to make their way towards the frontlines. Some of the parties who had positioned on the frontlines since the beginning of the event looked at Izroth and his party with a bit of surprise, as well as, caution. They had not seen this party on the frontlines in this area. Could they havee from another top guild¡¯s sector? The others present had heard the rumor about what was going on behind the scenes of this event and thest thing they wanted was to get caught in any crossfire. After all, most of the yers here were either a part of a small guild or just some above average casual yers. Halls frowned when he noticed all the strange looks they received as he said, "Why is it that everyone is giving us such an unweing look?" Everyone else noticed this too. Although Halls and Guan Yu gathered information about what was going on, no one dared to freely speak about the current problems going on in the top guilds to anyone that was not a personal friend or in their party. Therefore, this bit of information eluded Izroth and his party. "It¡¯s possible that they feel as if we will have to share their rewards with yet another party. If that is the case, then it¡¯s somewhat understandable that we would be unwee. However, I do not believe that any of them holds ill intentions towards us." Zi Yi spected. "Ah, that would make sense. Who wants to share an already limited amount of loot with others?" Guan Yu said. Izroth, on the other hand, felt that there was something more going on here. Besides the shock and caution the other parties expressed, there was one other thing hiding behind it. ¡¯Fear...¡¯ For some reason, there was a hint of fear present in the other yers on the frontline. However, what reason would they have to fear Izroth and his party? ¡¯The atmosphere has be tenser since our arrival here. Something isn¡¯t quite right.¡¯ When Izroth observed how the other yers reacted to their arrival, he had a feeling that even if he asked them about the situation, they would be unwilling to say a word. "Everyone seems a bit nervous." Luna said quietly. "Sooner orter, we will have the answers we seek. Until then, we should focus on the main reason we were sent to participate in this event." Izroth said. "I wonder if we can still receive exp and item drops with these avatar forms." Valentine said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "I assume that since we are able to still ess our inventory, we should at the very least be able to obtain item drops. As for the exp, there¡¯s a good chance that we may not be able to receive any due to our main bodies not being present. But, it¡¯s still a possibility that we will gain exp even with these avatars." Zi Yi said. ¡´System Alert: Wave six of the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? willmence in 59 seconds!¡µ "I wonder how many bosses spawn per wave..." Guan Yu muttered to himself. "We simply do not have enough information and could only make baseless assumptions for that matter. All we can do is hope that we are on the right track for this first trial." Zi Yi said. "From what we¡¯ve gathered, the monsters from thest wave were of the levels twenty-two and twenty-three. If we assume that from this point the levels will continue to increase by one, doesn¡¯t that mean that by the time it reaches wave ten, the average monster level will be twenty-seven and twenty-eight?" Luna said. "Will that truly be the case? If there are really as many monsters as yers or even more for that matter, then won¡¯t theter waves be impossible to deal with?" Valentine gave his opinion. "In the end, it¡¯s all spection. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it but deal with the issues as theye." Zi Yi said. ¡¯Even the highest level yers within RML at the moment should not exceed level thirty. As for the more casual yers, there¡¯s no possible way that they will be able to deal with such high-level monsters in massive numbers.¡¯ Izroth was gazing towards the Towering Oak Forest in the distance. There was a strange energy that covered the entire forest. He began to wonder if the opening of the vortex into the Chaotic Dogma Realm had something to do with the invasion of monsters. After all, it was too much of a coincidence that this event started not too long after they entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Just as Izroth was thinking to himself and the others were having a conversation about what to expect, a system alert sounded off. ¡´System Alert: Wave six of the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? has begun! Prepare for battle!¡µ When that alert went off, yers everywhere began to shout and give orders to prepare for what wasing their way. Most of the casual parties and small guilds worked together. They formed a temporary alliance so that they could survive theter waves and receiver more benefits. The tanks were all at the very front in order to pull aggro first. While the other melee was just behind them so that they could attack once the tank held aggro. As for the ranged sses, they stayed away at a safe distance. Booom! Boooom! "They¡¯reing!" One of the yers on the frontline shouted. The entire ground was shaking violently as arge stampede of monsters could be seen rushing madly towards Amaharpe from out of the Towering Oak Forest. Their movements made it sound as if there was a huge explosion taking ce. "Remember, our main goal is to locate the Returning Shard. However, we should also not pass up this chance to gain a few extra benefits if possible." Izroth said as he unsheathed his de of Lightning. Of course, the others did not object to Izroth¡¯s suggestion. Arge scale event like this did not ur every day. "Heh, I wonder if this is how it felt to be on the battlefields in ancient times." Guan Yu said as he brandished his guandao and took an offensive stance. He could feel his blood boiling with excitement. The monsters grew closer and closer to the yers. 50 meters... 30 meters... 10 meters... Raaaaaaawr! ¡¯Come, you shall be the perfect sharpening stone for my sword forms.¡¯ Chapter 136 Sixth Wave As the wave of monsters closed in, the tanks on the frontline braced for impact. A few secondster numerous crashing sounds rang out throughout the battlefield. Some of the tanks were able to hold their ground against the initial charge, however, there were some who were knocked aside and allowed a few monsters to slip through the gaps. There were also ranged monsters who stopped at around the twenty meters mark and began their assault from there. Those were the high damaging magic type monsters that should not be left alone. "Hold the line!" One of the yers shouted. He was the leader of a small guild and the group of tanks near his area was mostly casual yers. So far, a good number of monsters had already managed to pass by the first line of defense. After fighting against the monsters inside the Chaotic Dogma Realm who were all, at the very least elite monsters, Halls had no issues protecting Zi Yi, Luna, and Valentine from the swarm of monsters. As for Izroth and Guan Yu, nothing even needed to be said about those two. Arge portion of these monsters was normal and not elite ranked. Therefore, Izroth with his monstrous speed and Guan Yu being a strong te user did not have to worry about Halls being there to soak up the damage. The first monster to approach Izroth was a horse with six legs that had spikes running from the tip of its forehead all the way down to its lower back. There was a crazed look in its eyes as if it was in a frenzied state. Name: Six-Legged Spiked Horse(Normal) Level: 24 HP: 11,225 (100%) Neeeeeigh! The Six-Legged Spiked Horse came to an abrupt halt when it arrived in front of Izroth and stood up straight on its hind legs in an intimidating way. It then brought down its other four hooves towards Izroth and wanted to crush him into nothingness. Booom! The sound of a small yet powerful impact sounded off as the Six-Legged Spiked Horse hooves crashed into the ground. However, Izroth was nowhere to be found beneath its hooves. Swoosh! Swoosh! ?Critical Hit? -983 ?Critical Hit? -983 Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning quickly made contact twice with one of the Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡¯s vital points. He was now positioned at the side of the monster. ¡¯The difference between normal monsters and elite monsters is night and day.¡¯ A concentrated form of energy converged at Izroth¡¯s fingertip as he drove it right into the side of the Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡¯s neck. Fissuring Point was Izroth¡¯s strongest skill that currently required energy to use. However, its low cooldown, damage, and effect to ignore all defenses made it well worth the energy. But, he did not stop there. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning swept across the Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡¯s neck with rtive ease instantly after he evaded the iing attack. When Izroth avoided its first attack, he was able to use Sword Counter which was a part of the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave, to immediately dish out damage that ignored all of the Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡¯s defenses. As soon as Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning sliced into the Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡¯s neck, it instantly released an oppressive aura that weighed down heavily on the monster. Izroth infused five points of his Essence into the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction as it too shed down mercilessly at the monster. Thanks to the First Sword Form: Converging Paths, this sword skill would be a guaranteed critical hit. ?Critical Hit? -2,440 ?Critical Hit? -1,830 ?Critical Hit? -5,375 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Six-Legged Spiked Horse¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 3,252 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 8 points in the event ?Protects of Amaharpe?. [8 points]¡µ Since Izroth defeated the monster alone, he was awarded arge portion of the experience. Although his party members also received some of the experience, it was not nearly as much as he did. ¡¯We can even receive experience while using these avatars, how useful.¡¯ Izroth thought about the countless uses an avatar like this would have within RML. However, he knew that this was only a temporary effect brought about by the Endless Pandemonium Tower. The Six-Legged Spiked Horse simply did not stand a chance against Izroth¡¯s brutal assault. In an instant, Izroth managed topletely decimate a level 24 normal monster. Also, the cooldown on Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction was reset thanks to being the final and fatal blow against the Six-Legged Spiked Horse. Izroth swiftly rushed towards the next monster who was nearest to him. The nearby yers who saw Izroth make such quick work of a level 24 monster were left dumbfounded. However, one of the yers was not so easily impressed. "Hmph! That noob probably just used all of his cooldowns on that one monster! Doesn¡¯t he know that the waves aren¡¯t over in just a few seconds? These are only the normal monsters." One of the nearby yers named Two Jumps said with a hint of disdain in his voice. To him, yers like Izroth who tried to show off would quickly reveal his true colors. Just as Two Jumps decided to simply ignore Izroth, he heard a voice full of astonishment and shocke from a couple of meters next to him. "This is... How is he clearing the monsters so fast?!" The yer who was staring at Izroth said as he watched him rush throughout the battlefield. This caused Two Jumps to turn his head to look over in the same direction as the yer who spoke and when he saw the sight before him he nearly fell over from the shock. Two monsters... Four monsters... Six monsters! Izroth¡¯s pace was not slowing down in the slightest! Just as soon as he came across a normal monster, it would fall near instantly as he casually moved on to the next target. A noob? No, that was no noob! He was definitely a top-ranked yer! Two Jumps felt foolish for his previous thoughts, but just as he was caught up in watching Izroth, he ignored a vicious monster heading right at him. When it mmed into Two Jumps, it stunned him in ce. However, before the stun ended, Two Jumps was targeted by multiple monsters and soon met with a swift death. Just like that, Two Jumps participation in the event had ended. Izroth was not the only impressive one who took action. Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and Valentine all had no trouble clearing out normal monsters. Guan Yu was fierce in his actions as he brandished his guandao and swept up a group of monsters that charged directly at him. Zi Yi was skillfully aiming at the monsters vital points and her arrows hit with extreme precision. Valentine¡¯s sequence magic was the most eye-grabbing. Various huge magic symbols and sequences formed in mid-air which was soon followed by some kind of devastating attack. As for Halls and Luna, they were also doing their part in covering for any of their party members who needed assistance. But, everyone seemed capable of fending for themselves. Located not too far away in the distance were two yers hidden amongst the other casual yers. When they notice how strong Izroth and his party was, one of them whispered something to the other yer. That yer nodded before rushing away from his current location. ... A few momentster, that same yer who left the frontlines arrived before a certain individual. "Captain Minus!" The yer called out as they approached Minus. At the moment, Minus was fending off monsters around sixty meters away from Izroth and his party on the frontline. When he heard the yer call out to him, Minus finished off the monster before him and retreated to a safe distance. "Report." Minus said in a slightly annoyed manner. He was currently ranked 65 on the points leaderboard for this event and he was close to catching up to the yer in front of him. Having to pause like this to deal with a report would only be dying him from surpassing the yers in front of him. "Sir, an unknown party has appeared within our area. You said to immediately inform you if we saw anything suspicious, well..." The yer then went on to exin everything he saw. Minus had a visible frown on his face. "Top yers? Are you sure?" Minus asked for confirmation. The yer nodded his head in response. "Yes, I am positive. They are definitely not some random party. Also, none of them look like they belong to a top guild. Otherwise, why would they be in our sector?" Minus furrowed his brows as he thought of the possibilities. Not too long ago, a lieutenant of his tried to assassinate a general of Cross Haven. Now all of a sudden, a mysterious party appeared out of seemingly thin air and entered into the sector he was in charge of. "Could this be another ploy...?" Minus muttered to himself. If suspicious events kept happening around him then his guild would have no choice but to be skeptical of his involvement with the recent events that urred. After thinking on it for a bit, Minus finally made his decision. "Keep a close eye on that party for now. But, do not let them discover you are watching them. I¡¯ll send someone else to report this to the guild leader. Make sure you stay silent about this. If they be aware of our actions it may cause them to be on further guard." Minus said in a strict tone of voice. "Understood!" The yer gave a respectful bow before returning to his post. Once the yer left, Minus had a bewildered expression on his face. "I wasn¡¯t informed of anything else taking ce..." Minus said quietly to himself as he rested his index finger and thumb on his chin. ... ¡´System Alert: You have gained 20 points in the event ?Protects of Amaharpe?. [425 points]¡µ Izroth, along with Halls and the others, had just defeated one of the elite monsters that appeared in their area. In total, he eliminated 35 normal monsters and 5 elite monsters. Thanks to this, not only was he able to level up once, but the total amount of points he gained shot up to 425 points! Although it was not nearly enough to put him in the top 100 on the leaderboards, he had already climbed his way into the top 300s while the sixth wave was still ongoing. When Izroth leveled up, he felt the power of his Essence increase as well. Now, his Soul Essence was level 13 and his total Essence had increased to 130 points. The effect granted by the Flow of Essence also increased all of his total stats by an extra 0.5%. There was something else which may be the biggest gain for Izroth out of this entire situation. He felt the shackles loosening on his Heavenly Golden Body physique. Izroth was positive that he would soon make a breakthrough and advance to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. ¡¯Not only is my Heavenly Golden Body physique growing more powerful, but my sword forms are advancing at a rapid pace. At this rate, it should not be too long until I reach a new height of strength.¡¯ BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Just as Izroth was thinking to himself, a huge explosion followed by the ground shaking violently happened out of nowhere. Soon after the explosion urred, arge cloud of dust was formed. A few secondster, the dust cleared out and what was left in its ce was a monster that stood around ten meters tall. It had the body of an elephant, but it was as if its body was carved out of pure stone. Its head and face were that of a demon and it possessed the hind legs of a horse while its front legs were more simr to a gori¡¯s massive arms. This beast appeared around forty meters away from Izroth and his party, but even from this distance, they were able to see information about the creature. Name: Brooding Behemoth Basbus(Rare Event Boss) Level: 25 HP: 1,500,000 (100%) The first boss of the sixth wave had appeared! But, the most shocking fact was that it was a rare boss! Izroth narrowed his eyes as his attention was focused more on a small swirling energy formed on the monster¡¯s forehead. When he concentrated on that spot, he could see a tiny shard no bigger than a finger at the center of the energy. Chapter 137 In Motion "It has over one million HP!" Halls said bewildered by the fact. It was the first time he had seen a boss monster with such a massive amount of HP. Also, the boss monster itself was hugepared to other bosses he had faced! "We¡¯ve already defeated quite a few normal and elite monsters, yet we have note across anything that even resembles a Returning Shard." Valentine said with a frown on his face. "Could it be that defeating a boss truly is the only way to obtain it?" "There¡¯s still the possibility that the story I told before and this Returning Shard have nothing to do with each other. After all, it¡¯s only mere spection with very little information provided. In fact, the Returning Shard the voice mentioned may not even be a real shard. There¡¯s also the chance that the voice was speaking metaphorically. We have too little to go on." Zi Yi said with a slightly frustrated voice. There had to be something they were overlooking. Let¡¯s stop for a moment and say that Zi Yi was correct. How could anyone else who reached this point and had not been to the library within Amaharpe know about it? The system would not be that unfair, even if it was an SS-ranked quest. Therefore, there must be something that they were overlooking. The question was, what are they missing? "Whether or not this boss will grant us a Returning Shard, we will find out once we defeat it, right?" Guan Yu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He felt that they were overthinking and oveplicating things. "It¡¯s not that simple. We still are unsure of-" As Zi Yi was speaking, she was cut off. "He¡¯s right." Izroth said which surprised everyone. "I am?" Guan Yu said as he blinked a few times with a slight look of confusion on his face. Most of the time, he just said whatever was on his mind without thinking about it. "We have no other leads at the moment. Second, guessing ourselves at this point will only lead to more confusion and hesitation. Also, we will indeed receive an answer to our question after defeating the boss. Be it a favorable or unsatisfying answer, it will nheless be an answer." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "You- Of course we¡¯ll receive an answer. But, what about the other guilds and yers? They won¡¯t just sit back and let us freely im a rare boss. If one of the top guilds decides to make a move, then we can only dream about iming that boss." Zi Yi said. Zi Yi felt that she was being realistic. She knew that everyone within this party was strong, especially Izroth. However, she felt that even Izroth would not be able to face a top guild who had hundreds or even thousands of yers, most of which were either veterans or at an above average skill level. It was simply impossible for them as a party of six to go against a top guild by themselves. "Hmph, so what about top guilds? My brother nor any of us are afraid of some top guild." Halls said. "It¡¯s not about being afraid, it¡¯s about havingmon sense!" Zi Yi quickly retorted. Honestly, she felt as if she were talking to a brick wall! "If you have any other leads or ns, I¡¯m open to suggestions. However, we will proceed as nned otherwise. Of course, I will not force anyone to apany me to fight against the boss." Izroth said as he set his gaze upon Zi Yi. He respected that she spoke her mind and Izroth understood her perspective. She was only thinking about their overall safety and best interest. Zi Yi looked towards Luna with pleading eyes. If anyone else here had some form ofmon sense, it would have to be her. She could not think of any other alternative besides continuing to wait, which did not seem as if it would be epted as a n. However, Luna only gave a helpless smile and slightly shook her head as if saying Zi Yi should just give in. This was a party full of headstrong individuals who did not care about any future consequences. Zi Yi let out a long sigh as she threw her hands up in defeat. "Alright, fine. But don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you guys!" "You say that like you are not going to apany us." Valentine said with a small grin on his face. "Who said that I¡¯m not going?!" Zi Yi snapped back which caused Valentine to chuckle. Izroth nodded, "Then, it¡¯s decided. We will proceed as nned." ... "It¡¯s a rare boss!" One of the yers on the frontline said with a voice full of disbelief. Majority of the yers had yet to see even a single rare boss and now there was one before them. It did not take long before a look of greed shed through their eyes. "This is a rare opportunity! We can¡¯t let this chance slip away!" One of the guild leaders of a smaller guild said. The guild leader, as well as, the thirty members of his guild started to make their way towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Just like that small guild, many other yers and smaller guilds started to slowly move in the direction of the rare event boss. While there were still monsters swarming towards Amaharpe, some groups of yers had pulled away to fight the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. This left various spaces and cracks for monsters to slip through. However, this sector belonged to Blue Oasis and they were well prepared for a situation like this. The person in charge of this particr area, Minus, had already created a secondary line of defense behind the casual yers. After all, arge guild like Blue Oasis had plenty of members at their disposal. As for Minus himself, he had already given the order to inform Asgard about the appearance of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He rushed over to prepare to engage the boss monster with twenty-three other members of Blue Oasis. "I¡¯ll remind all of you that you¡¯re within the sector that belongs to my Blue Oasis! Unless you wish to cause yourselves trouble, I would suggest you disperse immediately and go back to your previous position!" Minus voice echoed loudly throughout the battlefield. He used a low-grade magic item to increase the volume of his voice so that everyone within the immediate vicinity could hear him. When the smaller guilds and random parties heard that statement, their facial expressions darkened. He was asking them to willingly hand over a rare event boss! Not only would this boss drop rare items, but it was also bound to give a massive amount of points towards the event. Defeating this rare boss would give them a chance topete in points with some of those top yers. However, was one boss worth permanently offending Blue Oasis? There was no guarantee that their party would be the one to im the boss and, in the end, Blue Oasis still had the highest chance of seeding. So if they went out of their way just to fail and still became enemies with Blue Oasis, it would not be worth it. This was even more so for the smaller guilds trying to rise up within RML. Who would want to get on the bad side of a top guild? Although many of them protested, no one was willing to be the first to make a move after that statement. Even though no one left back to their previous positions, they did not start an assault against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. "It seems that yourmon sense is still intact." Minus said. He knew that such a fear tactic would work on these smaller guilds and random parties, however, it would not work against the other top guilds. Minus was well-informed of the deal made between Blue Oasis and the other top guilds when it came to boss monsters during the event. The agreement was that all boss monsters, no matter which guild¡¯s sector it was in, would be up for grabs by any top guild. Of course, no top guild was willing to go out of their way topete over regr bosses. However, a rare boss was another story entirely. The reason Minus sent that message to Asgard was due to the fact that the other guilds definitely had a pair of eyes in everyone other top guild¡¯s sector exactly for moments like this. Therefore, it would not be too long until the neighboring top guilds discovered the existence of the rare boss and raced over. "Alright everyone, we don¡¯t have much time until the other guilds arrive. I¡¯ve already sent word to guild leader Asgard regarding the current situation. However, it will be up to us to secure this boss since we were assigned to this area." Minus said a red glove on his right hand with a small red orb embedded into it began to glow. "Let¡¯s-" Just as Minus was about to give the order to engage, he heard a voice sound from in front of him. "Captain Minus, a party has just engaged the boss monster!" One of the tanks from Blue Oasis said with a hint of shock in his voice. Who had the guts to openly deny a captain of Blue Oasis some face? Minus frowned, "Impossible... The other top guilds should not have been able to arrive at this location so fast." During the event, one had to send messages on foot. Hence, it would be a while before anyone could respond. "It¡¯s unlikely. Instead, they seem to be a normal party. I don¡¯t believe that they belong to any particr top guild." One of the Blue Oasis members who was well informed about the rosters of the top guilds said. Minus was surprised. However, he knew that there might still be one or two idiotic parties that wanted to test their luck and did not care about the consequences of their actions. So even though he was surprised, it was not something he did not ount for. Minus shook his head, "One party trying to take on a rare event boss by themselves? Foolish!" Minus believed that they would notst even thirty seconds against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. After all, rare bosses were already on another level, but rare event bosses were even more challenging to deal with if you did not have arger group of yers. Minus knew this would be the case because of how powerful the normal event boss from the previous wave had been. In fact, the bosses were the number one reason the number of casual yers had been shaved away. They had gotten too greedy and wanted to bite off more than they could chew. "Should we clear them out before we begin?" One of the yers of Blue Oasis asked. Minus, however, shook his head. "No, let them fight. This will serve as a good example for the other yers who wish to interfere as well. That even if they wanted to im this boss, it isn¡¯t within their power to do so. ording to my estimation, they won¡¯t evenst thirty seconds." Minus said with confidence in his voice. If this was just another party, Minus would be correct with his prediction. However, what he did not ount for was a party that wouldpletely shatter his so-called estimation. ... Meanwhile, in the Cross Haven sector... Ewan had already returned to his guild¡¯s sector before the sixth wave had begun. He was currently racking up points and was currently ranked 3rd when it came to individual points for the event. "Guild leader, sir!" One of the members of Cross Haven who was assigned to the Blue Oasis area as a scout had returned with a vital piece of information. Ewan did not stop fighting as he spoke and said, "Report." "Sir, a rare boss has appeared within the Blue Oasis sector!" The scout reported. "Oh?" Ewan narrowed his eyes as if he were contemting something. It had happened a lot faster than he expected. "You are to inform only General Wang Qiang and proceed as nned. I trust you¡¯ll follow your orders." Ewan said with amanding aura about him. "Yes, sir!" The scout left immediately after giving a proper salute. "Now, will you be able to resist such a perfect opportunity?" Ewan said to himself with a slight grin on his face. Chapter 138 Just A Wild Dog ... The Brooding Behemoth Basbus moved at a very slow pace towards Amaharpe. It released a loud sound that resembled that of a war elephant¡¯s cry, except it was much deeper and it caused the nearby yers to feel small tremors. As Izroth and his party headed in the direction of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, they noticed that although many of the parties shifted near the boss from their previous positions, none of them had yet to make a move against the boss monster. This was due to the deration by Minus. There was no one there at the moment who would take such a huge risk. However, Izroth and his party did not have the luxury of simply walking away or standing back. If boss monsters truly did drop a Returning Shard, then this may possibly be their only chance to obtain one. It was doubtful that a boss would always spawn in this specific area. If the boss spawned too far away from them, then they had absolutely no way of knowing. After all, they did not have an informationwork set in ce like the top guilds and most of the bigger guilds did. Besides, this person wanted to use the influence of his guild to pressure everyone else into not making a move. Of course, there were plenty of people who wanted to take action, but they were unwilling to be the first to do so. "Do not forget that we are not only fighting against this boss but alsopeting against the yers who are not willing to just sit back and let us take everything." Zi Yi reminded everyone. Valentine furrowed his brows as he studied the Brooding Behemoth Basbus closely. "How are we supposed to deal with a rare event boss with over one million HP by ourselves? Everyone else seems unwilling to take even a single step forward." "Isn¡¯t it simple? All we have to do is keep attacking until it¡¯s defeated!" Guan Yu said as if all their problems had been solved. Zi Yi shook her head, "Trust me, someone will take action soon. It¡¯s impossible for everyone to simply leave this boss up for grabs, not to even mention those top guilds. Our biggest problem will not be actually fighting the boss, but rather, the true challenge wille when we have to secure the kill. Everyone present is waiting for the chaos to start before they make a move." It did not take long for Izroth¡¯s party to reach the Brooding Behemoth Basbus and engage it in battle. Everyone who watched them do so was shocked. Not only did theypletely ignore Minus¡¯ words, but they actually believed that just six of them were enough to face that event boss! One had to know that even normal rare bosses were extremely difficult to defeat with six yers. "Do they have some sort of death wish?" One of the yers spectating said with a frown on his face. "If so, why not just save time and jump off a cliff? At least that way they would not have offended a top guild like Blue Oasis." Another one of the spectating yers said as he shook his head. Izroth nced over in the direction of Minus who was looking at them with an observant expression on his face. However, it was not to see how they performed or how powerful they were, but instead, it was an expression that was simply waiting for them to be brushed aside. He was waiting for them to humiliate themselves. Sadly for Minus, Izroth and his party were not in the habit of self-humiliation. "Captain, that¡¯s the party I spoke of earlier! The yers who appeared out of nowhere inside of our sector." The scout who reported Izroth and his party to Minus earlier spoke out. Minus narrowed his eyes when he heard those words. He had never seen a single one of those yers in any guild or organization before, therefore, they were most likely some nobodies. Even if all six of them had impressive strength, Minus was a captain of Blue Oasis in directmand of hundreds of yers. Never mind all of Blue Oasis, just a small party led by him would suffice in dealing with six random yers. However, there was something that was bothering Minus. "If it really is them, then I should have been informed first..." he muttered to himself. "Captain?" The scout tried to get Minus¡¯ attention once he realized that his focus seemed to be elsewhere. "It doesn¡¯t make much of a difference. Even if they are somewhat skilled, they won¡¯tst long enough to be an actual threat." Minus responded. "But sir, shouldn¡¯t we move to engage before the other top g-" The scout was about to voice his objections, however, he quickly went silent when Minus gave him a death re. "Since when are you qualified to question my orders?! From that alone, I could have you removed from the guild! You will be silent and we will wait as I have ordered." Minus said in a strict andmanding tone of voice. "Y-yes! Please forgive me for speaking out of line!" The scout quickly apologized. He had worked hard to get into Blue Oasis. Thest thing he wanted was to be kicked out! However, he found it strange that his captain sat back and let that party have their way. What was the purpose of such a thing? Did it not simply give the other top guilds more time to arrive on the scene? Swoosh! Swoosh! -337 -337 Izroth struck out twice in quick session in order to test out the defenses of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The result was that its physical defense was quite sturdy, however, it was not nearly as tough as Izroth believed that it would be. As the other members of the parties began their assault, they also noticed that the Brooding Behemoth, despite its massive size, seemed tock any kind of formidable defense. Also, it was incredibly slow and was easy to hit. "This thing is so slow and soft!" Halls couldn¡¯t help but let those words escape from his mouth. Even though it had arge amount of HP, it was severelycking in the other departments for a rare boss. But, after remembering how things went with the Silverline Entity getting stronger as the battle went on, none of them let their guard down. Although it may not be in the same manner of copying as the Silverline Entity, this was definitely not all that the Brooding Behemoth Basbus was capable of. Thirty seconds passed... One minute... Two minutes! "Hey, isn¡¯t that party kind of amazing?" One of the nearby yers said with a hint of amazement in his voice. In fact, this was the same thought going on through arge majority of the yer¡¯s present minds. Who was this party? How could they be so amazing and yet no one knew who they were? "That one yer with the lightning sword is incredible! What ss is that?" A yer said with excitement present in his voice. "It looks like some kind of ss upgrade for the warrior or rogue. It¡¯s hard to tell from just his equipment alone." Another one of the yers responded. However, if they knew that the yer they were talking about was actually that so-called trash ss Combat Master, they would bepletely dumbfounded. Minus¡¯ facial expression darkened. He had been observing the fight this entire time and it was clear to him that this was not just some random pushover party. This was definitely a party full of top yers! However, the question remained as to what guild or organization did they belong to? It was impossible for a group of such highly skilled yers to bepletely unknown. "Wait... It¡¯s them!" The yer who spoke was only around five meters away from Minus. Therefore, when Minus heard them speak, he tuned in to listen. "I knew I remembered seeing him somewhere before! Since his equipment is so different I didn¡¯t notice it at first, but now I¡¯m absolutely sure of it!" The yer who spoke name was Parrot Dice. "Eh? You know them? Speak, who are they?!" One of Parrot Dice¡¯s friends was eager to find out the identity of these mysterious yers. "Heh, a lot of people may not know this, but back when the first world boss was cleared there was a problem between a few yers in Opal Town. That guy with the lightning sword was the target of some serious usations. However, it turned out that the yers making those false usations were actually the despicable ones." Parrot Dice said. He then continued, "So do you know what that guy did? He fought against them, one versus three. Can you guess who won?" Parrot Dice¡¯s friend frowned, "It had to be the three yers, right? If it was back in Opal Town, then it should be near impossible for someone to face three yers at once." Parrot Diceughed, "Not at all! In fact, that guy instantly defeated the three of them in a single breath! I remembered that he earned my respect that day. Even when he stood before a captain of Blue Oasis, he did not yield. Just like he¡¯s doing right now! That guy was definitely a member of the party who defeated the first world boss. It¡¯s a name I won¡¯t forget, Izroth!" "Izroth...?" Minus furrowed his brows as he thought about that name. He had definitely heard it mentioned somewhere... Ah, that was it! It was that guy Niflheim had mentioned he ran into within Opal Town. However, if he remembered correctly, that Izroth guy had been incredibly quiet and inactivatetely. What was he doing here stirring up trouble all of a sudden? First world boss clear? So what! The first world boss was the weakest world boss possible. "Well, now that I know they weren¡¯t sent by..." Minus muttered the rest of the words to himself as his eyes shed with a look of coldness to them. "Alright, they¡¯ve had their fun long enough! Everyone, get into position to engage on my orders!" Minus said loud enough for those twenty-three members who apanied him to hear clearly. Finally, their captain was getting ready to take action! At the rate things were going, they were going to be bored to death standing here and doing nothing as they watched someone else try to snatch away the prize before their eyes. The scout who voiced his opinion earlier also had a relieved look on his face. It should take another five minutes for their reinforcements to arrive in order to further secure the boss. As for the neighboring top guilds, it should take them around ten minutes to reach this location. The members of Blue Oasis began to move into position to confront the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. "You six over there fighting, I am Captain Minus of the guild Blue Oasis! Since you are obviously set on fighting against this boss, then I won¡¯t stop you. However, idents on the battlefield happen quite often, so I insist you tread carefully or retreat immediately!" Minus said with a clear tone of provocation. It was obvious to anyone listening at that moment that Minus was threatening them! idents on the battlefield were just another way for him to say that they would end up being eliminated if they continued to get in the way. When Izroth and his party heard those words, their facial expressions immediately darkened. He was actually threatening them in front of so many people! If there was one thing Izroth did not like, it was being threatened and looked down upon as if he was at the mercy of someone¡¯s whim. "What captain of Blue Oasis? Who would let a wild dog who only knows how to bark be a captain of his own farts let alone a guild?" Guan Yu said with a voice full of disdain. Halls could not help but burst into a fit ofughter when he heard Guan Yu speak. There were also many other yers who joined in on theughter, however, they quickly controlled themselves when they saw that cold look on Minus¡¯ face. "Do you have the guts to repeat those words?" Minus¡¯ gaze was now focused on Guan Yu. "I thought dogs were supposed to have good hearing!" Guan Yu was relentless with his words. Not only was he threatened, but this person dared to threaten his brothers and fellow party members. He did not care if they were a top guild or whatever power card they wanted to pull, Guan Yu did not n on giving any face to someone who used threats. Chapter 139 Casuals Greed Minus believed that he had already given enough face to the group before him. In fact, the only reason he did so was due to Niflheim and Asgard¡¯s interest in the yer called Izroth. However, he had been publicly humiliated in front of so many yers by some nobody. Minus¡¯ facial expression became extremely cold as he red at Guan Yu. The vulgar words that left out of Guan Yu¡¯s mouth made him the number one target to deal with. He wanted to see just how arrogant that yer could remain. Although Minus wanted to take care of Guan Yu right then and there, he had other ns. As he said before, idents happened all the time on the battlefield. In his eyes, it was impossible for Izroth and his party to even dream of contesting a top guild for a rare event boss. Minus had a calm look on his face as he nced in the direction of some of his subordinates and gave them a meaningful look. It did not take long for his subordinates to nod in understanding. They knew exactly what their captain wanted to do. "Very well, since you do not wish to heed my generous advice, then do not me me for what happens. I have more important things to attend to at the present moment." Minus held up his hand and gave the order to engage the boss. He himself also took action and dashed right into the fight. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Minus did not attack Guan Yu for his tant disrespect, but rather he went straight for the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. But after thinking about it for a while it made sense to them. Minus could deal with those yers at any given time. However, this rare event boss was not something that casually appeared and had to be prioritized. In fact, most of the yers secretly praised Minus for putting his guild¡¯s interest over his own personal feeling. Maybe they misunderstood his intentions as he was not really threatening them and was truly warning the yers out of pure consideration. If so, that would make the yer who insulted him be in the wrong. Izroth, however, could sense and even clearly see signs of a few yers observing Guan Yu. Even though they had already engaged the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, their attacks were half-baked at best as if their attention was somece else. Those few yers were clearly looking for an opening to exploit. Izroth did not turn his attention away from the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, however, he still maintained a lock on those who held ill intentions towards his party. If they decided to make a move, then he would not bother being polite. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s main focus was onpleting the first trial. He understood that if they stopped in the middle of the fight and was the first to make a move against Minus, then it would not end there. Hundreds, if not thousands of Blue Oasis members were nearby. Although they were busy facing the monsters of the wave, that may all change if Izroth and his party were the ones to engage the fight. If they got caught up in fighting Blue Oasis and some other top guild or random party snatched the Brooding Behemoth Basbus from right under their noses, then that would only be the start of their problems. If Izroth and his party failed to find the Returning Shard and make it back to the Endless Pandemonium Tower, then they would be trapped there forever! It was no better than an existence wipe. Izroth was not worried about offending Blue Oasis or anyone else for that matter, however, he also had the means to take care of himself even if hundreds of yers rushed at him. With his Shadow Movement and Flickering Steps, there was no one who could even think about stopping him from leaving. However, his other party members did not have such methods. It would be their certain doom if they were surrounded by hundreds of other yers. Therefore, Izroth would only make a move if Minus took action against them first. ¡¯I¡¯m still quite far away.¡¯ Izroth felt that he was stillcking in overall strength. He believed that a couple of hundred of yers or even a thousand should not be an issue. If there was any ss that could make such a thing possible, it was the Combat Master ss! If his party members could hear what he was thinking, they would look at Izroth as if they were looking at a madman. "What should we do?" Zi Yi asked when she saw that Minus and the members of Blue Oasis had positioned themselves to fight the boss. "Why not let them lend a hand?" Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. "Lend a hand? But what if they get thest-" Zi Yi was promptly interrupted by Izroth. "You will just have to trust me." Izroth responded as if he knew what Zi Yi was going to ask. "Heh, you underestimate my brother too much. If he says it¡¯ll be fine, then it¡¯ll be fine." Halls said as he actually dodged one of the blows of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. It was actually so slow that Halls, a te wearing tank, was able to dodge its physical attacks with ease. Zi Yi did not understand why Izroth was so sure that he would be able to get thest hit. She had seen how hard he could hit, but that was still nothingpared to thebined attack of 20+ skilled yers. Also, there would most likely be more groups joining them as the boss weakened. However, Zi Yi was unaware of the fact that Izroth had yet to use his strongest attack during their time together. Luna and Halls were the only two who presently knew that Izroth had a devastating attack which he used to cut down that rare boss within the Shadahi Realm. They would never forget the overwhelming presence of that attack as it sliced through its target with ease. Uwoooooooo! The Brooding Behemoth Basbus let out a war cry as itsrge gori-like arms crashed into the ground beneath it. Woosh! Woosh! Within the surrounding fifty meters of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, the earth began to shake. A few secondster, a powerful energy erupted from the earth as numerous boulders the size of a small house started to materialize in midair. There were more than thirty of them floating above the battlefield. This was something visible from the sectors of the neighboring guilds as well. The first boulder fell from the sky and made a whistling sound as it traveled down. The most surprising thing was that this boulder was not targeting the groups currently near the rare event boss, but rather it seemed to fall into a random area of the battlefield. "What-" One of the yers who was located directly underneath the falling boulder had no chance of escaping before the boulder made contact with the ground. BOOOOOOOOOOM! When the boulder struck the ground, it caused arge cloud of dust to rise up as the sound of a powerful explosion rang into the ears of all of those present. -5,409 -3,152 -2,385 -1,088 ... The range of impact was approximately thirty meters. The yers located at the very center of the impact took the most amount of damage. As for the yers situated closer to the limit of the boulder¡¯s impact range, they were fortunate and although they received a good portion of damage, their survival rate was exceedingly high. ¡¯What a merciless attack.¡¯ Izroth had watched as the boulder fell and those yers beneath it scrambled to escape. There were some who were fortunate enough to make it out on time, but those at the very center who was too focused on fighting the waves of monsters did not stand a chance. Unless they were a strong tank or had some kind of lifesaving ability, their elimination was almost certain. There was something that a few of the more observant yers managed to discover about the boulders, however, it was not information they were willing to share freely and only with those in their party or guild. However, most yers had a fearful look in their eyes as they stared at the numerous boulders still floating in midair. What would happen if all of those boulders crashed down at the same time? They would have nowhere to run. Some of the guilds and casual yers that were unwilling to take such a huge risk made their way to a safe distance away from the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. But, there were still many yers who believed that the risk was worth it and stayed behind. Ten secondster, one of the boulders floating in midair dropped down at apletely different area of the battlefield crushing yet another group of yers. However, this time there were fewer casualties since everyone was better prepared for the impact. The previous group of yers who rushed over towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus began to grow somewhat impatient as the boulders continued to fall from the sky. When the third boulder crashed down, one of the guild leaders of a small guild who formed alliances with others, decided that they could no longer just sit back and watch as yers are massacred. "We have to put an end to this boss before it brings about even more destruction! If it did not affect all of us, then we could just sit back and watch. But, it is causing too much damage for us to ignore! We have to finish it off as fast as possible for the safety of all yers present!" A yer named Knightly said. Knightly figured that now they were justified in joining in the battle. Of course, he had been waiting for an opportunity such as this to present itself. Now even if this was the Blue Oasis sector, they could not hold it against them for defending themselves. Minus red at the yer who spoke, but when he scanned the surrounding yers with his eyes, he already knew that it was toote. Before he could even speak, the yers began to swarm towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus while shouting all kind of lines about justice. "How long until our reinforcements arrive?!" Minus yelled towards one of the nearby scouts in the vicinity. "They should be arriving within the next two minutes." The scout responded. "Two minutes? Alright, go deliver a message to the sub-party on standby. Tell them to be ready." Minus ordered. "Understood." The scout then left in a hastened manner to deliver the message. Meanwhile, Halls who held the most aggro on the Brooding Behemoth Basbus had a more difficult time maneuvering with the crowd of yers rushing forward. Now, he had to resort to blocking the iing physical attacks. ?Blocked? -2,598 +759 Even while relying on his defenses and blocking the attack sessfully, Halls still received almost 3,000 damage with a single attack! That wasn¡¯t all, most of the yers who had charged in head first suffered a swift elimination. Luna cast Cure in a timely manner and restored some of Halls¡¯ lost HP after she saw the amount of damage the Brooding Behemoth Basbus did with its physical attack alone. She also used a few points of her Essence to increase its effectiveness. Valentine frowned as he witnessed the scene of everyone scrambling towards the rare event boss. "This is bing too chaotic." It was as if the casual yers were so blinded by the greed of a rare event boss that they momentarily had forgotten their own limits of strength. Izroth, however, was not too worried about the other yers assault against the boss. To him, they were simply lending a helping hand in the end. But, what did catch his attention were four yers who were moving in towards Guan Yu during the chaos. Although they went about it in a very discreet manner, it did not escape Izroth¡¯s sense of perception. At the moment, Guan Yu was fiercely attacking the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He did not let the wave of yers racing towards them hinder him in the slightest. However, he suddenly felt a very faint warning bell go off in his mind which caused him to have this strange feeling of danger approaching. Chapter 140 Warning Sho Although Izroth observed the four yers moving in on Guan Yu¡¯s position, he did not immediately take action and kept his attacks concentrated on the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Izroth knew that if he stepped in before Guan Yu even had a chance to fight, he would be looking down on Guan Yu¡¯s ability to take care of himself. Of course, if he saw that Guan Yu was in any real trouble he would step in without hesitation. However, Guan Yu was no pushover. Izroth could tell that the four yers sneaking towards Guan Yu were more skilled than the average yer by their movements and coordination, but it should be within Guan Yu¡¯s tolerance range. Izroth¡¯s gaze then shifted towards Minus who was near the body of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The gloves on Minus¡¯ hands were shrouded in powerful red me energy that emitted an intense level of heat. It was unclear what ss Minus chose since his mes appeared to be magic, but his fighting style matched that of a fighter rather than a mage. It was almost as if he was some kind of hybrid ss. It was clear that Minus had a good understanding of hisbat capabilities as the number of ws in the way he executed his skills were minimal. Izroth believed that if it were Minus personally facing off against Guan Yu, then the winner would not be so easily determined. BOOOOOOOM! Minus aimed his hands towards the ground and released a strongbustion thatunched him into the air. As he soared through the air, he came before the head of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Minus fist was engulfed in mes as it came crashing down on the forehead of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The huge boss monster actually halted its steps for a brief moment from the impact of the blow. One of the yers spectating Minus could not help but sigh when he witnessed how strong Minus was. He shook his head helplessly as he said, "That¡¯s a captain of Blue Oasis for you. No matter what kind of MMORPG they y, the skill gap is always so huge." "What else do you expect? If you want to be a captain of Blue Oasis, you can¡¯t just be a one trick pony. It may seem like a lofty position, but there are countless yers vying to be one of the seven captains so there¡¯s a lot of pressure. If one is weak, then one can¡¯t even dream of obtaining such a rank." One of that yer¡¯s friends responded. "Tch... If not for my currentck of AOE skills, my rank on the event leaderboards would not be so far behind. However, if I can secure this boss then my ranking will soar!" Minus said with a look of determination in his eyes. This was one of the other reasons he did not bother to take direct action against Guan Yu. To him, cing high in this event was a bigger priority. "Oh? That guy isn¡¯t half bad! Even though he talks a lot of nonsense, he has a bit of skill I suppose! Of course, he¡¯s stillckingpared to my brother!" Guan Yu said with a hint of arrogance in his voice as he watched Minus show off with his shy skills. "No need to even mention my brother, you four will not even be a proper warm-up for me alone!" Guan Yu said as he mmed his guandao into the ground in an intimidating manner. This frightened some of the casual yers near him who thought that they were being attacked and they immediately retreated. As for the four yers approaching Guan Yu, they were shocked when they heard his words. How did he know that they were sneaking up on him when they were being so discreet? It¡¯s not like they were amateur yers who did not know what they were doing. However, how could they possibly know about Guan Yu¡¯s Soul Sense trait? Although his Soul Essence was not as nearly as powerful as Izroth¡¯s, as the four grew closer to him, he was able to perceive their hostile intent. It was as if their attention was focused solely on him like a wild beast silently observing its prey. But, if they believed him to be just mere prey for them to do away with as they pleased, Guan Yu would prove them to be sorely mistaken. When the others noticed that Guan Yu were in trouble, they were getting ready to break off and assist him, however, they were unexpectedly stopped. "Do not interfere." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face as he pressed forward with his attack on the Brooding Behemoth Basbus.¡¯ Everyone was startled and a little confused when they heard Izroth¡¯s words, however, no one interfered just as he requested. Besides, they were positive that Izroth would not allow Guan Yu toe to any real harm. He must¡¯ve had some reason for telling them not to help out. However, when they saw that fierce and fearless look in Guan Yu¡¯s eyes with an expression that seemed as if his blood was boiling with excitement, they somewhat understood why Izroth chose not to intervene. Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning shed across the massive body of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus as he activated his First Sword Form: Converging Paths along with Phantom Strike. Not only that, but Izroth also infused thirteen points of Essence into the attack, making for a devastatingbination. ?Critical Hit? -606 ?Critical Hit? -1,212 ?Critical Hit? -1,818 With that attack, the HP of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus dropped down to around 75%. Immediately after such a wless execution of his attack, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill ?First Sword Form: Converging Paths? has increased.¡µ When Izroth checked the information for his First Sword Form: Converging Paths skill, he realized that not much had changed. Its skill level went up from one to two and the cooldown time decreased to one minute from one minute and thirty seconds. Besides that, there were no other changes to the skill itself. ¡¯It may be necessary to master the skill entirely before its true potential can show.¡¯ Even though Izroth¡¯s attack did not have any kind of crowd control effect attached to it, the attack still caused the Brooding Behemoth Basbus¡¯ body to move back slightly. It may have been due to Izroth infusing ten percent of his total Essence into the attack, but it created a more shocking scene than Minus¡¯ showy attack did just a few moments ago. "So strong!" One of the yers who saw how smooth and wless Izroth¡¯s attack wasmented. He could not believe his eyes already when Minus made the massive boss monster stop its movements momentarily. However, that mystery yer was actually able to knock that huge creature back a bit. It was obvious which feat was more impressive. "Also, it wasn¡¯t shy at all! It¡¯s like watching a refined swordsman at work!" One of his friends said. Minus red coldly at Izroth for a brief moment before turning his attention back towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He would not allow himself to be showed up so easily! Meanwhile, Guan Yu was facing off against the four yers who tried to ambush him just a while ago. Originally when they had been discovered, the four yers were going to retreat. However, Guan Yu would not allow them toe and go as they pleased as he charged towards the nearest one to forcibly engage the battle. The four yers were dumbfounded at first that one yer would attempt to charge over at them when he was in such an unfavorable situation. However, their feelings quickly turned into anger for being looked down upon by Guan Yu. They were not just some pushovers or low-ranked guild members of Blue Oasis, they were all skilled yers in the upper-middle ranks of the guild. "You¡¯re digging your own grave!" The yer who Guan Yu attacked yelled out as he swiftly held his sword in a defensive way to parry the iing guandao. However, he had grossly underestimated Guan Yu. Guan Yu¡¯s guandao cut right through that yer¡¯s sword and his entire body as if there was nothing blocking its path. Since the yer expected to parry the blow, Guan Yu¡¯s guandao easily made contact with his head and cleared him away in one fell swoop! It was Guan Yu¡¯s skill Arcing Armor Crusher which had invoked the fragmented effect. Not only this, but he also infused four points of his Essence into the attack. The fragmented effect allowed Guan Yu¡¯s attack to not only bypass anything physical that blocked his guandao¡¯s path, but it also caused the affected target to take a percentage increase in all sources of damage for a set period of time. However, the second part of this effect was unnecessary as the yer who was the target of the attack paid a heavy price for underestimating Guan Yu. ?Critical Hit? -2,790 The yer struck by the attack had been eliminated with a single blow! That yer only had around 2,500 HP and so Guan Yu¡¯s attack was more than enough to finish him off. When the other three yers saw what happened to their guild member, they were shocked. One hit! It only took one hit to ovee someone who was around the samebat level of themselves. "Come! That was just a warning shot." Guan Yu brandished his guandao as he seemed to turn into the beast and the three yers were now his prey to do with as he wished. "Don¡¯t underestimate him! We¡¯ll attack together!" One of the three yers had a gloomy expression on his face. His name was I Throw Rocks, a yer who had been following Minus for years ever since he became interested in the ssic style MMORPGs. Of course, he followed him over to RML when it was released. The other two yers agreed with him as they surrounded Guan Yu from three different angles. This time, they maintained a high level of caution. For a te user, the person before them was fast. Guan Yu frowned when he saw that the three of them were ying in such a safe and cautious way. "Fine, if you won¡¯te to me then I¡¯ll juste to you!" Guan Yu said as he gripped onto his guandao tightly and charged forward. ... "I can see the boss from here. It might be thergest boss to appear within RML so far." The yer who spoke was one of the Five Great Generals of the guild Cross Haven, Zhang Jie. He had been dispatched by Wang Qiang near the border area of Blue Oasis to take action at a moments notice. One of the yers by Zhang Jie¡¯s side whistled as he saw the giant boulders in the sky. "Wonder what those things in the air do. This oughta be fun." "Why have wee all the way to the Blue Oasis sector with such arge force? Won¡¯t we end up drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves with this aggressive move?" One of the other yers who stood by Zhang Jie¡¯s side called tic said. Although tic managed Cross Haven¡¯s finances within RML and divided the resources, his position outside of that was being ced under the directmand of Zhang Jie. "That¡¯s the point. Heh, I have no idea what that crazy bastard is up to, but it¡¯s sure to be entertaining. All we have to do is y our part, don¡¯t think too much about the details." Zhang Jie responded. ording to the scout from Blue Oasis¡¯ previous estimation, their reinforcements would arrive in five minutes and the neighboring guilds would not arrive for at least ten minutes. However, Zhang Jie from Cross Haven was actually the first to arrive on the scene! "Now should be about the right time..." Zhang Jie muttered to himself. He then lifted his magnificent spear into the air before pointing it forward. "Come, let us im what is ours!" Zhang Jie shouted as a battle cry of more than one hundred yers sounded off. They then started to make their way towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. ... "Captain! Arge force of at least one hundred members from Cross Haven led by one of their Five Great Generals Zhang Jie is headed this way! They are already closing in fast on our current position!" One of the scouts reported to Minus who was engaged in a battle against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Minus was shocked. Cross Haven? How had they arrived so fast? Or better yet, how did the scouts let such arge force slip by right under their noses?! "What are those useless scouts doing?!" Minus was furious. This area was under hismand and he had beenpletely unaware of another top guild until they were already too close to even do anything about. Chapter 141 Make A Break For It! Minus could not understand why Cross Haven hade to this area. Hadn¡¯t they alreadye to an agreement before the start of the sixth wave? Is it possible that they intended to go back on their word? Minus had a visible frown on his face as he thought about the next course of action he should take. While it was true that the bosses were up for grab by any top guild, bringing a force of more than one hundred yers into another top guild¡¯s sector could be seen as an aggressive action. Even Minus himself who had hundreds of yers under hismand had only chosen twenty-three yers to fight with him against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The others were needed in order to maintain a certain level of order within the area as the wave of monsters was still ongoing. It wasmon knowledge that Cross Haven had the least amount of members out of all of the top guilds. However, they made up for theck of quantity with quality. Although many top guilds could practically throw one hundred yers at something, Cross Haven could not do the same so easily. The fact that they did meant that Cross Haven wanted to aplish a task that they felt the number of yers required in order to do so was at least one hundred. But, the most suspicious thing was how fast and undetected Cross Haven was. "Locate their general, Zhang Jie, and tell him that the captain of Blue Oasis Minus hopes that we can simply exchange friendly words with one another so that there are no misunderstandings." Minus ordered the scout. The scout immediately left to carry out his orders. If Cross Haven did indeed have bad intentions, then he had to stall by any means necessary until his reinforcements arrived. He only needed to buy another minute or so until they arrived within his sector, ording to the previous report from the scout. However, he felt that if one part of the report was off, then there was a chance there were other things missing or incorrect. "Census, go and tell the standby squad that they have new orders. Inform them to relocate the main force to cut off any form of retreat. They must do this as discreetly as possible. We do not need to openly provoke Cross Haven just yet." Minus said to seemingly no one in particr. However, a few secondster a faint voice sounded out before going silent once more. The owner of that voice was Census, a new member of Blue Oasis that Minus personally requested be assigned to him. The nature of his ss was quite mysterious and although it was not suited for fighting boss monsters, it was a terrifying ss to face as a yer. "It seems that we¡¯ll have to try and speed things up a bit." Minus muttered to himself. He would need all the help he could get now that Zhang Jie was on his way towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. If he really did arrive with more than one hundred yers, it would be troublesome to secure the rare event boss. Just as Minus was about to call off the four yers who were supposed to look for an opportunity to dispose of Guan Yu so that they could increase their overall damage output, he was confused more than anything. When Minus scanned the battlefield near Guan Yu, he noticed that there were only three out of the four yers present. A frown appeared on his face when he failed to find the fourth member. He started to wonder if that guy was cking off somewhere, but no matter where he searched he was unable to find a single trace. However, when Minus closely observed Guan Yu¡¯s battle with the other three members, his expression turned gloomy as realization started to sink in. The three members of his Blue Oasis guild were struggling to hold their own ground against one yer! It was possible that the fourth yer was not cking off anywhere, but rather he had already been eliminated by Guan Yu. Minus would not care as much if they were just normal members, but those four were members who were all extremely loyal to him. Therefore, when they suffered losses, he also suffered losses. He could not help but stare coldly at Guan Yu. "I¡¯ve underestimated him. I thought he would just be a loudmouth with no skill to back it up, but he¡¯s able to hold his own against those four." Minus said to himself. Now he was forced to make a decision. He could enter into the fight against Guan Yu and take care of him himself, or he could continue to leave it to those three to deal with. For Minus, the answer was obvious. He felt that the three yers coulde out victorious against Guan Yu if they pushed themselves. Besides, he was not able to take a chance and start a direct battle with some nobody yer with Zhang Jie nearby. Minus gloves released a powerful burst of mes as heunched an even more aggressive assault against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He wanted Zhang Jie to personally witness his strength when he arrived on the scene. Meanwhile, Guan Yu shed outward in a full circr motion as he knocked back all three yers who surrounded him. Or at least, he was supposed to, but the three yers all managed to retreat sessfully. "These guys are so annoying!" Guan Yu could not help but frown and be slightly frustrated. Ever since he eliminated the first yer in one swing, the other three yers took on a really passive ystyle. They would strike only when they were absolutely able to. During the period of time when Guan Yu attacked, they would either immediately retreat, or focus entirely on defensive measures. If he pressed on with his attack on one specific yer, then the other two would charge in and take advantage. Guan Yu hated to admit it, but the teamwork of these three yers was not half bad! However, I Throw Rocks and his two teammates were exhausted. Not so much physically but rather mentally from dealing with Guan Yu. Not only were his attacks powerful, but they were also incredibly fast and difficult to face head-on. To make matters worse, he was a te user and they were all branched from the rogue ss. Although they were still faster than Guan Yu agility wise, he made up for it with his reaction speed which was frightening to deal with. Ever time they tried to pull away from the battle, Guan Yu would stick to them like glue. "We can¡¯t continue on this way." I Throw Rocks said with a gloomy expression on his face. His two other teammates also had gloomy expressions on their faces. They were in an even worse state than I Throw Rocks. "Why¡¯d that idiot have to go and let his guard down and make this more difficult for all of us?" One of I Throw Rocks¡¯ party members said. "Who knew that some nobody yer would be so strong?" The other member of his party said. At first, since Izroth and the rest of the party did interfere in the battle, they believed that Guan Yu was most likely disposable and so they grew even more convinced of an easy victory. "He¡¯s still far from invincible. Our attacks are having an effect on him. As long as we don¡¯t rush things, we should be able to force him into retreating or eliminate him." I Throw Rocks said. But, there was still another problem. The longer Guan Yu battled, the stronger and fiercer his attacks became. "You¡¯re speaking as if I¡¯m not right here!" Guan Yu charged towards I Throw Rocks in an enraged manner and unleashed a mighty swing with his guandao. I Throw Rocks instantly began his retreat as the other two took advantage of the weak points revealed during Guan Yu¡¯s attack andunched assaults from two different angles. This had been their strategy for dealing with Guan Yu. However, I Throw Rocks suddenly had a bad feeling when he noticed that Guan Yu¡¯s enraged expression had turned into one with a slight grin on his face. He was baiting them! "Don¡¯t-" I Throw Rocks trusted his gut feelings and wanted to warn them to fall back, but it was toote. Guan Yu¡¯s guandao that was being originally aimed at I Throw Rocks, had changed its trajectory course and was now headed towards one of the two yers. That yer was startled when there was suddenly arge sharp piece of metal right in his face. He did not even have time to defend himself let alone dodge as the guandao swept cleanly across his neck. ?Critical Hit? -3,063 Skill Name: Mirroring Attack Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 22 Spear Enforcer, Guandao Equipped Mana Cost: 125 Active: The user¡¯s attack is mirrored in the opposite direction dealing 150% of the user¡¯s attack as damage with the main strike and 225% of the user¡¯s attack damage as the mirrored strike. If the attack is focused on a single target, then the mirrored strike will appear behind the target of the main strike and deal 25% less damage. Cooldown: 4 Minutes 45 Seconds -951 Since Guan Yu¡¯s true target was the yer he knew would try to attack him from behind, his main strike was aimed at I Throw Rocks, while his mirrored strike would hit his true target. Although he did not manage to take both of them out at the same time, he still managed to eliminate one of them. I Throw Rocks and the remaining yer both fell back to a safe distance with darkened expressions. He had been hiding such an attack this entire time! Even though he survived, I Throw Rocks still lost more than 40% of his HP from that one strike. If he had not been careful and been struck in a vital point, then he could have very well been put into an even worse state. This was not worth it! If they continued the battle with just the two of them, then the oue would be obvious. It pained them to admit it, but they were no match for the yer before them. I Throw Rocks gave a meaningful look to his teammate as he responded with a slight nod. "I admit, we have indeed underestimated you. If you let us go on our way, you have my word that you will not see us again." I Throw Rocks said. Guan Yu blinked a few times with a confused look on his face. Let them go on their way? Would they have let him go on his way if the situation were reversed? The answer was obviously no! They would have eliminated him without hesitation and so it was only right that he returned the favor. "The moment you-" Just when the first bit of words left Guan Yu¡¯s mouth, I Throw Rocks immediately moved at full speed making his way towards the northern direction of the battlefield. His other teammate also moved at full speed, but he headed towards the south direction of the battlefield. Those two actually decided to take their chances and make a break for it in opposite directions! Guan Yu decided to chase after the yer who went south, however, he halted his steps when he observed over one hundred yers speeding towards his direction. Leading that group of yers was a male who wore silver ted armor and had a magnificent spear ced upon his back. "It¡¯s him!" When Guan Yu saw that person, he was shocked and hadpletely forgotten all about I Throw Rocks and that other yer. Izroth had noticed therge force of yers closing in on their current position. When he saw the cautious and guarded look on Minus¡¯ face along with their arrival, Izroth immediately knew that Minus did not take too kindly to their appearance. ¡¯Could it be one of the neighboring top guilds?¡¯ Chapter 142 Provocation Izroth kept a part of his attention on the arrival of Zhang Jie and therge group of yers who followed him. That group moved together in such an organized manner that they were definitely not just another batch of messy small guild alliances, but rather one of the other top guilds. Judging from the way Minus reacted, Izroth determined that his mood had worsened since the appearance of the new group of yers. Also, who else would dare to bring over one hundred yers directly into one of the other top guild¡¯s sectors? There were many big guilds who were bold, but they were not foolish and knew their current limits. This was an act of aggression, even Izroth who understood nothing of what was going on behind the scenes at this moment could perceive that part clearly. There seemed to be a tense atmosphere building up between the present members of Blue Oasis and the new arrivals. Zi Yi frowned when she noticed the new set of faces who showed up on the battlefield. "That person in silver armor at the head of the group is Zhang Jie, one of Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals. What is he thinking?" Zi Yi released two arrows towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus as they disappeared into the void and reappeared at the forehead of the boss monster. The arrows pierced into its head with ease, however, its huge size made it seem like two toothpicks sticking out of its head. However, the power behind her arrows should not be underestimated because of that. ?Critical Hit? -1,200 ?Critical Hit? -1,200 "Do they have some sort of bad blood or rivalry going on?" Valentine asked as he cast the skill Zarkox First Sequence: Release. Since the Brooding Behemoth Basbus was so incredibly slow, Valentine did not even need to use the Epassing Mana String to lock its movements in ce. There was no way itsrge body could maneuver in time to avoid the magic attack. -631 ... -631 "No, that should not be the case. Cross Haven and Blue Oasis have always been on neutral terms with one another. There have not been any hints of something that would cause them to take such an obvious overly aggressive action. In fact, it¡¯s illogical for Cross Haven to deploy arge force because of their limited number of members." Zi Yi exined. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth believed that it was just an intense rivalry or as Valentine put it, bad blood, between the two top guilds. However, if there existed no history of hostility between the two guilds that would make them take such an action, then it was possible that something recent caused the change in their attitude. Izroth was not interested in the two guilds themselves, but rather if something simr urred to them as it did with Silent Step. It was possible that the Shadahi did not only have things set up to interfere with the goal inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm but also for this event as well. The Brooding Behemoth Basbus used its bulky gori-like arm to smash down towards Halls. However, Halls ced his shield before his body and as soon as that massive arm made contact with his shield which formed a transparent barrier around it, the entire body of the boss monster shook. ?Blocked? -2,208 +1,522 4,820/6,756 HP Remaining! (Halls) Although the body of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus was not knocked back due to Halls¡¯ Rebound skill, its movements were brought to an abrupt halt for around one full second. Halls was a bit disappointed that the body of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus did not go flying back and soaring through the air with the effect of his Rebound skill. How cool would that have been to send a huge monster flying away from one of his own skills? Luna cast Heal on Halls to bring his HP back above the 70% mark. At the moment, the only true threat were the boulders floating above the battlefield. However, a rare event boss was bound to have more than one trick up its sleeves and so they had to remain prepared. "Isn¡¯t that Zhang Jie from Cross Haven? So many yers came with him, the rumors must be true." One of the nearby yers who spoke to his friends said. That yer¡¯s friend released a long sigh with a helpless expression on his face. He was the leader of a small guild who joined the alliance of other small guilds and casual yers in order topete in theter waves. However, with one of the Five Great Generals from Cross Haven showing up, along with the already present Blue Oasis guild members, this rare event boss was now far beyond their means of obtaining. It was already a long shot with just Blue Oasis here, but now another top guild had arrived on the scene. Although the two yers spoke amongst themselves, as soon as Zi Yi who was not too far away from them picked up the keywords Zhang Jie and rumors, she focused on the conversation going on between the two yers. It did not take long for them to mention what the rumor was all about. When Zi Yi received that information, she was shocked. That would be more than enough to exin why Cross Haven deployed arge force into the Blue Oasis sector! If all that was said was true, or even a portion of it, then there was a good chance that they may be caught in between a war of the top guilds. Zi Yi informed Izroth and her other party members of her recent findings to shed some light on the situation. "I see, so that¡¯s what happened." Luna could feel the tense atmosphere. It was so thick that one could cut through it with a knife. "If so, then their reason for being here is justified. However, their appearance does not change our original goal." Izroth responded. To him, it was just an extra helping hand. But, he would still remain vignt due to his other concerns. As Izroth and his party were talking, Guan Yu had returned from his fight against the four yers from Blue Oasis. At first, he was a bit frustrated that the two remaining yers used such a cowardly tactic. But, he was not even thinking about those two anymore after the appearance of Zhang Jie. There was a rare serious expression on Guan Yu¡¯s face. One was unable to tell what he was thinking at that exact moment. When Izroth noticed Guan Yu¡¯s strange behavior, he felt that something was off. Guan Yu would not be so serious over two yers who managed to escape, therefore, something else must have happened. However, Guan Yu quickly reverted back to his old ways just moments after his arrival. If it was a subject that he did not wish to bring up, Izroth would not pursue it. "Ahahaha, those guys were way too weak! Tch, but two of them managed to run away. Just a bunch of cowards!" Guan Yu said with a hint of disdain in his voice. They wanted to start a fight but when things did not go their way, they ran away with their tails tucked between their legs. Guan Yu would have had some respect for them if they chose to stay and fight until the end, but now he had an even worse impression of Minus and the members of Blue Oasis. "What do you expect when the only way they are confident in winning is tounch a sneak attack?" Halls said with a grin on his face. Guan Yu joined back in the fight against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. As Izroth and his party battled, Izroth saw that Minus had pulled away from the boss. He was headed in Zhang Jie¡¯s direction. Not too long after Minus moved away, Zhang Jie held his hand up as if he were signaling for the other members of his guild to remain put for now. A few momentster, he stepped forward and walked towards the area he had agreed to speak with MInus at. tic was ufortable with letting Zhang Jie go in alone, but there was not a single ounce of worry written on Zhang Jie¡¯s face as he entered deeper into the Blue Oasis sector by himself. It did not take long for Zhang Jie and Minus toe face-to-face with one another. Zhang Jie had a very calm and collected appearance. While on the outside it may seem like his attitude was nonchnt, he was on full alert mode. Minus, on the other hand, had an unweing facial expression as he walked way over. However, he quickly straightened it out to one that was neutral and with little to no emotion visible. "I¡¯m d you could meet with me, General Zhang Jie. It is an honor." Minus¡¯st few words was just a superficial greeting. It was obvious that he did not wee Zhang Jie¡¯s presence here. "But, of course, I am honored as well to meet one with such great power and reputation as yourself, Captain Minus." Zhang Jie responded in a simrly superficial manner. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, I hope that General Zhang Jie minds exining himself and his intentions." Minus said with an observant look in his eyes. He knew that whatever words were spoken to him by Zhang Jie would most likely be lies or half-truths. The only true way to determine anything was to judge Zhang Jie¡¯s bodynguage. "Exin? You are overthinking things. I simply wish to participate in securing this event boss. Since it is a rare boss, I brought along some extra help. After all, the agreement was that all boss monsters would be up for grabs, no matter which sector it spawned in." Zhang Jie replied. Minus frowned, "Since when does Cross Haven need such arge force to secure one event boss?" Even he only needed twenty-three yers, along with himself, to secure the boss. The reinforcements were simply a protocol set in ce by Asgard. However, Zhang Jie saying Cross Haven needed more than one hundred yers to secure an event boss, even if it was rare, was just a ridiculous excuse. Did Zhang Jie take him for a fool? "I¡¯ve said all that needs to be said. Captain Minus, do you have any other matters you wish to discuss with me?" Zhang Jie said as he avoided the question. Minus stared at Zhang Jie for a moment and after finding out that he would not receive anything else, he gave up on the matter. Just as he thought it would be, this had turned out to be a waste of time. But, that was all he needed, was to waste time. "Yes, in fact, I do. You see-" Minua was promptly interrupted by Zhang Jie. "Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else then you¡¯ll have to excuse me for being rude, but I have a task to aplish." Zhang Jie lifted the spear ced upon his back high up into the air. Minus red at Zhang Jie who did not even bother to listen to his words. Even if he was just trying to stall for time, he should have been shown a bit more face due to his position. "What do you intend to do?" Minus said as he saw Zhang Jie lift his spear into the air. "Of course, I intend to do what I was sent here for, to secure the boss." Zhang Jie pointed the magnificent spear towards the sky and just a couple of secondster, one could see the wave of Cross Haven yers moving quickly in an organized manner towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Zhang Jie rested the pole of the spear on his shoulder as he walked right past Minus without sparing him a single nce. The way Zhang Jie simply brushed him off infuriated Minus. However, Zhang Jie was not just some nobody he couldy a hand on as he pleased. Doing so would have too many consequences, especially with the recent turn of events. "Where are the reinforcements?" Minus asked one of the nearby scouts. However, that scout waspletely clueless about the dy as the reinforcements should have arrived by now. "Find out what¡¯s causing the dy!" Minus snapped which frightened the scout as he immediately scurried off to do as ordered. It was as if all of the scouts within his sector were small children who needed their hands held for every little thing. Even though this was the first time their scout system had been implemented within RML, such majorplications should not exist. But, one thing was clear to Minus by this point. This had turned into a provocation by Cross Haven. Chapter 143 A Game of Palm Dancing After Zhang Jie and the members of Cross Haven joined the battle, the HP of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus started to decline at a rapid pace. The members of Cross Haven really were quantity over quality, but when you put their quantity and quality together, it made for a destructive force. The most impressive out of the new group of arrivals was Zhang Jie. It was not just his strength that made him stand out, but also his ability to lead and maintain a high level of organization when it came to themand structure set in ce. It was easy to tell that the yers from Cross Haven had yed together for quite some time as they were able to cover for one another¡¯s weaknesses. ¡¯They are not half bad.¡¯ Izroth was reminded of his early cultivation days as he observed how efficiently Zhang Jiemanded his guild members. At that time he was only given control of 10,000 troops, but whenever enemies saw his banner they would tremble with fear. It took more than simple strength tomand and Zhang Jie seemed to understand this point very well. Uwooooooooo! All of a sudden, the Brooding Behemoth Basbus released a loud war cry. A few secondster, it began to bang its fist against the ground causing tremors in the surrounding fifty meters. At the same time, three of the boulders that floated in midair had already started to make their way down towards the battlefield. -200 ... Every one second for ten seconds total, the Brooding Behemoth Basbus fist from its gori-like arms would m into the ground and deal a fixed amount of 200 damage to all yers within range, regardless of their defenses. Those who were mage-type sses like Valentine activated their Mana Shield to protect themselves from a good portion of the damage and relieve some of the stress on their healer. The te wearing sses could easily survive due to their HP being well above the 2,000 range. However, to some of those who were within range that was already fighting against the other monsters from the sixth wave, it put them into a dangerous situation. The majority of the devastated sses were all rogue-type or ranger-type since their defensive capabilities were extremely limited or practically nonexistent in most cases. Three boulders crashing down at the same time throughout the battlefield had eliminated yet another batch of casual yers. However, there were some yers with more experience or high game IQ, such as Izroth¡¯s party¡¯s, Blue Oasis, and Cross Haven, who quickly found a way to minimize the damage from the Brooding Behemoth Basbus¡¯ attack. Just before the fist of the boss monster struck the ground, if one jumped, they would be able to avoid taking the 200 fixed damage. As for the boulders, although a good portion of yers had found the proper way to deal with them, most of them were stillpletely clueless. There were holes under the boulder which most yers would ignore and just think of as a simple design feature, but if yers safely positioned themselves on the inside of one of those holes, they would only receive a p on the wrist damage wisepared to the others caught directly by the impact. After the ten seconds passed, the Brooding Behemoth Basbus stopped banging its fist on the ground and went back to its slow physical attacks. Although Izroth and his party were struck a few times before figuring out how to counter the recent skill used by the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, there was no major damage done as it was well within Luna¡¯s manageable healing range. Not too long after the Brooding Behemoth Basbus went back to its slow physical attacks, a group of yers could be seen rushing over towards the rare event boss. These yers came from the opposite direction from that of the members of Cross Haven. "Could it be that a third top guild wants to contest this boss as well?" Luna said as she saw the yers moving fast towards the direction of the rare event boss. As Izroth swept his gaze across the iing yers, he immediately recognized the yer at the front leading the charge. ¡¯He is the one I met back in Opal Town.¡¯ That yer was none other than one of the Seven Captains of Blue Oasis, Niflheim. This was the first time Izroth hade across Niflheim since their short encounter in Opal Town. "Sir, the reinforcements from Blue Oasis has arrived. The one leading them is Captain Niflheim." One of Zhang Jie¡¯s scouts reported to him. Zhang Jie had a small grin on his face when he received that report. "Good, he¡¯s right on time. Inform everyone that we¡¯ll be operating using the fourth method from now on." The scout was shocked and speechless at first, but he quickly regained his wits. "Understood!" It was obvious that the scout was worried about something. He trusted and respected Zhang Jie, but the fourth method was a tactic used specifically to deal with an enemy group of yers duringrge scale PVP battles. To deploy the fourth method in the sector belonging to the Blue Oasis guild could spark a full-blown guild war with them. This was even more so considering the fact that they were not on the best of terms after the incident with Wang Qiang. ... Sometime just before the start of the sixth wave... "My proposal is simple- Though, if guild leader Asgard would not mind, I would like to discuss it with you and Captain Niflheim alone." Ewan said. "Is there a specific reason for such a request, guild leader Ewan?" Asgard questioned with a frown as he tried to see through Ewan¡¯s intentions. Dragus was also startled by the sudden request. He was already ufortable with Ewan being within the Blue Oasis sector itself, but now he wanted to be alone with two of their strongest members? However, he remembered Ewan¡¯s words from earlier on their way here and kept silent. "Then, I¡¯ll be blunt. I am unsure of who can be trusted outside of guild leader Asgard and Captain Niflheim." Ewan said without mincing up his words. "I do not believe that it¡¯s wise. It may be a trap or an attempt at revenge." Minus, who stood next to Asgard, whispered so that only Asgard would be able to hear his words. Asgard thought it over a bit as he soon came to the conclusion that whatever it was, as long as it had the chance of preventing a negative oue for both parties, he was willing to give it a shot. Against Minus¡¯ suggestion, Asgard decided to agree to speak with Ewan alone, along with Niflheim present. Besides, even if Ewan was strong and had set a trap, Asgard was confident in his own strength, as well as the strength of a captain he personally chose. Ewan, Niflheim, and Asgard went off by themselves to an area where they would not be disturbed or overheard by any of the surrounding yers. "So guild leader Ewan, what is it that you wish to speak about?" Asgard asked. "What I¡¯m about to say is something that can obviously never leave this ce. I hope that you two can honor this agreement." Ewan said. Asgard nodded, "You have my word." Niflheim also gave his word that he would not talk freely about whatever matters they were about to discuss here. "As you know one of the Five Great Generals of my Cross Haven Wang Qiang, has suffered an assassination attempt against him by one of your Lieutenants. As a fellow guild leader, I am sure that you are aware of the implications behind this matter." Ewan said. "As I¡¯ve said before, I have no-" Asgard was interrupted by Ewan. "Fortunately, our General Wang Qiang is not so short-sighted." Ewan stated. Niflheim was startled by Ewan¡¯s words. He then started to think back to the recent set of events and everything that led up to Red Days attacking Wang Qiang with a select group of other Blue Oasis members. It then suddenly dawned on him. "You can¡¯t possibly mean..." Ewan smiled slightly as he said, "He said that you would pick up on things fast. However, even I have to admit that I¡¯ve underestimated your ability to do so. It is a shame that you are not a member of my Cross Haven." Asgard was still lost as to what was going on. "Guild leader Ewan, your reason for going through all this can¡¯t simply be just to steal a member of my Blue Oasis guild. May I receive a proper exnation?" "He knew... The moment he decided to send that message to all the top guilds he knew exactly what the next move would be! But, how is it that possible?" Niflheim muttered to himself, but it was loud and clear enough for Asgard to make out what he said. Asgard may not have had a talent when it came to the type of world those like Wang Qiang and Niflheim dwelled in, but he was no fool. He was able to piece together a few things and came to a shocking conclusion. Asgard understood that Wang Qiang was a rare talent and he already had the highest level of respect for his skills in strategizing, but this was a little ridiculous if it was indeed true. "From your reactions, I¡¯m sure that you have already grasped a basic outline of things. General Wang Qiang knew that after he sent out that message, whoever is truly behind this nonsense would take action against him." Ewan exined. He then continued, "Knowing this much, the tricky part was figuring out how the attack was going to be performed. There¡¯s a very important saying, in order to fool one¡¯s enemies, one must first fool their own allies. There were only a handful of possibilities for who would be responsible for the attack." "The first is obviously Sage Falls. But, that would be a little too obvious. Also, even if they did make a move, it would be through too many differentworks. Some other options were also considered, such as Hollow Tempo or someone from Fatal Touch, but that would not give satisfying enough results." The more that Asgard and Niflheim listened, the more they began to realize how far Wang Qiang had thought ahead. Fooling his own allies, outside of Ewan, just to fool his own enemies was quite the risky move, especially when the danger is unknown. "He then came up with an answer of who would attack that surprised even me, Blue Oasis. After seeing the movements and mind games of whoever is responsible for certain events in other guild sectors, Wang Qiang found that everything was ultimately a n destined to fail. That strategy had one simple goal, to get our two guilds to make direct contact." Ewan said. He then continued, "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed it as well, the excess of yers with a higher than usual skill level that was in your sector at the beginning, but then magically seemed to disappear. Whoever this was wanted this exact situation to ur." Asgard frowned, "You¡¯re saying that someone manipted a lieutenant of my Blue Oasis and tried to frame us? Then, knowing that Cross Haven would have no choice but to respond, they nned..." Asgard frown soon turned into an expression of disbelief. Impossible! It was absolutely impossible for someone to manipte an entire set of events down to this level of detail. "This is what Wang Qiang proposes..." Ewan then went on to exin the details of Wang Qiang¡¯s ns. Asgard and Niflheim listened closely and at the end, they agreed that it was their best chance at getting to the bottom of things. Niflheim furrowed his brows and had a worried expression on his face. If someone truly was capable of such a thing, then was it possible that they had predicted this as well? If so, in the end, who would be dancing in who¡¯s palm? ... "He¡¯s participating in this event as well." Niflheim said to himself as he arrived close enough to see Izroth fighting against the rare event boss. Normally, it would not be easy to spot a specific yer in the mix of so many, but he had already been updated on the current situation by one of the scouts on his arrival. Niflheim then turned his attention towards Minus and then Zhang Jie who was also engaged in a battle against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. "Let¡¯s hope that we¡¯re right about this." Niflheim said to himself as he unsheathed the sword at his side. Chapter 144 Defying The Second Order "He¡¯s here, just as Wang Qiang said he would be." Zhang Jie caught sight of Niflheim as he approached the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. When Minus saw that Niflheim had finally arrived, he grew bolder with his assault against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Now that his reinforcements were here, he did not have to look over his shoulder every few seconds to keep on eye on Zhang Jie. This was a task better suited for Niflheim. Besides, he wanted the massive event points that came along with defeating a boss monster. As for Izroth¡¯s party and the other small guilds, Minus was not worried in the slightest about them stealing the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. After all, two powerful top guilds were present. It was simply impossible for others to have any chance. "There are so many yers now!" Guan Yu said as he swept his guandao outward with a basic attack aimed directly at the boss monster. -429 Thanks to the member Cross Haven and Blue Oasis, the HP on the Brooding Behemoth Basbus could not hold up under the constant assault and was falling rapidly. Just moments ago it was still at 70% HP and now it was already down to 36% of its total HP. "This really is an SS-ranked quest. Going through so much trouble to retrieve an item... Forget about the boss, it¡¯s the other yers that make this a bit tricky." Valentine stated. Zi Yi shot an arrow at towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus as it vanished. One secondter, that same arrow appeared behind the body of the boss monster and pierced into it. -603 "The moment that could decide whether we pass or fail the first trial is right around the corner. We have to be prepared to go all out." Zi Yi reminded everyone. When the Brooding Behemoth Basbus¡¯ HP dropped below the 40% mark, two boulders started dropping down every ten seconds instead of the usual one. Also, the quakes and tremors that it released happened more frequently which made yers pay close attention to the movements of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus so that they could react properly. ¡¯Strange...¡¯ Izroth was able to perceive the surrounding battlefield clearly and he noticed a few strange movements made by that Zhang Jie yer from Cross Haven. From the way the yers began to mobilize and position themselves, it was not the best set-up to im the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The majority of the Cross Haven yers were spread out into an almost defensive style perimeter. However, there were certain yers who remained grouped together in threes. It was a bizarre scene to witness with a critical moment of iming the Brooding Behemoth Basbus right around the corner. As Niflheim scanned the battlefield, he realized that the yers from Cross Haven were no longer fully focused on the rare event boss monster. That action meant that the proposal the guild leader of Blue Oasis, Ewan, had made was about to soon take effect. Minus may have been concentrated on the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, but he was still a little concerned about Cross Haven jumping in at thest moment to steal it. "Niflheim! I¡¯m going to send for the remaining members our my area that are on standby!" he shouted to Niflheim. However, the response that he received from Niflheim was not one that he expected. "You will not!" Niflheim replied almost immediately after Niflheim¡¯s suggestion. He would not? Minus was trying to courteous towards Niflheim who was a fellow captain by informing him beforehand of his ns. But, in the end, Niflheim had a rank that was equal to his own and therefore he did not have to follow Niflheim¡¯s orders. "Why shouldn¡¯t I? Thest time I checked, you could give me your opinion on a matter, but not a direct order." Minus spoke in a tone of voice that was filled with a hint of annoyance. "Guild leader Asgard has given Captain Niflheim leadmand on any battlefield during the event Protectors of Amaharpe, second only to his ownmand. Captain Minus, I have been granted the power of the Second Order." Niflheim said. Minus was shocked. Niflheim had actually been given the power of the Second Order? Howe he was not informed of such a thing? In fact, all the members of Blue Oasis were startled when they heard Niflheim¡¯s words. Having the power of the Second Order was the equivalent of takingmands from the guild leader himself. However, it was only used in times of emergencies or when the guild leader was unable to perform his duties properly due to some unforeseen circumstances. The most unusual thing was that neither of those situations was something that the guild was aware of. To their current knowledge, Asgard was in a perfect state to lead. Also, there was no huge threat made against the guild that they knew about. "Why would you have the power of the Second Order given to you?" Minus understood very well that Niflheim would not joke about something like this. Even if he was one of the seven captains, the punishment for faking the power of the Second Order was not light. "I am unable to discuss such matters. However, know that I indeed have leadmand in this area. As the individual who possesses the leadmand, you will follow my orders and keep the remaining members on standby until further notice." Niflheim said with authority in his voice. Minus was silent for a moment before he responded and said, "Understood." He then turned his attention away from Niflheim and back towards the rare event boss. But, there was a look of coldness in his eyes at that moment that no one could see. "Now, your party isn¡¯t a part of the equation. Let¡¯s hope it stays that way." Niflheim said as he looked in the direction of Izroth and his party members. Swoosh! Swoosh! Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning moved quickly through the air and struck the body of the Brooding Behemoth twice. He used a basic attack followed by the skill First Sword Form: Converging Paths. -367 ?Critical Hit? -734 Usually, Izroth poured some of his Essence into his basic attacks, but he was saving his Essence for the final attack against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He still only regenerated one Essence per minute, therefore, in order to avoid a potential Soul Weakness he had to make sure to leave some room for error. 30%... 20%... 10%... When the HP of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus reached the 10% mark, it entered into an enraged state. The boulders that fell from the sky every ten seconds, now fell down every five seconds. Also, the damage from the tremors was now unavoidable even when jumping. This made it so that the healers had to put in a lot of effort to keep up with the damage. Thankfully, the damage stayed at a fixed amount and did not increase from its previous value. If it did, then the number of yers currently within the Blue Oasis¡¯ sector that would remain alive after this battle would have been much smaller. Luna was able to skillfully keep Izroth and her other party members HP within the safe zone. With the correct timing sense and keeping track of everyone¡¯s HP, it made it much easier for Luna to match her heals with damage done by the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Of course, it was a lot harder than Luna made it look. Right now, the Brooding Behemoth Basbus had around 100,000 HP remaining and the rest was being chipped away at rapidly. Its defenses had be weaker, however, its other aspects such as agility and attack power had be stronger. However, Halls along with Luna was able to keep up with the rare event boss for the moment. But, that was changing with every second that passed as the boss monster only became stronger and stronger. From the near distance, one could see arge group of yers moving towards the Brooding Behemoth Basbus with incredible haste. When Niflheim saw those yers rushing over, his facial expression immediately darkened as he searched for Minus who was locked in a battle against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The yers who came rushing over were under the directmand of Minus and besides Asgard or himself who was given the power of the Second Order, no one else could have mobilized them. Of course, Asgard was not present at the moment and he did not give the order himself. This meant that Minus had defied his orders! With Niflheim¡¯s current status, that was the equivalent of openly defying Asgard himself. "Captain Minus, why have you defied my direct order?"! Niflheim was furious. It was not necessarily due to his order being ignored, but rather it was because of the disrespect towards the Second Order which represented Asgard. One had to know that Asgard had saved him during a bad period in his gaming career. If not for Asgard, he would not be where he is today. Therefore, Niflheim took Minus defying the Second Order as him challenging Asgard¡¯s position of authority. "I still have yet to receive any official statement saying that you have the power of the Second Order, Captain Niflheim." Minus made sure to stress the captain part. It was as if he was saying that Niflheim was not above him. "Surely you do not think that I would lie about something with such serious implications?" Niflheim said trying to suppress his anger. He nor any of the other seven captains would dare to lie about being given the power of the Second Order. Why would fellow guild members, especially ones of such high positions, openly lie to one another? Minus did not respond to Niflheim¡¯s question as the members he had waiting on standby had arrived and took up their position. When tic, who was currently standing next to Zhang Jie, noticed that more members of Blue Oasis had arrived and became a bit nervous. Would they really start a fight with Blue Oasis in their very own sector? Zhang Jie saw the worried expression on tic¡¯s face and reassured him. "You shouldn¡¯t worry about it too much. He should be making his next move right about now. We simply have to wait and hold our ground." ... "Is everything with Sage Falls in ce Menerva?" Vault said resting the side of his face on his fist. "Yes, they will adjust their time slightly and move just before the end of the sixth wave. The results of turning Cross Haven and Blue Oasis against each other was greater than I originally anticipated. If all goes well on Sage Falls¡¯ end, then you should have the results you seek." Menerva responded. "Excellent." Arge grin crept onto Vault¡¯s face. He then continued on and said, "Then, it will also be time for them to take action soon. Tell our other friends that Sage Falls is about to make their move, the rest will be up to them." Menerva was a bit taken aback. "It is still too soon to reveal that card. If we do that then-" "You dare question my orders?! If I say do it, then you do it!" Vault said in an angered manner. He did not take Menerva questioning his decisions lightly. Menerva did not continue on and remained silent. A few momentster she said, "Understood." She then gave a slight respectful bow before executing the orders that were given to her. "Tch... Just because she¡¯s a little useful she believes it to be okay to question me. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. In the end, she will never escape my grasp." Vault said to himself. Vault then stood to his feet as he spoke as if victory was already assured. "Heh, what top guilds? They are nothing before my Headhunter Syndicate. Soon enough, I¡¯ll have all of them underneath my foot. Ahahaha!" Vault let out an almost disturbingugh. Chapter 145 Up For Grabs? Its Already Taken! ... While Niflheim was furious at Minus, it was already toote to do anything about it with the Brooding Behemoth Basbus being so close to death. Right now, their main priority was supposed to be to secure the boss monster, but Niflheim had a bad feeling about it. There was something warning him that some things would not go as expected. The person giving him this strange feeling was a yer wielding a sword with lightning crackling around it. That yer had a calm expression on his face as if nothing could cause him to be troubled. That yer was none other than Izroth. After surprising Niflheim a few times, Izroth was someone he believed would aplish many great things within RML. "But, if you think I¡¯ll hand a rare event boss over to you so easily you¡¯re mistaken." Niflheim said to himself. "Main squadron on me! We¡¯re going to help secure the boss!" Niflheim ordered as he and twenty-five other members of Blue Oasis made their move. When Minus saw that Niflheim was taking action against the low HP Brooding Behemoth Basbus, he became infuriated. However, he would not attack a member of his own guild or else the end results would be disastrous. This was even more so since Niflheim currently held the power of the Second Order. "Captain Niflheim, me and my party are perfectly capable of securing this boss monster! You should focus your attention on keeping the opposing parties at bay." Minus tried to get Niflheim to take up another task. After all, if Niflheim eliminated the boss then he would not receive a single point for all of his efforts. To Minus, this was uneptable. "What gives you the right to try and give me orders?" Niflheim was not polite with his words as he quickly snapped back. He had not forgotten about how Minuspletely disregarded him and his orders just a few moments ago. Originally, he had no ns of interfering, but because of Minus¡¯ actions, he had no choice but to improvise. Minus saw that Niflheim was not going to yield which angered him even further. "So be it!" he said before preparing tounch one of his strongest attacks against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. In fact, many yers were preparing to strike with their strongest skill at the end in order to secure the rare event boss. This was the very first rare event boss to appear during the Protectors of Amaharpe. Not only would it drop rare equipment or items, but it was bound to grant the party and the individual who struck the final blow a massive amount of event points. Even those at the very bottom of the list would immediately shoot up on the event leaderboards. "Brother Izroth, it only has 60,000 HP remaining and it¡¯s falling fast!" Halls said just after took a heavy blow from the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. ?Blocked? -3,052 +1,568 +205 4,247/6,756 HP Remaining! (Halls) Luna had timed her Heal just as the Brooding Behemoth Basbus struck down at Halls with itsrge gori-like arms. She had also used Healing Essence every time it was off cooldown to keep a constant healing source on Halls. The Brooding Behemoth Basbus¡¯ attacks were noticeably faster, but it was still quite slowpared to the average boss monsters they had encountered so far. Thus, Halls was still able to maintain a firm stand against it. Izroth did not respond as his attention was locked onto the HP of the boss monster. He had to time it just right so that there was no possibility of failure. ¡¯I¡¯ll be breaking the rule I set. Though I believe with the current amount I have, it should be fine.¡¯ Izroth halted his attacks against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus and stood there with his de of Lightning in hand. "Hm?" The first to notice that Izroth had stopped his attacks against the boss monster was Minus. "Well, it appears that at least one of them has some sense remaining." he said to himself as he shook his head in disappointment. Izroth most likely feared the oue if he were to mistakenly steal the boss from right under the noses of two top guilds. Minus believed that even if Izroth was brave, he was not stupid. However, there was someone else who noticed Izroth break off his assault. "What is he nning?" Niflheim muttered as he saw Izroth¡¯s unusual behavior. Unlike Minus, Niflheim did not believe Izroth held any such fears towards the top guilds. After all, when they had first met back in Opal Town, Izroth was not at all intimidated by the status he held. That odd gut feeling began to surface once again within Niflheim. Zhang Jie, who had also been participating within the battle, had also caught wind of Izroth¡¯s actions. After seeing Izroth¡¯s ystyle, he could see why Ewan would be interested in such raw skill and talent. Of course, Zhang Jie knew Izroth by name only before today and this was his first time seeing him in person. "He would be an interesting opponent." Zhang Jie said with surprised tic who was by his side. That battle fiend Zhang Jie actually said that someone would be an interesting opponent? Such news would shock anyone who heard it! When the HP of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus reached around 43,000 Izroth made his move. An overbearing pressure was being released from his de of Lightning as he used the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction. -2,081 Immediately after Izroth¡¯s sword connected, a tremendous amount of deadly killing intent started pouring out from Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning and filled up the surrounding atmosphere within twenty meters. Minus, Niflheim, and Zhang Jie all went on high alert when they felt that aura. The nearby yers were ovee with the feeling that something cold and sharp was being pressed up against their necks. "What is that skill...?" Niflheim was dumbfounded. The pressure being released from that skill was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Arge smile found its way onto Zhang Jie¡¯s face as he witnessed Izroth¡¯s movements. It made his blood boil with excitement. Minus, on the other hand, was still waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his ultimate skill. However, Izroth seemed to be using his powerful skill so early. He thought that Izroth had given up, but he was actually just waiting for an opportunity to strike. But did he really believe that using, what was probably his best skill, when the boss had around 40,000 HP remaining was a smart thing to do? "It¡¯s that skill again, the one from the time within the Shadahi Realm!" Halls was excited when he felt that same deadly killing intent as he did during their time within the Shadahi Realm. Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine were shocked as they observed Izroth. What kind of skill could unleash so much bloodthirst? Jf it was this frightening just being near it, they could only imagine how it would feel to be on the receiving end of that skill. The only movement one could see of Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning was when he returned it to its sheath on his back. There was still a deadly aura leaking from out of his sword, however, the movements of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus hade to aplete stop. ¡¯Second Baneful Sword: Kill.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -41,616 Izroth had not only used the First Sword Form: Converging Paths, he also infused twenty points of his Essence into the attack, increasing the effectiveness of his Second Baneful Sword: Kill by 100%. Not only that, but Izroth also took advantage of the special effect attached to his Second Baneful Sword: Kill skill. Using the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction beforehand made it so the damage of his Second Baneful Sword: Kill was increased by 100%! Although the cooldown was also increased by 100%, this was pretty much negated due to the skill being the killing blow and reducing its cooldown timer by 50%. Therefore, instead of being doubled to ten hours, it simply stayed put at its five hour cooldown time. Even Luna and Halls who were usually not surprised by anything Izroth did was startled when they saw the amount of damage he dealt. He dealt over 41,000 damage to the Brooding Behemoth Basbus! Zi Yi finally understood why Izroth was not concerned about the number of yers who decided to fight against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, it was because it did not matter! Everyone thought that it was up for grabs? It¡¯s already taken! Minus was still preparing to use his ultimate skill. However, there was no longer any target to use the skill against. Just like that, the rare event boss that would have shot him to the top of the leaderboards had been taken from right under his nose. "Him...!" Minus gave Izroth a death re full of unyielding rage. He still had his ultimate attack ready to go and his mind was locked onto Izroth as being its receiving target. However, before he could even make a move Niflheim had stepped in front of him to block his path. "It¡¯s over. Captain Minus, I¡¯m willing to overlook your previous actions for the time being, at least until the end of this event. But, if you insist on ignoring every single order I give, I¡¯ll have no choice but to personally temporarily relieve you of yourmand." Minus stared coldly at Niflheim. But, Niflheim stood strong and returned Minus¡¯ stare with a pressuring gaze of his own. "Hey, are those two captains of Blue Oasis going to find?" One of the nearby spectating yers said as he noticed the confrontation between Niflheim and Minus. When Minus realized that they had now be the center of attention, he scoffed before turning to re at Izroth once more so that he would not forget his face. He then walked off to cool his head and organize his thoughts a bit. Niflheim furrowed his brows. Minus had always been an aggressive and stubborn type, however, he was never the type to disobey orders. Lately, it seemed as if he had be even more overbearing and bold with his behavior. It could just be a bad day or the stress of maintaining his position, but Niflheim sensed that it was something more than that. Niflheim then set his gaze on Izroth. He had clearly seen the HP of the Brooding Behemoth Basbus drop from slightly over 40,000 to 0 instantly. However, was such a thing even possible? To have a skill that could deal such massive damage this early on within RML should be, inly speaking, impossible. There seemed to be even more to Izroth than Niflheim originally believed. Now he was 100% positive that his gut feeling about Izroth was correct. The nearby yers were looking at Izroth with a hint of fear in their eyes. It was no wonder this guy was no afraid of the two top guilds. He definitely had the power to do as he pleased! Izroth ignored all the stares as his main focus was now on a small shard floating in mid-air. That shard was shaped like a perfect quartz crystal and was pure white in color. There were no signs of any impurities present within the crystal as it drifted slowly towards Izroth. Izroth reached out his hand and as soon as he made physical contact with the shard, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have obtained the ?Vessel of The Endless One?¡µ ¡¯Vessel of The Endless One?¡¯ ording to the voice, Izroth and his party had to locate the Returning Shard, not something called the Vessel of The Endless One. Could he have been mistaken in his original assumption? At least, that was Izroth¡¯s first thoughts before he actually read the effects of the item called Vessel of The Endless One. After he read the effect, it made him shake his head inwardly. That voice indeed only gave them vague details. Things turned out not to be so simple after all! Chapter 146 Vessel of The Endless One Name: Vessel of The Endless One(Magical Item) Rank: S-ranked Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Charged: 5/100 Usage: When fully charged this item consumes all of its charged stacks to create a unique crystal that has the power to bend the space around realms and other mysterious abilities. Every time a monster is defeated, this item bes charged. The stronger the monster defeated, the more charged this item bes. Special Note: This is the Vessel of The Endless One, those unworthy of obtaining it shall find that this item only brings disaster. Those worthy of its power will find that it grants good fortune. After a single use, this item will seek out a new host to reside in at random and be dormant once again. After reading over the item, Izroth still had a few unanswered questions. Of course, the first question was that if this item had anything with the Returning Shard. ¡¯When it¡¯s fully charged, a crystal is created. Could it be that the crystal that will be created is the Returning Shard?¡¯ Izroth felt that there was an extremely high chance that this would be the case. After all, were S-ranked items so easy to find? He was positive the Vessel of The Endless One was linked to the first trial of the Endless Pandamonium Tower. The other concern he had was the actual charging of the item itself. When he examined its charged status, he found out that it already possessed five stacks. This was most likely due to having just defeated the rare event boss it was hiding in, the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. However, if a rare event boss only gave five stacks, then how much would a single monster give? ¡¯It seems as if this trial is bing more and more unreasonable.¡¯ As Izroth studied the Vessel of The Endless One, the other yers were looking at him as if he were a monster. That skill he used was too terrifying! They were not even the target of that skill and yet, it still felt as if it was out to devour them and everything about it. "What ss is that guy for him to be so powerful?" One of the nearby yers gave a helpless sigh as he admired the skill Izroth just used moments ago. "It has to be an extremely rare ss! I have never seen or heard about such a skill. He must havee across a great fortune somewhere!" One of that yer¡¯s friends responded. Almost everyone had that same exact train of thought. However, if everyone knew that Izroth was the Combat Master ss that they all considered to be trash, they would not be able to ept it. After all, it wasmon knowledge that the Combat Master ss was too unreliable and unpredictable to be of any actual use. This had been confirmed multiple time by various beta testers. Now only that, but some fools still decided to choose the Combat Master ss because they did not believe how challenging it was. However, they instantly regretted their decision. They could not even pass the Combat Master ss basic requirements and had to restart their entire character. This made it so that they fell behind everyone else level wise and made them want to curse themselves for even thinking about choosing the Combat Master ss. For those few who did manage to sessfully pass the Combat Master basic requirements, they were even worse off than those yers who were unable to. They would invest more time and effort only to be rejected by any party they tried to join. This was because no party wanted a yer with one or two skills and no other uses. They would be much better off saving the spot in their party for an actual ss who would obviously be a more suitable choice. Luna walked over towards Izroth and noticed him holding a beautiful crystal. "Is that the Returning Shard?" she asked in a voice filled with curiosity. "Not exactly. But, it may have something to do with the Returning Shard." Izroth responded as he showed the effects of the item to everyone within his party. Valentine was drooling when he saw the Vessel of The Endless One and its effects with arge grin on his face. The first thing he wanted to do was study it and experiment with it. However, since that item may be their only way of sessfullypleting the first trial, it was decided that it should be kept away from Valentine the most. Who knew what extent that magic freak would go to? "I think that it¡¯s best if Izroth holds onto the item. I also believe that it has something to do with the Returning Shard." Zi Yi said as she nced over at Izroth. She was still startled by the 40,000 plus damage she witnessed a few moments ago. Also, the pressure behind that attack made his other skills seem like child¡¯s y. She could not help but wonder what other secrets Izroth was hiding away. "There are no safer hands that it can be in!" Guan Yu said with confidence. He had alreadye to respect Izroth and his strength before this but after that previous move, Guan Yu¡¯s respect reached another level altogether. Izroth stored the Vessel of The Endless One into his inventory for now and finally read through the other system alerts he received after defeating the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated the Brooding Behemoth Basbus¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 225,985 EXP¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 27¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded+3 stat points for leveling up¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 1,258 points in the event ?Protects of Amaharpe?. [1,683 points]¡µ Loot Drop: -1 ?Behemoth Greaves? -1 ?Behemoth Helmet? -1 ?Brooding Ne? -x1 ?Skill Book: Behemoth¡¯s Quake? Izroth had gained a massive amount of experience from defeating the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. He had dealt the greatest amount of damage to the boss monster and so the amount of experience he received was quite generous. Not only did he manage to level up once, but the number of points he received for the event had shot Izroth up to the top 100 yers spot on the event leaderboards! To be more precise, he was now ranked 65th. This knocked Minus, who was previously at the 65th spot, down to the 66th spot. After he checked the system alerts, Izroth then went over to grab the loot that dropped from the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. The first thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was a book with a ck cover and strange markings carved into it. ¡¯A skill book?¡¯ This was the second skill book Izroth hade across during his time within RML. The drop rate for skill books was extremely low, therefore, it could only be attributed to Izroth¡¯s good luck that he managed to obtain one from the rare event boss. Skill Name: Behemoth¡¯s Quake Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Requirements: 500+ Attack Active: The user stomps their foot on the ground and sends out a strong Quake Wave within a thirty meters range every 1 second for 10 seconds. Each Quake Wave deals a fixed amount of 200 physical damage that ignores all defenses. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 5 Minutes ¡¯The attack requirements for this skill is quite high.¡¯ Izroth was a bit disappointed that the skill only dealt a fixed amount of 200 damage, however, it would still be useful at their current level. Eventually, it would be useless for most yers as they became stronger and 2,000 damage turned into a miniscule number. That was the truth for most yers, but for someone like Izroth who had some useful skills, this could be a destructive weapon no matter what level he reached! The Behemoth¡¯s Quake was considered physical damage, therefore, it was capable of triggering the effects of things such as Izroth¡¯s Blood Stigma, Hellfire Rampage, and even stacking Lightning Charge. Not only that, but he should be able to use Essence to increase the damage output on the skill. Who knew how much Essence he would have to spare in the future? To Izroth, this skill had countless uses now and in the near future. But, since it was a skill that required 500 plus attack power, Guan Yu and Zi Yi were the only other two who were capable of using the skill. As for the other rare items that dropped, Izroth was unable to use any of them. Or rather, they did not fit his ystyle as they were all te rted items except for the ne. The ne was surprisingly a magic based item. It did not take long for Izroth and his party to divide the loot. The Behemoth Greaves went to Halls while the Behemoth Helmet found its way into Guan Yu¡¯s care. As for the Brooding Ne, it went to Valentine by default since Luna did not want to rece her current ne. For the skill book, Zi Yi did not want such a skill as it was unsuitable to her current ystyle. While she may be able to use it, it would be better off in Izroth¡¯s and Guan Yu¡¯s hands as they were true physical type yers. Guan Yu, however, immediately turned down rolling for the skill book since he had already obtained a rare item. "Brother Izroth, I would be too greedy if I wanted to devour everything before me. Ahahaha!" Guan Yu said as he let out joyousughter. "Then, I won¡¯t be polite." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face as he immediately used the skill book. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you learned the skill ?Behemoth¡¯s Quake?¡µ Izroth had added yet another skill to his arsenal. Not only that, but it was a much needed AOE skill. Just a few moments after Izroth finished off the Brooding Behemoth Basbus, every yer participating in the event Protectors of Amaharpe received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: Wave six of the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? has ended.¡µ However, what everyone did not know was that the end of the sixth wave would not be anything that they suspected. ... "Hm?" Aegis, along with his two party members, had already entered into the Endless Pandemonium Tower and encountered that same mysterious voice as Izroth and his party. He had arrived around ten minutes after Izroth¡¯s group and also took part in the sixth wave. At the moment, Aegis was surrounded by a group of more than twenty yers who all had darkened expressions on their faces. Within Aegis¡¯ hands was something Izroth would have immediately recognized because he had obtained the same item. It was surprisingly another Vessel of The Endless One! Beneath Aegis¡¯ feet was the corpse of a monster. However, it was not just any monster, but rather an event boss monster! "Even if you are members of Heaven¡¯s Law, don¡¯t think that you cane and go as you please within a zone imed by my Hollow Tempo!" One of the yers yelled at Aegis. It was quite clear that they were furious. That yer appeared to be a middle-aged man with a very rustic look about him. He wore dark ted armor and wielded a long curved de with a chain attached at the bottom. That yer was one of the high ranking members of the guild Hollow Tempo. He was known as Dark Suffice and his position was the equivalent of Blue Oasis¡¯ Seven Captains or Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals. When the event boss monster had appeared before them, Dark Suffice was in a good mood at their fortune. However, this party of three yers had appeared out of nowhere and snatched the boss from right under their noses. Not only that but when his guild members tried to stop Aegis and his party, he eliminated them without mercy. How could he not be furious? "See Aegis? You¡¯re hated by everyone! Chichi!" The cloaked figured by Aegis¡¯ side said in a teasing manner. "Hmph, scram while I¡¯m still in a good mood! If you continue to block my path then you¡¯ll have to ept the consequences." Aegis said in a voice full of authority. However, this only angered Dark Suffice and the other members of Hollow Tempo even further. "You-" Just as Dark Suffice was about to snap, one of Hollow Tempo¡¯s scouts rushed over to him in a panicked manner. "Boss! Dark Suffice, boss!" One could tell from their voice that they had hurried over as fast as possible. "We¡¯re being attacked! The big boss has said to return immediately with your squad!" The scout said. "Attacked?!" Dark Suffice was shocked. Who would dare to openly attack one of the top ten guilds? Did they have a death wish? But by the sound of things, it seemed as if it was urgent. Dark Suffice red at Aegis as he said, "Count your luck! Next time we cross paths, hmph, let¡¯s just say Hollow Tempo never forgets a face!" He then left with haste along with his squadron of yers. "Empty talk from an empty man." Aegis said not paying any mind to Dark Suffice¡¯s threat. As Dark Suffice hurried to meet up with his guild leader and the others he had to ask, "Who is behind the attack?" "It looks like the work of Sage Falls!" The scout responded. Sage Falls? They had never been on friendly terms with them, but they could not be considered enemies. Why had Sage Falls chosen to attack them now? "Tch, what¡¯s even going on during this event?!" Dark Suffice muttered to himself. Chapter 147 Sage Falls Makes A Move? As Dark Suffice rushed to meet up with the guild leader of Hollow Tempo, he thought about how unusual things had betely. It seemed that during this event many unforeseen incidents that should have never happened took ce. "First, Cross Haven and Blue Oasis are going at it. Now, Sage Falls wishes to fight against my Hollow Tempo?" Dark Suffice said to himself as he frowned. There was no benefit to Sage Falls picking a fight with Hollow Tempo. In fact, it would just end in a loss for both sides. Although overall power wise Sage Falls had the upper hand, Hollow Tempo was still a top guild with many tricks up its sleeves. A few momentster, Dark Suffice arrived at the coordinates that the main forces of Hollow Tempo were stationed. As he approached, he could see the chaos on the battlefield as the members of Hollow Tempo was locked in a fierce battle against the members of Sage Falls. The casual yers who were within the vicinity at that time attempted to make an escape. However, some of the casual yers were caught in the crossfire between the two top guilds and met with an unfortunate end to the Protectors of Amaharpe event. When Dark Suffice saw the sight before him, he was both furious and inplete disbelief. Sage Falls had always been aggressive, there was no mistaking that. But, there was always something they wanted in the end. Dark Suffice scanned the battlefield in search of his guild leader. Soon enough, Dark Suffice found his guild leader personally fighting against a familiar face. When he saw who the person was, he had an extremely ugly look on his face. That person wore a torn up pure ck cloak with a hood and some kind of slick metal ting was encased around their arms and hands. One could not make out any features when it came to Reaper. Within Reaper¡¯s hand was a dark purple dagger that was curved multiple times in certain ces. There was a faint aura around the weapon that was the trademark of all rare weapons. But, there was also some other strange unknown energy mixed in with it. "What is Reaper doing here?!" Dark Suffice said as he was inplete shock. The name Reaper was not yet well known at the moment. Outside of the top guilds, some big guilds, and a few individuals who heard rumors, not many knew of the yer with the name Reaper. However, those who did would not want to cross their path. To many of the casual yers, Reaper was simply a myth. The reason they believed that to be the case due to the rumors that surrounded them. They were so ridiculous that it had to be a story made up by some bored yers who wanted to create a fake legend. There was another reason why yers suspected Reaper was just a myth. Before RML, no one had ever heard of the yer Reaper. But, they appeared out of seemingly nowhere and quickly made a name for themselves amongst the top guilds by challenging top level yers to fights. Their win percentage? 100%! Unfortunately, before any other guild was able to get their hands on Reaper, they had already joined Sage Falls. But, it was unknown why he chose to join Sage Falls out of all the top guilds. Dark Suffice charged over to join the battle as he tossed his long curved de directly towards Reaper. However, his de simply phased through Reaper as if there was no one there. Dark Suffice was startled as he pulled the chain attached to the bottom of his long curved de and returned the de to his own hands. "What kind of skill is that?" Dark Suffice muttered to himself. "Dark Suffice, it¡¯s useless! No one but me can fight against him!" A familiar voice sounded in Dark Suffice¡¯s ears. It belonged to the guild leader of Hollow Tempo, Seeking Fangs. No one but him? That did not make any sense! Why would his guild leader choose to fight such a risky one on one battle with Reaper? That was not the guild leader Dark Suffice knew who would take advantage of whatever came his way. There must have been something else going on that he did not know about. "Boss, it¡¯s too risky to fight Reaper alone!" Dark Suffice warned. Seeking Fangs was suddenly knocked back by Reaper¡¯s dagger. There was so much power behind the strike that Seeking Fangs felt as if he was being struck with a greatsword, not a mere dagger. The attacks were also lightning fast and hard to follow. Seeking Fangs wanted to strangle Dark Suffice when he heard the words that came out of his mouth. "You fool! Do you truly believe that I would disregard my well-being to fight some stranger?! This guy has some weird skill that isn¡¯t letting anyone else attacks hit him. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s able to attack him!" Seeking Fangs said in a frustrated tone of voice. So that¡¯s why the other guild members had not already surrounded and overrun Reaper from all sides to protect their guild leader. It wasn¡¯t that they were ordered not to or didn¡¯t want to, but rather due to some skill Reaper was using. But now another question came across Dark Suffice¡¯s mind. What kind of frightening skill had such a ridiculous effect? With that skill, one person could charge into a thousand yers and just defeat them one at a time! But, of course, Dark Suffice believed that there had to be some sort of limit or cooldown on the skill. "There has to be a weakness to it! I¡¯ll keep trying until I find it!" Dark Suffice said as he continued on with his attacks. The fight between Sage Falls and Hollow Tempo raged on even after the sixth wave had ended. It did not take long for the guild leader of Hollow Tempo, Seeking Fangs, to meet his demise at the hands of Reaper. This enraged the members of Hollow Tempo, but before they could even respond, the members of Sage Falls retreated immediately. At that point, all the members of Hollow Tempo had a deep hatred for Sage Falls. They had not only killed their guild leader, but also hundreds of their friends. This was a colossal humiliation! They wanted blood! "Sage Falls! From today onward, you shall be the sworn enemy of my Hollow Tempo!" Dark Suffice, who had been helpless to prevent his guild leader¡¯s death who was right before him, yelled at the top of his lungs as Sage Falls retreated. As Sage Falls retreated, a small smirk found its way onto Reaper¡¯s face. Everything had gone ording to n. ... "It is done." Menerva said as she stood before Vault. "Oh? The end results?" Vault asked impatiently. Ever since everything began to set in motion, he had been eager to reach the end. If things turned out well, he would be one step closer to achieving that end goal. "Sage Falls has finished their task with Hypers Symphony. As for Hollow Tempo..." Menerva went on to exin the details of the events that took ce. "Ahahaha! Great! Truly great! Fatal Touch has not let me down today." Vault said as he could not help butugh with a feeling of satisfaction. "yer is but a simple-minded fool. When one willingly walks towards their own downfall, what else can they be but a fool?" Vault said with arge grin on his face. "He actually believed that my Headhunter Syndicate would take on the burden of such a huge risk? Heh, he has failed to realize that he has not only made an enemy of one top guild but four top guilds. By the end of everything, not only will two of the top ten guilds be weakened, but all of the me shall be shifted to Sage Falls and yer." Vault said. He then continued, "My Headhunter Syndicate will have our hands clean as we take this chance to increase our power and pull ahead to be a top power within RML. Then, we will see who dares to offend my Headhunter Syndicate." Menerva stayed silent as she listened to Vault¡¯s words. She secretly clenched her fist tightly to control her anger and frustration, but a part of her was relieved that it would all be over soon. There was also another part of her that saw a clear opening for Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate to not get everything they wanted in the end. This was due to Vault¡¯s hasty decision to use Fatal Touch even though Menerva disagreed with the approach. It was only a small opening, but that person would definitely be able to find it eventually. By that time, the event would be over and Menerva would no longer be assisting Vault. He will have to face the consequences on his own. However, it was still inevitable that a new guild was about to rise to the ranks of the top ten. "yer is not the only fool." Was the only thought that crossed Menerva¡¯s mind at that moment. ... "Your luck is amazing as always, brother Izroth." Guan Yu said after he found out that this was, in fact, the second skill book Izroth hade across after defeating a boss monster. "Indeed, I have never met anyone who has so much luck when ites to loot." Zi Yi followed up as she let out a sigh. "Just a little luck is all." Izroth said in a carefree manner. However, he was being quite serious. The +1 luck that he received thanks to receiving the passive skill Blessing of Heltiaa hade in handy. He could tell that his fortune had been good before he obtained the passive, but afterward, he felt as if his fortune had reached another level entirely. It may have just been blind luck, but Izroth figured that the luck stat definitely had something to do with it. "I believe we were discussing something else of importance." Luna reminded them. "Oh yeah... So, we just have to defeat monsters in order to fill up that stone vessel whatever?" Halls asked. "It¡¯s called the Vessel of The Endless One, and yes, that¡¯s the simplest way of putting it." Zi Yi responded. "Still, if a rare even boss only granted us five points, I wonder how much a normal monster will send our way. I¡¯m still unable to decipher anything about this magic item. Every single sequence that runs throughout its core is unknown andplex." Valentine said with excitement apparent in his voice. "We will just have to take things one step at a time. For now, it does not seem that we are leaving this ce any time soon. This should be our final step inpleting the first trial, however, I do not believe that we will be the only ones doing so." Izroth said. "You think someone else will find the Endless Pandemonium Tower and be transported here as well?" Halls asked. "I¡¯m sure of it. The only question that we need to be answered is if there is more than one Vessel of The Endless One." Izroth said. "What if there is more than one?" Luna asked curiously. "Then, we may be facing something that can casually toss out S-ranked magic items as if it¡¯s nothing." Izroth replied. Everyone realized that Izroth made a good point. The Source of Despair, that mysterious Chaos Egg, and now the Vessel of The Endless One. While the origins of the Chaos Egg were unknown, if it was a magic item then it was definitely at least S-ranked. They had run into so many S-ranked magic items in such a short period of time that they had nearly be immune to them. However, it never crossed their mind as to what or who was behind the distribution or creation of these magic items. What terrifying existence was capable of such a thing? If this were any other game, then it could just be considered as things naturally being that way. But, everyone present understood by now that the events that took ce within RML were neverpletely random. "I see you¡¯re doing well, Izroth." A voice sounded out from behind Izroth. "It seems our paths have crossed once again as you¡¯ve predicted, 7th captain of the guild Blue Oasis, Niflheim." Izroth said with a carefree expression as he turned to face Niflheim. "Indeed, though I wish fate would have allowed our paths to cross at a more peaceful time." Niflheim said. Chapter 148 Taking The Bai "Fate has always possessed the habit of not going as one nned." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Niflheim nodded, "However, I have to say that I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. In Opal Town..." As Izroth and Niflheim continued to speak, the others were a bit taken aback. Originally, they thought that Niflheim wasing over to make some sort of ridiculous demands or threats. After all, Minus had not left them with a good impression of Blue Oasis. However, Izroth seemed to know Niflheim and they did not feel any kind of hostile intent between the two. Maybe they had been hasty in their judgment towards Blue Oasis based solely off of their encounter with Minus. "I wondered what party would be so bold as to fight over a rare boss with two top guilds present." Niflheim said with a slight grin on his face. "It would seem that the two of you have more pressing matters to attend to." Izroth said as he swept his gaze towards Zhang Jie in the near distance. "That¡¯s why I came over here to warn you, Izroth. You and your party should leave this area while you still have the chance. I am unable to predict what will happen next, but there¡¯s a high chance that things will not go smoothly." Niflheim said in a serious tone of voice. Izroth, of course, could feel the tension rising between the members of Blue Oasis and Cross Haven. He had met a few members of Cross Haven, but they had not been unreasonable. While Izroth understood that there were multiple personalities embedded into a guild, they still in many ways operated like a sect from the Seven Realms. For example, no matter how benevolent and righteous a sect was, there was always a few bad apples in the mix. But, in the end, you could determine a sect¡¯s moral based on the core concept they followed. In this way, the guilds within RML were no different. After all, very few would choose to freely stay amongst people who did not have a moralpass simr to their own. "How is that possible? There have never been any issues between Cross Haven and Blue Oasis to my knowledge." Zi Yi frowned and could not help but to bring up that piece of information. To her knowledge, while the two could not be called close allies, they were definitely far from enemies and did not have conflicting views. Niflheim was a bit surprised by Zi Yi¡¯s question. Everyone who did not live under a rock should have heard about what happened. But, when Niflheim saw the inquiring look upon everyone faces, he knew that they truly were in the dark about things. "This-" Niflheim furrowed his brows as he thought about how to put it into words that would not implicate Blue Oasis. "Let¡¯s just say that things have been a bit shaky between our two guilds during this event." Niflheim said. ¡¯Something doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. No matter which angle he looked at it from, this entire situation was illogical. There were too many questions that had answers that did not make any sense. For example, why did Cross Haven arrive before Blue Oasis in their own sector? It was more than just good nning or a coincidence, that much was obvious to Izroth. But, the thing that made him question everything was the actions of one particr individual. "We are thankful for your concern, however, we are more than capable of taking care of ourselves." Izroth said. Niflheim figured that he would say something like that, but he still decided to give it a try. Though, the main reason he wanted to meet with Izroth was to discuss something else entirely. "Then, I have nothing more to say on that matter." Niflheim said as he turned towards the direction Zhang Jie was in. Zhang Jie stood there with his spear in hand without a hint of worry about him. In fact, there was a strange calmness that drifted around him. "Izroth, after this event is over I hope that we can discuss a few things. I have a proposition for you that I believe will benefit both of us. Since the message system is down due to the event and it¡¯s a more private matter, you¡¯ll have to excuse the dy in information. Just know that it will be worth your time." Niflheim said as he began to walk towards Zhang Jie. "Until we cross paths again." Niflheim gave a small wave as he departed. ¡¯Something worth my time, hm?¡¯ Izroth did not mind meeting with Niflheim after the event, but right now he had a more important task at hand and so pushed it to the back of his mind for now. "So that¡¯s why I was still unable to ess the message system earlier. This event has disabled the messaging function as well." Luna said. "It would be nice to have more information on what happened between Cross Haven and Blue Oasis, however, no one seems willing to talk about it." Zi Yi said with a small frown on her face. "What do their problems have to do with us?" Halls asked. "For now, nothing. But, that may change sometime in the near future. Therefore, it¡¯s necessary to collect as much information as possible so that we can be prepared for as many potential oues as possible." Zi Yi exined. "Whatever it is, we should remain vignt. If a battle does break out between both sides, then we may get caught in the crossfire." Izroth reminded them. As he spoke, Izroth felt someone¡¯s gaze set directly on him in the nearby distance. When he turned to see who it was, he saw that Minus was ring knives and daggers at him. Minus wanted nothing more than to go over there and put Izroth in his ce. Not only did he steal a rare boss from right under his nose, but he also made him drop down one rank on the event points leaderboard. How could he not be angered? "Hmph, just you wait. If you think that this will end just like this, then you¡¯re just as foolish as the rest of them." Minus said to himself as a merciless look shed through his eyes. He released a low grunting sound before pulling back with his main party members. "Here I was hoping that he made a move!" Guan Yu said in a disappointed tone of voice. "He will make a move, eventually. However, the results will be far from his ideal." Izroth said. Not too far from their current location, Niflheim and Zhang Jie could be seen speaking with one another. But, a few momentster, a yer rushed over and whispered something in Zhang Jie ears which caused his facial expression to turn more serious. "Captain Niflheim, it seems the battle between our two guilds will have to be dyed. Our General Wang Qiang sends his regards." Zhang Jie said in a way that sounded almost yful. "Indeed, General Zhang Jie. It would seem that we both have some unfinished business to settle. Give General Wang Qiang my regards." Niflheim said. "We¡¯re pulling back!" Zhang Jie ordered. This order shocked everyone, including the members of Cross Haven. They hade all this way just to turn back around with nothing to show for it. What was the point of such a thing? "Everyone, we¡¯re falling back!" Niflheim ordered the members of Blue Oasis he arrived with who were simrly confused by his orders. However, they would not question the orders of someone given the power of the Second Order. "They have taken the bait." Niflheim said to himself. It was time to force the snake in hiding to reveal itself. ... Meanwhile, within Hypers Symphony¡¯s sector, the guild was currently being hit hard by Sage Falls. The attack hade out of nowhere and caused them to suffer numerous losses. Although Hypers Symphony was also a top guild, they were not as strongbat wise as Sage Falls. Therefore, they were on the losing end of the battle. But what they failed to understand was what Sage Falls gained by doing this. "Virus! Has Sage Falls gone mad?!" The guild leader of Hypers Symphony, Wang Ping, shouted at one of the attacking yers. Wang Ping stood around 178cm tall with an average build that was more on the slim side. He had ck hair with a single purple stripe going down the side, a pair of gray eyes, and a handsome appearance. He wore a purple schr¡¯s robe with white magic markings and a purple orb gravitated constantly around his body. "Gone mad from attacking a bunch of weaklings? Hah, don¡¯t tter yourselves!" Virus responded. He was one of the Six Hands of Sage Falls, which could bepared to the Seven Captains from Blue Oasis. Virus wore a pure silver mask and simrly wore a schr¡¯s robe. The only difference was that his schr robe was pure ck in color with purple magic markings. Hovering in front of Virus was an opened hardcovered book with strange text on the cover. "I do not wish to fight without purpose." Wang Ping said as he made a few hand gestures as the orb gravitating around him began to spin faster and released a steady stream of magic energy. A few momentster, a strong gust of wind blew throughout the surrounding area and a howl of a wolf filled the air. A wolf with wind magic constantly flowing around its feet, neck, and body had appeared before Wang Ping. Wang Ping¡¯s ss was one that was branched from the summoner¡¯s ss. After another set of hand gestures, another wolf creature had formed before Wang Ping. However this time, it was a wolf epassed in fire magic. "Twin Wolf Summons: Wind&Fire." Wang Ping then controlled the wolves to attack together. The wind wolf released a powerful gust of wind magic towards Virus. At the same time, the fire wolf spewed a concentrated st of fire magic from its mouth which fused with the wind magic. The two attacks exploded just before reaching Virus and fused together creating a small contained fire tornado. Virus, however, was prepared for the attack. The book in front of him flipped through multiple pages before a dark purple light shed and corroded the fire tornado. It was as if something were eating away at it as the magic soon disappeared altogether. Wang Ping frowned. No matter what attack he threw at Virus, it was devoured by some strange purple light that seemed to have no limit. If things continued on at this rate, then it would not be long before he ran out of mana. Virus¡¯ book flipped through a few more pages before a beam of purple light shot out towards Wang Ping. "Make this easier on yourself and just submit. Otherwise, your end will not be pleasant." Virus said in a threatening manner. "It¡¯s too fast." Wang Ping tried tomand one of his summons to intercept the blow, but the beam of light was simply too fast. Ding! However, just as the beam of light as about to pierce through Wang Ping, the sound of it crashing against something metallic rang in his ears. Standing in front of Wang Ping was a yer wielding a shield with magic symbols carved into it in one hand and a saber with a faint glow around it in the other. "General Wang Qiang!" Wang Ping was shocked to see Wang Qiang appear here out of nowhere. Even though they were allies with Cross Haven during this event, it was mostly in name only. He did not expect them to actuallye to their aid in such a timely manner. "Guild leader Wang Ping, I have much to exin. But first, we should take care of the infestation that invades your sector." Wang Qiang said as he locked his gaze onto Virus. "Impossible...!" Virus was shocked. What was Wang Qiang, the main strategist of Cross Haven, doing at a ce like this when a huge fight against Blue Oasis was getting ready to take ce? "Virus, you truly live up to your name. However, I happen to know of a unique strategy to get rid of viruses like you. Though it¡¯s nothing tooplex, you just have to be eradicated!" Wang Qiang then gave the order as around two hundred Cross Haven membersing in from all sides joined the battle against Sage Falls. Chapter 149 Common Enemy Virus had a gloomy expression on his face once he realized that Cross Haven did not visit them with just a small squadron, but rather a full force. However, he was still dumbfounded as to why Wang Qiang had appeared on this battlefield. "Wang Qiang, should you really be here right now when your Cross Haven guild is about to face off against Blue Oasis?" Virus said as he tried to remain calm and think of a way to escape from his current predicament. The n did not ount for reinforcements from Cross Haven to show up, therefore, they were not prepared for the addition of two hundred enemies. Also, everyone knew that the members of Cross Haven were a step above the rest. So even though there were only two hundred yers, it might as well be four or six hundred! "Oh? What reason would my Cross Haven have to fight against Blue Oasis?" Wang Qiang asked as he secretly analyzed Virus. "What reason? How about trying to assassinate you! Is Cross Haven so weak and frail that it¡¯s willing to throw aside all of its face? Truly, Cross Haven is a stain of the top ten guilds!" Virus said. All of a sudden, a wave of purple light shot out towards Wang Qiang and Wang Ping. Virus had taken the opportunity during their conversation to cast a spell and attempt to make his escape. However, Wang Qiang had already figured that he would try something like this with his character. "You don¡¯t know when to quit!" Wang Ping said as the orb around his body began to spin faster. Wang Ping was on full alert as he ordered his wind wolf to unleash a de made out of wind towards the purple wave which canceled out the attack. While it looked simple to do, it was actually exceedingly difficult to pull off such a technique within RML. The name of the high-level technique Wang Ping used was referred to as Magic Canceling. In simple terms, it was when a yer matched the number of magic sequences that another yer¡¯s spell contained. This, in turn, caused the magic attacks to cancel each other out. While it was a bit easier to do so if you knew your opponent¡¯s skills beforehand, it still required great skill in order to execute it properly in the middle of a battle. Virus did not even bother looking back as he instantly retreated after he cast the purple wave of magic. But, he soon felt a powerful force strike against his body as he was mmed into the ground. "What?! How did I be so weak?!" Virus said to himself as he could notprehend how he was subdued so fast. It was as if all of his stats had been drained and for some reason, Virus was extremely fatigued. "I have to admit, I did not think that Sage Falls had anyone so capable of formting suchplex and intricate strategies. However, one cannot help but plunge in when the bait before them is so tempting." Wang Qiang said as his shield as pressed down on Virus¡¯ body. "But don¡¯t worry Virus. Sage Falls will not get away with having angered so many top guilds at once. In the end, greed ultimately became its downfall." Wang Qiang then used his saber to constantly attack Virus. Virus was unable to fight back due to the fatigue while being in a weakened state. Soon enough, he had dissipated and was easily eliminated. In the near distance, a yer was hidden amongst some other yers. However, he blended in perfectly with the surroundings. If Izroth, Guan Yu, or Zi Yi were here, they would recognize that yer as Doctor Dark. It was the same member of the Headhunter Syndicate who was weakening Guan Yu and Zi Yi during their fight against the other members of the Headhunter Syndicate. "Heh, it¡¯s almost too easy. With this, he should be satisfied." Doctor Dark said as he slowly began his retreat. He had aplished his task in making sure things went exactly as nned. Now, it was time for him to report his sess. Wang Qiang scanned the battlefield and saw that the members of Sage Falls were falling back. However, arge number of them had already been eliminated once Cross Haven joined the fray. Just when Wang Qiang thought that the battle was over, he saw a group of nearly fifty yers rushing over from the distance. The first thought that crossed Wang Qiang¡¯s mind was that it was Sage Falls reinforcements. However, he quickly dismissed the idea since fifty members would not help change the oue of the battle and they would only be charging towards their own demise. However, a familiar face had appeared at the front of the group which surprised him. It was Dark Suffice, one of the highest ranking members of the guild Hollow Tempo. But the question remained, what was he doing here? That question was swiftly answered as Dark Suffice and the other members of Hollow Tempo showed no mercy in eliminating the retreating members of Sage Falls. Those who retreated were chased down and ruthlessly ughtered. Not a single member of Sage Falls managed to escape. It had been a massacre just as Sage Falls expected, but what they did not expect was being the one on the receiving end of it. In a fit of rage, Dark Suffice put together a group that he nned on storming the area that Sage Falls was located in. He figured that they would not expect to be attacked immediately after and would be caught off guard so it was the best time to do so. While traveling in that direction, he saw a group of casual yers running away. He stopped a small group and got some information out of them before heading over. However, the main culprit Reaper was nowhere to be found. But, he still got to take out some of his pent up anger on the retreating members of Sage Falls. Dark Suffice then swept his gaze across the battlefield and soon spotted Wang Ping, as well as, Wang Qiang. Wang Qiang signaled one of his guild members over. "Go and find out why Hollow Tempo hase here." He already had a good feeling as to what the reason was, but he still had to confirm it just to be safe. Wang Ping turned towards Wang Qiang and gave a friendly smile. "General Wang Qiang, on behalf of Hypers Symphony, we thank you and the members of Cross Haven for your assistance in our time of need. You have my word that if Cross Haven should ever require our aid in the future, they shall have it." "You¡¯re too kind in your words, guild leader Wang Ping. We are allies so, of course, we would do everything in our power to assist you. Things aren¡¯t over just yet, we still have a score to settle with Sage Falls. Though, it must be timed correctly." Wang Qiang said with a firm tone of voice. "You¡¯ll have to get in line! My Hollow Tempo will be the first to rip Sage Falls to shreds!" Dark Suffice had traveled over towards Wang Qiang and Wang Ping alone. This was just to show that he was not there to cause them trouble, but for another purpose. "Has Sage Falls attacked Hollow Tempo as well?" Wang Qiang frowned. Did Sage Falls have a death wish? Why would they antagonize four top guilds at the same time? Could it be that they wanted to reduce the strength of theirpetition during this event? "They not only attacked, but they ran like cowards after using despicable tactics to attack our guild leader. Therefore, Sage Falls must answer for their crimes!" Dark Suffice said in a clearly agitated tone of voice. Wang Qiang nodded, "It would seem that we all have amon enemy. However, even if we¡¯ve weakened Sage Falls forces, fifty people are still far from enough to do any true damage. So, Dark Suffice, I have a better path for you to take. This involves you as well, guild leader Wang Ping." "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Wang Ping asked. Hypers Symphony had been unjustly attacked, therefore, it was only natural that Wang Ping would want to make Sage Falls pay some kind of price for it. Dark Suffice would normally not pay any attention to someone outside of Seeking Fangs trying to suggest something to him. However, he knew of Wang Qiang and his reputation. Also, although he hated to admit it, Wang Qiang was correct. It was likely that this would be a suicide mission with just fifty people. Even if they did manage to eliminate yer, they would definitely not be able to escape after the deed was done. Dark Suffice narrowed his eyes, "I¡¯m listening." ... Izroth stared up into the sky and noticed that the space above had been devastated. There were cracks everywhere, however, only someone with Izroth monstrous senses would be able to see it due to how high up in the sky it was. ¡¯What caused such spatial deformities and anomalies to form within a concentrated area?¡¯ Izroth and his party were currently waiting for the seventh wave to begin. Right now, everyone was in their own zone as they felt the time limit for the Chaotic Dogma Realm slowly tick away second by second. "Gah! Why is the next wave taking so long to start?! At this rate, we¡¯ll die of old age!" Guan Yu said in a frustrated manner. "It¡¯s not so bad having a small break. We haven¡¯t had much time to rest ever since we¡¯ve entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Zi Yi said as she removed a small crystal no bigger than the size of a finger from her inventory. "Also, I don¡¯t know about the rest of you, but I have not had the time to peacefully activate my Skill Crystal." The crystal within Zi Yi¡¯s hand shed with a bright red color. "Ah, now that you mention it, I haven¡¯t had any time to check my Skill Crystal." Halls said which caused him to take out a small crystal that was the exact same as Zi Yi¡¯s, however, it shed with a green light instead of red light. Luna, Guan Yu, and Valentine all removed simr crystals from their inventories after Zi Yi¡¯s reminder. ¡¯So those are Skill Crystals.¡¯ yers of all sses, with the exception of the Combat Master ss, were given a Skill Crystal once theypleted their first ss upgrade. A Skill Crystal was a soulbound object that made it so that yers could learn new skills from their ss without having to make multiple trips back to the ss instructor. Everyone hadpletely forgotten to check their Skill Crystal with everything that had been going on. Now was the perfect time to do so before the start of the seventh wave. It would also boost their overallbat prowess. Izroth¡¯s Combat Master ss did not have any use for Skill Crystals for obvious reasons. Therefore, although he knew what they were, he had never seen one in person before today. A few momentster, everyone had finished going through their Skill Crystal and gained one or two new skills in the process. "I feel stronger already! Ahahaha!" Guan Yu said whileughing with joy. ¡´System Alert: Wave seven of the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? willmence in 5 Minutes!¡µ ¡¯It is time that I learn the next few sword forms. Since the next two are so closely linked to one another, it should be killing two birds with one stone.¡¯ Izroth had already decided to acquire as many of the ten sword forms as possible during his time within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. This event provided him with the perfect means to do so. Five minutes flew by as another system alert went out to all yers. ¡´System Alert: Wave seven of the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? has begun! Prepare for battle!¡µ The next wave had finally arrived. Chapter 150 Hunger of The Vessel of The Endless One The start of the seventh wave was a bit different from the others. At the beginning of the other waves, the monsters would rush over mindlessly in hopes of reaching the gates of Amaharpe. However, the monsters this time were more organized and orderly. In fact, they were almost like a real army marching into battle. The good news was that their overall level did not increase from the previous wave. ¡¯Even though their level has not increased, the monsters are acting as a unit making it many times more challenging than the previous wave.¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning and dashed towards the nearest group of monsters. The monsters were currently moving in groups of three. Most of the groups were made up of one elite monster and two normal monsters. However, there were some groups made up entirely of elite monsters. One thing was for certain, there was unquestionably a greater number of elite monsters present during this wave. Izroth positioned himself in between two of the groups, making sure that they were within a range of six meters. Then, Izroth struck out with his palm as hundreds of palms rained down on the two groups of monsters, not missing a single one of the six targets. He made sure to aim formonly known vital points such as the neck and eyes. ?Critical Hit? -1,754 ?Critical Hit? -1,886 ... Izroth did not stop there as the effect of his Myriad Elusive Palms kicked in and reduced its cooldown time by four seconds for each target sessfully struck. The cooldown time on Myriad Elusive Palms was only twenty seconds, therefore with Izroth having struck six targets, the skill was immediately off its cooldown. He used the skill three more times before he ran out of energy and had to wait for it to regenerate. However, Izroth managed to deal a good chunk of damage to the six targets. Not only that, but some of them were inflicted with his Blood Stigma skill. Izroth also managed to fully stack his Hellfire Rampage which shot his agility up to over 520 points near instantly. He then shed outward with his de of Lightning as it released an overbearing pressure while aimed at the neck of one of the normal monsters. ?Critical Hit? -4,802 Izroth had sessfully eliminated the first normal monster and thanks to the effect from his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, the cooldown time on the skill was reset due to delivering the killing blow. He swiftly used the same method to finish off the other three normal monsters. As for the elite monsters, since they had more HP than normal monsters, Izroth could not finish them off as easily. But, the elite monsters here were nothingpared to those within the Chaotic Dogma Realm, especially when taking into ount their HP. The two remaining elite monsters did notst long under Izroth¡¯s sword as they quickly perished a few momentster. From that encounter alone, Izroth had gained nearly one hundred event points. ¡¯My movements still are not fast enough.¡¯ The third sword form that Izroth wanted to learn was based solely on speed. It was about exceeding your limits of speed and striking the opponent before they could even register what happened. However, this sword form was a bit tricky to learn within RML. The main reason was due to the game restricting one¡¯s movements and speed based upon their agility stat. Therefore, one could say that it should be theoretically impossible for one to learn the third sword form within RML. However, Izroth still felt that it possible to do so and it was because of the very first skill he had obtained within RML, Breaker of Limits! Although the skill was not omnipotent and had a limit to what it could do, Izroth believed that it shined most at times like this. While it may not allow him to blindly bypass the limit of stats set by the system, that did not mean it could not be done if he tried with a purpose in mind. Izroth also took a moment to check the status of the Vessel of The Endless One. After defeating two elite monsters and four normal monsters, it had gone up by two points. ¡¯The elite monsters seems to give half a point each, while the normal monsters give a quarter of a point each. At this rate...¡¯ Izroth and his party would need to eliminate 186 elite monsters or 372 normal monsters just to fully charge the Vessel of The Endless One. While it was far from impossible, it was very time-consuming. Izroth made sure tomunicate his findings to the others. That way, they knew what was required in order for them to sessfullyplete the first trial or at least hope that was the case. "So many! What kind of item is so greedy?" Halls could not help voice his displeasure. They received such little rewards for such great efforts. "Trials are supposed to be challenging. Given the rank of our quest, it¡¯s only natural that it seems unfair in our eyes and by normal standards." Zi Yi said as he continued her attacks against her targets without pause. "We just have to keep fighting until it¡¯s satisfied! Why bother oveplicating it?" Guan Yu said in an excited manner. "This could be a good sign." Luna said. "Oh? Why do you say that?" Valentine asked curiously. "Yeah, I fail to see how this is good in any way." Halls said as he blocked one of the monsters attacks. "Given the level of difficulty and the fact that this is only the first trial, there is a high possibility that the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm may lie within the Endless Pandemonium Tower." Luna said. "I, also, came to that conclusion. However, there¡¯s no absolute proof and so its only mere spection. It could be just another strange location within the Chaotic Dogma Realm, such as that temple we came across. But, I believe that what Luna says is something that we should seriously consider." Zi Yi said. Izroth sped throughout the battlefield as he made quick work of the monsters he came into contact with. He constantly scanned the battlefield as if he were looking for something or someone in particr. ¡¯Where are you hiding?¡¯ Raaaaawr! One of the monsters near Izroth tried to bite down on him, however, Izroth¡¯s reacted in a timely manner and evaded the iing attack. Just as Izroth sessfully avoided the attack, the elite monster unleashed a powerful fireball from its mouth at a sneaky angle. Cling! Izroth had already shifted his sword to intercept the attack as the sound of the fireballing into contact with his sword released a strange metallic ringing sound. In an instant, the fireball that was aimed at Izroth had changed its course and mmed into the body of the monster who originallyunched the attack. -1,021 Izroth used the skill Sword Return, from the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave, to return the elite monster¡¯s attack right back from where it came from. The elite monster who shot the fireball towards Izroth was already on itsst leg before the attack, and so it the fireball was enough to finish it off. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill ?Second Sword Form: Returning Wave? has increased.¡µ A system alert went off for Izroth and brought with it a pleasant surprise. Not much had changed for the skill besides its cooldown time being lowered by thirty seconds and the damage from Sword Counter being increased by 30%. As for Sword Return, it remained unaffected. There was also something else that Izroth found interesting. Although it was only for a split second, his speed had felt as if it broke past the limits set in ce by the system. Izroth was very sensitive to the changes and movements of his body, therefore, he was sure that it was not just a coincidence. ¡¯It¡¯s possible after all.¡¯ ... yer was fighting against a group of monsters with some of the main members of his party. However, a frown was currently visible on his face. There was also a hint of annoyance and frustration. "What are those fools doing that¡¯s taking them so long?" yer said to himself. He had sent Virus with arge force in order to take care of Hypers Symphony, just as the n called for. However, Virus who should have returned by now was still missing. Furthermore, he had not received any reports whatsoever. How could he not be annoyed and frustrated when he had no idea what was going on? yer did not even bother to entertain the idea of defeat. While it was true that Hypers Symphony was indeed a top guild, it was still far from being able topare to Sage Falls when it came to overallbat prowess. "Could they really be having more trouble than originally anticipated?" yer could no longer handle being left in the dark for this long and so he called over one of his scouts and ordered them to find out what was going on. The scout quickly left to carry out his orders, but after being gone for only a few minutes, he had already returned. yer frowned when he saw the scout he just sent out a few moments ago return in such a short period of time. It was impossible for him to go and check out the situation that fast. yer red at the scout in a threatening way as his facial expression darkened, "Do you take me for a fool?! If you wish to die then just say so!" yer pointed his de towards the scout. "W-wait! Boss, a message! I have a message!" The scout tried to get his words out before yer took action. After all, he knew exactly how impatient and impulsive his boss could be at times. "Hmph, it had better be good if you chose to willingly ignore my orders! Speak now while you have the chance!" yer said as he kept his de pointed towards the scout. "I was on my way towards the sector Hypers Symphony is located in when I saw arge force heading towards this area. When I noticed the people in front, I had to-" As the scout was reporting, a loud voice echoed throughout the battlefield. "Sage Falls! You have some people here to collect their debt!" The voice said in a loud and clear manner. It was the same item that Minus had used to amplify his voice, except this voice, belonged to someone entirely different. "Debt? Hmph, my Sage Falls collects debts, but never is it the other way around!" yer said as he did not recognize who that voice belonged to. Whoever they were was still not yet within his field of vision. "You, who dares to be so arrogant before my Sage Falls guild?" yer asked the scout who was speaking earlier before he was interrupted. "Wang Qiang! Boss, it¡¯s that Wang Qiang from Cross Haven!" The scout reported. yer was stunned. Wang Qiang? What was Wang Qiang doing all the way over here? Was he not focused on getting revenge against Blue Oasis for that assassination attempt? "Impossible!" yer said, but he soon found out that the scout was indeed telling the truth. "Gah! Ahhhhh!" The screams of the yers from Sage Falls filled the air as arge force of yers charged over. From the west came Wang Qiang, Zhang Jie who had met up with Wang Qiang, and the members of Cross Haven. From the south was Wang Ping and Dark Suffice along with the guild members they brought along. But, that was not all. Moving in from the east direction was actually Niflheim and Minus along with the members of Blue Oasis. Sage Falls was under attack from three different directions by four top guilds! yer froze in ce when he heard screamsing from every direction. He did not understand what was going on. He could understand why Hypers Symphony would want to attack, but he could notprehend why the other three top guilds were attacking. Wang Qiang had pushed his way through and arrived just ten meters away from yer. "Wang Qiang, what¡¯s the meaning of this?" yer had an extremely ugly facial expression right now. He was infuriated! Since when had his Sage Falls been the ones to be bullied? "yer, do you know your sins?" Wang Qiang said with an emotionless look in his eyes as he looked down on yer. Chapter 151 Right In Front of Our Eyes "My sins? You dare to barge into the area belonging to my Sage Falls and talk about my sins?!" yer shouted as he red at Wang Qiang. So what if he was one of Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals? In yer¡¯s eyes, such a title was meaningless before him. "Looks like he still wants to y ignorant of his actions. Well, that¡¯s fine by me. There may have been a bit of mercy left if you just told the truth but... Oh, who am I kidding? There was never any room for mercy to begin with. You¡¯ll know the heavy price of making enemies with my Cross Haven." Zhang Jie said as he pointed his spear towards yer. "Zhang Jie...!" yer did not notice Zhang Jie at first, but it was safe to say that he was someone yer did not wish to meet right now. Thest thing yer expected was for another top-level member from Cross Haven toe here. This would furtherplicate things as it meant Cross Haven had sent more yers here than he anticipated. "Good, very good! I didn¡¯t know that Cross Haven was filled with a bunch of dishonorable scum!" yer spoke to try and buy some time to figure out how to handle this situation. Since the seventh wave had already begun, the main forces of Sage Falls were spread thin to cover more ground and earn more points. Therefore, unless they found a way to regroup, they would be overrun and defeated with rtive ease. However, even if they could regroup, the odds were stacked against them. The one thing that yer failed to understand was how this happened. He did not antagonize any guild besides Hypers Symphony. As for Cross Haven, even though they were allies with Hypers Symphony for this event, he did not think that they would actually go so far to assist them. But, what truly bothered him was that Blue Oasis who was supposed to be fighting against Cross Haven was instead assisting them with their assault on his Sage Falls guild. Furthermore, Hollow Tempo who he had absolutely no contact with decided to join in on the attack as well. "Dishonorable scum?" Wang Qiang stared coldly at yer. He had the audacity to call Cross Haven dishonorable scum after everything he did? "Your skin is truly thick without equal, yer. Enough words, you and your Sage Falls will perish here!" Zhang Jie said as he charged directly towards yer. "If you think that my Sage Falls is so easy to ovee, then you¡¯re highly mistaken!" yer responded in an enraged tone of voice as he engaged inbat with Zhang Jie. However, it was clear as day that although yer was a top-level skilled yer, Zhang Jie was in another league of his own byparison. Zhang Jie¡¯s spear danced in the air at great speed, causing afterimages of the spearhead to form. Three strikes crashed into yer¡¯s body and sent him flying back. Zhang Jie widened his legs and stood strong as his spear was aimed locked onto yer. "Boss! Protect the boss!" One of the nearby yers from Sage Falls shouted. Soon after, a group of yers from Sage Falls rushed over, however, they were intercepted by Wang Qiang and some of the other members from Cross Haven. "We¡¯ll entertain you." Wang Qiang said as he brandished his sword and then pushed forward with his shoulder while kicking off his back foot. His shield mmed into one of his opponent¡¯s bodies and knocked them back a great distance. A one-sided ughter took ce as four top guilds were simply too much for Sage Falls to handle alone. A few momentster, the only member of Sage Falls remaining was yer himself. Although the other top guilds did not bother chasing after those who ran away, Hollow Tempo was ruthless. They chased down every single yer from Sage Falls who tried to run away and made sure they met with a swift death. Cling! Cling! Zhang Jie was still facing off against yer, however, it could not even be called a battle at this point. Zhang Jie was toying with yer who had long since been blinded by pure rage. In fact, he even failed to notice that he was thest remaining member of Sage Falls left in this area! "Zhang Jie, we must return soon before our guild leader worries. Finish this fight." Wang Qiang said. "You¡¯re no fun, Wang Qiang." Zhang Jie parried a vicious and thoughtless blow from yer as his spear swept cleanly across his neck. "You... All of you will pay! All of you!" yer said just before his body fell over and dissipated. One could tell from the tone of his voice that nothing but hatred was on his mind. Deep down inside, yer was already plotting his revenge. After yer was eliminated, everyone met up to discuss a few things. "Did anyone see Reaper?" Dark Suffice said with a slight hint of rage in his voice. Although he felt a bit better after wiping away so many Sage Falls guild members, he did not manage to locate the main culprit he wanted to get his hands on, Reaper. However, no one there had seen Reaper during that entire exchange. It was possible that Reaper was still away and taking care of other tasks. "Hmph, he won¡¯t hide from us so easily! Hollow Tempo, we¡¯re leaving!" Dark Suffice said without even bothering to give anyone a proper farewell. Wang Qiang shook his head as he watched Dark Suffice and the members of Hollow Tempo journey away. "I can understand his anger, but if he fights Reaper with his current state of mind, then based on the rumors I heard his chance for sess is extremely low." "I want to thank you again, General Wang Qiang, as well as Cross Haven foring to our aid in a time of need. It is good to see the members of Blue Oasis as well, Captain Niflheim, Captain Minus." Wang Ping said with a friendly smile on his face. "We¡¯ll be heading back to our sector. There is still a bit of time before the end of the seventh wave, we should make the most of it." Wang Ping gave a polite goodbye before he and the members of Hypers Symphony headed back towards their sector. "I¡¯ve heard rumors about you, General Wang Qiang. But, it seems that the rumors do not do you any justice. After what happened, I would not me you for pointing a finger towards my Blue Oasis." Niflheim said. "Modesty doesn¡¯t suit you well, Captain Niflheim." Wang Qiang said jokingly which caused Niflheim tough in response. "Indeed, modesty is something I am unpracticed in." Niflheim said. After chatting for a bit, Wang Qiang and Zhang bid farewell to Niflheim and Minus before making their way to the Cross Haven sector. It was just as Wang Ping said, they did not have much time before the event ended and so they had to make the most of what little time was left. ... "Report." Vault said as soon as Menerva appeared before him. "In the end, Hollow Tempo and Hypers Symphony sustained a great deal of damage. It should take a while before they recover. However, Sage Falls received thergest blow and was wiped clean. It will take them the greatest deal of time to recover. Cross Haven and Blue Oasis are both with minimal casualties, just as nned." Menerva said. "Ahahaha! Good, very good! You¡¯ve done well, Menerva. With this, we can use the gains from this event to solidify our ce as one of the top ten guilds within RML! Of course, you¡¯ve done well too, Reaper." Vault said as he looked towards Reaper who stood not too far behind Menerva. Reaper did not respond and just stood there silently, however, unlike with most others, Vault did not get mad andsh out but was quite calm about it. "Since you¡¯re all freed up, your next task with me to investigate and find the Apothecary who made the Five Cycles Pill. After you find them, bring them to me by force if necessary. I have an offer to make that they won¡¯t be able to refuse." Vault said as arge grin found its way to his face. ... It was nearing the end of the seventh wave as Izroth and his party had managed to fill up the Vessel of The Endless One around 40% of the way. Even though the monsters worked in groups, Izroth and his party were still able to take care of them without much issue. But, that was not all that urred during the seventh wave. Izroth had managed to level up once again and was now level 28. With this, he not only gained an additional three stat points and one skill point, but his Soul Essence increased once again to level 14. Izroth concluded that every two levels he gained, his Soul Essence trait level would increase by one. However, the strange part was that his essence regeneration still seemed to be stuck at one per minute. But the bright side was that his Flow of Essence rose another 0.5%, making the stat bonus rise by 7%. There were no other surprises during the seventh wave, as it ended without any issues for Izroth and his party. The next few waves also went by without any problems. The monsters from the eighth wave had an average level range of 25-26, while those of the ninth wave had an average level of 27-28. In fact, things had been so difficult during the ninth wave that the magic cannons on top of Amaharpe¡¯s gates were finally being put to use. As for the casual yers, there were not many of them left and therge majority of the remaining yers were made up of top guilds or big guilds. Unfortunately, Izroth and his party had only faced off against one other normal event boss monster as no others had arrived in their area. The strangest thing was that the Vessel of The Endless One was stuck at 99.99/100. No matter how many more monsters they defeated, it would not budge any further. Izroth had reached level 30 and there were quite a few gains that he managed toe across thanks to this event. However, the ninth wave had just ended and they were soon approaching the tenth wave. If they did not find the answer soon, then they would be stuck here and all their effort would have been wasted. "Why are we unable to take thest step?" Zi Yi frowned as she spoke with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She tried to think of different solutions but came up empty-handed in the end. "We have to be overlooking something important. Otherwise, the Vessel of The Endless One should have already been filled. The question is, what is it that we are overlooking?" Luna said. "There is a possibility that the final charge requires something specific. After all, we had to defeat the Brooding Behemoth Basbus just to obtain the Vessel of The Endless One. Therefore, it isn¡¯t too wild to think that we need one final item to satisfy its hunger." Valentine exined. Izroth looked down at the glowing crystal in his hands. It was pulsating as if it were a living thing and the glow was its heartbeat. ¡¯We¡¯re running out of time. If we are unable to find the answers during the tenth wave, then we may not have the chance to find it at all.¡¯ Izroth returned the crystal to his inventory as he gazed towards the Towering Oak Forest in the distance. He soon narrowed his eyes as if he were pondering something. ¡¯Could it be...¡¯ "It¡¯s possible that the final piece has been right in front of our eyes this entire time." Izroth said. Everyone was startled by his words. In front of their eyes? How was that possible? Chapter 152 Everything Is Hopeless In The End Izroth thought back to the time when they were first transported to the front gates of Amaharpe, or to be more precise, their avatars were sent here. He immediately felt that something was off at the time. Then, he went over the words listed on the Vessel of The Endless One in his mind. There were two parts in particr that bothered Izroth. The first was the text shown in the special note section of the item. ¡¯To those who are unworthy only a disaster awaits. However, to those who are worthy, it will grant good fortune to.¡¯ The question that bothered Izroth was how did the Vessel of The Endless One determine one¡¯s worth? While it was possible that it was put there just to give the item a bit of a dramatic re, Izroth believed that there was more to it than that. The second thing that concerned him was how vague of a description the usage effect was given. It talked about creating a unique crystal that could bend space and held other mysterious abilities, however, there was never any direct mention of the Returning Shard. It then dawned on Izroth that maybe they were going about everything the wrong way this entire time. "What do you mean right in front of our eyes?" Zi Yi asked curiously. The others were also curious as to what Izroth had to say. After all, they had tried everything to get the Vessel of The Endless One to its fully charged state and failed in doing so. "We became too focused on what we¡¯d managed to obtain, that we almost lost sight of the true nature of the first trial." Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. Luna furrowed her brows as she pondered Izroth¡¯s words. She closed her eyes turned her concentration on the words the voice said to them. She made sure to remember each of the voice¡¯s words as it concerned the potential existence wipe of her character. A few momentster, Luna opened up her eyes as a hint of rity could be seen hidden within them. "Everything is hopeless in the end..." Luna muttered to herself. "Everything is hopeless in the end...!" Luna spoke loud and clear enough for everyone to hear this time. "Big sis Luna, you shouldn¡¯t give up hope just yet. We can do anything as long as we put our fists to it!" Guan Yu said. "First off, it¡¯s minds, not fists. Secondly, Luna is not giving up hope, she¡¯s just repeating the words that incredibly rude voice said to us. Before he vanished, he said those exact words." Zi Yi exined. Halls frowned, "Wasn¡¯t he just trying to scare us? What do those words have to do with anything?" Izroth was secretly surprised that Luna was able to pick up on things so fast. "Those words were more than just a simple taunt, they contained an important clue on how to finish the first trial." Izroth said. Even Izroth was a little shocked that the game would go this far in its level of difficulty when it came to noticing small details. Izroth underestimated RML and did not give it much thought after they had discovered the Vessel of The Endless One. After all, the goal was clear and there for them to see. It took him seeing no goal in sight to truly question and scrutinize every single detail. However, he would not be so careless again. Luna nodded, "While the voice was indeed being rude, our original assumption was that it did not give us any leads. But, it turns out that it really gave us all the information we needed." Luna exined. She then continued, "The Vessel of The Endless One is exactly that, endless! In other words, we could spend an eternity trying to fill up that item and it would never be fully charged no matter how many monsters we defeat. The truth is, there is no such thing as worthy or unworthy. In the end, it¡¯s an item that ultimately leads to a dead end, a disaster." Everyone was speechless as they listened to Luna speak. This entire time when they believed that they were getting closer to the end, there was never an end to begin with! How were they supposed to ept that? "It must have been that voice that nted the item and tricked us! How cowardly!" Guan Yu said in a frustrated manner. "I thought something was off, but I never imagined that overlooking just a few words that were said would bring about a near existence wipe experience for all of us." Valentine said as he released a small sigh. Zi Yi, on the other hand, was a little depressed. In the end, she was the one who told them about the story involving the shard that sent the man home from his journey. She almost led everyone to their end and she would not have been able to forgive herself had it got to that point. When Luna saw how distant and gloomy Zi Yi looked, she couldn¡¯t help but to try and cheer her up. "You shouldn¡¯t me yourself, Zi Yi. We were the ones who asked and you provided the information to the best of your ability. We decided together and so we all share things equally." Zi Yi only gave a small nod. While she knew that Luna¡¯s words were true, she still med ultimately med herself. However, she did feel somewhat better after Luna¡¯s attempt atforting her. "No one is to me. Naturally, it¡¯s something we all overlooked. But, it¡¯s not toote to seed and that¡¯s all that matters." Izroth said. Zi Yi shook her head slightly. Izroth was right, they still had time to get out of this mess. Instead of wasting that time feeling sorry for herself, she would use it to redeem herself. "What¡¯s the new n?" Zi Yi asked with fire in her eyes. She was ready to take action as soon as possible. "We¡¯ll have to head into the Towering Oak Forest in the distance. I believe our answer is waiting for us there." Izroth said. "What answer might that be?" Luna asked. While she understood one portion of things, she still did not understand everything that needed to be done. "Well, how are these monsters getting here?" Izroth asked. "Aren¡¯t they all justing from inside of the Towering Oak Forest?" Halls responded. "Oh? What about the Brooding Behemoth Basbus?" Izroth questioned. "This-" Halls did not know how to answer that question. Indeed, where did that boss monstere from if every monster came from the Towering Oak Forest? There was no way something like the Brooding Behemoth Basbus would have been left undiscovered. Also, it was listed specifically as a rare event boss, not a world boss. "It could have just been generated by the system for this specific event." Valentine said. Izroth nodded, "That¡¯s true, however, I¡¯m willing to bet that it has something to do with the opening of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and the Endless Pandemonium Tower. After all, it¡¯s too much of a coincidence that this event started around the same time we entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm." "There¡¯s just one problem. How are we suppose to reach the Towering Oak Forest when the next wave is starting so soon?" Luna asked. The next and final wave would be starting in less than three minutes. There was no way that they could make it to the Towering Oak Forest in the distance in such a short amount of time. Even if they could, what would they do once the monsters spawned? It was impossible for them to fight hundreds or even thousands of monsters at once that were at level 28+. "I have a n. Though, I did not expect to use this item at this ce." Izroth said as he opened his inventory and removed five thin ss-like beakers. Inside the beakers was transparent and looked just like in water. The only difference was the tiny sparkling particles floating throughout the liquid. This was one of the potions Izroth had requested from Metronome before he entered into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Although everyone here was capable of holding their own ground, they allcked one thing that may be necessary at some point and that was stealth. Even Izroth did not have any stealth abilities at the moment. While the shadow form from Shadow Movement was close to stealth, it was still not a true stealth ability. Therefore, one of the two items Izroth had Metronome prepare was an Invisibility Potion. Name: Invisibility Potion Rank: Lesser Usage: Consume this potion to be invisible for 5 minutes. The user cannot attack or use any skills for 15 seconds after the invisibility ends. Cooldown: 10 minutes The downside to the Invisibility Potion was quite obvious, however, it would give them the opportunity they needed to reach the Towering Oak Forest. Also, while fifteen seconds was a long time to go without attacks or skills, if they ran into any trouble they could still rely on their natural abilities to survive until the time was up. Izroth handed one Invisibility Potion to everyone. When everyone read the effect of the potion, they were startled. An Invisibility Potion? This was their first time seeing such a thing within RML. "It looks just like water!" Guan Yu said as he examined the beaker in his hand. Zi Yi had another question on her mind as she asked, "How much-" But, before she could even finish her sentence, Izroth held up his hand to stop her. "Not a price to be concerned with. Right now, we have more important things to worry about." Izroth said. Izroth turned his attention towards the Towering Oak Forest as he said, "We will have to move fast. Wait until thest possible moment before consuming the potion. Until then, we¡¯ll cover as much distance as possible." Everyone nodded in agreement as they had their potions on standby and ready to use at a moments notice. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he began to sprint towards the Towering Oak Forest. Of course, he did not use his full speed as he did not want to leave everyone behind. Some yers on the frontline noticed what Izroth and his party was doing but they were dumbfounded. The tenth wave was about to start and they were rushing in the same exact direction that the monsters spawned from. Did they n on taking on the entire tenth wave alone? Of course, such a thought would be foolish so that probably wasn¡¯t it. However, the only thing that awaited them going in that direction was death. A few yers shook their head in disappointment. It was a shame that such skilled yers would willingly run to their deaths. It did not take long for the tenth wave to finally begin. Izroth and his party continued onward and just as they charged into the group of monsters, they disappeared! The spectating yers were shocked! Did they die just like that? What was the point of such a ridiculous course of action on thest wave? Minus, who was back in control of that area, received a report from one of his scouts who he asked to keep tabs on Izroth and his party. When he heard that they had willingly strolled to their deaths, his mood became much better. Finally, something was going the way he wanted it to. "In the end, fools will have a fools death." Minus said with a smirk on his face. ... ¡¯We made it.¡¯ Izroth and his party safely arrived inside of the Towering Oak Forest with just seconds to spare. They found a spot to conceal themselves while the side effect of the Invisibility Potion wore off. "What¡¯s that over there?" Halls noticed something not too far away from them. It was a very faint light that seemed almost ethereal. However, what really shocked Halls was something else entirely. Izroth and his party looked over in the Halls were focused on. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he had a better view of things than anyone else did from their current position. ¡¯One thing¡¯s for certain, we¡¯ve found the source of the monsters.¡¯ Chapter 153 The Returning Shard After they journeyed a bit deeper into the Towering Oak Forest, Izroth and his party came across a strange statue with a powerful dark aura surrounding it. The statue had the face of a man with no eyes, but it had the body of a chimera. There was a small fragment embedded into the statue¡¯s forehead that seemed to be the source of its power. The most bizarre and creepy thing about the entire situation was the numerous egg-like cocoons that were scattered all around the statue. Izroth and his party approached the area with caution. As they moved in closer, the statue shook violently and released a strong burst of magical energy. This caused everyone to halt their steps and prepare for whatever wasing. But, something unexpected happened. From the statue came an endless number of strings made up of magical energy. The strings each attached themselves to one of the egg-like cocoons and a few momentster something shocking took ce. The object cracked open and what spawned in its ce was a monster! "What is this ce?" Halls said as he was a little disturbed by the sight. Zi Yi furrowed her brows as she said, "It seems to be some sort of monster production area. But, they seempletely unaware of us." ¡¯The dark energy appears to being from the statue itself, while the small fragment in its forehead is acting as some sort of catalyst. However, there is no information showing up from the system about the statue or the fragment.¡¯ Izroth studied what was before him and came up with a few ideas. But, he was unsure of what the end results would be. Not too long after the monsters appeared, the strings that were attached to them moved the creatures around like puppets as it lifted them into midair. Then at an incredible speed, the monsters were moved near the exit of the Towering Oak Forest. Soon after, the strings retracted back into the statue as another batch of egg-like cocoons formed on the ground. That statue seemed to repeat the process endlessly, however, it would move the monsters to different areas of the Towering Oak Forest almost instantly. "While the strings are attached, the monsters remain unconscious. But, as soon as the strings retracted, they enter into an almost frenzied state and rush directly towards Amaharpe." Luna said. "But, how did this item get here? The magic sequences are constantly shifting, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before. It¡¯s like trying to read Middle Egyptian through a kaleidoscope." Valentine said with a baffled expression on his face. "You can read Middle Egyptian?" Halls asked. "You have a kaleidoscope?" Guan Yu asked at the same time as Halls. "It¡¯s an old expression from- No, never mind." Valentine let out a light sigh as he shook his head. He almost forgot who he was talking to and was just about to waste time exining. Luna noticed that Izroth was silent ever since they arrived at this ce. Of course, it was quite natural since he rarely spoke when it was not required, but he seemed to be in deep thought as his gaze seemed to pierce through the statue. "Is there something that¡¯s bothering you?" Luna asked as she moved up a few steps and stood next to Izroth. "Bother is not quite right. Though, I doubt it will be as simple as walking over and grabbing it." Izroth replied. "Are you referring to the fragment on the statue¡¯s forehead? Could that be the Returning Shard?" Luna asked. She had also noticed the fragment, but she was not certain if it was another attempt to distract them from locating the true Returning Shard. Izroth gave a slight nod in response, "I¡¯m confident it¡¯s the Returning Shard. But, there¡¯s only one way to find out for certain. I¡¯m going to go take a look, everyone else can remain here for now." Izroth started to make his way towards the statue which startled everyone. While the monsters were mindless once they spawned, that may only be due to them keeping a safe distance. Who knows what would happen if they moved in closer? However, while everyone was a little tense, they had already witnessed Izroth¡¯s monstrous speed. Therefore, he would be able to safely retreat if a dangerous situation arose. One thing was for certain, everyone was ready to fight whatever was thrown at them if necessary. As Izroth stepped towards the statue, it released a wave of heavy force that wanted to stop Izroth froming any closer. However, Izroth waspletely unaffected and kept moving forward as he received a system alert in the process. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully passed a Willpower Check!¡µ Surprisingly, the monsters that had just spawned out of the egg-like cocoons did not attack Izroth, but they did not disappear either. Amongst the monsters were plenty of elite monsters and only a handful of normal monsters. It was easy to tell by the spawn rate of elite monsters how difficult the tenth wave would be for everyone. Izroth reached out his hand to touch the fragment embedded into the statue¡¯s head. SCREEEEEEEEEECH! As soon as his fingers brushed up against it, the statue shook violently and released a loud screeching sound. It was as if someone were dragging their nails across a chalkboard, only it was a hundred times worse. "Ugh! It¡¯s so loud!" Guan Yu said as he covered his ears. ¡¯It¡¯s stuck, but the statue is slowly losing its control over the fragment. However...¡¯ ... The loud screech echoed throughout the entire Towering Oak Forest. Not only that, but every yer participating in the event heard the sound as well. There was another unusual sight that unfolded before them. The monsters that they were fighting so fiercely against had stopped moving. Not too long after, their eyes turned crimson red as they entered into a forced enraged state and started to make their way back towards the Towering Oak Forest at top speed. At the Cross Haven section, Wang Qiang frowned as he watched the monster he was fighting, as well as, those that were locked inbat against his fellow guild members retreat from the battlefield. "Did the event end?" Wang Qiang furrowed his brows, but he quickly dismissed that notion. After all, they would have definitely received an alert from the system. Also, the way the monsters reacted as not like someone retreating, but rather someone receiving a new set of orders. However, that did not make any sense to Wang Qiang. ... "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Halls said with a gloomy expression. "It may have something to do with our current predicament." Luna responded in a nonchnt way. "It should not be much longer now. We will just have to hold out until it¡¯s done." Izroth said as a wild field of lightning formed 23 meters around him. ¡¯It seems there¡¯s a limit to the range and stat boost increase.¡¯ Izroth used 15 points of his Essence to increase the overall effectiveness of the skill by 75%. Since his total Essence was now 150, he could userger amounts at a time. This should have increased the range of his Lightning Field from 15 meters to 26 meters, however, it stopped at 23 meters. That was only a 50% increase in range. But, Izroth expected there to be a limit set in ce on the range. After all, if he poured all 150 points if his Essence into his Second Baneful Sword: Kill, then its range would jump from 20 meters to easily over 100 meters! How game breaking would such a thing be? The same set of rules applied for the boost to his attack and agility, a 50% increase limit. There was a chance that it would increase the stronger his Essence became, however, that was something only time would tell. Izroth then lightly tapped his foot on the ground. A few momentster, a terrifying tremor shook the entire area. This tremor urred every one second, it was the new skill Izroth had recently obtained, Behemoth¡¯s Quake. However, it was not a normal Behemoth¡¯s Quake. There was strange energy fused inside of each wave sent out. Izroth poured 35 points of his Essence into the Behemoth¡¯s Quake! Although it was over the rmended 10% limit Izroth suggested, he found out during his fight against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus that one could go further without the risk of Soul Weakness. If he did not experience any fatigue using twenty points of Essence back when his maximum Essence was at 130, then he highly doubted he would feel serious bacsh when using 35 points of Essence. Thanks to the bonus lightning damage from his Lightning Field skill fused with Essence and arge amount of Essence poured into the Behemoth¡¯s Quake skill, it now had a range of 45 meters and would deal 35% bonus lightning damage. Not only that, but its damage that ignored all defenses was greatly increased. -743 -115 -743 ... The monsters were also inflicted with Izroth¡¯s Blood Stigma, increasingly his total damage output even further. By the time ten seconds passed, all the normal monsters that were within a 45 meters range had turned into experience and event points. As for the elite monsters, there were a few who had a low HP stat and was unfortunate when it came to collecting Blood Stigma stacks. Those monsters had been eliminated right along with the normal monsters. Everyone was shocked by the amount of devastation Izroth¡¯s caused in such a nonchnt manner. Without even moving and just by lightly tapping his foot against the ground, he had cleared out such arge number of monsters! It was as if each time they looked at Izroth, they found out that the gap in power continued to growrger andrger with every moment that passed. Needless to say, Izroth¡¯s event points shot up by a substantial amount and instantly ced him at the number one spot on the event points leaderboards! The amount of experience he gained from it was not by any means small, however, it was still not enough to level up. After reaching level 30, the amount of experience required to level up had increased a great deal. However, even after eliminating such a huge number of monsters, more continued to pour into the Towering Oak Forest. If they did not act fast, they would soon be surrounded and wiped out. "We won¡¯t be able to hold out much longer!" Halls said as he knocked one of the monsters charging directly towards him back with his Rebound skill. But, another one came right up to him and he was almost instantly overrun. However, he quickly used the Shadow Pressure skill attached to his weapon and all of the monsters near him was sent into a feared state. Zi Yi was trying to keep a safe distance, however, it was bing more and more difficult to do so as the space was filling up fast with monsters. She shot an arrow into the sky and as it fell down, it split into two and continued to split until there were hundreds of arrows. The arrows poured down on the monsters and she managed to pick up a few kills on some that were already weakened by Izroth. Raaaaaaawr! Luna did not have any time to talk and was in a state of full concentration. Since Halls and Guan Yu were absorbing so much damage, she had to react swiftly and without hesitation while not wasting any MP. Izroth¡¯s hand was still on the fragment embedded in the statue¡¯s forehead. As he pulled, smalls lights jumped around as if the statue was trying to force the fragment to stay in ce. But, just as Izroth and his party were about to bepletely overrun, he yanked the fragment out of the statue¡¯s forehead. Immediately after doing so, the entire Towering Oak Forest grew silent. The monsters that were just moments ago attempting to tear them into countless little pieces, were now frozen in ce. A few momentster, the monsters began to turn into particles and vanish into nothingness. As Izroth watched the monsters vanish, he received an alert from the system. ¡¯So, this is the little item that has caused so many problems.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have obtained a ?Returning Shard?!¡µ Chapter 154 Completing The First Trial As soon as the monsters disappeared, Izroth¡¯s system alert logs were bombarded by a series of messages. However, before he could even check the alerts, everything around him turned into pure darkness. Before Izroth knew it, his surroundings had changed and he felt much lighter than usual. He could feel small changes taking ce within his body. ¡¯I¡¯m close to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body, but thest step is more difficult than I anticipated.¡¯ Though Izroth did not mind the small dy since he knew it woulde naturally to him. Besides, he made some significant gains during thest few waves of the event. When the darkness disappeared, Izroth swept his gaze across the room. He had a feeling that they would be brought here. ¡¯We have returned.¡¯ Izroth and his party were transported by the Chaotic Dogma Realm! To be more precise, they had returned to the Endless Pandemonium Tower. But, the room they had appeared in was different than the one they originally arrived in. Izroth opened his system alerts to check everything that he missed, however, the most recent of the alerts that showed up after he pulled out the fragment had the word "currently unavable" in its ce. ¡¯Odd.¡¯ This was the first time something like this happened to Izroth. Never had he once received a system alert that was not avable for him to read over. But, there was nothing he could do about it at this time. "We¡¯re back!" Halls said as he checked his body to make sure that he was still in one piece. He let out a small sigh of relief when he realized that everything was alright. When Izroth pulled that fragment out of the statue, almost immediately after everything went dark. "I wonder how much easier it would have been if we had discovered the location of the statue at the start of the sixth wave." Luna said. "Hmph, then even if you did find the Returning Shard, you would not be able to reach the second floor." A voice sounded from out of nowhere. It was the same voice that lurked within the tower and had sent them to the front of Amaharpe¡¯s gates. "What do you mean by that?" Zi Yi asked. "Bah! Foolish! Ignorant! Without hope and beyond saving!" The voice spewed out a bunch of insults after Zi Yi asked her question. Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression immediately turned gloomy. Why was this voice so set on insulting her every time she asked a simple question? Who would create such a natural born bully?! "Pffft...!" Guan Yu tried to hold back hisughter, but some managed to slip out which caused Zi Yi to re at him with a cold pair of eyes. Guan Yu instantly contained hisughter and made a slightly awkward cough in the process. "Quickly, hand over the items you¡¯ve collected!" The voice said in an impatient tone of voice. Everyone was startled. Hand over the items they had collected? What was with such an unreasonable demand?! "Impossible! You¡¯re being too unreasonable. How can we just hand over all of the items we worked to obtain? You can¡¯t just find rare items lying on the ground." Halls responded. He was outraged by how shameless this voice acted. "Indeed, demanding that we hand over all of our earnings without a proper exnation is a bit too much." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. At the moment, Izroth was trying to discover the source of the voice, however, he continuously came up empty-handed. The voice scoffed and said, "Rare items? Do you think that I want to im such trash as my own?! I wouldn¡¯t ept a rare item even if you begged me to take it!" The voice seemed to be even more outraged by Halls assumption than Halls was about the voice¡¯s demand. "Hey, that¡¯s a bit much..." Valentine said helplessly. One had to know that a rare item could destroy friends at the moment. After all, acquiring a rare item was almost an impossibility for the average yer at this point. For the voice to say that it wouldn¡¯t take it even if someone begged it to was indeed a bit much. Izroth was curious as to who the voice belonged to and if they were the owner or creator of this tower. If so then the words they spoke, while seeming arrogant, would still be true. To someone capable of controlling a massive structure inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and having the power them freely in between realms, rare items could be considered trash in their eyes. Maybe only something like an epic item would grab some form of its attention. "Then, what items are you referring to?" Valentine asked. "The shard! The Returning Shard! Also, the Vessel of the Endless One! Must I exin every little detail?" The voice said in a frustrated way. "For what purpose?" Izroth asked. From what he saw, the Returning Shard held a great deal of power. While he did not know the extent of the Vessel of The Endless One¡¯s power, he could specte that it was nothing to scoff at. After all, it could at the very least bend space and was an S-ranked item. Izroth understood that the voice most likely possessed a great deal of strength. In fact, it may take a simple thought from the voice topletely eradicate everyone present. However, Izroth was unable to uncover the intentions of the voice. One could tell that the voice was unruly, arrogant, and powerful. Therefore, there should be no reason for it to scheme against Izroth and his party with their current level of strength. But, there was still the small possibility that the voice was attempting to use them in order to benefit itself and was somehow unable to use their full might. "I have no time to exin, nor do I want to waste my time doing so. But, you may keep the items and stay forever trapped within the Endless Pandemonium Tower. Or, you can hand them over and proceed to the second floor. The choice is yours, but make haste! I do not intend to squander my precious time!" The voice said. Everyone looked over at Izroth to see what choice he would make. No matter what he chose, in the end, they would support his decision and continue to search for another way. Izroth chose to trust his instincts and give the two items to the voice. He had survived as long as he did within the Seven Realms thanks to his instincts, therefore, he would not choose to ignore them now. Izroth removed the Vessel of The Endless One from his inventory. The Returning Shard was already being held within his other hand. As Izroth held the two items outward, a thin stream of energy slowly drifted towards the items and encased them in an azure aura. A few secondster, the two items spun rapidly in circles as they floated into midair and intertwined with one another. The fragment that was the Returning Shard, fused with the Vessel of The Endless One. This caused the Vessel of The Endless One to release a tremendous amount of energy that formed waves of constant pressure. "Talk about a windy day! Ahahaha!" Guan Yu said as the pressure was simr to the strong and fast winds of a storm. The waves onlysted for around five seconds before it ceased. Afterward, the Vessel of The Endless One had be saturated with a boundless amount of energy and was now a deep azure color. Inside of the Vessel of The Endless One, small strands of bright energy jumping around freely could be seen. "How pretty." Zi Yi said with a hint of surprise and amazement in her voice. Luna¡¯s eyes sparkled slightly when she caught sight of the new appearance of the Vessel of The Endless One. There was something almost otherworldly about its new look. The Vessel of The Endless One slowly floated in midair until it came into contact with the wall directly in front of Izroth and his party. The moment it impacted the wall, it vanished into thin air. However, the wall that it came into contact with lit up and formed arge rectangle shape that was at least 15 meters wide. Soon after, a stairway appeared out of seemingly nowhere and led upward. "Go forward! The Undying Maelstrom awaits you." The voice said before fading out once again. ¡¯The Undying Maelstrom?¡¯ "That does not sound like a very weing name." Valentine said. "What? Was the name Endless Pandemonium Tower not weing enough for you magic freak?" Zi Yi said as she shook her head. Izroth examined the stairway that seemed to go on without end. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he and everyone else walked towards the stairway. As soon as their foot touched the first stair, a fearsome suction force pulled them in. In the blink of an eye, Izroth and his party had arrived in a ce that appearedpletely different from the previous area they were in. An intense blizzard greeted Izroth and his party. There was nothing but pure white snow as far as the eye could see and the stairway behind them had disappeared. Before they could even ask where they were, the group received some alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have passed the First Trial!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Undying Maelstrom?¡µ Izroth and his party had sessfully passed the first trial as soon as they set foot on the second floor of the Endless Pandemonium Tower, the Undying Maelstrom. ... Immediately after Izroth and his party reached the second floor, three yers had appeared in the area they stood at just moments ago. The three yers were Aegis and the two other members of Heaven¡¯s Law. Aegis frowned as he said, "We have not yetpleted the mission. Why have you brought us back here?" "You are toote! Someone else has already beaten the first trial, therefore, there¡¯s no point in going on!" The voice said. It was the same voice that spoke to Izroth¡¯s party. "Your luck is bad, Aegis. See? No one likes you! You¡¯re hated by everyone! Chichi!" The cloaked yer next to Aegis said. Aegis red at him before turning his focus back towards the voice. "Am I expected to just walk away aftering this far?" Aegis said. He was unwilling to turn back and ept his loss just like that. "How foolish! I have told you before, you can enter the Endless Pandemonium Tower, but you cannot leave so freely. Since you have failed, you¡¯ll just have toplete a different first trial." The voice said. "Oh? And what might that new trial be?" Aegis asked. "Simple, you shall be the hunters of the Undying Maelstrom. Your task is to simply, how can I put it... Ah yes, to thin out the herd. I shall put it in simple terms for you. There are three of you and six of them, yet only six can proceed to the final trial." The voice said in a nonchnt manner. Aegis narrowed his eyes, "Are you saying that all we have to do is eliminate three people and take their ce?" There was a sh of coldness in Aegis¡¯ eyes. "Exactly! Even your foolish minds can understand that much!" The voice said. "You should have said so sooner. I would not have wasted my time ying your silly game. Take me to the second floor, I will take care of it immediately." Aegis said. "Tsk tsk tsk, hunters! You are hunters! Is it not only fitting that the prey gets a headstart? Otherwise, how can it be considered a hunt? You will wait until it is time. Then, you may yet prove yourself worthy of the Endless Trials." The voice responded. "It seems like we will have our rematch sooner than expected, Izroth." Aegis said to himself. Chapter 155 Second Trial: Undying Maelstrom ... "I hate cold weather!" Halls said as he shivered from the bone piercing coldness within the Undying Maelstrom. "The cold shapes and molds many heroes, brother!" Guan Yu said as he embraced the coldness. "This ce resembles some kind of arctic tundra." Zi Yimented. She appeared to bepletely unaffected by the cold weather. As for Luna and Valentine, they were handling the cold weather quite well. Besides the asional shiver, there were no other signs of difort. Nothing needed to be said about Izroth. This ce could be considered a desertpared to some of the areas he explored back in the Seven Realms. Izroth scanned his new surroundings. As he did so, he could not help but frown inwardly. ¡¯It feels like we¡¯re being observed.¡¯ Although Izroth was unable to see anyone or anything in the endlessnd of snow, there was this faint feeling that lingered about. "I am unsure if it is your good fortune or bad luck for being able to reach the second floor. Hmph, I suppose that is something we will find out soon enough." The same voice from the first floor had followed them here Zi Yi let out a deep sigh. Just when she thought that they were finally rid of that voice, it showed up again out of nowhere. However, the peace was nice while itsted. "What are the details regarding the second trial?" Izroth asked getting straight to the point. "So impatient! If you¡¯re in a hurry to die then I won¡¯t further dy your departure! The rules are just as simple as the first trial, you must reach the third floor." The voice said. When everyone heard the voice¡¯s words they wanted to strangle him. Simple? It would obviously not be as simple as he said, after all, reaching the second floor wasn¡¯t as easy as just taking a midday stroll. "What¡¯s the catch? You can¡¯t expect us to believe that all we have to do is walk there." Halls said as he frowned. "Oh? But that¡¯s exactly what you must do." The voice said as mystical energy drifted through the air. A few momentster, a small item appeared in front of Izroth. Izroth studied the item before he took hold of it. The item was an old rusty and worn outpass that was silver in color. The strange thing was that no information was provided by the system about thepass. It was as if the system did not consider it to be an item. But if that was truly the case, then what could it possibly be? "The Istion Compass will lead you to where you need to go." The voice faded with those parting words. Izroth observed the Istion Compass within his hand and saw that the needle stayed perfectly still and the small unknown symbol carved into thepass released a faint green glow. However, when he turned to face a different direction, while the needle inside of the Istion Compass did not move, the unknown symbol changed to red in color. "Can you tell us anything about the magic behind this item, Valentine?" Izroth asked. Valentine shook his head, "It appears to be a normalpass to me. There¡¯s not a single drop of magic being emitted from it." "The voice said that it would take us where we need to go. While it¡¯s difficult to take its words at face value, we should assume for the time being that it will take us towards the third floor." Zi Yi said. Izroth nodded, "I agree. We should hasten our steps. Our time within the Chaotic Dogma Realm is limited and we remain uncertain of the number of trials we must face. Remain vignt, there are many presences watching us." Everyone was startled. They were being watched? Their Soul Sense did not warn them nor did they perceive anything in their surroundings. However, Izroth¡¯s Soul Essence and senses were on a whole other levelpared to their own. Therefore, if he said they were being watched then they were definitely being watched. Izroth and his party started their journey forward as they traveled in the direction the needle pointed in. The blizzard picked up the further they made their way into the Undying Maelstrom. During the idle part of their journey, Izroth decided to finally distribute his 24 stat points that were slowly collecting dust. He felt that the power behind his attacks was stillcking quite a bitpared to what he desired. Izroth possessed a handful of skills that increased his agility stat, however, only Lightning Field increased his actual attack power. With this in mind, Izroth used 20 stat points on his attack and the remaining 4 stat points on his agility stat. Including the Flow of Essence stat boost provided by the trait Soul Essence, Izroth¡¯s total attack shot up to 833 points and his agility rose to 452 points. "There¡¯s nothing but snow and more snow. Nothing has happened in the past ten minutes we¡¯ve been here." Guan Yu said in a disappointed tone of voice. He had been looking forward to a fight after Izroth said that they were being watched, but it never urred. "Are we still being watched?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "Yes, however, whatever they may be, appears to be in no hurry to cross our paths." Izroth said in a carefree manner. As Izroth spoke, the needle within the Istion Compass suddenly changed directions. Now, it was telling them to journey left of their current position. Izroth continued to follow the direction provided by thepass and immediately changed their heading. After traveling for around five minutes, Izroth noticed that the snow around them began to shift. When he saw this, Izroth rested his hand on the hilt of his de of Lightning. "We havepany." As soon as those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, something shot out of the ground andunched straight towards Valentine. GiiiiiiiI! The creature was about half a meter in length with no eyes, nose, or limbs. It was like a vicious looking worm with rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. The monster¡¯s hide matched the color of the snow. Name: Snowdrift Seeker(Elite) Level: 28 HP: 10,000 (100%) The HP value on the Snowdrift Seeker was incredibly low, especially considering the massive amount of HP creatures within the Chaotic Dogma Realm possessed. Therefore, this could only mean one thing. Giiiiii! Giiiii! More Snowdrift Seekers began to pop up out of the ground. Before they knew it, there were at least ten of the creatures present. Though the most bizarre thing about these creatures was the fact that Izroth could not sense their presence. If not for the snow shifting around, he would have never discovered that something was amiss. Valentine reacted quickly and cast a Mana Shield to protect himself. -450 Valentine¡¯s Mana Shield managed to absorb all the damage from the attack. This gave Halls the time he needed to pull the aggro of the Snowdrift Seeker off of Valentine and onto himself. In fact, Halls drew the attention of all the Snowdrift Seekers using one of the skills he had recently acquired from his skill crystal called Battle Focus. Skill Name: Battle Focus Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 26 Rebound Champion Cost: None Active: The user unleashes a wave of battle aura that attracts the attention of nearby monsters within 15 meters and causes them to focus their attacks on the user. Increases ¡¯Threat Level¡¯ by 75%. Monsters affected by Battle Focus deal 4% less damage to the user of this skill. Cooldown: 1 minute 20 seconds -367 -367 ... "Their attacks are magic based." Halls said after failing to block two consecutive attacks even though his timing was well executed. With the attacks of the Snowdrift Seekers now locked onto Halls, it made it easy for Luna to deal with the damage being done by the monsters. If the attacks were too spread out then the level of effort required would increase by a substantial amount. Izroth positioned himself in between the group of Snowdrift Seekers and struck out with his palm. That single palm was soon followed by hundreds of other palms as they rained down upon the Snowdrift Seekers. -1,137 ... -1,137 Since all the creatures had gathered around Halls, Izroth¡¯s Myriad Elusive Palms was able to strike every target. However, no matter where he aimed his attack the Snowdrift Seekers did not seem to possess any vital points. Or at the very least, their vital point was well hidden. The Snowdrift Seekers were quick, but not so fast that they were hard to track. Their only troublesome feature was the fact that their attacks did magic damage instead of physical damage. However, with the added damage output of Guan Yu, Zi Yi, and Valentine, the Snowdrift Seekers stood no chance of surviving the onught of attacks. Within a few moments, Izroth and his party managed to eliminate all of the Snowdrift Seekers without any issues. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a ?Snowdrifter Seeker?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 927 EXP¡µ "Those things appeared out of nowhere." Halls said. Izroth and his party continued in the direction the Istion Compass pointed them in as they discussed their current situation. "It¡¯s possible that more may be lurking around nearby in groups. While they are not necessarily difficult to defeat, we have no idea what other creatures are inside of the Undying Maelstrom. We should be careful not to get overrun." Zi Yi warned. "Were those Snowdrifter Seekers what you sensed watching us, Izroth?" Valentine asked. "No, we are still being observed from a distance." Izroth responded. Guan Yu frowned as he said, "Are you sure it isn¡¯t that voice just ying a trick on us?" "Indeed, that is a possibility I have considered. However, I believe that it is unlikely to be the case. If I had topare it to something, it would be that of a hunter observing its prey." Izroth responded. "We¡¯re being hunted? By what or who?" Halls asked in a surprised manner. "I am uncertain. But, if we are being hunted, then it will be when we are in our most vulnerable state that we are attacked." Izroth stated. "Hmph, just a bunch of cowards. Waiting until we¡¯re weak before attacking. I¡¯m not afraid of some weaklings whock the courage to face us head on!" Guan Yu dered. A few momentster, Izroth and his party arrived before a massive mountain. There was a long and winding path on the mountain that appeared to lead to the peak. "Hey, you can¡¯t be serious right?" Halls said with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "The Istion Compass is pointing us towards the mountain path. What choice do we have?" Zi Yi said. "I¡¯ve always wanted to go mountain climbing anyways. Does this count? Ahahaha!" Guan Yu said. "The pathway going up is narrow, watch your step." Izroth warned before he walked towards the beginning of the mountain path with everyone. However, there was something that bothered Izroth as he started to make his way up the mountain. Izroth set his gaze up above on the mountain. ¡¯From above as well?¡¯ ... "Fools! Dare go up the treacherous mountain? We must wish death, must wish death! Leader must attack!" An unknown creature spoke in a broken way to arger creature in front of it. "We Fal¡¯Jika, hunters of Undying Maelstrom! Patience! Patience! Snowdrifter test strength, they strong! Strong! Must wait until weak, then wish death! We wish them death!" The leader of the creatures responded. Standing behind the leader, including the first creature who spoke, were five others. It was hard to make out their description thanks to the heavy snowfall caused by the blizzard, but the creatures seemed to be covered in some kind of white fur and each creature held a different type of weapon. "Our brothers up ahead! We attack two ways! Once up treacherous mountain, wish death!" The leader of the group said as they started to make their way up, chasing after Izroth and his party. Not too long after the creatures started their journey up the mountain path, three silhouettes appeared where they just stood moments ago. Chapter 156 Hunters of The Undying Maelstrom ... ¡¯Strange, they seem to have vanished into thin air.¡¯ Izroth and his party were currently traveling on the swirling mountain path. Up until a few moments ago, Izroth could still sense the multiple presences that observed him and his party from a safe distance. However, not too long after starting their journey up the mountain, not only did the presences from behind them disappear but also the ones that were up ahead before they started their climb. The most unusual thing about the mountain was the level of calmness. When they first stepped onto the mountain path, everyone noticed that the blizzard appeared to curve around the mountain itself. In other words, it was as if the entire mountain was surrounded by an invisible sphere that protected it from the blizzard. But, what bothered Izroth the most was the level of silence in the surroundings. Besides the movements of his own party, Izroth did not perceive any other sound or motion. This was highly unusual given his current level of perception. The Istion Compass within his hands continued to lead Izroth and his party up the mountain. But, all of a sudden, the Istion Compass pointed down towards the snow beneath their feet. Izroth halted his steps and carefully examined the snow beneath his feet and the nearby areas. However, he frowned inwardly when it came up empty-handed. The Istion Compass instructed them to go down, but when he attempted to walk back from the way they originally came from, the item directed them back to their previous location. "What¡¯s wrong?" Luna asked when she saw that Izroth kept moving back and forth. Izroth walked back over to the spot where the Istion Compass pointed down as he said, "The Istion Compass points down from here, however, judging from our current position and theck of means to travel underground, we seem to be at an impasse." "Down? Are you sure that thing isn¡¯t broken?" Guan Yu asked. "Unlikely." Izroth responded. Although Izroth was unable to see any information about the item, he understood that it was not easy toe by. Usually, items like that were not easy to break and was quite durable and long-lived. While it was not impossible, it was highly improbable that they were given a defective item by the voice. "From what I can guess, there are two possibilities. One is that we¡¯ve arrived at our destination but remain unclear on how to proceed. The other is that the Istion Compass really is broken. After all, it does not seem to be in the best of shape." Zi Yi said. She then continued, "Also, we are still uncertain of how things work within the Undying Maelstrom. It¡¯s possible that some unknown force is behind the malfunction that we have no idea exist. In the end, this ce is still a part of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Everyone believed that what Zi Yi said made sense. There were still too many unknown variables that they were unaware of about the Undying Maelstrom. However, none of this changed the fact that they were currently at an impasse. "If there truly is something in the atmosphere, it¡¯s not anything my Eyes of Magic is able to perceive. I suggest that we-" As Valentine was speaking, Izroth suddenly dashed over in his direction and swung his de of Lightning towards Valentine. This rmed Valentine and the others as they were caught off guard by Izroth¡¯s sudden attack. The attack happened too fast and so Valentine was not able to respond to it and could only bring his arms up to try and block the strike. However, Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning swept right past Valentine and just barely missed him. Clink! The sound of something metallic crashing into Izroth¡¯s sword rang out from behind Valentine. Izroth did not waste any time and immediately dashed towards the direction behind Valentine where the object came from, however, there was nothing or no one there. "A little heads up next time would be nice you know?" Valentine said as he calmed down. Anyone would be ufortable after having a sword casually swung at them, even if they were not the intended target. "What¡¯s going on?" Halls asked still confused by the events that just urred. "This," Izroth held up a small metallic object that was the shape of a dart. The edges were jagged and there was a substance that resembled sticky tree sap that coated the edges. It looked harmless at first nce, but it was definitely some kind of poison. Just like with the Istion Compass, the system did not disy any information about the dart. Like before, Izroth did not sense the attack until it was already in motion. Thankfully he did not lower his guard even after he felt the presences disappearance. "Where did ite from?" Zi Yi studied the dart. "Wherever it came from, who or whatever attacked us is no longer there. But, it seems we have a more pressing matter to worry about." Izroth said as he redirected everyone¡¯s attention to the mountain area above them. Izroth could feel faint tremors and noticed that the snow on the mountain path moved slightly every few moments. Rolling down the side of the mountain wererge chunks of ice the size of a boulder headed straight towards them. The pathway was too narrow for Izroth and his party to move to a safe distance, as therge chunks of ice rolled down across the entire mountain path. "Position yourselves in between the falling ice." Izroth said after seeing that there was no other way for them to avoid it. While the ice chunks did cover the entire mountain path, there were still small spaces that stopped them for making contact with one another. Izroth decided that it was their best shot at not being crushed to death. Everyone acted swiftly and positioned themselves properly so that the ice chunks would just miss them. Thest to move was Izroth after making sure that everyone stood in the correct spot. After all, the opening was extremely narrow and being off by even half a meter may have a disastrous oue given how fast the ice was traveling. However, just as Izroth was getting ready to adjust his own position, his leg became stuck in the snow. When he looked down, Izroth saw two icy blue hands covered in fur wrapped around his ankle. ¡¯This presence... It¡¯s the same as the ones who disappeared earlier.¡¯ "Got human leader! Wish death!" The Fal¡¯Jika creature said as it held tightly onto Izroth¡¯s ankle which prevented him from moving. When the others saw that Izroth was not moving, they were about to warn him about the iing ice. But, before they even got that chance, therge chunk of ice crashed down on the location Izroth stood at. As the ice chunk continued to roll down, there was nothing left in the spot Izroth stood in just moments ago. "Brother!" Halls and Guan Yu shouted at the same time. They rushed forward and looked down the mountain as the ice chunk made its way down. Unfortunately, they did not see any sign of Izroth. Everyone was shocked. How was it possible that someone with Izroth¡¯s speed was unable to move in time? They were unable to see or hear the Fal¡¯Jika creature that grabbed Izroth and prevented his movement. Luna had a look of disbelief on her face. She felt her heart sank when she failed to see a single trace of Izroth. Just as silence filled the air, everyone heart a familiar voicee from above them. "It would seem that we have some unweepany." The voice said. Immediately after everyone heard this voice, they turned to look upward and instantly felt a sense of relief. "Brother! You¡¯re alright!" Halls said in an excited manner. "Ahahaha! Did you doubt for a second that our brother would be alright?" Guan Yu said. Luna let out a deep sigh of relief when she saw that Izroth was alright. However, she soon found the feeling to be strange and foreign to her. She froze when she believed that Izroth may have experienced an existence wipe. The only thing going through her mind at that moment was if Izroth would me them and never want to speak again. Luna was startled by the fact that she had such selfish thoughts cross her mind as she had never encountered it before. Therefore, she did not know how to feel about it. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning was pierced into the side of the mountain as he held onto its hilt. A few moments before the ice reached him, Izroth used Serpent¡¯s Bite with the foot that the Fal¡¯Jika creature held onto in order to free himself from its grasp. However, given how close the ice chunks were to his location, Izroth was unable to move in between a gap as the others did. So instead, Izroth used his skill Shadow Movement in order to enter into a shadow form and traveled up the side of the mountain, just narrowly avoiding the falling ice chunk that was about to crush him. Izroth canceled his early Shadow Movement skill when he reached a safe position. However, that was to warn his party members about the iing dangers. Zi Yi, who was also relieved to see that Izroth was unharmed, picked up on the words Izroth spoke. "Unweedpany?" It did not take a genius to connect the dots. The dart aimed at them, the presences that disappeared earlier, and nowrge chunks of ice falling down at them. It was obvious that someone or something did not want them to seed. "Careful everyone, it may still be around us!" Zi Yi warned. "What? What may still be around us?" Guan Yu asked. But right after those words left his mouth, he felt both of his legs being grabbed and pulled down into the snow. It was as if he was in some type of quicksand. "This one strong too! Must wish death! The leader survive! Survive!" One of the Fal¡¯Jika who held onto one of Guan Yu¡¯s legs spoke. This time everyone could clearly see the icy blue creatures with white fur and beady ck eyes. One of the creatures held a dagger in their hand and used it to stab Guan Yu in the leg. -256 ¡´Battle Alert: yer Guan Yu has been affected by the ?Fal¡¯Jika¡¯s Poison? for 20 seconds!¡µ -250 ... -250 "You- Scram!" Guan Yu mmed his guandao onto the ground beneath him which caused the Fal¡¯Jika to make a hasty retreat. However, the damage was already done and Guan Yu was losing 250 HP every second. That meant he would lose a total of 5,000 HP from a single attack! What a terrifying poison! But thankfully, Luna was able to keep up with the damage as she used Healing Essence and well-timed Cure¡¯s to counteract the effects of the Fal¡¯Jika poison. Izroth pulled his de of Lightning out of the side of the mountain and slid down to meet back up with the others. "What the heck are those things?!" Guan Yu said in a slightly frustrated manner. He did not manage to see or sense them when they were so close to him. "Poison, surprise attacks, traps, and trying to eliminate the strongest in the group first... From their tactics and actions alone, it would be safe to assume that they are a type of hunter." Zi Yi deduced. "Hunters? You mean we¡¯re being hunted down like some wild animals?!" Halls said in an angered manner. That voice failed to warn them about any hunters within the Undying Maelstrom. In fact, it was possible that the voice was the one who controlled them in the first ce. "Sometimes, misfortune carries along with it a gift. It should be somewhere around here." Izroth said as he noticed something while he was in his shadow form a few seconds ago. He walked over a couple of steps and stabbed his de of Lightning into the ground. A few momentster, a hole appeared on the side of the mountain that led down. However, one was unable to see the bottom. "At the moment, we have no way of tracking the movements of whatever those creatures may be. It¡¯s too risky to stay out in the open. The Istion Compass is also pointing us downward." Izroth exined. But one thing still continued to bother him. ¡¯Odd, why was this hole not here before?¡¯ Chapter 157 The Origin of The Isolation Compass and The Undying Maelstrom Izroth and his party stepped into the hole and were immediately pulled in by a powerful force. Before they knew it, Izroth and his party had arrived in a spacious room where everything was sculpted out of ice. A thinyer of snow covered the floor beneath them. "I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to that feeling." Halls said as he released a sigh. "It seems as if this ce enjoys pulling us along everywhere we go." Valentine said as he admired the sculptures of ice. The most impressive sculpture was of a faceless woman who gave off a natural air of authority and divinity. It was as if she were a cold ice empress of a vast empire. As everyone else took in the sight of the ice sculptures, Izroth was focused on the Istion Compass within his hand. At the moment, it pointed directly towards the sculpture that stood proudly in the middle of the room. It was the ice sculpture of the faceless woman. Kneeling before the woman was the ice sculpture of an extremely youthful and handsome man. Both of the ice sculptures were incredibly detailed and lifelike. One could tell from the demeanor of the man that he held a great deal of respect for the woman. But, there was a certain self-loathing mixed into the man¡¯s facial expression. "What beautiful ice sculptures." Zi Yi could not help but sigh in amazement when she caught sight of the ice sculptures of the faceless woman and handsome man. There was one special trait that both ice sculptures shared that was currently a rare urrence within RML. ¡¯They are both members of the Trephasia race.¡¯ Both the faceless woman and handsome man possessed the unique long ear feature that belonged solely to the Trephasia race. So far, Izroth had only seen a single member of the Trephasia race within RML and that was the NPC he had met inside of Amaharpe¡¯s Auction House. "What is this ce?" Halls asked as his eyes scanned the spacious room. "It looks like some sort of art museum. However, given our current location, I find that theory to be imusible." Zi Yi responded. "The ice sculptures are so lifelike. It almost seems as if they were frozen where they stood." Luna said. The others agreed with that statement. In fact, if not for the woman being faceless, they would have believed that to be the case. "Where do we go from here?" Valentine asked. "A good question that I have not yet found the answer to." Izroth replied as he approached the ice sculpture of the faceless woman. When he was around ten meters away from his destination, the Istion Compass vanished from his hand. However, the Istion Compass did not wander off too far. Hovering before the faceless woman was the Istion Compass that Izroth held onto just moments ago. It was as if it were answering to a call by the ice sculpture. Before anyone could react to the fact that the Istion Compass had been taken from them, three Fal¡¯Jika suddenly emerged from the thinyer of snow beneath Zi Yi¡¯s feet. Two of them grabbed tightly onto her legs as the other had a sharp dagger in its hand coated with the Fal¡¯Jika poison. Zi Yi was startled as her primary instinct told her to evade the attack, however, she was unable to move thanks to the two Fal¡¯Jika. "Wish death!" The Fal¡¯Jika with the sharp dagger in its hand shouted. But, just as its dagger was about to reach Zi Yi, an incredible surge of power manifested before the group Fal¡¯Jika and sent them flying backward. The two Fal¡¯Jika that was halfway in the ground were forced above ground and soared across the room along with the third Fal¡¯Jika as they mmed into the wall made of solid ice. The force was so great that it left an imprint of their bodies within the ice as they struggled to move. "Vile, impure and corrupt creatures of the Undying Maelstrom! You dare taint the presence of the empress with your cursed existence?!" A voice reverberated like a p of thunder throughout the spacious room. "Danger! Ice people strong! Strong! Cannot wish death!" One of the Fal¡¯Jika said as their efforts to escape were futile. While everyone was stunned by the appearance of the Fal¡¯Jika that attacked Zi Yi, they were even more surprised to hear an unknown voice. It was not the same voice that belonged to the entity that gave them the Istion Compass. This voice was filled with an immeasurable amount of hatred and anger. Before Izroth and his party knew it, the handsome that was once an ice sculpture, now stood before them was tall and thin with fair skin, long silver hair, and piercing sapphire colored eyes. He wore pure white clothes on top of silver leather with well-defined sapphire colored markings embedded into it. "What a frightening level of magic he¡¯s releasing..." Valentine muttered to himself. Although it was not seemingly a bottomless pit like Zendai Proximus¡¯, it felt more natural and wild in nature. "Begone!" As the voice of the Trephasia male echoed throughout the spacious room, it carried with it an overbearing force that crashed into the three Fal¡¯Jika and caused them to dissipate into nothingness. Just with his voice alone, he was able to eliminate three Fal¡¯Jika without lifting a single finger in the process! Valentine was knocked into a dazed state as the overbearing force passed by him. He stood there motionless with his eyes widened. "Cursed Maelstrom! The little creatures are weak but eternal within the Maelstrom." The Trephasia male said as he then swept his gaze across Izroth and his party. "State your purpose here! You disturb the rest of the empress with your presence!" The Trephasia male said without restraint. However, as Izroth and his group did not appear to be rted to the Undying Maelstrom, it did not immediately take action against them. "What did you do to our magic freak?!" Zi Yi said as she pointed towards Valentine who stood motionless. No matter what she did to try and snap him out of it, he remained unresponsive. "Hm?" The Trephasia male nce over in Valentine¡¯s direction and noticed the eyes he possessed. "Hah, a child ying with the Eyes of Magic. Your friend will return to normal soon enough. He is still processing the vast number of magic sequences caused by my magic." Everyone was relieved by the fact that the person before them seemed to hold no ill intentions. At the moment, the system still refused to show any information on not just the items in this ce, but also the monsters and NPCs. Therefore, they could not determine how weak or strong things were. But, it was safe to say that the individual before them now was by no means weak. "Now state your purpose or, I Zelfyrion, will be forced to be impolite and ask you to leave this ce at once." The Trephasia male who referred to himself as Zelfyrion said. Izroth could sense a strong level of self-control and concentrationing from Zelfyrion. It was as if he was afraid ofpletely losing himself to an unknown force and tried his best to suppress his emotions after seeing the Fal¡¯Jika. But one thing was for certain, if he wanted to fight against them then he would have already made a move when he attacked the Fal¡¯Jika. "We were guided to this ce by the Istion Compass that hovers before your empress. We would like to know our purpose here just as much as you." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "The Istion Compass...?" Zelfyrion turned to face the ice sculpture of the faceless woman and saw the Istion Compass. A look of disbelief appeared on his face. "Impossible! This item was swept into the Undying Maelstrom during that time! But, it is definitely not a fake or a copy..." Zelfyrion furrowed his brows as he said, "Where did you get this item? How do you know of its name that should have long been lost?" "It was given to us by the entity that resides within this tower. In its words, the Istion Compass would guide us where we need to go." Izroth responded. "Entity? Tower?" Zelfyrion frowned as he listened to Izroth¡¯s words. He then let out a deep sigh as he said, "Young man, I do not think you fully understand the importance of the Istion Compass." "Oh?" Izroth was interested to hear what Zelfyrion had to say since the voice did not give them any background details on the item, just a vague description of it. "The Istion Compass is not just a mere item. It was crafted by a being of limitless power just before their ascension to the ne that lies beyond the firmament. It was given to the ancestors of the empress and passed down for generations. However, when the Undying Maelstrom arrived everything was thought to be lost forever, including the Istion Compass." Zelfyrion exined. "What is this Undying Maelstrom?" Zi Yi asked. She had heard the term so much since their arrival on the second floor, but it always seemed as if it were more than just the name of the current region they were located in. That expression of self-loathing once again found its way onto Zelfyrion¡¯s face. "Normally, it is not a story I would speak of. However, you have returned to the Istion Compass to the empress and for this, you have my gratitude." Zelfyrion said in a sincere manner. He then exined, "Countless centuries ago, the vast empire of my empress spanned further than the eye could see. It was a time of peace when there was a perfect bnce of power within the world. The peace would seem evesting, until the appearance of the Undying Maelstrom." "During that day, everything retreated before the path of the Undying Maelstrom that stretched across the world or met with inevitable destruction. When all seemed hopeless, my empress made a choice." As Zelfyrion spoke, a painful expression appeared on his face. "In order to protect the people of the empire and the entire world, the empress sacrificed herself to quell the Undying Maelstrom. However, it was not before it robbed the empress of everything, even her very existence to her people." Zelfyrion said as he stared at the faceless woman. "It is only I who remember. It is only I who holds onto a strand of the empress and confirms her existence in this world. Only I..." Zelfyrion spoke in an increasingly saddened tone of voice. "You- Are you crying...?" Zi Yi said as she looked over at Guan Yu who was tearing up. "No, I just have something in my eyes! What a true man!" Guan Yu said as he wiped his eyes. He admired Zelfyrion who seemed to give up everything in order to hold on to a small part of the person he was loyal to. But even more so to the woman he obviously had a deep amount of affection for. ¡¯A fallen empire...¡¯ Izroth was reminded of some events that urred during his time within the Seven Realms. Unless one had absolute power that exceeded everything, they would always be at the mercy of the hands of fate. "However, such events have long since passed. Since you have made the journey here, it can only be with meaning." Zelfyrion waved his hand as a beautiful brooch appeared before Izroth along with the Istion Compass. "That brooch once belonged to the empress. Only those with the royal bloodline of the Trephasia can unlock the mysteries it contains within. It does not have to be today, nor tomorrow, but one day I ask of you to find she who possesses the same royal bloodline of the empress. The Istion Compass shall guide you." Zelfyrion said. Quest Name: Royal Bloodline Rmended Level: None Rmended Party Size: None Quest Rank: D Quest Objective: Locate the member of the Trephasia race who possesses the same royal bloodline as the empress of the lost empire and deliver to them the ?Empress Brooch?. Time Limit: None 0/1 Deliver ?Empress Brooch? to the member of the Trephasia race who possesses the royal bloodline. Reward: -??? Izroth saw no reason to reject Zelfyrion. After all, the quest did not have a time limit to it. Although it was only a D-ranked quest, the reward was hidden which usually indicated something potentially good. Everyone else within the party also received the same quest as Izroth. "I ept." Izroth said. A part of the reason for him epting the quest was also due to wanting to discover more about the Trephasia race who seemed so scarce within RML. "Excellent! You have no gratitude." Zelfyrion reached out his hand as a stream of magic shot out towards Valentine and snapped him out of his trance-like state. "I shall send you closer to where the Istion Compass currently guides you." Zelfyrion said. However, after he pondered for a bit, he seemed to have a certain look of rity in his eyes. "It is a shame that only one of you arepatible. But, think of this as a parting gift and a show of my sincerity." Zelfyrion said as a small drop of pure green liquid slowly floated towards Luna and sunk into her forehead. After that drop of green liquid entered into Luna¡¯s forehead, Zelfyrion appeared to immediately be exhausted. "May you find what you seek." Zelfyrion said before pping his hands together which caused Izroth and his party to disappear. He then stared up at the ice sculpture of the faceless woman onest time before resuming his kneeling posture and turning back into an ice sculpture. Except for this time, there was an expression of hope on his face. Chapter 158 Unexpected Surprise Zelfyrion transported Izroth and his party to the peak of the mountain. What awaited them at the peak was a small ck and gray cloud with purple bolts of lightning that crackled throughout its structure. It was no bigger than 30cm, but it released dangerous energy. Valentine shook his head as he tried to regain his focus. The overload caused by the vast number of magic sequences that Zelfyrion¡¯s voice magic contained was too much for his Eyes of Magic to process. If not for Zelfyrion¡¯s help, then he may have needed at least another fifteen to twenty minutes to process everything. However, the experience itself was incredible and Valentine now a much deeper understanding of magic sequences thanks to Zelfyrion. It was quite an unexpected gain. But, what surprised everyone the most was not the small cloud at the mountain peak or Valentine¡¯s gain, but rather what happened to Luna. Luna had experienced an astonishing transformation. When the green drop of liquid sunk into her forehead she began to undergo a total metamorphosis. By the time they finished transporting, it wasplete and the changes were shocking. Luna now had slightly longer pointed ears and her eyes were now deep sapphire in color. There was also this faint glowing aura around her that was hard to notice unless you focused on it, but it made her appear almost evesting and full of vibrate energy. On her forehead was an unknown and ancient looking symbol, imprinted where the green liquid had touched. This symbol soon vanished as if it too sunk into her forehead. Luna had transformed into a member of the Trephasia race with a powerful bloodline! Although it obviously could notpare to Zelfyrion¡¯s bloodline, it was definitely a step above the average member of the Trephasia race. This was the parting gift Zelfyrion gave to them as a show of his sincerity. Zi Yi stared at Luna with disbelief written all over her face. "Incredible, this should be the first known race change within all of RML! To makes things more interesting, it¡¯s to a member of the Trephasia race. I¡¯ve read a few stories and legends about humans being granted the power of another race." She then continued, "To my knowledge, it has been over one thousand years since anyone hasst experienced a Trephasia race change." Of course, there may have been more cases that were unknown, but Zi Yi¡¯s current knowledge was limited by her ess. The reason Zi Yi wanted toplete this mission was not just for the rewards, but rather the chance at gaining ess to the Amaharpe¡¯s Pce Library. If she could do that, then her knowledge of this world would increase to an entirely new level. "Big sis Luna, you¡¯re like a fairy from those storybooks!" Guan Yumented with amazement in his voice. Izroth set his gaze upon Luna and examined her from head to toe. This, in turn, caused Luna¡¯s cheeks to flush with a light shade of pink from Izroth¡¯s staring. A few momentster, Izroth nodded his head. "A great benefit indeed. It definitely suits you." Of course, Izroth was referring to the benefits one were likely to receive after bing a Trephasia. After all, it wasmon knowledge that members of the Trephasia race held a great advantage over other races when it came to magic. Valentine was still a bit lost on the current situation, but he understood that something happened which allowed Luna to obtain something amazing. "What exactly happened?" Valentine asked curiously. Luna exined the details regarding her transformation. One of the most noteworthy things was that she received a reward from the system for being the first yer to undergo a Race Metamorphosis. At the moment, she truly was the sole yer within RML who was not human. "I wonder what Zelfyrion meant when he said only you werepatible." Zi Yi said as she furrowed her brows. She was without a doubt happy for Luna, but she knew there was another specialty of the Trephasia race besides magic and that was archery! So, she could not help but be a little disappointed that she was notpatible. Valentine, who one would believe to be the most depressed about not having received the transformation, was actually more curious about it rather than regretful of not obtaining it. After seeing everyone¡¯s confusion and the weird looks they gave him as if expected some kind of tantrum, he exined that due to the unique nature of his ss, even if he wanted to be a Trephasia it would probably not be wise. A few momentster after everyone finished their discussion, they all turned their attention towards the small ck and gray cloud at the center of the mountain¡¯s peak. The energy it released was not only powerful but also dreadful. It was as if that cloud was enough to swallow the entire second floor whole in an instant. The needle on the Istion Compass pointed directly towards the small cloud. "What a frightening aura." Halls said as he observed the small cloud. It felt viler than the time he came across Syxirius inside of that pce room within the Shadahi Realm. Even that Shadahi¡¯s aura seemed feeble before that tiny cloud. ¡¯It reminds me of the Egg of Chaos back in the room with the stone tablets.¡¯ Izroth did not mean that the two had the same powers, but instead, they had a simr origin. The origin is that unlike most items or phenomenons within RML that were crafted by a certain individual or yers, it was naturally created by the world itself. "Everyone, beneath us!" Luna eximed which caused everyone to react immediately. Less than two secondster, six Fal¡¯Jika appeared from beneath the snow and tried to ambush them. However, the Fal¡¯Jika were shocked when they realized that they had been discovered. "Can¡¯t be! Leader, they know! Know!" One of the Fal¡¯Jika cried out. "Know! Must retreat! Go! Wish deathter!" The leader of the Fal¡¯Jika ordered as they began to sink back into the snow. "Stay." Luna said as a strong wave of magic crashed into the bodies of the six Fal¡¯Jika. The ancient magic symbol that had vanished earlier was now once again located on Luna¡¯s forehead. "That voice magic... It¡¯s Zelfyrion¡¯s!" Valentine said as he was stunned. Although it was not even close to being on the same level as Zelfyrion¡¯s voice magic, it was still incredible to witness. ¡¯Oh? It seems Zelfyrion was wholehearted about his sincerity.¡¯ "She holds the voice! Holds it!" The Fal¡¯Jika seemed frightened by Luna as if it were ingrained into them to fear that voice. "No! She not him! Voice strong! But she not him! We wish death!" The leader of the Fal¡¯Jika said. After Luna used the voice magic, the Fal¡¯Jika seemed to be unable to retreat back into the snow. It was as if there were restrictions ced upon them by the voice magic Luna used. The voice also allowed Izroth and his party to finally see information about the creatures they were dealing with for a brief moment. Name: Fal¡¯Jika Hunter(Elite) Level: 29 HP: 39,420 (95%) Name: Fal¡¯Jika Hunter Leader(Elite) Level: 30 HP: 66,420 (97%) "Heh, finally! These are the little things that have been following us all this time right?" Guan Yu said as he brandished his guandao. He had not forgotten about their sneak attack against him from before and wanted to pay them back properly. The Fal¡¯Jika did not just charge in like normal monsters, but instead, they appeared to be very calctive. It was the first time Izroth and the members of his party hade across this type of monster. Most of the Fal¡¯Jika held onto jagged daggers smeared with the Fal¡¯Jika poison. However, their leader wielded a sickle with a chain attached to the end of it. The de of the sickle was covered in the Fal¡¯Jika poison. Izroth unsheathed his de of Lightning and immediately dashed towards the group of Fal¡¯Jika. Since they were being so cautious, it was highly likely that they did not el in directbat. Even if things got dangerous, Izroth was confident in his ability to pull back if necessary. The Fal¡¯Jika Hunter Leader spun the sickle in his hand before tossing the chain outward towards Izroth. Izroth waited until thest moment to shift his position as he sessfully evaded the chain. However, the attack did not end there. The chain curved back around like a snake and wanted to surprise Izroth by striking him from behind after it missed. But, as if Izroth had eyes in the back of his head, he ducked just before the chain was about to strike and dodged the attack. Halls and Guan Yu began to make their way forward as well. As soon as Halls arrived within 15 meters of the Fal¡¯Jika monsters, he used the skill Battle Focus to make sure that their aggro would be locked onto him instead of Izroth. Izroth managed to close the distance quite easily since the leader of the Fal¡¯Jika was the only creature with any kind of ranged attack. However, Izroth was still cautious of the poison dart from earlier. If he got struck by a few of those at the same time, then even Luna would not be able to keep him alive from her heals alone. Izroth came to an abrupt halt near the center area of the six Fal¡¯Jika as hundreds of palms swiftly barraged the vital points of the Fal¡¯Jika creatures. ?Critical Hit? -2,100 ... ?Critical Hit? -2,100 The number of palms continued to increase until hundreds became thousands. Thanks to the effect from Izroth¡¯s Myriad Elusive Palms skill, the cooldown timer was reset after his attacks sessfully hit the six Fal¡¯Jika. In total, Izroth used the skill four times and dealt 8,400 damage! Since his higher level skills did not require the use of energy, Izroth was not reserved at all when it came to putting it to use. Just as Izroth finished his assault, Zi Yi unleashed a rain of arrows which showered down upon the Fal¡¯Jika. -1,335 ... -1,335 With the HP of the Fal¡¯Jika rapidly dropping, Guan Yu did not want to miss out on the fun. The Fal¡¯Jika tried to withdraw themselves from the battle or at least create some distance, however, their specialty lies in their ability to travel through the snow at will. With this ability gone, their totalbat prowess had greatly diminished. "This is for the sneak attack!" Guan Yu shouted as his guandao swept in a perfect arc and smashed into the bodies of the Fal¡¯Jika. After seeing that it was impossible for them to be victorious, the leader of the Fal¡¯Jika released a strange cry. The other Fal¡¯Jika followed suit. The cry sounded like a cross between a monkey¡¯s cry and the roar of a beast. "What are they up to?" Zi Yi said as she frowned. "I¡¯m not sure, but we shouldn¡¯t give them the chance to do whatever it is they¡¯re nning." Valentine responded as he started to cast a spell. However, before he could get the spell off, the entire mountain shook violently and interrupted him. It also caused Halls and Guan Yu to halt their attacks just to maintain their bnce. As for Izroth, he was going to continue his assault, until he sensed terrifying energy developing behind him. This caused him to put a stop on his attacks and immediately use Flickering Steps to retreat. The instant just after Izroth disappeared from the spot he just stood in, a dark purple bolt of lightning shot through his silhouette and towards the six Fal¡¯Jika. "No! No wish death us great Maelstrom! They wish death! Wish death them!" The leader of the Fal¡¯Jika cried out, however, it was toote as the purple bolt devoured the Fal¡¯Jika and turned them into nothingness. ¡¯That was a close call. If I had dyed a single momentter...¡¯ Everyone was relieved to see that Izroth was alright and it was just his afterimage that the purple bolt went through. "What happened to those little creatures? I still didn¡¯t get enough payback." Guan Yu said with a bit of regret in his voice. "Whatever happened to them had something to do with that small cloud. They referred to it as the great Maelstrom. I think it¡¯s pretty safe to consider it¡¯s directly rted to the Undying Maelstrom." Zi Yi said. "That little thing that you can sneeze away is the world ending Undying Maelstrom?" Halls said as he was dumbfounded. "Hm, from what I¡¯ve seen and heard, it¡¯s possible that this is not the actual Undying Maelstrom but rather just a tiny fragment." Valentine spected. Zi Yi nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. Though if this is only a fragment, I can only imagine how powerful the actual Undying Maelstrom is. But what I can¡¯t understand is why the Undying Maelstrom would harm the creatures it apparently created." Zelfyrion referred to the Fal¡¯Jika was vile creatures of the Maelstrom, so the Fal¡¯Jika and the Maelstrom were obviously rted. As everyone spoke to one another, Izroth turned to look towards the mountain pathway that would have originally led them to the mountain peak if they had not been transported by Zelfyrion. "Hm?" Luna noticed that Izroth was looking off into the distance as they were speaking as if his attention was on something else entirely. "It seems fate continues to cross our paths with one another¡¯s, Izroth." A voice sounded out from the distance which surprised everyone there. There was someone here who knew Izroth¡¯s name and it sounded like a yer! Was someone else attempting the endless trials as well? When that person finally came into view, he was being followed by one other person. Well, there were two other people, but one of them was apparently unconscious and being carried by the other yer. That yer at the lead of the group was Aegis. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth felt that there was something different about Aegis. He appeared to be more serious this time around as if he had a goal in mind. "I¡¯ll keep it simple. Three of you, hand over your lives." Aegis said without a single bit of hesitation. Chapter 159 Confrontation In The Undying Maelstrom When everyone heard the words that left Aegis¡¯ mouth, they were dumbfounded. He wanted three of them to freely hand over their lives? What kind of madness was that? The atmosphere became heavy as Zi Yi and the others had a darkened expression on their face. As for Izroth, he stood there in a carefree manner, as if he were not bothered by Aegis¡¯ words. At the moment, Izroth perceived that small piece of the Undying Maelstrom to be a more imminent threat than Aegis and his group. There was something that troubled him about it, but he could not quite put his finger on it. "Funny! Just who is going to make us forfeit our lives?" Guan Yu said in a mocking tone as he pointed his guandao at Aegis. "See? No one likes you, Aegis. Even some nobody can look down on you! Chichi!" The cloaked figure who stood next to Aegis said. "Do you remember our agreement, Ruin?" Aegis said as he nced over at the cloaked figure. "What are you afraid of? You don¡¯t have to remind me, Aegis. I always keep my promises." The one called Ruin said in a serious tone of voice. It was as if a switch flipped somewhere as Ruin gently put the unconscious woman down from over his shoulders. She was standing up, but she still appeared to be fast asleep. "Humor does not seem to be your strong suit, Aegis. However, on the small off chance that you are being serious then I must ask, do you think of me as someone who can be bullied on a whim? Ourst encounter appears to have eluded you." Izroth narrowed his eyes as they swept across Aegis and his group. Aegis red at Izroth as he said, "Hmph, you may have earned some of my respect, but you cannot honestly believe such a battle was taken seriously. Since you have earned some of my respect, I¡¯m willing to let you leave here without interfering Izroth. You can even take two of your party members with you. However, three of them must stay behind without question." Although Aegis gave such an offer, he knew well the answer he would receive in return given Izroth¡¯s personality. "It would appear that words are being wasted. Come, let us see if you have the power to do as you please." Izroth said as he stood tall and took up a simple sword stance. There was nothing special about the sword stance itself, but the amount of pressure he gave off was terrifying. "I see, that¡¯s why you brought her along. I suppose I¡¯ll just have to make the most out of what I¡¯ve been given." Ruin said as his gaze fell upon Guan Yu and the others. "I will deal with Aegis. You can handle the one called Ruin and the woman should she join the fight." Izroth said. He rarely had a chance to fight against other yers and when he did, it would usually end up being a short fight. Thest time they met, Izroth wanted to continue the fight against Aegis, but he escaped using an unknown method. This time, Izroth would not let him escape so easily. Guan Yu frowned as he said, "There¡¯s no need for all of us to fight. I can handle him alone. Besides, what kind of man would I be if I took part in teaming up against others?" "A smart one." Zi Yimented. She then continued, "The members of Heaven¡¯s Law should not be underestimated. This is even more so given what¡¯s at stake within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It is not only your own life you have to worry about, but you have to consider the lives of your party members as well." Guan Yu gripped the guandao within his hand tightly. Indeed, he could not just think about himself in this situation, but he still felt ufortable using numbers as an advantage in a fight. He was not afraid of a tough battle. Aegis unsheathed both swords from his back. Both swords were identical, being crimson red in color with a simple ck hilt, a sharp de that was around 80cm in length, and a faint white aura drifted just above the surface of the swords. "I figured those would be your words. Then, shall we?" Aegis moved with quickened steps as he dashed towards the left side of the mountain peak. The mountain peak was t and quite spacious. Aegis decided to create a bit of distance from the group so that he could fight against Izroth without any restraint. "Remain vignt." Izroth reminded them before he took off in the same direction as Aegis. "Be careful." Luna said softly as she watched Izroth move further and further away. However, she saw that Izroth gave a slight nod in response to her words which made her feel slightly relieved. She knew that Izroth was strong, but for some reason, she could not help but worry. "Here should be fine." Aegis said as he came to an abrupt stop. Izroth and Aegis were now around fifty meters away from Luna, Ruin, and the others. There should not be anyone who could interfere with their battle from this distance. Izroth stopped around ten meters away from Aegis. He observed Aegis¡¯ fighting stance and saw that there was no obvious weakness to exploit. "Out of pure curiosity, I suppose I will ask a question before we start. What is your purpose?" Izroth asked. He knew that Aegis was far from being a fool. However, starting a seemingly pointless fight inside of the Endless Pandemonium Tower did not make any sense. Of course, there was a chance that Aegis did not want to risk losing or sharing with anyone, but Izroth did not believe that was the case. After crossing paths with Aegis quite a few times, Izroth had a basic understanding of his personality. Aegis was arrogant, prideful but respectful in his own way to those he considered to be his equal, and he did not go around starting senseless fights with others. Therefore, there was a good possibility that he did so with a purpose. But, even if he did have a purpose for doing so, Izroth would not just allow three members of his party to experience an existence wipe just to satisfy the needs of others. "You do not need to concern yourself with my purpose. Just know that no matter what, three of them will have to die. Since you have denied my generous offer, your life is no longer safe as well." Aegis said. "Oh? That¡¯s quite a bold statement to make." Izroth replied. At the moment, it may seem that Izroth and Aegis were simply having an idle chat. However, the two of them were having a different kind of battle. Every small shift in their position made the other person react ordingly. These shifts were extremely hard to determine from those spectating the fight from an outside point of view, but it was as if Izroth and Aegis were reading each other¡¯s moves so fast that before either of them could take action, they would be put into a disadvantageous situation. Right now, it was a battle of wills and their minds. A few momentster, Izroth made a slight mistake and immediately Aegis kicked off his back foot to close the distance between them. Aegis swung at a diagonal angle, aiming to bring one of his swords down across Izroth¡¯s neck and chest area. However, Izroth feet slid on the ground as he used an incredible set of footwork to adjust his position and evade the attack at thest. Aegis was surprised, however, before he could follow up with his next attack, he saw a sh headed towards him. This caused him to instantly change to a defensive stance as he parried the iing blow. Cling! Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning crashed into Aegis¡¯ twin swords with a heavy force and caused him to slide back a few meters in the process from the impact of the attack. Aegis managed to stop himself from sliding back further as he stared at Izroth with his lemniscate eyes. He had been too hasty when he saw that Izroth made a mistake. If he paid closer attention, he may have been able to discover that it was purposely done by Izroth. ¡¯A bit interesting.¡¯ Even though Aegis¡¯ attack did not touch his body, Izroth still somehow received damage in the process. "I¡¯ve underestimated you again, Izroth. However, you can be certain that it will not happen again." Aegis said in a voice full of confidence. This time, Aegis took on a more aggressive sword stance that focused on offense over defense. "Will you continue to talk without end, or will you fight?" Izroth said. Aegis decided not to waste any more words after that statement and dashed forward at an incredible speed. He was many times faster than he was just a few moments ago. ¡¯His agility has shot up a great deal.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps was on cooldown after he used it to avoid the attack by that small piece of the Undying Maelstrom. Therefore, Aegis currently the advantage when it came to agility. Izroth and Aegis were locked in a fierce battle where neither side had arge enough advantage to ovee the other. However, Aegis¡¯ attacks were bing increasingly more ferocious. This had to do with Izroth maintaining such a carefree expression and attitude during their battle. It was as if there was no pressure on him whatsoever and he was behaving in a casual manner. For some reason, seeing Izroth¡¯s carefree expression during their fight agitated Aegis. He felt as if he were not being taken seriously. Aegis slid and twisted his left foot in a small yet precise motion as he rotated his body and dropped one of his swords behind his back and spun it mid-rotation. Then, in one motion, Aegis sent out a palm aimed at Izroth¡¯s abdomen with his now free hand. Izroth gathered energy at the tip of his finger at he met Aegis¡¯ palm with his Fissuring Point skill. As soon as Aegis¡¯ palm made contact with Izroth¡¯s finger, he spun the sword that was still within his other hand and held it with a backward grip as he shed downward at Izroth from overhead. However, his attack did not stop there. Almost simultaneously, once the momentum for his sword was built up, Aegis released the hilt of the sword and reached behind his back. He gripped onto the sword that he let go of earlier and used it to swiftly shed at Izroth from the opposite angle. In just a single moment, Aegis managed to attack Izroth from three different directions all at once! The power behind the attacks was not weak as they appeared to be fused with a skill. Izroth saw no escape from all of the attacks. If he tried to dodge all of them, then he would suffer the consequences. However, he still had another move up his sleeve. Swoosh! Swoosh! Cling! Aegis¡¯ two swords passed right through the spot Izroth just stood. However, the two swords did not strike anything solid, but rather they struck against each other. A faint shadow sped past Aegis on the ground. However, Aegis found it strange since there was nothing in the sky that would cause such a shadow to be cast. He immediately felt that something was wrong and retreated. But, he was toote. Izroth left his shadow form from the skill Shadow Movement as an overbearing pressure filled with the surrounding atmosphere. That pressure was being released by his de of Lightning that released an aura of destruction where it traveled. It was even more apparent and sharp due to Izroth fusing some of his Essence into the attack. Aegis eyes widened as he felt the overwhelming force headed straight towards him. "Slow!" The lemniscate within Aegis¡¯ eyes had a small wave of energy rotate constantly in an infinite pattern around it. All of a sudden everything around Aegis, including Izroth¡¯s iing attack, appeared to slow down. Chapter 160 Eyes of Providence and Collapsing Thunder The moment the word "slow" left Aegis¡¯ mouth, from Izroth¡¯s perspective, Aegis who was about to be overwhelmed by his First Baneful Sword: Destruction had disappeared! ¡¯This skill... It¡¯s the same as that time.¡¯ This was Izroth¡¯s third time witnessing Aegis¡¯ use of that skill. At first, he believed that it was some kind of teleportation skill, simr to the one the Terminus used to travel around. However, after observing it a few more times, Izroth came to a different conclusion. "Crashing Palm of Dissonance." A voice suddenly rang out from Izroth¡¯s side. Izroth reacted instantly and without hesitation, he canceled the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction. He then spun rapidly and used the momentum granted by the skill Phantom Strike to alter the path of his de of Lightning and intercept the iing attack. CRASH! BOOM! Even though Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strike met with the iing attack three times, he was still sent sliding back a few meters from the force behind Aegis¡¯ Crashing Palm of Dissonance. That palm attack was definitely not a casual skill and had some kind of sound ability mixed in with it that made it tricky to counter. The fact that Izroth managed to negate most of the damage was already impressive considering the position he was put in. This was even more so given Aegis¡¯ current agility advantage. Aegis¡¯ attack had caused the ground five meters in front of him to be upheaved and split apart. There was a small cloud of dust that formed from the aftermath of the attack. "Oh? That¡¯s the first time anyone has ever survived that attack. I have to admit, if I had acted a bit slower, I am unsure that I would have been able to survive that attack of yours head on. You continue to exceed my expectations, Izroth." Aegis said as the energy continued to rotate around the lemniscate pupils of his eyes. Although Aegis appeared calm and nonchnt on the outside, he was shocked on the inside. It should have been impossible for Izroth¡¯s mind to even register what happened within that small frame of time, let alone react. "That¡¯s quite the trick you use. However, why don¡¯t you try doing that again? I guarantee this, you will not be able to touch me again, Aegis." Izroth said as he stood up straight with a carefree expression on his face. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning rested over his shoulder as tiny crackles of electricity could be seen bing more active around it. He released a tyrannical level of pressure that seemed as if it wanted to crush Aegis and everything around him beneath it. Although it onlysted for a split second, it was enough for Aegis and even those in the distance to feel it. It sent shivers down their spine. It was as if every part of their body was screaming at them to not to go against the ancient beast and to simply submit. ¡¯Ah, I got a little too excited and lost control for a bit. It¡¯s the first time in a while that I¡¯m able to stretch out a bit.¡¯ Aegis eyes widened as he instantly retreated over twenty meters away from Izroth and felt cold sweat run down his back. "What was that feeling...?" Aegis muttered to himself. For a brief moment, he felt suffocated and he believed that if he stayed there even a fraction of a second longer, he would have been cut to pieces. "You... Who are you?" Aegis had a darkened expression on his face as he stared coldly at Izroth. There was only one other person Aegis knew of that could make him retreat unconsciously like that. However, that person was unique and stood at that level alone. "Hm? Back in the forest, you said that you would remember my name, correct?" Izroth replied. Aegis did not respond to that. He felt that Izroth purposely avoided any questions regarding who he was or where he came from. However, they were not exactly on such friendly terms that he would willingly give up information about himself. There was something that Izroth said earlier that bothered Aegis. Izroth said that he would be unable to touch him again and even tried to provoke him into using his skill again. Aegis believed that Izroth was intentionally looking down on him. Every skill or attack had some sort of weakness, however, there was no such thing as a weakness when it came to Aegis¡¯ trait. Aegis¡¯ trait was known as the All-Seeing Eyes, but that was not the true name of his trait. Its true name was the Eyes of Providence. The All-Seeing Eyes was just one of the abilities of the trait, simr to how Flow of Essence was one of the many abilities of Izroth¡¯s Soul Essence trait. For Izroth to say that he would be unable to touch him again was justplete and utter nonsense. Even if he just felt threatened a moment ago, Aegis did not truly believe that Izroth could be on the same level as that person. Therefore, he was confident that Izroth was attempting to y some sort of mind game to throw him off. "You said earlier that I won¡¯t be able to touch you, right?" Aegis crossed his swords together in front him and slid them against one another causing both swords to be engulfed in scorching mes. "I¡¯d like to see just how you n on keeping such a promise. If you believe that the All-Seeing Eyes is all there is to my Eyes of Providence, then you¡¯re sadly mistaken." The energy within Aegis eyes turned crimson red in color and began to circte rapidly. Izroth stood motionless with his de of Lightning still sat freely upon his shoulder. There was not the slightest change in his facial expression. "Slow." Aegis said as everything around him became incredibly slow. It was to that point that even the snowkes falling from the sky appeared to be frozen in ce. This particr ability granted by his Eyes of Providence did not allow Aegis to do something as grand as manipte time, but rather the speed of things around him. Aegis referred to this ability as the Eye of Equilibrium. The All-Seeing Eyes allowed Aegis to view things with more rity than others. In other words, something that may appear to be moving fast to others would seem incredibly slow through Aegis¡¯ eyes. The Eye of Equilibrium amplified the All-Seeing Eyes part of his trait and allowed him to influence his surroundings to match the speed at which he perceives an object or person moving. For example, even if he could see an attacking directly at him, if it was too fast then he would be unable to do anything about it. However, with the Eye of Equilibrium, it would force that attack to move at the actual speed he perceived it at. Of course, they had a certain limit, but it should be nearly impossible for anyone to approach it. But, it was not a skill that he could use freely this early on. Due to the unique nature of his trait, he could not afford to overuse the Eyes of Providence, or else the price he had to pay would not be light. Aegis moved swiftly and closed in fast on Izroth. The mes around his swords seemed to howl and intensify as they grew closer to their target. Aegis swung in a sweeping motion towards Izroth as the mes leaped outward as if they wanted to devour him whole and incinerate him to ashes. Bzzt... Bzzzzt! A faint sound drifted next to Aegis ears. It almost sounded like electricity crackling and buzzing. However, when Aegis saw how close his swords were to making contact with Izroth, he knew that it was toote for him to do anything that would change the oue of the battle. "It¡¯s over." Aegis said as his ming swords sliced cleanly through Izroth with no resistance. BOOM! An explosion caused by the strong mes made a small crater in the ground where Izroth stood just moments ago. The mes hadpletely incinerated him, turning him into dust! At least, that¡¯s what Aegis believed. But it did not take long until a frown found its way to Aegis¡¯ face as he furrowed his brows. "I already told you, the same trick will not work again." Izroth¡¯s voice sounded from behind Aegis. Aegis was stunned. His swords had indeed sliced through Izroth, however, there was a slightly weird flickering going on with Izroth¡¯s body. That¡¯s when Aegis realized that what he cut through was not Izroth, but instead, it was an afterimage! Without thinking twice about it, Aegis once again used his Eyes of Providence and spun around using quick footwork. This time, a wave of ming energy was released from his swords shot out towards Izroth who was less than one meter away from him at the moment. There was absolutely no way that Izroth could evade an attack at such a close range. However, Aegis had once again underestimated just how monstrous Izroth was as an enemy. Aegis struck nothing but an afterimage once again. Just as he was about to follow up with another again, a bolt of lightning struck down and paralyzed him. It was a lightning bolt from Izroth¡¯s skill Lightning Field. Although the paralyze effect onlysted 0.25 seconds, it might as well be an eternity with Izroth¡¯s current agility stat which was off the charts. At the moment, Izroth had the maximum stats provided by Hellfire Rampage and gained a bonus of 100 agility points. In addition, he received a 50% agility boost from his Lightning Field skill and a 400% agility boost from Flickering Steps. In total, this shot his agility up to a game breaking 3,312 points! If any yer saw such arge number, they would think that the stat system was bugged! Izroth appeared directly in front of Aegis while he was paralyzed by his Lightning Field. "In your own words, it¡¯s over." Izroth said. He began to execute one of the skills he gained during the time he fought in the event Protectors of Amaharpe. Aegis wanted to respond, however, Izroth was simply moving too fast! This level of speed should be impossible this early in the game! All he could do was watch as Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning descended down upon him. "Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder." As Izroth said those words, a brilliant sh of light appeared that covered the surrounding fifteen meters in a blindly light. ...BOOOOOOOOM! ... Sometime just after Izroth and Aegis left to have their battle... "You should all be grateful! It¡¯s not every day I waste my time on trash like you. Come at me all at once!" Ruin¡¯s tone of voice hadpletely changed when he was not speaking to Aegis. It was not yful at all and carried with it a heavy amount of disdain. Everyone¡¯s facial expression darkened at those words. They knew from Zi Yi¡¯s words that Ruin, being a member of Heaven¡¯s Law, was incredibly strong. However, he was looking down on them too much and even had the audacity to call them trash! How could they not be furious? "Do you think that I¡¯ll sit back and just allow you to insult us as you please?!" Guan Yu swung his guandao backward and kicked off his foot as he elerated towards Ruin. "Wait!" Zi Yi tried to get Guan Yu to call off his attack. It was too risky for any of them to move alone! After all, the smallest mistake could lead to an existence wipe and thest thing she wanted was for anyone to experience such a miserable fate. However, it was toote and Guan Yu was determined to go through with his attack. Not only did Ruin dare to insult him to his face, but he also insulted those he considered to be his friends. How could he call himself a man if he did not fight?! Guan Yu swung his guandao downward without restraint towards Ruin. He used his skill Arcing Armor Crusher, as he wanted to bypass Ruin¡¯s defenses. "Fool." Ruin said as a grin found its way onto his face. Chapter 161 Eighteen Arms of Wushu As Guan Yu swept his guandao towards Ruin, he felt a sudden sense of dangering from right next to him. "I won¡¯t make it." Those were the words that crossed Guan Yu¡¯s mind which forced him to change the course of his attack to defend his right side with his guandao. Cling! A strong force mmed into Guan Yu and knocked him aside. However, thanks to his quick decision making, he was able to avoid taking any major damage as he parried the attack on time. Just as Guan Yu recovered from being knocked aside, he looked at down at the object that collided with his Guandao before it surprisingly floated away in midair in Ruin¡¯s direction. "A hammer?" Guan Yu said to himself. Although, the object did not have the appearance of a normal hammer. It was silver in color and the top end was almost circr in shape. "If you¡¯re going to rush in, at least give us a heads up first!" Zi Yi said in a frustrated tone of voice. While she understood that Guan Yu was upset from being insulted, it was still dangerous for them to act without knowing a single thing about their opponent. Zi Yi reacted swiftly when she saw a spear approaching Guan Yu that was set on a course to pierce through his back. Woosh! Woosh! Cling! An arrow exited from the void a few feet away from Guan Yu¡¯s back and shed with a spear. The power from the arrow was enough to alter the direction of the spear¡¯s attack as it missed its intended target and quickly flew towards Ruin. When the spear reached Ruin, it floated in midair behind his back along with the hammer from earlier. "Sorry, it¡¯s just that guys like that really piss me off." Guan Yu said as he calmed himself down. He was nearly put in a difficult situation because of the fact that he let his judgment be clouded by anger. He had to take a moment to regain himself and cool his head. "Brother, I think it¡¯s safe to say that we all feel that way. That¡¯s why it¡¯s only fair that we all should get a part of the action." Halls said as he managed to catch up to Guan Yu. Although they were both te users, Guan Yu was still much faster than Halls. Even as Halls closed in, Ruin remained unmoved from his spot. A faint red glow encased Halls¡¯ sword as he shed out fiercely at Ruin. Skill Name: Ferocity sh Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Level 26 Rebound Champion, ¡¯Sword¡¯ Equipped Active: Deals 110% of the user attack as damage. Increases the amount of damage the user does to the target by 5% for 20 seconds(MAX: 20%). Increases ¡¯Threat Level¡¯ by 50%. Cooldown: 5 seconds Description: If you must strike, then strike with ferocity! Cling! "A bunch of annoying pesky insects buzzing around." Ruin said as the hammer that was behind him rushed out to meet Halls¡¯ Ferocity sh head on. However, just as Ruin intercepted Halls¡¯ attack with his hammer, an arrow suddenly appeared next to him. Without even batting an eye, the spear moved forward to block the iing arrow. Guan Yu took advantage of both Ruin¡¯s weapons being upied by Halls and Zi Yi as he elerated towards Ruin and thrust his guandao forward. But, what happened next was something that shocked everyone present. A third weapon, this time a sword, spun rapidly and met with Guan Yu¡¯s guandao. Ruin was using three weapons at the same time! Such a thing was unheard of within RML. The even stranger thing was that he was not required to actually hold the weapons in his hands to use them. "How is that possible?" Zi Yi furrowed her brows as she closely examined and studied Ruin¡¯s movements to try and discover a weakness. Originally, she believed that his weakness was a limit of two weapons and his overconfident, as he severely underestimated them without reason. However, it seemed that she was wrong when it came to the limit of weapons Ruin could use at once. If he was capable of exceeding two, then there was a good chance that he could take it a step further and use four. At this point, who knew what limits he had if any at all? At the same time that Guan Yu¡¯s guandao met with Ruin¡¯s sword, a thin string slithered on the ground and made its way towards Ruin. That thin string came from Valentine¡¯s direction and it was the Epassing Mana String. The moment the Epassing Mana String came into contact with Ruin, it instantly encased him and locked him into ce. Valentine was finally taking action. "Zarkox First Sequence: Release." When Valentine finished his casting, he used the secondmand of his Epassing Mana String skill, Shatter. The cocoon that encased Ruin shattered, however, his agility was reduced for two seconds by 80% in the process! Valentine was unsure if this would slow down the speed of his floating weapons, but at the very least, it should prevent Ruin from escaping the range of his spell. "Hey, wake up. I hate dealing with magic." Ruin said in a nonchnt way as he looked up above him and saw the numerous magical symbols and sequences form over his head. When he first spoke, the others were unsure of who he was speaking to. But then they suddenly remembered that there was a total of three people who arrived here. One of them was Aegis who Izroth was currently fighting against. There was Ruin who they were locked in battle. The third person was someone they had ignored because she did not appear to be a threat. In fact, she was just sleeping peacefully even in this cold weather with a fight happening right next to her. "Mhn..." The woman made a slight noise as if she were responding to Ruin¡¯s request, however, she did not take any sort of action. "Pull back!" Valentine said to Halls and Guan Yu as the first beam from his spell was getting ready to fall. Even though they would not take any damage, the beam was incredibly blinding to those who were caught within, even allies. Halls and Guan Yu both retreated as a powerful surge of magic shot down in the form of a beam straight down at Ruin¡¯s location. "Eighteen Arms of Wushu: Safeguard." Ruin said as the hammer, spear, and sword he summoned earlier were joined by a fourth weapon, an axe. The four weapons formed a square formation and were connected by some kind of strong link of energy. A shield made purely out of energy appeared at the very center of the square and blocked the iing beam of light. All five beam of lights was blocked by the shield as multiple cracks formed on it before the shield made out of energy shattered into pieces. Everyone was shocked. Not only did they attack Ruin from three different directions, but even with the fourth attack by Valentine, they did not appear to do a single bit of damage to him! They were unable to see any kind of information about what kind of damage they dealt or information due to whatever prevented them from doing so within the Undying Maelstrom. The only time there was an exception to this was when Luna used her voice magic on the Fal¡¯Jika hunters. For a brief period of time, they could see clear information about the creatures. However, even after the creatures information disappeared, Luna and the others were still able to tell how much damage they were doing to the Fal¡¯Jika hunters. "Keep him busy!" Zi Yi said as she began to make her way over towards Luna aftering up with a n. "You don¡¯t have to tell me twice!" Guan Yu said as he charged forward and swung his guandao at Ruin. He did not care if Ruin pulled over one hundred weapons, what he had to do would not change! Halls and Valentine also pressed on with their attacks as they managed to keep Ruin¡¯s attention focused on them. Zi Yi arrived next to Luna as she asked, "Are you able to use that voice magic skill again?" Luna, nodded as she responded, "There are still three minutes left on its cooldown time. However, I managed to store the skill using the Silverline¡¯s Imprint." Silverline¡¯s Imprint was the skill attached to Luna¡¯s headpiece that she received after their fight against the Silverline Entity. It allowed her to copy and store a magic type skill and release it at her own free will. The item even made it so that there was no cast time. "I see, then this is what I want you to do..." Zi Yi then went on to exin her n to Luna. After listening to Zi Yi¡¯s n, Luna said, "What if it doesn¡¯t work?" "It will work. But, on the off chance that it fails, then we¡¯ll just have to hope for the best." Zi Yi responded. At the moment, Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine were focused on Ruin. The trickiest part of dealing with him was how freely his weapons could move throughout the battlefield and intercept their attacks. Though, their efforts were not without reward. They found that when Ruin said he hated dealing with magic, it was because he really did hate going up against it. Valentine¡¯s magic was currently the only thing that forced Ruin to move from the spot he stood in. But, there was more to it than that. Every time Ruin was on the move, his control over the weapons he summoned seemed to deteriorate. It was not long before they discovered a method ofbat against Ruin. "As I thought, it turns out he is incapable of using that energy shield frequently. I¡¯ll try to keep him on the move, take advantage of hisck of control over his weapons during that period of time." Valentine said as he fired off a ming Spear towards Ruin. "Way ahead of you!" Guan Yu replied as he moved in from an opposite direction of Valentine¡¯s attack and pierced forward with his guandao. As Guan Yu coordinated his assault with Valentine¡¯s ming Spear, Zi Yi made her way over to Valentine. She exined the important parts of her n to him and what role he would y in it. "How about it? Do you think you¡¯re up to it, magic freak?" Zi Yi asked. "I¡¯m always up for a challenge. But, what about those two?" Valentine responded. "They can keep doing what they¡¯re best at and press on with their attacks. After all, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea to oveplicate things when ites to those two." Zi Yi replied helplessly. Valentine gave a helpless smile as he said, "You¡¯re right, never mind." "Alright, wait for my signal." Zi Yi said as she then dashed away and resumed her attack on Ruin. "She made it sound so simple and easy." Valentine shook his head as he muttered quietly to himself. Ruin was bing increasingly agitated. It was already irritating having to deal with Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine, but when Zi Yi joined back in things started to be even more frustrating for him. Valentine¡¯s magic forced him to keep moving and it seemed that every time he moved to avoid it, an arrow appeared out of nowhere waiting to greet him. Not only that, but Guan Yu and Halls stuck close to him and did not allow him to settle down for a single moment. In fact, some of their attacks even started connecting as their timing became increasingly better with every moment that passed. "Enough! I¡¯m growing tired of ying these little games." Ruin shouted as the hood that covered his head fell down. What showed was a man with a bald head and purple magical symbols embedded over his entire head and facial areas. His eyes were pitch ck and made him give off a very eerie feeling. Right now, he currently looked furious. Ruin pped his hands together, "Eighteen Arms of Wushu: Proliferation." Ruin became surrounded by a mighty force and soon after Halls and Guan Yu were both knocked back. Chapter 162 Project: New Genesis "How is this guy so strong this early on?" Halls said as he could not help but frown. Even though Halls already knew someone who tossedmon sense out the window, he also understood that it was a unique case. However, it was not as if Halls had not met any top-level or elite yers while within RML. But evenpared to those yers he met, Izroth was still on a level all by himself. He did not know if Ruin was as strong as Izroth since he could not urately judge the limits of his strength, but he knew one thing; Ruin was strong. It was a bizarre kind of power that yers this early on should not be able to possess. He learned from Zi Yi that the members of Heaven¡¯s Law were strong, but he did not think that one of the members would be this difficult to fight. What bothered Halls the most was that even if Ruin was at level 40, which was highly unlikely, he should not be able to handle the five of them at once. After all, they had a solid party and none of them could be considered weak. "What¡¯s going on?" Halls furrowed his brows as he tried toe up with a reasonable exnation to everything, but he was unable to peak past the surface. However, Halls was not the only one with these questions floating about in his mind. Luna, Zi Yi, Valentine, and even Guan Yu who usually gave such things no thought started to grow curious about the same things. "Now, it¡¯s time I stop ying around and end things, inferior trash!" Ruin said with a merciless look in his eyes. At the moment, there were a total of eighteen weapons floating around within his vicinity! ... "Remarkable." A man wearing sses with messy hair uttered as he just finished analyzing some data. It was the same man that Scarlet handed over the information she collected to. At the moment, he was stretching his arms and released a long sigh. "Who would¡¯ve thought that after all these years..." 25 years ago... A young man who appeared to be somewhere between histe teens to early twenties was casually walking towards arge academic-style building. His hair was neat and well-managed, he wore a pair of sses and had an average build. As the young man walked, he muttered various things to himself as if he were going over aplex problem in his head. However, as he passed by others, they gave him a strange look like he was a crazy person. But, the young man did not notice these looks and stayed deep within his own thoughts as if he was operating on some sort of auto-pilot mode. "Professor! Professor Shen Tai!" A voice called out from behind the young man. However, the voice did not get a response as the young man was too locked in on his thoughts. "I said, Professor Shen Tai!" This time the voice was right next to the young man¡¯s ear which caused him to jump from the sudden fright and made his sses tilt in an uneven manner from the sudden movement. The young man finally snapped out of it and straightened up his sses as he looked over next to him. "You frightened me, Kang Min." The young man known as Shen Tai said. "I¡¯ve been calling out to you this entire time and you didn¡¯t answer." The one who called out to Shen Tai was also a young man, but he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His ck hair was cut short and his eyes were hazel in color. He was the one Shen Tai referred to as Kang Min. "Me? That can¡¯t be right. You were calling for someone named Professor Shen Tai. I¡¯m not yet a professor." Shen Tai said with a confused expression on his face. "Haven¡¯t you already heard the talk about you bing a professor? It¡¯s only a matter of time. You¡¯ll be the youngest professor in our university¡¯s history and even tie the world record for the youngest professor, how can you not be excited?" Kang Min said in an excited tone of voice as if he were the one bing a professor instead of Shen Tai. Shen Tai gave a weary smile as he responded, "I just turned 18 this year, it¡¯s a little too soon for me to be a professor. Besides, who wants to listen to someone younger standup and give a lecture?" He shook his head. "I think you¡¯re underestimating how popr you are in your field, Dr. Shen. The real question is, who would be so foolish as to miss a single lecture you give?" Kang Min said with arge grin on his face as he yfully elbowed Shen Tai a few times. Shen Tai and Kang Min continued their conversation as they entered into the main building. It was arge structure with a very refined appearance to it. It gave one the feeling of reaching for the stars and whatever drifted around beyond them. The strangest thing was that this building was usually busy and always had a flow of people constantly wandering about, but it waspletely empty at the moment. However, Shen Tai and Kang Min were locked in on their conversation and so they did not pick up on this. "So, have you decided the topic on your next research paper?" Kang Min asked curiously. "I have a general idea. However, I was thinking that-" As Shen Tai as speaking, around ten men in ck suits and shades approached and surrounded him from all directions. As for Kang Min, he was grabbed by one of the men that approached them and immediately felt something sharp pierce into his next. At first, he panicked and tried to break free, however, he started to grow sluggish and eventually became unconscious. The man who grabbed him removed the needle from Kang Min¡¯s neck, but by this point, Shen Tai was terrified. He had no idea what was going on. But, Shen Tai did not allow his fear to be shown. He remained calm and tried to keep a clear mind despite the overwhelming level of fear he was currently experiencing. "Pack Leader, the variable is detained. We can safely proceed to extract the package." The man who apprehended Kang Min said. One of the men in ck suits made a slight gesture in response. He was the one the man called Pack Leader. From their appearance, it was safe to say that they were using codenames to protect their identities. "Dr. Shen Tai, pleasee with us." Pack Leader said. "And if I refuse?" Shen Tai said. However, he knew that he would have no choice but to go along with them. He was not a fighter nor was he confident in his ability to escape. Also, they had his friend captive and these men seemed well trained. "I¡¯m afraid we must insist. If youe calmly, then I can guarantee that no harm shalle to you." Pack Leader responded. Shen Tai saw that the best course of action was to take the one called Pack Leader¡¯s word. He did not want to risk his own life and the life of his friend by doing something reckless. "I¡¯ll go." Shen Tai said reluctantly. "Pack Leader to Carriage, we have sessfully secured the package. ETA twenty seconds." Pack Leader had his wrist ced in front of their mouth as he spoke. There was most likely a small device he used tomunicate with others located at that spot. "Let¡¯s move." Pack Leader ordered as one of the men in ck suits carried Kang Min and Shen Tai followed quietly went along with them. Exactly twenty secondster, Shen Tai was led into a vehicle and blindfolded. "Where are they taking me?" That was the main thought racing through Shen Tai¡¯s mind at that moment. After driving around for what felt like hours, the vehicle finally came to a stop. "Watch your steps." Pack Leader said as he guided Shen Tai who remained blindfolded. "Where is Kang Min?" Shen Tai asked. "Your friend is safe. No harm wille to him. He was given a strong sedative so think of it as him taking a small nap." Pack Leader responded. As they were walking, Shen Tai could hear the number of footsteps increasing around him. Then, he heard voices discussing variousplex issues that ranged from biology all the way to physics. "I told you all that there was no need for the blindfolds. Come, take them off of him already." A gentle voice drifted into Shen Tai¡¯s ears. For some reason, it sounded soothing. "Apologies, but we must follow the proper protocols when ites to such sensitive information." Pack Leader said as he removed the blindfolds from Shen Tai. When Shen Tai opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a state of the artb with everything most scientist would kill to obtain. There were even some items he was unfamiliar with. "Wee, Dr. Shen Tai. You¡¯ll have to excuse their forceful methods for bringing you here. However, as they¡¯ve stated any information about this location is highly ssified. Therefore, I hope that you are willing to forgive them." That soothing voice sounded out again. When Shen Tai looked up to see who it was, he was shocked. He had seen this woman many times before, be it on TV or in some magazine. She was considered to have a brilliant mind that came along only once every hundred years, Dr. Wang Xiu Lan. She had long scarlet red hair that stopped halfway down her back with a pair of eyes to match. She was incredibly beautiful in a refined and almost artistic kind of way. She wore a long whiteboratory coat and seemed to be full of life. "What is this ce?" Shen Tai asked. He had just been taken against his will so he would not bother with pleasantries. Even if he admired her work, it was still against thew to kidnap someone. Wang Xiu Lan giggled as she said, "Alright, then I¡¯ll skip the pleasantries as well. Right now you¡¯re in a secret research facility, though I suppose you¡¯ve alreadye to that conclusion given your current circumstances. However, this is not just any facility. This ce was built for one thing only, Project: New Genesis." Shen Tai frowned. Project: New Genesis? That was something he never heard of before. Though from the meaning of the word alone, he made a guess that it had to do with the beginning of something. If they went through all this trouble to bring him here and from the look of the amount of money that went into building this ce, it was definitely not a small matter. "I¡¯ve read your work. You have a beautiful mind, Dr. Shen Tai. I believe that with you here, things will proceed at a faster and smoother pace. That¡¯s why I personally requested for you to be on my research team, despite certain concerns about your age." Wang Xiu Lan said. "How do I know that you all aren¡¯t up to something illegal in this ce?" Shen Tai asked. "If it makes you feel any better, we are funded by the government. If you want something more official, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible. You see, we technically do not exist. Therefore, you will not find any information about us in any official government document." Wang Xiu Lan exined. Shen Tai furrowed his brows as he took a moment to think. He then decided that it was time to know what this was all about. "What is Project: New Genesis and why do you need my help?" Shen Tai got straight to the point. "As I¡¯ve said before, you have a beautiful mind, Dr. Shen Tai. As for Project: New Genesis, I suppose it will be easier to show you rather than tell you. I believe you¡¯ll put in the most effort once you see what we are trying to aplish here." Wang Xiu Lan said as she began to walk towards the back of theboratory. Shen Tai silently followed after her. A few momentster, they came upon thick metal door made from titanium and outlined with some kind of unknown material to increase its durability. "Dr. Wang Xiu Lan. Authorization code alpha-six-gamma-five-eight-three. Clearance level five." Wang Xiu Lan said as she moved her face in front of a small panel next to the titanium door. A red light scanned her entire face two times before disappearing. "Security clearance epted. Wee, Dr. Wang Xiu Lan." Aputerized voice that came from the panel said as the titanium doors opened up. Wang Xiu Lan entered into the room with Shen Tai following right behind her. The moment they entered, the titanium doors closed shut. The room was lit to a bare minimum as if it was trying to keep a low light intensity level. "This, Dr. Shen Tai, is Project: New Genesis." Wang Xiu Lan said. In a vat filled with some type of cyan colored liquid, a man with long hair that went down to his ankles floated around inside. It was difficult to make out any facial features due to the mask that was on his face which most likely provided oxygen along with some kind of sedative. "A human...?" Shen Tai was shocked. Why was there a man ced inside of a stasis chamber down here? He began to take a few steps forward to take a closer look. "Wait, don¡¯t move too close!" Wang Xiu Lan warned, but she was toote. All of a sudden, Shen Tai felt an overwhelming amount of killing intent wash over him. It was as if he were being drowned in a vast ocean and lost in an endless storm of death. Then, all he could see was eternal darkness. "...ai- ...en Tai-... Dr. Shen Tai!" Wang Xiu Lan voice sounded a bit panicked. "What...?" Shen Tai had copsed and everything was fuzzy as he started to regain his consciousness. He set one of his hands onto his head, he felt as though his head was going to burst from the pain. "What was that...?" Shen Tai spoke in a weak voice. He was covered in sweat and his heartbeat was erratic. "My apologies, I should have warned you not to get too close. We are not yet sure what it is. But, we believe it¡¯s some kind of defensive mechanism. The person in that stasis chamber may seem like a human, but he is not truly the human we know of. His origins arepletely unknown." Wang Xiu Lan said as she helped Shen Tai to his feet. She managed to pull him back to a safe distance just in time. But, even though she did so he still paid a small price for it. "Not the human we know of? Then, what exactly is he?" Shen Tai had a look of disbelief on his face. "We have only scratched the surface. At the moment, he is known as the Prime Genesis." Wang Xiu Lan replied. "Prime Genesis..." Shen Tai muttered silently to himself as if he were carving the name into his mind. ... "Tech freak, are you still not going home yet? You¡¯ve already been here for an entire day straight." A young woman with bright red hair said. She hade here to check up on him because she knew that this would happen. "Eh? That long? Hm, I suppose I should get some rest. I just finished analyzing the batch of data you gave me a while back. The results are quite interesting." The man with sses said. "Yeah, alright it¡¯s interesting, but you can go on about it after you¡¯ve rested." The young woman with bright red hair said. "Ugh, I wonder where you learned such manners from... You act just like her..." The man with sses mumbled under his breath. "Did you say something?" The young woman with red hair red at him which caused him to avoid eye contact. "No, nothing at all." The man with sses then left out of the room with the young woman. As he closed the door behind him, there was a namete on his door with the words "Dr. Shen Tai" inscribed into it. ... "Eighteen Arms of Wushu: Steel Paradise." Ruin roared as all eighteen weapons formed a perfect circle in front of him. "Luna, now!" Zi Yi shouted as she gave the signal for Luna to act. "Go." Luna said softly, but her voice carried a powerful force along with it as it headed straight towards Ruin. She used the Silverline¡¯s Imprint version of her voice magic. Chapter 163 The Sleeping Beauty Awakens, Sealed Fates As Ruin manipted all eighteen weapons and formed a perfect circle in front of him, an overwhelming force crashed into his Eighteen Arms of Wushu. At first, the weapons shook violently and it seemed as if the attack had passed. However, before Ruin knew it, an overwhelming pressure mmed into his body. One of the unique effects that all sound-based attacks had was bypassing and ignoring most forms of defenses. Ruin, who already revealed his annoyance with magic, was caught off guard by Luna¡¯s voice magic and sent flying backward. -2,080 "It worked!" Zi Yi said in a slightly excited tone of voice. They were finally capable of seeing just how much damage they were dealing to Ruin. It was difficult to tell since the eighteen weapons usually intercepted all the physical attacks thrown at him. Ruin had to rely on his own natural movement ability in order to avoid any magic attacks. Guan Yu shot forward like an arrow being released from a bow and thrust his guandao towards Ruin. He did not need Zi Yi¡¯s instructions to be clear on what to do next. As his guandao closed in on its target, a mirror image of Guan Yu¡¯s guandao appeared behind Ruin. "Let¡¯s see how you do without your floating weapons protecting you!" Guan Yu said as he used the skill Mirroring Attack to assault Ruin from two different angles at the same time. At the moment, Ruin was furious. Since when had he ever allowed himself to be so humiliated by a bunch of inferior trash? The more that thought crossed his mind, the more angered he became with each passing moment. "This is the price of looking down on us!" Guan Yu said as his guandao pierced through Ruin from both sides. However, before anyone could celebrate, they noticed something odd. Ruin was hit by Luna¡¯s voice magic and so the damage from Guan Yu¡¯s attack should have been shown. But, there were no damage numbers that appeared on the battle logs. Zi Yi quickly swept her gaze across the battlefield. She wasn¡¯t there! Where did the sleeping woman with the pink hair go? She was just resting there a few moments ago. But before she could open her mouth to warn everyone to be careful, she heard a sweet yet somehow chilling voice sound from right behind her. "Plum blossoms?" Zi Yi¡¯s found herself in a world of pure white as she saw the petals of plum blossoms falling slowly in a seemingly endless stream. It filled up the pure white world with a colorful and vibrant pink. If Zi Yi had to use one word to describe it, it would be tranquil. For some reason, it felt as if her consciousness was slowly slipping away and drifting off into a world of absolute tranquility. "..i-... Yi-... Zi Yi!" A worried and panicked voice called out which snapped Zi Yi out of it. That voice belonged to Luna who stood not too far from Zi Yi. "What-" Zi Yi looked down at her hands and noticed that they were turning into small particles that drifted off into the air. Her eyes were filled with shock when she finally realized that eighteen weapons were pierced or smashed into her body from all angles. "Did you honestly expect a different oue?" A familiar voice rang into Zi Yi¡¯s ears. It was the same voice that belonged to Ruin! But, how did he manage to escape from Guan Yu¡¯s attack? Or better yet, how was he able to get so close to Zi Yi without anyone realizing it? It was already toote. Zi Yi was already dissipating which meant that her fate was sealed. Zi Yi¡¯s eyes were soon filled with regret. Although a part of it was due to her experiencing an existence wipe, her biggest worry was about not being there for everyone in a time of need. She hade up with a n and it had failed. She started to wonder that if she had never met Izroth, would she ever fight against someone like Ruin? But, Zi Yi did not regret meeting with Izroth and everyone else, especially Luna who she felt the closest to in the group. If she had the chance to do it all again, she would not hesitate even if she knew the potential oue. "Sorry..." Were thest words to leave Zi Yi¡¯s mouth before shepletely dissipated and turned into nothing but floating particles that soon disappeared into the Undying Maelstrom. Zi Yi had experienced an existence wipe. Luna¡¯s expression darkened as she stared coldly at Ruin. She med herself for not being able to do anything for Zi Yi even though she was the healer of the party. Even if there was nothing she could have possibly done since Zi Yi¡¯s HP dropped to zero instantly, she still med herself because of it. As the shock gradually faded, it was soon reced by fury. Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine were all fuming with rage as the actions and words of Ruin echoed inside of their minds. Their eyes were also locked onto the new participant in the battle. They did not know what she did, but they had a good feeling that she had something with Zi Yi¡¯s death. After all, it was too much of a coincidence for her to appear out of seemingly nowhere and close to Zi Yi just before her demise. They had been too careless in just letting that pink haired woman do as she wishes and sleep peacefully. To be honest, they believed that it was too their advantage since they would only have to fight one of them, but they had been too naive. Such naivety had cost them the life of not just a party member, but a friend. "You took long enough, Lzali. Chichi!" Ruin said to the woman with pink hair. "Mhn, where¡¯s Aegis?" Lzali¡¯s voice was soft and sweet. However, she sounded sleepy as if she had just woken up from a long nap. "He¡¯s dealing with that other guy. You know, the one called Izroth that he spoke about back then. Chichi!" Ruin replied. Lzali nodded in response. She seemedpletely uninterested in the other yers that were giving her and Ruin death stares at the moment. Ruin then turned his attention back towards the others. "Tell you what, since I¡¯m in such a good mood I¡¯ll give you all a chance. As long as two of you hand over your lives, then I¡¯ll consider letting the rest of you walk away from here. You should be grateful, it¡¯s not every day that I¡¯m in such a good mood." Ruin said in a mocking and voice filled with a patronizing tone. "Good mood?" Guan Yu kicked off his back foot and sped towards Ruin who stood where Zi Yi was just moments ago. "You can take your offer and screw off!" Guan Yu said as his guandao spun rapidly in a circle next to him and his speed began to greatly increase. When he arrived in reach, he swung his guandao outward to strike both Ruin and Lzali. Trailing behind Guan Yu was Halls. He felt as if he failed in his duty as a tank and was unable to protect Zi Yi. Right now, he was just as upset at Ruin and Lzali as he was with himself. At the same time, Luna used that opportunity to create some distance. However, during her retreat, she cast a Superior Holy Smite aimed at Ruin. Since he did manage to get hit by her voice magic and a few attacks from before, his HP should be in the danger zone. Valentine wasted no time as he began to cast a new spell. "Although the magic sequences are still a bit shaky, it¡¯s a risk I have to take." Valentine said to himself as magic sequence after magic sequence began to stack on top of one another in front of him. Due to the unique nature of Valentine¡¯s ss, learning and mastering new sequence spells required knowledge of how magic worked within RML. Valentine was a perfectionist when it came to magic and would never take such an unnecessary risk. However, Zi Yi was his childhood friend. How could he remain calm when all her hard work had gone down the drain right before his eyes? "You still wish to fight? How pointless!" Ruin was no longer wielding eighteen weapons, but instead, he now only had four weapons encircling him. Although he did not show it, controlling eighteen weapons simultaneously was tiring and took a massive amount of mental strength. If not for his unique trait Psychokinesis, then he would not be able to control even three weapons with the ss he chose, let alone eighteen. But, even with his Psychokinesis trait, it was still challenging since every weapon required a massive amount of concentration to control. Like Aegis, Ruin had received his trait when he first logged into RML. However, since Lzali had joined the battle, he no longer required more than four weapons to deal with the rest of the group of yers before him. Soon enough, both sides were locked in a battle with one another, but it was easy to tell which side was at a disadvantage. The most troublesome person to handle was Lzali since they were still unaware of what her ss was or how her skills worked. All they knew was that from her appearance, she was definitely some kind of magic-based ss. Ever since she first appeared, things seemed unnatural and weird. There was this vague feeling that something was wrong, but they could not put their finger on it. What frustrated them was that they could not keep track of her movements no matter how hard they tried. It was not because she was fast, but it was almost like she could freely go wherever she pleased, whenever she pleased. Lzali appeared behind Valentine as the wand in her hand emitted a faint light. Valentine experienced the same phenomenon as Zi Yi, as everything around him turned pure white and his vision was filled with nothing but the sight of the petals of plum blossoms. Even with his Eyes of Magic, he was unable to discover that anything was amiss as his consciousness began to slowly slip away. By the time he regained his awareness, he had already begun to dissipate. Valentine had followed in Zi Yi¡¯s footsteps and experienced an existence wipe. Everyone was baffled by what was going on. How was it possible that someone could just simply stand next to a yer and then the next moment their HP instantly dropped to zero? There was no room for healing or any kind of lifesaving skills, all there was time for was death. "Regroup!" Luna called out in a gloomy and an almost disheartened manner. Since Izroth and Zi Yi were no longer here, she was the one to take charge of the battle situation. It was due to her leadership that Valentine had to pay an unfair price. When it came to strategies and battle tactics, although she goodpared to most yers, she was still not at the level of Izroth or Zi Yi. Even though Guan Yu and Halls were livid, they still listened to Luna and broke off their engagement, forming a tightly knit group. Every cell in their body wanted to rush in and smash both Ruin and Lzali, but things were already going terrible enough and they understood that such recklessness would only add to the problem. Luna¡¯s mind was racing as she tried to find some way for them to get out of this messy situation. Her first thought was to try and lure them over towards Izroth, however, these two were no joke. If she led them over towards Izroth when he was already in a difficult fight, then she would be sealing all of their fates. "That makes two. Aegis should be finishing up as well, right? Chichi!" Ruin said in a casual tone of voice as he spoke with Lzali. All of a sudden, a wave of massive killing intent washed over everyone present. Even though it was not directed at any of them, it was still a terrifying feeling to experience. This caused everyone to instinctively retreat and create some distance between the other group. A few momentster, everyone witnessed a bolt of lightning crashing down from the sky. All this came from the same direction that Izroth and Aegis traveled in to have their battle. "Let¡¯s go." Ruin had a serious look on his face as he chose to ignore the remaining three and head over towards where Aegis was fighting. He knew that Aegis did not have that kind of hidden strength, therefore, it was only logical to assume that it must havee from the person he was currently fighting against. "Do you really think that we¡¯ll allow you to leave as you please after what you¡¯ve done?!" Guan Yu shouted angrily. Lzali and Ruin, however, paid him no mind as they both began to make their way towards Izroth and Aegis. "Wait!" Guan Yu charged forward, however, the two of them had a headstart and both of their ranged damage dealers had been eliminated. There was no way to stop them besides catching up. "We can¡¯t allow Izroth to face the three of them alone!" Luna said as she threw caution to the wind and rushed forward along with Guan Yu. Halls, of course, had already begun to move at the same time as Guan Yu. It did not take long for them to reach the scene where Izroth and Aegis battled. However, they were shocked when they witnessed the scene before them. Chapter 164 The Price of Completing The Second Trial The first thing Luna, Halls, and Guan Yu caught sight of was Izroth surrounded by a wild dance of purple lightning. The lightning emitted an ear-piercing shriek every time a bolt struck down. With his de of Lightning epassed with lightning and his character seemingly constantly flickering in and out of existence, he appeared to be untouchable. ¡¯Oh? He is quite sturdy.¡¯ To everyone¡¯s surprise, Aegis was in a sorry state while Izroth looked to bepletely unaffected. Although Luna and the others witnessed Izroth¡¯s strength firsthand, after fighting against Ruin and Lzali, they believed that even he would have trouble with the yer called Aegis who took on the leadership role. They knew that even if it was a tough battle, eventually Izroth would find a way toe out triumphant. However, what they did not expect was for Izroth to be standing there with such a carefree expression while Aegis seemed to be at the end of his rope. Luna breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Izroth was alright. They had already lost Zi Yi and Valentine, she did not want to lose another friend today. Izroth swept his gaze over the new arrivals. He immediately noticed that two members were missing, Zi Yi and Valentine. When he also observed how angered his party members were and how Guan Yu, as well as, Halls was giving Ruin and Lzali a vicious look, Izroth knew that something went wrong. "You look pathetic right now, Aegis! Didn¡¯t you say that you could handle it by yourself? Chichi!" Ruin said as he teased Aegis due to his current sorry state. "I have to admit, I¡¯m currently not his match." Aegis said in a solemnly as he stood to his feet. Although he was indeed struck by Izroth¡¯s attack, he pushed his Eyes of Providence to its limits and used one of the more constantly abilities to survive. However, Aegis was already at his limit and this fight was considered as his loss. All of a sudden, Izroth appeared in front of Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls. When everyone witnessed his speed they were shaken. How fast! Was it even possible for one to be so fast? The two who were most shocked was Ruin and Lzali. They both narrowed their eyes as they examined Izroth closely. "Hey, could you see him?" Ruin asked Lzali with a darkened expression on his face. Lzali quietly shook her head in response. It was impossible for her to follow Izroth¡¯s movements. "You two won¡¯t be able to see him. Even with my Eyes of Providence, I¡¯m still unable to see even his shadow." Aegis said as he moved to join Ruin and Lzali. Ruin and Lzali were stunned. Even Aegis could not track Izroth¡¯s movements? Just how monstrous was his speed? "You two appear to be have been partly sessful. Ruin, you know what has to be done." Aegis said. "You don¡¯t have to remind me! That¡¯s why nobody likes you, Aegis. Chichi!" Ruin said with arge smirk on his face. "Tired..." Lzali mumbled quietly. "You can sleep all you wantter, however, you¡¯ll have to stay awake a bit longer." Aegis said. "Where is Zi Yi and Valentine?" Izroth asked although he knew the most likely answer. However, he still needed to ask instead of jumping to a random conclusion. When Izroth mentioned their names, everyone¡¯s facial expression turned gloomy. Luna responded by shaking her head. "I see." Izroth said as he closed his eyes. When he first began this journey, he made sure that everyone was well aware of the risk of entering into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. From his experience within the Seven Realms, Izroth understood that a great reward often required a great risk. If Zi Yi and Valentine had been stronger then they would not have been the ones who perished. Even though Izroth knew all of this, it did not change the way he felt about what happened. Ever since his earlier years as a cultivator in the Seven Realms when he led a fierce and mighty army, Izroth had learned that no matter how strong he became, he never saw them as just a sacrificial pawn. To him, every member was a fellow brother in arms who he would trust with his life. Although he had not known Zi Yi and Valentine for that long, he still felt that since he invited them to the Chaotic Dogma Realm, it was his responsibility that they remain alive. It was for that reason alone that he felt as if had failed both of them. If he had stayed behind instead of going off to fight Aegis alone, there was a good chance that they would still be here. In truth, he had greatly underestimated Ruin and Lzali. However, Izroth was not one to dwell on regrets or fault himself without end. Izroth was someone who would use his actions to respond and correct whatever was wrong. When Izroth opened his eyes, there was a sharp and deadly aura lingering about within as he now had a calm expression on his face. While he was always calm, this time he was too calm. If one had to describe it, it would be like the calm before the storm. "Then we¡¯ll avenge." Izroth said as if it were a simple matter. "I agree! If we walked away and did nothing, how could we ever face our friends again?" Guan Yu said full of fighting spirit. "Brother, those two are strong. That guy over there can control multiple weapons and make them move around freely. As for that pink haired woman, we still have no idea what her ss is capable of. All that we know is that her movements are impossible to track and whenever she appears next to someone death soon follows." Halls exined in a serious tone of voice. "Oh?" Izroth was not all that interested in Ruin, but the way Halls described Lzali intrigued him a little. However, it was just that; a little. Izroth turned his attention towards Aegis, Ruin and Lzali. "We still need to get rid of one more. The healer should be the easiest target to get rid of. After all, we shouldn¡¯t bother wasting too much time in this ce. Chichi!" Ruin said in a yful manner. Aegis nodded, "Lzali, you¡¯ll take care of their healer. Ruin and I will deal with the others. As soon as you eliminate the healer, we¡¯ll be retreating since our goal will have been aplished. We stand to gain nothing else from fighting after that point." Lzali rubbed her eyes as she tried to stay awake as she gave a small nod in response. "That¡¯s a bit troublesome. I¡¯ve already made other ns." A voice suddenly sounded from behind Ruin. Ruin instantly moved three of his weapons to his backside to protect himself from the surprise attack. Not only that, but he also controlled the sword to sh directly behind him. He was attacking and defending at the same time. However, by the time Ruin turned around, all he saw was a flickering silhouette. Before he knew it, his entire surroundings that were filled with pure white snow had turned gray. "A life must be paid for with another life, it is only natural. Do not think that I would allow you to simply leave this ce without paying the consequences for your actions." Izroth said as the crackling on his de of Lightning began to slow down. Ruin was dumbfounded. Although he was speaking with Aegis and Lzali, he did not let his guard down for a moment. Someone who could unleash such a terrifying pressure and reduce Aegis to a sorry state was not an individual he was willing to brush off. But, even while Ruin remained on guard he still suffered a previously inconceivable fate for someone who possessed his level of strength. There were multiple cuts from a sword that appeared on various parts of his body. This was not Izroth using any kind of special skill, but rather his attack speed was so fast that he only needed to rely on his basic attacks to obliterate Ruin! Adding on that Ruin still had yet to recover from his previous fight, it was fairly easy for Izroth to make quick work of him. "You-!" Ruin was ovee with an endless amount of rage, however, before he could express any of that rage he dissipated into nothingness. Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls were astonished. Just like that, the yer that gave them so much was reduced to nothing! They knew that the gap in power between Izroth and themselves was already big, to begin with, but they never thought that it was actually such a vast gap. "Lzali, we¡¯re leaving!" Aegis said without a single moment of hesitation. At the moment, he was too low on HP to face off against Izroth, especially now that he was joined by his party. Not to mention that since two yers were already eliminated and now Ruin was gone as well, he no longer had any reason to stick around and fight. "I insist that you stay." Izroth said as his target focus was now locked onto Aegis. He knew just how weak Aegis was after taking a hit from his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder, especially with his Lightning Field being active at the time of the attack. However, just as Izroth¡¯s de of Lightning was closing in on Aegis, he quickly halted his attack and retreated. As he did so, he used the Crystallization skill attached to his headpiece on Luna. Luna was suddenly encased in a powerful magic crystal. Less than a fraction of a second after Izroth did so, Lzali appeared behind Luna. However, there was a startled look on her face. She was clearly surprised by her failed attempt. ¡¯How sly, it is not a space or a teleportation type skill.¡¯ "Wait right there!" Guan Yu shouted as he charged towards Lzali with Halls trailing behind him. He wanted to release his frustration and channel his anger an actual fight. Izroth¡¯s body flickered as he resumed his assault on Aegis. He only had a few seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps and wanted to end things before then. But, just as he was closing in, he felt an ominous presence creep up from behind him. A dark purple bolt of lightning filled with terrifying energy shot directly towards him. It belonged to the small piece of the Undying Maelstrom that had been quiet all this time. It may just be due to being unlucky, but it appeared to always shoot off in Izroth¡¯s direction. Fortunately, Izroth was able to detect the bolt in time and avoid it, but by the time he was at a safe distance, his Flickering Steps had ended. When he scanned the battlefield, Aegis and Lzali had already disappeared from view. ¡¯This does not end here, Aegis.¡¯ Izroth sheathed his de of Lightning and canceled his Crystallization skill as he made his way towards Luna, Halls, and Guan Yu. Even though Izroth had managed to eliminate one of the enemy yers and chased the other two away, no one was in the mood to celebrate. In the end, they had paid a heavy price. "What could they possibly gain from attacking us? There is simply no benefit to doing so." Luna said as she furrowed her brows. What bothered her more than anything was the fact that they were attacked without any good reason. "Maybe they were scared because of us pulling ahead of them and wanted to get rid of thepetition while they had the chance!" Guan Yu scoffed. He was still visibly upset from everything that recently urred. Luna shook her head as she said, "Why would they want only three of us to hand over our lives? If they really wanted to get rid of thepetition, why risk letting three people live instead of just wanting all of us gone?" "It¡¯s likely that three was the number they were given." Izrothmented. Everyone was baffled. It was the number they were given? By who? For what? "What are you saying, brother?" Halls asked. "Ever since we¡¯ve entered into the Endless Pandemonium Tower nothing has appeared as it seems. We were given the task of reaching the third floor, that¡¯s all. However, how could it really be so simple? There¡¯s a good chance that Aegis and his party were given another task in order to reach the third floor." He then continued, "There¡¯s no rule or guideline that says everyone is given the same endless trial. After all, we do not know enough about this ce to determine that. However, wanting to eliminate three of us when there were three of them seems to be too suspicious to brush off as a mere coincidence." "Do you think the voice gave them such a task? If that¡¯s the case, then why? Is it possible that it does not want us to seed?" Luna asked. "Hmph! I knew that voice was shameless, but I didn¡¯t think it would resort to such dirty and underhanded methods!" Guan Yu said in a displeased tone of voice. "It¡¯s just a spection, but there¡¯s a high possibility that only a limited amount of yers are able to proceed within the tower. If we were to assume that number was six, then it would make sense that they needed three spots to open up in order to all proceed." Izroth exined. "That would exin why they left after their party member was eliminated. Since there was only two of them left, they had no reason to continue fighting." Luna said. There was a brief moment of silence after everything had been said. Halls broke the silence as he said, "What are we going to do now?" "We have to keep moving forward. If we are not the first to reach the end, then both Zi Yi and Valentine¡¯s sacrifices would have been in vain. It is up to us to make sure that is not the case." Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. Luna nodded in agreement, "He¡¯s right. We cannot continue to feel sorry for ourselves. I am sure Zi Yi and Valentine would not want us to move forward with such attitudes." Guan Yu let out a deep sigh. He then took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He had indeed lost his cool head and needed to focus his anger towards something more productive, such as crushing the rest of this quest! "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he removed the Istion Compass from his inventory and followed in the direction that the needle pointed. ... Approximately thirty minutester, Izroth and his party arrived before a small tform. It was white with gold magic symbols shining at the center of it. "The needle for the Istion Compass has stopped moving. We have arrived." Izroth said as he examined the tform. "It would have been nice to have Valentine here to see if he could tell us anything about the tform." Lunamented. "Yeah, or drool over the fact that it¡¯s probably something he has never seen before." Guan Yu said as he could not help butugh slightly at the thought. Whenever Valentine saw something new regarding magic, he would drool uncontrobly from excitement. Halls also joined in on theughter. Everyone had to admit, they already missed the presence of both Zi Yi and Valentine. After being in a party together for so long, it felt a little strange with them suddenly being gone. "Congrattions, it appears that you¡¯ve managed to reach the end of the second trial! Well, did you have fun? Well, you seem to be short two members so I suppose the answer is obvious." A voice echoed from out of seemingly nowhere. It was the voice that belonged to the tower. Everyone¡¯s mood that was slowly bing better immediately turned sour after hearing that voice. It was likely the fault of that voice that Zi Yi and Valentine were no longer here. "What is the next trial?" Izroth said getting straight to the point. However, his voice carried with it a hint of coldness which was rare. He felt as if this voice was toying with them. If there was one thing Izroth did not like, it was being toyed with or manipted for someone else¡¯s amusement. "You should be excited. After all, this will be yourst trial." The voice said in a nonchnt manner. Everyone was startled. Thest trial? "Surprised? Well, step onto the tform and go forth. Hmph, you should be thanking and praising me for my assistance and yet here you are pouting. How boring! Ungrateful!" The voice slowly faded out. "The final trial..." Guan Yu muttered to himself after the voice faded away. He was thinking about how challenging the first two trials were and could only imagine what the final trial would be like. "I wonder what it will be like." Halls said. "There¡¯s only one way to find out." Izroth said as he stepped onto the tform. Soon after, he was followed by Luna, then Halls, and finally Guan Yu. Once all of them were on the tform, a brilliant light descended upon them before disappearing a few secondster. After the light vanished, Izroth and everyone else had vanished from the tform. Chapter 165 Without Lifting A Single Finger, The Dispirited Aegis and The Simple Final Trial After Izroth was transported by the tform, he arrived in a pitch ck room. However, the darkness did notst long as small twinkles of light began to form. A few momentster, Izroth found himself floating in space and taking ce beneath him was the birth of a gxy. ¡¯The others have vanished.¡¯ Izroth scanned everywhere in his surroundings, however, he was unable to locate any of the party members that he transported over with. Though he believed that they were not in any immediate danger and had simply been transported to a different location. "Where is this ce?" Izroth asked. At first, there was nothing but silence. But, a few secondster a familiar voice sounded out. "This is the third floor of the Endless Pandemonium Tower. It goes by many names, but the mostmon one is the Stargazer Sanctuary. You should be grateful, there are only a handful of people who are able to behold such a marvelous sight." The voice said. "Where are the others that I transported with to this location?" Izroth asked without bothering with the small talk. "That is something for you to decide. Well, for one of you anyway." The voice said as a sh of light appeared a few meters away from Izroth bringing along with it a familiar face. ¡¯It appears that he is unable to escape his fate. Though, not many are capable of doing so to begin with.¡¯ The individual who arrived before Izroth was Aegis. During theirst encounter, he managed to escape while Izroth was upied with the small piece of the Undying Maelstrom, as well as, preventing Luna from harm. "This ce is-" Aegis swept his gaze over his surroundings as he eyes soon fell onto Izroth. The moment he saw Izroth, he immediately became dispirited. However, he did not allow for it to show on his face and remained calm on the outside. At the moment, Izroth was thest person Aegis wanted to run into. One thing that he understood from theirst battle was that he could not defeat Izroth with his current level of strength. It was okay for one to be confident in their own power, but one had to also be aware of their own limits. But, it could not be helped. In truth, Izroth was a bad match for Aegis due to his unbelievable speed that rendered his current Eyes of Providence virtually useless. Therefore, he would have preferred not to run into Izroth before increasing his own strength. "Our paths seem to enjoy being crossed without end. It must indeed be fate." Aegis said. "Fate is it?" Izroth said to himself. He had spent his entire life constantly challenging and changing his own fate. But at the moment, he did not mind allowing fate to work its unforgiving hand. "Whatever the case may be you should stop your journey here, Izroth. This is thest time you will be able to heed my warning." Aegis said in a serious tone of voice. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ This was not the first time Aegis had warned Izroth not to interfere. Back when he was with Mariposa after the chaotic shift, Aegis said something simr. However, Izroth figured that it was just Aegis having a moment of arrogance while trying to create a feeling of intimidation. But, there may be more to what Aegis meant at that time. Izroth, however, did not care what excuse Aegis had for his actions. In the end, it was his party who was merciless in their fight against Zi You and Valentine. For that, Izroth only cared about one thing and that was repaying Aegis properly for all the damage he had caused. "I will admit that you are strong. But, in the end, you are only one man. Your power alone will not be enough for what is toe. However, it is not hopeless. If you join us-" Aegis was speaking before he was suddenly cut off by Izroth. "Are you finished?" Izroth spoke calmly. Aegis became silent as he observed Izroth. His facial expression darkened when he saw that piercingly cold look in Izroth¡¯s eyes. It was the first time since he met Izroth that he witnessed him without a carefree expression. He already knew the answer to his own question. "You are making an unchangeable mistake. Even if you are slightly stronger, I can still be considered your equal." Aegis said in an almost dejected manner. "Fate? Mistakes? Join you? Trulyughable. So what if I¡¯m only one man? Does someone like you have a right to talk to me as if we are equals?" Izroth¡¯s voice gradually became colder as more words left his mouth. Aegis suddenly felt an overwhelming force crash into him. Without noticing, his entire body had begun to shake uncontrobly. As Aegis looked forward, the image of a massive ancient beast formed behind Izroth. Its face was shrouded in eternal darkness, however, the amount of killing intent being released from that ancient beast was monstrous and without end. Aegis was unable to move a single muscle. He was actually frozen in ce from fear alone! He believed himself to be above others. While he respected Izroth for his strength, he still thought of him as an equal. However, the truthpletely shattered his confidence. From the very beginning, he and Izroth were never close in strength. There was a gap the size of a boundless chasm between them. During their first encounter, as well as, their earlier fight, Izroth had never once taken him seriously. This was not someone who was simply skilled at RML, he was an actual monster! "It is a thousand years too soon for you to even entertain such ridiculous thoughts. Remove yourself from my sights." Izroth¡¯s voice seemed to reverberate constantly within Aegis¡¯ mind. At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system but did not pay it any mind. Aegis began to sweat as his breathing and heart rate rapidly increased well beyond the safety limits. A stream of system alerts rang inside of Aegis¡¯ ears, however, all he could see was the vicious eyes of that ancient beast that lurked behind Izroth. His consciousness slowly started to be consumed. ¡´System Alert: yer vital signs rising to critical levels. Do you wish to engage a forced logout?¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer failed to respond. System override, engaging forced logout for yer Aegis. Protocol Alpha-5381 activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Aegis has logged out.¡µ Aegis had been forcibly logged out! Being logged out inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm was the same as experiencing an existence wipe. Therefore, without lifting a single finger, Izroth had not only shattered all of Aegis¡¯ confidence, but he also made him eliminate himself in a sense. Although Izroth had lost his original cultivation, the power of his soul remained unchanged. For a cultivator of the Seven Realms, the strength of one¡¯s soul was indispensable to them. Normally, Izroth would never use such a method against mortals since their souls were extremely weak and fragile. However, for some reason, Aegis¡¯ soul was many times stronger than the mortals he had encountered. He was not the only one. Ruin and Lzali also possessed souls that were well above what the average soul strength was in this realm. Izroth felt that in some way, they were different from others. But, he was unable to tell any more than that. ¡¯It is still something I should reframe from using on normal mortals.¡¯ If Aegis¡¯ soul was like a ss sphere, then the average mortal soul could bepared to a ball of dust. If one even breathed too hard it could blow away. Once that happened, that person would experience a true death, never to be born again. Of course, Izroth did not harbor such hatred for Aegis that he would send him to a true death. In simple terms, Izroth gave him a small fright. Although, if Luna and the others were here then he would have never used such a swift and vicious method. Given the strength of their souls, they would have been caught in the power of it even if they were not Izroth¡¯s intended target. If that happened, there would have been no saving them from certain demise. "As you were saying?" Izroth had regained his carefree expression and tone. The voice had been silent the whole time and was simply spectating the events that unfolded without interfering. However, the voice carried on as usual as if it were unaffected by Aegis¡¯ untimely disappearance. Originally the two of them were supposed topete for a chance at the final trial, however, that was now an impossibility. "I suppose it is now only for you to decide." As the voice spoke something amazing took ce. A full set of equipment along with a supreme sword appeared in front of Izroth. It was difficult to make out the details due to the brilliant light the items emitted, but one could feel an untouchable aura radiating off of it. ¡¯Could this be legendary gear?¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. The aura reminded him of the time he came across the legendary Vozrak or Scagmag. However, such a thing should be impossible! No one had even obtained a single piece of epic gear, let alone legendary gear. Who would even dream about such a thing at this point? "I know what it is you are thinking and I can guarantee you that it is no trick. What you see before you are a legendary set of armor and a weapon forged by the great Mazi, God of Craft himself. It is yours if you want it." The voice said. "Truly you do not take me for a fool. Ever since I have first arrived inside of this tower, you have never told the entire story when it came to what it is we must aplish in each trial. Do you expect me to believe that there is no price to pay for this?" Izroth said. How could it be possible that the system was willing to destroy the bnce of the game? If Izroth walked out of the Endless Pandemonium Tower with a full set of legendary gear, it would create an uproar. "Hmph, youck patience! How rude! Of course, everythinges with a price, that much is obvious. It¡¯s simple, the price you must pay is the lives of your remaining party members. Though, it is such a small price whenpared to what lies before your eyes. This is the final endless trial, Choice!" The voice said. However, without hesitating for a single moment, Izroth gave his answer. "I choose the lives of my party members." Izroth said calmly. Although it could not be seen, the voice was shocked by his choice. Without even taking the time to ponder or entertain the thought, he instantly gave his answer as if it was not even worth his consideration. "I assure you, what you see before you is a true set of legendary equipment. With it, no one will be your match. Are you sure you wish to give up a once in a lifetime opportunity for a meager three lives?" The voice said in a stern tone of voice. "Meager? We have journeyed together, fought beside one another, and they have called me a friend. To you, such things may amount to nothing, however, I refuse to turn my back on those who have shown me kindness. My answer remains unchanged, keep your items." Izroth said. Items could always be reced or obtained through one¡¯s own efforts. Izroth did not need a handout that required he sacrifice those around him. Eventually, through his own strength, he would acquire his own legendary gear. There was something else as well. Although he had only known his current party members for a short amount of time, Izroth trusted each and every one of them. After all, he was an excellent judge of character. There was a window ofplete silence. But, a few secondster, the legendary gear that was before Izroth had vanished. "There are not many who would give up such an opportunity just to save the lives of theirrades. I am not sure if I should have some respect for you or call you a fool for rejecting it. So be it." The voice said as five shes of light appeared before Izroth. "The final trial isplete. The gateway shall now open. Hmph, I suppose you¡¯re notpletely hopeless after all." The voice said as it slowly faded away. A light blue stairway made out of pure energy formed and led up towards some type of portal. Following the light shes, five individuals stood before Izroth. He could not help but inwardly sigh when he noticed the identity of the yers before him. ¡¯Until the very end, that voice continued to hide things away.¡¯ Luna, Guan Yu, and Halls had all emerged! But the most surprising thing was the two other yers who joined, it was actually Zi Yi and Valentine! However, how was it possible when they both experienced an existence wipe? Their characters were supposed to be deleted for good! ¡¯It may have something to do with the choice I made.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere far beyond the firmament within RML... "Interesting, he rejected your legendary armor without batting an eye. Most would have inevitably sumbed to their own greed. Your pride must be injured. After all, your work has never been rejected by anyone." The woman who spoke strongly resembled the statue of a woman Izroth had seen before. "I¡¯d be lying if I said I¡¯m not surprised by his choice. However, he made the correct one. If he had chosen that cursed legendary armor and weapon, he would have never been able to remove it and would have lost instead of gained the strength in its possession." A male responded. "Oh? To use cursed legendary gear as a temptation... You were tasked with the creation of the Chaotic Dogma Realm this time around. You even used your Endless Pandemonium Tower for such a thing. The others believed you to be insane for sending such a powerful artifact to that ce, but you¡¯ve limited its power quite well." The woman said. "Of course, otherwise, how could I dare hold onto my title? They only experienced a very small portion of the Endless Pandemonium Tower¡¯s true power. But, if I made things too easy then I would never hear the end of it from the others and it would cause too many issues." The man stated. He then continued, "They still have a long journey ahead of them. We have offered them a way to avoidplete annihtion without breaking any of the setws. The rest will be up to those below." "If only we could do more. However, we must hope that we have done enough for now. At the moment, we must maintain the bnce of power above the firmament. We cannot afford to directly interfere with the events below, or else those with evil intentions in mind will also make a move. We must be patient." The woman said. "Hopefully we continue to have the luxury of being patient. After all, they are still far too weak to make any difference in the grander scope of things, Heltiaa. Surely you of all people realize this." The man said. "I believe the day will eventuallye when they reach this ce. I am well aware of the difficulties of doing so and their current level of strength. It is a time that remains far and distant from this day, a time in the future. However, you must remember that we too were once just like them, Mazi." Heltiaa responded. ... As Luna, Halls, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine appeared at the same time, there was a small moment of confusion. Just moments earlier, they were in what could only be described as a separate dimension. Now, they were suddenly pulled from out of that location and arrived here. After the initial moment of shock, everyone finally noticed one another and the confusion was reced with feelings of relief, excitement, and happiness! Alive! Everyone was alive! Chapter 166 Reaching The End of The Chaotic Dogma Realm "Is it really you two? This isn¡¯t some trick by that voice is it?" Guan Yu said in disbelief. The rules of the Chaotic Dogma Realm were crystal clear. Once a yer died while inside they would experience an existence wipe that would permanently delete their character. Therefore, how was it possible that Zi Yi and Valentine were perfectly safe and standing right next to them? However, Zi Yi and Valentine were just as baffled by their situation as Guan Yu. "Oh? Have you missed me after I¡¯ve only been gone for such a short period of time?" Valentine said as he winked at Guan Yu. However, with Valentine¡¯s unique appearance, that simple wink caused shivers to run down Guan Yu¡¯s spine. "Okay, I don¡¯t need any more proof!" Guan Yu instantly replied. It was unlikely that the voice would go to such great and detailed lengths to make him miserable! Zi Yi shook her head and sighed, but a small smile found its way onto her face. How could she not be happy that all of her effort and hard work had not been in vain? The thing she would have regretted the most was losing a chance to ess the Amaharpe Pce Library. After all, such opportunities were not easy toe by at the moment. But, the thing that truly bothered Zi Yi was that she had failed in their fight against Ruin and Lzali. After Zi Yi was eliminated, she had no idea what happened and who would survive that battle. If they were struggling to hold their ground even before her death, how much longer could they survive after losing a party member? As Zi Yi began to remember her failure at executing a proper n and leading everyone one step closer to death, the smile on her face had vanished and it was reced by a feeling of guilt and gloominess. Luna noticed that Zi Yi¡¯s initial delight had calmed down and her entire mood had shifted in apletely opposite direction. She understood exactly how Zi Yi felt at the moment. After Valentine died when she took the lead, Luna med herself and herck of strategizing for his death. Luna made her way towards Zi Yi and stopped right directly in front of her. She then took Zi Yi by the hand which startled her. Zi Yi blinked a few times, "Luna?" She was confused by Luna¡¯s random action. "It¡¯s not your fault, Zi Yi. Even with the best n in the world, if the difference in power is too great then there is nothing that can be done. However, we will continue to grow stronger and stronger so that such a thing never happens again. Besides, think about how much your elder sister will spoil you if I let her know that you¡¯re feeling down." Luna said with a smile on her face. "Yes, you¡¯re right! I feel better already!" Zi Yi said with a lovely smile on her face. Luna¡¯s smile and words may have seemed innocent to everyone else, but Zi Yi could clearly see the evil lurking beneath it all. She was clearly using her elder sister as a threat for her not to me herself! "What just happened?" Guan Yu was confused as to why Luna and Zi Yi were suddenly standing there with smiles on their faces. "Brother, it¡¯s something we¡¯ll never understand." Halls said as he shook his head helplessly. As everyone was chatting away happily, Izroth inwardly shook his head at the scene before his eyes. He was someone who had traveled to every corner of the Seven Realms, uncovered countless secrets and mysteries, fought against dragons and phoenixes, as well as, unlock the many truths of the heavens. However, even with his vast knowledge and wisdom, he would have never believed that he would end up in a situation like this. Arriving in an unknown world where people like cultivators were considered a mere fantasy and ying something called a video game, it was all quite bizarre in its own unique way. But, after seeing how well everyone present got along and how carefree they behaved, it brought up some very distant memories of his. It had been too long since he could speak to others without them fearing him or being afraid of even breathing too loudly near him. The path of a cultivator that leads to the pinnacle is one that also leads to istion. After experiencing that feeling of istion for so long, it was easy for one to forget how to simply enjoy themselves and the moment itself. After thinking about his current ridiculous situation that no one in the Seven Realms would ever believe, Izroth¡¯s body began to shake slightly before a light sound exited his mouth. Soon after, a joyousugh filled up the room. However, when everyone realized who the oneughing was they were stunned in ce. Izroth wasughing? Not just a small chuckle, but it was actualughter! Everyone¡¯s attention was now on Izroth and as they saw himughing, smiles could not help but find its way onto their faces. A lovely smile blossomed on Luna¡¯s face as she watched Izroth. For some reason, she felt happy hearing himugh in such a sincere way for the first time. A few momentster, Izroth¡¯sughter died down as a carefree smile appeared on his face. ¡¯It has been far too long since I¡¯ve enjoyed a goodugh. I had nearly forgotten the sensation.¡¯ "It is good that we are all safe. However, we aren¡¯t quite finished just yet." Izroth said as he set his gaze upon the gateway ced at the top of the stairway before them. If this was not the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm as he predicted, then they did not have much time remaining to find the true end. "Where is this ce anyway?" Guan Yu asked as he and everyone else began to make the trip up the stairway. Izroth then took a moment to exin what happened after he was transported by the tform. However, he left out the part regarding Aegis and simply told them about the final trial and the choice offered to him. "Legendary gear?!" Everyone was shocked! Izroth had turned down not a full set of legendary equipment just to save them. "Brother, your will is truly strong. I would not have med you if you decided to take the legendary gear." Halls said as he shook his head. He would like to believe that he would have done the same if he were ced in the same situation as Izroth. "I agree. Even if you only sold one piece of legendary gear you would have made a fortune. You could have easily reimbursed everyone with that alone." Valentine said. "I disagree." Zi Yi said which surprised almost everyone. "Why? It¡¯s legendary! I haven¡¯t even seen a single piece of epic gear floating around, let alone legendary." Guan Yu said. "There¡¯s an old saying that goes when things seem too good to be true, then they probably are." Zi Yi responded. She then continued, "Honestly, aplete legendary set sounds a little too good to be true. I¡¯m 99% certain that there was some catch to it. After all, such a thing would destroy the bnce of the game." "What¡¯s the 1% for?" Halls asked. "Well, there is always a chance that arrogant voice was actually telling the truth and there was no catch. In that case, it really is quite a shame. However, I am grateful that you chose us in the end, Izroth. Thank you." Zi Yi said. Everyone else followed suit and thanked Izroth as well. "Equipment is something that will eventually be upgraded and forgotten. However, I can say with certainty that those I have journeyed with are not the same." Izroth said as they finally reached the gateway. Izroth and his party stepped through the gateway as the stairway that led up to it copsed and the gateway itself vanished into thin air. ... "You won¡¯t escape from me this time! You will pay the price for what you did!" Qi Jiguang said as he chased after Silent Steps who was currently running away from him. It took him a while to locate Silent Steps, however, thanks to a useful item and some tracking skills he managed to do so. Silent Steps looked incredibly gloomy as he ran away from Qi Jiguang. It was humiliating! He had not been given a single moment to rest and Qi Jiguang was slowly closing the distance between the two of them. "You dare chase me?! Do you not care what happens to you after we leave this ce?!" Silent Steps said as he attempted to threaten Qi Jiguang once again. "We? What we?! Only I will be leaving this ce alive. You, on the other hand, will have yo leave your dog life behind here!" Qi Jiguang said as he gained a burst of speed. One of his movement skills had just finished its cooldown as he finally caught up to Silent Steps. Silent Steps as startled as Qi Jiguang was suddenly within attack range. By the time he turned around to try and block the attack, all he saw was a fist covered in light blue energy headed straight towards him. "It¡¯s over." Was that only thought going on through Silent Steps¡¯ mind at that moment, but then the strangest thing happened. Just as Qi Jiguang¡¯s fist was mere centimeters away from making contact with his body, he was epassed in a brilliant light. Not only him, but Qi Jiguang was also covered by a brilliant light as his movements werepletely frozen. "What¡¯s going on?" Qi Jiguang questioned. However, at another location inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Mariposa and her remaining party members were also trapped inside a brilliant light. A few momentster, they all disappeared and received the same message from the system. ¡´System Alert: A party has sessfully reached the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been forcibly transported out of the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡µ ... After Izroth and his party entered through the gateway, they arrived in a small room with a transparent crystal sphere the size of a fist floating at the center of it. It was the only object in the room. However, everyone was on guard at the moment. It was due to the fact that a woman was actually standing next to that crystal sphere! They were unsure of the woman was friendly or hostile. She was wearing a pure white robe that covered her entire body and only the lower half of her face was visible. However, one could see the long silver hair pouring out that fell all the way down to the floor. "Interesting. No one has ever reached this ce before. You must excuse my poor hospitality, but I was not expecting any guest." The woman said in a gentle tone of voice. "Who are you?" Izroth asked as he observed the woman. There was no information that showed up about her from the system. "Ah, you must excuse my poor manners. I am the guardian of the Endless Pandemonium Tower, Aeshima." The woman called Aeshima responded. "Guardian? You mean it¡¯s not that voice who controlled this ce?" Guan Yu was surprised. He figured that the rude voice was the owner of this ce. "Voice? Oh, you must mean Ophidian. You should not worry too much, he is just a little grumpy because of the task he was assigned." Aeshima replied. "Is this another test?" Izroth asked. Aeshima giggled slightly as she responded, "If you all went any further with your current level of strength you would die without knowing how. No, there is no more test. I suppose I shouldplete my duty and inform you all properly." "Congrattions, you all have reached the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Aeshima said with a small smile on her face. Chapter 167 What Lies At The End, Returning To Amaharpe and A Taste of Victory! This truly was the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm! However, Izroth and his party had yet to receive any message from the system aboutpleting the SS-ranked quest. This is the main reason that they did not get too excited immediately and thought that there may be more to it than Aeshima would have them believe. "Then, why are we still in this ce? How do you we get out of here?" Valentine asked. ording to the information they obtained before entering into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, they were supposed to be teleported out after reaching the end. If this was the end, then why were they still here and not back in Amaharpe? "Do you wish to leave before acquiring what you have journeyed so far to im?" Aeshima spoke in a gentle tone of voice. She then waved her hand as the crystal sphere that was floating near her disappeared and then reappeared directly in front of Izroth. She then continued, "I am sure that every single one of you has many questions to ask. However, time is limited as the Chaotic Dogma Realm is already beginning to vanish from this ne. So look carefully, you will only see it once." Aeshima lightly pped her hands together as a strong force swept over Izroth and his party. But, it was not harmful and instead, it turned out to be surprisingly gentle after the initial burst. Everyone could see countless images constantly passing by. There was a magnificent and glorious kingdom, a temple that emitted a holy and divine aura, and the faces of numerous unknown individuals. But, there were a few faces that everyone recognized right away. One looked exactly like that ice statue of the empress and standing by her side facing a terrifying maelstrom that was devouring the world was none other than Zelphyrion! Not too long after that, they saw an eternal darkness that seven people were fighting against. Those seven people were known as the seven heroes and they were personally sent off to this ce by some of them. ¡¯It¡¯s him... And her? No, that¡¯s not quite right.¡¯ Izroth caught sight of Gear in his prime fighting without restraint against that powerful being of pure darkness. But, he noticed someone else among the seven heroes that he had personally met before. It was a woman who looked exactly like the seer Izroth met back at the Lake of Tears, Tererestiaa! The only difference was that the woman shown in the image held a certain aura of refined and elegant maturity. The image did notst long and things kept moving forward. Eventually, everyone saw an unknown material that was ck in color and glimmered like metal but had the shape of a stone tablet. A letter slowly began to carve into the tablet leaving behind a red glow in its ce. A few momentster, there was only one image left for everyone to see. It was the letter "R" carved into that ck tablet. Izroth carefully studied it as he narrowed his eyes slightly. A few secondster, everything turned into countless particles and scattered across the room before vanishingpletely. "What was all of that?" Valentine said as he furrowed his brows. It was a lot of information to process in such a short amount of time, however, he still managed to process a decent amount of it. "It appeared to be some kind of information treasure chest. There were many things we were told about, but never actually had the chance to view with our own eyes. Also, there were quite a few interesting things in there that I would have never thought possible. I have to organize my thoughts properly." Zi Yi said as he closed her eyes and concentrated. Luna nced over at Izroth and noticed that his gaze was still set on the ce where thatst image of the ck tablet was just a few moments ago. "Is something wrong, Izroth?" Luna asked. "No, it¡¯s just something that¡¯s a bit interesting is all." Izroth said as he then turned his attention to the orb floating before him. Luna gave a small nod and did not pursue the matter. But for some reason, she felt as if Izroth was bothered by thatst image. "You¡¯ll have to excuse my rudeness, but this ce shall no longer wee you. The time for the Chaotic Dogma Realm is over and the tower must be returned. That ss sphere is a gift from the owner of this tower to the people of your realm." Aeshima said. She then continued, "For receiving such a gift, you should be grateful. You must make sure that the Sphere of Heslin finds its way into the correct hands." Aeshima and the Endless Pandemonium Tower itself began to slowly disappear piece by piece. Izroth reached out and touched the ss sphere. As soon as his fingers came into contact with it the ss sphere entered into his inventory. ¡´System Alert: The item ?Sphere of Heslin? has been added to your inventory.¡µ ¡¯It holds a faint aura that is simr to the Boundary Sealing Sphere.¡¯ "Woah! What¡¯s going on?!" Halls yelled in surprise when he noticed that the tower that was beneath their feet was no more and he, as well as, everyone else were floating in mid-air. Everyone else was also shocked by the scene before them. Everywhere they lookedrge chunks of the Chaotic Dogma Realm were being sucked into the sky above. Hovering in the sky where the pieces of the Chaotic Dogma Realm were headed to were two blood red moons. These blood red moons gave off an ominous and eerie feeling as it devoured the Chaotic Dogma Realm as if it were nothing. "The Chaotic Dogma Realm is crumbling apart." Zi Yi said with an astonished expression on her face. To witness an entire world being torn into countless pieces and float towards the sky above as you stood safely in the sky, it could easily make one feel slightly overwhelmed. The two blood moons started to move closer to one another. A few momentster, the blood moons collided together as the entire Chaotic Dogma Realm was now just a ce filled with nothing but a crimson red light. After that sh urred, Izroth and his party were all swept away by a brilliant light. The crimson light faded and all that remained of the Chaotic Dogma Realm was nothingness. ... ¡¯We have returned with our true bodies this time. However, this is....¡¯ Izroth and his party had returned to Amaharpe Pce inside of the same white cubed room that they spoke to Gear in before their departure. But what truly surprised him was the spam of alerts he received from the system. Most of them were the system messages that were previously grayed out. ¡´System Alert: The event ?Protectors of Amaharpe? had ended.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have ced 1st in the Solo ranking for total event points in the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, your party has ced 1st in the Party ranking for total event points in the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe?. Party name not found. Party name registered as Unknown.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Please check in at the event center located in Amaharpe Square to im all event-rted rewards.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The first major event has beenpleted. Initiating time sync... Errors Found: 0%. Time Sync has beenpleted!¡µ ¡´System Alert: In-game time ratio has been changed to 3:1 from 10:1. All cooldowns and timers including but not limited to quest, items, and skills have been adjusted ordingly.¡µ ... The first thing that immediately grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention was the time sync. Dropping down to a 3:1 ratio from a 10:1 ratio was a huge jump! However, Izroth truthfully did not believe that the 10:1 ratio wouldst forever. After all, what gamingpany would be in a rush for all of their yers to reach the end? Though, there were also rumors going around about the dangers of a 10:1 time ratio in the media. Of course, the rumors were unproven, but a gamingpany had to keep track of its image. It may have used this as an opportunity to shake off any potential bacsh. Ultimately, Izroth did not have any issues with the change. 3:1 or 10:1, it did not matter. In the end, his goal remained unchanged. ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked a new skill for the trait ?Soul Essence?.¡µ ¡¯Hm?¡¯ As Izroth continued to read over his systems alerts, he was a bit surprised to learn that he had unlocked a new skill. However, after seeing the details of the skill he understood why that was the case. Trait: Soul Essence ... *New*-Soul Pressure: The user releases the power of their Soul Essence and caused nearby enemies within a range of 30 meters to experience a Willpower Check. Enemies who fail the Willpower Check will be ?Weakened? and ?Frenzied?. All targeted enemies within range who are far weaker than the user will experience ?Instant Death?. Consumes Essence on use. The greater the resistance, the more Essence will be consumed. ¡¯Useful, but the unclear Essence usage is a bit of a problem.¡¯ Izroth was satisfied with the overall addition to his Soul Essence trait, however, he felt that there was still room for growth and improvement. Everyone was excited as they read through their system messages from the event. "We actually came in 1st ce as a party?" Halls was dumbfounded. They had not entered the event until the sixth wave and somehow still managed toe in first ce! How was such a thing possible? Well, he knew exactly who to thank for it. "Ahahaha! What else do you expect? How can we lose with brother Izroth on our team?" Guan Yu said in a joyful manner. How could he not be excited about taking first ce? A few momentster after discussing everything that happened, there was a question that started to cross everyone¡¯s mind. "So, how do we get out of this ce? I don¡¯t see any doors or exits." Halls said as he frowned. "Hey! We¡¯re ready to get out of here! Anyone there?" Guan Yu shouted. However, there was no response. Zi Yi took a moment to open her system interface. She scanned her friendslist and soon found who she was looking for. The messaging system was back online and so she sent a message off. Almost instantly after she sent the message, she received one in return. After reading the message, Zi Yi let out a small sigh as she shook her head. After exchanging a few messages, she finally understood their situation. "I just messaged my elder sister. ording to her experience, we¡¯ll have to wait here until the Crimson Corps Guards retrieve us. However, it may be a bit different since we were the party to reach the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Logically speaking, we should have to meet up with the people who sent us to the Chaotic Dogma Realm in the first ce." Zi Yi exined. Luna nodded as she said, "We have to make sure that the Sphere of Heslin ends up in the correct hands." Izroth went into his inventory and removed the Sphere of Heslin. ¡¯We went through quite a bit to obtain this little item and yet we have no idea what it does.¡¯ Just as Izroth removed the Sphere of Heslin from his inventory, a voice sounded out from behind him. "Hello young man, if you¡¯re receiving this message it means that you were sessful in your journey. Hah, I knew you could do it." The voice said. Everyone was startled at first, but when they realized who the voice belonged to they calmed down. When they turned towards the source of the voice, everyone saw an energy projection of Gear! "Unfortunately, the others and I are out for a little stroll at the moment. Therefore, we have entrusted the finalization of your task to a certain individual within the mountain regions. I believe the two of you have already met once before, Izroth. Make haste and deliver what you have obtained from the Chaotic Dogma Realm to the Seer Tererestiaa. I must take my leave, safe journey." Gear¡¯s projection slowly faded. Right after Gear finished speaking, Izroth and his party were transported to the front of Amaharpe¡¯s Pce gates by a mystical energy.¡¯ Izroth was curious as to what Gear and the others were off doing. After all, even though he said stroll, it was obviously something much more going on behind the scenes. ¡¯I suppose time will tell. For now, I should take this item to the Lake of Tears.¡¯ Chapter 168 Return To The Lake of Tears, The Troubled Seer "How did we get out here? More importantly, where are our rewards?" Guan Yu said as he searched his inventory but came up empty-handed. However, the strange thing was that when he at his quest logs, Guan Yu saw that he had sessfullypleted the quest. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Reach the end of the ?Chaotic Dogma Realm?.¡µ They should have received their rewards by now and the quest should have disappeared from their quest logs. Of course, Guan Yu was restless and excited as he would soon own a piece of epic equipment! He would be amongst the first to do so and his overallbat prowess would soar as a result. "It is quite odd that it shows the quest asplete, but we do not have the rewards in our possession. It could be that we have to deliver the Sphere of Heslin to Tererestiaa before we receive it." Luna spected. "It would have been nice if that was included as a part of the quest. I feel a little cheated at doing all the footwork for free. It¡¯s like we¡¯ve be a delivery service. But, we did acquire a blessing from Tererestiaast time so I guess I light travel session won¡¯t hurt." Halls said with a smile on his face. He was just happy to finally be outside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth and his party started their journey towards the mountain region. It did not take them long to reach the starting area of the mountain region ande across some Mountain Golems. However, since their level gaps were so far apart, the Mountain Golemspletely ignored them and did not initiate an attack. "What¡¯s this Lake of Tears like?" Zi Yi asked curiously as they approached the Valley of Death. "If I had to describe it, it would be a world untainted by the impurities of the outside. It¡¯s a very isted location. Theke itself is quite beautiful and every drop is crystal clear. The Seer Tererestiaa lives in a temple by the Lake of Tears." Luna exined. "Does she live there all alone?" Valentine asked. Luna nodded and responded, "Based on what we¡¯ve previously observed, I believe it¡¯s safe to say that she does, in fact, live there by herself. Although, there is a nice little vige not too far away. But, the people there see Tererestiaa as a saint." "That sounds kind of lonely. Living in some isted ce all by herself. This Tererestiaa must be some kind of old reclusive witch." Guan Yu said as he tried to picture her appearance. "You got it all wrong, brother." Halls said as he shook his head. A few momentster, Izroth and his party reached the Vige of Tears. Once they arrived, they were quickly greeted and treated with the utmost respect. Of course, most of the attention was on Izroth, Luna, and Halls since they all possessed the Blessing of Heltiaa. There were three people at the front of the group that weed everyone. Two of them were familiar faces, the Great Elder and the head warrior of the Vige of Tears, Hajitin. Standing between the both of them was a man past his middle-age, but he still appeared quite sturdy and active. But, he was still much younger than the Great Elder. NPC Name: Vige Chief Soranzan(Elite) NPC Level: 20 "Wee, I am the chief of this vige, Soranzan. Although this is our first time meeting, I have heard much about you from my head warrior and the Great Elder." Soranzan said in a respectful tone of voice. Thest time Izroth, Luna, and Halls were here, he was away from the vige. After exchanging a few small pleasantries, Izroth realized that if he allowed it, this talkative Great Elder would go on forever and try to convince them to stay for a bit. However, Izroth did not forget the main reason he came to this ce. "I see, so you are here to visit she who possesses the eyes of truth. You have the Blessing of the all-seeing goddess, we will not stop you from going freely." Soranzan said after hearing why Izroth and his party had decided to pop in for a visit. After all, the chances they were here for mere sight-seeing was low. "We would like to leave towards the Lake of Tears right away." Izroth said. "Ah, business with the great Seer. Yes, you must make haste and make it a priority. Forgive this old man for his senseless ramblings." The Great Elder said as he smiled. "Would you like for me to guide you there?" Hajitin asked. Izroth, however, shook his head in response as he said, "There¡¯s no need, I remember the way there. I thank you all for your kindness, but we must take our leave now." Izroth was polite to those who were polite to him. "Then, we wish you a safe journey. May the all-seeing goddess bless your steps." Soranzan said as he gave a slight bow. Soon after, the Great Elder, Hajitin, and the other vigers also bowed as a show of respect as they saw Izroth and his party off. ... "Those vigers were nice back there." Guan Yu said as he walked in the forest on the path of the Lake of Tears. "You know, it¡¯s a bit surprising to believe such a ce even exist in these mountain regions. I¡¯ve never heard about the Vige of Tears before today. It makes me wonder what kind of secrets other ces hold." Zi Yi said. "It¡¯s not a ce we would have found if not for the quest rted to it." Luna exined. "Hm... I wonder what happened to that Scarlet person. She just suddenly logged off on our return trip once we reached the Vige of Tears." Halls said. "Who¡¯s Scarlet?" Zi Yi inquired. "She was the fourth member of our party during our first quest to this location. However, we did not get to learn much about her." Luna responded. Around five minutester, Izroth and his party passed through a gel-like atmosphere as they finally reached their destination, the Lake of Tears. As Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine took in the sight of the beautiful surroundings, as well as, the calm, sparkling, and pureke before them, they were taken aback. "How pretty...!" Zi Yi said without even realizing it as they approached the nearby temple. "It looks like a nice ce to swim. You think she would let us go for a dive?" Guan Yu said excitedly. "I would not rmend that you attempt that action, brave adventurer. If onecks a heart filled with purity, then theke would instantly consume and purify them." A pleasant voice sounded from the top of the temple steps. This voice belonged to the Seer Tererestiaa. "That¡¯s not an old witch at all." Guan Yu said in a defeated tone of voice. He finally understood what Halls meant when he said that he got it all wrong. "If we are talking about purity then forget about it, brother. It is your loss." Halls said as heughed. "I did not think I would see this ce again." Izroth said as he walked up the steps with everyone trailing behind him. "It is good to see you again, Izroth. I wish you did not always have to spoil your trip here with troublesome matters and that we did not have to always meet under such circumstances. However, new paths are opening up for the future and many things are still uncertain at this point." Tererestiaa turned to walk back inside of the temple as she soon took a seat on the small pillow. "Is there anything we can do to be of assistance?" Izroth asked. "We all have your own path to walk. You may not know it, but you have already started down your own path, Izroth. After all, you have not traveled all this way without purpose." Tererestiaa responded. "You are correct. I was asked to hand a certain item over to you." Izroth said as he removed the Sphere of Heslin from his inventory and held it out in front of him. "That item..." Tererestiaa appeared to be extremely troubled when Izroth removed the Sphere of Heslin from his inventory. "Is something wrong?" Luna asked after noticing Tererestiaa¡¯s troubled appearance. Tererestiaa stood to her feet and waved her hand as the Sphere of Heslin disappeared. As soon as she took that action, Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Journey To The Chaotic Dogma Realm?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +2 levels!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +6 stat points for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received +200 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded ?Sword of The Storm?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded ?True World Treasure Chest?¡µ "I do not have much time to waste. The aura of this item has already been exposed to the outside world during your travels. It is not safe, even at the Lake of Tears. I must hide its presence at once. My apologies, but I will not be able to see you out personally." Tererestiaa said as she walked towards the small statue of Heltiaa located at the side of the room and ced her palm upon it. "Then, we shall take our leave." Izroth said as he witnessed the path that led below the temple open up before Tererestiaa. "You have my thanks once again, brave adventurers. May the all-seeing goddess bless your steps." Tererestiaa walked down to the location beneath the temple as the hidden pathway closed behind her. ¡¯There are still too many unknowns. When I get the chance, I must find a proper way of gathering information.¡¯ Almost instantly after Tererestiaa left the room, everyone immediately became restless and excited. That was due to the fact that they had finally obtained the rewards from the quest! "Ahahaha! A good day! Indeed, it is a good day!" Guan Yu said in a joyful manner as he could not help butugh out of pure happiness. "We should celebrate!" Halls cheered right along with Guan Yu. Zi Yi let out a sigh of long sigh of relief. She knew that SS-ranked quest would be difficult, but she had still underestimated it. "You look tired, Zi Yi." Valentine said in a yful way. "What¡¯s weird is that those two have so much energy." Zi Yi said as she shook her head. Luna smiled as she looked over towards Izroth and said, "What do we do now?" After those words left Luna¡¯s mouth, everyone turned to look in Izroth¡¯s direction. If not for him none of this would have been possible. They were all grateful and would not forget Izroth¡¯s kindness towards them. "We return." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Then, along with everyone else, he began to make his way back towards Amaharpe. ... When Izroth and his party returned to Amaharpe, they decided to go their separate ways and rx after a long journey. Halls and Guan Yu went off to celebrate in their own way. Zi Yi and Valentine decided to log off for a while and take a break, and as for Luna, she chose to visit the event center to im her rewards and get it out of the way. At the moment, Izroth as currently inside of Amaharpe¡¯s Auction House. The items he put up for sale should have long finished selling by now. ¡¯There is still much left to take care of.¡¯ Izroth still had yet to go through many of the items he received from monsters inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, as well as, the items he acquired after finishing the quest. But more importantly, it was time for him to collect his earnings from the Five Cycles Pills he put up for auction. Chapter 169 Protector of Amaharpe! The first thing Izroth did when he entered into the auction house was ess the Auction Cube linked to his character. When he viewed the total amount of coins he earned from selling the Five Cycles Pill, he was pleasantly surprised. ¡¯The average price per pill is higher than I thought it would be.¡¯ The average price listed per pill was 26 gold coins and 55 silver coins. Back when he first purchased the ingredients to craft the Five Cycles Pill, Izroth only spent 22 silver and 50 bronze coins. From a single pill alone Izroth had made more than ten times that of what he spent to craft 150 pills! If the top guilds knew that Izroth was not usingmon ingredients and was left with such a massive profit margin, they would all be dumbfounded. One of the most important things for top guilds was a steady flow of ie. While it was true that nearly all the top guilds had sponsors andpanies that paid for their needs, such funds were ultimately limited. If they truly wanted to pull ahead of the other top guilds, then one needed a stable source of a massive amount of ie so that their overall guild strength could increase. This was even more so in a game like RML that required arge capital for many of the professions. If yers wanted to reach the higher levels of their respective professions, then they either had to spend countless hours searching for the material themselves, or purchase what they needed with coins. ¡¯It seems I will have to make a few more pills to put up for auction after I take care of things.¡¯ Izroth collected his earnings from the Auction Cube and immediately converted it all into RMB. The reason he did this was that he wanted to get the most of the conversion while it was still quite high. At the moment, the conversion rate had dropped down a 1:842 gold to RMB ratio. However, as yers began to earn more and spend more the exchange rate would start to plummet. In the beginning, it was at a 1:1000 ratio and it had already fallen to 1:842. Also, even if hecked gold coins, the system would just directly pull it from his linked bank ount. Though, of course, this was something that could only be done while one was at an auction house. Eventually, Izroth would need to carry around actual gold coins for expenses outside of the auction house itself. The ¡¯29 gold coins I currently have in my inventory should be fine for now. I have to make the most of the exchange rate while it¡¯s still high. After all, I will need arge amount of capital to take care of the things I have nned.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Your item(s) x135 ?Five Cycles Pill? has sessfully been sold for 3,884 gold coins and 25 silver coins¡µ ¡´System Alert: Silver coins cannot be converted. You have received 25 silver coins. No fee required.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Converting 1:842 gold to RMB ratio... Conversion sessful!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 327,033 RMB(10%) has been removed for the auction house fee from the total of 3,270,328 RMB¡µ ¡´System Alert: 294,330 RMB(10%) has been removed for the conversion fee from the total of 2,943,295 RMB¡µ ¡´System Alert: 2,648,965 RMB has been sessfully added directly to your bank ount¡µ Although Izroth was more than satisfied with his earnings, it was still hard to see such arge chunk of his profits get snatched away by the system. Thankfully, he had the Official Combat Master Badge which reduced the amount he had to pay to the auction house by 10%. Otherwise, he would be charged a 20% transaction fee! After sessfully collecting his earnings, Izroth put a few more items up for auction that he came across inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, as well as, some items from the Sea Pce Graveyard that he never got the chance to up for auction. Once he finished setting the items up for auction, Izroth walked up to one of the auction screens and began to search through for any interesting or useful items. Izroth managed to find a few good items that were useful for crafting some pills he had in mind, but overall, there was nothing worth his attention. Although, he did decide to clear out the auction house of the ingredients he used to craft the Five Cycles Pill. ¡¯This should allow me to create enough pills tost for quite some time.¡¯ Izroth purchased enough ingredients to create 750 Five Cycle Pills. Unfortunately, there was still no Isted Water Droplets that were up for sale. However, Izroth believed that it should be showing up soon thanks to the recent event, Protectors of Amaharpe. Cross Haven would no longer have a reason to limit the ess to the Sea Pce Graveyard as the average level of their guild should force them to move on to a higher level dungeon. Since that was the case, it should not be too long until Isted Water Droplets started to show up in the auction house thanks to more casual yers. ¡¯I have to visit the Apothecary building to restock on some Basic Binding Agents.¡¯ After finishing up things at the auction house, Izroth stopped by the Apothecary guild to obtain some Basic Binding Agent. The person behind the receptionist desk was none other than Rigius, the first Apothecary Izroth had met before taking his test to be an Apothecary himself. When Rigius noticed that Izroth had entered into the building, he immediately closed the book he was reading and went out to greet him. After all, Izroth was not just any Apothecary, but he was a grade three Apothecary with unnatural talent! "Sir Izroth, it is an honor to receive you today. Have youe to craft some pills today? If so, I shall immediately find a room for you! Of course, there will be no charge or fees." Rigius said in a voice filled with enthusiasm. Izroth nodded, "I¡¯vee to craft a few pills. However, I need to also purchase some Basic Binding Agents." "Not a problem at all. I will make sure to take care of things at once." Rigius moved quickly and after speaking to Izroth for a bit, he did as requested. Soon enough, Izroth paid 1 silver coin to acquire a total of 1,000 Basic Binding Agents. If he purchased any more than that, then it would have taken up another slot in his inventory. Luckily, the stacking number formon ingredients inside of a yer¡¯s inventory was quite high. Izroth was then personally escorted to the third floor by Rigius and given one of the free rooms there. ... Around two hourster, Izroth had finally finished crafting all 750 Five Cycles Pills. Not only did he craft the Five Cycles Pills, but during that time he also experimented with some of the new ingredients had to create a new pill. ¡¯It¡¯s not ideal, but it shoulde in handy during an emergency.¡¯ Izroth had no ns on selling the new pill he crafted at the moment. After all, not only were the ingredients not avable inrge quantities, but he decided to keep it as a trump card. A new pill was not the only thing Izroth received during the two hours spent in the crafting room, but his Dark Abyssal Cauldron had also shown signs of improvement. It went from a D+ ranking all the way to a C ranking! This allowed Izroth to craft pills that were grade four and lower while also allowing his Dark Abyssal Cauldron to bepatible with higher grade fire cores. ¡¯I will have to find a stronger fire core if I wish to start creating higher grade pills.¡¯ Izroth left the Apothecary building and made his way back towards the auction house. He put up 150 of the Five Cycles Pills for sale and decided to not put all 750 pills up for auction at the same time. Even considering the gold to RMB ratio decay, Izroth felt that he would still profit more from this controlled method. ¡¯At some point, I will need someone else to manage task such as these.¡¯ Izroth was not a fan of running back and forth to put things up for sale and collect them in the auction house. It was time he could spend crafting more pills or doing something more productive. He started to think that maybe someone like Zi Yi would be interested in doing so. It was difficult to find someone trustworthy, especially when it came to handling such arge amount of money or valuable items. However, Izroth hade to trust Zi Yi and the others. He knew that if he could trust anyone with this task, it would be one of them. Well, Guan Yu and Halls were another story. It was not that he did not trust them personally, it¡¯s just that he knew that this task would not be within their line of expertise. After his trip to the auction house was over, Izroth headed towards the event center. During the event Protectors of Amaharpe, he had received first ce for the solo ranking, as well as, the party ranking. The rewards granted by the system for such an aplishment was sure to be plentiful. It did not take Izroth long to reach the event center. There were many yers constantly entering and leaving the building. Although, it was to be expected since a major event had taken ce today. The building itself was more than five stories tall and there were no windows or any other way to get inside except through the front entrance. There were actually two Crimson Corps Guards standing guard outside for security. ¡¯It¡¯s more heavily fortified than the auction house.¡¯ Izroth stepped through the front entrance of the event center and was immediately greeted by one of the NPCs. NPC Name: Falk NPC Level: 12 "Greetings adventurer! If you are here to im your rewards, please check in at the window so that your identity can be verified and you can be given the properpensation for your efforts." Falk said as he politely greeted Izroth and pointed him in the right direction. Izroth followed Falk¡¯s instructions and walked over to one of the windows that did not have a yer in front of them. When he reached the front of the window, Izroth found that there was a mirror with his reflection on it. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ A few secondster, Izroth¡¯s reflection vanished and what appeared in its ce was a strange red orb with the image of a handprint located at its center. "Unrecognized yer, please verify your identity." A voice sounded inside of Izroth¡¯s head. The red orb blinked a few times as if it directing Izroth. ¡¯More voices without a face.¡¯ Izroth was reminded of the voice from the Endless Pandemonium Tower. However, this voice was more robotic andcked any kind of emotional structure to it. Izroth reached his hand out and ced it the handprint as he felt a wave of energy spread throughout his body for a brief moment. "yer recognized as Izroth. Event recognized as Protectors of Amaharpe. Solo ranking, 1st ce. Party ranking, 1st ce. Generating rewards, one moment please... Complete! Thank you for your participation, yer Izroth. Enjoy!" The red orb disappeared as a white light shed around Izroth. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully imed your rewards from the event ?Protectors of Amaharpe?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +2 level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +6 stat points for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received +400 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +2 skill points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 50 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x2 ?Rare Item Treasure Chest?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?Protector of Amaharpe?!¡µ The rewards Izroth from taking first ce in the solo and party portions of the event were more than he expected. However, the most pleasant surprise that Izroth received was one that he had note across yet, a title! ¡¯Protector of Amaharpe?¡¯ Chapter 170 Mariposas Invitation Izroth opened up his system interface and looked through the titles section. Sure enough, he found a lone title on the list, Protector of Amaharpe. After he quickly examined the details of the title, Izroth chose to equip the title. ¡´System Alert: Warning, you are about to change your title. Changing your title may cause your reputation with other parties to rise or fall. Are you sure you want to use the title ?Protector of Amaharpe??¡µ Izroth was not worried about his reputation with the people who were against Amaharpe. After all, he was too deeply tied to Amaharpe and individuals like Gear, as well as, Terminus. Even the Apothecary Physing gifted him a treasured cauldron. Whether he equipped the title or not, would have no effect on his current situation. Besides, he had received countless benefits from his ties to the people of Amaharpe. "Yes." Izroth said without hesitation. The moment he agreed, Izroth felt as if a new aura had formed around his entire body. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully equipped the title ?Protector of Amaharpe?!¡µ ¡¯It is unfortunate that I did not visit the event center before heading over to the auction house.¡¯ Title Name: Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary Rare) Title Benefit(s): -Pay 0% tax on items within the capital city ?Amaharpe?. This includes but is not limited to, the auction house, local shops, and any potential trade taxes. Personal shops must still pay a mandatory tax of 5%. -Permitted to own property within the walls of the capital city ?Amaharpe?. (Property Limit: 1) -Permitted entry into ?Amaharpe Pce? (Floor Limit: 1) -Permitted entry into ?Amaharpe Pce Library? (Floor Limit: 1) ¡´System Alert: You have permanently unlocked the property feature for ?Amaharpe?!¡µ What truly caught Izroth¡¯s attention about the title was that he would now be capable of owning property within the city walls of Amaharpe! Countless guilds would fight to the death over for the opportunity to own their own property within a highly popted city like Amaharpe. While yers could temporarily rent small ces, in the end, the fees were ridiculous and it was ultimately not worth it unless you were pointlessly rich. Also, yers were restricted in what they could aplish with rented locations. For example, they would be unable to open their own shop. At most, all they could do was advertise by foot and trade items normally. Such a thing was a huge inconvenience and ultimately impractical forrge guilds or profession based guilds. Therefore, a huge dream would be to open up their own shop and have the aid of the system to manage things. ¡¯It would be useful to have my own shop so that I can put up the pills I craft for sale there, however...¡¯ When the window opened to reveal the avable properties, Izroth was a bit surprised by the figures he saw pop up. Even the cheapest of locations in low traffic areas cost around 4,150 gold coins or approximately 3,500,000 RMB with the current exchange rates. ¡¯What hefty pricing.¡¯ However, Izroth understood the reason behind it. If just anyone could afford a location within the capital city of Amaharpe, then it would be overcrowded in no time. Also, even in low traffic areas, you would still stand to gain a lot in a massive city like Amaharpe. Nothing needed to be said about the high traffic areas. ¡¯Since my current property limit is one, I should make the most of it instead of settling for something mediocre.¡¯ There was one spot located at the heart of the district where Amaharpe had the most traffic, near the auction house and other high-tier Amaharpe shops. However, the amount needed for such a location was astronomical! ¡¯80,000 gold coins, that¡¯s nearly 68,000,000 RMB.¡¯ Even if Izroth sold 3,200 Five Cycles Pills at 25 gold coins each without converting it into RMB to avoid the fee, and paying 0% items tax thanks to his new title, he would barely have enough to purchase that location. That was not counting the price drop off or the exchange rate reduction over time. At the moment, Izroth only had the Five Cycles Pill that he was able to sell inrge quantities. But, there was one major thing Izrothcked that would restrict his overall sess and it was the fact that he did not have a stable flow of resources. The ingredients he needed to craft the Five Cycles Pill were cheap, for now, but when more yers started to notice that it is being cleared out nearly every time, the price would begin to skyrocket. This would be even more so if the ingredients for the Five Cycles Pill were discovered. Another problem was that the amount inside of the auction house was finite and extremely limitedpared to his actual needs. What Izroth needed was a stable supplier that would provide him with the materials he needed to craft his pills at a fair price based on their worth. His first thought was Metronome, but Izroth still had some reservations about him. While Metronome was honest and wanted to be well acquainted with him, Izroth always felt as if Metronome had a hidden agenda and was hiding something away. Although it was probably nothing to be worried about, Izroth needed people that he could trust without room for suspicion. ¡¯The main issue is still ack of manpower. If I be too consumed with dealing with these kinds of matters, then it will be increasingly difficult for me to keep leveling up at a steady pace.¡¯ Just as Izroth was contemting the matter at hand, he received an alert from the system that someone had sent him a message. To his surprise, it was Zi Yi¡¯s elder sister, Mariposa. ¡´System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "If you have some time, I would like to arrange a meeting to discuss a few important matters. Are you avable at the moment?"¡µ ¡¯Important matters?¡¯ Izroth had a good feeling about what Mariposa wished to discuss with him. It definitely had to do with what he handed over to her inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm as a way of saying thank you for her assistance. However, he did not think she would message him only a few hours after leaving the Chaotic Dogma Realm. But, Izroth had no reason not to meet with her. In fact, she may even be able to assist him with a few things that were on his list that needed to be taken care of. After all, ording to what he learned about Mariposa, she was the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, one of the top ten guilds within RML. Izroth sent a message back agreeing to meet with Mariposa. While he still did not yet have to chance to look through the other rewards he gained, Izroth was in no particr hurry to do so. ¡´System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "Great, I will send you the coordinates now. I will be looking forward to your arrival."¡µ After Izroth received the meeting coordinates from Mariposa, he exited the event center to make his way there. ... Around twenty minutester, Izroth arrived outside of a medium sized building. The outside decor was simple and refined but still held onto a certain level of elegance. ¡¯This should be the ce.¡¯ As Izroth reached out to grab the door handle, a message from the system popped up. ¡´System Alert: Restricted Rented Property. You need proper permission(s) to gain ess to this building.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth found. Restriction Level: Guest. Permission granted.¡µ ¡¯Oh? You can restrict ess on rented properties as well?¡¯ This was this first-time Izroth hade across such a message within RML. Though, he was not in the hobby of entering random buildings without purpose so it was to be expected. Izroth opened the door and entered into the building. There was a transparent barrier blocking the doorway which was most likely a way to prevent other unauthorized yers from entering inside even if someone else had already opened the door. The moment Izroth set foot inside, the door closed behind him and he found that multiple sets of eyes were locked onto him. There were some who were confused and others who were shocked, but before any of them could say anything, a voice drifted through the room. "I¡¯m d that you could make it on such short notice, Izroth." Mariposa who was currently standing at the other side of the room said in a slightly teasing and alluring tone of voice. As Izroth swept his gaze across the room, he noticed that there were no other males! Every single yer inside of the building was female. While Izroth was a bit surprised at first, it was not somethingpletely new to him. After all, back in the Seven Realms, there were some sects who only epted women cultivators. Plus, he knew that while it was rare, all-female guilds were notpletely unheard. Izroth also noticed that some of the gazes on him were intense as if they wanted to devour him where he stood. While some others had a more reserved nature and simply admired him from afar with a light shade of pink finding its way to their cheeks. "Your invitation was unexpected. But, I was simply running a few errands and had the time to spare." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. As Izroth spoke, some of the more formal female yers there had a hint of displeasure on their faces. They felt as if Izroth did not treat their guild leader with enough respect. However, many of them actually believed Izroth had the right to talk the way he wanted as long as he did not go overboard. This was the yer who ranked number one in the solo portion of the Protectors of Amaharpe event! Who did not know of Izroth¡¯s name and his recently soaring fame by this point? "I do not believe I properly thanked you for looking after my adorable little sister while we were inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Mariposa said as she took a seat at the nearby table and made a gesture for Izroth toe and join her. "It¡¯s only natural to look out for one another when you are a part of a team." Izroth responded as he sat down in the chair across from Mariposa. There were two yers by Mariposa¡¯s side. On the left was a woman who appeared to be in herte teens. Her ck hair was coiled demurely at the nape of her neck. She had emerald green eyes with a cute face and an adorable button nose to match. She possessed a petite yet charming figure that made men want to naturally protect her. On Mariposa¡¯s right side was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was taller than the average woman and had short cut purple hair, Her gray eyes were fierce and she seemed to be constantly on guard, even in a currently safe environment. However, hidden behind that fierce expression was a very beautiful woman. She had curves set in all the right ces and if she were walking down a street, many would likely mistake her for a model. "You are too modest." Mariposa replied as a lovely smile found its way onto her face. "Before we start, I would like for you to meet two people. To my left is the financial advisor for my Sleeping Gardenia, He Huian. To my right is one themander of my Lotus Guard, Valkyria. She was quite insistent when it came to meeting you, Izroth." Mariposa said with a grin. Valkyria let out a sigh as she said, "If you word it that way then people may misunderstand. I just wanted to take a look at the yer who managed to snatch away the first ce spot in the solo portion of the event." Mariposa lightly giggled, "You will have to excuse her. Valkyria is a bit disappointed that she only managed to ce 5th during the event." "I was just a bit lucky is all." Izroth replied. While others may believe that he was being modest, it was partly due to luck that he managed to take first ce. After all, if he never received the Behemoth¡¯s Quake skill from that rare boss monster, then he would have never secured the number one spot after not participating until the sixth wave. After a little small talk, Mariposa decided to finally get down to the true reason she asked Izroth to meet with her. "Before we start, I have one important question to ask you. Are you the grade three Apothecary that has been selling the Five Cycles Pills?" Mariposa had a serious expression on her face. It was as if a switch flipped and she entered into her guild leader mode. Chapter 171 Negotiation There was a heavy silence in the room following Mariposa¡¯s question. He Huian and Valkyria shocked expressions on their faces. Ever since the Five Cycles Pill was first introduced they had been searching for clues as to who its seller or creator was. However, they hade up empty-handed with no leads. Could it really be possible that the yer before them was the same individual behind the Five Cycles Pills being sold at the auction house? If so, then this would be a huge opportunity for their guild! "Oh? What makes you think that I¡¯m a grade three Apothecary? I could simply be selling them for someone else or through other secret means." Izroth responded in a carefree tone of voice. "I¡¯ve thought about that as well, however, I trust my instincts and it tells me that you are its creator and seller. Not only did you freely gift us three pills back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, but I have a hard time believing someone like you would go around doing someone else¡¯s footwork." Mariposa said. She then continued, "While it¡¯s possible that you may have other secret means of obtaining the pills, then that¡¯s fine too. Although, I would have to admit that it is the most logical exnation. After all, a grade three Apothecary seems a little farfetched." To be honest, Izroth had no reason to hide his identity as a grade three Apothecary. He was unafraid of those with bad intentions and was confident in taking care of himself. Izroth was simply curious about something else. "You truly are Zi Yi¡¯s elder sister." Izroth said as he briefly opened up his system interface before closing it a few momentster. "I¡¯ll take that as a greatpliment." Mariposa replied with a smile on her face. "You are correct, I am a grade three Apothecary." Izroth said. Everyone was stunned and excited at the same time when they heard Izroth¡¯s confirmation. If what he said were true, then they were looking at someone with the potential to be filthy rich and a chance to make a connection with him. However, He Huian did not get too excited just yet as there was one thing that she needed to verify first. "Um, if you don¡¯t mind, is it possible for you to show us your profession badge?" He Huian asked in a soft and polite tone of voice. "He Huian, right? This should cast any troubles aside." Izroth said as he removed the badge he received from the Apothecary guild from his inventory. He was not offended that He Huian asked for proof, after all, he would have been more concerned with Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s ipetence if they simply trusted his word. After he verified his identity as a grade three Apothecary, Izroth returned his badge to his inventory. "Thank you." He Huian said softly as she made a small bow in Izroth¡¯s direction. Mariposa had arge grin on her face that she could not wipe off. While she trusted her instincts and Izroth¡¯s words, it was always nice to have a definitive and unquestionable form of proof. However, she quickly cleared her throat and regained control of herself. Now that she knew for sure that Izroth was the rumored grade three Apothecary, Mariposa decided to move on to the main reason she asked for Izroth to meet up with her. "Everyone, I do not believe I need to say this to all of you but what you have heard or will hear in this room today stays here. If I find that anyone has broken this rule, then there will be a severe punishment set into ce. Valkyria, I expect you and the Lotus Guard to stay on top of the matter." Mariposa said in a serious manner. "Understood." Valkyria responded as she swept her fierce gaze across the room. "There¡¯s no need to go out of your way. It¡¯s not as if I was intentionally keeping it a secret." Izroth said as he shook his head inwardly after seeing heavy the atmosphere had be. He simply had no reason to tell someone and no one had ever asked him directly. "My apologies, we have not even started discussing the matter at hand yet and I managed to get ahead of myself. However, if we doe to an agreement, then it will be important that at least for a little longer your identity remains a secret. You will have to forgive my selfishness." Mariposa said as she returned to her guild leader mode. "I see. In that case, I do not mind. I assume the agreement you¡¯re talking about has to do with the Five Cycles Pills, correct?" Izroth said. Mariposa nodded, "Yes, the main reason I asked you here was to discuss purchasing the Five Cycles Pills from you directly. However, that is only one part of the reason. I also wish to set up a contract with you as an Apothecary for my Sleeping Gardenia." ¡¯A contract?¡¯ Izroth frowned slightly to show his disapproval towards a contract. First off, being an Apothecary was only a way for him to earn a stable amount of ie. Secondly, he did not wish to be bound by a contract to one guild and spend his time crafting pills all day. Izroth¡¯s goal was not to be the best Apothecary within RML, but rather the number one yer. The Apothecary profession was ultimately a hobby to him and he did not n on spending all his time focused solely on that. Mariposa hurried to exin after she saw that Izroth appeared to be against the idea. She could tell that Izroth was not someone who would allow himself to be tied down and bound by a contract. But, she had something in mind that she believed would benefit both of them. "Allow me a moment to exin before you decline my offer. If what I say does not interest you, then I won¡¯t bring up the contract again. Is that alright?" Mariposa said. "It would be a shame if I did not hear you out aftering all this way." Izroth replied. Mariposa looked over towards He Huian as if giving her a signal to start. "I have a couple of questions for you, I hope that it will not be too much trouble for you to answer them. First, may I know how many Five Cycles Pills you are currently in possession of? Also, how many are you capable of creating every day? Of course, using the current in-game clock." He Huian asked. "I have 600 pills on me at the moment. As for your other question, I can make around 300 pills a day. However, to produce that amount of Five Cycles Pills would be overly time-consuming. Therefore, the average limit of my production rate would be around 150 pills per day." Izroth responded. Of course, if Izroth was serious and he had the proper amount of resources, he could easily craft over 10,000 pills in a single day. Even though Izroth¡¯s strong suit was not being a merchant or anything rted to that, he even he knew that if he wanted the Five Cycles Pills to keep its value then he would have to careful. When it came to the number he would have readily avable, it was safer to leave it at a lower value for now and slowly raise it over time. This would not only give him plenty of breathing room, but it would also serve as a reminder that the pills were extremely limited. Mariposa and He Huian had no trouble taking Izroth at his word. After all, they did not know how difficult it was to craft a grade three pill. However, they knew how challenging it was for an Apothecary to reach even the grade two ranking and craft that many grade two pills a day. 150 pills were actually well above their expectations as they were hoping for 50 a day at best. So, in the end, everything worked out being in their favor. But what they did not expect was the number of pills Izroth currently had in his possession. "600 pills?!" Mariposa said in a voice full of surprise as she leaped to her feet and leaned over the table. They only managed to grab a measly eleven pills thest time they were in the auction house ording to the reports she received. Now, Izroth was saying that he had 600 pills quietly tucked away on him? How could she be anything but shocked? He Huian cleared her throat a few times as she gently nudged Mariposa. Valkyria facepalmed as she slowly shook her head at Mariposa¡¯s reaction. However, she could understand why Mariposa was so surprised. 600 pills were more than enough to take care of the entire Lotus Guard and many of the primary members of Sleeping Gardenia. Mariposa sat back down and pretended to clear her throat as a light shade of pink found its way onto her cheeks. She was slightly embarrassed by her over the top reaction. But still, 600 pills were over 50 times the amount they received from the auction house. Now she was absolutely motivated for this negotiation to seed, no matter the cost. "It must be very tiresome for you having to collect the resources, craft the pills, and then sell them all by yourself. First I would like to discuss the pills in your possession. We would like to purchase all 600 pills at a fixed rate of 25 gold coins per pill." He Huian said. She then continued, "Not only that, but we would also like to provide you with the resources you need to craft the pill, providing it is within our means to do so. All we ask in return is that if you evere up with any new pills, you contact us first so that we have a chance to purchase them at a fair price." "Also, if we bothe to an agreement and we be your main provider of resources, we ask that any pills sold to Sleeping Gardenia will be at 30% of its market value." He Huian exined a few other minor details but made the overall picture clear for Izroth. "Of course, if you¡¯re willing to sell the recipe and method to us, we can offer you a lump sum of 100,000 gold coins. This also includes exclusive rights to selling the pill." Mariposa said. The nearby members of Sleeping Gardenia who heard that offer were dumbfounded. 100,000 gold coins?! With the current exchange rate, that was over 84 million RMB! Izroth would immediately be a millionaire! However, was his recipe really worth 100,000 gold coins? Izroth sat quietly and listened to the proposals. As for the 100,000 gold coins offer, he did not even bother considering it. While 100,000 gold coins may seem like a lot, in the end, it could not possiblypare to the true value of the Five Cycles Pill. There were hundreds of millions of yers within RML. If even a small percentage of those yers paid for a Five Cycles Pill, the number of gold coins would easily reach into the millions. Inparison, 100,000 gold coins were ultimately nothing but a drop in the ocean. "I¡¯ll have to decline the offer to sell the recipe, however, I am notpletely against the other offer. But, there will need to be a few ground rules and some details that need to be worked out on a more technical level." Izroth said. "Great, He Huian and I would be more than happy to do summarize the key points for you." Mariposa said in a good mood. Izroth, however, shook his head and said, "Sadly, such things are not my strong suit. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to call someone else in to help in this matter." Mariposa blinked a few times. Could Izroth already have another partner? If so, they may need to reevaluate a couple of things. "It should not be an issue. What is their yer name? I will add them to the guest list so that they join us." Mariposa said. "I have a feeling such a thing won¡¯t be necessary." Izroth responded which left Mariposa with a slightly confused look on her face. A few secondster, a certain individual entered into the room which caused everyone¡¯s eyes to be focused on the doorway. However, when Mariposa saw the person who entered into the room shepletely rxed and even appeared more full of energy. The person who entered into the room was none other than Zi Yi. "Izroth? Big sis? What¡¯s going on?" Zi Yi said as she looked around the room and noticed that the atmosphere seemed a little tense. Chapter 172 Zi Yis Unwavering Silver Tongue After returning to Amaharpe from the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Zi Yi decided to log off and take a small break. When he logged back on, she was a little depressed by the fact that she was left in the dark about being able to gain ess to the Amaharpe Pce Library. She went to im her rewards from the event center and was filled with excitement when she discovered one of the rewards; a title! Not just any title, but it was a title called Defender of Amaharpe that granted her ess to the Amaharpe Pce and its library. It was one of the rewards for cing first in the party portion of the event Protectors of Amaharpe. Izroth did not receive this title because it was the same as his Protectors of Amaharpe, except there was one key difference. Those with the Defender of Amaharpe title were not allowed to own any property within Amaharpe. Zi Yi was inside of the Amaharpe Pce Library drowning herself in the seemingly endless sea of new knowledge when she received a message from Izroth. If it were anyone else she would have ignored it, however, Zi Yi knew that if it were not for Izroth she would not have been able to reach this ce. The other thing that made her curious was the fact she was familiar with the coordinates Izroth sent to her. They were the same coordinates that matched the temporary base of Sleeping Gardenia, the guild that her elder sister was in charge of. Izroth did not include too many details in the message he sent her. Zi Yi understood how stubborn and relentless her elder sister could be sometimes in order to get her way and so she rushed over. Mariposa eyes lit up when she saw Zi Yi. Just as she was about to get up and head over towards her, she was suddenly nudged by Valkyria. "Guild leader." Valkyria said in a stern tone of voice as she gave Mariposa a meaningful looking as if reminding her of the high level of importance this potential partnership had for their guild, as well as, her position in the guild. Mariposa slightly pouted as she controlled herself and reluctantly stayed seated. Valkyria inwardly sighed when she noticed Mariposa¡¯s mood seemed to turn a bit sour as she sat there looking like a child who was just unjustly scolded. However, it was her duty as themander of the Lotus Guard to put the interest of the guild before everything. While Zi Yi was their guild leader¡¯s younger sister, in the end, she was not an official member of Sleeping Gardenia. Just as Valkyria was about to inform Zi Yi that they were in the middle of official business, she heard a voice sound out across from her. "I requested that she join us here. I hope it will not be too much trouble." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Mariposa, He Huian, and Valkyria had slightly confused expressions written on their faces. He was the one who called Zi Yi here? There were three reasons that Izroth asked Zi Yi to join him at this meeting. The first reason was that he felt that something like this would suit someone like Zi Yi. Next was the fact that Mariposa had a soft spot for her younger sister which meant that having her present may result in him receiving the best possible deal. The final reason was more of a test for Zi Yi. Izroth wanted to know how she would deal with those close to her when they were on opposite sides. In truth, Izroth knew what Zi Yi was likely to do, but he still had to be absolutely certain. "In that case, Zi Yi is more than weed to join us." Valkyria said as she made a small gesture for Zi Yi toe and sit with them. During her walk over, Izroth had already begun to send her information and details regarding the current set of events, as well as, what he hoped to aplish. Given Zi Yi¡¯s ability to read fast and retain information, she had no trouble understanding what was going on. However, she was quite surprised that Izroth chose her of all people to represent him. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that she would secretly side with her elder sister? Of course, she would never do such a thing due to her set of morals, but Izroth was still taking a chance by making such a major request of her. Zi Yi owned Izroth not just for her being able to ess the library in Amaharpe¡¯s Pce, but also choosing to save her from an existence wipe over iming legendary equipment. Zi Yi decided that she would definitely find a way to repay Izroth, and this was her chance to do so. Zi Yi took a seat at the table next to Izroth. She had a serious expression on her face as she swept her gaze across the three people in front of her. Just because they had a history together did not mean that she nned on going easy. Mariposa was startled when she saw how serious Zi Yi was taking this situation. While a part of her was a little saddened, the other part of her was proud that her little sister had chosen to follow her own separate path. Mariposa straightened herself out and set her gaze upon Zi Yi. Since her little sister seemed earnest about this matter, then she would not disrespect her by going easy on her. Zi Yi nced over at Izroth who gave her a slight nod in return. She then turned her attention towards Mariposa. "I have to say, you all seem to be taking this lightly and are not actually sincere at all. Offering 100,000 gold coins for a recipe that has the potential to make tens or even hundreds of millions of gold coins? Not to mention, you did not even offer any kind of equity. At best, that offer can be considered a practical joke. Do you take Izroth for a fool?" Zi Yi said sternly. She then continued, "And you, how could youe up with such unreasonable terms? While I¡¯ll admit that 25 gold coins per pill for 600 pills is a more than fair offer, it¡¯s the other two things I have an issue with. We both know that Izroth is bound to be a top tier Apothecary within RML." "Providing him with resources and asking for a priority position on new pills, as well as, a 30% market value buy price is not a bad offer, but you did not even bother collecting information on how difficult the pill is to craft." "In the end, Izroth is currently the number one Apothecary within RML and any guild would be more than happy to make any amodations to have a connection with him. The question is, what can you offer that stops us from getting up and walking out of this ce right this instant?" Zi Yi spoke in a single breath and left everyone at the table speechless. Was this truly the same Zi Yi they knew? This was a side of her that they were unaware of. However, it made perfect sense considering who her elder sister was. "Alright, I apologize if my offer did not seem sincere. Thest thing that we want to do is cause any misunderstandings." Mariposa said in a calm and steady voice. "What did you have in mind?" Mariposa asked as she sped her hands together in a thoughtful way. "We can give you the pill recipe and the exclusive rights to sell it. In return, we want one million gold coins and 10% of all profit made from selling any Five Cycles Pills." Zi Yi said in an unhurried manner. "Ridiculous!" He Huian and Valkyria both jumped to their feet. They were outraged that Zi Yi would even consider that a fair deal. One million gold coins? That was nearly one billion RMB with the current exchange rate! Not only that, but she also went on to ask for 10% of all profit made from selling the pills. Just a few moments ago she said that their offer wasn¡¯t sincere, then what would this be considered as? ¡¯Oh? Just as I thought, she does have a talent for this.¡¯ Izroth did not n on interfering and just sat there quietly letting Zi Yi handle things. When he was speaking with them, no one appeared to be on edge and they all hid their intentions quite well. But in just a few moments, Zi Yi had already got a reaction out of them. "You used us of taking Izroth for a fool, do you now take us for fools?" Mariposa said with a grave expression on her face. Even if she wanted to take out one million gold coins it would not be possible with their current guild budget. Zi Yi never seriously considered selling the pill recipe in the first ce. She only made that offer as a way of showing her stance on the matter. Her intentions were read loud and clear. "Then since that¡¯s off the table, let¡¯s focus on an actual deal. Sleeping Gardenia will pay 80,000 gold coins up front for the right of first priority purchasing of the Five Cycles Pill and any new pills that Izroth creates for the first three days of its official release date." Zi Yi said. She then continued, "Sleeping Gardenia will then be the major provider of resources for Izroth and Izroth wille to Sleeping Gardenia first for all resource needs that exceed the amount of 100 units. Any pills sold to Sleeping Gardenia that they provide the proper resources for will be sold at 30% of its market value." "In return, Izroth promises to craft a minimum of 200 Five Cycles Pills daily and refrain from selling them in the auction house and directly to other guilds. Izroth will also give 10% of all earnings made from using resources for pill creation provided by Sleeping Gardenia." Zi Yi "You are being too ruthless, my adorable little sister." Mariposa said as she narrowed her eyes. "Surely you know that we cannot ept such unfair terms." He Huian said as she furrowed her brows. They would be getting the short end of the stick in a deal like that! Even if Izroth was a grade three Apothecary, maybe the Five Cycles Pill would be the only pill he could create for a while. If they were locked into a long term agreement and he did not provide any additional pills, then their original investment of 80,000 gold coins would be aplete waste! "He Huian makes a fair point. Izroth, surely you do not agree with what Zi Yi is asking of us?" Valkyria asked as she looked over towards Izroth who had been silent this entire time. "Zi Yi¡¯s words are my own." Izroth responded without hesitation. Valkyria frowned, "We want toe to a proper agreement, but what you¡¯re asking for is a little too much Zi Yi." Valkyria shook her head as she sat back down. "Is that what you truly believe? Then, I will have to trouble you to excuse everyone but the people at this table from the room. What we¡¯re about to share with you, it is important that it remains a secret at all cost." Zi Yi said as her determination did not falter. "Everyone here can be trusted. Why would you-" Just as Valkyria was about to voice her displeasure, she was interrupted by Mariposa. "It¡¯s fine. Everyone, please leave the building until we finish our discussion." Mariposa ordered. Although the members of Sleeping Gardenia was disappointed that they could not listen in on the rest of the conversation, they would not disobey a direct order from their guild leader. A few momentster, there were only five individuals remaining inside of the room. Izroth, Zi Yi, Mariposa, He Huian, and Valkyria. After thest person left the room, Zi Yi finally spoke, "What you are about to see does not leave this room. Agreed?" Of course, everyone had no problem with that request and agreed without issue. "Izroth." Zi Yi gave a small nod as Izroth removed an item from his inventory. When that item left his inventory, everyone had a look of disbelief on their face. "How is this possible?" Mariposa eyes widened in shock as she did not dare to believe what was before her very eyes. Chapter 173 Trust Is Something Earned, Not Given Freely Mariposa, Valkyria, and He Huian were all at a lost for words after Izroth removed that item from his inventory. To be honest, even Zi Yi was dumbfounded when Izroth first informed her. But, Even looking at it now it was still something that was difficult to ept. ¡¯Although I have no ns on selling it right this moment, it can still work in my favor.¡¯ When Izroth removed that item from his inventory, a strong medicinal scent washed over the entire room. Just by breathing in, one would feel themselves feeling unusually energized and full of life. If the smell alone was enough to cause this sensation, then how powerful would the actual item be? Izroth held within his hand a crimson red pill that had a faint yellow aura epassing it. Just by simply looking at it, one could tell that it was definitely not a mere grade one or grade two pill. The crimson red pill in Izroth¡¯s hand was called the Two Sr Extremities Pill. It was the pill Izroth created back during his time in the Apothecary building while he was experimenting with the new ingredients he had obtained. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame that I was unable to find a stronger recement for one of the core ingredients. Otherwise, I may have been able to craft a Three Sr Extremities Pill.¡¯ There was a huge fundamental w in the Two Sr Extremities Pill that was only corrected in the version of the There Sr Extremities Pill. This was the main reason Izroth would not use it unless he absolutely had no other choice. However, Izroth knew that even if he had the correct ingredients, he would have been unable to craft the Three Sr Extremities Pills due to the weak fire core in his possession. ¡¯I have to find a suitable fire core for my Dark Abyssal Cauldron if I want to advance any further down the path of an Apothecary.¡¯ Name: Two Sr Extremities Pill(III) Rank: Grade-Three Usage: The user who consumes this pill temporarily gains the passive skill ?Sr Extremity? for 1 minute. This pill will not grant any effect(s) if taken again within a 1 hour time period. ?Sr Extremity?: Gain +100% to all offensive stats. All defensive stats are reduced by 100% and all damage received from all sources is increased by +100%. All stats are reduced by 50% for 30 seconds after the effect(s) wears off. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effect(s) while its effect is active. What a truly powerful pill! Even though the side effects were a bit unnerving, if used correctly it could change the entire oue of a battle! Not to mention the other various possibilities of the pill. "If we had that pill, then no other guild could dream aboutpeting with us for the dungeon first clear and clear times." Valkyria said in a low voice. One of the main ways top guilds showed their dominance, caught the attention of new yers and attracted more sponsors this early within RML was how well they performed in dungeons and events. This would be unavoidable, at least until they reached the PVP stage of the game. At that point, the skill gap between the top guilds and other guilds would be clearly defined. He Huian appeared to be in deep thought as she examined the Two Sr Extremities Pill within Izroth¡¯s hands. At the moment, Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s Apothecary branch members were still sitting at the grade one rank. So far, only one member had managed to reach the grade two rank which was a cause for a great celebration. However, even though they were at the grade two Apothecary rank, they had invested countless hours into discovering a single grade two pill recipe. But, it would probably several days or even weeks until they came up with yet another grade two recipe. Other top guilds should be in simr situations as their own. In fact, the number of known grade two Apothecaries within RML at the moment could be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone. Now, Izroth hade before them with not one, but two grade three pills! One pill could be written off as luck. However, the chances of Izroth crafting two grade three pills with only luck as the foundation was highly improbable. Mariposa had an endless stream of thoughts racing through her mind at the moment. When she first discovered Izroth ced first in the event while he was supposed to be in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, she was already amazed. But, how could someone take first ce in a major event, finish an SS-ranked quest, and still somehow managed to find the time to be the best Apothecary within RML? Mariposa was confident that Izroth was a top tier yer when after their brief interaction inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm with one another. However, she did not know at the time just how much she had underestimated Izroth. He was not a simple monster, he was a monster amongst monsters. She decided right then and there that no matter what happened in the future, she had to find a way to maintain a friendly rtionship with Izroth. Mariposa believed that there would only be benefits, not losses, to doing so. Izroth returned the Two Sr Extremities Pill to his inventory as the strong medicinal scent in the atmosphere vanished. There was nothing but silence in the room until Zi Yi broke it with her next words which seemed to snap everyone out of their state of deep thought. "At the moment, the Two Sr Extremities Pill is not for sale. However, it should be enough to show how serious we are about this deal. As a show of good faith, we have decided to sell you all 600 Five Cycles Pills at a fixed rate of 25 gold coins per pill as you have previously requested. Of course, our`aforementioned terms still stands." Zi Yi said calmly. "He Huian?" Mariposa nced over towards He Huian who currently had her thumb and index finger rested on her chin. As the guild leader, Mariposa would obviously have the final say on things, however, a good leader did not ignore those they trusted. If Mariposa did not believe He Huian waspetent and skilled enough to handle the position of a financial advisor, she would have never assigned her. He Huian stayed silent a few seconds longer before she finally releasing a long sigh. She shook her head helplessly as she said, "Truthfully, we should be grateful that we are the first guild they decided to meet with. I¡¯ll be perfectly honest, we cannot afford to let this opportunity pass us by. If we do not im it, another top guild will not hesitate to do so." Mariposa came to the same conclusion as He Huian. If they allowed another top guild to have priority ess to Izroth¡¯s pill supply, then she was sure that there woulde a day when she regretted doing so. Mariposa smiled helplessly as she said in a yful manner, "Who would have thought that I would be the reason my Sleeping Gardenia got bullied?" She looked over towards Zi Yi who sat across the table from her. "He Huian, how long would it take for you to pull together the funds?" Mariposa asked. "If I start right away, it should take me around three days to make the proper adjustments. However, it will be difficult to spare funds in the near future for any unforeseen purchases." He Huian responded. "We ept your terms. However, 95,000 gold coins is arge amount toe up with on such short notice. Therefore, we will pay the full 15,000 gold coins for the 600 pills right now along with an additional 10,000 gold coins as a small advance payment for the 80,000 gold coins. Is this eptable?" Mariposa said. Zi Yi nced over towards Izroth who gave a small nod to show his agreement. "It is eptable." Zi Yi replied. "Get started at once, He Huian. If you need some additional funds, inform me and I will add on the amount from my personal ount. Meanwhile, I will work on and outline an official contract to present." Mariposa said. "Yes, I will take care of it at once. Excuse me." He Huian said as she stood to her feet and politely bowed to everyone before logging off. Zi Yi released a long sigh as she finally rxed. She was still a bit shaken up on the inside, despite her outward calm appearance. However, Zi Yi knew that she could not show any signs of weakness or else she would have been overrun by her elder sister and He Huian before she could even get a word out. Zi Yi had the advantage since she was familiar with both her elder sister and He Huian¡¯s style of negotiating and how they usually managed their finance. On the other hand, Zi Yi was like a nk sheet of paper inparison. Although she had the skillset and knowledge to do so previously, this was her first time negotiating like this. Mariposa stood up from her seat and went over to embrace Zi Yi. "My adorable little sister, you¡¯ve gone and made your big sis mad so you have to take on the responsibility of cheering me up." she said as she yfully whined. "You- Aren¡¯t you supposed to be working on a contract?!" Zi Yi said as she tried to push Mariposa away, but decided to give up after a few failed attempts and ept her fate. "Fine, we can go out for dinner tonight as long as you release me right now!" Zi Yi said. "Then, I will hold you to it." Mariposa responded as she released Zi Yi and softly giggled. She then turned her attention towards Izroth as she opened up her system interface and opened up the trading window. A few momentster, Izroth received an alert from the system at the same time he traded the 600 Five Cycles Pills within his inventory over to Mariposa. ¡´System Alert: You have received 25,000 gold coins from yer Mariposa¡µ 25,000 gold coins! With the current 1:842 gold to RMB exchange rate, that was over 18,00,000 RMB after the conversion fee was removed! Added to the RMB already in his bank ount, Izroth now had over 20,000,000 RMB to his name! In just one day, Izroth went to have a few thousand RMB to millions! The best part was that this was only the beginning of what he had nned. ¡¯It will be three days until I¡¯m able to purchase the property near the auction house. Until then, I should set aside some time toe up with a few more pills and create a proper stockpile.¡¯ After ironing out a few more minor details and verifying everything, Izroth signed the contract created by Mariposa with Zi Yi overlooking it. The contracts signed within RML was processed by the system into the real world and was just as legally binding as any other official contract. Of course, just like real contracts, those that wereplete nonsense or could not be legally enforced was rendered void. "I look forward to working together, Izroth. It will be a little hectic for the next three days, but I shall inform you once the remaining amount of your payment has been sorted out." Mariposa said. "I am also looking forward to our partnership. I will be awaiting your message three days from now. Until then, I will make sure that the terms of our contract is kept." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face as he stood to his feet. After exchanging some goodbyes, Izroth and Zi Yi left the building together. "You know, a heads up would have been nice." Zi Yi said as she shook her head helplessly. "I had a feeling that you would be able to handle it." Izroth responded. "Still, weren¡¯t you afraid that I would secretly side with my own sister and give her some extra benefits?" Zi Yi said with a grin on her face. "If you did, I would only have myself to me for being a bad judge of character. However, I am confident in my ability to see one¡¯s true colors. You are not such a person, Zi Yi. I do not give out my trust easily, but it is safe to say that you have earned it." Izroth said in a calm and steady voice. "Then, I¡¯ll try my best not to betray that trust." Zi Yi said as she turned to face away from Izroth. Chapter 174 Forced Logou After talking for a while, Zi Yi chose to return to the library located within Amaharpe Pce. There were still arge number of books left for her to read. She had to get in as much reading as possible beforeter tonight due to the promise she made with her elder sister. During their small talk, Izroth tried to offer Zi Yi some gold as amission fee for helping him with the negotiation, however, she turned him down. Her excuse was that she was already within his debt and this was just a small way of repaying him. Of course, Izroth would not pursue the matter since her reason was well justified. But, he was not the type of person to let those who assisted him go unrewarded. Therefore, he told himself that he would not allow Zi Yi to use the same excuse next time. Izroth briefly visited the auction house to convert the 25,000 gold coins he received from Mariposa into RMB. It had not been that long since hisst visit to the auction house and so the exchange rate was still 1:842. After the conversion fee was taken out of the 21,050,000 RMB, Izroth was left with 18,945,000 RMB. Adding that to the previous amount of RMB Izroth earned, he now had 21,620,355 RMB in his bank ount! When he finished up at the auction house, Izroth decided to take a trip to Amaharpe¡¯s Pce. It was not that he had any business there, but rather it was the perfect ce to go without having to worry about any potential distractions. One of the NPC servants of the pce escorted him to a room on the first floor used to receive a guest. ¡¯This ce will do.¡¯ Izroth removed a total of four items from his inventory. The Sword of The Storm, True World Treasure Chest, and two Rare Item Treasure Chest. Name: Rare Item Treasure Chest(Soulbound) Rank: Rare Usage: Contains a single Rare item inside. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Name: True World Treasure Chest(Soulbound) Rank: True World Usage: Contains a single preserved relic of the True World. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Just as Izroth was about to review the Sword of The Storm, all of his items immediately returned to his inventory. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Warning! yer device is experiencing interference with temperature control and venttion monitoring features.¡µ Izroth concentrated for a brief moment and noticed that his body in the outside world felt strangely warm. However, it was such a miniscule change that he would not have noticed if he did not actively search for it. This was due to how much more resilient his body waspared to mortals from cultivating the Heavenly Golden Body physique. ¡´System Alert: yer Carbon Monoxide levels are at critical levels! System override, engaging forced logout for yer Izroth. Protocol Alpha-5381 activated. Potential Hazard: Protocol Alpha-5095 activated.¡µ ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Before Izroth had the chance to do anything else, his character vanished from within RML. ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has logged out.¡µ ... One hour ago in the real world at the main Dragon Stone gang¡¯s headquarters... "Breaker, you better have some good news for me. I¡¯m in no mood to hear anything but good news." A big and roundly shaped man spoke from the chair located behind the desk. That man had on an expensive looking suit with golden rings on each one of his fingers. He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, however, one would have a hard time separating the fat from the wrinkles on his body. His hair was slicked back and ck in color with streaks of gray. At the moment, he had a vicious and angered expression on his face. He was still in a bad mood after receiving news that someone dared to attack one of his hideouts. Did they no longer have the will to live? "Boss Marian, I¡¯ve found a lead. After digging around a bit and questioning those ipetent fools, I¡¯ve managed to find out something quite interesting." Breaker said. He was a very handsome man within his thirties with a thin yet fit build, neatly kept blonde hair and piercing baby blue eyes. "Those fools ruined our trade route in that area. Now, even if the boys at the department wanted to cover it up, it won¡¯t be possible. We have to find a way to get that route back on track as soon as possible or we risk losing millions! Tell me, who is the one behind all of this? Is it Bones and his people?" Marian said. "No, that was the first thing I made sure of. There have been no movements from Bones and his people that would suggest that they had anything to do with this. In fact, the movements behind this entire situation are strange. No matter how many people I question, in the end, they say that it was only one man." Breaker exined. "Ah, yes I¡¯ve heard about him. They¡¯re already calling him the Phantom Reaper. What a joke!" Marian grabbed onto a drinking ss that was ced onto his desk and tossed it towards Breaker. Breaker did not move to try and avoid it as the ss struck the ground next to him and shattered. He then snapped his fingers as one of the servants rushed over to clean up the mess. This scene was not anything umon when Marian was angry and so Breaker was used to dealing with it. "I also believed that it is a bit far fetched that one man caused so much damage alone. However, when everything else has no evidence to back it up we have to take believe whatever is left over, no matter how unlikely, as the truth. That¡¯s why what I¡¯m going to say next may seem a little crazy." Breaker said. "Crazy? Stop wasting my time, Breaker! Do you have a name or not?!" Marian asked as he grew impatient with Breaker¡¯s endless rambling. "Yes. It¡¯s only a small chance, but even if we¡¯re wrong there is no price to pay for it. I have a way to verify the information and potentially lure this so-called Phantom Reaper to us." Breaker replied. "Then do whatever you have to do. I don¡¯t care if you have to tear this city apart piece by piece. I want whoever is behind this to pay!" Marian said with a darkened expression. "Understood." Breaker gave a slight bow out of respect before turning to leave the room. ... "Reilei, you can take off after you finish thatst table!" A woman shouted from across the restaurant. "Yes!" Reilei replied as she moved swiftly to finish up her remaining task. She had kept her promise to Izroth and quit two of her jobs. Now, she only had one job and worked normal hours. It had been so long since Reilei had actual free time to herself that she did not know what to do with it. She felt more energized, rested, and just by looking at her one would feel as like a refreshing wave washed over them. "Hey, have you noticed how Reilei smiles more often these days?" One of the employees at the restaurant asked. "Really? I hadn¡¯t noticed." The other employee responded in a sarcastic manner. "Maybe she finally got a man in her life?" The first employee said. "That would certainly ex-" As the other employee was responding, she heard a loud voice yell from behind her. "Hey! Stop cking off and get back to work! I don¡¯t pay ya to stand around!" The manager of the restaurant, Benson, shouted as the employees scrambled back to work asughing a bit. "Reilei,e over here for a moment." Benson said. "Yes,ing." Reilei gave a polite bow to the customers at the table as she took her leave and went over to see what Benson wanted. "Is there something you need me to do, manager Benson?" Reilei asked. "No, I just wanted to let you know that you¡¯ve been doing an amazing job. I know that I can be a bit hard on you sometimes, but that¡¯s only because I have to put the interest of the restaurant before anything else. However, do not think that I am ignorant of your hard work in this ce." Benson said as he pulled out an envelope. He then continued, "This is from the owner of this establishment. You may not know this, but the number of customers that return to this ce because of your excellent service is groundbreaking. As a small token of appreciation, the owner has asked me to deliver this to your hands." Reilei blinked a few times before looking down at the envelope and taking it into her hands. "Go ahead, open it." Benson said with a rare smile on his face. Reilei nodded as she opened the envelope. She lightly gasped in shock when she discovered what was inside of the envelope. "Two days worth of pay with a small bonus included. I have already reorganized the schedule for your next two shifts, so enjoy your time off." Benson said before he returned to his other duties at hand. Reilei was still in a state of disbelief. It appeared thattely, her entire life has been slowly making a 180-degree turn. Atst, things were finally starting to look up and she could see an actual road ahead for the first time in many years. "Thank you." Reilei said as she gave a polite bow. She quickly wiped the happy tears that were about to fall from her eyes. After changing out of her work clothes and saying goodbye to everyone, Reilei began to make her way home. "Two days off, I wonder if Jin wants to go anywhere..." Reilei muttered to herself as she walked. Thest time she had a day off was when Jin was hospitalized. However, she wondered if it was possible to pull Jin away from that video game of his. But, Reilei had a look of determination on her face. She would definitely find a way to spend some time with Jin during this time off! A few momentster, Reilei entered into her apartment and the first thing she did was lightly knock on Jin¡¯s door before opening it. She saw him lying down peacefully on his bed with the virtual reality headset on as a smile found its way onto her face. Not wanting to disturb him, she gently closed the door and went towards her room. After taking a shower and getting settled in, Reilei turned off the lights and copse down onto her bed closing her eyes. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into a deep sleep. For the first time in a long time, she hadpletely let go of her worries. However, unbeknownst to Reilei, two figures were observing her apartment area. "Hey, are you sure about this dude?" One of the figures said as he saw the lights go off in the apartment. "Do you want to stay a simpleckey forever? I don¡¯t! You can chicken out, but don¡¯t expect me to share the credit with you!" The other figure said. The first figure appeared to be troubled, however, he soon nodded his head as he decided to go through it anyway. The two figures waited for around 45 minutes before finally making a move. "Let¡¯s go." The second figure said as he checked the surroundings. After seeing that no one was around, he moved towards the apartment. When he reached the front door, he removed a few lockpicking tools form his bag and got to work. It only took a few moments to open the door. The two figures peaked inside the apartment as they slowly opened the door and found that there was no one there as it waspletely silent. "Do it quietly." The second figure said as the first figured nodded and removed the bag from his back. As he gently set it down on the floor it opened up and one could see paint containers. However, a strong smell filled the air as he opened the lids of the paint containers. Inside the container was not paint as one would expect, but rather a foul-smelling liquid. It was gasoline! Chapter 175 Set Ablaze and Set Adrif ... Breaker was talking to someone on his cellphone as he was being chauffeured around in the back of a luxurious car. He soon removed the phone from his ear as set it down to his side. "Business call?" A man sitting across from Breaker asked. "It appears those two were able to aplish the task without trouble." Breaker responded. "Oh? I have to say, I¡¯m surprised you managed to find information so fast again. Well, I suppose that¡¯s why you¡¯re in your current position. Wanna tell me how you do it?" The man said with a smug grin on his face. "It¡¯s no big secret. If you know the right people and how to delegate properly, anything bes possible. However, it¡¯s all about having friends in ces you cannot imagine. Eventually, if you know the right people, you be the right person." Breaker said as he gazed outside of his car window. It was impossible to tell what was going through his mind at that moment. ... Sniff... Sniff... "Hm...? What¡¯s this smell...?" Reilei thought to herself as her eyes slowly opened. She was still in a sleepy dazed-like state and her vision was still a bit blurry from having just woken up. "Did I leave the lights on?" That was the first thought that crossed Reilei¡¯s mind when she saw an orangish-red hue of light creep in from beneath her door. Reilei suddenly began to cough uncontrobly and that was she snapped out of her sleepy dazed-like state and sat up in her bed. "Smoke?" Reilei said as she noticed a steady stream of ck smokeing from the other side of her door. As realization began to sink in and she was now fully aware of her surroundings, Reilei could that her body was drenched in sweat. Also, the entire house felt as if someone left the heater on in the middle of summer. When she heard a light crackling sounding from the other side of her door, she felt her heart drop. "Fire.. Jin!" Reilei immediately sprung up from her bed and rushed towards her room door as her coughing became increasingly violent. Thest time she checked, Izroth was still lying in his bed ying that video game. If that were the case, then he was in danger! Reilei grabbed her door handle but immediately regretted her decision as she felt an intense pain shoot up her entire body. "Ah!" Reilei instantly removed her hand from the doorknob as it shook constantly from the pain. One could see that the skin on the palm of her hands had been burnt from the heat build up on the doorknob. However, Reilei bit her lip and grabbed onto the doorknob again, but this time she did not let go and opened the door through the pain. She wanted to cry, but when she thought about Jin being in danger, everything else was tossed to the back of her mind as she fought through it. When the door opened, an intense wave of heat rushed towards Reilei as she moved her arm up instinctively to protect herself and pulled away slightly. The fire managed to singe some hair off her eyebrows and lightly burned the arm she used to protect herself with, however, it did not cause any serious damage. As Reilei entered into the hallway, she could barely see in front of her with all of the smoke and the mes spread out everywhere. Her mind raced as she locked her sights onto Izroth¡¯s room door that was located at the other end of the hallway. Reilei felt as if her lungs were about to copse as it was bing extremely difficult for her to breathe. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand as she carefully made her way down the hallway. She soon came before a wall of me that there was no way around. The only way for her to get to the other side was to go straight through it. "Jin..." Reilei had never been so frightened and scared in her life. Her body felt weakened and her brain was telling her to run away and just give up. But, there was one thing that made her press forward without any hesitation or regret. How could she ever continue to live in a world without her son, Jin? Reilei jumped through the wall of fire and as she did, she let out a loud scream. As her body passed through the wall of fire, Reilei¡¯s once perfect fair skin had burns marks all over it. Some of them were shallow, however, there were a few ces that would definitely leave scars. The lower parts of her hair had also been burnt off, but to her, it was all worth it. Due to the mixture between the intense level of pain and breathing in the smoke from the fire, Reilei felt her consciousness slowly slipping away. "I... Can¡¯t... Not yet..." Reilei sluggishly made her way to Jin¡¯s door as she was ovee by a violent fit of coughs. Her beautiful face was now covered with soot from the fire as she fell to her knees and copsed to the floor a bit before Izroth¡¯s room door. She reached towards the doorknob that led into Jin¡¯s room, but her body was going against her at every turn. "Move...! Please, I beg you move!" Reilei thought to herself as tears began to pour down her face. She felt as if her heart was going to shatter into countless little pieces. She felt her heart rate speeding up and the world around her went quiet. All she could hear now was the sound of her own rapidly beating heart. Reilei could feel her chest tightening as her fingers grazed against the doorknob that led into Jin¡¯s room before she lost all the strength in her body and her arm fell down. "Jin, I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m so sorry... Sorry..." Reilei could only keep muttering the word sorry as she felt something in her mind snap. She slowly started to drift out of consciousness as stayed motionless on the floor. Her thoughts slowly became meshed up together as shepletely lost consciousness. The mes in the apartment continued to burn and devour everything within its sights. ... ¡¯My body is filled with some impurities. There¡¯s an abundance of smoke within this room.¡¯ Jin had just been forcibly logged out of RML when he noticed that some impurities had found their way into his body. However, it was nothing to be troubled since his Heavenly Golden Body physique was more than capable of expelling any impurity build ups. ¡¯Fire?¡¯ Jin immediately recognized the source of the smoke was from a fire burning just outside his room door. Thump! He suddenly heard the sound of something dropping onto the floor. It sounded like someone had fallen down without control. If it was someone falling down, then there was only one possible person it could be. Jin swiftly jumped out of his bed and rushed towards the door. When he opened it, he was weed by an intense wave of heat. However, he remained unaffected by it as he witnessed the entire apartment being engulfed by mes. When he looked down he noticed the injured Reilei copsed on the floor with burn marks all over her body. The palm of her once delicate hands was now red with some of the flesh peeled off due to the fire. From her current appearance, Jin could tell that she must have rushed over towards his room without thinking about her own safety. Without thinking twice, he picked up Reilei and quickly moved towards the front door. He did not bother opening the door as he lifted his foot up and crashed it into the door sending it flying off its hinges. As he did so and passed through the door all in one breath, he noticed a small piece of metal float by his field of vision. Judging from the trajectory it traveled, as well as, the way he kicked the door down, that metal piece should havee from the top corner area of the door. However, such a piece had never been ced there before ording to his memory. Also from its shape alone, its purpose was quite clear. It was an object meant to jam the door and prevent those who wanted to get out from escaping. There was a scary glint that shed across Jin¡¯s eyes as he sessfully left the apartment building. From the streets, one could see the cloud of ck smoke and the light from the fire. In the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard as firetrucks and police cars were approaching the residence. There were people outside on the streets taking pictures with their phones and talking to one another. The residents located in the other apartments had already evacuated. There should not have been anyone left inside and if there was, they should not have been able to escape from that intense ze from down below. "Why didn¡¯t the fire rms or sprinkler systems go off?!" One of the tenants wasining to the manager. One could tell that he was furious. "We just did a fire drill testst week. Everything should have been working just fine!" The building manager tried to exin, however, he truly had no idea what could have gone wrong. When they saw that someone had actuallye out of the burning building they were in shock. However, before they could, even more, over to help, the young man who was carrying a woman was already at a safe distance. Fast! They had never seen anyone move so fast in their life from one point to another. When Jin reached a safe distance from the apartment building, he lowered his ear to Reilei¡¯s mouth and then to her chest area. A few secondster, a darkened expression appeared on his face. Not only was Reilei not breathing, but her heart hade to aplete stop! Jin quickly moved his finger and pressed down on a few acupuncture points. Not too long after he did, a steady stream of ck smoke could be seen leaving Reilei¡¯s body through the pores on her skin. However, although Izroth managed to fix one problem, another one still existed. Reilei had suffered some severe burns and her the state of her mind was not in good condition. Also, even though he had cleared the ck smoke out of her body, her heartbeat remained unchanged. ¡¯I will not allow you to die.¡¯ Jin closed his eyes to concentrate as a small pure white orb the size of a marble formed at his fingertip. However, those around him were incapable of seeing that orb due to what it was, a soul! To be more precise, it was a piece of his very own soul. After the orb appeared at his fingertip, a small stream of blood could be seen falling from the side of Izroth¡¯s mouth. Although he made it look simple, breaking off a piece of one¡¯s own soul was like tearing off your very own limb, except it was thousands of times more painful. However, he made an important promise that he did not n on breaking, no matter the price he had to pay for it. ¡¯Removing a piece of my own soul was more taxing at my current level of strength than I thought it would be. I have to act fast.¡¯ The crowd gathered around Jin and Reilei but kept their distance. Many of them shook their head and let out a sigh. They felt pity for the young man and the woman, but there was nothing they could do. "Help is on its way young man. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure everything will be fine." One of the people in the crowd said trying to give some hope to Jin. Jin lightly pressed his fingertip against Reilei¡¯s forehead. The orb at his fingertip sunk into Reilei¡¯s head as a powerful surge of energy coursed throughout her entire body. He then pressed down on a few more acupuncture points and controlled the flow of energy within Reilei¡¯s body. If he was not careful, the sudden rush of energy from his soul could tear her body apart. Reilei remained motionless as help arrived on the scene atst. When one of the firefighters saw the crowd and noticed that there were a young man and a woman who appeared to be injured by the fire, he approached them. When the firefighter saw the woman, he already knew that it was toote for her. But, it was still his job to make sure that no stone was left unturned. "Young man, let me have a look at-" The firefighter was about to touch Jin¡¯s shoulder, however, he felt an overwhelming pressure weigh down on him. "Do not interfere." Jin said in a cold voice as the firefighter stumbled backward. It was not that Jin had anything against him, but he could not afford to have someone interfere at such a delicate stage in the process. Jin furrowed his brows as the energy continued to course through Reilei¡¯s body, however, there was still no response and her pulse continued tlining. Finally, all of the energy within Reilei¡¯s body slowly faded away. Chapter 176 Reileis Fate Jin rested his hand against Reilei¡¯s forehead as the energy faded from within her body. The crowd that was gathered nearby shook their heads as they could see that the young man was reluctant to let the woman go. However, there was nothing that could be done now. "That young man must be devastated... His mother was the only family he had left." One of the building tenants said. He lived in the apartment buildings for quite some time now and had run into the two on a few asions. They never caused any trouble and always said hello when passing by. "Aye, to die so young and before one¡¯s time is a shame in and of itself..." An old man who saw Reilei¡¯s motionless body lowered their head. Jin, however, did not pay any attention to the surroundings whispers and murmurs. At the moment, he had his gaze set on Reilei as if he were waiting for something to happen. The sounds of the sirens and firefighters rushing to put out the mes were drowned out by Jin¡¯s high level of concentration. A few momentster, something shocking and unbelievable took ce that made nearly everyone present jump back in shock. Cough! Cough! "It¡¯s a miracle!" One of the people in the crowd said without even realizing it. The others were left speechless by what they had just witnessed. Even the firefighter who was paralyzed in ce due to the overwhelming pressure that descended upon him was in disbelief. It should not have been possible for her to still be alive! Reilei, who was lying motionless just a little while ago, was now coughing and gasping for air as if her lungs werepletely empty. As her eyes shot open, she began to panic and all she could see was an intense zing inferno everywhere she looked. "No, Jin! Jin!" Reilei started to scream and yell as she iled her arms wildly. From the look in her eyes, one could tell that she was terrified. It was like she was still within that burning hallway trying to make it to Jin¡¯s room. "I¡¯m right here, mother." Jin said as he tried to grab her hand and calm her down. However, to Reilei, it was not Jin before her but a monster made out of pure mes. Everywhere she looked, everyone and everything was made up of mes. "No! No no no no no! Jin... Jin..." Reilei held her head as her entire body began to shake in fear as she curled up when she saw that ming hand headed right towards her. Jin narrowed his eyes as he quickly struck a few pressure points which in turn caused Reilei to calm down and fall into a deep sleep. ¡¯The experience must have been a greater shock than I realized. She should physically be fine after a few days of rest. Thetent energy within her body will help speed up the healing process. However...¡¯ Jin furrowed his brows. He was concerned about the current state of Reilei¡¯s mental health. While it may just be a temporary side effect of the built-up stress from physical and mental exhaustion, he was unwilling to risk any potential long term damage. From his memories, he knew that there professionals in this world who may be able to deal with something like this, however, the sess rate of such a thing was less than desirable. Jin instantly cleared his mind as he believed he was getting too far ahead of himself. In truth, he had already made up his mind on what to do. ¡¯There¡¯s no need to question my methods just because my strength is currentlycking. Since this worldcks spiritual essence, the possibility of spirit herbs growing in this environment is zero. I¡¯ll have to resort to other means.¡¯ Jin had given it much thought and believed that now was the perfect opportunity to do so since a part of his own soul was now inside of Reilei. If before Reilei¡¯s soul was just a ball of dust, now it was like a ss sphere the size of a fist. There was still an abundance of soul energy buried deep within her body, however, if she tried to absorb it all at once with her current physique it would tear her to pieces. Therefore, the remaining amount of soul energy was dormant and would only resurface as Reilei¡¯s physique became more durable. But, there was just one problem. Even if Reilei trained her physique to the peak level, in the end, she was still a mortal. At best, she would only be able to absorb around 5% of the soul energy within her body. While this would help with the overall recovery, there would still be scar marks left behind by the mes. Jin could not allow her to carry around such unpleasant memories that would be carved into her very body as a reminder of this day. ¡¯She is still unable to learn the Heavenly Golden Body physique, even with the recent increase of her soul strength. Hm... That may just work.¡¯ Although Reilei was not suited to learn the Heavenly Golden Body physique, he still possessed a vast knowledge of different physiques. There was one physique, in particr, that would be perfect for Reilei known as the Eight Lunar Cycles physique. While it was nowhere near as powerful as the Heavenly Golden Body physique that Jin used, it was still in another league of its ownpared to the average physique. ¡¯Even though it will be impossible to train it to a level of perfection, it should be possible to reach the Fourth Cycle naturally over time.¡¯ The other reason Jin chose this physique was due to the unique nature of how one cultivated it. To advance further using the Eight Lunar Cycles physique, one¡¯s body needed to absorb the energy released by moonlight or something containing a powerful source of Yin energy. Of course, finding a source that possessed a massive amount of Yin energy in this realm was next to impossible. Therefore, Reilei would have to rely on the natural moonlight to cultivate the physique. There was another upside to this and that was the fact that she would bepletely unaware of the physique itself. Naturally, it would extend her lifespan and make it so that she was stronger than regr mortals, but that was something to worry about for another time. Jin immediately got to work and borrowed some of thetent soul energy within Reilei¡¯s body. He used the soul energy as a jumpstart to cleanse and open the blocked meridian pathways by channeling it through various areas. ¡¯What heavy impurities...¡¯ Even though Jin had expelled some impurities from her body earlier, that was different from what was currently blocking her meridian pathways. However, it was to be expected given theck of spiritual essence in this realm, as well as the fact that Reilei had never cultivated a single day in her life. A few momentster, Reilei¡¯s body that was shaking just moments ago stopped doing so. The previous expression on her face as if she were having a terrible nightmare had also vanished and was reced by one of peace. Jin¡¯s face was slightly pale by the time he finished. However, that was just due to continuously pushing his soul too far in such a short period of time. Although it was powerful, the soul was still the most delicate thing a cultivator possessed. Having torn a piece of it away from himself and then go on to use it as a way to imnt the Eight Lunar Cycles physique into Reilei¡¯s body, if it were any other cultivator such a thing would not have been possible. ¡¯I need to rest for a bit to recuperate.¡¯ Jin then stood to his feet and walked over towards the firefighter who offered to help earlier. The firefighter had a strange expression on his face. Maybe it was just all in his head, but he felt that the person before him was different somehow. "My mother needs medical attention. Will you see to it?" Jin said in a calm tone of voice. The firefighter was dumbfounded at first, however, he soon snapped out of it when he remembered he had a job to do. "Of course, young man." The firefighter called over the medics who had arrived on the scene as they rushed over with a stretcher. Jin gently ced Reilei onto the stretcher and allowed the medics to treat her. Of course, he had already treated the serious issues, but he needed Reilei to be somece safe for the time being. After all, he had a pressing matter to take care of now that she was no longer in any immediate danger. ¡¯She should remain unconscious for about three days.¡¯ One of the medics offered to treat Jin, however, he turned them down. He was not injured, it was just hard to tell due to the soot covering certain parts of his body, as well as, some pieces of his clothing that were burnt off. As he thought back to that metal piece he saw earlier and the unnatural spread of the fire, his facial expression darkened. He did not know who, but someone had made a move against not just him, but someone he promised to protect. That was uneptable. However, the only people who would have a reason for doing something like this was the Dragon Stone gang. But he was careful to conceal his true identity, how could they have possibly linked anything to him? It just didn¡¯t make any sense no matter how he thought about it. However, it was the most logical exnation he coulde up with. After all, no one else held such a deep grudge against him or Reilei that they would wish for their deaths. ¡¯I am certain of one thing, this fire was not an ident. I will find out who is behind this and once I do...¡¯ A cold glint shed through Jin¡¯s eyes. At the moment, there was not a single thought of mercy that crossed his mind. Once he found the people who did this there was only one oue for them, death. ... Around two dayster... It waste into the night with a full moon lurking in the sky above just behind the clouds. "Aw, can¡¯t you stay a bit longer?" A woman said in an alluring voice as she tried to convince the two men leaving the room to stay. "Heh, then why don¡¯t yae back to our ce for a good time? We¡¯ll make it worth your while ya know?" One of the men who were obviously intoxicated said with arge grin on his face. "See? I told ya this would take your mind off things. You worry too much." The other man said to his friend. They were the same two men that lit Jin¡¯s apartment on fire. At the moment, they were in a certain establishment celebrating and rxing after having received their payment today. Also as a bonus, their positions in the Dragon Stone gang had risen! Even though they could not be considered important members, at the very least, they were no longer mereckeys. The woman giggled and behaved in a coy manner as she locked her arms with the man who asked her to apany them. The woman moved her lips close to the man¡¯s ear and whispered softly inside, "I¡¯ll have to take you up on that offer." "We¡¯re leaving!" The man said in an excited and energized voice. He was ready to leave this ce and head back to the hotel they were currently staying in. As the two men and the woman left the establishment, they failed to notice a pair of eyes locked onto them in the distance. These eyes were cold and not a shred of mercy lingered around inside of them. ¡¯I¡¯ve found you.¡¯ Chapter 177 Insignia ... Around two days earlier... Jin stood inside of the apartment building with a calm expression on his face. Even though the fire had already been taken care of by the firefighters, everything inside of the building itself had either turned to ashes or was badly damaged by the mes. After a brief investigation, the firefighters came to a swift conclusion that the cause of the fire was gasoline. Not only was it obvious from the strong smell, but the unnatural way that the fire spread and was concentrated mostly in one specific apartment unit, it was not difficult to piece together. They informed Jin that they would inform the proper authorities andunch a full investigation, but he had ns of his own. ¡¯If it truly is Dragon Stone that¡¯s behind this then there¡¯s no chance that the investigation would make it far.¡¯ Although he did not have any proof, it was the only lead he could follow. Also, they were the only ones who had a motive. Of course, there was always a chance that they were just the random target of a crazy arsonist, however, that was an extremely low possibility. Jim reached down to pick up the small metal piece that flew by him when he kicked the door down to leave the burning apartment. As he examined the object, Jin noticed a small insignia in the shape of a dagger carved into it. ¡¯I recognize this insignia.¡¯ Now, he had a proper lead and a visible trail to follow instead of blindly chasing around for answers. The insignia itself was barely discernable, however, you could tell that it was definitely made by human hands, not a machine. Jin used to y a space-based MMO called Star Gctic Empires when he was still in high school. He logged thousands of hours on that game and it was one of his more hardcore gaming phases where he focused solely on one game. Some people at his high school who were into the same game as Jin told him about some guy who sold authentic SGE merchandise for a cheap price. Of course, at the time, Jin was not in the best of financial situations and could not afford to purchase such things at their regr prices. Even though it sounded a little shady, he still chose to pay the guy a visit on the off chance that what he heard was true. Indeed, Jin did receive some SGE merchandise for a cheap price, however, when he got home and opened it he realized after examining it for a while that he had been scammed. It was nearly a perfect copy, but Jin spotted some odd about the item. If he did not use a magnifying ss to examine it, he would have never seen a small dagger insignia carved into it. At first, Jin did not want to believe it and did some extensive research, but he soon found out that he was not mistaken. No matter where he searched the item up online and erged the image, he did not see a dagger insignia on it. After searching around through various localized forums, Jin came across a message board that spoke about a person referred to as Joking Dagger. What else did he see on the message board? The same exact dagger insignia that was on the SGE merchandise! Apparently, this guy called Joking Dagger had quite the reputation. He was an artist of sorts who mostly did replicas of things, but he also owned a sketchy forge. It was called sketchy because of the people that were constantly going in and out of it at times. Artist or craftsman often left marks on their works so that others would know that they were the one who created it. It was obvious that Joking Dagger was not afraid of his work being found out. Jin was shocked that someone like him had the audacity to run a business in the open. Many of the other people on the forums had been duped by Joking Dagger and his craftsmanship. However, no one wanted to directly confront him because of some rumors of his ties with some shady people. Jin cursed under his breath but, in the end, he decided against going back to confront him. He chose to simply suffer in silence as he did not want to risk putting himself in harm¡¯s way. After all, he had experienced enough confrontations while at school. ¡¯ording to my most recent memories, that ce should still be there. If he¡¯s tied to a group of shady people, I have a good idea about their identity.¡¯ Jin stepped outside of the apartment and turned to look back once more at the mess that was created. He was determined to find whoever was responsible for this and made them wish that they had never existed. Jin used his Light Feather Steps movement technique and made his way towards Joking Dagger¡¯s shop. ... A few minutester, Jin stood in front of a small building with no windows and smokeing out of a chimney located out back. ¡¯I¡¯ll find out who purchased "Move it you¡¯re in the way kid!" A burly man barked as he purposely bumped into Jin as he made his way to the door. Meanwhile, inside the store, an intimidating group of men was taking to the man behind the counter. "Yo, did ya finish what I asked for yet?" One of the men in the group asked. "Heh, when do I ever not finish on time? Don¡¯t worry, I already have it packed up and ready to g-" As the man behind the counter was talking, he heard a loud breaking and crashing sound followed by the sound of something heavy mming onto the floor. Everything went silent. When the man behind the counter looked towards the door he was dumbfounded. The entire door had basically been blown to smithereens! His eyes then naturally drifted over to see a burly man lying unconscious on the floor with his eyes rolled back and foaming from the mouth. "Hammer!" One of the men in the group said in a surprised tone of voice when they recognized the person lying on the floor. Jin slowly stepped into the building as he swept his cold gaze across the members present. Everyone set their sights on Jin, who had just entered, with confused expressions written all over their faces. They were waiting to see what managed to send someone asrge as Hammer straight through a door and halfway across the room. However, to their surprise, nothing or no one else appeared after Jin. One of the men in the group frowned and said, "Brat, did you see what or who did this?" "Joking Dagger, we need to talk." Jinpletely ignored the man who spoke to him. In turn, this enraged the man and caused him to strut over in Jin¡¯s direction with his chest out. He tried to intimidate Jin with his posture, but he ended up looking like nothing more than a clown to Jin. The man stopped directly in front of Jin and got close up in his face. "Hey, you deaf brat?! If I ask you a question you answer it with no hesitation. You have a death wish of somethin¡¯?" The man said as he reached out to grab Jin by his shirt cor. "You¡¯re in the way." Jin said as his hand appeared to blur out for a brief moment. Before he could eveny a finger on Jin, the man felt a sudden rush of paining from his abdomen area. The next thing he remembered was taking a simr trip across the room as Hammer. The man flew away from Jin and crashed into a table on the other side of the room. He was knocked out cold! Everyone in the room was shocked! They did not see anything except a body flying across the room. It was starting to seem like some kind of practical joke at this point. After all, who would willingly believe that someone that size could knock people back such a far distance? Jin was already infinitely close to breaking through to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique and so his physical strength and attributes were monstrous. Also, it increased the amount of control he had over every part of his body. Jin then turned his attention to the person behind the counter. He recognized that person from his memories as the person who sold fake SGE merchandise. At the moment, the man called Joking Dagger was slowly trying to retreat to the door behind the counter. It was clear that he did not want to get involved and would leave things to those suited for the task. After the initial shock was over, anger started to slowly rece the feeling of disbelief. Who was this brat toe in here and start asking questions after being so disrespectful? Did he not know where he was? "Brat, you have no idea who you¡¯re dealing with. But, I¡¯m in a good mood today so I¡¯ll give you a way out besides in a body bag. First, you¡¯ll kneel and beg for forgiveness and then we¡¯ll just break both of your arms. Since you¡¯re young, we¡¯ll show a bit of mercy and let you keep your legs." The man who appeared to be the leader of the group said. Jin took one step and before the man knew it he was already right in front of him. The man was stunned as he reacted on pure instinct and swung his fist at Jin. He was just standing by the doorway, how did he get so close that fast?! Jin moved his index finger to intercept the man¡¯s fist and lightly flicked it with his finger. CRRRRACK! The sound was something breaking and snapping rung throughout the room. Just as the man was getting ready to yell out in pain, he soon joined the same pile as Hammer and the other man who approached Jin earlier. One move! Every single person who said anything or approached him had immediately regretted doing so! By this point, no one dared to look down on Jin. The one named Joking Dagger was terrified out of his mind. Who had he offended to attract such a vicious enemy? Jin disappeared from the spot he stood in which left everyone in a dazed-like state. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! A few momentster, the sound of bodies hitting the floor nonstop echoed inside of the room. In the end, there were only two people left remaining, Jin and Joking Dagger. Everything was over in less than a single breath! "What do you want? Money? Items? You can take it! Just don¡¯t hurt me!" Joking Dagger said as he slowly reached under the counter. "Where are the people you sold this item to?" Jin ignored Joking Dagger¡¯s plea and tossed the small metal piece he picked up earlier on the counter in front of Joking Dagger. "That piece? Yeah, I know who I sold that piece to but... Why should I tell it to a dead man?!" Joking Dagger pulled out a handgun he had hidden under his counter for protection and started to aim it towards Jin. However, just as Joking Dagger was getting ready to pull the trigger, he felt something cold press up against his chin that made him instinctively freeze in ce. It took a moment for his brain to process that the very gun he was getting ready to fire was now aimed to blow his own head off! Moreover, he was the one getting ready to do it! Did he really almost just walk himself into the doors of death willingly? Jin moved in and struck a few pressure points which caused Joking Dagger¡¯s body to be stiff and paralyzed. At the same time, he positioned the gun that was originally aimed towards him, up towards Joking Dagger¡¯s own head. The only part of Joking Dagger¡¯s body that Jin did not paralyze was the very tip of his trigger finger. "I will not ask the same question twice, answer." Jin said in a calm voice. However, to Joking Dagger, that voice might as well belong to a demon. "Guys! Two guys dropped by and picked it up earlier today! Said they needed it for some extra security! I don¡¯t know where they are though, I swear!" Joking Dagger said as tears began to stream from his face as fear had long since sunk in. "You have three seconds. One..." Jin counted in an unhurried manner. "They¡¯ll kill me if they found out I helped you! Please, I¡¯m begging you don¡¯t do this!" Joking Dagger pleaded. "Two..." Jin continued to count without a shred of sympathy in his eyes. "Do you really want to go up against the Dragon Stone gang?! You¡¯ll die you know!" Joking Dagger said with a shaky voice. "Thr-" "I¡¯ll talk! I really don¡¯t know where they are, but a lot of members of Dragon Stone go to the Secret Lotus Pce in their spare time! You can probably find them there! I swear! Don¡¯t kill me, please don¡¯t kill me!" Joking Dagger would rather take his chances. After all, if he remained silent then this person looked as if they would not have hesitated to act on their threat. ¡¯Secret Lotus Pce?¡¯ "You have my thanks. As a reward for your assistance, I will not take your life." Jin said as he turned to walk out of the building. Joking Dagger was relieved. But when he noticed that he could still not move after Jin walked away he yelled out, "Wait! You can¡¯t just leave me here like this!" His finger started to cramp up and shake slightly from the overwhelming amount of fear. Jin exited the building and pulled out his cellphone he kept in his pocket to search up the location of the Secret Lotus Pce. ording to the information he found on the ce, it was in simple words a hostess club. ¡¯Dragon stone gang, this time I will be sure to pull you up from the roots.¡¯ POW! As Jin walked away from the building, the sound of a single gunshot sounded off. ... ¡¯I¡¯ve found you.¡¯ After a bit more digging around for two days and using the collected information provided by Joking Dagger, Jin had finally located the two individuals responsible for starting the fire and attempted to burn them alive. Now, they were having a good time without any remorse. Although he nned on going against the entire Dragon Stone gang, the main culprits still had to pay for their actions. Jin stood on the rooftop to a building staring down at the two men and one woman exiting the Secret Lotus Pce. At the moment, they appeared to be heading towards one of the nearby hotels. ¡¯You two have not only made a move against me but also endangered the person I swore to protect. For that, there is only one price to be paid.¡¯ Jin suddenly vanished from the rooftops leaving no trace of himself behind in the process. Chapter 178 Breakers Hidden Agenda A few momentster, the three individuals checked into one of the nearby hotels and quickly made their way up to the room. As they did, the employee who stood behind the check-in counter suddenly felt a cold breeze rush past her which caused her to shiver. "There¡¯s a really bad draft in here." The employee said to herself as she shook her head. "I¡¯m going to go freshen up a bit. In the meantime, don¡¯t go anywhere." The woman said in an alluring voice as she stepped into the restroom after entering into their assigned room. Not too long after she did, the sound of running shower water could be hearding from the other side of the door. "Heh, this is the life. You put in the work and you get paid. That¡¯s why I could never give this up, Bai Hui." One of the men said with arge smirk on his face. "I told you that it would all work out in the end. You should trust in this big brother of yours more often, Yan He." The man called Bai Hui responded. "Big brother? Ha, who was it that saved you from all those guys jumping you back then?" Yan He said as he yfully punched Bai Hui¡¯s shoulder. "Yeah, well who was it that saved you from Hell Fist back in high school?" Bai Hui said as he burst into a fit ofughter. "Hahaha, those were the good days! Nobody dared to mess with us after that. That¡¯s also when that guy from the Dragon Stone gang came to recruit us." Yan He said. The two continued to reminisce about the past for a couple of minutes as they waited. "You know, it was actually more fun than I thought it would be burning a ce to the ground. I kinda understand why some people do it just for fun." Bai Hui said. "I guess it was kinda like a fire show. Think that¡¯s something people would pay to see?" Yan He asked. "Who knows? I¡¯m sure there are some rich people desperate enough for that form of entertainment. You know, they always like crazy and brutal things like in those movies." Bai Hui said. As Bai Hui spoke, the door leading into the restroom slowly cracked open. When it did, both Yan He and Bai Hui immediately stopped talking and looked over in the direction of the restroom door. They both hadrge excited grins on their faces. "It took you a while to freshen up. Are you trying to be a tease by making us wait?" Bai Hui said. There was a look in his eyes as if he were ready to leap up and pounce on the woman as soon as she walked out. However, when he saw who exited the door, he could not help but rub his eyes as if he were seeing things. He did not see a beautiful woman scarcely wrapped in a simple bath towel, but rather, he saw the blurry image of a young man. "Woah, I really did have too much to drink." Bai Hui muttered to himself as he shook his head. "Yo Yan He, you seeing this? Yan He? Hey, are you lost for words or something?" Bai Hui said as he turned his head to look at Yan He who was giving him the silent treatment. However, what came into his sight caused his entire face to turn deathly pale. "Yan He!" Bai Hui yelled in surprise as he was frozen in ce by the sight of Yan He helplessly gasping for air. At the moment, Yan He was holding onto his throat as a steady stream of red liquid could be seen pouring uncontrobly from his neck. Yan He tried to speak, but was unable to do so and would simply cough up blood every time he attempted it. He grabbed onto Bai Hui with a look of fear and disbelief in his eyes, he did not want to die. "I gotta call someone. Someone... A person." Bai Hui was still under the influence and so his train of thought was all over the ce. He was trying to find his phone to call for help, however, he soon heard a cold voice sound out from the other side of the room. "You appear to enjoy the misfortunate of others but not yourself. There are some people that deserve no second chances." The voice said. The voice belonged to the figure who just stepped out of the restroom, Jin. After he heard their room number, he had already left ahead of them to arrive first. When the woman entered the bathroom, Jin immediately struck her pressure point and put her to sleep. After that, Jin ran the shower water to make it seem as if she were taking simply tiding up. Originally, he nned on extracting information the old fashion way, through a simple means of interrogation and the threat of death. Even if their fate was already sealed and there was no way for them to escape a death sentence, there was still a chance for them in the next life. However, Jin no longer had any such reservations after hearing their talk about how they enjoyed it as if it were some type of show for entertainment. "Wha-" Before Bai Hui could say a single word, Jin¡¯s hand was already pressed against his throat. Bai Hui gasped for air and struggled to try to break free of Jin¡¯s grip, but it was too strong. No matter what he did, the grip on his neck did not loosen even the slightest of bits. Soon after, he began to lose the ability to struggle as his vision was turning dark. Bai Hui had no idea what he did to deserve such a cruel attack. He wanted to plead for his life, but no words escaped from his mouth. Jin no longer wasted any time as tapped his finger on Bai Hui¡¯s forehead. He chose to use the most frowned upon, but effective, method that was designed specifically to extract information by cultivators in the Seven Realms, Soul Searching. The reason that Soul Searching was frowned upon was due to the irreversible side effects it had on the chosen target, the total destruction of their soul. Even if one died, they would still be able to go experience the reincarnation cycle and eventually be reborn. However, this was not possible without a soul. If one¡¯s soul was destroyed, then there was no reincarnation cycle. They would experience what was known as a "True Death" in the Seven Realms. No longer would that person be able to enter the reincarnation cycle and they would simply disappear for all eternity. Of course, if one¡¯s soul was powerful enough, they could resist the Soul Searching technique. But, in this world thatcked spiritual essence, one could never truly develop a strong soul enough to resist. Not to mention, the person currently using the technique was someone with monstrous soul energy. Jin, however, did not have a shred of remorse for his actions. A few momentster, Bai Hui¡¯s body began to rapidly age as his hair turned gray and his skin shriveled up and formed wrinkles. Just a couple of seconds after that, Bai Hui turned into dust. Bai Hui no longer existed in this world and he would never do so again! Afterpleting the Soul Searching on Bai Hui, Jin he did the same thing to Yan He before thest bit of life could leave his body. With his strong soul, he had no issues sorting through all the information he received. ¡¯Their main headquarters is actually located in such an open area?¡¯ There was a saying that hiding in in sight was often the best choice, however, this was a bit too much in in sight. Either they were extremely idiotic or had enough influence that they simply did not care. ¡¯Before I head there, there are a few other things I have to take care of first. After all, it would be impolite if I simply went over empty-handed.¡¯ Jin walked over to the side door that led to a small balcony outside. He jumped down from inside the hotel room and soon disappeared into the night like a phantom. ... Somewhere at a fancy restaurant located in the more high-ss social area of the city, Breaker sat at a table with a group of men discussing some business. At the moment, the entire ce was empty besides the twenty men sitting at therge table. If anyone saw these people gathered together in one ce, they would be shocked. The reason was that some of them were powerful and influential politicians, while others were well known to have various ties to some dangerous criminal organizations. There were even some corporate heavyweights in the business world present at the table. "Breaker, I heard that the K route base was hit by someone. I assume that it will not dy the promise you¡¯ve made to me and mypany, correct?" One of the men at the table said. He wore an expensive looking suit and appeared to be in histe forties. "There¡¯s no need to worry Mr. Tao, it was nothing more than a minor setback that is already being taken care of, you have my word." Breaker said as he raised his wine ss and took a sip from it calmly. "Right, right. Wasn¡¯t there some rumors going around about some Ghost Demon or something?" "Oh, you must mean that Phantom Reaper character. Tell us Breaker, are the rumors true? Does this Phantom Reaper person actually exist? If he does, who is he working for?" "I assure you gentlemen, that Phantom Reaper nonsense if nothing more than a baseless rumor meant to discredit us. The attack was definitely nned carefully with multiple people ying key roles. I have already found some leads, but I assure you that there is no such thing as a Phantom Reaper." Breaker said in confidence in his voice. "Bah, I knew it. After all, one man doing that much damage alone? What a joke!" Breaker kept a natural and calm outer appearance, however, he knew that this Phantom Reaper person was indeed real. But, one man taking out an entire Dragon Stone hideout alone was not a good look for them and so he would obviously keep the truth to himself. The people at this table were all vicious wolves who looked to exploit any possible situation that would further benefit their own self-interest. Breaker was not about to hand them a free card to do so. A few momentster, one of the restaurant servers came over and whispered something into Breaker¡¯s ear. "Are you positive?" Breaker asked. The server nodded in response to the question. "I see..." Breaker said as he picked up and wiped his mouth off with a napkin before standing to his feet. "Hm? Leaving so soon Breaker? We still have much to discuss regarding the Tunnel Project." "Gentlemen, you must excuse my rude behavior, but an important matter hase up that I must attend to immediately. However, please feel free to stay and enjoy your meal. Of course, the servers will make sure that all your needs are met while I am away." Breaker said in an unhurried manner as he took his leave from the restaurant. As soon as the door closed behind him, a deepened expression found its way onto Breaker¡¯s face. He had just received news that over ten of their base of operations had been hit! All the products were destroyed and everyone there was either badly injured or dead. There was one thing mentioned in the reports that grabbed his attention. It matched the same description used to describe the attacker of the K route located at Dragon¡¯s Paradise. "So you¡¯ve finally shown yourself, Phantom Reaper. However, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be able to run around freely in our city and get away with it." Breaker said as he removed his cellphone from his pocket as a ck car with tinted windows pulled up to his location. The driver got out and opened the door for Breaker as he entered into the car. "Head towards the Dragon Den." Breaker ordered the driver as he lifted his phone up to his ear. After ringing for a bit, someone finally picked up on the other side of the line. "He¡¯s making a move. Tell your team to get ready, I have a feeling that we will be receiving a special guest tonight. Let¡¯s make sure we greet him properly." Breaker said before hanging up the cellphone. "Everything is going ording to n. All you have to do is y your role properly. You have one job to aplish before your death, Phantom Reaper. Do not disappoint me." Breaker said as a slight grin found its way onto his face. Chapter 179 Lockdown of The Dragon Den, Not Alone ... ¡¯That makes fifteen.¡¯ Jin, using the knowledge he obtained via Soul Searching, discovered fifteen Dragon Stone base of operations. Although there may be more locations lurking around, he felt as if this would be enough to get the Dragon Stone gang¡¯s attention. He also knew that while Bai Hui and Yan He were the ones responsible for burning down the apartment, they did not do it without orders. Unfortunately, the two of them had no idea who gave the order as the person on the other end was very secretive and kept their identity well hidden. In fact, the only thing the two of them knew about that mysterious person was the fact that he went by the name Titan and that he was someone high up on the food chain of the Dragon Stone gan. Jin understood that Titan was obviously an alias used by whoever was behind the order. ¡¯As long as I continue to pursue the Dragon Stone gang whoever this Titan person is will have to reveal themselves sooner orter. Until then, it¡¯s about time I pay a proper visit to this so-called Dragon Den.¡¯ The Dragon Den was the main headquarters of the Dragon Stone gang and Jin¡¯s current destination. All those who enter into the Dragon Stone gang have to visit that ce before being assigned to a specific route. However, to the outside world, the Dragon Den building went by a different name; the Orion Corporation. The Orion Corporation was a behemoth in the tech industry and had operations running not just over the country, but the entire world. One would have to live under a rock and never use any kind of technology to not have heard of the Orion Corporation. It was also a well-known fact that many of the parts used to create the quantumputer Z.A.R.A which runs RML were created by the Orion Corporation. But what did not make sense, was a group as powerful and influential as the Orion Corporation, a known leader in the technological world, getting mixed up with the likes of a criminal organization such as the Dragon Stone gang. ¡¯Things may be a bit moreplicated than I originally believed it to be. However, that does not change my current goal.¡¯ With a quick web search on his cellphone earlier, Jin discovered that the current Operations Manager of the Orion Corporation in this area was a man by the name of Marian Dubois. There was no way that he ignored as to what was going on right under his very own nose. If that were the case, then that meant either he was the mastermind behind the Dragon Stone gang, or at the very least, had direct connections to its true leader. Either way, Jin had a strong feeling that whatever was going on with the Orion Corporation in this area was most likely not connected to the entirepany itself. Jin suddenly came to a halt as he stood on the rooftop of a building located around fifty meters away from the Dragon Den. The Dragon Den building itself was more than 30 floors high and the security presence was heavy. Of course with the level of sensitive information most likely stored inside of an Orion Corporation facility, Jin expected it to be this way. However, a little bit of security would not be enough to stop him from doing what needed to be done. ... "What¡¯s going on out there, Xiao Bo?!" Marian shouted as he mmed his fist down on his desk causing it to slightly vibrate. At the moment, he was speaking to a thin man with ck hair, and gray eyes wearing a pair of round sses. "Boss Marian, the details of the reports are too vague... We¡¯ve only now just confirmed that at least ten of our hideouts and base of operations have been hit. It seems the number is continuing to rise as new informationes in. However, it appears someone is making a move against us." Xiao Bo replied. "Where is Breaker?! Why isn¡¯t he taking care of this mes-!" Marian¡¯srge body shook from anger every time words left his mouth. His breathing became heavy and rapid which caused his sentence to be cut short so that he could catch his breath. He had been screaming at the top of his lungs ever since he heard the first base was attacked. They had already lost one base of operations not too long ago, and now this? How could he not be infuriated? At this rate, people would think they were a joke. Also, their rivals andpetition would start to move in on their turf and cause an endless number of headaches. "You must refrain from shouting, the doctor has made it perfectly clear regarding your blood pressure." Xiao Bo said calmly. From the way he spoke to Marian, it was safe to say that he was not just some randomckey. Marian was still angry, however, he took deep breaths to regain himself. "What is Breaker doing to handle this situation?" Marian said in a calmer voice, but one could tell that he was forcibly suppressing his voice. "Breaker is currently en route to our current location, the Dragon Den. I¡¯ve been told to inform you that everything is under control and he¡¯s taking care of it." Xiao Bo responded. "Under control? Taking care of it? He calls this taking care of it? Who¡¯s behind this? It must be Bones and his men!" Marian said. "Unfortunately, we have no evidence that indicates Bones or any of his men have made a move from their usual spot. However, it may not be too long until they do once they discover that we¡¯re under attack by a foreign group. As for who this foreign group is, even Breaker does not yet know." Xiao Bo responded. "Oh? Something even the all-knowing mighty Breaker does not know? How convenient!" Marian said in a sarcastic tone of voice. He then continued, "After this entire mess is over, I need to find a way to bring that dangerous man under control, I don¡¯t care who his backers are." Too many times has Breaker kept him in the dark about things and simply say he would handle it. Marian may be enraged, but he was no fool. He knew that Breaker was hiding something from him, he just had no idea what it could be. If things continued down this path, it would attract the attention of some unwanted guest from the Zi Family, the majority shareholders of the Orion Corporation. Not only would his position as the Operations Manager of this sector be in jeopardy, but his well-kept secret of being the leader of the Dragon Stone gang may be uncovered as well! The power and influence of the Zi Family was no joke. If they found out what he had been up to at this ce, which would not only tarnish the name of not only the Orion Corporation but also act as a direct p to the face of the Zi Family. There would be no ce left for him to run in this world or the next! He would be ruined! "Xiao Bo, I¡¯ll be depending on you to-" As Marian was speaking to Xiao Bo, a group of heavily armed guards stormed inside the room. The first thing they did was hit a small red button located at the side of the room. When that red button was hit, the sound of rms rang throughout the room. The ss windows behind Marian were now being protected strong reinforced titanium tes. Now, there was only one way into the room and that was through the front door. However, every armed guard in the room had their weapon sights locked onto that location. "What are you all doing?!" Marian shouted. These were not official members of his Dragon Stone gang that were usually stationed outside his door, but rather, they were a private special security force called Valiant. Of course, this Valiant was owned by the Zi Family. Valiant¡¯s only purpose was to ensure the safety of sensitive Orion Corporation information. Although the hiring of the regr security staff was done by someone handpicked by Marian himself, he had no influence or control over the members of Valiant. Marian panicked as he thought he had been discovered by the Zi Family. Xiao Bo was also surprised when the group of heavily armed guards rushed in unannounced. "We are on Zeus-Level alert. This building has somehow been infiltrated by an unknown party with hostile intentions. Until we are certain it is safe, we ask that you remain put and do nothing. Since we are on a Zeus-Level alert, all authorized personnel ess codes besides my own have been revoked. I ask that you cooperate until this has passed over." The man who appeared to be the leader of the group said. He was nearly two meters tall and incredibly fit. At the moment, it was difficult to make out his physical features due to the bva style clothing he was wearing, but one could still see his piercing blue eyes. He was themanding officer of this security force and went only by the codename Alpha One. The reason they hade to this specific room was due to the fact that Marian had the highest knowledge of sensitive information in this building. After securing the mainputer drives in a suitcase that could survive a st from a high yield explosive, they immediately made their way to this room. From the movements and cement of each person on the security force team, one could tell with a single nce that they were all highly trained individuals. "Infiltrated?" Marian said as he rxed after hearing that. The Zi Family did not find out what he had been up to ande charging in to apprehend him. "Hide." Alpha One said as he himself moved into position. At the same time, Marian struggled to get out of his chair and hide hisrge body underneath his desk. Knock. Knock. Knock. Everything went silent when everyone heard the sound of knocking on the door. Alpha One made a few hand signals as one of the members of his squad terminated the lights in the room making it pitch ck. A few momentster, the sound of night vision goggles turning on filled the room and a cluster of red dots appeared on the door. ... Moments ago just as Jin reached the Dragon Den... Jin inwardly frowned as he noticed that the guards positioned on the outside started to make their way inside of the building. In less than one minute, there were no longer any guards remaining on the outside of the Dragon Den. It was as if something had caused them to hurry inside without a moment to waste. ¡¯Could they be on guard after finding out what happened to their other bases?¡¯ Jin was unsure, but there was only one way to find out. He quickly made his way towards the Dragon Den while remaining undetected. He noticed that all the previously unprotected ss windows were now covered in a strong titanium alloy. ¡¯A bit troublesome.¡¯ Jin leaped up into the air and as he was about to fall, he swiftly moved his hand to punch through the concrete part of the building catching himself. He then pulled upward with his monstrous strength, removing his hand from the hole and causing his body to be slingshotted up. He repeated this method until he was halfway up the building. ¡¯This should do.¡¯ As he hung from the building wall with his left hand, Jin began to gather energy into his right hand. The energy converged onto a single point as it released a sharp and oppressive aura. With a small wave of his hand, a small cut appeared on the titanium alloy that protected the ss window next to him. However, a few momentster, the small cut grew in size andpletely split the titanium open! If anyone had witnessed that, they would be frightened out of their minds. Someone was actually capable of breaking through titanium using their bare hands?! Jin used the opening he created to enter into the building, however, he instantly felt that something was off. For a building of this size that should have arge number of employees, everything was too quiet. Not only that, but the lights on this floor were out and reced by a light red hue. It gave off an eerie feeling. As he walked down the hallway and turned around a corner, he felt a presenceing from the opposite direction up ahead. Jin narrowed his eyes and suddenly jumped to the side. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Bang! Threerge metal throwing spikes around 30cm in size pierced into the ground where Jin stood in just moments ago. "Oh? You actually dodged that? Interesting, no one like you was mentioned in the n. Are you a member of that Dragon Pebble gang? Or maybe the Orion Corporation? Well, that doesn¡¯t matter. I suppose it¡¯s my lucky day, I was just bing bored." A voice sounded from somewhere on the other end of the hall. ¡¯A third party?¡¯ After hearing that person¡¯s words, Jin determined that the person before him was not connected to the Dragon Stone gang nor the Orion Corporation. Therefore, a third party must currently be present here and hadunched an assault against this ce before he even arrived on the scene! What were the chances that someone would attack this ce on the same day as him? Chapter 180 Abnormal Finding In The Dragon Den "You appear to be lost. I¡¯m not sure how you managed to stay hidden away on this floor for so long, but rest assured, I don¡¯t n on allowing you to get lost again." The voice said. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of footsteps could be hearding from the other end of the hallway. Soon enough, a man wearing a hoodie with some sort of gas mask on his face that covered the bottom half. The top half of his face, however, was covered by some goggles. On his forearm was a silver gauntlet that appeared to be a high-end tech device. "Return." The man¡¯s voice sounded a bit robotic as if he was trying to hide his true voice. As he spoke, the threerge throwing metal spikes shot into the air and headed straight towards him. He held the silver gauntlet on his forearm up as the metal spikes were pulled in by a strong force and started to rotate around the silver gauntlet. "I have no business with you." Jin said as he set his gaze upon the man and the silver gauntlet on his forearm. It appeared that the metal spikes were somehow being controlled by the silver gauntlet. "You have no business with me? But, I have business with you." The man did not waste any more word, as he lifted his arm with the silver gauntlet attached to it, into the air and held his hand in a fist towards Jin. The metal spikes rotation speed began to increase as one after the other they shot off in Jin¡¯s direction. Jin had nothing against his current opponent, however, attacking him once could be considered as a mistake but twice was a clear provocation. Not to mention his opponent did not seem to care who he was or his purpose foring here. Therefore, Jin would not bother giving him another chance. ¡¯The force and prative power behind those metal spikes are capable of piercing through the current level of my Heavenly Golden Body physique. However, its speed is simply insufficient.¡¯ Jin immediately demonstrated his amazing footwork and avoided the first metal spike as he dashed towards his opponent. Almost instantly after dodging the first metal spike, the second and third followed aimed right at Jin¡¯s legs. It was obvious that the man wanted to immobilize him. However, the next action Jin took shocked his opponent. In one smooth motion, Jin reached his hand back as he avoided the first metal spike and caught it in between his fingertips. Next, he quickly flicked the metal spike in between his fingertips downward in front of his legs at a slight angle. Clink! Clink! The first metal spike collided with the closest metal spike headed on a path to Jin¡¯s legs. This caused the second metal spike¡¯s trajectory to change and knock the third metal spike off its original course in the process. Just like that, Jin had dealt with all three metal spikes. ¡¯What strange material are those metal spikes made out of?¡¯ With his current knowledge, Jin did not have any knowledge of what kind of material was used during the creation of those metal spikes. However, after personally making contact with it he determined that even if he advanced to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique, he would not necessarily be safe from receiving some form of damage. "Impossible..." The man said in a low voice filled with disbelief. How was it possible that someone could catch something like that in between their fingers so effortlessly? Thanks to the special goggles he wore, he was able to keep track of his metal spikes even at high speeds. It also assisted him with nning their flight course along with the silver gauntlet on his forearm. However, one of its most useful functions was movement tracking and probability assistance. That was how he managed to discover Jin as soon as he turned the corner. But just then, it appeared that his goggles had malfunctioned for a brief moment as the feedback data was total nonsense! At least it now made sense to him why Jin was able to dodge his first surprise attack. "Of all times to act up..." The man growled as he jumped backward while pressing a fewmands on his silver gauntlet. Jin swiftly closed the distance and arrived within melee range of his opponent, but just as he was about to strike out at the man he felt a sudden sense of dangering from behind him. The three metal spikes that he had managed to evade earlier were now split into three smaller pieces making for a total of nine smaller metal spikes speeding towards him. Although the overall impact power was reduced, they were now much faster and carried a stronger prative force than they did before the split. The man had a smirk on his face as he watched Jin close in on his location. Now, he would be forced to choose between proceeding with his attack or evading the metal spikes. Either way, it was a win-win situation as Jin would either end up with the appearance of a porcupine or give him enough time and space to retreat to a safer distance. However, he had obviously sorely underestimated what Jin was capable of. Without retreating, Jin continued to make his way forward as he thrust his right palm forward. As he did so, a myriad of palms descended upon the man with the silver gauntlet. At the same time, without looking back, Jin¡¯s left palm also moved so fast that it created the illusion of a multitude of palms. Using this technique, Jin was able to catch all nine metal spikes with his left hand while simultaneouslyunching an attack against his opponent. The man with the silver gauntlet was speechless when he saw dozens of palms moving in his direction. Even with the special goggles he had, it was impossible to follow the person before him¡¯s movements! That should not be humanly possible! "Wait!" The man shouted, but it was already toote to make any pleas. Jin had already given him the chance to walk away, however, he insisted on confronting him and constantly provoking him with attacks. Now that he was losing, was Jin truly going to stop just because he said wait? The answer was obviously no! This was not RML, therefore, Jin was not limited by the restrictions ced upon him by the system. His palm crashed into the man with the silver gauntlet¡¯s body multiple times. The first strike crushed the silver gauntlet on his forearm, the second strike shatters his goggles, and the third strike struck his abdomen area and sent him tumbling backward. Jin looked down at the nine thin metal spikes in the palm of his left hand before letting them fall to the floor. His opponent was no longer in a fighting state and was rendered unconscious. Jin was quite surprised that his opponent was able to survive that blow head on like that, however, he knew that it must have been thanks to whatever body armor he was wearing under his clothes. But, he would not go out of his way to finish him off. BOOM! Jin suddenly heard a loud explosion followed by the entire floor shaking violently. ¡¯It sounded like the explosion came somewhere from the top floor... Is it possible that the third party is after something specific in this ce?¡¯ From his earlier web search about this building, Jin knew that the leader of the Dragon Stone gang Marian Dubois¡¯ office was located at the very top floor, that much was no secret. ¡¯The technology being used by this guy suggests that they are no mere gang looking for revenge. It appears someone may be aplishing my task for me.¡¯ Jin began to make his up towards the top floor where Marian Dubois was located. On his way there, he saw signs of struggles all over the ce each floor he traveled up. It was as if two sides were having an intense gunfight, however, there were strange markings from another weapon present. It was a sharp and precise mark like it was made from a sword or some type of ded weapon. Some of them were small and contained while others created meters long scars in the building itself. Though what really shocked Jin was the lingering aura around the marks. ¡¯This is... Minor Sword Qi?¡¯ ... BOOM! The explosion shook the entire top floor, as well as, some of the floors underneath as the door that led into Marian¡¯s office, was blown into tiny pieces and created a cloud of smoke. Marian, who hid beneath his desk, released a small shriek and was shaking from fear. What was going on out there? He wanted to know, but he did not want to open his eyes or stand up and risk getting harmed in the process. The moment a silhouette appeared within the smoke Alpha One shouted, "Fire!". After those words left Alpha One¡¯s mouth, a rain of bullets descended upon the silhouette. The Valiant all set their red dot sights onto the silhouette in the cloud of smoke and released fire. "Halt fire!" Alpha One said after noticing that the silhouette was not taking any action. After taking that many bullets, even if one had on the best body armor in the world they would not be able to survive. As the gunfire died down, silence filled the entire room. It was so quiet that one would be able to hear the sound of a pin dropping. The smoke started to clear up, however, when it finally did so there was nothing there. There was no physical body to be found. Woosh! All of a sudden, a chilly breeze blew throughout the room as if someone left a window open and letting a draft in. Thump... Thump! Thump! "He¡¯s in the room! Maneuver seven, go!" Alpha One shouted. He heard the sound of three bodies drop and when he looked over, he saw that three members of his squad were already on the ground. Whoever this was only showed up as a momentary blur on his night vision goggles. Most likely, they were using some kind of device along with their natural movement skills to avoid detection. When Alpha One gave the order, the remaining members of the Valiant moved close to one another and formed a circle with Alpha One at the center. Each member was covering a different direction so that there was no way for them to be the victim of a surprise attack. "Gah!" Yet another one of the Valiant members were swiftly taken care of as they dropped helplessly to the floor. However, the other members simply closed the gap and kept alert without panicking. "M-money! I¡¯ll give you money! Power! Information! Whatever you want, just don¡¯t kill me!" Marian said as he stood up from under his desk. It appeared that whatever was going on out there, the Valiant side was losing. It was even more apparent since they had to retreat to this ce. Whoever they were dealing with was someone incredibly danger! "Fool, get down!" Alpha One yelled out and tried to warn Marian, however, he was toote. "Eh?" Marian suddenly felt something warm dripping down his neck. But, that was thest thing he would ever remember. Marian¡¯srge body dropped to the ground lifelessly with one major physical difference to it. Truly, a fool and his head are easily parted! The titanium tes that protected the windows behind Marian¡¯s desk had been split open. Due to that, a bit of moonlight was able to peak in through the crack and revealed a cloaked and hooded figure with red eyes, standing a few meters away from the window with a crimson red sword in his hand. "Who are you? What¡¯s your purpose here?" Alpha One asked after finally getting a clear look at the person who had been causing so much destruction and bloodshed. "Carnage." The hooded figure smiled, however, it was not a friendly one. Instead, it was an eerie smile that somehow reeked of death. Chapter 181 One Finger "So you can talk after all. What are your demands?" Alpha One said as he tried to keep "Carnage" upied while he thought of a n. He had already called in for backup, however, they would not be here for another ten minutes. Although ten minutes may not seem like a long time, it currently felt simr to an eternity. Could they truly stall ten minutes against this monster? Alpha One understood that the chances of seeding did not look good at all. But, he was themander of his squad and could not show any signs of weakness or panic. If he did, then it would cause a ripple effect and he could potentially lead everyone to the grave. He stayed calm and focused, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Now that Marian was dead, they no longer had to stay confined to this room. At the moment, it was incredibly dangerous to be close to Carnage. Alpha One knew that if he wanted himself and his squad to survive, he had to find a way to create and maintain distance between them and Carnage. "Maneuver ten." Alpha One said in a low voice so that only those around him could hear. As he gave the order, he slowly reached his right hand towards his tactical belt and pressed a button located on a small circr disk. Carnage rushed forward at an incredible speed with his crimson sword in hand. He refused to listen to Alpha One¡¯s idle chat and chose to take action instead. After all, there was an old saying, actions speak louder than words. "Now!" Alpha One yelled the moment he realized that Carnage decided to charge them without dy. Alpha One and the other Valiant members clicked something on the side of their goggles. After doing so, the night vision feature was turned off and it was reced by nothing but darkness. At the same time, the back part of the goggles positioned near their ears extended downward and covered them. Alpha One tossed out the circr disk that was attached to his tactical belt up into the air. BOOM! A brief sh of blinding light followed by a deafening sound reverberated throughout the entire room. As soon as it finished, Alpha One and the Valiant members acted quickly and switched their goggles back to their normal mode. While doing so, they retreated back towards the door and into the hallway as they opened fire on Carnage. Carnage, on the other hand, was caught off guard and was temporarily halted by the device Alpha One used. However, even while in his currently dazed state, he was still capable of deflecting the rain of bullets with his crimson de. The amazing thing was that the bullets seemed to be drawn to his crimson de before bouncing away at the veryst second. By time Carnage finally managed to bepletely disoriented, he found that there was no one left inside of the room. A strong amount of bloodlust filled his eyes as he dashed towards the exit. However, as soon as his foot brushed past the doorway, he heard a rapid beeping sound. Beep... Beep! Beep! BOOM! A sensor based explosive device went off and caused the entire top floor to shake violently in the process. It had been ced there by Alpha One during his retreat as a means to slow down or ideally eliminate Carnage. When the cloud smoke cleared from the explosive, a drop of red liquid fell to the floor. Carnage stood in the doorway with parts of his cloak in tattered pieces. However, there was ck skintight clothing that he wore underneath which appeared to have protected him from most of the explosion. But, it was still able to cause some damage to his left arm. Meanwhile, Alpha One and the Valiant members positioned themselves all the way at the left end of the hallway behind the split corridor. Alpha One remained silent and gave a few hand signals to his squad after he saw that Carnage survived such a powerful explosion at close range. Though just as they were getting ready to open fire, they saw a young man turn around the corner from the opposite end of the hallway. Alpha One immediately held his hand up signaling to dy his previous orders. "This is bad." Alpha One said to himself as he furrowed his brows. That young man who appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties was in immense danger! That was because if he kept blindly walking down the hallway he would eventually run into Carnage at the door. Why isn¡¯t he turning back? Doesn¡¯t he hear the sounds of a battle? Doesn¡¯t he see the damage to the hallway? How did he make it up here with the security restrictions in ce? Those were some of the few questions going through Alpha One¡¯s head. However, the most important question was what should his next course of action be? If he yelled to warn the young man, he would not only be putting himself at risk but also the safety of his squad and the valuable data from the Orion Corporation. On the other hand, even though his number one priority was to protect data in his hands at all cost, he still had a set of morals. Could he truly let such a young man die when he could have easily prevented it? But, Alpha One could have never predicted what was about to happen next. "Hey, do you know where I can find someone with the name Marian Dubois?" The young man said calmly as if he was unbothered by the destruction and death around him. Alpha One was shocked. That young man had actually approached Carnage by his own free will. Not only that, he happened so fast that he did not have a chance to even ponder his previous choices. He realized that he may have been too absorbed in his own thoughts and ended up missing his chance. It was toote to save that young man now. Carnage did not even look at the young man who spoke to him and simply swung the crimson de in his hand at an incredible speed. It was aimed right at the young man¡¯s neck as if to give him a quick and painless death. However, the young man moved his head back slightly just before the crimson de was able to make contact with his neck. Carnage finally turned his head to look at the young man with bloodthirsty red eyes. He was already in a foul mood due to Alpha One¡¯s petty tricks. Now, this brat had managed to dodge his attack? It must have been idiotic luck. Carnage swung his crimson de again, however, the same exact thing happened. A few momentster, a deep cut appeared on the side of the wall as if it were cut by something with a powerful force behind it. ¡¯So this is the one using Minor Sword Qi? Interesting.¡¯ Of course, the young man that stood before Carnage was none other than Jin! When Alpha One saw that Jin was still alive and speaking in such a casual manner to Carnage, he was dumbfounded. Why was it that Carnage had not made a move against him? However, Alpha One was incapable of following Carnage¡¯s crimson de with his eyes and could not tell that he had already attacked Jin twice! "Who are you?" Carnage growled in a low tone as his gaze was now locked onto Jin. "Where did you learn how to use Minor Sword Qi?" Jin asked while ignoring Carnage¡¯s inquiry. To speak frankly, it should be virtually impossible for mortals to learn Minor Sword Qi given this world¡¯s almost nonexistent spiritual essence. ¡¯Although one does not necessarily require spiritual essence to learn Minor Sword Qi, it would be more difficult than scaling a mountain with one¡¯s hands and feet bound without it.¡¯ Carnage narrowed his eyes when Jin mentioned Minor Sword Qi. "Minor Sword Qi? Never heard of it." Carnage said as he once again swung his crimson sword towards Jin. However, this time he felt his crimson sword be heavy and soon enough he was unable to move it. Jin caught Carnage¡¯s crimson sword between the palm of his hands. He canceled out the Minor Sword Qi from the crimson sword with his very own Minor Sword Qi. Even though Carnage could use Minor Sword Qi, Jin was also capable of using it himself. Not only that, but he possessed a much stronger and concentrated version of Sword Qi, the Sword Qi contained inside of his First Baneful Sword: Destruction alone was more than enough to neutralize and even overpower Carnage¡¯s Minor Sword Qi. Alpha One had a baffled expression on his face when he saw that Jin caught that crimson sword with his bare hands. He could not even follow Carnage¡¯s movements and yet that young man was able to effortlessly catch his sword! "Who is that young man? Could he be the reinforcements sent by the Zi Family?" Alpha One said to himself. Even though he was young in appearance, that did not mean Alpha One would underestimate his abilities. "Release it." Carnage said as he tried to forcibly pull his crimson sword away. However, Jin kept a tight hold on it. He then tapped the very bottom of the hilt of his de using his pinky and caused the de on the crimson sword to vibrate rapidly. The sudden burst of vibrate loosened Jin¡¯s grip for a brief moment, however, it was long enough for Carnage to pull his crimson sword back as he leaped backward to create some distance. He decided to no longer underestimate the young man before him. For some reason, he felt naturally threatened by Jin. ¡¯A fun toy. It appears to be made out of the same material as those metal spikes. However, that crimson sword is of a much higher quality.¡¯ Jin looked down at his hands and saw that there was actually a small bruise left behind by the crimson sword. "Alpha One, what are your orders?" One of the Valiant members asked. "Hold position. Let¡¯s see how this ys out. I don¡¯t know who that young man is, but he may be reinforcements sent by the Zi Family. However, even if he isn¡¯t reinforcements he seems capable of buying enough time until they do arrive. Until the situation is clear, we will refrain from interfering." Alpha One said. Jin suddenly kicked off his back foot and struck out with one finger at Carnage. But, it was not just a simple attack. There was a high concentration of power at the tip of Jin¡¯s fingertip as it pierced through the air. Carnage reacted swiftly and moved his sword in front to block the attack. Ding! Jin¡¯s finger collided with the crimson sword. The moment it did so, Carnage¡¯s body was sent flying back and tumbling across the hallway. BOOM! Carnage¡¯s body crashed into a wall and left behind an imprint. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as the crimson sword in his hand fell to the floor. One finger! Alpha One and the other Valiant members were stunned. The monster they had so much trouble dealing with had been taken care of with a simple finger? "I¡¯m not sure if we should be thankful or terrified." Alpha One said to himself as he released a deep sigh. One after another these bizarre people appeared from out of nowhere. Now that Carnage was taken care of, he had an even bigger headache to deal with if it turned out that the young was an enemy. Woosh! "Do you all know where I can find Marian Dubois?" Jin said. He had suddenly appeared in front of them which caused Alpha One and the Valiant members to be shocked! So fast! That speed was not natural at all! The Valiant members got ready to fire by instinct, however, Alpha One held his hand up to stop them. "What is your purpose here?" Alpha One asked cautiously. Chapter 182 Settling Some Affairs What was his purpose here? Was everyone on this floor hard of hearing? He had clearly asked them about Marian Dubois¡¯ whereabouts; shouldn¡¯t his purpose here obviously be to meet with him? "I have a small overdue appointment with him." Jin said in an unhurried manner. He figured that Marian would be on this floor, however, he did not sense any other presence hiding around. At the moment, it was only him, the immobilized Carnage, and the members of Valiant. "Appointment?" Alpha One said with surprise apparent in his voice. However, he soon shook his head helplessly. "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re toote. Marian Dubois is no longer in this world." Alpha One said. He was still on guard against the young man before him, but he certainly did not want to have such a person as his enemy. Still, Jin¡¯s young appearance shocked Alpha One. He felt as if he was getting too old and it was about time for the younger generation to start making a name for themselves. After all, he was quite the well-informed person and yet he had never heard of Carnage nor the young man he was speaking to. Jin set his gaze upon Alpha One. Even with Alpha One wearingbat gear Jin could still tell by other various factors that he was not lying. Also, he did not feel any other presence on this floor so this further reinforced that Alpha One was telling the truth. ¡¯I suppose it¡¯s over for them.¡¯ Thanks to his attacks on the Dragon Stone gang bases, they would be severely crippled. During that time, other organizations would definitely not allow them the chance to recover. As far as he was concerned, the Dragon Stone gang was as good as finished. "I see, that¡¯s a shame." Jin said as he walked over towards Carnage who was now lying unconscious on the floor. "Careful, he isn¡¯t normal." Alpha One warned Jin without thinking. He had already forgotten that it was the young man who was the one who took down that monster. Jin only gave a slight smile in response as he approached Carnage. To be truthful, Jin was tempted to use the Soul Searching technique against the unconscious Carnage. Not only would he discover how Carnage managed to learn Minor Sword Qi, but he may discover some other interesting details as well. But, in the end, Jin was not one to use the Soul Searching technique so freely just because it would grant him information. Soul Searching was still something that he was unwilling to use on those who did not do something unforgivable. Carnage may have tried to take his life, but it could not even be considered a fight. If he were to eternally punish Carnage for his actions, it would be like an adult iming the life of a child because they threw a tantrum. However, he would not go awaypletely empty-handed. Jin reached down to pick up the crimson sword on the floor next to Carnage. He also removed the sheath at Carnage¡¯s side. When he did so, the members of Valiant went on high alert but were quickly told to disregard any potential hostile actions by Alpha One. After being in the field for so long, he had a pretty strong intuition that he trusted. Right now, it told him not to confront this young man in an aggressive manner. ¡¯Good sword.¡¯ Jin examined the crimson sword before returning it to its sheath in his left hand. Of course, Jin was using mortal standards to judge the worthiness of the crimson sword. Although he did not necessarily need a sword, it still felt nice to hold one in his hands after so long. Beep! Beep! Beep! A device on Alpha One¡¯s wrist went off. He looked down and sucked his teeth when he saw the coded message. Apparently, the reinforcements had arrived and were on their way to the top level. It would be a lie to say that he was not slightly annoyed that they hade after everything was already over. Alpha One finally remembered that he still had a few questions to ask that young man. After all, the Zi Family would certainly be generous and grant him a great reward for assisting them. Of course, assuming he wasn¡¯t already a part of the Zi Family. "I¡¯d like to know your name if you¡¯re interested in-" Alpha One said as he looked up from his wrist, however, he stopped talking once he saw that the young man was no longer there! He hade to this ce and thenpletely vanished, just like a phantom. "Commander, are you sure it¡¯s okay to let him escape without knowing anything about him?" One of the Valiant members asked. "If you want to chase after him then be my guest. Worst case scenario you¡¯ll simply lose your life. I¡¯ve fought andmanded enough battles to know when to advance, when to retreat, and when not to fight at all. I believe it¡¯s clear what choice this battle is." Alpha One said as he bound Carnage¡¯s hands and feet. The Valiant member furrowed his brows for a moment but nodded his head in the end. If not for theirmander and his leadership, everyst one of them may have already died long ago in that room. As the Valiant member thought of this, as well as, the death of his fellow Valiant members, he looked at the unconscious Carnage and had thoughts of ending his disgusting life right then and there. "Don¡¯t even think about it. This guy still has a lot of questions to answer. I¡¯m pissed off too, but tell me who do you want, the soldier or the general? I doubt this guy is the mastermind behind all this. After we get the information we need, he will be sure to pay for his crimes, I guarantee it." Alpha One said while trying to suppress his anger. Not too long after Jin left the scene, over thirty people inbat gear stormed the top floor. ... Somewhere located right around the corner from the now former Dragon Den... Breaker sat in the back seat of his tinted car waiting patiently. However, as time went by arge frown began to form on his face. "Could they have failed? But that shouldn¡¯t be possible from what they told me..." Breaker said to himself as he took out his cellphone and dialed a number. But, in the end, all he got in return was a dead ringtone. When Breaker saw that more vehicles were starting to enter the Orion Corporation building area, his expression began to darken. Not a single person in the squad he sent had reported in at the agreed upon time. "Drive." Breaker said. "Where to, sir?" The driver asked. "Anywhere away from here!" Breaker shouted angrily as he mmed his fist against the door. The driver immediately started to drive without question with no particr destination in mind. "Thisplicates things. I¡¯ll have to assume thatrge waste of space is still alive and my n failed. I¡¯ll have to lowy for a bit and gather more information. In the meantime, I have some new friends to make." Breaker said to himself as he calmed down. One thing was for sure, he would not allow for this to be the end of things. ... Around two dayster... It was in thete afternoon and the sun was shining bright outside. If one listened closely, they would hear the birds outside singing their own pleasant tune as the wind blew by with the sound of a whisper. "Jin, isn¡¯t it adorable? It reminds me of you when you were just a little baby. Do you remember? You used to squeeze onto my finger so tight whenever I wouldy you down to rest. I never thought in my life that a baby could have such strength." Reilei said with a blossoming smile on her face. She was looking up at the baby bird in a nest on a tree branch. The mother bird seemed as if she were grooming or feeding it. It was difficult to tell from their current distance. "Mother-" Jin was getting ready to speak before he was cut off. "Alright, I understand. I won¡¯t say any more embarrassing things in public." Reilei said apanied by a giggle. At the moment, Jin and Reilei were talking a walk at one of the nearby parks. Reilei had awakened earlier this morning in the hospital, however, unlike the intense pain or drugged state that she expected to be in, she feltpletely rejuvenated! Besides a few shallow burn marks that would heal over time thanks to the Eight Lunar Cycles physique that she was currently unaware of, she was in perfect health. In fact, she was in even better health than before the fire happened. The doctor assigned to Reilei was baffled and insisted that she stay longer so that he could run a few more test. However, Reilei understood how expensive it was to stay in a hospital and the fact that they currently did not have the money to squander freely. If she was already feeling better and the previous test showed nothing wrong, then she had no reason to stay. This was even more so now that they currently had no ce to live. With their apartment gone, they would have to find other living arrangements. Just when everything appeared to be going right for once, reality gave them a p in the face. However, Jin during the time before Reilei¡¯s awakening arranged and deal with a few things. But, he did not expect her to check out of the hospital before he could even return. Even though money was not a concern of his at the moment. ¡¯Mariposa certainly cannot be too happy right now.¡¯ It had been nearly three full days, nearly four now since he hadst logged into RML due to the recent events. However, he was not too worried about falling behind in level. After all, the in-game time ratio was reduced to 3:1 and he was already level 34. At most, some of the top yers would reach his level while very few if any would pass him, but even then he felt as if he would still be able to catch up in time. As Jin and Reilei were walking, she decided to finally address the elephant in the room. "Jin... I know that I made a promise before but-" Reilei started but was soon interrupted by Jin. "But you want to start back working multiple jobs, correct?" Jin finished her statement for her. Reilei nodded and said, "It¡¯s still not toote to get my old jobs back if I ask. I¡¯m sure they haven¡¯t hired anyone new just yet. I still trust you, that much will never change. I just... I do not want to be a burden." Jin did not yet have the chance to inform Reilei of his recently acquired wealth. After all, he was abruptly logged out of RML, tossed into a fire, and had returned from dealing with the culprits responsible for the fire. "Thest thought that would cross my mind is you as a burden, mother." Jin responded. He had seen how much Reilei sacrificed to make Jin happy and what she was willing to sacrifice to make him happy. Therefore, he would no longer allow her to needlessly sacrifice herself. "About our current situation..." Jin then went on to exin his current wealth, as well as, how he was able to obtain it. Of course, he left out of a lot of the boring details, but it was still enough for Reilei to understand the base of it all. He also exined a few more things that he took care of while she was unconscious. Of course, he did not mention his actions against the Dragon Stone gang and the culprits responsible for the fire. A few momentster, Reilei stood there motionless with her mouth slightly open from shock. Did she really hear things correctly? "Jin, you-" Reilei was speechless. She truly did not know how to respond to that. Since the very moment she awakened she began to worry about their housing situation, the hospital bill, and many other unresolved mary issues. However, it appeared her worries had been for nothing all this time! The debt, the hospital bill, the unresolved mary issues... Jin had already taken care of everything! However, the most shocking thing was the amount of wealth her son had managed to umte in such a short period of time. Chapter 183 The Joy of A World Born Reilei was working three different jobs at the same time and barely made a tiny dent in the debt she was left in by her ex-husband. Thanks to her ex-husband, she had incurred a debt of nearly 7,000,000 RMB due to the interest fees. For Jin to say that he paid off the entire debt meant that he had earned at least 7,000,000 RMB in just a few days! She had a difficult time believing that it was possible to earn so much simply by ying a video game. A small part of her actually felt as if she should have been ying video games all along instead of working her previous jobs. But, she knew that this was impossible. After all, Jin had once tried to teach her how to y but it was a hopeless endeavor. In the end, she was proud of her son for not giving up and sticking to his dream. As long as he was happy and healthy she would be content, but this was still a major achievement. More important than the money, Jin had obtained a portion of something that many never acquired during their entire lifetime, a taste of aplishing one¡¯s dream. However, there was still a part of Reilei that could not help but be saddened. She felt as if day by day Jin was growing more independent and did not need or depend on her anymore. But, at the same time, she was filled with joy that Jin was bing a man right before her eyes. "You¡¯ve trulye far, Jin. I know I should be celebrated, but a small part of me feels as if I¡¯ve be a little lost. I¡¯ve spent a little more than a decade working so that we could have a life... So that you could experience a life free of worries." Reilei said as her voice grew unsteady and her body began to slightly tremble. She then continued, "Did you know? When I first brought you into this world, I was amazed. You were so tiny and fragile. So helpless that I was afraid to hold you. But once I took you into my arms and saw how innocent you were,pletely uncorrupted by the world around you, the tears would not stop falling from my eyes." "I cried because I had never experienced such an overwhelming feeling of joy. Of course, there may have been some tears mixed in there due to how frightened I was at having to take care of another human life." Reilei said as she giggled and gently wiped her eyes that were tearing up. She took a deep breath and released it to calm herself down. Jin smiled at Reilei¡¯s words. One could see the sparkle in her eyes every time she mentioned her son. Although he had perished during that tragic day, a part of him was still alive. The experiences, the emotions, the memories, none of it had truly disappeared. Those strong feelings had long engraved itself into Jin¡¯s very being and were not so easily dismissed. "The look in your eyes when I held you in my arms for the first time was mesmerizing, I can remember it like it happened just yesterday. Your eyes twinkled like the stars in the night sky. From day onward you be my whole world, Jin. That¡¯s why... I hope that you can still continue to depend on me if you ever get into any trouble." Reilei said with a blossoming smile on her face as she halted her steps. Her smile was apanied by a stream of tears that she tried her best to hold back, however, it was of no use. Jin stopped as well and turned to look at her. He sighed inwardly as he witnessed the sight before him. He believed that he had already seen all there was to see in the Seven Realms. But, this new world was full of surprises and things that he had never experienced before. Out of all the things he had experienced thus far, even including the memories he had obtained, this was one of the most unique experience he hade across even factoring in his countless journeys throughout the Seven Realms. ¡¯Jin, I wonder if you truly realized just loved you were... How loved you still are.¡¯ Jin reached his hand out and wiped the flowing tears from Reilei¡¯s eyes. "I will always depend on you if I¡¯m in any trouble, mother. But I think it¡¯s time that you allow yourself to depend on me for a change. Just as you wish for my happiness, I also wish for yours. You... Have suffered enough." Jin said with a warm smile. When Reilei heard those words, her body froze as if an unknown wave washed over her body. Without thinking, she suddenly quickly wrapped her arms around Jin and buried her face in his chest. Her whole body was shaking uncontrobly as she hugged Jin with all her might as if she were afraid to let go for even a moment. "I¡¯ve always depended on you, Jin... Always..." Reilei managed to utter those words from her mouth as sobbed softly. ... Later that night... Jin was currently inside of one of the two bedrooms within a hotel room. The high-end hotel room itself was almost like a small apartment. When Reilei saw the upscale hotel they were staying at she almost fainted after imagining the cost of such a ce. However, she managed to control herself well as she remembered the promise she made to Jin. Of course, Jin did not n on making this something long term. This hotel was just a temporary ce of residence until they were able to find a new ce to live. Since he currently had the appropriate funds to purchase a new living arrangement, he wanted it to be much better than their previous ce of residence. It cost Jin nearly 25,000 RMB for only one week at their current hotel. However, it should be long enough for them to, at the very least, find a more permanent housing situation. When they arrived at the hotel room, Jin had tried to give Reilei some RMB to spend as she¡¯d like, but he was turned down over and over again. Her excuse was that she already had some of the previous RMB that he had given her. She also said that she just did not feel right freely epting the money he had worked so hard to earn. ording to Reilei, as long as she had the proper necessities she would be just fine. Eventually, Jin gave up and made a temporary retreat on the subject. He felt that Reilei was so used to living without anything that she had grown ustomed to having nothing for herself. Jin believed that as she woulde around soon. It was not easy to break old habits so quickly, but he knew that given the proper amount of time it would happen naturally and unforced. ¡¯It¡¯s been four days since I¡¯ve logged into RML and I¡¯ve missed the deadline, as well as, my promise. A certain someone must be quite unhappy with me by now. I¡¯ll have to find a way to make it up to them.¡¯ Even though it was not Jin¡¯s fault, he had still broken his promise after all was said and done. A man was only as good as his word, therefore, he knew exactly what he would do. Considering Jin¡¯s previous virtual reality headset was destroyed during the fire, he stopped by the store to purchase a new one. Since all of his character data was attached to his personal identity, he simply needed to purchase a new headset to y. Jin put on his headset andid down as he switched it on. Since it was a new headset, it had to run a full scan on him as when he received his first headset. ¡´System Alert: Beep... Beep... Beep... System booted! Fully Immersing... Running scan... yer ID recognized as yer Izroth. Transferring data... Data transferplete!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Wee back yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been logged out of the game for more than 24 hours, adjusting...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Adjustment Sessful!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Since you have been disconnected for 24 or more hours, you have gained the temporary passive skill ?Equalizer? ¡µ ¡¯I have returned.¡¯ Izroth had finally returned to RML after four long days. He was still inside the guest room located within Amaharpe¡¯s Pce. The first thing he did was check his inventory to make sure that everything was in order. After going through it for a few seconds, he found that he still had the treasure chests and the Sword of The Storm in his possession. How tragic would it have been if he had lost those items during the time of his forced logout? Just as he finished going over his inventory, Izroth received an alert from the system. When he looked at alert, he gave a helpless smile. He knew that this moment woulde but not so soon after he logged on. ¡¯Now is a better time than any to confront with this matter.¡¯ Not too long after that system alert, a barrage of system alerts followed behind it. They were all messages from the people he had not made any contact with for the past four days. Most of them were simply concerned about his long absence from RML, however, two other certain individuals were understandingly frustrated. ¡´System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "I¡¯m impressed, I didn¡¯t think you still y this game, Izroth. Shall we meet at the same ce? Of course, now would be an appropriate time. ^_^+"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Zi Yi has sent you a message, "Where have you been these past few days? My sister has been in a terrible moodtely and I¡¯ve had to suffer for it to cheer her up. Izroth, do you know your crimes? You... Better be alright."¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "You have been gone for four days. Are you okay?"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Halls has sent you a message, "Big brother Izroth, you¡¯re online! Hahaha, we were beginning to worry!"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Guan Yu has sent you a message, "I knew you¡¯d return! Hah, I told everyone it was nothing to be concerned about."¡µ Although Mariposa¡¯s words seemed simple and understanding on the surface, one could tell that she was clearly upset and wanted a proper exnation. Zi Yi, on the other hand, appeared to have been taken to her limit by Mariposa. Most likely, she was the one to soothe over Mariposa during his absence. It would appear that he owed her for her troubles. However, he could tell by her message that she was concerned about his disappearance. Izroth shook his head inwardly, but a small carefree smile appeared on his face. He sent a proper response back to everyone as he walked towards the exit to the room he was in. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to sort through my items another time.¡¯ Izroth soon left Amaharpe¡¯s Pce and began to head towards the previous location where he had met with Mariposa to discuss their original deal. ... "You disappear for four days without warning and then decided to turn up out of nowhere? We had a deal! A contract! Promises were made and then broken! Izroth, I find you to be a trustworthy man, one of the few I know. Four day and no pills to show for it. Do not tell me I have made a terrible mistake in trusting you." Mariposa said as she finally took a deep breath. From the moment Izroth entered into the building she had gone on nonstop and unloaded her frustrations without restraint. Izroth did not have time to get a single word in as she spoke without pause. Zi Yi stood silently at the side. Since she was a part of setting up the original contract, Mariposa had called her here as well. Izroth, of course, let Mariposa speak freely without interrupting her. He understood that she needed to vent a bit after being left in the dark for such a long period of time. Therefore, he did not be insulted or offended by her words. "I understand. I take my word very seriously, as well as, the promises I make to others. That¡¯s why I have a proposition for you. Think of it as... Renewing and revising the contract. Rather, I was thinking about something a bit more long term." Izroth said in an unhurried manner. He had already made his decision on what to do. Since he had broken his promise and the contract, he had another idea in mind that would not only mend any broken trust but also create a more solid connection with the guild Sleeping Gardenia. In the end, he was only one man and he had a clear goal. However, if he had to stop and do every little thing himself, such as gather information, run errands, or farm umon resources, he would never have time to focus on leveling up and advancing further within RML. Even as the number one cultivator in the Seven Realms he would delegate certain task to more suitable individuals. Therefore, he was willing to adjust and adapt to the situation. In return, he would gain a stable and reliable ally. This would also be useful for some of the future ns he had in mind. Mariposa had a confused look on her face, however, she let out a long sigh before throwing her hands up helplessly. He appeared to bepletely unphased by the situation. She did not know if that was a good or bad thing, but she would still hear him out. "I¡¯m listening." Mariposa responded with a bit of curiosity forming on her face. Chapter 184 Looking At The Bigger Picture "I¡¯ll need two hours to prepare a few things. Do you have any objections?" Izroth said. Mariposa furrowed her brows at Izroth¡¯s request. She herself wanted to give Izroth the time, however, she was still a guild leader and personally responsible for Sleeping Gardenia. Therefore, she was conflicted. Personally, she believed that Izroth would keep his word. After all, she did not feel that he had any bad intentions. However, as a guild leader, she could not always prioritize her own opinions over facts and to be quite frank, the facts were not on Izroth¡¯s side. Zi Yi nced over at her elder sister and noticed the dilemma she was in. She could not afford to think of only herself and her own wishes being in her current position. Izroth sat patiently in his seat as he awaited Mariposa¡¯s answer. From her troubled expression alone, he could tell that she was stuck before a crossroad. As the silence continued to fill the room, Zi Yi was surprisingly the first to break it. Zi Yi released a long sigh as she said, "I will personally cover any losses Sleeping Gardenia suffers. Of course, with interest." ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Mariposa frowned as she listened to Zi Yi¡¯s offer. Her sister could not have known Izroth for that long and yet she was willing to vouch for him to such an extent? "Surely you know that the total would be nearly double of our original investment of 80,000 gold coins. Not to even mention factoring in the exchange rate at the time the deal was made. That would be almost 200,000 gold coins with interest added. Even for you that investment is-" Mariposa tried to exin. "If I said it¡¯s fine then it¡¯s fine! I¡¯m perfectly capable of managing my own finances the way I want to." Zi Yi said without hesitation. 200,000 gold coins? Considering the drop over thest few days in the exchange rate, even if it was currently as low as 1:700, that would still be 140,000,000 RMB! Just how wealthy was Mariposa and Zi Yi¡¯s family that she would have free ess to such arge amount? Izroth understood what Zi Yi was trying to aplish. She was offering Mariposa a way to ept the deal she wanted without having to worry about the potential bacsh. In his eyes, there was no such risk that existed. Izroth was positive that he would profit no matter what happened here today. However, in the end, he would not allow Zi Yi to suffer any losses for his sake. Izroth shook his head and said, "While I appreciate the gesture, this was a problem caused by me. Therefore, I will be the one to ept the risk." After seeing how far Zi Yi was willing to go to assist him, she had shown him once more that he did not make a mistake in trusting her. After all, 140,000,000 RMB was by no means a small amount that one could put on the line. Izroth continued, "I am willing to forfeit the Five Cycles Pill recipe and creation process, as well as, all of its ownership rights to you and the Sleeping Gardenia guild. I am sure this should be more than enough insurance." Mariposa and Zi Yi were shocked. He was really willing to risk a massive money making item like the Five Cycles Pill? "You can¡¯t be serious! You¡¯ll be giving away an entire fortune by doing that! I really don¡¯t mind-" Zi Yi tried to talk Izroth out of it, but when he looked over in her direction with that calm and carefree expression of his, she could not find any other words to say that would convince him. "You- Fine, see if I care. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you!" Zi Yi said as she folded her arms in a frustrated way. Mariposa, however, had a serious look on her face. Was it wrong of her to hope that Izroth would fail whatever he tried to aplish in the next two hours? Of course, Izroth¡¯s suggestion would be more than enough to cover any potential misgivings. "Alright, I ept your terms. We¡¯ll meet back here in two hours and see where things will go from there. I truly hope that you will keep your side of the deal when the timees, Izroth." Mariposa said. "I intend to. Then, you¡¯ll have to excuse me." Izroth said as he stood to his feet and left the building. "I¡¯m surprised he rejected your offer, my adorable little sister. Most people would have jumped at the opportunity for someone else to suffer the loss and yet he chose not to. Still, I¡¯m even more surprised that you offered to cover for him. Is it love?" Mariposa said teasingly. Zi Yi scoffed and stomped her foot as she said, "Your heads are in the clouds again! I just know what type of man Izroth is! I knew that he would most likely reject my offer, but it was still worth a shot. You didn¡¯t truly n on not allowing him the two hours, right?" Mariposa had a helpless expression on her face as she shook her head and said, "Of course not. I¡¯m no fool. Even if he waste an entire week I would have given him the two hours. I¡¯m sure he knew this as well. I had no choice but to put on that little perform for the sake of Sleeping Gardenia." She then continued, "Even if I received the 200,000 gold coins from rightfully terminating the contract, I would have not been looking at the bigger picture. I doubt that a mere Five Cycles Pill is as far as that man will go." Zi Yi set her sights on the door that Izroth left through just moments ago. She began to think about the first time they met and their journey inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth was someone full of constant mysteries and surprises. "Indeed, how far will he go...?" Zi Yi muttered to herself. It was as if something had dawned on her at that time. ... ¡¯Two hours should be plenty of time to settle this matter.¡¯ After leaving the meeting with Mariposa and Zi Yi, the first thing Izroth did was head to the auction house. He needed to find a few items with certain traits for what he had in mind. Also, he needed to collect his earnings from the x150 Five Cycles Pills he put up for auction. It was just as he thought, the current exchange rate had fallen the past four days of his absence from 1:842 to 1:781. The Five Cycles Pills sold for a total of 3,930 gold coins or 3,069,330 RMB with the new exchange rate. However, after the conversion fee was taken out, Izorth was left with 2,762,397 RMB. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing that the in-game time ratio dropped down to a 3:1 ratio, otherwise, the exchange rate would have fallen even further during those four days.¡¯ As for the ingredients he had hoped to acquire, in the end, he managed to obtain all but two. Of course, he knew that it was unlikely that he would find what he was looking for in the auction house alone. He had another way of potentially acquiring the items he needed. Izroth contacted someone he had not spoken to since entering into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Metronome. Although he did notpletely trust Metronome, he had to admit that based on the few encounters they had so far, he was incredibly resourceful. When Izroth contacted Metronome he did not go into the details of why he needed the ingredients, but simply gave him their descriptions. Of course, being the person he was, Metronome tried to dig for more information but gave up in the end once he realized that Izroth was redirecting everyst one of his probing questions. ¡´System Alert: yer Metronome has sent you a message, "I can have the items to you within the next ten to fifteen minutes or so as you¡¯ve requested. I¡¯ll meet you at the following coordinates. If you need anything else don¡¯t hesitate to send a message my way."¡µ Just as Metronome promised, he met up with Izroth on time at the arranged coordinates and delivered the items to him. In return, Izroth gave Metronome 20 gold coins. It was enough to cover the items, as well as, a small bonus for obtaining the items on such short notice. "Pleasure doing business with you as always, Izroth. You know, I¡¯ve heard some interesting rumor. The word is that you have some connections with Sleeping Gardenia and have paid them quite a few visits. I wonder if such rumors are true?" Metronome said as he observed Izroth¡¯s reaction. "Rumors, is it? I wonder as well." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Metronome shrugged his shoulders and said, "Just a baseless rumor then, I guess. Well, I¡¯ll be on my way since everything seems to be in order." Metronome quickly took his leave. Izroth shook his head inwardly. It appeared that someone had eyes on the traffic going in and out of the Sleeping Gardenia building. Either that or someone within Sleeping Gardenia was no good at keeping a secret. Izroth went on his way and soon arrived at the Apothecary building. He went straight up to the third floor and entered into one of the free rooms. The first thing he did was spread out the ingredients he purchased onto a long table. In total, Izroth spent 10 gold and 20 silver coins on therge variety of ingredients he acquired. Of course, this did not include the 20 gold coins he paid to Metronome. ¡¯That pill should theoretically work, however, some of the core ingredients are a bit different. But, for the others...¡¯ Izroth closed his eyes and organized his thoughts. A few momentster, he reopened his eyes with a near look of rity present within them. He looked remarkably calm as he removed his Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and began the heating process. ¡¯One or two pills are not enough to open up a pill shop. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll take this chance to kill two birds with one stone. I will create not one, but five new pills.¡¯ ording to pill grades the system had given his previous creations, Izroth predicted that he would end up with two grade one pills, two grade two pills, and one grade three pill. At the moment, it was still impossible for him to craft a grade four pill due to the weak fire core in his Dark Abyssal Cauldron. Of course, Izroth was looking at the bigger picture. Not everyone would be able to afford a grade three pill. In fact, the vast majority of yers would be unable to casually purchase a grade three pill. Therefore, in order to reach the millions upon millions of casual yers, Izroth decided to create some lower grade pills. After he revealed a bit of his hand, would Mariposa truly want to keep the old contract? Although Izroth was satisfied with the previous arrangements, he was just that, satisfied. Now that he had enough RMB to breathe freely, he did not desire a short term profit. No, he wanted to build and create something much bigger. In order to do so, he required the assistance of Mariposa and Sleeping Gardenia. ¡¯It will be a small price to pay for what I gain in the end.¡¯ Izroth then cleared his mind of useless thoughts and went to work. ¡¯The first pill I¡¯ll be working on is one of the lower end Spirit rank pills, the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill.¡¯ The lower Spirit rank pills always seemed to have the most extravagant names to make up for their simplicity. Despite its domineering name, it carried quite a simple but useful effect. However, the main reason Izroth chose this pill recipe was that just like the Five Cycles Pill, it required a new unique method in order to be sessfully crafted. Though unlike the Five Cycles Pill it was nowhere close to bing an Earth rank pill. Izroth started the Dark Abyssal Cauldron¡¯s fire on the lowest possible setting. ¡¯The first step is the most crucial in crafting the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill. It will determine if one seeds or fails.¡¯ Chapter 185 A Tempting Offer Although the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill was only a lower grader Spirit rank pill, it was still a tricky pill to craft. While it did not live up to its tyrannical and overbearing name, it was a pill that all those starting off on their cultivation journey craved. One of the many important things for a cultivator that would determine how far they could go on the path of cultivation was a strong starting foundation. The purpose of the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill was to strengthen and solidify one¡¯s foundations as a cultivator so that they could one day reach greater heights. ¡¯I am unsure of the effect the system will grant, but it should definitely be something worthwhile.¡¯ As the days passed by within RML, yers began to explore new areas and obtain new reagents. This allowed Izroth to craft pills that would have been impossible to create at an earlier date due to theck of proper resources. The first ingredient Izroth tossed into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron was a reagent known as the Jugris Leaf. Due to the traits it possessed, it became the key recement for the main ingredient of the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill. The moment the Jugris Leaf touched the bottom of the cauldron, a faint crackling sound as if one was sitting next to a campfire echoed against the inside walls of the cauldron. Exactly two secondster Izroth slowly increased the temperature of the cauldron while adding three additional ingredients, Elucidoria Stem, Valley Lizard Blood, and Basic Binding Agent in that specific order. When Izroth ced the three ingredients inside the cauldron, it began to shake violently as if something was attempting to break free. However, Izroth did not panic and simply continued to slowly increase the temperature of the cauldron bit by bit. ¡¯Not quite yet...¡¯ Izroth did this for precisely ten seconds until the violent shaking seemed to reach its peak. ¡¯Now.¡¯ Izroth immediately increased the cauldron to its maximum possible temperature. However, instead of continuing to shake uncontrobly, the cauldron actually became perfectly still. It was as if a savage beast had finally been soothed. Five secondster, a strong medicinal scent filled the entire room and was apanied by a warm aura. Izroth looked down into the cauldron as he witnessed an astonishing five pills slowly rising up just above the cauldron. As soon as the pills reach the outside of the cauldron, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions yer Izroth, you have sessfully created a grade-one pill, please name it.¡µ ¡¯Just as I suspected it would be; a grade one pill.¡¯ "Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill." Izroth said without a moment to waste. Izroth believed that he had no talent when it came to naming things and thus, he decided to keep the pill¡¯s original name. Even if it was a bit much. ¡´System Alert: You have received x5 ?Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill?.¡µ Name: Heart of the Heavenly Dragon(I) Rank: Grade-One Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Well Tempered?. ?Well Tempered?: Permanently increases the all user stats naturally over time. The user can speed up the process by doing repetitive tasks focused on the stat(s) they are attempting to increase. Stat(s) gain(s) per increase varies. (Max Per Stat: 100) Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effect(s). However, consuming a higher grade version of the pill will rece its effect(s). As Izroth examined the pill, he became satisfied with the end results. Although the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill from the Seven Realms was quite different, Izroth spected that this was the best way the system could integrate the pill effect into RML. After all, there was technically no meridian pathways to be cleared or impure spiritual essence to be purified within RML. However, it did naturally increasing one¡¯s strength over time, as well as, sped up the process if they put forth the effort. He had a feeling that this would be one of the most popr grade one pills. A free 100 stat boost to every stat just from taking one pill was simply too good of a chance to pass up. Of course, the speed on which one was able to gain those stats would greatly vary depending on how they went about it. ¡¯I did not expect to receive more than three pills. It is an unexpected surprise. Though, the overall effect is eptable. That¡¯s one down, four more to go.¡¯ Izroth set the five pills into his inventory as he moved on to the next pill recipe. ... Two hourster... ¡¯I got a bit too deep into it and lost track of time, however, things turned out better than I originally anticipated.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s body was currently flickering throughout the streets of Amaharpe as he made his way from the Apothecary building towards the Sleeping Gardenia meeting location. It had been a long time since Izroth had worked around so many different ingredients. He had to admit that it was a pleasant experience and brought back some fond memories. A few momentster, Izroth arrived at his destination as his figure stopped flickering and he entered inside. "Right on time." A voice sounded out from the other end of the room right as Izroth opened the door and stepped inside. Of course, this voice belonged to Mariposa. Sitting alongside Mariposa was He Huian and Valkyria, while sat down across from her was Zi Yi. He Huian had a worried and anxious expression on her face. It was unclear what was going on through her mind at that moment. On the other hand, Valkyria seemed reluctant to be here based upon her bodynguage. "Oh? You¡¯re outside the pce library again?" Izroth said as he looked towards Zi Yi. "I helped you with the first contract. Don¡¯t tell me that you want to kick me aside now that I¡¯m of no use to you?" Zi Yi scoffed as she nced over at Izroth. Izroth gave a carefree smile in response and said, "Of course, I always wee your support." He then walked over to sit down at the table. "You all appear to be a little on edge." Izroth said unhurriedly. "I wonder who¡¯s exactly to me for our being on edge?" Mariposa responded in a partly yfully manner. "I assure you the two-hour wait will have been well worth your time." Izroth said. "Oh? Now I¡¯m really looking forward to what you have to show after two hours." Mariposa said as she made a hand gesture that dered by all means. "I have to admit at first, I was satisfied with our agreement. However, after thinking it over a bit, I found that I had been much too hasty. Although it is not a bad deal, I believe that having you listed as a priority buyer is a mistake." Izroth said. "You can¡¯t go back on your word now! Do you know how much trouble we¡¯ve gone through toe up with the required gold coins for the transaction to take ce?" He Huian spoke in a frustrated tone of voice. He Huian had spent countless hours over the past few days rearranging andpensating for any holes in their spending after moving around the RMB required toe up with 80,000 gold coins. So, she was the one who was most unhappy with Izroth taking things so easily. Valkyria rubbed the temples on her forehead. She felt as if she was going to be here all day based on the words Izroth just said. To her, it sounded as if he no longer wanted to go through with the contract. Zi Yi was startled by Izroth¡¯s words as a frown appeared on her face. She knew what kind of person Izroth was and he was definitely not the type to go back on his word. Either he had something better nned or there was a reasonable exnation for his actions. However, she refused to believe that he made that decision just for the heck of it. Mariposa¡¯s facial expression darkened as she continuously tapped her finger on the table. "Surely you did not take off during those two hours to make a deal with another top guild, did you?" Mariposa asked in a stale tone of voice. Izroth was unaffected by He Huian¡¯s outburst. He had no intention of going back on his words. "I will show you something. I believe after you see it, you will understand." Izroth said as he sent an alert to all those present at the table. Everyone was confused by what they saw at first. A title? Why would Izroth send them a title? What did that have to do with anything they were currently talking about? However, they chose to go along with it as they opened the alert and read the details of the title. They were surprised by the first bonus the title gave to Izroth. However, the moment theyid their eyes on the second bonus, everyone near simultaneously jumped out of their seats. "This is...!" Mariposa was speechless. She did not even bother reading the other bonuses as her eyes were glued to one thing. The same could be said for the others who were equally as speechless. Even Valkyria who seemed reluctant to be here at first was interested. "A gold mine... This is a gold mine!" He Huian said as she sat back down in her chair with a look of disbelief clearly written on her face. A few momentster after everyone managed to calm down, there was now a heavy atmosphere in the room. There was one question on everyone¡¯s mind, why had Izroth shown them such a thing at this time? "I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be interested in selling that property and acting as a stand-in proxy?" Mariposa asked. She knew that it was unlikely, but she had to ask just in case. "I do not n on selling such a valuable opportunity. Even one million gold coins would not be enough to convince me." Izroth said as he shook his head. "If one million gold coins aren¡¯t enough then I¡¯ll offer two million! In fact, forget the gold coins, I¡¯ll directly offer you 3,000,000,000 RMB right now as long as you sign over total ownership of the property and agree to transfer ownership after obtaining the proper methods of owning property." Mariposa said without hesitation. 3,000,000,000 RMB?! That was nearly 4 million gold coins with the current exchange rate. However, she wanted to directly send Izroth the RMB instead of dealing with gold coins. This showed just how serious Mariposa was about her offer. "But we do not have the proper funds to-" He Huian tried to warn Mariposa, but she was cut off. "Of course, I don¡¯t expect the guild to fund this business venture. I will pay out of my own personal ount." Mariposa quickly exined. After all, she knew what their guild finances were like and they did not have anywhere near 4 million gold coins to spare. Zi Yi furrowed her brows. The average person would think that Mariposa was either crazy or just wealthy enough to throw away money by offering such arge amount. However, she was able to see the bigger picture and knew exactly what her sister wanted to aplish. It was most likely the same thing Izroth wished to do or something simr. While 4 million gold coins may seem like a lot, it was definitely worth the investment for a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia. Not only would they be able to establish a strong presence in a capital city like Amaharpe, but they would always make back that 4 million gold coins in probably just a few months, maybe even less than that. "I¡¯ll have to decline your generous offer." Izroth replied. While he was tempted by Mariposa¡¯s lucrative offer, he was no longer looking for a get rich quick scheme. He wanted a solid and stable form of ie. But more important than that, he needed another way to increase his reputation for what he had nned. Mariposa was a bit dejected, but she figured that his answer would still be no. After all, to her current knowledge, no yer had yet to own any property within all of RML. Mariposa let out a disappointed sigh and said, "Well, I suppose you didn¡¯t show us just to make us jealous. What do you have in mind?" "I¡¯ll keep it short and simple." Izroth said as he opened his inventory and removed seven different pills. The moment he did so, a strong medicinal scent filled the entire room and lingered in the air. "I believe this is something that will be beneficial to all parties involved." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Chapter 186 The Pact and An Offer That Cant Be Refused The pills Izroth removed from his inventory were the five of his most recent creations along with the two pills he had already revealed to Mariposa, the Five Cycles Pill and the Two Sr Extremities Pill. Everyone present was drawn into the seven pillsid out before them on the table. Each pill was unique and besides the Five Cycles Pill and the Two Sr Extremities Pill, they had no idea what the other pills were. It was something they had never seen before. The most shocking fact was that there was a unique aura lingering around one of the unknown pills that Zi Yi, Mariposa, He Huian and Valkyria were familiar with. That aura was unique to grade three pills! "Impossible... How can there be so many?" He Huian said as she closely observed the seven pills. She started to think back to when they first discussed the priority purchase contract with Izroth and could only shake her head. What a joke! Not only were there three grade one pills, but there was also two grade two pills amongst the mix. Zi Yi was unable to wipe off the grin that formed on her face when Izroth revealed his hand. So this is why he needed two hours! If it were anyone else Zi Yi would not believe that they were able to suddenly craft five new pills in such a short amount of time, however, after her journey with Izroth inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm she would not dismiss it so easily. Zi Yi immediately began to send a message to Izroth. Mariposa had a serious expression on her hand with her hands sped up near her mouth with furrowed brows. Not only had Izroth shown them a title that allowed him to own property inside of the capital city of Amaharpe, but he revealed to them five new pills as well. However... Izroth sat quietly with a carefree expression on his face as he allowed them to freely examine the pills. Mariposa was screaming on the inside. No matter how much she tried to discern based on Izroth¡¯s bodynguage, she was unable to tell what was going through his head at the moment. To her, Izroth¡¯s move did not make any sense. He could have simply offered them a slightly lower price on the purchasing value of the Five Cycles Pill or even just gifted a few free pills to show his sincerity. What was the purpose of showing them all of this? What did he stand to gain from doing so? Thanks to the information he revealed, it was now obvious that he wanted to open the very first officially owned yer shop within RML. It was most likely why he requested such arge amount of gold coins in one go and was unwilling to sell the exclusive rights for the pill. Even without their help or finances, eventually, Izroth would have made enough to open his own shop and start selling his products there, but he did not do so. Instead, he came to them and this is what baffled Mariposa. Not knowing what the person she was making a deal with was thinking was not something Mariposa was used to. For her, it was always the other way around. "Since my elder sister and the others seem to have bitten their tongues, I¡¯ll ask the question currently on everyone¡¯s mind. Izroth, what is it that you want to aplish?" Zi Yi took the initiative. While it may have seemed as if she was helping Mariposa and the others, she was actually helping Izroth follow up on his opening move. At this point, it was nearly impossible for Mariposa to have any control over the oue of this event. "What I desire is something not easily given, but often times be easily misced. I desire an ally I can trust. An ally whose word binds stronger than any contract." Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. "Trust? Ally?" Mariposa raised her brows at the mention of those two words. Was it truly so simple? Was there noplicated or hidden motive behind all of this? No scheming? Could she really have been overthinking things this entire time? Zi Yi was a little surprised when she first heard Izroth¡¯s words, however, after remembering the conversation they had outside after the first contract was made something suddenly dawned on her. "Can it really be because of that...?" Zi Yi muttered to herself as her eyes widened slightly from the sudden realization. ... Back when Izroth and Zi Yi left the Sleeping Gardenia building after the first contract... "Then, I¡¯ll try my best not to betray that trust." Zi Yi said as she turned to face away from Izroth. "If ever that moment came I would not me you, but rather myself forcking the proper skills when ites to the judgment of character." Izroth said. Zi Yi turned to face Izroth with a smile on her face, "In that case, let¡¯s make a pact." Zi Yi said without thinking. It was as if the words just slipped out of her mouth, however, now that they were said she would not take them back. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Izroth asked curiously. To Izroth, pacts were something that was not made lightly. A pact would truly test the limits of how far a person was willing to go to keep a promise. To keep their word. "I won¡¯t allow anyone to deceive you. In return, I ask that you not allow anyone to deceive me. This applies even to ourselves. What do you think?" Zi Yi said. "I¡¯ll ept." Izroth said without the slightest bit of hesitation. Zi Yi was stunned. To be honest, she did not expect Izroth to ept so quickly if even at all. After all, it was such a bizarre and sudden request that anyone would have the right to be cautious. However, Izroth did not hesitate a single moment and epted right away. But, in the end, she was happy that he agreed. "My real name is Zi Jiayi." Zi Yi said as she stared at Izroth as if she were waiting for something in return. "I am called Zhang Jin." Izroth stated. Zi Yi nodded and said, "I, Zi Jiayi, make this pact with you, Zhang Jin. If one of us breaks this pact, may both of us for the eternal price. Zhang Jin, do you ept these terms?" Zi Yi then held the palm of her hand out towards Izroth. She then made a small gesture as if signaling Izroth what to do. ¡¯A pact where both sides pay the price regardless of who breaks it. It almost reminds me of the Otidium Pact in the Seven Realms.¡¯ Izroth ced the palm of his hand on top of Zi Yi and said, "I ept the terms." "Then from this day forward, we share the pact." Zi Yi said as she then removed her hand from Izroth¡¯s. After everything was over, Izroth could not help but ask, "Tell me, why the ritual?" Zi Yi smiled and replied, "It is a long-standing tradition of my family. I do not usually enjoy the old traditions, but for this, I made a small exception. I am d you humored me." "I see, tradition." Izroth said to himself. However, such old traditions were extremely rare in this day and age. To still keep to those old traditions meant that Zi Yi¡¯s family must have been one with strong roots. Zi Yi seemed to be a bit hesitant at first, but she decided to speak her mind in the end. "I should warn you, Izroth. You should not be too deeply involved with my elder sister. She¡¯s a dangerous person to be around." Zi Yi said. ¡¯This is unexpected...¡¯ Those were thest words Izroth expected to hear from Zi Yi. Not only did she and Mariposa appear to be on good terms and tied closely together, but she even just helped him with a deal involving her. Now, she was telling him that it was not good for him to be involved with her? "It¡¯s a bitte for that don¡¯t you think? Do you not trust your elder sister?" Izroth replied. Zi Yi shook her head, "I would trust my elder sister with my life. I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand my words. Although I can¡¯t go into too many details, I can borate a bit. My elder sister¡¯s situation is a little... Complicated to say the least. She is not the dangerous one, but there are those who..." Zi Yi seemed to struggle with her exnation for a moment, however, she managed to organize her thoughts and continue. "There are those who would see my elder sister fail at every turn. Those are the people you should be careful of. They will do anything they feel is necessary to make sure she does not seed. That also means getting rid of any... Obstacles." Zi Yi exined. "In other words, you mean to say that other top guilds do not take kindly to your elder sister." Izroth said. Zi Yi released a small sigh, "I wish it were that simple. I just thought it was only fair to warn you so you would not be caughtpletely off guard. But, as I said before, you have nothing to worry about due to the current arrangements. However, you should definitely think twice about forming any true alliance." "Do you trust Mariposa?" Izroth asked as he looked directly into Zi Yi¡¯s eyes. For some reason when Izroth looked into her eyes, Zi Yi felt as if he was looking right through her. However, Zi Yi nodded and responded, "I do. More than anyone else in this world." "Then I see no problem with whatever I decide to do. I thank you for your warning, but I would not let such a small matter stop me. If you trust her, then that is good enough for me." Izroth responded. Zi Yi believed that Izroth was too trusting. He trusted someone just because someone he trusted, trusted them. There were not many people left in the world that would take such a risk. Izroth and Zi Yi continued talking for a bit longer before Zi Yi started to take her leave towards the Amaharpe Pce Library. However, just before Zi Yi left she turned around said, "Oh by the way, if you tell my sister what I said here today about her..." Zi Yi gave a simple smile as she finished her sentence there before turning to walk away. ¡¯I wonder if those two realize just how much they truly care for one another.¡¯ ... "That¡¯s right. It is a simple thing to ask is it not? As a gesture of good faith, I am willing to share in this opportunity with you and the Sleeping Gardenia guild." Izroth said. "You can¡¯t honestly expect us to believe that you would be willing to sacrifice such a prime opportunity just for our trust and alliance. I¡¯ve never heard of such a deal in my life." Valkyria said as she shook her head. He Huian also had her doubts, but if what Izroth said was true then this could be a huge chance for her Sleeping Gardenia guild. "Trust and an alliance..." Mariposa softly whispered those words to herself. She then looked over towards Zi Yi who currently had that grin on her face. She knew Zi Yi enough to tell what that grin of her¡¯s meant. It was her younger sister¡¯s way of telling her she had no other choice but to concede. Mariposa sighed and said, "There¡¯s an old saying. When something seems too good to be that¡¯s usually because it is. However, I have never been that good at following old saying." A lovely smile appeared on Mariposa¡¯s face. A few momentster, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Mariposa. It was the original contract that she and Izroth had signed. She held the contract in her hands and torn it in half. This actively made the contract null and void. In other words, she herself terminated the contract! That meant that even if Izroth walked away right now there would be no consequences. He Huian and Valkyria were stunned when they saw Mariposa tear the contract in half. She was always the type to take a risk, however, that was the only card in their hand and now it was gone! "I have resigned myself to fate this time. He Huian, Valkyria, I will ept all the responsibility for this if anything should go wrong." Mariposa said in a reassuring manner. He Huian and Valkyria looked at one another and then back towards Mariposa. Both of them did not say a word and respected her wishes without raising any objections. "If it hasn¡¯t be obvious by now, I n to open a shop. Its location will be right across from the auction house. However, the cost of that ce is 80,000 gold coins. Though I suspect the price may have risen over thest few days to almost 90,000 gold coins. This is the spot I wish to purchase." Izroth said. He then continued, "I n to open the first official pill shop in Amaharpe. I do not need to exin the potential profitability behind this venture. Therefore, in addition to the 10,000 gold coins you¡¯ve already given me, I will need an additional 80,000 gold coins for the building purchase and 1,000 gold coins as a resource credit. I will also need to borrow your Apothecary branch." If Izroth had made these demands before they would have said that he was being ridiculous. However, now that they had seen what he was truly capable of, nobody dared to utter those words from their mouth. "In return, I will supply Sleeping Gardenia with pills for free. Of course, provided it purchases or obtains all the resources required. Sleeping Gardenia will also earn 50% of all profit from the shop until the debt of 91,000 gold coins is paid off. After that, Sleeping Gardenia will receive 10% of all profit made from the shop." Izroth exined. Of course, this was something Zi Yi had suggested to Izroth. From the moment Izroth revealed the seven pills Zi Yi had been in constant over the messaging system with him. After verifying a few details, she came up with an arrangement she believed would be eptable to both parties while also allowing both sides to demonstrate their first ever step of trust. Mariposa was honestly surprised by such a generous offer. There was nothing for them to lose and only much for them to gain. It appeared that Izroth was serious when he spoke of trust and wanting an ally. He Huian and Valkyria were also pleasantly surprised. They expected Izroth to strongarm them and grab as many benefits as possible despite his previous elegant words. However, they believed that they may have misjudged him and started to see why their guild leader was willing to take such risk when it involved him. Mariposa looked at the terms suggested by Izroth from all directions and yet came up with the same answer no matter what angle she looked from. It was an offer that couldn¡¯t be refused! "I... ept." Mariposa said as she looked directly at Izroth. Chapter 187 Finalizing Izroth was not surprised by Mariposa¡¯s response. The deal he offered was far too beneficial for Sleeping Gardenia for Mariposa to even consider not epting it. Not only would they gain back their original investment, but they would also continue to earn more after doing so. ¡¯I have taken the first step. Ten percent and a few benefits is a small price to pay.¡¯ For a while now, Izroth had something on his mind that he considered doing at an earlier time, but it was not ideal for him to do so at that moment. After all, he did not have any capital, a stable source of ie, no connections, and most importantly no one he could entrust certain things to. ¡¯The next step is going to be a little troublesome. I¡¯ll have to depend on the one point in my luck stat to shine when that timees.¡¯ Mariposa stood up from her seat, "If you have any concerns or needs, He Huian and I will be here to assist you. As for our Apothecary branch, I¡¯ll personally introduce you to them whenever you¡¯d like. I¡¯ll send you the gold you require." She said as she opened up her system interface and sent the gold coins to Izroth. ¡´System Alert: You have received 80,000 gold coins from yer Mariposa¡µ "As for the resources, Sleeping Gardenia will cover allmon and umon resources free of charge. All you have to do is simply make the request. As for the rare resources and beyond, we can locate or even acquire them for you, but it will be put towards the 1,000 gold coins credit line you¡¯ve suggested." Mariposa said. She then continued, "You may be interested in some of the more... Not yet public resources we¡¯ve managed to obtain. He Huian, be sure to grab two samples of each and send them to Izroth. If we only have two samples, then give him the other one." "I understand." He Huian responded. "I¡¯ll have to thank you for your generosity." Izroth replied. He figured that a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia would definitely have ingredients hidden away from the casual yer base, as well as, other top guilds. This was so that their guild would have a slight edge over other guilds, no matter how small. At the moment, Izroth was limited by two things when it came to the Apothecary profession. The first was theck of versatile ingredients to work with. While the other was a stronger fire core. Residing inside of his Dark Abyssal Cauldron was a D-ranked fire core. Right now, Izroth¡¯s Dark Abyssal Cauldron had already evolved into a C+ rank after his most recent pill crafting session. However, he could see that in order to further increase its rank, he would have to first acquire a higher grade fire core so that the cauldron could feed off grade four pill essence. The growth of his cauldron hade to aplete halt after it reached the C+ rank. Therefore, no matter how many grade three pills he crafted inside the Dark Abyssal Cauldron, it would never advance. Izroth opened his trade window and sent Mariposa 800 Five Cycle Pills, as well as, 10 each of the other six pills. To be honest, it did not cost Izroth more than a few gold coins to make that batch of pills. Therefore, he did not mind giving it away. Also, it reinforced the fact that he would treat those well who treated him well. "Consider this my way of showing a little gratitude." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Mariposa had a nk expression on her face when she saw what Izroth was trading her. There were nearly 900 pills! The most shocking thing was that over 800 of them were grade three pills! Could it be he had these pills on him this entire time and was just testing them? Yes, that must be it. It did not even cross Mariposa¡¯s mind that Izroth could have crafted so many pills is just two hours. However, if Mariposa knew that Izroth was capable of such a thing how would she have reacted? "If this is your way of showing gratitude, I¡¯ll be sure to keep that in mind." Mariposa said with a smile on her face. Mariposa handed the pills over to Valkyria who was at her side. "Be sure that every member of the Lotus Guard receives a Five Cycles Pill. If you have any remaining, you are to hand them over to He Huian to use as a way of rewarding our guild members for any achievements they may have aplished." Mariposa said. She then continued, "As for the other six pills... Since will only be eight of each them remaining after both you and I receive one. I will leave it up to you to decide which core members will get the remaining. I trust you to use your better judgment." Since He Huian was not someone who focused on thebat aspect of the game, she did not have any immediate use for the pills. "I will do so at once." Valkyria responded as she stood up and gave everyone a proper farewell before taking her leave. She hid it well, but one could tell that she was excited to distribute the pills to the Lotus Guard. After all, a stronger Lotus Guard meant a stronger Sleeping Gardenia. This would increase the overallbat capability of Sleeping Gardenia by leaps and bounds! Izroth, Mariposa, Zi Yi, and He Huian spoke for around ten minutes after Valkyria took her leave. Most of it was about what ns Izroth had for his shop. Of course, it was obvious that its main attraction would be pills, but they wondered if he had a solid n for the prices. As for the marketing aspect, Sleeping Gardenia said they would handle it. While it was true that the building Izroth wished to purchase was right across from the auction house and would naturally receive good business, there were still many other ways to attract potential customers. "I believe the limit of two per customer is a good thing. After all, a yer may try to clear out the entire inventory and sell them at a higher price behind your back if given that much freedom. Also this way, there is a chance for more yers to visit and make a purchase. The more yers that know about it, the more the word will spread." He Huian exined after hearing Zi Yi¡¯s suggestion. Izroth nodded, "I agree. However, I am still unclear about how exactly the shop system works. I will have to explore the options after everything is set up. Zi Yi, I hope that you can put off going to Amaharpe¡¯s Pce Library for a while longer and assist me with a few things." "If it weren¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to ess the pce¡¯s library at the moment. I don¡¯t mind waiting a bit longer before I return." Zi Yi responded. Zi Yi knew that Izroth still had a lot of things to take care of before he opened the shop. Therefore, she dly offered her assistance. Especially considering the fact that she did not like to leave things half done. From the moment she epted Izroth¡¯s first invitation she nned on seeing things through until the end. "When will you be opening up the shop?" Mariposa asked curiously. While the sooner the better applied to this situation, Izroth still needed to create an actual inventory before being able to open up. He had already given them nearly 900 pills, therefore, she assumed that his inventory was severelycking. "I will purchase the location immediately. However, I will not be opening the shop until some time tomorrow or the day after that. Since I¡¯ve already given you the list of resources I need to start off with, I will wait untilter today when they are delivered with the other various ingredients." Izroth said. "He Huian has already sent the message off, so it shouldn¡¯t be too long until you receive what you¡¯ve requested. The amount is actually less than I expected... Are you sure you do not need anything else?" Mariposa said. When Mariposa received the list of resources Izroth she was shocked. She expected to see a full list of rare and valuable ingredients, however, most of the ingredients were eithermon or umon. There was only one ingredient that would be a bit troublesome to acquire. "Actually, there is one more item I would like for you to acquire for me. I need a fire core that is at least C-ranked or above. Of course, I will pay a fair price for it." Izroth said. "C-ranked or above?" Mariposa said as she furrowed her brows as she appeared to be in deep thought for a moment. "I¡¯ll see what I can do. Though, to be truthful, finding anything above a D-ranked fire core is unlikely. ording to the information we¡¯ve gathered so far, only strong fire-type monsters at level 40 and above or a fire-type world boss will drop C-ranked or higher fire cores. I¡¯m sure you can understand our predicament." Mariposa exined. Izroth figured something like that would be the case. After all, just being a grade two Apothecary was a massive and wonderous aplishment at their current level and time spent within RML. Being a grade three Apothecary, on the other hand, should havee at a muchter date. Yet, here Izroth was attempting to be a grade four Apothecary! One had to know that the only grade four Apothecary within the capital city Amaharpe was the head of Amaharpe¡¯s Apothecary guild. "I understand. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take a look." Izroth said. "Not a problem." Mariposa responded. "I will send you a message once the resources are ready to be delivered. Until then, I have quite a bit of work to do. If you¡¯ll excuse me..." He Huian said as she gave a polite bow before excusing herself from the room. "Then, we will also take our leave. I look forward to what the next few days will bring us." Izroth said. "I, too, look forward to the future turn of events." Mariposa said as a lovely smile found its way onto her face. After saying their farewells and Zi Yi finally managing to escape Mariposa¡¯s goodbye hug, Izroth and Zi Yi left the Sleeping Gardenia building and made their way towards the auction. Or, to be more precise, towards the shop that Izroth was going to purchase. "You hide it well, Izroth." Zi Yi suddenly said as she and Izroth were walking in silence. "Oh? So you¡¯ve noticed?" Izroth responded. "I had a vague feeling for a while now, but I was unsure. Well, at least until now." Zi Yi said. "What do you intend to do?" Izroth said and he nced over towards Zi Yi. "I believe you already know the answer to that. Until that moment arrives, I will simply wait." Zi Yi said. "Your elder sister will be quite sad to hear that." Izroth replied. "My elder sister has enough people surrounding her. Besides, I have a feeling things will be more exciting this way. So, do you n on telling the others?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "In time. But for now, as you said a few moments ago, I will simply wait." Izroth said as a small smile appeared on his face. ... Meanwhile, somewhere within a small vige located not too far away from Amaharpe known as Argusa¡¯s Top... "Boss! I just received a message saying they¡¯ve located her!" A male yer by the name of Fallen Leaf said to the yer standing just before him over the dead body of one of the vigers. "Are you sure? You know the price if you¡¯re mistaken, don¡¯t you?" The yer who stood before Fallen Leaf was none other than the leader of the organization known as Fatal Touch, Silent Steps. "I¡¯m positive. The description you¡¯ve given up matches up perfectly. We¡¯ve even figured out her the name she goes by, Luna. Right now, she¡¯s in a full party with some other yers, however, none of them appear to be particrly skilled. Just a bunch of nobodies." Fallen Leaf said confidently. Arge grin appeared on Silent Steps¡¯ face as his eyes appeared filled with rage and hatred. "Good, very good...! I will repay the humiliation I suffered a thousand- No, a million fold!" Silent Step said in a cold tone of voice. He had not forgotten for one moment the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Luna. He swore that she would pay for her actions, and he nned on keeping his promise. Chapter 188 Purchasing The First Property ... After leaving from the Sleeping Gardenia building, Izroth and Zi Yi soon arrived before an empty building located just across the road from the auction house. One could quite literally step outside of the auction house and be immediately greeted by its sight. "Are these the right coordinates?" Zi Yi asked with a frown on her face. Izroth nodded as he examined the outside of the building and replied, "This should be the ce." "It¡¯s no bigger than amon street shop and it cost nearly 90,000 gold coins?" Zi Yi said as she looked at the building that was no bigger than a normal streetside shop. "The property is currently in a dormant state. Until I officiallybel the property as open, it will remain in this state. However, the inside will bepletely different once we enter into the building itself. But, to those viewing the structure from outside, it will appear empty as we are seeing it now." Izroth exined. Zi Yi released a small sigh and said, "I wish you were able to share that manual of yours over the system interface." When Izroth unlocked the ability to own property within the capital city of Amaharpe, he received a manual that exined and outline details about owning property. It ranged from taxes and fees, all the way to shop creation and what to expect. It was quite a detailed manual. However, it was only avable to those who were able to own property and could not be sent freely over the system interface unless the person sending the information already owned a piece of property. "That will change once I have ess to the property itself. Most of it ismon sense and does not stray too far from what one can expect when purchasing any kind of property." Izroth said as he stood before the door. The moment Izroth stood directly in front of the door, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: This property is currently unregistered and entry is off limits.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have one property slot avable.¡µ Registered Property Name: Building A-0001 Property Owner: None Property Grade: A Buy Price: 88,582 gold coins or 69,182,542 RMB Property Tax: 0% (Waived) Shop Tax: 5%(Reduced) ¡´System Alert: Would you like to purchase Building A-0001?¡µ Izroth looked over the details and it was just as he saw it on the property listing. Of course, its price had risen since thest time he was online, but it was still within the expected price range. Izroth then went on to confirm the purchase. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully purchased ?Building A-0001?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Insufficient gold coins, activating RMB Surplus...¡µ ¡´System Alert: 6,664,273 RMB has been charged to your ount.¡µ After buying ownership of the property, Izroth was left with a total of 10,857,289. It felt as if every time he made money he would simply invest it back into something else and watch the number fall. ¡¯I suppose the old saying you have to spend money to make money remains true no matter where you go.¡¯ However, Izroth was not too concerned over spending money at the moment. After all, he knew that it would not take him long to make a profitable return on whatever it was that he spent. When he finally manages to get this shop up and running, it would be a matter of when not if he makes a return on his investment. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to purchase property within RML.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received +100 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Property Tax has been waived!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Property Announcement?¡µ Name: Property Announcement(Special*)(Soulbound) Rank: Special* Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Range: City Usage: This allows the user to make a citywide announcement after their property has been officially opened. Special Note: This item is granted only to the first yer to purchase a property. This item cannot be traded or sold. ¡¯Oh? This is my first time seeing an item like this.¡¯ Izroth had nevere across any item with the rank special. However, it¡¯s purpose was clear and incredibly useful. One thing was for certain, he did not have to worry about having any customers not show up when he decided to open the shop. The world fame was a nice bonus, however, Izroth inwardly shook his head at the property tax being waived. After all, due to his title Protector of Amaharpe, he did not have to worry about the property tax in the first ce. "How is it?" Zi Yi asked. "It¡¯s done. I¡¯ve also received an unexpected bonus." Izroth said as he sent the information regarding the Property Announcement over to Zi Yi. At the same time, he also granted her ess to the property, as well as, permission(s). By default, the property was listed as private and closed until the owner manually changed it. However, Izroth had no ns to open a shop with no merchandise inside to sell. "At least now we know for sure that you are the first yer to purchase a piece of property within all of RML. I can only imagine the look on those top guild yers faces when this announcement goes off throughout the entire city." Zi Yi said. "I am sure it will create quite the headache at first." Izroth replied as he opened the door and entered into the building along with Zi Yi. Izroth had no doubt that he would have to eventually deal with every top guild once he opened the shop. They would all look to gain some kind of extra benefit or side deal, however, he decided to cross that bridge when he arrives at it. The first thing Izroth saw when he walked inside of the building was a huge open space. Just as it said, the inside was much bigger than it appeared to be on the outside. It was almost as big as the auction house based on size alone. The entire room waspletely empty, the walls were bright white, and the floor was made out of wooden. In simple terms, it was about as in as could be. "I knew that it would be empty, but this is..." Zi Yi muttered to herself. "ording to the manual, one can choose from a list of preset designs or create one of their own from scratch. Either way, it will cost gold coins or RMB to do so. Unfortunately, interior designing is not a strong suit of mine, so I will use one of the preset designs. Although it will cost a bit more, it will also save a lot of time." Izroth said as he shook his head. "I¡¯ve just finished reading over the manual and reviewing the avable options. The difference between preset designs and custom ones are negligible unless you n on going for the extra extravagant look. However, I have a feeling extra extravagant isn¡¯t exactly what you have in mind." Zi Yi said. Ever since she was granted permission(s) by Izroth, he was able to view the property manual, as well as, the details regarding the property itself. Due to her unnatural reading talent, it did not take her more than a couple of minutes to look over all the information presented. "I havee to the same conclusion. While I¡¯m waiting for He Huian to send the resources, I suppose we should get started on making this ce presentable. But before we get started..." Izroth said as he opened his inventory and removed six pills from inside before handing them over to Zi Yi. "These are-" Zi Yi looked over the six pills that Izroth casually handed over to her. Two of them were actually grade three pills! She was currently holding at least 100 gold coins worth of pills in her hands at the moment. "I did not have the chance to get them to you back at the other building. I know there is no need to warn you, but the Two Sr Extremities Pill should only be taken under extreme circumstances. While the effect is powerful, the side effects after it ends can leave you virtually defenseless." Izroth reminded Zi Yi. Zi Yi nodded as a small, but grateful, smile appeared on her face. She understood that this was Izroth¡¯s way of thanking her, therefore, she would not rudely turn down his offer. After discussing things for a bit, Izroth and Zi Yi finally came up with a solid game n. "Even with the preset design, we still have quite a bit to do. Shall we begin?" Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. ... Meanwhile, somewhere outside of the capital city Amaharpe... "Nana, now!" Jia said as he retreated from therge demonic bear-like monster. Her short azure hair swayed slightly as she moved backward. Raaaaawr! The demonic bear appeared to be enraged as Jia attacked it and then immediately retreated. It charged after Jia and swiped out with its heavy bear paw. "I told you already, that name is embarrassing..." Luna said as she sighed. "Hehe, I can¡¯t help it. Na. Na.~" Jia said in a teasing manner. Luna shook her head as he looked towards the demonic bear and breathed in slightly. "Stop." Luna said as her voice echoed and reverberated through her surroundings. A powerful wave of magic rushed out towards the demonic bear and mmed into its body causing it to halt its charge. Jia whistled and said, "No matter how many times you use that skill, it¡¯s so fun to watch!" Luna gave a helpless smile as she listened to Jia¡¯s words. She had been practicing the use of her voice magic ever since they started their current quest. The skill itself had a vague and broad description when it all came down to it, and the only way for her to further explore the limitations of the ability was to use it constantly and test it out. So far, she learned that different words invoked different effects. Not only did the damage value change depending the the main focus of the word, but even the crowd control effects varied. She still had much left to explore regarding the nature of this voice magic. But one thing was for certain, it was surely a wonderous and versatile skill. When she first appeared before her group of friends, they were all stunned by her appearance. She looked like a beautiful fairy goddess! Luna was already naturally beautiful, however, her near appearance made her feel somewhat more... Otherworldly. When they asked her how she managed to get that cosmetic change, she exined to them what happened inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. They could only sigh helplessly and regret not being there when it took ce. However, it became quite frustrating for them to fend off all the male and female yers alike who swarmed around Luna due to her appearance. After all, she was the only known yer who was of a different race! Not only that, but it was actually from the Trephasia race, a race known for their high level of beauty. Jia rushed forward and finished off the demonic bear with a blow from her daggers while it was immobilized. Raaaaaaaaawr! The demonic bear copsed to the ground and turned into countless particles. Jia jumped around excitedly for a bit before looting the demonic bear. "Luna, do you have any ns for next Friday?" One of Luna¡¯s party members asked. She had long ck hair tied up into a ponytail, green eyes, and a pretty face that would naturally stand out in a room. Her name was Xun Guiying, one of Luna¡¯s friends in the real world. "None in particr. Why do you ask?" Luna said. "Well I was thinking that we should-" As Xun Guiying was talking, Luna felt a sudden sense of danger rushing right towards them. "Watch out!" Luna said as she pushed Xun Guiying out of the way which surprised her. What was going on? Why did Luna suddenly push Xun Guiying? Those were the thoughts that crossed Jia¡¯s mind, however, she soon received the answer to her question. "Ugh!" A voice sounded just behind the spot Xun Guiying stood in just moments ago as a yer appeared out of seemingly nowhere. The sudden surprise attack startled Luna¡¯s party. Woosh! Luna had cast Illuminate which caused the yer to be temporarily disoriented and miss their strike. "Who are you?" Luna asked as the yer jumped back to retreat now that his attack had failed. Chapter 189 Ambushed and Surrounded Luna deactivated her Illuminate skill and cast Superior Holy Smite on the yer trying to escape. The yer who attacked them was struck by Luna¡¯s attack, however, he continued to retreat until he reached some nearby bushes and jumped into them. "Xun Guiying, Nana, are you two okay?! What¡¯s that guy¡¯s problem?!" Jia hurried over towards Luna and Xun Guiying. She was clearly angered by the sudden unprovoked attack. She was so shocked by the unexpected assault that she had no idea how to respond. Luna reached out and helped Xun Guiying to her feet as she said, "I apologize for the sudden push." Xun Guiying shook her head as she smiled and said, "You saved me, there¡¯s no need for an apology. I should be the one thanking you, Luna." She stood up to her feet with the help of Luna and dusted herself off. "What was that all about? What a jerk!" Jia said as she angrily stomped her feet. "I¡¯m not sure. But, I think we should forget about this quest and head back to the city for now. I doubt he¡¯s alone. After all, unless he was extremely confident in himself, he would not have foolishly attacked the six of us alone. He¡¯s most likely a part of a yer killer group." Luna exined. "yer killer? Why would they want to target us?" Xun Guiying asked with a visible frown on her face. Luna furrowed her brows as she pondered Xun Guiying¡¯s words. A certain thought passed through her mind, however, she felt that this was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with it. After all, yer killer groups were increasing in poprity as yers leveled up. "yer killer groups have been on the risetely. We should be more careful from now on." Luna warned. "Starry, Su Cui, Yu Lan, let¡¯s head back to Amaharpe." Luna said to her other three party members. Luna and her party began to make their way back towards Amaharpe through the forest. However, as they walked through the forest, Luna felt as if they were being followed and watched. But, she was unable to tell how many yers were nearby. Though she was quite sure that there was more than one yer following them. "Nana? Hey, Nana?" Jia waved her hand in front of Luna¡¯s face to grab her attention. Luna snapped out of it and turned to look at Jia, "Ah, sorry... Yes?" Jia pouted, "Geez, you haven¡¯t been listening to a single word I¡¯ve been saying this entire time have you?" "I became a bit distracted with some distant thoughts. I think we should speed up our current pace." Luna said. She knew better than anyone that her friends were not suited to dealing with PVP situations. After all, PVP was not for everyone and there were those who chose to focus mainly on the PVE aspect of RML. Therefore, Luna preferred not to get into a direct confrontation with other yers if possible. "You¡¯re still concerned about that yer who attacked us, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re being too paranoid, Nana. He was probably just hoping to get lucky that¡¯s all." Jia said as she shook her head after noticing Luna appeared to be distracted. "We¡¯re being followed." Luna said in a low voice. "What? Where?" Jia was getting ready to look around everywhere, however, she was quickly stopped by Luna. "Don¡¯t look for them. Just keep walking normally. We can¡¯t let them know we¡¯re suspicious." Luna said as she continued to walk in an unhurried manner. There was a good chance that they would not be able to outrun them if they tried to make a sudden break for it. However, Luna had a n that could possibly help all of them escape in one piece. "What are we going to do?" Xun Guiying whispered. "I still need another minute before the cooldown on my skill ends. When that happens, I will give you all a signal. You need to run as fast as you can and create as much distance as possible. I am unsure how long it will affect other yers." Luna exined. "Why do we have to run away? We can fight...!" Su Cui said as she kept her voice down. She did not understand why Luna wanted them to run away without even putting up a fight. Besides, if they followed Luna¡¯s n then she would be thest one to escape which would put her in the most danger. "F-fight? No way, I can¡¯t do that..." Starry said in a frightened tone of voice. She could handle fighting against monsters, but yers were a different story. She had tried to duel with some of her friends before, however, every single time she would just panic and be confused. For some reason, just the thought of fighting another yer terrified her. PVP was definitely out of the question for her. "Then you can run ahead, but I¡¯m not going to leave Luna here alone." Su Cui said in a determined tone of voice. "We don¡¯t even know how many there are. It could just be two or three and in that case, we would be running from a fight we can win. But, if there is a full party then I¡¯m not sure what we can do but to try and escape." Yu Lan said. As everyone started to whisper their ideas, agreements, and disagreements to one another, it gave Luna a slight headache. Her friends were underestimating yers who focused on PVP. After all, fighting against a monster and a yer were twopletely different things. Maybe her friends were right and she was overthinking things. But, that may have just been due to the long time she spent inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. In that ce one would suffer an existence wipe if they were eliminated, however, the worse that could happen to them here was that they would lose some exp and maybe drop an item or two. Although it would not affect her friends too much if they lost a piece of equipment or two, since they only had umon gear and one piece of rare equipment on average, it was an entirely different story for Luna. Not only was most of Luna¡¯s equipment rare quality, but there was one piece of equipment that she had most recently obtained that was of a priceless value at this stage in the game. She possessed an epic quality weapon frompleting the SS-ranked quest! If she ended up being killed and dropped her epic weapon, it would be a huge loss. But, in the end, the main reason that she did not want to stay and fight was that she did not want to see her friends be someone else¡¯s victims. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! All of a sudden, three arrows soared through the air. They came from inside of some of the nearby bushes and was headed right towards Luna. Just as soon as the arrows were fired, Luna took two quick steps forward which caused the arrows to just barely miss her. To others, it appeared that she stumbled forward and avoided the arrows by chance, however, to a more keen observer it would almost seem as if Luna knew of the attack beforehand. "Surround them!" A voice suddenly shouted. The voice sounded startled as if it was shocked by something that had just transpired. From the forest, ten yers rushed out and surrounded Luna and her party, blocking all of their potential escape paths. There had nowhere to run! "What¡¯s the meaning of this?!" Jia snapped at the yers who suddenly surrounded them. They had alle out of nowhere! It seemed that Luna really was not being paranoid after all. "Hehehe, a group of beauties! It¡¯s our lucky day." One of the ten yers said. "Oh! It¡¯s true, that girl really is a Trephasia! I wonder if she¡¯ll have a little one on one time with me after this." Another one of the yers said. "Dream on, losers! Nana is too good for trash like you!" Jia scoffed. "What did you say you-!" The yer became furious when Jia called him a loser and was getting ready to attack, however, he was stopped by the yer who appeared to be the leader of the group. "Don¡¯t forget what we came here for. Or do you want to be the one to exin to the boss when he arrives here and finds things in a mess, Du Cheng?" The leader of the group said. He had on a strange leather armor with a pair of talons on his hands. He was wearing a mask with the face of an owl on it which made him give off an eerie feeling. "No, of course not. I¡¯ll admit my wrongs, big bro Owl." The one called Du Cheng responded in an apologetic manner. "What is it you want with us?" Luna said in a cold tone of voice as she looked towards Owl. "I have to say, I¡¯m surprised you managed to avoid those arrows. It seems my attempt at greeting you properly has fallen t. We just want you to stay here and be our guest for a while. If you do what we say, then your friends will be unharmed. Not too difficult, right?" Owl said. "You just want us to stand here and do nothing all day?! Do you really think we have nothing better to do?!" Su Cui said as her facial expression darkened. Owl sighed, "You can fight if you want, but I would rmend against doing so. You can also try to run, but again, I rmend against so. After all, I can¡¯t guarantee your safety if you perform such reckless and thoughtless actions." He responded. "Why do you want us to remain here?" Luna asked. It would not be too long until the cooldown on her skill was up. It appeared that they were not going to make a move immediately which was a good sign and allowed her time to wait for the cooldown to be over. Although the one called Owl said that he would not harm them, she did not trust his words for a second. What reason would ten yers have to surround them and stop them from moving forward other than to harass or harm them? "Do you remember the Chaotic Dogma Realm? I believe you met our boss there. I¡¯m sure that exins everything you need to know." Owl said in azy one of voice. From his bodynguage, one could tell that he found this to be a bother and a nuisance. "Chaotic Dogma Realm? Boss? What is he going on about?" Su Cui said with a frown. Luna, on the other hand, furrowed her brows. She knew exactly what he was talking about, who these people were, and what they were doing here. They were not here to rob them or randomly kill them, but rather, they were sent by Silent Steps. Back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Silent Steps had not only threatened her to heal him but also tried to eliminate her. Before he left, he swore that he would get his revenge on her and it looked like he was finally keeping his promise. "I understand. Then, if it¡¯s me you want, let my friends go. They have no part in this and know nothing about it. They should not have to suffer for what I¡¯ve done." Luna said calmly. "Nana, what are you saying?! Do you really think we¡¯d just leave you alone with these jerks?!" Jia said immediately rejecting Luna¡¯s idea. "That¡¯s right, how can we just abandon you?" Xun Guiying said. Luna nced over towards Jia and gave her a meaningful look. At first, Jia appeared to be reluctant. However, she gave a slight nod to show that she understood. Since their attention was mostly focused onto Luna, Jia hid slightly behind Xun Guiying and was able to send a message to everyone in the party over the system interface. "I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t be possible. After all, what¡¯s to stop you from not cooperating once your friends are free? Besides, I¡¯ve received word that no one is to be permitted to leave until our boss arrives." Owl said. Everyone was startled by the sudden message and tensed up, but they managed to keep stay calm. "I see... Then, I only have one favor to ask of you." Luna said. "Hm? What is it?" Owl asked. "Stay." Luna¡¯s voice spread throughout the surroundings as a powerful wave of magic washed over Owl and the nine other yers. "Gah!" "I can¡¯t move!" "What¡¯s going on, my body is stuck?!" "What did you do?" Owl said as a gloomy and cold aura appeared around him. He was locked in ce. "Let¡¯s go!" Luna said as she and her party members ran out of the encirclement and created a good amount of distance between Owl¡¯s group and themselves. As they were running away, Jia noticed that Owl and his group was not following after them. "Nana, why didn¡¯t we just attack them while they couldn¡¯t move?" Jia asked. Luna shook her head and said, "As soon as we attacked them, the effects of my voice magic would have worn off and we would have been right back where we started. It¡¯s kind of like the sleep effect except they remain awake during the skill¡¯s duration." "I see..." Jia responded as she nodded in understanding. Around twenty secondster, Owl and his group were finally able to move again. "Ridiculous! An ability that paralyzes for twenty seconds?!" Owl was infuriated. He tried to be polite, but they had taken advantage of his kindness. Now, they would have to pay the price for it. "Do not allow them to escape! Use whatever means are necessary to stop them!" Owl ordered as the chase began! ... Chapter 190 The Mystical Realm Palace Izroth, along with Zi Yi¡¯s assistance, had finally finished setting up the shop. The walls and floors were made out of some kind of high-quality wooden material that gave off a nice luster. Located at the center of the first floor were multiple kiosks that allowed for yers to browse goods based on the floor they were on or other restrictions the owner of the shop ced. There was a staircase leading up to the second floor, however, there was some kind of scanning device positioned next to the lower end of the staircase. In total, it cost Izroth a little more than 3,000,000 RMB to make all the necessary changes he desired. The shop currently had two floors and two private room add-ons to it, which made up for a good percentage of the RMB Izroth spent. The first floor would be for grade one and grade two pills to share. As for the second floor, it was strictly for the grade three pills. At first, Izroth was simply going to put all the pills on the same floor and call it a day, however, Zi Yi shook her head at the suggestion. She told him that sometimes just having the product to sell isn¡¯t enough, you have to know how to increase its value without the customer even realizing it. Also, there were a few other factors to consider that simply made sense to go along with. Therefore, she rmended that Izroth take advantage of the floor restrictions feature for shops. This feature allowed the shop¡¯s owner to charge a fee to those who wanted to enter into the second floor where the grade three pills were located. Originally, Izroth was skeptical of this idea as he believed that it would just limit the potential buyers, however, he understood what Zi Yi meant to aplish once he pieced things together. The second floor entry fee was five gold coins or 3,905 RMB. It was definitely not something the average yer could spend on a simple entry fee. It was also important to note that those who could not afford for a five gold entry fee most likely did not have the funds to purchase a grade three pill to begin with. This would stop the second floor from bing overcrowded with simple "window shoppers" as they are called. ¡¯I suppose it is something I am still not quite used to.¡¯ Izroth never had any need to deal with these kinds of things back in the Seven Realms. During his early days as a cultivator, he was all about growing stronger through cultivation and training. Everything he obtained on his path to the peak was due to his own hard work and effort as a cultivator. As for things like opening a shop or thinking about customers had never crossed his mind. It was simple for cultivators, if one wanted to obtain a certain item they would either retrieve it themselves,e across it by good fortune, or purchase it at an auction house. Of course, there were always those who would take what they want by force from another person. In fact, it was quitemon within the Seven Realms for something like that to happen. However, if one truly wanted to reach the peak of cultivation one thing was for sure, they would not have time to focus on personally running a shop. Only those cultivators who were not aiming for the peak or were injured and could no longer cultivate would even think of doing so. Besides, it did not go over Izroth¡¯s head that Zi Yi most likely came from a very wealthy family. After all, not only did her elder sister Mariposa offer 3,000,000,000 RMB out of her own personal ount but Zi Yi herself was willing to sacrifice 200,000 gold coins, which was more than 156,000,000 RMB! It would also exin why she continuously turned down any gold or RMB he offered her for her assistance. Just because one had money did not necessarily mean that they were good at managing it or giving advice. However, Izroth believed that for someone with Zi Yi¡¯s nature and talents that was highly unlikely to be the case. "Have you finished setting up the two rooms yet?" Zi Yi asked as she walked over towards Izroth. Izroth chose to add-on two rooms to use one as a personal pill crafting room and a spare room as a sort of conference room. Since Sleeping Gardenia was providing resources directly to him and had a share in the profit, it was only natural that they may want to meet on asion. If he had no ce of his own to discuss matters, then he would always have to travel to the Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s temporary building. However, there was one more reason for Izroth choosing to add a conference room. "Indeed, just a few moments ago. I believe everything is in ce." Izroth responded. Zi Yi nodded, "Now all we¡¯re missing is the proper inventory. But, I think you can handle it from here, right?" she said as she looked towards Izroth. "I¡¯ll manage somehow. You once again have my thanks for your help, Zi Yi. I will not forget this favor." Izroth said as he gave a small carefree smile. "Well, considering I¡¯m one of the first few to receive a new batch of your pills, we¡¯ll call it even." Zi Yi said with a smile as she began to walk towards the exit of the shop. "Are you heading back to the pce library?" Izroth asked. "That¡¯s the n. I still have a lot of books to go through. Oh, that¡¯s right, I almost forgot." Zi Yi stopped just as she reached the door. She turned and asked, "What do you n on naming the shop?" The shop¡¯s name? Izroth had not really thought much about that until Zi Yi just mentioned it. After thinking for a bit, he finally settled on what the name of the shop would be. "The Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth said. "Mystical Realm Pce, is it? A good name. Be sure to message me before the grand opening." Zi Yi said. "Of course, I¡¯ll be sure to message you. After all, this ce is also a result of your work as well." Izroth replied. After exchanging farewells, Zi Yi left the shop and now there was just Izroth remaining along with the NPCs he hired to help automatically manage the shop. At the moment, they were standing motionless as if they were waiting for the shop to officially open before they took any action. Just as Izroth walked out of the Mystical Realm Pce, he received an alert from the system that someone had sent him a message. ¡´System Alert: yer He Huian has sent you a message, "We¡¯ve run into a small issue while acquiring the resources you¡¯ve requested. It¡¯s nothing major, however, the resources won¡¯t be avable until tomorrow. I apologize for the inconvenience."¡µ ¡¯Oh? That¡¯s unfortunate.¡¯ Izroth was hoping to start crafting today so that he could open up the shop as soon as possible. However, it would appear that he would have to wait for a little while longer to do so. He replied to He Huian¡¯s message to inform her that all was well and the extra time was of no concern. ¡´System Alert: yer He Huian has sent you a message, "Though, I do have some good news. While it has not been confirmed yet, we may have found a way to acquire the fire core you requested. We¡¯ve sent some people to investigate, but I just thought you should know."¡µ ¡¯A fire core? Since there remains nothing left for me to do here, I should go and take a look.¡¯ Izroth requested the information He Huian had regarding the fire core. Of course, she sent him over the details without hesitation. Though, it may have just been her way of keeping Izroth happy after delivering some bad news, even if he said he did not really mind the small dy. After receiving the information, Izroth read over it and found some interesting things about the location the fire core was in. ¡¯I¡¯ve never been to these coordinates before.¡¯ The coordinates were a good distance away from Amaharpe, however, he did not have any other ns at the moment so he did not mind making the trip to investigate it himself. Though, this information made him wonder just how far Sleeping Gardenia and other top guilds explored already. As Izroth walked towards the gates of Amaharpe to leave the city, he checked through his friendslist. Out of the yers he usually entered into a party with only Luna and Zi Yi was currently online. However, Izroth felt that he had kept Zi Yi away from the pce library for too long and so he did chose not to further divert her attention away. As for Luna, he was already in a full party from the looks of it. After his trip into the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth found that he rather enjoyed havingpany along on a journey. It reminded him of his earlier days as a cultivator and brought back some fond memories. But, it appeared that he would have to make this trip alone. Izroth stepped through the gates of Amaharpe and began to make his way towards the coordinates He Huian provided. ¡¯The zing Tempris Domain sounds like the perfect ce to obtain a new fire core.¡¯ ... "How are they so fast?! At this rate, they¡¯ll catch up to us before we can reach a safe zone!" Xun Guiying said in disbelief as she looked back and saw that Owl and his group were gaining on them. "There¡¯s a good chance that they¡¯re using some kind of potion or other external means to increase their speed. You¡¯re correct, at this rate, they will catch up with us. That¡¯s why we have to find a way to slow them down." Luna exined. "How are we supposed to do that?" Jia asked as she ran beside Luna. While she was the fastest one here and could definitely reach the safe zone by herself due to being a rogue-type ss, she refused to leave her friends behind. If a fight did break out, she wanted to be here to help as much as possible. After remained silent in response to Jia¡¯s question as if she were thinking. However, a look of rity shed through her eyes as if something suddenly dawned on her. "I have a n. It¡¯s a bit risky, but it should slow them down long enough for us to escape. If luck is on our side, then we may even be able to turn the tables against them." Luna said. "W-we aren¡¯t going to have to fight them are we?!" Starry said in a concerned tone of voice. Luna, however, shook her head and responded, "Do you remember that garden we passed through on our way over?" "The garden...? I see..! That ce would definitely slow them down!" Starry said excitedly. "There¡¯s just one problem with that n. How do we prevent ourselves from being affected?" Su Cui asked in a slightly skeptical tone of voice. "Just leave that part to me. Let¡¯s begin making our way there." Luna reassured her as she and her friends changed their direction. Meanwhile, as Owl and his group were catching up to Luna and the others, they noticed the sudden change in their course. Owl frowned as he witnessed Luna¡¯s party change directions. ording to his knowledge, there should not be any safe zones or viges nearby in that area. Also, at their current speed, the sudden change in direction would make it so that he and his group would catch up to them much faster than before. It was an unusual course of action. "Heh, this is what happens when you have a party full of female gamers! They have no idea what they¡¯re doing! Hahaha! Big bro Owl, it looks like we won¡¯t need to drink another mobility potion after all." Du Cheng mocked as heughed at Luna and her party¡¯s actions. Owl furrowed his brows as he continued on with the case. However, there was this strange feeling nagging at him. But, Du Cheng was probably correct. After realizing escape was impossible, there was a chance that they were headed towards a ce with more yers around in hope that someone would help them. But, Owl was unconcerned with such a thing. After all, even if they found a whole party to help them by some miracle, would that party truly risk bing enemies of Fatal Touch for a few strangers? The answer was obviously no. "Hulong, make sure you¡¯re keeping the boss updated on our location and their heading. No matter what, we have to capture the yer named Luna alive. As for the others... You all can deal with them in whatever manner you¡¯d like." Owl said. "With pleasure! That one with the azure hair is mine!" Du Cheng said as arge grin appeared on his face. He had not forgotten how he insulted in front of everyone by that girl. As Owl and his group continued their pursuit and moving in closer, he saw that Luna and her party headed right into some kind of arboretum. "Follow them!" Owl ordered. Chapter 191 Unknown Assailan Izroth was currently walking off the main pathway inside of the Towering Oak Forest. ording to the information he received from He Huian, he had to cross through the Towering Oak Forest in order to reach the firstndmark, a roped bridge stationed in between two waterfalls. ¡¯It will take me around two hours to reach the zing Tempris Domain at my current pace. However, that gives me some time to finally look through a few things.¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory and a few momentster, the de of Lightning that was on his back had vanished. In its ce, a new sword appeared with a faint violet aura lingering around the dark blue sheath. If one closed their eyes and listened closely, they would be able to hear the sound of the wind blowing and lightning crackling as if it were waiting to strike down from the heavens. The hilt of the sword was azure in color with yellow and white markings woven around one another. Izroth grabbed the hilt an unsheathed the sword. Woosh! The moment Izroth unsheathed the sword, a powerful wave of wind blew around him as if it were expelling everything from his current location. As Izroth looked down to examine the sword he saw that there was no de attached to the hilt. Then, the fierce wind that blew around him after unsheathing the sword, along with the crackling lightning, had converged at the tip of the deless hilt in his hand. Soon after, Izroth could see his own reflection in the pure azure colored de that formed and it appeared to be forged by the power of a storm itself. It was slightly longer than the de of Lightning, however, the sword itself felt incredibly light. Weapon Name: Sword of The Storm Weapon Rank: Epic Weapon Level: 40 Requirements: 500 Attack Attack Damage: 1,000 Weapon Skill Storm Surge(Passive) - Every time the userpletes a sessful attack and every 3 seconds they are inbat, the user gains 1 stack of ?Storm Surge Charge? (MAX: 50). Use ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks to activate any of the following effect(s). The user begins to rapidly lose ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks after remaining out ofbat for 20 seconds. ?Tempess Strikes? - Consumes 10 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. The user gains the wind element for physical-based weapon attacks which increases their range by a distance of 10 meters for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes ?Lightning Cage? - Consumes 20 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. The user forms a 10 meters cage of lightning anywhere within a 15 meters range. While trapped inside the cage of lightning, enemies be ?Paralyzed? for 5 seconds and receive a 20% damage increase as lightning damage from all sources. Cooldown: 10 minutes ?Great Storm? -Consumes 50 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. Summons the great storm with fierce winds that resides within the de of the ?Sword of The Storm?. The great storm disorientates enemies inside of it while releasing arge amount of random sharp ?des of Winds? that deal 100% of the user¡¯s attack as damage. This damage ignores 50% of enemies defenses and has a high chance of causing struck enemies to ?Bleedout? for 5 seconds. ?des of Winds? can ?Critical Hit?. Cooldown: 1 hour Special Note: A de forged from an ancient great storm. ¡¯It is worthy of being an epic ranked weapon. Just the attack damage stat alone is extremely beneficial.¡¯ The de of Lightning Izroth was using before, although it was a rare weapon, it was only level 15. While that rare weapon only increased his attack damage by 100 points, the Sword of The Storm boosted his attack by a monstrous 1,000 points! Normal monsters around his current level would not be capable of surviving more than a few casual swings with his current attack damage. Izroth returned the Sword of The Storm to its sheath after he finished going over its effects. ¡¯I should open the treasure chests I received from the event as well while I¡¯m at it.¡¯ Just as Izroth was getting ready to remove the chest from his inventory, he felt a strange breeze of wind pass by him. Izroth narrowed his eyes slightly and nced behind him as he reached for the Sword of The Storm and swiftly turned around and swung it upward in an arc. Ding! ¡¯Oh? Who¡¯s this?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s de shed with two crimson ded daggers. There was a white aura lingering around them which gave away the fact that they were rare weapons. At the moment Izroth parried the iing attack, he immediately followed up with a Serpent¡¯s Bite as his leg shot towards the assant like a venomous snake striking out at its prey. However, instead of hitting a solid object as he should have, Izroth¡¯s leg shot right through the assant¡¯s body as if it were a mere illusion. Soon after, the assant¡¯s body turned into a congress of ravens that swarmed towards Izroth and limited his vision. Although Izroth¡¯s vision was limited, he did not panic at all. After all, with his Heavenly Golden body, as well as, the Five Cycles Pills his other senses were still more powerful than ever. He listened closely through the caws and pping wings of the ravens. For a single moment, it was as if everything slowed down around him and was moving at a snail¡¯s pace. At the same time when a ck feather fell from one of the passing ravens, Izroth¡¯s ears twitched as he heard the faint sound of something cutting through the air. Ding! Ding! Izroth reacted near instantly and intercepted both of the attacks with his de. After the second attack, Izroth was able to make direct eye contact with his assant as their des connected. She was around 145cm tall and possessed a petite frame. Her long ck hair flowed freely all the way down to her ankles. There was a face mask pulled over the lower part of her face which hid her appearance, however, even with the face mask, it was still difficult topletely hide her delicate face. However, the thing that stood out the most were her eyes. Her eyes were the color of an orchid. Though, what Izroth noticed was that she possessed the same look in her eyes that he had seen a countless number of times back in the Seven Realms. "Are you Izroth?" The girl said in an icy cold tone of voice. "Proper manners would indicate that you ask someone their name before attacking. However, you are fortunate that I just happen to be Izroth." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "Indeed, fortunate." The girl said as she pushed the weapons lock and used the momentum tounch herself backward. She did multiple backflips and when she finally stopped at a distance of around 10 meters away from Izroth, she vanished into thin air. She was incredibly fast! ¡¯Her speed is at least double my current base speed. Her attacks are also precise and well-timed. Alright, I can use a little help testing a few things.¡¯ Izroth stood perfectly still without making a move. He was partly curious as to why this person was searching for him. Even more, he was curious as to why they suddenly attacked him without provocation. There were a few people that would not mind seeing him die a few times over, however, he did not believe that they would go through the trouble of sending someone else after him. The only people who he could think of was the group he ran into back during the time he first met Zi Yi and Guan Yu. It was a group that called themselves the Headhunter Syndicate. "Are you from the Headhunter Syndicate?" Izroth asked in a casual manner as he suddenly swung his sword towards his left side. The girl instantly retreated while remaining stealth in the process. The look in her eyes gave away her shock. She could tell that swung was not random at all. If she continued on with her attack, that strike would have swept right across her neck with ease. If not for the fact that her agility was higher than his, she may have not been able to get away unscathed. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Three shurikens soared through the air headed right towards Izroth. He kicked off his left foot and avoided the shurikens as they plunged into the ground he just stood on moments ago. All of a sudden, the girl appeared out of thin air in the same direction Izroth was retreating in as she shed at his torso with one of her daggers. Izroth quickly loosened his grip on the de in his hand and spun it until the sword itself was upside down as he held it with a reverse grip to block the iing dagger. Woosh! Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm passed right through the dagger as if it was never there to begin with. The body of the girl became distorted as it soon dissipated into nothingness. It was another fake. ¡¯Interesting. She creates fakes that act as an extension of herself making it impossible to tell them apart from the original body. However, it appears that the fakes can be dealt with in a single blow.¡¯ Right as Izroth¡¯s de swept through the fake and it disappeared, the shadow beneath his feet became briefly distorted as if something interfered with it. At the next moment, a small hand carrying a dagger within it came flying towards Izroth from below. The attack was actuallying from his shadow! "I am called Azalea Wraith, remember it. As for the Headhunter Syndicate... Never heard of them." Azalea said as her dagger was stuck halfway into Izroth¡¯s body and her entire body came from out of the shadow. "I¡¯ll remember it." A voice suddenly sounded out from behind Azalea as she felt shivers run down her spine. The figure that Azalea had her dagger stuck into began to flicker constantly before soon vanishing. It was a trick! "You seem to enjoy using fakes. Therefore, it only seems fitting that I return the favor." Izroth said as his silhouette flickered throughout the surrounding area. Soon enough, there were more than five constantly flickering afterimages of Izroth. Izroth¡¯s body, including that of his flickering afterimages, became surrounded by a strong gale of wind. ¡¯Now, let¡¯s see what the Sword of The Storm can do.¡¯ ... "Follow them!" Owl ordered as he, along with his group, chased after Luna¡¯s group into the arboretum. "What the heck is this ce? A garden?" Du Cheng said as he looked around and saw strange looking nts everywhere. "Where did they go?" One of the group members said as he walked forward as he searched his surroundings. However, after walking forward a few steps, he suddenly felt something slowly creeping up his leg. Giiiiyaaaah! "Watch out!" Owl tried to warn the yer, however, it was toote. "Gaaaah!" The yer looked down and saw that a group of vines hadtched onto him. They shot up his body andpletely engulfed him into some sort of a nt cocoon. Owl¡¯s facial expression darkened as he noticed the shifting movements of the nts around them. "We¡¯ve walked right into a trap. We¡¯ll fight our way through!" Owl growled as he crossed his talons. Although he said that, he knew that it would not be easy. The entrance where they came in through waspletely sealed off by a solid nt wall. However, the most frightening part was that there was not just one, two, or even ten nt monsters. "How did they get through this ce? They must have died instantly!" Du Cheng said as his facial expression turned gloomy. There were over thirty level 32 elite nt monsters surrounding them from every direction! ... Some time ago just as Luna and her group entered into the arboretum... "Nana, whatever your n is you better do it fast. Those guys will catch up any moment now." Jia reminded. Luna nodded and said in a calm tone of voice, "Everyone spread out and attract as many elite enemies as you can." Everyone was shocked by Luna¡¯s statement. Was her n all along to die in this ce? Chapter 192 Nowhere To Escape In Avalonias Arboretum Luna saw the confusion on everyone¡¯s face when she told them to attract as many elite enemies as possible. "Don¡¯t tell me we ran all this way just so that we would be nt fertilizer?" Su Cui said what was on everyone¡¯s mind. The believed that Luna¡¯s n was just to run through the arboretum and let the vine traps slow them down. After all, that¡¯s what happened to them when the first passed through this ce. Luna shook her head and responded, "I have a n, and it doesn¡¯t evolve us staying here to await our deaths. We don¡¯t have much time until they catch up, so we need to act fast." Although everyone was a bit hesitant at first, they still chose to put their faith in Luna. Besides, they knew deep down inside that Luna was not someone to choose a method that involved them giving up so easily. "We¡¯ll take care of it." Xun Guiying said as she broke off from the group and began to aggro as many elite monsters as possible. Not too long after Xun Guiying took action, the rest of the group ran around the arboretum and drew in elite ranked monsters. "Everyone, pull your monsters to the same area." Luna instructed. Just as Luna had told them too, her party members gathered the elite monsters they had aggroed into one ce. However, it was a frightening sight to see at least thirty elite ranked monsters swarming towards them all at the same time. During the journey toplete their quest, Luna and her party were led through this ce known as Avalonia¡¯s Arboretum. It was surprisingly an unmarked location that had a high concentration of elite nt-type monsters lurking about along with various vine and nt-based traps. It took Luna and her party quite a while to safely make it through this ce sessfully. It was definitely not a ce they wanted to visit again anytime soon, however, desperate times called for desperate measures. "Nana now would be a nice time to do whatever you have nned!" Jia said as the elite monsters were getting ready to overrun them. Luna waited for a little longer until all of the elite monsters were finally within range. Just as the first monster was about tosh out with its vines covered in thorns, Luna opened her mouth as a powerful surge of magic filled the surrounding area. "Quiescent." Luna¡¯s voice echoed throughout the arboretum. She not only used her voice magic but infused it with Essence as well, increasing its overall effectiveness. As Luna¡¯s voice reverberated within the arboretum, the elite nt monsters that were about to overrun them hade to an abrupt halt. Afterward, something strange happened. The nt monsters that were just so active and rowdy a moment ago now blended in normally with the surrounding nts. It was as if they were no longer monster nts, but instead, they were just a normal part of the garden. Unless one knew of them beforehand, it would be nearly impossible to tell that they were present. "Amazing..." Su Cui muttered as she witnessed the now dormant elite nt monsters. "They should be arriving within a few seconds. We need to get out of the monsters aggro range before then or else we¡¯ll be their targets when theye to." Luna said as she had already begun to move away from their current location. Everyone quickly followed after Luna. They shivered at the thought of being at that ce when the monsters started moving about again. There was no way the people chasing them could survive such an assault! "Heh, I never knew you were so devious, Nana." Jia said with a smirk on her face. "What do you expect when she hangs around you?" Xun Guiying said as she shook her head. "What are you talking about? I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m an elegant and refineddy with high-ss taste." Jia said yfully in a pompous tone of voice. "High ss? Refined? Hah, who are you and what have you done with Jia?" Su Cui said. Jia scoffed and turned towards Luna and asked, "Now what? Do we just keep running until we reach the other exit?" "No, we¡¯ll back turn back and fight." Luna said as she suddenly stopped running. Everyone was dumbfounded. Turn back and fight? Weren¡¯t they just trying to get away? Besides, there were at least thirty elite monsters waiting back there along with the group of yers chasing after them. "Fight? But, there¡¯s no way they will survive that pack of elite monsters." Starry said in a panicked voice. Truthfully, she did not want to turn back and fight them. "That¡¯s true. However, even if they did somehow manage to break through, it should give us more than enough time to escape from this ce. Why turn back and risk it?" Yu Lan asked. "Because it¡¯s thest thing they¡¯ll expect. If you all truly want to continue to run away, then I won¡¯t try to talk you out of it. But, they may not give up so easily. To them, we are just frightened prey running from hunters. I think it¡¯s time the hunters be the hunted." Luna responded calmly. Everyone was silent. Indeed, it did not feel good to be hunted down like animals and not even try to fight back. Did they want to run away? Of course not! But, it was ten versus six, they would not have stood a chance. However, Luna sounded confident and that confidence started to pour over to them. During this entire situation, Luna had not once panicked or lost her cool. It was as if she knew exactly what to do at every turn and did not hesitate to make important decisions. Right now, even if it was twenty yers chasing them, they believed that Luna would have a n for it. "You¡¯re right, I¡¯m tired of running! Let¡¯s do things your way, Nana!" Jia said enthusiastically. Soon after Jia spoke everyone else, even Starry who was the most frightened of the situation, agreed to go along with Luna¡¯s n. "Then, here¡¯s the n..." Luna began to exin their next course of action. ... "Leave him behind! Focus on getting through! Xue Hong, Hulong, try to draw the attention of the monsters on the outeryer." Owl ordered as he ripped right through one of the elite monsters with the talons on his hands. "So annoying! Big bro Owl, we can¡¯t let them get away with this!" Du Cheng said in a frustrated tone of voice as he pushed forward with his group. However, their movement was limited as they were being attacked from all directions. Not only that, but there were vine traps on the ground and if one of them stepped onto it, it would wrap around their leg and temporarily immobilize them. But, despite the overwhelming odds, Owl and his group were able to push forward at a steady pace. Although two of their party members had already been trapped and killed thanks to the vine traps and then being overrun by the nt monsters, they were still well organized and above average yers. "We¡¯re almost through!" Du Cheng said excitedly as he could see a clear opening directly up ahead. Thankfully, they were all DPS sses and so with theirbined damage output they were able to clear a few elite monsters by focusing their attacks onto the same target. This allowed them space to potentially maneuver out of the encirclement. Swoosh! An arrow flew from out of nowhere and pierced directly into one of the yers trying to escape the encirclement. That yer had an expression of disbelief written on their faces and they were stunned into ce by the arrow and unable to act. Not too long after that yer was hit by the arrow, a holy light descended from above and struck him. Then, it did not take long for the elite monsters to take advantage of that yer¡¯s weakened state and finish him off. Just like that, Owl¡¯s group was now down to a total of seven yers. "It¡¯s them! They¡¯re alive!" Du Cheng said with shock apparent in his voice. Owl¡¯s facial expression darkened when he saw the group of female yers up ahead. None of them were rushing forward and instead, they sat back patiently while attacking them from a range. But, how? How were they able to get through this without being killed by thisrge group of monsters? "It can¡¯t be...!" Owl muttered to himself as his eyes widened from realization. "This is so satisfying!" Su Cui said with a lovely smile on her face. She was the one who shot the arrow that stunned the yer who most recently died. "It looks like they¡¯re already down to seven people. We can actually finish them off!" Jia said. However, she was a bit disappointed that she was not a ranged ss and could not lend much assistance in this attack. "That¡¯s the goal. Su Cui, Yu Lan, keep up the ranged attacks. Be sure to use any crowd control skills you have first. That way there is a greater chance of them being taken care of by the elite nt monsters." Luna said as she cast another Superior Holy Smite and struck yet another one of the yers. Although it was not a crowd control move, the cooldown was only two seconds and the cast time was instant. Not to mention, it had plenty of range making it ideal for their current situation. "dly." Yu Lan said as the thin aqua colored wand in her began to emit magic energy. Soon after, a swirling whirlpool of water appeared above her head. She pointed forward with her wand in the direction of Owl and his group as a barrage of water bullets shot out from the whirlpool. Su Cui lined up her shot with her bow and released an arrow. About halfway into its flight, the arrowhead opened up and released a that wrapped around one of the enemy yers and caused them to be immobilized. "Big bro Owl, what are we going to go?!" Du Cheng said as he struggled to avoid the iing vines, as well as, the barrage of attacksing from in front of them. At this rate, they would all die in this ce! How could they face their boss if that happened? They would not have any face left to show! "Ah!" One of the yers got struck by the water bullets which slowed them down and caused them to identally step on a vine trap. Soon enough, both he and the yer caught by Su Cui¡¯s suffered the same fate. They had gone from ten yers, all the way down to five yers in a matter of moments. Owl remained silent as he had no idea what to do next. They were unable to turn back and retreat because of the nt wall that blocked their escape. There were only two options left for them, fight through the monsters, kill the yers in front of them and somehow escape, or the more likely slowly die one by one until none of them remained. This situation was hopeless. "We¡¯re doing it! We¡¯re really going to defeat ten yers!" Jia said as she jumped around full of energy. Even though it was all thanks to Luna¡¯s n, she still felt excited just by being there to witness it firsthand. No one would probably believe her if she told them this story. Woosh! Luna¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat as she felt a strong sense of dangering from behind them. However, before she could warn her friend it was already toote. Instead, she quickly cast Healing Essence. Just as Jia was cheering, a spear with a chain attached to it drilled right through Xun Guiying and stuck out of her body. "Eh?" Xun Guiying saw her HP rapidly fall as her entire body was suddenly pulled away like a ragdoll and flew back towards the same direction the spear came from. Her body was dragged across the ground until she arrived right before someone¡¯s feet. However, her body paralyzed and so she was unable to so much as lift her head up. Luna and her party were stunned. When everyone turned around, they saw that a new group of yers had arrived on the scene. From the sound of things, they appeared to be on the same side as Owl. "This is bad..." Jia muttered as her cheerful expression had long since disappeared. Luna stared coldly at the yer standing near the front of the group with eleven other yers with him. "Pathetic! You can¡¯t even handle a bunch of women by yourself, Owl!" A smug voice sounded out which caused Owl to be both relieved and filled with regret at the same time. "It¡¯s the boss! Even big bro Savage is here...!" Du Cheng said in a baffled manner. "They just got lucky, Savage." Owl said as his facial expression turned gloomy as he responded to the yer who just spoke in a smug manner with a chain wrapped around his hand. The one called Savage was the same person who threw the spear at Xun Guiying. "What should we do, boss?" Savage asked the yer who stood at the front of the group. Of course, that yer was the leader of the organization Fatal Touch, Silent Steps. "Don¡¯t touch the healer, she¡¯s mine. As for everyone else, kill them." Silent Steps said without the slightest bit of hesitation. ... Chapter 193 I Concede ¡¯Her speed has increased again. She¡¯s faster than me even while my Flickering Steps is active.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth and Azalea were locked in a fast-paced battle. In the beginning, after using his Flickering Steps skill, Izroth had the upper hand when it pure speed. However, it did not take long for Azalea to regain her speed advantage over Izroth after using some kind of movement skill. What surprised Izroth the most was that his current agility was at monstrous 2,208 points and Azalea was still slightly faster than him! Not only that, but her agility seemed to still be continuously climbing. This was Izroth¡¯s first time being beaten when it came to pure speed within RML while using his Flickering Steps! After all, it was an S-ranked skill and the agility boost it gave was massive. Even other pure agility based sses should not be able to keep up with his speed once he used it, however, Azalea proved otherwise. Ding! Ding! Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm constantly parried Azalea¡¯s iing dagger attacks. She was like a fleeting shadow and her small figure assisted her quick movements as she circled around Izroth while striking, making it more difficult than usual to keep track of her movements. ¡¯Even at this speed, she¡¯s still able to aim for my vital points while attacking from my blind spot. Most would feel disadvantaged with such a small build, however, she¡¯s finding a way to use that to her advantage.¡¯ Izroth suddenly swept out with his Sword of The Storm, but his attack was parried by Azalea. However, a quick sh struck out at Azalea without any warning. Izroth used the skill First Sword Form: Converging Paths tounch an immediate attack after his first one was parried. Woosh! Ding! Izroth¡¯s sword passed right through Azalea¡¯s body as her body once again turned into a congress of ravens sessfully evading the attack. Her true body soon reappeared as she continued her assault on Izroth. ¡¯Her reaction time is not bad.¡¯ A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he constantly parried away the iing attacks in a nonchnt manner. Azalea narrowed her eyes as she slightly furrowed her brows. Thatst blow was extremely close to hitting her! Not only that, but she had yet tond a solid blow on Izroth this entire time and it was obvious that she held the advantage when it came to speed. What also frustrated her was that Izroth hade close to striking her many times, but he would alter the course of his attack at thest moment and just barely missnding a solid strike. It also felt as if wherever she aimed her daggers to strike, Izroth¡¯s sword magically appeared to greet them. It was simr to a piece of metal being drawn to a ma. In this case, her daggers were the ma. There was another thing she was concerned about, and that was the fact that it had already been around ten seconds and Izroth did not appear to be slowing down in the slightest. But what bothered Azalea the most was that carefree expression Izroth had on his face. There was no sign of panic and it was as if he were inplete control of the battle. For some reason, she felt that if she continued to fight this way then she would undoubtedly lose. Therefore, she had to do something unexpected to throw him off his game. Just as Azalea was pondering on her next course of action, she suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon her. She immediately tapped the ground with her foot, spun backward midair in a flip, andnded safely at around ten meters away from Izroth. Azalea had a fierce look in her eyes. Even from this distance, she could feel that same pressure trying to consume her. However, she stood strong and did not sumb to it. Even though it onlysted for a brief moment, it felt considerably longer than it actually was. After the feeling disappeared, she dashed towards Izroth and tossed one of the daggers in her hand directly at him. ¡¯It seems to be much weaker than the actual technique. However, that¡¯s to be expected. Still, to have no effect at all was unexpected. Her Willpower must be quite high.¡¯ Izroth used the Soul Pressure skill with sixteen points of Essence infused into it. Although it was only 10% of his total Essence, it was still an amount that should not be easily ignored. However, Azalea not only managed to take it head on, but her resistance was strong enough to drain an additional ten points of Izroth¡¯s Essence. Izroth was unwilling to go any further and stopped using Soul Pressure. After all, he simply wanted to test the skill itself and also see how Azalea would respond to it. He did not want to risk experiencing Soul Weakness in the middle of this battle. Honestly speaking, Izroth was enjoying this fight. To him, it was the most satisfying one he had yet within RML. This included the confrontation¡¯s he had inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm as well. In the end, everyone was simply overwhelmed by his monstrous agility stat and ended up being unable to even react to his attacks. The closest another yer came to keeping up with him at this speed was Aegis. But, in the end, even he was incapable of reacting in time due to his ownck of agility. That was why after exchanging the first few blows, Izroth decided against using this battle to test out the effects attached to the Sword of The Storm. He felt that using the skills attached to an epic ranked weapon would take the enjoyment out of this fight. Another reason was that even though this battle had started around less than one minute ago, Izroth felt the shackles on his Heavenly Golden Body physique breaking free. He could break through to the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique at any second! Also, the Well Tempered skill he received from taking the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon pill was growing stronger. Woosh! The dagger passed right through an afterimage of Izroth as he shifted his body to the side to evade the iing dagger. However, at the same time, her dagger passed through Izroth¡¯s afterimage, Azalea had disappeared from view. ¡¯Again?¡¯ Izroth moved his Sword of The Storm downward. As soon as he did so, a dagger shot up from out of his shadow with a hand attached to it aimed right at his torso. But, to his surprise, when the dagger made contact with his sword, not only did it disappear, but the hand gripping it did as well. ¡¯It¡¯s a fake.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth felt something lightly brush up against his back and instantly flickered forward and turned around to face the direction he had just been attacked from. Just a single step away from the spot he stood in just moments ago, Azalea stood there with the same dagger she threw earlier gripped tightly within her hand. For some reason, she felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Unknowingly, a smile had formed underneath her face mask. "I hit you!" Azalea said. It was the first time she managed to get a clean hit on Izroth! However, she spoke out without thinking which caused her to feel a bit ashamed. After all, how could she shamelessly feel such a sense of relief after only hitting him one time? Izroth found himself pleasantly surprised as a small smile appeared on his face. Azalea used a feint not once, but twice before going through with her true attack. This was the first time someone was able to touch him with a sessful attack while he was using Flickering Steps! Azalea had waited until the perfect moment to use a skill that allowed her to jump to the same location as the dagger she threw earlier. As soon as she threw the dagger, she had already prepared her shadow skill before using Vanish and immediately halted her movement. Then, as her fake self attacked Izroth from below, she teleported behind him where her dagger was and sessfully struck him! All three attacks had happened so fast and Azalea was able to perfectly time her attacks with incredible precision. If she had dyed any action by the slightest bit of time, her entire assault would have failed. However, that was not the only reason Izroth had a small smile on his face. He felt the shackles around his body break free as a refreshing wave of energy washed over his body. During the moment Azalea managed to hit him, his Heavenly Golden Body physique had finally broken through to the next stage! ¡¯I had nearly forgotten how good it feels to break free from one¡¯s shackles.¡¯ Skill Name: Heavenly Golden Body Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 3/10 Skill Rank: S Passive: The more the user of this skill battles the stronger their body bes, permanently raising all of their stats. Enhances all user senses by 120%. Current Stat Buff: HP: 2,000 ATK: 80 DEF: 80 AGI: 80 * -> Energy Capacity Increase I(Passive) - +50 Maximum Energy * -> Physical Resistance I(Passive) - +5% Physical Resistance * -> Magical Resistance I(Passive) - +5% Magical Resistance * -> Poison Resistance I(Passive) - The user of this skill is resistant to some forms of poisons. * -> Battle Regeneration I(Passive) - Regenerates 25+(1% of the user¡¯s maximum HP) of the user¡¯s HP every 5 seconds while in battle. Description: A skill created by Izroth, the more the user battles the stronger they be over time. Special Effect: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Name: Izroth EXP: 27%(449,554 EXP Until Next Level) Level: 34(Stat Points: 12) Title: Protector of Amaharpe ss: Combat Master HP(Hit Points): 4,300+(8%)(4,644) Energy: 150 ATTACK(ATK): 1,710+(8%)(1,847) DEFENSE(DEF): 215+(8%)(232) AGILITY(AGI): 455+(8%)(491) MAGIC(MAG): 5+(8%)(5) Physical Resistance: 20% Magical Resistance: 20% Luck: 1 Lifesteal: 3% ¡¯I have finally reached the first true milestone of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. The difference in power is like that of night and day. However, my other base stats are still a bitcking.¡¯ Some of the equipment Izroth had on was still below level 20, therefore, his HP and defense stats were incrediblycking for his current level. The same could also be said about his base agility stat, however, it was still much better than his other two stats. "I must admit, I remain curious as to why you have chosen to attack me." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "It¡¯s nothing personal. You ranked first ce during the event, right? Therefore, I figured you must be highly skilled. So I wanted to test your skills personally. It turns out I was not mistaken to do so." Azalea said in a calm tone of voice as she leaned forward slightly with her daggers crossed and raised in front of her as she took on an offensive stance. Her voice was no longer as cold and distant as it was when she first attacked Izroth. Now, there was a hint of respect hidden within it. No one she had met was able to keep up with her when she used her skill Dance of Phantoms and yet, it was almost as if Izroth could see and predict her every move. It was the first time she ever felt so frustrated by anything. "I did not realize I had be so popr." Izroth said jokingly. There were only a few seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps. As Izroth stood there, a gentle breeze blew past him and began to move towards his Sword of The Storm. Azalea slid her foot back and kicked off as she dashed straight towards Izroth. Even though she was still fast, her Dance of Phantoms had just ended and so her speed was greatly reduced. "Though, since you seem to be so sincere, I will not be impolite." Izroth said as an overbearing aura formed around his Sword of The Storm. If one observed closely, they would be able to see a faint twister forming around Izroth¡¯s sword. Izroth casually swung his sword. However, the swing appeared to be incredibly slow and moving at a snail¡¯s pace. But that was not it, in fact, the attack had been so fast that Izroth¡¯s afterimage was lingering around longer than usual. In truth, his swing had already left to seek out its target. Azalea suddenly felt a gentle breeze pass right by her and the moment it did, she felt her heart drop. When she looked down, she saw that a long clean cut fissure had appeared on her path and right between her legs. It ran from Izroth¡¯s current position to at least ten meters away. A few momentster, she felt a frightening aura followed by a powerful force of wind m against her body and cause her long hair to blow around wildly behind her. She had already stopped moving as she was inplete shock. What was that attack? She could not even follow it with her eyes let alone react to it in time. She stood there silently for a moment before releasing a small helpless sigh as she spun her daggers and returned them to their sheaths attached to her lower forearms. "I... concede." Azalea said as she closed her eyes as if she were lost in her own thoughts. She knew that if Izroth wanted to, he could have easily killed her with thatst attack. But for some reason, he chose to spare her. To her, no matter what happened after that point, she had already lost at that moment. It was not worth continuing this fight. Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath and at the same exact time, his figure finally stopped flickering. The fight had ended at the same time his Flickering Steps had run out. It was almost as if he had nned for it to end that way all along. "Not bad." Izroth said as he walked past Azalea and continued on the same path he was on before he was attacked by her. He could tell that Azalea held no ill intentions towards him. Although her methods were a little unrestrained, in the end, she was simply looking for a good challenge. Plus, Izroth was able to gain a few benefits from this battle. Therefore, he chose to spare her in the end and continue on his way. "Wait!" Azalea shouted as she saw Izroth walking away from her. "Hm?" Izroth turned to see what it was that Azalea wanted. However, he never expected to be greeted by the sight that awaited him. "I wish to train under you, master!" Azalea said in a serious tone of voice as she kowtowed. Chapter 194 I Will Not Be Denied Myself! "Master?" Izroth was a bit surprised by the sudden request. Back in the Seven Realms, there were countless individuals who would have killed for Izroth to be their master despite his young age, however, he always turned them down. However, he was no longer within the Seven Realms. At the moment, he was in an unknown realm and currently inside of RML. To say the least, this was thest ce he expected for any to ask permission to train under him. This was not to say that he did not give some advice or assistance to a few people, but he had never taken a true disciple. The main reason was that, in all honesty, he had never met a suitable candidate. Every time he asked someone why they wanted to train under him, they would always give the same generic answers. "I made a promise to someone to be stronger." "I want to take revenge." "I want to learn from the strongest." "I want to protect the people I love." Izroth had heard just about everything there was to hear. However, everyone he met had one thing inmon that they allcked. It was not talent or motivation, but rather an unyielding dao heart. There were many cultivators who believed that showing any signs of emotion or feeling was a weakness. Therefore, they would bury everything and ignore their dao heart. However, those who truly wished to reach the peak understood that an unyielding dao heart was an absolute requirement without exception. After all, if one was unable to understand themselves, what hope could they possibly have of gaining a true understanding of the heavenly dao? The dao heart was something that could not be taught and must be improved upon by one¡¯s own self. Azalea¡¯s request had brought up some old memories that Izroth had already left behind long ago. But, those memories belonged in the Seven Realms where they were created, not in this new lifetime. "I am confident that one does not make such a shameless request afterunching a surprise attack against someone." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. "I will not apologize for that. If you wish to call me shameless, then I shall ept that burden. I had to test your strength and it was the only sure way to do so. However, if you wish to punish me for my actions then I leave myself at your mercy! But, it will not change the request I have made." Azalea said as she lifted her head and stared at Izroth with a look of determination in her eyes. Izroth could tell that Azalea was not lying when she said she¡¯d leave herself at his mercy. From the look in her eyes, she was prepared to face any consequences for her actions. What¡¯s more, is that she did not try to ask for his forgiveness or attempt to twist her words into something else. She understood what she had done, what was she asking, and what she wanted. ¡¯Oh? It would seem that I continue to underestimate the mortals of this realm.¡¯ "Then I¡¯ll be blunt, why do you wish to train under me? Not even taking into ount the fact that our sses are different, there should be plenty of yer guides that exin all that you need to know." Izroth said as he looked into Azalea¡¯s eyes, however, it was as though he was looking right through her. "Guides are not what I¡¯m after! I made a promise!" Azalea said. Izroth was a bit disappointed by Azalea¡¯s words. It appeared that, in the end, she would give the same answer as those before her. "I made a promise to myself. A promise that I would never again allow myself to walk a broken path. I will never allow myself to be as I once was! I have no choice but to move past everyone in my way. While it¡¯s true that for others this is just a game, for me this is my only chance for a true life! I will not be denied myself!" Azalea said in an unwavering manner. I will not be denied myself! Those were only a few words, however, there was a tremendous amount of power behind them. To not be denied one¡¯s self may seem like something that should be natural to every living creature, but this was not the case at all. It was a task that sounded simple and yet, was as hard as reaching for the heavens itself. Izroth stood there silently for a moment as he observed Azalea. A few momentster, he closed his eyes and turned to walk away without a word. Azalea was shaken on the inside as she watched Izroth¡¯s back while he walked away. She knew that Izroth was an expert not only within RML but in the real world as well. After all, his fighting sense, reaction time, as well as, the way he maintained apletely serene and calm appearance during the fight made it clear. That was part of the true reason she wanted to train under Izroth. It was easy to learn gaming mechanics, however, it was nowhere near as simple to learn how to be a true expert. To say that she was disappointed was an understatement. She had fought against many yers rumored to be the best or strongest in search for someone like Izroth. However, they all turned out to be unworthy of their reputation. Who knew how long it would take for her to find someone else like Izroth? "Are youing or do you wish to remain there? It just so happens that I am currentlycking somepany on this journey." Izroth said without halting his steps. Azalea was stunned when she heard his words. Does that mean he epted her request? He had not yet given her a clear answer, however, it seemed as if he was notpletely against it since he weed her on his journey. Otherwise, he would not have bothered to say anything at all. She believed that he was still deciding on whether or not to ept her request. If that was the case, then she would the duration of this journey to further prove herself if need be. Azalea quickly stood to her feet and darted over to Izroth¡¯s location without a word as she silently walked on his side, but slightly behind him. ¡¯The rope bridge should not be too far away from here. After that, the information details be a bit vaguer. However, if I can obtain a higher grade fire core, it will all be well worth it in the end.¡¯ Izroth continued on his journey towards the zing Tempris Domain. Though now it was along with some unexpectedpany he picked up on the way. ... "This is bad." Luna muttered to herself as she activated the skill attached to her ring called Eye of the Wolf. It allowed her to perceive her surroundings with greater detail and heightened senses. From the looks of things, there appeared to be no way out. Luna¡¯s first thought was that maybe they should have continued to run away when they were already ahead, however, she quickly dismissed that thought. If they kept running in their previous direction then eventually they would have run into Silent Steps and his group. Although this situation was bad, it would have been much worse if they were to face that group head on. At the very least, Luna and her party were familiar with this specific area and held some kind of home-field advantage. Also, there were still more than twenty elite nt monsters left that they may be able to use to their advantage. Not to mention the various vine and spore traps that were around. Now, she just had to hope that Silent Steps and his party were unaware of the surrounding traps in the vicinity. "You- Let her go!" Jia scowled as she angrily red at Savage who had attacked Xun Guiying. "Hahaha! It¡¯s funny when someone in your position thinks that they can afford to be concerned about anyone but themselves." Savage said as he gave a heartyugh full of ridicule. Xun Guiying red at Savage. She felt humiliated being pulled before his feet like a ragdoll. She gripped tightly onto the longbow in her hand and tried to draw an arrow, however, before she could even do so a de fell directly through her neck. That de was followed by a spear and when that spear pierced through her body, Xun Guiying turned into countless particles before dissipating into thin air. She had been killed! "Tch, you had to go and ruin the fun. I was going to let them watch her suffer for a bit, Haishe." Savage said to the yer next to him. That yer was the one who put the de through Xun Guiying¡¯s throat when he saw that she was about to attack. Luna¡¯s eyes turned cold as she watched them ruthlessly dispose of Xun Guiying without remorse. Although she wanted to save her, Luna was unable to get a sessful heal off beside the Healing Essence she first used on Xun Guiying. Obviously, it was not enough to keep her alive, but she had died before Luna could cast Heal. In other words, even if she tossed out all her lifesaving skills to save Xun Guiying, she was a ranged based ss with a low HP stat and would not havested under the direct assault of that many yers. The most she would be able to do was waste arge portion of her MP dying the inevitable. She took a moment to discreetly open up her system interface. "Boss! Be careful, that healer has some kind of AOE sound magic that can paralyze you can for twenty seconds!" Owl shouted to warn Silent Steps and the others. Silent Steps frowned when he heard those words. An AOE skill that was capable of paralyzing a group of yers for twenty seconds? What an incredibly lethal skill to those whocked any skill to break free of crowd control! He did not remember her having any such skill during their fight in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. However, it could have simply been on cooldown or she had not yet learned it at that time. But, now that he was aware of the skill¡¯s existence, he would be prepared for it. "Five of you stay back out of range. If she really does have such a skill, I don¡¯t want to take any chances at letting them escape from here alive." Silent Steps ordered five of the yers in his group as they fell back to a safe distance. They could still see the fight, however, they were now mere spectators for the moment. "Luna, w-what are we going to do?" Starry said as her eyes darted around everywhere as she hid behind Su Cui. Indeed, what were they going to do? At the moment, there were ten yers in front of them, five yers still alive behind them along with a group of more than twenty elite monsters, Luna¡¯s voice magic was still on cooldown, and they were now short one yer. There was nowhere for them to escape and there was no way that they could win in a direct confrontation. Thoughts began to race through Luna¡¯s mind as she tried to think of their next course of action, however, she saw no way out of this situation for them. But, if that was truly the case then there was only one thing to do. "We fight." Luna said in a calm tone of voice. "Fight? But, that¡¯s impossible! There¡¯s too many! M-maybe if we ask politely then-" Starry said, but she was soon interrupted by Jia. "So what if we¡¯re outnumbered?! Those guys killed Xun Guiying and they don¡¯t n on letting us off the hook either! I¡¯d rather go down fighting rather than simply giving up!" Jia said as she gripped the daggers in her hand tightly. "Well said!" Su Cui said as she mmed her fist into the palm of her hand before taking a basic fighting stance. Luna nodded as she closed out her system interface and said in a low voice, "I have an idea. It¡¯s almost guaranteed that we won¡¯t live that long, however, it¡¯s still not absolutely zero percent. We just need to buy as much time as possible. For now, we have to focus strictly on surviving and wait." "Wait for what?" Yu Lan asked. "Reinforcements." Luna said in a reassuring manner. Chapter 195 Contest Of Authority Jia, Su Cui, Starry, and Yu Lan were baffled by what Luna had just said. Reinforcements? How could she possibly expect them to survive long enough for any kind of reinforcements to reach them? The chances of someone who was willing to help them being nearby was practically impossible. Also, even if they did have someone who could help them, there were still a total of seventeen enemy yers present. Even if a full party showed up in time, they would still be at a major disadvantage number wise. Therefore, everyone did not get their hopes up too high for any reinforcements to arrive on time. But the most important fact remained, they had to survive as long as possible. "I¡¯m afraid that unless we have at least two or three full parties worth of reinforcements we won¡¯t be able to do anything." Yu Lan said with a sigh. "Even so, we won¡¯t just roll over and die without putting up a fight." Su Cui said. "We¡¯ll all follow your lead, Nana. Even if we can¡¯t make it out of here in one piece, we have to take down as many of them as we can with us." Jia said with a smirk on her face. "Heh, it looks like they are preparing to fight. Though, I wouldn¡¯t call this much of a fight." Savage said as he took a step forward with a long spear in his hand and chains wrapped around her right arm and hand. The spearhead was jagged and looked vicious in nature. Savage had a burly build with dark brown eyes and a rough looking appearance about him. He wore dark blue ted armor with gold patterns traveling throughout the exterior area. On his head as a metal helmet that hid his short ck hair. "I agree, it isn¡¯t much of a fight. I¡¯m beginning to think that it was a waste of time for this many people toe here." Haishe said as he nced over in Silent Steps¡¯ direction. Silent Steps red at Haishe with a cold look in his eyes and said, "If you have a problem with the way I run things, then you¡¯re wee to leave Fatal Touch any time you¡¯d like. However, you should be prepared for the consequences." Haishe remained unfazed by Silent Steps threats and replied, "Need I remind you of your recent failure inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm? Hmph, you couldn¡¯t even handle a simple task and now you¡¯re wasting your time on a bunch of women. No wonder you failed your mission. I should have been sent instead." "You want to say that again?" Silent Steps facial expression darkened as he stepped forward to confront Haishe. They stood there face to face and neither of them was willing to give the other any face. Just from the look of things, it was easy to tell that the two of them really did not get along with each other. Although Silent Steps was the official leader of the Fatal Touch organization, there were still a few influential members who held just as much power as he did. One of them was Haishe. Haishe despised the way Silent Steps ran things and wanted nothing more than to see him stripped of everything. However, Silent Steps still had the support of many key members that solidified his position as leader. But, after his most recent failure, he was slowly losing support and Haishe was gaining favor. "Tsk, if you two are going to fight then hurry up and get it over with." Savage said in an annoyed manner as he turned back to face towards Silent Steps and Haishe. He had better things to do than to stick around this ce. In fact, he agreed with Haishe that this was all just a waste of time to settle some personal grudge that they did not even know about. However, since Silent Steps was the current leader of Fatal Touch, he held the highest level of authority present. Due to that reason, Haishe would never strike the first blow against Silent Steps. Unless Silent Steps attacked him first, Haishe was unable to attack him. When Luna saw that Silent Steps and his group were having some sort of disagreement, she secretly rejoiced. Not only would this buy them time, but if a fight actually did break out between them then their chances of escaping from this ce would increase by leaps and bounds! This was a chance! At the moment, Owl and the remaining four yers that was originally caught in Luna¡¯s trap were still fighting off the elite nt monsters. The number of nt monsters had decreased down to seventeen in total. The fact that Owl and the others were still alive and had managed to eliminate thirteen elite monsters showed that they were not total pushovers. But, in the end, Owl and the rest of his group were struggling to survive while Silent Steps¡¯ group was infighting. Luna felt that they may be able to use this chance to take care of Owl¡¯s group. The only problem was that even if they did manage to kill off the rest of his group, the elite monsters would then turn their attention towards her and her party members. But, even if that did happen, Luna believed that they could somehow use that to their advantage. As for how... she had yet to think of that part. The good thing was that Owl and his group had no idea how to lower the nt wall that was blocking the exit. "Hm... If we can find a way to make it to the Venus Flytrap, we can release the nt wall. That could potentially buy us the time we need." Luna said. She then asked, "Yu Lan, how many full skill rotations do you have left?" "I still haven¡¯t really had time to recover my MP since ourst fight, but I still have enough MP to go through my full rotation three more times. However, I won¡¯t be able to do much after that." Yu Lan said. "Good, that should be enough. Starry, Su Cui, you two focus on keeping them distracted. Since Jia is the fastest, she will be the one to make a run towards the Venus Flytrap. Do you remember where it is?" Luna said. "Leave it to me, Nana! I remember its exact location." Jia replied in a reassuring manner. As soon as she finished speaking, Jia hid behind Luna before activating Stealth and disappeared from sight. "Distract them? But I-" Starry was just about toin but was cut off by Su Cui before she could even finish speaking. "Starry, stop being so scared. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. Just stay close and swing as if your life depends on it." Su Cui said as she put her hand on Starry¡¯s shoulder and gave a thumbs up. Since Owl¡¯s group was still fending off the elite nt monsters and Silent Steps was still face to face with Haishe with Savage and the other yers spectating the two, Jia was able to slip away unnoticed. Luna could see that they were extremely confident in themselves as they chose topletely ignore them. It was as if Luna and her party were unworthy of their full attention. However, Silent Steps¡¯ negligence would lead him to his own downfall. "You dare question me in front of so many people! Careful Haishe, that could be seen as a direct challenge of my authority." Silent Steps said in a cold tone of voice. "I would not dare to do so, boss." Haishe said in a mocking and sarcastic manner. At the moment, there were four yers closer to Haishe¡¯s side and three near Silent Steps. As for the two yers spectating and Savage, they did not appear to be on any particr side. It was obvious at a nce that Haishe held the upper hand numbers wise. This also demonstrated how truly divided Fatal Touch¡¯s members were. Yet, they were still able to maintain a fearsome reputation despite their internal struggles. It was said that if Fatal Touch was not in such disorder and disarray, they would easily be a guild listed in the top ten. Luna and her party were slowly easing their way closer to the Owl¡¯s group. A few momentster, she gave a slight nod as Su Cui and Starry finally made their move. The two of them rushed towards the nearest yer as he tried to avoid the iing vines from two elite nt monsters. Su Cui moved with quickened steps as she leaped forward and pulled her arm back. At the same time, a powerful me engulfed both of her fists as she struck out at the yer and mmed her fist into his body while he was being pinned down by the nt monsters. Luckily, she did not have to worry about aggroing the monsters since their attention was already focused onto another yer and she made sure to stay clear of attacking it. "You dare!" Owl shouted as she saw Su Cui had attacked one of the yers of his group. As for Starry, she trailed behind Su Cui. Since she was a te wearing ss, her speed was much slower than Su Cui who was a fighter ss. She did just as Su Cui said and stuck close to her. She charged forward while trying to ignore her fears and rammed right into another nearby yer with her shield. It caused that yer to stumble backward and be caught in a vine trap. Savage turned his head to see what was going on when he heard Owl shouting. "Hm? Oh, it looks like they¡¯re making a run for it." Savage said in a casual manner as arge grin appeared on his face. Silent Steps continued to stare at Haishe with a cold look in his eyes. "Hmph, you¡¯re lucky this time. Next time, I won¡¯t be so forgiving. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, Haishe." Silent Steps said he spoke with a high level of disdain present in his voice. However, Haishe simply smirked in response to Silent Steps threat. This, in turn, caused Silent Steps to be even more infuriated. Luckily, there was someone for him to take his anger and frustration out on. He unsheathed his daggers as his eyes locked onto Luna. "Remember, you can kill whoever you¡¯d like, but the healer is mine alone." Silent Steps reminded them as he vanished from the spot he stood in. Soon after, the others began to make their move as well. "Yu Lan, now!" Luna said when she saw that they had finally been discovered. When Luna gave the signal, Yu Lan held the wand in her hand out as a stream of water began to pour from it. At first, it was only a simple stream of water, however, two secondster the water started to surge out like a tidal wave. "No you don¡¯t!" Savage said as he gripped the spear in his hand tightly before throwing it towards Yu Lan. It was on a flight path headed directly for her head. However, just before the spear was about to pierce through her skull, it stopped and ran into some kind of barrier that enveloped Yu Lan and prevented the attack from harming her. It was an advanced version of Mana Shield that temporarily prevented the disruption of the user¡¯s actions while in the middle of casting a spell. It was a skill called Barrier of Focused Minds and was one of the more useful PVP skills for mages. By the time water stopped pouring out of Yu Lan¡¯s wand, it had already created a tidal wave that wanted to wash away everything before it. As it crashed down, Yu Lan had already begun to cast her next spell. Its cast time was practically nonexistent as the entire water started to freeze over and form a solid block of ice that trapped the attacking group inside. "It will only hold for three seconds, we have to move now!" Yu Lan said as she and Luna had already begun to make their way towards Su Cui and the others. "We don¡¯t have much time then... What¡¯s taking Jia so long?" Luna said as a frown appeared on her face and she furrowed her brows... Even though her mobility was greatly restricted while stealth, she should have already messaged them when she arrived in position. Chapter 196 How Far One Is Willing To Go For Revenge "Careful! Their only goal at this point is most likely to make sure we don¡¯t make it out of this alive!" Owl said as his talons swiped across one of the nt monsters and finished it off. "Like we¡¯ll just roll over and die!" Du Cheng shouted. A vine quickly shot out towards him, however, he was able to parry the attack. At the same time, he used the momentum from the vine strike to propel himself towards the Su Cui. As for Su Cui, she clenched her fist tightly as the intensity of the mes increased. She kicked off her back foot and dashed towards the yer she had previously struck. He was still being pursued by the vines of the nt monsters and looked as if he was beginning to panic. He had already taken quite a few hits and Su Cui¡¯s first attack only caused more trouble for him. He did not think that they would be so bold as to make a move when they were already faced with the other members of Fatal Touch. Just when he had finally managed to somewhat regain his footing, Su Cui was already right next to him with her next attack. "ming-!" Su Cui fist closed in on the yer, however, her fist stopped just before mming into his face. "I can¡¯t move!" Su Cui said as she struggled to move, but it was clear that she had been stunned. "You want to kill another one of us? Don¡¯t even joke!" Du Cheng said in a cold tone of voice. At the moment, his daggers were impaled inside of Su Cui¡¯s body. He used an advanced version of the rogue skill Pressure Point to stun Su Cui and prevent her from taking any action. "Su Cui! Get away from her!" Starry shouted as she charged forward towards Du Cheng. At first, she was moving incredibly slow and would have never been able to make it over there in time. However, just after she took her first step, she elerated at a great speed with her shield forward and her eyes closed tightly. "What are you going to do abo-" Du Cheng was about to taunt Starry, but before he could evenplete his first sentence he felt something heavy crash into his body. Before he knew it, he himself was unable to move and had be stunned. Starry had used the skill Unimpeded Rush! It was a charge based skill for many te user sses, however, it was difficult to sessfully hit a target since most te users were not used to moving at such a high speed and it took practice to master. But, Starry was actually able to hit Du Cheng with her eyes closed! What amazing luck! "You!" Du Chen was furious. This weakling who did nothing but hide away and swung her sword around randomly like a madman was able to hit him? He had never been so embarrassed by anything! Not only was Owl watching, but even the big-name yers like Silent Steps, Haishe, and Savage were here! He would never be able to live down this humiliation! "Nice move, Starry!" Su Cui said with a smile on her face. The yer who was Su Cui¡¯s original target was shocked. The weakest looking one had actually managed tond a blow again Du Cheng. But, Su Cui was still stunned and he would not pass up that chance. He lifted his sword up into the air as a faint aura gathered around it and swung it down right towards Su Cui and was able to strike her neck. This caused her HP to drop down by more than 40% from that one attack. It was obvious that he used one of his high damaging skills to shave off so much of her HP with a single swing. However, just when he was about to quickly follow up with a second attack, a holy light descended down upon him causing him to turn into countless particles. He was already weak from fighting against the nt monsters and taking Su Cui¡¯s first attack head-on, therefore, when Luna cast Superior Holy Smite she was able to finish him off in one go. The instant after she cast Superior Holy Smite, she used one of her newer skills called Holy sh Heal. Skill Name: Holy sh Heal Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: A Mana Cost: 400 Cast Time: Instant Active: Instantly heal yourself or an ally target within 25 meters for 250% of the user¡¯s ¡¯Healing Factor¡¯. Cooldown: 30 seconds Although the skill was able to be cast instantly, it required an unfriendly amount of MP. Not only that, but its cooldown time was much higher than Heal or Cure. This was why Luna one would stick to using Heal as her main healing skill and only save Holy sh Heal for emergencies. After all, she could not afford to stop and cast a Heal or Cure since Yu Lan¡¯s skill was just about to end. While she could have used this skill on Xun Guiying, she decided against it. After all, she would ultimately only have dyed her death for a second or two at most. It was a tough decision for her to make, but Luna knew that as soon as Xun Guiying was pulled in front of that group of twelve yers, there was no chance for her to survive given her squishy range based ss. However, Luna understood that sometimes being in the leader position one had to make difficult choices and think about the survival of everyone, not just themselves or one specific person. "Thanks, Luna!" Su Cui said as her stunned state finally ended. She then rotated her body and threw at punch at Du Cheng who was still next to her and stunned. Her fist had reignited and crashed right into his chest. Du Cheng¡¯s facial expression turned extremely gloomy as he was struck. As soon as he was hit, he was able to move again and quickly retreated back while drinking a potion. One could see the amount of frustration written on his face. Not only had the person he was trying to save been killed, but he himself had also suffered a huge loss just now. The first yer that Starry attacked had long since been finished off by the two nt monsters that were attacking him. Now, there was just Owl, himself, and one other yer left alive from the original group of ten yers. Du Cheng was now stuck in a difficult position. However, the yer in the toughest position at the moment was Owl. There were only fourteen nt monsters left and seven of them were focused on him! He was skillfully evading the iing vines while taking any opportunity that was avable to attack. The owl mask he wore on his face made him look calm andposed as he danced throughout the battlefield. But, on the inside, he was also quite frustrated by how things turned out. However, he was confident that the people responsible for this would definitely pay the price. There was no question about it. "Keep running!" Luna reminded everyone so that they would not be too caught up in the fight. After all, their main goal was still to escape from this ce in one piece. Even though they may not make it far, every second they could buy would count. Starry and Su Cui followed Luna¡¯s instructions as they began to run along with her and Yu Lan. "What¡¯s taking Jia so long?" Su Cui scowled when she noticed that the nt wall was still up. Luna furrowed her brows as she had still not yet heard a word from Jia. They were not too far from the nt wall and would soon have nowhere left to run. If Jia did not seed then they would all, without a doubt, die in this ce. "What are they up to?" Du Cheng said to himself with a frown on his face as he rushed over to help Owl who was currently fighting against a group of nt monsters alone. There was no way to escape in the direction they were headed in. In the end, they would only be dying the inevitable. The ice that had trapped the other members of Fatal Touch inside had shattered into countless pieces as its frozen effect finally wore off! "A bit chilly. Oh look, they¡¯ve made it pretty far." Savage said as he raised his brows and put his hand over his eyebrows as if he were looking at something from a great distance away. "Heh, why didn¡¯t you avoid that, Haishe?" Savage said with a smirk on his face. "It¡¯s pointless. We¡¯re wasting our time here and you know it, Savage. How long do you n on staying neutral and letting that fool Silent Steps lead us into the ground? He has be too arrogant and blinded by his own agenda. Not to mention, you could have broken free from the ice as well, given your ss." Haishe said as he nced over at Savage to look for his response. "You know how much I hate politics. Besides, the stronger one will win in the end so what does it matter? Try not to overthink things too much. Ahahaha!" Savage said as he slowly walked over towards the direction of Luna and the others. "They are unfrozen!" Yu Lan warned everyone as they approached the nt wall. When they heard Yu Lan¡¯s words, everyone began to worry. There was no way they could face that many yers head on at the same time. In fact, if not for Luna they would have been dead long ago without making a single elimination. Su Cui gave a weakugh and said, "Luna, I hope you have a n B." However, just as she said those words, the vines on the nt wall began to retreat back into the ground. The pathway was clearing up; Jia had done it! "Look! The pathway is opening! We¡¯re almost there!" Yu Lan said with a happy expression on her face. "What?! How?!" Du Cheng was stunned. Why was it that the nt wall was going down out of nowhere? Was it possible that it happened at certain time intervals? Or were they just in lucky? Luna released a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, it looked like Jia was able to pull it off. Around three secondster, a ghostly figure appeared next to them before turning into Jia. "Sorry! I ran into a bit of trouble, I¡¯ll exinter. Last one out is- Well, probably dead." Jia said jokingly as she sped up and was the first to make it out sessfully. "Something¡¯s wrong..." Luna muttered to himself. Yu Lan¡¯s skill had already ended so why was it that they were taking their sweet time and walking over as if they were on a casual stroll? For some reason, she doubted that it was simply because they were infighting earlier. Silent Steps whereabouts also concerned her. She knew that he was mainly after her, therefore, he should be close by. As Luna made it closer to the exit, she saw that Jia simply stood there without moving. When Luna saw that, she had a bad feeling about everything. "Jia, why did you stop running? Don¡¯t wait for us, keep-... going..." Su Cui was the next to reach the exit and stopped right next to Jia as herst few words faded out. As the nt wall fully disappear and retreated back into the ground, Luna and the others saw what was on the other side. Luna¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, however, they soon turned ice cold as she stopped running along with Su Cui and Starry. "He¡¯s really willing to go so far such unwarranted revenge?" Luna said to herself as she witnessed the sight that awaited her on the other side of the nt wall. There were at least twenty yers that had the pathway surrounded with nowhere to escape! "It¡¯s over..." Starry said with no hope left in her voice. She had finally worked up the courage to fight against other yers, but it was hopeless in the end. Although they would not say it out loud, Jia, Su Cui, and Yu Lan felt the same way. No matter what other ns Luna had it was useless from here on out. There came a point where any amount of nning was useless against sheer numbers. "Did you truly think that it would be so simple? I already told you back inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, you would have no peace while ying. You would have no ce to hide! Do you believe that I was simply making empty threats?" A voice sounded out from behind Luna and the others. Of course, it was Silent Steps! He had been silently observing Luna¡¯s group while stealth. "If it¡¯s me you want, fine. But let the rest of my friends go." Luna said as she stared at Silent Steps. "Hm, let me think about it for a moment... Ah, right. No! Kill everyone but the healer!" Silent Steps said with arge evil grin on his face. Chapter 197 Alone "Even if he is a bit hotheaded, in the end, he can still be pretty meticulous when ites to something he wants done. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t underestimate him so much, Haishe. Just a friendly reminder. Ahahaha!" Savage said as he roared withughter. "Hmph." Haishe nced at Savage and gave a simple harumph in response. He never should have allowed Silent Steps to drag him to this ce. However, since Silent Steps was still the current leader of Fatal Touch and held the power of authority he had no choice but to follow along. In truth, this was Silent Steps way of keeping a close eye on Haishe. After all, there was no way for him tomunicate with anyone while inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and he knew that Haishe was secretly plotting behind his back. He wanted to make sure that Haishe was not up to anything now that he was back. Haishe was aware of Silent Steps distrust of him and remained unbothered by it. But in his mind, it was still only a matter of not if, but rather when it would be his time. The events had already been long since set in motion. Even if Silent Steps want to stop him, it was far toote. "Look at you, Owl. You¡¯re a mess, your group is all but dead. And for what? Pathetic!" Haishe scoffed as he reached the location near Owl, Du Cheng, and their one remaining party member. At the moment the three of them were struggling to stay alive and were nowpletely surrounded by the nt monsters. There was a look of disdain in Haishe¡¯s eyes as he looked upon them. "You¡¯ll never make any friends that way, Haishe. Ahahaha! Go ahead and lend them a hand. Haishe and I will go and keep the otherspany." Savage ordered. Four of the yers looked over in Haishe¡¯s direction. Haishe gave a small nod in return before following Savage¡¯s instructions to assist Owl¡¯s group along with the three other yers. "Well, it looks like there¡¯s nothing left to do but to sit back and enjoy the show. Look on the bright side Haishe, it¡¯ll all be over after this." Savage said as he continued to walk towards Silent Steps and Luna¡¯s party. "Don¡¯t spread too far out. Everyone, I apologize about getting you caught up in my personal affairs, sorry." Luna said as she released a deep sigh. She had no idea that Silent Steps was willing to go so far just because of the small exchange they had in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. There were nearly fifty enemy yers present in total that were after them. The original group of ten, the twelve that Silent Steps was a part of, and now the twenty plus yers charging towards them from just about every angle avable. "I have to admit, this has actually been kind of fun. Definitely not our average session, Luna. Therefore, we¡¯ll call it even." Su Cui said with a smile on her face as she prepared to face the iing yers head on. "You don¡¯t have to apologize Nana! If these guys want to bully you then they have to go through us first!" Jia said without the slightest bit of anger towards Luna present in her voice. So what if they died here? It was already a miracle that they had managed to make it this far against all odds. Therefore, she would not be upset or feel ashamed of losing this battle. In the end, they put up a good. Yu Lan had already begun casting a spell. As for Starry, she held her shield out in front of her. Her legs were shaky as the sight of being stampeded by a group of yers did not exactly help with her already terrible nerves. However, she did not take a single step back in retreat even with how frightened she was. Silent Steps had a look of satisfaction in his eyes as he watched Luna and her party face a hopeless situation. Ever since his run-in with Luna in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, he had never stopped thinking about this moment. He wanted everyone to be reminded of what happens when someone looks down on him. All that would await them is an unfortunate ending. "Don¡¯t worry, this is only the beginning. You shouldn¡¯t even think about staying in RML. No matter where you run off to, you will be found and the same thing will happen again. However, you should feel honored. You will be the primary form of reference so that the same mistake doesn¡¯t happen again." Silent Steps said with no hint of mercy present in his voice. Woosh! Woosh! Around seven arrows flew towards Luna¡¯s party, however, none of them were aimed directly at Luna herself. After all, no one wanted to be the one to disobey Silent Steps and get on his bad side. At the same time, a few of the melee sses approached the group. "Su Cui!" Luna held her staff towards Su Cui. A few momentster, a faint yellow protective aura appeared around Su Cui¡¯s body. She had already started to cast the skill Protective Barrier once the first yer made their move. Since Silents Steps insisted on keeping her alive for the moment, she would make sure that he regretted his decision to do so. Skill Name: Protective Barrier Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Mana Cost: 275 Cast Time: 2.6 seconds Active: Creates a protective barrier of mana around the caster or a nearby ally equal to 300% of the user¡¯s magic +7% of the target¡¯s maximum HP that absorbs all iing damage for up to 20 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes Yu Lan waved her wand in an upward arc. As she did so, a wave of ice spikes shot up from beneath the ground and towards two of the charging melee yers. The ice spikesnded a direct hit against them and reduced their speed by more than half. "I got it!" Su Cui said as she mmed her fist together. Her fist became engulfed in a blue me that was strangely calm and controlled. Unlike the normal fire that formed around her fist before, this fire seemed more gentle an docile in nature. However, one would be mistaken if they believed that it meant the blue mes were weak. Su Cui charged ahead and left a trail of blue mist in her wake. "Heh, what do you n on doing with that weak little attack?" One of the melee yers said with a smug look on his face. He was also a fighter ss, except, he wore bulky gauntlets instead of the usual fighter style gloves. He dashed towards Su Cui and wanted to meet her attack head-on with his own fist. Clink! Su Cui¡¯s fist collided with the yer¡¯s gauntlet and something bizarre happened. The moment her fist touched the gauntlet, the blue trail that was left behind seemed to rush forward all at once and converge near her elbow. Then, a powerful burst of energy seemed to explode from that same spot and the previously peaceful blue mes now roared without restraint and effortlessly knocked the gauntlet, as well as, the yer wielding it back more than five meters. She went onward and did not hesitate to dive into the crowd of yers. Su Cui was currently using one of her ss¡¯ final resort skills known as Burning Spirit. During this state, Su Cui gained a temporary burst of great power and became immune to all forms of crowd control for a short period of time. However, her HP would be rapidly drained in return as she stayed in that state. To makes matters worse, she was also immune to all forms of healing while Burning Spirit was active. That was the reason why Luna cast the Protective Barrier on her. After the skill ended, and even during the skill, she would be incredibly vulnerable to attacks. But, the amount of power gained in return for that short period of time was definitely worth the price. At the moment, Su Cui had already managed to eliminate two enemy yers! Though, in the end, the price was still too heavy against so many yers. Just as she killed a third yer, the effects of Burning Spirit wore off. She looked to bepletely exhausted. It was another side effect of Burning Spirit. Just like the name implies, it burns through one¡¯s fighting spirit, but in this case, one enters a fatigued state for about five seconds. But, that five seconds might as well be an eternity given Su Cui¡¯s current situation. Jia had already begun to make her move, however, she was not having much luck. She was locked in a one on one battle with another rogue type yer and was unable to gain an upper hand. In the end, she had practically no PVP experience and so it was a miracle that she was able to hold on for so long. In fact, the only two members of their party with any kind of PVP experience were Luna and Su Cui. As for the rest of them, they had always focused more on the PVE aspects of things. But, Jia, Starry, and Yu Lan were beginning to regret that fact. If they had more experience, maybe things would have turned out a bit differently. Maybe they would have been able to face the group of ten yers from the start instead of having to run away with their tails tucked in between their legs. That¡¯s why they all promised themselves that they would definitely improve on their PVP skills after this so that nothing like this would ever happen again. However, if it did, then they would be ready for it! Woosh! Woosh! Two arrows shot out towards Yu Lan. She was unable to avoid them as the first arrow shattered her basic Mana Barrier and the second arrow pierced right into her lower torso area and interrupted her spell casting. Luna cast quick Healing Essence on Yu Lan the moment she received damage. At the same time, she was focusing on trying to keep Jia alive. As for Starry, Luna understood just how frightened she was and that she would notst long in a confrontation. Therefore, she simply told Starry to stay near her and protect her so that she could heal the others. "Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go down without a fight!" Su Cui roared as she weakly swung her fist at one of the nearby yers, however, that yer simplyughed at her pathetic attempt. "You-!" Su Cui was infuriated at being toyed with like some kind of source of entertainment. However, she did not have to worry about such a thing for long. All of a sudden, she felt her body jerk slightly as something pierced directly through the middle of her chest. When she looked down, she saw that a sword was now sticking out of her body. At first, Luna¡¯s Protective Barrier was still able to hold and she did not receive any actual damage, but soon that sword was followed by one... two... five other swords as they all impaled Su Cui. Su Cui had a fierce look in her eyes and she was determined not to give up as she swung her fist forward without any power behind, but before it could even strike a target she turned into countless particles. She had finally joined Xun Guiying and had been eliminated. At the same time, the other melee yers hadpletely overwhelmed Luna¡¯s group. Soon enough, Yu Lan followed in Su Cui¡¯s footsteps. Then, Starry was the next to be eliminated. Now, there was only Luna and Jia left to face therge group of yers. Silent Stepsughed as he pped his hands and said, "Your little party hassted longer than I expected. However, you¡¯re nearly all alone now. Your current pathetic state suits you well." "Nana, he talks too much. It¡¯s super effective... It must be at least an S-ranked skill because it makes me want to save them the trouble and get rid of myself before I¡¯m bored to death." Jia said as she gave a weakugh as she struggled against the iing attacks. A few momentster, a ming projectile flew directly towards Jia and instantly turned her into nothing but particles. Luna tried her best to keep everyone alive with her heals, but it was simply impossible for her to out heal so much damage at once. She red at Silent Steps and if looks could kill then he would have died a thousand times over already. But now, there was no one else remaining as she was surrounded from all sides. Luna was now alone. "Now that we¡¯ve gotten rid of all of the minor characters, shall we enjoy our rematch? Though I believe this time, you¡¯ll find me much more capable." Silent Steps said as he walked step by step towards Luna while the surrounding yers simplyughed and chuckled as they made a circle and cleared a path for him to walk. However, no one was aware of the phantom-like apparition that had just zoomed right into the crowd of yers. A simple strand of long flowing ck hair could faintly be seen just as it entered into the crowd. Chapter 198 Reinforcements ... Sometime ago... Izroth had finally arrived at the roped bridge with a waterfall on each side. After going across this bridge, he would be officially taking his first steps outside of official Amaharpe territory. ¡¯This is definitely the correct ce. However, the instructions be a bit vague from this point on so I may have to rely on a bit of luck to find my way.¡¯ Azalea had beenpletely silent ever since she had begun apanying Izroth. She did notin or try to strike up an idle conversation with him. Instead, it almost seemed as if she was a simple attendant the way she stood slightly behind Izroth with a calm and focused demeanor. "Shall we?" Izroth said as he took his first step onto the rope bridge and immediately received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Warning! You have left the territory of ?Amaharpe?¡µ ¡¯I should have Although the system had informed him of leaving Amaharpe, it did not mention him entering into another named area. That could only mean one of two things. The first was simply that he entered into an unnamed area which was not that umon within RML. The second was that he had finally reached an area that he required someone with the Cartographer profession which was more likely to be the case. To be more precise, he required an item that could only be produced by someone with the Cartographer profession known as the Realm Chart. In simple terms, a Realm Chart was a map created by Cartographer¡¯s that officially charted the unknown locations within RML. It was said that at the higher levels, Cartographer¡¯s were even capable of creating devices simr to a mini map! However, even though it was an incredibly useful profession to have, it was not very popr amongst therge majority of yers and for good reasons. For one, it was extremely difficult for one to create Realm Chart¡¯s since they had to personally go out and view the area before being able to chart it. Then there was the fact that professions such as Alchemist, cksmith, and Apothecary were much more rewarding and useful in both the short, as well as, long term. However, Cartographer¡¯s did not see any true rewards early on unless they managed to chart some hidden or secret location. They were, for the most part, strictly only useful for the long term of things. But, how many people wanted to perform a dull task like charting out new locations? The answer was, not that many. In fact, most of the Cartographer¡¯s within RML were a part of some top guild or a big guild trying to make a name for itself. The truth of the matter was that out of all the things about RML, this was one of the features that most yers disliked confronting the most. If one did not have a Realm Chart, then they could only navigate around RML using coordinates, memory, and word of mouth. ¡¯It seems He Huian failed to mention anything about needing a Realm Chart. Hopefully, it turns out just to be an unnamed location until we reach the zing Tempris Domain.¡¯ "May I ask what our destination is, master?" Azalea asked. It was the first words she had spoken since beginning her travels with Izroth. "If you insist on not calling me by my name, you should choose something a little more fitting. After all, I would prefer not to attract unwanted attention with a simple word. Also, we¡¯re headed to a ce called the zing Tempris Domain. Have you been there?" Izroth said as he walked across the long rope bridge along with Azalea. Azalea, however, shook her head and responded, "I¡¯ve never been there. But, I have seen the name somewhere before. Also, I apologize. I should have given the way I address you proper thought. I meant no disrespect, teacher." Izroth shook his head inwardly. It appeared that while Azalea was willing to budge on the way she addressed him, she was still very formal when she spoke to him. Izroth was never one to care for such formalities, but then again, he could understand Azalea¡¯s reason for doing so. But more importantly, he was a little surprised that Azalea knew of the name. Even a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia had very little information regarding the zing Tempris Domain, much less other yers. "Oh? Do you remember the ce you saw the name at?" Izroth inquired. "Yes, it¡¯s listed on this." Azalea said as she held her hand out and a scroll appeared in the palm of her hand. It was around 30cm in size and looked as if it was made out of some kind of unique old-style parchment paper. ¡¯It¡¯s a Realm Chart.¡¯ Azalea actually possessed a Realm Chart! Even though he had not seen one in person, Izroth still knew how a Realm Chart looked as it was prettymon knowledge even before the game was officially released. After all, the beta testers were allowed to publish a decent amount of basic information knowledge about the game since they were the ones who wrote the original yer¡¯s handbook guide. There were a few Realm Chart¡¯s for sale in the auction house, however, they were mediocre at best and most of them were just some yers attempt at trying to make some quick gold coins. But, none of them were as high quality as the map currently within Azalea¡¯s hand, at least appearance wise. "I¡¯m surprised. Not many yers have a Realm Chart, not to mention one of such high quality." Izroth said. "Finding a good Realm Chart is not a question of money, but rather having the proper contacts. If you¡¯d like, I can obtain one for you as well. You can think of it as a small gift." Azalea replied. "Then, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it." Izroth said. However, right after Izroth finished speaking he received a message alert from the system. He halted his steps and opened up his system interface to view the message. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has sent you a message, "Silent Steps Attack Need Assist Coordinates..."¡µ The message was a few words tied together rather than an actual sentence that made any sense. However, there was a list of coordinates at the end of the message that was actually not too far from their current position. Since Luna did not have a lot of time to send a fully detailed message, she decided to keep it simple and just list the main points of it. She knew that someone would be able to understand it as the two recipients of the message were Izroth and Zi Yi. Luna did not keep a very long friendslist and she knew that the only two currently online that would possiblye to her aid were Izroth and Zi Yi. Even though she knew that both of them were most likely in Amaharpe and would not make it to her in time, it was still worth a shot. Izroth scanned over the message and immediately understood the situation at hand. However, it must have been a dire situation if she sent a message to him. After all, Luna was not the type to ask for help if she did not believe it to be an absolute necessity. ¡¯It appears that I truly was too lenient back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡¯ Since Silent Steps was tied to the Shadahi, Izroth had every reason to kill him back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm when he escaped from Aegis. However, he decided to let him go since Silent Steps did not personally offend him or any of his other party members at that time. But, Izroth was now absolute enemies with the Shadahi and that would remain unchanged. Therefore, anyone who was with the Shadahi could be considered an enemy. ¡¯Some people require a stern hand to deal with. I will take this chance to correct my original mistake.¡¯ "There has been a little change of ns. I have a small mess I need to clean up." Izroth said as the aura around him felt as if it had be heavier. Azalea noticed the minute change in Izroth¡¯s demeanor as her eyes grew cold. "If it is a small mess, then please allow me to lend my humble assistance, teacher." Azalea said. Izroth gave a slight nod and responded, "Let¡¯s go." He gave Azalea the coordinates before he turned into a shadow using the skill Shadow Movement and began to head towards the location Luna sent his way. Azalea turned into a shadowy figure that resembled that of an apparition and she followed after Izroth. It was a skill simr to Izroth¡¯s Shadow Movement. This was her chance to not only further prove herself but to also make asting impression on Izroth so that he would take her request more seriously. Izroth replied with a simple message of three words to Luna, "On my way." ... "No one is to interfere!" Silent Steps said as he walked forward with his daggers in hand. He gave off a menacing feeling as he approached Luna. He was not in the same pathetic state as when they encountered one anotherst time when he was forced to run away in the end. Luna, however, did not falter in the slightest nor did she attempt to retreat. If he really wanted a fight so badly, then she would dly give him one. She held her staff outwards towards Silent Steps and was prepared to face what was toe. Just as Silent Steps was about to make his move, he heard amotion beginning to take ce in the group of yers surrounding Luna. "Ah! What the heck was that?!" "It¡¯s a ghost!" "A monster! It must be a ghost-type monster, quick use magic to kill it! Gah!" "What¡¯s going on?! Hey, watch where you¡¯re shoving!" The group was falling into a state of confusion and as they began to see one... two... three yers bodies fall to the ground one after the other, they started to panic and shoved one another. No one had any idea what was going on, but yers were starting to randomly drop like flies! Silent Steps frowned as he witnessed the catastrophe. To him, it simply looked like everyone was fooling around. "What are all of you doing?! Control yourselves!" Silent Steps ordered, however, his words fell on deaf ears. The next moment, a terrifying tremor shook the ground underneath the crowd¡¯s feet and caused some of them to lose their bnce. But, everyone immediately realized that they were losing some of their HP every second that passed! It was then that Silent Steps could finally see the bodies of his Fatal Touch members dropping like flies. Between the apparition and the tremors, no one was even aware of how they were dying! A couple of secondster, that same apparition that was causing so much damage was headed straight towards Luna which caused her to be on guard. However, instead of attacking her, it stopped right next to her and the shadowy figure disappeared and was soon reced by a girl with long flowing ck hair that fell down to her ankles, piercing orchid colored eyes, and a mask that hid the lower part of her face. "Is this your doing? Who are you?" Silent Steps said with a cold look in his eyes as he red at the girl who appeared before them. However, Azaleapletely ignored Silent Steps and turned to Luna and said, "Are you Luna?" Luna examined Azalea. She did not appear to hold any ill intentions and so she gave a small nod and responded, "Yes, but I¡¯m afraid your name escapes me." Luna had never met this person before and she was confident of that. So, who exactly was she and why was she helping her? Better yet, how did she even know her name? "I am called Wraith. I havee to assist you at the request of my teacher." Azalea replied as she stood in front of Luna and stared at Silent Steps who was giving off death res in her direction. "Teacher?" Luna was confused by Azalea¡¯s words. What teacher? Silent Steps facial expression darkened when Azalea ignored him and instead spoke directly to Luna. He felt as if people were truly going out of their way to step on his face. Was his reputation so poor that such a thing had be tolerable? The answer was obviously no! "It seems I have arrived toote." A voice echoed throughout the battlefield as a flickering image formed one after the other. The sword in that flickering image¡¯s hand was releasing a constantly overbearing aura. In just a handful of seconds, there were no yers who were originally surrounding Luna and her party remaining. Now, there was only the group behind Silent Steps and himself. Luna knew who that voice belonged to the moment she heard it! A blossoming smile could not help but find its way onto her face. Soon enough, the flickering figure came to a stop next to Luna holding an exquisite sword in his hand. The oppressing and overbearing aura it released just moments ago had died down and it was currently calm like the eye of a storm. Luna shook her head and said, "I never thought you would make it here. However, my friends are..." She let out a small helpless sigh as she spoke. The person who arrived next to Luna was, of course, Izroth. Silent Steps looked over at Izroth and felt as if he had seen him somewhere before, however, he was unable to quite put his finger on it. After all, the two of them had never directly met within the Chaotic Dogma Realm and Silent Steps did not acknowledge his presence back in the pce. Therefore, it was only natural that he had a vague feeling of having seen him once before. "There is no need to worry. Your friends will not be alone in the fate they have suffered." Izroth said as a powerful surge of wind began to gather around his sword. Chapter 199 Dark Hecatomb Savage whistled as he witnessed the sight of yers dropping one after the other. While they were not exactly a part of the elite yers within Fatal Touch, they were still quite skilled and above averagepared to the average yer. "Those are guys pretty skilled. I haven¡¯t seen such a fast group wipe since our old raiding days back on Dragons Fall Online. What do you think, Haishe?" Savage said with a grin on his face. "That guy¡¯s swordy is impressive." Haishe said in a low voice as he gripped the sheathed sword in his hand while locking his gaze onto Izroth. "Oh? How does hepare to Igazanali?" Savage asked with raised brows. "Difficult to tell. He¡¯s faster that much is clear. As for his actual swordy ability, it¡¯s still too early to tell. However, we should receive a good show." Haishe responded. "Is that supposed to be some kind of threat? You shouldn¡¯t be socent just because you took out a bunch of useless trash. I don¡¯t know who you are, but this is something you do not want to interfere in. Otherwise, hmph, don¡¯t me me for being impolite." Silent Steps said in a threatening way. Not too long after Silent Steps spoke, seven yers arrived behind him. Two of the yers were Owl and Du Cheng, the only two of the original ten who had managed to survive. The third person that was with them was unable to hold on until help arrived and ended up being eliminated by the nt monster. However, all of the nt monsters had been taken care of by this point. The remaining five yers were the two who Silent Steps told to keep their distance, as well as, the three yers who went to assist Owl and Du Cheng. As for the other four yers that came along, they stayed a bit further in the back with Haishe and Savage. "This seems like it¡¯ll be interesting. I¡¯m going to go join in on the fun." Savage said as he walked over to join Silent Steps at the front of the group. It was not as if he were choosing Silent Steps over Haishe, but rather, he did not care for their feud and simply stepped forward because it seemed like a good opportunity to fight. Haishe, however, did not share Savage¡¯s enthusiasm and chose to observe for now with his arms folded. More than anything, he was interested in Izroth¡¯s swordy and wanted to see just how skillful he was with a de. Izroth¡¯s flickering figure had already stopped the moment he reached Luna¡¯s side. He had used Shadow Movement to rush over and Flickering Steps once it ended. However, it was good that he did not hesitate to do so. When he arrived, Luna was surrounded by more than twenty yers! Since Azalea was faster than him, he told her to go off ahead of him. Once he saw what was going on, he immediately used Behemoth¡¯s Quake infused with sixteen points of his Essence. Then, thanks to the damage and chaos inflicted by Azalea, as well as, the Behemoth¡¯s Quake, Izroth was able to easily clean up the remaining yers. Izroth took advantage of the cooldown reset on the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction after it sessfully eliminates an enemy. Before his opponents could even understand what was going on, they had already dissipated and scattered into countless particles. "If you would like, I can take care of this problem for you, teacher. There will be no need for you to lift a finger against this kind of trash." Azalea said in a cold tone of voice as she locked her gaze onto Silent Steps. He appeared to be the leader behind all of this and she had seen his type plenty of times. People who used their power to prey on those weaker than themselves in order to please themselves. For Azalea, this situation invoked memories that she had tried to forget for a long time now. "Teacher?" Luna said with an inquisitive look on her face as she studied Izroth. "I¡¯ll tell you about itter." Izroth said when he observed Luna¡¯s questioning look and shook his head inwardly. Silent Steps almost snapped when Azalea called him trash. Not only that, but she was looking down on him and Fatal Touch. Did she really think she possessed the skill to take on everyone present by herself? What arrogance! What nerve! It appeared that his previous thoughts were correct after all. His short time away in the Chaotic Dogma Realm must have made yers forget the word fear was directly associated with Fatal Touch. "Good, very good. Come, I would like to see how you deal with us." Silent Steps said through his teeth. It was clear that he was holding back his rage from the sound of his voice and the blood vessels that could be seen popping out of his forehead. At the same time he spoke, a dark, chaotic, and putrid aura began to form around his body. Silent Steps¡¯ eyes became crimson red like that of a demon and his skin matched in color. His current transformation appeared to be even stronger than the time he used it back within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. The aura was more concentrated around his body instead of leaking out everywhere. Also, his skin was a deeper crimson color as if it had beenpletely saturated in vile energy. However, the newest feature were the two small horns growing out the top of Silent Steps head. ¡¯His transformation is slightly different this time around.¡¯ "I was feeling quite generous a few moments ago. But now... You will all die here. Kill them all!" Silent Steps ordered as he pointed his daggers that were surrounded by dark energy towards Izroth, Luna, and Azalea. "You can take care of the others, however, I will personally see to him." Izroth said as he swung his Sword of The Storm outward towards Silent Steps. As he did so, a sharp de of wind flew directly at Silent Steps. "I will see to it." Azalea said as her body suddenly disappeared from view. Izroth had activated the skill Tempest Strikes that was attached to his Sword of The Storm. It temporarily granted his physical-based weapon attacks a bonus range of 10 meters, as well as, the wind element to go along with it. Therefore, even his basic attacks using his sword could be used from a range. Izroth¡¯s first strike was soon followed by a second strike and right after that, the third strike instantly shot out from his de. Each strike followed perfectly after the other and there appeared to be a phantom lurking about in each strike. It was the skill Phantom Strike! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Silent Steps easily avoided the first iing de of wind as it tore into the ground behind him and left a deep cut embedded into the ground. However, the second and third strikes were ced in such a perfect manner that he had no chance but to be struck by one of them. At least, that would have been the case before his new transformation. "Dark Hecatomb!" Silent Steps spread his arms out wide as the two des of wind sliced right into his body. However, the strangest thing happened next. Instead of the cuts appearing on his body and him receiving the damage as he was supposed to, they appeared on the bodies of five of the yers that stood next to him. These were the five yers who were in the same party as Silent Steps. As for Savage, Owl, and Du Cheng, no cuts or marks appeared on their bodies. Izroth looked on in a carefree manner as he tried to understand what just took ce. ¡¯Is it some kind of shared damage skill?¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. After all, Silent Steps appeared to remainpletely unharmed even though he took two out of three Phantom Strikes head on. However, his party members had obvious just received some damage. But, there was only one way to find out for sure. Izroth swung his de twice as two more des of wind mmed into Silent Steps body. Of course, this time they were simply basic attacks. However, the same thing that happenedst time urred once again. There was no harm to Silent Steps himself and the marks had instead appeared on five of the yers near him. "It¡¯s useless! From the moment you allowed me to transform, your fate had already been sealed!" Silent Steps said. His voice sounded deeper and eerier while transformed. At the same time, a dagger shot from out of the shadow behind one of the five yers and impaled them. A few momentster, an entire body leaped out and immediately turned into a blur. "Backs!" One of the yers shouted as the five yers stood back to back with one another in a circle formation. They stood this way so that there was no chance of them being attacked from a blind spot. However, they had sorely underestimated Azalea¡¯s true capabilities. "I have you now!" One of the yers shouted as he shed downward in an arc with his sword at Azalea who had suddenly appeared in front of him. However, his sword passed right through her body and caused a rippling distortion wave to take ce before it vanished along with what was supposed to be Azalea. "She¡¯s right here!" Another one of the yers yelled out as he punched out with his brass-knuckled fists. But, instead of hitting against something solid, the body he hit turned into a congress of ravens that flew all around them and caused a momentary copse in their formation. However, that small moment was more than enough for Azalea so slip in and wreak havoc. But, just as Azalea was about to slip into the middle of the ground, she suddenly felt a sense of danger creeping up from behind her. Woosh! Azalea kept moving forward and quickly attacked one of the nearby yers four times with her daggers before kicking off the heel of her foot and flipping into the air. While in midair, she vanished once again. The moment right as Azalea left the ground, a spear pierced into the spot she just stood in. "Your reaction time¡¯s pretty good for a shorty. Here I thought you would be nothing more than a one trick speed demon. Ahahaha! Why note y with me for a bit, little girl." Savage said as a grin on his face as he pulled on the chain in his hand and grabbed ahold of his spear that came following along with it. Right after those words left Savage¡¯s mouth, three phantoms of Azalea surrounded his body and moved at a high speed. Each phantom attacked with the same speed and grace as Azalea¡¯s original body as they danced around Savage. "Do you dare say that again?" Azalea said with a voice so cold that it could freeze over the sun itself. There were many things that someone could say about her, however, mentioning her height was like touching a dragon¡¯s reverse scales. There were certain topics that could not and should not be touched or else the price to pay for doing so would be catastrophic. Ding! Ding! "It seems like I¡¯ve touched on a sensitive subject." Savage said with augh as he swept his spear in a full circle and destroyed the three phantoms. As for Azalea, she was nowhere to be found. "Tch, I hate slippery opponents the most." Savage scowled. As Azalea was fighting against Savage and the others, the strong gust of wind around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm faded and was reced by its normal gentle breeze. "Giving up already after just a few attacks? I have to admit, I¡¯m a little disappointed. However, both of you can just die now!" Silent Steps said with an evil smirk on his face as he rushed towards Izroth and Luna with his pitch ck daggers in hand. He was moving incredibly fast and closed the distance near instantly. ¡¯Now, let¡¯s see just how much punishment you can take with that skill of yours.¡¯ A deadly and oppressive aura began to pour out from Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. Chapter 200 Breaking The Dark Hecatomb Silent Steps gave a quick flick with his wrist as three throwing knives flew towards Izroth. They were epassed in the same dark energy that surrounded his very own body. Izroth slid his foot and stepped to the side with a swift motion to avoid the first of the throwing knives. Just as the two remaining knives were ready to pierce through his body, Izroth¡¯s entire body jerked and suddenly shifted in the opposite direction to avoid them as the deadly aura around his sword died down. Although his Flickering Steps has ended and he was even slower than Silent Steps at this point, Izroth still possessed both the Heavenly Golden Body physique and the Superior Perception passive granted to him by the Five Cycles Pills. Therefore, he did not have much trouble when it came to keeping track of fast movements. The knives that Silent Steps tossed out may as well have been moving at a snail¡¯s pace. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth noticed that Silent Steps¡¯ right foot shifted and turned to an inward position. After seeing what he was up to, Izroth instantly pushed off his back foot and appeared in front of Luna. Ding! The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the battlefield as Izroth¡¯s sword intercepted both of Silent Steps¡¯ daggers that were aimed at Luna. "You¡¯re persistent!" Silent Steps said with a look of disdain on his face. Izroth maintained a carefree expression as he did not even bother responding to Silent Steps¡¯ words. From the moment he turned his foot, Izroth knew exactly what he was up to. The throwing knives was just a half-baked attack to try and distract Izroth while he went straight for Luna. ¡¯It has been a long time since someone has treated me as a mere secondary target in a fight.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth¡¯sunches an instant counterattack with his de as it quickly disconnected from Silent Steps¡¯ daggers and made an upward arc. The sword passed right through Silent Steps¡¯ daggers as if they were not even there to protect him and cut him all the way from his lower torso to his forehead. Izroth used the First Sword Form: Converging Paths as it was avable for use as it had only bit just moments ago that his ded wind attack struck Silent Steps. As his body took a direct hit, a faint glowing dark aura could be seen following along the path he was cut by Izroth¡¯s sword. A few momentster, it disappeared and he remainedpletely unharmed. Even after a direct critical hit from Izroth¡¯s first sword form he was still not showing any signs of receiving any sort of damage! "It¡¯s useless! Your weak attacks will have no effect on me!" Silent Steps said as heughed. ¡¯It¡¯s possible that my attacks will have no use against him until I deal with the Five yers over there. However, I refuse to believe that his skill is without a limit.¡¯ While the easiest solution would be to eliminate the five yers nearby before attempting to kill Silent Steps, Izroth did not want to use that method. Since Silent Steps has so much confidence in that skill of his, Izroth wanted to prove a certain point to him. That point was that no matter what skill he learned or how strong he believed himself to be, in the end, only one fate awaited Silent Steps when he chose to directly oppose him. "If you¡¯re so eager to die first, then so be it!" Silent Steps said as the dark aura epassing his body became thicker and more concentrated. All of a sudden, the daggers that Silent Steps had been holding all along began to fuse into his hands. Not too long after, Silent Steps now had those same daggers sticking out the back side of his hand. They were now aplete part of him. The change urred in the blink of an eye as he wasted no time and began his assault. He attacked in a reckless manner and left many openings for Izroth to exploit as he shed away with his daggers. However, in return, since he did not have to worry about covering his vital points and was unafraid of taking an attack just to seed with his own attack, it put him in the favorable position. Luna had already retreated to a safe distance as Silent Stepsshed out at Izroth. She positioned herself in a way so that she would be in range of both Izroth and Azalea. Luna also chose her spot based on the fact that there were still seven people who had yet to join in on the fight. From her current position, she would be able to react immediately should the need arise. As for Owl and Du Cheng, they were unsure of what to do. They did not want to make fools out of themselves and fight against Azalea since they were unable to even see her movements. Unlike Savage who was a te wearing ss, they could not afford to take those barrage of attacks head-on. They were also unable to touch Luna since Silent Steps said that she was his prey. Then there was Izroth, however, he was currently fighting against Silent Steps and they did not know how their boss would react in his current mood. No, they knew that he would definitely just yell at them for getting in the way and then find some way to punish themter. Therefore, there was nothing they could do but sit back and watch! As for the five yers who were being used as a part of Silent Steps¡¯ Dark Hecatomb, they were trying their hardest to defend themselves against the randomized attacks brought on by Azalea. She was simply too fast! Not only that, but every single time anyone thought that they had managed tond a solid hit on her, their attacks would either phase through her body or she would turn into numerous ravens. It was incredibly frustrating and they wanted to pull their hair out. If not for Savage pulling away most of her focus, they were unsure if they would havested this long. But, between Azalea¡¯s attacks and being a part of Silent Steps¡¯ Dark Hecatomb, it was causing quite the heavy burden to fall upon them. ¡¯It¡¯s not the same.¡¯ Izroth thought to himself as he evaded and parried the torrent of attacksing from Silent Steps. During this fight, he could not feel the slightest bit of improvement towards his Heavenly Golden Body physique. There was also the fact that the passive skill he gained from consuming the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill, Well Tempered, was not improving by much at all. Compared to his briefbat encounter with Azalea, this fight felt extremelycking in multiple ways. However, to begin with, Izroth did not hold out too much hope when it came to someone like Silent Steps who depended on such a vile skill just to try and get ahead of others. Skills like Dark Hecatomb would easily cause a yer¡¯s actual skill level to decrease once they became too depended on it. After all, habits were hard to break. It was as if Silent Steps had forgotten that he was a rogue-type ss. "What¡¯s the matter? You can¡¯t keep up?!" Silent Stepsughed mockingly as he pressed onward with his attacks on Izroth. He constantly had Izroth on the retreat and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he overwhelmed him. Izroth, however, did not have the slightest look of panic in his eyes. Instead, his facial expression was as calm and carefree as always. ¡¯There¡¯s no benefit in continuing this fight.¡¯ "Disappointing." Haishe said as he observed the fight between Izroth and Silent Steps. This fight waspletely one-sided and the saddest thing was the other party waspletely unaware of it! "We¡¯re leaving." Haishe ordered as he turned to walk away from the area. The four yers that were with him were confused at first, however, they had already chosen to follow Haishe and so they obeyed his orders. "Why are we leaving?" One of the yers who apanied Haishe asked. "That fight has already been decided. There¡¯s no point in staying around to see the end. Besides, I believe I¡¯ve finally found a way to bring Igazanali to my side. With their support, Silent Steps will be as good as finished. Of course, such a meeting must happen face to face." Haishe responded. When Luna saw that Haishe and the yers with him were walking away, she was puzzled at first and thought that they were up to something. However, given their previous confrontation with Silent Steps, as well as, their seeminglycking interesting in this matter, Luna concluded that they really were just leaving. Silent Steps was bing more and more aggressive with his assault. The dark energy around his body erupted in a powerful surge as his daggers streaked across the air. One could see the look of absolute confidence on his face that came along with feeling in control of the battle. Ding! Ding! Izroth dodged and parried away Silent Steps¡¯ attacks and just as he knocked away the second dagger his sword, it sped forward with an oppressive aura to apany it as it swept clean across Silent Steps¡¯ body. "As I said before, it¡¯s usele-!" Silent Steps was just about ready to boast, however, that all changed when he heard the sound of someone scream out in disbelief. He recognized that voice as one of the five yers who were within his party. He kicked back off the heel of his foot and took a brief nce towards the direction of the yers. Instead of five, there were now only four yers standing there. As for the one he just heard howl out, Silent Steps was just barely able to catch a glimpse of his dissipating particles. When the other four yers saw that one of their teammates had died, they were shocked! "Impossible!" Silent Steps said to himself. The Dark Hecatomb linked all five of the yers lives together and then those lives became directly connected to him. In the most basic of terms, if someone wanted to kill him while Dark Hecatomb was activated, they would first have to deal enough damage to take care of whoever he was linked with. However, it was not that simple. At the moment, Silent Steps was able to link with up to five other yers. One could think of it as having a joined HP bar between all five yers with five checkpoints. When those checkpoints are reached, a yer joined using Dark Hecatomb pays the price instead of Silent Steps himself. However, while the damage Silent Steps receives impacts them, the damage they take does not affect him. But that was not what made Dark Hecatomb such a fearsome skill to go up against. Its strongest point was that the user received a frightening boost in theirbat prowess by "borrowing" from the yers they were linked with. In other words, it was almost as if Izroth was fighting the strength of six yers meshed together. By the time Silent Steps returned his focus to the battle at hand, his entire body shook to his core as he was greeted by the sight of a demon with piercingly cold and heartless red eyes. That demon released an overwhelming amount of killing intent that made the dark energy from his Shadahi transformation seem as if it were a mere joke. But, it was not a demon that greeted him, but rather it was Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm that descended upon him. The illusion was a part of the fear effect attached to the current skill Izroth was using, the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. The fear effect, along with the natural destructive power behind it, was amplified thanks to Izroth pouring some of his Essence into it. Not only that but the skill he used before it was the First Baneful Sword: Destruction. Therefore, the damage of Second Baneful Sword: Kill was doubled! The killing intent produced by the skillsted only for a split second beforepletely vanishing. It was followed by an eerie silence as Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath before walking right past Silent Steps. "If you wish to seek me for revenge, then I wee your attempt. However, I will not be so lenient next time." Izroth halted his steps. Silent Steps was both dumbfounded and speechless. What did he just do? There were still four other yers left so how was it that his body was turning into particles?! But, as he turned his head and saw that the other four yers were also dissipating along with him, realization slowly began to sink in. With his newfound power, he thought that he would remain unchallenged amongst all yers. No one could even dream about defeating him, even those members from Heaven¡¯s Law were nothing to him! However, with just two simple swings of his sword, one yer was able topletely shatter his so-called power, along with his newly reinforced confidence. "If there is a next time, I hope you will be ready to ept the consequences." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he continued walking forward step by step. Silent Steps stared at Izroth¡¯s back and for some reason, an unexinable and unrestrained amount of rage flowed throughout his body at that moment. He felt insignificant an as Izroth walked further and further away it was as if he was being looked down on and toyed with this entire time. This filled him with a never before level of hatred and fury that he had never experienced before. He had been made a fool of for thest time. The healer, Haishe, the person looking down on him right now, everyone would pay! No matter what it cost him! "Ahhhhhh!" Silent Steps could not find the words to express his wrath and was only able to let out a terrifying roar before ultimately fading away. Izroth turned his attention towards Azalea who was currently fighting against Savage. However, the oue of the battle was as clear as day. There was just no way for Savage toy a single finger on Azalea. ¡¯Oh? It looks like she¡¯s just about done with her fight.¡¯ Chapter 201 Lead The Way Azalea moved in a sharp and precise manner as she practically ran circles around Savage. Every time Savage was positive that he had managed to predict her next course of action, his spear would be introduced to a mere phantom of Azalea herself. The times that he dide close to striking her, Azalea would always just barely evade his attack as if she luck was on her side. However, Savage knew that luck was something that happened once or twice, not five or more times. If that was truly the case, then he would be the unluckiest person ever! "You¡¯re quick, I¡¯ll give you that! But your attacks are like little insect bites!" Savage said as he roared withughter and thrust his spear into the ground beneath him creating a small crater and a concentrated explosion around him. BOOM! Azalea retreated to a safe distance and escaped his attack range. Although she hated to admit it, Savage was correct. Even though the gear she had wasn¡¯t bad, it could notpare to Savage who was currently wearing a full set of rare equipment. To make matters even worse, he was a tanky ted ss that could take a considerable amount of punishment. While it was true that Azalea possessed some armor piercing moves, it was not enough to take down Savage immediately. In all honesty, Azalea¡¯s main focus was on the PVP aspect of RML and she did not spend nearly as much time as other yers on the PVE portion. Therefore, her overall equipment, while being still above average, was a bitckingpared to someone like Savage. However, even with her current set of circumstances, she was still able to easily deal with someone like Savage. Though a part of her wished she had a better pair of daggers so that it would not take so many strikes to end this fight. After all, it was simr to hitting a training dummy to her, except the stationary training dummy was faster in her opinion. But luckily, Azalea still had something up her sleeve that was just for yers with high levels of defense and HP. Azalea¡¯s daggers became coated in a milky aura as her body sunk into her own shadow. A few momentster, the ground below Savage was covered inplete and total darkness. The darkness stretched five meters in range and if one looked down into the darkness, it was as if they were staring into an endless abyss. Savage had no idea what kind of effect the darkness would have on him, however, he would not simply stand inside of it and wait to find out. He leaped back in order to remove himself from the range of the great shadow, but what he did not anticipate was that it would chase right after him. Every time he moved to one ce, the darkness would be dragged right along with him. After trying a few times and realizing that it was useless, Savage abruptly halted his movements. "Do you n on ying hide and seek forever, or are you going toe out and fight like a man?!" Savage said as he narrowed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. It was as though he had forgotten that he was not fighting against a man. Before he could get another word out, Savage felt something pierce into his lower back area, but by the time he turned to look there was nothing there. Almost right after the first strike hit, two more strikes struck his body, except this time he could actually see where the attacks came from. The attacks were made by arms formed out of shadows. In each hand of the shadow was a dagger covered in a milky aura. However, Savage was only able to catch a glimpse of the attack as the shadow arms moved at an incredible speed. "Shield Guardna!" Savage yelled out as a protective shield enveloped him. Shield Guardna was a skill that allowed the user to gain a temporary shield equal to a certain percentage of their maximum HP, while also increasing their defensive stat. Savage released the chain wrapped around his arm and grabbed the middle part of it before mming it down into the darkness beneath him. Unfortunately, the attack did not seem to help at all, nor did it halt the iing assault. But, it was not over just yet. The moment after the two strikes went out, another three followed in rapid session. Then four strikes at the same time... five strikes... six strikes! The arms made of shadows flew out without restraint as they attacked Savage from every possible angle without mercy. By the time the six strikes came around, the protective barrier that was protecting Savage shattered to pieces. However, the assault still continued to seven strikes and then eight strikes! But, after the set of eight strikes, the shadow arms no longer attacked and the darkness itself dissolved into nothingness. Ding! As soon as thest hit of the eight strikes pierced into Savage¡¯s body, it began to turn into particles which was the clear sign of his defeat. Woosh! "Heh, I couldn¡¯t even get a clean hit on you. Don¡¯t worry, next time will be different. I¡¯ll find a way to crush that speed of yours! Ahahaha!" Savage said before he finally vanished. Unexpectedly, his voice was filled with determination instead of hatred or anger. Azalea sprang out of the shadow on the ground as she flipped through the air a few times beforending gracefully on the tip of her toes before returning her daggers to the sheaths hidden under her forearms. She had just finished using one of the skills unique to her ss called Dance of Fusides. In total, she struck Savage 36 times in just four seconds! That was an average of nine attacks per second! "I¡¯m still stuck at eight..." Azalea muttered to herself as she had a slight look of disappointment written on her face. "Amazing..." Luna was speechless as she watched Azalea¡¯s fight. Even though she possessed the Superior Perception skill from having consumed the Five Cycles Pill, she was still only able to see a fleeting silhouette of Azalea¡¯s movements. "An interesting skill. It¡¯s a shame that I did not get a chance to witness it firsthand." Izroth said as he walked over towards Azalea along with Luna. "I could say the same for the skill you used not too long ago, teacher. However, even if I used the Dance of Fusides, I doubt it would have been effective against you. Keeping up with your speed while trying to maintain control over the skill is not yet possible with my current insufficient mastery of it." Azalea replied in a humble manner. If Savage could hear her words now, he would want to cough up blood. She called that insufficient mastery? What a joke! "Besides, the end result of our fight would not have changed." Azalea said as she narrowed her eyes. She felt the overwhelming killing intent pouring out of Izroth¡¯s sword not too long ago. It was even more overbearing than the strike he used against her towards the end of their encounter. For some reason, she felt that Izroth was holding back, however, she did not know that it was still by so much. But, this just made her even more determined to train under him. While she may not be able to learn the same skills as him, she believed that there was still much she could learn. After all, she had already picked up quite a few things from their previous short battle. "Fight?" Luna said with a puzzled look on her face. Now, she was even more confused than before. She was still unclear on what kind of rtionship Izroth and Azalea had. Izroth noticed that Luna appeared to be lost with the conversation going on between him and Azalea. "I¡¯ll exin everything." Izroth said in a reassuring manner. In return, Luna gave a slightly embarrassed helpless smile. ... Around ten minutester... "So basically, after the two of you fought and then Azale-" Luna was speaking, however, she was cut off by Azalea. "Wraith." Azalea said in a stern tone as a reminder to Luna. In her exact words, "The only one allowed to call me Azalea is my teacher." is what she said. Luna shook her head inwardly as she continued and said, "Right... And then Wraith asked to train under you. You were on your way to this ce called the zing Tempris Domain to potentially acquire a higher grade fire core when you received my message and happened to be close by. Then, the rest I was there for." "That is the sum of things." Izroth said. He had informed Luna of all the events that happened after he left the Mystical Realm Pce. He even included the part about the information he received from He Huian. "It sounds like you¡¯ve been really busytely." Luna said. However, there was a hint of displeasure hidden away in her voice. But, she herself failed to notice it as it was something that happened on more of a subconscious level. Izroth gave a carefree smile and said, "I am still heading to the zing Tempris Domain. I do not know how dangerous it will be, so it would help if I had a good healer along." Luna nodded and replied in a pleasant tone of voice, "In that case, I¡¯ll let my friends know that I¡¯ll be running a littlete. I¡¯m sure they will be quite satisfied with the way things ended." Indeed, Luna knew her friends well and once she told them about what happened after they died, all of them were filled with joy. Even if they died, they now had the satisfaction of knowing that their lives had been properly avenged. Of course, they all hounded Luna for the video recording of the fight and she sent it over to them. However, no one knew at that moment how much of an uproar that video would cause in the future. Luna also sent a message to Zi Yi earlier after the finding had already ended to let her know that she was okay. Although she could tell that Zi Yi was dejected since she had already left Amaharpe and gave up her reading time to rush and help Luna. Zi Yi was already on her way to the coordinates, however, she turned back after finding out that the problem was resolved. Even though she felt a bit dejected, Luna could still tell by her words that she was d that she was safe. "And you?" Izroth said as he looked over towards Azalea. "You have still not epted my request to train under you. Therefore, I will follow you until I¡¯ve proven myself." Azalea said without the slightest bit of hesitation to her voice. ¡¯It appears that she does not n on giving up any time soon. Very well, I shall find a proper way to test that determination.¡¯ "Then, I think it¡¯s best if you lead the way." Izroth said. Azalea was the one carrying a high-quality Realm Chart that included the zing Tempris Domain while he only possessed loose information at best about its location. Therefore, Izroth decided that in order to save time and make it there without issue, it would be best if Azalea led the way. "Understood, teacher." Azalea responded as she removed the Realm Chart from her inventory and opened it. There, one could see Amaharpe with even the entire Towering Oak Forest mapped out, the zing Tempris Domain, and some other locations of viges or towns in different areas. It really was incredibly useless to havepared to simply depending on secondhand information and coordinates. "We¡¯re still about one hour, at walking pace, away from the gateway into the zing Tempris Domain ording to this Realm Chart." Azalea said. "Then we¡¯ll leave at once." Izroth said. Izroth, Luna, and Azalea began to make their way towards the zing Tempris Domain. However, the three of them were unaware of the wall that they would face before even stepping a single foot into the zing Tempris Domain. Chapter 202 Shift In Power "Do you know the level range of the monsters inside of the zing Tempris Domain?" Luna asked curiously. She understood that Izroth¡¯s information was severely limited to whatever he had been told by He Huian, therefore, she did not expect to receive that much additional data from him. However, it was still useful to know as much as possible about the ce they were headed to. "I¡¯m afraid the answer to that question currently eludes me. However, I can say with some confidence that the level range of the monsters should be within somewhere in the thirties. But, there¡¯s still a chance that we may run into a monster in the lower forties." Izroth replied. Izroth and Luna continued to talk about not only things regarding the zing Tempris Domain but also included some conversation of their overall day in the picture. For some reason, Luna feltfortable speaking to Izroth. It was not always easy for her, or rather it was next to impossible, to find people who she wasfortable speaking around. Of course, she could still talk to others without an issue, however, it was only when necessary and she did not waste words on small talk. As for Azalea, she simply led the way in silence and it was almost as if she was not even there. Around twenty minutes, Izroth¡¯s group came upon a long river that stretched almost as far as the eye could see. "ording to the Realm Chart, this river runs all the way through and into the zing Tempris Domain. However, it bes a bit strange the more I look at the border into the domain." Azalea said. "Oh? Exin." Izroth said as he looked over at the Realm Chart in Azalea¡¯s hands. "Our location is roughly around this area." Azalea said as she pointed to a spot on the Realm Chart next to the river. Luna moved in a bit closer to take a look of the Realm Chart as well. This was her first time seeing one with her own eyes and it was incredibly detailed. "However, no matter which way we attempt to enter into the zing Tempris Domain, we have to travel through one of five junctures where theva flows." Azalea said as she dragged her finger across the Realm Chart and pointed to one of the nearest junctures. "Then, what is it that caught your eye?" Izroth asked. "At each juncture, there are two letters sitting by right next to it. At first, I gave it a simple nce and thought that it was something assigned to a specific juncture. However, once I reexamined it, I found that the symbol does not change and is present at every position into the zing Tempris Domain." Azalea said as she pointed out the two letters on the Realm Chart. "That¡¯s... VI? Those are not regr letters. If I¡¯m not mistaken, VI is the Roman numeral used for the number six." Luna said. "The number six? What does that have to do with anything?" Azalea said in a doubtful tone. Why would the creator of the Realm Chart write the number six in Roman numerals instead of just putting the number itself? Luna, however, shook her head and responded, "I¡¯m not sure. But, it¡¯s possible that the number six is important somehow. As for how it¡¯s important, I can¡¯t say. Then again, it¡¯s also possible that it has anything meaning to it that we are unable to determine until we actually arrive at the location." "There¡¯s no point in overthinking it too much. We will find our answer once we reach our destination." Izroth said. ... Somewhere in the small vige outside of Amaharpe known as Argusa¡¯s Top... Silent Steps opened the door into one of the bigger buildings inside of the vige with anger apparent in his behavior. After being killed by Izroth, he had to walk all the way back to this location from Amaharpe. "Haishe! Get out here right now or I¡¯ll drag you out myself!" Silent Steps shouted. He was furious at the moment and none of the Fatal Touch members wanted to cross his path in his current mood. However, there were a few members who had a weird look in their eyes that borderline on the expression of pity. "Hai-!" Silent Steps was ready to yell and cause amotion until Haishe appeared, however, he did not expect for him to show up so fast. "I¡¯m right here. You should learn some proper manners. Instead of barging in and screaming like a wild animal, a simple message would have sufficed. How pathetic." Haishe said as his cold gaze swept across Silent Steps. There was a look of disdain in his eyes as if Silent Steps¡¯ tantrum was unworthy of his attention. "You...! You didn¡¯t obey orders and ran away during the middle of a fight like a coward! You are not worthy of being a part of my Fatal Touch organization! Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Silent Steps spoke in a fast and unrestrained manner. It was obvious from his furious appearance that he was looking to take his anger and frustration out on someone. Luckily, he felt that now would be a good time to do so on Haishe since he would be justified. After all, even if Haishe disliked him, he was still a part of Fatal Touch and had to follow his orders. Haishe grinned and had a look of pity in his eyes as he observed Silent Steps. When Silent Steps saw that smug look on Haishe¡¯s face, he wanted to rip it off with his bare hands and smash his face into the dirt where it belonged. What gave him the right to look down on and mock the leader of Fatal Touch?! The number one assassin in the gaming world! "You¡¯re finished! I hereby expel you from Fatal Touch! Everyone, get this trash out of here!" Silent Steps ordered in a vicious tone of voice. Everyone looked at each other with strange and awkward expressions. When Silent Steps swept his gaze across them, they avoided direct eye contact with him. "What are you all waiting for? Do you want to suffer the same fate as him?!" Silent Steps said as his voice deepened and his facial expression darkened. However, even with his threat, not a single yer made a move against Haishe. "Are you done howling and crying like a child who doesn¡¯t get his way? You still don¡¯t understand, do you? Well, let me help to rify the situation. Surround him!" Haishe ordered. As soon as he gave the order, the other yers in the building encircled Silent Steps with their weapons drawn. Even those yers who were so loyal to him before were amongst the encirclement. "What¡¯s the meaning of this? Do you honestly believe that you can get away with this, Haishe?! Are you forgetting that my influence is still above yours?! Even if you kill me here, I will be back for revenge and kill everyone here!" Silent Steps spoke with the words leaving from between his teeth. He was trying his hardest to hold back his rage, however, it was getting increasingly more difficult to do so. "It is as you have said, Haishe. This one has lost his way. The look in his eyes is that of a madman with no path before him to walk. He has lost sight of the grand picture and lingers inside a pool of malevolence... Revenge..." A voice sounded out from the second floor of the building. However, it was too dark on the top floor to see anyone or anything up there. "It can¡¯t be...! It¡¯s you!" Silent Steps was shocked when he heard the voiceing from the second floor. It only took him a brief moment to piece together a few things. Haishe¡¯s more than usual aggressive arrogance and why everyone was willing to encircle him. It was not until that moment that he realized how truly grim things had be for him. "Jiang Da, do you know your crimes?" The voice from the second floor echoed out. The room waspletely silent as he spoke as if everyone was afraid of offending the person up there. Jiang Da was Silent Steps¡¯ real name. "I have nothing more to say." Silent Steps said in a voice so cold that it could freeze over the sun. He knew that no matter what words left his mouth, the end result would be the same. Therefore, he would not bother wasting time trying to talk his way out of it. After all, Haishe would never allow him to do so now that things had gotten to this point. Haishe had a look of triumph on his face. He had nned and imagined this moment for many years now. Who would have thought that Silent Steps would practically hand him the leader role by his own actions and constant failure? It might as well had been sat into hisp! "Face it Jiang Da, you have be sloppy ever since you¡¯ve started ying RML. Your skills have deteriorated and you¡¯re no longer irreceable. You could not afford to be as arrogant as the other games and yet, you let your own foolishness blind you. How pitiful. What should I do with him?" Haishe said as he locked his gaze onto Silent Steps. "Deal with him as you see fit. As I¡¯ve said before, you have my full support now, Haishe. Do not make the same mistakes as that one." The voice said before going silent. "Of course, I thank you for your support, Sword Saint Igazanali." Haishe said as he gave a respectful salute with his fist cuffed. He then turned his attention towards Silent Steps with no look of mercy in his eyes. "Kill him." Haishe ordered with a sense of satisfaction and victory washing over him. The era of Silent Steps leading Fatal Touch was over. It was now time for a new era, his era, the Haishe era. It was time for Fatal Touch to be more than a mere organization with members for hire. As for achieving this goal, his n had already been set in motion. ... ¡¯Theva seems to flow on endlessly.¡¯ Izroth, Luna, and Azalea had arrived at one of the junctures that led into the zing Tempris Domain. Just as Azalea predicted, it took them nearly one hour to reach this point. Along the way they ran into a few wild monsters, however, they were only normal monsters in the lower thirties. Therefore, it only took a few moments to deal with them. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he took the lead since they had arrived at their destination. There was a long simple stone pathway that spanned across the river ofva that was at least 200 meters long. The moment Izroth took his first step onto the path, his HP immediately dropped by 25%! He instantly retreated and held his arms out in front of Luna and Azalea, preventing them from taking another step forward. "What happened?" Luna asked. She was baffled by how Izroth¡¯s HP suddenly dropped out of nowhere. She cast Cure twice on Izroth in order to bring his HP back up to full. "The moment I stepped onto the stone pathway I received damage." Izroth exined as he lowered his arms. "How are we supposed to get across? Even at my top speed, I would die before being able to reach the other side." Azalea said. "Having a bit of trouble getting across?" The voice of a woman sounded from not too far away from Izroth and his group. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ When everyone turned to see who it was that spoke to them, they saw a woman with two male yers behind her. From a nce, one could tell that the woman was a fighter ss. As for the two males, one of them was a mage ss, and the other was a tank ss. The woman had long purple hair that dropped down to the lower end of her back, however, it was tied up into a long ponytail. She possessed amethyst color eyes with her pupils resembling that of a dragon¡¯s and a stunning appearance that men would fawn over without end with curves in all right ces. "Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m called Mirage, and I believe we both have a mutual problem that we can help one another solve." Mirage said. Chapter 203 Fiery Burden Izroth took a moment to examine the woman who called herself Mirage. From the initial impression of her that he received, Izroth did not believe that Mirage held any hidden intentions. Indeed, she was being truthful with her words when she said that they had a mutual problem that they could solve together. However, when he observed the two male males in the back they had a notably arrogant presence about them. There was a condescending and proud look in their eyes as if Izroth should be grateful that they took the time out of their day to speak with him. "The one on my right is Present Order and to my left is Sinking Clouds." Mirage introduced the two male yers behind her. Both of them were quite handsome and possessed well above average equipment. In fact, there was not a singlemon piece of equipment anywhere to be seen. Most of their equipment was actually rare quality! Even though it had be a bit easier to acquire rare quality equipment, it was still difficult to do so, especially for the average yer. Just having a single piece of rare equipment would already be seen as amazing by most yers at this point and yet these two yers nearly had a full set of rare equipment! Present Order and Sinking Clouds was ready to object to the matter, at least until theyid their eyes upon Luna. When their eyes fell upon her, it was as if they had forgotten all about the words of objection they were about to spew from their mouths. It wasmon knowledge that yers within RML bore a strong resemnce to their real-world self. Therefore, the woman before them was not only a beauty within RML but the real world as well. "Hm? Your ears are..." Mirage noticed that Luna¡¯s ears were not only slightly longer than average, but the top end of her ears was pointed. "The Trephasia race?" Mirage said as her brows rose from the shocking discovery. To her knowledge, there was no such thing as non-human yers within RML. Her first thought was that Luna was an NPC, however, that was quickly debunked as it did not disy any NPC information about her. Then she thought about cosmetics, but the aura around Luna was too simr to some of the Trephasia NPC¡¯s she hade across during some quest. Strangely enough, Luna¡¯s aura was actually much stronger than those Trephasia¡¯s. "Really? Woah, it¡¯s actually true!" Present Order said as he finally noticed Luna¡¯s ears. "It truly takes her beauty to the next level." Sinking Clouds whispered to Present Order. Luna was used to this kind of reaction. Ever since she returned from the Chaotic Dogma Realm, she had been hounded almost nonstop whenever a yer saw her ears. Most believed that they were just a rare kind of cosmetic, however, she was still approached by guys and girls alike. The guys wanted to woo her, while the girls wanted to know how she managed to get it. In all honesty, there were some points when she wished that the transformation had been given to Zi Yi or another party member so that she would not have to deal with it constantly. "You were saying about our mutual problem?" Izroth said as if to remind Mirage of her own purpose for having approached them. "Ah, right. You¡¯ll have to forgive my rudeness, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a non-human race being used by a yer." Mirage said as she released a light giggle. Present Order red at Izroth and said with a voice full of disdain, "Who are you?!" He was already annoyed by the fact that Mirage was even talking to Izroth and now, he dared to take the initiative to speak to her? Also, he felt that a beauty like Luna should not be hanging around some nobody when he was standing right before her. "Do you dare to say that again?" Azalea said as she removed both of her daggers from their sheaths and stared coldly at Present Order. Even though Izroth had not officially epted her request to train under him, she still considered him to be her teacher. Therefore, as his student, how could she allow someone to openly insult her teacher while she was present and do nothing about it? "Hmph, just a little brat talking big! Stay out of this kid." Present Order said as he brushed off Azalea as if she were nothing to him. After all, he had no interest in paying attention to a little kid like her. Azalea¡¯s facial expression darkened as she was about to make her move, however, Izroth held his hand up and prevented her from doing so. She looked up at Izroth for a moment and without saying a word, she returned her daggers to their sheaths and stood there quietly. "Fu Chun, will you continue to behave like a child in front of me?!" Mirage said angrily as she red at Present Order and called him by his real name. "No, of course not. My apologies, just a simple slip of the tongue." Present Order said with a sincere looking smile on his face. But, while the smile may have seemed sincere, it was far from it. There was a hidden amount of disgust behind it. "I hope that you can overlook this matter. I assure you that it will not happen again." Mirage said as she turned to Izroth and made an apologetic gesture. "Think nothing of it. I just hope that some people can remember that a bitten tongue is better than a pierced heart." Izroth said in a calm and carefree manner. Present Order and Sinking Clouds looked as if they wanted to jump out and tear Izroth to shreds after he said that statement. He was obviously threatening Present Order. Of course, Sinking Clouds was close friends with Present Order so if someone threatened his friend then they would be making an enemy of him as well. However, since Mirage had already spoken, the two of them did not cause any trouble, at least not for the moment. "So, let me guess. You took damage as soon as you stepped onto the stone pathway, right?" Mirage questioned. Izroth nodded and said, "You are correct." "We found that the way it works is that the fewer people in your party, the more damage you receive once you step onto the pathway. For example, a solo yer would receive around 2,500 damage per second as magic damage. Two yers would take 2,000 and three yers take 1,500. Nothing prevents or reduces the damage and even shields are useless." Mirage exined. ¡¯It adds up.¡¯ Everything added up with the exception of nothing reducing the damage. At the moment, Izroth had 20% magic resistance which meant that instead of 1,500 damage, he would have taken 1,200 damage. That amount was a bit more than 25% of his total HP. However, magic resistance was still incredibly hard toe by at this point and not many yers had it. Even those with rare equipment crossed their fingers in hope of a magic resistance stat. Just look at Izroth for example, all of his magic resistance came from an A-ranked skill and S-ranked skill and not a single piece of gear had granted him the magic resistance stat. How difficult was it for yers to acquire skills of that rank? Not to mention the fact that even someone with the Luck stat like Izroth had yet toe across a single piece of equipment that had the magic resistance stat. Therefore, how low did the chance have to be for a yer to obtain one? "If we keep following the pattern of every additional yer added to the party reduces the damage amount of 500 points, then that would mean it takes six yers to cross unharmed. Six... Of course, the Realm Chart...!" Luna said as if it had suddenly dawned on her. She thought back to the Realm Chart and the VI Roman numerals it disyed. They had no idea what it represented at the time, however, it¡¯s possible that it was trying to warn them that they required six yers to cross this point! "That¡¯s the same conclusion I came to. In order to cross the pathway, a full party is required to do so. Or at the very least, one must have enough HP to endure the entire walk. However, it looks to be nearly 200 meters long so that¡¯s unlikely at this point. So, do you understand now why I said we have a mutual problem that we can solve together?" Mirage said. "She¡¯s correct. If we want to cross, then we¡¯ll have to do so in a full group. Even if I could cast my heals while moving, it would still not be enough to heal through 1,500 points of damage between the three of us." Luna said. Izroth nodded and said, "Then it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll cross and then go our separate ways." "Oh? You seem in such a hurry to rid yourself of me." Mirage said teasingly with a sly smile on her face. "I¡¯m sure your two friends are the ones eager to get this over with." Izroth said in a carefree manner. A few momentster, Mirage¡¯s group had joined Izroth¡¯s party and just as they suspected, no one received any damage after they stepped onto the stone pathway. "I wonder if such things are located all around the zing Tempris Domain." Mirage said. "If so, that would make exploring thends alone a dangerous task." Izroth said. Izroth wondered how something as critical as needing six yers to cross into the zing Tempris Domain escaped He Huian¡¯s information. However, when he thought about it, Sleeping Gardenia was a top guild and did notck yers. Therefore, there was a good chance that the members who visited this area were already within a full party and did not even know this restriction existed. It did not take long for them to sessfully cross to the other side of the stone pathway. The moment they stepped off the pathway, everyone within the party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?zing Tempris Domain?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Bounded Fire Domain?¡µ Izroth took a brief moment to read over the passive and found that things were not as simple as he originally believed it would be. Skill Name: Bounded Fire Domain Skill Level: None Skill Rank: Unique Passive: Every yer that steps foot into the ?zing Tempris Domain? receives this passive until they set foot outside of the domain, or reach they reach ?zing Temple?. The user with this skill is affected by the fiery burden of the ?zing Tempris Domain? when any party member is more than thirty meters apart from one another. ¡¯It appears that we¡¯re going to be stuck with each other until we reach this zing Temple ce.¡¯ It did not take a genius to figure out what the skill meant by fiery burden. It was almost certainly referring to the damage they would receive if they were not in a group of six yers. After all, there was no other fiery burden Izroth could think of at the moment. "This is a rather unexpected turn of events. So, what do you intend to do now?" Mirage asked. "Since we still share amon goal, we should locate the zing Temple." Izroth responded. At the moment, both of their groups were in a very sensitive situation. If even one yer left or died, there was a good chance that every single one of them would pay the price for it. Of course, there was also the chance that only the yer who strayed too far away would suffer for it, but it was a chance Izroth would rather not take. "I agree. Though I must admit, this ce seems to be quite troublesome in many ways." Mirage said. ¡¯Indeed, in many ways.¡¯ Izroth set his gaze onto the towering volcano in the distance. It was a single volcano and yet its size was so massive that it made the dangerous mountain regions look insignificant byparison. Even from this distance, he felt as if a pair of vicious eyes were locked onto him. His Soul Sense was sending him a warning, but he had no idea what it was warning him of. Izroth and the others began to make their way deeper into the zing Tempris Domain, unaware of the true dangers that this ce held. Chapter 204 Even In This World, The Bark of A Dog Remains Unchanged Thend within the zing Tempris Domain resembled a dead and barren wastnd of fire. No sign of water could be seen anywhere, however, there were smallkes and rivers flowing with moltenva. Every few moments, one would be able to see a monster swimming through theva as if it were a fish moving through water. Another thing that stood out was the fire geysers that spewedva into the air and rained down in the surrounding ten meters of it. Sinking Clouds had carelessly gotten too close to one of the fire geysers and was touched by the rain ofva. He received 200 damage per second and quickly learned his lesson in the process. "What is it that you want from this ce again? We should just leave and head to a more... scenic location." Sinking Clouds asked Mirage with a gloomy expression on his face. He had just made a fool of himself not too long ago when he got burnt by the fire geyser. He wanted to get out of this wastnd as quickly as possible. "To explore, what else would Ie here for? Besides, as I recall, I did not ask either of you to apany me and yet you insisted oning along. If you want to go back, that¡¯s fine with me. However, you¡¯ll have to wait until we reach the zing Temple first." Mirage responded. "Come now Rongrong, don¡¯t be too hard on him. Our fathers are all good friends and so it¡¯s only natural that they would want their children to have to the same close rtionship. Besides, our having a good rtionship will definitely make our familial ties stronger and benefit both of our families." Present Order said with a friendly and charming smile on his face. Mirage red at Present Order and said, "If you call me by that name again our familial ties will be the least of your troubles. Still, my answer from before remains unchanged. Our fathers are good friends, so I tolerate you. However, if you insist on pressing the matter then I¡¯ll have to be impolite and trust me, I enjoy being impolite." "Of course, I meant no disrespect with my words." Present Order said in apologetic an apologetic way. Mirage then walked ahead at a quickened pace and moved up towards the front area where Izroth¡¯s group was positioned. Present Order continued to smile until the moment Mirage walked away and his facial expression immediately darkened. "I don¡¯t see why you keep chasing after her. Even if our fathers agree on the arrangement, the head of the Tian Family is another story. He is a stubborn old man who dotes on his daughter and would never go against her wishes. Besides, isn¡¯t Tian Suyinyan interested in you? Why not just go after her instead?" Sinking Clouds questioned in a low voice. "Why go after something I can easily possess when there¡¯s a prize to be won right before me? Rongrong wille around, trust me. If I can¡¯t have her, then no other man would dare even dream about it." Present Order said as he locked his gaze on Mirage. "You know, you¡¯re the very first Combat Master I¡¯ve seen. Well, I suppose that¡¯s not entirely urate. I have seen a few at the starting area, however, I recall them never leaving that ce. In fact, they may still be there trying to finish the ss quest." Mirage said jokingly. It was a well-known fact that Combat Master¡¯s were considered to be trash. Anything they could do, another ss could do better. Even if they found a way to do a little of everything, there would be no real ce for them within parties. In other words, the risk was too high and the reward was far too low. Even if by some miracle someone managed to create a few C-ranked or higher skills, it would still not be worth the effort it took to do so. In theory, the Combat Master ss would only be useful if a yer was capable of creating at least one A-ranked skill on top of what those in the gamingmunity called a 4/5/6 split. The 4/5/6 split referred to learning four B-ranked skills, five C-ranked skills, and six-D ranked skills. After doing the proper math, it was found that in order for a Combat Master ss yer topete against other sses, that was the bare minimum needed so that they could be considered a viable choice. Not only that, but all the skills must be focused on a single area such as damage, speed, or defense. So, a yer had to not only somehow create an A-ranked skill, but they also had to create an additional 15 skills on top of that. Not to mention B-ranked skills, most yers who chose the Combat Master ss struggled even creating something as miraculous as a C-ranked skill and that took them an enormous amount of effort to achieve the wanted result! "It is not a ss one should choose without giving it some thought, otherwise, there is nothing to be gained." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "Hmph, if you ask me, anyone who chooses such a trash sscks the brain to even give a single thought about it in the first ce." Present Order said loud enough so that everyone could hear in a mocking way. However, he spoke in such a way to make it seem as if he were having a private conversation with Sinking Clouds by his side. Some nobody was talking to his woman who, in his mind, was already his wife and belonged to him. Therefore, how could he not be agitated and annoyed when he saw Izroth talking so nonchntly to Mirage. Present Order felt as though he were being pped in the face. Azalea eyes turned cold when she heard Present Order¡¯s words. However, she understood that given their current circumstances, she had no choice but to bear with it; at least until they reached the zing Temple. Luna frowned and realized that from the moment their two groups met, Present Order had been constantly insulting Izroth at every turn for no apparent reason. It was not often that she wanted to silence someone forcibly, but for some reason, Present Order seemed like a good reason to make an exception. However, Luna was even more surprised by Izroth¡¯sid back attitude about the whole situation. She knew that if he wanted to, he could end Present Order at any given time. After all, she had witnessed his strength firsthand plenty of times. Could he truly be restraining himself just because he did not want to risk everyone¡¯s lives due to the Bounded Fire Domain passive they gained? ¡¯Even in this world, the bark of a dog remains unchanged. However, it has been quite some time since I¡¯vest yed such an amusing little game.¡¯ "If you would like to test myck of brains, I¡¯m sure such a thing could be arranged once we reach the zing Temple. Of course, unless you are afraid of someone who is incapable of giving a single thought." Izroth said without even turning to look in Present Order¡¯s direction. If Present Order believed that he could freely bully him, then he was sadly mistaken. Izroth had dealt with many individuals who barked just as loud as Present Order and knew just how to respond to them. Izroth was not blind or deaf and knew that Present Order was obviously trying to impress Mirage with his haughty attitude and his "above all else" arrogance. There was one thing people like Present Order had inmon when it came to trying to impress a woman; they would not be able to deny a direct challenge in front of them. This was even more so after Izroth used his very own words against him. Present Order smirked as he listened to Izroth¡¯s request. This is the moment he had been waiting for all this time! If he had challenged Izroth, then Mirage would have stepped in and looked down on him for making such a challenge. However, since Izroth was the one to request the challenge, it would be within his right to ept. Izroth had fallen right into his trap. Now, Mirage could witness his strength firsthand and he would get to humiliate Izroth. It was truly the definition of killing two birds with one stone. Mirage frowned as she looked towards Izroth and asked, "Are you sure that¡¯s what you want?" Izroth seemed like a nice guy and unlike most other guys she came across who stared at her with eyes full of lust, he appreciated a conversation that did not involve staring at her body. Therefore, he had already made a good first impression with her and so Mirage did not want to see something bad happen to him so soon after they met. "I-" Just when Izroth was about to respond, he was quickly cut off by Present Order. "If he¡¯s a man then he won¡¯t take back a challenge he¡¯s already handed out! Of course, I ept!" Present Order spoke with haste. He was afraid that Izroth may want to change his mind after Mirage handed him a small way out. "I have no intention of going back on my word. Do not worry, if I lose it will only be due to myck of ability." Izroth said as he shook his head. At that moment, both Azalea and Luna had puzzled looks on their faces. Lack of ability? Izroth¡¯s name should not even be in the same sentence as ck of abilities"! As the group walked deeper into the zing Tempris Domain, the ground ten meters ahead of them began to crack open as a burst ofva shot up from the ground. The next moment, a humanoid figure that was 1.5 meters tall and bulky emerged from the crack in the ground covered in a constant flow of moltenva. It had no facial features whatsoever and its body was made out of some kind of ck volcanic rock. Hwooooo! "It¡¯s a fire monster!" Sinking Clouds said as he was shocked by the sudden emergence of the monster. Name: Lava Beast(Normal) Level: 30 HP: 54,180(100%) The Lava Beast released a strange cry as it moved slowly towards Izroth and his party. "Heh, this thing is so slow! It won¡¯t be able to hit a snail at that rate!" Present Order taunted as he stepped forward as a small buckler shield appeared on his left arm. Right after the buckler appeared, Present Order reached behind his back and drew a magnificent two-handed greatsword. To sum up his current appearance, he looked as if he were a noble knight ready to charge head first into battle. Present Order decided that he would use this chance to show Izroth that his fate was already sealed the moment he made his challenge. As he charged towards the Lava Beast, he used the skill Taunting Aura to grab ahold of the aggro. When he approached the Lava Beast, he lifted his greatsword above his head as a red aura epassed the de and swung it straight down towards the head of the Lava Beast. He was using a skill simr to Halls¡¯ Ferocity sh, except, his skill obviously had a greater damage output due to the fact that he was using a greatsword. ?Critical Hit? -3,155 Present Order grinned when he saw that he had sessfullynded a critical hit. He could already imagine the amount of panic and regret that was going on through Izroth¡¯s head at the moment when he witnessed such a huge damage number pop up. The Lava Beast cried out when it was struck by Present Order¡¯s greatsword as itshed out with a fist made of moltenva. Present Order quickly moved his buckler to intercept the fist and it crashed his shield. However, he did not budge a single bit from the attack and held his ground. ?Blocked? -835 -100 Present Order was affected by the burn effect of theva and received 100 fixed damage per second that ignore all of his defenses. But, he did not let such a thing bothered him and pressed forward with his attack. Chapter 205 Blazing Tempris Domain "Ha!" Present Order gave a small battle cry as he lowered his stance and dropped his greatsword to a lower angle before swinging it sideways in an arc and cutting through the torso area of the Lava Beast. -815 The Lava Beast¡¯s body was split in half from its torso area, however, it soon attached itself back into ce as if nothing happened. Although it still took some damage, it was not as bad as it looked to be. At the same time that Present Order finished his attack, three magic missiles that were each around one meter in size soared through the air and mmed into the Lava Beast¡¯s body. As soon as the magic missiles made contact with the monster¡¯s body, they exploded and created a loud crashing sound. BOOM! -325 -458 -791 However, the attack did not stop there. Around 1 second after thest magic missile was shot, a sphere norger than 25cm crashed right into the Lava Beast. -2,585 The sphere that was made out of a pure form of concentrated mana, as well as, the precious magic missiles were spells that were cast by Sinking Clouds. In just a few moments, he was able to remove more than 4,000 HP from the Lava Beast! Izroth, Azalea, and Mirage joined the fight after the first few initial moments. As for Luna, even though she did not exactly like Present Order, she still yed her role as a healer properly. Mirage darted forward. Her movements were delicate and nimble as she closed the distance in the blink of an eye. She stopped around a meter away from the Lava Beast and used her initial momentum to slide across the ground and arrive right before the monster. During her sliding movement, Mirage shifted her entire body to the side at a slight angle and dropped her forearm in a clockwise motion. She continued in that manner until her hand approached the six o¡¯clock position and then with an open palm, she lightly tapped against the body of the Lava Beast. Woosh! A powerful burst of energy in the form of a wave suddenly appeared behind the back of the Lava Beast. It was almost as if the energy itself traveled throughout its body before being forcibly expelled. Right after the energy was expelled from the Lava Beast, it formed a rune and imprinted itself onto the same spot where Mirage¡¯s palm struck. As the rune was being imprinted, the Lava Beast seemed to roar in anger from the pain. She then quickly twisted her right foot inward and adjusted herself as she used the other palm of her hand to strike the exact location of the rune. -565 -706 ?Critical Hit? -1,413 Izroth chose to keep to more basic attacks as he approached from the side of the Lava Beast and allowed his palm to flow freely. As a result, hundreds of palms rained upon the Lava Beast with only one true palm hidden within. -2,138 Izroth¡¯s attack dropped the total HP of the Lava Beast down to 76%. He decided to take this opportunity to perfect the execution of his current lower ranked skills. There was also the possibility of learning arger variety of lower ranked skills that would allow him a more diverse arsenal. After all, the higher ranked skills usually had a high cooldown timer set on them. Although the lower ranked skills cost energy to use, their cooldown times were extremely low due to that specific restriction. Not only that, but Izroth had received an additional fifty energy points for advancing his Heavenly Golden Body to the next level. It would be a waste if he allowed such a benefit to go to waste instead of putting it to good use. When Present Order saw the amount of damage Izroth dealt, he could not help but mock him inwardly. Just a few moments ago Izroth had the guts to challenge him to a battle and yet, that nobody with a trash ss was unable to even deal as much damage as someone like him who was a tank. A new wave of confidence washed over Present Order as he grew more vicious in his attacks. Luna observed how Present Order and Sinking Clouds fought and came to a conclusion after the first few moves. While the two of them were definitely not top yers, both of them were still above the average yer within RML. But, with the level of skill Present Order had disyed so far, Luna knew that he was still unable toe anywhere close to matching up against Izroth. Azalea, on the other hand, had a look of disdain in her eyes. She was the type to never underestimate her opponent and therefore did not immediately dismiss the possibility of Present Order being strong enough to back up how words. However, after seeing that proud and smug look on his face after a few attacks against the Lava Beast, Azalea was in disbelief. Someone with that level of skill wanted to fight against her teacher? He was weing a disaster! Theva flowing from the Lava Beast bubbled and the heat intensified as it swiped outward with its arm. It made a fanning motion with its arm that spanned at least four meters. Izroth and Mirage reacted quickly enough as they avoided the Lava Beast¡¯s attack. However, Present Order chose to face the attack without retreating. Though it appeared that the Lava Beast used a magic-type skill since he was incapable of blocking it. -1,895 +735 12,337/14,832 HP Remaining! (Present Order) Luna cast a simple Healing Essence on Present Order. Given Present Order¡¯srge amount of HP and the fact that she had maxed out her Healing Essence, it was more than enough to sustain him against the attacks of the Lava Beast. Skill Name: Healing Essence Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: C Requirements: Level 12 Cleric Mana Cost: 140 Cast Time: Instant Active: Heals an allied target for 16% of the user ¡¯Healing Factor¡¯ +3.5% of the allied target¡¯s max health every 3 seconds for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds In the end, the Lava Beast was only a level 30 normal monster and did not require much effort to defeat. However, Izroth dide across something unexpected that piqued his interest and did not really pay much attention to the fight. Hwoooo! The group made quick work of the Lava Beast and in less than ten seconds, the Lava Beast turned into a puddle ofva before ultimately losing its entire source of heat. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Lava Beast¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 2,052 EXP¡µ ¡¯After dealing with the monsters inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm that naturally gave more experience, the areas outside seem a bitcking. Though I suppose given the unique nature of the Chaotic Dogma Realm, that much is to be expected.¡¯ Monsters within the Chaotic Dogma Realm granted more experience than those monsters outside. Not only that, but every monster within the Chaotic Dogma Realm was either elite or a boss monster. Also, there was the fact that Izroth was four levels higher than the Lava Beast itself, therefore, the amount of experience he received would be even further reduced. "Did you see that? I-" Present Order stood there in a victorious manner. He did not truly care about defeating the Lava Beast since it was not even an elite monster. Instead, he was secretly gloating because of how strong he waspared to Izroth. It was obvious that he held the upper hand in both attack power and defense. In simple terms, Izroth truly did not stand a chance against him. It should have been more than enough of a demonstration to open Mirage¡¯s eyes, but she was not even paying any attention to him and was currently talking with Izroth. "That skill with the hundreds of palms that you used, did you really create something like that yourself?" Mirage asked with a bit of eagerness hidden within her voice. Izroth nodded and replied, "It¡¯s called the Myriad Elusive Palms. Although it may seem like hundreds of palms, in truth, there lies only one true strike." "What a great name! If I was a Combat Master, I would have gone with something like Hundred Palms. Though to bepletely fair, I¡¯ve never been that skilled when ites to giving things names. Like this one time, I had the most lovely crimson rose and when it was time to name it, I chose to call her Niao Niao. My mother still tells this story to everyone she gets a chance to, it¡¯s embarrassing you know?" Mirage said with a smile on her face as a small giggle escaped her mouth. "If it¡¯s so embarrassing, why did you share it with me?" Izroth asked with raised brows. Mirage blinked a few times as she was not prepared for Izroth to ask such an inquiring look on his face. "Pfft...! Ahahaha, what¡¯s with that look? Of course, it¡¯s amusing when I tell it, but embarrassing only when my mother tells it. Don¡¯t you know that certain things be embarrassing by default when a parent has anything to do with it?" Mirage said jokingly. "Is that so?" Izroth said as appeared to be in deep contemtion about the subject. However, he was just concentrating on specific memories of the life he gained in this world and swiftly came to a shocking conclusion. "You¡¯re correct, it does seem to work that way." Izroth responded. "We should get moving. ording to the Realm Chart in Wraith¡¯s possession, it should only take us around thirty minutes to reach the zing Temple." Luna said as she stepped next to Izroth and shot a side nce at Mirage. For some reason, she felt agitated and irritated as she sat back and watched Mirage smiling andughing while talking to Izroth. Without really thinking about it, she ended up stepping up next to Izroth and suggested that they be on their way. "Yes, we should hurry to the zing Temple!" Present Order said in a polite tone of voice with a smile attached to his face. At first, he only wanted to teach Izroth a lesson and use his fight against him to impress Mirage. However, he still nned on letting him live just to show his benevolent side. But now, he wanted nothing more than to tear Izroth to shreds without mercy. With that being said, Izroth and his party moved out as they continued their journey towards the zing Temple. ... Twenty minutester... On their way to the zing Temple, the group came across another thirty Lava Beast. In total, Izroth gained a bit more than 60,000 EXP in the process, however, he was still quite far away from reaching level 35. As for the loot that dropped from the Lava Beast, needless to say, there were no fire cores and it was mostly just some junk that would only fetch a few bronze coins in the auction house. But, Izroth did not truly expect to receive a fire core from a normal monster like the Lava Beast in the first ce. Not to mention the drop chance was probably around 0.0001%, even then the fire core would be a D-ranked at best! Izroth needed a fire core that was at least C-ranked or higher and in order to obtain it, he had to defeat higher level elite or boss monsters. Even then, it was not absolutely certain that a rare item like a fire core would even drop! Raaaaaaaawr! "What was that?" Sinking Clouds asked as he jumped slightly being startled by the sudden noise. He looked over towards the direction of the loud roar. In the distance, he saw a huge smander that was at least twenty meters long with a line of mes running down its back. From its mouth, it spewed fire at a group of yers in front of it. In fact, there were at least thirty yers confronting the smander which was the most frightening aspect of the situation! Izroth and the others looked over towards the fight to see what was going on. The moment he saw the smander surrounded by a group of yers he understood what was happening. However, the yers seemed incredibly disorganized. It was almost as if they were just a random group of yers that all got together by chance. There was no teamwork and everyone was out of sync. ¡¯That¡¯s... A world boss?¡¯ Chapter 206 Old Faces ¡¯No, that doesn¡¯t seem right.¡¯ At first nce, it appeared to be thirty yers working together at random to defeat a world boss. After all, anyone who saw such a scene would believe that to be the case. However, after taking a closer look, Izroth could see that something was wrong with the group of yers. From their bodynguage and awkward positioning, Izroth saw that each group was more focused on each other rather than the smander before them. It was as if everyone was looking for an opportunity of some kind to deal with the others. However, the most bizarre thing about the whole situation was the fact that the smander was not a world boss as Izroth previously thought it to be. After moving a few meters closer, he was able to clearly see the information regarding the smander. Name: Ragnis Smander(Elite) Level: 35 HP: 32,912(23%) "Why are so many yers fighting against a single elite monster?" Mirage said with a frown on her face. "Who knows? Maybe their levels are so low that it takes thirty of them just to do any real damage to it." Present Order said with some contempt present in his voice. It was not difficult to tell that he did not think much of the yers teaming up to fight against the Ragnis Smander. "We¡¯re wasting time here, it¡¯s just an elite monster. We should just go since it¡¯s not a world boss." Sinking Clouds said. If the Ragnis Smander was a world boss, then it would definitely be worth sticking around. They could even join the fight and attempt to snatch the boss away! However, a single elite monster was not worth their time, especially since it was already being attacked. "Have you noticed it as well?" Luna said in a low voice next to Izroth as she observed the battle. Izroth nced towards Luna as he gave a carefree smile before setting his sights back on the Ragnis Smander and then at the yers. He had a feeling that Luna would realize it as well since she was also present at that time. Those yers were not just another group of casual yers, or at least two of the groups. In fact, Izroth and Luna had seen them before during their time spent participating in the event Protectors of Amaharpe. One of the parties contained yers that were with Blue Oasis at the time the event took ce. They were a part of the party that Minus, one of the seven captains of Blue Oasis, had formed in order to fight against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. However, in the end, Izroth¡¯s party was the one whoid im to it and walked away with the rewards for defeating it. Surely, this left a bad taste in Minus¡¯ mouth, however, Minus himself was not amongst the group. But, there was one member of the Blue Oasis party that was not a part of Minus¡¯ group that fought against the Brooding Behemoth Basbus. Instead, Izroth had met this yer once before back in Opal Town. ¡¯He was with Niflheim at that time.¡¯ The yer who seemed to be the leader of the Blue Oasis party was Olohas, themander under Niflheim that he first ran into in Opal Town. The second group he recognized had a familiar face he did not expect toe across again. Although Luna may be unfamiliar with him, if Guan Yu and Zi Yi were here they would have immediately recognized the yer as Gripler. He was a part of the group that ambushed Guan Yu and Zi Yi in the middle of the Towering Oak Forest where their paths and Izroth¡¯s first crossed. While they were not exactly top-level yers, they could easily be considered as being a part of the elite group of yers that any top guild would wee with open arms. Therefore, when Present Order said that it would take all of them just to deal with a single elite monster, he quickly dismissed that notion. Although Izroth was unsure of that Headhunter Syndicate that Gripler said he was a part of, he knew that Blue Oasis was a top guild. If a group of elite yers from Blue Oasis truly needed the help of 24 other yers just to defeat an elite monster then Blue Oasis position as a top guild was in some serious trouble. ¡¯There must be something special about the smander that we¡¯re unaware of. However, I doubt they¡¯ll entertain us with any information.¡¯ "We should not leave just yet. At least, not until the battle is over." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Azalea looked over at Izroth and could immediately tell from the way he had his sights set onto the battle that there was something that caught the attention of her teacher. Of course, she had noints about waiting until the fight was over. "Hmph, who died and put you in charge?! If you want to waste time watching this silly fight then go ahead and suit yourself. However, we¡¯ll be leaving towards the zing Temple!" Present Order scowled. He disliked how Izroth tried to give out orders as if he were in charge of everything that happened. It would seem that his previous attempts to show Izroth his ce had no effect. Mirage frowned and said, "You know that we can¡¯t separate too far from one another because of the Bounded Fire Domain passive, Fu Chun. Besides, I¡¯m sure Izroth has a reason for wanting to stay and watch the fight... Right?" She turned to face Izroth with a questioning facial expression. "Right." Izroth responded with one simple word. "See?" Mirage said with a slight smirk on her face. "Rongro- No, Tian Suyinrong, are you really going to agree to waste our time because of one word from some nobody?" Present Order asked with a darkened expression. "Hmph, I see your manner are stillcking! What I decide to do has nothing to do with you! If you want to leave, then leave!" Mirage snapped back. The only reason she continued to tolerate Present Order was due to their fathers being close friends. However, even she had a limit to his incessant insults and arrogant attitude. Unlike him, she rather enjoyed meeting new people from all cuts of life. Present Order was ready to burst with anger and Sinking Clouds could see that he was about to lose it. So, Sinking Clouds walked over and set his hand on Present Order¡¯s shoulder and whispered a few words into his ear. A few momentster, Present Order took a deep breath and seemed to have finally calmed down. "Fine, since you insist we¡¯ll do things your way." Present Order said in an unhappy tone of voice. "The zing Temple isn¡¯t going anywhere. What¡¯s the harm in waiting a bit longer?" Sinking Clouds said with a smile on his face. Azalea stared coldly at Present Order. If not for the fact that her teacher had already arranged a fight with him after reaching the zing Temple, she was unsure if she would have been able to control herself. She already considered Izroth to be her teacher and so Present Order¡¯s constant insults were like a p to her face as well. Mirage observed Izroth and saw that he appeared to be unbothered by Present Order¡¯s words. Anyone else would have already flew off the handle by now and would have wanted to strangle Present Order. After all, she knew just how overbearing his personality could be at times. Therefore, she was surprised that Izroth had such a high level of self-control. A few momentster, a member of the Blue Oasis party dealt the final blow to the Ragnis Smander. Therge body of the Ragnis Smander crashed into the ground and remained motionless. However, its body did not dissipate immediately like most other monsters. But, as soon as one of the members of Blue Oasis approached the area of the loot, Gripler stepped forward and blocked their path. "What do you think you¡¯re doing? We all had a fair agreement, now move! Or do you wish to be an enemy of my Blue Oasis guild?" Olohas said in a demanding tone of voice. "Agreement? What agreement? I don¡¯t remember anything about an agreement. How about you guys?" Gripler turned to ask his fellow party members. "Nope never heard of no agreement boss." "Hah, leave it to Blue Oasis members to make up some nonexistent rules!." Every one of Gripler¡¯s party members denied that there was an agreement made. In turn, this made Olohas furious beyond words. He had heard that the members of the Headhunter Syndicate were not to be trusted and yet, he truly believed that they could actually be reasoned with like a fool! "I should have just killed you and your group from the moment we crossed paths!" Olohas said with no mercy in his voice. "Now, is that any way for a member of one of the most esteemed top ten guilds to behave?" Gripler said with a grin on his face. From his bodynguage and words, it was obvious that he was mocking Olohas. "Do you truly wish to do this? You¡¯ll kill us all with your greed!" Olohas shouted. "So what! I¡¯ll make it short and simple for you. All of you get lost and we¡¯ll take the Smander¡¯s Fire Spirit so that we can enter into the zing Temple. As for the rest of you, hmph, you¡¯ll just have to find another Fire Spirit to im!" Gripler said in a threatening manner. "Shameless! Is this always how members of the Headhunter Syndicate handle matters once they¡¯ve already made a promise?!" One of the yers from another group shouted. He was disgusted by how Gripler was willing to let all of them die, even his own party, just so that he could be the one to obtain the Fire Spirit of the Ragnis Smander. "As I said, I don¡¯t remember any such promise! Now, do you want to fight or not?!" Gripler said in a domineering manner. Ever since the event Protectors of Amaharpe ended, the power and influence of the Headhunter Syndicate had soared within RML! During the event, many of the top guilds were weakened and suffered major losses. However, the guild who suffered the most had to be Sage Falls. As a result of at least three of the top ten guilds weakening, the Headhunter Syndicate was now sittingfortably on the list of top ten guilds within all of RML. Therefore, Gripler was even more arrogant and unrestrained than the time when Izroth had run into him in the Towering Oak Forest. He had a huge backer and was unafraid that someone would even dare consider taking action against him. Otherwise, they would have to deal with the Headhunter Syndicate itself! ¡¯Fire Spirit?¡¯ Izroth overheard their conversation and it appeared that in order to enter into the zing Temple, one needed to acquire something called a Fire Spirit. From what he gathered so far, it appeared that the Ragnis Smander was a monster capable of providing this so-called Fire Spirit. If that was the case, then they needed more information about the subject. However, it was unlikely that he would be able to get this information at the moment with how tense the current situation was. But, when there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. "I see an old familiar face over there. I believe it¡¯s only proper that I pay them a small greeting." Izroth said as he began to walk over towards the group of thirty yers. "Eh? You know one of them?" Mirage asked curiously as she walked along with him. Of course, Luna and Azalea followed without question. As for Present Order and Sinking Clouds, they also went along with things. After all, since Mirage was going, then it was only natural that they would tag along as well. "Hm?" Olohas heard the sound of footsteps approaching their location. Another group? If so, then this would only be even more of a headache. As he turned to see who was headed this way, his facial expression had shocked written all over it. "It¡¯s you...!" Gripler said. Just like Olohas, his facial expression was one of shock. However, unlike Olohas, that shock soon turned into a burning rage. This was the guy that interfered with his ns back in the Towering Oak Forest. If not for him, then things would have gone smoothly and he would have been promoted by now! Chapter 207 Instilling Fear "Is he someone you know?" Luna asked curiously. She was surprised that one of the other groups present seemed to recognize Izroth. "We¡¯ve crossed paths once before." Izroth replied with a carefree expression on his face. Izroth could see the rage within Gripler¡¯s eyes. There were even two other yers who were with Gripler at that time that also recognized Izroth. How could they not be enraged? It was all because of him that their n ultimately failed! "It looks like they aren¡¯t exactly pleased to see you here." Mirage said as she saw three yers ring at Izroth. "Heh, enemies often cross paths. We should stay out of it if they decide to battle, Tian Suyinrong. It isn¡¯t our fight." Present Order said. Mirage scoffed, "Have you already forgotten that we¡¯re all tied together? If you want to die then fine, but I¡¯m not going to willingly do so!" She was beginning to regret more and more that she allowed Present Order to apany her on this journey. When things failed to go his way, he would lose sight of everything that mattered for his own personal agenda. Present Order released a small harumph and did not bother to respond. It was obvious that Mirage was taking Izroth¡¯s side. This only made him want to reach the zing Temple even faster so that he could hurry up and take care of that piece of trash nobodybat master! Then he would finally be able to focus on spending some quality time with Mirage. Who knows? After seeing their battle, there was even a chance that beautiful healer would want toe along with them as well. Izroth¡¯s party stopped a few meters away from the group of yers and caught the attention of everyone as they approached. "You... You¡¯re called Izroth, right? You look a bit different." Olohas said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Not only was Izroth¡¯s equipment different from the time theyst met, but there was something else strange about him. However, Olohas was unable to put his finger on it. Izroth nodded and replied, "Indeed, I¡¯m called Izroth. If I remember correctly, you are amander of Blue Oasis, Olohas, correct?" "I¡¯m ttered that you still remember my name after our brief meeting." Olohas responded. Izroth was someone his captain, Niflheim, talked about quite often. Not only that, but it wasmon knowledge amongst most of the top guilds yers that the yer who ranked first in the event Protectors of Amaharpe was named Izroth. However, most top guilds had no idea who this Izroth person who appeared out of nowhere was! But, this could be seen as a blessing in disguise. While Izroth¡¯s rtionship with his captain could not be defined as being particrly close, there was still at least some connection between the two of them even if it was small. He had witnessed Izroth¡¯s fight against those three yers back in Opal Town and knew of his frightening speed. If he was already that fast and strong at the low levels, then he must be even more powerful than at that time. If he could convince him and his party to help secure the Fire Spirit against Gripler¡¯s party then there was a good chance that they did not have to worry about losing a single member! However, he had to find a way to convince Izroth to assist him without being too direct about it. "You dare show your face in front of me again?!" Gripler said without restraining his anger and having his gaze locked onto Izroth. It was as if he were afraid that Izroth was going to disappear right before his eyes before he could take his revenge. Olohas was startled by Gripler¡¯s sudden outburst and how he seemed to want to tear Izroth to shreds. There appeared to be some history between Izroth and Gripler that he was unaware of. However, this worked well in his favor. If they were already at odds with one another, then he may not even have to convince Izroth to join him in dealing with the members of the Headhunter Syndicate. "My teacher can show his face wherever he pleases. If you wish to change that matter, then step forward. I will personally deal with you." Azalea said in a cold and detached voice. Finally, there was someone for her to take her frustration towards Present Order out on! "May I ask what purpose the Fire Spirit serves?" Izroth asked whilepletely ignoring Gripler. Olohas was startled by Izroth¡¯s question and had a shocked expression on his face as he asked, "You entered into the zing Tempris Domain without knowing about Fire Spirits?" How reckless! If he had entered into the zing Temple without first obtaining a Fire Spirit then... "I¡¯m afraid this is our first time in the zing Tempris Domain. Though if you can enlighten us on this matter, then I would be grateful." Izroth said in a calm and straightforward manner. Olohas saw this as a chance to gain izroth¡¯s favor and build a deeper connection between him and Blue Oasis. So, of course, he would answer Izroth¡¯s question. "My apologies, I was just a bit shocked is all. You see, in order to gain official entrance into the zing Temple, one needs to first acquire a Fire Spirit. If your party entered into the zing Temple without a Fire Spirit then I¡¯m afraid that your time within the zing Tempris Domain would have been cut short. Without a Fire Spirit, a party will be a target of the wildfires within the temple." Olohas exined. He then continued, "These wildfires are extremely dangerous and can even kill tanks within just a few seconds. However, if one possesses a Fire Spirit, then the wildfires will not target them and they can explore the zing Temple without any worries about the wildfires. In simple terms, it acts as a protection charm for those who entered into the zing Temple." "There¡¯s just one small problem. The only monsters that drop Fire Spirits are level 35 and above elite fire-type monsters that naturally reside within the zing Tempris Domain. Needless to say, finding elite monsters outside of dungeons and certain special areas is no easy task. We all happened toe across this Ragnis Smander and came to a fairpromise. However, a certain group wishes to go back on their words." Olohas said as he red at Gripler. So that was the reason why thirty yers were all teaming up against one elite monster! It was not that one was unable to enter into the Fire Temple without a Fire Spirit, it was just extremely unwise to do so. "If that¡¯s true, then we could have died even after we got rid of that passive..." Mirage muttered to himself with furrowed brows. The ces outside of Amaharpe¡¯s jurisdiction truly did acquire a new level of attention to detail. Otherwise, yers could find themselves in an unfavorable situation due to ack of knowledge. "Who are you little girl? Go back to ying with your toys at home! As for you, Olohas, you open your mouth too easily! Now move out of the way so that I can kill him!" Gripler growled as heshed out with his words. "Izroth is a friend of Captain Niflheim of my Blue Oasis guild! If you attack him, you¡¯ll be showing us no face! Do you really want to act in such a reckless manner?" Olohas said as he did not budge and turned to face Gripler. The moment Azalea heard those words leave Gripler¡¯s mouth, she vanished from the spot she stood in. This time, however, Izroth did not prevent her from acting. He could tell that she was already agitated and holding herself back from attacking Present Order. Therefore, if she wanted to vent a bit of her frustration, he would not stop her. ¡¯Her self control seems unrestrained in many areas. I suppose that is something to be worked on.¡¯ "I¡¯ll tear you to pieces and-!" Gripler was ready to charge at Izroth, even if he had to go through Olohas to get to him. However, he suddenly felt his entire body tense up as he became unable to move. No matter how much he struggled to do so, he was unable to take a single step. Just moments before Gripler became stunned, a shadow appeared on the ground behind him as a hand holding onto a dagger pierced into his body. A small figure leaped out from within the shadow and swiftly swept her daggers six times in quick session across Gripler¡¯s immobilized body. The small figure was Azalea who chose not to wait any longer to act. She used an advanced version of the skill Pressure Point to stun Gripler. It was called Crippling Edge. She then followed up with a swift chain of attacks using her daggers. "I can¡¯t move!" Gripler had no idea what was going on as his HP began to rapidly drop. He could not see Azalea¡¯s movements and attacks that were taking ce behind his back. "Boss!" One of the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s party yelled out as he held his staff forward. However, just as the spell he was casting to heal Gripler went off, he felt a strong force m into the side of his body. Although he still managed to get the healing spell off, he suffered a great price for it and loss around 20% of his HP from one attack! Azalea¡¯s figure was like a phantom roaming throughout the battlefield. Every time someone looked to see where they had been attacked, there was no one to be seen! It was a frightening experience to go through. Gripler was finally freed of his immobilized status and was able to regain some of the HP he lost thanks to the healer in his party. However, by the time he turned around to tell the healer job well done, all he saw was thest of a few dissipating particles floating into the air. When he looked at the party window and saw that the healer had died, he was dumbfounded. He had only been stunned for around two seconds! How was it possible that someone from his party died so fast?! In the first ce, how was it that they were even losing HP? What was going on? Gripler was not the only one who was confused. His own party, as well as, the other groups of yers were also baffled. The other groups had a better view of what was going on and every once in a while, they could see a drifting apparition of sorts appear just as a yer from the Headhunter Syndicate was attacked. Olohas, however, had a pretty good idea about what was going on. The girl who with Izroth¡¯s group had vanished the same time that Gripler¡¯s party began to experience their current predicament. Therefore, it was not difficult to connect the dots. But, he was speechless about something else. It was not by what kind of high ranked skill Azalea must be used to cause so much damage and chaos, but rather what was stuck in his head was that she referred to Izroth as her "teacher". If Izroth was her teacher, then what exactly was he teaching her? If it was what he believed it to be, then the thought itself was terrifying. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Three more yers from the Headhunter Syndicate party were eliminated by Azalea. There wasrge darkness on the ground that moved around with incredible speed. From out of this darkness came arms made of shadows that each wielded a dagger. It was Azalea¡¯s Dance of Fusides that she used against Savage. She caught three yers within its grasp and since they did not split up, she was able to focus on every one of them. Now all that remained was Gripler and one other yer of the Headhunter Syndicate. Amazing! That was the one thought that went through everyone¡¯s mind as they watched the spectacle unfold. In less than thirty seconds, she had already managed to kill four out of six yers by herself! Who was this person? It did not take long for Azalea to deal with the other remaining Headhunter Syndicate yer as her dagger slipped right across his neck causing a critical hit. She quickly followed with a few more strikes and finished him off. Woosh! "Die!" Gripler swung his sword down and cut Azalea in half, or so he thought. Azalea¡¯s body that was cut in half turned into a congress of ravens that rushed towards him and temporarily blocked his vision. Azalea appeared behind Gripler as her daggers seemed to dance and soar freely over his body. Gripler tried to create distance and shake Azalea off of him, however, every time he attempted to even look in her direction she was already behind him! It was incredibly frustrating! "I¡¯ll kill you!" Gripler shouted in anger, but those were hisst words. Pssshk! Both of Azalea¡¯s daggers sunk into Gripler¡¯s head as he stood there motionless. In the next moment, his body turned into particles and disappeared into nothingness. Just like that, Azalea had taken care of six elite yers in less than one minute! Azalea returned her daggers to their sheath before slowly walking back over and standing slightly behind Izroth in a respectful manner as if nothing happened. Everyone was silent as they witnessed the end of Gripler and the other members of the Headhunter Syndicate. However, there was one thing that was well imprinted into them after that brief exchange... Fear! Chapter 208 Fire Spiri "Is there any additional information you can provide us with regarding the zing Temple?" Izroth asked. Olohas seemed to be lost in his own world as many thoughts swirled through his mind. However, he snapped out of it once he heard Izroth¡¯s voice. "zing Temple...? Ah, right. Of course." Olohas cleared his throat and pulled himself together. He did not realize that he had allowed his attention to wander off in the middle of a conversation. Here he was thinking about how to get Izroth¡¯s assistance so that he could avoid casualties in his party and yet the situation had already been dealt with before he could even bring the subject up. But still, there was a small part of him that was unsure if this was a blessing or a curse. After all, there was a chance that Izroth¡¯s party may want to im the Fire Spirit. If that happened, then he would have preferred to deal with Grippler and the others without any help at all. "As I was saying, it¡¯s too dangerous to enter into the zing Temple without a Fire Spirit. This will be my first time entering inside so I can¡¯t go too much into detail, however, it¡¯s be prettymon knowledge by now to most yers wandering within the zing Tempris Domain." Olohas exined. "What happens if someone with a Fire Spirit in their inventory dies? Of course, my question is purely hypothetical. I can assure you that I hold my bad intentions." Present Order cut in to ask with a friendly expression on his face. Olohas furrowed his brows at the question as a slight frown appeared on his face. Despite Present Order¡¯s words and friendly demeanor, it was still an ufortable question to answer. However, it should have been even more awkward for Present Order to ask such a suspicious question. It worried Olohas that someone could ask something so dangerous with such a friendly smile. While defeating an elite monster was not a difficult task for any of the groups present to do alone, it required too much time or luck toe across a level 35 or higher elite monster roaming around the zing Tempris Domain. Even if they chose to wait for the Ragnis Smander to respawn, it would still be a six-hour dy! Olohas was not the only yer to be on guard after Present Order¡¯s question. His party, as well as, the other groups tensed up as the atmosphere grew a bit heavy. "You can still cause trouble when someone is helping us?!" Mirage scowled. If they were not stuck together due to that strange passive skill, then she would have wanted nothing to do with Present Order at the moment. It was as if he was unable to go even a few seconds without causing trouble. "It¡¯s an honest question. There¡¯s no need to hide anything if we¡¯re all friends here, right?" Present Order said as he turned his attention towards Olohas. Izroth could see that everyone was bing a bit restless. He truly did not know if Present Order was provoking them on purpose, or if he really was as foolish as he appeared to be. It wasmon sense that his words could be seen as a threat, or at least it should be. "I give you my word that we will not make a move against you for the Fire Spirit you¡¯ve obtained. Therefore, feel free to answer the question without worry. In fact, if someone should interfere with your party after you im it, then I dly lend you a hand." Izroth said in a carefree tone of voice. Although Izroth looked as if he were talking to the other groups present, Olohas could tell by his words that he was actually directing them towards Present Order. After he saw how Present Order red at Izroth when he spoke those words, it only further confirmed his suspicions. "Captain Niflheim is a good judge of character, so I tend to trust his instinct about people." Olohas said. "Oh? What exactly does his instinct have to say about me?" Izroth asked. "Simple, you can be trusted, but never crossed. Well, at least that¡¯s what his instinct says. Therefore, I¡¯ll take your word since you¡¯ve given it." Olohas said with a smile on his face as he gave a small nod to further show his approval. "An interesting instinct." Izroth responded. It was quite impressive how urate Niflheim¡¯s instinct was to make that kind of assessment when they had only met with one another twice. ¡¯A strong instinct like that would have been useful as a cultivator. It¡¯s a shame.¡¯ "I¡¯m d you think so. As for the question you¡¯ve asked, the Fire Spirit cannot leave the confines of the zing Tempris Domain without something called a Confinement Orb. So if one were to die with a Fire Spirit not contained within a Confinement Orb then it would simply drop on their death." Olohas signaled for one of his party members to retrieve the loot that dropped from the Ragnis Smander. There were a few good things, however, the most important item was a crimson me no bigger than a fist. It did not appear to cause any damage to the yer holding it within their hands as they delivered it to Olohas. The crimson me felt extremely warm to the touch and if one examined it closely, they could see a me dancing around inside of it. That crimson me was the Fire Spirit that Olohas had mentioned a few moments ago. "This is what a Fire Spirit looks like." Olohas said as he allowed Izroth and his party to freely take in its sight as he held it out in the palm of his hand. "How pretty." Mirage said to herself as she watched the tiny me dancing around on the inside. As for the other groups that were present, they had a look of regret and helplessness. Ultimately, none of them were willing to make an enemy out of Blue Oasis for a single item dropped by an elite monster. But even more so, dealing with Izroth most likely meant having to face that monster next to him that took out an entire party alone. That was a risk none of them were willing to take. After letting out a few sighs and seeing that nothing else interesting was going to happen, the other groups all went their separate ways. ¡¯I do not n on spending arge amount of time within the zing Tempris Domain searching for a Fire Spirit. However...¡¯ Izroth had another idea in mind that could potentially save him a lot of trouble. "Would you be willing to make a trade?" Izroth asked. "A trade?" Olohas was a bit surprised by Izroth¡¯s sudden inquiry. It had taken them nearly five hours to find a Fire Spirit so that they could enter into the zing Temple. Therefore, a trade was unlikely to ur. However, Olohas chose to show Izroth some face and at least hear what it was that he had to offer. "Alright, but I¡¯ll have to first say that this Fire Spirit belongs not only to me but my entire party as well. It also took us almost five hours just to locate one, so please keep that in mind." Olohas said in a firm tone of voice. He wanted to make sure that Izroth knew that whatever he offered, it had topensate not just him, but his entire party and their time as well. In truth, Olohas had no ns on trading the Fire Spirit. That was the real reason he made sure to let Izroth know those specific terms. It would not be easy to trade something on the spot that couldpensate an entire party of yers. A few momentster, Izroth reached into his inventory and removed six Five Cycles Pills. At the moment, Five Cycles Pills were still incredibly hard toe by. In total, Izroth had put less than 400 pills within the auction house itself. Seeing as there were millions upon millions of yers within RML and thousands upon thousands of yers within the top guilds alone, it was safe to say that not everyone had ess to such a rare item. "Those are Five Cycles Pills! It¡¯s the same one I saw Captain Abstract take." "Look, he has six of them! How rich is he to have so many sitting in his inventory?" "Six grade three pills just for a mere Fire Spirit? I wish I had the resources to make such a trade..." The Blue Oasis yers that were not too far behind Olohas werementing on Izroth¡¯s trade. From their conversation and the excitement in their voice, it was easy to tell what they wanted to happen. After all, it was too valuable of an opportunity to pass up! They could always obtain a Fire Spirit another day or even after they finished up here. However, there was no guarantee that the same could be said for a grade three pill. Besides, everyone knew those pills were worth at least 20,000 RMB each! Izroth was practically handing them 120,000 RMB for a single Fire Spirit! Olohas was dumbfounded when he saw Izroth casually offer him six grade three pills for a Fire Spirit. How did hee in possession of so many? Even the top guilds only had around 10-20 or so each and it was at a great cost and struggle in the auction house. Even Azalea who was usually silent was surprised when she heard the name Five Cycles Pill. She had wanted to get her hands on one of those pills ever since she first discovered its effect. To someone like her who focused mainly on PVP, it was a must have! She also finally somewhat understood why her teacher was able to keep up with her movements and purposely halt his attacks in such a casual manner. She knew that Izroth¡¯s natural abilities were high, but with the help of the Five Cycles Pill, it must have be even more monstrous. "A grade three pill? And six of them no less..." Mirage eximed as she held one of her hands up over her mouth in shock. Present Order had a look of greed sh across his eyes. He looked over towards Sinking Clouds and the two of them seemed toe to an understanding. He must find a way to obtain a few of those pills! After all, if Izroth was willing to trade them so freely then surely he must have even more stashed away. However, Present Order felt shivers run down his spine as he looked over and saw Azalea staring at him as if she could read his current thoughts. He quickly turned away and grit his teeth. That¡¯s right! He had to find a way to keep that brat from interfering in his ns. Although Present Order did not want to admit it, he did not want to fight Azalea if possible. "Well?" Izroth said as he noticed that Olohas was simply staring there without giving any kind of response. Olohas quickly snapped out of it and said, "Ah, yes! It¡¯s yours! We can trade right away!" It was almost as if he were afraid that Izroth was going to suddenly change his mind or was ying a trick on him. He did not even bother confirming the trade with his party before rushing to open the trade window. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Olohas¡¯ reaction before opening up his own trade window. He set the six Five Cycles Pills up for trade in exchange for the Fire Spirit. A few momentster, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have obtained x1 ?Fire Spirit?.¡µ Name: Fire Spirit(Unique) Rank: None Usage: Protects the user and its nearby allies from the wrath of the zing Temple. Special Note: This item will drop from the user¡¯s inventory upon death or leaving the zing Tempris Domain. "Thank you for your generosity. I will not forget this day." Olohas said in an extremely polite tone of voice. "We¡¯ve made a simple trade, that¡¯s all." Izroth responded. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Izroth and his party took their leave towards the zing Temple. Now that they had a Fire Spirit, they could enter inside without worry. As Izroth and his party walked away, Olohas kept watching until they werepletely out of view. "I have to inform the captain." Olohas said. "Hm? What for?" One of the Blue Oasis yers asked. "I¡¯m not entirely sure, but it¡¯s possible that Izroth has some kind of direct connection with the Apothecary we¡¯ve been looking for. Either that or he spent all his time bidding at the auction house which I highly doubt." Olohas exined. Everyone was shocked! He had a direct connection to that mysterious Apothecary that all the big guilds were calling the Pill Emperor? If that truly was the case, then it would certainly exin how he could hand out six grade three pills in such a casual manner! Chapter 209 Wager Izroth and his party made their way towards the zing Temple at a steady pace. Hovering above Izroth¡¯s head was the same Fire Spirit he received from Olohas. After walking for a few steps with it inside of his inventory, the Fire Spirit appeared on its own without any warning. Around twenty minutester, the group could see a grand structure in the distance with a great and spacious staircase that led up to a temple. The structure had an ancient and deste feel to it. One could see streams of mes exploding up from the ground. "It¡¯s the zing Temple! We¡¯ve finally made it!" Mirage said excitedly. "Heh, it looks like we won¡¯t have to worry about this irritating passive anymore." Present Order said while secretly ncing over towards Izroth. Sinking Clouds sat his hand onto Present Order¡¯s shoulder and signaled him to slow down his speed a bit. A few secondster, the two of them were around six meters away from the main group who were ascending the stairs. "What is it?" Present Order said with a frown. He was just about to make sure that Izroth did not try to back out on their precious arrangement when Sinking Clouds interrupted him. "Fu Chun, are you sure about this?" Sinking Clouds asked. "Am I sure? Don¡¯t tell me you actually think I¡¯ll lose to somebat master piece of trash? Even if he does have a 4/5/6 set up by some miracle, my HP is three times more than his. Also, you saw the damage he was doing when we were fighting against those Lava Beast. At best, he¡¯s equal to me and even that¡¯s pushing it. What are you so worried about?" Present Order said. Sinking Clouds shook his head and responded, "Brother, it¡¯s not him I¡¯m worried about, it¡¯s that girl with the mask who¡¯s with him. You saw how she took out that party with ease...! What if she decides to help him once it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s going to lose?" Present Order furrowed his brows as his facial expression turned a bit gloomy at the thought. Indeed, he had already insulted her and it was obvious that she had been watching him closely every time he even nced towards Izroth. However, after thinking about it for a while, he came up with a solution. "Don¡¯t worry, I have a n. Trust me, when have I ever let you down, Wu Zemin? By the time I¡¯m finished, we¡¯ll have the Fire Spirit, a few grade three pills, and that guy will be dead." Present Order said with a grin on his face. ¡¯Fools.¡¯ Present Order and Sinking Clouds were whispering instead of sending private messages to one another at only six meters away. To Izroth who possessed the Heavenly Golden Body physique, as well as, the Superior Perception skill from the Five Cycles Pill, the two of them might as well have been shouting in his ear. However, how could the two of them know that Izroth¡¯s hearing skills had been improved to such an extent? Izroth and his party made it to the top of the staircase without any difficulties. As soon as their foot touched the ground outside the staircase, everyone received a few system alerts. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?zing Temple?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Bounded Fire Domain? has been removed from your skill list.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Protection of The Fire Spirit?.¡µ Skill Name: Protection of The Fire Spirit Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: The user of this skill is unaffected by the wildfires that reside within the zing Temple. Gains the temporary passive skill ?Basic Fire Resistance?. ?Basic Fire Resistance?: +10% Fire Resistance Special Note: If the user or any of the user¡¯s allies no longer possesses the item Fire Spirit or the owner of this skill leaves the zing Temple, this skill along with its provided effects will disappear. ¡¯I wonder how troublesome these wildfires are since even the members of top guilds are willing to spend so much time and effort searching for a Fire Spirit.¡¯ "I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten about our arrangement!" Present Order said as he arrived at the top of the staircase and turned to face Izroth. He had been waiting for this moment toe long enough. "You¡¯re still on about that?!" Mirage said in a displeased tone of voice. Just when she enjoying the sight of the mes spewing from the grounds and dancing within the air, as well as, the ancient looking temple before her, Present Order just had to go and ruin her entire mood with his nonsense. "A man doesn¡¯t go back on his word! It¡¯s toote for him to back out now!" Present Order reminded Mirage. In all honesty, Mirage did not want the two of them to fight. Just looking at the massive HP gap alone made her worried about an unfair match. After all, Present Order purchased a full equipment set. One had to know that equipment sets gave special bonus effects to its wearer depending on the total number of pieces that were being worn. At the moment, Present Order had all six pieces to a set! Therefore, he received every single bonus effect it had to offer which put him at a major advantage. But the most concerning part was that his damage was higher than the average tank. Mirage had witnessed Izroth¡¯s skills and although they were good, especially for abat master, his damage could only beparable to Present Order at best. Even though his gaming sense and reaction time were far ahead of Present Order, she did not believe that it would be enough to make too much of a difference in the oue. The most frustrating thing of all was that the two yers who Mirage thought were Izroth¡¯s friends did nothing to talk him out of fighting! Why did it seem like she was the only one who cared what happened? How could the two of them be so calm when their friend was in trouble? However, Mirage decided not to continue overthinking it. Most likely, Azalea Wraith would jump in to stop the fight if things got too out of hand. At least, that was the only logical thing she could think about. "I have not forgotten. We can begin whenever you¡¯d like." Izroth said in a calm and carefree manner. "Are you sure it¡¯s okay to let him fight like this? Shouldn¡¯t we try to stop it?" Mirage whispered to Luna in hopes that she had simr thoughts in her mind, however, she was only met with a simple smile from Luna as a response. Mirage then looked towards Azalea, however, she was unable to tell what was going on through her mind. In the end, she released a small helpless sigh and decided to simply give up. If it really got too out of hand, then she would just try to talk Present Order out of it. Present Order stepped forward and walked away from the staircase to where there was more space to move around. Of course, he stayed far enough away from the main temple grounds where the fire was erupting at random intervals and a few Lava Beast were lurking around. Izroth took his time to walk forward and stood around ten meters away from Present Order¡¯s position. Unlike what Present Order was expecting, there was still no sign of panic or fear within Izroth¡¯s eyes. "Before we start, what do you say we make a small wager? Of course, if you¡¯re too scared then just forget about it." Present Order said as he tried to goad Izroth on. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Izroth asked. However, he already had a good idea of what it was that Present Order wanted from him. "If I win, I want some of those grade three pills you traded to those yers for the Fire Spirit. Also, the winner not only gets the Fire Spirit itself but gets to decide the fate of the loser. Of course, no one is allowed to interfere during or after the fight! Do I have your word?!" Present Order said. "And if I win?" Izroth questioned in an unhurried manner. Present Order had a confused expression on his face. If he won? Did he truly believe that he could win this fight? While it was aughable subject, Present Order still chose to entertain his question. "Alright, if you win, then I will give you my full set of gear. You¡¯re also free to choose my fate as well. Now do you ept or not?!" Present Order said in a voice full of disdain. "I ept. If I lose, I¡¯ll give you one hundred grade three pills. As for interfering, I give you my word that no one will do so. Are those eptable conditions?" Izroth replied. Izroth knew that Present Order was scared that Azalea might interfere in their battle. He was not exactly polite towards her over the course of their journey. As for the pills, it didn¡¯t matter if Present Order wanted a thousand or a million pills, Izroth was not concerned. After all, he had no intentions of losing. One hundred grade three pills?! Everyone present, excluding Luna, was shocked when Izroth threw out such arge number without hesitation. Surely he must¡¯ve been exaggerating about having that many. However, if he gave away six grade three pills so easily then maybe, just maybe he really did have one hundred grade three pills sitting around! "I ept!" Present Order was secretly gleeful. This would be a huge gain for him if he was able to procure that many grade three pills at once. Wouldn¡¯t he have even more than those top guilds? He could use the pills to make a few strong connections within RML. However, he wanted to be sure that Izroth was not ying a joke on him. "We¡¯ll use the dueling system. It will be set Non-Lethal mode and we¡¯ll use the built-in wager system. That way, neither of us can go back on our word." Present Order said with a smirk on his face. He may be able to get even more pills out of Izroth by sparing his life at the end. Well, at least that is what he would tell him. As for actually sparing his life, that was a different story. The dueling system within RML had arge variety of features to choose from, however, the mostmonly used feature was Non-Lethal mode. In Non-Lethal mode, the user¡¯s HP stopped at 1 once they were dealt a killing blow. As for the wagering system, it was just as it sounded. yers could put items up for wager and the winner wouldy im to whatever items were put up. This was the best way to make sure others did not go back on their word, or just simply to engage in a friendly wager between friends without the hassle of trading after every match. Izroth wasn¡¯t surprised that Present Order chose to use Non-Lethal mode. After all, it was quite clear what his intentions were. There was also a chance that Present would want him to stick around to endure further humiliation before dealing the final blow. That was usually the mindset of people like Present Order, but it was nothing new to Izroth. He had met people like Present Order before and not a single one of them had thestugh against him. After deciding on the terms of wager and battle, Present Order sent the duel request to Izroth. The dueling interface popped up for Izroth to put in any items that he wanted to wager. Just as Izroth said he would, he set x100 Five Cycles Pills along with the Fire Spirit as his wager. Without giving it a second thought, Present Order also kept his part of the bet and put up his entire equipment set. He was not afraid of losing it since in his mind this fight had already been won. When Present Order caught sight of the one hundred grade three pills, he felt a rush of excitement wash over him. It was real! He actually had so many grade three pills on him! "Alright, everything seems in order. Heh, a pleasure doing business with you. I¡¯m going to start the duel now, so get ready!" Present Order said as he drew his two-handed greatsword and took on an offensive stance. ¡´System Alert: A duel has been initiated between yer Izroth and yer Present Order. Beginning countdown sequence. 10 seconds...¡µ 3... 2... 1... ¡´System Alert: Duel hasmenced!¡µ Chapter 210 Surprise Attack! Izroth stood straight and ced his left arm behind his back. He held his right arm out in front of him with an open palm facing upward and pointed in Present Order¡¯s direction. There was an unnatural silence that filled the air and only the sound of the roaring mes erupting from the ground a few meters away could be heard. Mirage held her breath as the surrounding atmosphere grew tense in an instant. As for Luna and Azalea, they were both calm and rxed as the fight began. Present Order leaned forward and pushed off his left foot with his buckler leading the charge and his greatsword tilted at a slight angle. His first two steps were incredibly slow, however, the moment his foot touched the ground a third time he elerated at a great speed. He used the skill Unimpeded Rush as his opening move to immediately close the distance between Izroth and himself. Izroth stayed perfectly still up until the moment when Present Order¡¯s buckler was just about to m into his body. He swiftly stepped to the side as Present Order shot right past him and missed his initial charge. Present Order stopped around two steps away from Izroth. There was a small dy when a yer missed with the skill Unimpeded Rush. Although it was only a 0.5-second window, it was more than enough for skilled yers to take advantage of the vulnerability. It was one of the major drawbacks of using Unimpeded Rush and why the skill itself required a lot of practice to use properly. Izroth twisted his lower body slightly as his leg lifted up off the ground and shot towards Present Order. There was nothing Present Order could do to defend against it and time as Izroth¡¯s foot crashed into his back. Present Order¡¯s entire body became stiff and he was unable to move after he was struck by Izroth. This was due to the paralyzing effect of Izroth¡¯s skill Serpent¡¯s Bite. During their time fighting against the Lava Beast, Izroth used two skill points to max out Serpent¡¯s Bite. The only thing that changed when he did so was the amount of time an opponent spent paralyzed was increased to two seconds. Also, instead of simply having a high chance of causing the paralyzing effect in the opponent, it was now certain as long as the target was sessfully struck. "You wish!" Present Order shouted as a blue aura epassed him. The next moment, he was able to move around freely as if he had never been paralyzed in the first ce. It was a popr skill for most warrior-type sses after they reached level 30 called Break Restraints. It allowed the user to break free of any crowd control effect(s). However, the cooldown time on it was quite highpared to most other skills, therefore, most yers would only use it in emergency situations where it was absolutely necessary. Present Order did not believe that abat master like Izroth had more than one crowd control move and so he did not hesitate to use Break Restraints. He swung his greatsword with a great might in an arc aimed directly at Izroth. Izroth was a bit surprised that his Serpent¡¯s Bite had no effect against Present Order. He knew about the existence of crowd control removal skills, however, he did not expect Present Order to use it in such a hasty manner. Woosh! Izroth lowered his body and evaded the iing greatsword. At the same time, powerful and concentrated energy started to converge at Izroth¡¯s fingertip as he aimed at the side of Present Order¡¯s torso area. Present Order lowered his arm with the buckler attached to it and moved it in a path to block Izroth¡¯s attack. However, the strangest thing happened that caught himpletely off guard. Izroth¡¯s fingertip pierced through Present Order¡¯s buckler as if it were nonexistent. It did the same thing for Present Order¡¯s ted armor, bypassing all of his defenses and striking his body directly! It was a move Izroth created specifically tobat opponents with high defensive capabilities, Fissuring Point. Although its cooldown time was usually five seconds since the target was someone with a shield, the cooldown time on Fissuring Point was increased by thirty seconds. Present Order felt a brief impact before losing nearly 25% of his HP! That attack that seemed so harmless had actually caused such a massive amount of damage. At first, Present Order was baffled since his defensive stats were no joke. He had witnessed Izroth¡¯s damage in their fight against the Lava Beast. How was it possible that he did the same exact damage to him that he did to the Lava Beast? "It must be some kind of skill that ignores defenses... I refuse to believe that my defense stats areparable to some normal monster trash...!" Present Order said to himself as he gritted his teeth as he gripped onto the greatsword in his hands before shing down. He wanted to cut Izroth in half! "A few good hits! All I need is a few good hits!" Present Order kept reying those words through his mind as he thought about Izroth¡¯s mediocre HP stat. If he could justnd a couple of good blows, this fight would be over in no time. Izroth had already begun to make his next move as he dodged the greatsword and struck out with his fist. Bang! Izroth¡¯s fists rained down upon Present Order without mercy. Every time Present Order would try to strike using a skill or a basic attack with his greatsword, Izroth would avoid the attack and continue his assault. In essence, he was practically pummeling Present Order to death! Unfortunately, since Izroth did not have any fighter-type weapon such as fighter gloves or gauntlets equipped, all of his basic attack punches only did around 50% of his total attack damage and were unable to critically strike. Therefore, he was slowly shaving away at Present Order¡¯s HP due to their incredible defensive stats. "This is..." Sinking Clouds was speechless as he watched the ongoing battle. What was thatbat master doing? Was he really nning on fighting against his brother without using any weapons? "Stay still!" Present Order yelled in anger as he swung his greatsword around in a wild manner. By this point, he had be extremely frustrated as he was unable to strike Izroth a single time. To make matters even worse, he was being assaulted with nothing but basic fist attacks after Izroth¡¯s first two moves against him. As time passed by, Present Order¡¯s facial expression darkened as he was ovee by rage. The woman he was trying to impress was watching this disgraceful performance. How could he not feel humiliated? His HP was slowly dropping down and had already decreased to around 5,000. How could it be possible that some piece of trashbat master was able to reduce him to such a state? Present Order believed that Izroth had to be cheating somehow or had some unknown item that could exin the current situation. However, Present Order refused to sit back and allow himself to be freely humiliated in front of Mirage. Present Order removed a paper talisman from his inventory and in the next moment, the paper talisman started to disintegrate. A bright light was released from the talisman and washed over Izroth without warning. ¡¯Oh? So that¡¯s a talisman. It¡¯s my first timeing across one.¡¯ Present Order smiled gleefully as his little surprise was sessful! However, there was a part of him that was a bit depressed at having to waste such a valuable item. But, when he thought about the x100 Five Cycles Pills that awaited him after he won this duel, he felt more reassured about using it. It took him a good amount of RMB to obtain the Immobilization Talisman. After all, it was a rare quality talisman that was not easy toe by and required a top-level Alchemist to make. At the moment, Alchemist was one of the most popr sses within RML, however, there was still only a handful of people that had unlocked the rare side ability to create talismans. Not to even mention rare quality talismans. Name: Immobilization Talisman(Rare) Usage: This talisman immobilizes all targets for 1.2 seconds within 5 meters from the user¡¯s location, preventing them from moving. Cooldown: 1 Minute "That guy...!" Mirage was taken aback. Now Izroth was in serious trouble! She did not expect for Present Order to go so far and pull such a dirty hidden card. There was an unspoken rule about using those kinds of items in a PVP duel. Izroth was unable to move a single muscle as Present Order did not waste any time and used one of his strongest offensive skills to attack with. A red aura appeared around Present Order¡¯s greatsword as he lifted it above his head before bringing it down in full force, aimed directly for Izroth¡¯s head. He wanted to end it with a single blow! Present Order had a look of victory on his face. Did he care about some silly unspoken rules? Of course, he didn¡¯t! He would use whatever means necessary to win. Woosh! "It¡¯s over." Sinking Clouds said with a smirk on his face. He knew that his brother would not allow himself to lose so easily. It must have been all a part of his n to give Izroth some hope before snatching it away at thest moment. His brother truly understood how to put on a good show! All of a sudden, Present Order felt his body bing heavier and heavier with each and every little move he made. Before he couldprehend what was going on, he was engulfed by a strange yet beautiful crystal. A few momentster, a crystalized statue of Present Order in the middle of an attacking motion appeared on the battlefield. His greatsword was just mere centimeters away from making contact with Izroth¡¯s head. The effects of the Immobilization Talisman ran out and Izroth could finally move again. Present Order tried to struggle free from the Crystallization skill Izroth used, however, it was like trying to swim through a pool filled with lead. Overbearing and terrifying energy gathered around Izroth¡¯s right hand. If one looked closely, they could see the illusion of a sword hidden away behind the aura. Azalea narrowed her eyes as he observed Izroth¡¯s movements closely. The skill he was currently using felt simr to the one he used against her at the end of their battle. Izroth slowly stepped to the side and released the Crystallization skill. Woosh! Present Order¡¯s greatsword continued on its attack path as he was unable to cancel the skill midway through. However, this left him wide open to Izroth¡¯s attack. Crash! Present Order¡¯s greatsword crashed into the ground and caused the surrounding couple of meters to slightly tremble as the attack created a decent sized hole in the ground where it made contact. But, in the next moment, Present Order saw everything around him turn gray as his HP fell down rapidly before stopping at 1. Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction was just as deadly without using a sword thanks to its special effect. There was no way for Present Order to avoid the attack and Izroth dealt over 5,000 damage with a single wave of his hand! Present Order was in aplete state of disbelief. He could not believe what just happened. He refused to believe what had just happened! However, the realization hit him when the system alert sounded off in his ears. ¡´System Alert: Duel has ended! yer Izroth has defeated yer Present Order!¡µ "If I remember your words correctly, you said that the winner can choose the fate of the loser. I hope you have not forgotten your promise." Izroth said using Present Order¡¯s own words against him as he raised his hand up into the air. "Brother! You dare!" Sinking Clouds erupted in anger as he pointed his staff towards Izroth and began to cast a spell. "Wu Zemin, you dare interfere?!" Mirage was just about to try and talk to Izroth to see if there was a way to spare Present Order. After all, even though she strongly disliked him, he was still the son of her father¡¯s close friend. Also, she knew how long he was capable of holding grudges. However, before she could even try to resolve the issue, Sinking Clouds was ready to attack Izroth! How could she even bother justifying anything if promises weren¡¯t kept? Woosh! The next moment, three magic missiles flew directly towards Izroth from Sinking Clouds¡¯ staff. Chapter 211 Humiliating Loss Sinking Clouds was able to cast all three magic missiles without any cast time as they whistled through the air towards Izroth. Izroth reacted immediately and kicked off the heel of his foot,unching himself backward and out of the way of the magic missiles. Woosh! Boom! The magic missiles struck the ground where Izroth had stood just moments ago. However, Sinking Clouds attack did not stop there. He was charging the next part of his attack, a magic sphere of mana with sparks of energy flying around it. But, before Sinking Clouds could even get the attack off sessfully, he felt his entire body freeze in ce. The second part of his skill that was in the middle of being cast was suddenly interrupted. Although Sinking Clouds was unable to move, he was still able to adjust his eyesight to the location Azalea was standing, or at least the ce she was supposed to be standing. When his sight fell upon that location, he saw that the masked girl was no longer there and had vanished. A part of him panicked, however, he felt somewhat reassured since he took certain precautions and activated his Mana Barrier beforehand. He knew that something like this had a high chance of happening, however, he could not just sit by and watch his brother suffer any further humiliation! "You wouldunch such a despicable surprise attack?" Azalea said with a darkened facial expression. While Azalea was not worried that Izroth would be unable to handle the attack, she felt as though she had let her guard down. She was so absorbed in watching Izroth¡¯s movements closely and observing the way he fought, that she failed to realize what Sinking Clouds was up to until he had already shot off his first attack. How could she have allowed her attention to wander off like that? Azalea red at Sinking Clouds with a cold look in her eyes. She drew her arm back and shed in one swift motion with her dagger, aiming it towards the nape of Sinking Clouds¡¯ neck. Bang! "Wait a sec, there¡¯s no need to continue fighting! Both of you, what¡¯s done is done!" Mirage said with quickened words as her fist had met with Azalea¡¯s dagger. Azalea was inwardly shocked. How fast were her attacks? Even without the Dance of Phantoms activated, her speed was still incredibly frightening. Not to mention the fact that Mirage was standing close to Luna just as she was a moment ago. Whatever skill Mirage used to close the distance so fast was definitely at least a B-ranked skill! There was even the possibility of it being an A-ranked skill. Azalea stared at Mirage and said in a cold tone of voice, "You¡¯re in the way, move." "We can still talk about this!" Mirage said as she furrowed her brows. Thest thing she wanted was for everyone to start killing each other. She could not help but me herself for not being more assertive in her standing. She should have never allowed Present Order to go through with the fight. Unfortunately, she could not simply abandon Present Order and Sinking Clouds even if they were in the wrong. She still believed that things could be settled in a more peaceful manner. "Would you have interfered if the roles had been reversed? Hypocrite...!" Azalea said as she reached behind her back and three throwing stars appeared in between her fingers. She brought her arm around to her side and with a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the throwing stars at Mirage forcing her to retreat. "Yes, I would have! I believe a person is only as good as their word. However, it still doesn¡¯t hurt to try and talk things out. Wu Zemin was wrong for his actions, I¡¯ll admit that but-" Mirage said as she adjusted her positioning and leaped back, but as she was in midair, Azalea appeared behind her with both daggers in hand. "Enough words, if you want to interfere then you can die as well." Azalea said as she swept her daggers across Mirage¡¯s back, striking her twice in quick session. Azalea was just about to follow up with a second wave of attacks until she saw small crackles of electricity forming around Mirage¡¯s body and right after that urred, a bolt of lightning crashed into the area she was just in. Mirage was bing increasingly frustrated as she tried to reason with Azalea. Her words seemed to be going in one ear and out the other. But, a small part of her understood why Azalea would be furious and why she chose to call her a hypocrite. It was difficult for two people who had just met to understand one another, therefore, Azalea would not believe a single word she said. At this point, Azalea would only respond to one thing, action! After Mirage was struck by Azalea¡¯s daggers, a current of electricity flowed throughout her body. A few momentster, small sparks of electricity could be seen jumping around within her eyes. In the next instant, shes of electricity continuously formed and jumped all around Mirage¡¯s figure. Her eyes had turned slightly golden in color and the strongest concentrate of electricity formed around her fists. Her ss was the same as Luna¡¯s friend Su Cui, an Elemental Fist. However, Su Cui¡¯s fire element was one of the fourmon elements avable for that ss. with the other three being water, wind, and earth. But, there were also hidden elements avable that required a yer toplete a set of unique tasks in order to acquire it. One of those hidden elements was lightning. "Heh, nice assist Tian Suyinrong! I¡¯ll focus on helping-" Sinking Clouds was just about to thank Mirage, however, he was met with a death re. "You- If you cause any more trouble than you already have then I won¡¯t stop her a second time!" Mirage snapped back. With the lightning surrounding her body, Mirage looked like a thunder goddess ready to strike down harsh judgment amongst her foes. Sinking Clouds was confused by Mirage¡¯s words. She had just helped him fend off an attack and now she was saying that she would let him be attacked? Wasn¡¯t she on the same side as him and his brother? Not long after she spoke, Mirage and Azalea became locked in an intense battle. To those observing, it was clear that Azalea had the upper hand and she was still overwhelming Mirage despite the activation of that lightning-based skill. However, even though Azalea held the advantage, Mirage was still able to stand her ground against assault much better than most others Azalea had faced before, excluding Izroth of course. Even with Mirage¡¯s warning, Sinking Clouds was still not going to just sit back and watch. He started to cast yet another spell, however, before he could finish casting the spell he felt a strong force m into him. "Halt." Luna¡¯s voice echoed across the battlefield and her voice magic not only effected Sinking Clouds, but it also prevented Azalea and Mirage from taking any further actions. With one simple word, Luna had pacified the entire situation at hand! Azalea, who came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the fight, was caught off guard by Luna taking action. In all honesty, she did not see Luna as anything but a normal healer. She secretly wondered why someone with Izroth¡¯s level of skill and ability would hang around a simple healer. Even if Luna did have a unique race, she did not show any promising abilities. However, it would appear that Azalea had made one of the biggest mistakes a yer like her could make, and that was underestimating someone. Besides, how could someone she called her teacher keep mediocrepany in the first ce? Azalea was not the only one who was shocked. Mirage and Sinking Clouds were simrly baffled. How was it that a healer was able to use an AOE crowd control ability? Luna was thest person they expected to stop the fight between them. But, there was nothing any of them could do for the time being since Luna she did n on attacking and releasing them from their current state. "You can all stay still for a little while." Luna said as she then turned her attention back towards Izroth and Present Order. "I lost...?" Present Order muttered to himself. He was still in a state of disbelief and did not even pay attention to any of the chaos that was going on around him a few moments ago. How could he lose to someone with thebat master ss? Moreover, he had beenpletely toyed with and humiliated in front of thest person he wanted to witnessed such a pathetic disy. As for Izroth, after he evaded the three magic missiles from Sinking Clouds, he arrived away three meters away from Present Order. Until just recently, he was simply standing still and observing the fight between Azalea and Mirage. ¡¯Oh? It looks like her voice magic is even stronger than the time she used it back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡¯ As for as he was concerned, Sinking Clouds posed no threat to him with his chaotic spellcasting skills. He was far off from someone like Valentine who practiced near perfect execution of his spells and their correct timing andbinations. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame. I would have liked to see a little more of her fighting style.¡¯ Izroth was unsure if Mirage had been purposely hiding her true skill level, however, he could tell that she was quite the skilled yer. Of course, she was no match for someone of Azalea¡¯s level, but she could definitely hold her own against the likes of someone like Guan Yu in a direct battle from the looks of it. As Izroth was pondering a few things here and there, Present Order lifted his head up from staring at the ground and saw that Izroth had his back turned to him. At that moment, it was like something snapped in Present Order¡¯s mind. How dare he turn his back on me?! Does this piece of trash know who I am? Does he know who my father is?! I am Fu Chun, how dare he be so arrogant! Those were the type of thoughts that flooded and rushed through Present Order¡¯s mind as he gripped the greatsword still within his hands. Even though he had lost his entire set of equipment, he still kept his greatsword since it was not a part of the set. He took this opportunity with Izroth¡¯s back turned to him tounch one final assault! He was determined to kill Izroth where he stood! "Die!" Present Order yelled as his greatsword descended towards Izroth. "Fool." Izroth said as he easily sidestepped Present Order¡¯s greatsword. Not only was Present Order not discreet, he even had the nerve to yell out as heunched a surprise attack. If he was not a fool, then what was he? Izroth¡¯s hand sped towards Present Order, however, his hand was not shaped into a pam nor a fist. Instead, Izroth rested his middle finger onto his thumb and flicked Present Order directly on the forehead. Bang! Izroth¡¯s attack was infused with 10% of his Essence. That simple flick that looked as if it would be unable to harm even a fly, tapped against Present Order¡¯s forehead and caused his entire head to violently jerk backward. Since the duel itself had already ended and Present Order was on 1 HP, there was no chance of him surviving the attack. His body started to dissipate into countless particles as he stared at Izroth with a death re. "This isn¡¯t over! Don¡¯t think just because you¡¯ve managed to beat me within RML, that you¡¯ll ever have peace! I¡¯ll find you, even if I have to haunt you all the way to reality and when I do, I¡¯ll destroy you! You low ss piece of trash!" Present Order said just as he finished dissipating. nk! The greatsword that Present Order was using dropped to the ground following his death. Just when his fortunate looked as if it could not get any worse, it did! ¡¯Looks like I¡¯ve been gifted a small bonus.¡¯ Izroth picked up Present Order¡¯s greatsword and tossed it into his inventory. As for Present Order¡¯s threats, he was not worried in the slightest. If he really did try anything, there would not be a day that goes by when he did not regret his decision. Besides, he would not allow his status in the real world to stay at its current level forever. ¡¯Now, what should I do about this little mess?¡¯ Now that he had finished dealing with Present Order, Izroth turned his attention towards Azalea, Mirage, and Sinking Clouds who were all still frozen in ce by Luna¡¯s voice magic. Chapter 212 Blazing Temple Izroth inwardly shook his head as he looked over at the bizarre poses each person was frozen in. In a way, he found it to be an amusing sight to take in. "Congrattions on your victory." Luna said with a delightful smile on her face as she approached Izroth. Izroth gave a lighthearted smile in return and replied, "Just a small matter, nothing worth mentioning." Izroth¡¯s response only further infuriated Sinking Clouds, however, he controlled his anger and took a moment to think things through. Present Order had already been killed and there was no changing that regardless of what he did. As for Mirage, it appeared that she was reluctant to fight until the bitter end. Therefore, Sinking Clouds could see that the odds were stacked against him at one versus three. A moment ago he was acting on pure rage without thinking of his actions or their consequences. However, now that Sinking Clouds had some time to think while being locked in ce, he began to rationalize the situation. There were only two options for him at this point. The first was to attack and ultimately die without aplishing anything. The second was to no longer put up a fight and retreat. A few momentster, the effect of Luna¡¯s voice magic wore off and everyone could finally move again. As soon as that happened, Azalea immediately resumed her fighting stance which prompted a proper response from Mirage, causing her to take on an offensive stance. "If the two of you insist on fighting I won¡¯t try to stop you. However, I have no ns of sticking around until the end. After all, my reason foring here resides within the zing Temple itself." Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. Azalea narrowed her eyes and red at Mirage. Mirage met Azalea¡¯s re with one of her own. It was clear that she would not allow herself to be a pushover. "Hmph, you should consider this your good fortune." Azalea said in an icy cold tone of voice as she returned both of her daggers to their sheaths. She walked right past Mirage to rejoin Izroth and Luna, however, she stopped right next to Mirage on her way over and said, "The next time you decide to block my path, I will show you what happens to those I call my enemies." "Bah, who¡¯s scared of you?!" Mirage responded as she turned her head away. In truth, fighting against Azalea was one of the most terrifying experiences she had faced within RML. If she had a choice, she would rather not do so a second time. But, she would never let Azalea have the satisfaction of knowing that. Azalea arrived next to Izroth and Luna. The first thing she did was set her gaze upon Luna. It was as if she were trying to dissect Luna with her eyes and see exactly who she truly was beneath that exterior appearance. "My apologies for targeting you with my skill as well, Wraith. However, it was a necessary action." Luna said in a straight forward way. "I hold no grudge against you. Also, you may call me Azalea." Azalea said in a nonchnt manner. Luna was taken aback at first. After all, Azalea had made it very clear when she said that only Izroth could call her by that name. But, in the end, Luna chose not to look too much into it and instead gave a small nod and smiled in return. "What will you do?" Luna asked Izroth as she looked over at Mirage and then towards Sinking Clouds. "I¡¯ve just received a full set of equipment, so I¡¯m quite content at the moment. However, if he wishes to fight, I would be willing to make yet another wager." Izroth said as he set his gaze on Sinking Clouds. Sinking Clouds facial expression turned extremely ugly when he heard Izroth¡¯s words. He wanted to say something, however, he was afraid that if he said the wrong thing, he would end up the same way as Present Order. He was unwilling to risk giving Izroth even one more item to add to his collection. Sinking Clouds gritted his teeth as he said, "I have no intentions of fighting you... Furthermore, my hand slipped with my earlier attack, I hope that you can overlook this small matter so that I can be on my way." His hand slipped? As if anyone would believe such an excuse! If this were some other MMORPG such a thing might be remotely believable, but this was RML! One¡¯s hand did not simply slip. There was also the matter of him trying tounch a second attack. So what, did his hand just magically slip two times in a row? Unlikely! Azalea had a look of disgust in her eyes as she listened to Sinking Clouds speak. He was literally lying through his teeth in front of them! "If you have nothing to wager, then I won¡¯t bother wasting my time pursuing the matter. However, if you wish to continue pursuing this matter once you¡¯ve found something to wager, I¡¯m sure I can find the time for a friendly bet." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "Hmph... Tian Suyinrong, let¡¯s leave this ce!" Sinking Clouds said as he removed a high quality looking scroll from his inventory. "Not going!" Mirage said as she folded her arms and ignored Sinking Clouds words. "What are you saying?! Do you really intend to stay with these-!" Sinking Clouds wanted to protest, but before he couldplete what he wanted to say, Mirage cut him off. "If I said I¡¯m not going, then I¡¯m not going! I came here to explore and that¡¯s exactly what I intend to do! With or without a Fire Spirit." Mirage said stubbornly. She knew that after her most recent actions, there was a good chance that she would not be weed back into Izroth¡¯s party. However, she was still willing to take on the risk. "You-! Fine, do whatever you want! Just remember, you¡¯re my brother¡¯s woman!" Sinking Clouds said as he opened the scroll in his hands and tore it in half. He was engulfed by a tremendous wave of magic energy. However, this magic energy was not like most others and distorted the surrounding space. ¡¯This is... Spatial magic?¡¯ Thanks to his Spatial Awareness passive, Izroth could clearly see the surrounding space being manipted the moment Sinking Clouds tore the scroll into two pieces. Mirage scoffed and angrily stomped her foot as she responded, "I¡¯m no one¡¯s woman! I¡¯ll do as I please with who I please!" Sinking Clouds was covered with a bright light and around ten seconds after he tore the scroll, he had vanished into thin air! ¡¯Of course, the Returning Scroll. With everything that¡¯s been going ontely, it managed to escape me. I¡¯ll have to look into purchasing a few when I return.¡¯ Sinking Clouds used an item called a Returning Scroll. At the moment, a single Returning Scroll cost around 100 gold coins which was approximately 78,000 RMB with the current exchange rate. It was definitely not something the average yer could afford the luxury of using. The scroll Sinking Clouds used was specifically designed to return the user to the nearest Amaharpe vige or town. It was definitely a useful item to have if one was able to acquire it. yers were only able to purchase a limited number of Returning Scrolls per day and the cooldown timer on the scrolls were 24 hours. Therefore, it was only possible to use three times a day with the current game time ratio. After Sinking Clouds took his leave, the only four remaining were Izroth, Luna, Azalea, and Mirage. There was a long silence for a few moments until Mirage chose to break it herself. "I won¡¯t apologize for my actions. Ultimately, I had hoped that everyone could learn to get along in the end, but those guys are far from being the two easiest people to get along with. However, I hope that your rtionship with them won¡¯t affect the way you think of me. I¡¯d like it if we could all remain in a party together since I was just getting to know you, but I understand if you wish to part ways here." Mirage said as she spoke her mind freely. Izroth did not me Mirage for her actions. She wanted a peaceful solution and tried to achieve it even though she was at a clear disadvantage. In a way, Izroth respected her level of resolve in the matter. After all, not many people were willing to face an unfavorable situation for the sake of a peaceful solution, even if things failed to turn out the way she had expected it to. "Your actions are your own, just as their actions belonged to them. I will not condemn you based upon the actions of others. You are, of course, still wee to join us." Izroth responded. Mirage let out a small sigh of relief. To bepletely honest, she found adventuring alone to be a dull task. To her, it was much more interesting to have others along to share the experience with, therefore, she was grateful that Izroth did not take offense. Also, Mirage could not remember thest time she met a man that did not attempt to get close to her with some hidden agenda due to her family¡¯s standing, as well as, her naturally beautiful appearance. It was a refreshing experience for her to say the least. After all, she wasn¡¯t exactly the kind of woman who had "girlfriends" that she hung out with. Izroth reformed the party and after everyone was in, he turned his attention towards the ancient and deste temple before them. The opening to the zing Temple was only around forty meters in front of them. There was arge and faceless dragon that sat perched on top of the temple. One could tell that the dragon itself was once a mighty figure that ruled over its own domain. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he began to make his way towards the entrance and into the zing Temple as the others followed after him. There was space left between the Lava Beast and since they did not have to worry about the wildfires, Izroth and his party were able to avoid useless fights. In the end, level 30-33 normal monsters like the Lava Beast was not exactly a good source of experience for a party of their level range. A few momentster, Izroth stepped through the entrance of the grand temple and was met with an intense wave of searing heat. ¡´System Alert: You have been protected by the skill ?Protection of The Fire Spirit?.¡µ "This seems like the perfect ce for someone to get a decent tan!" Mirage said jokingly as she felt the heat wave wash over her. She decided not to linger on the previous issues and return to being her normal self. "It¡¯s a good thing we ran into those yers and obtained a Fire Spirit. There¡¯s no telling how harsh the conditions in this ce would be without it." Lunamented as she took in the new sight before her. There was a broad pathway that led deeper into the temple with two pools ofva residing on each side of it. One could see the magma bubbling on the surface and the smell itself was like that of fire and brimstone. It was far from being pleasant, especially for yers like Izroth and Luna who had taken the Five Cycles Pills. However, the smell was not a bother for Izroth since he had been around much worse. As for Luna, she had turned down her smell settings even before she took a Five Cycles Pill due to some previous unfortunate circumstances. Azalea and Mirage adjusted their smell settings so that it would at a tolerable level. Izroth led the way as he walked down the pathway and remained alert. He could see clear movements from the creatures swimming within theva as if they were fish in water. ¡¯ording to the information I received from He Huian, I should be able to obtain a higher grade fire core from somewhere within this temple. As for those other rumors she mentioned, only luck will decide if I¡¯m able to verify it or not.¡¯ Chapter 213 Paying A Visi As Izroth and his party made their way across the broad pathway, every few moments an intense wave of heat would pass over them. There were also random spurts of mes that jumped out from theva in their direction, however, the mes always avoided them and simplynded inside of theva pool on the opposite side. "I know it¡¯s an unspoken rule not to ask about one¡¯s life in the real world, but I¡¯m curious. Do you train in any martial arts in the real world?" Mirage asked with the target of her inquiry being Izroth. Luna and Azalea ears perked up when they heard the question Mirage asked. They too were curious as to what it was that Izroth did in real life that made hisbat prowess within RML so fierce. In their minds, he had to be some kind of professional martial arts practitioner or maybe even had some kind of special forces training. Of course, these were just wild guesses that drifted through their minds. As for asking Izroth about details regarding his personal life, as Mirage said, it was an unspoken rule and could even be considered as being invasive or rude to ask someone about their personal life online. But, this did not stop them from being curious about the answer itself. "I suppose you could say I¡¯ve dabbled a bit in martial arts." Izroth responded. It was not entirely true or false that he trained in martial arts. In a sense, a cultivator¡¯s true strength did note solely from their ability to fight, but rather their ability toprehend that which eludes others. While heavenlyws and physiques could be considered a higher form of martial arts, in the end, the core difference between the two was like that of night and day. In simple words, there was an ancient saying back in the Seven Realms that goes, "Martial artists reach for the heavens, while cultivators reach pass by heavens." "I knew it! What were you using back there during that fight? At first, I thought it was just simple boxing, but when you used your legs it made me think of a more overall MMA style of fighting. You know when I..." Mirage began to go on an entire rant about the subject at hand. As Mirage was talking, Izroth noticed that theva pools had started to form more bubbles on its surface. All of a sudden, the temple shook violently as theva pools were now boiling as if it were a pot of water. Not too long after, the broad pathway that Izroth and his party walked on began to be invaded by theva. "What¡¯s going on?" Mirage said as she had to abruptly keep her bnce at the moment the temple shook. It felt as though an earthquake was about to ur and theva itself grew restless and wanted to escape the confines of the pools. The once broad pathway was now bing narrower and filled with magma as each second passed by. ¡¯Strange, it almost seems as if theva has a mind of its own.¡¯ "It appears we¡¯ll have to pick up our pace." Izroth said as he hastened his steps. There was something odd about theva, but he was unable to pick his finger on it. There was always the chance that he was simply overthinking the matter, however, there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind. A few momentster, Izroth arrived at the end of the pathway with his party. When he turned back to observe what was happening, Izroth saw that theva hadpletely consumed the pathway. However, around five secondster the magma started to retreat back into the pools and the violent shaking stopped. A couple of seconds after that, everything seemed to return to the way it was before. Luna furrowed her brows with a slightly troubled look on her face as if something was bothering her. "Is something on your mind?" Izroth asked when he noticed Luna¡¯s troubled expression. Luna shook her head and said, "It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s something that will resolve itself with time." Izroth gave a small nod in response before he shifted his focus towards an opening that led into a spacious room. It was currently being guarded by two Lava Beast, one at each side of the entrance. It did not take long for them to eliminate the two Lava Beast and proceed into the next room. Before Izroth and his party even set a single foot into the room, they could feel the heat waves intensifying. Fortunately, the Fire Spirit continued to protect them without any problems. But, even the Fire Spirit could not get rid of the natural difort that came from the heat waves which actually led to a Willpower Check by the system. Of course, everyone passed the check with ease. "So hot!" Mirage said with a frown on her face. She did not mind a good bit of heat since she was used to it, however, it was beginning to reach a level of irritation. "Indeed, if it continues to increase the further we go into the temple, I¡¯m not sure if the Fire Spirit alone will be enough to protect us. It seems we¡¯ll have to rely on our own willpower as well." Luna stated. "Then, I suppose we¡¯ll see just how far our own willpower can take us." Izroth said in a carefree manner. He started to make his way towards a corridor that led out of this room and most likely deeper into the zing Temple itself. However, there were many Lava Beast scattered around and roaming the room. There was no choice but to clear a path to the corridor. Izroth and his party began to sweep through Lava Beast with ease. ... Meanwhile back in Amaharpe... Mariposa massaged the temples on her head and released a long sigh. At the moment, she had a tired expression on her face as if she had not gotten any proper rest over the past few days. "He Huian, can you say that again?" Mariposa asked. "I know it¡¯s not the answer you need at this time, but the truth of the matter is that they just won¡¯t budge no matter how much above the market price we¡¯re willing to pay." He Huian said in a low and soft tone of voice. "Maybe I should just send Valkyria to have a talk with them." Mariposa said to herself. "Please refrain from making my job any more difficult than it already is, guild leader." He Huian said as she emphasized the words "guild leader" as if to remind Mariposa of her own position. Mariposa shot up to her feet and said, "Fine! If they want to y it that way then we¡¯ll y it that way too! Come, I¡¯ll go along with you personally this time! Let¡¯s see if they dare turn me away!" Mariposa had a fierce look in her eyes at the moment. "Y-Yes." He Huian said in a startled manner as she was surprised by Mariposa¡¯s sudden outburst. "Let¡¯s go!" Mariposa said as she left the temporary headquarters of Sleeping Gardenia along with He Huian. Around fifteen minutester, Mariposa and He Huian arrived outside of a building very much like their own temporary headquarters. However, this building was much smaller inparison. "Permissions?" Mariposa said as she turned to He Huian. "Open to the public." He Huian responded. "Good." Mariposa gave a small nod before opening the door and entering into the building along with He Huian. There was a long table at the center of the room and a dozen yers that were discussing various matters. "The price of the Higlosa Flower has dropped by 10.5% in less than a day! I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s useless!" "Useless? Are you forgetting about what happened to the Silver Albatross Feather? It dropped by 20% the very first day after it was put in the auction house and then what? It more than tripled in price two dayster!" "Bah, both of you are wrong! The future is definitely in raw and refined ores. A yer will always need better gear and cksmiths will always need ore to craft better equipment. It¡¯s a market with boundless potential." "See? This is how they¡¯ve been ever since I first visited this ce. However, every time I try to start a conversation..." He Huian said as she approached one of the yers at the table to give them a friendly greeting. However, before she could even finish her sentence she was cut off. "You¡¯re back here again? We¡¯ve already told you it¡¯s impossible. What¡¯s impossible is impossible so it can¡¯t be done that¡¯s simple logic! We simply don¡¯t have any time for such a nonsensical agreement." One of the yers who was called Masterworks said. "Then make time!" Mariposa said with a strong level of authority present in her voice. In truth, she was already busy enough as it is and now she had toe down here to personally deal with this matter. However, there was only one reason why she would even bother paying a personal visit to this group of yers. A dozen yers who were all so talkative just moments ago went silent and focused their attention on the newest arrival. "Ah, guild master Mariposa of Sleeping Gardenia, you honor us with your presence. Come,e, what can we do for you today?" Masterworks said as he stood to his feet with arge and friendly business smile on his face and his hands sped together. It was well known that the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia was incredibly wealthy, therefore, she was a customer who could provide a great amount of profit. Not only that but as one of the top ten guilds within RML, Mariposa held a high level of influence and power. For people like Masterworks, he could always use more friends with more power and influence any day. "Alright, I¡¯m not here for your legendary hospitality. I¡¯vee to talk about the resources He Huian requested from your consortium. Are you not the major suppliers of the Jugris Leaf and Violent Lotus Seeds?" "Yes, of course, we are. However, you must understand the amount you¡¯re asking for is a bit-" Masterworks tried to exin, but he was cut off by Mariposa. "I don¡¯t need to hear excuses, do you have it or not?!" Mariposa said without giving him any room to spin a web of pretty words just to dy the ultimate answer. Masterworks furrowed his brows and responded, "To be honest, yes, we do have the amount you¡¯re asking for. However, I am afraid we cannot simply sell you our entire supply in one go. Surely you can understand our predicament from a business perspective?" "You have what I want and I intend to buy it. Will you deny me face?" Mariposa said as she set her gaze upon Masterworks. Masterworks gave a helpless expression. He did not want to be the one who offended the guild leader of a top guild. He grew silent as the atmosphere in the room became heavy and tense. However, a few momentster, a yer at the head of the table began tough which caused everyone to look over in his direction. "Is something funny?" Masterworks asked with a gloomy expression on his face. "No, nothing at all. I¡¯m just amazed at by how much of a fool you are. The rumors may escape your ears, but they never escape mine." The yer at the end of the table stood up to approach Mariposa. Mariposa frowned and asked, "And who are you supposed to be?" "I¡¯ve been waiting for you toe here personally, guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia. Jugris Leaf and Violent Lotus Seeds, is it? Quantity is not a problem for me, however, I do have a single condition before I sell to you." The yer said. "Oh? What might that be?" Mariposa asked as she narrowed her eyes. "It¡¯s simple really. I just want to be friends, that¡¯s all." The yer who spoke was someone who Izroth would recognize immediately if he were there at the moment. It was surprisingly Metronome! Chapter 214 The Seven Dreams Consortium Mariposa scoffed, "Friends? I suppose next as a show of good faith you¡¯ll want to give me everything for free. Then maybe we can go on a pic inside the Towering Oak Forest." It was obvious that Mariposa did not believe Metronome¡¯s words. There was only one rule that was carved in stone for those of the Seven Dreams Consortium and that was "Profit above all else." The Seven Dreams Consortium always had a strong presence in the gamingmunity as a behemoth when it came to getting their hands on something you wanted or needed. However, their presence within RML was even more terrifying than that of the other games they¡¯ve yed. It would not be an understatement to say that the Seven Dreams Consortium had control over the majority of umon and rare items that were put up for sale in the auction house. Of course, this did not include rare items gathered by the top guilds themselves. The major difference between a top guild and the ream Seven Dreams Consortium were their goals and what they hoped to aplish. A top guild¡¯s goal was to be the strongest within RML through theirbat prowess. But, for those of the Seven Dreams Consortium, their goal was to simply earn and acquire as much as possible. The eleven yers at the head of the Seven Dreams Consortium who made all the major decision were a group of yers known as The Administrators. Or at least, there should have only been eleven yers ording to Mariposa¡¯s most recent information about them. That was the main reason she brushed off Metronome¡¯sment and called his identity into question. "If you make such a sincere offer, I¡¯ll be hard-pressed to refuse your kindness. Though if you insist on a pic, I prefer sandwiches over steamed buns." Metronome responded with a straight face. He knew that he had the advantage in this situation where he knew about Mariposa, while she knew nothing of him. This automatically gave him the upper hand. "Metronome, you should watch yourself!" Masterworks snapped as he red in Metronome¡¯s direction. Mariposa was a valued VIP customer that demanded a certain level of respect. If she took offense to what Metronome said and decided not to do business with them anymore, they could potentially lose a huge amount of profit! That was uneptable! Masterworks turned back towards Mariposa with a smile on his face and said, "You¡¯ll have to forgive him, he¡¯s still new to The Administrators and he isn¡¯t quite yet familiar with someone of your stature. Please, why don¡¯t we sit an discuss this matter so that we can both have a better understanding." Mariposa ignored Masterworks and kept her gaze locked onto Metronome and started to size him up. Now she knew why he seemed like an unfamiliar face, he had just joined The Administrators! What threw Mariposa off was the fact that she was unable to read Metronome as easily as she could others. Usually, she had a pretty good idea of who a person truly was the first few moments after they met. However, there was this thin veil that was ced around Metronome that let others look right through him and yet pass him at the same time. It was a strange feeling for someone like her. "You should know that I¡¯m looking for 2,000 Jugris Leafs and 4,000 Violent Lotus Seeds. Can you truly provide such an amount by yourself? After all, it looks like your Seven Dreams Consortium has no intentions of meeting my demands. All they can do is talk in circles!" Mariposa said. "Of course, it will be a private matter between me and the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, therefore, there will be no need to get the Consortium involved. It is a risk I will take alone. Though my original requirements still stands. I wish to be friends." Metronome responded. Mariposa furrowed her brows. It troubled her that Metronome insisted on that requirement. Why did he want to be friends with her so badly? Her status? Money? Beauty? A favor? There were too many unknowns. However, she did not have the luxury to turn down his offer. If she failed to show Izroth her guild¡¯s ability to get things done, then he may wander off to another guild at some point. That was a risk she was unwilling to take even if Izroth already gave his word on the matter. "If guild master Mariposa doesn¡¯t mind, I would like to discuss the matter in private." Metronome said as he made a gesture towards a room in the back. The room was no bigger than a small office space, however, it was spacious enough to serve as a temporary private room when people came in with sensitive matters to discuss. Mariposa nodded and replied, "Very well, but if you waste my time with nonsense and there¡¯s nothing to show from our talks, then don¡¯t me me for being impolite. He Huian,e with us." Metronome, Mariposa, and He Huian stepped into the private room and closed the door behind them. Those who were outside of the room would be unable to hear the conversation going on inside. "First off, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Metronome, the twelfth administrator. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I wonder if you¡¯ll entertain me with the reason for your needing such a massive quantity of Jugris Leafs and Violent Lotus Seeds." Metronome said. He then continued, "I don¡¯t have to tell you that both items are of umon quality used mainly in pill crafting by apothecaries. While a few hundred would not be an issue, the amount you¡¯re asking for is in the thousands." "It¡¯s a need of my guild, that¡¯s all the information you need to know." Mariposa replied without hesitation. Even though Izroth had made it clear that he did not mind if they revealed his identity, Mariposa wanted to keep it under wrap until at least the opening of his shop. Therefore, she felt that she had no need to indulge Metronome¡¯s curiosity. Metronome shook his head and said, "Come now, this is not the way friends should speak to one another. In fact, shall I tell you a little interesting story? You see, I personally delivered two of the same items to a yer earlier today. He also requested some Jugris Leafs and Violent Lotus Seeds. Of course, the amount he asked for was much smaller byparison." "What does that have to do with us?" Mariposa asked with a frown. "Oh? I would assume it has everything to do with you. After all, I believe it¡¯s someone you¡¯re already well acquainted with. Another interesting point to notice is the sudden absence of Five Cycles Pills in the auction house. I¡¯ve heard from certain sources that Sleeping Gardenia has recentlye into ownership of quite a few Five Cycles Pills. So tell me, does the name Izroth ring any bells?" Metronome said as he observed Mariposa¡¯s and He Huian¡¯s reactions. Mariposa narrowed her eyes as a serious expression appeared on her face. As for He Huian, she revealed a brief moment of shock, but she managed to conceal it quickly. However, Metronome had already gathered all the information he needed from those short reactions. "It¡¯s true that I do know someone by the name of Izroth. In fact, he and my younger sister are quite good friends with one another. However, I still fail to see what that has to do with our current conversation. It¡¯s not umon for people to purchase the same items and it certainly is far from the mystery you¡¯re making it out to be. As for my methods of obtaining Five Cycles Pills, I have to say you¡¯re quite well informed of my guild¡¯s internal matters." Mariposa said calmly. "I have eyes and ears everywhere. It pays to be well informed of arge variety of matters. Also, friends are honest with each other, you know? The rtionship I¡¯m speaking of is the one between the Pill Emperor and Sleeping Gardenia." Metronome said in a straight forward manner. Both Mariposa and He Huian kept a straight face, however, they were inwardly shocked when they heard Metronome¡¯s words. How was it that he figured out the truth? Or maybe he still did not truly know and was only waiting for them to confirm his suspicions? However, the more Mariposa thought about it, the more she believed that it was useless to continue hiding the matter. Mariposa sighed and said, "Judging from the other members of The Administratorsck of interest, I assume you have not yet disclosed this information to any of them, right?" "I¡¯m d you¡¯ve decided to speak freely. You are correct. At the moment, I am the sole member of The Administrators who knows that Izroth is, in fact, the mysterious number rank Apothecary within RML, the Pill Emperor." Metronome said. "How did you find out?" He Huian asked curiously. "It¡¯s my job to know these things. It¡¯s how I make a living. Though I have to admit, I still had some reservations about such wild spections. However, I figured if I could meet with guild master Mariposa personally, I would be able to confirm my suspicions. Also, you yourself just helped me finalize my suspicions 100% with your statement. I must thank you." Metronome said with a smile on his face. "You-" He Huian was startled. She had no idea that he was still not 100% certain due to the level of confidence he spoke with. She felt as if she had just been deceived and it was in front of Mariposa no less! Mariposa held her hand up and said, "It¡¯s okay, He Huian. This is my fault, not yours. I was careless." She had fallen right into Metronome¡¯s trap. From the moment she personally stepped through that door and into the building, Metronome had already received his answer. If she had never personallye to this ce, then Metronome would have still had his doubts. However, she did learn one thing about him from this entire situation. He was someone you could not afford to let your guard down against even for a second. Otherwise, he would find a way to devour you whole. This was the first impression Mariposa had about Metronome. "So, what do you n to do now that you know? Tell the other members of The Administrators? Ask for a favor to keep it quiet?" Mariposa questioned. "Not at all. You see, I personally believe that Izroth will aplish great things in the future. He¡¯s someone I want to form a close personal rtionship with. However, for reasons unknown to me he appears to always keep me at arm¡¯s length. Therefore, until I¡¯m able to form a more solid rtionship with him, I figured I should form one with the next best source." Metronome exined. He then continued, "Not to mention, having any kind of rtionship with the Pill Emperor will generate profit one way or another, even if its just second hand. Needless to say, I would like an exclusivity contract so that your Sleeping Gardenia deals with me personally when making any kind of transactions with the Seven Dreams Consortium. In other words, a priority supplier." "Next best source, is it? Why do I feel as if you¡¯ve just insulted my Sleeping Gardenia for one yer?" Mariposa said in an almost joking manner. "I meant no offense, it¡¯s simply my true purpose. Consider this a way for us to help each other. Izroth will have to interact with Sleeping Gardenia who will, in turn, have to interact with me. That creates a little something called a window of opportunity for me to interact with Izroth more often. So, tell me, now everythingid out on the table, will you ept my offer?" Metronome asked seriously. Mariposa closed her eyes appeared to be in deep thought. However, a few momentster, she opened her eyes with a look oh rity present. "He Huian, what do you think?" Mariposa asked. "inly speaking, we¡¯ll need a reliable supplier for items that we¡¯ll have trouble obtaining ourselves. I hate to admit it, but this situation is ideal considering he¡¯s already aware of Izroth¡¯s identity. At the very least, he seems to have no intentions of causing us any trouble, not at the moment anyway. We should ept." He Huian said. Even though she was still upset with being tricked by Metronome, however, she still answered truthfully. Mariposa nodded in agreement as she then turned to face Metronome and said, "Exactly my thoughts. Very well, Metronome. I look forward to working with you. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t make any promises about helping you build your rtionship with Izroth, however, I can say that I won¡¯t try to stand in your way of doing so." "Excellent! We can draw up the contract right away." Metronome said in a friendly manner. It did not take long for Mariposa, Metronome, and He Huian to draw up a contract and sign it. Now, a formal business partnership had been formed between the two parties. However, neither of the parties involved could have imagined just how huge of a shift in the power structure of RML this contract would create in the future. ... Woosh! Izroth sliced one of the final Lava Beast in half and returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. The path to the corridor that was blocked by numerous Lava Beast was nowpletely clear of them. It was at that moment Izroth caught sight of a sign that only appeared after the entrance of the corridor was cleared of all monsters. ¡¯Hm? The Ancient Hall of Tempris?¡¯ Chapter 215 Prove Your Worth! The Ancient Hall of Tempris Instead of a ssic wooden sign, it resembled an old and faded scroll that looked as if it would turn into dust if one so much as brushed up against it. However, there was a remarkable amount of powerful energy being emitted by the scroll which caused Izroth and his party to be struck by a constant bombardment of Willpower Checks. There were only a few words written on the scroll with deep ck ink, "Ancient Hall of Tempris". The brush strokes were natural, flowing, smooth, and overall aesthetically pleasing to look at. ¡¯What refined calligraphy.¡¯ Izroth did not know if a real person or the system was the one behind the exquisite calligraphy, but nevertheless, it was a pleasant surprise to run into. "Ancient Hall of Tempris? I wonder what it means." Mirage said. "We can assume the name Tempris is referring to the name of a specific ce or individual. However, it can also be a unique word that¡¯s indigenous to RML itself. If that¡¯s the case, then Tempris can mean any number of things. I can mean anything from a location of meditation, all the way to a battle forbat. At this point, there are still too many unknown variables." Luna exined. As Luna was specting about the scroll, Izroth turned around and stared in the direction of the pathway they hade from earlier. He heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and metal nking around. "It appears we have somepany." Izroth said which made everyone turn around curiously and look towards the area he had his eyes on. They were unable to see or hear anything for the first few moments, however, after a few more seconds passed, everyone could see a group of six yers frantically racing across the broad pathway as theva pools grew restless. "I can¡¯t keep up with the heals! Why are we taking so much damage?!" "This heat! So hot! Theva is closing in, we have to hurry and make it to the other side!" All of a sudden, a few random bursts of mes shot out from inside of theva pools and headed right for the yers crossing the pathway. BOOM! A loud explosion rang out as the mes rained down upon them. A few secondster, two of the lower HP yers had died off! Before they even had time to agonize over the death of their party members, around five pirs of mes formed in front of them and blocked their path. This made it so that they had to stop running and go around the pirs. However, theva pools were closing in fast which made it extremely difficult to pull off. Due to herck of reaction time and agility, the healer was the next to die off. "Help us!" One of the party members who seemed to be the leader of the party shouted when he saw Izroth and the others in the distance. How was it possible that the entire party ahead of them made it safely to the other side? Surely there must have been some unknown certain to this ce! He regretted not listening to the warnings about entering this ce without a Fire Spirit. Originally, he believed that yers were just being overly cautious and wasting time hunting for Fire Spirits. He was never afraid of facing a challenge! However, this was one challenge he failed to anticipate. If only he had prepared some defensive and agility potions, then maybe it would not have ended this way. Unfortunately, such things were not cheap enough to simply have sitting around in one¡¯s inventory. But, just as he called for help, theva pools hadpletely closed in and covered the whole pathway. The moment that happened, every yer within that crossing party had immediately dissipated and died! "Toe all this way and die without even setting a real foot into the zing Temple, how cruel. I wish there was a way for us to have helped them." Mirage said as she shook her head. "The only way we would have been able to help them would have been to gift them the Fire Spirit within our possession. In the end, even if we were generous enough to take such a huge risk, what would they do after traveling deeper into the zing Temple? After all, there¡¯s no way that we can continue swapping ownership of a single Fire Spirit all the way through." Luna said. "Those whoe unprepared and are not strong enough to face the challenge set in front of them deserves such an end." Azalea said without a shred of pity. "Are you always so depressing to be around?" Mirage scoffed. Azalea red at Mirage and snapped back, "Are you always spouting such absurd fairytale words with happy endings?" Izroth shook his head inwardly as he stepped inside of the corridor and started to make his way to the other end with Luna following next to him. As he did so, Azalea and Mirage stopped giving each other death res and eventually caught up before Izroth arrived at the end of the corridor. The moment Izroth stepped into the room at the end of the corridor, the first thing he realized was that there were no intense heat waves or Willpower Checks that seemingly spawned out of nowhere. In fact, it was eerily quiet with no sign of life or any kind of heat source within the room itself. There was nothing but a bunch of crumbled up ck stones piled scattered throughout the room. Bloop... Bloop... Izroth faintly heard the sound of some kind of liquid dripping. It sounded simr to a broken water faucet, except the only difference, in this case, was that when Izroth examined the source of the noise, it was moltenva instead of water. Theva was dripping down onto one of the nearby stone piles causing the ck stones to radiate extreme levels of heat. Now, the once ck stones started to turn into a lemon color as if it were metal being cast into the eternal mes due to the great temperature they released. It soon reached a point where the stones melted and began to fuse and bind together. This process was beginning to happen all throughout the room and soon enough, the scattered pile of stones grouped together and instantly formed a circle around Izroth and his party. The circle was around thirty meters in diameter. With the creation of the circle, there was the return of the heat waves and Willpower Checks. "Prove your worth!" A voice rang through the room. "This voice... It¡¯sing from the Fire Spirit!" Mirage said as she was startled by the sudden announcement. ¡¯Prove our worth?¡¯ A couple of secondster, the fire spirit that was hovering above Izroth¡¯s head disappeared and dived into the circle of melted stones. "The Fire Spirit! It disappeared!" Mirage eximed. Did this mean that they simply did not need it anymore? Or did they just get robbed by this ce without even knowing it? "Odd, we still have the Protection of The Fire Spirit passive. This should mean that we haven¡¯t truly loss the Fire Spirit, or at the very least, the protection it provides us with." Lunamented. "You¡¯re right, it¡¯s still there. But then what¡¯s going on?" Mirage said with her brows furrowed. "Prove your worth!" The voice shouted once again. This time, however, a wisp of smoke rose up from the circle and formed the image of a transparent and ghostlike smander. This smander bore a striking resemnce to the one that Olohas¡¯ party slew to obtain its Fire Spirit. The only difference was that this one could actually talk! "What is it that we must prove?" Izroth asked the smander spirit. "I am the keeper of the hall known only as Fourth of Ten. You have entered into the Ancient Hall of Tempris himself. Prove your worth, eternal ones." Fourth of Ten said. After that, no matter what questions Izroth and his party asked, it would only respond with "Prove your worth" as if it had nothing more to say to them. "How frustrating! It tells us to prove our worth and then offers no exnation on how to do so. What does it expect us to do?" Mirage scowled. "If it wants us to prove ourselves, then that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯ll do." Izroth said as he scanned the room. One of the things he immediately noticed was that there were no other exits or entrances besides the way they had entered through moments ago. Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. As if responding to Izroth¡¯s readiness to fight, the smander spirit spat mes from its mouth that were aimed not at Izroth¡¯s party, but rather the at an empty space within the circle itself. From the mes, a monster simr in appearance to the Lava Beast emerged. The key differences were that this creature was slightly bigger in size and looked more intimidating than that Lava Beast. Name: Spirit Possessed Lava Brute(Elite) Level: 35 HP: 155,583(100%) "Now this is more like it." Mirage said as her previously trouble expression had been reced by one of excitement. The area of mind games was one that she did not excel in, therefore, she could not help but be relieved that the Fire Spirit did not require any. ¡¯It¡¯s changing.¡¯ Izroth noticed that the circle that was precisely thirty meters in diameter had shrunk to around 29.8 meters and it was continuing to decrease slowly. If it continued to shrink at its current rate, it would reach ten meters in diameter in only thirty seconds! There was even the chance that it would close in all the way and at that point, there would be nowhere to run from the Lava Brute and they would have to face all of his attacks head-on without a tank. There also existed the possibility of them failing to prove their worth and being unable to proceed on their journey. However, both situations were far from being ideal. "The size of our battlefield is slowly decreasing. It should be noticeable soon if it already hasn¡¯t. We should end this fight as quickly as possible." Izroth said as he dashed forward. When he approached the Lava Brute, he swung his sword in a sideways arc andnding a solid hit on its body. Right after Izroth¡¯s sword made contact with the Lava Brute, his body quickly spun around as he followed up with yet another attack. But this time, there were with two phantom des trailing right behind his sword as itshed out. He not only used the skill Phantom Strikes, but he also infused it with the First Sword Form: Converging Paths. This allowed his Phantom Strikes to critically strike. -1,247 ?Critical Hit? -1,247 ?Critical Hit? -2,910 ?Critical Hit? -4,572 With just his opening move alone, Izroth had dealt nearly 10,000 damage! When Mirage saw the level of damage Izroth just did with a single move, she was startled. Since Izroth did not use his sword during their journey, she thought that it was simply for decoration purposes or simply put, to look cool. However, she did not think that Izroth was capable of unleashing such monstrous damage as abat master! Mirage felt foolish for actually being worried about him being at a disadvantage during his fight with Present Order. If Present Order himself knew that Izroth did not even use a portion of his true strength, how much more depressed and humiliated would he be? Mirage and Azalea joined in and pressed forward with their assault on the Lava Brute. Huwooooh! The Lava Brute¡¯s eyes turned bright red as its upper body began to expand like arge balloon being filled with air. A few secondster as the attacks were raining down upon its body, a vicious and intense gathering of mes rushed out towards Izroth and his party. It was an AOE move with a range of nearly around ten meters! ¡¯That¡¯s troublesome.¡¯ With that attack range, it meant that if the Lava Brute used such a skill after the thirty seconds passed by, then they would unable to do anything to avoid it! Chapter 216 Challenge of Fire The Lava Brute spewed mes from its mouth in an action that resembled the opening of a folding fan. Everyone except Luna was within melee range, however, only Izroth and Azalea managed to react in time due to the early warning signs of the attack. The two of them swiftly positioned themselves behind the back of the Lava Brute where the mes did not yet reach. As for Mirage, she moved a bit slower and barely got caught by the mes, dropping her HP by around 20% in one hit, even with the 10% Fire Resistance stat from skill Protection of The Fire Spirit active. Fortunately for Luna, she was still able to easily maintain a distance of around twenty meters away from the Lava Brute and so she did not have to avoid the mes like the others. -1,763 -270 +1,325 -270 7,664/8,642 HP Remaining! (Mirage) Luna cast Cure on Mirage and restored a good portion of her HP. However, there was a 300 damage tick per second that continued to affect Mirage for ten seconds even after the mes had already subsided. As the seconds slipped by, the circle began to shrink and it was beginning to be clearly noticeable to even the most untrained eyes. It started at thirty meters, but after only ten seconds it had already shrunk to around twenty-three meters in diameter. Every few meters would cause Luna to move closer towards the battle. 70%... 60%... 50%... Azalea avoided the ming hand of the Lava Brute that reached for her and crashed into the spot where she had just stood moments ago. Due to a tank not being present, the aggro of the Lava Brute was all over the ce and it attacked whoever it pleased. Although most of the aggro was focused onto Izroth because of his high damage, Azalea was not that far off and Mirage was not bad as well. Luna who was a healer would increase her own aggro every time she healed someone, therefore, she tried to limit her healing to strict necessity only as she grew closer to the Lava Brute. Azalea spun the daggers in her hands as she swept them across the body of the Lava Brute, striking at its body rapidly and trying to locate a vital point. However, it was difficult to locate the vital points of monsters like the Lava Brute because they were creatures made purely from magic and nature within RML. After shing the Lava Brute four times with her daggers, a violet aura appeared around the weapons. There was a small build-up of energy that was released from herst attack from the use of a skill. -225 ?Critical Hit? -865 -225 ?Critical Hit? -865 -1,392 Azalea¡¯s attacks were fast and she could strike five to six times within one second if she could attack without interruption. Even though she was unable to locate vital points on the Lava Brute, she was still capable ofnding critical hits due to the critical hit percentage attached to her weapons. It allowed for Azalea¡¯s attacks to count as a critical hit even if she did not strike a vital point. At the moment, each of her daggers only provided 2.5% critical hit. Therefore, Azalea had a 5% chance for any of her physical attacks to critically hit. Mirage clenched her right fist as small currents of electricity gathered around her right arm. She punched outward and mmed her fist into the torso area of the Lava Brute. There was a crackling sound released from her fist when it made contact as the lightning seemed to shoot from her arm into the body of the Lava Brute, paralyzing its movements in the process. -2,502 The electricity that was around Mirage¡¯s arms just moments ago could be seen jumping and sparking from the Lava Brute as it stood there motionless. Everyone took the opportunity to rain down attacks upon the Lava Brute, further shaving away at its HP in the process. 35%... 25%... 10%... Thirty seconds had already passed and the circle was now around 7.5 meters in diameter. This did not leave much room for Izroth and his party to maneuver around. As for Luna, she was already within the range of attack of the Lava Brute. The Lava Brute swung its moltenva arm at Izroth, however, he evaded the attack by circling around its body at a greater speed than its arm moved. After failing in its attack, the upper body of the Lava Brute expanded once again as mes gathered at its mouth. However, the Lava Brute did not aim for the party this time, but rather at the ground within the circle. This made it so that everyone was affected by the attack, no matter where they were located inside of the circle. -1,763 -300 -2,592 -300 -1,455 ... The attack was able to damage everyone within the party and damage numbers were popping up all over the ce. To make matters even worse, the party was also affected by a burning aftereffect. However, Luna was prepared for a situation such as this. Around 0.5 secondster, a light green list appeared within the surrounding ten meters. The source of the mist came from Luna¡¯s spell Healing Mist. As soon as it touched the body of the party members, they began to regain some of their lost HP every second. +530 ... Skill Name: Healing Mist Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Mana Cost: 650 Cast Time: 0.5 seconds Active: Releases a mist in the surrounding 10 meters of the user or an ally of their choice. This mist heals the user and all allies who remain within the mist for 40% of the user¡¯s ¡¯Healing Factor¡¯ every 1 second for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 2 Minutes 30 Seconds Thanks to Luna¡¯s Healing Mist spell, she was able to offset the damage dealt by the burning effect while also healing back some of her party¡¯s additionally lost HP. She also used the opportunity to cast Cure on everyone and in an instant, everyone¡¯s HP was back to its full amount. However, this massive amount of healing caused Luna¡¯s aggro to soar and moved her threat level to the top of the list. The Lava Brute turned its attention towards Luna as a stream ofva flowed from its hands that was aimed towards her. Izroth moved swiftly and positioned himself right in between the Lava Brute and Luna. This made it so that the attack would be aimed at him instead of Luna. But unexpectedly, Izroth moved out of the way and evaded the attack as it continued on its path towards Luna. At first, everyone was confused by Izroth¡¯s actions. Why did he just rush towards an attack as if he were going to block it only to move out of the way? Did he just feel like dodging something? Fortunately, Izroth was not in the habit of performing such a wasteful action. Just as he sessfully evaded the stream of fire, he instantly lifted his sword and stabbed it into the mes itself. Next, the strangest thing urred. The stream of fire that was rushing to devour Luna hadpletely vanished. However, Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm was now an orangish red color. It resembled the mes that it was just stabbed into. The next moment, the same stream of fire that was aimed at Luna, gushed out of Izroth¡¯s sword and roared fiercely as it traveled back towards the Lava Brute. -4,595 The skill Izroth used to send the Lava Brute¡¯s attack right back at it was Sword Return from the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. He infused it with some of his Essence to boost the overall effectiveness of the attack. After that, the Lava Brute¡¯s HP had dropped down to 10,963 points which was only around 7% of its total HP. Immediately afterpleting the Sword Return, an oppressive and overbearing aura formed around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. The aura seemed even more aggressive than usual as faint essence energy formed around it. Izroth followed up with his assault just as the Lava Brute¡¯s upper body inted once again, however, before it could get its attack off, Izroth¡¯s de sliced its body in half right down the middle. Woosh! -11,554 Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction infused with sixteen points of his essence made it a devastating attack to stand against! He had dealt the finishing blow to the Lava Brute as it lost the heat of its body as the Fire Spirit could be seen diving back into the circle of melted together rocks. The circle that was already down to only five meters in diameter had stopped decreasing as soon as the Fire Spirit entered inside. Then, it began to expand until it returned to being thirty meters in diameter. "Thatst move when you gave that monster a taste of its own medicine was amazing! Is that another ability you created as abat master?" Mirage spoke in a voice full of excitement. To be honest, she was just like most other yers when it came to her opinion ofbat masters. There was just no way anyone could be useful in the long term with such a ss. However, Izroth had converted her into a huge fan of thebat master ss! Now, she even had regrets about not choosing it as her own ss at the start. After all, the level of strength Izroth had shown so far was terrifying. Trash ss? Useless? What did those yers know?! This was the true power of abat master! Not to even mention that final attack he used to finish the battle. "Just something I¡¯vee across by chance." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. He was not lying when he said he came across it by chance. In fact, he only learned the ten sword forms by chance back within the Seven Realms due to being at the right ce at the right time on his cultivation journey. "You must have good luck!" Mirage said jokingly. She believed that Izroth was simply being modest and did not want toe off as bragging. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated the Spirit Possessed Lava Brute!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, youpleted the hidden quest ?Prove Your Worth!?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 13,510!¡µ ¡¯It¡¯s actually a hidden quest.¡¯ Izroth was surprised. He figured that this was just the regr course of events for those who entered into the zing Temple. He had no idea that it was something as rare as a hidden quest! Hidden quests were just as its name described it, quests that were hidden from the yers and did not show up within their quest logs. There was no pattern or known way to discover that something was a hidden quest and the difficulty levels often varied. However, the rewards forpleting a hidden quest were always amazing. The smander fire spirit suddenly reappeared before Izroth and his party. "You are worthy! Worthy to enter into the halls!" The smander spirit said as ten chests appeared before Izroth his and party. "Choose one! One chance! This is your only chance, there will be none in the future." The smander spirit said almost as if it were a demand. "Choose? Wait a second, these are...!" Mirage was shocked when she saw the items residing within the chests. "A 30% chance to grab a useful item, those are much better than looting odds." Lunamented. The chests were crimson red in color with gold trimmings running along its sides. However, it was not the chests themselves that were important, but rather the items sitting inside the chest! Seven of the chests werepletely empty with nothing inside. One of the chests had a Fire Spirit inside of a Confinement Orb. It would be sure to fetch a nice price in the auction house since it would save yers a lot of trouble. Another one of the chests actually contained a fire inscription stone! With an inscription stone, yers could grant their weapons or armor bonus effects depending on how powerful the inscription itself was. It was definitely a tempting offer, however, Izroth¡¯s eyes were focused onto a small orb the size of a fist with green mes dancing around inside of it. ¡¯It¡¯s a fire core..!¡¯ Chapter 217 Reward From The Hidden Ques From the looks of the fire core, it was definitely an upgrade from the one currently in his possession. No matter the cost, he had to obtain that fire core! It was the only way for him to advance further as an Apothecary. However, before he could even bring the matter up to everyone to make a deal of sorts, the chests mmed closed. The next moment, all ten chests fused into a single chest before splitting back into ten separate chests. ¡¯Of course, the system would not allow something to be so easily taken just from defeating one elite monster. There had to be this kind of twist added to it.¡¯ Now, there was only a 10% chance that they would even pick the chests with the fire core inside of it! "Choose!" The smander spirit said. It almost sounded like a broken record the way it repeated the same word every five seconds. Mirage furrowed her brows and said, "Every item that we saw inside of those three chests can only be used a single time. In the end, only one of us can benefit from it." "It should obviously go to my teacher since he dealt the finishing blow." Azalea said without hesitation. "That¡¯s a bit..." Mirage wondered if Azalea would have used that same excuse if she had been the one to deal thest blow to the Lava Brute. But, in the end, she had no idea how Izroth¡¯s party handled the dividing of loot, especially in situations such as this one. However, from the brief time she had gotten to know Izroth, Mirage was doubtful that he would use such an excuse to im loot as his own. At the end of the day, Mirage understood her current position within the party. Everyone here seemed to know one another and Izroth was the clear leader. Therefore, whatever choice made was one that she would just have to live with. Everyone turned their attention towards Izroth as if they all awaited his decision on the matter. After pondering over it for a few moments, Izroth finally spoke and said, "I have no use for the inscription and the contained fire spirit. Therefore, if the item I pick happens to be either of those items, I suggest everyone rolls for it fairly. As for the fire core, this is an item I must obtain." Luna had a good idea of why Izroth wanted the fire core. After all, she even heard her own friends talking about someone called the Pill Emperor who created the only grade three pill currently within RML. It did not take long for someone like her to connect all the dots together. Izroth was not a part of any top guild and yet he easily handed out Five Cycles Pills to everyone as if it were candy. Not only that, but earlier during their journey when they ran into Olohas, he handed out six grade three pills without hesitation. However, what really confirmed her spection 100% was when Izroth put up one hundred grade three pills as a wager during his battle against Present Order. It was impossible for any yer to own that amount of an item with such a high value without having a direct connection to it. Add all the previous information she already had along with Izroth wanting the fire core, Luna came to a solid conclusion. Izroth was, in fact, the mysterious Pill Emperor that everyone was talking about! "Of course, I will not allow you to leave empty-handed. Should I receive the fire core, I will present you with a suitable reward." Izroth said. He was a fair person by nature and did not intend to take advantage of his position as party leader. "I have no objections." Luna was the first to agree without even bothering to hear Izroth¡¯s full terms. She understood that Izroth would not cheat them. But, even if he gave them nothing in return, she would still not fight over a fire core. After all, if Izroth¡¯s identity as the Pill Emperor is true, then he needed this fire core more than anyone within RML. "I, as well." Azalea said following up on Luna¡¯s statement. Mirage threw her hands up jokingly and said in a yful tone of voice, "Who am I to swim against the current of the river? Besides, I¡¯ve never been much of a swimmer. I¡¯ll go along with things." She gave an approving thumbs up. Izroth nodded as he turned his attention towards the chests. He examined every single chest in close detail, however, he was unable to determine any difference between them. ¡¯So it alles down to simple luck.¡¯ 10% was not a good chance considering he only got one shot at this. There was also a 70% chance that he would receive nothing at all! The odds were stacked against him. ¡¯There¡¯s no point in thinking about it too much.¡¯ Izroth approached the ten chests that were set down in front of the smander fire spirit. When Izroth walked up to the chests, the smander spirit finally stopped repeating the word choose and fell silent. "I¡¯ll choose this one." Izroth said as he stood in front of the forth chest starting from the left side. "You have chosen." The smander spirit said as it disappeared. A few momentster, the Fire Spirit returned to its original state and hovered above Izroth¡¯s head. ¡´System Alert: The temporary passive skill ?Protection of The Fire Spirit? has been upgraded!¡µ ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth took a look at the upgraded version of the passive skill and noticed that two lines had been added to it. *So long as the user possesses a Fire Spirit, this skill can also exist within the zing Tempris Domain. The user of this skill is unaffected by the ?Bounded Fire Domain?. What a useful upgrade! Izroth had pushed the concern to the back of his mind earlier, however, he was unsure of how they would make it back to Amaharpe through the zing Tempris Domain without a full party. After all, the Bounded Fire Domain passive was far too ruthless. But with the upgraded passive, it was now possible to travel freely through the domain! The nine chests that Izroth did not choose vanished at the exact same time as the smander spirit. At the moment, there was only one chest remaining and it sat on the ground before Izroth. Right as he touched the chest, it opened on its own and immediately an overflowing source of coldness washed over him. A few secondster, the coldness transformed into an overbearing heat. It was as if the temperature was constantly fluctuating going from extreme cold to extreme heat. Sitting within the chest that Izroth opened was a small orb with a mystical green me dancing around freely inside of it. It was the fire core! ¡¯It looks like the one point in my luck stat is paying off.¡¯ Izroth took the green orb into his hands and could feel the everchanging temperature. Name: me of Synthesis(Fire Core) Rank: B Durability: 50,000/50,000 Usage: This mysterious me was trapped by a mythical apothecary figure of great power in his youthful days. It has extreme cold and extreme heat properties which makes it one of the most ideal mes for perfect temperature control. It was not just any fire core, but it was one well above what Izroth expected! It was actually a B-ranked fire core! This was a huge gain due to the fact that these were simply impossible to find at the current moment within RML. The main reason was not due to the level of monsters, but rather the usefulness of hunting for such high-grade mes. At the moment, arge majority of apothecaries were still stuck at the first level. As for those very few who made it to the second level, even they only needed D-ranked fire cores at best because the level of their pills did not require anything more than that. After all, Izroth was a grade three Apothecary and used a D-ranked fire core to create grade three pills. No one needed or even thought about obtaining such a powerful fire core because it would be simr to using a supeputer to calcte something as simple as 2+2. That much power was unneeded for such a menial task. ¡¯With this, I should be able to reach grade six, maybe even grade seven Apothecary if I¡¯m lucky, without needing to changing my fire core.¡¯ Of course, even grade four and five were still in the future for Izroth. It was not because hecked the skill to create pills of that level, but because even the head of the Apothecary guild in Amaharpe was only a grade four Apothecary! How could they alone make the decision for him to officially be awarded the grade four rank? He had to first locate an Apothecary guild with higher ranking apothecaries. Another reason was the materials currently avable. While he may be able to create a grade four pill, ording to his calctions, a grade five pill simply would not be possible with the ingredients avable at the moment, even if he swept through some of the rare ingredients of those top guilds. It was simply too early in the game and the developers did not ount for someone with Izroth¡¯s skillset to even be a grade three Apothecary by this point, let alone a grade five! As promised, Izroth gave Luna, Azalea, and Mirage what he believed to be more than a fair price. He gifted them one of each pill that he had created thus far, making for a total of seven pills! Even Azalea who was usually nonchnt about most things could not help but reveal a slight glimmer in her eye as she observed the small stack of pills now within her possession. What amazing creations! She had not even heard of any of these pills besides the Five Cycles Pill! Wait a second... Three of these pills were grade three pills! Azalea eyes widened slightly in shock. Mirage was in a state of shock simr to Azalea. This was way too much of a reward! In the end, Izroth did most of the damage so the price should not be so high. However, she could not find it within herself to deny such a precious pile of treasure. As for Luna, she gave a polite thank you as she epted the pills from Izroth. She had been with Izroth long enough now that she almost developed a numbness for his unexpected surprises. In fact, Luna thought that Izroth would pull out a grade five pill or something along those lines. After the excitement died down, Izroth decided to continue exploring the zing Temple with his party. ... Around three hourster... Izroth and his party had arrived back at the capital city Amaharpe. They had spent around two hours exploring the zing Temple and made it into the deeperyers, however, the level of the monsters was bing too dangerous to face without a tank to hold the aggro. Therefore, they chose to head back to Amaharpe and call it a day. However, Izroth was able to level up to 35 and gain a good amount of experience towards reaching level 36. "Ah, that was fun! I haven¡¯t enjoyed an adventure like that in a long time." Mirage said with a joyous smile on her face. "It was... Interesting to say the least." Luna said with a weary expression. For some reason, Azalea and Mirage seemed to enjoy taunting and fighting with one another, therefore, she was forced to act as an intermediary of sorts during the course of their adventure. Fortunately, Azalea went her separate way as soon as they left the zing Tempris Domain, otherwise, she was unsure if she would have been able to survive the journey back to Amaharpe. However, it surprised her that Mirage was able to get the reclusive Azalea, at least from what Luna had seen so far of her, to actually talk more than a few words. As Izroth was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly received a surprising message from someone over the system alerts.. Chapter 218 Newfound Energy Izroth opened his system interface to check the message and saw that it was from He Huian of Sleeping Gardenia. ¡´System Alert: yer He Huian has sent you a message, "It looks like things have moved well ahead of schedule. Therefore, if you¡¯d like, I can have someone deliver the resources to you within the hour. Of course, if you¡¯re busy then we can stick to the original n."¡µ ¡¯Oh? What perfect timing.¡¯ Izroth had just returned from the zing Tempris Domain not too long ago. He nned on logging off and taking care of a few things, however, he would not pass up the chance to add the final touch to his shop, pills! At the moment, Izroth¡¯s pills reserves were far from being enough tounch the grand opening of the Mystical Realm Pce. Izroth understood that this was a huge opportunity for him and he was going to make the most of it. Izroth confirmed with He Huian that he would be avable for the delivery and closed his system interface. "What are your ns now?" Luna asked curiously as she looked towards Izroth. "I have a few things to take care of and so I¡¯ll have to take my leave." Izroth responded. "I see. I promised Zi Yi that I would join her at the pce library once I¡¯ve returned to Amaharpe. Apparently, she would like a second opinion on something and needs help searching through some things. She made it sound important when west spoke as we were already making our back to Amaharpe." Luna said. "Then, I¡¯ll wish you both of you good luck." Izroth said as he gave a carefree smile. "Library? This game has a library?" Mirage said with a shocked expression on her face. Who would want to spend time reading in a library inside of a game? There was such a massive world to explore and she could just not fathom why someone would be willing to torture themselves in such a manner. A few momentster, Izroth, Luna, and Mirage went their separate ways after exchanging farewells. ¡¯I should prepare the Dark Abyssal Cauldron.¡¯ Not too long after he took his leave, Izroth arrived at the Mystical Realm Pce and went straight towards the room he created just for pill crafting. The first thing Izroth did was remove the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and ce it directly at the center of the room. Next, he removed the D-ranked fire core and grabbed the B-ranked fire core, the me of Synthesis, from his inventory. ¡¯This fire core has been pushed well past the limit of its capabilities..¡¯ The D-ranked fire core looked simr to the B-ranked fire core, except its mes were an orangish-red color and the fire within moved around slowly. The mes inside of the D-ranked fire core looked as if it were ready to die out at any given moment now. It was unlike the mes in the B-ranked fire core that jumped around and danced with excitement. Izroth ced the me of Synthesis fire core into the slot on the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. At first, the cauldron shook violently as if it were rejecting the fire core. A couple of secondster, a freezing air filled the room as the inside of the cauldron actually formed ice! However, a few seconds after that, a roaring green me erupted from the cauldron that melted the ice and made the room feel as if one were standing within the mes itself. This constant fluctuation between extreme cold and extreme heat continued on for about ten seconds before the Dark Abyssal Cauldron finally stopped its violent shaking. In the end, there was a small green me lingering around the inside of the cauldron that was no bigger one¡¯s finger. However, there was a tremendous amount of power behind that tiny me. ¡¯If this cauldron did not a growth effect attached to it along with its indestructible durability, there¡¯s a good chance that it may have been destroyed due to the level gap of the cauldron and the me.¡¯ One of the best qualities of the Dark Abyssal Cauldron was its indestructible material. Not only did it allow room for error when exploring certain limitations, but it saved one the time and effort of having to repair the item. Izroth took some time to get used to the new temperature control for his cauldron. Then, around thirty minutester, He Huian arrived at the Mystical Realm Pce to deliver the promised resources to Izroth. "I thought the first batch should be delivered by me personally. But, in the future, it will be a task for the Apothecary branch of our guild. I hope you will find no offense to this." He Huian spoke softly. "There is no offense. As long as I receive the resources it does not matter who delivers them." Izroth responded in a reassuring manner. If he found offense in such a simple matter, then he would spend every moment of his life being offended! He Huian discussed a few details with Izroth regarding the Mystical Realm Pce andplimented him on the beautiful yet sleek design of his shop. They mostly spoke about some operation matters, as well as, any future ns on how to operate the shop in the long term. However, they did not go into too much detail since most of it was something to discuss at ater date. "I hope for your sess." He Huian said as she gave a polite bow and took her leave from the shop. Izroth did not waste any time and immediately went back into the pill crafting room. He looked over the resources that He Huian delivered and saw quite a few that he had not yete across within RML or the auction house. ¡¯If all the top guilds have a collection like this stashed away, then there are still numerous reagants not up for sale in the auction house.¡¯ Although Izroth was tempted to experiment with the new resources he received, he knew that it was something he would have to do at ater time. Right now, his main focus was on creating enough of all six pills for the grand opening of the Mystical Realm Pce! The two grade one pills were the Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill and the Bnced Mind Pill. As for the two grade two pills, they were called the Ocean Spring Pill and the Iron Body Pill. Then, there was the main attraction, the three grade three pills. First, there was the already known and popr Five Cycles Pill and then, there was the Two Sr Extremities Pill. However, the most recent of the grade three pills that Izroth created was known as the Earthly Treasure Tarsenius Pill. Out of all pills, Izroth believed that the Two Sr Extremities Pill would be the most popr since it was possible to take it more than one time. But, that was just taking into ount those big guilds who could actually afford the price of grade three pills. As for overall poprity amongst the casual yers, there was no doubt in Izroth¡¯s mind it would be both grade one pills. The grade one pills were simply more affordable for most if not all yers and that would y arge role in attracting thergest portion of the game base to his shop. ¡¯The amount of resources Sleeping Gardenia provided are much more than I originally anticipated. It looks as if I¡¯ll be crafting pills for the rest of the day.¡¯ Izroth stood in front of his Dark Abyssal and began the heating process before starting his long journey inside of the pill crafting room. ... Around 16 hourster in the real world... Jin removed his virtual reality headset and released a light sigh as he sat up straight on his bed. He looked over at the nearby clock and saw that it was already the next day with the time being seven o¡¯clock in the morning. Although only 16 hours passed by in the real world, Jin had spent 48 hours straight in-game time doing nothing but pill crafting within RML! Even though he managed to create a mountain of pills during that time, it was still a boring and repetitive task to do for such an extended period of time. Jin stood up from his bed and went out into the living room area. He could smell the fresh aroma of food drift by his nostrils. As soon as he opened his room door, he heard a voiceing from the direction of the kitchen. "Ah, Jin, you¡¯re up. Come, breakfast is almost ready, I just have to add a few finishing touches." Reilei said with a glowing smile on her face as she hummed lightly to herself. One could see that she was in a pleasant mood and there seemed to be a new level of energy to her. "I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯re feeling well enough to be back on your feet so early. You could have ordered room service, I would have taken care of it." Jin said as a smile formed on his face without he himself even realizing it. He was unable to recall any memories of thest time she had ever been this energetic. However, Jin knew that a part of that newfound energy was not only due to her being less stressed after not having to work three jobs but also because of the Eight Lunar Cycles physique. Although she was only at the initial stages of the physique, the number of benefits it provided was still bountiful. "There¡¯s no need to room service. I¡¯m not sure why, but I¡¯ve been feeling full of energytely. I have no idea what I should do with all of it and I could not find it within myself to stay within that room doing nothing. So, I decided to pick up a few fresh ingredients and make your favorite breakfast items. You spend so much time on that game that I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not eating properly." Reilei said. "I¡¯m grateful. I¡¯ll try to not to lose track of the time too much and eat properly." Jin responded with a helpless expression. "Hm, yes I¡¯ve heard that excuse before, young man. Now, eat." Reilei said as she gave a light giggle as she set up the food on the table and ate breakfast with Jin. She asked Jin how things were going in RML, but she did not understand most of the words that wereing out of his mouth due to the gaming terminology he used. However, she was able to, at the very least, tell that things were going well for him which made her happy. Jin spent the entire morning with Reilei and after eating breakfast, they went out and had some quality time together. It was nothing too extravagant as Reilei was content with simply spending time with her son. ... 7 hourster... Jin had finally arrived back at the hotel room along with Reilei. After rxing for a few hours, Jin decided that it was a good time to discuss their current situation regarding their living arrangements. After all, they could not live in a hotel room forever. Therefore, after finding a private home touring service, he and Reilei paid a visit to various locations to look for a new home. "Those ces were all too fancy, Jin. I just can¡¯t imagine myself living forever in ces like that for a long time." Reilei said as she released a small sigh. For some reason, Jin had insisted on letting her choose their new home. However, there was just so much to consider that she was still unsure of what to do. "There¡¯s no rush. You can take all the time you need. I just want you to pick a ce you like, that¡¯s all." Jin said in a reassuring manner. As for the price of the home Reilei chose, he was unconcerned. Once the Mystical Realm Pceunched today, he would not have to worry aboutcking the money to afford it. After finishing up their conversation, Jin went to take a shower before returning to his room, putting his virtual reality headset on, and logging into RML. It was time for the grand opening of the Mystical Realm Pce. Chapter 219 Shocking News! The Grand Opening of The Mystical Realm Palace Izroth stepped outside of the pill crafting room located within the Mystical Realm Pce and into the main area of the shop. He swept his gaze across the room onest time to make sure that everything was in order. ¡¯I¡¯ve already set up the inventory and replenishment system through the shop¡¯s interface. Now, I suppose there are only two things left for me to do before the grand opening.¡¯ The inventory system, in this case, allowed for the owner of the shop to set a maximum amount of pills that yers could buy per day. The replenishment system automatically pulled from the item reserves and replenished them if depleted using what was left avable in storage. The first thing Izroth did was sent a message out to alert Mariposa and Zi Yi who asked to be informed when he was about tomence the grand opening. He quickly received a response from Mariposa. ¡´System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "Eh? Already? Are you sure your inventory is enough for a grand opening? This is a huge chance to make a first impression, however, if there¡¯s nothing to leave an impression by the time other yerse to visit then the initial momentum will be weakened."¡µ Izroth could see why Mariposa would be concerned. He originally told her that his maximum output of pills per day was limited to 300. However, this was Izroth ounting other parts of his time. After all, he would not mindlessly sit and craft pills all day when his goal was to be the number one yer within RML. Therefore, he needed to provide a reasonable limit so that it did not interfere with his actual long term goals. Mariposa believed that Izroth only had, at most, 600-800 pills give or take. She figured that the lower grade pills would be a bit easier to mass produce and so that was her best-educated guess about what Izroth¡¯s inventory was like at the moment. While Mariposa understood that it was important to open the shop as soon as possible due to the once in a lifetime opportunity of being the first to do so. However, she did not believe that they had a few days of leeway, maybe even a full week, before someone else opened a shop. At the very least, Izroth could definitely afford to wait another day or two. However, if she knew that Izroth had crafted over 33,000 pills in only two days in-game time, how would she react? At first, Izroth could only craft around 15,000 pills a day at max ording to his previous estimate since some of the pills required precise timing when it came to temperature control and other various things. However, he was able to surpass that limit thanks to a new trait the system provided him with after crafting pills for around a day in-game time! Trait Name: Natural Pill Master Trait Level: 1 Trait Effect: The user gains the following benefits for their unrelenting determination in pill crafting. ?Mind of Pill Craft?: The user has a small chance to enter the perfect state of crafting during pill creation. Temporarily increases the user¡¯s focus, pill crafting speed and senses by an extraordinary amount. Amount varies depending on the level of user focus. ?Superior Pill Crafting?: +25% Pill Crafting Speed ?Blessing of The Pill Craft?: +0.1% Blessing of the Craft Special Note: A true pill master is both naturally born and created! This was the second trait Izroth had received. Most yers within RML did not have a single trait and yet he already possessed two! Even if one of them was in crafting, it could be said to be even more difficult to achieve such a feat. Izroth figured that it had something to do with how far ahead he was of other yers when it came to pill crafting, as well as, the vast amount of pills he crafted in such short notice. At first, Izroth had no idea what the +0.1% Blessing of the Craft would do, however, it did not take him long to find out. It granted a chance for Izroth¡¯s pills to increase their natural effect(s)! In other words, a normal Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pill may limit the stat gain to 100, however, if it was influenced by the Blessing of the Craft then that limit increased to 200! Of course, the efficiency and effects varied from pill to pill, but one thing was for certain, they were worth at least double or even triple that of their normal counterparts! In total, Izroth was only able to create around 41 pills that were fortunate enough to have the Blessing of the Craft bestowed upon them. This was even with his +1 Luck stat to help out his chances. Just as Izroth was going over things onest time to make sure everything was in ce, he finally received a message alert from Zi Yi. ¡´System Alert: yer Zi Yi has sent you a message, "Can¡¯t make it. Busy. Best of luck."¡µ Izroth was a little surprised by Zi Yi¡¯s response, after all, she was the one who asked to be informed before the time of the grand opening. However, he felt that it must have been an urgent matter from her short response as if she were in a rush of sorts. Well, either that or she simply did not want to be disturbed while in the pce library. ¡¯Now, I just have to decide how to use you.¡¯ Izroth removed the Property Announcement from his inventory and had to put some thought into the message he would send out across the entire city of Amaharpe. ... Around twenty minutester... Something shocking happened that swept throughout all of Amaharpe. A powerful form of voice magic sounded across the city and carried along with it a baffling message. Not only that, but every yer in the city was personally informed by a system message as well with some coordinates posted. They were familiar with the coordinates because it was simr to that of the auction house. However, what no one expected was the message that was carried along with it. The words were simple and yet, they were able to capture the attention of the entire yer popr within Amaharpe. ¡´City Announcement: Visit the first official yer owned shop within RML, ?Mystical Realm Pce?. Grade 1, 2, and 3 Apothecary pills for sale. Visit the coordinates...¡µ At first, there was a strange silence throughout the city of Amaharpe. It was as if every yer had their ears and eyes locked onto the message. The message repeated itself another two times before the voice vanished. It was not until that voice faded away, that everyone seemed to snap back into reality. A yer owned shop! It was actually a yer owned shop that was being announced! The city-wide public chat went practically crazy and caused the system to enforce a slow chat mode due to the level of yer chat traffic. "What the heck was that? A city announcement? Is it legit?" "Legit? How can you even say that noob?! It¡¯s a city announcement! You can¡¯t fake that kind of thing. It¡¯s 100% legit!" "That¡¯s insane! Which top guild owns the shop? I¡¯m sure the others are going crazy right now." "I was right outside the auction house when the announcement was made. I¡¯m right at the coordinates. Can confirm its real. This ce is awesome!" "It has to be a scam! Grade three pills? Only the Pill Emperor can make something like that right now!" There were some yers who were excited and others who remained skeptical, however, the curiosity was already nted within their minds. While most would think that the casual yers were chaotic, it was, in fact, the top guilds who were scrambling around to confirm the truth. However, it did not take long for every single one of the top guilds to do so since they had people constantly stationed within the auction house around the clock. Since the coordinates listed were right across the street, it was not difficult to check. The same could be said for those bigger guilds who could afford to have yers wait around at the auction house in rotating shifts. It was definitely true! It was a pill shop with grade one and grade two pills that were never seen before today. However, no one was able to confirm the existence of grade three pills in the shop for some reason. At the moment, every top guild and yer within Amaharpe had the same question on their mind. Who exactly was the owner of the shop? ... Cross Haven temporary headquarters... "How could this get past us?" Ewan asked. He had just returned from outside of the city not too long ago and was greeted by such a surprise announcement. How could they have failed to notice the movements of someone preparing to open a shop? "It¡¯s hard to say. Things have been a little chaotic ever since the end of the event. Everything is shaky at best and the top ten guilds that were so well defined before have be unstable. It would seem our attention was focused too much on the potential follow up moves." Wang Qiangmented. "If the announcement about grade three pills turns out to be true, then we¡¯ll have found the equal of the Pill Emperor or even the Pill Emperor himself. I should not have to tell you how this could benefit Cross Haven. " Ewan said as he stood to his feet and made his way towards the door. "Oh? You¡¯re actually going to pay a personal visit?" Wang Qiang said as he followed after Ewan. "If I fail to do so, others will. It is not something that can be left to mere chance. Let us hope that we¡¯re not toote and that another guild is behind this. Otherwise, it will put Cross Haven in a disadvantageous position." Ewan responded. Ewan and Wang Qiang made their way towards the coordinates of the shop. Cross Haven was not the only guild to respond in such a rapid manner. Everyone had a simr reaction to Ewan. All of the top guilds including Blue Oasis, Hyper¡¯s Symphony, and even the Headhunter Syndicate all rushed to grab a piece of the action. ... Meanwhile, back at the Mystical Realm Pce... ¡¯It¡¯s arger turn out than I anticipated.¡¯ Izroth wandered around the shop that once appeared spacious, however, it was now crowded with hundreds of yers. There appeared to be no end to the stream of yers pouring into the building. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯ve decided to limit the purchase of pills to 1 per customer each. Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid the inventory I¡¯ve built up would notst a second under the assault of this group.¡¯ Izroth knew that if the top guilds had a chance, they would clean him out of his entire inventory. This was not a bad thing if one looked at it from a short term point of view. However, in the long run, it was dangerous to allow someone else to purchase that many pills at once since it could allow for hoarding. If that happened, then they would be able to create their own secondary market. "Eh? Why can I only buy one of each pill? Where are all the grade three pills?" One of the yers questioned when he tried to purchase fifty Heart of the Heavenly Dragon Pills. He had nned on waiting until the ones here run out and then selling them at a higher value. Of course, it was a risky investment, but the potential return would have been astounding. "All pill purchases are currently limited to one per customer on the day of the grand opening. If you wish to purchase additional pills, you will have to return tomorrow. All grade three pills are located on the second floor of the establishment." One of the nearby assistant NPC¡¯s responded. Her name was Opal. She wore a simple maid¡¯s outfit and had a charming appearance about her. "Only one per day?! That¡¯s outrageous... I guess I¡¯ll go look at those legendary grade three pills then." The yer was obviously upset. His ns had been tossed into the wind and now, he could only purchase pills for himself. However, he may still be able to get his hands on a grade three pill and he did not want to risk losing out on that rare opportunity. As the yer approached the second floor and tried to go up the stairs, he was stopped by an invisible barrier as the system wanted him to pay five gold coins to proceed. His face turned extremely ugly when he saw that he had to pay just to even visit the second floor! "Five gold coins! That¡¯s over 3,000 RMB just to take a look!" The yer decided to cut his luck and just leave after acquiring one of each of the grade one and grade two pills. He knew that he would have to return with more gold if he wanted to purchase anything on the second floor. After all, if the entry fee alone was five gold coins, then he knew the price of the pills themselves were not cheap. Also, he was unsure if it would charge him every time he decided to visit the second floor. Therefore, he would gather enough to make the purchase in one attempt as to not take any chances. Many yers repeated actions simr to his and most left disappointed or outraged. However, there were a few wealthy yers that could afford to go up to the second floor and came back down a few momentster with three items they never would have even dreamed of seeing at this point within RML. They strutted around the shop as if to show off their wealth and have other yers look on with admiration. Grade three pills! This shop really did have grade three pills! Chapter 220 The Top Guilds Scramble! Part 1 This was huge news! A yer owned shop possessed not one, not two, but three grade three pills! Even if there was just a single grade three pill it would have been worth it. However, many of the buyers were members of top guilds that were stationed at the auction house across from the Mystical Realm Pce. Once it was confirmed that grade three pills were avable for purchase, everyone tried to rush up the stairs to the second floor. However, there was no choice but for the majority of those turn back due to the five gold coins ess fee. Of course, after the members of those top guilds ran their findings by their guilds, every one of them had given the same instructions, "Buy as many of them as possible!". But, that quickly became wishful thinking. Even the grade three pills were limited to one purchase per yer. How frustrating! There was one other interesting fact that was swiftly discovered and that was the presence of the Five Cycles Pill. This ce definitely had ties to that mysterious Pill Emperor! This meant that even if the owner of this shop was not the Pill Emperor, they would, at least, possess valuable information regarding the Pill Emperor¡¯s true identity. Their next task was clear, they had to find the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce before someone else beat them to it. ¡¯Things are going much better than I¡¯ve anticipated.¡¯ Izroth was watching over the shop and wandering around to see how things were going. He had to admit, the NPC¡¯s were extremely useful in this situation. It did not be overcrowded or chaotic thanks to them maintaining order in the shop. It also helped that there was an automatic upancy limit for the shop itself. At the moment, no more than a certain number of yers could be present in the shop at the same time. If one wanted to enter inside when the shop was already full, it would be impossible to do so unless a yer that was already inside left the shop. Of course, there was an exception to this rule. yers who were personally invited or given permission(s) by the property¡¯s owner could enter even if the upancy limit was reached. It had been less than one hour since the shop opened and the number of purchases was not slowing down in the slightest! In just the short amount of time since the grand opening began, Izroth earned 10,800 gold coins. That was 8,229,600 RMB with the current 1:762 gold to RMB exchange ratio. Of course, he had to pay 5% of his earnings directly to RML as tax. After that, he had to split 50% of his total profits to pay off the debt he owned Sleeping Gardenia as per their agreement. However, at the current rate of business, Izroth would be able to pay the debt off in a single day. Once that happened, he would only have to grant 10% to Sleeping Gardenia since they were dealing with the hassle of collecting massive amounts of resources. Not only did they have the connections, but they also had the gold coins to make use of those connections. Also, to bepletely honest, this arrangement was easier for Izroth. "Everything seems to be going well. I expect it won¡¯t be long now until the name Mystical Realm Pce is known throughout all of RML." Mariposa said as she approached Izroth with a smile on her face. She had arrived before the official opening to discuss a few final details with Izroth. Plus, she would not miss such an important event when it had something to do with Sleeping Gardenia. "I originally estimated the shop to be self-sustainable for around three days, however, it seems I¡¯ll have to replenish the inventory in two days if I¡¯m lucky. The good news is that you should see your 91,000 gold coins by the end of the day. Of course, you will still receive your 10% share as promised after that." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "I look forward to it. Sleeping Gardenia will do everything in its power to make sure your needs are met when ites to resources. However, I feel I should mention something to you regarding who I¡¯ve obtained the Jugris Leaf and Violent Lotus Seeds from." Mariposa said. "Oh? Who might that be?" Izroth asked. "First, does the name Seven Dreams Consortium ring any bells?" Mariposa said. ¡¯Seven Dreams Consortium? If I remember correctly, they are basically a group of individuals who collect and sell various items on a wide variety of gaming tforms.¡¯ Izroth nodded and replied, "I¡¯ve heard of them." "I thought you might. However, are you also aware of a yer who goes by the name Metronome?" Mariposa asked. Metronome? Izroth was a bit surprised at first, but he quickly connected a few dots. If Metronome had ties to the Seven Dreams Consortium, it would certainly exin how he always seemed capable of getting his hands on items that should normally be difficult to find in such a short period of time. "We¡¯ve met on several asions." Izroth answered. "As I thought, he was telling the truth... I just thought you should know that he¡¯s well aware of your identity as an Apothecary. In other words, he knows that you are the one yers are calling the Pill Emperor. Though I must say, he¡¯s quite different from the other Administrators. Even though I¡¯ve never even heard of him until yesterday, he¡¯s quite capable." Mariposa stated. ¡¯I suppose it all makes sense now.¡¯ Izroth had been trying to figure out Metronome¡¯s hidden intentions for a while now. Although he was able to tell that Metronome did not have any ill intentions towards him, Izroth could see that he still possessed a hidden agenda of sorts. Now, he understood a good part of Metronome¡¯s agenda. However, Izroth was curious as to why Metronome hid his identity as an Administrator from the Seven Dreams Consortium. What exactly was it that he was trying to aplish? As Izroth and Mariposa were having a conversation, a group of yers was headed towards Izroth¡¯s direction. They discovered from the identity of the shop owner from the NPC¡¯s working there and immediately made a move to greet him. It appeared that each yer was trying to get in front of the other so that they could have the initiative. But, when they saw that the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia was already next to him, their facial expressions turned gloomy. They had lost the first contact advantage! However, that would not stop them from establishing a friendly connection with the shop owner of this ce. "Sir, my name is Vanter from Blue Oasis. You¡¯re personally acquainted with the captain of my Blue Oasis, Niflheim. It is an honor to meet you, sir. Forgive my rudeness, it is a pleasure to meet the renowned guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia in this ce." Vanter spoke in a polite manner with arge smile on his face. "Indeed, I have met Niflheim on a few asions. He is a sensible man." Izroth replied. All the other members of the top guilds looked at Vanter with ugly expressions on their faces. It appeared that an important member of his guild already knew the shop¡¯s owner and Vanter was using that to his advantage. How disgusting! However, the truth of the matter was that they were jealous that they had no such advantage to use. But, one of the more informed yers quickly followed up after Vanter¡¯s statement and said, "Hah! Are you forgetting that other captain who insulted and attacked sir Izroth in the event Protectors of Amaharpe? What was his name again? Oh yes, I believe it was that Minus captain of yours." "You dare drag the name of my Blue Oasis through the mud?!" Vanter snapped back as he red at the yer who had just spoken. It would be incorrect to say that Minus directly attacked Izroth or even had yers attack him. In fact, it was someone who was a part of Izroth¡¯s party who had been attacked ording to the reports of the event. However, the way the yer had spun his words made it seem as if Blue Oasis and Izroth were at odds against one another. Vanter would not stand by and allow the name of his guild to be tarnished. The yer scoffed and said, "He still dared to make a move against sir Izroth and such a thing is unforgivable! My Cross Haven, on the other hand, has always been on friendly terms with sir Izroth. My name is Leaping Grass of the guild Cross Haven. We¡¯ve actually met once before, although I don¡¯t expect you to remember after such a brief time. How did sir Izroth enjoy the Sea Pce Graveyard?" Leaping Grass was in the same party as Wess back at the Sea Pce Graveyard where he first saw Izroth. He happened to be close by when the city announcement went off and was the highest ranking member of Cross Haven in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, he would be the one to continue building Cross Haven¡¯s image in a good way. All the other yers rushed to introduce themselves and yelled out the name of their guilds. Izroth shook his head inwardly as he listened to everyone spew words ofpliments about his "extraordinary" appearance and "powerful" personality. However, most of them only knew of him by name and nothing of him as a person. Therefore, how could the words they were speaking possibly be how they truly felt? It was obvious they were trying to curry his favor. However, there was one member who stayed far away from the other group who was originally a part of the group rushing to meet the shop owner. When that yerid his eyes upon Izroth, his facial expression immediately turned gloomy. It was the same member of the Headhunter Syndicate who Izroth killed back in the Towering Oak Forest, Doctor Dark. How could he possibly try to curry favor with the shop owner after that unfortunate run in? Why?! Why did it have to be that yer out of the millions upon millions of yers within RML? Why him?! Those were the only thoughts drifting through Doctor Dark¡¯s mind at the time. Mariposa had enough of watching these yers fawn over Izroth in such a shameless manner. She stepped forward in front of Izroth and swept his gaze across the group of yers before her. "If you want to continue making fools of yourselves, then you¡¯re free to do so. However, you should know that such colorful words without meaning will have no effect on Izroth, you¡¯re wasting your time and effort. Now, I suggest you all take your leave before my patience runs out." Mariposa spoke in a tone full of authority. The group of yers went silent and were unsure of what to do next. If it was just any other yer who was a part of Sleeping Gardenia then they would not have to show them any face and would have just ignored them. However, this was the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia herself! Not only was she well known within RML, but even in the real world, she had a terrifying background. Who wanted to risk offending her and deny her all face? The answer was no one! "I was unaware that the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia bullied yers in such a manner." A voice sounded out from a few meters away causing everyone to turn their attention towards its source. Who had the guts to speak that way to the guild leader of one of the top ten guilds within all of RML?! "Bullied? They have not seen my impolite side yet. Though I¡¯m surprised you came to this ce in person, Ewan." Mariposa responded. Ewan approached Izroth and Mariposa as the other yers created a bit of distance. Now that two guild leaders of such high esteem were present, they had no ce in the conversation. Even Wang Qiang, one of the Five Great Generals of Cross Haven, hade to this ce! Why would the shop owner listen to yers like them instead of the three influential yers before him? The original group of yers who approached Izroth knew that now, all they could do was wait until a higher ranking member of their guild arrived. "I am the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. It is nice to finally meet you in person, Izroth." Ewan said in a way that was neither overly polite or arrogant. Chapter 221 The Top Guilds Scramble! Part 2 Both Ewan and Wang Qiang took a moment to size Izroth up. At first nce, there did not appear to be anything special about him and it was hard to get a grasp or understanding of Izroth. However, Ewan and Wang Qiang were no fools. No matter how harmless and carefree Izroth appeared on the outside, in the end, they considered him to be a yer with many hidden talents. It was no easy task to grab the 1st ce spot in the event Protectors of Amaharpe for solo yers. Also, when they added on all the previous information acquired about Izroth, it was not difficult to reach a solid decent understanding of who they were dealing with. But, in the end, Izroth was an unknown entity and no one had ever heard of his name before RML. With that being said, even though Izroth had shown many amazing aplishments and feats in the PVE area of RML, there was still really no widespread knowledge regarding his PVP skills. In MMORPGs, especially a VRMMORPG such as RML, PVP would be the biggest factor to if a yer was truly a top level yer or just someone who was only good at fighting against monsters. However, Ewan and Wang Qiang¡¯s gut feelings were telling them that the yer before them was not only skilled in PVE, but PVP as well. "I was unaware that the guild leader of Cross Haven was looking forward to a meeting." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "As the yer who snatched the 1st ce spot out of my hands in the Protectors of Amaharpe, it¡¯s only natural that I would wish to meet with you face to face. Allow me to personally congratte you on your victory, even if it is a few dayste." Ewan said in a calm and steady tone of voice. Ewan had maintained the number one spot throughout the entire event until one brief moment when a yer, not even listed in the top ten, suddenly jumped ahead of him. In the end, he was knocked down to 2nd ce. Although the rewards he got were still wonderful, there was still nothing like obtaining the 1st ce spot in a major event. "Just a bit of luck." Izroth stated. He was not attempting to be humble, but it really was partly due to luck. After all, if he had never obtained the Spiritual Essence trait from the Chaotic Dogma Realm and the AOE skill Behemoth¡¯s Quake from defeating the Brooding Behemoth Basbus during the event, then there was a good chance that he would have never soared to the 1st ce spot over Ewan. Everything fell into ce perfectly for him and from another person¡¯s point of view, it could be considered Izroth¡¯s fortune and Ewan¡¯s misfortune. However, no one took Izroth¡¯s statement seriously. No matter how much "luck" one had, it would be impossible for them to grab 1st ce over so many other skilled yers if they themselves were unskilled. "I see, then next time I can only hope that my own luck is better." Ewan responded as he turned then turned his attention towards Mariposa. "I heard guild leader Mariposa was one of the first yers within the shop. It is your good fortune that you happened to be nearby." Ewan said as he watched Mariposa¡¯s closely. Mariposa smiled in a coy manner and replied, "I was born under a lucky star. Maybe that has something to do with it?" She knew that Ewan was trying to probe her rtionship to Izroth, or at the very least, try to determine if there was already some kind of partnership between them. However, she would not make it so easy for him to read the situation at hand. "If I remember correctly, your younger sister was in the same party as Izroth during the event, right?" Wang Qiang said with a grin on his face. That time when Zhang Jie went over towards the Blue Oasis sector during the event, Zhang Jie had brought along that information back along with him. It simply came up in a side conversation and he did not think much of it at the time, however, maybe there was something going on after all that he was unaware of. "Who my adorable little sister chooses to hang around has nothing to do with me." Mariposa said. "Hah! Who doesn¡¯t know how overprotective you are of your sister? Do you expect me to believe someone like you doesn¡¯t care about the people she keepspany? Howughable." Wang Qiang replied as he shook his head. "Did the two of youe here to buy pills or not? If you did, then hurry up and go shop." Mariposa said waving the two of them away. It could be seen from their interaction with one another that they had crossed paths plenty of times before. However, there were no hostile intentions by either party and, in fact, they appeared to be on close enough terms to not take offense to each other¡¯s words. "Of course, that¡¯s only part of the reason we¡¯re here." Ewan said as he turned back towards Izroth. He then continued, "I¡¯ll just be blunt and straight to the point. If you have the Five Cycles Pills for sale in this ce it can only mean one of three things. The first is that you know the true identity of the Pill Emperor." Everyone nearby within hearing range was shocked when they heard Ewan¡¯s words. Pill Emperor? The owner of this shop personally knew that famous and mysterious Pill Emperor who the top guilds had beenbing all of RML for?! If so, this was bound to be the hottest spot within RML to obtain pills in the future! After all, who did not want to consume a pill crafted by the Pill Emperor? "The second is that you somehow managed to obtain a recipe of the Five Cycles Pills and copy other recipes from the Pill Emperor. Thest option is that you, Izroth, are in fact the Pill Emperor, a grade three Apothecary." Ewan exined. The shop owner could be the Pill Emperor?! Was that really true? They were unsure since it sounded as if Ewan was only taking wild guesses, however, they were definitely listening closely while pretending the browse through the items. Mariposa scoffed, "You sure know how to let your imagination run wild, Ewan." Ewan only slightly smiled in response to Mariposa¡¯s words as he continued on and said, "I find the first choice to be the most usible exnation. As for the other two, it¡¯s unlikely, but not impossible." The reason Ewan said those words was due to the fact that a person like the Pill Emperor must have devoted countless hours and time within RML to creating his pill recipes. That was the only way to exin how the Pill Emperor was currently the sole yer Apothecary within RML that had achieved the grade three ranking. How could someone like Izroth who had time to take 1st ce in an event and go off clearing dungeons, possibly have had time to practice his apothecary skills and research the massive amount of avable reagents? As for stealing the pill recipes, Ewan highly doubted that this was the case. Not only did his present impression of Izroth tell him this, but also, what yer would not guard such pills recipes that could potentially make them millions of gold coins, with their lives? Ewan understood that it mattered not which of the three were true. In the end, Izroth definitely had a tie to the Pill Emperor one way or another since there were three grade three pills sitting in the Mystical Realm Pce. "It is as Mariposa said, you sure know how to let your imagination run wild." Izroth said as he inwardly shook his head. The thought of him stealing a pill recipe from anyone in and of itself wasughable. "Oh? Perhaps you¡¯d care to borate a bit. But first, I would like to know if there is anywhere private that I could have a conversation with the shop owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. There is much to be said." Ewan said as his gaze swept across the numerous eyes staring over in their direction. Even though some yers hid it well, there was still a good amount who were tantly obvious. "I happen to know a ce." Izroth responded in a carefree manner as he started to walk towards the room he created specifically for privacy or conference type gatherings. However, he did not expect to put the room to use so soon after the grand opening. "Surely you would not mind my tagging along?" Mariposa said as she walked along with Ewan and Wang Qiang. The three of them were all following after Izroth. "Even if I objected, I¡¯m sure you would stille along." Ewan said. Izroth changed the permission(s) to allow Mariposa, Ewan, and Wang Qiang to enter into the conference room. He took a seat at the head of the table as the other three sat down not too long after him. ... "Mystical Realm Pce? This is the first I¡¯m hearing any news about a shop opening. Why am I just now finding out about this?" Asgard frowned. At the moment, he was outside of Amaharpe on a dungeon run when he received a flood of messages from his guild members located within Amaharpe regarding the opening of the first yer owned shop. This was huge news! However, it came out of absolutely nowhere which was surprising considering the vast informationwork of Blue Oasis. For something this major to slip through theirs undetected was uneptable. "There must have been very few people involved for something like this to be kept so well under wraps. Is there any idea as to who is in control of the shop? This could greatly shift the current bnce of power." Niflheim said with furrowed brows. If one of the top guilds controlled the shop or even someone allied to another top guild, then it had the potential to drastically change things. "There¡¯s more informationing in every second. Wait a sec, this is...!" Asgard raised his brows as he looked at the new iing messages and there was shock written all over his face. "Hm? What is it?" Niflheim looked over at Asgard in a manner of curiosity. "We have to return to Amaharpe immediately! Niflheim, you wille along with me using a Returning Scroll. As for the rest of you, it¡¯ll be best if you continue on without us. This matter requires our immediate attention." Asgard said with a serious expression as he removed a Returning Scroll from his inventory. Niflheim was a bit startled by Asgard¡¯s sudden hasty behavior. One had to know that a single Returning Scroll cost around 100 gold coins. That was more than 75,000 RMB with the current exchange rate! For them to use two Returning Scrolls could be considered a heavy price to pay for a non-emergency situation. "The guild leaders of Sleeping Gardenia and Cross Haven have already arrived to greet the shop owner. Apparently, he does not belong to any guild. This is a chance for my Blue Oasis." Asgard said with a hint of confidence in his voice. 200 gold coins? So what! This was the first yer owned shop within RML! Even if they could not directly get a piece of the profit, there were still other opportunities to explore. "Are you sure that I shoulde along? I am more than capable of providing assistance over the messaging system." Niflheim said. He felt it would be a waste for both of them to use a Returning Scroll. However, Asgard shook his head in response and replied, "I need you to be there with me in person on this one. After all, you have the most experience out of any member of Blue Oasis dealing with the shop owner. It would seem as though that friend of yours has indeed been up to some interesting thingstely." ... A simr sequence of events was taking ce all throughout the top guilds within Amaharpe. Unknowingly, Mariposa and Ewan had started a wave that could no longer be stopped. For the first time since the beginning of RML, the leader of every single top guild gathered at the same location, the Mystical Realm Pce! The top guilds were scrambling to make a good first impression. Chapter 222 A Wave Unexpected Guests Izroth was currently inside of the conference like room located within the Mystical Realm Pce. At the moment, the conversation was still fairly casual and nothing of importance had been said. However, Izroth was a bit surprised by Ewan¡¯s self-restraint. Ewan spoke in a calm tone of voice that carried no hint of arrogance, just a certain level of pride and confidence in one¡¯s own self was reflected from his bodynguage and the words leaving his mouth. It was as if Ewan was waiting for something to happen before he got to the main topic. As for Mariposa, she was strictly here to, in the crudest of terms, eavesdrop on their conversation. Sleeping Gardenia and Izroth already had a set arrangement, therefore, she was not worried about things like gaining additional benefits. At this point, she simply wanted to stay informed and ahead of the situation itself. Wang Qiang silently observed Izroth. His goal was to find out more about the person behind Izroth so that he could have a better understanding of what kind of person they were actually dealing with. However, that carefree expression that always seemed to discover a way onto Izroth¡¯s face made him difficult to read. After chatting for around five minutes or so Opal, one of the NPC shopkeepers Izroth hired, walked into the conference room with a message for Izroth. Opal bowed politely and said, "Excuse me for interrupting, however, you have some guests out here who wish to meet with you, Handler Izroth." Ewan narrowed his and nced over towards Wang Qiang who gave him a slight nod in response. "It would seem the others have finally decided to join us." Ewan said with a slight smile on his face. He knew that this moment was bound to ur ever since he and Mariposa both chose to visit the establishment personally. This meant that no one else could send a representative and had toe in person if they wanted to be taken seriously. Ewan had not just been having a pointless conversation with Izroth this entire time. Although there were no important topics, Ewan took as much time as possible before the others arrived to form a better understanding and closer rtionship to Izroth. Even though it was only for a handful of minutes, Ewan believed that it would still put him well ahead of the others who showed up after him. Most people failed to realize how having even the smallest connection could go a long way in the long term. ¡¯Guests? The others?¡¯ "Who are they?" Izroth questioned. "ording to what I have been been told, they all im to be guild leaders seeking an audience with Handler Izroth. There are also a few other individuals who wish to meet with you, however, it¡¯s a bit problematic..." Opal replied. "Problematic? Exin." Izroth asked. "Yes, you currently have a total of 56 individuals waiting outside these doors. This conference room was only meant to hold a total of 30 people, therefore, it is impossible to meet with all of them at the same time. However, they all refused to leave until they have met with Handler Izroth." Opal said. She then continued, "Due to limited upancy restrictions, I find that if this problem continues to develop at its current rate, our potential profits will fall by over 33.28% in the next hour alone. The rmendation is to execute the ejection order for all parties involved. Should Imence with this course of action?" An ejection order would forcibly dismiss yers from the shop and disallow them ess for a certain period of time. It was a feature added so that shop owners were able to maintain proper control over their shop and keep unwanted guests out. "Dy that action." Izroth said as he turned to look towards Mariposa and Ewan. Mariposa gave a helpless smile and said, "It¡¯s a natural response. There are too many potential opportunities that you represent whether you like it or not, Izroth. If you want my advice, I wouldn¡¯t waste any time entertaining those who have nothing to offer." "If I may be so bold as to advise as well, it is a problem that cannot be put off for long. To be blunt, you¡¯re too much of an anomaly to ignore at this point. Not only have your feats been kept track of, but owning this shop is the straw that broke the camels back. You can no longer afford to be ignored by anyone. I agree with what the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia." Ewan stated. Izroth knew what two of them were getting at. Indeed, it was best to deal with this issue in one swift moment instead of doing so a little bit at a time. However, Izroth was unfamiliar with the overall guild structure within RML. It was at moments like these Izroth realized just how often Zi Yi filled in the nks with ease when it came to matters like this. ¡¯Eventually, I¡¯ll have to find a way to collect my own source of reliable information without the need of going through third parties.¡¯ "Wang Qiang, you will wait outside. Since there is a limited amount of space avable, we shouldn¡¯t make things too difficult for Izroth." Ewan said as he gave a certain look to Wang Qiang. "Three¡¯s a crowd and four¡¯s a party, is it? Hah, alright I got it. I know when I¡¯m not weed." Wang Qiang said jokingly. Mariposa narrowed her eyes as she observed Ewan and Wang Qiang¡¯s behavior. Why was Ewan giving up having someone like Wang Qiang by his side at a time like this? To her, it made little sense to do so. However, she knew that Ewan was no fool and whatever he thought about or nned was always something with long term results and benefits, not some short-term gain nonsense. A few momentster after discussing a couple of things with Mariposa and Ewan, Izroth opened the doors to the conference room and immediately saw arge group of yers crowded around the door. However, since no one amongst them had permission(s) to enter the room, they were all blocked by a transparent barrier. As for Wang Qiang, he walked through the barrier and went back into the main shop area. He still had yet to purchase his own set of pills, especially the ones located on the second floor. "Sir Izroth, over here! My guild Moon Shrine Temple would like to discuss some matters with you!" "This way! My Killer Instinct is willing to work for you, just say the word!" "Is it true that you know the Pill Emperor? I wish to study under him!" However, the leader of the top guilds was not shouting senselessly like the majority of the smaller or average guilds present. They had a certain public image to uphold and would not resort to doing something so unsightly with so many eyes focused onto them. This was even more so since not all the top guilds got along with one another. Who would want to hand their enemy any ammunition? It wasplete and utter chaos! When Opal made her report just moments ago, she had said that there were only 56 individuals waiting for him behind the door. However, Izroth was confident that there was nearly twice that number before his eyes. He looked over at Opal whose eyes swept out across the crowd of yers. "It would seem the number of individuals that wish to meet with Handler Izroth has increased by 50% to 84 individuals. Potential profit loss per hour has been updated to 46.92%. Should I execute-" Opal exined. "No need." Izroth said before she could finish speaking. Although he was prepared for a situation simr to this, he did not expect it to be on such arge scale. He held the palm of his hand up signaling that he was about to speak. The rowdy crowd died down and everyone tuned in to listen. After all, if he called their name they did not want to miss it because they were not paying attention. "There are nearly 100 of you here at the moment. Unfortunately, this room can only hold 30 yers at its maximum capacity. Since there are already three of us here, I can only allow another 27 yers to enter inside. Therefore, anyone who can not provide a 50 gold coins entrance fee, I¡¯ll have to ask for you to leave." Izroth said in a nonchnt tone of voice. 50 gold coins just to enter inside?! That was more than 38,000 RMB! Immediately after that announcement, there were numerous yers left dejected. Not all of them could afford to casually pull out 50 gold coins as if it were nothing. However, as far as the top guilds were concerned, 50 gold coins were nothing much. The group of 86 yers had quickly shrunk to around 51 yers. There were still some average sized guilds who were willing to pool together their gold coins with those they had an alliance with in order to pay the entrance fee. It was a hefty price to pay, however, if they could receive even a single benefit or connection they felt as if the sacrifice would be worth it. "I¡¯ll also have to restrict representatives to one person per group. If I find that anyone attempts to break this rule, then I will see to it that person, as well as, the group they represent, are no longer weed back in my Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth said. After that statement, even a few top guilds furrowed their brows. They were unwilling to take that unnecessary risk. However, it was incredibly challenging for those average guilds who had allied themselves toe up with a representative. In the end, no one was willing to give full authority to the other for fear of their guild being left out. Therefore, the group of 51 yers was quickly reduced down to 26 individuals. Unexpectedly, there was still a single slot left open! Asgard, who had arrived there with Niflheim had a gloomy expression on his face. If only one of them could enter inside, then they had not only wasted a Returning Scroll usage but now there was an important question to answer. Was it better for him, the guild leader of Blue Oasis to attend, or Niflheim who already had some form of contact with Izroth? If Blue Oasis was the only guild not to send their guild leader to meet, they would surely be mocked regardless of the circumstances! After all, even someone like Wang Qiang had left the room. What excuse could they possibly use to say that it was unfair? It was an ufortable dilemma. Niflheim, however, shook his head and said, "It should be you who goes. We can¡¯t afford to lose face in front of so many other guilds." While Niflheim was disappointed that he would be unable to sit in on such a major event, he knew what the priorities were. "Opal, once the yers present have handed you their entrance fee, allow them permission(s) to enter into the conference room." Izroth ordered. "Understood." Opal replied with a polite bow. She then began to ept the entrance fee of the yers as they entered inside the conference room. Just when Izroth was about to head back into the conference room, he noticed Niflheim walking away. "It would seem our paths continue to cross, 7th captain of the guild Blue Oasis, Niflheim. Did you n on leaving without saying a word?" Izroth said which immediately grabbing not only Niflheim¡¯s attention but the attention of the other guild leaders as well. Niflheim halted his steps and turned around to greet Izroth as he said, "You seem to already have your hands full. To distract you with idle conversation would be thoughtless of me." "Did you not have a private matter to discuss with me after the event? I believe we have not yet had the chance to review it. Come, we¡¯ll discuss it face to face after this is over." Izroth said as he weed Niflheim into the conference room. Niflheim was not the only one who was surprised by Izroth, the other guild leaders were also baffled. He just said a few moments ago that only one representative per group could enter inside and now he was going back on his own word and allowing Blue Oasis two slots! Wasn¡¯t he tantly favoring Blue Oasis? "You may be unaware, but the guild leader of Blue Oasis is already here to represent his guild. Allowing another member of his guild to enter would be-" One of the yers already inside of the room tried to exin, however, he was quickly interrupted by Izroth. "If I invite someone then they are invited." Izroth said in a carefree manner. That yer wanted to protest, however, he did not want to risk offending Izroth before they even started anything. How foolish would that be? "If you insist, then I¡¯ll have to impose on your kindness." Niflheim said as he took Izroth up on his offer. Izroth did not believe in simple coincidences. There was a reason that fate kept crossing his path with Niflheim¡¯s. Therefore, he would take some time out to explore the matter after things were done. Also, he was interested to see what the "proposition" Niflheim had mentioned before that would benefit both of them was all about. After everything had finally settled down, Izroth took his seat at the head of the table and swept his gaze across the 29 yers who were also seated. This was a sight that impossible to see under normal circumstances. The yers in this room possessed abined influence that could wash clean anyone or anything within RML. The first major gathering of the top powers in RML had officially begun! Chapter 223 Not Interested... But Not Impossible To Meet! At the moment, it was so quiet in the conference room that the sound of a pin drop could be heard. Every yer present was sizing up the others at the table. This was not only the first time most of them had seen Izroth in person but also each other as well. Therefore, they would use this chance to acquire as much information as possible about their potential rivals within RML. However, there were some yers who gave death res to some others sitting at the table. For example, the guild leader of Hyper¡¯s Symphony Wang Ping had his cold gaze locked onto yer, the guild leader of Sage Falls. During the event, it was one of the Six Hands of Sage Falls, Virus, who led the assault against Wang Ping¡¯s Hyper¡¯s Symphony. Therefore, it was only natural that some bad blood had formed between them. Although Wang Ping was furious and irritated just looking at yer, he understood that this was not the time nor ce tosh out. In the end, he believed that Sage Falls and yer had received proper payback due to the end results of the matter. Wang Ping was not the only one staring at yer. In fact, there were multiple eyes set on yer and most of them were filled with disdain and contempt. However, there were even a few filled with a vicious look of greed, as if he was just a big prize that one could reach out and grab with their fingertips. It wasmon knowledge at this point that Sage Falls had suffered a devastating blow that shook their position as one of the top ten guilds. Theplete wipe of their guild members did not just cause those yers to lose precious experience points but also resulted in a huge loss of equipment. As if those two things were not enough, they were also in a weakened state for several hours after their deaths. Adding everything together, Sage Falls was far from its peak strength and influence within RML. In fact, there even who wanted them to stay weak and slowly reap whatever benefits possible. "I assume there are multiple reasons for your personal visit to my Mystical Realm Pce, however, I believe the one word to sum it all up is curiosity." Izroth said breaking the silence that previously flooded the room. Everyone turned their focus towards Izroth as he spoke. Indeed, when it came down to the core of things, all of them were here because they were curious about one thing or another. Be it the pills that were currently up for sale, to see how the inside of a yer-owned shop looked, or even to learn about the personality of the shop owner, Izroth. However, there was one main reason every single person here, excluding one or two people, decided to pay the Mystical Realm Pce a visit; the Five Cycles Pill. To be more precise, it was not the pill itself, but rather the person behind the creation of the pill they were curious about. Once they found out that there was not one, not two, but three grade three pills contained in a single shop, it left thempletely speechless. At the same time, it also made them excited to finally discover some clues about the elusive and mysterious Pill Emperor. It was well known that the creator of the Five Cycles Pill was currently the only grade three Apothecary within RML. Even though his poprity was so high, no one had any idea as to who he was or where he came from. This made it difficult to track down any information regarding his identity which gave the information sections of each respective guild their fair share of headaches in the process. "Allow me to be blunt, the one you call Pill Emperor has no interest in meeting with any of you." Izroth said in a nonchnt tone of voice. After thinking about it for a bit, he chose to keep his identity of being the Pill Emperor a secret. He knew that having the "Pill Emperor" maintain his status as an enigma could have great benefits in the long term. Although there were people such as Mariposa and Metronome who knew his identity as the Pill Emperor, he was willing to bet that neither of them was willing to go against his intentions. After all, they only had something to lose, not gain by doing so. ¡¯An enigma bes a legend day by day without the need to do anything at a certain point.¡¯ Now, whenever an interesting pill was released, the first thought that crossed everyone¡¯s mind would be the Pill Emperor. Having such a powerful hold on things made it so that one¡¯s influence snowballed into something vast and boundless over time. Although it was not a part of Izroth¡¯s original ns to do so, he was the type to improvise when the situation called for it. Everyone was startled by Izroth¡¯s words. The Pill Emperor was not interested in meeting with any of them? Did he not know who the people sitting at this table where and what the represented? One of the people at the table named Seeking Fangs, the guild leader of Hollow Tempo, frowned and said, "Surely you jest. If the Pill Emperor doesn¡¯t want to meet with us, then fine. However, he should tell us to our face himself. No offense, but you can understand my concern in taking the word of someone in your lofty position at face value." Many of the others had simr thoughts to Seeking Fangs. If they were going to be turned away, then it should be by the Pill Emperor himself. After all, they showed him a huge amount of face by showing up in person. The very least he could do was return the favor by doing the same. "I can understand the Pill Emperor¡¯s reluctance to meet with us. After all, being an Apothecary requires a great deal of focus and it¡¯s natural that he desires to remain unbothered. If that¡¯s the case, then we should respect his wishes." Ewan said calmly. "Oh? And what does the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia have to say about this?" A yer called Simplicity spoke out. Simplicity was the guild leader of Mist Paradise. Over 80% of the yers within Mist Paradise were female yers and so they were simr to Sleeping Gardenia in many ways. This caused a naturalpetition to form between the two guilds to be the main face of female gamers. "Does it matter? If the Pill Emperor doesn¡¯t want to meet then nothing can be done to change that. We have no choice but to respect his wishes." Mariposamented. "Hah, do you take us for fools? Who knows what the three of you discussed before we arrived in this ce? It just so happens that you agree with Ewan, can you see where I¡¯m going with this?" Seeking Fangs scoffed. "Where you¡¯re going with it is irrelevant. I can assure you that our conversation has been limited to simple idle chat before your arrival." Ewan said with a slight smile forming on his lips. Not before long, the once silent conference room was now filled with intense debates taking ce all across the table. After several minutes flew by, everyone was able to take a step back from things and look at it from a broader perspective. "This is getting us nowhere. " Wang Ping said with furrowed brows. One could tell that he was frustrated by his current facial expression. "I happen to have a reliable source that says the members of Sleeping Gardenia have arge stockpile of more than one hundred Five Cycles Pills. Would you care to exin that, Mariposa?" Simplicity stated. Everyone¡¯s gaze locked onto Mariposa after those words by Simplicity were spoken. Possessing over one hundred Five Cycles Pills should be impossible given the limited amount put up for sale in the auction house. However, it was something that could be possible if Sleeping Gardenia truly did already have a direct connection with the Pill Emperor. Mariposa scoffed, "Who is your reliable source? Are you sure you don¡¯t need your ears checked? Maybe you should have saved those 50 gold coins to visit an otryngologist instead of entering this room. Or better yet, I think a neurologist might serve your needs. Of course, I¡¯ll take care of the bill for you." "You dare say that again?!" Simplicity stood up from the table and red at Mariposa. She was obviously being mocked and ridiculed in front of everyone. She would not tolerate being berated like this! "I dare!" Mariposa snapped back and returned a re of her own. If Simplicity wanted to constantly attempt to push her buttons, then she would not just sit back and allow herself to be bullied without retaliating. Izroth calmly observed the interaction between the various people present. From his brief period of observation, he was able to grasp a decent understanding of everyone. As for them being at each other¡¯s throat, Izroth saw it as something simr to what happened when the great sects back in the Seven Realms used to gather together for a conference or an important event. There would always berge arguments and disagreements amongst them, especially when it came to treasures or blessednds. ¡¯I¡¯ve seen more than enough.¡¯ Izroth needed a better understanding of the rtionship between the top guilds and he was able to collect all the information he needed for the moment. Now, it was time for him to seize back control of the conversation. "I have a shop to run. If you all insist on wasting my time, then I¡¯ll have to ask you to remove yourselves from my Mystical Realm Pce so that other yers can enter inside. I have made the position of the Pill Emperor quite clear." Izroth said in an unhurried manner. "We didn¡¯t pay 50 gold coins just to be told he won¡¯t meet with us. This is an insult to my Hollow Tempo. Even if he is a grade three Apothecary, he¡¯s just that, an Apothecary. He should still show some face to us top guilds." Seeking Fangs said taking his stance on the situation at hand. In truth, any of them were more than capable of handling one Apothecary who most likely did nothing but stayed cooped up in a room all day experimenting on various pill recipes. However, they would much rather have him as a friend than an enemy and potentially push the Pill Emperor into the arms of a specific guild. That would have catastrophic results on the already shaky bnce of power between the top guilds of RML. A guild with an endless supply of grade three pills was a terrifying thought at this point in the game. "No, you paid 50 gold coins to simply walk into the room. That much has already been established. But, it is notpletely impossible to grab the attention of the Pill Emperor." Izroth said. Everyone immediately held their breath at Izroth¡¯s words. If there was a way to grab the attention of the Pill Emperor then, of course, they wanted to be informed of how to do so. "It¡¯s quite simple really. The Pill Emperor has a... Unique interest in rare reagents used in the pill crafting process. Therefore, if you had something of interest to present then there¡¯s a good chance that the Pill Emperor will take notice of your efforts." Izroth stated. ¡¯It feels strange to talk about one¡¯s self as a separate person.¡¯ A fleeting period of deep thought spread throughout the room. It was not hard to read in between the lines of Izroth¡¯s words. He was basically saying that if they had nothing of interest to offer the Pill Emperor then he would most likely have nothing to do with them. Also, he was creating an opportunity for them to get on the good side of the Pill Emperor and so, how could they refuse? "I am willing to give three Wind Tigress Fangs to the Pill Emperor as a token of friendship. I only hope that in the near future my kindness is not forgotten." Wang Ping said. He wanted to be the first to make a good impression with his generosity. The Wind Tigress Fangs were incredibly difficult toe by since not only was the Wind Tigress difficult to find, but the drop rate of its fangs were less than 1%! He was not only giving one of such an item but rather three! This would force others to either make simr concessions or lose face. "I¡¯m willing to offer five Blue Grasshopper Stalks!" "I will gift the Pill Emperor four Roots of Persistence!" "I..." Following Wang Ping¡¯s offer, the others quickly began to follow up with offerings of their own. In the end, if onebined all the items offered by the yers present, they would be able to start their own rare materials shop! This was a huge gain for Izroth who was currentlycking an abundance of rare materials, even with the addition to what Sleeping Gardenia provided him from their own private storage. Chapter 224 The Existence of A Second Pill Emperor? "I will be sure to personally ry your good intentions and gifts to the Pill Emperor." Izroth said as he ordered Opal to collect all of the items that were offered. It was obvious that everyone hade to this ce well-prepared. After all, what were the chances of every individual casually carrying around rare materials used in pill crafting? After Opal gathered the items, they all immediately disappeared into thin air. This was due to Opal depositing them inside of the shop¡¯s storage area. After all, not only was the space within Izroth¡¯s inventory not unlimited, but he also did not want to take up unnecessary space if possible. As for going over everything, it was something Izroth was in no rush to do. He was sure the total value of the rare materials added up to thousands over gold coins, however, he had no intentions of selling any of it. There were certain things gold coins were unable to buy and he was not exactly stretched for gold now that his shop was up and running. With the new addition of rare materials gifted to him, Izroth now had his own personal treasure trove! "I wonder if it would be possible to put in a private order. My Sage Falls guild is prepared to make it worth your while. Just name your price." yer said. "Hah, are you sure Sage Falls can afford to let someone name their own price after suffering such huge losses during thest event, yer?" Seeking Fangs said in a mocking tone of voice. He did not forget that Sage Falls hadunched an aggressive assault on his guild during the Protectors of Amaharpe event. That was not all, but Seeking Fangs even ended up dying and missing out on the seventh wave and all the waves that came after that! To suffer such humiliation and huge losses, how could he not take this chance to embarrass yer and Sage Falls? yer¡¯s facial expression darkened as he responded, "Watch your mouth! My Sage Falls may have suffered a few losses, but don¡¯t think for a second that we¡¯re vulnerable enough for some weakling nobody like you to insult!" "You!" Seeking Fangs immediately became infuriated after hearing yer. However, before he could respond to yer¡¯s insult, he was interrupted by Ewan. "If the two of you wish to fight, then do so after this is over. Not all of us have time to listen to your constant bickering. Do you truly believe that you¡¯ll make any decent impression while arguing like two children?" Ewan said calmly. yer and Seeking Fangs both red at Ewan, however, neither of themshed out at him. It was not because they were afraid of him, but rather because his words were correct. If they started an argument now, there was a chance that Izroth would lose his patience and toss both of them out of the Mystical Realm Pce. If that happened right after they already gifted away some of their rare materials, then they would only be able to regret it at that point. ¡¯He¡¯s the one from the auction house.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s first impression of yer was far from good. Back when he put the Nameless de up for auction, yer tried to use his power and intimidation against those in the auction house to purchase it at a set price. In the end, a yer from Cross Haven named Wess tricked yer into paying much more than the Nameless de was worth, therefore, Izroth decided that he had already been taught a lesson. Some of the other yers sitting at the table felt slightly regretful for not being the first to bring up a private order. If Izroth really did agree to it, then that would give Sage Falls the edge they needed to jump back to their previous level power. There was even a good possibility that Sage Falls would be even stronger than they were before the Protectors of Amaharpe event! "I am afraid that¡¯s simply not possible." Izroth replied. If he started taking private orders, it would only take up more of his time spent leveling up and bing stronger. Plus, he already had his hands full with providing a sizable inventory for the Mystical Realm Pce alone. Not to even mention his arrangement with Sleeping Gardenia. Wang Ping, Seeking Fangs, and a few others at the table looked at yer with a grin or smirk on their face. It was as if they were saying, "Hah, serves you right!" with their facial expression. "May I ask why? I¡¯m willing to pay whatever price you name!" yer said as he grit his teeth and held back his anger. If there was one thing he hated, it was being denied something that he wanted. Usually, at this point in the conversation, he would have made a threat. However, Sage Falls already had too many enemies who wished a disaster upon them. yer knew that threatening Izroth was the same as threatening the Pill Emperor since he was the one who ultimately provided the pills. If he did that, the other top guilds would not hesitate to team up andpletely destroy Sage Falls just to get on Izroth, as well as, the Pill Emperor¡¯s good side. While he was not afraid of a fight, Sage Falls was currently too weak to antagonize others the way it used to. However, once Sage Falls regained its previous strength, yer already had a n in mind to take care of those who had wronged him. "You must be aware of how time-consuming crafting grade one and grade two pills can be, however, neither cane close to grade three pills. If I started taking private orders, how could I possibly keep up with the supply-demand for my Mystical Realm Pce?" Izroth said. Of course, crafting grade three pills was just as easy as the previous grades for Izroth, however, the same could not be said about others. "Sir Izroth, if I may?" One of the yers located towards the far end of the table away from Izroth stood up and spoke. Izroth gave a slight nod and held out his hand as a gesture to allow the yer to speak freely. Everyone at the table set their sights onto the yer who just stood up. In truth, no one knew that identity of that yer. Due to him being an unfamiliar face, it was obvious that he had no true status in the gamingmunity. "Thank you for your kindness. First off, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Xing Bai, however, I am known as Hand In Fire within RML." Xing Bai said in a polite manner as he gave a slight bow with cuffed fists as a sign of respect. Xing Bai? Indeed, that name did not ring any bells at all. It was the same thing with his character name, Hand In Fire. "I am the spokesperson for the Fireheart Apothecary Society. I have something beneficial for both of us that I would like to discuss with you, Izroth." Xing Bai said as he stood up straight and spoke in a steady manner. ¡¯Oh? There¡¯s an unfamiliar name.¡¯ Even with the knowledge of his previous memories, Izroth had never heard of the name Fireheart Apothecary Society, let alone Xing Bai or Hand In Fire. However, from the robe he was wearing, Izroth could see that Xing Bai was, in fact, a second rank Apothecary! One had to know that not even all the top guilds had a second rank Apothecary under their wings. This was due to how difficult it waspared to other professions within RML to rank up one¡¯s Apothecary skill. But, one thing was for sure, Xing Bai was a part of the top 1% of apothecaries within RML! When everyone heard the name "Fireheart Apothecary Society" there was no reaction whatsoever, except, there was a look of curiosity present on their face. Just like Izroth, they could see that Xing Bai was a second rank Apothecary. However, how was it possible that no one here had ever heard of him before today? Truly, there were many hidden talents scattered throughout this world. "The head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society would like liked to be here today, however, they are currently in the middle of some important research. Though, before we go any further, I am interested to know if the Pill Emperor would be willing to meet with the head of my Fireheart Apothecary Society? After all, the only two third rank apothecaries within RML should get to know one another." Xing Bai said in a humbled manner. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock. What did he just say? Did they just hear correctly? Two third rank apothecaries?! The head of this unknown Fireheart Apothecary Society was a third rank Apothecary just like that mysterious Pill Emperor?! Could this possibly mean that yet another Pill Emperor had appeared in RML? Even Izroth was a bit surprised by Xing Bai¡¯s words. While it was not that challenging for him to be a third rank Apothecary, given the obvious advantage of his lifetime worth of experience, he still understood how difficult it was to be one for even the most skilled of yers in the Apothecary profession. Izroth originally predicted that it would take, at the very least, another week or two before another third rank Apothecary appeared. After all, as the average yer level increased and yers began to gather higher quality materials to craft with, it would be easier to naturally increase one¡¯s Apothecary rank. However, it would appear that he did not ount for someone like the head Xing Bai mentioned. It was definitely interesting, to say the least, and he was actually quite curious to meet this person. After thinking about it for a bit, Izroth decided to ept Xing Bai¡¯s offer. "Since it is a fellow Apothecary, I am sure the Pill Emperor can spare some time to meet with this head of yours. I would not mind arranging a meeting." Izroth responded. "Excellent, we can discuss the proper arrangements at ater date. At the moment, I have something more important I would run by you." Xing Bai said with a content smile on his face. Almost instantly after Xing Pai mentioned another third rank Apothecary, the yers sitting at the table sent out private messages to their respective guild/organization to gather as much information as possible on the Fireheart Apothecary Society and its head. How could theyck such important information?! Everyone had countless thoughts running through their mind as they stared at Xing Bai with eyes full of hunger! They were not hungry for food, but rather to quickly make friends with Xing Bai, as well as, this unheard of Fireheart Apothecary Society and, of course, the head who was a third rank Apothecary. However, they needed to make sure Xing Bai was not just talking a bunch of nonsense. If things did not work out with the Pill Emperor, then just maybe this head person would be willing to form a close connection with one of them. Nothing needed to be said about the potential advantages of having a third rank Apothecary within one¡¯s guild. "I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re well aware of the auction house fee of 20% and the conversion fee of 10%. While there is nothing that can be done about the 10% conversion fee, the same cannot be sad for the 20% auction house fee. Therefore, I was wondering if it is possible to discuss selling a few select pills made by the Fireheart Apothecary Society inside of your Mystical Realm Pce." Xing Bai said. He then continued, "Of course, we would have to consider various details. But, I¡¯m positive we can benefit each other greatly from this partnership. You won¡¯t have to lift a single finger or spend anything in the whole process." Xing Bai figured since Izroth was willing to cooperate with the Pill Emperor and sell his pills, then maybe there was a chance that he would do the same for the Fireheart Apothecary Society. Before entering inside, he had already checked the pills avable on both the first and second floors. Although every pill could be considered a work of art, there were still too few of them. In total, there were only seven different pills! Nothing needed to be said about the three grade three pills, however, there was still a lot of room for additional grade one and grade two pills. Chapter 225 Niflheims Proposition Izroth studied Xing Bai for a brief moment before he responded, "Alright, I will consider it. However, you should know that my Mystical Realm Pce does not take in just any pills." "I can assure you, we wouldn¡¯t dream of putting out some mediocre product that would ruin the tarnish the good name of the Fireheart Apothecary Society. Even though we are not very well known, we take pride in our crafting abilities. Rest assured, we will only provide you with pills of the highest quality if wee to an agreement. I thank you for your time." Xing Bai stated before taking his seat. "Very well, I¡¯ll take a look at your definition of qualityter on." Izroth replied in a carefree manner. "I would like to say a few things too..." One of the other yers at the table stood up and began speaking. Just like that, the depth of the gathering grew deeper and deeper as the moments passed and everyone became involved in the conversation. ... Around one hourter, the gathering that took ce in the conference room of the Mystical Realm Pce finally came to an end. For the past hour, Izroth listened to the various offers and different point of views of the yers present. In the end, he made a few reasonable gains while giving away a few benefits in return. However, one of his biggest gains was definitely the new treasure trove of rare materials that he was to hand over to the "Pill Emperor" as a gift from those who attended the gathering. There was also the 1,300 gold coins he obtained as an entry fee to the gathering. Therefore, Izroth did not mind spending an hour of his time and he felt as if it was surely worth it. ¡¯I will have to find the time to go over the new rare materials.¡¯ Izroth was thinking to himself as he was approached by Xing Bai. "I¡¯ve brought along a few pills for you to look at. I¡¯m sure after hanging around the Pill Emperor, you must possess quite the knowledge when ites to pills. However, if you wish for the Pill Emperor to take a look at them, I have been given permission to use these pills as a gift in order for you to do so." Xing Bai said as he removed 13 different pills from his inventory. ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ Izroth closely examined the pills that wereid out before him. Although they were a bitckingpared to the pills he created, they were definitely high-quality pills, especiallypared to the ones up for sale in the auction house. For example, there was this grade one pill called the Quickening Pill. Its effect was simple, but effective nheless. Name: Quickening Pill(I) Rank: Grade-One Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Quickened Steps?. ?Quickened Steps?: Permanently increases the user¡¯s movement speed by 5%. This effect doubles when the user is out ofbat. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effect(s). However, consuming a higher grade version of the pill will rece its effect(s). For a yer like Izroth whose main focus was speed and power, this pill would be quite beneficial. However, it was also useful to yers who did not focus on speed due to the 5% being doubled while the yer was out ofbat. There were numerous situations that Izroth could think of where having consumed the Quickening Pill could be helpful. Most of the pills Xing Bai presented were simr to the Quickening Pill in that they were simple, but still effective for most if not all yers. There were a few that focused on a specific ss of ystyle, and even some that were a step above the Quickening Pill in the level ofplexity department. ¡¯It appears that after today, the Fireheart Apothecary Society will no longer be some unknown group. If they are able to produce something of this level, then they will undoubtedly flourish. However...¡¯ What Izroth did not fully understand was why they chose this specific moment to reveal themselves. While it was true that Xing Bai wanted to sell pills in the Mystical Realm Pce since it was currently the only yer owned shop, he and the Fireheart Apothecary Society could have easily held out until property became avable for their own shop. After all, Izroth did not believe that they would want to wish his shop to sell their pills forever. At some point, the Mystical Realm Pce would be a major rival andpetitor of the shop opened by the Fireheart Apothecary Society. So the real question was, why did Xing Baie to a potential rival with this offer instead of some top guild? "Indeed, the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society takes pride in their crafting. It reflects well on the pills you have shown here today. There¡¯s no need to further verify their quality, the pills speak for themselves loud and clear." Izrothmented. "Your words are too kind. We work hard to improve ourselves and our skills day by day." Xing Bai replied. "However, I must say that with these pills alone you are more than capable of running your own shop in the future. Why are you in such a hurry to let a potential rival shop sell your pills? I highly doubt you would find much trouble locating potential buyers with this pill line up. Better yet, why not go directly to a top guild who would be more than willing to purchase your pills?" Izroth said. Xing Bai released a long sigh and shook his head as he said, "We do not wish to be involved in theplicated battle and rivalry between the top guilds. At the moment, you are the only neutral party and frankly speaking, with the influence of the Pill Emperor and the head of my Fireheart Apothecary Society, no one would dare to cause trouble openly." He then continued, "As for opening our own shop... It¡¯s certainly a possibility in the future. However, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of how expensive the needs of an Apothecary can be. Including me, there are a total of ten second rank apothecaries within the Fireheart Apothecary Society. We all wish to be third rank apothecaries, however, we do not wish to be a pill factory for the top guilds." Ten second rank apothecaries?! Even the top ten guilds only had zero to two second rank apothecaries amongst their ranks and yet, this group actually had ten of them! Who exactly was this group of yers that were able to put the top guilds to shame in the Apothecary department? Izroth and Xing Bai continued their conversation and eventually came to an agreement. Izroth agreed to sell the pills in the Mystical Realm Pce and in return, he would receive 10% of all profit generated from the pills. Xing Bai had no problems with the terms Izroth set. The auction house charged a ridiculous 20% fee. By selling the pills inside of the Mystical Realm Pce, they would be saving 10% of their total profits! So now if they made 1,000,000 RMB worth of gold coins from their transactions, instead of paying 200,000 RMB, they would only pay 100,000 RMB. The amount that they would end up saving from this deal would be astronomical. With the 10% he received, Izroth would be able to cover the personal shop tax for the pills and still make a decent profit. What did he have to do? Absolutely nothing! "I¡¯ll have a proper inventory sent over within the next few days. Now, regarding the meeting with the Pill Emperor..." Xing Bai said. Xing Bai went on to set a time for the head and the Pill Emperor to meet face to face. He sent Izroth a friend request that was epted and after confirming a few things, he gave a polite bow and farewell before taking his leave. However, as soon as Xing Bai stepped outside of the Mystical Realm Pce, he was bombarded by invitations by various parties that were present during the meeting. It was obvious that they wanted to form some sort of connection. Now, the only people left in the room was Izroth, Niflheim, and Asgard who had begun their conversation. As for Mariposa, she had bid Izroth farewell only a few seconds after the gathering had ended. It turned out that she had some prior engagement to attend to. What Izroth did not expect was for Ewan, one of the first guild leaders to arrive, to leave not too long after Mariposa. He gave a simple farewell and said that he had hoped to meet with Izroth again some day. In fact, Ewan had been one of the quietest people at the table during the gathering and barely spoke at all. Izroth was curious as to what Ewan gained from all of this. However, it was pointless to continue thinking about something that had already passed. Right now, Izroth just heard something of great interest from Niflheim. "While we are unsure of the exact date, it is definitely some time next week between Friday and Sunday. At the moment, we have someone stationed there around the clock for obvious reasons. However, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we want you to be a part of it, Izroth. I don¡¯t have to tell you the importance of iming the first territory within RML." Niflheim said. The first territory! If those other guild leaders before heard those words, Blue Oasis would immediately be public enemy number one until they revealed the information regarding the territory. Facing pressure from so many top guilds, Blue Oasis would have no choice but to concede and give up its location. When that happened, they would lose any previous advantage they had. Izroth noticed that Asgard seemed to be ufortable as Niflheim spoke. It was not difficult to tell that he still had mixed feelings about revealing such sensitive information to someone they barely knew. However, he decided to trust Niflheim¡¯s judge of character and ultimately allowed him to disclose it. Of course, he made sure that Niflheim promised to leave out any coordinates. Izroth felt that Niflheim was too trusting in this case and that Asgard had every right to be ufortable as he is now. If Izroth had bad intentions, then it would cause an endless amount of headaches for Blue Oasis. Why did Niflheim so readily trust him with such sensitive information that could radically alter Blue Oasis¡¯ future if Izroth decided to open his mouth about it? When Izroth asked that question, Niflheim responded without hesitation. "You have already given me your word that you would not disclose it, and I have no intentions of bragging, but if I¡¯m talented at one thing in life it¡¯s judging one¡¯s character. If I have misjudged you, then I can only me myself and deal with the consequences thate along with it. However, I do not believe that it wille to that point." Niflheim said with confidence. "What is it that you need of me that Blue Oasis is incapable of doing themselves?" Izroth asked. Although he was strong, Blue Oasis did notck skilled yers. He highly doubted that Blue Oasis wanted him to assist them solely because of hisbat capabilities. Niflheim gave a helpless expression as he said, "We¡¯ve done a lot of thinking about this and, in the end, we simply don¡¯t have enough yers equipped to attempt such a thing, even if we do have nearly a week to prepare. At the moment, we only have two core parties that are fully equipped to handle the situation and one party that is decently equipped." He then continued, "As for thest party... That¡¯s where youe in. To be honest, even with your help, I¡¯m not sure we can pull it off. However, it is a requirement for the territory we wish to obtain. Besides that, it¡¯s also the first of its kind to be discovered within RML. Izroth, I¡¯m sure you understand how important this is to a top guild like us. Blue Oasis will be the first to clear a raid in RML." Chapter 226 Opening of The Treasure Chests "The difficulty of a raid is differentpared to that of the dungeons we¡¯ve been facing so far. Unlike dungeons which are usually run as a party of six yers, raids require a raiding group of 24-yers. While it¡¯s possible to enter with fewer yers, I don¡¯t have to tell you how impossible that is to even attempt." Asgard exined. Nilheim nodded and added, "ording to the basic information provided about raids in the yer¡¯s handbook, the enraged state of a raid boss works differently from that of a dungeon boss. Not only that, but it also has a second state that dungeon bossesck; the berserker state." He then continued, "Even if one had the ability to ultimately defeat a raid boss unless they can do it within a set time limit, the boss will enter its a berserker state. In that state, it will gain crowd control immunity and have its stats boosted. It¡¯s not a state meant for yers to fight against. Its sole purpose topletely wipe out the raiding party." Izroth knew about the berserker state since he read the yer¡¯s handbook before even logging onto RML for the first time. The berserker state was there to prevent yers from doing something like using 14 healers and 10 tanks to slowly whittle away at the raid bosses HP. It also stopped undergeared parties from being capable of clearing a raid. Not to mention, it made the damage dealer role just as relevant as the tank and healing roles. However, there were two other important facts that Niflheim forgot to mention. The first was that the boss would start instantly killing yers one by one starting from the tanks and then onto the highest damage dealer. Secondly, the time limit varied from boss to boss. The berserker state time could be anywhere between 5-10 minutes. The good news was that yers would be warned 60 seconds before the raid boss entered into its berserker state. Though the most challenging thing about raid bosses was learning how to properly fight against them. Every raid boss was unique and there were different elements to fights and things that yers had to be fully aware of at all times. It was the main reason experienced raiding parties from most MMORPGs never invited random yers to join their party. It required proper coordination and teamwork to clear a raid. There was a saying amongst yers in the gamingmunity, "Raids separates the skilled from the skill-less.". After all, holding records in raids was ten times more important than those of dungeons. "I can understand your hurry to clear the first raid, however, it should be well within Blue Oasis¡¯ power to increase the equipment quality of their guild members to an appropriate level given a weeks time. Therefore, would you like to inform me of the other reason you have decided to invite me along?" Izroth said in a calm tone of voice. Niflheim was a bit startled at first, however, he released a small sigh followed by a chuckle as he shook his head and said, "I figured it wouldn¡¯t get by you. As I¡¯m sure you know, raids and all dungeons at level 40+ have a difficulty setting attached to them. These settings include Normal, Difficult, and Hardcore." He then continued, "While it¡¯s true that we do notck the means to improve our yers¡¯ equipment within a weeks time for a Normal raid, the same cannot be said for a Hardcore raid. Izroth, the territory we wish to im has three prerequisites attached to it. The first is a basic requirement, gold coins or RMB. Second, we must clear a dungeon on Hardcore mode, however, this is something we can do without too much trouble. Last but not least, we must clear a raid on Hardcore mode." Clearing a raid on Hardcore mode! The rewards one would receive from doing so would be generous. Not to mention the increase in reputation a guild would experience after aplishing such a noticeable feat. ¡¯An interesting set of requirements.¡¯ Izroth was well aware of how challenging it could be to im one¡¯s own territory, however, he never expected it to be that upromising. But, he understood that Blue Oasis was going after a specific territory which was countless times harder than obtaining a regr Territory Order and settling into a small piece ofnd. No, this must be something much bigger than that. Even though Izroth was still curious about a few things, he decided that it was best not to ask too many questions of such a sensitive topic. After all, they had already divulged a hefty amount of information to him. If he continued to try and satisfy his curiosity, he may end up with even less information. In the end, it all came down to a simple question; did he want to join Blue Oasis on the first ever raid on RML? The answer was obvious. After discussing a few more details, Izroth agreed to lend a hand. "You and your party should prepare yourselves well, Izroth. Everyone needs to be at least level 40 with at least three pieces of rare quality equipment and the rest umon at worse. If not, then we won¡¯t be able to even think about attempting the raid on Hardcore mode. We¡¯ll meet in seven days to challenge the raid. I¡¯ll send you the coordinates one hour before we¡¯re ready to begin." Niflheim said. "Then, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it." Izroth replied. They exchanged a bit of idle chat before ultimately parting ways. Now, the only two remaining in the room was Izroth and Opal. "Opal, how is the shop doing?" Izroth asked as he opened his inventory to remove a few items. "The Mystical Realm Pce has been open for a total of 1 hour 45 minutes and 15 seconds. The profits made within that time frame with the 5% personal shop tax removedes out to a total of 28,593 gold and 90 silver coins. Our total inventory is down by approximately 10%, however, the rate of purchasing is slowing down to a stable predicted state of 1.2% of the total inventory per hour." Opal exined. Izroth expected that the first wave of purchases would be huge, however, he did not think that he would have already sold 10% of the pills he crafted! However, he knew that the rate would slowly stabilize itself as the initial wave of customers evened out over time. She then continued, "At the current rate of consumer purchases, shop inventory will need to be refilled within approximately 75 hours. That ends my report." ¡¯75 hours? That leaves me with a little more than two days of time until I have to start crafting again. I¡¯ll have to find a solution to my replenishing inventory problem at ater date, for now, I have to take care of something that should have been done a long time ago.¡¯ Izroth removed a total of three items from his inventory. When it came to these three items, it was almost as if Izroth was cursed. This was due to the fact that the two times he attempted to open any of these treasure chests, something bad always happened. The first time was back in the pce when he was forcibly logged out. The second time was on his way to the zing Tempris Domain when he got attacked by Azalea. ¡¯I believe there¡¯s a saying in this world that goes, third times the charm.¡¯ Name: Rare Item Treasure Chest(Soulbound) Rank: Rare Usage: Contains a single Rare item inside. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Name: True World Treasure Chest(Soulbound) Rank: True World Usage: Contains a single preserved relic of the True World. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Izroth was in possession of two Rare Item Treasure Chest and one True World Treasure Chest. The descriptions of both items were straight forward and yet vague at the same time. Izroth had no idea what he would get from the treasure chests be it equipment, some kind of material, or even something like a talisman. All he knew for certain was what the quality of the item would be. However, it was a bit different for the True World Treasure Chest. ¡¯A relic of the True World...¡¯ Izroth thought to himself for a brief moment, however, he had no knowledge of this so-called True World. He also had no idea what the rank True World meant for an item, but there was only one way to find out. Izroth opened one of the Rare Item Treasure Chest as a sh of brilliant light appeared before the chest itself disappeared. In its ce, it left a small ring ck and silver ring with bizarre markings carved into it. Embedded into the top part of the ring was a gemstone that resembled a ruby, however, its shape was a bit odd. essory Name: Ring of The Exiled One essory Rank: Rare Lifesteal: +3% essory Skill: Life Reaping(Passive/Active) - The user gains the following ?Soul Steal? stack(s) for every enemy killed (MAX: 100): -Normal monster: +1 -Elite monster: +5 -Boss monster: +20 -Enemy yer: +10 The user consumes all stacks of ?Soul Steal? and gains +1% ?Lifesteal? for every 1 stack of ?Soul Steal? stored inside the Ring of The Exiled One when activated. This effectsts for 20 seconds. If the user of this skill kills an enemy while this effect is still active, the time until the effect ends is increased by 5 seconds (MAX: 20 seconds). Stacks of ?Soul Steal? are removed from this item 1 hour after being acquired. Cooldown Time: 30 minutes ¡¯What a powerful item.¡¯ Izroth was extremely satisfied with the item given to him by the treasure chest. Not only was it a lifesteal item, but its effects were ridiculous! This item had the potential to give a yer 100% lifesteal for 40 seconds total! Although its cooldown time was 30 minutes, this item would be incredibly useful in various situations. Also, due to the 3% lifesteal that it naturally gave just from wearing it, Izroth now had a base lifesteal stat of 6%! Izroth did not hesitate and put the RIng of The Exiled One onto his finger. It fit perfectly as if the ring had changed its shape to match his finger. ¡¯Let us hope I didn¡¯t use all of my luck on the first treasure chest.¡¯ Izroth opened the second Rare Item Treasure Chest and was confused by the sight of the item. ¡¯A rock? No, that¡¯s not quite right.¡¯ Indeed, the item looked just like a normal ck rock. However, after taking a closer look, Izroth could make out the magic inscriptions ced upon the ck rock. It was actually an inscription stone! However, it did not look like any inscription stone Izroth had seen before as its color was different from the usually silver-like color of most inscription stones. Izroth did not know if this was a good or bad thing, but he figured if it came from a Rare Item Treasure Chest, it had to be the former. Name: Five Way Imprint Inscription Stone(Rare) Usage: Inscribes ¡¯one¡¯ piece of equipment with the ?Five Way Imprint?. Special Note: This item is destroyed after 1 use(s). ¡¯Five Way Imprint?¡¯ One of the major things with inscription stones was the fact that only its creator or an Inscriptionist could understand the inscription itself. Therefore, if Izroth wanted to know its exact effects, he would have to take it to an Inscriptionist to get it checked out. Or, he could always risk it and use the inscription stone without having it examined. However, doing so was a huge risk. ¡¯I¡¯ll have an Inscriptionist take a look at it when I get a chance.¡¯ He set the Five Way Imprint Inscription Stone into his inventory. After he did so, Izroth finally turned his attention towards the True World Treasure Chest. He was looking forward to opening this one the most since everything about it waspletely unknown to him. He wasted no time in lifting the lid of the treasure chest to see what was inside. The brilliant light it released made the one from the Rare Item Treasure Chest look like a campfire sitting next to a sun. When the light dispersed, Izroth set his sights upon the relic that appeared before him. ¡¯This is...!¡¯ When Izroth saw what he received from the True World Treasure Chest, he almost thought he was seeing simply things. ¡¯This... Should something like this even be allowed to exist?¡¯ ... Chapter 227 Zi Yis Astonishing Discovery "Why can¡¯t I find it...?" Zi Yi muttered to herself. She let out a small sigh and set the book in her hands down as she massaged her temples. Zi Yi was currently inside of the Amaharpe Pce Library reading its massive collection of books. Over the past few days, Zi Yi had spent most of her time in this ce gaining more in-depth knowledge about the world of RML. To her, just being in this library and being able to read as just as adventurous as her trip to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. "I give up. It¡¯s just not here. It must be on the second floor." Zi Yi said in a weary tone of voice as she rested her head on the table before her. "I believe that if anyone can find the answer, it¡¯s you." Luna said with a small smile on her face. Ever since she returned to Amaharpe from the zing Tempris Domain, she was in the Amaharpe Pce Library with Zi Yi. Since Zi Yi had been at it for so long, she decided that she needed a fresh pair of eyes to assist her. Luna did not have any pressing matters to attend to and so she agreed to lend Zi Yi a helping hand. While her reading speed was not as impressive as Zi Yi¡¯s frightening speed, she was still much faster than the average person at going through books. It also helped that Zi Yi already prepared a specific stack of books for her to go through. Zi Yi ced her hands on the side of her head in frustration as she said, "I¡¯m missing one piece, just one more piece to the puzzle. It¡¯s right there, I can feel it... You¡¯re right, I can find it. I can definitely find it..!" Zi Yi sat up straight and felt a new wave refreshing wave of energy and motivation wash over her. She began to go through thest stack of books she prepared beforehand. She would not let these books get the best of her! A few momentster, as Luna and Zi Yi were reading, Luna suddenly furrowed her brows when she came across some strange text in one of the books in her pile. "Strange, why is this worded in such an odd way?" Luna said as she began thinking to herself. "Hm? What is it?" Zi Yi overheard Luna and moved over to see what she was talking about. Luna pointed to a specific line in the book. It was a jumble of words that did not make any sense. "This line here... It says, ¡¯Life from and light endlessly nothingness the is World.¡¯." Luna said. "Oh, it¡¯s that book. It¡¯s just a bunch of nonsense. It doesn¡¯t fit anywhere into the actual content of the book and seems to be something randomly plugged inside without a second thought." Zi Yi exined. No matter how many times she went over those words previously, it just made absolutely no sense to her. Luna nodded and said, "That¡¯s what I thought at first as well, however, then I remembered what I read in another book you gave to me." Luna set down the book in her hands and searched through the pile of books next to her. A couple of secondster, she had a light blue book in her hands with a pretty handwritten title listed on the front of it. After flipping through a few pages, she found the sentence she was referring to. "This one here says, ¡¯is the into that within this beginning the.¡¯. Maybe the two are rted somehow?" Luna spected. Zi Yi rested her chin onto her thumb and index fingers as she thought of the possible ways that the two lines could be merged together to form aplete and coherent sentence. But, in the end, it still made little sense. However, it suddenly hit her, maybe Luna really was onto something here. Zi Yi grabbed the book that Luna set down a few moments and thoroughly examined it. The title of the book was Blue Intertwining Identical Stars. "Luna, what¡¯s the title of that book?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "Epics: Neverending Nissipius." Luna replied. "Blue... Epics... Crossed? No... Maybe the first..." Zi Yi mumbled to herself as she was locked in deep thought. Luna quietly observed Zi Yi. Although she was curious as to what Zi Yi was thinking so hard about, she did not want to interrupt her train of thought. Around one minuteter, Zi Yi¡¯s eyes widened as if she was hit by a sudden realization. The answer had literally been right in front of her all along! A rare lovely and cheerful smile appeared on Zi Yi¡¯s face as she looked at Luna. "Luna, you¡¯re a genius! Ah, right I have to find the other one..." Zi Yi said as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She started to go through the books piled up on the table as if she were looking for a specific one. Luna blinked a few times and was slightly confused by Zi Yi¡¯s sudden outburst and cheerful attitude. Just a few moments ago she was ready to give up, but now she was happily rummaging through the library books with a happy smile on her face. It did not take a genius to figure out why the abrupt change in her mood urred. "Would you care to fill me in?" Luna asked with a smile on her face. For some reason, seeing Zi Yi behave in such a lively and energetic manner made her see why Mariposa was so protective and loving of her younger sister. There was a sh of sadness thatsted only a brief moment when that thought crossed her mind, however, she quickly returned to normal before it became noticeable. "There¡¯s three books. I know it, there¡¯s definitely three- Ah, here it is. Great New Genesis, this has to be it." Zi Yi said as she opened the book and flipped through it. She had already read this book and knew exactly what page she was looking for and soon enough, she found it. Luna was still unsure what Zi Yi was talking about, but she had a good feeling that she was about to find out. "In this one it says, ¡¯born chaos the stretches the is this true.¡¯. Just like the other two, it seems like a bunch of nonsense. In truth, it can actually be considered useless information since it really does have nothing to do with the book itself. However, that¡¯s only if someone had ess to a single one of these three books." Zi Yi exined. She then continued, "Blue Intertwining Identical Stars, Epics: Neverending Nissipius, and Great New Genesis. The key lies within these three titles on how to structure these words together. If we were to arrange it to Blue Epics Great Intertwining Neverending New Identical Nissipius Genesis Stars, can you tell me what acronym that spells?" Luna took a moment to piece it together and in the next instant, she was struck by the same wave of realization that Zi Yi experienced just moments ago. "Beginnings, it spells beginnings..!" Luna said in a shocked manner. Zi Yi nodded and replied, "Exactly! Beginnings! Even if we say that this is just a coincidence, we can¡¯t ignore the pattern it shows." "Pattern?" Luna questioned. "These books weren¡¯t chosen at random. They were created in a specific order. One, two and three. Just like their respective positions in the acronym, the words in the book were made to be ced into a simr pattern of one, two, and three on a constantly repeated cycle until you finally get this-" Zi Yi set all three books down next to each other opened up to the page with the odd text. "Life is born from the chaos and into the light that stretches endlessly within the nothingness; this is the beginning. This is the True World." Zi Yi said. ¡´System Alert: You have read a line from the ?Book of Beginnings?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel a tremendous power flow throughout your body!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the trait ?Unlocked Latent Potential?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have learned the skilled ?Clear Mind?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have discovered new clues regarding the ?Book of Beginnings?. Your world fame has increased by +100.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You... Zi Yi was bombarded with a stream of system alerts as soon as she finished speaking. By the time it was over, she had obtained some amazing benefits. "This is... Amazing...!" Zi Yi was bbergasted as she read through all of the system alerts. Not only she did learn a new skill, but she also obtained a rare trait in the process. Also, the trait level of her Soul Essence had increased by 1.0 setting her just ahead of Guan Yu. She quickly told Luna to repeat the words she spoken a few seconds ago. In the end, nothing happened and Luna did not receive any of the benefits Zi Yi herself acquired. "Maybe it¡¯s something that only works once or on certain people. Luna, I..." Zi Yi spected as a frown appeared on her face. If not for Lunaing in with a fresh pair of eyes, it may have taken her another day or two, maybe even longer to piece things together. She felt as if Luna, at the very least, deserved some part of the reward. Luna, however, shook her head and said, "In the end, you¡¯re the one who discovered it. I can say with 100% certainty that I would have never been able to piece things together in such a way. Besides, I just came here to assist you. More importantly, look at this." Luna pointed to something that was happening with the three books ced upon the table next to each other. Zi Yi looked over and saw that the books were flipping through multiple pages by itself. Soon after, the three books started to float in midair as all the pages within flew out and spun rapidly in circles. The pages from the books began to attach to one another and formed arge map with a red circle around an isted spot. Compared to the surrounding territories, it was small and feeble. "A map? But of what?" Zi Yi studied the map, however, she was unable to make out a single thing on it with 100% certainty. However, she believed that one of the locations on it was Amaharpe based on some of the geographical terrain and its surrounding simrities. However, Luna had seen that spot somewhere before! It was on the Realm Chart Azalea Wraith was carrying around during their journey to the zing Tempris Domain. Although it was an unnamed location, she was positive that it was the same exact location being shown on this map before them. "I know that ce. I saw it once on a Realm Chart." Luna said with her brows raised. "What¡¯s it called?" Zi Yi asked curiously. "I¡¯m not sure, it was an unnamed location. However, I know that it¡¯s located somewhere east of the zing Tempris Domain. It¡¯s not located within the zing Tempris Domain itself, but rather within thend situated next to it." Luna exined. Around fifteen secondster, the papers scattered all over before finally returning to the books they came out of. "The titles!" Zi Yi was startled when she saw that the titles that were on the book before had vanished without a trace! She quickly opened the books to the page the odd words were on and just as she suspected, those words had disappeared as well as if they were never there in the first ce. If not for the system alerts and Luna being there with her, she would have believed that everything that just happened was from ack of proper sleep. "It¡¯s all gone. The titles and the words, both of them have vanished from the books." Zi Yi said in a voice filled with disbelief. After taking a moment to calm down from the sudden rush of excitement, Zi Yi and Luna looked at each other as if they were on the same wavelength. "He¡¯ll be surprised. Though with this, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand why we missed the grand opening of the Mystical Realm Pce." Zi Yi said. "Indeed, we finally have a solid lead. Since hepleted the first part, it¡¯s only right that we contribute to the second part. Zi Yi, you may have just discovered an important part of our world quest, The Beginning of Beginnings. We have to inform Izroth." Luna said. ... Chapter 228 Revealing The Facts, A Dangerous Location Izroth was currently inside the Mystical Realm Pce making sure that everything would run smoothly once he left. Fortunately, there were no issues with the way things ran and the NPCs, as well as, the shop kiosk that was set up could practically manage this ce alone. While there were still small things that needed a yer¡¯s touch, Izroth¡¯s main task was to keep the inventory of the shop at a decent level. Four hours in total had passed since the grand opening of the Mystical Realm Pce and the number of yers was finally evening out. Just as Opal said, the inventory loss declined over the past few hours. At the moment, Izroth was sitting on approximately 47,000 gold coins after the personal shop tax fees had been removed. After putting aside the portion that would be going towards the gold coins he owed Mariposa and Sleeping Gardenia, Izroth would be left with around 23,500 gold coins. With the current conversion rate, that would be nearly 18,000,000 RMB! ¡¯Since everything here is taken care of, I should head out to...¡¯ Just as Izroth was thinking to himself and on his way to exit the Mystical Realm Pce, he suddenly saw two familiar faces walk through the door side by side. One appeared to be in a good mood, while the other had a more serene demeanor. "I did not expect to see the two of you here today. It sounded as if an urgent matter hade up thest we spoke, though it seems as if all went well judging by your behavior." Izroth said as he went over to greet the two yers. Naturally, those two yers were Zi Yi and Luna. "We¡¯ve just discovered something huge! Trust me, you¡¯ll thank us for not attending your grand opening with this." Zi Yi said in a voice filled with a hint of excitement, as well as, confidence. "I only lent a small hand in the matter. Almost everything was Zi Yi¡¯s own doing." Luna said as she shook her head. The two of them had rushed over here from the Amaharpe Pce Library to share their good news with Izroth face to face. After all, it would not have felt proper to deliver such good news over a simple message system. "Oh?" Izroth was curious as to what the two of them were talking about. A huge discovery that would make him thank them for missing the grand opening? Although he did not mind them missing the grand opening, why would he thank them for missing it? "First, we should find somewhere less open, to talk." Zi Yi suggested. Who knows how many eyes and ears some people had in and out of this shop? There were still hundreds of yers wandering around and making some purchases. "We can use the conference room." Izroth said as he started to make his way towards that area. As Luna and Zi Yi followed after him, Zi Yi could not help butment, "This ce has a very modern and elegant feel to it. It seems that your grand opening is a big sess." "Indeed, the influx of yers have died down a bitpared to earlier, but such is to be expected after the initial hour or two. The original projected numbers exceeded my previous expectations. I¡¯ll have to thank you again for your help in preparing the shop." Izroth said as he reached the conference. After exchanging a bit of small talk, Zi Yi discussed her findings with Izroth and told him all about what happened back at the Amaharpe Pce Library. By the time she was finished, Izroth stood there silently contemting her words. ¡¯If that map she mentioned truly is urate, there¡¯s a good chance that it could possibly lead us to a lost page from the Book of Beginnings. However, I have a feeling it is not so simple.¡¯ This was not just any other quest. The quest The Beginning of Beginnings was a world quest at the SSS-rank! That meant it was capable ofpletely changing the course of events within RML, such as the destruction of Amaharpe. Who knew howrge of an impact such a thing would have on yers? If a major city like Amaharpe was destroyed, there was no telling what the consequences would be. "Since the system itself confirmed it, the line you read is certainly from the Book of Beginnings. The question is, where does the location disyed on the map you mentioned lead us to? In the end, we have no physical map and have to rely purely on what you saw during that brief moment of time." Izroth questioned. "Ah, that part I¡¯ll have to let Luna exin." Zi Yi replied. Luna nodded and exined, "For this, we¡¯ll have to ask that you contact Azalea. I¡¯m almost certain that the ce that map showed us, is the same as another location Iid eyes upon earlier today on the Realm Chart within Azalea¡¯s possession." "I see. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll contact Azalea immediately." Izroth replied. Thest time they spoke, Azalea spoke of acquiring a Realm Chart for him as a ¡¯small gift¡¯. He took a moment to open up his system interface and sent a message to Azalea. Instantly after he sent that message, he received a reply from Azalea. Azalea confirmed that she would arrive at Amaharpe within the hour. "Azalea will be here in less than one hour. Until then, Zi Yi, what else do you know about this True World?" Izroth asked. ... Around 45 minutester, Azalea walked into the doors of the Mystical Realm Pce. She had already informed Izroth that she was nearby and so he made sure to tell her where to meet them, as well as, grant her permission(s) to enter into the conference room. Right after Azalea stepped into the conference room, she cuffed her fists together and bowed in a respectful manner towards Izroth. "Teacher." Azalea greeted. Izroth could only inwardly shake his head. Even though he had not yet epted Azalea as his student, she still insisted on calling him, teacher. However, Izroth began to think that maybe someone with that kind of determination would not be all that bad to teach a thing or two to. "Teacher?" Zi Yi said as she looked over at Luna for an exnation, however, she was only met with a helpless shaking of the head by Luna. She, too, had to idea why Azalea insisted on calling Izroth teacher. But, it had been something that she had be used to hearing by now due to their time spent together in the zing Tempris Domain. "As promised, I¡¯ve brought you a small gift." Azalea said as she removed a scroll from her inventory and opened it for Izroth to examine. It resembled the same Realm Chart she previously used, however, there was a bit more detail to this one and a few new named locations were added. "If it¡¯s to your liking, it is yours to keep, teacher." Azalea stated. Izroth, Luna, and Zi Yi all studied the map carefully. Then, at the same time, both Luna and Zi Yi pointed to the same exact spot on the Realm Chart. "There." Luna and Zi Yi said as if they werepletely in-synch. It only took them a matter of seconds to pinpoint the location that was circled by a red spot on the map. Although this map had no red spot on it, the features of the terrain and all the surrounding properties existed. Azalea furrowed her brows when Luna and Zi Yi pointed to that spot. Her facial expression also slightly darkened as if something bothered her. Even though the Realm Chart was faced away from her, she knew the location Luna and Zi Yi pointed to all too well. Izroth looked over and noticed Azalea¡¯s unusual reaction and asked, "Is there something odd about this ce?" Of course, Izroth knew that whatever ce something like the Book of Beginnings was in had to be unique in some way, shape or form. However, if Azalea possessed some useful information, then it was possible that they would be able to prepare a little better. Azalea seemed a bit hesitant to speak at first, however, it was her teacher who asked her the question. Therefore, she could only tell him what was on her mind. "That ce is dangerous. Extremely dangerous." Azalea cautioned. "Dangerous?" Luna was one of the first to react. She witnessed firsthand just how terrifying Azalea¡¯s abilities were. If even someone like her said that this ce was dangerous, then their journey was guaranteed to be a challenging one. Izroth had the same train of thought as Luna. Azalea was unquestionably a step above even some yers like those core members of the top ten guilds. Her skill and potential, as well as, her battle sense was not something to be looked down upon. "Care to borate?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. "There¡¯s an unusually thick mist constantly lingering over that area that makes it impossible for one to navigate through. Not only that, but mist beast roam around inside of that environment. However, that can only be considered as child¡¯s ypared to not what, but who resides within the surrounding area." Azalea said as she pointed to a small vige on the map. The vige was situated right before the area Luna and Zi Yi pointed to. It was difficult to make out as a vige and appeared to be more of a random collection of terrain, however, it was indeed an actual vige. "The most dangerous thing in that area is not the monsters, but rather the NPCs and yers that are situated in this small vige. They are known as League of The Eidolon." Azalea exined. League of The Eidolon? Izroth and Luna had never heard of such a name before. However, they still chose to take Azalea¡¯s word for it. But, Zi Yi had a shocked expression written all over her face. During her time spent reading in the Amaharpe Pce Library, she hade across an abundance of interesting knowledge and wonderful facts about RML. However, she also came into contact with some of the more dark and mysterious side of RML. One of these dark sides was an organization known as the League of The Eidolon and was run by some very powerful individual who remained unnamed within RML. There was not much information about them on the first floor, but from what little she read about them, she knew that Azalea was not overexaggerating. However, the part that caught her off guard was the fact that Azalea mentioned yers were staying there. "As far as I know, the League of The Eidolon are a very private organization and usually doesn¡¯t deal with outsiders, let alone allow them to stay inside of their territory." Zi Yi said with a visible frown on her face. ¡¯Is it possible that the League of The Eidolon knows about what lies within that location?¡¯ Azalea rolled up the Realm Chart and carefully handed it over to Izroth. When he tried to offer her some form of payment, she shook her head and declined. She insisted that the Five Cycles Pill he had given her was enough to cover the price of the Realm Chart. "I am unable to speak too much on the matter. You must use caution, teacher." Azalea said. She still did not know how strong truly Izroth was, however, she believed that even he would have a hard time dealing with the League of The Eidolon. "I¡¯ll be sure to keep your words in mind." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. It was simple to him, if this League of The Eidolon stood in his way and wanted to interfere, then they could not me him for being impolite. Other than something like that urring, he had no intentions of intentionally starting a fight with them for no reason. ¡¯It looks like I¡¯ll have to make a few arrangements.¡¯ Chapter 229 Fall of Sage Falls?, The Unforgiving System Izroth discussed a few more details with Azalea about the surrounding area and what to expect. She was able to provide them a decent amount of information, however, she reminded them that what she told them was only the tip of the iceberg. "There¡¯s a tomb that lies beyond the mist, but it¡¯s impossible to get into to using standard methods; I¡¯ve tried. From the location you¡¯ve shown me, it appears to be positioned right on top of the same area as that tomb. If that truly is your destination, then I suggest you prepare some holy weapon enchantments. Even if it¡¯s a low-quality enchantment, it is one of the few requirements." Azalea said. "Since you¡¯re speaking of tombs and holy enchantments, I assume the type of creatures lurking there are of the specter types." Zi Yimented. In RML there were certain creatures who werepletely immune to physical forms of damage. One of these creatures was the specter-types that usually lurked around graveyards, tombs, or dark eerie environments. They were impossible to harm without magic or holy weapon enchantments. Needless to say, every single member of Izroth¡¯s party, excluding Luna, who he shared the SSS-ranked request did physical damage, not magic. Therefore, if they were to visit that ce without any preparation, then they would only be able to rely on Luna for damage. Whoever heard of a healer being relied on for the main source of damage in a party? ¡¯Last time I checked around in the auction house, there were a few low-quality and some average-quality holy weapon enchantments, however, whether they are still there or not is another question. Though I suppose if all else fails, I¡¯m sure Mariposa and Sleeping Gardenia will be able to locate or provide a few holy enchantments.¡¯ It was impossible that a top guild like Sleeping Gardeniacked someone who could create enchantments. After all, there were some powerful enchantments that could mean the difference between life and death in highly intense level situations. After talking for around ten minutes, Azalea gave a proper farewell before taking her leave. But, before she left, Izroth gifted her with one of each pill from the Mystical Realm Pce, excluding the Five Cycles Pill since Azalea had already consumed one. When she tried to offer himpensation, Izroth used the same ¡¯small gift¡¯ excuse that she had used on him when she handed him the Realm Chart. In the end, Azalea graciously them and thanked Izroth for his generosity before finally exiting the Mystical Realm Pce. Luna looked at Izroth with a slightly curious expression and said, "There¡¯s still one slot remaining for the world quest. Why did you not invite Azalea long? From what I¡¯ve seen, she¡¯s quite the skilled yer." "I do not question her skill, I simply believe that she is not the type who enjoys traveling around inrge groups. Besides, I already have someone else in mind." Izroth said in a carefree manner. ... Meanwhile, somewhere within Amaharpe located inside of building rented out by Sage Falls... Woosh! A table flew across the room and was soon followed by a few chairs. "B-boss, calm down. We can still" One of the nearby yers tried to calm his guild leader down, however, it was no use. He knew that once the boss got like this, no one would be able to talk him down. "Get out of here! Unless you want to die!" yer said as he snapped at the yer trying to talk to him while he was in an unpleasant mood. He red at that yer and sent shivers down their spine, causing them to immediately retreat from the room. After a few more moments of rampaging about, the door to the building opened as someone stepped inside. The first thing that person did was look around and see the mess that looked as if a tornado had passed through the ce. "You appear to be in a wonderful mood as always." The person who walked into the room said. He had short neat silver hair, gray eyes, and a handsome yet cold and distant appearance to him. From the daggers ced at his side, one could tell that his ss was one from the rogue branch. He wore a silver colored leather outfit with blue markings embedded into it and blue cloth was wrapped around his waist area. "Fan Yijun, I am in no mood for your games right now. If you have something to say, then say it and get out!" yer said in a serious tone of voice. "Indeed, you seem to be in a better mood than usual." Fan Yijun said in a sarcastic manner. He then continued, "I heard about what happened at that new shop that opened up. Did I not warn you to send me to deal with it instead?" yer¡¯s facial expression darkened as he responded, "All of the other guild leaders were there in person and you expect me to sit back and let you handle things? I had to show them that my Sage Falls is still strong! Those weaklings were mocking me...! Mocking my Sage Falls! When has anyone dared looked upon my Sage Falls with eyes of disdain? We are the ones who look upon others that way!" Just thinking about what happened at that meeting made yer start to go around the room again and toss things around. When he ran out of things to toss, he would pick something up that was already thrown and toss it again. His frustration was transparent. Fan Yijun released a sigh as he shook his head and said, "So what now? Are you simply going to stay cooped up in this room feeling angry at everyone and everything around you? Tell me, Duan Musheng, when did you be such a pathetic man?!" "What did you say...?" yer turned and gave a death re to Fan Yijun. If looks could kill, Fan Yijun would have died a thousand times over by now! "What? Is your hearing pathetic now too? Don¡¯t make me repeat myself! What happened to you? Whenever you¡¯ve wanted something, what did you always do? You were willing to do anything to get the job done and now because of one set back you¡¯re going to let our enemies walk awayughing at our misfortune? Tell me, if you¡¯re not a pathetic man, then what are you? How can I call you my brother?!" Fan Yijun said. yer was infuriated! He was outraged by the way Fan Yijun spoke to him. Even his own father had never spoken to him in such a way! However, after reaching the peak of his anger, it suddenly subsided. Now, there was a strange calmness to him and his previous incensed attitude seemed to disappear into thin air. But, it was not that his anger had actually faded away, yer had just reached such an extreme point that his anger became a form of rity for what he needed to do. In truth, Fan Yijun¡¯s words hit him like a truck. Fan Yijun was right! When had he, the leader of the vicious and ruthless guild Sage Falls, be such a weakling? Even he wouldugh and sneer at his current self! Surprisingly, yer had calmed down and released a deep breath as he looked directly at Fan Yijun. "If you were anyone else, you would be dead right now. You should be grateful that you¡¯re like a brother to me." yer said as he stood up straight with a new air of confidence to him. "Hah, you should be the one whose lucky you have someone like me to talk some sense into you every once in a while." Fan Yijun said with a smirk on his face. After having a bit of small talk, the main question finally came into y from Fan Yijun. "So, what do you n to do now?" Fan Yijun asked. "Isn¡¯t that much obvious? First, I¡¯ll rebuild Sage Falls¡¯ strength. The Mystical Realm Pce, the Fireheart Apothecary Society; one of these two ces will help me achieve that goal whether they like it or not. If they try to resist, hmph, let¡¯s just say they will never be able to leave Amaharpe again. As for Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate who betrayed me, they will suffer a thousand times over." yer said with a vicious look in his eyes. Arge grin appeared on Fan Yijun¡¯s face as he said, "Now that¡¯s the yer I know and people fear! What are your orders, boss?" Fan Yijun now spoke with a serious expression on his face. "Find out everything you can about the shop owner of the Mystical Realm Pce and the Fireheart Apothecary Society. I want to know every single detail about them, and I mean everything." yer said in a cold tone of voice. "At once." Fan Yijun responded without hesitation. ... At the moment, Izroth had left his shop to visit the auction house across the street. He was looking for any holy enchantments that might still be up for auction. ¡¯As I thought, I will most likely have to rely on Sleeping Gardenia to obtain a few enchantments.¡¯ As for Luna and Zi Yi, they both logged off to take a break. Zi Yi had not gotten much sleeptely and after thest all-nighter she pulled, she needed to get some rest. Luna, on the other hand, said that she had some ns to meet up with a few friends in the real world. Izroth agreed that they would meet tomorrow around the afternoon at the Mystical Realm Pce to head over and check out the location on the Realm Chart. After browsing through the auction house for a bit, Izroth decided to go for a walk around Amaharpe. As he did so, he became curious as to the amount of time left on the skill Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. It had been processing for quite some time and he figured that it should have been done by now, or at the very least, be close topletion. Izroth circted the mysterious energy that was simr to spiritual essence in the same way that he would naturally cultivate the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection heavenlyw. It only took him a few moments to receive a system alert, however, when he read over the system alerts he gave a helpless smile. ¡¯This system seems to enjoy toying with me.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: The system cannot generate this skill at the moment!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The original time required is insufficient to generate this skill... Processing...¡µ ¡´System Alert: The data required to form this skill is limited by system parameters!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Because you possess the skill ?Breaker of Limits?, set system parameters have been bypassed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: This skill processing time has been increased! Time Remaining: Unknown¡µ First, it was 24 hours, then 30 days, and now the system had thrown all etiquette to the wind and increased the time to well... Unknown! In other words, not even the system was sure how long the skill would take to process at this point! The system was truly unforgiving! Izroth could only look upon the system alerts with a bit of reluctance. However, in the end, he was in no rush to obtain the skill. Even with his current skill set, he was more than a force to be reckoned with. The next thing he did was open up his quest logs and check the time remaining on the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. Thanks to the time ratio change, the system adjusted the time frame for all ongoing quest to a time limit it deemed as fair. ¡¯There¡¯s still plenty of time remaining on it.¡¯ The original quest time limit was 90 days of in-game time. Of course, some of that time had already been used beforehand, but even then, with the time adjustment of the system, Izroth still had one month left toplete the first part of the quest. Chapter 230 Resurfacing Memories After traveling around Amaharpe for a while and checking through various things, Izroth messaged Mariposa about a few things regarding the 91,000 gold coins, or 69,342,000 RMB considering the exchange rate at the time the deal was made, debt he owed. However, it would be more urate to go by the RMB amount since the gold to RMB exchange ratio was dropping at a steady pace. The more gold yers earned and circted throughout RML, the less valuable it became. Therefore, it was only natural that the exchange rate would fall over time. In the beginning, a single gold coin was worth 1,000 RMB! However, Izroth¡¯s most recent trip not too long ago to the auction house put the value of 1 gold coin at a worth of 757 RMB. That was a 243 difference! It had not even been a full day since hisst visit to the auction house and the rate had already fallen by 5 RMB. The price of gold coins was deteriorating faster and faster every day. At first, it was only a few RMB shaved off per day, however, now it could be as much as 10-20 RMB in a single day! Of course, it would slow down again once it dropped to a certain range, but Izroth chose to take advantage of the current high exchange rates and immediately exchange all iing gold coins into RMB. That was what the conversation between him and Mariposa was about. She agreed that it would be better to simply convert the gold coins as they came in, which was one of the features avable for yers who owned shops. Besides an auction house, owners in their respective shops could also convert their earned gold coins into RMB. While they still had to pay the 10% conversion fee, it still saved them from the additional taxes tacked on by the auction house, as well as, saving them a trip. Izroth headed back towards the Mystical Realm Pce to implement this change. Immediately after doing so, the gold that he had already earned from the pills sold so far was converted into RMB. In total, Izroth ended up with 35,579,000 RMB before the conversion fee was taken out, leaving him with 32,021,100 RMB. ¡¯How viciously carnivorous.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the amount of RMB thepany behind RML earned from his single transaction alone. The conversion fee did not just disappear into midair, it went straight to thepany who owed RML. From a single conversion fee, they had just taken 3,557,900 RMB! There were millions upon millions of yers within RML and many of them used the exchange feature. Therefore, one could only imagine just how much RMB thepany behind RML was earning from all of this. After the sessful conversion, as promised, Izroth sent 16,006,050 RMB, which was 50% of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s earnings, to Mariposa. Adding in his new gains, Izroth was now in possession of 23,528,306 RMB! Starting with practically nothing to his name, he had earned a small fortune in not even a full year or even a full month sinceing to this world! Izroth adjusted a few more settings and set up a few things before finally deciding it was time to log off. ¡¯The energy flowing through my body has been feeling quite strange ever since I reached the third stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. There¡¯s also the matter of the slight imbnce that has existed ever since I split a part of my soul that day. Now that everything is settled here, for the time being, I¡¯ll use this chance to thoroughly check the status of my body in the real world.¡¯ Izroth had been quite busy these past few days, be it within RML or the real world. He had not yet had a proper chance to enter into a deep meditative state. However, since he was finally free until tomorrow afternoon, Izroth chose to use his free time wisely. A few momentster, Izroth logged off RML as he removed his virtual reality headset. He sat up in his bed crosslegged in a meditative pose. Afterward, he closed his eyes as faint aura could be seen enveloped around his body if one looked closely. He was now in a deep meditative state as he examined the current state of his body, as well as, his soul. ... Reilei was taking a walk around the hotel and admiring all the spectacr decorations everywhere. After being stuffed up inside of the hotel room, she decided to explore the rest of this grand hotel. However, after walking around for a bit, she felt a bit uneasy. As she walked by, people gave her strange looks and sometimes even lecherous stares. From the simple way Reilei was dressed, it was obvious that she was not a high profile individual. However, she was not wearing the same uniform as the staff, therefore, she could not be a housekeeper or employee of the establishment. The thought of her being a guest who was also staying in the hotel did not even cross their minds for a single moment. In fact, if not for her beautiful appearance, there was a good chance that someone would have probably already said something to her without restraint. Reilei eased away from areas with a lot of people roaming around and stayed to the more non-social areas. However, as she was passing by one of the rooms, she noticedughing and cheering going on inside. It seemed to be some kind of banquet hall or a ce that the hotel held events. She had no intentions on going in, but something still caught her eye as she was passing by. There was a group of entertainers at the center of the hall who were performing all kinds of feats. All of a sudden, one of the performers held a torch in front of them and blew, giving the appearance that they were actually breathing fire. Reilei¡¯s eyes were locked onto those mes as time seemed to slow down at that moment. To her, there was nothing but the fire currently dancing in the air that existed right now. The next moment, Reilei found that she was surrounded by fire and smoke, her vision was blurry and she could barely see anything. She couldn¡¯t breathe. She was suffocating! Without realizing it, Reilei¡¯s entire body was shaking in terror as she remembered what happened the night of the fire. It was as if her body was reacting instinctively to the experience she suffered through. "You¡¯re in the way." A voice sounded from behind Reilei. That voice snapped Reilei back to reality. The entertainer had put out the mes, and Reilei found herself lightheaded and slightly out of breath. For a moment, she felt as if she was really trapped back in that apartment again during the fire. It was a terrifying experience that caused cold sweat to form on her back. "Wenny, you should be nicer to women you know~ Wait, on the other hand, only be nice to me. Hehe..." The coy voice of a woman could be heard speaking. "Ah, my apologies..." Reilei said as she was still muddle-headed. She moved out of the doorway to allowed the two people to pass. It was a young man apanied by a young woman who was clinging closely to him. Both of them were dressed nicely. However, as they walked by, the young man stopped. "Eh? Why did you stop Wenny?" The woman said as she pouted. "Hm? Aren¡¯t you Jin¡¯s mother?" The young man said which shocked not only Reilei but the young woman next to him as well. It took a few seconds, but Reilei finally became clear headed. When she realized that she actually recognized the young man and woman, she was shocked. The young man was none other than Wendell, her son¡¯s best friend. Or to be more urate, his former best friend. Once Wendell¡¯s father came across some money, he no longer wished to be associated with Jin and quickly became a stranger. The young woman next to him was Jin¡¯s ex-girlfriend, Genesis. That once seemingly and lovely young woman who was truly heartless on the inside. Reilei would never forget how heartbroken and devastated Jin was that day. For months, he would barely eat or sleep even more than usual and spent a greater deal of time lost within those video games of his. As his mother, Reilei had never felt so pained before to see her son have to go through that level of betrayal. Those two were thest people she expected to run into at this ce. However, there was a part of her that could not help but be upset. Reilei was never the type of person to lose her temper, but when it came to Jin, she felt that she had no control over doing so. But, in the end, they were just childrenpared to her. Therefore, she could only keep her dissatisfaction to herself and not lower herself to their level. "Ah, Jin¡¯s mother? Eh?! You¡¯re totally right! Wow, what¡¯s she doing here? Probably working no doubt. Did she finally take on a fourth job?" Genesis said as she giggled yfully while snuggling up to Wendell. "Now now, we shouldn¡¯t be rude babe. Tell me, how is my good old friend Jin doing these days? I heard a fire burned down your home, how tragic. I do hope the two of you are doing well. It must be hard taking on a fourth job to pay for a new ce to live. If you¡¯d like, I have a job opening for a personal maid, it¡¯ll pay better than all four of your jobsbined. What do you say?" Wendell said with a smile on his face. "Wenny, you¡¯re so thoughtful and kind as usual. So generous helping those in need." Genesis said. "I-" Reilei tried to speak, however, Wendell cut her off as if he already knew what she was going to say. "There¡¯s no need to thank me. I¡¯m doing this from the kindness of my heart. It¡¯s the least I can do for an old friend¡¯s mother." Wendell said in a chivalrous manner. However, hidden behind that facade, one could see a certain glint in his eye. It was one that was filled with contempt and disdain for the woman before him. Give her a job? Help her? Ridiculous! He simply wanted to see the look on Jin¡¯s pathetic face when he found out his mother was working for him. Giving Reilei a bit of money was a small price to pay for such a priceless sight. After all, how could he forget the humiliation Jin put him through? At a time before his father came into money, Jin, Wendell, and Genesis were all close friends. One day, three gangsters approached them on their way home from school. The gangsters were being overly aggressive and punched Wendell, sending him to the ground. Wendell sat there with his hand on his face where he was punched, shocked and motionless. He was too scared to even move! When one of those gangsters grabbed Genesis by the wrist, without hesitating, Jin, that coward and pushover, actually jumped out and attacked the gangster who grabbed her. Needless to say, the gangster did not take kindly to this and Jin suffered quite the beating from all three gangsters. However, no matter how many times he got knocked down, how many hits he took and how pathetic his fighting abilities were, he got up again and again. It got to the point where the gangsters literally got tired of beating on him and left! After that, Jin looked back at Genesis with a bloody face beaten to a pulp and said, "Are you okay?". It was after that moment Jin and Genesis began dating one another. Until this day, Wendell could not help but feel hatred towards Jin. Chapter 231 You Should Be Ashamed At first, Reilei remained silent and listened to Wendell ramble on about how generous and kind he was being for gifting her this opportunity. Then, every few moments, Genesis would chime in like a broken record and further boost Wendell¡¯s ego. Seeing and hearing this made Reilei sick to her stomach. She could not believe that her son was once friends with the two of them, let alone romantically involved with someone like Genesis. If only she had noticed things sooner and not been so consumed by work, she could have seen the two of them for what they truly were. Even if this was before when she was still working three jobs and never had any days off, Reilei¡¯s answer would remain unchanged. "No..." Reilei said in a low voice in the middle of Wendell speaking. "The two of you can even live in one of my spare rooms. You should feel honored that I-" Wendell was making himself out to be a saint, however, he heard a word escape from Reilei¡¯s mouth that he was sure just him hearing things. He immediately stopped speaking and looked at Reilei with a smile stered onto his face. "I couldn¡¯t quite hear you well with all this noise around, but I believe I may have misheard you. Truly, it must be some kind of misundersta-" Wendell spoke in an overly friendly manner. "No." Reilei said with a bit more volume to her voice this time. It was not a yell, but rather it was still loud enough for both Wendell and Genesis to hear clearly this time without any room for misunderstanding. Both Wendell and Genesis were baffled and dumbfounded. No? Did she just decline his offer? The two of them stood there in a state of disbelief. However, a few momentster, the coldness could be seen in both of their eyes. Being turned down by some poor nobody like Reilei infuriated them! It was as if Wendell and Genesis had forgotten over the past few years that they had not always possessed their current amount of wealth. Usually, Reilei would simply walk away from situations like this. She disliked confrontations and believed that everything could be solved peacefully if given time. But, for some reason, something was tugging at her on the inside that prevented her from doing so. Maybe she was finally tired of being the one to walk away without uttering a word? Maybe she was fed up with her son and herself being treated as if they were worth nothing? Tired of the constant tears that she shed. She herself was unsure, however, one thing was for certain. Reilei did not know why, but she felt as if she no longer had to run away. She no longer had to be the one topromise every single time. Then, as she stood there and listened to Wendell spewing out such tant lies and self-empowering words, she could not help but think back to those words Jin said to her that day with a reassuring smile on his face. "How could you not be allowed to be happy? If you do not deserve to be happy, then this is a world that does not deserve you." Those were the exact words Jin spoke to her. Right now, she was not happy with the way Wendell and Genesis were behaving, therefore, why should she allow herself to remain that way? But, one thing that Reilei did not know was that this newfound confidence was not solely her own doing. That small piece of soul that contained a boundless amount of power had been infused with her own soul helping her find that confidence within herself. A soul was more than just a form of energy, it represented a way and meaning of life. Needless to say, a cultivator like Izroth possessed a soul that was without equal back in terms of purity back in the Seven Realms and even now. While a soul did not drastically alter one¡¯s personality, it would still influence a person on a subconscious level without he or she realizing it. In other words, Reilei always had this confidence, but it was just buried underneath years of stress andpromise. Now, it was finally starting to resurfacing after more than a decade of lying dormant. "Do you realize what you¡¯re saying?" Wendell¡¯s said in a cold tone of voice. He previously good mood had just been thrown out the window. Who did this woman think she was to deny him?! Even if she crawled on her hands and knees to beg him for a job he would have never given it to her under normal circumstances. Now, Reilei was practically pping his face in front of his woman. First the son and now the mother. Wendell¡¯s looked upon Reilei with an icy pair of eyes. "Wenny, let¡¯s just go and leave this old hag here~ Forget that nobody and-" Genesis was trying to cheer Wendell up, however, he red at her which, in turn, caused her to instantly go quiet. Wendell then turned his attention back towards Reilei and said, "You would dare reject my kind offer?" Reilei wanted to look away from Wendell, however, a part of her felt that if she looked away, she would end up losing this feeling that found its way to her. Therefore, she stopped herself from looking away and instead, she looked right into Wendell¡¯s eyes. "Even if I had to work five... No, six jobs. I would never work for a person who has hurt someone I love. I won¡¯t allow either of you to hurt my son ever again. If you try, then I will never forgive you. Both of you should be ashamed." Reilei said without faltering. You should be ashamed! These words struck down on Wendell and Genesis like a mighty hammer. Reilei¡¯s words echoed and made them feel something the two of them had always buried at the deepest depths of their being; shame. Having such feelings awakened once again, Wendell lost control as he raised his hand into the air and without even thinking, he swung it down aiming right for Reilei¡¯s face! Genesis was shocked by Wendell¡¯s action! He had always been aggressive, but he had never once actively assaulted someone! However, Reilei stood there without moving. As Wendell¡¯s hand descended upon her, she was unafraid. There was this strange feeling that overcame her as Wendell¡¯s movements appeared extremely slow to her. It was as if the hand that should have already struck her was moving in slow motion! But, she was still unable to react to it due to experiencing such arge sensory overload. While her brain was able to process it, her body was still incapable of keeping up. This was due to the Eight Lunar Cycles physique currently residing within her. Just as Wendell¡¯s hand was about to connect to Reilei¡¯s face, he felt an overwhelming force grab onto his wrist. This force prevented him from striking Reilei¡¯s cheek just in time. Reilei seemed to snap out of that unusual state and everything returned to moving at normal speed around her. She could not help but feel that today had been a weird day for her overall. "Hey, hey, you¡¯re not seriously thinking about striking a woman, are you?" The voice of a young man sounded from next to Wendell. That young man had short ck hair, dark brown eyes, and a fit body hidden behind the security guard uniform he wore. He appeared to be anywhere in his early tote twenties, it was difficult to tell, however, his appearance was definitely above average. Wendell red at the man who grabbed ahold of his wrist andshed out at him, "What do you think you¡¯re doing? A mere security guard that doesn¡¯t know his ce dares touch me?! What¡¯s your name and employee registration number?!" "Huh? Are you an idiot or something?" The young man said with a confused look on his face. Wendell was speaking to him as if he were the one in the wrong. He was simply doing his job. Besides, he believed that a real man would never stand by and watch as a woman was assaulted. Genesis was startled and ended up jumping back in fear and loss control of her bnce. In doing so, she bumped into one of the waiters passing by with a tray of wine in his hand. The tray ended up beingunched into the air, along with the sses of wine, and before she knew it, Genesis found herself on the floor covered in wine. Clink! Crash! The sound of the wine sses shattering as they hit the floor was heard by the individuals inside of the banquet hall, as they all turned to look in the direction that the sound came from. Genesis¡¯ entire face turned bright red in color from embarrassment. Everyone¡¯s eyes were locked onto her covered from head to toe in wine as it not only ruined her beautiful dress, but her makeup ran down her face and her hair was messed up. She had never felt so humiliated in all of her life! "I-I am so sorry! Please forgive me, madam!" The waiter bowed in an apologetic manner. He was panicked and afraid that he was going to get chewed out and end up losing his job over this! He tried to offer to help Genesis up, however, she pped his hand away. "Don¡¯t touch me!" Genesis shouted as she stood up by herself. She then walked away with quickened steps from the scene as she heard the faint snickering andughter of the people within the banquet hall. Wendell snatched his wrist away from the security guard¡¯s hand and said, "I¡¯ll remember this. Do not think for a moment that this is over. That goes for both of you." He gave onest look of disdain towards Reilei and the security guard before he released a small harumph and leaving to chase after Genesis. The young man shook his head as he watched Wendell hurry after Genesis. "Are you hurt?" The young man said as he turned his focus towards Reilei. To be honest, he was surprised by her unwavering stance against Wendell. She did not look like the type of woman who would face something like that head-on. In fact, most men would not be able to stand so firmly against the face of adversity, therefore, he already had a certain level of respect for her. Reilei released a sigh of relief as a weary smile found its way to her face. Her hands would not stop shaking as she felt a huge burden being lifted off of her once Wendell and Genesis took their leave. Even though Reilei stood strong, she was still scared of the potential consequences of doing so. But, if she had to do it all over again, she would not hesitate to do so and her answer would remain unchanged. "I¡¯m fine, thank you. Ah, my apologies, you¡¯ve helped me and I have not even asked your name." Reilei said as she looked at the young man before her. He seemed to be around the same age as her own son. "No need for thanks, it¡¯s what any real man would do. My name is Kong Dishi. I am a member of the private securitypany who¡¯s contracted to this hotel." Kong Dishi responded. After Reilei properly thanked Kong Dishi and spoke a few words with him, he was polite enough to escort her back to her room. Kong Dishi saw the vicious and emotionless look in that guy¡¯s eyes as he stared them down, therefore, he wanted to make sure she returned safely to her room. Reilei could see that Kong Dishi had good intentions and took him up on his offer. With Kong Dishi¡¯s apanying her, Reilei made her way back towards the hotel room she and Jin were staying in. ... ¡¯This is troublesome...¡¯ At the moment, Jin was currently sitting cross-legged on his bed in a deep meditative state. He had discovered something unexpected lurking around in the very depths of his soul. Chapter 232 Cleansing The Soul Devourer, Kong Dishi ¡¯So this is why I have been feeling oddtely. Who would have thought that it was hidden so deep within my soul? If I never took the time out to search around and failed to discover it so soon, then I would have lost over 90% of my soul power!¡¯ What a terrifying thought! Although his soul would still be considered as monstrouspared to those around him, within the Seven Realms, he would bebeled aughing stock with such weak soul power amongst peak cultivators. Fortunately, he was able to catch the condition in time before it spread to a dangerous level. ¡¯I was careless. I should have entered into a deep meditative state days ago.¡¯ But, Jin could not be med for this. After all, these past few days had been chaotic and hectic. Even now he still had much that needed to be taken care of, however, this was a matter of utmost urgency. ¡¯The soul shock must have urred when I split a piece of my soul. Normally, it should have healed in a few days without issue, however, theck of spiritual essence in this world may be what allowed the soul devourer to remain so well hidden.¡¯ For most cultivators, experiencing a soul shock was the end of their cultivation journey. However, for someone with an incredibly strong soul, it was simr to an injury rather than certain destruction. Therefore, he was not really worried about the soul shock itself. Instead, his troubles came from the soul devourer that took advantage of the gap in his soul¡¯s defenses caused by the soul shock. A soul devourer was not an actual entity and yet it existed as if it was alive. It was something that was a part of nature itself, and it was difficult to define it with normal words alone. Mortals and weak cultivators would never feel the threat of a soul devourer due to their souls being weak, however, strong souls were sought after targets. ¡¯Luckily, my cultivation is still weak. I never thought there would exist a day I would be thankful for weak cultivation.¡¯ While a soul devourer feeds off the soul of its host, its power cannot exceed the level of the hosting whose soul it resides within. In a few months, there was a good chance that his cultivation level would have increased if this strange energy ever grew out of its budding state. If the soul devourer managed to feed off that growing energy, then not only would it have greatly decreased his chances of advancing, but it may have even threatened his life! ¡¯Now that I know it¡¯s there, the soul devourer is no longer a threat. As for the soul shock... with the soul devourer gone, it should heal itself fully as it originally was supposed to.¡¯ Using the masterful control of his natural soul energy, Jin guided the energy slowly towards the soul devourer. If it had to be given a physical appearance, the soul devourer would resemble that of a two-headed snake made out of pure white energy. It possessed four dark blue markings that one would mistake for a pair of its eyes, but those markings were really the source of its strength. If he was at full strength, then he would be able to simply crush the soul devourer using brute force alone. However, due to his state of soul shock, Jin had to approach the situation with a more controlled approach. Eeeeek! Woosh! The soul devourer emitted a strange noise as it felt that something was off. All of a sudden, its supply to the soul energy of its host had been terminated. Before it could even see what wasing, Jin¡¯s soul energy split into four thin strings. Each of these strings shot straight towards the dark blue markings on the soul devourer. Phhtk! In one swift motion, the four thin strings of soul energy pierced into their respective targets as the energy of the soul devourer grew weaker and weaker. In ast-ditch desperate attempt, the soul devourer was ready to self-destruct and take Jin¡¯s soul with it! One had to know that the destruction of one¡¯s soul was the same as true death. That person would never exist again. However, Jin had already anticipated the reaction of the soul devourer. Now that it was weakened, he could finally take action. Hundreds... thousands... millions of strings formed from his soul energy had formed. In a matter of seconds, the strings formed a sphere around the soul devourer before closing in instantly. Hepletely devoured the devourer! As soon as he finished, Jin opened his eyes as a new look of rity could be seen hidden away within them. He released a deep breath as foul energy that could not be seen by the naked eye came spewing out of his mouth! It was the remnants of the soul devourer that had been terminated by Jin. After a few seconds, its energy dispersed and there was not a single trace of it left. Jin felt as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off his shoulders. He looked over at the phone located on the dresser next to his bed and saw that it had been around two hours since he entered into his deep meditative state. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Jin noticed that there was no one else currently in the hotel room with him. He got up out of his bed and almost immediately lost his bnce. Luckily, he was able to keep standing on his own two feet. Although, he was still a bit light-headed. ¡¯Overusing one¡¯s soul energyes with a price. I should gain most of my strength back by tomorrow. After a couple of days, my soul strength will be back to normal.¡¯ He walked towards his room door and made his way into the living. However, before he could do anything else, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the room door. One of them was familiar... No, wait a second... Both sets of footsteps were familiar to him. One of the footsteps belonged to Reilei, as for the other set of footsteps- The door to the hotel room opened as Reilei stepped inside. She gave a small polite bow to thank the person standing outside the room. It was then she noticed that Jin who rarely took a step out of his room was actually in the living area. "Ah, Jin. What perfect timing, I was just talking about you. Come, you must meet this respectful young man who helped your mother." Reilei said with a lovely smile on her face. She knew that ever since he was a young boy, her son always had trouble making new friends. It was rare to meet such a respectful and nice young man around Jin¡¯s age, therefore, she secretly hoped that the two of them could be friends. "If he helped you, mother, then I must personally thank this gentleman." Jin said returning a smile of his own. How could he not know what Reilei was up to? He had clear memories of that face and what it meant plenty of times before during the earlier stages of his childhood. He inwardly shook his head as he walked over towards the doorway to meet the young man Reilei was referring to. "Zhang Jin, this is Kong Dishi. Kong Dishi, this is my son, Z-" Reilei was speaking, however, before she could even finish her words, the young man blurted out in a voice full of shock. "Izroth! You¡¯re brother Izroth, right?!" Kong Dishi eximed. Reilei was confused. Izroth? Who was this Izroth Kong Dishi was speaking of? Jin stood there and silently observed Kong Dishi. From his demeanor to his voice, and his footsteps; all of it matched up exactly the same as that guy! Due to Jin¡¯s silence, Kong Dishi felt embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else I know. Don¡¯t mind me, ahahaha." Kong Dishi said in a slightly awkward manner. "It seems you carry yourself in RML the same way you do in the real world, Guan Yu." Jin said with a carefree expression on his face and a small amused smile. The young man named Kong Dishi was actually the same Guan Yu from RML! "I knew it! Ahahaha, it truly is you brother Izroth! No, we¡¯re in the real world now. So I should call you Brother Zhang? Ahahaha, this is great! Wait till the others hear about this." Kong Dishi spoke with a joyous and festive tone of voice. Reilei looked back and forth between Jin and Kong Dishi. She still had no idea what was going on, but from the sound of things, it appeared that her son was already acquainted with Kong Dishi! When Jin saw the confused look on Reilei¡¯s face, he gave her a reassuring look and said, "I¡¯ll exin everything." Knowing that Reilei would not be able to keep track of all the gaming terminology, Jin kept it short and to the point while leaving out many of the unnecessary details. "Jin is so cool." Reilei said with sparkling eyes as she listened to how they met within the video game her son was ying and ended up adventuring together. While she did not understand a lot of it, she still understood the core concept. She then continued to say, "Maybe I should give it a try. Though I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be any good at fighting those monsters you talk so much about." Reilei released a small giggle. Of course, she was only joking when she said those words. "Sure. After all, RML is more than about simply fighting. I have a spare headset, so you can try it whenever you¡¯d like." Jin said. When he went to purchase a new headsetst time, due to the fire destroying his previous headset, Jin bought a spare just in case anything unforeseen happened to his current headset. "If anyone dares try to bully you then, of course, me and brother Zhang will take care of them!" Kong Dishi said with a voice full of confidence. People online could be cruel and harsh, especially in online games. To someone like Reilei who had probably never yed a video game in her life, she would most likely be taken advantage of as a newbie and even scammed! "E-Eh... My, I suppose I¡¯ll have to think about it since its two against one." Reilei gave a delightful smile as she responded. After chatting for a bit, Jin found out that Guan Yu, or rather Kong Dishi, worked for the securitypany who was contracted to the hotel they were currently staying in. At the moment, he was still on his lunch break and so he was able to roam around freely for the time being. He also warned Jin to be careful of that Wendell guy who was most likely also staying at the hotel. Kong Dishi gave Jin his personal phone number in case anything came up and told him not to hesitate to call. He woulde rushing over without a second thought! ¡¯So, those two are also at this hotel... Do not worry, I have not forgotten my promise.¡¯ Jin¡¯s heart grew cold as he thought about the promise he made to the original owner of this body. Their previous crimes were not enough and now they wanted to further humiliate him and Reilei! Not only that, but ording to Kong Dishi, if he had not interfered, then Wendell would have actually struck her! Every dragon had a reversal scale that should not be touched and Wendell nearly crossed his absolute bottom line! ¡¯A quick death would be too easy for you. No, you will not be allowed the satisfaction. You will lose everything. Your money, your lifestyle, your lover, I will see to it that before you leave this world, you will have nothing.¡¯ Jin personally thanked Kong Dishi for intervening. He made sure that Kong Dishi knew that he owed him one. After exchanging a few more words, Kong Dishi had to take his leave as his lunch break was about to end. "Tomorrow afternoon, right? I¡¯ll be on! Heh, now that I know you live in this area, we¡¯re definitely going out some time, brother Zhang! Ahahaha, until then." Kong Dishi said his farewells and gave a proper, as well as, respectful goodbye to Reilei. "I never knew that you had such a nice young man as a friend, Jin. Be sure to get along well with him. Polite young men like him are difficult to find these days." Reilei said as she turned to look at Jin. From her expression, one could tell that she was thrilled for him. He even called her son brother! Jin nodded his head and replied, "Indeed, his type is difficult to find." To find someone who was always straight forward and never afraid to speak their mind, while also carrying a set of moral values they not only believed in but followed as well, was difficult no matter which world one was from. Chapter 233 Holy Blessings Jin spoke with Reilei a bit longer before ultimately heading back to his room. He could see that Reilei was tired, but she was forcing herself to stay up to chat with him. When he examined her internally, he could see that the soul energy within her body was currently being replenished. It was a strange sight considering Reilei should have no idea how to even tap into the soul energy inside of her. However, he determined that nothing was wrong and it just seemed to be simple exhaustion. ¡¯There have been some known cases of soul energy reacting when one is under a stressful situation. It may have urred during her encounter with those two at that time...¡¯ As for those two, Izroth had something perfect in mind for them. However, now was not the time to do so. In order to do what he set out to aplish, he first needed not only more wealth but a stronger foothold as well in the real world. But, this was something that would naturallye as he umted more wealth and power within RML. Then, those two would only be able to regret. Before closing the door to his room, Jin grabbed his spare virtual reality headset and set it on the living room table. Reilei had already gone back into her room, but he chose to leave the headset out just in case. To be honest, he did not expect her to really use it due to her previous history when it came to video games. However, he would still support any decision she made. Jin walked back towards his room and closed the door. He sat up on his bed and once again entered into a deep meditative state. ¡¯Since I have no ns until tomorrow, I should use this opportunity to solidify the foundations of my Heavenly Golden Body physique.¡¯ While he was capable of soaring through the different stages of the Heavenly Golden Body physique, it was important not to forget about the very foundation of his physique. After all, no matter how grand or mighty a structure was, if itcked a solid foundation then it could potentially crumble with the slightest breeze. Therefore, Jin decided to build upon that solid foundation so that his body in the real world did not face any difficulties in advancing further down the line when it came to the Heavenly Golden Body physique. But, that was not all he would do. The other heavenlyws that were carried over to his true body from RML was also something Jin was taking the time out to perfect. He was using a form of mental training to practice the different heavenlyws in order to master them in a shorter period of time. In the end, his true body differed in many ways from that of his RML avatar. ... The next morning... Jin opened his eyes and released a deep breath. There was a new and profound look within his eyes as they greeted the morning sun. There was some kind of thick energy lingering around the room, however, the moment Jin¡¯s eyes opened, that same energy had mysteriously vanished into thin air. ¡¯The strength of my soul has already been restored to 70% of its original strength. At this rate, the soul shock should be healedpletely sometime tomorrow and my soul¡¯s strength will return to 100%.¡¯ Thanks to entering into a deep meditative state, Jin was able to recuperate a lot faster than he normally would be able to. However, he still could not afford to rush things. If he attempted to force his soul on the path of a speedy recovery without some restraint with the soul shock still active, then he could end up identally splitting his soul into two separate pieces. How painful would that be?! If tearing off a tiny piece of his soul was already so painful, one could only imagine how it would feel for a soul to be ripped in half. There was simply noparison when it came to physical or mental pain. ¡¯There¡¯s still a few hours left until I¡¯m supposed to meet up with the others. However, I still have to procure some holy enchantments. Waiting until the veryst minute could be troublesome.¡¯ After going over a couple of things in his mind and clearing his thoughts, Jin reached for his virtual headset and put in on, logging into RML. ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ ¡´Syst... ... Izroth looked down at his hands and made a squeezing motion with them. He felt as if his body was reaching a point where it could keep up with his actual thoughts and natural instincts. Although it was still far off from his previous body, it was slowly but surely stabilizing. The first thing Izroth did was head over towards the Mystical Realm Pce to check on how the shop was running. He was greeted by Opal and a few other NPCs as he walked in. ¡¯Not bad. It¡¯s actually a bit more than I expected for the first day.¡¯ Izroth had earned an additional 75,295 gold coins, after the person shop tax was taken out, since thest time he was logged onto to RML. Added to the 47,000 gold coins he made before logging offst night, Izroth earned a grand total of 122,295 gold coins! ¡¯It dropped again.¡¯ Izroth was referring to the gold to RMB exchange ratio. It had fallen down to 728 RMB per 1 gold coin now! Luckily, Izroth was diligent enough to change the settings before he logged off or else he could have missed out on a decent amount of RMB. After averaging out the price of gold coins being constantly exchanged for RMB, Izroth ended up with 56,019,480 RMB. He made sure to send the 50% cut directly to Mariposa¡¯s ount. With that amount being added on, Izroth now only had 25,326,210 RMB remaining on the original debt he owed. Once that happened, he would only have to focus on a 10% resource providers profit share. ¡¯The RMB exchange rate is falling faster than I anticipated. I¡¯ll have to turn on the automatic adjustment feature.¡¯ At first, Izroth was simply going to automatically adjust the prices over time to avoid any confusion. However, the exchange rate was falling too rapidly throughout the day, therefore, he decided to activate the Automatic Adjustment feature of the shop. This would make it so that the gold value would always equal the original RMB value. For example, if the original value was 30 gold coins and the exchange rate at that time was 1:800, then the system would automatically adjust the price so that if the exchange rate dropped down to 1:750, the amount the item cost would increase to 32 gold coins. Therefore, no matter which way it went, the owner would still earn the intended amount of RMB. After activating the feature, the shop would implement a slow increase so as not to suddenly spike the price up. Within the next hour or so, the prices would be properly adjusted. Izroth closed out the shop interface and opened up his friendslist. At the moment, it was not a very long list and the number of yers he added could still be counted on one¡¯s fingers alone. He quickly found the name he was searching for and sent off a message. Of course, the person he messaged was Mariposa regarding the holy enchantments he needed. Around fifteen secondster, Izroth received a message back from Mariposa. ¡´yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "Oh? What kind of holy enchantments are you looking for?"¡µ ¡´You has sent you a message to yer Mariposa, "The highest quality you can get your hands on. I¡¯ll need at least four of them."¡µ ¡´yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "Alright, just consider this a small gift from me. I¡¯m in a good mood today. ;) I¡¯ll have them delivered to you soon."¡µ Twenty minutester, just as promised, Mariposa had sent a member of Sleeping Gardenia to personally deliver the items to Izroth. When Izroth looked at the quality of the items Mariposa sent him, he was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. ¡¯To actually send me four of such items as a small gift.¡¯ Name: Holy Blessings(Enchantment Stone) Rank: Grade Three Usage: Enchants one¡¯s weapon with the powerful Holy attribute. Last for 24 hours. Special Note: Begone all that is evil! Beware the light that ovees the shadows! Enchantment Stones were not to be confused for Inscription Stones. While the two held some simrities, there were some major differences that definitively separated the two. It was likeparing potions to pills. As one might guess, an enchantment was only a temporary effect, unlike an Inscription which forever remained on the item it was attached to. Also, one did not need an Inscriptionist to understand the effects of an Enchantment Stone. Although the effects of Inscription Stones were more reliable in long term situations, both had their obvious advantages and disadvantages. Mariposa was actually generous enough to send him four grade three Holy Blessings! Grade three Enchantment Stones were the equivalent of grade two pills from an Apothecary difficulty wise. In other words, there were not many yers on who was capable of producing this item quality as of yet. However, this much was to be expected of a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia. Izroth did not immediately apply the Enchantment Stone to his Sword of The Storm. He would wait until they arrived near their destination before doing so. After all, it was unknown just how long they would be there. Even though it was unlikely to be for 24 hours, it was still better safe than sorry. Who knew what an SSS-ranked quest had in store for them? Of course, this could bepletely unrted to the SSS-ranked quest itself, but Izroth felt that the chances of that being the case were negligible at best. However, there was only one way to know for certain. As the moments passed by, Izroth decided to step into the crafting room and spend the rest of his spare time going through the rare materials he was supposed to deliver to the "Pill Emperor". Of course, he was able to save himself a trip considering that he was the one yers referred to as the Pill Emperor. ¡¯There are many interesting ingredients in here that can definitely be used to form some low to mid grade Earth rank pills. I suppose putting that in RML terms, it woulde out to anywhere between grade four and grade six. However, each grade of an Earth rank pill is like that of night and daypared to the Spirit rank pills which have a smaller power gap between each rank. I am unsure how the system will interpret it. Although, I can only hope things go well considering how picky Earth rank pill ingredients can be. It¡¯s much more difficult to find suitable substitutes.¡¯ Time flew by in a heartbeat as Izroth immersed himself in researching the rare materials. While he did not craft any new pills during this time period, he was able to learn more about being an Apothecary within RML. Izroth felt that he would be able to easily be a grade four Apothecary at any time. In fact, he felt that bing a grade six Apothecary would not be too challenging for him. However, he believed that bing a grade seven Apothecary would prove to be more troublesome. Not only would he have to find a higher grade fire core, but he would also have to feed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron a massive amount of pill essence to reach that stage. It was still too far off in the future for now. A couple of hours passed and the afternoon was right around the corner. It seemed to have arrived in an instant. Izroth had been so concentrated on the rare materials that he did not even realize that the time had alreadye for him to meet up with the others. ¡¯They should be here at any moment now. I¡¯ll wrap things up here for the time being. Once I return, I will have to carefully decide which Earth rank pill I want to craft first.¡¯ Izroth left from out of the pill crafting room. Not too long after doing so, he caught sight of three familiar faces near the front area of the shop. "Ah, brother Izroth!" Guan Yu noticed Izroth and gave a friendly wave to grab his attention. Standing next to him was Halls and Luna. Halls appeared to be excited while Luna, on the other hand, looked a little dejected for some reason. As for Zi Yi, she had yet to arrive. The same went for the other individual Izroth invited to join them on this quest. Chapter 234 The Sixth Member Izroth walked over to join Guan Yu and the others. However, before Izroth could even speak a single word, Halls beat him to the jump. "Brother, did you really run into Guan Yu in the real world?" Halls said in a rushed manner. It was as if he had been waiting to ask that question for quite some time now. Izroth gave a simple nod in response and said, "Indeed, our paths were fortunate enough to cross." He inwardly shook his head at how excited Halls seemed to be about the topic at hand. Was there a need to be so excited just from one brief meeting with Guan Yu outside of RML? "Ahahaha, great! That¡¯s really great! Who would¡¯ve thought that the two of you would live so close to me? I¡¯m only around one hour away from where you guys live. Now that I know that, we three must meet up! Tch, I still can¡¯t believe Guan Yu happened to be the closest out of all of us. To even be the first to meet your mother...!" Halls said as he shook his head and let out a small sigh. Halls was eager to meet the woman behind bringing someone like Izroth into this world. From what Guan Yu had told him, Izroth gave off the same kind of air in the real world that he did within RML. The kind of aura that made one with anymon sense think twice before acting against him. "When she told me that she had a son that was around my age you should have seen my face. I didn¡¯t believe it until I actually saw it with my own two eyes! She looked so young! At least now we know where brother Izroth gets his good looks from." Guan Yu said. As they continued their conversation, Izroth noticed that although Luna¡¯s dejected expression had disappeared, she was still quieter than usual. At the moment, Guan Yu and Halls were locked into a conversation about some show that hade on TV as the topics the two of them discussed bounced all over the ce. Izroth took that moment to approach Luna, however, he did not stop directly in front of her. Instead, he halted his steps next to her and faced the opposite direction from Luna. Izroth spoke in a voice loud enough so that only Luna could hear and said, "Are you feeling alright?" Whenever he appeared to be lost in deep thoughts or his mind was on the old memories from the Seven Realms, Luna would always step forward and make sure that he was alright. He felt that it would only be right that he return the favor and check to see how she was doing. "I¡¯m fine., it¡¯s nothing." Luna replied as she turned her head slightly to the side so that she as facing away from Izroth. Izroth saw how Luna reacted and gave a helpless smile inwardly. Had he done something to upset her? Or, maybe it was just something personal that she would rather not talk about? Either way, it seemed that she was unwilling to discuss whatever was bothering her with him. It was possible that Zi Yi would have better luck in this department considering how close the two of them appeared to be over the past few days. After seeing that Luna was not going to budge on the subject, Izroth gave a small nod before returning to listen in on Guan Yu and Halls¡¯ conversation. Even though he had no idea what TV show they were talking about, the overexaggerated gestures they performed made it amusing to observe. Luna felt even more dejected than before now! Izroth was being thoughtful and approached her, however, she practically turned him away and ignored him! What if he started to despise her because of her seemingly cold shoulder treatment? She did not want him to misunderstand, but she herself had no idea what had gotten into her. She never acted this way and simply felt a little confused about everything. All she had to do was tell him the truth, but it was as if the words were stuck in her vocal cords and reced by something entirely different. She released a long sigh and tried to organize her thoughts. "What¡¯s wrong with me...?" Luna muttered to herself softly. She felt as if butterflies were floating around inside of her stomach. It was a startling and almost frightening experience for someone like Luna who was not used to such a thing. However, she simply tried her best to suppress it and regain her calmposure. A few momentster, Zi Yi finally arrived at the Mystical Realm Pce. It looked as if she had rushed over in a hurry. "I lost track of time and didn¡¯t realize it was already time." Zi Yi said as she greeted everyone. "I¡¯m surprised you were able to pull away from those books in the pce library." Guan Yu said with a grin on his face. Earlier in the day, he had offered Zi Yi a spot in his party, however, all she replied to him with was "Busy. Later." almost immediately after he sent his message. "You¡¯re right on time. Now that you¡¯re here, we only have one more person to go before we take our leave." Izroth said. "I guess that means we have a bit more time to kill." Zi Yi said as she looked over at the bustling Mystical Realm Pce. She still could not believe that Izroth had something like this hidden up his sleeve. The first yer owned shop in RML! How fortunate! However, Zi Yi only admired her good designing taste for a brief moment. It did not take long for her to realize that Luna was troubled by something. Although the two of them had not known each other that long, Zi Yi felt a close connection to Luna. Therefore, it was only natural that she be concerned about her well-being. She went over towards Luna and a few momentster the two of them created a fair amount of distance between Izroth, Guan Yu, and Halls as they spoke to one another. "Hm? Now that you mention one more person, who are we waiting for?" Halls asked curiously. "Aren¡¯t we waiting for that magic freak?" Guan Yu said as if it were a matter of fact. Izroth, however, surprisingly shook his head and said, "No, Valentine won¡¯t be able to join us. Something important came up at thest moment, therefore, I had to call in someone else to tag along." Guan Yu and Halls were shocked. Something important? To miss out willingly on a once in a lifetime opportunity like an SSS-ranked quest, it must have been a matter of great importance! "If it¡¯s not him, then who is it?" Halls questioned with a baffled expression on his face. To say that he knew all of Izroth¡¯s friends would not be an overstatement considering that the two of them had met at the very beginning of the game. Therefore, he knew that there were only a handful of people who Izroth would invite along to join their party. "Well, it¡¯s-" However, just as Izroth was about to inform Halls and Guan Yu of who would be joining them, the person in question had juste through the door. "My, isn¡¯t this a pleasant surprise? Imagine my shock when I received your message just as I was ready to log off. The fact that I wasn¡¯t your first choice remains a source of heartache for me." A lovely voice drifted throughout the surroundings which caused a few of the male yers looking at the pills in the shop to instantly turn their head to see who the source of that voice belonged to. "It¡¯s not what I originally had nned, however, we need a skilled magic caster for the ce we¡¯re headed to. You could not have had better timing, Mariposa." Izroth said. "You mean that-" "Yes, she will be the one joining us on our quest this time." Izroth stated before Halls could even finish his sentence. "Oh? Could it be that you two do not wee me?" Mariposa spoke in a coy fashion as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth and released a delicate giggle from between her lips. "No, of course, you¡¯re always wee to join us!" Guan Yu hurriedly said. "Indeed! Who would dare say that you can¡¯t? If brother Izroth has invited you then we have no problems! None!" Halls said in a rushed manner. "I feel like I¡¯m part of your group already with such a kind wee." Mariposa said as a smile blossomed on her lips. Guan Yu and Halls had fallen right into Mariposa¡¯s yful trap and Izroth could only shake his head at the sight of it. It was obvious that Mariposa had grabbed those two by their noses and already had them wrapped around her finger with only a few gestures and words. What a frightening skill! "You- What are you doing here?" Zi Yi said in a surprised tone of voice. She had only gone to talk with Luna for a few minutes in private, however, when she and Luna had made their way back over towards them, she was greeted by the view of her elder sister. The good news was that Luna no longer appeared dejected. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, however, one could tell that she was better off than before. But, the bad news was that Zi Yi had a bad feeling about this situation. "It¡¯s good to see you as well, my adorable little sister." Mariposa said while bypassing Zi Yi¡¯s question altogether. Zi Yi stared over in Izroth¡¯s direction for an exnation. Usually around this time of day, Mariposa was offline dealing with some other matters in the real world, however, hering here at the same time that they were about to leave off on an SSS-ranked quest was too much to be brushed off as simple coincidence. Izroth exined to everyone the turn of events that led up to his decision. Originally, he invited Valentine to tag along with them. After all, when it came to magic and how it worked within RML, Valentine could probably be considered one of the most knowledgable, if not the most knowledgable yer. However, before logging offst night Valentine said that he would not be able to make it due to an important situation that hade up. Therefore, Izroth was left with one open spot for the quest. At the moment, his current party had enough physical and melee yers. In order to keep things bnced out, Izroth knew that they were in need of a magic caster. Needless to say, Izroth did not personally know many magic casters. In fact, Valentine and Mariposa were the only two magic casters on his friendslist! Of course, this was not including Luna who was a healer and Ying Yue whose ss was still unknown to him. Ying Yue was most likely some kind of magic caster, however, that was mere spection. In the end, one thing led to another and Izroth ended up inviting Mariposa to join their expedition. That¡¯s why she was in such a good mood today when Izroth had messaged her. Who would not be after receiving an invitation to join an SSS-ranked quest? This was even more so when she found out that one of the rewards was a piece of epic quality equipment, as well as, three whole levels! She would have been a fool if she allowed herself to miss out on this. Therefore, Mariposa rescheduled her ns for today just so that she was able to participate in this quest. After Izroth finished exining, everyone finally understood. However, in the end, the quest belonged to Izroth, therefore, he could invite anyone he wanted without question or exining. The fact that he was willing to tell them about it could be seen as him showing them some consideration. It was definitely something everyone appreciated. Even Zi Yi, although reluctantly, epted the logic behind Izroth¡¯s decision. While she would never openly admit it, Zi Yi knew that her sister was one of the best magic casters they would be able to find. Now that everything was in order and everyone was on the same page, it was finally time to head out towards the unnamed location on the Realm Chart. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he led the way. However, unknown to Izroth and the others, their challenge had already begun from the moment Zi Yi pieced things together yesterday. Chapter 235 Stepping Into The Mist Of The Netherworld Izroth led his party towards the location on the Realm Chart. At the moment, he walked at the very front of the group with the Realm Chart in his hands, looking it over. Of course, he had already remembered every single detail about the Realm Chart, however, it still helped to have the physical image itself directly before him. ¡¯I had no idea this many locations had already been discovered and explored.¡¯ After viewing the high-quality Realm Chart, Izroth could tell that this definitely was not the work of a single person. There was simply too much ground to be mapped out and covered by a single individual. Therefore, it must have taken a dedicated team of Cartographers send in various different directions to make this Realm Chart. ¡¯I wonder who¡¯s behind the creation of this Realm Chart.¡¯ The Realm Chart had no item creator name listed in its description area and Azalea did not bother disclosing who it was, therefore, he had no clues whatsoever to go on. There were numerous locations that caught Izroth¡¯s attention right off the back. For example, there was an interesting patch ofnd that had a certain marking that Izroth had recognized from back in the Endless Pandemonium Tower. It was a simr marking to the one found on that faceless statue. In other words, it most likely had something to do with the Trephasia race! ¡¯I will have to investigate that area further when I have some time.¡¯ Izroth did not forget about the quest he received to deliver the Empress Brooch to a member of the Trephasia race who shared the same bloodline as that mysterious Empress. However, there was no time limit to the quest and so Izroth was in no particr rush to finish it for the time being. Right now, he had to focus on the mission before him. ... ¡´System Alert: You have left the first kingdom, ?Amaharpe?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the second kingdom, ?O¡¯Tohelm?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning, the kingdom ?O¡¯Tohelm? you have crossed into does not have an official treaty with the kingdom ?Amaharpe? that you are leaving!¡µ It took the group nearly two hours to reach the border crossing into a territory that waspletely unknown to them. However, it did not take long for the system to rify a few things. This specific territory belonged to the second kingdom, O¡¯Tohelm. The surroundings were simr to a normal forest, however, the natural color of the trees made it appear as if the season within this forest was stuck in autumn. The tree trunks themselves were a deep maroon color with shades of orange here and there. As for the ground beneath their feet, the grass itself was surprisingly a lush green color. There was also no sign of any fallen leaves on the ground and it seemed as though the grass waspletely unaffected by its surroundings. Zi Yi exined what she knew regarding O¡¯Tohelm from the Amaharpe Pce Library, as well as, the library that was avable to the public. In RML, there were countless different kingdoms and territories. However, there were only a handful of truly powerful kingdoms. The second kingdom, O¡¯Tohelm, held a noticeable amount of influence and had numerous talented individuals with amazing strength. But, unlike most other kingdoms who embraced travelers, they were not very weing of outsiders. "Do you think they¡¯ll attack us just from entering this ce?" Halls asked. Zi Yi, however, shook her head and replied, "No, that¡¯s highly doubtful. Even though they do not wee outsiders, they won¡¯t go out of their way to attack them based on what I know. Well, as long as we don¡¯t enter into any of their sacred grounds that is..." "Oh? Just how to do these sacred grounds look?" Izroth inquired. "There wasn¡¯t any information regarding the appearance, just that the O¡¯Tohelm people are very defensive when ites to their sacred grounds. Apparently, they will attack outsiders who trespass without question. We still have no idea about how strong the NPCs guarding a sacred ground would be, but my guess is that they would at least be elite type NPCs. Therefore, we should be careful to avoid any sacred grounds." Zi Yi warned. "How are we supposed to avoid something if we have no idea what it looks like?" Guan Yu said with furrowed brows. "We¡¯ll just have to tread carefully, right?" Mariposa said in a nonchnt manner. Around ten minutester, Izroth and his party halted their steps. This was because of the strange phenomenon that was currently blocking their path. It was a strange mesh of light waves that were different colors. The light waves were bending, twisting, and swirling around each other forming an almost rainbow-like appearance. "How pretty." Luna said quietly to herself as she watched the waves of light dance around. It almost resembled an aurora in the artic sky. "It looks as if it¡¯s trying to guide us to a specific location up ahead." Mariposa said as she observed the light waves. "Azalea did say that there was a vige not too far our current location. I believe she referred to the residents as the League of The Eidolon." Izroth stated. There were not too far from their destination, therefore, there was a possibility that these light waves truly did lead to a vige. "Then do we still follow it?" Halls questioned. "Hm, there¡¯s no guarantee that it actually leads to a vige, that¡¯s only mere spection. I say we continue on our current path. If we take a detour, we could end up spending an extra thirty minutes reaching our destination. However, the choice is yours, Izroth." Zi Yi exined. Izroth thought about it briefly, but in the end, he was unwilling to take such a long detour based off a simple guess. Besides, if they really dide across the vige, it was not as if he were afraid of a confrontation. Although he was never for intentionally making enemies, he would also not allow himself to be bullied or anyone to block his path. If they were peaceful, then he would also be peaceful. However, if they wanted a fight then he would be more than d to deliver it to them. No one argued with Izroth¡¯s decision after he made it and they followed along the path of the rainbow light waves. During their travels, they saw that the light waves would asionally disappear and flicker out of existence before reappearing once again. Although the path remained unchanged, the patterns and colors came back differently every single time. "So strange!" Guan Yu couldn¡¯t help butment after feeling dizzy from the sudden and constant change of colors. Soon enough, Izroth and his party arrived at the end of the trail of light waves and what awaited them was a giant wall of gray colored mist. ¡¯I can¡¯t see through it, but I can still sense the creatures roaming around within the mist.¡¯ Even Izroth with his amazing sight was unable to peer through the thick mist covering the area before them. It was to the point where it would be impossible for someone to see their own hand in front of their face if they entered into the mist. However, there was no sign or indication of any vige nearby whatsoever. ¡¯Could it be that we passed by the vige without realizing it? Or have we just not gone far enough yet?¡¯ "We¡¯ll have to stay close together so that no one gets lost in the mist." Zi Yi said with a frown on her face. She knew that the mist would be difficult to see through, but she did not think that it would actually be underexaggerated. "You can leave that small detail to me." Mariposa spoke with a hint of confidence in her voice as she tapped her magic staff on the ground six times in quick session. "There, done." Mariposa said. Everyone had a confused look on their faces as if they were awaiting answers. Done? Done with what? All they saw was that she tapped her staff against the ground a few times and that was it. Even after checking the battles logs they were unable to notice anything different about themselves. At least, this was the case for everyone except Izroth. This was due to the skill Spatial Awareness that Izroth learned back in the Endless Pandemonium Tower. It allowed him to see things that most yers, unless they specialized in spatial magic, would be unable to perceive. Attached near everyone in the party¡¯s shoulder was a small ck circle with tiny magic symbols floating around inside of it. It was a type of spatial magic! "Ah, I forgot it doesn¡¯t show up for most people on the logs. I just attached a... I guess a space beacon would be the most urate term, to each and every one of you. If anyone should get lost, I will be able to guide them out using my spatial magic." Mariposa exined. So that was it! Everyone now had a look of understanding and rity on their faces. Zi Yi released a small sigh and muttered under her breath, "Just say that from the beginning next time..." After that was settled, Izroth removed four Holy Blessings enchantment stones from his inventory. He gave one to Halls, Zi Yi, and Guan Yu. "The monsters inside the mist are specter types, therefore, physical attacks are useless against them. However, that¡¯s only the case if a weapon does not have the holy attribute attached to it. The effects will onlyst for 24 hours, but that should be more than enough time to finish up what we came here for." Izroth said. Izroth tapped the enchantment stone against his Sword of The Storm as it disappeared. A few secondster, a faint divine aura appeared around his sword. It was the holy attribute that had just been added from the enchantment stone. After thanking Izroth, the others followed suit and used the Holy Blessings on their weapons as well. Now that Mariposa had marked everyone with her spatial magic and Izroth had handed out the enchantment stones, it was time for them to head into the mist. Izroth, Halls, and Guan Yu were the first to enter inside the mist. Following right behind them was Luna, Zi Yi, and Mariposa. Everyone made sure to stay close to one another, however, they were unable to see even one meter in front of them. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Mist of The Netherworld?¡µ ¡¯Mist of The Netherworld?¡¯ The name alone sounded incredibly ominous! As Izroth and his party moved forward through the mist, they were surprisingly able to stick close to each other. Every few moments, each person would check in to make sure that none of them had strayed off. If someone did move off from their group, they would alle to a stop and allow Mariposa to guide them back with her spatial magic. Suuuuuuuuuo... All of a sudden, Izroth and his party heard a noise that almost sounded like someone wailing senselessly. "Something¡¯s closing in fast from the mist. It¡¯s closing in from the east." Izroth warned. The moment he did so, everyone immediately halted their steps and prepared for an engagement. Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a strong gust of wind blew in the surroundings. However, that was not all that happened. Due to the holy attribute attached to his weapon, the location two meters around Izroth was now clear and he was actually able to see! Of course, this was severely restricted to the two meters around him. The same thing happened when the others who used the Holy Blessings on their items drew their weapons. They were excited at finally being able to see through the mist, however, they could see that even with the Holy Blessings, the mist was slowly starting to fight back against the holy energy. It was rapidly expanding and would soon rob Izroth and his party of their sight once again. ¡¯It looks like there¡¯s a time limit to how long we can see after drawing our weapons. I assume there must be some kind of cooldown time as well.¡¯ As Izroth was pondering about the holy attribute, he quickly shed his sword out in a sideways arc. However, his sword felt as if it hit absolutely nothing. But, there was a loud screeching sound that followed as though something was in a great deal of pain. That was when Izrothid his eyes on a ghost-like a creature with beady ck eyes and a formless body. -1,389 The body of the creature constantly morphed into different monstrous shapes and it was frightening to witness it firsthand. Name: Netherworld Specter(Elite) Level: 37 HP: 101,361(99%) Chapter 236 Creature of The Netherworld ¡¯We have not arrived at our true destination and yet there are already elite monsters waiting to greet us.¡¯ In most areas, the first group of monsters yers would run into, be it a dungeon, raid, or just exploring, were usually normal monsters. Running into an elite monster right off the back was a major sign that this ce was dangerous ground to tread on. Of course, Izroth and his party knew that this was likely to be the case considering the kind of quest they were on. It was actually a good sign that the first monster they ran into was an elite. After all, it confirmed that this specific area was unnatural due to more than a simple heavy mist. As Izroth struck the Netherworld Specter, it felt simr to shing something that was intangible. That was now all that bothered him. He knew that the specter-type monsters were immune to physical attacks, however, he did not expect for his damage to be reduced by such a drastic amount even with a grade three Holy Blessings added. ¡¯The holy attribute should not only allow us to harm the specters, but also increase the amount of damage we¡¯re able to deal to them. Even if it¡¯s a simple basic sword attack, I should have at least done a minimum level of damage. Now I can see why Azalea did not like this ce.¡¯ Halls positioned himself close to the Netherworld Specter and pushed forward with his shield and shed out viciously with his sword in an arc, executing the skill Ferocity sh. Just like with Izroth¡¯s attack, it went right through the body of the creature, but it still managed to deal some damage. However, something else strange was going on that made Halls frown. -762 "It¡¯s not changing targets!" Halls shouted as a warning. He tried using Taunting Aura after Ferocity sh to further solidify his hold of aggro on the Netherworld Specter, however, it ignored his attempts and continued to pick out its targets seemingly at random. "It¡¯s a specter-type monster, of course, they can¡¯t be taunted!" Zi Yi said as if it weremon knowledge. Halls felt slightly embarrassed at having to be told that by Zi Yi. He thought that they were only immune to physical attacks, not his taunts as well. But, how was he supposed to do his job as a tank if he could not even grab its aggro?! Wandering and random aggro was one of the worse things for a party to deal with, especially the healer since all the pressure would naturally fall onto them. The Netherworld Specter rapidly approached Izroth despite the two attacks against it, however, he quickly managed to retreat a few steps back and avoided the attack. But, in doing so, the Netherworld Specter went after Guan Yu who was charging forward with his guandao to begin his assault. For yers who used physical damaging attacks like Izroth or Halls, even with a Holy Blessings enchantment stone, this ce could be considered a nightmare. As Guan Yu closed in on the Netherworld Specter, something he least expected happened. When he was positioning himself to attack and prepared tosh out with his guandao, the creature phased right through him causing him to feel cold down to the bone. If one looked closely, they could even see the frosting from his mouth. -2,998 +621 9,183/11,560 HP Remaining! (Guan Yu) Not only did Guan Yu take a decent amount of damage, but he was also unable to move for a full second! Luna cast a Healing Essence on Guan Yu without hesitation. Although it would not immediately return him to full HP, it would do so by the time the spell ended. "Creepy!" Guan Yu could not help but say after experiencing that strange feeling. Who wanted to feel some strange looking creature go right through their body? The answer was no one! While it may have been something for Izroth and the other physical attackers to adapt to, for yers like Mariposa whose main source of damage came from magic, it was just like any other day. Suuuuuuo! Mariposa pointed her staff directly at the Netherworld Specter and after chanting a few words, one ck dot appeared near the body of the creature. However, that one ck dot quickly split into two separate pieces. Then, the two ck dots split into four pieces. This continued until there were hundreds or maybe even thousands of small ck dots surroundings the Netherworld Specter. "Spatial Seeking Needles." The moment those words left Mariposa¡¯s mouth, the ck dots reshaped itself into a long and sharp pitch ck needle. Each needle was no more than 10cm in size and did not appear to be that harmless outside their sharp pointed ends. But, spatial magic was not something so simple. Woosh! Woosh! The Netherworld Specter¡¯s next target was Zi Yi, however, before it could even reach her, the creature was met with a rain of spatial needles. The needles did not pierce into the creature¡¯s body, but instead, it seemed to disappear into thin air after making contact with it. It also halted the movements of the Netherworld Specter and locked it into ce. "Not bad." Mariposa said to herself. This was the first time she used the Spatial Seeking Needles skill. It was one of her more recently obtained skills, but she had not yet been able to find any time to test it before now. The most frightening thing about this particr skill was the amount of control over its target that it provided to its caster. It was a strong crowd control skill. -226 -158 -352 ... There were all sorts of damage numbers popping up when the spatial needles dove into the body of the Netherworld Specter. In the end, Mariposa ended up dealing around 2,300 damage while also disabling the creature movements all in one go. Zi Yi released an arrow from her bow at point nk range of the Netherworld Specter. The others also did not waste this chance and instantlyunched a deadly barrage of attacks at the Netherworld Specter. 90%... 70%... 50%... 30%... With everyone attacking together, the Netherworld Specter¡¯s HP fell rapidly. However, a thinyer of darkness could be seen forming around it as the effects of Mariposa Spatial Seeking Needles ended. Not only that but just as Izroth wasunching his attack against the Netherworld Specter, it vanished into thin air. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ It was gone! As soon as its HP hit the 30% mark, the Netherworld Specter simply disappeared as if he had run away from the fight! "Huh? Where did it go?!" Guan Yu said with a stunned expression on his face. It was here one second and then gone the next. It could not be that it actually ran away from the fight, right? "It¡¯s still nearby. However..." Izroth spoke with a pondering look on his face. Indeed, the Netherworld Specter was definitely still around, but the challenging thing was locking directly onto its location. The Netherworld Specter did not simply vanish, it was now all around them! In other words, it had be a part of the mist itself! "What is it?" Halls asked while staying on guard. "It¡¯s odd. It¡¯s almost as if it has be a part of the mist." Izroth stated. "If that¡¯s really true, then it would exin why my spatial marking reading is all over the ce. However, this does makes things a little tricky." Mariposa said. Of course, the first thing Izroth tried to do was sh at the mist, but nothing happened. It was bing more troublesome due to the holy attribute losing its effectiveness against the mist. At its current rate, in about fifteen seconds the mist would once again make it impossible for them to see a single step in front of them. If that happened while the Netherworld Specter was still loose and able to attack anyone it pleased, then things would only be increasingly difficult for them. "Although I hate to admit it, that magic freak¡¯s Eyes of Magic would have been really useful right about now." Zi Yimented. "If you speak that way you¡¯ll make your big sis feel unwanted, my adorable little sister." Mariposa said in a yful tone of voice. Zi Yi scoffed, "I¡¯m just speaking the truth! You¡¯re so-" Before Zi Yi could finish her sentence, she felt something cold travel through her body. It was a piercingly cold and evasive feeling that caused her to shiver. It was simr to what happened to Guan Yu not too long ago. "It¡¯s back near Zi Yi!" Guan Yu shouted. After experiencing that feeling firsthand, he knew immediately what was going on. Everyone turned their attention towards Zi Yi and indeed, there it was, the Netherworld Specter had phased right through Zi Yi¡¯s body. -2,562 +1,350 4,071/5,283 HP Remaining! (Zi Yi) Luckily, Zi Yi had some magic resistance that reduced the overall damage of the Netherworld Specter¡¯s attack. It was also a good thing that Luna had such swift reaction time and cast Cure to bring her HP back into a rtively safe state. "This thing is ying tag! So annoying!" Halls said in a frustrated tone of voice. Right now, he felt that he waspletely useless because he could not even properly do his job as a tank because of the Netherworld Specter. Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression darkened and turned extremely gloomy after the Netherworld Specter passed through her. It was like hundreds of little bugs crawling over one¡¯s skin and scampering around. How disgusting! However, things were not over just yet. Not too long after the Netherworld Specter phased through Zi Yi¡¯s body, a lingering image of both Guan Yu and Zi Yi could be seen hovering above there heads. The two images looked like a miniature ghostly version of the two and it was shrinking in size every second. That was when everyone received the battle alert. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Guan Yu and yer Zi Yi have been affected by ?Ghastly Specter Touch?¡µ Ghastly Specter Touch? What was that? There was no further information about the skill. All they knew was that Guan Yu and Zi Yi were affected by it and that the chances of it being harmless were practically nonexistent. However, it did not take long for everyone to figure it out. -1,156 -528 ... -1,156 -528 Guan Yu and Zi Yi appeared to be losing a chunk of their HP every second that passed. From the looks of it, they were losing 10%! To make matters even worse, there was no specific time mentioned as to how long the effects of the Ghastly Specter Touch wouldst. This meant that there was a good chance that if they did not defeat the Netherworld Specter in time, then both Guan Yu and Zi Yi would perish right here and now! If something like that urred just when they first entered into this ce and had just begun their quest, how tragic would that be?! Luna tried her best to keep up with the daunting task of healing both Guan Yu and Zi Yi while also maintaining constant vignce of her surroundings. "This should go without saying, but I won¡¯t be able to keep this up forever. Also, I would appreciate it if everyone else could avoid being touched by the specter." Luna said in a calm and collected voice. "If things be too much to handle, focus your healing on Guan Yu. If it reaches a critical point, I¡¯ll cover Zi Yi." Izroth said as he moved to confront the Netherworld Specter. He decided that a phantom should be greeted by another phantom. Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm formed two phantoms underneath its de. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! All three strikes, infused with sixteen points of his Essence, cut through the body of the Netherworld Specter causing it to wail in pain due to the holy attribute. Chapter 237 Mind Playing Tricks? Izroth¡¯s first strike connected sessfully. Immediately after that happened, his entire body spun twice in quick session as his sword swept across the Netherworld Specter. With the added power of his Essence behind his strikes, Izroth¡¯s attack caused a great deal of damage to the creature. -833 -1,667 -2,500 Suuuuuo! Izroth did not stop his attack there. As soon as thest blow of his Phantom Strikes cut through the Netherworld Specter, a sharp sword intent was released from his Sword of The Storm. There was some kind of incredible piercing energy epassing Izroth¡¯s de as the surrounding atmosphere seemed to be heavier with each passing moment. A few momentster, a powerful energy surged from Izroth¡¯s sword as he made a slicing motion with his de. However, his attack was so slow that a turtle could move out of its way in time! What was Izroth thinking? At the rate he was attacking, their vision would once again be limited to nothing but mist before they were able to deal with the Netherworld Specter. If that situation urred, it would be exceedingly difficult to guarantee everyone¡¯s safe arrival outside of this thick mist. But, Zi Yi who possessed a better sight than all of those present was shocked. It was not that Izroth¡¯s attack was slow, but rather, it was too fast! Izroth¡¯s attack had long since connected with the Netherworld Specter, however, there was a solid afterimage that his attack left behind which gave the illusion of his attack moving in super slow motion. Even though no one besides Zi Yi understood what was going on, they knew that Izroth would not waste time on nonsense. He was definitely up to something. Everyone soon found out just how right they were. A brilliant sh of light came from out of nowhere. No... Nowhere was not quite right, in fact, that bright light seemingly cut through the thick mist and shone down upon the Netherworld Specter. However, it was not just any kind of light and it epassed the surrounding fifteen meters. At first, there was an almost eerie silence. However, around two secondster, a loud and ear deafening sound rang and exploded throughout the area. The sound was simr to the sound of a thunderp! ...BOOOOOOOOOOM! It was the same skill Izroth used against Aegis back in the Undying Maelstrom, the Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Skill Name: Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: +10% Attack Speed Active: Empowers the user¡¯s next basic sword attack against an enemy target, dealing 280% of the user¡¯s attack as physical damage. The user has their attack speed increased by 100% during the execution of this skill. If the user possesses a sword with the lightning attribute attached to it, the damage of this attack is converted into lightning damage and the attack speed boost is increased by an additional 100%. This skill has a 25% chance to ?Paralyze? its target for 2 seconds. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 4 minutes 30 seconds While all sword forms were rtively equal in power, the same could not be said for the Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. This was due to the fact that out of the first six sword forms, it was the only sword form that allowed one to tap into the power of the elements. This was initially Izroth¡¯s biggest concern with attempting to learn this particr sword form. However, it appeared that the system, instead of using the "power of the elements", decided to use Izroth¡¯s weapon of choice as a catalyst of sorts. When he first learned this sword form he was using the de of Lightning. Now, he was the Sword of The Storm which not only possessed the wind attribute but the lightning attribute as well. So, while it was far from perfectpared to the original third sword form, it was still a powerful skill within RML. However, the third sword form was not the only skill Izroth¡¯s used during that attack. Hebined it with the First Sword Form: Converging Paths! This granted his attack a 100% chance to critical hit! With the added damage of the holy attribute, as well as, the damage being lightning instead of physical based, itpletely bypassed the defenses of the Netherworld Specter. -15,557 A huge portion of the Netherworld Specter¡¯s HP was shaved off by Izroth. That attack, along with the barrage of attacks from the rest of the party members, quickly dropped the HP of the Netherworld Specter down to 0. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Netherworld Specter!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have earned...¡µ After the Netherworld Specter was defeated, the effects of the Ghastly Specter Touch wore off. At nearly the same exact time, the light provided by the holy attribute dispersed and Izroth, as well as, his party¡¯s sight was filled with nothing but mist. Luna releases a small sigh of relief as she removed a mana potion from her inventory and drank it. Being unable to pause in between heals was just spending MP was very taxing. Fortunately, Luna was not the type to panic under such a potentially stressful situation and handled it in a skillful manner. "I¡¯m never letting one of those things near me again." Zi Yi said as she shivered inwardly just thinking about that creepy ghost creature phasing through her body. "I¡¯m with you on that one!" Guan Yu said in agreement with Zi Yi. The Netherworld Specter did not drop any loot, however, the experience that it gave was a generous amount. "Going forward, I¡¯m sure we can all agree to avoid being touched by the Netherworld Specter." Luna stated, but of course, everyone already was going to do just that even without Luna¡¯s warning after seeing how terrifying specter type monsters could be. After walking forward a bit, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm, activating its holy attribute and allowing him to see clearly. Everyone was confused by his action, however, they understood once they saw what he did next. Izroth removed the Realm Chart from his inventory to make sure that they were on the correct path. After all, even though he could not see anything, he could still make rough estimates using the provided coordinates. However, Izroth found something odd on the Realm Chart that was not there before. It was a small unnamed vige that was positioned somewhere outside of the area of the mist. ¡¯Strange, this was not here before...¡¯ Izroth had a perfect memory, therefore, he was positive that the vige was not there thest time he checked the Realm Chart. However, it was located outside of the mist and away from their current position, therefore, he decided not to pay too much attention to it. But, he would definitely be mindful of it when it came time to leave this ce. He still felt it was best to share this detail with everyone and, therefore, made sure that everyone was aware of the sudden change on the Realm Chart. ... Around twenty minutester... Izroth and his party finally reached the other side of the Netherworld Mist. During their time in the mist, they encountered a total of six elite Netherworld Specters. Fortunately, they were not attacked by more than one at a time, or else they would have been a headache to deal with. After the two fights, everyone had a much better understanding of how the Holy Blessings enchantment worked, as well as, the attack patterns of the specter. They found out that the Netherworld Specter attacks were not random, but rather, it went after those yers who were least active in the fight. For example, Izroth believed that the specter was originally attacking him as retaliation. However, it was actually going after Guan Yu who was located behind him. After Guan Yu became active in the fight, it then changed its focus towards Zi Yi who had yet to attack since Luna had already cast a heal and Mariposa, as well as, Halls attacked as well. Therefore, it was decided that everyone would attack while Halls would basically be a meat shield that absorbed all the attacks by doing, well, nothing at all! He would just stand there every fight and allow the others to take care of the Netherworld Specter. However, Halls felt extremely gloomy by the time they arrived outside of the mist. He had to experience that creepy invasive feeling every single time they fought after the first fight! How could he be in a good mood after that? He nearly cried tears of joy when they made it to the other side of the mist. He no longer had to be a meat shield! Well, hopefully... But, there was a bizarre expression on everyone¡¯s face as they took in the view before them. "How is this possible?" Zi Yi said with a frown on her face and with furrowed brows. She could not believe the sight before her even with her own eyes. "Could it be that the Realm Chart was incorrect?" Mariposa questioned with a peculiar look on her face. Even Izroth was beginning to doubt his own perfect memory. He removed the Realm Chart from his inventory and took another look at it. ¡¯It can¡¯t be that I truly remembered wrong.¡¯ In front of Izroth and the others was a vige. In fact, it was the same vige that Azalea had warned them about beforeing to this ce. But, that was not an unusual thing. What was unusual was the fact that this vige was not supposed to be here! ording to both the Realm Chart and the words of Azalea, this vige should be located outside of the mist, not inside! ¡¯No, there¡¯s definitely something strange going on here.¡¯ Izroth refused to believe that his memory could be wrong. When he first viewed the Realm Chart, the vige was nowhere to be found. Then when he viewed it again inside of the mist, he found that it was located outside of the mist itself. Now, the vige was suddenly here on the other side of the mist? They could not have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way because their current coordinates matched that of their original destination. So then, what was going on? Izroth once again removed the Realm Chart from his inventory. This time, however, the vige was no longer located outside of the mist, but rather right at the same location as their previous destination where some kind of tomb was supposed to be located. This entire situation waspletely baffling. "The way I see it, there are a few possibilities here. The first is the most obvious; we took a wrong turn somewhere. However, I¡¯ve already checked out coordinates and this should definitely be the ce. The second is that we¡¯re in some type of illusion." Zi Yi spected. However, Mariposa quickly disproved that theory as she said, "That was the first thing I checked when we arrived. I can guarantee you that this is no illusion, otherwise, there would be small and irregr distortions in the surrounding space." "When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Halls said shocking everyone present. They all looked at him with a weird expression on their face. "Brother... Are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head somewhere and start spewing out smart-sounding things?" Guan Yu said in a concerned and brotherly way. When Halls saw how everyone was looking at him, he wanted to strangle everyst one of them. Did they think that he was just some natural kind of an idiot and he could not say anything smart? "So I enjoy Sherlock Holmes, sue me!" Halls scoffed. "He¡¯s right." Zi Yi muttered to herself, however, it was still loud enough for everyone around her to hear. She had her chin rested up against her thumb and index finger taking up a thinking pose. "I am? I mean, of course, I am." Halls was dumbfounded at first, but he would not let this moment slip him by. Even if it was byplete chance and he only said those words because it sounded cool to say in a mysterious situation. "If this isn¡¯t an illusion, and we all have eyesight that¡¯s notpletely terrible, then that leaves us with another possible solution." Zi Yi said drawing everyone in. "Somehow, the vige is able to shift locations. Be it randomly or at will." Zi Yi stated. Chapter 238 We Welcome You, Now Please Die What? The vige was shifting locations? To be honest, if everyone present had not already been to a bizarre ce like the Chaotic Dogma Realm, they would have had a hard time epting Zi Yi¡¯s words at face value. However, not only did they trust Zi Yi¡¯s judgment, but it would be ignorant of them to believe that unusual things could only ur in locations like the Chaotic Dogma Realm. But, there was still one problem with Zi Yi¡¯s spection that bothered Mariposa. "Let¡¯s say you¡¯re correct and the vige really is able to shift its position at will. How do you exin the change of its location on the Realm Chart?" Mariposa questioned. Zi Yi fell into deep thought as she tried to think of a response. "You should know that Realm Charts can only be altered by Cartographers. I¡¯m not sure about you, my adorable little sister, but I have never heard of a Realm Charts that can move things around through its own power. If such a Realm Chart does exist, it definitely isn¡¯t one that can be created just yet." Mariposa exined. "Maybe they¡¯ll be able to tell us what¡¯s going on." Luna said as she peered into the vige and could see a few figures approaching them. There was a faint mist lingering around the vige, however, it did not obstruct a yer¡¯s view like the Netherworld Mist they crossed to arrive at their current location. But, it was quite dark and areas with shadows lurked all around the vige. ¡¯This mist... It¡¯s different from that of the Netherworld Mist but at the same time it¡¯s incredibly simr.¡¯ Izroth had a difficult time perceiving anyone around him ever since he first stepped foot outside of the Netherworld Mist. He could not even detect his own party members who were right next to him. Of course, he still had his other natural senses to go on, but it remained an unpleasant feeling to be suppressed by the surrounding restrictions. "From what Azalea told us about the yers and NPCs in this vige, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be weed here." Zi Yi said as she left her deep thoughts behind. There was no point in overthinking things. In the end, their main goal did not change. They had to reach that tomb area. "Heh, to think that we were just about to leave and miss out on such a wonderful present. Six lost littlembs have strayed from their herd. Have theye to join the feast of the wolves? Or maybe... To be feasted upon by wolves?" A calm and flowing voice drifted from the direction of the figures that approached Izroth and his party. Although it was dark, one was still able to make out a total of four silhouettes. With each passing step, the image of the four individuals became clear. ¡¯That¡¯s...¡¯ "What is she doing here?" Luna said as her brows raised in surprise when she saw one of the yers who were a part of the group before her. Luna was not the only person who was stunned, but Zi Yi was taken aback as well. As for Halls, Guan Yu, and Mariposa, they had no idea why everyone acted in such a surprised manner. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the four individuals, but there was one person he studied in particr. Two of them were wearing tattered ck cloaks with hoods that hid their identities. The two figures had a pair of glowing cyan eyes; which was the sole thing anyone could see regarding their faces. Other than that, it was nothing but pure and endless darkness. There were silver chains wrapped all around their bodies and the two stood slightly hunched over as if they were ready to strike at any moment. NPC Name: Puppet Chained Assassin(Elite) NPC Level: 40 NPC Faction: League of The Eidolon HP: ??? (100%) Two level forty elite NPCs! Elite NPCs were often much stronger than monsters of the same level. So, while the two NPCs were level 40, theirbat capabilities should beparable to a level 45 elite monster! The fact that their HP showed as a row of question marks only further proved their strength. However, there was something else that was a part of the NPCs information that no one present had seen in RML since they first began ying. There was a faction section that listed the NPCs under the League of The Eidolon. Factions within RML was defined as a collective group not bound by any kingdom¡¯sws that operated illegally without any authority or proper supervision. In other words, they were a bunch of renegades and each faction usually consisted of known criminals. These factions could take in yers and tempt them into joining their cause, but if a yer was discovered to be a part of any faction then NPCs that were usually friendly could suddenly turn hostile. Needless to say, no yer wanted to face an NPC like a member of the Crimson Corps Guard at their current level. But, the benefits that a faction gave yers were incredibly generous ording to some rumors going around. In the end, most yers would stray away from joining factions. After all, the majority of yers wanted to be the hero, not the viin. The person speaking was a male yer who looked to be in his mid tote twenties. He had short and spikey purple hair, gray eyes, and a set of piercings that ran down the side of his nose and on both of his ears, as well as, one on his lower lip. He was a bit on the thin side, but he still had some muscle tones. As far as looks went, he was slightly above average. He had a small grin on his face and arge grim reaper¡¯s scythe on his back. The scythe was constantly giving off a strong sense of bloodlust as its de was a deep crimson red as though it had been bathed in blood. However, it was not the Puppet Chained Assassins nor the male yer who surprised Izroth, but rather thest person who was with them. It was a female yer who was around 140cm in height. She had long and silky flowing ck hair that reached down to her ankles. A face mask was pulled over the lower part of her face to hide her appearance, but it did not do much to hide her delicate face. Her eyes were orchid in color and she gave off a cold and distant aura. It was Azalea Wraith! ¡¯No, something¡¯s not right.¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows. Indeed, she looked just like Azalea all the way down to the style of clothing, however, there was something off about her. While it was Azalea, it did not feel like Azalea due to the way she behaved. Ever since Izroth defeated her, Azalea always treated him with the utmost respect and even called him teacher. However, the Azalea before him now, based on her current facial expression and distant cold looks, she seemed to not even recognize who he was! As for the words that male yer spoke aboutmbs and wolves, Izroth did not even bother entertaining such nonsense. "Do you want to exin yourself, Wraith?" Zi Yi said with a cautious expression on her face. Could this be a possible ambush? The chances of them being familiar with this area were extremely high. Therefore, if this truly was an ambush and they had prepared beforehand, it could turn into a nightmare given the many unknowns of this location. "Wraith? Oh, I see. Is that how you found this ce? Ahahaha, it all makes perfect sense now! Hey, I told you that people would misunderstand if you use the same style, Ghost." The male yer said as he nced at the female yer next to him. The female yer who was referred to as Ghost shifted her eyes and stared with an ice cold expression thatcked any emotion. However, she did not say a word to him and simply set her gaze upon Zi Yi. "To mistake me for that piece of trash failure sibling of mine is uneptable. The fact that such an inferior being shares the same appearance and blood as me is disgusting." Ghost spoke in a tone filled with disdain and contempt. If looks could kill, then Zi Yi would have already died one thousand times over given how much offense Ghost seemed to take when she was mistaken for Azalea. "Hey now, even if you were only born five minutes apart, is that any way to talk about your younger sister?" The male yer said as he chuckled as he found her statement to be amusing. Everyone was shocked when they heard those words. Was this person really talking about their own flesh and blood sibling in such an unrestrained and ruthless manner? The fact that Ghost was disgusted just from being mistaken for Azalea was baffling, to say the least. What could cause that amount of discontent towards one¡¯s own family member? From the looks of it, not just any family member, but a twin! Weren¡¯t most twins supposed to be extremely close to one another? Even Izroth did not expect to hear something those words. As far as he could tell, Azalea was far from being a failure or trash. She was straight forward, honest, and held quite a bit of potential for a mortal. Not to mention her loyalty and determination did not appear to be feigned. However, while everyone was shocked, Mariposa¡¯s facial expression darkened. While everyone else was shocked and surprised, she was furious! Even if one did not always get along with their younger sister, to call them such terrible names andpare them to trash was too much! This was even more so for someone like Mariposa who cared deeply for her younger sister, Zi Yi. Even if she did not personally know this Wraith person, she felt that it was unwarranted. So, of course, hearing someone talk about their own younger sister in that way greatly upset Mariposa. Not even a few seconds had passed and she already disliked the entire group that appeared before them. "Bad mouthing someone behind their back is in poor taste. Who¡¯s the real disgusting one here?" Mariposa said mockingly. "I¡¯ll have to agree. What purpose does it serve to insult a person who is not around to defend themselves? In the end, it is a pointless endeavor." Izroth said in a carefree tone of voice. "Eh? Do you take into consideration the feelings of the dirt you walk on every day?" Ghost appeared surprised by Izroth and Mariposa¡¯s reactions as she tilted her head slightly to the side giving off a look of curiosity. One could tell from Ghost¡¯s current expression that she saw absolutely nothing what with the words she spoke. If trash was trash, then why was she not allowed to call it trash? Were they idiots or something? "Hey, I think this girl has a few screws loose in her head somewhere." Halls said in a low tone of voice. "Those are some serious family issues..." Guan Yu said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "What terrible manners we have. Allow us to properly introduce ourselves. I am called Grim Phantom. This one next to me goes by Aza Ghost. Of course, not to be confused with her twin sister, Azalea Wraith. It is a pleasure to meet everyst one of you." Grim said as he gave a deep weing bow with his right hand ced lightly upon the left side of his chest and his left arm held up. "We wee you to our humble abode. Now, please die." Grim said with arge and friendly smile on his face that gave off a creepy feeling. At the same time, the scythe that was previously on Grim¡¯s back had suddenly vanished as a streak of crimson light shed in the direction of Izroth and his party. Chapter 239 Countdown Halls reacted quickly and raised his shield as he pushed his entire body forward and into the path of the crimson light. Ding! "If you¡¯re going to tell us to die, you might not want to give us a warning next time!" Halls said. At the moment, the tip of Grim¡¯s scythe was directly connected with his shield. Although it was a wide arc sh that was originally intended to be an AOE attack, Halls had intercepted the scythe before the skill could bepleted. Essentially, he turned the AOE attack into just another basic attack! Normally, it would have been impossible for him to aplish such a task due to the limit of his agility versus his actual reaction time. In other words, even if he saw the attacking, it would be useless if his body was unable to react in time to the attack. However, thanks to a new item he obtained from one of the Rare Item Chests he acquired from the Protectors of Amaharpe event, he now possessed the ability to intercept attacks on a moments notice. Of course, this item had its restrictions and limitations, but its effectiveness could not be denied. That was not all that happened. Grim felt an overwhelming invisible force spread on the outside of his body. It felt as though something was pushing him back against his own will. This was because Halls did not perform a simple block, but instead, he used the core skill of his ss, Rebound. Grim was knocked back around four meters away from where he was previously standing. However, he managed to maintain his footing and stabbed the tip of his scythe into the ground to prevent himself from going any further. By the time his body stopped moving, he had a vicious look in his eyes as he stared down Halls. "Oh? What was that? A skill?" Grim asked as he chuckled. "Come hit me again and you can find out for yourself!" Halls scoffed as he took on a defensive position. At the same time, Grim was sent flying back, the two Puppet Chained Assassin¡¯s took action. They vanished and entered into a stealth mode. The higher the level of NPCs or monsters, the more intelligent they became at responding and reacting to certain situations, especiallybat. A level 40 elite NPC like the Puppet Chained Assassin could not bepared to a normal elite monster. As for Ghost, she stood there with her eyes closed and her arms folded, not moving from her spot. However, if one were to think that she waspletely defenseless because of this, they would deeply regret it. "Ten." Grim said with a huge grin on his face and that vicious look still lingering around within his eyes. Ten? Ten what? Halls was confused by his statement, but in the end, he brushed it off as nothing more than Grim talking to himself. ¡¯Should I end this quickly?¡¯ Izroth wondered if he should not waste time here and end this fight as fast as possible. After all, there were too many unknown factors nearby. This was a potential SSS-ranked quest and the risk of failure was disastrous. The destruction of Amaharpe also meant the destruction of his recently opened shop, the Mystical Realm Pce. If this truly was the location, which he was quite positive of at this point, then he could not allow anyone to interfere and risk setting off a chain of events that would change the world of RML itself. But, in the end, Izroth decided to use a more moderate approach for the same reason he thought about ending things quickly. He could not afford to use his skills with long cooldowns recklessly in this ce. A few minutes or even seconds could make all the difference between a party wipe and survival on a quest such as this. Izroth was unable to sense, hear, or see the Puppet Chained Assassins. However, there was more than one way to break an opponent¡¯s stealth. He lightly tapped his foot on the ground causing the surrounding 30 meters of earth to tremor violently. The moment Grim and Aza felt that something was off, they immediately retreated from their current positions. However, it seemed that no matter how far away they retreated, the quaking earth would follow them. It was not until they were around 30 meters away from Izroth did the quaking stop. "What¡¯s with that broken AOE range?" Grim said with his scythe ced over his shoulder. Aza silently locked her gaze onto Izroth. She could see it. Not in a figurative sense, but rather a quite literally, she could see it. How did shee to this conclusion? Simple, it was due to the power of a rare trinket she possessed known as the Eye of Judgement. essory Name: Eye of Judgement essory Rank: Rare essory Skill: Insight & Weakpoint(Passive) - The user of this trinket can see a yer or monster¡¯s ?Combat Capability? as a numerical figure based on various factors, as well as, level(regardless of a level gap) and name. This item also reveals all enemy ?Weak Point?. Striking a ?Weak Point? grants the user a 50% critical hit chance and increases the user¡¯s damage by 5% when striking that specific ?Weak Point?. (MAX: 50% per ?Weak Point?) Out of everyone present, surprisingly, Izroth currently had the highest Combat Capability reading. It was umon in most parties for magic casters not to possess the highest Combat Capability within their current level range. However, in this case, it was actually a physical attacker! However, Aza was not worried in the slightest about this discovery for one simple reason. "He¡¯s still too weak..." Aza said to herself. When the first tremor was sent out by Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake, the two Puppet Chained Assassins stealth skill was broken after taking damage. Izroth dealt a total of 2,000 damage to the NPCs. He did not bother infusing any Essence into the skill because it would have not done much against these type of elite NPCs. Instead, he simply used the AOE skill to break their stealth and reveal them. Halls acted swiftly and used Battle Focus to draw in the aggro of the Puppet Chained Assassins. Luckily, they were not specter-type monsters and his taunt skill was sessful. He finally felt like an actual tank again! "Guan Yu, can you handle him alone?" Izroth asked. "Yeah, you can just leave it me!" Guan Yu said with a voice full of confidence. In truth, he was looking forward to fighting against someone wielding a scythe as it was something he had never done before. He charged forward in Grim¡¯s direction with his guandao gripped tightly within his hands. He was incredibly quick for a yer who wore ted armor! "Have brave of you to wee your ughter with an open heart, little sheep." Grim said as he charged forward to meet head-on with Guan Yu as the two were soon locked into a heated battle. Woosh! Woosh! Two arrows soared through the air before disappearing, and in the blink of an eye, reappearing exactly 25cm before the two Puppet Chained Assassins. Each arrow pierced right through the skull of a Puppet Chained Assassin without giving them any time to avoid it. ?Critical Hit? -5,229 ?Critical Hit? -5,229 The power behind Zi Yi¡¯s Void Jump had obviously increased a great deal since her time within the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth¡¯s palm shot out as hundreds of palms rained down upon the two Puppet Chained Assassins. The Myriad Elusive Palm mmed into their body without much resistance. -1,772 -1,772 He then unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as the sudden gust of powerful of wind made the two NPCs stagger back slightly. Izroth swept his de across one of the NPCs and immediately after his first attack connected, he followed up with the First Sword Form: Converging Pathsbined with the skill Phantom Strikes. -1,032 ?Critical Hit? -1,032 ?Critical Hit? -2,513 ?Critical Hit? -3,995 Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm moved with a high level of precision as it struck up against one of the Puppet Chained Assassin¡¯s bodies. His sword strikes showered down without mercy and seemingly without an end in sight. Swoosh! The chains wrapped around one of the Puppet Chained Assassins suddenly spun around its body rapidly. The attacked struck Halls¡¯ shield multiple times, however, he was able to sessfully block it. ?Blocked? -1,452 ?Blocked? -2,004 ?Blocked? -2,610 +2,700 Luna wasted no time casting a Heal to restore some of Halls¡¯ missing HP. As for Izroth who was in melee range of the attack, he evaded the final chain strikes and when the third one came around, he used the Second Sword Form: Returning Waves and aimed it right at the head of the Puppet Chained Assassin. ?Critical Hit? -5,773 Ooooooom...! The sound of something vibrating intensely rung throughout the atmosphere as two spatial rifts appeared next to the other Puppet Chained Assassin who was currently attempting to surprise Halls from behind after falling back previous for a moment. Around one secondter, the Puppet Chained Assassin that was rushing towards Halls fell into one of the spatial rifts that were ced on the ground beneath its feet. A few momentster, the NPC appeared in the air at the location of the second spatial rift before it fell down once again into the spatial rift positioned on the ground. Every time its body traveled through the spatial rifts, it would seem to be fragmenting and shattering as the sound of something being torn apart could be heard. This was due to Mariposa¡¯s skill Spatial Rend. It could not bepared to her previous use of the skill. After her fight with Silent Steps, she focused even more on mastering her spatial skills and had arrived at an entirely new level of power. As Izroth and the others dealt with the two level 40 elite monsters, Guan Yu was overpowering Grim at every turn. Ding! Cling! Every time Grim would parry one of Guan Yu¡¯s attacks, he would stumble back from the sheer force behind the attack! His scythe was not meant to stand up and sh directly against a weapon like a guandao. However, for some reason, he continued to fight a head-on battle without retreat. What¡¯s more, he kept counting every time his scythe made contact with Guan Yu or his guandao. Guan Yu frowned and said, "Are you practicing for a test or something?!" His attacks became even more fierce once he finished speaking. If Grim had time to count during their battle, it meant that he was not taking this fight seriously enough. Guan Yu would make sure that Grim would be unable to focus on anything but defending himself. After shing a few more times, Guan Yu released his left hand from his guandao and spun his entire body around, bringing his guandao around with him. There was a light blue energy gathered around the de of the guandao that appeared calm, but deadly. Ding! Woosh! A strong gust of wind blew past Grim, however, he did not move a single step from the spot he stood in. In fact, there was a smirk on his face after receiving Guan Yu¡¯s most recent attack. The bloodlust around Grim¡¯s scythe strengthed to a terrifying degree and spread throughout the whole battlefield. "Zero." Grim said. At the same time, a rush of ck smoke rushed from out of Grim¡¯s scythe. Guan Yu was surprised by the sudden change of events, however, he hastily retreated. But, just as he felt as though he had already moved ten meters away, he found that he had not moved even a single step! Before Guan Yu knew it, he was surrounded by pure darkness. "This is where the fun part begins. Wee to the Nether Realm." Grim¡¯s voice echoed throughout the darkness! Chapter 240 Growing Misfortune "Some kind of illusion?" Guan Yu said to himself as he brandished his guandao, sweeping it through the darkness, however, no matter where he swung he was only met by nothingness. "Where are you swinging?" Grim¡¯s voice sounded from behind Guan Yu causing him to immediately react. Guan Yu twisted his body around to attack Grim, but there was no one there by the time his guandao reached its intended target. "I can¡¯t see a thing and his voice seems to being from where he pleases." Guan Yu muttered to himself. He was annoyed with this kind of fighting style that involved so many mind games. A real man should face problems head on! "Shall I let you in one a little secret?" Grim said. "Even if I said I didn¡¯t want to hear it, something tells me you¡¯d still run your mouth. You talk a lot more than you fight." Guan Yu said taunting Grim. Grim¡¯sughter reverberated throughout the darkness. It sounded eerie and mocking as if he found Guan Yu¡¯s words to be amusing. "No matter how much you struggle the end results will be the same. You guys have no idea what you¡¯ve walked into, do you? If you knew what this ce was, then you would have never even dreamed ofing here. But, I suppose people like you need a firm hand to guide them." Grim said as he phased out of the darkness. Guan Yu took a small side-step as he thrust his guandao directly at Grim¡¯s head. This thrust was many times faster than Guan Yu¡¯s usual attacks and had a strong rotating force to it. It was a new skill he picked up called Revolving Drive. Woosh! Guan Yu¡¯s guandao went right through Grim¡¯s head. It was a critical hit! Or, at least, that¡¯s what was supposed to happen. Indeed, his guandao did go through Grim¡¯s head, but it did not do a single bit of damage. Before he knew it, Grim phased right through him in the same way the Netherworld Specter¡¯s did when they attacked. "An illusion? No, it¡¯s-" Guan Yu felt that something was off and came to a sudden realization, however, it was toote. A crimson scythe brushed across his back. The attack came from the figure he thought was a simple illusion who just phased through him. This made Guan Yu kick off his back foot andunch himself forward as he turned around with a wave of his guandao. But, just likest time, his guandao hit nothing but air instead of Grim. He was like some sort of phantom or ghost! Guan Yu¡¯s facial expression turned serious as he locked his sights onto Grim whose body was currently cut in half right across his torso area! However, he seemed unbothered. "I know what you¡¯re thinking. It must be an illusion, right?" Grim said as his body that was split apart had attached itself back together! He waspletely unharmed by both of Guan Yu¡¯s attacks. Guan Yu did not respond to Grim. He took a deep breath and released it after a few seconds. He now had a look of rity in his eyes as he adjusted his position. He lowered his guandao so that its de was pointing towards the ground and set his left foot in front of his right foot, taking on a slightly wider stance. "Oh? The silent treatment? You were just so talkative a few moments ago. Do you dare not talk anymore, littlemb?" Grim said in a voice drowned in disdain and contempt. "Rah!" Guan Yu suddenly yelled, releasing a loud thundering scream. Grim instinctively jumped back and his eyes widened slightly from shock. Was that supposed to be some sort of sound based skill? If it was, he did not feel any different than before and remained uninjured. Guan Yu grinned and said, "As I thought, you¡¯re just a spineless coward who likes to hear himself talk. You¡¯re scared of a small battle cry? Hah! But, I suppose people like you need a firm hand to guide them." He threw Grim¡¯s own words right back into his face. What he used was not anything as fancy as a skill, just a simple shout. Grim¡¯s reaction showed Guan Yu that hecked any real spirit when it came to fighting. To Guan Yu, someone whocked spirit would never be his match, let alone even think about guiding him in any way. Grim¡¯s expression darkened as the cool in his eyes grew cold. Guan Yu had just made a fool of him! Originally, he was going to just y around with him for a bit before sending him off to a quick death. However, now he would take his time and make sure that Guan Yu knew just how terrifying his Nether Realm could be. "Bravery and stupidity are often confused for one another. But, I can tell you, without a doubt, insulting me is nothing but absolute stupidity." Grim said in a monotone voice. If his previous demeanor could be seen as yful and entertained, his current behavior showed that he no longer had any interest in toying around. "That¡¯s more like it. Besides, you looked stupid with that smug smile on your face. Though, now that I think about it, I think that¡¯s just your natural state." Guan Yu said as a ferocious blue aura that gave off an ancient and primordial feeling rushed from out of his guandao. "I¡¯ve been wanting to test this for a while now. I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better practice target." Guan Yu stated as the guandao within his hands soon became saturated in that ancient blue aura. ... Meanwhile, Izroth and the rest of his party had already brought down one of the Puppet Chained Assassins and managed to deal a heavy amount of damage to the remaining one. Swoosh! ?Critical Hit? -5,229 An arrow drilled through the head of the Puppet Chained Assassin as its movements were halted. A few momentster, it fell down to the ground motionless. Halls let out a deep sigh. Those chains the two NPCs used to attack with were annoying to deal with due to their AOE nature. "Nice healing, Luna." Halls said giving her a thumbs up. Most healers would have a difficult time with one level 40 NPC, not to even mention two and yet Luna was able to keep him alive! It was an amazing feat. He was thankful that someone like Luna was in their party. "I fear the price may not have been worth it." Luna said with furrowed brows. She had exhausted over 80% of her mana and burned through a few important cooldowns just to keep Halls alive. She was only level 36 facing off against the damage of two NPCs that were equal in power to two level 45 elite monsters. That was almost a full 10 level gap! The fact that she even had 20% of her mana left was a miracle in and of itself. Though, if not for the increased mana she received after her transformation into a member of the Trephasia race, then she was certain that she would not have possessed enough mana to keep Halls alive. They would have had to change their entire battle strategy. ¡¯It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve fought against an NPC, but...¡¯ After defeating the two NPCs Izroth did not receive an alert from the system. No experience, no loot, not even the usual congrattions for obtaining victory. It was a bit strange, however, it could be that these NPCs just simply didn¡¯t give any of those things. But, Izroth found that difficult to believe considering how the system always rewarded yers based on how challenging the task was. ¡¯She has not moved a single step since I¡¯ve used the Behemoth¡¯s Quake.¡¯ Izroth looked over towards Aza who still had her arms crossed and her eyes closed. He then turned his focus to the ck sphere formed from smoke located where Guan Yu was fighting Grim most recently. Everything just felt off about this ce, but Izroth was unable to put his finger on it. "We can no longer afford to stand around here. If they call for reinforcements then it¡¯ll be a headache, especially if more level 40 elite NPCse along with them." Zi Yi said. However, she just wanted to get out of this ce as soon as possible due to how eerie it was. "Oh? Then should we go help spear boy?" Mariposa said referring to Guan Yu. "A real man fights his own battles! I¡¯m sure my brother would say something like that if you tried to help." Hallsmented. Izroth began to walk without warning. He was headed towards Aza. "Where are you going?" Luna asked curiously as she saw Izroth walking off. "I¡¯m going to have a little chat with someone who probably knows more about this ce than any of us. After all, I have no ns on turning back now that we¡¯ve alreadye this far. The tomb Azalea spoke of has to be somewhere nearby, however, it¡¯s currently impossible to tell with the sudden appearance of this vige. So, I¡¯m off to get some answers." Izroth stopped and responded before proceeding onward. "Be careful." Luna said with a hint of concern in her voice. Luna thought that Azalea was already hard enough to get along with, butpared to her twin sister, Azalea could see seen as being the warm and passionate one of the two. A few momentster, Izroth arrived before Aza. He halted his steps around five meters away from her. Aza opened her eyes at the same exact time Izroth moved within five meters of her. If he had taken more step, he would have entered into her attack range. It was almost as though he purposely chose that spot to stop in, however, it could have also just been a simple coincidence. At first, there was nothing but silence. Surprisingly, Aza was the first one to break that silence. "You approached me with your sword sheathed. You must be quite confident in your abilities." Aza said. "Is confidence a bad thing in your eyes?" Izroth inquired. "No, it¡¯s just too often that one¡¯s overconfidence ultimately leads to defeat." Aza replied. Luna, Halls, Zi Yi, and Mariposa stayed back and observed Izroth speaking with Aza. "What do you think they¡¯re talking about?" Halls asked. "I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m more concerned about what¡¯s going on inside of the ck smoke. Their fight should have been over by now." Zi Yi said with a frown. At the moment, Guan Yu¡¯s HP bar was grayed out. That meant one of two things, the first was that he was too far away for them to know his status. The second was that he had been eliminated. But, Zi Yi believed that it was the former. After all, if that Grim yer had finished off Guan Yu, then why was he not back at this ce? Also, Guan Yu may be a lot of things, but he would not allow himself to be defeated without putting up a fight. Woosh! Bang! Out of nowhere, Mariposa was sent flying through the air before crashing into the ground around ten meters away and tumbling a bit before finallying to a stop. Everyone was shocked! What just happened? That was the main question on everyone¡¯s mind. However, their question was soon answered. One of the Puppet Chained Assassins they had defeated earlier that was lying motionless on the ground was now standing up again! How was this possible? "Sis!" Zi Yi eximed when she saw Mariposa¡¯s body treated as if it were a ragdoll. Not too long after, the two Puppet Chained Assassin stood to its feet and immediately attacked Halls who was still the closest to its body. But, he was able to raise his shield in time to block the iing blow. "He¡¯s gone...!" Luna said which confused everyone, but they soon discovered what she was referring to. When Luna was about to call out to Izroth, she looked over and saw that both he and Aza were no longer there! They had seemingly vanished into thin air! However, that was not the end of their problems. Luna¡¯s mana only had a chance to heal up to around 35% of her total mana! Without Izroth here, their overall damage would drop significantly which meant they would definitely not oust the two Puppet Chained Assassins before she ran out of mana. But, it did not stop there. It was as if their misfortune was destined to continue its growth. ¡´Battle Alert: Puppet Chained Assassin has entered an enraged state!¡µ Chapter 241 Invincible In The Roaming Village of The Netherworld? ¡¯Where is this ce?¡¯ Izroth examined the are around him. He had regained his ability to sense his surroundings and from what he could tell, there were several existences lurking within this ce. At the moment, Izroth saw nothing but an eternal darkness as far as the eye could see. However, there was a strange hue that made it so that he could still see even while inside of that darkness. "Is this your doing?" Izroth asked as he turned to look over at Aza who still stood around five meters away from him. She did not look surprised to be in this ce, therefore, it was likely that she was the one who brought him. "My doing? You really do know nothing about this ce and yet you still chose to visit of your own free will. You will only have yourself to me for your own demise. Well, that and the piece of trash that revealed this location to you." Aza replied. "I¡¯m touched that you¡¯re worried about my demise, however, I can assure you that I have no intentions of dying here. Though I have to say, the hatred you have for your own sister seems troublesome. What I fail to understand is your arrogance and disdain when she has greater potential and is much more talented than you." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "What did you just say?" Aza¡¯s voice grew cold and would send shivers down most backs just by listening to it. It was easy to tell that Izroth had just touched a sore spot. Aza almost looked disgusted when she heard Izroth¡¯s words. "It would exin the source of your hatred. Having a younger sister who is better than you at everything when the two of you are twins, it would certainly create a feeling of resentment." Izroth spoke in a nonchnt manner. Woosh! Ding! In the blink of an eye, Aza¡¯s daggers were interlocked with Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. There was a calm yet vicious look in her eyes. Fast! "You know nothing... So don¡¯t you dare speak as if you do..!" Aza scowled. "Oh? I can finally see some real emotions." Izroth said. He wanted to purposely upset Aza because she was too calm about everything. If one felt calm and in control, then it was exceedingly more difficult to draw any out any useless information or get them to slip up. However, by tapping into Aza¡¯s obvious frustrations, Izroth may be able to discover things that were unseen or unknown beforehand. But, it acted as a double-edged sword. It could also backfire on him and get Aza topletely disregard anything he said. Though, after seeing how strongly Aza felt about her younger sister Azalea, Izroth was confident that it would work in his favor. "You won¡¯t be able to win." Aza said. What she did nextpletely surprised Izroth. Aza flicked the dagger in her left hand towards Izroth. Izroth evaded the dagger without any issue, but that was not what surprised him. Right after he evaded the iing dagger, Aza lifted her left hand up and mmed the palm of her hand into the tip of the Sword of The Storm causing it to sink down on the sharp de! She had intentionally harmed herself! When Izroth tried to move his sword, he realized that it was locked in ce by some powerful invisible force that prevented him from adjusting its position. Aza used the dagger in her right hand tounch a quick and precise attack aimed at Izroth¡¯s neck. Woosh! Just before the tip of the dagger was about to make contact with his neck, Izroth moved his head back slightly to avoid being in its path. The same moment Azaunched her attack, strong energy converged at the tip of Izroth¡¯s index finger and shot right towards Aza¡¯s chest. It was the skill Fissuring Point. But, Aza did nothing to dodge the attack and took it head on. With a single strike, Izroth did more than 3,000 damage to her total HP! For a rogue type ss like Aza who possessed a naturally weak defensive stat, she should have done everything in her power to avoid taking a direct hit from such an attack. Izroth used Fissuring Point to force her back, however, she did not budge from the spot she stood in. He sensed that something was wrong and almost immediately after thinking so, Izroth felt a gentle breeze brush past his neck. He reacted instantaneously and repositioned himself just in time. A fraction of a secondter, Izroth could see a dagger mark across the area just below his neck. Just a few more centimeters and it would have been a critical hit! However, he was positive that he managed to avoid the attack sessfully. But, since his defensive stats were pretty sturdy for a Combat Master, he only lost around 8% of his total HP from that attack. When Aza moved in closer to follow up on her attack, Izroth¡¯s right foot shot out towards her lower legs and caused her entire body to be paralyzed. With the effects of the Serpent¡¯s Bite, the powerful force that held Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm in ce had diminished greatly and he was able to regain control of his sword, pulling it out of Aza¡¯s hand. Izroth inwardly frowned as he took a few steps back and created some distance between himself and Aza. This did not feel like a fight, instead, that small exchange felt like a death wish. After receiving more than 3,000 damage to her HP, as well as, the damage taken from his Serpent¡¯s Bite, Aza would have been finished off with one more well ced basic attack while paralyzed. It could not be that Aza was really so foolish? First, she damaged herself intentionally on his Sword of The Storm, and then, she traded attacks with him without even attempting to dodge when it was obvious that she would get the shorter end of the stick. Izroth refused to believe that Aza was doing this without a purpose in mind. But if that really was the case, then what was her purpose? "Why didn¡¯t you finish me off? You had the perfect opportunity. Don¡¯t tell me this is your way of showing mercy?" Aza asked once she was released from her paralysis. She had regained her previousposure as if what just happened a few seconds ago never took ce. "I did not think you would have a talent for acting. However, I¡¯m more surprised by your death wish mentality." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. If Aza had the power to restrict his weapon usage, then he would simply use his bare hands. "Was that not the response you were hoping for?" Aza said in a calm tone of voice with a questioning look on her face. "Your initial outburst may have been real, but you quickly regained yourposure almost immediately after that. Everything else was a simple act you put on. For what purpose, I wonder." Izroth said. "Not everything was an act. The words I spoke were true. Though you said that I have a death wish mentality, however, I have to disagree. It¡¯s just that you cannot defeat me. Even if you have a small chance of doing so somewhere else within RML, in the Roaming Vige of The Netherworld, you cannot win no matter how much you pointlessly struggle. I¡¯m sure your friends are discovering this as well. Just as you will soon discover yourself." Aza said with no hint of emotion in her voice. "Shall we see just how far my pointless struggling gets me?" Izroth replied in a carefree tone of voice. However, he still pondered Aza¡¯s words. He could tell that she was not being overly confident or arrogant when she spoke of him being incapable of winning in this Roaming Vige of The Netherworld. It sounded as if she were stating an absolute fact. ¡¯Could there be some secret about this ce that grants her such reassurance?¡¯ ... Meanwhile, Guan Yu was still fighting his battle against Grim. Guan Yu brandished his guandao and split Grim right down the middle. The ferocious blue aura that epassed his guandao burst and exploded when it made contact with Grim¡¯s spectral like body, causing him to suffer damage. Ever since the blue aura appeared around his guandao, Guan Yu had been able to harm Grim despite him being practically immune to all forms of physical attacks. It was a very peculiar situation. However, what was even more frustrating was the fact that Guan Yu had already dealt over 20,000 damage to Grim¡¯s HP and yet he was still alive! How was this possible? He knew for sure that there was no possible way that Grim had that much HP. Even Halls who was a full tank did not have that much HP! "If you¡¯re gonna stay a ghost, the least you can do it die properly." Guan Yu said in an amused manner. But, the frustration in his eyes was apparent. Grim just would not die! Even with the Holy Blessings inscription and his blue aura, Guan Yu was unable to deal a finishing blow. "Ahahaha! Keep struggling! I already told you that it¡¯s useless!" Grim said with arge grin on his face. He had to admit that if this fight had taken ce anywhere else, he would not have been Guan Yu¡¯s match. However, they were currently within the Roaming Vige of The Netherworld! In this ce, killing him was a mere dream and should only be a fleeting thought in one¡¯s mind. "You¡¯ve managed to entertain me quite a bit, so I suppose I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. You see, here in the Roaming Vige of The Netherworld, I am invincible!" Grim yelled in a voice filled with enthusiasm. "Invincible? Hah, if that¡¯s your secret then I¡¯m disappointed. I don¡¯t believe that anyone is invincible, especially not you!" Guan Yu said in a strong tone of voice. "You still don¡¯t get it, do you? The level of ignorance that you yers from Amaharpe exhibit is truly extraordinary. You are not the first yer to trespass in this ce. The League of The Eidolon possesses a level of strength and power that you couldn¡¯t possibly even begin to fathom. As long as I am within the Roaming Vige of The Netherworld, I cannot die. Do you understand now?" Grim said. He then continued, "No matter how much you chop away at me, in the end, you can never obtain a victory over me. I¡¯m sure by now all of your friends have experienced this firsthand. Tell me, did Azalea Wraith not inform you of this and sent you here regardless of this fact?" Guan Yu narrowed his eyes. There was a part of him that wanted topletely disregard whatever Grim was saying and push it away as mere nonsense. However, a small part of him also knew that Grim maybe, just maybe, might be telling the truth. If Grim was telling the truth, then how was he supposed to win against something like that? Guan Yu suddenly charged forward without another thought as his guandao sliced straight through Grim in one smooth motion. Grim was shocked by the sudden attack, however, just like before, he was still alive even after taking such a devastating attack head-on. "Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯s-" "It doesn¡¯t matter!" Guan Yu roared as he started a barrage of attacks that rained down upon Grim from every direction. "Even if I have to cut you one thousand times or even one million times, I¡¯ll destroy your so-called invincibility!" Guan Yu shouted as his attacks became increasingly more fierce. Grim did not even have a chance to respond to the swift chain of attacks! It was almost as if Guan Yu was bing stronger and stronger as time passed by. ... Ding! Ding! The chains of the two Puppet Chained Assassins mmed into Halls¡¯ shield full force. The attacks were even more devastating thanst time. However, Halls currently had his skill Rebounding Aura activated and that being paired with his block made it so that he received negligible damage. But, his Rebounding Aura would onlyst for a few more seconds and Luna¡¯s mana was not holding up well. If they did not do something fast then there was only the inevitable that awaited them, defeat! Chapter 242 Banish From theirst fight, everyone knew that the HP of the Puppet Chained Assassins was around 200,000 give or take. At least, that¡¯s what it should be. However, the two NPCs entered into an enraged state which was usually something monsters did at the 10% HP mark. But, there were some exceptions when monsters that had yet to reach the 10% HP mark were still able to enter into an enraged state. When Halls attacked the Puppet Chained Assassins at the beginning of their new battle, the two NPCs were back to full HP! Fighting against an enraged NPC elite from the 100% HP mark was suicide! There was no way he would be able to absorb the constantly increasingly damage from both NPCs. ?Blocked? -1,203 ?Blocked? -1,203 Even with his Rebounding Aura active and negating 60% of the total damage and along with his natural defenses and block damage reduction, Halls was still taking over 1,000 damage! That meant that the damage behind these attacks was more than 7,000 points per hit without any defenses standing in its way. There were two Puppet Chained Assassins, therefore, it should be multiplied by two all the way to 14,000 points of damage! If another member of the party got struck by the Puppet Chained Assassins, then the end results would be clear for them. That¡¯s why it was important that Halls made sure to properly hold aggro despite the increasing risk. Halls also felt that the gaps in time between Luna¡¯s heals were increasing. This was a bad sign. Halls knew that meant Luna was running low on mana and was attempting to stretch her heals as far as possible to buy even one more second for the cooldown on her mana potion. Luna waspletely focused and tuned out all outside interference. If she slipped up even once and mistimed her heal, then everything would be derailed and it could very well cost everyone their lives. This fight made one thing clear to everyone present. They learned that fighting against NPCs and monsters was like night and day. If these two had been level 40 elite monsters, then they would have never struggled this hard just to simply survive. In fact, they were confident that they could face two level 40 elite monsters without any issue, even with Izroth¡¯s absence. "We should retreat back into the mist and regroup." Zi Yi yelled as she fired off two shots from her bow that pierced through the bodies of the Puppet Chained Assassins. "Retreat? Do you want to just abandon everyone here?!" Halls said in a voice full of disbelief and slight anger as he listened to what Zi Yi suggested. How could they just leave Izroth, Guan Yu, and Mariposa behind and run away with their tail tucked between their legs? She wanted him to abandon his brothers! Would he be able to face them if he ran away now? Zi Yi scowled, "I¡¯m not saying topletely leave. We just need to find a way to get these two off our backs so that we cane up with a proper n. At this rate, Luna will run out of mana, you will run out of HP, and all of us will die! How can we help anyone if we¡¯re dead?!" One could hear the clear frustration in Zi Yi¡¯s voice. Did she want to just leave everyone here? Of course not! However, she knew that this was a time to think with her head, not her heart and emotions. She would not simply abandon Izroth and the others. Right now, she just needed some time to think so that she coulde up with a feasible n. "Luna, would you talk some sense into her?!" Halls said as he released a grunt after the chain of the Puppet Chained Assassin crashed into his shield and send him sliding back a couple of meters from the impact. "Twenty seconds." Luna said right after she finished drinking a mana potion. She did not waste words and only spoke when absolutely necessary. Zi Yi¡¯s facial expression darkened. Twenty seconds? That did not leave them with much time at all! In certain intervals, Luna would announce the amount of time left until she would run out of mana. Therefore, when Luna said twenty seconds, what she meant was that after that time passed, she would no longer have any mana remaining to heal anyone! If there were going to retreat, then they had to do so fast, otherwise, there would be no chance for them to do so after Luna¡¯s mana ran out. Woosh! ?Blocked? -3,875 +1,485 The time limit on Halls¡¯ Rebounding Aura finally came to an end and the damage of the Puppet Chained Assassin soared! Luna used a Cure on Halls infused with some Essence in order to increase its overall effectiveness. Although it could still notpare to using Heal, it was still better than the base heal of Cure. However, her Essence that was at 51 points had fallen drastically down to 29 points. She felt that if she were to continue going at this rate, she would eventually experience Soul Weakness. If that happened, it would be a disaster. But, what choice did she have at this point? She had to push her Essence to its utmost limits in this situation. Though, a part of her wished that she had Izroth¡¯s massive amount of Essence right about now. Oooooooom! "What now?!" Halls said as he saw a ck aura epass one of the Puppet Chained Assassin. Was it powering up even more or getting ready tounch some kind of devastating attack? Whatever it was, Halls was not looking forward to it! However, he almost did not believe his eyes when he observed what happened to the elite NPC. The space around one of the Puppet Chained Assassins swirled and distorted. It was twisting and pulling in the body of the Pupped Chained Assassin. In the next moment, the elite NPC had vanished into thin air! It was gone just like that! "You¡¯ve brought me some valuable time." A lovely voice floated by and sounded from around ten meters away from the fight. Everyone knew who this voice belonged to the moment they heard it! "Sis!" Zi Yi was stunned when she saw Mariposa heading in their direction. But, how was that possible? ... A few moments ago just as the Puppet Chained Assassin came back to life... Woosh! The chain of the Puppet Chained Assassin that was lying on the ground and thought to defeated, shot towards Mariposa at an incredible speed. Just before the chain struck Mariposa¡¯s body, she felt the space behind her distort ever so slightly. Without giving it a second thought, she instantly cast a skill called Spatial Discement along with Mana Shield! Bang! When the chain mmed into her body, she was sent flying more than ten meters and tumbling across the ground, however, she was still alive and well! But, instead of wasting time standing to her feet, she stayed on the ground and immediately began to cast a powerful spell with a long casting time of 20 seconds! It was a ridiculously long casting time and could never be used in an actual fight without some serious preparation. However, given their current set of circumstances, Mariposa knew that she had to prepare this skill if they were to have any kind of fighting chance with two of their damage dealers taken out of the picture. ... "Did you miss me already, my adorable little sister?" Mariposa said with a smile on her face as she rejoined the fight. She cast the skill Spatial Rift twice and followed it up with a Spatial Rend on the remaining Puppet Chained Assassin. This would buy them a few seconds to regroup and organize their thoughts. Things had happened too fast and everyone was immediately locked into a fierce battle with the Puppet Chained Assassins. Therefore, even though they knew Mariposa was still alive, they figured that some kind of effect prevented her from moving. However, they had already considered her as being disabled and unable to participate in this battle. "What did you do to the other Puppet Chained Assassin?" Zi Yi asked with a dumbfounded expression on her face. She did not believe that Mariposa had a skill that could one shot the Puppet Chained Assassin, and so, she must have done something else to it. Halls took a moment to catch his breath and consumed a health potion to restore some of his lost HP. The constant barrage of attacks from both Puppet Chained Assassins made it impossible for him to consume any health potions in the middle of the battle. Luna released a sigh of relief as she no longer had to stay within such a tiring mental state of concentration. It felt as if arge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Mariposa exined what happened, as well as, the skill she used to handle the Puppet Chained Assassin who had disappeared. Skill Name: Banish Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: S Mana Cost: 1,500 Cast Time: 20 seconds Active: Banishes an enemy target to an isted pocket of space for 30 minutes. During this period of time, the enemy target is unable to act. The duration and cooldown of this skill are doubled against non-yer targets. Requires that the enemy target has experienced ?Spatial Discement?. Cooldown: 6 hours "To think I wasted such a skill this early on in the quest. How unfortunate." Mariposa said with a sigh of disappointment. That skill was one of her major trump cards in case a dire situation urred, but now, it was useless for another 6 hours! The consecutive casting had also cost her quite a bit of her mana. "When did you learn an S-ranked skill?" Zi Yi asked with a hint of shock in her voice. "Even I have some secrets I like to keep, my adorable little sister. I do hope that you all will keep quiet about this as well." Mariposa said charmingly. Everyone could understand why she would want to keep such a powerful skill quiet. If used properly, or if its casting time was somehow lowered, it would be a deadly trump card that made others miserable in a fight! After all, everyone knew that the firstrge scale PVP event would happen once the first territory was discovered within RML. The top guilds knew that it was only a matter of time before someone uncovered it. Once that happened, all hell would break loose. Having a trump card like Banish during that time could change the entire flow of a battle. For example, imagine Wang Qiang, the main strategist of Cross Haven, beingpletely removed from the equation for 30 minutes? While they would still be able to function, theirck of a fearsome strategist such as Wang Qiang would be apparent and leave holes in their defenses that would not have formed had he been there. "If we only have to face a single Puppet Chained Assassin, then we may be able to pull this off. Luna, focus on regaining your mana. Halls, run." Zi Yi said. "What? Run?" Halls was confused by what Zi Yi said? Where was he running to? Zi Yi sighed and felt as if she had to exin every little thing. "Run around and buy us some time. The aggro of the Puppet Chained Assassin is still attached to you, therefore, it¡¯ll chase after you even if you run away. I predict that it¡¯ll follow you to anywhere as long as you stay within this vige. So hurry up and run!" Zi Yi said. "Fine, I¡¯ll run! I still think this idea is crazy!" Halls said as she ran as fast as possible and created as much distance between himself and the Puppet Chained Assassin as possible. "Once this attack ends, don¡¯t target the Puppet Chained Assassin. If it changes aggro, then we won¡¯t be able to survive for long." Zi Yi stated. A few secondster, Mariposa¡¯s spatial skills ended. Immediately after it was free, the Puppet Chained Assassin sprinted off towards the vige in the same direction Halls headed in. Just as Zi Yi predicted, it followed right after Halls since he still held the top aggro on it. With this, Luna would be able to focus on regaining her lost mana back. Of course, the Puppet Chained Assassin was faster than Halls and so, it would eventually catch up to him before long. After all, he was a te wearing ss and the Puppet Chained Assassin was an agile NPC. It created an amusing sight of Halls running in zigzags trying to shake off the elite NPC. "We need to do something about that." Zi Yi said as she looked over towards the direction of the ck sphere where Guan Yu and Grim were fighting. With Izroth nowhere to be found, they needed to find a way to free Guan Yu from that ck sphere. "I was hoping you would say that. Leave it to me." Mariposa said as she stepped into a spatial rift and disappeared. Chapter 243 Zi Yis Genius or Madness? Around two secondster, a spatial rift appeared right next to the ck sphere as Mariposa stepped out and stopped only a couple of centimeters away from it. She furrowed her brows and took a moment to study the ck sphere. "It¡¯s simr to an isted pocket of space, however, there¡¯s still a small connection linking it to this area. It¡¯s almost as if it¡¯s tethered to the vige itself. If that¡¯s the case, then that should do the trick well enough..." Mariposa muttered to herself. If the space had beenpletely isted without being tied to the Roaming Vige of The Netherworld, then Mariposa was not sure that she could do anything to free Guan Yu. She would have to reach a higher level of spatial magic and unlock more powerful skills in order to forcibly enter into a totally isted pocket of space. However, since the vige was virtually mimicking the traits of a spatial beacon that was constantly bouncing off the isted pocket of space, Mariposa felt confident in breaking through to pull Guan Yu back to their location. Meanwhile, Halls was having a difficult time maintaining a suitable distance from the enraged Puppet Chained Assassin. "Hey, how much longer do I have to run?!" Halls yelled as he would not dare stop for a moment with the NPC right on his tail. He knew that he was incapable of outrunning it and if not for him using a skill simr to Unimpeded Rush, then the NPC would have already caught up to him. However, he did not have many tricks left up his sleeve. In less than fifteen seconds, whether he wanted it to or not, the Puppet Chained Assassin would be within attack range. By this point in its enraged state, it would probably strike him for 5,000 damage even if he did manage to block its attack. If that happened, then Halls understood that in just three to four shots he would be dead! "When I give you the signal, run back towards this way at full speed! When I say to, use your Rebound skill!" Zi Yi shouted loud enough so that Halls could hear her. She had to prepare a backup n just in case Mariposa was unable to free Guan Yu from that ck sphere. "Alright, but whatever you¡¯re gonna do make it fast! I¡¯m not into this kinda thing! Well, maybe if it was a pretty woman..." Halls mumbled thest few words under his breath. "Luna, I need you to..." Zi Yi quickly exchanged a few words with Luna and by the time they finished speaking, Luna had a confused expression on her face. However, it was not because she did not understand what Zi Yi wanted her to do, but rather, she thought such a n was insane! The amount of risk it carried if things went wrong was beyond high. "So, do you think you can do it?" Zi Yi asked. She realized that she was asking the impossible of Luna, but desperate times called for desperate measures. If it failed, then she would take full responsibility. "I can¡¯t promise anything since I¡¯ve never tried to use it in that way before, however, I¡¯ll give it a try." Luna said with a determined look on her face. To be honest, she too was interested in if it would work or not. After Zi Yi got Luna to agree with her n, she strung an arrow onto her bow. Then, after three seconds passed by, she released it. Just like most of her attacks, the arrow disappeared into the void after traveling through the air a bit. "Now, run!" Zi Yi¡¯s voice echoed throughout the vige and made it to Halls. Halls instantly shifted his direction and darted towards Zi Yi and Luna¡¯s current location. The Puppet Chained Assassin reacted in a heartbeat and immediately adjusted its heading to match Halls. The moment Halls turned, he shaved a few seconds off the gap between him and the NPC, therefore, it was literally three seconds away from catching up. Halls felt as if he could feel the Puppet Chained Assassin breathing down his neck from how close it was behind him. "Forget it!" Halls said as he foot mmed into the ground and then in the next moment, his body shot forward at a great speed and widened the distance between the NPC once again. Although it was a risky move, Halls used the actual skill Unimpeded Rush. There was a golden rule of using Unimpeded Rush and it was to make sure you always hit your target. If a yer missed their target, then they would be leftpletely defenseless for a brief period of time. Needless to say, without any target before him, Halls suffered the drawback of the Unimpeded Rush and he became unable to perform any action for a short while. "Luna!" Zi Yi said as Luna gave a slight nod in response. Luna took a deep breath and focused her sights onto the Puppet Chained Assassin. She then opened her mouth as an intense sound wave swept through the surroundings followed by a surge of powerful magic energy. "Haste." Luna only spoke one word, but it reverberated through the atmosphere and echoed into the ears of everyone in the vige. "Halls, Rebound!" Zi Yi said in a hurried tone of voice. It was due to what urred once Luna¡¯s voice magic reached the Puppet Chained Assassin. The instant the NPC was affected, its speed shot up through the roof and its figure actually blurred out from the sudden boost. Luna had actually increased the speed of the Puppet Chained Assassin to a dangerous level! Halls, who had just recently regained the ability to take action, was frightened out of his mind when he turned around. That was because of the Puppet Chained Assassin who was less than three meters away from him. His heart skipped a beat and time seemed to slow down at that moment. Everything turned silent and the only thing Halls could hear was the sound of his own beating heart. Halls shifted his position as the chain from the Puppet Chained Assassin was already soaring through the air at a speed that wanted to tear him to pieces. "So this is what it feels like." Halls could not help but have those words cross into his mind as everything around him just seemed to be incredibly clear. Of course, this was not a magical moment Halls was having, but instead, it was due to the passive skill he obtained from consuming a grade one pill given to him by Izroth, the Five Cycles Pill. But, it was not just any other Five Cycles Pill. It was empowered by the Blessing of the Craft! Name: Five Cycles Pill(III) Rank: Grade-Three Usage:... ?Superior Perception?:... *?Extreme Sensory?: During a critical situation, the user of this skill has a small chance of having their sense of perception increased by 1,000% for a brief period of time. This effect will not activate more than once every 24 hours. Special Note:... As Halls¡¯ shield rose to intercept the attack of the Puppet Chained Assassin, a thinyer of protective aura appeared around it. Less than 0.01 secondster, the chain of the Puppet Chained Assassin crashed into Halls¡¯ shield. Ding! BANG! A loud crashing noise filled up the entire surroundings as the chain met with Halls¡¯ shield. ?Blocked? -8,525 Halls received a massive amount of damage, however, the price was well worth it. The body of the Puppet Chained Assassin shook violently as an overwhelming force swept across the elite NPC. Almost a full secondter, a ck streak of light could be seen traveling far and deep into the vige territory. The Puppet Chained Assassin who was just there a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen! The ck streak that just flew away far into the distance was, in fact, the body of the Puppet Chained Assassin! Halls senses returned to normal. He released a small sigh and shook his head after it ended. He wished that he was able to enter such a state with his own free will. How useful would such a skill be? A smile appeared on Zi Yi¡¯s face as she clenched her hand together tightly after seeing that her n was sessful. "You never cease to amaze me, Zi Yi." Luna stated as she gave a helpless smile. "What just happened? Where did the NPC go?" Halls asked as he approached Luna and Zi Yi while staying on guard. Things had happened to fast and his Extreme Sensory onlysted just long enough for him to perform a sessful Rebound. Therefore, to him, it just looked as if the Puppet Chained Assassin vanished. "That¡¯s a bit hard to tell at this point. But, it should be quite far away by now." Zi Yi said. After seeing the confused look on Halls¡¯ face, she chose to exin it to him. When the Puppet Chained Assassin became enraged, not only did its attack power increase, but its agility and speed increased as well. By the time he struck Halls, the strength of the elite NPC had tripled from its original self! Then, Luna used her voice magic to increase the speed of the NPC even further! If a guess had to be taken, then after Luna¡¯s voice magic was used on it and just before it struck Halls, the Puppet Chained Assassin had nearly five to seven times its starting agility! The way Halls¡¯ Rebound skill worked was that the more momentum someone had when attacking, the further they would be knocked back after striking his shield. Therefore, the Puppet Chained Assassin who was moving at an unspeakable speed, was sent so far back that they could not even see its silhouette! There was even a good chance that it actually left outside of its intended aggro range and would be reset! In other words, even if it did return to their location, it should no longer be enraged. Without its enraged state, they were confident in handling one elite NPC even with just the three of them present. As for why Luna did not simply use her voice magic to stop the movements of the Puppet Chained Assassin, that was because even if they left it alone for twenty seconds, it would have only gained even more strength in that time. If they attacked it, then the effects would have simply worn off. But, even if she used a version of the voice magic that allowed her to miraculously stun the NPC for twenty seconds while they attacked, it would not have been enough time to take care of it. Though the biggest concern was that the crowd control effect would be ignoredpletely due to the nature of an enraged state. After all, the possibility of crowd control effects working on an enraged monster was extremely low. Therefore, after taking all of this into ount, Zi Yi finally came up with the n that led to their current favorable situation. "Amazing..." Halls muttered to himself. Even he could see just how amazing it was that Zi Yi had managed toe up with such a wild n without a lot of time to work with. Crrrrrrrrrck....! Ooooooooooom! The sound of something shattering and copsing into itself drifted into the ears of Luna, Halls and Zi Yi. When they all turned to look over in that direction, everyone could see cracks forming all throughout the ck sphere. There were shards of the ck sphere breaking apart and falling down to the ground. "Did she do it?" Halls had a tone of excitement in his voice as he saw the ck sphere being destroyed. Meanwhile, Mariposa had a lovely smile ced upon her face. "It would seem that I never cease to amaze myself." Mariposa said as she admired her work. She felt that other spatial magic casters could only sigh in amazement at what she had just aplished. ... Chapter 244 Zhis Medallion ¡¯I thought theirbat styles would be simr, but the way she¡¯s fighting is...¡¯ Woosh! Izroth evaded a thin needle aimed at his throat. At the same time, he shifted his left foot in a counter-clockwise manner and used the sudden momentum to rotate his body. As he spun, Izroth raised his left arm in the arm slightly as though he were nning to strike Aza with the back of his hand. Aza saw the iing attack and without hesitation, she clenched her fist and swept it upward to meet with Izroth¡¯s hand. However, as his body was rotating and his left arm was positioned tounch a potential attack, Izroth¡¯s right leg rose up as he finished turning and struck at towards Aza as if it were a snake sinking its fangs into its prey. Aza¡¯s body froze in ce as she became unable to move. This was due to the paralysis effect of Serpent¡¯s Bite. Izroth¡¯s left arm acted as a simple feint while his true attack was with his right leg. At the moment, Izroth was using his bare hands to fight and did not have the Sword of The Storm in his hands. He found that there was something strange about this ce. At first, he believed that the loss of control he had over his weapon was due to a skill that Aza used, however, she had also lostplete control of her daggers and was currently using hidden weapons, as well as, her bare hands to fight. Therefore, Izroth figured it was one of two things. The first was that Aza, for some reason, chose to fake her own inability to use weapons in this ce. Or, there was some kind of restriction set up that prevented anyone from constantly wielding a weapon. Izroth felt that the first option was too nonsensical, however, Aza had a very odd personality and so he would not put it past her to do something along those lines. This was even more so when taking into ount the little act she put on earlier. But, Izroth felt that thetter was likely to be the cause of things. After all, this would not be the first ce Izroth had been to within RML that had restrictions in ce. Though, it would be the first ce that did not allow the extended use of weapons. As Izroth exchanged blows with Aza, he could tell that she had the upper hand when it came to speed, however, he had the advantage when it came to reaction time, as well as, power. But, no matter how many times he struck her, or how much damage he dished out, Aza would not fall. There was definitely something going on here and he believed that if he stayed on this path, then there would be no end in sight to this battle. It would be a waste of his time if he remained here any longer than he already had. He also knew that everyone was probably worried about him at this point. Izroth kicked off the heel of his foot andnded a few meters away from Aza who was still locked into ce by the Serpent¡¯s Bite. "Between my lifesteal and your apparent inability to die, what do you say we end this absurd battle?" Izroth said in a carefree tone of voice. In total, Izroth had dealt more than 30,000 damage at this point. Based on that, along with how reckless Aza¡¯s fighting style was, Izroth determined that for some reason, she really could not die here. However, she could only dream if she wished to defeat him in hand-to-handbat. Even if she did use hidden weapons, Aza was not Izroth¡¯s match. Even she should be able to tell that much by this point in their fight. The paralysis effect on Aza ended as she looked at Izroth with a slightly confused expression on her face. It was as though she could notprehend the words that had just left his mouth. "You still don¡¯t understand this ce, do you?" Aza spoke in an unhurried manner. "It¡¯s true that I¡¯m unfamiliar with this ce. Maybe you would care to enlighten me." Izroth said as he stood up straight with his hands behind his back. "The Monarch of the Netherworld is unforgiving to those who trespass in his domain." Aza said. ¡¯Monarch of the Netherworld?¡¯ Based on the previous information he received, Izroth knew that the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld was under the influence of a faction known as the League of the Eidolon. ¡¯Could this Monarch be the person overseeing this vige or wherever this ce is?¡¯ Aza darted towards Izroth and with a wave of her hand, a spread of thin needles shot out in Izroth¡¯s direction. They were headed straight for his vital points! Izroth took a quick step back as he inwardly shook his head. Aza still insisted on fighting this pointless battle. However, even if she was prepared to waste her time here, he was not necessarily willing to do the same. Izroth evaded the iing needles, however, he felt something light brush up against the side of his face. A few momentster, a small cut appeared on his left cheek. Then, as Izroth tried to move his body once again, he was unable to do so. It was as if something was holding him in ce and prevented him from moving his body. He felt a gripping force wrapping around his body. "Did you truly believe that I had been attacking this whole time without a purpose in mind? If so, you¡¯re even more foolish than I originally thought you to be." Aza said as a holing fan appeared in her hand. The folding fan was made out of some kind of metallic-alloy, however, it was deep midnight blue in color with strange markings etched into the fan¡¯s unfolded surface. Although one was unable to see it with their own eyes, there was an abundance of tiny almost invisible threads thinner than a strand of hair attached to the end of the folding fan. ¡¯These are... Wires?¡¯ Even though Izroth could not see the wires, despite possessing such strong eyesight, he could still see the impressions of the wires pressed up against his flesh. He could tell with a single nce that the impressions were being made by some kind of wire-like material. However, to be so thin that even he was incapable of sensing or seeing the wires meant that it must be quite an impressive item. "Interesting item." Izroth said as he seemed unbothered and did not panic in the slightest even after he was caught within the entanglement of the wires. "A gift from the Monarch¡¯s Envoy. You said not too long ago that this fight was pointless. In a certain sense, you¡¯re correct, it is pointless. From the moment we¡¯ve met you¡¯ve never had a single chance at victory. So, I¡¯ll it to you once again, you cannot win." Aza spoke in a monotone and emotionless manner. "It would seem that I¡¯m being severely underestimated." Izroth stated. "Your bluffs are useless. With my Eye of Judgment, I know that you are the strongest member of your little party. Even with thebined strength of your other party members, it¡¯ll be impossible for them to deal with the two Puppet Chained Assassins. After all, they are also incapable of experiencing death in this ce." Aza said. Izroth narrowed his eyes slightly at that statement. He wondered before why the two NPCs failed to grant any experience or loot drops, and now, it would seem that he received his answer. It was because they did not truly die even after their HP reached the zero percent mark! If the others were fighting against those two elite NPCs without him and Guan Yu, who was probably in a simr situation to his own, there to help deal with them, then it was difficult to say if they would be able to survive for long. However, Izroth knew that if anyone could think of a n to find a way out of that kind of unfavorable situation, it would be Zi Yi and Luna. Therefore, even though he was not worried about their survival, for the time being, he still wanted to find a way to leave this ce as soon as possible. But, in truth, Izroth had no idea of where this ce was located! After all, the coordinates listed made no sense whatsoever. "You can die peacefully knowing that you will be joining your friends soon. If you want to me anyone, me the piece of trash that dared send you to this vige." Aza said as a rush of corrupted and dark energy surged through the wires attached to the folding fan in her hand. In a few moments, the energy would pierce into Izroth¡¯s body and destroy him from the inside out. However, would Izroth allow himself to fall so easily just because of a few wires? Just as he was about to use his skill Shadow Movement to escape the confines of the wires, Izroth could hear a light whistling sound echo within his head. He had no idea where this ringing sound came from but in the next moment, the ringing sound disappeared. Then, in front of Izroth appeared a golden medallion that shone brilliantly and washed away the surrounding darkness. The golden light the medallion emitted was blindingly bright and one was unable to keep their eyes open before its presence. Aza instinctively shut her eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. At the same time, the dark energy that was headed towards Izroth melted away. One could actually see small puddles of dark purple liquid scattered across the ground. As for the wires, they had been cut and Izroth was freed from his binds. Izroth¡¯s vision did not seem to be impaired by the brilliant light being released by the golden medallion as he took a good look at what was happening before him. ¡¯It¡¯s the item from that time. It seems to be purifying the surrounding dark energy on its own. No, that¡¯s not right... It¡¯s actually devouring the dark energy as if its food.¡¯ The dark purple puddles of liquid that was on the ground a few moments ago were evaporated and its essence was drawn into the floating medallion. It was the same medallion that Izroth received from an old man he met a while back on his way returning to Amaharpe afterpleting the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon, Zhi¡¯s Medallion! Almost as if reacting to the fearsome presence of the medallion, a streak of purple lightning filled with a foul yet endless power rushed in from the distance and crashed into Zhi¡¯s Medallion. Ooooooooom! The sh between the streak purple lightning and Zhi¡¯s Medallion send shock waves throughout the atmosphere. A few momentster, cracks could be seen forming in the surrounding space itself from the sheer intensity of the sh between two mighty powers! With the purple lightning present, Aza could finally open her eyes without being blinded by the brilliant light and saw what was going on. She had a confused look on her face as though she did not understand what was going on. What was that purple lightning? What was that floating object that appeared in front of Izroth? There were many questions going through her mind at that moment. However, Aza¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she suddenly realized something. As the atmosphere around them shattered and crumbled apart, Izroth charged towards Aza. Although he had no idea what the purple lightning was, or why Zhi¡¯s Medallion appeared outside of his inventory on its own, he knew that he still had to leave this ce after finding out that the others might be in trouble. Even if Aza said it was useless, that did not mean that he would sit back and do nothing. But, what took ce next surprised him and came unexpectedly. Aza, who saw Izroth¡¯s iing attack, actually retreated at a rapid speed and maintained her distance! For the first time since the start of their fight, Aza had backed off of a direct attack and made the effort to dodge! ¡¯Oh? Something¡¯s changed.¡¯ "What did you do?" Aza spoke in an icy cold tone of voice as she red at Izroth. Chapter 245 Fearsome Clash of Two Powers Aza had a cautious expression on her face. This was the first time she witnessed anything like the spectacle currently before her. It all started with a brilliant light that originated from Izroth¡¯s position, therefore, whatever was going on most likely had something to do with him. But, what was even more shocking to her was the streak of purple lightning that collided head-on with the floating object. Although she had never seen that kind of attack before, it still felt vaguely familiar to something she had caught sight in the past. However,pared to what she witnessed in the past, that streak of purple lightning was countless times more powerful and domineering. Izroth noticed that Aza¡¯s attention seemed to be focused on the sh going on that was copsing the surrounding space. From the questioning and cautious look on her face, as well as, the words she had just recently spoken, Izroth understood that she had no knowledge of what was going on. This time, it was not her simply acting either. That cautious expression was definitely genuine. The dark energy being emitted from that streak of purple lightning reminded Izroth of the corrupted energy that belonged to the Shadahi. However, there was a very distinct difference between the two energies that set them apart from one another. If the corrupted Shadahi energy could be described as wretched and tainted, then the dark energy fighting off Zhi¡¯s Medallion could be considered as being domineering and soaked in death. ¡¯Whatever¡¯s going on, it appears to be working in my favor.¡¯ By that Izroth meant the destruction of the surrounding space. At the current rate of decay, he predicted that in less than one minute, he would no longer be trapped in this ce. But, he still did not know where he would end up after that happened. After all, spatial magic could be very unpredictable and unstable when influenced too much by an outside force. Izroth pressed on with his attack as he closed in on Aza¡¯s location. Once he arrived within attack range, a rain of palms descended down upon Aza. Aza reacted without hesitation and the moment Izroth¡¯s palms descended upon her body, she turned into a cloud of ck smoke. Her technique was very simr to the skill Azalea¡¯s used to avoid his attacks during their original fight, therefore, if Aza followed the same attack pattern as her sister then... Woosh! An overbearing aura appeared around the palm of Izroth¡¯s right hand. If one looked closely, they could see the faint silhouette of a deadly sword waiting to cut through its enemies with a single swing. Without even turning around, Izroth swiftly moved his right arm behind his back and thrust his right hand, that was in the shape of a formless sword, down towards his own shadow. He was using the skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction without a sword! Almost instantly after Izroth¡¯s attack shot towards his very own shadow, a figure appeared wielding a dagger in its hand. Of course, that dagger belonged to Aza! As soon as her head left the shadows, the first thing that came into her sight was a sharp de aimed directly at the space in between her eyes! It was a frightening thing to see the moment she left the shadow. "That¡¯s..!" At thest moment, Aza could see that it was not a sword being aimed at her, but rather, it was simply Izroth¡¯s hand. However, there was a dangerous aura lingering around it. Surprisingly, she did not close her eyes as she watched the attack close in. She knew that no matter what she did, she would be unable to react in time. Aza realized at that moment, she had lost. Ooooooooooom! The brilliant light grew brighter as the streak of purple lightning faded away and waspletely devoured by Zhi¡¯s Medallion! Soon enough, the entire space was filled with a blinding white light that drowned out everything it passed by. ... A few moments ago, Mariposa had managed to break through the ck sphere holding Guan Yu. But, even though she was able to get through, Guan Yu still insisted on fighting the battle alone. Mariposa was speechless. After everything she had done to get him out of that ce, he still wanted to face Grim alone? Was he an idiot or something? However, after seeing that Zi Yi had miraculously dealt with the two Puppet Chained Assassin NPCs, Mariposa decided to respect Guan Yu¡¯s wishes. But, she made it clear that if they ran into any further trouble, then she would not hesitate to interfere even if it was against his will. Even though the ck sphere was destroyed, Guan Yu was still incapable of killing Grim. When the others witnessed the battle, they were all dumbfounded. Why was it that Grim would not die? After all, Guan Yu was not by any means dealing a small amount of damage with his attacks. Of course, Grim was shocked when he realized that not only was the two Puppet Chained Assassins missing, but even Aza Ghost was nowhere to be found! But, it should have been impossible for the group before him to defeat those three! What the heck happened while he was within the Nether Realm? However, even though the odds were stacked against him, Grim did not panic. He still possessed a trump card that made him invincible in the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. As long as he remained in this ce, he could not die! Therefore, no matter how much Guan Yu or the others struggled, it was all futile in the end. Oooooooooom! "What¡¯s that?" Halls said in a surprised tone of voice as he saw cracks forming at random locations throughout the vige. It looked as if the atmosphere itself was falling apart! "The surrounding space is-" Mariposa was speaking, however, her words were soon put on hold by what urred next. A brilliant and blinding light swept throughout the entire vige causing everyone to instinctively shut their eyes. "Where¡¯s that lighting from?" Zi Yi said as she tried to open her eyes to take a peek, however, all she could see was a neverending stream of white light no matter where she turned. The light also caused Guan Yu and Grim to temporarily put their fight on hold since neither of them was able to see with such an intense level of brightness. A few secondster, the brightness finally died down and the cracks that had just formed just moments ago were no longer there. Woosh! "Don¡¯t leave yourself open you fool!" Grim shouted as he took advantage of the shocking situation andunched an attack on Guan Yu as soon as the light faded away. The crimson scythe in his hand released a strong wave of bloodlust as it sliced down in an arc towards Guan Yu. "Despicable!" Guan Yu roared as his guandao that was epassed in a blue aura, swept right through Grim¡¯s body. This time, however, Grim had a look of disbelief on his face. That was because he had actually been harmed by that attack just now! Grim quickly retreated and the shock on his face was apparent. Not too long after, he had a dumbfounded expression on his face. "It¡¯s not there...!" Grim shook slightly as his previous confidence had flown out the window. He received a shocking alert from the system, however, he did not dare believe his eyes. But, after double checking to confirm that it was true, Grim¡¯s facial expression became gloomy. The passive skill that granted him his invincibility while within the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld had disappeared from his skill list! What was going on? "Where are you looking?!" Guan Yu said as he had already appeared before Grim with his guandao raised over his head. Grim¡¯s eyes widened as the guandao descended towards him. His body seemed to freeze up and he became unable to react to the attack in time. With his current confused and scrambled thoughts, as well as, with the loss of his invincibility skill, he had be temporarily disoriented and his mind drew a nk in the middle of the fight. Woosh! Boom! Guan Yu¡¯s guandao crashed into the ground with a perplexed look on his face. Grim was no longer anywhere to be found. "The vige!" Halls eximed. When Guan Yu looked towards the direction of the vige, he saw that it was gone! Grim, along with the entire vige, had suddenly ceased to exist! Now, they were surrounded by some kind of massive graveyard with tombstones located as far as the eye could see. As everyone was still trying to take in the sudden shift in events, they looked over at the small area of brilliant light that still remained even after the vige disappeared. There was a faint silhouette that could be seen standing in the middle of the light with its back turned to them. Everyone immediately went on guard, at least, everyone except Luna. "That¡¯s..." Luna was the first to recognize who that back belonged to. After all, how much time had she spent staring at that same back? However, as that thought crossed Luna¡¯s mind, a light shade of pink found its way onto her cheeks. What was she thinking at a time like this? She shook her head a bit and quickly regained herposure. Izroth appeared from the bright light as Zhi¡¯s Medallion was resting in the palm of his hand. A few secondster, it disappeared and entered back into his inventory. ¡¯She escaped.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s attack was mere millimeters away from Aza¡¯s face, however, he did not feel his attack connect with anything. ¡¯That streak of purple lightning that appeared and attacked the medallion, I wonder where it came from?¡¯ As he took in his new surroundings, Izroth realized that the vige had been reced by a graveyard. ¡¯This looks like the ce Azalea described. However, how did I arrive at this location?¡¯ "Brother!" Both Halls and Guan Yu shouted at the same time as they released their guard after seeing that it was Izroth. Everyone was relieved to see that Izroth was alright. "Wee back." Luna said as she greeted Izroth as he walked over. Izroth gave a small nod to show his thanks as he said, "I see things have changed quite a bit during my brief absence. What happened while I was gone?" When Izroth asked that question, a weary look found its way onto Zi Yi¡¯s face as she replied, "It¡¯s a long story." ... As Izroth became caught up with the current set of events and he exined what happened on his end, Aza and Grim were at the center of the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. At thest second when the bright light consumed everything, it forcibly knocked the entire vige to a random location located far away from the Netherworld Mist! In fact, it was unclear if they were even in the same kingdom any longer! Grim mmed his fist against the ground with a furious look on his face. "What just happened?!" Grim shouted in an upset tone of voice. However, Aza simply red at him without responding to his question. After all, even she had no idea what just took ce so how was she supposed to exin something she herself did not understand? Swoosh! A gentle breeze drifted past Aza and Grim and in the blink of an eye, a figure d in purple schr robes with ck stripes appeared before them. The figure had a hood pulled over their head which hid their appearance floating around each wrist and ankle of the figure were five violet colored rings made out of pure energy. "Oh? Was I mistaken?" A lovely and alluring voice of a woman floated beside Aza¡¯s and Grim¡¯s ears. When the two of them saw who the figure was, they were inplete shock. This was because they had never seen this mysterious figure only spoken of in legends before today! "Hm, this vige should not be here... You two, did you see an old man somewhere around here?" The figure said with as a small smile formed on her lips. However, that smile felt terrifying to those viewing it from the outside and sent shivers down one¡¯s spine. NPC Name: ???(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: League of The Eidolon(Leader) HP: ??? (100%) ... ¡¯This graveyard is definitely the correct ce. However, I no longer see the vige anywhere.¡¯ Izroth was looking over the Realm Chart in his hands to confirm their whereabouts and found that everything was in order besides the missing Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. ¡¯So this is where a lost page from the Book of Beginnings is potentially hiding?¡¯ Izroth and his party had finally arrived at the true destination of their journey! Chapter 246 A Dark Road Ahead Located in the near distance was an entrance grave made outrge stones stacked together to form an entryway. Inscribed on the stones were various magic symbols that released a violet hue. As for the stones themselves, they were deep sea blue in color and looked incredibly sturdy. Although one could see down into the entrance grave, from an outside perspective, all one would see is an eternal abyss of boundless darkness. Even when Luna cast Illuminate, it did not reveal that which lied beyond the darkness. At the moment, Izroth and his party stood before that abyss. "Is it just me or did it suddenly be really cold?" Halls said as he shivered slightly. "It¡¯s probably safe to assume that this area has arge concentration of undead or specter type monsters. It¡¯s not umon for areas like this to exhibit a sudden drop in temperature due to theck of life and dark energy lingering around within the atmosphere." Zi Yi exined. "You even know this?" Halls said in a tone of disbelief. "It¡¯s nothing impressive, justmon sense once you understand the basics of certain things. It¡¯s avable in the pce library which you should also have ess to. You should read a little more." Zi Yi stated. "I have to say that I¡¯m quite envious of your entire party¡¯s free ess to the library within Amaharpe Pce. It would not be an understatement to say that you are one of the few, if not the only, yers with ess to such valuable information." Mariposa said as she released a small sigh. If Sleeping Gardenia had free ess to the pce library then there was no telling what they would be capable of discovering. Hidden alchemy forms, the location of rare materials, secret quest, the location of undiscovered dungeons or territories, the possibilities were endless! "Brother, why not give her your ess since your mind simply wasn¡¯t designed to handle that amount of delicate information." Guan Yu said as he yfully put his arms around Halls in a brotherly manner. "You call yourself my brother and insult me in the same sentence? Why not give her yours? You avoid any libraries like a gue. Should I remind you of the story you told me back at the-" Halls was speaking, however, he was quickly cut off by Guan Yu. "Brother,e now, we¡¯re all friends here! No need to bring up past matters! I was wrong, okay?" Guan Yu said as he backed away and took on an overexaggerated apologetic demeanor. Halls could only burst outughing at Guan Yu¡¯s overreaction. Zi Yi, on the other hand, shook her head as she watched their carefree and unworried behavior. They were about to enter into a potentially dangerous area and could still fool around. "While it¡¯s true that the pce library ess if wasted on both of you, unfortunately, it¡¯s not as simple as giving your ess to other people. So even if you wanted to get rid of it, you¡¯re stuck with it forever." Zi Yimented. After exchanging words for a couple of minutes, Zi Yi finally asked the question that had been on her mind ever since they ran into Aza and Grim in the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. "Izroth, Luna- How well do you two know this Azalea Wraith? Wraith, Ghost, Phantom... I doubt it¡¯s just a mere coincidence." Zi Yi said. It was Azalea who gave them the Realm Chart and warned them about the vige being near the Netherworld Mist, however, she failed to mention anything about her own sister or Grim! Even if the chances of them running into each other was miniscule at best due to how the vige shifted around, they should have still been informed that it was a possibility. Also, it was not as if Azalea was aplete stranger to this ce based on the words of Aza and Grim. Therefore, what exactly was her rtionship with the League of the Eidolon and this ce in particr? Luna took a moment to think to herself as she then said, "Azalea keeps to herself, however, she seems like a very passionate and loyal person, even if shees off as distant and cold. Although she¡¯s the stubborn type, she isn¡¯t a close-minded individual as far as I can tell." She then continued, "But, we have only journeyed together once for a brief period of time, therefore, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t rely on this description too much." "Your description is urate. I do not believe Azalea has any ill intentions, but that¡¯s not to say that she does not have a hidden motive. But, even though your description was correct, you missed one important thing that cannot be overlooked." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "Hm?" Luna was curious as to what she missed. Luna thought that she already pointed out all of the critical things that stood out, but apparently, she was missing a key piece. "Fear." Izroth said as he stepped into the seemingly endless abyss before him. When he first met Azalea, Izroth did not bring it up but could tell that buried deep beneath that unyielding determination was one thing, fear. "Fear..?" Luna and Zi Yi muttered at the same time. Not too long after Izroth stepped into the darkness, everyone else entered into the entrance grave as well. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in the real world... In a dark room where only a bit of light managed to peek inside, a petite girl around 140cm with long flowing ck hair spread out was lying on a bed with a virtual reality headset ced upon her head. This girl bore a striking resemnce to Azalea Wraith. A few secondster, a person stepped from out of the dark corner of the room. However, only her eyes and the top part of her face was visible. But, what stood out the most was her orchid color eyes that shone even within the darkness. As she stepped out of the corner, one could see a glimmer of light sh near where her hand was located. The light peeking into the room reflected off the metallic-like alloy. It was a dagger. As she approached the side of the bed and looked down at the girl with the virtual reality headset, a cold look shed through her eyes. For a brief moment, there was no emotion, no mercy, just nothing but pure and unfiltered hatred. If one looked closely at the silhouette of the figure as they reached the side of the bed, they could see that it was identical to the girl lying down on the bed. Woosh! All of a sudden, the figure standing next to the bed stabbed down with the dagger right towards the head of the defenseless girl with the virtual reality headset. Once the daggernded, there was an eerie silence that filled the room. However, the dagger had not pierced through the head of its target, instead, it barely missed by a few centimeters and stabbed through the bedding. There was a painful look that shed through the eyes of the assant. The moment she pulled back the dagger, she realized that her hands were shaking uncontrobly. She threw the dagger on the floor and immediately covered her face with her trembling hands. "This is already the fifth time you¡¯ve failed." A deep voice spoke from one of the dark corners in the room. The voice belonged to a man, however, one could only hear his voice and not see his actual appearance. "Yes..." The girl removed her hands from her face and clenched her fists together tightly. She now had a calm and emotionless look on her face and the previous painful expression was no longer there. "I¡¯ve allowed you and your sister to indulge yourselves in this children¡¯s game because you believed that it would help you get over your weakness. I can see that I was mistaken. Perhaps I should reconsider my previous decision." The man said with ring disappointment present in his voice. "I can do it. I just need a bit more time." The girl spoke in a low voice. "Time... It¡¯s always time with you. If you had only been born as the first twin." The man almost sounded furious when he brought up that subject and there was a hint of coldness to his voice. He then continued, "You are a waste of our bloodline, however, the rules of our family are absolute and have remained unchanged for over eighty generations. It is your duty and your burden to carry. My patience wears thin and the night of the shadow moon approaches. Do not disappoint me again, Azalea." "I understand, father." Azalea responded as she gave a respectful bow. ... ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Tomb of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of The Netherworld?¡µ ¡¯It¡¯s not as dark as I thought it would be.¡¯ After Izroth and his party entered into the entrance grave, they received an alert from the system informing them of their current location. It was many times colder inside the entrance grave than it was outside. However, it was not a simple chilly kind of cold, but instead, it was a bone-piercing deathly cold energy that lingered around. The aura of death was abundant and strong inside of this ce and that much was clear. After descending a flight of stone steps, Izroth and his party arrived at an open chamber. It was not epassed in total darkness and the lighting strongly resembled the light that was emitted from a full moon during the night time. The chamber was damp and if death had a smell and feel, this ce would be a good example of it. A thin veil of mist covered the ground up to everyone¡¯s ankles and the surrounding stones were purple and grey in color. Scattered across the ground where the bones of strange creatures. Some of them were humanoid, however, most of them belonged to unknown beasts who probably met with an unfortunate demise after wandering into this location. "It¡¯s certainly not a ce for a pic. But, on the bright side, the space in this area seems to be incredibly stable. Even more so than most other ces I¡¯vee across. So, we shouldn¡¯t have to worry about any abrupt spatial anomalies." Mariposa said as she observed her new environment. "Don¡¯t say pic, you¡¯re gonna make me hungry." Guan Yu said with a slightly gloomy expression. He had to take care of too many things so that he would be able to join them on this journey. Therefore, he had forgotten to eat something before logging in which he was now regretting. "It¡¯s alright. You can eat all the food you want after this, brother." Halls said in an encouraging way. ¡¯Hm, these markings... Where have I seen them before?¡¯ As Izroth moved closer to investigate his recent discovery, he suddenly heard the sound of wind chimes swaying in the breeze. He had no idea where this sound was originating from, however, no one besides him seemed to be experiencing it. Izroth felt as though something was calling out to him. Or, to be more precise, something within his possession was reaching out to something else. This caused Izroth to open his inventory and the moment he did, the source of the chiming became clear. It wasing from the item Izroth received back within Goblin¡¯s Paradise after his run-in with that legendary boss and Gilidore. It was a small orb was silver in color and a red liquid in the shape of a teardrop was floating around inside of it. ¡¯Vozrak¡¯s Gift, then that means...¡¯ The purpose of Vozrak¡¯s Gift was to help Izroth locate the lost page from the Book of Beginnings. However, it only worked when a page was within 1,000 meters of the magic item. Therefore, the reaction of Vozrak¡¯s Gift could only mean one thing. ¡¯It¡¯s somewhere close by within this tomb. A page from the Book of Beginnings.¡¯ If there were any doubts remaining as to if they were on the right track or not, they no longer existed. Without a shred of doubt, Izroth knew that this ce was hiding away a lost page from the Book of Beginnings. However, Izroth also understood that an SSS-ranked quest could not bepared to an SS-ranked quest. Obtaining this page would most likely be the most challenging task he had faced so far since the beginning of his journey within RML. Chapter 247 Tomb of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of The Netherworld "What¡¯s that?" Halls asked curiously as he saw the small orb in Izroth¡¯s hand. The moment it left Izroth¡¯s inventory, the chiming sound that only Izroth himself could hear was now avable for everyone in the party to listen to. "Wind chimes?" Luna said with a questioning look on her face. Since no one was around at the time Izroth acquired Vozrak¡¯s Gift, they had no idea it even existed. Therefore, Izroth took a second to exin what the item did and how he hade across it back in the dungeon Goblin¡¯s Paradise. "What incredible luck you have." Mariposa said with a helpless expression on her face. In truth, her Sleeping Gardenia had canvased the original area near the location of Goblin¡¯s Paradise, however, they were not fortunate enough to locate the dungeon itself. If only they had searched a little harder at that time and been more thorough, then it was very likely that they would be the one in possession of an SSS-ranked quest! However, they were not expecting anything so valuable to be so close to a starting vige area and their main focus was on leveling up to be stronger. Therefore, it was only natural that they did not use too much manpower to conduct the area canvas. "Gilidore..." Zi Yi muttered that name to herself as she furrowed her brows. For some reason, that name sounded familiar to her, but she could not ce her finger on it. As for Vozrak, that was someone she had never heard of before even after going through both the public library and the first floor of the pce library. But, that was not anything too unusual. After all, there were only whispers and rumors about the few handfuls of legendary figures mentioned in both libraries. Zi Yi believed that if she wanted more information, she would have to first gain ess to higher floors within the pce library. "Hm? Are you familiar with the name?" Izroth asked. When he had met Gilidore, it only showed him as a simple elite NPC. However, he quickly evolved into an epic ranked boss thanks to the power bestowed upon him by the corrupted Vozrak. "The name sounds familiar, but I may just be mistaking it for something else. Whatever it is, it was probably just a passing thought at the time." Zi Yi replied. Izroth went deeper into the underground chamber as Halls led the way in front of the group with his shield and sword ready to go. Around five minutes after advancing forward, Halls came to a sudden halt causing everyone else to follow suit and stop moving as well. "There¡¯s something blocking the path up ahead." Halls stated. In the near distance was a creature made up of nothing but bones. Its bones looked as if it came from a humanoid existence and there was a faint aura of death wrapped around its skeletal body. Name: Undead Netherworld Skeleton(Normal) Level: 38 HP: 7,158(100%) Guan Yu frowned and said, "It¡¯s so weak. I was expecting some of those Puppet Chained Assassins to be down here." He was a little disappointed that a weak normal monster like this was the first that they ran into down here. Cheeet! Cheeet! Cheeet! The sound of rattling could be hearding from the direction from the skeletal creature. At first, it was an isted sound that revolved solely around the Undead Netherworld Skeleton. However, just a few secondster, the sound of bones rattling increased by a great deal. Now, it sounded as if there were a parade of bones constantly hitting up against one another. "So loud!" Halls shouted as his voice was beginning to be drowned out by the sound of countless bones rattling together. ¡¯The numbers are increasing.¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a strong gust of wind blew around him. The noise finally settled down to a tolerable level, however, the aura of death that was seeped into this ce seemed to have risen greatly in the past few seconds alone. This was due to the innumerable number of Undead Netherworld Skeletons that was currently blocking the path forward. It was unclear what their exact numbers were, but it was well within the hundreds! The attention of the skeletons was unfocused and none of them appeared to be aware of Izroth¡¯s party¡¯s existence. However, as a purple shine appeared in their empty eye sockets, the small army of skeletons seemed to gain awareness of their surroundings. At the same time, the hundreds of Undead Netherworld Skeletons set their sights onto Izroth¡¯s party. "Now this is more like it!" Guan Yu said with arge grin on his face. Being able to fight againstrge numbers like this was something he enjoyed the most about RML. It was certainly much better than fighting against one weak normal monster. The small army of skeletons swarmed towards Izroth¡¯s party at a great speed, however, the movement of the skeletons were clumsy and without purpose in mind. It looked as though the only thing they wanted to do was rip apart the yers before them! Guuuuuuuow! Halls positioned himself properly so that he would pull the aggro of skeletons, but with these numbers, he was not confident at all in being able to prevent some from straying off out of his control. Ding! ng! The bodies of the skeleton crashed into Halls¡¯ shield. They were wing, kicking, throwing their bodies, whatever it took to try and take down Izroth¡¯s party. Woosh! Zi Yi shot an arrow into the air. As that air arc in mid-air and came soaring down from up above, it split into two, then four, then eight. It continued doing this until there was an entire rain of arrows that covered a radius of fifteen meters! -4,095 ?Critical Hit? -8,190 ... A stream of damage numbers flooded the battle logs Zi Yi¡¯s attack struck dozens upon dozens of skeletons. "Their defensive capabilities are practically zero!" Zi Yi said when she noticed the damage she was dishing out. Even with the damage increase provided by the holy attribute that undead creatures were naturally weak against, the damage from her AOE skill should not have been that high. "That works out just fine for me!" Guan Yu said as he rushed forward and brandished his guandao. As he charged forward, the guandao in his hands spun rapidly like a wheel at the side of his body. When he collided with the wave of skeletons, his guandao shattered the bones of the skeletal creatures when it made contact and mowed down whatever stood in its path! -6,442 ... Izroth, on the other hand, had a skill that as perfect for this kind of thing. An overbearing aura appeared his Sword of The Storm and every time he would swing his de, the life of a skeletal creature would be taken. -11,112 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated an Undead Netherworld Skeleton!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 351 EXP!¡µ The experience itself was not all that great, however, there were hundreds of skeletons and added together, it was not a bad amount of experience to receive for their troubles. Of course, thanks to the side effect of his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, the cooldown on the skill reset every time he eliminated one of the skeletal creatures. Therefore, Izroth could quite literally destroy every skeleton with a single swing of his sword! It was practically free experience! It took Izroth and his party nearly ten minutes to finish off the seemingly endless wave of Undead Netherworld Skeletons. Although the skeletons did not drop any loot, they received approximately 230,000 experience! While it was not enough for Izroth to level up, it was still a nice chunk of easy experience to acquire. "That was pretty easy." Mariposa said as she stayed on guard. She did not want a repeat of what happened back at the vige with the two elite NPCs. "Refreshing! Ahahaha!" Guan Yu shouted as he let out a burst of joyousughter. "It¡¯s a shame that no loot dropped from these guys." Halls said as he shook his head. "It probably wouldn¡¯t be anything good anyways. These skeletons were basically trash mobs." Guan Yumented. Cheeet! Cheeet! The shattered and scattered bones on the ground began to shake and vibrate violently! Soon after, small tremors could be felt as the entire underground chamber trembled. "More skeletons?!" Guan Yu said with a hint of excitement in his voice. He was ready for round two tomence at any time. A powerful gust of cold wind blew throughout the underground chambers as the mist beneath everyone¡¯s feet began to converge at the center of the room. Not too long after, the bones that were lying around everywhere on the ground started to be sucked towards the swirling vortex of mist and formed a sphere made entirely out of bones. ¡¯The temperature has dropped again.¡¯ Izroth felt the shift in temperature as he could now see his own breath when he exhaled. The strange thing was that the coldness he was experiencing was more of an internal rather than an external feeling. "Living beings have no right entering the tomb of my master! Only your death will correct this!" A deep and raspy voice came from the core of the swirling vortex of mist. At the same time, the spinning of the vortex became faster as the bones were now locking onto one another and bonding together as if they were trying to form something. "It seems that we are not alone." Luna said in a somewhat ufortable tone of voice. For some reason, ever since she entered into the underground chambers, she felt as if the life was being drained from her body. Luna had no idea why she was experiencing this sudden bout of weakness, however, no one else within the party seemed to feel the same way as her. There were also no alerts from the system that exined this feeling, therefore, she figured that maybe she had been overworking herselftely. She decided to brush it off for now and told herself that she¡¯d simply rest a bit more from now on. "Are you feeling alright?" Zi Yi moved closer to Luna and spoke in a low voice after seeing her uneasy appearance. "I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m just a bit tired is all. Thank you." Luna responded and gave a small smile in return. A few momentster, the swirling vortex disappeared and what remained in its ce was a chimera-style skeleton over fifteen meters in length and five meters in height. Just like the previous skeletal creatures, this one also had purple light within its empty eye sockets as he stared in the direction of Izroth¡¯s party. It looked like the skeleton of some type of dinosaur creature with a long tail made of bones. However, its actual appearance was not just the skeleton of one creature, but many. "I knew things wouldn¡¯t be so easy, but isn¡¯t this a bit much for a wee party?" Halls said as he observed the skeletal creature. "This is an SSS-ranked quest, I¡¯d be surprised if we received any less of a wee." Mariposa stated. Name: Nekrostis, Servant of the Netherworld Envoy(Rare Boss) Level: 42 HP: 562,000(100%) A rare boss! Not too long after entering into this tomb anding across a small army of skeletons, they actually ran into a rare boss right at the beginning of their quest! Was this luck or a potential disaster? "The Nether Realm shall wee its newest members, in death!" Nekrostis roared as a deathly aura poured into the underground chambers. It was a deep purple aura, however, it reached out to every corner of the chamber and did not miss a single spot. All of a sudden Izroth and his party were hit with a stream of messages from the battle logs after the deathly aura made contact with their bodies. Chapter 248 Nekrostis, Servant of the Netherworld Envoy ¡´Battle Logs: You have been affected by ?gue of Death?¡µ ¡´Battle Logs: You have been affected by ?Aura of Death?¡µ ¡´Battle Logs: You have been affected by ?Hand of Darkness?¡µ ¡´Battle Logs: You have been affected by ?Restless Souls of the Undead?¡µ ¡´Battle Logs: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Blessing of the Living?¡µ Izroth took a quick nce at the battle logs and the first thing that caught his eye was the temporary passive skill he gained, Blessing of the Living. Skill Name: Blessing of the Living Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Living Being Passive: +50% damage to creatures of the Netherworld. Special Note: This skill can only affect a creature of the Netherworld. "It looks like we got a free damage boost." Guan Yumented as he read over the battle logs. "Yes, but the fact that we received such a skill most likely means that the other four skills we¡¯ve been affected by are troublesome." Zi Yi stated. "I agree. I doubt the system is simply feeling generous today and lending us a hand." Mariposa said as she studied the rare boss. At the moment, Nekrostis had yet to move and was still at the center of the chamber out of aggro range. Therefore, unless Izroth and his party made the first move and stepped into its aggro range, it would not begin its assault. It was like this for most boss fights. After discussing a few things, everyone took a brief moment to make sure that everything was in order. If there were any stat points or skill points that were sitting around had to be used, or any new skills they had yet to acquire from their skill crystals, now was the time to do it. As for Izroth, he chose to use all 15 stat points he had on his agility. He felt that without his Flickering Steps active, his base agility was too low. With an epic weapon in hand, Izroth did not have to worry about his damage output suffering, therefore, he decided to invest his points into agility. However, when it came to skill points, Izroth did not touch any of them. Every skill he possessed was either already maxed out or had to be improved upon by consistent usage. Even though he was able to level up his sword forms using skill points, he felt that it would be a waste given that it only required natural effort on his part to better the skill, and so, his skill points remained untouched. Once everyone confirmed that they were ready, the battle had finally begun. Halls charged forward at an incredible speed and appeared before Nekrostis with his shield leading the way. Bang! Halls¡¯ shield crashed into the skeletal body of Nekrostis. Since the boss was stationary at the beginning of the fight and Halls had be morefortable with the skill itself over time, he engaged the fight using Unimpeded Rush. "You dare attack a loyal servant of the Netherworld?! Even your death shall be insufficient!" Nekrostis roared. Skill Name: Unimpeded Rush Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: B Cast Time: 0.2 seconds Active: Charges forward in a straight line for 1 second. The first enemy target theye in contact with is ?Stunned? for 2 seconds. During that period time, the user has their movement speed increased by 1,000% and is immune to all forms of crowd control. If the user does not make contact with a target during that period of time or has their charge evaded, the user bes ?Staggered? for 0.5 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute 15 seconds "Just a pile of bones!" Halls replied as he did not let up on his assault. His main goal was to build up as much aggro as possible on Nekrostis. The skill Halls used when his shield collided with the body of Nekrostis was Shield m. Due to the knockdown effect of the Shield m, the skeletal boss trembled as its boney structure fell to the ground. It also caused his threat level on the boss to soar. -3,400 Of course, Nekrostis did not stay stunned or knocked for long thanks to the natural resistance boss monsters had against certain forms of crowd control. Therefore, even though it was supposed to be stunned for two seconds, that time was reduced all the way down to 0.5 seconds. That was only 25% of the time it was supposed to remain stunned! However, Halls acted fast once the rare boss was knocked down. He immediately followed up with Shield Smash, once again increasing his threat level. Also, thanks to the boss being knocked down when he used Shield Smash, its damage was tripled! Since the skill had already been maxed out, it would normally deal 150% of Halls¡¯ attack damage. However, after being used inbination with Shield m, its damage soared to 450% of Halls¡¯ attack damage! He then swiftly followed up with a Ferocity sh. In the end, Halls managed to establish a solid threat level on Nekrostis. -5,474 -772 "This damage increase feels so nice!" Halls said with arge smile on his face. He actually felt like a damage dealer instead of a tank when he witnessed the strength of his own attacks. With the damage increase provided by the Holy Blessings and the Blessing of the Living, he felt as if this fight would take no time at all. Woosh! An arrow left the void and pierced through the bones of Nekrostis just as it got back on its feet. Not too long after, two more arrows made their exit from the void crashed into the skeletal boss monster. Each arrow contained more force and power behind it than thest. -3,156 -4,133 ?Critical Hit? -10,968 Swoosh! Nekrostis swiftly rotated its body as it swept its tail made entirely of bones towards Halls, but its attack was sessfully blocked by Halls¡¯ shield. Even though it was only a simple attack with its tail, Halls was surprised by how little damage the skill itself actually did. ?Blocked? -1,295 14,713/16,008 HP Remaining! (Halls) Even though Nekrostis damage wascking, Halls would not let his guard down for a second. After all, he would be foolish if he believed that there was not anything more to this rare boss. Also, there was still the question of the four skills they had been affected when Nekrostis first appeared. 95%... 93%... 91%... ¡¯Its attacks are fast, but its attack patterns are predictable. However...¡¯ Woosh! Izroth shed in a downward arc with his de and caused the bone structure of Nekrostis that was struck to fracture. It was a basic attack, however, it seemed that Izroth had managed to find a weak point within Nekrostis skeletal figure in a short amount of time. Immediately after his first attack connected, a second attack flew out instantaneously with the stance of the first sword form. The attack using the first sword form had been infused with a small portion of Izroth¡¯s Essence as it swept across the already fragmented bone structure where Izroth previously struck. ?Critical Hit? -4,466 ?Critical Hit? -8,640 Izroth noticed that he gained 10 stacks of gue. However, as the stacks rose, there was no noticeable benefit or consequence. All he knew was that the more he attacked, the faster he would gain stacks of gue. Based on the name alone, Izroth assumed that it was something unpleasant and most likely had to do with the gue of Death he, as well as, his entire party were affected by. ¡¯Well, it¡¯s not as if we can stop attacking and do nothing. We¡¯ll have to deal with any problems as they arise.¡¯ "Those who defy the tomb of the envoy shall perish. Beings of flesh, be no more!" Nekrostis roared as soon as its HP hit the 90% mark. Its bones turned deep purple in color and any previous fractures it suffered mended themselves. At the same time, its skeletal structure copsed before quickly forming a purple sphere made out of bones. It was almost as if Nekrostis hadpletely called off its offensive and went on full defense mode. "Careful, we still have no idea what the skills we¡¯ve been affected by are doing to us." Zi Yi warned as she witnessed the sudden transformation of the boss monster. It was safe to say that nothing good usually came from such things. "These stacks of gue are troublesome. Then again, the unknown is always a bit dangerous." Mariposamented. "Got it." Halls responded as he became a bit less aggressive with his assault after the abrupt change in form from Nekrostis. However, even if he was a bit more cautious, he would not let up on his attacks altogether. He rushed towards the deep purple sphere of bones andshed out with his sword using the skill Ferocity sh. Ding! -772 Halls felt as if he was striking a steel wall with how hard the bones of Nekrostis had be, however, his damage, as well as, the defensive capabilities of the boss monster remained unchanged. But, almost instantly after Halls¡¯ attack sessfullynded on the sphere of bones, a sh of violet light exploded throughout the chambers. Oooooooom! As that violet light passed by everyone, a burst of unavoidable damage soon followed after. -500 [Luna] -750 [Mariposa] -1,250 [Guan Yu] -2,500 [Izroth] -3,000 [Zi Yi] -7,500 [Halls] ¡´Battle Logs: yer Izroth has been touched by the ?Aura of Death? and healing from all sources has been reduced by 50% for 12 seconds!¡µ Izroth was not the only one to receive that alert from the system, but Zi Yi and Halls got the same alert as well. "Group!" Luna said as everyone halted their assault and quickly grouped together within ten meters of Halls. Since they had already discussed a few signals beforehand on their journey to his ce, no one dyed their movements as they knew what Luna nned to do. Less than one secondter, a light green mist appeared around the entire party that was now grouped together. +695 +348 ... +695 +348 Every one second that ticked by, everyone who stood within the mist was being healed. By the time Luna¡¯s Healing Mist skill ended, everyone was back to full HP, except Halls who was still missing a few points, but Luna cast Cure a couple of times to get his HP back into a safer area. "What was that skill?" Halls said with a frown on his face. He received the most damage out of anyone present. On the other hand, Luna and Mariposa who probably possessed the weakest defensive capabilities within the party took the least amount of damage from the attack. If it was HP based, then it should have been Guan Yu who took the next most damage, however, it was Zi Yi instead so that was out of the question. At the moment, no one was attacking Nekrostis because they were afraid that the boss monster would unleash another violet light. After all, if it released that violet light every time it was attacked while within that purple sphere state, then their party would be wiped out in no time at all! "The stacks of gue have disappeared." Izroth stated. He had been keeping a close eye on those stacks since it was an unknown variable, however, that violet light and the gue stacks were definitely linked to one another. It would be too much of a coincidence that the stacks just happened to disappear right after they received damage from the boss. "You¡¯re right! It¡¯s not there!" Halls said in a shocked tone of voice. Thest time he checked his gue stacks was all the way at thirty. But now, they were no longer anywhere to be found. "Well, it looks like we¡¯ve figured out at least what two of the skills do." Zi Yi said as she let out a sigh of relief. Out of everyone present, she had been the one in the most danger just now. She then continued, "The stacks of gue seems to be linked to the Aura of Death. Now the question is, how are we umting stacks?" Nekrostis bones returned to their normal color and scattered across the ground. A few secondster, the bones connected once again and Nekrostis returned to its original form. However, it did not take long for Nekrostis to take aggressive action as soon as it regained its form. "Rise servants of the Netherworld and vanquish those who dare disturb our eternal slumber!" Nekrostis yelled as the chambers shook violently and multiple hands made out of bones shot from out of the ground. Chapter 249 Betrayed? ¡´Battle Logs: Nekrostis has summoned creatures from the Nether Realm!¡µ ¡´Battle Logs: 20 seconds remaining for the ?Restless Souls of the Undead?!¡µ Cheeeeet! After five seconds passed, six Undead Netherworld Skeletons climbed from out of the ground and immediately charged towards Izroth¡¯s party. Halls wasted no time using Battle Focus so that the Undead Netherworld Skeletons would turn their attention onto him instead of going after one of the other party members. Izroth moved swiftly to deal with the skeletons that spawned. Since they were the same as the previous skeletons that he most recently fought against, Izroth took care of them in a simr manner. With one sweep of his sword using the First Baneful Sword: Destruction, he was able to kill off each skeleton just moments after they spawned in. "I guess I¡¯ll just leave them to you from now on." Halls said after seeing how easily Izroth dealt with the monsters that spawned. If he could take care of them with such ease then it would save him some trouble. As Izroth eliminated the creatures, a faint violet colored mist passed through his body. After defeating six of the Netherworld skeletons, he gained six stacks of something called Restless Souls. Just like with the stacks of gue, there was no immediate consequence, however, Izroth knew that if he took it lightly then things could end on a disastrous note. ¡¯Every time I eliminate one of them, I gained another stack of Restless Souls. I still have no idea what kind of consequences umting too many stacks will have, therefore, I should not take on too many for the time being.¡¯ As the twenty seconds passed by, six level 38 Undead Netherworld Skeletons spawned every five seconds. Izroth handled twelve of the creatures while Guan Yu took care of the other twelve without issue. Both of them umted a total of 12 stacks of Restless Souls each. Meanwhile, Zi Yi and Mariposa were not letting up on their damage output on Nekrostis. After the Restless Souls of the Undead ended, Izroth and Guan Yu rejoined the main boss fight. "I¡¯ve yed enough games! Now die!" Nekrostis said as it stuck its boney tail into the ground and stopped all of its movements. Immune! Immune! "It¡¯s in a state of immunity so careful!" Zi Yi warned as she halted her assault. Everyone else also chose not to waste their energy and mana on attacking something that waspletely immune. Of course, these states were not umon in higher level boss fights, especially against rare bosses. When bosses entered into a state of immunity like this it usually meant one of two things. The first was that the yers had to do something special to get the boss to leave its state of immunity. The second was that the boss was preparing to use one of its stronger abilities. Either way, it was definitely a sign of trouble. Halls released a deep breath and said, "I¡¯d rather fight against that behemoth from the event again instead of this thing. At least then all I had to worry about was being crushed by a giant boulder." Guan Yuughed as he said, "I know what you mean. For some reason, this fight feels moreplicated than the boss fights I¡¯m used to. Though, I¡¯m not necessarilyining. I enjoy a good challenge either way." "It¡¯s not a coincidence that this fight feels moreplicated than usual. Not only is this an SSS-ranked quest, but we¡¯re also starting to truly leave behind the hand holding stage of the game. In other words, things will only be increasingly difficult from here on in. We can¡¯t afford to take these type of boss fights as lightly as the ones before, otherwise, we won¡¯t even know how we died." Zi Yi stated. ¡¯She¡¯s right. All the boss fights up until could be considered a warm-up exercise. It seems we¡¯ve arrived at the end of the first road.¡¯ "This stage of the game is where the elite and experienced yers are truly separated from the average bunch. There will be many hidden gems that finally steps into the spotlight." Mariposamented. Sheeeng! As they were waiting for the immunity state of the boss to end, the sound of a de being unsheathed could be hearding from deep within the underground chambers in a corner of darkness. As the sound grew closer to Izroth¡¯s party, it became loud and sounded like a disharmony of metal des shing against one another. "What¡¯s that?" Guan Yu said as he saw arge cloud of dust rising and rushing towards them. At the moment, it was around forty meters away and closing in fast! It was hard to see through the cloud of dust, however, as it came into clear viewing distance, one could see something that resembled that of an operating mine il, except it was made out of nothing but bones. But, from the sound of the bones colliding with one another, it sounded as if they were made out of metal. The bones headed in their direction had spikes on the outside and as it made contact with the terrain it actually ground up the earth beneath it. It spanned across the entire underground chambers and so there was nowhere to run or hide! "Everyone, try to position yourself on the same path as the boss. There¡¯s a good chance that the attack won¡¯t reach us that way." Zi Yi said as she moved into a position that was lined up directly on the path of Nekrostis. The others soon followed suit and moved as well. As the spinning bones of death approached Nekrostis, instead of being stopped or hindered in any way, it simply phased through the body of the boss monster as if it was not even there. Bang! Halls was the first person the bones made contact with and it mmed up against his shield and caused his entire body to slid back a bit with the force of the impact. ?Blocked? -2,063 Zi Yi observed the attack carefully and something instantly caught her attention. After the bones struck Halls, that small specific path where his body blocked the skill no longer had any bones on it. Not too long after Halls was hit, Guan Yu was next to face the attack. ?Parried? -2,985 Guan Yu managed to sessfully parry the attack by making sure his guandao took the brunt of the assault. The results were the same as Halls where a small path was left without bones as it passed by Guan Yu. It did not take long for Zi Yi to connect the pieces together. "Quick! Stand on the same path as Halls or Guan Yu!" Zi Yi yelled in a hastened manner. They only had a few seconds to move, therefore, she could not waste time going into any specific details. However, Izroth, Mariposa, and Luna were all very observant. The three of them managed to catch on just as Zi Yi did and had already begun to make their move towards the safe pathways created by Halls and Guan Yu. Sheeeeng! The wave of bones passed right by the four of them as they were able to sessfully avoid the attack. As the bones traveled towards the end of the chambers, it reversed its path and began to head back towards the party at an increased speed. The bones that were previously destroyed had been replenished. But, this time, everyone already understood what to do. Everyone immediately moved behind Halls so that he would be the only person to receive any damage from the attack. It was a good thing that they did because the attack was even more vicious on its return trip. ?Blocked? -5,109 +3,058 +1,390 Luna cast Heal on Halls followed by a Cure to restore most of his lost HP. She had no trouble keeping up with the damage being dished out by the boss monster, however, Luna¡¯s biggest concern so far was the stacks of gue. They still had not yet figured out how the stacks were being umted. "Persistent bags of flesh!" Nekrostis roared as it pulled its boney tail out of the ground and resumed its physical assault against Izroth¡¯s party. 85%... 75%... 65%... Woosh! Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm sliced into the bones of Nekrostis with rtive ease. After locating its weak point, Izroth made sure to take full advantage of it and locked the focus of his attacks onto that specific area. He found that after five attacks to a weak point, it would snap and enter into a state of self-repair. During that state of self-repair, one was unable to injure Nekrostis if they attacked that part of its body. ?Critical Hit? -1,858 ?Critical Hit? -4,466 ?Critical Hit? -7,075 Just as Izroth¡¯sst Phantom Strike connected with the skeletal of Nekrostis, that area that he struck turned violet in color and became immune to damage. As they fought against Nekrostis, everyone became morefortable with its attack patterns. Every time its HP dropped by 10%, Nekrostis would enter into its purple sphere form. After doing so, it would unleash that deadly violet light and damage everyone while removing all stacks of gue at the same time. Unfortunately, no one had been able to discover what was causing one person to gain more stacks of gue than the other. To be honest, it almost seemed as if the gue stacks were stacking on targets at random. But, they were able to figure out that each stack of gue dealt a t 250 damage that ignored all defensive stats. Therefore, for the time being, it was up to Luna to make sure that no one was in a dangerous situation HP wise when it came to gue stacks. They also found out that there was no consequence in attacking Nekrostis during its purple sphere state. In fact, it was quite vulnerable since it was stationary and easy to target in that form. They were also able to confirm that the gue of Death was behind the stacks of gue and the Aura of Death was that violet light being released during Nekrostis purple sphere form. Therefore, at the very least, they were able to discover what two of the abilities they were affected by was doing to them. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the remaining two skills, the Hand of Darkness and Restless Souls of the Undead. At the moment, excluding Luna, everyone had around 14 to 16 stacks of Restless Souls. However, there was nothing unusual going on as far as they could tell. As for the Hand of Darkness, they still possessed zero information regarding what its abilities were. After leaving its purple sphere form, Nekrostis would immediately use Restless Souls of the Undead. Once that ended, it always followed up with its AOE skill "bones of death" as they were now calling it. It did not appear to be straying from this pattern, however, that did not mean that Izroth and the others expected things to stay the same for the rest of the fight. 60%... 55%... 50%... "Get ready!" Halls warned everyone when as they reached the 50% HP mark. It was at this time that Nekrostis would enter into his purple sphere form and unleash that wave of violet light followed by its other skills. However, something strange happened this time around. Instead of taking on its usual form, the skeletal form of Nekrostis transformed into a biped humanoid species that stood around six meters tall. Nekrostis still possessed its tail, however, its bones were now a grayish crimson color and its skull looked like that of a demonic beast. ¡´Battle Logs: Nekrostis has entered into its second stage!¡µ "You will regret this day for all eternity." Nekrostis bellowed as a deathly aura appeared around its now skeletal hand and fingers. It pointed its boney finger outward towards Izroth¡¯s party. Woosh! All of a sudden, a lone arrow soared through the air and disappeared into the void. Less than one secondter, it reappeared right at the back of Halls¡¯ head whose attention was focused on Nekrostis and his new transformation. Bang! ?Critical Hit? -3,264 Halls felt a powerful force m into the back of his head. When everyone turned and realized who the attack came from, they were all in a momentary state of shock. "What are you doing?!" Guan Yu shouted angrily at Zi Yi who stood there ready to fire off a second shot. Had she lost her mind attacking one of her own party members? Chapter 250 Hand of Darkness Everyone was momentarily stunned when Zi Yi took a cheap shot at Halls in the middle of a boss fight. Not just any boss fight, but one that was against a rare boss over level 40! Even if it was just a joke, was this really the time for one? However, everyone knew that Zi Yi would be thest person to joke around in a situation like this. After their initial shock wore off, a second arrow was released by Zi Yi into the void. Woosh! Just like the first arrow, it disappeared. However, this arrow stayed lurking within the void much longer than usual. It almost felt as if the arrow had been lost and could not find its way out, but that was not the case at all. Luna was the first to notice that something was off due to the sudden change in Zi Yi¡¯s stacks. She had been keeping a close eye on everyone¡¯s stacks and saw that the Restless Souls stacks Zi Yi possessed just moments before, was no longer there. This time Halls stayed on full alert mode. He always realized how fearsome Zi Yi¡¯s ss was, but experiencing it firsthand could only be described as terrifying. Imagine waiting for an attack that you know ising, but arrives whenever it pleases. It was simr to ying a game of Russian Roulette. One knows the bullet is in the chamber and will eventually shoot, just not when that moment will arrive. However, if that was all Halls had to deal with then he would have been grateful. But unfortunately, Nekrostis was not taking a break just because Zi Yi had turned on them. After entering into its humanoid form, Nekrostis physical attack strength was enhanced greatly in terms of raw power. One would think that given its boney and frail looking structure that there would be little power behind the boss monster¡¯s attacks, however, they would be sorely mistaken. Nekrostis formed a fist with its skeletal hand and aimed it right at Halls. ?Blocked? -3,455 Halls positioned his shield to intercept the attack. There was a faint aura around his shield when Nekrostis hand made contact with it. There was a small pause, but at the next moment, Nekrostis was sent sliding back a few meters. This was caused by Halls using his Rebound skill. "His attack power has almost tripled in his second stage...!" Halls groaned as he blocked the attack. At nearly the same time he sessfully blocked Nekrostis¡¯ attack, an arrow left the void and arrived just 25cm away from Halls. It was like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike! ?Critical Hit? -3,264 +782 +3,058 7,665/16,008 HP Remaining! (Halls) "Too close!" Halls said as his head shook from the impact of the arrow. The arrows were appearing way too close for him to react in time. In other words, there was no way he could dodge them with his current speed and reaction time. If things kepting on this way, then even with Luna¡¯s heals, he would be unable to survive the onught of both Zi Yi and Nekrostis! "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to sit this one out for a bit." Izroth said as he used the Crystallization skill from his Crystal Sea Head Ornament to encase Zi Yi in a body of crystal and prevented her from taking any course of action. While this would buy them some time to reorganize themselves, his Crystallization skill would not hold forever and so they had to figure out what was going on and fast. "Why did Zi Yi suddenly attack us?" Guan Yu questioned with a frown. He and Halls may tease her at times, however, it was always in a friendly way. It was definitely not something that would warrant such an aggressive response during a critical boss fight! Mariposa furrowed her brows as she asked herself the same question. There was no alert from the battle logs about anything... Wait! As Mariposa manually checked over the most recent battle logs, something immediately stood out and grabbed her attention. So that was why Zi Yi was acting so weird! "Zi Yi is being influenced by the skill Hand of Darkness. It seems that when Nekrostis transformed, it somehow took control of Zi Yi. I assume it has something to do with the stacks of Restless Souls as Zi YI had the most when it happened and now they¡¯re all gone." Luna exined with a thoughtful expression on her face as she also concentrated on healing Halls. It did not take long for Nekrostis to regain its bnce. Itunched forward and mmed its boney fist into Halls¡¯ shield. After two more attacks with its fist, it then swept its tail made of bones out towards Halls. In total, it shaved off nearly 11,000 HP from Halls, but Luna was timing her heals with perfection and prevented him from falling too far into the danger zone. There were certain skills that yers would not be alerted to and would remain in the dark about unless they manually checked through the battle logs. Even then, it was still up to the yer to piece things together on their own as skills such as the Hand of Darkness usually only included the time and name. Of course, checking the battle logs in the middle of a fight was far from ideal. After all, the main reason battle logs existed was so that yers could learn and grow from their mistakes after a fight was done, not during it. "Do you know how long the effects willst?" Izroth asked as he scanned the skeletal figure of Nekrostis for its weak point. Its previous weak point had disappeared after its transformation, therefore, Izroth had to do things the old fashioned way and attack different areas until he managed to locate one. Izroth gathered energy at his fingertip at it pierced through the hardened bones of Nekrostis. He infused his Fissuring Point with a few points of his Essence to increase the deadly force behind the attack. -11,178 It was at times like this that his Fissuring Point skill shined the greatest. While the defenses of Nekrostis was not necessarily high by any means, it was still fairly sturdy as a boss monster. Therefore, a skill thatpletely ignored all the defenses in its path like Izroth¡¯s Fissuring Point was ideal for these kinds of situations. This was even more so when he had a trait like Soul Essence to pair with it. Luna nodded her head and responded, "Twenty seconds." "Then, we should be fine for the time being." Izroth said. If one did not struggle against it then his Crystallization skill wouldst for twenty seconds. Since Zi Yi was not resisting the skill itself, there should be no problem with itsting the full twenty seconds. On the downside, Izroth would not be able to use this skill again during this boss fight due to its ten minute cooldown time. Therefore, if they did note up with a solid countermeasure against the Hand of Darkness and Luna¡¯s theory about the person with the most stacks of Restless Souls being selected turned out to be correct, then... ¡¯I will be next.¡¯ Due to Izroth¡¯s interference, they had no idea what limitations, if any, the Hand of Darkness skill possessed. If it took control of him and forced him to use the skills at his disposal, then nothing needed to even be said about the disastrous results that could bring. In the end, there was only one person present he could rely on to stop him for a full twenty seconds if he used his full strength. Izroth retreated after a few more strikes against Nekrostis with his sword and fell back next to Luna. "If what you say is correct, then I will be the next target. We still have too little information about the skill itself, therefore, I¡¯ll be counting on you if things get too out of hand when the timees." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "You can count on me." Luna said in a reassuring and confident tone of voice. Izroth gave a slight nod before dashing back towards Nekrostis. A smile unknowingly crept onto Luna¡¯s face without her even realizing it. For some reason, she felt happy that Izroth was willing to count on her. Even though she knew he probably meant nothing by it, nevertheless, it still put a smile onto her face to hear those wordsing directly from him. Twenty seconds passed by and Izroth¡¯s Crystallization skill ended. Just as Luna said, the Hand of Darkness no longer affected Zi Yi and she was freed from the control of Nekrostis. "It¡¯s good to have you back." Luna said. "Indeed, you¡¯ve worried us quite a bit." Mariposamented. "Trust me, it¡¯s good to be back. What a bizarre feeling. I could see and feel everything I was doing, but I had no control over any of the actions I performed while in that state. There was no way for me tomunicate or hear what was going on. What a terrifying skill for a boss to have in its arsenal." Zi Yi stated. Luna took a moment to catch Zi Yi up on her findings and immediately after hearing what Luna had to say, a worrisome expression appeared on her face. Of all the people to be next, it had to be him! "Let¡¯s just hope that our luck is not too bad." Zi Yi said. Since Zi Yi¡¯s Void Jump skill could be used during the Hand of Darkness, who knew what would happen if Izroth was affected? However, all they could do was take care of it when the situation arises. "I had some time to think about a few things while I was being controlled by the Hand of Darkness. I may have figured out how we¡¯re umting stacks of gue, as well as, how to counter it." Zi Yi said. She had not just spent those twenty seconds panicking. After the first three seconds, she found that there was nothing she could do to escape, therefore, she used her remaining time to organize her thoughts and piece a couple of things together. While seventeen seconds may not be much time for others, it was more than enough for someone with Zi Yi¡¯s capabilities. Everyone was taken aback by Zi Yi¡¯s statement. She had figured out how the gue stacks worked so fast?! Usually, against bosses like this, guilds would send in a scouting party to test the waters and gather sufficient data about the boss beforemitting to a real fight. They would then use that collected data to formte a solid battle n to defeat the boss with as littleplications as possible. However, it could take many fights just to understand how some of the bosses skills worked and yet, they had not even finished an entire fight before she discovered something. How could they not be shocked? As they fought against Nekrostis, Zi Yi exined her thoughts. By the time she finished, everyone had a slight look of disbelief on their face. Even Izroth was a bit surprised by what Zi Yi had just said. "Are you certain?" Izroth asked. Zi Yi nodded and replied, "I still had a few reservations before, however, after listening to Luna¡¯s findings while I was trapped within the Hand of Darkness, I¡¯m confident without a doubt." ¡¯Who would have thought...¡¯ "Then, we will go based off of your suggestion." Izroth said. Of course, no one objected to what Zi Yi suggested and would go along with it as well. Even though Nekrostis was much stronger in its humanoid form, Izroth and his party still held their ground. In fact, their attacks grew even more relentless as the fight went on. It did not take long for them to bring Nekrostis¡¯ HP down to the 40% mark. "Foolish bags of flesh! Bathe in the darkness of the Nether Realm!" Nekrostis roared as a violet light shed throughout the chambers. It was the Aura of Death, but unlike before, Nekrostis did not bother entering into its purple sphere form before using it! Chapter 251 Tied Together and Smooth Sailing The moment Izroth and his party noticed the violet light building up, they began to move into various positions. "I hope you¡¯re right, my adorable little sister." Mariposa said in a teasing manner with a smile on her face. "It¡¯ll work." Zi Yi replied without hesitation. She had absolute confidence that it would work and not a shred of doubt lingered within her eyes. Mariposa fell silent after seeing realizing that the corners of Zi Yi¡¯s lips had risen to form a smile. She was not sure if her younger sister herself realized this yet, but it was clear that Zi Yi had changed. It may have just been due to the fact that this was a world where the burdens and hindrances of reality seldom crossed one¡¯s mind. However, Mariposa was sure that it was this group of yer¡¯s before her that helped drag Zi Yi further outside of herfort zone. For that, she was eternally grateful. After all, how could she not be happy if her adorable little sister was happy? Izroth and Guan Yu moved next to each other. Not too long after, a spatial rift appeared in between them. Mariposa stepped out of the spatial rift and stood within close proximity of Izroth and Guan Yu. As for Luna, Halls and Zi Yi, they maintained their current positions. A few momentster, the violet light spread throughout the underground chambers and quickly made contact with Izroth¡¯s party. Ooooooooom! -7,500 [Halls] +392 +1,529 -500 [Luna] Luna cast Healing Essence followed up by a Heal on Halls. The healing she produced was reduced by 50% on Halls thanks to the Aura of Death, and so her heals were not as effective for the time being. After a few seconds went by, the violet light dispersed. The thing that surprised everyone was that only Halls and Luna had received any damage to their HP. As for the rest of them, they werepletely unharmed! "It¡¯s not there! The gue stacks are gone!" Guan Yu said in a shocked tone of voice. Once he realized that he was unharmed, the first thing he noticed was that the gue stacks that were previously on him had vanished. Everyone verified that their situation was the same as Guan Yu¡¯s, all of their gue stacks were gone. After doing so, they swiftly moved back into their original spots and continued their battle against Nekrostis. They could only helplessly sigh and be thankful that they had someone like Zi Yi on their side. If not, this fight would have been many times harder than it already is. While Zi Yi had time to herself to think, she discovered that there were times when Izroth and Guan Yu would not receive any damage. Then, there were times when Mariposa and herself would not take damage from the Aura of Death. She found this strange, however, she was still unable to determine what the cause behind it was. But, in the end, she found that she was overthinking things. Often the mostplex of things was simple at the core of its own understanding. While this fight could not be considered overlyplex on the grand scale of RML, it was well above the level of fights that yers were currently used to. The most important bit of information for Zi Yi was themon factors. Stacks? Environment? Attacking? There was an abundance of information to take in, but Zi Yi picked out two mainmon factors every time the situation where at least two yers would not receive any damage from the violet light. The first had to do with location. Zi Yi found that at every instance someone managed to escape unscathed, they were never alone. In other words, there was always someone within their immediate vicinity. The second was that, no matter what, Halls and Luna always received some kind of damage. While it could be attributed to simply being unlucky, Zi Yi could slowly see a pattern form. Then, after the Hand of Darkness skill was used on her and Luna exined a few things, she had the final piece of the puzzle that she had been missing all along. After being taken over by the Hand of Darkness, Zi Yi¡¯s stacks of Restless Souls disappeared. However, those were not the only stacks that disappeared. The gue stacks also vanished along with it. When she finally finished tying everything together, Zi Yi came to the conclusion that not only were the gue of Death and Aura of Death skills tied together, but the other two skills they were affected by were as well. She had been thinking about it the wrong way all along. Originally, she believed that gue of Death and Aura of Deathplimented each other just like Hand of Darkness and Restless Souls of the Undead did, however, all four skills actuallyplimented one another! It was like a tangled web of skills that were all intertwined. But, there was a rock, paper, scissors effect to them. To counteract the gue stacks, one needed stacks of Restless Souls. However, you could only get the Restless Souls stacks from eliminating the Netherworld creatures that spawned during the Restless Souls of the Undead skill. In order to be affected by the Hand of Darkness, one needed to possess stacks of Restless Souls. As for the Aura of Death skill, it was of course, useless without the gue stacks generated by the gue of Death. If one wanted to avoid receiving damage from the Aura of Death, then they would have to acquire Restless Souls stacks. However, they risked being controlled by the Hand of Darkness skill. But, they had no choice but to obtain stacks fo Restless Souls, otherwise, they would be overrun by Netherworld creatures. After all, they could not simply ignore them and do nothing. But, if they had allowed one person to take on all the stacks of Restless Souls, then it would have been countless times easier to manage the overall fight. For example, it would have idle for either Halls or Guan Yu to be controlled by the Hand of Darkness. Since they were both te users and Guan Yu, at the very least, possessed the skill Taunting Aura, the situation would have stayed under control. Since Izroth, Guan Yu, and Mariposa were the only three with Restless Souls stacks at the moment, they had to group together to remain safe from the Aura of Death when it arrived. Of course, Halls and Luna did not participate in killing the Netherworld creatures and therefore neither of them acquired any Restless Souls stacks. Unfortunately, she had discovered all of this toote. However, if others found that Zi Yi was disappointed in being "too slow" on uncovering the secrets behind the skills of this kind of rare boss, they would curse under their breath and think that she was trying to intentionally brag. As the fight went on, now that everyone was on the same page with Zi Yi¡¯s new findings, the boss fight became incredibly smooth and organized. 35%... 30%... 25%... "You will regret this day for all eternity." Nekrostis bellowed as it prepared to use the Hand of Darkness. Its target this time was Izroth who currently had the most stacks of Restless Souls. "Luna!" Zi Yi signaled. As she did so, Luna wasted no time and immediately targeted Izroth with her voice magic. "Sleep." Luna said as her voice reverberated throughout the chambers and washed over Izroth at the very moment he was affected by the Hand of Darkness. Even Nekrostis was affected by Luna¡¯s voice magic, however, that did notst long given its increased resistance to all crowd control effects, especially those such as sleep. The twenty seconds passed without issue and just as the Hand of Darkness skill ended, Luna¡¯s voice magic wore off and Izroth immediately rejoined the fight. 20%... Nekrostis used the Aura of Death skill once again, but the group was already ready for it. Izroth¡¯s party had befortable with the strategy they were using against the rare boss and quickly shaved away at its HP until it finally reached the 10% mark. 15%... 10%... ¡´Battle Alert: Nekrostis has entered into an enraged state!¡µ After hitting the 10% mark, Nekrostis entered into an enraged state and experienced a massive power boost. ?Blocked? -5,295 +3,058 -5,295 +3,495 Luna cast Heal, then Holy sh Heal after Halls took on that second attack. The amount of damage Nekrostis was dealing exceeded that of what Luna could heal for per second. In other words, it would soon reach a point where Luna¡¯s heals were insufficient to keep Halls alive. However, Luna was not worried in the slightest. Not only did she still have some skills reserved for moments like these, but she felt that she would have no need for them. This was because as soon as Nekrostis hit the 10% mark, everyone went all out with their damaging abilities. Woosh! Two arrows sailed through the air and disappeared into the void before reappearing next to Nekrostis. However, these two arrows were not the same as the usual arrows Zi Yi shot out. There was a strange spiral to them that actually left behind a small fracture in the void on its way out. As soon as the arrows left the void, they fused together and formed a pure ck arrow that pierced through the body of the rare boss. -10,968 Guan Yu, Mariposa, and even Halls went all out on the offensive! As for Izroth, he struck out with his Sword of The Storm as the sound of a thunderp echoed and a bolt of lightning struck down on Nekrostis. -6,260 However, the third sword form was only the prelude for Izroth¡¯s true attack. An overbearing aura epassed his Sword of The Storm. Circting within that aura was a mysterious energy that came from the Essence Izroth had poured into the skill. Not only that but from his stance, one could tell that he was also using the first sword form. With a single swing of his sword, a terrifying energy of destruction spread throughout the atmosphere. ?Critical Hit? -27,419 "Nooooooooooo!" Nekrostis roared as its skeletal structure copsed into a pile of useless bones. It had lost its previous aura and color as the bones return to their original color. "Unruly! You dare go against the Nether Realm?! Know this, insignificant bags of flesh, you have made an enemy today for all of eternity! My master will see that you experience a state worse than death!" Nekrostis voice slowly faded out before disappearing altogether. Soon after, Izroth and his party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Nekrostis, Servant of the Netherworld Envoy!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 859,029 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 36!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +3 stat points for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Netherworld Fame has been decreased by 300!¡µ Loot Table: -Nether Death Torso -Boots of the Nether -Bones of the Netherworld -Concentrated Deathly Essence -Death Chant ¡¯If this was the weing party, I can¡¯t help but wonder what lies guarding the depths of these chambers.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, at the capital city of Amaharpe... There was currently arge group of yers gathered at the entrance to the Mystical Realm Pce. However, unlike the excited looks on their faces that one would expect happy customers to have, everyone appeared to be furious. Standing in front of the doorway that way into the Mystical Realm Pce was Silver Crux with two other yers who looked intimidating. There was an emotionless look in his eyes as he listened to the crowd before him babbling on. "Let us in!" "What gives you the right to hog all the spots?!" "Sage Falls has grown so bold. Are they not afraid of how the other top guilds will react?" "This shop is currently upied by the members of Sage Falls who is shopping at their own leisure. If you wish to rush the members of my Sage Falls, then you¡¯re simply dreaming." Silver Crux said with a smirk on his face. Chapter 252 Trouble At The Mystical Realm Palace, The Bold Sage Falls Everyone red at Silver Crux and could not believe the words that wereing out of his mouth. Did he take them all for naive and gullible fools? The members of Sage Falls were at their own leisure? What nonsense! It was obvious that Sage Falls purposely filled up the shop with their own yers to prevent others from entering inside. Without the owner of the shop or someone who held administrative permission(s) for the shop in question, the NPCs that ran the shop were powerless to do anything about it. Therefore, until the owner of the shop returned to the Mystical Realm Pce, Sage Falls was in total control over who could enter inside. They were acting with such a heavy hand and did not seem to care who they offended in the process. Maybe if it was just the casual yer¡¯s, things would have been a bit more understandable, however, even the members of other top guilds were denied ess into the shop! Had Sage Falls finally snapped and lost their minds? Could they afford to make an enemy of all the top guilds right now? Needless to say, they reported the situation to their guild immediately. The initial reaction was mainly disbelief and amusement. After all, Sage Falls had been severely weakened after the event that hit Amaharpe, therefore, it was illogical for them to take such a bold and open action. Right now, they should be biding their time and rebuilding their strength so as to not fall even further behind. But, after receiving confirmation from multiple sources, that initial amusing feeling hadpletely vanished and was reced by outrage and fury. Who did Sage Falls think they were?! Did yer finally lose his mind? Even if they did manage to hold the shop for now, once the owner returned, they would all be ejected out immediately and probably banned from ever entering again. Was it worth such a huge risk for a short term gain? The answer was obviously no! Maybe there was something they were not seeing yet, but one thing was for certain, Sage Falls could not be allowed to continue on with this unrestrained madness. It had to be stopped at once! At that moment, every big guild within RML began to move against Sage Falls. Meanwhile, at the Sleeping Gardenia temporary headquarters, He Huian had just received confirmation about what was happening at the Mystical Realm Pce. Since Izroth provided the pills to them directly, they had no need to send members there to collect pills as the other guilds did. However, there were still some lower ranked members of Sleeping Gardenia who had yet to receive any pills and went to the Mystical Realm Pce to procure their own. It was not as if Sleeping Gardenia could afford to simply hand out pills to every single member of their guild. After all, the more expensive pills were something that were reserved for the core and elite members. If anyone else outside of that specific group wanted a grade three or grade two pill, then they would have to purchase it using their own gold or RMB, not Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s. But because of that, it quickly circted and since He Huian was in charge of things in Amaharpe while Mariposa was away, the news eventuallynded in herp. "Ridiculous!" He Huian had a quiet and reserved type of personality and so she rarely ever lost her temper. However, she was absolutely livid after reading that message! Sleeping Gardenia had a direct connection with the Mystical Realm Pce and its owner, Izroth. Whenever the Mystical Realm Pce benefited, so too did their Sleeping Gardenia since they currently had a share of the profits. Right now, Sage Falls was practically crippling a source of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s ie which by itself was uneptable on all levels! Since it was such a serious matter, He Huian contacted both Izroth and Mariposa about what was currently going on. Not only that, but she also sent a message to Valkyria, recalling her to Amaharpe. Normally, He Huian would not have the authority to recall Valkyria since the Lotus Guard was not under her jurisdiction, but Mariposa had given her that authority given the current circumstances. "I¡¯m heading over. You two will apany me." He Huian said as she picked out two members of Sleeping Gardenia to apany her to the Mystical Realm Pce. ... "Do you want to turn back? I can even lend you a Returning Scroll if you don¡¯t already have one." Mariposa said in a serious tone of voice. After disturbing the loot and being in a good mood with the defeat of a rare boss, Izroth and his group had temporarily halted their journey deeper into the tomb after receiving a disturbing message from He Huian about what was going on at the Mystical Realm Pce. Needless to say, everyone immediately became infuriated when Mariposa exined what was taking ce within Amaharpe. "We have to go back and teach those punks a lesson they¡¯ll never forget! Hmph, blocking off my brother¡¯s shop? They must not wish to live any longer!" Guan Yu said with a darkened expression on his face. It was almost as if he had forgotten that Amaharpe was a safe zone that one could not fight in. "I agree! We can¡¯t just let them take over and not go back. Besides, we¡¯ll still have plenty of time to return to this ce after taking care of those guys." Halls said in an upset manner. Luna, on the other hand, was silent. But, even though she was not as loud and outspoken about it as Guan Yu and Halls, the look in her eyes said it all. It was an icy cold and distant look with ayer of fury hidden underneath. Izroth was always the one helping them one way or another, therefore, if anyone wanted to be his enemy, then they would have to be their enemy as well! Zi Yi frowned and said, "I just don¡¯t understand. Why would Sage Falls do something so foolish? There¡¯s only much to lose, not gain from their aggressive actions. They have to know that Izroth can simply kick them all out once he returns to his shop. What¡¯s their end game?" "Who knows? You have to remember, some people are simply born fools, my adorable little sister." Mariposa stated. Mariposa then turned her attention back towards Izroth who had not yet answered her question. However, she was secretly startled by how calm Izroth appeared to be. There was no rage, or anger visible on his face. It was that same as usual carefree expression of his. But, that was when Mariposa noticed something else about Izroth. He was not just as calm as usual, no, he was even calmer than his usual self. That level of calmness was frightening because it made it impossible to tell what was going on through his mind at the moment. But, Mariposa knew one thing for sure, Izroth was the type of person to take such a tant p to his face and do nothing in return. "I gave He Huian permission to recall Valkyria back to Amaharpe. However, in the end, she¡¯ll only be able to act as a deterrent element to the situation at hand. If Sage Falls chooses to stay even after seeing how serious we are, then only you will be able to do anything about it since it¡¯s a safe zone. If you want to go back, no one will me you." Mariposa exined. "No, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll continue on our way into the chambers." Izroth spoke in a calm and steady manner as he resumed walking deeper into the underground chambers. Everyone was unsure if they had just heard Izroth correctly. Did he just say no to returning to Amaharpe? "Brother, you can¡¯t be serious, right? Those shameless scum have no respect or decency! Are we really just going to let them off so easily?" Guan Yu questioned as he quickly followed after Izroth. He was confused by Izroth¡¯s reaction. If it were him, he¡¯d be storming back to Amaharpe already to kick everyst one of them out of his shop! Guan Yu was not the only one who was surprised by Izroth¡¯s decision. Everyone else felt the same way as him. In fact, it was strange that Izroth was the only person here who seemed to be the least bothered with it. "Let them off?" Izroth said as he halted his steps. He then turned to face everyone with a nonchnt smile on his face. However, that nonchnt smile sent shivers down the spine of everyone present. There was something about it that simply gave them the chills. "I n to eradicate them. Sage Falls will cease to exist, that¡¯s all." Izroth stated as he turned back around and started walking again. Eradicate them? Sage Falls will cease to exist? What bold statements! Even if Sage Falls was in a weakened state, they were still one of the top ten guilds. If it had been anyone else who said those words, they would have simplyughed it off as mere nonsense. But, for some reason, when those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, there was not a shred of doubt in their minds that he truly nned to eradicate Sage Falls! Since Izroth himself had already spoken about the matter, no one continued to question him about it and followed after him into the depths underground chambers. There was a strange silence present as they traveled forward and only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. The atmosphere felt incredibly heavy and just by looking at Izroth, it was as if there was an invisible pressure around him. ¡¯Is it bravery, or mere stupidity? Either way, it seems I have be far too lenient with my enemies since I¡¯vee to this world. Very well, if they wish to force my hand, so be it.¡¯ ... Fifteen minutester... As Izroth and his party moved closer to the depth¡¯s of the underground chambers, they came across a few Netherworld creatures roaming around. However, they were mostly just weak normal monsters that were easy to deal with, a far cry from their initial weing party. That heavy pressure that was being released by Izroth had recently faded and the mood of the group had be a little better as Halls and Guan Yu tried to lighten things up. A few momentster, Izroth¡¯s party came before three tombstones. The sound of wind chimes grew louder as it turned from an almost pleasant tone into a screeching and crying noise. The Vozrak¡¯s Gift within the palm of Izroth¡¯s hand was reacting to something nearby. Of course, it could only be one thing given the purpose of the item itself. ¡¯It¡¯s close. The lost page from the Book of Beginnings.¡¯ "Isn¡¯t there some way to turn that thing off?" Guan Yu yelled with a frown on his face as he covered his ears. However, after a few more seconds of crying out, the sound suddenly stopped without warning. "Eh? It turned off?" Guan Yu removed his hands from his ears as the sound disappeared. He did not expect it to really stop. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he felt something or someone lurking nearby. It was as if thousands or even millions of eyes were staring at him from the darkness. But, he soon found out that was not the case at all. ¡¯It¡¯s not me they¡¯re looking at, it¡¯s Vozrak¡¯s Gift.¡¯ Ooooooom! Oooooooom! Every few seconds, a pulse of violet light would spread throughout the underground chambers followed by the loud noise of a metal rod mming into another piece of metal. The violet light became darker and the sound louder with every pulse that went by. "Something¡¯sing." Izroth said as everyone had already gone on full alert mode. Ooom... The soundpletely died down, however, a hue of violet light remained within the chambers. A few secondster, a portal around fifteen meters opened up just above the three tombstones on the ground. All of a sudden, massive hand followed by an arm made its way out of the portal! Chapter 253 Lunas Chilling Ailmen The huge hand that appeared from out of nowhere was even bigger than the Shadahi Izroth had met in the throne room while he was within the Shadahi Realm, Syxirius. The death aura being emitted from that mysterious giant arm was many times more vicious than that of Nekrostis. The arm seemed to pour out of the portal as if there was no end to it, however, after reaching out a bit over thirty meters from within the portal, it came to an abrupt halt. It almost appeared as though a powerful force was preventing it from crossing over all the way into their world. "If it¡¯s arm alone is that huge, how massive must its entire body be?" Guan Yu said with a hint of shock in his voice. Of course, he was not the only one who was shocked. As the others observed the massive arm that reeked of the aura of death, they were left momentarily speechless. Whatever creature this was, judging by the size of its arm alone, it was even bigger than the Behemoth Basbus that appeared during the Protector of Amaharpe event! Just the palm of that creature¡¯s palm alone was enough to squash most boss monsters to death with a single p. ¡¯It¡¯s trembling.¡¯ It was not the creature¡¯s arm or hand that was trembling, but rather, the Vozrak¡¯s Gift that was in his possession. All of a sudden, a vast amount of pure magical energy rushed out of the S-ranked item and the small orb within Izroth¡¯s hand,unched itself towards the hand of that massive arm. BOOM! Everyone was stunned when they witnessed the item in Izroth¡¯s hand jump out to attack that monstrous arm. How fearless! The entire underground chambers shook violently when Vozrak¡¯s Gift collided with the palm of the creature¡¯s hand. However, it did not take long for the vast magical energy to cease pouring out of the item as it was smacked away by the creature¡¯s hand effortlessly. Even Izroth was a little surprised by the oue. While he knew that the creature was much stronger than Nekrostis, he could not determine its full strength from a simple arm. But, even if Vozrak¡¯s Gift was not an offensive magical item, it was still an S-ranked item created by a legendary being within RML! To p it away so effortlessly meant that the creature was immensely powerful! Vozrak¡¯s Gift retreated back into Izroth¡¯s inventory. The sound of the wind chimes was extremely faint and almost sounded like a light whistle. ¡¯To make an S-ranked item retreat as if it was child¡¯s y. What kind of creature is trying to escape from this portal?¡¯ Although Izroth was always up for a challenge, he realized that there were limitations that simply could not be ignored within RML. Even if he fought at full strength with his current level of power, he would be unable to kill beings like Syxirius, Gilidore, Vozrak, or this creature before him. There would oncee a day when he gained the power to sweep across any enemy that stood in his path, just as he had done in the Seven Realms. This was something Izroth was confident in aplishing. However, it would take time and this was something that he understood. After all, bravery and stupidity were just two different sides of the same coin. A blurry line that one could easily mistake one for the other. "It¡¯s not doing anything." Halls said with a frown on his face. After that giant hand pped away Vozrak¡¯s Gift, it just sat motionlessly and ignored Izroth and the others as if they were not even there. "There¡¯s no information about the creature on the other side, however, it must be massive given the size of its arm. Maybe it¡¯s ignoring us because it doesn¡¯t¡¯ perceive us to be a threat?" Zi Yi spected. "No threat? Should we test that theory?" Guan Yu said as he brandished his guandao. However, Zi Yi quickly stopped him and yelled, "Are you an idiot?! Do you want to get us all killed?!" Guan Yu shrunk back and spoke in an apologetic manner as he replied, "It was just a joke, a joke." Zi Yi released a long sigh as she shook her head and said, "I don¡¯t know how much longer I can survive your sense of humor. I think you¡¯ve already managed to shave a few years off my life..." Zi Yi muttered thest part to herself. Mariposa giggled and said, "It¡¯s good to see you enjoying yourself, my adorable little sister." "Bah! Enjoy your head! Who¡¯s enjoying themselves? Do you see what I have to deal with every day?" Zi Yi scoffed. However, despite her words, Mariposa could tell that her younger sister truly was enjoying herself. But, it was not something she would so openly admit to. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth looked over towards Luna who had been silent this whole time as everyone was talking and trying to figure out a solution to their current problem. Zi Yi, Mariposa, and Guan Yu went to search around for anything strange or unusual. As for Halls, he stayed behind and did not let his sights off of the mysterious giant arm. If it tried to make a move, then he would have to act as the first line of defense. Luna, however, had a paleplexion ever since the appearance of that giant arm. This was not the first time Izroth noticed a change. Ever since they had arrived within the tomb, Luna became extremely ufortable. Izroth¡¯s first thought was that Luna was afraid of dark eerie ces like this, however, she had traveled with him to the Shadahi Realm, as well as, the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Even in the Netherworld Mist facing those specters, she waspletely fine. Therefore, Izroth had a difficult time believing that she was scared. Maybe she was just feeling ill? Whatever it was, Izroth would find out. "Are you feeling ill?" Izroth asked. If she was, then Izroth did not mind calling off this quest for now. After all, they still had plenty of time toplete it even if they chose to dy it for a bit longer. However, Luna shook her head and ced her hands on her both of her arms as she shivered. As she exhaled a breath of air, one could actually see cold frost leaving her mouth. But, the strange thing was that it was not nearly cold enough in this location for that to happen. Also, even if she was sick in the real world, it would definitely not have this kind of effect on her within RML. Therefore, there had to be something about this ce that did not sit well with Luna, be it her ss, a specific skill, or her race. "I-I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I suddenly f-feel so cold and yet, nothing in the b-battle logs or system alerts shows that anything is wrong..." Luna struggled to speak as her shivering became even worse than before. It had been somewhat hidden before, but now, it was obvious and anyone would notice with a mere nce. "Your forehead..." Izroth watched as an unknown and ancient looking symbol formed at the center of Luna¡¯s forehead. It was the same symbol that appeared where the green liquid touched that Zelfyrion used to evoke Luna¡¯s transformation into a member of the Trephasia race. Back then, that symbol had disappeared into her forehead and never showed itself again after Luna¡¯s initial transformation. However, for some reason, that symbol had now made its appearance once again. ¡¯Could she be undergoing a second kind of transformation?¡¯ "Eh? You okay Luna?" Halls asked as he went over to see what was wrong. He had been secretly grinning after seeing that Izroth took the initiative to talk to Luna alone, however, he felt a chill run down his spine. That was when he realized that Luna was practically as white as snow! Not only that, but she was so cold that every time she breathed out, a small cold wave spread throughout the area. There was not much that Izroth knew about the Trephasia race, therefore, he could only specte aimlessly. But, there was someone in their party who was more knowledgable when it came to this type of stuff. Izroth quickly recalled Zi Yi and the others to join them so that they could figure out what was going on. "I¡¯ve never heard or read about anything like this happening to a member of the Trephasia race. There are still too many unknown variables to take into consideration when ites down to it. But, it could be something as simple as a secret skill she has been affected by. We just don¡¯t have enough information." Zi Yi stated with a visible frown on her face. Secret skills were incredibly rare, even for bosses or environments like this to have. They were skills that did not show up on the battle logs at all. Even if a yer was affected by one, they would not realize it until they died or eliminated the source of the secret skill. However, most yers did not even know secret skills existed, therefore, Zi Yi took a moment to exin it to everyone to save some time. ¡¯Secret skill? It¡¯s certainly a possibility. However...¡¯ The thing that bugged Izroth the most was that symbol that appeared on Luna¡¯s forehead. Its appearance was the main reason he believed that it was directly connected to her race, however, in the end, it was only mere spection at best. "Interesting, if this really does have something to do with her being a member of the Trephasia race, then this could be some kind of... Allergic reaction? I suppose that¡¯s the best way to put it." Mariposa theorized after learning of Luna¡¯s condition. "Allergic reaction...?" Zi Yi muttered to herself. After thinking about it for a bit, she started to recall all the information she had on the Trephasia race. Although it was not much, it was still enough toe up with a rough idea of what was going on, even if it was a bit of a stretch. "That¡¯s possible... If we think about how strong the life energy of the average Trephasia is, as well as, how closely connected to nature and life of the world, then it could be as simple as Luna being well, sick." Zi Yi said. "Sick? Is it even possible for someone to get sick in RML?" Guan Yu said in a tone filled with disbelief. This was not reality, how could one get sick ying a VRMMORPG? "Of course, the death energy...! Can it be that it¡¯s-" Just as Mariposa was about to follow up on what Zi Yi had to say, all of a sudden, the giant arm that had remained motionless all along began to squirm around violently. BOOM! BANG! An intense wave of tremors shot throughout the underground chambers and caused some of the earth to split and chunks of earth to fall from the ceiling of the chambers. "It¡¯s moving!" Halls said as he immediately positioned himself towards the front of the group. ¡´System Alert: Warning! A rupture in space is forming in the immediate vicinity!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! A portal to the Netherworld is being forced open!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the quest ?Halt The Invasion?, do you ept?¡µ Woosh! Before Izroth even had time to read over the quest information, he went on full alert mode. Izroth narrowed his eyes and moved to unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. He felt two presences closing in fast on their current location! Too fast! He did not even have time to fully unsheath his sword and distinguish who or what it could before two figures were already standing in front of him. Izroth had a surprised look in his eyes. He actually recognized the two individuals that had arrived! ¡¯It¡¯s them..! But, what is she doing outside of that ce?¡¯ Chapter 254 New Arrivals! This was thest ce Izroth expected to see the two who appeared before him. The rest of the party was stunned because to them, it seemed like two strangers had suddenly teleported out of nowhere as the massive arm was going on a rampage! How could they not be frightened by the aspect of dealing with an additional two enemies? However, after the initial shock passed, everyone let out a small sigh of relief. This was due to the fact that it was not enemies who arrived, but people that could be considered reinforcements. "I recognize him from that time in the pce, however, the woman with him is a new face." Mariposa said. "Young man, it seems that you always find a way to get yourself into troublesomemitments. On should spend their youthful days enjoying life instead of worrying about such things. Then again, I would have never chosen you if that were the case." A man said as he held a woman in his arms. He gently put her down and allowed her feet to touch the ground before standing up straight. "You sure gave us a bit of extra work to dost time we met, old man." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. "I can only travel so far in my old age. I¡¯m sure you understand." The man who spoke was the first powerful individual he had met within RML, the Combat Master Gear. At the moment, he was in his more youthful form. The woman along with him whose feet had just touched the ground was none other than the Seer Tererestiaa! "Last time I checked, the dangerous mountain regions are much closer to Amaharpe than this ce." Izroth said. "Ah, it looks like I¡¯ve been caught. You¡¯ve grown much stronger since we¡¯vest met. That¡¯s a nice Source you¡¯ve managed to get your hands on." Gear spoke with arge smile on his face. However, he was secretly shocked inside. How did Izroth get his hands on a Source? Even if it was in its infancy stage, it was still an incredible feat! ¡¯Source?¡¯ Gear then turned his attention towards the massive arm. From the moment he arrived on the scene, that mysterious arm had grown cautious due to his presence. It was no longer rampaging about and it almost seemed as if the deathly energy around it was building up and bing more concentrated. Izroth had no idea what Gear was talking about when he mentioned the word Source. However, after seeing how focused Gear was on that mysterious arm, Izroth chose to hold off on his questions for now. Right now, Gear and the massive arm were both looking for an opening to exploit. However, neither of them were the first to make a move and simply observed one another for the time being. But, both sides knew that even though a single blow had not yet been exchanged, the fight had already begun. Tererestiaa approached Izroth with a small smile on her face as she said, "It is unfortunate that we continue to meet under dire circumstances." "I never expected to see you roaming outside the Lake of Tears. I assume the situation is bing increasingly unstable if even you were willing to leave the seal to the Shadahi Realm unguarded." Izroth stated. "The path that the all-seeing goddess hasid out before me is one that I must follow until the very end. This is my duty." Tererestiaa turned around as she spoke and stepped in front of Luna. At the moment, Luna¡¯s skin had lost all its color and she was extremely pale. The ancient symbol on her face emitted a faint green light and it was pulsating like a heartbeat. Luna had a difficult time lifting her head as she felt as though she waspletely frozen from head to toe. However, she still managed to lift her head and see Tererestiaa, even though the image was blurry. She had lost her ability to speak and all Luna could hear was faint whispers and echoes going on around here. Luna believed that she was slipping into a world of pure istion. "Do you know what¡¯s wrong with her?" Zi Yi asked in a concerned manner. "Her body is in a state of turmoil and internal conflict. Entering into a ce that contains such a heavy amount of deathly energy while being a member of the Trephasia race only sped up a process that was ultimately inevitable." Tererestiaa exined as she ced her index finger onto the symbol upon Luna¡¯s forehead. "It seems that we were only partially correct. However, we still missed the mark by quite a bit." Mariposa said. "Indeed, we would have never thought about conflicting powers. But, how is that even possible?" Zi Yi questioned. "Human blood, Trephasia blood, deathly energy, the Seer Sigil, and this is... a Source...?! I see, no wonder she¡¯s in this state..." Tererestiaa said as she furrowed her brows. Seer Sigil? Source? These were things that no one within Izroth¡¯s party had even heard of before today. However, they understood that things were not looking too positive at the moment. "Will you be able to fix it?" Izroth asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. Tererestiaa stayed silent at first, however, a few momentster she responded, "Since both her Seer Sigil and Source are in their infancy stages, I should have no problem curing her. However, it will take some time that we might not have." "We¡¯ll buy you all the time you need." Izroth said as he epted the quest Halt The Invasion. After reading over that quest, Izroth could more or less guess why Gear had traveled to this ce. Quest Name: Halt The Invasion Rmended Level: 40 Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: S Quest Objective: A powerful entity is attempting to break through the portal with its massive army. Once the portal to the Netherworld ispletely opened, closing it will take a herculean effort and there is no guarantee that it can ever be closed again. Stop the opening of the portals from the Netherworld and halt the invasion of the Legion of the Nether Realm! ?Empress Brooch?. Time Limit: 30 Minutes 0/11 Assist Seer Tererestiaa in sealing all portals that appear within the underground chambers. 0/1 Halt the invasion of the Legion of the Nether Realm. 0/1 Assist Gear in forcing the mysterious entity to retreat back into the Netherworld. 0/1 Obtain and contain the mysterious ?Lost Page?. Quest Item: -x2 Half Mark Sealing Totem Reward: -x1 Lost Page -Prevent an invasion from the Netherworld. Failure: -Lose 3 levels -Fail world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings? -Invasion from the Netherworld Item Name: Half Mark Sealing Totem(Quest Item) Usage: Channels a powerful sealing spell for 15 seconds when used together with another Half Mark Sealing Totem within 20 meters of the target. After 15 seconds of uninterrupted channeling, the Half Mark Sealing Totem will seal off and close the targeted area of space. The space affected must link two realms to one another. Special Note: This item can only be traded to yers with the world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings?. This item will be destroyed after the quest ?Halt the Invasion? is a sess or failure. As soon as Izroth epted the quest, a small green portal around 3 meters in height appeared on the side of the room inside of the underground chambers. It was not nearly as big as the portal that massive arm was trying to force itself through, however, it was still a threat in its own way. Not too long after that portal appeared, nine small green circles no bigger than the size of a fist, formed within different areas of the chambers. "The Half Mark Sealing Totems working together should be more than enough to seal any portals that open within the underground chamber. As for the main portal, for now, we will have to leave that within more suitable hands until weplete our task. Go, do not allow the forces of the Netherworld to reach this ce. I will take care of this." Tererestiaa said as she turned her full attention towards Luna. While Izroth was unaware of it, if he never possessed such high world fame, as well as, some fame with the all-seeing goddess Heltiaa, then there was no way that Tererestiaa would have trusted him alone with the Half Mark Sealing Totems and such an important task as sealing the portals in this ce. Izroth handed one of the Half Mark Sealing Totems to Zi Yi and the other to Guan Yu. Since yers could not move while channeling a skill or else it would be interrupted, he decided that these two were the best choices to entrust the items to. Halls needed to focus on pulling the aggro of the creatures that would pour in from the portals. Given that they were currently down a healer due to Luna being unable to act at the moment, Izroth needed someone who could control the battlefield and could change ces in a matter of moments. At the same time, that person would also act as their only damage dealer with range. This was something that was well within Mariposa¡¯sfort zone. As for himself, Izroth was their highest damage dealer. Therefore, it would be foolish to keep him out ofmission to channel the Half Mark Sealing Totems. Although Guan Yu was reluctant to miss out on any of the fighting to stand still for fifteen seconds, he knew that Izroth must have had a good reason for choosing him, therefore, he epted his fate. As for the others, there were no disagreements about Izroth¡¯s arrangement. Suuuuuuuuuo! It only took them a matter of seconds to decide everything and just as Izroth finished handing over the Half Mark Sealing Totems, a skeletal creature with the bones of a beast crawled out of the portal that had just opened moments ago. A few momentster, that skeletal creature was followed by around one dozen Undead Netherworld Skeletons. Name: Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast(Elite) Level: 40 HP: 49,222 (100%) Halls was the first to charge forward to intercept the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast, as well as, the dozen skeletons that had appeared along with it. He immediately used Battle Focus to increase his threat level and turn their attention towards him. "Try not to get scratch that battle crazed itch of yours while we¡¯re channeling." Zi Yi reminded Guan Yu as she began to make her way towards the portal to get within channeling range. "Ugh, don¡¯t remind that I can¡¯t fight." Guan Yu said with a sigh as he also moved into position. As Izroth and Mariposa went to engage the creatures crawling out of the portal, a sk appeared within Gear¡¯s hand as he chugged down the contents of the sk. However, no matter how much he consumed from the sk, it seemed to never end. "Ah, that was refreshing..." Gear said with arge grin on his face as he wiped his mouth off using his forearm. "This isn¡¯t a ce that you can visit as you please, old man. You¡¯ll have to choose another location to take a vacation." Gear seemed to be speaking to himself as no one around was older than him. However, a spine chilling voice creeped out of the portal where the massive arm had originallye from. "Hmph, the arrogance of youth. You are strong for a human, however, you are not capable of stopping me. You should be aware of the difference in our strength, human. Do not dy the inevitable." The voice on the other side of the portal said. As the creature behind the portal spoke, violent tremors spread throughout the entire underground chambers and even outside of their current location. Even a simple task such as speaking invoked a powerful response from its surroundings! "Thay may be true, however, you seem to be forgetting one very important detail. If we were face to face on the same level ying field, there¡¯s no doubt that you would have an obvious advantage. However, do you really think you¡¯re my watch with a single arm? If there¡¯s one thing I hate, it¡¯s being looked down on." Gear said as the yful grin on his face vanished. Chapter 255 Some Things You Cant Touch "What the heck? That arm can talk?!" Guan Yu said with an astonished look on his face. "It can talk alright! Brother, it talks even louder than you!" Halls said jokingly as he led the skeletons around on a small chase. Luckily, none of the skeletons were anywhere near as fast as the Puppet Chained Assassins, therefore, Halls had a much easier time maintaining a safe distance. However, he made sure to not stray too far away and still receive a few attacks so that he would not lose the aggro on the creatures. Since Luna was currently out ofmission, Halls would have to rely on sustaining himself without the heals of a healer. Needless to say, he could not be as reckless and straight forward in his attacks as he had been before. "Loud? Hmph, I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m the three-time champion of being loud!" Guan Yu shouted at the top of his lungs as a grin found its way onto his face afterward. He reached the twenty meters mark and held out the Half Mark Sealing Totem, pointing it directly towards the small portal. The Half Mark Sealing Totem was no bigger than 20cm and had the faces of three unknown creatures that looked to be from an ancient period of time. It was made out of strong magical wood and there were multiple inscriptions ced upon the back area of the totem. "You two- You can still fool around even during a time like this?" Zi Yi said as she shook her head and positioned herself exactly twenty meters away from the small portal with one of the Half Mark Sealing Totems in her hands. Zi Yi and Guan Yu activated the sealing totems as countless strands of soft and gentle streams of pure white magical energy drifted towards the portal in the near distance. The white strands of energy danced in the air as they headed in the direction of the portal and as they did so, the white strands began to twirl around one another and weave together. Every time a new strand was weaved into the mix, the level of power would increase exponentially. While the magical energy itself may have appeared gentle to those who saw it, the vast amount of pure energy that was harnessed within every individual strand was astonishing. By the time the white strands reached the portal, it had transformed into a beam of white light. However, if one looked close enough, they could still see the countless strands dancing about and weaving together within the white light. The moment the white light from both Half Mark Sealing Totems made contact with the portal, the portal itself began to destabilize and had its structural integritypromised. The portal than began to shrink and close at a rate of 2cm per second, however, as the seconds ticked by, the rate of the portal¡¯s closure was increasing rapidly. The skeletons that were chasing after Halls came to an abrupt halt and turned their attention towards Zi Yi and Guan Yu. To be more urate, their focus was more on the Half Mark Sealing Totems that were being used. No matter how much threat level Halls had managed to build up, it was uselesspared to the threat the Half Mark Sealing Totems possessed to the Netherworld creatures. The elite skeleton, as well as, the weaker group changed their target to Zi Yi and Guan Yu as they sprinted at full speed. The sound of their bones rattling could be heard as they charged over. Woosh! However, before they could even reach the two, a de had descended upon one of the Undead Netherworld Skeletons that was located at the front of the group. That de came from inside of a spatial rift as a figure shot out right behind it. Soon after, that same de swept the other eleven normal skeletons. In the blink of an eye, the only skeleton that remained standing was the sole elite monster, the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast. Izroth stood before the elite monster and blocked its path. Mariposa had used a spatial rift to send Izroth over as per his request. He then used the same technique as earlier to deal with the weak skeletons. As long as his First Baneful Sword: Destruction was off cooldown, he could one shot the weaker skeletons and reset the cooldown timer for the skill. ¡¯It can even be used in this manner... Interesting.¡¯ Izroth knew that Mariposa was capable of allowing a group to pass through the spatial rifts and travel to different locations. However, those type of skills were usually reserved for out ofbat skills. Therefore, the fact that she was even able to use such a skill in the middle ofbat would be a nightmare for almost anyone to face. ording to Mariposa, due to the way spatial magic functioned within RML, it was not something she could do often considering that she had only learned how to do so after leaving the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Her mastery of spatial magic was still a "drop in the ocean of knowledge" as she stated. ¡¯I will have to use some spare time to look a bit more into the magic of this world.¡¯ The bones from the skeletons that Izroth defeated suddenly rushed towards the elite monster and attached itself to the creature¡¯s skeletal frame. The Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast now looked like a bizarre chimera with the way the bones weretched onto its frame. Its appearance was not the only thing that changed, but its overall power, as well as, its HP also increased. Now, the HP of the elite monster was 96,396. That was nearly twice as much as its original HP value. "Its HP seemed to increase every time one of the weaker skeleton creatures were eliminated. If its power has also increased, then we should consider eliminating it first in the future before dealing with the weaker skeletons." Mariposa stated. Even with Izroth blocking its path, the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast did not decrease its speed and continued to charge towards Guan Yu who was the closest one with a Half Mark Sealing Totem. "Have you forgotten about me already you bag of bones?!" Halls roared as he approached the skeletal beast at a great speed and crashed into its body with his shield leading the charge. BANG! With such a big and easy target to hit, how could Halls not take advantage of Unimpeded Rush to quickly close the distance and stop the skeletal beast in its tracks? After his attack was sessful, the skeletal beast was stunned in ce for two seconds and unable to act. Since the skeletal beast would prioritize Zi Yi and Guan Yu no matter what, it was up to Izroth, Halls, and Mariposa to prevent it fromying a single boney finger on them. Oooooooom! All of a sudden, a second portal not too far away from the first, began to slowly expand. It had been less than 10 seconds and yet a second portal was already beginning to open up! On the bright side, the portal appeared to be expanding at a slow and steady rate of 15cm per second. If it needed to grow to the same size as the portal they were trying to currently close in order to be functional, then they would have around twenty seconds give or take before it was operational. "Another portal is already starting to open and we haven¡¯t even sealed this one yet." Zi Yi said with a frown. The deathly energy building up around the portal was visible to the naked eye and so one could clearly see and hear the second portal expanding. "Then, we¡¯ll just have to hurry up and finish this one." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he kicked off his back foot andunched towards the skeletal beast with his Sword of The Storm in his hands. ... Meanwhile, as Izroth and his party were dealing with the skeletal beast and sealing the first portal, Gear and the mysterious arm had yet to make a move against one another. It was not that Gear was afraid to make a move, it was just that Tererestiaa was still taking care of Luna not too far away from him. If he went on the offensive now then without a doubt, that massive arm would immediately go after the two behind him without hesitation. Therefore, he was simply biding his time until Tererestiaa finished up. "It¡¯s still not toote for you, old monster. If you retreat back to the Netherworld, you may just get to keep your arm this day. Otherwise, I¡¯m sure there are many people who would pay handsomely for your arm." Gear said with a slight smile on his face. "You humans are all the same. It is why your destruction is inevitable. Your kind always strives to reach its hand beyond that which it is capable of grasping into its own palm. Come, let us see how you take the arm of I, Nekrostalmenos, the eternal envoy of the Netherworld." The voice beyond the portal spoke in a cold tone of voice. That voice turned out to belong to the person who this tomb was built for! The tomb of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of the Netherworld! Who knew that the owner of this tomb was such a powerful existence? He was not the ruler of the Netherworld, but an envoy. If that was the case, how powerful was the existence that ruled over the Netherworld? Gear¡¯s strength was unquestionable considering he was one of the seven heroes who survived a fight against that monstrous Shadahi who had almost approached the divine realm. Even though they did not win the actual battle, they still managed to greatly weaken it. He was also able to escape with life intact against such a creature which was an incredible feat in and of itself. For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence between Gear and Nekrostalmenos. However, out of nowhere, one could feel a cold draft within the underground chambers. But, this was not due to something natural like wind sneaking into the underground chambers. At the same time that draft snuck into the chambers, Gear¡¯s figure became distorted and blurry as it started to constantly flicker in and out of existence. To the outside eye, it appeared that Gear and Nekrostalmenos remained motionless. However, that was as far from the truth as possible. In the blink of an eye, Nekrostalmenos used one of his massive fingers to target Tererestiaa and Luna who were practically defenseless, more than twenty times! It was actually able to move one of his fingers at such an incredible speed that the sound was unable to keep up with it! However, Gear was already prepared for this as he used the back palm of his hand to p away all twenty of the creature¡¯s attacks effortlessly. Woooo... BOOM! After a few seconds passed, the sound finally caught up to their movements and a loud thunderp noise reverberated throughout the underground chambers causing a strong gust of wind to blow out in almost all directions. By the time things settled down, one could see Gear standing tall in front of Tererestiaa and Luna with the back of his palm pressed up against the huge finger that Nekrostalmenos attacked with! One had to know that Nekrostalmenos¡¯ finger alone was more than three times the size of Gear! "You seem to know so much about humans, however, you seem to be forgetting one very important fact about our kind." Gear said as his strength began to rise and an overbearing aura started to gather around his body. When he felt Gear¡¯s power rising, Nekrostalmenos immediately attempted to pull back from his attack, however, it was toote. "Most of us are rather overprotective of our children." Gear stated as with a small flick of his wrist, arge stream of ck liquid began to pour from the finger of Nekrostalmenos! "You dare!" Nekrostalmenos¡¯ roared and caused the small tremors to turn into a full-scale earthquake! He was infuriated by the fact that a mere human had dared toy a hand on him. Nekrostalmenos had managed to pull his hand back, however, there was something very important missing from it that Gear was currently holding in one of his hands. "I dare! There are some things you can¡¯t touch, old man. You still have four more of these, however, for how long is another story." Gear said in a nonchnt manner. At the moment, he was holding that huge finger that belonged to Nekrostalmenos over his head with one arm! Gear had ripped off one of the envoy¡¯s fingers! Chapter 256 Closing The Portals To The Netherworld Part 1 Izroth¡¯s party felt the powerful shockwaves wash over their body. That brief sh between Gear and Nekrostalmenos almost caused Zi Yi and Guan Yu to lose their bnce. If that happened, there was a good chance that the channeling from the Half Mark Sealing Totems would have been interrupted. Fortunately, both of them were able to keep their bnce despite the intense earthquakes. "Do they n to bring the entire underground chambers down on us?!" Halls said as the earthquakes and shockwaves finally stopped. Woosh! ?Blocked? -2,505 Halls rose his shield just in time to block the iing whip that shot out from the back area of the skeletal beast. The whip was made out of bones that were incredibly flexible and while it was in motion one would think that it was just a normal whip. However, the bones were still very sturdy and the speed and power behind the strikes were quite troublesome to deal with. "This thing doesn¡¯t quit." Halls said as heshed out with his sword using Ferocity sh to strike the whip made of bones was it pulled back. -1,630 The skeletal beast was still making its way towards Guan Yu, however, the whip made of bones that were on its back did not seem to discriminate against its target and attacked whoever was in range. But, its primary focus was still Guan Yu and Zi Yi who possessed the Half Mark Sealing Totems. "Just a bit more!" Zi Yi said as she watched the portal in the near distance shrink down to itsst few centimeters. While fifteen seconds may not seem like a long time, it felt like an eternity when one was counting every passing moment. The portal that was originally three meters was now only around thirty centimeters. At the same time, the second portal that was opening up had already expanded to around two meters in size. It seemed that the near destruction of the first portal had sped up the second portal¡¯s stabilization process. As the skeletal beast made its charge towards Guan Yu, Izroth¡¯s foot shot out and mmed into the creature. His leg moved like a venomous serpent striking out at its prey without mercy. -3,493 Izroth¡¯s Serpent¡¯s Bite connected with the skeletal beast and caused it to stop dead in its tracks. The paralyze effect from Serpent¡¯s Bite kicked in and immobilized the skeletal beast for two seconds. Izroth¡¯s sword immediately followed after his first attack as it shed against the hardened bones of the skeletal beast. -2,795 Izroth instantly shifted his stance to the first sword form as his de shot towards the skeletal beast with two phantoms lurking behind it; a prelude to the skill Phantom Strike. ?Critical Hit? -2,795 ?Critical Hit? -5,589 ?Critical Hit? -8,384 As Izroth, Halls, and Mariposa rained down attack after attack on the skeletal beast, the two seconds flew by and it was able to move once again. However, just as the beast was ready to take off to attack its intended target, Halls crashed his shield into the creature¡¯s skeletal frame and knocked it to the ground with a single blow. Halls did not stop there, after a bit less than one second passed, he swiftly struck out with his shield as a heavy aura appeared around it as it hit the skeletal beast iling around on the ground. -4,446 -6,669 Since Halls sessfully timed and chained his Shield m and Shield Shield skills together with Izroth¡¯s Serpent¡¯s Bite, the two of them had managed to halt the movement of the skeletal beast for a total of five seconds! During that time, the first portal had finally been sealed by the Half Mark Sealing Totems. Swoosh! -7,320 A guandao came out of seemingly nowhere and burst forward with great momentum that caused the skeletal structure of the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast to fragment and crack. The cracks were caused by the fragmented effect of Guan Yu¡¯s Arc Armor Crusher skill. It increased the damage that the skeletal beast received from all sources by 12%. With that kind of damage increase along with the Holy Blessings enchantment, as well as, the nonexistent physical defense of the skeletal beast, it did notst long under the party¡¯s assault. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated an Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 21,758 EXP!¡µ "Ah, that felt good!" Guan Yu said with arge smile on his face. He did not think that standing and doing nothing for fifteen seconds would be so difficult! Having to watch everyone fight without was a challenging task in and of itself. "Don¡¯t get too excited just yet. The second portal is about to open." Zi Yi reminded Guan Yu. She had a feeling that if she did not remind him that he was holding one of the Half Mark Sealing Totems, then he would charge in head first without any hesitation. After a few seconds passed, the second portal stabilized as creatures of the Netherworld poured out. Just asst time, there were one dozen normal skeletons and one elite Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast. The only difference was that now, there was an elite Netherworld Specter that joined the creatures. "Ugh, those things again!" Halls shivered at the memories of having to always be the one to experience that disgusting and chilling feeling from the Netherworld Specter passing through his body. "We¡¯ll be counting on you, brother." Guan Yu said as a grin formed on his face. He felt a bit better now that he was not the only one suffering from the current arrangement. Izroth and his party moved to take care of the second portal. Since they knew how to deal with the Netherworld Specter, it did not cause any unnecessary trouble. However, they decided to try a different strategy this time. Since no other monsters came through the portal after the initial wave of the first portal opening, Zi Yi suggested that they simply eliminate all the monsters before activating the Half Mark Sealing Totems. Of course, no one objected to it as that would make things a lot easier having two extra damage dealers to quickly take care of the monsters. However, every five seconds, six normal Undead Netherworld Skeletons woulde through the portal. But, if it was just that, then there would not be any issues as the skeletons were not difficult to deal with. After fifteen seconds passed, an additional Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast, as well as, a second Netherworld Specter came from out of the portal! Zi Yi and Guan Yu had to stop fighting and use the Half Mark Sealing Totems in order to prevent any other creatures froming through the portal. "It seems that the Half Mark Sealing Totems not only seals the portals, but it also stops other monsters froming through. I¡¯ve put us into an unfavorable situation, everyone, I¡¯m sorry." Zi Yi said as she furrowed her brows while channeling the Half Mark Sealing Totem. The third portal was already more than halfway open and now they had to deal with four elite monsters at once! Without a healer, this would put Halls in a difficult position as the tank. Not to mention the fact that by the time the second portal was sealed, the third portal would already be opened and they may have to fight the creatures from both portals at the same time. Zi Yi¡¯s mood became extremely gloomy over her mistake. "You saw an opportunity and we went for it. In the end, we all agreed with your suggestion. I am sure no one mes you. After all, who can predict every possibility that the future holds?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. There was nothing wrong with Zi Yi¡¯s suggestion, therefore, Izroth did not put any me on her. It was just unfortunate that more elite monsters would spawn from the portal. "Heh, you¡¯re underestimating my brothers, Zi Yi! Real men can handle a thousand elite monsters if they need to!" Guan Yu said with a burst of heartyughter. "Indeed, you can just leave things to us, my adorable little sister. Who would dare me you while I¡¯m here?" Mariposa said with a lovely smile on her face. Zi Yi inwardly sighed. She shook her head as her gloomy mood disappeared. Everyone was trying to cheer her up, however, how could she allow herself to be gloomy over one mistake? Mistakes were nothing to be ashamed of as long as one learned from them. Zi Yi could not help but feel good inside at the fact that no one pointed any fingers at her or criticized her, instead, they actually tried to cheer her up! If she stayed sulking after that, then how could she ever hold her head high around them again? A look of determination found its way into Zi Yi¡¯s eyes as she said, "I won¡¯t let it happen again." Now that Zi Yi and Guan Yu were focusing solely on sealing the portals, the creatures were no longer pouring through. This time when Zi Yi and Guan Yu used the Half Mark Sealing Totems on the portal, all of the creatures did not rush over towards them. It was only the normal skeleton monsters and one of the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast that headed for the two of them. As for the other elite skeletal beast and the two Netherworld Specters, their main focus was still locked onto Halls. ¡¯Could it be that one skeletal beast will always break off to attack those attempting to seal the portal?¡¯ Izroth spected on the matter a bit, however, it was still too early to tell. But, Izroth¡¯s biggest concern at the moment was the four elite monsters running wild. After thinking it over a bit, it did not take long for Izroth to make his decision. "I¡¯ll be taking care of the monsters that spawn from the second and third portals." Izroth said. Izroth removed a crimson pill with a faint yellow aura lingering around it from his inventory. It was the Two-Sr Extremities Pill! Zi and the others were shocked by his actions as witnessed Izroth remove that pill from his inventory. The situation was not so desperate that it required one of those pills to be consumed! "Wait, that¡¯s..." Mariposa muttered to herself as she noticed something strange about the pill Izroth had in his hands. It looked just like the Two Sr Extremities Pill, except, there was something off about it. The aura around the pill was not yellow, but gold in color. That was because the pill in Izroth¡¯s hand was indeed a Two Sr Extremities Pill, however, it had been affected by the Blessing of Craft from Izroth¡¯s Natural Pill Master trait! Name: Two Sr Extremities Pill(III) Rank: Grade-Three Usage:... ?Sr Extremity?:... ?Lunar Touch?: The duration of ?Sr Extremity? is reduced by 20 seconds. The stat reduction received from the ?Sr Extremity? after its effect(s) wears off is negated. The effective usage time period for the ?Two Sr Extremities Pill? is negated. The effects of ?Lunar Touch? only works once every 48 hours. Special Note:... Izroth consumed the pill and immediately after doing so, his overall power shot through the roof! His attack had shot up to 3,726! ¡¯If things get too troublesome, I¡¯ll still be able to use the Two Sr Extremities Pill, however, I¡¯ll have to deal with the side effects of the Sr Extremity at that time. It¡¯s too risky if two portals are open at the same time. If we fall too far behind, we may end up bing overrun by the creatures thate out of the portal. Besides...¡¯ An overbearing aura infused with mysterious energy appeared around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm as he swept it towards the weak point of the skeletal beast that was rushing towards Zi Yi and Guan Yu. The moment the sword¡¯s de made contact with the skeletal beast, its movements came to an abrupt halt. Not too long after, its skeletal structure copsed and all that was left behind was a pile of bones! ¡¯I have not personally had the opportunity to test the Two Sr Extremities Pill.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -55,890 Chapter 257 Closing The Portals To The Netherworld Part 2 Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destructionpletely obliterated the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast with a single blow! The original HP of the skeletal beast was only 49,222. The reason it spiked upst time was due to the death of the Undead Netherworld Skeletons that was apanying it. Therefore, Izroth¡¯s attack with the Two Sr Extremities Pill and some of his Essence infused into it was enough to take care of a level 40 elite monster like the skeletal beast. Even though the skeletal beast did not have as much HP as the average elite monster that was around its level and its defensive capabilities were practically nonexistent, in the end, it was still an elite monster that should not be too looked down upon. After all, how many yers within RML could deal over 55,000 damage at this time even with the skeletal beastcking defenses? Even if there were any others, then they could only be counted on one¡¯s fingers. Izroth¡¯s increased damage output from the Two Sr Extremities Pill, as well as, the Holy Blessings enchantment made his damage soar through the roof. On the downside, he was currently a ss cannon. This meant that while he was able to dish out an insane level of damage, he could be taken care of with a single hit thanks to the other side effects of the Two Sr Extremities Pill. If Izroth had to say what he wascking at the moment it would be a sturdier defense and more defensive style moves. Even if he as focused more on power and speed, he understood that there would be certain situations where taking damage was inevitable. After all, some bosses or elite monsters possessed skills that could not be avoided no matter what the yer did. ¡¯The fifth sword form should temporarily remedy my weak defenses without taking away from my power or speed in the process. There¡¯s also the Iron Body Pill, however...¡¯ As Izroth was thinking to himself, in a nonchnt and carefree manner, he sped throughout the battlefield and dashed towards the second skeletal beast. The moment the first skeletal beast was eliminated by Izroth, the second skeletal beast had turned its attention towards the holders of the Half Mark Sealing Totems. However, before the skeletal beast could even start making its way over, a cold de descended upon it and just like itspanion, its skeletal structure copsed into a pile of bones. Thanks to the cooldown reset attached to his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, Izroth was able to take out the second Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast in one shot as well. Everyone could only let out a helpless sigh in amazement as they witnessed Izroth¡¯s strength. Every time they believed the power gap was closing, Izroth would pull something out of his sleeves that showed that his overall power had increased once again. "Indeed, a good choice..." Mariposa muttered under her breath. Thebat master ss was far from a sensible choice whenpared to other sses. After all, how difficult was it for abat master to survive within RML without a second ss upgrade? The fact that Izroth was able to pull off such a feat while being abat master was something that everyone dreamed of, but no one dared to imagine. It did not take long for Izroth to finish off the normal Undead Netherworld Skeletons and that remained and, in the end, the only monsters left were the two Netherworld Specters. However, Izroth¡¯s current attack was at a monstrous level, therefore, the Netherworld Specters did not survive for more a few seconds under Izroth¡¯s and his party¡¯s assault. A few momentster, the Half Mark Sealing Totems sessfully sealed the second portal and the third portal was rapidly expanding in the near distance. "Why don¡¯t we just seal the portals before they open?" Guan Yu asked. Would it not be easier for them to just seal the portals that had not been opened yet? "Do you really think the system would give us such an easier S-ranked quest? Besides, it clearly states on the Half Mark Sealing Totems that only space that links two different realms together can be affected by it. In other words, until the portal is stabilized and the first wave of creatureses out, the two realms are not technically linked rendering the totems useless." Zi Yi exined. "I was just saying is all..." Guan Yu mumbled under his breath. As they moved into position and waited for the next portal to open, everyone set their sights on Izroth. At the moment, he was still affected by the Two Sr Extremities Pill which released an overbearing aura. "You were too hasty in taking that pill." Zi Yi said to Izroth with a sigh as she shook her head. While it was true that their situation was unfavorable, could they afford to have Izroth in a weakened state for 30 seconds after the pill effects ended? After all, who knew what kind of dangers the third portal would hold? They needed every ounce of strength when facing the unknown. "It won¡¯t be a problem." Izroth said as he briefly exined the Lunar Touch effect that the Blessing of the Craft provided. "You can even create pills like this?" Mariposa spoke in a tone filled with disbelief. If those pills could be mass-produced then... Izroth, however, shook his head and replied, "The prerequisite for creating a Two Sr Extremities Pill that has the Lunar Touch affect added is miniscule at best. It¡¯s not something I have any control over." Even with his luck stat, out of over 30,000 pills, Izroth had only managed to craft a total of 41 pills that were influenced by the Blessing of the Craft. Although they knew about the improved version of the Five Cycles Pill, they had no idea about what was behind its sudden enhancement. Of course, their first thought was that Izroth simply found better ingredients to use. But, who would have thought that he actually had something like the Natural Pill Master trait? Though when they really thought about it, it made perfect sense. The third portal had finally stabilized and the moment the first wave of monsters came through, Zi Yi, as well as, Guan Yu were prepared. The Half Mark Sealing Totems immediately started to work on sealing the portal. As for the monsters, they were almost the same creatures from the second portal, except there were no Netherworld Specters this time around. Also, the number of Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast increased from one to two and the normal skeletons doubled in number to two dozen. Izroth only had around fifteen seconds remaining on the pill effects, therefore, he took action the instant the Netherworld creatures stepped out of the portal. Halls was grateful that Izroth was able to give him some breathing room. To be honest, he was trying his best to preserve his lifesaving skills for unforeseen events. Therefore, he was only relying on solely on healing potions to regain any lost HP. However, the cooldown timer on healing potions was too long for the constant amount of fighting they were doing. In the end, potions could not rece a healer. This was even more so when the healer was someone as skilled as Luna. But, after having a chance to regain his footing and having some time to catch his breath, Halls felt like he had just received a second wind. In less than fifteen seconds, the third portal was sealed. It went much faster than thest two, mostly thanks to Izroth, and the fourth portal was only around a quarter of the way formed. Needless to say, the effects of the Two Sr Extremities Pill ended not too long after they sessfully closed the third portal. It put them back into a favorable position and allowed them to rest for a brief moment. "Can we keep this up seven more times? Something tells me that it¡¯s only going to be increasingly difficult as we go forward. It would make me feel more reassured if we had a healer." Mariposa said as she looked over in the direction where Luna should be along with Tererestiaa. However, Luna was not within her line of sight thanks to that massive arm being in the way. "I¡¯m sure Tererestiaa¡¯s doing everything in her power to help Luna. Until then, all we can do is continue to wait." Zi Yi stated. She would have also have liked for Luna to be here with them, but she understood that they had no choice but to simply do their best and push forward. Izroth furrowed her brows as he set his gaze on that massive arm. ¡¯The deathly energy gathering around that arm is rising by the second.¡¯ Izroth was not worried about Luna¡¯s safety since he knew that Gear would not let anything happen to her. Instead, he was more concerned about the deathly energy converging to the location of that massive arm. Izroth understood that if that creature broke through the portal, then only chaos would follow. A few momentster, the fourth portal opened. They wasted no time to engage the Netherworld creatures. Soon enough, Izroth and his party fought through the fourth portal, then the fifth portal, and eventually the sixth portal. The difficulty level of each portal varied, however, the overall strength of the creatures did not change much and no more than two elite monsters spawned during the initial wave of each portal. At least, this was the case until they reached the seventh portal. That is when the difficulty level of this quest suddenly skyrocketed. There was only a single elite monster that spawned from the portal, but it was a headache to deal withpared to the previous creatures. Name: Netherworld Terror(Elite) Level: 41 HP: 145,290 (87%) The Netherworld Terror was a different breed of elite monsterpared to the Netherworld Specter and the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast. It was, but definition, a vicious creature. It was around two meters tall, not as big as the skeletal beast. However, it had an incredibly thin body and its skin was pitch ck as if the creature had grown up in a ce thatcked any source of light. Its eyes were shaped like diamonds that were blood red in color and it had three of them. The creature had no mouth, but it still somehow emitted this strange clicking sound. The Netherworld Terror did not possess hands or feet, instead, in the ce where those things should have been located were perfectly sharp and ded curves. The creature¡¯s thin and unique frame gave it amazing flexibility and agility. As for power, the strikes behind its sharp limbs was nothing to scoff at. However, if it were only those things to worry about then the Netherworld Terror would not pose a higher threat than the average elite monster. What made the Netherworld Terror so dangerous were two specific skills in its arsenal, Nether Pull, and Returning Abyss. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Zi Yi has been targeted by the Netherworld Terror¡¯s ?Nether Pull?¡µ An invisible force epassed Zi Yi and prevented her from channeling the Half Mark Sealing Totem. That was not all, Zi Yi was pulled directly in front of the Netherworld Terror and stopped only two meters away from the creature. She had just been standing more than fifteen meters away from the battle! "Again?! So annoying!" Halls said as he quickly positioned in between Zi Yi and the Netherworld Terror with his shield raised before him. Ding! Ding! ?Blocked? -1,885 ?Blocked? -1,885 -150 The limbs of the Netherworld Terror gave off the sound of metal when striking against Halls¡¯ shield. The first time around the creature had grabbed Mariposa with its Nether Pull. Now, less than ten secondster, it had grabbed ahold of Zi Yi and interrupted the channeling of the Half Mark Sealing Totems. Halls had also been affected by a DOT, better known as a damage over time skill, that ticked for 150 fixed damage every one second. That meant he was losing 1,500 HP every ten seconds. However, it was not himself that he was worried about. The same DOT that was affecting him was also damaging everyone else. While they could temporarily sustain themselves with health potions, it would obviously not be enough to deal with the situation in the long term. They needed a healer. ¡¯We cannot allow a second Netherworld Terror to leave that portal.¡¯ Small crackles of lightning could be seen forming around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. Chapter 258 Closing The Portals To The Netherworld Part 3 The Netherworld Terror continuously interrupted the channeling of the Half Mark Sealing Totems by pulling in Zi Yi or Guan Yu with its Nether Pull skill. It would also temporarily ignore Halls who held the highest threat level and immediately attack whoever it targeted with Nether Pull which made it an even more troublesome skill to deal with. But, what was truly a headache for everyone, especially Izroth, was when the Netherworld Terror used Returning Abyss. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has been affected by the Netherworld Terror¡¯s ?Returning Abyss?¡µ Izroth had suddenly vanished into thin air and was nowhere to be found within the underground chambers. "It happened again!" Halls said in a frustrated tone of voice as he swung his sword out at the Netherworld Terror, however, it was extremely agile and quick as it managed to barely avoid the edge of his de. "It seems to be specifically targeting Izroth. What¡¯s strange is that the surrounding space is stable without the slightest fluctuations present. This Netherworld Terror cannot possibly be that skilled in spatial magic, therefore, something else must be happening to Izroth when it uses that Returning Abyss skill." Mariposa stated. To leave no trace behind after using spatial magic required a mastery that was simply impossible for something like the Netherworld Terror to possess. Not to mention the fact that it showed no other signs of performing anything else that was even remotely close to spatial magic. Izroth was their highest source of damage. In a party that was alreadycking two of their main damage dealers due to the Half Mark Sealing Totems, they suffered a steep fall in overall damage. At this rate, they would all eventually be killed off by the DOT skill of the Netherworld Terror. Around three secondster, Izroth reappeared in that same spot he disappeared from just moments ago. ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ Returning Abyss was an instant cast skill with no warning sign or skill shot that could be dodged. The only way to counter such an ability was to neither lock the Netherworld Terror within a chain of crowd control, or to simply avoid a fight against the creature altogether. Obviously, thetter was out of the question. As for keeping the creature under crowd control, even with all of their crowd control skills timed perfectly one after the other, between Izroth, Halls, and Mariposa, they would not be able to keep the Netherworld Terror locked in ce long enough to eliminate it. "However its skill works, we can¡¯t afford to keep this up much longer. Even if we use the highest grade health potion we have, we won¡¯t be able to out heal the DOT ability this thing has. The biggest problem is potentially having to deal with a second one if our channeling keeps being interrupted. We have to find a way to negate its ability." Zi Yi said as she moved back into position to use the Half Mark Sealing Totem. "Now is the time for one of those brilliant ideas of yours, Zi Yi!" Halls said as he felt the pressure increasing with every passing second. He had to be careful with how much damage he absorbed and could not simply block every shock with his shield. After getting somewhat used to the creature¡¯s attack pattern, whenever the opportunity arose, Halls would evade the Netherworld Terror¡¯s attack. But, in the end, Halls¡¯ ss was not meant to be agile and so he was not capable of keeping up such a pace against a quick monster like the Netherworld Terror. Bzzzt...! Bzzzzzzt! A small lightning storm appeared within ten meters around the Netherworld Terror and soon dispersed before reforming and creating a cage made of pure lightning around the creature. This was one of the skills attached to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm, Lightning Cage. Originally, Izroth intended on saving all the abilities of the Sword of The Storm until the final portal or when an important situation arose, however, he could not allow the Netherworld Terror to continue doing as it pleased. Sueeeeeeek! The moment the cage of lightning surrounded the Netherworld Terror, it released an ear-piercing screech. But, the creature was unable to move a single step while under the paralyzing effects of the Lightning Cage. "Focus on getting the portal sealed. I can buy us seven seconds of crowd control. The rest will be up to you to make up for the remaining time." Izroth said as he dashed towards the Netherworld Terror and shed in a small arc with his de. ?Critical Hit? -6,457 +387 With just a simple basic sword strike, Izroth had dealt nearly 7,000 damage after striking the monster¡¯s weak point. Due to the twenty percent damage increase provided by the Lightning Cage skill, along with the Holy Blessings damage boost, even a basic sword strike could deal a frightening amount of damage. The Lightning Cage would onlyst for five seconds, therefore, Izroth would have to time and chain his skills perfectly in order to aplish what he had in mind. "If you can do that much, then, of course, we¡¯ll have to do our part as well." Mariposa said. "You can count on us, brother!" Halls roared as he charged into the cage of lightning and began his assault on the Netherworld Terror. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! ?Critical Hit? -3,103 +186 ?Critical Hit? -6,457 +387 ?Critical Hit? -9,810 +589 -3,103 +186 ?Critical Hit? -13,164 +790 -3,103 +186 -279 ... With the Netherworld Terror unable to use its Returning Abyss skill while paralyzed, Izroth took full advantage of its vulnerable state and rained down a barrage of attacks on the creature. Izroth started with Phantom Strike and just as the attack ended, he followed up with a basic attack on the Netherworld Terror in that small window just before he used Fissuring Point. He chained yet another sword strike right after his Fissuring Point skill resolved and had even managed to affect the Netherworld Terror with the Blood Stigma skill from his trinket. In just that handful of seconds, Izroth had done almost 40,000 damage with that assault alone! Needless to say, he was more than capable of offsetting the DOT skill of the Netherworld Terror due to the 6% lifesteal he currently possessed. After that assault, along with the added damage of Halls and Mariposa, the HP of the Netherworld Terror had dropped down to around the 35% mark. As the Lightning Cage ended, Izroth wasted no time as his leg shot forward like a vicious snake and crashed into the body of the Netherworld Terror before it had time to react or use any of its skills. -3,243 +195 Afternding his Serpent¡¯s Bite, the Netherworld Terror was paralyzed for another two seconds! By this time, Zi Yi and Guan Yu had around seven seconds remaining until the Half Mark Sealing Totems sessfully sealed the portal. Once the effects of Izroth¡¯s Serpent¡¯s Bite ended, they would still need to buy around five more seconds. Mariposa watched closely as she had already begun to cast her spell. It was the same spell she used against the Netherworld Specters back in the mist, Spatial Seeking Needles. Hundreds and potentially thousands of ck needles gathered around the Netherworld Terror. The moment Izroth¡¯s Serpent¡¯s Bite ended, the ck needles copsed into the body of the creature and rendered itpletely motionless. "That should buy us another three-" Just as Mariposa spoke, a powerful shockwave spread throughout the surroundings! This shockwave was so powerful that it actually caused the space within the area to fluctuate and bend as it passed through. What sort of frightening ability could cause space to bend in such an unnatural manner? The shockwave onlysted for a fraction of a second, however, something strange happened during that time. Just as everyone was still trying to wrap their heads around that shockwave, Mariposa noticed that her Spatial Seeking Needles had been destroyed! "How-" Mariposa did not even finish asking herself that question. It definitely happened when that shockwave passed through this area. While it was bending and influencing the surrounding space, it must have also somehow affected her Spatial Seeking Needles! The Netherworld Terror had regained its movements, however, Zi Yi and Guan Yu still had around four seconds remaining to seal the portal! If they were interrupted again, there was a high chance that a second Netherworld Terror would find its way out of that portal! Even though Izroth had lifesteal and Halls, as well as, Guan Yu was tanky enough to handle it for a while, it was a different story for Zi Yi and Mariposa. They did not have lifesteal abilities nor the HP that the te wearing users in their party had. Health potions would only do so much and they were already entering into a dangerous area with their HP. A second Netherworld Terror could not be allowed to spawn! Izroth was the fastest to react as a powerful surge of lightning appeared around his de. He was attempting to use the third sword form as it had a chance to cause a paralyzing effect, however, before his attack could connect, he vanished just like before! He had been targeted by the Netherworld Terror¡¯s Returning Abyss! In that small window of time, the Netherworld Terror had already made its hand gesture towards Zi Yi. It was going to pull her in with its Nether Pull! Halls was not fast enough and Mariposa¡¯s spatial rift could not be cast fast enough to prevent it. It looked like facing a second Netherworld Terror was inevitable. However, just before the Netherworld Terror was about to use its Nether Pull, a soundwave carried throughout the entire underground chambers before a massive rush of sound crashed into the body of the Netherworld Terror. That soundwave washed over its body and overwhelmed it in an instant as it caused the movements of the Netherworld Terror to freeze. Less than a secondter, the voice finally caught up to the soundwave as powerful magical energy was embedded into it. "Halt!" That voice resonated and echoed into everyone¡¯s ears. They knew immediately who that voice belonged to and became excited, as well as, relieved to hear it! Rushing over at a quickened pace in the distance was none other than Luna! Her previously deathly pale appearance was no more and she appeared to be perfectly fine. That ancient-looking symbol that was always hidden within her forehead was currently visible on her forehead. "Ahahaha! Take that you annoying little thing!" Guan Yu said as he burst into a fit of joyousughter. Mariposa and Halls breathed a sigh of relief. If Luna had not just appeared when she just did, then all of Izroth¡¯s work to stop its movements would have been for nothing! Zi Yi smiled when she saw Luna headed in their direction. She had been worried about Luna and was d to see that Tererestiaa was able to help her as promised. "You had us worried for a second there." Zi Yi said as Luna had finally regrouped with the party. The ancient symbol on Luna¡¯s forehead disappeared and sunk back into her forehead. "It was a strange experience. But, in some way, it was also eye-opening." Luna said as she wasted no time in starting the healing process. "You¡¯ll have to tell me all about it after all of this is over." Zi Yi said. As the two spoke, Luna furrowed her brows and had a look of concern on her face. Just as she was about to ask where Izroth was, the effects of the Returning Abyss wore off and he reappeared. ¡¯It¡¯s frozen in ce.¡¯ It did not take long for Izroth to realize who was behind it as he saw that Luna had rejoined them in his brief absence. Not only that, but Zi Yi and Guan Yu had managed to sessfully close the seventh portal. "Wee back." Izroth said. "It¡¯s good to be back." Luna replied as a lovely smile found its way onto her face. She was relieved to see that Izroth was alright. Now that Luna had returned, Halls could return to his previous fearless fighting style and the party quickly finished off what was left of the Netherworld Terror. As for Guan Yu, he wanted to switch with Luna, however, his request was immediately denied by everyone leaving him a bit dejected. The eighth, ninth, and tenth portals were a bit more difficult, but with Luna being present and her perfectly timed heals, they were able to make it through despite the increased difficulty level. In the process, Izroth had managed to level up to level 37 and gained three stat points, as well as, a single skill point. After sessfully closing the tenth portal, Izroth and his party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: 10/11 Assist Seer Tererestiaa in sealing all portals that appear within the underground chambers..¡µ ording to the system they still had one final portal to close and there was only one visible portal left within the underground chambers and that was the portal which that mysterious arm hade through. However, the question still remained, was it even possible to get close enough against such a creature to seal that portal? Chapter 259 A Divine Blessing For A Daunting Task ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Halt the invasion of the Legion of the Nether Realm.¡µ While Izroth and his party were sessful in temporarily halting the invasion of the Netherworld creatures, they did not immediately rush over after closing the tenth portal. Instead, they took a bit of time to regroup and reorganize themselves, as well as, wait for some cooldowns toe back up. During that time, Zi Yi asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. "What happened back there?" Zi Yi asked. Her question was, of course, directed at Luna who had suddenplications out of nowhere for some unknown reasons. While she was alright for the time being, Zi Yi wanted to be certain that it was not just some quick fix to a long term problem. Everyone turned their attention towards Luna and had an inquiring expression about them. Indeed, they were curious as to not only what was wrong with Luna previously, but what Tererestiaa did to cure her. Luna gave a helpless smile and inwardly shook her head. To begin with, she had already nned on exining everything. However, Zi Yi had brought it up first and now everyone¡¯s eyes were locked onto her as if they were afraid to miss a word. Luna did not get too long-winded in her exnation and kept her focus on describing the key points. To put things simply, Luna said she felt as if she was in a dark room covered in ice. However, what was unusual was the fact that she could still perceive the events that were going on around her. Gear¡¯s fight with the arm of Nekrostalmenos, Tererestiaa being fully concentrated on healing her, and even the others heading off to seal the portals. It was a bizarre feeling that was not necessarily bad, but it was difficult to define it as being good. In the end, Tererestiaa managed to assist Luna in aligning the multiple powers in her body and was able to bring her back to a stable level. Luna did not have time to discuss any details with Tererestiaa since she immediately took off to rejoin the party, however, she was informed that she should not have any issues going forward for the time being. "Interesting..." Mariposa muttered to herself after Luna finished speaking. "If you feel any symptomsing on you should inform us at once just to be on the safe side." Izroth said. Luna nodded and replied, "I¡¯ll be more cautious from this point on." After waiting for around five minutes for cooldowns and to reorganize themselves, Izroth and his party had approximately ten minutes remaining on the quest before it would be considered of their failure. If that happened, not only would they lose levels, but even the SSS-ranked quest would be failed and the destruction of Amaharpe would be inevitable. If they failed both quests, they would be set back six whole levels! That was millions of experience points going down the drain and countless hours of their time being reduced to nothing. No matter what, they had to seed. ¡¯The only task left now is to force that arm to retreat back into the portal.¡¯ Once that arm was forced back through the portal, everything else would fall into ce by itself. Sealing the final portal after that arm retreated would be simple and the Lost Page that they originally came to this location for should also reveal itself. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he started to make his way over towards Gear and that massive arm which belonged to Nekrostalmenos in the distance with the other members of his party. ... A few moments earlier... "You don¡¯t give up do you, old man?" Gear said with a grin on his face as he removed the sk from his pocket and began to chug down the liquid inside. "Ah, that really hits the spot. I would offer you some, but your mouth is an entire realm away." Gear said as he shook the sk in his hands before it disappeared. "Hmph, to use Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid in such a wasteful manner, how disgraceful. Though it is to be expected of a human. Greedy, wasteful, arrogant, and overly confident in their own miniscule and feeble abilities. Death is something to be embraced." Nekrostalmenos spoke in a voice filled with disdain and contempt. "I¡¯ll have to disappoint you then since I¡¯ve never been a huge fan of the whole embracing death concept. If I told you to embrace life, would you notugh in amusement?" Gear said. "You jest, but I see past your ws. Your strength is limited by the flesh while mine goes far beyond your imagination. You struggle just to stand, human, do not think me a fool. Even from this realm, I can feel the aura of that fowl creature carved into the depths of your body. It is toote for you. Your death is inevitable." Nekrostalmenos spoke in a cold and emotionless voice. Tererestiaa was only around ten meters away from Gear. Unless she left the underground chambers altogether, she would still be within attack range of Nekrostalmenos. For obvious reasons, Tererestiaa did not intend on leaving the underground chambers until everything here was settled. This was the path she was destined to walk by the all-seeing goddess. However, there was a small look of concern that could be seen on her face when thosest few words left Nekrostalmenos¡¯ mouth. Although she was currently blinded, Tererestiaa could see things that others would only be able to dream of setting their sights on. She saw past the artificial and superficial straight to the core of things. Right now, it was just as Nekrostalmenos said, Gear was struggling simply to stand on his own two feet. One part of her wanted to go to him and give him a shoulder to lean on. Even if it would only ease his burden for a moment, to her, it would be worth it. But, in the end, she knew that such a thing would only interfere with Gear¡¯s resolve. Just as she had a path that she was destined to follow, Gear also had a pathid out before him that he must walk himself. However, just as things were silent and the mood appeared to grow increasingly heavy, a burst ofughter sudden echoed throughout the underground chambers. It was at this moment that Izroth and his party arrived on the scene. Initially, they were dumbfounded by what they caught sight of. Gear, who was supposed to be locked in an intense struggle with Nekrostalmenos, wasughing heartily and without restraint. "What the heck¡¯s going on here?" Guan Yu spoke in an astonished manner. But, there was no one who had an answer for him. After all, they were just as confused as he was about this situation! "Has he gone mad?" Halls asked as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. It was the only logical exnation he coulde up with on such short notice as to how Gear couldugh at such a moment. Gear stopped hisughter as he looked over in the direction of the portal and said, "You underestimate my level of stubbornness when ites to living, old man." "Look, it¡¯s missing a finger!" Guan Yu was shocked when he noticed that the hand attached to that massive arm was missing one of its fingers. As to where that finger had gone, it was nowhere to be seen. Therefore, it was most likely Gear¡¯s doing! Just the voice of that creature could cause earthquakes and yet Gear had actually robbed it of one of its fingers. They knew he was strong, however, it seemed as if they had still underestimated the limits of his strength. After their initial shock from everything that was going on died down, everyone quickly gathered themselves and went into full concentration mode. They still had a daunting task ahead of them! Tererestiaa made her way over towards Izroth and the others with a slight smile on her face. "It is good to see that you are all well. However, there is still much to be done. The final portal before us must be sealed in order for the safety of this realm to be solidified. But, as long as Nekrostalmenos is blocking the passage between both worlds, it will be impossible to seal the portal even with the Half Mark Sealing Totems. Therefore, we only have one option-" Tererestiaa¡¯s facial expression turned serious. "You must help in forcing Nekrostalmenos to retreat. We do not have much time." Tererestiaa stated. Everyone knew that this moment wasing, however, actually hearing it made reality set in. Just one flick of that creature¡¯s finger was probably enough to annihte their entire party! How were they supposed to force such a monstrosity to retreat willingly? "What you¡¯re asking for is a little impossible." Guan Yu said as he let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. He was always up for a challenge, however, even he knew when to draw the line between bravery and stupidity. Trying to fight against that creature with their current level of strength was the equivalent of them voluntarilymitting suicide! This was something that everyone was in agreement with. Even if they used all of their strength, the damage they dealt would probably be negligible at best. That was assuming that they would even be able to deal any damage to that creature at all. "We are willing to help you in any way possible, however, I will not ask everyone here to foolishly sacrifice themselves. Though, I am sure you are not the type of person to send us marching to our deaths. Therefore, I assume you have a n?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. Tererestiaa gave a slight nod and responded, "Your fate is not to perish in this ce, nor is it for me to lead you to your demise. While I cannot assist you directly in your fight, I can provide you with the necessary tools to aplish the task ahead." Tererestiaa sped her hands together and began to chant. However, even though it was supposed to be a chant, it resembled a beautiful hymn being sung by a chorus of holy beings. A wave of light washed over Izroth¡¯s body, as well as, those of his party members. Nekrostalmenos immediatelyunched an attack at Tererestiaa when it felt that gathering of powerful divine energy that was being channeled through the Seer. However, Gear moved in an instant to intercept and cut off Nekrostalmenos¡¯ path of attack. "Very well, if you are in such a hurry to die, then so be it!" Nekrostalmenos voice deepened as the deathly energy surrounding its arm increased countless times over in strength to a terrifying degree! ¡¯What is this strange energy? It¡¯s something incredible.¡¯ As Izroth felt a pure and untainted energy flow throughout his body after the light wave passed through him, he could feel his body be extremely light in the process. "Woah! This buff is crazy!" Halls eximed. Everyone else was left speechless by what they were seeing. For a moment, they believed that something was wrong with their vision. What an insane ability! "I am a vessel to carry out the will of the all-seeing goddess. She who possesses the eyes of truth. She who guides me on my lifelong journey... Go, brave adventurers, use the power bestowed upon you to rid this world of its encroaching darkness." Tererestiaa said as she stayed perfectly still with her hand sped tightly together. One could see that it was taking every ounce of her strength to sustain that ability. ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by ?Divine Blessing of the All-Seeing Goddess?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: All attacks will now deal a bonus 10,000% Holy Damage.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 99% damage reduction against creatures of the Netherworld.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your HP has temporarily been increased to 1,000,000.¡µ "Now this is more like it!" Guan Yu said in a voice filled with excitement! With this, the ying field was a little more even now. It would no longer just be them charging towards their deaths. How could he not feel exhrated? "You must hurry. I cannot hold this level of divine energy for long." Tererestiaa said as one could see a thin line of blood fall from her mouth at the corner of her lips. If it were any other person receiving such a tremendous amount of divine energy at once, they would have already imploded. However, Tererestiaa possessed a masterful level of understanding when it came to divine energy. "We werepletely ignored by this arm when it first arrived. It did not see us as a threat. It even felt that we were beneath speaking to. Well then... Shall we make it regret its decision?" Izroth said in a carefree manner as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. Everyone became fired up and their blood boiled when they heard the words Izroth spoke. How could they possibly like being looked at as if they were insignificant insects? Of course, they would do everything in their power to make that creature regret ever turning its nose up at them! There was a sharp glint that shed through Izroth¡¯s eyes. If there was one thing he hated, it was being looked down upon! Chapter 260 A Race Against Time There was a faint and holy aura that epassed Izroth, as well as, his fellow party members. If the Holy Blessings enchantment wasparable to a small puddle of holy power, then the Divine Blessing of the All-Seeing Goddess was a vast sea that stretched further than the eye could see. The difference between the two were just that great. With the new holy aura that was epassing them, Izroth and the others were able to take a peek at the power Nekrostalmenos held, however, they did not discover anything that they did not already know. That creature was undoubtedly strong. Name: Arm of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of the Netherworld(???) Level: ??? HP: 9,800,000 (98%) "What insane HP...!" Halls said after seeing the HP of that massive arm. Just one arm from that creature had more than nine million HP! Gear had even torn off one of its fingers and its HP only went down by two percent! If having a finger ripped off only did that much damage, how much effort would it take for them to force this thing to retreat? "Its HP alone is more than seventeen times that of Nekrostis. If that¡¯s the strength of only one of its arms, it¡¯s hard to imagine how monstrous this creature is at full power." Zi Yimented. The group closed in rapidly on the arm of Nekrostalmenos. Of course, it did not take them long to reach within attack range given how much space that arm took up in this part of the underground chamber. Nekrostalmenos scoffed as it tapped one of its fingers on the ground as Izroth and his party was on the move. "Unworthy insects, perish." Nekrostalmenos¡¯ voice echoed throughout the chambers. There was a hint of anger hidden away in its tone. To have a bunch of weak humans and a member of that long-lived race willingly attack it was an insult! To Nekrostalmenos, it was as though a few insects were trying to block its path. How could it not feel disgusted and angered? The moment Nekrostalmenos¡¯ finger made contact with the ground, a constant wave of tremors shook the underground chambers and straight at Izroth¡¯s party! However, just as the wave of tremors were more than there quarters of the way to Izroth¡¯s party, they came to an abrupt halt and even began to be pushed back as Izroth¡¯s party charged forward. Around ten secondster, the tremors stopped and Izroth, as well as, his party werepletely unaffected. "Oh? Those are... Quake Waves? It looks like he¡¯s grown even more than I anticipated." Gear said with a grin on his face. After Nekrostalmenos made its move and tapped its finger on the ground to send our those tremors, Izroth used the skill Behemoth¡¯s Quake to send out his own tremors. In turn, he was able to cancel out Nekrostalmenos¡¯ attack! In other words, even though it had the first move, Nekrostalmenos suffered a loss! Even if it was just a casual attack without much thought or effort, it was still an attack that should have been powerful enough to send the likes of Izroth and the others flying across the underground chambers. While one could not see Nekrostalmenos¡¯ face, from the sudden spike in deathly energy that converged on its location, it was obvious that it had been angered. Mariposa had a stunned expression on her face after she witnessed what had just urred. That was Canceling! Izroth could actually use Canceling! Even top-level yers like herself had a challenging time executing such an advanced skill! The basic principle of Canceling was just as its name described, canceling out iing attacks. The theory behind it all was that if two attacks that were of the same type, then the colliding attacks would bepletely nullified. While it sounded so simple to execute in theory, actually doing so was exceedingly difficult, especially in the middle of an intensebat situation. At the moment, the best-known yer amongst the top guilds at using Canceling within RML, specifically Magic Canceling, was Wang Ping, the guild leader of Hypers Symphony. However, even he was nowhere close to mastering that technique and yet, Izroth had pulled it off in such a casual manner. Mariposa released a small sigh. She found that every time she believed that she had finally gauged Izroth¡¯s full strength, he would always surprise her with something unexpected. What was most bizarre was that she was the only member of the party who was shocked by Izroth¡¯s feat. Everyone else seemed just as carefree and unbothered as Izroth. However, how could she know that the others had already built up a certain level of resistance against Izroth¡¯s ridiculous feats after all this time? The others felt that Izroth could pick up a random rock on the side of the road and somehow find a treasure map that gave away the location of a legendary item. If Izroth knew that the others thought that about him, he would not know if he shouldugh or cry! "Resistance is futile, humans. You will regret your audacious behavior." Nekrostalmenos said as a red hue filled up the entire underground chambers. That red hue had a foul smell to it and made one¡¯s body feel heavier than usual. This was due to the highly concentrated deathly energy that was being released into the atmosphere. "Well now, this isn¡¯t good." Gear said to himself as he felt the deathly energy in the surrounding area. Nekrostalmenos¡¯ strength was rising to a dangerous level. If this continued on for another seven minutes or so, then even Gear would be unable to prevent him froming through the portal. At this point, it was a race against time! "Those guys sure would be useful right about now." Gear muttered. Unfortunately, the other individuals known as the seven heroes were busy with more pressing matters. Gear¡¯s silhouette flickered as he appeared next to Izroth¡¯s party. Everyone was startled by Gear¡¯s sudden appearance, however, it quickly passed when they realized who it was. "I will keep its main hand suppressed. During that time, focus your attacks on the center area of the arm where he¡¯s the most vulnerable. I shouldn¡¯t have to warn you, but be careful. Even with that blessing, one wrong move and it could be the end." Gear said as his silhouette flickered once again and he was gone before Izroth and the others could even respond. Woosh! Gear appeared before the palm of Nekrostalmenos¡¯ hand and took the initiative to attack! "You shall be the first human I kill once I cross over to the Mortal Realm!" Nekrostalmenos spoke in a cold voice as it smashed its hand into the ground and attempted to squash Gear into meat paste. "I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t get that chance, old man." Gear said as a in-looking dagger suddenly appeared in his hand as he swept it outward to meet with Nekrostalmenos¡¯ palm! BOOM! When the two attacks collided with one another, it sent out a shockwave that was simr to the one that broke Mariposa¡¯s Spatial Seeking Needles earlier against the Netherworld Terror. This time, however, everyone was protected by the buff Tererestiaa had given them and remained unaffected by the shockwave. Izroth was the first to arrive near the center area of the arm as he shed down mercilessly with a simple sword strike to test the waters. -37,340 ¡¯Even with the holy damage, its defensive abilities are impressive.¡¯ Having 10,000% holy damage added to his attacks meant that he was dealing 100 times his normal damage. In other words, with his base attack being at 1863, before any defenses came into y, he should be doing over 180,000 damage with his sword strikes. However, almost 150,000 damage was cut off due to the high defenses Nekrostalmenos possessed. Of course, Izroth expected no less from a creature of such raw power. Izroth immediately took it up one step as he switched his stance to the first sword form. Izroth¡¯s sword, followed by two phantoms of itself, sliced across the massive arm three times in quick session. Afterward, he shifted his position and struck out with a single finger, piercing through everyst bit of defense the arm possessed with Fissuring Point. ?Critical Hit? -37,340 ?Critical Hit? -74,520 ?Critical Hit? -111,780 ?Critical Hit? -372,600 "Brother, don¡¯t go having all the fun by yourself!" Guan Yu roared as he charged forward and cleanly swept his guandao on the arm. There was this sharp aura hidden behind his guandao and it seemed to slice through the defenses of the arm almost as easily as Izroth¡¯s Fissuring Point. It was the Arcing Armor Crusher! However, Guan Yu was a bit disappointed that he failed to activate the fragmented effect. -370,880 In the blink of an eye, just between Izroth and Guan Yu, they had managed to almost deal one million damage! That was nearly ten percent of the arm¡¯s total HP value in just a few seconds! If things kept going at this rate, then it would not take them a long time at all to defeat this thing. "Heh, isn¡¯t this arm a bit too weak now that we have this buff?" Guan Yu stated after seeing how much damage his strikes were dealing. Even his basic attacks were hitting for just over 39,000. Also, Nekrostalmenos seemed too preupied with Gear to do anything about them, therefore, he was practically just a punching bag for them! For Guan Yu who had to stay out of the fights in order to seal the portals, this was definitely a breath of fresh air! "Don¡¯t let your guard down. We still have no idea what this thing is capable of. Also, don¡¯t forget what we were told not too long ago. Despite how it looks now, with one wrong move, everything could change instantly." Zi Yi reminded Guan Yu as she shot off two arrows with her skill Void Jump. -55,800 -55,800 "I know, after all, I don¡¯t n on dying in this ce." Guan Yu said as he unleashed a vicious assault on the massive arm. Less than twenty seconds had passed, however, Izroth and his party had managed to reduce the arm¡¯s HP down to less than three million! Seven minutes? They would not even need one minute! However, Izroth inwardly frowned. For some reason, he felt that something was off and he could not shake this strange feeling. ¡¯Even with Gear keeping it suppressed, this fight should not be this easy.¡¯ Just as that thought was passing through Izroth¡¯s mind, more than ten Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beast rushed from out of the same portal that Nekrostalmenos¡¯ arm currently upied! "Careful!" Halls called out as he noticed the skeletal beast leaving the portal. However, instead of running over in their direction, something bizarre happened that no one could have foreseen. Chomp! Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded by what they witnessed. That was because instead of targetting them, the skeletal beast attacked the massive arm! "What are they up to?" Zi Yi spoke under her breath. However, she was not the only one with that question on her mind. But, it would be foolish of them to take their attention off the arm of Nekrostalmenos when it was so close to death. Around five seconds after the first wave of skeletal beast left the portal, yet another wave made its way out and bit into the arm without hesitation,tching onto it. At the same moment the second wave of six skeletal beasts bit into the massive arm, the first wave of creatures sunk into the corroded skin it wastched onto. ¡´Battle Alert: Arm of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of the Netherworld has absorbed the Undead Skeletal Beast!¡µ 22% -> 100% HP Remaining! (Nekrostalmenos) In an instant, all of the damage Nekrostalmenos had received in the past few moments had be nonexistent! "Guan Yu, guard the portal!" Zi Yi said after realizing what was going on. "Leave it to me!" Guan Yu said as he pulled off the massive arm and hurried over towards the portal. Exactly five seconds after the second wave of skeletal beasts, seven more appeared from within the portal and their goal was the same as their predecessors. However, this time, Guan Yu was there to confront them. Thanks to the holy aura, he could easily one shot every skeletal beast that walked through that portal. For the time being, the problem had been taken care of. "The numbers keep increasing with every wave that urs once every five seconds. Eventually, even if he could take care of every skeletal beast in one shot, Guan Yu will not be able to fend them all off alone." Zi Yi said with furrowed brows. This could all be solved by them simply changing locations, however, its defenses were already so high in this area that was supposed to be its weakest point. Therefore, would they even scratch it if they attacked anywhere else? However, something still bothered Izroth. He thought that after the appearance of the skeletal beasts that strange feeling would disappear, but it still remained. ¡¯Why is it that I can¡¯t shake this feeling? I have to be missing or overlooking something important, but what is it?¡¯ Chapter 261 Source of The Impending Danger With Gear keeping Nekrostalmenos suppressed and Guan Yu taking care of the Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beasts, Izroth and his party were able to refocus their attention entirely on shaving away at the arm¡¯s HP. However, even though they still had plenty of time left to take care of the arm with their current damage output, Izroth found that troubling feeling steadily growing inside of him. Not only were his natural senses amazing, but his Soul Sense was even more abnormal. Right now, his Soul Sense was sending off a constant stream of rm bells in his mind as though attempting to warn him of impending danger. There were no stacks or anything hidden away within the battle logs. There was zero evidence of anything that could lead to a potentially unstable situation and yet, this bizarre feeling was present. 80%... 40%... After its HP fell below the forty percent mark second time around, small ck puddles began to form in random locations. Halls was the first to get caught by one of these puddles and it removed a good chunk of his HP in the process! -125,000 -125,000 Luckily, he only remained inside the range of the ck puddle for two seconds. "Be careful of the puddles forming on the ground!" Halls warned as he began to pay more attention to the ground beneath him. Each ck puddle wouldst for around ten seconds before disappearing. 20%... Even without Guan Yu present, they maintained a high level of damage output thanks to the holy aura and quickly brought the arm¡¯s HP back down to a critical level. Surprisingly, there was still no retaliation from Nekrostalmenos or any of the creaturesing in from the portal. The creatures only goal were totch themselves onto the massive arm and Guan Yu was doing a great job acting as a preventive measure. Unfortunately, the creatures did not provide any experience after being eliminated which was most likely due to the currently overpowered holy aura from Tererestiaa. As for Gear who did not let up on his attacks and robbed Nekrostalmenos of any chance to breathe, his speed was bing progressively slowerpared to the beginning of their fight. The flickering of his silhouettes also became inconsistent and instead of its usual phasing in and out of existence afterimage, it was as if the silhouettes were starting to harden. In other words, Gear was slowing down. "How much longer can you keep this up, human? Five minutes? One minute? You are being consumed by your own power and yet you still continue to resist and take upon yourself to embark on such a meager and futile endeavor. You humans and your reputation for being illogical and irrational creatures do not do you any justice. Your idiocy and unwillingness to ept that which is inevitable remains one of the most baffling things about your race." Nekrostalmenos said. "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much, old man?" Gear said with a small grin on his face. However, even though he was grinning, one could tell that he was hiding away a deep level of pain. One minute? He did not know if he could keep this up for another second let alone a minute! Every single second that passed, Gear felt his power slipping away from him. The Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid may be an incredible and legendary medicine that could bring those who were near death back to perfect health, however, in the end, it was still medicine. The more one consumed, the higher the quantity of the medicine they would have to take in order for it to continue being effective. Gear kept the medicine stored in an Endless sk and consumed the medicine every day as if it were medicine. The wound he received from his fight with the other heroes against that monstrous Shadahi was just that powerful. If not for the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid, then Gear would have probably left this world long ago. Tererestiaa furrowed her brows as beads of sweat could be seen falling down the side of her face. She tried her best to epass Gear in the same holy aura as Izroth and the others, however, every single time she tried that dark and corrupted energy from the wound on his body would repel the holy aura. "How dreadful..." Tererestiaa said softly to herself. This was not just any holy aura, it was the holy aura of a divine being! Even though it lost a great majority of its strength, as to not destroy her body which was acting as its medium, it still contained a tremendous amount of concentrated holy energy. To be repelled by Gear¡¯s wound truly showed just how vicious and overbearing it was. "We must hurry. If it continues to go on like this then..." Tererestiaa refocused herself and concentrated solely on maintaining the holy aura on Izroth and his party. She decided that she would hold on until the veryst second and buy as much time for the others as possible. At this point, she could only hope that Gear would be able tost that long. Meanwhile, Izroth, Zi Yi, Mariposa, and even Luna was unleashing a final assault on the arm of Nekrostalmenos. Just a few more hits and its HP would finally be reduced to zero! It came at a good time too, since the number of Undead Netherworld Skeletal Beasts were starting to reach a dangerous point. "We¡¯re almost there!" Zi Yi said as she shot two arrows in quick session towards the arm using Void Jump and they pierced through it effortlessly. -55,800 -55,800 After Zi Yi¡¯s attack, the arm of Nekrostalmenos only had around 30,000 HP remaining. However, that was swiftly taken care of by Izroth as he shed directly at the center of the arm with his Sword of The Storm. -37,260 "We did it!" Halls cheered as he watched thest bit of HP disappear from the arm. How could he not be excited? They were about toplete the first part of an SSS-ranked quest! That was huge! Also, the rewards from the quest were not small by any means. It even included an epic ranked piece of equipment! Even Mariposa could not stop herself from smiling. Just the thought of Sleeping Gardenia being the sole top guild to own an epic ranked weapon was enough to bring a smile to her face. One had to know that amongst top guilds, something as small as a single enchantment or one piece of gear could decide who would break a dungeon¡¯s clear record! After all, for top guilds to attract more skilled yers, the best way to do so was proving their strength on a grand stage and right now, dungeon clear records was that grand stage. "Something¡¯s not right." Izroth said immediately after realizing that the arm was not retreating back into the portal. In fact, the skeletal beasts were still leaving the portal freely every five seconds. "Wait a second, it¡¯s HP..! It still has one HP left..!" Zi Yi said in a surprised tone of voice. Everyone looked closer and quickly noticed that Zi Yi was correct. There really was one HP that remained! "Then we just need to hit it one more time, right?" Halls said as he charged forward and struck the arm with a simple sword strike. Ding! Immune! "What the...?" Halls was momentarily shocked. His sword had bounced off the arm and it was almost like striking something made out of pure metal. The others also tried attacking the arm and even with the use of magic, it remained immune. After wasting nearly two minutes doing so, everyone had a troubled expression and gloomy expression written on their face. "There must be something preventing us from dealing the final blow. We don¡¯t have a lot of time, we have to find an answer and fast." Zi Yi said as she rested her chin on her thumb and index finger taking up a thinking pose. They had less than four minutes left until the quest was considered failed, therefore, she had to think fast! "I¡¯ll see if Tererestiaa can tell us anything." Luna said as she took off without waiting for a response. After all, she knew that they were pressed for time. At this point, Tererestiaa may be their best hope. However, a part of her felt a bit uneasy. This was because of the fact that if Tererestiaa truly did know something she would have definitely informed them of it beforehand. "Guys! A little help over here!" Guan Yu shouted as he was currently being overrun by the skeletal beasts. At the moment, there were more than forty skeletal beasts spawning every five seconds! While Guan Yu was perfectly capable of one-shotting them, he did not have the attack speed or AOE skills to take care of suchrge numbers alone before theytched onto the arm. "I¡¯ll go." Mariposa said as she volunteered to assist Guan Yu. She opened up a spatial rift and went over to lend and. With the two of them working together, they were able to once again halt the skeletal beasts advance. Izroth swept his gaze throughout the surroundings searching for answers. When his eyesnded on a small ck speck lingering above that massive arm, it suddenly dawned on Izroth. ¡¯That¡¯s...¡¯ The deathly energy that had been gathering around the arm was not directed at the arm itself, instead, it was feeding that tiny ck speck that was barely discernable. If Izroth was not intentionally looking for something that stood out, then even with his amazing eyesight he would have never discovered that ck speck. Now that he had perceived that ck speck, Izroth felt that there was something strangely familiar about it. He had sensed a simr aura only once before, however, the aura of that ck speck was much more devious and restless! Luna had returned just a few momentster after she left to speak with Tererestiaa. "Did you find out anything?" Zi Yi asked. She had still note up with anything close to a solution. She simplycked the data necessary to even begin forming any kind of theory or answer. Luna, however, shook her head and released a small sigh as she replied, "It¡¯s no use, Tererestiaa has every ounce of her concentration on maintaining the holy aura and is unable to answer. Besides, we have a much bigger problem to worry about. From the looks of things, it doesn¡¯t look like she can hold out much longer. Also, Gear is..." She exined what she witnessed on her trip over to Tererestiaa. "He¡¯s losing?" Zi Yi said with a look of disbelief on her face. When Luna told her of how Gear seemed to be on the losing side and struggling at that, she could not believe her ears. That was one of her seven heroes fighting! How could he be losing against a single arm? ¡¯Could it be due to the wound from that time?¡¯ With Gear¡¯s speed alone, it should have been no problem for him to keep Nekrostalmenos suppressed. However, Izroth was reminded of that wound Gear showed him a while back that was made by that being who was eventually sealed by the divine ones. If that wound truly was holding him back, then the situation was much worse than he originally expected. ¡¯This is troublesome.¡¯ The skeletal beasts were overrunning the portal, the massive arm refused to die, Tererestiaa was struggling to maintain the holy aura, Gear was most likely struggling just to stand at this point, and now Izroth had just discovered the source of that impending danger that was bugging him all this time. That tiny ck speck which levitated above the massive arm of Nekrostalmenos and was constantly collecting the deathly energy in the atmosphere was not just any ck speck. That ck speck which was no bigger than one¡¯s fingernail was actually releasing the same aura as an item from the True World! ¡¯It has the same aura quality as the item I received from that chest. However, this is obviously many times more powerful. But one thing is for certain, it¡¯s definitely an item from the True World. I¡¯ll bet that it has something to do with the immunity of this thing.¡¯ On top of everything that was already going on, they now had to potentially deal with an item from the True World and had less than four minutes left to do so! Was it possible for things to get any worse? Just as that thought was passing through everyone¡¯s mind, that ck speck sunk into the massive arm and integrated itself within the arm. Ooooooooooooom! The red hue that was spread through the entire underground chambers shed constantly. It switched back and forth between a red hue and total darkness. However, in the end, the red hue retreated and converged onto the location of that massive arm followed back the newly formed darkness. The underground chambers had regained its original lighting a few secondster. As Izroth observed the arm before him, he could only shake his head inwardly. ¡¯This quest truly is merciless.¡¯ Chapter 262 Severance Izroth¡¯s knowledge of the True World or even RML in general was incrediblycking, therefore, he did not even know if the True World was an actual ce, a time period, or a specific quality or state of an item. However, there was one thing that Izroth was absolutely certain of and that was the fact that from the little information he had obtained so far about the True World, anything that had a direct connection with it was extraordinary. ¡¯That ck speck definitely has a connection to the True World.¡¯ It was at times like this that Izroth wished he had spent some time in the pce library. But, given how thin his time was already spreadtely, it left him with too little time to spend reading books. Luck for him, there was someone in his party who just so happened to enjoy reading books in her spare time. "Zi Yi, what do you know about the True World?" Izroth asked. Zi Yi was caught off guard by the question. True World? Why did he want to know about something like that at a time like this? However, despite having many questions, Zi Yi knew that Izroth must have had a good reason for asking her about it. "Let see... There¡¯s really not too much that I know about the True World, to be honest. I¡¯ve seen it mentioned in a few texts within the pce library, however, it¡¯s always simply mentioned without there being any sort of direct context surrounding it. But, what I can tell you is that it doesn¡¯t seem to be a location in a way that we would normally perceive a location to be. It¡¯s difficult to exin with words alone." Zi Yi stated. She then continued, "I should have prefaced this by saying that it¡¯s all mere spection; if it can even be called that. The item I received from the True World Treasure Chest frompleting the SS-ranked quest in the Chaotic Dogma Realm is also a bit unusual. To be truthful, I have no idea where to even begin with it. But, why the sudden interest in the True World?" "It¡¯s possible that arm may be using a True World item to sustain itself." Izroth said. Once those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, Luna, Zi Yi, and Halls were all startled. That creature was using a True World item to sustain itself? Every one of them had received a True World item and although they did not yet understand how it worked, they knew that it had to be powerful given its mysterious origins. But, if that was the case, how were they supposed to defeat it? Wasn¡¯t the system being a bit too unreasonable even if this was an SSS-ranked quest? "Seriously? Then, what are we supposed to do now? Wait here until the time runs out?" Halls said in a slightly frustrated manner. It seemed that every time they took one step forward, the system would smack them ten steps back andugh in their face. How could he not be agitated after a while? "Sitting back and waiting is definitely out of the question." Zi Yi said. "I hate to be the one to say this, but our situation is bing dimmer with each passing moment. We only have around three minutes left and-" Just as Luna was speaking, the entire underground chambers began to shake violently! All of a sudden, the portal widened by a few meters as the skeletal beasts all stood in ce and released an ear-screeching cry. There were hundreds of skeletal beasts by this point and Guan Yu, as well as, Mariposa tried their hardest to shave away at the number of creatures. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been stunned for 10 seconds by ?Terror of the Netherworld?.¡µ "What the- I can¡¯t move!" Guan Yu said as he struggled to break free of the stun. He even used one of his crowd control disabling skills Break Restraints, however, the system did even allow him to use it! It was the same for everyone else as well. They had suddenly been stunned without warning and was unable to take any action whatsoever. All they could do was look on as the skeletal beasts turned into ashes before drifting towards the arm of Nekrostalmenos. The ashes of the skeletal beasts then slowly disappeared as it made contact with that massive arm and dissolved into it. "Now you shall all witness true fear, hopelessness, and despair." Nekrostalmenos spoke in a deep and resonating voice that filled the chambers as its arm was engulfed in frightening deathly energy. That deathly energy alone felt as if it was an entire world that was created out of thin air. The pressure was extremely suffocating and even made the holy aura around Izroth and his party waver. Luckily, Tererestiaa was able to reinforce the holy aura and as it regained its structural integrity. However, that put an incredible strain on her and one could see that her face had lost some of its color in the process. ¡¯Could this part be something that was ultimately inevitable?¡¯ Izroth knew of a certain gaming term from his memories called staging. What staging meant was that no matter what a yer did, eventually, it would lead to a scenario that was unavoidable. If that was the case, then this stun was simply meant to keep them in ce to witness what was taking ce before them. However, it was still difficult to watch each second tick away. Everyone could clearly see Gear fighting against the giant palm and as its strength grew, it seemed that Gear¡¯s own power was weakening. Of course, this was not due to Nekrostalmenos, but the wound on Gear¡¯s body that was acting up. Gear coughed up arge volume of blood, but the coloration of the blood was off. Instead of being a normal red color, it was mixed in with ck liquid that released a putrid scent. Gear¡¯s appearance was slowly changing as he was beginning to lose his more youthful appearance and regain the looks of a more aged man. Even though it was a slow and agonizing process, he still held on. Nekrostalmenos, however, did not miss that small window of opportunity! Deathly energy gathered at the center of its palm as ten ck spears with chains attached to their ends fell from the sky and surrounded Gear by piercing into the ground around him. The chains danced in the air and formed a cubed prison with a purple barrier around it that epassed Gear and trapped him inside. Everyone was shocked! Nekrostalmenos had actually managed to imprison Gear! This was bad, really bad. Their facial expressions darkened as they watched on helplessly. The feeling of their imminent failure was slowly creeping into their minds. Maybe they had been too hasty and confident in their own abilities by attempting an SSS-ranked quest and epting it so readily. However, even though everyone else was feeling the pressure, there was one person amongst the party who maintained that look of carefree confidence in his eyes. There was not the slightest bit of panic or worry of failure that could be seen from his expression. Of course, this person was Izroth. After seeing how perfectly calm Izroth was and seeing that aura of confidence lingering around him, it made everyone feel angry with themselves for having such useless thoughts when they were at a critical moment. A renewed look of confidence could be seen in their eyes and they were even more fired up than before. It was not over until the very end! "You will regret standing in my way, human. Now watch on helpless and powerless as I eliminate the worthless insects you have tried to protect in front of your own eyes." Nekrostalmenos spoke in a cold tone of voice as it turned its focus on Izroth¡¯s party! Gear tried to break free of his imprisonment, however, he was injured and it would take him some time before he could break free with his current strength. "Will I have no choice but to use that item at this ce...?" Gear muttered to himself with a torn expression on his face. However, if he used that item from the Dragon King¡¯s Pce at this ce then he would not only be potentially dooming Amaharpe but the entire world! But, if he did not, then Nekrostalmenos would definitely go after that thing hidden underneath Amaharpe. That was something that could not be allowed to happen no matter the cost. The ten-second stun finally ended and immediately after it did so, Izroth and his party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The arm of Nekrostalmenos has been influenced by a mysterious power.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! 3 minutes remaining until the quest ?Halt The Invasion? is failed!¡µ Name: Empowered Arm of Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of the Netherworld(???) Level: ??? HP: 20,000,000 (100%) ¡¯Worthless insects?¡¯ A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face, however, it was a smile that sent shivers down one¡¯s spine just from looking at it. This whole time Nekrostalmenos had been insulting him and treating him as if he were nothing. It did not even bother speaking directly to them as though it was afraid of dirtying its own reputation. Izroth may have been a very patient person, however, he was no saint. ¡¯Good, very good. It¡¯s been a long time since someone has dared to look down on me this much.¡¯ "Aren¡¯t you looking down on us a bit too much?" Izroth spoke in a nonchnt manner. Izroth removed a Two Sr Extremities Pill from his inventory. This time, it was a normal Two Sr Extremities Pill, therefore, he would not receive the benefits of the Lunar Touch since it was still on cooldown. He consumed the pill without hesitation as he felt a surge of power overflowing inside his body. As everyone observed Izroth, they felt an overwhelming pressure being ced upon them. Seeing him this way when he was usually so carefree about everything was a terrifying experience! "I¡¯ll take care of this alone, you all don¡¯t have to lift a single finger." Izroth said as his gaze never left the palm of Nekrostalmenos. Everyone was dumbfounded. He would take care of it alone? That was twenty million HP and they only had three minutes! Not to mention, they had no idea what kind of tricks that arm still had up its sleeve and yet he wanted to face it alone? Even if it was Izroth, they could not help but have some reservations towards his statement. After all, this was an SSS-ranked quest! "The chirr of a mere insect about to be crushed into nothingness. Perish." Nekrostalmenos sounded angered as Izroth said that he would take care of it alone. It was the envoy of the Netherworld! A being of vast power and yet a mere human who had just left his mother¡¯s womb dared make such an audacious statement before it? Its massive palm was headed directly for Izroth and his party! It wanted to annihte them all in one shot for Izroth¡¯s insolence. The palm was descending fast as a gentle breeze floated around Izroth. Woosh! -745,200 As the palm was still traveling in mid-air, a de of wind rushed out to greet it. That attack had an overbearing aura behind it as it crashed into the palm of Nekrostalmenos. It was Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction infused with the Tempest Strikes from his Sword of The Storm! After that strike, Izroth stood in the stance of the first sword form. Nekrostalmenos could not help but smirk at Izroth¡¯s sad excuse of an attack. That was the power it had hoped to defeat it alone with? Arrogant! It was true arrogance at its finest! "Such bold words, yet such little power." Nekrostalmenos said as its palm was only a few meters away from reaching Izroth and his party! The span of the palm was simply too big to even think of avoiding! Therefore, everyone tried to position themselves in between the opening spaces of the fingers. Everyone had worried expressions on their faces as the palm approached. They could only hope that Izroth knew what he was doing. All of a sudden, a sh of light appeared at the center of the arm of Nekrostalmenos. That light carried with it an aura that was drenched in endless killing intent. The power behind that attack was so terrifying, that even Nekrostalmenos did not dare face it head-on as it tried to avoid it, however, its massive arm was simply too huge of a target and there was not enough room to maneuver with the portal limiting it! Gear, who was still torn between what he should do was jolted by the sudden spike in power. At first, he thought that a being of great power had appeared to lend a hand, however, when he noticed where that energy wasing from, he was stunned. "Impossible..!" Gear said as he was shaken! Even with the holy aura, his power should not be able to reach such a terrifying level! Ziiiiiiii...! Woosh... Izroth slowly sheathed his Sword of The Storm as the palm that was just descending towards them stopped in its tracks. That gentle breeze that floated around his body had vanished. His appearance became pale and that frightening aura from before transformed into something feeble and weak. It was as if all the energy had been drained out of his body! There was an eerie silence that filled the underground chambers. "You are weak. What a disappointment." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he continued to stand straight despite his current weakened state. At the same time, a small clean line could be seen running across the center area of the arm of Nekrostalmenos. The next moment, that line started to grow and increase in size as it began to rain ck liquid! BOOM! That massive arm, from its elbow on forward, had beenpletely severed! "YOU DAAAAAARE!" Nekrostalmenos voice was basked in neverending rage. His voice alone actually caused the entire kingdom of O¡¯Tohelm to experience a wave of horrifying earthquakes. It was the true anger of a being with unimaginable power. It had half of its arm cut off by a frail human! Izroth had managed to severe the arm of a legendary existence! It was a terrifying disy of power! At that moment, the same question was on everyone¡¯s mind, what just happened? ?Critical Hit? -26,827,200 Chapter 263 Irredeemable! Obtaining The Lost Page Izroth stood there with a fearless expression on his face as he listened to the rage of Nekrostalmenos. After taking the Two Sr Extremities Pill, Izroth used the skill Tempest Strikes that was attached to his Sword of The Storm. With that skill, he used the First Baneful Sword: Destruction and aimed it directly at the center area of Nekrostalmenos¡¯ palm. That was his first attack. However, the truly terrifying part was what happened after that first strike. The second sword strike was Izroth¡¯s Second Baneful Sword: Kill, however, it was not as simple as that. Due to using the First Baneful Sword: Destruction beforehand, it activated the special effect of his Second Baneful Sword: Kill and doubled its base damage. So, instead of dealing 1,000% of his attack as damage, it soared to 2,000%! After his first strike was sessful, Izroth was also able to use his First Sword Form: Converging Paths which made his second sword strike a guaranteed critical hit. But, that was not all he did to reach such an insane level of damage. He also poured in practically every single drop of his Essence into the attack and targeted the middle of Nekrostalmenos¡¯ arm where he was the weakest. Add on to that the 10,000% damage increase from the holy aura and you were left with an attack that was devastating enough to severe the arm of a powerful creature like Nekrostalmenos. "That... Is that even allowed?" Halls said in disbelief. However, there was no one to answer him. Why? It was due to the fact that everyone was speechless! "Twenty-six million damage to a creature with such high defense... Honestly, how ridiculous." Mariposa said quietly to herself as she felt cold sweats run down her back. If one ignored the defenses of Nekrostalmenos and calcted the damage before the reduction phase, then Izroth¡¯s attack dealt over 130 million damage! If that was not ridiculous, then Mariposa did not believe that anything else could ever be defined as absurd. Even Luna, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Halls who had gained a great deal of resistance against being shocked by Izroth were dumbfounded. They thought that whatever Izroth did after the Chaotic Dogma Realm would no longer surprise them, however, it seemed that he had other ns in mind. Halls let out a helpless sigh and shook his head as he said, "Brother, you¡¯re truly full of surprises." "Ahahaha! Who in all of RML can challenge my brother now? What Sage Falls? What Netherworld creature? Before my brother, hmph, they¡¯re nothing much." Guan Yu said as he finally snapped out of his state of disbelief. He was ovee with a rush of excitement and his blood boiled. Izroth had be his goal and just when he thought he would reach that goal, it suddenly soared far away from him. This was the kind of exhrating and impossible challenge he lived for! While most people would be discouraged, this only made Guan Yu even more motivated than he was before. After all, how could he go around calling Izroth his brother if he himself was too weak? "You- Ismon sense a joke to you?" Zi Yi questioned as she had a hard time epting the factsid out before her. Just like Guan Yu, Zi Yi was naturallypetitive when it came to things like RML. She decided that from now on, she would limit her time in the library and not get too caught up so that she does not fall even further behind Izroth. She found that the gap between them was not small by any means, it was colossal! That created a feeling of pressure for her to improve herself so that she could keep up. Zi Yi and Guan Yu were not the only two with those thoughts. Luna and Halls had the same exact thoughts cross their minds as well. If Izroth continued to grow at this pace, he would leave them all in the dust! Then, what use would he have inviting them to a party? Pity? Thest thing they wanted was a pity invite! Therefore, there was a look of determination in everyone¡¯s eyes. Mariposa, on the other hand, was now one-hundred percent certain that she made the correct call back then. If there was any doubt left before now, it hadpletely vanished into thin air. She was still a bit skeptical about engaging in a direct confrontation with Sage Falls. After all, even though they were weakened, they were still a top guild and held a lot of influence both inside and outside of RML. However, she had already secretly decided that she would support Izroth. Having him as an enemy was simply out of the question and having him as an ally would be endlessly beneficial for her Sleeping Gardenia. Therefore, if he wanted to eradicate Sage Falls, she would use the full force of Sleeping Gardenia to assist him! Although everyone within Izroth¡¯s party was shocked, there were two others who were even more baffled than them. The first was Tererestiaa who currently had a fatigued appearance about her. The second was, of course, Gear. "That young man... Does he realize what he¡¯s just done?" Gear said to himself. After Nekrostalmenos¡¯ arm was cut off, Gear took advantage of that open window of opportunity to break free of his imprisonment. But now, there was a hint of worry in his eyes. While Izroth¡¯s feat was incredible, the consequences behind it were not light by any means. As for Tererestiaa, she had finally run out of strength and the holy aura that was around Izroth and his party members disappeared as they returned to their normal strength. At least, everyone but Izroth who was experiencing Soul Weakness due to the over usage of his Essence. "What frightening potential. To wield such strength with an infant stage Source... What would the results be if his Source was fully developed? The all-seeing goddess has truly chosen well." Tererestiaa said quietly to herself. As for Nekrostalmenos, although the ck liquid had stopped flowing from his now half of an arm, it was still clearly infuriated. It had been humiliated by a human! Not a human of great power, no, but by a human who was barely old enough to walk on his own two feet! Disgraceful! How would it exin this to the Netherworld Monarch? How would he ever be able to show his face before the others again? "Human! I curse you! You will forever be an enemy of my Netherworld! For now, until the end of time!" Nekrostalmenos roared in blinding rage. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Assist Gear in forcing the mysterious entity to retreat back into the Netherworld.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Curse of The Netherworld?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Curse of The Netherworld?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Netherworld has decreased by 10,000 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your reputation with the Netherworld has be Irredeemable! You can no longer gain fame with the Netherworld!¡µ Irredeemable! That meant that no matter what Izroth did from now on, there was nothing he could do to change the fact that he was enemies of the Netherworld. However, they already were not on good terms, therefore, it made little difference to him. Skill Name: Curse of The Netherworld Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Cursed By: Nekrostalmenos, Envoy of The Netherworld Passive: The user of this skill is marked for death and eternally cursed by the power of the Netherworld. The user will experience the following effect(s): -Creatures of the Netherworld will always prioritize you as a target. -The Netherworld will actively send creatures out to hunt you. -Allies of the Netherworld may attack you. -Enemies of the Netherworld will wee you with open arms. -You deal +100% bonus damage holy damage to creatures of the Netherworld. -You receive -50% damage from the creatures of the Netherworld. Special Note: The only way to remove this curse is to vanquish the creature who is behind the curse. As Nekrostalmenos cursed Izroth, the portal began to lose its stability as that massive arm was now being sucked back through to the other side along with the half that was cut off by Izroth. Even the ck liquid that rained down was being drawn back into the Netherworld where it originally belonged. But, just as Nekrostalmenos arm was being pulled into the portal, five huge fingers grabbed onto the edge of the portal. Everyone was shaken the moment they saw that second hand suddenly grip onto the portal and their hearts sunk. Their facial expressions instantly darkened when they witnessed that sight. Would they have to face a second arm? The holy aura had already run out and they were back to their normal level of strength, how could they fight against that monstrosity? "You can¡¯t be serious..." Zi Yi said with furrowed brows. "We can¡¯t catch a break, can we?" Guan Yu said with a grin on his face. But, even he knew that if that second arm came through, they would all be annihted! Izroth narrowed his eyes as he set his gaze upon the portal. However, just as everyone was at a loss, they heard Tererestiaa¡¯s voice carry throughout the underground chambers. "Use the Half Mark Sealing Totems to close the portal before it¡¯s toote!" Tererestiaa shouted in a hastily. Of course! The Half Mark Sealing Totems! In all the excitement, confusion, and shock, they hadpletely forgotten about it! "Guan Yu!" Zi Yi shouted as she quickly moved into position with the Half Mark Sealing Totem now in her hands. "I got it!" Guan Yu replied as he removed the Half Mark Sealing Totem from his inventory and began to seal the portal with Zi Yi. However, after a few seconds, they noticed that the portal was not shrinking! The hand actually started to widen the portal slightly and tear through it! "It¡¯s not closing!" Guan Yu yelled. "Could we have waited too long?" Zi Yi said with a gloomy expression on her face. Woosh! Bang! Just as the everyone was on edge, a silhouette flickered in front of the portal and, in the next moment, the hand that was gripping tightly onto the portal was separated and knocked back inside! "You¡¯ve already overstayed your wee, old man. Go back and rest in the Netherworld for a while." Gear said with a bit of blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He had put his everything into that final attack and had pushed passed his limits. "Noooooooooooo!" Nekrostalmenos roared as it saw the portal slowly shrinking between its eyes into nothingness. Fifteen secondster, the portal vanished and there was nothing but silence that remained within the underground chambers. It was at that moment Izroth and his party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: 11/11 Assist Seer Tererestiaa in sealing all portals that appear within the underground chambers.¡µ Hsssssssssssst! Ooooooom! All of a sudden, the three tombstones that Izroth and his party hade across when they first arrived in this area began to emit a strange hissing sound. Everyone immediately went on guard, however, Vozrak¡¯s Gift which had previously retreated back into Izroth¡¯s inventory had reappeared and shot towards the three tombstones! The moment it made contact with one of the tombstones, a boundless and vast power spilled out as a nk piece of ancient-looking parchment paper floated into midair with Vozrak¡¯s Gift hovering right above it. A stream of writing began to appear on the parchment as it was then sucked into Vozrak¡¯s Gift. Vozrak¡¯s Gift then flew back towards Izroth¡¯s and stopped right before him as if it was waiting for him to take hold on it. ¡¯It almost seems to have a will of its own. An interesting item...¡¯ Izroth reached out and took Vozrak¡¯s Gift into the palm of his hand as he was immediately bombarded by alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Obtain and contain the mysterious ?Lost Page?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Halt The Invasion?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired x1 ?Lost Page?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Find the lost page belonging to the ?Book of Beginnings?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted part 1 of the world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings?.¡µ As Izroth nced over the system alerts that were still pouring in, Gear appeared before him. At the moment, Gear had mixed emotions about everything that had just taken ce. "Young man, you are truly fearless. However, I¡¯m afraid that the Netherworld will not let you off so easily after severing the arms of one of its envoy¡¯s." Gear spoke in a solemn tone of voice. Chapter 264 Its Not There! The reason Gear worried was because of the curse that was ced upon Izroth. Even he was unable to remove that curse with the means at his disposal. In fact, there were only three people he personally knew who may possess the means to eliminate such a powerful curse, however, those three were all busy with other matters that were much more important than a mere curse. Besides, Gear saw the incredible potential within Izroth. If he interfered and helped Izroth through that curse instead of letting him drive to ovee it himself, he may only end up hindering Izroth¡¯s full growth potential. In the end, this was a problem Izroth caused, therefore, he would have to be the one toe up with a solution. Although Gear¡¯s approach may seem a bit harsh, it was solely because he believed that the young man before him had the natural talent to reach unspeakable heights. While Izroth was still far away from the peak in Gear¡¯s eyes, he was certainly not the same seedling that he had met back in Opal Town. He had grown at an astonishing speed in a short period of time. However, what really made Gear dismiss the idea of helping Izroth was the look in his eyes. There was not a hint of fear or regret that lingered about even after knowing of the consequences. That alone was enough for Gear to know that, in the end, he was made the right choice. "Those who will be my enemies in one hundred days is already my enemy today." Izroth said in a nonchnt manner. At the end of the day, Izroth had already chosen which side he was on and that was the side of the Mortal Realm, or even more specifically, Amaharpe. Be it the shadahi or the creatures of the Netherworld, Izroth was destined to be their enemy due to his connection with Amaharpe and Gear, Therefore, what did it matter to him if they would not let him off easily? In his eyes, it was more of a blessing than a curse. After all, was he not bound to be rewarded for his troubles? Gear was startled by Izroth¡¯s bold words. That was because he had also said something simr to that in his young adventuring days. In those days, he was fearless and did not know how to tell the difference between bravery and stupidity. In that category as well, Izroth was far ahead of him at that age. "You sure know how to keep surprising this old man. Ahahaha!" Gear said as he burst out in joyousughter, however, he ended up stopping midway and coughing due to how much he overexerted himself and took a moment to clear his throat. "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to cut our meeting short, Izroth. The portals in this ce are sealed for good and won¡¯t be opening up for at least another one hundred years or so." Gear spoke with a serious expression on his face. There was something else on his mind and that was the page that appeared and was absorbed by that magical item. The energy emitted by that page was immense! But, it was not just any kind of energy. After all, Gear knew individuals like Zendai who was practically a bottomless pit of mana, and Zhi whose strength was so boundless that he was restricted from interfering in matters of the Mortal Realm. However, this was not that kind of energy. What made that energy so unique was the fact that it was natural! In other words, that energy was something that was naturally created by the world at some point in time. Even for beings with his strength, items like that were extremely rare and challenging to find. The most unusual thing was that he could no longer sense that energy anywhere around after it was sucked into that item, which was a good thing. After all, if Izroth walked away with that much natural energy leaking from his body then he would be targeted by individuals he was not yet ready to face. "That item you have... I won¡¯t say much about it. However, you should not mention it to those who you do not trust. It is something that could cause kingdoms to go to war if they discover its existence. I don¡¯t have to tell you how disastrous that would be." Gear said. Izroth shook his head inwardly. He could tell that Gear was simply looking out for his well-being, however, he was aware of his current limitations and how he had to ovee them. Izroth found that, in a way, the rules of the cultivation world were very simr to the rules of RML. If you had an item that you did not have the power to protect, then you either keep it hidden or have it snatched from you. But, if someone wanted to snatch an item from him, then they had better be ready to ept the consequences that came along with it. It would make the curse from the Netherworld seem like child¡¯s y byparison. "You have time to worry about others yet never yourself. You were too reckless." Tererestiaa¡¯s voice carried over as she approached Izroth and Gear. Her currentplexion was much better than it was a few moments ago. Although she was still a bit pale, she was no longer short of breath or struggling just to stand up on her own two feet. "Well, that¡¯s my queue. See you around, young man." Gear said as his silhouette began to flicker. He had regained enough strength to travel at around thirty percent of his normal speed. While thirty percent may not seem like a lot, it was still extremely fast for someone like Gear. All of a sudden, two lights shot from out of Zi Yi and Guan Yu¡¯s inventories and headed straight towards Tererestiaa. They were the Half Mark Sealing Totems she had lent them to seal the portals. "May the all-seeing goddess guide your steps, adventurers. Take care." Tererestiaa said with a gentle smile on her face before she suddenly disappeared. Gear had taken her along with his flickering steps. "Ah right, I almost forgot. Here¡¯s a small gift from me for your assistance, young man." Gear¡¯s voice echoed throughout the underground chambers as his silhouette shed in front of Izroth and then, he was gone in the next instant. Gear had left the underground chambers along with Tererestiaa. There was a small droplet of golden liquid that resembled tree sap floating before Izroth. ¡¯This is Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid..!¡¯ Although it was only a single droplet, it was still a legendary medicine that was priceless! The medicine suddenly shot into his mouth and immediately dissolved. Izroth felt his entire body exploding with an amazing level of energy and vitality! It even affected his weakened soul! ¡´System Alert: Your body has been fully restored to its original state.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your soul has been fully restored to its original state.¡µ ¡´System Alert: All impurities have been removed from your body.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are no longer affected by ?Soul Weakness?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are no longer affected by ?Lunar Touch?.¡µ ¡¯It even removed the side effects of a grade three pill?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s weakened state from consuming the normal Two Sr Extremities had already worn off, however, the effects of the Lunar Touch from the Blessing of the Craft version of the pill was supposed to be active for another 48 hours. But, that small drop of liquid had managed to not only cure his Soul Weakness, but also the Lunar Touch! ¡¯To think he drinks such medicine as if it were water.¡¯ Izroth knew that the wound made by that creature was terrifying, however, after experiencing how wonderous that tiny quantity of legendary medicine truly was firsthand, it gave him another perspective. He decided that if there was a way to help Gear heal from that wound, he would definitely find a way to help him. While Izroth was speaking to Gear, everyone else was excitedly checking the rewards that they received frompleting the first part of an SSS-ranked quest. Of course, everything was great, however, their main focus was on the one piece of epic ranked equipment they received! It was like staring at a priceless treasure! People who kill for a single piece of epic ranked equipment and yet everyone here, excluding Mariposa, was in possession of two pieces of epic ranked equipment! If other yers knew that they basically had a monopoly on epic equipment, they would probably die of envy alone. ¡¯This system sure doesn¡¯t short change when ites to rewards.¡¯ Since everyone else was already looking over their rewards, Izroth took the time to do the same as he read over his system alerts. ¡´System Alert: You have gained +3 levels!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +9 stat points for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded 10 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received +300 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 skill points forpleting part 1 the world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded ?Skystep Boots?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked part 2 of the world quest ?The Beginning of Beginnings?!¡µ The increase of three levels was definitely a nice addition. After all, they did not receive any experience from defeating that massive arm or from the Netherworld creatures that were pouring in during their fight with it. Therefore, it made up greatly for theck of experience given during that time. While the quest only rewarded 10 gold coins, although it was not much to Izroth, it was still more than 7,000 RMB with the current exchange rate. Casual yers could only dream of earning that much in such a short period of time. Izroth still had no idea what benefits world fame would bring him, however, he knew that it was something beneficial to him. But, of course, none of the other rewards could evene close toparing with the epic ranked equipment he was awarded, the Skystep Boots. Armor Name: Skystep Boots Armor Rank: Epic Armor Level: 40 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 500 Agility HP: 3,250 DEF: 272 AGI: 635 +10% Movement Speed(Doubled when out ofbat for more than 20 seconds.) Armor Skill: Sky Steps(Passive) - Every 3 minutes, the wearer of the ?Skystep Boots? gains the temporary ability to step on air for 20 seconds. The user¡¯s max height cannot exceed forty meters. The time limit of this skill is reduced to 10 seconds while inbat. ?Falling Feather Steps? - This skill can only be used when the user is in the air. This skill allows the user to straighten out just before they hit the ground andnd safely without suffering any fall damage. Cooldown: 30 minutes Special Note: One step to soar above all! He could basically fly in the air for twenty seconds once every three minutes! While inbat it was reduced down to ten seconds, there were still countless uses for such an amazing ability. Izroth immediately took off his level 15 Umon Commander Boots that he got all the way back when he defeated the Goblin King¡¯s Commander Jruloja back in Goblin¡¯s Paradise and equipped the Skystep Boots. Izroth¡¯s watched as his stats shot up when he equipped the epic ranked equipment. [Name: Izroth] [EXP: 105,492/1,452,099] [Level: 40(Stat Points: 15)] [Title: Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary)] [ss: Combat Master] [HP(Hit Points): 8,154/8,154] [Energy: 150] [ATK: 1,874] [DEF: 537] [AGI: 1,269] [MAG: 30] [Physical Resistance: 20%] [Magical Resistance: 20%] [Luck: 1] [Lifesteal: 6%] [+10% Attack Speed] [+20% Movement Speed(Currently out ofbat)] Now that Izroth and his party hadpleted their task in this ce, it was time for them to return to Amaharpe. However, there was just one problem. "The quest... It¡¯s not there!" Halls said in a tone of disbelief. He had checked his quest logs over and over again, but he did not see the second part of the SSS-ranked quest! "Odd, I also don¡¯t seem to have the second part." Luna said with her brows slightly furrowed. It was the same for Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Mariposa as well. None of them had acquired the second part of the SSS-ranked quest! Just what was going on? Chapter 265 No Need For Words While everyone was in a small state of panic about the missing quest from their quest logs, Izroth took the opportunity to check his own. After all, the system clearly stated that he had sessfully unlocked the second part of the world quest. ¡¯It¡¯s there alright.¡¯ When Izroth checked his quest logs, the second part of the world quest was there just as the system had said it would be. After looking over the quest, Quest Name: The Beginning of Beginnings Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: The ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯ is a divine item that should not be in the hands of mortals, as it contains the power to corrupt the strongest of beings. Gilidore has unsealed the guardian of the firmament and corrupted them with the ¡¯Relic of Power¡¯. If Vozrak is permitted to be fully corrupted, there is no telling what will be of the entire world. You must put an end to this before the day of beginnings. Adventurer, know that this is only the beginning. Time Limit: 120 days Part 2: -1/10 Collect the remaining scattered memory fragments of the ?Memento m?. -0/1 Find and obtain the second lost page belonging to the ?Book of Beginnings?. -1/1 Obtain a Source, a mysterious energy that allows one to ovee natural limitations. -0/1 Clear the Path of Dragons. (This part must bepleted alone by the main quest holder.) Rewards: -Gain +2 levels -Gain +20 stat points -Gain +600 world fame -Gain +100 gold coins -x1 Skill Mastery Token V -One Epic rank equipment -??? Failure Penalty: -Lose -5 levels -Lose -1,000 world fame -Destruction of the Capital Amaharpe -??? Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. ¡¯On the bright side, it seems that I¡¯m already a quarter of the way done.¡¯ Izroth had a vague idea of what a Source was given the general context surrounding it, as well as, having firsthand experience using it. However, he had a feeling that there was more to this Source besides the bits and pieces of information he knew about it. One thing was absolutely certain, those with a Source had a huge advantage over those whocked it. He did not know where to start when it came to everything else listed as a quest objective. But, the most eye-catching thing was the part he mustplete alone, the Path of Dragons. It sounded interesting, but where was this so-called Path of Dragons even located and how was he supposed to get there? As for the rewards, they were quite generous as usual, but he did not know what a Skill Mastery Token or the ??? part of the reward was as both were aplete mystery to him. However, he understood that whenever the system used ???, the reward had to be something incredible, especially when it came to a world quest that was SSS-ranked. ¡¯The failure penalty is harsh as always.¡¯ Losing five levels may not seem like a lot, however, if he reached a much higher level, those five levels could cost him tens of millions of experience points! Losing 1,000 world fame was not dire, but it would probably rob him of some potential benefits. It also seemed that Amaharpe was not yet free of danger since its destruction was still a possibility if he failed. But, in the end, what concerned Izroth the most was not any of that, instead, it was the ??? sat right at the bottom of the failure list. As amazing as the ??? was for rewards, it was the exact opposite for failure. It would likely be something even more disastrous than the destruction of Amaharpe and could shake the entire foundation of RML! One of the interesting things about this world quest was the fact that Izroth did not lose the ability to share the quest with other yers. ¡¯It appears that afterpleting one part of the world quest, I am the only one who receives the next part. Who knew this ruthless system was capable of being so thoughtful?¡¯ Being able to choose his party every time after one part of the world quest ended was something unexpected, but weed by Izroth. After all, there were countless circumstances that could ur between the long periods of time in which a world queststed. The time limit was 120 days this time and 90 daysst time. A lot could happen within that time period and so if he did not have the ability to, at the very least, choose his own party members after each part hepleted, then it could be a potential drawback. Since the beginning, there was still a part of him wondering if giving the final slot to Mariposa was the right thing to do, even if they were allies and still building foundations. After all, Mariposa was an incredibly skilled and useful yer with her spatial magic, however, she was still the leader of a top guild. She had other responsibilities and priorities. In other words, she would always put the needs of her guild before anything else. While that was not a bad thing, Izroth preferred someone without that kind of mindset. There were still many unanswered questions, however, Izroth understood that he could only cross those bridges when hees to them. After he finished reading over the quest logs, Izroth exined to everyone what was going on and they immediately let out a sigh of relief. So that was why they had not received the quest! They had thought that it was some kind of system bug. Losing an SSS-ranked quest due to a bug would have been a catastrophe! "Phew... So the system lets you pick who to share the quest with every time a part¡¯spleted? That¡¯s pretty convenient." Halls said. "Indeed, it makes perfect sense considering the time span of each part. Plus, it is Izroth¡¯s quest to begin with, therefore, it¡¯s only right that he gets to decide who he wants to share it with." Zi Yimented. "It¡¯s a pity. I wouldn¡¯t have minded being trapped intopleting an SSS-ranked quest. But, there¡¯s no need to worry. I have no ns pushing my luck any further. This reward alone has made everything worth it. Of course, I would not be against tagging along again if you need a spare hand." Mariposa said in a slightly teasing manner. "You- Could you be any more shameless?" Zi Yi scoffed. Mariposa lightly giggled and responded, "As a guild leader, it is my job to have a bit of shamelessness, my adorable little sister." "Brother, she is challenging you for your title of the shameless king. She must not know how shameless you can be." Guan Yu said as he put his arm around Halls¡¯ shoulder in a brotherly manner as he released a burst ofughter. "Who¡¯s the shameless king?! If anyone here should have that title it should be you. Being shameless is a natural gift one is born with under a certain star and brother, you have the greatest gift I¡¯ve ever seen." Halls retorted as he elbowed Guan Yu in the chest with a grin on his face. "Ugh, betrayed by my own brother again!" Guan Yu said as he shook his head. Luna stepped next to Izroth and faced the same direction as him. The two of them stood there looking out towards the others who were simply having a good time. At the time, things seemed strangely peaceful and serene. "I will support you." Luna said without any warning and seemingly any context. Izroth looked towards Luna and saw that she had a charming and genuine smile on her face. There was a slight hint of pink that snuck onto her cheeks. It may have been due to the aura of the Trephasia race, however, for just for a single instant, Luna reminded Izroth of an otherworldly fairy from the Seven Realms. A race whose members were all natural born beauties. "Whatever you choose to do from this point on, I will support you." Luna spoke with a look of rity and certainty in her eyes. There was not the slightest bit of doubt or hesitation present. She truly meant the words she said. Izroth turned his sight back towards the others who were currently enjoying themselves and still celebrating thepletion of the world quest. "I know." Izroth responded with a slight smile on his face. Now that everything here was settled and there was nothing left for them to aplish at this ce, it was time for them to return to Amaharpe! ... A few moments ago back in Amaharpe in front of the Mystical Realm Pce... "I¡¯m surprised that you can afford to waste time here instead of recovering from the substantial losses you took during the event. Boy, Sage Falls sure is bing more and more brazen with their actions these days." Valkyria said as she red at yer. Valkyria had been called back the Amaharpe in the middle of questing at He Huian¡¯s request. Normally, He Huian did not have the authority tomand her nor the Lotus Guard, however, these were special circumstances. She understood the importance of the Mystical Realm Pce to Sleeping Gardenia, therefore, even if He Huian did not call for her, she would have returned on her own. While she could not forcibly remove yer or the members of Sage Falls since they were located inside of a safe zone where yers could not cause any damage, Valkyria could only apply pressure and hope that they cave in. However, they were extremely stubborn and she did not understand why. Didn¡¯t these fools know that once Izroth returned he could simply kick them off his property? There was quite literally nothing to be gained by this except angering everyone within Amaharpe, including the top guilds, and creating a hostile rtionship with a grade three Apothecary! Surely yer couldn¡¯t be that stupid, right? "Hmph, bark all you want but don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re up to, mutt. If you want to act like a dog so badly, then you¡¯ll do well to sit and y dead in front of me. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for getting nasty. Why women love to y pretend gamer, I¡¯ll never know. You and the rest of the mutts following after your tail should know your ce!" yer mocked as he belittled Valkyria and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia. The other yers that were around were disgusted by yer¡¯s attitude and behavior. They couldn¡¯t believe that a guy like that was the leader of a top guild! It was true what they said about Sage Falls, the members all had nasty personalities and were unafraid of causing trouble. Valkyria¡¯s facial expression darkened when those words left yer¡¯s mouth. Mutt? Sit and y dead? He dared to humiliate not only her and the members of her guild that were present but the entirety of Sleeping Gardenia as well? Valkyria was rarely ever truly boiling with rage, however, yer had just stepped on dangerous and mine! "How disgusting!" "Do you dare say that to us outside of Amaharpe?!" "Watch your tongue! Ourmander isn¡¯t someone you can badmouth freely! And neither are we!" The other members of Sleeping Gardenia and even those female yers in the crowd who had no rtion to them were speaking up. They were obviously angered by yer¡¯sment. "Good, very good... It looks like you actually have lost your mind. Let¡¯s see how much longer you can hold on to that arrogance of yours." Valkyria spoke in a cold and distant voice. "Lost my mind? Far from it. Arrogance? So what! I¡¯ve given the owner a chance. It is he who refused a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." yer scoffed. He then continued, "Everyone appears to have forgottentely just what the name Sage Falls means and it¡¯s time they remember. It means fear! Dominance! Pow-" "Stupidity!" A voice carried over and interrupted yer halfway through his sentence. That voice was like a localized thunderp. Chapter 266 Slayers Two Options, The Prelude To A Massacre Swoosh! Everyone looked around in a confused manner. They had no idea where that voice came from! "Eh? Who was that?" "It sounded a bit close, yet far at the same time. Strange..." "Look! Someone¡¯s in the sky!" One of the yers nearby pointed towards the sky as he spoke in a tone filled with disbelief. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes! What? Someone was in the sky? Was it some special kind of NPC? Everyone set their sights on the sky above. There really was someone up there! They were standing at around twenty to thirty meters in the air. In other words, they were flying! "A special event?" "I think that¡¯s a yer..!" "Don¡¯t be stupid! How can a yer possibly fly?" The person in the sky rapidly descended and fell like a meteor crashing into the earth! However, just before they were about to hit the ground, their body straightened up and theynded safely without any harm to themselves. When everyone saw who that person was, they immediately recognized him. He was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce! Of course, that person was none other than Izroth. Mariposa had enough spare Returning Scrolls for them to return to Amaharpe without the long journey. However, the spare Returning Scrolls she had only returned yers to the nearest Amaharpe town or vige, not to the capital itself. But, she did have two Returning Scrolls that could take the user directly to Amaharpe. However, those scrolls were quite costly going for double that of a regr Returning Scroll! It was definitely a luxury item. Of course, 200 gold coins to her was nothingpared to what she would make in the long run being partnered with Izroth¡¯s shop. Not to mention, he had just basically handed her an epic ranked weapon. Needless to say, even one hundred higher grade Returning Scrolls would not be enough to pay him. In the end, Mariposa gave Izroth one higher grade Returning Scroll to make his way back to the capital city Amaharpe while everyone else used a normal Returning Scroll to reach the closest town or vige. After all, there was nothing they could do inside of a safe zone and Izroth was the only one with absolute authority over his own shop. "What a grand entrance..." One of the yers couldn¡¯t help but sigh in envy. A yer with the ability to fly?! This was huge news! You could actually fly within RML! This was something that yers would kill for! Valkyria, as well as, yer were both shocked by Izroth¡¯s sudden appearance. "What an incredible skill..." Valkyria muttered to herself. Flying! That was definitely in every yer¡¯s top three things they wanted to do within RML! As for yer, he quickly regained hisposure. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, Izroth cut him off. "You have two options. Get lost and disband Sage Falls or get lost and I¡¯ll dismantle it for you. The choice is yours. Choose!" Izroth said in a domineering manner. His usual carefree demeanor had taken a back seat when it came to dealing with someone like yer. He was a patient person, but this had crossed his bottom line. yer¡¯s facial expression darkened. He was fuming on the inside and ready to boil over with rage. Just because this nobody before him owned the first shop and had ties with the Pill Emperor did not mean that he was anyone special. In fact, if not for the Pill Emperor, then he would just be some random trash not even worth paying any attention to! First ce in the event? So what! In the end, he was only one yer without any solid backing. Therefore, what gave him the right to speak such arrogance words? Everyone waspletely speechless when they heard Izroth¡¯s words. No matter which option yer chose, it would mean that Sage Falls was being disbanded as a guild! They were a top guild, therefore, no one really took Izroth¡¯s words at face value. However, there was one person in the crowd who knew that Izroth was not just speaking empty words. Valkyria saw that look in his eyes and knew that he was dead serious! He really was nning on facing Sage Falls head-on! However, she had a hard time believing his words. After all, even Sleeping Gardenia would not be able to force Sage Falls to disband! What could one person possibly aplish? Izroth found that the more time he spent in this world, the more he found himself bing lenient. This was mainly due to the fact that this world was nowhere near as dangerous as the Seven Realms. However, he knew that one would only be provoked when they are seen as being weak. Was he someone to take such nonsense lying down? The answer was obviously no! He nned to make an example out of Sage Falls so that those who wished to provoke him and block his path would see that which lies ahead of them. After all, Izroth had one simple rule when it came to situations like this. He always repays kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold! yer suddenly chuckled and in just a few moments, that chuckle turned intoughter. The surroundings yers were surprised by yer¡¯s reaction. In truth, they expected him to snap and start spewing out curses and insults. Needless to say,ughing was thest thing they thought yer would do in this situation. Even the other members of Sage Falls next to yer were shocked. yer finally stopped hisughter and responded with a grin on his face, "I see you¡¯re not just a sessful shop owner, but aedian as well." He spoke in mocking tone with a hint of disdain present in his voice. He then continued, "I¡¯vee here to continue our previous discussion. You¡¯ll do well to reconsider, otherwise, don¡¯t me me for taking extreme measures. You should know, I always get what I want, one way or another." Izroth was not sure how Sage Falls had managed to survive so long with that kind of terrible leader, let alone be a top guild. However, it appeared that yer had already made his choice. Therefore, Izroth did not respond to him and simply walked towards his direction. "Heh, what? Do you n on trying to attack me in a safe zone? You¡¯re wasting your time. Besides, even if we were not in a safe zone you still wouldn¡¯t have the ability to face me. Now, why don¡¯t you j-" As yer was speaking, Izroth ignored him and entered into the Mystical Realm Pce. He hadpletely ignored yer as if he was nonexistent! yer believed that Izroth did it on purpose just to get under his skin and this made him even more determined to make an example out of Izroth. It would be a constant reminder to all of those who dared underestimate and look down on his Sage Falls! He immediately called one of his yers out to open up the capacity limit and entered inside him. Even if Izroth kicked everyone out, he would just send in a new wave of ce holders. Izroth would not be here to watch over the shop 24/7. He was even willing to make others create a second or even third ount and send a high-level yer to guide them over to Amaharpe just to fill up space. He would do everything in his power to make sure that was long as Izroth turned down his offer, he would never have a sessful store without troubles! However, unlike what yer believed, Izroth had no intentions on using the ejection order to kick everyone from the shop. Izroth understood that for people like yer actions spoke louder than words, and he nned to make sure that even if yer was deaf, he would still receive his message loud and clear. Izroth was finished using words, now was the time for action! Valkyria furrowed her brows as she watched Izroth and then soon after yer entered into the Mystical Realm Pce. She wanted to go in and see what was going on, however, it was still full inside so she could only wait. But, she expected that this would all be over soon since Izroth would just kick them out and reim his shop. While Valkyria was correct about two things, she was wrong about one. Indeed, it would be over soon and Izroth would reim his shop, but would he just let them go after all the trouble they¡¯ve caused? ... When Izroth stepped into the Mystical Realm Pce, all eyes immediately fell onto him. Opal was waiting by the door and gave a respectful bow when Izroth walked in. "Handler Izroth, should I-" "Opal, cancel and refund all the transactions of the yers currently within the shop and then cklist every individual." Izroth said without giving her a chance to suggest the ejection order. "You will lose a substantial amount of gold coins if you refund all products. Also, the fee and personal shop tax will not be refunded. Do you still wish to proceed, Handler Izroth?" Opal responded without hesitation. "Do it." Izroth replied. "Understood." Opal wasted no time executing Izroth¡¯smands after receiving his confirmation. The members of Sage Falls were dumbfounded. There was a function like that within the shop? Most of them were regretting that they did not consume the pill before Izroth returned! "You-!" yer was not prepared for that kind of function. He did not even know such a thing existed! Thousands of pills were lost just like that! If they were not in a safe zone, then he would have already brought Izroth to his knees! yer red at Izroth and said, "If you want to make things difficult, then you only have yourself to me for what happens next! You better be prepared to sleep and live in this ce!" He spoke in a threatening way. yer wanted to see just how long Izroth could keep his arrogant attitude! Within a few days, he was confident that Izroth would be begging to make a deal with him! Izroth walked to the center of the room with yers giving him a nasty look as he passed them. When he reached the center area of the room, all eyes were locked onto him. The next thing he did confused everyone and even caused some of the yers to chuckle in response. Even yer smirked when he observed what Izroth did. Izroth had unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as if he was going to confront them within the Mystical Realm Pce. "Is he really a shop owner that doesn¡¯t know what shops are also safe zones?" "Something must be wrong with his head. He was probably dropped on his head a few dozen times as a child!" "A few dozen? Try more like a few hundred. It¡¯smon knowledge! This is what happens when you try to act tough." Everyone was mocking Izroth and spewing insults at him for his idiotic action. Even if he was wielding a legendary weapon right now he would not be able to cause any harm to them. The safe zone was absolute! ¡´System Alert: Warning, you are about to enabled Trespasser mode! This will disable all safe zone parameters within your shop! Do you wish to continue?¡µ As everyone showered Izroth in ridicule, they received two alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Trespasser mode has been enabled!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Safe zone parameters within the shop have been temporarily disabled!¡µ ¡´System Alert:... However, before they could even sweep their eyes across the system alert, they felt the entire Mystical Realm Pce Tremble as if there was an earthquake taking ce within Amaharpe! "What the heck is going on?!" yer said as he tried to maintain his bnce. Woosh! A scream could be hearding from near the center area of the room. It came from a magic caster who currently had a look of disbelief on their face. A few secondster, they turned into particles and disappeared! There was an eerie silence as everyone watched what had just happened. He had actually managed to kill someone within a safe zone! "Impossible...!" yer said as he trembled. Could he be hacking? No, that should not be possible! Everyone knew that it was impossible to do so! Izroth swept his gaze across the rows upon rows of yers with no hint of mercy in his eyes. His usual carefree look had been reced by one that was calm and cold. "Since you seem to be indecisive, allow me to extend you a helping hand. Today, Sage Falls is no more." Izroth said in a calm and steady tone of voice. Soon after those words left his mouth, a powerful energy surged around him as the tremors intensified! Chapter 267 Carnage, Over The Edge As the ground beneath the Mystical Realm Pce shook violently, the members of Sage Falls within the shop began to have trouble standing on their own two feet. Some of them even fell t out onto the floor due to a sudden loss of bnce! It was a bizarre situation, to say the least, considering that they had never experienced such a thing within Amaharpe before today. "An earthquake?!" "Where the heck¡¯s going on?!" "How did he kill someone inside Amaharpe? Is that even allowed?" However, just as everyone was confused and in disbelief as to what was going on, the first wave of damage struck them and tore straight into their defenses like a hot knife through butter. As Izroth moved towards the magic caster he had just eliminated, one of his feet stopped against the floor with a strange rhythm present that released a powerful tremor imbued with a mysterious energy. By the time he reached the magic caster, the tremors had finally caught up and sent out the first wave of damage! It was Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake empowered by his Essence! In total, he used a bit less than twenty percent of his Essence to greatly strengthen the Behemoth¡¯s Quake and caused it to be even more terrifying. It was able to reach every corner of the Mystical Realm Pce! Thankfully, Gear was kind enough to provide him with that small droplet of legendary medicine that removed his Soul Weakness and even replenished hiscking Essence. There were not many things that could catch Izroth¡¯s eye, however, he would not mind having some of that medicine always on hand. While everyone was busy trying to recover from the Behemoth¡¯s Quake that was still taking ce, Izroth did not halt his assault. He shifted his position quickly and moved in between a group of nearby yers. Most of them had just somewhat regained their bnce when Izroth had suddenly appeared before them. The next thing they witnessed was hundreds, maybe even thousands of palms descending towards them! Bang! Izroth effortlessly and urately struck the weak points of the surrounding Sage Falls yers with his Myriad Elusive Palms skill! He hit seven targets in total which was more than enough to activate the side effect of the Myriad Elusive Palms and reset its cooldown time! After only one strike of Izroth¡¯s palm, along with the damage built up by the Behemoth¡¯s Quake, two of the seven yers were instantly killed! Without pausing, Izroth adjusted his positioning and shifted his feet using incredible footwork to station himself within the range of a few more yers as he once again executed the Myriad Elusive Palms. Soon enough, yers were beginning to drop off like flies every time Izroth made a move. "Stop him! If he can attack us, we should also be able to attack him!" yer ordered in a voice filled with rage as he saw the members of his guild being killed off one at a time. If the system allowed Izroth to attack them, then it only made sense that they should be able to do the same to him! However, even after figuring out that they were capable of attacking Izroth, they simply were unable toy a single finger on him! Every single time one of their attacks were close to hitting him, it would just barely miss. His level of luck was incredible! At least, that was how it seemed to them. In truth, Izroth was intentionally using the bare minimum of movement to avoid the iing attacks. In doing so, it allowed him more control against a high number of opponents. Not to mention with his current agility implementing a minimalistic evasion movement was as easy as breathing air and drinking water to Izroth. However, how much longer could he possibly hold off against the hundreds of yers present? No matter how skilled one was, in the end, overwhelming numbers would always triumph over a single individual. Unfortunately, none of them had evere across someone like Izroth, until now. "Ha!" One of the nearby yers who had just survived against one of Izroth¡¯s palm strikes stabbed forward with their sword and pierced right through Izroth! "I got him!" Arge grin formed on that yer¡¯s face. What he hit Izroth with was a move that would stun him and prevent him from running away any further. It would not take long for him to meet a swift demise. His luck had finally run out! But, just as that yer celebrated, he felt something cold slip past his neck. It onlysted for a fraction of a second, however, he was sure that something had brushed past him. By the time he lifted his hand up to feel his neck, he found that his body had already started turning into countless particles. Just before he disappearedpletely, all that yer saw was a flickering silhouette of Izroth where his sword had just been moments ago. His facial expression turned extremely ugly and he almost looked as if he wanted to cough up blood from anger. yer looked disgusted as he watched the multitude of flickering images of Izroth forming within the shop. There was an overbearing pressure being released from each of those images as every time a new image appeared, one of the members of his Sage Falls would meet a swift end. "What are you morons doing?! He¡¯s just one yer!" yer shouted furiously. He felt that everyone was intentionally stumbling around like idiots! Since when was his Sage Falls so ipetent when it came to getting things done? "Boss, we should retreat." Silver Crux said as he stood next to yer with a gloomy expression on his face. He hated to admit it, but it was not worth it! This was not the way things were supposed to go. By now, Izroth should have been begging to make a deal with them just or forever cowering helplessly within Amaharpe for fear that they would kill him if he dared try to leave without providing them with what they wanted. Fear was the strongest tool at Sage falls disposal. When one mentioned the name Sage Falls they did so while trembling at the thought of crossing paths with them! Now here they were being overwhelmed by a single yer! When he first heard some of the rumors surrounding Izroth he believed that it was just a bunch of nonsense. Plus, even if it were true he would still be unable to fight against their numbers. But, he was currently on a rampage and clearing everything, as well as, everyone in his path! The most frightening part was that no one even knew where he was! Every time someone would say they hit him, it would just turn out to be a flickering silhouette and what followed soon after was death. "You want my Sage Falls to retreat before one person? Fan Yijun, since when did you be such a coward? Besides, wasn¡¯t this your idea?!" yer said with disdain present in his voice. If they ran away now, they would lose all face, especially after being so overbearing with their stance! How could he ever show his face again within RML if he ran away now? No, Izroth had to die now that it hade to this! Of course, thest thing Silver Crux wanted to do was retreat. However... "You misunderstand me. We aren¡¯t running away, we¡¯ll just be killing some time. That guy has to be using some kind of powerful skill, however, there has to be a time limit. After that skill ends, hmph, let¡¯s see how he handles us then. He¡¯ll be begging for mercy in no time." Silver Crux said as a vicious look shed through his eyes. "Powerful skill? So what! There are over three hundred of us and only one of him! What does it matter if a few die? In the end, he won¡¯t be able to survive." yer responded as hepletely dismissed Silver Crux¡¯s suggestion. Right now, the only thing on his mind was seeing Izroth die. He was too consumed and blinded by his own rage to think with a clear mind. However, his reaction could not be med. Sage Falls had suffered wave after wave of continuous losses ever since the betrayal of the Headhunter Syndicate within the Protector of Amaharpe event. When the event ended, it severely weakened their hold on many key locations that they could no longer afford to guard such as valuable mineral deposits or rare garden fields. The other top guilds had snuck in between every crack that appeared! That was not all, a lot of his core members actually left to join the Headhunter Syndicate which made him cough up blood! It was almost as if someone was intentionally out to destroy his Sage Falls guild from the inside out! Silver Crux furrowed his brows when he saw that crazed look in yer¡¯s eyes. He had been with yer long enough to know what that look meant. Even if it was him doing the speaking, it was useless. Once yer reached this point, there was no talking sense into him. He would tune out any outside advice and press forward without hesitation. It was something Silver Crux admired about him, however, it was also one of yer¡¯s biggest downfalls. Since he knew that there was no talking him out of this, he had to make the best of the situation at hand. "Alright, forget about retreating. We have to buy time to at least-" Silver Crux was speaking to yer as a silhouette shed before him. "You two still have time to talk?" A voice drifted by their ears that sent shivers down their spines. Fast! He was just on the other side of the shop and it appeared as if he had teleported over to them through the crowd of yers! Silver Crux reacted quickly when he heard that voice as he swung his sword next to him without hesitation, however, before his sword could even move the way he intended it to, an overbearing aura descended upon him. It was a suffocating feeling as if he were being swept away in a wave of tremendous power! Woosh! Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm sliced from Silver Crux¡¯s forehead all the way down to his torso. In one clean stroke, Izroth had disposed of Silver Crux who stood right next to yer! Silver Crux had died without a chance to even fight back! The power behind Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction as it critically hit was too overwhelming, especially whenbined together with the Behemoth¡¯s Quake! It was practically overkill! To yer, it was as if Izroth was intentionally looking down on him! "I can kill you any time I want.", "Look, I killed your underling and left you alive because I could.", "You¡¯re not even worth killing." Those were the things that echoed within yer¡¯s mind. However, what really pushed him over the edge was that for a single moment, he swore that he could see Izroth¡¯s true figure as he intentionally lowered his speed for a brief moment. On Izroth¡¯s face with a small smirk filled with ridicule and the look in his eyes was as if he were looking at a mere insignificant existence. It may have just been yer¡¯s mind ying tricks on him, however, it caused him to go entirely over the edge. Izroth had sped right past yer and headed back into the crowd of yers to continue his onught. There was chaos amongst the scattered Sage Falls yer and some of them even tried to find a way to escape, however, that flickering silhouette would always show up and allowed them to leave. However, it was not in the way they wanted to leave, through death! Right now, the yers of Sage Falls all had the same thought cross their minds. This was not a fight, it was a massacre! It was carnage! Their numbers were falling by the dozen. There was one thought that could not escape them during that moment. Had they mistakenly awakened a demon? "You would dare toy with me!" yer roared at the top of his lungs! There was no longer a look of sanity within his eyes. He hadpletely lost it! At that moment, all he saw was red! Chapter 268 A Generous Donation For as long as yer could remember, he had always dominated anything that he touched. He would resort to whatever means necessary to ensure victory, even if others considered it to be morally wrong. This became even more apparent once he entered into the world of gaming. Soon enough, he created Sage Falls, one of the most well-known guilds within the world of gaming. So what if others didn¡¯t like them? There was nothing they could do about it but silently ept their loss. After all, Sage Falls was not just any top guild, they were the most feared top guild! However, the first truly fully immersive RML was a different breed of game. There were many yers who were unable to make the transition and be top yers within RML. For a guild like Sage Falls whose members relied more heavily on underhanded tactics instead of building one¡¯s own gaming sense and abilities, it was a nightmare adapting. But, yer still managed to push on, recruit new members, and keep Sage Falls¡¯ status as one of the top ten guilds! However, for the first time, he and his Sage Falls had been on the receiving end of their own dirty methods. The Headhunter Syndicate was merciless! yer wanted to tear Vault into tiny pieces and scatter the remainder of his ashes across a vast sea, however, he did not just want Vault to suffer, he wanted the whole Headhunter Syndicate to pay the price for crossing his Sage Falls! In order to do that, he needed to build up their strength and fast. But, some of the core members he had recruited started to leave to join the Headhunter Syndicate and everything began to fall apart even more. He was desperate for a solution and Fan Yijun offered him one. He would just stick to his roots and what Sage Falls was good at, forcibly taking what they want by any means necessary! However, the results were theplete opposite in what he had in mind! "He¡¯s over here!" "No, you idiot! He¡¯s right here! Hurry up and surround him before he-!" "Eh? Steel Fist? Where did you go? Why¡¯d you go so quiet?" There was total and utter chaos within the Mystical Realm Pce at the moment. But, it was not Sage Falls who was behind the chaos, but rather the owner of the shop himself, Izroth! After activating the Flickering Steps, there was not a single person here capable of keeping up with him, let alonending a solid hit. Izroth¡¯s agility was currently over 5,000 points! Not to mention, the Skystep Boots granted him an additional ten percent movement speed boost. Therefore, by the time the members of Sage Falls had reacted, all they were truly seeing was a silhouette, not his true body. With the damage stacked up from the Behemoth¡¯s Quake and the cooldown timer reset on kill for his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, as well as, using some of the other skills at his disposal, Izroth had already killed well over one hundred yers! As for the members of Sage Falls, they were spamming AOE and hoped to get lucky in hitting Izroth, however, they quickly stopped after realizing that crossfire on one another was inevitable. Therefore, they could only continue to aimlessly chance after Izroth¡¯s silhouette. However, unbeknownst to them, they had begun to group up and move closer to the center of the room. It got to the point that everyone was beginning to bump into one another. A few arguments broke out as the average level of agitation in the overall group was incredibly high. But, this was not a coincidence. Izroth had been leading them closer to the center of the room by positioning his flickering images in the correct positions. As he observed one of the yers at the edge take that final step forward, he instantly moved to the center area of the room. ¡¯That¡¯s thest one.¡¯ In the next moment, a cold and terrifying force began to spread throughout the room. Not too long after, an overwhelming pressure fell on the members of Sage Falls. It was a suffocating kind of pressure that onlysted for a brief moment, however, it seemed like an eternity to them. Immediately after this wave of pressure washed over them, over 98% of the remaining members of Sage Falls were killed! As for the remaining two percent, they were left in a weakened state. The yers who were a part of that two percent were some of thest elite members of Sage Falls, and even they were not spared from the assault. If only looked in from the outside right now, all they would see is a parade of particles dancing around in the air. For a small moment, the entire Mystical Realm Pce was filled with a shattering overflow of the particles produced when one died within RML. In a way, it was a beautiful sight to behold. It was like watching countless fireflies drift off into the night sky. However, while that was how it may seem for others, the same could not be said about how the remaining members of Sage Falls saw it. To them, it was nothing but pure death! They had lost all will to fight and stood there awaiting their deaths. What was the point? If even hundreds of yers were unable to take him down, what chance did they have? Especially considering their current weakened state. It was all over. This fight, Sage Falls, everything- It was over. Perhaps he would spare them out of pity now that they had surrendered themselves to their fate. However, that was only wishful thinking. Izroth did not hesitate in cleaning up the leftover Sage Falls members who survived his Soul Pressure. He was surprised to see that they had not entered into a frenzied state since they had not died. After all, it was an effect paired with the weakened state of his Soul Pressure skill. In total, he used around forty percent of his Essence in that wave of Soul Pressure. But, unknown to Izroth, the members of Sage Falls had such low Willpower after that skill was used that the system¡¯s Willpower Check was unable to force them into a frenzied state. Why? Because they had lost all will to fight! How could one with zero will to fight possibly enter into a frenzied state that would cause them to randomly attack anything in sight? After he finished off thest of the Sage Falls members, the only yer remaining was the guild leader himself, yer. Izroth shifted his gaze to yer as he stood there at the center of the room surrounded by hundreds of items that dropped from the members of Sage Falls. There were even a couple of rare items and essories mixed into the bunch! However, Izroth did not spare any of it a single nce. At the moment, his gaze was locked onto yer. yer froze up when Izroth¡¯s gazended on him. Just a few seconds ago he had already unsheathed his weapon and began to rush over to engage Izroth, however, after only taking a handful of steps, he eventually slowed down before he halted his steps altogether. yer soon realized that he was the only one left! How?! How could one person hold that much power?! This was that same trashbat master ss that was supposed to bepletely useless in real battles? How was it possible for one individual to possess that level of strength? yer could notprehend it! When his gaze met with Izroth¡¯s, yer suddenly felt a rush of cold sweats running down his down. It was like staring into the eyes of a terrifying and ancient beast! yer believed that if he looked away for even a single moment, he would not even know how he died! Izroth was not using any kind of special skill or even Soul Pressure, just his gaze alone. There was a deadly level of calmness to his facial expression, however, that was what made it so terrifying. That look in his eyes that seemed to be above all else and hold yer in absolute contempt had snapped yer back into reality, As reality crept up on yer, he finally began to wake up to the realization of what kind of situation he had gotten himself into. "Do not think that this is the end. Your Sage Falls no longer have a ce within RML. If after today I find out that you are still running around ying pretend guild, I will personally see to it that you pay the price. Every time I hear a mere whisper of Sage Falls trying to form, I will find you myself and... I will kill you. It¡¯s just that simple. If you want to me anything, me your own weakness." Izroth said. yer wanted to open his mouth and snap back at Izroth, however, the strangest thing happened. The words would not leave his mouth! Was it some kind of silence skill? Maybe the equipment was malfunctioning? No, yer realized that he was unable to speak because of one reason and one reason only, he was afraid! When he looked down at his hands, he noticed that he was actually shaking! Hearing the words that left Izroth mouth, as well as, seeing himself cower in fear like those he had intimidated so many times before had sent yer back into a blind rage. As someone who was not used to being on the receiving end of this kind of situation, it was too much for yer to handle. He took a single step forward to begin his charge towards Izroth, however, Izroth was no longer there. yer¡¯s eyes widened as all he saw was a fading silhouette where Izroth had just stood and before he knew it, he felt something cold slip past his neck. There was a burst of overbearing aura that followed after it, however, he was not able to react at all! He stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face as if he still could notprehend what had just happened. "...Monster...!" Those were thest words that managed to escape from yer¡¯s mouth just as he turned into particles and followed in the footsteps of the other members of Sage Falls. A few secondster, a sword with a faint glowing aura around it dropped where yer had just stood before his death. It may have seemed like a long time, however, everything ended in less than one minute! If others knew of what had just transpired, they would not have believed it even if they had witnessed it with their very own eyes! After all, one yer fighting alone against hundreds was something straight out of one of those old fantasy war movies! Izroth¡¯s figure finally stopped flickering as he walked over towards Opal. He did not even bother looking at the sword dropped by yer even if it was a rare item. After all, how could it possiblypare to his Sword of The Storm, an epic ranked weapon? It was not even worth his time! "Opal, gather up all the items scattered onto the floor." Izroth said. "Understood, Handler Izroth." Opal responded as she gave a respectful bow before doing as Izrothmanded. A few momentster, the floor of the Mystical Realm Pce was once again spotless without a single item left behind. It looked the same as it did during the grand opening. Opal approached Izroth after she finished collecting the items and said, "I have sessfully stored all items as per your request. Should I proceed to list the items at five percent below their market value?" "No, I already have something else in mind. Our customers have been waiting for quite some time now. It¡¯s only right that we have a grand sale. Opal, this is what I want you to do..." Izroth said as he exined what he wanted from Opal. ... A few minutester... Everyone standing outside the Mystical Realm Pce was restless. What was going on inside? Everyone present was whispering amongst one another guessing what was going on inside. They were all anxious to find out! After all, the shop was currently locked and no one could enter inside. Valkyria had furrowed brows the entire time. It should have only taken a single moment to kick the members from his shop. Just what was he doing in there? It was not until they saw Izroth step out of the shop door that everyone immediately went quiet. "As the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, I¡¯ll have to apologize for the dy and trouble you¡¯ve experienced. In return for your patience, today the Mystical Realm Pce is having a grand sale on equipment. Common, umon, and even rare items, they will be for sale in my Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth said. What? Even rare items?! Everyone hadpletely pushed Sage Falls to the back of their minds. This was a rare item he was talking about! To the average yer, rare items were still incredibly difficult to obtain and required a tremendous amount of effort! However, they began to shake their heads inwardly after being realistic with themselves. Even if it was on sale, it was probably dozens or even hundreds of gold coins. They did not have that kind of money. "For this special grand sale, the price of any equipment is... One bronze coin." Izroth said as he held up one finger to indicate that he had not misspoken. There was a wave of silence and a look of disbelief appeared on the face of everyone present. Did they just hear right? Any equipment was just a single bronze coin? Even the rare items?! Everyone began to grow restless. They wanted to get into that shop as soon as possible! Even the poorest of yers had one bronze coin! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! "Of course, none of this would have been possible without a very generous donation from our friends of Sage Falls. A gift due to a simple misunderstanding. Be sure to give them proper thanks." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face as he once again allowed ess to his shop. He was actually selling all the items that dropped from the members of Sage Falls for a single bronze coin! The members of Sage Falls would cough up blood if they knew that the items they had so painstakingly earned was currently being sold off for one bronze coin! Some of those rare items were worth hundreds of goin coins! Donation? Sage Falls? Did those two words even belong in the same sentence if one was not "donating" to Sage Falls? Since when was it the other way around with them? Chapter 269 Chasing The Wrong Targe Although everyone remained skeptical at the thought of Sage Falls handing over any kind of "donation", there was no way that they would willingly pass up the opportunity that was before them. A certain look of excitement mixed with impatience could be seen within the eyes of everyone present. They wanted to hurry inside of the Mystical Realm Pce not only for those extraordinary pills they had heard so much about recently, but also for the grand sale! Everyone looked as if they were ready to dash forward at a moment¡¯s notice. There were even some people who removed a mobility potion from their inventory to prepare themselves for the rush. After all, what was one mobility potionpared to a rare item? "Feel free to enter inside and look around. However, those who wish to cause trouble in my Mystical Realm Pce will no longer be weed through its doors. Remember this." Izroth said as he swept his gaze throughout the crowd. After doing so, he walked back into the Mystical Realm Pce as the transparent barrier that kept others from entering inside had vanished. At first, everyone was still taken aback by Izroth¡¯s words and for some reason, they felt goosebumps form on their skin. However, the instant they saw that barrier drop all other thoughts were pushed to the back of their minds. "I¡¯m first!" One of the nearby rogue-type sses shouted as he immediately used a mobility potion along with one of his skills that increased his agility. He sprinted forward at full speed, but, he was soon surpassed by a te user who used Unimpeded Rush to force their way forward! In just a few moments,plete chaos had formed outside the Mystical Realm Pce with everyone trying to be the first to enter inside the building! "Move!" "Get outta the way! Can¡¯t you see I was here first?!" "Haven¡¯t you all ever heard ofdies first?!" "Ladies first? Ha! Don¡¯t you know that chivalry is dead?!" Valkyria shook her head as she observed the yers scrambling to get inside the shop. Although she was interested in what kind of rare items they were, Sleeping Gardenia was not so desperate that they needed to resort to such shameless behavior just to obtain a rare item. Now if it was an epic ranked item, that would be a different story. "Should we try to obtain one of those rare items? After all, I¡¯m sure sir Izroth would be willing to give our Sleeping Gardenia some face with our current connection." One of the members of Sleeping Gardenia said. She and the others present were one of the few who knew the full details of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s rtionship with Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce. However, Valkyria shook her head in response as she replied, "I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t possible. We are already indebted to him. How can we ask for a favor until we repay that debt?" The members of Sleeping Gardenia were surprised by Valkyria¡¯s words. They were indebted to Izroth? But was it not the other way around with him being indebted to them? However, Valkyria had some information that Mariposa only told her and He Huian about privately. That was the fact that Izroth had invited their guild leader out on an SSS-ranked with a piece of epic ranked gear as a reward! She had already been informed of their sess almost immediately after itspletion. Their guild now had someone with an epic ranked piece of equipment! This would send countless ripples throughout the other top guilds and shake them to their core. After all, a rare piece of equipment simply could not bepared to one that was epic ranked. The difference between the two was like that of night and day! While the other members of Sleeping Gardenia were still puzzled by her words, Valkyria was curious about the one topic that seemed to have slipped everyone¡¯s mind. The fact that the members of Sage Falls supposedly donated their equipment to the Mystical Realm Pce. Valkyria was not naive. She understood that someone like yer and a guild like Sage Falls was not the type to even remotely consider such a thing. However, she found it difficult toe up with any other exnation. After all, the only way to forcibly take items from someone was through killing them. Of course, this was not possible considering that they were in a safe zone. That was not all, even if they were not in a safe zone, there were hundreds of Sage Falls members inside of the Mystical Realm Pce. Even if Izroth was strong, facing those kinds of numbers alone would be akin tomitting suicide. It just was not possible. But then. what exactly went on in that ce? "We¡¯re going inside to take a look." Valkyria said as she walked into the Mystical Realm Pce with the other members of Sleeping Gardenia following behind her. Even though they were unsure of what Valkyria meant by her previous statement, they would not press on for an answer. They understood that she would tell them about it when the time was right. However, Izroth and everyone else present had no idea just how much this day would forever affect the guilds within RML. ... Meanwhile, somewhere far away from Amaharpe... A man carrying a woman was currently moving at an insanely high speed as the man¡¯s figure constantly flickered as he moved through a dense forest. With a single step, he would cover arge distance, however, one would find it hard to believe that this was him traveling at a slow pace. The man¡¯s facialplexion was pale and small amounts of blood could be seen dripping from the corner of his mouth as he pushed himself with every step. He did not have time to rest. Also, he felt that if he stopped before he reached his destination, he would lose all of his strength and be immobile. This man was none other than Gear. Of course, the woman he was carrying along with him was the Seer Tererestiaa. "You are pushing yourself too hard. If you continue at this pace for much longer, your body will not hold out." Tererestiaa warned Gear. Ever since he had firste to visit her he had not taken a break for a one moment. Also, there was something else that concerned her. She could see strands of dark corrupted energy flowing up Gear¡¯s neck. The wound caused by that creature was beginning to spread and take advantage of Gear¡¯s weakened state. However, he did not currently have the strength left to suppress it. Tererestiaa was also drained of strength after providing Izroth and the others with that holy aura. Since it technically divine energy, even a legendary medicine was unable to restore her missing strength. It was something that had to naturally return to her. "You worry too much. In that way, you¡¯re just like her." Gear said with a slight smile on his face. One could tell that he was in an immense amount of pain and it took a lot of effort just to do something simple like a smile. However, he suppressed that pain and kept moving forward. He was almost to his destination. Once he reached that ce, he would not have to worry about the wound spreading. Tererestiaa had not traveled with Gear for a long time, however, in a short amount of time, she understood just how stubborn he could be. Therefore, she did not continue to pursue the matter. As Gear¡¯s flickering figure moved forward, he suddenly felt a chilling aura spike from behind him. Without hesitating, he immediately shifted his body by kicking off the trunk of one of the nearby trees. BOOM! The sudden pressure caused his foot mming into the colossal tree, that made the ones in the Towering Oak Forest look like mere saplings, resulted in that tree snapping in half like a twig and crashing into the ground taking along a few other colossal trees with it. Gear moved a few more kilometers beforeing to an abrupt halt. The moment he stopped moving he felt like coughing up arge volume of blood, however, he held himself together and suppressed the feeling. He knew that he could not escape from the person who had appeared with his currently weakened state of speed. If he continued to ignore them, then he would notst long under that person¡¯s assault. Therefore, he had to stop and confront this person instead of allowing them to attack him without any retaliation. Not only that, but he was also holding onto Tererestiaa. He could not risk any harming to her. Gear stood on guard as his facial expression darkened and he said, "How much longer do you n on hiding? If you don¡¯te to me, then I¡¯ll just go to you!" After he said those words, small and delicateughter echoed throughout the surroundings. A few momentster, a gentle breeze drifted by and in the next moment, someone appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Gear had a serious expression on his face when he saw the individual who had appeared before him. Of all the people to run into to in his current state, this was by far one of the worse! "Come now, is that any way to treat an acquaintance?" An enchanting and alluring voice of a woman left the mouth of the figure who appeared. That woman was the same individual who appeared before Grim and Aza after the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld had been knocked out of its previous location. She was the current leader of the League of The Eidolon, a legendary existence! "Acquaintance? You sure know how to let your imagination run wild." Gear scoffed. At the moment, he was looking for a way out or any kind of opening to take advantage of, however, there was not a single area to exploit! While that person may appear to be careless, Gear understood that if he made even one reckless move against this individual, it would not be a small price that he paid. "I have always been quite fond of my creative mind, therefore, I¡¯ll take that as apliment." The woman said as she released a small chuckle and took one step forward. "What do you intend to do?" Gear spoke in a tone that held a hint of hostility. There was a sharp re that shed within his eyes that showed he was not prepared to go down without a fight. "That depends on your willingness to cooperate. You should know how much I despise those who deny me. If you hand over that item you have with you, then I will be on my way." The woman said. Gear heart sunk when he heard those words. How could she possibly know about that item?! Including himself, there were only five people who knew of its existence, one of which had already passed on from this world. However, he knew that there was no one who would dare divulge such sensitive information to someone like the woman before him. "I¡¯m afraid I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about." Gear responded with a cold look in his eyes. If she knew that he had that item from the Dragon King¡¯s Pce on him, then there was no possible way that she would let him go free. He would have no choice but to fight. The woman could not help but chuckle when she witnessed Gear¡¯s reaction. "Feigning ignorance will not help you. You may have hidden its energy well, but you were careless. Even from a far away distance, I sensed the overflowing natural energy being released from the same location as the underground chambers. You just happened to being from its direction and expect me to believe that you do not have that item in your possession?" The woman said. She then continued, "But, if you insist on ying coy when ites to the matter at hand, then I suppose I will have to be a little forceful." Overflowing natural energy? Underground chambers? It suddenly dawned on Gear. Thankfully, she was not referring to the item from the Dragon King¡¯s Pce, but rather, the item that was currently within that young man¡¯s Izroth possession! After all, that item was tempting even for a legendary existence! Given his strength and the fact that he was there, she must have believed that he was the one who had obtained that item and chased after him! However, she had no idea what she was actually chasing the wrong target! Chapter 270 The Path That Lies Ahead Of course, Gear was relieved that she did not know about that item from the Dragon King¡¯s Pce, however, he was still in a terrible situation. She would not believe him even if he told her that he did not have it on him. Also, if he informed her that Izroth was the one carrying it, then there was no chance of him surviving against her! Plus, he was not the type to endanger others just to save himself, especially a young man with limitless potential like Izroth. Just as the woman lifted her hand into the air and was about to make a move against Gear, she had suddenly vanished from the spot she stood in. At first, Gear was startled, however, that was only until he looked up into the sky and saw an old man standing there with his hands behind his back. He instantly felt an immense pressure lifted off his shoulders after seeing that figure and nearly lost even the strength to stand due to being taken out of a high-pressure situation. That old man was Gear¡¯s master, Zhi! "Hmph, causing trouble near my territory. That little girl sure has gotten bold these past few years. Little Gear, we have much to discuss." Zhi said as he furrowed his brows after seeing Gear¡¯s current state. He then looked towards Tererestiaa and a rare smile appeared on his face as he said, "You as well, little one." With a wave of his hand, Zhi, Gear, and Tererestiaa had arrived at a small hut located on top of a hill. "First, we must do what we can to stop your wound from spreading any further. Come, I will personally see to it." Zhi said as he walked unhurriedly towards the small hut. Gear and Tererestiaa promptly entered in after him. ... Thousands of kilometers away, a sh of purple and ck light could be seen soaring through the sky, however, those looking up from the ground would only see it for a mere instant. That sh of light was none other than the leader of the League of The Eidolon! She had been, in a sense, flickered away by Zhi over thousands of kilometers from her previous position. After channeling an unimaginable quantity of energy, she finally managed to stop herself midair. However, by the time she stopped, she was in a ce that was more than 100,000km away from where she started! A yful smirk appeared on her face as she said to herself, "I suppose I got a tad too close to the tiger¡¯s mouth. How unfortunate." She then disappeared and all that was left in her ce was a gentle breeze of wind. ... At the same time in a small hut sat on top of a hill... "I have managed to suppress the wound and prevented it from spreading any further, however, your body cannot afford to sustain such heavy injuries a second time. You may have the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid, but even that legendary medicine can no longer assist you in the way that you¡¯re used to." Zhi said. His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined Gear¡¯s wound. At the moment, Gear was floating within a small pool of crystallized blue liquid. The liquid epassed his entire body until all that was visible was Gear¡¯s face and that wrong across the front part of his body. The crystallized blue liquid was extremely domineering and aggressive as it attempted to devour that corrupted wound, but every time it tried to do so, it was forced back and overwhelmed. Zhi could not help but furrow his brows as he witnessed the interaction between the crystallized blue liquid and the corrupted wound. That was not just any liquid, it was an extremely rare liquid that was naturally formed over time by the energy of the world itself. In other words, it was an amazing treasure! Even something like the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid could not possiblypare to it! That was due to the fact that while the Imperious Rejuvenation Liquid was a legendary medicine, it was still something made by the hands of man. On the other hand, the crystallized blue liquid was a natural creation of the world. Its properties were pure and untouched except by natural energy which made it impossible for it to lose its effectiveness no matter how many times it was used. "I¡¯m touched you¡¯re considered for my well-being, master. However, I wish you would have had such thoughts when you left me to fend for myself with those Demonic Death Wolves back then." Gear said with a grin on his face. "Hmph, foolish boy. You were attempting to court my daughter. Do you think I would allow a weak and yielding man to take her away from this ce?" Zhi responded. Gear closed his eyes as he let out a small sigh of relief and said, "I see, so you knew all along. I¡¯ve always had that feeling you were watching us that day." "Don¡¯t think that I was unaware of what goes on through the minds of youths. After all, it may be difficult for you to believe, but I was also once at that same age." Zhi said. "No way. Master, you¡¯ve always been an old man." Gear tried tough, however, he quickly prevented from doing so as he winced from the pain it caused him. "I see you still have enough energy to make jokes. That¡¯s good, I¡¯ll have you do some work around here for a while to repay me for my crystallized blue liquid." Zhi said. "Surely you wouldn¡¯t make an injured man work?" Gear spoke with a helpless expression on his face. Tererestiaa silently observed the two interacting with one another. Even though she could not see what was going on, she was more than capable of feeling it in a certain sense. In a way, it was much more descriptive than actually seeing what was going on with one¡¯s own eyes. She could perceive the amount of respect the two individuals had for one another and how close they were. To someone like her who did not interact often with the outside world, it was a new and wonderful experience. Most of her visions were about destruction, chaos, disorder, and many other terrifying thoughts that would make those without a strong heart, soul, and mind go insane. Therefore, experiencing this change of pace was definitely not a bad thing. After talking for a few minutes, Gear finally stood up from out of that crystallized blue liquid. The wound had returned to its original state. Although its power had weakened, for now, it would not hesitate to take advantage of Gear should he enter into a vulnerable state again. Zhi turned his attention towards Tererestiaa. Every time he saw her face, it reminded him of his own daughter. Even her talent was extraordinary, surpassing that of both her mother and father! Someday, his granddaughter was bound to be a legendary existence and step into a world full of endless dangers. For some reason, that thought put him into a brief mncholy mood. "Little one, has it been so long that you have forgotten your own grandfather?" Zhi said with a smile present on his face. Tererestiaa, however, shook her head and said, "How could I forget? It was grandfather who risked the wrath of the divine beings when creating the Lake of Tears to protect me from those who would do me harm. This is something I could never forget. It is one of my few cherished memories of childhood." Zhi and Gear felt a tug at their heartstrings after hearing that statement from Tererestiaa. Due to various circumstances, Tererestiaa ended up growing up basically in total istion. Her onlypany was the asional worshippers of the all-seeing goddess in the Vige of Tears and her own visions. A youth such as that could not be considered as having a childhood. After discussing a few more things, the main topic at hand ultimately found its way to the forefront of the conversation. "He cut off the arm of the envoy of the Netherworld? Interesting, I would like to meet such a young man willing to make an entire realm his enemy." Zhi said. Gear was excited to hear his master say those words. If he could bring Izroth to this ce then the benefits would be endless! This was even more so considering just how monstrous that young man¡¯s potential was! "Then, I¡¯ll have to introduce you one day, master." Gear said in a respectful tone of voice. Zhi simply nodded his head in response. From Gear¡¯s reaction, Zhi could tell that he must have a high opinion of the young man he mentioned. But, Zhi understood why that was so. After all, even he would not have dared to cut off the arm of an envoy of the Netherworld at such a young age. Bold? Arrogant? Confident? Or simply stupid? Zhi wondered just which of these that young man was. Even though Zhi was not directly involved in worldly affairs, that did not mean that he could not listen and give advice on certain matters. This was even more so considering the existences the Mortal Realm could be potentially facing in the near future. "It would seem you do not have much time for any rest. Even that old monster is making a move. Hmph, the Netherworld Monarch failed to break through the realms during the twin blood moons and now it wants to use other methods to enter this realm? Its wish must be to plunge everything into a state of chaos." Zhi said with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "After centuries of obeying the ancient covenant, I¡¯m surprised it has waited this long to make a move. Though, I¡¯m still not sure it was the right thing to do keeping this a secret from the participants." Gear stated. "You did your role and did not break the covenant. There is no shame in what you¡¯ve done. Those who enter the Chaotic Dogma Realm must not know of its connection to the Netherworld, otherwise, the Netherworld Monarch would have an excuse to cross over into this realm without having to be so discreet about it. The Mortal Realm already has one problem to face." Zhi stated. The ancient covenant involved an agreement made long ago between the Netherworld Monarch and one of the divine beings. The Netherworld Monarch was a unique existence and it was eternal. In other words, it was incapable of ever experiencing a true death! For some reason, the Netherworld Monarch was naturally drawn to the Mortal Realm as if it was carved into the base of its nature to devour that which had life. Therefore, an ancient covenant was formed between the divine beings and the Netherworld Monarch that restricted its entry into the Mortal Realm. He then continued, "Even from here, I can sense the seal of that being weakening as the days go on. Little Gear, as you know, I am unable to be directly involved in the matters of this world. However, there is no rule against giving you advice. That seal must be maintained at all cost. Otherwise, there will be no one capable in the Mortal Realm of stopping that being once it breaks free of its imprisonment." Gear fell silent at Zhi¡¯s words. It was true. Even if he was at full strength and the others had grown stronger sincest time, they would stand no chance against that monstrous existence. However, if the Netherworld Monarch was released at the same time as that being, then it was inevitable that the two sides would fight for dominance over the Mortal Realm. If such an event urred, it would be an even bigger disaster than the Great Undying Maelstrom! Two existences at their level fighting it out in the Mortal Realm with their massive armies would drive it into the ground! In the end, there may not be a single person who was spared! All of a sudden, an elegant voice sounded out and said, "There are those who will be capable, in time. The path that lies ahead is one that stretches far beyond that which the eye can see. The one who leads that path walks before the rest. From one to three, from three to six, from six to many. They all share this path, but it is he who must lead it. The ce he leads them is... The Nether Realm." The one who spoke was naturally Tererestiaa. Zhi and Gear knew of her extraordinary gift, therefore, they did not doubt her words as she spoke them, but that did not lessen the shock. Someone capable of confronting the Netherworld Monarch? To be honest, outside of his master, Zhi could not think of anyone who could evene close topeting. However, there was still one important question that had to be answered, who was that person? "His path is crossed with mine. It is crossed with you, grandfather, and you as well, father. It is he who holds the keys." Tererestiaa said. "The keys to what exactly?" Gear asked. "The key to destroying it which is eternal. The key to removing it which does not belong within this world. It is he who holds the keys." Tererestiaa said. In the next moment, lost all her strength and fainted. However, as she about to fall over, Zhi gave a light wave of his hand as she was gently lifted into the air and ced onto a nearby bed with the utmost care. Tererestiaa had fainted from simple exhaustion of the divine energy that was being channeled through to her. There was nothing that could be done to replenish that lost energy besides letting her rest. "She is a reckless little one, just like her mother. Drained of divine energy and yet she still wishes to see things which are not meant to be seen. Little Gear, it would seem that you have your work cut out for you. I have already interfered more than I should have in this matter." Zhi said as he shook his head. However, even though he said those words, he could not help but be impressed by her tenacity. "It would be nice if for once a Seer¡¯s visions weren¡¯t so vague." Gear released a deep sigh. Someone whose path crossed even his master¡¯s path? Also, there were very few people who have even met Tererestiaa considering her unique situation, therefore, who could it possibly be? Was it someone they had yet to meet? Some kind of hidden and powerful individual? Maybe it was someone they knew? But, if that was the case, where had they been all this time? Besides, he did not know of anyone besides his own master capable of suppressing the Netherworld Monarch. There were simply too many unanswered questions still. However, he understood that all he could do now was wait patiently and hope that the others were currently having better luck than he was. Of course, Gear had no idea that there was one certain individual that had crossed paths with everyone present, including his master, that he personally knew! But, he was unaware of that individual¡¯s meeting with his master. Zhi set his gaze out the small hut window and into the far distant. His gaze pierced through the firmaments and for a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of what lied beyond. He closed his eyes and released a small sigh. "What is reality but the illusion of one¡¯s mind? What is existence but the awareness of one¡¯s self? What is the soul but one¡¯s consciousness set adrift? Little Gear, what is it that defines life?" Zhi said as a deep and profound look could be seen present within his eyes. Gear looked at his master and did not know how to answer. What is it that defines life? That was a question with many answers and yet no answers. Zhi shook his head as he said, "Just the ramblings of an old man. Forget it. Alright,e, I have some work for you to do." ... Meanwhile, back at the Mystical Realm Pce... "This... This is total chaos..." Valkyria said with an expression of disbelief on her face as she watched the scene that unfolded before her. There were yers shoving and pushes just to get to one of the shop kiosks. "It¡¯s mine! I actually got a rare item! Hahahaha! Ladies, you should know that I¡¯m currently single!" "Hey~ Why don¡¯t you give that rare item to me, hm? I¡¯ll make it worth your while~" "I said I¡¯m single, not desperate! Get lost!" "You- Who really wanted you anyways?! Loser!" Amongst the chaos, Valkyria could see Izroth silently observing from the side. He seemed to be unbothered by the sight before him. However, it was as if his gaze was not on the crowd in front of him, but rather, it was set to see far beyond this ce. For some reason, seeing him standing there alone in total istion made him a bit difficult to approach. This was even more so since she was currently alone and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia had gone to take a look around. "If you continue to stare, I¡¯ll be forced to misunderstand your intentions." Izroth said in a carefree manner without turning his gaze away. Valkyria was taken aback. She had not realized that she had been rudely staring at him this entire time. But, she did not allow herself to be flustered and immediately regained herself. "My apologies, you seemed to be lost in your thoughts. I did not wish to disturb you for small talk." Valkyria responded as she approached Izroth. "Lost in my thoughts? I suppose that¡¯s one way of looking at it." Izroth said. "If you don¡¯t mind my asking, what were you thinking about?" Valkyria asked curiously. "Well you see, I¡¯m not actually from this world. I¡¯m from a ce called the Seven Realms. There, I was a powerful being capable of plucking stars from the night sky with a single thought. However, I somehow ended up in this world inside of a powerless body with no way to return home." Izroth said. Valkyria blinked a few times. However, she simply shook her head and said, "If you didn¡¯t want to talk about it you could have just said so. There¡¯s no need to make up such a ridiculous story." She even let out a light chuckle after hearing Izroth¡¯s story. Of course, she believed it was just that, a story. Izroth inwardly shook his head. Just as he thought, such a thing sounded like something straight out of a storybook for those within this world. "Indeed, a ridiculous story." Izroth said as a carefree smile appeared on his face as he began to walk away. "Hm? Where are you going?" Valkyria inquired. "To think of a continuation to my ridiculous story." Izroth said as he gave a light wave while continued on his way. He headed towards the pill crafting room he had set up within the Mystical Realm Pce and entered inside. The second he entered, the chaos that was within the shop hadpletely vanished. There was nothing but pure silence that lingered about. Now, there was only him. Chapter 271 Its So Realistic Izroth spent a few hours in the pill crafting room experimenting with a couple of the rare ingredients he received from the top guilds back during the small gathering he held in the conference room. One thing he had to admit was that the top guilds were extremely resourceful when it came to collecting things such as materials and ingredients. Although he was missing a few items, every single rare ingredient before him had the potential to be the foundation of a grade three pill! There were even some that could form into a grade four pill based solely on the main properties listed. However, Izroth did not spend too much of his time experimenting. Instead, he used his time to refill some of the inventory. Thanks to his trait Natural Pill Master, Izroth¡¯s pill crafting speed was increased by 25%. Even though he already possessed a terrifying crafting speed before he obtained that trait, it was like giving wings to a tiger. In total, Izroth spent nearly two hours crafting pills. Unfortunately, he did not enter into the Mind of Pill Craft nor did he craft any pills with the Blessing of The Pill Craft. He had also hoped that crafting pills for almost two hours straight would increase his trait level or, at the very least, he would be able to feel some kind of growth ur during that period of time. However, in the end, Izroth came up empty-handed on all fronts. Just as he was getting ready to give it another go and test his luck again, Opal walked into the pill crafting room. "Handler Izroth, you have guests waiting for you." Opal spoke in a respectful tone of voice. She had waited until Izroth stopped crafting since it was not an emergency situation. ¡¯Guests?¡¯ Izroth was not expecting any guests today. When he went out to check who these guests were, it turned out to be Guan Yu and Halls. It seemed that everyone had finally returned to the capital city Amaharpe. Since the Returning Scrolls they used only took them to the closest Amaharpe vige or town and they saved quite a bit of time, they still had to walk back to the capital city on foot. "Brother, we didn¡¯t break your concentration, did we?" Halls asked. Izroth shook his head in response as he said, "I was not doing anything so important that it required much concentration." He then asked, "Where are the others?" Izroth noticed that Halls and Guan Yu were the only two who came to the Mystical Realm Pce. "Zi Yi went off on her own when we were about halfway back to Amaharpe. Since Zi Yi was no longer traveling with us, that Mariposa actually used her spatial magic to hurry ahead of us back to Amaharpe! Can you believe it?!" Halls said. He still could not forget the way Mariposa hurried ahead without even offering them a trip back. He then continued, "As for Luna, she said a few of her friends wanted to party and went to hang out with them not too long after Zi Yi and Mariposa took their leave." "In other words, the two of you were abandoned on the return journey." Izroth stated. "Brother, you got it all wrong. We weren¡¯t abandoned, we just wanted to take our time and enjoy the scenery on our way back." Guan Yu replied with a smirk on his face. Izroth spoke with Halls and Guan Yu for around ten minutes. As for the chaotic scene that happened as a result of Izroth putting all those items up for sale at a price of one bronze coin each, it had already died down. Although the Mystical Realm Pce was still quite busy and bustling with business, it was now running in its usual smooth manner. "Brother, me and Halls are going to get together and celebrate our victory tomorrow night. You should definitely join us!" Guan Yu said. Halls lived around one hour away and he was more than willing to make the journey to celebrate with those he called his brothers. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Izroth asked. "This- It¡¯s a surprise." Guan Yu said with arge grin on his face. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Guan Yu¡¯s reaction. It was obvious that he was up to something, however, Izroth understood that whatever it was, Guan Yu did not have any bad intentions. There was also a lot about this world that he had yet to experience firsthand. Money was no longer a pressing issue for Izroth since the Mystical Realm Pce was more than enough to sustain his finances. Also, he had some time to spare due to a few matters he had to take care of tomorrow in the real world anyways, therefore, he agreed to meet up with the two of them. "Ahahaha! This is great! You won¡¯t be disappointed, trust me." Guan Yu said as he gave a reassuring thumbs up. After speaking for a little while longer, Guan Yu and Halls took their leave. Guan Yu was headed off to continue leveling up while Halls had to log off for a couple of hours to take care of some real-life matters. As for Izroth, he decided to finally take this chance to visit the Amaharpe pce library and obtain more information about this world. Izroth did not know much about this world besides the little information he obtained through the quest he had performed and what Zi Yi had told him. He knew that he could not always rely on Zi Yi to be there every second of every day to provide him with reliable information. But, even if she could somehow be around all the time, Izroth did not like relying solely on others for things if it was something he could do himself. Although he was never afraid to allow those with certain talents and abilities to shine, it was still best to have, at the very least, a basic knowledge of RML. ¡¯I doubt those yers from Sage Falls will be returning. The shop is running smoothly and the inventory should be able tost me for a few more days.¡¯ After checking onest time to make sure that everything was in order, Izroth left the Mystical Realm Pce and headed straight for the Amaharpe pce library. ... Meanwhile... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer It¡¯s So Realistic, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ "I-" Reilei was speechless when she heard the name the system gave her just as she was getting used to the strange feeling of the virtual world. At first, she had no idea how to even choose a name! When it came to video games, she waspletely clueless as to how they worked. Since she took so long to insert a name, the game started to basically y a few cutscenes that it had first used to advertise the game itself before it was officially released. During that period of time, Reilei found herself uttering the words "It¡¯s so realistic..." one too many times. One thing led to another and eventually, the system somehow ended up giving her that character name! All she wanted to do was put her own name in and she couldn¡¯t even manage that much. "What¡¯s done is done..." Reilei said as she counseled herself. After Jin convinced her to leave her jobs behind, she found herself with a lot of free time on her handstely. Also, for some strange reason, she had been full of energytely. It may have just been due to her level of stress being reduced significantly, but she felt and looked younger than usual! However, how could she know that this was because of the Eight Lunar Cycles physique Izroth had given her? But, one thing led to another, and she found herself trying out the virtual reality headset Jin had left on the table for her. At the moment, Reilei was wearing a basic starter¡¯s robe. She chose the summoner ss because it seemed like the safest ss to y. One could summon creatures to attack, defend, or support themselves while maintaining their distance and so she chose it without hesitation. However, now that she was within RML, she did not really know what to do next. ¡´System Alert: A new quest has been added to your quest logs! Would you like to view it?¡µ Reilei was startled by the voice of the system suddenly speaking out of nowhere. It would definitely take some getting used to for her. "Quest? Yes?" Reilei said without giving it much thought. Immediately after she did so, the quest logs opened up for her as she read the information that appeared before her. There was something about a ss quest and findings one¡¯s ss teacher. There were a few terms she was unfamiliar with, however, she understood the basics of what it was she had to do. "Let¡¯s see, I just have to say this and it opens automatically... Show minimap." Reilei said as a minimap opened which gave her directions to her ss building. Minimaps were something that was only avable in the starting viges to make things easier for yers to find their way around since they werepletely new to the game. "It worked...!" Reilei was excited and a smile appeared on her face. She was doing it! She was ying video games! There were a few yers that walked by and saw how excited she was and simply gave her an awkward look. What was she so excited about in a beginners vige? She gave off the aura of a total noob! During her excitement, Reilei noticed the stares of the nearby yers and her face could not help but turn slightly red from embarrassment as she hurried along to her ss building following the directions on the minimap. "This world really is like stepping into another world..." Reilei muttered to herself. She was still in disbelief at the sight before her. The video games that Jin yed in the past were nothing like this! A few momentster, Reilei reached her ss building and after talking to the polite summoner¡¯s instructor, she received a strange orb, as well as, a ss quest! The orb was a summoner¡¯s orb that allowed her to summon all kinds of spirits and creatures, however, she would first have to form a contract with one before she could do so. As for the ss quest, it was nothing like thebat master ss quest. All she had to do was simply reach level 10 and visit her ss teacher afterpleting that task. NPC Name: Ksia(Elite) NPC Level: ??? "Before you off, it¡¯s important that you form a contract with one of the spirits here. Feel free to look around and let me know once you¡¯ve chosen a spirit you want to make a contract with." Ksia said with a gentle smile on her face. Reilei gave a small nod as she searched around the room for a spirit to form her very first contract with. However, everywhere she looked, the creatures were either scary looking orpletely ignored her when she tried to get its attention. This made her feel slightly dejected. "Don¡¯t feel too bad. Spirits are very picky in who they choose to be their summoner. After all, it is a contract formed for a lifetime." Ksia said as she tried to cheer Reilei up. There were many who were discouraged, however, Ksia was a strong believer in that there was a spirit for everyone! Mew! Mew! Reilei heard a small voice nearby. She looked around to find out where that voice wasing from and found that it was a small creature no bigger than 30cm. "How cute...!" Reilei said as she saw the adorable spirit. It was a small reptile creature with a happy expression on its face. It had purple and blue scales and crystal blue eyes as it tried to get Reilei¡¯s attention. Reilei approached the small creature as it gently rubbed its head up against her in a submissive manner. Reilei¡¯s spirits were instantly lifted. There was a spirit willing to contract with her! "I want to form a contract with this spirit." Reilei said as she picked up the small reptile looking creature and took it into the palm of her hands. However, Ksia had a surprised look on her face when Reilei chose that creature. "Are you sure that¡¯s the creature you want to form a contract with...?" Ksia asked for confirmation. "Yes!" Reilei responded without hesitation. Mew! The creature released a small sound and looked as if it agreed with her. Ksia shook her head and released a small sigh and she said, "As long as you¡¯re sure. Alright, we will perform the contract ceremony." Chapter 272 This Is A Summoner? "A summoner¡¯s bond with their contracted spirits is important, you must always remember this. If you treat your contracted spirit poorly, then you will never understand what it means to truly be a summoner." Ksia exined. Reilei gave a small nod in response. She had no ns on treating this little one badly, After all, who could even think of harming something so innocent and pure? After discussing the basic duties of a summoner, moral codes, and a few other things, Ksia finally began to assist Reilei with her very first contract ceremony. She handed Reilei a small transparent crystal that was no bigger than one¡¯s finger. "This is a Contract Crystal. Since you are still a beginner, you are unable to form a direct Soul Contract with your spirit, that¡¯s where the Contract Crystales in. It acts as a Pseudo-Soul Contract and allows even the most inexperienced of summoners to form a contract. Of course, it can not bepared to the real thing. However, at the very least, it allows a summoner to gain proper experience." Ksia said. Reilei listened closely and tried her best to follow Ksia¡¯s words. To be honest, she originally thought that she would have a much harder time grasping the fundamentals, however, Ksia was incredibly patient with her and did not mind going deeper into any exnations she gave. Even though Reilei knew that the individual before her was not a real person of flesh and blood, she could not help but find herself being absorbed into the conversation and interaction with Ksia. It really did feel like she was talking to an actual human being! She found that every second that passed since she first logged on was a unique experience. One thing was for certain, this was not like any other game that Jin had tried to introduce to her before. Reilei felt that she could just take a stroll anywhere and find amazing sceneries to enjoy. However, she was interested in learning more about this world that her son spent so much of his time in. That way, the next time a conversation came up about it, she would be ready to surprise him with her newfound knowledge. The contract ceremony itself was actually quite simple and only required that Reilei pour her mana into the Contract Crystal. Once the reptile snake-like spirit in her hands felt the mana form within the Contract Crystal, it opened its tiny mouth as a seemingly miniscule droplet of purple liquid fell out and drifted towards the Contract Crystal. The moment that droplet of purple liquid made contact with the Contract Crystal, it immediately caused the once transparent crystal to be a uniquebination of purple and blue colors. The crystal emitted a faint light as it rested inside of the palm of Reilei¡¯s hands. "Toplete the contract ceremony, you must give the spirit a name." Ksia instructed. "A name?" Reilei took a moment to think about a name. This time, she would be careful not to repeat what happened to her not too long ago during her own name selection. As Reilei examined the innocent-looking spirit, she noticed that there was this constant brightness hidden away within its eyes. If one did not look closely, it was something easily missed. However, for some reason, it was unusually bright in that specific spot inside its eyes! In the end, Reilei decided to keep it simple and gave the spirit a fitting name. "I will call you Xiao Liang. Is that name okay with you?" Reilei asked as she held the small creature up to her eye level. Mew! The spirit swirled around happily in the palm of Reilei¡¯s hands. "I¡¯ll take that as a yes." Reilei said as she used one finger to lightly pet Xiao Liang¡¯s head. Ksia smiled after seeing how well Reilei was already getting along with her spirit. The adventurers that came through this ce seemed to usually brush her words off. They were all in a hurry to leave and few asked more than one or two questions. Therefore, she enjoyed someone like Reileiing along and taking her time with the process. It showed that she had patience, something most otherscked. After the contract ended, Reilei spoke with Ksia for a couple of minutes before she headed off towards the spot marked on her minimap. It was a nearby monster field that had monsters in the level one to three range. It did not take long for Reilei to arrive at the monster field. The first thing she witnessed was the sight of other yers fending off beasts. Most of the yer appeared to be in some kind of group and worked together to defeat swiftly eradicate their enemy. There were also a few yers who were fighting alone against some of the monsters present. Everyone stayed in their own small area and tried not to interfere with each other. As for Reilei, she searched around before eventually locating a little area that no one upied. Although Reilei was unaware of it, she had many pairs of eyes lock onto her the moment she came into view. She was a natural-born beauty, but after she received the Eight Lunar Cycles physique, her appearance had be even more refined and beautiful than ever before. Therefore, it was only natural that she would draw in quite a bit of attention. However, Reilei was currently too busying going over all the information in her head to notice the looks she was getting. "Let¡¯s see, I have to cast that and then... Wait, it¡¯s the other way around..." Reilei said to herself quietly. She took a bit of time to organize her thoughts and calm down. As she approached the monster, she became nervous since this would be her very first battle within RML. Name: White Tusk Boar(Normal) Level: 1 HP: 50 (100%) The nearby yers shook their heads inwardly as they watched Reilei¡¯s awkward movements and positioning. There was also the fact that she was a magic caster and yet she moved into melee range of the White Tusk Boar. In other words, she was aplete noob! Even the spirit she had looked so incredibly weak and fragile that one could probably step on it by mistake and kill it!00 This made some individuals who thought about inviting her to a party lose interest, however, there were still a handful of yers watching and waiting for Reilei to make a fool of herself. Reilei stood around two meters away from the White Tusk Boar. Since it was a beginner¡¯s monster, it did not take the initiative to attack as that was left up to the yer. There was a look of determination in Reilei¡¯s eyes as she approached the monster with the summoner¡¯s orb in her hand and Xiao Liang rested upon her shoulder. The yers watching were surprised by Reilei¡¯s sudden change in demeanor. Maybe they had been too quick to judge her? However, nothing could have prepared them for what they saw next. Woosh! Bang! Reilei struck the White Tusk Boar and removed arge chunk of its HP in a single attack! But, it was not some magic attack or skill, nor was it her contracted spirit that was behind the attack, instead, she actually struck the White Tusk Boar with her summoner¡¯s orb! Bang! Reilei smashed her summoner¡¯s orb into the creature one more time as it copsed in defeat. With just two swings of her summoner¡¯s orb, she had managed to defeat a White Tusk Boar! However, she did not stop there. She moved onto the next White Tusk Boar and repeated the same process. Using her summoner¡¯s orb, she was literally beating the poor White Tusk Boars to death! What kind of magic caster fights like that?! "This is a summoner?" One of the nearby yers who watched the scene unfoldmented. What summoner used their summoner¡¯s orb like a rock?! What¡¯s even more bizarre was that she was actually able to kill the White Tusk Boars with her attacks! One had to know that a magic caster¡¯s attack, even more so for a summoner, was extremely weak by default. In other words, Reilei¡¯s attack should have been 10 points at most since she appeared to be a new yer. However, to two-shot a monster with physical attacks as a summoner... Just how high was her base attack? As the surrounding yers look on in slight disbelief and surprise, Reilei continued her smashing spree as a blossoming smiled appeared on her face. Who knew video games could be so much fun?! She felt as though she could smash things all day! For some reason, it was quite refreshing. Mew! Mew! Xiao Liang, who was on Reilei¡¯s shoulder, appeared to be cheering her own which made the sight even more ridiculous than it already was. Could it be that the small creature was actually the summoner and the yer was the spirit? You¡¯re a spirit for crying out loud! Shouldn¡¯t you be fighting right now instead of just cheering her on?! Those were some of the things that drifted through the yer¡¯s spectating mind. The reason Reilei was able to subdue the creatures so easily was mainly due to two reasons. The first was the S-ranked skill she received called Breaker of Limits. Since she had the Eight Lunar Cycles physique, the system gifted her the same skill was Izroth who had just entered the beginning stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. The second reason was due to a unique trait she received from the system. Although she was currently aware of it and believed that it was just something normal, it was really because of the massive amount of energy stored in her body and lying dormant thanks to Izroth ripping off a piece of his soul to preserve her life. However, unlike Izroth who was still getting used to his new self as well as the fragmented memories when he first joined RML, Reilei had a huge advantage! Not only had the Eight Lunar Cycles physique and the energy within her body had time to fester and grow on its own, but she was already used to her own body and did not have any fragmented memories to worry about. Therefore, she had unknowingly received something incredible from the system without even realizing it herself. Reilei currently had a nameless trait listed on her skills list. However, it was no normal trait. It was actually a unique Source! ... Meanwhile, in Amaharpe... Izroth was currently in the Amaharpe pce library reading through the massive number of books stored inside. Thankfully, he had perfect memory and was able to retain things after seeing them only once. Therefore, it was not difficult to read through the books within the library. However, there were thousands upon thousands of books on the first floor alone! Izroth could not help but wonder if this was all actually carefully created by a few individuals in the real world or automatically generated by the system. Either way, it was quite impressive how detailed most of the books were. During his time in the pce library, Izroth had discovered a multitude of interesting myths, legends, and general information about RML. He was no longer in the dark about certain things that should have beenmon knowledge to him. The one thing that caught his attention was the contents of a certain hardcovered book with a purple-colored cover. There was no title on the front of the book nor was there the name of any author, instead, there was a strange symbol with the head of a dragon on the cover. The contents of the book caught Izroth¡¯s attention because it talked about something that he needed to know more about. Or to be more specific, it talked about the legendary being known as dragons! ¡¯Could this be the key to discovering that ce? The Path of Dragons.¡¯ Izroth stared at the purple covered book in his hands as he sorted the contents of the book in his mind. Chapter 273 The Furious Keeper of Books For the second part of his world quest, Izroth had to clear something called the Path of Dragons alone. However, he had no information whatsoever about any such ce, therefore, he did not even know where to begin looking! But, after reading the contents of the purple covered book, even though Izroth still was unaware of its location, he learned a bit about the creatures called dragons. Of course, Izroth knew what a dragon since there were some within the Seven Realms, but true dragons they were an extremely rare species! While there were numerous creatures within the Seven Realms that had dragon blood running through their veins, it could only be considered mediocre at best whenpared to the pure bloodline of a true dragon. ording to the contents of the book Izroth just read, it seemed to be a simr case with the dragons of RML. Unfortunately, there was very little data on actual dragons and most of the book was simply spection and theories about the dragon race. In actuality, the dragon race was shrouded in mystery and it could be centuries before someone reported seeing one! Did Izroth have a few centuries to wait for a dragon to appear to ask where the Path of Dragons was? Of course not! Though the book was not entirely useless. It would not have caught Izroth¡¯s attention with only wild spections and random assumptions. Somewhere inside of the fourth kingdom, Tempest was a group of people who worshipped dragons as sacred and divine beings. However, there were three things that made getting there for Izroth a littleplicated. The first was that he had no idea where the fourth kingdom Tempest was located. But, Izroth figured that this information would not be too difficult to obtain. There was even a chance that its location was buried in one of the books within the pce library. The second reason was that the dragon worshippers were nomads. This meant that they could be anywhere at any time within the borders of Tempest. Fortunately, there were a few known locations that were listed inside the purple covered book. Therefore, Izroth would just have to check them one at a time and hope that he got lucky, otherwise, he could be looking forever! The first two reasons were not too challenging and anyone with decent connections or the proper resources should be able to aplish both tasks without too many problems. However, there was nothing Izroth could do about thest issue. Not all the kingdoms got along with each other. You had some kingdoms who were allies to Amaharpe such as the third kingdom, Proximus and you had those who remained neutral like the second kingdom, O¡¯Tohelm. But, when one held onto as much power as Amaharpe, they were bound to have their fair share of enemies. In this case, Amaharpe¡¯s enemy was none other than Tempest. To make matters worse, they were not simple petty enemies, but rather the two kingdoms were blood enemies! More than a century ago the two kingdoms fought a bloody war that killed tens of thousands of people on both sides. In the end, Amaharpe was victorious, however, they paid a heavy price and was too weak to even upy, as well as, secure the territory Tempest ruled over at that time. During that time, Amaharpe and Tempest were two of the most absolute powers within the Mortal Realm. But after that war happened, it allowed other kingdoms to catch up to them in terms of power and influence. Of course, neither side ever forgave the other and the two have been blood enemies ever since. This was something Izroth had read about in one of the books titled "Seventh War of the Titans". After obtaining the title Protector of Amaharpe, Izroth¡¯s ties to this kingdom was basically carved in stone. It was unlikely that a powerful kingdom like Tempest did not have its fair share of eyes and ears stationed inside of Amaharpe. There were too many unknowns in Tempest, however, their power was more or less around the same as Amaharpe¡¯s. In other words, there were definitely legendary existences in that ce! But, Izroth did not believe that they would see him as such a huge threat that they would send a legendary existence after him even if they did discover him crossing their borders. As long as they did not send any legendary existences, then Izroth was confident in his current fighting and retreating capabilities. Izroth sat the purple covered book down on the table before him as he turned to look at the mountain of books that he had already gone through. It was well over a thousand books! However, there were still a sizable amount of books waiting to be read. ¡¯I should finish reading the rest.¡¯ Izroth spent the next hour flipping through the pages of books within the pce library. If anyone walked in and saw what he was doing, they would shake their head and mock him. He would grab a book, flip through all of its pages, and then toss it into the pile of books at his side. From an outside perspective, it looked as though he was just skimming through the books without really looking at its contents and then leaving a mess behind. Just as Izroth was ready to move on to the next row of books, he heard a voice filled with anger yell out. "What do you think you¡¯re doing?!" The voice shouted. The voice came from a young man that appeared to be in histe teens. He wore a gray schrs robe with a single silver stripe going across his right arm sleeve. Right now, his expression was one of great displeasure and irritation. However, Izroth did not pay the voice any mind and kept his focus on absorbing the contents on the next row of books. Besides, he was doing nothing wrong so it was likely that the voice was not even talking to him. When Izroth ignored him as if he were not even there, the young man¡¯s facial expression darkened. He quickly approached Izroth to confront him directly. Did he think that this ce was a yground?! This was a sacred ce of learning and knowledge and yet this person before him was throwing books anywhere after skimming through them for less than a few seconds. To make matters even worse, there were well over two thousand books scattered everywhere! "You-! Did you not hear me speaking to you?! Stop and put those books down at once!" The young man said. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth turned his head and saw a young man who seemed to be upset about something. NPC Name: Kaz(Normal) NPC Level: 10 "Stop? Who are you to tell me to stop?" Izroth was confused as to why Kaz wanted him to stop reading. Besides, who was he to tell him what he could and could not do? Izroth was granted the right to enter this ce of his own free will and read from the books on the first floor. Kaz scoffed, "I am the first assistant of the Keeper of Books, Kaz! It is my duty to ensure that no harm is done to the books of this library and that they are used for the sole purpose of gaining knowledge. They are not meant to be held by someone who treats them like junk and ythings! If you want to y around then do it somewhere else that isn¡¯t here!" Izroth¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly at Kaz¡¯s words. Junk? ythings? Was he not using the books in this ce to gather knowledge? How was he ying around? However, after taking a moment to think about it, Izroth understood why Kaz thought such a thing. Due to the Heavenly Golden Body physique, Izroth could retain information from the books just by seeing them one time. Therefore, all he had to do was flip through each page and quickly scan them with his eyes. But, although he considered this to be "reading", it would obviously look ridiculous from an outsider¡¯s perspective. Izroth could see that Kaz was simply doing his duty and appeared to be passionate about books, so he did not be upset after the misunderstanding. ¡¯Indeed, it would like as if I were just fooling around.¡¯ "You¡¯re mistaken, I am reading every book I pick up." Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Kaz looked at Izroth as if he had a few screws loose in his head. What part of what he was doing was anything remotely close to reading? However, just as Kaz was ready to further rebuke Izroth, he stopped himself from doing so after hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. Kaz¡¯s facial expression immediately lost all its color and turned pale. "This is bad...! I can¡¯t let the Grand Master see the library like this!" Kaz said in a panicked tone of voice as he quickly moved to pick up the books and started to put them back into their proper ce on their respective shelves. However, how could he possibly pick up over two thousand books in such a short amount of time? Izroth was lost by Kaz¡¯s sudden change in behavior. As he watched Kaz panicked and flustered state, he heard someone else approaching. The footsteps of that person had a unique rhythm to them every time that person¡¯s foot made contact with the ground. It was incredibly calming to the mind and almost made Izrothpletely drop his guard for a moment. ¡¯What a terrifying skill.¡¯ While Izroth was about to easily ovee skills like that thanks to his monstrous willpower, if that skill was used on the average person, there was no doubt that their mind would wander off and enter into apletely calm and tranquil state. Of course, that was not necessarily a bad thing if one wanted to meditate or rx, however, if such a skill was used in the middle of a battle it could be dangerous! A few momentster, a man who appeared to be in histe fifties to early sixties entered into the library. He wore the same gray schr robes as Kaz, however, instead of a silver strip across his right arm sleeve, there was a circle of five golden stars. In the middle of those stars was the symbol of a small opened book with nk pages. Izroth observed the man who just walked in. He had short gray hair with a neat and well-maintained beard. Although his appearance was aged, one could tell that he used to be quite handsome in his youth. But what stood out the most was that deep and profound look that lingered about in his eyes as if he understood the mysteries of the world and what they had to offer. NPC Name: Orion, Keeper of Books(???) NPC Level: ??? Orion nced at Izroth who was the only other person in the library besides his assistant, however, it was only for a brief moment as he lost interest. His gaze thennded on Kaz who was scrambling to pick up the scattered books. "Kaz, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Is this what you call well-maintained and spotless? Do you take me for an old fool? You must think my standards low." Orion spoke in a stern voice as his tone carried with it a great level of displeasure. Kaz became extremely gloomy after listening to Orion¡¯s words of rebuke. He could not help but feel bitter towards Izroth who was the try culprit behind this mess. He wanted to strangle him to death! "Grand Master! I swear this ce was spotless a few hours ago! It was this guy who was randomly throwing the books on the floor after only skimming through them without even reading anything! He has no respect for books and the knowledge they hold! He treats them like disposable trash!" Kaz said as he swiftly shifted the me to Izroth. Kaz did not want the Grand Master to think any less of him because of something someone else did! Orion turned his focus towards Izroth as he narrowed his eyes to size him up. "Young man, did you do this?" Orion asked in a stern tone of voice without mincing any words. "If you mean the books, then yes. However-" Izroth said but he was cut off by Orion. "Good, very good! It has been a while since someone has dared cause trouble in my library." Orion said as an invisible force crashed down on Izroth¡¯s body. Kaz felt cold sweats running down his back. He had been with the Grand Master for many years and although he was a strict person, he was still very easy to get along with and there were few things that ever truly upset him. Right now, Kaz could tell that the Grand Master was furious! That guy was finished within Amaharpe! He would be lucky if the Grand Master only kicked him out of the library! Izroth, however, was unaffected by the pressure being released by Orion. He was flooded with Willpower Checks, but every time he passed with rtive ease. Would he allow himself to be intimidated and bullied so easily? The answer was obviously no! "If you want to bully me for reading, then you¡¯ll have to try a little harder." Izroth said in a nonchnt manner. Orion saw that his pressure was not working on Izroth and the look in his eyes became a bit cold. "Good, very good. Let¡¯s see how long you can keep up your lies." Orion said. He withdrew his pressure as an idea suddenly came to his mind. Chapter 274 Rewriting The Fundamental Laws Izroth was never the type to seek a confrontation willingly, however, he would not allow himself to be treated unfairly, especially if Orion wanted to try and intimidate him. Orion had cut Izroth off before he even had a chance to exin himself and Kaz simply washed his hands of the problem even after Izroth had already exined to him that it was a misunderstanding. While the books were scattered all around, there were not nearly enough tables in the library to hold all two thousand books unless they were stacked up all the way to the ceiling. Even though it may have looked disorganized at first nce to those viewing from an outside perspective, Izroth actually had the books neatly stacked in organized piles. There were at least twenty of such piles scattered throughout the entire library. Of course, he had nned on returning every book to their original ce after he finished reading everything on the first floor. After all, it would take him less than half a minute to return everything to its proper ce using Flickering Steps. However, his main reason for not putting the books back onto the bookshelf immediately after he finished was because of a one-minute dy before one was able to pick out another book. Once a yer picked out a book and then put it back on the shelf, they would not be able to grab a second book for one minute. Izroth did not know why such a restriction was set in ce. It may have been to encourage readers to choose a book carefully since they would have to wait a good while before being able to pick again. However, how long would it take him to read all the books on the first floor if he had to wait one minute every time he put a book back in its ce? But, what Izroth did not know was that the restriction was set in ce by Orion himself. Orion believed that if one picked up a book, they should at the very least read it. Every single book within the pce library was a treasure to him and unique in its own way. Therefore, the restriction was there to increase the chances of a book being read after it was picked up. What Orion did not take into ount was someone with a monstrous reading ability such as Izroth. Izroth, however, quickly found a way around that restriction. All he had to do was grab another book instead of returning it to the shelf and so he ced the piles in specific areas to make it easier when it came time to ce them into their original spots. That was why it seemed so disorganized and scattered everywhere! But before Izroth could evenplete a full sentence, he was cut off by Orion and was not given the opportunity to exin himself properly. "You said I was bullying you for reading?" Orion said as he waved his hand. Swoosh! A thick yellow book that was within one of the piles shot towards Orion, however, it stopped just as it was about to crash into his body and hovered before him. The yellow book was so thick that it would require the average person to use two hands just to carry it around! "Have you read this book?" Orion asked. "I have." Izroth responded without hesitation. He had read every book he touched within this library. Orion¡¯s facial expression darkened when he heard Izroth¡¯s response. He created an opportunity for Izroth to be truthful, after all, even though he was furious at the young man before him, Izroth had managed to catch his eye. The number of people he met that were around Izroth¡¯s age that was able to simply stand before his Rhythmic Pressure skill could be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone! However, he had only met two youths who werepletely unaffected by his Rhythmic Pressure. One of the youths was a natural-born talent of an extremely powerful race, therefore, he was not too surprised as that much was to be expected. As for the second youth, that person was someone who possessed a gift that only came around once every one thousand years within the human race. The young man in front of him had increased the number of youths who could resist his Rhythmic Pressure skill to a total of three! Not only that, although it was faint, that young man actually had a Source in its infancy stage and even now he could see it growing at an rming rate. But unfortunately, the young man decided to continue on with his lies, therefore, he would not allow him to walk away without some form of punishment. He had met plenty of arrogant and talented youths who needed to be taught a lesson in humility. So before he decided upon a punishment, he would let the young man make a fool of himself to teach him a thing or two about honesty. "This book here is a fundamental book discussing the 255ws of magic sequences. Tell me, what is the 103rdw?" Orion questioned. Kaz was stunned. Usually, the Grand Master would have already tossed someone like Izroth out of the library and banned him from stepping foot into the pce or maybe even Amaharpe ever again! Could it be that the Grand Master wanted to teach this youth a lesson? If so, then Kaz felt pity towards Izroth. Even he had not memorized something like the 255ws of magic sequences by heart. Izroth took a moment to organize his thoughts about the 255ws of magic sequences. Although he had a perfect memory, he still had topartmentalize everything or else it would end up being a jumbled up mess that he had to constantly search through. After all, his main focus had been on simple memorization. He then nned to finish organizing his thoughts ordingly once he finished every book in the library. It only took Izroth a brief moment to find his answer as he replied, "The 103rdw of magic sequences is that one should never cross an Astral magic cycle with a Neb magic cycle, otherwise, you would only end up with a magic sequence that reverses itself and destroys your body from the inside out." Orion raised his brows slightly in surprise. His answer was actually correct! However, could he just be lucky? There was only one sure way to find out. "Next ques-" Orion was ready to give Izroth another question, but before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Izroth. "However, this can easily be prevented by reversing the original order of the Neb magic cycle." Izroth added. Orion frowned when he heard Izroth¡¯s words. Was this young man trying to intentionally kill someone with such false information? If any magic caster even attempted something so reckless they would die a terrible death. "Are you trying to kill someone?! Even if you reverse the Neb magic cycle, you¡¯ll only end up with a spell even more dangerous then when normally trying to use the Astral and Neb magic cycles together! Think before you speak such nonsense before the Grand Master!" Kaz scoffed. While he did not know all 255ws of magic sequences by heart, that did not mean that he was not well-informed about most of them, especially one as life-threatening as the 103rdw. "Indeed, my assistant is correct, young man. With that kind of change, it may not kill only the user, but those around the magic caster as well. You should not tamper with the fundamentalws of things, otherwise, you will only be in for a rude awakening and the consequences will not be light. I would suggest you erase that thought from your mind." Orion said. "Even if you shortened the time in between each magic cycle interval by 0.015 seconds?" Izroth said in a carefree tone of voice. "All you¡¯d be doing is dying the inevitable! Stop wasting the Grand Master¡¯s time with such-" Kaz was ready to mock Izroth, but he was quickly silenced. "Quiet!" Orion said in a serious tone of voice as he furrowed his brows. Kaz was scared speechless as he immediately swallowed the rest of his words. Was it possible that the Grand Master was so infuriated by Izroth¡¯s words that he would no longer wait to punish him? However, after around ten seconds passed by and Orion did not act or speak, Kaz was lost as to what the Grand Master was doing. After staying that way for around a full thirty seconds, Orion finally set his gaze upon Izroth. "Young man, your idea is not bad. In theory, it could definitely work. Unfortunately, in the end, the magic sequence would still copse. While the magic caster would not be harmed, the spell itself will be unusable and useless." Orion said. To be quite honest, he was impressed with Izroth¡¯s findings even if they were not perfect. While one could not cast a spell sessfully, at the very least, they could potentially halt the magic sequence midway without causing harm to themselves. This could lead to a more in-depth look of the 103rdw and multiple studies that could very well change thews of magic sequences forever! "Normally that would be true, however, I believe you¡¯re overlooking one very important detail." Izroth stated. Kaz nearly fainted! Was that young man intentionally trying to provoke the Grand Master? Overlooking something? This was the Grand Master he was talking about! In order to be a Grand Master, one had to hold a vast amount of knowledge about all kinds of subjects. There was no short line of individuals who wanted to have a Grand Master as their teacher. However, there were less than ten Grand Masters in the whole world! To say that someone capable of holding the title of Grand Master had overlooked something was incredibly arrogant and wishful thinking! "I may being up on my years, however, I am not senile just yet, young man. I¡¯ve run through it over one hundred times in my mind and the end results are the end every time. I can assure you that I have not overlooked any details." Orion said assuredly. "Then, when you reversed the Neb magic cycle, did you also ount for the change in its strands due to its reversal?" Izroth asked. Strands were tiny mana strings that were manipted to form a specific magic cycle. For most yers within RML, all they had to worry about was the correct order magic sequences, however, the system usually did this automatically during the yer¡¯s cast time. There were even some sses who required no attention to magic sequences. However, for those sses that relied heavily on magic sequences such as Valentine¡¯s Sequence Mage ss, it could be considered a nightmare to learn. In order to cast a spell, one had to form a specific number of magic sequences. In theory, if any magic caster could master the magic sequences of their spell, the casting time for said spell could be reduced down to nearly 0 seconds! But, before they could form a magic sequence, they had to use the correct magic cycles. However, before they could invoke the correct magic cycles, it was necessary to use the correct strand type. There were three basic types of strands, light, medium, and heavy. These strands dictated how much mana a yer used when casting a spell and how fast said mana would channel into the spell itself. Orion¡¯s eyes widened slightly from shock. Of course! When one reversed the Neb magic cycle while using an Astral magic cycle at the same time, it would cause the thickness of the strands to change from heavy to light due to how the two magic cycles would react to each other! How could he have overlooked such an important detail?! If he went over it in his mind using that small change, the young man¡¯s method would certainly work! If one used it, they would be able topletely disregard the 103rdw of magic sequences! In other words, the young man before him had just rewritten a fundamentalw that was carved in stone for centuries! What terrifying knowledge to possess at such a young man! Right now, Orion had tossed his anger aside and hadpletely forgotten about his original intentions to teach Izroth a lesson. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment, what else dwelled within the mind of that young man? Chapter 275 Who Is The Real Grand Master Here? While Izroth made it sound simple and easy to understand, in actuality, it was much moreplex than he led on. On paper, reversing a magic cycle sounded effortless, however, it required a near-perfect control over one¡¯s own mana to execute properly. At the moment, Izroth believed that, currently, no yers within RML were capable of aplishing such a feat; at least not yet. This was something that awaited them on their far journey ahead. There was much more to the magic in RML that yers werepletely oblivious about. However, once they began to fully understand that, it would separate the true master magic casters from those who were mediocre at best. Orion wasted no time as he ced the thick yellow covered book back into its proper ce on the bookshelf. He then picked out another book in one of the piles. This book was on a more advanced level than the 255ws of magic sequences and a lot thinner. "This book was written by a warrior with little talent, but vast knowledge when ites to the topic of warrior skills. There is one specific warrior skill within this book that has a major drawback. What¡¯s the name of this skill?" Orion asked. "Fleeting Collision." Izroth answered without the slightest bit of hesitation. He had not been standing by idle this entire time and used it wisely to organize his thoughts. While there were still a few things out of ce, it was nothing that could not be corrected. He then continued, "The approach to this skill is incorrect. How one could even dream of executing a skill with a multitude of ws amazes me to no end." Orion furrowed his brows and responded, "You could hardly call five ws a multitude. Fleeting Collision may be imperfect, but it¡¯s still a highly advanced skill if we¡¯re speaking in a strictly technical manner. This judgment is too harsh." Orion shook his head to show his disapproval. Five? Izroth was rarely taken aback, however, Orion was able to make him near speechless. Of course, five ws was far from being a lot for the average skill and this was even more so for an advanced skill like Fleeting Collision. After all, even the most highly advanced skill had a few ws in them, so this was nothing too unexpected. But, Fleeting Collision did not have just five ws, it had over fifty ws! In all honesty, Izroth would be surprised if one could even use that skill to squash a bug! Harsh? His judgment was actually him being polite! "Five ws? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve miscounted. It has exactly 56 ws." Izroth said in a nonchnt manner. However, when those words left his mouth, it made a heavy frown appear on the face of both Orion and Kaz. Kaz was just beginning to see Izroth in a new light, but it appeared that he was almost too quick to change his initial assessment. That was because he himself had read the same book and had only managed to find two ws! Even the Grand Master had only located five ws in total which meant one thing, there were no more than five ws! After all, how could the Grand Master possibly be wrong? Maybe if it were six ws it may be somewhat believable, however, to say that there were 56 ws? How outrageous! Although the young man before him may be talented when it came to his memorization ability, as well as, magic sequences, he was incrediblycking when it came to the technicality of advanced skills. However, that was nothing to be ashamed of. What bothered Kaz the most was that this young man was extremely arrogant! He always spoke calmly as if he knew everything and was afraid of admitting when he was clueless about something. This caused Kaz to have mixed opinions about him. Orion released a small sigh as he shook his head in disappointment. Why was it that youths these days were so troublesome when it came to admitting that they did not know something? He did not expect the young man to know everything as even someone with his vast amount of knowledge and experience was not omniscient. However, he was not a close-minded person. Therefore, even though he was disappointed, he decided to see what the young man had to say about the so-called 56 ws that he found. "You¡¯ll have to enlighten me on this subject." Orion said as his gaze never left Izroth. Izroth was no fool. He could see the ring doubt lingering inside of Orion¡¯s eyes. From that look and Orion¡¯s words, it was obvious that he did not believe him. However, there was a simple remedy for this. Not to mention, Izroth had something else in mind. "You seem to doubt me. In that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we make a small friendly wager?" Izroth said. Orion was surprised by Izroth¡¯s sudden request. To make a wager based on knowledge against a Grand Master, one had to be either infinitely confident or stupid! Either way, it was true that he still held some reservations. It was not that he did not believe the young man was gifted, however, everyone had an area of weakness. After thinking it over for a moment, Orion replied "Very well, what would you like to wager? You should know that I am not one whocks gold coins. Do you still have anything to offer me?" Indeed, there was not much Izroth could offer at the moment to someone like Orion that made for a fair wager. Knowledge? How could he use that was an offer when Orion still held certain doubts? There was one thing that he still had up his sleeves that just may catch Orion¡¯s attention even if only a little. Izroth removed his Sword of The Storm from his back. "I am willing to wager my sword." Izroth said without any sign of doubt present. "This is..." Orion scrutinized the sword Izroth held in his hands. Even though it was a marvelous sword for someone like the young man in front of him, it would be nothing more than a small decoration on his wall if he were to win it. However, since the young man was so eager to wager it away, he would not refuse. This would serve as an important life lesson as well. "Alright, I ept your wager. In return, I will give you one item with equal or greater value. Is this eptable?" Orion spoke in a stern tone of voice. Izroth gave a small nod in response as he replied, "I ept." He knew that if Orion really did give him an item that was, at the very least, equal to his Sword of The Storm, it would be a huge gain! Of course, he was not afraid of losing his Sword of The Storm. Why? Because he was absolutely positive that there were exactly 56 ws! He then continued as he began his exnation, "The first w is within the initial step of Fleeting Collision. It¡¯spletely out of synch with the natural flow of one¡¯s body." "This is correct." Orion said as he nodded in approval. That was one of the more ring ws, however, the other four were not so easy to discover. "The second w has to do with the motion itself. It¡¯s set at two paces instead of three creating an awkward rhythm." Izroth stated. "The 3rd w..." "The 25th w..." "The 56th w..." Izroth went through all 56 ws in a single breath without stopping! At first, Kaz was sure that Izroth was simply spewing out a bunch of nonsense, however, after seeing the look on the Grand Master¡¯s face, he knew that he could not be further from the truth. As Orion listened to the first four ws, he was already singing secret praises about Izroth in his mind. However, when Izroth reached the fifth w, that was when a look of disbelief appeared on Orion¡¯s face. That young man had found all five ws! He waspletely and utterly speechless! Even if that young man could not truly name 56 ws, he would still let him keep his sword as a reward. After all, even his own assistant had only managed to locate two of the ws. But, just when Orion thought that it was all over, that young man went on to his next sentence... And the next... And the next! After listening to his words and connecting the dots, Orion¡¯s face lost color from the level of shock! "Of course, how could I have missed that...!", "If one did it that way then... Incredible!", "It¡¯s possible even using it that way?", those were some of the few thoughts that raced through Orion¡¯s mind. By the time Izroth finished listing all 56 ws effortlessly, Orion was left dumbfounded. "56... There were really 56 of them..." Orion could not help but mutter to himself. Just a few moments ago he was shaking his head at the notion of there being even six ws, let alone 56 ws. To make matters even worse, after listening to the young man¡¯s exnation, he felt that he was always one step short of discovering some of those ws. But, the most frightening thing was that there were even some parts that he did not understand! Who was he? He was a Grand Master! He had taught countless prodigies and geniuses throughout his time and there were those who would grovel at his feet just to speak with him for a few minutes and receive pointers. However, he had just taken a huge blow! Could it be possible that the young man before him was born with that rare gift of knowledge that allowed one to hold onto a vast amount of information from the time of their birth? Otherwise, how was it possible that he understood so much at such a tender age? "What about the Ten Alignment Talisman? Everything is perfect but it never works." Orion said. "It should be eleven alignments instead of ten. An even number of alignments would never work. As for its core structure..." Izroth responded. "Then, how about the Prisyllia Flower that only blooms at night? Howe it won¡¯t grow within Amaharpe?" "Amaharpecks the heavy flow of natural mana that its original growth ce does. In other words, the mana is not dense enough. Also..." "How about..." Orion continued to ask Izroth a stream of questions and every single time Izroth would answer wlessly. He even threw in a few questions that he already knew the answer to just to keep Izroth on his toes. But, that young man would uncover some things that had never before crossed his mind even on topics that he was already familiar with! A smile actually found its way onto Orion¡¯s face. When it came to discussing interesting topics and obtaining new knowledge, he was like a child at a candy store always craving more! Kaz had a dumbfounded look on his face as he watched the Grand Master he respected so much excitedly ask questions to a person who could not be any older than him. He could not believe his eyes and always felt as if he were dreaming. At that moment, there was only one thought that drifted by Kaz¡¯s mind. Who was the real Grand Master here? Fifteen minutes had passed by as Orion bombarded Izroth with questions ranging from skills all the way to the basic fundamentals. "What is your thoughts on the Arcane Pendulum?" Orion asked in an excited and enthusiastic tone of voice. He was nothing like that stern and serious old man from before. It was almost as if his personality took aplete 180-degrees turn! "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m unfamiliar with it. I have not yet had the time to go through the entire library." Izroth stated. Orion had a nk look on his face for a moment as if he had just been snapped back into reality. That look was immediately reced by one of guilt. He got so caught up in asking questions that he hadpletely forgotten about what happened beforehand! "Young man, I may be stubborn on some matters, but I know when to admit when I am wrong. As a Grand Master and Keeper of the Books, it is my duty to never turn a blind eye to new knowledge. I have almost sinned in the biggest way possible and for that, you have my sincerest apologies." Orion said in a sincere tone of voice as he gave a respectful bow. Kaz nearly fainted from shock! The Grand Master actually bowed to someone in respect who was much younger than him! It must be a dream, yes it had to be a dream! However, he could not shake off the reality of it all. "Just a simple misunderstanding. Think nothing of it." Izroth replied in a carefree manner and just as he did so, he received some interesting alerts from the system. In truth, he had been receiving system alerts the whole time, however, he did not stop to check them during his conversation with Orion. Even though he was doing most of the talking, Orion¡¯s vast experience and amazingprehension ability made him someone interesting to speak with. There were even a few things he learned from him about RML that he had been unclear about in the past. As Orion stood there in silence with an expression of deep thought on his face as he pondered Izroth¡¯s words, Izroth decided to use the opportunity to check through his system alerts to see what popped up. Chapter 276 Knowledge and Benefits As Izroth skimmed through the list of system alerts, he discovered a few surprises. ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Knowledge?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?Schr?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Battle Fundamentals Mastery?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Magic Fundamentals Mastery?!¡µ ¡´System Alert:... ... There was the passive skill Knowledge he gained, but the wording of the skill was vague at best about what exactly was that it could do. Skill Name: Knowledge Knowledge Level: 15.21 Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: As the user umtes more knowledge about the world around them and its workings, they will have a high chance of receiving natural benefits. Special Note: Knowledge is power! This defines one¡¯sbined true understanding of all worlds. What immediately stood out to Izroth was the fact that it did not have a skill level like other skills, instead, it possessed a knowledge level. At the moment, his knowledge level was 15.21 and he was not sure exactly how high that waspared to others within RML. It was also a unique rank skill and the only other time he saw a skill that could escape the confines of a whole number. In fact, technically speaking, the only other time he saw something like that was with his trait Soul Essence. This most likely meant that the limit of the skill itself was unclear or undefined by the system. But, there was something else that caught Izroth¡¯s eye. ¡¯Defining thebined true understanding of all worlds... Interesting.¡¯ Izroth knew that there was more than the Mortal Realm out there. After all, he had personality been to the Shadahi Realm and even the Chaotic Dogma Realm which could be considered a world in and of itself. Although he had not yet been to the Nether Realm, he knew of its existence due to his most recent run-in with the League of the Eidolon and that envoy whose arm he severed. Who knew how many other realms and worlds were out there? He had barely scratched the surface of the Mortal Realm alone, not to even speak of the other realms out there. ¡¯A high chance of receiving natural benefits almost sounds like a luck-based passive skill.¡¯ After reading through Knowledge, Izroth turned his attention to a title he received. It was the second title he hade across so far, the other being the Protector of Amaharpe title he received froming in first ce during the event. Title Name: Schr(Solitary Rare) Title Benefit(s): -Gain the ability to view the Knowledge Level of other individuals or monsters. -Gain the ability to check out copies of books at any library. (Limit: 5) ¡¯It¡¯s a Solitary title. I never thought I woulde across one so soon. Although, the benefits are not all the useful to me.¡¯ Unlike the primary and secondary titles that yers could only equip one title in each category, solitary titles did not have that restriction. This meant that, theoretically, a yer could equip one hundred or even one thousand solitary titles! Of course, obtaining that many solitary titles would be impossible, but the main point was that there was no limit to how many a yer could equip. ¡¯I wonder...¡¯ Izroth equipped the Schr title as he looked over in Kaz¡¯s direction. As his vision stayed on Kaz for a bit, the basic NPC information about him popped up, but this time there was one extra line. NPC Name: Kaz(Normal) NPC Level: 10 NPC Knowledge Level: 8.25 ¡¯So low.¡¯ Izroth was surprised to see that Kaz, who was apparently Orion¡¯s assistant, only possessed a knowledge level of 8.25! That was nearly half of what his own current knowledge level was listed as! ¡¯Then, how about...¡¯ Of course, the real person Izroth was interested in was Orion who Kaz kept referring to as Grand Master. Since Orion had the title "Keeper of Books" in his name and had amazingprehension skills, Izroth expected for his knowledge to be many times greater than Kaz. However, what Izroth saw only made him shake his head inwardly. NPC Name: Orion, Keeper of Books(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Knowledge Level: 999.993 Orion¡¯s knowledge level was almost at the one thousand mark! In truth, Izroth knew that Orion only asked him questions about the books on the first floor purposely. Therefore, when it came to his understanding of the books on the first floor, Izroth was confident in his ability ofprehension. As long as he finished reading the rest of the books that he had not yet touched, no one would be his equal when it came to discussing any book on the first floor. But, of course, there were still many floors within the pce library that he did not have ess to and so it was only natural that there were still many things that remained unknown to him about this world. However, he did not expect the knowledge level gap to be that huge! When Izroth¡¯s saw Orion¡¯s knowledge level, the old man that he met back in the Towering Oak Forest named Zhi came to mind. That old man had spoken some words to him that left him pleasantly surprised due to the sheer level ofprehension required to understand those words. Izroth wondered if he had the Schr title at that time, just what knowledge level would it have shown for that old man? Once he finished thinking a few things over, Izroth moved on to view the next two skills he received, the Battle and Magic Fundamental Mastery. The Battle Fundamental Mastery was eptable, however, it was the Magic Fundamental Mastery that made him put on a helpless smile. Skill Name: Battle Fundamental Mastery Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: The user of this skill has mastered the basic battle fundamentals and will gain the following benefit(s): -All physical-based skills gain the ability to increase in level through repeated usage. -When learning or growing physical-based skills, the user¡¯s growth rate speed in improving that skill is increased by 15%. -The user has a high chance of being able to periodically see exposed weak points on enemies during a battle. -The user of this skill can equip any physical-based weapon ignoring any ss restriction(s) listed. +25 Energy. +5% Critical Hit. Skill Name: Magic Fundamental Mastery Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: The user of this skill has mastered the basic magic fundamentals and will gain the following benefit(s): -All magic-based skills gain the ability to increase in level through repeated usage. -When learning or growing magic-based skills, the user¡¯s growth rate speed in improving that skill is increased by 10%. -Reduce casting time speed on spells by 10%. +250 MP +5 MP Regen/s +100% MP Regen outside of battle. There was nothing that needed to be said about the benefits brought about by the Battle Fundamental Mastery. However, while the Magic Fundamental Mastery maybe a magic caster¡¯s dream to obtain, it waspletely useless to him! After all, the number of magic skills that he had within his arsenal of skills was zero. Even though he mastered the fundamentals of magic, he still had no idea how to actually create a magic skill itself. Therefore, the only way for him to put the passive to use was to first learn or create a magic skill for himself. But, in order to do that, he had to either purchase a skill book without a ss restriction to it or gain enough knowledge about magic and see if it waspatible with hisbat master ss. However, that was only the beginning of his problems. His mana was most likely too weak to cast any powerful magic spell that would be useful for his current level range. Not to mention that fact that he did not n on sacrificing his attack or agility stats just to improve upon his magic stat, therefore, damage abilities were out of the question. But, Izroth quickly came up with a solution to his predicament. ¡¯It may be possible if it¡¯s that area of magic. Body reinforcement type magic is the most forgiving when ites to mana usage and it won¡¯t require any kind of sacrifice to use. However, there are not many books that discuss this topic on the first floor. Maybe it will be possible after I...¡¯ "Young man." Orion suddenly called out to Izroth and snapped him out of his thoughts. He then continued on and said, "I have only seen one individual with your ability ofprehension in my entire lifetime. Never would I have thought that the day would arrive yet again when this old man feels that his era will soone to its end." Orion released a long sigh as he shook his head. "However, all things must eventuallye to an end, as is the curse of one¡¯s mortal body." Orion said as his eyes filled with a look that was difficult toprehend. It seemed like a mixture of hope and despair,pliance and unwillingness, juvenility and wisdom. All these things together formed a stream of endless thoughts and ideas. Izroth knew what that look in Orion¡¯s eyes meant because he had seen it once before during the time of his youth in the Seven Realms. It was the look of one who yearned to return to the days of their youth and begin anew. One who was not satisfied with their current power or understanding. It was the look of one who thirsted for an eternity¡¯s worth of knowledge! After a moment of silence, Orion waved his hand as a thin red book appeared. This book was so thin that it appeared to be no more than fifteen pages inside of it! "I have not forgotten our wager, young man. Without a doubt, it is your victory. All I ask is that you not remaincent with yourself as you are now. The worlds are boundless and there awaits a long journey ahead of you." Orion said as he motioned his hand towards Izroth. The red booknded within Izroth¡¯s hands and he immediately received an alert from the system. However, he did not even bother looking at the system alert as the title of the book jumped right out at him! Since the wager was that the item he received would be equal to or greater than what he wagered, Izroth knew that the book currently within his hands had the value of an epic ranked weapon at minimum. ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the item ?Comprehending The Origins of Source?!¡µ It was actually a book about Source! Even though it was incredibly light, Izroth was still more than satisfied with his winnings. After all, his current knowledge about Source was practically nonexistent and there were no books on the first floor that contained any information about it. As Izroth had his sights set on the book in his hands, Orion one grand motion with his hand as the piles of books ced throughout the library all shot into the air at once. As he moved his hand forward, every book instantly shot into the bookshelf in an orderly fashion. In the blink of an eye, the entire library was back to its previously perfect state! Kaz watched on in amazement. The Grand Master was truly powerful! Kaz had almost let this slip his mind after watching how excited the Grand Master when he was talking to Izroth. "I have other matters to attend to so I¡¯ll be taking my leave. However, try not to make too much of a mess in my library while I¡¯m away-" Orion was about to call the young man by his name, however, he remembered that he never bothered to ask! Normally, he would not bother with learning the name of some random youth, however, this young man had managed to impress him! As if reading his mind, Izroth told Orion his name before he had the chance to ask. "Ah, Izroth? A unique name indeed... Right, I should leave you with one more small parting gift. Come Kaz, we¡¯re leaving." Orion said as Kaz quickly regained himself and followed after the Grand Master. A few momentster, Orion walked away along with Kaz and left Izroth alone in the library. That was when Izroth received one more system alert. ¡´System Alert: You have been granted ess to the 2nd floor of Amaharpe Pce Library!¡µ ... Meanwhile, somewhere near a starter vige... "Xiao Liang, where are we...?" Reilei had unknowingly wandered off from the starting area. Without even realizing it, the minimap had disappeared and now she had no idea where she was! In other words, she was lost! Mew! Mew! Chapter 277 Doe of Nine Creations Xiao Liang, who rested on Reilei¡¯s shoulder, shook its small head sideways as if answering her question. At the moment, Reilei was in a heavily forested area. The surrounding trees and shrubbery were so densely packed in certain sections which made it easy for yers to lose track of their location if they were not careful enough. ... Fifteen minutes earlier... Reilei was fighting against boar-type monsters and rapidly increasing her level. In fact, she had already managed to reach level 8 in such a short period of time! Of course, Xiao Liang made sure to offer her moral support as she swept through the monsters in her path. Mew! While Reilei understood that her ss was supposed to use summons to battle with, she could not find it in herself to put Xiao Liang in harm¡¯s way. She even tried to remind herself that it was just a video game, however, every time she looked over and saw its innocent face and adorable eyes, she caved in. She also found that Xiao Liang was far from a mindless creature. It was fairly intelligent and seemed to understand and respond to her every time she spoke to it. But, the one thing that she could not wrap her mind around was the strange stares that everyone gave her. This caused Reilei to be slightly embarrassed as she was not used to being the center of attention. In response to this, she ended up wandering deeper and deeper into the forest. After traveling for nearly twenty minutes in no particr direction, she found that the surrounding scenery had started to bepletely unfamiliar to her. When she tried to open her minimap, she found that it had vanished! Unknown to Reilei, she had traveled too far away from the nearby starting vige for her minimap to function properly. So she had be lost! ... Just as Reilei was growing uneasy inside, something immediately took her mind away from her current predicament. It was at that moment Reilei came across a strange creature that resembled a deer. But, it was nothing like the deer Reilei knew of. Instead, it had snowy white fur that waspletely unstained by the world around it. Its eyes seemed to hold every color on the color spectrum and it was all perfectly fused together forming waves of evesting beauty. However, the most eye-catching feature about that deer was its towering rainbow-colored antlers. At the tip of each antler was a small orb no bigger than one¡¯s fist. That orb rotated rapidly at a slightly tilted and appeared to have been created from pure energy. As Reilei and Xiao Liang observed the deer, it was resting peacefully out in the open. Reilei was in awe of its beautiful appearance and wanted to move closer for a better look. However, Xiao Liang grew restless as Reilei approached the deer and woke it from its slumber. The deer looked over in their direction which caused Reilei to freeze up. She thought that the deer would attack them for having disturbed its rest, after all, one could not judge based solely upon appearance in this ce. While it looked gentle on the outside, it may be vicious on the inside. This was something Reilei learned after she attempted to be friendly with one of the monster¡¯s she had run into inside the forest. But, instead of attacking them, the creature¡¯s gazended directly on Xiao Liang. The moment that happened, Xiao Liang positioned itself behind Reilei¡¯s back and peeked over her shoulder in a nervous manner. Mew! Mew! Once Xiao Liang was safely behind Reilei, a smug and haughty look appeared on its face as if it were saying to the deer, "What are you going to do to me now?". However, the moment the deer switched its focus to Reilei, Xiao Liang jumped off of Reilei¡¯s back andnded in front of her. It positioned itself in between the deer and Reilei. One could tell that it was trying to look vicious and intimidating but with its small figure and far from frightening features, it looked like a joke whenpared to the deer. "Xiao Liang?!" Reilei was startled by Xiao Liang¡¯s sudden actions. Not once had it left her shoulder area after she formed a contract with it! But, ever since their run-in with this creature, Xiao Liang had been acting strange. Could it be that the two were natural enemies? Reilei, however, found this difficult to believe considering that the deer had not yet attacked them and was only looking in their direction. Though the longer she stared into the eyes of the deer, the more she felt that her mind was slowly drifting away. It made one enter into a state of rxation and feel that they were safe from all harm around them. Mew! Just as Reileipletely closed her eyes, she was quickly snapped out of it after she heard Xiao Liang¡¯s call. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw that the deer was standing face to face with her. Her heart nearly jumped out of its chest from the unexpected fright. Xiao Liangunched its body towards the deer as it released a small roar. However, there was no depth to it and it sounded more like a squeak than an actual roar. Right when Xiao Liang¡¯s tiny body was about to crash into the deer, something caught Reilei¡¯s attention out of the corner of her eye. When she caught sight of that, it was like a bell went off in her head. "Xiao Liang! Stop!" Reilei said abruptly which caused Xiao Liang¡¯s movements to be awkward mid-attack. But, it twisted its small body at thest second and avoided crashing into the deer. Itnded on its back and squirmed around a bit before eventually returning to its feet. Mew... Xiao Liang looked over in Reilei¡¯s direction with a pitiful look on its face. It did not understand why Reilei had told it to stop! Nevertheless, it still reluctantly obeyed hermand as it leaped up onto her shoulder and red at the deer. If that deer tried to do anything to Reilei, it would not hesitate tounch a second attack! Xiao Liang kept a close eye on the deer¡¯s movements. "You¡¯re hurt." Reilei frowned as she furrowed her brows. She lifted her hand up and was hesitant at first, however, the deer did not appear to be hostile so it made her feel a little morefortable. She ced her hand on the side of the deer¡¯s face as the deer gently rubbed up against the palm of her hand. There was a dark, corrupted, and putrid energy lingering near the neck area of the deer. That energy was cold and invasive as it seemed to prate into the very core of the deer. A wounded was located at that spot and whatever caused it was extremely brutal in its methods. Xiao Liang seemed to be dejected as it watched how friendly Reilei was being with the deer. Originally, Reilei thought the deer was a male due to its towering antlers, however, it actually turned out to be a female deer! How did Reileie to this conclusion? Well, it was more of an instinct than anything. There was a certain look in the deer¡¯s eyes that she had experienced once before in her life. There was also one other ring clue. It was well hidden, but once they deer moved closer, it was the first thing that grabbed her attention and caused her to rx her guard. After all, if the deer meant her harm, it would have immediately attacked instead of waiting around. Perched on the back of the deer was a small figure no bigger than the size of Xiao Liang. At the moment, the little creature was fast asleep. It was actually a young deer! Of course, it was many times smaller than a normal-sized young deer, but its appearance resembled that of the female deer. The only major difference, other than its size, was that its antlers were not nearly as towering and there were no spheres of energy rotating at the tip of its antlers. It looked peaceful and without a care in a world. There was a faint glow around its body as the little creature seemed to be full of newly formed life energy. When Reilei first saw the deer she thought that it was simply resting, but she was mistaken. Once she hand made contact with the female deer, a small stream of information popped up on her interface. It confirmed her original suspicions once she saw its name. Name: Weakened Ayanelle, Doe of Nine Creations(???) Level: ??? HP: ??? (???%) Reilei was positive that "doe" was a term used when referring to a female deer. But, what surprised her the most was that the deer actually had a name, Ayanelle. It was the first time that she saw a wild creature who possessed an actual name. What confused her, however, was the questions marks next to everything and what they meant. Ayanelle closed her eyes for a brief moment as she rested her head on Reilei¡¯s palm. One could tell that she was tired... So very tired. It looked as if all the life had been sapped out of her and the spheres of energy that were spinning above the points on her antlers were slowly bing smaller and slowing down with each second that passed. Reilei quietly observed Ayanelle and could not help but feel saddened. She could feel the life of the creature slipping away from it and it seemed that all it wanted was a brief moment of tranquillity. However, Ayanelle lifted its head up straight as one of the spheres of energy on its antlers drifted down towards the young deer on its back and epassed it. The process was incredibly gentle and delicate, as though she were afraid of waking the young deer from its slumber. The young deer hovered into the air inside of the sphere as it made its way towards Reilei. It stopped directly in front of her as a startled look found its way onto her face. What was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Ayanelle released a faint and weak bleat that almost sounded like a whistle of sorts. It then made a small gesture with its head as if urging Reilei on. The color spectrum in its eyes began to dim and many of the colors faded after the sphere appeared around the young deer. The spheres of energy at the tip of Ayanelle¡¯s antlers were now down to the size of a marble. Reilei felt herself bing teary-eyed, but she held those tears back. Why was something so sad in a ce that was supposed to be about having fun? This was not something she expected to experience within RML. Reilei gently took the sphere with the young deer within it into the palm of her hands so as to not disturb it. The moment she did, a relieved and yet worried look appeared within Ayanelle¡¯s eyes. It was obvious that she was worried about the young deer. "You can leave it to me, I promise that I¡¯ll take good care of this little one." Reilei said in reassuringly. Though she almost choked up on her words as she spoke. Thatst hint of worry disappeared from Ayanelle¡¯s eyes as she heard Reilei¡¯s words. Her eyes began to slowly close. Swoosh! Just as Ayanelle¡¯s eyes were about to close, the sound of an arrow soaring through the air could be heard. The arrow pierced into the wound on Ayanelle¡¯s neck and caused the deer to cry in pain. "I got it!" "Nice shot! Heh, looks like it¡¯s our lucky day!" "Something like that has got to drop a rare item. We¡¯re going to be rich!" A group of six yers was on their way to one of the main cities when they had caught sight of that deer by chance. They immediately knew that it had to be some kind of rare creature. After all, it was something they had never seen before and it looked much more incredible than the other creatures around this area! Not to mention, there was only one person next to it and it looked half-dead already. This was their lucky day! The arrow that was shot hade from one of the yers that were a part of that party. Reilei was shocked by the sudden arrow. At first, her mind went nk as she still had a difficult time processing it. However, as soon as she overheard them talking, she was brought back to reality and her shock was reced with anger! "What do you think you¡¯re doing?!" Reilei yelled out. She was always soft-spoken, calm, and polite to everyone she met, but for some reason, it was like another side of her that even she herself was unaware of had emerged at that moment. Reilei¡¯s sudden outburst startled the six yers, but they quickly shook it off after they saw her pathetic summon. She could not harm a fly with that thing! She had to be aplete noob to pick something so weak and small. "Heh, get lost noob before our good mood is spoiled!" One of the yers who seemed to be the leader of the group said mockingly. Chapter 278 Reileis Powerful Skill From their demeanor and mocking tone of voice, it did not take a genius to see that the six yers were not at all threatened by Reilei¡¯s presence. After all, there were six of them and only one of her. Who cared what the circumstances were? They saw an opportunity and decided to take it! "That thing is definitely on itsst leg. Today is our good fortune!" One of the yers said as he could no longer hide his excitement as he punched the palm of his hand. He was wearing fingerless brawler gloves, which were the trademark sign of someone who had chosen the fighter ss. "What did I tell you guys? As long as you stick with me things will turn out just fine. Aren¡¯t you d you epted my offer now?" The yer who appeared to be the leader of the group spoke with a smirk seemingly stered on his face. He was the one who put together this party and invited everyone here. In the beginning, they were all yers whose friends were already far ahead of them or they had no one else to y with. After seeing the chance to form his own party, he quickly established himself as a leader figure As a result, the six of them swiftly progressed to level 10, finished their ss quest, and were on their way to the nearby main city. However, who would have thought that their luck would continue to grow after having met one another? "Alright, you¡¯ve made your point, Lost Dream. We¡¯ve already decided to make you our official party leader and follow you." The one called Lost Dream was the leader of the party. He was also the one who shot the arrow at Ayanelle just moments ago. Lost Dream grinned as he said, "In the case, let¡¯s hurry up and take care of this thing before it escapes." "I will not allow you to harm this creature!" A voice carried over and rung into the ears of the six yers. Of course, this voice belonged to Reilei. "You¡¯re still here?" Lost Dream said as an annoyed frown appeared on his face. He thought that Reilei would have already left after he gave her the opportunity, however, it seemed that his kindness was ignored. "Hahaha! Oh brave and strong leader, you¡¯re being mocked by a noob." One of the yers said as he taunted Lost Dream. Lost Dream red at that yer and responded, "Hmph, what can one woman do? If she won¡¯t get lost herself, then we¡¯ll just have to make it happen ourselves, Invoke." "Well said, leader." Invoke stated as he removed a dagger from his waist and entered into stealth mode. Lost Dream turned his attention back towards Reilei and Ayanelle as a vicious look appeared in his eyes. He had just gained the leadership role, so he felt that this was a good time to prove himself and show his dominance to his fellow party members. However, he did not expect that woman topletely ignore his words and even openly defy him! This caused his initially good mood to turn sour. "Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t give you a fair chance! North Tails, Shivva, Fireward, you three make sure that deer doesn¡¯t get a chance to escape! Skulls, hurry up and take care of that summoner." Lost Dream ordered. As for the one named Invoke, Lost Dream knew that even if he were to give him orders, Invoke would ignore them. However, Lost Dream already had ns to get rid of him and rece him for another member once they reached the main city. So for now, he let Invoke do whatever he pleased. "Eh? I always get the boring jobs. Guess I¡¯ll just make it quick so I can join in on the fun." Skulls said as he shook his head and released a deep sigh. He was eager to fight against that deer creature, so he would end that summoner as quickly as possible. Reilei saw that she was beingpletely ignored by that group of yers and was brushed off as being an annoyance more than anything. They even casually talked about "taking care of her" as if she could not hear them! However, her biggest concern was Ayanelle whose state seemed to have worsened ever since that arrow pierced into it. Normally, a weak arrow like that would not affect a creature like Ayanelle, even if she was in a weakened state and approaching death. But, the arrow had struck directly against the wound on her neck that was being corroded by that dark and twisted energy. In truth, it was not the arrow itself that hurt, but rather the fact that the wound had been disturbed more than it already was. As the wound became increasingly irritated it caused Ayanelle, who was already experiencing an unbearable amount of pain, to cry out. Fortunately, Ayanelle was able to conjure up the strength to temporarily suppress the dark energy. But, in return, the spheres that had already been reduced to the size of marbles just moments ago, now resembled that of a grain of sand. Ayanelle lost her strength to stand as her legs gave out and she had no choice but to lie on the ground. The myriad of colors that were within her eyes were now down to only a handful. Reilei went silent as kneeled down and ever so gently ced the young deer that was inside of the sphere down next to Ayanelle. As a mother herself, Reilei could not help but feel saddened and heartbroken at the sight of Ayanelle fading away before her very own eyes as she was powerless to help her. All she could do is, at the very least, let her spend thest few moments in peace with her child. Ayanelle released a small noise as if it were trying to thank Reilei. There was a sad glimmer in the creature¡¯s eyes as its gaze turned to the young deer resting inside of the sphere. She carefully rubbed her snout against the sphere in a loving manner. Mew... Xiao Liang could sense the sudden change in Reilei¡¯s mood as it tried to cheer her up by brushing up against her. Reilei stood up straight as she held out the palm of her hand towards her shoulder. Xiao Liang jumped onto the palm of her hand as Reilei held it up to her face. "Xiao Liang, I want you to protect these two for me, okay?" Reilei said in a quiet tone of voice. Xiao Liang looked a little reluctant at first as it did not want to leave Reilei alone. However, in the end, it gave into Reilei¡¯s wishes. Mew..! Xiao Liang hopped down from Reilei¡¯s hands and stood guard in front of Ayanelle and the young deer. "Thank you." Reilei said as she turned to face the group of yers. At the moment, five of them were headed in her direction. Of course, four of them were going straight for the deer while the one named Skulls main target was Reilei. As for the sixth one that turned invisible... Woosh! All of a sudden, a dagger swung down without mercy towards Ayanelle who waspletely defenseless. It was aimed right at the wound on its neck. After all, it was such a ring weak spot that it was hard to ignore. "It¡¯s mine!" Invoke said as arge smile found its way onto his face. He had turned stealth to sneak up on the deer andunch a surprise attack! Originally, he nned on waiting until the others arrived before attacking, however, after seeing the deer copse he chose to take advantage of its state. But, he did not think that it would be so easy! It was practically handing its life to him! ... Meanwhile at the Amaharpe pce library... ¡¯Hm?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was on the second floor of the pce library. He had already finished reading all the books on the first floor and organizing his thoughts on them and since he was already here, he decided to spend a bit more time finishing up the books on the second floor. While there were thousands of books on the first floor, there were only a few hundreds of books on the second floor. However, the quality and information that the books on the second floor provided were far above that of what was on the first floor. Izroth had juste across an interesting book that discussed some of the strongest known creatures within the Mortal Realm. Of course, it caught his attention since it was bound to have information about dragons inside of it. But, there was another creature that caught his eye. ¡¯The Doe of Creations... Peaceful creatures whose strength are based on the number of spheres at the tip of their antlers. When born, the Doe of Creations relies heavily on its sole parent to survive until it receives its first creation. Be careful to not approach a Doe of Creation with its young as it is highly protective of it. This is understandable seeing as how a Doe of Creation can only give birth once in the long span of its natural lifetime, or so has been reported by multiple studies.¡¯ ¡¯The more creations, or energy spheres are they resemble in appearance, a Doe of Creations possesses, the more powerful the creature.¡¯ But, what really stood out and grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention was the next few lines of information. ¡¯A Doe of Five Creations is equal in strength to a newborn true dragon. A Doe of Six Creations can rival that of a young true dragon. A Doe of Seven Creations can go head to head with a fully matured true dragon. It is unknown how many creations a Doe of Creation can form within the full span of its lifetime, however, the highest that has ever been reported in the Mortal Realm is a Doe of Seven Creations. This is widely epted as the peak of this creature¡¯s strength.¡¯ Izroth quickly finished reading the book as he closed it and organized the new information in his mind. What he was most intrigued about was the spheres of creation that formed above the Doe of Creations antlers. Its description and simrities reminded him of the Egg of Chaos he came across back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. ¡¯It seems that there are quite a few creatures within the Mortal Realm who can rival a true dragon. A Doe of Creations, is it? I¡¯d like to meet one someday.¡¯ ... "It¡¯s mine!" Invoke attack carried on without the slightest bit of hesitation in his movements. However, just before his dagger pierced into Ayanelle¡¯s neck where the wound was located, he suddenly felt incredible light as if he were floating in the air. "Eh?" Invoke found that his feet had left the ground and the world turned upside down and started spinning rapidly. But, it was not the world that was moving. Without even realizing it, his body had been sent flying through the air and spun like a wheel in constant motion as hended t on his face more than ten meters away from his previous position! Right after Invoke crashed into the ground, his HP bar which was just at a full 350 points, had dropped all the way down to zero! Before he even realized what was going on, his body had already started to dissipate into countless particles before scattering through the atmosphere. Just like that, he had died! Everyone froze up as they witnessed what happened to Invoke. What was that? Some kind of special magic attack? They did not even see her cast anything! After that attack, Skulls had a serious look on his face along with the rest of his party. Maybe they had underestimated this summoner. She was obviously capable of using some high-speed instant cast spells that dealt a heavy amount of damage, otherwise, how could Invoke who possessed 350 HP be killed in one hit? They did not know how she came to acquire such a strong skill, however, they knew a skill like that must have a long cooldown and so they were not too afraid of it, just cautious. Reilei stood there with her summoner¡¯s orb in her hand. She felt a bit odd attacking another person, but she reminded herself that it was for a good cause. However, it did not stop her heartbeat from speeding up due to her current nervous yet excited state. She had fought plenty of monsters before but never another yer! But for some reason, it did not feel as bad as she thought it would. In fact, she felt that it was actually even more satisfying than fighting against monsters! After each level, Reilei would pour all three stat points into her attack stat. Since it seemed to boost the damage she did to monsters, she decided that to focus on that particr stat. In total, her attack was an unprecedented 250 pointsbined with the bonus stats she received during character creation thanks to the Eight Lunar Cycles physique she possessed unknowingly. Combined with the critical hit to Invoke¡¯s head, she managed to deal nearly 500 points of damage with one hit! Powerful skill? What powerful skill? If those five yers knew that all Reilei used was a simple basic attack with her summoner¡¯s orb and not a powerful skill as they believed, how would they react? After all, what kind of summoner poured all their stat points into their attack stat?! Chapter 279 Raw Physical Strength As Lost Dream and his party were in a momentary state of shock, Reilei stepped in front of Ayanelle and firmly stood her ground. As Reilei stood there, beneath theyer of nervousness and excitement, she surprisingly felt an extreme level of calmness and clear-headedness. A few moments ago when Invoke tried to attack Ayanelle, it was as though everything around her was moving in slow motion. It was simr to the time when Wendell almost attacked her. Even though she was unable to avoid it herself and it was stopped in time by Kong Dishi, she was still capable of following the attack with her eyes. Though it was very strange to her. Reilei felt that ever since the fire incident, oddly enough, she had found herself feeling different to say the least. At first, she thought that it was simply due to the fact that she no longer had to deal with the stress of holding down three jobs. It could also be not having to worry about paying back a mountain of debt. Maybe it was even taking in a new perspective on life after having survived a near-death experience, however, she was uncertain. But, even though Reilei was uncertain, she knew one thing without a shred of doubt in her mind. Whatever happened to her that day changed her in some way. It was only natural that one would notice the changes to their own body, especially when it was so many things in such a short period of time. It may have just been a mental thing, but it also felt physical. For example, when she looked in the mirror, she found that the slight marks from the stress she suffered that was on her skin before had vanished. Also, the burn wounds that were on a few parts of her body hadpletely healed without a single scar left behind! That was not all that changed. She looked younger and her skin had a certain natural glow to it. She was filled with an abundance of energy to the point she found it challenging to do simply rx. She felt more confident, her basic senses had improved, things that were previouslyplicated to her before had be easier to understand, and she felt that even her overall physical strength had increased. These things did not go unnoticed to her, however, she believed that it may have been something the doctors gave her while she was in the hospital. It could possibly be some unknown side effect to one of the drugs given to her, but since she did not feel ill nor was she suffering in any way, she decided to keep it to herself. After all, thest thing she wanted to do was worry her son over something so trivial. "If you want to hurt her, you¡¯ll have to go through me first." Reilei said with a rare tone of confidence and sternness present in her voice. If this was the real world, she may have been conflicted and even avoided a direct confrontation. However, once it dawned on her that she was aplete stranger to everyone in this world, it was as if a veil was cast over her previous doubts and nervousness. Reilei¡¯s heartbeat returned to a calm and steady pace and before she knew it, there was only a state of calmness that remained about her. But, what Reilei did not know was that these new feelings hade from not just the Eight Lunar Cycles physique, but mainly from the part of Izroth¡¯s soul that had infused itself with her own. Lost Dream¡¯s facial expression darkened as he pushed the creature to the back of his mind for the time being. Given the creature¡¯s current state, it was not a threat to them. The only thing that stood in their way at the moment was that solo summoner. Once they took care of her then they would be able to switch their focus onto the deer. He also decided to use Invoke¡¯s death to his advantage. "See? This is what happens when you try to y it cool and never follow any ns. Invoke brought destruction upon himself that could¡¯ve easily been avoided." Lost Dreams said. He was not a fan of Invoke to begin with and so he secretly wanted to thank Reilei. This would definitely make it easier for him to get rid of Invoke when the time came. After all, he despised wildcards. Of course, the others agreed with Lost Dreams point of view. If Invoke had not been so reckless, then there was no way he would have died so easily! They had all just hit level 10 and could now suffer the penalty for dying. Who wanted to lose hard-earned experience points and be unable to level up for a full hour? The answer was no one! "Don¡¯t give her another chance to cast anything! We¡¯ll all attack together!" Lost Dreams followed up. Now that everyone was on the same page, this should be a breeze! After all, everyone knew the biggest weakness that magic casters possessed was that they werepletely useless if not given time to cast spells. One would be a fool not to take advantage of such an obvious weakness. Skulls, along with the warrior member of their party North Tails, dashed towards Reilei. Their goal was to get into melee range as quickly as possible and make the battle a close-range one. However, the two of them used caution as they approached Reilei since they did not want to end up like Invoke. As for Lost Dreams, he maintained a safe distance of attack along with Shivva a female mage and Fireward the party¡¯s cleric given that their sses were all ranged. Lost Dreams was the first to strike as he quickly fired off two arrows in Reilei¡¯s direction. This was one of the ranger¡¯s beginner skills known as Dual Shot. While its power was not particrly impressive, the two arrows made it difficult for the target to avoid the attack. As the two arrows soared towards Reilei and the two yers charged in her direction, she did not panic or grow flustered. "I can see it, it¡¯s all so clear..." Reilei muttered to herself. In her eyes, the arrows and the yers might as well have been moving in slow motion! Woosh! Woosh! As the first arrow approached, Reilei turned her head sideways and caused it to just barely miss her head. As it passed by, she could even see the small details of the wooden material used to craft the body of the arrow. The second arrow trailed behind the first, however, it wasing in from a lower angle and was headed straight for her shoulder. She leaned slightly to the side as the second arrow flew right past her. It all happened in the blink of an eye, but she managed to easily evade both arrows! In her mind, Reilei pictured the five yers before her as the same boars and monsters she dealt with earlier today. Therefore, she chose to deal with them in a simr manner. After all, why fix something that was not broken? Lost Dreams was dumbfounded. How had he missed such an easy shot on a stationary target? But, he eventually brushed it off as sheer dumb luck on the sorcerer¡¯s part. However, the truth of the manner was that Reilei¡¯s movements were so minimal and quick that to him it looked as if he missed his shots by chance! Not too long after Lost Dreams¡¯ failed attack, Skulls arrived within attack range. Since he was faster than North Tails, he was the first to reach Reilei. When he saw that Reilei did not attempt to run away, he thought that she might be up to something and so the first skill he used was a crowd control skill called Daze. The damage on Daze wasughable at best, however, it could stun a target for 1.5 seconds! After she was stunned, it would only take a moment between the five of them to deal the finishing blow. "Die!" Skulls yelled as a yellow glow appeared around his fist. Heunched a swift uppercut towards Reilei¡¯s chin, but before his fist even reached the halfway mark, he felt an overwhelming force crash into his face. This caused his legs to give out and buckle under the pressure as his entire body fell back and mmed into the ground. Skulls¡¯ mind wentpletely nk. "What just happened?", "What did I get hit by?" those were some of the few thoughts that ran through his head. However, as he lied on the ground t on his back dissipating into countless particles just as Invoke had done a few moments ago, he saw a slight shine where his head had just been. Right where his head had been was a shiny orb no bigger than the palm of one¡¯s hand. Holding that orb was a group of slender and delicate fingers. It was a summoner¡¯s orb! He had just been physically struck with a summoner¡¯s orb! But, how was it possible for him to die in one hit? Even if a summoner poured all their points into physical strength, it would not be enough to one-shot him even with a critical hit! What was going on? However, before any of his questions could be answered, he had dissipated and followed in Invoke¡¯s footsteps. The original party of six were now a party of four. "Skulls!" North Tails sped up as he furiously smashed forward with his shield. He wanted to run through Reilei with brute force! Bang! Bang! North Tails who had invested all his stat points into his HP, attack, and defense stat was incrediblycking when it came to agility. Before his shield could make contact with Reilei, her summoner¡¯s orb had already smashed into his head twice. There was nothing he could do to avoid it! He was gifted with a swift death. Lost Dreams, Shivva, and Fireward were stunned. That was because this time, they could clearly see that the summoner before them was not using any skills or powerful spells. No, it was something even more terrifying to imagine. "What kind of summoner has such a high attack stat?" Lost Dreams said in a tone filled with disbelief. He had just clearly witnessed two yers, one of which was a tank, fall to the physical attacks of a summoner ss! He was not the only one left in a state of disbelief, Shivva and Fireward were also equally stunned. However, the most stunned out of everyone present was surprisingly Reilei herself! But, if the three of them knew why she was shocked they would cough up blood from being infuriated. Reilei had a small frown on her face as she was confused as to why two of them went down after a single hit and yet thest yer took two full hits. If the others knew what she was thinking, they would be outraged! What kind of summoner expects to take down a tank with physical attacks in the first ce?! What yer in their right mind thinks that it¡¯s normal to take out yers in one or two shots?! Mew! Mew! Xiao Liang cheered Reilei on in the background as it hopped up and down in a happy manner. When Lost Dreams saw Xiao Liang jumping around near the defenseless deer, it suddenly gave him a great idea! "Shivva, target the deer! She can¡¯t attack us and protect it at the same time!" Lost Dreamsmanded. He notched an arrow as changed his primary target from Reilei to Ayanelle. Shivva was a bit reluctant at first since it seemed like an underhanded method, however, desperate times called for desperate measures! Shivva began to cast Fireball with her choice of target apparent. Reilei¡¯s eyes widened after she heard Lost Dreams. He wanted to use such despicable means just to aplish his goal? How could anyone be so cruel? Reilei looked back and saw Ayanelle¡¯s life already fading away as she held on to every precious second. It was as if the young deer was the only thing tying her down to this world and the main reason she was reluctant to leave it. That was when Reilei made a choice. She knew that the moment she left its side, they would attack it without mercy. Even if she did make it to them after it happened, it would be toote. She wanted to give Ayanelle as much time as possible since there was so little of it remaining. Therefore, she positioned herself perfectly in between Lost Dreams¡¯ party and Ayanelle. If she had to suffer a bit, then so be it! She felt thatpared to her life, this small level of difficulty was nothing! Swoosh! Woosh! Mew! Xiao Liang cried out as if trying to warn Reilei of the impending danger, however, she remained motionless. A Fireball along with an arrow that had a strange spiral to it shot towards Ayanelle, or rather Reilei, who was defending Ayanelle using her own body. Reilei closed her eyes as the attacks traveled through the air on a direct collision course with her. Chapter 280 Farewell As Reilei awaited the inevitable, she soon found that nothing was happening. Could it be that she had already been killed by the attacks? However, as Reilei slowly opened her eyes, she discovered that she waspletely unharmed! She quickly looked towards Ayanelle¡¯s direction fearing that the attacks missed her and struck its intended target, however, that was not the case. But, if the attacks did not hit her or Ayanelle, then where did they go? This was the question on Reilei¡¯s mind. Of course, she had no problem with the attacks seemingly disappearing into thin air. She had just avoided a potential disaster! Reilei was not the only one confused. Lost Dreams, Shivva, and Fireward were all baffled. One moment their attacks were there and the next they were gone! Just what was going on? It seemed as if ever since they ran into this summoner weird events that simply did not make sense to them started to take ce one after the other. "Hey, I don¡¯t like this one bit. Maybe we should just cut our losses and get out of here." Fireward said with furrowed brows. The unknown variables just kept stacking up higher as the seconds ticked by and he no longer felt that it was worth the trouble. Besides, there was not even an absolute guarantee that they would receive a rare item from that deer! "I agree. When you think about it, why would any rare monster even bother lurking around the beginner area? Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for it to be somewhere closer to the main city if anything?" Shivva stated. She had her doubts about this whole thing from the start, but she kept quiet since everyone else was on board with it. But now, there were only three of them that remained and since Fireward had changed his mind, there was no longer any reason for her to hold her tongue. Lost Dreams was boiling with rage on the inside. That¡¯s it? They wanted to just give up and quit after three of their party members had been killed right before their very own eyes? Trash! Useless cowards and spineless trash! Although he was infuriated on the inside, Lost Dreams did not let it show on his face. He needed the two of them as he was not confident in being able to finish off that deer alone. He had to find a way to convince them to stay! Then, after they received the rare item, he would kill them both off and head to the main city alone to find a new party! With a rare item on his side, what party would not wee him with open arms? Heck, he may even be able to form a small guild! "Let¡¯s not be hasty! We¡¯re so close to our goal and you two want to give up when it¡¯s right before us? Could you live with the thought that you threw away a major opportunity just because you were a little scared?! If you two want to leave, then fine go away for all I care! But when I get my hands on that rare item and sell it for a fortune, don¡¯te crying to me for a piece of it!" Lost Dreams said. This caused Shivva and Fireward to hesitate. But, in the end, the two of them shook their head and walked away leaving Lost Dreams by alone. At the end of the day, they had all met today and had not formed any kind of close rtionship or tight bonds. They had no obligation to die for Lost Dreams! Besides, the two of them were no fools. Lost Dreams use of maniptive words did not go over their heads. They chose to turn a blind eye to it due to the convenience of having a full party, but it had now gotten to a point where they wanted nothing to do with him! Lost Dreams was speechless. His n had backfired! He did not think that the two of them would really leave! However, was he supposed to sit there and beg for them to stay? He would never allow himself to be put through a public disy of humiliation! "Fine! I¡¯ll take care of this myself! Useless trash! Cowards! Spineless ingrates!" Lost Dreams spewed a stream of insults at his two ex-party members. "He¡¯s insane..." Shivva muttered to Fireward. "Just ignore him. Do you want to wait for North Tails? We could use a tank." Fireward said. A few momentster, Shivva and Fireward had disappeared into the forest and was nowhere to be seen! They had really left Lost Dreams by himself! Reilei had no idea what was going on or what the source of the falling out between them was, but this was definitely not a bad thing for her! Even though she was unclear on how the attacks vanished, now that there was only one them remaining, she felt that this fight could finally end. Xiao Liang, who stood in front of the deer let out a small burp that was barely audible. However, one could see a small puff of ck smoke leave its mouth and at the same time it coughed up two arrowheads. It was the same arrowheads from the shot that Lost Dreams had fired off just moments ago! One of the scales of Xiao Liang¡¯s back had turned red-orangish in color and stood out from the rest of its scales. ... A few moments ago... As the ming ball of fire soared through the air along with two arrows that apanied it, Reilei had her eyes tightly shut as she readied herself for the attack. However, before the attack came anywhere near here, a purplish-blue streak light shot across the air and appeared in front of the attacks. This purplish-blue streak was none other than Xiao Liang! Xiao Liang breathed in causing a powerful suction force to be formed near its mouth. In an instant, the course of the two attacks was altered and flew right towards its tiny mouth. It was as if the mana and arrows were breaking down to their most basic states before being drawn into the tiny cyclone. Xiao Liang had devoured the iing attacks as if it were a feast! The next moment, Xiao Liang had already returned to its position next to the deer. To everyone viewing from the outside, it looked as if the attacks had just vanished into thin air! ... Lost Dreams¡¯ cursed under his breath as he stared coldly at Reilei. It was all her fault! Of course, Lost Dreams would not me himself for the current events. He needed an outlet for his pent up anger and since Reilei was the closest the task would naturally fall to her. "Your friends have walked away. You should join them and leave this poor creature in peace. Can¡¯t you see that it means us no harm?" Reilei said as she tried to reason with Lost Dreams. In the end, even though she was upset, she had not forgotten that the yer before her was no older than her own son. She knew how headstrong one could potentially be around that age. However, as Reilei spoke, Lost Dreams¡¯ mood became even worse. To him, it felt as though he was being talked down on like he was some nobody! But what really angered him was Reilei¡¯s attitude towards the deer. "So what if it means us no harm? Are you stupid or something? If it¡¯s a monster, you kill it and gain benefits! That¡¯s the way games work! Don¡¯t you see that you¡¯re missing a huge chance here?! Are are you really so naive and gullible that you think you¡¯re doing the right thing? None of this is real! What does it matter if one monster dies for my benefit?! For my livelihood?!" Lost Dreams shouted. Reilei remained silent at first, however, a serious look appeared on her face. "It¡¯s true, this is a game. It¡¯s also true that I¡¯m still clueless and naive when ites to ying it. But, even if this world isn¡¯t real to you or me, it¡¯s real to Ayanelle. It¡¯s real to the people and creatures of this world. I choose to respect and embrace this. If that makes me naive or gullible, then I¡¯ll dly ept both of those titles!" Reilei said without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice. Ayanelle¡¯s eyes looked in Reilei¡¯s direction. There was a certain look of rity in its eyes as if it had made a decision. Ayanelle closed her eyes as the nine spheres at the tip of her antlers that were now around the size of grains of sand, fused together and shot towards the summoner¡¯s orb within Reilei¡¯s hand. Crrrrck...! Reilei was startled by the sound of something shattering as she looked down and saw that the orb in her hands was nowyered with numerous cracks. Lost Dreams saw that Reilei was briefly distracted and immediately fired off a volley of arrows! "You respect it? What does that have to do with anything?! You can just die along with that deer!" Lost Dreams said with arge grin on his face. "This is..." Reilei¡¯s eyes turnedpletely white as she felt herself being pulled into a strange phenomenon. "Where am I?" Reilei questioned. She did not feel anything beneath her feet and so when she looked down she immediately panicked! This was due to the fact that she was floating in midair! How did she get here? What was this ce? After her initial panic, Reilei looked down once again and saw a beautiful world full of nature. There were thousands or maybe even millions of species of flowers and nts. Various animals and creatures roamed the world and trees that stretched up to the firmament existed in certain parts of the world. It was a beautiful sight and waspletely untouched by any outside influences. "How pretty..." Reilei could not help but mutter to herself. However, the next moment, the world flickered between beautiful scenery and one of pure destruction. Soon enough, it stopped when the flowers wilted and died, the trees and water in the world turnedpletely dark, and all life on the world hade to an end; all except two. Bang! Boom! Out of nowhere, two beings were fighting at the edge of the firmament. One was a deer with nine spheres at the tip of its antlers and the other was a being of pure darkness. As Reilei took a closer look, she noticed that deer looked familiar. It resembled Ayanelle, however, the deer before here was full of energy and life. Also, the nine spheres on at the tip of its antlers were at least five times bigger than the spheres Ayanelle possessed. The two creatures shed fiercely with one another, however, the being of pure darkness was ruthless in its attacks. A few momentster, it managed to find an opening as its ws viciously ripped through the neck of the deer. The deer cried out in pain as it fell down from the firmament. Just before it hit the ground, a portal opened up and it disappeared. Reilei was terrified! That being of pure darkness released a monstrous killing intent and putrid energy could be felt lingering in the atmosphere. The being of darkness looked over in Reilei¡¯s direction which caused her heart to drop and nearly leaped out of her chest. Those cold and bone piercing blood-red eyes were filled with unfiltered hatred. However, just as she experienced that extreme level of fear, she had found herself back in the forest where she had just been. Ding! The arrows that fell towards her and Ayanelle were deflected by a transparent barrier. "What was that?" Reilei felt that she was drenched in sweat. The experience of being face to face with that creature was just that terrifying! Mew! Xiao Liang¡¯s call snapped Reilei out of it as she realized that she had left her mind wander off at a dangerous time. Reilei set her sights on Lost Dreams who had not given up. She could see that talking to him any further would lead to nothing. Therefore, there was only one choice. Though, unknown to Reilei, she had received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?Friend of Nature?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive ?Blessing of the Doe of Creations?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the skill ?Soul Contract?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the item ?Orb of Creations?!¡µ ¡´System Alert:... Lost Dreams notched his arrow and prepared to fire off another shot. But, just as he got ready to shoot, he witnessed something unbelievable. That summoner who was supposed to be a magic caster was moving towards him at an incredibly fast speed! What kind of speed was that for a summoner?! Lost Dreams panicked and missed his shot! He quickly tried to set up for a second attack, however, before he could do so, a spherical object appeared before his face. Bang! Reilei¡¯s summoner¡¯s orb crashed into Lost Dreams¡¯ face and sent him doing somersaults backward. His body dissipated into countless particles as his face was buried into the ground. If he knew the summoner ss was so powerful, he would have chosen it instead of ranger! A few momentster, his bodypletely vanished. Now, there was just Reilei, Xiao Liang, Ayanelle, and the young deer. Mew! Mew! Xiao Liang called out to Reilei. When Reilei looked back, she saw that the color in Ayanelle¡¯s eyes hadpletely vanished and not even a speck of energy could be seen at the tip of its antlers. Her eyes widened as she knew what was happening. She rushed over to the Ayanelle¡¯s side and saw that her breathing had be faint. Reilei knelt down as she ced the palm of her hand onto Ayanelle¡¯s cheek. There was a saddened look in her eyes. It was frustrating to be unable to do anything to help her! The only thing she could do was, at the very least, stay with her in her final moments. "You don¡¯t have to worry about your child. I promise that I will take good care of them in your ce. So, don¡¯t worry. You can rest. You deserve to rest." Reilei spoke in a quiet tone of voice. Ayanelle took onest look at Reilei and then one final look at the peaceful and resting young deer next to her. There was a look of relief in her eyes as they slowly began to close. The life could be seen slipping away from Ayanelle as her eyes fell shut. There was an eerie silence that followed as her body emitted a glowing white light before shattering into countless particles that drifted into the faraway sky. Ayanelle had departed from this world. After a few moments of remaining motionless, Reilei carefully took the young deer into her hands. Xiao Liang jumped up onto her shoulder and rubbed its tiny head against her. Mew... "Thank you, Xiao Liang." Reilei said in a soft tone of voice as she looked into the sky as thest bit of particles disappeared from sight. She still did not know why Ayanelle chose to trust her. It could have been out of pure desperation, but she intended to keep her promise. "Farewell, Ayanelle." Reilei said as she looked into the sky at thest bit of particles disappeared from sight. A few tears could be seen falling down her cheeks as she watched the entire process from start to finish. Now, there was nothing but the natural silence of the forest that remained. ... Around one hourter in the Amaharpe pce library... Izroth closed the book within his hands as he shut his eyes to organize the information in his head. A few secondster, he opened his eyes as a new look of rity could be seen within them. ¡¯That was thest one.¡¯ Izroth had just finished reading all the books on the second floor of the Amaharpe pce library. When he finished thest book, his knowledge level had jumped from 15.21 all the way to 47.65! ¡¯Though, there¡¯s still one more book I have left to read.¡¯ Izroth removed a thin book from his inventory. It was the Power of Source book that he received from Orion! Of course, he decided to save the best forst. As soon as he opened the book, there was only one line on the first page. However, even though it was only a single line, it contained the very definition of a Source. The first line read, "A unique form of energy whose origins predates time itself. This is Source." ¡¯An energy that predates time itself? Interesting...¡¯ Chapter 281 Power of Source Given that the book was less than twenty pages in total, it only took Izroth a brief moment to finish reading it. However, the book that seemed to contain the least amount of information within it actually took him the longest amount of time to properly organize his thoughts. Of course, he had no problem when it came toprehending the content itself, but there were still a few parts that he remained uncertain about. This was due to the fact that there were some words and symbols that he had not yete across before and there was also ack of context surrounding it. Despite that minor setback, Izroth believed that this book was more than worth the same price as his Sword of the Storm. To be honest, this single thin book was a priceless treasurepared to his sword. The reason was that it could be shared freely with others! Not only that, but the benefits Izroth gained after reading it were not small. He discovered some interesting things when it came to defining a Source. For example, he found that no two Sources are ever the same. In other words, even if two Sources start out identical in every way, in the end, they will both eventually evolve and form into something unique to its host over time. There was only one known exception to this rule. Those born with a pure true dragon bloodline all possessed what was known as a Twin Source. The secret behind the unnatural strength of a true dragon from the moment of their birth until adulthood was that every true dragon was born with a Twin Source. A Twin Source meant that two different Sources were being contained within a single host. One of the true dragons Sources were the exact same and was the main core of their strength. The other was a just like any other Source, unique to its own host. ¡¯ording to what I¡¯ve read about true dragons, they are not the most sociable race, especially when ites to dealing with mortals. One has to wonder how such a secret of their strength fell into the hands of mortals.¡¯ It may have taken hundreds, or even thousands of years to discover that information about the true dragons! The other thing that grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention was how each source would evolve into something unique depending on its host. At the moment, the main difference between his Source and that of the others who possessed the Soul Essence trait was the quantity of Essence and trait level. However, he was the only member to acquire Soul Pressure. While it could simply be because of the level difference, Izroth believed that because of his original soul strength, it was a skill unique to him. He had not forgotten about the special note listed under the trait. The soul has no limits! One of the things that had bothered Izroth for quite some time now is that his Essence had stopped growing and his trait level was stuck at 16.0. However, it clearly stated on the trait that when the user reaches a trait level of 20, they will unlock an additional effect. At first, his Essence would go up by itself as he leveled up. But, it halted its progress out of nowhere. Izroth had no idea how to advance his Essence any further, at least until now. ording to the Power of Source, there were two known and practiced methods to increases one¡¯s own Source strength. The first method was to learn something called a Source Chant. A Source Chant was simr to a Soul Cultivation technique from the Seven Realms, but there was one major difference between the two. While it was possible for one to cultivate a powerful Soul Cultivation technique even with a weak physical body, the same could not be said for a Source Chant. If onecked the proper Willpower or overall strength, then instead of helping to progress their Source, it could backfire and end up destroying it! Therefore, one had to be extremely careful in what Source Chant they chose to use depending on the current strength of their Source. ¡¯There are still a few uncertainties about trying to implement a Soul Cultivation technique in ce of a Source Chant. I¡¯ll have to wait until I obtain more information before giving it a try. If the two turn out to bepatible, then I will not have to go through the trouble of searching for multiple Source Chants.¡¯ The Source Chant was a popr method, however, the most useful and clearcut method was the second one. If one obtained a treasure birthed and formed from the world itself, then one could use the natural energy contained within that to increase the power of their Source. This was one of the main reasons the leader of the League of the Eidolon was willingly to chase Gear so close to Zhi¡¯s territory. The amount of energy contained within a single page of the Book of Beginnings was something that would have risen her Source up to a whole new level! Unfortunately, while the second method was the most rewarding, it was also the most difficult to pull off. After all, how challenging was it to find a treasure birthed and formed from the world? Therefore, the mostmon method to training one¡¯s Source was still the use of a Source Chant. Although there were only two official methods listed, there was a third method that the vast majority remained skeptical about. It has never been proven or studied in-depth, therefore, it remained a shaky topic. Nevertheless, a small sidenote was written inside the book about the third method. There are only around 1 in 1 million people born with something known as Perfect Source Compatibility. Those fortunate enough to be born with Perfect Source Compatibility would have their Source grow naturally over time as they be stronger. There was no clear pattern to this method which was the main reason that many remained skeptical about it. Izroth took a few moments to ponder everything. Surprisingly, his knowledge level had increased by 25.0! That almost equal to the knowledge level he gained from the information of every book on the second floorbined! The Power of Source contained a simple and basic Source Chant which Izroth decided to use. The Source Chant was just as its name sounded, a chant. However, thenguage was nothing Izroth had seen before today. Luckily, the chant had been tranted to one of themonnguages underneath the original text. Izroth spent around one hour using the Source Chant. However, he could not help but be disappointed with the end results. ¡¯Even a full hour brings about such little progress. It seems this basic Source Chant is...¡¯ In total, Izroth¡¯s trait level for his Soul Essence had jumped from 16.0 to just 16.40! In other words, he had only gained 0.40 trait level in one hour! Although he was disappointed with the results, if Orion was there at the moment he would probably strangle Izroth for his own ignorance. To increase his Source at such a monstrous speed using only a basic Source Chant, how could he possibly be disappointed with the results?! Just what did he think a Source was?! Izroth returned the Power of Source book to his inventory and used Flickering Steps to swiftly ce the library books back into their proper positions on the bookshelves. Even though he was unable to find any definitive clues with regards to the second part of his world quest, he did manage to acquire a few hints and leads that held a great deal of potential. After he finished returning the second floor to its original state, he left the Amaharpe pce library since he did not have ess to the third floor. Now that he acquired a new wave of knowledge, there were a few things he wanted to test and so he decided to leave the capital city Amaharpe and head out to explore. ¡¯There¡¯s an interesting little ce not too far from the zing Tempris Domain. I¡¯ll pay a small visit to that ce first.¡¯ ... The next day as evening approached... Izroth had just logged back into RML after receiving a text message from Halls. Unfortunately, he had to cancel at thest moment to take care of his younger siblings who had fallen ill. Although it was nothing too serious, he did not want to be a full hour away if anything happened which was understandable. Of course, Izroth and Guan Yu understood this and decided to hold off on the celebration gathering. After all, since it was partially Halls¡¯ idea, it would not be right of them to celebrate without him being there. Therefore, Izroth who had logged out just moments ago had logged in once again. The moment he logged in, he received a message from Mirage, the yer he first met back at the zing Tempris Domain. ¡´System Alert: yer Mirage has sent you a message, "Didn¡¯t you just say you have somewhere to be? You aren¡¯t trying to purposely avoid me, are you? Don¡¯t tell me you got stood up on your date? Does this mean you¡¯re free right now?"¡µ ¡¯When did I mention anything about a date? A wild imagination indeed.¡¯ Izroth could only helplessly shake his head after he read Mirage¡¯s message. Just before he logged off, Mirage invited him to go on a quest with her and a few other friends. Of course, he mentioned that Present Order and Sinking Clouds would not be there since she knew that it would only lead to trouble. However, Izroth told her that he already had ns. So when he logged back on less than fifteen minutester after saying he already had ns, he could see how that may seem a bit odd. However, without going into too many details with her, Izroth responded to her message to say that his ns had been canceled. In return, Mirage spammed him with some coordinates until the system temporarily timed out her messages. Given her level of persistence, as well as the fact that he currently had no ns, Izroth decided to ept Mirage¡¯s invitation. After all, he may have been used to receiving quests that were S-ranked or higher, but he did not forget the value of an A-ranked quest. Even if it would not give him anything close to an epic piece of equipment, the reward itself would still be useful. Nearly one hourter, Izroth arrived at a small remote vige that was located not too far away from the border that divided the Amaharpe-Proximus kingdoms. Since he was traveling by himself, Izroth could use his full speed for the entire journey. Therefore, a journey that would have taken him around 3-4 hours with a normal party only took him close to one hour! Even though the small vige was remote, there were still a decent amount of yers and NPCs traveling through it. Unfortunately, Izroth¡¯s Realm Chart did not include this small vige on it. In fact, this entire area was still nk and the only thing that was clearly shown was the borders between the two kingdoms. But, when he entered the vige and arrived at the coordinates Mirage gave him, he found that it was called Terisyllis Vige. The reason behind its name was that the vige grew a beautiful nt known as the Terisyllis Flower While it was not necessarily rare, those flowers would bloom en masse every year on the same day. There were even people who traveled from far away every year just to few such a spectacle. It took Izroth a few moments before he reached the meeting location of the local vige inn. Though, to call such a tiny building with only five rooms an inn was a bit of a stretch. When Izroth entered the lobby of the inn, he immediately spotted Mirage sat down at a table with two other yers. To his surprise, Izroth actually recognized one of those two yers. This caused him to furrow his brows. ¡¯What are they doing here?¡¯ Chapter 282 Vice-Leader of Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan Mirage was with two other yers at her table. One of them was someone Izroth personally recognized, however, that person did not have their original appearance. Instead, that person took on the appearance of a woman in her early to mid-twenties, however, her facial features were well hidden. But, even with her facial features hidden, Izroth immediately recognized that woman was none other than Ying Yue. She was using the same item to change her appearance which was a trinket she obtained called Alter. The other yer was a male magic caster. From his bizarre robes alone he seemed to be an off-branch of the shaman starter ss. There were small totems norger than a fist that was attached to a bundle of chains at his side. This was the main sign of one who had chosen the shaman ss. As Izroth approached the table, Mirage, Ying Yue, and the male shaman all turned their attention towards his direction. The lobby of the inn was small, making it difficult for others not to notice anyone approaching them. Also, it was not as if Izroth was trying to intentionally hide his presence. Mirage had a dumbfounded look on her face as she saw Izroth and thought that her mind was ying tricks on her. As for Ying Yue, she was shocked for a brief moment, however, she quickly regained her calm demeanor. "You- Didn¡¯t you say that you were near the capital city? How did you get here so fast?" Mirage said in a slightly confused tone of voice. Her shock was understandable seeing as it took them around 3-4 hours just to arrive at this ce from the capital city. However, it had not even been two hours since she messaged him the coordinates! "I flew for a bit." Izroth answered as he swept his gaze across the three at the table. His gaze stopped at Ying Yue who currently had her eyes closed as if she were trying to avoid direct eye contact. Although he did not know why Ying Yue was behaving in such a strange manner, if she wanted to pretend as if they had not met before today then he had no problem doing so as well. Mirage shook her head and responded, "Alright, I can see that you don¡¯t want to tell me. Anyway, you¡¯vee at a good time. The people from the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan should be here soon." Izroth gave a small carefree smile. He really did fly over a few obstacles that would have otherwise taken up more of his time to reach this destination using the Skystep Boots. Of course, a yer with the ability to fly was something others would not believe until they saw it with their own eyes. After settling down and taking a seat at the table Izroth said, "Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan? I¡¯ve never heard of them." "That¡¯s only natural seeing as how they are based within the Proximus kingdom borders. It would be odd if you did know of them." The male shaman stated. "Oh? I see. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met." Izroth said as he turned his attention towards the male shaman. "Ah, right! How rude of me. Everyone, this is Izroth, the yer I was telling you about earlier. Izroth, this is Ying Yue and Midnight. I met them while exploring Amaharpe and we just so happened to get along well during ourst run-ins." Mirage said as she introduced everyone to one another. ¡¯It seems that she gets around.¡¯ Izroth knew from theirst journey together that Mirage was a restless individual when it came to exploration. She was easy to get along with and quite the skilled fighter. Therefore, anyone would be more than happy to have her along in their party. "Now that the introductions are out the way..." Mirage opened her system interface and a few momentster, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: yer Mirage is attempting to share the quest ?Guardians of the Caravan? with you. Do you wish to ept?¡µ Izroth epted the quest without hesitation as his quest logs opened up for him to view the information about the quest. Quest Name: Guardians of the Caravan Rmended Level: 40 Rmended Party Size: 5 Quest Rank: A Quest Objective: The Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan is heading back into Proximus territory. However, there is currently a level of high tension and unease within Proximus and the borders have be infested with thieves, bandits, and wanted factions. You are to sessfully escort the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan back to their destination inside of the Proximus kingdom. This quest will be considered as having failed if the leader of the caravan dies, a total of ten of its members are killed, or five wagons are destroyed/stolen. The more members and wagons that survive, the greater the rewards for the quest. Time Limit: 5 hours(Timer does not start until you enter into Proximus territory.) Current Death Count: 0 Destroyed/Stolen Wagons: 0 0/1 Escort the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan safely to their destination. Reward: -x1 Rare item treasure chest -12 to 24 gold coins -281,525 to 563,050 EXP -??? Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. ¡¯It looks like there¡¯s some extra incentive for keeping everyone within the caravan alive.¡¯ Izroth quickly looked over the quest information. He noticed that while the rewards could notpare to that of an SSS-ranked or even an S-ranked quest, the benefits were well worth the trip. After all, even though more yers had ess to rare items as the days passed within RML, they were still quite rare, especially those at a higher level. Not to mention the fact that there was an unknown reward listed at the bottom which was usually a good sign. However, seeing a quest that did not have extreme consequences for failure, such as the destruction of a capital city or a loss of levels, was a breath of fresh air for Izroth. But, it still felt a bit strange to see not that part listed on the quest. After discussing a few more details regarding the quest, everyone simply sat and had an idle chat as they waited to be contacted by the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. Though to say that everyone chatted with one another was a bit of an overstatement. In fact, it was Mirage who did most of the talking while everyone listened. Since none of them really knew each other that well, Mirage took it upon herself to try and break the ice between everyone. But, even though Izroth and Midnight did not mind talking, Ying Yue was a different story. She sat there and only gave a small nod or head shake when asked a question. Mirage eventually gave up on the idea of trying to drag her into the conversation. The odd part was that she was fine with speaking up until a few moments ago, even if it was only a couple of words here and there. Around fifteen minutester, a middle-aged man entered into the inn¡¯s lobby. He had short ck hair, blue eyes, and a healthy, as well as, sturdy look about him. He wore an expensive-looking robe with the symbol of a silver hawk holding onto a mountain with its talons. He looked over the lobby of the inn for a moment before his eyes eventuallynded on Izroth¡¯s table as he approached them. "I was starting to think that you stood us up." Mirage said as she looked over in Izroth¡¯s direction with a smirk on her face. Izroth understood what Mirage was getting at as he inwardly shook his head. A wild imagination indeed! "I like to keep the appointments I make, it¡¯s one of the cornerstones of a good businessman." The man responded. He then properly faced the group and said, "Young friends, I am d to see that you are all well. I see we even have a couple of unfamiliar faces. Allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the vice-leaders of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, Robinarzin. But you, my young friends, may call me Robin. I am the one currently overseeing this venture of ours." The man said with a weing and warm smile on his face. However, as Robin looked at the group, one could see a slight look of worry hidden away within his eyes. Mirage realized this and asked, "Is something wrong?" Robin released a small sigh and spoke with a weary look on his face as he replied, "To be quite honest, I was hoping that a few more people would be apanying you. Though I suppose we should be thankful since not many capable adventurers are willing toe out this far." "We¡¯re strong, you know? You can count each of us as fifty or one hundred adventurersbined." Mirage said in a half-joking manner. Of course, she was being serious about the being strong part, however, the counting each of them as fifty or one hundred was obviously overexaggerated. "Ah, you must forgive me if I¡¯vee off as being rude. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m doubting your strength, it¡¯s just that we can use all the help we can get given the dangers located at the outer regions of Proximus. We¡¯ve already had to change our travel ns five times and we simply can¡¯t afford to keep doing so or our customers will end up abandoning us. Therefore, I¡¯ll be counting on all of you." Robin said. After talking for a few minutes, Robin started to lead Izroth and the others towards the temporary campsite that the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan set up outside of the vige. On their way there, Robin answered any questions they had for him with ease and in an eloquent manner. One could tell that he had a good amount of experience when it came to dealing with people. "How many people will be guarding?" Izroth asked. "This maye off as being a bit heartless, however, your main focus should be on guarding the wagons of our caravan." Robin responded. Mirage frowned and said, "Isn¡¯t that a bit cruel?" Robin, however, shook his head and replied, "The members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, including myself, have taken an oath to our customers that no matter what cost, we will always deliver a quality product without fail." He then continued, "If that means that a few of us has to die in the process, then we are willing to make that sacrifice. Of course, I would rather no one die. After all, the members of this caravan are like family to me. However, I will not betray their trust or the trust of the customers to satisfy my own selfish desires." "That¡¯s... A little extreme..." Mirage muttered to herself. Izroth did not necessarily agree with Robin¡¯s outlook, however, he respected it nheless. Not many people were willing to throw down their lives for something that they wanted to protect. But, of course, he had no intentions of letting anyone die on his watch. After all, they would fail the quest if they let ten or more members die. "Though to answer your question, there will be a total of fifty members, including myself. Since we traded quantity for speed due to the circumstances in the outer areas of Proximus, our group will only be transporting twenty-five wagons of goods." Robin said. "I¡¯ll be blunt, fifty people and twenty-five wagons is a lot to cover for only four people." Midnightmented. Izroth was about to bring this up as well. Even with his agility, it would be impossible for him to constantly protect such arge span of wagons alone, let alone guarantee that no one would die or no wagon would be stolen. Unless he could constantly keep his Flickering Steps off cooldown, which was not possible, there was no way that the four of them alone could guard that caravan. "I¡¯ve sent two others to the nearest vige a few days ago to try and recruit a few more adventurers, however, there¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯ll be sessful. But, we¡¯ll find our answer soon enough. Though our ns will not change even if they don¡¯t bring back any extra help. We have put this journey off long enough." Robin spoke with a somber look in his eyes. A few momentster, Izroth and the others reached the outside area of the vige that was located less than one hundred meters away from the Amaharpe-Proximus border They had arrived at the temporary campsite of Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. Chapter 283 Izroths Suspicions What greeted them when they arrived at the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan campsite was a fast pace and bustling environment. Everyone was on a constant move to get things done and there was not a single inactive personzing around idly. "Hey! Where did you guys ce that shipment of Light Spring Stalks that we gotst week?" "Get out of the way! We have to be out of here within the next hour! If you¡¯re not counting the inventory in this area then don¡¯t get in our way while we¡¯re moving stuff here!" "Organize the wagons so we can take onest inventory just before we depart!" There were tents, wagons, andrge varieties of merchandise that wereid out on some kind ofrge cloths. If one looked closely, they would notice that the items were actually levitating just above the cloths. At the edges of the cloths were a group of people with a strange device in their hands that had various magic symbols floating around it. It was definitely a magic item of sorts. "Wee to the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. As you can see, it¡¯s a bit hectic given our strict time schedule. You¡¯ll have to excuse me while I make sure everything is in order, however, do feel free to take a look around. Though I must ask that you not touch any of the merchandise. I will send someone to find you before we¡¯re ready to depart. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, my young friends." Robin said in a polite manner as he bid them farewell. Mirage turned to everyone and said, "Well, you heard him. I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m going to go have a look around." She left without further dy to explore the campsite. Midnight released a small sigh and he watched Mirage wander off. He did not see how it was possible for one person to constantly have so much energy. He walked over to one of the nearby trees and leaned up against it as he chose to stay to himself. While he did not mind socializing in small groups, he was not the kind of person to mingle about freely with arge group of strangers. As for Ying Yue, she maintained a good distance from the campsite and quietly kept to herself. ¡¯Since we have some spare time, I suppose I¡¯ll have a look as well.¡¯ Izroth walked over towards the core area of the campsite. The first thing that caught his eye was the vast amount of rare reagents and various other crafting materials that were neatly spread out over one of therge cloths. After having read the books on the first and second floors of the Amaharpe pce library, Izroth could immediately tell what the majority of the items were with just a single nce. Although there were a few that escaped him, he was still able to read the basic information that popped up about the item through the system. ¡¯There must be at least tens of thousands of gold coins worth of ingredients on this cloth alone.¡¯ After viewing that one area, Izroth wandered around the campsite to visit other cloths and noticed a familiar pattern emerging. Every single cloth had valuable items that easily came out to tens of thousands of gold coins! In total, there had to be at least nearly one million gold coins worth of products that were being transported on the twenty-five wagons they were going to be guarding! That was a little more than 700,000,000 RMB with the current exchange rate! However, this caused Izroth to inwardly frown. He felt that something was off about this entire arrangement. If this group had nearly one million gold coins worth of products they were delivering, then they should naturally have nock of funds to hire a proper mercenary or escort group to protect them. Not too long ago, Robin himself expressed just how much they valued the wagons and what they were willing to sacrifice to make sure that it was delivered. However, there were a few things that did not add up. The first thing was that even if the two people Robin sent out to find more help came back with two full parties, in the end, that was only a total of 16 yers, including him, Mirage, Ying Yue, and Midnight. Not to mention the fact that their actual level of skill was unknown to Robin and the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, and it almost seemed as if they were ast-minute addition to their original ns. In other words, they were a bunch of wildcards. Another thing that bothered him was how a group who was seemingly smart enough to gather nearly one million gold coins worth of items to trade to deliver, was not smart enough to spend the extra bit of gold to hire professionals. After all, even if this vige was remote and did not generate that much traffic, for the right price, a group of professionals would willingly travel the distance. Surely the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan were not so cheap as to throw aside a solid form of protection just to save a few gold coins? If that was the case, then they were truly fools! However, Izroth did not believe it was that simple. There was definitely something unusual about this whole situation. After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, one of the male members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan approached Izroth. He introduced himself as Needle. It was a strange name, however, he quickly exined that it was just a nickname that stuck. Apparently, he talked too much whenever he negotiated without getting to the point fast enough, therefore, he was given the nickname Needle as a reminder to make a point. Needle informed Izroth that it was time for the final gathering before their departure. Izroth followed Needle to thergest tent that was set up in the center area of the temporary campsite. It was at least three times as big as the other tents and had the mark of a silver hawk holding a mountain in its talons. "This is where we part ways. The others are waiting for you inside." Needle said as he gave a simple goodbye before he headed off to resume his previous work assignments. Izroth entered into the tent and noticed that Mirage, Ying Yue, and Midnight were already there. Next to them in their own small groups was one party of five yers and another party of six yers. Izroth instantly knew that those eleven yers must have been the two parties that were brought back from the nearby viges that Robin sent his people to find. Amongst of the two parties was a familiar face. ¡¯Am I going to run into the members of Sleeping Gardenia next?¡¯ The reason Izroth had this thought was due to the fact the person he recognized was the second yer today that he had met back inside of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. His name was Qi Jiguang and even though Izroth did not exchange many words with him, from their brief interaction with one another, he could tell that Qi Jiguang was a step well above those yers within top guilds that called themselves elites simply by the experienced aura he gave off. Qi Jiguang had a slightly surprised look on his face when he saw that it was Izroth who had entered into the tent. His mind went nk for a few moments before his surprise was reced by excitement! Last time he secretly wanted to have a match with Izroth, however, his main goal was to locate and kill Silent Steps. Unfortunately, he was transported out of the Chaotic Dogma Realm before he could finish off Silent Steps. Furthermore, the Chaotic Dogma Realm was not exactly the ideal ce to request a match. There was a part of him that still regretted, at the very least, not adding Izroth, or one of his friends, to contact him at ater date. However, who would have thought that they would meet in a ce like this! It appeared that sometimes the world truly was a small ce! Qi Jiguang gave a small nod to Izroth. While he was itching for a match, he would not go about it in a rude way. He would at least wait until a more appropriate time before he discussed it. Izroth returned Qi Jiguang¡¯s nod with one of his own as he walked over towards Mirage and the others. "Great, now that everyone has gathered, we can finally begin!" Robin said as he removed a Realm Chart from a belt at the side of his waist. The Realm Chart was very detailed, but it only contained a very limited area with a specific route clearly outlined on it, however, there were multiple paths towards the end of the route that branched off into various directions. He then continued, "First off, as one of the vice-leaders of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, I want to thank you all for epting ourst minute request. We know that what we ask of you may not necessarily be an easy task, however, we¡¯ll be relying on all of you to provide security for our wagons and personnel." Robin pointed to a mark on the Realm Chart and said, "This is the area of the border that we¡¯ll be entering through. Once we pass the checkpoint here, we¡¯ll officially be within Proximus territory. Our final destination will remain a secret due to security reasons, however, you will all be informed of any changes in our ns along the way." "I urge everyone to use extreme vignce. The factions and bandits that lurk within the outskirts of the Proximus territory are well known for their trickery and sneaky methods. Make sure you second guess everything you see along the way, as it may be a potential disaster that awaits us. Once we reach this location..." Robin went over some major and minor details, as well as, the arrangement of what sections each individual group would be guarding. After they finished their discussion, everyone stepped out of the tent to see that the wagons were fully packed and ready to go. At the front of each wagon was a creature that looked like the cross between a lizard and a horse. They were creatures known as Equosavra. Although the creatures were not the fastest ofnd runners, they were strong, incredibly durable, and difficult to frighten. This made it so that they would not randomly run off with the wagons if a fight happened to break out. "I wonder if they¡¯ll let me try riding one." Mirage said in an excited tone. "Even if they did let you ride one, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something that you¡¯d enjoy. Equosavras are known for being highly temperamental when ites to a person riding on their backs. The scales on its back can spike up to protect itself and well... It shouldn¡¯t be necessary to speak any further than this." Izroth exined. "Spike up?" Mirage shivered at the thought. Who would want anything spiking up when they were sitting down?! Izroth and his party took their position towards the rear of the caravan while Qi Jiguang¡¯s group guarded the middle and the party of six yers guarded the front. This arrangement was decided using the number of yers in each party. The party with the most yers would guard the front while those with the least yers would guard the rear. "Alright! Remember to keep your eyes open everyone! We¡¯re moving out!" Robin ordered as the caravan began its journey towards the Amaharpe-Proximus border. Since they were less than one hundred meters away from the border, it did not take long before they reached the first official checkpoint. Robin talked with the guards at the checkpoint for a couple of minutes before they were finally able to continue on their journey and cross into Proximus territory. "Vice-leader, are you sure that those guards will keep their part of the deal?" Needle asked. He had just seen Robin offer a sizable amount of gold to prevent those guards from sending their arrival and destination coordinates via magic signal as was required of all caravans or merchants crossing into Proximus territory with goods. However, could they really be trusted? "We don¡¯t have a choice. Even if it only buys us a bit more time, it¡¯s worth the price. We¡¯ll just have to hope that they hold up their end of the bargain. In the end, it¡¯s only an extra security precaution to prevent any factions from picking up the magic signal by chance. Besides, we¡¯ve taken other precautions to make sure that things go just as nned. Do not lose focus." Robin spoke in a stern tone. As Izroth crossed the Amaharpe-Proximus border, he received a few alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have left the first kingdom, ?Amaharpe?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the third kingdom, ?Proximus?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The kingdom ?Proximus? you have crossed into has an official treaty with the kingdom ?Amaharpe?!¡µ After crossing the borders, Izroth immediately noticed a difference in the surrounding atmosphere. It felt as if his body was constantly being bombarded by an invisible force. However, it was not like that of a gravity pocket which was an ufortable experience, instead, it was more like a wave of gentle water that washed over him. ¡¯So, this is Proximus? The air here feels heavier than that of Amaharpe¡¯s.¡¯ Chapter 284 Entering The Tigers Mouth Izroth knew that the reason for this sudden change of atmosphere when he crossed over into Proximus was the difference in both mana quality and quantity within the kingdom itself. Proximus was well known for being at the forefront when it came to magic and all things rted to it. In fact, one who had not visited the magic capital city of Proximus could not be considered a true student of magic. Their library contained a vast amount of magic knowledge and theories from all over the world and would make the Amaharpe library look like a joke inparison. However, just as with the pce library, one needed the proper qualifications or credentials for entry. One of the biggest reasons that magic casters traveled from all over the world to train and study in Proximus was due to the naturally dense mana in the atmosphere. This made the third kingdom an ideal location to develop one¡¯s magic abilities. At the moment, the caravan was traveling on a forest path that led deeper into Proximus. ording to the information he received from Robin earlier during their meeting, Izroth knew that they would soon reach the area known as the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. It was one of the most active locations for bandits and factions near the outskirts. There was no way to avoid going through the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, however, Robin had a clear nid out that should minimize their chances of an encounter with any of the more powerful factions. This was certainly not the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan first trip through Proximus territory, however, the civil unrest had grown within the third kingdom recently due to the absence of the kingdom¡¯s I¡¯Zati, Zendai Proximus. While the general masses were oblivious to the reasons behind Zendai¡¯s prolonged trips away from the kingdom, there were thoserger factions with heavy influences and connections that were more knowledgeable concerning the details of the matter. Normally, the powerful factions in Proximus wouldy low and not push their luck when it came to what risk they were willing to take in order to achieve their goal. This was due to Zendai acting as a huge deterrent factor. After all, none of the factions were prepared to be a main target for Zendai to use as an example against disorder. This had already taken ce on a few asions. Buttely, it was different. Zendai was not gone for a couple of weeks or a few months. This time, he was away from the kingdom for more than a full year! The factions were reserved at first, however as time passed, they began to be increasingly daring and bold in their actions. In turn, although the kingdom tried its best to cope outside of its own capital and the surrounding territories, the outskirts became a yground and nest of criminal activities for bandits and factions alike. After traveling for nearly thirty minutes, the caravan finally reached the entry point of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Immediately, Izroth could feel numerous watchful eyes descend upon them as they made their way deeper into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. However, none of them had made a move yet as if they were waiting for the right opportunity to strike. It could have also been because multiple groups were present and they were deciding on who would get to walk away with the caravan was their prize. ¡¯One... Five... There are thirty-two people currently watching us while maintaining a safe distance. They are following our movements closing.¡¯ Izroth knew that it was inevitable that a fight would break out soon, therefore, he warned his party about the impending dangers in a discreet manner. After all, if he were too obvious then the people watching them may throw all caution to the wind and attack before the caravan had time to prepare themselves. Mirage frowned and spoke in a low voice, "I don¡¯t see anyone out there. But, I have been feeling a bit strange since we entered this ce. I thought it was just some monsters lurking around watching us, but if you say that there are people then..." Mirage understood that Izroth would not have said anything if he was not absolutely certain. Also, after spending time with him exploring the zing Temple, she knew that his sense of perception was monstrous whenpared to the other yers. If they were already being watched, who knew how long it would be before they were swarmed by people who wanted to seize the wagons of the caravan. "We should warn Robin and the others so they aren¡¯t caughtpletely off guard. The question is, how do we warn them without drawing any attention to ourselves?" Midnight said. Mirage grinned as she replied, "We have the perfect person for such a delicate task." She then turned her attention towards Ying Yue who was silently walking behind them. Ying Yue gave a small nod as if she understood Mirage¡¯s intentions as her body started to sink into the ground and disappeared within a few seconds. After a bit more than one minute passed, Ying Yue¡¯s body rose from beneath the ground as she returned to the rear of the caravan. "How did it go? Did you manage to warn everyone?" Mirage asked. Ying Yue was somewhat hesitant to speak at first, but for the first time since Izroth¡¯s arrival, she finally spoke. "I warned everyone, however, the party at the front of the caravan dismissed the warning. As for the vice-leader of the caravan, I was told that he was currently not to be disturbed while inside of his carriage. But, the person he left in-charge said that he would remain vignt. Only the party ahead of us seems to take the warning seriously." Ying Yue said in a soft-spoken tone. "Aren¡¯t they taking this a bit too lightly?" Mirage said as with a hint of annoyance in her voice. They were mindful enough to warn the others and yet they were being practically being brushed off. How could she not be irritated? How were they supposed to properly guard the caravan if that would be the response they get when they were trying to be helpful? "It can¡¯t be helped. If you think about it, it would be strange if there wasn¡¯t any danger that awaited us within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Since this is something expected by the members of this caravan, I¡¯m not surprised by their response. We just have to hope that they don¡¯t be numb to the dangers around them in the process." Midnightmented. "We¡¯ve done our part. Whether they decide to listen to us or not will be up to them. However, that does not change the objective of our quest." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Around five minutester, the thirty-two watchful eyes had dwindled down to three. But, after another five minutes went by, the number of watchful eyes had increased to sixty! This time, however, there was a more hostile intent present from the new arrivals. Izroth figured that it was just as he suspected earlier, they were waiting to decide which group would be the one to have a im on the caravan. Of course, this also confirmed one other thing. It was highly likely that the group that was ready to attack them was not one of therge factions within Proximus. After all, it was well known thatrger factions stuck to their own territories, otherwise, it would be chaos amongst the factions. What reason would therger faction of this territory have to negotiate with groups who were weaker than it? Izroth¡¯s ears twitched slightly as he heard the sound of bowstrings being set up to take a shot. Although it was faint, it did not escape his sense of hearing that was empowered by both the Heavenly Golden Body Physique and the Five Cycles Pill. "It¡¯s starting." Izroth warned as he could sense the group approaching from their left and right sides. Thump! Thump! Bang! All of a sudden, two trees copsed at the front and two at the back end of the caravan,pletely halting any further advancement while simultaneously blocking off the path of retreat! rm bells started to go off in everyone¡¯s head. They were under attack! "We¡¯re under attack! Take your position and raise shields!" The person left in-charge by Robin yelled. This caused Robin who was within the carriage to open its door and see just what was going on. But, the moment he opened the carriage door, an arrow pierced into the side of the door and just barely missed him by a few centimeters. Robin¡¯s face turned pale as he quickly mmed the door to the carriage shut! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! All of a sudden, a stream of arrows rained down from both sides of the forest path. A few members of the caravan were struck by one or two arrows, but fortunately, there was no one who was killed. The members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan scrambled to pick up a tall wooden shield that was attached to the side of their wagons. Each wagon had two long wooden shields attached to its side. Every member of the caravan took hold of one of these shields and stood it up in front of them with their backs faced towards the wagon they were assigned to. Since two members were assigned to each wagon, there was a makeshift shield wall formed using the shields. Of course, there were still many exploitable gaps within this formation and the members of the caravan were far from being professional soldiers as could easily be told by their clumsy movements. However, it would at least offer some protection against basic arrows. As for the actualbat, they would leave that to the adventurers they hired! After three waves of arrows were shot, everything went quiet for a couple of seconds. However, that peaceful silence was soon interrupted by a loud andmanding voice. "First wave attack! ughter them and take everything they have!" A voice resonated through the surrounding forest area as the battle cry of dozens of people sounded off. One could hear the stream of footsteps that rapidly charged forward. "Be careful, everyone." Mirage cautioned her fellow party members. Small sparks of electricity could be seen flowing and jumping all around Mirage¡¯s body, as well as within her eyes. A few momentster, her eyes turned slightly golden in color and the small sparks of electricity that formed around her fists became concentrated and released a faint crackling noise. Midnight lightly brushed his fingers up against two of the totems dangling from the chains at his side. One of the totems had the face of a strange bird while the other was one of a rabbit-like creature. "Try to stay within thirty meters of my position, otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to reach you." Midnight said as a light green hue could be seen forming around his body. Not too long after, one of the totems flew into the other while the other crashed into the ground. The totem that flew into the air transformed into a bird while the one that struck the ground transformed into a rabbit. However, both creatures were formedpletely out of light green energy and the totem could be seen stationed at the center of each creature. The moment those two totems took on a physical form, Izroth received a few alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Totem Aura: Duality Hare?. Your movement speed and attack speed has been increased by 12%.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Totem Aura: Gaia Avis?. You will heal for 167 HP every 1 second. Your physical resistance and magical resistance has been increased by 10%.¡µ ¡¯What useful skills.¡¯ This was Izroth¡¯s first time being in the same party as a shaman. Unlike clerics who focused solely on sustainability, shamans focused on boosting the overall performance of a party while simultaneously keeping everyone alive. Of course, shamans could not evene close toparing to clerics when it came to raw healing power and life preservation methods, however, they made up for this aspect with the various benefits provided by their Totem Auras. Izroth unsheathed his sword as a powerful gust of wind apanied it. His gaze turned to a certain area that was around twenty-five meters away. He had already chosen his first target to be the person who gave the orders to attack. If that person was so eager for a ughter to take ce, then Izroth would dly see that they get exactly what they wanted. "I¡¯ll be right back." Izroth said to his party as his silhouette flickered before fading away. Chapter 285 No Longer An Issue "Wait a sec, where are you-!" Mirage tried to ask Izroth what he was up to, however, before she could even finish her sentence he had already taken off. "Should we follow after him?" Midnight asked. Mirage released a helpless sigh as she shook her head and said, "Follow after him? Hah..." She was amused by just the thought of trying to keep up with that kind of speed. If they tried to keep up his pace while he was using that skill then they would be running for the rest of their lives! "Forget it, he can take care of himself. Besides, we have plenty of enemies right here in front of us." Mirage said as she dashed forward and struck at one of the charging bandits. Bang! Crrrrrk! Mirage¡¯s fist mmed into the bandit as a wave of electricity rushed over from her fist directly into the body of the bandit causing him to be paralyzed. She quickly followed up with abination of fist strikes and within a few moments, the bandit had copsed to the ground in defeat. "So weak!" Mirage spoke in a surprised tone. It had only taken her around five seconds to deal with that one bandit. However, she would not let her guard down simply because she managed to deal with one bandit. In the end, if she were not careful, the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan could be killed. After all, their level of strength was mediocre at best. Ying Yue turned to look in the direction of Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouettes as they slowly vanished one by one. One could see that there was a saddened yet troubled look in her eyes. ... Meanwhile, a group of five people was watching the attack on the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan traveling through the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. At the front of the group was a burly male with a scruffy beard on his face. He wore a full set of leather gear with a light metal shield on his back and a warhammer dangling from the belt on his waist. "Boss Barbello, this is a huge score! That crest definitely belongs to the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan! It¡¯s a lucky day for our ughter Bandit Society!" One of the bandits said. The person he called Boss Barbello was the burly man at the front of the group, as well as, the leader of the ughter Bandit Society, one of the more well-known bandit groups within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. However, Barbello currently had arge frown on his face. It was just as his underling said, the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan was surely the good fortune of his ughter Bandit Society, but there was one thing that he did not understand. Why were they so poorly guarded while traveling through the Tiger¡¯s Mouth? With the countless number of resources at their disposal, it should not have been difficult for them to hire a full professional escort group and yet they were relying on a bunch of green nosed adventurers to protect them. "I don¡¯t like it one bit. Everyone knows those silver birdies are overprotective when ites to the safety of their merchandise." Barbello said with furrowed brows. "Boss, you¡¯re looking a gift horse in the mouth. This is a blessing from the legendary bandit Seven Nights Gideon himself! Do you really want to pass up such a once in a lifetime opportunity?" One of the bandits said. "Of course not you idiot! All I¡¯m saying is that something isn¡¯t-" Just as Barbello was speaking, he heard the sound of a scream enter into his ears. However, this was not the sound of the caravan members or the adventurers screaming, instead, it was a member of his own ughter Bandit Society! "Gah!" "There¡¯s someone- Ahhhh!" "We¡¯re under attack!" One of the bandits guarding the lower perimeter ran up to report, however, as he ran forward an overbearing aura descended from behind him that onlysted for a split second. At the same time, a flickering silhouette could faintly be seen for a brief moment before fading out of sight. Barbello had a shocked expression on his face. Did he just see a ghost? No, that was impossible seeing as the Tiger¡¯s Mouth did not any specter type creatures that roamed about. As a rush of thoughts ran through his head, the bandit who was just running forward to make a report hade to an abrupt halt. "What are you waiting for? Report! Who¡¯s attacking?!" Barbello ordered. His first thought was that one of the other bandit groups had returned and went against their word after it was decided that his ughter Bandit Society would have the rightful im to the caravan. But, the scouts that he positioned at key locations should have been able to warn him before they got this close. Unfortunately for Barbello, the bandit who he was talking to had already departed from this world! The eyes of the bandit went entirely white as his body fell over and crashed into the ground. Barbello and the other bandits around him were startled by the sudden copse of that bandit. Barbello felt a drift of wind breeze past his back that was apanied by a fearsome pressure. This caused shivers to be sent down his spine! Had someone managed to get close to him without him even realizing it?! He reacted swiftly as he grabbed the handle of the warhammer at his side and twisted his body as he swung the warhammer full force. However, his warhammer struck nothing but empty air. When he turned around, he saw that there was no one there! Was he just imagining things? No, there was definitely something out there! ¡¯I see, so that¡¯s the leader.¡¯ NPC Name: Barbello, The ughterer(Elite) NPC Level: 40 NPC HP: 102,565(100%) NPC Knowledge Level: 3.03 NPC Name: ughter Bandit(Normal) NPC Level: 40 NPC HP: 14,520(100%) NPC Knowledge Level: 1.26 Izroth used thebination of his Flickering Steps and First Baneful Sword: Destruction to eliminate the ughter Bandits as he moved through the forest. One of the things that caught him off guard was the low knowledge level that these bandits possessed. However, he found that a low knowledge level was a reurring pattern amongst most NPC and yers alike! Excluding Kaz and Orion, the NPC with the highest knowledge level that he hade across was Robin, the vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. However, even Robin only had a knowledge level of 7.25, a far cry from Izroth¡¯s own knowledge level. Even Kaz possessed a higher knowledge level than that of Robin¡¯s! After he saw Orion¡¯s monstrous knowledge level, Izroth felt that he was still incrediblyckingpared to most others, however, he had not yet found a single individual with a knowledge level even close to his own! ¡¯Well, I shouldn¡¯t expect too much from these bandits. Perhaps I¡¯ll pay a visit to the magic capital of Proximus.¡¯ Although Izroth had many thoughts at the moment, it did not stop his sword from reaping the lives of the nearby bandits one by one. Each strike was targeted at one of the bandit¡¯s vital points and released an overbearing aura. Woosh! ?Critical Hit? -15,688 The tip of Izroth¡¯s de brushed past the neck of one of the nearby bandits quickly ending his life in the process. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s attack was an insane 2,061 points! Along with his deadly uracy and monstrous movement speed, there was no stopping him. Izroth gained the cooldown reset on his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. It was his main choice of attack when dealing with the ughter Bandits. As long as hended a critical hit, the cooldown timer on his First Baneful Sword: Destruction skill might as well be zero! Not to mention, it did not cost him any energy to use the skill. "I see you!" Barbello shouted as he brandished his warhammer and smashed towards Izroth¡¯s head. At least, that was his original intention. However, how could he keep up with Izroth¡¯s current speed? Barbello¡¯s warhammer only struck one of Izroth¡¯s silhouette¡¯s and missed its target by more than a few meters. Every time Izroth eliminated one of the bandits, Barbello wouldunch an attack. Unfortunately, Izroth would already have moved on to his next target and constantly left Barbello confronting his silhouettes. This caused Barbello to boil with anger on the inside. "Everyone gather up!" Barbellomanded. However, there was no one who followed his orders. To be more precise, there was no one left to obey his orders! Before he even realized it, he was by himself. Even the other four bandits that were by his side at the start of everything were long since killed off! To make matters worse, he still had no idea who or what was behind all of this! "Show yourself you coward!" Barbello roared. "I¡¯m right here." Izroth said in a carefree manner. He had shifted his position to attack Barbello from his blindside. "You-!" Barbello tried to turn around to defend the attack, however, it was toote. He felt a numbing feeling spread through his entire body. He could not move! At the same time, he lost suddenly lost most of his will to fight! Izroth paralyzed Barbello using Serpent¡¯s Bite. Then, while constantly remaining in Barbello¡¯s blindside and eliminating everyone around him first, he was essentially toying with him. However, this was not without purpose. Izroth found that the effects of his Soul Pressure skill were more effective if the target¡¯s willpower was first affected by outside sources. While he could bring about the same effects on someone like Barbello without using such methods, he would have to waste too much Essence to invoke the weakened state of his Soul Pressure. Izroth did not know what they would face once they went even deeper into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, therefore, even though he wanted to end this battle quickly, he did not want to throw away his Essence. ¡¯I still have ten seconds left on Flickering Steps. I¡¯ll end it before then.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm shed out without restraint as his attacks tore through Barbello with ease. He was still within range of Midnight¡¯s Totem Auras and so with the added attack speed bonus, Izroth was capable of attacking five times within one second! With a high level of power behind each of those attacks, each strike was devastating! ... Around thirty secondster... Mirage frowned, "Is the attack already over?" She could have sworn that she heard that voice say first wave. In that was the case, shouldn¡¯t there be a second waveing? "They could be using a hit and run method. We should remain on guard for the time being." Midnight spected. Shhhch... The bushes nearby rattled around and immediately caused Mirage to take an offensive stance. "Hit and run? Looks like the second wave is here!" Mirage said as she charged forward with electricity crackling around her fists. She struck out with her fist towards the bushes, however, her eyes widened when she saw who it was as she stopped her attack. "Are you a rogue using stealth now?" Mirage said jokingly as she shook her head. The person who appeared from within the bushes was none other than Izroth! "Oh? I figured you would have called me a bandit from the way you attacked me." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. Mirage smirked and said, "Well, whose fault is it that you ran away without saying anything? More importantly, where did you go? Did you see any bandits on your way here?" She rxed her offensive stance as the electricity around her fists died down. "Bandits? I saw a few. However, they will no longer be an issue." Izroth responded as he walked back towards the caravan. "No longer an issue?" Mirage questioned with a confused look on her face. What did he mean by that? Chapter 286 Return of The Shadow After realizing that the attack by the bandits was over, the members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan began to attach the shields back to the sides of the wagons and ran a quick check on the merchandise to make sure nothing was damaged. "What happened, Lyn?" Robin asked. He was still a bit shaken from earlier after that arrow almost pierced through his head. However, he presented himself in a calm and steady way as the vice-leader of the caravan. "To bepletely honest, vice leader, I couldn¡¯t say. But, the bandits seemed to have called off their attack and abandoned their allies." Lyn responded. Lyn was the second inmand of the caravan and handled the more grueling tasks so that Robin did not have to. His looks were average with gray hair and silver eyes, while his body was thin yet in surprisingly good shapepared to the other members of the caravan. "Have you confirmed this? Did you send the adventurers to check the surrounding areas?" Robin questioned. Lyn nodded and replied, "I¡¯ve already sent the first and second group of adventurers to do a sweep of each side while the third group at the rear stayed behind just in case anything unforeseen urred. There was nothing out of the ordinary and no bandits were found during their search. I¡¯ve also assigned some of our own members to clear the logs blocking the path. We should be able to start moving again within the next five minutes." Lyn said. "It appears that you have everything under control. I expect nothing less from a vice-leader candidate. Keep this up, and after this trip is over, I¡¯ll be sure to write an excellent rmendation letter to support your advancement." Robin said in a pleased tone. "A rmendation from the esteemed vice-leader Robinarzin. I would be honored, sir." Lyn said in a respected manner as he gave a small bow. Robin gave a nod of approval to Lyn¡¯s respectful demeanor and said, "Since you have things handled, I¡¯ll be in my carriage. This goes without saying, but unless it is an absolute life or death emergency, I am not to be disturbed." "You can leave everything to me, vice-leader. I will make sure everything goes ording to n." Lyn reassured. "I trust that it will." Robin spoke in a confident tone. Although Lyn had only been assigned to him for a short three months, he had already proved his worth many times over. He was confident in Lyn¡¯s ability to get things done and so, he returned to his carriage. A faint smile could be seen on Lyn¡¯s face as Robin entered into his carriage. ... A few moments ago... ¡¯That was thest one.¡¯ After eliminating Barbello, Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to his sheath. He knew that there were no bandits waiting to ambush the caravan on the other side of the forest. They had only sent a small amount to the other side to attack in the first wave to give off the impression of overwhelming numbers. It would also force those guarding the caravan to split their attention to two different sides. Then, while their attention was split, the rest of the bandits would charge in from one side andpletely overrun the caravan. It was a decent n for a group of bandits, but unfortunately, they met someone like Izroth. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as his head turned slightly to his left side and his hand swiftly moved towards his Sword of the Storm! However, Izroth stopped his movements as soon as his hand grabbed ahold of the sword¡¯s hilt. ¡¯It¡¯s the same feeling as that time. Strange.¡¯ Izroth had not felt something simr to that bizarre feeling since his time in the Towering Oak Forest back in Amaharpe. However, the feeling was much stronger this time thanks to his Soul Essence trait, or more specifically, the Soul Sense skill that was attached to it. After waiting for a few seconds, Izroth noticed that nothing out of the ordinary took ce. Since whatever or whoever it was had alreadypletely erased their presence, there was nothing that he could do. So, he decided to head back towards the caravan. ¡¯The loot from the bandits wasn¡¯t all that great, but the experience was a bit better than I expected.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth located one hundred meters from the caravan... A shadowy figure materialized on one of the tree branches within the forest. It was the same shadowy figure that had been following Izroth since the Willowed Forest near Opal Town, and the Towering Oak Forest near the capital city Amaharpe! "What a little monster..." The shadowy figure muttered with a hint of shock hidden in his tone. Thest time he was able to get within thirty meters of Izroth and now, even with his special ability, he had to maintain a distance of at least sixty meters! That was double the amount as it wasst time! He also noticed that Izroth¡¯sbat prowess had risen substantially over such a short period of time. "Is it finally time?" The shadowy figure pondered his thoughts for a moment before making a decision. "Let¡¯s see how hepletes the task that lies ahead. Only then will I know if he is truly prepared. Though, I wonder if he has figured it out yet? That caravan is quite bold hiding, a priceless diamond in a pile a gold in hope that the shine of the gold will blind those who crave the priceless diamond from the truth." "But, of course, what they¡¯re transporting is much more valuable than some priceless diamond. How do you intend to contain that which cannot be contained? Indeed, a dangerous game to y with one¡¯s very own fate..." The shadowy figure turned into a blur before disappearing from the tree branch. ... Meanwhile, back at the caravan... After double-checking their inventory and removing the trees that blocked their path forward, the Silver Hawks Merchants Caravan continued on with their journey. However, as they ventured deeper into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, they began to surprisingly be attacked by monsters rather than bandits as they expected. Fortunately, the monsters were only normal ranked and did not take much effort for the Izroth and his party, as well as, the other apanying parties, to deal with the creatures. But, only fifteen minutes into their journey, everyone started to feel a bit uneasy. That was due to the fact that the frequency of monster appearances on the forest path increased. There were even two elite monsters that attacked them in thest wave of monster attacks! "Aren¡¯t monsters supposed to stay away from paths like this?" Mirage said with a visible frown on her face. While she did not mind taking on the elite monsters, the normal monsters barely gave any decent experience points and it was beginning to be tedious work to get rid of them all. Not to mention, a huge waste of time! "It is a bit unusual considering what we were told earlier by Robin during the briefing." Midnightmented. Robin had informed them that while they may run into one or two monsters along the way, the forest path they were taking did not have an overall high level of monster activity going on. Therefore, it was likely that they would not have even seen a single monster on their journey. After all, they were mainly hired to protect from the bandit groups and factions in the outskirts. However, including the monsters that the other parties defeated, they had alreadye across nearly forty monsters in a total of fifteen minutes! What part of that was not considered "high level of monster activity"? Even willing searching for monsters for fifteen minutes straight may not necessarily provide the same results! "Maybe the caravan is carrying something we don¡¯t know about that monsters are attracted to. It could be some kind of exotic food or item we¡¯re transporting." Midnight spected. However, even he did not believe his own words. After all, how could a group like the Silver Hawks Merchants Caravan be ignorant to the dangers of what they carried in their own wagons? "Or maybe there¡¯s something we¡¯re not being told." Izroth said in a casual manner. Mirage, Midnight, and even Ying Yue had a look of surprise all over their faces when Izroth said those words. Something they were not being told? If that was the case then the raised only one question, why? "That¡¯s a bit of bold spection, don¡¯t you think? It could be that we¡¯ve happened to make the trip at an unlucky time." Mirage stated. While Mirage believed that something was going on, she did not think that Robin or the Silver Hawks Merchants Caravan would intentionally hide something from them. It would not only endanger their own merchandise which they were so fond of but even their own lives! Why would they keep anything that was so potentially life-threatening to them on all fronts, a secret? It just did not make any sense to her. But, as Mirage was having doubts, Izroth¡¯s words caused Midnight to enter into a state of deep thought. "Wait- Don¡¯t tell me the two of you are really serious about this?" Mirage said as she looked at Midnight and then towards Izroth with a look of disbelief on her face. However, she could tell that neither of the two was setting up for some kind of joke. Mirage released a deep sigh and said, "Alright, then what do you think it is that we¡¯re not being told?" Since it was already two against one, she might as well just go with the flow of things. After all, she found that to be one of her proud specialties. "That part remains to be seen. We can only wait and see how things y out at this point. Though, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed it?" Izroth responded. Mirage blinked a few times with a nk expression on her face. "I should warn you that riddles give me a headache." Mirage said jokingly. She felt as if Izroth was speaking in riddles, she did not see his point of view at all. "Just think about it. A well known and resourceful caravan travels with only a pair of ¡¯young adventurers¡¯ as guards on their journey. Not just that, instead of choosing creatures who specialize in speed to pull the wagons, they chose durable creatures who are at least three times slower than the average wagon beast." Izroth exined. Although the current wagon beasts were not the slowest, they were far from ideal for a ce like the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. They had been traveling for nearly an hour and had barely covered two kilometers! Even if they excluded the time they wasted during their run-ins with the bandits and monsters, they were still moving at a snail¡¯s pace! "With such a small caravan, I was also wondering why they didn¡¯t choose a wagon beast that could cover more ground in less time. Even if they do be frightened and run away during a fight, we would spend less time going to search for them than moving at our current pace. Not to mention, that carriage at the front..." Midnight said with furrowed brows. "Ah! Resources, guards, speed- Are you two going somewhere with this or not?!" Mirage said in a frustrated tone. Izroth gave a carefree smile and replied, "Then, I¡¯ll put it simply. Something about this caravan is dangerous, and I don¡¯t mean the monsters or bandits." Not only did Izroth connect a few dots, but his Soul Sense was constantly being tested by something in the surroundings. However, he was unable to pinpoint the source of it. As for it being the same presence he felt earlier back when he eliminated the bandits, that was not the case. The two feelings werepletely different. If one was like a watchful gaze, then the other was like a steadily rising foreboding sense. ... Somewhere deep inside of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth... In a small tavern run by one of the factions within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, a cloaked figured sat in a dark corner of the tavern. At the moment, that individual was in the middle of a conversation. "How are things progressing on that end?" "Everything¡¯s on schedule. The seeds have been nted and should have taken root by now." "You realize what could happen if we fail, right?" "Yes, we¡¯ll die. We will inevitably die." "I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m not ready for death." "I agree, I¡¯m also not prepared to venture to the Nether Realm." "Then, shall we go retrieve it?" "Yes, we¡¯ll retrieve it. Then, maybe one of us will finally die." "Fool, I already told you, I don¡¯t want to die." That cloaked figure stood up from the table and walked out of the tavern, disappearing into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. One of the bandits at a nearby barstool overheard the conversation and saw everything from start to finish. However, there was a confused look on his face. "Hey, who the heck was that person talking to?" A bandit at the bar said. He did not see anyone else at that table. Maybe he had downed a few too many and had started imagining things. "Who knows? Guys like that are nothing but trouble, trust me. Hey, barkeep! Another round!" One of the other bandits yelled as he mmed his empty mug on the countertop. ... Chapter 287 A Moment To Strike "Are you purposely fighting recklessly?" Midnight scoffed as he recalled his for visiting. But, what Izroth noticed was that the monsters seemed to be in some sort of trance-like state. Every time one of his first attacksnded on a monster, the light in its eyes that had dimmed was suddenly restored and it would enter into a momentary state of confusion as if it was not aware of its own surroundings. A few minutester, the wave of monsters finally stopped pouring in. While the caravan was still in one piece, there was a certain individual who was in an unpleasant mood. At the front of the caravan, Qi Jiguang confronted the group of six yers with a serious expression on his face. "The next time you pull a stunt like that I won¡¯t be so forgiving." Qi Jiguang said with a sharp look in his eyes. During the battle, the six yers entrusted to guard the front of the caravan had used Qi Jiguang¡¯s party as an aggro absorption shield. In other words, they intentionally positioned themselves behind Qi Jiguang¡¯s party so that his party members would always receive therge bulk of aggro! This caused the pressure on his party to be increased and one of his party members nearly died! Not only that but by neglecting to spread out the of protection, two of the caravan members had actually been killed within the chaos of things! If ten caravan members died, then they could forget about receiving any rewards for all their troubles. It was no small trip traveling to a remote vige like this and Qi Jiguang refused to let the entire trip be in vain. "What stunt? You¡¯re talking a bunch of nonsense! If you want to bark at someone, then how about barking at your own ipetent party for failing to protect those two caravan members?! Who do you think you are pointing your finger at us?! Don¡¯t go around ming us for your own shorings!" The male yer responded in an arrogant and condescending tone. He was the leader of the party tasked with guarding the front caravan and introduced himself as Switch To Kill at the meeting that was held before they began their trip. He had short ck hair, dark brown eyes, an above-average appearance, and he seemed to be in good overall shape. Switch To Kill was very persistent when it came to making sure that his party was the one chosen to protect the front of the caravan. In the end, since his party had the most members, he got his wish. However, there was an aura of arrogance about him as if he were constantly looking down on those around him, even the members of his own party! "You dare shift the me to us for that?!" One of Qi Jiguang¡¯s party members shouted in a furious tone. He was the same member who almost died thanks to the Switch To Kill¡¯s party. So, of course, he was more frustrated than anything else. As the argument intensified and the atmosphere became increasingly tense, the members of the caravan had gloomy expressions on their face. Two of theirrades had just died before their eyes and the protection they hired on were at each other throats! Could things get any worse? Mirage frowned and said, "What are they doing up there? Do they want to intentionally fail this quest by bickering?" Midnight shook his head and replied, "I can understand the middle party¡¯s frustration. In fact, I think they handled themselves quite well given the circumstances. After all, I can only imagine how much control you would have had if we were in the same position as the middle group." "That¡¯s different." Mirage said. "How is that any different?" Midnight muttered under his breath. "What was that? Did you say something?" Mirage questioned. "No, nothing at all." Midnight replied in a calm tone. As the two were conversing while waiting for the caravan to reorganize itself, Izroth had his attention on the carriage that Robin was in. Even though two members of his caravan had died, why had he not stepped out? Did he himself not say that the members of the caravan were like family to him? Unless he despised his own family, the least he should have done was exit the carriage. But, after the bandits attacked, he was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gaze shifted towards the forest at the side. Woosh! An arrow flew out from the forest at a great speed! It was many times faster than the arrows shot by the bandits that ambushed them earlier. The arrow was on a direct flight path towards the ground, however, at thest second, the arrow changed its course and shot up towards Mirage who currently had her back turned. ¡¯Odd, I can¡¯t sense anyone nearby.¡¯ Izroth arrived next to Mirage which startled her, but before she could ask what was going on, she saw Izroth¡¯s sword rushing towards her! Could he be secretly upset about her almost attacking him earlier when he stepped out of the forest?! However, that was only a passing thought. She knew that if Izroth wanted to eliminate her, then with the skills at his disposal, a surprise attack was not necessary. Then, what was it? There were only two choices that remained. The first was the Izroth was being controlled, however, she dismissed this thought and that left her with only one choice. She was currently being attacked by something or someone else and Izroth was simply reacting to it. This all passed through Mirage¡¯s mind in a split moment and she did not hesitate to activate a skill known as Deflective Charge, one of the defensive skills of her ss. A powerful surge of electricity appeared around her body. Unlike its usual aggressive and wild energy, it was tame and quiet. Just as Izroth¡¯s sword swept past Mirage to parry the arrow aimed at her, the arrow suddenly shifted directions once again and headed straight towards Ying Yue! Its speed had more than doubled after it changed its flight path. It was now like a streak of light that was difficult to see with the naked eye. "Trying to block my arrow, how foolish." A person hidden inside of the forest said to herself as a look of disdain could be seen in her eyes. Hidden nearby were five other individuals, however, one could tell at first nce that these were not NPCs, but yers! After seeing that the yers at the front of the caravan were arguing amongst themselves, now was the perfect moment to strike! "As soon my arrow hits, we attack. The others will coordinate with us to take care of the others once we engage the rear party." The female yer who shot the arrow said to the five individuals next to her. To her, the party at the rear of the caravan was obviously the weakest group with only four yers. There was also no tank in sight, so it would be a quick finish. She then continued with a smirk on her face, "No matter what, we cannot allow that caravan to leave the Tiger¡¯s Mouth."Rabbit totemBird totemBull totemButterfly totem Chapter 288 Forced Out of Hiding However, that smirk quickly disappeared from her face when she saw something that made her second guess her own eyesight. Since when were there two of them?! Ying Yue was caught off guard by the attack, but her body started to quickly sink into the ground. The only problem was that the arrow was rapidly closing in! She could not descend fast enough to avoid it. But, even with the arrow¡¯s sudden change of direction and its speed increase, it was unable to make it to its intended target, Ying Yue. Bang! Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouette appeared before Ying Yue. His sword, with a faint aura around it, shed with the arrow and sent it flying away! ?Resisted? ¡¯Poison?¡¯ Seeing that he resisted something without the use of a skill or a willpower check, Izroth immediately knew that there was only one other thing within RML that would cause that message to appear and that was poison! However, thanks to one of the passives on his Heavenly Golden Body skill, he had resistance to some forms of poisons. "Thank you." Ying Yue said in a soft tone. Izroth gave a slight nod in response to Ying Yue¡¯s thanks. But, there two things on his mind at the moment. First was how someone managed to get within attack range of them without him realizing it, and the second was how that person was not attacked by the monsters that poured out of that forest just moments ago. Either way, whoever it was decided to attack the members of his party. He would not let them off so easily. Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouette disappeared from his current position. While everyone was still confused as to what was going on, Midnight wasted no time summoning his totems. As for Mirage, one could see the fire lit in her eyes. Someone dared tounch a sneak attack on her party?! "Good! Very good! Let¡¯s see who has the confidence to pick a fight with us!" Mirage was clearly seething with rage. The person in the forest had a dumbfounded expression on her face. That guy actually managed to deflect her arrow? Impossible! He should not have even been able to see it after the second change of course! Also, how was he in two different ces at once? A clone? Teleporting? Thest thing she wanted to do was deal with some troublesome rare ss as that would oveplicate things. However, before she could even fully process what just took ce, a streak of light flew right at her. It was moving at insane speeds! Her facial expression darkened and clear shock could be seen on her face when she realized that the streak of light was, in fact, her own arrow! But, how?! Of course, Izroth did not simply parry the attack away. He used the Sword Return skill that was a part of the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave to reflect the attack right back towards its owner! Bang! The arrow pierced right into her shoulder. Luckily, she was able to avoid a critical hit. However, it was not the damage of the arrow itself she was worried about, it was the poison on its tip. The moment the arrow pierced into her body, she becamepletely immobile and unresponsive. She was paralyzed! "Trinity!" One of the yers in the group called out to the yer who was just struck by the arrow. Trinity affected herself with a special poison that rendered the target it struck defenseless for five seconds. Then after the five seconds were up, if the target used any skills that required mana within the next five seconds, the poison would return for another eight seconds. This would have effectively removed Ying Yue from the fight for a full twelve seconds. Although her n had backfired, fortunately, even if her attack was deflected, it should have been moving too fast for anyone to know exactly where it came from. But, even if they knew the direction that it came from, it would be impossible to discover their position thanks to an item they had called the Veil of Serok. As they stayed within range of the person holding the item, even if a person was directly in front of them, they would be incapable of seeing or perceiving them. The Veil of Serok was just that powerful of a magic item! Trinity let out a small sigh of relief as she said, "It was a good thing they gave us the Veil of Serok." While she was willing to do whatever necessary toplete the assignment she was given, she preferred to minimize head-on engagements. After all, their sses were suited to ambushes and sneak attacks, not immediate direct confrontation. As for the poison, as long as they waited it out, it would not be an issue. However, just as that thought crossed her mind, she felt an unnatural breeze float past her. For some reason, this breeze sent shivers down her spine. "So this is where you¡¯re hiding. You were even closer than I anticipated." A voice drifted into Trinity and the surrounding yers¡¯ ears. Where was that voiceing from? How was their position discovered? Of course, the voice belonged to Izroth who had followed the flight trajectory of the arrow back to its point of origins. He stopped in between Trinity and the five yers that were with her. His silhouette could be seen constantly flickering in and out of existence. "Impossible! How did he find us?" One of the yers in the group said in a shocked tone. "Is the Veil of Serok malfunctioning?" "What¡¯s going on with his body? Is he glitching or something?" "Rx, he is just guessing that we¡¯re here. How can a magic item as strong as the Veil of Serok malfunction? He can¡¯t even see or hear us. Once the poison wears off on Trinity, then we¡¯ll teach that idiot a lesson for confronting us by himself." It was just as those yers said, indeed, Izroth could not see, hear or sense them. To even deceive his Soul Sense was an incredible feat. However, did they believe that just because he could not see them, and did not know their exact locations, that he was unable to harm them? He knew exactly what was going on through their minds at a time like this. "Very well, if you won¡¯te out yourself, then I¡¯ll just have to personally send you an invitation of my own." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he gently tapped his foot against the ground. A wave of tremors spread throughout the ground and rushed towards Trinity, as well as, the other five yers that were gathered. Izroth used the AOE skill Behemoth¡¯s Quake. By doing so, even if he did not know where they were located, as long as they were within thirty meters of him, they would suffer some kind of damage. This would be the case even if they were invisible or hidden. Worst case scenario, he wasted Behemoth¡¯s Quake and had to wait a few minutes for its cooldown to reset. However, as the first wave of tremors reached Trinity and her party, Izroth did not see anything on the battle logs. But, he was now absolutely confident that there were yers here. Even though Izroth did not see anything appear in the battle logs, the stacks of Storm Surge Charge on his Sword of The Storm shot up by six! This meant that there were a total of six yers hidden within thirty meters of his current location. Judging by the speed of the tremors and how fast he received the stacks, those yers were definitely less than ten meters away! "Let¡¯s just attack him now!" One of the yers said. "If we attack now then Trinity will be his first target, idiot! It¡¯s just 200 damage, we can just heal it back with an HP potion." As the second wave of tremors went out, Izroth¡¯s stacks of Storm Surge Charge increased by another six stacks. But, it soon dropped down by ten stacks, as a strong gust of wind appeared around his sword. He used ten stacks to activate the skill Tempest Strikes, one of the skills that came along with his Sword of The Storm. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Since Tempest Strikes converted his physical attacks into des of wind and extended its range by ten meters, he used it to attack randomly in every direction. Being able to attack five times per second with his Flickering Steps active, it was like a hurricane swept through the surrounding area as sharp des of wind tore right through everything in its path. "He¡¯s insane!" One of the yers said in a tone of disbelief. He could not follow Izroth¡¯s movements with his eyes and all he was able to see were the flickering afterimages of his arm seemingly waving around without purpose. However, he soon felt a strong force crash into his body. Then, a split secondter, it happened a second time, and then a third time. By the time the fourth strike came around, he had died. "Cai Hu! This guy...!" Trinity gritted her teeth as she red at Izroth with hateful eyes. She watched on helplessly as one of her party members were killed right before her. "How can he attack so urately when he can¡¯t even see us?!" One of the yersmented. Fast! It happened way too fast! How had he been killed? The tremors did not do nearly enough damage to kill him that fast, otherwise, they would all be dead by now! ¡¯That¡¯s one down. Five more to go. Not being able to see or sense them is a bit troublesome, however, how long are they be prepared to remain idle?¡¯ Izroth watched as the particles of the yer that he eliminated scattered around and dissipated. It did not matter what skill or item was being used, once a yer was killed their particles became visible for all to see. Izroth paid close attention to his stacks of Storm Surge Charge as it was how he could tell if his attacks were hitting someone or just striking thin air. Of course, he took into ount the one stack he gained every three seconds while inbat and made sure not to confuse it for the stacks he earned bynding a sessful attack. The moment his first de of wind hit Cai Hu, Izroth instantly followed up with a wave of attacks aimed at the same location with deadly uracy. He kept doing so until he observed the particles that confirmed that he had sessfully eliminated the hidden yer. By the time the yer even realized that he was under attack from the de of winds, he had already met his demise. After all, Izroth¡¯s attacks were simply too fast to track. "He¡¯s too dangerous! He¡¯ll be our first target!" Trinitymanded as the effects of the poison finally wore off. Even though she could not use a skill for another five seconds, she could still move and fire off basic attacks. Of course, she would have liked to wait until she could use skills again before deactivating the Veil of Serok and attacking, however, someone had already been killed! She could no longer afford to y it safe. Ooooooooooooom! Five shadows appeared from out nowhere before transforming into yers. Trinity had lifted the effects of the Veil of Serok. While it was active the carrier of the item was capable of attacking, however, others affected by the magic item was unable to attack or defend themselves. In a way, it was a double-edged sword. But, who would have thought that they would run into someone like this here? "I see you¡¯ve finally decided to take me up on my invitation." Izroth said. "Kill him." Trinity said in a cold tone without wasting any words on Izroth. "Not one for small talk I see. In that case, I¡¯ll only need one of you." Izroth said in a nonchnt manner. Chapter 289 Intentions A sharp glint shed in Izroth¡¯s eyes as he returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. Izroth¡¯s words and actions caused the yers to be furious. What madness! Not only did he sheathe his weapon, but to say that he¡¯ll only need one of them? Wasn¡¯t he looking down on them too much? Did he really think that he would be able to deal with them so easily now that the Veil of Serok was lifted? Dream on! Trinity, along with her party, surrounded Izroth at every angle so that there was no way for him to escape. Although none of them specialized in head-on confrontations, what could one yer possibly do against the five of them? Trinity prepared to fire off a shot from her bow, however, she suddenly felt her body grow heavy. She looked down to see crystals forming on her legs. It rapidly expanded and in less than a second, her entire body waspletely encased in crystal. A clear look of panic could be seen on Trinity¡¯s face as she was trapped inside of the crystal, unable to act. First, her own arrow was turned back against her making it so that she was rendered helpless. Now, she was once again taken out of the fight before she even had any chance to fight back. How could she not feel frustrated when she was incapable of lifting a single finger in retaliation?! Izroth used the Crystallization skill on his Crystal Sea Head Ornament to trap Trinity. Of course, he did not do so because he felt threatened by her attacks, but instead, it was to kill two birds with one stone. "Die!" One of the yers yelled as he shed out with his dagger towards Izroth. However, his dagger would never have the chance tond an attack. As soon as the four yers were within six meters of Izroth, a myriad of palms shot out in every direction. There were dozens, then hundreds, and then thousands of palms that descended down upon Trinity¡¯s group, however, there were only five true palms hidden away inside of the seemingly endless barrage of attacks. Seeing an overwhelming number of attacks headed right towards them caused the group to hesitate on their assault. How was he attacking so fast?! Izroth¡¯s first wave palm strikes hit Trinity, who was encased inside of the crystal, as well as, the four other members of her party. The reason Izroth used the Crystallization skill on Trinity was not only to prevent her from escaping but to also help activate the effect of his Myriad Elusive Palms. For every target struck by his Myriad Elusive Palms, the cooldown on the skill was reduced by four seconds. With a total cooldown of twenty seconds, this meant that as long as Izroth sessfully hit five targets, the cooldown on his Myriad Elusive Palms would always reset! Of course, there was one more reason Izroth trapped Trinity inside of the crystal. Not even half a second had not passed when the movements of the four yers who charged at Izroth came to a grinding halt. There was an extremely ugly expression on their faces as they could not activate any skills, move, or attack. But, the reason behind their gloomy expression was the fact that their bodies had begun to turn into countless particles! Trinity¡¯s face turned pale as she witnessed what happened to her four party members. Dead! They were all dead! The most terrifying thing was that she had no idea how they had died when she had been watching closely the entire time! She was encased in some kind of weird crystal and then the next thing she knew the members of her group had turned into particles. Was that even allowed? How were you supposed to fight against something like that? "Just what kind of monster did we provoke?" That was the only thing going through Trinity¡¯s mind at that moment. However, if she knew that Izroth used her to kill her own party members, how would she react? Izroth turned around and set his gaze on Trinity as soon as thest of the particles had dissipated. Trinity¡¯s heart dropped when Izroth turned to look at her. Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouette appeared directly in front of Trinity. The sight of him flickering in and out of existence caused a sense of dread to creep up on Trinity without her even realizing it. Trinity decided that the instant she was freed from her imprisonment, she would activate the Veil of Serok and escape away from this ce as fast as possible! To deal with someone like that, they would need something more than just the Veil of Serok. That guy was definitely a top yer! "I have a few questions I want to ask you. If you cooperate, I¡¯ll consider letting you go. I may even make it worth your while. However, if you attempt to escape or disappear again, then don¡¯t me me for being impolite." Izroth¡¯s narrowed his eyes as an overwhelming pressure fell upon Trinity. Even though she was in the crystal, she was not safe from the effects of Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure skill! Since Trinity was already in a state of panic and shock, Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure took effect with ease and put Trinity into a weakened state. Of course, he made sure not to overdo it as he did not want to make a mistake and kill her. After all, he had quite a few questions to ask her. "I¡¯m going to release you now so you can talk, however, if you attempt to run away or I see even the smallest sign of suspicious movements, then you¡¯ll be joining the other members of your group. Besides, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized by now that I¡¯ve already discovered how to locate you even if you¡¯re hidden." Izroth said in a calm tone. Of course, Izroth still had no way to discover Trinity¡¯s location if she used the Veil of Serok again, outside of attacking randomly, but she did not know that. After all, he managed to kill one of them while it was active, so why would she not believe him? Not to mention, she was unable to think straight given the immense amount of pressure she was feeling. Izroth released his Crystallization skill as the crystal that encased Trinity shattered into numerous pieces, freeing her from her confinement. "What do you intend to do?" Trinity said as she viciously red at Izroth in a hostile manner. But, one could see the fear that lingered within her eyes. In other words, she was doing nothing more than trying to put on a brave act. "As I said, I have a few questions for you to answer." Izroth replied. "Why should I help you? You¡¯ll just kill me once I talk, so what¡¯s the point? Just hurry up and get it over with!" Trinity scowled. If she died, then she would only lose some experience, maybe drop a piece of equipment, and have to deal with being in a weakened state for one hour. She was willing to pay that price instead of betraying the ones who sent her on this mission. So what if she had to suffer a bit because of it? In the long run, it would all be worth it in her eyes! "I see, then I suppose you leave me no other choice." Izroth said. Trinity could feel the atmosphere be increasingly tense. Should she just make a break for it and ignore the potential consequences? However, before she even had time to consider that course of action, Izroth did something that caused her to be leftpletely dumbfounded. "You-! What are you ying at?!" Trinity shouted in an angry tone when she saw what Izroth made appear before her. ... A few moments ago back at the caravan... "We¡¯re moving!" Mirage said as she rushed towards the original direction that the arrow came from. She waited for around fifteen seconds before she decided to rush off since she was still waiting for a few cooldowns toe up, however, the moment her skills were off cooldown, she did not hesitate to charge forward. "Wait a sec, we still don¡¯t know-" Midnight tried to warn Mirage that they still had no idea just who or how many people they were dealing with. When he turned around to speak to Ying Yue, she had already vanished as well! Was this a party or a free-for-all? He could only let out a helpless sigh and follow after Mirage into the forest. He began to think that he did not know what he was signing himself up for when he agreed to join this party. A bizarrebat master who often wandered off by himself, a headstrong fighter who did not think things through all the way, and a magic caster who kept to herself for the most part. Could it be that he was the only normal yer within the group? Midnight was slower than Mirage and so it took him a few extra seconds before he was finally able to catch up to her. Mirage was in the same area that Izroth was located in just a few moments ago when he confronted Trinity¡¯s group. But, there was no one around as far as Mirage could see which caused a frown to appear on her face. Did she run in the wrong direction? She could have sworn that the arrow came from this side of the forest path somewhere. "You¡¯re too reckless." Midnight stated as he released a deep sigh. "Do you notice anything strange?" Mirage asked with furrowed brows. Midnight took a moment to examine his surroundings before he nodded and responded, "If by strange you mean that a battle took ce here, then yes." He could see the scars left on the trees and ground that were created by Izroth¡¯s Tempest Strikes. From the looks of things, this fight had just happened not too long ago. If that was the case, where were the people who fought? ... Meanwhile, around thirty to forty meters away from Trinity and her group¡¯s original position... "What¡¯s going on? She¡¯ste!" A yer hidden along the forest path said. He was with a separate group of six yers that nned on attacking the caravan at Trinity¡¯s signal, however, Trinity¡¯s group had yet to make a move. The caravan should have been in total chaos by now, however, there were no signs of that. "I¡¯ve already sent her a few messages, but she¡¯s not responding to anything. Should we just attack with the other group that¡¯s waiting?" One of the yers said. "I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t get that chance." A voice came from behind the group and immediately caused them to jump in surprise. "Who-!" Before that yer could finish his sentence, he felt something cold brush past his neck. His eyes widened in shock as he looked down and saw that his hands had already started to break apart and turn into particles. He had been killed just like that! That scene caused the other five yers to be infuriated, but none of them received the chance to express themselves as that same cold feeling brushed past their necks, ending in their deaths. In the blink of an eye, all six yers were eliminated! ¡¯That makes two groups. It looks like she was telling the truth. Smart choice.¡¯ Izroth sheathed his Sword of The Storm after he finished off thest member of that group. He had extracted some interesting and unexpected information from Trinity within a short period of time. Of course, he did so by making her an offer that she could not refuse. Not only did he learn of the locations of the other two groups, which he had already eliminated, but he also found out who it was that sanctioned the attack on the caravan. Fortunately, the other two groups were much easier to find since they had an item simr to the Veil of Serok, however, it was much weaker inparison. In other words, as long as Izroth was within ten meters of the group, he could sense them without any issue. ¡¯What is it about this caravan that you want so badly? Money? Items? No, to grab your attention it has to be something much more valuable than that.¡¯ Izroth had learned a lot about factions inside of the Amaharpe pce library. One of the more notorious factions was surprisingly one he had already encountered back during his trip to the second kingdom O¡¯Tohelm toplete the first part of his SSS-ranked quest, the League of The Eidolon. The yers who were ready to attack the caravan were all members of the League of The Eidolon! In other words, it was that powerful faction that ordered the attack on the Silver Hawks Caravan. However, what did they have to gain from this? From what he knew, the League of The Eidolon made their profits through assassinations and ckmailing, not petty bandit robbery. ording to Trinity, they were just supposed to prevent the caravan from reaching its destination, that¡¯s all. He could tell that she was not lying to him, however, Izroth knew that it could not be that simple. Therefore, there was one question on his mind. ¡¯League of The Eidolon, just what are your intentions?¡¯ Chapter 290 Robinarzins Secre As Izroth made his way back towards the rear of the caravan, Ying Yue was the first member of his party that he ran into. Even though she left a bit earlier than Mirage, she still did not manage to catch up to Izroth after he took off. Ying Yue was just beginning to worry about Izroth when she finally located him on his way back towards the caravan. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that he was safe and sound. As for Mirage, she searched around blindly for a while before she gave up and sent a message to Izroth asking where he had run off to. Of course, if Midnight had not talked some sense into her then they may have wasted their time running around aimlessly for who knows how long? Izroth informed Mirage that he was currently on his way back to the caravan and that he would meet her there. However, his response only caused Mirage to send him a stream of messages with questions about what happened. Izroth shook his head inwardly at Mirage¡¯s high level of eagerness to know what happened. He could tell from the way she worded things that she wanted nothing more than to confront whoever attacked them. But, Izroth believed that it would be easier to exin things once everyone was gathered. After all, what he learned from Trinity had something to do with everyone. As Izroth made his way towards the caravan along with Ying Yue, there was a lingering silence in the air. But, surprisingly, Ying Yue was the one to take the initiative and broke that silence. "I¡¯m beginning to learn that you can be very reckless sometimes..." Ying Yue spoke in a soft tone. "Oh? Am I a thoughtless person in your eyes?" Izroth asked. Ying Yue grew flustered as she quickly replied, "I didn¡¯t mean-!" "I know." Izroth said as he gave a carefree smile. Ying Yue calmed down as she slightly pouted. She believed that Izroth took her words as an insult when she was only expressing her concern. Who would have thought that he was only teasing her? "You¡¯re bullying me." Ying Yue said in a yfully serious manner as she puffed her cheeks up. She soon found that an unexpected smile had appeared on her face. Even though she was right next to Izroth, she always felt that there was a massive and towering wall that she had to climb whenever it came to approaching him. Ever since that conversation they had within the Chaotic Dogma Realm and the answer he gave to her question, she thought that maybe... A few momentster, Izroth and Ying Yue arrived at the caravan. Mirage and Midnight were already there waiting for their return. "Where did you run off to?" Mirage questioned as she frowned. "I went to greet a few unexpected guests. Though, it seems we have a bigger issue at hand." Izroth replied. He then exined what took ce inside of the forest area, as well as, informed his party members about the information he obtained from Trinity. By the time he was finished, everyone had confused yet thoughtful expressions on their face. "Given the situation, are you sure that the information you received can be trusted? It could be a ploy to drive a wedge between us and the caravan." Midnight stated. "It can be trusted. I have no doubts about the authenticity of it." Izroth responded. With his heightened senses and personal experience, Izroth could easily tell if someone was lying or not. Unless Trinity could control her reactions and attitude to a near-perfect level, there was no way that she would be able to sneak a lie past him. As for how he got Mirage to willing give up so much information, well, this was a secret of his. "League of The Eidolon? Never heard of them. But from what you¡¯ve just told us, they sound like a pretty shady group to me." Mirage said. After Izroth and his party discussed a few matters, Midnight brought up the question on everyone¡¯s mind. "How are we going to confront Robin?" Midnight asked. However, no one answered his question immediately. There were numerous things that could go wrong if they confronted Robin to find out the truth. The first was the most obvious of scenarios where they get kicked from guarding the caravan and automatically fail the quest. By doing this, they not only risked losing experience points but a rare item as well! Therge majority of casual yers were only able to get their hands on umon items and a very small percentage were lucky enough to acquire a rare item. After all, not everyone had Izroth¡¯s insane luck when it came to obtaining quests that provided such luxurious rewards. There was also the mystery reward that they would get which was bound to be something good. The second was that Robin and the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan would be hostile towards them. While they were not afraid of a fight with the weak caravan members, it held the same end result as the first scenario. In other words, they would gain no benefits from doing so. Maybe it would just be better if they did not dig too deep and guarded the caravan as they were supposed to, but, in the end, it was up to the quest holder herself to decide what course of action they should take. Even though Izroth was curious about the League of The Eidolon¡¯s intentions, he would respect Mirage¡¯s decision since it was a quest that she invited him to. Midnight and Ying Yue felt the same way and decided that the choice should be left to Mirage who was the main quest holder. But, given her personality, Izroth and the others already knew what her choice was going to be. "We¡¯re going to get some answers!" Mirage said without the slightest bit of hesitation. Of course, Mirage wanted to get to the bottom of things and not be left in the dark. Besides, she did not believe that Robin had the luxury of kicking her party out of the caravan, especially with the increasing monster attacks and the impending dangers of bandit attacks. Not to mention, the atmosphere between the other two parties was extremely tense and it looked as if a fight could break out at any moment. Could Robin truly afford to not have their party around? A few momentster, Izroth and Mirage arrived at Robin¡¯s carriage. She figured that just in case anything happened while they were gone, Midnight and Ying Yue would be there to properly guard the rear of the caravan. Since Izroth was the one who originally acquired the information, it only made sense that he came along with her to confront Robin. A personal guard who was assigned to Robin¡¯s carriage noticed Izroth and Mirage approaching which caused a frown to appear on his face. "You two are assigned to protect the rear of the caravan. Why are you abandoning your post?" The guard said in a stern tone. Compared to the rest of the caravan members, the guard was a powerhouse. Though to call him a guard was not entirely urate. Even when there was a rush of monsters and bandits, he did not act. Even when that arrow came close to hitting Robin he did not make a move. So, could one truly call him a personal guard? However, if he was not guarding the caravan or Robin himself, then why was he even here? There was one thing about the guard that made Izroth take a bit of interest in him and that was what appeared next to his name. It was the first time Izroth was close enough to view his information. NPC Name: Jyuuriel, Crimson Corps Guards Trainee Candidate(Elite) NPC Level: 40 NPC Knowledge Level: 25.37 NPC HP: ??? (100%) The Crimson Corps Guards! There were no more than one hundred members of the official Crimson Corps Guards. To even qualify to be a member, an individual had to endure torturous training with no guarantee that they would make the cut. Jyuuriel was only a trainee candidate. This meant that he, a level 40 elite NPC, had not even been epted as a trainee! By this, one could only imagine the strength of a true Crimson Corps Guards member. ¡¯His knowledge level is the second highest I¡¯vee across.¡¯ Jyuuriel was the first NPC, excluding Orion, that Izroth observed who had a higher knowledge level than Kaz, Orion¡¯s assistant. While it was stillcking whenpared to his own knowledge level, he could be considered a genius next to the average NPC. "We want to speak with Robin!" Mirage responded. "If you want to speak with the person in charge at the time, then you will have to speak with Lyn. No one is allowed to disturb the vice-leader while he¡¯s inside his carriage." Jyuuriel stated. "We don¡¯t want the second in charge, we want to talk to Robin! He¡¯s hiding something and we intend to find out what that is!" Mirage said without backing down. Jyuuriel narrowed his eyes as he looked at Mirage. However, as soon as his gaze was set upon Mirage, his eyes widened slightly as he instantly shifted his attention to the right side area behind Mirage. It was there that he saw a young man who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties with a carefree smile on his face. Of course, that young man was Izroth. Even though he had a carefree expression, Jyuuriel could feel a dangerous auraing from him, however, it soon disappeared. But, the feeling itself caused Jyuuriel to be somewhat guarded. Just as the situation was bing a bit awkward, the door to the carriage opened and Robin stepped out with a friendly smile on his face. "Come now, Jyuuriel. If my young friends want to talk, I can spare some time for them." Robin said. However, Izroth and Mirage noticed something strange about Robin. For some reason, it looked as if he had aged at least a decade sincest they saw him! Jyuuriel nced at Robin before his gaze returned to Izroth. "Understood." Jyuuriel said as he returned to his previous position next to the carriage. "Come, my young friends." Robin said as he gestured for Izroth and Mirage to join him in the carriage. Mirage was a bit startled at first that Robin was so willing to speak with them, however, she looked over at Izroth who gave a small nod before she entered into the carriage. Izroth followed in after Mirage as the carriage door closed behind him. The inside of the carriage was more spacious than it looked on the outside. The interior decoration was simple yetfortable as though it were specifically made for extended periods of travel. Robin took a seat on the opposite end of the carriage facing towards Izroth and Mirage. Not too long after they entered into the carriage, it began to move as the caravan had finally became reorganized after thest attack. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?" Robin asked being the first to break the silence. "We want to know what¡¯s going on. The constant monster attacks, the secretive behavior, and why a group like the League of The Eidolon wants to stop this caravan from reaching its destination." Mirage said. An expression of shock appeared on Robinarzin¡¯s face when Mirage mentioned the League of The Eidolon and it was soon reced with a troubled look. "League of The Eidolon... I see, then I am already toote. I was careless. Truly careless." Robinarzin released a deep sigh. "Careless?" Mirage questioned. "Look, if you want to continue keeping us in the dark then you can just forget about-" Mirage was speaking when Robinarzin cut her off. "I do not have much time left. If the League of The Eidolon is already aware of the existence of this caravan, then I¡¯m afraid my mission has already failed." Robinarzin said with a darkened facial expression. He then continued, "My young friends, I¡¯m afraid I have not been honest with you. It may be shameless of me to choose this moment to tell you the truth, however, I am but one man. One desperate man." Robinarzin had a look of defeat in his eyes as if he had been consumed by the troubles that gued him. He removed a ne from his neck with a green crystal attached to it. "This is crystal is known as the Truth Seeker Gem. Where Ie from, they are extremely rare and difficult toe by. This has always allowed me to peer into the thoughts and hearts of those around me. Some remain dark and others remain free of worldly burdens. But, only I carry the truth. Indeed, it is a great weight to carry on one¡¯s shoulders." Robinarzin stated. Mirage had no idea what Robinarzin was going on about, however, she could tell that there was something eating away at him from the inside. Izroth, on the other hand, paid close attention to Robinarzin and the words he spoke. ¡¯The Truth Seeker Gem is only found in one ce and is never allowed into the hands of its citizens, let alone to leave its borders. But then that would mean...¡¯ "From the moment we¡¯ve met, I have heard nothing but the truth leave your mouths. Such a trait is rare amongst ones of your age." Robinarzin said. After engaging in a conversation with Izroth and Mirage for a while, a look of certainty seemed to sh within Robinarzin¡¯s eyes. While there was still a bit of hesitation, he no longer had the luxury of dying the matter any further. He had made his choice. "I am not Robinarzin, vice-leader of the Silver Hawks Merchants Caravan. My full name is Robinarzin Tempest. I am the second prince of the kingdom Tempest." ¡¯Just as I thought...¡¯ The Truth Seeker Gem was a highly guarded and strictly circted resource of the Tempest royal family. They would never allow it to fall into the hands of some nobody. From what Izroth knew, Tempest was enemies with both Amaharpe and Proximus! So then, what was its second prince doing within Proximus borders? More importantly, why was there a Crimson Corps Guards trainee candidate, an individual loyal to Amaharpe, traveling with him? Just when Izroth thought that he had a general idea of what was going on, he had this dropped in front of him. But, if what Robinarzin said was true, then... ¡¯Thisplicates things.¡¯ Chapter 291 How Much Would It Cost For A Kingdom To Betray The World? At this point, Izroth was already tied to Amaharpe given that he held the Protector of Amaharpe title and had a good rtionship with certain individuals like Gear. Not to mention, his Mystical Realm Pce was located in its capital city! Amaharpe and Proximus had been close allies since the end of the Seventh War of the Titans, the same war that made Amaharpe and Tempest blood enemies. After all, both sides had lost tens of thousands of people during that long and grueling war filled with bloodshed. Although Amaharpe won the war, in the end, neither side ever forgave the other for the losses they suffered. Therefore, the second prince of Tempest, who was supposed to have an undying amount of hatred towards Amaharpe, being escorted through Proximus territory by a trainee candidate of the Crimson Corps Guards created an unusual situation that could only mean one of two things. The first was that there were traitors amongst the Crimson Corps Guards. However, Izroth had read about the strict requirements and extensive tests, as well as, background checks when it came to selecting members of the Crimson Corps Guards. With that in mind, Izroth ruled this out for the time being. But, Izroth understood that there was no such thing as a wless organization that could never be infiltrated, especially in a world of magic like RML. So even though he put that thought aside, for now, he did notpletely dismiss it. The second was that Robinarzin of Tempest had betrayed his own kingdom. If the League of The Eidolon was after him then that would certainly exin why. After all, how humiliating would it be for a kingdom like Tempest if they had to endure their own second prince openly switching sides? They would be theughing stock to all their enemies and the overall morale of their kingdom would suffer. Rather than let something like that happen, it made more sense for them to use a faction like the League of The Eidolon to assassinate Robin before he could reach safety. It would also exin how Robin managed to cross both Amaharpe and Proximus borders without being stopped. However, all of this only formed more questions for Izroth. ¡¯He¡¯s willing to put his life into the hand of his own enemies. What could cause one man to be so desperate?¡¯ There was also one more thing that bothered Izroth through this entire conversation. "For thest decade, Tempest has been at its peak in terms of wealth, influence, and power. Why choose this period of time to journey away from your kingdom?" Izroth asked. There was a book in the pce library about the "Prosperity Age" of Tempest which started a decade ago. They were not involved in any wars or chaos and the overall happiness of their citizens was at an all-time high. It even mentioned that the Tempest that existed before the Seventh War of the Titans was not as prosperous as the current Tempest. "Young friend, it appears you are well informed on what takes ce in my Tempest." Robin said as he closely examined Izroth. "I happen to know a few things, that¡¯s all." Izroth replied in a carefree manner. At this point, Mirage felt as if she were just along for the ride as she could not follow most of Izroth and Robin¡¯s conversation. However, she could not be med. After all, most yers could spend weeks reading the information on the Amaharpe pce library¡¯s first floor and yet Izroth had read the books on the first and second floors in just a handful of hours. But, she was notpletely ignorant as to what was going on. For one, she understood that there was a chance that this entire quest was doomed to fail. "Wait, what about the other members of the caravan? Do they know?" Mirage questioned. From the way everyone moved about and acted in a professional manner, they all seemed to be real merchants. Robin, however, shook his head and said, "Besides the two of you, the only other person aware of my true identity is Jyuuriel. As for everyone else, they truly believe that I am Robinarzin, a vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. A small bit of preparation is all it took. Since we¡¯ve already reached a point of no return, I suppose it¡¯s only right that the two of you know the full truth." Robin removed a small transparent style bracelet that was around his wrist. For a brief moment, his entire body was engulfed by dark purple energy and a few secondster, there was apletely different man that sat across from them! This man had long azure hair that stopped halfway down his back, piercing silver eyes, a handsome appearance, and a birthmark of a swirling vortex of wind that resembled a hurricane formed on his right cheek. That birthmark was azure in color and was something that all members of the Tempest royal family were naturally born with. "This is my true appearance." A voice that sounded calm and yet full of authority at the same time left that man¡¯s mouth. Even the sound of his voice was different! Of course, that man was the same Robinarzin, however, he was now his true self. ¡¯I see, it¡¯s something simr to Ying Yue¡¯s Alter trinket. Though, it¡¯s obviously many times moreplex.¡¯ Izroth felt that as the second prince of Tempest, Robinarzin should not possess such a low knowledge level of 7.25. But, after Robinarzin removed that bracelet around his wrist, Izroth saw a more urate representation of the second prince. NPC Name: Robinarzin Tempest, Second Prince of the Fourth Kingdom Tempest(Elite) NPC Level: 40 NPC Knowledge Level: 155.30 NPC HP: ??? (100%) Robin¡¯s previous knowledge level that was at a mere 7.25 had soared all the way to 155.30! That was more than twice that of Izroth¡¯s own Knowledge Level! However, as a second prince, Robinarzin most likely had ess to a high level of education and was provided with the best resources. Not to mention, Knowledge Level was not just about one¡¯s understanding of books, but their understanding of the world and its workings. But, it was still nowhere near close to that of Orion¡¯s. Robin ced the transparent bracelet back onto his wrist as he resumed his previous appearance. "Amazing..." Mirage said with a look of disbelief in her eyes. It was the first time she witnessed someone alter their appearance within RML. Though this was due to the fact that she was currently unaware of Ying Yue¡¯s trinket, Alter. "Now that you know the truth, I have a favor to ask of the two of you." Robin said with a serious expression on his face. He held the Truth Seeker Gem out in the palm of his hand. He then continued, "However, I must ask that you make me a promise. No matter what happens, you must not disclose what I am about to tell you to anyone you do not fully trust. Promise me before the Truth Seeker Gem." Izroth and Mirage looked at the Truth Seeker Gem and said without hesitation, "I promise." The Truth Seeker Gem remained unchanged in appearance which was a sign that those before it spoke the truth. Robinarzin smiled as he said, "Indeed, your youth is not lost on you as it is many others." After taking a moment to collect himself, Robin sped his hands together as he rested his elbows on his knees with his brows furrowed. "There exists a secret. A secret that if ever discovered would, without a doubt, bring about the Eighth War of the Titans." Robin stated. The Eighth War of the Titans? Every single War of the Titans was a world-changing event with a tremendous amount of bloodshed that forever remained a stain on the history of the Mortal Realm. "Young friend, you asked me earlier why I chose to leave my kingdom at the highest peak of its prosperity. The reason is that I love Tempest. It¡¯s my kingdom, my home. I would willingly give my life to protect it and bare any humiliation or suffering. However, the truth will always find its way from the darkness to the light. What my father has done, what my elder brother intends to continue, it must be stopped no matter the cost. Even if I have to bebeled a traitor in the eyes of my people. This is a burden I would dly carry alone." Robin said. He then continued, "In this world, there have only been two catastrophic events that nearly led to the end of existence as we know it. The first was the Undying Maelstrom that swept through the world long ago as it rained down destruction and chaos. Hundreds of millions of lives were lost because of this and until this day, we still do not know how or why it stopped." "The second is much more recent and clear in our minds. The eternal darkness that descended upon the world that eventually caused the divine beings to interfere. The vile creatures who are without a soul, the Shadahi. Tell me, how much would it cost for a kingdom to betray the world?" Robin stated. Izroth listened to Robin¡¯s words with a sense of foreboding. ¡¯It can¡¯t be that...¡¯ "Around ten years ago, a hole in space appeared within the borders of Tempest. It led to a ce thought to be impossible to reach from the Mortal Realm. A destend of darkness with a stench of death." Robin exined. "It did not take my father long to investigate and find out that it was what we know as the Shadahi Realm. Instead of seeing this as a potential disaster, my father saw this as an opportunity; a fool¡¯s opportunity. For years, Tempest has always been one or two steps behind Amaharpe. To my father, this was a chance. A chance to finally ovee all the enemies of Tempest. However-" As Robin spoke, out of nowhere, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense sounded a rush of rm bells in his mind. Something wasing. "Down!" Izroth warned as he lowered his own head and dragged down Mirage along with him. As for Robin, he reacted quickly as he also lowered his head. Znnnnnnnnng...! Swoosh! There was a brief period of eerie silence, however, one could slowly see long cuts form horizontally along the carriage. BOOM! A loud explosion sounded throughout the surroundings as the top half of the carriage was sliced clean off! The force behind the attack caused the carriage to shake violently and a deep imprint was left on the ground in front of it. If they had ducked even a secondter, that could have very well been their heads! ¡¯A sword?¡¯ Izroth saw how smooth the outer edges of the carriage was after it was cut in half. The technique used was simr to the Tempest Strikes of his Sword of The Storm, however, it was more violent by nature. "We¡¯re under attack! Everyone to your positions!" Lynmanded as the caravan members rushed into action. However, a look of despair could be seen on their faces. They had just survived a wave of monster attacks not too long ago and now they were being attacked again! "The carriage!" Midnight saw the top half of the carriage get destroyed from a distance and immediately began to head over as he summoned his Duality Hare totem to increase his speed. As for Ying Yue, she wasted no time moving when she heard the loud explosion near the carriage. Jyuuriel stood before the carriage with a cold look in his eyes as his gaze was set on the forest area in the direction that the attack came from. A small cut could be seen on his cheek as blood trickled down his face. "Once we retrieve it, one of us will finally be able to die." A cloaked figure said in a stern tone. However, even though that cloaked figure said "we", there was no one else around them. That cloaked figured had a greatsword that he wielded using only one hand. The greatsword was ck in color and looked worn out with many chips and blemishes in its de as if it had been taken into countless battles. However, there was a faint mysterious energy that epassed its massive de. "I¡¯ve already told you, I don¡¯t want to die." A voice that sounded fragile replied. But, the strange thing about this voice was that it came from the same cloaked figure! "If you want to die so badly, I believe we can help you with that!" Switch To Kill, the leader of the party at the front of the caravan said. Normally, he would not have been so quick to confront an enemy, but after he witnessed the power of that greatsword, he wanted it for himself! If they killed that person, then there was a good chance that greatsword would drop. "No one interfere with our fight! Otherwise, you¡¯ll be offending my Headhunter Syndicate!" Switch To Kill said loud enough for the surrounding yers to hear. Chapter 292 All It Took Was One Strike! ¡¯Headhunter Syndicate?¡¯ Izroth had a brief run-in with a few members of the Headhunter Syndicate back when he first met Zi Yi and Guan Yu. But, besides that, he had note across any other members of the Headhunter Syndicate. However, considering the quality of the members he saw so far, he was not impressed. Although he was not well informed when it came to the various guilds and theirplex rtionships with one another, Izroth knew that the Headhunter Syndicate had recently imed a spot as one of the top ten guilds within RML. With power or influence oftenes arrogance and Switch To Kill was a prime example. From the equipment he wore, it only took a nce to see that he was no one important within the Headhunter Syndicate. At most, he was a new member who used the guild¡¯s name to strut around and unt his mediocre authority. Izroth inwardly shook his head as he observed Switch To Kill¡¯s level of eagerness. That cloaked figure was not just some ordinary individual. The fact that he was able topletely hide from Izroth¡¯s monstrous range of perception just moments before heunched an attack was already an amazing feat. While Izroth could not see any information about the cloaked figure with that strange greatsword from his current position, he knew without a doubt that Switch To Kill and his party was no match. Not to mention, there was something that seemed off about that cloaked figure. ¡¯Fool.¡¯ Switch To Kill held out his hands as a greatsword appeared within them. Its appearance was nothing impressive and without any kind of aura around it, one could tell that it was most likely an umon ranked weapon. The other members of his party followed his lead and took up an offensive position against the cloaked figure. "You will kill me?" The cloaked figure asked. "Sure, I¡¯ll help you out. Just stay right there and..." Switch To Kill charged forward as he tightened his grip on his greatsword. "Die!" Switch To Kill roared as he lifted his greatsword over his head and mmed it down right towards the cloaked figure without mercy. At the same time, the magic caster in his party cast a spell called Earth Bindings. Swoosh! A bundle of vines rushed up from the ground and shot towards the cloaked figure. The timing of the two attacks was perfectly in-synch and the cloaked figure had nowhere to hide or retreat! Hmmmn... The cloaked figure¡¯s greatsword released a small vibration as a purple mark crescent appeared on the top area of the greatsword¡¯s de. Swoosh! Just as the vines of the magic caster¡¯s Earth Bindings skill was about to reach the cloaked figure, they abruptly halted before changing course. The vines then shot right towards Switch To Kill! Switch To Kill had a startled look on his face as the vines wrapped around his body andpletely immobilized him. It stopped his greatsword that was mere centimeters away from striking the cloaked figure. "You idiot! Where are you aiming your spell?!" Switch To Killshed out at the magic caster. The magic caster¡¯s face turned pale when his spell hit Switch To Kill, however, he was confused. He was sure that he aimed his spell towards the cloaked figure! ¡¯That greatsword...¡¯ "Mirage! Izroth! Are you two alright?!" Midnight called out as he approached the broken carriage. When he saw that everyone was unharmed, he released a small sigh of relief. Even though he knew that those two were more than capable of handling themselves, he felt the tremors caused by that explosion all the way at the rear of the caravan! Whatever attack was used to cause such a hugemotion had to be extremely powerful! Ying Yue emerged from the ground next to Midnight. Although she arrived before him, after seeing that Izroth and Mirage were okay, she stayed hidden until his arrival. She felt a bit embarrassed at having reached the carriage so quickly after the attack even though Izroth and Mirage were unharmed. Therefore, she could only wait for Midnight to show up before she revealed herself. "Heh, how sweet of you to worry." Mirage said in a yful manner with a smirk on her face. "Who¡¯s worried? I thought you may have smashed the carriage out of anger." Midnight replied. "You- Do you think I¡¯m some sort of brute?" Mirage scoffed. "No, not at all." Midnight responded in a serious tone. "Why don¡¯t I believe you when you say it that way?" Mirage narrowed her eyes. She then turned her attention back towards the battle going on between Switch To Kill¡¯s party and the cloaked figure. "What¡¯s happening?" Midnight asked as he looked over towards the fight as well. Though to call it a fight was a bit much. It waspletely one-sided! The fight continued with Switch To Kill and his party struggling tond a single solid blow on the cloaked figure. As time passed by, Switch To Kill had a look of frustration on his face. His greatsword was engulfed by a yellow aura as he mmed it into the ground sending a shockwave crashing in the cloaked figure¡¯s direction. Hmmmn... A fifth purple crescent appeared on the cloaked figure¡¯s greatsword as the shockwave reversed itself and crashed into Switch To Kill. "How...!" Switch To Kill¡¯s frustration was slowly turning into dread. No matter what action he or his party took, it was as if they were unable to put a dent in that cloaked figure¡¯s HP! There was also the headache of having their crowd control abilities rendered useless. Switch To Kill was stunned in ce by the shockwave. Before he knew it, a ck greatsword was descending upon him. "Why won¡¯t you kill me?" The cloaked figure asked as the five crescents that ran down their greatsword started to fade away. At the same time, a purple hue filled the surrounding fifty meters. While the light itself was not harmful, one could feel the killing intent hidden within it. The sound of a small ring could be heard, but everything else within fifty meters was in total silence. When anyone tried to talk, there were no words that came out of their mouth. ¡¯Is this some kind of magic?¡¯ Midnight summoned the Gaia Avis and Brilliant Regnouda totems immediately after that purple hue appeared. He had no idea what that purple hue did, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry. Fortunately, it did not cause any damage. At least, not to them. A few secondster, the purple hue disappeared and the purple crescents that formed on the cloaked figure¡¯s greatsword had vanished. When everyone looked towards that cloaked figure, they realized that Switch To Kill, along with his party members, were nowhere to be found. They had disappeared into thin air! However, one could see a stream of particles drift away into the air. There were exactly six streams of particles, the same amount as the number of people in Switch To Kill¡¯s party. All six of them had been killed! That cloaked figure had just killed off an entire party of yers and all it took was one strike! "Loud bark, small bite." Qi Jiguang said as he shook his head at the fate of Switch To Kill and his party. Qi Jiguang, who observed the entire battle from a distance with his party, had a serious look in his eyes. He understood a few things about that cloaked figure¡¯s abilities from having watched the fight, however, understanding it and knowing how to counter it was two different things. He could not help but think that if that were him fighting, could he have found a way around that death? Mirage, Ying Yue, and Midnight all had stunned expressions on their face. One strike! All it took was one strike! "Hey, be serious, they just got one shot. This isn¡¯t some kind of legendary boss is it?" Midnight muttered to himself in disbelief. "How do you even fight something like that?" Mirage said as she frowned. While she was never one to shy away from a challenge, she knew that there was a clear difference between bravery and stupidity. Robin had a grave expression on his face as he looked towards Jyuuriel. However, Jyuuriel had his gaze locked onto the cloaked figure. There was a cold look in his eyes and it looked as if he wanted to tear that person to shreds, but there was something that prevented him from taking action. Robin shook his head as he knew that he could not depend on Jyuuriel. After all, Jyuuriel was given strict orders to follow and to break those orders would mean throwing away any chance at ever bing a Crimson Corps Guard Trainee. Izroth, on the other hand, had a calm and carefree expression on his face. He stood up from within the carriage and jumped out of it. The members of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan were all terrified. They quivered as they hid behind the long thin wooden shields. What kind of terrible monster were they facing now? They knew the Tiger¡¯s Mouth was a dangerous ce, however, wasn¡¯t this a bit much? Why was it that this trip was showered in misfortune? Qi Jiguang furrowed his brows as he saw Izroth jump out of the carriage and watched as he began to approach the cloaked figure. "Does he want to die? Did he not just see that attack?" One of Qi Jiguang¡¯s party membersmented. "What is he thinking? Can it be that he has a n?" Qi Jiguang said to himself. To go in without a n would be akin to suicide at this point. Qi Jiguang and his party were not the only ones in shock, Ying Yue, Mirage, Robin, and Midnight were also surprised by Izroth¡¯s rash actions. Mirage had witnessed Izroth¡¯s strength firsthand, but this was something entirely different. It was the first time she saw a six-yer party annihted in a single strike. That cloaked figure was obviously nothing like those creatures back at the zing Temple. "We¡¯re going too!" Mirage said as she leaped out of the carriage and followed after Izroth along with Ying Yue. "Reckless bunch...!" Midnight scowled. However, even though he said those words, he still joined Izroth and the others. Izroth stopped around ten meters away from the cloaked figure. Even from his current distance, he was unable to see any information about the cloaked figure. However, this was not unusual considering that cloaked individuals, be they yers or NPCs, usually had their information hidden by the system by default. This was likely the case for the cloaked figure in front of him as well. "What¡¯s your purpose for attacking this caravan?" Izroth asked in a casual manner. Since the target of that cloaked figure¡¯s attack was Robin¡¯s carriage, Izroth already had a general idea of what they were here to do. Nevertheless, he still chose to ask since it appeared that the cloaked figure was capable of holding a dialogue. "Hm? Attack? But, I haven¡¯t attacked any caravan." The cloaked figure said in a fragile tone. "Surely your memory isn¡¯t that bad! You attacked that carriage and you dare say you haven¡¯t attacked the caravan?!" Mirage said as she pointed to the carriage with its top half missing. "Fool, I attacked the caravan." The cloaked figure said, but this time, the tone of their voice was stern. "Wha-" Mirage was speechless. What was with this person? First, they imed they did not attack the caravan and now they admit to attacking it! Plus, why did their voice suddenly change tones? It was almost as if two different people were talking. "Hey, there¡¯s something off about this creep. I don¡¯t know what it is, but they¡¯re definitely giving off some weird vibes." Mirage stated. However, while the others were still confused and questioning the sanity of the cloaked figure, Izroth chose to take a different approach. "I¡¯m curious, what are your names? Or, do the two of you share a single name?" Izroth asked. But, when those words left his mouth, everyone looked at him as if he was the one who had now gone insane. Two? Where did he see two? There was only one person there! Chapter 293 Faceless One Even though Izroth was unable to view any information from the system about the cloaked figure, it was obvious that they were not a mindless creature from the way they answered questions. The answers the cloaked figure gave seemed to be all over the ce and often made no sense, however, Izroth made an unusual discovery. The cloaked figure turned their attention towards Izroth and replied, "You see it too? You have the eyes?" "Yes, I can see it. Is that significant?" Izroth responded. Of course, he could not actually see anything and he had no idea what the cloaked figure meant by "having the eyes", but he decided to y along for the time being. After all, if that cloaked figure was from the League of The Eidolon, they were a much bigger threat than the likes of Trinity and her group. "See? See what?" Mirage said in a baffled tone. "I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re talking about, but it seems like Izroth¡¯s got their attention." Midnight stated. "Significant? Yes, significant... He has the eyes, maybe he can help us." The cloaked figured muttered to themselves in a fragile tone. "Hmph, how can he have the eyes? Think, you fool, he¡¯s just a human. How can he see a faceless one? Let¡¯s just kill him." The cloaked figure said in a stern tone. ¡¯Faceless one?¡¯ Woosh! Without any warning, the cloaked figure shed outward with their greatsword. A sharp and thin de of energy ten meters wide was generated by the greatsword in their hand as it traveled forward at exceptional speeds. However, it was not aimed at Izroth or his party, but rather the merciless attack was being directed towards the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan members! The members of the caravan faces turned pale as they felt a powerful killing intent wash over them. They sensed that in the face of that attack, the shields in front of them might as well be paper! "Omega-!" Qi Jiguang said, however, before he could even speak, there was already a circr shield that flew right past him and towards the members of the caravan. "Already on it." A voice sounded from next to Qi Jiguang. The shield stopped in front of the caravan members and levitated in midair. But, how was one shield supposed to stop such a vicious attack? Wooomp! All of a sudden, the shield shook slightly as a semi-transparent protective dome formed fifteen meters around the shield guarding the members of the caravan inside. Bang! Crrrrrrk! The attack from the cloaked figure collided with the protective dome and formed cracks throughout its entire structure. But, in the end, it was unable to break through the dome. "They managed to put cracks in my Shield of Pacification already?" The yer next to Qi Jiguang had a frown on his face. He had ck hair that was a bit wild in its style, dark brown eyes, and had a slightly bulky build. He wore fully ted armor and had a one-handed battle axe at the side of his waist. He went by the name Omega and was the tank of Qi Jiguang¡¯s party. He was also the one who protected the members of the caravan. They had already lost two of the caravan members during the wave of monster attacks and could not afford to lose anyone else. Given the fact that Omega¡¯s Shield of Pacification was nearly shattered after one attack, that entire row of caravan members would have been killed off just now if he did not intervene! After all, the average level of the caravan members was only between 20-25 and their HP value was a joke at best. While they may be able to survive a few monster or bandit attacks, that cloaked figure was a different story. ¡¯I guess they¡¯re done talking.¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a strong gust of wind blew out from around him. While he was ready to intervene and attempt to parry off the attack, he saw that Qi Jiguang¡¯s party had it under control. "You can leave the safety of the caravan members to us." Qi Jiguang said in a tone of confidence. Even though he wanted to face that cloaked figure, he was more interested to see Izroth in battle. He may have caught glimpses of him fighting when the wave of monsters attacked, but it was only that, a glimpse. He wanted to see just how right or wrong his instincts about Izroth turned out to be. Izroth looked over towards Qi Jiguang and gave a slight nod. If he did not have to worry about protecting the caravan, then that removed a lot of restrictions that would have otherwise been ced on his attacks. "Hey, there¡¯s only four of them and they don¡¯t even have a tank. Are you sure we shouldn¡¯t switch roles?" Omega questioned. "They made a move before us, therefore, it¡¯s only right that we let them have a shot at it first. Of course, if they fail, then it¡¯ll undoubtedly be our turn to fight." Qi Jiguang replied in a calm manner. "I guess we¡¯re really doing this." Midnight said as he called back his Duality Hare totem and summoned the Mighty Magnarvos totem in its ce. Along with his Gaia Avis and Brilliant Regnouda totems, Midnight moved to a safer position. "Looks like it. If they really want a fight, then let¡¯s give them one!" Mirage said as a current of electricity appeared around her body. Ying Yue chanted a few words as the surrounding earth began to tremble. A few momentster, four pirs of stone with strange magic markings carved onto them emerged from beneath the ground. The pirs of stone formed a square around her party, as well as, the cloaked figure. "Refrain from using any skills with crowd control effects. Any attacks with crowd control will only end up being reversed by that greatsword of theirs." Izroth cautioned everyone. No crowd control? They were alreadycking a tank and now they could not use any crowd control skills as well? What was next, no looking in the cloaked figure¡¯s general direction? "I thought something was strange about that weapon. It¡¯s going to be a bit tricky without any crowd control. Can you manage?" Midnight said with his question being directed towards Izroth. Since they did not have a tank to draw in the focus of the cloaked figure, then the person with the highest damage was next in line to face the brunt of the attacks. "I¡¯ll manage." Izroth said as he dashed towards the cloaked figure with Mirage trailing behind him. "Do you also want to kill me?" The cloaked figure said in a fragile tone. "Then, you can die as well." The cloaked figure¡¯s voice grew cold as they rushed forward to meet Izroth head-on! Ding! ?Parried? (-1,634) -432 +167 +365 Izroth was forced back by the attack and slid two meters back from the strong impact of the sh. He chose to face the first attack head-on in order to gauge the basic strength behind the cloaked figure¡¯s attacks. ¡¯What high attack power.¡¯ Thanks to Midnight¡¯s Gaia Avis, Izroth gained a 10% increase to his physical and magical resistance. With that being added to his normal resistance stats, he negated 30% of all physical and magical damage even if he did not defend against an attack. But, even with that damage reduction, along with a sessful parry, as well as, his normal defensive stat, that cloaked figure was capable of shattering the overheal shield provided by Midnight¡¯s Brilliant Regnouda and still deal damage to him. That shield was equal to 20% of his total HP! Even though the leftover damage was not much and his HP was immediately restored to full thanks to Midnight¡¯s totems, Izroth understood that the cloaked figure had only used a simple basic attack. Therefore, he could only imagine the potential amount of damage of that thin de of energy the cloaked figure used just moments ago when theyunched an attack towards the caravan. Although Izroth was struck by the attack, he did not allow the cloaked figure to get away unscathed. -2,416 -237 In that split moment after Izroth parried the cloaked figure¡¯s greatsword, his Sword of The Storm swiftly shot out and cut them just before he was forced back. However, he was a little surprised with how quickly the cloaked figure reacted to his sudden attack. Izroth went straight for their neck, but they managed to shift their position at thest possible moment to avoid a critical hit. ¡¯Interesting.¡¯ The skill Izroth used was called sh Counter. It was one of the skills he created during the wave of monster attacks the caravan faced. He immediately maxed the skill out after learning it, using some of the skill points that he had not touched for quite some time. Skill Name: sh Counter Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: After the user sessfully evades, blocks, or parries an attack, the user¡¯s next basic attack with a sword ignores any attack speed restrictions or cooldowns. This attack deals 125% of the user¡¯s attack as damage and increases the chance of on-hit effects urring by 100% of their original values. Cooldown: 20 seconds While sh Counter was not a part of the Way of The Heavenly Sword and its ten sword forms, it allowed Izroth¡¯s attacks to be more unpredictable by nature. Not to mention the fact that it also increased the chance of on-hit effects like his Blood Stigma by 100%! This meant that when he used sh Counter, instead of a 10% chance of activating Blood Stigma, it was increased to 20%! There was something else that Izroth walked away with during that brief exchange. He finally got close enough to view the information of that cloaked figure provided by the system. NPC Name: Faceless One(???) NPC Level: 43 NPC Faction: League of The Eidolon NPC Knowledge Level: Unstable(1-20) NPC HP: ??? (89%) ¡¯Unstable?¡¯ It was the first time Izroth saw unstable listed next to one¡¯s knowledge level. It was also the first time he came across a range for one¡¯s knowledge level. However, he did not find it bizarre considering how the cloaked figure acted in general. Another thing he managed to confirm was that the cloaked figure, or Faceless One as the system showed them to be, was indeed a member of the League of The Eidolon! Just as Izroth was slightly pushed back by the Faceless One¡¯s attack and sessfullynded his sh Counter, along with having the effect of his Blood Stigma activate, Mirage came rushing in from the side. Her fist soared through the air as a strong electric current flowed around it. Bang! -2,037 Mirage¡¯s fist connected with the Faceless One¡¯s shoulder, but just as she was about to follow up with her next attack, she felt a powerful force m into her body that sent her flying sideways! Fortunately, she managed to shift her position just before she was hit. She lifted her knee up behind her forearm and used it to reinforce her guard. In doing so, she was able to guard against the greatsword using her armguards. Like blocking and parrying, guarding also reduced the amount of damage a yer would receive. For those with shields, blocking was their main source of damage reduction. For those with weapons like swords and spears, parrying was the most convenient method. But, for those without weapons or shields, like Mirage who was a fighter-type ss, guarding was their way of defending against attacks. In terms of damage reduction, it was slightly better than parrying but still quite far away from blocking with an actual shield. ?Guarded? (-1,824) -536 Mirage was lifted off her feet and sent nearly four meters away, twice that of what Izroth experienced. However, shended safely on her feet and stopped herself from sliding back any further. "How can he swing that thing around so freely with one hand?" Mirage said as she furrowed her brows. Usually, when wielding a greatsword, it required a person to use two hands due to its weight and size. However, that Faceless One was swinging that greatsword in their hand around as if it was a light twig they found on the side of the road! "So you all want to kill me? How cruel..." The Faceless One said in a fragile tone as a purple crescent formed on the top area of their greatsword. Izroth narrowed his eyes when he saw that purple crescent appear. ¡¯It seems I¡¯ve miscalcted.¡¯ Izroth believed that the purple crescents could only form after the Faceless One sessfully redirected an attack with their greatsword, however, it appeared as though that was not the case. ¡¯Once it reaches five purple crescents...¡¯ At that moment, Izroth made a decision. If he could not end the fight by the time the fourth crescent moon appeared on the greatsword, then he would use whatever means necessary to prevent it from forming its fifth crescent! Right after the first crescent moon formed, Izroth wasted no time making his next move. After getting a decent grasp of the Faceless One¡¯s strength firsthand, it was time for the real battle to begin. Izroth¡¯s body suddenly started to flicker in and out of existence! Chapter 294 Collapse of The Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouettes could be seen as he moved throughout the battlefield. However, by the time one silhouette appeared, he had already moved on to the next location. Izroth arrived behind the Faceless One as he swung his Sword of The Storm towards the back of their head. Woosh! Ding! ?Parried? -1,350 ¡¯Parried?¡¯ Izroth was surprised that the Faceless One had actually managed to parry his attack while he was using Flickering Steps. However,unching a few more attacks, he started to understand the reason as to why his attacks were being parried. It was not that the Faceless One actively parried his attacks with their greatsword, but instead, there was this faint and sharp aura that lingered around their body. A purple aura slowly spewed out from the greatsword in the Faceless One¡¯s hand and epassed their whole body. That purple aura felt sharp like the edge of a de and it was almost as if it was, in fact, a weapon of its own. The earth beneath the Faceless One began to shift and deform. A few momentster, ten pirs of earth shot out of the ground as they turned inward and crashed down towards the Faceless One. Boom! -4,852 A small crater was formed where the Faceless One stood as the earth pirs that crashed into them started to crumble and turn into dust. That attack came from none other than Ying Yue. Even though her ss was based heavily on crowd control and free mobility, she still had a few skills up her sleeve that made it so that her damage was far fromcking. The Faceless One waved their greatsword in a full circle leaving a thin purple trail of energy in the process. When the purple circle became fully connected, a ring of energy rapidly expanded in all directions! ¡¯Every ability seems to be attached to that greatsword in their hand. The purple aura is most likely an extension of that greatsword. If that¡¯s the case, it would exin a few things, however...¡¯ Hmmmn... The greatsword formed its second purple crescent! It was happening at a much faster rate than when they fought against Switch To Kill and his party. The ring of energy stopped expanding after it reached ten meters before it closed back in. Fortunately, the attack was too short to reach Ying Yue and Midnight who were further back than ten meters. As for Izroth, with his Flickering Steps, moving ten meters out of range in time was a simple task. Mirage, on the other hand, was hit by the expanding and copsing energy. ?Guarded? -2,968 -4,750 While she was fortunate enough to guard the first part of the attack, she was unable to do so as it copsed back in towards the Faceless One. As a result, she had less than 2,000 HP remaining after being damaged by that attack! "NPC¡¯s really are more annoying to fight against." Mirage said as she consumed a health potion to restore some of her missing HP. Swoosh! A small totem appeared over Mirage¡¯s head. Unlike the other totems, this one did not turn into any kind of animal or beast, instead, it positioned itself above Mirage¡¯s head and released a gentle stream of light green mist. "Try to be more careful. If you die, my role as healer won¡¯t be quite as interesting." Midnight said as he cast the spell Totem of Augmentation on Mirage. The skill temporarily doubled the effectiveness of his totem auras on a select target for a short period of time. This meant that the heals Mirage received from his Gaia Avis and Brilliant Regnouda would be twice that of its normal value. "I¡¯ll try to take that as apliment." Mirage replied in a joking manner. +1,500 +334 +730 Although the Faceless One¡¯s damage was quite high, surprisingly enough, their HP was incrediblycking whenpared to other elite NPCs. However, Izroth did not necessarily see this as a good thing. After all, what onecked in a certain area was usually made up for in some different way, especially when dealing with someone like the Faceless One. ¡¯I suppose I can¡¯t allow them the luxury of getting to that point.¡¯ A strong gust of wind appeared around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm as he set his gaze upon the Faceless One. ... Meanwhile, over at Robin¡¯s carriage... "Vice-leader, we must use this chance to escape while they are keeping that thing preupied." Lyn said as he tried to convince Robin of the best course of action for them. "Lyn, you should know that even if we do move on from here in our current state that we would not make it out of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth alive. If we leave them behind and escape, the Equosavras are simply not fast enough to create a safe distance. Essentially, we would only be putting ourselves at the mercy of the bandits and factions that lurk within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth." Robin exined. "But, vice-leader-" "I¡¯ve made my decision, Lyn. You will respect it." Robin said in a stern tone. He had been patient, however, even if he was currently posing as a vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, as a prince of royal bloodline, how could he stand having his decision constantly questioned? "...I apologize for my inappropriate conduct, vice-leader. I hope you do not take offense." Lyn said as he gave a respectful bow. Robin released a sigh and said, "I take no offense. I realize that you are just thinking about the well-being of the caravan. But, there is something that you must understand. I want nothing more than for us to reach our destination safely. In order to do that, we need as much help as we can get. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind." "I understand, vice-leader. However, as second inmand, I must insist that you move to a safer position towards the rear of the caravan. I¡¯m afraid this is a matter I can¡¯t budge on." Lyn said with a serious expression on his face. Robin shook his head and responded, "Since you feel so strongly about it, then I suppose I¡¯ll have to make some concessions." Robin stood up from the carriage and stepped out as he walked towards the rear of the caravan with Lyn as Jyuuriel followed after them. ... When the Faceless One saw Robin attempt to leave the carriage, they immediatelyunched an attack off towards his direction. It was just like the first attack the Faceless One used against the carriage. As that sharp and thin sword aura shot towards Robin, Izroth¡¯s silhouette shed before it as he shifted his stance to the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. Swoosh! Izroth fired off a de of wind from his Sword of The Storm as it collided with the Faceless One¡¯s attack. For a moment, the two attacks seemed to be at a standstill, however, the Faceless One¡¯s attack appeared to have the upper hand in the exchange. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I took some precaution.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s de of wind suddenly gained a boost in power as it consumed the Faceless One¡¯s strike! Right as it did so, the same sharp aura that the Faceless One tried to attack Robin with was reversed and returned to them. This was due to the Sword Return skill of Izroth¡¯s Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. He returned the Faceless One¡¯s attack right back at them! Not only that but the tenth strike guaranteed critical hit effect of Midnight¡¯s Totem Aura: Mighty Magnarvos was also activated. ?Parried? ?Critical Hit? -13,250 Izroth knew that with its own power, there was no way that his Sword Return could handle the Faceless One¡¯s attack head-on. However, it was a different story if he poured Essence into his Sword Return. While it would not increase the damage of the attack being returned, it would raise the amount of punishment his Sword Return could take before being overwhelmed. The Faceless One was sent flying back as their body mmed into one of the trees next to the forest path. The trees that were behind and on the side of the one they crashed against was sliced in two by the sharp aura of the attack. After they suffered from that attack, the Faceless One had around 25% of its HP remaining. With Izroth¡¯s ruthless assault, along with Mirage and Ying Yue doing their own fair share of damage, the Faceless One seemed to be overwhelmed. "They are strong. Will they kill us?" The Faceless One said in a fragile tone. It almost seemed as if they were actually frightened and one could hear the fear present in their voice. "Fool, we are a Faceless One, we cannot die here." The Faceless One said in a stern tone as they strengthened their grip on the greatsword in their hands. There were now four crescents formed on the top area of its de! Qi Jiguang and his party who spectated the fight had expressions of disbelief and shock written all over their face. They had a difficult time believing what was taking ce right before their very own eyes. Izroth and his party made that cloaked figure seem like a ragdoll! In fact, they were beginning to think that maybe Switch To Kill¡¯s party was just incredibly weak even by normal yer standards. However, what really left them nearly speechless was how fast Izroth moved around the battlefield. Even looking in from an outside perspective they were unable to keep up with his speed, therefore, they could only imagine what it was like to face in an actual battle. "Those guys are a bunch of freaks, especially that guy with the sword. That has to be an S-ranked movement skill." Omega said with his brows furrowed. He had fought against other yers who used high ranked movement skills, however, none of them had ever left his head spinning trying to keep track of them. "It¡¯s already been more than fifteen seconds and it¡¯s still active. Just how long does that skillst?" Qi Jiguang frowned. Usually, skills that provided such a huge boost did notst for a long period of time and yet the skill Izroth was using had already been active for fifteen seconds! How was any yer supposed to survive under that kind of assault for fifteen seconds or more? As Izroth saw the fourth crescent form on the greatsword, he knew that the time limit he set for himself was up. He had to end this now. An overbearing aura appeared around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. However, just before he was about to make his move, something baffling took ce. Out of nowhere, the Faceless One stabbed the greatsword in their hand right into their stomach. The purple aura that was around their body hadpletely vanished the moment the greatsword stabbed into them. Everyone had a look of shock and confusion on their face. "What are they doing?" Mirage questioned as she looked baffled. Whatever it was the Faceless One was up to, Izroth decided that he would not wait around to find out. His silhouette flickered as he arrived within attack range of the Faceless One. With his Tempest Strikes still active, he shed outward as an overbearing aura descended upon the Faceless One. Izroth used his Tempest Strikes to carry his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. -8,282 Immediately after his First Baneful Sword: Destruction connected, he shifted his stance slightly and prepared to follow up with his Second Baneful Sword: Kill. However, before Izroth could deal the killing blow, he felt himself slow down. ¡¯What is this?¡¯ He should have still had three seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps, therefore, why had he slowed down? But, what he soon realized was that he did not return his to normal agility or movement speed, but instead, he was moving at a snail¡¯s pace! Izroth was not the only one to experience this feeling. Mirage, Ying Yue, Midnight, and even Qi Jiguang and his party were moving in slow motion. A series of vibrations was released from the greatsword that was stabbed into the Faceless One¡¯s stomach. Each vibration was stronger than thest one and soon enough, the vibrations reached the wagons of the caravan. Ooooooom! Boom! Crrrrk! The caravan wagons were knocked over and there were even a few that exploded into countless pieces. It was as if the structural integrity of the wagons were unable to hold up against the rapid vibrations. Even Omega¡¯s Shield of Pacification was immediately shattered from the vibrations! In just a few moments, the caravan was inplete chaos! The wagons were destroyed or in pieces and the members of the caravan in the way of the vibrations were instantly killed. Everyone looked on as the caravan was destroyed and its members were either injured or killed. No matter how much they willed their bodies to move, the only thing that was able to move around normally was their eyes. They could only witness everything taking ce and yet do nothing about it. Without a doubt, it was the copse of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan. ¡´System Alert: You have failed the quest ?Guardians of the Caravan?!¡µ Chapter 295 A Quest That Was Doomed To Fail There was an eerie silence that lingered in the air. At the moment, there was not a single person present who was not shocked by what had just urred. The Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan had copsed before their very eyes and there was nothing they could do about it due to their current movement restrictions. The barrage of vibrationssted for a full ten seconds before it finally halted. The Faceless One who had stabbed themselves through the stomach burst into a fit ofughter. Theirughter was the only thing that could be heard as they began to turn into particles. "How beautiful. They are free atst." The Faceless One said in a tone filled with ecstasy. The caravan that was still fairly organized just seconds ago was now a total wreck! Not even one wagon was leftpletely intact and the Equosavras who stood brave in the face of danger were all dead. As for the members of the caravan, out of the original fifty-some members, less than ten were left alive! This included Robin, Jyuuriel, and Lyn who had just moved closer to the rear of the caravan. Robin¡¯s facial expression turned pale when he saw the aftermath of the attack. If he had not followed Lyn¡¯s suggestion and moved towards the rear of the caravan, then he may very well have been one of the people killed by that vicious attack. "This is a disaster." Robin¡¯s voice held a tinge of guilt within it as those words escaped his mouth. It was him that cloaked figure was after, not the members of this caravan. This weighed heavily on his heart, however, when he remembered what was at stake, he could only convince himself that such sacrifices were a necessity. But, even though Robin tried to justify the massacre that happened before his eyes, he was unable to make himself truly believe that it was a necessity. Could all this have been avoided if he simply handed that thing over to the Amaharpe officials when he first arrived in their kingdom? However, he quickly erased those thoughts from his mind. If he did that, who knew what the consequences would be for his Tempest? Indeed, he did not want to see Tempest fall into the hands of those who were corrupt by nature, but he also did not wish to see it taken advantage of by another kingdom. Also, there was no guarantee that the Amaharpe officials would keep their promise. Therefore, he had to have a few insurances. As a member of the Tempest royal family, he knew how politics worked and how some short-sighted individuals only cared about advancing their own agenda instead of doing the right thing. There was one thing in particr that bothered Robin the most. How did the League of The Eidolon manage to pinpoint his location so urately? There were only a handful of people who knew his true identity, as well as, the original route he would use as the "vice-leader of the Silver Hawks Merchants Caravan". The only logical exnation was one that he had put off for far too long. Robin truly did not want to believe it, however, he knew that it was time to face the facts. Someone close to him had betrayed him. "Fool, we are a Faceless One. To us, death is but a mere illusion. But to them, the suffering is eternal." The Faceless One said in a stern voice as their body shattered into countless particles. The only thing that remained was the strange greatsword pierced into the tree the Faceless One crashed into. The four crescent moons at the top area of its de blinked a few times before losing its color. Izroth¡¯s body stopped flickering as the movement restrictions wore off and the Faceless One ended their own life. Everyone was back to moving at normal speed, however, the atmosphere was extremely gloomy and they all felt as if they had just been cheated. Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to his sheath. He looked back towards the wreckage of the caravan with a calm expression on his face. He narrowed his eyes as something immediately caught his attention. ¡¯Those are...¡¯ "What a ripoff!" Mirage scowled as she angrily stomped her foot on the ground. What kind of cheat ability was that? How could she ept that they had failed the quest just like that? What were they supposed to do in that kind of situation?! There was not a single thing she could think of besides killing the Faceless One faster. However, they had spent less than one minute in battle with them! Midnight released a sigh as he recalled his totems and said, "It just wasn¡¯t meant to be. It looks like we¡¯ve wasted our time for nothing." Qi Jiguang and his party were still in a state of shock. All they saw was an alert from the system staring them in the face that had just confirmed their failure of the quest. However, that shock slowly began to turn into anger and outrage. "Isn¡¯t this system being a bit unreasonable?! How could we have possibly stopped that?" Omega scoffed. How were they supposed to defend an entire caravan against an attack like that? Even if his Shield of Pacification could expand over the whole caravan, it would have still shattered after the first two waves of vibrations were sent out. Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, had a serious expression on his face as his gaze fell upon the greatsword that was currently pierced into a tree. A few momentster, a sh of purple light enveloped the greatsword and it vanished into thin air. "I think you¡¯re asking the wrong question. The real question is howe none of us received any damage from that attack?" Qi Jiguang stated. "Now that you mention it..." Omega muttered to himself as a frown appeared on his face. Indeed, why was it that the attack ignored them and singled out the caravan. With an attack like that, surely it would not have been out of that cloaked figure¡¯s hands to eliminate them in the process. So, why was it that they chose not to? As everyone contemted on what their next course of action should be, Izroth started to walk towards the wreckage of the caravan. "Where are you going? Are you leaving back to Amaharpe already?" Mirage asked when she saw Izroth had already begun to move. Izroth did not halt his steps as he responded, "I¡¯m going to take a look. Something about thatst attack felt off." "At this point, it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference. No matter what, we¡¯ve already failed the quest given to us. There¡¯s nothing that can change that. However, I too felt that something was odd about thatst attack." Midnightmented. "I, as well." Ying Yue stated in a soft tone as the four pirs she summoned at the start of the fight retreated back into the ground. Since Midnight and Ying Yue were at a greater distance than Izroth and Mirage, they had a much better view of what took ce during the moment everyone¡¯s movements were restricted. Izroth arrived at one of the wagons that were in pieces and sifted through the debris of the wreckage. ¡¯It should be right around...¡¯ As Izroth moved one of therge pieces of wood that the wagons were made from out of the way, he uncovered a few shreds of paper scraps. However, they were not normal scraps of paper. There was still a very faint magic aura being emitted from them. ¡¯Here.¡¯ Izroth picked up the few remaining fragments of paper that he could find and closely examined them. As he did so, Mirage walked over and nced over his shoulder to see what he was up to. "What are you going to do with that trash? I doubt it can be sold anymore whatever it was." Mirage said as she saw the scraps of paper in Izroth¡¯s hand. "This is a key." Izroth said as he stood up straight and looked towards the rear of the caravan. "Key? To what?" Mirage questioned. "Understanding." Izroth replied. He then made his way towards some of the other wagons to search the debris there as well. After he finished searching four wagons, Izroth had confirmed his suspicions without a need to check the rest. ¡¯Most of it¡¯s charred, but from the simr patterns that are still visible in certain parts, I¡¯m 90% positive that these are Echo Talismans.¡¯ Echo Talismans were something Izroth learned about from the Amaharpe pce library. He knew that Echo Talismans were mainly used to amplify sounds and they were prettymonpared to other talismans. However, while most individuals only used Echo Talismans as a way to increase the range of their voice when speaking, there was another possible application for them if used together with a Quake Talisman. A Quake Talisman was very simr to an Echo Talisman and could even easily be mistaken for one, however, instead of amplifying sounds such as someone¡¯s voice, the Quake Talisman amplified vibrations. Given that sound itself was simply a form of vibrations, the two talismans were able to feed off one another and produce a destructive result in a limited range. In other words... ¡¯A bomb.¡¯ The two talismans, when used together, formed a makeshift bomb. While the overall range was not that amazing, the concentrated and focused area of its destruction could cause a shattering-like effect to ur. The Faceless One had released a powerful series of vibrations and yet no one but those within the immediate vicinity of the wagons was injured or killed. Also, there was the fact that nearly every wagon shattered in the same manner and from the exact same point based on what Izroth examined. However, none of this could have been set up during the time frame of their journey. After all, Izroth would have remembered if anyone behaved in a suspicious manner and visited every single caravan. Even if someone had an advanced stealth skill, he was still confident in, at the very least, picking up their general presence as long as they did not have an item simr to the one Trinity¡¯s group used. Therefore, he was left with one probable answer, sabotage. Before his party or any of the other groups joined with the caravan, the talismans had already been set into ce and were ready to be activated at any given time! ¡¯Before we even started this quest, it was doomed to fail.¡¯ While the damage would not have been as drastic without the vibrations released by the Faceless One increasing the overall destruction force of the talismans, the loss of the wagons would have still been inevitable. All it would have taken at any moment was one good bump to start a chain reaction. However, these were all clues that were never meant to be found. After all, not everyone had Izroth¡¯s keen eyesight and knowledge acquired from the Amaharpe pce library. This only further confirmed his previous conjecture that this was a quest set up for those participating to fail! But, there was now another question that needed to be answered. Who sabotaged them? ¡¯It can¡¯t be those two, so that leaves four.¡¯ Izroth eliminated Robin and Jyuuriel from being the individual who purposely sabotaged things. The reason it could not have been Robin was obvious given his situation. As for Jyuuriel, there was no need for him to resort to such methods. If he wanted to, he could have single-handedly killed every member of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan before they even had a chance to invite Izroth and the others along. This meant that the person who sabotaged the caravan had to be Lyn, Needle, or one of the other two members of the caravan that were still alive. ¡¯Slow beast, talismans, ess...¡¯ Izroth quickly began to piece things together and the answer immediately came to him. Who was the one person, besides Robin, who could roam around the caravan without raising any suspicions? Who arranged their transportation? Who practically brushed off his warning before the first bandit attack? ¡¯It¡¯s him.¡¯ "Ahhhhh!" Just as this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he heard a painful waile from the rear of the caravan. He knew that voice, it belonged to Robin! Izroth turned into a shadow as he used his Shadow Movement skill to quickly arrive at the rear of the caravan. When he left his shadow form, he was surprised by the sight that awaited him. Chapter 296 Final Reques Izroth was not the only one who heard the painful wail as it caused Mirage, Midnight, Ying Yue, Qi Jiguang and his party, to all turn their attention towards the source of that sound and close in on its location. "How is this possible?" Mirage said as she could not believe the sight before her eyes. Didn¡¯t that person just die?! A cloaked figure with a greatsword in their hand had the de of their weapon stabbed into Robin¡¯s stomach area. However, there was also a spear pierced right into the head of that cloaked figure. That spear belonged to Jyuuriel who had made his first move since their journey started. "We are a Faceless One. We cannot die." The cloaked figure said even with a spear through their head. "Lyn, you-!" Robin coughed up arge amount of blood as he tried to speak. The cloaked figure who had caught him by surprise was none other than Lyn! It had all happened too fast. "We are all, yet we are none. To us, death is but a mere illusion. But your death... How beautiful." The cloaked figure said in a fragile tone as arge smile appeared on their face. A few secondster, their body had turned into countless particles and drifted away along with the greatsword. However, it was toote for Robin. The wound left behind by their weapon was too great. Robin kneeled over and a look of regret could be seen in his eyes. There were many questions going through his mind. Had he been too careless? Should he have just stayed in Tempest? Was he really doing the right thing? Was it worth his life? However, all of these questions were drowned out and soon he was left in this bizarrely calm state. It was a state of perfect peace just moments before death. Lyn, who had been with him for three months and only knew him as the vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, had suddenly transformed into the Faceless One! During the Faceless One¡¯s final attack, or at least what was thought to be their final attack, Lyn was knocked over from the initial impact as one of the rear wagons next to him had exploded. Fortunately, Robin was uninjured by the attack. Though, this was only because he happened to be at a position that was close to Jyuuriel during the time of the chaos. Although he was unable to move, he could clearly see the fragments and shards that flew in Jyuuriel¡¯s direction and then seemingly deflect right off of him. After the chaos had died down, Robin went over to check on Lyn who appeared to be injured from the attack, however, he soon felt something deathly cold pierce through him. At first, Robin did not feel any different from his usual self. It was not until he looked down and saw a ck greatsword going through his stomach that he realized he had been assaulted! The individual that he was just checking on and helping to his feet was no longer Lyn, but instead, it was a cloaked figure. As for Lyn, it was as if he had never existed! He was there one moment and gone the next. All that remained before Robin him at that moment was that cold and eerie cloaked figure. But, how was this possible? That was a question that quickly found its way to the back of Robin¡¯s head as he knew that this was his end. There was a split moment, Robin could have sworn that he caught a glimpse of the Faceless One¡¯s eyes and it felt as if he was gazing into a boundless dark abyss. "Your way has ended in failure. It¡¯s about time you hand it over and entrust the task to me." Jyuuriel said without batting an eye to Robin¡¯s critical state. Robin, however, shook his head and replied in a weak tone, "Not to you, to them." He motioned his finger towards three specific individuals, Izroth, Mirage, and surprisingly Qi Jiguang! Jyuuriel narrowed his eyes and said, "That wasn¡¯t part of the agreement when-" "I¡¯m changing the agreement!" Robin yelled causing him to cough up anotherrge volume of blood in the process. He then continued, "It¡¯s them, or it goes with me to my grave. The choice is yours, however, can you truly afford to fail your mission and live out the rest of your life knowing that you were responsible for the possible fall of your own kingdom?" Robin¡¯s eyes were filled with a look of determination and remarkable rity. Even though he was already at death¡¯s door, he still managed to hold onto a level of dignity worthy of one who possessed a royal bloodline. Jyuuriel frowned when he observed that look in Robin¡¯s eyes. He understood instantly that the second prince of Tempest was not bluffing. While this was far from being the most ideal situation and was not previously what was agreed upon, he had little choice but to ept Robin¡¯s demands; even if they were unreasonable. Jyuuriel swept his gaze across the yers present. Soon after, he closed his eyes and turned away from the scene and acted as if he were unaware of the situation behind him. "Come, my three young friends, I do not have much time remaining. I can already feel the life in me slipping away. I wish to speak with the three of you, alone." Robin said in a calm tone. Just by hearing him speak, one would not think that he was on the brink of death. Izroth and Mirage understood why Robin wished to speak with them alone considering what they knew, however, Qi Jiguang was clueless as to why he was chosen. But, in the end, he figured that it must have been due to the fact that he was the leader of his party. Though that would fail to exin why Izroth and Mirage, who were members of the same party, were picked out of everyone present. Midnight and Ying Yue looked towards Izroth and Mirage before giving a small nod of understanding as they walked away from the immediate vicinity. As for Qi Jiguang¡¯s party, they all moved a good distance away when he hinted for them to fall back. Now, there was just Izroth, Robin, Mirage, Qi Jiguang, and Jyuuriel who was "not really there" that remained. Mirage furrowed her brows as she witnessed Robin¡¯s terrible state. "I have a high-grade health potion on me, maybe it can-" But, before Mirage could finish her suggestion, she was quickly cut off by Robin. "It won¡¯t be any use. Unless you have some legendary medicine on you or some miraculous healing skill, I¡¯m afraid my time in this world is approaching its end. I appreciate your effort, my young friend, but it is toote for me." Robin¡¯s tone became increasingly coarse and there were brief pauses in between every few words. It was obvious that he was using whatever strength he had left to speak with them. Robin took a moment to catch his breath, however, he felt that if he stopped talking for more than a couple of seconds that he would lose whatever small grip he currently had on his life. "I have a favor to ask of you three. Think of it as the final request of a dying man." Robin closed his eyes and began to whisper in anguage that sounded likeplete nonsense. Even Izroth who had gone through every book on the first and second floor of the Amaharpe pce library was unable to understand the words Robin whispered. Each word Robin whispered left behind a faint echo that reverberated and it sounded as if hundreds of people were trying to speak at the same time. It was not until thetter part urred that Izroth realized what it was that Robin was whispering. ¡¯This is... A Source Chant?¡¯ Izroth concentrated his hearing and the more he listened to Robin¡¯s words, the more he felt that they resembled that of a Source Chant! However, there were strange variations and anomalies present that made Izroth unsure if it truly was a Source Chant that was being whispered. After all, the Power of Source book that he received from Orion only contained a very simple and basic Source Chant. Needless to say, there were not any books on the first or second floor of the Amaharpe pce library that even mentioned Source. Another thing that made him uncertain was the fact that if Robin did possess a Source, his overall fighting prowess should have been well above that of his disyed level. Unfortunately, even after reading the Power of Source, Izroth had only just scratched the surface of Source. A few secondster, the whispers stopped and the moment it did, Robin¡¯s face turned deathly pale as six sapphire-like beads levitated in midair. "It is fate that the three of you were selected by the Truth Seeker Gem. I can tell you with all certainty, for those who experience the world, there exists no such thing as a pure heart. Therefore, I do not ask that you have a pure heart, but a steady one. You three will not stray from the path; this I know. That¡¯s why I entrust this task to you." Robin said as he smiled weakly. He then continued, "It may be shameless for me to ask this of you when our paths have not been crossed for long, but I beg of you, do not allow my Tempest or the world to fall into an endless cycle of chaos." Izroth, Mirage, and Qi Jiguang quietly listened to Robin¡¯s words. While Qi Jiguang did not know the full details, he was not a heartless person. A dying man had requested something of him and even went to the extent of begging, how could he possibly turn down such a request? As for Izroth and Mirage, they were aware of Robin¡¯s identity as a prince. Therefore, for him to beg them with that kind of status to his name, even if he was near death, was practically unthinkable! That showed just how important this mission really was to him. The six sapphire beads emitted a faint pulse before they vanished. It was at that moment when Izroth, Mirage, and Qi Jiguang received the same alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received the quest ?Final Request?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been automatically ejected from your party! You have joined a new party!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Mirage has been automatically added to your party!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Qi Jiguang has been automatically added to your party!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Please note, if you leave this party while the quest ?Final Request? is ongoing, it will be considered a failure.¡µ Quest Name: Final Request Rmended Level: ?? Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: Unique-S Quest Objective: The second prince of Tempest Robinarzin has entrusted you with his final request. The fourth kingdom of Tempest is being corrupted from within by an eternal darkness. Due to the reckless decisions of the fourth kingdom, if nothing is done to stop them, the entire Mortal Realm will be thrown into a state ofplete chaos. You mustplete the mission Robinarzin set out to aplish. Be warned, there are those who would see you eliminated before thepletion of this task. Each task must bepleted by all three of the members it was originally entrusted to. If any of the three original quest holders are eliminated in the middle of this quest, it will be considered a failure for all yers involved. Time Limit: 16 hours -0/3 Reach the city of Everpeak located inside of Proximus territory. -0/3 Meet with an individual who goes by the name of Wiseman of Everpeak. -0/3 Sessfully reach the magic capital city of Proximus with the Wiseman of Everpeak and deliver your final findings to the current ruling king of Proximus. Reward: -Gain +1 level -150 gold coins -250 World Fame -Title: Oathkeeper(Primary) -x1 Lost Skill Book Failure: -Lose -3 levels -Lose 500 World Fame -Tempest officially deres war on Amaharpe and Proximus under the false pretense of "assassinating the second prince". -??? Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 1 other yer by each of the original quest holders. "In this time, the fate of the Mortal Realm is tied together much more than you can possibly imagine. Remember this, my young friends. For leaving you with this burden, I hope that you can one day forgive me." Robin said as he resumed his original appearance. Just as that happened, his body began to break apart and turn into a stream of particles that flowed up towards the sky. "We¡¯ll be sure to finish what you¡¯ve started." Izroth said as he watched thest of Robin¡¯s particles drift away. ¡¯This is the second time that a member of the League of The Eidolon has managed to slip through my fingers. They should pray that our paths do not cross again, because I will not allow a third time.¡¯ There was a sharp glint that shed across Izroth¡¯s eyes as that thought went through his mind. Chapter 297 Forming A New Party After everything settled down, Izroth took a moment to view the new quest that had just appeared in his quest logs. Mirage and Qi Jiguang also read through the quest information and system alerts. The moment Mirage saw the rank of the quest, she could not hide her excitement. This was an S-ranked quest! To be honest, Mirage still felt a bit down at having failed the A-ranked quest, however, her mood immediately made aplete turnaround. Even though there was no longer a rare piece of equipment as one of the rewards, the quest more than made up for it in other ways. As for Qi Jiguang, while this was his first time receiving a Unique-S ranked quest, he had already been to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. The quest for that ce was at the SS-ranked, therefore, he was not as excited as Mirage, but he was thankful that this trip would not be one that was wasted. "Second prince of Tempest? Where¡¯s Tempest?" Qi Jiguang muttered to himself as he read through the quest information. The majority of yers within Amaharpe did not know about the other kingdoms or what took ce there. Therefore, it was not unnatural that Qi Jiguang was unaware of Tempest, even if it was one of the more powerful kingdoms in the Mortal Realm. Once he finished reading through the quest information and system alerts, he could not help but smile wearily at the special note on the quest. This quest was truly too cruel! Qi Jiguang had four party members and yet he could only invite one of them. Now, he had a decision to make, which of his party members should he share the quest with? As Mirage was lost in her initial excitement and Qi Jiguang was preupied with deciding who he would choose to share his quest with, Izroth had a few other questions and thoughts on his mind. ¡¯Unique-S?¡¯ This was a grade of quest that he was unfamiliar with, however, the rewards and failure were just as disastrous as other quests within the S to SSS range. Another thing that caught his attention was the fact that the system had automatically ejected him from his party. Even though Izroth would not have turned down the quest, the system did not provide him with the option of declining it in the first ce. The quest also allowed for each original quest holder to invite one individual along with them. Of course, since they were all the way in Proximus territory, there was no way for him to invite anyone else along beside the members he began the original quest with, Midnight or Ying Yue. Though even if they were in Amaharpe, Izroth would have still used his quest share with Midnight or Ying Yue. After all, the two of them were skilled yers with a unique skill set that he felt woulde in handy. Of course, it would have been ideal if the quest could have beenpleted as long as one of them arrived in Everpeak. With his high agility and the skill attached to his Skystep Boots to fly over any difficult terrain, he would have been able to reach the city of Everpeak much faster than the others. But, this brought to light the next issue. ¡¯We have sixteen hours to reach the city of Everpeak, however...¡¯ There was just one problem, he had no idea where the city was located! His Realm Chart did not even cover all of Amaharpe, let alone any parts of Proximus. However, just as this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, Jyuuriel opened his eyes and approached the three yers. As he did so, it caused Izroth, Mirage, and Qi Jiguang to turn their focus towards him. From the words he spoke to Robin earlier, it was obvious that Jyuuriel wanted whatever it was that Robin had to be handed over to him. Would he try to take it from them by force now that Robin had perished? But, just as the atmosphere grew a bit heavy, Jyuuriel removed a scroll from his side and tossed it towards Izroth who was at the front of the group. Izroth caught the scroll in his hands as he examined it and discovered that it was a Realm Chart! However, as he opened the scroll, it was not like the Realm Chart that he knew of. Instead, it did not hold geographical markings and had four dots on it, as well as, a line that curved every now and then. ¡¯I¡¯ve never seen a Realm Chart like this.¡¯ Each dot was a different color and they were bunched together next to one another, except for one of the dots. One dot was red, another yellow, and the third dot was green. At the moment, those three dots were closer to the beginning area of the line that curved around. At the end of the curved line was thest dot which was purple in color. "I¡¯m not sure why he chose to entrust the three of you with such an important task, however, I will still carry about my duty. While the decision the second prince of Tempest made is questionable, it brings me some level of ease knowing that one honored with the title of Protector of Amaharpe is amongst you." Jyuuriel said in a straight-forward manner as his gaze locked onto Izroth. Jyuuriel was far from satisfied with the end results, but at the very least, there was someone who had solid ties to Amaharpe that was a part of the group. At this point, he could not ask for any more than this. "Protector of Amaharpe?" Mirage and Qi Jiguang questioned as they had no idea what Jyuuriel was talking about, but when they saw that he gave the scroll to Izroth and was looking towards him, they easily connected the dots. Izroth was a bit surprised that Jyuuriel knew that he possessed that title. After all, it was not as if NPCs were able to view yer information in the same way that yers could view information about them through the system. "The three of you carry the mind beads of the second prince. The mind beads contain sealed memories that can only be opened by a certain individual. However, mind beads are a banned method in most kingdoms due to one of the side effects it possesses. They give off a strong scent to monsters and causes them to enter into a trance-like state of natural primal rage." Jyuuriel exined. Natural primal rage? So that¡¯s why monsters kept attacking them out of nowhere wave after wave! The mind beads were the culprit all along! "The second prince had been suppressing the side effects of the mind beads, but doing so puts a high level of stress on one¡¯s body and drains away their energy. If I had to take a rough estimate, I¡¯d say you have around twenty to thirty minutes before thest of the suppression effect wears off." Jyuuriel said. ¡¯I see, I knew something was off.¡¯ As a level 40 elite NPC and the second prince of a powerful kingdom like Tempest, it did not make sense for Robin¡¯s fighting capabilities to be utterly nonexistent. However, if all his energy was being used to suppress the mind beads, it was no wonder that he looked drained of life when they arrived at his carriage. Just how long had he been suppressing the mind beads? "I will continue to carry out the terms of my mission. You can simply pretend as if I do not exist and do as you wish. But, I will say this. If you three fail, the blood of countless innocent lives will be stained upon your hands. You may not have held the sword that slew them personally, but it would have been your actions that caused it." Jyuuriel stated. A few momentster, Izroth, Mirage, and Qi Jiguang returned to meet with their original party members to discuss what was going on. After all, they could not continue to leave everyone in the dark about things. "So, what do the two of you n on doing?" Midnight asked after being informed about the situation at hand. The quest they were on had failed, therefore, neither Izroth or Mirage had any obligation to invite him or Ying Yue as their plus one. Therefore, he would understand if they had other ns in mind. "Well, I was thinking about inviting someone else, but I guess I¡¯ll settle for you since you¡¯re already here. Besides, what other healer would put up with my reckless fighting style?" Mirage said in a teasing and yful manner as she shared her quest with Midnight. "Your level of generosity knows no bounds." Midnight said in a dull and monotone way as he epted the quest. "Why is it that I¡¯m having a hard time believing you really mean that?" Mirage said as a smirk appeared on her face. As Mirage joked around with Midnight, Ying Yue was unsure of what to do next. She knew that Izroth had the yers he was traveling with during the Chaotic Dogma Realm to share that quest with, therefore, why would he choose her? "I-" Just as she was about to make it easier for Izroth to make his decision, she suddenly received an alert from the system which instantly caused the words that were about to leave her mouth to disappear. What appeared before her, was an invite to the quest from Izroth! "Since we¡¯ve all started this journey together, it¡¯s only right that we finish it the same way." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Ying Yue looked towards the ground and gave a small nod. An uncontroble smile found its way onto her face as she was happy that Izroth chose to invite her. Around five minutester, things had finally settled down. Midnight and Ying Yue had been automatically added to the party after the two epted the quest. As for Qi Jiguang, in the end, he decided to take along Omega, the tank of his party. After seeing that they already had plenty of damage dealers, as well as, a magic caster and a healer, it was the most sensible choice to make. Besides, Qi Jiguang could not possibly ask Izroth or Mirage to give up one of their quest shares to the other members of his party. However, the remaining three yers who were understandably a bit depressed were soon cheered up by some good news. Since the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan was destroyed, the two surviving members of the caravan offered the three yers a B-ranked quest to escort them back to Amaharpe. While the rewards were not as good as the A-ranked quest, it was still better than leaving empty-handed. Therefore, the three yers epted the quest and immediately departed. Now, there was apletely new party formed to finish the task Robin set out to aplish and it consisted of Izroth, Mirage, Midnight, Ying Yue, Qi Jiguang, and Omega. When they joined the party, both Qi Jiguang and Omega were shocked to learn that Izroth was abat master! Not only that, but a level 40bat master! After exchanging a few greetings, the party wasted no time starting their journey. "So, anyone has any clue as to how we¡¯re supposed to get to this Everpeak city without a map?" Mirage questioned. "We have a map." Izroth stated as he revealed the scroll in his hands. A frown appeared on Mirage¡¯s face as she said, "That¡¯s a map? It just looks like a squiggly line with a bunch of dots on it. How can that tell us where to go?" "Each dot on the map represents a different person. This red dot here is me, this yellow dot is you, and the green dot is Qi Jiguang." Izroth exined as he pointed to the group of dots. He then continued, "You¡¯ll notice that as we move, the dots move along with us. It also matches our positions perfectly." "You mean... That¡¯s incredible!" Mirage eximed as she saw that the dots were moving along with them. "But wait, who¡¯s the purple dot?" Mirage asked. "That¡¯s a good question with an unclear answer. However, I¡¯m willing to bet that it¡¯s the Wiseman of Everpeak." Izroth stated. Chapter 298 A Bounty Worth One Billion Gold Coins! Izroth and his party followed the line on the scroll as they ventured deeper into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. It did not take long for them to have their first run-in with one of the bandit groups within the area. However, the group of six bandits stood no chance against Izroth and the others. In just a handful of seconds, the bandits were exterminated. Izroth¡¯s party was attacked three more times as they arrived closer to an area in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth known as "Fang Zone". The Fang Zone was dominated by the factions that controlled the outskirts of Proximus. Needless to say, it was the most dangerous areas to travel through in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Usually, this was a path avoided by caravans altogether, however, for those who could not afford to make a detour that could take weeks or even months, they had no choice but to make the journey through the Fang Zone. The only upside was that the factions were not as wild and uncontroble as the bandit groups that were scattered everywhere throughout the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Instead, it was possible for an individual or caravan to make offerings to the first faction that approached them. While this did not absolutely guarantee their safety, it would get them on the faction¡¯s good side and most likely prevent them from being targeted. It was a coin flip chance many took whenever they journeyed down this path. "It¡¯s almost been thirty minutes. The suppression effect on the mind beads is going to wear off soon." Midnight stated. Hopping next to him was a small hare made out of light green energy. It was the Duality Hare totem. Midnight had decided to keep it active so that their overall travel speed would increase. "If it¡¯s anything like what we faced back at the caravan, the numbers might be a little troublesome. Even more so if the strength of the monsters continues to increase." Omegamented with a frown. "Oh? Since when have you backed down from a challenge, Omega?" Qi Jiguang asked. "Back down? Hah, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. All I¡¯m saying is that there¡¯s no way I can tank that many monsters alone. I can draw away most of their attention, however, there will still be many that are outside of my control. After all, the range and cooldown on my taunt skills have a limit." Omega exined. "That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. If ites down to it, everyone here is more than capable of taking care of themselves. Of course, if someone feels otherwise, you should raise your hand and let us know so that we can protect you." Mirage said with a smirk on her face. Of course, no one raised their hands. Not only was everyone here confident in their own skills to some degree, but who would raise their hand and asked to be protected by someone else during an S-ranked quest? As Izroth and his party continued on their way, they had no idea just how popr they were about to be in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. However, it was not the type of poprity they would enjoy. ... A few moments ago somewhere deep in the Fang Zone... The core area of the Fang Zone was where the most powerful factions were stationed. Ever since Zendai¡¯s prolonged departure from Proximus, the factions in the Fang Zone began to be increasingly bold with their actions. It got to a point where their actions were being overlooked by Proximus due to how far away from the magic capital city they were located. There was a nameless small town in the Fang Zone where all the factions and bandits gathered to exchange information and goods or to simply rx in their own way. It was awless town that was not ruled nor controlled by anything other than the shaky verbal agreements of the factions. At the moment, there was arge gathering of bandits, criminals, hunters, and more. Normally, a gathering of this size never took ce in the small town as it caused all type of issues, however, when one of the top factions in the area said that they had an important announcement to make that could change the fate of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth forever, who in their right mind would miss it? The name of the faction that called the gathering was the Discipline of the Warpath de. They were well known for their ruthless sword style and were even outsourced as a mercenary group in some of the smaller neighboring kingdoms. Everyone was one part excited and two parts nervous waiting for the announcement. "Hey, have you heard what this is all about?" "No way, you know how tight-lipped the people in Warpath are. How could I possibly know?" "I heard that they¡¯re going to announce an alliance with one of the other factions." "Seriously?! If they do that, who would be able to stop them? They would rule the Tiger¡¯s Mouth!" "Don¡¯t you idiots know anything? There¡¯s an unspoken rule. Therge factions in Tiger¡¯s Mouth cannot ally together against another faction from the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. It¡¯llpletely disrupt the bnce." As everyone wasing up with their own spection as to what was going on, a strong gust of wind blew over the entire audience and even knocked a few people away in the process. This grabbed everyone¡¯s attention as they all looked around to see who was responsible. Just as one of the people who were knocked over was about toin, he quickly swallowed his words when he saw a middle-aged man levitate onto the public stage area. The person who was about toin face turned pale as his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. If he had said a single word just now, he would have definitely thrown away his life! "It¡¯s the First Sword of the Discipline of the Warpath de...!" Everyone was shocked by the personal appearance of the First Sword. That person was extremely reclusive and rarely showed his face to the public. As the First Sword, his main focus was mastering the Warpath de. In fact, it was the same for the Second Sword and Third Sword as well. "Hey, if the First Sword is here, isn¡¯t this a really big deal?" The middle-aged man who everyone referred to as the First Sword swept his gaze across the crowd. The influence of his Discipline of the Warpath de was strong in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth which was shown by having been able to gather such arge crowd of people in a short period of time. The reason the First Sword made such a grand entrance was to disy his strength. He knew that the best way to get this kind of crowd under control was a show of power, not words. Therefore, he wasted no words telling everyone to settle down. As a result, before he even opened his mouth to speak, there was no one who dared say another word unless they were looking for a fight. "As many of you know, the I¡¯Zati of Proximus has been absent for quite some time now. My Discipline of the Warpath de has not failed to take notice of this and I¡¯m sure that all of you gathered here have also taken notice by now." First Sword said. He then continued, "I am a man of few words, so I¡¯ll keep it simple. The reason I¡¯ve called all of you here today is to introduce you to someone who is ready to present everyone here with an opportunity. This goes without saying, but mind your words. For even I will be unable to save you." The First Sword stepped back as a cloud of ck smoke appeared in front of him. Everyone was bewildered and shaken to their core when they heard thosest few words. Not even the First Sword could save them? One had to know that the First Sword was one of the strongest individuals, if the strongest person, within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Therefore, just what kind of monster were they about to meet that made him say such words openly? A few momentster, the ck smoke disappeared as a cloaked figure emerged. The moment this figure appeared before the crowd, a red hue spread fifty meters throughout the surrounding area as a suffocating aura descended down upon the crowd. They felt that just holding onto their own sanity was a challenging thing to do. What was this terrible and vile feeling? "What a monster..." First Sword muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows. A couple of secondster, the red hue vanished along with the suffocating aura. The crowd was speechless and many of them were sweating profusely. There were even some who wanted to turn around and run away, however, they were afraid that in doing so, they may incur the wrath of the person who had just appeared on stage. "We are a Faceless One." The cloaked figure stated. Faceless One? There was a confused look on everyone¡¯s face as they had no idea what that meant. However, if Izroth and his party were here they would also be confused. The cloaked figure who called themselves a Faceless One was different from the person they ran into earlier. This Faceless One had a curvy figure that matched that of a woman¡¯s. Also, they did not carry a ck greatsword, but a ck orb with red energy flowing within it hovered at their side. They werepletely different from the Faceless One who attacked the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan! The Faceless One then continued, "In this forest, there are three little mice who scurry around with that which is unknown to them. Kill them and return to me with six sapphire beads. The person, faction, or group who does so will be granted..." They held up one finger. Everyone felt their heartbeat increasing. One? One what? One thousand gold coins? One million gold coins?! "One billion gold coins." When the Faceless One finished their words, everyone¡¯s mouth was left open in shock. Did they just hear right? After hearing that, how could the crowd stay calm? There was an immediate outburst of exciting roars and questions. Everyone wanted to know more details. One billion gold coins! Even if youbined the wealth of every faction in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth it did not amount to that much wealth! It came nowhere close. Just how important were these six beads? Or better yet, just how dangerous or insane were the people who carried them?! The Faceless One did not mince their words and swiftly exined the details that needed to be known, nothing more and nothing less. Once they finished speaking, The Faceless One spread opened their arms and all of a sudden, a red light expanded outward from the Faceless One¡¯s body. However, it did not cause fear or panic this time. Everyone felt a wave of new power and strength wash over them as the red light touched their bodies. They did not know how, but they had all been empowered by that cloaked figure! "Now, let the hunt begin." The Faceless One said in a cold tone as a smile appeared on their face. ... Meanwhile... Izroth and his party had just finished off a small wave of monsters that appeared out of nowhere and attacked them. The suppression effect of the mind beads had worn off and the number of monsters was rapidly increasing each time a new wave appeared. However, the group waspletely unaware that at the moment, they had a one billion gold coin bounty on their heads! "ording to the direction this scroll is taking us, we¡¯ll have to leave the forest path soon and head directly into the forest area of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth." Izroth said. "The forest? How did they originally n to take the caravan through the forest?" Mirage questioned. The forest was too densely packed and rough for wagons to travel on. "It¡¯s possible that Robin would have snuck away from the caravan at some point to throw off his pursuers. However, we¡¯ll never truly know." Midnight said. After fighting off the next few monster waves, around twenty more minutes passed by in the blink of an eye. It had been nearly one hour since Izroth¡¯s party first received their new quest. Not too long ago, they had left the forest path and went right into the forest itself. While the forest could be considered densely packed for wagons to travel through, the same could not be said for humans or beasts. Izroth nced to his side as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. "It seems like we have somepany." Izroth said. Chapter 299 Let The Hunt Begin! Izroth¡¯s words caused the other members of his party to prepare for battle. "I wonder how many it¡¯ll be this time." Mirage said in a slightly excited tone. Midnight summoned his Gaia Avis and Brilliant Regnouda totems as he responded, "If the pattern is anything likest time, then the number of elite monsters will increase by another one or two while the normal monsters increase by around five to ten. Then again, this is an S-ranked quest. Who knows what we¡¯ll face?" "Five? Ten? It doesn¡¯t matter. We just have to deal with whateveres our way." Qi Jiguang stated. "Well said!" Omega said as he took into his hand the battle axe at his side. As for his shield, it levitated in front of him without him needing to hold it in his hand. This was due to his ss Protector and one of the unique skills it possessed. "It¡¯s not monsters. From their movements, they¡¯re bandits." Izroth said. Bandits? Everyone was a bit surprised. They did not think that they would run into any bandit groups so easily after leaving the forest path, however, it seemed as if that was not the case. Midnight furrowed his brows and said, "If it¡¯s a bandit group this deep into the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, then the chances of them being a part of a faction are high. If they really are members of a faction, then it¡¯ll be a bit troublesome if it¡¯s a big group. After all, we have no idea when the next wave of monsters will attack again." The bandits finally came into sight for the rest of Izroth¡¯s party. As it turned out, there were fifteen bandits headed their way. Compared to the first bandit attack, it was only a small portion. However, unlike the first bandit attack, they would not have to focus on guarding the caravan wagons and its members. In other words, they could go all out! "You¡¯re overthinking things. It¡¯s simple, all we have to do is beat those guys. Right, Izroth? Izroth?" Mirage pointed towards bandits as she looked for Izroth to back up her statement. However, when she turned to look towards the spot he just stood in, Izroth was nowhere to be found! "Where did he go?" Mirage questioned as she blinked a few times. Not too long after Mirage questioned where he had gone, Izroth reappeared out of nowhere. Quite literally, his figure just suddenly blinked into existence. Midnight eyes widened in shock, however, he soon let out a helpless sigh as he shook his head and recalled the two totems he summoned just moments ago. "Eh?" Mirage was confused as to why Midnight recalled his totem when they were about to head into battle. But, her confusion took a turn for the worse when she saw that the bandits who were just approaching them seconds ago were nowhere to be found! It couldn¡¯t be that they all had the Stealth skill, right? "Where did they go?" Omega said in a shocked tone. He was just as confused as Mirage at this point. One moment the bandits were there and the next they were gone! Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, had his gaze set on Izroth. He could have sworn for a moment there it almost looked as if Izroth had... "This area seems to be highly active with bandits. There are another three groups not too far from us, however, none of them appears to know our exact location. But, it does seem as if they¡¯re looking for something in this area." Izroth said as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. Of course, those bandits from earlier did not just disappear into thin air. Izroth decided that this was the perfect time to test run one of the skills he had recently obtained during theirst run-in with monsters. It was called Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Using that skill, he immediately closed the distance and took care of the normal bandits with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. Skill Name: Enhanced Instantaneous Movement Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Energy Cost: 35 Requirements: 1,000+ Agility Active: Consumes 1 charge and allows the user to instantly move to any point within 15 meters. The user gains 1 charge every 45 seconds. (Charges: 4) Special Note: The user cannot travel directly through solid objects or strong magic barriers. This skill can... It seemed that the system already had a technique called Instantaneous Movement. However, Izroth discovered something interesting aboutbat masters that he was previously unaware of. It turned out thatbat masters were not only capable of creating new skills, but also of improving upon skills that already existed within RML! Since he used a better version of Instantaneous Movement, the system decided to grant him the enhanced version of the skill. This was a huge discovery! This meant that Izroth was able to enhance skills like the Flickering Steps and Shadow Movement that he had already acquired. Of course, enhancing a skill was not something just anyone could do. It was different from how Izroth usually just learned skills by repeatedly using a rough version of them inbat. It relied almost entirely on one¡¯s understanding of skills. One needed a basic knowledge of how skills worked within RML and how to utilize its sources of potential such as Energy or Mana. Izroth had obtained the Battle Fundamental Mastery and Magic Fundamental Mastery passive skills, therefore, his knowledge was certainly notcking in that department. There was also one more important feature of enhanced skills... Although everyone was still baffled by what had just happened, they quickly regained themselves. Going by what Izroth said, there was a question that arose on everyone¡¯s mind. "Is it just a coincidence that the bandits are in this area searching for something? Or, are they actively looking for us?" Midnight questioned. "It¡¯s hard to believe that there just happened to be bandit groups searching around when we¡¯re passing through. I don¡¯t know about all of you, but I¡¯m not a strong believer when ites to anything being a coincidence." Qi Jiguang stated. Midnight nodded and said, "I agree. The timing is too perfect. However, this raises too many other questions. Such as how would they even know our location?" He let out a small sigh. "Why don¡¯t we just ask them what they¡¯re looking for?" Mirage questioned. "That¡¯s- That¡¯s actually not a bad idea." Midnight said as the shock on his face was clear. In fact, he was not the only one shocked. Izroth and Ying Yue were taken aback as well. When Mirage saw all those shocked faces looking at her, a smug look found its way onto her face. "What¡¯s wrong? Are you all amazed?" Mirage said in a voice filled with confidence. Izroth lightly cleared his throat as he said, "We should get moving. I have a feeling that it¡¯s not just those few bandit groups searching nearby." "Yeah, we can¡¯t afford to stay in one spot for too long." Midnight followed up. Ying Yue nodded her head in agreement. "Why do I feel like all of you just ignored my question?" Mirage said as a look of defeat appeared on her face. "What a bizarre party." Qi Jiguang muttered to himself. Omega overheard his words and he said, "Heh, you think so? I think they¡¯re an interesting bunch." "Don¡¯t get me wrong. They¡¯re definitely an interesting bunch. I just find it peculiar how a party like them managed to form with such arge range of personalities." Qi Jiguangmented. "Right? It¡¯s a far cry from the old for visiting. The Faceless One sat there in silence as they reached out and grabbed the ck orb that floated by their side. They stared into the ck orb with red energy dancing around inside of it and felt intoxicated. "How beautiful..." The Faceless One uttered. ... Woosh! Ding! "You-!" One of the bandits was out to speak when a sword brushed past his neck in the blink of an eye. The next moment, the bandit copsed on the ground and began to turn into a stream of particles. He was just struck by Izroth¡¯s sh Counter. ¡¯This is no coincidence.¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze throughout the surrounding area. Not too long ago, they found a group of bandits and did as Mirage suggested. They asked what it was the bandits were searching for and they quickly received their answers when a sh of greed found its way into the eyes of the bandits. Without hesitation, the bandits attacked Izroth¡¯s party. Before they knew it, their location had been discovered by arge group bandits and the numbers were ridiculous! There were one... two... three hundred bandits spread out within a fifty meters radius! ¡¯The numbers are still increasing.¡¯ "What¡¯s with these guys?! Do they really want our stuff that badly?!" Mirage said in a frustrated tone as her fist mmed into one of the nearby bandits and sent them flying back. "That can¡¯t be it. How could our stuff possiblypare to what an entire caravan is carrying that¡¯s worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of gold coins? These guys are definitely after something else. They¡¯re after us." Midnight said.People with the same interests and personalities are more likely to hang out with one another. Chapter 300 Isnt This System Cheating Me? Midnight was not naive enough to believe that whatever bandit group or faction that was currently attacking them only wanted the items they had equipped or in their inventory. Besides, was it even possible for NPCs to steal equipment from yers in the first ce? The only reason he was unsure of things was due to the fact that this was his first S-ranked quest. Not only that, but it was a Unique-S ranked quest. Therefore, he did not know what to fully expect in all honesty. Hooooooooooooooowl! A great howl echoed throughout the forest with many others following behind it. Although the following howls were nowhere as loud, one could feel the absolute bloodthirst hidden within the source of the howls. "It¡¯s the Tenedi Demon Wolf pack! Get out of their way!" One of the bandits yelled. There were many other warning cries that came after his and not too long after, the sea of bandits parted and created an opening straight through to Izroth¡¯s group. The bandits had stopped attacking Izroth¡¯s party and some even backed away in fear. "Heh, look of them! They¡¯re scared now. They even opened up a path for us!" Mirage said with a smirk on her face. Izroth gazed towards the area that the sea of bandits had parted. There was an obvious look of fear on their face, however, Izroth knew that it was because of him and his party members. ¡¯The howls...¡¯ Midnight frowned as he furrowed his brows and said, "It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would they attack us and then suddenly back off? It¡¯s obvious that they have no intention of retreating or else they would have already run away. Not to mention, the howls that-" Shhhhk! Thooooom! The ground began to tremble and a few momentster, the level of intensity started to increase until it reached that of a small scale earthquake! There was a dark cloud that formed in the distance and as it approached the sea of bandits, itpletely ignored them and went straight through the path they opened up for it. "What did those guys do to agitate a pack of Tenedi Demon wolves?" "It makes our job easier. As long as we stay out of their way, the Tenedi demon wolves won¡¯t attack us. Don¡¯t tell me you already forgot what that cloaked weirdo said?" "Of course, I forgot! Who wouldn¡¯t when a pack of Tenedi Demon wolves appears out of nowhere?! Those guys are as good as dead. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll just have to scavenge their bodies." "If that happens, a big fight will break out over who gets it. You guys wanna team up and split it twenty ways? We¡¯ll still have more than enough to livefortably. After all, if those guys are killed and we collect the six beads, that person will give us one billion gold coins!" As the bandits, criminals, and hunters were already having discussions about what would take ce after the assured death of Izroth¡¯s party, the conversations close to him did not escape Izroth¡¯s ears. There were three things that caught his attention during their conversation. The first was obviously the Tenedi Demon wolves. The bandits seemed to hold the impression that the appearance of the pack guaranteed their deaths. He did not know how strong these Tenedi Demon wolves were, but he was not too concerned about something that mere bandits were afraid of. As for the second and third thing, the two of them were connected to one another. ¡¯Someone has offered one billion gold coins for the mind beads and our lives? A cloaked weirdo, is it? Could it be that person from earlier?¡¯ Hooooooooooowl! The dark cloud rapidly approached the location of Izroth¡¯s party and as the pack moved closer, Izroth¡¯s party was finally able to see the information provided by the system. Name: Tenedi Demon Wolf Pack Leader(Elite) Level: 42 HP: 125,285 (100%) Name: Tenedi Demon Wolf(Normal) Level: 40 HP: 49,602 (100%) ¡¯Oh? I have enough for it now. This is the perfect chance to test out that move.¡¯ "Midnight, can you summon your Mighty Magnarvos?" Izroth asked. "Mighty Magnarvos? Sure, but we¡¯ll lose some attack speed and movement speed in exchange." Midnight said as he recalled his Duality Hare and summoned his Mighty Magnarvos totem in its ce. "That¡¯s fine, we won¡¯t need any mobility for this." Izroth said as a gentle wind flowed around his Sword of The Storm apanied by small crackles of lightning. He then continued, "The skill you used earlier on Mirage to boost the effectiveness of her healing, does it work with the Mighty Magnarvos as well?" Midnight raised his brows and gave a small nod as he replied, "I understand, just leave it to me." A small totem shot out and hovered above Izroth¡¯s head as a light green mist enveloped his body. Midnight had used the skill Totem Augmentation to double the effectiveness of his totem auras on Izroth. Crrrrckle! All of a sudden, the sky within 45 meters darkened as dark gray clouds began to form overhead. There was a gentle breeze that came out of nowhere as one could hear thunder and see bolts of lightning jumping around inside of the clouds. "What¡¯s going on? A storm?" Mirage said as she looked into the sky and saw the dark gray clouds converging onto a single point. It almost looked as if a mini hurricane was forming in the sky above! The breeze that started off gentle began to pick up and quickly shifted to a wild and untamed wind. At the same time, the hurricane-like cloud in the sky could be seen within Izroth¡¯s eyes as they released a faint white light. ¡¯This is my first time using this skill since I¡¯ve acquired the Sword of The Storm. How shy.¡¯ Izroth preferred to keep his skills simple and efficient. Therefore, he was not a fan of shy skills like the one he was currently using, however, he had to admit that it added a certain looming element to the attack. ¡¯Great Storm.¡¯ Booooooooooom! Izroth pointed his Sword of The Storm towards the sky and the instant he did, there were no longer any gentle breezes. Now, there were powerful gusts and bursts of wind that rained down from the sky and danced throughout the crowd of bandits, as well as, the group of Tenedi Demon wolves. "Where did this storme from?" One of the bandits asked with a confused look on their face. However, just as they were questioning the storm, they felt something pass through their body. That same feeling urred one more time as they looked down and noticed that their hands were turning into particles. "I don¡¯t want to-" Woosh! -6,765 ?Critical Hit? -13,530 The bandit¡¯s particles were dispersed by a nearly invisible force as that same force carried on to strike one of the nearby bandits. Of course, it was not just any invisible force, it was the des of Winds from Izroth¡¯s Great Storm skill attached to his Sword of The Storm. The same thing urred all over the battlefield and even the Tenedi Demon wolves were in a panic causing them to attack nearby bandits who kept running into them out of anger and fear. The scene turned to chaos as hundreds of bandits and dozens of Tenedi Demon wolves scattered around trying to flee from the life-reaping storm. However, Izroth did not stop there. Right when he released the Great Storm, he tapped his foot on the ground as a series of tremors was released within 45 meters. It was his Behemoth¡¯s Quake. These tremors caused the sea of bandits and the Tenedi Demon wolves to have a difficult time maintaining their bnce to escape from the range of his attacks. Izroth poured a total of thirty-two points of Essence into his Great Storm and ten points of Essence into his Behemoth¡¯s Quake. This not only increased the overall damage of the skills but their range as well. Since the des of Winds of his Great Storm was able to critical hit, it worked perfectly with Midnight¡¯s Mighty Magvarnos totem and made the attack even more devastating than usual. The bandits were dropping like flies throughout the battlefield, and it did not take long for some of the Tenedi Demon wolves to follow in their footsteps. As for Izroth¡¯s party, there wasplete silence as they watched the events that unfolded before them. Mirage, Ying Yue, Midnight, Qi Jiguang, and Omega all looked towards Izroth who was the source of the attack and one word crossed their minds at that moment; monster. What bnce gamey? You called this bnce?! What were you supposed to do against an attack that invoked such a high level of carnage? "This guy... Does he want toplete this S-ranked quest alone?" Omega said as he released a hopeless sigh. "I don¡¯t it¡¯s an impossibility. Maybe he really would havepleted it alone if the beads were never divided between the three of us. Omega, I think I¡¯ve decided." Qi Jiguang said as his gaze was locked onto Izroth. "Oh? You mean that? Interesting, I never thought I¡¯d live to see the day to be truthful. Well, whatever you choose to do, I¡¯ll follow after you. After all, you¡¯d be lost without me, right?" Omega said with a grin. "If you keep speaking such nonsense, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re lost in an entirely different way." Qi Jiguang said as he red at Omega which only caused thetter tough. However, Omega quickly halted hisughter as his facial expression turned serious. "Qi Jiguang, that guy¡¯s dangerous." Omega said. "Yeah, I know." Qi Jiguang responded. Mirage released a long sigh as she said, "See? Didn¡¯t I tell you this guy is a freak, Midnight?" "I thought you were overexaggerating as usual, but this is..." Midnight could only shake his head as he was unable to finish his response. Ying Yue¡¯s eyes shone with amazement as she observed Izroth. With the wind and lightning around him, as well as, that unique look that formed in his eyes, he appeared like the deity of storms. "Amazing..." Ying Yue said quietly to herself. Ten secondster, the tremors stopped and the dark gray clouds in the air werepletely dispersed. ¡¯I guess I overdid it a bit. However, what a useful skill despite its shiness.¡¯ As Izroth swept his gaze across the surroundings, all he could see was a giant swarm of particles drift off into the sky. When everything cleared up, there were no signs of any bandits, hunters, or criminals. Even the entire Tenedi Demon Wolf pack had been eliminated in the process. It was a one-sided massacre! Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. ¡´System Alert: Your level has increased to 41!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your level has increased to 42!¡µ Two levels from one battle! Since Izroth was already close to leveling up to level 41, he was able to jump two levels from the experience he just gained. In total, Izroth gained around 2.4 million EXP! Of course, a small portion went to his party, however, since he dealt 100% of the damage, the vast majority went directly to him. Izroth casually walked over towards where the Tenedi Demon wolves died and picked up some of the loot they dropped. As for the NPCs, even though they gave experience, unfortunately, they did not drop any loot. ¡¯It looks as if only certain types of NPCs can drop loot. Isn¡¯t this system cheating me?¡¯ If Izroth¡¯s party members could hear his current thoughts, there was no doubt that they would want to strangle him to death! Cheating him? If the system was cheating him, then it was robbing them blind in broad daylight! However, everyone was still in a state of shock by what had just transpired. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of bandits and dozens of monsters had been eradicated! Not by some rare or legendary boss, but by a yer! Chapter 301 Raising Questions Even though Izroth did not receive any loot from the NPCs, he was not left totally empty-handed. The pack of Tenedi Demon wolves dropped some high-quality materials that would have been difficult to obtain in a ce like Amaharpe. Though, there were a few things that he was unable to use due to the restriction of only being able to have a single profession. ¡¯A troublesome restriction.¡¯ If not for that restriction, Izroth would have also be a cksmith, Alchemist, and any other professions he could get his hands on. After all, he was more than just a master apothecary back in the Seven Realms. If he was able to learn every profession within RML, then his Mystical Realm Pce could have easily been a one-stop-shop. But, it would have no doubt been a time-consuming matter. It was already troublesome enough keeping up with the pill inventory in his shop. ¡¯I suppose I¡¯ll just keep it stored for now. It maye in handy at some point.¡¯ Thanks to the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth was no longercking when it came to mary funds. Therefore, he did not really think about selling the items he acquired from the Tenedi Demon wolves. Instead, he would use whatever he could and keep the rest to trade for potentially useful items. After all, there were some things that gold coins could not buy within RML. Of course, no one in the group had any objections to Izroth taking all the loot since he was the one who killed the monsters. After sessfully going through the loot drop, Izroth returned to his party and was greeted by helpless smiles and strange looks. "Have you ever heard of the word restraint?" Mirage asked as she shook her head. "I thought I restrained myself quite well." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. Although it may have seemed as if he was simply boasting, he was telling the truth. Izroth had already tested the limits of how much Essence he could pour into a skill before he experienced Soul Weakness and it was a bit more than 50% of his total Essence. At the moment, Izroth possessed an Essence of 164. He used 10 Essence on his Behemoth¡¯s Quake and 32 Essence on his Great Storm. This meant that he could have still poured an additional 40 Essence into his Great Storm skill before experiencing Soul Weakness. Not to even mention the results if he poured everyst bit of his Essence into it. Of course, Izroth did not want to waste any more than what was required to get the job done. After all, he had to also think about the battles that may lie ahead of them. Given that his Essence regeneration was still only one point per minute, it would take him a total of 42 minutes topletely regain that Essence that he had just spent. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to find a way to increase the regeneration rate of my Essence if I want to be able to use it freely.¡¯ "If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you manage to learn such a powerful skill as abat master?" Midnight asked curiously. Midnight asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. Everyone would be lying to themselves if they said that they were not interested in how Izroth was able to teach himself that skill. ¡¯A curious bunch.¡¯ Izroth replied, "It¡¯s not abat master skill, but one that¡¯s attached to my weapon. In other words, it¡¯s a weapon skill." Weapon skill?! Everyone was more shocked than they were before. What kind of ridiculous weapon skill was that?! They were all at a lost for words. Even rare weapons were incapable of producing anything close to the skill Izroth used, therefore, there was only one other exnation. Izroth¡¯s weapon was even stronger than a rare-quality weapon! However, was such a thing even possible at this point within RML? Ying Yue and Qi Jiguang were the only two who understood everything as soon as Izroth mentioned that it was a weapon skill. The two of them were the only members in the group who had participated in the Chaotic Dogma Realm and knew that one of the rewards listed on the SS-ranked quest was one piece of epic ranked equipment. That sword on Izroth¡¯s back was likely the weapon he received as a reward forpleting the Chaotic Dogma Realm. In other words, it was an epic-quality weapon! Qi Jiguang had been wondering who was the party that cleared the Chaotic Dogma Realm ever since he was first forcibly teleported outside of that ce. Now, it seemed as though he finally got his answer. After taking a few moments to settle down, they decided to resume their previous route. At the same time, Izroth brought up a topic that he believed everyone had the right to know. He exined to them about what he overheard from the bandits regarding the bounty ced upon them, as well as, the "cloaked weirdo" that they mentioned was behind it. "One billion gold coins?! Hm, maybe we should turn the mind beads over ourselves." Mirage said in a half-joking manner. "Yeah, one billion gold coins does sound really tempting." Omegamented. In all honesty, they did not owe anything to Robin. While it may seem cruel of them to ignore his request, one billion gold coins was simply too huge of a number to ignore. "There¡¯s an old saying that if something looks and seems too good to be true, the chances are that it is. If the system really did give out one billion gold coins in one go, it would copse the entire economy of RML and the price of gold coins would plummet. The exchange rate would drop to aughable number." Midnight said. "I have to agree. Although I¡¯ve never deeply studied economics, even I can tell that releasing such arge volume of gold coins into y at once would disrupt everything." Qi Jiguang stated. "The bounty is likely a lie used to entice others to chase after us. Even thebined wealth of Amaharpe and Proximus doesn¡¯t amount to anywhere close to one billion gold coins. However, I doubt that the average person in this world has ess to such information. This means that we¡¯re bound to run into further hindrances along the way, and I don¡¯t mean just monsters." Izroth said. "What a shame. I was actually pretty excited that we were worth one billion gold coins." Mirage sighed. "Well, technically the minds beads are-" Midnight tried to exin, however, he was quickly cut off by Mirage. "Yup, I was super excited about our bounty." Mirage said in a slightly elevated tone. Midnight shook his head as he knew that there was no point in finishing thest of his words. "It looks like we won¡¯t be able to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. I¡¯m assuming we¡¯re all thinking the same thing about the cloaked figure they mentioned. It has to be the same one from earlier that attacked the caravan." Qi Jiguang stated. Midnight, however, frowned and looked as if he had something else on his mind. Izroth took note of Midnight¡¯s doubtful expression and asked, "Do you disagree?" Of course, Izroth had his own thoughts about everything that happened, but he was interested to hear Midnight¡¯s opinion before giving his own. "Well, it¡¯s just that the cloaked- No, the Faceless One we fought earlier seemed mentally unstable. Would someone like that be truly capable of convincing such arge number of people to attack us?" Midnight questioned. "I suppose now that you mention it..." Qi Jiguang furrowed his brows at Midnight¡¯s question. Indeed, the person Izroth and his party at the time fought against did not seem level-headed enough to convince others that they even had one billion gold coins. Even if the bandits were not that smart, surely they were not as gullible to believe the words of a crazy person. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he said, "I agree. The Faceless One we previously fought was mentally unstable, therefore, it should be impossible for them to have orchestrated this set of events. At least, not by themselves. ¡¯We are a Faceless One.¡¯ was what that cloaked figure said." Izroth could see the knowledge level NPCs possessed and the Faceless One they fought against had "Unstable" next to their knowledge level. "We are a Faceless One..." Midnight muttered to himself. A few momentster, a look of realization found its way onto his face. "Could it be that the Faceless One is not just a group of people, but a group of entities?" Midnight questioned. "Aren¡¯t those two basically the same thing?" Mirage asked. "It¡¯s a bit tricky to exin but to simplify it, think of this party as a group of people. We each have our own thoughts and ideas. Unless we can read minds, we¡¯ll never truly know what the other person is thinking. Now, think of a group of entities as being the exact same, except they are all intricately connected to one another. Able to share thoughts and ideas as if they were a single person. Being one but also two. It¡¯s like..." Midnight tried to find the correct words, however, he was having a difficult time doing so. "You call that the simple version?" Mirage said with a doubtful look in her eyes. "I think you¡¯re partially correct, but there¡¯s one key bit of information you¡¯re missing. While I do believe the Faceless One is not just a single individual, it¡¯s not entirely urate to call them a group of entities. A more proper term would be a group of personalities. After all, they aren¡¯t real people." Izroth exined. "Well, of course, they aren¡¯t real people. They¡¯re NPCs." Omega said as if it was something obvious. "What I mean by that is that we¡¯re not dealing with the kind of NPC we¡¯re used to. It¡¯s just a theory, but the signs all point towards the same conclusion." Izroth said. "What conclusion might that be?" Midnight asked. "That the Faceless One is a cursed weapon." Izroth stated. Cursed Weapon? No one had ever heard of that kind of weapon. At least, everyone except Ying Yue. There was a sudden look of surprise on her face when Izroth mentioned the cursed weapon. "What¡¯s a cursed weapon? Never heard of it." Mirage said. "A cursed weapon is a weapon that possesses a mind and will of its own. Those who wield it are slowly consumed by its overwhelming power and eventually, it¡¯s no longer the person controlling the weapon, but the weapon controlling the person." Izroth exined. He had read about cursed weapons in the Amaharpe library and everything about them was tied in with horrific stories. "How can you be certain?" Qi Jiguang asked. "Back when we fought against the Faceless One, they stabbed the greatsword into themselves. Initially, it was believed that they had sacrificed their own life, however, the reappearance of the Faceless One told us otherwise. But, in actuality, the Faceless One we were originally fighting against truly did sacrifice themselves at that moment." Izroth exined. He then continued, "The greatsword lingered behind even after the Faceless One died instead of instantly disappearing along with it. Do you not find it strange that there was no flood of weapons left lingering behind after the death of the bandits a while back?" Indeed, the weapons that the bandits had instantly started to dissipate and turn into particles at the moment of their deaths. "So they really did die back then. But, how did they reappear to attack Robin? You said that cursed weapons slowly consume the host, however, even if it did manage to take control of Lyn, it should not have been able topletely take over so fast." Midnight stated. "There are two possibilities I can think of. The first is that it¡¯s a unique cursed weapon that can immediately consume its host. However, I do not believe that this is the case. After all, it would have been smarter for it to control Jyuuriel or even Robin himself. The second is that Lyn was already a chosen host for the cursed weapon." Izroth said. Chapter 302 Discipline of the Warpath Blade Izroth exined the talismans that he found in the wreckage of the caravan that was designed to make their original quest fail regardless of what future actions they took. After all, there was no way for them to possibly know about the talismans since they were ced on the wagons before any of their parties even arrived. "I see, so that¡¯s how it is. This system sure was cruel to hand us such an unreasonable quest." Midnight sighed. "Normally I would be cursing the system, but we did manage to get an S-ranked quest out of it. This feels weird to even say, but I¡¯m kind of grateful that we failed the quest." Mirage said. "I hate failing, but I have to agree. An A-ranked quest can¡¯t evene close toparing to one that¡¯s S-ranked." Omega stated. "Hey, how do you know so much about everything anyway?" Mirage asked Izroth out of curiosity. To be honest, everyone else was also curious as to how Izroth was so knowledgable about things within RML. For example, how did he know so many details about cursed weapons and talismans? "I¡¯ve just read a few books, that¡¯s all." Izroth replied in a nonchnt manner. Of course, saying a "few books" when he read two entire floors worth of books within the Amaharpe pce library was a gross understatement. As the group continued to follow the route on the scroll, they discussed a few small matters. Two hours passed by, however, for Izroth and his party, it felt like an eternity. After moving for around two hours, the group ran into numerous monster waves and small scale bandit attacks. Of course, everyone was itching to fight and prove themselves after Izroth¡¯s most recent disy of power. It only made them want to improve even more so than before in order to reach that same point. However, the costs of maintaining such a constant pace of fighting had finally started to reveal itself. Krrrrk! Bang! Qi Jiguang¡¯s fists rained down upon one of the monsters from the wave of attacks. The strength behind each strike was so powerful and concentrated onto a single point that it caused small holes to appear in the body of the monster. A few momentster, the monster¡¯s body shattered to countless pieces as if it were made out of ss. The blue glow around Qi Jiguang¡¯s fists disappeared. "That¡¯s thest one." Qi Jiguang said. He took a deep breath before exhaling to control his breathing. However, there was still a look of fatigue on his face and he was not the only one. Ying Yue, Midnight and Omega were also feeling fatigued. Izroth, and surprisingly Mirage, were the only two who did not appear to be fatigued. For thest two hours, they had been fighting nonstop against monster waves and bandit attacks without rest. Thankfully, none of the bandit attacks were nearly asrge as the first one, however, the monster attacks were bing more brutal. In thest monster wave, the number of normal monsters was practically nonexistent and a good number of elite monsters showed up in their ce. RML did not have a fatigue bar that allowed yers to keep track of their fatigue, instead, it was a hidden stat with no clear hints as to how to improve upon it. There were certain rumors going around that it was based on willpower, and others that said it was based on one¡¯s HP value. But, in the end, no one was absolutely certain on what determined the limits of one¡¯s fatigue. Izroth could tell that the fatigue was starting to have an effect on everyone but Mirage¡¯s overall performance. ¡¯We haven¡¯t been able to cover much distance in two hours due to the constant attacks. If things continue at this rate, then...¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory and removed four aqua-colored pills. These pills looked as if there was water flowing around inside of them as they released a refreshing aroma. Just by breathing in its medicinal scent, everyone began to feel as if their fatigue was fading away. "What a refreshing scent. Just what are those pills?" Midnight said with a hint of amazement in his voice. "These are called Ocean Spring Pills. Taking one will help to alleviate the majority of the fatigue you¡¯re currently experiencing." Izroth exined. "There¡¯s such a miraculous pill?" Omega eximed. Midnight looked over at Mirage who had a smug look on her face. "I see, so you too. No wonder the two of you are fine after all this time." Midnight said with a sigh. He had been secretly wondering how those two were not tired after so much fighting. For Izroth, he simply wrote it off as another ridiculous skill he possessed, however, it was different for Mirage. Izroth gave one pill to everyone excluding Mirage who he already gave one to back at the zing Temple. After consuming the pill, it was just as Izroth said. Therge majority of their fatigue had disappeared! It was as if arge burden was lifted off their shoulders and everyone felt as though they could fight forever! "What a useful pill!" Omega could not help but praise the Ocean Spring Pill. "It¡¯s like a gentle ocean current flowing throughout your body. Not to mention, the other effects are incredible." Qi Jiguang said in a tone of disbelief. Name: Ocean Spring Pill(II) Rank: Grade-Two Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Ocean Rejuvenation?. ?Ocean Rejuvenation?: Greatly reduces the user¡¯s fatigue. Grants the user a 10% chance to ignore any crowd control effect(s). This effect is doubled if the user is below 25% HP. If the user is under crowd control effect(s) when their HP falls below 25%, all enemy crowd control effect(s) on the user is instantly removed and for 2 seconds, the user bes immune to all crowd control effect(s). Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effect(s). However, consuming a higher grade version of the pill will rece its effect(s). Not only did the Ocean Spring Pill relieve a yer¡¯s fatigue, but it also granted them a certain degree of crowd control immunity. However, the most useful part of the skill was without a doubt the effect that took ce when the user¡¯s HP dropped below the 25% mark. Removing all crowd control and bing immune to it for two seconds was enough topletely change the course of a battle! In other words, it was a life-saving skill that the pill provided. Of course, the most amazing part was that Izroth had willingly given them such a valuable pill freely. "Although I am unable to pay you back at the moment, I will be sure to return the favor one day." Qi Jiguang said in a serious tone. "It¡¯s just a small matter." Izroth responded. Thest thing he wanted was for someone to slip up and die due to their fatigue. After all, if Qi Jiguang was killed then the quest would automatically be considered as a failure. Just as everyone was beginning to feel refreshed, Ying Yue suddenly turned around. She could sense someone closing in on their location at a great speed. "Someone¡¯s headed this way, and fast." Ying Yue warned. "Only one?" Izroth questioned. Ying Yue gave a slight nod and replied, "They¡¯re still a bit over 1,000 meters away, but at the speed they¡¯re moving they¡¯ll be here in less than thirty seconds." 1,000 meters in under thirty seconds? This meant that they were covering more than 30 meters per second! However, what was more terrifying was that Ying Yue could tell that someone was after them even though that person was over 1,000 meters away! Izroth, however, had not forgotten the skill that Ying Yue mentioned back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Whenever she passed through an object, she would leave behind a small residual trace for around an hour or so. Of course, now that she was stronger, it was possible that the effects were even greater than that. As long as anyone or anything passed by that object, she would immediately be informed. It was, in all sense, apletely broken detection skill. Ying Yue could see that everyone, except Izroth, had a baffled expression on their face. Therefore, she gave them a brief exnation of how her skill worked. "I never knew you had such a handy skill all this time." Mirage said. "With a skill like that, it¡¯s virtually impossible for anyone to follow you without being discovered." Midnight stated. First, Izroth and now even Ying Yue was showing amazing abilities. At this point, he was starting to grow a certain level of immunity towards these type of surprises. The main culprit that caused this to happen was, of course, Izroth. Though, if Luna, Halls, and the others were here at the moment, they would without a doubt rte to Midnight seeing as how Izroth took them through the same process. "Whoever is headed this way, it won¡¯t be possible for us to outrun them. If they turn out to be an enemy, we¡¯ll have no choice but to fight." Izroth said. Even Izroth with his base agility of 1,293 could not run over thirty meters per second. Of course, if he used his Flickering Steps thirty meters in one second would be nothing, but that skill onlysted for twenty seconds. Not to mention, the other members of his party did not have a base agility even remotely close to his own. Thirty seconds quickly passed by and a few momentster, a strong gust of wind blew towards Izroth and his party that caused everyone to nearly be pushed backward. Izroth did not budge a single step even with the strong gust of wind mming into his body. His gaze locked onto the figure who had just appeared before them. It was a middle-aged man who gave off a fierce aura and sharp sword intent. "Interesting, it almost seems as if you were waiting for me to arrive. Though, I should be grateful that you¡¯ve saved me some time." The middle-aged man said as the strong gust of wind vanished. The middle-aged man possessed piercing red eyes, and in his left hand was a gorgeous ck sheath with the sword still inside. Even though there was no longer any wind or breezes around, the clothing and hair of that middle-aged man were still moving as if they were being constantly influenced by the wind around him. ¡¯A cursed weapon? No...¡¯ Izroth did not feel the same vile aura that the greatsword of the Faceless One gave off. Also, this person seemed to be more than just a personality. The middle-aged man took a single step forward and that was when Izroth and his party members could see his information. "I know this is an S-ranked quest, but aren¡¯t we yers supposed to be the one to seek this kind of person out?" Midnight questioned after seeing what they were up against. NPC Name: Zephyr, First Sword of the Warpath de(Rare) NPC Level: 45 NPC Faction: Discipline of the Warpath de NPC HP: ???(100%) It was the same middle-aged man that spoke personally with the Faceless One who put out the bounty for Izroth and his party. His true name was Zephyr, however, everyone within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth only knew him by First Sword. Although everyone was shocked, they were already prepared for something along this line to ur given how fast that person was moving. The chances of them being a normal NPC or yer was too small. However, being prepared for it and being face to face with it were two different things. ¡¯Discipline of the Warpath de?¡¯ Amaharpe¡¯s pce library did not have much intel when it came to the topic of factions besides some of the more well-known factions, as well as, some general information about them. Therefore, for a faction that was based in Proximus, Izroth never even knew they existed before just now. ¡¯Did hee for the bounty as well?¡¯ Chapter 303 Zephyr, First Sword of The Warpath Blade While other small-time bandits could be fooled by that phony one billion gold coins, the NPC before him should have known better. After all, there was no way an individual of that power who resided within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth could possibly be that naive. "We were polite enough to wait for you. Don¡¯t you think you should return the favor by telling us what your purpose is?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. Zephyr set his gaze upon Izroth. When he saw the sword on Izroth¡¯s back, he narrowed his eyes. "Remaining brave before the face of adversity is a trait not often found in those who possess such youth. It¡¯s a shame that I have to kill you with my own hands. But, to grant your final wish, I will let you know the reason behind your impending death. The mind beads are bound to you. Only with your deaths can they be relinquished." Zephyr exined. He then continued, "If you want to me anyone, me the man who set such a heavy burden upon you." ¡¯As I thought, he¡¯s also after the mind beads. But...¡¯ "Do you believe a Faceless One will truly be able to pay you one billion gold coins?" Izroth asked. Zephyr was shocked that Izroth had knowledge of that matter. How could he possibly know that it was the Faceless One who sent him? "Interesting, I was unaware that you already acquired such information. However, if you know that, then you should also know that it is not gold that I¡¯m after. What I seek is only peace." Zephyr responded as he closed his eyes. At the same time, the strong gust of wind that had died down before returned once again. ¡¯Looks like he¡¯s done talking.¡¯ In truth, Izroth was not entirely certain that a Faceless One was behind the bounty ced on their heads, however, Zephyr had just helped to confirm his previous suspicions. Although he would have liked to probe for more information, it did not seem like Zephyr would waste any more words. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth is within Zephyr, First Sword of the Warpath de¡¯s ?Gale Zone?!¡µ Izroth was not the only one to receive the battle alert as every single member of his party was affected by the skill. However, no one had any idea what purpose the skill itself served as none of them felt any different or received any kind of debuffs. "Resisting will only dy the inevitable. These are not words of arrogance I speak, this is the truth." Zephyr said in a calm tone and at the same time his right-hand twitch ever so slightly. Izroth swiftly unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and swung out directly in front of him. At first, everyone was a bit confused as to why Izroth suddenly attacked the area before him when there was nothing there. However, they heard the sound of metals shing against one another as they saw Izroth¡¯s arm forced back. ?Parried? (-1,634) -2,007 The overheal shield that had built up thanks to Midnight¡¯s Brilliant Regnouda totem was destroyed in a single strike. Even with the physical resistance bonus provided by the Gaia Avis totem, as well as, his natural physical resistances, Izroth still received more than 2,000 damage directly to his HP. However, there was something that caused Izroth to narrow his eyes as he observed Zephyr. ¡¯I couldn¡¯t see it.¡¯ That attack just now was simr to Izroth¡¯s own Tempest Strikes, however, given that Zephyr¡¯s sword was still in its sheath, he must have used a quick-draw sword skill. Izroth not only had the Heavenly Golden Body, but he had taken a Five Cycles Pill as well. This meant that his sense of perception was at a monstrous level that most yers could only dream of. However, even with the Heavenly Golden Body and the Five Cycles Pill, he was still unable to see Zephyr¡¯s attack just now! If not for the warning of his Soul Sense and the small twitch in Zephyr¡¯s right hand that Izroth noticed in time, then there was no doubt that he would have been struck by that sword attack head-on. "Oh?" Zephyr raised his brows in surprise. That attack just now was meant to reap the life of its target in one strike. It was his fastest sword attack, the Warpath de: Quick Drawing Arts. With its incredible speed, it held a reputation in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth as being an unblockable and undodgeable skill. Zephyr aimed right for Izroth¡¯s neck and should have taken his head off with a single swing. The fact that Izroth not only avoided a critical hit but even reacted in time to parry his sword strike was enough to leave him pleasantly surprised. Izroth¡¯s figure disappeared and in an instant, he had arrived before Zephyr with his Sword of The Storm already descending upon him. Zephyr was caught off guard by Izroth¡¯s sudden movement and knew that it was impossible for him to avoid the attack. Therefore, he shifted his position and avoided a critical hit, or at least that¡¯s what he thought. Two phantom swords managed to strike his vital point. -648 ?Critical Hit? -3,492 ?Critical Hit? -5,388 Zephyr quickly drew his sword and swung it outward in an arc causing Izroth to move out of attack range to avoid the de. There was a cold look in Zephyr¡¯s eyes as he looked at Izroth. When was thest time that he, the First Sword of the Warpath de, was struck by another sword? This was a great humiliation to his pride as a swordsman! Everyone was amazed by the brief yet high-level exchange that just took ce. Did this guy really n to go head to head with a rare NPC?! "He¡¯s insane..." Omega muttered in a low voice. Even though he said those words, there was an excited look on his face. His blood was boiling and his fighting spirit was invoked. Izroth had used for visiting. -1,344 -1,905 "Gaia¡¯s Embrace." Ying Yue said to softly as she connected her fingers together with open palms. A few momentster, the earth beneath Zephyr¡¯s feet began to shift around and deform as ten pirs made of earth shot out from the ground and up into the air. The pirs then caved inward and crashed down mercilessly into Zephyr. Boom! -5,505 The pirs caused the ground to tremble when they struck down. Woosh! Woosh! Lines started to form on the pirs and in the next moment, the pirs shattered into countless pieces as if they had been cut through multiple times. Zephyr broke free of the pirs, however, he was weed by a fist covered in electricity aimed right at his face. Crrrrrckle! Bzzzzt! -3,283 Mirage¡¯s fist collided with Zephyr¡¯s face and send him flying back a few meters in the process. Her entire body could be seen covered in electricity as sparks jumped around freely. Zephyr was unable to move as electricity could be seen flowing over his body. He had been paralyzed by Mirage¡¯s Voltaic Strike. Zephyr seemed to bepletely overwhelmed by the barrage of attacks from Izroth and his party! Due to his status as a rare NPC, all crowd control effects against him was reduced greatly and so Mirage¡¯s paralyze effect did notst long. The moment it ended, he immediately made his move as he shed out and released a sharp and visible de of wind in the process towards Mirage. It was nowhere near as fast as the first attack he used to attack Izroth, however, it was still a fast sword strike. Woosh! Ding! A rotating shield appeared before Mirage and blocked the attack. ?Blocked? (-2,380) "Dream on!" Omega roared as he sessfully intercepted Zephyr¡¯s attack. He could freely move his shield around the battlefield to block iing attacks. Of course, the range itself was limited and he still received any damage from attacks that struck his shield as the two were connected. After practically spending over two hours straight fighting with one another, the synergy and timing of everyone¡¯s attacks, as well as, their skills were nearly perfect. Every time Izroth put pressure on the Zephyr, Qi Jiguang would attack from one of his blindspots. This caused Zephyr to either receive his attack head-on or retreat. However, every time he chose to retreat, Mirage was right there to greet him with her fist. As for Ying Yue, she would cast a magic spell at Zephyr whenever there was an opening in his defenses. When Zephyr tried to retaliate with an attack, Omega would react in a timely manner and block the sword strike with his shield. Even if Zephyr did not focus him, Omega was still able to act as the tank and absorb damage. Midnight stayed at a safe distance and had three of his totems summoned at all times. On asions, he would briefly summon a fourth totem depending on the situation at hand. With everyone working together as one party, Zephyr¡¯s HP dropped down at a steady pace. 90%... 75%... 60%... ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ There were parties that had been together through multiple games that did not work this well together. Themunication was brief and to the point whenever someone did speak out, but for the most part, it was almost as if everyone had a certain grasp on each other¡¯s ystyles. While there were still mistakes every now and then, someone was always there to cover for that error. As the battle raged on and Zephyr¡¯s HP reached the 50% mark, Izroth and his party received a battle alert. ¡´Battle Alert: Zephyr, First Sword of The Warpath de has entered into the ?Warpath State?!¡µ ¡¯Warpath State?¡¯ A powerful burst of wind was released from Zephyr¡¯s body as it forced Izroth and his party to retreat back. What happened next caused everyone to be dumbfounded. Two small gales of wind appeared beneath Zephyr¡¯s feet before lifting him up twenty meters into the air as he levitated in mid-air above Izroth and his party. "He¡¯s flying!" Mirage said in a shocked tone. "How are we supposed to attack him from down here? Isn¡¯t that cheating?" Omega questioned with a frown. Zephyr took on an offensive sword stance as he unleashed a barrage of sword strikes that rained down upon Izroth¡¯s party. Each sword strike did not contain that much power, however, it was spread out over arge range and dealt a decent amount of damage. Omega activated his Shield of Pacification to protect everyone from the rain of sword strikes, however, cracks were rapidly forming throughout the barrier. In truth, Zephyr was not actually flying, but instead, he used advanced wind magic to hold himself up in the air. He could not move around freely and only travel straight up or down within certain limits. But, to yers who had nevere across such methods before, it looked as if he were flying in a natural manner. However, was he the only one who could soar in the air? ¡¯Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re safe in the sky.¡¯Improvised Instantaneous Movement has been changed to Enhanced Instantaneous Movement.Fighter-type movement skill.Magic-type skill. Ten pirs raise from the earth and crash down on the stone momentarily disabling them and dealing damage.Fighter-type skill for Mirage¡¯s ss. damage + paralyze effect. Chapter 304 Conceding The Sky "My Shield of Pacification won¡¯t be able to hold off against his attacks for much longer!" Omega warned as the barrier that protected everyone was beginning to slowly fall apart. Ying Yue pointed towards the sky and at Zephyr as a spear made out of water and concentrated mana formed above her head. The spear of water quickly traveled through the barrier and soared into the sky with its target being Zephyr. Swoosh! Zephyr halted his attacks as he moved a few meters down to avoid the iing spear of water, however, he quickly resumed his previous position. Even though Ying Yue missed with her spell, she had aplished her goal of removing some of the pressure from Omega¡¯s Shield of Pacification. One thing she learned from this experience was that it was incredibly difficult to hit targets that were in mid-air. Fortunately, Zephyr did not seem to possess a master level of flight and his movements in the sky felt almost forced at times. These details did not escape the eyes of Izroth and the members his party who were more observant. "We should fall back out of range and force him toe down from there, otherwise, we stand no chance. Either that, or we have to find a way to knock him out of the air. However, that might be a little difficult considering our current ss pool." Midnight said. There were only two members of their party who were ranged, Midnight and Ying Yue. Even Izroth with his Tempest Strikes was unable to reach Zephyr from the ground. But, that did not mean that Izrothcked any means of attacking him. "If he refuses toe down here to us, then we¡¯ll just have to go up to him." Izroth said in a carefree tone. "I think you¡¯re forgetting the very important fact that he¡¯s flying. How are we supposed to get up there when none of us are capable of flight? Jump really high?" Mirage stated. It was as simple as Zephyr was up there and they were down here. But, there was one person who had his gaze set on Izroth and that was Midnight. "You¡¯re joking..." Midnight quietly said to himself in disbelief. He remembered when Izroth first arrived at the inn back in Terisyllis Vige. Mirage had questioned how Izroth was able to reach Terisyllis Vige so fast from the capital city Amaharpe and his exact response was "I flew for a bit.". Just like Mirage, Midnight hadpletely dismissed those words as nonsense when he heard them, however, after journeying with Izroth for a while and realizing just how abnormal he really was, maybe he was being serious at that time. However, that would mean that something frightening was about to take ce. Without any further warning, Izroth jumped into the air. "A futile attempt." Zephyr said to himself as he observed Izroth¡¯s jump. Did that individual truly believe that he would be able to reach him by simply jumping? He was twenty meters above the ground! Even with a high-ranked wind magic skill, it would be difficult for one to reach his current position. How many years had it taken him to master this skill? Zephyr sheathed his sword and took on an offensive stance. When Izroth saw this, he closed his eyes. This caused Zephyr to look on coldly as the sword intent he released became sharper. Was this person intentionally mocking him? In his eyes, if that person was in such a hurry to die, then he would happily grant him his wish for a swift death. Zephyr locked onto Izroth. When Izroth was around three meters in the air, the original momentum from his jump ran out. Three meters was the highest any yer could jump without any additional skills to assist them. This number was a bit lower for those who wore ted armor or were cloth wearing magic casters. "Warpath de: Unmarked Quick Drawing Arts." Zephyr waited for the perfect opportunity strike and that was the small window of time that Izroth was helplessly floating in mid-air before he would be forced back down by gravity. Zephyr¡¯s sword shed out of its sheath as an intense de of wind traveled at amazing speeds towards Izroth. The unmarked version of his Warpath de: Quick Drawing Arts was even faster than the original attack he used against Izroth at the start of the battle. He believed that since Izroth was foolish enough to leave himself stranded and defenseless in mid-air, there was no chance of him surviving that attack. "Let¡¯s see you parry this." Zephyr said to himself. No one had ever been able to defend against the unmarked version of his skill, let alone avoid it. This would be his way of redeeming himself from the previous humiliation of having his first sword strike parried by Izroth. However, little did Zephyr know, there was always for a first time for everything in this world. Unlike what Zephyr believed, it was not Izroth¡¯s goal to mock him nor was it out of arrogance that he closed his eyes. Instead, he knew from Zephyr¡¯s sword stance that he was preparing to use a quick-drawing sword skill. Since Izroth could not rely on his sight to follow the path of the attack, he would rely on his other senses. By closing his eyes Izroth increased more than just his other basic senses such as his hearing. By concentrating on the feeling from his Soul Sense and driving it to the very peak of its performance in order to sense Zephyr¡¯s attack, he was able to aplish something unexpected. ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked a new skill for the trait ?Soul Essence?.¡µ Izroth, however, did not have time to personally look over the skill. But, soon after he received that alert from the system, something bizarre happened. Everything around him was supposed to bepletely dark since his eyes were closed, but he could see mes of all sizes in the surrounding area. ¡¯What is this?¡¯ Below him was a total of five mes. All the mes were different colors, but the sizes varied. Green, turquoise, yellow, blue, and white. The intensity of the mes was different, but without a doubt, the white me was on an entirely different levelpared to the rest and was at least double the size of the other mes. Followed by the white me in levels of intensity was blue, yellow, green, and then turquoise. However, there was another me above him that held a greater level of intensity than all the mes that were below himbined. It was a murky and milky colored me, however, unlike the wild and untamed mes beneath him, this me waspressed and controlled. But, even though its appearance was much smaller than the other mes, its power was far greater. There was an extraordinarily condensed me headed straight towards Izroth. Compared to the other mes, this one did not feel as alive. But, Izroth was able to immediately tell that it was something extremely dangerous. He pieced everything together and quickly came to a conclusion. ¡¯I see, if the five mes on below me are Mirage and the others, then that makes the one above me Zephyr. The me heading towards me must be the sword strike he just used. But, why am I seeing all of this? Does it rte to the system alert I just received?¡¯ Indeed, it was just as Izroth guessed. Due to the new skill he acquired from his Soul Essence trait, he was able to "see" even with his eyes closed! The name of this trait skill was called Energy Vision Sense. Trait: Soul Essence ... *New*-Energy Vision Sense: The user can feel and see mana, as well as, different forms of energy in their surroundings (Current Max Range: 164 meters). Consumes 0.10(+0.05 per second active) Essence per 10 meters every second it remains active. The greater the range and longer the skill remains active, the more Essence will be consumed. On the ground, the white me belonged to Ying Yue, the blue me to Qi Jiguang, yellow to Mirage, green to Midnight, and turquoise to Omega. Of course, Izroth had no idea what these different colors meant. Just as the attack was about to hit Izroth, his body started to flicker in and out of existence. Zephyr¡¯s sword strike hit nothing but empty air as it passed through the silhouette Izroth left behind. At the same time, everyone became dumbfounded by what they witnessed next. The afterimages of Izroth¡¯s silhouettes did not show him descending, but rather ascending. In other words, he was still going up past the jump limit for yers! 5 meters... 10 meters... 20 meters..! Zephyr eyes widened from shock. Impossible! How did that person manage to dodge his Warpath de: Unmarked Quick Drawing Arts?! It was undodgeable! Though the thing that left himpletely speechless was the fact that Izroth was flying! No, it was still not quite flying, but it was much closer to what true flying than his own methods were. Izroth¡¯s movements were simr to stepping and striding in the sky itself. He was capable of moving in all directions which was something that even Zephyr was incapable of doing. This was thanks to the Sky Steps skill attached to Izroth¡¯s Skystep Boots. It granted him the ability to temporary step on air for twenty seconds. Of course, this was reduced to ten seconds since he was currently inbat. It did not take long for Izroth to arrive even higher up in the air than Zephyr. He stopped at a height of around thirty meters which was ten meters above the maximum height that Zephyr could achieve. A strong gust of wind blew around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm as he invoked the skill Tempest Strikes. Since Zephyr liked to attack in this same manner, Izroth felt that it was only right that he naturally return the favor. Woosh! Woosh! In one second, Izroth sent five des of wind soaring towards Zephyr. Zephyr tried to adjust his position to block Izroth¡¯s attacks, however, his air maneuverability was mediocre at best. While he was able to sessfully parry away two of Izroth¡¯s attacks, he was struck mercilessly by the remaining three des of wind. At that moment, he understood that being in the sky had been quickly turned from an absolute advantage into a disadvantage for him! ?Parried? -1,122 ?Parried? -1,122 ?Critical Hit? -3,492 ... This forced Zephyr to swallow his pride and concede the sky to Izroth! He hated to admit it, but hecked the proper skillset for a battle in the sky. He began to descend back towards the ground as he was continuously bombarded by Izroth¡¯s attacks. "Freak...!" Mirage could not help but exim. He could fly! He was actually able to fly! Not only that, but he forced Zephyr, a rare NPC, to retreat back towards the ground. Did this guy have to make it his job to ignoremon sense? Of course, Izroth would not allow Zephyr to retreat without paying a heavy price. He made sure to take full advantage of Zephyr¡¯sck of maneuverability and followed him down to stay within attack range. Izroth did not let up on his assault as he shaved off a good portion of Zephyr¡¯s HP in a short period of time. By the time Zephyr¡¯s feet touched the ground, his HP had dropped down to 35%! In that brief moment, while Zephyr descended, with his Flickering Steps active and Zephyr being practically defenseless, Izroth cut off 15% of his HP! As soon as Zephyr¡¯s foot touched the ground, Qi Jiguang was there to personally greet him. Bang! Boom! Qi Jiguang¡¯s fist collided with Zephyr as a series of small explosions appeared at his side. Izroth opened his eyes as the mes disappeared and everything around him returned to normal. He rapidly descended from the sky along with his Sword of The Storm falling down at an incredible speed towards Zephyr. It was followed by the sound of a loud thunderp as a bolt of lightning crashed down. Crrrrrrckle! BOOM! Chapter 305 Element Fusion: Storm Izroth executed his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder with his Tempest Strikes still active. In turn, this caused the wind element from his Tempest Strikes to fuse with the lightning element from his sword form and created the storm element. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has performed an Element Fusion of the wind and lightning elements to form the storm element!¡µ As the de of wind shot out towards Zephyr and carried along with it a powerful source of lightning, the two elements bent and morphed mid-flight as they fused into a single element. This changed the de of wind with lightning attributes into a de of the storm! When the bolt of lightning crashed down, the de of storm collided with it to form a typhoon around Zephyr. At first, Zephyr was able to resist the strong winds being generated by the typhoon. After all, he was able to control high-level wind magic. However, when the lightning struck his body it caused him to be temporarily paralyzed. During that moment, the typhoon swept him off his wind and send him swirling and flying into the air before he violently crashed down into the ground after it ceased. ?Critical Hit? -18,913 Over 18,000 damage! The original damage output for his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder with his current attack power, even if it did critical hit and somehow managed to ignore all of Zephyr¡¯s defenses, would only hit for around 13,000 damage. However, with the typhoon formed after the Element Fusion took ce, his damage output increased by nearly 50%! Izroth had read about Element Fusion within the Amaharpe pce library on the second floor. By using Element Fusion, it allowed the caster tobine two elements together to create a single element. However, it was one of those things that sounded simple on paper but was, in actuality, an incredibly difficult ability to learn let alone master. The higher the skills being used, the more challenging it became to sessfully perform an Element Fusion. But, without even trying to aplish an Element Fusion, Izroth had managed to pull one off effortlessly on his very first attempt! If those element-type magic casters were to see him perform an Element Fusion with an A-ranked skill as abat master, there was no doubt that they would burn with jealousy and envy. ¡¯Interesting, though it¡¯s too bad the price is so high. Then again, my mana is well below my current level. I suppose it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Performing an Element Fusion was not cheap, especially such a high level one. Even with the boost from his Soul Essence skill Flow of Essence, his total mana was only a mere 270 points. The Element Fusion that he just executed had drained his mana down to 0 points in one go. Not only that, but the system was truly ruthless in its greed. ¡´System Alert: You have overexerted your mana pool and cannot execute an Element Fusion!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Breaker of Limits? has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Finding a secondary energy source... No secondary energy sourcepatible!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Finding a tertiary energy source... No tertiary energy sourcepatible!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Finding a quaternary energy source... Converting... Sess! You have sessfully executed an Element Fusion!¡µ The system scrambled to find another energy source that waspatible with mana in order to make up for hisck of mana to properly execute the Element Fusion. In the end, it did not choose his Energy since it waspletely different from mana and it also skipped over his Essence due to the fact that it functioned in a different manner than mana. This left the system with only one other ce to find the energy source, his life. To be more precise, the system drained 3,230 points of his HP without warning to make up for the missing mana! What if his HP had been below 3,230 points when it happened? Would he have simply died? Or would the system have stopped the skill from activating? He hoped that it was thetter. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to be careful about performing an Element Fusion until I acquire arger pool of mana.¡¯ Midnight was startled when he saw Izroth¡¯s HP fall by nearly 50% out of nowhere. He reacted swiftly and cast Totem Augmentation to boost the effectiveness of his totems on Izroth and increase the healing rate. "This is abat master ss." Qi Jiguang muttered to himself as he witnessed Izroth in action. There was a part of him that regretted not choosing thebat master ss. Not because he did not enjoy his current ss, but due to the fact that he was not sure if his ss would ever have enough strength topete with that kind of monstrosity! Qi Jiguang wanted to spar against Izroth, however, he already knew what the results would be in his heart if Izroth decided to get serious. A look of determination shed through Qi Jiguang¡¯s eyes. He had to find a way to increase his strength and push the limits of his current ss. Otherwise, how could he have a decent match against that kind of abnormality? Just his movement skill alone would be challenging enough to deal with in a fight. As the cloud of dust settled cleared and the typhoon disappeared, Zephyr was left t on the ground. A few momentster, he stood up and dusted himself off. There was a deathly calm look in his eyes as if he was unbothered by what had just taken ce. However, that deathly calm look made him appear even more dangerous than he was before. It was as if instead ofshing out in anger, he redirected and channeled that anger inward and used it to focus himself. "Be vignt." Izroth cautioned the others as he observed the sudden change in Zephyr. Since his Flickering Steps was still ongoing, he would take this opportunity to finish Zephyr in one go. Everyone felt the atmosphere be tenser after Zephyr stood up on his feet. Even without Izroth¡¯s warning, the change was clearly felt by his party members. Izroth flickered and quickly arrived next to Zephyr as he shed out with his sword towards Zephyr¡¯s neck. Ding! Izroth¡¯s sword suddenly felt as if it were caught in quicksand and being dragged in, however, he was able to pull his sword out andunch another attack from a different angle. But, Izroth was met with the same result asst time. ¡¯My attacks aren¡¯t connecting. It feels as though I¡¯m trying to cut through quicksand.¡¯ Izroth was not alone in this regard as Qi Jiguang, Mirage, and even Ying Yue¡¯s attacks were dealt with in a simr manner. It was as though they were no longer able to reach Zephyr! "What¡¯s going on? Why can¡¯t our attacks hit?" Mirage said in a frustrated tone. "It feels like I¡¯m punching mud." Qi Jiguangmented. ¡¯Maybe...¡¯ Izroth retreated a few meters and quickly opened up his interfere to view the new skill he obtained just moments ago. ¡¯I see, it¡¯s called Energy Vision Sense.¡¯ Izroth activated Energy Vision Sense and limited it to a range of ten meters. This time, however, his eyes were opened when he used it and instead of darkness with mes within it, his surroundings remained the exact same. Of course, the key difference was that he could now see the mes around everyone. ¡¯There¡¯s something around him. That must be what¡¯s blocking our attacks. The question is, how do we break through it.¡¯ There was this thin veil of me that was in the shape of an oval wrapped around Zephyr. "I¡¯ll admit that you all have some skill, however, such skill bes useless before absolute power. I¡¯ve lost my good mood. It¡¯s time you experience the true terror of the Warpath de." Zephyr said in a cold tone. At the same time, Zephyr changed to an offensive sword stance as the wind around him started to became increasingly fierce. "Warpath de: Pursuit of Havoc." Zephyr¡¯s sword turned pure red in color and gave off a sharp sword intent. ¡¯There.¡¯ Izroth saw that the veil of me that was around Zephyr had vanished the moment he activated his skill. Whatever skill Zephyr used to protect himself with most likely blocked all forms of attacks on both the outside and inside. In other words, the protection around him had no choice but to drop if he wanted tounch an attack. Normally, it would have taken yers a few attacks to discover this trick. However, it may have already been toote by then. But, for Izroth who now possessed Energy Vision Sense, it was such a ring w that he would be a fool not to take advantage of. Izroth¡¯s figure faded out of existence before reappearing next to Zephyr in an instant. Even though he still had his Flickering Steps active, Izroth used his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to leave Zephyr with no room to breath or react. Zephyr¡¯s sword was still mid-flight and he could not change the course of his attack nor could he defend himself. His sword swept out with an overbearing force and send a red de of wind that contained an immense level of power towards Mirage and the others. Omega reacted in a timely manner as he positioned his shield before the party and prepared to take the blow head-on. However, just to be safe, he activated a reinforcement type skill that granted him additional damage reduction. BANG! ?Blocked? -10,592 Omega was dumbfounded by the amount of damage he just received. What kind of broken skill was that?! Not only did he block the attack and have his normal resistances, but he also had the effect of Midnight¡¯s Gaia Avis totem on him. Not to mention the skill he just used to give himself more damage reduction and yet, he still took over 10,000 points of damage! That was more than 60% of his HP in a single strike! He was a tank for crying out loud! However, right as Zephyr¡¯s attack flew out from his sword, Izroth¡¯s sword released its own overbearing aura followed by a tremendous and boundless amount of deadly sword intent. It was cold and bone-chilling as it swept throughout the atmosphere. There was an eerie silence that followed as Zephyr stood perfectly still with his sword still held outward. All of a sudden, two thin lines could be seen on his neck as his eyes looked to his side to see a young man with a carefree expression on his face. That young man sheathed his sword and began to walk in the opposite direction of him. Zephyr tried to attack, however, his body refused to listen to him and move. It was at that moment he realized that the fight was already over. "So, this is defeat..." Zephyr said to himself as he could see his own particles leaving his body. "What a repulsive feeling." Zephyr¡¯s words faded away and carried off into the wind as his entire body finished turning into particles. ?Critical Hit? -16,764 ?Critical Hit? -95,685 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Zephyr, First Sword of The Warpath de!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 594,991 EXP!¡µ Loot Table: -x1 Skill Book: Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard -x25 gold coins -x1 Warpath de Insignia: First Sword As Izroth walked back towards his party, everyone stared at him as if they were looking at a freak of nature! Are you sure that he was not secretly the rare NPC and Zephyr was the unfortunate yer? "Freak!" Mirage said in a tone of disbelief as Izroth approached them. Izroth gave a helpless smiled inwardly as he only shook his head in response. He had just used his First Baneful Sword: Destruction followed by his Second Baneful Sword: Kill during the exposed gap that Zephyr left in his defenses after heunched thatst attack. He decided it was best to end this before anything had a chance to spiral out of control. But, with this, they had sessfully defeated the First Sword of the Warpath de. Though they had no idea at that time just how much of an uproar that would cause in not only the Tiger¡¯s Mouth but the entire outskirts of Proximus. Chapter 306 Reaching Everpeak Once the initial mixed feelings of shock and excitement died down, Izroth walked over to pick up the loot that Zephyr dropped after his defeat. While Zephyr only left behind three things, it was understandable after seeing just what one of the items were. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ The Skill Book: Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard was the fourth skill book that Izroth hade across after eliminating countless monsters and numerous bosses within RML. It may have been due to his 1 Luck stat, however, it was abnormal for any yer to run into that many skill books! Shadow Movement, Behemoth¡¯s Quake, Death Chant, and now the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard. Unfortunately, the Death Chant skill book that was dropped by Nekrostis was ipatible with his ss as it was designed for a magic caster. However, it still did not change the fact that his luck was exceptional. Skill Name: Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 45, Sword Equipped Mana Cost: 250 Active: Summons forth a gale of wind that protects the user from all iing attacks and crowd control for 5 seconds. The user cannot attack or move during this period of time or the gale of wind surrounding them will disperse. During the period of time that the gale of wind is active, it absorbs 35% of all damage received and converts it into an attack with the wind element. The total converted damage amount cannot exceed five times the user¡¯s attack power (MAX Damage Converted: 10,305). The user¡¯s next sword attack will deal bonus damage as wind damage based on the amount of damage converted. Cooldown: 5 minutes 25 seconds Description: The Warpath de seeks peace, but embraces war. ¡¯This must be the same skill he used just before his defeat.¡¯ Of course, just like with Gear¡¯s Flickering Steps, the system undoubtedly handed him the watered-down version of the skill. But, nheless, it was still a helpful skill. Even more so since it offered a form of defense, an area that Izroth was currentlycking in. No one contested Izroth for the skill book seeing as how it required a sword to use. Since he was the sole sword user within the party, and taking into consideration his massive contribution to the fight, none of his party members were shameless enough to ask to roll for it. Not to even mention the fact that he gave each of them a grade two pill without asking for anything in return. Izroth set the skill book into his inventory for the time being. ¡¯It¡¯s useless to me at the moment since I still need another three levels before I can use it. I¡¯ll just keep it in my inventory.¡¯ The 25 gold coins were split five ways between the others giving them each 5 gold coins. A skill book was obviously worth much more than 25 gold coins, therefore, Izroth insisted that they simply split it amongst themselves. As for thest item, it was a bit unusual. However, due to the fact that it was a magical item, that immediately made it something valuable. Even lowest-ranked magical items sold for 50 gold coins! After all, how difficult were magical items toe by? Name: Warpath de Insignia: First Sword(Magical Item) Rank: C-ranked Usage: ??? Special Note: Proof that the holder of this insignia is the First Sword of the Warpath de. Wield it with authority! Those without talent for the sword and unworthy of possessing this honor will be rejected by the insignia. It was actually a C-ranked magical item! While the usage was unclear, the special note exined a few things. "It looks as if this drop table was made just for you, Izroth." Qi Jiguang said as he shook his head in resignation. The insignia could only be held by those with a talent for the sword. If Izroth did not meet that requirement, then who could possibly dream of ever holding that insignia? Izroth gave a carefree smile as he responded, "My luck appears to be a bit good today." He set the insignia into his inventory along with the skill book he looted. Mirage released a long sigh as she said, "Who would¡¯ve thought that you were being serious at that time. I can¡¯t believe you can actually fly. What a cheat skill!" "Yeah, but it¡¯s too bad you aren¡¯t a magic caster or long-ranged physical ss. Otherwise, having such a skill at your disposal would be an even more frightening thought." Midnightmented. Indeed, sses who couldunch long-ranged offensive assaults would definitely be able to put a flying-type skill to use. However, that was only one of many ways of looking at it. After they finished looting, Izroth and his party resumed their previous route. "That has to be thest guy, right? If they send someone even stronger than him, won¡¯t we have to face an epic NPC?" Mirage questioned. "Who knows? Maybe they¡¯ll even send a legendary NPC our way." Midnight said in a joking manner. "You really think so?!" Mirage replied in a shocked tone. "I- No, never mind." Midnight was about to exin something to Mirage, however, he realized that it was a rabbit hole he did not want to travel down. Izroth shook his head inwardly at Mirage and Midnight¡¯s conversation. He was quite interested in how someone like Midnight became friends with Mirage. Though considering how outgoing Mirage was and how easily she seemed to get along with others, he could sort of imagine how it happened. Thirty minutester... ¡¯Strange, thirty minutes have already passed and yet...¡¯ Surprisingly, there were no longer any attacks on Izroth and his party for thest thirty minutes. What made it so unusual was the fact that not only were the bandits no longer attacking them, but even the monster waves had stopped ever since they defeated Zephyr. It felt liberating, but bizarre at the same time. After all, Izroth and his party had been fighting for more than two hours straight without really any chance to rest in between. Suddenly going from such an intense and high pace situation to the pr opposite made them feel a little paranoid if anything. "Why do I have a feeling something bad is going to happen?" Mirage asked with her brows furrowed. "When you say that it reminds me of this old action film I saw back when I was a kid. Whenever things seemed too peaceful, the protagonist would always say ¡¯it¡¯s quiet, too quiet.¡¯ and it was usually followed by something bad happening to them." Omega said. Qi Jiguang shook his head and said, "You watch too many movies, Omega." "Sometimes you have to enjoy the simple things in life." Omega replied with a grin on his face. A few momentster, Izroth and his party saw a clear opening ahead between the densely packed forest. "Look, there¡¯s the exit!" Mirage said in an excited tone as she pointed towards the opening. She sprinted ahead of the party and was the first to leave the forest. Izroth, along with the other members of his party, also stepped out of the Tiger¡¯s Mouth and they were greeted by a heavy downpour of rain. "What¡¯s with all the rain? Why is the weather so different outside the Tiger¡¯s Mouth?" Omega questioned. The strange thing was that there was no rain behind them when they looked back at the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. The trees may have been densely packed, however, it was not to the point of them being able to block rain from falling down in the forest. ¡¯The sudden change in weather reminds me of that ce.¡¯ Back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, there was this area with weather that constantly shifted and cycled through different stages. Of course, this was not the same, but the sudden and drastic change was simr. All of a sudden, the scroll in Izroth¡¯s hands emitted a bright light. A few secondster, the light died down and the previous route that was on the scroll had beenpletely altered! However, all the dots seemed to remain in the same location. ¡¯Why did it suddenly change routes?¡¯ "Did something happen?" Qi Jiguang asked as he had observed the light emitted by the scroll. "The route on the scroll has been altered. It¡¯s telling us to travel straight forward from this point." Izroth exined. "Why would it change?" Mirage frowned. Midnight said with a thoughtful expression, "Maybe it¡¯s a hidden security measure that the scroll has that stops those who may have seen it before from knowing the holder¡¯s exact route. Though, this is only baseless spection." First, the wave of monster attacks and bandit assaults had stopped, and now, the route on the scroll had changed by itself! How could they not be suspicious? "There¡¯s no point in thinking about it too much. Regardless of what happens with the scroll, our original object remains unchanged. We still have to make it to Everpeak." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Everyone agreed with his words. Maybe theck of action after so long and the previous events with that Faceless One they ran into had made them paranoid. Not to mention, there was apparently another Faceless One out there that wanted the mind beads at any cost. Therefore, they were on a constant level of high alert and now that their adrenaline had died down, it was inevitable that they felt the mental drain that followed. Izroth and his party change directions to match the new path on the scroll. Although everyone still felt a bit uneasy, the new route was much faster since it was in a straight line. ¡¯It¡¯s amazing how this scroll can even ount for the surrounding terrain.¡¯ Izroth wondered just how much skill and gold it took to create a scroll of this level. ... One uneventful hour passed by as Izroth and his party came before a town with tall walls and a gated checkpoint that everyone went through. ¡¯We¡¯re finally here.¡¯ Izroth and his party had, atst, reached the city Everpeak. The city had walls that were almost as tall as the ones around the capital city Amaharpe. The walls were a gorgeous silky ck color that was made from a strange stone, and there wererge magic symbols every thirty meters that ran along the surface of the walls. "Woah, what is that thing?" Mirage asked as she pointed towards the sky above the city. Positioned above the city in the middle of the sky were three massive golden rings. The outer ring was thergest and spanned approximately one kilometer in diameter. The other two rings were ced within that massive outer ring with each being half the size of the one before it. "It¡¯s a magical weapon¡¯s array. Proximus is known for its advanced use of magic after all." Izroth said as he and everyone else walked towards the checkpoint. "Magical weapon¡¯s array? Never heard of it." Mirage stated. "It¡¯s something that could kill thousands of Zephyrs without any effort. Of course, that would be a waste of its power. From what I understand, the one ced above the magical capital city is ever grander than the one here." Izroth exined. Even killing one thousand individuals with Zephyr¡¯s strength would be a waste of its power? If that was the case, just how dangerous was such a weapon? "I don¡¯t know howfortable I feel entering into a city that constantly has a weapon pointed towards me." Omegamented. "There¡¯s no need to worry. It¡¯s only activated under extreme circumstances and as ast resort." Izroth said in a carefree tone. It took Izroth and his party ten minutes to reach the front of the checkpoint line. "Entry scroll." The guard stationed at the checkpoint said. Entry scroll? Everyone was taken aback when the guard asked for an entry scroll. How could any of them have an entry scroll when this was their first time in Proximus?! The guard frowned when he saw that Izroth¡¯s group did not immediately hand over their entry scroll. "Is this your first time traveling to Everpeak?" The guard asked. Chapter 307 Trouble At The Gate The guard sighed as he could tell from their reaction that this truly was their first time visiting Everpeak. He also knew that they must not be from Proximus. After all, unless they had been living under a rock this entire time, they should have known that they would not be granted ess into a major city like Everpeak without an entry scroll. "Those without an entry scroll or a proper identification document are not allowed to set foot into the city of Everpeak. Since you don¡¯t seem to be from Proximus, I can forgive you for wasting my time. However, I¡¯ll have to ask that you leave immediately as you¡¯re dying others who seek entry into the city." The guard said. One could tell from the guard¡¯s tone of voice that he found their ignorance irritating. Gate duty was already enough of a hassle without having to deal with adventurers, and so he was practically telling them to get lost! Mirage frowned and grumbled, "He doesn¡¯t have to be so rude about it." ¡¯This is troublesome.¡¯ Robin nor Jyuuriel had given them any kind of official document or entry scroll that would allow them to enter into Everpeak. However, when he thought about how one needed an official rmendation letter to enter into the capital city Amaharpe, it made sense. But, where were they supposed to obtain an entry scroll? "How we can acquire an entry scroll?" Izroth asked. Of course, he would not simply leave after being turned down. Toplete the first part of the quest, they had to step inside of Everpeak. Not to mention they had to meet with the Wiseman of Everpeak once they were inside. Therefore, it was not an option to turn around when they had alreadye this far. The guard seemed annoyed by Izroth¡¯s persistence and he was not the only one. There were some small merchant caravans and people who had traveled from all over to reach this ce. They wanted to hurry up inside and rx after a long journey and there seemed to be some difficulties at the front of the line. How could they not be frustrated? "Hey, what¡¯s taking so long?!" "Move it already! If you don¡¯t have a document then get out of the way!" "We¡¯re tired! Hey guard, what are you doing up there?! Hurry up and shoo them away!" The people behind Izroth and his party were beginning to grow impatient as they started to get a bit rowdy. "These guys...!" Mirage scowled. What was their problem? This was their first timeing to this ce so, of course, it would take them a bit longer. Was everyone in Proximus so impatient and rude?! "What a rowdy bunch! If anyone has a problem with us taking our time then you¡¯re wee to take it up with me!" Omega roared as he turned towards the people who had begun to hurl insults at them. Qi Jiguang set his hand on Omega¡¯s shoulder and said, "Calm down." "But-!" "We don¡¯t want to cause a scene here. Remember, we¡¯re not in Amaharpe. They may handle things a bit differently here." Qi Jiguang stated as he cut Omega off mid-sentence. "Fine, I got it. Those guys aren¡¯t even worth it anyway." Omega said in a slightly frustrated manner. The guard¡¯s facial expression darkened as he spoke in a mocking tone, "Sure, I know where you can get one. You just have to put in for an official document to the capital city. After you pay a small fee, you¡¯ll receive your official entry scroll in, let¡¯s see... Ah yes, you¡¯ll receive in five to six days. I may be able to put in a good word for you to get it in four days, for a small personal fee of course." "Five to six days?!" Mirage eximed. By the time they received their entry scrolls, it would be toote and the quest would be considered a failure. If that happened, the consequences would be catastrophic! ¡¯This guy...¡¯ Izroth was no fool. He could see that this guard was intentionally making things difficult for them. For what reasons? He did not know. However, there was definitely something he was not telling them. Also, he was clearly trying to extort them. He may be able to put in a good word? He was a gate guard for crying out loud. What kind of good word could he put in that would make any difference? "Surely, there must be a faster way to obtain an entry scroll. Is it possible to get one here in Everpeak?" Midnight inquired. The guard was just about to dismiss Midnight, however, an idea suddenly formed in his mind. They wanted to enter the city so badly? Fine, then he had the perfect solution when it came to dealing with stubborn adventures. "Since I¡¯m in a good mood today, I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. There¡¯s another way to enter into Everpeak without an entry scroll or any documentation. However, my memory seems to be a bit fuzzy..." The guard said with a smirk on his face. He looked as if he was trying really hard to think, but he nced out the corner of his eye with one of his hands held out. "You-" Mirage wanted nothing more than to strangle this guard. Between the guard and the people behind them screaming insults, she was willing to take her anger out on anything at this point. Izroth held his hand up to stop Mirage. When Mirage turned to look in his direction as if she had been wronged, she saw a carefree smile on Izroth¡¯s face. This caused Mirage to let out a deep sigh and throw her hands up helplessly. "We¡¯ll take our leave." Izroth stated. However, when those words left his mouth everyone was speechless. They were going to leave just like that? What about the quest? Were they supposed to just simply abandon it? "Though, I hope a mere gate guard can face the consequences for turning away guests of the Wiseman of Everpeak." Izroth said with a sharp look in his eyes. The people behind Izroth and his party who were just hurling insults moments ago went quiet when they heard those words. They started to talk amongst themselves in a nervous manner. "Guests of the Wiseman? Is he serious?" "No way! I think... Probably... Maybe he wasn¡¯t paying attention to us?" "Fool, if they really are guests of the Wiseman then we¡¯re finished in Everpeak! Even the lord of this city has to show respect to the Wiseman." The crowd was growing uneasy and restless. Had they just offended someone they shouldn¡¯t have? The guard was shocked by Izroth¡¯s words and it could be clearly seen by his facial expression. However, he quickly regained himself and a grin found its way onto his face. How could this group of inexperienced adventurers possibly be associated with a great figure like the Wiseman? They were obviously lying! "Hah, you expect me to believe a group of novice adventurers like yourselves are guests of the Wiseman? Keep dreaming!" The guard said in a confident tone. Woosh! All of a sudden, a small object flew at the guard. He instinctively caught it in his hand, however, he was furious that an object had just been thrown at him without warning. But, just as he was ready to scream out in rage, he caught a glimpse of the object from out the corner of his eyes. Out of curiosity, he looked down at the object in his hand. When the guard saw the object, his facial expression went from anger, to shock, and finally to fear. "That¡¯s a small gift we acquired for the Wiseman on our way over. Be sure to inform the Wiseman that you turned us away at the gate when you deliver it to them. Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he turned and walked away from the gate. Although everyone was confused by Izroth¡¯s actions and words, they knew that there was a method to his madness. Therefore, they decided to follow his lead and started to walk away from the gate. However, before they could get far a voice called out to them with a tone of panic present to it. "Benefactors, wait! Please wait!" The voice belonged to none other than the guard who had just been giving Izroth and his party a hard time. The guard quickly chased after the group as he moved in front of them with arge smile on his face. "I truly had no idea that I was dealing with guests of the Wiseman. I seek your forgiveness for my ignorance, honored benefactors. You may, of course, enter into the city. I only ask that you find it in your honorable hearts to not mention this small and unfortunate incident to the Wiseman." The guard said in a rushed voice as if he were afraid Izroth and the others would leave before he finished. He made sure to keep a smiling face the entire time he spoke. How disgusting! That was the only thought that crossed Mirage¡¯s mind at that moment. He had been rude from the moment they met and now his personality had taken a full 180-degree turn. She did not know what Izroth did to make that guard change his attitude so fast, but she definitely enjoyed seeing how panicked the guard had be. "Since I¡¯m in a good mood today, I won¡¯t mention this matter. However, don¡¯t me me for what happens if we¡¯rete meeting with the Wiseman because of your actions." Izroth said as if hinting something to the guard. The guard swiftly picked up on Izroth¡¯s intentions as he handed the small object back to Izroth and said, "I will dly arrange entry scrolls for all of you. Free of charge, of course." The small object had started to cause a strange sharp pain to shoot up his arm the longer he held it, therefore, the guard made sure to promptly return it to Izroth. The guard ran off to fetch the entry scrolls, not daring toin about the pain he had just experienced. When he left, everyone looked as Izroth with a dumbfounded expression. Mirage couldn¡¯t help but ask, "How did you do it?" While it was true that they were technically guests of the Wiseman, the guard did not believe them. But, a few secondster, that same guard was practically begging them to enter into Everpeak! "With a little help." Izroth said as he held up the small object that he originally tossed over to the guard. It was the insignia that he received after defeating Zephyr. The First Sword of the Warpath de was a famous figure who was one of the strongest individuals within the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. An adventurer having his insignia in their possession meant only one thing, they had taken it by force! The guard returned around thirty secondster with six scrolls in his hand. Each scroll had the symbol of a green leaf on the front with an official stamp next to it. He personally handed Izroth and his party members one entry scroll. "Your skill with the sword must be unparalleled throughout thends, honored benefactor. To hold the insignia of the First Sword without experiencing any pain, truly your might is boundless and your bravery is-" The guard was showering Izroth with praise as if to get on his good side, however, he was quickly interrupted. "The Wiseman has already waited long enough. Do you wish to dy us even further than you already have?" Mirage said in a cold voice. She did not want to let Izroth have all the fun, after all, she had to vent some of her anger. However, while it was fun and refreshing for her, it was a frightening experience for the guard. "No, of course, that wasn¡¯t my intention! Please, have a safe journey." The guard said in a fearful tone as he bowed in a respectful manner to send Izroth¡¯s party on their way. Mirage smirked with a look of victory on her face. How refreshing! Izroth and his party stepped through the gates as their entire surroundingspletely changed! At the same time, they were immediately greeted by two system alerts. ¡´System Alert: You have entered ?Everpeak?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: 3/3 Reach the city of Everpeak located inside of Proximus territory.¡µ They had finally stepped foot into the city of Everpeak andpleted the first part of their quest. But, would meeting the Wiseman of Everpeak truly go as smooth as it appeared to be? Chapter 308 Ying Yues Broken Transformation When Izroth stepped through the gates of Everpeak it was as if he had entered into another world. ¡¯This ce is nothing like Amaharpe.¡¯ Everywhere Izroth turned there was something new that greeted his eyes. While he had seen many of these things in the books he read in the Amaharpe pce library, it was his first time seeing them in person. The roads that ran all throughout Everpeak was extremely lively and bustling. There were vendors on the side of the road selling goods that ranged from herbs and food all the way to unique crafting materials and equipment. Of course, the equipment disyed was mediocre at best. However, what really managed to catch Izroth¡¯s attention were these spherical objects traveling above the city. They were around four meters in diameter and soared through the sky at a fast pace. ¡¯Those must be the famous Traveller Spheres of Proximus. Odd, I thought those were only located in the magic capital city.¡¯ The Traveller Spheres were a unique invention that belonged solely to the kingdom of Proximus. They made moving around in the city fast and efficient for those who were in a hurry. Of course, it was mainly used by nobles and government officials. Though if one had enough gold coins they would possibly be able to take a ride on one. The only downside was that they required an immense amount of mana to operate. This was the main reason why they were only found in the magic capital city. But, it seemed that the book Izroth read was a bit out of date as there were now Traveller Spheres within Everpeak as well. This was surprising considering that Everpeak already had a magical weapon¡¯s array to worry about. "Those things are amazing! Are there people riding in them? I want to ride in one!" Mirage said in an excited tone as she observed the Traveller Spheres. "You know that we¡¯re still in the middle of a quest, right? Besides, we may not even be able to ride in those things." Midnight said. "Do you always have to go out of your way to crush my dreams?!" Mirage scoffed as she angrily stomped her foot. "If I don¡¯t crush your dreams every now and then, then your mind will drift off to a ce far away from here." Midnight replied in a monotone voice. After taking in the sight of Everpeak, Izroth removed the scroll from his inventory that led them to this city. When he looked at it, he immediately realized that the line that was there before had disappeared. However, the dots that determined their positions still remained on the map. ¡¯Could it be that the lines disappear when we reach our intended destination?¡¯ Izroth did not know how the scroll worked, but he figured that it must be something along those lines. Though as long as the dots were there he was still more than capable of finding his way around. "We¡¯re going." Izroth said as he started to move in the direction where the purple dot was located. Everyone followed after Izroth and around twenty minutester, the group arrived before a huge mansion. There were two NPCs that stood guard by the entrance of the mansion and appeared to be elite soldiers based on their appearance alone. ¡¯The purple dot is right ahead. Whoever we¡¯re supposed to meet should be inside of that mansion.¡¯ While Izroth assumed that they would be meeting up with the Wiseman of Everpeak, there was no guarantee that the purple dot would turn out to be them. But, based on the grand appearance of the mansion alone and the reaction of the guard when he mentioned the Wiseman of Everpeak, the chances were high. In the end, there was only one way to find out. "Does anyone even need such a big house?" Omegamented when he saw the mansion. "It reminds me of my grandfather¡¯s house." Qi Jiguang said. "Ah, you¡¯re right. That old man sure is excessive considering its mostly staff at that ce." Omega sighed. "Oh? Should I tell him you said that?" Qi Jiguang grinned. Omega¡¯s face turned pale as he shook his head and responded, "If you do that I¡¯ll die! Ugh, thest time I trained with you and your grandfather it was hell. I honestly don¡¯t see how you grew up doing that every day." "It wasn¡¯t so bad after a while. I just had to keep telling myself that tomorrow would be the day that I quit. However, everyone knows that tomorrow is the day that neveres." Qi Jiguang stated. Izroth and his party approached the entrance to the mansion but was stopped by the guards before they moved too close. "Halt! This property belongs to the Wiseman. No one is allowed entry without a prior appointment. My apologies, but I will have to ask you to maintain your distance." One of the guards warned in a professional manner. "More guards?" Mirage frowned. Was this kingdom obsessed with having guards dictate every action? Were they going to run into a guard who would not let them sit down in a chair without some kind of a "sitting down in a chair" scroll? How ridiculous! NPC Name: Sorval, Captain of the Evercrest Knights(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) NPC Name: Vortex, Second Commander of the Evercrest Knights(Elite) NPC Level: 45 NPC HP: ?? (100%) The guard who spoke to Izroth and his party was Sorval, the captain of the Evercrest Knights. By his words, he confirmed Izroth¡¯s previous doubts. This was definitely the Wiseman¡¯s ce! ¡¯Who exactly is this Wiseman of Everpeak to have the captain and secondmander of the Evercrest Knights as their personal guards?¡¯ The Evercrest Knights of Proximus were the equivalent of Amaharpe¡¯s Crimson Corps Guards. Of course, thetter was more powerful than the former since Proximus was a kingdom of magic, however, they were not to be looked down upon. Sorval¡¯s level was hidden which indicated that he was at least more than ten levels higher than Izroth! This meant that Sorval was at minimum level 53! However, the secondmander showed just howrge the gap was between the Evercrest Knights and the Crimson Corps Guards. While he was level 44 and held the rank of secondmander, Jyuuriel was already level 40 and yet he was still only considered a trainee candidate for the Crimson Corps Guards! But, this was to be expected considering that the kingdom of Proximus specialized in magic. ¡¯He seems reasonable.¡¯ Unlike the guard at the gate leading into Everpeak, Sorval was professional and did not speak in a mocking or arrogant tone despite his standing. Since Sorval was polite about it, Izroth would naturally respond in kind. "We do not have an appointment, however, we havee on an important mission to meet with the Wiseman. It is one of paramount importance that potentially involves every kingdom in the Mortal Realm, including Proximus. I am sure the Wiseman is a busy person, but this is a matter that cannot be taken lightly. If you mention the name Robin, I am positive that the Wiseman will meet with us." Izroth said. He spoke in a formal matter and was neither overly polite nor arrogant. Sorval furrowed his brows as he sized up the group before him. He had seen many peoplee to the Wiseman¡¯s abode in hopes of personally meeting with them, therefore, he was used to people doing whatever it took if it meant even the smallest chance of them seeding. There were sob stories, people who tried to bribe him, and even those who tried to use force. Obviously, they all failed in the end. But, this was the first time since he epted this assignment that he was not absolutely certain of the other party¡¯s intentions. "Captain?" Vortex looked towards Sorval as he awaited his order. It had never taken the captain this long to make a decision, so he must have been truly giving it some thought. "Vortex, go see if the Wiseman is expecting any visitor by the name of Robin." Sorval ordered. Vortex was stunned, however, a look of worry soon appeared on his face as he responded, "But captain if we disturb the Wiseman in the middle of their research then you-" "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll ept full responsibility." Sorval stated. "Forgive me, captain. I was just thinking about your reputation. I would be honored to share the responsibility with you." Vortex said in a respectful tone. Vortex stood up straight and gave a salute as he said, "I will inform the Wiseman as you¡¯ve ordered, sir!" He made his way onto the mansion¡¯s main grounds to carry out the orders he was given. "It looks like not all the guards in Proximus are jerks like that other guy." Mirage said. Izroth could tell from that brief exchange that Sorval was likely highly respected by those under him. After all, Vortex seemed to be sincere in his words when he mentioned sharing responsibility. He even said that it would be an honor! Not many in his position would be willing to risk their rank, especially for a superior who they did not respect. They would have been reluctant and hesitant even if it was an order. "If my brother in arms has to bear the burden of your lies, then I will personally make sure that none of you are capable of speaking such falsehoods from your mouth again." Sorval said in a serious tone. "Rest assured, the Wiseman will not hesitate to meet with us." Izroth reassured. Around ten minutester, Vortex finally returned with a perplexed expression on his face. "Were there any issues?" Sorval asked when he noticed Vortex¡¯s facial expression. "No, the Wiseman will meet with them. It¡¯s just that, captain, the Wiseman insisted that you meet with them as well." Vortex stated. "With me?" Sorval could see why Vortex seemed puzzled. The Wiseman did not often receive guests. Even the two of them had only seen the Wiseman once and that was when they were first assigned to guard this ce. All their orders were received viamunications magic. Therefore, he could not help but wonder what the Wiseman wanted with him. "Yes, captain." Vortex said with a tone of certainty. "I understand. I¡¯ll be leaving the entrance to you for a while. You six, please mind your manners when you meet with the Wiseman. I say this for your own safety. Follow me and do not stray." Sorval warned as he walked towards the mansion¡¯s main grounds. Izroth and his party followed after Sorval as they swiftly arrived at the front door that led directly into the mansion itself. "Hey, doesn¡¯t the Wiseman seem like some old grumpy guy?" Mirage said in a low voice. Midnight sighed and replied, "It seems more like they¡¯re the type to be obsessed with some kind of research." He remembered the guards were troubled by potentially disturbing the Wiseman¡¯s research. "I suppose we¡¯ll find out soon." Izroth said in a carefree tone. "Sorval, Captain of the Evercrest Knights is entering into the Wiseman¡¯s abode!" Sorval called out in a respectful manner. A few secondster, the doors to the mansion opened on their own as if inviting them in. Sorval stepped through the mansion doors and made a gesture for Izroth and the others to follow him. As everyone stepped through the doors, a small magic circle with aplex structure appeared beneath their feet as the doors closed on their own. The magic circle traveled from the ground and through their body until it reached the top of their head before it vanished. "What a strange feeling." Qi Jiguang said as the magic circle disappeared. "It¡¯s just a security measure, do not mind it." Sorval replied. When thest magic circle disappeared, a quick sh of bright light came from behind Izroth and the others. Though when they turned to see what the light was, they realized that Ying Yue had disappeared! Where Ying Yue should have been standing was, instead, a young girl with long silver hair fashioned in a drill curls style with clear baby blue eyes. The young girl was no more than 140cm tall and had a petite frame. There was a confused look on her face as if she did not understand what was going on. For some reason when that magic circle passed through her, it disabled the skill Alter that was attached to her trinket and forcibly reverted Ying Yue to her original appearance. In other words, her transformation had been broken! "Where did Ying Yue go? Who¡¯s cute little child is this?" Mirage questioned as she scanned around the room for Ying Yue. She was not the only one confused as everyone else, except for Izroth, was also baffled by Ying Yue¡¯s sudden disappearance. Of course, Izroth was the only one who knew that the young girl before them was, in fact, Ying Yue!Tomorrow is the day after today, however, if everyday is today then tomorrow is the day that neveres. Chapter 309 Wiseman of Everpeak "My magic..." Ying Yue said in a baffled tone. She did not cancel her transformation magic on her own, therefore, something must have forcibly disabled it! But, she was in too much of a panic to notice the system alerts that had just popped up. ¡¯It seems that the security measures of this ce are capable of dispelling skills. I suppose it¡¯s only natural that it included her trinket.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You are being scanned by a magic formation.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your skills have been disabled by the magic formation.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your stats have been reduced by 99%.¡µ ¡¯Still, what a fearsome magic formation to have as a security measure. In this state, even aplete beginner has a chance of dealing a fatal blow to someone.¡¯ [Name: Izroth] [EXP: 1,146,285/1,856,112 (61.76%)] [Level: 42(Stat Points: 6)] [Title: Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary), Schr(Solitary)] [ss: Combat Master] [HP: 82/82] [HP Regen: 0.21 HP/s] [Energy: 2] [MP: 3/3] [MP Regen: 0.05 MP/s] [Attack: 21] [Defense: 6] [Agility 13] [Magic: 1] Izroth tried to remove his Sword of The Storm from its sheath, however, it would not budge. ¡¯I see, even though the item stays equipped, we¡¯re still unable to use them.¡¯ The Sword of The Storm required 500 attack in order for someone to wield it. Therefore, it was not too surprising when Izroth discovered that he could not draw it with a measly 21 attack. "My stats!" Omega yelled in surprise. It only took a few moments for everyone to discover the system alerts and understand what had just happened to them. Sorval was also patient enough to exin to everyone that this was a normal urrence for those who entered into the Wiseman¡¯s abode. After all, given the Wiseman¡¯s poprity and influence, it was natural to assume that they had countless enemies hiding in the shadows. This magic formation was a safeguard against those enemies who would wish the Wiseman any harm. Everyone calmed down and regained themselves. However, how could they not have been shocked when all their stats had suddenly vanished? Mirage let out a long sigh of relief and said, "I thought all my hard work and progress had been erased." "That¡¯d be a bit unreasonable even if this is an S-ranked quest." Midnightmented. Izroth suddenly turned his attention towards the spiral stairway located in the center of the mansion. Even though all of his skills were disabled, his Soul Essence trait was unaffected by the magic formation, therefore, he was still able to use the abilities attached to it. He sensed someoneing down the stairs with his Soul Sense and was about to use Energy Vision Sense when a voice suddenly sounded next to his ears. "I wouldn¡¯t use that ability here, Izroth." The voice carried a feminine, alluring, and carefree sound thatcked the troubles bestowed upon one by the world. Izroth stopped himself before he activated his Energy Vision Sense. The fact that she understood what it was that he was about to do surprised Izroth. But what really caught him off guard was that she knew his name! Since her warning seemed to be sincere, Izroth decided that there was nothing to lose by halting his Energy Vision Sense. "A good choice." The voice sounded in Izroth¡¯s ears once more before fading away. ¡¯This person is dangerous.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth nor any of his party members had any way to defend themselves due to the magic formation. But, he understood that if the person who controlled this magic formation wanted to do them harm then they would have already done so. The sound of footsteps could be hearding from the spiral staircase. A few momentster, a young woman who appeared to be in herte-teens to early-twenties arrived at the bottom of the steps. The young woman had long and glistening silver hair that traveled down to her knees with rainbow-colored highlights near its edges. Her eyes were the color of the sun and her appearance was breathtakingly beautiful. However, when one noticed the pointed tips that were her ears peeking out from the side of her hair, it was easier to make sense of her beauty. The young woman was, in fact, a member of the Trephasia race! She wore extremely elegant robes and held onto a marvelous staff with some type of strange crystal that emitted a great power. "Wiseman." Sorval said as he cuffed his fists together and gave a respectful bow. Wiseman? That beauty was the Wiseman?! Mirage was the one left most dumbfounded. She thought that the Wiseman would be some old grumpy man, not a young woman with a brilliant glow! The young woman gave a small nod in response to Sorval¡¯s greeting. There was a calm and neutral look on her face as her gaze swept across the present members before her. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. It appears that your journey to this ce has been one filled with countless troubles. Come, we have much to discuss and yet very little time." Kryxelsia said as she gently tapped the staff in her hands on the ground. Immediately after doing so, arge magic circle formed beneath everyone¡¯s feet as a sh of bright light appeared. The moment that light vanished, there was no trace of life left inside of the room! ... ¡¯Spatial magic?¡¯ Izroth drifted through an area that waspletely devoid of light and yet somehow one could still see everything that was around them. There were broken stones frozen in mid-air and the surrounding area was filled with an unusual purple hue. That purple hue was not a light source, but instead, it appeared to be some form of energy. Although Izroth currentlycked his Spatial Awareness skill due to the effects of the magic formation, he had a vague sense of what this ce was. Ooooooom! A purple light enveloped Izroth and a few momentster, he appeared in a spacious room with a simpleyout. There was a wooden desk with papers scattered over it and shelves filled with various precious and rare ingredients that would make even the top guilds drool. "You¡¯ll have to forgive my use of caution, however, what we have to discuss should not be heard by those with prying ears. This area is an isted pocket of space that I have full control over. With this, we can speak freely." Kryxelsia said as she stood before the wooden desk. "Before we tell you anything, what did you do with Ying Yue?!" Mirage questioned with a frown on her face. Kryxelsia¡¯s facial expression became a bit perplexed when Mirage asked her that question. She set her sights on Ying Yue who was still flustered. She soon realized that for whatever reasons, Ying Yue must have been hiding her appearance if even her own party members were unaware of her transformation magic. Unfortunately, Kryxelsia did not have time to cater to anyone¡¯s personal whims. "If it is yourpanion you are searching for, why do you not ask the young one herself?" Kryxelsia stated. "Hm? What do you mean?" Mirage said as she and the rest of her party members turned to look towards Ying Yue. Ying Yue felt embarrassed by the constant stares as she looked towards Izroth with pleading eyes. She looked as if she wanted to cry! Her biggest fear was that everyone would misunderstand her and believe that she was trying to purposely mislead or deceive them. Izroth saw the pleading look in Ying Yue¡¯s eyes as he inwardly shook his head. While she was transformed, she gave off this strong and silent type aura. Unfortunately, the moment her transformation ended it was a different story. Since they were a bit pressed for time, Izroth exined the situation to everyone himself. After hearing Izroth¡¯s exnation, everyone was stunned. It turned out that the two of them had actually met before! Not only that, but Izroth even knew about her transformation skill the entire time. "But, why did you want to hide your appearance from us? Did you think that we would not take you seriously just like your former party members?" Mirage asked. However, just as Ying Yue was fumbling about for an answer, they were interrupted by Kryxelsia. "I¡¯m afraid that matter will have to wait for some time." Kryxelsia said as she interrupted their conversation. She then continued, "It is saddening that Robinarzin was unable to endure the long journey, however, his death will not be in vain due to your efforts. For this, you have my gratitude." "There¡¯s one thing I¡¯m curious about. Just how are you, the Wiseman of Everpeak within the Proximus kingdom, connected to the second prince of Tempest?" Izroth asked. Sorval was shocked when he heard Izroth¡¯s words. The Wiseman was connected the Tempest? Impossible! She had always been a loyal citizen of the kingdom! Besides, everyone knew that Proximus had been enemies with Tempest for countless decades. "Young man, I cannot forgive those words you¡¯ve just spoken to nder the name of the Wiseman." Sorval said in a serious tone. "It¡¯s alright, Sorval. This is part of the reason why I have invited you here to join us as captain of the Evercrest Knights." Kryxelsia stated. She then continued, "I will have to correct you. It is not Tempest I am connected to, but the second prince and I have crossed paths. It is because of this that he has trusted me to such a degree." Kryxelsia waved her staff out in front of her as six sapphire beads shot towards the crystal on her staff and rotated around it rapidly. "This is only known to a select few individuals, however, Proximus has been in contact with the second prince for nearly ten years now. The mind beads were my personal gift to the second prince to use if things ever got too out of control, but I fear that it was not enough. The situation must have been deteriorating rapidly in Tempest for him to take on such a huge gamble." Kryxelsia said. "We¡¯ve never been able to get anywhere close to infiltrating Tempest and yet we¡¯ve had its second prince on our side all along?" Sorval was dumbfounded. "It¡¯s a little moreplicated than that. But, that will have to wait. We must first uncover what the mind beads contain." Kryxelsia stated. She then pointed her staff forward as a stream of purple light shot out from the crystal on the staff. A few secondster, the purple light turned sapphire as a spiral of energy formed in the middle of the room. The spiral energy showed vivid pictures and memories that were locked away deep inside of the mind beads by Robin. As the events in the mind beads yed out, everyone in the room grew silent and the atmosphere became heavier. When the spiral energy finally disappeared, Izroth and his party received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: 3/3 Meet with an individual who goes by the name of Wiseman of Everpeak.¡µ The person with the most concerning expression was, of course, Sorval. From what he had seen in the swirling vortex of energy, a great danger was right around the corner for his kingdom! He had to hurry and warn the king of this matter! "Wiseman-" Sorval was about to speak but he was cut off. "I know what you wish to say, Sorval. Do not worry, we will make a trip to the magic capital city at once." Kryxelsia said putting Sorval¡¯s mind somewhat at ease. But, he could not help but feel a creeping sense of a potential catastrophe. ¡¯The Shadahi are bing more active. Is this due to her leaving the seal unguarded?¡¯ Izroth was referring to Tererestiaa who was nowhere near the Lake of Tears thest time they crossed paths. However, there was definitely something more to it given how the Shadahi had been tied to the kingdom of Tempest for quite some time already. If what the mind beads showed them was true, then they may already be toote to stop what had been set into motion for numerous years. In other words, there was a good chance that the Eighth War of the Titans was bound to happen. "Adventurers, you will also apany us to meet the king of Proximus in the magic capital city." Kryxelsia said as she waved her staff and summoned what looked to be a Travellers Sphere. The only difference was that this Travellers Sphere was at least four timesrger than the ones that were flying around Everpeak. Chapter 310 Its Only A Question of When Izroth¡¯s party entered into therge Travellers Sphere along with Kryxelsia and Sorval. The Travellers Sphere had a simple yetfortable interior design. There was plenty of space inside, as well as, silver cushioned seats which were stationed on the outer walls that acted as a seating area. The excitement could be seen on Mirage¡¯s face as she entered into the Travellers Sphere. From the moment they arrived in Everpeak she had wanted to ride in one of these things! Who would have thought that she would get the chance to do it so soon?! Located in the middle of the Travellers Sphere was a strange puddle of a clear-colored liquid that levitated around one meter off the floor. Kryxelsia held out the palm of her hand as the clear-colored liquid expanded in all directions. By the time it stopped expanding, it formed a perfect circle that was 1.5 meters in diameter. A gentle yet powerful and concentrated stream of mana flowed into the clear-colored liquid from Kryxelsia¡¯s hand as the outer edges turned silver and something amazing appeared on the surface of it. The scene of the entire city of Everpeak showed on the surface of the liquid as it acted simr to some type of water-screen. Izroth had read that the Travellers Spheres, due to the monstrous rate at which they consumed mana, could only be used to travel within city limits or they would barelyst one minute. Therefore, the fact that they were using one to make a trip all the way to the magic capital city meant one of three things. One, this was a perfected version that could self-sustain itself. Two, it was running off some kind of battery like object that could generate a boundless source of mana. Or three, as a member of the Trephasia race who naturally possessed arger pool of mana than normal individuals, Kryxelsia was using her own mana to power it! ¡¯Proximus sure knows how to live up to its reputation as the leading kingdom of magic. However, I didn¡¯t expect to meet another one so soon.¡¯ NPC Name: Kryxelsia, Wiseman of Everpeak(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Knowledge Level: 999.994 Without a doubt, Kryxelsia definitely held the title of Grand Master. With such a high knowledge level, it was nearly impossible for her not to be a Grand Master. Not only that, but her knowledge level was even higher than that of Orion¡¯s! Although it was only by 0.001, Izroth knew just how difficult it was to gain a higher knowledge level as one progressed. He felt that even if he read the books in Amaharpe¡¯s public library, his knowledge level would only go up by five to ten levels and that was being generous. Therefore, he understood just how challenging it must be for those with the title of Grand Master to umte even the smallest of points towards their knowledge level. "Amazing!" Mirage eximed as she witnessed the view on the water-screen. Ying Yue was also dazzled by the sight. If one looked directly into the water-screen it would seem as if they were floating on air! ¡´System Alert: You have left the vicinity of the magic formation.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your skills have been enabled.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your stats have returned to normal.¡µ As everyone enjoyed the ride inside the Travellers Sphere, Kryxelsia had her gaze locked onto Izroth who sat there with a carefree expression on his face. Likewise, Izroth¡¯s gaze had not left Kryxelsia from the moment they entered the Travellers Sphere. ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Spoken Thoughts?.¡µ "It seems that something is weighing on your mind. Do you wish to discuss it?" Kryxelsia asked. However, her lips did not move when she spoke and no one around appeared to be aware of her words. At least, no one except Izroth. ¡¯Is this a form of telepathy?¡¯ Izroth immediately noticed the skill that affected him and knew that it had something to do with Kryxelsia. However, when he tried to respond to her by thinking of his reply, there was no answer. "How inconsiderate of me. This is probably your first time experiencing Spoken Thoughts. You can speak just as you normally would, however, instead of words leaving your mouth they will be transferred directly to the other person¡¯s mind. In this case, of course, that person being me." Kryxelsia exined. "I see. An interesting spell. Any reason for using this particr method?" Izroth replied. Just like Kryxelsia, his lips did not move as he spoke and only she could hear his words. "I find that one¡¯s true self tends to be somewhatcking when around others. Besides, you are more aware of the overall situation than the other members of your party. Having personally journeyed to both the Shadahi Realm and the Chaotic Dogma Realm, not many individuals are capable of obtaining such achievements at your age." Kryxelsia stated. To be quite honest, Izroth was not surprised that Kryxelsia knew that he ventured to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It would not be difficult for someone with her influence and knowledge toe by that kind of information. However, her knowing that he visited the Shadahi Realm was unexpected. After all, there were only a handful of people who knew of that journey. "You seem to know quite a lot about me and yet I know next to nothing about you. It is an unfair advantage, would you not say?" Izroth said. Kryxelsia knew about his name, the journeys he took, and probably even much more than she was letting on. But, Izroth doubted that someone with the title of Grand Master would be bored enough to stalk him. "My disciple admires you a great deal." Kryxelsia replied as a small smile appeared on her face. "Oh? Who might your disciple be?" Izroth asked. "You wille to know, eventually. After all, they are currently within the magic capital city." Kryxelsia said. As Izroth and Kryxelsia exchanged a few more words, Izroth finally asked the question that was on his mind. "How long does the Mortal Realm have?" Izroth questioned. Kryxelsia remained silent at first, but she soon replied, "Anywhere between six months to two years." ¡¯It¡¯s even shorter than I expected.¡¯ Since the current time ratio was 3:1, that left yers with two to eight months to prepare for what lied ahead. ¡¯It seems I can¡¯t put it off much longer...¡¯ Izroth decided that after this quest was over, he would no longer wait to take care of something that had crossed his mind many times. Previously when it did cross his mind, he knew that it was not an unsustainable idea given hisck of funds. But, with the Mystical Realm Pce in ce, that previously unsustainable idea had transformed into a real possibility! "I¡¯m afraid the matter this time is quite serious. In the past, the threat was always there, but it was within a certain range of control. The question no longer remains about how, but only when." Kryxelsia stated. There was already the shadahi to be concerned about, however, it seemed that the shadahi were simply one of the numerous groups moving in the shadows and manipting yers, as well as, some events behind the scenes. The Netherworld, the League of The Eidolon, and even a kingdom like Tempest were probably only a few of the various groups. Even Gear and Tererestiaa had appeared back when Izroth arrived before the envoy of the Netherworld. How could it be a mere coincidence that they just happened to be nearby at the time? Most likely, the two of them were moving behind the scenes as well. ¡¯Something big is going to take ce that will toss the Mortal Realm into a state of chaos. But, no matter what lurks ahead, I¡¯ll make sure that I¡¯m more than ready for it.¡¯ ... Around twenty minutester... Izroth and his party were currently in front of a grand and marvelous castle. Thanks to the Travellers Sphere controlled by Kryxelsia, they had arrived at the magic capital city in no time at all. When Izroth looked up into the sky, he saw ten massive rings that were simr to the ones that were over Everpeak. ¡¯The difference is night and day.¡¯ The magic weapon¡¯s array of the magic capital city was leagues above the one over Everpeak. If the magic weapon¡¯s array in Everpeak was capable of annihting one thousand individuals like Zephyr, then just how powerful the one in the magic capital city was. It was possible that it could even subdue legendary beings that wielded immense power! Kryxelsia walked right past the guards that were stationed at the main door entrance that led into the castle. The guards were shocked to see the Wiseman who rarely ever left the confines of their abode. Not to mention, Sorval was also with her. Although his fame could notpare to Kryxelsia¡¯s, he was still the highly respected captain of the Evercrest Knights. As for Izroth and his party, since they were apanying Kryxelsia and Sorval, they were able to bypass all theplicated procedures and enter directly into the castle. "This ce is huge!" Mirage cried out as her voice carried an echo throughout the spacious region. "It is the home of a king. It would be strange if it was not as grand as possible." Qi Jiguangmented. A few momentster, the group reached two connectedrge doors with variousplex magic symbols inscribed onto them. Kryxelsia tapped the crystal on her staff against the center area of the doors as they slowly opened up and revealed a majestic throne room. At the moment, there was a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemnce to Zendai who sat upon a throne. However, this man was slightly more aged from a daily level of high stress as streaks of grey could be seen running through his hair. There were a group of wealthy-looking individuals lined up in an orderly fashion below the throne area who were most likely nobles of the kingdom. But, there was an intense and heavy atmosphere as both sides seemed to be on edge about something. "You¡¯re speaking a bunch of nonsense without any evidence to back it up!" "You-! Do you think I won¡¯t deal with you myself?!" "I¡¯d like to see you try! Do not think that my Oras Family will be threatened into submission!" "Hah! Your Oras Family magic is only good for watering nts!" "You dare say that again?!" The two sides looked as if they wanted to rip each other apart and an endless stream of insults were being sent out from each side. Izroth and his party were a little surprised when they stepped into the throne room. Not only due to the argument that was currently taking ce, but by the fact that this was the king¡¯s throne room! Kryxelsia, however, simply barged in without any warning. When the middle-aged man on the throne saw Kryxelsia, he held his hand in the air as both sides who were arguing with one another immediately went silent. They still gave each other death res, but none of them were willing to anger or disrespect the king. However, when they too realized just who it was that had entered into the throne room, there was a bewildered look on their face. Kryxelsia had instantly be the center of attention andpletely shifted the atmosphere in the room just by appearing! She approached the middle-aged man who sat upon the throne before halting her steps a few meters away. "My king!" Sorval said as he kneeled aftering into a certain distance of the throne. He was not like Kryxelsia who could casually walk before the king and stand tall. Their standings were simply too far apart! ¡¯The king of Proximus and younger brother of Zendai Proximus one of the seven heroes, Zenrou Proximus.¡¯ Zenrou swept his gaze across those who had just entered into his throne room before giving a slight nod to Sorval¡¯s greeting. It would be a lie if he said that he was not shocked by the appearance of Kryxelsia. It was not often she made a public appearance, especially without any prior warning. "Honored teacher, I receive you. What brings you from your abode?" Zenrou asked. Chapter 311 So Easy! ¡¯As expected of the king of Proximus. His knowledge level practically overshadows that of Robin¡¯s. However, it¡¯s still far off fromparing to Orion¡¯s or Kryxelsia¡¯s.¡¯ NPC Name: Zenrou Proximus, King of Proximus(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Knowledge Level: 345.12 Zenrou spoke in a respectful manner to Kryxelsia. Given Zenrou¡¯s position as king of a powerful kingdom like Proximus, his respect towards the Wiseman demonstrated just how high in regard he held her. "There is an important matter that I must discuss with the king. I will have to excuse you, gentlemen." Kryxelsia said as she tapped her staff on the ground. The next moment, a magic circle formed at the feet of every noble before they suddenly disappeared. Of course, she had done nothing to harm them and simply expelled the nobles from the throne room. After all, she was one of the main individuals who helped design the castle¡¯s magical defenses. Zenrou released a small sigh as he shook his head with a helpless smile on his face and said, "Honored teacher, those nobles are sure to give me a headache about being excluded." "This is a matter that it is not yet time for them to learn of until you have decided on your deration. When the timees, they will naturally be informed." Kryxelsia stated without worry. As Zenrou and Kryxelsia exchanged a few simple pleasantries, Kryxelsia disyed the contents of the mind beads to Zenrou. There was a multitude of scenes that revealed themselves. However, the scene that caught his attention the most had to be a certain location hidden away in the depths of Tempest territory. At that ce was a tear in space and though it was just for a brief moment, Zenrou saw a shadahi of great power who was bound by chains and sat upon arge throne. He personally knew the identity of that creature because there was a point during the great shadahi disaster where it caused a devastating amount of destruction and damage to the kingdom of Proximus. At that time, his elder brother was away from the kingdom with the goal of defeating the eternal darkness that started that seemingly neverending war. If not for the Wiseman appearing and personally taking action at when she did, then who knew just how many more lives would have been lost? But, even for someone as powerful as the Wiseman, it was no simple task defeating that shadahi. After that fight, Kryxelsia was weakened to the point that she was unable to move for the rest of the war. However, in the end, she was only able to seal that shadahi away with a powerful spell of her own creation. Of course, this was before Kryxelsia earned the title of Wiseman. That creature was not the leader of the shadahi who was a source of eternal darkness, but instead, it was one of the first beings to be birthed from that monstrosity. Zenrou had a look of anger on his face and the rage that burned in his eyes dwarfed that of the zing sun. He gripped the side armrest on his throne and crushed it into pieces. That shadahi was not only responsible for the death of countless Proximus subjects, but it was also the one who killed the previous king of Proximus and Zenrou¡¯s father, Zendou Proximus. "Syxirius...!" Zenrou scowled as he stood up from his throne. A powerful wave of mana spread throughout the room that caused the atmosphere to be dense and heavy in the process. Although it was not as boundless and vast as Zendai¡¯s mana, it could still be considered a tremendous quantity. Sorval was shocked when he witnessed the king in an enraged state. The king he knew was always calm, collected, and in control at all times. Never had he seen such a clear level of pure hatrede from his king. What a terrifying experience! Izroth was also surprised when he first saw Syxirius appear in the image of the mind beads back at the Wiseman¡¯s abode. Thest time he crossed paths with that shadahi, the creature was sealed tight onto the throne in their pce. However, his knowledge when it came to the shadahi, in general, was still incrediblycking. All the stories and details in the library only depicted the horrors that the shadahimitted during the war and how evil they were. But, none of the books went in-depth about the shadahis themselves. Izroth figured that given the dangers that the shadahi represented, such information must be located on the higher floors of the Amaharpe pce library. After all, if those with bad intentions got their hands on that information then it could create a potential disaster! "Calm yourself and control your mana, King Zenrou." Kryxelsia spoke in an unhurried manner. She knew of the hatred Zenrou held for Syxirius, therefore, she understood his rage. But, Zenrou was a king. He had to think about more than simple revenge, otherwise, the entire kingdom of Proximus could suffer. This is why she emphasized the word "King" when she spoke. Zenrou slowly calmed himself when he heard Kryxelsia¡¯s words. He controlled his mana as the heavy atmosphere disappeared and he returned to his seat upon the throne. The throne had fixed itself using some form of self-pair magic. "I have behaved in an unsightly manner. You¡¯ll have to forgive my sudden outburst, honored teacher. Your words are correct as always." Zenrou said as he gave a weary smile. "I understand your frustration and anger, however, there are greater things at stake as you have seen with your own eyes. You cannot dy your deration any longer." Kryxelsia stated. Zenrou had a troubled look on his face when Kryxelsia mentioned his deration. He wanted to find another way, but it seemed that there were no longer any other options for him to pursue at this point. "As the king of Proximus, my first duty is to the people. Thest thing I wish to do is drag them into a dangerous confrontation. However, it is also my duty to ensure the safety of my subjects, even if thates at a great cost." Zenrou said. After a brief moment of silence, he then continued, "Honored teacher, I will proceed with my deration as you¡¯ve suggested. We may not prevent it from happening, but we will be prepared in every possible way. This time, Proximus will not suffer the same catastrophe." Zenrou had a serious look on his face and spoke in a stern tone. After Kryxelsia and Zenrou discussed a few more details, Zenrou finally turned his attention towards Izroth and his party. "To you, young adventurers who risked their lives to deliver the mind beads, you have my eternal gratitude. If not for your sess, we would not have known just how much the situation had truly deteriorated. For this, the entire kingdom of Proximus is in your debt." Zenrou said. As soon as Zenrou finished giving his thanks, Izroth and his party received a surprising wave of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: 3/3 Sessfully reach the magic capital city of Proximus with the Wiseman of Everpeak and deliver your final findings to the current ruling king of Proximus.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Final Request?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +1 level.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +3 stat points for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been awarded +1 skill point for leveling up!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received +250 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 150 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?Oathkeeper?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired x1 ?Lost Skill Book: Call of the Thunder God?.¡µ Izroth¡¯s party was surprised when they received the barrage of system alerts. They had sessfullypleted the quest! However, there was a look of disbelief on everyone¡¯s face. Was an S-ranked quest supposed to be so easy? "It¡¯s over already? So easy..!" Mirage muttered to herself as she was dumbfounded. She thought for sure that the king or the Wiseman would ask them toplete some ridiculous and impossible task before the quest was over. "I wonder if all S-ranked quests are like this." Midnight pondered. "I suppose time flies when you¡¯re constantly on the move." Qi Jiguangmented. But, while it may not have appeared to be that difficult of a quest, it was, in fact, an extremely daunting task even for the most skilled of parties! They fought against a mysterious cloaked figure who called themselves a Faceless One who was capable of one-shotting an entire party. Not only that, but they were constantly bombarded by bandit and monster attacks while carrying the mind beads. Not to even mention their run-in with Zephyr, a rare NPC who could actually fly! To call such a quest easy, if any other yers heard this, they would certainly want to strangle Mirage and the others. Easy? It was next to impossible! The only reason that the S-ranked quest appeared so easy on the surface was due to one reason, the irregrity known as Izroth. Who was it that prevented the ambush of yers? Who was it that pressured the Faceless One to destroy themselves? Who was it that crushed hundreds of bandits and Tenedi Demon Wolves with a single attack? Who was it that provided Ocean Spring Pills to his party members that were fatigued? Who was it that soared into the air and forced Zephyr to concede the skies when everyone else could only try to endure his attacks from above? The answer was Izroth! If not for Izroth being present, who knew just how many times more difficult the quest would have turned out to be? Of course, everyone knew just how valuable a role Izroth yed in thepletion of the quest, however, they failed to realize just how massive that role truly was since they were not viewing it from an outside perspective. ¡¯Call of the Thunder God?¡¯ Izroth knew that he would receive a lost skill book, however, he had no idea what a lost skill book was beside the obvious meaning of its name. But, besides that simple piece of information, this was the first time he hade across a lost skill book. As for the title, Oathkeeper, it turned out to be a primary title! One had to know that trying to obtain a primary title was exceedingly challenging. When it came to the other rewards, Izroth was overall satisfied with it. Though while he was nonchnt about his rewards, the clear excitement could be seen on the face of his party members! Everyone received their own unique lost skill book which was what they were the most excited about. Of course, they enjoyed the other rewards that came along with it like the generous amount of gold coins and the increase of level. "Normally, I would host a banquet in your names as weed guests of the royal family. Unfortunately, the current circumstances do not allow me to extend that leisure hand as I have much to do in such little time." Zenrou stated. He then turned towards Kryxelsia and said, "Honored teacher, you are always a wee guest of the royal family. I hope that every time I receive you is not to discuss unpleasant news." "I will keep that in mind." Kryxelsia responded as a small smile found its way onto her lips. After things settled down and everything that needed to be said was said, Izroth and his party took their leave from the pce along with Kryxelsia. As for Sorval, the king requested that he stay as he had a special mission to assign him. It did not take long for Izroth¡¯s party and Kryxelsia to arrive outside of the pce. "Traveling to the magic capital city and not experiencing all that it has to offer would be a waste of a good opportunity. Therefore, I ask that you postpone your return trip to Amaharpe. I would like for all of you to apany me somewhere before the time of the deration." Kryxelsia stated. "Are you sure you can spare the time?" Izroth asked in a carefree manner. Kryxelsia gave a simple smile in response and replied, "The first move is for the king alone to make. Until the moment of his official deration, I shall receive you all as my personal guests." Chapter 312 Perfect Timing! Izroth, Lets Have A Match! As Kryxelsia walked through the magic capital city with Izroth and his party, she drew a lot of attention from its citizens. "It¡¯s the Wiseman..!" "Not only is she powerful and wise, but she¡¯s beautiful as well! How can any man ever hope to be a suitable match?" "The Wiseman is a hero of our Proximus." "Wiseman, thank you for always watching over us!" There were people cheering and bowing out of respect when the Wiseman passed by. From the atmosphere that emerged when she presented herself to the public, one could see just how much admiration the citizens of Proximus had for Kryxelsia. A little girl who looked no more than seven to eight years old ran up to Kryxelsia and held out a delicate looking flower with a happy and cheerful smile on her face. "Wiseman, this is for you." The little girl said as she offered the flower to Kryxelsia. Kryxelsia halted her footsteps and lowered herself to the same eye level as the little girl as she gently took the flower into her hand. "This flower is quite difficult toe by in the magic capital city. Are you sure you want to give such a precious item to me?" Kryxelsia asked. The little girl nodded and replied, "Granny told me that it was the Wiseman who saved her life when the bad things attacked. Without the Wiseman, my mama would not have been born. I love my granny and my mama, so I love the Wiseman for saving them." She gave a polite bow that was clumsy and uncultured, however, her efforts were clear for all to see. Kryxelsia smiled and said, "Since you are so sincere about it, how can I reject your kindness? I will dly ept your gift. What is your name?" The little girl was ecstatic when the Wiseman epted her gift as she responded, "Marelsia." "What a pretty name you have. Then, Marelsia, I thank you for your gift. I will surely cherish it." Kryxelsia stated as she ced the palm of her hand on top of Marelsia¡¯s head. At the same time, her hand briefly emitted a faint rainbow color. After saying farewell to Kryxelsia, Marelsia happily ran over towards a group of individuals at one of the storefronts nearby. There was an elderly couple, a younger couple, and a few others with them. It was her family. That group of individuals, along with Marelsia, bowed towards the Wiseman and tears could be seen flowing from the eyes of the elderly couple with a smile full of gratitude on their face. As Izroth¡¯s group continued to apany Kryxelsia, they started to realize that they may have underestimated just how popr the Wiseman was in the magic capital city. To be honest, everyone was taken aback by how sociable Kryxelsia turned out to be. She seemed like the type of person to keep to herself and ignore the masses, however, never once had she showed a look of disdain or unhappiness when the citizens gave their appreciation. "What was that strange light that appeared back there on that little girl¡¯s head?" Mirage asked curiously. Although it was only for a brief moment, she was able to clearly see the rainbow-colored light that appeared. "Just a small way of showing my appreciation to her kindness. Should she ever decide to venture down the path of magic, it will help assist her in sessfully forming her first mana core." Kryxelsia exined. A mana core! While others did not know what this meant, Izroth knew just how useful a mana core was to have. For yers, their first mana core was formed once they reached 10,000 points of mana. For an NPC like Marelsia, a mana core meant that she was guaranteed to reach a minimum of level 40 and turn into a rare NPC. With that kind of potential, she would be considered a genius practitioner of magic and there would be no shortage of teachers who wanted to take her under their wing. "The people here seem to admire you quite a bit." Izrothmented. "It is important that the people of Proximus have someone to look up to and know that they can count on that person in a time need. With Zendai out of the kingdom, it is I who shares in this responsibility. Now, more than ever, the people of Proximus will need something to hold onto." Kryxelsia said in an unhurried manner. The group continued to walk along the main road until they arrived at a grand building with a strong magic barrier surrounding it. There were guards stationed at the front area and they greeted the Wiseman as she approached them. This was the property located in the magic capital city that belonged to the Wiseman. It was a gift from the royal family that she received after all of her great contributions to the city. "We are here." Kryxelsia said as she opened the door that led into the building. However, the moment she opened the door she was greeted by the sound of a loud explosion. BOOOOOOOOOOOM! The explosion caused the entire estate to shake violently for a couple of seconds before ultimately calming down. However, there was still a thick ck smoke that filled the room. Izroth¡¯s party went on high alert when they heard and felt the explosion. Had someone nned an attack on the Wiseman¡¯s property? However, who was insane enough tounch an attack in the middle of the magic capital city against someone like the Wiseman? Kryxelsia, on the other hand, released a small sigh as she tapped her staff against the ground. The next moment, a swirling vortex appeared that drew in all the ck smoke before closing. Cough! Cough! A series of coughs could be hearding from behind the door located on the right side of the room. "Master, you¡¯ve returned?" A voice traveled from the other side of the door as it opened up and a small quantity of ck smoke poured out. ¡¯That voice...¡¯ Master? Everyone rxed a bit when they heard that word. From the way Kryxelsia acted, or rather did not act, one could tell that this must have been a normal urrence. However, who could cause such a violent explosion indoors? "Just in time! Listen, this is impossible, I¡¯m telling you it¡¯spletely impossible. Unreasonable! I can¡¯t get past the fifth sequence." The person said in a slightly excited manner. For words that sounded like they had given up and admitted defeat, it sure was full of a certain level of enthusiasm. "Are they trying to bring down the whole building?" Mirage muttered to herself. Weren¡¯t dangerous things like that usually done outdoors? "I¡¯ve managed to get to the fifth sequence, but the sixth sequence is a monstrosity!" The person said as the rest of the ck smoke cleared out of the room and everyone could finally see who was behind the explosion. However, to their surprise, it was not an NPC, but a yer! That yer was covered in ck soot and had smudges of it over their face and schr-like robes. Just as they were about to go on a magic rant, they noticed that Kryxelsia was apanied by other people, however, there was one person in particr that caught their attention. "Izroth?! What are you doing with my master?" The yer sounded full of shock. That yer was none other than the magic freak, Valentine, who had journeyed with Izroth to the Chaotic Dogma Realm! Not only that, but he turned down Izroth¡¯s previous invite to join him and the others on the first part of the SSS-ranked quest that rewarded an epic piece of equipment. Although Valentine said that it was due to an important matter, he was always online. Therefore, it could not have been anything serious in the real world. But, if that was not the case, then what was so important that he would willingly pass up an opportunity to take part in such a rewarding quest? Izroth finally obtained his answer! Having a connection to a powerful individual like the Wiseman was sure to bring about countless more benefits in the long run than the rewards from one part of an SSS-ranked quest. Valentine had made the correct call. After all, just by being associated with one of the seven heroes, Gear, Izroth had received countless opportunities that would have otherwise not been so readily avable to him. "So this is where you¡¯ve been hiding the entire time." Izroth said as he gave a carefree smile. "You know her? A love interest perhaps?" Mirage teased as a grin appeared on her face. However, before Izroth could respond, Valentine replied, "Actually, despite my appearance, I really prefer the gentle touch of a strong woman like yourself." He spoke in a coy manner and looked to the side as if he were avoiding direct eye contact with Mirage. Mirage¡¯s face turned pale when she heard that. The gentle touch of a strong woman like herself? Gentle touch your head! Everyone gave Mirage strange stares as she immediately became the center of attention. "You- What are all of you looking at?! Do you think I have such interests?! I like men! Strong men! That¡¯s that!" Mirage scowled as she angrily stomped her foot on her ground. She then continued as she pointed to Valentine and said, "And you! Don¡¯t go around causing misunderstandings! We¡¯re both women for crying out loud!" "It¡¯s actually a bit sad to see her trying so hard when it doesn¡¯t really count that much." Midnight muttered to himself as he released a helpless sigh. "Did you say something?" Mirage asked as she red in Midnight¡¯s direction. "I didn¡¯t hear or say anything." Midnight responded in a monotone voice as he avoided direct eye contact with Mirage. A few momentster, things settled down as everyone was properly introduced to one another. Apparently, after gaining ess to the first floor of the Amaharpe pce library once they had returned from the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Valentine discovered a book that went into great detail about the magic capital city Proximus. Of course, being the magic enthusiast that he is, Valentine could not resist taking a personal trip to the magic capital city. Unfortunately, it was not that easy without a proper Realm Chart and only rough descriptions and words to go on. But, eventually, he found his way to Everpeak where he happened to meet Kryxelsia at one of the rare moments when she was outside of her abode. After seeing how much genuine love and interest Valentine had for magic, one thing led to another and Kryxelsia agreed to take Valentine as her disciple. Valentine was also surprised to see Qi Jiguang and Ying Yue in Izroth¡¯s party. Of course, he made sure to tease him about Guan Yu being his "hero" which caused Omega to burst out into a fit ofughter. Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, had a gloomy expression and wanted to strangle Valentine for reminding him of that event! However, the thing that left everyone astonished was the fact that Valentine was not a woman, but a man! Mirage felt a bit better after discovering that fact, but how was it possible that a man could be born so pretty? "You will have to excuse me for a moment. There is something that I must attend to. In the meantime, feel free to roam around as you please. You are my guests. As for you..." Kryxelsia said as she looked over towards Valentine. "I expect the sixth sequence to bepleted by today. No excuses." Kryxelsia stated as she tapped her staff on the ground before disappearing in a sh of light. "Ah, master wait-!" Valentine tried to stop her, however, it was toote. She had already left the room. "So unreasonable...! Though, it may be possible if he¡¯s here..." Valentine mumbled under his breath. He released a long sigh as he faced towards Izroth and his party. He removed his staff from his inventory as the ck soot and smudges disappeared from his schr-like robes and face. A look of determination and confidence formed on his face as he pointed his staff towards Izroth. "You sure have perfect timing. Izroth, let¡¯s have a match!" Valentine said as a small smile formed on his lips. Chapter 313 Izroth vs Valentine Part 1 A match? Everyone looked at Valentine as if he were someone crazy. They had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying Izroth¡¯sbat capabilities were. He could even fly for crying out loud! Yet, this person wanted to have a match with him? Just Izroth¡¯s speed alone would be a headache to deal with, not to even mention his high damage output. However, they believed that Valentine knew all of this considering that he had already traveled with Izroth. If that was the case, then maybe he was a monster on the same level as Izroth! But, in the end, everyone found this too difficult to ept. After all, Izroth was abat master, a unique type of ss that Izroth had steered to the point of its extremity. It was this ss that allowed him to reach such a high level ofbat prowess. From the look of Valentine¡¯s equipment, he did not seem to be abat master like Izroth. "You sound quite confident." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "I understand that you¡¯re strong, Izroth. I¡¯m not idiotic enough to think that you haven¡¯t made any progress since thest time we¡¯ve met. However, even so, I haven¡¯t been wasting away and doing nothing this entire time. If you think I¡¯m the same as when west journeyed together in the Chaotic Dogma Realm and find yourself underestimating me, then... You¡¯ll lose." Valentine said as a smile formed on his lips. However, there was a rare serious atmosphere that surrounded him as he spoke. "Oh? Interesting. Your words make it sound as if your time in the magic capital city hasn¡¯t been squandered. Very well, I ept your challenge." Izroth replied in a calm tone. Izroth did not know why Valentine wanted to have a match with him, however, he was interested to see the benefits Valentine had gained by bing Kryxelsia¡¯s disciple. Also, Izroth had to admit that when it came to fighting against skilled magic casters within RML, hecked the proper experience. Therefore, this arrangement would also be beneficial to him. "They¡¯re really fighting?" Miragemented as one could hear the surprise in her voice. "Things just got pretty interesting. I¡¯m curious how that magic caster ns to deal with Izroth¡¯s biggest threat, his speed. If he can¡¯t get past that, then he¡¯ll lose the moment the match starts." Midnight stated. Thement that Midnight made was the same thing on everyone¡¯s mind. How did Valentine n to stop Izroth¡¯s ridiculous speed and mobility? This was something they were looking forward to seeing! But, the question remained, was such a thing even possible? Qi Jiguang released a deep sigh. He had forgotten to request a match with Izroth due to all the events that transpired in the past few hours and it ended up slipping away from his mind. Although he understood his own chances, nevertheless, he was not the type to give up before the fight had even started. After Izroth¡¯s fight with Valentine, perhaps he would also request a match of his own. "I knew you¡¯d ept. After all, you aren¡¯t the type of man to run away from a challenge." Valentine said. He then continued, "Obviously we can¡¯t fight in this ce. Fortunately, there¡¯s a training ground located in the back. We¡¯ll have our match there." "That¡¯s fine." Izroth responded. Izroth, Mirage, Midnight, Ying Yue, Qi Jiguang, and Omega followed Valentine towards the back area of the building. A few momentster, the group arrived at a spacious training ground that spanned at least 100 meters in all directions. But, the strange thing was that from the outside, the building did not seem to have this kind of space located in the back. Therefore, everyone was stunned when they entered the training ground. "There¡¯s a magic formation here created by my master that stretches space. One would never know that this ce exists just by simply looking in from the outside. To them, it would seem like any normal area behind a building." Valentine exined when he saw the questioning looks on everyone¡¯s face. Located at the center of the training grounds was an arena that was 40 meters in diameter. It looked to be made from some type of sturdy stone. Along with it was a thin veil that epassed the entire arena. It was a barrier designed to protect those viewing the fight from the outside. Izroth and Valentine stepped onto the arena tform as they stood on theplete opposite end of one another. Of course, Izroth would not be so shameless as to start within striking range of a magic caster like Valentine. Also, he was quite confident in his ability to close long distances. "Any restrictions?" Izroth¡¯s voice carried across the arena and it sounded as if he were right next to Valentine. This was also one of the features built-in to the tform. Though, it was disabled once the actual fight began. "Just the standard rules. Non-Lethal mode and no potions or inventory items. Besides that, you can use whatever means at your disposal." Valentine responded. Aftering to an agreement on the rules, Valentine sent a duel request to Izroth who epted without hesitation. Those viewing from the sidelines were excited and nervous at the same time. Even though they were not the ones fighting, it was not every day that two skilled yers had a duel for all to see. After all, the top guilds, specifically their core and elite yers, were very secretive about their PVP ystyles and usually only dueled in private areas. If someone as powerful as Kryxelsia was willing to ept Valentine as her disciple, it meant that he was definitely no pushover! ¡´System Alert: A duel has been initiated between yer Izroth and yer Valentine. Beginning countdown sequence. 10 seconds...¡µ 3... "Don¡¯t hold back." Valentine said as he held his magic staff out in front of him. 2... "I never nned to." Izroth responded in a carefree manner as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm causing a brief strong gust of wind to form around him before dispersing. 1... ¡´System Alert: Duel hasmenced!¡µ Siiyuuk! Izroth¡¯s figure immediately blinked out of existence as soon as the battle started! "Flickering Steps? No..." Valentine muttered to himself. He knew that when Izroth used Flickering Steps there was always a flickering afterimage left behind in his ce for a short period of time. Therefore, it must have been a new skill that he had never seen before! Indeed, Valentine was correct. Izroth had used Enhance Instantaneous Movement to swiftly close the distance between himself and Valentine! Izroth understood that a magic caster¡¯s biggest weakness was close-quartersbat. As long as he did not give Valentine the breathing room and distance required to cast his spells, then there was nothing else Valentine could do besides admit defeat. Of course, Valentine understood very well what would happen if Izroth got into close range. With Izroth¡¯s monstrous attack power, he would likely be ended in a one or two blows with his low HP depending on what kind of attack was used. At least, that would have been the case if they had this match before he arrived in the magical capital city of Proximus. Unknown to Izroth, that was precisely what Valentine was hoping he would do. Izroth used the first charge of Enhanced Instantaneous Movement at its maximum range of 15 meters. "Is he teleporting? Is that even fair?" Valentine whispered to himself. He had to admit, just the thought of fighting someone like Izroth who defiedmon sense was a terrifying thought. However, what he did not expect was how suffocating it was being Izroth¡¯s opponent even though the fight had just barely begun. There was this insurmountable pressure that Izroth naturally gave off that Valentine had never known about since they were always in the same party together. A part of him was d that this was a duel and not an actual fight, otherwise, the pressure may have been even more unbearable! But, Valentine was not afraid, instead, he was excited. This was the fight he wanted! Without hesitation, Izroth used the second charge to his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, however, as soon as his foot touched the ground rm bells started to sound in his head. It was his Soul Sense warning him of the potential danger! Right as Izroth¡¯s foot made contact with the ground, a blue light appeared in the shape of a pentagon beneath his foot. At the same time, three chains made from pure mana shot out towards Izroth as if they wanted to devour him. Siiyuuk! However, just as the chains were about to make contact with Izroth, he used a third charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to safely avoid them. "How many times can he used that skill?" Valentine said to himself as he kept track. Just from simple observation, he had already discovered that Izroth could only travel a max distance of 15 meters using that movement skill. He also knew that there definitely had to be some kind of limit to it! As for the blue pentagons on the ground, they came from a skill of Valentine¡¯s called Enhanced Zarkox Second Sequence: Mine Fetter. It turned out that Izroth was not the only one of the two who had created an enhanced version of an already existing skill! Skill Name: Enhanced Zarkox Second Sequence: Mine Fetter Skill Creator: Valentine Skill Level: 3/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 30 Sequence Mage, Sequence Mastery I(Passive), Magic Fundamental Mastery(Passive) Mana Cost: 700 Cast Time: 0.25 seconds Active: The user forms sixteen hidden magic sequences within apressed pentagonal shaped field of mana scattered under the ground within 20 meters of their current position. If an enemy approaches within 3 meters of a hidden magic sequence or the magic sequence is disturbed, it bes active and shoots out three chains made from mana to ensnare the enemy. If a chain sessfully hits an enemy, the enemy bes immobilized and unable to attack for 0.5 seconds. The chains also drain 6.25% of the enemy¡¯s Mana/Energy and restores the user¡¯s Mana by 6.25% Cooldown: 4 minutes 45 seconds There were magic sequences hidden throughout the ground in the surrounding twenty meters that acted as traps. As long as Izroth stepped within the vicinity of one, it would immediately target him. In other words, it was practically a magical minefield! Izroth arrived right next to Valentine in the blink of an eye as he shed outward with Sword of The Storm, aiming directly for Valentine¡¯s neck. There was an overbearing aura that followed behind this sword attack. It was, of course, Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction! He respected Valentine¡¯s wishes as he did not pull any of his punches and went straight for the kill. But, once again, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off. A second blue pentagon suddenly formed beneath Izroth¡¯s feet! But, at the rate the chains traveled, Izroth knew that his attack would connect before the chains reached him. Though there was something else that bothered him and that was the calm look on Valentine¡¯s face. He would not let his guard down. Without any warning, a thin string of manashed out towards Izroth at an even faster speed than the chains. It was Valentine¡¯s Epassing Mana String. Siiyuuk! Izroth canceled his First Baneful Sword: Destruction in the middle of its use and consumed his fourth and final charge of Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. He had not forgotten about Valentine¡¯s Epassing Mana String. In truth, the moment he felt something was off, Izroth had rearranged his original attack strategy within a mere fraction of a second. Izroth decided to use his First Baneful Sword: Destruction as a feint instead of an actual attack. Although the skill went on cooldown, it aplished its main goal and forced Valentine to reveal his hand. Izroth knew that Valentine would not expect him to use such a powerful attack skill as a simple faint. Izroth appeared behind Valentine as his leg shot out like a serpent striking at its prey. Izroth used thest 35 points of his Energy to activate Serpent¡¯s Bite. If his attacknded and he paralyzed Valentine for 2 seconds, the fight woulde to a swift conclusion. As Izroth¡¯s leg flew on a collision course with its target, a small grin appeared on Valentine¡¯s face. Ooooooooooom! All of a sudden, a beam of light descended down from above andpletely epassed Izroth. "What¡¯s that?" Mirage said to herself as her eyes widened in amazement at the sight in the sky. "Incredible." Midnightmented as he witnessed the spectacle that had just unfolded before him. There were sevenrge magical pentagons that had appeared out of thin air and immediately after doing so, a mighty beam of light was discharged towards Izroth! Qi Jiguang narrowed his eyes as he closely observed the fight. While he was no expert when it came to magic, at the very least since his ss used some magic-based skills, he understood a few basics such as what the size and number of magic sequences represented. What was already astonishing was that Valentine could create seven huge magic sequences. But, that was not the part that truly shocked him. It was the fact that the cast time Valentine used for creating those magic sequences as zero! In other words, those huge magic sequences were cast instantly! That beam of light almost appeared to act as a signal. It seemed as if the true battle was about to begin. Chapter 314 Izroth vs Valentine Part 2 A few momentster, the beam of light dispersed, however, the seven pentagonal shaped magic sequences still remained in the sky above. When the light dispersed, a beautiful crystal was revealed and inside of that crystal was none other than Izroth. ¡¯It stopped?¡¯ Just before the beam of light reached him, Izroth used the Crystallization skill attached to his Crystal Sea Head Ornament to protect himself. Of course, if the beam of light was actually traveling at the speed of light he would have never had any chance to properly react to it, even with his abnormal sense of perception. Nevertheless, it would still be exceedingly difficult for therge majority of yers within RML to respond to that spell. The spell was not just fast, its damage was nothing to scoff at as well. The structural integrity of Izroth¡¯s Crystallization skill had gone from 100% to 67% after that single beam of light. But, what left him a bit surprised was that a barrage of light beams did not continue to bombard him as he had expected them to do. Izroth had seen Valentine use this skill before. It was definitely Valentine¡¯s Zarkox First Sequence: Release, however, the cast time should not have been that quick. Not to mention, the number of magic sequences formed were different and many times bigger. If Izroth had never visited the Amaharpe pce library and learned more about the magic within RML, then he would have thought that it was just a different skill. But, he could clearly view from inside of the crystal that the skill Valentine had just used was like a more advanced version of the Zarkox First Sequence: Release. "I figured it wouldn¡¯t be that easy." Valentine said in a calm tone. However, he was inwardly shocked at Izroth¡¯s unbelievable reaction speed and ability to adapt to the situation as it evolved. Seeing it when they journeyed together was one thing, but fighting against it was a different story. What he had just used was the enhanced version of the Zarkox First Sequence: Release. In many ways, it was countless times more versatile and unpredictable than the skill¡¯s original version. Not to mention, the skill itself had increased from an A-ranked skill to an S-ranked skill! Skill Name: Enhanced Zarkox First Sequence: Release Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Requirements: Sequence Mastery I(Passive), Magic Fundamental Mastery(Passive) Mana Cost: 600 Cast Time: Instant Active: The user forms seven magic sequences within apressed pentagonal shaped field of mana above its intended target within 30 meters. The user must then properly ovep the magic sequence into sevenyers which will create a strong burst of light-based energy in the form of a beam. The first beam fires immediately when this skill is cast and stuns the target for 0.25 seconds. The user can fire a total of 6 additional beams within 30 seconds after casting with intervals no less than 0.3 seconds apart. These beams deal 175% of the user¡¯s magic as damage. The user can directly control the firing direction of the beams. Cooldown: 3 minutes Zarkox First Sequence: Release was the very first skill Valentine learned an enhanced version of. It was also the first time he found that it was possible to enhance already existing skills. Of course, there were limits and one required a deep understanding of the skill before they were able to acquire an enhanced version. When he first discovered this he was mind blown. He wondered if most yers even knew such a thing was possible! That kind of knowledge was enough to shift the way other yers looked at their skills forever. Though it was obviously not for everyone. After all, most people simply wanted to level up and obtain rare items. However, the top guilds were different. This was exactly the kind of information that they dreamed of holding. "Let¡¯s see just how long you can stay inside of that crystal." Valentine said as he summoned down yet another beam of light that crashed into the beautiful crystal. The entire crystal shook violently when the second beam of light made contact as cracks could be seen forming throughout its sturdy exterior. ¡¯I see, he¡¯s able to control the timing of the light beams. At this rate, the crystal can only withstand another two attacks at most. In that case...¡¯ Ooooooooooom! Valentine fired down a third beam of light as he simultaneously retreated out of Izroth¡¯s immediate attack range. When the third beam of light struck the crystal, it began to shatter and crumble into countless pieces. It was about to break! "How many of those things can he fire?" Mirage said in a tone of disbelief. It seemed as if there was no end to the barrage of magic and Izroth¡¯s defenses were crumbling. "What a merciless spell. It doesn¡¯t give opponents any time to react at all. However, Izroth never ceases to amaze me. The fact that he cancels his skills without hesitation and abruptly changes his battle tactics is incredible. To be honest, I don¡¯t think even the most veteran of pro yers can make such swift decisions in the middle of a fight." Midnightmented. "That magic caster is also pretty impressive. In a short period of time, he forced Izroth into an ideal position and used the chance presented tounch an attack. Instantly casting such high-level spells is something rarely seen. But, it¡¯s all pointless if he can¡¯t find a way to deal with Izroth¡¯s real speed." Qi Jiguang stated. "Ah, you mean that weird skill when he turns all fuzzy?" Omega asked. Qi Jiguang nodded and replied, "Yes, precisely that skill. In my opinion, it¡¯s Izroth¡¯s most lethal skill for a variety of reasons. I believe he said it was called Flickering Steps." Oooooooom! As the fourth beam of light descended from the sky, the crystal was vaporized into nothingness. However, Izroth was nowhere to be found after the light cleared! All that could be seen was a fading afterimage of Izroth¡¯s silhouette. Valentine immediately went on high alert as he saw that fading silhouette. Back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth¡¯s agility was already terrifying when he used that skill. He was positive that Izroth¡¯s agility had improved by leaps and bounds since then. Valentine could feel his heart race and his adrenaline start to increase. Woosh! Woosh! As Izroth¡¯s figure flickered around the arena, he was targeted by the mana chains from Valentine¡¯s Enhanced Zarkox Second Sequence: Mine Fetter. Although these chains were not fast enough to catch him, they were able to make him change his initial direction constantly to avoid being surrounded and ensnared. However, it was not just the chains that he had to worry about. Valentine controlled the magic sequences in the sky and attacked Izroth as he was on the move. Of course, he was unable to follow Izroth with his eyes while he had Flickering Steps active even if he consumed the Five Cycles Pill. Therefore, Valentine had to think on his feet. Although he did not know Izroth¡¯s exact location, he knew that Izroth¡¯s overall goal was to close the distance he had created between them. Taking that into consideration, as well as, the position of his hidden magic sequences in the ground, whenever Izroth caused one of them to activate, Valentine would instantly call down a beam of light somewhere within five meters of his previous position. However, he could not employ this strategy for much longer. He had just fired off his fifth beam of light which meant that he only had two attacks remaining! ¡¯What a troublesomebination of skills.¡¯ Izroth decided to activate his Energy Vision Sense as a world of multi-colored mes appeared around him. He looked over in Valentine¡¯s direction and noticed a calm purple me epassing his body. It was much more controlled than Mirage and the others which were most likely the results of training under Kryxelsia. But, what really grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention was the thinly veiled mes scattered across the arena ground. In total, there were ten of them hidden beneath the arena tform. ¡¯Are those mes the source of the chains? They only seem to activate when I get within a certain distance of them. However...¡¯ Izroth lightly tapped his foot on the arena tform as a series of tremors were sent out in an area of 30 meters! Shhhck! Shhhck! All of a sudden, ten blue pentagonal shaped magic sequences lit up in different parts of the arena. In the next moment, a series of chains shot up from the location of every magic sequence. However, since they had no target, the chains made of mana simply iled around for a brief period of time before crumbling away. Izroth¡¯s understanding of magic sequences was notcking at all whenpared to Valentine¡¯s, therefore, he knew just moments after viewing the magic sequences that they would forcibly activate if disturbed too harshly. To aplish this task, his Behemoth¡¯s Quake was the perfect skill to use. Valentine activated his Mana Shield skill as he knew that Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake was not strong enough to break through it and so he was not too worried about it. "What a monster." Valentine could not help but have that thought cross his mind as he saw Izroth find the weak point of his Enhanced Zarkox Second Sequence: Mine Fetter and immediately render it useless. To not only find the weak point but take advantage of it as well after having only seen it one time was inconceivable! However, how could Valentine know about Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense? Now that there were no more traps remaining, Izroth flickered towards Valentine at incredible speeds! If one tried to follow him with their eyes, they would only be able to catch his afterimage. "Qi Jiguang, how would you have broken through those chains?" Omega asked out of curiosity. Qi Jiguang thought about it for a moment before he responded, "Magic casters already hold a natural advantage over melee yers, especially at our current level range. Therefore, I would have used Burning Spirit andunched a full-scale frontal assault. The fight would be over in a handful of seconds. Either I kill him before Burning Spirit ends, or he kills me right after it¡¯s over." As Izroth swiftly closed the distance, Valentine used thest two beams of light. Unfortunately, both were unable to strike Izroth. He quickly tried to cast another spell, however, it was toote. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Izroth appeared in front of Valentine as his sword quickly swept across his neck with two shadows trailing behind it. Valentine¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Izroth¡¯s constant flickering silhouette that had arrived before him. The sudden appearance of Izroth caused him to instinctively try to dodge, but instead, he ended up tripping over his own feet and falling back. At the same time, Valentine received an alert from the system that caused him to release a helpless sigh. ¡´System Alert: The duel has ended! Winner: yer Izroth¡µ Izroth used Phantom Strike and aimed right for Valentine¡¯s neck. The attack happened too fast and Valentine could not react in time. Even with his Mana Shield active, it was immediately shattered after the first attack! This was due to Izroth pouring 20 points of Essence into his Phantom Strike. This doubled the amount of damage his Phantom Strike dealt! Along with the critical hits, Valentinecked the HP and defensive skills to continue any further. The battle was over. "It¡¯s your loss." Izroth stated as he returned his sword to its sheath. He then reached out his hand to help Valentine to his feet as he said, "You fought well." Izroth was not simply being kind with his words. Out of all the yers he had fought against so far within RML, Valentine was the one who put up the biggest fight. Valentine took Izroth¡¯s hand and stood to his feet as he gave a weary smile and replied, "You say that, but I couldn¡¯t evennd a single hit on you. Don¡¯t you know how to hold back even when others say not to?" He spoke in a humorous manner. In the end, Valentine was overwhelmed by Izroth¡¯sbination of speed and power. With Izroth not giving him any time to cast and having already gone through his instant cast skills, Valentine was unable to prevail. Though it was not aplete loss. This fight with Izroth had helped him just as he had hoped it would. "Though I suppose I should be thanking you. You may have just helped me find the answer I¡¯ve been searching for." Valentine said as a grateful smile formed on his face.Fighter-type skill. Huge damage boost, the user is unkible, the user ignores all forms of crowd control, the user cannot receive any healing, the user HP rapidly drains while the skill is active. This skillst for a short period of time. Chapter 315 Izroths Ruthless Side? A Series of Crushing Defeats! Although the fight had onlysted a few moments, it was more than enough data for Valentine to proceed with a new line of thought. On paper and against monsters, it was difficult to truly gauge the level of and evolve an enhanced skill, as well as, further one¡¯s own understanding of magic. Also, it was not as if intelligent boss monsters were just wandering around everywhere. What Valentine needed was a skilled yer that would force him to turn his theory into actual application. For this task, he could think of no one better than Izroth. As Valentine became lost in his thoughts about his innovative approach to the new magic sequence he was creating, a look of excitement formed on his face as he began to drool uncontrobly. If he was sessful, he may aplish something that no other yer in RML had ever done before! Izroth inwardly shook his head at Valentine¡¯s actions, however, he knew just how much Valentine loved magic. Therefore, he left him to his own thoughts and walked off the arena tform. Everyone was still amazed by the fight they had just witnessed. Everything happened so fast, but that did not take away from how much of a high-level fight it was. But, in the end, Izroth¡¯s speed was simply too overwhelming for Valentine. However, to be quite honest, they thought the fight was over the first time Izroth closed the distance and yet, Valentine had managed to surprise them with his performance. Thoughparing him to Izroth was a bit too harsh. They understood that if it had been any of them up there fighting against that magic caster, then things would not have gone that smoothly. "Your friend is pretty strong. In fact, you seem to always be surrounded by abnormal people." Mirage sighed. Back in the zing Temple, she was in a party with Izroth, Luna, and Azalea. One of them was an amazing healer and was even a Trephasia. As for the other yer, there was probably no one present who would believe her words, but that person was even faster than Izroth! Both of them were abnormal whenpared to the majority of yers and now, there was one more person who had joined their ranks in Mirage¡¯s mind. "What do you expect? Abnormal people are naturally drawn to other abnormal people. It¡¯s thew of nature." Omegamented with a grin on his face. Izroth only gave a carefree smile in response to Mirage and Omega¡¯sments. However, after hearing those words and facing off against Valentine, as well as, seeing how much he had grown in such a short period of time, Izroth could not help but have certain thoughts. ¡¯I wonder how everyone else is progressing.¡¯ Although they had not been apart for long, Izroth was sure that everyone did not simply remain idle. In fact, after returning from theirst quest together, everyone seemed motivated and determined to grow stronger. Izroth was not oblivious to this fact. He also knew that he was likely the cause of the fire that lit under them. As someone who grew up in a world of cultivation, Izroth understood how important it was to reach for something or someone. That mountain that always appeared to be insurmountable and unclimbable. No matter how much talent one possessed, if theycked the will or drive to improve, then their talent would be wasted. He had seen many self-proimed geniuses in the Seven Realms end up stuck on their path of cultivation because of theirck of dedication and determination. Of course, RML was not as cutthroat was the Seven Realms, but Izroth found that the same rules applied across numerous situations. That was why he made a decision after he returned from the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Izroth decided that he was going to be that insurmountable mountain that kept those around him constantly striving for a higher level. To aplish this task, he would keep growing stronger to a point where even an entity like the Netherworld Monarch shivered in fear when hearing his name. Once Izroth made his choice to do something, he would not do it in a half-hearted manner. He would strive to be the strongest. Someone capable of standing before armies alone anding out victorious. ¡¯Who knew a world with practically zero Spiritual Essence would be capable of creating something so interesting?¡¯ A few momentster, Valentine snapped out of his deep thoughts and it was as if a wave of inspiration struck him. He rushed back into the main building without warning as though he were afraid that whatever was on his mind would disappear. After Valentine excused himself, Qi Jiguang requested a match with Izroth. However, Qi Jiguang knew the current gap that existed between himself and Izroth. Therefore, he requested an unusual dueling format. There was a dueling option that allowed yers to duel without any skills or equipment. Each yer was given equal stats across the board and 10 HP. Every strike a yer sessfullynded removed 1 HP from their opponent. If it as a critical hit, then the strike would remove 3 HP. Fully blocking an opponent¡¯s attack meant taking no damage at all. This mode was not very popr amongst yers for obvious reasons. Who wanted to willingly forfeit their shy skills and equipment advantage for a boring hand to handbat fight? Besides, it was not as if everyone that yed RML knew who to actually fight in the real world. Most of the yers depended entirely upon the system to guide them along in battles. Of course, Izroth epted Qi Jiguang¡¯s challenge without hesitation. The end results? 10-0. It was Izroth¡¯splete victory. Qi Jiguang was not able tond a single hit even on a level ying field! Qi Jiguang challenged Izroth to a fight again even after such a devastating defeat. Once again, he lost 10-0. Then he challenged Izroth again... And again... And again... As Mirage, Omega, and Ying Yue watched the battle, there was a strange atmosphere around them. It was very solemn and a clear look of concern could be seen on their face. "This is already the tenth fight..." Midnight stated with his brows furrowed. "Isn¡¯t Izroth being a bit too cruel? He could at least let him get one hit in." Mirage said with a frown. She was not expecting Izroth to intentionally lose a match, but was it truly necessary for him to be so ruthless? "It is bing a bit hard to watch. I just worry that Qi Jiguang¡¯s pride won¡¯t be able to hold out after this is over." Midnight sighed. He actually agreed with Mirage, Izroth was being somewhat cruel. However, the one he thought would be the most angered or upset, Omega, had an extremely calm look on his face as his eyes never left the arena for a single moment. Omega silently watched the duels one after the other without uttering one word ofint about how unreasonable or cruel Izroth was being to Qi Jiguang. From the conversations that went on between the two of them, Mirage and Midnight were certain that Qi Jiguang and Omega knew one another outside of RML and seemed to be close friends. If that was the case, why was he not outraged and so unusually calm? Qi Jiguang¡¯s left fist soared through the air, however, it was a feint. He quickly spun his body around as his leg shot off the ground and towards Izroth¡¯s head. Izrothpletely ignored Qi Jiguang¡¯s feint and ducked to avoid his iing kick. At the same time, Izroth ced his hands on the ground and swiftly turned his body as his foot swept outward in an arc. Qi Jiguang was swept off his feet andnded t on his back as his body crashed onto the arena tform. "Your movements are too predictable and your feints are calling loudly to me. All feints should carry the threat of a real attack. Why is this? Because all feints should initially be a real attack. Your attack should be able to instantly switch between illusion and reality at will, between a true attack and a feint. Read your opponent before making your choice, do not make your choice before reading your opponent." Izroth said in a rare cold tone. Qi Jiguang stood to his feet and the exhaustion could clearly be seen on his face. However, there was a me in his eyes. After his first defeat, it would be a lie if he fooled himself into believing that it had not affected him. In truth, he was furious and humiliated! He wanted to get revenge as soon as possible and instantly challenged Izroth to another fight. Who was he? He was considered a prodigy in the world of martial arts! There was no one around his age who couldpete with him on equal terms. Yet, this person who he had never even heard of before RML existed waspletely overwhelming him in every way possible. How could he not feel ashamed? Humiliated? Hateful? Enraged? He was all of the above! However, the second defeat soon followed after and Izroth had not uttered a single word. It was the same for the third, fourth, and fifth defeat. It was not until the fifth defeat that all the negative emotions within Qi Jiguang began to disperse. He realized that this must have been how the opponents he faced felt when matched against him. It was his first time experiencing it himself, therefore, it was a new feeling. But, instead of letting itpletely consume him, by the sixth fight, the hatred in his eyes had disappeared and it was reced by a calm expression. It was during this fight that Izroth had uttered his first words. He had actually started to give Qi Jiguang pointers! By the seventh fight, the me had finally lit in Qi Jiguang¡¯s eyes. "Watch your left side, you ignore it every time you strike with a kick." "Your guard iscking. If you can¡¯t attack properly, then at least defend properly." "Your right hand is..." As Qi Jiguang listened to Izroth¡¯s pointers, he quickly adapted them into his own fighting style and he could feel himself evolving rapidly over the course of their matches. Even the duration of the matches were increasing. However, Qi Jiguang noticed that the more he improved, the stronger Izroth seemed to be. It was as if Izroth was purposely adjusting his skill level during each fight! 15 Matches... 30 Matches... 49 Matches... Out of 49 matches, Izroth had not lost a single time. Even still, Qi Jiguang had not managed tond one solid hit. "We should stop this already, I¡¯ll-" Mirage said with a slightly gloomy expression on her face. Although she was not the one fighting, she felt that enough was enough. At this rate, Qi Jiguang may end up quitting RML altogether! However, she was interrupted by Omega. He had spoken for the first time since the first match had started. "Don¡¯t interfere. Otherwise, he¡¯ll never forgive you. Also, I won¡¯t forgive you either." Omega stated in a serious tone. "Do you enjoy watching your friend constantly lose? What¡¯s wrong with you? How can you just stand there and not say a word?" Mirage questioned in a slightly angered tone. She felt that Omega should be the one caring the most about this, not her! "Just keep watching and you¡¯ll see." Omega said. Mirage was dumbfounded by Omega¡¯s words. See? What was there to see? This was a one-sided beating! "Izroth is even more of a monster than I originally thought. I¡¯m afraid even the old man is not his match. Having that much skill at such a young age, how terrifying. It¡¯s difficult to believe that he¡¯s someone unknown in the martial arts world. However, Qi Jiguang isn¡¯t called the prodigy of the martial arts world for nothing. I believe in him." Omega stated. Mirage and Midnight had a surprised expression on their face. During the 50th match, it was 10-1 with Izroth on his way to another victory. However, just as Izroth struck out, Qi Jiguang suddenly threw his entire body forward and shifted the position of his feet. Izroth reacted quickly and braced himself for the impact as he called off his attack. But, somethingpletely unexpected happened at thest second. Qi Jiguang index finger pierced right in between Izroth¡¯s arms inside of the near nonexistent gap! It was simr to a skill Izroth used when breaking through defenses, however, the shocking part was that he had never once used it around Qi Jiguang. It was a very rough version of his Fissuring Point! Woosh! Qi Jiguang¡¯s index finger made the slightest contact with Izroth¡¯s chest, but Izroth managed to reduce the momentum of the attack. Although Izroth avoided a critical hit, Qi Jiguang¡¯s attack was still able to touch him. In other words, he had sessfullynded a hit on Izroth! Omega grinned as he witnessed Qi Jiguangnd his first strike! Mirage and Midnight were shocked. 50 matches... It took 50 matches, but Qi Jiguang had actually done it! ¡¯Oh? This one¡¯s interesting. Though, I think that¡¯s enough dueling for one day.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s fist swiftly struck Qi Jiguang directly in his stomach. This strike sent him back and crashing into the ground. Qi Jiguangid on his back with arge grin on his face as he looked up towards the sky and said, "I hit you, Izroth." The results of the 50th match? 9-0. Although it was Izroth¡¯s victory, to Qi Jiguang, it was a victory in its own way. Chapter 316 Kryxelsias Gif After Izroth and Qi Jiguang finished their final match, there was no one else who wanted to challenge Izroth to a duel. To Mirage¡¯s and Midnight¡¯s surprise, Qi Jiguang appeared to be spirited instead of depressed as a result of his crushing defeats. However, Qi Jiguang had made it clear that although he had lost the battle, he had not given up on the war. Now that he had a goal to strive towards, Qi Jiguang was fired up. He understood that even if Izroth was stronger than him at the moment, he felt that as long as he pushed himself it would be possible for him to one day catch up. It may not be tomorrow, next week, or next year, but he decided that no matter how long it took he would not stop until he reached that same level or even better yet, surpassed it! ... Four hourster... A group of nobles could be seen leaving Zenrou¡¯s throne room. The expressions on their faces were mixed with some being excited and others being angry. However, the mostmon expression that the nobles shared was one ofplete disbelief as if it was still difficult for them to digest the words they had just heard. There were two nobles who were thest to exit the throne room. One was a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties with ming red hair, burning red eyes, and a sturdy build. There was a stern look on his face as if he was always serious and it often made it difficult for others to approach him without feeling intimidated. That man was the current head of the Aragon family, one of the three strongest families within the Proximus kingdom, Torogo Aragon. The Aragon family was well known for its powerful fire magic. When it came to famous fire-based magic casters, nine chances out of ten, that person would be a member of the Aragon family. As for the other noble, he was thin with a weak and sicklyplexion. His hair was white and his eyes were gray in color, as well as, unfocused. This man was blind. He had a staff in his hand that was embedded with magic. But, if one underestimated him based solely on appearances alone, then they would be in for a rude awakening. That blind man was the current head of the Rutazou family, Ban Rutazou. The Rutazou family, along with the Aragon family and Jestal family,pletely dominated the top three spots of power in Proximus. Of course, this excluded the royal family themselves. The Rutazou family specialized in a unique nature magic and Ban¡¯s eldest son was the current leader of Proximus¡¯ military magic division. The Jestal family, on the other hand, specialized in rare spatial magic! That automatically put them at the very top spot amongst the three families. The members of the Jestal family were all born with a strong affinity for spatial magic. These days they were very secretive and never really associated with others, however, their talent and strength could not be overlooked. "What do you think?" Torogo asked as he walked along the inner pce corridors with Ban. "About?" Ban replied as if he had no idea what Torogo was talking about. Torogo red at Ban and said, "You know very well what I¡¯m talking about, Ban. What do you think about his majesty¡¯s decision?" Ban stayed quiet for a while as they strolled down the corridor. He then released a small sigh as he shook his head. "To be truthful, I believe his majesty¡¯s decision is too hasty. Though I suppose since it came from the Wiseman of Everpeak his majesty will not question it. Wouldn¡¯t you say that such blind faith in a single individual is a bit too dangerous?" Ban stated. There was a high level of respect that the noble families held for the Wiseman of Everpeak, however, they all felt that she had be too powerful over the past few decades. Not only did she have the king¡¯s unquestionable trust and faith, but she was even capable of controlling every magic formation within the pce itself! Not even the king¡¯s elder brother, Zenrou, had that level of ess and control! But, the news that they had just received from their king was disturbing to say the least. The reason Kryxelsia left it up to Zenrou to decide when to inform the noble families of Proximus was due to the fact that she was not blind to how she was viewed in the eyes of the noble family. While she did not really care for their judgment or opinions of her, in the end, she was still considerate of Zenrou. "Indeed, as nobles of Proximus, we cannot allow his majesty¡¯s trust to be blind faith. However, we can worry about that part at ater date. But, for now, even if his majesty trusts the words of the Wiseman of Everpeak without a doubt, I believe it¡¯s best that we both send some members of our family to personally investigate." Torogo said. Ban gave a small nod in response as he replied, "I am in agreement with you. Although, it would have been much faster if the Jestal family were the ones sent to confirm it." "It can¡¯t be helped. They involve themselves as little as possible in the affairs of the kingdom. The current head is different from histe father in that regard." Torogo stated. The two continued to talk for a few minutes as they arrived at the front area of the pce. "I¡¯ll be heading back to my territory to prepare before the king¡¯s deration." Torogo said as he held one hand up into the sky. A few momentster, a ming red wyvern descended from the sky andnded in front of Torogo. The wyvern was around twenty meters tall and one could feel the overwhelming power of the creature. The wyvern was one of the closest races to the true dragons and those who could tame them were few and far in between. "I suggest you do the same, Ban." Torogo stated as he jumped onto the wyvern¡¯s back and stood tall as the wyvern flew away at great speeds. The nearby pce guards were terrified of the giant wyvern as they were knocked over by the strong gale left behind after its take-off. Ban released a heavy sigh as he said to himself, "It looks like the age of peace in the Mortal Realm is about toe to an abrupt end." A few momentster, a beautiful lotus rose from the ground that was around three meters in size as it bloomed in front of Ban. He stepped onto the center of the lotus as it closed shut before it returned to the ground without leaving a single trace behind. Ban was nowhere to be seen. ... Meanwhile... Izroth and Valentine currently sat down at a table with Kryxelsia. She had returned to the estate around three hours ago. Around one hour after that, Qi Jiguang and Omega decided to make their way back towards Amaharpe. The following hour Mirage and Ying Yue logged out of RML as they had already been online for quite some time and wanted to take a small break. As for Midnight, he felt a bit awkward being the "talkative" one as Izroth and Kryxelsia were both individuals of few words. Therefore, he politely excused himself and thanked Kryxelsia for her hospitality before he logged out. Once Izroth and Kryxelsia were alone, the two of them talked about various topics that would have definitely gone over Mirage and the others head. From magic to all the way to the Chaotic Dogma Realm. In the end, Kryxelsia was pleasantly surprised by Izroth¡¯s level of knowledge. Not only was he not ignorant of the different kingdoms within the Mortal Realm, but what impressed her the most was his understanding of magic despite his massiveck of mana. When it came to Izroth¡¯s fundamental understandings of the basic knowledge of magic, she could not find a single w! Unfortunately, his knowledge was incrediblycking when it came to advanced magic sequences and matrices. However, even with hisck of information about it, he quickly understood any topics she spoke about once she exined its foundations. It was at that point she felt that it was unmistakably due to Izroth¡¯s limited resources that his magical progress was halted at such a poor level. Kryxelsia believed that this was a waste of his potential. Therefore, she decided to lend him a small hand. "Izroth, your mana is unstable and extremely fractured. It appears you¡¯ve been reckless as ofte." Kryxelsia said. She had noticed Izroth¡¯s fractured mana from the very beginning, however, since it was not life-threatening and there were more important things to take care of at the time, she did not bring it up. ¡¯So that¡¯s why my mana has been regenerating at such a slow rate.¡¯ Izroth could only give a helpless smile in return. It was just as Kryxelsia said, but it was not as if he did so on purpose. Thanks to his Breaker of Limits skill, the system automatically searched for a substitute energy source to make up for hisck of mana in order to perform an Element Fusion without his consent. Since then, out of 270 points of mana, even after so many hours, it was still only at 35 points. Kryxelsia held out her hand as a thin stream of rainbow-colored mana drifted from her hand and flew towards Izroth. As the mana made contact with Izroth¡¯s body, he felt as if a shattered mirror that was inside of him had started to mend itself. In just a few seconds, his mana had shot from 35 points to 270 points! But, that was not all that happened. ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the passive skill ?Seal of Ten Chakrams?!¡µ ¡¯This skill...¡¯ Izroth could actually sense his mana pool expanding at an incredible rate. 300 points... 450 points... 585 points! Izroth¡¯s mana had increased from a mere 270 points all the way to 585 points. In just a few seconds, his mana had doubled! It was all thanks to the skill he acquired from Kryxelsia, Seal of Ten Chakrams. Of course, Izroth was grateful and made sure to thank Kryxelsia for her thoughtful gesture. As he read over the skill, Izroth was taken aback. He did not think that he would gain such an amazing skill from a simple conversation with Kryxelsia. ¡¯With this skill, it may be possible for me to eventually form a mana core.¡¯ ... After his fight with Izroth, Valentine locked himself inside of the room he had originally stepped out of when Izroth and the others first arrived at Kryxelsia¡¯s estate. However, around ten minutes ago Valentine busted out of that room with a look of excitement on his face. When he saw Izroth and his master, he went on a long and happy rant about having sessfullypleted the sixth magic sequence! After calming down a bit, Valentine took a seat to join Izroth and his master and now, here the three of them were sitting at the same table having a discussion. Zuuuuuuu! Zuuuuuuu! Zuuuuuu! All of a sudden, a loud sound echoed through the entire magic capital city. "What¡¯s that noise?" Valentine asked. "I see, it seems he has already made his decision." Kryxelsia said stood to her feet and began to walk towards the exit of the building. "Master? Where are you going?" Valentine questioned. "Both of you, follow me." Kryxelsia responded without halting her steps. Izroth and Valentine followed after Kryxelsia as they soon arrived outside in the front area of the estate. When they went out, there was arge thin veil over the sky in the magic capital city. However, unknown to Izroth and Valentine, the same thin veil appeared over the capital city of every major kingdom in the Mortal Realm. Amaharpe, O¡¯Tolhelm, and even Tempest had that thin veil appear over their capital cities. A few momentster, a person appeared on the thin veil. That was when they found that it was not just some barrier of sorts, but instead, it was some type of magic screen! ¡¯It¡¯s him.¡¯ On the screen was a man sitting on his throne with a look and aura of authority. That man was none other than Zenrou Proximus, the current king of Proximus! Chapter 317 Declaration "What an amazinglyplex magic formation! I wonder how long it took to build considering-" Valentine said as he stared into the sky with his Eyes of Magic active. He spoke in an excited tone as he examined the magic screen, however, once Kryxelsia red in his direction he shrunk back and fellpletely silent. Kryxelsia turned her gaze back towards the sky as she said, "This is one of the highest forms ofmunication magic, View of Worlds. It is used by the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm for one thing and one thing only; a deration of war." Izroth and Valentine were surprised when they heard this, but for two different reasons. Valentine was not as knowledgeable as to what was going on behind the scene in Proximus due to the fact that he was totally focused on his study of magic. As for Izroth, he did not expect Zenrou to make such a spectacle and let the enemy kingdom, Tempest, be aware of their intentions. Was it not better to prepare in secret and catch Tempest off guard with a full-scale assault? Kryxelsia could see the slight frown on Izroth¡¯s face when she spoke of the purpose View of Worlds served. "The Mortal Realm has been through countless disasters, many of which nearly exterminated all living beings. After the Seventh War of the Titans ended, the Timeless ord was formed between the most powerful of kingdoms. One of the rules of the Timeless ord included the instation of the View of Worlds magic formation in every major capital city." Kryxelsia exined. She then continued, "Before a kingdom goes to war, it is a requirement listed on the Timeless ord that they must first dere so via the View of Worldsmunication magic. If not, the kingdom who instigated the war will be in vition of the Timeless ord." "Master, what happens if someone vites the Timeless ord?" Valentine questioned. "Divine judgment." Kryxelsia stated. ¡¯Divine judgment?¡¯ "Since Tempest has the backing of the eternal darkness, it is likely that they are afraid of facing the wrath of a Divine Judgment even if they break the Timeless ord. However, that being is a special anomaly. The same cannot be said for Proximus, therefore, maintaining the Timeless ord is necessary. Besides, after the disappearance of the second prince of Tempest within Proximus territory, it was only a matter of time until Tempest attempted to spread rumors about Proximus assassinating the second prince. This would have justified their excuse for war without breaking the Timeless ord." Kryxelsia said. "How devious." Valentine muttered to himself. "The eternal darkness is still currently trapped in their seal. If that¡¯s the case, how is it possible for them to assist Tempest?" Izroth asked. He knew from facing off against Silent Steps in the Chaotic Dogma Realm that it was possible for the shadahi to have a certain level of influence in the Mortal Realm, even if they were all sealed in the Shadahi Realm. However, he also knew that their level of influence was limited and greatly restricted. Otherwise, if they had the help of Tempest and the members of that kingdom could freely move in between realms, then why was it that Syxirius did not make a request their aid back when he entered into the Shadahi Realm along with Luna, Halls, and Scarlet? Pride? Stubbornness? No, Izroth did not believe that to be the case. After all, even someone as powerful as Syxirius would not sacrifice the potential freedom of the eternal darkness who he was formed from. It was buried into his very existence to do whatever was best for the eternal darkness, just as it was carved into the existence of the lower-ranked shadahi to do Syxirius¡¯ bidding even if it meant sacrificing their own life. That was just how the nature of the shadahi worked. Therefore, there were only a few reasons as to why Syxirius did not request their aid. One of them was the obvious reason that even though there was a tear in space that led to the Shadahi Realm, one could not enter or exit freely. Izroth believed that this was the most probable answer. But then the question still remained, how did Silent Stepse by the power of the shadahi? Izroth found it too difficult to believe that Silent Steps made a trip all the way to Tempest. It was also impossible that Silent Steps had ess via the temple located at the Lake of Tears. So then how did the shadahi¡¯s reach extend to a yer like Silent Steps? There had to be someone who approached him. ¡¯If the shadahi have already managed to tempt an entire kingdom like Tempest, one can only imagine just how deeply rooted they are in the Mortal Realm. If things continue to go down this path, then...¡¯ "This is the question that continues to trouble me. Since I am sure that you already know, there is no trouble in telling you this. The seal ced upon the eternal darkness is weakening every day. But tell me, do you know the location of the seal?" Kryxelsia said. The location of the seal? This was actually something that Izroth was curious about. Of course, there was no record regarding the location of the sealed eternal darkness due to clear reasons. However, surely a location like that must be heavily guarded and protected at all times. "I¡¯m afraid the Wiseman will have to enlighten me on this matter." Izroth replied. "The capital city of Amaharpe was not always at its current location. Do you not find it odd that the royal family of Amaharpe was not live in its official capital city? Do you not also find it strange that the Crimson Corps Guards have suddenly been stationed there?" Kryxelsia said. Izroth furrowed his brows at those words. In truth, Izroth had asked this question in his mind numerous times. At first, he thought that it was due to the monster waves from the Protectors of Amaharpe event, however, he quickly realized that even without the Crimson Corps Guards, it was not a true threat to a kingdom as powerful as Amaharpe. In the end, the Crimson Corps Guards did not even have to take action. Even the regr military and city guards in Amaharpe did not have to take action. Therefore, was Amaharpe truly so insecure as to mobilize the Crimson Corps Guards? Not to mention the fact Kryxelsia stated about the royal family. Not many yers knew this, but Izroth who had read through the books in the pce library and been to the pce itself was aware of it. Before the fight against the shadahi, Amaharpe¡¯s capital city was in apletely different location. It was not until the war ended that the capital city was officially relocated. However, even though a pce was built there, the royal family never moved from the location of the original capital city. Why was this? Izroth believed that Kryxelsia had just informed him of some frightening information. ¡¯So that¡¯s why the capital city of Amaharpe is constantly listed as being destroyed as a result of failing those quests.¡¯ Izroth had connected all the dots. The appearance of the Crimson Corps Guards, the constant threat of the capital city¡¯s destruction, the absence of the royal family from the capital city, and the unrecorded location of the sealed eternal darkness. "The capital city of Amaharpe." Izroth muttered to himself. "The knowledge you have is not lost on you, Izroth. It is as you have said, the eternal darkness is sealed directly beneath the capital city of Amaharpe." Kryxelsia stated. "Wait a second, you mean to tell me this whole time we¡¯ve been casually strolling around above an existence that nearly destroyed the entire world?" Valentine said in a tone filled with disbelief and shock. ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ As the three held their conversation, Zenrou finally finished his official introduction. It was at this point that Izroth, Kryxelsia, and Valentine halted their conversation. "I, Zenrou Proximus, king of Proximus, has hereby satisfied the opening of the Timeless ord." Zenrou stated with an aura of authority. "Kings, lords, and citizens of the Mortal Realm, hear me! Our realm faces a great danger like no other before it. We may have our disagreements, our blood feuds that cannot be forgiven, hatred, anger, and grief. However, there exists a bottom line that cannot be crossed and there are those in the Mortal Realm who have decimated this line by doing the unthinkable!" "Hear me, great kingdoms of the Mortal Realm! Or better yet, see with your very own eyes the sins of the Tempest kingdom." Zenrou said in a solemn tone as he yed on the magic screen the contents of the mind beads. A few momentster, Zenrou reappeared on the magic screen as the contents stopped ying. "You have witnessed it with your own eyes! Does it not anger you? Does it not mock the sacrifices made by our Mortal Realm to see those who swore to protect it, betray it? The honorable second prince of Tempest, Robinarzin, sacrificed his own life to deliver this information. Why? Because he is a man of justice! Honor! Truth! One who puts the Mortal Realm before all else! He is a man that I havee to deeply respect!" Zenrou stood up from his throne with his hands ced behind his back. "We cannot allow this evil to exist and threaten the safety of the entire Mortal Realm. Therefore, I, Zenrou Proximus of the kingdom of Proximus, hereby officially dere war on the kingdom of Tempest! Fellow kingdoms of the Mortal Realm, do not bring shame upon your ancestors by turning a blind eye to this evil. The Mortal Realm belongs to no one but us!" Zenrou stated with a fierce look in his eyes. Just when Zenrou had finished making his deration, the magic screen disappeared as Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The world event ?First Deration of War? has been initiated! (Begins In: 42 days)¡µ ¡´System Alert: The quest ?Choosing Sides? has been added to your quest logs!¡µ Quest Name: Choosing Sides Rmended Level: None Rmended Party Size: None Quest Rank: F Quest Objective: Choose which side you will be fighting for. To learn more information, please visit the nearest event center. Time Limit: 42 days 0/1 Choose which side you will be fighting for. Reward: -World Event: First Deration of War! Special Note: You will be unable to receive any event rewards if you do not choose a side before the time limit expires. ¡¯42 days? That means we only have two weeks in real-world time to prepare.¡¯ However, Izroth was not the only yer to receive this quest. Every single yer within RML also came across the same system alert. This news would shake the very core of everyone throughout RML. It was a deration of war! ... When the magic screen disappeared, there was a deathly silence throughout all of RML. From the yers down to the NPCs, everyone was left in a temporary state of confusion and speechlessness. For the yers who did not understand the history of this world, they were a bit lost as to what was going on. However, a few momentster, there was aplete uproar of excitement from the yers within RML. A world event! It was actually a world event! Not only that, but it was not a small event like the previous one, it was a trulyrge scale world event that would involve the kingdoms! What did this mean? The rewards from the event would be huge! The world chat, event centers, and the official RML forums immediately went crazy as yers scrambled to obtain more information. The ones who were the most thorough regarding this matter were the top guilds. While casually yers did not have to worry about long term repercussions, it was obvious that this event that allowed yers to choose sides was either a blessing or a curse depending on which side came out victorious. Therefore, in order to prevent any mistakes, the leaders of the top guilds sent out a message to all the members of their guild to not choose a side without their approval. Until they had more information to go on, the top guilds would not dare to blindly choose a side. Chapter 318 A New Home, Date of The Meeting ... 3 dayster... ¡¯It¡¯s finally ready.¡¯ Jin had been informed earlier that day that the new house he purchased was ready to be moved into. After all, they could not possibly stay in a hotel room for the rest of their lives. The money generated by his Mystical Realm Pce made it so that Izroth did not have to hold back when purchasing a home. However, Reilei insisted that it be kept simple as she would feel out of ce in something too fancy. Therefore, Jinpromised and purchased a house that was neither too grand nor too humble. He understood that this kind of lifestyle would be challenging for Reilei to adjust to given the years she spent struggling just to get by. So he felt that it was better to slowly ease her into it. But, he also wanted her to know that she could, in the truest of sense, rx without any worries. Jin and Reilei were currently riding in the backseat of a car. Jin did not n on walking there with Reilei and so he hired a driver to act as their chauffeur. Reilei could not help but smile when she looked at Jin. He sat there with the side of his face rested upon his right fist and a calm expression with his gaze set outside the window. Whenever she looked at her son, Reilei had this feeling of peace that she often found herself experiencing. In her eyes, Jin would always be that same baby she held in her arms for the very first time and promised to treasure forever. It was difficult for her to do so, but over the past week, she realized that without even noticing, she had started to depend on Jin more and more each day. A part of her felt a little sad that Jin no longer needed her to take care of him, however, there was arge part of her that was filled with joy and pride. This was her son and he had be a man before her very eyes. "Jin, I may regret many things in my life, but being blessed with you will never be one of them." Reilei said as she ced the palm of her hand on Jin¡¯s cheek and a lovely smile blossomed on her face. Jin smiled as he turned to look at Reilei and said, "I¡¯m grateful to you, mother. You¡¯ve sacrificed your dreams so that I could focus on aplishing my own. For this, I promise that you will never have to face such hardships again." "Silly child, when did you be so good with words? Do you still not know that it¡¯s improper to make your mother shed so many tears even if they are ones of joy?" Reilei said in a joking manner as her eyes began to tear up. A few minutester, Jin and Reilei arrived in front of their new home. The outside was well maintained and the house itself was sizable and yet not overwhelming. "How pretty." Reilei said as she saw a small garden nearby. The flowers there looked as if they were taken care of by a professional gardener and there was a good variety of them that grew in the small garden. As they entered the house, the inside was quite spacious. The house itself was two stories and the interior was already decorated appropriately as per Jin¡¯s request. Overall, it had a very homey feeling to it with a hint of elegance present. Jin and Reilei took a moment to look around to see how everything turned out. In the end, both were satisfied with the end results. This ce would be their new home. After taking a while to settle in, Reilei did not waste any time in making a meal to celebrate the special asion with the ingredients she picked up before they headed over. Once the meal was finished being prepared and the table was set, Jin and Reilei sat down for their first meal in their new home. "Have you thought what I said about giving RML a try?" Jin asked. He left the spare headset he purchased out on the table just in case Reilei was willing to give it a try. He was curious as to if Reilei had tried ying it yet. Reilei nodded and replied, "I¡¯ve thought about it." "And?" Jin asked. "I gave it a try." Reilei said as she ate one of the dumplings that were sat out on the table. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Jin was surprised that Reilei took the initiative to y RML given her history with ying video games. "What do you think about it?" Jin questioned. "It¡¯s certainly different than the other games you¡¯ve had me y before. I can¡¯t say that I dislike it." Reilei stated with a gentle smile. "What¡¯s your in-game name? I¡¯ll add you so that-" Jin, however, was quickly cut off by Reilei. "Not telling." Reilei said without hesitation. "Not telling?" Jin repeated her words as if to make sure he wasn¡¯t just hearing things. Reilei stayed quiet as she enjoyed the meal before her. In truth, she felt that Jin was doing great things in that world and she did not want to interfere or slow him down in any way. Therefore, Reilei decided that unless she could stand entirely on her own two feet within RML, she would not risk being a burden to her son who was currently out to aplish his dreams. Besides, how could she tell her son about the embarrassing name she had gotten by mistake? "You¡¯re really not saying?" Jin asked as a helpless smile appeared on his face. However, Reilei did not budge in a rare moment of stubbornness. In the end, Jin gave up on getting her to disclose her in-game name. He understood her intentions due to the nature of her personality. He knew that Reilei probably felt as though she would only get in his way since shecked any proper gaming experience. But, even if Jin did not care about such things, he knew that Reilei did. Therefore, he decided to respect her wishes on this matter. "My in-game name is Izroth. If you evere across any trouble, you can send me a message at any time. No matter where you¡¯re at, I¡¯lle and find you." Jin stated. "On this, I canpromise." Reilei said as she slightly chuckled. After Jin and Reilei finished their meal, Jin went into his new room and took out his virtual reality headset. ¡¯It¡¯s already been a little more than nine days in-game since the announcement was made. Today is the day Xing Bai said that he would deliver the pills to the Mystical Realm Pce. Also, that person will being along with Xing Bai. The head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society. There¡¯s also that other matter...¡¯ Jin lied down on the bed and put on his headset. ¡¯Well, I¡¯ll deal with one matter at a time. For now, I¡¯ll meet with people from the Fireheart Apothecary Society.¡¯ Jin turned on the headset and logged into RML. ... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ Izroth opened up his system interface and immediately went to check the messages he received while he was offline. Sure enough, there was a message from Hand In Fire, Xing Bai¡¯s character name, that they would be arriving at the Mystical Realm Pce in around twenty minutes. That message was sent fifteen minutes ago. ¡¯Xing Bai¡¯s expecting to meet with the Pill Emperor. However...¡¯ There were not that many individuals aware of Izroth¡¯s identity as the Pill Emperor. It was not that he was afraid of making this knowledge public, he just felt that the "Pill Emperor" being a separate and mysterious entity was the best course of action for what he had in mind. However, from his previous conversations with Xing Bai, Izroth knew that he could be trusted. The only question now was, could the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society be trusted? ¡¯I suppose we¡¯ll find out.¡¯ Izroth left Amaharpe¡¯s auction house, the location hest logged out at and went over towards the Mystical Realm Pce. He had long since returned to Amaharpe after his trip a few days ago to Proximus. For the past few days, Izroth had spent therge majority of his time exploring the unnamed areas of Amaharpe and crafting pills to increase the inventory of his Mystical Realm Pce. Surprisingly, everyone that he usually partied with was busy over the past few days which made it so that he had to solo quite a bittely. He hade across a few parties that wanted to invite him to join them, however, after finding out that he was abat master, the same mocking expression appeared on all of their faces. Unfortunately, thebat master ss was still considered as trash by yers within RML. After all, not a lot of people knew of its true potential or of Izroth¡¯s feats with the ss. Soon enough, Izroth stepped into the Mystical Realm Pce. It was busy as usual with a steady flow of yers entering the shop. Since it was only possible to purchase one of each pill every day, there were those yers who simply came in every day to buy pills. Of course, it was not for themselves but rather for whatever guild they were a part of or to sell it for a slightly higher price to those big guilds that were willing to pay. Izroth took a seat in the conference room, however, only a few seconds after taking his seat Opal entered into the room. "Handler Izroth, you have guests who wish to meet with you. One of them is called Xing Bai. He is apanied by the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society and said you are expecting them. Shall I grant them permission to enter the conference room?" Opal said. "Yes, they¡¯re my guests. Invite them inside." Izroth stated. "As you wish." Opal replied as she gave a respectful bow before she exited the conference room and returned with two yers. The first was, of course, Xing Bai. As for the second, they wore a cloak that hid their identity and facial features. "Allow me to make proper introductions. Izroth, this is the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society, Worldly Skies." Xing Bai said as his eyes scanned the room. After he finished doing so, a slight look of disappointment appeared on his face. He only saw Izroth and not the Pill Emperor. What was the meaning of this? "I wee you to my Mystical Realm Pce, Pill Emperor Wordly Skies." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. "You do me honor, but I do not deserve such an overbearing title as my skills are still quitecking inparison to yours, Pill Emperor Izroth." Worldly Skies replied in a swift manner. Xing Bai was shocked. Pill Emperor Izroth? Could it be she thought that Izroth was the Pill Emperor? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case, he had already informed her that Izroth was just the owner of the shop. Izroth kept a straight face and calm expression. From Worldly Skies¡¯ tone, he could tell that they were testing him for his reaction. It was their way of probing for information in the best way possible, by witnessing how the opposing party responded to a statement. What a sly individual in this regard! But, would Izroth give himself away so easily? Though there was something else that caught him off guard. ¡¯This voice... A woman?¡¯ Worldly Skies removed their cloak and a magnificent looking robe revealed itself. A gorgeous woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She had short blonde hair with one part covering nearly the entire left side of her face, baby blue eyes, and she possessed curves that were in all the right ces. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society, Worldly Skies. I have heard much about you." Worldly Skies said as a small grin formed on her face. Chapter 319 Friendly Wager "It appears I¡¯m at a disadvantage as you¡¯ve heard much about me and yet, I know so little about you." Izroth said. "Surely you jest. Listening and experiencing firsthand are two separate matters. I am sure that we will get to know each other very well and sooner than you expect. Though I must confess, I am not that interesting of a person." Worldly Skies replied. "Being too humble can be a bad thing. I wouldn¡¯t call someone able to craft grade three pills at this point in time, uninteresting. Think about how the members of your Fireheart Apothecary Society would feel if they heard you speak such words." Izroth stated. Worldly Skies narrowed her eyes slightly as a small smile appeared on her face. "It seems that Xing Bai failed to mention that you were so outspoken. But, it is not as if I dislike that type of man." Worldly Skies responded. "As you¡¯ve said, I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll get to know each other very well. Shall we?" Izroth said in a carefree tone as he gestured for Worldly Skies to take a seat. Worldly Skies gave a small nod as she said, "Then, I shall intrude upon your kindness." She gracefully took her seat at the opposite end of the conference table. As for Xing Bai, he stood behind Worldly Skies and remained silent as the two spoke. He could not follow the direction of their conversation, however, he was impressed with Izroth¡¯s ability to keep up with Worldly Skies. Usually, Worldly Skies dominated conversations and others often found it hard not to be steered into the direction she wanted. However, Izroth had not let up and was very quick on his feet to exchange words with her. But, there was one thing bothered Xing Bai and that was the fact that the Pill Emperor, who Izroth was supposed to invite, was nowhere to be found! Could he be runningte or simply not bothering to show up? Izroth and Worldly Skies exchanged some small talk. They jumped from topic to topic, however, the two of them did not let up as neither allowed the other to take full control of the conversation. It was at that moment that Worldly Skies finally decided to shift the subject to something that could ultimately not be avoided. "Forgive me for being impolite, but I believe there is an important matter that cannot be overlooked." Worldly Skies said in a steady tone. "Oh? What matter might that be?" Izroth asked even though he already knew exactly what it was that Worldly Skies wanted to say. "I am sure that you are aware that this meeting was supposed to also include the Pill Emperor. I will be blunt, although I enjoy our conversation, my reason for making this trip was to meet the Pill Emperor. If this is something that cannot be done, then I am afraid that I will have to excuse myself." Worldly Skies spoke in a calm tone. ¡¯Oh? It looks as if she¡¯s finally run out of patience. However, she¡¯s a bit tricky to read in this type of rxed environment. Then, should I take that path?¡¯ "You seem anxious." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. "Anxious? Here I thought you were beginning to understand me, Izroth. I simply have more important things to do than to be kept waiting. Could it be that you wish for me to devalue my time?" Worldly Skies stated. "I wouldn¡¯t dream of it." Izroth said in a nonchnt manner as he stood up from his seat. He then continued, "You wish to meet the Pill Emperor? Then, you shall meet him." Worldly Skies was a little taken aback at Izroth¡¯s response. Could it be that she was mistaken in her original assumption? Worldly Skies stood up from her seat as she followed after Izroth along with Xing Bai. A few momentster, Izroth, Worldly Skies, and Xing Bai arrived inside of the pill crafting room located in the Mystical Realm Pce. Xing Bai was in a state of awe as his eyes darted around the pill crafting room. The room they stepped into was the dream of every Apothecary within RML! "Amazing...!" Xing Bai could not help but let that word escape from his mouth. Worldly Skies was also pleasantly surprised by the pill crafting room. She did not expect the Mystical Realm Pce to have a ce like this. "Your good fortune knows no bounds. I must admit, I am quite envious." Worldly Skies sighed softly. The pill crafting room in the Mystical Realm Pce was even better than those rooms in the official Apothecary building. This was due to the fact that Izroth splurged when it came to building the pill crafting room. Since he knew it was something he would be using long term, he was not afraid to pour gold coins into making his life easier. Besides, he if needed anything else, he could always add it at ater date. "My luck happens to be quite good, that¡¯s all." Izroth responded. "Being too humble can be a bad thing." Worldly Skies said as she turned Izroth¡¯s own words against him. This caused Izroth to give an amused smile in return. After Worldly Skies and Xing Bai¡¯s initial excitement calmed down, they looked towards Izroth as if they were waiting for him to call out the Pill Emperor. However, Izroth had something else in mind. Out of nowhere, Izroth removed a batch of ingredients and set them on one of the nearby prep tables. "This is..." Worldly Skies and Xing Bai immediately recognized the ingredients Izroth set out. They were the same exact ingredients provided at the Apothecary aptitude test! "What¡¯s the meaning of this?" Xing Bai asked curiously. "I¡¯m curious. What grade pill did the two of you create during the Apothecary aptitude test?" Izroth asked. Worldly Skies and Xing Bai did not understand what Izroth had hoped to aplish, however, they decided to show him some face and go along with him for the time being. "I crafted one of the grade one pill recipes that were provided for the examine. I passed it on my first try by the way." Xing Bai said with a hint of pride on his face. Many individuals were unable to even craft a grade one pill even with the pill recipe and instructions. Those who did manage to pass usually did not do so until the second or third and final time. For those who did not pass the Apothecary aptitude test after the third time, they could only choose another profession and would never be able to be an Apothecary. Worldly Skies held up two fingers as she said, "Grade two." Xing Bai sighed and shook his head as his confidence was immediately sshed with a wave of cold water. He had forgotten for a moment just who he tried topete with for the best aptitude test. While he was one of the top apothecaries in the Fireheart Apothecary Society, he was still a far cry from being on the same level as Worldly Skies. Izroth was secretly amazed by the fact that Worldly Skies was able to sessfully craft a grade two pill. One had to know that the Apothecary aptitude test only provided yers with grade one pill recipes. This meant that just like Izroth, Worldly Skies had created her own unique pill! ¡¯Interesting.¡¯ "Do you know what grade pill the Pill Emperor crafted?" Izroth asked in a calm tone. "From the pills Xing Bai has shown me, the Pill Emperor should have had the ability to craft a grade two pill." Worldly Skies answered. "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re mistaken." Izroth replied. Worldly Skies and Xing Bai were stunned. The Pill Emperor failed to craft a grade two pill? If so, then that meant that he must have only been able to craft a grade one pill! Maybe he was trying to hide his talent at the time? However, that would not make any sense since he had no reason to do so. But, if that was the case, then did that not mean that Worldly Skies was superior to the Pill Emperor? "Could it be that the Pill Emperorcked the proper fortune during his aptitude test and crafted a grade one pill?" Worldly Skies questioned. Izroth shook his head and held up three fingers as he said, "The Pill Emperor did not craft a grade one nor a grade two pill, but a grade three pill." "Impossible!" Xing Bai blurted out without thinking. However, he did not regret his word choice. It was impossible to create a grade three pill during the Apothecary aptitude test. Even Worldly Skies could only create a grade two pill after a mountain of effort and perseverance. Not to mention, there was one ring w that could not be ignored. Worldly Skies gave an amused smile as she said, "Xing Bai is correct. It is impossible. The cauldron made avable for the aptitude test can only craft grade one and grade two pills. Excuse my poor choice of words, but what you are saying isplete nonsense. Your sense of humor is truly boundless." There were just too many things wrong with that statement. For one, the ingredients provided were all low-quality reagents. Creating a grade two pill could already be considered a miracle, however, creating a grade three pill was an impossibility. "Then, would you like to have a friendly wager?" Izroth asked with a carefree smile on his face. "Wager? Amusing. What did you have in mind?" Worldly Skies asked. She was never one to back down from a wager, therefore, as long as it was something reasonable she did not mind participating. "I am also an Apothecary. Since I have a close rtionship with the Pill Emperor, I was taught a thing or two. If I can create a grade three pill using nothing but the ingredients on this table, I want you and the entire Fireheart Apothecary Society to follow me. Of course, you won¡¯t be treated poorly." Izroth said in a calm tone. Worldly Skies narrowed her eyes and the smile that was on her face disappeared as a serious look appeared in her eyes. "Your sense of humor is growing dull, Izroth. Tell me, what can you possibly offer that canpare to my Fireheart Apothecary Society? Depending on your answer, you may have to experience my unpleasant side." Worldly Skies said in a slightly cold tone. Xing Bai felt cold sweats trickle down his back. This was the first time he had seen Worldly Skies serious outside of crafting pills. He inwardly sighed and became a bit dejected. He did not think that Izroth would be so bold and arrogant before Worldly Skies. It appeared that he had made a small error in the judgment of Izroth¡¯s character. He had to find a way to, at the very least, salvage their current rtionship and stay on friendly terms. But, just as Xing Bai was about to speak, he choked on his words and became speechless after hearing what Izroth said next. "You¡¯re standing in it. If I fail to produce a grade three pill after one attempt, I will hand overplete ownership of the Mystical Realm Pce and all of its profits to the Fireheart Apothecary Society. What do you think, is this enough?" Izroth said without any hesitation whatsoever. Worldly Skies was dumbfounded. She actually lost herposure for a brief moment. What a bold wager! Offering the first shop in RML was something that she could not ignore. There was something gnawing away at her, but she could not put her finger on it. A single try? What made him so confident? However, in the end, Worldly Skies was unable to give up such a prime opportunity. "Alright, I ept your wager. If you can create a grade three pill using nothing but the same low-quality ingredients that were provided during the Apothecary aptitude test, then I will admit defeat. However, should you fail, I hope that you will remember your promise." Worldly Skies said. Although she was unable to own property in Amaharpe at the moment, she would find a way to solve that problem after she obtained the Mystical Realm Pce. After all, she did not truly believe that Izroth was capable of crafting a grade three pill with those mediocre ingredients. "I always keep my word. I just hope that Pill Emperor Worldly Skies can keep her word as well." Izroth stated with a calm expression. However, although his expression was calm on the outside, he was smiling on the inside. Everything had gone just as he had hoped it would. Now, all that was left was to take the final step. ¡¯Fireheart Apothecary Society, acquiring you will be my first step.¡¯ Chapter 320 Stunning The Two Apothecaries Originally, Izroth nned to entrust the crafting of pills for the Mystical Realm Pce to the Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s Apothecary branch. However, after a brief discussion with one another, surprisingly Mariposa was the one who backed out of that particr arrangement. In the end, Mariposa decided that the risk of the pill recipes leaking was too huge if it was left to Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s Apothecary branch. While she trusted the members of her guild, security was far from perfect. After all, it was not umon for top guilds to ce spies in other top guilds. If that kind of information was leaked, then it would put Sleeping Gardenia in an unfavorable position where they would be pressured from all sides. Although Mariposa was tempted to still ept and have her guild learn the recipes, she understood what was best in the long term. That¡¯s why she suggested that Izroth locate his own people that he could trust to craft the pills. People who were not associated with any of the top guilds and their constant power struggles. Of course, Izroth was not concerned about the recipes being leaked. After all, he had a multitude of pill recipes at his disposal. Many of which made the current pills he had already crafted look like trash inparison. However, since it was something that he nned on doing eventually, he decided to take Mariposa¡¯s advice. Xing Bai was left dumbfounded. Friendly wager? Both parties were putting everything on the line! If Izroth won then the entire Fireheart Apothecary Society would have to follow him! As for Worldly Skies, she would acquire the Mystical Realm Pce, as well as, all of its profits. One had to know just how challenging it was obtaining property within a capital city. But, the Mystical Realm Pce was not in just any location. It was at a premium location that even those top guilds would salivate over if they had the chance to obtain it. However, there was just one problem that remained. Could either side hold up to their part of the wager? It was not that Xing Bai doubted Worldly Skies, it was just that the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society may not necessarily want to stay if Worldly Skies had to forfeit the leadership role. "H-" Xing Bai was about to speak but was swiftly interrupted by Worldly Skies. "I know what you want to say, Xing Bai. Do not worry, I have no ns that involve forcing anyone to stay in my Fireheart Apothecary Society. Of course, I hope that you can understand that everyone has their own free will to choose whether to stay or not, Izroth. While I cannot hand you any insurances that the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society will be prepared to do so, you have my word that I will keep my promise." Worldly Skies spoke in a calm and steady tone. "Indeed, everyone must make their own choice. I won¡¯t hold it against Pill Emperor Worldly Skies." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. In the end, he did not n on holding anyone against their will. He knew that individuals acquired that way would never truly give it their best effort. Besides, he wanted the Fireheart Apothecary Society dedication to the Apothecary profession. He would make sure that the members who decided to follow him would not regret it. As for those who did not, in the end, it would be their own loss and nothing that he would lose any sleep over. Xing Bai was still about to protest, however, he stopped when he saw that ring look in Worldly Skies¡¯ eyes. "Xing Bai, when is it that you started to have such little faith in me? Are you admitting that the Pill Emperor¡¯s skills are so much greater than mine that I stand no chance?" Worldly Skies questioned. If Xing Bai really did want her to back down, then that was the same as admitting that she was afraid that the Pill Emperor¡¯s skills were above her own. Since she was only able to create a grade two pill during the Apothecary aptitude test no matter how much she pondered, she did not believe that the Pill Emperor, yet alone Izroth, would be capable of creating a grade three pill. While she did not hold pride for a multitude of things, she more than enough made up for it with pride in her craft. Xing Bai took a moment to calm himself as he then released a helpless sigh and replied, "You¡¯re right, I apologize. I spoke without thinking. Just know that I will follow you no matter what you decide." Xing Bai no longer tried to prevent Worldly Skies from epting the wager. Whatever the results turned out to be he would not turn his back on arade. Xing Bai felt that maybe he was being a bit too worrisome. What were the chances of creating a grade three pill with those low-quality ingredients? Infinitely close to zero! In fact, it may even be zero! This was a huge chance for their Fireheart Apothecary Society and the odds were in their favor. They would be fools to give up something like this. But, no matter how much Xing Bai tried to convince himself, there was still this nagging feeling eating away at him inside. He understood that Izroth was no fool and this is what troubled him the most. Izroth inwardly nodded his head in approval. He could tell that Xing Bai was not simply putting on a show. Xing Bai truly meant what it was he said and this left a good impression of him in Izroth¡¯s mind. Worldly Skies walked over towards the table that Izroth put the materials on and carefully checked over the ingredients one at a time. She wanted to make sure that Izroth did not have any ingredients that were not provided during the Apothecary aptitude test. Even if Worldly Skies did not think that he was a bad person with ill intentions, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Izroth did not mind Worldly Skies going over the reagents. Only a fool would neglect to do so when there was so much at stake. Worldly Skies gave a nod of approval as she finished her examination of the ingredients. "Everything seems to be in order. Now that the matter is settled, shall we begin?" Worldly Skies said as she narrowed her eyes in a slight manner. It was finally time for her to find out whether Izroth was a fool or actually had the skill set to back up his bold im. Izroth removed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and ced it at the center of the room. When he summoned the cauldron, Worldly Skies and Xing Bai eyes widened in shock. He even had his own cauldron! But, with the revenue being generated by the Mystical Realm Pce, this was not the shocking part. What shocked them was that they had never seen such a domineering cauldron! What kind of cauldron was that? "There¡¯s a strong medicinal scent that lingers within that cauldron. Just how many pills have been crafted using that thing?" Xing Bai said as he felt shivers go down his spine. Worldly Skies remained silent as she closely and carefully observed Izroth¡¯s every move to make sure there were no suspicious activities. When that medicinal scent drifted by her nose, Worldly Skies knew that the cauldron Izroth had just summoned was one that had crafted hundreds... No, maybe even thousands of pills! However, to craft so many pills and leave behind that kind of medicinal scent, it could only be grade two or higher pills. It was at that moment Worldly Skies knew without a doubt that Izroth was, in fact, the mysterious Pill Emperor. Otherwise, how could he possibly have that kind of monstrous cauldron and the powerful medicinal scent that was attached to it? But, even if she knew this Worldly Skies had no intentions of calling off the wager. A part of her was full of curiosity. Was it true? Did the Pill Emperor really manage to create a grade three pill using those mediocre low-quality ingredients? Worldly Skies could feel her heartbeat increasing as Izroth began to heat the cauldron and a roaring me erupted from within as it reached its maximum temperature. "B-ranked fire core...!" Worldly Skies said in a tone of shock as those words left her mouth before she even realized it. "B-ranked? How is this possible? Even we¡¯ve only managed to obtain a C-ranked fire core and that was a headache to acquire." Xing Baimented with a sigh. Was it even possible to have so much fortune trapped inside of one person? Shouldn¡¯t that kind of fortune be shared with others?! However, just as Worldly Skies and Xing Bai were in awe of Izroth¡¯s cauldron and fire core, what he did next nearly caused them to faint from pure shock. The first ingredient Izroth tossed into the cauldron was an Isted Water Droplet. What an amateur and ignorant move! That was the first thought that went through Worldly Skies and Xing Bai¡¯s minds. The Isted Water Droplet acted as a purifying agent, therefore, adding it in as the first ingredient had absolutely no benefits as there were no other reagents present for it to purify. In conclusion, it was a useless action! "Is this person truly the Pill Emperor?" Worldly Skies muttered to herself with a frown as doubt began to form in her mind. Xing Bai shook his head and said, "It looks like I was really worried for nothing. Adding an Isted Water Droplet as the first ingredient to any pill recipe is bound to end in failure as it serves no purpose. Even the most amateur of apothecaries know this basic information." In less than a single breath, Izroth dropped the temperature of the cauldron and added the Yellow Roots. Unlike like time where he had to wait five minutes before increasing the cauldron temperature and adding in the Oak Treant Powder, thanks to the amazing temperature control of the Dark Abyssal Cauldron, he was able to cut that time down to a handful of seconds. "What is he doing adding Yellow Roots and Oak Treant Powder to the same pill? Is he trying to explode his own cauldron?" Xing Bai stated in a voice that carried disbelief. One had to know that it was the equivalent of mixing together fire and water, it was futile! However, unlike Xing Bai who clearly voiced hisints of Izroth¡¯s obviousck of knowledge of proper Apothecary skills, Worldly Skies suddenly felt a sense of overwhelming pressure. What was with this bizarre pill crafting method? Rising the temperature to extreme levels and then dropping it to a chilling temperature, adding in ingredients that are not supposed to mix with one another, the weird order in which actions were being performed. Worldly Skies knew that everything Izroth did was fundamentally wrong on so many levels and yet, she was shaken to her very core. As she truly pondered the effects of each ingredient and pieced a few things together, she started to see that what she previously thought was impossible became possible in theory. Not to mention, those ingredients were the exact same used in the first grade three pill to make its appearance in RML, the Five Cycles Pill. "Is it possible? Can he really pull it off?" Worldly Skies said to herself as she was ovee with a sense of anticipation. However, before she knew it, a voice traveled to her ears. "It¡¯s finished." Izroth said as he stood before the cauldron with a calm expression on his face. He had already added in thest two ingredients to the Five Cycles Pill in that short period of time. At the same time, the cauldron halted its violent shaking as it returned to a calm state. "So fast?!?" Worldly Skies eximed. It had not even been ten seconds! How could anyone be that fast? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! However, it had happened right before her eyes. There were no tricks involved and the smell that filled the room was unmistakably one that belonged to that of a freshly crafted grade three pill. Without a doubt, Izroth had just sessfully crafted a grade three pill! "That¡¯s- T-that¡¯s...! Grade three, it¡¯s really grade three!" Xing Bai could barely speak as his heart nearly jumped out of its chest due to pure shock. The two apothecaries from the Fireheart Apothecary Society remained stunned and speechless as three grade three pills hovered above the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. Learned a thing or two? What a ridiculous statement! This person before them, Izroth, was without a doubt at least a grade three Apothecary. If that was the case, then the identity of the Pill Emperor was as clear as day. Worldly Skies shook her head as she released a helpless sigh and said, "It appears we have been tricked, Xing Bai." But, instead of being outraged or upset at the fact that she had been tricked, there was a smile of intrigue that formed on Worldly Skies lips. "However, a deal is a deal. Apothecary Izroth, I hope that you will treat me and my Apothecary Society well. From now on, we will be in your care." Worldly Skies said in a respectful manner. Chapter 321 Revealing The Truth As Xing Bai stood there speechless and dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed, he quickly snapped out of it when he heard Worldly Skies¡¯ words. "Wait a moment! I must object to this being a fairparison to the Apothecary aptitude test." Xing Bai said in a sudden outburst. "Oh? Could it be that the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society intends to go back on her word?" Izroth questioned as he turned his gaze towards Worldly Skies. "I pride myself in being able to keep my word and promises. I¡¯m sure Xing Bai is simply expressing his concern for me. I hope that you can overlook this small matter as a sign of our new friendship." Worldly Skies said as she red over in Xing Bai¡¯s direction. "I meant no disrespect, however, I cannot stay silent in the face of the truth. I do not doubt Apothecary Izroth¡¯s skills when ites to pill crafting, but there¡¯s one towering fact that can¡¯t be ignored. Of course, if Apothecary Izroth insists I withhold the truth then I shall no longer speak of the matter. But, I believe that he is not that type of man." Xing Bai said in a voice filled with confidence. "Xing Bai-!" This was the first time that Xing Bai was unwilling to back down from a matter that Worldly Skies had already decided. Just as she was about to prevent him from going any further, Worldly Skies saw just how serious Xing Bai appeared to be. This made her stop and take a few steps back. She had been so absorbed in watching every one of Izroth¡¯s moves that maybe she had missed something that managed to catch Xing Bai¡¯s eye. Since he felt so strongly about it, then Worldly Skies believed that it was her duty as the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society to not turn a blind eye to his words. Worldly Skies released a small sigh as she turned to face Izroth and said, "As head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society, I am unable to ignore the words of those under me. Therefore, I¡¯ll have to ask that Apothecary Izroth ys along with our whimsical behavior." After seeing Izroth¡¯s skills when it came to pill crafting, even if he turned out not to be the Pill Emperor, Worldly Skies saw fit to acknowledge him as a fellow Apothecary. However, she was confident that she had not made a mistake in her visit to the Mystical Realm Pce. "Since the two of you feel so strongly about it, how can I ignore the matter? Xing Bai, you said it¡¯s not a fairparison to the Apothecary aptitude test, correct? Or as you¡¯ve put it, a towering fact that cannot be neglected. I¡¯d like to hear your reasoning behind this." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. However, Worldly Skies and Xing Bai could feel an abnormal amount of pressure as Izroth spoke. With his piercing gaze, it felt as if he could see right through them which made for an ufortable feeling. Worldly Skies had obviously heard the rumors that surrounded Izroth. From his first dungeon and world boss clear to taking first ce in the Protectors of Amaharpe event. After all, she had gathered her fair share of information instead of walking into the Mystical Realm Pce blind. Therefore, she knew that Izroth was not some simple shopkeeper or yer who depended solely upon luck to progress. Worldly Skies believed that the man that stood before her was someone that it was better to be friends rather than enemies with. Izroth figured that he should also show a bit of his serious side to Worldly Skies and Xing Bai. While it was not a bad thing to be friendly, being toopromising and over-friendly could lead to others thinking that he was some pushover. Xing Bai was taken aback by the pressure, however, after taking a second to calm and gather himself he did not back down. "As I¡¯ve said before I don¡¯t doubt you or the Pill Emperor, but it is a well-known fact that the Bronze Cauldron used in the Apothecary aptitude test is only a D-ranked magical item with low durability. It clearly states in the usage that the Bronze Cauldron can only be used to create pills that are grade-two or lower." Xing Bai exined. He then continued, "I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you what that means. Even if somehow the Pill Emperor was able to discover a grade three pill recipe, he would have been unable to create that pill with the cauldron provided by the aptitude test. Also, the chances of him having a cauldron of his own during that time capable of crafting a grade three pill is impossible. So I ask you, Apothecary Izroth, is this not something worth discussing?" Worldly Skies eyes widened in shock. Of course, how could she overlook such a ring w in Izroth¡¯s statement of only using the ingredients? The cauldron used had not been specified! So even if they were in the wrong for not paying closer attention, it would still be considered as their loss! She had been too anxious to meet the Pill Emperor and too caught up in the sequence of events that she had totally neglected it! ¡¯How perceptive. I suppose this is far enough.¡¯ Izroth decided that it was time to inform Worldly Skies and Xing Bai of the truth since both his main and side goal had already been aplished. Izroth¡¯s main goal was to draw in the Fireheart Apothecary Society to his side. As for his side goal, it was the test Worldly Skies and Xing Bai not based upon their Apothecary skill, but their rtionship as a leader and subordinate. There was no problem with being friends, however, in a group like environment such as the Fireheart Apothecary Society, it was important for certain roles to be defined. This was the same for the top guilds and the vast majority of other groups and guilds. From looking at how Worldly Skies and Xing Bai interacted with one another, especially in a bizarre and unique situation such as this, it would throw them off any rehearsed routine. Essentially, Izroth could read Worldly Skies¡¯ personality, as well as, Xing Bai¡¯s from not too long after he met the two of them. Worldly Skies was a passionate person and although passionate people were skilled in their craft, they were not that good when dealing with small details. As for Xing Bai, he bnced that part of Worldly Skies out and acted as her eyes and ears to prevent her from being deceived. The area shecked in he made up for with his level of attentiveness. Worldly Skies was capable of thinking and making decisions for herself, but she also listened to Xing Bai instead ofpletely dismissing him. It was important for leaders to have the ability to both make their own choices and listen to the advice of those around them. If Worldly Skies had shut Xing Bai down a few moments ago then even if Izroth had her follow him, he would not have entrusted her with anything too important. There was nothing more foolish than a king who ignores the counsel of his generals and nothing worse than generals who overlook the faults of their king. Of course,paring the two to a king and his general was a bit much, but for what Izroth had in mind he needed these kinds of individuals. Izroth finally revealed his identity as the "mysterious Pill Emperor". Worldly Skies and Xing Bai were startled, but not surprised. Worldly Skies already had strong suspicions from the beginning, but when Izroth showed off his pill crafting skills she was 99% sure that he was the Pill Emperor. The only reason they were startled was due to the fact that Izroth willingly revealed his identity to them. He also exined that he was only able to sessfully craft a grade three pill during the Apothecary aptitude test thanks to a special skill. He made sure to mention the cauldron exploding as the result of his daring actions. The two apothecaries were dumbfounded. He exploded a cauldron, not because of a failed pill, but because he pushed the cauldron so far past its limits?! What kind of crazy excuse was that?! However, neither Worldly Skies nor Xing Bai doubted his words. After all, they had just witnessed him create the Five Cycles Pill out of low-quality ingredients. The first appearance of the Five Cycles Pill in the auction house that caused a huge uproar coincided within the timeline of Izroth¡¯s statement. Without a doubt in their minds, Izroth was the Pill Emperor. Worldly Skies released a long sigh as she said, "I did not think that you would admit to it so easily. I will not ask why you have decided to keep your identity as the Pill Emperor a secret, but I can promise you that neither myself or Xing Bai will discuss this matter with others." Xing Bai gave a nod to show his approval and eptance of Worldly Skies¡¯ promise. "Still, to think that such an amazing skill exists that can allow an Apothecary to ignore cauldron restrictions. Though it¡¯s a bit difficult to say if the skill is worth it due to the cost of a single cauldron." Xing Bai said. "More importantly-" Worldly Skies approached the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. "This cauldron is a real treasure. Where did you get it? Also, that B-ranked fire core, I¡¯ve been searching for another fire core, however, I¡¯ve only been able to find one at the C-rank. Oh, and about adding that Isted Water Droplet in first..." Worldly Skies went on a long rant and question spree as the excitement could be seen peaking in from the corner of her eyes. Izroth took his time to answer all of Worldly Skies, as well as, Xing Bai¡¯s questions. As for leaking the recipe to the Five Cycles Pill, Izroth was not worried about such a thing. Not only did he trust his judgment of characters when it came to the two apothecaries, but even if he lost one grade three pill recipe it would not be a huge loss. Besides, they were going to be on the same side now and this was a good way to show that his sincerity did not solely rely upon words, but actions as well. After talking and experimenting for nearly three hours straight without rest, the three had lost track of time. Izroth was surprised that Worldly Skies was knowledgeable about some things that he had no idea about. For example, pills had a hidden rank to them that went, normal, blessed, heavenly blessed, and divine when it came to overall quality. How did Worldly Skies know this? She possessed a unique trait that allowed her to examine the hidden ranks of pills and uncover any special effects they may contain. While it was possible for normal yers to see the effects provided by normal and blessed ranked pills, the same could not be said when it came to heavenly blessed and divine ranked pills. ording to Worldly Skies, she had never viewed a heavenly blessed or divine ranked pill before, but she knew about their existence thanks to her skill¡¯s description. ¡¯Interesting. It seems the pills I¡¯ve been creating up to now have only been made with a normal hidden rank with a few blessed hidden ranks mixed in thanks to my Natural Pill Master trait. Will my Natural Pill Master trait also allow me to create pills with those hidden ranks or is there a special method required to do so? Still, for her to have such a skill is incredibly useful.¡¯ After exchanging a few pleasantries and ironing out a some of the details about the future, Worldly Skies and Xing Bai decided to head back towards the Fireheart Apothecary Society¡¯s temporary headquarters to inform the members of the change. As for their new headquarters, Izroth nned on adding a third floor to the Mystical Realm Pce that specifically focused on pill crafting. While it was a bit costly, it worked much better than the Fireheart Apothecary Society¡¯s current temporary ce of residence. Also, he would not have to run back and forth between two ces just to see how things were progressing in the future. "Rest assured, Pill Em-... Izroth, while I cannot promise that all of the Fireheart Apothecary Society will follow along, at the very least, most of them will be willing to agree with the terms you¡¯ve offered. You can expect us to make the transitionter this week. Until then, I wish you a safe journey." Worldly Skies said in a respectful manner as she took her leave along with Xing Bai. In the end, Izroth was satisfied with the results. With the Fireheart Apothecary Society on his side, Izroth could finally focus on expanding the Mystical Realm Pce. As for his next step, it involved Luna and the others. But, Izroth had to temporarily ce that part on hold as he made previous arrangements. ¡¯Now, how should I deal with that other matter? That person¡¯s intentions are still too suspicious.¡¯ ... 3 days ago a bit after Zenrou¡¯s deration... A shadowy figure had their eyes on Kryxelsia¡¯s estate in the magic capital city. It was the same shadowy figure that had been following Izroth in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. "I didn¡¯t expect him toplete the task so fast. Honestly, what a little monster. Maybe he does stand a chance of obtaining a decent ranking, however, he¡¯s still a bit weakpared to the others. But, we can¡¯t afford to wait any longer." The shadowy figured sighed. "Though I have to admit, that person¡¯s foresight is frightening to see this far ahead. Now, how should I approach you little monster?" The shadowy figure said as his gaze locked onto Izroth. Chapter 322 Phantasmal Race After Zenrou finished making his deration, Izroth, Valentine, and Kryxelsia walked back into the building. As for which side Izroth and Valentine would choose, it was not even a question that needed to be asked. Both yers already had ties to Amaharpe and Proximus, therefore, there was no ce for them in Tempest. As time passed by, Kryxelsia said that she would head back to Everpeak. Since the war was right around the corner, she had a few things to prepare beforehand. Of course, she made sure that she gave Valentine more than enough tasks and material to keep himself busy while she was away. With the amount she provided, one would think that Kryxelsia was intentionally torturing Valentine. However, how could someone who loved magic as much as Valentinein? More than anything he was excited! After Izroth and Valentine exchanged farewells with Kryxelsia, she took her leave back to Everpeak. "Oh yeah, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you something. How did you see through my Mine Fetters?" Valentine asked in a tone filled with curiosity. Just moments after his match with Izroth, he rushed out of the arena and swiftly into the main building to one of the closed rooms. At that time, Valentine was afraid that he would lose his train of creative thought if he wasted any time. Therefore, he did not even think about questioning Izroth and simply wanted toplete the sixth sequence. Izroth exined to Valentine the effects of his Energy Vision Sense that he had acquired due to the Soul Essence trait. When Izroth asked Valentine why he did not use any of the other Zarkox Sequence skills, Valentine gave a helpless smile. "How would I have time to cast anything that takes more than half a second when fighting against you? I haven¡¯t reached a good enough level to lower the cast time on those skills so they would¡¯ve been useless." Valentine exined. So that was the reason! It was not that Valentine was incapable of casting other Zarkox Sequence spells, just that he understood that the moment he tried to do so would be the equivalent of him handing the match to Izroth. Izroth also took the opportunity to share the Comprehending The Origins of Source book that he received from Orion with Valentine. Since it was a thin book, it did not take Valentine a long time to memorize its contents. Valentine widened his eyes in disbelief as he returned the book to Izroth. He was a little unclear on certain parts, but luckily Izroth was there to clear away any of his concerns. "It¡¯s even capable of something like this? That Source Chant¡¯s also pretty interesting. It¡¯s a shame that it¡¯s only the most basic version. I¡¯m sure Zi Yi and Luna have the patience read through and retain the contents, however, I have some reservations about the other two." Valentine sighed as he shook his head. "Indeed, that¡¯s why I only n on teaching them the Source Chant portion. Anything more than that and I¡¯m afraid they will try to run away." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. Valentine chuckled as he replied, "I think that¡¯s a good idea. Perhaps it¡¯ll work better on those with a lower amount of Essence. Since your Essence is so much higher than ours, it may exin why your progress was so slow when using the Source Chant. That Perfect Source Compatibility sounds really convenient to have right about now." He then continued, "I never expected that a Source could be even more beneficial than it already is. I wonder what mine will also allow me to develop that Energy Vision Sense. Though I have to say that I¡¯m curious if it¡¯s possible for a person without a Source to develop one after using a Source Chant. If it possible, then..." Izroth and Valentine carried on with their conversation for nearly 30 minutes before Valentine returned to the closed-off room to continue his research. Valentine was surprised that Izroth could easily keep up with him when on the topic of magic. In fact, there were even some things that he had no idea about! However, he knew better by now not to attachmon sense to Izroth. ¡¯I suppose I¡¯ll take a look around before heading back to Amaharpe. I still haven¡¯t received any news from Niflheim or Blue Oasis about the raid, but I shouldn¡¯t wander too far out of Amaharpe over the next few days. Also, I should inform the others about it. After all, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be interested.¡¯ After he sent out a few messages, Izroth went out to explore the magic capital city. He stopped by several of the local shops and purchased some ingredients that were native to the region of Proximus. Since Proximus possessed a thick atmosphere of mana, it was one of the best locations in the Mortal Realm to collect some exotic ingredients. Of course, Izroth was only able to acquire mostlymon and umon things. However, he was fortunate enough toe across two rare ingredients at one of the smaller shops. Even if some of the materials he purchased were not necessarily Apothecary reagents, Izroth still decided to obtain them for future purposes. In total, he spent nearly 150 gold coins going on a buying spree. That was a number of gold coins that casual yers could only dream of spending so freely! Once Izroth was satisfied with his exploration and the items he obtained, he started to make his way back towards Amaharpe. Since he was traveling by himself, Izroth was able to move without restraint. The moment he stepped out of the magic capital city, Izroth sprinted forward at amazing speeds leaving the guards at the gate dumbfounded. He decided to take the straight line route towards Amaharpe. Even though he did not have a Realm Chart that contained parts of Proximus, he could still tell what direction Amaharpe was in. Izroth kept this speed up until he came to an area with some terrain obstacles in the way. However, instead of slowing down, he increased his speed as he leaped into the air and stepped on the sky itself. He used Sky Steps to move over the terrain with ease and stayed in the air until the time ran out. Izroth safelynded on the ground and abruptly came to a stop. He noticed that someone had been following him for quite some time now and it was that same mysterious entity who always appeared and then suddenly disappeared. Except, this time was different. ¡¯It seems that they¡¯ve stopped hiding their presence. Are they trying to get my attention?¡¯ "You¡¯ve been following me for so long and yet never introduce yourself. Is this not what they call stalking?" Izroth said in a nonchnt manner. However, all he received in return was silence. "You were also at the Towering Oak Forest, and the Tiger¡¯s Mouth, right? If you won¡¯te to me, then shall I go to you?" Izroth spoke in a calm tone. He knew that this person was capable of fleeing in an instant and erasing their presence at will. Otherwise, how could they have escaped and hid from his range of perception for so long? Also, how was this person tracking him so urately? The only thing Izroth knew for certain was that whoever they were, they did not seem to hold any hostile intentions. He also understood that their level of mobility far outmatched his own. "What a bold statement, little monster. Do you really have confidence in catching a member of the Phantasmal race?" A voice suddenly echoed from nearby. A few momentster, a thick mist formed around Izroth as a shadowy figure appeared inside of the fog and faced towards him. ¡¯Phantasmal race? That race of legendary messengers?¡¯ By legendary messengers, Izroth did not mean theirbat capabilities. While the Phantasmal race¡¯sbat capabilities were quite good, it was not their strong point. Izroth came across the mention of their race on the second floor of the Amaharpe pce library, as well as, some interesting facts. Every member of the Phantasmal race was born with two unique innate skills. To simplify the skills, one allowed them topletely erase their presence even from individuals much stronger than them. Not even legendary beings could necessarily sense them if they were not actively searching. As for the skill that was currently being used by the Phantasmal member in front of him, it enabled them to manipte the very structure of their body and turn into shadows or mist. While in either state, members of the Phantasmal race were not limited by their physical forms and could travel great distances in short periods of times. This is why they were considered a legendary race of messengers. However, their history was not always so peaceful. Apparently, before the Fifth War of the Titans, the Phantasmal race was known for their unrivaled assassination abilities. Unfortunately, they were too good at their job and held allegiance only to one thing, gold. After the Fourth War of the Titans, the members of their race had nearly gone extinct! This caused them to forsake their assassin lifestyle and focus on a more peaceful approach. In the end, the Phantasmal race made a pact with a certain divine being that saved their race from extinction. However, a special restriction was ced upon the members of their race in return. They could not harm living beings. If this restriction was broken, that member of the Phantasmal race would immediately lose their life! Of course, some members who could not forsake their assassin ways had to experience this the hard way. That¡¯s why until this day, seeing a member of the Phantasmal race in the Mortal Realm was an extreme rarity! The Phantasmal race only served as messengers for powerful individuals. It meant that whoever this person was working for was a dangerous existence. ¡¯Whoever sent them must have a deep hand in the Mortal Realm. The real question is, why did they decide to finally reveal themselves?¡¯ "No need to put on a show in front of me. I know all about your Phantasmal race. In the end, all you can do is run or step aside. So, either tell me your message or get lost." Izroth said in a cold tone. While Izroth was not usually so aggressive in his first meeting with others, he knew how cautious and superior members of the Phantasmal race could be. If one treated them with kindness while knowing nothing about them, they would take it as a sign of disrespect and dishonesty. Their customs were quite bizarre for a race of the Mortal Realm, but notpletely unheard of. The shadowy figure was surprised by Izroth¡¯s choice of words, however, instead of being outraged by Izroth¡¯s response, he was impressed. "Human, you should feel honored. Even though you¡¯re still a little weak, you¡¯ll do. You¡¯re going to be one of the representatives of the Mortal Realm." The shadow figure spoke in an arrogant voice. "What sort of nonsense are you speaking? If you keep wasting my time then I¡¯m leaving." Izroth said as he began to walk away. As Izroth walked through the mist, the shadowy figure quickly called out, "Wait right there! Do you know what opportunity you¡¯ll be turning down? Little monster, let me tell you, not even the dragon prince would turn down this chance! If you walk away now, you¡¯ll regret it forever!" "Then, I¡¯ll simply live with regret." Izroth replied as he did not halt his steps. The shadowy figure realized that Izroth truly had no intentions of listening to him! This wasn¡¯t how it was supposed to go! Right about now, that little monster should have been begging him to receive an invitation. If he failed the task he was entrusted with, that person would surely be infuriated. "W-wait! Little brother, wait a sec!" The shadowy figure yelled out as he quickly caught up to Izroth. The fog had disappeared as the shadowy figure began to shrink. In the end, it stopped shrinking at around 30cm. "Why should I wait? Also, who¡¯s your little brother?" Izroth scoffed as he continued along with his act. ¡¯So, this is the true appearance of the Phantasmal race.¡¯ The Phantasmal member looked simr to a pixie, however, he had short violet-colored hair, dark red eyes, light purple skin, and ck wings on his back. The average yer would probably mistake him for a monster or demon. "Come now, little brother. I was wrong, okay? Just, hear me out and I promise it¡¯ll be well worth your while." The Phantasmal said as he flew in front of Izroth. Chapter 323 Sky Palace of Zushuatri NPC Name: Aaruuzxqiiyeewkjsoo(Rare) NPC Level: 52 ¡¯What¡¯s with his name?¡¯ When the system disyed the information of the Phantasmal messenger, the first thing that stood out to Izroth was his bizarre name. Where was one supposed to even begin with pronouncing that name? Of course, Izroth hade across strange names before back in the Seven Realms. There was a mystical and eternal race whose real name took nearly one thousand years to pronounce! To them, the time passed by in the blink of an eye, however, to those outside of their race they did not dare to even attempt saying it. After all, not everyone could spend one thousand years saying a name. "My name is Izroth. If you can¡¯t even get that much right, then what¡¯s the point of listening to anything you have to say? Also, why is your name soplicated? Change it." Izroth said in an arrogant tone as he continued to walk. "Hold on, wait for me! Izroth, right? See? I can say it properly- Wait, did you just ask me to change my name? Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Who makes such an unreasonable request?! I¡¯ve had this name since I was born! If anyone has the weird name here it¡¯s you! Why is it so short? Could it be that its length matches-" Aaruuzxqiiyeewkjsoo spoke as he flew after Izroth, but immediately halted his words when Izroth grabbed onto the hilt of the sword on his back. "A joke! Just a joke! Call me Aru, okay? Just don¡¯t go swinging that thing around!" Aru quickly said in an apologetic and slightly panicked voice. All he could do was run away if Izroth decided to attack him due to the curse on his race. If that happened, not only would he have failed his mission, but the others wouldugh at him if they were to discover that he was chased away by a human! How could he ever show his face before the other Phantasmals if that urred? There was also the fact that even though Aru was nearly ten levels higher than Izroth, he remained cautious. This was because he had personally witnessed the extent of Izroth¡¯s Source. Even though it was in an infancy stage, it was abnormally powerfulpared to the average infancy stage Source. If Izroth went all out with a single attack, even with his the skills of his race, Aru was not confident in escapingpletely unharmed. Izroth removed his hand from the Sword of The Storm as he inwardly shook his head. He wondered if all the members of the Phantasmal race were exactly like Aru. In the end, despite Aru¡¯s method of approach, Izroth was interested in what he meant by representing the Mortal Realm and being worth his while. "Alright, Aru, I¡¯ll listen to your words but if you speak any more nonsense then don¡¯t me me for being impolite." Izroth stated. "Right, no nonsense. You have my word!" Aru nodded rapidly in response as if he were afraid that Izroth would suddenly change his mind. Izroth continued to make his way back towards Amaharpe with Aru following next to him. There was one question that Izroth immediately wanted the answer to. "Why have you been following me for so long?" Izroth asked. Aru had been secretly following Izroth since his time back at the Willowed Forest near Opal Town. He did not have any connections with anyone around that time besides Gear. However, his connection with Gear at that point was still shallow at best, therefore, that did not add up. But, if it was not Gear, then who else could have been so interested in him that they specifically assigned a member of the Phantasmal race to tail him? "Hm..." Aru ced his hands on the back of his head as he floated upside down next to Izroth. He had a troubled look on his face as if he struggled to find a correct answer. "Well, because that person told me to. You think I enjoy following you around all the time because it¡¯s fun or something? You evenpletely disappeared so many times from my sights..." Aru said as he muttered thest part to himself. Of course, he was talking about the times Izroth traveled to the Shadahi Realm and the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Due to the restrictions, he could not follow Izroth to those ces even if he wanted to. "Oh? Who might that person be?" Izroth questioned. "I can¡¯t tell you. But, what I can say is that it¡¯s not someone you can afford to offend." Aru said in a serious tone. "Interesting, I¡¯ve yet to meet anyone who I couldn¡¯t afford to offend." Izroth responded. "Listen, I know all about your dispute with the Netherworld and cutting off the arm of ones of its envoys. The only reason you haven¡¯t already been killed and dragged into the Netherworld is because of the A-." Aru quickly stopped himself. He had nearly forgotten about the consequences of mentioning that to someone who had personally participated in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Aru cleared his throat and continued, "Just know that, in the end, the Nether Realm is not the Mortal Realm so you have some leeway in that matter, however, this person resides in the Mortal Realm itself. Bing enemies with them will only lead to a disaster. While having a good connection can take you to ces once thought impossible to reach." Aru exined. ¡¯Looks like I¡¯m not going to get much out of him about whoever sent him.¡¯ As for Izroth being afraid to offend someone, it was just as he told Aru, he had not once met someone who he could not afford to offend! In fact, it had always been the other way around and others could not afford to offend him. But, Izroth would not press the matter as he knew it would ultimately be a waste of time. "Then exin why you¡¯ve finally decided to reveal yourself after all this time." Izroth said. "Now that¡¯s an easy one. It¡¯s because you aren¡¯t too weak anymore. You should be able to hold your own as one of the representatives. Of course, the first team is out of the question. However, the second team is a possibility. After all, it¡¯s what that person wants. Still, I have no idea why they decided to make an exception this time around. To think they even made two exceptions this time. What are they thinking...?" Aru stated as he muttered thest bit to himself. Teams? Representative? Exceptions? What was he talking about? Also, even though Aru had followed after Izroth for so long and even saw his fight against those bandits and the First Sword, he made it sound as if Izroth wascking in strength using words like "possibility" and "exception". He then continued, "Anyway, even if that person made an exception, you¡¯ll still have to participate in the selection process that takes ce in nine days. Even just passing the selection will shower you with benefits." Izroth was suspicious about Aru, as well as, his true intentions. After all, unlike with yers, Izroth was unable to determine if Aru was telling the truth or not. There was also the fact that Aru was unwilling to mention anything in great details. Instead, everything could only be described as vague at best. However, Izroth decided to trust his words for the time being. ¡¯Seldom does great gaine without even greater risk. Besides, if anything troublesomees up I¡¯ll just deal with it at that time.¡¯ "Then, want to tell me what all this representative of the Mortal Realm talk is about?" Izroth asked. "Nice try! You¡¯ll have to attend the selection if you want to find out any more information. I¡¯ve already told you more than you¡¯re supposed to know. I could get in serious trouble for it. See how generous I can be? Well?" Aru said with a smug expression on his face. ¡¯Is there something wrong with his head?¡¯ Izroth shook his head as he said, "Where¡¯s this selection taking ce?" Aru smirked and responded, "Where else would such a grand asion take ce?" He then pointed towards the sky. ... ¡¯Now, how should I deal with that other matter? That person¡¯s intentions are still too suspicious.¡¯ Izroth had just bid farewell to Worldly Skies and Xing Bai. Now that he had finished that task, he had to deal with that headache of a guy. "Aru, I¡¯m ready." Izroth said as he stood alone in the pill crafting room. If anyone else were there they would think that he was crazy as he talked to himself. However, a few secondster, a thick mist formed inside of the pill room before quickly dispersing. It was from that mist that Aru emerged. Normally, Aru would have never gotten so close to Izroth due to how monstrous Izroth¡¯s sense of perception had be. But, since he no longer needed to hide, Aru was capable of following Izroth even into ces like the Mystical Realm Pce. "Do you have everything you need? Once I take you there you only have two ways to get back. Either you im one of the representative spots or die. There is no middle ground." Aru exined. "Well there¡¯s also another way, but I¡¯m not telling him. Maybe this will keep him shaken up for a while." Aru thought to himself. "Just get me there and I¡¯ll deal with the rest myself." Izroth stated. "Hmph, fine. But, don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you. Hold out the palm of your hand." Aru scoffed. Izroth held out the palm of his hand. Aru then hovered near Izroth¡¯s palm as he began to chant in a strangenguage. As Aru did so, a unique magic symbol formed at the center of Izroth¡¯s palm. On the backside of Izroth¡¯s palm, the number 100 appeared and it looked as if someone had written it on with a permanent ck marker. ¡¯What¡¯s this number for?¡¯ "Good luck. You¡¯ll definitely need it heh. Oh right, remember tond at the center tform. If you go anywhere else, you won¡¯t even know how you died." Aru said as if it almost slipped his mind. Those were thest words Izroth heard before everything around him turned to pitch ck. He had no idea where he was at the moment. ¡¯A magic formation of isted space? No, it¡¯s different from the magic formation at Kryxelsia¡¯s ce in Everpeak. It almost feels simr to crossing over into the Lake of Tears.¡¯ After spending nearly a full minute inplete darkness, Izroth began to feel as if he had been yed by Aru. However, just as that thought crossed his mind, a bright white light appeared before him. He was pulled in towards that light and before he knew it, he was suddenly in the sky. ¡¯Is this the ce he meant when he pointed towards the sky? Am I still in Amaharpe?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was free-falling from the sky at a rapid pace. Beneath him was a gigantic piece of earth that was stationary in the sky. The surface was more than three hundred kilometers in diameter. There were four different regions that Izroth could see from the sky. One region was zing with endless mes, one was heavily forested with a rich and verdant environment, and another with a massive sea. As for thest region, there was a raging storm with constant thunder and lightning, as well as, numerous twisters spread all throughout the area. There was an area at the center that connected every region together. A grand white pce with golden outlines sat there along with arge tform out in front. ¡¯That must be the area Aru spoke of. Still, that guy sure is ruthless not warning me of this free-fall. I¡¯ll have to talk to him about that when I return.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Sky Pce of Zushuatri?¡µ As Izroth fell from the sky, he saw that there was a group of individuals already gathered on the tform. From what he could see, there were at least seventy people present. ¡¯It looks like quite a few people have already arrived.¡¯ Chapter 324 Master of The Sky Palace, Zushuatri ¡¯I wonder if everyone arrives the same way.¡¯ As Izroth descended down from the sky like a meteor and approached the tform, he activated the Falling Feather Steps skill that was attached to his Skystep Boots. Just as Izroth¡¯s body was about to collide with the tform, it straightened out and the energy built up from his fall was canceled out. This made it so that he was able to safelynd on his feet. No one on the tform seemed to be surprised by Izroth¡¯s arrival or the fact that he survived. It was as if it were amon urrence to them. ¡¯The Sky Pce of Zushuatri... I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡¯ Even after reading all the books on the first and second floors of the Amaharpe pce library, Izroth had no clue as to what this ce was. He was not even sure if this ce was anywhere near Amaharpe as his coordinates only showed as question marks. "How did this weakling get here?" One of the nearby individuals scoffed as they observed Izroth. "Who knows? After what took ce five years ago, they¡¯ll let just about any piece of trash join the selection these days. Still, I have no idea what Master Zushuatri is thinking about allowing someone like that to join." "Idiot, hold your tongue. If Master Zushuatri or any of those students of his heard you then it¡¯d be troublesome." "Tch, I know..." "That guy has a pretty good weapon though. Maybe I¡¯ll add it to my collection if I run into him during the selection." "Heh, there you go again picking on the weak. Don¡¯t make the same mistake as your elder brother and get killed during the selection due to fooling around." Those near Izroth simply took one nce at him and then immediately lost interest. In their eyes, he was probably one of those rare young masters whose parents had argework of connections and somehow managed to join the selection. While this was an incredibly rare case, it was not unheard of. However, those type of people always underestimated the selection and had no idea what they were getting themselves into. They were usually the first to cry out for help before getting themselves killed. Izroth did not pay any attention to those who mocked him from the side. However, he made sure to memorize the faces of those who insulted him and even openly threatened him. He decided that if he ran into them during the selection, he would show them no mercy. Izroth examined his surroundings, as well as, the individuals that were already present on the tform. ¡¯I can see why Aru reacted that way.¡¯ Since Aru had followed after him for quite some time, then he should have been well aware of Izroth¡¯s strength. However, even still Aru kept insisting that he was still a bit too weak and that his sess was only a possibility. Now, Izroth finally had a decent understanding of why Aru spoke that way. ¡¯The average level does make me seem a bit out of ce.¡¯ As Izroth inspected the individuals around him using the system, he found that the average level range was between 50-52. There were even a few people who were level 55! At the moment, Izroth was only level 45. This meant that even those who looked the weakest were still five levels higher than him. Not to mention, the natural gap that existed between NPCs who were level 49 and level 50 was massive. This meant that even a rare NPC like First Sword Zephyr would have suffered a defeat to almost any random person currently on the tform! However, Izroth was not intimidated by this fact. In truth, he was looking forward to it. It was difficult for him to find challenging opponents that were around his level. Izroth knew that the fastest way to increase one¡¯s experience and skills was in actualbat situations. But, if there was never any pressure in those situations, then one¡¯s progress would be extremely slow. Therefore, with such a wide gap in base strength, it was likely that he would finally be able to find a decent match and train his sword forms to their peak levels. ¡¯It hasn¡¯t even started and yet I already feel as if my time here will not have been wasted.¡¯ Izroth stayed to himself as more participants arrived. Just like Izroth, they also descended from the sky andnded on the tform. They used arge variety of methods such as a summoned beast that could fly, a magic item, and a few even used skills simr to Izroth¡¯s Falling Feather Steps. There were also a few who missed the tform and ended up in one of the separate regions. Whenever that happened, there would be a pir of light that fell from the sky that would vanish a few momentster. "Fools, don¡¯t they even know the basic rules? If onends outside of the tform area they¡¯ll be automatically presumed as a threat to the Sky Pce and eliminated by the massive magic formation that protects it." One of the participants said. "From what I¡¯ve heard, there are always a handful of idiots who try to explore ahead and end up paying the price for it." After nearly thirty minutes went by, there were now one thousand people gathered at the tform. Luckily it was extremely spacious and so they were not too crowded together. ¡¯This is much more than I expected. Though given the size of this ce, I suppose any less than this would be pointless.¡¯ As more people arrived, the tform started to be increasingly rowdy. There were even some fistfights that broke out among those who had a previous bad history with one another. "Master Zushuatri approaches! Silence yourselves!" A loud and thundering voice echoed throughout the surrounding area and reached every corner of the tform. Immediately after that voice made the announcement, the entire tform became dead silent. In fact, it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of a pin drop. ¡¯Just who is this Zushuatri?¡¯ Izroth was curious as to just what type of person was capable of being the master of a ce like the Sky Pce, as well as, gather so many strong individuals. Not to mention, the moment that person made the announcement, the atmosphere became heavy and tense. It was almost as if everyone were afraid of showing any signs of disrespect to Zushuatri. Even those who were brawling with one another halted their actions and straightened themselves out. A few momentster, nine pirs of light descended from the sky as a grand stage appeared at the front of the tform. When the light cleared, nine individuals had appeared on the grand stage. Eight of the individuals stood respectfully behind the old man at the front of the group. Six of them were men, while the other two were women. There was a powerful auraing from the eight individuals behind that old man. As for the old man himself, there was a monstrous auraing from him. On the surface, he looked like a gentle old man and he even had a pleasant smile on his face. However, hidden underneath that Izroth could tell that he was someone in the same league as Gear and the other seven heroes. No, in fact, that old man may even be at a higher level than them! Of course, this was only a feeling Izroth had, however, he was confident in his instincts. ¡¯That old man is indeed strong, but the others apanying him are no pushovers.¡¯ Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense active. He was only around fifty meters away from the stage and so he did not expend too much Essence. Although it was only for one second, Izroth clearly saw just how abnormal the nine on stage were. The mes around them were absolutely quiet without a single leak making it impossible to judge their level of strength. In other words, they were capable of perfectly controlling their energy! "Master, all of the participants have arrived. You can proceed at your leisure." One of the male individuals who stood behind the old man said in a respectful tone. This male had the ears and tail of a cat-like beast with piercing golden colored-eyes, ck hair, and tanned skin. He was very handsome and looked to be the type of man that women would fall in love with at first sight. He was a member of the beast race in RML known as the Zensana, a powerful warrior-like race. "Mm! Sphinx, it seems like this year is a good batch of promising talents." Zushuatri responded in a delighted tone to the male known as Sphinx. "Forgive me for my insolence, but this group seems even weaker than thest, Master. Maybe you should start raising the requirements so that we don¡¯t get so many weaklings wanting to test their luck. There are two out there that bothers me the most." One of the female individuals said with a frown on her face. The one who just spoke wore a beautiful robe with earrings that resembled that of small circr shaped bells. In her hand was a folding fan which she held to cover the lower part of her face. Her cherry blossom colored hair was braided in an elegant manner and the pupils in her eyes were in the shape of pink crescent moons. There were also three pink stripes going down the right side of her cheek. Although the lower part of her face was hidden, one could tell that she was a high-level beauty! "If we did that, I fear that no one would be willing to send individuals to participate. After all, there is not an endless number of those under the age of 30 who could meet the strength requirements, Sage." Zushuatri replied as his gaze swept through the crowd and he immediately realized the two individuals Sage was referring to. "As for those two, they were sent by that person. It¡¯s been more than twenty years since theyst rmended anyone to participate in the selection. I look forward to their performance." Zushuatri said in a kind tone. "Now, I suppose we should begin." Zushuatri stated as he stepped forward. Izroth received a warning from Soul Sense the moment Sage set her sights on him. However, it quickly went away just as fast as it appeared. He was somewhat surprised when his Soul Sense went off. Had he already done something to offend one of the people on that stage? ¡¯None of them look familiar to me. But, that person definitely wanted to kill me just now.¡¯ Izroth locked his gaze onto Sage with a carefree expression on his face. "Oh? That brat..." Sage smirked behind her fan as she saw Izroth look directly towards her. "Hm? What is it, Sage?" Sphinx asked. "Nothing." Sage replied as she closed her eyes. "Everyone, wee to my humble abode. I am the master of this Sky Pce and the host of the selection process, Zushuatri. I am sure many of you have numerous questions, but before we begin I would like to ask if anyone is having second thoughts about their participation. If so, this will be your only chance to back out. Once the selection officially starts there are only three ways to leave the Sky Pce, victory, death, or surviving until the four-hour time limit has expired." Zushuatri said as the gentle smile remained on his face. Although it looked as if he was speaking normally, his voice was still loud enough to cover every corner of the tform. Of course, no one epted Zushuatri¡¯s offer to back out of the selection. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Who here did not know that a great reward requires a great sacrifice? "Good, very good! Even in old age, this old man¡¯s eyes for talent is not too bad. Then, I shall exin the rules..." Zushuatri said as he went on to exin the rules of the selection. ¡¯I see, so it¡¯s like that.¡¯ Chapter 325 The Unexpected Visitor of The Second Selection As Izroth listened to the rules, he found that they were actually quite simple. To simplify it, when the selection started, every person would be randomly teleported into one of the four outer regions. The number on the back of their hand represented how many points they carried. Every individual started with a total of 100 points. Defeating an opponent would add the number of their points to your own. In other words, if someone with 100 points defeated a person with 500 points, then they would have a total of 600 points. The goal was to collect as many points as possible within a time limit of four hours. While surviving for four hours seemed easy on the surface, with everyone hunting one another, as well as the monsters and position shifting, it was a near impossibility for most. The top ten people with the most points would be chosen as official representatives of the Mortal Realm. Of course, defeating opponents was not the only way to gain points. There were also many strong monsters in each region that would provide a wide range of points depending on their level of strength and difficulty. In this selection, practically anything was allowed short of leaving the outer regions. Individuals were allowed to team up, steal monster kills, ambush, whatever was necessary for victory. Every 30 minutes, all surviving participants would be teleported to a random location in one of the four regions, regardless of what task they were performing. This meant that their positions would randomly shift a total of seven times during the selection. Though the most important and yet frightening thing was thest thing Zushuatri mentioned. The eight individuals behind him would also be joining in on the selection. However, it was not to gain a spot as a representative, but to hunt down those who were participating! There would always be two of them located in each of the four regions. But, what came as a shock to everyone was that by defeating one of those eight individuals, they would immediately gain 100,000 points! This practically secured their spot as one of the representatives! However, it also spoke of how dangerous those eight individuals were. ¡¯100,00 points, is it? Interesting.¡¯ As Zushuatri finished exining the rules, he held one of his hands in the air. "Everyone, have you resolved yourselves?" Zushuatri asked as a bright glow emitted from his hand. "I wish every single one of you the best of luck. Remember, you are the pride of the Mortal Realm. Never forget that. The start of the selection will now begin." Zushuatri said as he waved his hand. In the next moment, the only person left remaining was Zushuatri himself. Even the eight individuals on the stage with him had disappeared. "Now, how will you young talents fair this year?" Zushuatri muttered to himself as a massive magic screen appeared before him that revealed everyst participate. ... ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Living Forest?!¡µ Izroth had just been teleported off the tform by Zushuatri along with the other participants. ¡¯Looks like I¡¯ve been sent to the forest area first. However, it seems that I already have somepany.¡¯ "What kind of fortune is this? The divine beings truly know how to bless this great one! Free points and a nice weapon to go along with it. Hey trash, you should feel honored that you¡¯ll die by the hands of this great one." A voice came from in front of Izroth. It was the same individual who had his eyes on Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm back on the tform! He then continued, "A weapon like that is too good for trash like you. Hand it over and I¡¯ll give you a painless death." ¡¯I suppose even in a ce like this there are those who invite disaster upon themselves. Well, that¡¯s fine. Let me see just howrge the gap is between level 49 and level 50.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was level 45. This meant that he was most likely the weakest participant when it came toparing levels. However, Izroth was never afraid of a challenge and even weed it. But, he understood that this person in front of him was just some small frypared to the other participants. It would not be inurate to say that the selection was a gathering of talents and hidden monsters. This made Izroth curious of something. If these were the individuals trying to im a spot on the second team, just what kind of people were on the first team? NPC Name: Earthshaker Anvil(Elite) NPC Level: 50 NPC HP: ??? (100%) A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. A powerful gust of wind blew out from his surroundings before settling down. However, that carefree smile on Izroth¡¯s face, as well as his silence and the action of drawing his weapon only served to infuriate Anvil. "Hmph! I¡¯ll wipe that cocky grin off your face. Hurry up and forfeit your life to this great one!" Anvil roared as he stomped his foot on the ground. At the same time, a greatsword rose from the earth in front of him. Anvil grabbed onto the hilt of the intimidating greatsword and the power of the earth element could be felt oozing out of it. He charged towards Izroth at a speed that was nearly equal to his own base speed! ¡¯He¡¯s fast.¡¯ Even though Anvil wielded a greatsword, his base agility was almost close to Izroth¡¯s! At the moment, Izroth¡¯s agility was at 1,374. From the way Anvil moved, Izroth estimated that his agility was just a bit over 1,000 points. For someone wielding a greatsword, that was an incredible speed to obtain! However, Izroth was just a little surprised and nothing more. After all, if he could not even take down someone like this without having to go all out then he might as well just hide for the rest of the selection! "Just a dog who only knows how to bark." Izroth said to himself in a nonchnt manner as he kicked off his left foot to meet Anvil head-on! Izroth¡¯s first fight of the selection had begun. ... Meanwhile, back at the Sky Pce tform... "It seems that young man does not have any fortune. To run into another participant right after teleporting is quite unlucky. I still wonder what that person was thinking this time around. Even in my old age, I cannot peer into their mind. However, this fight should be inter-" Zushuatri suddenly halted his words as he narrowed his eyes towards the sky. There was arge ball of me that resembled that of a meteorite falling down at extreme speeds. It was headed directly for the tform! BOOM! The ball of me crashnded just a few meters away from Zushuatri. As the mes engulfed the entire tform, a transparent barrier formed in front of Zushuatri who had a calm expression on his face as it fended off the intense mes. A few secondster, the mes were finally extinguished as a massive dust cloud was left in its ce. Zushuatri waved the palm of his hand as the dust cloud was pulled into a powerful vortex in the sky beforepletely dispersing. Surprisingly enough, the tform was undamaged in the slightest from the impact besides the one area where the main contact was made which resulted in a small crater. "Old man Zushuatri, did you n on leaving me out?" A voice came from the crater. Old man?! If anyone that was on the tform before heard someone refer to Zushuatri as "old man", they would have coughed up blood from shock. Who dared talk in such a loose-tongued way with like the master of the Sky Pce? Zushuatri had a slightly troubled look on his face when he saw the individual who stepped out of the crater. There were not many people in the Mortal Realm who would dare behave so recklessly before someone of Zushuatri¡¯s standing, however, the individual before him was a special case. Although Zushuatri was not afraid of them, he still had to maintain a certain level of caution due to the type of existence they were not to mention the entity behind them. "The first-team selection process has already concluded. Should you not be makingst-minute preparations as the captain of the first team, third young master?" Zushuatri said with a gentle expression on his face. The individual who emerged from the dust cloud with a domineering aura had piercing red eyes that resembled those of a dragon. His yellow-colored hair was neither short or long with a wild and spiky appearance. He wore a traditional style robe that was red and gold in color with dragons sewn all throughout the clothing. He stood tall and proud with his arms folded leaving the sleeves to his robe drifting about freely. This domineering young man was none other than the youngest son of the Dragon King and the third young master of the Dragon n, the Star Devouring Dragon, Kayn. This meant that Kayn was no normal dragon, but one who possessed the pure bloodline of the true dragons of legends! Around one week ago, Kayn imed first ce in the selection process for the first team. This is why Zushuatri was surprised to see him at the Sky Pce instead of making use of his time for more important matters. Even if Kayn was a rare talent whenpared to other true dragons, he should know better than to underestimate the opponents he would be facing. "I heard that the second selection is today so I¡¯vee to lend a hand. Wasn¡¯t there trouble with the second teamst time?" Kayn said with a slight grin on his face. Zushuatri released a small sigh as he replied, "I¡¯m afraid if you lend a hand, we willck any participants for the second team." "It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t use my arms and as long as they manage tond a single hit on me it can be considered their win. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not so heartless as to kill those weaker than me. You have my word." Kayn said in a confident tone. One could see from his demeanor and words that he did not intend on backing down. Zushuatri narrowed his eyes as he examined Kayn. Not using two arms may seem like a massive advantage, however, even his students would not be Kayn¡¯s match with that handicap. But, since Kayn promised not to kill any of the participants, it could serve as a good way of increasing the pressure. In the end, Zushuatri knew that even though Kayn spoke about lending a hand, in truth, he was just looking to entertain himself. But, Zushuatri would use this to his advantage. The second team could not afford to suffer humiliation a fourth time in a row! "Very well. Although I doubt anyone is up to the challenge, I shall allow it. However, you won¡¯t be allowed to join until thest thirty minutes, otherwise, I fear that if I let you join now there will be no one left when the time limit runs out." Zushuatri stated. "That¡¯s fine with me... Oh- That one¡¯s interesting. Even though he¡¯s pretty weak, he¡¯s overwhelming his opponent. But, to have a infancy stage Source... Heh, truly interesting." Kayn said as he sat down cross-legged with his arms folded and looked at one of the squares on the magic screen. It contained the fight going on between Izroth and Anvil. ... Woosh! -1,732 ¡¯His defenses are tougher than I expected. However, it¡¯s not a major problem since his attacks have no chance of reaching me with that level of speed.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm struck out with insane speed the moment he parried Anvil¡¯s greatsword! He used sh Counter to immediatelyunch a counterattack. However, Anvil¡¯sbat experience seemed to be much higher than those Izroth previously fought against. With one look someone would think that Anvil was just a clumsy fighter, however, he protected his vital points incredibly well. ¡¯If I used Flickering Steps this fight would have ended some time ago, but I do not have the luxury to waste any high-ranked skills on someone like this.¡¯ "Stop screwing with me! Stay still!" Anvil roared as he swung his greatsword four times in rapid session. Izroth kicked off his back foot and stepped out of Anvil¡¯s attack range. Anvil¡¯s breathing was heavy and yet he had no idea why. At first, he thought Izroth¡¯s movements became faster, but soon found out that he was simply getting slower! How was it possible that his fatigue was dropping so fast? ¡¯His attacks and movements are starting to be more predictable and desperate. It¡¯s finally taking effect. The first effect of the Five Way Imprint Inscription.¡¯ Chapter 326 Five Way Imprin Izroth did not waste the days before the selection simply exploring different areas and crafting pills, he also used the chance to enlist the help of an Inscriptionist from Sleeping Gardenia. The Five Way Imprint Inscription Stone that Izroth obtained from one of the Rare Item Treasure Chest he opened had been collecting dust in his inventory. Since he had to deal with arge variety of issues, he pushed the Five Way Imprint Inscription Stone to the back of his mind as he was in no particr rush to use it. With the help of the Sleeping Gardenia Inscriptionist, Izroth used the Five Way Imprint Inscription Stone on his Sword of The Storm. The end results made the Inscriptionist from Sleeping Gardenia nearly faint from shock. She had never seen such a ridiculous Inscription Stone with so many unreasonable requirements! ording to what she said, it was probably impossible for any Inscriptionist within RML to fully inscribe the Five Way Imprint at their current skill level. This was due to the fact that in order for a yer to increase their proficiency and grade for the Inscriptionist profession, it required them to inscribe equipment with Inscription Stones. However, finding Inscription Stones were not easy even for the top guilds. In fact, this was their first timeying eyes on a rare quality Inscription Stone! Therefore, the Inscriptionist was only able to unlock a portion of the Five Way Imprint. As for the rest, Izroth would have to find someone more skilled than her or wait until she reached a higher level on her Inscriptionist profession. On the bright side, Izroth managed to discover the exact requirements to unlock the remaining effects of the Five Way Imprint. Inscription: Five Way Imprint(Rare) Bound To: Sword of The Storm ?Imprint: Concealed Heavy Wounds?: Passive: Every time the usernds a sessful attack, the target(s) struck by the attack will have the total mass of their body and equipment increased by 5% (MAX: 200%). This effectsts for 8 seconds. Any sessful attacks while this skill is already active on a target will refresh the duration of this skill on that target to 8 seconds. Active: Target an enemy within a range of 15 meters. The target will have the total mass of their body and equipment increased by 200% for 5 seconds. This is not ssified as a crowd control skill. While this active skill is on cooldown the passive skill is disabled. Cooldown: 30 minutes ????? - ??? [Locked][Requires Grade Four Inscriptionist] ????? - ??? [Locked][Requires Grade Six Inscriptionist] Anvil swung his greatsword forward in an arc, however, the speed of his attack wasughable at best. Izroth easily avoided the iing strike as his Sword of The Storm swept by Anvil¡¯s neck followed by two phantom des. In total, Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strikesnded a critical hit for just over 9,000 damage! In the beginning, Anvil¡¯s speed resembled that of an agility stat that was just over 1,000 points. But, as Izroth¡¯s Concealed Heavy Wounds continued to stack onto Anvil¡¯s body the subtle difference in his movements and agility became as clear as day. As the fight carried on, Anvil¡¯s facial expression transformed from one of arrogance and anger to one of horror. How was this possible? How was he losing to some nobody weakling?! This was supposed to be an easy 100 points and yet he was being constantly pushed back. He was not capable of properly guarding his vital points anymore. "That weakling had to be cheating!" was the only thought that crossed Anvil¡¯s mind. Yes, that was it. Otherwise, how else could one exin his current situation? Anvil understood that if he kept fighting this battle, he would be killed. What was more important than his life? Nothing! "I am Earthshaker Anvil from the fifth kingdom Pzenium! My father is a Great Duke! Brother, why don¡¯t we stop this foolish battle and team up? Together, not even those students of Master Zushuatri will be our match!" Anvil said as he was cut once again by Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. Anvil felt ice cold on the inside. He was the son of the Great Duke of Pzenium! For him to have to lower his head to some trash was infuriating, however, he managed to bite his tongue and hold back his anger. It would not be toote to have his revenge as long as he was alive. If he came across anyone he knew, then he would immediately use the chance to team up on that piece of trash and kill him! ¡¯At least try to hide your intentions better.¡¯ Izroth could clearly see the hateful look in Anvil¡¯s eyes. He knew that the moment he gave Anvil a chance he would be mercilessly stabbed in the back without the slightest bit of hesitation. If Izroth truly was some weakling, would he have let him go even if begged for his life? The answer was obvious. It was only when Anvil knew his defeat was inevitable did he want to bargain for his life. Son of a Great Duke? Fifth kingdom of Pzenium? So what! Izroth had severed the arm of the Envoy of the Netherworld who was a legendary existence. The moment he received the Curse of The Netherworld, Izroth had already offended the entire Netherworld, as well as the Netherworld Monarch. Therefore, how could be feel threatened by some mere Great Duke? Izroth responded to Anvil¡¯s request with nothing but silence as he did not let up on his assault. Every wave of his sword would shave off a portion of Anvil¡¯s HP. The closer Anvil¡¯s HP got to zero percent, the more desperate his attempts to persuade Izroth became. He even tried to use threats to change Izroth¡¯s mind, but nothing he did worked. "I¡¯ll give you all the gold I have!" "You will be a respected noble in my Pzenium kingdom with the help of my father!" "Do you know who you¡¯re offending?! I¡¯m the son of the Great Duke you piece of trash!" "Wait, please forgive me! I was wrong! I know the error of my ways!" No matter how much he screamed, threatened, or offered, Izroth remained silent. There was only a cold and distant look in his eyes as the one-sided battle went on. The look in Izroth¡¯s eyes shook Anvil to his core. He suddenly felt as if he stood before a ferocious beast that saw him as nothing more than prey to be devoured on a whim. Anvil summoned arge wall of earth that rose up from the ground to nearly 25 meters high. "Stay away... Stay away from me!" Anvil yelled at the top of his lungs as he dropped his greatsword and attempted to flee. He no longer had the will to fight against Izroth. Of course, this was not a natural urrence. It was due to Izroth using the trait skill Soul Pressure. Since Anvil was already on the verge of defeat, it did not take much effort for the Weakened and Frenzied effects to affect him. This fight was over. Izroth stepped onto the wall, however, instead of falling down he started to move up. Swoosh! Izroth executed his Wall Walking skill to make his way over the wall of earth that was summoned by Anvil. He jumped down and when he arrived around 15 meters away from Anvil, his figure disappeared using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to ignore fall damage without slowing down. Izroth appeared just past Anvil as his Sword of The Storm shed by before being sheathed. For the whole duration of the fight, Izroth had not uttered a single word to Anvil. There was a cold yet carefree expression on his face that remained carved into Anvil¡¯s mind. "I-Impossible... I am the son-" Anvil tried to speak, however, he found that he was no longer able to do so. Before he realized it, his body had already started to dissipate into countless particles. His life had ended with him as a mere causality of the selection. Izroth would not waste his words on someone like Anvil, a person at the bottom of the food chainpared to the other participants. While the end details of the selection were still somewhat unclear to him, he understood that he had to collect enough points to at least ce in the top ten. For now, that would remain his main goal. ¡¯I still have an advantage when ites to agility against opponents like this, however...¡¯ If a greatsword user like Anvil was already so fast, then Izroth knew that when he met a more agile opponent he would automatically be at a speed disadvantage unless he used a movement skill. ¡¯If I have to fight two powerful opponents back to back who specializes in speed then it¡¯ll be troublesome if Flickering Steps is on cooldown. I¡¯ll have to find a way to make up for myck of speed during that time frame.¡¯ The moment he defeated Anvil, Izroth received a few system alerts. The number "100" that was on his hand had changed to "200". It was the points he earned from defeating Anvil who also had 100 points. ¡´System Alert: Your total points have been increased by 100. [Total Points: 200].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your selection rank has changed from 985 to 903.¡µ ¡¯Seems I still have some ways to go. I¡¯ve wasted enough time here.¡¯ Izroth started to move through the Living Forest in search of monsters and other participants. ¡¯If I¡¯m lucky enough, I¡¯ll run into a participant who has already started to umte points. The further into the selection we get, the stronger the remaining individuals that will be left roaming around. Until that point, my main focus will be to umte as many points as possible and improve upon my sword forms.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, back at the Sky Pce tform... "Hahaha, interesting! I never expected someone like that to know Instantaneous Movement. From the looks of it, it even appears to be an enhanced version! However, if that¡¯s all he got then he won¡¯t make it very far." Kayn said. "If he manages to survive this selection it will already be an amazing achievement at his current level. Even if he does not ce there would be no shame. However, that student of mine is making trouble as usual. I specifically told her not to go too far." Zushuatri stated as he shook his head. "Hm?" Kayn shifted his attention to the same square of the magic screen as Zushuatri. "Oh, you mean that one. Even though it¡¯s just started, that makes 15... No, I guess after that one it¡¯s 16. You sure have your hands full, old man. Even though that Sage brat looks that, she¡¯s pretty merciless on the inside." Kaynmented with a grin on his face. Zushuatri released a deep sigh as he said, "That girl... I¡¯m still uncertain about what to do with her. Her talent is immense, but her behavior requires some correction. However, she has been burdened with many troubles in her life and there are demons that remain in her heart. As her master, I can only guide her as best as I can. In the end, it is up to her to ovee those demons herself." ... "Please spare-!" Woosh! One of the participants in the zing fire area suddenly copsed onto the ground before they could finish their sentence. The person that stood a few meters away from them was none other than one of the eight individuals and a student of Zushuatri, Sage. Sage had her fan covering the lower part of her face, however, there was a look of disgust that could be seen in her eyes as she watched the life of the participant she had just ine to an end. "Disgusting... All of them are disgusting. Weak, fragile, and powerless. A selection of weaklings that act as a disgrace to our Mortal Realm." Sage said to herself as she strolled casually through the zing area. "Especially that one." Sage bit her lip until a small amount of blood trickled down from it as she was reminded of that weakling she saw back at the tform. That young man even dared make direct eye contact with her! She felt disgusted being looked at by someone so weak. It made her, quite literally, sick to her stomach. That young man was Izroth. ... ¡¯A fight? Also...¡¯ Izroth stood on a tree branch and hid his presence. This was the first time he ran into other yers since his fight with Anvil. More than ten minutes had gone by since then and he managed to defeat some monsters along the way that increased his points from 200 to 345. It seemed that defeating weaker monsters was not as profitable as defeating another participant. At the moment, he was observing a fight between a nt-like monster and one of the participants. However, Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense to see that there were ten other participants hidden nearby that were waiting for a perfect chance to swoop in and steal the monster from that participant! It was likely that none of them were aware of the existence of the others. This meant that, without a doubt, chaos was about to abrupt in this ce. With eleven participants present, at the very least, one person would walk away from here with 1,100 points! This was the same as hitting a mini jackpot! A few momentster, Izroth saw that the monster was in a critical state. It was at that point that he witnessed a sudden change in the atmosphere. The temperature had dropped down to freezing levels. ¡¯It¡¯s starting.¡¯ Chapter 327 Underestimated Woosh! Woosh! More than twenty vines shot out from the nt-like monster towards the male participant. It was nearly 8 meters tall with a head that resembled a venus flytrap. There were flower petals that looked simr to a peacock spreading its feathers that were around its head. Name: (Living nt)Earthbound Peacock(Elite) Level: 55 NPC Name: Lances, The Hand of mes(Rare) NPC Level: 53 "Annoying nt! Know your ce!" Lances said. He charged forward as he simultaneously evaded the vines thatshed out in his direction. After he got within five meters of the Earthbound Peacock, an intense wave of heat spread and was dispersed throughout the surrounding area. "Hand of Inferno!" Lances roared as a towering pir of me in the shape of a hand rushed towards the Earthbound Peacock. Grrrriiiiiik! The Earthbound Peacock cried out as it was being scorched alive by the powerful mes. "One more hit and-" Lances said with a smirk on his face, however, he suddenly felt the intensity of his mes being suppressed by a creeping and freezing temperature. "Chilling Ice Lance!" A voice sounded from within the forested area. Not too long after, a numerous number of attacks flew towards the male participant, as well as the Earthbound Peacock who was already at death¡¯s door. "Metal Crash!" "Half Mark Sword Wave!" "Tri-Lightning Assault!" "Sneaky trash!" Lances screamed out in a sudden burst of anger as the intensity level of the mes around him increased and formed a wall of mes that protected his body from harm as he forfeited the Earthbound Peacock. BOOM! The collision of the attacks created a powerful shockwave that extinguished Lances protective wall of mes. As for the Earthbound Peacock, it had gone to one of the participants whounched a surprise attack. Lances negated arge majority of it thanks to the protection provided by his the wall of mes. He did not expect this many people to be around the area! What surprised him was that there were not only one or two, but six other participants that emerged! ¡¯It seems that a few of them are staying back to see how things y out. I could simply wait until the final victor emerges and im his points. But, this kind of opportunity doesn¡¯t present itself very often.¡¯ Izroth felt that his current improvement rate on skills such as the sword forms and Heavenly Golden Body was too slow. It was not that they were not being improved upon, but that the opponents he had been facing off against had been far too weak making his progress near stagnant. The quickest way to grow was through experience and Izroth understood this well. He knew that if he nned on confronting the shadahi, the Netherworld, and anything else that crossed his path, then it was not possible for him to be satisfied with his current strength. After all, if not for the buff provided by Tererestiaa, as well as Gear weakening them, then that Netherworld Envoy could have taken care of him with just one of its fingers. No matter what world one was in, if they did not have enough power to protect themselves then their life would always be at the mercy of those stronger than themselves. To Izroth, this was uneptable. Izroth observed the fight as he grabbed onto the hilt of his Sword of The Storm. ¡¯The one with the mes is obviously holding back. Could it be that he intentionally...¡¯ NPC Name: Rinse, The Rising Frost(Elite) NPC Level: 52 "You look terrible, Lances. Should I lend you a hand in weing death?" Rinse said with a grin on his face. It was the same individual who was the first to act and shot the Chilling Ice Lance at Lances. "Hah! The day you help me wee death is the day I call you father! You alone aren¡¯t fit to carry my shoes and yet you have the guts to provoke me? If that¡¯s what you want, then all of you cane at me together!" Lances said in a tone filled with confidence as the chilling atmosphere was immediately ovee and reced by a scorching heat. Rinse¡¯s eyes turned cold as he listened to Lances words and felt his sudden increase in strength as he replied, "Good, you still have some fight left. Let¡¯s see how long you can stay confident. Everyone, none of us can handle him alone! If we team up, we can take him down! After he¡¯s out of the picture, then we can either go our separate ways or fight one another, what say you brothers?!" "Team up? Well, that guy is pretty troublesome to take on alone. I guess I¡¯m in. However, as soon as he dies it¡¯s every man for themselves." "You won¡¯t call this unfair, will you Lances? I have no grievances with you, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt in peace knowing that you¡¯re in this region." All five individuals who emerged along with Rinse agreed to team up in order to eliminate Lances. "Hmph, just a bunch of trash who needs to ambush and fight together. Do you think I¡¯m afraid? What difference does it make between one piece of trash and a group of trash? In the end, trash is trash." Lances said. His words infuriated Rinse and the other participants who surrounded him to block off his path of retreat. "Go to the Netherworld! Frost Cycle!" Rinse shouted in a furious tone as he waved his hand. Numerous icicles formed in the air in a circr formation. Woosh! Woosh! The icicles fired off simultaneously at Lances. Rinse wanted to pierce him through at every angle! "You think these ice toothpicks are enough to fight me?!" Lances said as the intensity of the mes around his body increased countless times over. The color of the fire became a deeper red, orange, and yellow. The mes began to expand in the shape of a dome as it traveled out from Lances position. "Inferno Down!" Lances roared as the dome of mes expanded further in every direction forcing Rinse and everyone else to retreat. Even those individuals who stayed hidden could feel the wrath of the zing inferno. However, one of the individuals were unable to escape the inferno and was pulled towards the dome of mes at thest moment. "Ahhhhhh!" As they were engulfed by the mes, they tried to escape but it was as if there was some invisible force that prevented them from acting. In the end, they were roasted alive inside of the intense mes and reduced to ashes. Everyone present was dumbfounded. A hint of fear could be seen in their eyes after they witnessed that sight of horror. They knew Lances was strong, however, they did not remember him being this powerful! "Impossible!" Rinse eximed in disbelief. Rinse¡¯s facial expression turned extremely ugly after he sessfully retreated to a safe distance. He was from the same kingdom as Lances and they were always close to one another in terms of overall strength, however, Lances always held that edge over him. But one thing was for certain, Lances was never this strong! "You were holding back all this time? You dare mock me?!" Rinse was both terrified on the inside and outraged. It was not supposed to go this way. Lances should have been somewhat weakened after his battle with the Earthbound Peacock, however, his strength had not diminished in the slightest! In fact, he seemed even stronger than when he was fighting that monster. "I didn¡¯t sign up for this. You guys are on your own." One of the participants said as he made a tactical retreat. He was not the only one. Excluding Rinse, all the original participants who agreed to team up with him began to make their retreat. Why risk their lives fighting some monster? They knew that iming top ten was impossible for them, therefore, their goal was to make it into the top 100. After all, surviving the selection would bring about an endless stream of benefits! They had severely miscalcted Lances strength and it led to the death of one of the participants. That was enough to act as a deterrent. "Why not stay a while longer?" A voice echoed from within the forest, but no one could tell which direction it came from. Rummmble! The ground started to shake violently as tremors traveled through the earth beneath the retreating participant¡¯s feet. The other four who hid nearby were also affected by the tremors and was forced out of their hiding spot. "Who dares?! Show yourself if you¡¯re not a coward!" One of the individuals who was forced out of hiding shouted in an enraged manner. He nned on following one of the retreating participants and catching them by surprise once they were far away enough, but now, his ns were ruined and he was even forced out of hiding! All of a sudden, a piercing aura descended upon that individual and before he knew it a powerful pressure struck his throat and sent him sliding back nearly two meters. A strong gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and quickly vanished. NPC Name: Vansouden(Elite) NPC Level: 53 "You-!" Vansouden coughed as he covered his throat with one hand that was just hit. He did not know the person who appeared before him, however, they were incredibly fast! There was no time at all for him to respond to that attack just now. Of course, the person who justunched an attack was none other than Izroth! He stood two meters away from Vansouden after he used Fissuring Point and then unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. At the moment, his Behemoth¡¯s Quake was still ongoing, however, most of the participants simply ignored it since the damage itself was negligible to them. Lances nced over at Izroth and an amused smile appeared on his face. In his eyes, that guy was either brave or stupid. Judging from therge area of effect attack Izroth just used and its weak damage, Lances leaned towards thetter. But, the execution of that movement skill kept him interested in Izroth. It was rare to see someone capable of using Instantaneous Movement. Vansouden red at Izroth as he spread his arms and two daggers appeared in his hands. He could not believe that he just allowed himself to be caught off guard! If it was someone strong then he would ept it as hisck of skill, however, it was just some weakling who did not know their ce. He had just been humiliated! Vansouden was not the only one who looked at Izroth with looks that could kill. The other three participants that were forced out of hiding, as well as the ones who attempted to retreat all wanted Izroth dead. "That¡¯s a good look in your eyes." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. "Alright, all of you can attack at once, otherwise, you¡¯ll die." Izroth stated in a cold tone. However, his carefree expression did not match with that of his ice-cold voice. This guy... Was he an idiot? That was the only thought that crossed everyone¡¯s mind after listening to Izroth¡¯s words. Who did he think he was? Lances? One of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students? He was just some nameless nobody who was probably used to being the strongest in his little vige in a random corner of the world. Ridiculous! Why would they need more than one person to take care of that trash? At the moment, all eyes were locked onto Izroth. As for Rinse, he tried to use the opportunity to fall back, but his route of retreat was blocked by a towering wall of mes. "Trying to run? Dream on!" Lances said as he charged towards Rinse and the two engaged in battle. "I don¡¯t know who you are brat, but you should have run away from here when you had the chance. If I, Vansouden, fail to im your dog life today then I don¡¯t deserve to live in this world!" Vansouden said as he entered an advanced mode of stealth. ¡¯It appears I¡¯m being underestimated. Then, if they won¡¯t attack, I¡¯ll just have to give them a bit of motivation.¡¯ Chapter 328 It Must Be A Dream! "That fool shouldn¡¯t have stopped his assault. He actually allowed Vansouden to enter stealth. This fight is as good as over." One of the spectating individuals said as they shook their head. "But, is it really alright for us to stay here? If Lances decides toe after us after defeating Rinse then..." "Are you forgetting what Master Zushuatri mentioned about being randomly teleported every 30 minutes? No matter how strong Lances may be, if we all team up, then even if he managed to kill everyst one of us he would not get away unscathed. There are still the other top contenders and Master Zushuatri¡¯s students to worry about. As for Rinse, hmph, it¡¯s his own fault for not knowing who he could and couldn¡¯t provoke." Everyone agreed to a temporary truce until they were teleported. After that, if they crossed paths again then it was every man for themselves. For now, they wanted to see the good show that was about to happen right before their eyes. Being attacked by some nobody left a bad taste in their mouths and only his death would appease them. Of course, no one truly trusted anyone and kept their guard up. A verbal truce was a shaky agreement at best in the selection as some people would do anything to obtain points. "Still, I can¡¯t believe that guy is Vansouden. I¡¯ve heard about him and his Nightmare Arts, but..." While Vansouden was not a contender to im one of the top ten spots of the selection, due to his Nightmare Arts, everyone believed that he would have no problem getting into the top 100. The Nightmare Arts were known for driving its opponent to the brink of madness. Vansouden integrated this into his dagger and stealth skills to create a more dangerous form of the Nightmare Arts. "Look at that guy just standing there. He must be scared out of his mind after realizing just what he¡¯s gotten himself into." "He has his eyes closed and has already epted his death. To think he spoke in such an arrogant way not too long ago. What a joke! I have no idea how trash like that made it into the selection in the first ce." Izroth stood perfectly still with his Sword of The Storm in his hand. He had a carefree and calm expression on his face with his eyes closed. He tried to use Energy Vision Sense to locate Vansouden after he went stealth, however, there was no indication of his me to be found anywhere. ¡¯His level of stealth is able to evade the detection of my Energy Vision Sense. He¡¯s probably using an A-ranked or even S-ranked stealth skill.¡¯ This was the highest level of stealth Izroth had seen so far within RML. Of course, this was not including the skills unique to the Phantasmal race. Whatever skill Vansouden executed was capable of suppressing and cloaking the mes around him that usually showed when Izroth used Energy Vision Sense. Vansouden moved at an incredible speed as he circled around Izroth and maintained his stealth. When he saw that Izroth closed his eyes he nearly coughed up blood from anger. That piece of trash dared to close his eyes against him?! He was an inheritor of the Nightmare Arts! Someone who was guaranteed a spot in the top 100 and yet this nobody dared to mock him in the middle of a battle? How could he not be enraged?! "Hmph, he can just die ignorant of his own weakness!" Vansouden said to himself as he suddenly stopped circling Izroth and kicked off his back foot and targeted Izroth¡¯s blind spot. Woosh! Vansouden¡¯s daggers soared through the air as they released a powerful aura. At the same time, Izroth was surrounded by creatures that looked as if they were straight out of a nightmare! "Nightmare Arts: Parade of Terror!" Vansouden¡¯s stealth dropped just as his daggers were about to connect with Izroth¡¯s neck. There was a fierce and dark energy that lingered around his daggers and it seemed as if Izroth would be engulfed by the darkness. The creatures conjured up by Vansouden¡¯s Nightmare Arts: Parade of Terror all rushed towards Izroth ready to devour him! "What a waste of time. It¡¯s already over. I thought because he was able to use Instantaneous Movement that he would at least run around for his life to give us a good show." One of the spectating individuals sighed in disappointment. "Tch, that Vansouden is so hotheaded. Why is he trying so hard against a weakling?" "In the end, it¡¯s still apetition. He probably wants to secure points as fast as possible and move on so that he has a chance of making it into the top 100." "Hm? What¡¯s going on?" One of the individuals questioned with a frown on their face. Out of nowhere, Vansouden just stood there in an awkward posture with his daggers. Everyone had a confused look on their face when they saw that he halted his attack mere millimeters away from Izroth¡¯s neck. Could he actually be toying with that piece of trash¡¯s life to crush his confidence? With this thought in mind, everyone had a mocking or satisfied expression. This is what they wanted to see! However, as everyone was enjoying Vansouden "toying" with Izroth, Vansouden himself was currently dumbfounded. "Why can¡¯t I move my body?!" Vansouden thought to himself. He was fine just a second ago, but now, his whole body was paralyzed! However, what really left him baffled was something strange that was going on with the trash in front of his eyes. His body was phasing in and out of existence. It was just like a flickering effect when something was there one moment and gone the next that constantly repeats itself. The strangest thing was that there were currently two of them! But, before Vansouden could even register what was going on, he felt sharp pains spreading throughout his body that mostly focused around his neck area. While Vansouden had no idea what was going on, the individuals who were spectating the fight fell silent. The mocking and satisfied expressions on their face had disappeared and it was reced by one that was cold and distant. "What is that movement technique?" One of the participants asked in a serious tone. "Doesn¡¯t its description match that of the infamous moving technique from one of the seven heroes?" "Don¡¯t be an idiot. How can some random nobody learn that skill? It¡¯s probably just a bit simr to it. Besides, it was said that the hero you¡¯re talking about could move kilometers in the blink of an eye. While I¡¯ll admit he¡¯s fast, I doubt he has that kind of speed, otherwise, even those students of Master Zushuatri would not be able to touch a single strand of hair on his head." Of course, the version of Flickering Steps Izroth possessed was the watered-down version that the system granted him. After all, if the system gave him the true Flickering Steps that Gear himself used then it would be just as they said. He would have the ability to travel kilometers in a sh! ¡¯As I thought. No matter how high level the stealth technique is, there¡¯s always a small opening just before their attacknds. However, I still didn¡¯t expect it to be that close.¡¯ Thanks to Soul Sense, as well as creating a fake blind spot for Vansouden to target, Izroth already had a good understanding of what direction Vansouden would attack from. A few moments ago just before Vansouden¡¯s attack was about to connect, Izroth swiftly activated Flickering Steps and avoided the attack leaving behind his flickering silhouette in the process. At the same time, he curved around to the side of Vansouden and used Serpent¡¯s Bite to paralyze him. Once Vansouden was unable to move, Izroth rained down a vicious assault with his Sword of the Storm. One of the things Izroth figured out from his fight against Anvil was that the NPCs that participated in this selection were different from the ones he normally fought against. He did not know whether it was just a special asion due to the selection process, or if they were always that way, but it made things a lot more reasonable. Their HP wasparable to that of what yers would be around that level with fully geared equipment. Of course, being level 50 or higher meant that their HP was naturally greater than Izroth¡¯s, but it was not some ridiculous number like 500,000 or 1 million. That was the main reason Izroth did not mind facing everyone at the same time. After all, if they all had 500,000 to 1 million HP then there was no way that he would be able to eliminate all of them before the random teleportation urred. Ultimately, this meant that the ying field was even! Or, at least, as even as it could possibly be for Izroth. ¡¯As I thought, his HP is still higher than I expected despite his leather-type armor. Well, that¡¯s fine.¡¯ A surge of energy began to gather at the tip of Izroth¡¯s index finger. Without any hesitation, it pierced right through Vansouden¡¯s neck like a hot knife through butter. ?Critical Hit? -8,244 Izroth struck Vansouden with his Fissuring Point just as the paralyze effect on his Serpent¡¯s Bite wore off. Vansouden was infuriated and fearful at the same time. He had taken heavy damage just now from Izroth¡¯s assault. If he had stayed paralyzed for one or two more seconds he would have been a goner! Vansouden used a skill called Nightmare Arts: Ghoul Rush to escape from Izroth¡¯s immediate attack range. All of a sudden, his body was coated in a thick red aura. Vansouden did not know why or how Izroth was unaffected by his Nightmare Arts: Parade of Terror, but he would not allow himself to sumb to defeat so easily! "Nightmare Arts: Paradigm of Tempo and Death!" Vansouden roared as he vanished from the spot he stood in. However, it was not that he entered into stealth, but that his movement speed had increased to an incredible level! While it was still slower than Izroth¡¯s, he was no longer at a massive disadvantage when it came to speed. As their sword and daggers shed and parried one another¡¯s, a carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face. This was the type of fight he was looking for in this selection! With his Flickering Steps, Izroth had always absolutely dominated opponents when it came to speed. One of the few exceptions to this was Azalea, but besides that, there was no one who was capable ofing anywhere close to his speed. Although Vansouden was still slower than him, it was not by too much and he could actually respond to Izroth¡¯s attacks. As Izroth fought, he could feel the progress of his Heavenly Golden Body slowly gaining momentum. Beforeing to this selection, Izroth¡¯s improvement of his Heavenly Golden Body was stagnant. Even though he participated in numerous battles, he found that if the opponent was much weaker than him or provided no kind of true battle experience, then the progress he made would be zero. Without fights that stimted the Heavenly Golden Body, as well as his sword forms, they would always remain in a stagnant state. ¡¯At this rate, my Heavenly Golden Body will advance by the end of this selection.¡¯ While Izroth was counting his fortune with a carefree smile on his face, Vansouden looked as if he were ready to explode from sheer anger. For some reason, Izroth¡¯s calm and nonchnt expression felt like stabbing wounds. He felt that he was being looked down upon! If anything, he should be the one looking down upon that trash! "How is he still faster than me? Is he using some rare potion or talisman? How?" That thought kept crossing Vansouden¡¯s mind over and over again as he was being slowly overwhelmed and pushed back by Izroth¡¯s fierce attacks. Vansouden was not the only one confused. Those who were observing the battle from the sidelines were also baffled and dumbfounded. That Vansouden, an inheritor of the Nightmare Arts, was being overpowered by some nameless nobody? Was this a dream? It must be a dream! Chapter 329 One vs Many "Who is that guy?" One of the observers asked with a visible frown. Usually, someone this strong would not fly so low under the radar. While in their eyes he was notparable to those who could potentially qualify for the top ten such as Lances, it was clear to them by this point that he was definitely capable of making it into the top 100. Maybe even the top 50! Therefore, how could he be some nameless nobody that they had never even heard whispers of before? "We should eliminate this threat while we have the chance! Or, are any of you confident in facing him alone?" One of the participants stated. "True, that movement skill would be annoying to deal with alone. Though, it¡¯s a bit shameless teaming up on some nameless guy. Lances is different since he already has a reputation, however, won¡¯t othersugh at us if they find out we teamed up to attack one person?" "Who cares? Are you forgetting what Master Zushuatri said? There¡¯s no rule against teaming up to take someone down. Besides, if no one here says anything, I doubt Lances will go out of his way to talk about it." "Well, to be fair, he did say that he wanted to fight against all of us together, right? So we¡¯ll just be granting him his wish. It¡¯s his own fault for making such a stupid wish to begin with!" One of the individuals said as they found a way to justify their actions. "Yeah, you¡¯re right." "Mm, he can¡¯t me us if we take action." Everyone went along with using that as the reason behind their actions. They all knew inside that if they allowed that person to roam freely around the selection and he held onto any enmity towards them, then they would regret not taking this prime opportunity to dispatch of him. As for Izroth, he was having a much easier time as Vansouden started to visibly slow down. This was due to the effects of Izroth¡¯s Imprint: Concealed Heavy Wounds kicking in. ¡¯His sense of perception is high. He¡¯s still able to protect most of his vitals well.¡¯ One¡¯s sense of perception naturally increased as they leveled up. Since Vansouden was over level 50, Izroth estimated that his sense of perception was around 40% lower than his own or possibly even 30%. However, one had to remember that Izroth had the Heavenly Golden Body and had consumed a Five Cycles Pill. If not for those two things, then even if Izroth was faster than Vansouden, he would not be able to follow Vansouden¡¯s movements. Vansouden¡¯s breathing increased as his body and equipment felt heavier than usual. Why was he so fatigued after such a short battle? He was used to fighting for hours without rest so there was no way that he should feel so exhausted! He knew that if things continued down this path, then without a doubt, he would be killed. "If things keep up like this, I¡¯ll die. I¡¯ll die in this ce! To some nobody! I¡¯ll die! No, I can¡¯t allow that to happen. I won¡¯t allow it to happen! If I have to die, then I¡¯ll take this bastard down with me!" Vansouden¡¯s mind kicked into overdrive. "Nightmare Arts: Dread-!" Vansouden was just about to activate a double-edged sword final resort skill, however, he could not have ever prepared himself for what happened next. "Half Mark Sword Wave!" Woosh! A sharp sword aura shot directly in between Vansouden and Izroth forcing both of them to break off their close-rangedbat to avoid the strike. However, it did not stop there. Just as Izroth jumped away from the Half Mark Sword Wave, three different colored lightning bolts rushed towards him. "Tri-Lightning Assault!" ¡¯Oh? So they¡¯ve finally decided to act.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s swung his Sword of The Storm outward to meet with the Tri-Lightning Assault, however, the person whounched the attack had a smirk on their face. That fool wanted to sh head-on with his Tri-Lightning Assault? Dream on! Swoosh! As soon as Izroth¡¯s de made contact with the Tri-Lightning Assault, something unusual happened. Instead oftching onto the weapon in his hands and shocking him to death with lightning, the three different colored lightning swirled and rotated around his Sword of The Storm. With one swift motion, Izroth shed out with his sword as the Tri-Lightning Assault fired off in the direction of the individual who used Half Mark Sword Wave! They were unable to dodge it in time and was struck by all three bolts of lightning. As for the damage, it was not light since Tri-Lightning Assault became even stronger if the target was holding onto any kind of metal-based weapon. Izroth used the Sword Return skill of the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave to redirect the Tri-Lightning towards another target. However, due to the position they were in, to the individual whounched the Half Mark Sword Wave, it appeared as if they had been intentionally targeted by the Tri-Lightning Assault from the start! They had no idea that Izroth was capable of redirecting attacks. "You-! I thought we had a deal!" He was outraged and angered that a sneak attack had beenunched against him. He knew that he should have never trusted that backstabbing person who was only there to look out for themselves at the end of the day! How could he have been such a fool?! "I-I didn¡¯t do it! My attack was meant for-" "Enough of your nonsense! Your life belongs to me! Three-Quarters Mark Sword Wave!" "Ah! You dare?! Tri-Lightning..." The two individuals had actually taken their focus off of Izroth and began to fight with each other instead! Izroth understood that if all of them worked together without any discord then their chain of attacks would leave him with little opportunity to attack. Therefore, he decided to sow some discord between the group so that he could manage arger window of attack. "Those two idiots! Well, whatever, at least they¡¯re buying me some time." Vansouden gritted his teeth. However, he was relieved on the inside that the pressure had been taken off of him. If he had executed that skill of his then it was over for him in this selection. While he would not die, he would be vulnerable for the rest of the selection which may have eventually led to his death. Vansouden never thought that he would be driven into a corner like this so early into the selection! He entered into stealth mode and disappeared from sight. Although, no one had any idea what was going on through his mind at that moment. "That coward Vansouden actually ran away!" One of the participants scoffed. "Hmph, what fearsome Nightmare Arts? Here I thought he was someone with real skill." After Vansouden disappeared, the fight between Izroth and the other participants became increasingly intense. At the moment, it was Izroth versus six other participants who were all at or above level 50. Even for someone like Izroth, this was not a situation where he could remainpletely unscathed. The level gap was already there, however, the level 49 to level 50 gap made it even worse. Even though Izroth was much faster than everyone present, they could still follow his movements for the most part due to the increased sense of perception that came with naturally leveling up. If Izroth was level 50 or they were below level 50, then there would be no chance of them following his movements while Flickering Steps was active. "Phoenix Feathers!" One of the participants yelled as ten sharp knives covered in yellow mes flew towards Izroth¡¯s direction. Izroth avoided nine of the knives, however, just as he was about to avoid the final one he shifted his position to receive the attack as a strong sword aura flew right past him. "He dodged it?!" The person whounched the attack was the user of the Half Mark Sword Wave. His fight with the other participant hade to a swift conclusion and ended with his victory. Although he suffered some injuries during the altercation, he was still able to fight. Now that he had rejoined the fight, it was one versus seven! Woosh! Izroth did not hesitate to return an attack of his own as he activated the Tempest Strikes on his Sword of The Storm and sent off two swift des of winds in the direction of the person whose attack had just struck him. However, instead of being enraged, Izroth gave a genuine smile that was different from his usual carefree one. The attack that struck him just now removed around 25% of his total HP. While he could have used Shadow Movement or Instantaneous Movement to avoid it, he knew that this fight would not be hisst. Also, there were only a few minutes left until the first random teleportation took ce. If he came across a strong individual and all of his high-ranking skills were on cooldown, then the end results would be unfavorable. Not to mention, there was also another threat that was bigger than the current seven individuals he was fighting against. Lances had long since finished his fight against Rinse. The results? Apletely one-sided ughter. Rinse was overwhelmed by Lances overbearing mes and inferno before being scorched into nothingness. At the moment, Lances stood there and observed the fight. However, no one could tell what was going on through his mind. He could be simply waiting for the victor to be decided before iming the points for himself. Or, he was just confident enough in his ability to collect points to not care about them. Either way, Izroth could not afford to freely waste any escape or movement skills. ¡¯What is he up to?¡¯ Izroth did not take Lances as the sit back and watch type. The fact that he lured people into ambushing him by hiding his true strength showed that he was not just some thoughtless person. But, in the end, Izroth could only focus on the fight before him, not the one that may await him after. While the person who Izroth attacked was able to avoid his first de of wind, he could not evade the second. -2,319 +139 Izroth was not too worried about the damage he took since he possessed lifesteal. ¡¯If their teamwork was a little better, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able tounch a single attack without receiving some damage. However, they¡¯re still cautious of one another and the one who¡¯s watching us from a distance.¡¯ Izroth inwardly shook his head in disappointment. They were so worried about who would try backstabbing them that they left him a handful of opportunities tounch a counter-assault. ¡¯At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to take care of all of them before we¡¯re randomly teleported. Should I risk using that?¡¯ Swoosh! Swoosh! Three more attacks flew towards Izroth as he sessfully evaded them. However, instead of retreating back or to the side, he retreated into the sky! This left the other participants dumbfounded. "He can fly?!" One of the individuals eximed in a voice filled with shock and disbelief. It was not due to the fact that Izroth could ascend into the air, but rather, he appeared to be flying without a magic item or special flying beast! How could they not be stunned? Lances had arge grin on his face as he watched Izroth go further and further up into the air until he stopped at a height of 40 meters. ¡¯This should be good enough.¡¯ Izroth sheathed his Sword of The Storm. A few momentster, dark and gray clouds started to form in the sky above him. ¡¯I didn¡¯t n on using it this earlier, however, it¡¯s the most effective skill for this situation since time is running out.¡¯ All of a sudden, the sound of pping thunder could be heard roaring throughout the surroundings. It sounded as if the thunder was trying to call for something or someone. Or, that the thunder itself was being called out to! ¡¯Call of the Thunder God. First State: Heavenly Descent.¡¯ Chapter 330 Call of the Thunder God, First State: Heavenly Descen ¡¯There¡¯s not much time remaining until the random teleportation takes effect. I¡¯ll have to end this fight before that happens.¡¯ As the sky darkened, purple bolts of lightning could be seen jumping and dancing around inside of the gray clouds. "A storm? What¡¯s going on?" One of the participants questioned when they saw the gathering of the storm clouds in the sky above. "Is he trying to run away while using the storm as cover?!" "It seems he still had a few tricks up his sleeves. Still, to think that he¡¯s actually able to fly. Just who is this guy?" Everyone began to truly question Izroth¡¯s identity. Instantaneous Movement, the ability to fly, and a high-ranked movement skill. How was it possible that someone like that managed to stay under the radar for so long? "Look, something¡¯s happening!" One of the individuals yelled out as he observed the purple lightning that formed within the clouds. All of a sudden, two bolts of purple lightning struck down towards Izroth and crashed into his body without mercy! Everyone was shocked! Did he really just die like that? He did not only get hit by one bolt but two bolts of lightning. Even some powerful beings would be unable to withstand such a vicious assault by nature. What followed a few moments after was a roaring p of thunder. All of a sudden, two bolts of purple lightning descended from the sky towards the ground where everyone was gathered. "It¡¯sing towards us!" "Retreat!" Who would not be terrified of lightning that was birthed by nature itself? It was nothing like the Tri-Lightning Assault that was used earlier! As for Lances, he retreated to a safe distance after he felt the raw power that was being emitted from the purple lightning. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed something that the others had failed to. "Just who is he..?" Lances muttered to himself. He found that the lightning did not strike Izroth as the other thoughts it did, but instead, it intentionally converged to his position in the sky without harming him! This meant that the one controlling the lightning was not nature itself, but Izroth! However, how difficult was it to control and influence the lightning that resided in nature? It was like trying to tame a wild beast! The two bolts of purple lightning went straight for one of the fleeing participants. Although they tried to escape its range, theycked the proper speed to outrun it. A look of horror appeared on the participants¡¯ face as they felt the purple lightning approach them. Crrrrrrckle! Boom! Two streaks of light shed by and at the next moment, a bolt of purple lightning shot out from his body and jumped to one of the nearby participants. However, it did not stop there. Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzt! The lightning continued to leap from participant to participant and sparred no one in the process! There were even two individuals who were rendered immobile after they were struck by the purple lightning. The lightning itself seemed to be alive and possess a mind of its own as it linked its attacks together like a chain. ¡¯The mana cost is a bit troublesome, however, considering the number of skills I have that require mana, this much should be fine. I won¡¯t let this chance slip away.¡¯ Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God Skill Level: 2/5 Skill Rank: S Requirements: None ?First State: Heavenly Descent?: Mana Cost: 550 Active: The user summons two bolts of special purple lightning that descents down and is capable of taking on the weapon shape(s) of the user¡¯s choosing. This counts as the weapon(s) chosen by the user and can be used for skills that require the form of the weapon(s) it took. While this skill is active, all weapon-based attacks is converted to lightning damage. All lightning damage dealt by the user is increased by 40%. All weapon-based attacks will have the effect ?Lightning Chain? added to them. All weapon-based attacks have a 15% chance to paralyze the struck target(s) for 1 second. This skillsts for 20 seconds. ?Lightning Chain?- When an enemy is struck by the user¡¯s lightning-type attack(s), that same attack jumps to a nearby enemy within 15 meters in the form of a purple lightning bolt and strikes them as well. Each attack deals 10% less damage of the total damage every time it jumps to a new nearby enemy (MIN: 30% Damage). There is no limit to the number of times this skill can jump to another enemy. Cooldown: 10 minutes ?Second State: Heavenly Cloak?: ... Special Note: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points and the user must experience many battles to further advance. Activating another state while one is already active multiplies the mana cost by 1+(The Number of states currently active). The rank of this skill is upgraded as the user unlocks more states. This skill once belonged to a certain individual who fought single-handedly against a powerful empire and prevailed! The two purple bolts of lightning that descended from the sky earlier was, in actuality, Izroth himself descending from the sky. In his hands were two swords that were made out of pure purple lightning. Every time Izroth waved one of the swords in his hands, a sh of purple light would appear and his intended target would be mercilessly electrocuted. Once his attack connected, a stream of lightning would always jump from the target towards the nearest individual and strike them as well. Everyone was in a temporary state of panic as they did not want to be struck by the purple lightning, however, after realizing that it was not nature¡¯s lightning and just one of Izroth¡¯s skills they became ovee with embarrassment. Time and time again this person went out of his way to makeplete and utter fools of them! No matter what, he had to die today! Otherwise, how could they ever talk about having face again? However, they were unable to close in on his location to strike. Every time they did so, a bolt of lightning would rush towards them and they were forced to defend. At the moment, the tables had been turned. It was no longer Izroth with a few opportunities to attack and being forced to defend, instead, it was him doing the attacking and the others being pushed to take a defensive stance. "Kill him! If we don¡¯t kill him here we¡¯ll be theughing stock of the selection!" One of the participants yelled in a fit of rage. This had been the most humiliating experience of their lives! After all, if word of this got out then their lives would be over and even if they did somehow pass the selection it would haunt them forever. Woosh! BOOM! ?Critical Hit? -17,807 "Ahhhh!" One of the participants was struck by both of Izroth¡¯s purple lightning swords. Although he had been able to follow Izroth¡¯s previous attacks to some degree, the attack that was just used against him had happened too fast. Before he knew it, his life was over. ¡´System Alert: Your total points have been increased by 252. [Total Points: 597].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your selection rank has changed from 802 to 778.¡µ Izroth¡¯s assault did not halt there. As the lightning jumped to the next target and the next! -16,022 -14,046 -12,365 ... Izroth imed the life of the participant who had been injured during the dispute he intentionally caused earlier. The user of the Half Mark Sword Wave had also perished under the fierce lightning. ¡´System Alert: Your total points have been increased by 200. [Total Points: 797].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your selection rank has changed from 778 to 765.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Forced Random Relocation sequence willmence in 30 seconds.¡µ ¡¯30 seconds, is it?¡¯ Izroth set his gaze towards Lances who was in the distance. However, in the end, he decided to only focus on the individuals in front of him. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t cross paths a bitter in the selection.¡¯ To Izroth, it was not worth engaging a fight with Lances as he would not have enough time. But, if he did use some of his high-ranked skills to im Lances¡¯ life, it would not be a profitable trade-off. Since the selection had just started, Lances most likely did not have that many points. Even if it was more than the others, it was not worth the risk of wasting high-ranked skills just before the relocation urred. Although it was somewhat regrettable, Izroth understood that this would not be his only chance to im points. He understood that the real fight would not begin until the final two relocations took ce. That was when the vast majority of the weaker participants would be removed from the selection via natural process. Everyone was not too affected by the first death, however, after the second death, they started to be ovee with a sense of dread. Even though they had decided to fight Izroth to the death if it was necessary, when a chance to live presented itself before them, it was impossible to ignore. 30 seconds! If they could just survive 30 seconds then even if they hung their heads in shame, at the very least, they would still be alive and no one could say that they ran away! However, never had 30 seconds so strongly resembled an eternity. The third person fell soon after and was followed by the fourth. Soon enough, there was only one person remaining excluding Lances. "Wait, we can make a deal! I¡¯ll do whatever you s-" But before they could even finish pleading with Izroth, a bolt of purple lightning engulfed their body and sent them towards their death. In just a handful of seconds, Izroth had eliminated all those who stood before him! "It seems I¡¯m not the only one who hid their strength." Lances said to himself as he closely observed the fight. However, he did not have a look of worry on his face even after seeing Izroth¡¯s strength firsthand. After Izroth eliminated thest participant, Lances walked towards his direction. Of course, this immediately caught Izroth¡¯s attention as he turned to face Lances with a carefree expression on his face. "Don¡¯t worry, I have no intentions of fighting with you with the relocation right around the corner. I thought I should make a proper introduction. I¡¯m Lances, though some people like to call me the Hand of mes. You are?" Lances said. "Izroth." Izroth replied in a nonchnt manner with the two purple swords of lightning still in his hands. "Izroth? I see. I will remember it. Then, since we¡¯re such good friends now, let me give some friendly advice." Lances stated as his facial expression turned serious. Lances held up five fingers as he said, "There are five people in this selection you shouldn¡¯t fight no matter what. If you see a strange marking on their forehead, your only thought should be to escape with your life. These are the five who are closest to the same level as Master Zushatri¡¯s students. Those five... They¡¯re the true definition of monsters. Remember this, Izroth." "What do you hope to gain by telling me this?" Izroth asked. From his expression and demeanor, Izroth could tell that even after witnessing his Call of the Thunder God, Lances was not afraid of a fight. But, even so, that was no reason for him to go out of his way to warn him about anything. "I just felt like it, that¡¯s all. Do I need another reason?" Lances said with a grin on his face. "No, I suppose not." Izroth replied. Although he did not know if Lances had any ulterior motives, he knew that there were some people out there like him who simply did things as they pleased. "Die! Nightmare Arts: Dreadful Sacrifice!" A voice rang out near Izroth as a powerful and dreadful energy formed in the atmosphere. A person appeared from out of nowhere and it was none other than Vansouden who entered into stealth earlier! Surprisingly, he had not run away and chose to attack Izroth just seconds before the forced relocation urred! ¡¯Fool.¡¯ Chapter 331 First Party Vansouden had been hiding in stealth the entire time as he waited for the perfect opportunity tounch a sneak attack. He knew that Izroth was bound to let his guard down the closer they became to the forced relocation, therefore, he decided to wait until thest few seconds. That way, even if his attack failed, he would be teleported away without paying any kind of price for his failure. Not only that, but those dangerous purple lightning swords had finally vanished! In truth, Vansouden did not expect Izroth to be such a fierce opponent, but something felt off about him. In the end, he could not put his finger on it, but that no longer mattered to him. He knew that using his Nightmare Arts: Dreadful Sacrifice, even if Izroth did not die instantly, his chances of surviving after the relocation would be a near impossibility! "Die!" Vansouden roared as his daggers became pitch ck and a stream of dark energy flowed throughout his body. There were veins that became visible on his skin and one could see that the color of the blood had changed from red to ck! A terrifying energy rushed towards Izroth and wanted to devour him whole. "Then, I¡¯ll also give you some friendly advice." Izroth said to Lances as an overbearing aura pushed back against Vansouden¡¯s dark energy andpletely overwhelmed him in the process. At the next moment, Izroth¡¯s hand was pierced through Vansouden¡¯s throat. However, instead of a hand, it seemed more like a sharp and deadly sword filled with destruction! Vansouden eyes widened in belief. He could notprehend what had just taken ce. Why was the person in front of him still standing? Why could he not move his body? That was the moment realization crept in. "Those who¡¯ve blocked my path have never met with a good end." Izroth stated as he did not spare Vansouden a single nce. It was as if he were swatting a fly that was buzzing around the room. Izroth withdrew his hand, however, one could still feel a lingering sword aura around it. He had just used the swordless form of the First Baneful Sword: Destruction. But, given how sharp the aura was around his hand, one would never think that he actually attacked without a weapon! "Good, very good!" Lances said with an excited look on his face that he found hard to hold back. He could tell from the look in Izroth¡¯s eyes that the words he spoke were not just that of pure arrogance, but absolute confidence. For some reason, he believed that this person before him would continue to surprise him throughout this selection. It was just a gut feeling of his, however, rarely was his gut feeling wrong about someone. Vansouden eyes were filled with hatred as he faded into countless particles. His ce in the selection was not the top 100 as he nned, but instead, it ended with his death in the first 30 minutes. For this, he would curse Izroth all the way to the Nether Realm! Just as Vansouden¡¯s particles finished dissipating, a magic symbol appeared above and beneath Izroth¡¯s feet. The same thing happened to Lances as well. It was due to the very first relocation taking ce. "Try not to die before we cross paths again, Izroth." Lances said with a smirk on his face. ¡´System Alert: Beginning Forced Random Relocation sequence.¡µ Zoom! Zoom! The magic symbols collided with one another and immediately after that happened Izroth, as well as Lances suddenly disappeared. ... Meanwhile, back at the tform... "The first round has passed and it¡¯s only down to 827 people. Isn¡¯t that a new record for the second team selection?" Kayn questioned. Zushuatri nodded with a gentle smile on his face as he replied, "Indeed. Usually, the number of casualties are a lot higher before the first relocation takes ce. I believest time it was already down to 502 participants. That just goes to show that the batch this time around is quite good. I¡¯m pleased." Kayn watched the magic screen and a few momentster a frown appeared on his face. "Hey, old man, didn¡¯t you say that the relocation is done at random?" Kayn asked. "That is the case." Zushuatri responded. Kayn released a sigh as he shook his head, "Then, I¡¯m afraid his luck is pretty bad." Zushuatri set his gaze towards the area Kayn was observing and it caused his brows to furrow slightly. "Isn¡¯t that guy also one of the people invited by that person? Maybe he¡¯ll surprise us." Kayn said. On the magic screen, one could see Sphinx stand only a few meters away from another participant. It was the other individual who was invited by that person to participate in the selection along with Izroth! It looked like their fight against Sphinx was inevitable. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... ¡´System Alert: You have acquired x1 ?Utopia Flower?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 10/10 Collect ?Utopia Flower? at the outer edge of ?Whistling Cliff?.¡µ "That was thest one. Thank you, Ayanellia. You made this quest a lot easier." Reilei said with a gentle smile on her face. The young doe of creations Ayanellia, who stood next to Reilei, rubbed her head up against Reilei¡¯s leg. Mew! Xiao Liang jumped down from Reilei¡¯s shoulder and crashed into Ayanellia headbutting her in the process. "Xiao Liang!" Reilei gasped when she saw Xiao Liang headbutt Ayanellia. Mew! Mew! Xiao Liang had a smug expression on his face as he looked at Ayanellia. As for the young deer, she lowered her head slightly and a pitiful look found its way onto her face. A small and sad whimper could be hearding from the young deer. "Xiao Liang if you keep bullying Ayanellia then I¡¯ll get angry." Reilei said with a small pout on her face. She reached down to pick up Ayanellia and held the young deer in her hands. "Ayanellia, don¡¯t be saddened. Xiao Liang is just not used to havingpany yet, that¡¯s all. I hope the two of you can get along well." Reilei said in aforting tone. This caused Ayanellia to cheer up and her previously sad expression had turned to one of joy. Mew... Xiao Liang, on the other hand, looked as if he had just been wronged. Reilei shook her head inwardly when she saw Xiao Liang. She knew how he loved to put on acts in front of her. However, even though she knew it, she could not find it within herself to stay upset with him. When the young deer first awakened, she immediately clung to Reilei. It may have been due to the fact that her mother, who she had not yet met, was nowhere around and Reilei was the only one nearby. Therefore, the young deer imprinted on Reilei. Of course, what Reilei did not know was that there was another reason behind this and it was the skill she received from Ayanelle, the Blessing of the Doe of Creations. In the end, Reilei formed a Soul Contract with the young deer and gave her the name Ayanellia to carry on a part of her mother¡¯s name. Since then, Ayanellia had never left Reilei¡¯s side and was quite attached to her. However, every time Ayanellia got too close to Reilei, Xiao Liang would headbutt her! It was as if he were saying, "Hey, brat! I was here first!". But, Reilei did not truly me Xiao Liang. While she did not know for a fact if age was relevant in RML when it came to Xiao Liang and Ayanellia, she understood that both of them were rtively newborn creatures. Therefore, dealing with Xiao Liang was almost simr to dealing with a child who threw tantrums. "But, Jin has always been so well behaved... What should I do...?" Reilei muttered to herself with a troubled expression. Since Jin was so well behaved, she had no idea how to deal with Xiao Liang besides the asional scolding. Before she even knew it, Reilei had already considered Xiao Liang and Ayanellia to be like family to her in RML. The way Xiao Liang and Ayanellia interacted with one another was like an older sibling taunting the younger sibling. "Hey look, there¡¯s a yer over there. Why don¡¯t we just invite them?" "Where- Oh, you¡¯re right! Eh? Those creatures... It looks like they¡¯re a summoner. Are summoners any good?" "Idiot! Don¡¯t you know the guild leader of Hypers Symphony, Wang Ping, is a summoner? That¡¯s one of the top ten guilds! Why would a guild leader choose a ss that¡¯s bad?" There was a group of yers not too far away from the Whistling Cliffs that stood before a cave entrance. In total, there were five yers gathered by the cave entrance, four males and one female. From their equipment, among the males ss types was a warrior, two rogues, and a fighter. As for the female ss type, she was a cleric. Mew! As Reilei was thinking to herself, Xiao Liang released a small sound to try and get her attention. "Hm? What is Xiao Liang?" Reilei questioned as she looked down at Xiao Liang. He nudged her slightly before turning to face forward. Mew! Mew! Reilei looked over in the direction Xiao Liang faced and saw that five yers were approaching towards her direction. She instantly became somewhat cautious. After all, the only previous experience she had with running into yers out in the open was far from being a friendly and pleasant one. "Hey there, summoner! Would you like to join our party? We¡¯re trying to clear this dungeon but we don¡¯t have a magic caster. Of course, we¡¯ll split the loot depending on member contribution. Sounds fair, right?" One of the yers who approached Reilei said. It was the male warrior who appeared to be the leader of the party. "Party? Dungeon?" Reilei responded with a surprised and confused expression on her face. She was d that they did not seem to have any bad intentions, however, what did he mean by joining their party? Also, what was that strange talk about a dungeon? "Yeah, it¡¯s much easier to gather experience together as a party. Hey seriously... Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never been inside of a dungeon before?" One of the rogue yers said with a shocked expression. He then shook his head and sighed. Reilei shook her head and replied, "I don¡¯t think I have. Is it something important?" The party of five had nk expressions on their faces when Reilei asked that question. Was it important? Dungeons were hands down the best way for the average yer to rack up on experience and loot. Even the most inexperienced gamer would know what a dungeon was and the importance it held for yers. Yet, this person before them seemed to bepletely clueless. How did they manage to take it this far? The fighter sighed and said, "This is a waste of time. We should just go in with the five of us." "Then, what if wee across a monster with high physical resistance? We need magic!" The warrior responded. The healer approached Reilei with a friendly smile on her face and said, "You can call me Phoenix, nice to meet you. Are those your summons? They¡¯re so adorable." "Ah, my name is R-..." Reilei was about to respond with her real name until she remembered where she was. "I¡¯m called It¡¯s So Realistic..." Reilei spoke in a quiet and low voice. "Hm? What did you say?" Phoenix said. "I said I¡¯m called It¡¯s So Realistic." Reilei said in a voice that was loud enough for Phoenix to hear. However, the embarrassment in her voice was apparent. "That¡¯s a... Unique name?" Phoenix said with an awkward smile on her face. Reilei truly wished that she could change her name! Why did she have to be stuck with such a strange name? It was embarrassing just hearing herself say it out loud! Things settled down a few momentster. In the end, the group decided to invite Reilei to the party. After all, having nothing but magic or physical damage could end up being a headache in certain situations. Therefore, it was better to be safe rather than sorry. With this, Reilei had officially joined her first party in RML! Chapter 332 Useless Summoner? After Reilei epted the party invitation, everyone formally introduced themselves. The warrior tank of the party called himself Two Tons. Along with the healer Phoenix and one of the rogues Hidden Pulse, the three of them formed a party a few days ago and had been ying together ever since. As for the fighter Broken Fists and the other rogue Shuyi, the two of them ran into the party of three at the nearby vige and joined them in order to clear the dungeon. The group was questioning whether or not they should try to search for a magic caster to join them or just enter into the dungeon with just the five of them. This was when they spotted Reilei in the distance. Once everyone confirmed that they were ready, the party entered into the dungeon with Two Tons leading the way. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the dungeon ?Lair of Serpents?.¡µ At first, it was total darkness. However, after they received the system alert, a strange light green hue appeared that allowed them to view their surroundings. The first thing that caught the party¡¯s attention was the strange carvings on the damp cave walls. Some were in the shape of serpents and others were in the shapes of half serpent half-human. The most reurring symbol was a pair of snake fangs. "Ugh, I hate snakes! Plus, this ce is already creeping me out. Still, I¡¯m really d that we could find a magic caster. Realistic, we¡¯ll be counting on you." Phoenix said. Reilei gave a small nod in response and replied, "I¡¯ll do my best." It felt strange to hear others call her Realistic and for her to respond to the name, however, there was nothing she could do about it but regret. "Whatever you do just try not to get in our way, got it, newbie? I¡¯m going to search ahead for traps." Shuyi stated as he red over in Reilei¡¯s direction. He then activated his stealth skill and went off ahead of the party. "So rude!" Phoenix scoffed. Mew! Xiao Liang was about tounch towards Shuyi, but he was quickly calmed down by Reilei. A helpless smile formed on Reilei¡¯s lips as she rubbed the top of Xiao Liang¡¯s head. She had no idea what she did to invoke the ire of Shuyi since they had only just met, however, she knew that it would onlyplicate things if Xiao Liang actually attacked him. Two Tons shook his head and said, "Don¡¯t mind him, newbie. Everyone, we¡¯ll move slowly down the passageway until we make it to the clearing. Even though Shuyi is checking and clearing the traps ahead, there may be some that have a short reset time so use caution as we proceed. Let¡¯s go." It was clear that Two Tons was the leader of the party from his level of confidence andmanding behavior. He was also the highest level member in the party having reached level 30. As the party walked cautiously down the passageway, Phoenix moved closer to Reilei. "Hey, Realistic, why are your summons always out? Doesn¡¯t it consume a lot of mana to constantly have two of them out all the time? Isn¡¯t it tiring?" Phoenix questioned with a look of curiosity on her face. "Tiring? I don¡¯t feel any different. Is it a bad thing?" Reilei said. Phoenix shook her head and replied, "Not necessarily. It¡¯s just a bit umon that¡¯s all. However, I¡¯ve never seen such cute summons before. Where did you-" "Shhh...!" Two Tons held his hand up in front of the group and halted his steps just as they approached near the end of the pathway. This caused everyone to fall silent and go on high alert. A few secondster, Shuyi exited his stealth and reappeared before the party. "I didn¡¯t detect any traps. There¡¯s a corridor ahead that¡¯s located on the other side of the room. In total, there are three normal monsters and 1 elite monster. They¡¯re spaced out so we can fight one at a time. However, there¡¯s something odd that I think we should check out." Shuyi stated. "Hm? What else did you find?" Two Tons asked. "There¡¯s a hidden lever behind the snake nest located in the right corner of the room. However, I¡¯m unable to tell if it¡¯s a trap or not." Shuyi said. "Then, I¡¯ll go check and see for myself." Hidden Pulse, the other rogue-type ss, said. "Hmph, you should know that my Trap Detection skill is already maxed out. Do you still dare doubt my words?" Shuyi scoffed. He felt that Hidden Pulse was iming that he was someone ipetent and unreliable with his words. Hidden Pulse furrowed his brows. He wanted to retort, however, his Trap Detection skill was only a bit more than halfway to being maxed out. But, Shuyi¡¯s attitude left him with a bad taste in his mouth. "We¡¯re all friends here. We don¡¯t know what we don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll deal with the lever after we clear out this room. Until then, there¡¯s no point in overthinking things." Two Tons said. He tried to ease the tension between Shuyi and Hidden Pulse before it spiraled out of control. He could tell that Shuyi was the type to not hold back his thoughts. While being honest was never a bad thing, it could often leave one isted in social situations where too much honesty was frowned upon. "Hmph!" Hidden Pulse red at Shuyi, but he did not cause any trouble as a way of showing Two Tons face. "We¡¯ll take out all the normal monsters first and then deal with the elite monsterst. Once I secure aggro, you guys can begin your assault. Phoenix, we¡¯ll be counting on you for heals. Newbie, just keep a safe distance, send your summons forward, andunch ranged attacks. I¡¯m going." Two Tons stated. "W-" However, before Reilei could say anything, Two Tons had already charged forward towards the first monster. It was arge snake that was around 2.5 meters long. But, unlike normal snakes that slithered on the ground and possessed no limbs, this snake had a pair of small arms at its side and slithered in an upright position. Name: Servant Serpent(Normal) Level: 28 Almost right after Two Tons made his move, the others followed suit and began their assault. "He said tounch ranged attacks, but..." Reilei stood there in a confused manner as she was unsure of what she should do. Ranged attacks? Send her summons forward? How could she ce Xiao Liang and Ayanellia in danger by sending them to fight? The way she usually fought was not at a distance. However, she did not want to distract everyone who seemed to be focused on taking down the Servant Serpent. Not to mention, this was Reilei¡¯s first time joining a party. Therefore, even though most yers understood the basics of what it meant to be in a party and the task of each ss, the same could not be said for Reilei. Shuyi frowned when he noticed that Reilei just stood there. She did not even send her summons to attack or cast a basic ranged magic skill! "What does that newbie think she¡¯s doing?" Shuyi muttered to himself. In the end, since it was just a normal monster, it did not take long for the party to defeat the first Servant Serpent. "Next!" Two Tons said without taking any time to rest as he engaged the next Servant Serpent. The most troublesome thing about the Servant Serpents was their poison that dealt damage over time. However, this issue was easily managed by Phoenix. In less than one minute, the party eliminated all the normal monsters in the room. Now, all that remained was the single elite monster, the Serpent Guard. Name: Serpent Guard(Elite) Level: 30 The appearance of the Serpent Guard was simr to that of the Servant Serpent, however, the Serpent Guard wore some type of leather armor around where its chest area would be if it were a human. It also wielded a spear in its hand which the Servant Serpentscked. Its frame was bulkier and more muscr than that of the Servant Serpent and it was slightly taller. Hsssst! The Serpent Guard protected the area where Shuyi discovered the hidden lever. In other words, if they wanted ess to the lever then they would first have to deal with the Serpent Guard. "Alright, we¡¯ll-" Two Tons was about to give his nextmand, however, he was quickly interrupted by Shuyi who did not seem to be in a good mood. "Hold on a sec. Before we go any further, I have something to say." Shuyi said as he turned and walked towards Reilei. "What kind of joke are you pulling? Do you n to sit back and watch us fight while reaping some benefits? Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re a woman that you can freeload as you please in this party." Shuyi said with a cold expression on his face. Reilei was taken aback by Shuyi¡¯s attitude. All she did was follow what Two Tons said and stayed at a range. However, every time she wanted to exin her situation, they would already have moved on to the next fight. "I-" Reilei tried to exin, but before she could even utter a single word, Phoenix stepped in front of her and faced towards Shuyi with her arms folded. Phoenix had a visible frown on her face as she scoffed, "This is Realistic¡¯s first time in a dungeon and party. Do you intend to bully her the entire time?! You call yourself a man?!" "You-! I¡¯m simply stating the truth! You can defend that newbie all you want, but the truth of the matter is that the only thing she¡¯ll be useful for is being a meat shield to absorb damage if we run into any trouble." Shuyi stated without backing down. "There are already women here and yet you¡¯re the one acting like a diva! How about you try saying something constructive from that foul mouth of yours?" Phoenix said. "Constructive? You want constructive? Fine, then I think that you should just-" "Enough!" Two Tons roared at the top of his lungs. He was beginning to get a headache dealing with all the excessive bickering. He wanted everyone to get along so that he did not have to take any extreme course of action. Two Tons did not want to get rid of Shuyi due to his useful max Trap Detection skill, as well as his high DPS performance. As for Phoenix, he had known her longer than Shuyi and she was a healer. One had to know that it was much easier finding a DPS like Shuyi to join a party than it was to find a healer like Phoenix. However, the cause of all this was the summoner he invited along. He started to think that maybe it was a mistake to invite them along even if they would havecked any real magic damage. But, Phoenix seemed to be defending her and so he could not simply kick her to the curb. Needless to say, it was a troublesome situation. The best he could do for now was to try and soothe things over smoothly so that it would not end in a falling out. Two Tons sighed as he looked towards Reilei and said, "While I don¡¯t agree with the way Shuyi went about things, he does have a point. Is there any reason you aren¡¯t fighting?" Everyone remained silent and turned their attention towards Reilei when Two Tons asked that question. "I can¡¯t hit them from that far away." Reilei stated in a slightly embarrassed manner. Everyone was speechless and dumbfounded when they heard Reilei¡¯s words. She could not hit them from that far away? What about her summons? What about her magic skills? "Hey, isn¡¯t this summoner kinda useless?" Broken Fists was the first to break the silence and voice his opinion. Chapter 333 Did I Do Something Wrong? Even Phoenix was a bit thrown off by Reilei¡¯s answer to Two Tons¡¯ question. What did she mean that she could not hit them from that far away? Even the most basic magic skills had a range of at least 15 meters or 20 meters. It did not make sense, unless... Phoenix widened her eyes in shock as she looked at Reilei with an expression of disbelief written all over her face. "Realistic, how have you been fighting monsters this entire time?" Phoenix asked. She saw in the party interface that Reilei was at level 27. She knew that even if Reilei had done nothing but the rtively safer than usual collection quests, it was inevitable that she would eventually run into some monsters along the way. Therefore, how had she been dealing with them this entire time? "How have I been fighting? With this." Reilei said as she held a beautiful summoner¡¯s orb in her hands. "Are you toying with us?! I know that summoners use an orb, but never have I met a summoner that doesn¡¯t send forth its summons to fight! Even if they are weak, they should still be able to contribute some damage or act as decoys! Why are your summons even out if you¡¯re not going to use them?!" Shuyished out. He felt as if Reilei was intentionally testing his patience. There was no way anyone could be this much of a newbie when it came to games and basicmon sense! Mew! Xiao Liang red at Shuyi and it looked as if he were ready to jump out and attack him, however, Reilei gently patted the top of his head and calmed him down. She furrowed her brows as she did not know how to properly put what she was trying to exin into words. However, there was another way to convey her message. After all, actions often spoke louder than words. Reilei shook her head and responded, "Um, it may be easier if I just show you." She then faced the Serpent Guard who stood in an intimidating manner and started to walk towards the elite monster. Needless to say, everyone present was surprised by Reilei¡¯s chosen course of action. Given how reserved she seemed, they surely thought that she would back down and stay silent. However, it seemed that she actually nned on fighting the Serpent Guard alone. Fighting elite dungeon monsters alone was something only those pro or veteran yers could handle! Did she think that the monsters inside the dungeon were the same as those outside? "Wait, Realistic! What are you d-" Phoenix tried to rush to stop Reilei, however, her path was blocked by Broken Fists. Phoenix¡¯s facial expression darkened as she said, "Broken Fists, what do you think you¡¯re doing?! Get out of my way! Are you trying to let her die?!" "Rx, she won¡¯t die in one hit. If it looks like she¡¯s in trouble, then we¡¯ll jump in and save her. Isn¡¯t it good to know the fighting capabilities of your fellow party members? Well, this is our chance." Broken Fists stated. "Two Tons!" Phoenix said as she looked over in Two Tons¡¯ direction. Two Tons, however, shook his head and replied, "He¡¯s right Phoenix. She won¡¯t die in one hit. If things get too out of hand, I¡¯ll charge in and save her. Broken Fists, don¡¯t block her path. Phoenix, stay within healing range but don¡¯t interfere unless it¡¯s an emergency. As Broken Fists said, it¡¯s best to know her fighting capabilities. Now is the best time since we¡¯re still in the beginning area of the dungeon." "Hmph." Broken Fists smirked as he stepped aside and allowed Phoenix to pass. Phoenix looked as if she wanted to protest, but it was already three against one. However, at the very least, she moved into range and was prepared to heal Reilei the moment things looked as if they were going south. "I¡¯m surprised you agreed to it. Even though the Serpent Guard won¡¯t be able to finish her in one-shot, it¡¯ll still be a terrifying experience for any newbie." Shuyi stated as he nced in Two Tons¡¯ direction. "Who knows? Maybe she¡¯ll give us a small surprise. Also, you should remember that everyone was once considered a newbie at some point." Two Tons said in a calm tone as he turned his attention towards Shuyi. "Hahaha, I think you might change your mind soon, look." Shuyi said in an amused manner as he pointed towards the direction of Reilei and the Serpent Guard. "Hm?" When Two Tons looked to where Shuyi pointed, he nearly coughed up blood from the sudden shock. What was that summoner doing?! Two Tons was not the only one to feel this way. Phoenix, Broken Fists and Hidden Pulse were all left dumbfounded by Reilei¡¯s actions. "This- She really is a total newbie." Broken Fists muttered to himself. He knew that she could not possibly be that skillful, however, this was beyond even his expectations. As for Phoenix, there was a clear look of concern on her face for Reilei. At the moment, Reilei was headed on a straight collision course towards the Serpent Guard! She was charging in without any hesitation whatsoever, swiftly closing the distance as if she were a tank or melee fighter. The most astonishing thing was that Reilei¡¯s agility was frightening for a magic caster! "Did she pour all of her points into agility?" Two Tons questioned with a frown on his face. Judging from how fast her movement was, she was even faster than Shuyi and Hidden Pulse who were rogue-type sses that focused on agility! However, if she really did pour all of her points into agility then it was sure to backfire on her the further she progressed in RML. "Who knows? Maybe she¡¯ll give us a small surprise." Shuyi said as he threw Two Tons¡¯ words right back at him in an almost mocking way. Hsssst! The instant Reilei entered into the aggro range of the Serpent Guard, the elite monster thrust forward with its spear. At the same time, the end of its tail slithered on the ground as it suddenlyunched towards Reilei! Its speed was much faster than that of the Servant Serpent and its reaction time was quick. Woosh! Woosh! "Ah, it¡¯s still slow..." Reilei unknowingly said quietly to herself. In her eyes, both the spear and the Serpent Guard¡¯s tail was moving at an incredibly slow pace. Reilei discovered that whenever she was attacked, it appeared as if small details became much clearer to her and time itself was slowed down. Of course, it was not that time was actually slowing down, but that Reilei¡¯s sense of perception was at an insane level for her current level range. At first, she had a bit of difficulty responding to the attacks from monsters even though she could see them. After all, even if she could see it with her eyes, avoiding it was a different matter. Since her sense of perception and agility were so terribly unbnced, it took Reilei a while to get the hang of evading attacks. The fact that her agility increased as well had much to do with it. This was mostly thanks to one of the unique effects attached to the Orb of Creations she received from Ayanelle. Mew! Mew! Xiao Liang and Ayanellia stayed back at a safe distance as they watched and cheered Reilei on. "What¡¯s with this bizarre situation? Since when do summoners fight and summons sit at the backline?" Phoenix said as she still had a hard time believing what she was seeing. However, she nor any of the other party members could have been prepared for what happened next. Bang! Reilei mmed the Orb of Creations in her hand into the body of the Serpent Guard. "So that¡¯s what she meant by using her orb! Hahaha! Isn¡¯t she creating an entirely new level of newbie all by herself?" Shuyi could not help but immediately burst into a fit of mockingughter when he saw Reilei¡¯s attack. "Two Tons!" Phoenix called out as she looked for him to take action. She knew that there as no way Reilei would do any damage by striking out with a summoner¡¯s orb. At most, she would tickle the Serpent Guard! Why was she attacking like some sort of warrior ss? She was a magic caster for crying out loud! Two Tons released a deep sigh as he shook his head and said, "I guess there¡¯s no choice. I¡¯m going! Everyone, prepare to follow m-" But, just as Two Tons was about to step in to help Reilei, he abruptly halted his footsteps. When Phoenix saw this she was confused as to why Two Tons suddenly stopped. Did he really n on watching Reilei die? Bang! Rmmmmble! Bang! Phoenix felt the entire cave shake slightly along with the sound of a hard object smashing into something. It felt as if small tremors were being spread throughout the walls. When she set her gaze towards the source of the tremors and banging sounds, she nearly fainted from shock. Shuyi¡¯sughter fell silent as he looked on inplete disbelief. This... What kind of fighting style was this? The Serpent Guard had been sent flying back and crashed into the cave wall. Reilei did not give it a chance to recover as she charged forward and smashed her Orb of Creations into the body of the Serpent Guard. She repeated this process over and over again as the Serpent Guard remained totally helpless before her brutal assault. She was literally beating it to death with her summoner¡¯s orb! Though the most surprising part was that the poor Serpent Guard had no way of retaliating. It was a one-sided fight against an elite dungeon monster! "How is this possible..? There¡¯s no way that she gained enough skill points to increase her attack and agility to that extent..!" Broken Fists said. That same thought crossed everyone¡¯s mind. They could clearly see that the damage the Serpent Guard was receiving was not light by any means. The HP of that elite dungeon monster was falling rapidly! This left everyone present speechless and dumbfounded. Phoenix could not believe that such an elegant and beautiful young woman could fight in such a brutal and merciless way! In just a handful of seconds, the Serpent Guard was pounded into nothingness as its particles scattered into the surroundings. Reilei released a deep breath after she finished taking care of the Serpent Guard. "This thing is really handy..." Reilei said softly to herself as she looked down at the Orb of Creations in her hand. Weapon Name: Orb of Creations Weapon Rank: Growth Type Weapon Level: 27 Requirements: Blessing of the Doe of Creations(Passive), Friend of Nature(Title) Magic: 314 MP: 1,256 Weapon Skill: ... Creation of Physique(Passive) - The user gains agility equal to 250% of their total magic power and attack equal to 400% of their total magic power. Creation of Power(Passive) - All physical damage done by the user is converted to magic damage. These attacks can critical hit. The user¡¯s physical attacks have a chance to cause ?Staggered? on the struck target(s). The chance of causing ?Staggered? are increased based on how much damage is dealt. Creation... ... While Reilei was speaking softly to herself, she failed to notice that everyone¡¯s attention was currently on her. The same question was going through all of their minds at that moment. Was this person before them truly a summoner? Reilei walked back over towards the party and soon realized that the entire atmosphere had changed. She also noticed the strange looks that she was receiving. Did she do something wrong? This was her first time ying with other yers, clearing a dungeon, and joining a party, therefore, she did not know if she was doing things correctly or not and so she asked... "Did I do something wrong?" Reilei asked in a slightly nervous tone unsure of if she made any mistakes. Chapter 334 Stepping Forward Did she do something wrong? What kind of question was that?! Or rather, how were they supposed to answer that question? She had just effortlessly defeated an elite dungeon monster by herself. However, the method she used to do so was bizarre to say the least. What kind of summoner used their summoner¡¯s orb like it was some kind of brick? How could they tell her that she did something wrong when she had just aplished something that none of them felt confident doing alone? Even if she did not use her summons like she was supposed to and fought in an unusual way, in the end, she was able to defeat the Serpent Guard. Reilei became increasingly anxious when she noticed the strange stares she was receiving from the others. Everyone remained speechless as they tried to process what had just taken ce. It was not until Phoenix stepped forward with an excited look on her face that the lingering silence was broken. "That was amazing! How did you do that? A special skill? An item? Is summoner even your real ss? What about..." Phoenix continued to barrage Reilei with questions and showed no signs of slowing down. However, before Reilei could even answer a single question Phoenix would have already moved on to the next one. "Impossible..." Shuyi said to himself with a look of disbelief on his face. How could a newbie like that take out an elite dungeon monster by herself when even he was unable to do so? Although she said that this was her first time participating in a party and dungeon, Shuyi believed that to beplete and utter nonsense. He believed that she must have been intentionally pretending to be a newbie this entire time just to make a fool out of him! As for Broken Fists who pushed for the fight to happen between Reilei and the Serpent Guard, he refused to ept that she actually defeated that elite monster using her own strength. There had to be some kind of trick behind it! Or, maybe... Broken Fists looked as if something had just suddenly dawned on him. "Hmph, it¡¯s just a little Serpent Guard, not a big deal. She just got lucky that it turned out to be some mediocre elite monster, otherwise, how could that newbie possibly solo it by herself?" Broken Fists stated. "He might be right. Even among elite monsters, there are weaklings who are easy to kill. Who¡¯s to say that the Serpent Guard she fought was an actual elite monster? Think about it. Even if a magic caster poured all of their stat points into attack, it would still be impossible for them to do any real damage that way. It doesn¡¯t add up!" Shuyi said. Phoenix stopped barraging Reilei with questions as she immediately turned to look at Shuyi and Broken Fists with a look of disgust and anger on her face. What was with these two? They were all a part of the same party and should have been supportive of one another, yet the two of them were going out of their way to try and belittle Reilei, as well as her achievement. "Do the two of you only know how to spout nonsense?! Realistic just took down an elite monster by herself and you¡¯re not satisfied with that? Are you asking her to take on a boss monster by herself? Better yet, the next time wee across a Serpent Guard, how about one of you try facing it alone?!" Phoenix said in a slightly mocking tone. "You think I won¡¯t?! If that newbie can do it, then it¡¯s only natural that I can as well!" Broken Fists retorted. "Yeah, I¡¯m sure anyone of us here could take on a Serpent Guard alone. Who knows? Maybe the bosses in this dungeon are weak as well." Shuyi said. "You two-!" Phoenix was about to call out their shameless behavior, however, before she could do so she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look she found that it was Reilei with a gentle smile on her face. Reilei was truly happy to have someone willing to stand up for her in this kind of situation. However, she kept asking herself the same question, how long would she continue to let others fight her battles for her? Every time she was met with a direct confrontation, due to her reserved personality, she would always have a difficult time speaking up for herself. However, Reilei noticed that when it came to defending her son or protecting someone who was unable to protect themselves, she would always somehow find the courage to speak her mind. But, when it came to speaking up for herself, she discovered that she was constantly depending on others to stick up for her. Reilei kept reminding herself that in this world anything was possible. Even if she struggled to stand up for herself in the real world, perhaps it was possible to start doing so in this world? If that was the case, was it also possible for her to change even if it was just a little? "Thank you, Phoenix." Reilei said in a polite tone. Phoenix was a bit surprised at first, but when she saw that look in Reilei¡¯s eyes, she did not push the matter any further. Reilei then turned her attention towards Shuyi and Broken Fists. There was no look of anger on her face after having heard their words, instead, she maintained that gentle expression of hers. Two Tons was ready to step in and prevent the argument from going any further, however, when he saw Reilei step forward he stopped himself. When he noticed that look of determination in her eyes, he decided to stay quiet and observe. If things did get too out of hand, then he would not hesitate to step in. There would not always be someone like Phoenix around to step out and say something, therefore, he wanted to see just how that summoner handled things. "I will admit that my knowledge when ites to this world iscking. I know that I still have a lot to learn and I hope that everyone here is willing to teach me the things Ick. However, I won¡¯t allow you to ignore the efforts I¡¯ve made and call it luck." Reilei said in a stern tone. But, although she appeared confident on the surface, she could not help but be nervous on the inside. She was worried that she was being too harsh with her words, even if it was to defend herself. Thest thing she wanted to do was to cause any trouble. Shuyi was startled by Reilei¡¯s words. As for Broken Fists, he looked as if he were not ready to let it go, but before he could utter a word, Two Tons determined that now was the perfect opportunity to step in. "It¡¯s never easy to admit one¡¯s own faults before others and willingly ask for help learning. Realistic has shown her sincerity. Will the two of you still continue to behave in such an unsightly way? If so, even if it¡¯s just the four of us, I won¡¯t mind kicking you two out right here and now." Two Tons said in a tone filled with confidence. It was the first time he referred to Reilei by her actual in-game name rather than by newbie. Unlike Shuyi and Broken Fists, Two Tons was not so foolish as to dismiss Reilei¡¯s strength as pure luck. He was smart enough to personally check the battle logs and what he discovered there nearly caused him to faint from shock. Although he was calm and nonchnt on the outside, there were many questions that raced through his mind. However, he knew that every yer had their secrets and he would not ask Reilei to reveal hers. He figured that as long as he stayed on good terms with her, then the answers would eventually reveal themselves. Shuyi was dumbfounded by Two Tons bold words. Forget about Broken Fists, he was the top DPS in their party and yet Two Tons threatened to kick him out? How could he not be upset? However, he only red coldly in response. It was not that he was afraid of being kicked out of the party, it was just that this entire trip would be wasted if that happened. Also, what if there was something good that turned up from that hidden lever he discovered? As for Broken Fists, he had an extremely ugly expression on his face when Two Tons brought up kicking him out of the party. All this for a newbie who just got a little lucky? Phoenix smirked as she had a gleeful look on her face. She was worried that Reilei was the type to let herself be pushed around. She despised those who went out of their way to bully others and would not just sit back and watch. The priceless looks on Shuyi¡¯s and Broken Fists¡¯ face made this whole dungeon worth the trip even if the loot they received turned out to be mediocre. "Good, now that that¡¯s settled, we can proceed. Since I have the most HP, I¡¯ll pull the hidden lever just in case it turns out to be a trap that¡¯s able to avoid the Trap Detection skill. The rest of you keep a safe distance and don¡¯t move any closer until I give the all-clear. Phoenix, pay close attention to my HP and prepare to use any emergency heals." Two Tons stated as he started to walk towards the corner where the hidden lever was located. As Two Tons passed by Reilei he stopped for a moment and spoke low enough so that only she could and Phoenix could hear his words as he said, "Realistic, if those two dare cause any trouble for you don¡¯t be afraid to knock them around a bit. Guys like that only learn the hard way some times." Two Tons resumed his steps as he soon arrived near the hidden lever. Reilei was surprised by Two Tons¡¯ words. Don¡¯t be afraid to knock them around a bit? Was that the type of advice the leader of a party usually gave? Phoenix giggled a bit as she whispered to Reilei, "He may seem a bit distant andmanding at times, but he¡¯s actually a big softie on the inside." "I see..?" Reilei was still a bit confused, but at the very least, things seemed to have calmed down a lot and neither Shuyi nor Broken Fists were very outspoken afterward. As for Hidden Pulse, he silently observed without interfering. Though, he was secretly happy that Shuyi who had been so arrogant all this time was left standing there speechless. His only thought was, "Serves him right!". Two Tons located the hidden lever which was a in ck handle that seemed as if it did not belong in this ancient-looking dungeon environment. However, Two Tons knew that this could only mean one of two things. The first was that they were walking right into a trap. The other was that a hidden treasure awaited them ahead! Two Tons released a deep breath as he went on full alert and pulled the lever back. Rmmmmmmmble! The entire room started to tremble violently and it seemed as if the dungeon itself was about to copse at any given moment! "I thought you said it wasn¡¯t a trap! Is your Trap Detection truly so worthless?!" Hidden Pulse yelled at Shuyi who had bragged about his so-called max Trap Detection skill as he tried to maintain his bnce. "You dare me this on me?! I clearly said that I was uncertain if it was a trap or not!" Shuyi snapped back. However, the violent trembling suddenly stopped. The moment it did, Two Tons called everyone over after giving the all-clear. What appeared was a hidden staircase that led deep underground. In fact, it was so far down that the party was unable to tell where it ended. But, there was a vile stench and auraing from far down below. "Well, is this a road to riches or one towards self-destruction?" Two Tons said with a grin on his face as mixed feeling of excitement and nervousness washed over him after feeling that vile aura. "This feeling is..." Reilei muttered quietly to herself as she shivered slightly. The vile auraing from down below was something she had felt somewhere else before! Chapter 335 Boundless Sea ... ¡´System Alert: Your total points have been increased by 125. [Total Points: 2,898].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your selection rank has changed from 501 to 503.¡µ ¡¯My rank actually lowered. It¡¯s bing difficult to increase my ranking. It seems my luck this time around is not that good. To think I haven¡¯t run into a single participant in this region.¡¯ By the time Izroth finished off Vansouden and the other participants, he gained a total of 1,802 points! This increased Izroth¡¯s total amount of points to 2,147. Of course, since the selection had just started, some of the participants he eliminated only had the basic 100 points. Some of them had a bit more, but overall, it was not much considering the number of participants he eliminated. Back when Izroth was first forcibly relocated, he was transported to the zing region of endless mes known as the Scorching Lands. Just as its name would lead one to believe, it was a ce of scorching mes with no signs of nt life anywhere to be found. However, it was nowhere near as bad as the zing Tempris Domain where one would practically be incinerated if they were not in a full party. After Izroth was transported to the Scorching Lands, he immediately ran into one of the monsters that roamed the area and had to fight the moment he arrived. Although he received some damage due to an area of effect ability the monster possessed, he was able to easily sustain himself with his lifesteal. The time for the second forced relocation was just around the corner, however, Izroth¡¯s luck had taken a strong dive during his time in the Scorching Lands. In total, he only gained 751 points. That was less than half of what he earned back in the Living Forest. This was due to the fact that he had note across a single participant during his time in the Scorching Lands! Although the monsters also gave points, he was only able to find so many of them around and the others he did find provided him with less than 250 points each. What resulted at the end of it was a mediocre amount of points. However, Izroth was not too worried about this temporary setback. There were still three hours left in the selection which meant that he would be randomly relocated another five times. What were the chances his luck would continue to be this bad? ¡¯I wonder how many others are left in the selection. Since my rank is currently 503, even if I¡¯m in deadst then that still means that there are more than 500 participants remaining. The numbers are falling a lot slower than I expected.¡¯ Of course, Izroth did not truly believe that he was inst ce. Therefore, although he was being reserved with his estimate, he figured that there were still around 600 to 650 participants roaming around in the selection. The one thing that concerned him the most was having to deal with the potentialck of participants in each region as the number of participants dwindled. After all, the four regions were by no means a small amount of ground to cover. ¡¯I wanted to save as much Essence as possible in case I run into one of those eight individuals, however, I may have to use Energy Vision Sense at its maximum range in certain intervals to locate other participants.¡¯ Using Energy Vision Sense for just one second at max range would cost Izroth more than 16 points of Essence and the longer he maintained it the faster his Essence would be drained. Therefore, he did not want to use it for simply locating other participants unless it was absolutely necessary. A few momentster, a system alert appeared that warned Izroth of the forced relocation. Not too long after, the same strange magic that transported him out of the Living Forest and into the Scorching Lands had once again affected him. In an instant, Izroth was teleported to a new region. This region was filled with a boundless sea for as far as the eyes could see. ¡¯This is the one region I had hoped to avoid.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Bottomless Sea?!¡µ At the moment, Izroth was on a small piece ofnd that was only around twenty meters in diameter. No matter which direction he looked in all he could see was nothing but water. He turned to look down and tried to peer into the sea, however, it appeared bottomless to him even with his monstrous sense of perception. ¡¯Now, how are we supposed to move around in this ce?¡¯ During his time in the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard, there was a special item provided to yers that allowed them to breathe underwater for an extended period of time. However, there did not seem to be any such item located anywhere on the small piece ofnd he was currently on. He could try swimming to another location, but what guarantee was there that he woulde across another piece ofnd? He may just spend the entire thirty minutes taking on a fruitless endeavor. Therefore, he had a different idea. Izroth jumped up as he kicked off the air as though it were solid. He decided to use Sky Step to get a better view of things from a higher altitude. He stopped at the max height range of forty meters. Since he was not inbat, he could stay in the air for up to twenty seconds using Sky Step. As Izroth swept his gaze across the Boundless Sea, he saw multiple small pieces ofnd that resembled the one he had been transported to not too long ago. There were participants who just sat there and there were others who looked around aimlessly. There were even a few who jumped directly into the Boundless Sea itself! But, what came as the biggest surprise to Izroth was that some of thesends were definitely close enough for him to view even if he was on the ground. There were also strange bubbles that seemed to raise up from within the Bottomless Sea at specific intervals. These bubbles would slowly float into the air and pop once they reached a height of around twenty meters above sea level. ¡¯Strange, is there something in this region that limits how far out one can see from the ground? Or is it something else? Also, those bubbles are...¡¯ Since there were no other clues, Izroth knew that dwelling on the matter would bring about no new results. He made his way back towards the small piece ofnd before the time for his Sky Step ran out. After hended, he walked over towards the right side of the ind. ¡¯It should be right around here.¡¯ Bloop! Bloop! Just as that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, the water in front of him began to boil as if it were being heated to high temperatures. But, it was nothing so dangerous as scorching hot water. Instead, a few secondster, the same bubble that Izroth observed in the air had slowly formed and rose up from out of the water. The size of the bubble was nearly two meters in diameter. Izroth reached out to touch the bubble as it was ready to drift away into the air and it immediately stopped floating away. He pushed forward and exerted some strength to check the durability level of the bubble. The bubble itself was like stic and no matter how far Izroth pushed forward it would not pop. ¡¯It seems sturdy. Can I use it?¡¯ Izroth jumped on top of the bubble and took a seat. The moment he did so, the bubble went around ten meters into the air before it started to drift northward. It did not simply float into the air and pop as Izroth had witnessed earlier. Instead, it was headed straight towards one of the nearby inds! Although he could only see the sea that was in front of him, Izroth knew that he was headed in the same direction as one of the inds. ¡¯This must be the main way for participants to move around in this region. Though it seems I¡¯m unable to control which direction it travels in. It¡¯s possible that their destination is already predetermined.¡¯ Around thirty secondster, Izroth had arrived over the nearby small ind and he could finally see it clearly. The moment he reached his destination, the bubble lowered itself to within five meters of thend before it popped without warning. Izroth kept his bnce as hended on his feet without any issue as he scanned the ind. However, the instant his foot came into contact with the ground, he heard rm bells go off in his mind. It was his Soul Sense ability warning him of nearby danger! Without hesitating, Izroth immediately kicked off his left foot and moved off to the side. Bang! Less than a fraction of a second after Izroth made his move, a hole formed in the ground where he had just stood. At the same time, tworge and thick stone tablets that were around four meters tall crashed into one another. If Izroth had stood in that spot for even a second longer then he would have been squashed right in between those two stone tablets! "Oh? You actually dodged that? You must have some skill. That¡¯s good, I was just getting bored." A voice suddenly sounded from the nearby distance. ¡¯I didn¡¯t see them from the air earlier. Did they arrive just before me?¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a powerful gust of wind spread out from his location. "A man of few words I see. Well, not that I mind. You should know though, I¡¯m pretty strong." The person who appeared before Izroth spoke in a tone filled with confidence as he held up his hand showing the back of his palm. It was a male with short silver hair wearing a gray and white taoist robe. There was a powerful and robust energy being emitted from his body as if the ground beneath his feet were crying from being crushed. Though what really caught Izroth eyes were two things. The first thing was that on the back of that person¡¯s palm was a frightening number! One had to know that the number on the back of one¡¯s palm revealed just how many points a participant had collected throughout their time in the selection. So what was the number on the back of that person¡¯s palm? 14,052! He had collected more than 14,000 points in one hour! The second thing that stood out to Izroth was the strange marking on that person¡¯s forehead. He remembered the warning Lances had given him before they were randomly relocated. ording to Lances, there were five participants with strange markings on their forehead that was closest to being on the same level of Zushuatri¡¯s eight students! He was told that he if ever came across any of those monsters he should not fight them no matter what. In fact, his only thought was supposed to be to escape with his life! However, when was Izroth ever the type to run away from a challenge? More than anything, he saw this as a huge chance. This was not only an opportunity to gain a massive number of points, but also a chance for him to experience something he had never truly faced before within RML; a true life or death battle! Izroth had a deathly calm expression on his face. He knew that although the person before him appeared careless and full of openings, there was not a single weak point in his defenses to exploit. There was also this constant and pressing weight that felt simr to a Gravity Pocket that descended down upon Izroth. ¡¯I can see why Lances said I should avoid them. This one can definitely be considered a monster.¡¯ NPC Name: Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) Chapter 336 Source of The Vile Aura ... Reilei slightly furrowed her brows when she felt that vile aura leaking from out of the staircase that led down. The moment that aura appeared, Xiao Liang immediately became defensive and Ayanellia shivered. Reilei took a moment to calm both of them down, however, she could understand their reactions. That vile aura she felt was the same type that lingered around Ayanelle¡¯s vicious wound! But, it was nowhere near as strong and overbearing as the aura she previously felt which left her wondering if this was, in fact, from the same creature she saw fighting against Ayanelle when she witnessed that odd vision. If it really was that creature, then everyone here was currently in danger. After all, even though she did not know that much about RML, she could tell from the fight she saw between Ayanelle and that creature that they were on an entirely different level. "I think it¡¯s too dangerous to go down there. Maybe we should reconsider it." Reilei said in a concerned tone. In the end, she decided that it was best to speak her mind and warn the others before it was toote. "Of course it¡¯s going to be dangerous, newbie! Dungeons are full of hidden dangers that bring about countless rewards and treasures. If you¡¯re afraid, then you can just wait here while we go in. But, don¡¯t expect to receive anything after we im the treasure." Broken Fists stated in a mocking way. Warning them about dangers inside of a dungeon? Of course, there were dangers! Two Tons nodded and replied, "Indeed, these type of dangers are unavoidable when exploring dungeons for the first time. This is even more so when entering into hidden rooms like this one. That¡¯s why we always make sure to stay alert and aware of our surroundings. Don¡¯t worry, if things get too out of hand, then we can always retreat. Plus, I¡¯ll be leading from the front this time." "It¡¯s good that you¡¯re looking out for everyone, but we understand the dangers of a dungeon well, Realistic. Trust us and don¡¯t pay any attention to the nonsense he¡¯s spewing." Phoneix said as she red at Broken Fists. She then continued, "I¡¯ll make sure to heal you first if anything goes bad." Phoenix had a warm smile on her face as she reassured Reilei. "Shouldn¡¯t you heal the tank who¡¯s at the vanguard first?" Two Tons questioned with a helpless look on his face. "What? Don¡¯t you call yourself a man?" Phoenix said in a yful manner with a smirk on her face. Seeing how everyone sounded so confident, Reilei felt that maybe she was worried over nothing. In the end, this was her first time in a dungeon. Therefore, something like this could be amon urrence for yers like Two Tons and Phoenix who seemed to be quite experienced in Reilei¡¯s eyes. As for Broken Fistsments about her staying back, of course, she would not abandon her party members. After things settled down, Two Tons led the way into the dark staircase with Shuyi by his side. Since the staircase wasrge enough for two people tofortably walk side by side, Two Tons decided that it was best that Shuyi was up front with him. This left Hidden Pulse and Broken Fists in the middle with Reilei and Phoenix at the back of the group. When the party took their first step into the darkness, a light green hue filled the narrow staircase. While it was still difficult to see too far ahead, it was possible to navigate without too much trouble. Although Two Tons knew that Shuyi¡¯s attitude could use some work, that did not take away from his overall usefulness. It was ces like this where Shuyi¡¯s Trap Detection skill would shine the most. As the party progressed forward, Shuyi stopped them multiple times and disabled the hidden traps. There were spike pits, thin metal needles coated with poison, and many more traps that awaited them. Fortunately, Shuyi was able to disable all of these traps before they went off. After all, if any of those traps had gone off, it would have definitely caused a huge headache and they may have even been forced to turn back around from the way they came. "If he didn¡¯t have such a foul mouth on him, I¡¯d actually be willing to give him apliment..." Phoenix muttered to herself when she observed how skillfully Shuyi was detecting and disabling traps. Even though the Trap Detection skill assisted the yer, it still took actual skill in disabling them without identally setting them off. "Does he know their locations because of that Trap Detection thing?" Reilei asked curiously. She had no idea where the traps were located and yet Shuyi seemed to peer into the walls and floors of this ce to discover the hidden areas. Phoenix nodded and responded, "That¡¯s right. Long story short, it allows him to locate hidden traps or objects. Since his skill is maxed, there should be no traps that can escape his sights." "I see... That sound pretty amazing. He sounds really skillful." Reilei said with an impressed expression written all over her face. Phoenix blinked a few times before she looked over in Reilei¡¯s direction. Phoenix was surprised that she could openlypliment Shuyi even after how toxic his attitude was towards her. Did she not know how to hold a grudge or be upset even for a little while? For some reason, Phoenix felt as if Reilei was the type that would be easily preyed upon by some of the vultures of this game if left alone. Reilei received a system alert which startled her at first since it came out of seemingly nowhere in a poorly lit area, however, she soon noticed that it was a friend request from Phoenix. Even though Phoenix was nice to her, Reilei was still taken aback by the friend request she received. After all, she knew of her own inexperience and ignorance when it came to many things that others considered to bemon sense. Would she not simply be a burden? As if sensing her thoughts, Phoenix grinned and said, "What? Am I not good enough to be your friend?" Reilei quickly shook her head and replied, "No, it¡¯s just that I-" "Then there¡¯s nothing else that needs to be said. ept it." Phoenix stated as she swiftly cut Reilei off. Reilei epted Phoenix¡¯s friend request. After doing so, Reilei¡¯s friendslist popped up and showed the lone name "Phoenix" as online. Phoenix was the very first friend Reilei had made within RML. After epting her friend request, Phoenix asked a question to Reilei that had been on her mind ever since the fight with the Serpent Guard ended. "Why haven¡¯t done your ss upgrade quest yet?" Phoenix asked. However, Reilei had a confused look on her face when Phoenix asked that question. ss upgrade quest? What was that? Reilei exined to Phoenix that she had no idea what a ss upgrade quest was and this left Phoenix momentarily speechless. This led Phoenix to ask numerous other questions and every answer she received left her nearly faint in the process. "H-how is this possible..? You... Did you really get all the way to level 27 like this?" Phoenix could not help but question with a look of clear disbelief on her face. "Yes?" Reilei responded in an unsure tone. From the way Phoenix reacted to her answers, Reilei grew increasingly anxious. ording to what Reilei had told her, it was not just herck of an advanced ss that was the problem. She did not know of the currency value, how to freely equip and unequip equipment, how to use consumable items, the importance of quest ranks, skill points, stat points, and most importantly... She had no idea how to use skills! When Phoenix discovered all of this, she almost coughed up blood from shock. She knew that Reilei was aplete newbie, but it looked as if she had sorely underestimated just how much of a newbie Reilei truly was! "You- After we get out of here, I¡¯m taking you to get your ss upgrade. Also..." Phoenix said as she then used their idle time to exin some of the basics to Reilei. Of course, the very first thing she exined to Reilei was skills. However, seeing as how Reilei did not have an advanced ss and the skill crystal that came along with it, she only possessed the basic skills provided to a summoner which was not much at all. As Reilei listened to Phoenix, she finally started to understand many of the things that other yers would consider to bemon sense. How useful! That was the only thought that found its way into Reilei¡¯s mind as she absorbed every bit of information. For some reason, she could clearly remember every word Phoenix spoke and retained them without trouble. Of course, this was due to her Eight Lunar Cycles physique, as well as the fragment of Izroth¡¯s powerful soul that she received. As the party continued to move forward and Phoenix took her time exining things to Reilei, they soon arrived at a sealed metal door. It had a handle that was the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. "Ouroboros...!" Hidden Pulse said with a hint of shock in his voice as he saw the handle on the metal door. "Oro what? What¡¯s that?" Phoenix questioned. "The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol that shows a serpent eating its own tail. It has many different meaning, but I can¡¯t really remember since I just happened upon a long time ago." Hidden Pulse stated. Phoenix¡¯s facial expression turned pale when she heard those words. A snake eating its own tail? How disgusting! "Can this dungeon get any creepier?!" Phoenix eximed. She already had a strong dislike for snakes and now Hidden Pulse just had to go and say some weird stuff about snakes eating themselves. How could she not be creeped out? Two Tons chuckled as he said, "Rx, even if we do run into a snake like that, won¡¯t it be saving us half the trouble if it¡¯s already taking care of itself? Ahahaha." "That¡¯s true." Reilei said with an expression that looked as if she were amazed by Two Tons¡¯ remarkable outlook on the situation. "Hey, don¡¯t believe his words. There¡¯s no way a monster like that would appear." Phoenix quickly stated when she noticed that look of amazement on Reilei¡¯s face. "Everyone, let¡¯s be careful." Two Tons said as he grabbed onto the door handle. His expression had be serious and this caused everyone else to also increase their awareness. Once he made sure that everyone was prepared, Two Tons pulled on the handle and opened the metal door. The moment that door opened, a powerful and foul stench washed over the party that caused them to pinch their nose and immediately turn down their smelling sensitivity even further. Reilei felt her heart skip a beat the instant Two Tons opened that metal door. There it was again, that same vile aura she sensed earlier! It was incredibly intimidating and almost caused her to take a few steps back, however, she managed to keep herself from doing so. However, Reilei was not the only one who felt that overwhelming, vile, and intimidating aura. The entire party became somewhat nervous after the doors opened. Though what they did not know at the time was that each and every one of them had received a Willpower check. Hsssssst... The sound of a snake hissing could be heard, however, it was unlike that of the Servant Serpent or even the Serpent Guard. This was a deep and resounding hiss filled with malicious intent. It was enough to send shivers down the spine of everyone present. Deep inside of the room, there was nothing but pitch-ck darkness. However, within the darkness, one could see two piercing purple eyes that shone despite theck of lighting. But, even with the darkness present, Reilei and her party could see the information that they received from the system. Name: (Hidden)Corrupted Ouroboros(Rare Boss) Level: 35 It was actually a hidden and rare dungeon boss! This was a huge discovery! "Is this the source of that foul aura...?" Reilei said softly to herself. Chapter 337 Forcing Hands "A hidden boss...!" Two Tons eximed the moment he saw the information provided by the system pop up about the Ouroboros. This was his first timeing across a rare boss let alone a hidden boss! One had to know that the chances of running into a hidden boss were extremely low. Even if one did the same exact dungeon and followed the same steps without fault hundreds or thousands of times, the chances of locating a hidden boss were astronomically low! There were countless benefits that came along with discovering a hidden boss inside of a dungeon. The first and most obvious benefit was the loot. The loot dropped by hidden bosses in dungeons could not bepared to that of a normal dungeon boss¡¯ loot drop. While one would be lucky to receive one or two decent items from a normal dungeon boss, one was guaranteed items of rare or higher quality when facing off against hidden bosses in dungeons. Why was this? Considering how low the chance was of running into one and the difficulty level of defeating it, the system would obviously not ck on the rewards that yers received. However, there was something else that made yers drool at the opportunity of defeating a hidden boss and that was the materials it would drop. Not too long ago, there was a party who was lucky enough to defeat a hidden boss and received unique and rare materials from it. When this party sold off the materials at the auction house, they acquired over 1,000 gold coins and that was only a boss in the 20s level range. How much would they get for one like the Ouroboros who was in the mid-30s level range? Even rare weapons would not necessarily sell for such a high price. To the average yer, such arge amount was just a fleeting dream. But, here this chance was before a party that had only just formed and whocked any true teamwork. This is what turned Two Tons¡¯ excitement into worry. He then asked himself an important question, was it possible to defeat this hidden boss before them? "Level 35? It¡¯s five levels higher than the strongest member of our party. Not to mention..." Hidden Pulse said with a frown as he furrowed his brows. While Two Tons was level 30, the rest of them were between levels 27-29. The level advantage that the Ouroboros held over them was as clear as day. There was also the fact that their experience fighting together as a party was not even in its infancy stage. "What? Are you scared? This is a rare hidden boss! Do you know how difficult it is to find one? Even those top guilds would salivate at a chance to meet one!" Broken Fists stated. "You think I don¡¯t know that?! I just think it might be better if we leave it alone for now andplete the rest of the dungeon first. Our teamwork is still-" Hidden Pulse tried to exin his point of view, but he was quickly interrupted by Broken Fists. "You want to run away when there¡¯s a treasure trove right before us?! What if it disappears after we leave? Will you be able to ept the responsibility andpensate us if that happens?!" Broken Fists said. As Hidden Pulse and Broken Fists continued to exchange words, Reilei looked over towards Phoenix and asked, "Is that creature special?" Phoenix shook her head with a helpless smile on her face as she replied, "Special? That¡¯s a bit of an understatement. For yers like us, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If we¡¯re sessful, then we¡¯ll receive a small fortune. At minimum, we¡¯ll receive 650,000 RMB from the unique materials alone. However, that estimate is extremely reserved. In truth, we should easily be able to im more than 1,000,000 RMB. Even divided six ways, that still leaves each of us with 166,000 RMB. Do you get why this boss is so special now?" "So much!?" Reilei said without thinking as she had a look of shock on her face after Phoenix finished her exnation. 1,000,000 RMB?! Just from defeating the creature in front of them? When that thought crossed her mind, she thought about the things that Jin told her. Reilei knew that it was possible to make money in RML, but she did not expect that it would be so easy. Of course, this was only due to the fact that Reilei had no idea just had truly difficult it was to find a hidden rare boss in dungeons, let alone defeat it. "Alright, that¡¯s enough you two." Two Tons said as he stepped in and stopped the argument between Hidden Pulse and Broken Fists. After thinking for a while, he had alreadye to a decision. "This hidden boss isn¡¯t going anywhere any time soon. I agree with Hidden Pulse, our teamwork is too unstable right now. If we want to defeat this boss, then we¡¯ll have to increase our understanding of one another. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just be freely giving our lives away and gaining nothing in return. We¡¯ll perform a full clear of the dungeon to build our teamwork foundations, then double time back to this ce to face the Ouroboros." Two Tons said. After weighing the pros and cons, Two Tons found that this was the best course of action to take. The Ouroboros would not leave once it appeared in the dungeon just because they left the room. Therefore, he wanted to take every step necessary to increase their overall chances of victory. That way, everyone could benefit. Two Tons nced over at Shuyi who he thought would be the most vocal and siding with Broken Fists in this matter, however, he was surprisingly quiet. As for everyone else, they agreed with Two Tons¡¯ decision. Although he made it look simple on the outside, it was not always easy to make a swift and decisive choice as the leader of a party. However, that did not mean that everyone was happy with his choice. Broken Fists looked as if he could not ept Two Tons¡¯ decision. He was afraid that this chance would slip away right before his eyes. "If you all won¡¯t go, then...!" Broken Fists suddenly charged into the room without warning! Was he crazy?! There was no way he could fight a rare boss alone! Not to mention, the boss was more than five levels higher than him. Did he have a death wish? However, the moment Broken Fists¡¯ foot stepped into that room, both Two Tons¡¯ and Shuyi¡¯s faces turned pale. Their facial expressions were then reced by ones of rage! Right now, they wanted to strangle Broken Fists to death. "Why did he go in alone?" Reilei asked curiously. "Who knows? Some fools just like to rush to their deaths. I think we should just leave him be. There¡¯s no reason for all of us to die along with him." Phoenix shrugged. "We¡¯re going!" Two Tons roared as he grit his teeth in anger and charged forward. Without hesitation, Shuyi followed after Two Tons and entered into the room along with him. This left both Phoenix and Hidden Pulse dumbfounded. It was not like Two Tons to charge into a reckless situation. He always thought and made decisions with a cool and collected head on his shoulders. However, this was the first time Phoenix and Hidden Pulse had seen him so agitated. Shuyi momentarily halted his steps as he nced back and said, "You can only fight a hidden boss once in a dungeon. Do you understand now?" Without wasting any additional words, Shuyi entered stealth as he crept into the room and joined the battle. In normal circumstances, Shuyi would not waste his words exining to others. However, the current situation was an exception. Even he understood the importance of a hidden boss and knew that it was impossible to defeat without everyone¡¯s participation. In the end, Broken Fists had forced their hands! "Only once... Then that means- That idiot! Realistic, we¡¯re going! Be careful!" Phoenix eyes widened in disbelief as she immediately pieced things together and rushed forward with Hidden Pulse. As for Reilei, although she was still a bit confused by the sudden turn of events, she chose to follow after Phoenix and the others as she stepped into the room. The moment she did so, the metal door closed behind her and sealed their only means of escape. If she and the others had waited just a few seconds longer after Broken Fists entered, then they would not have been able to join the fight. This was another reason why Two Tons was in such a rush to engage the Ouroboros. "I was naive." Two Tons said to himself as he sessfully pulled the aggro of the Corrupted Ouroboros onto him and red at Broken Fists. He wanted to shout and scold Broken Fists, but he knew that doing so right now would not help. Therefore, he would wait until the fight was over before he said anything. Still, he did not think that Broken Fists would perform such a reckless and thoughtless act after clearing telling him that the boss was not going anywhere. Broken Fists was obviously ovee with greed when he saw the Ouroboros and created this headache of a situation. It did not take long for Reilei, Phoenix, and Hidden Pulse to join the fight. Just like with the other dark areas, once they entered into the room a light green hue made it possible to see the surroundings. The first thing they saw was a huge snake that was well over ten meters in length. It had dark green scales, glowing purple eyes, and there was a strange mark located near the center area of its body on its scales. At that ce was a scar about one meter in length with a dark and corrupted aura leaking out from within. While the others had already engaged in battle, Reilei stood there frozen when she saw that scar and felt the aura around it. There was no longer any doubt in her mind. The creature before her was definitely affected by the same thing as Ayanelle! Even though it was not as strong as the dark aura around Ayanelle, it was more than vile enough for Reilei to notice. After all, she would never forget the first time she felt that dreadful energy. Reilei tightened her grip on the Orb of Creations in her hand. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Originally, she was reluctant to attack the Ouroboros because she believed that if Ayanelle had remained in this world, then she would have ended up the same way as that Ouroboros. However, she understood that the Ouroboros before her was not the same gentle existence as Ayanelle. It was a mindless beast who attacked without mercy and there was no hint of anything but rage and destructioning from it. "Look out!" Two Tons shouted as the Ouroboros slipped past him and ignored hisst taunt skill. Surprisingly, it was headed straight towards Reilei who was thest to step into the room! No, that¡¯s not right. It was not Reilei that the Ouroboros was going for, but instead, it was the small creature on her shoulder. The Ouroboros was going straight for Xiao Liang! Mew! Xiao Liang jumped off Reilei¡¯s shoulder and into the air. He was right on a collision course with the Ouroboros. "Xiao Liang!" Reilei¡¯s voice was filled with panic and her face turned pale when Xiao Liang jumped forward towards the Ouroboros. Xiao Liang was only around 30cm in size while the Ouroboros was more than ten meters! At this rate, Xiao Liang would be crushed into nothingness! "Realistic!" Phoenix called out when she saw that Reilei had not moved out of the way. What was she thinking?! The Ouroboros was nothing like the Serpent Guard she faced before. As a rare boss monster, it could not be handled with brute strength alone! Chapter 338 Swallowed Whole! Roudins Chance Two Tons swiftly shifted his position and kicked off his back foot as he elerated towards the Ouroboros. However, he knew that there was no way that he would make it in time. The one thing that he could not understand was how he had managed to lose aggro in such a short period of time! Not only that, but he lost aggro to someone who had not even once attacked the Ouroboros. The only exnation Two Tons could think of was that the Ouroboros possessed a skill that made it so that it ignored aggro. While such a skill was not umon for boss monsters, if one was not prepared to deal with it beforehand then it could quickly shift the course of battle and force them into an unfavorable position just as it was currently doing. As for Broken Fists, he was no longer following any of the instructions or orders that Two Tons gave which made things even more chaotic. They were simply thrown into this fight without a proper n or any developed teamwork. Two Tons knew that they had no choice but to think on their feet if they wanted to defeat the Ouroboros. Hssssst! Mew! Even though the Ouroboros was many timesrger than him, Xiao Liang had no ns on retreating. Reilei still found it hard to believe that Xiao Liang attacked on his own. Usually, he would simply stay back or rxzily upon her shoulder during battle. This was the first time Reilei witnessed Xiao Liang attack anything! To make matters even worse, she did not even have time to stop him. The Ouroboros opened its mouth as Xiao Liang grew closer to it. Just when Xiao Liang arrived in front of the Ouroboros, it struck out with its head and mmed its jaws shut! Hsssst... The Ouroboros straightened its body and towered over the entire party. Two Tons finally made it over to the Ouroboros and took back hold of the aggro, however, it was toote. "Realistic, are you okay?!" Phoenix asked as she used a skill to heal Two Tons. She had no idea what just happened to cause the Ouroboros to suddenly charge towards Reilei and stop its attack, but she was relieved to see that Reilei was okay. However, Phoenix quickly noticed that Reilei was not responding. When she nced over in Reilei¡¯s direction, she saw her simply standing there with a look of horror on her face. To the others, it appeared as if the Ouroboros was after Reilei, but in reality, it was after Xiao Liang all along. But, due to Reilei¡¯s facial expression, everyone believed that she was currently frozen in fear before the Ouroboros. Given that this was her first time in a dungeon, it was most likely her first time fighting a boss monster as well. Not to mention, the Ouroboros was not just any boss monster, but a rare hidden boss monster! When Two Tons noticed that Reilei was not responding, he furrowed his brows. This fight would already be difficult enough for all six of them. He understood that they could not afford to lose Reilei, especially after what he observed in the battle logs. However, his thoughts were just like the others. He thought that Reilei was frozen in fear due to how intimidating the Ouroboros¡¯ appearance turned out to be. "Realistic, you have to abandon your fears! Just think of it like the Serpent Guard you faced before, but just a little bigger!" Two Tons said as he tried to snap Reilei out of it. But, in the end, it was of no use. "Xiao... Liang..." Reilei muttered as her eyes were widened in shock after what she had just witnessed. At the moment, both Phoenix and Two Tons¡¯ voice fell on deaf ears. Xiao Liang had been with Reilei since the beginning of her journey in RML. Not once had he left her side or abandoned her no matter what or who she faced. He stood strong without backing down and even though he was headstrong and a little spoiled, he always warned Reilei of any dangers. But now, he had just been eaten by the Ouroboros right before her eyes. After that, Xiao Liang was nowhere to be found. ... ¡¯I can see why Lances said I should avoid them. This one can definitely be considered a monster.¡¯ NPC Name: Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) Roudin nced at the back of Izroth¡¯s palm and saw that he had 2,898 points in his possession. This caused a look of surprise and curiosity to sh across Roudin¡¯s eyes. He could tell that Izroth was not all that strong. Logically speaking, any creature or person chosen at random within the selection should be more than enough to take care of him. However, if he managed to defeat one or two creatures and gain a few points then it could be exined, but he had nearly 3,000 points! While that was not a lot in Roudin¡¯s eyes, it was not an amount that the person before him should have been able to acquire through natural means. So then, what was his secret? "Hey, how did you get those points? Don¡¯t tell me you actually painted a fake number on yourself. Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter." Roudin said as he gave an amusedugh. Of course, he knew that it was impossible to fake the number of points one acquired. In his mind, there were only two ways the person before him was able to obtain those points. The first was by picking off weakened participants after an intense fight. The other was that he was somehow hiding his true strength. However, Roudin believed it to be the former as thetter was a bit unreasonable. After all, he was confident that even those students of Master Zushuatri would be unable to hide their strength before him without the assistance of a magic item. But, he was not foolish enough topletely dismiss the possibility. "Usually, if someone wishes to obtain answers to their questions, they ask them before attacking. Is this mannerism lost on you?" Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. He was not actually expecting that another participant warn or question him before attacking. He was simply using the idle time to examine Roudin and his current surroundings. "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve always been on the wild side ever since I was a child. Besides, if you were weak enough to die to that attack then you wouldn¡¯t even be worth talking to, right?" Roudin responded with a grin. ¡¯The pressure in the atmosphere is increasing. It¡¯sparable to the level one gravity pocket I experienced back in the Sea Pce Graveyard, but a bit less effective. It looks like the strength of the pressure increases the closer one gets to him. Now, I suppose I have a choice to make.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense active to get a good grasp on the situation before him. Unlike Zushuatri¡¯s students, Roudin¡¯s aura was wild and untamed as if he wanted the world to know where he was and how powerful he was. The color of his mes was a silver-white and its size was towering, just like that of a small mountain. It felt overbearing and immovable. There was also an abundance of small sparks scattered throughout the air that Izroth believed had something to do with the heavy atmosphere. Although Izroth¡¯s agility was currently 1,374 points, it felt closer to 75% of that even though he was almost fifteen meters away from Roudin. Izroth believed that if he got within melee range of Roudin, then his agility would be reduced down to anywhere between 30% to 40% of his total agility. In other words, for someone like Izroth whose current fighting style relied heavily upon his speed to dominate opponents, Roudin was his worse possible match up! Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense as he did not want to waste too much Essence. Since he knew what he was dealing with now, he felt something he had not in a long time. There was a sense of excitement that overcame Izroth. The fight had not even started yet, but Izroth could tell just by his Energy Vision Sense and gut feeling that he was outssed in every possible way by Roudin. Level, stats, skills; you name it. The only advantage he had was the ability hisbat master ss had when it came to adapting even during the middle of battles, his battle experience, and his Source. Therefore, Izroth knew that he had to make the most of these three advantages if he were to have any chance of winning. His HP wasughablepared to the other participants, and so he could not afford to be careless as one mistake could potentially cost him his life. ¡¯I guess I¡¯ll have to take that path then.¡¯ Roudin waited there patiently with his arms folded and a grin on his face as he observed Izroth. "Well? Are you done thinking yet?" Roudin asked. "I have to say, I never took you as the patient type." Izroth stated. "I¡¯m a strong believer that one should not have any regrets in death. Besides, no amount of nning can stand up before an overwhelming difference in strength. Though I¡¯m impressed with your calm demeanor when your death is right around the corner. Not to mention, despite yourcking strength, you managed to avoid my attack. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because of your ignorance or bravery, but you¡¯re the first one who hasn¡¯t begged to keep their life before me." Roudin stated. He then continued as he held up three fingers, "Because of this, I¡¯ll give you a chance. Three attacks. I¡¯ll give you three free attacks. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take every attack you throw head-on without moving from this spot. If you¡¯re able to make me move from this spot, then I¡¯ll allow you to keep your life. However, if you fail, then... Well, I¡¯m sure you understand. Ah, I wouldn¡¯t try to run away either. That just won¡¯t end well, you know?" Izroth narrowed his eyes as he said, "Oh? Three attacks? Interesting." Although one could not hear it in his voice, the piercing look in his eyes said it all. Roudin wanted to give him three attacks? Very well, that was fine with him. However, he would make sure that Roudin carved into his mind the price of looking down on him. Roudin just said a few moments ago that he was a strong believer that one should not have any regrets in death. Well, it just so happened that Izroth held the same belief. However, his methods differed from that of Roudin¡¯s. He would not give him a chance to regret! "You said you¡¯ll face whatever I throw at you head-on, correct?" Izroth asked. "That¡¯s right." Roudin replied. "Alright, I ept your challenge. But, isn¡¯t there something you should ask me first?" Izroth said. "Hm? Ask you?" Roudin was confused by Izroth¡¯s words as a frown appeared on his face. What could he possibly want to ask Izroth? Could it be that he was just trying to stall for time? However, after the next few words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, Roudin was rendered momentarily speechless. "My name. After all, the least you should know is the name of the person who¡¯ll im your life." Izroth said as dark gray clouds began to gather in the sky with purple lightning jumping around within the clouds. "...Ha... Hahaha! Hahahaha! Then,e! Let¡¯s see how you im this life of mine! I am Roudin, also known as the Indomitable Mountain! What¡¯s your name?!" Roudin said as he spread his arms as if taunting and weing Izroth¡¯s attacks. "Izroth." The moment Izroth said his name, an earsplitting thunderp rang throughout the surroundings as two purple bolts of lightning descended down from the sky on his location. Bzzzt...! Crrrrrrrckle! Chapter 339 You Moved! "That lightning..." Roudin narrowed his eyes as he observed the purple bolts of lightning strike down from the sky above. A look of interest shed through his eyes, however, it quickly vanished. He folded his arms and the moment he did so, the pressure in the surrounding atmosphere seemed to increase. In that instance, Roudin resembled a towering and immovable mountain. As the purple sh of light faded away, Izroth¡¯s figure reappeared. However, the aura around Izroth seemed different from thest time he used the Call of the Thunder God, First State: Heavenly Descent. Instead of two swords made out of pure purple lightning, the Sword of The Storm in Izroth¡¯s hand had changed its appearance. It¡¯s previously azure-colored de had be a deep, dark and saturated purple. The length of the de also increased in length by nearly 30 centimeters. Originally, Izroth only materialized weapons from the purple lightning itself. However, after a bit of experimenting over thest three days, he found that he was capable of using the First State: Heavenly Descent directly on his Sword of The Storm. While this did not change the effects of the skill, it altered the properties of Izroth¡¯s sword. One of the things Izroth discovered recently was the abundance of hidden variables that were within RML. An example of this was Izroth¡¯s Heavy Wounds, or to be more precise, how it affected a yer¡¯s mass. Although mass was not clearly defined in a numerical value anywhere in yers system interface, it was still there just like the willpower that was used for willpower checks. Enhanced skills, element fusions, fusion skills, and the astronomical amount of in-game knowledge located in the game¡¯s libraries caused Izroth to arrive at a shocking conclusion. Every ss was secretly abat master! Well, not in exact terms, but more in a generalized manner. To simplify it, every ss had limits but it varied from yer to yer. The best way Izroth could describe it was to think of every ss that existed in RML as a tree. The body of the tree represented the ss path that one chose and the branches could be considered the respective skills of that ss. The leafs attached to the branches could be thought of as the various enhanced versions or variations of that ss¡¯ skills. However, there was one part of the tree that could not be ignored; the roots. Without roots, a tree would be hard-pressed to stand tall. It would be fragile and easily pushed over by a random gust of wind. So then, what did the roots represent? The origins of all sses. Though this was still a rough around the edges spection that Izroth managed toe up with over the past few days. Izroth had previous thoughts about this topic, however, hecked any type of definitive proof until he met Valentine several days ago and saw that he managed to learn an enhanced skill. This caused him to revisit the subject after he learned the Call of the Thunder God and he did not regret his choice. The end result of his findings led to the discovery of what he called Properties of Hidden Influences or PHI for short. Willpower and Mass were examples of PHI. These were things such as stats or properties that were hidden away from yers eyes. They were capable of having direct physical or mental influences. Of course, the mental influences were non-harmful and would not actually cause the yer to experience any true mental damage, otherwise, how much of an uproar would the public make? In the end, it was something full of countless mysteries and Izroth decided that he would look more into it when he had some free time. As for whether or not the top guilds had this kind of information, Izroth highly doubted it. However, he knew that it was only a matter of time until it was discovered. After all, the top guilds were filled with experienced and veteran yers who had vast resources at their disposal. Izroth brandished his sword and disappeared from the spot he stood in. The next moment, he reappeared right next to Roudin and his Sword of The Storm was already traveling towards his neck! Even though Roudin said that he would take every attack head-on without moving, Izroth was not naive enough to simply trust his words. Therefore, he did not hesitate to use Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to instantly close the distance between himself and Roudin. However, just as Izroth reached the space next to Roudin, he felt arge shift in his speed. He was prepared for this since he knew that the closer he moved to Roudin, the more his speed would be affected. Although he left room for error, he still underestimated just how great the pressure was in that area. Izroth estimated that his agility went from 75% of its total, all the way down to 20%! Originally, he calcted that his agility would decrease to around 30% to 40%. This meant that Izroth¡¯s current movement speed resembled an agility of 275 points. In other words, he might as well be standing still to Roudin. When Izroth experienced this drastic change, he wasted no time activating his Flickering Steps to maintain a viable movement speed. That¡¯s not all, he also poured ten points of his Essence into the skill. This increased the overall effectiveness and strength of his Flickering Steps by 50%, which was the maximum he was able to boost it by using his Essence. If he was not affected by whatever strange skill Roudin was using at the moment, then his movement would feel like the 8,244 points of agility that it was supposed to. However, his speed resembled about 1,650 points. This was only around 300 points higher than his base agility! Roudin was surprised by how fast Izroth was able to move. When he observed the flickering afterimages, he could tell that Izroth must have been using a high-level movement skill to move about so freely under his Atmospheric Duress. The area around him should resemble that of a level two gravity pocket. Therefore, the fact that Izroth was still capable of moving at such high speeds despite this restraint caused him to be somewhat impressed. Roudin¡¯s eyes suddenly widened when as he saw a sh of purple light rush towards him as a bolt of thunder struck down at his location. Woosh! Bzzzzt! BOOM! ?Critical Hit? -1,463 Izroth used his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder as his first attack. Surprisingly, Roudin did not move just as he said. Even more surprising than that, however, was the fact that Izroth felt as if he just struck his de against something just as tough as itself or maybe even tougher when it made contact with his neck. There was not a single scratch made from his attack and Roudin remained unmoved. Not only that, but the amount of damage he did to Roudin wasughable at best. "That¡¯s one." Roudin said as a grin appeared on his face, counting along with the attack Izroth had just made. He was caught off guard by that sudden boost in speed of Izroth¡¯s attack, but the damage turned out to be incrediblycking. To be honest, he thought that it was a little disappointing since the attack itself appeared to be powerful. Unfortunately, the person before him seemed tock a high level of attack which made it negligible. However, he believed that if Izroth was equal to or closer to him in terms of raw attack power, then he may have been forced to concede a step just then. What frightening potential! ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ What a disgusting level of defense! No wonder he was so confident in his ability to remain practically unharmed. For someone like Roudin, 1,463 points of damage could be considered as scratching an itch. From Izroth¡¯s estimates, that attack he just performed should have done around 17,000 damage before any defenses were taken into ount. This meant that his damage had been reduced down to nearly 15%! How ridiculous was that? A skill that mimics a gravity pocket, paired with that kind of monstrous defensive ability, made Roudin the perfect counter to Izroth¡¯s fighting style of overwhelming opponents with pure speed and power. ¡¯If that¡¯s unable to damage him, then...¡¯ All of a sudden, pulled back his sword as an overbearing and piercing aura appeared around his Sword of The Storm. As it descended downward, Roudin did something unthinkable. The moment Roudin sensed that destructive and piercing aura behind Izroth¡¯s attack, he kicked off his back foot and jumped back. Izroth realized Roudin¡¯s intentions just in time to cancel his attack before his skill went on cooldown. Roudin¡¯s eyes became emotionless as his facial expression turned cold. His previous nonchnt attitude had disappeared as his cold gaze locked onto Izroth. "Two. You moved." Izroth said in a carefree tone. The move he just executed was one that he had not used in a long time. It was the Fusion Skill he learned back during his first time in the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard, First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. It was the Fusion Skill he created by merging the First Baneful Sword: Destruction with his Fissuring Point. This not only improved the overall strength of his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, but it gave it a terrifying effect that ignored one¡¯s defenses. However, unlike his normal First Baneful Sword: Destruction, it was a skill that required arge portion of his energy stat to use. This was even more so after both skills became fully maxed out. This was the reason why Izroth did not use it too often unless it was absolutely required. "You¡¯ve ruined my good mood. However, I¡¯m a man of my word. Get lost." Roudin said as one could clearly hear the annoyance present in the tone of his voice. Luckily, there was no one around to witness his humiliating retreat, otherwise, they would definitely not live to tell the story. Roudin waspletely caught off guard by the level of viciousness behind thatst attack. His body moved instinctively as if it could sense the fact that his defenses would not hold up. But, just that would not be a problem. It was the sudden spike in power that hid away within the attack that caused him to retreat. Although he was confident in surviving that attack, it was definitely not something he could afford to receive freely. There were still Master Zushuatri¡¯s students, as well as four other individuals he was cautious about what he had to deal withter on in the selection. Therefore, how could he stand still and allow himself to be intentionally injured when he did not know when they would cross paths? It was not a chance he was willing to take. Still, he never truly believed that the person before him actually possessed that kind of terrifying attack. Just who were they? Izroth? He never even heard of that name before. However, despite Roudin¡¯s words, Izroth did not turn and walk away. Instead, a carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he said, "Was it not you who asked to see how I would im your life? Do you still not wish to see?" Opportunities for a fight such as this did note often to Izroth, therefore, he would have been disappointed if Roudin just stood there and waited for death to arrive. When those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, Roudin could not help but burst out in a fit ofughter. How many people would dare speak such bold words to him? At the moment, he did not know if his currentughter was due to anger or actual amusement. Roudin¡¯sughter quickly died down as he replied, "It seems you¡¯ve misunderstood my level of generosity, Izroth." "Do you know why I¡¯m called the Indomitable Mountain? It¡¯s not a title I just randomly gave myself. It was a title bestowed upon me by my elders and peers. I have been challenged countless times, but never have I once lost a battle. Do you think that my strong point is my defensive ability? Let me tell you, you¡¯re far away from the truth." Roudin said as he stretched his arm forward with his palm facing towards the ground. Roudin canceled his Atmospheric Durress skill as the gravity pocket-like effect ended. Even Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows at Roudin¡¯s statement. Such monstrous defense was not his strong point? If that was the case, then what could his strong point possibly be? "Mountain Domain: Worldly Peak Drop." Roudin said as the entire piece ofnd, as well as the nearby water surrounding it, began to tremble violently. Chapter 340 Domain ¡¯The pressure has vanished.¡¯ When Roudin canceled the Atmospheric Durress, Izroth immediately felt the difference in his speed change. However, even though the gravity pocket-like pressure was no longer there, a new kind of pressure seemed to form the instant Roudin stretched his arm forward. "You must think that you stand a chance against me, right? This is my own error for giving you a spark of hope. I admit, I underestimated you, but that¡¯s all there is to it. In the end, it¡¯s impossible for you to defeat me. Let me show you the clear difference between those with a Domain and those without." Roudin stated as a giant shadow appeared in the sky that blocked the source of light over thend he and Izroth stood on, as well as the surrounding sea. The moment that giant shadow appeared in the sky, the still waters of the Boundless Sea started to be restless and somewhat wild. Not only that, but the overall quality of the air in the atmosphere felt as if it became incredibly thin, making it difficult to breathe. Izroth looked towards the sky with a calm expression on his face. He did not understand a thing about this Domain that Roudin mentioned, however, he did not have much time to sit and ponder. He was not the only one in the Boundless Sea who could see this spectacle unfold before his eyes. Even those located in other regions could see the massive object that was descending down towards the Boundless Sea. ¡¯A mountain peak? No, it¡¯s...¡¯ In the sky above the Boundless Sea, a massive upside-down mountain was currently falling down from above! The peak of the mountain was on a direct collision course for the small ind that Izroth and Roudin were on. If something thatrge struck the Boundless Sea, forget the small ind, it would cause a massive tsunami to ur and wipe out arge portion of participants within the Boundless Sea region! If that happened, then there would be dozens or even possibly hundreds of participants who had no idea how they died. How tragic would that be?! However, the one facing this danger firsthand was Izroth. Out of everyone in the Boundless Sea region, he was the sole individual who was face to face with the person behind it all. But, even though his speed had returned, it was as if he was being locked in ce and forcibly pulled towards the object in the sky. ... Meanwhile back at the tform... At the moment, Zushuatri and Kayn were viewing the magic screen as they watched the events that were unfolding in the Boundless Sea region. "So that¡¯s Roudin, hm? I heard that brat actually got his hands on the title of Indomitable Mountain. It looks like it¡¯s not just for show. Toprehend a Domain to this extent at that age, for a human, it¡¯s a pretty grand feat. Not to mention, it¡¯s a Mountain Domain, one of the main upper eight. If I remember, during thest selection of the second team there wasn¡¯t a single person capable of using Domain." Kayn said as he observed the battle going on between Izroth and Roudin. "Indeed, the batch this time around is filled with many interesting youths. To not only learn, but greatlyprehend one of the main upper eight Domains, he could be considered a genius even among other geniuses." Zushuatri said with a gentle smile on his face. "I already mastered my Domain when I was five years old. What genius? It isn¡¯t really all that difficult." Kayn stated. Zushuatri, however, shook his head and responded, "You are a special case, third younger master. Even whenpared to other true dragons, in terms of pure talent and being gifted, none are your equal. This is not empty ttery, but simply the truth. Topare yourself to a young human male is unthinkable." Of course, Kayn knew that the talent he possessed was abnormal. As the second Star Devouring Dragon to appear in the long history of the Mortal Realm, he understood his difference whenpared to others. After all, the first and only other Star Devouring Dragon was none other than the first true dragon brought into existence by the world itself. The father of all dragon bloodlines, the Celestial True Dragon. The Celestial True Dragon was the only dragon who had the word "true" in their name. This was due to the fact that, unlike humans, true dragons were not named by their parents, but granted their true name by the world since their true name contained actual power. But, for convenience sake, some true dragons would choose a name for themselves if they ever ventured out in the world. For example, Kayn¡¯s true name was not actually Kayn and it was just something he made up himself. His true name was, in fact, Star Devouring Dragon. Of course, this information was not something well known to those who were not true dragons themselves or outside of the epic or legendary realm in terms of strength. Kayn went silent for a bit before he said, "Still, are you sure it¡¯s alright not to do anything? I know there¡¯s a barrier between each of the regions to protect and prevent participants from crossing over into other regions, but this also means that those within the Boundless Sea region are in grave danger. Not to mention, there are two of your students there, right? If you like, I can go personally stop it and-" "Thank you for your generous thoughts, third young master. However, I must decline your help as it is unnecessary. That young man¡¯s domain is not as untamed as you may think. The original agreement remains unchanged. You will not join until the final thirty minutes of the selection." Zushuatri said with a heartwarming smile on his face. "You¡¯re no fun, old man Zushuatri." Kayn said as he turned his attention back towards the magic screen. He then continued, "I never expected that he would be capable of forcing Roudin to move. I thought his luck had run out and he would be as good as dead after stepping onto the ind. Maybe he¡¯ll give us another surprise. Isn¡¯t that right, Sphinx? Though I guess he can¡¯t hear me right now anyways." At the moment, one of Zushuatri¡¯s eight students Sphinx was lied out on the tform located not too far away from Zushuatri himself. His mouth was open and his eyes were widened and rolled back. Although his physical wounds had already been healed, he had yet to regain his consciousness. This was the result of his fight against one of the participants in the selection. Just like Izroth, that participate was a special exception who was also allowed to take part in the selection. Since his students were not participating for a spot on the second team, unlike other yers who were killed during the selection, a special and powerful magic formation in the Sky Pce would persevere the life of his students if they brushed hands with death. Of course, he never expected that one of his students would be eliminated at such an early stage in thepetition. However, to Zushuatri, this was a good sign. This meant that the individuals who participated in the second team selection this time around were truly at a different level than the ones who participated in the previous years. Maybe it was possible that this time, they would not have to suffer another humiliation like in recent years. "As I said before, the batch this time around is filled with many interesting youths. This includes those two." Zushuatri said. ... Somewhere in the Boundless Sea region... "Domain? Hm... It¡¯s someone with a main upper eight Mountain Domain. They aren¡¯t even trying to hide it. Interesting, I didn¡¯t think there would be a single person in this selection who would be worth my time taking a look at. If that person is forced to use their Domain, then they must be fighting against someone very capable." A woman with a fan held over her lower face said as her gaze was already set on the source of that Domain. A person was desperately crawling away on the ground as they spoke in a shaken voice, "S-spare me... Please, I-I¡¯ll do anything so just spare-" However, before another word could leave their mouth, small and thin cuts appeared all over their body and clothing. At the next moment, the person crawling on the ground fell motionless as their body was swept away by a powerful gust of wind towards the Boundless Sea. Right when that person¡¯s body fell into the Boundless Sea as if smelling the blood in the water, a pack of monsters that lurked in the water emerged and began to fight one another over who would reap the reward before them. "I thought I already told you, don¡¯t talk to me. It¡¯s disgusting." The woman said to herself as a light gust of wind swept under her feet and lifted her into the air. She did not need to use the bubbles to get from one ce to the other which gave her a huge advantage in a ce like the Boundless Sea. She was currently headed straight towards the location of Izroth¡¯s and Roudin¡¯s battle. This single woman had already eliminated 102 participants without mercy. That was more than 10% of the entire selection participants! She was none other than one of Zushuatri¡¯s eight students, Sage. "Wind Domain: Breath of Quiescent Squalls." One squall the size of a small fist appeared behind Sage. This squall did not seem dangerous at all. It was almost as if it were asleep and lying dormant. Not too long after, five squalls appeared... then twenty... then one hundred... It continued to manifest itself until there was an uncountable number of small squalls the size of a small fist that filled the entire space behind Sage and followed her through the skies. ... ¡¯It¡¯s an entire mountain.¡¯ The first thing Izroth did was to make sure that he was not unknowingly swept into some kind of illusion. After all, for someone to summon down a mountain of that size from above was absolutely insane! Without hesitation, Izroth consumed a mana potion. Since it took practically all of his mana to use just one of the Call of the Thunder God skills, he made sure to purchase some good quality mana potions. After Izroth consumed the mana potion, his mana was once again back to full. There was nowhere for him to retreat from this attack as the descending mountain was simply too massive to avoid. Therefore, he was left with two options, fight or run away. Of course, his choice was obvious. ¡¯If I tried to counter this mountain with my second sword form, then it would definitely end poorly.¡¯ Woosh... Roudin felt a gentle breeze blowing in his direction that seemed to being from a source quite far away. A frown appeared on his face as he furrowed his brows. For just a split second there, he could have sworn that he felt the presence of another Domain nearby. However, it may have simply been his imagination since it had practically disappeared the moment it showed up. "To have such strong control over a Domain, it has to be one of them... In that case, I won¡¯t take any chances and end this before they arrive." Roudin said to himself as the mountain peak rapidly descended and arrived right above Izroth. There was nowhere to escape! Izroth¡¯s gaze was fixated on the mountain peak that appeared mere centimeters away from his face! There was an overwhelming pressure that made him feel even heavier than when he was under the influence of a level two gravity pocket. Any ordinary person would have probably been crushed by the pressure of the mountain alone! ...BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The massive mountain crashed into the ground as if there was nothing there to halt its path. The moment it made contact with the small ind, it caused a tsunami to form in all directions that were hundreds of meters tall. At this rate, every participant within the Boundless Sea may be swept into the waters or affected by the frightening impact. As for Izroth who was at the very center of the attack and was its main target, he was currently nowhere to be found! Chapter 341 A Feat Thought To Be Impossible The entire Boundless Sea fell into a state ofplete and utter chaos. Numerous participants were swept into the Boundless Sea where they had to confront the monsters that lurked within the waters. There were some individuals who were simply crushed by the sheer force of the water pressure from the tsunami. Unfortunately for Roudin, most of the points that should have been his did not count towards his total. This was due to the fact that his Mountain Domain: Worldy Peak Drop was the direct, but not the immediate cause of the majority of the participants¡¯ deaths. Although there were a few in the surroundingnds that he managed to get points for eliminating, he did not receive points for those affected by the tsunami itself. As if sensing the turmoil in the Boundless Sea region, a massive magic symbol appeared in the skies and suppressed the waters that had spiraled out of control. A few momentster, the Boundless Sea had returned to its normal state. However, the main difference this time around was that there were only a handful of participants who were currently located onnd. Roudin looked down at the back of his palm and noticed that the number had shot up to 23,209. Although it was much less than he expected, it was still a decent amount nheless. A frown appeared on his face as he said to himself, "Even with this my rank won¡¯t budge from the 4th ce. It has to be those guys... What a pain." "Well, it¡¯s fine. If someone with a Domain is headed this way, they shouldn¡¯tck any points. After all, I doubt they died from that alone. As for that guy..." Roudin shifted his gaze to the mountain peak that was buried into the ground right where Izroth stood just moments ago. As he lifted his arm, the massive mountain turned into a bright white light as if it were responding to his call. The stream of light rushed into his body as the mountain vanished. When the light finally finished flowing into Roudin¡¯s forehead, a mark in the shape of a mountain appeared there. Roudin then set his gaze into the distance in the direction he sensed the other Domaining from before it abruptly disappeared. "There¡¯s no way he¡¯s still alive after that. Though it¡¯s a bit disappointing he failed to ept my generosity. If he had joined the next selection, he may have made it into the top ten. Hopefully, he¡¯ll learn his lesson in the next life. There¡¯s nothing wrong with confidence, as long as you have the strength to back up that confidence. In the end, you were just far too weak, Izroth." Roudin said as he lifted his arm up into the air. "Now, I should prepare for-" Bzzzt...! Crrrrrckle...! Woosh! "Underestimating one¡¯s opponent often leads to death. Tell me, am I still so weak in your eyes?" A carefree yet frighteningly calm voice sounded from behind Roudin. "Impossible...! You-!" Roudin looked down and saw a beautiful deep and saturated purple de sticking out the middle of his chest. The attack had suddenly came from behind him without warning! The de was filled with an overbearing aura and destructive piercing energy that seemed as if it wanted to tear his body to shreds from the inside out. ¡¯Element Fusion: Storm... Fusion Skill, Element Sword Point: Baneful Storm of Destruction.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -242,374 ... A few moments ago... Izroth stared up into the sky as he watched the massive mountain peak descend upon him. He understood that if he faced that mountain head-on with his measly 8,169 HP, then he would die without a doubt. Therefore, he had to find a way to survive the initial impact despite his w when it came to overall durability. For this, he had the perfect skill in mind. As the mountain arrived a few centimeters away from his head, a concentrated gust of wind drifted around Izroth¡¯s body. It was a gentle breeze that seemed to be tangible and flexible. ...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The moment the mountain made contact with his body, Izroth felt an overwhelming pressure forcing him down against his will! His body actually began to sink into thend as the mountain was literally burying him into the ground. ¡¯Good, it¡¯s holding up. However, it won¡¯tst long enough.¡¯ The skill Izroth used to protect himself with was the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard skill he acquired after defeating the First de Zephyr back in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth. Since he maxed out the skill after being able to use it, it not only increased the amount of damage he could absorb and convert into wind damage, but the cooldown time and mana cost increased as well. Unfortunately, the duration of the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard was only five seconds. But, from the looks of things, Izroth could tell that this mountain had no ns on stopping within that time frame. ¡¯Is this what he called a Domain? Its range and attack power are both a little ridiculous. Is it just a powerful attack, or is there more to it? To think the first two floors of the Amaharpe library did not mention anything about it. Could it be something simr to Source?¡¯ A few momentster, just as his skill wore off, Izroth did not hesitate to use Crystallization to continue protecting himself. However, the instant he used Crystallization the structural integrity dropped from 100% down to 72%. This meant that even this skill would only be able to protect him for another four seconds or so. Even then, he was uncertain if that would be enough. ¡¯At this rate, I might just be crushed by this mountain before I can do anything. The pressure being created prevented me from adjusting my body into a more favorable position before the impact. Even though the pressure in the atmosphere disappeared for a brief moment back there, I was still unable to activate my Enhanced Instantaneous Movement for some reason. It was probably due to the attraction force of the mountain. Now then, what should I do about this troublesome situation?¡¯ 3... Instead of a look of panic on his face, there was actually a smile on his face. When was thest time he had his back against the wall like this? How long had it been? ¡¯Alright, I think I have the timing down. Though if I mess up, there won¡¯t be any second chances.¡¯ 2... Time was quickly ticking away for Izroth as the structural integrity of his Crystallization skill was beginning to break down as cracks started to form throughout its surface. ¡¯No second chances? That¡¯s fine with me. All I need is one.¡¯ 1... Crack! ¡¯Now.¡¯ The crystal that encased Izroth was shattered into the countless pieces and the mountain peak that was mere centimeters away from making contact with his head near-instantly closed the rest of the distance between the two. ¡¯Energy Vision Sense. Shadow Movement.¡¯ Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense along with his Shadow Movement skill. The moment he did so, his body turned into a shadow. Since he no longer had a physical form, the pressure created by the mountain that weighed him down had vanished. Since his Flickering Steps was still active, his agility soared from 8,244 points to 16,488 points! Using his now unrestricted speed, Izroth arrived at the edge of the mountain in a split second. While in his shadow form, Izroth was capable of moving about freely on practically any surface. He used this effect of Shadow Movement to its fullest and made his way up the upside-down mountain by traveling on its side. He also used his Energy Vision Sense to avoid any hidden dangers that may have awaited him, as well as to make his trip up the side of the mountain less troublesome. With his agility of 16,488 points, one could barely even see the blur of a shadow passing by! A few secondster, the mountain stopped its descent and the Boundless Sea returned to its calm state thanks to the magic formation in the region. As Izroth was carefully traveling up the side of the mountain, it suddenly turned into white light and vanished. Using the cover of the white light he escaped from the giant hole in the Boundless Sea. At first, his shadow form was floating freely within the water of the Boundless Sea, however, thend soon reappeared as if the Boundless Sea region itself had regenerative abilities. That was when Izroth saw that Roudin¡¯s attention was focused on something in the distance instead of on his immediate surroundings. After all, in his mind, there was no possible way for Izroth to survive that attack. Also, any nearby participants would have already been wiped out just now. Roudin was not concerned about anything but the approaching person in the distance and this would be a mistake of his that came with a heavy price. ¡¯His defensive abilities are too strong for a prolonged fight. I¡¯ll have to end in one strike. Now, take as much as you need.¡¯ By using the wind damage from the damage built up by the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard and lightning damage from his First State: Heavenly Descent together in perfect sync, Izroth performed an Element Fusion which empowered his Sword of The Storm with the Storm element. However, this was only the first step. He had no idea if the next part would even be possible, but he still had to try. -6,875 Izroth lost arge chunk of his HP as the system used his health as a source of energy due to hisck of mana to perform an Element Fusion. But, he did not allow himself to falter even after losing more than 80% of his total HP. Izroth thought back to the first time he performed a Fusion Skill in the Sea Pce Graveyard. He tried to recall that feeling as his shadow figure appeared behind Roudin. What was he doing at that moment? How did it feel? What were the surrounding conditions like? What thoughts were going on through his mind? Those were the questions Izroth asked himself. ¡¯No, that¡¯s not right.¡¯ During that time, even though he nned on that move, in the end, it was not something he overly thought about. He just naturally tried to use two skills together and everything else just fell into ce. However, this would be even more difficult considering that he wanted to use not two, not three, but four skills together! If another yer knew what Izroth was trying to aplish, they would mock him for attempting something so impossible. yers dreamed of fusing just two skills and yet he wanted to use four skills together? Dream on! Izroth entered into a state of mind where his thoughts were silent and his gaze seemed to be in a tranquil and distant ce. By the time his mind returned to him, his de was already pierced through Roudin¡¯s chest! ¡¯That feeling... Was it Sword of Self? No, with my current untrained body, such a state should be impossible even with my strong soul and memories. But, if that¡¯s not the case then...¡¯ ... "You-! You¡¯re dead!" Roudin roared through his teeth as blood trickled down the side of his mouth. How was this possible? He was sure that person had died after they vanished from his sense of perception. There should have been no way for him to survive that attack just now, let alone deal such critical damage to him. How was his defense so easily broken through? There were countless thoughts spinning through Roudin¡¯s mind as he tried to process what had just happened. Izroth had just performed a fusion of skills thought to be impossible. Not only did he perform an Element Fusion, but a Fusion Skill as well! He fused First Baneful Sword: Destruction, Fissuring Point, Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, and First State: Heavenly Descent. He also empowered the skill with an amount of Essence that was far from being small. However, what surprised Izroth the most was the fact that Roudin was still standing! Even after taking such a ridiculous amount of damage, he had not fallen nor did he show any signs of crumbling into particles. Just how much durability did this person have?! The pressure around Roudin immediately increased as the pupil in his eyes transformed into the shape of an upside-down mountain. The veins on his face could clearly be seen as his level of rage soared to great heights. Chapter 342 Appearance of A Third Party ¡¯He¡¯s still alive after that attack... How high is his HP? Or, is it a skill?¡¯ It would be a lie if Izroth said that he was not shocked by Roudin¡¯s level of durability. Izroth believed that he had underestimated just how far the level and stat gap was between the two of them. Then again, he knew that this selection was not truly meant for yers to participate in to begin with, especially someone with his level. Thanks to his 6% lifesteal, Izroth regained all the HP he lost when performing the Element Fusion and returned to full health. Just as Izroth was about to follow up on his attack, his Soul Sense went off. At the same time, he saw a silver sh of light shoot past his eyes. Without a second thought, Izroth tossed aside his previous actions and retreated to a safe distance. Luckily, his Flickering Steps still had a few seconds left until it ended, otherwise, he would not have been able to retreat in time. -4,203 All of a sudden, as soon as Izroth¡¯s feet touched the ground after his retreat, a wound appeared on his shoulder as if he had just been cut by a sharp de. Strangely enough, he clearly felt that the attack just now had not struck him! ¡¯I definitely evaded that.¡¯ Izroth did not bother looking at the wound on his shoulder as he kept his gaze focused on Roudin. He knew that a person was most dangerous when backed into a corner. In all honesty, it would have been ideal for him if Roudin had fallen to his attack a few moments ago. Izroth understood that such a rare opportunity would note around again. But, what really bothered Izroth was the fact that he was confident that he had just avoided Roudin¡¯s attack. While it looked like a silver sh of light, it was actually Roudin¡¯s fist that had a strange silver energy wrapped around it. The moment Izroth felt that increased sense of danger, he believed that if he had just tried to exchange blows with Roudin and followed up on his attack, then he would have undoubtedly perished. Therefore, he swiftly pulled his de out of Roudin¡¯s chest and fell back the second his Soul Sense warned him, but he still ended up receiving a portion of damage from the attack. It just barely grazed his shoulder and yet its damage was more than 50% of his total HP! If it had been just a few more centimeters over, it would have struck his neck and instantly killed him. Fortunately, he adjusted the original position of his body when he evaded the main attack itself. Roudin¡¯s eyes were cold and filled with rage, however, his mind was surprisingly calm. He was not like most individuals who wouldpletely lose their temper when faced with a dire situation. In fact, he was more serious now than he had ever been since he met Izroth. Roudin had to admit that he severely underestimated the person before him. He figured that someone like that would have no way to survive under the influence of his Mountain Domain and he had paid a heavy price for it. To make matters worse, there was a powerful Domain user headed in this direction. In the end, no matter who won this fight, the chances of them escaping from this ce alive was close to zero. Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps wore off just as he finished retreating. That was not all, his First State: Heavenly Descent had also ended as his Sword of The Storm returned to normal. The only bright side was that the pressure released by Roudin seemed to be concentrated around his immediate vicinity within a small range of three meters. However, the pressure in that small area could not bepared to the one from before. This pressure was many times stronger and one could visibly see small parts of the atmosphere inside of the three-meter range bend and twist in awkward ways. ¡¯Any attacks at a close range will immediately be thrown off by the sudden sheer increase in pressure. That attack I used just now drained a lot of my Essence. If I continue to use it in a fight at this pace, then I¡¯ll inevitably experience Soul Weakness for five hours. If that happens, my time in this selection is over. However, since I¡¯vee this far, I have no intentions of turning back.¡¯ What Izroth did not know was that if Roudin did not have his Mountain Domain activated when he was attacked, then he would have been unable to survive Izroth¡¯s devastating blow. "As I thought, he¡¯s somehow predicting my attacks and moving ordingly beforehand. If my timing wasn¡¯t a bit off, then he¡¯d already be dead." Roudin muttered to himself. Roudin then started to question himself. Even in his current critical state, he was confident in his ability to eliminate Izroth. However, he was worried about the Domain user closing in fast on their position. Roudin was not foolish enough to believe that he could handle a powerful Domain user with his present injury. He regretted not immediately killing Izroth when he first appeared. If he had done so, then he would not have ended up in this unfavorable situation. Now, he had to decide whether to stay and fight or make a tactical retreat. No, it was toote to think about it in this manner. Would he be worthy of the title Indomitable Mountain if he retreated? Of course, not! "Well? Are you done thinking yet?" Izroth asked with a carefree expression on his face. It was the same question Roudin asked him before their fight had started. Of course, Izroth was not simply doing this out of spite. In a battle where there was a natural gap in overall strength, one had to take advantage of everything that was handed to them. Izroth knew that no matter how calm Roudin thought himself to be on the inside, it was impossible for him to be totally unaffected by taking such a critical hit from someone he thought was so much weaker than himself due to his own carelessness. Those who lost their calm in a battle like this for even a split second would pay for it with their life. Roudin grinned as his facial expression darkened and he said, "I never expected there would be someone without a Domain who¡¯s capable of wounding me in this selection. I don¡¯t know what kind of tricks you used, but my Mountain Domain is not something so easily broken. You¡¯ve missed your only chance to kill me, Izroth. You will not get a second one." ¡¯He has no openings. I can use Enhanced Instantaneous Movement again, however, the moment I arrive within attack range I¡¯ll be rendered immobile by the concentrated pressure. This one is troublesome.¡¯ In the end, Roudin was a terrible matchup for Izroth. His defensive abilities, the pressure that minimized and restricted Izroth¡¯s speed, and terrifying attack power to go along with it. Woooosh... Izroth nced off to his side when he felt a gentle yet chilling breeze brush across his skin. It was irregrpared to the breeze he had been feeling thus far. At the same time, he saw that Roudin¡¯s facial expression had be increasingly grave as every second passed by. Roudin stomped his foot as fourrge stone tablets rose up out of the ground and rushed towards Izroth from four different directions. Izroth sprinted towards the stone tablet that was in front of him and pressed his foot up against it as it was moving. He used his Wall Walking skill to tread up the stone tablet and right before his foot left the ground and made contact with the tablet, a tremor spread out in every direction. This was Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake. He then leaped over the stone tablet just as all four tablets crashed into one another and crumbled into dust. He did not continue to run straight towards Roudin, but instead, Izroth maintained a distance of ten meters. After the first tremor made contact with Roudin, Izroth activated the Tempest Strikes skill attached to his Sword of The Storm. Not only that, but he also used the skill Life Reaping on his Ring of The Exiled which had its full 100 stacks. This granted Izroth a bonus 100% lifesteal making his total lifesteal 106% for 20 seconds! Since the stackssted for one hour and Izroth had eliminated those participants just moments before the first relocation took ce, he still had the stacks that he gained from their deaths. With a low amount of HP, Izroth knew that he could not risk, at the very least, losing out to Roudin in terms of sustainability; even if it was only for 20 seconds. Swoosh! Izroth shifted his stance to that of his First Sword Form: Converging Paths and swung his Sword of The Storm. He used Phantom Strikes along with his first sword form as a de of wind followed by two shadows soared through the air towards Roudin. The mountain symbols in Roudin¡¯s eyes turned upright and a light glow was emitted from them. He received Izroth¡¯s attacks and punched forward with his fist. If one saw his punch, they would think that he was hitting nothing but empty air. However, right when Izroth¡¯s attack connected with Roudin, Roudin¡¯s attack also connected with Izroth. ?Critical Hit? -412 +437 ?Critical Hit? -824 +873 ?Critical Hit? -1,237 +1,311 -4,875 1,712/8,169 HP Remaining! (Izroth) Even though Izroth managed to avoid Roudin¡¯s attack again, he somehow still got struck on his outer torso area despite the warning from his Soul Sense. Although he saw the clear movement of Roudin¡¯s fist, there were no other signs of danger after that and it was impossible to tell how his attacked worked. ¡¯Where are his attacksing from? If I can weaken him a bit more, then...¡¯ Right now, Izroth was walking a tight rope of death. If he could not figure out how Roudin¡¯s attacks worked, then the moment he slipped up or his lifesteal ran out, he would die. However, unbeknownst to Izroth and Roudin who could not afford to drop their focus for a single moment, a third party had arrived on the scene in mid-air as they looked on the fight below. There was a gust of wind beneath their body that carried them throughout the sky and countless squalls the size of a small fist behind them. The second that Sageid her eyes on Izroth they turned ice cold. "It¡¯s him?" Sage said to herself as a look of disgust appeared on her face. However, one could only see the look of disgust in her eyes due to the fan in her hand blocking the lower part of her face. She narrowed her eyes when her gazended on Roudin since he was the one emitting the power of the Mountain Domain. In her eyes, he must have been severely wounded by the person he was fighting against beforehand and then that weakling must have taken advantage of the situation to attack him while he was in a critical state. Otherwise, how could a user of a main upper eight Domain struggle against the likes of that trash? Though, Sage was not surprised by that weakling¡¯s actions. The weak often resorted to such underhanded methods in order to aplish their goals. Those whocked power only had cowardly means at their disposals and there was nothing she found more disgusting than this. "This world has no need for such trash." Sage¡¯s hand moved slightly and although one could not see it due to her incredible speed, she had actually just swung her fan out twice towards Izroth¡¯s direction. She was aiming to im his life without a moment wasted! Around 1% of the squalls behind her descended from the sky and fell directly over Izroth right in the middle of his battle with Roudin! Although 1% may seem like a small amount, that was still around fifteen squalls! Chapter 343 On Borrowed Power When Sage sent down the squalls from above, Izroth and Roudin instantly became aware of her presence. They had been so focused on not slipping up on their attacks that they failed to realize that someone had gotten this close to them. Of course, this was also rted to Sage¡¯s ability to have near-perfect control over the level of her presence she emitted. Izroth quickly nced over in the direction of the attack and the person who was behind it. He was surprised to see that it was the same student of Zushuatri that directed a killing intent towards him. Even now, he was positive that he had never met her before and so he did not know what he had done to offend them. However, he would not simply sit back and allow himself to be thoughtlessly killed. ¡¯Though I can¡¯t say her timing is good.¡¯ "It¡¯s a main upper eight Wind Domain..!" Roudin stated as his brows rose in surprise. He knew that it was someone powerful headed this way, however, he thought that it was one of those four individuals who werepeting in the selection. He did not think that it would be one of Zushuatri¡¯s students. Not to mention, she possessed a main upper eight Wind Domain! There were many Domains and they were ssified into two different sections, the main upper eight Domains, and the lower Domains. Although they were called lower Domains, they were not necessarily weak and even had the potential of eventually reaching into the main upper eight Domains. This was due to the fact that every lower Domain came directly from one of the main upper eight Domains. The main upper eight Domains consisted of Fire, Water, Earth, Thunder, Mountain, Lake, Wind, and Heaven. The base difference between a main upper eight Domain and that of a lower Domain was like that of night and day and usually, only those with great talent were able to acquire them. An example of a lower Domain is one called the Forest Domain, which is derived from the main upper eight Earth Domain. As for Roudin and Sage, both were able to use a main upper eight Domain. This meant that their talent and potential were not small and the chances of them bing legendary beings in the future was practically a guarantee! Although the main upper eight Domains were widely epted as the strongest Domain one could acquire, this was actually false. But, it was not quite wrong for others to think this way due to the unique rarity of what was called the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains. These were four Domains that appeared only once every ten thousand years in the Mortal Realm. Time, Space, Void, and Matter; these four made up the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains and each held incredible power. One would have to be born under ten lucky stars to obtain the talent required to im one of the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains. Of course, these Domains were much different from the child¡¯s y that yers used for skills which were like a distant and far off cousin of the Domain such as Mariposa¡¯s S-ranked spatial skill Banish or Zi Yi¡¯s A-ranked void skill Void Jump. In terms of power, not even one of the main upper eight Domains coulde close to its feet! One who managed to acquire one of the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains would not stop at the legendary realm of power. They would reach much greater heights and maybe even reach the ce that most could only dream about. The ce where the Divine Beings resided above the firmament. "But, she only seems to be aiming for that guy. It looks like he must have offended her somehow. In my current state, I¡¯m not her match. Should I use this opportunity to escape from here and recover?" Roudin said to himself as he noticed that Sage focused her attacks solely on Izroth. Although he did not know what the young man before him had done to offend one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students, he would surely not let this chance go to waste. ¡¯This isn¡¯t good. My Flickering Steps is still on cooldown along with my First State: Heavenly Descent. My energy and mana are both low and there are only around 12 seconds remaining until my Life Reaping skill ends. Not to mention, it looks like she really isn¡¯t fond of me to begin with since her attacks are only aimed at me.¡¯ Izroth did not know whether tough or cry. Could it be that she was mistaking him for someone else who looked simr to him? Otherwise, how could he collect such enmity and hatred from one he never even knew existed before today? The main problem was that the only movement skill Izroth had remaining was two charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Although he only had enough energy for one use, it was only a few more seconds until he would have enough to use the second charge. But, after he used up those two charges, he would have no movement skills left to escape with even if he wanted to. There was also Roudin to worry about who seemed to be pondering on his next course of action. If both of them decided to attack him together, then something as simple as holding onto his life would be an incredible feat! ¡¯My mana potion will be off cooldown in 15 seconds. After I restore my mana, if I can¡¯t handle it beforehand, then I may have to depend on the Second State: Heavenly Cloak to make my move. Although it¡¯s a shame I won¡¯t be able to im all of the points before me, it won¡¯t be toote to do so in the future.¡¯ In the end, Izroth could only me his own misfortune that he ran into two powerful individuals in such a short period of time. If he insisted on trying to stay and fight despite his current state, then he knew that end result would be unfavorable. Therefore, he had to create as many chances as possible for himself to survive. ¡¯For the time being, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s going to make a move. Though by halting his attacks and repositioning himself, it appears he¡¯s trying to find an opportunity to escape since she¡¯s focused on me.¡¯ One of the squalls that Sage released rapidly approached Izroth. It was as if the squall was dancing in the wind itself as its movements were erratic which made it difficult for one to predict what angle it wasing from. Even though each squall was onlyparable to the size of a small fist, it was by no means weak in power. The squall was like a small isted blizzard with an intense gale taking ce within a transparent orb. The energy within the squall was so concentrated andpressed that one could feel a chill rise in the surrounding atmosphere. When Roudin felt this chill his eyes widened in shock as he eximed, "How can this be?! This is definitely a Wind Domain and yet... Impossible! A person can only have one Domain! Why does her Wind Domain have hints of the Water Domain mixed inside of it?" The reason behind Roudin¡¯s shock was that it was impossible for one person to have more than one Domain no matter how skilled they were. This was not for any other reason than the limitations that existed as a naturalw of order. While it was true that one could evolve their Domains to a higher power, that was only for the lower Domains. It was also a well-known fact that one could only improve on the Domain path it was originally associated with. For example, one who acquired the Forest Domain could never advance it to be a Fire Domain or Water Domain. One with a Forest Domain would only be able to advance it to an Earth Domain. This was an absolute rule! Therefore, for Sage to have hints of the Water Domain present within her Wind Domain would cause even legendary beings to gasp with shock. Though there was a special reason behind the uniqueness of Sage¡¯s Wind Domain. It was not that she possessed two Domains as Roudin assumed, but rather, it was due to the unusual body she had. One could not tell from her outer appearance, but her internal physique was something only Zushuatri and a few other figures knew about. It was also one of the reasons Zushuatri kept her as his student despite her behavior. He knew that the demons that lurked in her heart still remained even after all the years that passed. As the first squall approached him, Izroth turned his body and elerated at an angle in a different direction. However, the squalls still followed after him which confirmed that they truly were locked onto him. ¡¯As I thought, they can¡¯t be that simple to dodge. Then, since you¡¯re so polite, I¡¯ll be borrowing this...¡¯ Izroth abruptly halted his movement which surprised Roudin and caused Sage to narrow her eyes. It couldn¡¯t be that he nned on confronting the squalls head-on, right? That would be no different than personally weing his own death! Woosh! Izroth¡¯s sword stance shifted as a calm and steady expression appeared on his face. The closer the squalls moved to Izroth¡¯s position, the more fierce and cold the surrounding winds became. He waited until the veryst moment before the first squall was about to touch his body and without hesitation, he tilted his sword in a slight manner and met head-on with the first squall! Immediately after doing so, Izroth nearly lost the grip on his sword from how wild the power contained within the squall was. ¡¯How heavy.¡¯ A smirk appeared on Sage¡¯s face when she observed Izroth confronting her squall with his sword. Did that trash really think that her attack could be stopped so easily? Besides, even if he blocked one squall, there was still more than a dozen closing in on his location fast. "In the end, this is all that can be expected of trash. He should feel honored to die under my Wind Domain." Sage said as she nced over in Roudin¡¯s direction. When that happened, Roudin felt a shiver run down his spine. Normally, he would not feel threatened even if she was one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students, however, he had been so distracted by her unusual Domain that he had forgotten to use the chance to make his retreat. However, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Sage lifted her gaze off of him. It seemed as if she had no intentions of fighting him. "Master Zushuatri will probably scold me if I personally kill someone who can use one of the main upper eight Domains." Sage said to herself as she turned around and got ready to leave. "Ahhhh!" A scream suddenly came from down below which caused Sage to halt her movement. This was due to the fact that the scream had note from the location of that trash, but instead, it came from the location of the Mountain Domain user! But, how was this possible? When Sage turned to look at the scene below, she saw that Roudin was trapped inside of a dome that was around three meters in diameter and height. He had let his guard down after being relieved that Sage did not want to confront him and now he could only regret his actions. Inside of the dome was a vicious mixture of gales and blizzards that bombarded Roudin and corroded him both internally and externally. This was the effect of the squall from her Wind Domain: Breath of Quiescent Squalls. But, this should not be possible! She did not aim any of her squalls at Roudin and it was impossible that she did something like miss with her aim. That was when she noticed that the weakling who was just down there was nowhere to be found. Where did he go?! Sage quickly swept her gaze over the surroundings and noticed that Izroth was currently near the edge ofnd and had approached the Boundless Sea. He was actually nning on jumping directly into the Boundless Sea to escape! "You dare run away?!" Sage was furious. She did not know how he had managed to escape her attack, but it brought upon a feeling of humiliation. She would not allow him to leave the Boundless Sea, let alone this ind, alive! Chapter 344 A Gamble For Great Benefits! Izroth used the Sword Return part of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave to redirect the first of Sage¡¯s squalls towards Roudin who was more focused on Sage¡¯s actions. This opened a small window of opportunity for Izroth and he used the chance to attack Roudin. He used nearly 20 points of his Essence to empower his Sword Return, otherwise, he would have never been able to reflect that squall just now. After using Sword Return and targeting Roudin, he immediately used one of the charges for his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to avoid the other squalls. While some of the squalls crashed into one another, there were still four squalls remaining from Sage¡¯s initial attack that changed their course and headed straight for him. When Izroth saw that Roudin was immobilized by the squall that he redirected towards him and that Sage had no longer paid him any attention, he twisted his body during his retreat towards the Boundless Sea and brandished his Sword of The Storm. Izroth kicked off the ground just before he twisted his body and used the momentum to continue traveling towards the Boundless Sea. However, he was currently off the ground and although he was flying with his back facing the Boundless Sea, Izroth himself was faced in Roudin¡¯s direction. ¡¯It seems she thinks very little of me. Though since she was polite enough to lend me a hand, how can I refuse her kindness?¡¯ A terrifying and bloodthirsty aura gathered around the azure de of Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. The killing intent his sword gave off filled the surrounding atmosphere. Sage observed Izroth¡¯s actions and felt the killing intent being released from his position. She instantly realized what Izroth was up to. Not only was he trying to escape from her, but he also wanted to kill Roudin who was trapped within her squall. He wanted to use her squall to assist him inunching an attack on Roudin! How could she not be furious at the thought of this? "Die!" Sage waved the fan in her hand outward in an arc. Right after doing so, more than one hundred squalls descended on Izroth¡¯s location. She believed that he just got luckyst time, but she would not leave any room for that piece of trash to escape this time around! ¡¯I only have one shot. I can only hope that Sword Return did enough damage to make this work.¡¯ 18 meters... 19 meters... 20 meters! The moment Izroth arrived exactly 20 meters away from Roudin, his sword swept out without any hesitation. It was a simple sword swing, however, there was a monstrous and terrifying energy behind it. As Izroth¡¯s sword traveled forward, a sharp and deadly sword intent formed at the tip of the azure de. That deadly sword intent left his Sword of The Storm and soared forward through the air while evading the iing squalls as Roudin was still being suppressed by Sage¡¯s squall. Roudin¡¯s facial expression turned pale when he felt that heavy and dreadful killing intent headed in his direction. He did not hesitate to activate a second defensive skill that reduced all iing damage by 90%! Although that attacking towards him was powerful, in the end, it did not seem as strong as thest attack Izroth struck him with. There were no elements or piercing energy present, just an overwhelming killing intent. Even though Roudin was rendered immobile by the squall, he could still activate his defense skills. If not for this, then he may have been in even more danger after being hit by Sage¡¯s attack which contained the power of the Wind Domain. "I can take this attack..!" That was the thought going through Roudin¡¯s mind as the deadly de intent approached his location. That de intent cut through the squall dome that was around Roudin and traveled straight through his body leaving a deep scar on the ground behind him. At the same time, the numerous squalls that Sageunched towards Izroth had already arrived on the small ind and surrounded him in every direction! However, just before the squalls were about to close in on his location, he used the final charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement after having just regained enough energy to do so. He reached the edge of the ind and without thinking twice or looking back, Izroth jumped into the Boundless Sea. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Dozens of squalls collided with one another and exploded, but that still left dozens more that shot right into the Boundless Sea and followed after Izroth. As for Roudin, his facial expression was currently one of shock. The symbol on his forehead disappeared and the mountain-shaped pupils in his eyes had vanished and returned to normal. "I¡¯m... Dying? Impossible... Here? To some nobody? Here?! Ahhhhhhh!" Roudin roared as a powerful and bright white light descended down upon him just as parts of his body was dissipating into particles. This light engulfed Roudin and after doing so, he vanished without a trace. Even his dissipating particles had beenpletely erased from the atmosphere. He was finished. Sage had a cold and dark expression on her face as she closed the folding fan in her hand and gripped it tightly. "I wasted nearly 10% of my Wind Domain¡¯s power on a weakling...! Just wait and see how I end you." Sage said to herself as she bit down on the corner of her lip so hard that it drew blood in the process. She had never felt so angered and humiliated! If he, by some miracle, managed to survive her attack just now and the ruthless Boundless Sea, then Sage swore that she would find a way to deal with him and repay that weak piece of trash for this humiliation a thousandfold! ... Woosh! Woosh! ¡¯My movements are greatly reduced underwater and I haven¡¯t been down here for long, but I can feel my energy slowly fading away. Is this an effect of the Boundless Sea? Or is it because I can¡¯t breathe underwater?¡¯ The instant Izroth jumped into the Boundless Sea, he tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and the surface. After all, if Sage decided to chase after him in his current state, he had zero means of dealing with her. But, just when he thought that he was in the clear, there were still dozens of squalls that followed him down into the Boundless Sea. Although they seemed to be exploding at random, Izroth noticed that it was whenever they came within a certain range of any solid object. ¡¯It¡¯s likely that she¡¯s unable to freely control her squalls down here. However, this is still troublesome...¡¯ Izroth had already returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. At the moment, he focused his attention on avoiding the iing squalls that were still headed his way. Since the water restricted his movements, if he did not get enough distance between himself and the squalls, then he would be caught by its explosion. Each explosion of the squalls left behind a sphere of three meters with a blizzard taking ce inside of it. Even though Izroth managed to avoid the squalls for the most part, he was still damaged by some of the explosions and had his movements slowed to a certain extent. Luckily, due to his final attack on Roudin, he was able to regain his full health thanks to his Life Reaping skill. In the end, he was able to sessfully escape with his life from the bombardment of squalls. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to endure underwater for as long as I can and create a safe enough distance. Fortunately, it looks as if the monsters in this area are nonexistent due to Roudin¡¯s previous attack.¡¯ Thest skill he just used on Roudin was the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. However, since Izroth was unaware of Roudin¡¯s total HP, it was more of a gamble than anything. What he was aiming for was not the normal damage the skill provided, but one of the effects attached to it, Execute. With the Execute effect, as long as a target¡¯s HP was equal to or less than 25% of their total HP, then there was a high chance of it activating whenever Izroth used the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. This meant that no matter how much HP an individual had left, as long as it was 25% or less, they would be instantly killed! The lower the target¡¯s HP, then higher the chance was of Execute being activated. The results? ¡´Battle Alert: Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain has been affected by ?Execute?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The cooldown on Second Baneful Sword: Kill has been reduced by 50%.¡µ The Execute effect was sessful and this meant that Roudin, no matter how strong his defenses, had been eliminated by Izroth! This was a huge gain considering how many points Roudin had managed to collect. Izroth had received quite a few system alerts in the process. ¡´System Alert: Your total points have been increased by 23,209. [Total Points: 26,107].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your selection rank has changed from 512 to 4.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder has increased by 1.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill Second Baneful Sword: Kill has increased by 1.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency...¡µ The number of benefits Izroth received this time around were not small. While the points were good for obvious reasons, they could only be considered a short term gain. Even though he felt that he was close to reaching the next level of some skills, he did not expect it to happen all at once! With this, Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder was only one more level away from being maxed out. As for his Heavenly Golden Body and Second Baneful Sword Kill, they were still quite far away from beingpleted. But, the jump was not small for S-ranked skills even if it was just one level. This was even more so for Izroth¡¯s Heavenly Golden Body. He had finally reached the 4th stage in RML! The power of the 3rd and 4th stage of Heavenly Golden Body was like that of night and day. Unfortunately, his body in the real world was still only at the 2nd stage of the Heavenly Golden Body physique. Otherwise, even heavy artillery would not necessarily be able to do any lethal damage to him. But, within RML, his power had just soared to a new level from that simple increase in his Heavenly Golden Body! ¡¯The progress for my Heavenly Golden Body this time around was much faster. ¡¯ Skill Name: Heavenly Golden Body Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 3/10 ¡ú 4/10 Skill Rank: S ¡ú SS Passive: The more the user of this skill battles the stronger their body bes, permanently raising all of their stats. Enhances all user senses by 110% ¡ú 150%. HP: 2,000 ¡ú 10,000 ATK: 80 ¡ú 240 DEF: 80 ¡ú 240 AGI: 80 ¡ú 240 Energy Capacity Increase II(Passive) - +50 ¡ú +100 Maximum Energy Physical Resistance II(Passive) - +5% ¡ú +10% Physical Resistance Magical Resistance II(Passive) - +5% ¡ú +10% Magical Resistance Poison Resistance II(Passive) - The user of this skill is resistant to some ¡ú various forms of poisons. Battle Regeneration II(Passive) - Regenerates 50 ¡ú 100+(1% ¡ú 1.5% of the user¡¯s maximum HP) of the user¡¯s HP every 5 seconds while in battle. *¡ú Greater Physique(Passive) - The user of this skill does not take any damage and ispletely unaffected by crowd control effect(s) from skills at or less than C-rank. This damage includes basic attacks that are less than 10% of the user¡¯s total HP before any defense reduction(MIN Damage: 1,683). The minimum basic attack damage is decreased to 5%(MIN Damage: 841) for attacks that include daggers. Description: A skill created by Izroth, the more the user battles the stronger they be over time. Special Effect: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Chapter 345 Before Its Too Late ... "Phoenix! Preserve your mana as much as possible and minimize your heals! I¡¯ll try to sustain myself for as long as I can! Hidden Pulse, Shuyi- Just focus on dealing damage and timing your crowd control abilities! Be careful of its tail when you attack it from behind!" Two Tonsmanded as he blocked an iing strike of the Ouroboros. "Understood!" Phoenix and Hidden Pulse replied. As for Shuyi, while he did not give a verbal reply, he gave a small nod to show that he was in agreement. "Broken Fists, you can-" Two Tons was speaking, but was promptly cut off by Broken Fists. "Don¡¯t order me around! I¡¯ll do my part, you just focus on doing yours properly!" Broken Fists interrupted Two Tons before he could give him any orders and continued to do his own thing. Broken Fists continued to ignore all of Two Tons¡¯ orders and advice that came his way. In truth, Two Tons wanted to kick Broken Fists from the party, however, he could not risk Broken Fists going even more off the rails than he already had. If he kicked Broken Fists, then worst-case scenario, Broken Fists would intentionally sabotage their fight against the Ouroboros and they would all end up dying in this dungeon. Therefore, Two Tons tried to find a way to n around Broken Fists¡¯ unwillingness to listen to any of his words. As for Realistic, she had not moved a single step after the Ouroboros charged towards her earlier and so she was not much help at all. The Ouroboros rammed its head into Two Tons¡¯ shield. At the same time, a thin veil of energy appeared as two symbols lit up on the shield in Two Tons¡¯ hand. Along with those two symbols that just lit up, there were three symbols that were already glowing on the surface of the shield. "This is bad. Our damage isn¡¯t high enough and the poison of the Ouroboros is corroding through my physical defenses putting a strain on Phoenix. At this rate, we¡¯ll be wiped out. What to do? How can I turn this situation around? Think..!" Two Tons¡¯ muttered to himself as he tried to think of a way out of this mess. Their teamwork was mediocre at best, no one really knew how to work around the other, and although Hidden Pulse and Shuyi were trying their best to time their crowd control abilities, it was still not enough. Not to mention, there was a natural level gap between their party and the Ouroboros. Even if the Ouroboros was just a normal level 35 dungeon boss it would be difficult for their current party to defeat. The fact that it was a hidden rare dungeon boss was a seemingly bleak uphill battle. "Shield Furnace: Bacsh Blow!" Two Tons roared as the five symbols on his shield disappeared and a powerful burst of mes spewed from the front part of his shield, engulfing the Ouroboros. Grrrrrruuuuah! Hssssssst! The Ouroboros¡¯ head had been blown back and away from Two Tons, temporarily sealing its movements in the process. Although it would not buy them much time, it still gave them a small chance to catch their breath against the Ouroboros¡¯ swift attacks. Two Tons¡¯ ss was an advancement of the warrior ss called Furance Defender. One of the main skills of this ss was Shield Furnace. The more symbols one formed, the more powerful the effect. At the moment, Two Tons could only form up to five symbols. Shield Furnace allowed Two Tons to absorb a portion of the damage he received and store it into his shield in the form of symbols. He could then release the stored up energy at any time to greatly increase the damage on any of his skills and build additional aggro. The skill Two Tons used just now was called Bacsh Blow and it was empowered by his Shield Furnace. While the Furnace Defender was not necessarily a rare ss, it was not verymon due to the long chain of ss advancement quests required to obtain it. Therefore, one who was impatient could never bare the lengthy chain quests for the Furnace Defender ss. "I¡¯ve bought us some time! Use it to recover any health you¡¯ve lost from the Ouroboros¡¯ poison!" Two Tons said as he himself consumed an HP potion. The Ouroboros often released a mist of toxic poison that filled the air in the room. Although it did not do too much damage immediately, if it was ignored for a prolonged period of time, then it could potentially lead to a party wipe. Unfortunately, Phoenix¡¯s ss focused more on individual healing rather than group healing. If she were a shaman, then it would be possible for them topletely ignore the effects of the poison mist. Though any yer with a slightly good gaming sense knew that strong individual healing was more useful in a situation where there existed arge level gap with the boss monster. Otherwise, the tank would not be able to survive if the boss monster had skills that removedrge portions of damage at a time. The Ouroboros swiftly regained its movement as it charged right towards Two Tons with its jaw open as if it wanted to devour him. However, Two Tons managed to sessfully block the attack from the Ouroboros. The boss monster also made surprise attacks with its tail, however, Shuyi and Hidden Pulse were keeping it preupied as to remove some of the pressure from Two Tons. After all, if he died then the rest of them would soon follow without a tank. Nyu! Nyu! Ayanellia rubbed her head up against Reilei and made noises as if she were trying to warn Reilei of something. Reilei snapped out of it thanks to Ayanellia. It was the first time she heard Ayanellia make such loud noises. Usually, the small doe was quiet and reserved, but it looked as if she was trying her best to get Reilei¡¯s attention. "Ayanellia... Xiao Liang, he-" Reilei could not find it within herself toplete that sentence as her expression turned into a gloomy one. However, Ayanellia kept shoving against the back of Reilei¡¯s leg as the small doe attempted to push her forward. Of course, it was impossible to do so with the difference in size. But, that did not prevent Ayanellia from attempting it. "Could it be that Ayanellia is trying to tell me something?" Reilei questioned when she saw how persistent Ayanellia was being. Nyu! Ayanellia jumped up and down as if answering Reilei¡¯s question. Though there was just one problem, Reilei could not understand what Ayanellia was trying to tell her. But, from the way she tried to push her, it looked as though she wanted Reilei to head in the direction of the Ouroboros. "You want me to avenge Xiao Liang?" Reilei asked. But, surprisingly, Ayanellia shook her head. It turned into a small game of charades before Reilei eventually discovered what Ayanellia wanted to say. "You want me to help Xiao Liang? But he-... Are you saying that Xiao Liang is still alive inside of the Ouroboros?" Reilei gasped. Nyu! Nyu! Ayanellia hopped up and down in an excited manner. She was finally understood! But, the small doe was exhausted after trying to exin so much without the use of words. "Xiao Liang..!" Reilei said to herself as she stood up straight and gripped on tightly to the Orb of Creations in her hand. If Xiao Liang was still alive inside of the Ouroboros, then she had to find a way to help him before it was toote! Hsssst! "Phoenix, look out!" Hidden Pulse warned as the tail of the Ouroboros shot out towards Phoenix. Since there was not much space in the room, Phoenix could not exit the attack range of the Ouroboros and was targeted by its tail. "This tail is annoying!" Shuyi said as he used a crowd control ability on the Ouroboros and attempted to halt its attack on Phoenix. After all, in this kind of situation, the healer was just as important or even more important than the tank for their survival chances. However... ?Resisted? The Ouroboros resisted Shuyi¡¯s skill as its tail did not slow down in the slightest! Boss monsters were highly resistant to crowd control skills. It could be seen as a great fortune that they had gone this long with the time on their crowd control skills being reduced instead ofpletely resisted. Especially considering the level and rare nature of the Ouroboros. Phoenix crossed her arms and closed her eyes tightly to brace for the impact of the Ouroboros¡¯ tail. Although she cast a protective barrier on herself, there was no way that it would absorb the entire attack and she would still receive damage. She also knew that her agility was too slow to avoid the attack, therefore, she had to do her best to defend and survive. However, just before the tail was about to m into Phoenix, she felt a small breeze drift by her. Woosh... Breeze? But, they were currently underground where the wind could not reach. How was it possible that there was a breeze in this ce? Bang! Phoenix soon realized that she had not felt the impact of the Ouroboros¡¯ attack. That was when she opened her eyes and saw the tail of the Ouroboros being knocked away. Standing in front of her was Realistic with a bizarre summoner¡¯s orb in her hand. There was a bit of shock present in Phoenix¡¯s eyes. She was amazed that a level 27 Realistic could knock away the attack of a rare boss monster who was 8 levels higher than her! Was she sure that her ss was not really fighter-type or warrior-type? No matter how she looked at it, Realistic appeared to be the furthest thing from a summoner as possible. Phoenix was about to thank Realistic but stopped when she saw the look on her eyes. There was a serious and determined look on Reilei¡¯s face that took Phoenix by surprise. She did not think that Realistic was capable of making such an expression. "I apologize for not helping sooner, everyone!" Reilei said as she realized her own mistake. She understood what it was like better than anyone to be abandoned in the middle of a tough situation. So, how could she almost have done the same to others? Phoenix smiled and replied, "Apology epted! Thank you, Realistic." She was happy to see that Reilei was able to snap out of it. "d you could join us, Realistic! Though you¡¯ll have to make up for your cking off by working twice as hard!" Two Tons said with a small smile on his face. He was relieved that Realistic managed to snap out of it. Now that she was back in the fight, they just may just have a chance of defeating this Ouroboros! "Yes!" Reilei replied. Regardless of what Two Tons¡¯ said, she had already nned on giving it her best. After all, she was determined to rescue Xiao Liang. If defeating this Ouroboros is what it takes, then so be it! "Hmph, it¡¯s about time..." Shuyi muttered to himself. Although it did not sound like it, he was also d that they had another person to lend a hand. Even the smallest amount of additional damage would help increase their chances of victory. "Everyone, push forward! Don¡¯t back down! We can do this as long as we work together!" Two Tons roared as his level of ferociousness increased. With the return of their final party member to the fray, now was the best time to change to a more offensive tactic. In a contest of durability, there was no way they could oust a rare boss like the Ouroboros, therefore, they could not rx on their assault for even a moment. "Xiao Liang, just hold on a little longer. I¡¯ll be sure to save you." Reilei said to herself as she dashed towards the Ouroboros. Chapter 346 The Seven Captains of Blue Oasis Gather! ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... There was a secret gathering taking ce within RML between one of the top ten guilds, Blue Oasis. This meeting was in a secluded ce that was quite some distance away from Amaharpe¡¯s capital city. It was a rare moment where the guild leader and all seven captains of Blue Oasis were all in the same ce at the same time. The current topic required all of them to be present due to how delicate the discussion was. yer Name: Asgard [Guild Leader of Blue Oasis] Level: 45 ss: Blood Berserker yer Name: Niflheim [6th Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 45 ss: Assimtion Guardian yer Name: Abstract [5th Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 43 ss: Death Stalker yer Name: Minus [7th Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 42 ss: Fists of Combustion yer Name: Nidavellir [2nd Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 45 ss: Holy Pdin yer Name: Vanaheim [3rd Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 45 ss: Elemental Mage yer Name: Peaceful Chaos [4th Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 44 ss: Bestial Champion yer Name: Road [1st Captain of Blue Oasis] Level: 47 ss: Wave Swordsman "Hm? Where¡¯s the vice leader? Heh, it¡¯s not like him to bete to a meeting." Peaceful Chaos said with a grin on his face. "Assault is currently guarding "that" ce and making sure that no suspicious movement is going on in the area. After all, we can¡¯t be too careful when ites to this matter." Asgard exined. "Heh, I bet that guy¡¯s just cking off right now and enjoying some free time." Peaceful Chaos said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Mind your manners. You may be a Captain, but Assault is still the vice-guild leader of our Blue Oasis. You should show some respect." Vanaheim stated in a calm tone as she released a small sigh. "Oh? What¡¯s this? Vanaheim, since when were you and the vice-leader so close? You¡¯ve already turned down my affection so many times and shattered my heart to pieces. Tell me, how can I ever love again?" Nidavellir said in a yful tone. "Hmph, you would say the same words to any woman who crosses your path. As for the vice-leader and my rtionship, it¡¯s nonexistent and strictly professional. I simply wish to prevent our Blue Oasis from falling into chaos from disorder in our ranks. If we do not set and lead by example for our guild members, then how can we expect to have their respect? As the 2nd Captain of Blue Oasis, you should be enforcing this even more than me." Vanaheim said in an unhurried manner. "Rx, we¡¯re the only ones here. How can I show my true colors around our guild members? You understand, right Road?" Nidavellir stated as he put one of his arms over Road¡¯s shoulder in a friendly way. "..." Road met Nidavellir¡¯s question with silence. "I see you¡¯re still as shy as ever. Ahahaha!" Nidavellir said in response to Road¡¯s silent treatment. "Idiot..." Minus muttered under his breath. A few momentster, things settled down and the atmosphere turned serious. Everyone present knew what the gathering was about and how important it was for the future of Blue Oasis. After all, if they were able to pull this off sessfully, then they would be one step or even two steps ahead of the other top guilds. "As you all know, the other top guilds are starting to be suspicious of our movement. The original n was to wait another three days to prepare as much as possible, but we¡¯ll have to move up our ns. The fact that it¡¯s stayed under wraps for so long is already a miracle. Not to mention, there¡¯s a huge eventing up soon. We¡¯ll need every advantage we can possibly get. I¡¯m sure all of you understand this." Asgard stated. Vanaheim furrowed her brows as she said, "Ideally, we¡¯d all be level 50 with a set of full rare equipment before we attempted this. To make matters worse, we¡¯re unable to send in any scouts beforehand to assess the situation and collection information. Attempting a blind run on a Normal raid is already difficult enough, but doing so for a Hardcore raid can be seen as close to an impossibility." "We don¡¯t have much of a choice. The moment we take one step into the raid, it¡¯ll be announced to the world and the other top guilds via the system. Those guys may be willing to show us some face for a dungeon, but a raid is an entirely different story." Nidavellir said. "Precisely, that¡¯s why we can¡¯t afford to take any more risks than we already have. The decision has already been made so there¡¯s no reason to focus on that point. Niflheim, I¡¯ll leave it up to you to exin." Asgard stated. After that, all eyes fell onto Niflheim who had yet to utter a single word. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all wondering why we only have three groups when a raid requires four." Niflheim started off. Everyone knew that raids were done with a total of 24-yers, which was the equivalent of four full parties within RML. While it was possible to attempt a raid with fewer yers, it would be considered a suicidal act to do so for a Hardcore raid. Even a Normal raid was bound to be countless times more difficult than any of the dungeons they had faced thus far. "You guys have been holding back on us for quite some time. How could we not be curious? There¡¯s no one I can think of in our Blue Oasis guild that has the ability the join us for this raid besides the members we¡¯ve already chosen. The rest are either not up to level orcking the proper equipment. Even for us, providing 24-yers with a proper set of rare quality equipment is just too unreasonable. The only thing I can think of is that... You¡¯ve decided on someone outside of our Blue Oasis, right?" Nidavellir said with a grin on his face. The other captains were shocked when they heard his words. Someone outside of Blue Oasis? That was a joke, right? But, if Nidavellir was the one to say it, then there was a good chance that it was true. Despite Nidavellir¡¯s previous yful behavior, he was quite insightful, especially when it came to sensitive matters. If not for Niflheim¡¯s presence, he may have been chosen to be the main strategist for Blue Oasis in RML. Niflheim released a deep sigh as he said, "As I thought, it¡¯s difficult to hide anything from your eyes. You¡¯re correct, thest group will be someone who¡¯s not a part of our Blue Oasis." Nidavellir narrowed his eyes when he heard Niflheim¡¯s words. As for Abstract, they simply remained silent as a result. But, for the other captains, there was a certain level of outrage present. "You would even give away this secret?!" Minus leaped up from his seat. He had not forgotten Niflheim¡¯s attitude towards him during the Protector of Amaharpe event. He just wanted to fan the mes a little and put some pressure on him as payback. "Nonsense!" Vanaheim shouted as she suddenly stood to her feet. She then continued, "Only a group from another top guild would be capable of meeting the level and equipment requirements to assist us during this raid! However, how can we trust a party from another guild? Captain Niflheim, exin yourself!" "I hate to discuss matters like this, but I think you were a bit too reckless this time, Niflheim. Our leader respects your advice, but isn¡¯t this taking advantage of his kindness and goodwill?" Peaceful Chaos said as he released a small sigh and shrugged. "...An exnation is required." Road spoke in a low voice that one could barely hear. If even the usually quiet Road asked for an exnation, that showed just how against this idea everyone was. "It¡¯s an unaffiliated party. In other words, they don¡¯t belong to any guild." Niflheim exined before things got too out of hand. He could understand their caution and outrage over this important matter, so he believed that he should at least make that much clear. "Ahahaha,e now, everyone. There¡¯s no need to get all worked up over such a small matter. Do you all take Niflheim for a fool? I¡¯m sure he has already thought ahead this far. Why don¡¯t we listen to everything he has to say first, alright?" Nidavellir said as everyone calmed down and took their seats. "Tch..." Minus did not expect Nidavellir to step in and speak up on Niflheim¡¯s behalf. What a wasted opportunity! Asgard only gave a helpless smile as he inwardly shook his head. Though he was secretly happy to see that everyone was so passionate about Blue Oasis and was not afraid to speak up if they felt that something was wrong. They also knew when to take a step back and listen which seemed like a simple trait, but many peoplecked this. "So, who is the mystery party?" Nidavellir asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware that during the Protector of Amaharpe event, there was an unknown party that obtained 1st ce. A guild would not dare to let this chance slip away to promote themselves, so it¡¯s impossible that they would register as an unknown party. The party joining us will be that group. The party who ced 1st in the Protector of Amaharpe event." Niflheim exined. Everyone was startled by Niflheim¡¯s answer. Indeed, the identity of that group was shrouded in mystery. There were even some rumors going around that it was actually the members of Heaven¡¯s Law that secretly grabbed the 1st ce in that event. It was a feverish discussion on the RML official forums even to this day! Now, it turns out that Niflheim actually knew the identity of this party! "I see, so it¡¯s actually that mysterious party... To think you were able to discover their identity, this is huge news. We should have them officially join our Blue Oasis." Vanaheim said. "Do you think I haven¡¯t already made that offer?" Niflheim replied with a helpless smile on his face. He then continued, "Well, that¡¯s a matter for another time. As for the party joining us, it¡¯s the party of that person is a part of. The one who ced 1st for in the individual points category during the event. His name is... Izroth." Izroth? The owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth? Who within Amaharpe did not know this name?! "It¡¯s him..!" Minus thought to himself as he remembered the party who contested him for the Brooding Behemoth Basbus event boss. How could he forget having a rare boss monster snatched from him by a bunch of nobodies? Now, he was going to be working together with that party? Niflheim was going too far! "Now that you know, I want you all to make any preparations you have to. Tomorrow, we attempt the first raid in RML. We¡¯ll gain glory for our Blue Oasis and a territory that other guilds can only dream of. Tomorrow, we conquer the Raid: Great Sea Pce! Dismissed!" Asgard announced. The moment he said dismissed, all seven captains of Blue Oasis stood to their feet. ... Bang! Reilei¡¯s Orb of Creations crashed into the body of the Ouroboros. Although her damage was strong, the Ouroboros resisted the staggering effect due to its status as a high-level boss monster. With Reilei joining the battle, they managed to reduce the Ouroboros¡¯ HP down to the 50% mark. However, things were still not looking too good for their party. Even though Phoenix had reserved most of her mana at the beginning of the fight, she had to start using more heals when Two Tons was no able longer to sustain himself. This put a sudden increase in pressure on her healing, as well as her timing. If she did not make the most of her mana, then there was no way that they would be to survive against the Ouroboros. Hssssst! "Something strange is happening to its body! Beware!" Two Tons roared as he fended off another of the Ouroboros¡¯ attacks. At the same time, the scales on the Ouroboros¡¯ body lit up a bright green color. All of a sudden, the Ouroboros mmed its body on the ground and slithered around in circles at the center of the room. This forced everyone to retreat back to a safe distance. "What is it doing?" Hidden Pulse questioned as he saw the bizarre actions of the Ouroboros. This was the first time the Ouroboros had done something like this and it happened as soon as its HP hit the 50% mark. This meant that it was likely to be one of its more powerful skills and raise the stakes of the fight! The Ouroboros continued to slither in a circle for nearly five seconds before suddenly stopping. Once its body was in a perfectly circr shape, the Ouroboros did somethingpletely unexpected. It began to devour its own tail! Phoenix¡¯s face turned extremely pale as she witnessed the sight and she could not help but blurt out, "How disgusting! It¡¯s really eating its own tail!" Chapter 347 Out The Maw of The Beas As the Ouroboros was devouring its own tail, patches of light green areas started to appear all over its scales. At the same time, Broken Fists charged forward and swung his fist at the Ouroboros. "Why are you all sitting back like you¡¯re brain dead?! Useless!" Broken Fists roared as heunched his attack. "Wait! That fool..!" Two Tons tried to call out and warn him, however, it was toote. Charging in without first essing the situation was one of the fastest ways to die against a boss monster. Not to mention, if Broken Fists were actually paying attention, he would have realized that the Ouroboros was already immune to damage while in that state. This was not umon for rare bosses who, more often than not, experienced a boost in power or unlocked some kind of special skill after approaching a certain HP threshold. Bang! The moment Broken Fists¡¯ attack struck one of the light green areas on the body of the Ouroboros, a light green mist appeared around his hand. When he looked down at his hand, it looked as if his fist was melting off from his wrist. Broken Fists had an expression filled with horror on his face as he witnessed what was happening to his fist. He immediately retreated and did not dare to attack the Ouroboros again. "Argh! My fist! Heal me! We¡¯re in the same party, aren¡¯t we?!" Broken Fists yelled at Phoenix. He felt as if his entire body had just gone numb. "It¡¯s a good thing we decided to fall back when we did, otherwise, we would have paid a heavy price just now. Is this due to the change in the Ouroboros¡¯ tail?" Two Tons said to himself as he furrowed his brows when he observed what had just taken ce. "Heal you? Same party? Hah! Now you want to pretend like we¡¯re in the same party after this mess you¡¯ve dragged us into?! Is your skin honestly so thick?!" Phoenix scoffed. There was nothing she hated more than someone who believed that the entire world revolved around them. If it were up to her, she would have already kicked that useless guy from the party! "Heal him." Two Tons said which caught Phoenix by surprise. "Two Tons!" Phoenix was in disbelief. Even after everything Broken Fists had done, he still wanted her to heal that shameless fellow? She could not understand why he still tolerated that overblown headache! Not to mention, she had a limited amount of mana and they were already in a tough situation. She would rather cast her heals on someone more useful. "Just think of it as showing me some face." Two Tons stated. He understood how Phoenix felt, however, now was not the time to deal with that matter. It would have to wait until this fight was over. Also, there was something he needed to confirm. Phoenix grumbled, but in the end, she healed Broken Fists as Two Tons had requested she do. Although she was still against the idea, she simply considered it to be a favor to Two Tons. "It¡¯s good to see that you still have some sense! Hmph, if you lose my damage when it¡¯s already a struggle, then you¡¯ll all die anyway." Broken Fists said with a smug expression after Phoenix finished healing him. "You-!" Phoenix nearly coughed up blood from anger. What was with this guy¡¯s attitude?! She wanted to strangle him to death! "Heh, now that my fist is- healed? Why isn¡¯t my fist back?! What¡¯s going on?!" Broken Fists was shocked. Even though his HP had been restored to full and there were no debuffs on him, the damage he suffered from his fist still remained. In other words, Broken Fists was quite literally living up to his name with a pair of broken fists. Two Tons took in a breath of cold air as he said, "Whatever you do, don¡¯t touch the area of scales on the Ouroboros¡¯ body that are light green! Try to target the surrounding areas of its body that aren¡¯t affected by it! Otherwise, you may end up like Broken Fists!" "What a frightening skill..!" Hidden Pulse eximed. "Weck ranged yers. This kind of situation was to be expected at some point." Shuyi stated. "This is troublesome considering our party has four... No, five close range members." Two Tons thought to himself. After a couple of seconds passed, the Ouroboros finally stopped swallowing its own tail. It stopped after devouring half of its own body! At the same time, the Ouroboros slowly floated into midair and emitted a brilliant green light. Hsssst...! Hsssst...! All of a sudden, small snakes that were norger than one to two meters in size, began to fall down from the Ouroboros. These snakes were like miniature versions of the Ouroboros itself, however, they were not devouring their own tails. Instead, they began to slither in multiple directions, targeting the closest person to them. "Nooooo! It¡¯s raining snakes! I had enough! I want to leave this ce! I want to leave!" Phoenix could somewhat tolerate therger snakes since she kept reminding herself that it was just a game, however, dealing with the numerous smaller snakes had made her approach her limit. "What the heck is wrong with her...?" Shuyi muttered to himself. Was there any reason to be so afraid of a bunch of little snakes like this? Name: Ouroboros Spirit Snake(Rare) Level: 35 HP: 300 (100%) Although the snakes were numerous and there seemed to be no apparent end in sight to their increase in number, they were extremely weak and fragile having only 300 HP. This meant that even their weakest attacks would be able to one-hit them without much issue. However, everyone had a feeling that these snakes were not so simple. Two Tons used a taunting skill that allowed him to pull most of the snakes¡¯ focus to himself, however, there were just too many to taunt and keep track of. Therefore, the most he could do was position himself closest to the spawn point of the snakes and hold onto as much aggro as he possibly could. "For now, just focus on dealing with the snakes! I¡¯ll handle as many as I can, but you all will have to take care of the ones that slip past me!" Two Tons said as he swept his sword out before him, cleaving away the iing wave of snakes. As for everyone else, they also jumped in and helped to eliminate the snakes. As for Phoenix, she maintained her distance and saved her mana strictly for healing. One of the snakes leaped up and bit Broken Fists on his arm. Since he was already at a disadvantage with missing his dominant hand, it was challenging for him to get used to attacking using his other hand. This caused a lot of mistakes to ur and it was only a matter of time before he was attacked. -50 "You expect to hurt me with such weak damage? Dream on!" Broken Fists roared as he mmed his fists onto the snake that bit him and immediately killed it in the process. What he did not notice, however, was that he had received one stack of something called Venom Bite. These stacks increased by one every time he was bitten by one of the snakes. This was the same for anyone else who happened to slip up on their guard and be bitten. Reilei, on the other hand, had no trouble avoiding and attacking the snakes since they were moving slowly in her eyes. She even had room to cover for any of the snakes that were headed towards Phoenix. Although it was not enough to repay Phoenix for her kindness, she believed that it was the least she could do. But, in the end, Reilei was still concerned about Xiao Liang who was inside of the Ouroboros. No matter how much she attacked, it seemed as if the Ouroboros did not cough him up. Would she have to wait until it was defeated? However, she did not care how many times she had to attack, she would not stop until Xiao Liang was returned to her. A few momentster, the snakes finally stopped raining down from the Ouroboros. In total, the stacks of Venom Bites received was 15 stacks for Two Tons who was at the very front of things, 5 for Hidden Pulse, 2 for Shuyi, 0 for both Reilei and Phoenix, and then a massive 35 stacks for Broken Fists! Since the damage amount was so small, he became careless and allowed too many attacks to slip through. "It¡¯s over... It¡¯s finally over... Why couldn¡¯t it just be a dungeon full of kittens...? Yeah, let¡¯s do that next. A dungeon of kittens..." Phoenix continuously muttered to herself as her face had lost all color as if she had just been scarred by her recent experience. The Ouroboros¡¯ body returned to the ground as it began to regurgitate its own tail. But, all of a sudden, the eyes of the Ouroboros widened as though something was wrong. Gruuuuah! The Ouroboros seemed rushed as it quickly finished regurgitating its tail. It appeared to have been furious over something as itsrge body iled and slithered around. Hsssst!! Everyone was surprised by the Ouroboros¡¯ sudden outburst in anger. It should not have been time for it to enter into an enraged state just yet. However, everyone soon calmed down when they realized that it had not actually gone into its enraged state. Instead, it looked as if it were bothered by something. "Hm? Why does its tail look so strange?" Two Tons questioned as he saw that something was off with the Ouroboros¡¯ tail. "Look! Something is attached to its tail!" Hidden Pulse pointed out as the Ouroboros¡¯ tail waved around in an unpredictable manner as if it were trying to shake something off. Nyu! Ayanellia suddenly cried out the instant the Ouroboros started to throw a fit. "Isn¡¯t that-" Before Shuyi could finish his sentence, Reilei had already charged forward without hesitation. Reilei used all her might to smash her Orb of Creations into the body of the Ouroboros. This time, the stagger effect worked and temporarily rendered the Ouroboros immobile for a split second. Right when the tail of the Ouroboros stopped swinging wildly, a purple sh bolted towards Reilei. "Realistic, look out!" Phoenix quickly cried out when she noticed that something was headed towards Reilei. However, to her surprise, Reilei did not dodge. In fact, there was a smile on her face as she had her arms spread open. Plop! "You little thing- Do you know that you¡¯ve had me worried? Do you know your wrongs?" Reilei said as she gently ced her hands near the center of her chests. Mew! Xiao Liang squirmed its little head up from under Reilei¡¯s palms with an excited and innocent look on his face as if he had done nothing wrong. "Did it juste from out of the Ouroboros just now? But when-" Two Tons was shocked by the appearance of Reilei¡¯s summon. He noticed that it was not around earlier and then he remembered when the Ouroborosunched its attack towards her. Could it be that the Ouroboros actually ate her summon during that moment? Given how close Reilei appeared to be with her summons, it would certainly make sense and exin why she froze up at that moment. But, since when was a summon so smart? It was able to use the Ouroboros¡¯ own tail to escape from its body. He hade across a few summoners but never had he met one whose summons were capable of a feat like that. Reilei lightly flicked Xiao Liang¡¯s forehead with a visible pout on her face. Mew... Xiao Liang looked up at Reilei as if he had just been wronged. "Next time you run off like that, I won¡¯t let you off so easy." Reilei stated as her pout turned into a smile of relief. In the end, she was just happy that Xiao Liang was unharmed. Mew... "Good, as long as you understand. Still... I can¡¯t sit back and allow someone who hurt you to do as they wish." Reilei said as she moved Xiao Liang to her shoulder before turning her attention towards the Ouroboros. Chapter 348 The Dysfunctional Party Is Starting To Look Somewhat Like An Actual Party Hssssst! After it regained itself from being struck by Reilei¡¯s attack, the Ouroboros straightened up its body as it spewed out a putrid mist from its mouth that filled up every corner of the room. There was nowhere for Reilei and her party to retreat as they had to deal with the mist head-on. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the Corrupted Ouroboros ?Corrosive Venom? for 15 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All stacks of ?Venom Bite? have been expunged!¡µ -200 [Two Tons] -467 [Broken Fists] -67 [Hidden Pulse] -27 [Shuyi] ?Resisted? [Phoenix] ?Resisted? [Reilei] Surprisingly enough, Reilei and Phoenix werepletely unaffected by the Ouroboros¡¯ Corrosive Venom. As for Hidden Pulse and Shuyi, the two of them barely received any damage. The yers who were in the least favorable positions was Two Tons, due to absorbing and blocking most of the snakes, and Broken Fists. Normally, this much damage would not have been an issue for Phoenix, but there was just one issue... When one second passed by, everyone received the same amount of damage again and this caused a look of horror to appear on Broken Fists¡¯ face. It was not just a one time damage, but a skill that did damage every second! Since the skill wouldst for a total of 15 seconds, this meant everyone would continue to take damage until the Corrosive Venom skill ended. There was also the natural mist poison that was dealing damage on top of the Corrosive Venom. This made the damage per second being done to Reilei and her party extremely burdensome. Phoenix was already having trouble conserving her mana and this only made matters worse. How was she supposed to keep up with that kind of damage? Even if she consumed a mana potion, she would barely have enough mana remaining to oust the duration of the Corrosive Venom. Not to mention, she would not be able to consume another mana potion for 1 minute. This was the first time Phoenix experienced any mana issues when it came to healing and conserving her mana. Therefore, she was under a lot more pressure than she was used to against the Corrupted Ouroboros. However, that much was to be expected considering it was her first time facing a rare boss, especially one with such a high-level gap. She started to discover just how frightening the position of healer was. With one mistake or waste of mana, the entire party could copse in a heartbeat. Phoenix could feel her head spinning as she tried her best to keep up with the damage being done by the Corrosive Venom. The pressure was stacking up and one could see the look of fear, doubt, and panic on her face as her breathing became slightly erratic and unbnced. "What should I do? I can¡¯t heal everyone. I don¡¯t have enough mana. Do I have to just abandon someone? What should I do? My mana won¡¯tst this way. Even with a mana potion, I don¡¯t have enough. We¡¯ll be wiped out at this rate! It¡¯ll be my fault!" Phoenix¡¯s thoughts were in chaos. "What are you doing you useless healer?! Heal me already!" Broken Fists roared as his face turned pale while he witnessed his HP swiftly depleting. He only had around 4,000 HP and so if things continued in this way then he would die! How could he die when there was a hidden rare boss right in front of him? "Shut your mouth! Haven¡¯t you already caused enough trouble?! Don¡¯t you see her mana is practically depleted?!" Two Tons raised his voice in anger. He tried to be patient with Broken Fists, however, he was going too far insulting Phoenix when she was clearly under a lot of pressure and trying her best. When he nced over in Phoenix¡¯s direction, he could see the pressure was getting to her by the expression written all over her face. After quickly checking the battle logs, he knew that if things kept going this way Phoenix may notst the rest of the fight. "You-!" Broken Fists wanted to retort, but when he saw that vicious look in Two Tons¡¯ eyes, he swallowed his words. He grit his teeth in anger at being yelled at like some nobody. He promised himself that he would eventually settle the score with that fellow! "Phoenix! Prioritize healing the others! I¡¯ll manage on my own somehow! Since you and Realistic don¡¯t seem to be affected by the Corrosive Venom, the worst-case scenario has already been avoided. Just hang in there!" Two Tons yelled out as he attempted to motivate Phoenix. "O-okay..." Phoenix said softly as she followed Two Tons¡¯ instructions. Despite Two Tons¡¯ words of motivation, her nerves remained unsettled. It was as if the more she tried to calm herself, the more pressure was put on her shoulders. "It¡¯s no use...!" Two Tons thought to himself when he saw that Phoenix had not rxed in the slightest. This would undoubtedly increase the chances of a mistake urring. Just as Phoenix was healing like her life depended on it and her mana was about to reach its breaking point, a voice cried out that snapped her out of it. "Ayanellia! Use Mana Attraction on Phoenix!" Reilei said. Nyu... Ayanellia nervously faced towards Phoenix as a thin blue veil of aura appeared around her body. At the same time, that blue aura vanished from Ayanellia¡¯s body and briefly reappeared around Phoenix before disappearing. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Mana Attraction?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your mana has been recovered by 30% of your total mana!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your in-battle mana regeneration has been increased by 25 per second for 10 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your in-battle mana regeneration has been increased by 250% for 10 seconds!¡µ "?!" Phoenix was startled as she suddenly felt a refreshing energy wash over her. When she noticed her mana being restored at a fast rate, she could not help but widen her eyes in shock. What was with this insane mana regeneration?! She only had an in-battle mana regeneration of 10 mana per second which was pretty average for most yers her level. However, with the boost from Reilei¡¯s skill, it had jumped from 10 mana per second all the way to 123 mana per second! Not only that but it also immediately restored 30% of her mana turning her feeling of dread into one of hope. This provided Phoenix with enough in-battle mana regeneration cast a healing skill and still regain mana every second. In other words, she would instantly regain any mana she lost for the next 10 seconds with an added bonus of mana. With this, she was confident in being able to keep everyone alive! "Thank you, Realistic! I¡¯m sorry you had to see my pathetic side. I¡¯ll make it up to you by giving you all the heals you want." Phoenix said in a yful tone as a smile appeared on her face. The look of panic on her face had disappeared as the pressure had been lifted off of her shoulders. While she still had to carefully manage her mana, thanks to Reilei, she received some much-needed breathing room. "d to see your head back in the game, Phoenix! Are you alright?" Two Tons said. "Yeah, never better! Just leave the healing to me and defeat that oversize reptile!" Phoenix responded. Phoenix secretly released a sigh of relief. She had just lost her cool there for a moment, but fortunately, she was able to regain her footing thanks to Reilei¡¯s assistance. It was a good thing that she taught Reilei about skills before they fought the Ouroboros, otherwise, the situation may have just deteriorated and spiraled out of control. Though this was a good experience for Phoenix. After all, it taught her the true pressure and responsibility that came along with being a healer. It was not just some easy sit back and absorb experience ss as many people made it out to be. More than anything though, Phoenix was shocked by the Mana Attraction skill Reilei used. Did she really not undergo a ss advancement already? If she did not, then how could she have such a powerful skill in her possession? It had to be at least a B-rank or A-ranked skill! However, having such a high-ranked skill without a ss advancement should be next to impossible. "It worked..." Reilei muttered to herself. She was relieved to see that Phoenix appeared to be back to her normal self. Although Reilei did not understand how many of her skills worked, she was able to easily connect some things and use some of themon sense she gained from her discussion with Phoenix. Since Phoenix wascking mana and she had a skill that allowed herself or allies to recover mana, all she had to do was use it on Phoenix to help out, right? The skill Reilei used was not a direct ss skill per se, but instead, it was a skill unique to Ayanellia called Mana Attraction. Summon Skill Name: Mana Attraction Summon Name: Ayanellia Summon Skill Level: 1/4 Summon Skill Rank: A Cast Time: Instant Passive: While this skill is off cooldown and the Summon: Ayanellia is summoned, the contracted summoner gains +10 in-battle mana regeneration and +100% in-battle mana regeneration. Active: The contracted summoner can cast this skill on themselves or an ally within 25 meters of the summon¡¯s location. The Summon: Ayanellia buffs the target and allows them to draw in natural mana from the atmosphere, immediately recovering the target¡¯s mana by 30% of their total mana. The target also gains +25 in-battle mana regeneration per second and has their in-battle mana regeneration increased by 250% for 10 seconds. This skill cannot be used if the Summon: Ayanellia is not summoned. Cooldown: 1 minute 30 seconds "Alright! Time to give it everything we got and kick it into second gear, attack together!" Two Tons roared as he used his Shield Furnace: Bacsh Blow. The shield in his hands erupted in intense mes that shot out towards the Ouroboros and temporarily sealed its movements. At the same time, Shuyi and Hidden Pulse increased the pace of their attacks on the Ouroboros without resting for a single moment. As for Phoenix, she was now clear-headed and corrected the timing on her heals. However, the person who had the biggest contribution was undoubtedly Reilei. Bang! -1,627 Reilei continued to use her Orb of Creations as she had done before. With her great agility and damage, she provided a consistent amount of damage and even overtook Shuyi on the DPS charts. Though Shuyi, not wanting to lose to Reilei in terms of damage when all she was using was basic attacks, stepped up his level of y and passed Reilei once again. This continued back and forth with Reilei and Shuyi constantly fighting for the top DPS spot in the party. "What¡¯s with that ridiculous damage and fighting-style..?" Shuyi said to himself as he struggled just to keep up with her in terms of damage. He was going all out and yet she seemed to be casually striking the Ouroboros with the summoner¡¯s orb in her hand. If that was the case, how could she be possibly keeping up with him in terms of overall DPS? Although Shuyi hated to admit it, if the Ouroboros was not so resistant to her weapon¡¯s stagger effect, Reilei¡¯s movements were not so sloppy, and she was not so inexperienced inbat, then he would have definitely been left in the dust in terms of overall DPS. Even without the cooperation of Broken Fists, Reilei and the rest of her party were able to evolve their teamwork over the course of the fight. Atst, the dysfunctional party started to somewhat look like an actual party. Although it was a struggle and there were numerous close calls where some of them almost died, everyone managed to hang on and chip away at the HP of the Ouroboros. 30%... 25%... 10%! "Herees the Ouroboros¡¯ enraged state! Be on guard!" Two Ton warned. This caused everyone to immediately go on full alert mode and they received a battle alert that they were not looking forward to. ¡´Battle Alert: Corrupted Ouroboros has entered into an enraged state!¡µ It was here atst. The dangerous enraged state of a hidden rare dungeon boss! It was thesest few moments that would determine the victory or defeat of Reilei and her party. Chapter 349 The Battle Is Over, A Surprising Action! "Don¡¯t save any of your skills! Throw everything you have at it!" Two Tons roared as he pressed forward with his assault. As the battle progressed, he became morefortable with the attack patterns of the Ouroboros. While this made it easier for him to fend off its attacks, in the end, the Ouroboros was still a rare boss monster. Two Tons felt that even if they were to fight this boss another two or three times, it would still be a difficult and uphill battle. Since Phoenix had the help of Reilei¡¯s Mana Attraction, as well as her mana potions as backup, she no longer had any troubles when it came to managing her mana. However, that did not mean that she was able to ck off and ease up on her heals. This was even more so now that the Ouroboros had entered into its enraged state. This meant that its damage, speed, and everything else would skyrocket! Also, who knew what kind ofst resort skill it had up its sleeve? When the Ouroboros entered into its enraged state, its purple eyes darkened and became pitch ck in color. The vile aura that only covered a small portion of its body just moments ago suddenly spread throughout its surface and seeped into its scales. This changed the color of the Ouroboros¡¯ scales to a corrupted ck and white pattern. Although there was only 10% of its HP remaining, it could be said that this was the most exciting and also equally dreadful part of a boss fight. It was the time when victory was in sight and the chances of defeat were increased. However, Reilei and her party did not let this prevent them from pushing forward with their assault. Instead of being fearful, they attacked with a fearless mentality. It was either them or the Ouroboros and, needless to say, they much rather it be the Ouroboros! Swoosh! Shuyi cut deep into the Ouroboros with his daggers. There was strange blood-red energy gathered around his daggers that sunk into the wounds of the Ouroboros. "Persistent Deep Wounds." Shuyi had been saving this move until the end of the fight because he knew that it would shine best when the boss went into its enraged state. The small and numerous cuts on the Ouroboros¡¯ body began to split open as if some invisible force was tearing its body apart! Gruuuuuuah! -5,009 -501 ... -501 With one skill, Shuyi was able to immediately remove a bit more than 2% of the Ouroboros¡¯ remaining HP. However, the damage did not stop there. Every one second, the Ouroboros would receive damage and the effects of the skill would not end until the battle was over. Everyone was shocked when they saw the chunk of the Ouroboros¡¯ HP shaved off and continue to drop by the second. That Shuyi actually had a terrifying skill like that hidden away this entire time?! "Although the cooldown is a bit annoying, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a waste against a rare boss like this." Shuyi said to himself as he released a small sigh. Even though everyone was surprised by his skill and the massive damage it did, Shuyi knew just how situational and limited Persistent Deep Wounds could be. While it appeared to be this all-powerful skill that Shuyi could use at a whim on the surface, it was actually severely restricted due to its effect. It was practically useless for short term battles which rogue-like sses like himself specialized in and was mediocre at best for average timed fights. The ce where Persistent Deep Wounds truly shined was during a long fight. If he had used it at the beginning of the fight, it may not have even dealt 10 damage to the Ouroboros let alone 5,000 damage. The reason behind this was simple, the more attacks Shuyinded and cuts he created using his daggers, then the more damage his Persistent Deep Wounds would cause. The base damage of the skill was extremely low and so it required a decent number of cuts before it could actually do any real damage. But, it all worked out perfectly in this fight. 8%... 4%... The attack patterns of the Ouroboros became wild and unrestrained. Both its speed and power had increased exponentially and showed no signs of decreasing. This made the pressure soar by leaps and bounds on Reilei and her party. 2%... 1%! The Ouroboros released a potent poison mist that was countless times more deadly than any of the previous poison skills that it used before. This damage directly bypassed Reilei and her party¡¯s defenses as it removed 10% of their total HP everyone second regardless of how much HP they had! This put Two Tons in a challenging spot given that he was already struggling on tanking the now overwhelming and enraged damage from the Ouroboros. The new and deadly poison also forced Phoenix to use up arge quantity of her mana reserves in order to cast her group healing spells, as well as some of her more higher-ranked healing skills. However, it was obvious that she would not be able to keep up with that pace of healing for an extended period of time. Woosh! Bang! Reilei struck the belly of the Ouroboros, one of its major weak spots, the instant it lifted its body off the ground tounch its final attack of desperation. Gruuuuuuaaaah! The Ouroboros abruptly halted its movements after Reilei¡¯s attack. The corrupted aura on its scales had vanished into thin air and its huge body copsed onto the ground. The color of its eyes and scales had returned to normal. In the moment of its defeat when its body was scattering into countless particles, the Ouroboros set its gaze on Xiao Liang who rested upon Reilei¡¯s shoulders. At the same time, a violet color scale unknowingly appeared on Xiao Liang¡¯s back right underneath the red-orangish scale he acquired a while back. This was the second scale that appeared on Xiao Liang¡¯s body that differed from the rest of his scales. As if being timed with the appearance of that violet colored scale, the Ouroboros finally disappeared and a system alert appeared that had everyone in a state of disbelief and temporary speechlessness. After all, they could not believe what they had just managed to aplish. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated the Corrupted Ouroboros!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yers to defeat the hidden boss Corrupted Ouroboros! The quality of your loot has been improved.¡µ ¡´System Alert:... There was a stream of system alerts that popped up, however, everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on one thing and one thing only... The pile of loot that formed where the body of the Ouroboros had just disappeared! There were items with a faint glow around them which was the sign that the loot contained rare items! "We did it... We actually did it..." Phoenix was the first to break the silence. If that fight was just 5 to 10 seconds longer, then she was sure that they would have been wiped out! After the realization of victory set in, Phoenix felt her legs go weak as she did not fight against it and copsed onto her knees. "Are you okay?" Reilei asked as she went over to check on Phoenix who seemed to be the most exhausted member of their party. "Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just d that nightmare is over. Realistic, you¡¯re amazing, you know that?" Phoenix released a deep sigh and gave a helpless smile. Reilei was the most inexperienced out of everyone present and yet she seemedpletely unbothered by everything that had just happened. Not including her beginning freeze-up, Reilei had pushed forward in a way that caught Phoenix off guard. How could she still be standing after an intense fight like that? "Your kind words are wasted on me. After all, I¡¯m still too inexperienced and ended up causing some trouble for everyone. I¡¯m sorry." Reilei said in an apologetic manner. "Realistic, you¡¯re glowing. You¡¯re glowing way too much. I might go blind." Phoenix said in a yful tone as she covered her eyes as if she were peaking at the sun through the cracks of her fingers. This, in turn, caused Reilei to be momentarily taken aback, however, some softughter found its way to escape from her mouth. As Reilei was speaking with Phoenix, Broken Fists¡¯ eyes were filled with greed as his gaze had not once left the pile of loot that dropped from the Ouroboros. If he obtained that loot and sold it, then it would be enough for him to livefortably for quite some time! He had to find a way to reap the most benefits. "Hehehe, since it was all thanks to my quick decision making, I think I should have the first p-" Just as Broken Fists was approaching the loot pile, he lost control of his body. Puuuhtk! Broken Fists¡¯ eyes widened in shock. At first, what had just urred did not register in his mind. It was not until he saw a piece of metal floating in front of him that he realized that something was wrong. Wait, no... That piece of metal was not floating in front of him... It wasing out the back of his head! Broken Fists was not the only person shocked but the sudden turn of events, Reilei, Phoenix, Shuyi, and Hidden Pulse were also baffled. "Y-you-! What do you mean by this, Two Tons?!?!?!" Broken Fists roared when he noticed that the metal sticking through his head was not just some random piece of metal, but instead, it was the sword that belonged to Two Tons! At the same time, Broken Fists noticed that he had been kicked out of the party. Two Tons waited until just before the Ouroboros was about to die before kicking Broken Fists out of the party. "Did you think that your actions would simply go unpunished?" Two Tons stated with a cold look in his eyes. He pulled his sword from out of Broken Fists¡¯ head. The moment he did so, Broken Fists¡¯ body had already begun to dissipate. There was an intense level of hatred and rage that could be seen in his eyes as he listened to Two Tons¡¯ words. "You think you can do this to me?! How dare you! Do you have any idea who you¡¯ve just offended?! Trash! If I don¡¯t get my cut of the loot, don¡¯t even dare think about leaving this ce alive! Do you hear me?! Two Tons you bast-!" Before Broken Fists couldplete his sentence, the remaining pieces of his body scattered into nothingness. Just like that, he had died! There was an awkward silence that filled up the room as the atmosphere grew tense. Everyone suddenly became on guard and was cautious of any sudden movement. Could this be the start of a falling out over rare loot? After all, everyone understood that such things were not umon in randomly formed parties. Greed often blinded the wisest of men! All of a sudden,ughter echoed throughout the room which caused everyone to jump in surprise. Thisughter came from none other than Two Tons. "Ahahaha! What are you all so jumpy about? That guy nearly got our entire party killed and didn¡¯t bother listening to any instructions or even trying to work together with us. His attitude was also not suitable for our dungeon party and so as the leader of our party, I found it as my responsibility to hand down a fist of justice. I apologize for not discussing it with you all beforehand, however, I could not allow the risk of him retaliating and creating unforeseen trouble." Two Tons exined with a calm smile on his face. However, despite his words, everyone was still surprised. They did not expect Two Tons to have such a cutthroat personality when it came to matters like this. Not to mention, he seemed to be genuinely upset about Broken Fists¡¯ previous actions. Also, it was true that they got lucky in their victory against the Ouroboros. If Phoenix never helped Reilei learn about how to use her own skills, and if she did not possess such a precious mana restoration skill, then there was no way they would have made it out of that mess alive! In truth, no one really enjoyed Broken Fists¡¯pany due to his arrogant and negative attitude. Even though Shuyi also had some behavior issues, at the very least, he did not intentionally drag the party into danger and was willing to work with the party. In the end, although it was somewhat awkward, no one med Two Tons for the decision he made. Chapter 350 A Looming Threat of Danger As the tense atmosphere dispersed, it was swiftly reced by one of excitement and awe. While rare equipment may be something within the reach of those top guilds, it was not yet something yers like themselves could acquire freely. There were two main reasons for theck of rare equipment in cirction among casual yers. The first was that the big guilds often monopolized any world bosses that were discovered or secret rare boss spawn areas. If a casual yer tried to go near those spots that were constantly under the vignt watch of the big guilds, they could only me themselves if they no longer had a ce to stay within RML. The second reason was that the vast majority of parties formed by casual yers were usually random or with a group of friends. With yers constantly changing out party members or leaving their party to join another, it was difficult to build any solid teamwork which acted as one of the minimum requirements for defeating a rare boss monster. Even though the group of casual yers was somewhat skilled, it remained an uphill battle if the foundations of their party were not solid. In the end, the majority of casual yers that held onto a rare item in their possession received it due to pure luck or was one of those rich young masters who threw money at the situation whilepletely disregarding the cost. Of course, not everyone had the means to imitate those rich young masters. The best chance of casual yers acquiring a rare item was the dungeon difficulty levels that were set in ce for all dungeons level 40 or above. All dungeons were set to Normal by default, however, once yers started to participate in level 40+ dungeons, they would have the option to choose the Difficult or Hardcore setting as well. If yers were able to clear a Difficult or Hardcore level dungeon, then they were practically guaranteed at least one or two rare items. Though it was always easier said than done. As everyone gathered around and admired the pile of loot dropped from the Ouroboros, Shuyi was the first one to bring up the question on everyone¡¯s mind. "So, how are we going to divide this?" Shuyi asked. Obviously, it would be a little ridiculous if only a few people benefited and the others had to swallow a loss. Not to mention, if it was not for him, then they would have never discovered the hidden lever that led down to the rare boss monster in the first ce. Also, he dealt arge portion of the overall damage to the Ouroboros and so his contribution to the fight was not small. He then continued, "Let me just start off by saying that I think I should be rewarded the most. Not only did I contribute heavily damage wise, but this ce would have never been discovered if not for me. Also, even if by some miracle you were able to discover this ce, you all would have probably died countless times over due to the hidden traps which I safely disabled. Are my words lies?" Even if Shuyi cooperated with everyone, he would not rob himself of an opportunity to increase his gains. He was not some kind of charity worker that simply did things from the good of his heart. He felt that it was only fair that he be rightlypensated for his efforts. "You-! Just when I thought you changed you go and say something like that! We should divide the loot evenly and split it fairly between all five of us!" Phoenix stated. She thought that Shuyi had changed after their fight with the Ouroboros and working together as a party, but she was reminded of the reality that people are not so quick to change themselves. "Then, answer me. Are my words lies or not?" Shuyi said in a calm tone without backing down. Phoenix wanted to find some words to say, however, she could not say that he was wrong. Everything he said was true, but she still believed that since everyone yed a part in the victory then it should just be split evenly five ways. "I hate to admit it, but his words aren¡¯t wrong. Although I think his attitude is sour, it was due to his skill that we were able to get to this ce safely. To be honest, I¡¯m not fully confident that I could have done the same with my Trap Detection skill that¡¯s at half mastery." Hidden Pulse said with a deep sigh. Two Tons decided to step in before the situation went any further as he said, "Alright, it¡¯s true that Shuyi did make a great contribution. Then, how about this... Let¡¯s sell all the items here for gold and convert it into RMB. After that, Shuyi will receive a 5% bonus iming a total of 25%. As for the other part, we¡¯ll split it among ourselves and receive about 19% each. In the end, we¡¯ll still be getting at least 187,500 RMB each. Is this alright with everyone?" There was a long silence following Two Tons¡¯ words. It was not a bad decision, however, there was just one problem... "I guess I¡¯ll be the one to say it. Who¡¯s going to carry the loot and sell it?" Shuyi asked. "Isn¡¯t it obvious? Two Tons should do it since he¡¯s the party leader." Hidden Pulse responded. "Heh, maybe in a perfect fairytale world that would be eptable, but don¡¯t screw with me. Even if all of you trust him, I don¡¯t. It¡¯s that simple. There¡¯s nothing to prevent him from running off with the items and keeping the profit to himself. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the saying, even a saint can fall before great temptation." Shuyi said. "Then, what?! Do you expect us to leave it all in your hands?!" Hidden Pulse snapped back. "Of course, I¡¯d love for that to happen." Shuyi replied. "I knew you were just-!" But before Hidden Pulse could finish, Shuyi cut him off. "But, everyone here would be a fool if they allowed that to happen. I think the only one here that¡¯s gullible and trustworthy would be the newbie over there." Shuyi said as he shrugged his shoulders while he referred to Reilei. Reilei was the only person who was not near the loot. Instead, she was happily ying with Xiao Liang and Ayanellia in the background. If this were any other party, then everyone was 100% positive that Reilei would have probably gone the entire dungeon not even knowing just how valuable rare equipment was. But, even though she knew this she was behaving in a carefree manner and did not seem to worry about her cut of the loot. Seeing Reilei gave Two Tons an idea as he said, "We can stand here all day and debate who does what, or we cane up with an actual solution. If neither of us can hold it, then I suggest..." Two Tons then went on to exin his idea to everyone present. By the time he finished, there was a helpless smile on Phoenix¡¯s and Hidden Pulse¡¯s face. As for Shuyi, his brows were furrowed as if he were in deep thought. But, in the end, he released a long sigh before agreeing to Two Tons¡¯ suggestion. Mew! Nyu..! Xiao Liang headbutted Ayanellia who was happily trying to snuggle up to Reilei. This caused the young doe to whimper in a defeated way as Xiao Liang had a look of triumph and arrogance on his face. "What am I going to do with you, little thing? Do you think I won¡¯t punish you for bullying Ayanellia?" Reilei said as she scolded Xiao Liang. "Realistic." Two Tons called out. He, along with, Phoenix, Shuyi, and Hidden Pulse had approached Reilei. "Hm? Ah, excuse me. I got a bit sidetracked for a moment." Reilei said in an apologetic tone as she properly faced Two Tons and the other members of her party. "Ugh, hurry up before I start having second thoughts about this..." Shuyi grumbled after seeing Reilei¡¯s carefree nature. Was this really the correct decision? "We have a favor to ask of you. If you don¡¯t mind..." Two Tons went on to tell Reilei of their request. At first, Reilei was a little unwilling due to how important it seemed to be. She did not want to mess things up and create any problems for them, however, after some convincing and encouraging words from everyone she finally caved in any agreed to their request. In the end, Reilei was entrusted to hold the items and would be the one to put them up for auction in the auction house. She would also be the one to collect the RMB and disturb it ording to the agreed-upon terms. They even decided to also give Reilei a 5% bonus for her troubles. Although Reilei quickly declined their additional offer, she ended up being forced to ept it since they said she also yed a huge role in their victory. After Reilei put the loot into her inventory and they finished checking around the room for any other hidden treasures, Reilei and her party took their leave and soon arrived back at the hidden lever. When thest person came up from the stairway, the path closed itself once more and it looked as if it were never there to begin with. "Now that everything¡¯s settled... I know that everyone is probably excited to rush over to the main city and put the items up for auction, but we should do a full clear of this dungeon just to make sure we don¡¯t regret missing out on anything. After all, our luck and gains this time have not been small. What do you say, everyone?" Two Tons said. "It¡¯d be great if we can find another hidden rare boss. Though I¡¯m not sure I can go through something like that again. Needless to say, I¡¯m in." Phoenix said as a small smile appeared on her face. "Just lead the way, leader." Hidden Pulse said as he gave a thumbs up. "It doesn¡¯t matter to me. Wherever the items go, I¡¯ll follow." Shuyi shrugged. Everyone then turned to look at Reilei who was the only one who had not responded yet. As if realizing that all eyes were on her, Reilei snapped out of it. She had been going over the few skills in her possession after seeing just how useful they could be. She wanted to understand andprehend them so that she could be more useful in the long run. But, she had unknowingly drifted into her own sea of thoughts. Reilei¡¯s cheeks flushed a light pink color from embarrassment as she said, "Um... What¡¯s a full clear?" After those words left Reilei¡¯s mouth, everything turned so silent that one could hear a pin drop. "Pfft..! Ha.. Hahahaha!" Phoenix tried to hold in herughter, however, she was unable to do so. Two Tons and Hidden Pulse soon followed after Phoenix and joined in on theughter. Even Shuyi could be seen shaking slightly as if he were trying his absolute hardest to hold in hisughter. Reilei suddenly became flustered when everyone started tough out of nowhere. Did she say something wrong? What was going on? Why was everyoneughing so much? Due to her performance against the Ouroboros, everyone had nearly forgotten just how much of a newbie Reilei truly was; though they were quickly reminded. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... "Trash! All of them, trash!" Broken Fists was filled with rage and hatred towards Two Tons and the other members of that party. He had been killed and kicked from the party before he could receive a single piece of loot. How could he not be infuriated?! "You think that loot is yours? I¡¯ll show you the consequences of crossing me! I didn¡¯t want to call those greedy guys over because then I¡¯d have to share the loot, but... Hmph, that group of trash will only have themselves to me for making me be so ruthless! Let¡¯s see how you cower and beg for mercy before a top guild!" Broken Fists said as he grit his teeth. Chapter 351 Reileis Breaking Poin ... Back in the Lair of Serpents... Once theughter finally died down, Reilei and her party decided to start a full clear and clean out every corner of the dungeon. Even with Broken Fists gone, their damage was notcking. Not to mention, the previous toxic atmosphere was no longer there with his absence. Their teamwork was also improving as every fight became easier as they progressed. There were a total of two boss monsters in the dungeon, but after fighting the Ouroboros, Reilei and her party were confident in facing anything the dungeon threw at them. The first boss was arge naga called Ithshtra the Terrible that was almost the size of the Ouroboros, however, it was much weaker in terms of overall strength. Although it was a tough fight, in the end, they were able to defeat the boss monster. As for the second boss monster, it was a giant serpent called Great Serpent Uriutta. Its body was at least twice the size of the Ouroboros, however, its movement was slow and it relied mostly on summoning Serpent Guards and its strong attack power. It was actually somewhat easier to defeat than Ithshtra since it did not have as much agility. However, the fight took much longer than the one against the first boss monster. In the end, it took Reilei and her party two hours toplete a full dungeon clear of the Lair of Serpents. Afterpleting the dungeon, they made their way back towards the entrance and were ready to leave. The overall loot drops they received were good, but the biggest take away from the dungeon was obviously the loot they acquired from the Ouroboros. "Did you see the final attack of thatst boss? I thought we were all going to be crushed by its body!" Hidden Pulse said as he recalled the final boss fight. "Ahahaha! It¡¯s a good thing we found out how the torches worked to keep the Serpent Guards away, otherwise, we would have been in for some trouble." Two Tons said. As they continued their conversation, they arrived outside of the dungeon. As they were about to walk away from the entrance and head towards the main city, a voice called out to them from a distance. "Hold it right there!" The voice called out. It was a voice they immediately recognized. It belonged to Broken Fists! However, he was not alone. He had brought along somepany. It was a total of eight other yers that apanied Broken Fists. None of them looked as if they came to have a friendly chat. When Reilei and her party faced the direction of the voice and saw Broken Fists with a group of yers, they immediately knew what he was after. It was easy to see that Broken Fists was up to no good. He had a darkened facial expression and a huge grin on his face. Broken Fists was not stupid enough to charge in alone and he knew that it would be impossible for him to defeat that party by himself. Therefore, he caved in and contacted some acquaintances and convinced them to assist him in iming what he felt was rightfully his at this point. Of course, those guys were wolves and wanted 80% of the total profit for themselves! Unfortunately, Broken Fists had no room for negotiation. To him, 20% was better than nothing. There was also the fact that he wanted Two Tons and the others to suffer a greater humiliation than the one he had to face earlier. For that, he needed the strength and influence of the individuals who were apanying him. "Hand over all the loot you got from the rare boss, kneel down and p yourself three times and I¡¯ll grant you a swift death! Otherwise, hmph, don¡¯t me me for being nasty!" Broken Fists said with a look of hatred in his eyes. He had no intention of letting a single one of them leave from this ce alive. With the backing he had, he was not afraid of Two Tons and the others retaliating or seeking revenge. After all, how could they match up to the members of a top guild? "Watch your words!" Phoenix said in an angry tone. He dared ask them to do something so belittling and humiliating? "Hmph, kneel down? p ourselves? What gives a little man like you the right to demand anything?" Two Tons said as he swept his gaze coldly over the yers that appeared before his eyesnded on Broken Fists. He knew that there was a chance Broken Fists would want to im revenge, however, he did not think that it would happen so fast. Not to mention, the yers that were with him did not look like an inexperienced bunch. Little man? Those two words nearly caused Broken Fists to leap out and attack Two Tons without thinking, but he had managed to hold himself back. After all, he was no longer the one in charge now that he brought that person with him. "What gives me the right? Hah, you must be blind! Do you not realize that you¡¯re before the great Blood Tiger Li?!" Broken Fists announced with a grin on his face. "You nearly got all of us killed! How can you be so shameless as to threaten us?!" Hidden Pulseshed out. No one had ever heard of the name Blood Tiger Li, so it meant nothing to them. "Who are you?! A nobody, that¡¯s who! Brother Li, this the party I was telling you about. Look how they show no signs of respect towards your greatness. If you can help me as you¡¯ve promised, I can guarantee that you won¡¯t regret it and our profits will be huge this time!" Broken Fists was harsh in his words when speaking to Hidden Pulse, however, he was respectful to the male that stood at that front of the other yers. The one Broken Fists called Brother Li was a bit more than two meters tall, had a muscr body with a few scars over his face. He gave off a natural intimidating aura and he made those around him look and feel small inparison. "Hmph, you nned on keeping it all to yourself if you never got killed, didn¡¯t you?" Li asked as he narrowed his eyes and looked down on Broken Fists. "Brother Li, how can I dare have such thoughts? I was simply waiting for the correct opportunity to inform Brother Li as to not rise any unnecessary suspicion. How could I dream of keeping such a great treasure find all to myself?" Broken Fists responded as with a smile on his face as he rubbed his hands together. "Once a dog, always a dog! Just a dog begging to his master for table scraps! Little man! I bet that thing down there is also-" Phoenix yelled out. "You dare finish that sentence?! I want you dead! I want all of you dead!" Broken Fists roared as one could clearly see the veins protruding from his forehead. He already had to swallow his pride and suck up to Li, so how could he stand by and let himself be openly mocked? Reilei frowned as she watched the situation unfold before her eyes. Even if she was a newbie, it was not difficult to see that Broken Fists and the people he was with were up to no good. She wished that there was a way to avoid fighting and simply talk things over. "Fighting is not always the only answer. I¡¯m sure that we can take a moment to talk things over with one another." Reilei suggested with a smile on her face. "Are you mocking-!" Broken Fists was speaking but quickly shut his mouth when Li nced over in his direction. Li then turned his attention towards Reilei and her party as he said, "I¡¯m known as Blood Tiger Li. I heard you got some good items from this dungeon. Hand them over and I can let you leave this ce with your lives. If you refuse, then you¡¯ll be making enemies with my Headhunter Syndicate. You¡¯ll be hunted day and night every time you log onto the game or try to leave a town. Do you see where I¡¯m getting at? Just consider it showing me some face." Li spoke in an overbearing manner and showed no signs of respect or mannerism. He was confident that the yers before him would not be willing to offend his Headhunter Syndicate. Not to mention, not a single one of them appeared to be from any of the other top guilds within RML. This meant that there was no chance that this would escte to a bigger problem and create troubles for him in the future. "Brother Li, our deal was that-!" "If you keep talking... I¡¯ll permanently shut that mouth of yours." Li said in a cold and distant tone. This sent shivers down Broken Fists¡¯ spine and caused him to immediately quiet down. He felt wronged, but there was nothing he could do against someone like Li who had the backing of the Headhunter Syndicate. "The Headhunter Syndicate?!" Two Tons and Hidden Pulse eximed. Out of everyone present, it seemed that only the two of them knew who the Headhunter Syndicate was. "This is troublesome..." Two Tons said in a low voice as he furrowed his brows. "I¡¯m afraid we may have no choice but to hand over what we collected. It¡¯s better than having to live in fear of our lives or restarting our ount entirely." Hidden Pulse sighed with a helpless expression on his face. "Eh? What do you mean? What¡¯s this Headhunter Syndicate?" Phoenix questioned. Reilei was also curious as to why Two Tons and Hidden Pulse had reacted that way. Both of them appeared to be cautious and troubled when that name was brought up. Two Tons briefly exined about the Headhunter Syndicate and their fierce reputation to Reilei and Phoenix. "That¡¯s... No way... After all our hard work, we have to give it up just like that?" Phoenix said in a tone filled with disbelief and unwillingness. But, after hearing the tragic oue of other yers who went against the Headhunter Syndicate, it made her sigh in resignation. Surprisingly, the one who was actually the most upset with the entire situation was Reilei. From the sound of things, the Headhunter Syndicate was no more than a group of bullies! That made memories resurface of the time when Jin used to return home beat and bruised almost every day from dealing with bullies. Although he would say that he just fell down, how could Reilei not understand what was going on? Therefore, she had a strong distaste for those who bullied others. Even more so for the people who supported and turned their head to such terrible acts. "We can¡¯t just..." Reilei said in a low voice as she tightly squeezed her fists. "Realistic..." Phoenix and the others could see how upset Reilei was. Who knew that she was also capable of that kind of expression? "We can¡¯t just give in." Shuyi said as he stepped forward. His actions surprised everyone present. There was no look of doubt in his eyes and it was as if the thought to run had never even crossed his mind. Headhunter Syndicate? So what! What was the point of thinking about the future? All they had to do was deal with what was in front of them first and worry about all theplicated stuffter. "Brother Shuyi, you¡¯re a reasonable man. If you can get them to freely hand over all the items, then I¡¯ll be sure to-" "Shut your mouth. Who do you think you¡¯re calling brother? If such filthy words leave your mouth again, I¡¯ll personally rip out that foul tongue of yours so that it doesn¡¯t dare to speak my name again." Shuyi quickly made his stance clear. "You-!" Broken Fists nearly coughed up blood from anger when he heard Shuyi¡¯s words. His rage had reached a level that almost rendered him speechless. He thought for sure that Shuyi would ept his offer and so he spoke with confidence and yet he was immediately shot down in such an overbearing and brutal way. "He¡¯s right... We can¡¯t just give in. I¡¯m supposed to be the leader and yet I almost let all of you down. If I refuse to stand up for what¡¯s right, then how can I call myself a man, let alone a leader?!" Two Tons roared as he regained himself. Hidden Pulse sighed as he shook his head and said, "This is crazy... You¡¯re all absolutely crazy...! Whatever, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you!" Hidden Pulse unsheathed his daggers as he prepared to fight. Despite his words, he also appeared to be motivated. "We won¡¯t allow ourselves to be bullied!" Reilei said without a hint of hesitation in her voice. It was enough... She had enough! In the real world and now in this world as well... How much longer would she allow herself to be pushed around and bullied? Days? Months? Years?! How much longer?! As these thoughts rushed through Reilei¡¯s mind, she felt a strong force sweeping throughout her body. Unknown to Reilei, she was being influenced and affected by the soul fragment she received from Izroth. While it did not directly influence her behavior, it slowly helped mold and reshape Reilei. In other words, it awakened and dragged out the true feelings and personality that had been long since forgotten and buried by her. Reilei had not realized it yet, but she had finally reached her breaking point. "This is exactly why you can¡¯t try speaking nicely to trash. They start to think they have an actual choice. Kill them." Li ordered in a ruthless tone as the seven yers under hismand rushed forward without hesitation. Chapter 352 Wasnt This Supposed To Be An Easy Fight? The moment Li gave his order, Shuyi and Hidden Pulse entered into stealth. The seven yers charged towards Reilei and her party and were closing the distance fast, therefore, they had to make sure they made use of every possible advantage or else they would end being overwhelmed with the difference in numbers. "Stay behind me." Two Tons said to Phoenix as he stepped forward with his shield and sword in hand. Phoenix gave a small nod in response as she fell back a few meters to a safe distance. Two Tons took a deep breath as the enemy yers were approaching. However, when the other yers rushing forward saw that Two Tons had stepped forward by himself and that two of their party members disappeared leaving their weak HP ranged members to fend for themselves, they started to grin and smirk at the clumsy order of things. "Heh, those two rogues probably ran away in fear before our might!" One of the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate said with a smirk on their face. Who knew such a great gift would fall into theirps so easy? "Hahaha, this will be the easiest hunt we¡¯ve ever done. Boss Li will surely reward us once we make them beg for mercy!" "Look at that newbie magic caster not even retreating back. At least the healer has enough sense to fall back a bit. Well, not that it matters. She was probably just putting on an act earlier and is actually frozen in fear!" "What do you expect? We have the Blood Tiger Li on our side who was personally recruited by the guild leader himself once he saw his potential. If not for Boss Li, then we would have never been able to get into an esteemed top guild like the Headhunter Syndicate." The yers from the Headhunter Syndicate appeared to be extremely rxed about things as they casually spoke to one another. One could tell that they were not taking Reilei and her party seriously. Even if their Boss Li and Broken Fists did not join the fight, it was still seven of them and only five people to deal with. If they took something like this too seriously, then they would be a joke. Besides, ording to the information they received beforehand from Broken Fists, the only two people they had to watch out for was the tank Two Tons and the rogue Shuyi. As for the other yers, he said they were not any threat whatsoever. Though he did mention something about a summoner with strong physical attacks. However, they simply saw that as a joke and startedughing when they heard that. After all, no matter how strong a summoner¡¯s physical attack was, in the end, it would not be enough to deal with them. Two Tons exhaled and released a battle cry that rung inside the eardrums of the approaching yers. He used the skill Weaken Battle Spirit which allowed him to lower the agility of enemies within a cone out in front of him that spanned a total of 10 meters in range. It also temporarily decreased the damage of those affected by a certain amount. His main goal was to even the ying fields out even if it was just by a small amount. In the end, they were still outnumbered. However, Two Tons knew that his party had an advantage. For one, their teamwork had improved drastically during the full clear and so they all understood each other¡¯s weaknesses and strengths much more than when they first entered the dungeon. Also, from the rxed attitudes of the yers headed in their direction, he could see that they were being underestimated. Though there was one hidden trump card in their hand that the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate did not seem to know about. With all these pieces in ce, Two Tons believed that their chances for victory were an actual reality! While Two Tons¡¯ Weaken Battle Spirit took effect, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate began to noticeably slow down. "Just an annoying slow skill! How can this stop us?!" One of the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate roared as he was the first to arrive before Two Tons. He had a hammer in his hands and was wearing light ted armor. He swung the hammer down mercilessly towards Two Tons, however, it was blocked and one symbol appeared on Two Tons¡¯ shield. Soon after the first yer reached Two Tons, his otherpanions arrived. "That summoner is mine!" One of the rogue yers from the Headhunter Syndicate said as he ignored Two Tons and went directly for Reilei. "Heh, that guy still has that nasty habit of his when ites to toying around with weak yers." One of the yers also broke off from the group and targeted Phoenix who was at the back. It was impossible for Two Tons to hold all of them off alone, fortunately, he was not alone. All of a sudden, two yers from the Headhunter Syndicate that were about to assist theirpanion by teaming up against Two Tons had their movements sealed as a thin yet powerful rope could be seen bounding their legs to the ground. "What the heck is this?! Why can¡¯t I move?!" While their skills and attacks were not disabled, it might as well have been considering that both yers were melee range sses. If they were not able to move into attack range, then how could they be of any use? "I¡¯ve seen this before... It¡¯s a rogue¡¯s trap skill! We¡¯ve been caught in a trap!" One of the yers who were unlucky enough to be caught in the trap cried out. But, how did they manage to set up a trap so fast?! Just how high was their Trapworking skill to pull something off so fast and discreetly? Not only one trap but two traps! Woosh! Two daggers swiftly came out of nowhere and struck one of the yers who were not caught by the traps. That yer had their movements sealed, however, they were stunned instead of simply immobilized. "I¡¯ll be your opponent." Shuyi said as his stealth had dropped when he made his attack. At the moment, his daggers were stabbed into the back of the yer he just attacked. However, this still left an additional yer that eventually ended up going after Two Tons. This meant that Two Tons would have to deal with those two yers by himself for the time being. As for the yer charging towards Phoenix, he was intercepted by Hidden Pulse before he could reach Phoenix. "Tch, a bunch of useless..! Whatever, I¡¯ll just deal with this frail-looking summoner and then go help them out. Hehehe, Boss Li is sure to give me a bigger piece of the reward if I help kill more than one of them." The yer who targeted Reilei said. "Hurry up and die for me!" He roared as he swung his saber down towards Reilei. However, just before his saber made contact with Reilei, he felt as if his body had just somehow be lighter. "Eh? What? Why can¡¯t I move?" At first, the yer from the Headhunter Syndicate was confused and lost. However, he soon noticed that the world around him was spinning. No, it was not that the world was spinning, but it was he himself who was spinning out of control! By the time he stopped spinning and crashed into the ground, he had already begun to dissipate into particles. The right side of his face had beenpletely smashed through! What a brutal and barbaric method! "Interesting!" Li said as a smile appeared on his face. However, it was not one of kindness, but one that gave off a feeling of ruthlessness. The yers he had under him were not all that skilled, however, they were much better than most casual yers. For one of them to be done in so quickly was unexpected. Though the reason for his increase in anger was not due to the yer¡¯s death. It was due to the fact that someone dared killed someone under him right before his eyes. "Realistic, take care of the two yers that are immobilized!" Shuyi called out. It felt strange for him to call out to Realistic, but he could not allow this chance to pass them by. They had to even the ying field as fast as possible before the other two that stayed back decided to join in on the fight. "Yes!" Reilei responded as she dashed forward. However, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate, as well as Broken Fists were dumbfounded by how fast she was moving. How could a magic caster have that kind of movement speed?! Of course, Reilei did not stay at level 27 after performing a full clear and defeating the Ouroboros. By the time theypleted the dungeon, she managed to reach level 30. Normally, one level per run was already considered good for a level 30 dungeon, but since theycked a party member and defeated the Ouroboros, the amount of experience they received was plentiful. Since Reilei¡¯s Orb of Creations was a growth weapon, naturally its strength increased along with her. This not only made her attack power more frightening but her agility as well! "Don¡¯te here! Stay away!" One of the yers whose movements were sealed by Shuyi cried out, but it was already toote. Reilei followed Shuyi¡¯s instructions as she mmed her summoner¡¯s orb into the face of the two individuals who were locked in ce. Bang! Bang! Just like theirpanion, both yers were sent flying back by an overwhelming force and ended up being killed in one-shot. At the moment, unless one was a ted user or a high health fighter, it was practically impossible to survive a blow to the head from one of Reilei¡¯s attacks. In the blink of an eye, the seven yers that charged forward had dropped down to four yers. At this rate, they would be wiped out! The remaining members of the Headhunter Syndicate were dumbfounded. What just happened? Did a summoner seriously just kill three of their members that fast with a single attack? Impossible! All that summoner was doing was swinging the orb in their hand! Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be an easy fight? "Where are you looking?!" Two Tons roared as he used Shield Furnace: Bacsh Blow on the two yers who had diverted their attention away from him. It allowed him tond a direct hit and deal heavy damage to their HP in the process. As for Phoenix, she was simply maintaining a safe distance and healing any of her party members who received an injury. Though things appeared to be looking on the upside from how events were unfolding. At this rate, they could win! They could actually defeat those members of a top guild! This was the result of the teamwork experience they gained inside the Lair of Serpents. "I¡¯ll deal with youter for hiding this. Honestly... When did I get such useless underlings? It looks like I¡¯ll have to deal with this myself ." Li said as he red at Broken Fists before he stepped forward. His gaze instantlynded on Reilei. How could he sit back and allow her to roam around freely killing his underlings? Broken Fists wanted to correct Li, but he did not dare to do so after seeing the fury in his eyes. He had warned them about that summoner¡¯s physical attacks and now he was being med for their carelessness? He began to regret getting the people from the Headhunter Syndicate involved in this matter, however, it was no longer within his control to do anything about it. "Little summoner, you should feel honored! I¡¯ll personally y with you a bit!" Li said as he charged forward at incredible speeds! His ss was a fighter-type and he immediately used a movement skill to rapidly close the distance before Reilei could deal any more damage than she already had. Chapter 353 The Vicious Xiao Liang, The Predicamen For someone of his size with a muscr stature, Li¡¯s movements were fast. Although Li¡¯s agility could notpare to Reilei¡¯s due to the effect provided by the Creation of Physique skill attached to her Orb of Creations, he did not seem afraid of dealing with Reilei even after he personally witnessed her attack power and speed. The way Li charged forward with his massive frame made it look as if a bulldozer was headed right towards Reilei. "Realistic, careful!" Two Tons yelled out and warned Reilei. He could see that Li was not like the other yers that came along with Broken Fists. Just from his movements alone, Two Tons could already tell that he would be a difficult opponent to handle. Not to mention, there was a clear size difference between Reilei and Li that could not be ignored. "Do you have time to worry about others?!" One of the yers fighting against Two Tons roared as he increased the intensity of his attacks causing the pressure on Two Tons to rise. As for Hidden Pulse who had intercepted the yer that was headed for Phoenix, he was currently struggling to maintain his advantage and the situation did not look too good. If it were not for Phoenix being there to support him, then he may have already been close to death! In the end, PVP was not his strong suit and he was not used to fighting against other yers within RML. Shuyi, on the other hand, held the upper hand in his fight. His attacks were swift and urate. Just like Hidden Pulse, he had no real experience fighting yers in RML, however, his naturalbat sense was exceptional and he adapted quickly to the battle. With some training and more experience, it was possible that he could quickly reach the same level as those elite members within the top guilds! Though the person who was struggling the most was none other than Two Tons. This was due to the fact that he was fighting against two yers at the same time. He was confident in taking down either one of the two yers if it was a one on one battle, but dealing with both of them at the same time was a headache. However, he yed in a very defensive manner and focused on counter-attacking and defending. Two Tons¡¯ goal was not to defeat the two yers, but hold out until his party members finished their fight. Since he was a tank in a disadvantageous situation, this was the strategy he chose to follow. When one of his other parties finished their battle, they would be able to assist him. Until then, he just had to keep up his guard as he would not fall any time soon from the damage he was receiving. Even though Li had charged forward without a second thought, that did not mean he was not cautious of Reilei. To be more precise, he was cautious of the summoner¡¯s orb in Reilei¡¯s hand. It was extremely faint, but he could see a thin aura around it which was the sign of a weapon that was above umon quality! In other words, he knew that she most likely had a rare quality weapon in her possession! Li believed that whatever tricks she used definitely had something to do with the orb. Not to mention, all her attacks had been melee and at close range. This probably meant that she was unable to use the skill attached to it from a distance so she could not run out of his attack range. If that was the case, then all he had to do was avoid being struck by that orb! Or better yet... Li¡¯s hand took the form of a w as a concentrated and crimson-colored energy converged on his fingertips. "Bloody Maul!" Li¡¯s w descended upon Reilei. The size of his palm was enough to cover Reilei¡¯s entire face. Bang! Before Li¡¯s attack could reach Reilei, he was struck directly in his face by an overwhelming force. However, instead of being sent back like the others, he remained in ce as a smirk appeared on his face. Woosh! All of a sudden, Li¡¯s attack sped up to an unbelievable speed and crashed into Reilei¡¯s body, knocking her back in the process. "Realistic!" Phoenix gasped in shock when she saw that Reilei was struck by Li. She was not the only one shocked by what had just happened. Two Tons, Shuyi, and Hidden Pulse were also initially confused. That was until they saw a fiery aura appear around Li¡¯s body. "That skill..! I see, no wonder..." Two Tons said to himself. Reilei felt as if the wind had just been knocked out of her after that attack. Her HP was reduced by 55% from a single hit. It was her first time since starting RML that she had received a clean and direct hit! After all, with her agility and enhanced senses, she usually found little difficulty when it came to avoiding most attacks. However, she had no idea what just happened. Luckily, even though she was knocked back, she managed to stay standing. In the end, Reilei¡¯s experience was incrediblycking when it came to actual fights. She usually just relied on the strong power of the orb in her hand to attack and her fast agility to strike, however, such a simple attack pattern would not work so easily on yers with experience such as Li. Not to mention, her knowledge of other sses was nonexistent, therefore, she had no idea that skills like Burning Spirit even existed. Reilei was stronger than most yers around her level if it was a simpleparison of stats and up until now the yers she fought against were not skilled by any means. At the end of the day, experience could not be rushed and in this regard, Li had a huge advantage. "Ahahaha! Now, do you trash see the greatness of Brother Li?!" Broken Fists said in an excited tone. Now that Li had joined the fight, their victory was only a matter of time. How could he not be exhrated? "The moment you all angered me was the moment you were all already dead." Li stated in a cold tone. The skill he used was one that belonged to most fighter-type sses called Burning Spirit. Therefore, not only was he temporarily unkible he also received a massive boost to his stats that allowed him to ignore Reilei¡¯s attack and focus on his own. While it seemed like an extreme move, Li refused to end up like the three yers that died. Besides, there was a saying that even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit! Right now, Li was the lion and Reilei was the rabbit prey! Mew! Nyu! Ayanellia cried out in worry for Reilei as a gentle aura appeared around Reilei¡¯s body. The aura allowed Reilei to slowly regenerate her lost HP. It was simr to the Mana Attraction skill, except it restored health instead of mana. Xiao Liang, however, had a vicious expression as he red at Li. At the same time, the red-orangish scale on his back started to light up. The color of his scales began to change before they all eventually turned red-orangish in color. Xiao Liang jumped down from Reilei¡¯s shoulder as its small body started to expand. Out of nowhere, Reilei¡¯s mana went from 100% down to 0%! Reilei had a mana pool that was a bit more than 2,300 points and yet it all disappeared in the blink of an eye. But, Reilei could care less about her mana. Right now, she was more concerned about Xiao Liang and what was happening to him. "Xiao Liang? What¡¯s wrong?" Reilei asked in a panicked manner when she saw that something appeared to be wrong with Xiao Liang, however, she did not have much time to think as Li had already begun tounch his second assault. "Worry about yourself first, little summoner! Raining Talons Blow!" Li said as both of his hands formed into the shape of sharp talons and shot out at incredible speeds towards Reilei. He was not concerned about the summoned creature, after all, if he killed the summoner then the summoned creature would naturally disappear. ROOOOOOOOAR! A great roar shook the surroundings and jolted everyone. Xiao Liang¡¯s body had transformed as he became two meters in length from his head to tail. His scales were now red-orangish in color and his eyes had turned into two ming suns. At the same time, a small wisp of sun fire appeared as Xiao Liang opened his mouth. Xiao Liang¡¯s transformation shocked everyone present. Though the person most taken aback was Reilei. Was this really Xiao Liang? "Wh-" As Li was in the middle of his attack on Reilei, he suddenly felt the temperature around him spike. It felt as if he were ced directly into a volcano. Of course, he did not bother dodging the attack since his Burning Spirit was still active, however, he would soon regret this action. BOOOOOOOM! A powerful force mmed into Li as he was devoured by the raging sun fire. At first, Li was calm and collected, but his facial expression quickly turned into one of dread when he received an alert from the system. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Gluttonous Matter Breakdown?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of the skill ?Burning Spirit? has been canceled out!¡µ The sun fire created arge explosion that caused a huge cloud of dust to form in the area. By the time the dust settled, Li was nowhere to be found. He had been obliterated by the sun fire! Everyone was speechless and baffled. What was that attack just now?! Could it be the mystical S-ranked skill?! But, how could that person have one of those ultra-rare S-ranked skills?! What they did not know was that Reilei was just as baffled as them. "S-screw this..! It isn¡¯t worth it!" One of the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate said as he immediately made his escape. The others followed after him, however, the yer fighting against Shuyi was unfortunate and had died the moment he turned his back to try and escape. Broken Fists was frozen in ce as his mind tried to process what had just happened. Blood Tiger Li was defeated so easily? But, he was a member of the Headhunter Syndicate! He was already at level 35 and he was defeated just like that? Run! He had to run away and escape from here! "Just where do you think you¡¯re running off to?!" Two Tons roared as he used Unimpeded Rush to quickly make his way over towards Broken Fists. "Wait! I¡¯m willing to forfeit the treasure to you! I¡¯m willing to-!" Broken Fists had a shield mmed into his body as he was instantly stunned. However, he did not get off so easily, Shuyi joined in and in just a handful of seconds of Broken Fists desperately fighting for his life, he was killed. Phoenix let out a sigh of relief. She did not think that they would make it out of that situation alive. Though she had a helpless expression on her face as she looked over at Reilei. Does she even need her ss advancement? That was the only thought that drifted through her mind at that moment. "Xiao Liang! What¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt?" Reilei cried out as she rushed over to Xiao Liang. He had returned to normal with the only difference being that the singr red-orangish scale that was on his back had vanished leaving only the violet-colored scale. However, he was epassed by a strange orb of light and seemed to be unconscious. The light was simr to the one Ayanelle used to protect Ayanellia while she was peacefully resting. That was the moment when Reilei received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your summon Xiao Liang is undergoing ?Metamorphosis?. Time Remaining: 36 hours...¡µ But, what Reilei and her party did not know at the time was that this would be the start of a chain of events that would forever change the power structure of the top ten guilds within RML. ... Meanwhile... ¡¯Looks like I have nowhere else to go. Well, this much was to be expected.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was surrounded by 20 to 25 participants of the selection from all sides! There was nowhere for him to escape! ¡¯Who would have thought this troublesome thing would be awaiting me at the second tost relocation?¡¯ ... Somewhere between 2 to 3 hours ago... Izroth had managed to sessfully escape the pursuit of Sage. Since all his skills were still on cooldown, he could not afford to engage her in a fight. He was currently sitting in a meditative position as he checked the status of his body and waited for his skills toe off cooldown. There was one thing that bothered Izroth. For some reason, the progression of his Heavenly Golden Body physique on his physical body had reached a bottleneck. It was at the very peak of the 2nd stage and Izroth could sense that it was ready to burst through to the next stage. However, there was this invisible force that prevented him from doing so. ¡¯My Heavenly Golden Body physique in the real world remains unchanged. Is this the limit that my current physical body can reach in this world? Or is it something else?¡¯ Chapter 354 Arguing Over Who Gets To Claim His Life Around ten minutester, Izroth finished checking the status of his body in the real world as he opened his eyes and stood to his feet. Since most of his skills were now off cooldown and the next relocation would take ce soon, he decided that it was time for him to move on. ¡¯In the end, I was unable to find anything wrong with my body on a physical level. If that¡¯s the case, it may have something to do with the strange energy that mimics the spiritual essence of the Seven Realms. I¡¯ll have to wait until I log out to confirm this matter.¡¯ Izroth checked his rank and saw that he was still in 4th ce. One of the main reasons he was not in any particr rush to move on was due to his massive jump in rank after eliminating Roudin. He went from the 500s all the way to the top five rankings! However, Izroth was still unsatisfied with the way things ended. If possible, he would have liked to conclude his fight properly with Roudin without any outside interference. ¡¯Still, my current strength is too weak. There are also many things I have yet to understand about this world. That Domain, for instance...¡¯ Izroth thought back to when Roudin spoke about the difference between those who had a Domain and those who did not. From the power Izroth witnessed of Roudin¡¯s Mountain Domain and Sage¡¯s Domain, which Roudin referred to as a main upper eight Wind Domain, he could see that their power was not to be underestimated. ¡¯If there is an upper eight, does a lower eight also exist? Also, Mountain and Wind... If we¡¯re talking about figures with elements that involve a total of eight, then the first thing thates to mind is that thing.¡¯ What Izroth was referring to was Bagua, the eight symbols. Though many people referred to it as the eight trigrams. Fire, Water, Wind, Mountain, Lake, Thunder, Earth, and Heaven. Izroth spected from the information avable to him that the main upper eight Domains were somehow tied to these eight elements of nature. He was unsure what to think about the lower eight Domains, but they most likely had characteristics of their own and were less powerful than that of the upper eight Domains. ¡¯It¡¯s different from a Source and it contains a power simr to one of the pages from the Book of Beginnings. In other words, a natural power birthed from the world itself. However, how does one obtain a Domain?¡¯ Izroth figured that a Domain, just like his Source, was another thing that yers werepletely clueless about and shrouded in mystery. After pondering for a while, Izroth decided to set this matter aside for the time being. He knew that there was no use aimlessly specting about something when he had such limited information about it. ¡¯I¡¯ll pay a visit to the Amaharpe pce library when I have a chance and see if I can obtain some additional information from Orion, the Keeper of Books. For now, it¡¯s pointless to think about it too much.¡¯ Since the next relocation time was so close, Izroth chose to stay put and wait for it to take ce. A few momentster, he received the system alert as two magic symbols appeared around him and carried him off to the next random location. Third relocation... Izroth was sent to the Living Forest. It was his second time entering the Living Forest, however, he was in a different area than the one fromst time and so he was unfamiliar with his current surroundings. Just because Izroth was in 4th ce did not mean that he nned on cking off. He was not satisfied with simply being within the top ten. He would not stop there as his goal was to take 1st ce in the selection! Izroth journeyed through the Living Forest and came across a few man-eating nt monsters that he took care of. With his improved Heavenly Golden Body, he was immune to most forms of basic attacks the nts dished out. His immunity to poison had also increased which yed a huge part in a ce like the Living Forest where every other monster and nt was poisonous. Izroth came across two participants, but neither of them came anywhere close toparing to Roudin. Though that was not to say that they were easy opponents. Compared to the likes of the participants he faced at the beginning of the selection, these participants could definitely be considered as being more skilled individuals. One of the fights, Izroth did not use his Flickering Steps as a way to test himself. While he managed to emerge victoriously, the fight was intense and an uphill battle for him. He had to rely on his vast battle experience, high sense of perception, and sword forms to win. Fourth Relocation... Izroth was relocated to the Scorching Lands. There was something different about the fourth relocation and that was the fact that it was the first time Limit Zones were introduced into the selection. Limit Zones were just as their name suggested as it limited the area where participants could move around within their region. Every relocation, each Limit Zone would shrink and this would exponentially raise the chances of participants encountering one another. ¡¯I see, so that¡¯s how it is.¡¯ Izroth was troubled about finding other participants since the number of individuals was dropping and the size of each region was massive. He was d to see that this had been taken into ount. This time, Izroth¡¯s luck was good as he had a difficult time finding monsters, but an easy time running into other participants which were most likely the result of the Limit Zone. In the end, he defeated a total of seven participants! Each of them had a minimum of 3,000 points in their possession! Excluding Roudin, those seven participants were Izroth¡¯s most challenging fights yet within the selection. Fifth Relocation... By the time the fifth relocation came around, Izroth had arrived back at the Boundless Sea. The number of participants had dropped to a mere 250 individuals. This was a far cry from the initial 1,000 participants. The Limit Zones had also decreased in size once again and the number of intense encounters was increasing throughout the selection. Unfortunately, Izroth was still unable to move anywhere past 4th ce. There was even a time when he dropped down to 5th ce for a brief moment, however, he quickly regained his spot at 4th ce. ¡¯As I thought, it¡¯s incredibly difficult to move past 4th ce. Could it be the other individuals that Lances mentioned? If that¡¯s the case, the person in 5th ce may be one of them.¡¯ When the fifth relocation came to an end, Izroth had a grand total of 99,059 points! Also, the number of total participants had fallen drastically to just 120 individuals. Sixth Relocation... Izroth was relocated to the one ce that seemed to be avoiding him this selection. It was the area where there were constant storms, strong gusts of wind, and lightning discharging in almost every direction. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?Untamed Land Storms?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The size of Limit Zones have been reduced! [Current Radius: 140 meters]¡µ ¡¯It¡¯s easier to see here than I thought it¡¯d be. Though the strong winds would make a fight in this ce challenging to those who are unable to adapt to the environment.¡¯ However, just as Izroth was thinking to himself, he received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Warning! Participants will not be allowed to journey outside of the set Limit Zone of their region!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Top Ten Tracking has been enabled!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are currently ranked 4th in the selection! A special marker has been assigned to you. Every five minutes, your name and live location will be sent out for other participants to view. As one of the top ten members of the selection, you will be able to constantly view the location of the participants in your region. For the next two rounds of the selection, those within the top ten must defend their spots!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your location will be sent out in 4 minutes 59 seconds...¡µ ¡¯This selection is too ruthless. Though I suppose those without the power to protect what belongs to them have no business holding onto one of the top ten spots.¡¯ By this point in the selection, 99% of the weak participants had been weeded out and removed. Now, those who remained were all talented or skilled one way or another. Add on to the fact that his location would now be avable for all to see... Izroth knew that thest hour of the selection would be more challenging than the first 3 hoursbined. ¡¯I suppose it¡¯s not all a loss for those within the top ten. At the very least, we know the location of the participants within our region.¡¯ Izroth received special ess to a minimap. The moment he opened the minimap, he saw a blue dot on the map which represented his current location and multiple red dots which were other participants. He counted a total of 34 red dots on the minimap; two of which were close by and a few grouped together in pairs that appeared to be participants fighting one another. ¡¯I wonder if those individuals also have ess to our location.¡¯ If Zushuatri¡¯s students were able to use the live location and intentionally hunt for the top ten participants, then Izroth believed that he had a high chance of running into Sage again. While he did not know what he did to offend her, he no longer cared about that now that she had offended him. Not only had she shown hostility towards him, but she even dared to act upon that hostility and tried to directly kill him back in the Boundless Sea region. Izroth was a patient, however, he had no patience whatsoever for those who were out to im his life or block his path. So what if she was one of Zushuatri¡¯s students? If she thought that he was an easy target to bully, then he would make sure that she learned the true meaning of regret. ¡¯From how much she seems to want me dead, then she¡¯ll definitelye for me if she¡¯s in this region. When she does, then...¡¯ After organizing his thoughts, Izroth believed that it was best to sit back for the time being. There was no reason for him to actively search for other participants since they would being to him soon due to the special marker ced upon him. Five minutes quickly passed by as Izroth was sat down in a meditative pose. Less than 30 secondster, Izroth suddenly felt a sharp sword aura headed his way and immediately shot up to his feet and avoided the iing strike. The spot where he sat down just moments ago had a deep scar in the ground that was created as a result of the sword aura. A few secondster, a male revealed himself with a sword in his hand that had an extremely sharp edge. NPC Name: Eoxin(Elite) NPC Level: 55 "Heh, lucky me! I¡¯m the first one to arrive! Izroth? Never heard of that name before. I don¡¯t know how you managed to im a spot in the top ten, however, I¡¯ll be taking it for myself." Eoxin said with a grin on his face. Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm, however, instead of its usual gust of wind that appeared when it was removed from its sheath, it was at least twice as powerful than normal! This was due to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm being within a suitable environment that matched and resonated with its elements. Izroth clearly felt that difference in power of the sword in his hand. ¡¯Is it another hidden feature?¡¯ This was Izroth¡¯s first time seeing it, therefore he was unfamiliar with it. But, this worked to his advantage. "Tch, someone else already beat me here!" The second participant arrived on the scene and just a few secondster, three more participants had reached Izroth¡¯s location! "Back off, I was here first!" Eoxin roared as he tried to intimidate those who had just arrived. "Are you an idiot? Why would we back off?" One of the participants responded. An argument then ensued between the participants as to who would get to im Izroth¡¯s life! It was as if Izroth himself did not even exist in their eyes. None of them took Izroth seriously because of how weak he appeared to be. As for how he managed to get to 4th ce, he probably just got extremely lucky and killed someone in that spot who was already worn out from fighting. ¡¯I can see I¡¯m being looked down upon.¡¯ Izroth smiled in a carefree manner, however, there was a cold glint that shed across his eyes. They wanted to discuss and argue over who got to im his life? One should first have the ability to do so before discussing such nonsense! Chapter 355 Kayn Joins The Selection, Izroths Curiosity ... Meanwhile, back at the tform... "It looks like that guy is the real deal. Luck can only carry one so far, however, his performance cannot be dismissed as just being simple luck by this point. Though this is where the true challenge begins in the selection. Even if one has obtained something, it¡¯s useless if they don¡¯t have the strength to safeguard it. Though aren¡¯t you worried your students may get involved, old man Zushuatri?" Kaynmented as he observed Izroth¡¯s current situation on the magic screen before him. A gentle smile appeared on Zushuatri¡¯s face as he said, "I leave it entirely up to them to decide what action they wish to take." "Oh? What if your students shamelessly team up on someone?" Kayn asked with a grin on his face. "Hahaha, third young master, surely you jest. Those with high talent often boast an equally high sense of pride. Each is confident in their own strength and it is on this pride that they act." Zushuatri replied. "I see, pride is it?" Kayn said as he stood to his feet. His arms were still folded as he had his gaze set on a certain part of the magic screen that showed one of Zushuatri¡¯s students, Sage. He then continued, "Old man Zushuatri, I want to go take a look. Are you against it?" Kayn looked Zushuatri directly in his eyes as he spoke. Zushuatri was silent for a few moments before he ultimately released a sigh and shook his head as he replied, "Your impatience is showing, third young master. But I must say that I¡¯m surprised you were able to wait this long. Very well, you may enter and cross the regions and Limit Zones as you please. I¡¯m sure you do not require me to remind you of your previous promise?" "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m only going to rattle them up a bit. Also, there¡¯s a few that I want to personally have a chat with and exchange a few pointers." Kayn said. Although those words left his mouth, his current facial expression contradicted him and it looked as though he were up to something else entirely. Exchange a few pointers? Zushuatri knew that even among the members of the first team, there were not many who would dare im that they could "exchange a few pointers" with Kayn. Therefore, how could anyone in the second selection even dream of doing so? "Then, I¡¯ll be sending news of your arrival. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to show you the way there." Zushuatri stated with a gentle smile on his face. "Yeah, I¡¯ll be going now. After all, we can¡¯t allow them to becent with their current strength, right?" Kayn said with a smirk on his face. He then jumped up off the tform and shot high into the sky. All of a sudden, what appeared to be a small meteor could be seen descending down upon the Sky Pce. However, that "small meteor" was none other than Kayn! ... Woosh! "Stop right there!" One of the participants yelled out as they chased after Izroth. At the moment, Izroth was running at incredible speeds throughout the Limit Zone. There were at least fifteen participants chasing after him and closing in on his position fast. ¡¯The chances of me being the only person from the top ten in this region is low, yet they are specifically targeting me. Is it because they see me as an easy target?¡¯ "Heh, all he can do it run away! What a disgrace for someone who holds a top ten position!" One of the participants chasing after Izroth mocked. However, Izroth was unaffected by their obvious taunts and jeers. He was that he was not running away because he was afraid, but rather, he was doing so to round up as many participants as possible! After all, with cooldowns being one of Izroth¡¯s biggest current weaknesses, he had to find a way to use his skills in the most efficient way possible. After running for nearly 10 minutes, Izroth finally stopped. The moment he did so, he immediately became surrounded by 20 to 25 participants. Everyone appeared to be furious at being led around for so long by Izroth and they all looked as if they wanted to strangle him. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing that I learned another movement skill, otherwise, it would have been impossible to do this so efficiently. Well, I still had to use Enhanced Instantaneous Movement a couple of times to throw them off and prevent them from catching up. But, this much should do it.¡¯ Skill Name: Light Feather Footwork Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: +10% Movement Speed Passive: As long as the user of this skill is in motion, their steps will be lighter, slowly increasing their movement speed by 5% every second(MAX: 125%). If the user halts their motion, the movement speed provided by this passive is decreased by 10% every second until it reaches 0%. Active: Immediately increases the user¡¯s movement speed by 250% for 2 seconds. This skill does not stack with its passive. The passive of this skill is temporarily disabled during the 2 seconds the active of this skill is used. Cooldown: 15 seconds Description: Light footsteps to invoke rapid movements! Izroth had been debating on what kind of movement skill he should learn and he finally decided during the time of his fourth relocation. Light Feather Footwork did not increase his agility, but his movement speed. This made it the perfect skill to pair up with his Flickering Steps or Shadow Movement. It also performed well as a stand-alone skill and had a variety of uses in differentbat scenarios. Though the main reason Izroth chose this skill was due to itsbination of speed built up and quick bursts of speed. A bonus was the short cooldown time of the skill at its max rank which was only 15 seconds. This meant that every 15 seconds, Izroth would be able to activate a short burst of speed that could throw his opponents off. Of course, it could notpare to Flickering Steps speed-wise, but it had its own area of strengths. As Izroth scanned around the gathered participants, he saw that there was nowhere for him to escape. In total, there were around 20 to 25 participants present and everyst one of them were no pushovers considering that they made it this far into the selection. ¡¯Who would have thought this troublesome thing would be awaiting me at the second tost relocation?¡¯ Just as that thought passed through Izroth¡¯s mind, he received an alert from the system. At the same time, the participants that were surrounding him also looked as if they had been alerted of something. From the expressions on their faces, it seemed to be something terrifying in nature. ¡´System Alert: A special guest participant has arrived! The leader of the first team, Kayn, will be joining the selection!¡µ ¡´System Alert: A special full-time marker has been set on Kayn and will always show their current location.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Combat restrictions for Kayn has been set in ce. Landing one blow on Kayn grants 1 million points.¡µ As if coinciding with the appearance of the alerts, a burning meteorite could be seen descending rapidly from the sky. It could be seen across all four regions and it looked as if it were headed directly for the Sky Pce itself! However, there were a few participants who knew what was falling from the sky was not a meteor, but a person! ¡¯Leader of the first team and 1 million points?¡¯ With 1 million points, you were guaranteed to ce first within the selection. It did not matter how many points the individual in first ce possessed, it was definitely nowhere near close to 1 million! Not only that, but apparentlybat restrictions were also set in ce for him. One blow! By justnding one blow against him it was possible to instantly jump to the 1st ce position, however, none of the participants around Izroth appeared to be excited about it. In fact, they appeared to be in a state of despair at the simple thought. ¡¯As the leader of the first team, this Kayn is definitely not some small character within the Mortal Realm. Interesting...¡¯ Izroth was curious about the individual who was strong enough to be the leader of the first team. After all, the second team selection already had people like Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain participating within it. This meant that they were likely not strong enough to take part in the first team selection. If that was the case, just how monstrous were those who ced in the top ten of a selection that not even someone like Roudin could participate in? "What does Master Zushuatri expect us to do? He not only sends his students but even that monster as well?" "It¡¯s impossible for us, even if it¡¯s a single blow." "Yeah, what else do you expect from a genius who has the pure blood of a true dragon?" True dragon?! When one of the participants said those two words, Izroth became even more increased in Kayn. Now, he felt that he had to somehow meet that person before this selection was over. If they really did possess the pure blood of a true dragon, then it was possible that he would know the location of the Path of Dragons if it was rted to actual dragons. Clearing the Path of Dragons was one of the quest objectives Izroth needed toplete for the second part of the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. He also read about how true dragons rarely roamed the Mortal Realm, therefore, it was a rare opportunity to see what the true dragons of RML were like in person. "Whatever, I may not be able to get the big fish, but I can easily im this little fish before me." One of the participants said as he locked his gaze onto Izroth with a smirk on his face. That¡¯s right! They had someone with enough points to be in the top ten right here in front of them. Even if they could not match up to Zushuatri¡¯s students or Kayn, they were confident that they could handle this one individual. "You all seem to be misunderstanding something." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. The others were surprised as it was the first time he had spoken to them. He then continued, "If you believe me to be the prey and yourselves the hunter... Then I can only disappoint you." "What kind of nonsense of you talking? Hurry up and hand over your points and life to me!" One of the participants said as they took the initiative and was the first tounch an attack against Izroth. It was the individual who was the first to find Izroth within the Limit Zone, Eoxin. Eoxin brandished the saber in his hands as a chilling and condensed energy formed around his weapon. "cial Saber: Tilted cier Rise!" Eoxin roared as he swung his saber out towards Izroth and released a cold saber intent in his direction. It traveled at a low point and at an angle as it slowly rose from the ground which made it difficult to track or avoid! However, Izroth had not been simply idle and thinking to himself this entire time. He used Behemoth¡¯s Quake a few seconds ago while everyone was distracted by the meteorite in the sky and the alert they received. Since the damage was negligible, everyone simply ignored it as if it were not a big deal. But, they would soon regret their choice. ¡¯It should be even more devastating in a ce like this.¡¯ The stacks on Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm was able to reach its maximum amount in just 2 to 3 seconds. It was then that the clouds in the sky began to darken overhead and the surrounding winds picked up in speed. A wild and untamed hurricane-like storm could be seen within Izroth¡¯s eyes as they emitted a faint white hue. Chapter 356 Just What Kind of Person Did We Provoke? ... Somewhere in the Scorching Lands region of the selection... Kayn arrived in the Scorching Lands and was currently face to face with a certain individual. There was a grin on his face as he stood there with his arms folded. "Do you wish to exchange some pointers with me?" Kayn asked. "This one dares not dream of it. Someone like me is unworthy of exchanging pointers with the third young master." The person in front of Kayn was none other than Sage! Unlike with others, she showed caution and a great level of respect towards Kayn. After all, she was well aware of the difference in their strength. "Then, I suppose there¡¯s no helping it if you think so. Anyway, I didn¡¯te here to really exchange pointers with you. I saw that there¡¯s someone you¡¯ve taken interest in during this selection, so I¡¯m here to lend you a hand. Wouldn¡¯t you like to y with that guy who escaped from you in the Boundless Sea?" Kayn stated. Sage narrowed her eyes as they were filled with unbridled killing intent as she replied, "I would be forever grateful to the third young master if he could arrange this matter for me. However, I am unsure why the third young master would assist me?" "If I had to give a reason, it¡¯s because I happened to take an interest while watching the events unfold back on the tform. But, if I had to give an actual reason... It¡¯s because it¡¯s also what that person wants. Well, don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯ll make sure your paths cross during the final relocation." Kayn said. It was difficult to tell what thoughts were running through Kayn¡¯s mind as his expression was well maintained even when everything about him seemed rxed. Just what was he up to? What did he hope to gain from this? "Just wait, trash. I¡¯ll be sure to pay you back for all the humiliation you¡¯ve caused me." Sage thought to herself after thinking back to the events that happened in the Boundless Sea. "Now, I suppose I should go pay that one a visit as well." Kayn thought to himself as he jumped off the ground and shot into the sky. He hovered in the air briefly as he scanned his surroundings. "There." Kayn¡¯s gaze stopped at a certain location within the Untamed Land Storms region. He traveled at a high speed towards that location,pletely ignoring the Limit Zone and boundaries set in ce by the Sky Pce. ... When Eoxin charged forward, it acted as the wake-up call for everyone surrounding Izroth. They would not just sit back and watch Eoxin im the points right before them, therefore, some of the participants rushed to beat Eoxin to the attack on Izroth. After all, that person looked as though they would fall in one attack given how weak they appeared to be. Though not everyone was so headstrong. There were some who decided to stay back and observe what happened before making a move. In their minds, all they had to do was wait for everyone else to kill one another and then strike whoever was holding the points while they were weakened. It was be reaping the benefits with half the work! As for the storm brewing in the sky, no one really paid it too much attention due to the region they were in. It was not unnatural for a storm to suddenly form and wind speeds to increase. But, there were two individuals who acted in a more cautious manner than the others. They felt that it was a bad ce for them to be and so those two cut their losses and immediately retreated. ¡¯Great Storm.¡¯ The moment Izroth pointed his sword towards the sky, the surrounding winds intensified as powerful bursts of winds rained down from the storm that formed in the sky above. It was the same skill he used back in Tiger¡¯s Mouth to exterminate thatrge group of bandits and Tenedi Demon Wolves, Great Storm. This time, however, it was at least twice as powerful! Not only that, but the des of wind being generated by the Great Storm were extremely fierce and domineering while traveling at an amazing speed. Without a doubt, the wind element¡¯s power was increased within this region just as Izroth expected. However, what he did not predict was that it would be increased to such a high level. This meant that for someone like Lances who specialized in fire-based attacks, his overall power would practically double or maybe even triple whenever he was relocated to the Scorching Lands region. Environmental Advantage was the name for when something like this urred. When using an element in a ce where it¡¯s in abundance with the environment, then it would naturally increase the strength of that element. Afterunching his attack, Eoxin had to instantly retreat due to the rming sense of danger that overcame him. But, even though he was able to sessfully evade the first de of wind, he was grazed by the second de of wind which forced him into an unfavorable position. It was not long until Eoxin was struggling to survive under the bombardment. He was not the only one in a difficult situation, even the participants who stayed back to observe were met with trouble. Izroth had to admit that the participants who survived the selection this long were not as easy to deal with as the others. Even with the pressure put on them by his Great Storm and its increase in power, the participants were able to evade or defend in a timely manner. This was different from the time where the bandits went into a full state of panic and did not even know how they died. However, if they believed that Izroth was done, they could not be further from the truth. "Where did this storme from?!" One of the participants yelled out. "I hate this region! Send me back to the Living Forest!" Of course, the participants did not even entertain the thought that Izroth was behind the appearance of the Great Storm. Not only was it difficult to see without focusing, but they had to worry about avoiding the de of winds and watching out for sneak attacks from other participants. Who had time to worry about the weakest person there? In the end, there was no way that he could run away from this ce if even they could not! As the chilling saber intent closed in on Izroth, he simply stood there without even trying to avoid it. Woosh! The saber intent crashed into Izroth¡¯s body, however, it felt more like a refreshingly cool breeze to him. When Eoxin, who was closer to Izroth than the others, saw that his attack waspletely disregarded and even taken head-on by Izroth, he was dumbfounded. He thought that attack would be enough to finish him off and yet he somehow managed to emergepletely unscathed. Eoxin did not want to waste much energy since he needed it to escape after he imed the points for himself. After all, the person who acquired the points would immediately be the target of everyone present. Therefore, he used the amount of power he thought would be sufficient enough to deal with Izroth, but it did not go as nned. ¡¯This stage of the Heavenly Golden Body is really different from the others. I can even ignore casual attacks from those in the early to mid-level 50s and receive them head-on.¡¯ Izroth could tell that the attack Eoxin used against him was on the weaker end of the spectrum of skills. Eoxin was not the first saber user Izroth faced in this selection and so he was familiar with the saber intent that was used against him. Furthermore, he already had a good grasp of what attacks his Heavenly Golden Body could and could not take at its current stage. Izroth took advantage of the chaos caused by his Great Storm skill and went on the offensive. He used Light Feather Footwork to gain a sudden burst of movement speed and entered into the middle of where most of the participants were gathered. While they were focused on staying safe from the des of winds, Izroth changed his sword stance as he moved his Sword of The Storm against the side of his right leg and lowered his body keeping a low stance. ¡¯Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley.¡¯ While Izroth sword was ced next to his leg, there was a strange illusion that formed and it looked as if the sword was resting on Izroth¡¯s shoulder as well. The sword rested on Izroth¡¯s shoulder began to move and meet up with the sword on the side of his leg, however, if one were to observe the sword it would seem as though it were taking an eternity to reach its destination. But just as that thought crossed one¡¯s mind, before they knew it, the sword would have already arrived at its destination! The instant the two swords met one another, they twisted and fused. At the same time, a fissure formed in the ground in front of Izroth that caused the earth to split open, creating a deep scar on thend. The fissure traveled in a straight line and stopped 10 meters away from Izroth. The fissure resembled that of a valley. Skill Name: Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 2/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: +6% Armor Piercing Active: The user creates a fissure that travels 10 meters out from the position of their sword. Any enemies caught within this fissure take 125% of the user¡¯s attack as physical damage. Enemies affected by the fissure have their movement speed reduced by 65% for 3 seconds. If any enemies remain within 10 meters of the fissure after 3 seconds, they will take an additional 250% of the user¡¯s attack as physical damage that ignores 100% of all defenses. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 1 minute 45 seconds Three seconds quickly passed as the fissure copsed and the enemies remaining within the range of the fissure had a portion of their HP shaved off. When Izroth used the fourth sword form, he was reminded of his fight against Roudin. If he had the fourth sword form at that time, then maybe the fight would have gone somewhat smoother. Unfortunately, he did not have the breathing room to risk attempting something like learning a new sword form against Roudin. But, after his fight with Roudin, Izroth knew that it would be troublesome for him to deal against another opponent who had high defenses. After all, he could not always use risky attacks that drained his HP, Essence, and other sources of energy. Therefore, he immediately started to learn the fourth sword form which had some defense breaking abilities. Along with his sword forms and picking off weakened opponents with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, Izroth was able to quickly eliminate five participants. Since the Great Storm onlysted for 10 seconds, Izroth had to make the most of his time. Woosh! Woosh! Two of the participants attacked Izroth from different directions leaving him with nowhere to escape. However, his figure suddenly disappeared as his sword pierced through one of the attacker¡¯s neck from behind with an overbearing aura weighing down upon it. He used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement at thest possible second to avoid the pincer attack and swiftly strike back. The surrounding participants were shocked. How could this be possible? In the blink of an eye, that weakling managed to kill off six people? No, weakling was not right. Monster! That guy was definitely a monster who had been silently hiding his true power this entire time. Could it be that he intentionally allowed them to surround him so that he could wipe them all out at once? But, besides those five monsters and Master Zushuatri¡¯s students, there should be no one else who was able to aplish that! Just who was this person? How could they not be known? They began to feel foolish for thinking that he climbed to 4th ce by pure luck. Was it even possible to get into the top five based on one¡¯s luck alone? They started to regret their senseless actions. Without realizing it, they had walked into the mouth of the beast and weed a disaster upon themselves! "Escape!" Eoxin roared as he found a small opening within the bombardment of the Great Storm. A relieved expression appeared on his face as he was close to its outer boundaries, however, his movements came to a grinding halt as a strong gust of wind flew past him. Swoosh! "Eh? I can¡¯t-" Before he could finish his words, Eoxin¡¯s body fell over lifelessly as his particles began to dissipate. He was so close to escaping and yet he was killed! The sad thing was that he did not even know how he died. Izroth¡¯s Tempest Strikes carried along his Phantom Strike skill followed by his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. There was no way for Eoxin to survive under the pressure of evading the Great Storm and being in a rush to escape. "As I said before, all of you are my prey. Since you¡¯ve already decided toe here, no one can think about escaping from this ce alive." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. However, to the other participants, it was the smile of a demon! It was at that moment the same thought crossed the minds of every participant present... Just what kind of person did we provoke? Chapter 357 Wanting To Exchange Pointers There were some participants who were unable to hold up under the immense pressure and damage generated by the Great Storm. As for those who were exceedingly agile or sturdy, Izroth took good advantage of their caution and exploited any weak point they revealed in their defenses. Whenever anyone tried to retaliate, they were stricken by the Great Storm. However, if they failed to concentrate on the Great Storm, then they were mercilessly cut down by Izroth¡¯s perfectly timed attacks. For the participants caught within this loophole of a seemingly endless cycle of death, it was a nightmare! Woosh! Izroth swept his Sword of The Storm across the neck of one of the participants. There was not much time remaining until the Great Storm skill he used was over, therefore, he wanted to eliminate as many individuals as possible before it ended. ¡¯There are still other participants in the region who have yet to make their move. I can¡¯t afford to use the First State: Heavenly Descent or Flickering Steps here, otherwise, I¡¯ll be at an immediate disadvantage if I were to run into one of Zushuatri¡¯s students or someone like Roudin.¡¯ Unlike the participants who were not in the top ten, Izroth¡¯s minimap constantly revealed the location of every individual within the region. Therefore, he noticed that there were a few people hidden away and observing the fight from the distance. Most likely, these people were waiting for the perfect moment to strike as they tried to learn as much as possible before making their move. It was these types of individuals who were the most dangerous and troublesome to deal with. Fortunately, Izroth already had an idea when it came to how he would take care of them and potentially force them out of hiding. The Great Storm finally ended and the original 20-25 participants that initially surrounded Izroth had dropped down to five. However, the five that remained were not in good shape. They were still confused as to where that storm suddenly came from and how Izroth was able to calmly attack them without any regard for it. It was strange, to say the least. ¡¯I¡¯ve finally moved up to 3rd ce. At this rate, I may be able to im 1st ce by the end of the final relocation. Though it would be useful if I had some way of knowing just how far away I was from that goal.¡¯ "Wait, that sword...!" One of the participants named Mantilz noticed that the sword in Izroth¡¯s hand had a simr energy to the de of wind that struck him. But, to influence the surrounding elements to such a degree... Could he possibly have a legendary main upper eight Wind Domain?! "Brothers, it¡¯s possible this person has a Wind Domain. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to tell you what that means." Mantilz said in a grave tone. The other four participants were all shocked by Mantilz¡¯s words. They were fighting against someone with a Domain? Not just any Domain, but a Wind Domain? If that was the case, then they were practically courting death! Even if he appeared weak, with the power of a main upper eight Domain, it would not be difficult to fight people above his own power range. It would also exin how he was able to reach 4th ce in the selection despite his seemingck of strength. "Main upper eight Domain! Just my luck!" One of the participants said as regret started to creep its way in. He believed that he could have easily survived and made it into the top 25, but now that he was facing someone with a Wind Domain it seemed hopeless. At this point, he could only regret. "Brother Izroth, my Mintz family is one of the top five families in the Pzenium kingdom and has an esteemed reputation for always keeping our promises. As long as you let me live and forgive my foolish actions, I am willing to gift you whatever it is you want as long as it¡¯s within my family¡¯s means to obtain." Mantilz said as he tried to strike a bargain with Izroth. He spoke in a respectful tone and chose his words carefully as he did not wish to further agitate Izroth. He then continued to spin a web ofpliments, "Brother Izroth is so young and yet blessed with an unrivaled talent that surpasses even that of the third young master from the Dragon Pce. I¡¯m sure we can-" "Interesting! I¡¯d like to hear more about this topic!" A booming voice descended from the sky. Just from the voice allow, there was an atmospheric pressure created that was simr to that of a level two gravity pocket. If his voice alone was capable of causing so much pressure, just how powerful was this individual? When Mantilz heard those words and looked up towards the sky, his face immediately turned pale as all the blood drained from his face. What he saw was a zing sun, however, it was not an actual sun in the sky, but rather, the third young master of the Dragon Pce, Kayn! ¡¯No doubt about it. That guy is the Captain of the first team. The true dragon, Kayn.¡¯ Izroth, of course, had no remorse for Mantilz nor did he care about his family¡¯s standing. Since he had chosen to attack him first, then he could only live and die with the consequences. If it were the other way around and Izroth had asked for mercy, would Mantilz truly be willing to give it to him? But, now that Kayn was here he had something more important to worry about than a mere Mantilz. At the moment, Izroth had no solid clues when it came to discovering the location of the Path of Dragons. While it was no guarantee that Kayn would know of it, he believed that it was well worth a shot considering that he was a true dragon. But, it would all depend on just what kind of person Kayn was. After all, from the books that Izroth had read containing legends about true dragons within the Amaharpe pce library, it always mentioned how true dragons were not fond of other creatures in the Mortal Realm. As everyone felt the increase in pressure and were already wounded, it felt as if the weight of the world was on their shoulders as they experienced the heavy atmosphere. The sole person who appeared unaffected by it was Izroth. Kayn descended from the sky andnded in between Izroth and the other participants. The moment he arrived, the participants who had been watching Izroth closely had all vanished without a trace. None of them were willing to get caught up in the disaster that had just befallen Izroth and the others. "You were saying something really interesting right now. Continue, I want to hear the rest of it." Kayn said with a grin on his face and his arms folded as his gaze as locked onto Mantilz. Mantilz, however, was frozen in fear. He tried to speak, but he was unable to do so with Kayn¡¯s gaze set on him. He felt as if he were looking directly into the eyes of a starving beast that wanted to devour the world! It was an unspeakable level of pressure. So this was the third young master of the Dragon Pce! Kayn swept his gaze across all the other participants that were nearby and he could see that everyst one of them was trembling in fear. He could not help but be disappointed when it came to their response. He had not even threatened to attack them and yet they were already cowering in fear. How could any of them be worthy of a spot on the second team? It would be a disgrace to their Mortal Realm! Kayn then turned to face towards Izroth who stood there with a carefree expression on his face. Kayn was not surprised that Izroth was able to remain calm before him. After all, even with his current level of strength, he dared to face Roudin without backing down and even emerged victorious despite the interference of a certain someone. "Exceptional... But..." Kayn thought to himself as he suddenly increased the surrounding pressure. Crrrrrck! The ground within the surrounding thirty meters caved in and formed a crater from the sheer pressure being released. This was even more powerful than a level three gravity pocket! Although Izroth had never experienced one before, he believed that this would be the equivalent of a level four gravity pocket! Mantilz, as well as the other four participants immediately copsed and prostrated under the pressure. As for Izroth, it would be a lie to say that he waspletely unaffected. However, he released his Essence and used Soul Pressure. This helped to cut the stress and allowed him to retaliate against Kayn. When Kayn sensed the use of Source, he increased the pressure even more. Now, it was the equivalent of a level five gravity pocket! This meant that Izroth was currently standing under more than fifty times the normal effects of gravity! Not only that, but it seemed to be directly affecting his Source. This made the pressure around Roudin seem like child¡¯s y inparison. Izroth felt his Essence rapidly depleting to keep up with the rise in pressure. As for the other participants, they were actually rendered unconscious by the effects! However, despite all of this, Izroth maintained a calm and carefree expression on his face. "Ahahahaha! Fascinating, truly fascinating!" Kayn stated as he cleared the pressure on Izroth. This caused Izroth to immediately released his Soul Pressure as he did not want to step into the Soul Weakness state. If that had continued on a bit longer, then he would have had to use everything at his disposal to fight back. However, he did not believe that Kayn held any hostile intentions towards him. Not to mention, his personality seemed different than that of the true dragons he read about in the Amaharpe Pce library. "Can you feel the difference now?" Kayn asked. At first, Izroth was confused by Kayn¡¯s words. However, he suddenly felt as if a refreshing energy had washed over his body. All the Essence he had just lost and that was dispersed throughout the atmosphere was being quickly recollected and pulled back towards Izroth. At the same time, his Essence pool seemed to condense and be purer. Not only that, but the first seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams he received from the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia had been unsealed! After the first seal was released, Izroth¡¯s mana soared to 1,170 points which was double the amount of mana that he previously had. He was still unsure exactly how to unseal the seals on the Seal of Ten Chakrams since Kryxelsia said it was up to him to study and discover the method best for him. So, who would have thought that he would be so lucky as to have one seal lifted during this selection? ¡¯Nothing about my Essence or its skills have changed, but it still somehow feels more powerful. As for the first seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams... I did not expect to have it released so soon. However...¡¯ Although Izroth had noints about the benefits he just received, he could not help but wonder just what Kayn gained out of all of this? Why did he help him when they did not even know one another? From the kindness of his heart? Izroth did not believe that Kayn, a true dragon with high standing, was that kind of person. "You have some interesting stuff there. I won¡¯t bother asking about it, but I thought I¡¯d help you out a bit since you¡¯ll be needing it soon." Kayn said. Needing it soon? Was he referring to whatever was taking ce after the second selection? No, that should not be it. If that was the case, he could have easily waited until the selection was over before making his move. "There¡¯s someone who wants to exchange a few pointers with you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be interested in meeting them as well." Kayn stated with a grin on his face. Chapter 358 The Hidden Hand Suppresses Someone who wanted to exchange pointers with him? Izroth did not think that he was so popr as to have someone personally make such a request of him. But, from Kayn¡¯s expression as well as his way of wording it, Izroth had a clue as to who this mystery person could be. Not to mention, Kayn seemed like the type of individual to do something because it was interesting to him. Izroth believed that helping him with his Essence and Seal of Ten Chakrams just now was only due to this as well. When Kayn observed Izroth¡¯s silence, he thought of it as Izroth still being somewhat cautious of him. Therefore, he decided to expand on his exnation a bit further. "You see, a certain someone has an issue with you and doubts your ability and qualifications to participate in this selection. I thought it¡¯d be interesting if you wanted to personally rectify this matter." Kayn said. ¡¯I see, so it¡¯s like this.¡¯ There was only one person that came to mind when adding up everything Kayn said. One of Zushuatri¡¯s eight students, Sage. For some reason, she had it out for Izroth ever since they were back on the tform even though he had done nothing to offend her. It would also exin why Kayn had helped him a few moments ago. To Kayn, this may be a simple form of entertainment. However, Izroth did not mind it too much as it worked out perfectly for him. In fact, he was not worried about running into Sage again, but rather that he would never have another chance to confront her for her actions back in the Boundless Sea. "You¡¯re right... That does sound interesting. I look forward to exchanging pointers." Izroth responded with a carefree smile on his face. "Good, then-" "But, since you¡¯re already here in front of me... I wonder if the prince of the Dragon Pce would be willing to exchange a few pointers with me." Izroth stated as he pointed his Sword of The Storm towards Kayn. "Sure, I don¡¯t mind. However, you may regret it. Is that alright? After all, I¡¯m sure you can clearly see it with those eyes of yours." Kayn said with a grin on his face as the aura around him suddenly soared. ¡¯Oh? He¡¯s not trying to hide it one bit.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense activated as he saw the sun-colored mes around Kayn. As for the size of his mes, Izroth was unable to tell. This was because it was so massive that he was unable to see where it ended from his current position! Out of all the mes Izroth had seen thus far with his Energy Vision Sense, it was the first time he observed one where he was unable to grasp the distance. ¡¯Is this the limit of my Energy Vision Sense? Or will its effects grow stronger as my Source advances?¡¯ "I only have one condition." Izroth said as he deactivated his Energy Vision Sense. A condition? This caught Kayn off caught guard. He knew that Izroth should be able to see the clear difference in their strength with the skill he just used. Could it be that Izroth was afraid of facing his full power and wanted to set a condition that was more to his advantage? Though, despite this sudden request, Kayn decided to hear him out. "What condition might that be?" Kayn asked out of curiosity. "If Ind a single blow on you, I hope that the prince of the Dragon Pce can provide me with some information in regards to a ce known as the Path of Dragons." Izroth responded. Kayn narrowed his eyes as he focused his gaze on Izroth as if trying to peer through him. How did a human, who was not even in the legendary realm, know about the Path of Dragons? Even the legendary beings of other races did not know of its existence! This was due to the fact that it was a well-hidden secret of the Dragon Pce for countless millennia. The more he learned about Izroth, the more interested Kayn became in him. Not only was Izroth chosen by that person topete in the selection, but he even had a Source at such a young age which was practically impossible for humans. Not to mention, his skill set andbat experience did not match his appearance at all. Although it was faint, Kayn was able to sense a hidden power within Izroth that had yet to emerge. It was as if that power was being forcibly suppressed and blocked by an unknown force. Whatever the cost, it seemed as though that unknown force did not want to let that power escape from within Izroth. "Alright, if you cannd a single blow on me then I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about the Path of Dragons. However, this seems more like a one-sided bet than a condition, right? What do you say we make things more interesting? If you fail tond a single blow on me before the next relocation takes ce, then I want you to reveal everything about that power being suppressed inside of you." Kayn said. Suppressed power? Izroth did not know what Kayn meant by these words. Izroth understood that it was unlikely that he was talking about his Source or the Seal of Ten Chakrams due to the fact that he just helped him advance on both of these paths. However, the only thing "suppressed" in a manner of speaking was the Seal of Ten Chakrams because it slowly needed to be integrated into his body. But, although the Seal of Ten Chakrams was an incredibly useful skill, it should not be to the point that it caught the attention of someone like Kayn. Though what Izroth did not know at that moment was that Kayn was referring to a power that had been constantly lingering inside of him since the beginning of his journey in RML. A power that, for some reason, even the extraordinary system of RML had troubleprehending. "I¡¯m afraid your words remain lost on me." Izroth stated. "Oh? Can it be that he¡¯s unaware of it? But, if that¡¯s the case, then whoever is intentionally suppressing that power is not someone simple. Not even that old man of mine would be capable of something like this. If I¡¯m sensing it correctly, then there¡¯s no doubt about it... There¡¯s an existence residing in the Divine Realm directly interfering with his progress. However, that¡¯s a bit..." Kayn thought to himself as he inwardly furrowed his brows. What could Izroth have done to incur the wrath of someone from the Divine Realm? "Tell me, have you ever offended an existence from the Divine Realm?" Kayn questioned. Offended? Izroth had offended quite a few people within RML. The Netherworld, the Shadahi, Tempest Kingdom, Sage Falls, League of The Eidolon... However, he never once remembered offending an existence from the Divine Realm. In fact, he had never even met someone from this so-called Divine Realm. Not to mention, he received the Blessing of Heltiaa back at the Lake of Tears! If anything, could this not be considered as being on good terms? "I¡¯ve offended many people, but I cannot recall that any of them were from the Divine Realm." Izroth replied. He did not know much about the Divine Realm except that it was a ce that resided above the firmament of all realms and that their influence over the realms below was extremely limited. Otherwise, if chaos broke out and they fought in the realms below, then even a legendary existence like Zushuatri would be killed with the flick of a finger. "I see, then I won¡¯t ask any further. I¡¯ll change the bet. If you fail tond a single blow on me before the next relocation takes ce, then you¡¯ll owe me a favor." Kayn said. Of course, Kayn had to intentions on letting Izrothnd even one hit on him. He also had no reason to demand something too extreme, therefore, he decided to go with a favor. In the end, a man was not a man if he did not know how to properly repay a favor. To be honest, Izroth was surprised by Kayn¡¯s choice. As a prince of the Dragon Pce, is there any favor that Izroth could return to him that the Dragon Pce themselves was incapable of doing? If this were the Seven Realms and he had his former power then it would be a different story, however, his current strength wasughable at bestpared to the beings at the pinnacle of this world. But, in the end, he saw no reason to decline. "I, Izroth, am a man of my word. If I fail tond one blow on you before the next relocation, then it can be considered as my loss and I will do whatever is in my power to pay the favor I owe you." Izroth stated. "Good! A man needs to know when to be decisive! You can start whenever you¡¯d like." Kayn said. But, the moment those words left his mouth, a sword had already arrived mere centimeters away from his face. Izroth wasted no time and as soon as Kayn said he could start he immediately used Enhanced Instantaneous Movements to close the distance. He then swung his sword straight down towards Kayn¡¯s head. This was someone who was the captain of the first team and an individual considered to be a genius among even the true dragons, therefore, Izroth would not pull back on his blows in the slightest! Otherwise, this fight would be over before it even started! Woosh! Izroth¡¯s attack cut right through Kayn, however, he did not feel any resistance. Even if his Sword of The Storm was sharp, it was not sharp enough topletely disregard any resistance it faced. ¡¯A clone? No, it¡¯s a movement skill simr to Flickering Steps. Then, he should be...¡¯ Without hesitation, Izroth activated Flickering Steps and the active skill of Light Feather Footwork. Although Light Feather Footwork onlysted a few seconds, when paired with Flickering Steps, it heightened Izroth¡¯s overall speed up to extreme levels! Boom! Crrrrckle! Kayn appeared behind Izroth as his leg descended from above like an axe splitting a wooden log with one decisive strike. The strength behind Kayn¡¯s casual attack was so powerful that the ground copsed in upon itself and formed a small crater as a result. But, just like Izroth, he also hit nothing but an afterimage. The battle was incredibly high paced as flickering afterimages of Izroth could be seen spawning up all over the battlefield. As for Kayn, his movement skill also left behind brief afterimages. The sole difference was that the ones he left behind were more solid and realistic than that of Izroth¡¯s. If one did not possess sharp enough senses then they would easily be fooled by this movement skill of Kayn¡¯s. ¡¯It¡¯ll be impossible for me to strike him head-on. Even with the initial phase of Second State: Heavenly Cloak, the chances are unrealistic. I have to find an opening, however...¡¯ Finding an opening was easier said than done. Izroth could barely keep up with Kayn¡¯s current speed even with his Heavenly Golden Body, Soul Sense, and the Five Cycles Pill that he had consumed! If not for the fact that his Heavenly Golden Body had progressed to the 4th stage after his fight with Roudin, then Izroth believed that it would have been impossible for the current him to follow Kayn¡¯s movements. ¡¯Fourth Sword Form: Dipping-¡¯ Bang! Izroth quickly shifted his sword stance and blocked Kayn¡¯s iing foot with his Sword of The Storm. However, despite sessfully blocking the attack, Izroth felt as if he were just struck by a small mountain. Izroth was able to sessfully parry the blow and immediately used sh Counter tounch a counterattack. But, Kayn had taken half a step back and avoided it just in time. Izroth slid back several meters as he finally managed to halt his movements. He released a deep breath as he activated his Energy Vision Sense, making sure to keep the range low so as not to drain his Essence too quickly. ¡¯I can¡¯t afford to have Energy Vision Sense deactivate. He¡¯s reading all of my sword skills the moment I take a stance. Even an instant attack like sh Counter was avoided. Is it those strange eyes of his?¡¯ "He certainly doesn¡¯tck movement skills. However, if that¡¯s all he¡¯s capable of, then I¡¯ll be disappointed. So then, shall I rob you of that precious speed of yours?" Kayn thought to himself as a golden and me-like energy formed over his eyes. Chapter 359 Kayns Interest, A Heartless Woman Excluding the Envoy of the Netherworld, Kayn was the strongest existence Izroth had fought against within RML. Just from the first few moves alone, Izroth could see why restrictions were set in ce andnding a single blow on Kayn was a challenging task. In fact, it was even more difficult than defeating someone like Roudin in a direct confrontation! ¡¯Now I understand why the other participants were terrified of him joining the selection. If he really wanted to, it would not be difficult for him to eliminate all the remaining participants.¡¯ Izroth was no fool. It was clear that Kayn was intentionally suppressing his own power to match that of his. Not to mention, Kayn had yet to change his arms from a folded position. Izroth understood that the current gap between him and Kayn was not something that could be closed with only his experience alone. In terms of skills, although Izroth¡¯s current skill set would be the envy of any yer within RML, it was surely iparable to someone like Kayn who was a member of the true dragon race. However, this did not mean that Izroth would simply give up. If he conceded every time he came face to face with an opponent whose power exceeded his own, then he would have never climbed to the top of the Seven Realms! He would have been trampled on and lost somewhere among the countless other cultivators who never truly amounted to anything. Also, this selection was a rare opportunity for Izroth. How often was it that he came across an individual within RML that was capable of making him reveal his hand? Yet, in less than four hours, he had already met a handful of individuals who were able to put up a good fight. This would obviously help with the improvement of his sword forms and Heavenly Golden Body, increasing the rate of its progress by leaps and bounds! ¡¯It hasn¡¯t been that long since I broke through with my Heavenly Golden Body, however, I feel as though I¡¯m approaching the quarter mark of the next stage. If only it were possible to do this every day, then I would be able to master all ten sword forms with ease and the progress of my Heavenly Golden Body would not be so slow.¡¯ Izroth secretly sighed with regret, but he was d that he epted Aru¡¯s invitation to the selection. If he declined, he really would have regretted it! Just from the improvement of his skills, the trip to this ce was already well worth his time. Unknowingly, a carefree smile had appeared on Izroth¡¯s face. "Oh? You seem to be enjoying yourself. Or, are you just trying to hide your nervousness behind that smile of yours?" Kayn said with a grin on his face. "Nervous? No, it¡¯s quite the opposite. I was just thinking that it¡¯s a shame that we¡¯ll be unable to ¡¯exchange pointers¡¯ every day." Izroth responded. Kayn fell silent, however, hisughter soon filled the surrounding atmosphere. "Ahahaha! Interesting, truly interesting! I, Kayn, have met many people in my life, but never one that has wished to ¡¯exchange pointers¡¯ with me every day. You are an unusual human, Izroth." Kayn stated. Forget exchanging pointers with him, if one knew of his identity, especially humans, they would probably run away in a state of fear. After all, the true dragons were a race that was full of legendary realm existences. Even the most untalented andzy true dragon could reach the legendary realm by the end of their lifespan just by sleeping the entire time. How could such a terrifying race not instill fear into the hearts of those within the Mortal Realm? Yet, here was a human who did not have a look of fear in his eyes, but disappointment at the chance of not being able to have another match with him. Needless to say, Kayn¡¯s impression of Izroth immediately soared to new heights. Kayn¡¯sughter soon died down as he locked his gaze onto Izroth and said, "It appears I¡¯ve been unintentionally disrespectful and have been looking down on you, Izroth. You must forgive this prince for showing such a discourteous side. From this moment on..." Kayn unfolded and spread opened his arms. Immediately after doing so, the atmosphere seemed to be heavier and the aura around him became extremely dense. It was not that his power had actually increased, it was just that his attitude towards the situation had changed. In turn, this caused the atmosphere and aura around him to change ordingly to match that of his will. ¡¯It looks like he¡¯s taking this a bit more seriously now. Should I be thankful or spiteful?¡¯ Of course, Izroth was grateful and saw that it was only fitting that he return Kayn¡¯s sincerity with that of his own. ¡¯With my current sense of perception, it¡¯s already difficult enough for me to control this skill by itself. Having Flickering Steps active at the same time... No, I don¡¯t have any choice. I¡¯ll just have to stick to its initial activation for the time being.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s facial expression changed from one that was carefree to a rare serious one. The natural pressure he gave off was not at all inferior to that of Kayn¡¯s. "Ready yourself." Kayn said as two golden mes appeared around his ankles. All of a sudden, without a sound or any kind of forewarning, Kayn¡¯s figure disappeared. During that brief moment just before Kayn vanished, a concentrated and unimaginably dense element of lightning appeared around Izroth¡¯s body. The color of his eyes changed to match the color of wisteria. It was not just his pupils that became this way, but the entirety of his eyes! ¡¯Call of the Thunder God, Second State: Heavenly Cloak.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, back at the tform... Zushuatri frowned as he observed the magic screen. At the moment, he was watching the battle between the third young master and Izroth. He released a sigh as he said, "That prince still acts too much on a whim. He has already vited the very rule he suggested himself. Should I interfere and stop the match?" Zushuatri was troubled by this situation. If he interfered in the match, then he risked getting on Kayn¡¯s bad side. While he was not afraid of Kayn¡¯s strength, it was always better to have a true dragon as a friend if possible. Not only that, but Kayn possessed an extraordinary talent that surpassed that of his father¡¯s when he was the same age. It was highly likely that Kayn would someday enter into the ce where all legendary realm existences below the firmament dreamed of reaching. "Let¡¯s just sit back and watch for now. If things get too dangerous, although it¡¯s against the rules to interfere, I¡¯ll still step in and lend a hand. Though I hope the third young master knows how to restrain himself properly. If he makes a mistake and unleashes a full-power attack while getting caught up in the excitement of a battle, then it would be a headache to fix the magic formations in that area." Zushuatri said to himself. For now, he would quietly spectate and if things got out of hand, then... "Who dares trespass on my Sky Pce?!" Zushuatri suddenly red to his right as he waved his hand releasing a powerful burst of energy in that direction. His aura became fierce and domineering and the usually gentle smile that was on his face had turned into a menacing one. Bang! The energy pped into something solid, however, it was repelled, dispersed, then drawn into the location it was originally aimed at. It was as if the energy had been sucked into some kind of vacuum before vanishing into nothingness. "You must be tired of living if you have the confidence to attack me, Zushuatri. Is this how you greet all of your guests?" A cold, domineering and yet sweet to the ear voice sounded out. This voice carried a myriad of powers that seemed to suppress everything in its surroundings. The moment Zushuatri heard that voice, his facial expression darkened. What was this person doing here at his Sky Pce?! "I wee many as guests of my Sky Pce, however, you are not one of them, Savarosa." Zushuatri said without a single hint of respect or fear in his voice. If he were not at his Sky Pce, then he was not confident in handling the person who had appeared before him in a direct confrontation. But, since they were at the Sky Pce it was a different story. He then continued, "I have already given you enough face today by not immediately killing you for stepping foot onto my Sky Pce. If you leave now, I am willing to overlook any further offense. However, if you force my hand... You will not have to ever worry about stepping anywhere ever again since you will no longer be a part of this world." "Your words are too cruel, Zushuatri. Is a mother not allowed to see her only daughter? Will you deny a mother a chance to embrace her own flesh and blood?" Savarosa stated in a pitiful tone. "Alright, you can drop the act! You may fool others, but not me. After what you did, you still dare have the face to utter such falsehoods? Your heart ceased existing long ago." Zushuatri said. The pitiful expression on Savarosa¡¯s face turned to a frown before it was quickly reced by a smile. "You will not be able to protect it on your Sky Pce forever. You already have one foot in death¡¯s door. How long is it? One month? One year? I can wait patiently, however, the end result will be the same. In the end, you cannot save it from its fate. After all, it is my important property." Savarosa stated without a hint of emotion present in her voice. She then continued, "You understand the importance of it too, right? Defying the naturalw and order of the world, a child that has two Domains that are in the main upper eight. Even those Origin Domains could notpete with its might. If it stays under you, it will be weak. You cannot teach it the way that I can. There¡¯s nothing I despise more than the weak trash who does not belong in this world. I-" "Maybe I have not made myself clear!" Zushuatri said as the entire Sky Pce trembled and his cold gaze locked onto Savarosa. He then continued, "Leave this ce at once, or else I won¡¯t mind trading this old life of mine to take you down with me. You¡¯ve crossed lines that were not meant to be crossed! It is already a miracle that the heavens have not struck you down for your insolence!" Savarosa went silent, however, a few secondster the sound of a yful giggle could be heard. Of course, this came from Savarosa herself. "Then, since you are still unreasonable, I shall take my leave for today. But, it is inevitable. You cannot deny me forever, old man." Savarosa said as her figure disappeared into a space of absolute emptiness and nothingness. Thest thing that could be seen was a few strands of pink-colored hair as it too vanished into the void. The Sky Pce ceased its trembles as Zushuatri calmed down and released a deep and troubled sigh. "That woman... She refers to her own flesh and blood daughter as ¡¯it¡¯ and ¡¯property¡¯. How is it that such a heartless person can exist in this world? No, I suppose it¡¯s because this world is the way it is that such a heartless person can exist to begin with." Zushuatri said to himself as he shook his head. "But, as long as I draw breath, I will never allow that woman to have her way. I just hope that it¡¯s not toote for that child to ovee the demons that haunt her." Zushuatri turned his attention towards a certain section of the magic screen. There, standing by herself in the Scorching Lands was one of his students, Sage. ... Woosh! Ding! ¡¯As I thought, I¡¯m unable to unleash the full potential of the initial state of the Heavenly Cloak with my current level of strength. However, his reactions to my attacks are bing somewhat sluggish. Though I find it hard to believe that he¡¯s bing slower, therefore... Is it just that my reactions and responses are bing faster?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm collided into one of the dragon ws made from the golden sun-colored mes wrapped around Kayn¡¯s hands. Although they looked soft and easily broken, it was the equivalent of striking an unbreakable shield. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the entire Sky Pce shook violently and caused Izroth, as well as Kayn, to temporarily put their fight on hold. What was that terrifying pressure just now? It felt as if it came from the direction of the tform! Chapter 360 Current Limits "This is..." Kayn furrowed his brows when he sensed the terrifying pressure that came from the direction of the tform. That aura just now definitely belonged to the master of the Sky Pce, Zushuatri. Kayn knew that there was no reason for Zushuatri to emit such an immense pressure unless... Someone unweed had decided to pay a visit to the Sky Pce! If that were true, then it would have to be an existence that was at least at the peak of the legendary realm. Otherwise, who could dare invoke such a reaction out of that old man? There was also the fact that Kayn was extremely sensitive to the space around him and could tell when it was being intruded upon. This sense was the reason why Kayn could prevent, predict, and avoid Izroth¡¯s sword skills. Just a few moments ago, there was a massive fluctuation that came from where old man Zushuatri was located. However, what Kayn did not know was that Izroth also noticed that strange fluctuation in the distance. In Izroth¡¯s eyes, there was a massive tear in space that spanned hundreds or possibly thousands of meters that briefly hovered vertically over where the tform should be located. Of course, this was thanks to the Spatial Awareness skill Izroth received back during his time in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. While it onlysted a split second, the amount of concentrated and dense spatial energy being emitted from it was unlike anything Izroth had witnessed before within RML. ¡¯Did that spatial tear have to do with the trembling of the Sky Pce?¡¯ Kayn released a deep sigh as he retracted his aura and folded his arms. He had resumed his normal appearance as when he had first arrived before Izroth. "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to cut our exchange short and make sure the master of the Sky Pce is alright. Therefore, we¡¯ll have to conclude this as a draw. As for the information about the Path of Dragons... You can consider it a gift for me having to take my leave on such short notice. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the end of the selection. If everything is alright back at the tform, then I shall keep my previous promise at the time of thest relocation." Kayn stated. To be honest, he was a little disappointed that the match had ended this way. He knew that the chances of someone being able to challenge Zushuatri at his own Sky Pce were minuscule, however, he could not afford to take any risk. "It is a shame. Though I understand." Izroth responded as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. Just like Kayn, he was also unsatisfied with the way things ended. He felt that things had just started to get interesting. Not to mention, the progress on his Heavenly Golden Body was at least five times faster than normal when fighting against Kayn. Izroth believed that this was also the reason why he felt as if his reaction time was increasing over the course of the battle. He then continued, "Since the prince of the Dragon Pce has to take his leave on such an urgent matter, then I won¡¯t keep you from it." After those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, Kayn kicked off the ground as a strong gust of wind pushed out and cleared the surrounding storm from Kayn. In just the blink of an eye, he hadpletely disappeared from view. It was not that he physically disappeared, just that his current speed was so great that it gave the illusion of him vanishing. He went off in the direction of the tform to take a look at what was going on. Izroth was not at all surprised by Kayn¡¯s fast movement. He knew that Kayn had not been going all out due to the natural gap that currently existed between the two of them. However, after his fight with Kayn, Izroth felt that he still had a long way to go if he wished to im the number one spot within RML. While most people were focused on bing the number one among yers, Izroth¡¯s goal reached far beyond that. Not only yers, Izroth wanted to be the number one existence within all of RML! Netherworld Monarch? The eternal darkness of the Shadahi? Kingdom of Tempest? In his eyes, these were all stepping stones for him to climb even higher. Most yers would believe that Izroth was insane for having such thoughts. After all, it wasmon that strong NPCs and boss monsters would always be stronger than an individual yer. That¡¯s why yers used the power of numbers to conquer the path before them. It was why they formed parties and guilds to explore and take on the world that presented itself. Therefore, for someone to say that they wanted to be stronger than an existence capable ofmanding countless legendary individuals wasughable at best in the eyes of the public. However, Izroth believed that RML was different in this aspect. There was no clear limit set in ce. Indeed, the system may set certain restrictions or not allow a specific action if the yercked the necessary skill to perform it, but it acted more as a safety measure than anything else. The system is simr to the restrictions the human body ces upon itself to prevent one from self-harm by overexerting themselves. A great example of this is when Izroth used an Element Fusion, butcked the proper mana to perform it. If it had been any other yer, they would have either died from the bacsh or the system would have stopped the action since it knew the yer would be unable to handle it. Izroth, on the other hand, possessed the skill Breaker of Limits. While the description of the skill itself was vague, it allowed him to bypass the majority of these limits put onto yers by the system. It was why he could perform an Element Fusion by directly using the life force of his body which would be his HP in this case. Of course, this was a double-edged sword. If Izroth forced it too much, then it was possible that it could backfire on him. One had to know their own limits and what they are capable of, as well as, incapable of handling. If one did not know themselves, how could they ever hope to reach even greater heights? ¡¯Right now, I¡¯m confident that there¡¯s no yer within all of RML who can match me in a one on one battle. But, it¡¯s still too difficult to say if I can directly confront a top guild like Cross Haven alone head-on, let alone the entire Netherworld.¡¯ In the end, Izroth was one yer and things such as cooldowns were an issue. Not only that but if multiple people possessed area of effect crowd control skills or someone had a unique ss with a skill to interrupt his movements, then it was game over. Unlike warriors and fighters, Izroth did not possess a move that allowed him to break free from crowd control. Even if he did, there was no guarantee that he would not immediately be struck again by different crowd control. The teamwork and gaming experience of a guild like Cross Haven was not to be underestimated. Their yers had an abundance of experience and their guild focused on quality over quantity. Also, with their resources and yerwork, who knew what kind of secret hidden items they were saving as trump cards? If he could not face a top guild like Cross Haven alone head-on, how could he possibly face the equivalent of another kingdom¡¯s Crimson Corps Guard or the Netherworld? Although Izroth had defeated Roudin, that did not mean he was necessarily more powerful than him. Actually, in terms of overall strength, Roudin was leagues above Izroth. Could Izroth summon down a small mountain and cause tsunamis to rise up across the Boundless Sea? With his current strength, he understood that it was impossible. If Roudin had not gotten so careless by letting his guard down and underestimating him, then that fight would have been many times more difficult and challenging than it already was. ¡¯Domain... I believe that this is the key to unlocking a greater power within RML. I¡¯ll have to see if I can get that guy to divulge the secret to obtaining one. If I have both a Source and Domain, then...¡¯ Izroth already possessed a Source that set him apart from other yers. He believed that if he was able to acquire a Domain, then it may... No, it would definitely be possible for him to confront a huge number of skilled enemies at once. Though this was mostly based on his gut feeling and pure spection. But, how often had his gut feeling misled him? ¡¯I¡¯m stillcking in many areas, however, I will not let this be my limit.¡¯ Izroth sat down in a meditative position with his eyes closed as he focused on performing the Source Chant. Immediately after doing so, he felt as if a cool and refreshing spring was running throughout his body. ¡¯How refreshing... My Essence is flowing more smoothly and this basic Source Chant alone has already tripled in its efficiency. Is this the doing of that guy?¡¯ Izroth thought back to when Kayn released that immense aura and pressure to unlock one of the seals on his Seal of Ten Chakrams, as well as, purify his Essence. He did not feel any different than before in terms ofbat prowess, however, he could clearly feel a difference now that he was using the Source Chant. His speed in gathering Essence had tripled! Not only that, but even his Essence regeneration had increased to a new level! After his brief exchange with Kayn, Izroth concentrated on regaining his lost Essence. There was no longer anyone else within the Untamed Land Storms who dared to approach Izroth while he was meditating. While they were tempted by the points, they would be fighting against someone who managed to survive a battle against the third young master of the Dragon Pce! Originally, everyone believed that Izroth just got lucky and managed to sneak attack an already weakened individual who had a lot of points. But now, they truly understood that the difference between them and Izroth was simr to that of those other five monsters that werepeting. He was not a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing, but a tiger in wolf¡¯s clothing! ... Izroth slowly opened his eyes and stood to his feet after he received an alert from the system about the final relocation that was about to take ce. At the moment, his rank had dropped back down to 4th ce, however, it remained steady at that cement. ¡¯Is he returning?¡¯ There were only around 20 seconds remaining until the final relocation took ce and Kayn had yet to return after leaving towards the tform. Could something bad really have happened to the master of the Sky Pce, Zushuatri? However, just as that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, a meteor covered in sun-colored mes descended from the sky andnded not too far away from Izroth. Of course, it was not an actual meteor, but Kayn that had just returned to the Untamed Land Storms. "I had already given thought that you would not show up." Izroth said. "How could I miss such an interesting thing?" Kayn replied. When he went to check on Zushuatri, he instantly discovered that he was alright. But, that usually peaceful old man threw a fit andined about him breaking the rules. Therefore, Kayn had to stay there longer than expected and smooth things over. In the end, he was a guest at the Sky Pce and would not make things too difficult for Zushuatri. Of course, he still got away at the first chance possible. "Then, are you ready?" Kayn asked. "Lead the way." Izroth responded with a carefree expression on his face and without hesitation. A few momentster, two magic circles appeared around him, however, Kayn tapped his finger lightly against both magic circles as they were instantly shattered apart! He had effortlessly prevented the forced relocation! ¡¯He forcibly canceled two advanced magic circles with such ease.¡¯ "It may be a bumpy ride, but don¡¯t hold on tight. I¡¯m not a fan of being clung to by men." Kayn said. All of a sudden, he grabbed the back of Izroth¡¯s cor and kicked off the ground as he soared into the sky. ¡¯This mode of transportation is a bit...¡¯ Izroth had a nk look on his face as he was transported by Kayn in a crude manner. As the number one cultivator in the Seven Realms, Izroth had ridden true dragons and phoenixes to level sects to dust, carved stars into grand chariots to charge into battle, snapped a branch from the world heavenly tree to build a ship that could transverse the Seven Realms! Now... He was actually being transported in such an unrefined manner. Others within the Seven Realms would not believe it even if it happened right before their own eyes! "What? Are you disappointed I didn¡¯t take on my dragon form to take you there? If I did that, it¡¯d draw too much attention, so you¡¯ll just have to settle with this method." Kayn stated with a grin on his face. His eyes scanned over the regions of Sky Pce before stopping on a spot in the Living Forests. He then sped off towards that direction as he phased through the Limit Zone and the barrier that separated each region. Chapter 361 Not Taking A Single Step A few momentster, Izroth and Kayn reached the Limit Zone section of the Living Forest. The area they were headed for contained numerous nts of various species, most of which looked poisonous by design. However, Izroth was not too concerned when it came to being affected by poisons thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body. "We¡¯ve arrived." Kayn said as hended safely along with Izroth in the depths of the Living Forest. The size of the Limit Zone had shrunk even further being just 50 meters in radius. This meant that it was practically an impossibility that one would not run into another participant in thest 30 minutes. For many participants, this was theirst chance to ce within the top ten. This was also Izroth¡¯s final chance to im 1st ce within the selection. Izroth stood up straight as he swept his gaze across his surroundings, however, his gaze came to a sudden halt when itnded on a certain individual. It was a woman holding a folding fan that covered the lower half of her face. Of course, this woman was none other than Sage. Sage looked coldly upon Izroth and it was as if he was nothing in her eyes. She did not know why the third young master would go out of his way to do her this favor and bring that weakling before her, but she was grateful. After all, what right did a piece of trash have to make it this far in the selection? Sage moved her gaze from Izroth to Kayn and made a polite gesture towards thetter as she said, "We meet again, third young master." Kayn gave a small nod in return as he said, "Just as promised, I¡¯ve brought him along with me. I¡¯m looking forward to an entertaining fight." "I¡¯m afraid I will have to disappoint you. To take care of trash like that, I only need three moves." Sage replied in a nonchnt manner. Kayn shook his head as he said, "You should not under-" "Interesting." Izroth said as he stepped out and spoke before Kayn could finish his sentence. He knew what Kayn wanted to say to Sage, however, would someone with such a narrow mindset even heed his advice? In the end, it was not words that worked with people like her, but action! He then continued, "Then, if you can make me take a single step from this spot in three moves, I¡¯ll freely forfeit my life to you. If you need a bigger handicap, I won¡¯t even draw my sword. If that¡¯s not enough, how about I also close my eyes?" Kayn was surprised by Izroth¡¯s words. Was he trying to anger Sage to death with his words alone? Despite her attitude, she was still one of Zushuatri¡¯s students and even possessed a main upper eight Wind Domain. Although his match with Izroth was brief, he watched Izroth¡¯s previous battles on the magic screen andbined with that, he believed that he already had a good grasp of his overall power. Kayn felt that it was not impossible for Izroth to win, but the chances were less than 20% and this was taking into ount Izroth exploiting Sage¡¯s underestimation of his real strength. However, if he intentionally angered Sage, then even if she did look down on him she would be more overbearing in her actions from the start. This would be a huge disadvantage for Izroth. What was he trying to aplish? This was the thought that crossed Kayn¡¯s mind. Sage¡¯s facial expression darkened and if looks alone were capable of reaping a life, then Izroth would have experienced a brutal death a thousand times over. He dared speak to her so casually?! Not only that but also utter words of total nonsense while looking down on her? The atmosphere immediately became tense as Izroth stood there with a carefree expression on his face. This was the total opposite of Sage who had an expression that looked as if she wanted to tear Izroth to pieces. Kayn grinned as he retreated to a safe distance as to not intrude upon their battle. "There are only three possible ways this can end. Old man Zushuatri, she may already be too far gone to save. This is a reality that has always been inevitable to avoid." Kayn said to himself as he observed that vicious look in Sage¡¯s eyes. This was not his first time seeing such a look. It was the look of someone who had a twisted rationality. Sage closed her eyes and when she reopened them there was a strangely calm aura about her as her vicious gaze had disappeared. "You are unworthy to speak before me. Know your ce, trash. Speaking big means nothing when onecks power. You should feel honored that my words are thest you will hear before your death." Sage said in a calm and steady tone. However, Izroth knew that while Sage appeared calm on the surface, the same could not be said for what lied beneath it. Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense active, therefore, he was able to track the fluctuation in the me-like aura surrounding Sage. At the moment, it was agitated and aggressive. This was different from the calm me that she normally had around her like back on the stage with the other of Zushuatri¡¯s students. "Unworthy? Lacking power? I wonder... Who was it thatunched a sneak attack against me while I was in the middle of a battle? Do those with power need to rely on sneak attacks to win? If so, what they have is not power, but cowardice. Who is it that is truly unworthy?" Izroth stated. "Weaklings sure know how to tter themselves. When you step on an ant, do you call it a sneak attack? It¡¯s just the obvious thing to do. In my eyes, you are just another ant to be stepped on for daring to crawl before my path. Since you seem to be in a hurry to die, then let me grant you your wish." Sage said without mincing her words. She truly thought of Izroth as nothing but a mere ant! There were other participants who rushed over when they received Izroth¡¯s location due to the top ten tracking that was in ce, however, they maintained a safe distance and simply observed the battle. It appeared that he had offended one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students. Even if he was in the top ten, why risk his position by offending someone with that much power? He must have a death wish! "As long as she wants to im his life, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it." One of the participants spectating said with a sigh. The other participants had simr thoughts. If they dared to interfere, then there was no guarantee that they would be capable of escaping with their lives. Plus, they would risk offending one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students and deemed that it was not worth it. In total, there were only 50 participants remaining. This meant that each region had somewhere between 12 to 13 yers residing within the Limit Zone. The majority of the remaining participants were satisfied with their current position. After all, making it into the top 50 of the selection was a huge aplishment that would bring honor and glory to an individual, as well as those who were backing them. In the end, most of them came to take a look because they never heard of anyone named Izroth before, therefore, they were curious about his origins. However, when everyone discovered that he was so weak and yet still dared to boast before one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students, they were dumbfounded. "How did someone like that get into the top ten? It has to be a mistake, right?" "This guy talks so much nonsense that it¡¯s hard to listen. He wants to close his eyes and not draw his sword? People like that are always the first to die in one move." "One cannot judge based on what the eyes alone see. There exist many hidden dragons in this selection that have no trouble when ites to hiding their real power. Someone who has the guts to speak that way is not so simple. Also, you may not know this, but I was in the same regionst time as well. That guy shed with the third young master of the Dragon Pce and managed to survive. Not to mention, he doesn¡¯t look injured in the slightest. Tell me, do you still think it¡¯s a mistake that he¡¯s in the top ten?" "What?!" The nearby participants were shocked. That weak looking guy fought against that monster and walked away unharmed? Just who was this Izroth and what was his background? Weakling? No, someone like that could not possibly be a weakling! "If what you speak is the truth, then indeed this Izroth character is not so simple. Now I¡¯m actually interested in who will win between the two of them." "Look, it¡¯s starting." One of the participants said as they noticed Sage making the first move. The fan in Sage¡¯s hand twitched slightly. The next moment, two sharp and deadly des of wind soared in Izroth¡¯s direction. These were different from the des of wind from Izroth¡¯s Tempest Strikes. The wind that Sage released caused the surrounding air itself to split apart and make way for its domineering force. Woosh... Izroth closed his eyes and stood there without taking a single step from the spot he stood in. There was a gentle breeze of wind that epassed his body. ¡¯It looks like we¡¯ve attracted quite the crowd.¡¯ Izroth could sense that there were numerous watchful eyes on them. However, Izroth understood that no one dared to interfere due to Sage being one of Zushuatri¡¯s students, or rather because of her power. As for the attack Sage justunched, they brushed up against Izroth¡¯s body before sliding off and striking the ground next to him. Sage narrowed her eyes slightly when she watched what had just urred. The breeze around Izroth was unnatural. For someone with a Wind Domain, such changes were easily noticeable no matter how minor they appeared to be. "Hmph, you dare use wind against me?! Break!" Sage waved her fan through the air and for the first time the lower half of her face was visible for all to see. The male participants who set their eyes upon Sage had their hearts stolen away by her beauty. Before, all they could really see were her eyes and it required the use of their imagination to picture her face, but now, they were nearly lost for words. "So beautiful!" One of the participants eximed. "She must have the bloodline of a legendary fairy spirit. To see a beauty such as this in my lifetime, I can die a happy man." Someone stated as they sighed in admiration. Izroth, however, remained unmoved by Sage¡¯s beauty. During his journey through the Seven Realms, there was nock of beauties ranging from fairies to goddesses. In his eyes, such beauty was not umon. To Izroth, a woman with a vile heart and mind was not worth a single nce. The skill Sage used this time was at least twice as powerful as that of herst attack. Although the wind was more chaotic and unstable, it seemed to carry with it a shredding and destructive force that wanted to tear through Izroth¡¯s protection. Crash! The overbearing and chaotic force of wind crashed into the defensive barrier provided by Izroth¡¯s Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard. The pressure alone almost caused Izroth to take a step back, however, he reinforced his footing and remained unmoved. Sage had failed her second attack in a row against him! This time, Sage herself was taken aback. That attack just now was meant to disperse the wind around Izroth. Needless to say, this included the wind that was protecting him. With her deep understanding of the Wind Domain, even if it was not currently active, how could she possibly not break such a fragile-looking thing? "I must have misheard you earlier. Surely, this is not how you nned to take care of me in three moves, is it? Well, I suppose you still have one move left." Izroth said as his eyes stayed closed with a carefree expression on his face. "You think I¡¯m incapable of breaking that little thing?" Sage spoke in an ice-cold tone as the surrounding winds began to pick up. She believed that no matter what, that trash had to die! ¡¯Anger makes one predictable. Before this battle even begun... You had already lost.¡¯ Chapter 362 Art of Sixteen Quintessential Breaths Sage did not think that Izroth would survive her first attack, let alone her second one. The fact that she had to rely on three attacks just to defeat him was already an incredible loss of face for her. After all, she had clearly announced that she only needed three moves to deal with him. "Wanting to face my Art of Sixteen Quintessential Breaths head-on? Keep dreaming." Sage said as she waved her fan four times in rapid session. Her movements were elegant and breathtaking as she made it look as though the fan in her hand was performing a dance with the wind as its partner. The skill Sage used was known as the Breath of Destruction. It was one of the killing moves of her Art of Sixteen Quintessential Breaths and could easily rank on the list among some of the top offensive wind-type skills. It covered the eight directions and the center point of the attack carried with it the most destructive force as it soared through the air. ¡¯This one is a bit dangerous.¡¯ Even with his Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard active, Izroth had received a faint warning from his Soul Sense. While it was not life-threatening, it still meant that he was in some potential danger if he decided to face the attack head-on. If this were before he managed to advance to the next level on his Heavenly Golden Body, then Izroth would have thought twice about receiving such a fierce attack head-on. However, Izroth was confident in seeing this through until the end. Even though his eyes were closed, Izroth still had his Energy Vision Sense active. This allowed him to "see", in a certain manner of speaking, what was going on around him. Though he made sure to minimize the range in order to converse as much Essence as possible. Woosh! Bang! Crrrrckle! Sage¡¯s Breath of Destruction collided with Izroth¡¯s Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard which created the sound of something cracking and breaking apart. The barrier provided by Izroth¡¯s Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard was actually crumbling under Sage¡¯s Breath of Destruction! Since the winds from Sage¡¯s Breath of Destruction were simultaneously traveling in eight different directions, it did not simply slide off as her previous attack had done. Instead, the destructive force only grew as it met with the gentle breeze epassing Izroth¡¯s body and started to tear it to pieces while dragging and forcing it into eight different directions. It created an explosion that caused arge cloud of dust to form. ¡¯It¡¯s breaking?¡¯ One had to know that Izroth was able to survive Roudin dropping a small mountain peak on him with the immunity provided to him by the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard. In terms of raw power and destructiveness, Roudin¡¯s attack with his Mountain Domain was by far stronger than Sage¡¯s Breath of Destruction. Though given her familiarity with the wind element, this was not beyond Izroth¡¯s expectations. ¡´Battle Alert: Your skill ?Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard? has been forcibly interrupted!¡µ Sage¡¯s attack had sessfully broken through! When the other participants saw this, they believed that Izroth was as good as dead. Though no one felt sorry for him. If he had not been so arrogant, then maybe he would not have been defeated so fast. But, everyone was somewhat disappointed since they were looking forward to a good fight. Kayn, on the other hand, who watched the battle unfold from a distance, inwardly shook his head at the sight. He wondered what Izroth was up to by purposely continuing to antagonize Sage. It was quite obvious that she held a high level of disdain towards him. Was there a need to further provoke her? "Well, perhaps this much is necessary." Kayn said to himself. Sometimes, a forceful hand was required to get a point across. He had long since decided that no matter how things turned out, he would not interfere in their match against one another. "In the end, trash is trash. Do not me me for your death, me yourself for being born so weak." Sage said as she moved the folding fan in her hand back to cover the lower part of her face. She turned and was about to walk away from the scene, however, as she did so she heard the sound of a voiceing from behind her. "This is the second time you¡¯ve turned your back on me. Are you sure that¡¯s wise? After all, there exists a thin line between arrogance and confidence. Ah, I suppose that just made three moves." A voice sounded out from the center area of the dust cloud. Of course, this voice belonged to Izroth. The dust cloud cleared away and standing in the same exact spot with his eyes closed and sword still in its sheath was Izroth! Just as he promised he would do, he had not moved a single step from the spot he stood in despite the restrictions he ced upon himself. This made the spectating participants look on in awe. What a powerful defensive skill! While they were confident in surviving those first two blows, the third blow was on another level and would probably lead to them taking serious damage. However, the person before them called Izroth stood there without a single scratch or wound on his body after taking that attack head-on. How could they not be amazed by his actions? "He... He actually survived...!" One of the participants said in a tone filled with shock and disbelief. "Indeed, a real man keeps his word!" One of the participantsmented. He thought Izroth was just some arrogant guy who was hiding his power all along and speaking above his own level, but it appeared that he had been wrong in his initial judgment. If there were any doubts before in his mind, they had long since disappeared. Without a doubt, that person definitely deserved his spot within the top ten! Sage had a nk expression on her face when she saw Izroth standing there unharmed. She was 100% positive that her Breath of Destruction shattered his defenses and directly struck against his body. Even if he was by some miracle not killed, he should have, at the very least, been critically injured with one foot in death¡¯s door. Did he have a special protective talisman or some life-saving skill? If not, there was no other way to exin how he remainedpletely unharmed. What Sage did not know was that although her attack did indeed break through Izroth¡¯s Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, it had been severely weakened in the process by the time it made contact with his physical body. With the reduction of its power, Izroth¡¯s passive skill Greater Physique granted to him by his Heavenly Golden Body was more than enough to handle the remaining force of the attack. This made it so that not even a scratch appeared on his body even after being hit directly. Izroth opened his eyes as a carefree expression appeared on his face. He then unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as it released a powerful gust of wind after leaving its sheath. He pointed the sword in his hand towards Sage. "You use the word trash so lightly. Tell me, if you were to be defeated by someone you refer to as trash, then how would you call yourself?" Izroth asked. Sage nearly coughed up blood in anger from listening to Izroth¡¯s words. Not only did that trash think he could defeat her, but he even wanted to im that she was less than trash. This was going too far! Not to mention, that constant carefree look on Izroth¡¯s face only served to further infuriate Sage. She wanted to wipe that, what she saw as, smug look off his face once and for all! She wanted to see just how many times that life-saving skill could protect him. "Breath of Discord." Sage performed the same skill she used as her second attack on Izroth. But, the wind this time around was more chaotic and unstable in nature as if there were two opposing forces vying for dominance. Izroth vanished from the spot he stood in and appeared around 10 meters away from Sage. He easily avoided her Breath of Discord by using his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Then, immediately after doing so, Izroth kicked off his back foot as he dashed straight towards Sage at an extreme speed. He had used Light Feather Footwork to instantly increase his movement speed as he timed it perfectly after using his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. "Hmph, just a little enhanced version of Instantaneous Movement. Nothing special. Breath of Frost!" Sage said as a strong and cold gust of wind blew towards Izroth. Breath of Frost was like a small blizzard rushing forward without mercy. However, unlike Sage¡¯s expectations, Izroth did not slow down at all! Breath of Frost should have lowered Izroth¡¯s mobility and restricted his movement, but he appeared to be unaffected by it. The cold from Sage¡¯s Breath of Frost sunk into Izroth¡¯s skin, however, the moment it did so it was instantly expelled from his body. ?Resisted? -3,195 Sage¡¯s Breath of Frost was a form of cold poison that did not activate until it made contact with one¡¯s skin. But, Izroth was immune to this weak level of poison due to his Heavenly Golden Body. Therefore, when the poison entered into Izroth¡¯s body, it was immediately negated and kicked out. Unless it was a more potent and dangerous poison, Izroth was confident that he would not feel its effects. Once again, his Heavenly Golden Body had not let him down in the slightest! Even though Izroth resisted the slow effect of the poison, he did not avoid the damage brought about by the Breath of Frost. Even with his current magical resistance of 25% and Greater Physique, Izroth still lost almost 20% of his HP from that single attack. While Izroth could have potentially evaded the attack by using one of his movement skills, he understood that he could not afford to waste them freely. He still did not know enough about Sage¡¯s abilities, therefore, he had to wait until they were absolutely necessary and use them to gain some sort of advantage. Since Izroth did not feel a life-threatening warning from his Soul Sense, he charged right through the attack while epting the damage. With his in-battle HP regeneration, as well as his lifesteal, Izroth was not bothered by the amount of damage done as he would gain it back soon enough. In the meantime, he would use this opportunity tounch a counter-attack! Thanks to his Light Feather Footwork and resisting the slow effect of Sage¡¯s Breath of Frost, Izroth quickly managed to close the distance between the two. ¡¯Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley.¡¯ She wanted to slow his movements? Then, he could only return the favor. Izroth changed his sword stance to that of a lower position as the ground split open and a sharp sword intent was aimed at Sage. Sage avoided the sword intent as shended safely next to the earth that was just split open by Izroth¡¯s Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley. She continued her vicious cycle of attacks on Izroth as the fan in her hand danced around at insane speeds throughout the air. However, what she did not expect was what happened after she stood in that spot near the fissure for 3 seconds. The fissure suddenly mmed shut as Sage felt herself being drawn in while the nearby earth slightly trembled. This threw off her attacks as she resisted the bizarre force. But, it was not over just yet. Bang! The moment the earth connected together, a powerful pressure washed over Sage. She had somehow suffered an internal wound! However, how was this possible? None of the attacks she used thus far were enough to cause any internal damage to her, therefore, it must have been due to the sneaky methods of that trash! He was surely using some kind of underhanded trick to cause this kind of reaction out of her! "You dare use underhanded methods on me?!" Sage said as the aura around her rose up to another level. Chapter 363 Strength of The Heavenly Golden Body Sage was furious! Not only did she fail to take him down in three moves, but she was also the first to receive damage. Although the damage was minor and could be brushed off, the fact still remained that he had managed to sessfullynd an attack on her. Izroth did not halt his movement as he continued to move in an unpredictable manner and looked for an opportunity to strike. More importantly, Izroth did not want the passive on his Light Feather Footwork to disappear as it would immediately lower his movement speed. Despite Sage¡¯s contemptuous behavior towards him, he did not forget the fact that she was not yet going all out. Izroth understood that in Sage¡¯s eyes, he was "unworthy" of using her full strength against. If she did so, then she would be forced into doing one of two things. The first was admitting that she herself was weak, or admit that Izroth was not weak. Either way, it would be considered a huge loss for her! That was the main reason why Izroth knew that this battle was over before it had even started. With Sage¡¯s personality, she may very well rather die than admit her own faults. "Are you not going to use your Wind Domain?" Izroth asked in a casual manner. However, Izroth¡¯s question was met with nothing but silence. Sage did not respond to Izroth with words, but instead, with a cold stare. Use her Wind Domain? What a joke! He did not even have a Domain, therefore, why would she need to use her Wind Domain to obtain victory? It was the equivalent of using a mountain just to squash some random bug. Her Art of the Sixteen Quintessential Breaths was more than enough to deal with the likes of him! Sage had not remembered thest time she felt such an unbearable rage boiling up inside of her. Izroth had not only humiliated her by using her attack to help eliminate Roudin and then escaping into the Boundless Sea but now, he even dared to offend her before a crowd of people, as well as, the third young master of the Dragon Pce. He deserved death! "Breath of Havoc." Sage waved her fan in an odd circr motion. However, although her fan was moving in a bizarre manner, it was only illusions and her true fan had not left the spot it was in. But, a fraction of a secondter, numerous sharp des of wind shot out in every direction from Sage¡¯s location! It seemed never-ending and done at random, but there was actually a high level of control behind it. ¡¯There¡¯s too many to dodge with my current speed.¡¯ Izroth was able to easily avoid the first few des of wind, however, as the next couple of waves started to make their way towards him, it became increasingly difficult to move forward with the passive movement speed provided by his Light Feather Footwork alone. Before the third volley flew in his direction, Izroth used Flickering Steps and swiftly weaved through the sharp des of wind. With his Energy Vision Sense, the des of wind showed up as clear as day in his eyes. With his increase in mobility, he was able to quickly shrink the distance between himself and Sage regardless of the wave after wave of attacks caused by her Breath of Havoc. ¡¯This is strange.¡¯ Izroth noticed a faint draft that seemed to linger around Sage. There was a hint of mes present among the drafts, but they were all as thin as a strand of hair. It took less than a single breath of time for Izroth to arrive within melee range of Sage as a concentrated form of energy began to converge at his fingertip. After seeing those thin strands of mes, Izroth felt that they were not so simple. Therefore, he decided to use Fissuring Point just in case it activated as some kind of defensive measure. Sage¡¯s attacks were much faster than that of Roudin¡¯s, however, her defensive capabilities and endurance were definitely not equal to his from what Izroth observed. If that was the case, then she would be much easier to deal with in that regard. But, the one thing that concerned Izroth was that Sage had yet to move a single step after avoiding his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley and so he was unable to grasp her mobility. However, if it was anything close to the level at which she could attack with her fan, then it would be troublesome to deal with even if he used the true strength of the Call of the Thunder God¡¯s Second State: Heavenly Cloak. Izroth¡¯s finger pierced through the air and broke through a small gap left in Sage¡¯s defenses. Woosh! All of a sudden, Izroth lost all control of his movement as he flew back at an incredible speed. His back mmed into a tree which managed to stop him from flying away any further into the Living Forest. By the time he realized it, he was already more than 30 meters away from Sage! What just happened? ¡¯I knew those strands weren¡¯t so simple, but I did not expect them to be this dangerous. If not for this tree, I may have continued to fly deeper into the Living Forest.¡¯ Sage had a look of delight in her eyes as a smirk appeared on her face that hid behind the folding fan in her hand. It turned out that he was even more simple-minded than she originally thought. He probably had no idea what just urred and was currently confused as to how he ended up so far away. However, he was not the first to experience this feeling of befuddlement. "This selection is not a ce where a weakling like you belongs. The moment you dared show yourself before me... Your fate had already been determined." Sage stated in a cold tone as she looked at Izroth with a look of disdain in her eyes. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to be careful of those thin strands that surround her. Just then, they suddenly bundled up and met my attack head-on. Before I knew it, I had already ended up back here. It almost acts on simr principles to Halls¡¯ Rebound skill, however...¡¯ Izroth dropped down from the tree andnded on his feet. He did not receive any damage from the attack and it only seemed to have repelled him. He was unsure if it was due to his Heavenly Golden Body Great Physique or the skills naturalck of damage, but either way he came outpletely unscathed. One of the participants saw this and could not help butment, "What is his body made of? How can it take such a beating and still not have a single scratch on it?" "I know what you mean. He¡¯s definitely an agility-type and so his defenses should becking, but his body is tougher than some endurance-types I¡¯vee across. This guy is apletely unknown anomaly in this selection." One participant replied. Sage tightly gripped onto the fan in her hands when she noticed that Izroth still remained unharmed. Although the attack power on her Breath of Repulse was low, it should have been enough to damage him without that life-saving skill from earlier. She refused to believe that he was capable of using that skill freely, therefore, how was he constantly emerging unscathed against her attacks? Would she truly be forced to use her Wind Domain on someone whocked a Domain? Would not that be the same as openly admitting that she was not confident in defeating him without her Wind Domain? Just the thought alone made her sick to her stomach and filled her with a feeling of disgust. She felt that if Izroth had just simply never existed, then none of this would have been a problem in the first ce. Of course, if anyone knew of her current thoughts, they would be in disbelief at how unreasonable they were. To ask someone not to exist just to solve your own problem was too much! Izroth rested the palm of his hand on the trunk of the tree as he used it to lightly push off of. He elerated forward at great speeds as his flickering silhouettes could be seen forming throughout the battlefield. Sage¡¯s Breath of Havoc had ended and so it was a simple matter to arrive back within melee range of Sage, but this time Izroth was more observant of the strands of mes that epassed her body. He made a few quick feints with his sword, however, the strands of me did not react to his attacks. ¡¯Is it not fooled by feints? It acts as if it possesses a will of its own. Then...¡¯ Izroth tapped his foot on the ground as he used Behemoth¡¯s Quake. Of course, his main purpose for doing so was not for the damage, but to actively test a theory of his. -200 ... -200 ¡¯So it works like that. But, this can be somewhat troublesome to deal with if there¡¯s no limit or restrictions to it besides that.¡¯ Izroth noticed that earlier when he used his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley, Sage did not stay still and moved to dodge the initial blow of his sword form. However, she was harmed by the second part of his sword form and was not protected by those strands of mes. But, when he arrived within melee range, Sage did not even bother trying to avoid his attacks and the result was as seen. It ended with Izroth being sent flying back almost as if he were turned into a ragdoll. Now, he used Behemoth¡¯s Quake and the strands of mes did not react to protect Sage. With this, Izroth came to a swift conclusion as to how the strands of mes worked. However, understanding how they worked and finding a way to bypass them were two different things. If even his Fissuring Point was unable to pierce through it, then it was likely that his other attacks would end in a simr manner. ¡¯Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out for sure.¡¯ Izroth swung out in a perfect arc with his Sword of The Storm towards Sage¡¯s torso. However, just as his sword was about to make contact with her, the strands of mes weaved together and formed a protective point of impact. Ding! Izroth¡¯s sword collided with the strands of mes, however, his attack was once again repelled! This time, however, he only slid back a few steps instead of 30 meters. ¡¯How inconvenient.¡¯ Sage narrowed her eyes when she saw that Izroth had only been sent back a few steps. Did he already figure out how her Breath of Repulse worked? No, it was impossible for anyone to see through her Breath of Repulse so fast unless they were an existence in the legendary realm. Then, could it have been luck? But, if that were truly the case, then the luck that this guy possessed knew no bounds! Izroth released a small sigh inwardly. While Sage thought his luck was good, Izroth himself believed that it had been quite bad as ofte. Both strong participants that he hade across within the selection had skills that made it naturally difficult for him to face them in a head-on battle. With Roudin, it was the gravity pocket-like effect that restricted his movement skills and his insanely high defensive capabilities. With Sage, it was these strands of mes that appeared through his Energy Vision Sense that rendered his close-range attacks virtually useless. ¡¯My luck really isn¡¯t good this time around. However...¡¯ Izroth took on a unique sword stance as he held his left arm out in front of him and ced the t side of his sword into the palm of his hand. He slid his right foot back and his left foot forward as the tip of his sword was pointed towards Sage. ¡¯I¡¯ve already found a way to break through it.¡¯ Chapter 364 An Act of That Goes Against Nature Itself "Breath of Havoc." Sage waved the fan in her hand at incredible speeds as numerous sharp and deadly des of wind rushed out from her location while creating a strong gust of wind that surrounded her. Izroth maintained his sword stance as he dodged the iing des of wind with his Flickering Steps active. But, if not for his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth knew that it would have been increasingly challenging for him to avoid the numerous des of wind. This was due to the sheer quantity being released in every direction which left no time to breathe and allowed little room for error to ur. As Izroth evaded and weaved through the des of wind, he did not retreat back, but instead, he pushed his way forward despite the immense pressure caused by Sage¡¯s Breath of Havoc. He exploited the smallest gaps until he arrived within under five meters of Sage¡¯s position. The moment Izroth reached that location, his stance lowered as he leaned in slightly and positioned his arms as if he were crossing them. The hilt of the Sword of The Storm in his hand aligned itself with the left side of his shoulder and as he swept his sword out before him in an astonishing arc that resembled an ocean wave making its way towards the edge ofnd. Sage closely observed the sword intent that was unleashed towards her as she looked on with disdain. He wanted to hit her with such a straight forward attack? Keep dreaming! It took Sage no effort to evade Izroth¡¯s attack as she casually moved to the side and out the path of the sword intent. However, the instant her foot touched the ground, a second wave was already headed towards her! "Useless tricks!" Sage said as she once again evaded Izroth¡¯s attack with ease. Her Breath of Havoc hade to an end. Though just as she was about to retaliate, she suddenly felt that something was off behind her. There was a subtle change in the wind at her back, however, she had no time to respond to it as she felt a wave of sword intent pass through her body from behind! Almost immediately after that happened, the second wave of sword intent followed after the first and also passed through her body from behind her. Sage was in a state of disbelief. She was not struck once, but twice just now and both attacks came from the blindside at her back. The two waves of sword intent that made contact with Sage were simr to that of a receding tide returning back to the ocean fromnd. However, it was clear that Izroth had notunched any such attacks from that direction, otherwise, she would have definitely felt the sudden changes in the surrounding winds with her Breath of Perception. Sage¡¯s Breath of Perception was constantly active and it enabled her to be aware of any subtle changes in the wind within a certain distance around her and it was not a small range by any means. It was one of the reasons she couldunch such urate and challenging to avoid attacks, as well as, keep track of Izroth¡¯s location regardless of his speed and flickering afterimages that were left behind in the process. Then, how was it that he managed tounch a sneak attack from her back without her noticing? Without a doubt, she should have been able to perceive a sneak attack that was done using sword intent. -2,672 +160 -230 +14 ?Critical Hit? -5,894 +354 -460 +28 ¡¯Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides.¡¯ Skill Name: Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: Executing attacks with a sword provides the user with a 2.5% chance to freely use the Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides, ignoring its cooldown time. If the skill is already on cooldown, the remaining cooldown time on the skill is not affected and remains unchanged. The user has 5 seconds to resolve this effect before it automatically ends. The chance of this urring is doubled to 5% while the active to this skill is on cooldown. Using Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides through this effect does not cause the skill to go on cooldown. Active: The user releases a wave of sword intent in the direction of their sword swing that travels outward 5 meters from the tip of the user¡¯s sword dealing 120% of their attack as physical damage. When the wave of sword intent reaches the maximum distance of 5 meters, it recedes and travels back towards the direction it came from dealing 156% of the user¡¯s attack as physical damage to enemies in its path. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 4 minutes 25 seconds The sword intent returned to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm beforepletely vanishing. It truly did resemble that of a receding tide bing one with the ocean. A few moments ago when Izroth used his sword to test the strands of mes around Sage, he noticed two things. The first was that they only responded to solid objects such as one¡¯s fists or weapon. They would be temporarily unstable when Sage was forced to move and there was a small dy before she was able to recreate the strands of mes. Of course, these were not actual strands of mes, but rather, small drafts of wind that protected Sage. Normally, these drafts could not be seen, however, Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense made it possible to view them as thin strands of mes. When it came to following skills that held no true form, Izroth always had to rely on his Soul Sense and high sense of perception to evade or discover its presence. But, ever since he learned Energy Vision Sense, those attacks that had no original form were as clear as day in his eyes. The second thing Izroth noticed was that he managed to trigger the passive of his Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides with hisst attack against Sage. Just now, not only did he use the passive of his fifth sword form, but the active as well. This allowed him to perform back to back attacks against Sage that forced her to be mobile. What Sage did not expect was that the two waves of sword intent would travel back towards his sword and this caught her off guard. ¡¯It seems that my luck is turning around.¡¯ Not only was Izroth able to trigger the passive for his fifth sword form, but each returning sword intent caused the effect attached to his trinket to activate. Blood Stigma! The damage from his Blood Stigma ignored all defenses and dealt 10% of his total attack as damage every second for 10 seconds. Since it could stack up to five times and Sage had two stacks, this meant that Izroth would deal 20% of his attack per second that ignored Sage¡¯s defenses. Izroth did not simply stand idle and allow Sage to regain herself, he dashed forward with his Flickering Steps and immediately used Phantom Strike while Sage¡¯s Breath of Repulse was still destabilized. Sage¡¯s agility was not slow by any means, however, she made a critical mistake that most made when dealing with Izroth¡¯s Phantom Strike, she followed the first strike with her eyes! Woosh! While Sage sessfully evaded the first strike, she was suddenly cut by both of the phantom swords that trailed after it. To Sage, it appeared that no matter how she evaded Izroth¡¯s attacks, they would always find some way to hit. Also, he was not allowing her the chance to recover her Breath of Repulse and so she had to rely on her natural defenses and agility to evade. "Breath of Destruction." Sage sent out an attack that covered the eight directions, however, Izroth vanished before appearing next to her. He shifted his stance to that of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave¡¯s Sword Counter as his sword instantly descended upon Sage and disregarded her natural defenses. -5,852 +351 Sage¡¯s facial expression darkened. This trash actually dared to constantly strike her?! Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable! The transition in Izroth¡¯s attack pattern was smooth and natural as he carried out his assault, however, he felt a sudden chill run down his back as he exhaled a breath of cold air. At the same time, his Soul Sense went off like never before as it warned him of impending danger. Even back when he faced Roudin his Soul Sense did not react this way to the danger. As for his match with Kayn, he held no true killing intent and so his Soul Sense reacted in a normal manner. Izroth did not hesitate as he made a tactical retreat and created a fair amount of distance between himself and Sage. Since his Soul Sense had never led him down the wrong path before, he would not foolishly disregard its warning. However, even with his retreat, his Soul Sense did not halt its warning in the slightest. In fact, that warning grew more intense with each passing second. ¡¯Where did that chille from? More importantly, what could possibly be causing my Soul Sense to react in such a violent manner?¡¯ Kayn, who was observing the match from the sky in a distance, narrowed his eyes as he realized something unusual. "This is bad..." Kayn muttered to himself. The moment he realized what Sage had done, he knew that it was only a matter of time before that person discovered it. He reached his hand outward and reinforced the barrier that surrounded the Limit Zone. It would further prevent what was happening inside from being discovered from sources outside of the Sky Pce. After all, although the Sky Pce had certain restrictions in ce, Kayn still had some additional methods at his disposal. "I don¡¯t know the results of interrupting it while it¡¯s in the middle of forming since this is the first time it¡¯s happened. Old man Zushuatri has to act fast." Kayn said as he looked up towards the firmament and saw a faint glimpse of light dancing just at the firmament that was ready to descend down at any moment. If that light directly struck the Sky Pce, forget the Sky Pce itself, even thends beneath it and the surrounding area would be obliterated. Of course, that light was not some skill that Sage was using. If that were the case, then there would be no one who could match her throughout the entire Mortal Realm. That light was actually known as heavenly lightning and it was caused by a different set of reasons. "Maelstrom Domain: Breath of Evanescent Squalls." The moment Sage uttered these words, the heavenly lightning at the firmament immediately became fierce and overbearing as its thundering sound rang throughout the entire Mortal Realm! Every powerful existence instantly felt the presence of the heavenly lightning and the same thought crossed all their minds when they noticed that it came from the direction of the Sky Pce. Could the master of the Sky Pce be ascending to the Divine Realm? ¡¯This feeling... It somewhat resembles that of the Undying Maelstrom. However, it¡¯s not the reason that my Soul Sense is reacting this way. Then... What is it?¡¯ Izroth could not shake this feeling of forebode. He knew that whatever skill Sage was using was dangerous, however, this kind of reaction was a bit too much for a Domain, right? What Izroth did not know was that Sage had just done something that was never supposed to exist as it went against thews of nature. She had, unknowingly, sessfully fused two main upper eight Domains of Wind and Water to create the Maelstrom Domain. It was a Domain that did not belong in their world, therefore, the world itself was acting out against it to remove it from existence! In other words, the world itself wanted topletely annihte Sage and everything around her! That was the terrifying power of the heavenly lightning. Chapter 365 Temporary Truce, The Corrosive Maelstrom Domain ... Back at the tform... Zushuatri furrowed his brows when he felt the overbearing and domineering power of the heavenly lightning that danced above the firmament. He understood that there was only one reason heavenly lightning would ever appear in the Mortal Realm and that was when someone or something was going against the naturalws of the world itself. One such thing was a legendary realm existence who had broken through and stepped onto the path of divinity, ascending from the ne of mortals into the Divine Realm. The heavenly lightning acted as a natural guard of the realms as it forced legendary existences that had stepped onto the path of divinity to ascend into the Divine Realm, otherwise, they would perish into nothingness! There was once a legendary existence who had stepped onto the path of divinity and tried to ovee the heavenly lightning, however, every time he fended it off it would more than double in strength and return even stronger than before. In the end, that existence waspletely erased from the world by the heavenly lightning! This was also one of the reasons why even those who had already entered into the Divine Realm did not dare try to forcibly descend upon the realms below the firmament. This was usually the only reason that heavenly lightning ever appeared. However, there were extremely rare cases where one would perform an act that was never meant to be done, simr to stepping onto the path of divinity. This was the current case where Sage had unknowingly fused two Domains. It may have not been so bad if it were just two lower Domains, but it was actually two of the main upper eight Domains! "This was never meant to be... Truly, never meant to be." Zushuatri said to himself as slightly shook his head and released a deep sigh. "As the master of the Sky Pce, I am unable to sit back and watch as those under my protection are put into harm¡¯s way. Also, as her master, I knew that this day woulde eventually. It would seem that this old man still has some use left in this world." Zushuatri, who was just near the tform on the Sky Pce, had suddenly appeared hundreds of meters in the sky above it. What a terrifying movement skill worthy of someone who was considered a peak legendary existence! All of a sudden, a tear in space appeared a few meters away from Zushuatri as a woman with beautiful pink hair exited the void as it closed behind her. Topare her to a fairy would not be an exaggeration as her beauty was almost otherworldly by nature. This woman bore a striking resemnce to one of Zushuatri¡¯s students, Sage. The only difference was that her appearance was more refined and the aura around her was one of maturity. This was the same woman Zushuatri chased away from his Sky Pce earlier. She was a dangerous existence in the legendary realm, Savarosa. "You still daree back when I¡¯ve already chased you away?" Zushuatri said with a serious facial expression. If Savarosa chose to make a move now, then how was he supposed to protect those on his Sky Pce? This was the worst possible time that she could have shown up! A small smile found its way onto Savarosa¡¯s lips as she responded, "Is this is the wee I get when I have traveled all this way to lend you a hand, Zushuatri? Your students must be just as ungrateful and ill-mannered as their master. I have to say, this concerns me greatly since I have allowed you to care for ¡¯it¡¯ for so long." Zushuatri scoffed, "You¡¯vee to help? Do you think that I don¡¯t realize what you¡¯re up to? If you want to take advantage of this chance to act, hmph, then you¡¯d better be prepared to pay a heavy price to do so." Zushuatri did not want to fight Savarosa under these circumstances, however, he would not back down and submit if left with no choice. "I am hurt that you think so little of me. However, it matters not what thoughts you hold towards me." Savarosa¡¯s said as her gaze locked onto Sage who was currently in the Living Forest. Zushuatri observed Savarosa¡¯s actions carefully. If she made any sudden suspicious movements, then he would not hesitate to take action! "Ah, what a beautiful sight to behold... After all of these years, truly what a beautiful sight to behold." Savarosa said to herself as she observed and sensed the raw untamed power of Sage¡¯s Maelstrom Domain. While it was still unstable, once it settled down and stabilized, its power would dwarf that of a main upper eight Domain. It would step into the same league as the Four Origin Domains. No, it was even possible that it would surpass it! She then turned her attention towards the firmament as she continued, "You cannot handle the power of this level of heavenly lightning alone, you should know this well. That heavenly lightning is after something precious to me that I cannot allow to be damaged. You, on the other hand, cannot allow any harm to fall upon your precious Sky Pce and the people residing there. Therefore, for the time being, shall we form a temporary truce?" The smile on Savarosa¡¯s face was one that felt stered on andcked any true sincerity, however, given the present situation... Could Zushuatri afford to refuse? He would agree to the truce, but one thing was for certain. Zushuatri knew that no matter the circumstances, Savarosa could not be trusted! ... The temperature in the surrounding area began to fall rapidly. It did not stop until one felt a chill that pierced through their skin directly into their bones. This range of this effect was enough to cover the entire Limit Zone and affect all the participants that were inside. Of course, this bone piercing chill came from Sage¡¯s Maelstrom Domain. "Where the heck is this chilling from?!" One of the spectating participants eximed. "I have to get away from here!" One of the participants retreated to the edge of the Limit Zone. The other participants followed after them, but even after they reached the edge of the Limit Zone that bone-piercing chill did not disappear in the slightest. First, there was a dreadful and terrifying power that sent chills down their spine. Then, this chill suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was affecting them even though they were already this far away. Just what was going on?! Kayn saw the other participants trying to escape from the Limit Zone as he reached his hand out in the sky and touched the transparent barrier that prevented them from leaving. "Although it¡¯s not allowed, I¡¯m sure old man Zushuatri won¡¯t me me under these circumstances." Kayn said to himself. After the participants realized that the barrier was open, they fled as far away as possible from the Limit Zone! Once everyone had left, Kayn reinforced the barrier to embrace for the potential iing disaster. Though even with the reinforcement, it was like trying to use a pebble to stop a mountain. But, something was better than nothing. Kayn also noticed that an unexpected guest had arrived within the vicinity of the Sky Pce. It was the same presence that had paid a visit to the Sky Pce earlier, however, they did not seem to be fighting with Zushuatri. Kayn then turned his attention towards the Living Forest where only two individuals remained, Izroth and Sage. "If ites down to it, I may not have any other choice but that one. You won¡¯t me me, right old man?" Kayn said as his gazended on Sage. However, although his gaze contained a hint of sympathy, there was a hint of ruthlessness mixed as well. In the end, if necessary, he would do what had to be done. ... ¡¯This is...¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he deactivated his Energy Vision Sense as it had be useless. Ever since Sage used her Maelstrom Domain, it was as if the entire Limit Zone was just a giant ball of unrecognizable mes that made it impossible for Izroth to distinguish the difference between anything. It was simr to sensory overload and gave him a slight headache that he quickly recovered from. ¡¯My Energy Vision Sense is still too weak. As for this Domain, it seems that it¡¯s even more powerful than Roudin¡¯s Mountain Domain. However, I¡¯m still unable to discover what¡¯s causing my Soul Sense to react in this manner. With my Energy Vision Sense not working properly, I can only maintain a heightened level of vignce.¡¯ Unlike with Sage¡¯s Wind Domain where small squalls the size of one¡¯s fists formed behind her, the Malestrom Domain she used was quite different. Just by being within its area of influence, Izroth was losing 4% of his HP every second. Even with his in-battle HP regeneration and resistances, he still received 453 damage per second. This meant that if he did not somehow continuously regain his HP, then he would be dead in less than 1 minute without Sage lifting a single finger! ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing that I maxed out the Soul Steal stacks for the Life Reaping skill attached to the Ring of The Exiled One, otherwise, I could only rely on my 6% lifesteal and HP potions to sustain myself. However, that would be insufficient. As for her...¡¯ At the moment, the look in Sage¡¯s eyes resembled that of someone who had lost themselves and was blind to everything around them. It may have been due to its overbearing nature, but it seemed as if the power of the Maelstrom Domain was consuming her. Though since Izroth did not have any real knowledge when it came to Domains, it was just a guess that he made with a simple observation. "Why is that trash still here? Disappear." Sage said and as soon as the word "disappear¡¯ left her mouth, an overwhelming gale of strange and corrosive icy winds sped towards Izroth. Izroth reacted immediately as he used his Flickering Steps to avoid the attack, however, no matter what move he made or how hard he tried to shake off the attack, it locked onto him and followed his every move. As long as he was within the influence range of Sage¡¯s Domain, which was the entire Limit Zone, it did not seem as if it would cease its chase. Izroth also noticed that marks of ck and corrosive frost started to materialize at different areas of his body after Sage¡¯s Maelstrom Domain was formed. Ever since these corrosive marks appeared, his overall agility and response time had been reduced and he had no way of knowing how to get rid of them. However, the strange thing was that simr marks had appeared on Sage as well. ¡¯Although the overall power is much greater than what she used back in the Boundless Sea, her control is incrediblycking. Could it be that she doesn¡¯t use this power often? Or... Is it somethingpletely new to her? If that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t give her the opportunity to stabilize that power. It seems I¡¯m left with no other choice. ¡¯ The attack Sageunched earlier was closing in fast on Izroth and it only seemed to speed up over time! No, rather it was Izroth slowing down. ¡¯Second State: Heavenly Cloak... Full Mantle.¡¯ BOOM! The attack finally caught up to Izroth as it caused a contained and concentrated explosion to ur. However, the power behind the explosion was devastating despite its humble area of containment. But, as the dust settled down and cleared, one could see a deep, dark, and saturated purple loosely flowing mantle that looked somewhat damaged and torn. It was formed purely from the lightning element and it covered Izroth from head to toe. Even his head was covered with a hood thatpletely hid his face in the process. The only thing visible was a violet aura where Izroth¡¯s eyes would be located. ¡¯I can¡¯t maintain the Full Mantle of the Second State: Heavenly Cloak for very long, therefore... I¡¯ll end this in one go.¡¯ Chapter 366 The Heavenly Lightning Descends Back when he fought against Kayn, for a brief period of time, Izroth had activated his Second State: Heavenly Cloak. However, what he used at that time could only be considered an iplete version of it that did not contain its full potential. Only when one used the Full Mantle version of the Second State: Heavenly Cloak could it be considered as theplete version of the skill. There were two reasons Izroth did not freely use the Second State: Heavenly Cloak. The first was that he was incapable of sustaining the Full Mantle part of the skill for a prolonged period of time. In fact, it was even worse than usual at the moment due to the effects of Sage¡¯s Maelstrom Domain. If he was not determined to end this fight as soon as possible before things spiraled out of control, and if he did not have the lifesteal provided by the Ring of the Exiled One, then he would have never risked using it in this kind of situation. The second reason was that even with his current level and monstrous sense of perception, he was not capable of properly controlling the power of the Full Mantle. This was even more so when he already had Flickering Steps activated! However, he had a certain way to cover this temporary weakness. The problem was that it could only be considered a short term solution. At the moment, there were currents of purple electricity constantly running throughout the mantle that covered Izroth. The movement and pace of the electrical currents almost made it feel alive as it resembled that of a heartbeat. ¡¯While this Domain is clearly much stronger than her previous one, it¡¯s unfortunate that she seems to have no idea how to use it to its full extent.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s figure began to warp and bend in a strange matter. At the next moment, a small sh of purple light appeared before he could no longer be seen. By the time he was discovered, he had already reached the blind spot behind Sage. The most bizarre thing was that his movements contained no sounds whatsoever! It was as if there was nothing there at all. No, that was not quite right... Crrrckle... Crrrrckle! BOOM! At the location where Izroth stood at just moments ago, a sound resembling that of an implosive thunderp rang throughout the surrounding area. However, the sound itself was dyed as it could not keep up with Izroth¡¯s movements. In other words, he had just broken through the sound barrier with pure speed alone! After doing so, however, Izroth felt arge strain and heavy burden weigh down upon his entire body as a portion of his HP was shaved off. ¡¯She was more dangerous with her previous Domain. Though I still can¡¯t afford to underestimate this one. Still... The strain of using Full Mantle is even greater than I expected. I really am incapable of maintaining this for too long.¡¯ Izroth released a sigh inwardly. Just from that single movement alone, he had lost nearly 7% of his total HP. Added on to the damage he was receiving from Sage¡¯s Maelstrom Domain, it was far from being sustainable for extended periods of time. Though it would be even worse as time went on and his HP would deteriorate at a faster rate putting him into a dangerous position. Luckily, he had the Ring of the Exiled One and activated it to temporarily counteract the losses he suffered. Of course, even the Ring of the Exiled One could not keep him safe forever. Izroth swept out with his Sword of The Storm, however, as his de got closer to Sage¡¯s body, it was continuously being coated and corroded by the Maelstrom Domain. Even an epic weapon like his Sword of The Storm was not immune to its effects! If his equipment and epic weapon kept being exposed to the Maelstrom Domain in this manner, then was it possible that they could bepletely destroyed? Izroth did not even want to think of the possibility of losing his equipment, let alone his epic weapon! In the end, Izroth¡¯s sword still managed to connect safely with Sage¡¯s body. Although he aimed for one of her vital points, the corrosive effects of the Maelstrom Domain were really too overbearing and this resulted in himnding a shallow hit. This bizarre Domain caused his movements to feel awkward, restricted, and out of ce sometimes which only served to further add to the stress when using his Full Mantle. ¡¯Just as I thought, it¡¯s no longer there.¡¯ The thin strands that protected Sage from before had vanished when she switched to her Maelstrom Domain. Just before his Energy Vision Sense went haywire, Izroth had noticed this small change. In a way, this made it easier for him tounch attacks without having to worry about how he was going to force Sage to abandon her position and constantly press forward to prevent her Breath of Repulse from reforming. "?!" Sage was already in a state of confusion and befuddlement due to the sudden change of her Domain, as well as trying to forcibly control the intensely overwhelming power that it contained. However, after being suddenly cut by Izroth, it was almost as if whatever little control she had left over herself was tossed aside and erased. Why? Why was this trash still alive? Why was he still able to fight back when she was clearly so much stronger? Trash was not capable of fighting that which was above them... Yes, she was certain that this was the case... Wasn¡¯t it? BOOOOOOOM! All of a sudden, the resounding sound of thunder filled the entire Mortal Realm and sounded from above. Izroth, who was located on the Sky Pce, suddenly felt as though the weight of the world was ced on his shoulders. The pressure from the heavenly lightning was just that immense even from this distance! ¡¯What¡¯s going on up there? It wasn¡¯t like this until that Domain of hers appeared. Could it just be a coincidence? That seems unlikely...¡¯ Izroth wanted to take time to observe what was happening above, however, he could not allow his attention to fall away from Sage. She was presently unstable and this kind of individual tended to be most dangerous when they were in such a state. However, what Izroth did not know was that he was not the only yer who felt and heard the heavenly lightning. From Amaharpe to Tempest to the very edges and depths of the Mortal Realm, and even inside of dungeons it could be felt and heard by yers. Immediately after it took ce, the world chat and official RML forums werepletely flooded! "Wtf was that?! The entire world was shaking just now!" "Devs! Fix your game! > : (" "My whole party was wiped in a dungeon thanks to that bug! We were so close to defeating thest boss! I wantpensation. -_-" "Phew! I¡¯m d I¡¯m not the only one who experienced that lol. I thought something was seriously wrong with my gaming equipment!" There were yers who said that it was the sign of a major special event, others spected that it was a glitch in the game¡¯s audio files and sensory system. There were even those who said that it was caused by two powerful boss monsters shing. In the end, it turned into a source of heated debate that would be discussed throughout the RML gamingmunity for a long time toe. ... Meanwhile, in the area far above the Sky Pce... Zushuatri and Savarosa stood only a few meters apart from one another as their attention was focused on the firmament above. Savarosa suddenly narrowed her eyes as she waved her hand. This caused countless ripples to form and spread throughout the surrounding space. There were some strange forms of energy that were forcibly dispersed by this process and broken down into nothingness before vanishing. "Hmph, want to see what¡¯s going on here? Then I dare you toe in person." Savarosa said as a slight smile found its way onto her lips. Just now, there were some legendary realm existences, as well as, some kingdoms using a powerful magic formation or magic item to spy on their current location. However, Savarosa¡¯s move just now had isted and destroyed those methods which left those individuals in the dark about matters. Naturally, Savarosa did not do so to protect the Sky Pce, but her precious possession that was down below. Although she was not afraid of any direct confrontations, too much of her attention would be diverted to dealing with the heavenly lightning. Therefore, she found it too troublesome to also deal with the watchful gazes of those curious old things. However, there was one watchful gaze that she could not get rid of no matter how hard she tried. "Hm? This is... I see, well it¡¯s fine. After all, that old thing won¡¯t interfere in any worldly manners." Savarosa thought to herself. ... At the same time on top of a small hill at a faraway location, Zhi stood with his hands behind his back with his gaze set on the firmament. Even someone like him was rmed by the appearance of the heavenly lightning, however, it appeared that it was not due to someone ascending into the Divine Realm. After all, even if they did ascend, their chances of survival were low. The beings up there did not want the current bnce disturbed, therefore, they strictly regted who could and could not enter into the Divine Realm. Of course, if one was confident enough in their own abilities they could force their way into the Divine Realm. However, doing so was akin to pping the face of virtually every divine existence in the Divine Realm. Who was willing to take such a heavy burden unto themselves? In the end, all one could do was wait their turn. "Someone is going against thews of nature and from the presence of the heavenly lightning, it is no small matter... I see, if that little girl is behind this, then that exins it. Did she finally seed in her madness?" Zhi thought to himself with a deep and profound look on his face. ... "It¡¯s here." Zushuatri said as the firmament above split open. It resembled that of ss being cracked as terrifying energy rushed out from above the firmament. This energy took on the form of a massive bolt of lightning with the head of a vicious and ancient primordial beast. There were unique symbols scattered throughout the bolt of lightning that was indiscernible by those in the Mortal Realm as they were something that belonged to the Divine Realm itself! BOOOOOOOOM! "Mantra of the Sky: Twelve Cloud Summit." Zushuatri pped his hands together as twelve thick barriers of clouds formed in the area above him. Although these clouds looked soft and easily broken through, they were far from being anything simple. They were easily capable of repelling and fending off the attacks of someone at the peak of the legendary realm. Though even with this being the case, the first threeyers had immediately disintegrated before the might of the heavenly lightning. To make matters even more terrifying, it had not evene close to touching the clouds themselves and was still far away! This showed just how devastating the power of the heavenly lightning was. "I¡¯ll reinforce it." Savarosa said as she held the palm of her hand forward and a mysterious yet beautiful pink energy was embedded into the clouds which helped to reform the three that were lost. "Supreme Breath of Augmentation." Savarosapletely infused the power of her essence into Zushuatri¡¯s Mantra of the Sky: Twelve Cloud Summit. Zushuatri and Savarosa did not stop there. The two of them used a total of twelve reinforcement skills. Each of them was easily categorized as S-ranked or higher skills. As the heavenly lightning approached and smashed into the skills that were blocking its path, it cut through the first half without showing any signs of slowing down in the slightest. When it reached the halfway mark, it finally showed some signs of slowing, however, both Zushuatri and Savarosa¡¯s faces had turned pale. The amount of energy being used by the two of them was immense and constantly being drained by shing with the heavenly lightning. However, at the same time, a small smirk appeared on Savarosa¡¯s face as the heavenly lightning approached. Just what was she up to? ... Meanwhile, in the Living Forest region of the selection... ¡¯She¡¯spletely lost it.¡¯ "Kill... I¡¯ll erase it all. Everything... Trash, weaklings, everything in my path... It¡¯ll all be erased! Die! Die! Die!" Sage¡¯s words were not directed at anyone in particr. She had not even made eye contact with Izroth this entire time and it was as if she were having a conversation with herself. The look in her eyes showed that she was already far gone from reality and consumed by the Maelstrom Domain. Even if left alone, Izroth knew that Sage¡¯s fate had already been sealed the moment the Maelstrom Domain gained total control over her. With that being the case, the power of the Maelstrom Domain became increasingly devastating as the rate of corrosion sped up by leaps and bounds. Even with his Full Mantle active, Izroth found it difficult to approach Sage as the rate of corrosion had grown to a frightening degree. In fact, the de of his Sword of The Storm had already turned pitch ck from the corrosive effect. This caused Izroth¡¯s overall attack power to be cut in half making it challenging to end the fight swiftly. However, he had not yet run out of methods at his disposal. Izroth evaded the sudden bursts of winds headed towards him. The more he moved around, the faster the corrosive effects of the Maelstrom Domain took effect. This meant that before long, it was possible that both his attack and defenses would be rendered useless. Therefore, he had made a decision. ¡¯Originally, I wanted to wait until I mastered all ten sword forms, however, it seems I¡¯ll have to give the final push here. If the first two are not enough, then...¡¯ During this selection, the ten sword forms were not the only sword rted skills Izroth had been focused on learning. Ever since he started RML, the first skill he learned as abat master was a part of the Three Baneful Swords, the First Baneful Sword: Destruction. In the Shadahi Realm in his fight against boss monster Ekquilore, he learned the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. Now, it was time for him to finallyplete the Three Baneful Swords! ¡¯I¡¯ll just have to rely on the third.¡¯"Devs" is short for developers which are the people who well... Developed the game. Chapter 367 Annihilation of A Peaceful World ¡¯The corrosive effects are growing stronger with each passing moment. Even my Heavenly Golden Body is unable to protect me from it. My current options are bing increasingly limited. These Domains are quite troublesome to deal with in a direct confrontation. From what I¡¯ve seen so far in regards to the main upper eight Domains, their powers easily exceeds that of S-ranked skills. I wonder what kind of Domain that person has...¡¯ Izroth wondered how powerful the Domain of someone like Kayn or Zushuatri could be. If individuals like Sage and Roudin were able to obtain Domains, then it was highly unlikely that someone like Kayn or Zushuatri was incapable of doing so. However, it was just a simple passing thought of Izroth¡¯s. Right now, he had to find a way to get closer to deal with the corrosive effect of the Maelstrom Domain since it was directly affecting his attack, defense, and movement. Izroth exhaled a breath of cold air as his sword stance transformed into one that was rxed and without a true form. But, although his current sword stancecked a form, it was not to be underestimated. There was this hidden power that remained deep and dormant. This power appeared ready to awaken at any time, so long as Izroth willed it! With his Flickering Steps and Second State: Heavenly Cloak¡¯s Full Mantle still active, Izroth could travel at unimaginable speeds that could not bepared to his top speeds from before. The most frightening thing about this was the fact that the sound of his movements did not ring out until he had already reached his intended destination! Unfortunately, this was not something Izroth could use freely and it came with a heavy price for its continuous utilization. Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God Skill Level: 2/5 Skill Rank: S Requirements: None ?First State: Heavenly Descent?: ... ?Second State: Heavenly Cloak?: Mana Cost: 575 Active: The user¡¯s attack is increased by 25% for 10 seconds. Additionally, 15% of all the user¡¯s damage dealt is converted into lightning damage that ignores all defenses for 10 seconds. The user gains the ability to use ?Full Mantle? during this period of time. This skill shares a separate cooldown from ?Full Mantle? and can still be used while ?Full Mantle? is on cooldown. Cooldown: 13 minutes ?Full Mantle? - The user bes momentarily invulnerable to all damage and crowd control for 0.25 seconds as they are cloaked in a full mantle made from pure lightning element. The attack increase provided by ?Second State: Heavenly Cloak? is doubled to 50% for as long as ?Full Mantle? remains active. Additionally, instead of 15%, 30% of all the user¡¯s damage dealt is converted into lightning damage that ignores all defenses for as long as ?Full Mantle? remains active. The user gains the ability to use ?Compressed Lightning Movement? during this period of time. The user loses 7% of their maximum HP per second while this skill is active. Every additional 10 seconds, the user losses an additional 7% of their maximum HP. Once the user deactivates ?Full Mantle?, they will face a bacsh from it that will vary depending on how long ?Full Mantle? was active and how often ?Compressed Lightning Movement? was used. 0-10 seconds - 7% HP per second loss 11-20 seconds - 14% HP per second loss 21-30 seconds - 21% HP per second loss ... Cooldown: 24 hours ?Compressed Lightning Movement? - The user gains a temporary massive burst of movement speed that puts a great strain on the body and varies depending on the user¡¯s current level. These bursts of movements can only be used up to (Current MAX Burst: 5 times) with the user¡¯s present physique. This burst of speed allows the user to travel (Current Distance Per Burst: 70 meters per 0.10 seconds) or (Current MAX Burst Distance: 350 meters per 0.50 seconds). The user can use all burst at once. The further and at greater speeds the user travels, the greater the strain on the user¡¯s body and the faster the user¡¯s HP is drained. This skill can cause sudden death to its user if overused. This skill cannot be used without ?Full Mantle? active. Special Note: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points and the user must experience many battles to further advance. Activating another state while one is already active multiplies the mana cost by 1+(The Number of states currently active). The rank of this skill is upgraded as the user unlocks more states. This skill once belonged to a certain individual who fought single-handedly against a powerful empire and prevailed! At the moment, Sage was no longer in control of her own actions. She had beenpletely and utterly consumed by the uncontroble power of the Maelstrom Domain. This was both good and bad for Izroth. The good part was that Sage did not have the opportunity to advance her understanding of the Domain throughout their battle. However, the bad news was that with the Domain being in full control, there was nothing to restrict its terrifying energy. Since the Maelstrom Domain was also destroying Sage and affecting her with its corrosive ability, this meant that any limiters that would normally prevent such raw power from leaking out had been removed. This was an extremely dangerous situation where one wrong move could very well cost Izroth his life! Though he was confident with his current speed, the same could not be said once his movement skills ended and entered into cooldown. After skillfully evading some intense and sharp winds of the Maelstrom Domain, Izroth managed to gather enough stacks on his Sword of The Storm to activate Tempest Strikes. He poured a few points of Essence into it in order to maximize its range, changing it from 10 meters to 15 meters! Although it onlysts for 10 seconds, by the time it was over, his movement speed skills would have already ended and he wouldck the capabilities to sustain his Full Mantle. What this meant was that within the next 10 seconds, Izroth was left with two choices. To either be victorious or end up dead in defeat! Woosh! Woosh! Izroth swung twice in quick session as two des of wind soared through the air towards Sage! The first was aimed at the iing chilly gale formed from the Maelstrom Domain that had been the main source of Izroth¡¯s troubles. The second was directed towards Sage herself. The first de of wind carried a strong aura that repelled everything it came into contact with. This was due to executing the Sword Counter portion of the skill Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. He made sure to fuse it with some of his own Essence, otherwise, it would be impossible for it to stand up to the attacks generated by the Maelstrom Domain. Although it struggled for a brief moment and appeared to have almost been ovee, in the end, Izroth¡¯s Sword Counter was sessful and the intense gale of wind was redirected at Sage. As for the second de of wind, it was actually much faster than that of the first de of wind. It harbored a hint of the lightning element, however, it was separate from the wind element of the Tempest Strikes. This was Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Izroth had learned how to control the Element Fusion so that it would not forcibly drain his HP every time it was used by searching for a usable energy source. At the moment, it was impossible for Izroth to risk damaging his HP so severely and the results would surely end with his death. Therefore, he was careful to make sure that he did not mistakenly perform an Element Fusion. After all, what kind of face would he have left if he really went and killed himself? - 6,935 +7,351 - 2,066 +2,189 Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder crashed into Sage¡¯s body as Izroth¡¯s HP soared up thanks to his 106% lifesteal with his Life Reaping skill active. However, he was currently losing more than 1,800 HP per second due to the effects of his Full Mantle and the Maelstrom Domain. This was not including the strain generated by his Compressed Lightning Movement. Forget potions and in-battle HP regeneration, without any lifesteal, he would not evenst 10 seconds under these conditions. Unfortunately, he could not afford to deactivate his Full Mantle or else he would be immediately overwhelmed even with the few seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps. The second de of wind mmed into Sage and forced her back. Her head was hung low and her body hunched over, however, she soon stood up straight and in her eyes was a swirling and endless abyss of pure darkness. If one stared into them for too long, they would begin to feel themselves be drawn in and eventually be lost within the abyss itself. The expression on Sage¡¯s face was neutral andcked any kind of true emotion. This was the result of two main upper eight Domains being forciblybined, especially Wind and Water. With the two vying for dominance of the host body, it created a raging maelstrom which led to the Maelstrom Domaining into existence. However, such power was too great for someone like Sage to handle. In the end, she was slowly killing herself! Izroth, however, found Sage¡¯s action illogical, irrational, and confusing, to say the least. Not only was she out to im his life for no apparent reason, but she was even willing to use a power beyond her current means to do so. To invoke such a strong hatred and rage towards someone she had not even met before today... This was something Izroth could not understand. What could possibly have caused her to hold him in such extreme contempt and treat him with disdain? She should not be so blind as to fail to notice his strength. He was far from being "trash" or a "weakling" and Sage should already know this by now. If that was her main issue with him and it was already proven false, was she just doing so to maintain her face? But, was self-destruction really a price worth paying? This entire situation caused Izroth to inwardly shake his head. Despite her overbearing and arrogant behavior, he felt mostly pity for individuals like her who was willing to sacrifice so much for so little in return. One was not born with hatred and it was something that manifested over time. The world, people, one¡¯s environment... Any of these things were easily capable of breeding an endless hatred. ¡¯Those who exist in this world have their own troubles and demons to deal with. This Sage has fought against her demons, but sadly...¡¯ A quiet yet oppressive aura appeared around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm as the color of the de turned pitch ck and it was not caused by the effects of the Maelstrom! In fact, it was such a pure darkness that even light was swallowed the instant it came into contact with the de¡¯s surface. ¡¯She has lost the internal battle. The moment this Maelstrom Domain was formed, she had already perished from this world leaving behind an empty shell of destruction. But, do not be concerned. In death, I do not me you. Since that is the case, allow me to help you rest with ease.¡¯ Izroth held his Sword of The Storm horizontally out in front of him with one hand. At the same time, the sound of a slow heartbeat could be heard, however, it was uncertain where the sound of this heartbeat wasing from. But, it started to speed up with each heartbeat and not before long, it got to a point where the beating heart beat so fast that it fell silent. Ooooooooooooom! There was a strange and unique humming sound that resonated throughout the atmosphere, however, this sound onlysted for a brief moment. "Third Baneful Sword..." Izroth slowly closed his eyes and it was as though he had be one with the area around him. All of a sudden, a devastating pressure descended upon the surrounding 50 meters branching out from Izroth¡¯s location! It was a vile aura filled with the stench of destruction and saturated killing intent. Within this 50 meters, all fell silent. It was as if even sound itself knew the meaning of fear in the presence of this terrifying intent. In the eyes of those within 50 meters, the surrounding area had turned to ck and white, forcing even the domineering Maelstrom Domain to make some concessions! In that single instance, everything was silent. Everything was still. Everything was strangely... Peaceful. "Annihtion..." It was at the exact moment this word left Izroth¡¯s mouth that the peaceful world... Was annihted. Chapter 368 Returning To A Peaceful World, A Pitiful Existence ... Meanwhile, in the sky above the Sky Pce... The thunderous roar of the heavenly lightning shook the Mortal Realm when it first descended. With thebined powers of Zushuatri and Savarosa, two existences at the peak of the legendary realm, they attempted to fend off the devastating punishment that came along naturally with defying the intendedws of nature and the world itself. Despite Savarosa empowering Zushuatri¡¯s Mantra of the Sky: Twelve Cloud Summit with her Supreme Breath of Augmentation, the twelveyers of barriers did notst even a full second under the domineering force of the heavenly lightning. It was forcibly torn through like fragile sheets of paper, however, it was not without its own merits. It provided a brief window of opportunity that allowed for the Zushuatri and Savarosa to set up additional defenses. With each attempt to stop the heavenly lightning, it slowed down just a bit more every time it came into contact with one of their skills. This was not something that was possible even for most other legendary existences, after all, the heavenly lightning was too overbearing to halt in the slightest. Zushuatri lifted both his hands towards the sky as he formed a myriad of mantras that spread out into massive yet thin veil. When the heavenly lightning met this veil, it was actuallypletely halted for 0.05 seconds. While this may not seem like a very long time in the eyes of the majority of individuals, the same could not be said for those who were at a higher level. Zushuatri was giving it his all to protect the Sky Pce below him. Since he was entrusted with the responsibility of their safety while they were participating in the selection, how could he allow harm from outside sources to befall them during that time? However, Zushuatri had this feeling of unease that developed internally within him. Even though the heavenly lightning was actually being slowed down, it showed no signs of stopping or conceding whatsoever. Needless to say, this was Zushuatri¡¯s first time facing something like heavenly lightning. "It seems my old age is catching up to me. If only I had a few more years at that time, then I..." Zushuatri thought to himself as he inwardly sighed. It was not easy for one tock regrets when they had been alive for as long as Zushuatri. Though, of course, the biggest regret held by those simr to him who had managed the reach the peak of the legendary realm in their lifetime was not being capable enough to step into the divine realm. He knew that such wishful thoughts now belonged to the next generation. As the heavenly lightning crushed and smashed through everything in its path, a calm look could be found on Savarosa¡¯s face. But, her mind was constantly churning with a multitude of thoughts as the heavenly lightning arrived closer to their position. "This heavenly lightning cannot be stopped, only temporarily dyed. At this rate, the Sky Pce is finished." Savarosa thought to herself. Normally, this would be good news for her since with Zushautri out of the picture there was no one to prevent her from taking away what was rightfully hers. However, it was somewhat troublesome under the current set of circumstances. The heavenly lightning continued to grow in strength with each passing moment. It did not bend to the will of anyone or anything. If something was in its path, then only destruction awaited it! Zushuatri coughed up blood from the overwhelming pressure generated by the heavenly lightning. At this point, it was difficult for him to even maintain his flight! But, just as the heavenly lightning was pushing Zushuatri to his limits and causing Savarosa to reevaluate her decision, something unbelievable happened. All of a sudden, the heavenly lightningpletely halted its movements. Quite literally, the heavenly lightning was frozen in mid-air as it descended from the firmament! What was going on? Even if the two of them wanted to brag that they were so powerful that even the heavenly lightning could only stop before their might, they would not dare to do so. Without a doubt, they understood that it was not their efforts that had caused this bizarre phenomenon to ur. Then, as if being called and pulled back towards the firmament, the heavenly lightning retreated back to where it originally came from. The cracks that it made while breaking through the firmament were also mended and not a single trace of it ever having descended upon the Mortal Realm remained. Zushuatri furrowed his brows as he tried to understand the actions of the heavenly lightning. Even though he had never directly faced off against it before today, that did not mean that he was ignorant of the knowledge pertaining to it. From his current knowledge, there were only three ways for heavenly lightning to return to the firmament. The first was that a person who had sessfully stepped into the divine realm was able to survive its impact sessfully and so it retreated having aplished its task. The second reason was unlikely as it involved a being in the divine realm directly interfering and forcing its retreat. However, their influence was extremely limited in the realms below the firmament, therefore, unless they were willing to make huge sacrifices then it should be impossible. The final reason was that whatever caused the heavenly lightning to descend in the first ce no longer existed in this world. If that was the case, then naturally there was no longer any reason for the heavenly lightning to continue with its assault. However, that would mean... "It can¡¯t be...!" Zushuatri thought to himself as a look of shock appeared on his face. But, that should be impossible with the restrictions he had set into ce on the Sky Pce! He quickly set his gaze upon the Sky Pce as he scanned the regions below for a certain individual. But, as Zushuatri was doing this, he felt an exploding killing intent emerge from right next to him. This immediately caused him to temporarily call off his search and increase his guard. He had just nearly made a grave error in his hastened actions! How could he forget about someone as devious as Savarosa? As he faced Savarosa and was about to speak, he suddenly realized that this massive killing intent was not directed towards him. Instead, Savaosa¡¯s killing intent was focused on the Living Forest down below. Or to be more specific, an individual within the Living Forest. "This brat... This brat..! You dare..." A vicious look found its way onto Savarosa¡¯s face. For the first time since her arrival at the Sky Pce, she had shown some actual emotion. "YOU DARE!!!" Savarosa entered into a state filled with unbridled rage as she sped off with great speeds towards the Sky Pce. "Halt!" Zushuatri swiftly gave chase, however, his body suddenly froze as he violently coughed up blood which caused him to fall far behind Savarosa. The heavenly lightning had done more damage than he originally thought. It appeared that Savarosa had not put in as much effort as him when it came to defending against the heavenly lightning! Though Zushuatri knew that this was a bad situation. In her current state, it seemed as if Savarosa could no longer be reasoned with. If so, then even with the defenses of the Sky Pce in ce, without him there in time to operate them... Every individual participating in the selection would be wiped out without mercy! ... Izroth unhurriedly opened his eyes. When he performed this small action, the ck and white world ceased to exist. The area within 50 meters was dead silent to the point where even the howl and whisper of the wind could not be heard. As for the Maelstrom Domain, it had vanished without leaving a single trace behind in the process. Izroth¡¯s Second State: Heavenly Cloak Full Mantle had worn off and the mantle made of pure lightning that covered his body had crumbled and faded away. The tempest around his sword and his flickering movement had both followed suit. The corrodedyers that had formed over his weapon, armor, and body had disintegrated into streams of ck smoke. ¡¯This feeling that had long since been lost on me... How familiar...¡¯ Izroth looked down at the Sword of The Storm in his hand. The de of the sword had returned to its normal azure color. The Three Baneful Swords had finally been reunited with one another. Destroy all that blocks your path, kill those who dare to stand before the de of your sword, and... Annihte the peaceful world, then return it to peace. Izroth remembered these words as if they were spoken to him just yesterday. Back then, the Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion stumped the young and fairly new cultivator Izroth. His understanding of the sword at that point could only be considered shallow at best. At that time, the final part of the Three Baneful Swords was always lost on him. After all, he had been taught that a sword¡¯s sole existence was not to protect, not to conquer, but to kill. Anything else was simply a fantasy painted by those who tried to shove their own moral values down the throats of others. Izroth returned his sword to its sheath as he moved forward step by step beforeing to a sudden halt. He looked down and there he saw a girl with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. It may have been lost on others, but at thest moment before that world of ck and white disappeared, Izroth unmistakably saw it with his own eyes. The look of someone whose entire existence could only be summarized as pitiful. No matter what world one lived in, life remained unfair. Be it the Seven Realms, Earth, or even RML, they all had one thing inmon. There were always those who would be broken by it. ¡¯I wonder, do you curse me even in death?¡¯ Izroth could not help but have this thought cross his mind as he witnessed Sage¡¯s particles slowly dissipating towards the sky. Kayn, who had spectated the events that unfolded, was taken aback for the first time in a long time. When did such a rare genius appear among the humans? If it was someone of the Trephasia or Zensara race, then it would have been understandable, but humans were not well known for their innate talent whenpared to other races. Of course, their overall potential was somewhat increased because of it, but Izroth appeared to be a unique case. "Have the humans ever birthed such a terrifying genius? Even if they did, the number should not exceed that of one¡¯s fingers... It seems my instinct did not mislead me about him, however..." Kayn muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows. Kayn then released a deep sigh as he saw Sage leaving this world. He did not know why the magic formation on the Sky Pce did not protect Sage, however, he soon realized that all the magic formations on the Sky Pce had been disabled! "Could it be...?" Kayn muttered to himself as he thought of the heavenly lightning. Since magic formations relied heavily upon the naturalws in the atmosphere to function, it was not unreasonable that something full of naturalws such as the heavenly lightning could interfere with it. In fact, it would be strange if it did not cause any issues given how boundless the naturalws contained within a single bolt of heavenly lightning was. Kayn had a look of pity in his eyes. Since he was the one who arranged for this fight to happen, he would personally take responsibility if Zushuatri wanted to pursue the matter. However, just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly heard a booming voice descend down from the skies above. "YOU DARE!!!!" This voice immediately caught the attention of both Izroth and Kayn as their focus shifted to the strange phenomenon that was headed towards the Sky Pce from the direction where the heavenly lightning had just taken ce. Space itself was being physically altered and shattered as a figure began toe into view. Of course, this person was none other than Savarosa and right now, there was an aura of absolute madness around her. "How did they manage to slip into the Sky Pce past old man Zushuatri? This is bad..!" Kayn realized that this was someone at the peak of the legendary realm in an enraged state. To make matters even worse, she was headed straight towards Izroth with the intention to kill! Chapter 369 Everything Grinding To A Halt, The Mysterious Man Appears! Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense sounded off the rm in his head as he felt an overwhelming killing intent rushing towards him from far above. It had only been a few moments since the previous heavy pressure had been lifted, and yet a new threat had now appeared in its ce. While it could not bepared to the pressure from before, it was still at a level that Izroth knew he would be incapable of handling with his current amount of strength. Not to mention... ¡¯My skills are temporarily locked and my stats have decreased. Is this the bacsh from overusing the Full Mantle state?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth¡¯s total stats had been reduced by 75%! That¡¯s not all, but his skills had also been locked and he was currently unable to use them. Even his passive skills had been restricted to some degree. Normally, the bacsh from using Full Mantle was not this bad, however, not only had he overused it, but he even dared to have Flickering Steps active at the same time! Izroth¡¯s physical body could not handle the stress of using both Flickering Steps and the Second State: Heavenly Cloak¡¯s Full Mantle. Therefore, the bacsh was not small by any means. This is what Izroth wanted to avoid the most and it was also the reason why he restricted extended usage of Full Mantle to emergencies. He understood that if he allowed that Maelstrom Domain to fully stabilize, then his chances of victory would have fallen drastically. "Die!" Savarosa cried out in a fit of rage. Decades... She had spent decades of hard work trying to sessfully aplish a fusion of two main upper eight Domains. After all this time she had finally managed to seed, however, all of her efforts had just gone down the drain in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but it took ce right before her! Right now, there was nothing in the Mortal Realm that would stop her from tearing that brat below into unrecognizable pieces. Izroth shook his head inwardly. Why was it that so many strangers wanted him dead for no apparent reason today? However, when Izroth received a closer look at the figure who was headed right towards him, he was a bit surprised. That person bore a striking resemnce to Sage! The main difference was that she possessed a more mature appearance andcked the pink markings on her face. ¡¯I see.¡¯ Izroth believed that the woman who wanted him dead must be rted to Sage in some way. If that was the case, then it certainly made sense that she would want revenge. But, what Izroth did not know was that Savarosa did not care for Sage herself, but the precious secret that was contained within her body. Without it, how many more years would it take for her to recreate the same set of circumstances? ¡¯Will I have to use that item here? No, even if I did, there¡¯s no guarantee that I¡¯ll survive. With my current level of strength, it¡¯s too much of a gamble. However, do I even have a choice?¡¯ Izroth was torn between what to do. If he really did use that item in this ce, then he would consider it as being a huge waste! However, if he refrained from doing so, then his death was inevitable. As Izroth was debating whether or not to use the item, Kayn traveled forward at great speeds as a pair of brilliant golden wings formed from sun-colored mes appeared behind his back. He skillfully moved through the air and positioned himself in between Izroth and Savarosa. He was unsure where old man Zushuatri was at the moment, but with him being away the responsibility of keeping those on the Sky Pce safe had fallen into his hands. "Calm yourself! Do you know the consequences of outsiders attacking participants of the selection while it¡¯s still taking ce?!" Kayn shouted as he tried to talk some sense into Savarosa. Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears. "Move!" Savarosa erupted as she waved her hand and a powerful energy emerged from out of a tear in space. This energy was extremely unstable and dangerous for lifeforms toe into contact with. When Kayn observed Savarosa¡¯s overbearing measures, he unleashed his power in full force as the golden mes epassed his body andpletely enveloped him from head to toe. He knew that this was not someone he could afford to hold back against! BOOOOOM! Kayn¡¯s golden-colored mes collided with the strange energy that left the tear of space, however, the strange energy seemed to absorb, convert, and then release the power of Kayn¡¯s own mes! In turn, this caused Kayn to be pushed back by the constantly increased force and it was not long before he was sent flying back. Kayn rapidly fell from the sky as his body mmed into the Sky Pce, creating a crater in the area of hisnding. In the end, Kayn may have been a genius among the true dragons, but he was still not the opponent of someone at the peak of the legendary realm like Savarosa. Just blocking that strange energy had drained arge portion of his strength! Savarosa, on the other hand, was inwardly shocked that Kayn survived. That strange energy she just released was meant to im one of Kayn¡¯s arms. Even if she was in a fit of rage, she knew Kayn¡¯s identity as the third young master of the Dragon Pce. An arm was nothing much to fix with the vast resources of the true dragon race, but if she took his life then she would be making an enemy of the entire Dragon Pce! If that happened, then there would be nowhere left to hide for her within the Mortal Realm or any other realm for that matter. The only one she wanted dead at the moment was Izroth! All of a sudden, Izroth¡¯s eyes caught sight of Zushuatri who was closing in fast on Savarosa. But, he knew that from how fast the two were moving, Savarosa would reach him long before Zushuatri was within range. ¡¯It looks like there really is no choice, then...¡¯ Izroth did note this far just to forfeit his life at the Sky Pce. He opened his inventory. But, just as he was about to remove an item from his inventory, everything froze in ce. The cloud of dust that formed as a result of Kayn crashing into the Sky Pce, Savarosa who was in mid-air with a look of fury on her face, Zushuatri who was far behind trying to catch up to Savarosa to protect the Sky Pce, and even the leaves on the trees in the Living Forest hade to a grinding halt. ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Izroth observed his surroundings and realized that he was the only one capable of moving around freely. Everyone and everything else waspletely motionless as if time hade to a sudden stop. This was definitely above the level of any item or skill Izroth currently had in his possession. There was also no way that it was the doing of Kayn, Savarosa, or Zushuatri considering they were all motionless. Out of nowhere, Izroth turned around to look behind him. There sitting peacefully upon a sizable stone was a barefooted man dressed in strange white clothing wearing a hood that only revealed the lower area of his face. It was difficult to make out any of his physical traits, but he was neither tall nor short and his short sleeves revealed a well-defined muscle tone. Although it was hard to see, there were a few strands of silver hair that peeked from out of his hood. ¡¯I can¡¯t sense his presence at all. He¡¯s a dangerous one.¡¯ Just now, Izroth had briefly sensed his presence, but that was only because that person allowed him to. The moment Izroth turned around, that person¡¯s presence had vanished once again. Even Aru, a member of the Phantasmal race who specialized in hiding their presence, was unable to avoid his direction from such a close range! However, Izroth knew that this person was unlikely to have any bad intentions towards him. Otherwise, he may not even know how he had died! ¡¯This atmosphere... Is it a Domain? It feels somewhat simr to the Maelstrom Domain, but... Can this person control time? Isn¡¯t that a bit ridiculous?¡¯ How legendary was the power to control time? With it, one was practically invincible among those of simr strength! Even those who were stronger would not necessarily stand a chance against them! Even now, a powerful legendary existence like Zushuatri was caught under its influence. Just who was this strange individual? At first, there was absolute silence. But, after a few seconds passed by, the person before Izroth finally spoke. "Has little Aru treated you well?" The mysterious man asked in a calm and unhurried manner. His voice was neither arrogant nor submissive. In fact, there was an unusual calmness to it that made one want to naturally rx their guard around it. Izroth was taken aback. Little Aru? This person knew who Aru was? If that was the case, then could they possibly be the one who assigned Aru to follow him around and eventually invite him along to participate in the selection? Izroth remembered his conversation with Aru and he was extremely tight-lipped when it came to the identity of the person who gave him his assignment. But, ording to Aru, it was someone he could not afford to offend within the Mortal Realm. With the grand power currently being disyed, at the very least, he could see why those words left Aru¡¯s mouth. However, Izroth had never met this person before and their presence did not feel familiar whatsoever. So this left a question lingering in his mind, what exactly did this person gain from all of this? Also, what did that person want from him in return? "I have noints." Izroth responded. Although Aru¡¯s personality was somewhat strange, Izroth did not particrly mind it. A light smile appeared on the mysterious man¡¯s face as he said, "Good. He is still young and inexperienced so I was worried that he would cause some unnecessary trouble. I am pleased to see that my worries were inessential." After he finished speaking, silence once again filled the surroundings. This caused Izroth to ask the main question that was on his mind. "Who are you?" Izroth questioned. "It is not yet time for you to know. In time, the answers to all of your questions will naturally be acquired." The mysterious man answered. Even though Izroth tried to view the system information of the mysterious man, all of his information was hidden. Since it turned out to be that way, all Izroth could do was make wild spections. Though it made him wonder... Between the old man he met back in the Towering Oak Forest, Zhi, or the one before him... Who was more powerful? One thing was for sure, this person was definitely within the top 3 most powerful individuals Izroth hade across within RML. The mysterious man stood to his feet. At the same time, a unique hourss with scattered particles inside appeared within his hand. These scattered particles acted as the grains of sand that were normally inside of hoursses. He flipped the hourss upside down as the flow of scattered particles reversed itself. As it did so, a human figure began to form on the ground in front of the mysterious man. A few momentster, what Izroth saw caused him to be shocked. The moment the scattered particles finished pouring from the top to the bottom of the hourss, the hourss itself shattered. The human figure on the ground was covered in a bright white light, however, that light vanished the instant the hourss was shattered. Lying peacefully on the ground was none other than Sage! But, how was this possible? Named NPCs were different frommon monsters within RML. Once a named NPC died, there was no reviving them. This was a well-known fact provided by the beta yers who personally tested this theory. Named NPCs were not like yers that could simply respawn after death. Once they were dead, that was it. As if sensing Izroth¡¯s bewilderment, the mysterious man said, "This little one cannot die yet. There is still a purpose that she must serve. Do you still wish to kill her again?" Chapter 370 The Mysterious Mans Gift, The Selection Ends! Izroth set his gaze onto Sage, however, he soon shook his head as he responded, "She has already paid the price with her life. I am not a man who lingers on the past. What¡¯s done is done." There was nothing personal Izroth had against Sage, therefore, as long as she did not continue trying to unjustly im his life, then he did not see a problem with the mysterious man¡¯s actions. However, if she had not learned her lesson even in death, then even if that mysterious man had other ns in mind... One could not me him for the end result. The mysterious man gave a small nod as he said, "Lingering too long on small matters will only limit one¡¯s own potential. Your mind is in the correct ce. Allow me to lend you a hand in your troubles." He then held his hand out towards Izroth as various symbols of time appeared on it. At the same time, Izroth suddenly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. What was this strange and free feeling? Izroth looked down at his hands as he opened and closed them a few times. The bacsh from the Full Mantle was still there and had not vanished, his Source was still depleted, and his skills were still temporarily disabled. But, despite all of this, he still felt incredibly free. A few secondster, a bizarre orb containing a dark purple energy appeared within the mysterious man¡¯s hand. With a single wave of his hand, the orb vanished and was sealed away. "Someone above the firmament has their eyes on you to the extent that they were willing to ce a hidden restriction inside of your body. That restriction was limiting your growth and secretly eating away at the natural Essence being drawn into your body. I have removed that restriction and sealed it away, however, it cannot be destroyed. Once it is destroyed, whoever set the restriction in ce will immediately be alerted and you may be afflicted yet again." The mysterious man exined. He then continued, "If this were the Divine Realm, it would have been impossible for me to remove the hidden restriction. However, since those above the firmament are limited in what they can and cannot do down below, it does not require much effort to take care of a simple restriction such as this." ¡¯It looks like I have hidden enemies. But, where did theye from?¡¯ Right when the bizarre orb in that mysterious man¡¯s hand disappeared, that was when Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: The hidden restriction that was ced on your body has been lifted!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The trait ability ?Perfect Source Compatibility? has been unlocked!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The generating data on ?Unknown Skill? has been corrected!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The new processing time for ?Unknown Skill? has been set to 30 days!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Due to previously generated data, the initial stage of the skill ?Unknown Skill? has been unlocked! Please name the skill!¡µ ¡¯This is...!¡¯ Izroth was not often shocked, but this time, he had to admit that this was somethingpletely unexpected! The familiar and unique energy he felt coursing throughout his body was without a doubt one that had eluded him for a long time. Although it was currently iplete, he was positive that he was not mistaken. ¡¯The Boundless Emperor Void Perfection!¡¯ It was actually the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection! One had to know that the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection was among one of the first skills Izroth learned within RML, however, every time it would get close topletion, the time would suddenly increase without exnation. Or rather, it kept giving the excuse of "insufficient data" and needing a longer time to generate. Could it be that all this time that it was due to that hidden restriction ced upon his body? Also, it was no small restriction. It was a restriction for someone above the firmament. In other words, an existence within the divine realm! There was also the fact that he unlocked Perfect Source Compatibility. This meant that his Source would be able to grow stronger even without him doing anything. Of course, he would be even stronger if he put in the effort alongside having Perfect Source Compatibility. But, in the end, the biggest take away was undoubtedly the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. How many days, weeks, months even had passed in-game since the skill first began to generate? Skill Name: Boundless Emperor Void Perfection Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1 Skill Rank: Growth(Current Rank Equivalent: E-) ... Just as Izroth was about to read over the rest of the skill, the voice of the mysterious man sounded out and grabbed his attention. "With this, your life should no longer be in any immediate danger." The mysterious man said as he looked towards Sage. Since her death was the source of Savarosa¡¯s outburst, once she discovered that Sage was still alive, she would not interfere in the selection process and risk offending the legendary existences who swore to gather and attack whoever forcibly interfered in the selection while it was taking ce. "This favor is one that will not go unpaid. If there is anything you need of me in the future, do not hesitate to ask. I will return this favor to you that day." Izroth stated. He did not like owing favors to others, therefore, he would make sure to repay this mysterious man before him one day. "I will hold you to your word. When that dayes, perhaps..." The mysterious man slowly faded away as thest few words were inaudible. Despite this, Izroth perfectly understood the exact words that left his mouth. ¡¯When that dayes, perhaps fate will smile upon us all.¡¯ Izroth did not know what the mysterious man meant by these words, however, this encounter had left him with more questions than answers. Who was that man? Why did he help him? Why did he want him to participate in this selection? Who was it that wanted to forcibly restrict his growth and progress? In the end, Izroth could only release a long sigh before pushing these questions to that back of his mind. Theck of information was too severe for him to even begin specting or attempt to answer those questions. For the time being, all he could do was remain patient. He believed that one way or another, he would find the answers he was searching for. Around five seconds after the mysterious man vanished, time began to flow once more. "Die!" Savarosa roared as she was about to unleash a wave of destruction upon Izroth, however, as she was closing in she stopped dead in her tracks as a look of shock and disbelief appeared on her face. The killing intent that she was releasing had disappeared and her attention was focused on the figure lying unconsciously on the ground. But, how was this possible? No, it should not be possible! Without a doubt, Sage had died! Savarosa furrowed her brows as she sensed some unusual lingering energy in the atmosphere. This was... A Domain? Not just any Domain, but an extremely powerful one. This Domain definitely belonged to the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains! Savarosa stepped onto the Sky Pce and stopped in front of Sage. She examined Sage to make sure that she was not mistaken and sure enough, they were still alive. A few momentster, Zushuatri arrived at the Sky Pce and had his gaze set on Savarosa. To be honest, he too was surprised that Sage was still alive as he had sensed her death from above. However, he did not have the time to enjoy the good news since he still had to deal with this troublesome person. "What do you intend to do?" Zushuatri asked in a serious tone. He secretly wondered why Savarosa did not attempt to take Sage away while he was still out of attack range of the Sky Pce. But, just because she did not take her away immediately, did not mean that he would let his guard down against that sly fox. Savarosa was silent at first before she turned to look towards Zushuatri as she replied, "There has been enough excitement for one day. I will take my leave for today, however..." Her gaze moved onto Sage as she continued, "It is finallyplete... Finally...! I will return for it another day." Savarosa reached her hand forward and tore open the space before her as a passageway into nothingness appeared. She did not know who it was, but someone extremely powerful was definitely here just now. It was too big of a risk for her to make a move at the moment. She stepped one foot into the passageway, but she stopped herself as she faced in the direction of Kayn who had already stood to his feet. Although he was not in critical condition, needless to say, he was still injured by Savarosa¡¯s vicious attack a few moments ago. "My daughter had just been killed before my eyes and I was seeking revenge, however, the third young master of the Dragon Pce tried to prevent me from doing so. I hope that the young dragon prince can understand my love as a mother and excuse my offense without seeking to file a grievance." Savarosa said as if her choice of words had already been thought of beforehand. The tone of her voice was not sincere at all, however, Kayn gave a simple nod in response. While her words were not sincere, in the end, it was the way she worded them. Indeed, a mother had all the right in the world to kill the person who murdered her child. How could his strict and fair father possibly pursue such a matter when the opposing side was justified in their actions even if it was technically during the selection process? In fact, it was even likely that he would be punished for interfering! "Then, you will have to excuse my abrupt departure." Savarosa entered into the passageway as it immediately closed behind her. She had left the Sky Pce. Zushuatri let out a deep and troubled sigh. He understood that Savarosa was only making a temporary retreat. Now that Sage had sessfully acquired the Maelstrom Domain, her methods would only grow more cruel and cunning to take her away from the Sky Pce. This was something he knew he had to prepare for. "Young man, as her master, I will thank you on her behalf for sparing her life. This old man will never forget this debt. Although my student is a bit troubled, it does not excuse her behavior. Therefore, I will ask for forgiveness in her ce." Zushuatri said to Izroth in a sincere tone. As for the unknown entity who had trespassed on his Sky Pce... He knew what questions not to ask when it came to that person. Izroth did not know whether tough or cry. Well, he supposed it would be best if Zushuatri really did think that way. There was nothing to be gained from correcting him. "Since the master of the Sky Pce is so sincere, how can I hold a grudge? Rest assured, what¡¯s done is done." Izroth stated. Kayn was silent as he watched Izroth and Zushuatri exchange words. He felt that something was off about Izroth. That overbearing power that had been suppressing him had disappeared without a trace! But, it looked as if Izroth did not want to discuss this matter, for the time being, therefore, he would not pursue it. After discussing a few things and exchanging friendly words, Zushuatri cleared his throat and said, "Now, it¡¯s about time I return to the tform. Will you apany me, third young master?" With that, Zushuatri and Kayn headed back towards the pce along with the unconscious Sage. Once everything ended, there were no other exciting or unexpected events. Thest few minutes of the selection seemed to fly by and after things finally settled down, the selection came to its official end. ... The remaining participants in the selection were transported back to the tform after it ended. In the end, they were only a total of 20 participants that remained from the initial 1,000 participants. That was only a 2% survival rate! "The end of the second team¡¯s selection is officially over! I shall now announce the top ten participants! These ten members will act as representatives of the Mortal Realm in the uing Lustrum Imperial Bout!" Zushuatri announced which caused the remaining participants to grow restless. The same thing was on all of their minds- Who made it into the top ten? However, Izroth had a different question on his mind. ¡¯Lustrum Imperial Bout?¡¯ Chapter 371 Information Regarding The Lustrum Imperial Bout, The Top Ten Announced! On the stage area of the tform was Zushuatri along with six of his students, and Kayn. As for Sphinx and Sage, the two of them were nowhere to be seen. When the other participants saw that some of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students were missing, they began to let their imagination run wild at the possible exnations for their absence. However, no one dared to ask any questions about this matter, especially since Master Zushuatri was currently speaking. Still, once Zushuatri said the words "Lustrum Imperial Bout", the realization started to finally sink in and the participants could not help but hold back their excitement. Besides Izroth and a few other individuals, everyone failed to hide their anticipation of the top ten announcement. Even those who knew that they did not make it into the top ten were looking forward to it. This was the perfect chance to exchange pleasantries to get on the good side of the amazing future talents of the Mortal Realm and to build some connections. This was another huge side benefit of surviving the selection! "I am sure that all of you understand what it means to participate in the Lustrum Imperial Bout, however, in order to avoid any potential misunderstandings I shall exin it to you in detail. The Lustrum Imperial Bout..." Zushuatri spoke in an unhurried manner as he exined the contents and history of the Lustrum Imperial Bout to those present. Since the majority of the remaining participants already knew what the Lustrum Imperial Bout was about, there were few who listened in earnest. However, this was Izroth¡¯s first time hearing about such a grand event. He made sure not to miss a single word that left Zushuatri¡¯s mouth and quickly formed a full picture of why this selection process was so important. The Lustrum Imperial Bout took ce once every five years in a mysterious realm known as the Imperial Penins Realm. It was simr to the Chaotic Dogma Realm in that it could not be entered into freely and only opened up at specific intervals of time. Although the Imperial Penins Realm was not a ce of exploration like the Chaotic Dogma Realm, ording to Zushuatri, it still contained many hidden secrets that even those in the legendary realm failed to uncover. The main purpose of the Imperial Penins Realm was to act as a grand stage for the Lustrum Imperial Bout. It was a neutral mysterious realm that belonged to no one, therefore, it served as the perfect ce for a meeting between the various great powers. The Imperial Penins Realm was split into five different sections. The fifth and utmost bottom section was a general area where the various groups would meet before the official event took ce. As for the other four sections, each one was for a respective team. The fourth section was for the fourth team, the third second for the third team and so on. Each section had a set of trials and after sessfully undergoing all the trials, a grand bout was held to determine the final rankings. The greater one¡¯s ranking in the Lustrum Imperial Bout, the greater the rewards and benefits they would reap from the Imperial Penins Realm! The Mortal Realm, as well as the other realms, each formed four separate teams that were restricted by one¡¯s age. While there were exceptions where sometimes the those who were younger would end up on higher teams due to their monstrous talent, such as Kayn being ced within the first team, one could not be ced on a lower team if their age exceeded a certain number. For example, the second team consisted of those under the age of 30. This meant that anyone at or above the age of 30 would be unable to join the second team, however, they could join the first team with those who were below the age of 40. The third team consisted of those whose ages did not exceed 25 and the fourth team was made up of individuals at the age of 20 and younger. Although someone at the age of 25 or even 20 could join the first team, it was simply unheard of due to the natural gap in strength that existed between the different age groups. After all, geniuses like Kayn did not just sprout up from the ground in the Mortal Realm. Though what grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention the most was the purpose that the Lustrum Imperial Bout served and the opponents that would await them. ¡¯As I thought, there really are many others out there. The question is, just how many are there?¡¯ Izroth discovered that the opponents they would be facing did not originate from the Mortal Realm, but from other realms! While Zushuatri did not go into too many details regarding the specifics of the realms, Izroth understood that those realms were not ces where humans could tread freely given the dangers and theck of support from their own kind. This was because in most of those realms, humans did not exist or they were on the weaker end of the spectrum. Zushuatri released a deep sigh as he said, "For thest two decades, the second team of our Mortal Realm has shown poor results while our first team has only managed to ce in the top ten twice in theirst four Lustrum Imperial Bouts. As for our second team... They have always been in the bottom five." There was a look of disappointment on Zushuatri¡¯s face as he spoke. He then continued, "As for the other third and fourth team... Well, these two are not even worth mentioning." Everyone was shocked when they heard Zushuatri¡¯s words. He was joking, right? Those powerful individuals, who made it onto the second team in the previous years and were seen as the future talents of the Mortal Realm, were not capable of even climbing up out of the bottom five?! How was that even possible? Even the illustrious first team filled with absolute monstrous talents was only able to make it into the top ten twice out of four Lustrum Imperial Bouts! The atmosphere grew tense as the remaining participants started to be nervous. "What¡¯s this? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re all too scared to fight after hearing these words. With me leading the first team, so what if you brats ce in the bottom five? Aren¡¯t you a little too full of yourselves? I n on stealing all the glory for myself while leading the first team to im the number one spot in the Lustrum Imperial Bout!" Kayn said with a grin on his face as he swept his gaze over the participants. At first, everyone was silent. However, after a few moments passed by, Izroth was the first to break the silence. "I, Izroth, also n on stealing all the glory, therefore, I¡¯m afraid the prince of the Dragon Pce will have to be disappointed." Izroth said in a carefree tone. He understood what Kayn¡¯s intentions were and decided to lend him a hand as thanks for assisting him with his Essence and his Seal of Ten Chakrams. A grin formed on Kayn¡¯s face as he responded, "Oh? You dare want to im the glory of this young master for yourself?" When those words left Kayn¡¯s mouth, the other participants looked at Izroth as if he were insane and had a death wish. That was the third young master of the Dragon Pce he was speaking to! Did he want to die?! Though more importantly, the majority of the participants were curious and baffled as to how someone as weak as Izroth actually managed to survive the selection. However, he was risking all of that by having just offended the third young master of the Dragon Pce! Even Zushuatri¡¯s six students had frowns form on their faces when they heard Izroth¡¯s bold words. With that level of strength, even if he did survive the selection, luck definitely yed a major role. Therefore, how could he dare talk about stealing any glory? What a joke! A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he held up one finger and replied, "This year at the Lustrum Imperial Bout, the second team will im the number one spot in the secondyer." "Ridiculous...!" One of Zushuatri¡¯s students could not help but unconsciously utter that word from his mouth. What a bold and arrogant statement to make so grandly before everyone. Just what did he think the Lustrum Imperial Bout was? "The words you speak are bold. What makes you so confident that the second team will im the number one spot this year?" Kayn asked as he narrowed his eyes slightly. In truth, even he was surprised by Izroth¡¯s grand statement. He knew that Izroth was helping him out by ying along, but he never expected him to go this far to do so. "Because I¡¯ll be there." Izroth stated without the slightest bit of hesitation in his voice. The others nearly coughed up blood when they heard Izroth speak. Because he¡¯d be there? The arrogance was too much for them to handle. How could someone be born this conceited?! "This guy is dead for sure speaking such nonsense before the third young master..." One of the participants said. However, contrary to their expectations, Kayn erupted into a burst of joyousughter as he roared, "Ahahaha, well said! A real man does not go back on his word! If the second team ims first ce because of your efforts, this young master is willing to acknowledge you as his brother!" What?! The third young master was willing to acknowledge him as a brother? With that kind of influence and backing, who in the entire Mortal Realm would dare to mess with him in the future? All of a sudden, the remaining participants had forgotten their previous nerves. How could they lose out to someone like that? If he wanted to steal the glory for himself, then he would have to first do so after them, not before! Izroth caught the attention of six specific individuals. Out of the six individuals, four of them had strange symbols on their forehead. As for the other two, one of them was incredibly mysterious and constantly shrouded by an unusual ck mist. Thest one, however, was actually someone Izroth had met before. It was none other than Lances, the individual Izroth had met before his first relocation took ce within the selection! "As I thought, this guy really isn¡¯t so simple." Lances thought to himself. He had witnessed Izroth¡¯s fight against those other participants and so he knew that it was not his luck that brought him along this far. "Hmph... Did that fool Roudin really get himself eliminate? He must have gotten too arrogant and lost to one of Master Zushuatri¡¯s students." One of the individuals with a strange symbol on his forehead thought to himself. He had azure-colored eyes and hair with a handsome appearance and wore a magnificent set of martial robes. Around his neck was a bizarre azure-colored tattoo with unknown markings. His name was Zouren and he originated from the same power as Roudin. After things calmed down and Zushuatri finished his exnation of the Lustrum Imperial Bout, it finally came time to announce the official top ten participants of the selection! "In tenth ce is Torugou Aragon. In ninth ce..." Zushuatri went on to announce the cements. "In seventh ce is Lances Pride!" Lances had actually climbed his way to seventh ce! This alone showed that his actual strength was not to be underestimated. However, the moment Zushuatri announced who ced sixth, everyone was stunned. This was because one of those monsters who was guaranteed in a spot in the top five had actually ced in sixth! This was a huge upset! But, if one of them ced sixth, did this not mean that someone else had imed a top five spot? At the same time, there were some participants who were secretly mocking Izroth. Now that Lances had ced sixth, there was no way that he would make it onto the second team. This meant that all that arrogant talk not too long ago was just for show. But, Izroth paid no mind to these people and simply kept a calm demeanor. "In third ce is Zouren!" This time, the shock was even greater thanst time! Even Zouren himself had a brief expression of disbelief appear on his face. Third ce? How could he of all people get third ce?! The excitement grew as everyone tried to specte who it was that took the 1st ce spot in the selection. However, among the excitement one of the participants noticed something. "Wait... Isn¡¯t one of those five monsters missing?" The participant said. "One, two, three, four... You¡¯re right! But, that¡¯s means...!" They did not dare to say those words because it was simply too unbelievable. However, it meant that not one, but two of the top spots had been imed by dark horses! "In second ce is... I¡¯m afraid your name escapes me, young man." Zushuatri said as he directed his gaze towards the individual shrouded in ck mist. Even Zushuatri could not see through this ck mist. Could it be some sort of powerful magic item? "...You can call me Law." The shrouded individual responded in a steady voice. Zushuatri gave a small nod in response as he announced, "In second ce is Law!" Law? Who was that? No one had ever heard of that name before now. Whoever he was, his power was certainly authentic since he managed to obtain the 2nd ce spot in the selection. ¡¯Hm? That¡¯s... A yer? Interesting.¡¯ Although Izroth could not see their information, he was certain that they were not an NPC due to the fact that it showed yer Name instead of NPC Name for that person via the system information. However, Izroth was unable to see any of his yer information which was most likely due to the ck mist formed around him. For a yer besides him to make it to this ce and even im the 2nd spot, they were certainly a step well above the rest. "The individual who ced 1st in the selection and shall act as the captain of the second team is..." As Zushuatri spoke, everyone held their breath. Who would it be? They wanted to personally meet this unknown dark horse! "Izroth! The members representing the Mortal Realm for the second team have been chosen. With this, the selection of the second team has officiallye to an end. Everyone, you must do your best not to lose face for the Mortal Realm!" Zushuatri announced. However, there wasplete silence after he finished speaking. What? Did they just hear that correctly? Izroth? Wasn¡¯t that the person who just spoke so arrogantly a few moments ago?! He really came in first ce?! "I object!" Zouren was the first to voice his objection. He then continued, "Master Zushuatri, forgive me for being blunt, but how is this weakling fit to lead our second team? We¡¯ll be theughing stock of the Lustrum Imperial Bout!" There were only a few among the remaining participants who knew of Izroth¡¯s true terrifying strength, however, none of them dared to say a word for fear of getting caught up in the aftermath. As for the others, although no one else said it, most of them were thinking the same thing as Zouren. When it came to being the captain of the second team, wasn¡¯t that fellow a bitcking? It would be strange and unreasonable if everyone just epted it and was somehow okay with this arrangement without a deeper exnation. Chapter 372 Golden Lustrum Imperial Token, Exploiting The System "Oh? It has always been a tradition that whoever ces first in the selection is awarded the role as captain. However, it seems that young Zouren is not satisfied with this arrangement?" Zushuatri said with a gentle smile on his face. Zouren stepped forward and cupped his fist in a respectful manner towards Zushuatri as he responded, "It¡¯s not that I doubt the selection process or Master Zushuatri¡¯s judgment... It¡¯s just that the words I speak are the truth. I find it strange that twopletely unknown individuals have the power to im the top two spots of the selection. Surely, I¡¯m not the only one with these thoughts weighing on my mind." The atmosphere became somewhat awkward at those words. Indeed, nearly everyone there questioned how two dark horses had managed to usurp the top spots in the selection. One was already strange, but two? Could there be something more going on behind the scenes? "What¡¯s this? Since you¡¯ve failed to im the top spot you want to find fault with those who did? Not only that, but you wish to put your words into the mouth of others? Sadly, these words are some that I do not agree with. You sure are shameless, Zouren." Lances stated with an amused expression on his face. To be honest, even he had a difficult time believing that Izroth was able toe in 1st ce. Back within the Living Forest when they first met one another, he was certain that Izroth was someone who could potentially make it into the top 50, however, the top ten was not even in his thoughts. It seemed as though he had severely underestimated Izroth at the time. Although others may not have noticed it, Lances could tell that the third young master of the Dragon Pce thought highly of Izroth. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have already sent Izroth flying to disy the clear difference in their level of strength. Therefore, he believed that Izroth was not as simple as he originally thought. "Logically speaking, he should have participated in the third team¡¯s selection. However, just from what I witnessed in the Living Forest, no one within the third selection would have been his match. To get on good terms with the third young master of the Dragon Pce and have such monstrous talent as to im first within the second team¡¯s selection... I¡¯m afraid his talent surpasses even that of those five individuals." Lances thought to himself. Zouren narrowed his eyes as he red at Lances and said, "Mind your words! Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t teach you a lesson just because of your Pride Family, Lances." "Do I need to use my Pride Family¡¯s status to speak my mind freely? If I see something shameless, then I¡¯ll call it shameless!" Lances said without giving Zouren any face. "I¡¯ll remember these words." Zouren stated in a cold tone as his facial expression darkened. "Alright, what¡¯s done is done. Young Zouren, the official selection has already ended. It would be inappropriate for you to start a battle with those who will be your allies during the Lustrum Imperial Bout. However, since you appear to have some doubts, let this old man clear them away for you. Your junior Roudin was personally defeated by the young man you hold doubts against." Zushuatri stated in a casual and friendly tone. Zouren widened his eyes in shock, however, he was not the only one who was surprised to learn of this. The other three individuals who had strange symbols on their forehead were also left dumbfounded. The other participants seemed to be taken aback as well. That guy who seemed to be the weakest among everyone present was able to defeat someone like Roudin?! How was that even possible? "I see, so that¡¯s why that guy isn¡¯t here. He was already..." One of the participants muttered to themselves. Zouren spoke through his teeth as he restrained his anger and said, "Master Zushuatri, surely he must have used some underhanded tactics to achieve victory. How could he possibly-" "You seem to be forgetting something important. The rules of thispetition do not prohibit the use of underhanded tactics. Even if he did use despicable means to achieve his goals, there is no rule against this within the selection. If onecks the power to face whatever is thrown at them, then they only have themselves to me. Treasures, intelligence, and possessions are also a part of one¡¯s own strength. Will you continue to pursue this nonsense? If so, while old man Zushuatri may be willing to be patient with you inexperienced brats... Don¡¯t me me for being impatient." Kayn said as he released an immense pressure as he locked his gaze onto Zouren. Zouren furrowed his brows as he felt cold sweat run down his back. Kayn was not someone he could afford to offend even with his incredible backing. Even though he felt wronged, he would swallow this humiliation for the time being. In the end, there was still nearly half a year remaining until the Lustrum Imperial Bout began. During that time, it was not unheard of for there to be "idents" among the top ten participants. "Since Master Zushuatri and the third young master of the Dragon Pce can vouch for him, I shall no longer pursue the matter." Zouren said as he stepped back. However, he had already etched the name and face of Izroth into his mind. Izroth, however, was unbothered by the sudden turn of events. Did he have to prove himself to someone he did not even know? Who was Zourenpared to someone like the Netherworld Monarch or the eternal darkness of the Shadahi? Izroth did not even ce Zouren in his sights! To him, this was simply a stepping stone to achieve a higher goal. He had no grudges against Zouren nor would he intentionally seek it out, however, if Zouren dared to block his path, then Zouren would only have himself to find fault with when he came to regret it! "Now that that¡¯s settled, it is time for your rewards! But, first..." Zushuatri waved his hand as ten golden tokens with a unique design and energy being emitted from them flew out towards the top ten participants. Each of the participants caught the golden token in their hands. Each token had a number on it that reflected the owner¡¯s ranking within the selection. ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ Name: Golden Lustrum Imperial Token(Magical Item) Rank: A Imperial Penins Realm(Current Status): Closed Usage: This token is proof that the user has sessfully passed the second selection. At the time of the Lustrum Imperial Bout, the user will be alerted and capable of using this token to immediately transport to the fifthyer of the Imperial Penins Realm. Being in possession of this token also provides the user with many hidden benefits and those who recognize it will treat the user with a greater level of respect. Wield it with great authority! Special Note: This item is Soulbound to the user. This item cannot be traded or sold. If the user forfeits possession of this item, it will automatically self-destruct. He then continued, "Remember to keep these Golden Lustrum Imperial Tokens on you at all times. It will allow you to enter the Imperial Penins Realm when it opens. It can also provide you with many benefits to assist you in better preparing for the Lustrum Imperial Bout. If you dare to lose it, don¡¯t even think about getting another one." Everyone heeded Zushuatri¡¯s words as they put away the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token for safekeeping. Afterward, Zushuatri¡¯s six students were dismissed as he led the remaining participants into the grand pce along with Kayn. "I wonder what rewards we¡¯ll get. I can barely hold back my excitement!" One of the participants said. "I know what you mean. When I return to my family with a great treasure, a huge celebration will be thrown. Master Zushuatri lives up to his generous reputation. But, it¡¯s a bit disappointing that we also didn¡¯t receive golden tokens, otherwise, even the king of my Pzenium Kingdom would have to personally greet me when I visit the capital city. I wonder if those in the third and fourth selections also received golden tokens..." "You mean you don¡¯t know? The tokens are separated into four different grades. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and tinum. Bronze tokens hold the least influence, while the tinum tokens hold the greatest influence. There are only ten of each token rewarded to the top ten in each respective selection. The fourth team receives bronze tokens, the third team silver tokens, the second team gold tokens." He then continued, "However, those within the first team receive tinum tokens! The amount of influence that each token holds is like that of night and day! Legend has it, that one would even be granted an audience with the Dragon King himself if they possess a tinum token." What?! One could be granted an audience with the Dragon King?! With that kind of influence, who would dare offend an owner of a tinum token? One had to know that the Dragon King even looked down on other legendary existences and even they wished for an audience with him! One of the participants sighed, "How can wepare to those on the first team? This is already a great fortune for people like us." Izroth listened closely to their conversation and found the topic to be interesting. ¡¯It¡¯s unfortunate that my current level strength didn¡¯t allow for me to participate in the first team¡¯s selection.¡¯ As if knowing Izroth¡¯s thoughts, Kayn grinned and said, "If you im the top spot in the Lustrum Imperial Bout and be my brother, then naturally, you¡¯ll be wee to visit my Dragon Pce." "Then, I¡¯ll have to thank the prince of the Dragon Pce in advance for his hospitality." Izroth said in a carefree tone. Now, he had an even greater motivation to seed. If he could enter the Dragon Pce, who knew what kind of benefits awaited him? After all, a ce like that could not be so simple. "We¡¯ve arrived at the Treasure Room. I will warn everyone now that you may only choose one item. If you attempt to leave this room with more than one item, then I cannot guarantee your safety. Those of you who have not made it into the top ten can only choose a treasure from the first floor. Those within the top ten can go up to the second floor and the top five can go up to the third floor." Zushuatri exined. He then continued, "As for the one who imed first ce... You may choose one item from the fourth floor. Be warned, those who try to go up to a floor higher than mentioned will have to face the consequences of their own actions. You have thirty minutes, choose well." As soon as that was said, the participants rushed to explore the grand Treasure Room. On the first floor alone, there were already arge collections of items ranging from strange magic items, maps, pills, and talismans, all the way to weapons and armor. There was not a single umon ormon item in sight and the lowest quality avable was items of rare quality! Unfortunately, there were very few epic quality items on the first floor. Izroth took his time as he looked around the first floor. He found a few interesting items, however, he would not make a hasty decision since he was only allowed to leave out of the Treasure Room with a single item. ¡¯The first floor has a few good items, however, I¡¯m more interested in the upper floors.¡¯ There was a grade four pill on the first floor that would have sold for a fortune and caused endless fighting among the top guilds if they knew of its existence, however, Izroth did not even put it into his sights. After all, it was only a matter of time before he crafted his own grade four pills. ¡¯I guess I¡¯ll head up to the second floor.¡¯ Izroth went towards the staircase as he left the first floor and made his way to the second floor. There was a transparent barrier that he passed through as he stepped onto the second floor that transported him into a separate room. ... When Izroth left the room, Kayn stepped next to Zushuatri he said, "Are you sure it¡¯s alright to give him ess to the fourth floor? I¡¯m certain that the top five, including first ce, have always only had ess up to the third floor." Zushuatri smiled as he replied, "This can be seen as a small gift for having spared the life of my student." "Is that really the only reason?" Kayn asked with a grin on his face. However, Zushuatri remained silent and kept a simple smile on his face in response to Kayn¡¯s inquiry. "Heh, if you don¡¯t want to discuss it, then I won¡¯t continue to ask." Kayn stated as he shrugged. But, in his mind, he knew that there was a deeper reasoning behind Zushuatri¡¯s decision. ... The first thing Izroth noticed was that there were still a decent amount of treasures, however, the quantity could notpare to the amount that was on the first floor. ¡¯As expected, there are even fewer items here.¡¯ There were four other individuals that were already on the second floor, including Lances who had ced seventh. When he saw Izroth enter the room, he went up to greet him. "It¡¯s a bitte, but congrattions on iming the top spot in the selection, Izroth." Lances said in a respectful manner as he congratted Izroth. Izroth nodded in response as he replied, "Congrattions on making it into the top ten." "In front of you, the top ten does not seem that impressive. However, I shall shamefully ept your good intentions." Lances stated. He then asked, "Are you headed to the fourth floor of the Treasure Room?" Lances was surprised to see that Izroth was still on the lower floors. The other four who made it into the top five had immediately gone up to the third floor without sparing a single nce at the items on the first and second floors. "Just a bit of curiosity, that¡¯s all." Izroth replied with a carefree expression on his face. However, Izroth¡¯s goal was not simply to pick an item and leave. Each item had some history to it and even contained important information. There were even some maps with the location of treasures and rare materials that were possible to look at. With his perfect memory, how could he forfeit such a grand opportunity? ¡¯I should have thanked the master of the Sky Pce in advance.¡¯ Izroth was not walking around without purpose. He nned onpletely exploiting the system with his perfect memory to reap the greatest benefits! Chapter 373 A Message From Law, Izroths Misfortune? After exchanging a few more casual words, Lances bid Izroth farewell as he went back downstairs after selecting his item. As for Izroth, he repeated the same process as he had done on the first floor and went over every item located on the second floor. He paid most attention to the pills, reagents, materials, books, and maps. While he was not interested in the pills themselves, it was not a bad thing to expand his overall knowledge of the Apothecary profession within RML. When it came to the reagents or special materials, Izroth¡¯s main focus was on the effects they possessed. His main goal was to find ingredients to act as potential substitutions for the ones he already had knowledge about from the Seven Realms. Around five minutester, Izroth finished going over all the items on the second floor. In the end, the quantity was far less than that of the first floor. Izroth believed that there would be even fewer items on the third and fourth floors. However, this much was to be expected seeing as how the quality, usefulness, and power of the items improved the higher the floor one had ess to. ¡¯The second floor has an abundance of reagents and unique materials, however, there are only six maps. There are a few interesting skill books, but I can¡¯t waste this chance on a simple skill. Though some of the general books here provide information that exceeds that of the books on the second floor of the Amaharpe library. I¡¯ll have to properly organize it in my thoughtster.¡¯ Izroth looked towards the third floor. This time, the barrier was not transparent, but instead, there was a dense aura that blocked the path leading up to the third floor. It was obvious from a nce that the restrictions and defenses of the third floor were many times greater than that of the second floor. Izroth began to walk up the stairs to the third floor, however, just as he was halfway up the stairs someone exited the third floor. The person who stepped out was none other than Zouren. When his gazended on Izroth who was headed up the stairs, a cold look full of disdain appeared in his eyes. He refused to believe that someone with Roudin¡¯s talent had fallen at the hands of some nobody like that in a straight forward battle. He started to make his way down the stairs, but as he passed by Izroth he halted his steps. "When we get back to the first floor, you should willingly hand over the captain spot of the second team to me." Zouren stated. Izroth stopped as he spoke without sparing Zouren a single nce and replied, "And why should I do that?" Zouren narrowed his eyes as he responded, "There will be many vicious eyes who want to im the captain spot for themselves. I am offering to help you by taking this off of your hands. You should know that there are certain people that you cannot afford to offend. There is still nearly half a year until the Lustrum Imperial Bout and it is not umon for there to be unusual idents during that time among the members of the second team. Don¡¯t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit." "Oh? I see..." Izroth replied in a nonchnt manner, but there was a hint of coldness in his voice. Izroth tolerated many things and he did not mind letting dogs bark, however, there was a clear line that one should not cross. Zouren was clearly threatening him and trying to intimidate him into giving up the captain spot. To be truthful, Izroth had no real interest in being captain of the second team. But, would he allow himself to be bullied into giving up his position? Those who had threatened him never had a good ending. Since Zouren wanted to threaten him, then he had better be ready to deal with the consequences that followed. "It¡¯s good that you understand your position. Now, I will-" Zouren believed that Izroth was frightened by his warning just now and did not dare to offend him. After all, Izroth had not spoken up for himself and had Lances there to defend himst time, therefore, he thought that Izroth was afraid of offending him. But, he was quickly shot down back to reality. "I think you¡¯ve misunderstood me because I¡¯ve chosen remained silent earlier, however, I can see that your eyes are clouded by your own self-arrogance. Tell me, when an unknown dog barks at you on the road, do you try speaking with it?" Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. "You-!" Zouren nearly coughed up blood from anger. This guy daredpare him to a barking dog?! Did he even know who he was talking to? It seemed as though he was in a hurry to die. "I¡¯ll forgive your ignorance this time due to the generosity of the master of the Sky Pce. However, I will only say this one time. No matter who it may be, those who block my path are my enemy. The fates of those who be my enemy are all the same." Izroth stated as he started to walk up the stairs once more. Just before stepping onto the third floor, he then continued, "Think carefully if you decide to be my enemy. If that day everes, then not even those above the firmament will be able to protect you." Izroth walked through the barrier and arrived on the third floor of the Treasure Room. Zouren wanted to attack Izroth right then and there, but he restrained himself after remembering where he was located. If he really did start a battle here, then he would be automatically kicked out of the Treasure Room. Even worse, he may lose the item he had chosen on the third floor. With his power and influence, was he afraid of a small figure like Izroth? One should know the limits of the power and authority they were able to wield before others. In his mind, Izroth had no one else to me but himself for what was toe. "Brat, if you want an early death so badly, there¡¯s no need to try so hard. I will be more than happy to grant your wish. Let¡¯s just see if you can make it to the Lustrum Imperial Bout." Zouren thought to himself as he headed back towards the first floor in a foul mood. ¡¯It seems that he won¡¯t be so easily dissuaded. Well, that¡¯s fine. I will cross that bridge when I reach it.¡¯ When Izroth entered the third floor, it was less than half the size of the second floor. There were only around 30-40 items in total on the third floor, however, the quality of the items were leaps and bounds ahead of those on the second floor. Izroth could not find a single item that wasparable to one of rare quality. This was because each item on the third floor was as valuable as an epic quality item! ¡¯I knew that there would be fewer items on the third floor, but I never thought that it would be this little amount. However, the value of these thirty to forty items alone are probably worth more than the entire first and second floorsbined.¡¯ There were still three individuals on the third floor when Izroth arrived. Two of the individuals had strange symbols on their forehead and the other person introduced himself as Law back on the tform. ¡¯I¡¯ve never heard anything about this yer before. I doubt he¡¯s a part of any top guild, otherwise, why would he hide his identity?¡¯ Izroth knew that top guilds loved to unt their achievements whenever possible in order to draw in more attention and potential sponsorship to their guild. Not only did this yer participate in the selection, but he even managed to im second ce! Izroth had a feeling that if he himself had never participated in the selection, then perhaps Law would have taken the first ce and been selected as captain of the second team. ¡¯Was he also an exception made by that person?¡¯ Izroth was curious about that yer, but since his time was limited in the Treasure Room, he would have to leave this matter forter. It did not take long for Izroth to examine the items on the third floor given the quantity. There were even lost skills simr to his Call of The Thunder God on this floor! Although their overall power did not seem as versatile, they were all still abilities that were at least S-ranked or even SS-ranked skills. There was also a sword that contained a power greater than Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm! ¡¯Lost Skill: Blood Gorging Demon, Phoenix Rebirth Pill, Sun zing Sword, Great Treasure Map of Rinishuye... Good items.¡¯ Izroth could close his eyes and pick any item on the third floor and everyone within RML would fight to the death over it. This showed just how impressive the items on the third floor were. Unfortunately, Izroth could only remove one item from the Treasure Room. Just as Izroth wasmenting over this, there was a certain item that caught his eye. ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ Izroth picked up a mapbeled as the Damaged Treasure Map of the Mysterious Lost Kingdom. The map appeared to be ancient and degraded in quality, however, what immediately grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention was the symbol on the front part of the map. It was the same ancient symbol that appeared on Luna¡¯s forehead after being gifted with the bloodline of the Trephasia race. Luna received that gift from Zelfyrion back in the Undying Maelstrom region of the Endless Pandemonium Tower. ¡¯Could this marking have something to do with the Trephasia race and the statue of that faceless empress?¡¯ Izroth carefully examined every detail of the treasure map andmitted it to memory. If this mysterious lost kingdom was truly what he believed that it was, then the treasures in that area could be potentially boundless! After he finished examining the map, Izroth closed it and ced it back onto the shelf as he walked over towards the staircase. It was time for him to head up to the fourth floor of the Treasure Room. Just as Izroth was about to enter the fourth floor, he suddenly received a message. This message was from an unknown user who had hidden their yer name, however, it had the alias Law attached to it. The moment Izroth read that message, he inwardly furrowed his brows and immediately turned to look for Law. However, Law had already taken his leave from the third floor. ¡¯To know this much... This person isn¡¯t so simple. Just who is this Law?¡¯ Initially, there was only some curiosity about Law¡¯s identity, however, Izroth was now determined to find out more about that person after reading over the message he had just received. This was due to the fact that the contents of the message contained a shocking secret! Izroth decided to put the fourth floor on hold as he quickly headed back down towards the first floor. But, by the time he arrived, Law had already taken his leave along with the other participants who had finished choosing their reward. In other words, he had already been sent away from the Sky Pce! "Have you already decided on a treasure?" Kayn questioned. "No, I will hurry and choose one now. I was just a bit curious about what happened to the other participants, that¡¯s all." Izroth stated in a calm tone as he made his way back to the entrance of the fourth floor. However, the message that Law sent him had left his mind wandering and asking countless questions. ¡¯Forget it, I have a feeling our paths will cross again. At that time, I¡¯ll naturally get some answers.¡¯ Izroth cleared his mind and decided to push this issue to the back of his mind for the time being. He then stepped through the dense barrier leading to the fourth floor. The room on the fourth floor was small and could barely fit twenty or so people inside. There were a total of ten items and each emitted a terrifying power. There was one skill book, one pill, one talisman, two magic items, and five pieces of equipment/weapons. Each item was located on its own individual holding tform. ¡¯SSS-ranked skill Mantra of the Sky. What a domineering skill. It¡¯s a shame that it¡¯s not suitable for my current ystyle. This magic item is also pretty interesting, but it can only be used three times.¡¯ There was a magic item called Destructive Eye of Tetrimere. It was capable of easily one-shotting a level 50 or even level 60 rare boss monster! Unfortunately, it could only be used a total of three times. Not to mention, it would eventually be useless as Izroth leveled up, therefore, he disregarded this item. Izroth swept his gaze over the five pieces of equipment/weapons it stopped on a simple-looking ring. ¡¯Forged by Mazi? Why does this name seem familiar? Ah, right. It was at that time...¡¯ Back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm during the final trial, that strange voice made Izroth an offer. There was a supreme weapon and a set of legendary gear that the voice said was crafted by the great Mazi, God of Craft. It was the first legendary weapon and equipment set Izroth had seen within RML and its power was far above anything he had evere across. ¡¯This is also made by that Mazi person? Interesting.¡¯ Izroth took the simple-looking ring into the palm of his hand. The moment he did so, he was covered by a ckish-red aura and received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The item ?Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence? has been forcibly Soulbound to you! The effect ?Peerless Conduct? has been activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Crystal Sea Head Ornament? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Hellfire Crafted Oblivion Chest? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Earth Devouring Gauntlets? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Skystep Boots? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Adaptation Cape? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Overeater? has been activated!¡µ The ring attached itself to Izroth¡¯s finger and although he tried to pull it off, it was of no use. His items were being destroyed one by one! Even his epic quality Skystep Boots was not spared! What was this cursed ring?! Did this Mazi want to rob him of every item he had?! ¡¯It¡¯s no use, it¡¯s noting off.¡¯ Izroth did not know whether tough or cry. This was a huge loss for him! He casually picked up the ring and yet it had destroyed nearly all of his equipment and automatically bound itself to him. What was with this sudden misfortune that had befallen him? Chapter 374 Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence Izroth used his full strength to try and remove the ring that had attached itself to his finger, however, it would not budge. It was as if the ring had fused with him and be a part of his actual physical body. In the blink of an eye, the only items left equipped to Izroth were his Sword of The Storm, essories such as his ne and ring, as well as, his trinket. As for the other pieces of equipment, they had all been destroyed the instant the ckish-red aura epassed his body. After finding that it was impossible to remove the ring, Izroth decided to cease his fruitless attempts. This was the fourth floor of Zushuatri¡¯s Treasure Room. Why would he store a cursed item in this ce and then grant Izroth ess to the fourth floor? Was this his way of secretly getting revenge on Izroth for having injured his student? No, Izroth did not believe this to be the case. ¡¯What¡¯s done is done. I can only hope that the effects aren¡¯t permanent.¡¯ Izroth tried to view the system information about the ring, however, it was made unavable while the Overeater effect was active. The one thing that kept Izroth from not being too disappointed was the fact that, surprisingly, his stats had not decreased but increased. Although it was not by much, Izroth was certain that this was due to the effects of the ring that attached itself to him. However, even if it kept the stats from his equipment, skills such as Sky Step from his Skystep Boots were no longer essible. A few momentster, the ckish-red aura finally calmed down and disappeared. What appeared in its ce was a strange type of ck armor with a red aura pulsing throughout certain areas as if it were a heartbeat. The armor itself seemed soft and resembled cloth or leather more than actual armor. ¡¯This is the work of the ring?¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he touched the new material that had appeared on his body. It was a bizarre feeling to experience as it felt as if he were touching an actual living and breathing creature instead of the lifeless equipment that he previously had on. ¡´System Alert: The effect of ?Overeater? has ended!¡µ ¡´System Alert: No skills set for the effect ?Perfect Emtion: Set Skills?! Randomly setting skills... Skills sessfully set! Please note, the user may change the skills set by default after 12 hours.¡µ ¡¯Skills set?¡¯ After seeing that the Overeater effect had ended, Izroth decided to take a look at the simple-looking ring that had nowpletely integrated itself into his physical body. When he read over the information of the ring, he was stunned. This type of item also existed within RML? ¡¯If an item like this appeared on the auction house, how much chaos would it cause?¡¯ Izroth no longer felt that he had been robbed at all. It turned out his misfortune was actually a great fortune in disguise! The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was indeed worthy of being an item on the fourth floor of the Treasure Room. In fact, if not for its unusual equip method, it was possible that the master of the Sky Pce himself would have imed it a long time ago. However, due to the unique nature of the item, one did not choose it, but rather, it chose its own wearer! Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) Armor Rank: Growth Type Armor Level: 46 Armor Type: Living Requirements: ??? HP: 4,550(+928) MP: 0(+0) Attack: 55(+3) Defense: 367(+74) Agility: 795(+177) Magic: 0(+0) Movement Speed: +10% Living Armor(Passive) - This item cannot be equipped through normal methods. This item has a will of its own and is capable of choosing its own master, as well as, automatically equipping itself. Once equipped, this item integrates itself with the body of its wearer as it bes permanently Soulbound and cannot be removed. (Skill Currently Disabled)Insatiable(Active) - The wearer rapidly burns through absorbed equipment, losing the stats and skills provided by it. In return, the wearer gains a temporary massive stat boost for up to 10 seconds. This skill will be automatically disabled if there is not enough equipment to consume. Cooldown: 216 hours Copy Appearance(Active) - The wearer can copy the physical appearance of equipment sets or special clothing and store it. The wearer can choose any stored appearance and the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence will take on its form until the wearer deactivates it. Once deactivated, this item will return to its original appearance. Cooldown: 30 seconds. (Skill Currently Locked)??? - ??? Peerless Conduct(Passive) - While this item is equipped to its wearer, other items that are equipped or that would be equipped are instead destroyed. Items destroyed this way are automatically affected by the skill ?Overeater?. ?Overeater? - This item can absorb equipment to increase its level, gain bonus stats, and store any attached skills. The stronger the equipment absorbed, the greater the benefits this item and its wearer receives. The same equipment cannot be consumed more than once. If the difference in level is too vast, the wearer may not experience the full benefit of ?Overeater?. The wearer also gains the ability to use the skill ?Perfect Emtion?. ?Overeater: Equipment Consumed? - [Common: 0][Umon: 1][Rare: 3][Epic: 1][Legendary: 0][Unique: 0][Divine: 0] ?Perfect Emtion?- Choose from the skills absorbed by ?Overeater?. The wearer may use the chosen skills within the skills¡¯ original parameters. The skills chosen cannot be changed for 12 hours [Total Skills Stored: 5] [MAX Set Skills: 5]. ?Perfect Emtion: Set Skills? - [Crystallization][Adapt][Hellfire Rampage][Silverline¡¯s Life Essence Magic][Sky Steps] Description: A living armor, thought to be long lost, crafted by Mazi, the God of Craft before his ascent into the divine realm. Legend has it that this item is sentient and chooses its own master, however, this legend has never been proven. The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was actually a growth-type item! What this meant was that, unlike the conventional piece of equipment which had stats that were carved in stone and unchangeable, the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was capable of growing in strength over time by absorbing other equipment. Although it could notpare to a full set of high-level rare gear with its current stats, it had the potential to surpass all other equipment sets! If Izroth had to estimate how much the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was worth, only the term priceless could describe it. Even his Sword of The Storm could notpare to it as its limits were already reached. Even though Izroth would have to make some effort to "feed" the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, it would eventually overtake an epic or even a legendary set of armor. It was even possible that one day it would be a divine armor! Of course, this was something that could not be achieved until the distant future, but nevertheless, Izroth felt that it was worth giving up his previous equipment for this single item. It was not at all a loss as he originally believed it to be. ¡¯It¡¯s a bit troublesome that I¡¯m unable to remove it freely, however, it does have some interesting features and skills. I¡¯m unsure of how fast its growth rate is. It seems that it¡¯ll require some testing once I return to Amaharpe.¡¯ Izroth finished reading over the effects of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. He still had around five minutes remaining until he had to descend the stairs and head back towards the first floor, therefore, he took a moment to properly organize the information he gained from his time in the Treasure Room. The gains he made this time were not small. Just the information regarding the exact location of the hidden treasures, mysterious areas, and rare resources that he acquired from the maps in the Treasure Room was enough to make others green with envy. ¡¯This should do it.¡¯ [Name: Izroth] [EXP: 17.30%] [Level: 46(Stat Points: 0)] [Title: Oathkeeper(Primary), Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary), Schr(Solitary)] [ss: Combat Master] [HP(Hit Points): 17,879/17,879 (100%)] [HP Regen(In-Battle): 74 HP/s] [Energy: 225] [MP: 115/1,170 (9.83%)] [MP Regen: 10 MP/s] [ATTACK: 2,331] [DEFENSE: 869] [AGILITY: 1,798] [MAGIC: 109] [Physical Resistance: 25%] [Magical Resistance: 25%] [Luck: 1] [Critical Hit: 8%] [Lifesteal: 6%] [Armor Piercing: +6%] [Attack Speed: +13%] [Movement Speed: +10](Doubles when out ofbat) [Spell Casting Time: -10%] Izroth was satisfied with his current stats. For someone with thebat master ss, his stats were incredibly solid. Also, one of his major weaknesses, hiscking health, and defensive capabilities had been further reinforced. Though after seeing that his MP was still regenerating at an extremely slow pace, Izroth could only smile helplessly. During his fight against Roudin, he had once again pushed his mana pool past its current limits and invoked an Element Fusion. While he temporarily depended on potions to constantly restore his MP, in the end, it was far from being a long term solution. ¡¯It looks as if I have no choice but to make a trip to Everpeak to have my mana pool fixed. I have to find a way to undo the seals on the Seal of Ten Chakrams so that this problem doesn¡¯t continue to ur in the future.¡¯ Once Izroth finished up, he took onest look around the fourth floor before walking towards the exit. It did not take him long to reach the first floor and the moment he arrived, he noticed that there was no one around to be seen besides Zushuatri and Kayn. As for the others, since he did not see anyone else on his way down from the fourth floor, they must have already been sent away from the Sky Pce. When Izroth arrived on the first floor, Zushuatri had a brief expression of shock on his face when he witnessed Izroth¡¯s appearance and noticed the aura of the item he had on, however, he quickly regained hisposure as a gentle smile appeared on his face. Though it would be a lie if he said that he did not feel a bit dejected at having to give up such a treasure. But, he knew that things were better this way. After all, how many years had it been since he dug up that item and had to deal with it not acknowledging anyone? Zushuatri gave a nod of approval as he said, "I see this stubborn item has finally chosen its master. Young man, this item is very special. In the future, you must remember that it is not lifeless like other armor, but has a will of its own. If it finds you unworthy, it will not hesitate to abandon you and await a new master. Therefore, I advise you to take good care of it just as it will take good care of you." "I will take the words of the master of the Sky Pce to heart." Izroth responded. "Your luck is really good. Let me tell you, that stubborn thing didn¡¯t even want toe to this young master." Kayn stated with a grin on his face. "It just so happens that my luck is a bit good, that¡¯s all." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. After exchanging some words, Kayn requested for Zushuatri to hold off transporting Izroth back to the surface as he had some things to discuss with him. Of course, Zushuatri would not refuse such a small request and gave Kayn permission to use the Transport Magic Formation to send Izroth back after they finished their discussion. After leaving the Treasure Room and going their separate ways from Zushuatri, Kayn and Izroth arrived in a spacious room with arge magic formation drawn on the floor. It did not take long for the atmosphere to turn somewhat solemn. "I haven¡¯t forgotten about the promise I made to you back then. You asked for information regarding the Path of Dragons and I will keep my word, but before we start, I have to ask you a very important question. How exactly did youe to hear of the Path of Dragons?" Kayn said as his tone and facial expression had be serious. Chapter 375 Speaking of The Path of Dragons, Message From A Stranger Izroth saw no reason to deceive Kayn, however, there were still too many unknowns. Not to mention, who knew what kind of chaos it would cause if information escaped that he had a page to the Book of Beginnings in his possession? Izroth understood that with his current strength, it was impossible to fend off beings in the legendary realm. Therefore, until he had enough power to protect himself, he believed it would be best to keep this information as concealed as possible. However, Izroth did not know if Kayn would understand if he simply said that a quest told him about it. With that in mind, Izroth exined that he only heard rumors about it and seen it written in some books about old legends in the Amaharpe pce library. Although Kayn was a bit skeptical, he found nothing to be inconsistent with Izroth¡¯s words. After all, it was not aplete impossibility that some information escaped about the Path of Dragons after its existence for countless millennia. For now, he decided to take Izroth at his word and did not continue to pursue the matter. "I can tell you about the Path of Dragons, however, it is still a closely guarded secret of my Dragon Pce. You must give me your word that you will never share this information with another even in death. Do I have your word?" Kayn asked. "Rest assured, you have my word." Izroth replied without hesitation. Since he needed to clear the Path of Dragons with his own power, there was no need to divulge any information about it to others if that was Kayn¡¯s only request. "Good! You should know that a man is only as good as his word!" Kayn stated. He then continued, "The Path of Dragons is a right of passage for young dragons that has existed for countless millennia. Those who sessfully clear the Path of Dragons are recognized by the Dragon Pce as a true talent and given special treatment and benefits. To be perfectly honest, the trial itself is actually pretty simple. You just have to walk down a path until you¡¯re unable to go any further." Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. That¡¯s it? One just had to walk down a path to clear it? No trials or challenges? Izroth believed that it was not that simple, otherwise, how could it be a part of an SSS-ranked quest? Not to mention, why would it be such a well-guarded secret of the Dragon Pce? "I know what you¡¯re thinking and you¡¯re correct. There¡¯s no way it could be that easy. Let me ask you, do you know how many individuals have passed the Path of Dragons in thest millennium?" Kayn asked. He then held up four fingers as he said, "Four. My father, my eldest brother, and myself." Only that many people were able to pass it within thest 1,000 years? Izroth believed that this would be even more challenging than he originally thought. Though there was something else that caught Izroth¡¯s attention. "Isn¡¯t that only three?" Izroth questioned after realizing that Kayn only named three individuals. Kayn had just held up four fingers, but he only named three people. Therefore, who was thest person to clear the Path of Dragons in thest millennium? "Ah, this... Well, actually we don¡¯t know either. A long time ago, some outsider snuck into the Path of Dragons and by the time we arrived that person had already vanished. To avoid the gaze of my father for so long, that person definitely had to be someone at the peak of the legendary realm with unrivaled skill. You should have seen the furious look on my father¡¯s face at the time. Ahahaha, I¡¯ve never seen that old man so agitated before that day." Kayn said as he released a fit of joyousughter. Izroth inwardly shook his head. It seemed as though not all true dragons were as described in the books he had read in the Amaharpe pce library. For a race that was supposed to be mostly isted from the outside world and had a well-known reputation for being unsociable when it came to interacting with other races, Kayn hadpletely shattered Izroth¡¯s image of the true dragons in RML. However, Izroth had a feeling that Kayn was not like the other true dragons at all. Once hisughter died down, Kayn continued and said, "Well, this is pretty much all there is to know about the Path of Dragons. Although it¡¯s simple on the surface, the overall experience differs from person to person, therefore, it¡¯s impossible to learn anything further from secondhand information alone. Some experience just a small bit of difort, while others may feel as if they¡¯re being burned alive by intense mes. There are even those who face their own fears. I¡¯m sure you get the idea now." ¡¯The quest failed to mention any specifics about the Path of Dragons. Could it be due to the fact that it varies from person to person? If so, it seems that any preparation made beforehand will have to be generalized. Only four people in thest millennium have sessfully cleared the Path of Dragons. This demonstrates that not just anyone is capable of clearing it.¡¯ Izroth expressed his thanks to Kayn for his exnation before going on to ask, "Is it possible for someone outside of the Dragon Pce to attempt the Path of Dragons?" Of course, Izroth knew that it was possible since Kayn mentioned that an outsider had once cleared the Path of Dragons, however, that outsider was an existence at the peak of the legendary realm. Not only that, but he was even capable of escaping the gaze of Kayn¡¯s father. While Izroth did not know the exact strength of Kayn¡¯s father, as someone who possesses the blood of a true dragon and controls the Dragon Pce, it was safe to say that he was not weak by any means. With his current strength, Izroth ruled out using such a method and decided to seek any alternatives. However, if that truly was the only way for an outsider to attempt the Path of Dragons, then he would have no choice but to focus on increasing his own strength and following in the footsteps of that outsider. Kayn furrowed his brows as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He seemed somewhat troubled when Izroth asked that question, but the fact that he did not instantly respond with a no meant that there was a possibility! As for Izroth, he remained patient as Kayn was deep in his thoughts. A few momentster, Kayn released a heavy sigh as he said, "It¡¯s possible... But, I¡¯m afraid with your current strength it¡¯ll be like climbing a mountain with no hands." He then continued, "Of course, if you¡¯re not in any particr rush and actually do manage to take away 1st ce for the second team¡¯s Lustrum Imperial Bout and sessfully be my brother, I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be allowed to challenge the Path of Dragons." Although Kayn¡¯s offer was generous, unfortunately, Izroth could not afford to wait until after the Lustrum Imperial Bout to clear the Path of Dragons. The time limit for the quest was 120 days, however, the Lustrum Imperial Bout was nearly six months away. If he waited that long, then he would have already failed the quest and the capital city of Amaharpe would be destroyed! Not to mention, he would suffer from the other penalties for failure as well. Therefore, this was not an option. "I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to wait until after the Lustrum Imperial Bout. If the prince of the Dragon Pce can assist me in reaching the Path of Dragons, I will remember this favor and one day repay it. I do not fear facing a challenge, only that I never be given a chance to ovee it." Izroth said in an unhurried and calm manner. Kayn gave a nod of approval as he responded, "I figured you would say that. Alright, just leave it to me. In two months, I¡¯ll send someone toe find you. I¡¯ll say this now so that you won¡¯t get any wrong ideas; I won¡¯t be able to assist you in any way. I can only give you a chance, nothing else. If you fail, then a second chance won¡¯t be possible." There was a grave tone present in Kayn¡¯s voice. "Just granting me an opportunity is already doing more than enough. I do not intend to take advantage of your kindness. I will deal with whatever is necessary with my own power." Izroth replied. "Good." Kayn tossed a token in the shape of a golden dragon towards Izroth who caught it in his hands. He then continued, "That¡¯s a token of authority for my Dragon Pce. Keep that on you at all times. When the timees, it¡¯ll be how the messenger I send locates and recognizes you. After all, I don¡¯t n on searching every corner of the Mortal Realm for you. Of course, you can sell it as well. It¡¯ll probably fetch a decent price." Kayn said thest part in a joking manner. Izroth understood that Kayn¡¯sst few words were not to be taken seriously, however, a decent price was an understatement. A token of authority from the Dragon Pce was a priceless treasure to many, especially those who wanted to get close to the true dragons. The fact that Kayn casually handed him the token would probably cause the head of the Dragon Pce, Kayn¡¯s father, to cough up blood from anger at the actions of his son. "Then, I¡¯ll thank the prince of the Dragon Pce in advance." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. The two then exchanged some casual words until Izroth brought up the topic of Domains with Kayn. "Hm? Domains? Ah, right. You don¡¯t have a Domain, do you? You¡¯re quite strange, Izroth. Usually, one acquires a Domain well before obtaining a Source, however, you¡¯ve gone and done itpletely backwards. Though I suppose it exins why your Source is still in an infancy stage." Kayn stated with a grin on his face. Kayn then went on to exin the basics of Domains to Izroth. It was just as Izroth thought, the elements of the Domains had something to do with the eight trigrams, however, there were some minor differences. What he was interested to learn of though was that not only did lower Domains exist, but there was something even stronger than the main upper eight Domains called the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains. However, he was curious as to where the Domain Sage used in their fight ced and so he asked Kayn. Kayn, however, shook his head as he replied, "That¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be talked about. But, if I had to guess, based on its raw power alone it¡¯s probably on the same level of the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains. Maybe even slightly higher. Since it¡¯s the first time that something like this has ever urred to my knowledge, I can¡¯t give any solid answers." ¡¯That exins why that power was consuming her. To suddenly wield such vast power in an unstable state is bound to lead to a disaster. As for how I¡¯ll get a Domain... He said that it¡¯lle naturally as I grow in strength. It seems I can only wait and continue to increase my power. But, ording to his words, one also needs the assistance of an Element Gathering Temple to properly manifest a Domain. Though it¡¯s unfortunate that one¡¯s Domain is chosen at random when the time does arrive.¡¯ Now that he had received all the information he needed, Izroth did not continue to impose upon Kayn. After exchanging farewells, Kayn activated the magic formation to transport Izroth back to the location he was at before arriving at the Sky Pce. "Hm, I feel like I forgot to tell him something... Ah, well. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work itself out. Since I can¡¯t remember, it probably wasn¡¯t all that important anyways." Kayn said to himself as he rubbed the back of his head and left the room. ... ¡¯I¡¯ve finally returned.¡¯ Izroth had been transported to the pill crafting room inside of his Mystical Realm Pce. Although it had only been around 5-6 hours since he left, it felt as though he had not seen this ce in ages! ¡¯It looks like he already left.¡¯ Izroth noticed that Aru was no longer anywhere to be found. Since his mission appeared to have been aplished, there was probably no longer any need for him to trail after Izroth. At the same time, the moment Izroth returned to the Mystical Realm Pce, he received a flood of messages from the system. During the selection, his long-range messaging system had been temporarily disabled. Now that he had returned, all the messages he missed during his absence had bombarded him all at once! ¡¯Hm? This one¡¯s from...¡¯ One of the alerts immediately caught his eye. That was because it was a friend request from someone he had never heard of before. However, there was a note attached to the friend request that read "People say the setting sun marks the edge of the sky." and the yer name in front of it read Menerva. ¡¯Menerva? This name is unfamiliar. Also, this line is... I see.¡¯ Although Izroth did not know anyone who went by the name Menerva, his interest was piqued by the line sent along with their friend request. Therefore, out of curiosity, he epted the friend request and chose to send a reply to the line that Menerva wrote after seeing that they were online. Chapter 376 An Invitation From The Headhunter Syndicate ¡´System Alert: You have received a friend request from Menerva. (Note: "People say the setting sun marks the edge of the sky.") Do you wish to ept?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have added Menerva as a friend!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have sent a message to yer Menerva, "I look towards the edge of the sky, but cannot see my home."¡µ ¡¯Should I add a third floor to the Mystical Realm Pce and start to make preparations for the Fireheart Apothecary Society? There¡¯s also this armor... It stands out a bit too much in its current state. I¡¯ll have to visit a tailor or check the auction house to purchase and copy the appearance of some special clothing.¡¯ Izroth would rather not deal with the constant stares or questions about how he managed toe by his armor, therefore, he needed a different appearance to copy, at the very least, while he was within a ce with high yer traffic such as the capital city of Amaharpe. After reading through the rest of his messages, Izroth found that most of them were from Mirage and Valentine. As for the contents of their messages... Valentine was basically ranting non-stop about his new understanding of magic within RML. However, Izroth understood that he was most likely the only yer Valentine knew who had enough knowledge about magic to keep up in a conversation with him. Therefore, Izroth did not me him for being a bit too enthusiastic. When it came to Mirage, however, she wanted to drag Izroth away on a quest. She also sent him a barrage of pouting faces and used him of ignoring her since it showed that he was online but not responding to her messages. Izroth shook his head inwardly as he sent replies to both Mirage and Valentine. After doing so, he turned his attention to the message he received from the seventh captain of Blue Oasis, Niflheim. ¡¯They¡¯re moving the date of the raid to tomorrow? It¡¯s sooner than I expected...¡¯ Originally, Izroth wanted to spend a few days increasing the strength of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill, as well as, his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. He also had to make a trip to Everpeak to visit Kryxelsia in order to have his mana pool fixed after overexerting it in the selection. After all, he could not simply depend on potions alone to regain his lost MP. There was also the task of restocking the pill inventory of the Mystical Realm Pce, making the proper preparations for the raid that was tomorrow, reconfirming that everyone that he invited to the raid party could still make it after the sudden date change, stopping by the auction house to purchase items for his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, and this was only the beginning of the list. In the end, Izroth was only one person and could not be in two ces at once. With his current schedule, he rarely had any free time in between dealing with all the misceneous tasks. Between trying to increase his strength, running the Mystical Realm Pce, and dealing with whatever else crept up on him was too bothersome. ¡¯I n on handing the matters of pill crafting over to Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society. However, there¡¯s still managing the Mystical Realm Pce and handling other menial tasks. When ites to the Mystical Realm Pce, it¡¯s possible that person would definitely not pass up the opportunity to manage it. As for the misceneous tasks... It looks like I¡¯ll no choice but to find an assistant.¡¯ Izroth needed an assistant in both RML and the real world. However, he needed someone trustworthy which was the most difficult part since he did not know anyone in the real world who fit the criteria. It appeared as if he would have to go through other channels to find a trustworthy assistant. As for Zi Yi, Izroth ruled her out. In the end, Zi Yi seemed toe from a family of standing that did notck wealth. While it was alright for him to request her assistance when it came to short term matters, it was not a long term solution. Not to mention, he could already foresee the headache of having to listen to Mariposa¡¯s words for daring to make her younger sister into a mere assistant to handle menial tasks. As Izroth was sorting his thoughts anding up with a suitable n in his mind, he suddenly received a response from the yer he had just added as a friend a few moments ago. He did not expect to get a reply so swiftly. ¡´System Alert: yer Menerva has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Due to yer privacy, your voice chat was automatically set to restricted use. Do you wish to fully activate it and continue?¡µ ¡¯I had nearly forgotten about this feature.¡¯ In RML, the long-range system voice chat was set to restricted by default. If a yer wanted to use the voice chat function over long-range, they simply had to change the privacy settings from restricted to active using their system interface. Izroth, of course, epted the change and his voice chat immediately switched from restricted to active after doing so. ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Menerva?¡µ Izroth found it somewhat strange that someone he had never met before sent him a friend request and then almost instantly requested to a voice chat after he epted. There was not even a proper introduction or exnation as to why they wanted to have a conversation. However, since he had already epted their friend request, Izroth decided to see things through to the end. ¡¯Let¡¯s see what your intentions are.¡¯ "ept it." Izroth said as he heard the sound of a small bell. It was the noise the system made after a yer had sessfully started a voice chat. ¡´System Alert: You have started a voice chat with yer Menerva! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the yer system interface and manually end the call.¡µ At first, there was silence. But, a few secondster, a soft yet steady and calm voice seemed to sound off within Izroth¡¯s mind. Surprisingly, it was the voice of a young woman! [Voice Chat] Menerva, "The words of Li Gou is not keened by many. You are quite well-read, sir." Sir? It had been a while since Izroth had someone speak to him in an overly formal way. [Voice Chat] Izroth, "I just happened toe across it during some casual reading. I consider knowledge to be a fortune of its own with a priceless value attached to it." Although Izroth¡¯s words sounded humble, he actually dide across it by chance while casually searching up the history of this world on his phone. He really did just happen toe across it! [Voice Chat] Menerva, "Your words are full of vibrant wisdom. Knowledge is the greatest gift to ever be bestowed upon us. Forgive me for thete introduction. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am called Menerva. As for your identity, I have already heard much about you, sir." [Voice Chat] Izroth, "You can drop the sir. I¡¯ve never been one to care much for such tiring formal conversations." Izroth spoke in a carefree and unhurried manner. However, his words seemed to have caught Menerva off guard as she fell quiet. Since Izroth insisted, she found no reason to turn down his good intentions. [Voice Chat] Menerva, "Since you say that it is alright, I will take your good intentions to heart." [Voice Chat] Izroth, "Now that that¡¯s out of the way, I have to say... I do not recall ever meeting someone with your name, therefore, I¡¯ll be blunt. For what reason did you contact me?" Izroth wasted no time getting straight to the point of the matter. Menerva was aplete stranger to him and he was certain that their paths had never crossed. How could he not hold any suspicions or doubts whatsoever towards that kind of person with an unknown background? Not to mention, Izroth was not oblivious when it came to his own rising fame within RML. Just being the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, the first yer-owned store, was enough for his name to be well known. There were all kinds of venomous snakes out there who were undoubtedly eyeing his Mystical Realm Pce or even the recipe for the pills sold inside of the shop. [Voice Chat] Menerva, "I am d to see that your words are not minced. Then, I too, shall not sneak around my words. I would like to extend a personal invitation to you on behalf of the Headhunter Syndicate and the guild leader, Vault. I hope that you can set aside some time tomorrow and grace us with your presence, Izroth. Or, would you prefer to be called Pill Emperor?" Izroth was a little surprised when he heard those words leave Menerva¡¯s mouth, however, he did not allow for it to reveal itself through his voice. Although Izroth did not go out of his way to hide his identity as the Pill Emperor, there was only a hand full of people who knew that he was, in fact, the mysterious Pill Emperor. But, what really stood out was that she seemed to be someone from the Headhunter Syndicate! Izroth¡¯s interaction with the Headhunter Syndicate was brief and he had only met some of their members back in the Towering Oak Forest when he first ran into Zi Yi and Guan Yu. After seeing the shameless behavior of their members, Izroth did not have a good first impression of the Headhunter Syndicate. But, Izroth did not judge them too harshly based on this fact alone. After all, there were bad seeds nted among even the most fertile of fields. However, the rumors about them were consistent in that their actions were often overbearing, domineering, and ruthless. They were the new rising stars of RML and had reced Sage Falls within the top ten guild rankings. At the moment, when it came to the pure quantity of members, the Headhunter Syndicate was well ahead of the other top guilds making them a force to be reckoned with. The rumors went that they rose to this position in such a short span of time through vicious methods and the leadership of their guild leader, Vault. Izroth was no saint and so he did not care what actions the Headhunter Syndicate took to rise up in power. In the end, it wasmon knowledge that the greatest of kingdoms were built upon the blood and the countless lives of many others. As long as they understood that he had a bottom line that should not be crossed, there would be no problems. Otherwise, it would not matter if the Headhunter Syndicate was ten times stronger, he would make sure they knew the price of standing on his path. ¡¯Headhunter Syndicate... Are they eyeing my Mystical Realm Pce? Or, are they attempting to draw me over to their side? Either way, it would be better to cut these troubles at its roots. Let¡¯s see what this Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s intentions are. As for this girl... Should I test her a bit?¡¯ [Voice Chat] Menerva, "There is no need to worry. I am the only one who knows of your identity as the Pill Emperor within the Headhunter Syndicate. Not even the guild leader himself knows this." Menerva took Izroth¡¯s momentary silence as bing cautious against her and further putting up his guard in the process, therefore, she immediately tried to smooth things over. [Voice Chat] Izroth, "I don¡¯t mind taking a small trip, however, tomorrow is not a good time. I¡¯ll pay a visit two days from now. You can message me the time and ce. As for the other topic at hand... You sound quite confident that I¡¯m this so-called Pill Emperor. Tell me, what proof do you have?" Menerva was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s reply. Truthfully, she did not think that she would get him to agree to a meeting so quickly. She was even ready to entice him with some gifts she had prepared beforehand. After all, even if Izroth did notck money due to the revenue generated by his shop, that did not mean that he could freely purchase rare quality items. The vast majority of rare items and materials were still currently monopolized by the top guilds or the big guilds within RML. Chapter 377 The Birth of A Rich Young Master? Menerva was sure that with Izroth¡¯s recent sess, he would be difficult to talk to. She expected to face an arrogant "rich young master" and so it came as a shock to her that his attitude was so down to earth. She felt a bit embarrassed by the fact that she had alreadye up with an entire n in her mind to deal with that kind of person. It was not often that she waspletely thrown off by someone¡¯s personality. [Voice Chat] Menerva, "After urring too frequently, coincidences turn into patterns. Sometimes standing out too much can have its downsides. All I did was connect a few dots that led me to this conclusion. You can deny it if you wish and I will no longer continue to pursue the matter, however, I am positive that you are the Pill Emperor. I am also equally certain that others have already started to connect the dots as well. It will not be long before this ismon knowledge. I will message you the details of the meeting two days from now. We look forward to your arrival, Izroth. I have some important matters to attend to and so you must excuse my abrupt exit. Terminate voice chat." ¡´System Alert: yer Menerva has terminated the voice chat!¡µ ¡¯This girl is not so simple. The Headhunter Syndicate actually have talents like this on their side? If so, it would exin how they were able to rise up in power so rapidly.¡¯ Menerva had terminated the voice chat before Izroth could fully test her as if she had already discovered his intentions. Not only that, but he believed that from the very beginning, ever since she sent him that line along with her friend request, she had been continuously testing him. The way she performed this action was so natural that one would never realize they were actually being tested! She also spoke in a way that left him satisfied with her answers and yet still curious enough to draw him in further. On the surface, this Menerva may appear to be a kind saint, but Izroth could feel something else emanating from her. Even though he did not sense any ill intentions from her voice or words, he knew that Menerva was the most dangerous kind of person to deal with, especially when it came to having conversations. ¡¯Headhunter Syndicate... I¡¯m looking forward to our meeting.¡¯ Izroth made sure everything was in order at the Mystical Realm Pce before he left and headed towards the auction house. ¡¯First, let¡¯s take care of improving the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. While I¡¯m at it, I can also search for a few special clothing to copy. After I finish, I¡¯ll head over to Everpeak to have my mana pool fixed. Once that¡¯s taken care of, I can focus on building the foundations for the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill I recently acquired. Since it¡¯s a growth-type skill, the ranking seems to be different than that of normal skills. Even though it shows it as being equivalent to a skill with a ranking grade of E-, in reality, it¡¯s not any worse than a normal C-ranked or even a weaker B-ranked skill.¡¯ However, since only the initial part of the skill was currently unlocked, its true power was still not essible. But, thanks to his encounter with that mysterious man, the restriction had been limited off of his body and he would gain ess to the full skill in 30 days. After waiting for so long, Izroth was already grateful that he even managed to unlock a single portion of the skill. He had no issue with the full skill being dyed another 30 days. Izroth arrived at the auction and made his way over towards the auction screen. The overall quality of the items in the auction house had improved since thest time he visited this ce. However, this much was to be expected. As the strength of yers increased and they were able to journey to the more challenging areas of RML, it was only natural that the overall quality of items increased as well. ¡¯The current exchange rate sure has fallen. It¡¯s a good thing I set the Mystical Realm Pce to automatically convert the gold coins earned into RMB and periodically adjust prices to keep up with market value, otherwise, I would have lost quite a bit of profit.¡¯ In the beginning, the exchange rate was 1:1000. This meant that 1 gold coin was the equivalent was 1,000 RMB. But, as more gold coins started to circte within RML, its value started to decline. At the moment, it was a 1:316 exchange rate and so 1 gold coin was only equal to 316 RMB. That was almost a 70% decrease in value since theunch of RML! After taking care of some essential matters, paying the 5% mandatory personal shop tax, and the 10% promised to Sleeping Gardenia as their cut for providing the ingredients, Izroth was currently left with 75,591,990 RMB. If converted into gold coins with the current exchange rate of 1:316, then Izroth was in possession of 239,215 gold coins! This was the on par with the budget of some top guilds. RML was a potential gold mine which was why investors and sponsors poured so much money into the top guilds to see them seed. The massive amount of RMB that traveled through RML hadpletely dwarfed that of the games that hade before it. Of course, the people who benefited the most from this was thepany behind RML. The first thing Izroth did was check for rare items. But, just as he had predicted, there were no rare quality equipment pieces up for sale. It looked as if he would have to go out and get some rare equipment on his own. For now, he could only purchasemon and umon items from the auction house. ¡¯For now, let¡¯s start small.¡¯ Izroth purchased 1,000mon pieces of equipment from the auction house. The average level for the equipment was between 10-35. There were a few that were higher in level, however, there were not many of them sincemon and umon equipment was what the vast majority of yers still used. After all, not a lot of yers could afford to spend money to purchase rare quality equipment. Izroth only carried a few gold coins on him in case of emergencies, therefore, he directly used RMB to purchase most of the items from the auction house. The cost of each piece ofmon equipment he purchased ranged from 10 silver coins to 1 gold coin per piece, excluding the lower-level pieces. In the end, he spent around 226 gold coins for 1,000 pieces ofmon equipment. If others knew of this, they would think that he simply enjoyed throwing money away! Of course, these prices were on the higher end formon equipment, but Izroth specifically selected the items that had a buyout price. This meant that the yer who put the item up for auction had set a price where other yers could skip the auction process and instantly purchase the item. Not all items had a buyout price since some yers found this to be a potential limiter on profits, however, it was moremon than not that items possessed a buyout price. After Izroth¡¯s "small purchase", there was an immediate uproar among some of the yers who had been bidding for some of the equipment that he imed. "Hey, what the heck? Why did so many disappear at once?!" "All twenty chest pieces I were looking at just vanished at the same time! Is some crazy fool just throwing his money around to spite me?" One of the yers said as they secretly cursed that mysterious rich young master under their breath. Izroth did not stop there, he then went on to purchase 100 umon items from the auction house, spending 6-12 gold coins per piece which came out to somewhere just under 350,000 RMB, or nearly 1,100 gold coins. After he purchased 100 pieces of umon equipment, there were at least a dozen yers who wanted to cough up blood from anger. They had been there for hours bidding on some of that equipment and yet someone just came in and purchased it at the buyout price. How could they not feel cheated and filled with anger? They wanted to strangle whoever this rich young master or top guild was! But, they would never say this aloud for fear of offending that person or group. In the end, they knew that they could not afford offending someone capable of throwing around suchrge sums of money without a care in the world. Though if Izroth could hear their current thoughts, he would not know whether tough or cry. Could it be that he really had turned into one of those rich young masters who threw money at a problem to solve it? ¡¯Hopefully, the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence will be able to absorb everything smoothly. There seems to be no defined limit since it¡¯s a growth item and it looks like it¡¯s even capable of eventually devouring divine equipment. This Mazi deserves to be called the God of Craft in RML.¡¯ Izroth then searched through some of the special clothing in the auction house that was handcrafted by yers with the Tailoring profession or found as the result of a special loot drop. There were even a few which were able to be acquired by clearing a certain quest. The first thing Izroth tried to do was simply use the Copy Appearance skill of his living armor to see if it worked even if the item was still in the auction house. Unfortunately, the skill did not register anything to copy. ¡¯As I thought, it needs to be directly in front of me or in my inventory for me to copy its appearance.¡¯ There were several decent quality special clothing within the auction house, however, none of them really grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention. At least, that was the case until he came across a piece of special clothing made by someone with the yer name Divine Needle. ¡¯The materials used to make this must have cost a fortune.¡¯ Item Name: Attire of a Silent Night(Rare) Item Creator: Divine Needle Item Description: A wonderfulbat outfit inspired by the quiet silence that lingers about in the night. It is crafted from superior materials by a skilled and talented tailor and has a few built-in hidden effects. Special Note: When this outfit is worn all other equipment, excluding the wearer¡¯s weapon(s), bes automatically hidden. The wearer can choose to keep certain equipment pieces visible. Although the design was amazing and the material used was extraordinary, the price was on the high endpared to the other special clothing. The Attire of a Silent Night was a rare asion in the auction house as one could not bid for it, but only purchase it via the buyout price. The buyout price was set at 100 gold coins. That was almost 32,000 RMB! To put this price into perspective, the most expensive special clothing under the Attire of a Silent Night only cost 15 gold coins. This meant that the Attire of a Silent Night was over six times more expensive than the second most expensive special clothing in the auction house. However, despite its towering price, Izroth decided to purchase it since he had taken a liking to its design. ¡¯This tailor is not bad. Though, not many yers would be willing to pay so much for special clothing. After all, 100 gold coins are enough to purchase a full set of umon equipment. Even one decent level rare piece of equipment can possibly be purchased with that amount.¡¯ Izroth did not waste any time as he immediately copied the appearance of the Attire of a Silent Night using the Copy Appearance skill attached to his living armor. Right after doing so, the original appearance of the living armor changed to that of the Attire of a Silent Night. ¡¯That should do it.¡¯ Once Izroth finished making a few additional purchases of some misceneous items, he made his way back towards the Mystical Realm Pce and entered into the private conference room. Before entering into the conference room, he told Opal not to disturb him unless it was an absolute emergency and with that, it was just Izroth by himself in the conference room with an inventory overcrowded with items. Izroth then removed a level 10mon armor chest piece from his inventory. ¡¯Now, let¡¯s begin.¡¯ Chapter 378 Feeding The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence The first piece of equipment Izroth chose was the Worn Leather Chest. It was not, by any means, a strong item. Though there was a reason Izroth still decided to purchase it regardless of its poor quality. He wanted to test the different levels of effectiveness certain equipment had with the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Of course, even if they did turn out to be useless, they should allow the Insatiable skill attached to his living armor to change from its disabled status. After all, the skill specifically stated that it would be automatically disabled if there were not enough pieces of equipment to consume. Therefore, even if all 1,000mon pieces of equipment turned out to be useless when it came to improving the overall strength of his living armor, ultimately, none of them would go to waste. Armor Name: Worn Leather Chest Armor Rank: Common Armor Level: 10 Armor Type: Leather HP: 55 DEF: 5 AGI: 12 Description: A battle retired body armor made from cheap leather material. It can probably protect its wearer from a random stray dull tipped arrow on the battlefield... Probably. ¡¯This description is a little... No, never mind. Well, I suppose since it¡¯s only a level 10mon chest piece, I shouldn¡¯t expect too much from it.¡¯ The stats of the Worn Leather Chest really were quite sad to look at. Even formon equipment, it was at the lowest possible point. Izroth equipped the Worn Leather Chest as the Peerless Conduct skill of his living armor instantly activated and destroyed the leather armor. Right after doing so, the Overeater effect was invoked as the Worn Leather Chest was sessfully absorbed into his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. ¡´System Alert: The effect of ?Overeater? has ended!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Worn Leather Chest? has been sessfully absorbed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence? has grown very slightly!¡µ Izroth checked the stats on his living armor as a helpless smile appeared on his face. ¡¯Indeed, it has grown very slightly.¡¯ Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) ... HP: 4,550(+928) ¡ú 4,550(+929) MP: 0(+0) Attack: 55(+3) Defense: 367(+74) Agility: 795(+177) Magic: 0(+0) ... The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence¡¯s HP stat had improved by 1 point. As for the other stats on the living armor, they remained unchanged. Perhaps even "very slightly" was an overstatement. It was practically nonexistent! While Izroth did not hold high expectations for the Worn Leather Chest, he had severely underestimated the appetite of his living armor. ¡¯Let¡¯s try something with a higher level.¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory and removed a sturdy but in-looking ted gauntlet. Compared to the flimsy-looking Worn Leather Chest, the ted gauntlet had a more durable andbat viable appearance. Armor Name: Steelite Gauntlets Armor Rank: Common Armor Level: 32 Armor Type: te Requirements: 155 Defense HP: 472 DEF: 36 Description: Some gauntlets crafted from impure steelite ore. ¡¯The stats are really too poor withmon equipment.¡¯ Izroth released a small sigh inwardly as he examined the stats ofmon equipment. Its stats were not that much higher than the level 23 umon te equipment he acquired as loot from the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard a while back. For the average yer who had to rely heavily uponmon and umon equipment to clear dungeons, as well as quests, it must require a well-bnced party. ¡¯Rare equipment will start to be moremonce once the majority of the casual yer base reaches the mid-level 40s. At that time, it¡¯ll be a rush among the top guilds to start finding ways to acquire full sets of epic quality equipment.¡¯ The reason Izroth made this prediction was due to the fact that level 40+ dungeons allowed yers to challenge them on three different levels. Normal, which was the default setting, Difficult, and Hardcore. While the Normal setting would give mostlymon and umon equipment, the Difficult and Hardcore settings increased the chances of yers acquiring rare or higher level equipment by leaps and bounds. Of course, the Hardcore difficulty was challenging even for pro yers and top guilds, therefore, it was highly unlikely that casual yers would attempt this setting. However, the Difficult setting was well within their reach so long as they used proper teamwork with a full set of umon equipment. Izroth repeated the same steps with the Steelite Gauntlets as he did with the Worn Leather Chest and it was soon destroyed before being absorbed by his living armor. Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) ... HP: 4,550(+929) ¡ú 4,550(+934) MP: 0(+0) Attack: 55(+3) Defense: 367(+74) Agility: 795(+177) Magic: 0(+0) ... A slight frown appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he noticed that only the HP stat of the living armor was being increased. Though this time, instead of 1 point, his HP stat increased by 5 points. ¡¯Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out. I don¡¯t believe that this is all this living armor is capable of absorbing.¡¯ Izroth took out the highest level of umon equipment from his inventory. It was obvious thatmon equipment was getting him nowhere, therefore, he decided to take it up to the next level and could only hope that umon equipment would be enough for the time being. Armor Name: Swift Boots Armor Rank: Umon Armor Level: 35 Armor Type: Leather Requirements: 160 Agility DEF: 33 AGI: 168 Description: "The wearer of these boots will move like the wind!"... So the original creator says. ¡¯The creator of these boots must have very thick skin to make such a grand statement.¡¯ How was one supposed to "move like the wind" with only 168 points of agility? Maybe a gentle breeze at best. Izroth gave the Swift Boots to his living armor to absorb. The first thing Izroth noticed was that the overall stat gain on his living armor was greater than that of when it absorbed the twomon pieces of equipment. Not only that, but two of his stats went up this time. Though the strange thing was that he managed to gain 2 points of defense from the Swift Boots and yet none from the Steelite Gauntlets even though it has a higher defense stat. This was something that Izroth did not yet understand. Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) ... HP: 4,550(+934) MP: 0(+0) Attack: 55(+3) Defense: 367(+74) ¡ú 367(+76) Agility: 795(+177) ¡ú 795(+185) Magic: 0(+0) ... ¡¯Is it because the Swift Boots are a higher level? Or, does it have to do with the quality of the equipment itself?¡¯ There were still too many unknowns about the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence given that it didn¡¯t exactlye with a user manual. But, in the end, Izroth could only wait until he had enough information by allowing the living armor to absorb greater quantities of equipment. After feeding the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence some armor, Izroth tried to see if it could also absorb weapons. The results were just as he expected. The living armor was incapable of absorbing weapons and he figured that it was the same thing when it came to trinkets. Izroth spent the next two hours equipping items only to have them destroyed by Peerless Conduct and absorbed into the living armor with its Overeater ability. It took anywhere between 1 to 4 seconds for the Overeater effect to resolve. The higher the level and quality of the equipment, the longer Izroth had to wait for it to be sessfully absorbed. By the time he finished, the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence had absorbed 1,000 pieces ofmon equipment and 100 pieces of umon equipment. One of the things he discovered during this long process was that after reaching a certain point, the stats on his living armor would no longer increase usingmon equipment. Even the lower level umon equipment had stopped providing his living armor with an increase in stats. ¡¯While it can still absorb the equipment, it appears that there¡¯s an invisible ceiling in which the living armor cannot break through without equipment of greater level and quality. Everything below level 35 no longer has any effect on it.¡¯ Izroth understood why this was the case. Even if its HP stat was only increased by 1 point using a level 10mon equipment, if there was no limit in ce, then all one needed to do was gather one million pieces of level 10mon equipment and they would have one million points of HP! Although it was only possible in theory, since it was unlikely that one would be able to obtain one million pieces of equipment alone, it was still a potential concern, especially if one had a vast amount of resources at their disposal. So while it was unlikely to happen, the important thing was that it was not impossible to do. There was another benefit Izroth received besides the stat increase and that was unlocking the Insatiable skill of the living armor. The most concerning thing was that it did not activate until the total number of equipment consumed reached the 1,000 mark. This left various questions that remained unanswered such as would the stats or skills of an item vanish forever once consumed by the Insatiable skill? How fast was the consumption rate? Also, just how powerful was this "massive" stat boost? ¡¯Hopefully, there won¡¯te a day where I have to use this Insatiable skill.¡¯ Izroth took a final look at the stats that his living armor gained and he was satisfied with the oue. Even though it was somewhat costly, it was definitely worth it to improve his overall power. ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) ... HP: 4,550(+934) ¡ú 4,550(+2,685) MP: 0(+0) ¡ú 0(+215) Attack: 55(+3) ¡ú 55(+320) Defense: 367(+76) ¡ú 367(+320) Agility: 795(+185) ¡ú 795(+320) Magic: 0(+0) ¡ú 0(+33) ... At the moment, Izroth needed as much strength as he could get with everything that was right around the corner. Not to mention, the path that awaited him in the future. He knew that eventually, he would have to face powerful individuals like that Netherworld Envoy and the Netherworld Monarch with his own power, not one that was lent to him. ¡¯Something tells me that we have not yet set a single foot into the door of this world. Everything aplished up to this point... It all feels as if it¡¯s only the start of things.¡¯ [Name: Izroth] ... [HP(Hit Points): 19,784/19,784 (100%)] [HP Regen(In-Battle): 79 HP/s] [Energy: 225] [MP: 125/1,403 (9.83%)] [MP Regen: 10 MP/s] [ATTACK: 2,675] [DEFENSE: 1,134] [AGILITY: 1,944] [MAGIC: 144] ... Once everything was settled, Izroth decided to immediately make a trip to the city of Everpeak to visit the Wiseman Kryxelsia in order to have his mana pool fixed. On the way there, he made sure to send out messages to those who would be the participating members of his party during the raid to inform them about the changed date. ¡¯I won¡¯t be able to make much progress on my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill in such a limited amount of time. I can¡¯t depend on it too much during the raid, but... There may be another way.¡¯ There was one more important reason Izroth wanted to visit Kryxelsia in Everpeak besides having his mana pool fixed. It had to do with a unique alternate method that could potentially allow the strength of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill to grow at a faster pace without sacrificing its foundations! ¡¯If I can increase the power of the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection to D-rank, then it should have the strength of a high grade A-rank or even a slightly weak S-rank skill.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere within the capital city Amaharpe... Inside the temporary headquarters of the guild Cross Haven, there were four individuals sat down. Ewan, the leader guild of Cross Haven, Wang Qiang, and Zhang Jie, two of the Five Great Generals, and a special guest that had arrived unannounced. At the moment, it waspletely silent and the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Chapter 379 The Ghost Shroud General, Visiting Everpeak "I did not think that you would personally pay us visit... Captain Minus of Blue Oasis. I assume this visit is not without purpose, correct?" Ewan said in a rxed and calm tone. "Of course, I would not waste my time if it were a small matter. The guild leader of Cross Haven has a unique talent to see far ahead, therefore-" Minus responded, but he was quickly cut off by Ewan. "Alright, there¡¯s no need to keep up this act. I heard that you already put on quite the show at the Protectors of Amaharpe event. If you¡¯ve chosen toe in person, then it must be an important matter. Do not hesitate to speak your mind. After all, you are the sixth great general of our Cross Haven." Ewan said as a small smirk appeared on his face. When those words left Ewan¡¯s mouth, a switch seemed to flip as Minus¡¯ entire demeanor changed. "It¡¯s tiring donning the facade of a vengeful idiot all the time. Sometimes, I feel as though I almost forget my actual personality." Minus stated as he released a deep sigh. He appeared to be more calm and calctive than before. There was no malice nor anger in his expression, only a strange calmness. He then continued, "You¡¯re right. The matter this time is not small, so Cross Haven has to act fast. Tomorrow... Blue Oasis will attempt to clear the first raid within RML." One of the seven Captains of Blue Oasis was actually one of Cross Haven¡¯s generals?! If this news was to be leaked, it would cause fear to strike at the heart of the top guilds. While it was not umon for there to be spies ced into their guilds by other top guilds, it was restricted to regr members. For one of Blue Oasis¡¯ top members to be a spy... This would be a devastating discovery for those within Blue Oasis. The moment those words left Minus¡¯ mouth, Ewan, Wang Qiang, and Zhang Jie all jumped up from their seats in shock. So this was why Blue Oasis had been so quiet and lying low for so long! They were preparing for a raid! They knew about Blue Oasis discovering a potential territory thanks to Minus, however, it was a well-held secret between very few individuals. Not even all seven captains knew of its specific requirements until just yesterday. Although Minus had already informed them of this, unfortunately, they were unable to dig up any additional information in time to properly contest the ownership of the territory. But, the raid was a different story altogether. Once Blue Oasis stepped inside the raid for the first time, its location would be broadcast to the entire world! Without a doubt, every single top guild would rush over at full speed. Once that happened, it was only a matter of time before the territory Blue Oasis wanted to im was leaked out. After that, even if they did acquire the territory, there would be greedy eyes on them from all sides. This was a dangerous position to be in, but the benefits were too great to pass up for any top guild. If Blue Oasis did not y their hand correctly, then they could suffer huge losses while also bing public enemy number one. "Originally, I wanted to wait a bit longer to bring this up, but they¡¯ve moved the raid up ahead of its initial schedule. Though, there¡¯s another reason why I took a big risking here. There¡¯s a troublesome group that we can¡¯t ignore. It¡¯s best if you pull them over to our side as quickly as possible, otherwise, this is just a hunch but... We¡¯ll definitely lose out." Minus stated. He then continued, "I¡¯d do so myself, but that would involve me blowing my cover. Not to mention, ¡¯Captain Minus¡¯ and that group is not exactly on friendly terms ever since what happened during the Protectors of Amaharpe event. However, this isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. It may just be enough to create a wedge between that group and Blue Oasis. But, of course, I won¡¯t go too far. The instinct of that Niflheim is terrifying. If I overstep too often, he¡¯ll surely start to catch on." Group? What group was there that could possibly catch the attention of someone like Minus? When this thought crossed the minds of everyone present, a look of realization seemed to sink in. To their knowledge, there was one group that immediately came to mind when Minus spoke about not being on friendly terms with them since the event. It had to be that group! "It¡¯s him again. It seems that he truly is the real deal. Your estimations were off, Wang Qiang." Ewan said to himself as a slight smile appeared on his face. The person Ewan was referring to was none other than Izroth. Lately, the fame of this person had been growing faster than he originally anticipated. At first, he wanted to slowly lure Izroth over to the side of his Cross Haven, however, his progress was too fast! Ewan felt that if he waited any longer than he already had, then it would be toote to draw him in. Wang Qiang furrowed his brows as he responded, "I admit, I didn¡¯t expect for him to grow this fast. But, it¡¯s notpletely out of our reach just yet. There¡¯s still a chance to draw him over to our side. After all, even if he is the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, there are things that money cannot buy. I¡¯m sure you understand where I¡¯m going with this." "Your evaluation of this Izroth is extremely high if you¡¯re willing to make such a suggestion. Though I can¡¯t say that I me you. I¡¯ve seen his fighting capabilities firsthand back during the event in front of Amaharpe. I have to say... It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen such wless and natural swordsmanship. From what I¡¯ve witnessed, when ites to swordsmanship, he¡¯s probably on the same level as the sword freak from Fatal Touch." Zhang Jiemented. "Ick an eye for such a precise measurement of swordsmanship, however, if our own Zhang Jie says so, then it must be true." Minus stated. "Then, I assume there are no objections as to using that item to win him over?" Ewan asked as he swept his gaze across the room. There were no objections from anyone and they all seemed to agree that, while it was a heavy price, it was worth it in the long run. When it came to the ability to look at the path that lied far ahead, everyone present knew that Ewan would be hard-pressed to find an equal. "I don¡¯t object, but I want to know what actions we¡¯ll take if he happens to refuse our offer. If possible, I¡¯d like to not have this person as an enemy of our Cross Haven." Wang Qiang said as he and everyone else looked to Ewan. "I, also, hope that we do not reach that point. However, as long as he also refuses to join another top guild, then it will not be much of an issue as the bnce will remain... For the most part." Ewan stated. "Now that that¡¯s settled... Wang Qiang, how do you suggest we deal with the Blue Oasis situation?" Ewan questioned. Wang Qiang pondered Ewan¡¯s question for a moment before he replied, "If I¡¯m being honest, the chances of our Cross Haven acquiring this territory are too small. We are not as well prepared as Blue Oasis and unless we¡¯re willing to start a full out war with them, then there¡¯s no possible way to dy their progress. Therefore, we¡¯re left with two options." He then continued, "Our first option is to leak this information to the other top guilds so that Blue Oasis is forced to make some concessions with their territory." "If we do that, then the territory will be as good as trash. Too many hands in the jar leaves everyone with nothing but crumbs." Minus said. "Precisely, that¡¯s why it will only be ast resort tactic if the second option fails. As for the second option... We form an alliance with Blue Oasis and promise to help protect their territory. In exchange, our Cross Haven will receive some special benefits once the territory is sessfully under their control. Even though we won¡¯t be owners of the territory, at the very least, we will still benefit greatly in the long run. It will also build a foundation for theter stages of our ns." Wang Qiang exined. Ewan thought it over briefly as he gave a nod of approval and said, "We¡¯ll follow through with the second option. Let¡¯s hope that it doesn¡¯te to the first option. I have a feeling that Niflheim will see ahead and know the potential consequences for turning down the second option, so I do not believe that it will be an issue. However, the question is how do we approach Blue Oasis without initially drawing in too much attention to ourselves?" "You can just leave this part to me." Minus stated in a confident tone as he stood up from his seat and put on a cloak that hid away his features, as well as, his yer information. "I would expect no less from the Ghost Shroud General. I will entrust this matter to you. Deal with it as you see fit and contact us when things are ready." Ewan said. There was no exchange of farewells as Minus took his leave after gaining Ewan¡¯s approval. "It appears that things will start getting busy after today." Zhang Jiemented as he released a small sigh. "With this war between kingdoms approaching, we have no idea what to expect. We need as many benefits as we can get so that we can be as prepared as possible to face the unknown. We¡¯ve already sent a few squads to locate Tempest and gather information. We can only hope that they are sessful. For now, let¡¯s just focus on what¡¯s in front of us." Wang Qiang said. "I agree. I have faith in the members of our Cross Haven. They will surely seed. Besides, this territory, the uing war, I¡¯m sure both of you know..." Ewan stood up front his seat as he began to walk towards the exit of the room. Just before leaving the room Ewan finished hisst few words, "This is only the beginning." ... Kryxelsia currently had a nk expression on her face as she examined Izroth. "Is it that you wish to permanently damage your mana pool? There¡¯s even a seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams that has been broken through unnatural means. If you continue this reckless behavior, mana may no longer be able to gather in your mana pool. If this happens, even I will be unable to repair the damage done." Kryxelsia stated. "I will be more careful in the future. I thank you in advance for your assistance." Izroth responded with a carefree expression on his face. Kryxelsia went on to start fixing Izroth¡¯s mana pool and stabilize the first seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams that was forcibly unsealed by Kayn. Since Izroth¡¯s mana pool was even more damaged than thest time she repaired it, the time it took to fix it was much longer. As Kryxelsia fixed his mana pool, Izroth discussed the events that led to his mana pool being damaged, as well as, the overall selection. "The Lustrum Imperial Bout... So, it is that time once again. Though I can not say that I am too surprised that you acquired a Lustrum Imperial Token, however, I did not think that it would be the golden token that belongs to the second team. Obtaining 1st ce as well, I did not take you for the ambitious type. But, acquiring the captain position is no small feat. Though the responsibility it brings about is a great burden. Are you certain that you wish to carry such a burden upon your shoulders?" Krylxesia said. "A man whocks any ambition will never set a foot upon the summit. I do not fear a challenge. Though from the way you¡¯re speaking, it would seem that you¡¯re quite familiar with the Lustrum Imperial Bout." Izroth said. "Although it was a long time ago, I too, participated in the Lustrum Imperial Bout. During that time, teams did not yet exist and every realm went by their own rules. There was arge amount of pointless bloodshed caused by greed and misced pride. However, those days have long since be a part of history." Kryxelsia exined. After Krylxesia finished repairing Izroth¡¯s mana pool and stabilizing his Seal of Ten Chakrams, the two spoke about various topics. As for the heavenly lightning that took ce near the Sky Pce, Kryxelsia did not bring up this topic as she felt that it was beyond Izroth¡¯s present power to know anything about it. As to why Izroth himself did not mention it, he was unaware of the heavenly lightning itself. All he understood at that time was that something extremely dangerous was nearby. When it came to the mysterious man that he met, Izroth asked Kryxelsia about him. But, in the end, Kryxelsia said that she had never met nor heard of anyone simr to who Izroth described. However, Izroth believed that Kryxelsia knew more than she was letting on. There was a split change in her expression when Izroth mentioned that man. Although others may not have noticed, it did not escape his attention. Though Izroth did not take Kryxelsia as someone dishonest by nature. It was likely that there were certain reasons why she could not or would not discuss anything about the mysterious man. Since she had her reasons for doing so, Izroth would not press the matter and so he decided to change the topic. "I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, do you have any items that contain the Law of Void?" Izroth asked. However, when he asked that question, a look of bewilderment appeared on Kryxelsia¡¯s face. "You know about the Laws of the World?" Kryxelsia questioned as a hint of disbelief found its way into her tone. ¡¯Laws of the World?¡¯ That was something Izroth had never heard of before within RML. What he was speaking about had to do with his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. To increase the rate of its growth, he needed the Law of Void. It was one of the requirements listed on the skill. He believed that if anyone should know about this, it should be Kryxelsia with her incredibly high knowledge level. "Does the Law of Void fall under the Laws of the World?" Izroth asked. Kryxelsia gave a small nod as she released a light sigh and said, "You are correct. The Laws of the World are something that exists everywhere, however, it is not so simple to grasp. As for items that contain the Laws of the World... At minimum, they are all unique items. If it were the Law of Wind or Law of Fire, then I may have been able to lend you a hand somewhat, but for the Law of Void... I am afraid that anything short of a divine item cannot hold the Law of Void. You should understand what this means." ¡¯Divine... How troublesome. It looks like I can only depend on my own ability to improve my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill for now. Forget obtaining a divine item, even an epic item is hard enough toe by at the moment.¡¯ Even though it was a bit disappointing, Izroth knew that there was nothing that could be done about it. ¡¯It would seem that I have to take the difficult route after all.¡¯ Chapter 380 A Distant Opportunity If Izroth wanted to increase the progress rate of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill, he needed something known as the "Law of Void". Unfortunately, it appeared that items containing the Law of Void required a divine item as its vessel, otherwise, the power behind the Law of Void could not be properly restrained. ¡¯But, is this truly the only path I can take?¡¯ Izroth needed to increase his power as fast as possible in a short amount of time and this was the best method at his current disposal. When Kryxelsia noticed that Izroth appeared to be in deep thought about the topic, she decided to leave him with a strand of hope. Even though she knew that it was unlikely to happen, she believed that it was notpletely impossible. It was also better than leaving him with no path or goal. Besides, it might even ultimately motivate Izroth to push past his limits. "There is another way that you can possibly experience the same effects provided by an item that contains the Law of Void. It would be impossible for most others, but since you hold a Golden Lustrum Imperial Token, it is at the very least, something within your reach. But, I must warn you that it is not a simple feat." Kryxelsia said in an unhurried manner. This, of course, immediately caught Izroth¡¯s attention. If there really was another way for him toe into contact with the Law of Void, then this was good news. However, he was not so naive as to believe that it would be something easy to aplish. Since the Law of Void required a divine item to contain it, this obviously meant that it held a great level of power. Of course, with his current strength, Izroth had no intention of trying to control the Law of Void. Instead, he wanted to use it as a catalyst for his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. As long as he was capable of realizing that goal, then it was of no consequence how arduous of a task it turned out to be. Though what Izroth was most interested in was how the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token was rted to his chances of interacting with the Law of Void. Since Kryxelsia stated that it would be impossible for most others, but not for him who was in possession of the token... Could it have something to do with the Lustrum Imperial Bout? Or to be more precise the Imperial Penins Realm? "If the Wiseman has something in mind, I would be grateful for the opportunity presented to me. As for it not being simple... This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, most good things in life that are hard toe by are, more often than not, worth the trouble." Izroth said in a carefree manner. He then asked, "What is it that I need to do?" "You have good fortune, Izroth. The first condition is to find a way to the Imperial Penins Realm. Without a Lustrum Imperial Token in your possession, this would not be possible with your current level of strength and influence. However, since you were able to ce in the top ten of a selection, this saves you quite a bit of time." Kryxelsia exined. ¡¯I see. That¡¯s why she made thatment earlier about it being within my reach. If I didn¡¯t take part in the selection and have the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token, then entering into the Imperial Penins Realm would have been close to an impossibility. As for time... The Imperial Penins Realm only opens once every five years. Even with the in-game time ratio of 3:1, that¡¯s still more than a year and a half I¡¯d have to wait. It may only be a bit of time for someone like her, but I don¡¯t have the luxury of waiting that long.¡¯ Who knew how far along he would be in almost five years in-game time? He may not even need the Law of Void for his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill by then! "You said that the Lustrum Imperial Token is the first condition. If that¡¯s the case, what are the others?" Izroth asked. The moment he asked that question, Izroth received a message alert from the system. It was surprisingly sent by He Huian of Sleeping Gardenia. She was Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s financial advisor, as well as, the one in-charge of matters while Mariposa was away. Izroth gave the message a quick nce as he narrowed his eyes slightly after reading it. When Kryxelsia saw this, she paused for a moment. "Is something wrong?" Kryxelsia asked. "No, just some small matter that I forgot to attend to. However, it doesn¡¯t require my immediate attention. You¡¯ll have to excuse my rudeness. About the other conditions..." Izroth said as he set the other matter to the back of his head for the time being. Kryxelsia gave a slight nod as she said, "When you ascend the Imperial Steps, you must reach the top step. Atop of the Imperial Steps lies an ancient relic. It is that relic that will allow you to experience effects simr to that of a divine item that contains one of the Laws of the World. Of course, this includes the Law of Void. However, you must remember that what the Imperial Steps test is not one¡¯s strength, but one¡¯s understanding." "Understanding?" Izroth questioned. "Yes, one¡¯s understanding of naturalws. To put it in simple terms, it tests the heights of one¡¯s Domain mastery. While a Domain is separated from the Laws of the World, at the same time, the two are closely connected. They are not the same thing, however, one cannot exist without the other. But, for you who do not yet have a Domain..." Kryxelsia did not have to finish her sentence as Izroth already knew what it was that she wanted to say. If he did not even have a Domain, how was he supposed to ascend the Imperial Steps, let alone reach the top step? But, ording to Kayn, a Domain woulde naturally as one grew stronger. The question was, just how strong did one need to be before acquiring a Domain? This was the biggest worry at the moment. However, not only would he need to acquire a Domain, but increase his mastery of the Domain to its peak! To achieve this in the time before the Lustrum Imperial Bout, Kryxelsia was likely being polite when she said that it was somewhat within his reach. But, even without a solid frame of reference, Izroth was not discouraged. He was someone whoprehended heavenlyws to a peak understanding. How could he allow himself to be stopped by something like a Domain? "So, as long as I obtain a Domain, reach a peak level mastery of it, and ascend the Imperial Steps until I reach the top, then there shouldn¡¯t be any problems, correct?" Izroth asked in a nonchnt way. "Speaking inly, yes." Kryxelsia responded. "Then, I¡¯ll have to do just that.." Izroth said as if it was just a matter of him choosing to do so. However, Kryxelsia could not say that she was shocked by Izroth¡¯s response. This was someone with a deep level ofprehension as she discovered during their previous conversation about magic. Kryxelsia felt that if anyone could master a Domain in half a year¡¯s time, then it was the young man in front of her. Izroth and Kryxelsia continued their conversation for a while longer before Izroth was ready to take his leave. As Izroth was about to leave, Kryxelsia spoke and said, "If you damage your mana pool again, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to repair it. If you do not wish to lose every drop of mana inside of your body, I suggest you discontinue your reckless behavior. Unless it is an absolute emergency, you must not push your mana pool past its limits." "I will take your words to heart, Wiseman. I will not forget the help you¡¯ve given me today. I will surely find the chance to repay this favor." Izroth said. He was not someone who left favors unpaid. Kryxelsia did not require anything of him and yet, she not only helped to fix his mana pool but even took the time to inform him about the Imperial Steps. "If you wish to do me a favor, then you can drag that disciple of mine out of the magic capital city some time. I understand the great curiosity thates along with magic, however, one also needs firsthand experience if they truly wish to reach great heights. In the end, the training dungeon in that estate can only take one so far." Kryxelsia stated. Izroth inwardly shook his head. He understood Kryxelsia¡¯s concerns. After all, every message he received from Valentine since his time in the selection had been about nothing but magic. Even when he told Valentine about the raid tomorrow, what was his response? "Raid? Sounds fun. I¡¯m too busy though. Oh! About the sixth sequence I sent you, what do you think about...", that was the response Izroth received from Valentine. He brushed off participating in the first raid of RML so that he could stay in and continue to read about magic! If any other yer was in his ce, they would jump for joy at a simr chance. Originally, Izroth nned on finding someone as a substitute, but since Kryxelsia made the request then he could only use a... different approach. Izroth gave a small nod as he said, "Rest assured, I will make sure to properly ¡¯convince¡¯ him when the timees." "Then, I will leave this matter in your hands." Kryxelsia replied. After exchanging farewells, Izroth took his leave from Everpeak and made his way back towards Amaharpe. This time, however, he came well prepared on the journey with a Returning Scroll that took him directly to the front gates of Amaharpe. It costs a few hundred gold coins for one scroll of that quality, however, this was not much of a dent on Izroth¡¯s funds. Besides, there was another reason he wanted to return to Amaharpe as quickly as possible. It had to do with the message he received from He Huian while he was in the middle of a conversation with Kryxelsia. ¡´System Alert: yer He Huian has sent you a message, "I¡¯ve just received some news that there¡¯s someone causing amotion in front of your Mystical Realm Pce. I heard that you¡¯re not present, so I took the liberty of sending some people to handle it. However, that person is incredibly stubborn and refuses to cease his actions. It seems that he has no intention of leaving unless you meet him. Since it¡¯s a safe zone, there¡¯s nothing more that can be done."¡µ ¡¯Could it be Sage Falls returning for revenge? But, would they really only send one person to make trouble after what happenedst time?¡¯ That was the first thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. He could not think of anyone else who would be so bold as to openly cause trouble in front of his Mystical Realm Pce. Not to mention, he had not heard any news recently regarding Sage Falls. It was possible that they were simply rebuilding their strength before deciding to strike. If it really was Sage Falls causing trouble, then... ¡¯Well, if it really is them, then this time... I¡¯ll be sure to pull them up by their roots.¡¯ Izroth swiftly made his way towards the Mystical Realm Pce and the instant he arrived within the visual range of his shop, he noticed that there was a crowd gathered outside. Immediately, he could tell that, at the very least, the entrance to his Mystical Realm Pce was not being forcibly blocked. As he moved closer to the shop, it was at that time that he heard a loud voice ring out in the surroundings that came from the direction of the Mystical Realm Pce. "I KNOW YOU¡¯RE IN THERE OWNER OF THE MYSTICAL REALM PALACE! COME OUT AND GREET THIS AMAZING ONCE IN A LIFETIME HANDSOME GENIUS BORN ONCE EVERY... WELL, JUST ONCE! BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU¡¯LL BE B-" The voice grandly announced, however, as they were speaking they made a mistake and bit down on their tongue! This caused them to suddenly halt their words and cover their mouth in pain. The crowd gathered outside the Mystical Realm Pce were yers that had finished their shopping and wanted to see how the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce handled this matter. After all, they heard thatst time someone caused trouble in front of his shop, there was a grand sell where even rare items cost only 1 bronze coin! None of them wanted to miss out on this opportunity. However, the person causing trouble was a bit... Wasn¡¯t he a bit messed up in the head? "This person... Aren¡¯t they embarrassed to say such things out loud?" One of the spectating yersmented. "No, forget that. Is it even possible to bite your own tongue in RML? Is it some kind of skill?" "Skill your head! Why would there be such a useless skill in-" "This stupid skill, it actually went off again and caused me to bite my tongue..! Why does it actually hurt?!" The yer who was causing themotion said. When those words left his mouth, it was met with an awkward silence by the yers in the crowd. Wait... There really was such a useless skill in RML? Izroth, on the other hand, did not know what to think as he arrived at the front of the crowd. One thing was for certain, this person did not seem to be a member of Sage Falls. ¡¯What¡¯s with this guy? Is he right in the head?¡¯ Chapter 381 The Handsome Genius Born Once In a Lifetime, Gu Chao! "Hey, isn¡¯t that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce?" One of the yers in the crowd said as he pointed towards Izroth. He recognized Izroth from thest time amotion took ce in front of the Mystical Realm Pce. He was one of the lucky yers who was able to get his hands on one of the rare items that were put up for sale for a single bronze coin. His words caused everyone to immediately turn to look over and all around as they tried to locate the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. The vast majority of yers still had no idea what the mysterious owner of the Mystical Realm Pce looked like in person. There were all sorts of rumors going around about him, as well as, heated debate as to how he managed to own the first property in RML. "Woah, what kind of armor is that? Could it be a rare equipment set?" One of the surrounding yers said as they saw Izroth¡¯s Attire of a Silent Night. The details and craftsmanship certainly did not appear to be somethingmon or umon. In fact, its appearance even surpassed that of most rare equipment sets! "Heh, I heard thatst time Sage Falls caused trouble and did not dare speak of the events that took ce in the Mystical Realm Pce that day. That¡¯s a top ten guild! The owner of the Mystical Realm Pce has a connection to all the top guilds. I heard that one word from him caused a top ten guild like Sage Falls to be exterminated in a single night." "What nonsense are you saying? How can a top ten guild be destroyed overnight from a single word? Everyone knows that Sage Falls made many enemies during the Protectors of Amaharpe event and sustained heavy damage. They¡¯re probably just rebuilding their strength to reim their rank as a top ten guild." There were various conversations taking ce among the crowd which ranged from rumors about Izroth, Sage Falls, and even if there was going to be another sale like thest time. Needless to say, everyone was anxious to know the fate of that idiot who dared to offend the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce! Izroth shook his head inwardly as he overheard some of the things being discussed. In truth, the only reason he held such a grand salest time was to teach Sage Falls a small lesson. He did not think that it would cause others to hope for trouble to find its way to the doorsteps of his Mystical Realm Pce just so they could receive some benefits! ¡¯As for this guy...¡¯ To be honest, Izroth did not know what to think of this guy who was behind all the ruckus. Izroth could see that this person was not a threat, however, his intelligence certainly left something more to be desired. Though Izroth could not help but admire their dedication. This person had been out here for hours calling out and wanting to meet with him. ¡¯Well, I can¡¯t just leave things this way. Let¡¯s see what he¡¯s up to.¡¯ Izroth stepped forward and said, "I heard that you¡¯ve been looking for the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. Tell me, who are you and what business do you have with me?" The person who had just bit their tongue and was squirming around in pain looked up towards Izroth. At first, he waspletely silent as he seemed to be sizing Izroth up. The person in question was a young man in his early to mid-twenties with short ck hair, dark brown eyes, and a face that appeared handsome, however, it was difficult for most people to notice given theyers of fat that hid it away. He was quite round and chubby, but the ted armor he wore, as well as, the small hammer at his side was surprisingly all rare equipment! "It¡¯s you? Are you the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce? Then the rumors..." There was a look of surprise on his face when he saw Izroth. "Rumors?" Izroth said. "I can¡¯t believe the rumors were wrong...! I knew it! How can anyone be as handsome as I, Gu Chao? Ahahaha, well there¡¯s no need to be worried. This handsome genius will share some of his personal beauty tips with you." The one who called himself Gu Chao said with a cheerful expression on his face. Everyone in the crowd nearly coughed up blood when they heard Gu Chao¡¯s proud deration. Who wanted his beauty tips?! Wasn¡¯t this fellow too shameless and thick-skinned? Not to mention, he was acting such a way before the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce himself! Did he wish to follow in the footsteps of those in Sage Falls by angering the owner? However, unlike what the crowd expected to happen, Izroth remained calm and did not erupt into a fit of anger. "I¡¯ll have to pass on this ¡¯generous¡¯ offer." Izroth responded swiftly. "Well, suit yourself. It¡¯s your loss. Many people would beg to know such deeply hidden secrets of mine." Gu Chao stated. He then snapped out of it as he was reminded of his original purpose for visiting the Mystical Realm Pce and wanting to meet with the owner. "Owner of the Mystical Realm Pce Izroth! I challenge you to a duel, do you dare ept?!" Gu Chao announced loud enough for everyone in the surrounding area to hear. What?! He wanted to challenge the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce to a duel? But, what did he gain from doing so? "Oh? A duel?" Izroth felt that it would be a waste of his time to duel someone like Gu Chao. After all, he had recently fought against individuals like Roudin, Sage, and even sparred with the third young master of the Dragon Pce. In a duel, Izroth was positive that there was no yer within all of RML that could evene close to defeating him. This was not due to him being arrogant, it was just simple facts. How many yers could survive even the first round of the second team selection, let alonee in first ce? Besides that mysterious yer who referred to himself as Law, there were likely to be no other yers that coulde even remotely close to it. But, since he was challenged so openly to participate in a duel, how could he possibly back down from it? "Very well, I ept your challenge." Izroth said. In turn, this caused the crowd to be excited and restless. They knew that a good show was about to start! Not to mention, they would get to witness the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce fighting in actualbat. They were some who were curious as to what kind of skills he possessed since he came in first ce in the individual yer category during the Protectors of Amaharpe event. "Good! I knew that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce couldn¡¯t be a coward who was afraid of challenges! Surely, the esteemed owner of the Mystical Realm Pce will not mind if I set the terms of the duel, right?" Gu Chao said with arge smile on his face. It was obvious that he was up to something, however, Izroth did not mind these little tricks. In the end, he was confident that no matter what conditions or terms Gu Chao set, he was more than capable of oveing them. "You can do as you wish." Izroth replied nonchntly. "Then, the duel shall be in... Forging! A contest between cksmiths!" Gu Chao announced. Forging? cksmiths? Wasn¡¯t there going to be a fight? Why was this Gu Chao suddenly talking about forging? Besides, was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce even a cksmith? If so, why were there no weapons in his shop? These were all the questions traveling through the minds of those in the crowd. ¡¯Forging?¡¯ It was well known within RML that a yer could only take on a single profession. Since Izroth had already chosen the Apothecary profession, how could he possibly face off against someone in a contest designed for cksmiths? Was this fellow misinformed about something? "I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t possible. I¡¯ve already chosen Apothecary as my profession which means that it¡¯s impossible for me to be a cksmith." Izroth stated. "What?! You¡¯re not a cksmith?!" Gu Chao said in a shocked tone. He then continued, "This... What do I do now...?" Gu Chao appeared to be in deep thought about his next move as if he did not n for this possibility to ur. The crowd, on the other hand, all had looks of pity while looking at Gu Chao as they shook their heads. It turned out that this person did have something wrong with their head! After seeing that Gu Chao was lost in thought, Izroth released a small inward sigh. He felt that the Returning Scroll he used to rush back to Amaharpe was not worth it at all. If he knew that it was this kind of person waiting for him, he would have taken his time and journeyed back through normal means. "Since there¡¯s nothing else..." Izroth started to head towards the entrance of the Mystical Realm Pce as he walked past Gu Chao. "Wait a second! You may not be a cksmith, but you still can¡¯t go back on your word since you¡¯ve already epted my challenge! How about this-!" Gu Chao bit his tongue mid-sentence which caused him to cover his mouth from the pain. Even though he turned the pain sensitivity down to the absolute minimum setting, it had not changed the feeling at all! However, Gu Chao spoke through the pain as he continued and said, "I¡¯m not unreasonable! How about this? Whoever can take out the most impressive piece of equipment is the winner." Although his speech sounded somewhat strange due to trying to talk right after having bit his tongue, it was still clear enough to be understood by those present. However, the crowd immediately went into an uproar. "You have a full set of rare equipment, have you no shame?! How shameless can you be?!" "Yeah! First, you want to challenge him to a match between cksmiths when he¡¯s an Apothecary, now this? Bastard... Just hurry up and die so we can have our sale!" "This Fatty..." Everyone was outraged over Gu Chao¡¯s behavior. But, most importantly, everyone was upset that their chances of a grand sale were being ruined by him! Why couldn¡¯t he just cause trouble like those people from Sage Falls? Why did he have to be this messed up in the head? "Y-you! You all! How can you call this handsome once in a lifetime genius shameless?! Your mother is shameless! Your whole family is shameless! That- Who was it?! Who dared called me fatty just now?!" Gu Chao did not let up as he responded to every single insult with one of his own. Of course, this caused the crowd topletely turn on him and most of them wanted to strangle him to death by this point! "Enough! You all didn¡¯t even let me finish! The weapon I choose to take out has to be one created personally by me! Well, what do you say, will you ept or not?!" Gu Chao roared as he huffed and puffed in anger at the crowd as he turned his attention back towards Izroth. How could these people all team up on him and call a handsome and peerless once in a lifetime genius like himself, shameless? Even he had some pride! "Hmph, it turns out that this fatty is notpletely shameless after all." One of the yers in the crowdmented. Gu Chao chose to ignore thatment as he said to Izroth, "I want to make a friendly wager. If I win, I want to be the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce and turn it into a weapons and armor shop. If you win... Well, then this handsome young genius will be willing to personally follow you and call you big brother. Although I¡¯m suffering some losses from this arrangement, it can¡¯t be helped." Gu Chao sighed as he said thosest few words. This caused the person who had justmented on his behavior to cough up blood from anger. What kind of deal was that?! How could he say that he was the one suffering losses?! It was obvious that he was trying to take advantage of the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce from this wager! Izroth, on the other hand, had a feeling that if he did not take care of this now, then this Gu Chao would not give up so easily. Of course, this was far from being a fair wager, however, Gu Chao had no idea just what he was getting himself into. ¡¯I suppose I could use someone to run a few errands.¡¯ Even if Gu Chao was a grade five cksmith, he should still be unable to forge an epic quality piece of equipment. Even if by some miracle he did manage to craft one, it was even more of an impossibility that he could forge equipment with a growth-type nature. This meant that even if Gu Chao forged a legendary piece of equipment, he would still ultimately lose the contest! After all, they were not going by pure quality, but by which piece was more "impressive" overall. "Alright, I¡¯ll ept your challenge with the conditions you¡¯ve chosen." Izroth replied. The crowd was taken aback. He agreed to such ridiculous terms? Could he be afraid of losing face if he did not ept? However, no one would fault him for not epting such unfair conditions. It was too ridiculous! "Good, very good! Let everyone here be a witness that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is truly a man of his word and knows how to keep his promises!" Gu Chao announced in a slightly gleeful manner. To be honest, he never expected Izroth to ept his wager so openly. This was a huge opportunity! "Then, I¡¯ll go first." Gu Chao said as he removed an item from his inventory. It was a soft-ted chest piece with a faint aura around it and made one think of the endless seas when they nced upon it. He held it up proudly for everyone to see and examine it. When he removed the item from his inventory, the crowd was left speechless. Did he really forge this item by himself? "This aura... It¡¯s a rare item! There¡¯s a cksmith who can forge rare items!" One of the yers eximed. Once news of this got out, even the top guilds would fight to bring this Gu Chao over to their side! ¡¯Oh? This may be somewhat worth my time after all.¡¯ Chapter 382 Forged Effects, Gu Chaos Goal? While everyone was focused on the rarity of the equipment, Izroth had his attention on a different part of the armor piece that Gu Chao revealed. ''I can see why he''s so confident. It seems his fortune''s not bad.'' Gu Chao probably believed that even if Izroth had the required funds to purchase some rare equipment, it would not be any higher than level 35 since the top guilds monopolized the vast majority of rare equipment that was level 35 and above. Given the unique nature of the item Gu Chao revealed, despite only being level 30, one would be hard-pressed to find a "more impressive" piece of equipment below level 35. Of course, the most impressive thing about the armor was that it was forged by Gu Chao himself. Armor Name: Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest Armor Creator: Gu Chao Armor Rank: Rare Armor Level: 30 Armor Type: Light te Requirements: 175 Agility, 175 Defense HP: 1,272 DEF: 110 AGI: 110 Passive: Increases the user''s defense and agility by 10 points every 3 seconds while inbat (MAX: 200). When out ofbat for more than 5 seconds, the user will rapidly lose this stat increase. Set Effect(2): The user gains +1,755 HP, +140 AGI, +140 DEF. ?Bonus Forged Effect: Limiter Removal? - The requirements to equip this armor are negated. ?Bonus Forged Effect: Soft Bone Flow? - Redirects 12% of all damage received by the wearer as pure damage towards the original attacker (MIN: 62 Damage) (MAX: 517 Damage). Special Note: This equipment piece is part of the ?Soft Bone Sea Swallow Set? and when equipped with the other set piece, grants the user extra benefits. This Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest would not lose out to a level 35 rare armor piece with its set effect and the bonus forged effects, maybe even a weaker piece of level 40 rare armor piece would not be its match! Within RML, cksmiths were given blueprint instructions to follow to sessfully forge a weapon. However, this was not the limit of cksmiths. There was something called Forged Effects that every cksmith dreamed of having one of their forged pieces of equipment. In simple terms, Forged Effects were additional benefits or skills attached to a piece of equipment after the cksmith improved upon the original blueprint and materials. But, this was a lot easier said than done. If someone were able to attach a single Forged Effect onto equipment, they would be highly valued by their guilds. So then, what about when one managed to have two Forged Effects on a single piece of equipment? It waspletely unheard of! While most of the yers in the crowd did not understand how significant this was, as well as what it represented, Izroth and a few others present did. Izroth knew that if he did not have his Sword of The Storm or Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, then the victor of this challenge would have undoubtedly been Gu Chao! ''The materials to forge this single piece of equipment must have been astronomical.'' If this armor was just five levels higher, who knew what ridiculous price the top guilds would be willing to pay for it? But, even with its current level, Izroth estimated that with two bonus Forged Effects, the Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest would sell for at least 2,000 gold coins or 632,000 RMB. Of course, that was a minimum estimate. It was possible that even 4,000 or 5,000 gold coins would not be enough to get one''s hands on it. If it were level 35, however, it would be priceless! ''If he has the set piece to go along with it and sold them in a pair, then it shouldn''t be impossible for the price to reach 10,000 gold coins. However, it''s a shame that it''s still not enough.'' When Gu Chao heard the amazement hidden away in the voices of those present, arge smile appeared on his face. The same people who were just talking so much nonsense a few moments ago were now left speechless before his craftsmanship. They were probably dreading being disrespectful towards him by now. After all, with his ability as a cksmith, it was only a matter of time before he was bombarded with invites from some powerful guilds. Once that happened, would he try to seek revenge on them for making fun of him? When this thought passed through the minds of those who had previously insulted Gu Chao, there was a sense of dread that shed by in their head. They could only hope that this fatty-... That this benevolent and forgiving soul did not hold a grudge against them! "It looks like the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce was too hasty in epting this challenge." One of the spectating yers said as he shook his head and released a sigh. "Do you think he''ll give away the rights to his Mystical Realm Pce if he loses? Even if I had to lose some face, I don''t think I''d be able to give away such a priceless treasure..." "If he doesn''t, then it''ll be well-known that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is a man that doesn''t keep his word. In the long term, this isn''t a good thing. I heard that he has some ties to the mysterious Pill Emperor. If that Pill Emperor were to find this out, then wouldn''t they cut ties with someone so untrustworthy?" There were only a handful of people who knew that Izroth was, in fact, the mysterious Pill Emperor. Therefore, it wasughable to think that he would cut ties with himself. But, in the end, Izroth was not troubled by the words of the crowd since he already knew the oue of this challenge before it even started. "Well? Are you speechless? Just so you know, it''s toote to back out now. But, I''m not a bad person. If you admit your defeat, then I can still let you keep 25% ownership of the shop. What do you say? Do you admit defeat before this handsome genius born once in a lifetime?" Gu Chao said with pride and confidence in his voice. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face after hearing those words. Admit defeat? Since when has he ever been the type to admit defeat? ''Maybe this Gu Chao isn''t as messed up in the head as he appears.'' "I have to admit, you do have some skill..." Izroth stated. "I''m d you understand. Then, how about I-" But, before Gu Chao could finish his sentence, he was cut off by Izroth. "However, you must learn how to better pick your opponents." Izroth said as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and a powerful gust of wind blew out in every direction. The moment he did so, Izroth caused the surrounding crowd to cover their faces to block the intense wind pressure. As for Gu Chao, the fat on his face was jiggling freely all over the ce as the wind struck up against him. Although the intense wind pressure onlysted for a brief moment, it left a memorable mark in the minds of those present. When everyone opened their eyes after the wind died down, all they saw was a sword with a beautiful azure de. No one within the crowd had ever seen such a domineering weapon that gave off the fierce aura of a powerful storm. "What a powerful rare item...! But, why can''t I see its stats?" One of the yers spectating said with a frown on his face. Although the sword looked impressive and made a grand entrance, he was unable to see its stats. Though he was not the only one. The other yers in the crowd were also unable to see the stats and information on the Sword of The Storm. "How are we supposed to tell who won if we can''t see it?" "Yeah, it seems too troublesome for them to decide alone if they''re both rare items." Izroth believed that it would be too bothersome if he revealed the true nature of his equipment to those within the crowd, therefore, he only showed it to Gu Chao. After all, owning an epic quality weapon was too big of news and would only cause some annoying individuals to approach him. Of course, he was not afraid of those individuals, but he already had enough things to deal with and did not want to waste his time on those with certain intentions. There was one person who stood there with a dumbfounded expression written all over their face. This person was none other than Gu Chao. No longer was there a look of confidence on his face, but instead, there was absolute shock. How was this possible? Was he really seeing this right? Rare? No, this was not rare at all! That was an epic quality sword! A level 40 epic quality sword! He did not even believe that the first epic quality item had even been discovered and yet here it was right before his eyes. "Y-you...!" Gu Chao wanted to say something, however, he could not find the proper words to say. Izroth approached Gu Chao and set a hand on his shoulder as he said, "If you''re still not fully convinced, then..." Izroth decided to go one step further as he revealed his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to Gu Chao. Even though it was unnecessary to do so when victory was already within his grasp, Izroth had other reasons for showing the living armor to Gu Chao. "That-" Gu Chao eyes widened as he choked on his own words. He quickly got himself under control as he rubbed his hands together and a huge smile found its way onto his face. "Big brother, I hope you didn''t take what this handsome and genius little brother said before too seriously. Your fortune is unparalleled. I ept this as my loss. I just ask that big brother be gentle with me..." Gu Chao said in a slightly reserved and shy manner as he twiddled with his fingers. Izroth almost coughed up blood from the coy disy Gu Chao put on. Why was this Gu Chao suddenly acting like a maiden about to go on her first outing? Was this really the same arrogant person who was yelling so proudly before his Mystical Realm Pce just a few moments ago? "On second thought... This wager- Let''s just forget about it." Izroth said with a nk expression on his face as he turned to walk towards the entrance of the Mystical Realm Pce. How long had it been since he nearly coughed up blood from aversion? While this person did have some skill, perhaps it was not worth the potential trouble that came along with them? Gu Chao quickly followed after Izroth as he said, "Wait, big brother! No- handsome big brother! Let this little brother take a closer look at that thing on your body! I swear I''ll be gentle-!" Gu Chao bit his tongue as he winced over in pain. That thing on his body? He''ll be gentle? Just... Just what was this Gu Chao going on about? Could he be a person with "unique" tastes? "If you continue to speak such nonsense..." Izroth narrowed his eyes as he looked coldly in Gu Chao''s direction. "What? What''d I say wrong? Big brother, allow this little brother to make it right. Come, this handsome genius born once in a lifetime is in a good mood today. In celebration of my big brother''s generosity, there''s going to be a big sale on some high-quality umon armor and weapons forged by yours truly!" Gu Chao announced. He then whispered to Izroth, "Big brother, don''t worry... I''ll provide all the equipment. You can even keep the profits for yourself. What do you think? How about giving this little brother another chance?" The crowd became excited at Gu Chao''s words. Even if it was not rare equipment, they had personally seen what he was capable of forging. They felt that their time waiting in front of the Mystical Realm Pce was not a waste after all! "Hey! Hurry up and get over there! The Mystical Realm Pce is having another grand sale!" One of the yers was alerting their friends via voice chat. "Hahaha! Those guys logged off early and they''re gonna miss this! I told them to wait, hmph, see if I get them anything!" "The owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is generous!" "Yeah, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is an upstanding person!" The crowd began to spew all sorts ofpliments towards Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce. If Izroth suddenly announced that there was no sale when everyone was already this excited and restless, then there may be a potential bacsh from doing so. Even though he did not feel pressured to do so, if the equipment was made by Gu Chao himself, then he felt that it could be a good thing for his Mystical Realm Pce, as well as, for what he had nned in the future. Therefore, he decided to go with the flow of things since there was nothing for him to lose. Worst case scenario, even if Gu Chao provided mediocre equipment, all he had to do was hold a separate sale to smooth things over. There was not much for him to lose, only gain from this. However, Gu Chao epted defeat a lot easier than a normal person would. He did not even put up much of an objection and even tried to immediately shower Izroth with praise and get on his good side. This entire situation... Wasn''t it a bit too easy? Also, if Gu Chao really was a talented cksmith, he should have instantly noticed that the Sword of The Storm on Izroth''s back was higher than rare quality, or at the very least, beyond that of his Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest. ''This guy... Is this was what he was aiming for all along? Interesting... This Gu Chao really isn''t as simple-minded as he seems.'' "Then... The Mystical Realm Pce shall hold a grand sale within the next hour." Izroth announced loud and clear enough for everyone present to hear. The moment those words left his mouth officially, the crowd was cheering praises even louder than before. Gu Chao, on the other hand, simply stood there with a gleeful smile stered onto his face. Chapter 383 Talent Attracts Talen After things settled down at the front of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth went inside along with Gu Chao. As for the crowd outside, some immediately headed towards the entrance of the Mystical Realm Pce once Izroth stepped through the door. This was due to the fact that no one wanted to be potentially left out. Even if there was still one hour remaining until the time of the sale, they believed that it was better safe than sorry. Izroth, along with Gu Chao, entered into the conference room. Although Izroth had promised a grand sale, he would not just put any items up for sale in his Mystical Realm Pce, therefore, he needed to inspect the quality of Gu Chao¡¯s work when it came to umon weapons and armor. Of course, Izroth was not too worried considering that Gu Chao was able to forge something like the Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest. As Izroth examined the items Gu Chao removed from his inventory, Gu Chao continued to stand there with a huge smile stered onto his face as he exined the details of the items he revealed to Izroth. When examining the items, Izroth noticed that the average level was around level 30-35. However, there were a few items that reached into the upper level 30s range. ¡¯Even though it¡¯s only umon equipment, the overall quality is much higher than most of the stuff regrly found in dungeons by the average yer. Not to mention, a few of them even have a Forged Effect. While it still can¡¯tpare to rare equipment, if one of the top guilds were able to equip their normal guild members with this then their power would soar to a new level.¡¯ The top guilds usually only provided equipment when it came to their core or elite members. As for the rest, unless they achieved certain merits or made some noticeable contributions, they would have to find a way to acquire their own equipment. This was not due to the leaders of the top guilds being cruel or selfish, but rather, there was still a severeck of good quality and high-level equipment circting within RML. When it came to cksmiths, there were not many that were capable of passing grade three. That grade was too low to provide any useful equipment to the core and elite members, however, it was also not worth wasting precious resources to forge low quality equipment for the normal members as it would just be easier for them to explore a dungeon. This caused cksmiths to be a huge headache and a sore spot for top guilds and only the Apothecary profession appeared to be more troublesome. There was one thing Izroth was most curious about. How did Gu Chao manage to get his hands on so many high-level blueprints? Forging within RML required the cksmith to follow blueprints. While it was possible to modify the blueprint, in the end, it should be impossible for any yer to forge equipment without one. This was also another big problem most faced when it came to improving their skill as a cksmith, theck of blueprints! If there were no blueprints, then naturally there was no way for a cksmith to improve upon their skills. While the cksmith profession building provided one with basic and low-level blueprints, it was not enough to make it past being a grade two cksmith. So then, how was this Gu Chao able to forge rare quality armor? ¡¯If I remember correctly, Sleeping Gardenia has a grade three cksmith.¡¯ When exchanging some small talk with Mariposa while discussing the arrangement of some resources for crafting pills, Mariposa was proudly bragging about how their Sleeping Gardenia had a grade three cksmith. ording to Mariposa, a grade three cksmith could forge items up to level 30. However, Mariposa expressed her frustration over how difficult it was to find the appropriate level blueprints. If a grade three cksmith could forge armor up to level 30, then... Wouldn¡¯t this mean that Gu Chao was a grade four cksmith?! But, Izroth found this somewhat hard to believe. How was this Gu Chao capable of bing a grade four cksmith by himself? If even a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia had troubles finding blueprints despite their vast resources and arge number of members, then how could one person do so? There were only three reasons Izroth could think of for this. The first was that Gu Chao had a secret backer who provided him with resources and blueprints. This could be another top guild with hidden intentions, or even someone simr to Kryxelsia who took Valentine as a disciple. Since that was the case, it should be not impossible for Gu Chao to also find someone to take him in as a disciple, even if it was somewhat unlikely. The second reason was that Gu Chao was just extremely lucky and was able toe by everything he needed by chance. Of course, this was a little ridiculous and so Izroth immediately dismissed this possibility. As for the third reason, maybe Gu Chao located some sort of special treasure trove or possessed a unique trait or skill that allowed him to forge without blueprints. Izroth found this reason to be the most likely scenario. A few momentster, Izroth finished checking over all the items. In total, Gu Chao took out a massive 335 pieces of umon weapons and armor! This kind of number was frightening for a single yer to casually take out. To make matters even more bizarre, he was willing to give all the profits over to Izroth. Based on the current price of umon equipment Izroth estimated the total value of the 335 umon items, including those with Forged Effects, woulde out to around 5,025 gold coins or 1,587,900 RMB! To give nearly 2,000,000 RMB away as a "gift"... Either this Gu Chao was highly insightful or incredibly naive. Of course, Izroth did not want to owe Gu Chao any favors. While he was sure that Gu Chao was not a bad person, he did not believe there was such a thing as a free meal within this world. "Alright, everything you¡¯ve shown me has good quality. I see no trouble in putting them up for sale in my Mystical Realm Pce. As for the profit... I will take 20% and the other 80% will go directly to you. This part is, of course, non-negotiable. Since you¡¯ve spent your time forging them, I won¡¯t allow you to receive nothing in return for your efforts." Izroth stated. Gu Chao looked as if he wanted to tell Izroth that he did not mind giving over these profits, however, after seeing that look in Izroth¡¯s eyes, he had a feeling that he would be instantly shot down. Gu Chao released a sigh as he replied, "Since you¡¯re the big brother, this little brother won¡¯t argue with your decision." "Now that that¡¯s settled... Why don¡¯t you tell me the true reason behind your visit?" Izroth asked. "W-" Just as Gu Chao was about to speak, he was interrupted by Izroth. Izroth held up a single finger as he said, "One chance. I¡¯ll give you one chance to tell me the truth. If I discover that you¡¯re lying or hold any ulterior motives, then I won¡¯t hesitate to kick you out of my Mystical Realm Pce. So I¡¯ll say this only once... Choose your next words carefully." Gu Chao felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon him after those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth and he almost took a step back instinctively. At the moment, Izroth was looking at him with a gaze that seemed as if it had the power to pierce through anything that stood before its path. Gu Chao took in a breath of cold air. He knew that Izroth was not simply bluffing when he said those words. Even if the top guilds would fight over him, this person before him would not hesitate to throw him out while ignoring the benefits that he brought along! However, a few momentster, a grin found its way onto Gu Chao¡¯s face. "I wanted to see for myself what kind of person the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce turned out to be. I can see that my trip to this ce was not in vain." Gu Chao stated as there was now a more serious expression on his face. He then continued, "Most people wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take full advantage of this situation and keep all the profits to themselves, however, you¡¯ve chosen to keep things fair. Also, it¡¯s just like big sis Worldly Skies said, you really do have a certain aura about you. Those without eyes may not see it, but I can see it as clear as day. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same thing big sis Worldly Skies saw as well." Worldly Skies? Was this Gu Chao somehow rted to the Pill Emperor Worldly Skies from the Fireheart Apothecary Society? "I respect big sis Worldly Skies and so I wanted to see what kind of person she respects. If it¡¯s someone she respects, then perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be so bad lending a helping hand to that person. I was even more reassured after I saw what you¡¯ve already managed to achieve within such a short amount of time." Gu Chao said as he was reminded of Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm and his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Not to mention, the fact that he owned the first yer shop within RML. He then continued, "Of course, if I had won the Mystical Realm Pce... That wouldn¡¯t have been so bad too. I hope with this that big bro Izroth does not have any remaining doubts about me following him. Though you¡¯re more than wee to check with big sis Worldly Skies. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll vouch for me." Gu Chao said with a smile on his face. ¡¯I see, so it¡¯s like this.¡¯ It seemed that talented people truly did attract other talented people. For Worldly Skies to know someone like Gu Chao who was also considered practically at the top of their profession among yers, what were the chances? If this was the case, then this was not a bad deal for Izroth. After all, it was just like getting two top talents for the price of one! ¡¯It won¡¯t be too long now. The hidden dragons are starting to leave their caves. Something tells me that the bnce of power among the yers and guilds within RML is going to experience a drastic shift in the near future. Before that happens, I have to establish a more solid footing.¡¯ Izroth believed that there were more talents like Worldly Skies and Gu Chao out there, however, they were either hiding away or a well kept secret of some guild. It was all about waiting for the right time to reap the maximum benefits. When things were shaken up enough... That would be when the trees standing tall fall down and the new trees full of life rise up! Izroth gave a small nod of approval at Gu Chao¡¯s honest words. If Gu Chao had lied to him just now, he really would not have hesitated to toss him out of the Mystical Realm Pce and never speak to him again. "Since you want to follow me, then I¡¯ll dly wee you. However, you would do well to remember that I repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. As for how you perceive these words... I will leave that much up to you." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "In the future, you can leave anything rted to forging to me. The stuff that this handsome genius born only once in a lifetime creates cannot possibly bepared to the trash found in the auction h-" Gu Chao bit his tongue mid-sentence as he returned to his previous behavior. Izroth inwardly shook his head as he watched Gu Chao wince in pain from having bitten his tongue. After he finished his conversation with Gu Chao, just as Izroth promised, one hourter he held a grand sale in the Mystical Realm Pce featuring the umon equipment personally forged by Gu Chao. Needless to say, the Mystical Realm Pce was filled with yers who wanted to get their hands on some of the higher level equipment. There were yers shoving one another just to get into the entrance. In the blink of an eye, all the equipment sold out and not a single piece was left within the Mystical Realm Pce. Izroth gave Gu Chao his 80% cut as promised and kept the remaining 20% of the profits for himself. Once this matter was taken care of, Gu Chao decided to bid farewell to Izroth after exining that he had some other matters to settle. Gu Chao sent Izroth a friend request as he said, "Big bro Izroth, if you ever need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to send me a message and I¡¯lle running. It may not seem like it, but I have quite a few connections. Ah, I may know a few more cksmiths that should be willing to follow big bro Izroth, I wonder if he¡¯s also willing to ept them?" Gu Chao rubbed his hands together with arge smile on his face. "As long as they¡¯re trustworthy people, there won¡¯t be any problem epting them." Izroth stated. In truth, Izroth did not care much for talented people. Instead, he wanted trustworthy people. One¡¯s skill could be worked on and improved within RML, however, if someone was untrustworthy then that would most likely never change. Therefore, this was Izroth¡¯s minimum requirement when it came to epting individuals. "I know big bro Izroth is busy, so I won¡¯t intrude any longer. I¡¯ll return here in a few days with the others that I talked about. Be sure to give big sis Worldly Skies my greetings when you see her." Gu Chao said as he exchanged proper farewells with Izroth before taking his leave. ¡¯Now, I suppose I should start preparing for tomorrow.¡¯ The raid with Blue Oasis was tomorrow and there was still a lot left that Izroth had to get done before then. While he was a bit disappointed that he had to wait so long toe in contact with the Law of Void, that did not mean that he would set aside increasing the strength of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. After all, while having the Law of Void was the fastest method, it was not the only one! Chapter 384 Curse Since Blue Oasis would be the one leading the raid, Niflheim had already informed Izroth that he would not have to worry about purchasing any health or mana potions for the raid as it would be provided to them. As for any additional preparation he wanted to make, it would have to be with his own funds. However, there were only two things Izroth needed to do before the raid. The first was to try his hand at increasing the rank of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill and the other had something to do with his Source. Izroth had heard numerous times from different individuals that his Source was still in its infancy stage. He believed that this had to do with the trait level of his Soul Essence. After unlocking Perfect Source Compatibility, Izroth¡¯s Essence overflowed throughout his body and it was almost as if a great flood of water had burst through a dam. At first, the changes were barely noticeable. However, as time went on, Izroth started to feel the Essence in his body increasing at a rapid pace. At the moment, Izroth¡¯s trait level for his Soul Essence was at 19.99. This was only 0.01 away from the level 20 mark which was supposed to be the point where he unlocks an additional effect for his Soul Essence. But now, his Soul Essence was halted at a trait level of 19.99 and his Perfect Source Compatibility appeared to be at a sudden roadblock. After he discovered that point, Izroth attempted to perform the Source Chant. Although it was extremely slow, at the very least, it should be able to grant him thatst 0.01 that he needed to proceed to the level 20 trait level. However, after trying for nearly two hours straight with no results, Izroth started to realize that something was wrong. ¡¯It shouldn¡¯t take this long to gain a mere 0.01 for my Soul Essence¡¯s trait level. Not to mention, my Perfect Source Compatibility also stopped functioning which can¡¯t be a coincidence. Is there a specific method I have to use in order to reach the level 20 mark? Or is it something that just naturally takes more time?¡¯ This part was not mentioned anywhere in the book he received from Orion back in the Amaharpe pce library, therefore, Izroth was uncertain of the next steps he should take in regard to this matter. ¡¯Every Source is different and acts as a direct reflection of the user. If that¡¯s true, then given my current set of circumstances, how will this Source reflect me? Is this a question only I know the answer to? Maybe I¡¯m simply overthinking it. I should take a step back and view it from a broader perspective. Only then can I be certain of the path that I have to take.¡¯ ... Sometime the next day... ¡¯Even after spending nearly 40 hours in-game, I¡¯ve only managed to increase my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection from E- to E. It¡¯s a bit more challenging than I thought it would be...¡¯ Izroth shook his head as he released a small sigh inwardly. Without the power of the Law of Void to act as a catalyst, the progress rate of his skill was too slow! If it took 40 hours just to get from E- to E, then Izroth estimated that it would take nearly 100 hours to raise it from E to E+! This was being generous on his estimations. In truth, it may even take up to 150 hours! As for stepping into the D ranks... This would be even more of a nightmare for Izroth at his current pace. ¡¯Though it seems that I¡¯ve underestimated its growth rate. Originally, I thought that its power wouldn¡¯t be on par with an A-rank skill until it became D- in rank, however, even at E rank its already a bit stronger than the average A-ranked skill. Still, to spend 40 hours and produce such mediocre results... This method of training is just as mind-numbing as I remember.¡¯ Even though it was unbearably slow, Izroth had no other choice but to tread along this path. Until he acquired the Law of Void, this was the sole way to improve the strength of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. ¡¯First my Soul Essence and now the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill... There are roadblocks at every turn, however, this much isn¡¯t enough to discourage me. I¡¯ll deal with this one step at a time. If I rush too much to improve, then I may end up overlooking some important details. At this point, patience is key.¡¯ With powerful and unknown enemies lurking around every corner, Izroth knew that he had been somewhat impatient as ofte when it came to increasing his strength and this was not necessarily a good thing. If onecked solid foundations, no matter what it was in, then it was only a matter of time before things started to copse. Right now, he believed his main focus should be on perfecting what was already at his disposal instead of dwelling on things he had little to no control over. This would reap the most results and benefits in the long run. Izroth closed his eyes and took a brief moment to meditate, as well as, to organize his thoughts. Once he opened his eyes, there was a look of rity that was visible and there no longer existed a shred of clouded thoughts that drifted through his mind. Izroth stepped outside of a dark cave and was greeted by a lush and verdant forest and the bright rays of the sunlight peeking through the densely packed trees in the surroundings. The mana in this area was extremely dense. That was because Izroth was at one of the locations found on a map he looked at in the Treasure Room of the Sky Pce on the 1st floor. It was a hidden cave located in Proximus and was believed to have the power to connect those inside to the natural elements of the world. This cave also had the ability to increase the size of an individual¡¯s mana pool. Although this was true, the effects were minimal when it came to connecting one to the power of the natural elements. At the very least, the Law of Void was either scarce or nonexistent among the natural elements present in the cave. ¡¯It should be about time to meet up with the others. But first, I should take care of that matter.¡¯ ... Around one hourter... Izroth arrived at Kryxelsia¡¯s estate that was located in the magic capital city. The guards there had already been informed of his arrival, therefore, they let him through without any issues. Of course, Izroth was here to keep the promise he made to Kryxelsia. ¡¯How long has he been inside this room?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth stood before the door to the room that Valentine had been shut away inside of for who knows how long. While he was aware of Valentine¡¯s obsession with magic, he did not think that it would reach a point where he became aplete shut-in. Izroth knocked on the door a few times, however, there was no answer. After receiving no answer, he ced his hand on the doorknob and felt that it was unlocked. Since no one was answering, he decided to open the door and take a look inside the room. "I¡¯m entering." Izroth announced as he opened the door and stepped into the room. The first thing that caught his eye were the countless magic sequences and strange symbols drawn all over the ceiling, floor, and walls of the room. There were numerous papers, books, and scrolls scattered around the room and stacked up on a small desk in the corner. The room was not very bright and was lit by a handful of light green mes that appeared to be built into the room itself. It was easy to see that Valentine had been quite busy over the past few days. ¡¯Hm? This magic sequence is...¡¯ Just as one of the magic sequences drawn on the wall caught Izroth¡¯s attention, he heard the sound of movemente from a pile of books in the corner. When he looked over, he noticed an arm sticking out from the pile of books. A few secondster, the books were brushed aside as a disheveled individual stood up to their feet. When Izroth saw this disheveled individual he shook his head as he said, "When I told you to get some rest for tomorrow, this isn¡¯t what I meant, Valentine." The disheveled individual with a tired expression on their face was, of course, Valentine. Although there were no visible bags under his eyes, if this were the real world, they would be there without a doubt from the obviousck of sleep and pulling all-nighters. Valentine covered his mouth as he yawned before scratching the back of his head. He appeared to still be half-asleep as one of his eyes was closed and the other was only partially opened. "Hm? Izroth? We weren¡¯t supposed to meet up until tomorrow..." Valentine said in a drowsy manner. "Almost 13 hours have passed since I first contacted you; 39 hours if you go by in-game time. Just what day do you think it is?" Izroth stated. "13 hours...? 13... Did you say 13 hours?!" Valentine had snapped out of it and was now wide awake after realizing just how much time had actually passed. Had he really been asleep for nearly 13 hours in-game?! He had been in this room for almost 3 days of real world time. His body felt weak and frail, his throat parched, and he barely had the strength in his body to stand straight. To go almost 3 days without food or water, it was no wonder he felt so out of it! Did he actually faint from fatigue? Luckily, his vital signs were still stable and he woke up before things got too out of control, otherwise, it would have been toote to regret once the VR headset emergency protocol was triggered. Once that happened, not only would the nearest emergency center be automatically contacted, but the yer in question would be locked out of the game for a full week before being allowed back online for their own safety. When Izroth saw the state Valentine was in, he released a small sigh as he said, "You should go offline and take care of yourself. If the emergency protocol is triggered due to your negligence, then you can forget about anything magic-rted for the next week. If you¡¯re still unwell when the time of the raid approaches, then don¡¯t worry too much about it." He then continued, "You must remember not to get too lost in the excitement. It¡¯s not always good for one to be too consumed by something, despite how appealing it may be." Valentine let out a deep sigh as he responded, "You¡¯re correct. I was too careless and got a bit lost in the moment. I¡¯ll do well to remember this in the future. I¡¯ll go offline now, but since I¡¯ve already promised to be there for the raid, then you can count on me. I just need to regain some energy and I¡¯ll be good to go. Besides, how else am I supposed to use what I¡¯ve learned over these past few days?" A weary smile appeared on Valentine¡¯s face as he spoke. After chatting for a couple of minutes, Valentine went offline. Soon after, Izroth took his leave from Kryxelsia¡¯s estate. ¡¯I might as well head to the rendezvous point ahead of schedule.¡¯ The n was to meet up with the other members of his party at a vige located near the outskirts of Proximus. This location was not chosen by random as Niflheim gave Izroth a general location for him and his party members to stay around before the raid began. This was so that he would not be too far away when it was actually time, and to protect the location of the raid until the veryst moment. Izroth left the magic capital city and started to make his way towards the rendezvous point. However, not too long after leaving the gates of the magic capital city, Izroth sensed that he was being followed. ¡¯It¡¯s not that guy... Then, could it be that person is acting soon than expected?¡¯ Izroth was sure that the person following him was not Aru. After all, since Izroth already knew of his existence, there was no longer any reason for him to hide. Not to mention, there was a hostile intent being released which was something that Aru would never due given the restrictions ced upon the members of his race. Therefore, the first thing that came to Izroth¡¯s mind were the words of Zouren back in the Treasure Room. However, if it was him who sent this attacker, wasn¡¯t this a bit too fast? As the unknown entity drew closer, Izroth felt that the aura being released was familiar to one he hade across before. It had a strong stench of death that lingered about. ¡¯This feeling... Isn¡¯t it-¡¯ However, before Izroth could finish his thought, a dark shadow sped across the ground before a hand almost as thin as bone shot out from the shadow directly towards his head! Swoosh! Izroth pushed off his back foot and elerated forward as he sessfully avoided the attack. "He dodged... This one will be a fun toy. I must thank the master for assigning me this task." An eerie voice came from the dark shadow as a boney and thin figure emerged from the ground. This figure had glowing red eyes, gray-colored skin, razor-sharp teeth, and long sharp nails that resembled talons. However, what stood out the most was their incredibly thin and frail figure that looked as if a random gust of wind could blow them over. ¡¯I see, so it¡¯s not him. To think I had nearly forgotten about this. It seems that this curse isn¡¯t so idle after all.¡¯ "Human, you have offended someone who could not be offended. You can erase any thoughts about having another peaceful day as long as you walk living in this world. But, don¡¯t worry... You won¡¯t have to worry about this for long." The boney figure said in a raspy and eerie voice. Name: Dark Bones Nekynigos(Rare Elite) Level: 50 HP: 85,000 (100%) ¡¯Rare elite? This is a first...¡¯ It was at the same time Nekynigos appeared that Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Due to the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?, you have received the quest ?Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld?! This quest cannot be declined and has been automatically epted!¡µ Chapter 385 Too Strong! An Unchecked Izroth? "Human, you shall be a living sacrifice for my master. Rejoice, for your once pitiful existence will finally have some meaning." Nekynigos stated as arge grin appeared on his face. However, it was quite a disturbing grin as it curved all the way to where the temples on his head should be located and revealed a row of sharp teeth. ¡¯Only 85,000 HP? Strange... Either his power is focused in other areas, or being a rare elite creature is different from normal monsters.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s first thought was that Nekynigos was simr to the individuals he faced in the selection when it came to his stats. What this meant was that the current Nekynigos most likely mimicked a level 50 yer with full rare equipment, except he was slightly stronger due to his status as a rare elite. Although Izroth had only seen it with NPCs before, that did not mean it was impossible for some creatures to be the same way. However, this was just a theory of his as he had no definitive proof. "I¡¯m curious... Does everyone from the Netherworld enjoy hearing themselves speak? It was the same thing with the other one even after I severed his arm." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. While speaking, Izroth took a moment to quickly nce over the quest. He found the contents of the quest, both the reward and failure, were interesting, to say the least. Quest Name: Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld Rmended Level: 48 Rmended Party Size: 5-6 Quest Rank: S Quest Objective: Due to the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?, you are currently being hunted by a creature of the Netherworld named Dark Bones Nekynigos. Eliminate Dark Bones Nekynigos or face the consequences. Time Limit: 1 Hour 0/1 Eliminate Dark Bones Nekynigos. Reward: -Unlock ess to the ?Netherworld Exchange? -x8 ?Spirit Voucher? -Gain +225 world fame Failure: -Lose -5 levels. -Lose -500 world fame. -25% Chance for an Existence Wipe to ur Special Note: This quest may be shared with any number of yers as long as they are affected by the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?. ¡¯Netherworld Exchange?¡¯ Since this was an S-ranked quest, then the rewards should be nothing to scoff at. But, the only recognizable reward that Izroth saw was the gaining of world fame, however, this alone was obviously not enough to act as a reward for an S-ranked quest. This was even more so considering the result of one¡¯s failure. Therefore, this signified that the Netherworld Exchange and Spirit Vouchers had to be something of great value! Even if Izroth was unaware of the benefits that each provided, he understood that this was not an opportunity to be overlooked. Besides, it was not as if he had any other choice but to fight. Otherwise, not only would he lose 5 levels and world fame, but there was also a 25% chance of him experiencing an existence wipe which wouldpletely erase his character. Of course, Izroth had zero intentions of starting over from square one. If he met this Nekynigos not too long after his previous encounter with the Netherworld Envoy, then perhaps it would have been somewhat worrying. However, even if Nekynigos was a rare elite, how could hepare to the likes of the opponents Izroth faced during the selection? In his eyes, this Nekynigos was not even worthy of being a warm-up! "Trying to get me mad? Hmph, don¡¯t think I¡¯m as naive as you humans. I know thatst time you had the help of a divine blessing. But, even with a divine blessing... If my master were here in person, then you would have been squashed like a bug beneath his feet. Without your divine blessing, you are nothing but my ything!" Nekynigos stated as numerous dark bones began to sprout out of his body. In an instant, Nekynigos¡¯ body was almost covered from head to toe in dark bones with sharp tips. There was an aura of death that lingered around each bone that revealed itself as Nekynigos lowered his stance until he resembled a wild quadruped beast ready to charge at its prey. Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and immediately after doing so, he vanished only leaving the strong gust of wind that was generated by his sword being unsheathed. Using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, Izroth arrived in front of Nekynigos before he could make his next move. As for the sword in his hand, it was already traveling towards the head of the Netherworld creature without the slightest bit of hesitation! Nekynigos was surprised by Izroth¡¯s abrupt movement skill. However, there was not a look of panic on his face, but an expression filled with a mocking sentiment. He wanted to cut through his dark bones? Keep dreaming! The dark bones around Nekynigos¡¯ neck extended outward and swiftly created an enclosed barrier around his head. The dark bones moved naturally as if they were simply an extension of Nekynigos himself. To him, it was no different than moving his arms or legs. Woosh! Izroth¡¯s sword collided with the dark bones and released a sound simr to metal shing against metal. There were even a few sparks created from the impact, however, right when Izroth¡¯s sword made contact with Nekynigos¡¯ dark bones, a sharp sword intent flew out from his Sword of The Storm like a wave in the ocean. It was his Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides. Nekynigos could not evade the attack given how close he was to the sword and could only depend on the defenses of his body to block the iing sword intent. Bang! -4,418 The sword intent phased right through Nekynigos¡¯ as it damaged him in the process. There was a small trace of the holy element present in Izroth¡¯s attack. This was due to one of the effects granted to him by the Curse of the Netherworld skill. With this skill, Izroth was able to deal 100% bonus holy damage to creatures of the Netherworld. Naturally, this included Nekynigos. Given that Izroth already possessed high attack power, this bonus holy damage was like giving wings to a tiger! Even with the assistance of his dark bones, Nekynigos still suffered a great deal of damage from the fifth sword form. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame that this bonus holy damage is only useful against creatures of the Netherworld. Even using a low damaging skill like the fifth sword form is extremely effective with this kind of empowerment.¡¯ After reaching its maximum range, the sword intent traveled back towards its point of origin. This time, however, the damage was even greater than before. ?Critical Hit? -13,356 Izroth¡¯s 8% critical hit chance went off and the damage of the returning sword intent soared to the next level. As for Nekynigos, he never expected the sword intent tounch a second attack from his blind spot! What left him the most dumbfounded was the fact that Izroth¡¯s sword intent actually carried with it a hint of that vile holy aura which all creatures of the Netherworld despised. "Dark Bones Nesting Grounds!" Nekynigos roared out in fury as the ground within thirty meters began to shake violently. A few secondster, countless dark bones started to rise up from beneath the ground. All of a sudden, one of the dark bones transformed into a carbon copy of Nekynigos. The sole difference was that this copy was created entirely out of dark bones! Not before long, other dark bones started to transform into copies of Nekynigos. However, the time between each appearance of a new copy seemed to be spaced out. Izroth paid no mind to these copies of Nekynigos as he pressed forward with his next assault. He twisted his body as he spun around in quick session as two phantom des trailed behind his Sword of The Storm. But, right after two phantom des appeared, something bizarre happened that had never urred before when Izroth used his Phantom Strike. In addition to his first sword strike and the two phantom des that followed in its path, the sword in his hand appeared to split into two as a mirage image of his first sword strike showed itself along with two more phantom des. This made a total of two swords and four phantom des rushing towards Nekynigos. During the middle of this action, Izroth had shifted his sword stance to match that of First Sword Form: Converging Paths. Swoosh! Woosh! Woosh! Nekynigos was mercilessly struck by a bombard of attacks without any time to respond or create distance after using his Dark Bones Nesting Grounds. There were also two waves of sword intent that was just like the attackunched against him earlier! Of course, this part was the passive of Izroth¡¯s Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides being activated not once, but twice! But, it did not end here as Nekynigos was affected by stack upon stack of Blood Stigma! Then, after pouring some Essence into the Sword of The Storm, an overbearing aura descended down upon Nekynigos. All of this happened in the mere blink of an eye. ?Critical Hit? -2,763 [Phantom Strike] -268 [Blood Stigma] ?Critical Hit? -6,775 [Phantom Strike] -4,418 [Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides] ?Critical Hit? -10,788 [Phantom Strike] -536 [Blood Stigma] ?Critical Hit? -2,763 [???] ?Critical Hit? -6,775 [???] ?Critical Hit? -10,788 [???] -804 [Blood Stigma] -4,418 [Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides] -6,053 [Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides Return Strike] -6,053 [Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides Return Strike] -46,900 [First Baneful Sword: Destruction] ... A stream of damage numbers flooded the battle logs as Nekynigos¡¯ HP fell at a rapid pace. Therge grin that was previously on his face was no longer anywhere to be found as it was reced by a look of disbelief. What was going on? How was he beingpletely overpowered by a frail-looking human like this brat? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be a weakling without the assistance of that divine blessing? Before Nekynigos could even register what was going on, his body had already begun to be sliced apart and dissipated into countless particles! He did not even get the chance to properly use his skills. The dark bones and carbon copies that he created had turned into piles of dust. "How disappointing." These were thest words Nekynigos heard that left from Izroth¡¯s mouth as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. Nekynigos reached his hand out as he wanted to grab ahold of Izroth, however, his hand crumbled away into nothingness. Just like that, Dark Bones Nekynigos had been eliminated! Strong! Too strong! With this kind of attack power, did other yers have any hope ofpeting with Izroth? Even a level 50 rare elite was taken care of by him without even exerting his full strength! This... How could the system allow a yer like this to exist? ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked ess to the ?Netherworld Exchange?! You can ess the ?Netherworld Exchange? directly from your system interface.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x8 ?Spirit Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +225 World Fame!¡µ ¡¯Using a sword form learned out ofbat versus using one learned duringbat feels entirely different. However, the sixth sword form did not disappoint me.¡¯ The skill Izroth used earlier that caused a mirage of his Phantom Strike to form was the Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus. Skill Name: Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: ? Skill Rank: B Requirements: Sword Equipped Active: Instantly mimics thest sword skill executed by the user. Depending on the rank of the skill, its power and effect(s) may be decreased by up to 95%. This skill cannot be activated if the user has not used a sword skill within thest 10 seconds. Damage Reduction: [SSS-ranked: 95%][SS-ranked: 90%][S-ranked: 80%][A-ranked: 50%][B-ranked and lower: 0%] Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 5 minutes This was something Izroth took the opportunity to learn during his time in the dark cave when he needed to take a break from his grueling Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. ¡¯To send only this one creature... This must mean that the Netherworld Envoy is unaware of my current strength. But, after finding out that Nekynigos failed, it¡¯s possible that he¡¯ll send someone stronger next time. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¯ Izroth, without looking back, resumed his journey towards the meeting point. It was as if that entire situation did not take ce. S-ranked quest? What a joke! Before the current Izroth, it might as well be an F-ranked quest. However, the question remained... How long would the system allow for an unchecked Izroth? ... As Izroth continued his journey, he opened his system interface after examining the Spirit Vouchers that appeared in his inventory. Needless to say, he was curious about this Netherworld Exchange. After all, it was a reward given to him by an S-ranked quest. Item Name: Spirit Voucher(Soulbound) Usage: The user can exchange this voucher for an item in the Netherworld Exchange. Special Note: This item cannot be destroyed. This item can only be traded or removed from the user¡¯s inventory after being used to exchange for an item from the Netherworld Exchange. Chapter 386 Netherworld Exchange, The Helping Hand of An Enemy? ¡¯Interesting... This Spirit Voucher acts as a form of currency for the Netherworld Exchange. I wonder what kind of items I¡¯ll be able to exchange for it. Since it was a reward for an S-ranked quest, the items shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡¯ Izroth located the Netherworld Exchange in his system interface. It was a symbol in the shape of a strange purple crest with three ck lines running across its surface area. Lurking behind the three ck lines was the image of an unusual beast with the head of a roc and the body of a bipednd dragon. Without wasting any time, Izroth touched the purple crest as a sizable viewing screen appeared in front of him. Anyone around Izroth would be unable to see this viewing screen as it was only visible to his eyes. The viewing screen itself was simr to that of the one in auction houses that were ced on the walls. The only difference was that its size was not as grand and it was a mystic purplish color. The text on the viewing screen was crimson red in color and emitted a faint red hue. ¡´System Alert: Wee to the ?Netherworld Exchange?, yer Izroth!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Since you are the first yer to unlock the ?Netherworld Exchange?, you have received x1 ?Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to undergo the basic tutorial regarding the ?Netherworld Exchange??¡µ ¡¯Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher? It must be a more valuable form of the normal Spirit Voucher. However, why is it restricted?¡¯ "Yes." Izroth confirmed with the system as it began to walk him through how to use the Netherworld Exchange. It even exined how he could earn additional Spirit Vouchers! As Izroth listened intently to the system¡¯s exnation, he started to understand just how valuable this Netherworld Exchange truly was. To put it in simple terms, it was like a portable auction house. The main difference was that the items listed on the Netherworld Exchange were all items provided by a group referred to as, to quote the system¡¯s exact exnation, "the highest level of authority in the Netherworld". This meant that, undoubtedly, the Netherworld Exchange was directly linked to the Netherworld Monarch! ording to the system, one could trade for anything on the Netherworld Exchange as long as they had the Spirit Vouchers to do so. The Nether Realm was not like the Mortal Realm where there were a great number of markets due to the numerous kingdoms that existed. In the Nether Realm, the Netherworld was the absolute dominant force. In other words, every item that existed in the Nether Realm could be said to be owned by the Netherworld. Therefore, the only way to purchase anything in the Nether Realm was through the Netherworld Exchange using Spirit Vouchers. No one else dared topete with the Netherworld Monarch and the powers underneath him in the Nether Realm! ¡¯Though it seems I won¡¯t be able to earn Spirit Vouchers through normal methods.¡¯ There were only two ways that were given by the system to earn Spirit Vouchers. The first was toplete a mission given by the Netherworld. Needless to say, Izroth already had irreconcble differences with the Netherworld after severing the arm of their envoy, therefore, this was out of the question. The second was to exchange goods or items one owned, however, the exchange rate was ridiculous! Izroth wanted to see how much something like his Sword of The Storm would fetch him if he tried to turn it into Spirit Vouchers, however, it came out to only 1 Spirit Voucher! This was a level 40 epic quality weapon! Though this was not necessarily a bad thing. This just went on to show that a single Spirit Voucher must be incredibly valuable if even something like his Sword of The Storm could only be exchanged for one. Izroth currently had 8 Spirit Vouchers in his possession! Though, he knew that there was a difference between buying and selling items. Still, 8 Spirit Vouchers should be enough to get him something decent, right? ¡¯It didn¡¯t mention anything about earning Spirit Vouchers frompleting quests given by the Curse of the Netherworld. Could this be the sole method for me to currently earn Spirit Vouchers? Then, does this mean I just have to wait until they show up? How inefficient...¡¯ Another thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the rating system in ce within the Netherworld Exchange. It used something called the Moon Rating System. The more valuable or useful an item was, the higher its moon rating. The lowest rating was 1 moon while the highest rating was 10 moons. As for how the items would be delivered, it would be instantly ced into one¡¯s inventory upon purchase and waspletely anonymous. Therefore, Izroth did not have to worry about being discovered by any prying eyes in the Netherworld. After the tutorial concluded, Izroth browsed through the items listed on the Netherworld Exchange. But, he could not help but shake his head and release an inward sigh when he saw the prices that were listed. For an item with the lowest 1 moon ranking, it cost a minimum of 5 Spirit Vouchers! This was practically every Spirit Voucher in his possession. However, Izroth was impressed with the quality of the items on the Netherworld Exchange. Even the items that were only ranked 1 moon were all rare quality items. But, the real issue came when Izroth¡¯s eyes fell on the prices of the items that held a ranking of 2 moons. The cheapest 2 moons item listed cost 25 Spirit Vouchers! That was more than five times than that of a 1 moon item. Out of pure curiosity, Izroth decided to look ahead and see how much an item with a 10 moons ranking went for and it left him halfway speechless. ¡¯10 million Spirit Vouchers for the cheapest 10 moons item... This is... Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯d have to kill creatures like Nekynigos more than 1 million times over?¡¯ Not to mention, the reward forpleting that S-ranked quest was only 8 Spirit Vouchers! However, Izroth understood the reason behind the astronomical price when he saw the items that were ranked 10 moons. They were all unique in quality! Unique items were one step above legendary items and one step below divine items! Even for legendary existences, unique items were extremely difficult toe by. ¡¯Maybe this Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher has some use.¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory to see just how valuable this Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher was whenpared to a normal Spirit Voucher. However, to be truthful, Izroth was not expecting too much of a difference after seeing that it was a restricted item. But, it turned out that he could not be any further from the truth. Item Name: Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher(Soulbound) Usage: This item is the restricted version of the Supreme Spirit Voucher. The user can exchange this voucher for one item in the Netherworld Exchange with a rating of 5 moons or less. Special Note: This item cannot be destroyed. This item can only be traded or removed from the user¡¯s inventory after being used to exchange for an item from the Netherworld Exchange. 5 moons...? This single voucher could be used to exchange for any item 5 moons or less?! This meant that this Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher was worth, at the very least, 3,000 Spirit Vouchers! It was truly worthy of being a reward for the first yer to unlock the Netherworld Exchange. ¡¯My luck isn¡¯t too bad. The gains this time around are not small and the effort was not that much.¡¯ For the current Izroth, defeating Nekynigos was as simple as flipping the palm of his hand. If it had been any other yer, then perhaps it would have been a life or death struggle, however, Izroth did not even unleash his full strength against Nekynigos. Therefore, it was almost as if this reward was practically a gift from the envoy of the Netherworld himself! Wasn¡¯t this a bit too generous of them? Izroth, however, was in no hurry to use the Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher. This was because the number of items listed in each moon ranking was massive. It would take him weeks to go through everyst item of just the items of 5 moons or lower rankings if he had no idea what he was searching for. So, in the end, Izroth chose to take his time and go over the items listed so that he did not regret his choiceter on. Also, given how versatile the items were, Izroth believed that it was better if he put off using the Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher until he really needed it. After all, there was no telling what the future may hold. For now, he would stick to using the 8 Spirit Vouchers he obtained. His main purpose, of course, was to test the delivery system of the Netherworld Exchange. ¡¯I can only choose a 1 moon item with my current Spirit Vouchers, however, even if I¡¯m just testing the delivery system I shouldn¡¯t choose randomly.¡¯ There were all kinds of items avable for exchange. Weapons, armor, talisman, enchantment stones, magic items, pills, potions - As long as one was able to name it, then there was a 99.99% chance that it could be found on the Netherworld Exchange! Luckily, the items could be searched by category and did not require one to scroll through them randomly. ¡¯Although the equipment is rare quality, the level range of it is only 35-45. While this isn¡¯t necessarily bad, it would be a waste given my current equipment. As for feeding my living armor... It isn¡¯t worth it when I can do Difficult or Hardcore dungeons to obtain rare equipment. Not to mention, that Gu Chao should be capable of forging equipment with the correct materials. Pills and potions are also out of the question...¡¯ Once he thought it over, Izroth ultimately decided to search for the magic item category since they were currently the most challenging items for yers to get their hands on. After spending nearly fifteen minutes searching through the magic items category, Izroth finally saw something that grabbed his attention. ¡¯Oh? Something like this is only 1 moon? Although it¡¯ll take all 8 Spirit Vouchers, it¡¯s well worth the price. Then, let¡¯s go with this one.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Are you sure you wish to exchange 8 Spirit Vouchers for the item ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?? Please note that all purchases are final and refunds are unavable!¡µ "Exchange." Izroth responded without hesitation. The moment he did so, he watched as all 8 Spirit Vouchers disappeared from his inventory and in its ce appeared a ck box with the purple crest from the Netherworld Exchange at the front of it. ¡¯It really is instant.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully purchased the item ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?! The item has been delivered to your inventory!¡µ ... Around one hourter... ¡¯Is this the correct ce? It lookspletely deserted. The weather here is also a bit...¡¯ Izroth had arrived before a small vige located near the outskirts of Proximus. When he entered the vige and walked the streets, he noticed that there were no yers or NPCs roaming around the vige and it appeared to be deserted. There was constantly clouds of dust and sand being blown around by the wind which made it difficult for one to see more than a few meters out in front of them. ¡¯It can¡¯t be that I traveled to the wrong ce.¡¯ With his perfect memory, Izroth was positive that this was the vige that was agreed upon. Although he had never personally been here before and only knew of its coordinates, he did not expect it to be so deserted. However, when he thought about it, it made sense Niflheim chose this area for him and his other party members to stay in before the location of the raid was disclosed. Since it was deserted, they would not run the chance of attracting any unwanted attention. ¡¯I don¡¯t see or sense the others. Though I¡¯m a bit earlier than nned, so the others may not have arrived yet. I suppose I¡¯ll just wait for now.¡¯ A few momentster after that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence approaching the vige from the distance. He turned to face towards the direction they wereing from as a carefree smile found its way onto his face. ¡¯I never expected that they¡¯d be the first one to arrive right after me.¡¯ Chapter 387 Understanding Silence, Together Once Again! Although dust and sand were flying everywhere because of the unusual weather in the surrounding area, Izroth noticed that the weather within the immediate vicinity of the individual approaching the vige was calm. It was almost as if there was an invisible sphere of influence around them that kept everything serene and tranquil. It did not take long for them to step foot into the vige and what greeted them was Izroth with a carefree smile on his face. When this person first saw a figure standing in the vige without moving, their entire body froze as if they were surprised. It was obvious that they were not expecting anyone to be in the vige. However, unknowingly, a lovely smile blossomed onto their face when they recognized Izroth. But, when they realized this, they instantly calmed themselves and felt slightly embarrassed by their reaction. Though they were able to regain their normal expression before they approached Izroth. "I was certain that I¡¯d be the first one here after arriving so early. It feels as though it¡¯s been ages since thest time we¡¯ve partied together." The person who approached Izroth said. "To be honest, I expected Zi Yi to be here before either of us. Though you¡¯re right, it does feel that our paths have not crossed for quite some time, Luna." Izroth stated in a carefree tone. The first person to arrive in the vige after Izroth was none other than Luna. However, she seemed somewhat different from thest time that she was in a party with Izroth. For one, the cleric robes she wore seemed to be more refined and elegant. Also, there was a dense gathering of natural energy that surrounded her body. Although Izroth did not show it physically, he was inwardly shocked. He was positive that this natural energy around Luna was, in fact, a Domain! But, something felt off about it. One should have to activate the power a Domain and ording to what he was told by Kayn, using a Domain for an extended period of time was extremely tiring, especially if it was a powerful Domain. ¡¯No, even though it¡¯s simr to the energy of a Domain, it¡¯s not a Domain. But, the simrities are really too close to one another... Interesting, it looks like she hasn¡¯t spent her time remaining idle.¡¯ Izroth was a little curious about the natural energy around Luna, but he knew that even without asking he would eventually receive the answer to his question when the time came. "Indeed, that seems like something she¡¯d do." Lunamented as she stood by Izroth and looked out towards the distance. It was followed by nothing but silence as the two of them stood quietly together in the vige. However, it was not the awkward silence that filled the room when there was nothing of interest to talk about, but instead, it was an understanding and peaceful silence. Neither Izroth nor Luna were the type to engage in endless small talk. There was a mutual understanding that seemed toe naturally between the two. Some times, it felt as if there were no need for words. While most would find this kind of silence unbearable, Luna found it to be fulfilling. She did not know why, but for some reason, she always felt at peace when she stood by Izroth. It was a feeling that waspletely foreign to her, however, she did not dislike this unfamiliar feeling. There was always this carefree expression on Izroth¡¯s face that made her feel at ease. But, sometimes there was this look in Izroth¡¯s eyes that rarely revealed itself and made it seem as if he was constantly looking at a faraway ce. Luna was unsure if even Izroth himself knew of this. Whenever she saw that look, there was a strange tightness in her chest. She wondered... Why was it that, at times, the look in his eyes was filled with such deep sorrow? There were many times where Luna came close to asking this question to Izroth, however, she always stopped herself from doing so. She believed that someone like Izroth definitely did not have a normal life. Although she was unaware of the specific details, she did not need to know them. In the end, even if it only helped in the slightest manner, as long as it was just a little bit... Then this understanding silence was enough. Unknowingly to Luna, this simple moment of silence had already be a treasure. ... Around 30 minutester... The next person to arrive at the vige was Zi Yi. She was there 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled time and was surprised to see that Izroth and Luna were already present. Though when she initially witnessed Izroth and Luna standing in the vige alone and in silence, it became somewhat awkward for her to approach the two. "What¡¯s with these two...? Why are they just standing here in this windy weather when there are buildings around here for protection?" Zi Yi grumbled to herself as she shook her head. After greeting Izroth and Luna, Zi Yi released a small sigh as she scoffed, "Isn¡¯t this ce a bit too deserted? Blue Oasis sure loves taking extra steps of precaution. Do they truly think we¡¯re that untrustworthy?" "There¡¯s much at stake for Blue Oasis during this operation. One misstep and weeks of nning are out the window. But, I¡¯m sure you already understand this." Izroth stated. "I know, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less annoying..." Zi Yi muttered. She knew that these were necessary steps to minimize information from being leaked, however, she still wanted to vent her frustration a little after having to travel all the way out to this small abandoned vige. Not to mention, they did not even know how long they would have to wait before receiving the official gathering coordinates. "Hm? Where¡¯s the magic freak? Weren¡¯t you two supposed to be traveling together?" Zi Yi questioned when she realized that Valentine was nowhere to be found. "Well..." Izroth went on to exin Valentine¡¯s situation to Zi Yi. But, halfway through his exnation, Zi Yi stopped Izroth from going any further as she massaged her temples. "Alright, I don¡¯t need to hear any more. That magic freak really doesn¡¯t know where to draw the line when ites to magic. He¡¯s always been like this ever since we were kids." Zi Yi sighed deeply as she found herself face palming as she shook her head. "Oh? You don¡¯t seem too concerned." Izroth said. "Concerned?" Zi Yi looked at Izroth with an expression of disbelief. Was this enough to be concerned when it came to that magic freak? She then continued, "Let me tell you, this much is nothing. One time, that magic freak spent three months holed up in some ancient underground ruins because there was a rumor going around online about there being the tomb of some old schr once thought to be a genuine magic user. To make matters worse, he never told anyone of his whereabouts and so there was a huge search for him. And this is just when he was 10 years old." Izroth and Luna inwardly shook their heads at Valentine¡¯s behavior. Even at such a young age, he was this reckless? They understood that magic had some interesting aspects, however, was there was a reason to go so far? Why was it that he held such a strong passion for magic? ... Nearly 15 minutes after Zi Yi¡¯s arrival, Halls and Guan Yu arrived at the vige at approximately the same time. After exchanging greetings and a few words, they also got around to asking where Valentine was. However, unlike Zi Yi¡¯s reaction which was more rounded, both Halls and Guan Yu could not help but burst out into a fit ofughter. "Ahahaha! Brother, have you ever heard of anyone fainting while reading books in a game?" Halls asked Guan Yu as he did not even try to hold back hisughter in the slightest. "I¡¯ve heard it! This matter shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly, brother. We should treat this situation with more respect, more dignity, more... More... Pffft! Ahahaha! I can¡¯t say it with a straight face! This guy really is a magic freak!" Guan Yu said. He seemed mature and dignified at first, however, that facade quickly crumbled as he was unable to act with a straight face. "You two... Do you have no shame?" Zi Yi asked as she witnessed their behavior. "Shame? Don¡¯t you know that I, Guan Yu, and my brother were born under shameless stars? How can we betray them by having shame?" Guan Yu stated with a grin on his face. "Well said!" Hallsmented as he nodded his head in approval. This, of course, led to Zi Yi wanting to cough up blood from their responses. What shameless star? What betrayal? He was just talkingplete nonsense! "You- Don¡¯t go agreeing with him!" Zi Yi stated when she saw Halls casually nodding his head in approval. This eventually led to Guan Yu and Halls goading Zi Yi into a rematch of their previous battle of joke telling. "Hmph, don¡¯t think that I¡¯m the same person asst time. Having undergone a special training session, I¡¯ve been studying and preparing for a moment like this so that I wouldn¡¯t be caught off guard again. It¡¯s not toote for you two to back out and save some face." Zi Yi said with a confident and reassuring expression. Studying? Preparing? This... Wasn¡¯t she taking this entire matter a bit too seriously? Also, why was her expression filled with so much confidence? Could her efforts really have paid off that much in such a short period of time? "Brother... She seems really confident. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Guan Yu asked Halls. "Are we still men if we choose to run away? I want to see the results of this special training." Halls responded. The atmosphere became tense as Guan Yu and Halls faced Zi Yi. Zi Yi had a serious look on her face and if a stranger saw this scene, they would think that an intense battle was about to break out between those present. Zi Yi broke the silence as she said, "A book fell on my head, I can only me my shelf." "..." There was a lingering silence in the atmosphere after those words left Zi Yi¡¯s mouth. "...Heh..." A small chuckle sounded in the quiet surroundings. Who was it? Who was it that had a stomach of iron to digest that joke? When everyone turned their gaze towards the direction of the small chuckle, they discovered that it was surprisingly Izroth! "...I thought it was amusing." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face in response to the stares. Immediately after hearing that, Zi Yi admitted defeat. This... Why was it that he of all people had to like it? Wasn¡¯t this confirming that her special training was all for nothing?! "I give up... It¡¯s my loss..." Zi Yi sighed as she felt somewhat dejected. All of that studying and she had not improved a single bit! She was sure that she had studied all the right things, so then why were the results so unsatisfactory?! Luna could not help but release a small and light giggle at both Izroth and Zi Yi¡¯s reactions. "B-brother... We really have to discuss your sense of humor." Halls said as he looked over at Izroth and gave a helpless smile. ... As time passed by 30 minutes... One hour... There was no news or messages from Blue Oasis nor Valentine. However, just as everyone was wondering whether or not Valentine would even show, they saw a figure rapidly closing in. There seemed to be a gust of wind blowing constantly at their back and feet that propelled them forward at great speeds. This figure suddenly stopped a few meters away from everyone. "Thending is still a bit shaky... But, it¡¯s still useful for traveling. I¡¯m just not sure it¡¯s practical in actualbat since itcks any maneuverability." The figure muttered to themselves. "Ah, I¡¯m not toote, right?" This person was, of course, Valentine! Although he was an hourte, fortunately, the others were still there as Blue Oasis had not made a move yet. "No, we¡¯re still waiting for Blue Oasis. It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re well." Izroth stated. Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and now with the arrival of Valentine, the six of them had finally gathered together again since the moment they left the Chaotic Dogma Realm! Almost as if it were calcted, at the exact moment Valentine joined Izroth and the others, Izroth received a message from Niflheim with a set of coordinates. ¡¯Looks like it¡¯s finally time.¡¯ Chapter 388 No One Left Behind, The Unknown First Step ... Izroth and his party followed the coordinates given by Niflheim. The coordinates did not lead to the raid location itself, but instead, it marked the final gathering location of the raid party before their entry into the raid. These steps may seem somewhat excessive, however, there was too much at stake for Blue Oasis if the exact location was leaked beforehand. They knew that as soon as they entered into the raid, it would be broadcast to the entire world. Once this happened, the other top guilds would all scramble to the location of the coordinates. More importantly, since Blue Oasis held the advantage over the other top guilds, this would only act to make them public enemy number one for arge variety of reasons. This was even more so if they were sessful in their attempt to clear the raid on the Hardcore difficulty. Of course, they had already prepared for the potential bacsh and pressure, but this did not mean that it would be easy to deal with or that everything would go as nned. Since Blue Oasis had been lying low for so long, there were bound to be some eyes cast upon their every move. This was why they had to take such dramatic steps to ease the overall burden by as much as possible. After traveling for half an hour, Izroth and his party reached a remote corner of the Proximus kingdom. It was a region called Cleargate. This small region was filled withkes and rivers that was a host to a multitude of amphibious and strange reptilian monsters. However, Izroth and his party were able to make their way through with ease given that they were only normal monsters and their average levels were between 38-42. "There are a lot of water sources in this ce. Is there really a town located in this region?" Halls questioned. If he had to take a guess, this ce was around 80% water and 20% earth and nt-life. The pathways were extremely limited in avability which would make it difficult forrge groups to travel together in Cleargate. "These were the coordinates given to us. Besides, it¡¯s not a town that¡¯s out here, but a settlement. The locals here are descendants of seafolk and have a personal history with the Proximus kingdom." Zi Yi said. Although she did not know much about Cleargate, she knew some general information that was avable at the Amaharpe library. Though the book mostly talked about the descendants of seafolk and did not get into any specifics. This was something she researched in her spare time while trying to figure out how to locate the other memory fragments for the second part of the SSS-ranked quest. She then continued, "From what I know, Proximus has allowed them to settle down in the Cleargate region. I¡¯m unsure of the specific arrangements that were made, but given that Cleargate isn¡¯t exactly an ideal ce for ordinary humans to live, this is no loss for Proximus. Not to mention..." Zi Yi exined, however, she furrowed her brows at the end before finishing her words. "Not to mention, the mana in this ce is unreasonably thinpared to the rest of Proximus. No, it¡¯s practically nonexistent in this region. That¡¯s probably the true reason Proximus doesn¡¯t care about this ce. In their eyes, it¡¯s the equivalent of giving away free trash for something in return." Valentine stated with his eyes of magic activated. He sensed that something was off about this region the moment they stepped into it. At first, it was not too noticeable since they were still at the entrance of the region, however, after journeying deeper inside, the mana deficiency had be apparent. ¡¯So they can see it as well. Not just the mana, even the natural energy in this ce is bizarre. It¡¯s like this region is being sucked dry of its mana by some unknown force.¡¯ "Aren¡¯t they just pretending to be the good guys by giving away something they didn¡¯t even want in the first ce? Wouldn¡¯t the locals be upset if they found this out?" Guan Yu asked in a mildly outraged manner. He believed that the locals were being treated unfairly by being handed what was basically the Proximus kingdom¡¯s "scraps". Zi Yi sighed as she shook her head and replied, "Their history isn¡¯t so simple. Since this ce has an abundance of water sources, at the very least, I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t feel as if they are being treated too poorly. Besides, a powerful kingdom like Proximus could have simply ignored them and left them wandering about. Their actions can already be seen as being generous in the eyes of many." "I get what you¡¯re saying, but it still doesn¡¯t feel right for some reason." Guan Yu mumbled. "We¡¯ve arrived." Izroth announced which caused everyone to turn their attention forward. The first thing that came to sight was a plethora ofrge corals positioned in an orderly fashion. This was the settlement of the seafolk descendants. The corals came in a variety of colors and were equal in size to a normal vige home despite some of their awkward shapes. Even though the entire area was surrounded by water, surprisingly, there were clear pathways where one could walk as though they were traveling through any other town. However, there were some minor waterways that cut through certain parts of the settlement. But, those minor waterways seemed to be ced there intentionally. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Settlement of Clearwater?!¡µ As Izroth and the others were taking in their new surroundings, they were approached by someone. It was someone Izroth had never directly spoken to, but he knew of him because that person was always by Niflheim¡¯s side. He was Niflheim¡¯s aide and acted as amander for the 7th squad of Blue Oasis, Olohas. "Wee, friends. I am Olohas, lieutenant of the 7th squad under the leadership of Captain Niflheim. I¡¯ve been sent here personally to escort you, Izroth and party, to the gathering point." Olohas said with polite mannerisms as he gave a respectful greeting. Not to even mention that they were important guests, Olohas knew that Izroth and his captain were on good terms. After being promoted frommander and appointed the position lieutenant of the 7th squad, he wanted to maintain and further reinforce that good connection between Izroth and his captain. "Captain Niflheim is very thoughtful to send us his lieutenant as a personal guide. We¡¯ll have to thank you for your assistance in advance." Izroth said in a carefree tone. However, when Olohas¡¯ eyesnded on Zi Yi, there was a brief expression of shock on his face and he seemed to be troubled or nervous. But, he did his best to quickly regain himself and returned to his previous temperament. But, this slight change could not escape the eyes of some of those present. ¡¯Could he have some history with Zi Yi?¡¯ "Then, allow me to lead the way." Olohas said as he began to guide the party. But, even though he tried to hide it, it was quite clear that he was troubled by something, or to be more specific, someone. "You seem to be uneasy about one of my fellow party members, Lieutenant Olohas. I¡¯d like to hear a proper exnation." Izroth said. This, of course, caught Olohas off guard. This person¡¯s senses were too sharp! He only slipped up for a brief moment and yet he was seen through immediately. However, Olohas did not know how to respond to that question without causing some sort of unintentional offense. "This..." Olohas tried to find the proper words to say, but nothing came to mind. He thought about brushing it off with some small tale, however, after he witnessed that piercing gaze in Izroth¡¯s eyes, it reminded him of his own captain. He knew that if he lied at the moment, he would be instantly seen through and perhaps suffer more in the long run because of it. He started to regret not handling himself better earlier. Zi Yi saw Olohas¡¯ miserable state and shook her head inwardly. She knew exactly why Olohas acted the way he did towards her. In the end, however, she could not me him for thinking along those lines. But, that did not mean that she was not irritated by it. When was it that others would learn that she was her own person with her own moral standards? "Forget it. It¡¯s natural that he¡¯s cautious of me given that my elder sister is the guild leader of apeting top guild. While Sleeping Gardenia and Blue Oasis have no enmity with one another, that doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯re allies. Though if you¡¯re worried about me disclosing any information to my elder sister, then your worries are misced." Zi Yi stated in a calm tone. She then continued, "The guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia may be my elder sister, but I am not a member of Sleeping Gardenia. I have my own path that I choose to walk and if you or Blue Oasis can¡¯t ept that, then there¡¯s no need for me to be here." Zi Yi¡¯s words left Olohas speechless. He felt embarrassed by his previous actions after hearing those words. Of course, he knew that she was not a member of Sleeping Gardenia, but he was unable to see past her rtionship with Mariposa. After all, it wasmon knowledge that the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia dotes on her younger sister. "If Blue Oasis wants to Zi Yi to leave, then I shall take my leave as well." Lunamented without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Well said! If you want to get rid of our Zi Yi, then don¡¯t even think about the rest of us joining. First raid or not, we¡¯d never leave a friend behind!" Guan Yu stated. He may often tease Zi Yi, however, it was never with any ill intent. In the end, he saw her as a friend and arade. What kind of man would he be if he allowed a friend to suffer an injustice alone? "It¡¯s fine, everyone." Izroth said as he calmed everyone. He then continued, "Naturally, if Blue Oasis doesn¡¯t wee Zi Yi, then they do not wee any of us. However, I¡¯m sure our friend here has only made a small mistake in his actions. We should not take this to heart. I¡¯m sure Captain Niflheim is not such a short-sighted person. If that¡¯s the case, then surely the individuals under him must be the same... Don¡¯t you agree, Lieutenant Olohas?" Izroth spoke with a carefree smile on his face as he looked towards Olohas. While that smile may seem carefree to others, it was the smile of a demon in the eyes of Olohas. But, he understood that Izroth was offering him a way out. He wanted to strengthen the connection between the 7th squad and Izroth, but may have ended up doing theplete opposite! Right now, he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it from shame. "You are correct. Everyone, I apologize if my actions have caused any offense. Rest assured, our Blue Oasis wees you, all of you." Olohas stated apologetically. ¡¯Oh? He¡¯s still somewhat rough around the edges and a bit naive, but Niflheim doesn¡¯t have bad eyes.¡¯ After Olohas¡¯ apology, Izroth looked towards Zi Yi as if awaiting her decision. She gave a small nod after realizing Izroth¡¯s intentions. What needed to be said was already said, there was no reason to blow this matter up. Besides, Zi Yi was secretly touched by how everyone was willing to dismiss this major chance because of her. But, even if they were willing to do so, she did not want to be the cause of them losing out. Therefore, she felt that this should end here. "Since you are sincere in your apology, let us bury this matter and not speak of it again." Izroth said. Olohas felt as if a great pressure was released off his shoulders at the sound of those words. This matter was something that could cause Niflheim¡¯s opinion of him to plummet. Thest thing he wanted to do was disappoint the person who took him under their wing in hard times. He was grateful to Izroth for wanting to bury this matter. After this matter passed, Olohas led Izroth and his party to arge rainbow-colored coral that was at least five times the size of the other corals. Outside of the rainbow-colored coral were six yers. Four were in fully ted armor and two were wearing cleric robes. However, these were not the only yers around. Izroth could sense fourteen or so other yers that were all stealth nearby. It was obvious that these yers were members of Blue Oasis. ¡¯They really aren¡¯t taking any chances.¡¯ Once they arrived before the rainbow-colored coral and had their identities confirmed by those guarding, Olohas had to bid them farewell. "This is as far as I can guide you. Only those who are officially a part of the gathering can go on past this point. May our paths soon cross again." Olohas said respectfully as he took his leave. ¡¯Now... Let¡¯s see just what the core members of a top guild looks like. I hope I won¡¯t be disappointed.¡¯ "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he led his party through the entrance of the rainbow-colored coral. This would be his first time meeting all seven captains of Blue Oasis! But, what Izroth and his party did not know at that time when they walked into the coral located in a remote region of Proximus, was that this was the first major step that would carve their names into minds of all yers within RML. The person would be the center of all this? It was none other than Izroth! Chapter 389 The Assigning of Raid Positions ... The inside of the rainbow-colored coral was surprisingly spacious; not at all what one would think looking at it from the outside. There were also different colored lights matching that of the rainbow-colored coral that was constantly flowing throughout the walls and pulsating like a heartbeat. There was no one in sight when Izroth and his party first entered, however, they had been told by the yers standing guard outside that everyone would be at the deepest point of the coral. "Izroth, this ce..." Zi Yi furrowed her brows as she examined her surroundings. "What you¡¯re thinking is certainly a possibility, however, it¡¯s still much too early to tell." Izroth replied as if knowing beforehand what Zi Yi wanted to say. "Hm? Is there something I missed?" Valentine questioned after hearing the exchange between Izroth and Zi Yi. "Ah, that¡¯s right. You weren¡¯t with us at the time. Before we entered the Chaotic Dogma Realm, we cleared a dungeon called the Sea Pce Graveyard a few times to get familiar with each other¡¯s abilities. There was a boss in that ce called Calder, The Seahorse Knight who resided in a coral simr to this one." Zi Yi exined. "Oh? Do you think that dungeon is rted to this raid?" Valentine asked. "That¡¯s overstretching it, but it¡¯s notpletely impossible. Even if the raid isn¡¯t rted to the Sea Pce Graveyard, at the very least, this ce may provide us with a clue to the location of the memory fragments needed for the 2nd part of the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings. After all, Izroth did locate the first fragment within the Sea Pce Graveyard, therefore, perhaps there¡¯s another dungeon nearby?" Zi Yi stated. "I see, so it¡¯s like that. If that¡¯s the case, then maybe we should explore the entire Cleargate region after the raid ends. But, there¡¯s one thing bothering me about this ce. Isn¡¯t Clearwater supposed to be a settlement?" Valentine said. "I find it strange as well. For a ce iming to be a settlement, it sure iscking people. We haven¡¯t seen a single local on our way here." Zi Yimented. "They¡¯re around here. Though, it appears that they¡¯re quite shy by nature." Izroth said. From the moment they entered the Settlement of Clearwater, he had sensed some individuals lurking below ground. He believed that the waterways that ran through the settlement were connected to arge underground water source that acted as the actual Settlement of Clearwater. He could feel that they were being closely watched, however, there was no hostile intenting from those watching. Everyone was surprised by Izroth¡¯s words. They were around here? Where? No matter where one looked, there were no signs of anyone whatsoever. "Could they have some kind of special stealth skill?" Halls asked. "It¡¯s nothing soplicated. I can sense at least five dozen individuals below us at this very moment." Izroth said casually. However, these words came as a huge shock to those present. Five dozen?! This meant that there were currently, at the very least, 60 people under them?! "What?! They aren¡¯t going to ambush us, right?!" Guan Yu questioned as he carefully watched the floor beneath him as if something would jump out and attack him at any given moment. "I doubt it. Seafolks aren¡¯t exactly a warrior race and they like to keep their distance from the other races. Since these locals are their descendants, then it¡¯s safe to assume they¡¯re probably the same. Given therge volume of water and avable water sources in this area, it¡¯s most likely an underground water source that acts as the real Settlement of Clearwater." Zi Yi exined. ¡¯As usual, she catches on quite fast.¡¯ After Izroth and his party walked deeper into the rainbow-colored coral, they reached a room where there were 17 other yers present. The moment Izroth and his party stepped into the room, all eyes fell onto them. It was obvious that the other yers present were sizing them up. After all, they were total strangers who would be joining them for this raid. Not to mention, one of these strangers was the younger sister of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s guild leader! Naturally, there were a few who were against this idea, but since things were already decided they would not object vocally. Immediately, Izroth recognized three individuals. Niflheim, Minus, and the guild leader of Blue Oasis himself, Asgard. Minus only briefly red at Izroth before turning his attention away. Niflheim and Asgard, on the other hand, gave a small nodding gesture to greet Izroth and the others. The other 14 yers were individuals that Izroth had never seen before. However, even though this was the case, he could instantly point out the Seven Captains of Blue Oasis from those present. ¡¯So these are the core members of Blue Oasis. Not bad. Those two are also pretty interesting.¡¯ One of the yers that caught Izroth¡¯s attention had a calm and reserved aura around him. His hair was dark purple and neither short nor long as it covered the left side of his face. Although only one of his eyes could be seen, it was gray in color. His appearance and height were both only slightly above average. But, what stood out the most was the strange weapon on his back. It was arge broadsword that was around the same size as him on that was purple and gray in color. The strange part was that the de of this broadsword was shaped like a perfect rectangle and instead of a pointed de, it was t. This was the captain of the 1st squad of Blue Oasis, Road. As for the other yer who caught Izroth¡¯s attention... ¡´System Alert: Your party has been invited to join a Raid Party[Current Members: 18][Party Leader: Asgard], would you like to ept?¡µ Izroth epted the raid party invite as his entire group instantly be a part of the main raid party. ¡¯It looks like there¡¯s still one missing... Complex Assault?¡¯ In a party, when one was too far away their name would be grayed out. At the moment, the only name grayed out was one called Complex Assault. ¡¯If I remember correctly, he should be the vice-guild leader of Blue Oasis.¡¯ "Wee, everyone. Now that you¡¯re all here, we can officially begin the strategy meeting. Though, to be honest, there¡¯s not much to discuss since we¡¯re unable to send in a scouting party in advance due to the unique circumstances of our current situation. Captain Niflheim, I¡¯m passing the floor over to you." Asgard stated. "Then, I¡¯ll make it brief. While we possess little to no factual information about the raid itself, we do believe that it is a raid with mainly water-type monsters. Since we¡¯ll be attempting the raid on the Hardcore difficulty setting, we need to be prepared as much as possible for anything that may hinder us inpleting our objective. Because of this, each person here will be provided with x2 Water Resistance IV potions, a grade three Lightning Edge enchantment stone, x5 High Grade Health Potions, 25 Medium Grade Health Potions, and those of you who use mana will receive x5 High Grade Mana Potions and x25 Medium Grade Mana Potions." Niflheim exined. He then continued, "We have also prepared a few talismans and taken other necessary precautions, however, these will only be avable in case of emergencies." As Niflheim spoke, two yers went around and distributed the items to everyone present. ¡¯Blue Oasis sure is generous. Though I suppose this only goes to show that they¡¯re going all out for this raid.¡¯ The batch of items Izroth received was worth no less than 700 gold coins! Considering that a set of items would be provided to each member of the raid party, this meant that Blue Oasis was spending no less than 16,800 gold coins for this single raid alone. That was more than 5,000,000 RMB! This was not including any other secret preparations they may have made in advance. However, this price was nothingpared to what Blue Oasis could potentially make if they managed to open up their own territory. 16,800 gold coins? 5,000,000 RMB? This would be mere pocket change to them if they were sessful! But, this was not without risk. If they failed, then it would be a big financial blow to them. After all, there were 50 core members in Blue Oasis and even more elite yers. Naturally, these yers were provided with a basic monthly ie by the guild, otherwise, how could they focus on RML and bing the top guild? Once the items were finished being distributed, Niflheim continued and said, "Now, I will discuss everyone¡¯s roles. I will be taking on the position of main tanker. As for the off-tank, it will go to our friend Halls over here." Niflheim gestured towards Halls as everyone¡¯s eyes fell onto him. Halls felt as if these people wanted to eat him alive with their gazes, but he did not shrink away. Even more so, he was disappointed that he was not the main tanker, but he knew that this was a Blue Oasis ran operation. As for the stares... It was natural for them to be somewhat worried since their lives would be in the hand of a total stranger. But, surprisingly, no one voiced their objection and remained professional about the decision. "Leave it to me." Halls responded in a confident manner. Niflheim gave a small nod in response as he said, "Now, for the healers..." He then went on to assign roles to everyone. In total, there were only three roles which were tank, damage dealers or DPS, and supporters. But, for a raid, these roles were broken down even further into six roles. Main tank, off-tank, main DPS, clean-up DPS, main supporters, and off-tank supporters. Along with eight other yers, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine were assigned to clean-up DPS. This meant that while they would focus on the boss or main monsters, their main task would be pulling off and taking care of any unexpected monsters, or "adds" as they were called, that appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a fight. Of course, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine were not at all happy about being assigned to be clean-up DPS. But, just as they were about to object, they were stopped by Izroth who only gave them a simple carefree smile. When they saw this, the three of them decided to not voice their objections. Instead, there was a look of fire hidden away behind their eyes. They understood exactly what Izroth was saying with that look of his. "They wanted to push them off into the clean-up DPS position? Fine, then just show them that they¡¯ve made the wrong choice. Show them that your strength is not something to be looked down upon!". Minus was also pushed off into the clean-up DPS position. Needless to say, he was furious at Niflheim¡¯s decision! Wasn¡¯t this clearly suppressing him?! He grit his teeth in anger but remained silent. As for the main DPS, this group consisted of Izroth, Asgard, 5th squad captain Abstract, 1st squad captain Road, 4th squad captain Peaceful Chaos, and 3rd squad captain Vanaheim. What came as most surprising was the fact that Luna was ced into the main supporters group along with 2nd squad captain Nidavellir and the vice-guild leader Complex Assault. The main supporters goal was to keep the main tank and the main damage dealers alive. As for the off-tank supporters, their goal was to focus on keeping the off-tank alive, as well as, to fill in the nk areas in case any clean-up DPS took damage. They also usually specialized in AOE healing. "Everyone, I know that some of you may be unhappy with your positions. However, keep in mind that I will do what¡¯s best for the raid party and to ensure that our chance of sess is at its highest point. Therefore, please note that I have full authority to change these arrangements at any time. If I see that you are not properly pulling your own weight, then I will not hesitate to swap you out. This goes for me as well." Niflheim stated. The atmosphere became somewhat tense at those words. It would be a great humiliation to lose one¡¯s spot in a main position. This would further motivate everyone to not ck off because, at any given moment, they could be swapped out. "Now that that¡¯s settled... Let us head to the raid." Niflheim announced. It was finally here! They were about to attempt the first raid in RML! Needless to say, everyone became restless and some even started to get somewhat nervous from the pressure. "Where is this raid anyways?" One of Blue Oasis¡¯ core yers asked. The location had yet to be disclosed to those outside of the seven captains and guild leader/vice-guild leader. "We¡¯re already here." Niflheim said as he walked over to the nearby rainbow-colored coral and touched a beautiful sapphire gemstone that was attached to the wall. When the palm of his hand met with the gemstone, a hole opened up and a clear tube that traveled downward appeared. He then continued, "The raid lies within the true Settlement of Clearwater." ¡¯Interesting... Maybe the two are connected.¡¯ Everyone was stunned by Niflheim¡¯s words. You mean this entire time... They had been standing right above the actual location of the raid?! Chapter 390 The One Who Arrived Alone "This tube leads down into the actual Settlement of Clearwater. But, I advise all of you to tread carefully. The NPCs in this ce are not hostile towards us, however, they aren¡¯t exactly weing either. As long as we leave them alone, they will not bother us. In order to assure that there are no unforeseen circumstances, be sure not to wander off alone from the main group." Niflheim stated. After he finished speaking, Niflheim approached the tube as he said, "Now, I¡¯ll go down first and-" But, right in the middle of his words, Niflheim received a system message which caused him to halt his words. He was not the only one who received a system message. Asgard and the other seven captains present also appeared to have gotten messages. "How is this possible? How can he be at this ce?" Niflheim said to himself as he furrowed his brows with a frown on his face. "Of all people it had to be him... How did he discover this ce?" Asgardmented with a sigh. He truly wanted to believe that it was just by chance, however, he knew better than to have such naive thoughts. The chances of it being a coincidence were astronomically small; practically nonexistent. This was thest thing they needed before attempting the raid! "Could they have been followed here?" Nidavellir asked as he turned his gaze towards Izroth and his party. Everyone besides Asgard, Niflheim, and the other captains of Blue Oasis had confused expressions on their faces. What were they talking about? Who was here? What was going on? "I can assure you that no one followed us." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he immediately dismissed the idea. Even Aru, a member of the phantasmal race had to maintain a distance of over 50 meters if he wanted to escape Izroth¡¯s range of perception. He was confident that even if the yer was using an S-ranked stealth skill that he could be able to tell of their location. Not to mention, his Soul Sense had not gone off even once during their travels to the Settlement of Clearwater. "Then, are you trying to say that it¡¯s our Blue Oasis that made the mistake?" Minus questioned as his facial expression slightly darkened. "Hmph, if my brother says that we weren¡¯t followed, then we weren¡¯t followed! It¡¯s that simple. Besides, are you trying to imply that it¡¯s impossible for Blue Oasis to make a mistake? Heh, allowing someone like you to be a captain... Do I need to say more?" Guan Yu said with a smirk on his face. Although he did not say the actual words, those present were not foolish. They knew what he was implying by that statement was that Minus being a captain of Blue Oasis was, in fact, a mistake! "You dare say that again?!" Minus eximed in a furious tone. How could he take this humiliation in front of their core members lying down? "Mind your words. You¡¯re speaking about a captain of our Blue Oasis. The decisions we make are not to be questioned by an outsider." Vanaheim said in response to Guan Yu¡¯s insult. Even if she disliked Minus as an individual, in the end, he was still a captain of Blue Oasis. How could she sit back and allow him to be ridiculed in front of their core members? Wasn¡¯t he pping the face of Blue Oasis? "What? He¡¯s allowed to spout nonsense, but I¡¯m not allowed to speak the truth? I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a captain of Blue Oasis. If they want to me us for something we didn¡¯t do, then I won¡¯t just sit back and allow it to happen." Guan Yu stated without backing down. The atmosphere was getting somewhat intense and voices were starting to be raised in the process. At this rate, the raid party would fall apart before the raid even begun! "Enough! Are you all children?!" Asgard roared angrily which instantly caused the members of his guild to fall silent. It was rare to see their guild leader this angry. However, with all the pressuretely of doing everything possible to make the raid a sess, it was natural that his current patience was thin. He then continued, "Captain Nidavellir, we don¡¯t have any proof. To make baseless usations against the guests we invited is uneptable." "Indeed, I spoke with too much haste. It was an error on my part." Nidavellir responded in a calm tone. "Captain Minus and Captain Vanaheim, you two should know the importance of this raid more than anyone. Do you wish to ensure our failure before we even make an attempt? As captains, your first priority should be towards Blue Oasis, not starting some pointless squabble! We already have to deal with an outside force, do you want to start infighting as well?" Asgard scolded. "It was not my intent..." Vanaheim sighed. Minus, on the other hand, remained silent and chose not to respond at all. One would think that he was admitting his own faults, however, in reality, he was inwardly smirking. He was finally here! Asgard then looked towards Guan Yu and then to Izroth. This was a headache! As the guild leader of Blue Oasis, he could not simply ignore the words that Guan Yu spoke a few moments ago. If they had been alone, then he could have brushed it off. But, this happened in the presence of the core members of his guild! If he did not say anything about it, then it may lower morale and others may think that he was a pushover. But, if he spoke the wrong words, then perhaps he risked ruining not only this raid but the already frail connection Blue Oasis had to Izroth. Even worse, if he was the first to openlypromise for someone insulting a captain of his Blue Oasis, it would make him seem submissive and unfit to be the guild leader of a top ten guild. It was at that moment Izroth received a system message. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over in Niflheim¡¯s direction as he was the sender of that message just now. ¡¯Since you¡¯re this generous in your offer, I can only oblige.¡¯ "Guan Yu, the personal affairs of Blue Oasis is not of our concern. Since we were invited as guests, we shouldn¡¯t cause any unnecessary trouble. Guild leader Asgard, I hope you can overlook this small matter so that both sides can move forward together and benefit properly." Izroth said in a carefree tone. Guan Yu was shocked by Izroth¡¯s words, but just as he was about to speak up about feeling wronged, Halls ced a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "This raid is a source of great pressure. It¡¯s natural for some tensions to run high as nerves start to form. This matter- Let¡¯s put this behind us." Asgard said as he released an inward sigh of relief. He did not expect Izroth to make the first move, however, it made things much easier for him. Once things calmed down, Niflheim ordered the core members to proceed down the tube. Along with them, he sent Vanaheim, Peaceful Chaos, Road, and Minus. Before Vanaheim left, Niflheim pulled her aside and said, "Once you¡¯re down there, meet up with the vice-guild leader and exin the situation to him. He¡¯ll understand what to do if ites down to it." "I understand." Vanaheim replied as she gave a small nod and made her way down the tube. After doing so, Niflheim brushed the palm of his hand up against the sapphire as the tube was hidden once again. Now, the only yers who remained in the room were Izroth and his party, Asgard, Niflheim, Abstract, and Nidavellir. "Izroth, I know this isn¡¯t what you had nned, but I¡¯d like for you to apany us to meet with an unexpected guest. I hope you aren¡¯t opposed to this?" Niflheim said. "Oh? What guest might that be?" Izroth questioned. "The guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan." Niflheim responded. ¡¯It¡¯s him?¡¯ Izroth remembered meeting Ewan back at the Mystical Realm Pce when it first opened. Out of everyone there, surprisingly, it was Ewan who was the least outspoken. But, he also seemed to be the one most respected by the other guilds. At the time, Izroth wondered what was going through his mind as he sat there in silence, however, Izroth was able to discover one thing that day. The guild leader of Cross Haven was not a short-sighted individual. That look in his eyes was one that constantly looked far ahead. "Since it¡¯s a request of our host, how can I refuse?" Izroth replied. He wanted to see what this Ewan was up to bying here unannounced. "Then, I¡¯ll remember this favor." Niflheim stated as he returned control of the situation over to Asgard. After everything was settled, Asgard led the group towards the front of the rainbow-colored coral where they originally entered from. During this trip, Izroth and his party kept some distance between the members of Blue Oasis. When there was finally enough distance, Guan Yu could not help but ask, "Brother, why did you let them off so easily? They were obviously in the wrong for falsely using you." Guan Yu did not understand why Izroth dropped the matter just like that! Did he fear angering Blue Oasis? What a joke! How could his brother be afraid of a mere Blue Oasis? Therefore, Guan Yu believed that there was a hidden reason for Izroth¡¯s decision, especially after Halls stopped him from going on. However, Zi Yi had a different question for Izroth as she asked, "So, what did he offer you?" There was a slight grin that appeared on her lips as she spoke. "I, too, am curious as to what he offered you." Lunamented. "Heh, I¡¯m sure Izroth doesn¡¯t n on holding out on us." Valentine stated with a smirk. "Eh? What are you all talking about?" Guan Yu was confused. What was with their conversation? While being caught up in the moment, Guan Yu failed to notice the brief exchange between Izroth and Niflheim. It was at that moment Izroth spoke out and naturally, this did not go unnoticed by Zi Yi, Luna, and Valentine who were close by. As for Halls, while he did not understand the specifics, but he had known Izroth long enough to know that he did not do things without a purpose in mind. "Something that will benefit all of us." Izroth responded as he then nced over at Guan Yu. He then continued and said, "Guan Yu, do you feel that I¡¯ve wronged you?" Guan Yu had an expression of disbelief on his face as he shook his head helplessly and replied, "Brother, how can I feel wronged by you?" He was not upset at Izroth, just a little confused as to the reason behind his actions. But, now that he understood that there was a reason behind it, he was no longer troubled by it. "So, what did he offer you? A rare item? Gold?" Halls asked curiously. "No, something much more useful. The method of acquiring territory." Izroth said nonchntly. However, even though Izroth spoke as if it were just something minor, this was a huge deal! If they had the method of acquiring territory, then couldn¡¯t they own their own territory one day?! "This... Isn¡¯t this offer a bit too much?" Zi Yi stated in a surprised tone. She knew that it was something useful, but not this useful! "For the time being, this information can be seen as priceless. However, sooner orter, this method will be widespread and that will be when everyone starts to fight viciously over who owns what territory. Right now, it¡¯s safe to assume that besides Blue Oasis, there¡¯s probably only a few if any at all who know of the exact method of acquiring territory. With this method, acquiring our own territory won¡¯t be an issue. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need for me to list the potential benefits." Izroth said. Of course, no one present was that dense as to fail in understanding what Izroth meant by his words. This was a chance that could not be wasted! ... Izroth and his party arrived along with Niflheim, and the other members of Blue Oasis at the entrance of the rainbow-colored coral. There, standing only a few meters away from the entrance, was the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. However, there was no one else around to be seen. Did hee to this ce alone? Niflheim and Asgard both furrowed their brows inwardly when they saw Ewan alone. What did he intend to do bying here all by himself? "Guild leader Ewan, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Asgard said in a weing manner. Even if he was not happy about Ewan¡¯s sudden appearance, he would not physically show it. "I just happened to be passing by and wanted to explore this area, however... I¡¯ve been told that I cannot enter inside. Tell me, is it that the name of my Cross Haven carries with it such little weight that I cannot go where I want to explore?" Ewan said in an unhurried manner. Chapter 391 Cross Havens Trump Card?, Broadcast To The World! Asgard closely observed Ewan¡¯s behavior, however, he was unable to discover his intentions. It was at that time he received a message from some of the yers he sent to scout the surrounding area. When he saw this message, Asgard could not help but furrow his brows as he nced over towards Niflheim who also obtained the same message. What did this mean? Did the guild leader of Cross Havene here alone? If so, did he just coincidentally happen upon this ce? Although both Asgard and Niflheim found this difficult to believe, it did not make any sense for him to arrive here alone without any back-up in position. However, a part of them wished that Ewan came with an actual group. If he did so, then it would have made his intentions clear. But now, they had to question their next move. Should they just enter the true Settlement of Clearwater and let Ewan explore freely after everyone was safely inside? If they did, then even if Ewan did discover that there was a raid nearby, without a raid party close to this location, it would be impossible for him to make any moves. Not to mention, including the raid party, there were currently 50+ Blue Oasis members; all of whom were core or elite members. If anything unexpected took ce, they would be more than capable of responding without issue. But, in the end, Asgard would rather not take any chances. "This building is currently being used as a private meeting spot for my Blue Oasis. Guild leader Ewan, I¡¯m sure you of all people understand the importance of privacy when ites to these matters. If guild leader Ewan is willing to wait here for a few hours, then naturally, this ce will be avable to freely explore." Asgard responded in a calm tone. But, from his tone, one could also tell that he was not backing down on this matter. "I see, if it¡¯s like this, then I don¡¯t n on making it difficult for guild leader Asgard." Ewan said. Asgard was a bit taken aback by how easily Ewan backed off. This made him frown inwardly as he started to believe more and more that Ewan may have discovered this ce by chance and did not know about the raid. Maybe they were overthinking things too much. After all, they had been extremely careful in their preparations and keeping things a secret. Ewan nced at Niflheim before turning his attention towards Izroth as he said, "We meet again, Izroth. To be personally invited to a private meeting... I was unaware that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce had officially joined Blue Oasis." "I personally invited the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce to this meeting to discuss a potential future partnership. Unfortunately, we were unable toe to a proper agreement beforeing out here to greet the guild leader of Cross Haven." Niflheim stated without the slightest bit of hesitation present in his voice. "Oh? If that¡¯s the case, I too would like to discuss a potential partnership with the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce regarding my Cross Haven. Surely, Blue Oasis doesn¡¯t n on monopolizing every opportunity, right? Do you have any objections?" Ewan said nonchntly as he addressed Izroth. "I don¡¯t mind. However, are you sure you can meet my demands?" Izroth replied with a carefree smile on his face. "If it¡¯s money, my Cross Haven does notck it. We can also provide you with a steady stream of resources. If you can name it, then as long as it¡¯s within the ability of my Cross Haven, we will try our best to meet the demands presented to us. Of course, if you¡¯re willing to directly sell the Mystical Realm Pce, we can discuss that matter as well." Ewan stated. Izroth held up one finger as he said, "I¡¯m willing to sell it for a cheap price. I¡¯m not asking for that much in return." Asgard, Niflheim, and the other members of Blue Oasis were shocked by Izroth¡¯s response. He was willing to sell the Mystical Realm Pce for a cheap price?! Asgard nearly jumped out as he wanted to make an offer of his own. "1 billion RMB? It¡¯s a bit costly, however-" Ewan was speaking, before he was interrupted by Izroth. "I think you¡¯ve misunderstood. 1 trillion RMB. If you can provide me with 1 trillion RMB, then the Mystical Realm Pce belongs to you." Izroth said in a carefree tone. However, his response caused the members of Blue Oasis to cough up blood. This was a cheap price? 1 trillion RMB? That was clearly a joke of a price! He might as well just say that he had no ns of selling it! "Even though the funds of my Cross Haven are notcking, this demand is a bit out of reach. What a shame." Ewan responded with a light smile on his face. He seemed to be unbothered by Izroth¡¯s actions just now which surprised the members of Blue Oasis. Wasn¡¯t he upset at Izroth for making such a nonsensical offer? "Indeed, a shame." Izroth stated. ¡¯This Ewan hides himself well. Even back in the conference room, he never revealed his hand. This type of person is... ¡¯ Just as Izroth was having those thoughts, something unexpected took ce. Not just him, but every yer present received an alert from the system. It was a world announcement! However, when the yers from Blue Oasis saw this world announcement, their expressions turned extremely ugly. Someone dared to do this?! Izroth examined the world announcement as he narrowed his eyes slightly after he read it over. "Did someone from Blue Oasis make a mistake?" Zi Yi muttered to herself. Ewan smirked as he read over the world announcement and said, "These coordinates... It seems the people of Blue Oasis are indeed having a private meeting." Asgard winced at Ewan¡¯s words as they appeared to have stabbed at a sore spot, however, he had no time to deal with him now that it hade to this. "We¡¯re leaving at once, everyone!" Asgard said as he started to head back into the rainbow-colored coral. Now that it hade to this, it was toote to worry about anything else. They needed to start at once before the others started to move. Once that happened, who knew when they would receive this kind of opportunity again? "This is bad... This mistake will cost us greatly. What was the vice-guilder leader and Captain Vanaheim doing down there to allow for this mishap?" Niflheim thought to himself as he hurried along with Asgard and the other two captains of Blue Oasis. There was another requirement that only Asgard, the vice-guild leader, and Niflheim knew about when it came to acquiring the territory they were going after. Not only did they need to clear a raid on the Hardcore difficulty, but they also needed to be the first ones to clear it! If it was just clearing a Normal difficulty raid first, then they would not be too troubled. However, not only did they have to clear the raid first, but they had to run it on the Hardcore difficulty for it to count! Who knew how challenging this raid would be or how many times they would be wiped out before seeding? By that time, perhaps another top guild would arrive, run the Normal difficulty, and clear the raid before they could do so. The reason that they decided to keep this hidden was for obvious reasons. They did not want to risk the entire process being leaked just in case there were hidden ears or eyes in unseen ces. This was simply a form of extra insurance. "It looks like this is going to be a mess for Blue Oasis." Izroth said as he and his party members headed back towards the rainbow-colored coral¡¯s entrance. As for the content of the world announcement that was broadcast to the world? ¡´World Announcement: The first raid has been discovered in the ?Third Kingdom Proximus? region of ?Cleargate?! Coordinates:...¡µ "Guild leader Asgard, you¡¯re leaving so soon? We haven¡¯t discussed matters properly." Ewan said. Asgard turned and replied, "Guild leader Ewan, I am in a hurry. So any matters that need to be discussed can be spoken ofter. Right now, I need to-" "That won¡¯t do. I believe this is something that needs to be discussed now." Ewan cut Asgard off as he removed a small circr disk from his hand. He tossed the disk on the ground in front of him as it expanded from a mere 10cm in diameter to 4 meters in diameter creating a circr metallic tform. There were strange and unique magic symbols that appeared on the metallic tform as it emitted a faint white light. A few secondster, something shocking happened. After a sh of white light, a figure appeared on the tform and emerged from within. It was none other than one of Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals, Zhang Jie! However, it did not stop there. Soon after Zhang Jie stepped off the tform, he was followed by Wang Qiang. But, this was only the beginning. The shes of white light did not halt as more yers from Cross Haven started to emerge from the tform. There were some familiar and unfamiliar faces among them. Dragus, God Speed Wess, Petals, Harp, Too Risky... These were only a few yers that appeared. In total, there were 50 yers from Cross Haven that had appeared out of nowhere! Just what was that strange item? What kind of powerful magic item did Ewan just use to transport 50 yers from who knows where to a distant ce like the Cleargate region? Was this one of Cross Haven¡¯s hidden trump cards? If so, it was terrifying to think of its potential. Didn¡¯t this mean that the guild leader of Cross Haven was always walking around with a small army at his disposal?! Asgard¡¯s facial expression darkened when the other yers from Cross Haven appeared. Why was nothing going as nned?! Also, what was with that magic item Ewan just used?! "What do you intend to do?" Asgard questioned as his eyes stayed locked onto Ewan who was now apanied by 50 other members of Cross Haven. He even had Zhang Jie with him! In terms of pure PVP and naturalbat skills, among the Blue Oasis captains, only Road was his match. If a fight happened to break out and he was left unchecked, then he would be a nightmare to deal with! However, Road was currently in the true Settlement of Clearwater. But, thest thing Asgard wanted to do was get into a fight with Cross Haven of all guilds, especially when he considered what was at stake. "You seem to be in a rush, guild leader Asgard. Could it be that there¡¯s more to this than you¡¯re letting on?" Ewan questioned. Asgard nced over towards Niflheim who shook his head slightly. Even if they fought Cross Haven with their full might, it was uncertain who would be the victor. Not to mention, the losses on both sides would not be light. It would also cause them to be enemies in the future. Therefore, their options were incredibly limited at the moment. "I¡¯ll just ask one question- Does guild leader Ewan and Cross Haven n on stopping us from leaving this ce?" Asgard asked seriously. The atmosphere had be tense as the yers in stealth that belonged to Blue Oasis were awaiting orders. Would they fight Cross Haven here and now? It all depended on the answer to Asgard¡¯s question! Ewan remained silent at first, however, a light smile appeared on his face as he replied, "I have no intention of keeping anyone here. Allow me to be blunt, I¡¯ve heard certain rumors that Blue Oasis may have discovered a territory. I do not care much for this raid. If Blue Oasis wants to clear it first to build their reputation, since you were the ones to find it, I can show you a bit of face in this regard. However... A territory is another matter." Asgard¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He was afraid that some rumors may have leaked out about them discovering a territory, however, he was not too concerned with this matter. After all, rumors could be brushed off. But, if Ewan chose to take advantage of this situation... Could it be he wanted them to hand it over? He would obviously not agree to such a ridiculous request! Was a fight inevitable? Chapter 392 Five Parts of Ten "This is surprising. I never expected that guild leader Ewan would be one to believe in baseless rumors." Asgard responded. "Baseless? Blue Oasis has been quite reserved in their actions as ofte. However, if Blue Oasis wishes to feign ignorance and takes my Cross Haven to be a group of fools, then so be it." Wang Qiang stated in response to Asgard¡¯s reply. He then faced towards Ewan and continued, "Since Blue Oasis wishes to meet our sincerity with deceit, we should proceed with the raid as nned. I doubt they have truly started the raid without their own guild leader present. Not to mention, raids are unpredictable. Therefore, our Cross Haven still has the chance to clear it first." "Is a fight about to break out?" Zi Yi said as she furrowed her brows and observed the tense atmosphere between both sides. "Considering a territory is involved, I¡¯d say it¡¯s certainly a possibility. What will we do if Blue Oasis ends up getting into a fight with them?" Valentine questioned. "We¡¯ll obviously fight back!" Guan Yu stated. "This battle isn¡¯t ours to fight. Not to mention, if they wanted our help in the first ce, they would have asked. Plus, if we take Blue Oasis¡¯ side here and fight along side them, then others will think that we are undoubtedly tied to them. If that happens, if these two sides were to sh and be enemies, we¡¯d be cklisted by Cross Haven. I don¡¯t know about the rest of you, but I¡¯d rather not waste my time interfering in a matter that has nothing to do with us." Zi Yi exined. She then continued, "As for the raid... It¡¯s just one raid. Regardless of what happens, we¡¯ll still be able to attempt it eventually. It would not be a big loss for us." Halls frowned and said, "Then, are we supposed to just sit back and do nothing? It feels a little wrong to justpletely wash our hands of things and pretend to look the other way. I think if ites to it, we should fight." "Aren¡¯t you two just eager to test your new skills? What fight? Can¡¯t the two of you understand the current situation?" Valentine said in a serious tone to Guan Yu and Halls as his gaze was locked onto Cross Haven in the distance. Everyone was somewhat surprised by Valentine¡¯s serious behavior. Usually, he would not chime in on these types of events. To think he would take this particr situation so seriously - At least that¡¯s what everyone originally believed. However, when everyone saw the look on Valentine¡¯s face, they almost wanted to strangle him. At the moment, Valentine had an overly excited facial expression andrge grin formed on his face as he drooled uncontrobly. Although he said one thing, his facial expressionpletely betrayed him! "You- Aren¡¯t you actually the one who¡¯s eager to test your skills the most?" Guan Yumented. Once things calmed down, everyone in Izroth¡¯s party turned their attention towards him. They had long since epted Izroth as the leader of the party, therefore, the final decision would rest in his hands. Whether he wanted to fight with Blue Oasis or sit out, they would follow him in his choice. "There¡¯s no need to concern ourselves with this. After all, the guild leader of Cross Haven has no intention of starting a battle with Blue Oasis. He¡¯s after something else and with that goal in mind... It looks like Blue Oasis will end up making a few concessions." Izroth said in a carefree manner. He added, "Though if by some small chance a fight does break out, I see no reason to interfere without there being any benefit to gain from it. But, if either side dares to drag us into the battle or attacks us then, of course, we¡¯ll fight." Niflheim had only asked Izroth to apany him to meet the guild leader of Cross Haven. As for having an obligation to fight Blue Oasis¡¯ battles... Obviously, this was something Izroth did not believe in. As Izroth and his party spoke, Asgard, Niflheim, Abstract, and Nidavellir gathered together to discuss the present circumstances. "We cannot afford to wait any longer. It¡¯s obvious that Cross Haven came prepared. For their guild leader to arrive at this exact moment... I find it hard to believe that it was just a coincidence. It¡¯s possible that Ewan already has proof of the territory¡¯s existence. But, even if he doesn¡¯t, something tells me that they aren¡¯t going to back down without a proper exnation." Niflheim said quietly to Asgard, Abstract, and Nidavellir. "The question is... How will Cross Haven react to this information? Also, just how far of a line are they willing to cross to obtain it? Those two sure know how to be annoying." Nidavellirmented with a light sigh. "The 5th squad is in ce and ready to take action at any time. Though to be blunt, directbat against multiple enemies isn¡¯t the 5th squad¡¯s specialty by any means. Unless the others that have already gone to the true Settlement of Clearwater returns to the surface, we don¡¯t stand a chance against their current line-up." Abstract stated. Asgard shook his head as he said, "No, I¡¯d rather take a path that doesn¡¯t involve engaging in directbat with Cross Haven. If things get too out of hand, we may end up starting a war between our guilds. With the world eventing up and guilds like the Headhunter Syndicate growing in power with each passing day, we cannot afford to weaken our strength. Captain Niflheim, how do you suggest we handle this matter?" Asgard ced a great amount of trust in Niflheim when it came to these types of situations. One of the most important things about Asgard that earned him his position as the guild leader of a top guild like Blue Oasis was not hisbat prowess or amazing strategic abilities. Instead, Asgard was chosen because of his ability to recruit and build talent, as well as, delegate. Asgard knew his own strengths and weaknesses, but more than that he epted them. Although this sounded simple, it was incredibly challenging for a person to know, let alone ept their weaknesses. To Asgard, a leader was not someone who was omnipotent or omniscient, but rather, someone who understood how to use the abilities and skills of those around them to their fullest extent. They were also someone who knew their own limits clearly, as well as, the limits of those around them. Since Niflheim had a talent for handling situations like this, then naturally, Asgard would not ignore his counsel, otherwise, what kind of leader would he be? "If it were any other guild, I would not suggest this, but since Cross Haven has a well-known reputation for being reasonable and honorable... I believe there¡¯s no harm in letting them know about the territory and our reason for being here." Niflheim stated. Just when the others looked as if they wanted to object, Niflheim cut in and continued, "Before you oppose this decision, think for a second. If we continue to feign ignorance with Cross Haven when they clearly have some type of solid evidence, then it would be taking them for fools. I¡¯m sure Wang Qiang has already nned this entire scenario. What they want is not a fight, but something else altogether. Let¡¯s try asking them to take a step back first and if that fails, then it¡¯s best that we prepare to make some concessions." Although Asgard was hesitant, he understood that Niflheim¡¯s words were correct. Who knew the next time they would discover a raid first? Also, not only would they have to go through a new set of preparations, but it was possible that others may find out about the territory they wanted to acquire. Or to be more specific, the top guilds might find out. Would Ewan, or Cross Haven for that matter, act this rashly based solely on a baseless rumor? The answer was clear when Asgard calmed down and truly thought it over. Asgard stepped forward and turned his attention towards Ewan. "Alright, guild leader Ewan is correct. Indeed, my Blue Oasis has discovered a territory and we¡¯re currently in the process of acquiring it. This raid is the final step. That¡¯s why, I hope guild leader Ewan and Cross Haven can give us some face and not enter, at the very least, until the others arrive." Asgard stated. By others, of course, Asgard meant the other top guilds. "Asgard wouldn¡¯t dare think to disclose this matter so openly. This must be Niflheim¡¯s idea." Wang Qiang quietlymented to Ewan. "You¡¯re correct. However, this does save us some trouble." Ewan responded. Everyone present was shocked by Asgard¡¯s words. On Blue Oasis¡¯ side, the yers hidden in stealth were shocked because they too had heard rumors about their guild locating a territory. However, it was only rumors as the real information was kept to those higher up on thedder. But, with this and the recent announcement, they finally pieced everything together. Though most of all, they were baffled as to why their guild leader would give away this information to Cross Haven so easily. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that they would do everything in their power to stop Blue Oasis frompleting the raid? "Guild leader Asgard, I am d to see that you do not think so little of my Cross Haven. Alright, you can take this as a small favor from Cross Haven to Blue Oasis. I give you my word as the guild leader of Cross Haven that we will not attempt to enter the raid until the others arrive." Ewan stated in a calm tone. Asgard released a deep sigh of relief inwardly. Even though he would owe Cross Haven a favor in the future, this was nothing if they could aplish their goals. "Then-" Asgard was about to speak, however, he was interrupted by Ewan. "However... I have a proposal to make. If you ept, then not only will my Cross Haven not enter the raid, but we will also prevent anyone else from stepping a foot in until Blue Oasispletes its task." Ewan said. But, Ewan¡¯s words came as a shock. Not just to Asgard, but even Niflheim did not predict this kind of move by Cross Haven. Even if Cross Haven was strong, they knew the consequences of turning multiple top guilds against them by blocking their path. Naturally, Ewan and Wang Qiang were not ignorant of this fact. Therefore, why would Cross Haven make such a self-harming offer? From the kindness of their heart? If only this were the case... Of course, Asgard wanted to immediately ept his offer. With Cross Haven here along with the other members of Blue Oasis that were standing guard, it should be enough to deter any of the top guilds for at least half a day. With that kind of safety, their chances of sess would rise by leaps and bound! Though Asgard was not naive. To be willing to potentially offend multiple top guilds... The asking price could not be cheap. "There¡¯s no free meal in this world - May I ask what the guild leader of Cross Haven wants in return for this grand favor?" Asgard asked. Ewan held up five fingers as he said, "Five parts of ten. My Cross Haven will own half of the territory once Blue Oasis acquires it." "Guild leader Ewan, you spoke a few moments ago about us not being sincere... Isn¡¯t this just Cross Haven being a hypocrite?" Asgard stated with a cold look in his eyes. Asgard was not the only one with this cold look in his eyes. It was also shared by Abstract and the other present members of Blue Oasis. They wanted Blue Oasis to hand over half of their territory after going through so much effort to acquire it? What kind of nonsense was he speaking?! Niflheim and Nidavellir, on the other hand, had troubled yet thoughtful expressions on their faces as the two nced at one another. Izroth watched the events that unfolded before his eyes and could not help but be amused by the sight. But, a part of him was also curious... Just what kind of territory did Blue Oasis want to acquire? Chapter 393 An Agreement Struck, Entering The True Settlement of Clearwater! ¡¯I doubt Blue Oasis would have to go through the trouble of clearing a raid to acquire a small vige in the middle of nowhere. It¡¯s possible that they¡¯ve managed to find a town... Maybe even a small city.¡¯ Either way, whether it was a town or a small city, the potential for economic growth was astronomical! For Cross Haven to ask for half ownership was, in fact, a bit much even if they were offering their assistance. At most, one or two parts of ten should be the highest offer they made. At least, this should have been the case. "My Cross Haven is willing to keep the top guilds at bay until Blue Oasis is sessful. Who knows what kind of losses we may suffer in the process for upsetting so many top guilds at once? Surely, guild leader Asgard doesn¡¯t value the losses of my Cross Haven so lightly, right?" Ewan said without the slightest bit of hesitation present in his voice. He then continued, "That¡¯s my offer. Of course, you¡¯re more than wee to decline it. However... I have a feeling that the others are already moving as we speak. Who¡¯s to say if you can aplish what you need to in time? Regardless of your decision, Cross Haven will keep its promise and not attempt to enter until the others arrive at this location. But, I suggest you ponder your answer carefully, guild leader Asgard. The clock has already begun ticking." Asgard calmed himself down before speaking as he said, "The value of the territory we¡¯re acquiring is high. To ask for half of that... Guild leader Ewan, this is a bit much. I can do one part of ten. This is the highest price I can offer." Although Asgard was reluctant to hand over any parts of the territory, if it meant having Cross Haven¡¯s assistance, then one part of ten was not too heavy a price. However, anything higher would be Cross Haven daydreaming. "Then, there¡¯s nothing more to say. I wish you the best of luck in your raid, guild leader Asgard." Ewan stated in a nonchnt manner. "We should meet up with the others while there¡¯s still some breathing room. We still have one major advantage in that we¡¯ve been preparing for this for weeks. It¡¯s not a hopeless situation just yet." Asgard said to the three captains of his Blue Oasis. "Before we leave, I¡¯d like you to hear us out for a moment..." Niflheim said as he then went on to discuss a few things with Asgard. However, by the time he finished speaking, Asgard had a troubled expression on his face. Asgard massaged his temples from the headache he was receiving after hearing Niflheim¡¯s and Nidavellir¡¯s suggestion. "So just to rify, you two are saying that I should ept this offer, correct?" Asgard asked as he released a deep sigh of frustration. "Yes." Niflheim and Nidavellir answered at the same time. "Are you two thinking straight? If we promise to hand over half of our territory, not only will Cross Haven reap the benefits with little to no effort, but we¡¯ll be situated right next to them for who knows how long? If that happens, won¡¯t we have topete with another top guild right away? We¡¯ll lose the biggest advantage of owning a territory right from the start. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m the one saying this to the two of you of all people." Abstractmented. "You¡¯re only looking at it from a single viewpoint. Tell me, what happens after we acquire the territory and the other top guilds discover this? Do you think they¡¯ll allow our Blue Oasis to move too far ahead of them?" Niflheim questioned. "This..." Abstract fell silent as they knew the answer to that question. The fact that Cross Haven knew about the territory meant that it would not be strange if other top guilds did as well. Even if they did not, it was only a matter of time until they discovered it before Blue Oasis had time to prepare any solid defenses. Obviously, the other top guilds would covet their territory and they would stop at nothing to make sure Blue Oasis failed where possible. In that type of situation where one was surrounded by strong enemies from all sides, it would result in Blue Oasis facing heavy losses and pressure from all angles. "I know it isn¡¯t ideal, but this isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing for us. If we do, in fact, give half over to Cross Haven, not only will we create a solid alliance, but our interest will also start to align. In other words, if the other top guilds do decide to make a move, they¡¯ll have to worry about facing two, not one top guild. Not to mention, Hypers Symphony is also on extremely good terms with Cross Haven. So in a way, we¡¯ll be getting two of the top ten guilds for the price of one." Nidavellir stated. He added, "I also heard that Hollow Tempo owes Cross Haven a favor after what took ce during the Protectors of Amaharpe event, therefore, we can probably count them out of this matter if Cross Haven says the word. To be honest, the guilds I¡¯m most worried about are the Headhunter Syndicate, Mist Pce, and Broken Exile." Mist Pce was led by Simplicity and she could be quite resourceful when it came to getting what she wanted. Mist Pce was also the top guild who acted as the main provider of the current high quality Realm Charts being produced and owned numerous resource areas thanks to this. With these two cards in their hand, no one wanted to willingly be their enemy since there were benefits to be had. As for the Headhunter Syndicate, even though they were a recent addition to the top ten guilds, their power was not to be underestimated. They had risen to fame rapidly and had the most members out of any guild within the top ten. They were also well known for being ruthless and underhanded in their actions. Naturally, this would be troublesome to deal with in the long run. But, when it came to Broken Exile... This top guild was the biggest of their worries. In terms of the quality of their members, they were on par with Cross Haven. There were even some who argued that the quality of their members may even be slightly higher! Though the main problem lied in their arrogance. Unlike Cross Haven who was honorable and understandable, Broken Exile was not known for their patience and understanding. They offered the biggest threat. "The rtionship of the top guilds areplicated. If it was just our Blue Oasis, then it would be simple. However, if we add in Cross Haven and Hypers Symphony, the other top guild won¡¯t be able to make a move." Niflheim exined. Asgard understood Niflheim¡¯s intentions. He wanted to use the rivalry between the top guilds to keep them in check! For example, Sleeping Gardenia would never work together with Mist Pce. Also, Hollow Tempo would never work together with the Headhunter Syndicate after a recent discovery they made about something that urred during the Protectors of Amaharpe event. If they yed this out right, then perhaps this may be worth therge investment after all. Though even with this information, it was still not easy for Asgard to agree to half ownership. But, in the end, Asgard knew what he had to do. For the sake of Blue Oasis, he could not allow this chance to slip away! Asgard faced Ewan with a look of rity in his eyes as he said, "Guild leader Ewan, let¡¯s talk. Are you willing?" A light smile found its way onto Ewan¡¯s face as he replied, "As long as guild leader Asgard is not against the idea, I am willing." ... A few momentster... "My Blue Oasis and your Cross Haven will be depending on one another in the future. Since we¡¯vee to an agreement, we should do our best to progress along this path together." Niflheim stated as he cupped his fist into the palm of his hand and made a respectful gesture towards Ewan. Ewan returned this respectful gesture as he replied, "I am looking forward to our cooperation. As promised, I will make sure that no one else sets foot inside until Blue Oasis finishes their matters." After ironing out some key details and creating a basic contract on the spot so that both sides kept their promises, it was personally signed by Asgard and Ewan. With this, Blue Oasis and Cross Haven had fused their paths together. If one fell during this critical time, then the other would soon follow! Of course, both sides were confident in their ability to prevent this. "Who would have thought that Blue Oasis and Cross Haven would form a serious alliance? With this, the other top guilds will start to feel pressured." Zi Yi said after she witnessed everything that just took ce. "Tch, here I was hoping a fight broke out... What a shame." Guan Yu muttered to himself. "No need to worry, brother. There will be plenty of fighting in the raid, right? We can fight until our hearts are content!" Halls said with a grin on his face. Luna looked over at Izroth who currently had a carefree smile on his face and she could not help but ask, "Is there something that caught your attention?" "Hm? I suppose you could look at it that way. However... No, forget it. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll realize it sooner orter." Izroth responded. Once Asgard and Ewan exchange proper farewells he, along with Niflheim, Nidavellir, Abstract, and Izroth¡¯s party, made their way back towards the room with the sapphire gemstone inside of the rainbow-colored coral. After Izroth and the others left, Zhang Jie approached Ewan as he said, "Shouldn¡¯t we have taken this chance to talk to Izroth?" "There are too many eyes and ears present. It won¡¯t be toote to contact him once these matters are concluded. Besides... We have to properly prepare to receive thepany we¡¯ll soon be having." Ewan said. He then ordered, "Wang Qiang, have the members on standby meet up with us at this location. The Bridging Disk can only be used to transport 50 yers and since it only has two charges remaining, we can¡¯t use it recklessly." "Understood. I¡¯ll send the orders at once." Wang Qiang responded as he executed Ewan¡¯s orders. "Now, who will be our first guest?" Ewan said to himself as he looked off into the distance. Although there was no one there now, he knew that soon many yers and guilds would be rushing to this location. Whether it was to scout or attempt the raid, or even out of just pure curiosity, this ce would soon be flooded with yers! ... Izroth and his party had arrived at the tube along with the other members of Blue Oasis. The tube had already been reopened by Niflheim as Asgard, Nidavellir, and Abstract went down first. "Once you enter the tube, it¡¯ll take you directly to the true Settlement of Clearwater. We¡¯ll see you on the other side, Izroth, everyone." Niflheim said as he entered the tube. Although it was called a tube, it resembled that of a waterslide. "I wonder if all Seafolk have an obsession with wateslides." Halls said jokingly. Even back in the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon, there were these "waterslides" that took them from one ce to another. "I¡¯ll head down first." Izroth said as he approached the tube with water traveling down it. The moment he set his foot on the tube, it was as if he was being pulled in by a strong force of attraction. There were no twist or turns as the tube traveled in a straight line and Izroth moved at incredible speeds! ¡¯This is many times more powerful than the ones back in the Sea Pce Graveyard.¡¯ In the blink of an eye, Izroth hade to a sudden halt as he was now in a transparent bubble floating about in an underwater paradise surrounded by gorgeous underwater corals, nts, sea life, and crystal clear water. ¡¯So this is the true Settlement of Clearwater. It¡¯srger than I expected.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the region ?True Settlement of Clearwater?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by the environmental skill ?Bearing of an Oversider?!¡µ Chapter 394 Moving Freely About Underwater, The Two Seafolks ¡¯It looks like Niflheim and the others were in a hurry.¡¯ By the time Izroth reached the end of the tube, there was no one in sight. However, Niflheim had been sure to give him correct instructions on how to proceed after arriving in the True Settlement of Clearwater. Of course, Izroth understood that there was something internal going on within Blue Oasis that they probably did not want to expose to outsiders. Therefore, he decided to wait a bit before entering the tube to grant them some time to go on ahead. As Izroth swept his gaze over his new environment, the first thing he realized was the amount of light present underground. It was hard to believe that sunlight did not reach down into the True Settlement of Clearwater as it was just as bright as any normal sunny day. The main difference was, of course, the fact that this light was mostlying directly from some of the corals and nts. Izroth reached out and touched the transparent bubble that was ced around him. It reminded him of the bubbles back within the sea region of the selection. They were incredibly durable and did not pop when he exerted some force. This meant that he did not have to worry about it suddenly popping on him out of nowhere. As he read over the environmental skill, Izroth received a solid understanding of the bubble¡¯s main purpose. Skill Name: Bearing of an Oversider Skill Level: None Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: Every yer that enters ?True Settlement of Clearwater? receives this passive until they set foot outside of the region. The user with this skill is surrounded by an air bubble for up to 30 minutes after entering a water area inside of the ?True Settlement of Clearwater?. After 30 minutes, the air bubble will automatically pop and the user will be unable to survive for long if they cannot breathe underwater. ¡¯I figured it would be like this. However, this also takes away one¡¯sbat ability underwater.¡¯ Izroth remembered back when he jumped into the Boundless Sea region of the selection and his movements were immediately impeded by the water. Not to mention, he did not go that deep underwater and so the pressure was not too bad. But, it appeared that being exposed to the pressure generated at this depth, even for a brief moment, may be unsafe if onecked the ability to breathe underwater. ¡¯I wonder...¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory as he searched for a specific item he acquired a while back. As he was doing so, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine all arrived safely at the bottom. They were amazed by the sight that emerged before their eyes of the underwater world. Just like Izroth, everyone checked over the skill given to them by the system after entering the region. "This ce is amazing. Do you think we¡¯ll see a water dragon or something? I¡¯ve always wanted to fight a water dragon and have a manly underwater battle!" Guan Yu said in an excited tone. "I doubt we¡¯ll run into any actual water dragons down here. At most, we may run into a sea serpent with a strand of dragon blood within its bloodline. If we ran into an actual dragon, then even if we fought together with Blue Oasis and Cross Haven we wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat it with our current level of strength." Zi Yi exined. If what she read was true, then Zi Yi knew that even new born dragons with true dragon blood were already equal in strength to someone or something in the epic realm of power. Therefore, even if they were fighting a newly born water dragon, it would be a great struggle. Not to even mention fighting a young or matured dragon. "The mana in this ce is almost as dense as the mana in the magic capital city. Proximus was willing to give away such a valuable ce so freely?" Valentine questioned as he examined things through the view of his Eyes of Magic. Unlike the surface area, the underwater world was filled with a vast amount of mana in the atmosphere. "It could be that they were unaware of it when they made the original deal with the seafolks. After all, the seafolks can explore a region like this freely given that water is their natural environment. They are able to explore ces like this with great ease, especially whenpared to the humans of Proximus." Zi Yi stated. As everyone took in the sights and discussed some matters, they heard the faint sound of something popping. When they turned to look towards the source of the noise, they saw that the bubble that was around Izroth had disappeared! What was going on?! Why did Izroth¡¯s bubble pop?! Without it, wouldn¡¯t be unable to breath underwater as the skill stated? However, when the others saw that Izroth did not appear to be struggling or losing any HP, they were left dumbfounded. "This is..." Luna was ready to immediately heal Izroth if he lost any HP and if it came down to it, she was even willing to use one of her high cooldown lifesaving skills. But, she was able to maintain a calm and collect mindset as she observed the situation properly before taking any unnecessary actions. ¡¯Just as I thought. It works here as well. With this, it should be easier for us to move around freely.¡¯ "Brother, are you okay?! What happened to your bubble?!" Guan Yu asked. "Hurry, we have to find a safe zone or else-!" Halls was suggesting, however, he was quickly interrupted by Izroth. "I¡¯m fine. Right now, I¡¯m under the effects of a Merfolk Scale. With it, I no longer have any use for the air bubble." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. Item Name: Merfolk Scale(Reagent) Item Rank: None Usage: A single scale belonging to a Merfolk that releases a fishy-smelling special chemical when heated to a high temperature. The effects of this special chemical are unknown, but it is thought to give the user a stronger affinity with water-based techniques. This scale can also be ced, in its natural state, on one¡¯s skin to grant them the ability to enter the Underwater World and breathe freely underwater until they exit from the Underwater World. Special Note: When the useres into direct contact with air for more than 5 minutes, the effects of the Merfolk Scale wears off. Luna released a small sigh of relief as she said, "Next time, you should warn us of your actions beforehand." "I will remember these words." Izroth replied with a carefree smile on his face. Although he was talking, his lips were not moving and it seemed as though the voice was sounding directly within the minds of his party members. "Merfolk Scale?" Valentine questioned. Since he was not with Izroth and the others during the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon run, he was unaware of its existence. "Of course..! I had nearly forgotten all about it. Since Cross Haven monopolized that dungeon, it¡¯s possible that Blue Oasis never even knew such an item existed. Otherwise, I doubt they would have failed to include it in the items they¡¯ve given us." Zi Yi stated. "Eh? You mean those fishy-smelling things? I think I still have some..." Guan Yu said as he checked his inventory and sure enough, he found a few Merfolk Scales. After using one, the air bubble around him was also popped as he no longer had any use for it. Following the actions of Izroth and Guan Yu, the others also opened their inventory and used a Merfolk Scale. As for Valentine who did not have any within his inventory, he was given one by Zi Yi and so, he too could move about with ease underwater. Not only that, but their speed and mobility were much greater than when they were inside of the air bubbles. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing we cleared the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon a few times and acquired some additional Merfolk Scales.¡¯ With their newfound mobility underwater, Izroth and his party swiftly traveled towards the meeting coordinates while following the directions Niflheim had given them. Along the way, they saw dozens of seafolks. They were a bit different than the seafolks Izroth was used to seeing as they looked more human than sea creature. Unlike normal humans, seafolk had different colored scales ranging from blue to yellow that grew on the side of their limbs and traveled along the side of their body from head to toe. Their ears were simr to that of a trephasia, except there were more ridges present. Although they had a nose to breathe air onnd, the seafolk also possessed a pair of gills on their necks. Their toes were also webbed which was, without a doubt, to increase their mobility underwater. ¡¯Their bloodline must be incredibly diluted for all of them to resemble humans this closely.¡¯ Back in the Sea Pce Graveyard, the closest to their appearance was one of the bosses named Calder, the Seahorse Knight. However, Izroth believed Calder was a special case whenpared to the others. Either that or he was one of the first generation of seafolk with a diluted bloodline. Of course, this was only Izroth¡¯s spection. The seafolk usually ignored those who passed by, however, their attention could not help but lock onto Izroth and his group as they swam around without trouble. How could it be possible that oversiders could survive at this depth, let alone have such high mobility? The shocked expressions on the faces of the seafolks told it all, however, none of them approached Izroth and his party members. In the end, they were unsociable creatures when it came to dealing with oversiders of any kind. However, in the distance was an old male seafolk with a young female seafolk who looked to be around 14-15 years of age appearance wise. The old man had long gray hair, and his scales were silver in color. Even with the wrinkles that came naturally with age, one could tell that he used to be handsome when he was younger. But, there was something surprising about the young female seafolk by his side. Her lower body was that of a fish. In other words, she was an actual mermaid! She had long violet-colored hair that matched with that of the scales on her tail and her appearance was cute to the point that those around her may feel the need to naturally protect her from any dangers. There was also this look of purity and innocence that lingered within her eyes along with a hint of curiosity. "Grandpa Cal, howe those oversiders can move like us underwater? I thought oversiders couldn¡¯t move around without the help of our environmental magic." The young female seafolk asked curiously. "Hm... I can sense the faint aura of our ancestors within them." Cal replied with his brows furrowed. "Eh? Does this mean those oversiders are our ancestors?" the young female seafolk questioned. Cal shook his head as he gave a helpless smile and replied, "Lady Shymi, how can oversiders possibly be our ancestors? Besides, while the aura I sense within them surely belongs to our ancestors, it is not truly a part of them. To put it simply, it is only a power being borrowed." "Borrowed power? Does this mean they¡¯vee into contact with our ancestors?" Shymi, the young female seafolk, asked. Cal released a deep and troubled sigh as his facial expression saddened. He truly wished that such a thing was possible. If it were, then perhaps the seafolk would not be so scattered, divided, and weakened to their current pitiful state. How long had it been since he could roam the great seas and look upon it with pride? When this memory resurfaced in his mind, Cal felt a tight pain in his chest. However, he maintained his overallposure so as not to worry the young mermaid by his side. Chapter 395 Bloodline of the Sea Goddess Eotl, Meeting Poin "Aye, Lady Shymi... I am afraid that our ancestors have long since left this world. As for their direct descendants... Perhaps you are the only one remaining. With the current state of affairs in the great sea, it is difficult to confirm." Cal stated as he shook his head in disappointment. "Grandpa Cal, why can¡¯t I return to the great sea? Isn¡¯t the great sea our home? Since Ick any memories of the great sea and was taken away when I was just born, I cannot say that I have a long yearning for it. But... Grandpa Cal and the others are different. All of you grew up in the great sea and called it your home... Isn¡¯t everyone sad that their away from home..?" Shymi said as her voice turned meek and soft as a small frown appeared on her face. Even though Shymicked most experiences of the world, she was highly intelligent for her age. She understood that if not for her, then Grandpa Cal and the other seafolks would never have left the great sea. Therefore, how could she not feel guilty whenever she thought of others abandoning their home for her sake? "Lady Shymi, I am unable to lie to you and say that we do not miss our home. Indeed, we all miss the great sea." Cal stated. His words seemed to sadden Shymi as the guilt in her continued to rise. There was always a small part of her that believed there were some who resented her because of this. For someone so young, this was a heavy burden to shoulder. "However, whether it¡¯s me or anyone else in Clearwater, even if we had the choice to choose again our decision would remain unchanged. While we miss the great sea, your safety is our highest priority. When you were born, there were many people who were threatened by your existence. It has been more than 50 years sincest a member of our race was born with the bloodline of our ancestors. Not to mention, a bloodline with such high purity as yours." Cal exined. He then continued, "Without a doubt, the blood of our ancestors strongly flows within you. It is just that you have yet to awaken this bloodline. It is the power of this bloodline that those who divide and rule the great sea fear with all their hearts. It is also this bloodline that we proud seafolks who brought you to this ce are willing to protect with our lives." "Grandpa Cal, why do they fear this bloodline so much that they were willing to kill an innocent child because of it?" Shymi asked as her voice was lightly shaking from anger. She was not upset that she was their target, just that they were people who were members of the same race as her that was so heartless as to attempt an assassin on a newborn child. How could someone as kind as Grandpa Cal and the other seafolks be apart of the same race which had those kinds of savage and ruthless people within it? "I knew the day woulde when we would have this conversation. However, I never thought it would be sparked by some randomly passing oversiders." Cal said as he closed his eyes. A few momentster, he reopened his eyes with a look of rity within them. He then continued, "Lady Shymi, I nned on waiting a few more years before telling you this, but I believe that you are ready to know the truth. You want to understand why those who hold power in the great sea fear your bloodline? Even though you possess the bloodline of our ancestors, it is not simply because of this. If it were just this, then while you would be considered a headache in the future for those in power, you would have still been left alone for the most part as long as you never stepped over any lines." "But, your bloodline is different from that of the individual who was born more than 50 years ago. Lady Shymi, you not only possess the bloodline of our ancestors but the bloodline of the Sea Goddess Eotl. Throughout history, those who awaken the Sea Goddess Eotl¡¯s bloodline have a certain ability known as the Sea Goddess Eotl¡¯s Song. It is this ability that creates order in the otherwise chaotic great sea. The Sea Goddess Eotl¡¯s Song dominates all creatures of the sea no matter how powerful they may be. It is a voice that no sea creature or seafolk can resist against." Cal said in a solemn tone. Shymi widened her eyes from shock. She had the bloodline of the Sea Goddess Eotl?! But... How was this possible? No, it should be impossible! "This..." Shymi was renderedpletely speechless, however, a few momentster she was able to collect herself enough to say what was on her mind. "How is this possible..? Grandpa Cal, didn¡¯t you say that Her Majesty Kashysh was thest member of our race who possessed the bloodline of the Sea Goddess Eotl?" Shymi questioned with an expression of disbelief. Since Kashysh was thest to possess the bloodline of the Sea Goddess Eotl, then since she did not have any children or siblings, the bloodline should have been cut off forever. "Indeed, the words you speak are correct. The bloodline should have ended after Her Majesty Kashysh¡¯s disappearance, however, I wish things were so simple... Lady Shymi, do not burden yourself with this knowledge. You must remember that no matter what happens, we will never allow those people to have their way." Cal sighed deeply as he turned his attention back towards the oversiders swimming away into the distance. As for Shymi, her thoughts were all over the ce. She had a feeling that she was different from everyone else, but she never thought that it would be something this shocking. No wonder Grandpa Cal and the seafolks always treated her with so much respect and care. "The Sea Goddess Eotl¡¯s Song... If I learn this, Grandpa Cal and the others can return home to the great sea, right? If that¡¯s so, then I have to try my hardest to awaken my bloodline, otherwise..." Shymi thought silently to herself as she also turned to look into the distance towards the oversiders who were slowly disappearing from sight. It was because of those oversiders that this conversation came up. She secretly thanked those oversiders in her heart as she watched their silhouettes fade out of view. "Surely, one day..." Shymi said softly to herself. ... Izroth and his party swam until they reached the outer area of the True Settlement of Clearwater. At the edge was a massive dome that stretched for hundreds of kilometers. However, one could not see into the dome due to it being blocked by a strange energy that resembled that of a purple cloud of smoke. "This should be the dome Niflheim talked about." Izroth said as he observed the swirling purple cloud of smoke. There was a bizarre aura being emitted from the purple clouds that made one instinctively wary of it. "Then, our meeting spot should be just below this ce." Zi Yi stated as she looked down towards the depths of the water. Although there was no end in sight, one could see a narrow opening not too far away from their current position. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he swam downward towards the opening and enter through along with the others. The moment he did so, he was dragged in by a strong force and a few secondster, he was floating inside of a smallke. Although it could be called ake, from its size that was only around 50 meters in diameter, one could tell that it was man-made. ¡¯Blue Oasis was able to find a raid hidden away in a ce like this?¡¯ Blue Oasis must have used a vast amount of resources and manpower exploring Amaharpe and the surroundingnds for someone to have found this ce. It was likely that luck yed a huge role in this discovery. When the others finally turned up, Izroth pointed upward as he began to swim in that direction. It did not take long for him and his party to reach the surface area of theke. Surprisingly, they were greeted by a gentle breeze that brushed across the skin on their faces. Air! There was air down here! Not just that, but there was evennd to walk on. If one had been suddenly teleported to this ce, they would not believe that they were underwater. "That exnation isn¡¯t good enough! As of right now, you are suspended for one month without pay! You can consider this a light punishment. If we fail due to your mishaps... Don¡¯t even think about getting off with a simple one-month suspension." A voice sounded from the distance. ¡¯Hm? Looks like they¡¯re just about to finish things up here. It seems our timing isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ The voice that sounded cold and furious was none other than Asgard. At the moment, he was handing down punishment to the yer who recklessly opened the entrance to the raid. To be truthful, Asgard wanted to directly toss this person out of Blue Oasis, however, he did not want to risk lowering morale when there was so much at stake. Therefore, the punishment he served could be considered extremely light. After all, how much had gone into this operation? When Asgard heard the sound of people emerging from the water, he regained hisposure and calmed himself. He did not want outsiders seeing any signs of internal strife or disorder within Blue Oasis. Now that Izroth and his party had arrived, he would set this matter to rest for now. Izroth and his party exited theke and went over to meet up with the members of Blue Oasis. There were more yers than Izroth remembered entering the tube. However, he quickly pieced things together when he saw that one of the grayed-out names on his raid party list was visible once again. ¡¯These must be the yers tasked with guarding the entrance to the raid.¡¯ In total, there were 25 additional members of Blue Oasis present. In the end, Blue Oasis did not want to take any chances of another guild entering this ce before them. "Now that we¡¯re all present, Captain Niflheim will exin the arrangements we¡¯ve made. Everyone, make sure you pay close attention. Remember, this is for the benefit of our Blue Oasis!" Asgard announced in a grand manner. "Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis all roared in unison. Niflheim stepped forward and said, "We will form two raid groups. Raid group A will consist of those attempting the Hardcore difficulty. As for raid group B, they will be focused on the Normal difficulty. The task of raid group B is not to clear the raid, but to act as scouts and raid group A¡¯s main source of information. If by chance group B is able to clear the raid, they are not permitted to do so. This has already been agreed upon and failure in this regard will not result in a simple one-month suspension." He then continued, "Group B¡¯s job is to get to any boss fight as fast as possible and learn as much as they can about its abilities. This way, once group A reaches that same boss monster, we will already have a general idea of some of its skills and attack patterns." Since group A would be attempting the raid on the Hardcore difficulty, their pace would be slower than that of group B. Therefore, Niflheim¡¯s idea was to use this to their advantage and have group B act as real-time scouts that delivered information as soon as they obtained it. He was not worried about them trying to show off and clear the raid since he had already informed them of the punishment for doing so. Chapter 396 The Peaceful Atmosphere of a Raid? ¡¯Even though this group B isn¡¯t that strong and their equipment isn¡¯t anywhere near as good as group A¡¯s, only a top guild like Blue Oasis could afford to send two raiding groups of level 40 and above yers to attempt a raid simultaneously. Not to mention, they even had level 40 and above yers outside guarding the surface of the Settlement of Clearwater.¡¯ This showed the amount of dedication and time the members of top guilds, in this specific case Blue Oasis, put into staying ahead of other yers and guilds. After Niflheim finished ironing out somest-minute details, everyone turned towards the massive aqua-colored door with beautiful gemstones embedded into it. There were bizarre symbols carved into its surface and no door handles that one could grab to open it. Instead, there was a sapphire gemstone located on top of a cylindrical stone nearby that resembled that of a tform. It was on the front side of the cylindrical stone that Izroth finally discovered some recognizable text. At the very top of the text written in bold letters was "Raid: Great Sea Pce", however, it was separated from the actual text. As for the passage below it, Izroth found it somewhat interesting as he read over it. ¡¯An ancient sea empire that was once broken with constant chaos and discord, conquered by one with strength; but brought together by one who sings. After a millennium, the one who sings is birthed into the world bringing along peace. However, while the will of one is the will of many, the will of many is not the will of one.¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he reached thest few words of text on the cylindrical stone. The words were too broad for a solid understanding, however, he felt that there were still a few things he could piece together from it; even if it was not much. ¡¯Conquered by one with strength, but brought together by one who sings...¡¯ The first thing Izroth thought about when it came to "the one who sings" was the strange voice that mermaid used back during the vision he received in the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard. When she spoke, at certain times, it sounded as if there was a natural feeling of melody in her voice. Therefore, Izroth wondered if these two things were rted to the "one who sings" mentioned on the cylindrical stone. ¡¯The words are too vague. I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out...¡¯ Asgard approached the sapphire gemstone embedded into the top of the cylindrical stone as he ced his right palm onto the surface of the sapphire. The instant Asgard¡¯s hand came into direct contact with the sapphire, the underwater cavern shook slightly as therge doors slowly opened inward. What revealed itself was pure darkness that traveled as far as the eye could see and it seemed as though an endless abyss had appeared before the raid party. As the doors opened, the members of Blue Oasis could feel themselves being ovee with feelings of excitement and nervousness. As for failure... This had no longer crossed their minds once the doors opened. They knew that this was a big step for their Blue Oasis to soar to the pinnacle of the top ten guilds. It would alsoy a solid foundation for their future ns and position within RML. After raid group B entered into the raid on the Normal difficulty, it was finally raid group A¡¯s turn to enter. "Raid group A, move out!" Asgard ordered as the raid group began their entrance through the raid doors. "Do you think we¡¯ll find some epic items here?" Guan Yu asked in a tone bursting with excitement. "Since we¡¯ll be challenging the Hardcore difficulty, it¡¯s certainly a realistic possibility." Zi Yimented. "I wonder if Cross Haven is going to be alright up there. I don¡¯t know much about the top guilds, but it can¡¯t be a good thing trying to hold them all off, right?" Halls stated. "Who knows? But something tells me they wouldn¡¯t make the attempt if they weren¡¯t confident in handling the situation. Though I can¡¯t say I took you as the type that cares about the problems of top guilds." Valentine replied. "It¡¯s not like that guy would follow someone stupid so they¡¯ll be fine..." Guan Yu muttered to himself. "Hm? Did you say something?" Halls asked Guan Yu. "No, nothing at all." Guan Yu said as he stepped through the raid doors. Soon enough, only one individual was standing outside the raid entrance. This individual was none other than Izroth. He looked back at the words written on the cylindrical stone onest time. Without another thought, Izroth stepped through the doors that led into the darkness as they closed behind in. Now, there was nothing but a lingering silence that remained in the underwater cavern. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the raid ?Great Sea Pce?¡µ ... When the doors closed behind Izroth, he was greeted by an unusual mist. There was a slight chill present in the air and the ground felt as if he were walking on a thin film of water. As he proceeded forward, the mist started to clear away and a wave of bright light washed over him. By the time the light disappeared, Izroth had arrived in a ce that could only be described with one word; gloomy. Izroth swiftly caught up to the others as he took in his new surroundings. The first thing he realized was that they were within a massive dome that was surrounded by arge body of water. As for the scenery, although it could be described as paradise, it felt incredibly gloomy and bleak for some particr reason. In the distance was a colossal castle colored like sand. It was made up of various types of corals, underwater nts, and a multitude of unrecognizable materials. At the moment, Izroth and his party were on a road that led directly to the entrance of that pce. Three gigantic bubble-like barriers formed separateyers around the pce and its immediate vicinity. "Everyone, I want you to remember that teamwork is essential. Do not try to be a hero. As I¡¯m sure you all know, too many preventable mistakes can potentially lead not just to your demise, but the destruction of the entire raiding party. I don¡¯t expect our first raid in RML to be without its ws, however, I do expect everyone present to give it their all!" Asgard spoke in a motivating manner. "Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis roared in unison. "Our first goal is to make it to the sandcastle in the distance. Captain Abstract, take two others with you and scout ahead. If you run into any danger, retreat immediately. If you see something of importance, report back right away. Most importantly, whatever you do, you must not engage in a battle with just the three of you. If you feel something is off, then trust your instinct and pull back without hesitation. Remember, this is nothing like a typical dungeon run." Niflheim stated. "I know what I can and cannot afford to do. Captain Niflheim, leave this matter to me." Abstract said as he chose two agile members of Blue Oasis and darted off ahead. "The rest of us will proceed down this path as it seems to lead directly to the sandcastle. Remain alert. Let¡¯s move." Niflheimmanded as everyone took on their agreed-upon positions. At the front of the group was Nilfheim and Halls, the two tanks of the raid party that led the way forward. As they walked down the path, the raid party had yet to run into any monsters or hostile creatures. It was quite peaceful. But, no one dared to let their guard down considering where they were. "I never thought a raid would be so peaceful and quiet. Perhaps this raid will test our ability to fight off boredom. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not its match." Nidavellir said jokingly as he shrugged. This, in turn, caused most of the Blue Oasis members tough in response. "If our mighty Captain Nidavellir cannot defeat this raid of boredom, then isn¡¯t the boss too powerful this time?" One of the Blue Oasis yers named I Do Zero Quests chimed in. He was the lieutenant of the 2nd squad. So, in other words, he was directly under Nidavellir¡¯smand and had been for quite some time. "What was that? Are you doubting my skills? Let me tell you, I can defeat this boredom in three moves with my spear." Nidavellir said in a serious tone as he held up three fingers. "Captain, I don¡¯t think boredom is something you can physically hit with a spear. Besides... Aren¡¯t you a Holy Pdin, captain? How can you have a spear?" I Do Zero Questsmented. This made the previous tense atmosphere change into one that was more rxed asughter spread throughout the raid group. While it was not good to be too rxed, if everyone spent the whole raid being too tense, then mistakes were bound to be moremonce, especially ones that could be avoided. Therefore, Nidavellir decided to lighten the mood a bit which could be considered a specialty of his. As the raid group traveled for a few minutes along the path, Abstract finally returned with the yers he left with earlier. The atmosphere had returned to its serious nature, however, everyone was noticeably less tense than they were before. "Did you find anything?" Niflheim asked. Abstract nodded and replied, "This pathway is clear of any hostile enemies and we¡¯ve discovered no traps up ahead. I did see two members of the seafolk race guarding the entrance into the sandcastle that¡¯s approximately 150 meters out from our current position, however, I didn¡¯t get a look at their information since getting too close could have brought about the risk of our positions being discovered. But, from their looks and equipment alone, they appear to be your typical castle guards." "You made the right choice. We¡¯ll naturally see the information when we arrive at the entrance. There¡¯s no need to be concerned about this small matter. Good work - You two as well." Niflheim said to Abstract and the two yers who apanied him. Izroth, who had been silent the whole time, used his Energy Vision Sense to take a more in-depth look at his new environment. After all, Energy Vision Sense allowed Izroth to "see" things even if they were hidden. Not to mention, his current maximum range was 199 meters! As long as he only kept it open for a few seconds at the max range, then it would not drain too much of his Essence in the process. Besides, it was not that he doubted the skills of this Abstract, but that he was more confident in his own skills. ¡¯Including the two he mentioned at the entrance, I sense a total of ten presences near us, the closest being 35 meters east of here. However, these mes are a bit...¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he saw the mes being emitted by these eight presences. It was these mes that his Energy Vision Sense used to dictate just how powerful the energy being emitted from something or someone was. But, the energy currently being released was a little ridiculous even for a Hardcore raid. In terms of volume, it was more than ten times that of what the First de Izroth defeated back in the Tiger¡¯s Mouth possessed! ¡¯Why is it that these mes feel somewhat... artificial?¡¯ A few momentster, Izroth and the raid group reached the entrance of the sandcastle structure. Just as Abstract had said, there were two male seafolk with silver tridents guarding the entrance area. But, it wasn¡¯t until they approached within 30 meters of the two male seafolk that everyone in the raid group received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have automatically entered ?Phase One: Disharmony?!¡µ Chapter 397 Raid Phases Izroth looked over the information provided to him by the system regarding Phase One: Disharmony. ¡¯I see, so these are phases. ording to the yer¡¯s guidebook, phases are generally quests that yers receive while inside of a raid. Withoutpleting these phases, it bes increasingly difficult or even virtually impossible to clear a raid sessfully. Though this likely depends on the objective of the specific phase.¡¯ The basic information about raids was contained in the yer¡¯s guidebook that Izroth read before logging into RML for the first time. He remembered the guidebook stating that each raid had an undefined number of phases. Therefore, unless there was already a group that cleared the raid and knew the number of phases, there was no way for yers to know how many phases to expect. To put it in simple terms, phases were objectives that yers had toplete inside of a raid. After leaving the raid, whether in victory or defeat, the phases would disappear along with the yer¡¯s exit. As for the difficulty of each phase... There was no clear definition in the yer¡¯s guidebook about this, however, Izroth assumed that it varied depending on the level of the raid and perhaps even the difficulty setting that was chosen. Phase One: Disharmony Phase Difficulty: Hardcore Rmended Level: 50 Rmended Party Size: 24 Phase Status: Iplete Objective: There are 8 ?Relic of the Sea? nearby that acts as the main foundation for the magic barrier that protects the outeryer of the ?Great Sea Pce? in perfect harmony. Destroy all 8 ?Relic of the Sea? to temporarily deactivate the magic barrier and gain entrance into the outeryer of the ?Great Sea Pce?. Each ?Relic of the Sea? is protected by a Relic Guardian. Please note, the ?Relic of the Sea? will automatically regenerate 30 minutes after being destroyed. Time Limit: None 0/8 Destroy ?Relic of the Sea?. 0/1 Enter the outeryer of the ?Great Sea Pce?. Reward: -Resistant To Flow( Temporary Raid Buff) -210,000 EXP -35% chance to receive x1 ?Rare Item Treasure Chest? ¡¯The rewards aren¡¯t too bad. Though it¡¯s a shame that raids have such a long cooldown time, otherwise, I can imagine some guilds sending in parties to only clear the first phase and farming rare items from it. But given that this is due to the Hardcore difficulty setting... There may only be two or three parties even among the top guilds who have the level and equipment to seed.¡¯ Raids, unlike lower level dungeons, could not be entered into an infinite amount of times per day and had even stricter restrictions than high level dungeons. There was a cooldown for when a yer was allowed to enter into a raid after setting foot outside of it. For this particr raid, the cooldown time was 9 days in-game time, or 3 days real-world time, before a yer could attempt it again. While this may seem like a long time, one had to remember that as yers progressed to higher levels, the speed of their leveling would naturally start to slow. For example, Izroth was able to gain 5 to 10 levels in one day with rtive ease when the game first started. But, at his current level, unless Izroth received an S-ranked or higher quest that automatically granted him a level up, increasing his level by even as little as one in a single day could already be seen as impressive. Though this situation was an exception. After all, how could a Hardcore raid grant yers a minuscule amount of experience points? As for phases... The most important thing to keep in mind about them was that they acted as a natural guide for yers attempting a raid. So theoretically, as long as onepleted each phase they should have no trouble making it to the end of the raid. Of course,pleting the phases and making it to the end of the raid was a different story altogether. After pondering for a few seconds, Niflheim said, "It¡¯s too risky for us to disregard the phases. Also, while I¡¯m unaware of its effects, this temporary raid buff seems like it mighte in handy. Not to mention, it may not be possible for us to find another way into the Great Sea Pce without destroying those eight relics of the sea. First, we¡¯ll need to locate all eight relics and decide on what direction to take from there. To do this, we¡¯ll split into four groups of six." He then continued, "I¡¯ll remind everyone not to act recklessly. Even if you do manage to destroy the relic, it¡¯s useless unless the others are also destroyed within 30 minutes of one another. If not, the relics will just regenerate and you would¡¯ve only wasted everyone¡¯s time. Avoid all hostile engagements and keep the raid party voice channel open at all times, but don¡¯t speak over it unless necessary. Once you find the location of a relic, it should appear on our raid map by itself. Maintain a safe distance from the Relic Guardian. We don¡¯t know its strength, therefore, it¡¯s too dangerous to try fighting against it with only six people." A raid map was just like a mini-map for yers inside of a raid. This map was shared by all raid party members and if one yer discovered a location, then it would reveal itself on the raid maps of the entire raid party. Unfortunately, any part of the raid that a yer did not visit would be cked out. But, on the bright side, at least yers were provided with a mini-map instead of having to do their own personal realm charting in raids. After making sure that everyone was on the same page, Niflheim gave the order to move out in groups of six. They would meet up after locating all eight Relics of the Sea before deciding how to handle the Relic Guardians protecting them. As for Izroth¡¯s group, Niflheim knew that it was best if he simply included the party members he arrived with since they already had experience being in a party with one another. ¡¯Although it¡¯s highly likely the presences I sensed earlier are rted to these relics, it¡¯s just mere spection.¡¯ The reason why Izroth did not mention he had already located the relics was that he had no actual proof. Of course, as long as he confirmed one or two relic locations, then that would be all the proof he needed. Once he was sessful in that regard, then he would let the other raid party members know of the positions of the additional relics. Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine were currently traveling eastward towards one of the closer relics that Izroth found using his Energy Vision Sense. "It may not be necessary to fight these Relic Guardians head-on. Our main objective is to simply destroy the relics, not defeat the Relic Guardians." Valentine stated. "Yes, but the question is - Are we able to gain ess to the relic without having to face the Relic Guardian? Even if it is possible, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll let us by so easily." Zi Yi responded. "If my guess is correct, there should be no need for us to lift a finger against the Relic Guardians." Izroth said in a carefree tone. This, of course, came as a shock to his party members. There was no need for them to lift a finger? Could it truly be that easy in a Hardcore raid? "If you¡¯re speaking this way, then you must have something in mind." Lunamented. "Your words are correct. Though it¡¯s just mere spection at this point. I¡¯ll have to take a look first before I decide if it¡¯s something feasible." Izroth stated. A few momentster, Izroth and his party reached the area where he sensed the presence earlier using his Energy Vision Sense. Approximately 30 meters away from their position was a tall and muscr figure who looked as if their body was carved from stone. Their eyes were whited out and their skin was aqua in color. The figure was 4-5 meters tall and if one looked closely, they would notice that scales were traveling along the side of its body. It was just that the scales were so well camouged into their skin that it was difficult to see with the naked eye. ¡´System Alert: You are near the vicinity of a ?Relic of the Sea?!¡µ At the moment, that figure was walking in a constant circle with a nk expression on its face. At the center of the circr route it took was a floating cube emitting an emerald glow. When Izrothid his eyes on this scene, he briefly activated his Energy Vision Sense and instantly confirmed his previous thoughts. ¡¯So it¡¯s like this, after all.¡¯ "Stay here. I¡¯m going to take a quick look." Izroth said as he continued forward. He wanted to get close enough to have a look at the information of the Relic Guardian. But, he made sure to take his time advancing so as not to enter too deep into the aggro range of the Relic Guardian. Name: Relic Guardian(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 2,352,650 (100%) Hardcore Effect(s) Active: [Bulk][Explosion] ¡¯This part wasn¡¯t in the yer¡¯s guidebook.¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he saw the "hardcore effects" listed under the Relic Guardian. But, it was certain to be something unpleasant to deal with if it was present in a Hardcore raid. As for the HP for the Relic Guardian... He felt that it was too much even for a level 50 Hardcore Elite! Izroth believed that this massive amount of HP was caused by unnatural means. The moment Izroth stepped close enough to see the information about the Relic Guardian, it halted its steps and turned to face towards Izroth¡¯s direction. However, it did not move as Izroth was no longer anywhere to be seen. After that, the Relic Guardian faced forward and continued to silently move in circles around the Relic of the Sea. ¡¯It¡¯s range of perception is around 20 meters. Not toorge of an area.¡¯ Izroth had activated his Light Feather Footwork and moved out of the Relic Guardian¡¯s range of perception before it became fully aware of his presence. Though Izroth had a feeling that it would not chase him even if given the opportunity to do so if its main purpose was to protect the Relic of the Sea. Izroth did not forget to alert Niflheim after reaching the Relic of the Sea, even though it was likely that Niflheim was already paying attention to any changes on the raid map. [Raid Voice Chat] Izroth, "We¡¯ve located a Relic of the Sea. As for the Relic Guardian..." Izroth went on to exin his findings via the raid voice chat. [Raid Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Over 2 million HP? This is a bit troublesome... Not to mention, these hardcore effects are something that didn¡¯t show up in the yer¡¯s guidebook. I¡¯ve just confirmed the location of the relic on the raid map. Good work. You and your party can move to the next search area, however, be sure not to proceed too far out." [Raid Voice Chat] Izroth, "That won¡¯t be necessary. There¡¯s no need for us to continue with our search." [Raid Voice Chat] Nidavellir, "It can¡¯t be that you¡¯re gettingzy after having only found a single relic, right?" Nidavellir¡¯s tone sounded half joking and half serious when those words left his mouth. [Raid Voice Chat] Izroth, "It seems you¡¯ve misunderstood. Since I¡¯ve already discovered the location of the remaining relics, then naturally, there¡¯s no need to continue searching blindly." Izroth¡¯s words caught the raid group off guard. What? It had not even been five minutes since they began their search and yet he imed to have found all eight relics? Was this some type of joke? If so, the members of Blue Oasis did not find it amusing at all! Some of them even started to immediately question why a yer who spoke such reckless words was invited in the first ce! Chapter 398 Faster Than Anticipated Niflheim¡¯s first thought was that perhaps the relics were all gathered together near the same location. Although it would be somewhat strange, it was not impossible. But, if that was the case, why was there only one relic being disyed on the raid map? [Raid Voice Chat] Niflheim, "I¡¯m not seeing any other relics being disyed on the raid map. Are you certain you¡¯ve found the other relics?" [Raid Voice Chat] Izroth, "I haven¡¯t gone there personally yet, however, there¡¯s no doubt that the relics are at the following coordinates I¡¯ve sent over via system message in the raid party chat. As long as we visit these coordinates, we¡¯ll find the relics we¡¯re looking for." Of course, Izroth¡¯s words left the members of Blue Oasis skeptical. Izroth had not even traveled near most of these coordinates he posted, therefore, how could he possibly know what was there? Could he have alreadypleted this raid before? Everyone knew that was impossible considering this was the first time the Great Sea Pce raid was being attempted. Niflheim contemted for a while before deciding to give it a chance. He knew that Izroth had nothing to gain by providing false information. Besides, his gut feeling told him that Izroth was not the type of person to depend on petty methods or showing off. At worse, they may lose 5-10 minutes if he was wrong. But, if Izroth turned out to be correct, then the time they could save would assist them greatly. [Raid Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Captain Vanaheim, your group is the closest to one of the listed coordinates. Go and confirm if there¡¯s a Relic of the Sea nearby." [Raid Voice Chat] Vanaheim, "Understood." A couple of minutester... [Raid Voice Chat] Vanaheim, "Confirmed, there¡¯s a relic at the exact coordinates that were provided. There¡¯s also a single Relic Guardian protecting it. Its hardcore effects are Bulk and Propagate." Vanaheim¡¯s voice seemed to carry with it a hint of disbelief. She could not help but wonder how that person managed to uncover the exact location of the relics in such a short span of time. Though she was not the only one with these thoughts. Needless to say, besides the yers in Izroth¡¯s group, everyone else was left speechless and curious. They wanted to know how he did it! [Raid Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Everyone, choose the coordinates closest to your immediate location and confirm the relic¡¯s position, as well as, the hardcore effects of each Relic Guardian. We need to collect as much information as possible before we attempt to destroy the relics." It was only a few seconds after Vanaheim confirmed the coordinates, and Niflheim gave those orders, that Niflheim received a message from group B. However, a helpless smile appeared on his face as he read over the message. What did it have? Two coordinates that matched that of Izroth¡¯s! In other words, their group was ahead of group B! Niflheim shook his head as he messaged the list of coordinates Izroth sent in the raid party chat over to group B. He needed them to stay ahead of group A, otherwise, their main objective of providing them with information as quickly as possible would be useless! As Niflheim forwarded the information over to group B, he also sent another message with it. A few momentster, he received a response, however, it was just as he had expected it to be. "The Relic Guardians of the normal raidcks any sort of effects whatsoever. That means this is something unique to a Hardcore raid. Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t affect things too much." Niflheim thought to himself. Thest thing they needed was more unknown variables to deal with during this raid. A few minutester, Izroth¡¯s group and the other groups that split up to search for the relics had gathered back at their meeting point. "So far, we¡¯ve discovered four different hardcore effects. Bulk, Explosion, Propagate, and Erosion. Those with Bulk appear to have their HP doubled from their original amount. As for the others... We have no knowledge of their effects, therefore, we¡¯ll have to tread carefully." Niflheim said. After deciding on the order in which they would face the Relic Guardians, Izroth and the raid party made their way towards the closest Relic Guardian. It was the same Relic Guardian that Izroth¡¯s group discovered with the hardcore effects Bulk and Explosion. "These hardcore effects concern me." Zi Yi said with a slight frown on her face. "They just sound like extra skills. What¡¯s there to be concerned about?" Guan Yu stated. "The real question is, what is there to not be concerned about?" Zi Yi sighed. The raid party arrived at the Relic Guardian as Niflheim and Halls were positioned at the front of the group. The ranged damage dealers and magic casters maintained a safe distance that would allow them to attack while staying out the way of the melee damage dealers. "Avoid using skills that generaterge amounts of threat level. The threat level you generate shouldn¡¯t be higher than mine, but it also shouldn¡¯t be too low just in case any unforeseen circumstances ur. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you anything more than this." Niflheim said to Halls who stood next to him as he removed a in-looking silver kite shield from his back. However, one should not be fooled by its appearance. There was a faint aura around it which was a sign of rare quality equipment! Niflheim also unsheathed the sword at his side. It was neither long nor short and the de was incredibly sharp. It was also rare in quality. "You can just focus your attention on dealing with the Relic Guardian. It¡¯s alright if you fail, after all, I¡¯ll be right behind you." Halls said confidently. "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disappoint you." Niflheim responded without hesitation. As a captain of Blue Oasis, as well as the one tasked withmanding the raid, how could he ck off and let someone else take away his position as the main tank? Therefore, when he heard Halls¡¯ words, Niflheim grew even more motivated andpetitive than he was before. He wanted to personally show Halls the difference between those who constantlypeted in apetitive top guild environment, versus those who only yed for fun. The moment Niflheim¡¯s sword fully left its sheath, his entire personality seemed to change. The aura around him grew more concentrated and fierce as the look in his eyes became sharp. Niflheim rested the t side of his sword atop his kite shield as the tip pointed in the direction of the Relic Guardian. "Maw of the Devouring Beast." Niflheim said as the silver shield in his hands emitted a bright shing light. All of a sudden, the massive mouth of a beast formed from pure energy emerged from the shield in Niflheim¡¯s hand and rushed towards the Relic Guardian. CHOMP! The maws of the beast snapped shut and swallowed the Relic Guardian whole! "Every time I see it, I¡¯m still amazed that he was able to find such a rare ss." Asgard thought to himself as he witnessed the sight before his eyes. ¡¯This certainly is an interesting ss.¡¯ The mouth of the beast made from energy dissipated and left behind the Relic Guardianpletely intact. Even after that frightening attack, the Relic Guardian did not have a scratch on it! However, this was because the skill Niflheim used was not meant for dealing damage to a target... There was a thin film of energy that epassed Niflheim from head to toe after the maws of the beast vanished. "Assimte." The instant this word left Niflheim¡¯s mouth, the silver kite shield in his hands started to morph and transform. That was not all, but Niflheim¡¯s physical appearance also underwent some surprising changes. The kite shield was no longer silver, but instead, it was aqua in color and its surface resembled that of untamed ocean waves. A small amount of steam could be seen leaving Niflheim¡¯s shield and every part of his body. At the same time, sparks of electricity could be seen flowing around him and throughout the untamed ocean waves on the surface of his shield. Niflheim released a great deal of pressure in the direction of the Relic Guardian that immediately caused its attention to be locked onto him. The skill he used was called Taunting Pressure, a skill that was unique to Niflheim¡¯s Assimtion Guardian ss. Skill Name: Taunting Pressure Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Requirements: Level 35 Assimtion Guardian Mana Cost: 150 Active: The user releases an immense pressure towards a select target within 20 meters. Increases the user¡¯s ¡¯Threat Level¡¯ on the selected target by 300%. Grants the user 6 ?Assimtion? stacks if the target is affected by the skill ?Assimte?. Cooldown: 6 seconds Niflheim immediately followed up with the skill Unimpeded Rush to quickly close the distance between himself and the Relic Guardian. Bang! Niflheim¡¯s shield crashed into therge body of the Relic Guardian as it shook slightly and was stunned in ce. "Attack!" Niflheim roared after he sessfully locked in aggro on the monster. Without the slightest dy, everyone started their assault on the Relic Guardian. The first battle of the raid had finally begun. ... Meanwhile, at the surface area above the True Settlement of Clearwater... "They acted faster than I originally anticipated." Ewan thought to himself as he swept his gaze over yers that had arrived at the Settlement of Clearwater. It had not been long since the location of the raid was broadcast to the world and yet some stray yers and guilds had already begun to make their move and sent out advanced scout parties. Of course, most of the yers were too scared to approach therge force of Cross Haven that hadpletely blocked the only way into the rainbow-colored coral. However, there were three groups that refused to leave and was currently holding back their anger towards Ewan, the guild leader of Cross Haven. "Guild leader Ewan, what is the meaning of this? This is a raid, not a dungeon! The top guilds have all agreed that if a raid is discovered, no guild may im priority ownership over it! For you to intentionally block our paths - Are you attempting to start a war against all the top guilds?!" One of the yers tried to maintain their calm, however, after being repeatedly turned down despite using kind words, he felt that it was time to take things to the next level! "Block your paths? You¡¯re mistaken. It¡¯s just that my Cross Haven happens to enjoy the scenery from this specific spot. I don¡¯t believe this can be called a reason for war, correct?" Ewan stated in a calm tone with a nonchnt expression on his face. What?! He wanted them to believe such nonsense? Unless one was blind or dumb, how could they not see that Cross Haven was intentionally preventing them from entering into the rainbow-colored coral? But, what they did not understand was why Cross Haven was going through so much trouble to simply stop others from entering. Why was it that they were not entering inside themselves? Not only was Ewan outside, but even Wang Qiang and Zhang Jie, two of the Five Great Generals, were still here. But, if that was the case, then who entered into the raid? Could it be that one of their members entered inside by mistake? Even so, it did not exin why they were guarding it so thoroughly. "I don¡¯t care about those two, but can Cross Haven afford to offend my Mist Pce? If I inform the guild leader of your actions of barring us from entering, then do you still think my Mist Pce will do any business with your Cross Haven?" One of the leaders of the second group spoke. She was one of the core members of Mist Pce who went by the yer name Exheart and led a group of 11 other yers to rush over immediately after the raid was broadcast. Fortunately, they were already close by and was one of the first groups to arrive. "Oh? Is that a promise or... Perhaps a threat?" Ewan inquired as he narrowed his eyes and a cold glint shed as he locked his gaze onto Exheart from Mist Pce. "Y-you!" Exheart felt intimidated by Ewan¡¯s gaze and instinctively took a step back from the pressure. Of course, this left her in a flustered and angered state. Chapter 399 A Frightening Shot! Exheart was one of the top core members of Mist Pce! If Ewan was not the guild leader of Cross Haven, how could she let him off so easily for his arrogant behavior? The one thing Exheart failed to understand was why the guild leader of Cross Haven was willing to go so far as to offend her Mist Pce. She knew the guild leader of Cross Haven was not someone this reckless. Not to mention, she was no fool. There was only one exnation as to why Cross Haven would take things to this level - Whatever was inside that rainbow-colored coral, be it the raid or a great treasure, she knew that it was something Cross Haven did not want anyone else to know about even if it meant offending others. If that was the case, then wasn¡¯t the value of this thing astronomically high? "Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be able to behave so arrogantly when our main forces get here. Let¡¯s go!" Exheart said as she stomped off angrily along with the group of yers who apanied her. After seeing that even Mist Pce failed to gain entry, the others knew they had no chance. Mist Pce was one of the top ten guilds in RML and Cross Haven did not even budge a single step on the matter! Therefore, they knew that even if their guilds were above average whenpared to other guilds, in the end, the two groups could notpare to the influence and power of a top guild like Mist Pce. This led to them walking away from the scene feeling dejected. "You know, we¡¯re sure to be public enemy number one because of this." Zhang Jie stated with a grin as he witnessed the yers falling back. They were not leaving the area altogether, but rather creating enough distance between themselves and the members of Cross Haven. It was obvious that Mist Pce was waiting for their main force to show up. As for the other two big guilds, they were likely waiting for the same thing, except they seemed to hope to take advantage of the potential ensuing chaos to enter inside the rainbow-colored coral. "This much is necessary. Besides, it will take a couple of hours for any guild to gather a forcerge enough topete with us. It¡¯s not so easy to gather up your core members on short notice as it may interfere with other matters." Ewan responded as he turned his gaze towards the sky. "Indeed, if we were not already prepared beforehand, then it would have taken us at least 20 minutes to gather our forces and 2-3 hours to travel out to this location at top speed. This is considering every member has their Returning Scroll off cooldown and we maximize our mobility after leaving from Amaharpe. The only guild close enough to be here in 1 hour or less with their main force is Hypers Symphony since they moved their main temporary guild headquarters to Proximus¡¯ magic capital city not long after the Protectors of Amaharpe event ended. However, this shouldn¡¯t be an issue considering our alliance." Wang Qiang exined. Hypers Symphony was not the only top guild to leave Amaharpe after the end of the Protectors of Amaharpe event. At the moment, only five top guilds remained within Amaharpe. Cross Haven, Blue Oasis, Sleeping Gardenia, Mist Pce, and Sage Falls - Of course, Sage Falls could not be considered a top guild in its current state. After being struck by tragedy after tragedy and experiencing a series of misfortune, their present state was unknown. There had been no news whatsoever and they were extremely quiet as if they had just disappeared from RML overnight. As for the top guilds, they had all relocated their temporary guild headquarters to other ces - Be it kingdoms, remote viges, or some hidden area. But, even with this being the case, 2-3 hours was simply not enough time for Blue Oasis toplete a Hardcore raid. This was even more so since they would be doing a blind run and would have to depend solely upon group B¡¯s information as they proceeded to minimize or eliminate the number of party wipes. If a skilled top guild made a serious attempt on the Normal difficulty raid, then it was likely that Blue Oasis would be overtaken and lose out. This is what Asgard and Niflheim feared the most. It was also why they were willing topromise to this extent with Cross Haven. "There¡¯s no use thinking too much about this. What¡¯s done is done. Now, all we can do is wait for the results." Ewan said in a calm tone. ... BANG! Therge fists of the Relic Guardian mmed into the ground and sent a powerful vibration out forward in the shape of a cone. "Melee attackers, stand behind the Relic Guardian when he uses Quaking Fists! Don¡¯t let the healer waste a single drop of mana on your ipetence! Ranged attackers, look for an opportunity to destroy that relic!" Niflheim roared as he stood his ground before the attack. Since Quaking Fists was a skill with sound-based qualities, he was unable to block it with his shield - At least this should have been the case. "Shield Change: Sound Breaker Shield!" The moment those words left Niflheim¡¯s mouth, the shield in his hand underwent some changes as it turned transparent and emitted a high pitched frequency in the direction of the Relic Guardian. When the frequency met with the vibrations generated by the Quaking Fists, it matched with it before inverting itself and this resulted in the vibrations from the Quaking Fists being canceled out! After Quaking Fists ended, Niflheim¡¯s shield took on its previous appearance. As for the damage caused by the Quaking Fists - There was none! Niflheim¡¯s shield just now effectively protected the raid party from that AOE attack. This was something that not many tanks were capable of doing when it came to sound-based attacks. "Prepare for his next attack rotation!" Niflheim reminded the raid party as he charged forward. "So this is a tank for a top guild." Halls thought to himself as he furrowed his brows when he saw Niflheim in action. Not only was he apetent tank, but he was able to take in the entire battlefield and even gave orders as he confronted the boss. His battle sense, decision making, and timing were all top-notch. Not to even mention the versatility of his ss. One could tell that it was not the equipment alone that made him as strong as he was. In every sense, Niflheim was the ideal tank! This left Halls feeling somewhatcking inparison. Whenever he acted as the tank, he would always leave theplicated things to the others. While he had good timing, his decision making and battle sense still left more to be desired. However, Halls was not discouraged by this, but instead, there was a fire burning inside of him. He wanted to be the kind of tank that everyone could depend on! However, Halls was also realistic. He knew that his strong points were different from that of Niflheim¡¯s. Therefore, Halls understood that he had to find a way to minimize his weaknesses and maximize his strong points. It was only then that he could be the tank that he strives to be! So far, the attacks on the relic had been unsessful. There was a thin barrier formed around the Relic of the Sea that needed to be broken before the actual relic itself could be destroyed. Whenever the thin barrier was attacked, its state of integrity would fall. At the beginning of the fight, it was at 100%, but now it had fallen to 84%! However, if it did not receive enough damage within a certain period of time, then the thin barrier would start to automatically regenerate. They had to learn that part the hard way. Woosh! -2,050 Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm swept across the back of the Relic Guardian. At the moment, he was relying mostly on his C-ranked skills and basic sword attacks to attack the Relic Guardian. ¡¯My Fissuring Point should be able to ignore the barrier around the Relic of the Sea, however...¡¯ Since Niflheim had alreadyid out a n, then Izroth would not go around his decision. Besides, he was more interested in seeing how the members of Blue Oasis functioned as a group and he had to say that he wasn¡¯t entirely disappointed. Everyone was assigned a task and they performed that task to the best of their abilities - Be it crowd control, damage, or supporting. Compared to the members of Blue Oasis, normal parties would seem as if they were chickens running around with their heads cut off. ¡¯Although using this method is on the slower side, it¡¯s safe and leaves some room for error. Attempting a blind run, one needs all the room for error that can be spared. This is not a bad choice.¡¯ Though what truly stopped Izroth from taking action, as well as, what he was most interested in at the moment was one of his party members, Zi Yi. Or to be more precise, Zi Yi¡¯s current actions. He nced over towards Zi Yi and noticed that thest few arrows she fired had been awkward and off from her usual precise uracy. There were even a few times when she missed hitting the barrier surrounding the relic altogether! This was not like Zi Yi. But, Izroth did not feel that Zi Yi was flustered or nervous. She was calm and level-headed after each attempt she made. When he saw the unwavering look in her eyes, Izroth realized that Zi Yi had something in mind. After all, she was not the type who would intentionally fail at things - It just wasn¡¯t in her to do so! ¡¯What are you up to?¡¯ Zi Yi¡¯s level of concentration was high as she fired off an arrow that entered into the void after flying a few meters forward. Izroth paid close attention to this arrow and the instant it left the void, it appeared right before the Relic of the Sea! However, at thest second, its position shifted ever so slightly to the right as it missed its mark. When Izroth saw Zi Yi¡¯s arrow, the realization started to set in as he found out what she was attempting to do! However, was what she was thinking even possible? ¡¯I see, so that¡¯s what she¡¯s up to. If she can pull it off, even at my current top speed, I¡¯m not 100% confident in evading that kind of attack.¡¯ If Zi Yi was trying to aplish what Izroth believed it to be, then it was possible that Zi Yi would be a living nightmare, especially for magic casters and support sses. However, some of the Blue Oasis members nearby who witnessed Zi Yi¡¯s "embarrassing" performance did not think like this. They were secretly mocking her and a few even spoke loud enough for her to hear their words. "I thought that since her elder sister was so skilled, that she¡¯d be pretty good too. Turns out, she only knows how to borrow the powers of others..." "Is it even possible to miss a still target with the aiming assistance the system provides? That takes skill, but not the type of skill anyone wants..." "She¡¯s just wasting a valuable party spot in the raid, if weck damage, at least we¡¯ll know who to me..." "Just a little more..." Zi Yi thought to herself as she nocked her arrow. There was not the slightest bit of shaking and her body waspletely still. As for the words of the Blue Oasis members who were mocking her? She simply tuned them out. Did one need to use words to prove themselves? All one needed... Was action! Swoosh! Zi Yi loosed the arrow as it sliced through the air while it traveled. There was something different about this arrow whenpared to the others that she shot before. This arrow was perfectly still without anything to influence its flight. Soon after, it disappeared into the void just like the arrows before it. The only difference was that this time, it did not leave the void. Those looking to further mock Zi Yi did not see the arrow go anywhere near the Relic of the Sea this time. It can¡¯t be that she overshot the arrow so badly that it failed toe close to striking its intended target? "This is really too hard to watch... So embarrassing..." One of the Blue Oasis yers sighed. However, there was a smile and look of excitement that found its way onto Zi Yi¡¯s face. But, the second she realized this, she quickly regained herself. Though this did not dim the excitement she felt inwardly. Crrrrrack... All of a sudden, something unbelievable happened. The Relic of the Sea formed various cracks on its surface. A few secondster, it shattered into countless pieces! The strangest thing about this was the fact that the state of integrity that the thin barrier possessed had not even reached the 50% mark! What just happened?! Everyone was left dumbfounded. Did the Relic of the Sea just explode by itself? However, there were a few yers who noticed what actually happened during that moment. One of them was, of course, Izroth. ¡¯What a frightening shot.¡¯ Chapter 400 A Little Closer ¡´System Alert: 1/8 Destroy ?Relic of the Sea?.¡µ Once the Relic of the Sea was shattered by Zi Yi, the thin barrier soon followed in its footsteps. But, that was not the only thing that urred. The Relic Guardian who had been fighting viciously to protect the Relic of the Sea came to a sudden halt. After the destruction of the Relic of the Sea, the Relic Guardian lost its power as if its source of energy had been drained. "Good shot." Lunamented with a light smile on her face as she walked over and stood next to Zi Yi. She overheard the mocking tones of the Blue Oasis members and even she found their words irritating to listen to. But, Luna was also baffled by Zi Yi¡¯s actions. Zi Yi always possessed a high level of uracy when it came to her shots - Even on moving targets. Therefore, how could she possibly miss a motionless like the Relic of the Sea? "Thanks... Though I have to admit, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was even possible. But, the thought of bing an object of ridicule did help somewhat." Zi Yi stated in a half-jokingly manner. Luna was aware that Zi Yi would not do something without a purpose, however, she did not understand Zi Yi¡¯s actions until she saw the results for herself. She could not help but find herself sighing in admiration. While the shot was impressive, it was not the main reason Luna was amazed. "Still, to think you¡¯re already capable of making a shot like that with the system¡¯s aim assistance disabled. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be a challenge to find anyone who would dare turn off the system¡¯s aim assistance." Luna said. When those words left Luna¡¯s mouth, the yers who heard that felt shivers and cold sweats run down their backs. What did she just say? She made that kind of ridiculous shot with the system¡¯s aim assistance disabled? No, something like that should be impossible! It wasmon knowledge that the aim assistance provided by the system was necessary for all ranged sses or ranged attacks. Without it, even hitting a motionless target standing over 10 meters away would be next to impossible, let alone over 20 meters away! As for hitting a moving target - This was out of the question. "Hey, do you really think that¡¯s true?" One of the Blue Oasis yers questioned with a frown to one of his fellow guild members. He went by the name ys Two and was one of Blue Oasis¡¯ core members. "How can that be possible? I tried turning off my aim assistance once, but I had to immediately reactivate it. Do you know why? It¡¯s because even hitting stationary targets at 5 meters is too demanding. Even at that distance, my arrows would only hit 1 out of 10 times. In an actual fight, missing 9 out of 10 shots is just asking for death." The yer next to ys Two with the yer name Tagz responded. "Then, she¡¯s just speaking nonsense... That shot was at least 25 meters away. If you can only hit 1 out of 10 shots from 5 meters, then how can she even hit 1 out of 100 shots, or even 1 out of 1000 shots, from that far away? She probably just got lucky with a skill or something and is trying to use the chance to show off. How embarrassing..." ys Two said as he shook his head. Zi Yi red at the yers speaking ill of her. She wanted nothing more than to teach them a lesson right then and there, however, she remained calm. How could she allow herself to be dragged down to their level? Instead, she had another idea in mind. "I need to remember the feeling of thatst shot. Luna - You¡¯ll have to excuse me for a moment." Zi Yi said. "Take all the time you need." Luna replied as if understanding Zi Yi¡¯s intentions. Zi Yi gave a small nod as she walked forward and stopped exactly 30 meters away from a strange coral that was approximately the same size as an average person. ¡¯Oh? This should be interesting. I wonder if her arrows work on a principle that branches from the Law of Void.¡¯ Izroth was curious as to if Zi Yi was able to freely make that same shot. If she was capable of doing so, then her offensive prowess would soar to new heights! Izroth believed it was possible that not just Valentine, but Zi Yi as well had acquired an enhanced version of a skill. In this case, it should be her Void Jump skill. "Are you sure I shouldn¡¯t stop them? We don¡¯t have time to waste." Niflheim stated as he furrowed his brows. Originally, he nned on handling the matter with the members of Blue Oasis causing trouble, but Izroth requested for him not to interfere. However, even if it was Izroth making the request, Niflheim had to think as the raid leader, not a friend or acquaintance. Though to be honest, he too was taken aback by that shot just now and wanted to see if Zi Yi could pull it off a second time. In the end, Izroth convinced him with a few words, "If she can freely make that kind of shot, wouldn¡¯t we be able to destroy all 8 relics without lifting a single finger against the Relic Guardians?". After hearing those words and weighing the pros against the cons, Niflheim decided not to interfere and would give Zi Yi a couple of minutes to see if she was able to pull it off. If she was, then they could save more than just a few minutes by skipping over the fight with the Relic Guardians. As for Asgard, the guild leader of Blue Oasis, he had nothing to say regarding Niflheim¡¯s decision. He entrusted Niflheim with the raid leader position and so he would allow him to lead as he saw fit. Of course, if he became too reckless in his choices, then Asgard would not hesitate to take overmand as was his responsibility. Zi Yi nocked an arrow as she aimed towards the coral that was 30 meters away from her current position. "What is she trying to do from that distance-" Tagz questioned with a frown. However, before he could even finish his words, he heard the sound of an arrow leaving its string. Swoosh! ZI Yi released the arrow as it flew through the air before disappearing into the void. Not too long after, the arrow reappeared. But, there was something bizarre about that arrow that caused everyone present to feel a certain pressure. There was no sound or movement when the arrow left the void that one could hear or see. The only thing they discovered was a single arrow pierced into the coral positioned 30 meters away from Zi Yi. "Again." Zi Yi said quietly to herself as she fired off another shot. This time, however, she changed the angle and did not aim directly for the coral. Instead, she aimed off to her right side. Just like the previous arrow, that arrow also hit its target in the distance as it pierced into the left side of the coral. "This attack is a bit..." Vanaheim frowned when she witnessed Zi Yi¡¯s attack. She was not blind to what had just urred against the Relic of the Sea. There was still over 80% left on the state of integrity for the barrier blocking the attacks. However, this was not the main reason for her concern. As an Elemental Mage, Vanaheim depended heavily upon magic barriers to block fatal damage or any unexpected attacks. But, after witnessing Zi Yi¡¯s attack just now, she felt that it was the bane of all magic casters. It was not necessarily its ability to break through shields that was the issue as there were a few attacks that possessed that unique trait. The problem here lied in how the arrow struck its target. There was no warning or time to react to it. Why was this? It was because the arrow would instantly pierce into its target! This meant that unless one could predict the future, Zi Yi¡¯s arrow was virtually unstoppable and unavoidable! While most members of the Blue Oasis was left dumbfounded, Asgard, Complex Assault, and the other seven captains had something else on their minds. They wanted to know that if it was them in the ce of that coral... How would they handle such a terrifying attack? "Road, Abstract - How confident are the two of you in evading that arrow?" Nidavellir questioned in a serious tone as he closely observed Zi Yi¡¯s actions. "Right now... Impossible... In the future... Maybe a 10% chance... Uncertain..." Road responded in broken sentences as he too observed Zi Yi. The moment he saw that arrow, he had already started to think of ways to defend against it. Not because he thought of Zi Yi as an enemy, but rather, it was possible that he may face a simr attack one day and wanted to be prepared against it. Abstract sighed, "Honestly, I think the best way is to not give her the chance to shoot at all. Close the distance immediately and prevent her from firing a single shot. As for avoiding the arrow... Aren¡¯t you asking the impossible of us?" He shook his head and gave a helpless smile. "I thought as much." Nidavellir sighed. He then continued, "With this, at least we no longer have to worry about destroying the Relic of the Sea. This will also grant us some much needed time." After firing off ten arrows without missing a single shot, Zi Yi feltfortable and had sessfully familiarized herself with the way it felt. "The control is not an issue, but my timing is still off by a small fraction. Although I can¡¯t sustain it in a high paced long term fight, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue using it a few times. I never thought enhanced skills could be so useful. With my Enhanced Void Jump: Zero Point Contact - Am I at least a little closer to the current you, Izroth?" Zi Yi thought to herself as she looked towards Izroth who was standing next to Niflheim. Izroth had a carefree smile on his face as he gave a small nod to congratte Zi Yi. He was aware of Zi Yi¡¯spetitive nature. Along with her intelligence and quick ability to learn, as well as, adapt - Izroth believed that she would continue to grow at a frightening pace! ¡¯It seems that I can¡¯t afford to ck off.¡¯ "Should I be thankful for that disy, or concerned? Now you¡¯ve gone and fired them up." Niflheim thought to himself as he nced over towards the other captains who all had serious expressions written on their faces. Those in the main DPS group now considered Zi Yi to be a major threat to their position. This lit a fire under them as none of them were willing to give up their spot to another yer! "Alright everyone, let¡¯s move! We only have 30 minutes before the Relic of the Sea regenerates. We have to destroy the other relics and enter into the outeryer before then. Zi Yi - I¡¯d like to take the raid group to defeat the two seafolk guards. Can you handle the relics along with a small group?" Niflheim asked. If Zi Yi was capable of taking care of the relics, then it changed everything! Zi Yi nodded and replied, "You can leave the relics to me. As for who¡¯ll be apanying me - I hope you can leave this matter in my hands." Niflheim gave a nod of approval as he said, "Agreed." He already knew the individuals Zi Yi wanted to take along with her. A few momentster, Zi Yi left along with Izroth, Luna, Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine to handle the remaining relics. "Isn¡¯t it somewhat dangerous to split the raid group up this earlier?" Peaceful Chaos questioned. Niflheim, however, shook his head and responded, "It¡¯s because it¡¯s this early that I decided upon this. After all, we can¡¯t let them do all the work for us, right? Everyone! We¡¯ll defeat the enemies guarding the entrance before they clear the relics!" "Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis roared in unison. ... Around 10 minutester... Izroth and his party had just sessfully destroyed the 7th relic and were heading to the location of the 8th andst Relic of the Sea. The destruction of the relics was left to Zi Yi as the others simply briefly distracted the Relic Guardian. To be honest, Zi Yi could have most likely done this alone. It was just that one did not know what to expect in a raid. Therefore, it was better if she had others along with her in case she came across any unexpected danger. "Ahahaha! I still can¡¯t get over the look on their faces back there. Zi Yi, you sure are ruthless." Halls said in a joyous tone. "I have to say, I never took you for the type who shows off so openly." Valentine stated yfully as a smirk appeared on his face. "What showing off? I just wanted to get used to it, that¡¯s all!" Zi Yi replied. Chapter 401 Relics of the Sea Destroyed, The Strongest Damage Dealer In The Raid? Although Zi Yi spoke as if she did not care, the truth was that she also enjoyed wiping that mocking smile off the faces of those Blue Oasis guild members. However, how could she have small characters like them in her sights? Even though she had be more powerful after learning Zero Point Contact, Zi Yi had a feeling that she was still far away from Izroth. Zi Yi believed that if she fought the same Izroth back during the time they traveled to the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld, then she had a decent chance of winning with her current skills. However, was she so naive as to believe that Izroth had stayed at the same level of strength the entire time? The answer was obviously no! But, there was a part of her that wondered... Just how strong was Izroth¡¯s present strength? He had not disyed anything impressive and his attacks had been fairly basic against the Relic Guardians, therefore, Zi Yi did not have a solid frame of reference. However, another part of her did not want to truly know the answer to that question. A couple of minutester, Izroth and his party reached the location of the 8th and final Relic of the Sea. Simr to the other seven relics, the 8th relic was also being protected by a Relic Guardian. This Relic Guardian possessed the hardcore effects of Bulk and Erosion. While Izroth knew that Bulk increased the monster¡¯s HP, he had yet to see what Erosion was capable of. ¡¯Could it be some kind of skill that constantly eats away at its target? Maybe it lowers physical and magical defenses.¡¯ Whatever the case was, they did not have time to sit around and find out. Since there was a time limit in ce, Izroth and his party understood that they had to make it back to the entrance before the first relic that was destroyed started to regenerate. If that happened, then it would set the entire raid back and the relics would need to be destroyed once again. Needless to say, Izroth and his party did not want to spend the whole raid stuck at the beginning. Swoosh! "My timing is still a bit off..." Zi Yi muttered to herself as she released a small sigh. "Your standards are too high, Zi Yi. That shot appeared wless from my perspective." Lunamented with a light smile on her face. Only a few moments after Izroth and the others confronted the Relic Guardian, Zi Yi used her Zero Point Contact to shatter the final Relic of the Sea. After the relic was shattered, everyone received an alert from the system confirming their sess. ¡´System Alert: 8/8 Destroy ?Relic of the Sea?.¡µ ¡¯Now all we have to do is enter the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce toplete the first phase. I wonder how things are going on Blue Oasis¡¯ end.¡¯ By this point, Blue Oasis should have already arrived at the entrance into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce and started their battle against the two seafolk who stood guard. Even if Zi Yi was sessful in destroying the relics, it would all be for nothing if the two seafolk guards were not defeated before the relics regenerated. "Let¡¯s head back to meet up with Blue Oasis." Izroth said as he and his party begun to make their way towards the entrance into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. ... Name: Ord, Guard of the Outer Pce(Elite) Level: 48 HP: 353,600(52%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Explosion] Name: Temp, Guard of the Outer Pce(Elite) Level: 48 HP: 61,200 (9%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Softening] Bang! ?Blocked? -8,550 Niflheim blocked Temp¡¯s trident with his shield, however, despite sessfully blocking the attack, he still received arge amount of damage. The moment the fight began, Niflheim noticed that his defensive stats had severely weakened. It did not take long for him to connect this incident to the hardcore effect Softening on one of the outer pce guards. While there was no definitive proof behind this assumption, Niflheim had already given the order to take down Temp first. If he was wrong, the worst that could happen was that they eliminated one of the guards. But, if he was right, then it would make dealing with the remaining outer pce guard Ord much easier. "Oversiders! You dare trespass in the Great Sea Pce?! Die!" Temp roared as he rose the trident in his hands up above his head. The instant he did so, it was as if strong waves of mana rushed towards the three-pronged trident and an aqua colored aura epassed the weapon. "Fall back!" Niflheim ordered as he braced himself and activated a skill that reduced the overall damage he received. A thinyer of red energy covered Niflheim from head to toe as everyone that was within melee range retreated. Thest time Temp used this attack, a good majority of the melee fighters lost 40% to 60% of their total HP. This sent the healers into overdrive mode and forced them to spend mana that they could have otherwise saved if the melee fighters avoided it properly. If not for the healers keeping up with the damage output during the small windows in between attacks, then there may have been a few who died right away from the skill! This brutally reminded everyone that this was no normal raid, but a hardcore raid. One little slip up was all it took for someone to lose their life. Fortunately, everyone learned their lesson the first time around and they had already started to fall back before Niflheim even gave the order to do so. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Temp swung his trident in a full circr motion three times in quick session with the range of each strike being greater than the one before it. The first strike covered 5 meters, the second 10 meters, and the third 15 meters. Each strike carried with it the vicious nature of the open seas and emitted a faint de intent. ?Blocked? -258 ?Blocked? -495 ?Blocked? -802 Thanks to the skill he executed, Niflheim only lost a small portion of his HP that was near-instantly restored by the healers. "Take it down!" Niflheim roared as he charged forward and smashed his shield into the body of Temp. After using that attack, Temp would temporarily be immobile and unable to attack. Therefore, it was the perfect opportunity to dish out some damage. Niflheim, on the other hand, had more to worry about than just Temp. He made sure to hold aggro on Ord and positioned him to where he could easily be struck by damage dealers AOE skills. Using this tactic, they were able to focus mainly on Temp while simultaneously damaging Ord. This would greatly reduce their time in battle and was like killing two birds with one stone. Ord was more reserved than Temp and did not throw any surprises out the members of Blue Oasis. His attack pattern was quite simple. As long as Niflheim was careful enough to avoid one of Ord¡¯s destructive blows, then he was no real threat. Not too long after Temp¡¯s attack ended and Blue Oasis resumed their assault, Temp¡¯s HP rapidly fell to around the 2% mark! Road, the 1st captain of Blue Oasis, brandished his broadsword as he jumped into the air. Due to the unique shape of his broadsword, which was a rectangr shaped de with a t tip, it was a weapon designed to focus on impact rather than stabbing or shing. However, the weapon used by a Wave Swordsman was not their most terrifying aspect. "Descending Wave Scars the Earth." With a simple swing of his broadsword, the ground beneath Temp caved in and copsed under the pressure. At the same time, the broadsword in Road¡¯s hand shed as it traveled from his right side to his left in an instant. Right when Road¡¯s broadsword stopped its motion, a deep scar appeared on the earth beneath Temp that stretched at least 10 meters in length. Temp¡¯s movements came to an abrupt halt as a red line appeared down the center of his body that started at his head and went all the way down past his torso. ?Critical Hit? -36,825 Over 30,000 damage! He did this damage not just to any random monster, but a hardcore raid monster! When the other members of Blue Oasis saw such a ridiculous amount of damage, they were left in a state of awe. This was the strength of their 1st squad captain! How could they not feel pride in his strength? After all, he was a member of their Blue Oasis! In terms of damage, who couldpare to the 1st squad captain? Without a doubt, he was the strongest damage dealer in their raid party! These were the thoughts flowing through the minds of the Blue Oasis members. As for Road himself, he looked unbothered and calm. There was no hint of arrogance nor did he care for other¡¯s praise of him. He simply wanted to be as strong as possible. Nothing more, and nothing less. After Temp was eliminated, taking down Ord was fairly simple. But, just when Ord¡¯s HP reached the 5% mark, something unexpected happened. Ord¡¯s body started to deform and he began to release arge amount of unusual energy. When Niflheim observed this happening, he had a bad feeling about what would follow. Therefore, without any hesitation whatsoever, he immediately ordered everyone to retreat. Even Niflheim himself had used Unimpeded Rush to hurry out of its attack range. Less than a few seconds after he gave the order, Ord¡¯s body was bloated and reached a breaking point as it exploded! BOOOOOOOOM! The ground shook violently as a powerful explosion that was 20 meters in radius took ce. The explosion released a strong aftershock that nearly caused the members of Blue Oasis to stumble over. ... BOOOOOOOOM! Izroth and his party were on their way to meet with the members of Blue Oasis. They were almost at the meeting point when they suddenly heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. Not only that, but they could feel some tremors that came from that direction as well. "Isn¡¯t that where the two seafolk guards are located? It can¡¯t be those guys are in trouble, right?" Guan Yu questioned with a frown. "The fact that we could feel the explosion from this distance means that it must have been quite powerful. Though there¡¯s a chance that one of Blue Oasis members used a powerful skill." Valentinemented. "For a skill to make that big of amotion, it¡¯d have to be at least S-rank. If Blue Oasis needed to use an S-ranked skill on some pce guards, then isn¡¯t this raid already over for them?" Zi Yi stated. ¡¯If what I¡¯m thinking is correct, then this isn¡¯t the work of Blue Oasis. Just in case, we should hurry over.¡¯ "Let¡¯s speed up." Izroth said as he and the others increased their pace. A few momentster, Izroth and his party arrived at the entrance into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. The first thing that came into sight was a wide and deep crater in the ground that had a radius of 20 meters. As for the Blue Oasis members, all of them were ounted for. Thanks to Niflheim¡¯s warning and the members of Blue Oasis¡¯ timely reaction, they were able to avoid any causalities. Though there were a few yers who were shaken by what had just urred. It sent shivers down their spines when they thought about the results of being caught up in that explosion! If not for Captain Niflheim, then perhaps they would have been obliterated into dust! Niflheim released a sigh of relief. They had not evene face to face with a boss monster and yet there were already some issues that needed to be addressed. For example, he noticed that some individuals were poorly positioned during the fight. Some became so caught up in attacking that they momentarily neglected their surroundings. If they were going toplete this raid, then Niflheim knew he had to immediately correct these mistakes in his raid party members. "Woah... What the heck caused such a huge hole to appear here?" Halls asked in a tone of slight disbelief. Chapter 402 Into The Outer Layer of the Great Sea Palace "Let¡¯s find out, shall we?" Izroth said as he made his way towards the members of Blue Oasis that were gathered together as the others followed after him. "You have to pay attention next time. While I was able to give the orders this fight, there may be a point when I¡¯m incapacitated during a battle. If that happens, then I won¡¯t be there to warn you of what¡¯s toe. If you¡¯ve seen the pattern once, then there¡¯s no excuse for you to get caught up in it a second time. Furthermore..." Niflheim was currently surrounded by nine members of Blue Oasis. They were the individuals who made the most errors during their fight a few moments ago. All nine members were core members of Blue Oasis and were not upset at Niflheim for pointing out their ws. In the end, if they failed to deliver then there was a good chance that their position in the guild would be lowered. Once that happened, who knew how hard they would have to work to reim their spot? Therefore, everyone took Niflheim¡¯s words to heart. Niflheim released a small sigh as he spoke in a serious tone, "I know this is everyone¡¯s first raid in RML - It¡¯s even a hardcore raid at that. Some of you may be nervous or tense and afraid of making a mistake, however, just know that I don¡¯t ask for perfection. All I ask is that you try your best and give me 110%. If you can do that, then no matter how this raid turns out, I¡¯ll know that all of you are proud to be members of our Blue Oasis!" When Niflheim saw Izroth and the others approaching, he finished things up with the nine members of his Blue Oasis as he announced, "We¡¯ll be entering the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce! Everyone, be sure that you remain on high alert at all times. Remember, it¡¯s not only monsters that we face in dungeons and raids, but the environment itself as well. Is everyone clear?" "Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis roared in unison. Now that they had experienced freshbat, the members of Blue Oasis was able to grasp just how terrifying the monsters in hardcore raids were in reality. Fighting against Tempt and Ord was simr to fighting against a mini-boss. Not to mention, there were different hardcore effects they had to watch out for. Although they quickly grasped a few of the hardcore effects, there were still some that remained a mystery such as Erosion. There was also the fact that they had no idea just how many hardcore effects were implemented in this raid. Of course, the most frightening thought had crossed the minds of every Blue Oasis member. If the elite monsters in the raid had hardcore effects... Did that mean the bosses possessed them as well? If so - Then another towering obstacle had just been set before them. However, things were not as bleak as they seemed. The good news was that after defeating Temp and Ord, the entrance into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce was cleared. Along with Zi Yi destroying the 8 Relics of the Sea, they had managed to sessfully clear the first phase of the hardcore raid without any causalities! Niflheim approached Izroth and his party as he turned his attention towards Zi Yi and said, "Good work. If not for your skill, things would not have gone so smoothly." "You entrusted me with a task, and I epted it. My skin isn¡¯t thick enough to return without aplishing what I set out to do - That¡¯s all." Zi Yi replied nonchntly. Niflheim gave a small nod in response. In truth, Niflheim understood that what he did was take an incredible risk by dividing the raid party when they had no idea what to expect, however, he felt that it was a risk worth taking. He nced towards the members of his Blue Oasis and noticed that those who had previous doubts about Zi Yi¡¯s abilities and priorities were no longer looking towards her with hardened suspicion. Although there were still some who remained a bit paranoid, their guard had considerably weakened. Even if they did not ept Zi Yi, they would have to respect her skill and ability to get things done. This was one of the main reasons Niflheim assigned the task of destroying the eight relics to Zi Yi. "This much should be fine." Niflheim thought to himself as he then set his sights on Izroth and the others, but before he could speak, Halls could no longer hold back his curiosity as he had to ask the question that was on his mind. "What caused such arge hole to appear here?" Halls asked. "I had already nned on briefing all of you on the newly discovered hardcore effects. You see..." Niflheim went on to exin both the Explosion and Softening hardcore effects to Izroth and his party. "You mean that explosion thing caused this?" Halls said in a tone of disbelief. He was surprised that no deaths had urred! After all, the explosion appeared to be quite powerful. "I¡¯m curious as to why this monster exploded, but the Relic Guardian with the same effect failed to do so." Valentine stated. The first Relic Guardian they fought against also had the Explosion hardcore effect, however, unlike Ord, it did not explode. "From the information avable, it¡¯s possible that the monster¡¯s HP has to fall below a certain threshold before it explodes. Since the Relic Guardian wasn¡¯t technically killed and instead disappeared as soon as the Relic of the Sea it was protecting shattered - It could exin why the Relic Guardian failed to explode." Zi Yi exined. Niflheim nodded, "I also came to the same conclusion. For now, we¡¯ll proceed with that prerequisite for the Explosion effect in mind." Even though he did not show it, Niflheim was secretly impressed by how fast Zi Yi pieced things together. With that kind of intelligence and the skill he had witnessed, he was certain that Zi Yi would be among some of the top yers within RML in the future. As for Izroth, he was somewhat intrigued by the way raids functioned in RML. To be more precise, the way hardcore effects were implemented. ¡¯Interesting... Even if two monsters are the exact same creatures, the presence of the hardcore effects can make it feel as if one is facing two different monsters. Though it goes much deeper than that. There seems to be arge variety of effects that forces yers to think on their feet and adapt to the situation as ites. Indeed, it¡¯s worthy of its title as a hardcore raid.¡¯ After making sure their health and mana were restored to full, the raid party took their first step inside the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. The moment that happened, the entire group received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Enter the outeryer of the ?Great Sea Pce?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted ?Phase One: Disharmony?.¡µ Once they stepped into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce, the phase status on Phase One: Disharmony changed from ¡¯Iplete¡¯ to ¡¯Complete¡¯. This, of course, caused the members of the raid party to be excited. However, there was disappointment written on the faces of some individuals. Why was this? It was because there was only a 35% chance to receive a Rare Item Treasure Chest. Needless to say, out of 24 people, not everyone was fortunate enough to obtained one. Izroth himself managed to obtain a Rare Item Treasure Chest - No doubt due to the point he had in his luck stat. ¡´System Alert: You have gained 210,000 EXP.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the temporary raid buff ?Resistant To Flow?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Rare Item Treasure Chest?.¡µ As for the other members of his group - Luna, Zi Yi, and Halls were also fortunate enough to get their hands on a Rare Item Treasure Chest. Unfortunately, Guan Yu and Valentine did not receive one. Although Valentine was not too bothered by it, Guan Yu appeared dejected. He felt that his luck was really too bad! ¡¯I wonder what use this skill has...¡¯ Izroth read over the system alerts and the first thing to catch his eye was not the experience or the Rare Item Treasure Chest, but instead, it was the temporary raid buff Resistant To Flow. As he reviewed the skill, he still did not understand its immediate purpose. Skill Name: Resistant To Flow Skill Level: None Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: The user is unaffected by ?Flow? while inside the ?Great Sea Pce?. Special Note: This passive is automatically removed upon exiting the raid ?Great Sea Pce?. ¡¯I¡¯m sure this passive wille in handy as we venture deeper into the Great Sea Pce.¡¯ It spoke of them being able to go against the flow, however, it did not specify as to what this meant as anything thought of at this point would just be pure spection without any solid foundation. But, Izroth knew the system well enough to realize that it would not have given them something useless. This was even more so considering that it was one of the rewards of clearing a raid phase. ¡¯Though I have to say, I didn¡¯t expect to receive this kind of item from the treasure chest.¡¯ After he finished looking over the Resistant To Flow skill, Izroth wasted no time opening his Rare Item Treasure Chest. What emerged from it was a dark blue paper talisman with strange writings etched on its surface in light sapphire colored ink that emitted a faint white hue of energy. Name: Preserving Breath of Life Talisman(Rare) Usage: If the user receives a fatal blow, their HP will stop at 1 and they will gain immunity to all damage and forms of crowd control, as well as, +1,000% HP Regeneration for 10 seconds. For the duration of the effect of this talisman, the user cannot attack, use items, use skills, or receive healing from other sources. This talisman will automatically activate if the user receives a fatal blow. This talisman can be used on a nearby ally within 20 meters. Cooldown: 125 hours ¡¯It¡¯s a shame a talisman can only be used once before they¡¯re rendered useless. The effects of this talisman are indeed lifesaving, however, it¡¯s far from being perfect. Though I suppose I shouldn¡¯t expect too much from a talisman of rare quality.¡¯ Although the talisman made one invincible for 10 seconds, the downside was that it also made them useless for an equal amount of time. Being out of a fight for 10 seconds couldpletely change the oue. Therefore, if it was used incorrectly, then it was possible that one would only be dying their inevitable death! Izroth set the talisman into his inventory. It was always better to have multiple lifesaving methods at one¡¯s disposal. After all, he was aware that his current strength was incrediblycking whenpared to those at the top of this world. Once the raid party reorganized themselves, Niflheim and Halls led the group deeper into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. However, there was this eerie and strange feeling that washed over the raid party as they ventured further into the outeryer. ... Around 10 minutester... After the raid party journeyed into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce, they were somewhat puzzled by what they discovered. Instead of being filled with water passageways and coral-based buildings as they predicted, it resembled a normal city with buildings made of stone and other unique materials. There were even roads that were paved with some kind of crystallized marble that generate a multitude of colors across the spectrum. It was difficult to believe that such a ce could exist inside of a ce like a raid - It was unexpected, to say the least. Chapter 403 Survive! Niflheim frowned as he continuously surveyed the surroundings. However, the more he observed the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce, the more he felt uneasy about things. What bothered Niflheim the most was that they had yet to receive the second phase of the raid afterpleting the first phase, Disharmony. The phases provided the means of a sessful advancement in a raid, so naturally, Niflheim was wary in how the raid group proceeded due to its sudden absence. Guan Yu yawned as he said, "So boring... When are we going to run into some monsters? We¡¯ve already been walking for hours and haven¡¯t seen anything remotely threatening since entering this ce. Aren¡¯t raids supposed to be full of tough monsters?" Zi Yi shook her head and responded, "First off, it¡¯s only been about 15 minutes. But, I do find theck of monsters somewhat strange. Originally, I thought it was because of the confidence ced in the barrier that protected the outeryer, but I find it difficult to believe that whatever is inside the inner pce failed to notice our entry. At the very least, it would make sense to send some guards to check. Though, of course, I could be overthinking things. Then again, from what I know, NPCs and monsters alike be smarter the further we advance in RML. So, it¡¯s not out of the question that they¡¯re just being cautious of unknown intruders." "It still feels like we¡¯ve been walking for hours..." Guan Yu muttered to himself. He was disappointed that he did not get a chance to properly fight the Relic Guardians or the Seafolk guards. If he was not given the opportunity to show his strength, then how was he supposed to im a spot among the main damage dealers? ¡¯For a pce, it is unusually quiet. It could mean one of two things, but...¡¯ If this pce were like any other, then two reasons came to Izroth¡¯s mind that would exin theck of guards or anyone else for that matter. The first was that the pce itself had been abandoned. Of course, this would not make any sense given that it was a raid. Therefore, Izroth leaned towards the second reason which was that something was taking ce internally. As to what it could be - This was hard to say. ¡¯If this ce is rted to the Sea Pce Graveyard, then it could have something to do with the injured ruler... However, I can¡¯t say how much time has passed in this world since that event transpired.¡¯ Izroth remembered the vision he saw back during his first time going through the Sea Pce Graveyard. The ruler was injured by what Izroth spected to be a shadahi based wound and corrupted aura that epassed it. Therefore, if the dungeon and this raid were connected, then it would certainly exin theck of anyone in the outeryer. There was a chance that it could be just as Zi Yi said and they were simply overthinking things, however, Izroth believed that this was not the case. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he sensed an instant change in his surroundings. The atmosphere had be heavier and there was a hidden bloodlust that washed over him. However, he was not a direct target of this bloodlust and it appeared to be channeled towards everyone in the raid group. But, there were not many yers who realized this. All of a sudden, the raid group came to an abrupt halt. Just when everyone was wondering why they stopped, Niflheim and Halls went on high alert. "Did you feel that too?" Niflheim asked Halls with a serious expression on his face as he remained cautious. Halls nodded as he furrowed his brows and replied, "Yeah... But, where did ite from? I¡¯ve never felt something that piercing before." Since Niflheim and Halls were tanks, they both possessed passive skills that allowed them to feel when there was a level of threat directed towards them. Most of the time, this feeling resembled ufortable pricks. However, this time was different. Halls believed that besides the Envoy of the Netherworld and Syxirius, the shadahi who was chained up inside of the throne room in the Shadahi Realm, he had never experienced such an ufortable feeling that was simr to a knife stabbing him. Rummmmble! The ground shook as violent tremors spread throughout the entire outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. This caused every member of the raid party to prepare for a potential fight to ur. But, a few momentster, something terrifying happened that caused everyone to look on in horror. Just where did that thinge from?! ¡¯This is unexpected.¡¯ "This... How are we even supposed to defend against something like that?!" Tagz, one of the Blue Oasis core members,mented with an expression of disbelief on his face as he stared upward. "Everyone, quickly find something to grab ahold of! Whatever you do, don¡¯t let go until I give the order!" Niflheim swiftlymanded as he dashed to a nearby pole-like object that was made entirely out of a unique marble. It was incredibly sturdy and there was a multitude of them along each side of the road that emitted a light and soft glow. Without wasting time, the yers in the raid party followed Niflheim¡¯s lead and found a nearby object to hold onto. As they did so, the sky above them darkened as arge shadow was cast over the entirety of the outeryer. At the moment, a massive tidal wave blotted out the sky and was headed right for the raid group! This tidal wave manifested from the very core area of the outeryer and showed no signs of slowing down. It was toote for the raid group to turn back from the way they came, therefore, they could only brace for impact. Izroth and his party also found something to grab on to as they wondered what generated such a fierce tidal wave capable of covering the entire outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. "Should we use the Merfolk Scales?" Zi Yi questioned. Izroth thought to himself for a moment before looking towards Valentine as he asked, "Do you notice anything unusual with your Eyes of Magic?" Izroth had tried using his Energy Vision Sense to see through the tidal wave, however, it was simply too massive and overloaded his Energy Vision Sense. But, in that small span of time, he did realize that something was off. An illusion? No, that was not the case. Though it certainly appeared almost ethereal by nature. Valentine closely observed the nearing tidal wave as he replied, "It¡¯s... Weird? I¡¯m not sure. Although this is magic, somehow it lookspletely different. It¡¯s likeparing the clouds in the sky to the water vapor released by a tea kettle. If you were able to somehow disy both of them in their natural state inside of clear ss jars next to one another, they¡¯d appear to be the same. However, both are fundamentally different." "So is it magic or not?" Guan Yu questioned as Valentine¡¯s exnation left him confused. "This - I can¡¯t say... If it is magic, it¡¯s nothing like the magic I know of." Valentine answered. "I see... Then, we¡¯ll hold off using the Merfolks Scales. We may need themter and our supply is far from limitless. It won¡¯t be toote to use it once we¡¯re underwater if the situation calls for it. For now, let¡¯s see how this ys out." Izroth stated in a calm tone. If things got too out of control, Izroth had some methods up his sleeves. After all, how could he possibly leave something to chance? Wooooooosh! Ruuuuuuumble! "Oversiders dare to step foot in the Great Sea Pce?!" A powerful voice was embedded into the tidal wave itself. "Don¡¯t tell me we have to fight that thing." Peaceful Chaos said as a helpless smile found its way onto his face. At the moment, there was a face at the center of the tidal wave that was crashing down to flood the outeryer. This face was filled with anger and rage, however, it was difficult to make out any precise facial features. At the same time, everyone in the raid group received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have automatically entered ?Phase Two: Ooudamu?!¡µ Phase Two: Ooudamu Phase Difficulty: Hardcore Rmended Level: 52 Rmended Party Size: 24 Phase Status: Iplete Objective: Survive and locate ?Ooudamu¡¯s Pool?. Time Limit: None 0/1 Survive. 0/1 Locate ?Ooudamu¡¯s Pool?. 0/1 Defeat boss monster Ooudamu. Reward: -Touch of a Water Sprite(Temporary Raid Buff) -308,000 EXP -x50% chance to receive x1 ?Rare Equipment Treasure Chest? Crrrrrash! The tidal wave mmed into the ground and quickly flooded the town. In the blink of an eye, the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce waspletely submerged underwater! Naturally, this caused the raid group to grow restless as they embraced for a potential disaster, however, that disaster never came. "What happened? Why didn¡¯t I feel anything?" Halls questioned. He was not the only one who wanted an exnation. When the tidal wave crashed down, everyone naturally expected to hold on for dear life due to the pressure and force that would be generated by the water. However, they did not even feel the slightest bit of difort even though they were just engulfed by a tidal wave and submerged deep underwater. Niflheim let go of the object he was holding onto and found that nothing had changed. He could still walk normally even though he was underwater. When he jumped, he was quickly brought back down by gravity. What was this? They were submerged in water, but their movement was still as if they were onnd! Unfortunately for Niflheim, the second raid group was still behind them, therefore, any information they provided would be useless until they managed to catch up. However, after seeing the objectives that needed to bepleted for phase two, Niflheim was troubled. Would he have to wait for the second raid group to catch up and start their fight with the boss so they did not have to go in blind? "Let¡¯s focus on the first two objectives. We¡¯ll cross the final bridge when wee to it." Niflheim thought to himself. ¡¯Interesting... So this is what it meant by resisting flow.¡¯ ¡´Battle Alert: You have resisted the ?Flow? of the environmental skill ?Great Tidal Wave?.¡µ The temporary raid passive received frompleting phase one turned out to be the reason behind everyone being unaffected by the Great Tidal Wave. If they had somehow found a way through the barrier withoutpleting phase one and obtaining the Resistant To Flow passive - Who knew how things would have ended just then?! Swoooosh! Swoooosh! All of a sudden, a whirlpool appeared in the distance as arge and vicious shark-looking creature rushed towards the raid group. It was the color of a killer whale and its size was not that far off from one. It was followed by a school of fish that were a bit smaller than the average human and numbered a dozen. Although the species of the fish differed, none of them looked friendly by any means! Name: Great Pce Shark(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 100,000(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Virulent] Name: Great Pce Seeker Fish(Elite) Level: 49 HP: 20,000 (100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Explosion] [Propagate] "Everyone, take your positions! Prepare to engage!" Niflheimmanded as he saw the approaching danger. They would have to deal with a group of monsters that had hardcore effects, but it was not too bad. As long as they worked together properly, there should be no issues facing this wave of monsters - At least that¡¯s how it should have been. When the raid group saw what took ce next, they nearly lost all the color in their faces! ¡¯I suppose this is what it meant by "survive".¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a strong gust of wind caused ripples to form throughout the water. At the same time, nine additional whirlpools appeared as simr shark-like creatures and schools of smaller fish poured out! Chapter 404 The Start of Phase Two There were over 100 elite monsters in total. Although the Great Pce Seeker Fish and the Great Pce Sharks had low HP for raid monsters, theirrge numbers and hardcore effects made them a nightmare to face head-on! After all, everyone had seen the results of a monster with the explosion hardcore effect. Would they truly have to defeat all of these monsters to advance? This was the main thought on the minds of those present in the raid group. The only good news was that the hardcore effects were consistent. What this meant was that all of the Great Pce Sharks had the same virulent hardcore effect and every Great Pce Seeker Fish possessed explosion and propagate. At the very least, they would not have to face tens of different effects. If that became the case, then there was no way they would be capable of maintaining some kind of control over the battle. "I guess this exins where all the monsters were hiding." Peaceful Chaos said in a half-joking manner. "This is no time for jokes. We need to figure out how we¡¯re going to fight this many monsters at once. If they were normal monsters it may be possible, but we¡¯re dealing with elite raid monsters. Fighting them head-on is out of the question. We can¡¯t risk suffering any losses this early in the raid. Though I have to admit, if not for the Resistant To Flow raid buff, we may have just beenpletely scattered throughout the outeryer." Vanaheim stated with a troubled expression. "They¡¯reing!" I Do Zero Quests warned as the first wave of monsters closed in on their location. The monster leading the group was the first Great Pce Shark that came out from inside one of the whirlpools. Not too far behind it was a dozen Great Pce Seeker Fish with serrated teeth and razor-sharp fins. Fortunately, even though nine additional whirlpools appeared, each was separate and far away from one another which provided the raid group with some breathing room - Even if it was minimal. "Everyone, you know your roles! Main DPS, focus on taking down the Great Pce Shark before the next group closes in! Clean-up DPS, we¡¯ll be counting on you to take care of all the Great Pce Seeker Fish!" Niflheimmanded. Halls was assigned to holding the aggro of the Great Pce Seeker Fish, while Niflheim himself would take care of the Great Pce Shark. The supporters also understood their tasks in this situation. As a result, the battle started off astonishingly smooth and organized. Woosh! Izroth wasted no time as he went on the attack as soon as Niflheim and Halls secured aggro on their respective targets. Since Izroth was a part of the main DPS, he turned his attention towards the Great Pce Shark. He swung his Sword of The Storm right near the area surrounding its gills. ?Critical Hit? -6,473 Izroth made sure to target the area near the gills of the Great Pce Shark. He learned from his experience back in the Sea Pce Graveyard, that fish-type monsters had amon weakness - The area on their body where the gills were located. But, he also found that the location of the gills found on merman or humanoid sea creatures were not located in the same areas. When Izroth¡¯s attack struck the Great Pce Shark, one could see a faint trace of electricity around the area that was just damaged. This was the effect of the Lightning Edge enchantment stone given to Izroth by Blue Oasis before the raid begun. Name: Lightning Edge(Enchantment Stone) Rank: Grade Three Usage: Enchants one¡¯s weapon with the powerful Lightning attribute. Last for 24 hours. ¡¯Its defensive stats arecking. Though it may also have something to do with the Lightning Edge enchantment stone. I should look into securing different enchantment stones. Their usefulness and versatility can¡¯t be ignored.¡¯ Using only a basic swing of his sword, Izroth shaved away almost 7% of the Great Pce Shark¡¯s HP. Even though hended a critical hit, his damage should not have been so high from a casual swing of his sword even if the Great Pce Shark possessed weak defensive stats for its level. After all, in the end, the Great Pce Shark was a level 50 elite monster. Not to mention, it¡¯s HP was also extremelycking for its level. ¡¯Abination of low HP and low defensive stats can only mean one thing for a monster like this...¡¯ Bang! ?Blocked? -13,509 +2,502 +4,139 +4,001 -12,888 ... 39,063/50,025 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] Niflheim blocked the head-on collision of the Great Pce Shark. The Great Pce Shark did not stop its attack there as it pulled back slightly before mming its head down towards Niflheim once again. It also seemed as if the sea creature wanted to forcefully overpower him! The sea creature¡¯srge body made Niflheim seem like a small child inparison, however, he was still sessful in containing the attack of the monster. He was surprised after seeing a good portion of his HP disappear give his high defensive stats. But, the supporters made sure that he did not stay that way for long as they focused their healing on Niflheim. "Even though I¡¯ve already assimted this thing and blocked its attack, it¡¯s still doing this much damage? If this attack were to hit anyone but Halls or myself, then..." Niflheim thought to himself as a grave expression formed on his face. He had to face nine more of these monstrosities? Even with mana potions, could the healers sustain that kind of damage output for an extended period of time? Niflheim knew the answer to that question, and he was not fond of the end result. Niflheim was thankful that the Great Pce Shark only had 100,000 HP, otherwise, this ordeal may have been impossible to ovee with their currentbat power. Meanwhile, Izroth did not let up on his attacks as he continued his assault on the Great Pce Shark. The members of Blue Oasis did not sit back and allow themselves to be showed up as they, too, carried out their attack on the sea creature. This caused the HP of the Great Pce Shark to rapidly plummet. However, something unusual urred when its HP reached around the 15,000 mark. ¡¯My damage is getting weaker... Or, is it defenses getting strong? In that case...¡¯ Izroth held his index finger outward as energy started to converge towards his fingertip. As if a hot knife slicing through butter, Izroth¡¯s Fissuring Point pierced right into therge body of the Great Pce Shark. -397 Fissuring Point was a skill that ignored 100% of its target¡¯s defensive stats. Even shields could not protect someone against his Fissuring Point. Therefore, when he only dealt 397 damage to the Great Pce Shark despite all of this, Izroth immediately pieced things together. It did not take long for the members of Blue Oasis to realize this as well. Niflheim frowned as he noticed that the Great Pce Shark¡¯s HP that started off as rapidly depleting had started to be reduced at a snail¡¯s pace. What was going on with the damage dealers? He did not believe that everyone decided to bezy at the same time and hold back for no apparent reason, therefore, he knew something was off. But, there was no sign or anything that appeared in the battle logs about the Great Pce Shark using any kind of skill that would produce such an oue. Since it was as such, Niflheim turned his attention to one thing - The hardcore effect, virulent, that the Great Pce Shark possessed. It had to be the work of that hardcore effect, however, the question now was how were they supposed to ovee it? "What¡¯s going on with my damage?" Vanaheim questioned with a frown. Her damage started off strong, but it quickly became an itch at most to the Great Pce Shark. "So it¡¯s not just me... It may be using a skill that reduces the damage it receives. Though my money is on that cursed hardcore effect." Peaceful Chaos stated. ?Blocked? -12,059 +4,204 +2,195 38,610/50,025 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] Niflheim blocked the iing attack of a Great Pce Seeker Fish as he spoke and said, "The damage reduction is likely caused by the virulent hardcore effect! Everyone - The phase states that we have to survive. It fails to mention anything about eliminating every monster. Right now, our main focus should be solely on survival and since our goal is to survive, we have to find a way to the core of the outeryer and not waste too much time here fighting!" The initial tidal wave originated from the core of the outeryer, therefore, Niflheim believed that it was a good ce to start their search for Ooudamu¡¯s Pool, or even some kind of temporary safe haven from the wave of monsters. Not to mention, he had no idea how to get around the virulent hardcore effect and there was no time to test any kind of theories. It was not a risk he was willing to take. Izroth hade to a simr conclusion regarding the cause behind the sudden damage reduction. However, he believed that the system would not give them an impossible task, even if it was a hardcore raid. Therefore, there had to be a proper way to deal with the virulent hardcore effect - If it indeed turned out to be the reason behind the decrease in their damage. One thing was for sure, at the very least, it had something to do with attacking the Great Pce Shark as the clean-up DPS was still dealing full damage to the Great Pce Seeker Fish. As for Halls, he was properly maintaining aggro on the dozen monsters. Although it was somewhat hectic at first, he found that the supporters of Blue Oasis were quite reliable and this gave him some mental breathing room. The one major thing he learned from this fight was that the difference between a raid party and a normal party was like that of night and day. While Halls already knew this in his mind, experiencing it firsthand made all the difference. "Captain Abstract! Take five people with you and find a safe way out of here! Whatever you do, don¡¯t allow yourselves to get surrounded and retreat immediately back to our position if you run into any trouble!" Niflheim ordered. "Got it!" Abstract replied as he pulled back out of the fight and selected five people from the raid group to assist him. He chose those that were mobile with high agility so that if they needed to escape, it could be done at a moment¡¯s notice without anyone to slow them down. Niflheim furrowed his brows. To be honest, he did not want to split their raid group at a time like this, however, he understood that if ted users like himself, or cloth users like the magic casters and healers, tried to move as a group then they would be surrounded in no time with their overall speed. At least with Abstract and the individuals he picked, they could drastically reduce the chances of being surrounded as they searched for the way into the core area of the outeryer. Until then, Niflheim could only push forward slowly with the remaining raid group. "Halls, start moving towards the core area of the outeryer! Everyone, continue your assault while moving with us!" Niflheim said as he started to slowly move off in the direction of the core area of the outeryer. The Great Pce Shark followed after him as he still possessed the highest threat level due to his taunting skills. Meanwhile, Izroth saw something bizarre in the distance as he moved off along with the group and continued his attacks on the Great Pce Shark. It was difficult to make out, but it resembled that of a floating orb of pure light that was constantly moving back and forth between the different whirlpools. He had seen that same exact light at the center of the tidal wave where the face formed! But, there was another reason that this light caught Izroth¡¯s attention. ¡¯It may be worth taking a closer look.¡¯ Chapter 405 No Way Back, A Way Forward! "Those who are melee should focus on clearing a path forward! Stay aware of your positioning at all times... The only two who should initiate any aggro are Halls and me!" Niflheimmanded as he led the way forward with Halls. The Great Pce Shark was still locked onto him, however, those attacking it were doing even less damage than before. At this rate, they would never get rid of it! BOOM! BOOM! Two of the nearby Great Pce Seeker Fish exploded as soon as their HP reached critical levels. Fortunately, it did not have asrge of an explosion radius as Ord, one of the two seafolks guarding the entrance into the outer pce who was taken care of by Blue Oasis. To make matters even more confusing, the Great Pce Seeker Fish was one level higher than Ord! "I suppose we should be thankful that the explosions are more contained. Though given their numbers, it still makes it somewhat troublesome to avoid. If it¡¯s not level that determines the range of the explosion, then perhaps it has something to do with the size of the creature or its HP value." Niflheim thought to himself. Although the Great Pce Seeker Fish was a higher level than Ord, itcked anywhere close to the same amount of HP as him. But, if that did turn out to be the case, Niflheim shivered at the thought of a boss monster with the explosion hardcore effect. After all, it was standard for boss monsters to possess much greater HP than other monsters. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three more Great Pce Seeker Fish exploded after reaching low HP. This left four remaining from the initial dozen. "Six of you from the clean-up DPS - Redirect your attacks on the Great Pce Shark! The rest of you finish off the remaining Great Pce Seeker Fish! We have to take the Great Pce Shark down before we get any closer to the core area of the outeryer!" Niflheim stated. The closer they moved towards the core area, the more monsters they would run into. Although the monsters were somewhat spaced out at the moment, that would all rapidly change if they were unable to move around freely due to the Great Pce Shark¡¯s pursuit. Name: Great Pce Shark(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 9,062(9%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Virulent] The Great Pce Shark¡¯s HP was falling, however, it was at an extremely slow rate. They were still unable to figure out what was causing the decrease in damage for the main damage dealers. This was why Niflheim decided that it was time to go with a new strategy and have some of those from the clean-up DPS join in. "I¡¯ll go!" Guan Yu volunteered without hesitation as he charged towards the Great Pce Shark. He did not have a chance to prove himself against the Relic Guardians since Zi Yi took the spotlight. Not to mention, he found it incredibly irritating every time one of the Great Pce Seeker Fish would explode. He would much rather deal with something like the Great Pce Shark. The instant he arrived before the Great Pce Shark, Guan Yu swept his guandao outward in a mighty arc. The guandao tore through the defenses of the Great Pce Shark as if it were fragile sheets of paper. There were tiny fragments that could be seen forming around the area of contact that Guan Yu¡¯s guandao made with the Great Pce Shark¡¯srge body. This was one of Guan Yu¡¯s skills Arcing Armor Crusher. But, what urred next surprised those who had been fighting against the Great Pce Shark! Swoosh! -13,196 13,000 damage! It was definitely above average, but it was not as if 13,000 damage was some miraculously high damage number that none of them had seen before. However, for thest few moments, those within the main DPS group were dealing around 50-150 damage per hit to the Great Pce Shark. That¡¯s why, when Guan Yu jumped in and suddenly struck it for 13,000 damage, they were shocked, to say the least. Izroth furrowed his brows inwardly as he witnessed the Great Pce Shark¡¯srge body go motionless as Guan Yu dealt the final blow. He was familiar with the skill Guan Yu just used and in terms of raw power, it was much stronger than his Fissuring Point. But, he knew for a fact that his Fissuring Point possessed a higher piercing effect than Guan Yu¡¯s Arcing Armor Crusher. Therefore, how was it that he only did 397 damage and yet Guan Yu hit for over 13,000 damage? ¡¯It must have something to do with the virulent hardcore effect. Could it be that one does less damage the more they attack it? Or are there other conditions to it?¡¯ Izroth was confident in his ability to eliminate the Great Pce Shark even with the damage reduction he suffered. However, it would require him to use a great portion of his Essence or his Second Baneful Sword: Kill. In the end, he did not believe that the situation was worth its use. After all, how could he waste it on a mere elite monster when there was so much more toe? Even though everyone was shocked by Guan Yu¡¯s attack, they did not slow down and continued to proceed towards the core area of the outeryer. Now that the Great Pce Shark had been defeated, the raid group quickly disposed of the remaining Great Pce Seeker Fish. As for Halls, a few of the clean-up DPS members, along with the two off-tank supporters, expressed their joy at how Halls handled the situation. At first, they were somewhat nervous trusting a tank who was aplete stranger to them, however, they never expected things to run so smoothly on their end. Even though it was somewhat disorganized and clumsy in the beginning, things started to naturally flow as Halls loosened up. In turn, this made the jobs of the clean-up DPS and the off-tank supporters much easier knowing that they had someone reliable. Halls was actually surprised and embarrassed by their praise, but he did not turn away their kindness. "Good work." Zi Yi said quietly to Halls. "Oh? Was that apliment I just heard from you?" Halls questioned in a joking manner with a grin on his face. "You¡¯re imagining things." Zi Yi scoffed as she returned to her original position. All of a sudden, a blurry shadow appeared before Niflheim. When this shadow fully materialized, it was in the shape of a humanoid figure, however, the shadow resembled dark mes and itcked any kind of facial features except a pair of piercing red eyes. Surprisingly, no one in the raid party was afraid or cautious of this shadow. That was because this shadow was a skill used by Abstract, the captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 5th squad. It was a part of his Death Stalker ss and worked perfectly for infiltration, rying information, or even distractions in the middle of a battle. "Have you found a way in?" Niflheim asked. "Yes, however, you¡¯re not going to like it." Abstract¡¯s shadow spoke in a slightly distorted tone. He then went on to exin the situation to Niflheim and by the time he finished, Niflheim had a troubled expression on his face. "I see... That exins why you used your Tethered Shadows instead of rying the message through the system. Do you know the location of the other four who went with you?" Niflheim questioned. "No, we got separated the moment we entered. Right now, it¡¯s only me and I Do Zero Quests who managed to stay together. As for the others - They all disappeared the instant we stepped inside. I have no way or means of contacting them and although I can send my Tethered Shadows out from its original location, I¡¯m unable to leave from this ce myself. Even my ability to swap ces with my shadows is of no use in this ce." Abstract exined. "Alright, just hold your current position for now and don¡¯t do anything foolish. But, if you can scout safely, then do so. Hopefully, the others aren¡¯t too hasty in their actions before we arrive and see what¡¯s going on. We¡¯re on our way." Niflheim said. "Understood. The duration of my Tethered Shadows is getting ready to expire. Stay safe-" Abstract¡¯s shadow disappeared and only left behind a brief ck mist before vanishing altogether. "Did something happen to Abstract and the others?" Asgard asked. "Yeah, their current situation isn¡¯t looking ideal. Perhaps it was a mistake to separate them from the main raid group." Niflheim sighed. There was a slight doubt that started to form in his mind about leading the raid party. This was not his first time leading a raid party as he had done so in other games, however, it was his first time doing so in RML. It was also the first time where the stakes were high and failure was not an option! Even though Niflheim hid it well, Asgard had known him long enough to understand his current thoughts. Asgard sat his hand on Niflheim¡¯s shoulder and spoke so that only Niflheim could hear his words, "I¡¯m ready to take charge whenever." Niflheim soon found that there was a slight smile on his face. Those words just now were not spoken out of spite by Asgard. Those were the exact same words Asgard told Niflheim the very first time he led arge scale raid for Blue Oasis in one of the games they used to ypetitively. He remembered being so nervous that he made countless mistakes that nearly led to the raid group being wiped out on numerous asions. It was after one of those moments Asgard said that phrase to him. It was to remind him that he was surrounded by capable individuals whom he could depend on, therefore, all he had to do was focus on the matter at hand and leave the rest to the capable individuals around him. "I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline your generous offer, guild leader." Niflheim responded. The previous doubt that had started to surface was quickly squashed before it could grow any further. "Then, I¡¯ll leave it in your capable hands, Captain Niflheim. After all, you are our amazing strategics expert." Asgard stated in a confident tone. After they finished speaking to one another, Niflheim informed everyone of Abstract and the others¡¯ current predicament. He also told them what they would have to do in order to reach that ce. Abstract and the five yers that apanied him located a narrow underwater stream near the core area of the outeryer. The underwater stream was not necessarily hidden, but it still took some searching to sessfully locate. In order to confirm that there was, in fact, a way into the core area of the outeryer, Abstract and the others entered to investigate. But, not too long after they stepped inside, Abstract found himself alone with I Do Zero Quests. When Abstract tried to exit the same way he entered, he found that it was no longer there! After traveling down the stream, they reached a strange underwater cavern. Fortunately, he had left a Tethered Shadows outside as a precaution, otherwise, he may have never been able to contact Niflheim and the rest of the raid group. Though the most troubling thing at the moment was that the way into the underwater stream was currently being blocked by the waves of Great Pce Sharks and Great Pce Seeker Fish. In other words, they would have to find a way to break through that crowd of monsters without suffering any losses. "How are we supposed to get through that mess?" Nidavellir questioned with a thoughtful expression. Since there were nine other whirlpools, if they assumed every whirlpool generated one Great Pce Shark and a dozen Great Pce Seeker Fish, this meant that there were 117 elite monsters with hardcore effects they had to fight! It would be impossible for them toe out of a battle like that unscathed. They would be fortunate just to make it out of something like that alive in one piece! The raid party grew silent as if everyone was pondering what the next course of action would be. Of course, the final decisionid with Niflheim who was ced inmand. They were still moving towards the location Abstract had given them and so they did not have much time to make a decision. "Is there no choice but to make a few sacrifices in order to proceed? But, to make sacrifices this early means that we¡¯ll stand no chance against what¡¯s toe... No, there has to be another way, but what is it?" Niflheim thought to himself. As Niflheim was absorbed in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a carefree voice sound out. "Can you leave it to me?" The carefree voice said. This, in turn, caused the members of the raid group to look towards the source of that voice. That carefree voice belonged to none other than Izroth! "You have a n?" Niflheim asked curiously. He was not the only one curious as to what Izroth had in mind. The other members of the raid party were interested to hear what he had to say. However, the next words that left Izroth¡¯s mouth caused them to almost cough up blood from shock. "I¡¯ll simply cut my way through." Izroth replied in a carefree tone. ¡¯If I do things this way, then I can take a look at that strange light I saw earlier without any worries.¡¯ Chapter 406 Confidence or Arrogance? He¡¯d simply cut his way through? What kind of nonsense was he speaking?! If it were just a handful of monsters, then perhaps it would have been somewhat conceivable. However, he wanted to "simply cut his way" through 100 hardcore elite raid monsters? What a joke! Even the strongest damage dealer in their raid group, Road, would not make such an arrogant statement. Not to mention, they were in a time-pressed situation. How could he make a ridiculous statement like that with a straight face while others were trying seriously toe up with a proper n? The core members of Blue Oasis were not oblivious to Izroth¡¯s known feats. After all, they had to know what kind of person they would be raiding with. But, those feats did note anywhere close to clearing a hardcore raid. At first, they had some respect for Izroth. He was the owner of the first yer based shop which had a good reputation. He took 1st ce in the Protectors of Amaharpe event, and he even defeated the first world boss, as well as, discovered and cleared the first dungeon in RML. Of course, none of them possessed knowledge about Izroth¡¯s participation in the second team selection. But, when all was said and done, they believed that he was allowed to have a certain level of confidence and arrogance with such impressive feats under his belt. But, their impression and respect level for Izroth had dropped after that statement. This was no time for jokes! Even Niflheim was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s statement as a frown appeared on his face. It was not that he underestimated Izroth¡¯s capabilities, however, saying that he could cut his way through those waves of monsters was a bit much. If it were anyone else that made that kind of suggestion, he would have not hesitated to reprimand them. But, he decided to give Izroth some face to stay on good terms. "It¡¯s not that I doubt your abilities - It¡¯s just that I¡¯m unable to send you into a situation where the odds are so highly stacked against you. As a guest of our Blue Oasis, how can I ask you to make such a sacrifice? I¡¯m sure we can make it through as long as we work together." Niflheim said in a calm and understanding tone. With these words, he would not be openly rejecting Izroth¡¯s idea in front of everyone, but instead, he was shifting the responsibility to Blue Oasis in a non-harmful manner. Izroth was not blind to Niflheim¡¯s intentions. Since this raid was being led by Blue Oasis, he decided to respect the decisions they made as long as certain lines were not crossed. Although no lines had been crossed, Izroth had no intention of giving up. He had a simple principle - As long as someone was respectful towards him, he would return the same sentiment. Given how respectful Niflheim was about his request, Izroth would not make it too difficult for him. "You¡¯ve misunderstood my intentions. I don¡¯t n on fighting them head-on. Since these sea creatures do not possess any crowd control abilities, I should have no trouble drawing the attention of those blocking our path towards me. You¡¯ve witnessed my speed firsthand so tell me - Do you still think the odds are stacked too high?" Izroth stated in a carefree manner. ¡¯This much should be fine.¡¯ "This..." Niflheim had a thoughtful expression on his face. Indeed, he had witnessed Izroth¡¯s speed before, however, that was back in Opal Town when he fought against the three yers who tried to frame him. But... Surely, his speed had not stagnated and instead continued to grow, right? If that was the case, then his current top speed should be even higher than some agility-type rogue sses. Not to mention, it would not make any sense for Izroth to foolishly throw his life away. In the end, Niflheim understood that Izroth was not the type to arrogantly brag to draw attention to himself. With this in mind, Niflheim started to see that maybe Izroth¡¯s idea was not as impossible as he previously believed it to be. Indeed, the Great Pce Shark and the Great Pce Seeker Fish did not have any crowd control skills. Therefore, as long as he moved around and none of the raid members intentionally attacked the sea creatures, then it was a feasible n! He knew that it would still be a dangerous task for Izroth, however, it could work! "Why are we even entertaining this nonsense when we should be thinking of a real n?! Are we going to put our fate into the hands of one yer who isn¡¯t even a member of our Blue Oasis?!" Minus questioned in an outraged tone. Some core members felt the same way, however, they did not openly express their displeasure since the conversation involved a captain of Blue Oasis. Therefore, only another captain could speak up in a situation like this. They were grateful that Minus said what was on their minds. "Captain Minus,st time I checked it was I, not you, who was givenmand over this raid. I will decide what is best for this raid group. You will do well to remember it." Niflheim said with authority present in his voice. Before Minus could even respond, Niflheim looked towards Izroth and continued, "Are you sure you can handle this task? I won¡¯t ask you to endanger yourself for our sake, but as themander of this raid, I cannot overlook the safety of the members present. Therefore, I¡¯ll ask again - Are you confident, Izroth?" Niflheim had a serious expression on his face as he asked that question. In the end, he was always the type to follow his instincts and judged individuals by their actions and demeanor. Right now, he felt that Izroth was not speaking out of arrogance. Since his instincts had never betrayed him, why should he choose now to ignore them? Also, he had to admit that even he was curious as to what skills and tricks Izroth had up his sleeves. Niflheim saw that while Izroth¡¯s current damage output was not bad, it was not particrly amazing either. He knew the restrictions thatbat masters faced and to be quite honest, even he was on the edge about cing Izroth on the main damage dealers list. After all, even if he had one or two powerful damaging skills, it could notpare to that of a normal ss who could deal a consistent level of damage. But, Niflheim believed that Izroth was an exception to otherbat masters. After all, how manybat masters were there in the game that had reached past level 40? If he had to guess, it was probably less than the number of fingers on his hand! There were millions upon millions of yers within RML, therefore, such a small number was astronomically low. "I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware that actions speak louder than any words," Izroth said as he held up one finger. He then continued, "I can give you one minute. I¡¯ll attract their attention towards me and draw them away from the entrance. In exactly one minute after I take my leave, the raid group should have already made its move and entered into the underwater stream. After everyone has sessfully entered, I also will make my way into the underwater stream." After pondering it over for a few seconds, Niflheim nodded and faced the raid group as he stated, "Alright, we¡¯ll go with this n. Everyone, be sure not tog behind once the path is cleared. Even if the sea creatures have their attention pulled away, there¡¯s no guarantee that more whirlpools won¡¯t form. On my signal, we¡¯ll move out!" Niflheim then turned his attention to Izroth and said, "We¡¯re ready when you are." Izroth gave a small nod in return. He did not waste another word as he took off in the direction of the wave of monsters that was quickly closing in on the raid group¡¯s position. After Izroth left, Asgard approached Niflheim and asked, "Should we send a few people to support him?" Niflheim shook his head and replied, "There¡¯s no need to increase the amount of risk and exposure to danger. I¡¯ve already taken enough chances and we¡¯re still down six yers - Well, seven now that he has gone to draw their attention. We can¡¯t afford to split off any additional yers as our overall power has already been cut by nearly 30%. After we enter the underwater stream, we¡¯ll have to tread carefully. Besides..." Niflheim nced over at and observed every one of the yers who came along with Izroth. There was no hint of concern on their faces. They did not even attempt to talk Izroth out of doing something so reckless. Was it that they were so confident in him that there was no need for concern? Or, did they simply not care what happened to theirrade? "Only time will tell, I suppose." Niflheim thought to himself as he looked on as Izroth swam off into the distance. ... ¡¯I¡¯ll deal with the strange lightter. First, I¡¯ll have to attract the attention of the sea creatures.¡¯ Izroth did not have any skills simr to Taunting Aura that could secure aggro on the sea creatures, therefore, he had to use a rough method. ¡¯The monsters are too spread out... Even if I were to use Essence to increase the range of my skills, neither Great Storm nor Behemoth¡¯s Quake will be enough topletely cover the distance. In that case, let¡¯s do it this way...¡¯ Izroth quickly arrived within the attack range of a Great Pce Shark and the dozen Great Pce Seeker Fish who apanied it. The Great Pce Shark opened its maws as it swam rapidly at Izroth wanting to devour him whole in one bite! Izroth had witnessed the damage of the Great Pce Shark against a tank such as Niflheim. Even after blocking, the damage was at least 10,000! Izroth understood that if he was too careless, one good shot or two hits would be enough topletely erase his HP. Of course, Izroth had no intention of letting this happen. Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as storm clouds suddenly appeared above him where the sky would be if the outeryer was not currently submerged in water. Crrrrrckle...! Bzzzzzzzt! These storm clouds had sparks of purple lightning dancing within them and released a faint crackling and humming noise. ¡¯Call of the Thunder God... First State: Heavenly Descent.¡¯ BOOOOOM! The resounding sound of a thunderp rang throughout the surroundings as two bolts of purple lightning struck down at Izroth¡¯s exact location. When the raid group saw this in the distance, they became highly alert. What was that bizarre purple lightning that appeared out of nowhere? Could it be another attack simr to the tidal wave from earlier? However, everyone remained leveled-headed in wake of this frightening lightning. In the end, they were still core members of a top guild and would not let panic overtake them so easily. After seeing through the system interface that Izroth¡¯s HP remained untouched, they believed that the purple lightning must have been his doing. This is what separated top guilds like Blue Oasis from the averagerge guilds who were highly disorganized. After the purple lightning dissipated and the storm clouds settled, there was a figure that remained in that spot where the purple lightning struck. This figure currently had two swords in his hands that were formed from pure purple lightning. The amount of energy being released by the two swords was both terrifying and domineering. The same question popped into every member of the raid party¡¯s head at that moment - Just what kind of skill was that? Even Luna, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine were surprised by the purple lightning. After all, it was their first time seeing Izroth use Call of the Thunder God. Valentine secretly sighed as he shook his head inwardly and a helpless smile appeared on his face. He remembered his fight against Izroth back at Kryxelsia¡¯s estate. He already knew that Izroth was holding back, however, he never understood just how much so. A part of him wondered if Izroth had already acquired this skill back then during their fight. Everyone seemed to be in a light daze after witnessing that purple lightning, however, they were snapped out of it when Niflheim¡¯s voice sounded. "We¡¯re going! Stay close!" Niflheim ordered as he and the raid party made their move. Chapter 407 Practically Free! Woosh! Izroth swept the purple des generated by his Heavenly Descent out towards the charging Great Pce Shark. When he swung his Sword of The Storm, it released a strong sword intent that resembled that of an ocean wave crashing down on the shore. At the same time, there was a hint of purple lightning that resided in the sword intent targeted at the Great Pce Shark at the head of the sword. Crrrrrckle...! -5,563 Izroth used the Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides, however, it did not stop there as the effect of his Heavenly Descent, Lightning Chain, was activated. This caused a bolt of purple lightning to jump from the Great Pce Shark to one of the nearby Great Pce Seeker Fish. Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt! -5007 -4,450 -3,115 ... -1,669 The lightning continued to jump from one target to the next without pause. As long as the next target was within 15 meters, the purple lightning would immediatelysh out towards them. However, the damage of each lightning bolt weakened with every strike until it reached 30% of its original damage. The moment Izroth made his move, Niflheim and Halls led the raiding party on the path that was being cleared out by Izroth as he drew the focus of the sea creatures onto himself. ¡¯Good, they¡¯re moving.¡¯ Izroth nced over to see that the raid party had started to move in the direction that was nned. His main goal was not topletely wipe out the sea creatures present but to make sure their attention was on him. After all, if he made a mistake and wiped out all the Great Pce Seeker Fish in one go as the raid party was moving through, it may potentially cause dozens upon dozens of explosions to take ce. He did not forget that the Great Pce Seeker Fish possessed the explosion hardcore effect. While having one or two explode at once would not pose any major threat - The same could not be said if a huge number of Great Pce Seeker Fish exploded simultaneously. Besides, Izroth understood that if he cleared out the Great Pce Seeker Fish before the raid party moved, he would not have any reason to stay behind and observe that mysterious light he saw earlier. Plus, there was one more reason as to why he chose this specific course of action... Since Izroth had to wait until the raid party reached safety, he chose to take on a more defensive approach after aggroing almost every single sea creature thanks to his Lightning Chain. But, even for someone with his speed and reaction time, it was no easy task evading the waves of monsters that attacked him from every direction. Of course, this only applied when he was not using a movement skill such as Flickering Steps. Though Izroth was not worried about being surrounded any time soon. Thanks to his Light Feather Footwork, as long as he remained in constant motion, his movement speed would continue to increase. CHOMP! One of the Great Pce Sharks attempted to devoured Izroth while he was being attacked by four Great Pce Seeker Fish at different angles. When the raid group saw Izroth¡¯s path of retreat cut off, they felt that he had been too overconfident in his own abilities. If only he was patient enough to wait for Niflheim toe up with a proper n, then perhaps he would not have been eliminated so early in the raid. The core members of Blue Oasis could only shake their heads in disappointment. "I thought he was going to do something amazing with that lightning - I guess I was wrong." One of the core members muttered. "Even our Captain Abstract wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from that many enemies at once. It¡¯s over for him..." Another core membermented. Niflheim furrowed his brows when he witnessed Izroth¡¯s unfavorable position. Should he try to lend a hand by redirecting the raid group? No, that would make him unfit to be a raidmander. He had to put the needs of many above the needs of one. All he could do was hope that Izroth was able to make it out in one piece. A slight frown appeared on Luna¡¯s face, however, just as she was about to move off from the raid group, she felt someone lightly gripping the side of her cleric robe. She turned and saw that it was surprisingly Zi Yi who stopped her. "I had a feeling you¡¯d try to do something reckless." Zi Yi sighed as she gave a helpless smile and shook her head. To be honest, Zi Yi suspected that Guan Yu or Halls would be the first to charge over, however, she found that the two of them did not even bother looking over in that direction. It was as if they had total confidence in Izroth and focused entirely on their own matters. When Zi Yi observed this, she felt that perhaps she was the one who had been too hasty in her judgment and underestimated the self-control of those two. But, on her way back to her original position, she noticed Luna¡¯s actions and decided to stop near her. Zi Yi released her light grip on Luna¡¯s cleric robes and asked, "What do you intend to do?" Luna remained silent in response to that question. Indeed, what did she intend to do? Rescue Izroth? Did someone like him even need rescuing? Was she acting too arrogant thinking that she could save him from a situation that even he was unable to handle? No, it was not that shecked confidence in Izroth¡¯s abilities. Luna knew him well enough to understood that those sea creatures were not enough to stop or defeat him. But, even though she knew and understood this, her body still moved on its own. "Do you believe that man doesn¡¯t have a n? Let me tell you, that guy has no intention of bing a noble sacrifice for the sake of Blue Oasis." Zi Yi stated. Zi Yi felt that Izroth was up to something, otherwise, he would not have volunteered so freely to draw the attention of the sea creatures. "You¡¯re correct. I was too hasty. Thank you, Zi Yi." Luna replied. It only took her a brief period of time to sort things out and realize that Zi Yi was right to stop her. Zi Yi gave a small nod as she said, "Let¡¯s speed up. We don¡¯t want to fall behind the others." Luna took onest look at the mass of monsters that hadpletely obstructed any view of Izroth due to their sheer number. "Stay safe..." Luna said quietly to herself as she, along with Zi Yi, picked up their pace. A few momentster, the raid group arrived at the entrance into the underwater stream, however, there were still no signs of Izroth anywhere to be found. Niflheim inwardly sighed as he stated, "Everyone, we may be separated after we enter. Remember not to take any unnecessary risks. Try your best to find a way out as quickly as possible. Let¡¯s go." Niflheim was the first to enter and was soon followed by the others. As for Halls, he would be thest to enter just in case any stray monsters arrived as they were headed inside. One by one the members of the raid group made their way into the underwater stream. Now, the only yer who had yet to enter was Izroth himself. ... Meanwhile, at the heart of the Great Sea Pce inneryer... There was a room in the inneryer of the Great Sea Pce Raid. The room itself was incredibly grand and looked as if it were a ce where gatherings were usually held. At the center of the room was a giant m with its shell closed. However, there was strange energy leaking out of the enclosed shell that gave off an eerie feeling. Though besides the giant m located at the center of the room, there were no other signs of life present. On a table made of beautiful rainbow-colored marble were a total of 14 aqua-colored orbs, however, only 4 out of 14 of the orbs were lit up with a gentle glowing light that was each its own unique color. It was silent inside the room until a distorted voice came from one of the glowing orbs. "The oversiders have already managed to bypass the firstyer of the Great Sea Barrier and entered into the Sprite Dwellings. They are moving faster than we anticipated." An almost distorted voice sounded from one of the orbs with a faint green glow around it. "Temp and Ord¡¯s defeat are understandable, but - How did they ovee the Relic Guardians and break through the Great Sea Barrier this fast? Also, to survive Ooudamu¡¯s Great Tidal Wave... What are they doing letting oversiders enter the core of the outeryer?" This time, the voice came from the orb with a silver glow. "It matters not. They may have been able to resist Ooudamu¡¯s Great Tidal Wave, but it is not necessarily a good thing for them. Do not forget the ce they have trespassed in to." A voice rung out from an orb with a red glow. The voices from the orbs fell silent at that remark. Indeed, they were practically forfeiting their own lives by daring to set foot in the Sprite Dwellings! "The others are still in their Torpor state, therefore, in the meantime, it¡¯s up to the four of us to safeguard the Great Sea Pce. Since Ooudamu has not contacted us, the matter is not out of their control. So, for now, we¡¯ll leave these oversiders to Ooudamu - Agreed?" The voice from the red orb stated. "Agreed." The voices from the green and silver orbs responded after a brief pause. As for the fourth orb... It remained quiet throughout the entire exchange as it released a faint aqua glow. It was the orb that belonged to Ooudamu. ... ¡¯Good, they¡¯re all inside.¡¯ Izroth executed the active skill to Light Feather Footwork and gained a brief but massive boost in movement speed. He used this small window of time to weave and slip through the countless monsters that surrounded him and escaped from the encirclement. ¡¯I don¡¯t have much time remaining on my Heavenly Descent. I should end this quickly.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze over the wave of sea creatures that did not waste any time charging his way. Since he was the only yer left to attack, needless to say, he was now the main focus of every single sea creature in his vicinity. All of a sudden, Izroth¡¯s silhouette began to flicker as it soon turned into a blur. At the same time, an overbearing aura was released from Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm as he appeared before one of the Great Pce Seeker Fish. The sea creature did not have any time to react as its HP instantly dropped to zero. -21,670 The Great Pce Seeker Fish exploded after its HP was depleted, however, Izroth had already moved out of the explosion range. He also received a few alerts from the system which caused a carefree smile to form on his face. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Great Pce Seeker Fish!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 87,060 EXP!¡µ What was the other reason Izroth wanted to do this alone? The experience points! With a full raid group, each Great Pce Seeker Fish only granted somewhere between 2,700 to 3,600 shared experience depending on how much one contributed towards its defeat. In other words, it was always divided among the raid group as a whole. However - What would happen if the entire raid group disappeared out of experience range? What if there was only one yer there to receive it? The answer was obvious. Izroth gained 87,000 EXP from defeating just one Great Pce Seeker Fish! 87,000 EXP! It was even more than usual due to the fact that it was also a hardcore raid. Although it seemed simple, it was no easy task. After all, how many monsters could a yer hope to kill while being assaulted from every angle? They¡¯d be lucky just to take one or two down with them! In the end, it was not worth the danger. However, Izroth was no ordinary yer. There was just a bit over 100 Great Pce Seeker Fish in total. The amount of experience he could reap from this was astronomical! Using a rough estimate, not including the Great Pce Sharks, Izroth calcted the amount he could gain to be somewhere close to 9,000,000 EXP! That may just be enough for him to reach level 49, or maybe even 50 in one go! If Blue Oasis wished to believe that he was sacrificing himself just so they could seed in the raid, they were simply daydreaming. Izroth was not a saint by any means and he would not allow such a grand opportunity to slip through his fingers. Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction¡¯s cooldown timer reset after eliminating the first Great Pce Seeker Fish. The Lightning Chain skill was also activated and caused devastating damage throughout the school of fish. Izroth¡¯s silhouette flickered throughout the gathering of sea creatures and with every swing of his sword - Death soon followed. ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 87,060 EXP!¡µ ... ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 47!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 87,060 EXP!¡µ ... ¡´System Alert: You have leveled up to level 48!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 87,060 EXP!¡µ ... Using Flickering Steps, Lightning Chain and First Baneful Sword: Destruction, Izroth decimated the poption of the sea creatures in just a few breaths of time. As for the experience points he gained... They were practically free! Chapter 408 The Mysterious Light and Teardrop Necklace It did not take long for Izroth topletely wipe out the Great Pce Seeker Fish. By the time he was finished, he had leveled up twice. This meant that within just a few moments, Izroth¡¯s level had jumped from 46 up to 48! Though Izroth was somewhat disappointed that he only managed to level up twice. Unfortunately, he had underestimated just how massive the jump in experience points needed to level up was in thete 40s. To put it into perspective, Izroth required approximately 2,900,000 experience points to advance from level 46 to level 47. However, for him to move from level 47 to level 48, he required a massive 4,600,000 experience points! But, this was nothingpared to the amount of experience points level 49 demanded of him. If Izroth wanted to increase his level to 49, he would have to obtain a bit more than 8,000,000 experience points! Even after wiping out the Great Pce Seeker Fish, Izroth gained somewhere around 9,000,000 EXP. This was far from enough for him to reach level 49 - Yet alone level 50. Izroth, however, did not find this to necessarily be a bad thing. After all, the harder something was to obtain, the greater the benefits that would follow. Since level 50 was a huge milestone for yers, surely it was not without perks. As for the Great Pce Sharks, they refused to fall as easily as the inferior Great Pce Seeker Fish and continued to endure Izroth¡¯s unrelenting onught. This caused Izroth to inwardly frown as he realized his attacks against the Great Pce Sharks were ineffective. ¡¯As I thought, it must be the work of the hardcore effect virulent, however-¡¯ Izroth found that even his armor-piercing skill Fissuring Point didughable damage whenpared to the 100,000 HP stat of the Great Pce Sharks. Therefore, he immediately ruled out any skills that increased the sea creatures¡¯ defensive capabilities. While there exist some skills capable of reducing damage and did not count as a "defensive stat", there was nothing in the battle logs that indicated the Great Pce Sharks were using anything of the sorts. This made Izroth instantly turn his focus back onto the virulent hardcore effect. ¡¯I¡¯ve already seen through this cheap trick.¡¯ Izroth had a roughlyplete understanding of virulent after Guan Yu attacked the first Great Pce Shark they ran into and administered the finishing blow. However, he needed to confirm a few suspicions before rushing to any conclusions. In the end, Izroth finally managed to piece things together. Originally, Izroth figured that one had a time limit to defeat anything with the virulent effect before it became virtually impossible to do so, but he soon found out that this was not the case. To test this theory, Izroth used three different methods. The first was that he attacked a single Great Pce Shark multiple times as fast as possible. The result this produced was his damage rapidly decreasing below 500 points per hit. When it came to the other two methods, Izroth used an attack pattern that was more spaced out. It was not until he performed this action that he sessfully gained a core understanding of the virulent effect. In simple terms, the hardcore effect virulent resembled a virus - In a certain manner of speaking. What caught Izroth¡¯s attention was that his damage did not randomly drop to miniscule amounts, but instead, it was more of a decaying process. This meant that as the battle went on his overall damage fell. But, he discovered a way around this major inconvenience and the key, in his particr situation, was patience. Two Great Pce Sharks opened their jaws as a sphere of pressurized water epassed in mana converged before them. These water spheres were the size of arge boulder and in less than a single breath, the two spheres traveled forward at great speeds with Izroth being the intended target. Boom! Boom! Each sphere of water released a small explosive noise as it moved which demonstrated its raw power. However, the speed of the two water spheres could notpare to that of Izroth with his Flickering Steps active. Izroth¡¯s figure flickered as he effortlessly evaded the iing assault. However, he was no longer as aggressive as before with attacks. Instead, Izroth shifted his ystyle to a more passive tone and avoided attacking altogether. If one of the Blue Oasis members were to see him now, they would scoff at his actions and view it as nothing but a waste of time. But, it was not as if Izroth suddenly decided to take an unproductive approach. Not too long after Izroth evaded the water spheres, his Flickering Steps went on cooldown. Izroth also removed his Sword of The Storm from its sheath as his Call of the Thunder God Heavenly Descent had run out of time. If this had been a normal raid, then all of the Great Pce Sharks would have been turned to particles a long time ago with just his Heavenly Descent Chained Lightning effect alone. This demonstrated one of the reasons why such arge gap exists between a normal raid and a hardcore raid. Although Izroth still possessed the movement speed buff from his Light Feather Footwork, he had to be cautious when facing the nine Great Pce Sharks as one or two hits were enough to incapacitate him - Even with his current level of HP. 3 seconds... 7 seconds... 10 seconds... Izroth did notunch a single strike within thest ten seconds at any of the Great Pce Sharks as he concentrated solely on evading their attacks. ¡¯This should be good enough.¡¯ All of a sudden, Izroth halted his movement. As if detecting an opening, four of the Great Pce Sharks dived towards Izroth. Just as the first Great Pce Shark was about to m itsrge body headfirst into Izroth, a brief sh of light could be seen sliding past the sea creatures¡¯ head. Woosh...! Crrrrrrckle... BOOM! -12,038 The sh of light was soon followed by the pping sound of thunder and a powerful explosion. This was the work of Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. ¡¯So it¡¯s like this... How simplistic. But, it¡¯s probably due to its simplicity that one may easily overlook the smaller details.¡¯ Just as Izroth had nned, his damage had once again returned to its normal amount against the Great Pce Sharks thanks to the third method - patience. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Great Pce Shark!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 652,950 EXP!¡µ The virulent effect was a huge headache - if one did not know how to properlybat it. If a yer attacked a monster with the virulent effect, then as more yers began to attack it, they would all be affected by the same damage debuff. It was the reason why Izroth and the members of Blue Oasis found their damage decreased to such a pitiful state earlier against the Great Pce Shark. However, why was it that Guan Yu was unaffected by the same damage debuff? He had not been affected by the "virus" of the virulent effect. This was why the damage he produced was on a normal level. In the end, Izroth discovered two ways to ovee the virulent effect. The first was through natural decay, which was the method he used. As long as one did not attack the monster who produced the ¡¯virus¡¯ for a certain amount of time, then the damage debuff would naturally wear off. However, this method was mostly for small parties or yers who were fighting alone. An easier way, Izroth believed, was simply for the damage dealers to rotate in and out of the fight against the monster who possessed virulent. That way, the stream of damage would never cease and the effect of virulent would be minimal to nonexistent! But, figuring this information out should have taken yers countless fights and maybe even multiple hardcore raid runs. Even then, there was no guarantee that they would have smoothed out all the details. Yet, it had not even been a handful of minutes since Izroth knew the virulent effect existed! ... After finding a way to deal with the virulent effect, it was not long until Izroth finished off the rest of the Great Pce Sea Sharks. In total, he earned 5,876,550 EXP from eliminating all nine Great Pce Sea Sharks. Though this was still not enough for him to reach level 49, it put him infinitely closer to it. Once thest sea creature perished, the whirlpools that acted as gateways had vanished. However, the mysterious light Izroth saw making its way through the various whirlpools earlier appeared to be now wandering about aimlessly. Izroth swiftly collected the loot dropped by the Great Pce Sharks. As for the Great Pce Seeker Fish, they failed to drop any loot. This was most likely because the system considered them to be adds that apanied the Great Pce Sharks. Izroth did not bother checking the loot he picked up as he immediately made his way to the mysterious light after he finished. The closer Izroth moved to the mysterious light, the more it felt as if it were calling to him. When he arrived within range of the mysterious light, it seemed as though it was about to extinguish at any given moment. ¡¯No, it¡¯s not me it¡¯s calling to.¡¯ Izroth reached out his hand and the moment his fingertips made contact with the mysterious light, an object shot out from his body. It was a small m. The same m that he acquired back in the dungeon Sea Pce Graveyard after he defeated the boss monster Vicious Barbados. The Memento m opened its shell as the mysterious light was sucked in. At the same time, a light encircled Izroth and took the form of a transparent magic screen. ¡¯It¡¯s just like the time in the Sea Pce Graveyard. Is it trying to show me something?¡¯ The images were still too scattered and fragmented to form a clear picture, however, just likest time, it showed the image of a man and a woman. The woman was holding something wrapped in cloth - This was as much as Izroth could make outst time. But, this time Izroth could see a ne peeking out from the side of the wrapped cloth. The ne was in the shape of a curved teardrop and embodied every color on the spectrum within it. The image constantly looped for five seconds before the transparent screen disappeared and the Memento m returned to his inventory. As it did so, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: 2/10 Collect the remaining scattered memory fragments of the ?Memento m?.¡µ ¡¯Without a doubt, this ce is rted to the Memento m. Are there more fragments in this ce? What is it trying to show me?¡¯ Izroth had many questions, however, he understood that there was no use thinking about it too much without additional information. Izroth turned his attention to where the raid party had entered into the underwater stream. ¡¯Since there¡¯s nothing left for me here, I should catch up with the others.¡¯ Izroth scanned his surroundings once more and after finding that nothing was out of ce, he swiftly moved towards the narrow entryway. Then, without hesitation, Izroth swam directly into the underwater stream. ... After being carried away by the stream, Izroth exited from a small pond and arrived in a garden. However, it was not like those gardens onnd. Instead, it was filled with arge variety of underwater nts and small harmless sea creatures. The ground and walls were made out of aqua-colored crystals. There were also numerous crystals growing in various ces within the surrounding area. However, Izroth did not see any of the raid party members around. He tried to use his Energy Vision Sense, however, there was a bizarre energy being emitted from the crystals that interfered with it. ¡¯These crystals are even capable of blocking my Energy Vision Sense... Indeed, this ce is not normal.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have entered ?Sprite Dwellings?.¡µ Chapter 409 Phantasmagoria Clink! Clink! Bang! ¡¯Hm? This sound... Is someone fighting? But, this is...¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when the mor entered his ears. There was something off about the sound that was being generated. However, Izroth was confident that the source of the sounds originated from a yer. ¡¯This ce is unusual. Although I¡¯m unable to examine it more in-depth with my Energy Vision Sense, I can still vaguely feel it. There¡¯s an overwhelming presence spread throughout the entire atmosphere.¡¯ While it was brief, Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense left him with a few hints as to what lurked within this Sprite Dwellings. Not to mention, he found it strange how the system had yet to send an alert announcing thepletion of the "Survive" objective of the raid phase. Therefore, Izroth believed this insinuated a present danger inside of the Sprite Dwellings. ¡¯Since these crystals are interfering, I suppose I¡¯ll just have to rely on my own two eyes to see what lies ahead.¡¯ From the sounds alone, Izroth concluded that it was not Halls and the others, but instead, one of the core yers from Blue Oasis who was on the attack. In the end, even some of the most seasoned yers would struggle alone in a fight against an elite hardcore raid monster. Izroth wasted no time as he followed the sound to its source which led him deeper into the Sprite Dwellings. He traveled down a broad pathway and soon arrived in a spacious area that branched off into six different directions with narrow pathways. But, just as Izroth approached the intersection of the pathways, he suddenly halted his steps. A sweet smell that mimicked that of a lc drifted by his nose. Not too long after, Izroth received a message from the system. ?Resisted? ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has resisted the ?Phantasmagoria?.¡µ Izroth quickly pieced everything together after he received the system alert. ¡¯That would certainly exin it...¡¯ Between the sweet smell, the bizarre sound of a battle that seemed off, and the system alert... Izroth¡¯s thoughts shifted to one word - Poison. As for it being an illusion type skill, Izroth ruled this out since there were no signs of a willpower check. Even if he resisted the Phantasmagoria, there should have been an alert regarding his undergoing a willpower check. However, due to the Poison Resistance II passive attached to his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth was immune to various forms of poisons. While he was not immune to all forms of poisons, fortunately, it appeared that the Phantasmagoria he resisted was not inherently lethal. In other words, it was a poison created to immobilize and deter an individual - Not kill them. But, Izroth did not let his guard down because of this as he remained on high alert. A few moments after Izroth approached the intersection and sessfully resisted the Phantasmagoria, the six paths that were originally formed had merged into a single pathway. Izroth followed the path that appeared as the sound of fighting echoed from the opening up ahead. However, when Izroth stepped into the opening, he narrowed his eyes at the sight before him. ¡¯It¡¯s just as I thought. Is this the work of the Phantasmagoria?¡¯ The first thing that Izroth saw when he stepped into the spacious room was a person. It was one of the core members of Blue Oasis with the yer name Sacred de. He was not the talkative type and he always behaved in a professional manner that suited his status as a core member of a top guild such as Blue Oasis. Also, he happened to be the only other member of Blue Oasis that originally caught Izroth¡¯s attention along with the Captain of the 1st Squad Road. Although he was assigned to the clean-up DPS, Izroth believed that Sacred de was not any less skilled than the other captains of Blue Oasis. In fact, if his suspicions were correct, Izroth believed that among the Blue Oasis members, perhaps only Road was Sacred de¡¯s match! But, there appeared to be a strange rtionship between Sacred de and the other core members of Blue Oasis. As for what reason this may be, Izroth had no clue nor did he n on digging any deeper. In the end, it was only enough to catch Izroth¡¯s attention for an instant. At the moment, Sacred de was swinging his de in a fearsome manner. The de itself was so thin that it could bepared to the wings of a cicada. It struck from strange and unpredictable angles, as well as, curved in unnatural ways. But, the most bizarre thing was that everything connected so smoothly that it almost seemed as if a single de stroke produced a myriad of inconstant variations. ¡¯Interesting.¡¯ Sacred de¡¯s Mystic demaster ss focused on a fastbination of de strikes with forms that constantly changed and shifted to stay unpredictable. It was also designed to face off against multiple enemies at once. Without his Flickering Steps or Heavenly Cloak active, Izroth gathered that even he could not afford to take those attacks too lightly. While the de in Sacred de¡¯s hand struck out with vicious attacks after vicious attacks, there was just one problem - He was attacking thin air! The reason the noise of a battle taking ce sounded so off to Izroth was that only one person was fighting and attacking. "This thing still refuses to die even after being struck down so many times...!" Sacred de said to himself as he pressed on with his attack. In Sacred de¡¯s eyes, he was fighting a monster made out of aqua-colored crystals with glowing red eyes. It was shaped like a humanoid, except itcked any major distinct facial features. With one swing of his de, Sacred de shattered the body of the crystalized creature as it crumbled into countless pieces. However, in the blink of an eye, the shattered crystals merged back together and regenerated the body of the creature! This process had been going on ever since Sacred de first reached the strange intersection with six directions. It was there that he was separated from the others who were brought to this ce along with him. He could not help but wonder if they, too, were in a situation simr to his own. "I have to end this quickly and regroup with the others. Staying alone too long in a hardcore raid is extremely dangerous. I have to find a way to defeat this thing. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s invincible." Sacred de said as he pressed on with his onught. However, Sacred de was unaware that someone was watching him. Indeed, this was precisely due to the effects of the Phantasmagoria. In the eyes of Izroth, Sacred de was simply muttering to himself and striking with his de at nothing. One would think he was doing some kind of intense image training if they saw him. Izroth tried calling out further test Sacred de¡¯s awareness, but he was simply ignored. ¡¯Since it¡¯s a form of poison, then there has to be an antidote. Given that it¡¯s impossible to avoid for those without a strong resistance to poison, there has to be an antidote located somewhere nearby.¡¯ Izroth did not let the fact that this was a raid slip away from his mind. Precisely because it was a raid, he was confident that there had to be a way for the raid participates to cure themselves or other party members of the Phantasmagoria. ¡¯Though I suppose I should take care of that matter first...¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gaze locked onto an empty location located around 10 meters away from him. "How long do you n on hiding? You should have already discovered that I¡¯m not affected by this poison." Izroth stated, however, he was met with silence. Izroth¡¯s question was not directed towards Sacred de, who was quite openly affected by the Phantasmagoria, but rather, to a presence that had been observing him ever since he stepped into the current area. Even if his Energy Vision Sense was not functioning correctly, Izroth still possessed his heightened senses. Although a stealth-type skill appeared to be in use, he could still hear the slight movements being made, as well as, see the visible disruption and impressions left upon the natural environment. ¡¯The impressions left on the ground match that of a yer. Are they also affected by the Phantasmagoria?¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he pondered that question. In the end, he did not have enough information about what the Phantasmagoria was capable of. Therefore, he could only specte as to what effects it may truly possess. But, there was a part of Izroth - A gut feeling, that told him that this person was not affected by the Phantasmagoria. Could it be that they also acquired a poison resistance skill? Whatever the method was that they used to ovee the Phantasmagoria, it was clear that there was a high level of caution present in their actions. As to why they had yet to reveal themselves... Izroth could think of a few reasons for this. The most obvious reason being that the yer in hiding was unsure if Izroth was affected by the Phantasmagoria in the same way as Sacred de. But, was that alone enough to stay hidden? After all, even if Sacred de attacked them by some chance, they were both in the same raid party. This meant that they would be unaffected by the attack. At least, that¡¯s the way it should normally be. Izroth knew that it was not impossible for those in the same party to harm one another. During his time in the Tomb of Nekrostalmenos when Zi Yi was temporarily controlled by one of the boss monster skills, her attacks were perfectly capable of dealing damage to others within the party. Izroth opened up his system interface and went to the raid party menu. He noticed that all the names were grayed out - All except for six, including himself. Unfortunately, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Valentine, and Guan Yu¡¯s names were all grayed out. Though Izroth believed that they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. ¡¯These five are...¡¯ Izroth quickly nced over the names of the other five yers whose names were not grayed out. Among them, of course, was Sacred de who was in the same room as Izroth. The other names listed were Emberheart, False Summit, Ace of Saint, and Vanaheim. Out of every name listed, Izroth was only somewhat familiar with Vanaheim who was the captain of the 3rd squad. Vanaheim ranked the highest out of the Blue Oasis members present, therefore, the right tomand should have naturally fallen on her shoulders when they were separated from the others. As for the other yers - Izroth had little or absolute zero interaction with any of them. ¡¯Things must have gotten too out of hand after everyone was affected by the Phantasmagoria. It¡¯ll be too dangerous if everyone stays separated for too long in a ce like this. We¡¯ll have to find a way to contact and meet up with the others.¡¯ Izroth assumed the other raid members were in a simr situation to their own. If it was not dealt with properly, then this raid could be over before they even finished the second phase! If that happened, the members of Blue Oasis would only be able to hold their heads down in shame at their own failure. Before closing out his system interface, Izroth tried to ess the messaging system, however, it was currently grayed out and unavable. Though he expected as much since Abstract had already ryed this information to them via his Tethered Shadows. Izroth swiftly swept the room with his gaze. Almost immediately after doing so, he noticed something off about a particr area of the room. It was the only area where the crystals that blocked his Energy Vision Sense did not grow! In that same area was also a yellowish moss. Just as Izroth was making his observations, he abruptly felt a strong killing intent focus towards him. It wasing from Sacred de! "It doesn¡¯t matter how many of you appear." Sacred de said as mystical energy surged from the de in his hands. He was now looking right at Izroth! Chapter 410 Corporeal Lucidity Moss Swoosh! Sacred de swung the de in his hand out before him in a perfect arc as a violet color wave of mystical energy rushed out towards Izroth. Skeeeeeech! The energy wave emitted a high pitched frequency noise that made one want to instinctively cover their ears. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense caused rm bells to go off in his head. This meant that the attack headed towards him was capable of causing him actual harm! ¡¯It seems my previous theory was correct. Even though we¡¯re in the same raid party, the Phantasmagoria must have me registered as his enemy.¡¯ Just as Sacred de¡¯s attack was about to collide with Izroth, his entire figure disappeared. Woosh! The violet energy continued forward and mmed into the crystals on the wall. But, instead of the crystals being shattered from the force of the attack and causing a small contained explosion, everything turned silent. The high pitched noise vanished and the violet energy wave could no longer be seen. As for the crystals that were struck by Sacred de¡¯s attack, they briefly lit up before bing dim once more. Sacred de was startled and immediately went on high alert after seeing that the creature before him had disappeared. In his eyes, Izroth was a shadowy humanoid figure with piercing red eyes that released a terrifying dark energy. Sacred de did not believe that one strike was enough to eliminate such a creature. Besides, his attack felt as if it failed to connect to anything just now. What was even more bizarre were the crystals on the walls that appeared to have just canceled out the energy behind his Flowing Mystic Wave skill. ¡¯For now, I¡¯ll limit his movement.¡¯ Izroth used his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to avoid the Flowing Mystic Wave before it could hit him. He then arrived behind Sacred de taking advantage of his blind spot to strike. Izroth held his hand forward as a strong invisible force suddenly descended upon Sacred de. Oooooooom...! Crrrrrrck! The invisible force caused cracks to form on the ground beneath Sacred de¡¯s feet as he struggled with the simple task of standing up straight! "What kind of skill is this?" Sacred de said to himself as he did not hesitate to use his skill Breaking Chains. This skill allowed him to break free of all crowd control effects and temporarily granted him a huge boost to his resistance against all iing crowd control effects for a few seconds. It was a skill that couldpletely alter the course of a battle! But, just as Sacred de was about to retaliate, he realized that his Breaking Chains skill was ineffective! No matter how much he struggled, it was as if gravity itself was working against him. Why didn¡¯t it work? Breaking Chains was supposed to clear all crowd control effects from the user and yet he was still under the influence of that strange creature¡¯s skill. Could it be that he was facing one of those rare encounter mobs that only appeared once every blue moon in certain dungeons and raids? While Sacred de was struggling to break free and regain his movement, Izroth wasted no time as his figure disappeared before reappearing in the area of the room without crystals. ¡¯I¡¯m currentlycking proper containment skills. There¡¯s the Lightning Cage on my Sword of the Storm, but it requires too much preparation. I¡¯ll have to make do with using Concealed Heavy Wounds. It can only hold him for a few seconds, however, that¡¯s all the time I¡¯ll need.¡¯ The reason Sacred de¡¯s Breaking Chains was ineffective had to due with the fact that Izroth¡¯s Concealed Heavy Wounds from the Five Way Imprint inscribed onto Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm was not ssified as a crowd control skill. Therefore, even if Breaking Chains was capable of removing stuns, slows, and other crowd control effects, it was rendered utterly useless against Izroth¡¯s Concealed Heavy Wounds! Not to mention, Izroth further strengthed the effect by pouring several points of essence into the skill. This made it so that Sacred de could barely move a step under the increased weight. When Izroth approached the yellow moss, an alert popped up from the system as he examined it. Item Name: Corporeal Lucidity Moss Usage: A potent byproduct left behind by Arisia Crystals that have been infected with a specific form of poison. It can be directly applied to those affected to remove and grant permanent immunity to the specific form of poison. Special Note: This moss makes a lovely decoration for your magic nt garden. Izroth inwardly shook his head when he read over the special note of the Corporeal Lucidity Moss. A lovely decoration for a garden? Who woulde to such a ce to gather this stuff just to use it as a decoration in their garden? Izroth swiftly collected all the Corporeal Lucidity Moss in the area. Overall, it was not much, but just one should be enough to clear the Phantasmagoria that affected Sacred de. As for the rest, he would use it on any others he came across who also fell under the influence of the poison. ¡¯Hopefully, the specific form of poison mentioned in the usage is the Phantasmagoria, otherwise, I¡¯ll have to use a more heavy-handed method.¡¯ While Izroth would try his best to cleanse Sacred de of the Phantasmagoria, if all else failed, he would not hesitate to do what had to be done. After all, if left alone, who knew how far the poison would go or what it would drive Sacred de to do? For a hardcore raid that already presented too many unknown variables, simply leaving Sacred de alone was not a risk that could be taken. Swoosh! Swoosh! "Behind you!" A voice called out towards Izroth. However, before the voice even finished calling out, Izroth had already started to move. He used Light Feather Footwork as his movement speed briefly soared to new heights. Boom! Boom! Two violet-colored waves of energy left a scar in the shape of an X on the walls that Izroth had just stood next to only moments ago. But, the energy did not dissipate likest time as it did when it struck the crystals. Instead, purple mes creeped out of the X and continued to burn fiercely. The effect of Concealed Heavy Wounds had worn off and Sacred de could finally move freely again. "Is this thing toying with me?" Sacred de thought to himself as a cold look appeared in his eyes. When he turned around, all he saw was the shadowy creature ignoring him and staring at some moss in the corner. Why didn¡¯t it attack when he was defenseless? Out of the kindness of its heart? No, the only reason he could think of was that the shadowy creature did not view him as a threat. How could he swallow such humiliation? ¡¯They finally decided to show themselves. But, that voice just now... It¡¯s her?¡¯ Izroth looked over in the direction that the warning came from and noticed that it was Vanaheim! ¡¯Did she use some kind of stealth item to hide?¡¯ Vanaheim¡¯s ss was Elemental Mage. Needless to say, they were not known for having stealth-like skills, therefore, Izroth believed that she must have used some kind of item that mimicked the effects of a stealth skill. The moment Vanaheim revealed herself, Sacred de¡¯s gaze locked onto her. Vanaheim immediately realized this and a troubled expression appeared on her face. "This is bad... I gave away my position too early. Why did that guy have to show up now of all times?" Vanaheim thought to herself. There was a small and concentrated violet-colored me located near the center of her chest that matched the same mes that were aimed at Izroth earlier. ... A few moments ago just as the raid party entered the Sprite Dwellings... "Even though Captain Abstract warned us of this, hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand are two different things." A male with sunken yellow eyes and short slightly curly blue hair spoke. The clothing he wore was somewhat baggy yet borate. On his back was a metallic weapon shaped like an upside-down V. He had the yer name False Summit, and he was one of the core Blue Oasis members ced in the clean-up damage dealer group of the raid party. Vanaheim opened her system interface and tried to send a message over the raid chat, however, it was currently grayed out and disabled. Indeed, long-rangemunication was impossible in this ce. This increased the danger of their situation more than tenfold, especially when considering theirck of a proper tank. "I am unable to contact the others. We will have to find the way out by ourselves. Pay close attention to our surroundings and keep an eye out for any visible exits. Also... I don¡¯t know why, but this ce feels dangerous. Whatever you do, don¡¯t stray too far away from the group." Vanaheim said. "Yes." Everyone responded in unison. Since Vanaheim was the highest-ranking individual present, of course, no one would disobey the orders she set. Not to mention, Vanaheim was known as being one of the more stringent captains in their Blue Oasis. If they got on her bad side, who knew what the potential consequences would be? They may even be demoted from their status as a core member! After giving a few orders, Vanaheim and the other members of Blue Oasis started to move deeper into the Sprite Dwellings using extreme caution. However, as the group journeyed deeper into the Sprite Dwellings, they felt that the atmosphere had started to be heavier. At the front of the group was Sacred de. Although he was not a tank, he was the yer with the most HP and his Mystic desmaster ss wore light armor. As for the others, Vanaheim and Emberheart were both magic users, while False Summit and Ace of Saint were sses that required the yer to wear leather armor. Therefore, Sacred de was the best choice to act as the temporary vanguard until they met up with the rest of the raid group. The group stopped before a path that split off into six separate directions. There was no clear indicator as to what lied at the end of any of the paths and this caused them to be at an impasse. Vanaheim walked to the front of the group as she closely examined each of the six paths. Normally at times like this, Abstract and a few others would venture ahead and check each path to find a secure route. Unfortunately, no one present possessed a suitable scouting ss. Although Ace of Saint had a few skills that could be used to explore, most of them were low-tier which made it too risky for him to venture ahead alone. Not to mention, their group size was already small and losing even one member was something Vanaheim was unwilling to do. "Which path is it?" Vanaheim thought to herself as she inwardly furrowed her brows. If she chose wrong, would she lead this group to their demise? But, what if the others were waiting for them at the end of one of these paths? What if this was just a trap? Was there an absolute correct path? These were the questions that flooded Vanaheim¡¯s mind. However, while Vanaheim was deep in thought, a system alert went off. But, before she could properly check the alert, she felt an overwhelming sense of danger wash over her from behind. Vanaheim¡¯s eyes widened as a wave of intense heat with an odd cooling sensation brushed past her. As if acting on nothing but muscle memory, Vanaheim cast Mana Shield to protect herself. Pshhhhhtk! An eerie silence filled the room. Vanaheim found that her movements had be limited. As she looked down, she noticed a de covered in violet-colored mes was sticking out of her chest. More surprising was the fact that her Mana Shield had disintegrated! But even more shocking was that she actually recognized the de! "Y-you...! What¡¯s the meaning of this, Sacred de?!" Vanaheim said in an outraged tone. However, there was no response as she was met only with a deathly silence. When she looked back, all she could see was a distant look in Sacred de¡¯s eyes followed by endless darkness. The other members of the group had disappeared! At the same time, a change urred on the trinket around Vanaheim¡¯s wrist with the appearance of a bracelet. Attached to the bracelet was three beads that emitted a faint glow, however, one of the lights on the beads dimmed before being extinguished. When that happened, Vanaheim¡¯s body became transparent as if it were phasing out of existence! Chapter 411 Curing The Phantasmagoria Part 1 "This is bad. Why aren¡¯t the healing potions working?" Vanaheim thought to herself. The second she phased away and escaped from Sacred de¡¯s attack range, she darted forward without putting much thought into the path she chose. Since the others had gone missing, her number one priority was to safeguard her life. After all, what use would she serve to her raid group dead? However, what Vanaheim could still not understand was why Sacred de had attacked her out of nowhere. Even more so, how he was able to harm her while being in the same party. Vanaheim looked down at the trinket on her wrist and when she saw that one of the small beads had lost its light, she released a sigh inwardly. "What a waste... But, if not for this trinket, I may have had to confront him head-on at a disadvantage. Still, it pains me to lose one of the charges in this manner. The one major downfall of the Vestige of Ajasu is how long it takes for it to recharge a single bead." Vanaheim thought to herself as she took a brief moment to check through her battle logs and system alerts as she continued to make her way down the path. After scanning it over, Vanaheim finally started to piece together what had just transpired¡ªor, at the very least, acquire a better understanding of her current situation. She was shocked to discover that something like the Phantasmagoria existed in this raid. It was the only negative effect that showed up for all the members of her group. Also, it was that same Phantasmagoria that activated her Vestige of Ajasu. If not for her Vestige of Ajasu fighting off the Phantasmagoria, then she would have undoubtedly sumbed to it just as the rest of the group had done. "I was too careless..." Vanaheim tightened her fist. As the one in charge of the group and a captain of Blue Oasis, she naturally felt obligated to ensure the survival of her guild members. Vanaheim believed that if she had just taken the risk and sent someone ahead to investigate, despite the potential dangers, then perhaps this could have all been avoided. Of course, she knew that it was toote to regret her decision. "I can¡¯t waste time dwelling on what has already transpired. Right now, I have a more urgent matter to attend to. I have to say, I knew that Sacred de¡¯s ss was not so simple, but who knew it possessed such a troublesome skill." For some reason, Vanaheim was unable to heal using potions. This was due to a skill Sacred de used called Violet Abrasion Strike. As an Elemental Mage, Vanaheim did not possess any healing skills, therefore, she had to rely solely on potions to recover her lost HP. The damage Sacred de had done to her HP was not light, especially considering the fact her ss wore cloth and Sacred de¡¯s skill was able to pierce through her Mana Shield. Not only that, but the violet-colored mes were still covering the area around the wound she received from the de attack. It was dealing damage every second, but fortunately, the damage was manageable as long as she did not take any further damage. Vanaheim arrived in a fairly open and spacious room. It was there that she chose to wait under the stealth-like effects of her Vestige of Ajasu for her affliction to end. "The more I move, the longer the effects of the Vestige of Ajasu willst. I have to hold out until my ability to heal is restored." As she waited in the room, Sacred de came rushing in and sent forth a wave of violet-colored mystical mes. However, they were not being directed at Vanaheim. Sacred de¡¯s attack hit nothing but air before mming against the crystals on the walls and being absorbed. "Has he gone mad? No... It has to be the doing of that Phantasmagoria..." Vanaheim thought to herself as she witnessed Sacred de engage in a fight with an imaginary enemy. A few momentster, something unexpected happened. Vanaheim noticed that someone entered the room. What threw her off was the fact that this person had a calm demeanor and did not appear to be in an almost frenzied state. "It¡¯s him...! He survived?" Vanaheim was shocked to see that individual alive, after all, thest time she saw them they were surrounded by dozens upon dozens of hardcore elite raid monsters. Even if they were seemingly confident about their sess, Vanaheim quickly wrote it off as their way of simply trying to act cool. Therefore, a question instantly popped into her mind¡ªhow could they possibly survive such a suicide mission? The person in question who entered the room was, of course, Izroth. Vanaheim closely observed Izroth which caused her to unknowingly furrow her brows. "He does not appear to be affected like the others-" But, just as this thought crossed Vanaheim¡¯s mind, she felt a piercing gaze lock onto her location. "How long do you n on hiding? You should have already discovered that I¡¯m not affected by this poison." Izroth stated. He detected her so easily while she was under the effects of the Vestige of Ajasu? Just how sharp were this person¡¯s senses?! However, Vanaheim was secretly relieved that her previous thoughts were confirmed. After all, controlling the current chaotic circumstances alone was too much for one individual to manage. But, now arose another problem. "It¡¯s no use... The messaging system is down so I¡¯m unable to effectivelymunicate with him. My HP is still low and the healing debuff is also still active. I¡¯ll risk being attacked again if I undo the effects of the Vestige of Ajasu." Vanaheim wanted to warn Izroth that Sacred de was not himself, however, her present circumstances did not allow for luxury. Sacred de abruptly turned his focus onto Izroth andunched an attack. When Vanaheim saw this her heart dropped. Even if Izroth was not a member of Blue Oasis, he was still under the care of her guild. If she allowed him to die under her watch, how could she call herself a captain of Blue Oasis? Though just as Vanaheim was about to cancel her Vestige of Ajasu something bizarre took ce. Izroth, who was the target of Sacred de¡¯s attack had disappeared into thin air! By the time he reappeared, he was already behind Sacred de. As the ground beneath Sacred de cracked and shattered, Izroth had vanished again before moving over to an isted corner of the room. "Fast!" Vanaheim was shocked beyond belief. How can someone be so fast?! No wonder he was confident in escaping the pursuit of so many hardcore raid monsters. She had not even blinked and yet she could not track his movement with her eyes alone whatsoever! If he had been a rogue-type ss or a mage-type ss with a high ranked movement skill, then it would make sense. But, how was it possible that someone with thebat master ss was capable of such a feat? However, what truly shook Vanaheim was how casually and easily he subdued Sacred de. He was a core member of Blue Oasis, therefore, Sacred de was far from being a pushover. While Vanaheim was still in a state of shock, she noticed that Izroth seemed to be lost in his thoughts as Sacred de regained his movement. Without hesitation, Sacred de immediately resumed his attack on Izroth. Even if he was fast, Vanaheim did not believe he could avoid such a vicious attack with his back turned while being distracted. Therefore, she gritted her teeth and reluctantly canceled the effects of her Vestige of Ajasu. "Behind you!" Vanaheim warned. Fortunately, Izroth was able to sessfully avoid the unexpected attack from Sacred de. Though it was not a moment for celebration as Sacred de¡¯s eyes fell upon her. "This is bad... I gave away my position too early. Why did that guy have to show up now of all times?" Vanaheim thought to herself. ... "I just needed fifteen more seconds." Vanaheim frowned as she inwardly sighed. "Well, it¡¯s toote now. I¡¯ll do what I must to ensure my survival." Vanaheim resolved herself as she held her hand out and an elegant staff that emitted a faint aura with three different colored embers levitating around it appeared. The embers were red, green, and white¡ªeach with a magical glowing magical symbol at the center. "He¡¯s being controlled by some kind of influence in this ce! We have to find a way to snap him out of it!" Vanaheim stated hurriedly. Sacred de kicked off his back foot and dashed towards Vanaheim. Since the creature was already injured in his eyes, he decided that it was best to finish it off first before dealing with the stronger one that had recently appeared. "I already have a method, however, he¡¯ll need to be restricted for three seconds after I apply it. Even just one second will do. Do you have a way to restrain his movements for that long?" Izroth responded nonchntly. He had to apply the Corporeal Lucidity Moss directly to Sacred de who had to stay in ce for at least three seconds, otherwise, it would be ineffective. Although it was not impossible for him to do so alone, he found the methods or time needed to aplish it to be a waste. To be honest, Izroth felt that using two charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement was already too much of a loss on his part. There were too many unpredictable variables in a hardcore raid and he had to stay prepared for them. More importantly, even though his Serpent¡¯s Bite could paralyze Sacred de for two seconds, Izroth did not possess any other low-ranked crowd control skills and the high-ranked skills worked on an unreliable probability. Not to mention, he may end up mistakenly killing Sacred de if he used high-ranked skills! A look of disbelief appeared on Vanaheim¡¯s face. He already had a method? Didn¡¯t he just enter into this room only a few moments ago? How could he already have a method? However, time was of the essence and so she decided to trust Izroth. In the end, he gained nothing by spewing lies. "Three seconds... Alright, I can buy you that much time! I¡¯ll go on your signal! This method of yours had better work properly..." Vanaheim muttered thest part to herself as she pointed her staff at Sacred de. Since he wore light armor, while he was not fast, he was not too slow either. At the speed that Sacred de traveled and how far away Vanaheim was positioned, it would only take him a handful of seconds to close the distance between them. Therefore, they needed to act fast! Izroth removed some of the Corporeal Lucidity Moss from his inventory. Although it was moss, the texture resembled that of a smooth medicinal paste and turned Izroth¡¯s right palm a golden color. Izroth¡¯s overall speed was much greater than that of Sacred de even without the use of movement skills which made closing in a simple task. Sacred de almost instinctively started to retreat as that dangerous monster elerated out of nowhere. To fight both monsters at once was too risky. However, Sacred de forced his body to continue onward. He knew that letting the other monster recover would be an even riskier move. Also, the frightening speed of the monster who most recently appeared was a headache! He just had to reach the injured monster and deal the finishing blow to even out the ying field. It was all or nothing! 14 meters... 12 meters... 10 meters... The violet-colored mes wrapped around Sacred de¡¯s de grew in intensity. Despite the seemingly imminent threat, Vanaheim remained calm. Staying calm and collected was something easier said than done when one was under pressure, however, she was a captain of Blue Oasis for a reason. At the same time, Izroth arrived next to Sacred de. In response, Sacred de swept out with his de in an arc as the violet-colored mes formed a full circle before dispersing into every direction. Chapter 412 Curing The Phantasmagoria Part 2 Izroth waited until the mes were about to make contact before he kicked off his back foot and flipped over the attack. He not only passed over the mes¡ªbut Sacred de as well. In one smooth motion, as he was mid-flip and upside down over Sacred de, Izroth tapped his forehead using the palm of his hand that contained the Corporeal Lucidity Moss. Tap! After doing so, Izrothnded on his feet without incident. Now, there was a faint glow being emitted from Sacred de¡¯s forehead. "Now." Izroth said and immediately after that word left his mouth, a small nt could be seen rising from the ground beneath Sacred de¡¯s feet. In an instant, the small nt split open the ground as a multitude of vines emerged andtched onto Sacred de. The more he struggled to get free of the vines, the tighter they became and the faster they grew. It reached a point where he was immobilized from the neck down! Though in Sacred de¡¯s eyes, it was as if an endless shadow was devouring him due to the effects of the Phantasmagoria. "Restraint Earthly Embrace." Vanaheim lowered her staff after casting her spell. While the skill did not have an instant cast time, Vanaheim timed it perfectly to make it appear as such. If she were by herself, it would not have been possible to cast before being interrupted by Sacred de, but the small window of the opportunity provided by Izroth was all she needed! "Not good..! I already used Breaking Chains. I can¡¯t break free!" Sacred de thought to himself. Just how bad was his fortune for that monster to be a magic caster?! 1... 2... 3...! Three seconds quickly passed by as Sacred de¡¯s corrupted view of his surroundings started to clear up. The two shadow monsters had vanished and he felt somewhat light-headed as if everything had just been a bad dream. However, he quickly realized that something was amiss. "This... Captain Vanaheim?" Sacred de said as he was surprised by the sudden change of events. Vanaheim released a sigh. She knew that Sacred de was not himself just now, but she had a strong urge to st a few fireballs at him to vent some of her frustration. However, she kept these thoughts to herself and maintained an image that reflected her rank. The violet-colored mes around Vanaheim¡¯s wound disappeared the moment Sacred de returned to normal. She immediately consumed a High Grade Health Potion to restore her lost HP. However, the violet-colored mes did not escape Sacred de¡¯s sights before it disappeared. That was a skill from his Mystical desmaster ss! Even more bizarre was the fact that the wound was in the same ce as that monster he injured earlier! He was no fool. He was fighting two enemies and there were two people here. Not to mention, Vanaheim had the same wound as one of the monsters that he injured. This caused a flood of questions to pour into Sacred de¡¯s head. Everything, after they arrived at the beginning of those paths, was chaotic. Just what happened to him? "Captain Vanaheim, I-" Sacred de was about to apologize, however, he was quickly cut off. "Save it. It was out of your control. There was nothing you could have done about it. Right now, our top priority is to find the other members of our Blue Oasis and regroup with the rest of the raid party. Understood?" Vanaheim stated. "...Understood." Sacred de responded respectfully. Vanaheim took a moment to catch Sacred de up to their current situation, as well as, inform him of the events that transpired after he had fallen under the influence of the Phantasmagoria. As for Sacred de, he described what it was like to be affected by the poison. In his eyes, he was transported to a world of shadows and darkness with a lingering purple mist and bizarre crystals. That was the reason he instinctively attacked Vanaheim, who was in front of him at the time, as he had mistaken her for a monster of that dark world. He had a feeling something was off, however, being alone in a strange ce and without the ability tomunicate with others¡ªit was too risky to act based on feeling alone. "I had no idea I was affected. There was no warning from the system and even the battle logs were powerless to catch it. It¡¯s fortunate that you were here, Captain Vanaheim. Otherwise, things may have ended on a deadlier note. You have my thanks." Sacred de stated. Vanaheim shook her head and replied, "I am afraid I can not take the credit for this. You have him to thank for freeing you." She looked over towards Izroth who was staring at the crystals on the walls. He had been examining them closely ever since Sacred de regained himself. To be truthful, Vanaheim did not know whether tough or cry at Sacred de¡¯s thanks. If it came down to it, she was ultimately prepared to eliminate him as soon as she regained her HP. After all, she could not allow a potential threat to the entire raid party to continue existing¡ªeven if they were under the effects of an external force. Vanaheim remained curious as to what method Izroth used to cure the effects of the Phantasmagoria. She turned her gaze to the corner Izroth moved to earlier and noticed that the yellowish moss that was there before had disappeared. Not only that, but there were strangely no crystals growing in that same corner. Perhaps his method was linked to that moss? It certainly made sense considering the game would not hand yers an impossible task. "Was the cure really that close all along? No, more importantly... Are the others in a simr situation as Sacred de? What about the rest of the raid party? Are they also dealing with an identical set of circumstances? If that is the case, then the casualties may not be light. Just in case, I may have to start preparing for the worst possible oue..." Vanaheim thought to herself. While Vanaheim was briefly in her thoughts, Sacred de took the opportunity to approach Izroth. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth noticed that Sacred de had approached him, however, he kept his focus on the crystals. He discovered that the Arisia Crystals mentioned in the description for the Corporeal Lucidity Moss was, in fact, the same crystals that were not only capable of blocking his Energy Vision Sense, but also possessed the capability to absorb Sacred de¡¯s violet-colored mes. Sacred de heard countless whispers regarding Izroth. Owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, friends with the Pill Emperor, clearing the first world boss and the first dungeon, taking 1st ce in the first major event¡ªthere seemed to be an ever-building list of aplishments that followed him. It was because of this that Izroth had earned Sacred de¡¯s respect even though the two had never directly spoken to one another before. ording to Vanaheim, if it were not for Izroth, then he would have been fighting a neverending battle. How could he stay silent after learning of this matter? "I heard it was you who cured me. This is a favor that I will not forget. I do not enjoy being in debt to others, therefore, if there everes a time where I can pay you back, I will be sure to do so." Sacred de spoke in a calm and unhurried manner. There was a look of rity in his eyes when he spoke that showed the sincerity of his words. Sacred de¡¯s words were met with silence. But, instead of being bothered by this, he took it as a sign of Izroth¡¯s concentration and did not persist. He made a respectful gesture before walking back towards Vanaheim. "I will remember the words you have spoken today." Izroth said just as Sacred de began to walk away. Though his gaze was still set on the Arisia Crystals. Sacred de halted his steps as he gave a small nod and continued on his way. ¡¯Blue Oasis is quite fortunate to attract someone like that. Though it¡¯s a shame that if he continues at his present pace... What a waste.¡¯ After that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he chose to return his full attention to the Arisia Crystals. He was shocked to discover that the Arisia Crystal was a type of rare mineral. This meant that it was possible to mine it! It may even be thergest and most valuable treasure trove to be discovered by a top guild within RML. However, there were two major problems. The first was getting to this ce. Izroth was unsure if the Arisia Crystals spawned in the Normal or Difficult levels of the raid. Either way, it was needless to say that the average party would not be capable of making it to this point. The second problem was that although anyone could theoretically mine ores and minerals, in reality, it was not so simple. This was even more so when it came to a high-quality mineral such as the Arisia Crystals. Name: Unrefined Arisia Crystal Rank: Superior(82) Usage: Although it is referred to as a crystal this mineral is, in actuality, a metal with natural anti-energy properties. It is often used to craft items that are capable of absorbing great amounts of energy and damage. Using a single shard is enough to provide an item with anti-energy properties. A special trait of this crystal is if ites into direct contact with certain forms of poison for an extended period of time while in an unrefined state, it will corrode and leave behind a byproduct that can be used as a natural antidote. Special Note: This item can only be found in environments that contain a high level of rare sprite activity. Superior! The Arisia Crystal was a highly coveted Superior mineral! When it came to ores and minerals, they fell into six categories. Common, Rare, Superior, Ancient, Mythical, and Divine. Those that were rare or higher in quality possessed a number next to its rank that had been named "toughness" by yers. It judged how difficult it was to mine or work with that specific mineral or ore. The higher the number was, the more difficult it would be for the yer to handle. Although yers had no idea what the limit to toughness was, the highest number that had been publicly disclosed was 42 and it was considered a nightmare to mine by yers. The toughness of the Arisia Crystal was near twice that amount! Even in its unrefined state, the Arisia Crystal was of the Superior rank with a toughness of 82! If enough was used to craft an entire piece of equipment, the defensive stats would be on a different level whenpared to other equipment of a simr level. But, the number of yers who had the skill to work with something like the Arisia Crystals were few and far between. After all, ording to the knowledge he obtained on the 2nd floor of the Amaharpe Pce Library, if one ever wanted to craft an epic quality armor or weapon, it was impossible to do so without first acquiring some Superior ranked materials. ¡¯Perhaps...¡¯ Vanaheim finished organizing her thoughts right when Sacred de had returned. She understood that rushing forward without a concrete n could lead to a preventable catastrophe. Therefore, she decided the first thing she needed was to confirm the curing method of the Phantasmagoria with Izroth. After that, they would shift their focus to locating and curing any other members of the raid party who were affected by the Phantasmagoria. Once both tasks werepleted, they could finally aim to meet up with the rest of the raid party. Until then, she found that it was likely that they would have to fend for themselves. "We¡¯ll be moving soon. But... What a wasted opportunity." Vanaheim thought to herself as she released a sigh and nced at the Arisia Crystals. If possible, she would have liked to take everyst Arisia Crystal with her, however, the toughness was too ridiculous. Even with the strongest set of pickaxes in Blue Oasis¡¯ possession, mining a single shard of Arisia Crystal may take hours and the results were not guaranteed. Unfortunately, this was not time they could afford to waste. "Hm? What does he intend to do with that?" Vanaheim internally questioned as she frowned. She was about to approach Izroth and discuss the methods he used to cure Sacred de when something suddenly appeared in his hands. It was a pickaxe! However, the pickaxe in his hands wasughable at best. It was a Miner¡¯s Pickaxe¡ªthe worst pickaxe in RML! Didn¡¯t he know that he would just be wasting his time? Even if he mined for a full week with that pickaxe, even obtaining a single shard was just a dream. Indeed, Vanaheim was correct about Izroth¡¯s pickaxe. It was the same one he received after defeating the Goblin Foreman Rthuja in the very first dungeon he cleared. Weapon Name: Miner¡¯s Pickaxe Weapon Rank: Common Weapon Level: 1 Requirements: None Attack Damage: 1 Miner(Passive) - The user of this pickaxe gains the ability to mine ores and minerals. The Miner¡¯s Pickaxe was far from impressive, however, Izroth had no intention of spending a full week mining the Unrefined Arisia Crystal. He had another idea in mind. Chapter 413 Circumstances Izroth¡¯s actions made Vanaheim take a second look at the pickaxe in his hands. Maybe there was something special about it? "No, without a doubt, that is a Miner¡¯s Pickaxe. Evenplete beginners should know that it¡¯s impossible to mine ore with such high toughness using that garbage. It¡¯s like trying to break a diamond using only a handful of cotton." Vanaheim thought to herself. Although her example was somewhat exaggerated, there was certainly some truth to it. But, she did not take Izroth as the foolish type. After all, how could someone running a sessful yer shop at a prime location be considered a fool? It was because of this that Vanaheim was curious to see what he had nned. Although she found it to be a waste of precious time, she could not afford offending Izroth. After all, he held the secret to how to cure the Phantasmagoria. Therefore, Vanaheim decided to wait until he failed before confronting him about the matter of the cure he used on Sacred de. ¡¯I only have one shot.¡¯ Izroth carefully examined the Unrefined Arisia Crystal before him. As he brandished the Miner¡¯s Pickaxe in his hands, Vanaheim noticed that something was off. Her eyes were drawn to the pickaxe in Izroth¡¯s hand, however, it was not the pickaxe itself that drew her attention. Instead, it was the left hand in which Izroth was wielding the pickaxe. "I¡¯m positive that he was wielding his sword with his right hand just now. Even during our fight with the Great Pce sea creatures, I¡¯m sure..." Vanaheim thought to herself as she furrowed her brows. Izroth swung the Miner¡¯s Pickaxe full force at a weak point in the Unrefined Arisia Crystal¡¯s structure. Ding! Crrrrrrck...! The moment the Miner¡¯s Pickaxe made contact with the Arisia Crystal, some cracks formed on the pickaxe. To make matters worse, it did not create a single scratch on the Arisia Crystal! Vanaheim released a sigh as she shook her head. Originally, she believed that perhaps there was more to the pickaxe than what appeared to be. However, it ended just as she had predicted it would¡ªwith Izroth¡¯s failure. "What did he expect to happen? Even my Blue Oasiscks a pickaxe sturdy enough to-" Right when that thought crossed Vanaheim¡¯s mind... DING! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!! Vanaheim, as well as, Sacred de covered their ears as a loud ringing sound washed over them from out of nowhere and a bright sh of light caused them instinctively shut their eyes! The sound was so powerful that it made the members of Blue Oasis temporarily disoriented. Everything became a humming silence as there was an intense burst of wind followed by a gentle breeze that brushed over them. What¡¯s going on? Were they being ambushed? These were the first thoughts to enter into their minds. But, a few momentster, the ringing came to a fading halt as it dispersed. By the time Vanaheim and Sacred de regained their senses and opened their eyes, they witnessed the pickaxe in Izroth¡¯s hands shattered into countless pieces and turn into particles that drifted away into nothingness. The two also soon realized that the source of the light and sound came from the Unrefined Arisia Crystal that Izroth had struck. If that was the case, then it was likely that the disorientation was just a defensive mechanism of the Unrefined Arisia Crystal. In the end, it wasmon that rare or higher resources such as nts and ores had natural defensive mechanisms that made them increasingly difficult to collect. There was a slight look of disappointment in Izroth¡¯s eyes as he released a small sigh. ¡¯As I thought, it was impossible to do with that pickaxe.¡¯ "This is something that was out of your control. You should not feel dejected. Even the strongest pickaxes at my Blue Oasis¡¯ disposal would be unable to cause a scratch on that kind of toughness without mining for a minimum of several hours. It¡¯s only natural that a Miner¡¯s Pickaxe shattered after one strike." Vanaheim said as she approached Izroth and noticed the look of disappointment in his eyes. Despite her words, as a captain of Blue Oasis, Vanaheim was secretly relieved at Izroth¡¯s failure. From the information gathered about Izroth, it seemed that everything he was involved in always ended in his favor. She did not know what lucky star Izroth was born under for this to be the case, however, after he survived against that encirclement of dozens upon dozens of hardcore raid monsters, making it into the Sprite Dwellings, and immediately solving the issue of the Phantasmagoria¡ªeven she started to feel somewhat substandard inparison. Could she have aplished the same things under a simr amount of pressure ande out of it in one piece? She knew the answer to this question. Therefore, to see Izroth fail was a reminder to her that, he too, was only human. After things settled down, Vanaheim asked Izroth about the method he used to help Sacred de regain his senses. Of course, Izroth had no intention of keeping it a secret and fully disclosed the effects of the Corporeal Lucidity Moss. "I see... Who would have thought that the answer was right in front of us the entire time? The next time we enter, we¡¯ll have to bring along some poison resistance potions as well. However, poison resistance potions are some of the most expensive potions to produce..." Vanaheim muttered to herself. She was already thinking ahead and preparing for the next raid run. But, she did not get too far ahead of herself. She understood that no matter what, this raid run had to be sessful. If not, the losses they suffered would put Blue Oasis in an unfavorable position among the top guilds. "Alright, our number one priority is to locate the others and cure them if they have been affected by the Phantasmagoria. Sacred de and I will focus on restricting their movement. Izroth, since you¡¯ve already done it once before, we¡¯ll leave applying the Corporeal Lucidity Moss to you." Vanaheim stated. Izroth had no objections to his role in Vanaheim¡¯s n. Not only was he faster than her and Sacred de, but he was aware of the fact that with his current set of skills it would be too troublesome to restrict the movement of others without harming them. This was better left to Vanaheim who was an Elemental Mage. Vanaheim then continued, "Remember, this ce may be full of traps like the Phantasmagoria so we do not have the luxury of rxing. Until we manage to regain contact with the rest of the raid group, we¡¯ll move under the assumption that everyone is in a simr situation to ours." "What if the others were affected by something other than the Phantasmagoria? What if the Corporeal Lucidity Moss fails to work on them the same way that it did on me?" Sacred de asked. While it was highly possible that the Corporeal Lucidity Moss would work, there also existed the possibility of it failing. In the end, it was impossible to predict the exact nature of a raid, let alone a hardcore raid. Rather than wait until they came across that scenario, it was best to decide beforehand to prevent any hesitation. Sacred de understood that a slight moment of hesitation is all it took to lose control of the situation. Vanaheim did not immediately respond to Sacred de. However, she had to put the well being and sess of the guild before her personal feelings. "If the Corporeal Lucidity Moss fails to be effective and we are unable to find a timely secondary solution, then... We will clear whatever obstruction that blocks our path to secure the sess of this raid¡ªno matter what or who that obstruction may be." Vanaheim dered in an unfaltering tone. Even if the difficulty of the raid would increase severalfold once it reached that point of no return, it was much better than having madmen unable to tell friend from foe running around. What would happen if that person appeared during the middle of a battle? Or even worse, a boss battle? At that point, a disaster would be inevitable! Understanding the circumstances, Izroth nor Sacred de found Vanaheim¡¯s decision to be cruel. ¡¯It¡¯s not a decision one enjoys making, however, it¡¯s impossible for a captain of Blue Oasis not to see the bigger picture. To them, failure is out of the question.¡¯ "Sacred de, you¡¯ll act as the temporary vanguard. We¡¯re going!" Vanaheim stated. With that, Sacred de took the lead, followed by Izroth, and finally Vanaheim. The entrance that they had originally gone through was no longer there. What appeared on the left side of the room after the Phantasmagoria was cleared from Sacred de was a passageway that was neither spacious nor narrow. After briefly looking around once more to make sure that there was no other way out, the group walked down the passageway. As the group entered the passageway, it closed behind them. ... If someone walked into the area that Izroth and the others just left and closely examined the Unrefined Arisia Crystal, they would notice that something was off about one of them. There was an unnatural crack on the back end of one of the Unrefined Arisia Crystals! Near that small area was a crevice a little bigger than one¡¯s finger. Someone managed to break off a piece of a material with a toughness of 82?! This, someone, was, of course, Izroth. Izroth had hoped to break off a piece the size of a fist, however, what he received in return was one around the size of a finger. Therefore, he considered it to be a failure. But, if anyone else knew that he thought this way, then they would want to strangle him to death! Even if it was just the size of a finger, that one piece of Unrefined Arisia Crystal was enough to create tens of pieces of equipment that contained anti-energy properties. At the moment, the Unrefined Arisia Crystal was a priceless treasure that even the top guilds could not necessarily afford! Of course, Izroth had no intention of selling it. As for what method Izroth used to break off a piece of the Unrefined Arisia Crystal ¡ªthe chances of there being another yer in RML who could replicate it was practically zero! ... Meanwhile... "What do we do now, Miss Luna?!" A nearby yer shouted. This yer wore fighter robes and went by the name Feint. He was one of the core members of Blue Oasis assigned to the clean-up DPS group. At the moment, a piercing and chilly frost was being emitted from his hands. He was currently surrounded by dozens of sea creatures. However, these were not normal sea creatures. Skkkkreeeeeat! One of the sea creatures leaped towards Feint. Even though itcked a mouth and other facial features, it could still somehow release a battle cry. Woosh! Ssh! Feint used his right palm to intercept the sea creature¡¯s attack as his fist went straight through its body leaving a hole the size of his palm. The piercing frost from Feint¡¯s hand caused the sea creature to freeze into a sculpture of ice before shattering into countless pieces. However, the pieces quickly defrosted and fused back together into two separate entities! The sea creatures were made of some kind of bizarre liquid that constantly regenerated when destroyed. Not only that but after destroying one of them, two more would in its ce. This made dealing with them a living nightmare! But, luckily, Feint was not alone. There were five other yers trapped in the encirclement along with him. One of those yers was none other than Luna! Luna had a calm andposed expression on her face. Despite their dire circumstances, she did not allow herself to fall into a panic. She inwardly furrowed her brows as her gaze could not help butnd on one of the members nearby. That yer with an expression of dread on his face went by the name Second Tyrant and he was amander of Blue Oasis. Second Tyrant was the present group leader due to certain circumstances and it was his fault that they ended up in their current predicament. If he had just listened to her, then this mess could have been avoided! But, Luna knew that it was toote to change the oue. Now, she could only think of a way for everyone to survive. "What would those two do at a time like this?" Luna thought to herself as the images of two individuals crossed her mind. The first was Zi Yi and the second was Izroth. There were no exits and the only entrance had already been sealed the moment they all entered. If it were just the sea creatures, then it would not be too troublesome. Unfortunately... "Our luck is not too good... No, I suppose in a way our luck is ¡¯too good¡¯ to find this ce so fast." Luna said to herself with a look of rity in her eyes. Her gaze then shifted to a beautiful pond that was around 15 meters away from their position. Floating on top of the pond was a single aqua color leaf. On top of that leaf was a small fairy-like creature with eyes that were whited out and razor-sharp teeth. Their skin, hair, and almost transparent wings matched the color of the ocean. At the moment, that creature¡¯s eyes were locked onto Luna and the other members of Blue Oasis. "What other choice do we have? We fight." Luna responded as she held the staff in her hands forward. Name: Ooudamu, Queen of the Water Sprites(Raid Boss) Level: 52 HP: ???(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Outburst] That small and weak looking fairy-like creature was the first raid boss of the Great Sea Pce, Ooudamu! ... Several moments ago just as Luna entered the Sprite Dwellings... Since Luna had entered at the same time as the other raid members, she was paired with three other yers and was transported to the same location as them. Though it was expected, she was somewhat sad to see that there were no familiar faces among those present. Not too long after arriving inside the Sprite Dwellings, Luna heard one of the yers start to speak. "Alright everyone, listen up! Seeing as how I hold the rank ofmander, that means the role of group leader falls onto my shoulders. As long as you all stick with me and follow orders, I can guarantee that we¡¯ll get out of this in one piece." The one who spoke had a voice filled with authority. This voice belonged to Second Tyrant. Chapter 414 Sprite Dwellings: Luna and Ooudamu 1/4 There were no objections to Second Tyrant''s words, however, from theckluster response of the members of Blue Oasis, one could tell that they were not pleased with their current situation. In their eyes, it would have been better to be a part of the 2nd Captain Nidavellir or the 7th Captain Niflheim''s group. When it came to nning, they were the top two individuals in Blue Oasis. Meanwhile, one of the Blue Oasis members, Feint, seemed to have his mind on something else entirely. In actuality, he also held the rank ofmander. But, he was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Feint was the type who relied on brawns over brains, therefore, taking the group leader position was something well outside of hisfort zone. Not to mention, Second Tyrant held seniority over him. This, by default, made it so that even if he wanted to contest the group leader position, it was against guild protocol. "Still, this could be troublesome..." Feint thought to himself. The problem was not with Second Tyrant''s skill, after all, he was a core member of a top guild like Blue Oasis. The issue lied in two things¡ªhis aggressive leadership style and his ambition. It was because of these two qualities that Feint was not too enthusiastic about Second Tyrant''s deration. In the end, it was impossible to be a lieutenant or captain of Blue Oasis without a solid list of merits. Needless to say, there were those who looked for every opportunity to show off. While this was not necessarily a bad thing, now was not an ideal time to pursue such ambitions. "Well, it should be fine. Even he should be aware of the importance of this raid." Feint thought to himself as he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. This was a hardcore raid, so surely, Second Tyrant would act ordingly, right? Feint decided it was better to direct his full attention to the raid itself. "Though I have to say, our line-up right now is disappointing." Second Tyrant sighed as he swept his gaze across those before him. He was not confident in making it very far with those present. Though it was not that he doubted their skill, after all, they were all core members of Blue Oasis with the exception of one. Instead, Second Tyrant''s biggest concern was the group''s overall endurance. yer Name: Second Tyrant Level: 45 ss: Night Shade yer Name: Feint Level: 44 ss: cial Fists yer Name: Tagz Level: 43 ss: Pulse Ranger yer Name: Luna Level: 47 ss: ??? Including Luna, there were no members of the party who wore ted armor. In other words, they had no frontline to rely on for protection! The only true melee fighter was Second Tyrant himself. Although Feint''s ss was called cial Fists, in reality, it specialized in mid-rangebat more so than close-rangebat. As for the others, nothing needed to be said when it came to their defensive capabilities. A rogue, a healer, and a ranger were some of the weakest sses when it came to defensive stats. Despite all of this, Second Tyrant did not overlook the fact that their sole saving grace was the presence of a healer. However, Second Tyrant was not aware of Luna''s abilities as she was not a member of Blue Oasis. Therefore, it was difficult for him to bepletely at ease even with a healer being in the group. "Honestly, what was Captain Niflheim thinking when he assigned an unknown healer to the main support group. Is she even any good?" Second Tyrant thought to himself as he nced over at Luna. After taking a few moments to collect themselves and failing to make contact with any of the other raid members, Second Tyrant was ready to depart. "We won''t aplish anything standing in one ce. Feint, since you have the most HP, you''ll be leading the way. As for myself, I''ll enter stealth mode and guard the rear." Second Tyrant stated. Feint inwardly frowned when he heard Second Tyrant''s words. He was not bothered by taking on the vanguard role as that much was to be expected given their current circumstances. But, the fact that Second Tyrant did not refer to him as "Commander Feint", especially in front of other members of Blue Oasis, revealed a tantck of respect. Fortunately, Feint understood that now was not the time to engage in an argument and so he held back his words. "Understood." Feint responded professionally. "Tagz, you''ll have to focus on not going too overboard with your damage. No one has a taunt skill and so if you attract the aggro of a hardcore raid monster, you''ll be lucky to survive one hit. As for you..." Second Tyrant turned his attention to Luna. He then continued, "Try to keep your healing under control. Monsters hate healers even more than damage dealers. If you overheal and end up drawing the aggro of the monster¡ªI''m sure I don''t have to tell you the results. Just heal us properly and we''ll take care of the rest." Luna simply gave a small nod in response to Second Tyrant''s words. From his tone and wording, it was clear that he questioned her abilities as a healer. After all, only inexperienced healers would ever pull aggro by overheal¡ªeven with the absence of a tank! But, Luna did notsh out at Second Tyrant. In the end, what did she have to prove to him? A few momentster, Luna and the others started to make their way deeper into the Sprite Dwellings. The surrounding atmosphere felt heavy and everyone was tense. There were just the four of them alone in a hardcore raid. If they ran into an elite monster, even if they all worked together, it was unlikely that they''d be able to defeat it with their imbnced line-up. That''s why it was best for them to avoid any fights altogether if possible¡ªor at least that''s how it should have been. Feint abruptly halted his steps after he entered into a room shaped like a crescent. There were two different paths at each end of the room and neither appeared to differ from the other. However, there was one major distinction between the entrances. While the left entrance was a clear and open path, the right entrance was being guarded by a creature made out of water. It almost resembled a humanoid slime of sorts with several tentacles that grew out from various parts of its body. The strangest thing was that even though the creature did not possess any facial features, such as eyes or a mouth, it could still somehow produce audible noises. Skreeeat... Name: Aqua Drifter of the Sprite Dwellings(Normal) Level: 49 HP: 72,500(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Propagate] After seeing that the left entrance was unguarded, Feint chose to lead the group in that direction. However, he barely took two steps before being stopped by Second Tyrant. "What are you doing? You''re going the wrong way! It''s obvious that the path guarded by that monster is the correct one. The other is just a decoy. Don''t you even know this much?" Second Tyrant scoffed. "It''s too dangerous to engage a monster we know nothing about." Feint responded as he held back his anger. He was being talked to as if he were a noob! "Even if it is a hardcore raid, it''s just a normal monster. When did amander of our Blue Oasis be so fragile?" Second Tyrant stated. The two went back and forth for some time. As for Tagz, the other member of Blue Oasis, he chose to stay out of it. Luna, on the other hand, inwardly furrowed her brows. Thest thing she expected was for Second Tyrant and Feint to have an open dispute. She recognized the subtle signs that the two did not like nor respect one another, but she still believed that they had enough self-control of themselves as members of a top guild. Perhaps the pressure of the raid was getting to them? Or maybe they just simply never liked one another? Whatever the answer was one thing was for certain¡ªthey would notst long if they continued in this manner. A few momentster, things finally settled down. In the end, Second Tyrant remained unmoved in his decision. He did not understand how a cowardly person like Feint obtained his position as amander. It was just a normal monster, what was there to be afraid of? Even if it was a hardcore raid, a normal monster was just a normal monster. How could it bepared to the likes of an elite monster or a raid boss? "We are advancing down the right path. This is a direct order, Feint." Second Tyrant stated in a serious tone. Feint tightly clutched his fists at his sides, however, he soon rxed his hands and shook his head. "Alright, if it''s your direct order, mander'', then I''ll follow it. However, I hope that you are ready to take full responsibility for any mishaps, mander''." Feint responded in a cold and detached manner. He emphasized mander" in a way that caused Second Tyrant to feel annoyed, but after thinking about how Feint had to follow his orders, he became calm and empowered. Second Tyrant secretly smirked. He knew that with Feint''s straightforward personality, it would be unthinkable for them to disobey a direct order. As for taking full responsibility¡ªdid he need Feint to tell him that? Failure? It had not even crossed his mind! "Get ready." Second Tyrant said as he nced towards Luna and Tagz. At the same time, a pitch-ck dagger appeared in his right hand with a faint white hue wrapped around its de. Feint smashed his fists together as a cold burst of wind was expelled from his hands. This left a chilly aura lingering in the atmosphere. Feint kicked off his back foot and dashed towards the Aqua Drifter. The moment he arrived within 15 meters of the creature, it went on high alert. Skreeeeeat! The water tentacles around the Aqua Drifter''s body shot out with great precision at Feint. However, instead of slowing down, Feint began to speed up! He used the skill Nimble Footwork to boost his overall agility and movement speed. This allowed him to dodge the iing attacks of the Aqua Drifter. Woosh! Woosh! Crash! There were multiple small craters left behind as the aftermath of the creature''s attack which sent a chill down Feint''s spine. If he was hit by even one of those attacks, Feint had a strong feeling that he would immediately be put into a critical state¡ªregardless of whether or not he managed to sessfully parry the blow! Although his fighter-type ss had more HP than the likes of a rogue-type or mage-type ss, he was not a tank who possessed the proper defensive stats and skills to deal with vicious attacks head-on. However, Feint was not given the rank ofmander just for show! As the fight progressed and he calmed his initial nerves, Feint''s movements evolved and gained more fluidity. Smack! The Aqua Drifter''s body was impacted by an invasive and freezing aura that rapidly scattered throughout the liquid from which it was formed. If one looked closely, they could see tiny particles of ice shards within the Aqua Drifter. This was due to a skill from Feint''s cial Fists ss called Invasive cial Flux. As a result, this caused the quick and sharp movements of the Aqua Drifter''s tentacles to fall drastically! It also granted Feint some much-needed breathing room after the effects of his Nimble Footwork skill wore off. Meanwhile, Tagz controlled his damage output so that he would not overtake Feint. If that happened, the Aqua Drifter''s sights would be immediately set on him. Oooooom! Woosh! Every time an arrow left Tagz''s bow a strange aura pulse in front of it. Despite the Aqua Drifter''s body being made of liquid, the arrows were still able to harm it physically¡ªthis was unusual for monsters with a liquid or gas body type. 75%... 50%... 30%... As the Aqua Drifter''s HP fell at a steady pace, Luna observed the Blue Oasis members fighting and was pleasantly surprised. Not counting her time spent with Izroth and the others, this was the most highly skilled random "party" she had been a part of in RML. Luna minimized her heals and instead used shield-type skills such as Protective Barrier just before Feint would receive damage. This required incredibly urate timing that was well above the level of even the most elite of yers. But, the truly bizarre part was that her timing was perfect. No, it was too perfect! "How can someone have such inhuman reaction time? Is it her ss skill?" Feint questioned internally. There were times when he thought his HP was about to fall because of a small slip up, however, before he knew it, he was being protected by a magical barrier. It was almost like she knew what would happen before it even transpired! That paired with the barrier skills¡ªcould this even be considered healing anymore? Second Tyrant frowned as he observed the calm and distant look on Luna''s face as she seemed to effortlessly control her skills. "Just what is her ss?" This question constantly came across Second Tyrant''s mind. From her skills alone, he was unable to ce her within any of the known sses. The basic skill set she demonstrated thus far could be found in almost any supportive ss. So then, why was her ss showing as "???" in the raid party window? This was something he had never seen nor heard of before! Not to mention, what was with her race? Wasn''t she one of those Trephasia''s? Was there even a way for yers to change races in RML? There were too many unanswered questions that bothered Second Tyrant. Meanwhile, although she looked indifferent, Luna was keeping a careful eye on the fight while also staying aware of her surroundings. For some reason, there was a faint warning bell ringing in her mind from her Soul Sense trait. Unfortunately, Luna''s Soul Sense was nowhere near as strong and perceptive as Izroth''s, therefore, she simply tied it to the Aqua Drifter. After all, despite its normal rarity, it was still a hardcore raid monster. Though unknown to Luna at this moment, this "small and faint" warning was something much bigger than she could have anticipated. "As expected from a top guild. Even if the members do not all get along, at the very least, they are notcking in experience when ites tobat." Luna thought silently to herself. As those thoughts crossed Luna''s mind, something odd started to happen to the body of the Aqua Drifter. The Aqua Drifter''s once stable liquid structure began to have unstable convulsions that caused the liquid in its body to expand in random and sudden pulses! Chapter 415 Sprite Dwellings: Luna and Ooudamu 2/4 A cautious expression appeared on the faces of the Blue Oasis members when they saw how unstable the Aqua Drifter''s body had be. There was only one word that came to mind when a sudden change happened to a monster out of nowhere¡ªdanger! "Fall back!" Feint roared, however, Second Tyrant had already begun his retreat. As for Luna and Tagz, the two of them were standing at a safe distance since the beginning of the fight, therefore, they did not have to fall back too much. After moving off to a safe distance, the group carefully observed the Aqua Drifter. In the blink of an eye, by the time the Aqua Drifter''s body stabilized, the creature had shrunk to nearly half of its original size. "What''s going on? Why did it change sizes?" Tagz questioned with a look of confusion on his face. The size of the Aqua Drifter had indeed gotten smaller, however, that was only when one considered its overall height. The Aqua Drifter did not just shrink, but its liquid body had somehow be wider and longer. "That''s not all that happened. Look closer." Feint stated as his expression turned increasingly serious. At a nce, Tagz failed to notice anything different¡ªbesides the fact that the Aqua Drifter''s form change in size. However, after hearing Feint''s words and taking a closer look, he discovered something shocking! "Why are there two of them?!" Tagz eximed as he drew in a breath of cold air. At first, he thought that the Aqua Drifter had just gotten longer and wider, but in actuality, there was a second Aqua Drifter right behind the original one that they were attacking! Luna inwardly frowned as she thought to herself, "Is this the result of the hardcore effect, propagate?" Name: Aqua Drifter of the Sprite Dwellings(Normal) Level: 49 HP: 35,525(49%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Propagate] Name: Aqua Drifter of the Sprite Dwellings(Normal) Level: 49 HP: 36,250(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Propagate] Although Feint''s facial expression appeared calm on the outside, his mind was all over the ce. Dealing with one Aqua Drifter was already challenging enough and now he was supposed to somehow maintain the focus of two? His mind was racing to think of a solution. "Hmph, it''s just one more normal monster. Look, even though its HP is at 100%, it only has half the amount of health that the other Aqua Drifter started with. It''s obviously weaker. Besides, unless we know a way out of this ce, even if we run to the end of this area we still won''t be able to escape." Second Tyrant scoffed. Second Tyrant was annoyed by the actions of the Aqua Drifter and felt as if he had been fooled by the creature. He thought that the monster was in the process of exploding given how unstable its liquid body had be, however, it was just splitting itself apart! In RML raids and dungeons, it wasmon knowledge that once a yer engaged a monster in battle there were only three ways for it to end. The first was their victory and the death of the monster, and the second was their defeat and death at the hand of the monster. As for the third, one required a specialized stealth skill or item to disengage the monster''s aggro. Even if they ran away from the monster, it would only follow them. But, if it was just that, then there would not be an issue. The main problem was that having a monster follow them in a raid or dungeon would automatically pull any monsters they pass by while giving chase. In the end, instead of dealing with just two monsters, they could end up facing an entire horde of monsters! Needless to say, their deaths at that point would be inevitable. Of course, Feint was well aware of this fact. However, he believed that Second Tyrant was taking this situation too lightly because he was not the one who had to hold the Aqua Drifters aggro. Skreeeeeeeeeat! Skreeeeeeeat! Without warning, the two Aqua Drifters turned their attention to Feint who still held the majority of the aggro. Woosh! Woosh! As if their actions were linked together, the two Aqua Drifters rushed forward andunched their vicious assault. Although their movements were neither fast nor agile, it more than made up for it with the attack range of its tentacles. Each of the Aqua Drifters had a single tentacle shoot out from their bodies which they aimed right at Feint. Even though the Aqua Drifter had split into two separate entities, the speed of the tentacles was not any slower. Feint reacted in a timely manner as he avoided the first strike and just barely dodged the one that followed closely behind. However, he realized from that brief encounter that it would be impossible for him to keep pace for an extended period of time. As Feint concentrated on evading the attacks of the Aqua Drifters, Luna was calmly assessing the current situation¡ªthough there was something that troubled her. "The Great Pce Seeker Fish also possessed the propagate hardcore effect, however, they never disyed the ability to split into two separate entities as the Aqua Drifter just did. Is it possible that an unknown trigger point exists?" Luna thought to herself. Unfortunately, there was a severeck of empirical evidence that was avable when it came to normal raids, let alone a hardcore raid. Although some basic information about raids was included in the yer''s handbook, hardcore effects were not considered "basic". There were elements that yers had toprehend by themselves naturally over time. This was the main reason why big guilds would send an advanced scouting team ahead to feel out the dungeon, raid, or area before sending in the main party. But, Blue Oasis was not given this luxury due to their special circumstances. Not only that, but they werepletely out ofmunication with the other raid group! Though even if they were able to reach the other raid group, what use would it be since that group likely trailed behind them? Skreeeeeat! Crash! All of a sudden, one of the Aqua Drifter''s tentacles that shot towards Feint split into dozens of smaller tentacles that moved in unpredictable ways. Despite being caught off guard by the abrupt change in the Aqua Drifter''s attack pattern, Feint reacted swiftly and evaded the attack. However, even though he avoided the attack from the first Aqua Drifter, the inevitable finally happened. Zoooooom! ?Guarded? (-7,857) (-3,049) -9,522 +4,250 +1,170 ... +1,170 The attack from the second Aqua Drifter mmed into Feint''s body twice and forced him back. Luckily, he was shielded by Luna''s Protective Barrier skill just before the tentacle struck him, otherwise, even with his sessful guard of the first part of that attack, he would have lost nearly 50% of his HP! As for the second part of the Aqua Drifter''s attack, Feint was unable to dodge or guard it in time. Although Luna''s Protective Barrier managed to soak up some of the damage, in the end, he still lost nearly 10,000 points of his health! Feint could not help but sigh in relief when he viewed his HP going back up. He was grateful that Luna, a healer, was transported to the same location as him. He could not imagine trying to rely on potions alone to face the monsters before him. But, more importantly... "What fast reaction time." Feint muttered to himself as he steadied his bnce. He tightened his fist as he kicked off his backfoot and dashed forward. "If that''s the case, then I have no need to worry." Feint''s movements had been somewhat tense up until now because he was too worried about getting struck. After all, even with a healer present, it was one of unknown origins and not someone from his Blue Oasis. How could he not feel ufortable trusting his life to some stranger in a high stakes situation? However, after a few moments of being inbat, Feint''s movements became less restricted and more aggressive to match his usual ystyle. Although this left him open at certain points to a few non-critical hits, Luna would swiftly restore his HP or protect him with a perfectly timed barrier. But, the fact that Feint was willing to receive those hits meant that he had grown to trust in Luna''s abilities in a short time frame. "For some reason, I feel invincible right now. Where has such a godlike healer been hiding all this time? I hate to admit it, but even vice guild leader Complex Assault''s healing is not this wless. Not to mention, her mana... Just how much does she have?" Feint thought to himself as he noticed that Luna''s mana had not even budged in the party''s interface! It was at that point he felt as though even if another Aqua Drifter was to appear, it would not be an issue! With Feint taking a more aggressive approach on hisbat style, he near effortlessly secured the aggro of the two Aqua Drifters. This allowed Second Tyrant and Tagz to increase their overall damage output without the fear of bing targeted by the creatures. Swoosh! Ooooom! The figure of a shadow appeared at the back of the original Aqua Drifter. At the same time, two tendrils with sharp drill-like ends sped outward from each side of that shadowy figure and impaled the sea creature. Ooooom! The shadow vanished and in its ce appeared Second Tyrant with a dagger in his hand that emitted a faint bloodlust. At his sides were two tendrils approximately three meters in length that were made from pure shadows. The shadow tendrils appeared to have a mind of their own as they retreated backward afternding a blow on the Aqua Drifter. This was one of the main damage dealing and crowd control skills of Second Tyrant''s Night Shade ss called Night Hunt. Not only was Second Tyrant capable of controlling the shadow tendrils, but they were also able to act independently. The length of the shadow tendrils could also change from anywhere between one to six meters! The sole downside was that the longer the shadow tendrils were, the more difficult it was to control and the less damage it could deal to its target. With Second Tyrant and Tagz stepping up their damage, as well as, Feint having confidence in Luna''s healing abilities, the HP of the original Aqua Drifter rapidly fell! 40%... 30%... 20%... The group concentrated their crowd control abilities on the second Aqua Drifter to limit its movements while they finished off the first Aqua Drifter. Using this strategy, it put less stress on Feint who was acting as the frontline for the party. "See? What did I tell you? Dealing with this much is only so-so! Let''s hurry up and end this!" Second Tyrant stated with a grin as he hastened his assault using his Night Hunt skill. Feint hated to admit it, but perhaps Second Tyrant was correct. Although it was a hardcore raid, in the end, a normal monster was still a normal monster. Not to mention, they also had the luck of the draw when it came to having a skilled healer. What was there to fear? It did not take long for the group to finish off one of the Aqua Drifters. As the members of Blue Oasis were growing somewhatxer after having done so, Luna could not shake the strange feeling that something was off. At first, she thought that it had something to do with the Aqua Drifters, however, that strange feeling was growing stronger with every passing moment. "Why do I still feel uneasy?" Luna questioned internally. Just as this thought crossed Luna''s mind, she heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. The noise wasing from the other passageway that Feint originally wanted to take since no monsters were guarding it. "These footsteps... yers?" Luna thought to herself. She did not forget the group of yers led by Abstract that was sent to scout ahead. If she remembered correctly, that group was separated as well when they entered into the Sprite Dwellings. "Hm?" The members of Blue Oasis heard the footstepster than Luna, but it immediately caught their attention and caused them to go on guard. Woosh! Woosh! A few momentster, two individuals came rushing out from the passageway who were immediately recognizable. The first was the captain of Blue Oasis'' 5th squad, Abstract. He was being closely followed by another member of Blue Oasis, I Do Zero Quests. Almost instantly after they exited the passageway, Abstract and I Do Zero Quests noticed Luna''s group in the near distance. A look of relief found its way onto Abstract''s face, but as if remembering something, his facial expression became gloomy. "It''s Captain Abstract!" Feint stated in an excited tone. Now that they had more help rushing over, dealing with the remaining Aqua Drifter would be no challenge at all! Second Tyrant, however, was not too happy to see Abstract. This was his chance to prove hismand abilities, but now that a captain had shown up, he no longer possessed the highest level of authority present. What a wasted opportunity! Luna, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes slightly. Those were not the movements of people who were rushing over to help. Those were the movements of people running away from something! "Something is not right." Luna warned and just as she did so, she felt the ground beneath her feet slightly tremble. "Run!" I Do Zero Quests shouted without slowing down. Run? Why would they need to run? Wasn''t I Do Zero Quests overreacting? After all, they were just fighting a normal monster. They even already defeated one! But, just a few seconds after I Do Zero Quests shouted, the loud sound of roars and battle cries echoed from within the passageway that he and Abstract had just run out of. Luna''s expression became deathly calm when she saw what poured out the passageway. As for Feint, Second Tyrant, and Tagz¡ªthere was a look of shock and disbelief on their faces. However, those expressions soon turned to one just as gloomy as Abstract''s. "T-this... You''re joking, right...?" Tagz muttered as his attacks against the Aqua Drifter came to a sudden halt. "This is troublesome." Luna''s gaze settled onto what was behind Abstract and I Do Zero Quests. At first, what came out of the passageway was a single Aqua Drifter. But, it did not stop there. Skrrrreeeeeeat! Skreeeeeeeat! Skreeee... 1... 5... 10... 20...30! The numbers kept increasing as it almost seemed as if a flood of water was chasing after them and it did not appear to be slowing down in the slightest! Chapter 416 Sprite Dwellings: Luna and Ooudamu 3/4 Abstract and I Do Zero Quests ran forward without looking back. After leaving the left passageway, the two knew that if they ran towards the area they started at within the Sprite Dwellings, there was only death that awaited them since it was nothing but a dead end. Therefore, their sole option was to risk pulling the aggro of the Aqua Drifter that guarded the right passageway. After all, they were already being chased by an entire floor worth of monsters, what was one more? As long as they did not damage the Aqua Drifter guarding the right passageway, it should not be too much of a problem¡ªbut, who knew that they would run into other members of their raid group? Not only that, but they had already engaged the Aqua Drifter in battle and eliminated one! Normally this would be seen as a good thing, however, it was different when it came to the Aqua Drifters who all possessed the Propagate hardcore effect. Abstract and I Do Zero Quests knew from firsthand experience that after the Aqua Drifter split the first time... It was toote to stop it from spiraling out of control! After he received his orders from Niflheim, Abstract decided to scout ahead along with I Do Zero Quests. At first, everything was going smoothly and there was no trouble since the two trod carefully with their stealth skills activated. But, it all changed the instant they entered into the left passageway¡ªthat was when things took a turn for the worse. Although Second Tyrant and the other Blue Oasis members were taken aback by the sudden flood of monsters, they still reacted quickly and disengaged the remaining Aqua Drifter to run down the right passageway. As for the Aqua Drifter, it gave chase as its aggro still locked onto Feint. "Running away from normal monsters... How shameful!" Second Tyrant muttered under his breath. He never thought that he would have to run from normal monsters, but even he understood that those numbers would, at minimum, force them to use some powerful skills with long cooldowns to survive a head-on assault. However, using such skills on normal monsters would be a total waste! In the end, they would only do so as ast resort. "What is she doing?" Tagz questioned with a frown as he ran after Feint and Second Tyrant. He noticed that Luna had yet to move from the spot she was standing in even after I Do Zero Quests¡¯ warning, as well as, the appearance of the monster horde. Did she have a death wish? "Hmph, she¡¯s probably frozen in fear after seeing so many monsters! Whatever, we can¡¯t afford to stop and go back for her. Even if she is a decent healer, her inexperience is finally showing." Second Tyrant stated. "So she had this type of w? However..." Feint thought to himself with furrowed brows. In truth, he believed a healer like Luna was too good to be true. Fast reaction time, perfectly timed barriers and heals, a massive mana pool, and a calm demeanor. Those were all qualities of a top-level healer that even his Blue Oasis would wee with open arms! But, Feint could not help but question himself. How could someone with those top-level qualities be too afraid to move? Was this truly the case? Feint held some doubts. "Hm? That¡¯s... She¡¯s a part of that group that was invited to the raid with us. Why isn¡¯t she running away?" I Do Zero Quests thought to himself with a frown. Even if she did not hear his warning, she should have noticed the others run down the passageway and made a move. I Do Zero Quests yelled out a warning once again, but Luna remained stationary. Luna¡¯s calm gaze was locked onto the two members of Blue Oasis who were dashing in her direction. "They should be close enough soon." Luna thought to herself. Indeed, Luna had not yet moved from her original position, but it was not that her response time was slow. Nor was it due to her being frozen in ce from fear as Second Tyrant thought. The sole reason Luna did not move yet was that she did not forget her main role as a supporter! The moment Abstract and I Do Zero Quests stepped within Luna¡¯s sphere of influence, a wave of soft mist engulfed the two Blue Oasis members. When the mist made contact with them, Abstract and I Do Zero Quests felt a refreshing aura wash over them and spread throughout their bodies. Not only was their health being replenished, but they were also ovee with a sudden burst of movement speed! "The mana cost is a bit high, however, this much should do, for now." Luna began to move the instant she finished casting her skill, Revitalizing Mist. Although the mana cost was indeed somewhat high, she was not too worried about it given her massive mana pool and fast mana regeneration. Skill Name: Revitalizing Mist Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Mana Cost: 525+(75 Per Ally) Cast Time: 0.25 Active: The user can target themselves and up to five allies within 25 meters. Removes all existing slow debuffs from the target(s). The target(s) is healed for 2% of their maximum HP + 20% of the user¡¯s ?Healing Factor? every 2 seconds for 20 seconds. The target(s) also gain +10% Movement Speed for the duration of this skill. Cooldown: 20 seconds Luna made sure to target herself with the skill to gain the movement speed buff. She also removed a mobility potion from her inventory to further increase her speed. She knew that she could not allow herself to fall too far behind the others since they were rushing down an unknown path. There were too many hidden variables in y for her tog behind. With their movement speed increase, it only took a few moments for Abstract and I Do Zero Quests to create a greater distance between themselves and the Aqua Drifters. They had received some heavy damage while escaping the encirclement of Aqua Drifters earlier. Even after drinking a health potion, their situation was not too good. But, Luna¡¯s heals was able to lift them out of a dangerous zone. Needless to say, they were grateful that a healer happened to be among the group sent to their location. A few momentster, Luna, Abstract, and I Do Zero Quests caught up to Feint, Second Tyrant, and Tagz. The Aqua Drifter that they were originally fighting against was still chasing after Feint. It was slowly but surely closing in on his position. "Why did this thing be so much faster?" Feintmented. It was almost as if the further down the passageway he traveled, the faster the Aqua Drifter moved. "Hm?" Tagz heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. He nced behind and saw that Luna, Abstract, and I Do Zero Quests had caught up to them! "The others have caught up!" Tagz informed his guild members. "Already?! What about the monsters?!" Second Tyrant was shocked. They had closed the distance much faster than he anticipated. While this was a good thing, it was also a bad thing considering what was pursuing them. "This¡ªthere are no signs of monsters in pursuit." Tagz answered. In the blink of an eye, Luna and the other two members of Blue Oasis were finally within themunication range of Feint and the others. "Captain Abstract, what are your orders?" Feint asked. Since Abstract was the only captain of Blue Oasis present, then naturally the leadership role rested in his hands. However, Feint was met with nothing but silence. "Captain?" Feint was confused by Abstract¡¯sck of a response. "It¡¯s no use. Captain Abstract has been affected by an unknown curse. He¡¯s unable to speak until it naturally wears off or we find a way to remove it." I Do Zero Quests said in a troubled tone. "Curse? Then, the healer-" Feint was about to speak, however, he was quickly cut off by Luna. "Before you ask, I have already tried to remove the curse. Unfortunately, the level of this curse is well above that of my current ability to remove." Luna stated in a calm tone. There was one skill she believed could clear the curse without much issue and that was her voice magic. However, she was unwilling to waste it on a seemingly harmless curse. She then continued, "As long as one does not break the curse, then there will be no consequence to suffer. Since the curse prevents him from speaking, then it should not re-up unless he talks." Curses in RML were strange and bizarre. While the effects were strong, that was usually only if one broke the curse restrictions set in ce. As for the restrictions, it widely varied. The trigger could be something simple such as not speaking, not moving, or even using a specific type of skill. But, it could be asplex as taking exactly three steps, jumping, and stopping for 1 second. However, the one consistent thing about curses was that the price for breaking the restriction was a heavy one. Though there was something that bothered Luna. "A curse that I¡¯m unable to remove could not have been ced by something like the Aqua Drifter. Even removing elite monster curses should not be an issue. In that case, there¡¯s only one exnation that I can think of. It¡¯s possible that those two-" Luna thought to herself. Skreeeeeeeeeat! Skreeeeeeeeeeat! All of a sudden, the sound of Aqua Drifters could be heard growing closer to Luna¡¯s group. After entering into the passageway, the Aqua Drifters gained a boost to their movement speed as if they were in their natural environment. Second Tyrant smirked. This was still a chance for him! Lady luck had not forsaken him just yet! Since Abstract was unable to lead, he found himself at the top of themand chain! Although I Do Zero Quests technically outranked him as a lieutenant of Blue Oasis, there was something known as ¡¯Situational Rank¡¯. In simple terms, if for example, a lieutenant ormander suddenly arrived in a group where someone of lower rank was already in charge of the situation at hand, then the higher ranking member could not simply take over by force. Themand had to be handed to them by the current group leader, or by the direct order of a captain. However, since Abstract was unable to speak or ess the chat, thetter was impossible. As for the former, most would do so out of respect for those with a higher rank than them. However, Second Tyrant did not even n on entertaining the thought and missing this chance! Of course, ¡¯Situational Rank¡¯ did not apply to the captains of Blue Oasis. "This is better. With a captain here to witness my leadership, my position in the guild will only be stronger." Second Tyrant thought to himself. As the group continued to move, they came across three passageways that looked identical. Right when Luna approached the three passageways, rm bells started to ring in her head. Unlike before when there was a faint warning, this was loud and clear. "My Soul Sense is telling me that whatever is lurking down that middle passageway is dangerous." Just as this thought crossed Luna¡¯s mind, she heard a voice give out an order. "We¡¯re charging straight down the middle path!" Second Tyrant ordered. "We must avoid the middle path at all costs. Only danger awaits us down that path." Luna stated. Feint and Tagz were surprised. This was the first time they heard Luna openly voice her opinion. But, what was truly shocking was how she immediately shot down Second Tyrant¡¯s n! "Danger?" Feint questioned. How could she know that there was danger down the middle path? The first thing that came to mind was some kind of perception skill, however, the path ahead of them was clear for all to see. Not to mention, could a healer ss with versatile healing and barrier skills even possess a skill with such a long-range of perception? "Oh? Have you done this raid before without our knowledge?" Second Tyrant mocked. He was the leader of this group! What right did she have to question his order when she was not even a member of his Blue Oasis? What danger? If there was any danger, he would have already perceived it with the passive skill Shadow Watch long before a healer even had a chance to do so. In addition, everyone was aware that something in the Sprite Dwellings was blocking and restriction perception-based skills. She was spouting nonsense! I Do Zero Quests had a thoughtful expression on his face. While he did not agree with Second Tyrant¡¯s aggressive leadership style, in the end, everyone had their own way of handling things. However, he knew that Niflheim would not have allowed just anyone to join them on such an important raid. Therefore, he would not brush off Luna¡¯s voice as easily as Second Tyrant¡ªeven if it meant temporarily overstepping him. Even though he was not the current leader, he was still a lieutenant of Blue Oasis. "How can you tell that there¡¯s danger ahead?" I Do Zero Quests asked. "I can feel it." Luna responded without hesitation. There was not enough time to exin her Soul Sense trait as they were almost at the three paths and the best way to describe it was, indeed, as a ¡¯feeling¡¯. I Do Zero Quests frowned when he listened to Luna¡¯s words. A feeling? How could he forcibly overrule Second Tyrant based solely on the feeling of someone who was practically a stranger to him? Not to mention, she was not a member of Blue Oasis. Overstepping Second Tyrant in this situation was too much. "Feeling? Hmph! How can we rely on feeling?!" Second Tyrant scoffed and did not even bother to respond to Luna any further. He then ordered once again, "We¡¯re taking the middle path!" Luna inwardly sighed. It went just as she had expected. Although I Do Zero Quests made an attempt, there was not enough time to go into details. As for the other yers... To them, she was just an outsider¡ªnot a member of Blue Oasis. Why would they speak up and take her ¡¯feeling¡¯ seriously? Luna, however, understood that she had no choice but to follow them down the middle path no matter what dangers waited ahead. It was not that she feared being separated from the group, but it woulde off as her abandoning the members of Blue Oasis. She knew that her actions were a direct reflection of Izroth who was invited by Blue Oasis, therefore, she had already prepared herself for that kind of response. "Worst case scenario, I may have to use ¡¯that¡¯. However, I would rather avoid wasting it here." Luna thought to herself. Chapter 417 Sprite Dwellings: Luna and Ooudamu 4/4 Woosh! Woosh! Luna and the members of Blue Oasis ran down the middle path. The moment they did so, the strangest thing urred. The Aqua Drifters who were chasing after them stopped at the entrance of the passageway as if there was something that prevented them from entering. Some of the Aqua Drifters went around to the left path and right path after being blocked by the middle path. Then, out of nowhere, the Aqua Drifters that tried to enter the middle path started to melt and be absorbed into the ground! By the time it was over, there was not a single drop of liquid remaining from the Aqua Drifters near the middle path. They had simply vanished! Ruuuuumble! The ground released a few tremors as the entrance to the middle path was sealed off by a wall of crystals. Now, the only way for the group to go was forward. "What happened to the Aqua Drifters?" Tagz stated in a tone of slight disbelief. "It looks like we chose the correct path after all. Even those Aqua Drifters are unable to enter." Feint said as he released a sigh of relief. "Good job, Commander Second Tyrant. But, we should remain on high alert. The path behind us is closed off so there¡¯s no turning back." I Do Zero Questsmented. He was d that he chose not to push further than he did against Second Tyrant¡¯s choice, otherwise, they would have still been running for their life! "What is there to go back to anyways? Besides, even with the restrictions in this ce, my natural sense of perception is still quite strong. So, this much is to be expected." Second Tyrant stated as a gleeful grin secretly found its way to his face. In truth, he had just chosen randomly! He never expected the results to be so good and on his side! Second Tyrant nced towards Luna who had fallen silent ever since they stepped onto the middle path. "She must be too embarrassed to say anything now." Second Tyrant thought to himself as he turned his attention towards the front. "It¡¯s still there." Luna thought to herself. She was not too embarrassed to speak, but she understood that there was no turning back from whatever awaited them up ahead. Since that was the case, there was no reason to dwell on the subject of turning back. Now, she was focused on quickly thinking of a way to minimize any potential damage. A few momentster, Luna and her group reached an opening in the passageway and soon found themselves in a spacious room. However, the first words to leave their mouths were not what one would expect to hear in the middle of a hardcore raid. "Did we identally step into some kind of utopia?" Feint unknowingly muttered aloud. The spacious room that the group stepped into was nothing like the other parts of the Sprite Dwellings. For one, there were no crystals in the room which was the most surprising to see as they were spread throughout the Sprite Dwellings. The ground was the color of snow and the earthy walls were transparent. But, strangely enough, one could not see their own reflection on the walls. Instead, there were small orbs of light that came in a myriad of colors and were no bigger than one¡¯s fist which danced around freely throughout the transparent walls. At the opposite end of the room was a small body of water that could only be described as a beautiful pond. One could tell that the water was pure and untainted by worldly objects. Surrounding that pond was a circle of stones with bizarre symbols imprinted on them and at the very center floating atop the water was a single aqua color leaf. "I have note across such pure water since that time at the Lake of Tears. This ce certainly has a level of beauty to it, however..." Luna thought to herself. At the same time, her eyes remained locked onto the beautiful pond in the nearby distance with a calm yet serious look on her face. Ruuuummble... In the same way that the middle path was sealed earlier, the entrance into the room was closed off by a wall of crystals. The sudden noise and tremors caused the group to go on high alert, but they loosened up when they discovered that nothing else was taking ce. "That¡¯s strange. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any way out of this room." Tagz stated as he observed his surroundings. Indeed, there did not appear to be any other openings or passageways anywhere in sight. "Could we have walked into a trap by mistake?" I Do Zero Quests questioned with a frown. "If it is a trap, it¡¯s a bad one considering how we¡¯re still unharmed. I¡¯m confident that there¡¯s an exit somewhere in this ce. We just have to look for it. Everyone should spread out and search the walls. Even though they look transparent, it could just be that this room is ying a trick on us. That pond over there is also a bit suspicious." Second Tyrant stated. "We should not move around freely in this room." Luna replied. Second Tyrant red at Luna as he narrowed his eyes. Was this person not afraid of embarrassing themselves a second time? How would others respect him if he kept being questioned by someone like her? He had to let her know her ce! "Then, what should we do? Stand here and do nothing?" Second Tyrant scoffed. "Yes." Luna responded without hesitation. Second Tyrant mocked, "What? Is it your ¡¯feeling¡¯ again?" "Yes." Luna replied with an unmoving expression. This caused Second Tyrant to almost cough up blood from anger. At this point, it was obvious that this person just wanted to go against him at every turn possible! She wanted them to just stand there and do nothing? What a joke! He wondered what Captain Niflheim was thinking when he allowed this person into their raid group. Second Tyrant was the only one bothered by Luna¡¯s response. Her response caused the other members of Blue Oasis to frown. They thought that Luna was asking for a bit much and intentionally stirring up trouble. Second Tyrant wanted to unleash his anger, however, he remembered that Abstract and I Do Zero Quests were present and kept his anger under control. "Ignore her. She¡¯s speaking nonsense. Everyone spread out and search. Watch out for any traps or suspicious objects." Second Tyrant ordered. After everyone started to search around the room, Second Tyrant turned to face Luna and said, "You can just stand there and go along with that feeling of yours you like so much." Second Tyrant grinned. There was a look of disdain in his eyes as he left to join the other members of Blue Oasis in exploring the spacious room. Luna¡¯s eyes became ice-cold, however, her facial expression remained unchanged. That was thest "peaceful" moment the group experienced. Not too long after they were sealed in the room, everything quickly fell into chaos. ... During their search of the room, the group had no luck finding any sort of hidden exit on the walls. That was when Second Tyrant decided to approach the beautiful pond. If it was just approaching the pond, then maybe things would not have been so bad. But, Second Tyrant touched the stones that surrounded the pond causing them to have an unusual reaction as a system alert popped up. Before they knew it, Aqua Drifter after Aqua Drifter kept spawning and activating the propagate hardcore effect when they were near death. This caused the group to be encircled by the wave of sea creatures. It was at this point that Luna¡¯s Soul Sense spiked to new levels. But, it was not due to the wave of Aqua Drifters, but rather the entity that sat atop the leaf floating in the pond. That entity was, of course, Ooudamu. If not for her Soul Sense and heightened senses from consuming the Five Cycles Pill, then perhaps even Luna would not have been aware of Ooudamu considering that the creature was no bigger than the size of one¡¯s palm. How was a raid group even supposed to fight against something so small? After discovering that he led everyone to this point, Second Tyrant fell silent. His thoughts raced to find a way to recover the situation, but there was nothing that came to mind. Why? Why didn¡¯t he just give themand over to I Do Zero Quests?! If he did that, then all the responsibility would have been shoved to them! Once Second Tyrant became lost in his thoughts, I Do Zero Quests officially tookmand given the dire circumstances. However, he had no idea how to escape, but there was one person who might have an idea. Though would that person truly be willing to help after how poorly she was treated? "Fortunately, she doesn¡¯t seem to hold a grudge against us." I Do Zero Quests thought to himself as she nced over at Luna. Indeed, if they had just listened to her then maybe this could have been avoided. But sadly, there is no medicine for regret! In the end, he decided that at this point, there was nothing to lose by relying on Luna¡¯s ¡¯feelings¡¯ that had not been wrong so far and asked for her assistance. To his surprise, Luna agreed without making any unreasonable demands. Her sole request was that they did as she said without question. I Do Zero Quests agreed to those terms. Of course, he made sure to add that the request would not require anyone to freely forfeit their lives. Luna had no issue with this addition. "What do we do now, Miss Luna?" Feint asked Luna who was now inmand. "What other choice do we have? We fight." Luna responded as she held the staff in her hands forward. She could not help but remember her warning to Second Tyrant and the instant everything spiraled out of control. But, now was not the time for such thoughts. Fight? How were they supposed to handle the neverending Aqua Drifters, let alone a raid boss? No, forget the Aqua Drifters. If they fought against a raid boss with just the six of them, then they would surely die! It was practically asking them to forfeit their lives! But, did they even have a choice? After all, there was nowhere for them to escape. "I don¡¯t know how long we can hold out against this many monsters. They are splitting apart faster than we can kill them. Unless we can find a way to take care of these monsters, then we won¡¯t have to worry about the boss." I Do Zero Quests said with a gloomy expression. If they were dead before they faced the boss, then what was the use being concerned about now? "Stop." Luna spoke in a normal manner, however, her voice soon echoed and reverberated throughout the room as a powerful wave of mana was released in the form of sound waves. As the magic sound waves swept across the Aqua Drifters, the monsters came to an abrupt halt. Even the ones that were in the middle of attacking frozen with their liquid tentacles still in motion! What was going on? Why did the monsters just... freeze? Also, what was that overwhelming pressure just now? Did that pressuree from a healer? No, that should be impossible. Maybe it was a special item they were using? A multitude of questions went through the minds of the Blue Oasis members present. However, they did not have time to ponder before a calm yetpelling voice traveled to their ears. "I¡¯ve halted their movement, but it will notst forever. What are you waiting for? Attack." Luna stated. With those words, the members of Blue Oasis snapped out of it and charged forward to ughter the Aqua Drifters. Fortunately, the HP of the Aqua Drifters was lowered every time they split into two. Wooosh! Abstract¡¯s dagger soared through the air as he finished off one of the Aqua Drifters and quickly moved onto the next. As a captain of Blue Oasis, he was ashamed that he had fallen under a curse under such vicious conditions. Since there was no time to stop and regroup, he was incapable ofmunicating anything to those around him. To make matters worse, he had no idea how he was affected by such a curse and yet I Do Zero Quests was not. Naturally, all of this caused some frustration. But, what truly startled was this healer. She was unusual from head to toe. Her ss was unknown, her mana pool was massive, she used a wide variety of powerful high ranked skills, she could ¡¯feel¡¯ danger and most importantly... She was a Trephasia! To add on, she remained calm and collected even with Second Tyrant¡¯s attitude towards her and was constantly looking ahead. "Where has such a top-level yer been hiding? No matter what, after this is over, I have to find a way to pull her into our Blue Oasis." Abstract thought to himself. Thanks to Luna, the Aqua Drifters were unable to retaliate and so the members of Blue Oasis had no trouble eliminating them. Ever since their movements were stopped, the monsters had been unable to split and create more. This made taking care of those remaining a simple task. After all, no one present was weak given their position in a top guild like Blue Oasis. Tagz picked off low HP targets with his arrows, while Feint on the Aqua Drifters with the most HP. Abstract moved swiftly with precise and deadly attacks reaping the lives of the monsters. As for Second Tyrant, he seemed unfocused and his movements were sloppy, but he continued to fight. Luna and I Do Zero Quests took a more supportive role on the battlefield. With their newfound momentum, the group cleared out the Aqua Drifters. "As I thought... That many targets were a bit much. The voice magic is powerful, but the mana cost is too inconsistent. Each word contains its own power and cost. This cost multiplies for every target that I chose to be influenced. There is still too much I have yet to uncover." Luna thought to herself as she let out a small sigh. The members of Blue Oasis, excluding the dejected Second Tyrant, were cheerful. The situation had been turned out so fast with just one move! After that stressful scenario, how could they not feel somewhat relieved? "Now, all that¡¯s left is-" Luna¡¯s eyes suddenly widened the instant she looked over towards the pond. That was because on top of the leaf was... Nothing! Ooudaumu, the raid boss, had vanished! However, Luna¡¯s Soul Sense warned her that they were not out of danger just yet. Swish! Luna¡¯s ears twitched slightly as she attempted to move her head to the side slightly, however, she was toote as a thin beam of light no wider than one¡¯s finger shot into her forehead! Pakt! Everyone was stunned! Where did that light juste from? More importantly, did their healer just die like that?! But, after the initial panic thoughts vanished, the group quickly noticed that Luna was still alive and well. She was not dispersing into countless particles as one would when they perished within RML. Strangely enough, her HP also appeared undamaged. "Miss Luna... Are you okay?" Feint asked as he approached her. But, there was no response from Luna as she stood perfectly still while looking down towards the ground. "Did sheg out or fall asleep?" Feint frowned as he reached out towards Luna to try snapping her out of it. But, before his hand could her, he suddenly felt an unbearable pressure descend upon him. It was at that moment, a single word shifted the entire atmosphere for the Blue Oasis members. "Prostrate." Ooooooooom! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Five heads simultaneously hit the ground as the five members of Blue Oasis prostrated. "W-what is this...?! Why can¡¯t I move?!" Feint struggled to resist, however, the pressure was too overwhelming! "What kind of skill is this? It¡¯s absurd!" Abstract thought to himself. Even his crowd control removal skill was unable to remove the effects! The group heard the sound of light footsteps, however, they could only see that person¡¯s feet as they passed by. Tap... Tap... Tap... "Hehehe, I never thought I would meet a member of the Trephasia race. This strange voice magic is fun since it suits me so well, hehehe." A sweet voice gently floated into the ears of the Blue Oasis members as they walked by. "It¡¯s been a while since Ist had such an interesting host, hehehe. Ah, I suppose I should deal with the little sea urchins who crossed over into my Sprite Dwellings. Otherwise, those two won¡¯t let me hear the end of it." She said with a pout. "This voice... It sounds a bit different, but I¡¯m positive that it belongs to her. That light... Is it possible?" Abstract thought to himself. Luna was currently levitating above the beautiful pond, however, her appearance was different from usual. Her eyescked an iris or pupil and they matched the color of the ocean. But, the biggest change had to be the pair of nearly transparent and gorgeous wings on her back. The tone of her voice was also more yful by nature. Somehow, Luna had be the host for the raid boss, Ooudamu! This was different than the time Zi Yi was momentarily controlled by a creature from the Netherworld. This was a full merge with a yer¡ªsomething that waspletely unheard of before within RML! Name: Ooudamu, Queen of the Water Sprites(Raid Boss) yer Host: Luna Level: 52 HP: 23,553,148(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Outburst] "Ah, I have a fun game. Why don¡¯t we have fun with this voice magic? Hehehe, what word should I choose... Hmmm... Ah, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the perfect word for these oversiders, hehehe." "Die." Ooudamu said as a yful smile found its way onto her face. ... Somewhere in the Sprite Dwellings... ¡¯That¡¯s thest one.¡¯ Izroth had just finished applying the Corporeal Lucidity Moss to Emberheart, the final member of Blue Oasis in his area of the Sprite Dwellings who was affected by the Phantasmagoria. Since she was a supporter with low mobility, it did not take much to restrict her movements and apply the cure. This was even more so considering it was five against one. Chapter 418 Danger Ahead, A Familiar Flame! At the moment, Emberheart was still confused as to what had just urred. One minute she was fighting for her life against some strange creatures and the next minute her raid group had appeared out of nowhere! What was happening? "Everyone... Wait¡ªwhere are we? I was just in a dark room and... Just what¡¯s going on?" Emberheart massaged her temples as she tried to process everything. "You were affected by something called Phantasmagoria..." One of the Blue Oasis members, False Summit, went on to exin the details of their current situation to Emberheart. By the time he finished speaking, Emberheart was left with an expression of disbelief. There was such a dangerous thing in this ce?! From the way False Summit exined it to her, if not for that Izroth guy locating the cure, then wouldn¡¯t things have taken a turn for the worse? But, just as those thoughts crossed her mind, she suddenly remembered that Izroth was the same yer who stayed behind to draw the attention of the monsters outside of the Sprite Dwellings. She had personally witnessed him being surrounded by dozens upon dozens of monsters just before she stepped into the Sprite Dwellings. How was it possible that he escaped and made it to this ce in one piece? As if sensing Emberheart¡¯s thoughts, False Summit shrugged and shook his head as he said, "I know what you¡¯re thinking. I, myself, still find it difficult to believe. If not for Captain Vanaheim being a personal witness, I would still have some doubts. But, what matters now is that we¡¯re all safe and we have him to thank for it." False Summit and Emberheart looked over towards Izroth. ¡¯The Sprite Dwellings is more massive than I thought. Without my Energy Vision Sense, I¡¯m unable to grasp its full size.¡¯ Izroth was exploring the environment around him. He had already discovered the way out through one of the nearby passageways. Now, he was simply taking some time to examine the area. But, he soon discovered that there was nothing of interest left in this space. ¡¯Although everyone is more than capable of taking care of themselves, there are too many unknown variables in this hardcore raid to simply ignore. I have to find a way for us to safely regroup as soon as possible.¡¯ Izroth could only hope that Luna and the others had note across something as terrifying as the Phantasmagoria. It would not be an overstatement to call it a raid group killer. Unless one was prepared beforehand, it was almost guaranteed topletely wipe out a raiding party! Even though Izroth was able to control the situation with his group, who knew what kind of hardships the other groups were facing? "What¡¯s with this guy? Is he really just a Combat Master?" Vanaheim thought to herself as she carefully observed Izroth. Although she still found it hard to believe, Vanaheim already knew the answer to that question. After all, the party interface clearly disyed Izroth¡¯s ss as a Combat Master. To be honest, Vanaheim was somewhat skeptical about Niflheim¡¯s decision to invite Izroth and his party to join them on such an important raid for Blue Oasis. But, she was slowly starting to understand why Niflheim was so eager to create a solid connection with this individual. Strength, connections, and influence¡ªthese were the traits necessary for a new top power to emerge within RML and Izroth possessed them all in abundance. She believed that while it may be nearly impossible to tie such a person down to their guild as a member, at the very least, creating strong ties with him should be possible. "The Mystical Realm Pce, a connection to the mysterious Pill Emperor, and taking the highest achievement in the Protectors of Amaharpe event... I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve waited too long to make a move." Vanaheim sighed inwardly. She felt that if they had given Niflheim more leeway in the matter, then perhaps Izroth would have already joined them back in Opal Town! However, even the starting position of amander was not enough to entice him at that time. This naturally caused some of the Blue Oasis captains, such as Vanaheim, to believe that Izroth was being too arrogant and did not deserve such treatment from their Blue Oasis. But now, Vanaheim felt as if their offer of making Izroth amander may have not seemed sincere at all in his eyes. "Captain, what are your orders?" Ace of Saint asked. Vanaheim snapped out of her thoughts and reorganized herself. That¡¯s right, now was not the time to allow her thoughts to wander. While they avoided the worst-case scenario, the other groups may not have been so fortunate. If Izroth had not appeared when he did, Vanaheim predicted that at least two members would have died before she even had the chance to discover the cure to the Phantasmagoria¡ªand that would have still been the best oue. "Our main goal has not changed. We will find a way to regroup with the main raid group. Let¡¯s-" Just as Vanaheim was about to give the order to proceed onward, she suddenly received an alert from the system. However, she was not alone. The alert also popped up for the other Blue Oasis members present. Needless to say, the alert was received by Izroth as well. But, when he saw the contents of the system alert, it caused him to narrow his eyes in response. ¡¯Why do I have a bad feeling about this?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Locate ?Ooudamu¡¯s Pool?.¡µ Someone had just located Ooudamu¡¯s Pool! Did this mean that they had also discovered the location of the first raid boss, Ooudamu? This was the main question on everyone¡¯s mind. After all, besides those who had just uncovered the location of Ooudamu¡¯s Pool, no one knew for certain if the actual boss was stationed in that area. If the raid boss was indeed in that area and that group identally engaged it in a fight, then there was only one oue¡ªdeath. "We will speed up our pace. Move with haste, but do not ignore your environment. Let¡¯s go." Vanaheimmanded as a sense of urgency shed through her mind. They could not afford to lose a single member of the raiding party or else their overall power would be greatly reduced. If they lost an entire group of six yers then this raid would, without a doubt, end in failure! ... Izroth and his group safely made their way through the passageway. There were a couple of normal monsters along the way, however, Vanaheim was able to create a path that avoided direct contact with them. This allowed the group to proceed onward at a steady pace without getting into any unnecessary battles. ¡¯Using low-level and mid-level magic skills in this manner... It would seem that the talent pool of top guilds is not small after all.¡¯ Vanaheim¡¯s creativity caused Izroth to reevaluate his original opinion of the top guilds. Previously, he thought that it would be at least another month or so before they discovered things like enhanced skills. But, he felt that he had underestimated top yers like Vanaheim. Using just three skills and with some assistance from one of the Blue Oasis members, Ace of Saint, she had created a way to avoid aggroing the monsters with little to no effort! Vanaheim used three magic skills. Silent Casting, Earth Wall, and Elemental Reshape. Silent Casting was a mid-level skill that allowed Vanaheim to cast a spell without attracting the aggro of nearby monsters. As for Earth Wall, it did just as its name stated and created a wall of earth. Then, using Elemental Reshape which gave Vanaheim the ability to manipte the shape of existing elements made out of her mana, she created a dome around the monsters. At the same time, Ace of Saint used two skills on the party¡ªNoise Suppression and Remove Scent. Although both were low-level skills and was almost useless in directbat against monsters, they possessed low cooldowns and mana usage. Not to mention, they could also be used on allies. With Vanaheimpletely obstructing the view of the monsters and Ace of Saint erasing their footsteps and smell, the normal monsters did not even realize that they were passing by! "Captain Vanaheim is amazing as always. To immediatelye up with this solution so that we do not have to waste our time and energy fighting. Our captain is amazing." Emberheart could not help but smile as shemented and sighed in admiration. "What do you expect? When ites to Elemental Mages, the captain¡¯s on a whole different level. Most Elemental Mages can only use one primary element and one or two secondary elements that usually acts as a support to the primary element. However, for Captain Vanaheim it¡¯s different." False Summit stated. "Ah, are you referring to the incident at the mage building in Amaharpe?" Emberheart asked. "As I thought, it would be strange for a member of our Blue Oasis not to know about it. Then, you should be aware that Captain Vanaheim did not acquire a secondary element. Instead... she possesses all elements as her primary element. She¡¯s a Perfect Elementalist." False Summit said. He then continued, "Some say that if she gets serious, even Captain Road is not her match." A Perfect Elementalist! It was something that all Elemental Mages dreamed of obtaining within RML. Why? Because it allowed a yer to freely use any of the elements as their primary element! This meant that a yer would have more ess to high-tier skills, as well as, a highly versatile skillset. As for secondary elements, their overall power was much weaker than that of an Elemental Mage¡¯s primary element and the level of mastery one could obtain with them was limited. But, if one was a Perfect Elementalist, that limit did not exist for them! If that was the case, then their power was theoretically boundless. "You two, focus on your surroundings. Did you forget where we are?" Vanaheim spoke in a stern tone. Emberheart and False Summit gave a small apology as they ceased their conversation. ¡¯Perfect Elementalist? I see. It would seem she still has many unyed cards in her possession.¡¯ Izroth was aware of the term Perfect Elementalist, however, this was his first time meeting one in person and seeing them in action. Since virtually everything was made up of the basic elements, Izroth understood the limitless potential behind a Perfect Elementalist. ¡¯Blue Oasis¡¯ fortune is quite good.¡¯ As this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, a myriad of rm bells sounded in his mind. It was his Soul Sense ability warning him of potential great danger. The spike in danger was sudden and it emerged seemingly out of nowhere. ¡¯Where did thise from?¡¯ While there was a dangerous presence constantly spread throughout the entire Sprite Dwellings, Izroth was well aware of it and continued to pay it close attention. But, the warning he experienced just now dwarfed that of what he sensed before. "There¡¯s a dangerous threat up ahead." Izroth stated in a calm tone as he did not halt his steps. "Dangerous threat? Could it be that we are headed towards the boss room?" Vanaheim asked as a visible frown appeared on her face. She knew of Izroth¡¯s ability to sense danger as it was how they were able to safely locate and cure everyone without running into any monsters along the way. Therefore, she did not doubt his words. However, he had never used the term "dangerous threat". This indicated that whatever was up ahead could not be taken lightly. "It¡¯s a strong possibility. Either way, we should be prepared to-" Izroth was speaking, however, he abruptly stopped mid-sentence. Woosh! All of a sudden, a flickering image of Izroth could be seen in the ce where he had just stood. Everyone was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s figure flickering in and out of existence. What was going on? However, before they knew it, Izroth had disappeared entirely! But, there was a trail of fading flickering afterimages that led deeper into the Sprite Dwellings. "Is that a movement skill? So fast!" Ace of Saint eximed. Though he and the other members of Blue Oasis did not have time to be impressed. "Everyone, follow the afteriamges!" Vanaheim ordered as she and the rest of the group followed after Izroth. For Izroth to suddenly take off like that could only mean one thing¡ªthe situation up ahead was serious. A few seconds after his Soul Sense went off, Izroth noticed that the restriction ced on his Energy Vision Sense had been lifted. Without hesitation, he used his Energy Vision Sense to gauge his surroundings and found something shocking! He uncovered six mes, however, one of the six mes was bizarre. It was almost as if it was mixed in with one of the mes creating a mysterious seventh me. But, it was that same me that was the source of the danger! However, that was not the reason for his sudden departure. The me that was infused with the mysterious seventh me was one which with he was familiar! ¡¯That me unmistakably belongs to her... Luna.¡¯ Chapter 419 Lunas Indomitable Voice Magic Izroth made his way forward until he reached the area where the mes were located on his Energy Vision Sense. When he arrived, he instantly deactivated his Energy Vision Sense to prevent his Essence from being continuously drained. Since he did not know what to expect, he had to reserve as much Essence as possible. ¡¯A dead end?¡¯ Although Izroth had reached his destination, there was a wall blocking his path. The wall was made of some strange material that almost resembled that of ss, however, one was unable to see their own reflection on it. ¡¯Do we have to turn back and find another way to enter? However...¡¯ Izroth furrowed his brows inwardly. Who knew how long it would take to find a way into that room? Even if by some chance he did manage to locate it, by then, perhaps it would already be toote. As he pondered his next course of action, Izroth moved his hand forward to see if it was possible to cut through the wall. But, the moment his hand came into contact with the wall, something unusual took ce. The wall rippled like a water surface when a pebble fell through it. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s hand sunk into the wall! Izroth pulled his hand back and saw that nothing had happened to him. ¡¯I see. So it¡¯s like this...¡¯ This time, Izroth walked forward. Just as it looked as though he was going to run into the wall, his entire body phased right through it as various ripples formed throughout its surface. Once his body finished moving through the wall, the ripples stopped and it returned to its original state of a smooth surface. Izroth immediately examined his new surroundings when he stepped through the wall. As he did so, he rested the palm of his hand against the ss-like he had just walked through. But, he found that no matter how much pressure he applied, his hand was incapable of phasing into it. ¡¯A one-way trip, is it?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s gaze brushed past the five figures that were currently... Dancing? He recognized that five yers as members of Blue Oasis! One of the five yers was a captain! But, why were they dancing during a hardcore raid of all things? That was when Izroth¡¯s eyes locked onto the figure above the beautiful pond in the distance. Besides a few key features, that individual looked like an exact copy of Luna! ... "Hehehe, although this voice magic has its limits, it is still quite the powerful magic¡ªeven for a member of the Trephasia race. How did such a young Trephasia acquire this magic? Is she a pure-blooded? Well, it not that it matters, hehehe." Ooudamu said in a yful tone. Back when she tried to use the voice magic tomand those in front of her to die, she found that it had not responded. But, that much was to be expected. After all, the power over life and death was something that did not belong in the hands of beings of the Mortal Realm! After a few moments of fiddling around with the voice magic, it reached the point where shemanded Abstract and the other members of Blue Oasis to dance. Unable to resist the influence of the voice magic, the members of Blue Oasis had no choice but toply. They wanted to cough up blood from anger! They were practically being toyed with by this raid boss! "Captain, I don¡¯t know how much longer I can suffer this humiliation!" Feint stated in a cold tone with a gloomy expression on his face. "Have patience. Right now, she does not consider us to be a threat. We need to keep it that way until reinforcements arrive. Otherwise, with just us, we don¡¯t stand a chance." Abstract responded. Abstract was finally able to speak as the curse had been removed! However, it was by sheer luck that this urred and that the consequences had not followed. At some point, Ooudamu had used the voice magic andmanded them tough. But, instead of being affected by the curse, it was erased by the overwhelming power of the voice magic! This caused the curse to be ineffective the moment Abstract burst into a fit of uncontrobleughter with the other members of Blue Oasis. He had already resumed the leadership role and discovered that Luna was somehow being controlled by the first raid boss, Ooudamu. But, he was not foolish enough to make a move even if they had to suffer some humiliation. As a captain of Blue Oasis, he had set aside his own personal feelings and look at the bigger picture. Though what he could not figure out was how this boss worked. It was the first time he had seen such an intelligent boss within RML. For some reason, it felt as though she possessed her own personality and an ability to make her own decisions. "I¡¯ve heard of bosses gaining more intelligence the deeper we get into RML, however, I never expected it to be at such a high level already. Is it because we¡¯re doing a hardcore raid? Whatever the reason, at least she hasn¡¯t attacked us seriously. As long as we don¡¯t resist, for now, we can find an opportunity to counterattack." Abstract thought to himself. ... ¡¯Does that transformation how something to do with the Trephasia race?¡¯ That was Izroth¡¯s first thought when he saw Luna levitating above the pond. Not too long after Izroth entered, Abstract and the other members of Blue Oasis were shocked. Reinforcements had arrived! At least, that¡¯s what they originally thought. Instead, it turned out to just be one person who¡¯s body was constantly flickering in and out of existence. "It¡¯s him? Is he alone?" Abstract thought to himself as he inwardly frowned. If Izroth truly was alone, then it would not help their situation. But, Abstract¡¯s biggest worry was that he would anger the boss and cause her to start fighting seriously. This was bad! He had to warn Izroth without drawing too much attention. "Maybe I¡¯m worried for nothing. After all, no one in their right mind would attack a raid boss head-on in this kind of bizarre situation." Abstract muttered to himself. "Hm? Hehehe, a new toy has arrived." Ooudamu said as her gaze locked onto Izroth who had just entered into the room. She then switched to a cold tone and continued, "Should I have him dance? Or... Should I have them fight to the death?" Izroth¡¯s body flickered and in the blink of an eye, he appeared next to Abstract. "What happened?" Izroth questioned, however, his gaze never left Luna in the distance. Fast! That was the only word that came to the mind of those present. Was that some kind of high ranked movement skill? "She¡¯s being possessed by the first raid boss, Ooudamu. We¡¯re currently being influenced by something she calls voice magic." Abstract swiftly exined their predicament. Possessed? When Izroth heard that word, the look in his eyes became cold. He considered Luna to be one of his people, therefore, how could he sit back and allow someone to control her in such a manner? ¡¯Voice magic? How troublesome...¡¯ Izroth had witnessed Luna¡¯s voice magic firsthand. While it was provided great assistance to her allies, it was a dreadful experience for her enemies. ¡¯But, one of its major downfalls is its cooldown time. Although it¡¯s not long for a skill of its power, it¡¯s still not too short.¡¯ Izroth knew that the effects of Luna¡¯s voice magic varied depending on what word she spoke. When it came to crowd control effects that prevented yers from attacking or moving freely, it tended tost less than 30 seconds. Since Abstract and the others were under a crowd control effect, it meant that she must have used her voice magic not too long ago. "I see. Then, I¡¯m going." Izroth said as his boy started to flickering in and out of existence. Going? However, before Abstract could respond, Izroth had already left! The only thing remaining was a flickering afterimage. What was he doing?! Did he n on attacking head-on?! That was death wish! Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a powerful gust of wind was released from his sword. He moved at high speeds towards Ooudamu and appeared at the edge of the beautiful pond in an instant. Without hesitation, he swung his Sword of The Storm in a perfect sideways arc towards Ooudamu. Izroth was not concerned about dealing a lethal blow to Luna. As long as the Preserving Breath of Life Talisman was in his inventory, he was confident in keeping her alive. Right now, he needed to find a way to force Ooudamu to leave Luna¡¯s body. Unfortunately, it was much easier said than done. This was not like the time with the Phantasmagoria when he could cure it with something in the environment itself. If he was not mistaken, this was a power that belonged to Ooudamu. At the moment, there were only three methods that he could think of to save Luna. The first was to find a way to dispel whatever skill or ability Ooudamu was using to possess Luna. The second was to defeat Ooudamu and force her to abandon Luna as her host! "That body does not belong to you. I¡¯ll have you leave it." Izroth said in a serious tone. However, just as his sword was about to make contact with Ooudamu, a single word entered into his ears. "Repel." This word echoed and reverberated as a powerful wave of mana swept across the entire room. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm was halted as if it had collided with an invisible barrier. Booooom! All of a sudden, Izroth¡¯s arm was blown backward by a terrifying force as his Sword of The Storm waspletely repelled. This was... Voice magic! However, it was too soon for her to use it again! However, before he had time to make his next move, Izroth heard yet another word drift by his ears in a yful tone. "Weightless." Out of nowhere, Izroth felt as if his body had be lighter than a feather as he was pushed back from the pressure generated by the wave of mana. But, Ooudamu did not stop there. "Jump." Izroth jumped uncontrobly into the air. Since he was weightless, he bypassed the original jump limit for yers and easily soared more than 15 meters into the air! "Heavy. Heavy. Heavy." Wooooooooosh! Craaaaaaash! Boooom! Arge cloud of white dust flew out in every direction from Izroth¡¯s impact and with the increase to his overall weight, there was a crater imprinted onto the ground. When the present members of Blue Oasis saw this it sent chills down their spines. What a terrifying skill. "How the heck are we supposed to fight against something like that?" Tagz asked in a slightly shaken voice. Although the others did not say it as openly as Tagz, the same thought had crossed their minds. "A skill that can control the actions of others without a cooldown time? Is such a thing even possible? No, the system shouldn¡¯t give us an impossible task. However..." Abstract said to himself. But, he was unable to ignore the evidence before him. The voice magic being used by Ooudamu did not seem to possess a cooldown time! If that was the case, how were they supposed to lift a single finger against it?! Was this really the first raid boss? "Hehehe, is he already dead-" While Ooudamu was still in the middle of her sentence, a sharp de apanied by an overbearing aura shot out from the cloud of dust and suddenly appeared before her face. The tip of the de was just centimeters away from piercing through her brows. Naturally, this de belonged to Izroth! Just as he was about to m into the ground and take a massive amount of fall damage, Izroth activated the Falling Feather Steps skill that was absorbed by his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. This allowed him tond safely without receiving any fall damage. Then, using the cloud of dust as a cover, Izroth used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to immediately close the distance andunch a counterattack. ¡¯The cooldown on her voice magic is virtually nonexistent. I have to find a way to neutralize it, otherwise, my actions will be limited.¡¯ Chapter 420 The Grueling Battle For Survival That Lies Ahead! Although he had fought single-handedly against individuals like Roudin or Sage during the second team selection, Izroth understood that he could notpare them to the likes of Ooudamu. In the end, the current Ooudamu was a raid boss and existed inside a special zone known as a raid. Therefore, Ooudamu was bound by the rules of the raid. However, this also meant that their overall power was much greater than NPCs or monsters of the same level. But, the main difference was not inbat power, but in two things¡ªthe environment and HP. Raid bosses were almost always ced in environments that gave them a natural advantage over their challengers. As for their HP, not much needed to be said considering Ooudamu alone possessed more than 23,000,000 points of health. With such a massive amount of HP, it was practically impossible for any yer to single-handedly defeat a raid boss¡ªand this was not counting the enraged state they would automatically enter into after being inbat for a specific amount of time. It was this particr point that Izroth found to be a headache. Even if he could shave down Ooudamu¡¯s HP and had the assistance of the Blue Oasis members present, there was still no way he could defeat her before the enraged state was active. This left Izroth with few options at his disposal, however... ¡¯The system would not give yers an impossible task. Am I overlooking something important?¡¯ Woosh! Ding! The tip of Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Stormnded a solid blow! But, the sound of the hit was off and mimicked that of metal striking against metal. When he looked closer, Izroth noticed that his sword had stopped a hair¡¯s breadth away from Ooudamu¡¯s face. This caused a serious expression to appear on Izroth¡¯s face. ¡¯This will be more troublesome than I thought.¡¯ Just before Izroth¡¯s strike couldnd, he heard the word "Solidify"e from Ooudamu¡¯s mouth. What surprised him was not the word itself, but the word¡¯s target. In the past, every time Luna used her voice magic, it was affecting a specific individual or multiple targets. Even when she used the word "Repel", it was not the sword itself Ooudamu was repelling, but instead, it was Izroth¡¯s attack. However, the word Ooudamu had just spoken affected the very air before her itself! In other words, she was able to use Luna¡¯s voice magic to influence her surroundings! This added an entirely new dimension to the applications for the voice magic and made it at least ten times more difficult to handle. ¡¯But, it¡¯s not invincible. There has to be a limit or some type of restriction on what can and cannot be influenced by it, as well as, the power of the spoken word.¡¯ Why not simply use her voice magic and order him to die? She could even use it to turn his Sword of The Storm into something soft so that it was incapable of harming her. The answer was simple¡ªLuna¡¯s voice magic was not omnipotent. Another thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind was that even with a surprise attack using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement and the cloud of white sand as a cover, he was unable to reach her. It was almost as if Ooudamu knew what move Izroth was going to make beforehand and prepared a method to counter it. This is what bothered Izroth the most. ¡¯Her Soul Sense should not at such a high level. Is it a different ability that belongs to Ooudamu? Or...¡¯ After his attack failed to connect, instead of following up with a second attack, he instantly retreated. Not even a second after he moved from his previous position, a sphere of water approximately three meters in diameter appeared. If he had stayed there even a moment longer, he would have been trapped inside that water sphere. Fortunately, Izroth was able to avoid the danger with the warning from his Soul Sense ability. "Hehehe, where are you going? Since you have lifted your de at me, then you should be prepared for the consequences, right? Oversider." At first, Ooudamu¡¯s voice had a hint of yfulness to it, however, the more she spoke the colder her voice grew as if she could not hide her disdain. ¡¯Can she use all of Luna¡¯s abilities? Or, is it only capable of using voice magic? In the end, a raid boss that can freely cast high-tier healing magic would be a bit unreasonable¡ªeven for a hardcore raid.¡¯ Woosh! Woosh! All of a sudden, the ss-like area that Izroth entered through earlier rippled as two new figures appeared in the room. Those two figures were soon followed by three others making for a total of five. This group was, of course, Vanaheim and the other members of Blue Oasis that Izroth had gone ahead of. "It¡¯s Captain Vanaheim..! She has others with her too." Tagz said in an excited tone. However, as soon as he remembered their current predicament, a gloomy expression once again found its way onto his face. "What is this ce?" Emberheart questioned in a tone of curiosity. "It looks like-" Right when False Summit was about to speak, his gazended on the five yers at the center of the room. The second he saw those yers, he almost coughed up blood from shock! "I-Is that Captain Abstract?!" False Summit said in a tone of disbelief. The effects of the voice magic had not yet worn off, and so, Vanaheim and the others caught sight of Abstract and the rest of the Blue Oasis members dancing. To make matters worse, Izroth seemed to be engaged inbat against a raid monster! What were they thinking fooling around during such an important raid?! Vanaheim¡¯s facial expression darkened. She was not at all amused by the behavior of Abstract and his group. Mostly, she was disappointed in Abstract¡¯s behavior as he was one of thest people she expected to fool around. Did he have no shame?! Was he not worried about the face of their Blue Oasis?! Those were the first thoughts that crossed Vanaheim¡¯s mind. However, a frown suddenly appeared on her face. She briefly closed her eyes and when she reopened them, it looked as if numerous magic symbols that contained boundless information were flowing throughout her eyes. She was actually using the Eyes of Magic, the same skill that Valentine frequently used! While the Eyes of Magic was not necessarily a unique skill, acquiring it was incredibly difficult for any magic caster regardless of level. But, not all Eyes of Magic were on the same level as one another. Depending on the specific yer¡¯s understanding of magic, the skill could be weaker or stronger. Vanaheim quickly scanned the room with her eyes of magic and uncovered quite a few anomalies¡ªthe first being that Abstract and his group were encircled in a bizarre coat of mana. However, when Vanaheim tried to analyze it further, she was suddenly ovee with an unbearable headache that caused her to deactivate her eyes of magic. "What kind of magic is that? If I kept trying to analyze it with my Eyes of Magic, then..." Vanaheim thought to herself as she furrowed her brows. But, what she did not know was that the coat of mana around Abstract and the others was powerful voice magic. Given that it was created by the ancient Trephasia Zelfyrion that Izroth and his party had met during their time in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, it was of no surprise that she was unable to analyze it. However, with that, Vanaheim grasped that something odd was taking ce. She had a strong feeling that Abstract¡¯s group was somehow being made to act against their will and it was most likely due to whatever creature Izroth was fighting against! After having some type of grasp on the situation, Vanaheim ordered False Summit and Emberheart to go check on Abstract¡¯s group. As for herself, Sacred de, and Ace of Saint¡ªthey would head over to join Izroth. "You all have your orders, go!" Vanaheimmanded. "Yes!" Everyone replied in unison as they did as Vanaheim instructed. Ace of Saint and Emberheart swiftly made their way over to Abstract and the other members of Blue Oasis. Not too long after doing so, the effects of the voice magic had finally worn off. Thanks to Izroth keeping Ooudamu busy, she did not have the chance to recast the voice magic on them. "Mending Ricochet." Emberheart held the staff in her hands forward as an orb of light shot out from the tip of her staff. The orb of light shot towards Abstract and ricocheted off him before shooting in the direction of Feint. This orb continued to ricochet off Abstract¡¯s group until everyone was touched by twice by the orb of light. At the same time, the HP that Abstract and the others lost from enduring Ooudamu¡¯s whims was restored. Emberheart was a part of the off-tank supporters and since their only supporter had been possessed by the raid boss, she was the only yer present that was capable of healing magic! "Captain Abstract, Captain Vanaheim has asked us to join them as soon as we¡¯ve assured the recovery of your group." False Summit stated respectfully. "It¡¯s impossible with just the few of us. You all should have never entered this room alone." Abstract replied in a grave tone. "Captain?" False Summit was confused by Abstract¡¯s words. What was impossible with just the few of them? Even if it was an elite monster, as long as they worked together properly, it was well within their current group¡¯s capability to defeat it. To make matters even more confusing, the rest of Abstract¡¯s group had darkened facial expressions. "Is that monster that tough, captain?" Emberheart questioned. Tough? That was a gross understatement. If only it were just an elite monster. "That¡¯s not just any monster. It¡¯s the first boss of this raid, Ooudamu." Abstract stated. When those words left his mouth, Emberheart and False Summit were taken aback. You mean, the monster that Izroth was fighting against was a raid boss?! No, more importantly, Vanaheim and the others were in danger since they were too far away to observe the information of the monster up close. They had to be warned! However, what Emberheart and False Summit did not know was that it was already toote. "This isn¡¯t good." Vanaheim thought to herself with a cold gaze as her eyes locked onto Ooudamu. She had finally reached close enough to see the information of the creature Izroth was fighting against, however, she never expected it to be the first raid boss, Ooudamu! Without the rest of the raid party, their chances of victory were infinitely close to zero chance! This was bad¡ªreally bad. "Is this boss a parasitic type?" Vanaheim pondered. After seeing the yer host disyed as Luna, a member of the raid party, that was the first thought that entered her mind. But, were there even such a thing as parasitic type water sprites? "No, I do not have time to let my thoughts wander. Right now, I need toe up with a n that maximizes our chances of survival. After that, we can only hope that the rest of the raid group reaches this ce in time. Otherwise... Our raid will end here in disaster." Vanaheim thought to herself. Abstract and the other members of Blue Oasis moved to join the rest of the group in the battle against Ooudamu. Now, there were currently 11 yers present¡ªexcluding Luna who was not the host of Ooudamu. "No tank, one supporter, and there¡¯s less than half of us here. When ites to buying us time... Perhaps that will work." Vanaheim muttered quietly to herself. "Members of Blue Oasis, our main goal is to survive until the rest of the raid group arrives! Therefore, none of you are allowed to die, understood?!" Vanaheim spoke in an elevated tone. "Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis roared in response. The grueling battle for survival against the first raid boss was about to start! Chapter 421 Ooudamu, Queen of the Water Sprites Izroth, Luna, Vanaheim, Abstract, Sacred de, I Do Zero Quests, Feint, False Summit, Emberheart, Tagz, Ace of Saint, and Second Tyrant¡ªthese were the yers currently present in the boss room with Ooudamu. Excluding Luna, who was the yer host for Ooudamu, there were a total of 11 yers engaged in a battle against the raid boss. Swoosh! Bang! Bang! Tagz fired off two arrows, however, the arrows bent mid-flight andpletely missed their intended target. It was not that Tagz¡¯s aim was bad, but that his arrows had been redirected due to the voice magic being used by Ooudamu. Unfortunately, he was not the only one to fail in his assault. Everyone was having no luck when it came tonding a blow on Ooudamu. Even when they tried attacking together, it ended in failure! "It¡¯s like she¡¯s predicting our every move! How are we supposed to do any damage when our attacks won¡¯t evennd?!" Feint stated in a frustrated tone. They had already been fighting against the boss for more than a minute and no one had yet to sessfullynd a blow. The voice magic was a huge problem that could not be avoided, but the biggest issue was Ooudamu¡¯s ability to read their every move and stay two or even three steps ahead of them with rtive ease. It almost felt as though she was able to peer into the future! "This isn¡¯t working. How is that ning along?" Abstract said inly. He had just retreated next to Vanaheim after his surprise attack failed. His Death Stalker ss specialized in ambushes, therefore, he was surprised how effortlessly Ooudamu avoided his attack. If he had not used a movement skill to escape just before Ooudamu responded to his attack, he believed that the damage he suffered would not have been light. "I still need more time to prepare." Vanaheim replied. Abstract gave a slight nod in response before he vanished using a stealth skill. "This battle is too one-sided. We have to find a way to tip the scale in our favor¡ªeven if just by a small amount." Vanaheim thought to herself as her gazended on Izroth. During the battle, Izroth had drawn most of Ooudamu¡¯s attention onto him. He was also the person who was closest tonding a solid strike against Ooudamu. Unknowingly, Izroth became the foundation for their n to survive and Vanaheim used this to her advantage. Instead of making Izroth a part of their n, she decided to let him continue with his actions. Not only was he able to somewhat restrict the voice magic to the point where it directly affected them to a minimum, but hisbat master ss seemed to be the most suited to dealing with Ooudamu. While Vanaheim was unaware of how many skills Izroth had acquired as abat master, but theoretically, abat master should possess a very versatile skill pool. Vanaheim believed that it was this versatile skill pool that allowed Izroth to hold out against the raid boss despite the usage of their voice magic and monstrously high foresight. "Ha!" Feint roared as the ground beneath his feet froze with every step he took towards the direction of Ooudamu. Not being able to hit the boss a single time was demoralizing and naturally caused the members of Blue Oasis to be frustrated. However, that did not mean that they would give up so easily! Feint stopped approximately ten meters away from Ooudamu and mmed his right hand into the ground. A few momentster, the ground underneath his hand cracked open slightly as a piercing chill blew outward. Boom! Boom! Boom! A barrage of ice spikes rose from the earth and was headed right for Ooudamu. This was one of Feint¡¯s more aggressive offensive skills, cial Rise. "Shift." Ooudamu said as a powerful wave of mana swept out and made contact with the ground. At the same time, a series of tremors could be felt as the whole room shook briefly. By the time the tremors came to a stop, Feint¡¯s attack that was aimed at Ooudamu had veered right andpletely missed her! Ooudamu had shifted the ground with the voice magic and redirected Feint¡¯s cial Rise skill away from her. "Hehehe, who knew there was a young Trephasia with such a powerful bloodline among a group of sea urchins." Ooudamu said as a sharp smile appeared on her face. ¡¯Is this really the first raid boss?¡¯ This thought could not help but cross Izroth¡¯s mind. Although he had not gone all out yet, even with Flickering Steps active and the use of Enhanced Instaneous Movement, his de was unable to reach Ooudamu. But, what Izroth remained unaware of was theck of luck Blue Oasis possessed. In truth, Ooudamu was different from most raid bosses in that shecked any offensive skills that were her own. However, Ooudamu made up for this w by fusing with the strongest host she came into contact with. Since Luna¡¯s group was the first to locate Ooudamu and given that Luna was the highest level yer among them, it automatically registered her as the strongest yer present! While a supporter, who was naturally weak when it came to their offensive skills, would be the ideal candidate to allow Ooudamu to control, the same could not be said in Luna¡¯s case. Even though Luna had not acquired many offensive skills, she had one thing that separated her from other supporters¡ªher voice magic. It worked as an offensive, defensive, and supportive skill. Though what truly made it terrifying was one of the abilities Ooudamu held as the queen of the water sprites. The unique skill, Natural Peak, allowed Ooudamu to operate the skills of the person she took control of at a peak level and unlocked its true potential. In terms of the prowess at its peak, it was still far away from Zelfyrion¡¯s own use of voice magic. However, it could easily be categorized as an SS-ranked or even an SSS-ranked skill by yer standards! A skill of that level that could be used freely and appeared tock any kind of cooldown? It was no wonder the group was having such a difficult time against Ooudamu! Blue Oasis could only me their own bad luck for this situation! However, the biggest threat was one that even Izroth, who had spent the most time with Luna, had no knowledge of. ¡¯Our attacks aren¡¯t connecting. Will I have to result to a more forceful method after all?¡¯ If things continued down this path, it was only a matter of when, not if, they would be wiped out. At the moment, Ooudamu was predicting their every move and responded ordingly. However, even if she could predict the next move, what if it was too fast for her to do anything about it? ¡¯If I use Full Mantle Compressed Lightning Movement, it should be possible, but...¡¯ The main reason Izroth was reluctant to do so was the long 24-hour cooldown time on his Full Mantle skill. Not only that, but the bacsh from constantly using his Compressed Lightning Movement was not something he could easily ignore. Given that there were other raid bosses after Ooudamu, could he truly afford to reveal his hand so soon? ¡¯Wait, how could I almost forget about that?¡¯ It suddenly dawned on Izroth that he had another option avable! He had almost forgotten about it since he tossed it to the back of his mind, however, it would be perfect given their current circumstances! ¡¯I¡¯ll need some time to use it.¡¯ Bang! Bang! Izroth¡¯s sword was once again repelled by the voice magic. As he was repelled back, he pointed his Sword of The Storm towards Ooudamu. Bzzzt...! Bzzzzzt! A streak of lightning shot out from Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm and constantly circled Ooudamu. Every time it circled, it created an additionalyer of lightning until it formed a lightning cage that was around 10 meters in diameter. This was the work of the Lightning Cage skill attached to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. It consumed 20 Storm Surge Charge stacks and paralyzed enemies caught within for 5 seconds. But, since Ooudamu was a raid boss, Izroth estimated that it would only restrict her movements for not even half of that time. But, his main goal was not to attack Ooudamu. Izroth swiftly arrived next to Vanaheim who was near the back of the group. Vanaheim was surprised when Izroth suddenly appeared next to her, but she remained calm in response. Though she was curious as to what his intentions were. "I need fifteen uninterrupted seconds. Can your Blue Oasis handle it?" Izroth asked. 15 seconds? Could it be that he, too, had something he wanted to prepare against the raid boss? This was the first thought that entered into Vanaheim¡¯s mind. "What will you do after fifteen seconds?" Vanaheim questioned in a serious tone as her sights never left Ooudamu who was locked inside the Lightning Cage. "I don¡¯t have time to go into details, however, if you can buy me fifteen seconds¡ªI can take care of the voice magic." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. Vanaheim was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s words. He had a way to take care of that domineering voice magic? Originally, she nned to use abination of fire, water, earth, and wind magic to create arge scale makeshift mirage. Using that mirage as the main cover, they should be able to keep Ooudamu confused long enough for the rest of the raid group to arrive. That was why she secretly had Ace of Saint going around the battlefield and casting Noise Suppression and Remove Scent on everyone. However, she had never tried to execute such aplicatedbination of elements before now and was struggling to make the progress she wanted. But, she felt that as long as she had enough time, it was not an impossible task to aplish. Unfortunately, the one thing they were short on at the moment was precisely time. "There¡¯s no guarantee she won¡¯t see through my mirage magic even if it is sessful. That voice magic is too troublesome to ignore. If he truly has a way to deal with it, then that only increases the chances of our overall sess." Vanaheim thought to herself. "Everyone, change of ns!" Vanaheim stated which grabbed the attention of every Blue Oasis member. She then continued, "We will buy 15 seconds for Izroth! No matter what, he is not allowed to be interrupted during these 15 seconds. Protect him at all costs! Is that understood?!" "Yes!" Everyone responded in unison. Even though they were unclear as to why Vanaheim abruptly changed the orders, in the end, they trusted in her judgment and ability to lead. Although she was not a strategist like Niflheim or Nidavellir, her ability to lead a group in a time of chaos was second to none among the members of Blue Oasis. Level-headed, calm under pressure, and leading with absolute authority¡ªthis was Vanaheim of Blue Oasis, captain of the 3rd squad! ¡¯What decisive behavior.¡¯ Most individuals would have hesitated with their answer or simply rejected the proposal outright. But, Vanaheim gave a swift and decisive answer by almost immediately giving out new orders. However, it was not that she blindly trusted Izroth. Surviving the encirclement of hardcore raid monsters, finding the cure to the Phantasmagoria, having the ability to sense danger, and to top it all off, neither hisbat prowess nor intelligence wascking. Taking all this into ount, Vanaheim determined that whatever Izroth had nned was something worth giving a shot. This was even more so considering that he seemed to have the most experience with the yer host who was being controlled by Ooudamu. Izroth did not waste any time as he moved off a bit further away from the fight. Not too long after doing so, the Lightning Cage vanished from around Ooudamu. "Hehehe, you¡¯re not trying to escape, are you? Oversider." Ooudamu said in a cold tone. At the same time, Ooudamu¡¯s gaze locked onto Izroth in the distance. Since he held the highest aggro on Ooudamu and was registered as thergest threat present, he had immediately be her main target! Izroth removed a ck box with a purple crest on the front of it from his inventory. It was the item he acquired after spending 8 Spirit Vouchers on the Netherworld Exchange! Chapter 422 Suppressing The Indomitable Voice Magic! 1/3 Chapter 422 Suppressing The Indomitable Voice Magic! 1/3 Not too long after the effects of the Lightning Cage wore off, Ooudamu stopped levitating as her feet gently touched the ground. This simple action caused the members of Blue Oasis who were in melee range to react fast and temporarily retreat. "Why did she suddenly stop levitating?" Feint questioned with a visible frown on his face. He was one of the yers who had just fallen back. "Who knows? I don''t know about you, but I''ve never fought a boss like this before. Everything about this boss'' is weird and impractical. They resemble an NPC rather than a dangerous boss monster." Ace of Saint stated. "Yeah, I get what you mean. I guess the devs weren''t kidding when they said RML raids would be a unique experiencepared to what we''re used to dealing with." Feint replied. Before RML was released the developers, or "devs" as yers called them, were extremely secretive when it came to discussing anything regarding more than the absolute basics of raids within RML. However, due to various factors and wanting to generate a greater buzz about the game, they released an official statement. Even though it was a short statement, but it was more than enough to excite countless yers. The statement went as followed: "We have aplished something that will forever change the way gamers experience raids¡ªa unique experiencepared to what they have encountered in the past. Although I cannot borate on what that unique experience may be, know this¡ªthere exists a multitude of novel implementations that separates RML raid bosses from the raid bosses of other games, however, one thing stands out the most and that''s... True Real-Time Awareness." All NPCs and monsters within RML possessed Real-Time Awareness¡ªmost of which was determined by their hidden knowledge stat. This is what gave RML a realistic feeling when it came to interactions between yers and NPCs. But, only special NPCs and monsters had what was known as True Real-Time Awareness. In simple terms, True Real-Time Awareness gave special NPCs and monsters their own unique personality instead of one that was highly generalized. While this may not sound like that big of a deal, itpletely changed how yers had to approach special NPCs or monsters with True Real-Time Awareness. For example, if a normal boss uses a skill in specific intervals and yers find a way to counter it every time, that boss would never change its strategy. However, a boss with True Real-Time Awareness would react to their skill being countered and try a different approach. Naturally, this increased the difficulty more than tenfold! This was also the main reason why currently, outside of those top guilds and big guilds, it was virtually impossible to clear a raid. At the moment, Abstract and I Do Zero Quests were currently positioned a few meters away from Izroth¡ªthey were the closest to his location. Since their main goal was to protect Izroth for fifteen uninterrupted seconds, there was no need for them to go on the offensive. Instead, they would act as the final line of defense if Ooudamu happened to sessfully make it through the other members of their Blue Oasis. "True Real-Time Awareness... Who knew that it could be this terrifying?" I Do Zero Quests said as he furrowed his brows. "We chose to undergo a hardcore raid with no prior information. We may have prepared as best as we could, but there were bound to be scenarios that we were unable to foresee." Abstract stated. He then continued, "You are well aware of the consequences if we fail. Our Blue Oasis will have suffered a huge loss and the other top guilds will not hesitate to exploit that weakness. True Real-Time Awareness? That changes nothing. In the end, we just have to find a way to make that bosses HP drop to 0¡ªthat''s it." Abstract''s eyes turned pitch ck as an aura of death spread out into his surroundings. All of a sudden, a bubbling pool of thick ck liquid that spanned 24 meters in diameter appeared on the ground. I Do Zero Quests was shocked when he witnessed the pool of ck liquid that had formed beneath his feet. It did not just engulf the ground he stood on, but Izroth also positioned within the ck liquid. "Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise." The aura of death around Abstract spiked to new heights as he held his arm outward with the dagger in his hand pointed down towards the ck liquid. He opened his hand into a palm as he released the dagger as it sunk into the ck liquid as if it were being absorbed and devoured by it. "Captain Abstract, that skill is-!" I Do Zero Quests looked on his disbelief. "Resolve yourself, Tang Lin." Tang Lin, better known as I Do Zero Quests, was taken aback. Abstract was willing to use such a valuable skill against the first raid boss?! However, he understood what Abstract was trying to say. The raid boss they were facing was abnormal. It was reasonable to no longer think about the path ahead and focus solely on the present. In the end, if they died here, what path would there be left for them to take? Therefore, they had to do whatever was needed to survive¡ªthere was no time to think about the next boss when they may not even make it past the one they were facing! Meanwhile, as Abstract and I Do Zero Quests prepared to face the inevitable confrontation, Izroth calmly examined the small ck box in the palm of his hand. As for the ck liquid that had appeared beneath his feet, he immediately connected it to Abstract who was giving off an aura of death simr to that of the ck liquid. Not to mention, his Soul Sense would have warned him if it was dangerous, and so, he did not pay it too much attention. ''I purchased this item from the Netherworld Exchange after I defeated that assassin that was sent by them. But, I never thought that I would be using it so soon.'' Izroth pressed the tip of his finger against the purple emblem located on the front of the small ck box. The moment he did so, the ck box crumbled away and disappeared. What emerged in its ce was two rings that were the same in size. Each ring was about five centimeters and could easily fit on the palm of one''s hand. ''I haven''t had the time to test it out personally, however, if it functions the way that it''s described, it should operate as a makeshift counter to the voice magic without issue.'' "Let''s see, I believe the word was... Infuse." The second the word "Infuse" left Izroth''s mouth, one of the rings in his right hand shot towards his left hand andtched onto it. In the next moment, the rings that weretched onto both of Izroth''s hands started to slowly sink into his skin! It was quite the bizarre sight to behold. ¡´System Alert: You have infused with the magic item ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The current energy output avable for the ?Twin Lasting Epoch? is 100%. Do you wish to activate this magic item? (Warning! Activating this magic item requires the user to be uninterrupted for 15 seconds. Being forcefully interrupted can result in a dangerous bacsh from the magic item.)¡µ "Activate it." Izroth responded without hesitation. Ooooom... Ooooom... The faint sound of a breathless pulse was released from Izroth''s hands as a huge surge of magic energy epassed them. ''If the worstes around, I can just use Crystallization as a safeguard. It may interrupt the activation sequence of the magic item, but it should help reduce the potential bacsh. Not to mention, the bacsh pales inparison to that of the Compressed Lightning Movement.'' While Izroth had other methods at his disposal, this one was the fastest and most efficient given the set circumstances. Ooudamu, as if sensing and reacting to the abrupt surge in magic energy, lightly kicked off her back foot and soared towards Izroth''s direction. "Stop her!" "Don''t let her through!" The members of Blue Oasis reacted swiftly and shifted their focus to the use of their crowd control skills. Although it was true that crowd control skills were not all that effective against boss monsters, that did not mean that they were useless¡ªespecially in a time where every second counted. Woosh! Tagz fired a stunning arrow with a strong pulse behind it towards Ooudamu, however, she tilted her head slightly to the side and avoided it. "Haven''t you heard that it is rude to y with sharp objects? Sightless." Ooudamu targeted Tagz with her voice magic and the word "Sightless" to instantly rob him of his sight! "My vision! I can''t see!" Tagz warned. He felt as if he had suddenly be thrown into a world of darkness. As a Pulse Ranger without his sight, he was rendered utterly powerless! "Stop right there! Taste my cial fists!" Feint roared as he shed his fists together and a bone-piercing chill filled the air. He then punched forward as a gust of icy wind blew out to engulf Ooudamu! "Rise." Ooudamu said as the ground shook slightly before a wall of earth rose before Feint. Bang! Chiiiiii! Feint''s icy wind connected with the wall of earth and froze it over, however, it was stopped there as it was unable to reach Ooudamu who continued forward without pause. "How ridiculous!" Vanaheim thought to herself. Not only could she control people''s actions, but the environment as well? How could this be anything but ridiculous? "But, fortunately, she''s stepping into that ce soon. Once she''s inside, even if it''s a boss monster, they should not be able to escape from it without any trouble. As for me, since I''ve alreadye this far, I might as well finish it." Vanaheim raised the magic staff in her hand as the red, green, and white lights around the magic staff started to rapidly spin in circles. "You are taking our Blue Oasis too lightly. That will be your downfall." Vanaheim said as the look in her eyes grew cold. "Simultaneous Casting, Silent Casting, Smart Casting, Area Casting, Cold Winds, Earthly Shift, Inferno Approach, Elemental Reshape..." Boom! Boom! Boom! Vanaheim was able to cast several spells at once thanks to her Simultaneous Casting. As for the Smart Casting skill, it reduced the mana cost of spell casting by 50% and casting time by 20% for a set period of time! Area Casting, on the other hand, increased the overall range of the spells Vanaheim would use within a set time frame. Cold Winds to chill the surrounding air, Earthly Shift to spread her mana influence to the nearby earth, Inferno Approach to quickly heat the ground and Elemental Reshape to make sure the heat generated by Inferno Approach could fully take effect. By the time she finished casting, even with a 50% mana cost reduction, Vanaheim had used over 60% of her total mana pool! Even though her mana pool could notpare to the likes of Luna who was a Trephasia, when matched up against other yers in her level range, it was by no means a small amount. As Ooudamu sped forward, the scene before her had changed out of seemingly nowhere. Izroth, who she was getting closer to, had suddenly appeared further away! But, that was not all that changed. All of a sudden, everything grew somewhat hazy in the eyes of Ooudamu. At the same time, the presence of the people before her seemed to be vanishing one by one. Of course, this was no coincidence. Ace of Saint did not spend his time idle and continued to cast Noise Suppression and Remove Scent on the members of the raid group. "Reveal." Ooudamu used her voice magic. She wanted to force Vanaheim and the others to show themselves. But, that was when something surprising happened. "Reveal! Reveal!" Ooudamu shouted, however, she was met with nothing but silence. For some reason, her voice magic had not worked! Chapter 423 Suppressing The Indomitable Voice Magic! 2/3 Vanaheim released a small sigh of relief when she witnessed Ooudamu¡¯s reaction¡ªher n was even more sessful than she originally intended it to be! "That¡¯s our Captain Vanaheim! The best Elemental Mage in RML." Emberheartmented excitedly. "Casting that many spells at once is not a difficult task. But, to coordinate them to the point of basically creating a new spell¡ªshe has a terrifying affinity with the Elemental Mage ss. It¡¯s almost as if it was made just for her." Abstract muttered quietly. ¡¯Oh? A simple application of multiple elements that ovep and transforms into something increasinglyplex. Besides "him", I have yet to see this level ofplexity among other mages. Though it¡¯s a shame¡ªthis much is far from enough to subdue it for long.¡¯ In RML, the majority of yers epted things at face value, therefore, this did not leave much room for creative uses of skills. But, it was different for top guilds andpetitive yers whose main focus was to be the best of the best. To aplish that goal, they had to constantly think outside the box and gain even the smallest of advantages that put them ahead of other yers on an otherwise even ying field. This is why the top guilds rushed towards the Mystical Realm Pce when it was opened and mentioned having top grade pills. Though they found it hard to believe, if there was even the smallest possibility of it being true, they could not allow another top guild to gain such a massive advantage! As the members of Blue Oasis were in awe of Vanaheim¡¯s skills, a thoughtful expression soon found its way onto her face. "My goal was to slow her down as much as possible, however... Who could have imagined that it would interfere with that troublesome voice magic? Though it¡¯s still odd..." Vanaheim thought to herself as she furrowed her brows. Why had Oooudamu¡¯s voice magic stopped working? That was the main question that crossed Vanaheim¡¯s mind. "Has she reached her limit? Or, is it that the voice magic limited by her line of sight when trying to directly influence its target?" Vanaheim pondered. She found the former difficult to believe considering how frequently Ooudamu used the voice magic with almost no pause. It did not make sense for her to suddenly arrive at a limit. Therefore, Vanaheim leaned more towards thedder. Unfortunately, she had no absolute way to confirm this theory. She knew that the makeshift mirage would not fool Ooudamu for long, and so, she did not lower her guard. Vanaheim removed an Echo Talisman from her inventory. The moment she did so, the talisman disintegrated into countless particles that briefly drifted in front of Vanaheim before vanishing. "Everyone, we will not falter. Any challenge that stands before our Blue Oasis¡ªit is not a question of if we will ovee it¡ªbut when." Vanaheim stated in a clear and stern tone. Thanks to the Echo Talisman, her voice easily reached every member of Blue Oasis. Not only that, but it echoed from every direction of the room which made it impossible for Ooudamu to determine where it originated. Vanaheim¡¯s words caused a fiery spirit to burn within the members of Blue Oasis. That¡¯s right! So what if they were facing a hardcore raid boss? It is not a question of if they could defeat it, but when they would defeat it! At the moment, there was a lot of pressure and strain that had descended upon the members of Blue Oasis from the time they first set foot into the raid. That pressure has only increased since their separation in the Sprite Dwellings and again when confronting a seemingly unreasonable raid boss with minimal support. This was enough to make most individuals crumble under the circumstances and just give up. But, Vanaheim¡¯s simple statement had pressed the reset button on that strain and ignited something the members of Blue Oasis were not willing to forfeit¡ªtheir pride! How could they call themselves members of Blue Oasis and hold their heads up high in front of their fellow guild members if they did not give it their all until the end? Just as the members of Blue Oasis were ovee with a second wave of newfound energy, Feint experienced a familiar sensation as something dripped on top of his head. Feint looked upward, and right when he did, a drop of liquid fell onto his forehead from above. That small drop of liquid was soon followed by a drizzle. At the same time, a strong wave of mana spread through the room. "This is... Rain?" Feint muttered as the drizzle quickly picked up and spread throughout the entire room. "Eh? Where did this raine from? So chilly..." "Why is it suddenly raining inside? It¡¯s freezing!" "Is this one of Captain Vanaheim¡¯s spells? No, otherwise, how could I be affected this much by the cold?" Vanaheim narrowed her eyes when the rain abruptly appeared. Of course, she was not the one behind this urrence. "Just what are your intentions?" Vanaheim pondered as she exhaled a breath of cold air. The temperature in the room had dropped so low that she could see her breath when she exhaled. Vanaheim sensed a faint presence of mana infused with the rain. This mana, without a doubt, belonged to Ooudamu. The rain itself was extremely cold and the temperature of each droplet mimicked that of snow. No, it was even colder than snow! It was unnatural for water to be so cold and yet remain in a liquid form. When Vanaheim realized this¡ªthat¡¯s when it suddenly dawned on her. As the temperature in the room fell, it quickly wiped away the mirage she had set up! For the makeshift mirage to function properly, it required the ground to be hot and air to be cold. In theory, it sounded simple, however, it was extremely challenging to execute properly since it required precise control and bnce. In truth, it did not take Vanaheim a long time to cast the spells to create the mirage. Therge majority of the time came from carefully navigating the delicate bnce, otherwise, it would have been impossible to generate a miragerge enough to obscure Ooudamu¡¯s vision and engulf the raid group. Ooudamu, as if discovering the secret behind the mirage, summoned the icy rain and erased Vanaheim¡¯s mirage. Just like that, a huge amount of effort was washed away. To make matters worse, it only managed to stall Ooudamu for 7 seconds. Added on to the time that had already passed, it made for a total of 9 seconds. This meant that they still had to dy Ooudamu for another 7 seconds! "Perhaps, we were too hasty in attempting this raid." Vanaheim thought to herself. She hated to admit it, but the situation was looking grim. They were only at the first raid boss and yet it was already this difficult. Although attempting to quit never crossed her mind, she could not help but wonder if they had grossly underestimated the bosses of hardcore raids. "We knew that going into this that our chances of sess would be extremely low¡ªless than fifteen percent. But, after this encounter, I¡¯m afraid we were still too reserved with our calctions. Right now, I fear that our chances ofpleting this raid is five percent-... No, it may not even be one percent. But, even then, we cannot afford to fail." Vanaheim silently contemted as she consumed a High Grade Mana Potion to restore some of her lost mana. The biggest thing that bothered Vanaheim was not the voice magic or Ooudamu¡¯s ability to possess a yer. Instead, it was Ooudamu¡¯s intelligence and adaptability that was the most frightening aspect to confront. She expected it to be a towering task, however, it turned out to be a mountain that they had to ovee. If the boss could learn and adapt during the fight, then it became infinitely more difficult to find a pattern or weakness to exploit. As Vanaheim¡¯s outlook on the future of the raid grew increasingly pessimistic, Ooudamu shot forward at incredible speeds! Her target was still Izroth who was positioned at the back of the raid group. "Hehehe, such little tricks. I think I will y with that one next, hehehe." Ooudamu said in a yful tone. She had used a skill called Drizzle and Downpour that allowed her to summon rain out of thin air. This rain increased enemies¡¯ Fatigue and lowered their Willpower¡ªthis was the reason why Vanaheim had a slither of doubt briefly cross her mind. Since Fatigue and Willpower were hidden stats that yers could not view, those affected had no idea that they were under its influence! It was not a particrly strong skill, however, in an intense confrontation where everyone was constantly on their toes and aiming to make zero mistakes, it had the potential to generate countless openings. On top of that, she used voice magic and the word "Cold" to neutralize the effects of the mirage after she discovered the unusual change in the environment caused by Vanaheim. Although Ooudamu did not know what Izroth was up to, the surge of energy made it so that her attention was drawn to him. This meant that the threat level generated by whatever he was doing could not simply be ignored. ¡¯At this rate, she will close the distance between it finishes activating. I need more time.¡¯ Izroth looked on as Ooudamu charged forward without regard to the members of Blue Oasis who wanted to halt her movements. Woooosh! Ziiip! Ziiip! Ziiip! Out of nowhere, something cut through the rain and tore through the air. The sound resembled that of a cicada and one could see a faint metallic sheen as the object rotated like the des of a fan. The object flew horizontally over Ooudamu¡¯s head and missed her by mere centimeters! Just by lowering her head slightly ahead of time, as if she already knew that an attack wasing, Ooudamu was able to avoid the object. But, not even a full second after she dodged the object, it changed its trajectory and circled back around! Unfortunately, even this was not enough to catch Ooudamu by surprise as she used little to no effort in avoiding the attack. The object continued to travel as it straightened itself out and changed to a vertical angle before stopping in mid-air near the hand of one of the Blue Oasis members, False Summit. The object maintained its spinning momentum as False Summit¡¯s right arm was stretched outward with the palm of his hand open. There was not much space between the palm of his hand and the surface of the metallic object. "Even my Air Splitter skill was evaded... How can she constantly avoid my Skygazer?" False Summit said with a frown. The Skygazer was therge metallic weapon that was currently spinning at high speeds next to False Summit and it was one of the most urate weapons within RML once it was locked onto its target. However, time and time again, Ooudamu evaded it effortlessly! Ooudamu, without stopping or adverting her gaze from Izroth, held the palm of her left hand towards False Summit who was around 15 meters away from her position. A ray of light appeared above False Summit, however, there was no time for him to react. BOOOOOOOM! The ray of light descended upon False Summit as the sound of a loud explosion could be heard. The explosion caused a cloud of white dust formed where False Summit was located. Ooudamu had used an empowered version of the skill Superior Holy Smite! Although the damage on the skill left more to be desired, it could be instantly cast. This made it next to impossible for someone to avoid it. A few momentster, as the dust quickly settled and dispersed, False Summit could be seen standing still with a faint peach glow around his body. "Thank you, Emberheart." False Summit said as he recognized the peach glow that epassed his body. It was the work of Emberheart, the only supporter of their current group. Chapter 424 Suppressing The Indomitable Voice Magic! 3/3 "As long as I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t allow any of you to die. But, try not to make a habit out of drawing her attention." Emberheart said as a light smile appeared on her face. She then continued, "But, it¡¯s still bizarre to witness... This boss is just too unpredictable. I have participated in numerous boss fights, however, this is my first time facing a fully controlled yer boss. Not to mention, that skill from before resembled Superior Holy Smite. The only difference was that its power was far beyond the version of the skill that I am familiar with." False Summit released a sigh as he stood straight and replied, "I suppose we shouldn¡¯t expect any less from a raid boss. To be honest, I¡¯d find it more bizarre if things were on the normal end of the spectrum. After all, if the circumstances did not call for it, we would have never rushed in without a proper and concrete n." So far, it appeared that nearly everything they tried to prepare for fell apart. They were out of contact with the other raid group who was supposed to be supplying a steady flow of information to them as they ventured deeper into the raid. But, that groupgged too far behind them to be of any real use with their current press for time. The raid group was separated and they had no idea if any of them were still alive thanks to the absence of themunication system. The raid had been activated early and caused them to have to rely on Cross Haven to hold off the other guilds that were sure to rush over. However, even Cross Haven was no match if the other top guilds really wanted to throw all face aside and barge in. How long could Cross Haven hold the other top guilds back? Was it possible toplete the raid in that time frame? Or, better yet, was it possible to finish the raid at all with their non-existent data? Were there even enough yers still alive to continue with the raid? These were the questions that raced through the minds of the Blue Oasis members present. However, this did not cause them to lose spirit. No matter the oue, how could they hold their heads high if they gave up without fighting until the very end? There was a saying¡ªIt does not bring shame to fail in one¡¯s efforts as it does in one¡¯s indolence! Meanwhile, Ooudamu continued to close in rapidly on Izroth¡¯s location. Although the members of Blue Oasis only needed to stall the raid boss for 15 seconds, that small amount of time felt as if it were an eternity. At this point, Izroth was uncertain if they were capable of stopping Ooudamu¡¯s charge for the amount of time that remained. ¡¯Do I have no choice but to waste some cooldowns at the first boss?¡¯ The main reason Izroth resorted to using the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels was not only its effectiveness. It was also the fact that it did not directly interfere with the cooldowns of his higher-tier skills. This was ideal considering what may lie ahead of them. As Izroth pondered his next course of action, at the same time, as Ooudamu rushed forward, she stepped onto a dark surface. At first nce, it appeared to be a massive shadow. However, there was nothing in the roomrge enough to cast such a sizable shadow. Though when one observed closely, they would be able to see that the dark surface was slowly bubbling like boiling water. The main difference, however, was that its physical properties did not resemble that of liquid. "How troublesome... I had hoped that Vanaheim¡¯s magic would be enough to stop her. It seems I won¡¯t be permitted to rx after all." Abstract muttered as he narrowed his eyes and held the palm of his hand outward. "Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise. Ingurgitate." The instant those words left Abstract¡¯s mouth, the dark surface started to be more active as if it was suddenly agitated by an outside force. Fzzzzst... Pop! A faint popping sound could be heard as the activity atop the dark surface came to an abrupt halt. Tap! Just as the movement of the dark surface went deathly still, Ooudamu¡¯s foot made contact with it and became stuck! The solid yet liquid-like substance had transformed into some type of strong adhesive. But, that was not the only thing that urred. Ooudamu began to sink into the dark surface. No, to be more urate, she was being forcibly pulled in. It was as though she was being swallowed by a beast with an endless appetite! Of course, Ooudamu would not simply sit back and allow herself to be pulled in by the dark surface. But, no matter how much she struggled, she could not escape its grasp. It appeared that the more she struggled, the faster she was drawn inward¡ªalmost like quicksand. "It¡¯s no use. The moment you enter into the area of my Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise, the thought of escaping is nothing but a distant dream." Abstract stated as Oodaumu sank deeper into the dark surface until no part of her could be seen. In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with an eerie silence. There was only one question on the minds of the Blue Oasis members present¡ªdid their captain just solo a raid boss?! However, this was quickly dismissed when they noticed that no new system alerts had popped up. Not to mention, the raid phase had not been updated which meant that Ooudamu was still alive! For most of the Blue Oasis members present, this was their first time seeing Abstract use the Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise. However, there was a few among the group who was more knowledgable. One of these individuals was Vanaheim. "To think he would use that skill so soon. With this, our Blue Oasis has one less trump card to y this raid." Vanaheim sighed. Although Abstract¡¯s words may have sounded arrogant earlier, he was simply speaking the truth. Anything that stepped into the range of his Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise could not escape. Power, speed, skills¡ªeverything became irrelevant. Unfortunately, such a domineering skill did note without a heavy price. The moment Ooudamu was dragged into his Blight of Demise, an overwhelming sensation descended upon Abstract followed by a stream of willpower checks. He felt as if his body was being constantly pierced by thousands of needles. At the same time, his mana was being depleted at an incredible rate of nearly 20% per second. At its current rate of depletion, his Blight of Demise would not hold for more than 4 to 5 seconds! "How absurd...!" Abstract could not help but utter those words from his mouth when he saw how quickly his mana was being consumed as he managed the stress his body was undergoing. The overall mana consumption of his skills was lowpared to most sses, however, Blight of Demise was an exception. The stronger the enemy trapped by the skill, the faster Abstract¡¯s mana would be consumed. "It¡¯s in a league of its own. A dungeon boss doesn¡¯t even begin topare. Twenty seconds¡ªeven thirty seconds is not impossible depending on the dungeon monster. But, for my Blight of Demise to be weakened to this extent... I did not think it was possible. Not to mention, the feedback is unlike anything I¡¯ve experienced before." Abstract stated as he struggled to maintain control over the skill. Four seconds passed by in the blink of an eye as the dark surface ruptured and Ooudamu broke free of its influence. Physically, she appeared to bepletely unharmed and immediately continued to move towards Izroth. As for the dark surface, it quickly disappeared and was drawn into Abstract¡¯s hand where it transformed into the dagger he had dropped into the dark surface earlier. With the help of Mirage, Abstract, and the other members of Blue Oasis, a total of 13 seconds had gone by which left Ooudamu unchecked for 2 seconds. Not only that but as if sensing the approaching danger, Ooudamu increased her speed. At her present pace, she would arrive within the attack range of Izroth just before he was able to finish! "Deste Assembly: Blight of Demise. Expunge." Abstract swiftly stabbed his dagger into the palm of his hand. However, his HP did not go down as a result of his actions. There were two differentmands at Abstract¡¯s disposal whenever he activated his Blight of Demise. The firstmand was Ingurgitate. This made it so that any enemies that entered¡ªor were caught within the range of the dark surface he generated¡ªwould be drawn into a virtually inescapable prison of darkness. But, its sole purpose was not to trap enemies. Ingurgitate also inflicted anyone trapped inside with multiple stacks of Blight. Those inflicted with Blight would have their overall stats reduced by a percentage amount depending on how many stacks they had incurred. In Ooudamu¡¯s case, the effects were not too noticeable due to her status as a raid boss. Fortunately, the stacks of Blight served another purpose once Abstract activated the skill Expunge. Szzzzzzt...! A faint sizzling sound originated from Ooudamu as tiny droplets of corroded ck liquid seeped from her pores. The second the corroded liquid made direct contact with her skin, a numbing sensation spread through Ooudamu¡¯s body which caused her movements to be sluggish and somewhat erratic. A grin appeared on Abstract¡¯s face when he observed Ooudamu¡¯s irregr movements. From this, he knew that his Expunge had been sessful! "I was not certain that it would work properly on a hardcore raid boss. But, it seems that my worries were misced. Though it is a shame that I could not hold her within the Blight of Demise a bit longer, otherwise, the benefits would have been greater." Abstract was suddenly surrounded by a thick aura of darkness that released a frightening amount of killing intent. His eyes became a reflection of a moonless night and the dagger that had been stabbed into his palm fused into his hand. Now, it looked as though the dagger was an extension of his body. Expunge caused affected enemies to experience a state of temporary disorientation. In addition, it reduced the stats of the targets by a significant value depending on the stacks of Blight that were removed after its activation. However, the biggest benefit Abstract obtained from Expunge was a massive boost to his stats and the protection of the passive skill Nocturnal Veil. But, of course, Abstract had not forgotten the most important task at hand. Although it did not take long for Ooudamu to regain her sense, by the time she recovered, it was already toote. Thanks to the temporary disorientation generated by Expunge, Abstract was able to slow Ooudamu¡¯s movements just long enough for two seconds to pass. It was at that moment that a bright ray of light apanied by a monstrous surge in energy erupted from Izroth¡¯s location! ¡¯It seems that Blue Oasis is full of hidden talents. Perhaps I¡¯ve underestimated them.¡¯ Izroth understood that he could notpare other yers to himself for obvious reasons. After all, how many in RML could meet his standards? Therefore, he knew that any party who was abruptly thrown into a cmitous situation like the one at hand¡ªeven if it was another top guild¡ªwould struggle with basic survival. However, not only had no member of Blue Oasis been killed, but they had also dyed the boss for 15 seconds! For a hardcore raid boss who possessed great intelligence and an inherent high resistance against crowd control effects, 15 seconds was no different from an eternity! Ooudamu sensed the dangering from Izroth, but before she could even react, she was blown back by a powerful wave of energy that originated from his position. A few momentster, two towering figures, who were at least 6 meters in height and resembled the warriors of ancient times, materialized on the right and left side of Izroth. The warrior on the left wielded nothing but a shield. However, that shield emitted a terrifying and oppressing aura that belonged to one who had experienced countless battles. As for the warrior on the right side of Izroth, they wielded a mighty bow that looked as if it were capable of piercing mountains and splitting seas. Both warriors released a frightening battle cry that echoed throughout the boss room and shook the souls of the Blue Oasis members present. The yers from Blue Oasis looked on in shock and awe of the towering ancient warriors that had appeared out of thin air as they released their great battle cry. There was only one thought that drifted by their mind at that moment¡ªThese ancient warriors... How fierce! ¡¯I never expected that I would use an item from the Netherworld Exchange so soon.¡¯ "Now, let¡¯s see just what this Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels is capable of." Izroth stated with a carefree expression on his face as the fierce aura around the two ancient warriors began to grow! Chapter 425 Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels The battle cry being released by the two ancient warriors came to a sudden halt, however, this did not eliminate the fierce pressure that hovered around them. It constantly felt as if there was an invisible force oppressing the environment within the boss room. "Captain, didbat masters always possess such a fierce-looking skill?" One of the Blue Oasis members, Feint, asked curiously. "A skill? No... I know thebat master ss is one shrouded in mystery due to theck of yers who chose it, but this type of thing should not be a skill. The amount of magic energy being discharged from those two warriors is well beyond that of what any single yer can generate. If I had to guess, this should be the work of a magic item. If so, that would exin the vast quantity of magic energy hovering around those two warriors." Vanaheim stated. She then continued, "The real question is, where did he acquire such a high-grade magic item?" Vanaheim could not help but sigh when she observed Izroth. He had too many secrets! Blue Oasis had spared not effort digging into Izroth¡¯s background and activities within RML, but most of the information they received was either too vague or just simply unbelievable. This was the first time that her Blue Oasis had to deal with aplete enigma and it was an ufortable situation when one was used to having all the answers. However, Vanaheim felt that no matter how far they dug into Izroth¡¯s secrets, there would always be one moreyer to uncover. Meanwhile, a yful smile formed on Ooudamu¡¯s face. This was the first time since the fight started that she had been forced back! "These two things are ruining my fun. How can this be allowed?" Ooudamu¡¯s yful and light-hearted expression soon turned into one filled with a distant coldness. "Nullify." The voice magic exploded outward from Ooudamu as a heavy wave of mana spread out in every direction. "Not good! Brace yourselves!" Vanaheim hurriedly warned. It may just be one word, however, the magical energy behind it was several times heavier than usual. Also, if the word "Nullify" truly lived up to its name, then it was possible that every active buff and protective skill would disappear. This would weaken their party to a point that it was nearly impossible to recover from! She could only hope that Izroth¡¯s promise of suppressing the voice magic earlier was not a simple bluff. Vrooooosh! Just as the word "Nullify" left Ooudamu¡¯s mouth, an object suddenly soared through the air. The power behind this object was so intense that it made the air itself give way, leaving nothing in its path to diminish its speed. The object came to an abrupt halt mid-air the instant it made contact with the domineering wave of voice magic. At the same time, ancient and mysterious symbols spewed from the mystical object as it unleashed an oppressive aura. This aura devoured the magical energy embedded within the voice magic and stopped it from traveling any further in all directions. As the energy dimmed around the object, its true appearance could finally be seen by those present. The mystical object was, in fact, an arrow! However, this was not just any normal arrow. It was shot from the mighty bow that was in the hands of the ancient warrior on Izroth¡¯s right side. Clink! Clink! A faint rustling sound could be heard as the ancient and mysterious symbols linked together and formed a myriad of chains. These chains looked as if they were capable of suppressing everything under the heavens! The chains formed a sphere and at its center it contained the magical energy it had just absorbed from the voice magic. After the sphere finished forming, it teleported approximately 20 meters into the air and remained stationary. What then appeared above the sphere was the word "Seal" in grand letters! After the word "Seal" emerged, the mighty arrow crumbled away and vanished. As the members of Blue Oasis prepared themselves to brace for the impact of the shockwave created by the voice magic, they soon discovered that such a shockwave never came! There was a look of confusion and bewilderment on the faces of those present as their attention was instinctively drawn to the sphere in the sky. Ooudamu frowned when she noticed that the two ancient warriors did not vanish even though she used the word "Nullify". But, before she could make her next move, a chilling killing intent erupted from behind her! Wooosh! A figure emerged from out of nowhere as a streak of darkness shed towards Ooudamu. This individual was none other than Abstract! Earlier, he activated a higher ranked version of the skill Stealth unique to his Death Stalker ss called Stalker¡¯s Hunt. This skill not only allowed Abstract to enter stealth mode, but it also granted him a massive movement speed boost whenever he moved towards a target with stacks of Blight or who was affected by Expunge. Since the effects of his Nocturnal Veil and Expunge did notst for a long period of time, he had to make the most of them while they were still active. "Hehehe, have you learned nothing? Such attacks cannot reach me." Ooudamu dered with a grin. Even though she had just been knocked back by some strange force, she was not worried. After all, it was only a matter of time until the warriors disappeared. Not to mention, she viewed these oversiders as weak. They had to yet to damage her a single time! Therefore, what was she afraid of? As long as she possessed this body of the Trephasia race that wielded powerful voice magic, what was there to fear? "Halt!" Ooudamu ordered. She did not believe that Izroth could maintain the power of those ancient warriors for long. Nor did she believe that he had the ability to continuously block such domineering voice magic. Abstract did not retreat, but instead, he readied himself for the potential bacsh that usually apanied the activation of the voice magic. Slisssh! In the following moment, there was a strange silence that lingered about in the boss room. Every member of the raid group present had their attention focused on one thing¡ªOoudamu¡¯s HP bar that was disyed on the system interface. The change was very subtle and barely noticeable under normal circumstances, however, that small shift was enough to cause the members of Blue Oasis to feel reinvigorated! [Ooudamu¡¯s HP Remaining: 99.98%] As promised, with the help of the ancient warriors, Izroth had suppressed the voice magic. However, Abstract was unsure of how long it would stay that way. As such, he exercised caution and quickly retreated after sessfullynding his attack on Ooudamu to gauge the whole situation. Besides, both of his main goals had already been aplished. Abstract¡¯s first goal was to see if Ooudamu¡¯s voice magic had been nullified as promised. As for his second goal, it was to show that the battle before them was not one without hope. To be truthful, even he was starting to feel somewhat discouraged after notnding a single hit on Ooudamu. Naturally, this feeling of frustration was present in all of the Blue Oasis members. But, as a captain of Blue Oasis, Abstract understood that it was his duty to ensure that he led the way forward¡ªeven if the situation seemed bleak. "As always, Niflheim has good eyes." Abstract said as he briefly nced over towards Izroth and the warriors at his side. Boom! Boom! Boom! Out of nowhere, the sound of violent explosions could be hearding from Vanaheim¡¯s location. Above her head was a ball of wild dancing mes that resembled the sun as it constantly copsed and created miniature contained explosions. Right now, she was casting a high-rank fire spell called Hellfire Burst. "What are all of you staring at?! Are you not the core members of my Blue Oasis?!" Vanaheim stated as the ball of dancing mes rushed outward on a path to Ooudamu¡¯s location. BOOOOOOM! The Hellfire Burst exploded on contact. The impact made the entire boss room slightly tremor from the sheer power of the st. The spell generated a sphere of mes that contained the explosions to a well-confined space. Normally, casting such a high-ranked spell would take at least 5 to 10 seconds depending on the skill¡¯s level, however, Vanaheim had only done it in less than 3 seconds! This demonstrated just how fast her spell casting was whenpared to the vast majority of other magic casters. But, such an impressive feat at this point could not be aplished with items alone. That is why the more he observed her actions during the battle, the more Izroth believed that Vanaheim possessed a skill simr to his Magic Fundamental Mastery passive. The damage caused by Vanaheim¡¯s Hellfire Burst was not small. In addition, in a great turn of fortune, she also activated one of the passive skills attached to her staff. This made it so that her spells had a small chance to deal an extra 100% damage based on the skills¡¯ original magic damage. Not only that, but this damage also ignored all enemy defenses! -19,603 -26,138 With a single spell, Vanaheim had dealt over 40,000 damage! In terms of raw damage output, without a doubt, mage-type sses were at the top. Though this did note without some drawbacks. Long cast times and ack of defensive capabilities made it so that they were left with huge vulnerabilities duringbat. Of course, experienced magic casters had ways to make up for this weakness, however, it could never bepletely eradicated. After witnessing Abstract¡¯s attack seed and then viewing Vanaheim¡¯s huge damage output that was apanied by her strong words, how could the members of Blue Oasis bear to sit still any longer? In the blink of an eye, the entire flow of the battle shifted to their favor. While Ooudamu was still able to avoid some attacks, it was no longer effortless without the presence of the voice magic. To begin with, her agility was not very high for a raid boss, and so, without the voice magic to make up for it, even if she knew the attacks were going tond, there was nothing Ooudamu could do about it. However, given her status as a hardcore raid boss, even with the voice magic sealed away, Ooudamu was not to be underestimated. Superior Holy Smite was a skill that could be instantly cast which made it nearly impossible to avoid. Not to mention, the targets were always randomized which put the only supporter, Emberheart, under a great deal of pressure. But it was not without its rewards. Ooudamu¡¯s HP was finally falling at a steady rate! 99.75%... 99.50%... 99.00%... In just a few moments, the raid group was able to shave off 1% of Ooudamu¡¯s HP¡ªmore than 233,000 damage! This damage did not even include Izroth who had yet to join in! As for the overall damage output, it was only getting higher with every second that passed. For a group that totaled 11 yers fighting against a raid boss, it was an impressive disy of power. ¡¯That single shot consumed 30% of the energy output on the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. Unfortunately, I still do not possess the proper material to recharge it. Until I locate it, I can only use the magic item another two times.¡¯ Izroth required a special kind of magic crystal to recharge the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. Although the power behind the skills contained within was great, the energy consumption and long activation time made it impractical in solo battles if it was not activated beforehand. As for what his actions earlier, Izrothmanded the warrior to use his weapon referred to as the True Word Bow. The True Word Bow contained six True Words in total and the True Word Izroth had just chosen was "Seal". Just as its name implied, it allowed Izroth to seal skills, abilities, or even enemies upon its activation! ¡¯It is a shame that this magic item is iplete, otherwise, it may have been possible to directly seal Ooudamu. Though I suppose this is the reason its price was so cheap on the Netherworld Exchange despite its potential strength. If I can find a way to restore its full power, then...¡¯ Izroth set this thought into the back of his mind for the time being as he ced the two ancient warriors on standby mode. With this, he could conserve the energy of the magic item. ¡¯Now, it is time you return that which does not belong to you.¡¯ Izroth locked his gaze onto Ooudamu who had forcibly taken possession of Luna¡¯s body. This Ooudamu had dared toy a hand on one of the people under his protection? The consequences of such an action were not something she could bear! Just as Izroth was about to personally take action, Vanaheim had arrived next to him. Even as she made her way over to him, Vanaheim did not halt her attacks against Ooudamu as she temporarily swapped to weaker skills that could be cast instantly. "How long are you able to keep the voice magic suppressed?" Vanaheim asked. At the moment, this was the most important question on her mind. She had to know the time limit so that she could start preparing for their next course of action. However, what she did not expect to hear was the next word that left Izroth¡¯s mouth. "Indefinitely." Izroth responded nonchntly. Then, without hesitation, he dashed forward to join the battle. Indefinitely? The look of disbelief could not be hidden on Vanaheim¡¯s face. It even almost caused her to mess up one of her spells! This... Was such a thing even possible against a raid boss? Chapter 426 Ooudamus Outburst! In RML, it was a well-known fact that when it came to resisting crowd control or negative effects, boss monsters were without equal. As a hardcore raid boss, and based on the knowledge gained from the fight so far, Vanaheim concluded that Ooudamu¡¯s resistance level was somewhere between 70-80%. With such a massive resistance percentage to crowd control, skills that should normallyst 3 seconds, would only stay in effect for 0.6-0.9 seconds. As for the skills with a lower duration, they were practically negligible! Therefore, when Izroth stated that the voice magic would remain disabled indefinitely, how could Vanaheim maintain a straight face? But, once she took into consideration that Izroth had yet to deceive her, Vanaheim reluctantly epted his word at face value. Besides, what would she do? Demand that Izroth willingly gives up and exin all of his secrets down to the veryst detail? Even if they were not currently in the middle of a boss fight, she knew that such a request would be extremely inappropriate. "After this raid is over, we must get this man to join our Blue Oasis. Or, at the very least, not be his enemy." Vanaheim spoke under her breath. She then cleared her mind and returned her full focus onto the battle before her. After all, she could not allow herself to be so easily distracted even if the voice magic had been suppressed. "Filthy oversiders! This ce shall be your grave!" Ooudamu cried out as multiple miniature tidal waves rose from her location and traveled out in every direction. These tidal waves forced back the members of the raid group who were within melee range and created ayer of water on the floor of the boss room that was approximately 30 centimeters high. ¡´Battle Alert: yer movement speed has been reduced by 20% for 10 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Ooudamu¡¯s movement speed has been increased by 20% for 10 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Ooudamu¡¯s damage has been increased by 20% for 10 seconds!¡µ Although the tidal waves did not inflict any damage to the raid group, the effects were more than enough to make up for it. By reducing the raid group¡¯s movement speed and increasing her own, Ooudamu had an easier time avoiding attacks andunching her own. But, the biggest threat was, of course, the increase to her damage. Out of nowhere, Ooudamu felt a heavy force descend upon her. Even with the movement speed bonus she received, Ooudamu¡¯s speed had somehow be slower than it was before! Not too long after Ooudamu was affected by the unknown force, a narrow fissure opened beneath her. The fissure was notrge enough for one to fall through, however, it contained a sharp sword intent that erupted from within and struck Ooudamu. When Ooudamu was hit by the sword intent, not only did she receive some damage, but her movement speed had decreased again. Just as this took ce, a blur appeared next to Ooudamu followed by the sound of pping thunder. Bzzzzt...! Boom! The attack caused the water surrounding Ooudamu to shoot into the air forming a curtain. This made its appearance resemble that of a geyser violently erupting. Wooosh! A de pierced through the curtain of water as it began to fall. The tip of the de was aimed directly at Ooudamu¡¯s throat and released an overbearing pressure. Being able to aim at such a narrow target with an obstructed view spoke volumes of attacker¡¯s skill. As the curtain of water around Ooudamu fell, it caused the surrounding water to ripple violently. What stood before her was no blur. It was the same individual who continuously ruined her fun! "Detestable Oversider...! You... You...!" Ooudamu scowled. Her tone was no longer yful as she red at her attacker who was none other than Izroth! After using Light Feather Footwork to boost his mobility, Izroth immediately used the active effect of his Concealed Heavy Wounds Inscription to increase Ooudamu¡¯s total mass. Naturally, this made it difficult for her to move as freely as before, but he did not stop there. With wless timing, Izroth executed his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley and then instantly followed up with Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to arrive next to Ooudamu. Once next to Ooudamu, he used his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Not only did this strike Ooudamu, but it was also the force that generated the curtain of water around her and obstructed her view. Once his attack sessfullynded, he shifted to his First Sword Form: Converging Paths which guaranteed a critical hit and cut through the curtain of water with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction empowered by his Soul Essence trait! In less than a single breath, Izroth performed one high-level skill after the other leaving Ooudamu with little to no time to react. -3,061 -9,209 ?Critical Hit? -48,337 Ooudamu was able to adjust her position at thest moment to avoid a direct hit to her neck, however, the damage she received was not light. That was when, all of a sudden, a vast concentration of magic started to swirl around her body. Izroth fell back after he sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere around Ooudamu due to his Soul Sense trait. At the same time, the second wave of sword intent erupted from the fissure caused by the Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley and hit Ooudamu. -10,031 Meanwhile, the members of Blue Oasis were dumbfounded after they witnessed what had just taken ce before them. From his movements to the execution of his skills to the damage he just inflicted¡ªwas he really abat master? This kind of damage was on par with Vanaheim, who was undoubtedly one of the strongest mages in RML. No, it might even be greater! How could they not be dumbfounded? "This... Havebat masters always been this strong?" Feint unconsciously questioned aloud. "In theory, the potential ofbat masters are limitless. But, in the end, a theory is just a theory. Creating multiple high-level skills as abat master should not be possible." Vanaheim stated as she furrowed her brows. While she was uncertain of the exact number, Vanaheim knew that at least two of the skills Izroth used could be considered high-ranked. Just having one high-ranked skill as abat master was a huge struggle¡ªnot to mention having two! However, Vanaheim had a strong feeling that Izroth still had yet to disy all of his skills. Rmmmmmble! Just as everyone was still processing Izroth¡¯s actions, the walls of the boss room started to tremble. As a result, everyone went on guard to prepare for what was toe. Since the magic energy around Ooudamu suddenly spiked, it was almost a certainty that she was getting ready to unleash a powerful skill! "Everyone, if ites to it, do not hesitate to use any high-grade potions and lifesaving skills! Emberheart, prioritize your own life over everyone present!" Vanaheim ordered. Given how Emberheart was their only supporter who could heal, they could not afford to lose her so early into the fight. Therefore, Vanaheim made sure to remind Emberheart of her importance. "Understood!" Emberheart responded. During a raid boss fight, losing one or two damage dealers was no issue. However, losing even a single tank or supporter created a harsh vacuum that was virtually impossible to fill. As a supporter and a core member of a top guild, Emberheart understood this better than anyone. ¡´Battle System: Ooudamu has activated ?Outburst?!¡µ "Ahhhhhhh!" Ooudamu screamed as a monstrous wave of magical energy swept out in all directions filling every corner of the boss room. As soon as the wave of energy made contact with the members of the raid group, it felt as though the wind had been knocked out of them and immobilized them. The attacksted for three full seconds before it finally dispersed and the movement of the raid group was restored. However, there was a look of terror present on the faces of the members of the raid group. -12,051 -4,028 -9,548 -3,510 -7,121 ... Emberheart hastily consumed an HP potion and healed herself back to full health. She then started to unload every healing skill in her arsenal to hurriedly restore the lost HP of the other raid group members. As a result, her mana was being rapidly depleted! The moment her mana fell before the 50% mark, Emberheart consumed a high-grade mana potion and continued to heal the raid group. Some of the raid group members still had their HP potions on cooldown, but there were a few who were able to consume one to ease the burden on Emberheart. But, even still, if this was something that would ur frequently, everyone knew that regardless of potions and Emberheart¡¯s efforts¡ªthey would notst in this fight! "I thought the voice magic was taken care of... Did he lie to us?" Tagz questioned in a doubtful tone. "We almost died thanks to his carelessness!" Second Tyrant chimed in angrily. Perhaps with this huge mess up, others would forget about the mistakes he made earlier. How could he let this chance go? But, before they could go any further and things spiraled out of control, Vanaheim shouted with a darkened expression, "Enough! This was not voice magic. This is the hardcore effect, Outburst!". The first thing Vanaheim did when she regained her movement, besides consuming an HP potion, was quickly review the battle logs. To be honest, her first thought was simr to that of Tagz¡¯s, however, it did not add up. She knew that something was off for two reasons. The first was that the sphere with the word "Seal" above it was still in the air. As for the second reason, Ooudamu¡¯s voice magic seemed to require a specific word to use. Never had she once simply yelled and something happened. The voice magic was incredibly refined and almost acted as an extension of the user¡¯s will. After Vanaheim¡¯s swift exnation, the Blue Oasis members felt more at ease. Second Tyrant, however, was disappointed that he could not hide his own mistakes behind that of Izroth¡¯s. Now, his only hope was to make a huge contribution or perform highly for the rest of the raid, otherwise, the repercussions would not be small. At best, he would lose his status as a core member of Blue Oasis! Vanaheim was ufortable with how little information she had about hardcore effects¡ªOutburst in particr. Since she did not know its trigger or how frequently it urred, it was impossible to n against it ahead of time. The best she could do now was memorize Ooudamu¡¯s precise actions just before Outburst was activated. Fortunately, none of the raid members were eliminated. But, at this rate, it was only a matter of time unless they could find a way to defend against it. As the members of the raid group recovered and restarted their assault on Ooudamu, the tremors on the boss room walls came to an abrupt halt. Izroth noticed something strange happening to the walls on the opposite end of the boss room. If not for his Heavenly Golden Body and the fact that he consumed a Five Cycle Pill, this small change would have been impossible to perceive right away. On a small area of that wall, its structure seemed to be unstable and in a constant state of flux. ¡¯This is...¡¯ In the next moment, something emerged from within the wall¡ªor to be more precise, someone! "What an odd sensation. To think a passageway would be hidden this way. As expected of a hardcore raid." The person said to themselves. That was when they noticed that, in the distance, a group of familiar faces appeared to be locked in an intense battle. However, they seemed to be focused on whatever they were fighting and remained unaware of the fact that someone else had arrived in the boss room. "That¡¯s... Brother Izroth...! He survived! Then, is big sis Luna here as well?!" There was a hint of excitement present in the voice of the person when they spoke. Though this was to be expected, after all, thest time they saw Izroth was when he was surrounded by hardcore raid monsters! Even if they knew Izroth was strong, how could they not be concerned? "Ah, I should tell the others! Heh, those three will be relieved once they know." The person who emerged from the wall was none other than Halls! Chapter 427 The Raid Group Reunites, True Battle Commences! After Halls entered into the Sprite Dwellings, he ended up in a party with Zi Yi and some other members of Blue Oasis. One of the yers they were paired up with was Minus, the Captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 6th squad. However, he did not dare cause any trouble considering the other yers who were present. Road Captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 1st squad, Peaceful Chaos Captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 4th squad, and Complex Assault the vice guild-leader of Blue Oasis¡ªthese were the yers who were paired with Halls, Zi Yi, and Minus. Once the group overcame some minor difficulties in their new environment, they explored deeper into the Sprite Dwellings. Ultimately, this led them to their current situation where they had finally located the rest of the missing raid group! Though it was mainly thanks to a special skill from Peaceful Chaos¡¯ Bestial Champion ss called Marked Scent, that they were able to quickly track down the group nearest to their location¡ªthis included Izroth¡¯s group who was facing off against Ooudamu. As long as someone was marked by Marked Scent, Peaceful Chaos was able to use the enhanced bestial senses from his ss to track down his target to the end of the earth! Though if it were not for Abstract¡¯s warning before they entered into the Sprite Dwellings, then Peaceful Chaos would have never used Marked Scent as a safety precaution. If not for that valuable piece of information gained by Abstract scouting ahead and sending back his Tethered Shadow, then who knew how long it would have taken for them to reunite if they all entered the Sprite Dwellings at the same time? No, even simply surviving for that long would have been an overwhelming challenge! Therefore, it turned out what was initially a curse had turned into a minor blessing. As for the first group that joined with Halls and the others, it included Guan Yu, Valentine, Niflheim Captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 7th squad, Nidavellir Captain of Blue Oasis¡¯ 2nd squad, ys Two, and Asgard the guild leader of Blue Oasis. Since both groups contained a tank, a supporter, and damage dealers, needless to say, they had a much easier time staying safe and roaming around the Sprite Dwellings. Unlike Izroth¡¯s and Luna¡¯s original groups who received the shorter end of the stick. Halls tried to go back through the way he entered, however, the wall was solid. No matter how much he pushed, he was unable to travel back through the way he came! "Strange, why can¡¯t I go back through?" Halls questioned with a frown. But, he was not the type of person to overthink things that were out of his control. "Since I can¡¯t go back, I should just go forward to help brother Izroth and the others. After all, aren¡¯t theycking a tank? Well, considering that brother Izroth is there, then big sis Luna should be with him. Heh, I don¡¯t believe she would let him die. Besides, if the two of them are together, then they should be fine as long as they aren¡¯t fighting a raid boss." Halls said thest part of his sentence in a joking manner. In the end, what were the chances that they would run into a raid boss and start a fight with it? Without any hesitation, Halls charged forward to join the battle. But, Halls was not prepared for the "enemy" he would soon have to face. ... Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall... "What is taking him so long to return? It may have been a bad idea to let him go through alone." Zi Yi questioned as she furrowed her brows. A full minute had just passed since Halls stepped through the wall and had not reported back. This made her feel somewhat uneasy. "Who knows? With his personality, I would not be surprised if he got distracted by something shiny on that side." Valentine responded jokingly. "Ha! My brother isn¡¯t so easily distracted. Maybe the others were in the middle of a fight and he jumped in. After all, my brother is one of the few real men I know." Guan Yu dered. At the moment, Zi Yi, Valentine, and Guan Yu were with the members of Blue Oasis who had regrouped after initially being separated in the Sprite Dwellings. After locating the crystal wall, it was decided that Halls would explore the area on the other side. Since he was a tank, the chances of him dying before he could safely retreat were practically non-existent¡ªeven if he came across a boss monster. Of course, such a thing urring was a miniscule chance at best. Halls was simply supposed to go on the other side, look around the initial area, and then immediately return with his findings. However, he should have returned by now and yet there were no signs of him doing so. Naturally, this caused some of the members of Blue Oasis to grow restless. "Captain Peaceful Chaos, are you sure the rest of our guild members are on the other side of this crystal wall?" Niflheim asked Peaceful Chaos. "My Marked Scent has never been wrong. I can still clearly ¡¯smell¡¯ them. Even if one wanted to forcibly remove it¡ªunless they possess an S-ranked cleansing skill¡ªwould they have the capability?" Peaceful Chaos responded in a confident tone. He then continued, "Though the scent on one of them is still slightly off¡ªalmost as if it had somehow been mixed with foreign scent. But, without a doubt, the remaining members of our raid group are all gathered on the other side of this crystal wall." Nidavellir sighed as hemented, "This Sprite Dwellings is truly ruthless. If not for Captain Peaceful Chaos, who knows how long it would have taken us to regroup? The longer we stayed alone in this ce, the higher the chance of us running into trouble. Our losses may have not been light." "Indeed, your merits this time around are not small, Captain Peaceful Chaos." Complex Assault chimed in. As Peaceful Chaos received high praise from his fellow guild members, Nifhelim pondered their next move. Should they take a chance and cross over without any information? Or, should they stay put and wait for Halls to return. Since Peaceful Chaos guaranteed that Halls¡¯ scent was still present, then it should be rtively safe to cross over. However, there was one thing that bothered him¡ªwhy had Halls not returned immediately after aplishing his task? Did he run into trouble? Or, was he simply unable to return for some reason? "We can¡¯t just stand here and wait all day. If we are not going to find another in, then we should enter through here. Besides, what is the worse that can happen? At the very least, our raid group will be together again." Nidavellir stated. "What if this is a trick and we get forcibly separated again? Or, what if it¡¯s a trap? Then, won¡¯t we just be weing our deaths?" Minus scoffed. Niflheim could not disagree with Nidavellir nor Minus¡¯ perspectives. Indeed, they could not stand here all day and wait for an answer since they were in a hurry toplete the raid. But, if it was a trap, or if it was a trick to separate them again, then they could not recklessly go forward without a proper n. After mulling over it for a few moments, Niflheim had made his decision. "We will all enter together. On the off chance that this is a trick and we end up separated, then we will simply have to track each other down again. Captain Peaceful Chaos, I will leave this part in your capable hands." Niflheim stated. He then continued, "I will enter first. Captain Minus, Vice guild leader Complex Assault, you two will follow right after me. Guild leader Asgard, Captain Road, and ys Two¡ªI will have to trouble you three to be thest to enter in case anything unexpected happens. Everyone else will fall in in-between." Although some were uneasy about Niflheim¡¯s n, they agreed that standing here would do them no good. Also, since his decision had already been made, only the guild leader or vice guild leader could reject his n. Of course, this would be publicly pping Niflheim¡¯s face since he was themander of the raid group. Not to mention, both the guild leader and vice guild leader trusted Niflheim, therefore, they had no issue with his orders. "Then, if everyone¡¯s clear on their orders, let¡¯s move out! Remember what¡¯s at stake for our Blue Oasis! We will clear this raid no matter what obstacles it throws at us!" Niflheim roared. The members of Blue Oasis exploded in a powerful battle cry as Niflheim¡¯s words had ignited their fighting spirit! Niflheim led the way forward with his shield out and ready forbat as he stepped through the wall of crystal. ... Bang! Bang! Ding! Ding! "What the heck is this water made out of?!" There was a hint of frustration present in Feint¡¯s voice as he retreated after his attack was unable to prate Ooudamu¡¯s defenses. A few seconds ago, Ooudamu had encased herself in a sphere of water that was approximately four meters in diameter. Whenever an attack came into contact with the sphere of water, it was bounced off! Although Ooudamu still received some damage, it was greatly reduced. Though it was not all bad newstely. Not too long ago, to the surprise of everyone present, a member of their raid group had joined the battle. Not just any raid member, but a tank! This tank was, of course, Halls. With his presence, Ooudamu¡¯s aggro was no longer unstable and she could not simply attack whoever at any given time. But, just as they were surprised to see Halls, Halls was shocked when he discovered their opponent. It was a raid boss! An actual hardcore raid boss! However, this was not the most shocking piece of information he took in. When he first arrived on the scene of the battle, the situation had briefly turned intense? Why? It was because Halls immediately recognized that it was no monster they were fighting, but rather Luna! Even though she had a couple of new features, in the end, it was undoubtedly Luna. When he saw everyone targeting her, he did not hesitate to jump into the battle and block their attacks! Although Halls did not doubt Izroth and Luna¡¯s skills, it was still a top guild they were facing. Therefore, even his brother Izroth should have some trouble dealing with their numbers. Naturally, Halls¡¯ interference angered the members of Blue Oasis. For a moment, he had be public enemy number one. But, Izroth swiftly interfered and exined the situation to Halls. After hearing the words of his brother and closely inspecting Luna¡¯s system information that now disyed the main name as "Ooudamu", he understood her circumstances and could not hide his embarrassment. Unfortunately, before they could discuss other matters, things be somewhat hectic as Ooudamu had once again altered her attack pattern. Izroth, however, did not fault Halls. In fact, he was secretly impressed by Halls¡¯ actions. He was willing to throw aside all rewards and offend a top guild to assist hisrades. This showed Izroth that he was not wrong about Halls¡¯ character. Once the confusion was cleared up, Halls instantly became a huge source of relief for the group. Now that they had a tank to absorb the bulk of Ooudamu¡¯s aggro, it had be much easier to maneuver and create opportunities. As a result, their offensive assault had improved by leaps and bounds. [Ooudamu¡¯s HP Remaining: 92.08%] The current group had almost shaved a total of 8% off Ooudamu¡¯s HP! Considering the fact that almost half of their damage dealers were missing and they were fighting without a tank for most of the battle, such a damage amount was impressive, to say the least. "Do not grow arrogant, Oversiders! Since you have decided to visit this ce, then let it be your grave!" Ooudamu cried out as the sphere of water around her expanded. Now, it resembled a bubble that was about to burst! Roooooooar! Wooosh! Just as the sphere of water expanded around Ooudamu, the roar of massive beast echoed throughout the boss room. The mouth of a vicious beast formed from pure energy opened its mighty maws and chomped down on Ooudamu. CHOMP! The sphere of water that was expanding hade to a sudden halt as it fell to the ground bing nothing more than a puddle of water. "This skill is...!" Vanaheim immediately recognized the owner of that skill! If he was here, then that could only mean one thing. "Assimte!" A powerful voice sounded out just as the mouth of the beast dissipated. "It¡¯s Captain Niflheim!" Feint announced in an excited tone when he noticed Niflheim charging over. "Look, the others are here as well! Hahaha, our raid group is finally together again!" I Do Zero Quests cheered. Niflheim was followed by Minus, Complex Assault, and soon the rest of the members of the raid group. It was the first time everyone had been together since their time outside of the Sprite Dwellings. There was a feeling of relief when Niflheim saw with his own eyes that everyone was alive and well. When he arrived within range to manually view Ooudamu¡¯s information through the system interface, Niflheim quickly got a rough grasp of the situation. "It is a miracle that no one has died. It seems my Blue Oasis has not yet been forsaken." Niflheim said. He then shouted, "I¡¯m going ahead!" Niflheim activated the skill Unimpeded Rush as he gained a huge boost of movement speed and sped forward in Ooudamu¡¯s direction. The shield in Niflheim¡¯s hands had transformed and be nearly transparent, light, and thin like a cicada¡¯s wing. It looked as if one could snap it in half with little to no effort. However, there was a mystical energy wrapped around the shield that emitted a strong pressure. Now that raid group had been reunited, it was time for the true battle tomence! Chapter 428 A Blessing Hidden As Misfortune Earlier, when Niflheim used the Maw of the Devouring Beast, it canceled out Ooudamu¡¯s skill before it could fully manifest. Niflheim then activated his Assimte skill to adjust his defenses to properly counter Ooudamu. "What are those things?!" Minus eximed when he observed the ancient warriors in the distance. The two warriors gave off a great deal of pressure that was impossible to overlook. Niflheim and Complex Assault also noticed the two ancient warriors, however, the two knew that they would have their answer soon enough after joining the battle¡ªwhether they wanted it or not. Bang! Niflheim¡¯s shield mmed into Ooudamu sending her stumbling back a few steps. "A raid boss is indeed a raid boss." Niflheim muttered. Usually, when he used Unimpeded Charge with his assimtion shield, the target would be sent back a couple of meters. However, Ooudamu had just taken a few steps back and simply shrugged it off. Though this was well within the range of his expectations. He then shouted, "Halls! I will grab the main aggro when your HP falls below thirty percent! Until then, it will be up to you to hold on!" Niflheim was careful with the amount of threat he generated with his attack. After all, he possessed many passive and activate skills that could generate a great deal of threat, however, he chose to pace himself and slowly build up to a threat level just under Halls. Of course, Niflheim wanted to take over the main aggro without hesitation, but he understood that such an action against a raid boss would be extremely reckless. Although it had not been long, perhaps Halls was already familiar with some of Ooudamu¡¯s attack patterns. If so, then it could be used to their advantage. So until he acquired a better grasp and understanding of the situation, Niflheim decided that it was best to briefly take a small step back. "Leave it to me!" Halls responded with an excited grin on his face. Since Niflheim was the main tank of the raid group, Halls did not get many opportunities to disy his skills. While he managed to gain the respect of several Blue Oasis members as an off-tank, this was not enough. Although Halls hated to admit it, he recognized the clear gap in experience between Niflheim and himself when it came to being a tank. When it came to skills and overall strength, he was not necessarily weaker than Niflheim. He may even have the upper hand in a few areas. But, when it came to leading,manding, watching the entire battlefield¡ªNiflheim was in another league. This was revealed early on in the raid when Niflheim was able to give feedback and point out the mistakes of the core members of Blue Oasis who made various errors during the fight with Ord and Temp. To be capable of not only handling the aggro of two elite hardcore raid monsters but also having total awareness of the battlefield¡ªit was no simple task. However, Niflheim made it look effortless! Of course, Halls was not the type of person to just ept things as they were. In a short time, he had absorbed a great deal of information from Niflheim by observing his ystyle. Halls used the skill Rush, a lower-ranked version of Unimpeded Charge, to briefly boost his movement speed. He then activated the skill Shield m as heshed out with his shield and crashed it into Ooudamu who had just recovered from Niflheim¡¯s Unimpeded Charge. This attack acted as a way to reinforce his threat level after Niflheim¡¯s sessful attack. Although Ooudamu was considered intelligent whenpared to the bosses most others havee across within RML so far, in the end, she was still greatly influenced by threat generating skills. As it made contact with Ooudamu, the force of Halls¡¯ Shield m caused her to be knocked down. But, Halls did not stop there. He swung his sword at Ooudamu with a raging momentum using Ferocity sh. That was when something unusual happened. Just as Halls¡¯ sword was about to connect with Ooudamu, at the same time, he pushed forward viciously with his shield. "That¡¯s...!" Niflheim was shocked when he observed Halls¡¯ actions. Why? It was because that method of technique execution belonged to him! It was well known that within RML, the speed of one¡¯s actions was limited by the system. This varied depending on many variables such as yer mass, equipment type, agility, and so on. However, there was a way around this limit that only a few yers knew of and fewer were capable of pulling off¡ªthis was even more so for tanks who had greater yer mass than normal and lower agility than other sses. But, ironically, it was a tank who first discovered this technique and used it to overwhelm his opponents with attack patterns too sharp and agile for his ss. This tank was, of course, Niflheim. Though it was not until the other top guilds did some deep digging that they were able to uncover his secret. However, despite the discovery made by the top guilds, even their best veteran tanks had a difficult time consistently executing the technique¡ªand that was during fights against normal monsters. As for it being practical in dungeons, raids, or PVP¡ªit was not yet possible for them. "Chain Link!" The members of Blue Oasis who had just arrived and were close enough to witness Halls¡¯ action recognized that technique anywhere. Some of them could not believe their eyes and thought that they were just seeing things. After all, it was the same technique their Captain Niflheim used when tanking, Chain Link! Chain Link was not a skill that one could simply activate. It required perfect timing when performing skills in session. If one canceled their skill just before it was about to connect and instantly used a follow-up skill thatcked a cast time, then not only was it possible for the first skill to hit, but it was also possible for the second skill to hit with near-zero dy! Not only did it disguise the first skill as a simple "feint" that was in actuality a real attack, but it also left one with practically no time to react to neither skill! But, if one canceled the skill, how was it possible for it to still hit? This was due to the way the system interacted with yers in RML. If one¡¯s timing was wless, then the system would register the first action as still valid even if it had been canceled! Then, since the skill was technically canceled, it allowed for the yer to immediately use another skill, effectively ignoring the normal system restrictions put in ce. Of course, this was not possible with every skill and ss. Chain Linking was also not without risk. If one failed, then not only would their first skill be canceled, but it would leave them wide open to attacks for a brief period just before they used their second skill. While this was not too bad in normal situations, the same could not be said for dungeons, raids, and most importantly PVP. A split second could mean death! This was why only a tank such as Niflheim who had mastered this method would dare use it during a hardcore raid. "Did he know about my Chain Link beforehand? Or, did he naturally pick it up by watching me during battle? Either way, what frightening ability." Niflheim said silently to himself. It was the first time he had seen Halls execute a Chain Link during the raid. He was unsure if Halls had intentionally hidden it to not reveal all of his cards, however, it was certainly more usible than the thought that had just run through his mind. As Ooudamu was about to spring back up after being knocked down by Halls, she was met with his shield to her face right after she was struck by his sword. Swoosh! Bang! Halls waspletely unaware of what he had just aplished. He did not even know what "Chain Linking" was! He simply thought that the way Niflheim attacked was weird but much faster than usual for tanks, therefore, he just copied his actions. Though when he seeded, Halls was amazed by how smooth the transition between his skills felt during that moment. "What a nice feeling...!" Halls unconsciously muttered. The timing was somewhat tricky, but Halls believed it was not that difficult. Though if the members of Blue Oasis or other tanks knew of his thoughts at that moment, they would have coughed up blood from anger. Not difficult?! They would strangle him if he ever spoke such nonsensical words! ¡¯It seems he has improved once again. It is a shame that he is still unaware of his natural talents. Perhaps I should give him a small push soon.¡¯ Izroth was well aware of Halls¡¯ ability to quickly adapt and pick up on things. While he was not the most intelligent person, Halls¡¯ instinct and unwillingness to yield were two of his strongest qualities. Though Izroth felt that it was best to let such things grow at its own pace, otherwise, it could limit Halls¡¯ overall potential. However, a small push in the right direction on his current path would not harm him. Halls winced when his shield made contact with Ooudamu. Even though there was no choice, he still felt wrong to fight so harshly against Ooudamu while she was in control of Luna¡¯s body. But, since his brother had already determined that this was the best way to save Luna from Ooudamu¡¯s control, then he would not pull any punches! Still, he felt that perhaps he should apologize to Luna once this was all over, otherwise, he would feel too awkward about things. BANG! Halls¡¯ shield collided with Ooudamu causing a small crater to form from the impact. He had just used the skill Shield Smash and even though it was only a B-ranked skill, the story was different when used right after Shield m. Shield m was able to forcibly knock targets down. As for Shield Smash, when used on targets that were knocked down, its damage was tripled! Not too long after Niflheim and Halls made their move, thest few members of the raid group finished stepping through the wall. Among these members were Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine. "Were they fighting this entire time without us? How unfair!" Guan Yu said with a fired-up expression on his face. It had been too long since hisst battle and the fight ahead appeared fierce! Zi Yi, however, had better vision than most due to her Void Seeker ss. "Let¡¯s hurry. Luna and the others may be in trouble." Zi Yi stated as she hurried forward. When Guan Yu and Valentine heard her words, the two became serious as they also increased their speed. If one of theirrades were in trouble, then naturally they would not sit back and watch idly! When Izroth saw Zi Yi and the others rush forward with serious expressions on their faces, he fell back to intercept them. After all, he could not allow the incident with Halls to repeat itself. Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine were surprised when Izroth suddenly appeared in front of them. If Luna or Halls were in trouble, they knew that Izroth would be thest person to stand back and do nothing. As someone who personally offended one of the former top ten guilds Sage Falls and remained unafraid of the consequences, how could he possibly fear anyone else? "View her status." Izroth exined the situation in three simple words before using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to immediately rejoin the battle. He knew that was more than enough information for someone like Zi Yi and Valentine toprehend. As for Guan Yu, Izroth did not have to worry since he was with Zi Yi and Valentine, but even he should understand with a simple gaze. Although the three were surprised by Izroth¡¯s sudden appearance and disappearance, they did just as he instructed; the three of them checked Luna¡¯s status. Valentine released a sigh andmented, "So it¡¯s like this." "This thing dared to control one of ourrades?! It must have a death wish!" Guan Yu roared. "Since it has a death wish, we should grant it." Zi Yi spoke in a cold tone. She considered Luna to be a sister to her and the price of messing with one of her sisters was not something anyone could afford! Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine unleashed a vicious wave of attacks on Ooudamu along with the members of Blue Oasis who had just arrived! With new damage dealers, tanks, and supporters joining the battle, Ooudamu¡¯s HP started to rapidly descend! 80%... 60%... 50%... When Ooudamu reached the 50% HP mark, she once again used the hardcore effect Outburst and caused a massive amount of damage to the raid group. Fortunately, the supporters were able to keep up with the damage¡ªalthough they had to burn some long cooldown skills in the process. "Keep up the pace everyone! Do not let up on your attacks! Supporters, make sure you watch your mana usage!" Niflheimmanded. Surprisingly, Halls¡¯ HP had yet to fall below 30%, therefore, Niflheim was still acting as the off-tank for the fight. But, he did not rx because of this and instead used the extra time to give more precisemands. This yed arge part in how smoothly the fight was progressing. Though the biggest advantage and contributor to this battle was, without a doubt, Luna. Her naturalck of offensive skills, due to her supporter ss, made her an ideal candidate to be controlled by Ooudamu out of those who were present at the time. If it had been someone like Vanaheim or Izroth who was taken control of by Ooudamu, then the difficulty of the fight would have increased by untold leaps and bounds given the number of offensive skills in their arsenal. It was not that Luna¡¯s voice magic was weak, but rather its offensive ability was limited. In most cases, it was used as a means of deterring enemies making it nearly impossible tond an attack. However, if it came down to a battle of who could survive longer, then naturally Ooudamu would have ultimately walked away as the victor with Luna¡¯s voice magic at her disposal. But, with the voice magic sealed, Ooudamu¡¯s main attack had changed to Superior Holy Smite. In addition, her defensive capability and mobility became extremelycking! As it turned out, once her voice magic was out of the equation, a supporter like Luna being the one possessed by Ooudamu was a blessing hidden as misfortune for Blue Oasis! 30%... 20%... 10%...! "It¡¯s here." This was the same thought that traveled through the minds of those present the moment Ooudamu¡¯s HP fell to 10%. When her HP reached the 10% mark, the atmosphere became increasingly tenser for one simple reason. ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has be enraged!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has activated ?Call of the Water Sprite Queen?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has activated ?Advanced Water Screen?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has activated ?Aquatic Fever?!¡µ Ooudamu¡¯s danger level had just soared to new heights. She had entered an enraged state. But, this was not just any enraged state. It was the enraged state of a hardcore raid boss! "Filthy Oversiders! You have gued this sanctuary with your very presence long enough!" Ooudamu yelled as her once beautiful eyes that resembled an ocean turned crimson red! Chapter 429 First Death! The Terror of a Hardcore Raid! Ooudamu mmed the palm of her hands together as water erupted from the ground creating 36 pirs in the process. These 36 pirs of water created a makeshift cage around the battlefield and surrounded the raid group from every direction. The pirs then began to move counter-clockwise at a speed so great that it looked as if the water from each pir had fused into a single mass. If one were looking at this phenomenon from the outside, it would resemble that of a giant cylinder screen made out of water. As the pirs formed, the HP of four raid members started to rapidly fall. This put a great deal of pressure on the supporters to keep up with the abrupt HP loss of the affected raid members. "This rate of healing is not sustainable!" Complex Assault warned. It did not help that they were down one supporter due to Ooudamu taking control of Luna, but even if they had an extra supporter the result would remain unchanged. The four members affected were losing 10% of their HP every 1 second. To make matters even worse, Halls¡ªthe main tank¡ªwas one of the affected targets! A tank losing 10% of their max HP was the equivalent to a normal ss losing 20-30% of their max HP¡ªor even more depending on the ss! Halls frowned when he noticed his HP began to fall. Even if his HP was no small number, it meant nothing in the face of percentage-based damage! If Luna was one of the healers, then he could feel at ease. After all, they had been through life and death situations together. However, now, he could only ce his fate in the hands of the Blue Oasis supporters and hope that they could keep up. Though, it did somewhat ease his mind that the supporters behind him were all skilled yers given their position in a top 10 guild. While Halls remained steadfast, one of the Blue Oasis members, Nidavellir, was able to locate the cause of the unexpected HP loss to certain members of the raid group. "It is the effect of Aquatic Fever!" Nidavellir stated with a grim expression. He was one of the individuals who was targeted by Aquatic Fever. But, that was not the reason he located the source so quickly. Since Nidavellir was a supporter, he had already prepared beforehand to check the battle logs the instant Ooudamu entered an enraged state. It was there that he discovered beside himself, Halls, Peaceful Chaos, and False Summit had been targeted by Aquatic Fever. From there, it did not take a genius to piece things together. "Emberheart, ys Two¡ªCan either of you dispel it?!" Complex Assault asked. He attempted to dispel the Aquatic Fever, but his skill did not affect it even though it was a B-ranked dispel skill. "I already tried, however, it is no use!" Emberheart responded in a disappointed tone. "Same here!" ys Two replied. Unfortunately, Ooudamu did not give them much time to think before she made her next move. "Sprite Magic: Water Approach - Aquatic Surge!" Ooudamu sounded as she released a horizontal wave of water that was approximately 4 meters in length. This water from the wave waspressed and folded into itself multiple times which made it so the outside was as sharp as any de! Woooosh! The Aquatic Surge cut through Halls before it continued forward and struck four additional raid members who were in its path. Although Halls absorbed arge portion of the damage by taking it head-on, the members who were hit by the attack lost 50% or more of their HP! Though before the wave could travel any further, Izroth swiftly appeared in front of it using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. His stance matched the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave as he swung his sword outward to meet with the Aquatic Surge, activating the Sword Return effect of his second sword form. Bang! The pressure generated by the wave was massive and caused Izroth to slide a few steps back when it made contact. But, after it lost its initial momentum, the wave suddenly shot back from where it originated. This time, however, its main target was Ooudamu! If not for Izroth¡¯s quick reaction, the damage to the lower HP ranged yers would not have been light when the Aquatic Surge made contact with the backline of the raid group. After all, the ranged yers did not have as much HP as those who were melee. Not to mention, the supporters were already under enough stress dealing with the Aquatic Fever. The members of the raid group were taken aback by Ooudamu¡¯s attack. It was the first time she used an offensive skill that was not from Luna¡¯s ss. "What¡¯s going on? I thought she did not have any attack skills of her own!" Nidavellir stated. "It seems her enraged state changed that fact! Everyone, remain alert, and do not get caught off guard a second time! Halls, prepare to switch with me!" Niflheim shouted. Given that Halls was losing too much HP per second from the Aquatic Fever, it would be safer for him who was unaffected to be the main tank. "Got it!" Halls responded. Though he was reluctant to swap with Niflheim, even he knew that his HP could not take this type of percentage-based punishment during a raid boss¡¯ enraged state. Since Ooudamu was now capable of using personal offensive magic, her danger level had risen tenfold! Naturally, it also increased the pressure on the supporters as they burned through their mana faster than desired. Considering the Aquatic Fever showed no signs of stopping or slowing down, and the fact that they had to deal with strong offensive magic¡ªreserving their mana was the least of their worries. But, just as Niflheim was about to switch with Halls and the raid group thought that things could not get any worse, they were confronted by a harsh reality. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Tagz has been affected by Raid Boss Ooudamu¡¯s ?Aquatic Fever?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim has been affected by Raid Boss Ooudamu¡¯s ?Aquatic Fever?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Abstract has been affected by Raid Boss Ooudamu¡¯s ?Aquatic Fever??????!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Sacred de has been affected by Raid Boss Ooudamu¡¯s ?Aquatic Fever?!¡µ Four additional members of the raid group were effected by Aquatic Fever and started to lose 10% of their HP every second. Their misfortune also took a wild turn when Niflheim, their other tank, was targeted by it. Now, both tanks were being mercilessly drained of their HP! The facial expression of the supporters darkened when this took ce. With this many targets being affected by Aquatic Fever, it was time to make a difficult choice. "Vice-leader...!" Emberheart called as she furrowed her brows and looked over in Complex Assault¡¯s direction. The other supporters¡ªNidavellir and ys Two¡ªalso turned to look at Complex Assault as if awaiting his decision. Complex Assault grit his teeth from frustration. However, he was in charge of the supporters, therefore, the unlucky task had fallen on his shoulders. "Prioritize the tanks and focus your excess heals on the melee users, starting with those who have the most maximum health! As for the ranged users¡ªthey will have to find a way to survive on their own!" Complex Assault ordered. "Understood!" Emberheart, Nidavellir, and ys Two replied in a serious tone. False Summit and Tagz were both ranged users who were affected by Aquatic Fever, and so, they became extremely dejected when they heard Complex Assault¡¯s order to the supporters. However, even if False Summit and Tagz felt wronged, neither of them could hold a grudge against Complex Assault. Though their darkened facial expressions disyed their true feelings. But, the two understood that if it were them in that position, they were uncertain whether or not they would have had the guts to forsake two of their guild members¡ªeven if it was for the greater good. There was an eerie moment of silence that filled the boss room after Complex Assault spoke. None of the supporters possessed a rare revival skill, and so, if someone died at this point in the raid, they would be sent back to the beginning. Not only would they be lost in the Sprite Dwellings again, but this time, they would not be marked by Peaceful Chaos¡¯ Marked Scent making it impossible to find them in a timely manner. Therefore, they would be on their own in the dangerous Sprite Dwellings. Of course, this was if they did note across any unexpected obstacles on their way back and could even return safely to the Sprite Dwellings. After all, the raid had not yet been fully explored and there was no guarantee that they would not run into hidden monsters. Plus, more important than anything was the time limit they had in ce. Cross Haven could not block others from entering the raid forever. In the end, did they have the luxury to wait around for someone to return? The answer was obviously, no. Although losing even one yer would severely hurt their raid group¡¯s overall strength and further increase the difficulty of the raid many times over, Complex Assault saw no other choice. Niflheim, the actingmander of the raid group, did notment on Complex Assault¡¯s decision. If he was in the vice guild leader¡¯s position, then his orders would have likely been the same. As the atmosphere became increasingly tense and Ooudamu¡¯s nature shifted to that of a wild beast, Izroth fell back from his assault on Ooudamu. His actions caused the members of Blue Oasis to look on in shock. What was he doing at such an important time? Why did he stop attacking when they were backed up against a wall?! Izroth closed his eyes and activated his Energy Vision Sense in arge enough range to perceive all of his surroundings in the boss room. His thoughts were simple. If there was a natural counter for the Phantasmagoria lurking in the same room, as he had encountered earlier, then perhaps the same was also true for the Aquatic Fever. Though the biggest difference between the two was the fact that the Phantasmagoria seemed to form naturally, while the Aquatic Fever was intentionally invoked by Ooudamu. But, if the smallest chance that he was correct existed, then he had to, at the very least, look into it. Unfortunately, there was no time to exin his actions to the members of the raid group. ¡¯If we continue on this like, then everyone will perish before we can finish off the raid boss. I have an idea, however, if it fails then I may have to resort to my Second Baneful Sword: Kill. Though it is regrettable the Third Baneful Sword is not an option with so many allies nearby since it does not differentiate between friend or foe.¡¯ Izroth fell into a deep state of concentration as he carefully sensed every part of the boss room. ¡¯I can only maintain this level of Energy Vision Sense for a few seconds. I have to act fast.¡¯ At first, the information was chaotic, however, Izroth was able to quickly organize everything as he scanned for anything unusual. "Is he sleeping or AFK[1]?! Why is he just standing there?!" Tagz shouted angrily. He was already on edge since he had been sentenced to death. So, when he saw Izroth standing there with his eyes closed, how could he hold back his anger? The other members of Blue Oasis frowned when they noticed Izroth¡¯s actions. Had he given up aftering this far? 1... 3... 5... After five seconds passed, Izroth¡¯s eyes shot open as he instantly deactivated his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯Found it.¡¯ In just five seconds, Izroth had consumed almost 100 points of his Essence by using Energy Vision Sense to cover every corner of the boss room! If he had let it stay active for just one or two seconds longer, then there was a good chance that he would have experienced Soul Weakness. Fortunately, Izroth had tested the limits of his Energy Vision Sense beforehand and knew exactly when to stop before he was in danger of undergoing Soul Weakness. Though if they were not pressed for time, he would have never expended so much Essence just to search with his Energy Vision Sense! But, just as Izroth hadpleted his search, out of nowhere, a system alert went off for every member of the raid group. ¡´System Alert: yer False Summit has been killed by Raid Boss Ooudamu!¡µ A thin stream of drifting particles floating upward could be seen at the spot that False Summit had stood in just moments ago. Although he tried his best to survive, he had sumbed to the Aquatic Fever and perished under its effects. As thest of False Summit¡¯s particles disappeared, the realization finally set in for the raid group¡ªit was their first death. This was the terror of a hardcore raid! [1] Away From Keyboard. A term often used in gaming when a yer is away from their game. Chapter 430 Hes Gone Mad! Although the yers from Blue Oasis were hit hard by the death of their fellow guild member, the person most affected by the loss was Tagz. The Aquatic Fever had attacked him not too long after False Summit, and since their HP was around the same amount, it meant that his death grew closer with every passing second. Having already consumed a health potion to sustain his life, Tagz had quickly run out of options. He did not possess any lifesteal-type skills or equipment, and the supporters were focused on keeping those with the highest chance of survival alive. This left him with only one option¡ªto await his death. "If I go down in such a pathetic way, how can I hold my head high in the future?!" Tagz roared to release his frustrations. So what if he lost some experience after dying? Before that happened, he would make sure to burn through all of his cooldowns and throw everything he had at Ooudamu! However, just as Tagz found his resolve, he suddenly felt himself be weightless. By the time he realized what was going on, Tagz discovered his feet had left the ground as he soared through the air. At the moment, he was on a direct collision course for the wall of water that had surrounded the raid group! Ssh! When Tagz¡¯s body came into contact with the water, it produced a small ssh as he shot right through it. A brief hole was created after Tagz passed that quickly closed up the instant he arrived on the other side. The members of Blue Oasis¡¯ facial expressions turned extremely ugly when they witnessed Izroth¡¯s actions. What was he doing?! Were they not on the same side? Even if he had given up, what right did it give him to throw Tagz out of the fight? More importantly, what right did he have to bully a member of their Blue Oasis openly?! Was the face of their Blue Oasis so easily pped? If it were any other time, perhaps his actions could be overlooked as a show of good faith. After all, this was someone they did not want to offend needlessly. But, this did not mean that they would take such actions lying down! But, just when the members of Blue Oasis was about to speak up, what happened next almost made them cough up blood. Nidavellir, one of the supporters, was suddenly being dragged by his cor by Izroth. He never expected Izroth to target him after he finished with Tagz! "What are you-" Nidavellir was unable to get aplete sentence out before Izroth arrived close enough and tossed him forward. He sent Nidavellir following in Tagz¡¯s footsteps through the wall of water! The expressions on the faces of the Blue Oasis members darkened. The moment Nidavellir was removed from the battle, it became increasingly difficult for the remaining three supporters. Losing one clean-up damage dealer¡ªalthough it was unfortunate¡ªcould not be considered a huge loss. However, a missing supporter created a vast vacuum that could not be filled. They were already down one supporter after Ooudamu had taken control of Luna, and now, at a critical point in the boss fight, they were down another supporter! If it had been Ooudamu herself who imed Nidavellir¡¯s life, then they could only me themselves for their carelessness. But, it was one of their own raid members behind their loss! Even Niflheim, the Blue Oasis member who had the most significant impression of Izroth, was at a loss for words. He tried to find a way to justify Izroth¡¯s actions, but he was unable to convince himself of a reasonable exnation. Could he be secretly working with another top guild and wanted to sabotage them all along? Was he waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike? After all, one could recover from messing up in most situations in a raid; however, a boss fight was not one of them. This was even more so considering that the boss they were fighting was currently in an enraged mode. This would be the perfect opportunity for any saboteur to make his move! "He¡¯s gone mad!" One of the Blue Oasis members blurted. This was the same thought that entered the minds of almost everyone present. Doing such a thing in the middle of a boss fight¡ªwhat else could he be but insane? "No, this can¡¯t be right. Although I am unable to exin Izroth¡¯s actions, I refuse to believe that I, Niflheim, have judged a person so poorly. Still, if I fail to exin his actions, how will I face the others who have ced their faith in me?" Niflheim inwardly frowned. If there was one thing Niflheim was confident in, it was his ability to judge one¡¯s character. Even though some parts of Izroth remained a mystery to him, he was sure that Izroth was an honorable man. A cowardly act like sabotaging in the middle of a boss fight did not fit the personality he had disyed up until this point. Unfortunately, none of this changed what he had already done. "Can it be that he is under the control of the boss?!" Emberheart eximed as she struggled to keep up with the added pressure generated from Nidavellir¡¯s absence. The members of Blue Oasis looked as if they had a sudden epiphany after hearing Emberheart¡¯s words. He was under control? Of course! Why did they not think of that sooner?! It was not unusual for skills to be buffed in an enraged state; therefore, it made perfect sense. It would certainly exin Izroth¡¯s abrupt change in behavior and his earlier unusual actions. "No, I have already checked his status. He is not being controlled." Vanaheim stated in a serious tone. She quickly doused a bucket of cold water on everyone¡¯s heads. Just like Niflheim, she did not believe that Izroth would intentionally sabotage them. He could have abandoned Sacred de and the others affected by the Phantasmagoria, as well as tried to eliminate her while she was injured. After all,munication did not work in the Sprite Dwellings, and so, by the time anyone figured out what happened, it would be toote to do anything but regret. However, this did not mean that she dismissed the possibility of Izroth betraying them. This could have been his end game all along¡ªto eliminate everyone after they were put into a situation where retreating was impossible. But, if that were the case, then that would mean they were enemies with an incredibly dangerous person who hid himself well enough to fool someone like Niflheim! This was something Vanaheim did not want to ept. Despite Izroth¡¯s actions, none of the Blue Oasis members moved to confront him. They could not afford to split their attention in the middle of a fight with an enraged boss monster as it would cause more damage than Izroth tossing away a yer or two. Besides, if the situation continued to deteriorate, then they would have no choice but to ept their losses and unleash everything to, at the very least, take down Ooudamu before they reached a point of hopelessness. Though one thing was for sure, at the moment, the members of Blue Oasis wanted to tear Izroth apart! Halls, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine were also confused by Izroth¡¯s actions. However, the three of them understood him well enough to know that he would not do such a thing without a good reason. As for intentionally sabotaging Blue Oasis¡ªthis had not even crossed their minds. "I hope he knows what he is doing." Zi Yi whispered to herself. She knew that Izroth was even unafraid of openly offending a legendary figure like the Envoy of the Netherworld. What was the current Blue Oasispared to someone like the Envoy of the Netherworld? As for Izroth himself, his attention was focused on the area where he had just thrown Tagz and Nidavellir. But, almost six seconds had already passed, and neither one of them had yet to return. ¡¯Did I miscalcte?¡¯ Izroth had a rough estimate of how long it should have taken them; however, he did not have the Essence to spare to investigate in more detail. But, right when Izroth had this thought, something shot out of the wall of water and towards the raid group! Wooooosh! What emerged moved fast and was encased in dense yet formless water with a murkyyer that covered the outside. The abrupt emergence of something from the water caused the members of the raid group to grow cautious. Was it an attack? Or a new monster that came to assist the boss in her enraged state? Ssh! When the murky water made contact with the ground, it dispersed and revealed what was inside¡ªor rather who was inside. "That¡¯s... Tagz?!" Complex Assault said in a tone filled with disbelief. Were his eyes ying tricks on him? "He¡¯s alive? How is this possible? His ss does not possess enough life-sustaining skills to have stayed alive for so long." Vanaheim¡¯s eyes widened slightly from shock. By all rights, he should have already sumbed to the Aquatic Fever! Wooooosh! Ssh! Only a couple of seconds after Tagz reappeared, a following bundle of formless water came crashing in and revealed Nidavellir after it copsed. At the moment, both Tagz and Nidavellir had a dumbfounded look on their face. However, Nidavellir quickly snapped out of it and regained himself. "What are you waiting for? Continue your attack!" Nidavellir said to Tagz as he resumed his supporting role. "R-right!" Tagz stood to his feet andmenced his assault on Ooudamu. Everything had happened so fast that he still did not have time to process what had just taken ce. Nidavellir, on the other hand, was calmer and more collect than Tagz, who had already epted his death; therefore, he had a better understanding of everything. "Everyone affected by the Aquatic Fever, run and jump into the pond in the direction we were thrown in! It can be cured!" Nidavellir shouted. What?! When Nidavellir said those words, everyone instinctively nced at the party¡¯s interface and noticed that Tagz¡¯s, as well as, Nidavellir¡¯s HP was no longer continually falling! But, how did jumping in a pond cure them? "How does he do it? Did he throw them out there knowing this beforehand?" Vanaheim furrowed her brows as her gaze fell upon Izroth. He had already resumed his attack against Ooudamu with a carefree expression on his face. Though this was not the first time, she witnessed Izroth quickly discover the solution to aplex problem. Vanaheim wondered just how many secrets Izroth was hiding behind that carefree expression of his. Izroth understood that even if he had time to exin the situation¡ªwhich he did not¡ªhe would have to convince the others, his words were valid. Add that to the fact that they were pressed for time; he figured that the best way to convince them was to have their own guild members experience it firsthand. Given Nidavellir¡¯s status as a captain, the raid group trusted him and would ept his word at face value¡ªthis was something Izroth had taken into ount. Of course, Izroth never doubted himself for a second. Although the timing was a bit off, that was only because of the limited amount of time he had to use his Energy Vision Sense. After listening to Nidavellir, the first to act was Niflheim. A part of him felt relieved as a smile had unknowingly crept onto his face. He knew that his judge of character could not have been so wrong! "Halls, I will go first! When I return, we will switch aggro, and then you will go! Everyone else, follow Captain Nidavellir¡¯s orders before it continues to spread to others!" Niflheimmanded as he sprinted towards the wall of water. "Don¡¯t take too long, or we¡¯ll defeat the boss before you return!" Halls said in a half-jokingly manner as he had just finished sessfully blocking one of Ooudamu¡¯s Aquatic Surge¡¯s. The other members of the raid affected by the Aquatic Fever swiftly followed after Niflheim. In total, five yers pulled away from the fight to cure the Aquatic Fever. Around six secondster, Niflheim and the others returned to the fight in the same manner as Tagz and Nidavellir. It was just as Nidavellir had said¡ªthe Aquatic Fever had been cured! Chapter 431 Defeated While those affected by the Aquatic Fever were gone, four more yers had been targeted. Along with Halls, the four of them followed the actions of Niflheim and the other yers who had just returned. It was not long before the Aquatic Fever was under theplete control of the raid group. As soon as anyone was infected, they would immediately rush towards the pond outside the wall of water to have it cured. If Niflheim and Halls were affected at the same time, then just one would go while the other cured themselves. After all, both tanks could not be missing from the fight, or else the raid group would notst five seconds now that Ooudamu could use her own offensive magic. However, this did not mean the end of their troubles. One of the yers who was not affected by the Aquatic Fever identally bumped into the wall of water while avoiding Ooudamu¡¯s Aquatic Surge. In the end, all of their buffs were forcibly removed, and they lost nearly 90% of their HP! It was with that unforeseen ident that the raid group was able to confirm something important. They determined that only those who had the Aquatic Fever could pass through the wall of water¡ªaptly known as Ooudamu¡¯s Advanced Water Screen¡ªsafely. Otherwise, if one tried to force their way through, they would be stripped of all safetys and receive a massive amount of damage while they attempted to do so! But, the biggest question on everyone¡¯s mind was how Izroth managed to discover the cure of the Aquatic Fever so fast. Usually, it took many boss fights to realize specific advantages; however, Izroth had found one within seconds! He could not have run this raid before¡ªeven just considering it could be deemed an absurd notion. After all, this was the first raid to be discovered in RML! Therefore, the members of Blue Oasis were convinced that Izroth must have had some unique skill that allowed him to uncover certain hidden secrets. From his actions earlier, they spected that it was a powerful search-type skill¡ªthough they had no reliable information to back this up. "Disappear Oversiders! I will not forgive you! I will never forgive any of you!" Ooudamu roared as her attacks grew increasingly fierce. However, with the Aquatic Fever contained, things started to progress smoothly as Ooudamu¡¯s remaining HP was shaved away. 3%... The time in between Ooudamu¡¯s use of Aquatic Surge shortened, putting more pressure on the melee yers and supporters. But, the raid group did not let up on their assault. Instead, they started to unleash some of their higher-ranked skills. Though being so close to victory caused a few raid members to make some mistakes¡ªsome bigger than others. "Whoever makes the next mistake will have to undergo our hell weekly training camp! None of you are newbies!" Niflheim roared to motivate those who were making avoidable mistakes. The Advanced Water Screen started to shrink in size as it forced those who were ranged to move closer to the center area of the battlefield. In turn, this made it difficult for the melee yers to move around as freely as before. The restricted movement of the raid group also raised the challenge of dealing with Ooudamu¡¯s Aquatic Surge. "Come to me!" Oodaumu yelled as five spheres, norger than one¡¯s fist, emerged from the Advanced Water Screen. If one scrutinized the spheres, they would see that it was not just water at its center. Little water sprites were floating in the spheres; however, their size was much smaller than Ooudamu¡¯s original form. This was the work of Ooudamu¡¯s Call of the Water Sprite Queen! The water sprites glid around the battlefield before crashing into some of the yers. Although they tried to avoid it, such an action was not easy given the limited space. Not to mention, the Advanced Water Screen was still bing smaller with every passing moment! ¡´Battle Alert: yer Emberheart has been entrapped!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Complex Assault has been entrapped!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer... In total, five yers were encased in a sphere of water. To make matters worse, three of out five of those yers were supporters! Nidavellir, Complex Assault, ys Two, Vanaheim, and Zi Yi was among those trapped. All five had their skills sealed while inside the sphere; therefore, they were unable to break free using standard methods. Having three of their supporters removed from the fight was simply the result of Blue Oasis¡¯ poor luck! Since the sprites summoned by Ooudamu chose their targets at random and still managed to pick out three supporters¡ªwhat else could it be but bad luck? 1%...! Ooudamu¡¯s HP reached the 1% mark, but the raid members were not celebrating just yet. All five yers were still trapped inside the water spheres. Due to this, Halls and Niflheim had to continuously exchange aggro to make up for theck of iing heals. "Onest push, everyone! Don¡¯t let your guard down! Emberheart, we¡¯re counting on you!" Niflheim stated. "Leave it to me!" Emberheart responded. She was the only supporter who was not hit by one of the sprites, and so, all supporting responsibilities fell to her. The average yer would copse under this kind of demand; however, a light small had formed on Emberheart¡¯s face as her eyes disyed a high level of focus. The timing of her heals became more precise as she carefully managed her mana pool. Despite the increased pressure, Emberheart¡¯s performance went up. She was thriving under pressure¡ªthis was the main difference between average yers and pro yers! 200,000 HP... 100,000 HP... 50,000 HP... "Begoneeeeee!" Ooudamu cried out as she used Outburst. It was much stronger than thest few times she used it. As a result, every raid member had 75% of their HP removed, putting them in a critical state so close to the end when Ooudamu was at her strongest. Fortunately, Emberheart had not let up, and no one died from it. Although she had to burn through some long cooldown skills, the cost was cheap to ensure the survival of her fellow raid members. But, despite Emberheart¡¯s best efforts, she was only one person trying to keep track of the HP of almost 20 other yers. If her ss did not specialize in healing multiple people, who knew if she could have held on for so long? The Advanced Water Screen had shrunk to around 15 meters in diameter, and the speed of its closing increased. The raid group knew that they had to finish this before they were all shredded to pieces by it! That was when, out of nowhere, Izroth abruptly halted his movements and returned his sword to its sheath. While everything and everyone else was chaotic, at that moment, he was perfectly still with one hand ced on his sword sheath, and the other rested on its hilt. There was a concentrated killing intent that lingered around his Sword of The Storm¡ªthough it onlysted for a brief moment before it vanished without a trace. In the fraction of a second, a high-frequency pitch boomed in every direction. The frequency was so high that only a few members of the raid group who possessed the best hearing senses were able to hear it! Though even then, itsted for such a short time that the piercingly sharp sound it made was hardly perceptible. ¡¯Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke.¡¯ That was when something bizarre took ce. The Advanced Water Screen that had been shrinking stopped in ce. The spheres of water that had entrapped some of the raid members earlier had fallen apart, which freed everyone in the process. Ooudamu, who had just been raging about with herst breath, came to a grinding halt as a thin line no bigger than a hair¡¯s width appeared across her neck. "No... Noooooooo! My majesty... Please... Forgive me..." Ooudamu screamed as a burst of immense energy erupted from her body. At the same time, the physical changes to Luna as a result of Ooudamu¡¯s possession started to revert as she fell towards the ground. The majority of the Blue Oasis members were baffled by thest few moments. They did not see anyonend the killing blow, and yet Ooudamu¡¯s HP had dropped to zero! But would theyin about it? The answer was obviously no! Before Luna hit the ground, a flickering silhouette appeared and caught her. This person was, of course, Izroth. ¡¯How unlike you to end up like this.¡¯ There was something that bothered Izroth. Not only was Luna sensible and cautious, but she also had the Soul Sense trait. Even if it was not as strong as his Soul Sense, it was unthinkable that she would feel nothing when approaching a raid boss. Did something unexpected take ce that prevented her from doing so? Could she have informed her group, but they chose to ignore her? If so, then that would mean that ultimately, Luna¡¯s unfortunate circumstances were not of her own doing. If that were the case, then Izroth would not let go of the matter so easily. ¡¯Since you are one of my people, naturally, I will not allow you to suffer a loss or any type of injustice.¡¯ As these thoughts crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, a cold look shed in his eyes. Things may have turned out alright this time, but who knew what would have happened if he had arrivedte? Even if it were unintentional, the result would not change if he found that any member of Blue Oasis had ced one of his people in danger. Luna¡¯s eyes started to flutter as she regained her awareness. She blinked a few times as a slight look of confusion was vaguely written on her face. Thest thing she remembered was being hit in the head by Ooudamu¡¯s sneak attack! That was when Luna noticed that she was leaning on something¡ªor rather, someone. She looked up and was greeted by Izroth¡¯s carefree smile. The cold look in his eyes from before had long vanished. Luna hurriedly stood straight as she immediately turned away from Izroth. It was the first time she had been that close to another man. That paired with having just regained her awareness, it took Luna a moment to gather herself. Though no matter how much she tried to calm her heart, it was beating so rapidly that it seemed as though it was going to jump out from her body. She managed to calm herself but still felt that she needed a few more moments before she could directly face Izroth. "Can you tell me what happened..?" Luna asked in a soft tone as she remained faced away from Izroth. After seeing everyone gathered together, she knew that something must have happened during the time she spent in a state of unawareness. "I was going to ask you the same." Izroth responded as he started to bring Luna up to date on the events that transpired. Luna was shocked to discover that so much had taken ce during her state of unawareness. She was a boss monster that they had been fighting all this time? A part of her even wondered what would have urred if they failed to defeat Ooudamu. Would she have simply remained under her control until they gave up and left the raid? Or worse... Once Izroth finished helping Luna catch up, she exined to him what led up to her encounter with Ooudamu, as well as how she presumably fell under the boss monster¡¯s control. ¡¯It¡¯s just as I thought. The price of endangering one of my people is not something that anyone can afford.¡¯ "Luna, are you okay?!" Zi Yi rushed over after she noticed that Luna appeared to have returned to normal. "Hahaha! Big sis Luna, did you know Zi Yi would not stop crying this entire time because she was so worried about you?!" Guan Yu smirked. "Crying your head! Do you want me to take care of you?!" Zi Yi scoffed as she angrily stomped her foot. In truth, she had been worried about the others ever since they separated in the Sprite Dwellings. But, she was most concerned for Luna, whocked defensive skills and mobility. Not to mention, excluding Valentine¡ªwho she had known since she was a child¡ªZi Yi was closest to Luna and already considered her to be her sister. "Take care of me? Hm, alright, but first we have to marry! Otherwise, how can I call myself a real man?!" Guan Yu proudly dered. "Oh? Brother, does that mean that I have to refer to Zi Yi as sister-inw from now on?" Halls chimed in. "You- You-! Both of you leave the party right now! See how I deal with you!" Zi Yi said as she drew her bow and notched an arrow. "Kidding! Just kidding! How can you take us brothers so seriously? How about we-" As Guan Yu spoke, he felt a breeze brush past him. Woooosh! The arrow flew by and missed Guan Yu¡¯s head by a couple of centimeters. "Tch, I missed." Zi Yi said as she notched her bow once again and aimed it at Guan Yu. "Zi Yi, where are you shooting-" Another arrow shot out at Guan Yu, and this one was even closer to hitting him! Before he knew it, he was being forced to run around the boss room to avoid Zi Yi¡¯s arrows. Halls burst into a fit ofughter as he watched Guan Yu run for his life. Woooosh! An arrow flew by Halls¡¯ head as he immediately ceased hisughter. In the blink of an eye, he had joined Guan Yu in running for his life! "Both of you stand still! Let me hit you once, or you will not know how to respect a properdy!" Zi Yi stated. "What properdy shoots arrows at people!?!" Halls shouted. Of course, Zi Yi was not truly trying to hit Guan Yu or Halls. After all, with her skillful aim, how could she miss her targets from such a short distance? As for the members of Blue Oasis, they were cheering excitedly, and many of them could not take their eyes off the system alerts. At first, they were still in a state of disbelief. However, the disbelief quickly turned into a wave of cheers. ¡´System Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has been defeated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 4,525,901 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Loot is in restricted mode! Only the Raid Leader may pick up and distribute dropped items!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Defeat boss monster Ooudamu.¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Survive.¡µ When it came time to decide whether or not to announce their victory to the world, there was no hesitation. Niflheim temporarily transferred control of the raid party to Asgard. This was necessary as the announcement would be made to the entire server! Asgard epted as he readily approved for the system to make the grand announcement before handing back control of the raid group to Niflheim. ¡´World Announcement: The first raid boss has been defeated by the party ?Blue Oasis?! [Party Leader: Asgard] [Party Members: Niflheim, V...] They have been rewarded for their efforts!¡µ ¡´World Announcement: The first hardcore raid boss has been defeated by the party ?Blue Oasis?! [Party Leader: Asgard] [Party Members: Niflheim, V...] They have been rewarded for their efforts!¡µ They had won! They defeated the first raid boss in RML! But, it was not just any raid boss¡ªit was the first hardcore raid boss! This was shocking news that would shake other top guilds to their very core! Chapter 432 The Cause of Blue Oasis Biggest Regret? While the members of Blue Oasis celebrated, Izroth canceled his Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. The two ancient warriors faded away along with the sphere with the word "Seal" above it that hovered in the sky. Now that Luna was back in control of her actions, there was no longer any need to restrict her voice magic. A stream of unknown energy that vaguely resembled a mist gradually made its way towards Luna and entered into her body. The second it did so, Luna felt a sense ofpletion. This unknown energy was, in fact, the essence of Luna¡¯s voice magic that was previously sealed away by Izroth¡¯s Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. "Alright, I know that everyone is excited, but we cannot afford to waste a lot of time celebrating. We still have to clear the rest of the raid. Once we aplish that task, I will personally take all of you out for a grand celebration." Niflheim stated. He was also excited that his Blue Oasis was the first to achieve one of the most highly sought after feats in RML¡ªbeing the first to conquer a raid boss! This was a monumental achievement that would be talked about for weeks! Not to mention, it was not every day their names were broadcasted to the world, which was guaranteed to boost their overall poprity in RML. However, not only was this good for the reputation of Blue Oasis, but it was also bound to attract the attention of sponsors, which in turn would increase their overall worth. Furthermore, there was a high chance that skilled yers who had yet to align themselves with any guild woulde rushing to their doorstep after witnessing the strength and capability of their guild. After all, world announcements and the benefits it brought along were not something effortlessly obtained. The members of Blue Oasis calmed their nerves, but the look of excitement on their faces did not diminish in the slightest. In truth, defeating Ooudamu removed a tremendous weight from their shoulders. It confirmed the fact that defeating a hardcore raid boss was indeed possible! Even if they were confident in their abilities, in the end, there existed uncertainties that were difficult to suppress. While it was a heavy blow losing one of their guild members, everyone understood that it was a miracle to walk away from a raid boss fight with near nonexistent losses. "We do not have much time, so let¡¯s divide the loot and move on to the next area-" Niflheim said, however, he was suddenly interrupted. "Wait." Izroth stepped forward. This simple action drew the attention of every yer present. Even Zi Yi and the others who were a part of Izroth¡¯s group did not understand what was going on¡ªall except one. "Hm?" Niflheim turned towards Izroth, who had just approached him and could not help but frown inwardly. Was he worried that the loot would be handled unfairly? Whatever the case, he had a bad feeling about this situation. But, he could only hope that he was mistaken. He then continued, "Izroth, if it is the loot that you are concerned about, rest assured that my Blue Oasis has no intention of leaving out those who contribute. Captain Vanaheim already informed me that if not for your assistance, the losses this time around would not have been so light before we reached the boss room. It was also because of you that we were able to further minimize our losses in the face of the Aquatic Fever. Naturally, my Blue Oasis is not so small-minded as to ignore these facts." As Niflheim spoke, he noticed that Izroth¡¯s facial expression remained unchanged. While Izroth had a calm presence about him, for some reason, it had an eerie feel to it that made Niflheim uneasy. Did he miss something important? Or, could it be that he was upset about Tagz¡¯s earlier words? Niflheim, however, quickly dismissed thetter. If Izroth were indeed such a narrow-minded person, then he would have never been invited to join the raid group. But, if something really was wrong, then Niflheim understood that he could not allow it to spiral out of control. Right now, the raid group¡¯s morale was at an all-time high. No matter what, this had to be well maintained if they wanted to increase their chances of victory. Therefore, Niflheim decided to take the first step forward. "How about this¡ªsince your contribution was not small in this battle, as long as the item is not epic quality or higher, you may choose any item you¡¯d like first." Niflheim stated. What?! When those words left Niflheim¡¯s mouth, the members of Blue Oasis were shocked! It was true that Izroth¡¯s contribution was significant in the fight against Ooudamu, but wasn¡¯t it a bit much to allow him to have his pick of the first item? A single rare item was already quite valuable. But, imagine the price of a rare item obtained from a hardcore raid boss? Not only would it be one of the highest level items in RML, but also one of the strongest! After all, it was a well-known fact that items acquired from raids were stronger than other items of the same level. It was also not unusual for these items to have useful effects attached to them. Niflheim nced over at Asgard as he spoke and was met with a simple nod of approval. Since Niflheim made sure to exclude epic-quality or higher items, then it would not hurt to show the generous side of his Blue Oasis. Plus, it may help in establishing stable cooperation with Izroth, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, as well as an acquaintance of the Pill Emperor. Although it would be their loss, it was a price worth paying for the potential long term payout. Izroth saw that Niflheim was making an effort to maintain peace¡ªdespite not fully understanding the situation. If it were anything else, then perhaps Izroth would be willing to drop it with just this aspensation. Unfortunately, this was not a matter that could be brushed over with a simple apology. Izroth held up the palm of his hand, which caused Niflheim to halt his next words. "One of your guild members endangered one of my people. Tell me, how will Blue Oasis handle this matter?" Izroth spoke unhurriedly. He did not even acknowledge Niflheim¡¯s proposal! Niflheim frowned, and he responded, "I am afraid that I have no knowledge of this matter. But, if a member of my Blue Oasis did endanger someone I have personally invited as a guest, then it is the same as directly pping my face. So, you can be sure that they will be disciplined ordingly." At first, the members of Blue Oasis were annoyed by Izroth¡¯sck of gratitude. After all, he did not say a word of thanks to their Captain Niflheim! But, the moment Izroth spoke, everyone was confused by his words. What was going on? Who could be foolish enough to intentionally endanger one of their own party members during a raid? "Endangered? Luna, what is he talking about?" Zi Yi asked. It was evident that it had something to do with Luna, given her more recent circumstances. Luna briefly told Zi Yi and the others about her experiences. After they listened to her, if Izroth had not already stepped forward, then they would have gone over to teach that yer a lesson personally! "Hmph, serves them right. They¡¯re just lucky that we were able to save you. If something bad happened to you, I¡¯m afraid this raid would have ended right here." Zi Yi growled. Everyone knew how vital this raid was to Blue Oasis; therefore, if what Izroth said was true, then the punishment would not be light. Though most were unaware of what transpired, there were a few yers from Blue Oasis who had troubled expressions on their faces. Feint, Tagz, I Do Zero Quests, and Abstract was amongst these yers. But, there was one yer positioned in a way that allowed them not to stand out too much. They had a look of nervousness written all over their face. This was yer none other than Second Tyrant! Originally, Second Tyrant was grinning inwardly after the raid boss had been defeated. With all the excitement and False Summit¡¯s death, it seemed that everyone had forgotten about his blunder. But, the instant Izroth spoke, Second Tyrant wanted to seal his mouth shut! "Not good, I have to think of an exnation quickly." Second Tyrant¡¯s thoughts raced as he grit his teeth from anger and secretly cursed Izroth under his breath. Why could this person not be satisfied with the reward and let bygones be bygones? Niflheim turned his attention towards Vanaheim and then towards Abstract. The two of them held the highest ranks among those who were first to engage in the battle against Ooudamu. Therefore, if anyone knew what Izroth was talking about and could confirm his words, it would have to be one of them. "Captain Vanaheim, Captain Abstract¡ªI am sure that I do not have to remind you of the importance of this raid¡¯s sess. We cannot proceed with uncertainty left dwelling in the heart." Niflheim said. He chose his words carefully as he could not afford to ce me before being presented with the facts. If it turned out that Vanaheim or Abstract was the one Izroth was referring to, then there was sadly nothing that he could do. Even though he was the raid group¡¯smander, in the end, his rank was not higher than Vanaheim¡¯s nor Abstract¡¯s. Furthermore, the two of them were irreceable members of both their raid group and guild! Abstract stepped forward, which immediately caused Niflheim¡¯s heart to drop. Could it be that one of Izroth¡¯s people and Abstract had some type of conflict? However, when Niflheim listened to Abstract, he was quickly ovee with a sense of relief. Abstract sighed, "Truth be told, I originally nned on bringing it up at the end of the raid. But, since it is out in the open, I see no reason to wait that long. Though it is probably best to discuss it privately¡ªCaptain Peaceful Chaos should join us as well." "Hm?" Peaceful Chaos brows rose when Abstract mentioned his name. Along with Izroth¡ªNiflheim, Abstract, Asgard, and Peaceful Chaos gathered together. After doing so, Abstract retold the events that took ce swiftly and urately. "Captain Abstract, Commander Second Tyrant is a member of my 4th squad. While I do not believe you would speak lies, I am obligated to make sure that those under me do not suffer an injustice. Therefore, I want to hear directly from him what took ce before we decide on anything." Peaceful Chaos said with a hint of fury in his tone. "Of course, such a thing is well within reason." Asgard nodded. Just like Niflheim, he was also relieved that it was not a captain of his Blue Oasis who was allegedly responsible. Second Tyrant was called over to the group. He had time to organize his thoughts and found that it was best if he just called it a mistake. Then, he can simply shift me onto Luna for being careless and getting possessed by Ooudamu! "I-" However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Second Tyrant felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon him. Izroth, Niflheim, Asgard, Abstract, and Peaceful Chaos had their gaze locked onto Second Tyrant as if they were waiting for the slightest error in his statement. "Commander Second Tyrant, I¡¯m sure I do not need to remind you of the consequences of dishonesty. So before you speak, make sure you choose the next words that leave your mouth very carefully." Peaceful Chaos warned in a severe tone. Second Tyrant closed his mouth and quickly swallowed his words. Even though he previously nned on what he should say, his mind turned up nk! Under the immense pressure and gaze of everyone, he knew deep within his mind that the instant he uttered a lie, it was all over for him. Therefore, he was left with only one option. "I have no excuse for myself. I made an inexcusable error as the acting leader even though I was notified in advance by Miss Luna. I am prepared to receive any punishment!" Second Tyrant dered as he bowed. Niflheim and the others were surprised that he so readily admitted his wrongdoings. Though when they honestly thought about it, they were not too shocked. After all, it was Abstract¡¯s word against his, and it was apparent which side had more trust. If he did lie to them just now, then his time as a member of Blue Oasis would have ended on the spot! "Good, very good! I suppose I am to me since it is amander of my 4th squad who was so ipetent. As a captain, I am sure that it reflects my own ipetence." Peaceful Chaos scoffed with a grin on his face. But, from the tone of his voice, one could tell that he was intentionally suppressing his anger so as not to cause a big scene. However, the fact that he was furious could not bepletely hidden. Second Tyrant was filled with rage and hatred at that moment. But, more than anything, he felt utterly humiliated! He had never been this humiliated in his entire life! Right now, he wanted nothing more than to tear Izroth apart limb from limb. Asgard shook his head in disappointment at Second Tyrant before he turned towards Izroth and said, "You can be at ease, Izroth. Guild member Second Tyrant will be dealt with appropriately. However, given our current circumstances, I hope that you can settle for our Captain Niflheim¡¯s previous offer. Once the raid is over, hmph, wait, and see how I deal with this insubordinate guild member. Captain Peaceful Chaos, I¡¯m sure you have no objections?" Asgard made sure to emphasize "guild member" Second Tyrant instead of Commander. This meant that Second Tyrant¡¯s demotion was immediately in effect! "None." Peaceful Chaos responded in a cold and distant tone as he red at Second Tyrant. How could he object? Had he not been embarrassed enough by Second Tyrant¡¯s ipetence? "Then, we shall leave it at this¡ª for now. However, I would like your word on this matter, Captain Niflheim." Izroth stated as he turned his attention towards Niflheim. "Naturally, if Guild Leader Asgard has made a decision, then-" "No, I would like your personal word that this matter will be settled appropriately." Izroth said as he cut off Niflheim. Niflheim was a bit taken aback by Izroth¡¯s persistence; however, he gave a slight nod before he replied, "Since you feel so strongly about it, how can I refuse? You have my word, Izroth. As long as I am a captain of Blue Oasis, what we have agreed upon in this moment will be carried out." Izroth gave a small gesture of approval, as he stated, "Good. Remember Captain Niflheim; a man is only as good as his word." "Then, it¡¯s decided. Until the raid is over, this matter is considered closed. Izroth, my Blue Oasis knows how to honor their word. Therefore, you may choose any item you¡¯d like first. Of course, the previously listed conditions still apply." Asgard stated. "Then, I won¡¯t be polite." Izroth said as he walked over towards the area where the loot dropped. But, what Blue Oasis did not know at the time was that this moment would go down as their biggest regret of the raid. Chapter 433 Going Back On Ones Promise? Izroth examined the pile of items that were dropped by Ooudamu. Niflheim had already set the raidmands to allow Izroth to loot any one item that was lower than epic-quality freely. This was one of many unique features that were avable for raid groups that made loot division more systematic. Of course, he would immediately lose this privilege once he selected the item. ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ There were several pieces of rare-quality equipment, as well as some rare crafting materials. But, what stood out the most was a particr item that emitted a calm yet fierce aura. Izroth was familiar with this type of item because he was one of the few yers who currently had one in his possession. ¡¯An epic-quality item. It would seem that Blue Oasis¡¯ luck is quite good.¡¯ Of course, Izroth did not forget the agreement he had with Niflheim and Asgard. Epic-quality items were simply too valuable to willing give up¡ªeven for top guilds. After all, a single epic-quality item would boost a yer¡¯s overall power by leaps and bounds! ¡¯Hm?¡¯ As Izroth studied the loot pile, his eyes were drawn to a in-looking scroll with a red stamped seal. There did not appear to be anything special about this scroll and one could easily mistake it for junk. However, when Izroth took a closer look at the scroll, he could not help but inwardly shake his head. ¡¯It appears that I have spoken too soon.¡¯ Meanwhile, Niflheim took a moment to check through the system alerts to review the loot that dropped. It was much easier to distribute items directly through the system in a raid rather than going over to manually pick them up. The instant Niflheim saw the epic-quality item; for a moment, he believed that he was just seeing things. However, after he confirmed that his eyes were not ying tricks on him, Niflheim could not hide his smile. It was an epic-quality magic staff! In the hands of a magic-caster like Vanaheim, it was enough of a damage boost to lessen the gap after losing one of their damage dealers. "Some rumors were going around about the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia acquiring an epic-quality item¡ªalthough it has never been confirmed. Still, even if the rumors are true, my Blue Oasis now has an advantage that all, or nearly all, other top guildsck." Niflheim said. This was no small advantage that their Blue Oasis obtained. But, how would Niflheim react if he knew that Izroth and nearly all the members of his party owned an epic-quality item? As Niflheim scanned over the remaining loot to determine how he was going to divide it, his eyes fell on a certain item that was at the very bottom of the list¡ªthis was usually the ce where misceneous items that did not have a specific category ended up. However, the instant Niflheim noticed that item; his pleasant expression had morphed into one of dread. Unfortunately, Niflheim did not have time to think before he heard Izroth¡¯s voice, which immediately caused his heart to sink. "I have decided to go with this item." Izroth said as he held up a in-looking scroll. When the members of Blue Oasis examined the scroll, they found nothing, in particr, to be unique about it. But, why would he waste such a precious chance on some useless junk? Maybe there was more to this scroll than its humble appearance? "Maybe it¡¯s a rare skill?" Feintmented. "I doubt it. Have you ever seen a skill book in the form of a scroll? If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s some kind of rare production method." Ace of Saint chimed in. "Production method? Yeah, that would make sense. He is the owner of a shop. Looking for something that would bring the most long term profit seems like the correct move." ys Two stated. While everyone was guessing what item Izroth chose, Niflheim¡¯s facial expression darkened as if his worst nightmare had just be a reality. Since it was considered bad luck to look at the loot in a raid before it was divided by the raidmander, no one else had taken a look besides him; therefore, only he knew the gravity of the situation. "Can I ask that you reconsider?" Niflheim asked in a respectful tone. Reconsider? Everyone furrowed their brows at Niflheim¡¯s words. What was there to reconsider? He had not taken one of the rare pieces of equipment or anything else that appeared to be of immediate value. Could it be that their Captain Niflheim felt that Izroth was being too reserved with his choice? "Since I have chosen this item, naturally, I have no regrets." Izroth spoke in a carefree tone. "Then, name your price. As long as it is within the realm of reason, my Blue Oasis is willing to amodate." Niflheim swiftly responded. "What I have is not for sale, Captain Niflheim. I¡¯m afraid that I will have to disappoint you." Izroth stated. "Would you be willing to consider it a personal favor to me?" Niflheim inquired. He understood that he might be overreaching with his statement; however, his current options were limited. "Such a grand favor, tell me, are you truly capable of repaying it?" Izroth questioned. Niflheim remained silent in response to Izroth¡¯s question because he knew the answer. If he were to reply honestly, then there was no way that he could personally return the price of that favor! Izroth shook his head and said, "The fault does not lie with you, but those who naturally bring with them misfortune and spreads it to those around them¡ªsuch is fate." "You really won¡¯t reconsider?" Niflheim asked with a sigh. However, he was met with Izroth¡¯s silence and unchanged facial expression. With that, he did not need Izroth to voice his answer to understand his intent. Niflheim secretly cursed Second Tyrant under his breath. If not for Second Tyrant, then it was likely that Izroth would have never approached him about Luna¡¯s situation, which forced him to make some sacrifices as a show of good faith. Then, it all could have been settled with one or two rare items! As for Izroth, he had already taken his stance and gave Niflheim his answer. If it were any other member of Blue Oasis, he would not bother entertaining their questions. But, since Niflheim¡¯s character was not bad in Izroth¡¯s eyes, he decided to, at the very least, offer him a few words. A part of Niflheim regretted giving Izroth loot permission for a single item. However, the more he thought about it, the more he found that it would not have made a difference. In the end, if he wanted the oue to change, the only way was to go against his own word¡ªthis was something Niflheim was unwilling to do. The yers from Blue Oasis frowned as they listened in on Izroth and Niflheim¡¯s conversation. From Niflheim¡¯s tone and choice of words, it appeared that he did not want to give up on that in-looking scroll. Was it really that valuable? Some yers could not contain their curiosity, and even though it was considered bad luck, they chose to take a look at the loot through the system alerts. At first, they were excited after seeing that several rare items were present. Though, of course, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they came across the epic-quality item! But, neither one of those had anything to do with the scroll that Izroth had taken into his possession. Just as they were feeling somewhat puzzled over Niflheim¡¯s reaction, their sights finallynded on the item at the very bottom of the list. When the members of Blue Oasis reached that point, the reaction was the same for everyst one of them¡ªtheir facial expressions turned extremely ugly! Asgard, Complex Assault, and the remaining captains of Blue Oasis all approached Izroth and Niflheim at great speeds. When Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine witnessed the actions of Blue Oasis, they immediately went into high alert! Just as they were about to rush over to Izroth¡¯s side, their path was cut off by the remaining members of Blue Oasis. "What is the meaning of this?" Zi Yi asked in an icy tone as her eyes turned cold. "Just rx here. We should leave these matters in the hands of our leaders." I Do Zero Quests spoke in a friendly tone. However, despite his warm tone, he and the other members of Blue Oasis had no ns on moving. "You want a fight?! Those who block our path never have a good ending!" Guan Yu roared as he brandished his guandao! "Fight? You are the guests of my Blue Oasis. How can I fight you? Why don¡¯t we just stay here and have a nice conversation while our leaders discuss some business?" I Do Zero Quests responded. He was not backing down in the slightest! Meanwhile, Izroth and Niflheim were currently surrounded from all sides by Asgard, Complex Assault, and the captains of Blue Oasis. Asgard, the guild leader of Blue Oasis, was the first to speak as he said, "Friend, surely you can show my Blue Oasis some face in this regard. As Captain Niflheim said earlier, we are ready to offer anything in return¡ªas long as it is within the realm of reasonability. Even the epic-quality item can be yours if you wish." "I have already discussed it with your Captain Niflheim. My answer has not changed." Izroth responded. "You- Don¡¯t you know when to take a step back? Our guild leader is asking politely, and yet you dare say your answer has not changed? How arrogant!" Minus scolded. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he spoke in an unhurried manner and said, "Arrogant? It would seem that Blue Oasis does not know how to treat their guests. An agreement was made, and I have done nothing to stray from it. A dog can bark as loud as it wishes, but it does not change that which has already passed. So, tell me, does Blue Oasis n on going back on their word?" Asgard red at Minus as he replied, "You will have to forgive Captain Minus for speaking so harshly. It is only that he cares about the well-being of my Blue Oasis, and sometimes it maye off as rude. As for going back on our agreement¡ªif it were anything else, there would be no issue. However, this is something that is simply too valuable to my Blue Oasis. I must insist that you reconsider." "That almost sounds like a threat, Guild Leader Asgard." Izroth stated with a carefree expression. If there was one thing he did not tolerate, it was threats! "We are wasting time trying to be reasonable with this guy. Is the name of our Blue Oasis worth so little that even a shop owner can step all over it with no regard?" Peaceful Chaosmented. He then turned to Izroth and continued, "Haven¡¯t you heard the saying? Don¡¯t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Besides, with just you, can you even hold on to something so valuable?" That carefree expression on Izroth¡¯s face caused Peaceful Chaos to be irritated. It felt as though Izroth was not taking this seriously and did not know just how little power he truly hadpared to a top guild like Blue Oasis. Peaceful Chaos was tired of seeing Niflheim and Asgard give Izroth so much leeway because of his arrogance and ignorance! "I see, so this is the true colors of Blue Oasis. How disappointing." Izroth said as he held out the scroll towards Niflheim. Indeed, one¡¯s true colors never failed to reveal itself before the face of a treasure! "We know that you may think poorly of us now. However, that is not our intention. You can rest assured that we will reimburse you properly and hope that you will remain on good terms with our Blue Oasis." Asgard tried tofort and reassure Izroth as he saw him hold the scroll out towards Niflheim. "Captain Niflheim, if you are willing to snatch it from my hands, this scroll will belong to your Blue Oasis." Izroth said as he ignored Asgard¡¯s words and turned his focus to Niflheim, who stood there with a troubled look on his face. Niflheim was hesitant. Was there really no other choice? Did he have to go back on his word? Asgard saw Niflheim¡¯s hesitation and immediately frowned. He understood Niflheim¡¯s personality better than anyone present. Therefore, he had to make sure that Niflheim did not have other thoughts. After all, there was too much at stake! "What are you waiting for, Captain Niflheim? Since our friend is offering it to you, it would be impolite for you to refuse! You should know how important it is for our Blue Oasis to acquire it. The first of its kind in RML, a Guild Order!" Asgard stated. It was a Guild Order¡ªthe very first Guild Order discovered! This news was enough to send endless shockwaves throughout RML! Niflheim looked down at the scroll in Izroth¡¯s hands and felt a tugging pain in his heart. Name: Guild Order Rank: Common Usage: This scroll can be presented to the ?Guild Manager? in any capital city to create and officially register a ?Guild?. Special Note: Together, you can conquer the realms! This trouble was all caused by that in-looking scroll! A part of him even wished that it had never dropped from Ooudamu. But, fortune and misfortune were never far from one another. "I-" Niflheim was never the soft-spoken type, but he found this particr situation to beplicated. At that moment, there was an air of uncertainty that lingered in the room as the members of Blue Oasis waited for Niflheim to grab the scroll from Izroth¡¯s hand! Niflheim had his hand held out towards the scroll in Izroth¡¯s palm as he said, "I¡¯m sorry." Chapter 434 Niflheims Resolve, Izroths Choice Niflheim stopped his hand just before it reached the Guild Order in Izroth¡¯s palm as he turned to look at Asgard. "He Jinhai, I owe you all that I have today. If it were not for you, then my career in the gaming world would have been over before it even started. Therefore, I am unable to go against your request even though it means going back on my word." Asgard inwardly frowned. Why was Niflheim suddenly addressing him by his real name? "With your talent, how could those nobodies have suppressed you forever? Sooner orter, you would have made a name for yourself." Asgard replied. He then continued, "I believe that you will always do what is best for our Blue Oasis. I hope you can forgive my selfishness in this matter; however, I am sure you understand that this can not be helped." Niflheim sighed as he shook his head and responded, "You have always listened to and epted my counsel over the years, even when you were not absolutely certain of my decision. I am asking that you put your faith in me once more¡ªon this, you must reconsider." "Captain Niflheim, we have already considered the matter. But, our guild leader is simply too kind to deny you any face. Therefore, while I agree that this is the best course of action, how about we cast a vote between us leaders and the captains of our Blue Oasis? That way, we can alleviate some of your troubles. If the numbers are in your favor, then we will reconsider. However, if they are not, then you must ept this Guild Order from our friend here. How does that sound?" Complex Assault said. Izroth was somewhat amused that those of Blue Oasis still referred to him as "friend" after they threatened to practically rob that which belonged to him! Of course, if they truly attempted to take it by force, he would not have minded lifting a finger or two. As for Complex Assault, although his words appeared fair on the surface, Niflheim realized that this was just a small way of trying to show him some face. Instead of having Asgard t out reject him in front of everyone, Complex Assault wanted to create another path. Vote? Was there even a need to when the oue was so obvious? However, Niflheim was grasping at straws, and although the probability of a favorable result was infinitely close to zero, he still had to give it a try. "Very well." Niflheim agreed reluctantly. Complex Assault went on to take a vote between Asgard, himself, and all seven captains of Blue Oasis. The results were surprising, but the oue remained unchanged. "We have two against, two abstained, and five in favor." Complex Assault announced. It was clear that Niflheim would vote against it, but it came as a shock to everyone that Vanaheim, as well, voted against it. Also, while Road always abstained from any votes, Abstract, who usually held firm opinions, chose to do the same surprisingly. As for everyone else present, needless to say, they were unmoved by Niflheim¡¯s words. This advantage and the potential benefits that would apany it was too huge to give up! The exact territory that Blue Oasis wanted to acquire was still well hidden. Not to mention, the requirements for obtaining that territory was not something that just anyone could satisfy. They may lose gold coins, and it would take them a while to find another suitable untouched raid to clear, but it required an enormous amount of luck to find a Guild Order. In addition, their contract with Cross Haven would be void so that, in the future, they would not need to share half of the territory once they acquired it. There was also the fact that¡ªeven with the help of Izroth¡¯s party¡ªin their eyes, the current chance of them sessfully finishing the raid was less than 15%! A raid contained too many unknown variables, and a hardcore raid carried even more. Therefore, between something that was 100% guaranteed to draw in great benefits versus something with a low probability of sess¡ªBlue Oasis believed that this was, without a doubt, the best course of action. Blue Oasis found this situation to be an absolute win. However, the only downside was that their connection with Izroth, the Mystical Realm Pce, and the mysterious Pill Emperor would probably be severed. Still, this was a small price to pay to get their hands on the first Guild Order in RML. Not to mention, they recently discovered that there was a second Pill Emperor! This Pill Emperor was the head of a newly discovered group of Apothecaries who were quickly rising to fame, the Fireheart Apothecary Society! As long as they made a good connection with them, then the losses incurred from offending Izroth was minimal at best. "Then, it¡¯s decided." Asgard stated as all eyes fell onto Niflheim. Niflheim looked towards Izroth, who still had a carefree expression on his face. He felt that there was always an indescribable pressure around Izroth that was generated from his calm demeanor. There existed a depth that he could not grasp no matter how hard he tried, and it was this that made him wary of Izroth. However, his gut feeling constantly made one thing clear¡ªnot to make an enemy of this person. At that moment, Niflheim believed that one day, his Blue Oasis would regret this choice andbel it as their greatest blunder. Unfortunately, there existed no medicine for regret, and by then, it would be toote to make amends. Now, there was only one choice. Niflheim released a deep sigh as he grabbed ahold of the Guild Order in Izroth¡¯s hand. The moment his hand came into contact with the Guild Order, Niflheim¡¯s eyes had a look of rity and resolve. It was at that moment that Blue Oasis would never be the same again. "From today onward, I, Niflheim, am no longer a member of Blue Oasis! Since I am no longer a member of Blue Oasis, the promise made between Izroth and Blue Oasis is no longer valid!" Niflheim dered. There was a wave of silence that washed over the boss room. The present members of Blue Oasis all had dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Did they just hear correctly? No, they must have just been hearing things. Captain Niflheim, who was arguably one of the most loyal members of Blue Oasis, dered that he was no longer a member? The wave of silence that had just descended did notst long. "What? Captain Niflheim is leaving us?" "It¡¯s just a vocal promise. It¡¯s not like our Captain signed a contract or anything. Why is he taking it so seriously?" "If Captain Niflheim leaves, who will take over the 7th squad?" There was a stream of chatter that started to flow around the boss room as everyone tried to make sense of everything. Though, of course, the individuals most shocked by Niflheim¡¯s choice were the leaders and captains of Blue Oasis. "You would leave our Blue Oasis over such a small matter? Does loyalty mean nothing in your eyes? Do not forget who took you in when you were down." Asgard stated as his facial expression darkened. "He Jinhai! You may question me in many things; however, loyalty is not one of them!" Niflheim spoke in a slightly angered tone. It was not often that he expressed his anger, but he felt as if he had been stabbed by a close friend when Asgard questioned his loyalty! Did he want to leave Blue Oasis? Of course, not! But, what choice was he left with other than breaking his word? "You should not speak such words without seriously considering the consequences. Don¡¯t forget, you signed a two-year contract just like the rest of us and even epted the bonus that came along with it. If you go back on that contract, not only will you have to pay back everything you¡¯ve been given, but you will also have to pay for canceling your contract." Nidavellir spoke in a severe tone. "Naturally, I understand the weight of my choice. I will personally wire the amount I owe to the guild and submit an official withdrawal request." Niflheim responded as he calmed himself. "You really won¡¯t change your mind, Xiang Ei?" Asgard questioned with furrowed brows. Niflheim was the Captain of the 7th Squad, otherwise known as the Strategic Division. Without him, arge void would be created that would be incredibly difficult to fill. Indeed, there was no shortage of talent in RML, but Niflheim¡¯s instinct was something that could not be mimicked. This made Asgard hesitate and ask if the Guild Order was worth losing someone like Niflheim? But, it was only a brief moment of hesitation. As a guild leader, he had to make tough choices and look at the bigger picture. On this matter, he found that Niflheim was too narrow-minded and headstrong. Plus, how could he, as the guild leader of Blue Oasis, put his personal friendship with Niflheim over the great good of his guild? "I¡¯m afraid not. It has been an honor serving as a captain of Blue Oasis. I will never forget the kindness that I have been shown these past few years." Niflheim said as he switched his focus to Izroth. He then continued, "I have kept my word. I am no longer a member of Blue Oasis. Therefore, the promise I previously made with you is no more. There is no issue, correct?" ¡¯A bold move.¡¯ When Niflheim touched the Guild Order, if at that moment he truly went back on his word, the consequences would have been disastrous. Izroth would have immediately ughtered every member of Blue Oasis present! However, by dering that he was officially leaving Blue Oasis, he was no longer going back on his word. To be honest, it came as a slight surprise to Izroth; he did not expect Niflheim to take such drastic action. "Correct. My word still stands, this Guild Order is yours to do with what you will." Izroth handed the Guild Order to Niflheim. Sadly, Blue Oasis was unaware of the astronomical price they had just paid for that single Guild Order. Niflheim nodded as he walked over and presented the Guild Order to Asgard. "This is my final gift to Blue Oasis." Niflheim stated as Asgard epted the Guild Order. Now, he could only hope that one day, this moment would note back to haunt Blue Oasis. "Your contributions to my Blue Oasis will never be forgotten." Asgard replied as he felt a sense of relief the instant the Guild Order was in his possession. It was not a dream! The first Guild Order in RML belonged to their Blue Oasis! Typically, an event this significant caused for a huge celebration, but having Niflheim walk away from Blue Oasis left a bad taste in the mouth of those present. Who was in the mood to celebrate? "Then, this is where we part ways." Izroth said. "Don¡¯t be hasty. This is still a hardcore raid. Why let small differences stand in the way of gains that are beneficial to us both?" Nidavellir stated as he tried to convince Izroth to stay. However, how could such meager benefits tempt Izroth? He did not bother with a response as a system alert sounded that made his answer clear. ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth has left the raid group!¡µ Not too long after Izroth left the raid group, a stream of alerts followed after it. ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has left the raid group!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Zi Yi has left the raid group!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Halls has left the raid group!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Guan Yu has left the raid group!¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Valentine has left the raid group!¡µ Naturally, if Izroth was no longer participating, then Luna and the others had no reason to stick around. Wouldn¡¯t that be the same as abandoning theirrade for a few extra rewards? If they did that, then they would be no better than Blue Oasis! Besides, they believed that Blue Oasis made a colossal mistake today! To trade a Guild Order for Izroth¡¯s favor, what a joke! Was his favor worth so little in their eyes? ¡´System Alert: You are no longer in an active raid group. You will be transported outside of the raid in 10 seconds!¡µ Niflheim wanted to ask Izroth to stay, but he was unable to do so. He asked himself, would he have stayed under simr circumstances? The answer was obviously no. "One step in the wrong direction will cause you a thousand years of regret. Indeed, a pity." Izroth stated with a carefree expression as a magic circle appeared beneath him and teleported him away from the boss room along with Luna and the others. Chapter 435 Left As The Losers? Its Not Yet Over! ¡´System Alert: You have been transported outside ?Raid: Great Sea Pce?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Raid: Great Sea Pce? Re-Entry Cooldown: [9 Days].¡µ Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine were teleported in front of the raid doors where they first stepped foot into the Great Sea Pce raid. Izroth did not bother sticking around to receive the promisedpensation from Blue Oasis¡ªeven though they offered him the epic-quality item. He was confident that Blue Oasis would make some sort of excuse after the Guild Order was in their possession to go back on their word. Not to mention, if he epted the item from Blue Oasis, then he would have been indirectly condoning their actions. But, since Blue Oasis wanted to burn bridges, then he would not look back. Besides, Izroth nned to test Blue Oasis one way or another. It just so happened that the Guild Order dropping from Ooudamu was the perfect opportunity to do so. After all, a Guild Order was currently useless to him. If anything, he would have gained more benefits by selling it. However, if Blue Oasis had passed his test of character, then he would have given them the Guild Order at the end of the raid. Izroth had no interest or care for one¡¯s power or talent, but rather, their trustworthiness. Those whocked that trait, no matter how much talent they had, would never be enough to enter into Izroth¡¯s sights. As for Niflheim, Izroth was not worried about him going back on his word and rejoining Blue Oasis once everything settled down. If he judged Niflheim¡¯s character wrong, then he could only me himself for being so thoroughly deceived. Izroth and his group made their way back towards the main entrance of the True Settlement of Clearwater. This time, however, they used the Bearing of an Oversider environmental buff to make the trip within the air bubble. A few momentster, they arrived at a different tube from the one they initially used to enter into the True Settlement of Clearwater and was sucked in by a powerful force. Not too long after, Izroth and his group were sent back to the room where they first met with the Blue Oasis raid group as the air bubbles around them popped. Along the way, everyone was silent, and no one brought up what had just transpired with Blue Oasis. However, Guan Yu, who had been holding himself back the entire time, could no longer stay quiet on the matter. As they walked towards the exit of the rainbow-colored coral, Guan Yu finally spoke up. "Brother, why did you let them off so easy? They dared bully you out of an item that was rightfully yours, and we just walk away? Even if we died, it would have been fighting for justice! I¡¯m sure everyone here feels the same way!" Guan Yu stated in a frustrated tone. The way Blue Oasis treated his brother was carved into his mind. So what if they were a top guild? Those who dared to threaten and bully someone he called brother would never get away unscathed! He did not understand how Izroth could remain so calm after the situation he had just experienced. Was he not outraged by the way Blue Oasis acted back there? Even he, who was not a direct target, felt an overwhelming surge of rage! However, Guan Yu was not the only one who thought that Izroth was unusually lenient on Blue Oasis. Nearly everyone else was also curious as to why he let them off with just a few words instead of taking action. He even handed over the Guild Order that was in his possession! They knew that Izroth often did things that they did not fully understand for a good reason, but, in this case, they could not find any such reason. "Oh? Does anyone else feel that I let them off too easy¡ªthat I¡¯ve been bullied?" Izroth asked. Halls was somewhat hesitant at first, but he soon replied, "I agree with brother Guan Yu. They obviously never put you in their sights. Otherwise, how would they have dared to even dream of having thoughts on what was rightfully yours?" Zi Yi sighed, "I hate to say this, but I also agree with those two. Blue Oasis was willing to throw aside one of their own to get their hands on that Guild Order. People like that do not deserve our time; however, just walking away like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It feels as though they have won, and we are left as the losers." Valentine nodded and added, "It is just as Zi Yi said, are we not walking away as the losers this time?" Izroth listened to everyone without interrupting them. It appeared that they all shared the same sentiments towards what happened. However, there was still someone who had yet to give their opinion that Izroth waited to hear from¡ªLuna. "I see. Do you feel the same as well, Luna?" Izroth questioned. "Hm? Do you not already have something in mind?" Luna asked as if it were a given. Something in mind? The others were puzzled by Luna¡¯s words as a carefree smile found its way onto Izroth¡¯s face. Izroth halted his steps as he turned to face the others and said, "Indeed, it is as you said." He looked towards Halls and continued, "We will need the item you acquired from your Rare Item Treasure Chest, Halls." "The item I acquired... You mean-!" Halls¡¯ eyes widened from shock, and he was not the only one. "It¡¯s exactly as you think. Though, first, I have to make a few preparations." Izroth stated as he removed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and ced it before him. ¡¯I still have the ingredients given to me by those top guilds back when I first opened the Mystical Realm Pce. There should be enough to create what I have in mind.¡¯ "Hahaha! I knew my brother wasn¡¯t the type to simply walk away! Hehehe, Blue Oasis, you have brought this upon yourselves!" Guan Yu dered gleefully. If Blue Oasis thought that this was over, then they were sadly mistaken! ... Meanwhile, outside the main entrance of the rainbow-colored coral... "You sure have guts to block the path of my Mist Pce, Ewan! I hope you have a reasonable exnation; otherwise, don¡¯t me me for taking things too far!" Simplicity scowled with a darkened expression. Simplicity was infuriated when she received news that Cross Haven had denied her Mist Pce entry to the raid location. She rushed over as fast as possible with nearly 100 members of her Mist Pce! She did not want to cross swords with Cross Haven. Still, a show of force was absolutely necessary at times like this, or else, others may think that her Mist Pce was a group of pushovers! "As I said before, you can enter if you¡¯d like, Guild Leader Simplicity. However, if you attempt to do so, I will not be polite." Ewan spoke unhurriedly with a calm demeanor. "You!" Simplicity nearly coughed up blood in anger from Ewan¡¯s response. Normally, she would not have hesitated to force her way through. However, something was not right. Since when did Cross Haven and Blue Oasis be so close to one another? Could they have formed a secret alliance? If that was the case, then she could not act recklessly. Not to mention, two other annoyances were present that gave her an additional headache. Simplicity looked towards the two individuals who stood next to Ewan and shouted, "Are you two okay with this?! Your guilds are missing out as well! Cross Haven and Blue Oasis are obviously plotting something behind all of our backs!" The two yers Simplicity spoke to were Wang Ping, the guild leader of Hypers Symphony, and Mariposa, the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia. "Hmph, my Hypers Symphony has always been close allies with our brothers in Cross Haven. Don¡¯t even bother trying to sow discord!" Wang Ping scoffed. "As for me, my adorable little sister is inside. Plus, I owe a small favor to a certain someone by her side. Of course, and most importantly, I just don¡¯t like you." Mariposa responded with a smile on her face. Her Sleeping Gardenia had been continuously on bad terms with Mist Pce throughout various games, and the two guilds always held an intense rivalry. Naturally, this carried over to RML. "Now now, we are all friends here. Guild Leader Simplicity, I¡¯m sure Guild Leader Ewan has his reasons. However, I am sure he also understands that we, too, have our own goals. If Mist Pce is willing, why not form a temporary alliance with my Headhunter Syndicate? If we work together, who would dare block our path?" A male with beady eyes, short ck hair, and pale skin spoke. He was quite tall, standing approximately 195cm high. However, he was freakishly skinny to the point that it almost looked as if he was malnourished. His body was wrapped in dirty bandages, he wore a tattered ck cloak, and at the side of his waist was a chain and sickle. He went by Harvest, and he was a high ranking member of the newest top guild, the Headhunter Syndicate. Simplicity inwardly frowned. There was too little information about the inner workings of the Headhunter Syndicate since they had risen to fame so swiftly in RML. It was risky to form a shaky alliance with a guild who held a reputation as being shameless in their actions. Who knew when they would stab a fellow ally in the back? But, if she declined his offer, then wouldn¡¯t she have to sit back like a dog with their tail tucked in between their legs? Just as Simplicity was pondering whether or not to ept Harvest¡¯s proposal, Ewan received a message via the system. "Hm?" Ewan quickly read over the message, and although one could not see it, beneath his mask, he furrowed his brows. "Did something unexpected happen?" Ewan silently said to himself as he turned to look towards the main entrance of the rainbow-colored coral building. Earlier, he moved further away from it and formed a solid perimeter with the members of Blue Oasis, who were tasked with guarding the entrance. So, there was a bit of distance between him and the main entrance. "Look, someone ising out!" One of the nearby yers shouted, which immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Was it one of Blue Oasis¡¯ people? Had Blue Oasis suffered too massive of a loss after they defeated the first raid boss and decided to return in failure? Against all the expectations of those present, six yers in total walked out of the building made of coral. Among those six yers, there were no familiar faces from Blue Oasis. However, two members, in particr, were recognizable. One was Zi Yi, the younger sister of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s guild leader, and the other was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth! Of course, not many people knew of Izroth¡¯s physical appearance outside of those who were there during the gathering in the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s conference room. Therefore, only a handful of those present understood what his presence outside of the raid represented. "Did I miscalcte?" Ewan asked himself. If Izroth and his group were here, instead of inside of the raid, then that could only mean one thing¡ªsomething went wrong! ... Izroth and his group had just stepped outside of the rainbow-color coral. The first thing they noticed was that the immediate entrance area waspletely cleared out. However, in the nearby distance, they saw arge crowd of yers. In total, there were hundreds of them¡ªpossibly thousands! Only a few moments after Izroth and his group set foot outside, they instantly became the center of attention! "There sure are a lot of unfamiliar faces in the crowd. I suppose this much is to be expected considering that this is the first raid to be discovered." Valentinemented. "So many yers! It¡¯s just as you said it¡¯d be, brother." Guan Yu stated. He had not seen this many yers in a single ce outside of a major city since the Protectors of Amaharpe event! At the same time, Izroth swept his gaze across the crowd of yers. Then, in the blink of an eye, his gaze came to a sudden halt. ¡¯So, you dide here after all. This saves me some trouble.¡¯ Chapter 436 Big Sis, Youre Underestimating My Brother Too Much! "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he and his group started to walk towards the crowd. However, before Izroth and his party could go any further, they were met halfway by a group of yers. Among these yers were Ewan, the Guild Leader of Cross Haven, Wang Qiang, and Zhang Jie¡ªtwo of the Five Great Generals of Cross Haven¡ªas well as Mariposa, the Guild Leader of Sleeping Gardenia. As for Wang Ping, he stayed behind at the request of Ewan to make sure that Simplicity and Harvest did not try to sneak their way through. At the moment, the same question was on the mind of everyone who had just approached Izroth and his party¡ªwhat were they doing outside the raid without Blue Oasis? Mariposa stared at Zi Yi, who was avoiding direct eye contact with her at all costs. How could she hide such huge news from her own elder sister?! Mariposa would be sure to get an exnation out of her¡ªone way or another. But, of course, the one who was most curious about the sudden presence of Izroth¡¯s group was none other than Ewan. His Ghost General, who was among the Blue Oasis raid members, should have sent a message and warned him if something went awry. But, when Ewan tried to send a message, he received no answer in return. Just what was going on inside of that raid? Perhaps he could get some answers from Izroth and his group. After all, there was a lot at stake. "You have returned much sooner than we have anticipated." Ewan spoke in a calm tone. "Why are the members of Blue Oasis not with you? Since you¡¯re here, it means they have failed, right?" Zhang Jie questioned. "Hmph, those bastards from Blue Oasis have no honor! How can they do anything but fail?!" Guan Yu scoffed. He was still upset at the way Blue Oasis treated them. Luckily, his brother did not n to let them off with a simple p on the wrist. Otherwise, how could his anger ever be quelled? Everyone was taken aback by Guan Yu¡¯s choice of words. However, from his tone and the way he described Blue Oasis, it was clear that there was some sort of falling out between the two groups. If that was the case, then the chances of Blue Oasispleting the hardcore raid was less than 1%¡ªand even this was a generous estimate! Both Ewan and Wang Qiang nced at one another and inwardly frowned. What could have caused a falling out between Blue Oasis and Izroth¡¯s group? The first thing that came to mind was a dispute on loot; however, such a thing should have been discussed before the raid, so they ruled that out. There was also the chance that a verbal conflict took ce, and some unfriendly words were exchanged. But, with someone like Niflheim present, he should have been able to deal with such a small matter without it resulting in a severe falling out. After all, if he was that ipetent, how could Wang Qiang consider him a potential rival? Ewan directed his attention to Izroth and asked, "I have no knowledge of the events that took ce inside of the raid; however, I hope that you will not mind clearing up a few things for us." "A tiger¡¯s stare is invariably covetous." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. When Ewan and Wang Qiang heard those words, they roughly understood what must have taken ce. In nature, what did the tiger fear? Nothing! It was born with no natural predator; therefore, if something fell into its sights, why would it not simply take it? However, the question remained¡ªwhat could be so valuable that it caused Blue Oasis to willingly ce themselves on bad terms with the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce? Did they not fear permanently damaging their connection to the Pill Emperor by offending Izroth? There were still too many mysteries! "It appears that my Cross Haven has incurred a loss this time." Ewan said. However, despite his words, he failed to disy any signs of displeasure towards the situation. He then continued, "Wang Qiang, order everyone to withdraw. Also, send in an advanced scouting party once everything settles down." "I already sent out the orders. I will make sure they are properly being carried out. Then, everyone, you will have to excuse me." Wang Qiang responded as he gave a small farewell gesture before he headed off. "Oh? You don¡¯t n to wait around for Blue Oasis? The chance is small¡ªalmost nonexistent. However, they may still finish." Zhang Jiemented. "No, not to mention a raid groupcking six yers¡ªeven if they were a full raid group, it would still be a difficult task. They will not seed. The contract will be void. Go locate General Mao Shoushan and tell him to lead the advanced scouting party." Ewan said. "Mao Shoushan? That guy¡¯s toozy. He won¡¯t want to do it." Zhang Jie replied with a smirk. "That is why you are going to apany him." Ewan stated. "Heh, alright. But, you owe me one." Zhang Jie shrugged as he quickly made his exit before Ewan had the chance to respond. "Pce Master Izroth, Guild Leader Mariposa, friends¡ªI have some matters to attend to, so I will have to end our conversation here. Pce Master Izroth, when you have some time, I hope that you can visit the temporary headquarters of my Cross Haven to discuss a few things. I can assure you that your trip will not be made in vain. Then, excuse me." Ewan left without another word. He knew that pressing for further information would not change the oue. "Blue Oasis... You really let a rare opportunity slip through your fingertips this time. I suppose I have overestimated your foresight, Captain Niflheim." Ewan said to himself. However, how could he know that Niflheim was not the short-sighted one in this matter? After the members of Cross Haven left to get things organized on their end, only Izroth¡¯s group and Mariposa remained. "Hmph, you dare hide stuff from your elder sister? How should I deal with you?" Mariposa said as her gaze locked onto Zi Yi. "Who says I have to tell you everything I do? Do I have to tell you every time I blink and breathe as well?" Zi Yi scowled. "Well-" Mariposa was about to answer when she was immediately cut off by Zi Yi. "No, don¡¯t answer that! I don¡¯t want to know the answer!" Zi Yi instantly regretted her question. Mariposa released a light chuckle as a glowing smile found its way onto her face. She just wanted to tease Zi Yi a bit. After all, how could she ever actually be upset at the little sister she doted on? Mariposa shook her head as she said, "I was shocked when the system announced the defeat of a hardcore raid boss. I was positive that things were progressing smoothly. So, what happened?" "It¡¯s an uninteresting story. But, it is probably just as you¡¯ve imagined it to be." Izroth answered nonchntly. He then continued, "More importantly, it saves me some trouble that you are already here." "Hm? What do you mean?" Mariposa inquired curiously. Saved him some trouble? Did he want the help of her Sleeping Gardenia to take revenge on Blue Oasis? "Aren¡¯t you interested?" Izroth asked with a carefree expression on his face as he¡ªwithout turning around¡ªpointed back towards the entrance of the rainbow-coral building with his thumb. "That goes without saying." Mariposa nodded. However, she was unsure of the purpose that Izroth¡¯s question served. Her Sleeping Gardenia was one of the top 10 guilds in RML¡ªhow could they not be interested in a newly discovered raid? This much wasmon sense to anyone. She then continued, "I am curious as to what information you are willing to disclose about the raid. Naturally, I do not n on taking advantage of our friendship and will make sure that you are fairly rewarded for any information you share." In dungeons and raids, information was more precious than gold¡ªthis was even more so for raids. Right now, just the basic information alone that Izroth had about the raid could be sold to other top guilds at a price of 100 gold coins. However, this was before taking into ount that he held the secret to defeating the first boss on the hardcore difficulty! Information like that could be worth up to 1,000 gold coins or around 300,000 RMB! After all, if one knew how to defeat the first boss, then the long term rewards would be worth much more than a few gold coins or RMB. "I have something else in mind. I will personally assist Sleeping Gardenia in clearing this raid; however, I only have one condition¡ªthat you follow my orders without question." Izroth said as he held up a single finger. Mariposa furrowed her brows. One of the first actions she took when the raid revealed itself to the world was to check the Exploration Logs regarding its details. Therefore, she knew that the raid had a re-entry cooldown time of nine days. Even if Izroth wanted to help her clear it, she was confident that her Sleeping Gardenia could do so before the nine-day period was up. To be perfectly blunt, Izroth¡¯s assistance may be beneficial, but it was not needed. Not to mention, his condition was an unusual one. After all, most of the members would belong to her Sleeping Gardenia. It would be strange for them to suddenly start taking orders from someone who was not a part of their guild. Mariposa, however, was not the type to dismiss things so quickly. She did not know Izroth well, but she understood him well enough to know that he was not someone thoughtless. "I will speak inly. You are wee to deny my offer. However, I will not make it a second time. But, you should decide quickly, Guild Leader Mariposa. Otherwise, your window of opportunity may vanish and reappear before another." Izroth said. "Alright, alright. You don¡¯t have to go so far. I suppose it would not hurt to wait nine days before making an attempt." Mariposa sighed as she threw up her hands helplessly. While it would be a loss in the short term for her Sleeping Gardenia, it would not affect them too much in the long term. "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve misunderstood. I don¡¯t n on waiting nine days. I will send you a list of the type of yers we need. Quickly gather your people." Izroth said as he opened his system interface and sent Mariposa a list of yer requirements. "I¡¯ve only brought around 40 people with me, so the variety isn¡¯t too great..." Mariposa was caught off guard by Izroth¡¯s words. She was still perplexed. Did she read the re-entry cooldown time wrong? No, she was confident that it was nine days! She looked over the message she received from Izroth regarding the yer requirements and found it to be strangely specific. "Hm... This much should be doable. One of the types of yers you requested is a bit unique. Fortunately, we have someone who can meet the requirements. With this, we should have no trouble clearing a Normal raid as long as we proceed with caution." Mariposa stated. While she was still unsure of how Izroth nned to get around the re-entry cooldown, she decided to go along with it as a show of good faith. Even if his n did not work, it would not harm her Sleeping Gardenia. "Normal? Hahaha, big sis, you¡¯re underestimating my brother too much!" Guan Yu stated with a grin. "Underestimating is too kind a word. How can there be such small goals when my brother is involved?" Hallsmented. Mariposa had a bad feeling about this after hearing Guan Yu and Halls speak. If it was not a Normal raid they wanted to attempt, then it couldn¡¯t be that they wanted to try that?! But it was toote to go back on her word now! All she could hope for was that Izroth was not taking foolish actions out of mere revenge against Blue Oasis. "You don¡¯t mean-" But, before she could finish her sentence, Mariposa was interrupted. "Your Sleeping Gardenia will be the first guild to clear a hardcore raid in RML. You should be happy, Guild Leader Mariposa." Izroth stated with a carefree expression on his face. Mariposa, on the other hand, did not know whether tough or cry! How could he say that so casually with a rxed expression? Did he think that hardcore raids were a joke?! What did she just agree to?! Chapter 437 Start The Countdown, 20 Minutes! ... A few momentster, Mariposa summoned the members of her Sleeping Gardenia that met Izroth requirements. Including herself, there were a total of 18 yers that had arrived. "Amazing, there¡¯s not a single guy in sight! I guess the rumors are true that Sleeping Gardenia doesn¡¯t ept male yers." Hallsmented. "Heh, the other rumors are true, too. Sleeping Gardenia is full of beauties!" Guan Yu stated as he gave a nod of satisfaction at the sight of the Sleeping Gardenia yers. "Hmph, you two have the fortune of ten lifetimes to be in the presence of us three beauties!" Zi Yi scoffed. "Three? You and Luna are a given. But, who is the third?" Valentine asked with a smile on his face. "Who else could it be but you?" Zi Yi responded. "I¡¯m a man, you know?" Valentine stated helplessly. "Alright, we don¡¯t have much time to waste." Izroth said as he raised his hand, and everyone fell silent. He turned towards the Sleeping Gardenia members and continued, "Breezing diolus, Shao Qingge¡ªthe two of youe forward." A few secondster, two yers from Sleeping Gardenia stepped forward. One had golden-brown skin, piercing red eyes, and short azure hair. She wore a leather-type armor with a pair of fingerless gloves and went by the name Breezing diolus. As for the other female yer, she was quite short with a small stature and fair skin. She had cold light green eyes and silky ck hair that stopped just past her shoulders. She wore a jade green robe and had three miniature light-green orbs rotating around her right wrist. She was called Shao Qingge. Breezing diolus and Shao Qingge sized Izroth up. Not too long ago, they received a message from Mariposa ordering them to this location as soon as possible. But, even more surprising, was the fact that not only were they going to attempt a raid, but they would also have to follow this person¡¯s orders! This was their first time seeing Izroth, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, in person. Based on the rumors they heard, they expected him to have a fierce personality; however, he seemed well collected. Although this made them feel somewhat at ease, it was still ufortable having to follow the orders of aplete stranger. But, in the end, how could they go against their Guild Leader¡¯s direct order? "I am Breezing diolus. It is a pleasure to meet the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce." Breezing diolus spoke in a straight forward and refined manner. "I am Shao Qingge. So, are you big sister Zi Yi¡¯s man?" Shao Qingge asked innocently with a smile. Zi Yi nearly coughed up blood from embarrassment when she heard Shao Qingge speak. She instinctively turned to look towards Mariposa, who greeted her with a devious smile. Mariposa had a look on her face that said, "Hmph, want to hide stuff from your big sister? See how I handle you!" Before Izroth could speak up, Zi Yi angrily stomped her foot and said, "Gege! If you continue to speak such ridiculous nonsense, then even my sister won¡¯t be able to protect you! Besides, what big sister? Should I tell everyone that your actual age is-" "Waaah! Alright, alright! I was wrong!" Shao Qingge quickly interrupted Zi Yi and apologized. Izroth shook his head inwardly. Was this group going to be enough to make it? After things finally settled down, Izroth asked Breezing diolus and Shao Qingge a few questions about their sses. "So, can you two do it?" Izroth asked. "It¡¯s possible. However, we will be stretched for time, so everyone will have to move quickly." Breezing diolus answered. "There¡¯s no problem on my end. I¡¯m kinda excited to experience it firsthand." Shao Qingge stated. ¡¯Good. With this, there should be no problem clearing the Sprite Dwellings. Now, we just have to worry about whates after.¡¯ "Take these and distribute them to your guild members." Izroth said as he removed a bag of pills from his inventory and handed them to Shao Qingge. The instant he removed the pills from his inventory, a strong medicinal scent filled the air and caught the attention of the Sleeping Gardenia members. "What a potent medicinal scent. These are definitely grade-two... No, this fragrance belongs to grade-three pills!" Shao Qingge said with a hint of shock as she took a whiff of the pills Izroth handed her. Although she was only a first rank Apothecary, she spent the majority of her free time around pills; therefore, she did not even have to look at the pills to know that they were high quality. Grade-three pills?! Everyone knew that only the Pill Emperor was capable of crafting grade-three pills. If that was the case, then this meant that these pills had not yet been made public! Everyone was immediately excited at the prospect of receiving a pill personally crafted by the Pill Emperor. They wished that they had the chance to meet him just one time! After all, if one could be the woman of the Pill Emperor, they would neverck in influence, power, and wealth! Among the Sleeping Gardenia yers, only Mariposa, and a few of her most trusted advisors knew of Izroth¡¯s identity as the Pill Emperor; otherwise, who knew the chaos it would cause if those present had their hands on this information? Shao Qingge distributed one pill to every member of Sleeping Gardenia present. Of course, she also saved one for herself. Mariposa examined the pill and sighed in awe. The pill was violet in color and released a faint purplish hue apanied by a refreshing scent. She did not understand how Izroth found the time to develop new high-grade pills continually and still manage to keep his level high enough to participate in a hardcore raid with Blue Oasis. "What I have given you is called the Evil Cleansing Pill. Everyone present must consume this pill right now¡ªno exceptions." Izroth stated. He could not take any chances that someone might try to store the pill for greedy purposes. In the end, the temptation of a new grade-three pill was too great. However, Izroth was not worried that someone would try to uncover the pill¡¯s secret. It was just that if this pill was not taken, then there was a good chance that Sleeping Gardenia would not be as lucky as Blue Oasis when they reached the Sprite Dwellings. There was no guarantee that he would be a member of the group who would experience the Phantasmagoria. The Phantasmagoria was a frightening experience to yers whocked a poison resistance skill, and this Evil Cleansing Pill was to cover for that weakness. Name: Evil Cleansing Pill Rank: Grade-Three Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Evil Cleansing?. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effects. However, consuming a higher grade version of the pill will rece its effects. *?Evil Cleansing?: The user of this skill is resistant to some forms of poisons and evil illusions. When poisoned or caught in an illusion, all negative effects will be automatically cleansed from the user. This effect can only ur once every 2 hours. "Then, we will not reject your kindness." Mariposa said as she consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill. She then turned to the members of Sleeping Gardenia, "If I find that anyone did not consume the pill graciously gifted to us by the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, then that person will have to answer to me." Everyone from Sleeping Gardenia consumed the pill without hesitation. As for those within Izroth¡¯s group, he had already given them one to take. "I will now go over the n. Everyone, listen closely..." Izroth stated as he started to go over the raid details with Sleeping Gardenia. ... A few momentster... Izroth, Luna, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, Halls, Valentine, Mariposa, and the members of Sleeping Gardenia had arrived at the entrance of the Great Sea Pce raid. Mariposa looked on curiously when they reached the doors to the raid. She was interested in what idea Izroth had to deal with the raid cooldown. As for as she knew, there was no way around the cooldown timer besides waiting it out. "Halls, you¡¯re up." Izroth said. "Heh, so it¡¯s finally my time to shine." Halls stated as he cracked his knuckles and approached the sapphire gemstone embedded into the top of the cylindrical stone. Halls removed a scroll from his inventory that emitted a faint golden light. He opened the scroll before the sapphire stone as it gave off a bright glow before dissipating. ¡´System Alert: yer Halls has used a ?Raid Reset Scroll?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The cooldown timer of all raid group members for the ?Raid: Great Sea Pce? has been reset!¡µ A closed lock and chain appeared over Izroth, Halls, Luna, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, and Valentine¡¯s heads. The lock opened up, and the chains shattered. The moment it did so, Izroth and the others received an alert from the system confirming that their raid cooldown timer had been reset to 0! This was the work of the item Halls received from the Rare Item Treasure Chest afterpleting Phase One¡ªthe Raid Reset Scroll. Just as its name described, it allowed one to reset the raid cooldown timer for their entire raid group! Name: Raid Reset Scroll Rank: Rare Usage: This scroll can be used to reset the raid cooldown timer of any raids between levels 40-60 for the user and their entire raid group. This scroll can only be used once. To be honest, Halls was disappointed and felt as though he had been cheated when he first acquired the Raid Reset Scroll. He was even tempted to trade with a Blue Oasis member for one of their items. Fortunately, Zi Yi was nearby at the time and stopped him before he made a terrible mistake. A Raid Reset Scroll was probably the most valuable item that dropped from any of the Rare Item Treasure Chests since it could allow one to run a raid with a long cooldown timer instantly! This was something Blue Oasis would have wanted to get their hands on¡ªor rather, any top guild for that matter. After all, double raid runs meant double the loot. That would be enough to give any top guild a considerable power boost! "Such a valuable item... What a waste." Mariposa muttered to herself. She could not help but feel a stinging pain in her heart when she saw the Raid Reset Scroll used by Halls. She was unaware that such a wonderous item existed! But, it was gone, just like that. The raid doors opened after the scroll in Halls¡¯ hand disappeared. "Second time¡¯s the charm." Valentinemented in a yful tone. "Heh, Blue Oasis won¡¯t even know how to regret for offending my brother." Guan Yu said. "Everyone, remember the n and stick to it. As long as you follow my orders, I will not allow you to fail." Izroth stated in a carefree manner as he stepped through the raid doors along with the raid group. They had finally arrived back in the Great Sea Pce! ¡´System Alert: You have entered the raid ?Great Sea Pce?!¡µ "Luna, Zi Yi," Izroth said; however, he did not need to utter another word as Zi Yi had already begun to move. "On it." Zi Yi replied as she sped ahead at full speed. As for Luna, just as Zi Yi was about to take off, a powerful wave of mana spread out in every direction affecting Zi Yi and the other members of the raid. At the same time, everyone instantly consumed a High-Grade Mobility Potion. "Haste." Luna¡¯s voice magic echoed and carried in every direction as it granted the members of the raid group a massive movement speed buff. But, it did not end there. "Diminish Friction! Weightless Body!" Shao Qingge chanted two buff skills as a green, and yellow light epassed the bodies of the raid group members. "Start." Izroth ordered as he took the first step. Wooosh! Wooosh! Wooosh! The whole raid group rushed forward at unimaginable speeds, leaving an intense burst of wind in their wake! "While Zi Yi takes care of the relics, we will blitz our way through." Izroth stated. "Yes!" The raid group responded in unison. ¡¯20 minutes. If everything goes as nned, within 20 minutes, we will defeat Ooudamu.¡¯ The 20-minute countdown had officiallymenced! Chapter 438 Blitz To The Sprite Dwellings! 20 minutes? Even Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia did not think that such a thing was possible. After all, just getting to the first raid boss would probably take longer! Yet, he not only wanted to get there in under 20 minutes but also somehow defeat a hardcore raid boss within that time frame? How absurd! However, Mariposa believed that Izroth only said that to motivate them to move faster. That way, they would not waste any time. As for the first part of Izroth¡¯s n, it was simple. While Zi Yi used her Enhanced Void Jump: Zero Point Contact to destroy the relics that powered that barrier around the Outer Layer of the Great Sea Pce, the raid group would rush to eliminate Ord and Temp¡ªthe elite seafolks who stood guard. Once they took care of the two elite guards and Zi Yi finished destroying the relics, they would rush at full speed straight towards the entrance of the Sprite Dwellings. After they reached that point, it would be up to Breezing diolus and Shao Qingge if things proceeded smoothly or not. Izroth could only hope that the members of Sleeping Gardenia lived up to their reputation as a top guild. Just as Izroth and the raid group arrived within assault range of Ord and Temp, they received two alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered ?Phase One: Disharmony?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/8 Destroy ?Relic of the Sea?.¡µ Not even a full breath of time had passed after they activated the first phase of the raid, and Zi Yi had already taken out one of the relics. ¡¯She¡¯s moving faster than anticipated. It seems that we can not afford to ck off on our end.¡¯ Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm as he examined Ord and Temp through the system. Name: Ord, Guard of the Outer Pce(Elite) Level: 48 HP: 680,000(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Explosion] Name: Temp, Guard of the Outer Pce(Elite) Level: 48 HP: 680,000(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Explosion] ¡¯Both have the Explosion hardcore effect; it appears that luck is on our side.¡¯ The worst oues would have been for Ord and Temp to have the Bulk hardcore effect that doubled their HP or the Virulent hardcore effect that required patience and would consume too much time. As for Explosion, as long as they were careful and withdrew properly before it urred, then it was not too much of a threat. Mariposa tapped her magic staff twice on the ground as tears in space appeared above and beneath Temp. The magic staff in her hands was ck and purple. It had three beautiful violet-colored gemstones that emitted a faint purplish hue hovering at its tip¡ªeach that resembled that of a throwing knife¡¯s de. In between the hovering crystals and the magic staff¡¯s body was a dense concentration of magic energy. This was the epic-quality magic staff she received afterpleting the first part of the SSS-ranked quest Izroth invited her on. A magic staff this exceptional¡ªperhaps only the magic staff Blue Oasis acquired after defeating Ooudamu was worthy ofpeting with it! The skill Mariposa just cast twice on Temp was called Spatial Rift. The spatial rift at Temp¡¯s feet sucked him and caused him to be ejected from the spatial rift that formed above him. This made it so that he fell endlessly in a constant loop. However, this was far from enough to keep a hardcore elite guard at bay for long¡ªthough Mariposa¡¯s main goal was not to restrict Temp¡¯s movements with the spatial rifts permanently. At the same time, Halls charged forward and used Taunting Aura to draw the aggro of Ord. Not too long after he did so, Temp broke free of Mariposa¡¯s Spatial Rift and immediatelyunched an attack at Halls who was the closest. Although Mariposa had just used a spell on Temp, since the skill dealt no damage, it did not generate any aggro. Halls, however, ignored Temp¡¯s iing attack as he focused solely on Ord. Typically, it would be considered a suicidal act to disregard the attack of any raid monster. Still, Halls was simply following the instructions that were given to him by Izroth. "All you need to do is concentrate solely on Ord. As for the other one, just ignore it." These were Izroth¡¯s exact words to Halls. If it were anyone else, then Halls would be hesitant to do something so unorthodox. But, since it came from someone he called his brother, Halls hadplete faith in his words! Woosh! Temp swung his mighty trident at Halls with full force. However, just as the trident was about to make contact with Halls, a ck aura epassed Temp. This ck aura caused the space around Temp to swirl and distort. The distortion that appeared twisted and pulled in Temp¡¯s body until he vanished into thin air. Just like that, the elite seafolk guard was gone! "I hope he knows what he¡¯s doing." Mariposa muttered to herself as the light on one of the violet-colored gemstones on her magic staff dimmed. The skill she just cast was an S-ranked spell called Banish. It was a spell she used before back in the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld to banish one of the Puppet Chained Assassins. However, when she used it at that time, it required 20 seconds for her to cast! Even if she improved the skill level of Banish, it still should not have been possible for her to cast an S-ranked spell instantly. The fact that she was able to do this was thanks to the epic-quality magic staff in her hands. For each violet-colored gemstone, the magic staff allowed Mariposa to store any one spell. Since the magic staff had three gemstones, this meant that Mariposa could store up to three spells. However, this was not the sole use of the staff. It also allowed Mariposa to cast the spells stored in the gemstones at no mana cost and instantly! Not only that, but the spells¡¯ original power and effects were not affected in the slightest! A mage that could potentially cast three S-ranked spells without dy¡ªjust the thought alone was enough to send shivers down the spine of any yer! Mariposa sighed at the loss of one of her spell charges. It took a full day before the crystal could be reloaded with another spell. However, since she had already agreed to go along with Izroth¡¯s n, she decided not to do so half-heartedly. Meanwhile, a system alert went off that updated the raid group on Zi Yi¡¯s progress. ¡´System Alert: 4/8 Destroy ?Relic of the Sea?.¡µ Izroth saw that Zi Yi had just finished destroying four out of eight of the relics and was already on her way to the fifth. At this rate, it would not be much longer until shepleted her task. Fortunately, everything was going well on their end. With Temp out of the picture for an entire hour thanks to Mariposa¡¯s Banish skill, they would only have to defeat Ord before charging into the Outer Pce. This saved them quite a bit of time. Izroth and the raid group increased the pressure of their assault. Ord did not disy any unique or abrupt attacks and stuck to an unchanging pattern. As for the damage output, nothing needed to be said for Izroth and those of his main group. But, when it came to Sleeping Gardenia, they were not cking off and lived up to their status as a top guild. In terms of raw offensive damage, they were weaker than Blue Oasis. However, this could be exined from the absence of their main fighting force¡ªthe Lotus Guard. Though they somewhat made up for it with their teamwork and phenomenal control of the overall battlefield. In just a few breaths of time, a surge of energy gathered around Ord when he reached the 5% HP mark. He was getting ready to activate the hardcore effect, Explosion! But, the raid group was already prepared and had moved off to a safe distance. BOOOOOM! A loud explosion caused arge crater to form as Ord dissipated into countless particles. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Temp, Guard of the Outer Pce.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 85,167 EXP!¡µ As if it were rehearsed beforehand, Zi Yi appeared at the exact moment of Ord¡¯s defeat. Zi Yi had sessfully destroyed all eight relics and disabled the barrier around the outeryer. Then, she immediately rushed over at full speed to assist the raid group; however, she found that they had already taken care of the guards. "Remember, no matter what happens next, don¡¯t slow down. Follow Halls and head directly into the Sprite Dwellings. Once there, proceed as nned." Izroth stated. Whether or not the n was a sess would depend upon everyone¡¯s performance once they were inside of the Sprite Dwellings. Without wasting another moment, Izroth and the raid group sped into the outeryer of the Great Sea Pce. The instant the raid group stepped through the gates, an alert sounded off from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted ?Phase One: Disharmony?.¡µ Although the members of Sleeping Gardenia were excited and wanted to view the rewards they obtained frompleting the first phase of the raid, they restrained themselves from doing so. After all, ording to Izroth, they could not afford to dy when it came to the next phase. Not too long after moving deeper into the outer pceyer, the ground started to tremble as a loud explosion echoed throughout the entire outeryer. A few momentster, a giant tidal wave with an angry face at its center appeared in the distance. This was the Great Tidal Wave of Ooudamu. When the members of Sleeping Gardenia witnessed this, their immediate reaction was to find cover or something to grab onto tightly. "What is that thing?!" "A tsunami in the middle of a raid? Are we going to be okay?" "We aren¡¯t just charging to our deaths, right?" Those from Sleeping Gardenia were quickly reminded by Mariposa to continue onward. Though, to be honest, even Mariposa herself was somewhat hesitant to run into that gigantic tidal wave head-on! ¡´System Alert: You have automatically entered ?Phase Two: Ooudamu?!¡µ The raid group entered into the second phase as the tidal wave mmed down and flooded the town inside the outeryer. But, due to the Resistant To Flow buff they acquired frompleting the first phase, the raid group was unaffected by the Great Tidal Wave. The result caused Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia to breathe a sigh of relief. Just experiencing a towering wave of watering right at you was a horrifying experience, to say the least. After the tsunami flooded the outeryer, multiple whirlpools had formed in the distance. When Halls noticed the whirlpools, he understood that they had to make haste. "Follow me and don¡¯t stray too far behind!" Halls said as he led the way to the narrow underwater stream that traveled into the Sprite Dwellings. In just a handful of seconds from now, numerous elite sea creatures would spawn and be a nightmare to deal with if they had to fight their way through. Therefore, they had to make their move before they were overrun. Every member of the raid group followed after Halls¡ªexcept for one. This one was, of course, Izroth. Since the raid group moved at full speed without slowing down and already knew the location of the Sprite Dwellings this time around, Izroth did not need to lure the Great Pce Sharks and Great Pce Seeker Fish away from them. Instead, he had a different use for them. In fact, without them, it would be difficult for this n to seed smoothly. Izroth watched with a carefree expression on his face as the Great Pce Sharks, and Great Pce Seeker Fish swam in his direction. He was the only yer around, so naturally, he would be the center of attention for the sea creatures. ¡¯I have not yet used this one in actualbat, but it is ideal for our present set of circumstances.¡¯ "I¡¯ll need to borrow your lives for a bit." Izroth said as wave after wave of sea creatures advanced towards him. There were sparks of wild purple lightning could be seen jumping around within his eyes as the presence of the lightning element that epassed Izroth became fierce and apparent. ¡¯Call of the Thunder God, Third State: Heavenly Arms.¡¯ Chapter 439 Sleeping Gardenias Utility, Wings of Lightning, and The Worst Kind of Enemy? ... Meanwhile, the raid group reached the inside of the Sprite Dwellings and were separated from one another. After spending just a few seconds in the Sprite Dwellings, multiple groups came across some troublesome obstacles. For some, it was monsters. But, for others, it was deadly poison like the Phantasmagoria or a form of an illusion. However, they had an advantage that Blue Oasiscked¡ªthe Evil Cleansing Pill! Thanks to the Evil Cleansing passive provided by the pill, the Phantasmagoria, other poisons, and illusions were all rendered useless. As for the monsters in the Sprite Dwellings, it would be up to each individual group to approach the situation as they saw fit. In the end, Izroth nor the members of his main group had explored every corner of the Sprite Dwellings. Hence, there were bound to be some things that even they were unaware of in the area. But, Izroth was not the type of person to rely solely on luck to seed. It was due to the unique nature of the Sprite Dwellings that Izroth requested a specific kind of yer from Sleeping Gardenia. This yer was Breezing diolus, and right now, she was aplishing the sole task given to her by Izroth. "How is it? Can you do it?" Mariposa asked. Breezing diolus rested motionlessly on one knee with her eyes closed and her left hand ced upon the ground before a wall made of a strange ss-like material. It was the same wall that led into the room of the first boss of the Great Sea Pce raid, Ooudamu! Fortunately, their group got one of the more convenient paths in the Sprite Dwellings. This saved them a lot of time as they were able to reach the outside of the boss room in just several minutes. At the moment, there were numerous azure strings the size of a strand of hair that danced around Breezing diolus. In total, there were 24 azure strings, and the tip of each string bent itself in different directions. There were also some azure strings that were grouped together and pointed in the same direction. A light smile found its way onto Breezing diolus¡¯ face as she replied, "It¡¯s working without issue. However, with this many Azure cement Twines active at once, I can only manage it for ten minutes. After that, we will once again be blind." Azure cement Twines was a unique skill of Breezing diolus¡¯ ss called the Threads of Fate Maniptor. Even though it was not ideal forbat and its offensive power was on the weaker end of the spectrum, its practical applications were limitless. This was the main reason why Mariposa was somewhat surprised when Izroth requested a ss that specialized in long-rangemunication and management. But, not even Izroth expected that Sleeping Gardenia would have someone who met the requirements so perfectly with them! Mariposa nodded, "Ten minutes is more than enough time. Can you guide Shao Qingge and the others from this far away?" Breezing diolus furrowed her brows as her level of concentration increased. She was not used to managing so many Azure cement Twines. To put it into perspective, it was like looking through the eyes of 24 different people at once! The sole difference was that instead of clear images, everything was made from a bundle of azure strings. Trying to organize and sort that kind of information was no easy task. But, Breezing diolus would not let such a trivial matter stop her. "I can do it!" Breezing diolus responded confidently. She took a deep breath before exhaling. "Connecting Threads: Resplendent Ring Layout." In the next moment, a perfect circle drew itself on the ground before Breezing diolus. This circle contained weak yet extremely dense magic energy. Then, in the blink of an eye, the azure strings around Breezing diolus dived into the circle and connected with it. A few secondster, an image that resembled that of a maze had formed inside of the circle. Within the maze, there were 23 little orbs of lights in groups of six. However, there was one group that only had five orbs of light. Mariposa noticed this and could not help but frown. Could it be that Izroth had yet to enter the Sprite Dwellings? It was already nearing the ten-minute mark. It couldn¡¯t be that he was having some difficulties outside, right? "There¡¯s no point in worrying about something outside of my immediate control. For now, I will make sure that we are sessful on our end." Mariposa said to herself. In the end, she knew that it was impossible tomunicate via the system in the Sprite Dwellings. She then spoke clearly and ordered, "Begin." "Everyone, this is Breezing diolus. I will now guide each group to its correct destination. But, you will have to swiftly deal with any obstacles along the way as I can only maintain this for a limited amount of time. I¡¯m sending over a Guiding Strand to every group. Once you at your destination, await your next orders." Breezing diolus stated as she held her left hand over the circle, and three azure strings emerged from her fingertips before attaching itself to the maze. Breezing diolus then carefully controlled each of the azure strings, and in less than a breath of time, three new lines appeared within the maze. Each line was created from the azure strings that left Breezing diolus¡¯ fingertips and led to the center of the maze. These were the Guiding Strands. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in the Sprite Dwellings... "Look, it¡¯s the Guiding Strand!" Shao Qingge announced. A thin azure-colored strand had appeared on the ground in front of their group. As long as they followed it, they should have no trouble reaching their destination. "I can hear her so clearly. Can she hear us as well?" Guan Yu asked with a gleeful smile on his face. How could he not be happy? He was put into a group made solely of Sleeping Gardenia yers! What man would not be happy after bing surrounded by beauties on all sides? "She can hear us, but only if she wants to." Shao Qingge answered as she pointed towards a nearby passageway where the Guiding Strand flowed. She then continued, "We have to hurry before the Guiding Strand disappears." Guan Yu, Shao Qingge, and the other yers from Sleeping Gardenia quickly followed the Guiding Strand. While doing so, they ran into a couple of monsters along the way. But, they were normal monsters, which were quickly eliminated by the group. It was not long before Guan Yu¡¯s group came before a ss-like wall identical to the one before Breezing diolus. The sole difference was that this wall was located at a different area of the Sprite Dwellings. "We¡¯re in position. I¡¯m going in." Shao Qingge said to seemingly no one. Though, of course, it was meant for Breezing diolus, who listened in carefully and gave her the all-clear. ... "Lady Mariposa, Shao Qingge is moving into position. The others are also approaching their respective entrances. I can only maintain the Azure cement Twines for another minute. Shall I give the order to proceed?" Breezing diolus asked. "Is ¡¯he¡¯ within the Sprite Dwellings yet?" Mariposa questioned with furrowed brows. "No-" However, just as Breezing diolus was about to speak, she realized a change to the maze within the circle. A new orb had just appeared! "He just entered." Breezing diolus swiftly corrected herself. At the same time, the entire raid group received an alert from the system, notifying them that Ooudamu¡¯s Pool had been sessfully located. This was the signal Izroth mentioned that would confirm that Shao Qingge was in position. "My Azure cement Twine to Shao Qingge was forcibly terminated. I have lost contact with her." Breezing diolus stated. Mariposa nodded and said, "Very well. Give the order for everyone to enter with caution. As for you, send him a Guiding Strand and give him specific directions so that he knows the way. Once your skill ends, join us immediately." "Understood." Breezing diolus carried out Mariposa orders. Her Azure cement Twine was channeling type skill. This meant that she could not move while using it. If she did, then the connection would instantly be severed, and the skill deactivated. Mariposa stepped through the ss-like wall, and everyone, except Breezing diolus, went in after her. When Mariposa entered the boss room, she saw the other groups arriving at the same time through different ss-like walls. But, what immediately captured her attention was the figure floating peacefully above a small pond in the distance. This figure strongly resembled Shao Qingge. However, she had undergone the same physical changes that Luna experienced when Ooudamu controlled her! Name: Ooudamu, Queen of the Water Sprites(Raid Boss) yer Host: Shao Qingge Level: 52 HP: 23,553,148(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Softening] "Filthy Oversiders! You dare enter into this ce?! It shall be your grave!" Ooudamu roared. Her initial yful personality seemed different from when she first took control of Luna. However, the core reason behind this change was Shao Qingge¡ªor to be more specific¡ªher ss! "Get into formation!" Mariposamanded as the raid group swiftly adjusted their positioning. Halls led the charge as Ooudamu levitated forward. As her feet touched the ground, she waved her hand outward. "Water Approach - Aquatic Surge!" Ooudamu unleashed a thin de of water that was aimed at Halls. Halls lifted his shield and blocked the de of water. But, he seemed surprised by Ooudamu¡¯s sudden attack. "It¡¯s just as he predicted. After all, how could it be so easy?" Zi Yimented as she observed Ooudamu. Izroth deduced that from theirst fight with Ooudamu that she could only use yer skills that possessed offensiveponents. So, theoretically speaking, if one had no offensive skills, then Ooudamu should not be able to attack! Of course, it was challenging to find anyone in RML, even apletely new yer, whocked a single offensive skill. But, this was the case for Shao Qingge¡¯s support-type ss. It was unique in the sense that it did not have even one offensive-type skill! Its whole purpose was purely supporting. Unfortunately, as Izroth predicted, the system would not tolerate such an effortless victory. It appeared that in the event the yer who Ooudamu took control ofcked any attack-type skills, she would immediately be able to cast a weaker version of her own Sprite Magic: Water Approach - Aquatic Surge. But, this was still a much better oue than facing something like Luna¡¯s voice magic, or the full arsenal of yer skills. Once the initial surprise from Ooudamu¡¯s attack wore off, the raid group pressed onward with their assault. Although Ooudamu was a highly intelligent raid boss, the skills at her disposal were limited, making her attacks incredibly predictable. However, everyone could not afford to be careless. Ooudamu had the hardcore effect Softening, which lowered the overall defensive stats of the raid group and made it so that the damage they received was increased. One attack could be fatal to yers who had an inadequate amount of health. 95%... 90%... The raid group was making quick progress against Ooudamu. But, despite their current speed, they would never finish in under 20 minutes. "As I thought, it is not possible to defeat a hardcore raid boss so fast even when we have restricted it this much." Mariposa stated. That was when, all of a sudden, the sound of a violent thunderstorm spread throughout the boss room. This sound startled some of the raid members. Where did such a loud thunderstorme from? But, before they could look for its source, a figure appeared before Ooudamu. On that figure¡¯s back were two enormous wings that were nearly 17 meters high from top to bottom. However, these were not normal wings. They were made from vicious purple lightning that looked as if it wanted to devour everything in its path! Though if one looked closely, they would notice that they were not looking at a pair of wings, but instead, numerous arms made out of pure lightning! ¡¯It took me longer than expected to reach this ce. I suppose I should make up for lost time.¡¯ The figure who appeared with the "wings of lightning" was none other than Izroth! Without hesitation, he swung out with his Sword of The Storm at Ooudamu. The sword carried an overbearing aura with it as it struck the boss monster. It was Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction! -73,736 73,000 damage! He did not evennd a critical hit, and yet he managed to do 73,000 damage?! When the members of Sleeping Gardenia witnessed that damage number, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from shock! However, just when they thought it was over, something bizarre urred. One of the arms of lightning at Izroth¡¯s back perfectly mimicked his First Baneful Sword: Destruction, except, the whole attack was formed from purple lightning! -9,630 The damage was nowhere near as strong as Izroth¡¯s first attack, but this was only the beginning. A second arm went forth and attacked, then a tenth, then a fifth! The attacks seemed to almost go on nonstop, and the stream of damage showed no signs of slowing down! -9,630 ... -9,630 -9,630 Ten secondster, thest arm of lightningnded the final strike. In total, Ooudamu was attacked 101 times for 1,036,736 damage¡ªthat was almost 5% of her total HP! Not the HP of a mere dungeon boss, but a hardcore raid boss! Mariposa¡¯s face had lost its color along with the other members of Sleeping Gardenia. Even those within Izroth¡¯s main group were astonished. At that moment, the same two thoughts went through the minds of everyone present. What kind of supreme skill was capable of such raw destructive power? Moreover, did Blue Oasis have any idea just what kind of enemy they had made? Chapter 440 Under 20 Minutes! The raid group looked on in disbelief as they witnessed the confrontation between Izroth and Ooudamu¡ªif one could even call it that. To be more precise, it was apletely one-sided ughter! Even though Halls tried his best to maintain aggro, Izroth¡¯s damage output was simply too much. Naturally, Halls became frustrated at his ownck of ability. But, it was not his fault. After all, there was probably not a single tank within all of RML who would be able to hold aggro after such a vicious spike of damage output! The members of Sleeping Gardenia were left speechless. For a split second, they forgot about the fact that they were fighting against a raid boss. Mariposa had a weary expression on her face as she shook her head. Although Izroth showed no interest in joining Sleeping Gardenia, she still held out a tiny strand of hope. She was even willing to use her connections in the real world to win him over! However, she felt that it was toote. Someone like this¡ªhow could they be tied down? "It looks like I made the right call bing allies with him. Blue Oasis, do you have any idea what you have thrown away?" Mariposa sighed. She pitied Blue Oasis and the choice they made to abandon their friendship with Izroth. Mariposa could not help but wonder what would have happened back then if she never tore up that contract. When she thought about that moment, Mariposa was relieved that she was not short-sighted. If she had tried to force matters, then it may very well be her Sleeping Gardenia in a simr position to Blue Oasis! "What are you all doing cking off? Do you want to embarrass our Sleeping Gardenia?! Attack with everything you have!" Mariposa stated as she waved her magic staff, creating a horizontal 3-meter tear in space. At the same time, a simr tear in space appeared at Ooudamu¡¯s location over her torso. The tear before Mariposa vanished before reappearing vertically in front of the spatial tear at Ooudamu¡¯s position. "Spatial Rive." Mariposa made a cutting motion with her staff as the spatial tears copsed into itself and generated a violent force that acted as if it wanted to tear Ooudamu apart! When the yers from Sleeping Gardenia heard Mariposa¡¯s words and saw her take action, they snapped out of it and continued with their assault. To be honest, the damage dealers were disheartened after seeing Izroth¡¯s destructive capabilities. How were they supposed topete with a monster like that?! Or rather, was there anyone capable ofpeting against him? Perhaps only those monsters from Heaven¡¯s Law had a chance, but even regarding them, they had their doubts. Zi Yi tightly clenched the bow in her hand in frustration. She thought that, even if it was just a bit, she had moved closer to Izroth. However, it appeared that there was still a gap that she was not even aware existed! But, Zi Yi was not the only one frustrated. Guan Yu, Halls, Valentine¡ªthey all experienced the same feeling as Zi Yi. If things continued like this, then wouldn¡¯t they eventually be a burden to Izroth? Stronger! Somehow, they had to be stronger! As for Luna, since she was a healer, her level of frustration was not as strong as the others. Nevertheless, for some reason, there was this emptiness in her stomach as she looked at the countless arms of purple lightning behind Izroth. If he was already this strong, would a daye when they were simply holding him back, and he no longer needed them? When this thought entered Luna¡¯s mind, it only fed the emptiness she experienced. However, she kept a calm and collected outer appearance as she continued to perform her role as a healer without w. Izroth, who was currently oblivious to how much he had affected everyone with his new disy of power, improved the speed of his assault. Whenever he performed an attack or skill, the arms of purple lightning at his back would copy him and execute the same move. There was a 0.1-second dy between every arm¡¯s attack and a total of 100 arms of lightning. But, no two arms ever attacked at the same time. This meant that over the span of 10 seconds, one would be faced with a seemingly endless barrage of continuous attacks that left them with little to no breathing room. This was the ruthlessness of the Call of the Thunder God¡¯s Third State: Heavenly Arms! Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God Skill Level: 2/5 -\u003e 3/5 Skill Rank: S -\u003e SS Requirements: None ... *New -\u003e ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? Mana Cost: 1,200 Active: As long as ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? is active, the user acquires the passive skills ?Heavenly Arms of the Thunder God? and ?Lightning Mimicry: 100 Arms of Lightning?. Upon activation, the user gains 2 stacks of ?Arm of Lightning?. This skillsts for 5 minutes. Cooldown: 168 hours Passive: When the user is out ofbat for 10 seconds, ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? enters into a dormant state. While in its dormant state, all arms are retracted, and the user losses any temporary stat increase. During this time, the active duration of ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? is halted until the skill is once again active. Resumingbat automatically reactivates the active of ?Third State: Heavenly Arms?. ?Heavenly Arms of the Thunder God?: When this skill first bes active, the user¡¯s attack is increased by 100% for 8 seconds. Each kill that the user achieves while ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? is active increases the duration of ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? by 15 seconds (MAX: 1,500/s), temporarily increases the user¡¯s attack by 5% (MAX: 500%), and grants the user 1 stack of ?Arm of Lightning? (MAX: 100). ?Lightning Mimicry: 100 Arms of Lightning?: For every ?Arm of Lightning? stack, an arm made of pure lightning element forms at the user¡¯s back. This arm of lightning mimics the user¡¯s every attack and skill dealing 10% of the mimicked attack¡¯s damage as lightning damage that ignores all defenses. Each arm of lightning has a 0.1-second attack dy. Crowd control and other effects of the mimicked attack or skill does not apply. No other attack can be used until the final ?Arm of Lightning?pletes its attack. Special Note: This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points and the user must experience many battles to further advance. Activating another state while one is already active multiplies the mana cost by 1+(The Number of states currently active). The rank of this skill is upgraded as the user unlocks more states. This skill once belonged to a certain individual who fought single-handedly against a powerful empire and prevailed! After his numerous intense fight at Zushuatri¡¯s Sky Pce, Izroth had gained a considerable chunk of battle experience with his Call of the Thunder God! Though it was not until his battle against Sage that he unlocked the Call of Thunder God¡¯s third state. In addition, the skill moved up one grade from S-ranked to SS-ranked! How many SS-ranked skills were there in RML? This much was unknown; however, it could probably be counted on one¡¯s fingers! If the gap between A-ranked and S-ranked skills was consideredrge, then the gap that existed between that of an S-ranked and SS-ranked skill was like that of heaven and earth¡ªthey were in twopletely different leagues! The power of the two could not bepared! The most frightening thing, however, was that the skill was not yet at its full potential. ¡¯I can see how the original owner of this skill was able to fight single-handedly against an entire empire.¡¯ If the "powerful empire" mentioned in the special note of the skill was simr to Amaharpe or Proximus, then surely they had characters like Gear or The Wiseman of Everpeak. Therefore, for a single individual to face off against those kinds of foes and emerge victorious spoke volumes of the true strength stored within the Call of the Thunder God, after all, the system always granted yers watered-down versions of the original skill¡ªas with Gear¡¯s Flickering Steps. Therefore, one could only imagine the overwhelming power of the original Call of the Thunder God! With the Third State: Heavenly Arms active, and the added damage of the raid group, Ooudamu¡¯s HP fell at an unbelievable pace. 70%... 40%... 10%..! ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has be enraged!¡µ The moment she entered into an enraged state, Ooudamu summoned the 36 pirs of water. But, before she could make her move, the sound of pping thunder descended at her in the form of a sword strike. ¡¯Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder.¡¯ Bzzzzt! Boooom! Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm connected to the enraged Ooudamu, and at thest moment, he shifted his sword stance to that of the First Sword Form: Converging Paths. This made it so that his attack was guaranteed to be a critical hit¡ªand the damage was not light. ?Critical Hit? -109,752 -14,445 ... -14,445 The arms of lightning unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks shaving off what little was left of Ooudamu¡¯s health. Along with the umted damage from the other raid members, Ooudamu had fallen before the first Aquatic Fever could even take effect! A yer who was capable of hitting over 100,000 damage with a single strike? Even if news of this escaped¡ªwould anyone believe it to be true? A few momentster, Shao Qingge¡¯s physical appearances reverted to its normal state as the raid group received a stream of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Raid Boss Ooudamu has been defeated!¡µ ¡´System Alert... A pile of loot that contained several rare items and crafting materials dropped from Ooudamu. However, there was no epic-quality item. Though this was to be expected, after all, it wasmon knowledge that the best loot drop rates were given when a boss was defeated for the very first time. Therefore, it was only natural that the Blue Oasis raid group obtained better overall items. But, this did not mean that the items that dropped were useless. As for Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia, they had mixed feeling about Ooudamu¡¯s defeat. Of course, everyone was ecstatic that they were a part of the raid¡¯s boss defeat, but it was evident that Izroth pulled the vast majority of the weight. It would be a lie if they said their pride as a top guild was not affected after what they had just witnessed! Mariposa gave a helpless smile. 18 minutes and 26 seconds¡ªthis was how long it took for them to enter the Great Sea Pce raid,plete phase one, conquer the Sprite Dwellings, and defeat Ooudamu to finish phase two. This was a feat that took Blue Oasis hours, and yet they had done it in under 20 minutes! Initially, Mariposa believed that Izroth was just attempting to motivate them after he mentioned that he wanted to defeat the first raid boss within 20 minutes. But, who would have thought that he was serious?! "Could he be one of the game developers posing as a yer?" This was the only reasonable exnation behind Izroth¡¯s strength that Mariposa could think of right now. However, she quickly dismissed this thought. After all, there would be an uproar among yers if it was discovered that one of the game developers was unfairly abusing his power. Not to mention, there were strict rules in ce when it came to game developers who yed RML. For one, they could not hold any influence whatsoever within RML, no matter how small. As the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth¡¯s influence had soared to new heights. Therefore, if he truly were a game developer, he would have been found out a long time ago! While everyone was lost in their thoughts, Izroth picked up all the loot without hesitation. When those of Sleeping Gardenia observed this, they could not help but feel a stinging sensation in their chest. However, no one dared to protest his actions. But, how could those of Sleeping Gardenia know that the loot was not even on Izroth¡¯s mind right now? He simply picked all of it up because he did not want to waste time dividing it. At the moment, he had his sights set on something else entirely! Chapter 441 Colosseum of the Great Sea Palace Shao Qingge had regained herself once Ooudamu relinquished control of her. She blinked a few times and looked around, slightly confused. One moment, she was touching the stones around a small pond, and the next, everyone was in the boss room! It felt as if a single second had not passed! "What a bizarre experience!" Shao Qingge eximed as the members of Sleeping Gardenia went over to check on her. After sessfully defeating Ooudamu, the water within the small pond drained out, and a hidden passageway revealed itself. It was likely that it led deeper into the heart of the outer pce¡ªthat was where Izroth¡¯s true goaly! ... The raid group had entered the hidden passageway at the bottom of the small drained pond. Despite the entrance being somewhat narrow and dark, the inside of the passageway was quite spacious and well-lit by luminescent corals. The luminescent corals emitted a soft aqua-colored light that made one want to rx instinctively. As they ventured with hastened steps into the passageway, Izroth took a moment to check over the temporary raid buff Touch of a Water Sprite that was acquired afterpleting Phase Two: Ooudamu. Skill Name: Touch of a Water Sprite Skill Level: None Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: The user is unaffected by the negative environmental effects within the ?Sprite Dwellings?. In addition, the user gains a 15% damage reduction against all creatures of the sea and regenerates 0.5% of their maximum health and mana every 1 second while inside the ?Great Sea Pce?. The regeneration effect is quadrupled outside ofbat. Special Note: This passive is automatically removed upon exiting the raid ?Great Sea Pce?. ¡¯What a useful buff. Though it¡¯s a shame that one loses it the moment they leave the Great Sea Pce.¡¯ Halls approached Izroth as he examined the raid buff and could not help but ask, "Brother, what is that thing on your back?" When Halls asked that question, everyone in the raid group immediately concentrated on their conversation. They were just as curious; however, none of the Sleeping Gardenia members had the nerve or right to ask. In the end, it would be strange for them not to be curious about it! "You mean the ring? It¡¯s the dormant state of the skill you witnessed earlier. Think of it as a way of conserving energy." Izroth replied. The 100 arms of lightning at Izroth¡¯s back disappeared and was reced by a circr purple ring created from a pure form of purple lightning energy. It was about 1 meter in diameter and as thick as one¡¯s finger, but the raw destructive power contained inside of the ring was extraordinary. "Heh, when you made that grand entrance back there, I almost didn¡¯t recognize you." Halls stated. He then continued, "How about showing me some face and not taking away aggro next time? It¡¯s the most embarrassing feeling for us tanks, you know?" Halls spoke in a joking manner. "I can¡¯t make any promises." Izroth responded with a carefree smile. The raid group increased their speed and soon arrived at a thin bubble wall. The wall was approximately 20 meters in diameter, and on the other side, one could see what appeared to be a diator-style arena¡ªa colosseum! Without dy, the raid group stepped through the thin bubble wall and into the grand colosseum. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have automatically entered ?Final Phase: Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce?!¡µ ¡¯Many dangerous mes are lurking in this area.¡¯ The instant Izroth stepped into the colosseum; he had his Energy Vision Sense active. Immediately, he sensed two mighty mes that rivaled that of Ooudamu in terms of pure quantity. However, there was a harmony that existed within those two mes that Ooudamucked. As for the other mes, they were likely to be elite monsters judging from the quality of their mes. Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense as he quickly scanned over the information about the final raid phase. At first nce, the objectives did not seem unreasonable. But, the most eye-catching part was the rewards listed at the very bottom. ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ Final Phase: Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce Phase Difficulty: Hardcore Rmended Level: 54 Rmended Party Size: 24 Phase Status: Iplete Objective: Clear the ?Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce? and defeat the Sea Bound Lovers, Heski and Mona. Time Limit: None 0/1 Clear the ?Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce?. (Optional) 0/1 Defeat boss monsters Heski, Angel of the Sea and Mona, Nimble Child of the Sea. Reward: -1,500,000 EXP -50% chance to receive x1 ?Rare Equipment Treasure Chest? Rewards(Colosseum Cleared): -Gain 1 level. *(Requirement: yer must be below level 50) -4% chance to receive x1 ?Epic Equipment Treasure Chest? -Breathe of the Great Sea(Permanent Passive) Not only would one¡¯s level rise by one if they were below level 50, but there was also a 4% chance to obtain a piece of epic-quality equipment! Not to mention, there was even a permanent passive skill they could acquire! This was a huge opportunity¡ªespecially for a top guild, such as Sleeping Gardenia. If they could get their hands on another epic-quality item, their standing among the top guilds would soar to the heavens! However, it seemed that clearing the colosseum was optional. Even if one chose not to do so, they would still receive the basic rewards, and it would be considered as them havingpleted the final phase. The question now was, what would Izroth decide to do? Since Izroth was inmand of the raid, it was naturally his decision whether or not they would attempt to clear the colosseum or not. Mariposa furrowed her brows as she entered into deep thought. Were these rewards enough to enter Izroth¡¯s sights? Should she just ask him to lend her Sleeping Gardenia a hand in clearing this final phase as a personal favor? Although she would owe him quite a bit, it would be well worth it if they could get there hands on another epic-quality item or two. But, the only problem was that Izroth appeared to have his own set of goals in mind. Would he be willing to take an unnecessary risk? After all, there was nothing known about the colosseum. For all they knew, it could be a series of one on one battles or even a gauntlet style match! In the end, it was too good of an opportunity to let pass by without saying a word. Therefore, Mariposa made the decision to ask Izroth. However, before she could open her mouth, Izroth spoke. "Since we havee this far, we might as well see things properly through until the end." Izroth stated. He then continued, "Whatever this colosseum may be¡ªwe shall be the ones who first conquer it." ... Meanwhile, at a room located within the heart of the Great Sea Pce inneryer... On a table made of elegant rainbow-colored marble were a total of 14 aqua-colored orbs. But, unlikest time, only 2 out of 14 of the orbs were lit up. The glow on one of the orbs was green, while the other was silver. "How did Ooudamu lose to those Oversiders? Was she cking off?" An almost distorted voice sounded from the green orb. "Although she is somewhat yful, Ooudamu¡¯s hatred of the Oversiders runs deep. Thest thing she would do is ck off." A distorted from echoed from the silver orb. "Whatever the case, it seems they have reached the colosseum. Do you think they will ept the challenge?" The green orb sounded. "Whether they ept it or not, does it matter? The oue of their fate has already been determined. Isn¡¯t that right, Heski?" The silver orb echoed. "You are correct, Mona." The green orb responded. "Besides, what is there to worry about? That ce was created by Krr. Even though he entered his state of Torpor, he left behind a strand of his will to manage it¡ªits power is still not to be underestimated. Would any Oversider dare challenge it?" The silver orb chuckled. The light from both orbs dimmed as the echoes of the two voices drifted away. ... Mariposa was secretly relieved by Izroth¡¯s choice. If there were ever doubts that lingered in her heart before this moment, they all vanished without a trace. From now on, she made a promise to herself. No matter what happened in the future, her Sleeping Gardenia would side with Izroth! The raid group walked forward until they made it to the center of the colosseum. Rmmmmble! The ground tremored violently as the loud cheers and roars of a crowd echoed throughout the colosseum. The strange thing, however, was that there were no other people within the colosseum itself! "Where is this noiseing from? So loud!" Guan Yu eximed at the sudden wave of cheers. All of a sudden, the tremors stopped, and the sound of the crowd died down. "Wee travelers! I am Krr, owner of this majestic Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce! Tell me, do you wish to challenge my colosseum?!" The voice reverberated throughout the entire colosseum. ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to challenge the ?Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce?? (Warning: Once you ept, you mustplete this task in order to clear the raid sessfully!)¡µ "We ept." Izroth answered without hesitation. Was he the type of person who was afraid to ept a challenge?! "Heh, I like your style! You¡¯re alright¡ªfor a revolting Oversider." Krr stated. He then continued, "Even though you are Oversiders, the same just rules of the colosseum applies to anyone who enters this sacred ce. Survive or die." After that statement, Krr¡¯s voice grew quiet was the numerous gates located on all sides of the colosseum began to open. At the same time, water started to flow into the center of the colosseum. While it was flowing slowly, at its current rate, it would only take around 10-15 minutes for the entire colosseum to be submerged in water! "Stay alert!" Mariposa warned as Sleeping Gardenia repositioned themselves into a battle formation. "Hahaha, I¡¯ve always wanted to be a diator like in those old stories!" Guan Yu said as he brandished his guandao. "How can you enjoy such a barbaric sport?" Zi Yi scoffed as she aimed at one of the opened gates. From one of the gates came a humanoid sea creature that stood nearly 2 meters tall with webbed fingers and feet with scaly green skin and beady ck eyes. Name: Bikrosh(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 200,000 (100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Propogate][Erosion] In total, there were eight gates. Above each gate were six gemstones that illuminated a red hue along with two gemstones twice their size¡ªone that was lit up green and the other silver¡ªced above them. Every gate released a Bikrosh with identical hardcore effects, and when the sea creatures stepped out of the gate, one of the red gemstones became translucent. Each Bikrosh was equipped with some sort of armor and weapon that differed from creature to creature. Their speed was surprisingly slow and stiff¡ªthey did not appear to be in a hurry to engage inbat. However, as more water started to pour into the colosseum slowly, the speed of the Bikrosh began to increase at a visible rate! "So, all we have to do is defeat these guys, and we¡¯ll clear the colosseum?" Halls asked. But, wasn¡¯t this a bit too easy to acquire a permanent skill and a chance to obtain an epic-quality item? Name: Bikrosh(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 400,000 (100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Bulk][Softening] But, ten secondster, before the first wave of slow Bikrosh could even reach the raid group, the gates released a second wave of Bikrosh with a different set of hardcore effects! At the same time, another one of the red gemstones turned clear. Now, there were only four that remained above each gate. Mariposa¡¯s facial expression darkened. She quickly picked up on the way the gates worked. Every time a Bikrosh stepped out, one of the gemstones above the gates would lose its glimmer. They would then have to be prepared to deal with a new set of hardcore effects from every new wave of the Bikrosh, who were all elite monsters! To make matters worse, their speed was slow now, but Mariposa observed that they were bing faster as more water appeared on the battlefield. Although Izroth¡¯s skill was powerful, Mariposa was confident that there had to be some sort of limit to its usage. If that skill ran out, would they be able to handle the waves of Bikrosh? Chapter 442 Clearing The Bikrosh ¡¯They are not much of a threat at their current speed.¡¯ Izroth observed the movements of the Bikrosh and realized that even a cloth-type user with poor agility would be able to outrun them. However, if they were anything like the merman he faced in the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon, then their speed once the submerged underwater could not be looked down on. This was more so considering the unique set-up of their raid group. Unlike Blue Oasis, who went with 2 tanks, 17 damage dealers, and 5 supporters, Izroth chose to go with 4 tanks, 12 damage dealers, and 8 supporters. Usually, this type of line-up would be frowned upon; however, Izroth found this to be necessary to ovee the Sprite Dwellings¡ªat least for the present members of Sleeping Gardenia. Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s main force, the Lotus Guard led by Valkyria, had not apanied Mariposa. Therefore, although the yers she brought with her could be considered elites, they were not on the same level as the core members. Not to mention, Mariposa journeyed to the raid with the intention of scouting. The safest method to scout dungeons and raids alike were with minimal damage dealers and an excess of tanks, as well as supporters. This was also the core reason behind Valkyria and the Lotus Guard¡¯s absence. "Zi Yi, I will leavemand of this battle in your hands." Izroth stated as he stayed unmoved from his position. Zi Yi and the rest of the raid group were surprised by Izroth¡¯s sudden decision to hand overmand. Did something unexpected happen? "Alright, leave it to me. Do you have any requests?" Zi Yi responded. Even though she was surprised, it was only because Izroth¡¯s decision came out of seemingly nowhere. "Nothing in particr. Just surviving until they are all out is good enough." Izroth answered. Zi Yi gave a small nod as she quickly began to organize the raid group to face off against the Bikrosh. "Everyone split into four groups! One tank, three damage dealers, and two supports per group! Each group will have to manage two gates! Tanks, your main goal will be safely grouping the monsters together. Once they are together, we will unleash every AOE skill at our disposal and try to take them out in one go!" Zi Yimanded. She was aware that this would temporarily spread their forces thin; however, what choice did they have? Theck of overall damage dealers, along with the excess tanks and supporters, left this was their best course of action. Of course, the absolute best course of action would be for Izroth to personally act with the skill he used to take down Ooudamu. If he used that, then these Bikrosh would be mere fodder mobs! But, she knew that there must have been some reason as to why Izroth chose not to do so. The raid group followed Zi Yi¡¯s orders and paired up in groups of six. However, there was one group that only had five yers andcked a damage dealer. Zi Yi made up for this by putting two of the most reliable damage dealers together¡ªGuan Yu and Mariposa. As for why this groupcked six yers, it was due to the fact that Izroth had not moved from where he stood. In truth, it would go much faster if Izroth joined in on the fight. However, there was a time limit to the Third State: Heavenly Arms. Although it was in a dormant state at the moment, the instant Izroth enteredbat; it would be active. Who knew what sort of dangersy ahead? If possible, Izroth wanted to reserve his Third State: Heavenly Arms until they faced off against real threat. But, this did not mean that he nned to sit back and watch as the raid group fought. With Zi Yi inmand, the raid group engaged in an intense battle with the Bikrosh. At first, it was easy to manipte the movement of the Bikrosh and overwhelm them with attacks due to their slow speed. But, as time passed and the water level in the colosseum rose half 0.5 meters, the raid group found their overall speed reduced. As for the Bikrosh, their movement had improved significantly! This made it increasingly challenging to maneuver as freely as before. Furthermore, the raid group¡¯s inexperience started to be apparent as various mistakes were constantly being made. Zi Yi tried her best to give outmands and correct for the slip-ups that urred, however, no matter how good her orders were, it was useless if those involved were incapable of carrying them out. Zi Yi frowned at the clumsy actions of some of the raid members from Sleeping Gardenia. It was not as apparent in the fight against Ooudamu since that fight was set up to be well within their favor. But now, theck of experience in a high stakes situation showed among the majority of the Sleeping Gardenia yers. However, Zi Yi did not let this deter her. "Luna, cover some of the healing for the party next to yours! Gege..." As Zi Yi gave out new orders, Izroth observed the gates closely¡ªor to be more precise, the gemstones located above the gates. ¡¯Every ten seconds, one of the gemstones loses its luster, and a fresh wave of Bikrosh exits the gates. This pattern seems unlikely to change. As for the two unique gemstones, could they have something to do with those two mes I sensed earlier?¡¯ Back when Izroth his Energy Vision Sense after he first entered the colosseum, there were two mes that were much stronger than the others. But, what stood out was that while all the other red mes were identical in every way, the two unique mes were green and silver. The gemstones being the same exact color as the mes that showed up on his Energy Vision Sense¡ªIzroth believed it was too much to write it off as a pure coincidence. If those two unique mes were rted to the gemstones above the eight gates, then it was likely that the final opponents that awaited them in this colosseum were not elite monsters¡ªthey were boss monsters! One minute quickly passed by as the raid group struggled to hold off the Bikrosh, which now numbered in the fifties. They were able to kill off a few Bikrosh, but the more time passed, the stronger the sea creatures became as the water in the colosseum had risen to one meter! Needless to say, the raid group had trouble merely staying alive¡ªespecially with the new hardcore effects that were introduced with each wave of Bikrosh. The good news was that the tanks had seeded in gathering the Bikrosh into a single area. "Now, unleash all of your AOE skills! Don¡¯t hold back!" Zi Yi stated as she fired off an arrow into the air that split into two, then four, and then eight. In the end, hundreds of arrows rained down on the Bikrosh. At the same time, every member of the raid group who possessed an AOE damage skill made their move. "zing Tornado!" "Dance of a Thousand Knives!" "Raining Fists of Destruction!" The raid group threw wave after wave of AOE skills at the grouped up Bikrosh. A zing tornado swept through the sea monsters along with a storm of throwing knives and a barrage of countless fists. The individual damage was not great, but together, the raid group was able to kill off four of the Bikrosh and severely damage many of the others. "That¡¯s it! Keep it up, everyone!" Zi Yi said in an encouraging tone. If they continued at this rate, then the Bikrosh would be wiped out after a few more waves of AOE skills! But, just when things were going smoothly, the raid group received an alert that nearly made them curse the system. ¡´System Alert: All Bikrosh will enter into an enraged state in 15 seconds!¡µ "Fifteen seconds is not enough time." Zi Yi muttered to herself with furrowed brows. Taking everyone¡¯s cooldowns into ount, it was impossible for them to deal with all the Bikrosh before they entered into an enraged state. Facing so many elite monsters that were enraged¡ªZi Yi understood that they could not allow this to happen! Zi Yi nced over in Izroth¡¯s direction. It had been a little over one minute and still had not made his move. He spoke of them surviving until "they" were all out. Yet, another ten seconds had just passed, and nothing left the eight gates. The green and silver gemstones were still lit up; however, all the red gemstones had long since gone dim. So, if Izroth was going to make his move, now should be the time to do so. ¡¯It looks like they won¡¯t make a move until these things are out of the way. Though I suppose this works out in our favor.¡¯ When Izroth saw that the green and silver gemstones remained unchanged after ten seconds had passed, without moving from where he stood, a great surge of mystical energy radiated from his location. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire colosseum. The members of the raid group could not help this pressure, but the Bikrosh, whose speed had reached new heights, was suddenly overwhelmed and forced back. The sound of high-pitched pulsed clicks and whistles echoed throughout the colosseum. The noise resembled that of a colossal whale! It echoed twice before it came to an abrupt halt. By the time it ended, the Bikrosh, who initially numbered in the fifties, had their numbers to cut less than ten! The raid group had yet to wrap their heads around what transpired since the attack came out of nowhere. In their eyes, the Bikrosh had poofed as their bodies were instantly shattered into countless particles. Was this supposed to happen? Since when did monsters with over 100,000 HP just turn to dust?! It was not until they took a look at the battle logs that theyprehended the fate of the Bikrosh. But, it did not make any sense! In the battle logs, it said that the attack hade from Izroth; however, he had not taken one step from the spot he stood in! Even more outrageous was the amount of damage it showed in the battle logs. -100,000 -100,000 ... -100,000 A perfect 100,000 damage! How did he manage to do so much damage without lifting a single finger in the process? Mariposa and the members of Sleeping Gardenia stared at Izroth as if he were a freak! Just how many more secrets and trump card level skills did this person have hidden? It was like peeling back oneyer only to see two more undiscovered things! Chapter 443 Scagmags Whale Song, Two Bosses In One Fight? She thought that after the time they spent together in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, and then again with the appearance of the arms of lightning, that she could never be surprised by Izroth. However, she was quickly proven wrong. Could he even be considered a yer anymore? Was he secretly a raid boss in disguise?! Of course, everyone knew that such a notion was ridiculous. But, how else could his absurd power be exined? This was a hardcore raid for crying out loud! ¡¯Who knew this woulde in handy?¡¯ What the raid group did not know was that the skill Izroth used did not belong to him. It was a gift from a certain entity he encountered in the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon named Scagmag¡ªthe original owner of the skill he just used called Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song! Skill Name: Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unknown Active: Unleashes Scagmag¡¯s whale song dealing 25,000 Damage to all enemies within a 100 meters radius. This skill ignores all enemy defenses. Deals quadruple damage to all non-boss sea creatures. Uses: 2/4 Special Note: This skill can only be used while inside ?Sea Pce? areas. Boss monsters damaged by this skill do not grant the user EXP or loot drops. To be honest, Izroth never thought that he would use the skill after leaving the Sea Pce Graveyard dungeon. After all, even though he knew that otheryers of the Sea Pce existed, there was no guarantee at that time that he would discover another location. Therefore, he had pushed the skill Scagmag¡¯s Whale Song to the back of his mind¡ªgiven that it could only be used within Sea Pce areas. Since Izroth did not require the skill to clear the dungeon, he chose to let it be, and he was d that he made such a choice. If not, then he may have had to use his Third State: Heavenly Arms to deal with the Bikrosh. While the Third State: Heavenly Arms appeared all-powerful, it was not without its weaknesses. For one, if Izroth attacked a specific target and that target survived, then the arms of lightning could only target that one individual. It was not possible to control every arm of lightning separately¡ªat least not at the moment. This would have made it so that he wasted a lot of precious time clearing out the Bikrosh. It was best to be well prepared for any possible scenario¡ªthis was even more so when the situation was unknown. "Focus the remaining Bikrosh and clear them out before they enrage!" Zi Yi snapped everyone out of it and pulled them back into reality. There were still some Bikrosh who survived due to their Bulk hardcore effect. But, they had suffered a severe amount of damage and was left on the doorstep of death. In the blink of an eye, the raid group finished off the remaining Bikrosh. Not a single sea creature made it to its enraged state! The amount of experience from killing over 50 elite hardcore raid monsters was not small, and nearly every member of the raid leveled up once in the process. Izroth, however, had only gained somewhere around 2% towards his experience. After finishing off the monsters outside of the Sprite Dwelling, his level had risen to 49. But, once he reached level 49, the difficulty of gaining experience had grown by leaps and bounds! Even defeating a hardcore raid boss like Ooudamu only gave Izroth 18% experience. But, this was to be expected seeing as how level 50 was an extremely important milestone for yers in RML. Once the final Bikrosh was eliminated, the water within the colosseum receded, and the eight gates closed. "Eh? Is it over already? Did we win?" One of the Sleeping Gardenia members questioned. When the raid group witnessed the receding water and closing gates, their first thought was that they had sessfully cleared the colosseum. However, after noticing that a system had not confirmed their victory, they surmised that it was not over just yet. Just as this thought entered their minds, two new gates appeared on the walls of the colosseum. One gate had a green gemstone above it, and the other gate had a silver gemstone ced over it. ¡¯It looks like they¡¯re finally making their appearance... Though this raid sure knows how to be ruthless.¡¯ From the gate with the green gemstone above it came a handsome male humanoid figure wearing loose-fitting clothes with webbed feet, brilliant green scales that ran along both sides of their body, sharp green eyes, and short turquoise hair. What stood out the most about this male was that his right arm was covered in a sizeable gauntlet-type armor, and growing out of his right shoulder was a beautiful green wing that spanned two meters. As for the gate with the silver gemstone ced over it, a gorgeous female figure with elegant clothing made her appearance. She had long golden colored hair that fell to the ankles, eyes the color of honey, and yellow scales that traveled along both sides of her body. There was a silver wing growing out of her left shoulder that was the same size as the male figure¡¯s wing. She also wore a multitude of jewelry that was embedded with citrine gemstones. Though what stood out about her was that beneath her feet were five disks stacked upon one another with just a few centimeters of space in between them. Each disk approximately 20-25cm in size and incredibly thin. Every step the female figure stood, her feet never touched the ground, and the disks stayed the same distance apart. The male seafolk was named Heski and the female seafolk Mona. Name: Heski, Angel of the Sea(Raid Boss) Level: 55 HP: 31,278,500(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Reinforced] Name: Mona, Nimble Child of the Sea(Raid Boss) Level: 55 HP: 31,278,500(100%) Hardcore Effect(s): [Quickened] Two bosses? Would they have to fight both of them simultaneously?! But, the raid group did not have to think before the one called Heski leaped forward and mmed the giant gauntlet on his arm into the ground. "Since you¡¯vee, let this ce be your grave Oversiders! Oceanic Resurgence!" Heski roared as the ground to the colosseum shook. At the next moment, the field below the yers of the raid group disyed signs of breaking. "Dodge it!" Zi Yi shouted as she swiftly moved out the way of the cracking earth; however, it was toote for some of the Sleeping Gardenia members who were slow to react. All of a sudden, a gushing stream of water erupted from under the feet of every member of the raid group! Those struck were shot into the air from the sheer pressure of the waterjet and received a less than friendly amount of damage. Izroth avoided the waterjet as the arms of lightning had already left its dormant state and erupted from the purple ring at his back. However, not even a full breath after he dodged, his Soul Sense went off and caused him to evade once again instinctively. Psst! Psst! Psst! Psst! What sounded almost like a whispering hiss came from an object that soared past Izroth. As his eyes locked onto the object, he saw that it matched one of the disks that were under Mona¡¯s feet. ¡¯The speed of those disks is going to be a bit troublesome.¡¯ Izroth was not worried himself when it came to avoiding the disks. However, their current raid group was not exactly full of yers that one would call agile. This made a raid boss like Mona to be one of their greatest banes! Some of those who were fortunate enough to evade the waterjet were instead struck mercilessly by the disk. In total, there were eight disks that either hit yers or missed some of the more alert raid members. Izroth¡¯s eyes followed the disks as they converged onto the same path as ifpleting their task and returned from where they originated. Mona kicked the air with her right foot as four of the disk fell into their original position at her foot. Then, with swift grace, she turned her body and swept outward with her left leg as the remaining four disks resumed their initial ce. "First Dance of the Sea: Hymn of the Waning Waterlilies." Monaunched one swift kick with both of her legs. The kicks were so fast that Mona¡¯s legs appeared as a blur when they moved as four out of five of the rings under each of her feet flew out at great speeds towards the raid group. ¡¯It seems I will have to take care of her first.¡¯ ... "Alright, I will head back to Amaharpe to meet with the Guild Manager. Since my Returning Scroll is still on cooldown, I will have to make the trip bynd. The rest of you can concentrate on exploring every corner of this ce. Captain Nifl- Captain Nidavellir, I leave you in charge." Asgard said as he left the group and was transported outside of the raid. This raid was a mixture of sesses and failures; however, he believed that overall, his Blue Oasis had emerged the ultimate victors! "You heard the guild leader. Feint, take a group and..." As Nidavellir gave out orders, Vanaheim walked over to an isted corner of the room where a single yer stood alone. This yer was none other than Niflheim. After Izroth left, everything thought that he would drop the matter and act as if nothing happened. But, it appeared that he had no intention of going back on his word. Some of the Blue Oasis members respected his choice. If they were in the same position as Niflheim, would they be able to give up a lucrative captain position just to keep some verbal promise? When Vanaheim approached Niflheim, she could see that there was a calm expression on his face. However, she knew firsthand how deeply he cared about Blue Oasis and the sacrifices that he was willing to make to ensure its safety. "Have youe to convince me that my choice was wrong, Tian Suyinwen?" Niflheim said. Vanaheim, however, shook her head and responded, "I think you made the correct choice. Though I will say, Blue Oasis will not be the same without you around here. What do you n to do after you leave this ce?" Niflheim was somewhat surprised by Vanaheim¡¯s words. He figured that she would try to convince him to stay just as the other captains had tried to do. "Who knows? I may just wander around a bit now that I have more free time. After all, the world is a big ce in RML." Niflheim replied. "Are you thinking about joining another top guild after you settle down?" Vanaheim asked. Niflheim sighed, "How can I think about such things so soon? Besides, my contract states that if I leave, I cannot join any of the currentlypeting top guilds for at least two years. For pro gamers like us in our prime, two years is as good as a death sentence." Chapter 444 Set Your Sights Forward, Heski and Mona! It was not umon for pro gamers who signed a contract to have some restrictions set in ce when it came to joining an organization. However, in the case of Niflheim, the limits were much more significant. This was due in part to his position as a Captain of Blue Oasis. But, the foremost reason had to do with the sensitive information he possessed as the leading strategist for Blue Oasis. If Niflheim were to go to another top guild, Blue Oasis would be at a considerable advantage when facing them in the future. To prevent this from happening, top guilds such as Blue Oasis made it so that yers like Niflheim had to wait for two years before joining a different organization. While two years did not seem like a long time, it was just as Niflheim stated¡ªa death sentence for pro gamers who were in their prime like him. As for joining a smaller guild in RML, Niflheim was not a fan of this idea. Smaller guildscked thepetitive drive, ambition, and resources of a top guild. Staying in a ce like that would only dull one¡¯s talents. Niflheim and Vanaheim talked in a leisure manner as time went by. Near the end of their conversation, Niflheim had to ask the question that lingered in his on his mind. "Why did you vote no back there?" Niflheim asked. The sudden change in topic surprised Vanaheim. Earlier, when they took a vote on whether or not Izroth should keep the Guild Order, besides Niflheim, Vanaheim was the only other person to vote no. Although Vanaheim considered Niflheim a friend, it was not in her personality to take sides based solely on that fact. Not to mention, as far as he understood, Vanaheim had no type of rtionship or even friendship with Izroth. This is why Niflheim was taken aback for her vote. "If I am being truthful, I myself do not understand why I made the choice that I did. But, if I had to put it into words, it would be because he is an enigma." Vanaheim stated. She sighed and continued, "I am sure you of all people know the fate of individuals like him. Since the beginning of time, man has both admired and feared the unknown. Nevertheless, more times than not, when one is faced with the unknown, there are only two oues¡ªattempt to understand it, or destroy it." Niflheim fell silent after Vanaheim¡¯s words. He put himself at fault for actively advocating for Izroth¡¯s presence in the raid group. He thought that it was the perfect opportunity to build a closer rtionship between Blue Oasis and Izroth. But, who knew that fate was such a cruel mistress? "Xiang Ei, there are not many men that I respect, but you are one of them. Think of this as the start of your journey¡ªnot the end." Vanaheim said as she walked away. However, before going too far, she halted her steps and said, "There is still hope for you, Xiang Ei. A mountain cannot be turned¡ªbut a road can. Set your sights on what is toe, not what is already here. After all, every dragon eventually awakens from its slumber. It is just a matter of when." Vanaheim left Niflheim with those words as herst. Niflheim entered into deep thought as he took Vanaheim¡¯s words to heart. "On what is toe... is it?" Niflheim released a long sigh. He had been staring at the confirm to leave the raid group for a while now. But, every time, he stopped himself. This was thest time he would be a part of Blue Oasis; therefore, he wanted to hold on to it for as long as possible. However, after talking to Vanaheim, he gained some new insights into his situation. Niflheim closed his eyes as he confirmed his departure from the raid group. As he was teleported out of the raid, at thest moment, Niflheim opened his eyes as a look of rity could be seen. In that instant, he epted that he was no longer a member of Blue Oasis. ... Psst! Psst! Psst! Izroth evaded the golden disk that flew towards him as he adjusted his position to the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. Swooosh! Izroth used Enhanced Instaneous Movement to close the distance between himself and Mona. ¡¯Sword Counter.¡¯ As Izroth activated the Sword Counter effect of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave, the Sword of The Storm in his hand instantly shed out at Mona before there was any chance for her to react. -61,391 Almost immediately after Izroth¡¯s strikended sessfully, the first purple arm of lightningshed out with a mimicked version of his Sword Counter. -6,139 ... -6,139 The arms of lightning attacked one after the other; however, Mona was theplete opposite of Ooudamu whocked mobility and speed. As a result, only 85 out of 100 arms of lightning managed tond a hit on Mona while she dodged the remaining 15 attacks. In the beginning, she could only dodge 4 or 5 arms of lightning, but now, she could evade up to 15 of them! ¡¯Her speed has increased again.¡¯ Izroth realized that the lower Mona¡¯s HP decreased, the faster her speed seemed to be. ¡¯Is it the work of that hardcore effect?¡¯ The hardcore effect Mona received was called Quickened. From its name alone, it was not a crazy idea to assume that it had something to do with one¡¯s speed. However, in the end, it was only spection at this point. After receiving massive damage from Izroth¡¯s attack, the disks returned to Mona as a golden aura epassed her. "Change focus to Heski! Your main task is to survive, so don¡¯t take any unnecessary risks!" Zi Yi reminded. As long as they did not make any reckless errors, with Izroth¡¯s insane damage output, they should be able to secure the victory! Of course, they would not sit back and let Izroth do everything alone, but the overall ystyle of the raid group had transformed into one that was defensive and passive in nature. When Zi Yi gave themand, the members of the raid group wasted no time switching their focus to Heski. The raid group had experienced this before and knew that after one of the bosses received too much damage, they would enter into an absolute state of invulnerability. The good news was that the boss who entered into this state was incapable of taking action. Otherwise, if a boss went around with full invulnerability all the time, what could yers do but ept their fate? Although the invulnerability aura was not the unique thing about this fight, what came as a shock to the raid group was that the two bosses actually shared HP! This meant that when one of them received damage, the other¡¯s HP was reduced by the same amount¡ªeven if one of them were in their state of invulnerability. [Heski HP Remaining: 45.08%] [Mona HP Remaining: 45.08%] While it was a shock to the raid group, it was also a sense of relief. After all, fighting two raid boss monsters at full HP in one battle almost immediately after fighting waves of elite monsters would be too much¡ªeven for yers fully equipped in rare equipment. Of course, what helped to relieve most of the pressure of this fight was the temporary buff they obtained afterpleting the second phase of the raid, Touch of a Water Sprite. A 15% damage reduction along with the 0.5% HP and mana regeneration it provided reduced a lot of stress for the healers. Both Heski and Mona had a full arsenal of attacks at their disposal with no shortage of AOE skills. "Don¡¯t get cocky, Oversiders." Heski said as he charged towards Izroth with his arm gauntlet in front of his body using a skill that was eerily simr to a warrior¡¯s Unimpeded Rush! Izroth sidestepped the attack at thest moment as Heski sped past him. Then, in a fraction of time, Heski changed the direction after missing and targeted Halls, who held the second-highest aggro. Halls took a defensive stance, and just when Heski was about to crash into him, a thin transparent barrier formed on the surface of his shield. Ding! BANG! A loud crashing sound filled up the entire colosseum Heski¡¯s gauntlet met with Halls¡¯ shield. ?Blocked? -4,130 The next moment, Heski¡¯s shook violently as an overwhelming force swept across him. Then, a secondter, a streak of green light could be seen soaring away from Halls, and Heski, who was just there, had disappeared! But, in truth, he did not disappear. This was the effect of Halls¡¯ skill Rebound. Since Heski was moving at such great speeds, the impact of Halls¡¯ Rebound increased in strength and sent him flying back at a much greater distance than usual. After finding a rhythm to the battle and having avoided major mistakes along the way, the raid group swiftly shaved away at the HP of the boss monsters. 30%... 20%... 10%...! ¡´System Alert: Raid Boss Mona has entered into an enraged state!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Raid Boss Heski has entered into an enraged state!¡µ When Heski and Mona¡¯s HP reached the 10% mark, and they entered into an enraged state, an aura of invulnerability appeared around both of their bodies simultaneously. "Heski!" Mona cried out. "Mona!" Heski yelled. The colosseum began to shake violently as Heski and Mona rushed towards one another at full speed! Without stopping, the two collided and created arge discharge of green and silver lights. BOOOOOM! The walls of the colosseum copsed as water started to flood into the arena, quickly filling up every corner. If it were not for the Resistant To Flow passive, the raid group would have been scattered throughout the colosseum when the flood of water entered. Fortunately, it was simr to the water produced by the Great Tidal Wave, where they could move around freely¡ªfor the most part. Their movement speed was reduced by 10% as a side effect of the water. As for Heski and Mona, the two bosses were nowhere to be found! Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed two faint lights no bigger than a small marble in the near distance. One was green, and the other was silver. The danger from those lights far exceeded that of both Heski and Mona! ¡¯How strange.¡¯ Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense and soon discovered that something was off. The green and silver mes no longer existed! They had simply vanished into thin air! Now, what he sensed was a light green-silver me that was far more concentrated, connected, and violent in intent. -2,500 ... -2,500 All of a sudden, the raid group started to lose 2,500 HP per second¡ªregardless of their maximum health! Chapter 445 Emerging Victorious, An Unexpected Surprise? The clear water that flooded into the colosseum quickly turned dark and murky as it actively obstructed the vision of the raid group. It limited one¡¯s field of view to just five meters. A few of the supporters used the skill Illuminate to create a source of light and help ease the vision restrictions on the raid group. However, even with the effect of Illuminate, multiple sections of the water could not be covered by its shine. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Red Meadow has been marked for ?The Hunt?!¡µ "Where did this thinge from?" One of the Sleeping Gardenia yers known as Red Meadow, a supporter, eximed as a thin red ring of energy materialized around her. Less than a handful of seconds passed when the temperature of the water around Red Meadow suddenly dropped to freezing levels and became turbulent. Psst! Psst! Wooosh! Without warning, a streak of green and silver light epassed in a fierce aura shed past Red Meadow as the ring around her body was forcibly torn off and ripped to shreds! Red Meadow felt her heart sink as she virtually jumped out of her skin from the unexpected shock! Even though she was a supporter, she had no time to protect herself as things happened faster than her eyes could follow. But, at thest moment, just when the red ring was being torn to shreds, a protective barrier apanied by a holy aura covered Red Meadow from head to toe. ?Critical Hit? (-10,902) -10,349 826/11,175 [Red Meadow¡¯s HP Remaining] The protective barrier was shattered as Red Meadow¡¯s HP fell to critical levels! However, almost instantly after she had taken damage and just before the next tick of 2,500 damage went off, two waves of refreshing mana washed over Red Meadow and recovered a huge portion of her HP. +8,148 -2,500 +787 7,261/11,175 [Red Meadow¡¯s HP Remaining] "T-thank you, Luna." Red Meadow uttered as she looked over at Luna, who was just a couple of meters away from her. If it were not for Luna¡¯s quick reaction just now, Red Meadow knew that would have died in one hit! After all, as a supporter, her HP was not that impressive, to say the least. Not to mention, if Luna¡¯s heal just now had been even one second slower, she would have died from the 2,500 damage that the raid group was taking every second. This made is so that in less than a single breath, Luna had saved her life twice! Luna gave a small nod in response. However, she inwardly furrowed her brows at that surprise attack. To save Red Meadow, Luna used the A-ranked skill Protective Barrier. At its max rank, Protective Barrier reduced the damage of the first attack it encountered by 50%. This meant that the original damage of that attack was not around 20,000, but 40,000! Fortunately, she did not use a weaker barrier skill; otherwise, Red Meadow would not have survived. Once her Protective Barrier was destroyed, Luna immediately cast Holy sh Heal to restore Red Meadow¡¯s HP and followed it up with a Revitalizing Mist so that the rest of her missing HP would be restored over time. "If you¡¯re marked, call it out! Halls, protect any marked targets! Everyone, move closer to the center¡ªwe are tightening our formation!" Zi Yi stated as her eyes darted around the murky water in search of the missing boss monsters. "Got it!" Halls acknowledged. ¡¯The Heavenly Arms are not a good matchup against this kind of speed. How troublesome.¡¯ Moving that fast, Izroth understood that even if his initial attack struck its intended target, the arms of lightning would have trouble following such quick movements. Therefore, he decided to try a different method. The purple arms of lightning behind Izroth slowly shrunk until everyst one of them retreated into the purple ring at Izroth¡¯s back. When the final arm of lightning retracted into the purple ring, it vanished. Izroth actually canceled his Third State: Heavenly Arms! Once the light from his arms of lightning disappeared, the area surrounding Izroth descended into further darkness¡ªeven with the presence of the supporters using the Illuminate skill. Mariposa frowned when she saw that the light from Izroth¡¯s "lightning wings" disappeared. "Did his skill finally end? What bad timing..." Mariposa muttered. She was amazed that Izroth could maintain such a powerful skill for so long. So, a part of her was prepared for this moment. But, that did not make it any more pleasant. The raid group had tightened their formation as Zi Yimanded. As the supporters concentrated on keeping everyone¡¯s HP in a safe area from the damage over time effect, the raid group stayed silent. Many of the Sleeping Gardenia yers became anxious that they might be the next target. It was impossible to see through the cloudy water, and it seemed that no attacks were taking ce outside of "The Hunt". It was as if it were a great predator¡ªwatching its prey as it hunted. An alert sounded off that caused the most of the raid group to jump from being startled. Everyone had be so tense that the smallest thing started to get to them. One could tell that they were not used to experiencing this type of pressure firsthand. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Shao Qingge has been marked for ?The Hunt?!¡µ "Eh? Why me?!" Shao Qingge cried out after a red ring appeared around her. "This thing sure does like our supporters!" Halls said as he wasted no time and charged towards Shao Qingge¡¯s location. Ding! Bang! ?Blocked? ?Critical Hit? -14,720 22,603/42,323 [Hall¡¯s HP Remaining] Just as he arrived, Halls swung his shield forward as it crashed into something harder than steel and bounced off. Fortunately, he was able to intercept the attack in time before Shao Qingge was hit. Though his sess was in part due to his Soul Sense trait warning him of the potential danger. Woooosh! Woooosh! The moment after Halls was attacked, a flickering silhouette appeared next to him, followed by an immense amount of deadly killing intent that flooded that colosseum. The killing intent caused the raid group to shiver. -31,652 +1,899 The flickering silhouette that materialized next to Halls was none other than Izroth! He waited for the exact moment when the creature attacked and used the opportunity to strike. Just now, he used his Second Baneful Sword: Kill, however, the results were somewhat disappointing. Izroth wanted to use the Execute effect of his Second Baneful Sword: Kill to finish off the creature. After all, the lower their HP, the higher the chance that his Execute effect would activate sessfully. ¡¯Not yet.¡¯ Izroth shifted his sword stance for a split second as a second wave of killing intent swept out. Even though the wave killing intent this time around was weaker than that of the first strike, it matched Izroth¡¯s Second Baneful Sword: Kill perfectly. However, if one looked closely, they could see the faint shadow of a different sword stance that was not at all like the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. This phantom sword stance was the Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus, the sword form capable of copying thest sword skill Izroth used. This also meant that it was capable of replicating the Execute effect of Izroth¡¯s Second Baneful Sword: Kill! -6,330 Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.... Zing! Of course, this copied sword skill was naturally weaker than that of the original. But, in a sense, it still remained a perfect copy, and while the damage was not great, it was not Izroth¡¯s primary goal. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" A booming cream that sounded like a mixture of Heski and Mona¡¯s voices reverberated throughout the colosseum. The scream had a high-pitch to it, which caused the raid group to cover their ears for protection. At the same time, the water that flooded into the colosseum began to recede as the raid group¡¯s vision was restored. After the water cleared out, all that remained of Heski and Mona were their particles that drifted off into nothingness. There was a lingering silence that filled the colosseum at that moment. The only thing that could be heard by each yer was a flood of system alerts. But, this sound was blocked out by the members of Sleeping Gardenia as they were still in a state of disbelief. What just happened? Did they win? Were they really a part of defeating a hardcore raid? For most of the members of Sleeping Gardenia, this was something far off into the future! Who would have thought that it would be them, not the Lotus Guard, who were a part of their Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s first raid clear?! "We did it!" Shao Qinggee cheered, breaking the silence. The realization set in for the other members of Sleeping Gardenia as they could not help but celebrate along with Shao Qingge. Some of them even cried from happiness! This moment was huge, and they were lucky enough to be apart of it! The majority of them were prepared to die in this hardcore raid countless times, and yet, not a single one of them had experienced that misfortune. A hardcore raid without a single death? If they did not take part in it firsthand, then even they would have a difficult time believing it. A lovely smile appeared on Mariposa¡¯s face. She was worried towards the end when Izroth¡¯s skill ended. But, thankfully, everything turned out alright. No, everything turned out better than alright! Tonight, there would be a grand celebration for her Sleeping Gardenia! ¡´Battle Alert: Raid Boss Heski\u0026Mona has been affected by ?Execute?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Heski\u0026Mona!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 6,261,173 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Defeat boss monsters Heski, Angel of the Sea and Mona, Nimble Child of the Sea.¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Clear the Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted ?Final Phase: Colosseum of the Great Sea Pce?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the raid ?Great Sea Pce?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first raid group to clear ?Great Sea Pce? and have been rewarded! Would you like to announce it to the world?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first raid group to clear ?Great Sea Pce? on the Hardcore difficulty and have been rewarded! Would you like to announce it to the world?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first raid group to set a clear record under 30 minutes for the ?Great Sea Pce? and have been rewarded! Would you like to announce it to the world?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... As the members of Sleeping Gardenia celebrated and alerts sounded one after the other, something that dropped among the loot immediately caught Izroth¡¯s eye. ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ Halls, who was next to Izroth and whose eyes could not help but be drawn to the loot as he, too, recognized the same item as Izroth. But, he did not believe he saw things correctly as he rubbed his eyes and stared on in disbelief. "Brother, how many lucky stars were you born under in this lifetime?" Halls sighed in admiration. His brother¡¯s luck was just too good! Chapter 446 Coughing Up Blood! ... Asgard had finally reached the gates of the magic capital city of Proximus. He originally intended to return to Amaharpe to visit the Guild Manager; however, he could not wait that long. In his excitement, he changed his course at full speed to the closer magic capital city. However, Asgard had darkened facial expression and was currently in a bad mood. Why was this? It was because a wave of world announcements went off during his journey that caused his stomach to churn. Someone had actually beaten the Great Sea Pce raid! But, it was not this that bothered him the most. This group had done so on the Hardcore difficulty and set the first clear record under 30 minutes! How ridiculous was that?! However, what truly disturbed him was the yers whose names appeared on the world announcement as members of the raid group¡ªtwo, in particr, Mariposa and Izroth. With the world announcement listed Mariposa as the leader of the raid party, this was sure to boost Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s fame and draw in numerous lucrative sponsorships. As for the other yers, who were not a part of Izroth¡¯s main group, for the most part, they were a bunch of nobodies! Asgard recognized a few names and knew that they were members of Sleeping Gardenia, but they were only elite yers. There was not a single member of the Lotus Guard present among them! If that was the case, how could they ovee a hardcore raid so fast? A bug? Glitch? Whatever it was, he had to find out one way or another! This secret was too big for Sleeping Gardenia to keep to themselves. "I don¡¯t know how they did it, but the other top guilds won¡¯t allow them to monopolize whatever method they used." Asgard said as he released a deep sigh. Today was one of mixed feelings and uncertainty. The acquiring of territory for his Blue Oasis had been dyed, he lost a valuable Captain, and his hope of ever bing close to the Pill Emperor was now a mere dream after offending Izroth. However, despite all of this, there was one good thing that came out of all of it. Asgard stared at the Guild Order in his hands. The rewards and benefits of being the first official guild in RML would not be any less than that of owning one¡¯s own territory. This would be a massive advantage over the other top guilds who would bete and still struggling to acquire an official status as a guild. "Once my Blue Oasis bes the first official guild in RML, there will be many doors of opportunity that appear before us. What is done is done and cannot be changed." Asgard did not regret the choices he made in the slightest. In the end, in addition to the Guild Order, his Blue Oasis obtained several rare-quality pieces of equipment, useful crafting materials, and even an epic-quality magic staff! The losses were great, but the overall gains remained in favor of his Blue Oasis. After stepping through the gates of the magic capital city of Proximus, it did not take long for Asgard to find the Guild Administration Office building where the Guild Manager was located. Asgard walked into the building with a broad smile on his face¡ªhis darkened facial expression had disappeared in this moment of happiness. The inside was incredibly spacious, and the decor looked refined, as well as expensive. Besides the NPCs, the Guild Administration Office was utterly empty. Of course, this was to be expected seeing as how there were no official guilds currently within RML. Asgard approached one of the female NPCs who stood behind a gorgeous wooden counter. She was a member of the Trephasia race, and as such, her beauty was well above average. NPC Name: Teresia(Guild Manager) NPC Level: 12 "Hello, young hero. Wee to the Guild Administration Office. My name is Teresia¡ªhow many I assist you today?" Teresia spoke using a professional mannerism. Asgard happily replied, "I would like to register a g-" ¡´World Announcement: Congrattions to yer Mariposa for bing the first yer to register their guild ?Sleeping Gardenia? officially! They have been rewarded for their efforts!¡µ After the world announcement sounded, Asgard immediately fell silent. He must have just been hearing things... Yes, that was it. He was just hearing things! However, reality quickly set in as Asgard reviewed his system logs, as well as received a barrage of system messages from the Captains of his Blue Oasis. "..." In that instant, Asgard¡¯s mind turned nk. How was this possible? How did Sleeping Gardenia obtain a Guild Order? From the raid? Absurd! Since when did Guild Orders drop so frequently?! A few seconds¡ªif he were just a few seconds faster then... "Sir?" Teresia was confused by Asgard¡¯s sudden silence mid-sentence. Out of pure anger, Asgard actually coughed up blood in the real world! This had to be a bad dream, right? Losing Niflheim, a potential close ally, the chance to obtain a valuable territory, an alliance with Cross Haven¡ªwhat was it all for? Nothing! It was all for nothing! When those thoughts entered into Asgard¡¯s mind, it caused him to cough up blood once again! He actually had to logout in order to prevent the system from activating its emergency protocol and locking him out of the game for two weeks! Asgard¡¯s n to be the first guild in RML was ruined! ... A few moments earlier... "Brother, just how many lucky stars were you born under?" Halls asked. Izroth only gave a carefree smile in return as he picked up a simple-looking scroll that had fallen in the loot pile. Not too long after Izroth picked up the scroll, Mariposa made her way over. She wanted to thank Izroth for this aplishment personally. Even if she were not listed as the raid party leader, this victory would still be a tremendous spike in poprity for her Sleeping Gardenia! As for the loot, Mariposa had no intention demanding that Izroth divide it fairly. After all, although her Sleeping Gardenia helped out a bit, she knew that it could not begin topare to Izroth¡¯s contribution. If she brought up contribution, then she would only be embarrassing herself. Not to mention, the luck of her Sleeping Gardenia seemed to be at an all-time high today. Not one, not two¡ªbut, including herself, four members of her Sleeping Gardenia had all received an Epic Equipment Treasure Chest frompleting the Final Phase! This meant that her Sleeping Gardenia was now in possession of a total of five epic-quality pieces of equipment! This put Sleeping Gardenia leagues ahead of the other top guilds. "Izroth-" However, before Mariposa could open her mouth to thank Izroth, something flew towards her and caused Mariposa to instinctively catch it in her hands. "This is my gift to your Sleeping Gardenia for apanying me." Izroth stated casually. Mariposa kept a straight face; however, she inwardly frowned when she noticed what Izroth had tossed her. It was just a in-looking scroll. From the looks alone, she could tell that it was amon item. Was this his way of mocking her Sleeping Gardenia? No, Mariposa knew that Izroth did not have that type of personality. After all, how would she be associate with someone who had such a foul character? However, the instant Mariposa examined the item through the system interface, she frozen as her heart skipped a beat. Her hands shook slightly; however, it was not due to fear or nervousness¡ªbut shock and excitement. It was Guild Order! A real Guild Order! This was the first-ever Guild Order to be discovered in RML¡ªas far as Mariposa knew. What was going on today? This was not a dream, right? The luck of her Sleeping Gardenia did not seem to be slowing down today! Being the first to clear a Hardcore raid, acquiring four epic-quality items, and now, they had been gifted a Guild Order as if it were just a random scrap of paper. But, Izroth did not stop there. In addition, he transferred the raid party leader position over to Mariposa as she was hit by a wave of system alerts asking her to confirm multiple things. For the first time in a long time, Mariposa was rendered speechless. How would she pay Izroth back? In just one day, he had done so much for her Sleeping Gardenia, and yet, they had not given anything that came even close in return! Money? Izroth was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce¡ªhis profit could probably already bepared to that of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s annual budget. Power? What power did she have to give him in RML? Influence? He was the mysterious Pill Emperor that everyone wanted to meet and be close to! That was when Mariposa remembered Izroth¡¯s words on that day. "What I desire is something not easily given, but oftentimes be easily misced. I desire an ally I can trust. An ally whose word binds stronger than any contract." These were Izroth¡¯s exact words. At first, Mariposa was still somewhat skeptical; after all, who in this day of age went by one¡¯s word alone? But, the more she interacted with Izroth, the more she felt that he was being sincere at that time. Now, after today, if there was still even the smallest shred of doubt that existed, it had been thoroughly extinguished. Even though her advisors thought she was crazy for doing so, on that day, Mariposa chose to trust her instinct and tore up the contract, agreeing to be Izroth¡¯s ally by word alone. However, who would have thought such a casual act of recklessness would result in the countless benefits her Sleeping Gardenia received by being associated with Izroth? It was as if good fortune was naturally drawn to him and those around him! Mariposa was so taken aback and lost in her excitement that she had forgotten to thank Izroth and immediately did so. From his supply of pills to this Guild Order and handing over the raid party leader position to her¡ªIzroth would forever be a great benefactor of her Sleeping Gardenia. "This is the first Guild Order to appear in RML. Izroth, if you ever need anything from my Sleeping Gardenia, do not hesitate to ask. We will answer your call." Mariposa said in a grateful and earnest tone. "The first? I am afraid you are mistaken¡ªthis is not the first Guild Order to be discovered. If I were you, I would hurry, Guild Leader Mariposa." Izroth stated with a carefree smile; however, his eyes had a certain look to them that caused Mariposa to connect some missing pieces instantly. "Everyone, I¡¯m heading teleporting back to Amaharpe immediately! Izroth is in-charge, and those who do not obey his orders will have to answer to me!" Mariposa said as she quickly left the raid group and transported out of the raid. Chapter 447 Izroths Message and Message Received! The yers from Sleeping Gardenia were startled by Mariposa¡¯s hurried actions. For some reason, their guild leader seemed to be in a hurry and left without exining anything to them! However, how could Mariposa afford to sit idle after hearing Izroth¡¯s words? If what she believed he meant was true, then it may exin what happened between Izroth and Blue Oasis. But, more importantly, she had to hurry back to Amaharpe! As soon as Mariposa was outside of the raid, she immediately used a high-quality Returning Scroll to teleport directly back to Amaharpe. Fortunately, she had not used a Returning Scroll in thest 24 hours; otherwise, she would have had to journey to the nearest capital city on foot! Even at she moved at her top speed, it would take her somewhere between half an hour to an hour¡ªthat was not time she could afford to waste. After Mariposa took her leave from the raid group, the members of Sleeping Gardenia could not contain their festive spirits. When the World Announcement officially sounded, the reality of it had thoroughly set in. Not to mention, Izroth was kind enough to give the raid leader position to their guild leader before she left so that it disyed her as the party leader! With this, Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s name would forever be remembered in RML as the first guild to clear a raid. Though, of course, they knew that none of this would be possible if it were not for the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. In fact, many of the Sleeping Gardenia yers had begun to eye Izroth in a more than friendly manner. Since he was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, he did notck wealth and influence. But, after seeing the way hepletely dominated the raid using an overwhelming show of force, they knew that his future in RML would reach the pinnacle. Unfortunately, none of them dared to make a move on him. After all, even though Zi Yi denied it, they all still believed that Izroth was her man. This caused a look of disappointment to sh in the eyes of the Sleeping Gardenia yers. ¡¯I have quite a few messages to go over.¡¯ Izroth was viewing his system logs and noticed that he received a flood of messages from yers such as Ewan, Mirage, Metronome, Worldly Skies, Gu Chao¡ªand these were just some of the yers! "Hahaha! I bet those ungrateful dogs from Blue Oasis must be shocked out of their mind! Also, heh, brother, you¡¯re quite popr now." Guan Yu stated with a grin on his face as he walked over to join Izroth and Halls, followed by Luna, Zi Yi, and Valentine. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Guan Yu¡¯s statement. While the women from Sleeping Gardenia were all beauties in their own right, that was only by this world¡¯s standards. As someone who came from the Seven Realms, they could only be considered average at best. "Congrattions." Luna said to Izroth as a light smile appeared on her face. Izroth gave a nod of thanks in response, apanied by a carefree smile as he said, "It went smoother than expected thanks to everyone¡¯s hard work." Valentine added on as he nced over at Luna, "It would seem he¡¯s not the only one who is popr." At the moment, all the supporters from Sleeping Gardenia, especially Red Meadow, who Luna saved earlier, had a look of admiration and awe as they kept sneaking nces at Luna. One could tell that they wanted to approach her, however, to those that did not know her, Luna gave off a cold and distant aura. Therefore, she was not the easiest individual to approach, and so, they only admired her from afar. Not only was she beautiful, but her skills as a supporter were extraordinary. They felt that even those supporters in the Lotus Guard could only take a back seat to her! How was someone like her not well-known in RML? After some small chat for a few minutes and congratting Izroth, Zi Yi asked, "Why did you give such a grand achievement to my elder sister and Sleeping Gardenia?" Zi Yi could already guess the reason; however, she wanted to hear it from Izroth himself. After all, while the other may not be aware of it, she was informed when it came to some of Izroth¡¯s more hidden objects. "It is important that top guilds like Blue Oasis understand my policy. I always repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. If one chooses to ignore this, then they will only have themselves to me." Izroth responded in a carefree tone. Zi Yi sighed as she said, "I see, though, it is a shame that Blue Oasis still walked away with that Guild Order. After they be the first guild in RML, I am afraid that they will only grow stronger." Halls burst out into a fit ofughter after hearing Zi Yi¡¯s words. His actions caused the others to look at him in a questioning matter. Did something funny happen that they were unaware of? Halls finally calmed down as he held his stomach afterughing so hard and said, "Zi Yi, do you think my brother is so light-handed?" "Hm? What are you talking about?" Zi Yi questioned. However, as if hearing her question, a world announcement went off! At first, the raid group was surprised. After all, world announcements were not something that happened every day. However, once they grasped the contents of the world announcement, excluding Halls, a dumbfounded expression found its way onto their faces! ¡´World Announcement: Congrattions to yer Mariposa for bing the first yer to register their guild ?Sleeping Gardenia? officially! They have been rewarded for their efforts!¡µ The first official guild in RML had been born! Except, it was not Blue Oasis as they thought it would be, but rather Sleeping Gardenia! What was going on? Didn¡¯t Izroth hand over the Guild Order to Niflheim, who gave it to Asgard? Shouldn¡¯t it be Asgard and Blue Oasis whose name was being disyed for the world to see? However, after Halls exined to them that a Guild Order appeared in the loot, they were in a state of disbelief. They encountered a Guild Order not once¡ªbut twice in the same day? The amount of luck required for that was absurd! Who would believe them if they told this story?! Zi Yi had a helpless expression on her face as she shook her head and stated, "Blue Oasis must be drowning in anger right now. I guess the old saying ¡¯There isfort after victory¡¯ is true." "Hahaha! I wish I were there to see the looks on their faces in person! Hmph, they dared to offend my brother, they should already have been prepared for the consequences!" Guanmented. In his eyes, those who broke their promises were worth nothing! After all, how could a real man go back on his promise and abandon theirrade in the process?! When the yers from Sleeping Gardenia saw the world announcement, they did not believe their eyes. So this was why their guild leader left in such a hurry! Not only were they the first guild to clear a raid and hardcore raid, but now, they were also the first guild to be listed officially¡ªall on the same day! "Alright, it¡¯s time to divide the loot." Izroth said as he removed all the equipment from his inventory. He had already given Mariposa and Sleeping Gardenia more than enough; therefore, this loot was something he reserved explicitly for himself and those of his main group. ... Meanwhile, the world was currently was in an uproar over the wave of world announcements¡ªfrom the top guilds to the casual yers¡ªthere was no exception! Not only had a raid been cleared, but it was on hardcore mode! In addition, the first official guild was created! Who was behind all of this? It was none other than Sleeping Gardenia and their guild leader, Mariposa! At the moment, the world chat was going crazy! "Sleeping Gardenia? Isn¡¯t that the guild full of beauties? I thought for sure it would be Blue Oasis!" "How did they clear a hardcore raid? Hacks? Bugs?" "Has to be a major bug exploit! How can someone beat a hardcore raid this early? Devs, fix your broken game!" "I didn¡¯t know Sleeping Gardenia was so strong. I want to apply now. :)" "LF e-girl! WTB you a full set of umon equipment among other things! Hit me up if you¡¯re interested!" "Brother, I¡¯m a guy, but I¡¯ll be your e-girl! How about gifting me that equipment set?" ... In another part of RML... "Was that Jin¡¯s name just now? Did he do something amazing?" Reilei said in a slightly excited tone. "Hey, Realistic! We¡¯re going to leave you behind if you get lost again!" A voice called out to Reilei. "Ah, sorry! I¡¯ming!" Reilei said as she snapped out of it and hurried over to join the group of yers. "Heh, what¡¯s this? When did our Shuyi grow a soft spot?" Phoenix teased as she giggled. "Hmph! I just don¡¯t want to have to go find her again if she gets lost!" Shuyi replied as he continued to walk forward. Phoenix shook her head. He said one thing but meant another. In truth, at first, Phoenix did not like Shuyi or his arrogant character. But, she soon discovered that he was just an honest person who was not good at expressing himself with words. "Those brats, are they up to no good again?" Two Tons asked as he saw that Reilei hade alone. "As long as Xiao Liang¡¯s there, they will be fine." Reilei replied with a smile on her face. She then called out, "Xiao Liang! Ayanellia! We¡¯re leaving!" A few momentster, a young doe came running out of a nearby thicket towards Reilei. The young doe was just a bit smaller than an ordinary young deer; however, its antlers were muchrger. Another strange thing was that there was a rotating sphere of energy that resembled a small world no bigger than one¡¯s fist at the tip of its right antler. This young doe was none other than Ayanellia¡ªand she had grown since thest time. Nyu! Nyu! Nyu! Ayanellia seemed upset about something from its wronged expression and tone. "Hey, Ayanellia! Don¡¯t run away! I saw that herb first, but you ate it! Let this big brother retrieve it from your stomach!" The voice of a youthful voice sounded out. A couple of secondster, a young boy jumped out of the same thickets that Ayanellia had juste through. The young boy stood around 125cm tall with short bluish-purple hair, sharp teeth, and crystal blue eyes with elliptical pupils. "This brat¡ªare you picking on Ayanellia again, Xiao Liang?!" Phoenix scoffed. "Eh? Is someone talking? My hearing isn¡¯t good, so I don¡¯t know¡ªif someone is talking, that is." The young boy was, in fact, the same little lizard-like creature that had apanied Reilei for so long¡ªXiao Liang! "Xiao Liang, behave yourself." Reilei said in a slightly helpless manner as she gently petted Ayanellia¡¯s head to calm her down. "Yes~" Xiao Liang responded unenthusiastically with a wide grin on his face. "Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll bete for the local event!" Two Tons warned as he called for Reilei and Phoenix. "Yes!" Reilei and Phoenix responded before hurrying to join the rest of their party! "Jin, what sort of amazing things are you doing right now?" Reilei questioned to herself with a lovely smile on her face. ... Back in the Great Sea Pce raid... ¡¯It¡¯s time to leave this ce.¡¯ Izroth had sessfully divided up the loot and was still left with several pieces of rare-quality high-level equipment for himself. Of course, this would go straight to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Just as Izroth left the raid group and prepared to exit the Great Sea Pce with everyone, he suddenly received a message via the system from a yer. The message hade from someone who Izroth did not expect to hear back from so soon, Azalea Wraith! As for the message she sent, it was short and to the point. ¡´System Alert: yer Azalea Wraith has sent you a message, "Teacher, I have found it."¡µ ¡¯Oh? She moved quicker than I expected.¡¯ Chapter 448 A Dejected Blue Oasis, The Headhunter Syndicate Calls! ... The next day... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ Afterpleting the raid yesterday, Izroth decided to log off and handle a few matters in the real world. Since he now had capital, many impossible things had be a possibility. Now, all he had to do was wait for the pieces to fall into ce. At the moment, Izroth was in Amaharpe at his Mystical Realm Pce inside of the room he used for pill crafting. ¡¯I still have some time before meeting with the Headhunter Syndicate. Until then, I should restock the Mystical Realm Pce. As for the other matter, there is no rush. I will look into it after I finish things with the Headhunter Syndicate.¡¯ The matter Izroth was referring to had to do with the message Azalea sent him yesterday as he was leaving the Great Sea Pce raid. Though it was not a pressing issue; therefore, Izroth decided to dy it until after he met with the Headhunter Syndicate. ¡¯Let¡¯s get started.¡¯ Izroth removed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory and ced it at the center of the room. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Amaharpe at the temporary Blue Oasis headquarters... At the moment, there was a silent and gloomy atmosphere in the room. Gathered in this room were the high ranking members of Blue Oasis. This included the guild leaders, captains, and the lieutenants of each squad. The members of Blue Oasis were sat at arge round table after they arrived nearly 15 minutes ago, and since then, there had been nothing but silence. Today was supposed to be a day of celebration. After all, they had be an official guild in RML! However, despite this fact, no one was in the mood to celebrate. Naturally, they had all seen the world announcements yesterday and heard of what took ce beforehand between their guild and the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. How could they not be dejected? They were so close to being the first official guild in RML, and yet it was snatched from them right under their noses! The one with the most darkened facial expression, however, was none other than Asgard. A few seconds... The difference was only a few seconds! If only his Returning Scroll was not on cooldown or he left immediately after obtaining it, then this would not have happened! However, how could he know what Sleeping Gardenia would also acquire a Guild Order? Since when were Guild Orders so easily obtained? Even though they weremon quality, its drop rate astronomically low! But, this was not even the worse part! Now, Cross Haven was fully aware of the territory they wanted to obtain. Not to mention, they don¡¯t know how, but the other top guilds also got their hands on this information. So, currently, Blue Oasis was being pressured from all sides to disclose the method of obtaining territory. This would negate their previous advantage! Then there was the fact that they lost one of their captains, Niflheim. Although they had a Guild Order because of it, given that they were not the first official guild, it was not worth it. For now, Nidavellir was filling in for Niflheim, but that was not a long term solution. Somehow, they had to win him back over! Unfortunately, their losses did not end here. They had offended Izroth, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. This meant that they indirectly offended the Pill Emperor, who was behind him. Would he take action and restrict them from essing his shop? If that happened, the gap between them and the other top guilds would increase before they knew it. That¡¯s why they had to find this second Pill Emperor and win them over no matter the cost. "Have you located the head of the Fireheart Apothecary Society yet...?" Asgard asked in a stale tone as he broke the silence. "Yes, thanks to the hard work of Captain Abstract and the 5th squad. But, we have not been able to make contact with them. I have discovered their base of operations; however, they seem to be preparing for a major move. I have some people asking around in that area. We should have some good news within a few days." Nidavellir responded. "Good, we um... Need to keep..." Asgard rubbed the temples on his forehead as his words seemed to stray off. One could tell that he was having a hard time with the recent events. "One of our Lieutenants Olohas and a core member by the name of Sacred de, have submitted their letter of resignation. There are also some other yers from the 7th squad who are following in their footsteps. How should we handle this matter?" Nidavellir stated. Niflheim was well respected and loved as the Captain of his squad. Therefore, it was not surprising that his Lieutenant, Olohas, and some other yers of the 7th squad wanted to resign. However, Asgard remained silent at the question as if he had not even heard Nidavellir speak just now. Complex Assault saw this and furrowed his brows as he said, "Offer a small incentive to those of the 7th squad who have not put in for their resignation. When they see the benefits of staying, more will be reluctant to leave. As for Lieutenant Olohas and Sacred de¡ªthere is nothing we can do about these two. If they wish to resign, so be it." Asgard stood up from his seat, which caused everyone to fall silent as their sights fell onto him. But, surprisingly, Asgard had not uttered a single word as he simply walked towards the door and left the Blue Oasis temporary headquarters. Abstract sighed, "What are we going to do now? Something has to be done about this depressing atmosphere." "Vanaheim, besides our guild leader, you¡¯re the closest to Niflheim. Do you think you can convince him to return?" Nidavellir asked. Vanaheim, however, shook her head and replied, "I am afraid that is impossible. He is a prideful man. Once he does something, he will follow through until the end." "Bullshit! If he were a real man, he wouldn¡¯t have abandoned us over some small verbal promise! Hmph, I always said he gave too much face to that Izroth guy. Now, look where it got him." Peaceful Chaos scoffed. "I suppose a real man is someone who goes back on their word and talks ill of others behind their back." Vanaheim stated as she narrowed her eyes as her voice turned cold. "You-!" Peaceful Chaos was about abrupt in anger; however, someone immediately cut him off. "Enough! We are already in this situation! Thest thing we need is for our Captains to be fighting amongst themselves! For now, we will give our guild leader some time to straighten internal things out. Until then, I will take over decision making." Complex Assault dered. He then continued, "We need to focus on recovering from our losses. Everyone will coordinate with Captain Nidavellir. Captain Abstract and the 5th squad will continue to look into the second Pill Emperor¡ªthis is a top priority as we cannot afford to be the only top guild without ess to grade three pills. Meeting adjourned!" Complex Assault dismissed everyone as he, too, took his leave. Thest two yers to leave were Vanaheim and Abstract. However, just before leaving, Abstract called out to Vanaheim. "Captain Vanaheim, wait a moment." Abstract said. "Hm? Do you need something, Captain Abstract?" Vanaheim asked as she turned to face Abstract. "Yes, however, I had to wait until everyone else left as this subject is quite sensitive." Abstract stated in a grave tone. He then continued, "I did some digging and found that something is off. I don¡¯t believe that Ewan found the Settlement of Clearwater by chance. Also, the rumor about the territory that spread around¡ªthis is not by chance. After piecing everything together, I discovered something unsettling. However, this stays between the two of us. Right now, besides you who I cleared, there is no one else I can trust." Vanaheim furrowed her brows. What could be so important that Abstract could not inform the other captains or even the guild leaders themselves? Vanaheim nodded and replied, "Alright, as long as it does not go against what I stand for, then you can trust that I will keep this a secret." "Remember, what I¡¯m about to tell you is purely circumstantial. However, I believe that, without a doubt, one of the Captains from our Blue Oasis is a mole." Abstract said. Vanaheim¡¯s eyes widened in shock, "Ridiculous...!" How could one of their Captains be a mole? One did not simply be a Captain of Blue Oasis without a thorough investigation and inquiry! "At first, I was reluctant to believe it, too. But it is the truth. There is a saying that the greatest empires fall not from an outside enemy, but from within. If we do not discover this mole, then our Blue Oasis may very well continue down this path of destruction." Abstract stated. Vanaheim understood that Abstract would not have even mentioned this if it was not a real possibility; therefore, she could not simply dismiss it. Just when they needed Niflheim the most... Vanaheim released a deep sigh. It was toote. Now, all they could do was try to uncover this mole¡ªif they indeed did exist. "What can I do?" Vanaheim asked. While she was still skeptical, for now, she would see what facts Abstract had to present. After all, if word got out that a Captain of Blue Oasis was actually a mole, it would throw the top guilds into a state of internal panic! Infiltrating a top guild to that level was practically unheard of! ... Meanwhile, back at the Mystical Realm Pce... ¡¯That should do it.¡¯ Izroth had just finished crafting the pills and restocked the Mystical Realm Pce. While he did not mind crafting pills, it was not sustainable long term. After all, if he had to take a journey far away from the Mystical Realm Pce for weeks in-game time, how would pills be made without him there? That was why he looked forward to Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society¡¯s move into his Mystical Realm Pce. If he could entrust the task of pill crafting to them, then it would free up a lot of his time in the future. Not long after he finished restocking the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth received a message alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: yer Menerva has sent you a message, "Hello, Izroth. Is this a good time? If so, I have affixed a set of coordinates at the end of this message. The Headhunter Syndicate looks forward to your advent. Coordinates..."¡µ ¡¯Looks like it¡¯s time. I hope you do not disappoint me, Headhunter Syndicate.¡¯ Chapter 449 Meeting The Headhunter Syndicate ... Izroth followed the coordinates sent by Menerva and arrived at a remote corner of Amaharpe. There was minimal yer traffic, and even the presence of NPCs wasckingpared to the whole of Amaharpe. At the moment, Izroth stood before an old yet sturdy building. It was one of the few buildings on the street that did not lookpletely rundown. ¡¯These are the correct coordinates, however...¡¯ Based on the rumors Izroth heard floating around, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate were haughty and prideful. Therefore, how could this small and in building be their headquarters? Most likely, it was a ce where they conducted meetings like the one with Izroth. ¡¯Not much is known about the inner workings of the Headhunter Syndicate. Their main headquarters is also well hidden. The people behind this guild are quite sly.¡¯ The Headhunter Syndicate had an advantage that no other top guild in RML possessed, and that was the fact that they werepletely unheard of before RML! While they could gather information on top guilds with rtive ease, it was challenging for other top guilds to do the same with them. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth looked towards the door as he heard footsteps approaching. A couple of secondster, someone opened the door. It was a woman approximately 150cm with perfectly neat purple hair that stopped right at her shoulders, eyes the color of honey topaz, and indifferent facial expression. But, despite her impassive expression, her looks were above average. What stood out the most, however, was that she wore purple and golden leather-type equipment with a beautiful longbow on her back that was almost twice her size! How would one even go about wielding such a massive longbow? "It is an honor to receive you, owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth." The woman spoke in an unhurried and formal manner. The moment Izroth heard the woman speak, he immediately recognized her voice. He had spoken to her once before via the system voice chat. Izroth nodded as he said, "You must be Menerva." "Indeed, that is the alias I have inherited," Menerva replied. She then continued, "If you will follow me, I shall guide you to the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate. He is anxious to meet with the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce." ¡¯How formal.¡¯ Menerva appeared to be in herte-teens to early-twenties¡ªit was challenging to find someone that age who was so overly formal. Izroth apanied Menerva into the building as the door automatically closed behind them. The inside was not very spacious and consisted of a narrow hallway with a single door at the end. This meant that there was only one way in and one way out. Of course, the Headhunter Syndicate did not own this ce and could only rent it temporarily. After all, obtaining permission to ownnd was not something just anyone could do, and this included the top guilds. Menerva stopped at the door before knocking once so that those inside were aware of her arrival. Then, exactly five secondster, she opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing a decent size room with a wooden small wooden table at its center that only seated two. "Reporting¡ªthe owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth, has arrived." Menerva announced as Izroth stepped into the room. ¡¯To think they would have thebat safety restrictions off. How bold.¡¯ The first thing Izroth did when he entered the room was to scan his surroundings. In total, excluding Menerva and himself, there were five yers present. Four of the yers stood at different corners of the room and were hidden in the dark corners. As for thest yer, he was sat at the small wooden table with his fingers connected. He disyed a look of arrogance and confidence as he sized-up Izroth. "I am Vault, the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate. I¡¯m d you could make it, Izroth. We have much to discuss that will benefit both of us. No need to stand on ceremony, have a seat." The yer who sat at the table spoke as he introduced himself. When Vault examined Izroth, he frowned inwardly. Why did this person seem so familiar? He tried to remember where he saw Izroth before; however, he could not remember. Therefore, he figured that if they did ever meet, it must have just been passing by one another. But, the moment Izroth saw this yer, his eyes turned cold. It was rare that Izroth exhibited such behavior before someone he had never met before; however, there was a part of him that wanted this person to suffer. ¡¯So, your hatred is this strong, after all.¡¯ Izroth instantly regained himself as a carefree expression appeared on his face. What he just experienced was not the sole manifestation of his own feelings, but rather, his body¡¯s original owner caused the intense hatred! Though Izroth understood just where this hatred came from, after all, how could someone not hate the person who betrayed them and thenter left them for dead? Vault, the guilder leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, was none other than Jin¡¯s ex-best friend, Wendell! This was the person who abandoned him, stole his girlfriend, and then left him for dead in the middle of the street after running him over! Not to mention, he dared even to have thoughts of striking Reilei! However, from his reaction, Vault did not appear to recognize Izroth. But, this was to be expected. After all, Izroth had undergone a metamorphosis thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body. Not to mention, in Vault¡¯s mind, it was impossible for someone like Jin to be so well known. He was just another nobody¡ªin the real world and RML. Izroth decided to y along, for now, to see what he was up to. But, one thing was for sure. Now that he knew the identity of the person behind the Headhunter Syndicate, it was not a matter of how, but when they would be exterminated! ¡¯Enjoy what little power and time you have left.¡¯ Izroth knew that even if he were to kill Vault once or twice in-game, given the pure quantity of members in the Headhunter Syndicate, it would be impossible to destroy them at their roots with such small thinking. Fortunately, the perfect opportunity would soon show itself! The world event that was just nine days away, or 27 days in-game time¡ªthe First Deration of War! If they dared to choose the side of the Shadahi, it would be the perfect time to cut them at their roots! Until then, Izroth decided to bide his time. After all, this was only the first step towards keeping the promise he made with the original owner of his body. By the time he was done, the name Vault and Wendell would not even be a whisper in the wind! "My time is precious, guild leader Vault. So, if you have something to say, then you can just say it." Izroth stated nonchntly. Vault grinned and replied, "Good! Very good! I like those who do not beat around the bush about matters! Then, I¡¯ll speak inly. Join my Headhunter Syndicate and convince the Pill Emperor to be our exclusive pill supplier. If you do this, then I can guarantee you that whatever you want¡ªmoney, fame, power, woman¡ªall you have to do is say the word, and it will be yours. Of course, we will also be taking over direct ownership of the Mystical Realm Pce." ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth obviously had no intention of epting his deal. Even if they were on good terms with one another, in the end, it would be Izroth¡¯s loss in the long term. What surprised him was that Vault did not seem to know of his identity as the Pill Emperor! Izroth nced towards Menerva, who maintained a neutral expression. It was Menerva who had deduced his identity as the Pill Emperor. She previously informed Izroth that not even the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate his status as the Pill Emperor. However, based on what he knew about the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth found it difficult to believe that one of its members would hide such vital information from their guild leader. That was when one simple question came to Izroth¡¯s mind¡ªwhy? Why had Menerva chosen to keep it a secret? Gain his trust? It was unlikely seeing as how she knew little to nothing about him. Of course, what Izroth found the most bizarre was that someone with Menerva¡¯s talent and demeanor worked for Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate. Although they had not exchanged too many words, Izroth understood that Menerva was not just some nobody. In terms of readability, she hid herself even more profoundly than the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. Izroth did not know what method Vault used to pull someone of Menerva¡¯s caliber over to his side, but he would not be surprised if he used some underhanded tactics. After all, this was a person who was willing to leave someone he once called his best friend to die! "I will have to decline your offer. Money? I do notck it. Fame? Just yesterday, I helped to clear a hardcore raid. Along with my status as the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, Ick not in this area either. Power? If I said I was second, who would dare im to be first? Women? Even if you searched the entire world twice, with just you, how could you find a woman worthy of me that I cannot find myself?" Izroth replied in a calm and carefree tone. When Vault heard those words, his facial expression instantly darkened. This Izroth person was too arrogant! Did he genuinely believe that just because he was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, that their power and influence could be considered equal? Just by talking to him face to face, Vault felt that he was already giving Izroth more than enough face. Yet, he dared to spit on this favor? Audacious! "I urge you to reconsider, Izroth. In life, one must learn to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. There are people who you can and cannot afford to offend¡ªalways a higher peak to be reached. Do not allow your modest achievements and pride to get the better of you. Otherwise, you will wake up one day, finding that all you once had, has been lost." Vault stated coldly. "You should be careful with your words, guild leader Vault. That almost sounded like a threat." Izroth said as he narrowed his eyes. "Hear it as you will; however, that does not change the fact that the words I speak are the truth." Vault responded. "Is this the legendary sincerity of the Headhunter Syndicate?" Izroth asked. "When my Headhunter Syndicate shows its ¡¯sincerity¡¯, trust me, you will know." Vault said. An eerie silence entered the room as the atmosphere became intense. It looked as if a fight could break out at any moment! Chapter 450 Secret To The Headhunter Syndicates Success, Benefits of the Great Sea Palace Raid! The yers hidden in the corners of the room prepared themselves to make a move at any time. As long as Vault gave the word or Izroth tried anything¡ªthey would not hesitate to cut him down! Izroth, however, was not intimidated by the presence of those four yers. He found it assuming that they thought he had not discovered them yet just because they were stealth. After all, how could they escape the detection of his Energy Vision Sense? "Perhaps you need more time to reconsider." Vault said as he red at Izroth. When was thest time someone dared to deny him? After his father came across some money several years ago, his family¡¯s connections, influence, power, and wealth had been in a constant state of growth! While it could not bepared to those top families, they were still not someone a nobody like Izroth could afford to offend. If he wanted something, just a single word should be enough for it to fall willingly before his feet! "There¡¯s no need." Izroth replied as he stood up from his seat. The moment he did so, the stealth yers immediately moved their hands to their weapons. He then said, "If your four dogs continue to bare their fangs, I do not mind lending you a hand in pulling them out." The yers who were stealth seemed surprised that Izroth had noticed their presence. The level of their stealth skill was at the pinnacle of B-rank¡ªhow and when did he discover them?! Vault¡¯s gaze turned cold. At the moment, more than anything, Vault wanted to kill Izroth a thousand times over for his arrogance. However, he knew that now was not the time to act. Besides, one way or another, it was only a matter of time before the power of his Headhunter Syndicate reached new heights. At that point, the Pill Emperor himself woulde crawling to him and beg to serve under him! Just when the pressure in the room reached its peak, and it seemed as though a fight was unavoidable, a soft and steady voice spoke out. "Pce Master Izroth, these yers are a minuscule precaution against those who may hold ill intentions. Rest assured, they will not make the first move unless there is an absolute threat. As for the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate¡ªhe is under an abundance of pressure as an ascending star amongst the top guilds. I hope that you can overlook this trivial matter and will apany me outside for a breath of fresh air." Menerva stated. "It would seem that at least one member of the Headhunter Syndicate ispetent." Izrothmented just as he left the room, guided by Menerva, who closed the door behind them. ... Menerva led Izroth back to the main entrance of the building and walked with him until they arrived outside. "In the future, I advise you to exercise caution. Today, you have undoubtedly made an enemy of the Headhunter Syndicate. Your path forward will not be easily walked, Izroth." Menerva warned. Caution? Against the likes of a mere Headhunter Syndicate? Even if Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate had a thousand lifetimes, such a day would nevere to pass! "Do you not fear beingbeled a traitor in your guild?" Izroth asked. To be truthful, he questioned how someone with Menerva¡¯s demeanor and intelligence could end up working for someone underhanded and valueless like Vault. "I am not a member of the Headhunter Syndicate¡ªjust someone passing by. Besides, if the conversation had persisted, would not have your intention been revealed? I am not sure what grudge you hold against the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate; however, an inadequate move now only renders the significant move that seeds it ineffective." Menerva answered without hesitation. ¡¯I see. So, that¡¯s how the Headhunter Syndicate developed so quickly in RML.¡¯ Izroth had a feeling before when they first spoke that Menerva was a dangerous person to how a conversation with, but it seemed that she was even more hazardous in person! When Izroth first saw that Vault was Wendell, his entire mood shifted for a split second due to the intense hatred carved into his body. But, this was quickly subdued by Izroth, and he was able to control himself near instantly. However, in just that split second, Menerva absorbed everything! She even deduced that he had a grudge against Vault and wanted to act right then and there, but restrained himself. To learn so much from so little¡ªhow could this type of person be anything but dangerous? Without a doubt, she yed a critical role in the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s sudden rise to power! With someone like her who was unknown to all the top guilds plotting in the background, it was no wonder the Headhunter Syndicate was so challenging to infiltrate and predict! "Then, to repay your kindness, I will give you a warning in return. Get as far away as possible from the Headhunter Syndicate. Their destruction is much closer than you think." Izroth said as he turned to walk away, leaving Menerva with thosest few words. Menerva watched as Izroth left as she closed her eyes and released a faint sigh. Get away? If only things were so simple, then... ... CRASH! BANG! "Who does he think he is?! That useless nobody! Damn, he dared to make a mockery of me?! I¡¯ll kill him! Ruin him! I¡¯ll ruin his entire family! Ungrateful trash!" Vault kicked over the wooden table and swung the chairs around the room. He was furious! The door to the room opened as Menerva entered inside and saw that the ce had be a mess. Although it was not in the best of shape beforehand, it now looked like a typhoon had visited. The second Menerva entered into the room; Vault stomped over to her. Swoosh! Vault reached out and tightly gripped onto Menerva¡¯s lower face with one of his hands! "Who permitted you to speak out of turn?! Don¡¯t forget; you belong to me! I should break you where you stand, you filthy dog! Or did you forget our deal?!" Vault said as he swung his arm to the side, causing Menerva to be thrown to the floor harshly! However, Menerva¡¯s facial expression remained unchanged and neutral. When Vault witnessed this, he sucked his teeth in disappointment. "You emotionless freak...! You¡¯re no fun at all!" Vault said in a frustrated tone as he calmed himself. But, even though he appeared calm on the surface, he was still fuming with rage within. He then continued, "Morning Sky! Get some people and find out everything you can about this Izroth¡ªin RML and the real world. I want him left with nothing! If it has some great backing, inform me immediately. If not, then, if anyone tries to get in your way, hmph, show them no mercy!" "Heh, I¡¯ll get on it at once, young master." Morning Sky, one of the yers who were hidden in the corner, replied. "Also, find that second Pill Emperor and have them meet with me. Since we can¡¯t get the first one, for now, we will settle for the second one." Vault added as Morning Sky acknowledged his orders before leaving. Morning Sky was grateful that Vault sent him out on a task; after all, he knew how the young master could get when he was in a bad mood. Those around him would not have a good time! "Tch, my good mood is ruined! Owner of the Mystical Realm Pce? So what! Since you dared to refuse my toast, you will only have yourself to me when you¡¯re forced to drink a forfeit! Hmph, wait, and see how I deal with you!" Vault said as a savage looked shed through his eyes. ... Momentster... Izroth had pushed his meeting with the Headhunter Syndicate to the back of his head. Even if they tried to cause some trouble for him, what could they possibly throw at him to deter his path? No matter what, in Izroth¡¯s eyes, the fate of Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate was already sealed! After he left his meeting with the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth returned to the Mystical Realm Pce to sort through the loot he received from the Great Sea Pce. The first thing he did was view the skill he acquired afterpleting the final phase of the Great Sea Pce, the Breath of the Sea. Skill Name: Breath of the Great Sea Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Requirement(s): Clear the Final Phase of the raid ?Great Sea Pce? on the Hardcore difficulty. Passive: The user of this skill gains the following effect(s): -Resistant to ?Flow?. -Movement restrictions no longer applied when submerged in water. -Gain +15% Water Resistance. -Deal +30% damage to water-type monsters. -Most sea creatures will not see you as a hostile entity unless attacked. -Regenerate HP and MP 200% faster when out ofbat for more than 30 seconds. Special Note: Inhale and exhale to unleash the breath of the great sea! ¡¯If the other memory fragments are in water-type areas, this skill will undoubtedly have a beneficial role.¡¯ Izroth was satisfied with the effects of the skill. It was worthy of being listed as a reward for defeating the Colosseum! ¡¯Now...¡¯ Izroth moved on to the equipment he acquired. While he gave some away to those in his main party, he still had four pieces of high-level rare-quality equipment to himself. In the end, he fed all four rare pieces of equipment to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. The stat increase was not as high as he thought it would; however, he did gain two skills from the rare-quality armor. One was called Life Link, and the other was Rapid Regeneration. He immediately reced his Adapt and Hellfire¡¯s Rampage effects on his Perfect Emtion: Set Skills. While Izroth lost 100 attack power in the process, it was well worth the trade. Not to mention, he used his remaining 12 stat points on his attack power to make up for the difference. Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) Armor Rank: Growth Type Armor Level: 50 Requirements: ??? HP: 4,550(+929 -\u003e 1,901) MP: 0(+0) Attack: 55(+3) Defense: 367(+74 -\u003e 173) Agility: 795(+177 -\u003e 377) Magic: 0(+0) Movement Speed: +10% New*-\u003e +0.5% HP Regeneration Per Second New*-\u003e +1.5% Critical Hit New*-\u003e +4% Armor Piercing New*-\u003e +6% Attack Speed ... ?Perfect Emtion: Set Skills? - [Crystallization][Adapt -\u003e *Life Link][Hellfire¡¯s Rampage -\u003e *Rapid Regeneration][Silverline¡¯s Life Essence Magic][Sky Steps] ... New* Armor Skill: Life Link(Active) - The user can mark one ally target within 30 meters. For 5 minutes, the user and the marked ally target shares a single HP value, prioritizing the HP with a higher value. During this period, all healing and damage that affects one of the ?Life Link? targets, affects the other. Cooldown: 36 hours New* Armor Skill: Rapid Regeneration(Active) - Increases the user¡¯s HP Regneration by 200% for 1 minute. Cooldown: 12 hours ¡¯The stat gain is somewhat disappointing. To not satisfied even with four rare pieces of equipment¡ªthis armor deserves to be called insatiable. Though the two skills and other stats I gained are not bad.¡¯ Izroth gave a nod of approval as he looked over his stats via the system interface. While they may not be the strongest for someone his level, they were unquestionably the most versatile. Of course, with the limitless potential of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, it was only a matter of patience until its power reached the pinnacle! At that point, even other divine equipment could only sigh in awe at its strength! [Name: Izroth] [EXP: 2.18%] [Level: 50(Stat Points: 0)] [HP(Hit Points): 19,784 -\u003e 20,839/20,839 (100%)] [HP Regen(In-Battle): 79 HP/s -\u003e 185 HP/s(555 HP/s out ofbat)] [Energy: 225] [MP: 1,403/1,403 (100%)] [MP Regen: 10 MP/s (30 MP/s out ofbat)] [ATTACK: 2,696] [DEFENSE: 1,134 -\u003e 1,241] [AGILITY: 1,944 -\u003e 2,161] [MAGIC: 144] [Physical Resistance: 25%] [Magical Resistance: 25%] [Water Resistance: 15%] [Luck: 1 -\u003e 3] [Critical Hit: 8% -\u003e 9.5%] [Lifesteal: 6%] [Armor Piercing: +6% -\u003e 10%] [Attack Speed: +13% -\u003e 19%] [+10% Movement Speed](Doubles when out ofbat) [-10% Spell Casting Time] Izroth checked the time before closing out his system interface. ¡¯It¡¯s almost time. Azalea should be here soon. I should invite "her" as well. After all, where we¡¯re going, there¡¯s no guarantee that they will be epting of outsiders.¡¯ Chapter 451 To The Fifth Kingdom Pzenium! While Izroth gained much from the Great Sea Pce raid, without a doubt, one of his biggest rewards was the two additional points of luck he acquired. He obtained one point of luck from the system for being the first yer to deal thest blow to a raid boss when he was first grouped with Blue Oasis. As for the other point, it was due to being the first yer to deal the final blow against a hardcore raid boss! One had to know how difficult it was to raise the luck stat in RML! After all, despite his many achievements, his luck had only increased by a mere one point before the Great Sea Pce raid. However, even with just that single point of luck, Izroth experienced a multitude of benefits. Now that he had three points of luck¡ªwho knew what sort of fortuitous encounters he would have in the future? ... Around 30 minutes passed by before Izroth received a message from the system. Izroth opened his eyes as he exited his meditative state. To be more precise, he was practicing the Soul Chant in an attempt to increase the level of his Soul Essence trait. He figured once he hit level 50, it would be possible to move past his bottleneck. Unfortunately, his Soul Essence refused to budge from its trait level of 19.99! ¡¯Is there something I am overlooking?¡¯ Izroth shook his head as he cleared his mind. There was no use in dwelling on this matter. He believed that as long as he continued to persevere and stay on path, then the answer would naturally reveal itself. Izroth checked the message he received from the system and stood to his feet. ¡¯She arrived right on time.¡¯ The message was sent to Izroth by Azalea Wraith. She informed him that she was waiting outside. As for why she did not walk into the Mystical Realm Pce, Azalea was not a fan of crowds¡ªand in a ce like the Mystical Realm Pce, a crowd was all one would find! Thest time Azalea was at the Mystical Realm Pce, it was nowhere near this crowded! Though this was to be expected. After all, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce was a part of the raid group that defeated a hardcore raid! Everyone rushed to the shop to see if anything from the hardcore raid was up for sale¡ªeven if the chances of such a thing were small, it could not be disregarded. A few momentster, Izroth stepped outside of his shop and scanned the surroundings. It did not take long for him to locate Azalea, who stood in an isted area not too far away from the Mystical Realm Pce. Izroth walked over towards Azalea as she stepped forward and cupped her fist to greet him. "Teacher." Azalea addressed with a look of respect in her eyes. Like everyone else in RML, Azalea witnessed the world announcements. While the majority of people were not aware of it, Azalea was different. She understood the moment her teacher¡¯s name appeared on the "Sleeping Gardenia" world announcement, that it had been Izroth¡¯s doing! Ever since the first world announcement that was made that day listed Izroth in a party with Blue Oasis, and thenter with Sleeping Gardenia, Azalea grasped the general situation. She did not know what Blue Oasis had done to offend her teacher; however, they could only wallow in their own regret! Izroth gave a small nod as he said, "You have done well. I did not expect you to return with results this fast." "It was a small task. Even if teacher needs me to journey to the end of the world and back, it would still be a trivial task." Azalea replied. Since she had epted Izroth as her teacher, then he only needed to say the word, and she would take action! Izroth was unsure of the reason behind Azalea¡¯s determination. But she had already proven herself twice and disyed a high quality of loyalty¡ªwhich was tough to find. Therefore, Izroth had no reason to turn her away. In fact, it would be foolish of him to turn away someone with such loyal values. A while back, when Azalea delivered the Realm Chart to Izroth, before she took her leave, he gave her a specific task. This task was rted to the faceless empress he came across within the Undying Maelstrom in the Endless Pandemonium Tower of the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It was there that a Trephasia named Zelfyrion gifted him an item called the Empress Brooch. Zelfyrion entrusted Izroth with the responsibility of locating the member of the Trephasia race who possessed the same royal bloodline as the faceless empress that he served, and deliver the Empress Brooch to them. This was the objective of the quest Royal Bloodline that Izroth shared with Azalea. Quest Name: Royal Bloodline Rmended Level: None Rmended Party Size: None Quest Rank: D Quest Objective: Locate the member of the Trephasia race who possesses the same royal bloodline as the empress of the lost empire and deliver to them the ?Empress Brooch?. Time Limit: None 0/1 Deliver ?Empress Brooch? to the member of the Trephasia race who possesses the royal bloodline. Reward: -??? Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 5 other yers. "This belongs to you, teacher." Azalea said as she removed an old rusty and worn-out silverpass from her inventory. It was the Istion Compass that Zelfyrion stated would guide one where they needed to go. The Istion Compass was a mysterious item, as its effects could not be viewed through the system interface. However, its value was not something that could be ignored. Izroth epted the Istion Compass from Azalea as he returned it to his inventory. Azalea appeared to have no interest in keeping it to herself, despite its potential value. This increased Izroth¡¯s impression of her; after all, many would be tempted if ced in a simr position. "You stated that it guided you to the Fifth Kingdom of Pzenium, correct?" Izroth questioned. "Yes, that is where the Istion Compass guided me." Azalea responded. Izroth inwardly frowned when he heard Azalea¡¯s words. Although he already knew of the answer due to the previous messages he received from Azalea, Izroth wanted to confirm it in person. "From what I know, the kingdom of Pzenium is a barren wastnd with few scattered oases that are fought over on a daily basis. This type of environment is not suitable for those of the Trephasia race." Izroth stated. Although the members of the Trephaisa race were not restricted to forest-like environments, they were instinctively drawn to nature and ces with lush forests. Therefore, for members of their race to willingly stay in a barren wastnd was unheard of! "These Trephasia are well-hidden within a secret oasis. If not for the Istion Compass that teacher lent me, then I would have never located them with such ease." Azalea exined. ¡¯They have an oasis? I see...¡¯ If they acquired an oasis, then it certainly exined how they could live in a ce like the Pzenium kingdom. But, it was impossible that the Trephasia had the strength to defend an entire oasis against outsiders or the royalty of the Pzenium kingdom. However, it was a different story if it was as well-hidden as Azalea said. There was a good chance that no one in the Pzenium kingdom even knew of that particr oasis¡¯ existence! ¡¯The Pzenium kingdom is not a short distance from here. We should not dy our departure.¡¯ "We will leave at once." Izroth stated. "Yes, teacher." Azalea said respectfully. Izroth started to walk towards the gates of Amaharpe along with Azalea as he said, "We have a couple of stops to make on our way there." "Is there something that you need to do, teacher?" Azalea asked. "Nothing difficult. Just picking up a couple of people that will be apanying us to the Pzenium kingdom." Izroth answered. Azalea furrowed her brows. There would be others following them? As if sensing Azalea¡¯s sudden difort, Izroth added, "No need to worry. After all, you are already acquainted with the two of them." Izroth and Azalea made their way towards the gates of Amaharpe and soon reached the outside of the city. It was time to make their way towards the neutral fifth kingdom of Pzenium! ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... "We actually made it to the final part of the local event!" Phoenix said excitedly. "Heh, how could we not make it with our two secret weapons? Right, Realistic?" Two Tons stated as he looked towards Reilei. Reilei shook her head and replied with a lovely smile, "It would not have been possible without the efforts of everyone." At the moment, Reilei, Phoenix, Two Tons, Shuyi, and Hidden Pulse stood before the entrance to the cave. However, they were not the only group nearby. In total, including them, there were ten groups of yers waiting at the entrance to the cave. The previous day, there was a local event that many yers had gathered for; however, not everyone made it through the first part of the event. Only those present from the ten groups managed to pass the first part of the event and qualified to participate in the second portion. "Hm? She¡¯ste. She ising, right?" Phoenixmented. "There is still some time left before the second portion starts. As long as she is here before then, we have nothing to worry about- Ah, it looks like your worries were short-lived, Phoenix. Our second secret weapon has arrived." Two Tons said as he saw a yer approaching in the distance. This yer had bright red hair, a gorgeous pair of fiery red eyes, a dangerously curvy body, and a pretty face that would cause men to drool. It was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties and wore a mage-style outfit with a magic staff in her hands. If Izroth were here, he would have immediately recognized this yer. After all, back then, this yer had apanied him to the Shadahi Realm! "We¡¯re d that you could make it, Scarlet." Reilei greeted with a warm smile on her face. "Realistic¡ªeveryone." Scarlet gave a small nod as she returned a greeting. The instant she arrived on the scene, she immediately drew the eyes of the yers around the cave. However, when Scarlet red in their direction, they instantly averted their gaze. They had seen her strength in the first part of the event; therefore, they did want to be enemies with her and risk making things moreplicated than they had to be. All of a sudden, a loud resounding p could be heard that caught everyone¡¯s attention. It came from an individual located near the entrance of the cave¡ªan NPC. NPC Name: Kaltinn(Local Event Organizer) NPC Level: ??? Chapter 452 Enemies In The Spirit Cave 1/2 Kaltinn was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. He wore sturdy steel ted armor and had a greatsword on his back. He was the one who organized and managed the local event, and the time had finally arrived to move on to the second portion. "Attention fellow heroes! The Spirit Caves are about to open! Remember, your goal is to collect as many Spirit Shards as possible and store them within the Spirit Collector I have provided to each group. You will have exactly one hour toplete this task! After that, whether you want to or not, you will be ejected from the Spirit Caves. Best of luck, young heroes!" Kaltinn announced. Kaltinn then took the time to exin some of the basics about the Spirit Cave and the Spirit Shards the yers would be collecting. Then, just a handful of secondster, everyone at the entrance of the cave received the system alert they had been waiting for all this time. ¡´System Alert: The ?Spirit Caves? are now open! [Time Remaining: 1 hour]¡µ The moment the Spirit Caves opened, almost every group rushed forward at full speed. They all wanted to be the first to enter the Spirit Caves and reap the most benefits! However, there were a few groups who exercised more caution in the face of the unknown. One of these groups was Reilei¡¯s! "How should we proceed?" Hidden Pulse asked. "The same as usual. Shuyi will move ahead to get for traps. Realistic and I will take the frontline with Xiao Liang. Phoenix, Scarlet, and Ayanellia will be our backline. As for you, I¡¯ll have to trust you to guard our rear. If everyone¡¯s clear on their roles, let¡¯s move out." Two Tons said as he, along with Reilei, led the way into the Spirit Caves, following after Shuyi, who moved ahead to search for traps. After Reilei¡¯s group entered the Spirit Caves, only two groups remained outside. ... "Heh, we found some good targets this time. Did you see the item on that summoner and mage? Those were rare-quality items! It looks like our haul this time won¡¯t be poor." One of the yers, who appeared to be the leader of the first group named Untamed Image, said. "They only have their own bad luck to me for falling into the eyes of our Sage Falls! We may not still be one of the top ten guilds, but as long as we follow guild leader yer¡¯s n, we will make our rise again! Then, those who dared to offend us and beat us while we were down will pay¡ªespecially the Headhunter Syndicate and the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce!" A different yer from the first group with the name Tarpeakmented. "Let¡¯s follow them before they get too far away. Remember, don¡¯t make a move until I give the order. If we seed, when our Sage Falls returns to its status as a top guild, then we may even receive a position as one of the Six Hands." The leader of the first group, Untamed Image, stated with a grin on their face as they followed Reilei¡¯s group into the Spirit Caves. ... The second group that remained outside Spirit Caves also had their eyes on Reilei¡¯s group. However, it was for apletely different purpose than that of the first group. "That¡¯s the group that made a fool of Li, right? They don¡¯t look so tough. Though that mage is my type of woman, heh." One of the yers from the second group with the yer name Dead Fire said with a grin on his face. "I prefer that summoner myself. She¡¯s like a real-life fairy! How about we make a bet and see who can get their woman first?" A yer by the name of Violence Is Blue,mented. "You two¡ªdon¡¯t forget our mission. Li isn¡¯t just some random yer. His skills are on par with some of the lower ss elite yers from those top guilds. He always fights at full strength, regardless of his opponent. Even then, he came out as the loser and paid a heavy price for it. Not to mention, they have an unknown mage with them this time. We shouldn¡¯t look down on them, or else, we will follow in Li¡¯s footsteps." A yer who went by Love Swan reminded. "Tch, you¡¯re no fun. Well, whatever. Once this is over, it won¡¯t be toote." Dead Fire stated. He then continued, "Those who offend our Headhunter Syndicate never has a good end. No matter where they hide, they will be hunted down by dogs! Come, let¡¯s start the hunt!" ... Meanwhile, in the Spirit Caves... Reilei and her group were oblivious to the fact that they were being targeted by not one, but two parties! At the moment, they at a spacious area of the cave that contained strange ores, herbs, and other natural materials. There were monsters present throughout the area¡ªmany of which were low-level elites. This meant that yers could not enter into a fight without thinking twice. At least, this is how it should have been for all groups. Wooooosh! Bang! A zing spear of fire pierced through and engulfed one of the elite monsters in mes. This monster stood on two feet and had the appearance of a demonic bear with soulless green eyes. Name: (Lost Spirit)Nightfear Bear(Elite) Level: 36 HP: 2.25% Raaaaaawr! The Nightfear Bear roared when the intense wave of mes struck it. This was the work of Scarlet¡¯s skill, ming Spear. The Nightfear Bear swiped out violently with its massive w towards Two Tons who held onto the aggro. SMASH! Two Tons stood his ground as he sessfully blocked the blow of the Nightfear Bear. "Realistic, now!" Two Tons yelled. Reilei dashed forward at great speeds that did not belong to someone who was a Summoner. Her speed was even greater thanst time! However, this was due in part to the ss upgrade she received. She was no longer a normal Summoner! Bang! Reilei¡¯s orb mmed into the torso of the Nightfear Bear as itsst bit of remaining HP disappeared. A few momentster, the Nightfear Bear¡¯s body did not turn into particles as monsters usually did in RML. Instead, its body copsed into itself before forming into a shard of light no bigger than one¡¯s finger. When Two Tons saw that shard of light, he quickly removed the Spirit Collector from his inventory and pointed it in the direction of the shard. ¡´System Alert: You have collected x1 ?Great Spirit Shard?!¡µ A broad smile found its way onto Two Tons face as he said, "It¡¯s a Great Spirit Shard! These count for five normal Spirit Shards. Our luck is quite good." There were five different qualities of Spirit Shards that yers could collect in the cave. The lowest was a normal Spirit Shard, while the highest was something called a Nature Shard. However, ording to Kaltinn, they should not expect to get anything higher than a Great Spirit Shard. If they were fortunate, then a Greater Spirit Shard was not entirely out of the question. As for acquiring a Greatest Spirit Shard, or a Nature Shard¡ªthe chances were infinitely close to zero! "We will have over fifty minutes remaining. Let¡¯s head deeper into the Spirit Cave. If we¡¯re lucky, we may find a monster who gives us a Greater Shard." Two Tons said. Not too long after Reilei¡¯s group defeated the Nightfear Bear, they headed deeper into the Spirit Cave. Shuyi, who was supposed to be scouting ahead, appeared unexpectedly next to the group. "We¡¯re being followed." Shuyi said in a cold tone. Everyone seemed surprised when they heard Shuyi¡¯s words. They were being followed? Did someone want to reap some benefits by following them into the deeper area of the Spirit Cave? "Don¡¯t stop walking, everyone. Just carry on like normal." Two Tons stated. If there were people following them, then he did not want to let them know via their actions that they had been discovered. He then asked Shuyi, "How many?" "Two groups. However, they do not seem to be working together." Shuyi answered. His detection skills were the greatest among those present; therefore, he was much more sensitive to being followed than his fellow party members. Two Tons furrowed his brows. Could it be a mere coincidence? No, Shuyi was not the type of person to waste everyone¡¯s time without being decisive. Still, as the party leader, he had to make sure that they were not overly cautious. "We will make a small detour." Two Tons stated as he turned at the corner up ahead. A few momentster, not too long after Two Tons changed directions, the two groups matched their change. After doing this two more times, Two Tons was confident that they were being followed! "What do they want from us?" Phoenix questioned with a frown. "Maybe they want Ayanellia. We should just hand her over to them." Xiao Liang said with a devious look on his face as he looked towards Ayanellia. Nyu..! Ayanellia released a sound of protest to Xiao Liang¡¯s suggestion. "How could we allow someone to take our precious Ayanellia way? Maybe they came for this little brat instead." Phoenix scoffed as she looked over at Xiao Liang. "If they came for this venerable young master, then it would only be to offer themselves as this young master¡¯s servant." Xiao Liang stated in a smug tone. "This brat won¡¯t learn unless I teach him a lesson!" Phoenix said as she pressed her knuckles up against the sides of Xiao Liang¡¯s head. "You-! Old hag, you dare to treat this venerable young master this way- Ah! Okay, I was wrong, Phoenix! Ahhhh, I meant big sis Phoenix! Big sis Phoenix, I was wrong!" Xiao Liang cried out. "Hmph, as long as you know your wrongs!" Phoenix said with a smile on her face as she released Xiao Liang. "Old hag... Ahahaha!" Xiao Liang said. Before Phoenix could react, he immediately ran towards Reilei¡¯s side. He stuck his tongue out in an antagonizing manner towards Phoenix. "How is one such an angel and the other a little devil?" Phoenix sighed as she shook her head. Xiao Liang had always been arrogant and proud¡ªeven when he was at a size that was no bigger than one¡¯s palm. The only person he seemed to show any respect to was Reilei. Now that he had taken on a human form, his personality had been "young master" this "young master" that. As for Ayanellia, she was very modest, loving, and open to everyone¡ªtheplete opposite of Xiao Liang. Reilei did not know what to do regarding Xiao Liang. It just seemed as if he naturally did not get along with others, and she had no idea why. However, she could not help but dote on him; after all, he had been with her since the very beginning. "They¡¯re closing in fast with hostile intent. They may have discovered that we are aware of their presence." Shuyi warned, causing everyone to be rmed. "Hmph, if they think we are afraid to fight, then they¡¯re wrong. However, we¡¯ll do so on our own terms! Everyone, listen carefully..." Two Tons said as he went on to exin his n. Chapter 453 Enemies In The Spirit Cave 2/2 ... "They stopped?" Untamed Image said when he noticed that the movements of Reilei¡¯s group hade to a sudden halt. His ss specialized in tracking skills; therefore, he had been carefully monitoring the group from a distance and found it strange that they had stopped. "Could they be preparing for a fight?" Tarpeak questioned. "I¡¯m not sure. But, if they are, we should hurry and get into position so that we can take advantage of the situation. Let¡¯s go." Untamed Imagemanded as Tarpeak, and the other four members of Sage Falls increased their speed. ... "There¡¯s another group that seems to be going after the same prey as us. What should we do?" Violence is Fire asked with a smirk on his face. "Let¡¯s see what they indeed to do. We will let them y the role of the cicada. In the end, it is the one who takes upon the role of the oriole who walks away the winner." Dead Fire stated with a vicious grin on his face. He then continued, "We¡¯ll keep a safe distance and move in when they least expect it." ... A few momentster, Untamed Image and the yers from Sage Falls arrived at a poorly lit narrow corridor. At the end of that corridor was an open room; however, unlike the other ces, there did not appear to be any monsters guarding it. Untamed Image led the group down the corridor, but a frown soon appeared on his face as he furrowed his brows. For some reason, something seemed off to him. But, before he could put his finger on it, Untamed Image felt the ground beneath his feet be somewhat slippery, which caused him to lose his bnce. He managed to bnce himself as he looked down to see what had almost caused him to fall. However, his eyes widened the instant he discovered what it was! "Oil!" Untamed Image warned. But he was toote. Swoosh! A small dagger that was covered in mes flew towards the Sage Falls group. The second it came into contact with the oil on the ground, the entire corridor shook violently. It erupted into a sea of mes and smoke! BOOM! This caused the yers from Sage Falls to be momentarily disoriented and obstructed their vision. "I can¡¯t see!" "It¡¯s a DOT! Hurry up and heal!" "Don¡¯t panic! The path back is blocked too many mes! Run towards the opening up ahead!" Untamed Image ordered. While the damage they received from the initial st was not that high, the damage over time caused by the mes was not something they could sustain for an extended period of time. If they attempted to go back through the roaring sea of mes that had formed behind them, then even if one or two of them survived, those with lower health would not be able to make it. Therefore, they were left with nowhere to go but forward! Untamed Image and his party sped forward as their healer tried to keep up with the damage generated as a result of the burning mes. Untamed Image, Tarpeak, and the others from Sage Falls sessfully made it to the open room without suffering a single loss. But, just as their healer stepped through the entrance, two shadows rushed out! It was an ambush! Phhkt! Phhkt! Two daggers ruthlessly pierced into the healer, who was already low on HP as their body turned to particles and flowed away. In the blink of an eye, the Sage Falls group had lost their healer! Shuyi and Hidden Pulse quickly retreated just before two swords came crashing down at them. The moment left the range of attack, they returned to stealth mode and vanished from sight. "E-" Untamed Image was about to give out orders when he found that his movements had been restricted! What was going on? Why couldn¡¯t he move?! Though he was not the only one who experienced this restriction. The others from Sage Falls had also been locked into ce! Shuyi¡¯s Trapworking skill had evolved to a higher level. He could now ce and activate multiple traps remotely. This meant that as long as a yer stepped within his vicinity, they would not be able to escape his traps! "Good job, Shuyi, Hidden Pulse!" Two Tons said as he appeared out of nowhere as he activated his Weaken Battle Spirit skill. Not only did it reduce their movement speed, but it also lowered their overall defenses. The members of Sage Falls were shocked when Two Tons made his appearance right next to them. From his appearance, they were sure that he was a tank. What kind of tank possessed a stealth skill?! Or, could it be some kind of item or potion? No, that should not be possible. Those items were not cheap, how could some random party they never heard of before afford them? What the Sage Falls members did not know was that it was not Two Tons¡¯ skill that made him stealth. This was the work of one of Ayanellia¡¯s skills called Nature¡¯s Blending. As long as the yer affected by Nature¡¯s Blending stayed still for a certain period of time, they would be virtually undetectable! However, if one moved during this period of time, the effects of the skill would break, and they would be revealed for all to see. Not long after Two Tons broke his Nature¡¯s Blending, Reilei, Scarlet and Phoenix made their move. "Raining Inferno." Scarlet chanted as a fire rained down from above, damaging the Sage Falls members and eliminating three of them in the process! At the same time, Shuyi and Hidden Pulse used the skill Ambush as they appeared simultaneously at the front and back of Tarpeak. Their daggers slid across Tarpeak¡¯s neck as a look of disbelief appeared on his face. What was going on? Weren¡¯t the yers in this area just casual yers? How could they totally overwhelm the members of his Sage Falls? Although they were not top yers, they could still be considered as lower elite yers! This was not how this fight was supposed to happen! Tarpeak turned into a swarm of particles as he was eliminated before he could even make a sound! Now, the only one remaining of the Sage Falls group was Untamed Image. At the moment, he had an ugly and terrified expression on his face. It had not even been a full breath of time, yet all of his party members had been taken out! "Xiao Liang!" Reilei called out. "Wait! I¡¯m a memb-" Untamed Image wanted to use his status as a member of Sage Falls to frighten Reilei¡¯s group. Unfortunately, they did not wait for him to finish his sentence. Swoosh! The instant after Reilei called out, a blurry sh purple and blue shunched forward, leaving behind a trail of scorching mes wherever it passed. This blur mmed into Untamed Image, forcing him off his feet and caused him to fly backward and crash into the ground. Bang! The effect of the trap wore off, and Untamed Image finally regained his movement. He no longer had thoughts of trying to reason with these crazy yers. Now, the only thing on his mind was to escape from this ce of death! However, just as he was about to get up from the ground, he felt an overwhelming pressure crush his entire body that caused the earth beneath him to shatter and crack. "Who gave you permission to stand before this venerable young master?" The purple and blue blurry figure cleared up and revealed Xiao Liang, whose foot pressed down against Untamed Image¡¯s face, making him unable to move. Xiao Liang looked different than usual. One of his eyes lost its pupil and turned golden in color. There was a scaly purplish-blue tail growing from his lower back that was one meter long. Scales of the same color had appeared on the sides of his face, neck, arms, hands, and feet. His nails had be sharp to the point that they resembled ws, and a domineering aura surrounded him. Xiao Liang applied greater pressure to his foot as he Untamed Image was ruthlessly crushed! Untamed Image was shattered into countless particles. Just like the members of his party, he had met a swift and tragic end! Two Tons smiled as he nodded his head at the results. Everything had gone even smoother than he originally anticipated. Having a strong mage as a member of their party was a huge help! "Let¡¯s pick up the equipment they dropped. If there¡¯s nothing useful, we¡¯ll just sell it and split the gold. We should prepare for the next group that¡¯sing this way." Two Tons stated. Out of nowhere, Xiao Liang dashed forward at great speeds and grabbed out at the air! "Heh, little thing. You think you can spy on this young master?" Xiao Liang said as he opened the palm of his hand to reveal a small butterfly. Spy? Reilei¡¯s group was surprised by Xiao Liang¡¯s sudden movement when everyone was already taken care of; however, it seemed he had uncovered something. Shuyi walked over and immediately frowned when he viewed the butterfly in Xiao Liang¡¯s palm. "That¡¯s a low-level summon called Eyes of Another. If this was here since the fight began, then that means the other group is aware of everything that just took ce. The same ambush won¡¯t work." Shuyi stated. Xiao Liang clenched his fist and shattered the butterfly summon as he returned to his normal state. Two Tons had a thoughtful expression on his face after he listened to Shuyi. "Alright, for now, we will keep our guard up. We still have the event to worry about before the time limit is up. Besides, after seeing what just urred, I won¡¯t be surprised if they already call off their attack." Two Tonsmented. Reilei and her party collected the loot that was dropped by the yers who ambushed them and continued with their original n to explore deeper into the Spirit Cave. ... The moment the Eyes of Another was crushed, Love Swan flinched slightly as the viewing orb in her hand fragmented into numerous pieces. "It looks like we still underestimated them. We¡¯ll need back-up to ensure our losses are minimal." Love Swanmented. That fight was utterly one-sided! It was a good thing they let the other group go first; otherwise, that could have been their fate! "Agreed. I will call for back-up. In the meantime, we will fall back, clear the event, and wait for reinforcements." Dead Fire stated with a troubled expression. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... Izroth and Azalea reached the borders of the fifth kingdom Pzenium; however, they were not alone. There were two other individuals with them. One of these individuals was Luna, and the other was Mirage! Chapter 454 Pzenium ¡¯I knew that this ce was a barren wastnd; however, it is a miracle that a kingdom has managed to survive in this type of environment.¡¯ When Izroth first reached the borders of the Pzenium kingdom, he was greeted by the sight of a seemingly endless sea of shifting sands. There was no source of water as far as the eye could see, the air was dry, and the heat waves generated by the scorching sun were harsh. The instant Izroth, Luna, Mirage, and Azalea crossed the border into the Pzenium kingdom; they received a couple of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the fifth kingdom, ?Pzenium?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning, the kingdom ?Pzenium? you have crossed into does not have an official treaty with the kingdom ?Amaharpe? that you are leaving!¡µ The fifth kingdom Pzenium was considered a neutral kingdom and had not forged an official alliance with any of the other kingdoms. Hence, there was a lot of specting as to which side Pzenium would join in the uing war. After all, given what was at stake, it would be impossible for any of the kingdoms to sit still. Izroth and his party journeyed through the open Pzenium desert. If everyone had not already consumed an Ocean Spring Pill and gained the passive Ocean Rejuvenation, then their fatigue would have quickly depleted traveling in such an unfriendly environment. After traveling for nearly 20 minutes, they had still note across a single vige or oasis. However, this was to be expected. If it were so easy to locate an oasis, then the Pzenium kingdom would not be in a constant state of internal struggles over power. In the Pzenium kingdom, the more oasis one possessed, the greater their power and influence. Though if one believed that Pzenium was an easily evaded kingdom due to these qualities¡ªthey could not be more wrong. The continuous struggle over the oases bred a country of warriors and experienced fighters. Compared to other kingdoms, in terms of average strength per citizen, Pzenium was second to none! "So hot! Is this really a kingdom? Also, why is a D-rank quest located so far away?" Mirage frowned. She felt that if things continued this way, she would melt under the sun before they arrived at their destination! If she knew that it would be like this, she would have thought twice before epting his "generosity". After the world announcement yesterday, Mirage practically spammed Izroth about not inviting her along on such a great adventure! Since it was technically thanks to Mirage that he obtained the Call of the Thunder God skill, Izroth decided to use this opportunity to return the favor. Although the Royal Bloodline quest was only a D-ranked quest, its reward showed as "???". This meant that there was a high chance that this was not just a simple one and done quest. In all likeliness, it was a chain quest! In the end, it was inconceivable that someone of Zelfyrion¡¯s caliber would hand out a D-ranked quest. This was even more so, seeing as how the Izroth acquired the quest within the Undying Maelstrom region of the Endless Pandemonium Tower. As for why he invited Luna, that much was obvious. She was the first and only known yer to undergo a race change and had be someone with a high-quality Trephasia bloodline. Izroth did not know how the Trephasias in Pzenium would react to outsiders trying to enter their oasis. Therefore, he figured that things would go a lot smoother with Luna apanying them. Though even with the Ocean Rejuvenation passive, Luna seemed to be rapidly losing fatigue. Due to being a member of the Trephasia race, this type of harsh environment was the hardest on her. But, she maintained a calm and collected demeanor as she pushed forward. "Hmph, undisciplined, and ungrateful. I fail to see why my teacher invited such a useless woman." Azaleamented as she red at Mirage. "Who are you calling useless, shorty?! Were you not taught how to properly respect your elders?" Mirage scoffed. Azalea unsheathed her daggers as she spoke coldly, "Do you dare to repeat what you just said?" "Ha? Who¡¯s afraid of you? Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? Shorty! Shorty! Shorty!" Mirage said without backing down. Azalea¡¯s eyes turned icy cold. It looked as if she would explode at any moment! If there was one thing that annoyed her, it was people making fun of her height. While she did not consider her height to be a disadvantage, that did not mean that she would tolerate being mocked! Luna sighed helplessly. It was the same way thest time when these two got together. For some reason, they seemed to have it out for one another naturally. She looked towards Izroth, who had a carefree expression on his face. There was no way that he was unaware of Azalea¡¯s and Mirage¡¯s attitude towards each other. Mirage found Azalea to be arrogant, unfriendly, and withdrawn. At the same time, Azalea found Mirage to be too easygoing, friendly, and unreserved. They were practically the total opposite! It was no wonder that the two of them did not get along! "Very well." Izroth said as he stopped walking. His actions drew the attention of Luna, Azalea, and Mirage. He then continued, "You two seem to have quite a bit of energy. Since that¡¯s the case, how about a friendly wager?" ... A few momentster, Azalea and Mirage stood facing one another. They were approximately ten meters apart. Right now, both Azalea and Mirage returned the other¡¯s re with one of their own. "Are you sure about this?" Luna asked as she stood next to Izroth. Izroth nodded as he responded, "It is not bad to release some stress every now and then. Besides, what these twock¡ªthis may help them discover it." What the two of themck? Luna was curious as to what Izroth was referring to. However, since he did not do meaningless things, this fight was sure to be more than just merely releasing stress. Luna¡¯s thoughts were correct. Izroth was not blind. He could see that Mirage and Azalea held no respect for each other. Arge part of this had to do with their conflicting personalities. But, it mostly stemmed from the fact that neither one of them had personally experienced the other¡¯s capabilities firsthand. As a result, they often shed over trivial matters¡ªas if one were unconsciously testing the other. "This time, there will be no one to step in and save you." Azalea stated as she lowered her stance. Thest time the two of them fought back in the zing Tempris Domain, Luna used her voice magic to interrupt their battle. But, the circumstances were different now. After all, this was a fight her teacher sanctioned! "Hmph, do not think that I¡¯m the same asst time! Just don¡¯t go crying when you lose!" Mirage scowled as she took her battle stance. Strands of electricity could be seen flowing around her fists and feet. The scorching sun seemed to beat down harder on as the atmosphere between Azalea and Mirage became intense. There were ten seconds of pure stillness as the desert sands shifted beneath everyone¡¯s feet. The instant it reached the ten-second mark, Izroth voice sounded out. "Begin." Izroth dered. Azalea and Mirage both vanished the moment that word left Izroth¡¯s mouth. However, neither of them had entered stealth. It was just that both were moving at such high speeds that normal yers would have a hard time following with their eyes, let alone keeping up! As Azalea and Mirage engaged inbat, unknown to Izroth at the time, the second he stepped foot into the Pzenium kingdom, a strange invisible mark had appeared on top of his right hand. ... Meanwhile, somewhere near the center of the Pzenium kingdom... Near the center of the Pzenium kingdom was an abundance of beautiful oases. It was this sphere around the center of Pzenium that spanned nearly 250 kilometers, where one would find the vast majority of the oases within the kingdom. However, not just anyone could im an oasis in this area known as the Desert¡¯s Gem. The oases within the Desert¡¯s Gem belonged to those of high power and influence¡ªthe royals and nobles of the Pzenium kingdom. In one corner of the Desert¡¯s Gem, a territory that covered 25 kilometers¡ª10% of the entire Desert¡¯s Gem¡ªbelonged to a certain Great Duke of Pzenium. At the moment, that Great Duke was inside a castle located at one of his many oases as he sat motionless on his throne. A servant approached the throne as he kneeled. From his dark facial expression and constant shivering, one could tell that this servant was terrified. The servant spoke and said, "G-Great Duke Hammer... The Grand Sovereign has summoned everyone to the Sapphire Eye Oasis to discuss the impending war. I-It is mandatory that-" Woosh! Plop! The room was filled with sudden silence as the servant¡¯s words came to a halt as someone could be heard hitting the ground as it rolled backward. The servant¡¯s body fell to the floor; however, it was missing something¡ªa head! The servant had been beheaded without warning! "My son... I have sent another to join you. I have sent another..." The Great Duke spoke. One could not see his appearance due to the inadequate room lighting generated by a few wall torches and the dark atmosphere, but the fierce aura he gave off was not suppressed in the slightest. Just by being in his presence, it was easy to discern that the Great Duke had experienced a myriad of battles. A tanned tall, thin, yet well-built man with eyes the color of sand entered the room. He wore a battle-hardened leather-type armor and had two vicious-looking crimson scimitars ced on his back. He was a trusted advisor andmander directly under Great Duke Hammer, Controller Falcinean. Falcinean felt something bump into his feet. He knew immediately that it was the head of the servant that had just entered; however, his expression remained indifferent as if it weremonce as ofte. "Great Duke Hammer, the Grand Sovereign has issued an official decree. If we ignore the decree, it is the same as dering war on the Grand Sovereign and all the nobles of the Desert¡¯s Gem." Falcinean said. After noticing that the Great Duke remained unresponsive, Falcinean continued, "It is unfortunate that your son did not return from the Sky Pce, but-" An immense pressure descended upon Falcinean that was being emitted by the Great Duke. "Falcinean... If you had not served me well all these years, your fate would be the same as that servant. You who do not know what it is like to be a father¡ªhow can you understand the loss of my son, Anvil?" The Great Duke spoke in a cold yet defeated tone. Chapter 455 Millennial Veiled Oasis At Master Zushuatri¡¯s Sky Pce, Izroth had run into an individual who went by Earthshaker Anvil. That same Earthshaker Anvil was the son of Great Duke Hammer, one of the most prominent figures in the Pzenium kingdom! While death was amon urrence in the selection, the Great Duke had given his son plenty of means to ensure his safe return. If he wanted to survive or escape, it should have been impossible for the other participants to stop him! Unfortunately, he did not know who had imed the life of his son. But, even if he knew of their identity, it was considered a great taboo to seek revenge against them. After all, it was seen as an honor to give one¡¯s life bravely in the selection. However, how could the Great Duke ept losing his only son? Ever since he received news of Anvil¡¯s demise, he had been reclusive and distant. The treatment of his servants had reached a point where they were afraid to even breathe in his presence! Falcinean had been with the Great Duke for many years and understood how he doted on his son. But, it was his job as an advisor to make sure that the Great Duke did not allow his misfortune to spiral out of control and ruin his standing. "The Grand Sovereign¡¯s official decree is absolute." Falcinean said without caving into the pressure. Just when it looked as though a confrontation was inevitable, a purple and crimson magical energy surged on the stand next to the Great Duke¡¯s throne. When Falcinean detected the energy surge, a look of shock and disbelief appeared on his face. "The Scorching Death Mark...!" Falcinean eximed. The Great Duke was also surprised as he reached and grabbed the item that the light was released from. It was an amber gemstone withplex magical symbols and matrices engraved into it. When the Great Duke took the amber gemstone into his hand, the light died down; however, there was still a robust magical aura that dwelled within the gem. "They¡¯re here... In my Pzenium kingdom...!" the Great Duke said with a shaky voice that was a mixture of shock and fury as he stood up to his feet. He then continued in an eerily calm manner, "Controller Falcinean, I shall answer the Grand Sovereign¡¯s summon." The Great Duke tossed the amber gemstone towards Falcinean, who caught it in his hand. "I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s taboo. Since they dared to kill my son, they will join him in the Netherworld. You will bring me their head." the Great Duke said with a voice of authority. Falcinean stood straight and clenched his left fist before mming it directly into the center of his chest. "Controller Falcinean has received the Great Duke¡¯smand!" Falcinean answered. He turned around to leave the room, but the Great Duke stopped him at thest moment. "Wait, you will take the Sandstorm Walkers with you." the Great Duke stated. Falcinean frowned as he replied, "With all due respect, Great Duke, I am more than capable of handling the situation alone." "Controller Falcinean, this is not a suggestion; it is an order. You underestimate those who have survived the selection. I will not alone for the slightest chance of their escape. If you cannot return with their head, then don¡¯t bother returning at all." the Great Duke asserted. Although Falcinean was reluctant, he had no choice but to follow the Great Duke¡¯s orders. "I understand." Falcinean said before saluting once more and taking his leave. After Falcinean took his leave, the Great Duke¡¯s body shook violently from anger as the throne that he previously sat in was shattered to pieces and crumbled to dust. "Since you dared set foot in my Pzenium kingdom, don¡¯t think of leaving her with your life!" the Great Duke roared. The amber gemstone that the Great Duke had given Falcinean was unique to the Pzenium kingdom and called the Life for Life Stone. Since its founding, it was not umon in the Pzenium kingdom for a battle to erupt over the oasis. After countless years, those in Pzenium managed to develop a man-made gemstone called the Life for Life Stone. Upon its creation, the stone was linked to a specific individual. Whenever that individual died at the hands of another, their killer would be secretly marked. Not even an S-ranked skill could remove the hidden marking! This marking was known as the Scorching Death Mark. When Izroth killed Earthshaker Anvil back on the Sky Pce, he had unknowingly been affected by the Scorching Death Mark. As long as one possessed the Scorching Death Mark and moved within close enough range of the Life for Life Stone, once it locked onto them, they could never hide from their pursuers no matter how far they ran away! This was one of the reasons few dared to offend the royals and nobles of the Pzenium kingdom. As for Izroth, he was utterly oblivious to the fact that he was being hunted by powerful foes! ... Meanwhile... Izroth, Luna, Mirage, and Azalea had continued on their journey towards the Trephasia¡¯s hidden oasis. At the moment, Mirage and Azalea were silent. After their fight concluded, neither one had uttered a single word during the remainder of the journey. While this was not unusual for Azalea, it was not like Mirage to be so quiet. As for the results of their fight... "We are here." Azalea spoke for the first time after her fight with Mirage. However, despite Azalea¡¯s words of their arrival, there was nothing before them except a sea of sand! But, where everyone else saw emptiness, Izroth viewed various areas of space in the surroundings that were bent through irregr methods. This was due to the A-ranked Spatial Awareness skill he acquired back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. ¡¯Oh? What a remarkable use of spatial magic. Someone this proficient in spatial magic can not be taken lightly. Is it the work of someone from the Trephasia oasis?¡¯ Izroth nced over towards Luna, who looked as if she were about to faint at any moment. He could see from the very beginning that this environment was having a substantial impact on Luna. But, when he noticed the unwavering look in her eyes, Izroth chose not to bring up the matter. However, he did not n on watching her suffer for a moment longer. If this was the entrance to the oasis, they could not dy their entry! "Where is the entrance?" Izroth questioned. Azalea shook her head and replied, "I searched for an ess point everywhere, but I could not locate one. However, without a doubt, this is the location that the Istion Compass led me to. Along with the previous information you gave me, the Trephasia¡¯s secret oasis should be located in this exact spot. "I see." Izroth said as he carefully examined the bends in space. Back when he was choosing a reward after iming first ce in the selection, Izroth came across a mapbeled Damage Treasure Map of the Mysterious Lost Kingdom. While he could not leave with the map, due to his perfect memory, he easily remembered every single detail the map contained. Its appearance was ancient and quality degraded, but when he lined its position up with a regr Realm Chart, he discovered that the map led to none other than the Pzenium kingdom! Where at in the Pzenium kingdom? They were standing right before it! ¡¯Perhaps...¡¯ Izroth removed the Empress Brooch from his inventory. When he did so, the sands started to shift as the space in the neighboring area became restless! The beautiful brooch in his hands lit up as a burst of energy erupted from the item and realigned the nearby space. This caused the violent tremors to form and sand dunes to copse. "What¡¯s going on?" Mirage broke her silence as she had a difficult time keeping her bnce. Not too long after Mirage spoke, the space before the party cracked as if it were mirror ss. Through the cracks, Mirage caught a glimpse of a beautiful forested environment filled with vegetation and apanied by an abundance of freshwater springs. There were also small buildings in the distance crafted from the earth itself. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame has increased by 50!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! The entrance to the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis? is about to close in 3 seconds! Once closed, no yer will be able to gain ess for 1 year 4 months.¡µ "Let¡¯s hurry inside." Izroth said after he quickly went over the system alerts. Mirage and Azalea sprinted forward at full speed. However, with her current fatigued state, Luna would not make it in time! "You will have to excuse me." Izroth said as he swept Luna off her feet. He supported her arms and back with one arm, as well as her legs with his other arm. Then, without hesitation, he used his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to sessfully reach the entry of the Millennial Veiled Oasis just as it closed! ¡¯That was close. Just a second longer, and we may not have made it in time.¡¯ "I can walk on my own now..." Luna said in an unusually soft voice with her face turned away from Izroth. If one looked closely, they could see that Luna¡¯s ears had be slightly red. Izroth gently let Luna down as she quickly walked ahead of the group. ¡¯Did I upset her?¡¯ Izroth gave a helpless smile inwardly. If he did not act immediately, then Luna would have been stuck outside, unable to enter the Millennial Veiled Oasis. Surely, she would not fault him, right? But, how could Izroth know that Luna was not upset with him. It was just that this was the second time a man had held her, and both times were unexpected and by Izroth! How could she not feel embarrassed? Still, for some reason, Luna did not find such an action by Izroth to be detestable as she would have with another person. ... A few momentster, Izroth and his party traveled through the forested area. They were headed to the vige in the distance. However, it was strange as this ce was much bigger than it looked from the outside. The size of this oasis was huge! It was muchrger than any oasis owned by the royals and nobles of the Pzenium kingdom. If they found such an oasis was hidden here all along, a blood-filled war would break out over who could im the newly discovered territory. ¡¯It looks like we have somepany.¡¯ Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense in small intervals as they walked through the forested area. He detected a few individuals that were headed their way. However, there was only one among them who was worth noting. As for the others, they were of virtually no threat to their party. Chapter 456 A Case of Mistaken Identity Around a breath of timeter, a voice sounded out from behind the group, "Halt!" Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! All of a sudden, the Izroth¡¯s party was surrounded by ten people. While these people looked human, there was one trait that stood out the most¡ªtheir slightly longer and pointed ears. They were members of the Trephasia race! "How did you enter this ce? Speak!" the person at the front of the group spoke. Their looks were above average¡ªeven whenpared to others from the Trephasia race. They had fair skin with hair that was verdant green. A pair of calm eyes that matched that of a wisteria emitted a gentle radiance. In their hands was a white longbow with golden outlines that was pointed directly towards Izroth¡¯s party. The other Trephasias also possessed either bows or magic staffs. There was not a single fighter or warrior among them! But, this was not umon. The Trephasia looked down on warriors and fighters and viewed them as barbarians. Mirage and Azalea immediately went on guard after being surrounded. But, Izroth held up his hand and caused them to halt their actions. After all, they were here to deliver the Empress Brooch, not start a fight. Of course, if the other party acted unreasonably, then he did not mind using a bit of force to show that they would not be bullied. Izroth examined the individual, who was the apparent leader of the group of Trephasia that encircled them, through the system. NPC Name: Artemius(Rare) NPC Level: 46 ¡¯Oh? A rare NPC. It¡¯s not something you see often.¡¯ The number of rare NPCs Izroth had run into, not counting those who participated in the selection, could be counted on his fingers alone! Artemius swept his gaze across the intruders. But, when his eyesnded on Luna, his eyes shone with a hint of wonder and curiosity. However, he did not lower his guard against Izroth and the others for a second. It had been thousands of years since a non-Trephasiast stepped foot in this ce, so naturally, he was startled when he discovered their presence. If they had ill intentions, then they could not be allowed to roam free¡ªand from what he heard about outsiders, their intentions were seldom well ced! "We are here to-" Mirage spoke out; however, a voice immediately resounded over hers. "Silence, human! Know your ce! I am addressing the High-Born, not the likes of you!" Artemius stated as his gaze fell upon Luna. Luna blinked a few times from the slight confusion. High-Born? Was he referring to her? Mirage, on the other hand, almost coughed up blood from anger. This NPC was too arrogant! Was there a need to be so disrespectful to someone they had just met? But, just when she wanted to give Artemius a piece of her mind, she was stopped by Izroth. ¡¯It looks like I was right to bring Luna along. Since our main purpose here is to find the descendant of the empress, then we cannot afford to start a battle. For now, let¡¯s y along.¡¯ If they identally killed the descendant of the faceless empress, then their quest was bound to end in failure. Hence, they had to proceed with caution. If one observed Artemius and the other Trephasia, not a single one of them had directed their weapon towards Luna; and based on what Artemius just called her, it appeared that he had mistaken Luna for a High-Born. Izroth had read in the Amaharpe library that there were three types of Trephasia bloodlines. The first was the purest and belonged solely to individuals like the faceless empress¡ªthey were referred to as Nature Lords. Unfortunately, such a pure bloodline had long been lost to the passage of time. This was why Zelfyrion entrusted Izroth with the Empress Brooch and Istion Compass. If someone with the faceless empress¡¯ bloodline did exist, with the assistance of the Empress Brooch, they could surely awaken their Nature Lord bloodline! The second bloodline belonged to those like Zelfyrion and the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia. Their bloodline was still considered extremely purepared to other members of the Trephasia race. Those who possessed their bloodline was named the High-Born. Then there were those like Artemius and the remaining 99% of the Trephasia race with the third type of bloodline. They were simply called Child of the Forest. Technically, Luna¡¯s bloodline fell somewhere between a High-Born and a Child of the Forest¡ªleaning more towards that of a High-Born. This was due to Zelfyrion¡¯s powerful High-Born bloodline. Otherwise, Luna¡¯s Trephasia bloodline would have been incredibly thin and closer to the lower end of a Child of the Forest. Izroth discreetly sent Luna a message via the system, and after she finished reading it over, she understood his intentions. Since Izroth wanted her to y along, then she would do her best to ensure that they did not view her party members as a threat. "My name is Luna. Mypanions and I have journeyed here in search of a certain individual. Wee bearing no hostile intent." Luna said. Artemius frowned, "You call humans yourpanion?" he lowered his bow, and soon after, the Trephasias followed his actions. He then continued, "I have heard rumors that some of the High-Born have the unusual habit of taking humans asrades. But, this is the first time I have witnessed the sight in person. Forget our offense, High-Born. We have that you understand that we were just performing our duties." Artemius and the other Trephasias bowed respectfully to Luna. Mirage looked at the scene of the bowing Trephasias shock. Was that the same person who was so arrogant just a few moments ago? Why were they suddenly being so respectful after Luna said a few words? What Mirage did not know was that the Trephasia lived by a strict code of hierarchy and trust. Unlike humans who could lie through their teeth to anyone, the Trephasia race was incapable of doing so. That¡¯s why when Luna stated that they held no hostile intent, Artemius did not hesitate to lower his weapon. Since the words hade from a member of his own race, he had no reason to distrust them. "I do not know who you havee to search for; however, it will be nightfall soon. We should return to the vige and inform the elders of your arrival. As long as you are with those humans, then there should be no issue with them entering the vige. However, I ask that you keep them under control. Follow me." Artemius said as he ced his longbow upon his back and began to walk forward. As for the other Trephasias, they retreated into the forest. But, they remained nearby just in case. Luna led the way with Izroth, Mirage, and Azalea trailing not too far behind. "Do Trephasias hold some sort of resentment against humans?" Mirage questioned Izroth in a low voice. "Generally speaking, no. Among all the races, Humans and Trephasias have the best rtionship. It is just that this case is a bit unusual." Izroth exined. "Unusual? How so?" Mirage inquired curiously. "If I am correct, this ce has been isted from the outside world for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The views and outlook of these Trephasia should be consistent with the ones from that time period. If that is the case, then their opinions of humans should be from that time period as well." Izroth stated. From what Izroth knew, Humans and Trephasias did not exactly see eye to eye back then. In those times, it was the Trephasia who was considered the most influential race and ruled over the entire world. Hence, it was not umon that someone like Artemius, who had probably never ventured to the outside world, saw humans as a lesser species. "I see... Well, I¡¯m d that we¡¯re not set in that time period." Mirage sighed. If all the members of the Trephasia race were that arrogant during that time period, then she wanted nothing to do with it! The sky began to darken as the stars started to reveal themselves, and after almost 25 minutes of walking, Izroth¡¯s party reached the outside area of the Trephasia vige. There was nothing extravagant about the vige. Everything had a simplistic and natural feeling to it. Every building was made from the earth itself, and the serene atmosphere caused one to feel rxed. Children were running around happily ying with a small ball made from twigs and leaves. The adults were either meditating with nature, practicing their archery and magic, or tending to the nearby nts with great care. ¡´System Alert: You have arrived in ?Lost Trephasia Vige?!¡µ When Izroth¡¯s party entered the vige, they immediately drew the eyes of every Trephasia in sight. There was a multitude of expressions on their face that ranged from curiosity to fear. However, when their eyesnded on Luna, they all seemed to be in awe of her presence. "Miss Luna, you are an honored guest of our vige. Please, make yourselffortable and treat this ce like your own home. As for the humans, I am afraid that they will have to wait here until I inform the vige elders of their arrival." Artemius stated. Luna, however, shook her head and replied, "That¡¯s okay. I do not mind waiting here until you return." "If that is your wish. Then, excuse me." Artemius said as he walked towards the building located near the center area of the vige. Luna gave a weary smile as she noticed that the gaze of every viger was on her. They looked at Luna with a look of wonder and reverence. "Bear with it a bit longer. Once we meet with the vige elders and can roam where we please without being hindered, then you no longer need to continue this little charade." Izroth stated. Luna gave a small nod in response. She did not enjoy deceiving others. Even though she never technically stated that she was this High-Born Artemius spoke of, that did not change the fact that she was not truly one of them. ... Several minutester, Artemius returned to lead Izroth¡¯s party to the building he had gone into earlier. "The elders will meet with you now. Humans, I caution you to mind your words and restrain your barbaric tendencies. The elders are not as polite and forgiving as I." Artemius warned. Mirage was surprised. Someone like Artemius was considered polite and forgiving?! In what world?! Izroth¡¯s party followed Artemius into the building. Once inside, the first thing that could Izroth¡¯s attention were the three individuals sat upon hovering spheres¡ªtwo men and one woman who were all members of the Trephasia race! NPC Name: Viger Elder Examius(???) NPC Level: 49 NPC Name: Viger Elder Nainia(???) NPC Level: 50 NPC Name: Viger Elder Drowmius(???) NPC Level: 51 Chapter 457 Two Conditions of the Elders Although Artemius had referred to them as the vige elders, the three individuals sat upon the spheres did not look much older than him! But, this was not umon seeing as how the Trephasia was a long-lived race. Even the children running around ying outside had already lived for 20-40 years. Artemius bowed respectfully as he said, "Elders, this is the guest that I informed you about, Luna." Artemius did even bother introducing Izroth, Azalea, and Mirage! It was as if their very existence was being ignored. After seeing their attitude towards Luna, Izroth was d that he asked her to apany him. Who knew howplicated things would have been if Luna was not with them? Most likely, they would have had to fight their way through while making sure not to kill any of the Trephasia mistakenly. It would have been a colossal headache! Even though there was a certain level of arrogance and superiority, the Trephasia seemed to feel towards humans, at the very least, they had not tried to chase them away. "Luna? An unusual name." The woman Trephasia on the right sphere spoke. Like the other vige elders, she wore pure white robes with no external decorations. She possessed a pair of emerald eyes with long and flowing blonde hair. As for her beauty, it was to the point that even other women could only sigh in envy. This was the Third Elder of the Trephasia vige, Nainia. "Third Elder, as you know, much has been lost about the High-Born to the passage of time. Perhaps such a name is not as unusual as we think it to be." The male Trephasia on the left sphere stated. He had ck hair that stopped at his lower back, which was apanied by eyes the color of fern. He was the vige¡¯s Second Elder, Drowmius. Nainia nodded as she looked towards Luna and said, "Tell us, are there other High-Borns like yourself outside of the oasis? Has a Nature Lord been born into the world? Did you journey from the Tree of Provenance that dwells within the Mother of All Forests?" Nature Lord? Tree of Provenance? Mother of All Forests? All these were terms that Luna was unfamiliar with! She had no idea how to answer those questions without potentially exposing her false identity. "Come now; Luna is our guest of honor. Do retain your curiosity, Second Elder, Third Elder. First, we must prepare a grand celebration. After more than a thousand years, a High-Born has finally appeared in our vige." The man who sat atop the middle sphere said. This man bore a striking resemnce to the Second Elder Drowmius. No, it was more than that. He looked exactly like the Second Elder! His name was Examius, and he was the First Elder of the Trephasia vige. He was also the firstborn twin of the younger brother Second Elder Drowmius. Luna breathed an inward sigh of relief after Examius spoke. It would seem that she did not have to exin herself¡ªat least, not for now. But, the curiosity of the Trephasia elders was apparent. She did not know how long she would be able to avoid their inquiries. Luna shook her head and replied, "A celebration is not necessary. I only wish to explore your beautiful oasis with mypanions." Examius frowned, "So it is true what young Artemius said. Do you truly see these humans as yourpanions? Are they trustworthy?" He questioned. To be honest, Luna barely knew Azalea and had just met Mirage for the first time today. But, what she did know was that Izroth would not bring along untrustworthy people. Therefore, if Izroth trusted them enough to bring them with him to this ce, then they could not be bad people at heart. "I do, and they are. I ask that the elders permit us to roam freely in the oasis. We will not cause any trouble for you or your vige¡ªthis I can promise." Luna said calmly. Examius carefully examined Luna before turning his attention to those at his side. "Second Elder, Third Elder¡ªwhat do you think?" Examius asked. "It is not Luna that I worry about, but rather those in herpany. Humans are well known for being experts in deceiving others¡ªa trait not easily lost among the members of their race. However, if a High-Born has given their word, who am I to go against it?" Drowmius replied. Nainia gave a nod of agreement as she added, "Although I am curious to learn more about the High-Born, it is not a matter that can be forced. Since Luna has made a promise not to cause the vige any trouble, I see no problem allowing her to explore with her... Companions." "I am in agreement with the two elders," Examius said as she directed his attention to Luna. He then continued, "You have permission to explore our oasis, under two conditions. Even if you are a High-Born, I am afraid that I must insist for the sake of my vige. I hope you do not find this out of line." "I am a guest in your home. Naturally, I will agree to any reasonable conditions." Luna replied. Examius held up one finger as he said, "The first condition is that you must stay near yourpanions at all times. Otherwise, their safety inside the oasis cannot be guaranteed." The first condition was much better than Luna predicted. She figured that the elders would want to attach someone like Arteminus to watch over their every move. She never knew that the Trephasia were so trusting and open with their own kind. It was a refreshing experiencepared to the average interaction. "I understand." Luna stated. "Good, this will allow my consciousness to rest easy." Examius said with a smile. He then held up a second finger as his facial expression turned serious and continued, "The second condition is that you never set foot in the forbidden area where nothing grows. If you do, then even a High-Born like yourself may be affected by the ¡¯curse¡¯. As long as you abide by these two conditions, then you have our permission to explore the oasis as you please." "I do not find these conditions to be unreasonable. I agree." Luna stated. While she did not know about this curse Examius spoke of, it should not interfere with the purpose of their quest. After all, they came here in search of a Trephasia with royal bloodline! After some small talk and finally convincing Luna to ept the grand celebration that would be thrown tomorrow night, the elders entrusted Artemius with the arrangements for the duration of their stay in the vige as Izroth¡¯s party took their leave from the building of the elders. "I don¡¯t like this ce." Mirage stated with a sigh. Everyone was so polite and weing when it came to Luna, but so unfriendly to the rest of them. Also, nothing interested Mirage about the oasis beside the fact that it was hidden so well within the Pzenium desert. The only thing that caught her attention was the forbidden area that the elders talked about. "Once we deliver the Empress Brooch to its rightful owner, it is likely that our journey may take us elsewhere. Until then, we must be patient." Izroth said with a carefree expression. ¡¯Those elders should not be capable of using such powerful spatial magic to hide this ce. Is there a hidden legendary figure hiding in this ce? Or, has the spatial magic around this ce survived for hundreds or thousands of years?¡¯ Izroth, however, found theter to be unlikely. From his understanding of spatial magic in RML, the power required to cast a spatial magic spell strong enough tost for a millennium was something that not even the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia could pull off. A being with that much power would have to be on the same level as the Netherworld Monarch¡ªmaybe even higher! With his current strength, Izroth understood that he was not a match against someone like the Netherworld Envoy, let alone the Netherworld Monarch. Therefore, if there was an individual in this ce with that kind of strength, it was best to avoid creating unnecessary chaos. ¡¯My strength is still too weak. I can¡¯t ck off when ites to increasing my power. I also have to find a way to break through the bottleneck on my Soul Essence; otherwise, even with my Perfect Source Compatability, I will be unable to have any future achievements.¡¯ ... After spending the night in the vige, the next morning, Izroth¡¯s party headed out early to explore the oasis. The elders nned on throwing a grand celebration today in honor of Luna. The whole vige would be there! Of course, Luna was against the idea, but she epted after the elders¡¯ constant pushing, as well as doing so at Izroth¡¯s request. ¡¯It would be too suspicious if we were to go around checking every Trephasia one by one. However, a celebration where all the vigers are gathered in one spot will make things easier. Until then, it won¡¯t hurt to have a look around. Not to mention, there is also "that" matter...¡¯ The matter Izroth referred to had to do with his interest in the Damaged Treasure Map of the Mysterious Lost Kingdom he examined on the third floor of the Sky Pce¡¯s treasure room. That floor contained things like S-ranked and SS-ranked skills. So, how could something useless be ced there as a potential reward? Izroth believed that this treasure map was not simple, and the clues to unlocking its secrety somewhere within this very oasis! As Izroth and his group traveled through the forested area of the oasis, the first thing they noticed was the natural and untainted atmosphere. If one had to put it into words, it was as if they were going through arge garden that contained numerous different nt species. The nts, trees, grass¡ªeverything looked so neat and pure as if it had been carefully tended to for countless years! "I have never seen such a pretty forest. The weather here also feels perfect¡ªnot too hot, nor too cold." Miragemented with a hint of awe in her voice. "The Trephasia are well known for tending to the forest areas around the ce they call home. They are born with a close connection to the world and nature itself. There is an old legend as to why this is." Izroth exined. "Old legend? How does it go?" Mirage inquired. Despite the way the Trephasias of that vige treated humans, her curiosity as an explorer was not dimmed. Luna and Azalea also seemed interested to hear what Izroth had to say. "For the Trephasia... It all starts with the Tree of Provenance." Izroth began. Chapter 458 Origin of the Trephasia, The Small Hun Tree of Provenance? Luna, Mirage, and Azalea remembered that one of the elders, Nainia mentioned it; however, none of them knew what this Tree of Provenance was nor the importance it held for members of the Trephasia race. "In RML, every race that exists has a point of origination¡ªthe Trephasia are no different. ording to the legends, when time, space, and matter first formed, at the same instant, a seed smaller than a grain of sand had morphed into existence. It was this seed that one day grew into what the Trephasia calls the Tree of Provenance. From what was written in the Amaharpe library, the Tree of Provenance¡¯s size is massive enough to pierce through the firmament of this world and is directly linked to the next." Izroth exined. "There¡¯s another world?!" Mirage eximed. yers had not even traversed the entirety of the kingdoms, and now she was suddenly being told that there were other entire worlds? How could she not be shocked?! Luna and Azalea, however, did not appear as shocked. Since Luna had participated in the world quest The Beginning of Beginnings and traveled to several ces with Izroth, she was well aware of the existence of other ces such as the Nether Realm or the Shadahi Realm. As for Azalea, she was also privy to some things as a result of certain circumstances. "Indeed. Though how many such worlds exist is something that I cannot answer. However, this is a topic for another time." Izroth replied. There was not much he grasped about the other realms in RML, so even if he wanted to go into further detail, it would be impossible. He then continued, "The legend goes, "From the Tree of Provenance, a single branch and a single leaf fell unto the Mortal Realm. From this branch, the Mother of All Forests was born. From this leaf that touched the soil of the Mother of All Forests, the Trephasia was formed and breathed into existence. It is believed that the Tree of Provenance sits at the center of the Mother of All Forests and that the Mother of all Forests is the birthce and origin of all nt-life in the Mortal Realm. In other words, if one goes there, they will not need to journey elsewhere to find the nt or herb they are searching for." "Does a ce that amazing really exist?" Mirage questioned with a look of excitement in her eyes. One could tell that she wanted to leave right then and there to search for that miraculous ce! What an adventure it would be! Izroth shook his head and answered, "This, I cannot say for certain. However, within every legend, there is usually tied to it a strand of truth. Whether the story is true or not, perhaps with time, something simr to it can be located." Mirage was a bit disappointed when she heard Izroth¡¯s response. But, she was not disheartened! At that moment, she made a decision. Once this quest was over, she would search for clues to this mysterious Mother of All Forests! ... Meanwhile... Falcinean had a frown on his face as the Life for Life stone in his hand pulsed rapidly. "Is it broken? No, I have never heard of a malfunction urring with the Life for Life stone. Could he be hiding using a special technique or item?" Falcinean questioned. At the moment, Falcinean sat on the back of a beast that resembled a rhino and lizard with scales that matched the color of the Pzenium desert sands. It was a Pzenium Desert Crawler, a popr mount for traveling fast through the harsh kingdom¡¯s unforgiving environment. Falcinean swept his gaze across the endless sea of sand, but he did not discover anything strange. But, as a Controller, he knew for a fact that there were no oases within many kilometers of here. However, what Falcinean did not know was that he was not just anywhere in the Pzenium desert. He was at the same location where Izroth and his party entered into the Millennial Veiled Oasis! "Having some trouble, Controller Falcinean? Just say the word, and my Sandstorm Walkers will take over." A voice echoed from out of nowhere. The bizarre thing was that Falcinean was alone! Just where was this voiceing from? "Hmph, you and your Sandstorm Walkers are under mymand. Unless I give you a direct order, you are not to act. Is that understood?" Falcinean responded coldly. From his tone alone, one could tell that he did not get along with the person he was speaking to. "Heh, very well. Then, we shall await your preciousmand, Controller Falcinean. Ahahahaha!" The voice slowly faded away. "Hmph, lowly scum... Naturally, I have my own methods." Falcinean said as he reached into his garment and removed a ne. Attached to this ne was a red-eye that looked as though it belonged to a demon of exceptional strength. "Reveal the enemies that hide from my site, Eye of Xroshier!" Falcinean chanted as the red-eye light up and released a foul aura that spread out into the surrounding atmosphere. Rar! The roar of a bloodthirsty beast exploded from the ne in Falcinean¡¯s hand as the space before him started to distort. Falcinean furrowed his brows when he sensed the abrupt shift in the space around him. "Spatial magic?" Falcinean was startled to discover spatial magic in a ce devoid of any life. What shocked him was not the spatial magic itself, but the sheer size of it! If the Eye of Xroshier was not malfunctioning, then this spatial magic easily covered an area well over a hundred kilometers! "How could spatial magic this powerful in my Pzenium kingdom go undiscovered for so long?" Falcinean questioned. But, the truth was that Falcinean nor anyone else in Pzenium would have ever discovered this spatial magic, even with the help of an item like the Eye of Xroshier, if it had not recently been activated. The moment the spatial magic reacted to the Empress Brooch in Izroth¡¯s possession, it had temporarily entered a weakened state. It just so happened that Falcinean was at the right ce at the right time to take advantage of this vulnerable state! A few secondster, the space before Falcinean tore open, and when it revealed what was on the other side, his eyes widened from shock! "T-This is...! Impossible...!" Falcinean eximed. What came into his sight was an immense oasis¡ªit was even bigger than the oasis owned by the Grand Sovereign themselves! If news of this ce were to spread, without a doubt, the entire Pzenium kingdom would be thrown into a state of civil war! ... Izroth and his group had wandered far away from the vige as they just arrived at riverbank. However, on the other side of the riverbank was not the same paradise that existed everywhere else in this oasis. Instead, it was a deserted wastnd with an absence of life. But, what stood out the most was that located just ten meters away from the riverbank on the wastnd side was a small hunt made from the earth itself. Its appearance resembled that of the ones back at the Trephasia vige; however, it looked more rundown and abandoned inparison. "That must be the forbidden area that elder mentioned. Should we investigate?" Mirage said eagerly. "We gave our word that we would not trespass into that area. Do you intend to go back on it?" Azalea stated. But, there was not as much contempt in her voice as before whenever she addressed Mirage. "If I remember correctly, ¡¯we¡¯ never gave our word. Theypletely ignored us the whole time, and the promise was only made by Luna. Not to mention, the first condition was that Luna stays near us. However, they never clearly defined just how ¡¯near¡¯ she should be. Therefore, we can assume that they left this to our discretion. So, even if we investigate a bit, we would still technically be following the conditions they gave to Luna." Mirage exined with a smirk on her face. "You- How shameless..!" Azalea scoffed. How could someone twist the words of others so well to make them fit with their own agenda? The worst part of it all was that Azalea could not retort because everything Mirage said was true! "That¡¯s certainly an interesting way of looking at it." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. He then continued, "Though I suppose we humans do have a difficult time understanding theplicated words of the wise Trephasia elders so urately. Azalea, stay here with Luna." "Teacher?" But, before Azalea could say another word, without hesitation, Izroth jumped across the riverbank andnded safely on the other side! It was not merely because of Mirage¡¯s words that Izroth chose this action. It had to do with the second spot marked on the damaged treasure map. If his estimations were correct, then that mark should lead to this area! Not to mention, it seemed that the Trephasia feared for Luna¡¯s safety, more than they wanted to keep others from entering this area. But, most importantly, the Istion Compass had pointed him in this direction! If that was the case, then there was a good chance that there was a separate area on the other side of this wastnd where other Trephasias dwelled. As for the curse that was mentioned, Izroth was not concerned. He possessed the Heavenly Golden Body and consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill. Not to mention, he had already been cursed by a legendary existence like the Netherworld Envoy¡ªwhat curse did he possibly have to fear? ¡´System Alert: You have discovered the ?Land of the Forsaken One?!¡µ Not too long after Izroth reached the other side of the riverbank, Mirage jumped over to join him. Mirage looked in every direction, but no matter where her gazended, she was met by nothing but dirt and rotting trees. A frown appeared on Mirage¡¯s face as she said, "This is the so-called forbidden area? What¡¯s so forbidden about it?" ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyes narrowed as his gaze locked onto the small hut several meters away. He had just activated his Energy Vision Sense and immediately had to turn it off before that me overloaded his senses. He had not seen such a boundless and powerful me since he exchanged pointers against the third young master of the Dragon Pce, Kayn! What was in that small hut that was capable of releasing such a terrifying amount of energy without restraint? "Stay close." Izroth warned Mirage as he walked towards the small hut. Mirage was confused by Izroth¡¯s sudden change in tone. Did he discover something wrong? Izroth approached the small hut with Mirage as he prepared himself before slowly opening the door. However, the moment he opened the door and saw what was inside, Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. At the same time, the Istion Compass in his hands shook violently as the Empress Brooch in his inventory did the same. ¡¯This is...¡¯ Mirage peaked over Izroth¡¯s shoulder and covered her hand with her mouth. She gasped when she witnessed whatid on the floor of that small hut. "It¡¯s a child...!" Mirage eximed. What was a child doing in a lifeless ce like this? Chapter 459 Owner of the Empress Brooch, Intruder In The Millennial Veiled Oasis! The child was a young girl who appeared to be somewhere around 10 years of age. From her slightly pointed ears, one could discern that she was a member of the Trephasia race. She looked thin and frail as shey unconscious on the floor in tattered clothes with bruises and scrapes located all over her body. However, the most bizarre thing was the young girl¡¯s hair that matched the color of a vermillion bird¡¯s zing feathers. It was unkempt and wild as if it had not been tended to for months; however, there was still this startling brilliance that peaked through. ¡¯Red hair the color of mes? Interesting... Is this child the source of that powerful me I witnessed with my Energy Vision Sense?¡¯ For Trephasias, red hair was umon. No, perhaps umon was an understatement¡ªit was virtually unheard of! "I don¡¯t get it. I thought that those Trephasias took good care of their own kind. Why is this little girl here all alone?" Mirage pouted. "That¡¯s a good question." Izroth stated as he, too, was curious as to why the Trephasia in that vige had abandoned this child. It was just as Mirage said¡ªthe Trephasia was well known for weing other members of their race with wide-open arms. As for not knowing that this child was here, Izroth found that to be highly unlikely given that they were instructed not to enter this forbidden area. In all likelihood, this child was intentionally abandoned here! Though the question was¡ªwhy? Mirage moved over to check on the young girl as she visibly frowned when she saw the cuts and bruises. But, she was surprised by what the system revealed. NPC Name: ???(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ???(2%) Besides the percentage of her HP, the system did not disy anything else about this young girl. Even her name and level was hidden! Mirage removed a Medium-Grade Health Potion from her inventory and tried to use it on the young girl; however, the results were shocking. [???¡¯s HP Remaining: 2.01%] [???¡¯s HP Remaining: 2%] [???¡¯s HP Remaining: 1.99%] The potion had only managed to restore 0.01% of her HP! That was a Medium-Grade Health Potion for crying out loud! But, just when Mirage thought that things could not get any more unusual, the young girl¡¯s HP started to fall slowly! Mirage furrowed her brows as she took out a High-Grade Health Potion and used it on the young girl. If other yers knew that she used such a high-quality potion on an NPC, they would be shocked to death. What a waste! However, despite Mirage¡¯s best attempt, the High-Grade Health Potion had the same effect as the Medium-Grade Health Potion. It was practically useless! "Why is nothing working?" Mirage questioned. As Mirage tried to find a solution to help the young girl, Izroth opened his inventory and removed the Empress Brooch. The instant he did so, the item trembled as it seemed anxious to go forward. Izroth sensed this and let go of the Empress Brooch as it shot directly towards the young girl as it collided with her left shoulder! The sudden appearance of the object startled Mirage, who was next to the young girl. When she looked down, she noticed that the beautiful brooch was releasing a faint aurora of lights as a gentle mist epassed the young girl¡¯s body. At the same time, the bruises, scrapes, and filth started to heal and disappear from the young girl. [???¡¯s HP Remaining: 3%] [???¡¯s HP Remaining: 4%] "Her HP is going back up. What an amazing healing item!" Mirage gasped. However, how could she know that the origin of this item was not as simple as a mere healing object? When the Empress Brooch came into contact with the young girl, Izroth received a stream of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Deliver ?Empress Brooch? to the member of the Trephasia race who possesses the royal bloodline.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Royal Bloodline?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained +2 Luck.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked the conditions for the chain quest ?Awakening of The Lost Bloodline?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to ept the second part of this quest? Warning! If you ept, you will lose your reward of +2 Luck. There is no penalty for declining.¡µ The mysterious reward for the D-ranked quest was actually 2 points of Luck?! How generous! One had to know that even after Izroth defeated the first hardcore raid boss, he only gained a single point of Luck. Right now, his Luck was a monstrous 5 points! With this much Luck, the benefits he would receive over time would be immense. Unfortunately, if he wanted to keep these 2 points of Luck, he would have to decline the chain quest that he was being offered. However, just as Izroth was about to look over the quest information and decide, he felt the ground tremble, which caused him to frown inwardly. This was a familiar tremble that he had recently experienced. Izroth looked towards the distance at a location not too far away from the Trephasia vige and observed that the surrounding space was being reformed¡ªsimr to the time he first entered the Millennial Veiled Oasis with his party. ¡¯The entrance to the Millennial Veiled Oasis has been opened?¡¯ ording to the system, no other yer should be capable of setting foot in this ce for at least another year. Therefore, how was it possible that someone had managed to re-open the entrance in such a short period of time? Whatever the reason, Izroth knew that it was doubtful someone from the Trephasia vige was returning from a journey. After all, if the Trephasia in this ce possessed the skill to leave the Millennial Veiled Oasis as they pleased freely, then their information about the outside world would not be so out-of-date. ¡¯If there is a legendary existence protecting this ce, then there should be no problem. However, we should still return to make sure everything is okay.¡¯ Izroth still had no idea how to leave the Millennial Veiled Oasis. Even if the vigers did not know the answer, they might be able to provide some clues as to a means of leaving. Izroth walked over and picked up the young girl, carrying her in his arms. He could not simply leave her here, especially if he decided to ept the second part of the quest. If he did so, then her presence might be a necessity. "Let¡¯s go." Izroth said as he stepped out of the small hut, followed by Mirage. The two of them went to rejoin Luna and Azalea, who had been waiting patiently on the other side of the riverbank. When Izroth returned with a young girl in his arms, Luna and Azalea seemed to have a few questions. However, since both of them also had the Royal Bloodline quest and received the same system alerts as Izroth, they already understood some things. "It seems that some new visitors have arrived in the oasis." Izroth stated. "Hm? New visitors? How can you tell when we¡¯re so far away?" Mirage asked. However, she was met by a carefree smile on Izroth¡¯s face. "I leave her in your care." Izroth said as he handed the young girl to Mirage. Mirage had a confused expression on her face. But, it was soon reced by one of surprise as she eximed, "So light!" The young girl in her arms felt as though she weighed nothing at all! "Be safe." Luna said to Izroth out of nowhere with a light smile on her face. It was as if she already understood what he nned to do. "Be safe? What do you m-" Before Mirage could finish her sentence, Izroth kicked off the ground and soared into the air. He used the skill Sky Steps to walk in the sky! "Azalea!" Izroth said as he flew at great speeds leaving behind a trail of flickering afterimages in his wake! Azalea¡¯s figure became faded to the point that she resembled an apparition. Without wasting a moment, she moved at great speeds in the same direction as Izroth. Her speed was even faster than Izroth when he was using his Flickering Steps! ¡¯My Soul Sense is bing more and more active. I thought that it had something to do with the forbidden area; however, ever since the entrance to the Millennial Veiled Oasis re-opened, it has be much louder. Can it be a being from the Netherworld sent to hunt me?¡¯ ... Meanwhile, at the Lost Trephasia Vige... Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Artemius unleashed three arrows from his bow. Each of the arrows contained a fearsome power and was enhanced by wind magic. Swoosh! Two scimitars with a crimson glow cut out at the arrows as they were split apart and fell to the ground. "I will ask you again. Where are you hiding them? If I don¡¯t receive an answer soon, I cannot guarantee the safety of your vige. The Great Duke will not forgive those who dare harbor people whomit an unforgivable crime." Falcinean said as the crimson blood glow on his scimitars died down. "Silence, human! You attack without provocation, and now you are demanding we hand people over without giving a proper exnation! No, even if you gave a proper exnation, what right do you have to make demands on ournd?!" Artemius scowled. However, he was extremely cautious of the individual before him. Artemius sensed a dangerous level of killing intenting from Falcinean, which caused him to tremble unconsciously. Artemius had grown up in the peaceful Millennial Veiled Oasis; therefore, even though his skills were well above average, he had never experienced a real life or death battle. So, when she was faced with a hardened warrior like Falcinean, it was challenging to do something as simple as withstand his killing intent! Artemius nced over at the bodies of his fallen brethren who had been mercilessly in by Falcinean. This caused him his blood to boil over with rage, an emotion that was entirely new for Artemius. "Human, you will pay with your life!" Artemius cried out as he red at Falcinean with tears flowing from his eyes and fired off a barrage of arrows. Unlike his previous shots, these arrows carried an excessive amount of killing intent. Unfortunately, it was stillcking whenpared to someone of Falcinean¡¯s caliber. Phtk! Phtk! Phtk! The arrows pierced into Falcinean¡¯s body¡ªone of them even drilled into his forehead! Artemius clenched his fists tightly when he saw that his arrows had struck their intended targets. "Brothers, I have avenged your deaths..." Falcinean said as a look of sorrow appeared in his eyes. Phhtk! Artemius suddenly felt something pierce through the center of his chest as he looked down and saw the de of a crimson-colored scimitar! A look of shock appeared on his face as he coughed up arge amount of blood. "H-How..!" Artemius at the figure of Falcinean that was still in front of him. However, that figure crumbled and turned into a pile of sand as the arrows dropped to the earth. "Fool." A voice sounded at Artemius¡¯ back. This voice belonged to none other than Falcinean, who was now behind Artemius! He then continued, "You are unworthy of a death by my des." NPC Name: Crimson des of the Desert, Falcinean(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) ------------------------------- Hello everyone! Author DaoistZenFeng here! I am putting this hear to inform everyone that if you are not reading this chapter at (https://.ReadRead/book/12377393706355105/Realm-of-Myths-and-Legends), then it is wrongfully pirated. I am not rich or even remotely wealthy; therefore, it really hurts me financially as an author and makes it that much harder to make a living. So, if you genuinely support this story and me as an author, please consider reading it at the original site (https://.ReadRead/book/12377393706355105/Realm-of-Myths-and-Legends). You can also support me via Patreon at (https://.patreon/DaoistZenFeng). As always, thank you for the continued support, everyone! I hope you have a fantastic day/night. Stay safe! Chapter 460 Reserving Life In The Oasis! ... A few momentster, Izroth reached an area that was located not too far away from the point where he and his party first entered into the Millennial Veiled Oasis. Izroth examined what was once a beautiful garden of nt life in that section of the forest. He saw that it had been decimated and transformed into a battlefield. Judging from the scene, Izroth knew that whoever or whatever trespassed into the oasis was a vicious entity. ¡¯If they are no longer here, then there is a high chance that their next destination is the Trephasia vige. The strength of those three elders is unknown. It¡¯s better not to take any chances.¡¯ "Azalea." The instant Izroth said this name; an apparition appeared next to him. "Yes, teacher?" This apparition was, of course, Azalea. "Go to the vige. It would seem that some unwanted guests have made their way into the oasis. If necessary, you can lend the vigers a hand. However, prioritize your own safety above all else. If the enemy is too dangerous, just observe their actions and await my arrival." Izroth stated. "Understood." Azalea said as her form apparition burst forward at high speeds. Only a handful of seconds after Azalea took her leave, Izroth heard a faint breathing sounding from some of the nearby bushes. ¡¯Hm? Did I miss something?¡¯ The first thing Izroth did when he arrived at the scene was use his Energy Vision Sense to sweep and survey the surrounding area. If there was someone or something close to his position, then it should not have been able to escape the detection of his Energy Vision Sense. Izroth approached the bushes, and the moment he did so, the breathing he previously heard ceased. When he split open the greenery, Izroth was greeted by an arrow pointed directly towards him! ¡¯I guess this exins why my Energy Vision Sense could not pick him up. He can barely be considered living.¡¯ Artemius stared at Izroth with eyes full of killing intent, anger, and, most of all, fear! NPC Name: (Severely Wounded)Artemius(Rare) NPC Level: 45 NPC HP: ???(0.01%) Izroth noticed that Artemius¡¯ hands were shaking, and just holding up the bow was a daunting task for him. Even if he were to fire that arrow, it would likely do no damage to Izroth, who possessed the Heavenly Golden Body. "Human...! Was this your people¡¯s n all along...? Pretend to be friends with one of our kind and then have your warrior attack us?! Or, was it to use us as a shield?!" When Artemius raised his voice, he coughed up a mouthful of blood as the bow in his hands fell to the ground. "I am afraid you are confused. This fault does not lie with me. Tell me, does the action of one Trephasia speak for the actions of all? If not, then how could the actions of a single human speak for the rest?" Izroth responded. Artemius knew that Izroth was speaking some truths; however, after watching all of his brethren die before his eyes and barely escaping with his own life, he needed someone¡ªanyone to direct his anger towards right now! Not to mention, there was something Falcinean said to him that he had not forgotten. "Humans¡ªI have heard stories that chaos and greed follow them wherever they go. You speak of the fault not lying with you...? Then, tell me¡ªwhy was that man searching for your group?!" Artemius shouted. However, he lost thest bit of his energy as he did so and fell unconscious. ¡´System Alert: You have received the quest ?Reserving Life In The Oasis?. Would you like to ept?¡µ Quest Name: Reserving Life In The Oasis Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 6 Quest Rank: S Quest Objective: Unknown intruders have entered the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?. Protect it! This quest will be considered a failure after the death of 13 vigers. Time Limit: 1 hour Trephasia Viger Deaths: 9/13 0/1 Deliver Artemius¡¯ safely to the vige elders to prevent his death 0/1 Protect Trephasia vigers 0/4 Eliminate intruders in the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis? Reward: -Gain 20% EXP -100 gold coins -Permanent +5% Experience Boost -Ancient Gate Activation Stone(Magic Item) Failure: -Lose 3 levels -Death of Artemius -Death of all Trephasia vigers -Millennial Veiled Oasis conquered Special Note: This quest is automatically shared with all members of your current party. Once epted by the party leader, it cannot be declined by other members of the party. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he finished reading over the quest. Usually, he would not hesitate to ept an S-ranked quest; however, the circumstances this time were a bit different. First, the quest would automatically be considered a failure if thirteen of the vigers were to die, and there had already been a total of 9 deaths! This meant that if just four more vigers died, even if it were only in the crossfire, the quest would be failed. Not to mention, the loss would be three levels! Just to get from level 49 to 50 required a massive amount of experience. If not for the final phase of the hardcore raid, even after defeating Heski and Mona, Izroth would have still been quite far away from reaching level 50! Still, if he were by himself, Izroth would not mind taking this chance. But, once he epted the quest, the others in his party did not have a say in whether or not they wanted to participate! Therefore, Izroth sent a message regarding the quest details in the party chat via the system. But, not even a full breath had passed before he received a response for everyone, which caused a carefree smile to appear on Izroth¡¯s face as he shook his head. ¡¯I suppose this answer should have been expected.¡¯ [Party Chat] yer Mirage, "Eh? S-ranked quest! Finally, something exciting in this ce! Hurry up and ept it! ept it!" [Party Chat] yer Luna, "Do what you think is best. I will have noints if it is your decision." [Party Chat] yer Azalea, "I will follow teacher no matter what choice is made." Since everyone was on the same page, without further dy, Izroth epted the quest. ¡¯The rewards are not bad.¡¯ The experience gain and gold coins were not the best. However, there was no question about the usefulness of the permanent +5% experience boost. Considering the experience boost permanent, it was something that would be useful at any level one reached! Unfortunately, Izroth did not know what purpose the Ancient Gate Activation Stone magic item served. But, as a reward for an S-ranked quest, how could it be anything worthless? Izroth removed a Medium-Grade Health Potion from his inventory and used it on Artemius. Although his HP did not increase by much, at the very least, it took him out of the immediate danger zone. After all, with his previous HP, Izroth felt that if one just looked at Artemius the wrong way, he would die! ¡¯Judging from the quest information, there are a total of four intruders. If they are headed towards the vige and were able to leave Artemius in this state, then their strength is at least equal to or greater than a level 45 rare NPC. If that¡¯s the case, it will be impossible for Azalea to fight alone while also protecting the vigers. As for Luna and Mirage, there is still some time left before they catch up. In the meantime, I should hurry to the vige before any of the other vigers are killed.¡¯ Izroth grabbed Artemius by the cor of his clothing as he made his way towards the Trephasia vige. ... Meanwhile... Ding! Ding! Azalea sessfully parried two attacks from a pair of crimson des. But, the strikes did not cease and continued to move at an exceptional speed and before she knew it... Swoosh! Phhtk! Azalea was stabbed through by a crimson scimitar with a look of shock on her face. The owner of the crimson des, Falcinean, hiddenly frowned. Even though his blow had sessfully struck its intended target, he could not help but feel as though something was off about hisst blow. Caaaw! Caaaw! All of a sudden, Azalea¡¯s body that was impaled by Falcinean¡¯s scimitar turned into a congress of ravens! Falcinean narrowed his eyes as he swiftly adjusted his position and swung both of his scimitars in a semi-circr sweeping motion! Woosh! Falcinean¡¯s scimitars cut Azalea¡¯s body into two. But, this time, her figure became distorted before dissipating into nothingness. Then, without warning, three shurikens came flying from Falcinean¡¯s side. Ding! Ding! Falcinean once again adjusted himself as he managed to deflect two of the shuriken. However, one of the shurikens was able to slip through his defenses. It was aimed right at his head! Swoosh! At thest second, Falcinean leaned his head to the side slightly, avoiding the shuriken¡ªor so he thought. A short cut appeared on his cheek as a small trail of blood could be seen sliding down his face. "An annoying insect. These attacks are not enough to defeat me." Falcinean said as he wiped the blood from his face. Compared to the Trephasia he fought earlier, this opponent was much more troublesome to deal with. While the strength behind their attacks was not great, their speed and evasion techniques were something that could not be ignored. "This guy is dangerous. However, if it is a contest of speed, the current me¡ªI am afraid even teacher would find it difficult to keep up." Azalea said to herself. But, she was not empty boasting. The first time she sparred with Izroth, she was unable to use her full speed due to her senses not being strong enough to keep up with her movements. However, the story was different now that she had consumed the Five Cycles Pill. With her improved senses, it was as if giving wings to a tiger as Azalea could now maximize her full speed without fear of losing control! Not to mention, now that she was a higher level, the skills in her arsenal had naturally improved as well. "His reaction time is fast, and his uracy precise. Those scimitars are also something that I cannot afford to take a hit from. His defense is also surprisingly tough to break through. Then, I guess that I will have to resort to ¡¯that¡¯." The daggers in Azalea¡¯s hands became coated in a milky white aura. At the same time, her body sunk into her own shadow, and a few momentster, the earth below Falcinean was engulfed in total darkness. The darkness stretched more than 20 meters in range, and if one stared too deeply into it, it was as if the abyss was staring right back at them! Azalea¡¯s eyes turned cold as the rest of her body descended into the darkness, "Dance of Fusides." Chapter 461 Dance of Fusillades Falcinean frowned as he lost track of Azalea¡¯s presence. Although one would not be able to tell from the way he fought, Falcinean was actually blind! As a result, he had no choice but to sharp his other senses and relied on them as his primary source of "seeing" his surroundings. It was also the main reason as to why he was capable of tracking Azalea¡¯s movements despite her distinct speed advantage. That was when out of nowhere, Falcinean heard the soft sound of a sharp object cutting through the air and carried a clear hostile intent. However, unlike the previous attacks he experienced, this particr attack felt extremely sharp byparison. "Below!" Falcinean quickly rotated his body as he waved his crimson scimitars down towards the ground! Ding! Falcinean knocked away a dagger covered in a milky white aura that was being held by an arm made from shadows. But, before he could follow up, he sensed two attacks simr to the one he had just experienced being aimed at him. However, each attack was approaching from a different angle! Falcinean lowered his stance and spun in a full circle as he swept outward with his crimson scimitars, sessfully parrying the two iing strikes. Ding! Ding! But, it did not stop there. What followed after was three strikes, then four strikes¡ªthere was no sign of the attacks slowing down! Every time a new group of shadow arms erupted from the darkness, there would always be one more shadow arm thanst time that apanied it. After the barrage reached five strikes, Falcinean could no longer parry every blow. Six strikes... Nine strikes... Twelve strikes...! "It¡¯s getting faster." Falcinean¡¯s facial expression darkened as he was being cut and stabbed in multiple sections of his body! Besides the speed of the attacks, the biggest issue was the milky white aura that epassed the daggers. That aura sliced through Falcinean¡¯s defenses as if they were not even there! At this point, Falcinean had abandoned the idea of parrying every attack and simply focused on protecting his vital points. The attacks persisted until the final bombardment of fifteen strikes, and by the time it ended, Falcinean was attacked 120 times in less than ten seconds! Needless to say, the damage he received was not light. [Falcinean HP Remaining: 71.63%] Azalea slowly emerged from the darkness a few meters away from Falcinean. When she reappeared, the darkness retracted into her shadow, and the milky white aura that epassed the daggers in her hands had vanished. Azalea inwardly furrowed her brows. She knew that an epic NPC¡¯s HP could not bepared to that of a rare NPC¡¯s HP; however, she never anticipated that the difference would be so immense! She had fought against a few rare NPCs before, and none of them were as sturdy as Falcinean. In terms of pure potential damage output, Dance of Fusides was Azalea¡¯s strongest attack! The fact that she had not managed to deal more damage to Falcinean despite ignoring his defenses caused Azalea to rethink her initial strategy. There was only a handful of seconds remaining on her main movement skill, Dance of Phantoms. Once that skill ended, Azalea understood that Falcinean would be a lot tougher to face head-on. After all, she was uncertain before, but after using Dance of Fusides, Azalea knew that she was not mistaken. Falcinean was beginning to slowly adapt to her fighting-style! This meant that the longer the fight went on, the moreplicated it would be. However, Azalea predicted that it would be this way. Given that Falcinean was an epic NPC, it was not surprising that he was able to adapt during the middle of a battle¡ªa trait that most NPCs and monsterscked. "I take back my previous statement. It would seem that I have disrespected you as a warrior. You are indeed worthy of dying under my des." Falcinean stated as a light gust of wind started to blow around him. At the same time, countless tiny grains of sand could be seen forming in the atmosphere! Azalea¡¯s gaze sharpened as she sensed the shift in Falcinean¡¯s attitude. The aura around him had be filled with an overwhelming amount of killing intent, and the pressure generated by it would cause most yers with low willpower to cower in fear. "S-" Just as Falcinean was about to make his move, a voice cried out in pain. "Ahhhhh!" The scream immediately caught the attention of both Azalea and Falcinean. When the two looked over, they were greeted by the sight of a motionless adult Trephasia and a small child Trephasia crying on the ground next to them. The adult Trephasia had been killed! ¡´System Alert: 10/13 Trephasia Viger Deaths.¡µ There was a look of surprise on Azalea¡¯s face when she realized that one of the Trephasias had been in. She knew that there were four intruders due to the quest information, and so, she had remained vignt just in case the remaining three were hiding nearby. But, what she never expected was that the three of them could hide so well¡ªshe had been careless! "Sorry, sorry, Controller Falcinean. I know you said not to interfere, but you seemed to be struggling with that little girl there. How can I sit back and watch? If I did, I am afraid that your Great Duke would me me if anything were to happen to you." This voice came from one of the three individuals who stood over the body of the in Trephasia. He was the squad leader of the Sandstorm Walkers that the Great Duke ordered to assist Falcinean. He, along with the other Sandstorm Walkers, wore thick and tattered clothing that was the color of the Pzenium desert sands. NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Squad Leader)???(Rare) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker)???(Elite) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker)???(Elite) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) What Azalea did not know was that she had not been careless. The Sandstorm Walkers possessed a unique skill that allowed them to move freely through virtually any terrain undetected! However, since Pzenium battles always took ce in the desert that was filled with sand, those who mastered the skill were named Sandstorm Walkers. "What is the meaning of this? I gave you specific orders, and you dared to defy them?" Falcinean said as his voice turned cold. "That¡¯s a scary look you have there. However, you won¡¯t dare kill me without permission from your Great Duke. By that time, heh, I will already have the results he wants. I am sure you know that your Great Duke views nothing but results. Your way of doing things has gotten us nowhere, and these vigers refuse to talk. Therefore, I will do things my way and start killing them one by one until they reveal where they are hiding the criminal. Though you are wee to keep ying around with that brat over there." The Sandstorm Walker Leader stated condescendingly. Even though Falcinean held a higher rank than him, the Sandstorm Walker Leader belonged to a separate power in Pzenium. Therefore, he was not fearful of Falcinean¡¯s threats. Right then and there, Falcinean wanted to remove that guy¡¯s head from his body. However, the words he spoke were valid. Even someone like the Great Duke could not afford to have the Sandstorm Walkers as enemies without proper preparation. They were an organization that was deeply rooted in the Pzenium kingdom and held an alliance with only one thing¡ªgold. The fact that the Great Duke was willing to hire the Sandstorm Walkers for this matter meant that he was dead set on killing the person who had murdered his son! "Still, who would have thought that a bunch of rats was hiding in the deserts of our Pzenium. They even have an entire oasis to themselves¡ªhow arrogant. Well, it won¡¯t remain this way for long. Once others know of this location, they will all be ughtered anyway." The Sandstorm Walker Leader said as a look of frustration appeared on his face as the child at his feet had not stopped crying! "Don¡¯t worry, brat. You will join them soon." The Sandstorm Walker Leader reached towards the child, but just before he could grab ahold of them, a ghost-like figure rushed past him! By the time he looked down, the child had disappeared! "Oh, now, what¡¯s this? You actually care for these rats? To expose such a fatal weakness, how foolish." The Sandstorm Walker Leader stated with a grin. More than twenty meters away, Azalea stood with a Trephasia child in her arms. She ced them down next to a group of Trephasias who all seemed shocked when she appeared. What was she doing here? Why did that human just save a member of their vige? Azalea¡¯s narrowed her eyes as her thoughts raced. Her worst fears hade to pass. Now that her intent to protect the vigers had been exposed, if the intruders started to target the vigers, there was no way that she would be able to protect them while fighting. If Falcinean were not here, then it may have been possible. However, how could she ignore Falcinean¡¯s existence? The situation had quickly be increasingly troublesome! Azalea had not forgotten Izroth¡¯s words to prioritize her own safety. Given these circumstances, the correct move would be to retreat and wait for reinforcements. Nevertheless, she could not help but think of what her teacher would do when faced with a simr situation. Would he withdraw just because the odds were not in his favor? The answer to that question was obvious! "Get away from here." Azalea said. Her words were directed to the vigers who were still in a state of shock. "W-why should we trust a human? Is it not one of your kind who is threatening to destroy our vige? Why should we trust you?" One of the Trephasias asked. "Only a fool would trust a stranger. I am not asking you to trust me; I am telling you to get out of my way. You are an eyesore." Azalea said in a cold tone as she released a killing intent towards the Trephasias. Azalea¡¯s killing intent caused the Trephasias to tremble in fear as they reluctantly started to retreat. They felt that if they had stayed there a moment longer, their lives would have been lost! Of course, Azalea had no intention of killing any of the Trephasia vigers. After all, her quest was to protect them. However, she understood that merely talking to them would do her no good, and so, she decided to use a more forceful approach. "Do you think it will be that easy?" The Sandstorm Walker Leader scoffed. He then ordered the two next to him, "Don¡¯t let the vigers escape. If anyone resists¡ªkill them." Chapter 462 A Troublesome Situation Arises, An Abrupt Thunderstorm In The Pzenium Kingdom? The moment the Sandstorm Walker Leader gave the order, the two individuals at his side dashed forward. However, after taking just a few steps, something bizarre happened. The Sandstorm Walkers started to phase into the earth! Their movement had not slowed down, and in less than a breath of time, the Sandstorm Walkers were no longer anywhere to be found. "Their presence disappeared again. Is it a skill?" Azalea questioned to herself as she kicked off her back foot and raced towards the group of Trephasias who were escaping. She would have to find some way of suppressing the Sandstorm Walkers long enough for them to flee to a safe distance. Woosh! Out of nowhere, an overwhelming killing intent followed by a crimson de descended upon Azalea from her back. "Did you forget that I was your opponent? There are not many who have the guts to turn their back on me in the middle of a battle." This voice belonged to none other than Falcinean! The instant Azalea kicked off her back foot, Falcinean had managed to move behind her and attacked mercilessly with his crimson des. Azalea was sliced in two as a look of disbelief could be seen in her eyes. Even though Falcinean did not agree with the methods of the Sandstorm Walkers, he understood the importance of this mission. The Great Duke¡¯s threat of him not returning in failure was not mere words being spoken. If he returned without the head of his target, then he could never again set foot in the Pzenium kingdom! As if reacting on pure muscle memory, Falcinean shed outward in an arc at his side. However, the object he cut was incredibly light¡ªlike a feather. In fact, it was a feather¡ªa raven¡¯s feather. Caw..! Azalea¡¯s figure scattered into a congress of ravens! She had sessfully evaded Falcinean¡¯s surprise attack! "Another fake?" Falcinean frowned. He did not believe that his opponent was capable of sustaining such a high-level skill indefinitely. There had to be some sort of limit, and if he had to keep attacking until it was reached, then so be it! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Crrrrckle! Out of nowhere, the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance as the sky above the oasis darkened. "A thunderstorm in the Pzenium kingdom?" Falcinean furrowed his brows. He had never heard of a rain shower, let alone a thunderstorm taking ce in the Pzenium kingdom! How could this storm appear without warning? Meanwhile, the real Azalea had already entered an advanced mode of stealth and had begun to make her way towards the Trephasia vigers. That sneak attack from Falcinean was a close call! If she had hesitated even a millisecondter after sensing his killing intent, then that would have been her real body that was sliced in half! "I only have two more uses left today for my Eluding Ravens Call. I will have to act with more caution." Azalea said to herself. Eluding Ravens Call was the name of the skill Azalea had just used to avoid Falcinean¡¯s attack. It was an S-ranked evasion skill that made guaranteed that the user would avoid the next attack or skill where they were a target. It also allowed the user to instantly teleport to any location within a few meters and granted them a brief massive boost of movement speed after they sessfully evaded the attack. The only w was a small dy in between uses; however, with the teleportation and movement speed boost, it was not a disadvantage that could be easily exploited. Another downside to the skill was that it could only be executed a total of five times a day! Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Azalea avoided using it. As the Trephasia made their escape, they were much faster than Azalea anticipated initially. It turned out that, fortunately, some Trephasia vigers possessed basic wind support magic. This provided the group of Trephasias with a much needed speed gain. Unfortunately, there were still not fast enough to outrun the Sandstorm Walkers. The two Sandstorm Walkers abruptly surfaced from underground with a ded-disk in their hand¡ªone on the side left of the Trephasia group and the other on the right side. The weapons in their hand looked as though they were designed to tear their enemies apart brutally! Woosh! Woosh! The Sandstorm Walkers prepared to carry out their assault on the nearest Trephasia vigers! This caused Azalea to immediately exit her stealth as she got ready to elerate forward to block the blows. However, just as she was about to push off her right foot, she felt a powerful force keeping her leg in ce. "?!" When Azalea looked down, she saw a clothed hand holding on tightly to her ankle. She then nced towards the area where the Sandstorm Walker Leader was located and realized that he was no longer there! "Why are you in such a hurry? Stay and y for a while, brat." A voice sounded from beneath the earth as the head of the Sandstorm Walker Leader emerged from the ground. During that tiny window, when Falcinean attacked her, Azalea¡¯s attention was focused solely on avoiding his attack. Therefore, she did not realize at the time that the Sandstorm Walker Leader had chosen to make his move! Azalea stabbed one of her daggers downward towards the head of the Sandstorm Walker Leader; however, he released his grip at thest moment and sunk back into the earth. Even though he did not stop Azalea for long, that single moment was all he needed! Now, there was no way for Azalea to catch up in time to fend off the attack of the other two Sandstorm Walkers! With the low-level that the vigers possessed, just one attack was enough to end most of their lives! This was bad! Crrrrckle! Boom! Boom! Just when the Sandstorm Walkers attacks were about to hit, a sh of purple light appeared before both of them. This purple light contained an overbearing momentum as it exploded on contact, dealing damage and blowing the Sandstorm Walkers away from the vigers! The Sandstorm Walkers tried to move their bodies, but found that they had been paralyzed! They red in the direction where those two attacks originated; however, the Sandstorm Walkers had no idea who was behind them! But, what they could not see was that more than 50 meters away in the forested area and closing in fast was a man with an unusual weapon in one hand and dragging something in his other. The weapon in that man¡¯s hand was a sword with a crossbow attached to the lower t side of its de near the guard area. But, the strangest thing about this weapon that was a cross between a sword and a bow was the material it was made from¡ªif one could even call it a material. It was formed from a concentrated purple energy that crackled as if it were lightning itself! ¡¯It looks like I arrived just in time. Though I have to say, it seems I have underestimated her.¡¯ The person whounched that attack was, of course, Izroth! He immediately swept his gaze over the battlefield and got a decent grasp of the situation. When he received an alert from the system that another one of the vigers had been eliminated, Izroth knew that he did not have a lot of time. Since his Sky Steps and Flickering Steps were still on cooldown and he could not carry Artemius while using Shadow Movement, he needed to think of an alternate n. Of course, he could have used his Second State: Heavenly Cloak Full Mantle¡¯s Compressed Lightning Movement to reach the vige in a heartbeat, but the strain generated by it was too great a risk. After all, he did not know the real strength of the opponents he would be facing. That was when Izroth activated the First State: Heavenly Descent and forged a weapon that acted as both a sword, as well as a bow from the special purple lightning. This permitted Izroth to infuse his sword skills into the purple lightning arrows that were generated by the sword-bow weapon! The skill he imbued into the first arrow he fired was the Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. As for the other skill, it was the Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus. Since the sixth sword form copied thest sword skill Izroth used, it was as if he used the third sword form back to back. Not only was the power behind the attack strong enough to force the Sandstorm Walkers back, but the paralyzing effect of the skill actually activated for both NPCs, making them unable to take any action for 2 seconds! Azalea was taken aback by the explosion near the vigers. But, when she saw that the attacks were aimed at the Sandstorm Walkers, she knew that it had to be an ally. Judging from the direction the attack traveled, that ally was most likely her teacher! If he could already attack, then that meant that he was somewhere within the immediate vicinity. Just as that thought crossed Azalea¡¯s mind, Izroth appeared less than five meters away from her! "Teacher..!" Azalea was startled by Izroth¡¯s sudden arrival. How did he appear here out of thin air?! "Take him to the elders. I¡¯ll handle things here." Izroth stated as he tossed Artemius before Azalea. Just now, he used up three out of four of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charges. Since each charge could move Izroth instantly 15 meters in any direction, he was able to travel an entire 45 meters and reach the central area of the battlefield. Azalea wanted to stay and help Izroth fight, but she knew that one of the quest objectives was ensuring Artemius was safely delivered to the elders. Understanding this, Azalea gave a slight nod in response as she grabbed Artemius by his cor and rushed at full speed to the elders¡¯ building. The faster she delivered Artemius, the quicker she could get back and assist her teacher! Not to mention, she was curious as to what the elders were doing while intruders were attacking their vige. Although the elders had their levels hidden by the system, none of them appeared to be weak or short-lived. If that was the case, why had they not taken action? Did they not care about the safety of their vigers? One way or another, Azalea would get some answers! "Who said you could leave?" A voice sounded from behind Azalea. It was Falcinean who immediately chased after her! Falcinean was stunned to see that Artemius was still alive. He was sure that he killed everyst one of the Trephasia warriors! Swoosh! Ding! Falcinean shed out with his crimson de, but something was not right. The attack collided with something solid, and his strike was parried away! In the blink of an eye, Izroth had appeared before him using the final charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement and intercepted Falcinean¡¯s attack! Falcinean¡¯s facial expression darkened as he became serious. Why? Because the amber gemstone in his possession was roaring! The person who had just blocked his attack was the individual he had been looking for all along¡ªthe criminal who killed the Great Duke¡¯s son! "Do not worry. I will be your opponent." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Chapter 463 Two Down, Two To Go! ... Azalea reached the entrance of the elders¡¯ building just as her Dance of Phantoms movement skill wore off. When Azalea entered inside, the eyes of all three eldersnded on her. She noticed that the three elders sat atop of their spheres with darkened expressions. However, the fact that they had not taken action when their vige was under attack made Azalea somewhat annoyed. She tossed Artemius before the group of elders and said, "Will you sit back and watch as your vige is destroyed?" Examius sighed at Azalea¡¯s words as a light-green mist rushed out from the palm of his right hand and washed over Artemius. In just a few seconds, the wounds on Artemius started to close off and heal. Hisplexion also began to look better as his deathly pale skin had some life restored to it. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Deliver Artemius¡¯ safely to the vige elders to prevent his death¡µ Although Azalea hadpleted her task and wanted to rush back to help her teacher, she believed that there was something strange going on in this vige that the elders were hiding. Perhaps even the other vigers were unaware of it. But, whatever it was, Azalea had a feeling that it had something to do with the "forbidden area" and the young girl they discovered. The elders stated that the forbidden area was cursed, but her teacher and Mirage both returned without a scratch. However, Azalea¡¯s primary focus was on the inaction of the three elders. Even though the system hid their exact status, none of them appeared weak. Did they fear or detest the thought of fighting? "First Elder¡ªbrother, maybe we should tell-" Drowmius began to speak; however, he was quickly cut off by Examius. "No, you should understand better than anyone what that would mean. The three of us all have a duty that we have sworn to. Even if every viger were to die, while it would sadden me greatly, it would be a small price to pay." Examius stated as he shook his head. Azalea¡¯s eyes seemed to turn to ice as she listened to Examius. There was nothing she despised more than hypocrites! Were they not a race that cared for their own kind above all else? If that was so, then how could they turn a blind eye and sit back in silence while strangers fought their battles for them?! "Disgusting...!" Azalea red at the three elders with a look of disgust in her eyes. She was wasting her time here with these cowards! Without saying another word, Azalea took her leave from the elders¡¯ building. Since Artemius¡¯ life was no longer in danger, she had aplished her mission. After Azalea left, the Third Elder Nainia¡¯s expression became filled with grief. "Maybe we should have informed the High-Born. If anyone can do anything about it, it would be her." Nainia sighed heavily. "No, even if she is a High-Born, I fear she is too young to have the power to do anything. Do not lose your determination before the face of adversity. The empty opinion of one human who knows nothing should not be enough to sway you. For now, all we can do it hope that the ¡¯thing¡¯ in the forbidden area remains undisturbed." Examius stated in a serious tone. ... Bang! Rmmmble! Izroth kicked off his back foot and avoided an iing crimson sh that mmed into the ground, causing the area around it to tremble from the impact. ¡¯His speed is not fast, but his movements are quick and elerated. Though his reaction time is a bit troublesome.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was locked in a battle against Falcinean. In terms of speed, Falcinean could not be considered someone fast. However, there was something unnatural about his movements. There was always this initial burst of speed that erupted from out of nowhere. Using this initial burst of speed, Falcinean wouldunch a series of devastating attacks with is crimson scimitars. With that aggressive and ruthless fighting style, it did not surprise Izroth that Artemius and the other Trephasia warriors were unable to do anything against Falcinean. This was a fighting style that belonged to a seasoned and experienced warrior! ¡¯These guys are also annoying.¡¯ The moment Izroth¡¯s foot touched the ground, he immediately kicked off the ground and elerated to the right. Not even a full secondter, a hand reached out of the ground right where his foot had stepped. This hand was covered in tattered cloth and belonged to one of the Sandstorm Walkers! The strange technique that the Sandstorm Walkers used made it so that they were undetectable through typical methods. That¡¯s why Izroth had to depend on his Soul Sense and a limited version of his Energy Vision Sense. Bypressing his Energy Vision Sense to a range of 1 meter, Izroth could maintain it for a longer duration. But, the sole downside was that this did not leave a lot of room for error¡ªat least this should have been the case. Swoosh! One of the Sandstorm Walkers phased up from the ground and shed Izroth across his back with their circr-de. However, the shock could not be hidden in the eyes of the Sandstorm Walker when he realized that his attack that was a direct hit did not inflict any damage! This was due to the Greater Physique passive from Izroth¡¯s Heavenly Golden Body. Since the damage of the Sandstorm Walker¡¯s attack was not higher than 10% of Izroth¡¯s total HP, the attack against him was rendered useless! At the same time that the Sandstorm Walker¡¯s attack failed, the sword-bow in Izroth¡¯s hand disappeared as the First State: Heavenly Descent hade to an end. The Sandstorm Walker, who had just attacked Izroth, witnessed this and saw it as a chance to take advantage. This time, the technique he used was more powerful, as a soft yet dangerous glow epassed his circr-de! The moment the sword-bow vanished, Izroth ced his hand on the hilt of his Sword of The Storm. Before the Sandstorm Walker could carry out his attack, his movements came to a grinding halt. He felt something cold brush past his neck. At first, he believed that it was just the wind, but there was this unique coldness that was familiar to him¡ªit was the coldness of a de. ¡¯Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -32,352 Skill Name: Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Sword Equipped, Sheathed Sword Active: The user¡¯s attack speed is increased by [1 Percent Per 6 Agility] (360%) for the duration of this skill. The user quickdraws their sword from its sheath as it releases a high-pitched screech and cuts its target, dealing 120% of the user¡¯s attack as lightning damage after a 1 second dy. If the user hits a vital point, the target is stunned for 1.5 seconds, the damage of this skill is increased from 120% to 600% of the user¡¯s attack, the damage dy is decreased from 1 second to 0.5 seconds, and the cooldown is reduced by 75%. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 20 minutes ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Sandstorm Walker¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/4 Eliminate intruders in the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?¡µ Thanks to the previous damage he dealt with his first attack on the Sandstorm Walkers, along with the damage from the Lightning Chain effect of his First State: Heavenly Descent, the Sandstorm Walker could not survive the blow. ¡¯As I thought, their health and defenses are nonexistent. Also, if I were to judge them based solely on their mes from my Energy Vision Sense, I would ce their level at the mid-40s range.¡¯ Even though the Sandstorm Walkers had their status hidden, it did not mean that they were stronger or a higher level than Izroth. Most likely, it had something to do with their clothing or the unique skill they used to move around through solid surfaces. Though with a skill like that, it was no wonder they werecking when it came to their defensive capabilities. With such a terrifying offensive/escape skill at their disposal, why would they waste their time increasing their defense? Meanwhile, after hisst attack ended in failure, Falcinean fell back and observed Izroth¡¯s fight against the Sandstorm Walkers. The rhythm of Izroth¡¯s steps was chaotic and unpredictable, and yet somehow, everything remained in perfect order. While it was not his first time fighting against a strong opponent, he remembered the Great Duke¡¯s warning about underestimating those who survived the selection. Woosh! All of a sudden, just as the other Sandstorm Walker was about to make his move, a hazy blur emerged next to him, followed by a wave of dagger attacks! This hazy blur was, of course, Azalea! The Sandstorm Walker, who was already weakened from Izroth¡¯s attacks, suffered critical damage from Azalea¡¯s surprise attack and joined hispanion. Now, there was the Sandstorm Walker Leader and Falcinean who remained! ¡´System Alert: 2/4 Eliminate intruders in the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?¡µ "Teacher, I have safely delivered Artemius to the elders building." Azalea reported. Izroth gave a small nod in response and said, "Good work. Since you have returned, I will leave thest Sandstorm Walker to you." "Yes." Azalea cupped her fists respectfully as her figure faded away. She had entered into stealth mode! As for the Sandstorm Walker Leader, his gaze had turned cold. Two of his subordinates had been killed! The enemy this time was more troublesome than he was initially led to believe. If he knew it was going to be this difficult, he would have asked for more gold upfront. But now, he had no choice but to work together with Falcinean! "Controller Falcinean, I will take care of the brat that just arrived¡ªcan you handle the other one?" The Sandstorm Walker Leader asked with his head sticking halfway out the ground. "His strength is not greater than mine; however, when ites to skill execution, I am afraid that I am not his equal." Falcinean admitted. He noticed that the skills within Izroth¡¯s arsenal were nothing to scoff at. He then continued, "But, that will not be an issue. If I am unable to win with skill alone, then I just have to overpower him with raw strength. Your n¡ªwe will go with it." A light gust of wind appeared around Falcinean as a myriad of tiny grains of sand could be seen forming in the atmosphere. The number of sand grains continued to increase at a terrifying pace, and soon, there was so much sand in the surrounding air that the grains were visible to the naked eye. "Sand Domain: Passage of the Desert." Falcinean¡¯s body crumbled apart as it turned to sand and became one with the sand in the atmosphere! Chapter 464 Falcineans Passage of the Deser ... Luna and Mirage were greeted by a sudden sandstorm the instant they reached the outskirts of the vige. After they received a system alert that one of the vigers had been killed, Luna used the word "Haste" with her voice magic to speed up their journey. "First, a random thunderstorm and now this¡ªhow did all this sand get here?!" Mirage eximed. The entire vige and the neighboring area that was once green and full of life had been transformed into a sand-filled desert! The sandstorm also made it difficult to see more than a few meters in front of them, and so, they could not tell what was happening in the vige. The two tried to send a message to Izroth and Azalea; however, neither of them were responding! This meant that there was a high possibility of them being in the middle of a battle with the remaining two enemies. Mirage looked down at the young Trephasia in her arms. She wanted to rush forward, but how could she put this young girl in harm¡¯s way? As for leaving her here, that was also out of the question. After all, she had not yet fully recovered. Who knew what would happen if they left her alone, and she awakened? "We will wait here until the sand clears." Luna said calmly. "But, it¡¯s an S-ranked quest. The enemies may not be something Izroth and Azalea can face alone." Miragemented as she furrowed her brows. Luna, however, shook her head, "It will be okay. Those two can take care of themselves. For now, we should focus on keeping her safe." She replied as her gazended on the Trephasia. For some reason, that brooch made the Trephasia side of Luna feel protected and at ease. She did not know for sure why this was the case. Still, she believed that it definitely had something to do with the mysterious Trephasia named Zelfyrion, who gifted her the Trephasia bloodline and the statue of the faceless empress he was protecting. "I hope you¡¯re right, Luna." Mirage sighed as she stared off into the distance. Somewhere in that sandstorm, Izroth and Luna were fighting opponents of unknown strength. ... ¡¯This familiar feeling¡ªa domain?¡¯ Izroth stood in the middle of the sandstorm with his eyes closed. He did not expect Falcinean to possess a domain! Though in terms of power, it was not as strong as Roudin¡¯s Main Upper Eight Mountain Domain. This meant that Falcinean¡¯s domain was likely a Lower Domain. But, even if it was a Lower Domain, its power could not be underestimated. Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense at its maximum range of 199 meters. ¡¯Oh? They¡¯ve arrived?¡¯ Izroth recognized Luna and Mirage¡¯s mes that were lit up near the edge of the vige. He also witnessed two mes that were closeby that appeared to be continually exchanging blows with one another¡ªthese mes belonged to Azalea and the Sandstorm Walker Leader. As for Falcinean¡¯s me, it was nowhere to be found. Or to be more precise, it could be found everywhere! Everything made from sand possessed the same me as Falcinean. So, even with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth was unable to pinpoint his exact location! Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense. Using it at its maximum range expended too much Essence for Izroth to maintain it for an extended period of time. Otherwise, if he left it active for too long, then he would experience Soul Weakness. ¡¯My understanding of domains is still rudimentary¡ªI will have to find a way to correct this w soon.¡¯ All of a sudden, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off as he swung his Sword of the Storm out at his right side as it struck something solid. However, before he knew it, a long cut had appeared on the left side of his body near his lower waist! -6,847 13,992/20,839 [Izroth¡¯s HP Remaining] Izroth immediately used his Light Feather Footwork skill and moved back from the area he had just received the attack. He was positive that he had evaded that blow sessfully! ¡¯This is...¡¯ It was not often that Izroth was unable to react to an attack properly. However, he had encountered a simr feeling to the one he had just experienced during his fight against Roudin at the Sky Pce. It was the same danger he felt when Roudin used that strange silver energy to attack him. At that time, Izroth was also confident that he had evaded the strike, but somehow, he was still hit. There was obviously more to a domain than the influences it had over certain elements. A faint light green aura appeared around Izroth as he activated the Rapid Regeneration skill attached to his armor. +555 ... +555 Izroth started to recover the health he lost as his in-battle HP regeneration increased by 200%. ¡¯Rapid Regeneration willst for 1 minute. I have to find a way to break his domain before then.¡¯ Izroth lightly tapped his foot on his ground as tremors spread out within a 45-meter radius! He infused some Essence into the skill Behemoth¡¯s Quake to improve its range and power. If a frontal assault would not work, then he would have to rely on AOE skills. But, Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake only managed to damage one individual¡ªthe Sandstorm Walker, who was caught in its range. "It¡¯s useless." A voice sounded from behind Izroth. Izroth used the spinning momentum from his Phantom Strike skill to swiftly turn as his sword shed out in a full circle, followed by two sword shadows. Woosh! Once again, Izroth¡¯s sword hit nothing, but the air as a de wound appeared on his right chest area! -5,836 "No matter where you try to hide in my Passage of the Desert, your fate will not change. You only have yourself to me for offending the Great Duke of my Pzenium Kingdom." Falcinean¡¯s voice echoed. Great Duke? Izroth had offended many individuals and factions in RML, but he had never heard of some Great Duke from the Pzenium Kingdom. That¡¯s when Izroth suddenly remembered that someone he fought during the selection was screaming something about his father being a Great Duke of Pzenium. Of course, Izroth did not care if his father was the Grand Sovereign of Pzenium since he wanted to im his life, then it was only natural that he be prepared for his own death! Not to mention, what happened inside the selection, stayed inside the selection. It was a great taboo to seek revenge on the participants as it was the same as offending the owner of the Sky Pce, Zushuatri¡ªnot to mention the countless powerful existences that were at his side. But, what Izroth did not understand was how the Great Duke discovered that he had killed his son during the second team¡¯s selection. It was unlikely that someone of Zushuatri¡¯s status would be pressured into giving up his identity. So, just what method was used to track down his exact location in an isted ce like the Millennial Veiled Oasis? ¡¯If it is me that they are after, then I have disturbed this vige¡¯s peace. I suppose I should take some responsibility and avenge the lives of those who have fallen. Though it would seemmon techniques won¡¯t work against him.¡¯ Izroth opened his eyes, and despite his great vision, he was unable to see more than five meters no matter which way he turned. While Falcinean¡¯s domain was not as strong as Roudin¡¯s, it was far more refined for actualbat¡ªno doubt due to the time Falcinean spent on the battlefield. Izroth grasped a basic understanding of Falcinean¡¯s domain after the second attack. In a sense, Falcinean was the sand, but the sand was not Falcinean. The reason Izroth could not see where the cuts wereing from had to do with the bizarre energy the sand emitted as a result of merely being a part of a domain. Usually, coating his Sword of the Storm in Essence should work to harm Falcinean, but the amount of Essence required to do any real damage was too much. Not to mention the fact that Izroth had already used up quite a bit of Essence in a short time. If he continued to push it any further, then he was bound to face the consequences of Soul Weakness. Fortunately, Izroth had another idea in mind. ¡¯I still can¡¯t ess its full power for another month in-game. But, even with its current strength, since it¡¯s not a Main Upper Eight Domain, it should be enough to contain him. Though I¡¯m not sure for how long.¡¯ Izroth removed and consumed a High-Grade Health Potion from his inventory to restore some of his lost health. +5,000 +555 ... +555 He then stabbed his Sword of the Storm into the pile of sand before him as he held out the palm of his right hand. A few secondster, a colorless ring appeared above his hand. This ring contained no mana or energy whatsoever¡ªonly nothingness. It was as if one was staring into an endless void! Izroth stood still as if he were waiting for something, and in less than a single breath, a cut appeared near his upper right torso. -6,205 12,501/20,839 [Izroth¡¯s HP Remaining] At that exact moment, the colorless ring about Izroth¡¯s palm expanded and covered a radius of 20 meters in every direction. Simultaneously, the sandstorm came to an abrupt halt as the grains of sand within the colorless ring were forcibly expelled! Woosh! Out of nowhere, Falcinean fell to the ground with a look of shock and disbelief on his face. What just happened to his domain?! Why had it suddenly disappeared?! The moment Falcinean¡¯s real body appeared, the remaining sand that covered the entire vige and the nearby surroundings had disappeared. Everything had returned to its once green and lush state. Falcinean swiftly stood to his feet and assumed a battle stance. However, he soon discovered that something was wrong with his crimson des! "Why is the Sanguine Thirst not responding?" Falcinean facial expression darkened. One of the things that made Falcinean¡¯s attack so vicious was the Sanguine Thirst magic effect of his Crimson Scimitars. The more opponents he defeated, the greater the strength of his Crimson Scimitars. But, the current scimitars in his hands did not give off the same pressure or bloodlust as before. Instead, the scimitars appeared to have reverted back to the weak state they were back when Falcinean first acquired them! "Is this your doing?" Falcinean stared coldly at Izroth. He had never heard of someone being able to forcibly cancel a domain unless the difference in strength of their opponent was far beyond their own. But, Falcinean refused to believe that someone as young as Izroth was so much stronger than him that he was capable of performing such a feat! Chapter 465 Boundless Nullifying Expanse Izroth met Falcinean¡¯s words with silence as he picked up his Sword of the Storm and pointed it towards Falcinean. ¡¯Boundless Nullifying Expanse... The effects are not as strong since its iplete, but it still works better than I anticipated. I had some concerns if it would be able to confront a domain, but it seems that my worries were unwarranted.¡¯ The skill Izroth just used was one that was a part of his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill called Boundless Nullifying Expanse. Skill Name: Boundless Emperor Void Perfection Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1 Skill Rank: Growth(Current Rank Equivalent: E-) ?Boundless Nullifying Expanse? Active: The user creates a ?Nullification Zone? within 1 to 20 meters thatst for 5 minutes. ?Nullification Zone? - While inside this area, the following effect(s) are applied to everyone(including the user) and cannot be negated: -Instantly removes all buffs and debuffs. -All magic other energy sources are consumed and then nullified upon use. -Weapon/Armor passive and active skills are disabled. Any active skills in use are nullified. -Items cannot be removed from the inventory or used. -Only physical attacks/skills that do not require any mana or alternate energy source may be used. All other skills are nullified. -Cannot leave the area of the ?Nullification Zone? for the duration of the skill. Skill Note: Skill duration may vary depending upon those trapped inside. This skill can be broken by the user at any time or by someone whose power exceeds the limits of the user¡¯s ?Nullification Zone?. Cooldown: 252 Hours ... ¡¯Given the power Falcinean disyed, I estimate that the Nullification Zone will onlyst around 1-2 minutes. I have to end the fight before it reaches that point.¡¯ This was the first time Izroth used the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill ever since that mysterious man who appeared back at the selection helped to remove the suppression that was ced upon him. Although its current might could not hold a stick to its full strength, for now, Izroth had to make do. Inside the colorless ring was the Nullification Zone. It affected Izroth and Falcinean, applying the restrictions to both of them. However, the effects of the Nullification Zone were crueler to someone like Falcinean, who relied heavily upon the magic effect of his crimson scimitars and his Sand Domain. On the other hand, for some like Izroth, who was abat master, the Nullification Zone to him was simr to a fish in water¡ªit was as if it were made for him! Since the vast majority of his skills did not require mana or energy usage¡ªsuch as his sword forms¡ªit provided him with a considerable advantage over others who were caught within the Nullification Zone! ¡¯Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley.¡¯ Izroth lowered his sword next to his leg, but there was a strange illusion that looked as though the sword rested on his shoulder at the same time. The sword on Izroth¡¯s shoulder started to move and meet up with the sword at the side of his leg. But, if one were to look carefully, the sword would seem as if it took an eternity to reach its intended destination! Rmmmmble! The instant the "two" swords met one another, they fused together as a fissure formed on the ground before Izroth and split open the earth, creating a deep scar as a powerful strike rushed towards Falcinean! Falcinean wanted to avoid the opening fissure; however, he found that even his movement skill was rendered ineffective! By the time he discovered that fact, the fissure had already approached him in full force. -1,446 Falcinean braced himself to receive severe damage; however, he was surprised when he discovered that the attack barely scratched him. He used the opportunity to dash forward andunch a counter-assault on Izroth. But, as Falcinean moved, he found that his speed had been reduced by more than half! When Falcinean reached Izroth andshed out with his crimson scimitars, Izroth avoided the attack effortlessly, and just as he did so, a surging sword intent erupted from the ground towards Falcinean as the fissure mmed shut. It was the second part of Izroth¡¯s Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley! ?Critical Hit? -13,480 The sword intent that was unleashed from the fissure as it closed was many times more powerful than the initial strike of the fourth sword form! But, it was not over yet. Izroth shifted his stance as his sword shed out at Falcinean instantly after he evaded the crimson scimitars. It was the Sword Counter effect of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave paired with his First Sword Form: Converging Paths! ?Critical Hit? -13,750 Sword Counter allowed Izroth to immediatelyunch a counter strike after sessfully evading an enemy¡¯s attack. As for his first sword form, it guaranteed that Izroth¡¯s next sword strike would be a critical hit! In just two moves, the gap of usable skills between Izroth and Falcinean had already begun to show! Falcinean, who was not used to fighting without the magic effect of his crimson scimitars and skills, had his entire flow of battle disrupted. Just like that, he had gone from having the advantage with his Sand Domain to beingpletely and utterly overpowered! ... Meanwhile... "Phantom Image." Four phantom images of Azalea that took on her physical appearance appeared next to her. At the same time, a circr-disk spinning at great speeds flew out from the ground and cut three of the Azaleas. The instant it did so, the three Azaleas turned into a shadow before dispersing. The circr-disk returned to the ground before erupting a few secondster and striking the remaining two Azaleas! Swoosh! Swoosh! Both of the Azaleas stopped moving before turning into shadows and disappearing like the ones before them. It turned out that all five had been phantom images! "Where did she go?!" the Sandstorm Walker Leader¡¯s head emerged from the ground with a look of frustration in his eyes. Every time it seemed that one of his attacks connected to Azalea, it turned out to be a shadow image, ravens, or a dark of vapor of sorts. He had never faced such a slippery opponent! As Sandstorm Walker, he was supposed to be the slippery one¡ªnot her! Phhtk! The eyes of the Sandstorm Walker Leader widened as a dagger exited the front of his head in between his brows. At the back of his head were his shadow showed, a hand could be seen holding onto the dagger that was impaled into the Sandstorm Walker Leader¡¯s head. It was the same dagger that belonged to Azalea! "Shadow Hunt." A figure slowly ascended from within the shadow with a freezing look in their eyes as they pulled the dagger out the Sandstorm Walker Leader¡¯s head. The figure that emerged was none other than Azalea! The Sandstorm Walker Leader¡¯s body was ejected from the ground as hey motionlessly. ¡´System Alert: 3/4 Eliminate intruders in the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?¡µ Azalea twirled the daggers in her hands before returning them to the hidden sheathes located under her forearms. There was not one cut or bruise on Azalea despite having just faced off against a rare NPC! To be honest, Azalea had not forgotten that the Sandstorm Walker Leader had grabbed her ankle earlier. As someone who prided herself on speed, this was a great humiliation for Azalea! Even if her guard was lowered, she found it uneptable! Though if most yers knew of her thoughts, they would want to strangle her to death! Comining after only getting touched once by a rare NPC while also fighting three other strong NPCs¡ªwhat was there toin about?! After Izroth told her to take care of the Sandstorm Walker Leader, Azalea wasted no time. At first, it was a stalemate as the Sandstorm Walker Leader could simply stay hidden beneath the ground with that unique skill of his. But, as soon as that sandstorm appeared, the Sandstorm Walker Leader received a significant advantage and caused Azalea to be constantly on high alert! The desert was his home; therefore, he was used to fighting in that type of environment. Unfortunately for him, the sandstorm did not persist, and he lost this advantage. From there, Azalea uncovered the weakness behind the skill of the Sandstorm Walkers. They could not attack without first revealing themselves! Otherwise, they would just stay beneath the ground the entire fight andunch an endless barrage of sneak attacks. But, even with this information, it was not easy to find opportunities to attack the Sandstorm Walker Leader as he was extremely cautious. But, during the final moment against the Sandstorm Walker Leader, Azalea used an assassination skill called Shadow Hunt. This allowed Azalea to transport herself to any shadow within a certain range. As for the shadow she chose, it was the almost negligible shadow that formed from the Sandstorm Walker Leader¡¯s head being above ground in that split instant! Though that window was all Azalea needed to reap his life. "Is teacher still fighting?" Azalea set her sights towards Izroth and Falcinean, who were fighting not too far away from her. As she observed the fight, Azalea felt that something was off about it. Falcinean¡¯s usual prowess was gone, and the scimitars in his handscked its previous fearsome power. Not to mention, there was this strange ring that had formed around the two. Why did he seem so much weaker than when he confronted her? "Azalea!" A familiar voice called out to Azalea. When Azalea turned to look, she saw that it was Mirage with the young Trephasia in her arms, apanied by Luna. Azalea gave a small nod before turning back to watch the fight between her teacher and Falcinean. Strangely enough, she did not seem to mind when Mirage called her Azalea instead of Wraith! Just what happened during the fight between them?! Luna and Mirage quickly approached Azalea. "Are you alright?" Luna asked. "Fine." Azalea responded with one word. It was evident that her attention was drawn to somewhere else. "He¡¯s still fighting? Why haven¡¯t you gone to help him?" Mirage questioned when she realized that Izroth still inbat. "Hmph, how can my teacher need help against someone like that?" Azalea in an almost condescending tone. She then continued as she pointed forward, "Also, that ring is not normal." Azalea did not know what it was about that colorless ring, but she felt a sense of unknown dangering from it. Luna nodded andmented, "I tried to use a healing skill, but my mana just disappears without having any effect." When Luna saw Izroth¡¯s health through the system¡¯s party interface, the first thing she tried to do was naturally heal him. After all, it was better to heal first and ask questionster. But, unexpectedly, her healing skills had no effect whatsoever! Mirage had a helpless expression on her face as she observed Izroth¡¯s battle. That was an epic NPC he was fighting against! There was also the fact that S-ranked quests seemed to follow Izroth wherever he went. Even the quest she previously invited him to somehow got turned into a rare S-ranked quest! Since when were S-ranked quests so easy to acquire?! But, how could Mirage know that due to Izroth¡¯s world fame, as well as his luck stat, great opportunities were bound to throw themselves on his path! This was the benefit of having high world fame and luck stat! Chapter 466 A Child Who Can Destroy The World? ... Falcinean brandished his scimitars. His breathing had be ragged, and the fight appeared to be taking a toll on him. After he lost the use of his skills that supplemented his other senses, the blindness that did not previously hinder him had suddenly be a great burden to manage. Falcinean took a deep breath before he exhaled and controlled his breathing. In his heart, he knew that this fight was over¡ªit was his loss. But, as a warrior of the Pzenium kingdom, he would not kneel down in defeat! After all, there was a famous saying in the Pzenium kingdom, "A Pzenium warrior has never known of defeat outside of death!". This was a testament to the warrior spirit of those born in the Pzenium kingdom. To them, there was always a winner and loser¡ªnothing else existed. This was why Falcinean was shocked when he saw that Artemius was alive and wanted to finish him off. As a Pzenium warrior, it was considered a great dishonor for the opponent to spare their life¡ªit was a shame worse than death! "What is your name?" Falcinean asked. His voice was somewhat hoarse and weak, but there was still a clear strength behind it. Izroth was a bit taken aback by Falcinean¡¯s sudden question. But, he had no reason to hide his name. "Izroth." Izroth responded. "Izroth... Izroth... I see. I shall remember it." Falcinean stated. He then continued, "You should know that the Great Duke won¡¯t give up on killing you after what you did to his only son. That brat was not worth much, but he was still the Great Duke¡¯s sole heir¡ªyou have ended his direct bloodline." Even after hearing Falcinean¡¯s words, Izroth did not regret his actions in the selection. If someone wanted to kill him, then let them. As for whether or not they had the ability to do so¡ªthat was a different question! "You have been marked by the Scorching Death Mark. Once you have a Scorching Death Mark, there is only one known way to remove it¡ªdeath. Izroth, your fate is already sealed." Falcinean said. ¡¯Scorching Death Mark?¡¯ Izroth had never heard of that before, but from the way Falcinean described it, it sounded simr to Soul Mark in the Seven Realms. Upon death, the killer of that person would have a Soul Mark imprinted on their soul. While it was harmless and did not cause any direct harm, it made it so that one could track down the killer no matter where they hid in the Seven Realms! Of course, there were ways to remove it. But, for the average person, those methods were far out of reach. "Why are you telling me this?" Izroth questioned. Falcinean had no reason to disclose this information to him. In fact, he had every reason not to tell Izroth! "You are a warrior that I, Falcinean, respect. Your death must be an honorable one; otherwise, my soul will never rest in the Grand Battle Pce." Falcinean answered. He then pointed his scimitars towards Izroth as the fighting spirit in his eyes became intense. "Enough words. This conversation shall end the way it started¡ªwith our des." Falcinean charged forward. Although he was clearly fatigued, his movements had be sharper. Woosh! Bang! Izroth parried Falcinean¡¯s blow as an overbearing pressure rushed out from his Sword of the Storm. Then, with one swift motion, Izroth¡¯s sword breezed past Falcinean¡¯s neck. The crimson scimitars in Falcinean¡¯s hands fell to the ground as his movements stopped. A long and thin cut appeared on his neck as he copsed lifelessly to the ground. ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction.¡¯ Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath as he looked down at Falcinean. If he did not have his Boundless Nullifying Expanse, then this fight would have been many times more difficult against Falcinean, who possessed the Sand Domain. ¡¯I need a more consistent way to deal with domains.¡¯ In the near future, Izroth believed that he would face many strong enemies who were all capable of using a domain. There was no guarantee that his Boundless Nullifying Expanse would be able to suppress them as long as it did Falcinean. There was also the huge cooldown timer on the skill which affected its usability. After Izroth defeated Falcinean, the colorless ring dissipated. At the same time, Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: 4/4 Eliminate intruders in the ?Millennial Veiled Oasis?¡µ ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Protect Trephasia vigers¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Reserving Life In The Oasis?¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 20% EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x100 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained a +5% Permanent Experience Boost!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Ancient Gate Activation Stone?!¡µ As Izroth looked over the system alerts, Luna, Mirage, and Azalea came over. "You two sure know how to leave the boring things to others and save all the fun for yourselves!" Mirage huffed. While she was stuck babysitting the young Trephasia with Luna, Izroth and Azalea got to have all the fun fighting! "I am sure that more opportunities will prevent itself in the future." Izroth replied with a carefree smile. "Alright! But, next time, I get to fight first!" Mirage yfully smirked. "We havepany." Azalea said. The Trephasias that had gone into hiding had begun to emerge from the buildings they hid in. However, all of them seemed to have terrified and fearful expressions on their faces. Mirage frowned when she realized this and said, "Why aren¡¯t theying out to give their thanks? Didn¡¯t you two just save their vige? Or do Trephasias only know how to be ungrateful?!" Izroth inwardly shook his head. It was partly his fault leading Falcinean and the Sandstorm Walkers to this oasis. Therefore, even if the vigers did not want to give their thanks, he could not me them. But, that did not exin their terrified expressions. Were they afraid that he would harm them after seeing his power? Given their distrust for humans, this was the most likely cause. However, what Izroth and the others did not know was that the Trephasia vigers¡¯ fear was not towards them, but the young girl in Mirage¡¯s arms! "Hurry, go tell the elders...! The cursed one has crossed outside of the forbidden area...!" One of the vigers said as another rushed over towards the elders¡¯ building. "Get that me-haired cursed monster out of here!" One of the Trephasia vigers shouted. "Ger her out of here!" "Why did you bring her out of the forbidden area!?!" "You will doom us all!" The other vigers soon began to cry out in outrage one after the other. This came as a shock to Izroth and his party. It turned out that they were not afraid of them, but of the young Trephasia who was with them! "Why are they scared of a little girl? Aren¡¯t they neglecting one of their own kind? Also, monster? How can they call such a cute little thing a monster?" Mirage visibly frowned. ¡¯The Trephasias see red-hair as a bad omen; however, they should not be fearful of it to this degree. At most, it should be a mild difort. But, more importantly...¡¯ Were any of the vigers aware of this Trephasia¡¯s lineage? They were able to tell that Luna was a High-Born right away, so how was it possible that they were oblivious to this young girl¡¯s bloodline? ¡¯Is it due to the bloodline lying dormant?¡¯ If the young girl did possess the same bloodline as the faceless empress, then that meant that she was at least a High-Born¡ªperhaps even a Nature Lord of legends! But, since the purpose of the Empress Brooch was the assist one with awakening their bloodline, it was safe to assume that the young girl¡¯s bloodline was hidden deeply. Therefore, to others, she may seem like a normal Child of the Forest. ¡¯It looks like I will have to get some answers.¡¯ Izroth had not yet epted the quest SSS-ranked quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline. In the end, the failure penalty of an existence wipe could not be taken lightly. Therefore, he wanted to learn as much as possible before he decided on his next course of action. A few momentster, Artemius stepped out of the elders¡¯ building and appeared to be in a slight panic. When his eyesnded on Izroth¡¯s group and then the young Trephasia, he had the same reaction as the vigers. He hurried over towards Izroth¡¯s group; however, he made sure to maintain a safe distance. "The elders would like to immediately meet with you at once¡ªall of you." Artemius said with a gloomy facial expression. ¡¯Oh? Are they willing to talk?¡¯ "Very well. We nned on heading there anyway." Izroth replied. ... A few momentster, Izroth and his group had arrived back at the elders¡¯ building. However, Azalea did not seem too pleased to be there. After all, those elders sat back and did nothing as their vigers were mercilessly ughtered! Examius eyesnded on the young girl in Mirage¡¯s arms as a troubled look appeared on his face. "We weed you all into our home and only asked that you follow two simple conditions. Yet, you have broken one of the conditions we set. The consequences behind your actions¡ªI fear that you will not be able to withstand them." Examius stated. "Hmph! So what if we broke some condition? Don¡¯t you people pride yourselves in not being savages like us humans?! Then, how can you leave a poor defenseless child out there alone to fend for herself?!" Mirage scoffed. "Mind your words, human! You speak, but you know nothing!" Nainiashed out. "Third Elder." Examius nced over to his side as he held his hand up to stop Nainia. He then turned his attention back towards Izroth¡¯s group with a serious expression and said, "That child should be not outside of the forbidden area. You must return her at once. Otherwise, it is not just our oasis that will be doomed¡ªbut the entire world." The world would be doomed? How could one child bring about the destruction of the entire world? "You must listen to my elder brother¡¯s warning. You are messing with powers far beyond yourprehension. If that child is outside of the forbidden area for too long, the damage you have caused will be irreversible." Drowmius said in a grave tone. "Since I have decided to save this girl, she is under my protection. Therefore, I will have to refuse your advice. However, I will give you a chance to exin yourselves. Though if you intend on using force to achieve results, then you will be disappointed with the results." Izroth stated. Abandoning the young Trephasia was the same as throwing away the SSS-ranked quest, which he was unwilling to do. But, he was still willing to give the elders a chance to exin their situation. "You really won¡¯t reconsider?" Examius¡¯ expression darkened. ording to Artemius, the strength of just one intruder was enough to overwhelm their squad of warriors. If Izroth¡¯s party could defeat such enemies ande away virtually unharmed in the process, then it would not be wise to make enemies with them. After being met with Izroth¡¯s silence as a response, Examius released a deep sigh. "Since you leave me with no other alternative, then I shall exin it to you." Examius said, which startled Drowmius and Nainia. This was a closely guarded secret of their vige for more than a millennium! Was the First Elder really going to disclose it to a bunch of humans outsiders?! "First Elder, you must reconsider." Nainia warned. "Elder brother, I must agree with Third Elder. This decision¡ªwe will be betraying the oaths we have taken." Drowmiusmented. "I am well aware of that. But, whether I say it or not, the oue does not change. At the very least, they should know the destruction they will unleash upon this world." Examius said unwaveringly. Chapter 467 Truth About The Millennial Veiled Oasis "Artemius, you may go. This conversation is not for your ears." Examius said as he dismissed Artemius. "Yes, First Elder." Artemius replied respectfully before taking his leave. There was a sense of relief on his face when the Examius dismissed him as if he wanted to be as far away as possible from the elders¡¯ building! Artemius nced at the young me-haired Trephasia onest time as he left the elders¡¯ building. "First, allow me to apologize for our earlier treatment. It is clear that the humans of this era are not the same as those from our own era." Examius stated. He then looked towards Luna and continued, "High-Born, we hope that you can forgive our deception. It is not that we wished to deceive you, but you must understand that we were only following the oath we have sworn." Luna nced towards Izroth, who gave her a small nod as if knowing what she wanted to say. Luna faced the elders as she shook her head and replied, "I am afraid that I have deceived you all as well. This bloodline was something that I was gifted¡ªnot born with. I am not truly a High-Born of your Trephasia race." "We know¡ªwe have always known." Examius stated as a faint smile appeared on his face. Izroth¡¯s group was surprised. They knew Luna had been gifted her bloodline and still treated her like a High-Born? Why? ¡¯These three are hiding more than I originally thought.¡¯ Izroth had been informed about the elders¡¯ response to the vigers being attacked by Falcinean and the Sandstorm Walkers. Therefore, he knew that whatever secret the three elders were guarding must be a great one if they were willing to allow the death of their entire vige. For Trephasias, such a thing was unheard of throughout all known history! "It does not matter that your bloodline was gifted to you. It is much purer than that of a Child of the Forest. The individual who gifted you that bloodline must be a High-Born of incredible lineage. If that individual has entrusted you with our bloodline, then you will always be considered a High-Born of our Trephasia race." Examius said. They even knew that Luna¡¯s bloodline had been gifted?! Azalea and Mirage did not know about this event since neither of them entered the Chaotic Dogma Realm. But, Izroth and Luna remembered the ancient Trephasia who guarded the faceless empress, Zelfyrion. It was Zelfyrion who gifted Luna with the Trephasia bloodline as a way to show his sincerity. Out of nowhere, the entire Millennial Veiled Oasis shook violently! Rmmmmmmble! "What¡¯s going on?! An earthquake?!" Mirage eximed. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he saw tiny tears in space appearing throughout the elders¡¯ building. ¡¯Is something causing the space within the Millennial Veiled Oasis copsing?¡¯ The quake onlysted for a handful of seconds, but it caused a grim expression to appear on the faces of the three elders. "First Elder, we do not have much time left." Nainia reminded. Examius nodded. The start of the quake was the first warning sign¡ªthe Millennial Veiled Oasis would soon no longer exist. "You must think of us as cruel for abandoning the vigers in their time of need, correct?" Examius asked. "The action is certainly unworthy of being respected elders." Izroth answered. "Indeed, if the circumstances were normal, your response would not be wrong. But, what if I were to tell you that everyone in this vige has already been lost to the passage of time?" Examius stated. Izroth¡¯s group was startled by Examius¡¯ words. Was he saying that everyone in the vige was already dead?! But how was that possible? They could see that everyone was alive and well! Even Izroth was taken aback by this statement. After all, his Energy Vision Sense was able to sense the lifeforce of all living things. From trees to grass, and, of course, people. ¡¯ording to my Energy Vision Sense, everyone in this vige is alive. It has never misled me. Is he telling the truth?¡¯ "Are you saying that all the vigers that we have seen are dead?" Mirage stated as her eyes widened in disbelief. Did that mean that she had been carrying around a dead person all this time?! Azalea frowned under her mask and said, "I witnessed a viger die before my eyes and a child weeping over his death¡ªhow can you exin this?" When one of the Sandstorm Walkers killed a viger, Azalea rushed over to save the child before they were also eliminated. Even the quest they were given was to prevent the death of the Trephasia vigers! If they were already dead, then wouldn¡¯t they have failed the quest the moment they epted it? "I am afraid that you will have to borate." Izroth said. The elder¡¯s words did not make any sense based on everything he had experienced up to this point. There were too many pieces missing from the puzzle to even begin grasping a solid picture. Examius sighed, "To be precise, we are alive, but not in the terms one would normally define it." He then continued, "Many eons ago, a world-ending event urred. With its vast power, it swept through the world, devouring everything in its path. Trees, people, animals, beasts¡ªthe only thing left in was a barren wastnd. It does not know remorse or fear, only destruction. If you have entered the forbidden area, then you have seen this for yourself. That is what ¡¯it¡¯ is capable of¡ªthe Undying Maelstrom." Izroth and Luna looked towards one another. During their time in the Chaotic Dogma Realm, inside the Endless Pandemonium Tower, they entered an area with the name Undying Maelstrom. It was in that area that they met Zelfyrion and saw the statue of the faceless empress. They knew from Zelfyrion that the empress sacrificed herself to quell the Undying Maelstrom and ultimately save the world. But, as a result, the Undying Malestrompletely erased the empress from existence! This meant that every piece of her existence was wiped out! To be capable of achieving such a thing, the Undying Maelstrom had to be something frightening. As for Azalea and Mirage, the two of them only understood the surface level of Examius words. They never knew that a world-ending event of that scale took ce in RML! Also, eons? Just how far back did RML¡¯s history go? "You speak of the Undying Malestrom as if it is a living creature with a will of its own." Izrothmented. The way Examius spoke of the Undying Maelstrom made it sound as though it was aware of its actions. But, as a natural disaster that was likely birthed by the world, this should not be the case. Rmmmmmmble! RMMMMMBLE! The Millennial Veiled Oasis trembled once again, except this time, it was more than five times as powerful as thest quake. There were even pieces of the elders¡¯ building that broke off as a result! But, just likest time, the earthquake stopped after several seconds. "I fear that I do not have time to exin everything. The Great Spheres of Heslin are losing their power." Examius said as the spheres each of the elders sat atop started to slowly shrink in size. ¡¯Sphere of Heslin?¡¯ Izroth observed the spheres beneath the three elders and noticed that they did bear a striking resemnce to the Sphere of Heslin he received at the end of the Chaotic Dogma Realm and delivered to Tererestiaa. The major difference was that these spheres were muchrger¡ªat least twenty timesrger¡ªand there was not one, but three of them! "This ce has been sealed in time for countless cycles. The moment the Great Spheres of Heslin lose their power, the Time Bound Seal will shatter, and this vige, along with all the people in it, will cease to exist." Examius exined. While others may not understand Examius, Izroth was different. From its name and Examius previous exnation, he arrived at an unbelievable conclusion! The reason his Energy Vision Sense observed life in the vigers had to do with those Great Spheres of Heslin and the Time Bound Seal. If time was frozen in this ce, then it exined everything! Izroth was unsure what the exact purpose of the Great Spheres of Heslin was, but if he was not mistaken, then they did not just have the ability to seal an area of space¡ªthey had the ability to seal a piece of time itself! The power required to achieve such a feat must have taken the effort of several legendary beings and high-grade magic items! Still, this did not answer the main question on Izroth¡¯s mind, what did all of this have to do with the young Trephasia? If she was already dead and would disappear when the oasis copsed, then what would happen to the Empress Brooch and the other quest he received? As if sensing Izroth¡¯s question, Examius spoke, "While it is true that everyone, including the three of us, does not belong to your era, it is different for that child. After all, the Time Bound Seal was not made to merely preserve the life of this oasis and the vigers. It was made for that child. For countless cycles, she has been in a deep sleep, protected by the Time Bound Seal." He then continued, "Every viger you have seen has sacrificed themselves to achieve this goal. High-Born, humans¡ªsince you have chosen to take this path, it is toote to turn back. This burden... Let us hope that you can carry its weight." The Millennial Veiled Oasis trembled as the elders¡¯ buildingpletely copsed! However, the material that the building was made from phased right through the elders, as well as Izroth and his group! But, when the building crumbled and Izroth¡¯s party witnessed what was taking ce outside, a stunned expression found its way onto their faces. The entire vige and all the vigers within it were turning into particles, drifting towards a vortex above the oasis! However, that was not the most shocking part. As the vigers turned to particles, their physical appearances changed at thest moment! The children, adults¡ªall of them had be more aged and mature. Even Artemius looked to be in histe-40s to early 50s! When Izroth¡¯s group looked back towards the elders, they saw that the three of them had aged considerably! The youthful appearance that was usually associated with the Trephasia was no longer there. It was as if they were slowly withering away. But, that was not the only thing that changed about the vigers. NPC Name: Examius(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Drowmius(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Nainia(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Artemius(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? ... Not just the vige elders, but every single viger had transformed into a legendary existence! That was more than 25 legendary existences! Artemius looked towards Izroth¡¯s group as a smile appeared on his matured face before the rest of his body dissipated and drifted into the vortex. "I don¡¯t understand. Is this ce being destroyed? Are we going to be sucked into that vortex too?!" Mirage questioned. Examius smiled and said, "You will be safe. Since the Time Bound Seal is now broken, everyone is returning to their original states. What you viewed before was simply everyone the happiest moment of their lives. A child running freely, a warrior protecting his vige, a mind at peace with nature... The moment exists, but the memory has long been forgotten. Such is the price they paid." The reason the vigers reacted the way they did when they saw the young Trephasia was due to their missing memories. Examius went on to exin that only he, Drowmius, and Nainia knew the truth. But, they took an oath, which prevented them from disclosing the young Trephasia¡¯s true importance. However, as members of the Trephasia race, it was carved deep into their existence to care for others of their race. Therefore, to ensure that no one attempted to undermine them in a moment of blindpassion, they purposely demonized the young Trephasia. After Examius finished speaking, Izroth finally grasped what he had been missing. ¡¯So, it¡¯s like that.¡¯ Chapter 468 Awakening of The Lost Bloodline, Relentless Players Izroth wondered why the vigers abandoned the young Trephasia as it was an uncharacteristic trait. But now, it all made sense. ¡¯Indeed, a cruel but effective method.¡¯ Examius, Drowmius, and Nainia bodies started to turn into particles as the Great Spheres of Heslin beneath them followed suit. "You spoke of the Undying Maelstrom having a will of its own¡ªthis is not wrong. The Undying Maelstrom is a relentless entity. It lives and exists, just as you live and exist. When that child awakens, the Undying Maelstrom will be reincarnated into this world. Once that happens, it will hunt her down to the end of the realms to have its revenge, destroying whatever lies in its path. You must make sure that the past does not repeat itself... You must... pr... ia..." As Examius spoke, hisst few words faded into the wind as his body fully dissipated along with the other two elders. At the same time, without warning, Izroth, Luna, Azalea, and Mirage received an alert from the system. ???System Alert: The quest ?Awakening of The Lost Bloodline? has been automatically epted and can no longer be declined!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have lost -2 Luck!¡µ The once beautiful Millennial Veiled Oasis had morphed into an endless expanse of total darkness as the vortex in the sky disappeared. However, a few momentster, the surrounding space cracked open and shattered like a ss mirror, and, in the blink of an eye, Izroth, along with his party, were back in the Pzenium desert! As for the Millennial Veiled Oasis, it was no more! Everyone and everything in it had disappeared¡ªat least, almost everyone. The young Trephasia was still unconscious in Mirage¡¯s arms; however, herplexion was a lot better, and her HP had been restored to full. ¡¯It seems we have been given no choice. However, it¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing. Eventually, someone else would have discovered that ce and uncovered its secrets.¡¯ Izroth had quickly scanned over it once before when he first received the alert for the quest, but this time, he examined every detail of the quest. ¡¯It appears that I have quite a bit of preparation to make.¡¯ Quest Name: Awakening of The Lost Bloodline Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 12 Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: Assist the owner of the ?Empress Brooch? in awakening their lost bloodline and prevent the rebirth of the Undying Maelstrom. Time Limit: ??? 0/1 Meet with the Guardian of the Forest and receive their blessing. 0/1 Journey to the ?Mother of All Forests? and visit the ?Tree of Provenance? with the owner of the ?Empress Brooch?. 0/1 Acquire a drop of ?Millennial Dew? from the ?Tree of Provenance?. 0/1 Fully awaken the owner of the ?Empress Brooch? true bloodline using the ?Millennial Dew?. 0/1 Prevent the rebirth of the Undying Maelstrom. Reward: -Grand Order Territory Deed(Main Quest Holder) -Gain +2 levels -Gain +1,000 World Fame -Receive x1 ?Rare Skill Book? -3% chance to receive x1 ?Lost Skill Book? -1% chance to receive x1 ?Legendary Skill Book? -Receive Title: Eternal Benefactor of the Trephasia(Solitary) -Receive x2 ?Epic Equipment Treasure Chest? -2% chance to receive x1 ?Legendary Equipment Treasure Chest? -0.10% chance to receive x1 ?Unique Equipment Treasure Chest? -0.001% chance to receive x1 ?Divine Equipment Treasure Chest? Reward Note: You may only receive x1 Skill Book and x1 Treasure Chest. You will automatically keep the item with the highest quality. Failure Penalty: -Existence Wipe -Death of the owner of the ?Empress Brooch? -Royal bloodline of the Trephasia lost forever -Undying Maelstrom unleashed upon the world. Special Note: This quest may be shared with up to 11 other yers. Now, there were only two quests in Izroth¡¯s quest logs. The Beginning of Beginnings and Awakening of The Lost Bloodline¡ªboth of which were SSS-ranked World Quests, capable of forever changing the fate of RML! If other yers discovered that two of such quests were in the hands of one yer, there would be a huge uproar! ... "Good job, everyone! With this many Spirit Shards, we are sure to be within the top three¡ªeven first ce is not too far out of reach!" Two Tons said as he led the party towards the exit of the Spirit Caves. "Yeah, though we wouldn¡¯t have gotten as many shards if not for Realistic and Scarlet. They¡¯re the true MVPs this time around." Hidden Pulse stated with a smile. He was excited that this local event had been a sess. The rewards that awaited them was enough to make any yer look on in envy! Reilei shook her head and said, "Xiao Liang and Ayanellia deserves all of the credit." "Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, Realistic. After all, as their summoner, you deserve most of the credit. Though I have to admit, when Xiao Liang first transformed, I was really shocked. I never heard of summons that can take on a human form." Phoenixmented. "Hmph, your mistake isparing this venerable young master to those low-world spirits. Let me tell you, in the Spirit Realm; there are countless spirits who would be willing to carry this young master¡¯s shoes around but are not worthy of doing so!" Xiao Liang dered. "This brat, there he goes again speaking nonsense. If only he were more well-behaved like Ayanellia." Phoenix scoffed. "This young master is telling the truth!" Xiao Liang shouted like a child throwing a mild tantrum. "Yes, yes, we have heard it before, our ¡¯venerable young master¡¯. Hahaha!" Two Tons and the other party membersughed. "Y-you all...! You dare bully this young master...!" Xiao Liang puffed. Reilei chuckled slightly when she saw Xiao Liang interacting with the others. At first, he would not acknowledge any of their existence. But now, Xiao Liang was willing to exchange words with them! Although his choice of words could still use some work, at the very least, he seemed to be opening up a lot moretely. As for Xiao Liang¡¯s talk of the Spirit Realm and his bragging about being a young master, Reilei took this as nothing more than a child¡¯s vivid imagination. Scarlet, who stood at the back of the group, observed Reilei and her summons. "That shitty old man, constantly asking for favors and yet never listening to what I have to say...!" Scarlet muttered quietly to herself. She then continued, "First, I had to deal with ¡¯that¡¯ monstrosity of a yer, and now this simr anomaly appears. Does she even have any idea what those summons of hers are capable of? How ridiculous..." Scarlet did not find Reilei by coincidence. She "crossed paths" with her just as she once did with Izroth. However, her method of approach was different this time. Compared to Izroth, Reilei¡¯s personality was not so well hidden. Initially, she nned on using a simr process of testing Reilei; however, she did not even require any digging or scheming to get Reilei talking! In fact, Reilei was more than willing to share just about everything. Therefore, Scarlet tossed her initial n out the window and decided to use the local event to observe Reilei. What shocked her the most was Reilei¡¯s inexperience when it came to games. While she picked things up fast, there were still many things that any gamer should know, and yet, she was utterly oblivious to it. In the end, Scarlet believed that Reilei was either an outstanding actor or totally oblivious to her own situation! "They give off the same feeling, but it¡¯s different somehow... Well, whatever. I just have to report back to that shitty old man now that I have the data. This is thest time I agree to run an errand for him. Hmph, see how he starves when I don¡¯t bring him any food." Scarlet mumbled in a slightly frustrated tone. A few momentster, Reilei and her party reached the exit of the Spirit Cave; however, strange sounds wereing from out in front of the cave. "It sounds like people are fighting outside." Shuyi frowned. He then continued, "I¡¯m going ahead to have a look." Shuyi entered stealth mode before leaving to scout ahead. "Fighting? Did some of the parties have a disagreement?" Hidden Pulse questioned. During events like this, it was not umon for parties topete over the same targets. It could be that one of the parties stole the other¡¯s prey, and now there were having a dispute outside the Spirit Cave. "I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s better if we wait here until Shuyi returns." Two Tons said. There was only one entrance and one exit to the Spirit Cave; therefore, if they wanted to leave this ce, then they would have no choice but to continue forward. ... In just a couple of breaths, Shuyi returned with a grim expression on his face. "The Spirit Cave¡¯s surrounded by arge group of yers. I counted at a total of thirty. Most of them were unfamiliar, but among them, I recognized six of them. Those six were all members of one of the other parties who also participated in the event. But, I have no idea where the other twenty-four yers came from, but one thing is certain¡ªtheir intentions are not good." Shuyi exined. He then continued, "One of the parties that left ahead of us were annihted the moment the set foot outside of the Spirit Cave. I can only assume the same applies to any other unfortunate party that reached the exit. However, I did discover that most of their party consists of ranger-type and mage-type sses with three tanks blocking off the escape routes. From the positioning and equipment-type of their backline, they seem to specialize in AOE and crowd control skills. I would have gathered more intel; however, one of their mages seem to possess some kind of area sensory skill and almost discovered me through my stealth." "No, you¡¯ve done enough¡ªmore than enough, Shuyi." Two Tons released a deep sigh. Thirty yers? If it were ten or even fifteen, perhaps they could force their way through. But thirty was a bit unreasonable. "Should we wait for the other parties to reach the exit and form an alliance with them?" Phoenix suggested. "That would be ideal. Unfortunately, we have no idea how many parties are still left in the Spirit Cave. After all, we went quite a bit deeper than the others, so I would not be surprised if we are thest group that¡¯s leaving. Nevertheless, I think this is the best course of action. For now, we will wait them out. I don¡¯t believe they¡¯ll stay here forever." Two Tons stated. Everyone agreed with Two Tons¡¯ suggestion. The people outside had obviouslye prepared. Rather than take any chances, it was best to y it safe. 1 hour... 3 hours... 5 hours... "Why aren¡¯t they leaving?! Don¡¯t they have anything else better to do?!" Hidden Pulse finally erupted in a fit of anger. They had been waiting here for 5 hours, and the group of yers outside had yet to budge! Did they want to eliminate them that badly?! Why were they going so far?! The rest of the group also appeared to be frustrated by this fact. Fortunately, those who were not participants of the event could not enter into the Spirit Cave; otherwise, that group would have already rushed in. Chapter 469 Confronting The Headhunter Syndicate, A Third Party Appears? But, the most regrettable thing was that Two Tons¡¯ previous suspicions were correct. In the 5 hours they were waiting, no other group had shown up to exit the Spirit Cave. This was the worse possible oue¡ªthey were alone! "What do you all want to do?" Two Tons turned to ask his party members. It seemed that the yers outside had no intention of leaving this ce any time soon. However, they could not log out while they were in the Spirit Cave. As for using a Returning Scroll, this was out of the question. After all, how could normal yers like them afford something as luxurious as a Returning Scroll? In the end, they were left with two options. The first was to wait here and hope that the yers would eventually leave. As for the second option, it was to try and fight their way through! "I don¡¯t know about all of you, but I¡¯m tired of waiting! I would rather fight than stay hidden away inside some cave for an unknown amount of time!" Phoenix said. "Yeah, I¡¯m sick of staying in this cave! If we¡¯re going out, then we might as well go out fighting!" Hidden Pulse added. Reilei nodded in agreement. Although she still had much to learn about the world of gaming, she picked up one thing fast¡ªother yers could be ruthless! Unlike the real world, in RML, she had the strength and confidence to confront problems head-on! In this world, she would not allow herself to be bullied by anyone! "Then, ¡¯young master¡¯ Xiao Liang, we¡¯ll be troubling you to cause a scene." Two Tons smirked. Xiao Liang looked towards Reilei, who, in turn, smiled and gave him a nod of approval. "Heh, leave it to this young master!" Xiao Liang said in a slightly excited tone as a vicious grin appeared on his face. ... Meanwhile, outside the Spirit Cave... "What¡¯s taking them so long?!" Violence Is Blue questioned. The frustration on his face could not be hidden. They dared to waste the precious time of his Headhunter Syndicate and make them wait this long?! They would not get away with being killed once! No, he would make sure that they were killed until they could no longer lose any levels! "Patience. They can¡¯t logout while inside the Spirit Cave. We will simply have another group wait here and rotate with them until they decide to crawl out and ept their fate." Dead Fire stated. "Someone¡¯sing." Love Swan announced. She had her low-level summon Eyes of Another carefully monitoring the exit to the Spirit Cave. As long as something tried to leave, then she would surely detect it before it was able to get far. "Finally...! Get ready!" Violence Is Blue shouted. Tap... Tap... Tap... The sound of footsteps could be hearding from within the Spirit Cave. A few secondster, a young boy emerged, which caused most of the Headhunter Syndicate yers to look on in confusion. What was a little kid doing here? But, when Dead Is Fire saw who emerged from the Spirit Cave, he did not hesitate to give the order, "Attack! Attack, now!" He had witnessed through Love Swan¡¯s Eyes of Another the amount of destruction that "child" could conjure up. That young boy was none other than Xiao Liang! The Headhunter Syndicate yers were startled by Dead Fire¡¯smand, but they would not disobey his order. Without further hesitation, the ranger-type and mage-type sses in the back unleashed their AOE and crowd control skills! The scales and tail apanied by a vicious aura had returned to Xiao Liang. He spread his arms and opened his mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth. All of a sudden, the magic attacks and arrows that were aimed towards Xiao Liang trembled. Then, without warning, they were all drawn into Xiao Liang¡¯s mouth! When the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate saw this, a look of shock appeared on their faces. Was he eating their attacks?! Buuurp! "Full~" Xiao Liang said happily as he closed and wiped his mouth as if he had just finished eating a delicious meal. The scales on his body and tail changed to multiple colors after he consumed the attacks. A smirk found its way onto Xiao Liang¡¯s face as he stated, "Too bad I can¡¯t keep it." Xiao Liang opened his mouth and released a bellowing roar as the same attacks that were aimed at him were suddenly fired back at the crowd of yers! "W-what is this?! Why are we being hit by our own attacks?!" "Heal! Someone heal me!" "Ahhh! Hey! Watch where you¡¯re going!" "Get outta the way!" Chaos began to ensue among the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. Of course, Dead Fire tried his best to reorganize everyone, but the sudden rain of AOE attacks made it challenging to do so. Fortunately, even though the attacks were thrown back at them, their power seemed to be weakened. Still, having more than 15 AOE attacks being thrown back at you, even if the damage was reduced, it was not something that could be brushed off. The scales on Xiao Liang returned to normal before they receded into his body along with his tail. He had reverted to his previous form. "Nice, Xiao Liang! We¡¯ll take it from here!" Two Tons roared as he charged ahead! Follow closely behind him was Reilei, Phoenix, and Scarlet! As for Shuyi and Hidden Pulse, they had already gone to take advantage of the confusion! Woosh! Woosh! "Ahhhh!" "What¡¯s- Gaaah!" Two yers who did not receive any heals in time were eliminated by Shuyi and Hidden Pulse, respectively. The moment Xiao Liang was sessful in causing confusion; they immediately entered stealth mode and made their way out into the crowd of yers to make the most of the situation. Their job was to add on to the confusion. "Xiao Liang!" Reilei said as she held her hand out. Xiao Liang reverted from his human form back into his small reptile form as she jumped into Reilei¡¯s hand. He then crawled up her arm and onto her shoulder with a weary and fatigued expression. After pushing the skill he just used to the limit, Xiao Liang could no longer maintain his human form and required time to recover. "Well done, Xiao Liang." Reilei said as she gave Xiao Liang a light pat with her finger. "Circle of mes." Scarlet chanted as arge ring of mes that was 20 meters in diameter appeared around a group of the Headhunter Syndicate yers. This temporarily cut them off from the rest of theirrades and gave Scarlet some additional time to prepare for her next spell. Reilei went to the front along with Two Tons as an orb appeared in her hand. She kicked off her back foot and elerated at great speeds, and, in the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of Violence Is Fire. "H-" Bang! Before Violence Is Fire could utter a single word, his face collided with the orb in Reilei¡¯s hand and sent him flying back! Dead Fire¡¯s facial expression darkened when he witnessed this sight. How could an orb wielder possess enough attack power to send someone flying back?! "Focus the summoner! Focus her!" Dead Fire ordered. At hismand, some of the Headhunter Syndicate yers who had regained their footing started to direct their attacks at Reilei. Being the target of so many attacks, Reilei¡¯s offensive capability dropped as she had to focus on avoiding the iing attacks! "Hmph, ignoring me. You will regret that." Scarlet finished casting her spell as a grand ball of mes formed above her! "Hellfire Burst!" She used one of the strongest Elemental Mage fire-type spells, Hellfire Burst! The giant ball of mes soared onward and mmed into a group of the Headhunter Syndicate yers. Boooooom! A massive explosion caused the surrounding earth to tremble slightly. With that single spell, five yers from the Headhunter Syndicate had been incinerated! In just a few moments, their numbers fell from thirty yers to twenty-two yers! However, Reilei¡¯s party¡¯s advantage did notst for long. Dead Fire was able to reorganize the members of his Headhunter Syndicate after the initial chaos ended, and this made it almost impossible for Reilei¡¯s party to catch their breath. In the end, Dead Fire was an elite yer with experience under his belt. As for those who apanied him, they were also much stronger than the average yer in RML and could be deemed elite or lower-elite yers. Although they suffered some serious losses from that initial surprise assault, they were able to bounce back quickly. Now, they had the upper hand in the battle! Dead Fire made sure to direct focus towards keeping Reilei at bay and Scarlet from casting anything that required longer than one second to cast. As a result, Reilei¡¯s party was swiftly backed into a corner! "What do we do?!" Phoenix furrowed her brows. Her mana was running low after continually healing everyone. She would not be able to hold out for much longer. "What else can we do? We fight until ourst breath!" Two Tons dered. At the moment, they had been surrounded, and Shuyi, as well as Hidden Pulse, had been forced out of stealth. Reilei tightly clenched her fists. Was she still powerless to do anything against people like Dead Fire¡ªeven in this world? Was this simply her fate? However, a look of determination appeared in Reilei¡¯s eyes. No! She would not ept such a fate! She would fight until the end! But, just as Reilei¡¯s party had resolved themselves, a rain of arrows and fireballs rained down upon the Headhunter Syndicate yers. "Ambush!" One of the Headhunter Syndicate yers yelled. "What?! Who dares ambush my Headhunter Syndicate?!" Dead Fireshed out. Reilei and her party were perplexed by the sudden turn of events. Who was this? "Hmph, daring to stay in this ce after killing the yers from my Sleeping Gardenia who were peacefully participating in this event¡ªthe Headhunter Syndicate sure has some guts! It is a hundred years too soon for your Headhunter Syndicate to offend my Sleeping Gardenia!" A voice sounded out as a group of approximately fifty yers surrounded the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. This caused a look of dread to appear on Dead Fire and his guildmates faces. "Do you darey a hand on us, little devil?!" Dead Fire yelled. "I¡¯ve already given my answer, haven¡¯t I? Listen up, members of my Sleeping Gardenia! Whoever kills the most yers from the Headhunter Syndicate, will be greatly rewarded when we return!" The voice sounded out. The person who arrived leading the group of Sleeping Gardenia yers was someone Izroth would have recognized immediately. It was Shao Qingge, one of the Sleeping Gardenia yers who were with him when he cleared the Great Sea Pce raid! Chapter 470 Whats A Sleeping Gardenia? The members of Sleeping Gardenia did not hesitate to follow through with Shao Qingge¡¯s orders as the melee users charged forward, and the ranged yers fired off a volley of skills! Reilei and her party were surprised by the sudden appearance of this third party. However, a sense of relief washed over them. Thankfully, the new arrivals did not seem to be their enemies. "Ha! Serves them right! Getting a taste of their own medicine!" Hidden Pulse sneered. Phoenix released a long sigh. Her mana was running low, and she was only confident in holding out for another 10 seconds or so. If that group did not show up when they did, then their party would have been in a perilous situation! "Let¡¯s not sit back and let them have all the fun. It¡¯s time we take out some of our frustration! Daring to bully us, hmph, we won¡¯t let them off easy!" Two Tons stated as he brandished his shield. With Two Tons leading the charge, Reilei and her party joined the battle to clean up the rest of the Headhunter Syndicate yers. "Xiao Liang!" Reilei called out. At the same time, Xiao Liang jumped off Reilei¡¯s shoulder andtched onto her right arm that was wielding the summoner¡¯s orb. After some time recuperating, although he could not resume his human form, Xiao Liang was finally able to use other skills. "Amalgamate!" Xiao Liang¡¯s body glowed as Reilei¡¯s arm abruptly burst into blue and violet colored mes! Simultaneously, the summoner¡¯s orb sunk into the palm of her hand. A few momentster, when the mes died down, Xiao Liang had vanished, and Reilei¡¯s physical appearance had been somewhat altered. Reilei¡¯s arm was covered in the purplish-blue scales with scaly spikes, and her hand had be a w. The far right side of her face was covered in beautiful silver scales as her right eye¡¯s pupil and color matched that of Xiao Liang¡¯s. Love Swan, one of the Headhunter Syndicate yers, saw that Reilei was up to something suspicious. Therefore, she prepared to cast a spell in an attempt to interrupt her actions. But, while Reilei was there one moment, when Love Swan blinked, she had disappeared into thin air! "Where did she-" Love Swan questioned, but before she could even finish her thought process, she found that everything around her had turned gray, and the world was suddenly upside down. Then, for some reason, she could not move her body no matter how much she tried! "Eh? I died? How?!" Love Swan soon realized that it was not the world that was upside down, but her! She had been killed! However, she did not understand when or how it happened! Unfortunately for the Headhunter Syndicate side, Love Swan was not the only one to experience this bizarre situation. yer after yer from the Headhunter Syndicate had their sights grayed and found themselves in an upside-down world¡ªthey too had been unknowingly eliminated. "Oh? di, are you seeing this?" Shao Qingge said in a slightly excited tone. "Seeing it? I can barely follow it." Breezing diolus responded. She had apanied Shao Qingge to ensure that this was not a trap set out by the Headhunter Syndicate. After all, her ss specialized in widespread detection and yer management. Like Shao Qingge, Breezing diolus alsocked an offensive presence. Therefore, the two of them maintained a safe distance and provided support from the rear. As an added bonus, they also had a better view of the battlefield than most others. "Ah, that¡¯s right. You haven¡¯t received a Five Cycles Pill yet, have you?" Shao Qingge said. "I¡¯m not exactly high up on the priority list to receive one. Plus, buying one myself would be a waste with my ss since it¡¯s not a necessity. Unlike your ss, mine relies solely on concentration more than anything." Breezing diolus responded. "Hehe, well, there are some interesting yers in that party. Summer Grass was leading the party who attended this event, right? Where is she now?" Shao Qingge asked. "She has already joined the fight. Should I pull her out?" Breezing diolus replied. "Yeah, do it. I have some questions I want to ask her about that party over there." Shao Qingge stated with a grin. Breezing diolus nced over in her Shao Qingge¡¯s direction. She had seen that look from her many times¡ªsomeone had caught her attention! One had to remember, Shao Qingge¡¯s rank in Sleeping Gardenia, while not the highest, was not low by any means. After all, she was one of the few core members of the guild who was not assigned to the Lotus Guard under Valkyria. In the end, Sleeping Gardenia was one of the top ten guilds in RML. So, when someone caught the eyes of one of its high ranking members, it could only mean good things for that person! Breezing diolus reached towards the air as a thin azure string appeared before her that led deep into the crowd of fighting yers. "Azure Drawing Twine." Breezing diolus grabbed the azure string and pulled on it. A few momentster, something¡ªor rather, someone, came soaring out of the battlefield and towards Breezing diolus! In less than a breath, a yer had found themselves facing Shao Qingge and Breezing diolus. This yer¡¯s name was Summer Grass, and she was the party leader of the Sleeping Gardenia group who participated in the Spirit Cave event. After she and her party were eliminated by the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate, Summer Grass immediately reported the incident. It wasmon for guilds to have small disputes; however, the Headhunter Syndicate had gone too far in their bullying. If it were just a single party, then Summer Grass could only me the weakness of her own party. But, they were ambushed by thirty yers! Naturally, Sleeping Gardenia would not take this p to the face lying down and responded in full force! Summer Grass blinked in confusion as she was abruptly pulled out in the middle of a fight. However, she knew that this was the work of Breezing diolus and did not dare show any displeasure to someone who ranked much higher than her. Nevertheless, she was a bit disappointed that she did not get to ughter those detestable Headhunter Syndicate yers after what they did to her. As if sensing her thoughts, Shao Qingge smiled and said, "Don¡¯t be too disappointed. I asked di to pull you here because I wanted to ask you what you know about that party." Shao Qingge pointed towards Two Tons and the others. "Ah! That¡¯s the party with the cute summon and weird summoner! To be honest, I was shocked to see that they were still alive and fighting. But, it kinda makes sense when I really think about it." Summer Grass replied with a thoughtful expression. "Oh? Exin." Shao Qingge said. "Well, you see..." Summer Grass went on to exin what happened during the first part of the event. By the time she finished speaking, Shao Qingge was even more interested in that yer! That yer was, of course, Reilei. "To think such a summoner actually exists¡ªI never heard of anything like it. How fun! Hahaha!" Shao Qingge squirmed from excitement. "Little Devil! Mark my words! My Headhunter Syndicate will not let you off!" Dead Fire yelled as he struggled to keep his life! His mighty group had gone from thirty yers to less than a dozen before he knew it. At the moment, he was fuming with rage! "You¡¯re still alive? Don¡¯t think your threats will work against me. Even if your guild leader were here himself, I would not show him any face. If you mess with my Sleeping Gardenia, then there¡¯s only one end for you." Shao Qingge¡¯s eyes turned cold as she looked at Dead Fire with contempt. "You-!" Before Dead Fire could even respond, he was stabbed with a sword from his back, and his life came to a swift end as he dissipated into countless particles. The Sleeping Gardenia fighting forced that arrived was simply too overwhelming! A few momentster, every yer from the Headhunter Syndicate had been sessfully eliminated¡ªnot one had escaped! "di, can you bring ¡¯that¡¯ yer here?" Shao Qingge inquired. Breezing diolus frowned and responded, "I should be able to. But isn¡¯t it easier just to call them over?" "Yes~ But there¡¯s something I want to test for myself." Shao Qingge stated with an innocent expression on her face. Breezing diolus shook her head. She did not understand Shao Qingge¡¯s intention. Nevertheless, she decided to y along. Just as she did with Summer Grass, Breezing diolus used her Azure Drawing Twine on Reilei. But, something happened that caused a look of disbelief to appear on Breezing diolus¡¯ face. "My azure twine¡ªit snapped...!" Breezing diolus eximed. She never had her azure twine snapped so effortlessly. But, that was not all that happened. Breezing diolus¡¯ mana that had been practically at 100% had been reduced to 80% out of nowhere! "I see, so my eyes weren¡¯t ying tricks on me earlier." Shao Qingge said. Earlier during the fight, Shao Qingge witnessed some magic spells being deflected off of Reilei whenever it made contact with her right arm! A skill that could deflect multiple spells had to be a high A-rank or even an S-ranked skill! As for Reilei, she did not even feel Breezing diolus¡¯ azure twin make contact with her! "Everyone, pick up the loot! But, be sure to leave some for our hardworking friends over there!" Shao Qingge ordered. Not too long after giving out orders, Shao Qingge approached Reilei¡¯s party, who had regrouped once the fight ended. Reilei¡¯s appearance had returned to normal. As for Xiao Liang, he was soundly asleep on Reilei¡¯s shoulder. "Looks like we have somepany." Shuyi said. Everyone in the group turned their attention towards the approaching Shao Qingge and the apanying Breezing diolus. They were nervous; after all, just because they fought against the other group did not mean that they held good intentions. But, seeing that Shao Qingge had onlye over with just one person instead of a full squad of people made them feel somewhat at ease. But, what none of them expected was the words that immediately left Shao Qingge¡¯s mouth when she stopped in front of them. "You¡ªhow would you like to join Sleeping Gardenia?" Shao Qingge said as she pointed forward. Everyone followed the direction of Shao Qingge¡¯s finger and noticed that it was pointing directly at Reilei! Reilei blinked a few times before looking around. Was she talking to her? "So, how about it?" Shao Qingge asked, getting straight to the point. The yers from Reilei¡¯s party were stunned! She was receiving a personal invitation to join a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia? If she epted, her future in RML would be limitless! One had to know that this kind of opportunity was something that most yers would kill to obtain! After all, what yer did not dream of joining a top guild and soaring to the top of RML? But, Reilei seemed somewhat embarrassed to answer the question. Still, she managed to work up the nerve to say what was on her mind. "Um, what¡¯s a Sleeping Gardenia?" Reilei asked with a helpless smile. Everyone nearly coughed up blood after Reilei asked that question and stared at her in bewilderment. How could she not know of a famous guild like Sleeping Gardenia?! Unless one lived under a rock in RML, such a thing was unimaginable! ... Three dayster... Izroth was currently on the fifth floor of his Mystical Realm Pce. The decor was average, and there was nothing too borate, except the bed that sat towards the middle-back area of the room. At the moment, this bed was upied by a sleeping child with me-colored hair along with slightly longer and pointed ears. It was the young Trephasia Izroth, and his party found in the Millennial Veiled Oasis! In just three days, his Mystical Realm Pce had expanded from a two-floor establishment to a five-floor establishment! However, the fifth floor was an unexpectedst-minute addition. ¡¯It¡¯s already been nine days in-game, and she still hasn¡¯t awakened. Is this supposed to happen?¡¯ Chapter 471 A Troubled Worldly Skies and The Fractured Fireheart Apothecary Society After the copse of the Millennial Veiled Oasis, Izroth explored the surrounding area to check for any additional hints. Unfortunately, the clues he did discover was unrted to the sleeping Trephasia. Izroth was tempted to use a potion that awakened targets that were put to sleep; however, he did not know if it would harm the young Trephasia. After all, the health potions Mirage used on her helped for one second and then had a negative effect the next. It was too much of an unnecessary risk to take. Izroth inwardly shook his head. There was no definite time limit set for the quest, which was something he had note across. Usually, the quest would always have a set time limit, or it would be listed as "None". But, he was uncertain what to make of the "???" that was shown. Did it mean that even the system could not give him an exact time limit? Was it the same as having no time limit? Or, would it automatically start when the young Trephasia awakened? Either way, Izroth understood that his questions would remain unanswered until the young Trephasia opened her eyes. ¡¯For now, there is nothing I can do. If she still has not awakened by the end of the week, then I will make a trip to Proximus and seek the Wiseman of Everpeak. If there is anyone who may have a good understanding of what¡¯s going on, it should be her.¡¯ Izroth left the room on the 5th floor and shut the doors behind him. Besides himself and Opal, no one else had ess to the 5th floor as it was considered off-limits. There were too many unknown factors, and the Mystical Realm Pce was registered as a safe zone by the system as long as Izroth kept it that way. Therefore, it was the safest ce for the young Trephasia to stay. After all, he could not exactly walk around RML, carrying an unconscious child everywhere he went! The moment Izroth stepped out of the room on the 5th floor, Opal bowed and courteously greeted him. It seemed that she had been standing there, waiting for his arrival. Since Opal had be a familiar face in the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth decided to appoint her as the main clerk. This would give her some additional freedoms. One of which was ejecting yers if they were too disorderly¡ªeven if Izroth was absent. "Is something wrong?" Izroth asked. Although Opal had ess to the 5th floor, it was only in case of emergencies or Izroth¡¯s absence when the young Trephasia woke up from his slumber. So, if Opal was here, it meant that something worthwhile must havee up downstairs. "No, everything is in order. Since I was instructed to inform you when Miss Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society arrives, I havee to make the report. It is just that the situation is not an emergency, so I did not want to interrupt Handler Izroth." Opal said with a smile. ¡¯Oh? I didn¡¯t expect her for another day or two. Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter since I have alreadypleted the preparations for the 4th floor.¡¯ "Come, let us wee our the new addition to our Mystical Realm Pce," Izroth responded with a carefree smile. ... Worldly Skies released a long sigh. There was a troubled expression on her face, and she appeared to be in deep thought. At the moment, she was on the tform that sat just before the third floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. "Everything will be okay." The person next to Worldy Skies stated. He had the yer name Hand In Fire and was the second inmand of the Fireheart Apothecary Society, Xing Bai. "I thought this was the best way to avoid bing wrapped up in the chaotic world of the top guilds. But, it would seem that my outlook was still too naive regarding this matter. Now, there are those who are disheartened and no longer wish to take this step forward." Worldly Skies sighed. "Don¡¯t tell me the Pill Emperor is getting cold feet?" A voice came from upstairs. Worldly Skies and Xing Bai turned towards the stairs to see Izroth along with Opal descending the steps. "Surely you jest. I, Worldly Skies, am a woman of her word. It is good to see you well, Apothecary Izroth." Worldly Skies said with a faint smile. But, one could tell with a nce that something was troubling her. "Apothecary Izroth." Xing Bai greeted. Izroth nodded and stated, "I officially wee you and your Fireheart Apothecary Society to my Mystical Realm Pce. However, I have to say the numbers are somewhat lower than I anticipated." Izroth swept his gaze across the other yers that had apanied Worldly Skies and Xing Bai. In total, there were only a dozen! ording to Worldly Skies, the Fireheart Apothecary Society numbered 52 yers. Although she informed Izroth that only a few might not want to follow her, it should not be many who felt that way. After all, the benefits given to them were favorable and reflected that of a partnership rather than that of a subordinate. So then, why were more than 30 yers from the Fireheart Apothecary Society missing? Worldly Skies shook her head as a weak smile appeared on her face. "Initially, everyone was excited, and everything was going well. But,tely, we received a lot of pressure from certain top guilds to join their side. Some guilds methods were more... Forceful than others. As a result, a lot of members felt threatened and were scared off." Worldly Skies exined. "It¡¯s like this..." Xing Bai revealed what took ce over thest several days. He could see that Worldly Skies did not want to talk about it since she med herself for what happened. A few momentster, Izroth got the full picture of what Worldly Skies, Xing Bai, and the rest fo the Fireheart Apothecary experienced. To be exact, the entire situation started back after Xing Bai¡¯s first visit to his Mystical Realm Pce in the conference room with the other top guilds. It was there that the existence of a second Pill Emperor, Worldly Skies, was announced. After that, several guilds looked into the Fireheart Apothecary Society, as well as their background, and tried to develop a close connection to them. But this was not a problem in and of itself. The real problem did not begin until three days ago when they were contacted by one of the top ten guilds, the Headhunter Syndicate! It was this guild that threatened their members after Worldly Skies denied meeting with the leader of their guild. She had heard more than enough rumors to know that there must be some truth to them; therefore, she did not want to associate herself with such a vile and cruel person. However, Worldly Skies had no idea that the rumors were an understatement. The Headhunter Syndicate did not give up and would block any member of their Fireheart Apothecary Society from leaving the vige where they set up their temporary headquarters. It was not until some members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society agreed to quit that those individuals were allowed to pass. If not for Worldly Skies using a favor and borrowing a magic item from an associate that allowed her along with a group of nearby allies to turn invisible, then she and her current group would have likely still been trapped inside of that vige! But, it did not end here. Yesterday, they were contacted by yet another top guild, Blue Oasis! Of course, Worldly Skies and the rest of the Fireheart Apothecary Society wanted nothing more to do with the top guilds after their experience with the Headhunter Syndicate. So, naturally, she turned them down. However, who would have thought that Blue Oasis would be so persistent? They were dead set on meeting them. So much so that Blue Oasis attacked the Headhunter Syndicate, who had been blocking their temporary headquarters for days! Apparently, it was Blue Oasis¡¯ way of showing their good faith. Worldly Skies, of course, gave her thanks. Nevertheless, she still did not wish to meet with them and get further drawn into the already unstable situation. However, after making her intentions clear, Blue Oasis "warned" her that bing friends was the best choice she could make for her Fireheart Apothecary Society. After all, they had "saved" her organization from the evil Headhunter Syndicate. Sadly, although their words appeared kind on the surface, there was a vague threat and intimidation factor hidden away in them. In the end, Xing Bai described them perfectly when he said, "The Lesser of Two Evils". ¡¯Niflheim¡¯s absence from Blue Oasis is slowly starting to peek through. Their methods seem to have be much more aggressive as ofte. Still, they are not bold enough topletely shatter their outside image. As for the Headhunter Syndicate... It would seem that I have to cut off one of their arms as a warning.¡¯ Since Izroth chose to take them in, he already saw Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society as his own people. Those who bully his people only had one fate¡ªannihtion! "You should not me yourself. Sometimes, this kind of situation can turn misfortune into fortune. Now, you know who will truly stick by your side in a time of desperation. You may have lost much, but you have gained a lot more. As for those top guilds¡ªyou can leave this matter to me." Izroth said. Worldly Skies took Izroth¡¯s words to heart. Indeed, what he said was true. The ones who left ran away when times became difficult. However, those who were still with her deserved her trust and confidence! "Pills are not your only talent, Apothecary Izroth. It appears you have also been gifted with a silver tongue. I thank you for your words of kindness." Worldly Skies said as a friendly smile found its way onto her face. The troubled aura that lingered around her had significantly diminished. She did not expect Izroth to confront two top guilds for her or her Fireheart Apothecary Society, but just hearing his words gave her somefort. After some small talk, Izroth guided Worldly Skies, Xing Bai, and the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society to the 4th floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. "This entire floor belongs to your Fireheart Apothecary Society. I have made a few minor arrangements; however, if you need anything else, feel free to inform Opal, and she will meet your needs. If it is something she is unable to obtain, then contact me directly, and I will take care of it." Izroth stated. However, his words seemed to go into one ear and out the other. He called this a "minor arrangement"?! Chapter 472 4th Floor of the Mystical Realm Palace, A Call From Niflheim The interior had an borateyout that made one feel as if they just stepped into the room of a prestigious organization. There were tens of cauldrons at the center area of the room that immediately caught the eyes of Worldly Skies and the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society. Why? Because every single cauldron was C-ranked! The average yer in RML could only afford E-ranked cauldrons capable of crafting grade one pills. As for those Apothecaries with skill, it was not impossible to acquire a D-ranked cauldron that could craft grade two or lower pills. But, C-ranked cauldrons were still out of reach for most yers who were not members of a big guild. Even an Apothecary organization like the Fireheart Apothecary Society only had two C-ranked cauldrons after going through painstaking efforts to obtain them. However, this was not an issue at the moment, given the severeck of 3rd rank Apothecaries in RML. After all, as far as everyone knew, only two yers had reached the level of crafting grade three pills! But, even if there were still some hidden tigers out there, the number of 3rd rank Apothecaries could still be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone. But, what truly shocked them was a cauldron at the very center of the room. It was deep blue with the image of a dragon wrapping around its metal exterior. It gave off a strong feeling of intimidation, and if one looked at it too long, they would see the image of a dragon leap out at them. This effect caused some of the Fireheart Apothecary Society yers, who stared at the cauldron for more than a few seconds, to shut their eyes, shout out, and put their arms up to guard themselves. Though by the time they opened their eyes and realized that there was no dragon, a look of embarrassment quickly found its way onto their faces. "Such a supreme cauldron...!" Worldly Skies said with a hint of shock in her voice. She was one of the few yers not affected by the aura of the cauldron. But, even she had to admit that working with that cauldron, while exciting, would be equally as terrifying. It felt as if one wrong move would cause the cauldron to forget about the ingredients and devour the user instead. A cauldron that powerful had to be B-ranked! Of course, Izroth did not get his hands on these cauldrons alone. Even if one had the money, they would not necessarily be able to purchase a batch of C-ranked cauldrons and a B-ranked cauldron. In order to do that, one needed connections¡ªstrong connections! Fortunately, Izroth had just the right connection who was an Administrator from the Seven Dreams Consortium! When Izroth contacted Metronome, he was more than happy to meet Izroth¡¯s needs. However, even Izroth would have never guessed that Metronome had actually managed to get his hands on a B-ranked cauldron! Even the Apothecary building in Amaharpe only had a handful of C-ranked cauldrons, which were reserved for 3rd rank Apothecaries. Unlike the D-ranked cauldrons, C-ranked cauldrons were not free to use for yers, and the costs of using one required a fair amount of gold coins. Izroth spent around 310 gold coins to purchase a single C-ranked cauldron. With the current gold to RMB exchange rate of 1:225, that was almost 70,000 RMB for one C-ranked cauldron! As for the B-ranked cauldron, it was even more expensive and cost a whopping 2,825 gold coins¡ªthat was over 630,000 RMB! Just the total cost of the cauldrons alone on the 4th floor was worth well over 1,000,000 RMB. Though the shock did not stop there over the "minor arrangements,". There were entire bookshelves lined up on the walls filled with books that ranged from herbs and climates to Apothecary insights and research. For this part, Izroth had to revisit the Amaharpe Pce Library and the Apothecary building. It was at those ces that he was able to purchase personal copies of the books. While that sounded easy to do, it was not so simple. If not for Izroth¡¯s good rtionship with the Keeper of Books and the Apothecaries from the Apothecary building, it would not have been so easy to gather everything as smoothly as he did. Izroth also made sure to include some of his own personal insights, as well as potential pill recipes with some descriptions of ingredients that he had yet to discover a substitute for in RML. But, he restricted ess to most of his writings to Worldly Skies. There were still various tests for the others to pass if they wanted to gain his trust. To top it all off, there was a small counter near the back of the room with a male NPC behind it named Onyx. He was a human who appeared to be in histe fifties to early sixties with gray hair and closed eyes. "Who¡¯s that man back there?" Xing Bai asked curiously as his eyesnded on Onyx. "That is Mister Onyx, the inventory manager of this floor. If you need ess to any ingredients that are in storage, you will need to ask him. As long as the ingredient you want is avable, there will be no trouble receiving it. Of course, if what you are looking for is not there, then all you have to do is follow the instructions Handler Izroth has previously given." Opal exined with a pleasant smile. "You have really outdone yourself this time, Apothecary Izroth." Worldly Skies sighed in amazement. To be truthful, she had been somewhat worried about the area her Fireheart Apothecary Society would be given to work in. It was not that she doubted Izroth; however, even with is earnings from the Mystical Realm Pce, it would not be easy locating the proper items to set up a usable Apothecary Pill Refinery \u0026 Research Center. But, it would appear that she had once again underestimated Izroth. Any Apothecary in RML would kill for the opportunity to work in such a high-level ce! "Just a small matter not worth discussing," Izroth replied nonchntly. However, Worldly Skies and the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society felt that Izroth was being too humble. But, how could they know that Izroth was simply speaking the truth? Compared to the Apothecary establishments of higher-ranked Apothecaries, the 4th floor of his Mystical Realm Pce would probably be considered a child¡¯s yroom! However, Izroth was in no rush to reach this point. He understood that as long as he continued on this path, then even the Apothecary establishments of those high ranked Apothecaries would note close toparing to the one in his Mystical Realm Pce! ... After Opal finished giving Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society a full tour of the 4th floor, they were excited and anxious to get to work. But, in the long run, Worldly Skies believed that there were still too few members to run efficiently and made sure she brought this to Izroth¡¯s attention. Being an Apothecary was more than crafting pills. One had to understand and continuously research various subject matters. Not only that, but countless experiments that may end in numerous failures usually awaited them before they received their desired result. Without multiple people working on different fronts, the overall progress of their pill research and development would be incredibly slowed. "Leave this matter to me. Though I may need to borrow your presence for a bit when the timees." Izroth said. Worldly Skies nodded and replied, "Just say the word, and I will be there¡ªof course, as long as I am not in the middle of crafting something important. Rare ingredients are still challenging toe by, and it would be a shame to see Apothecary Izroth¡¯s hard work gathering such materials go to waste." Izroth and Worldly Skies ironed out somest-minute details before Izroth left the Apothecaries on the 4th floor to their own devices. ¡¯The world event is only 18 days away. I will have to start preparing. If we have to return to the Shadahi Realm or the seal in the Lake of Tears is broken, then RML will be thrown into a state of chaos. I have to find out what Tempest is doing behind the scenes as soon as possible. Hopefully, "she" is making some progress on that end. There¡¯s also the matter of the Great Duke I have to resolve.¡¯ Izroth found that he had unknowingly made many enemies in RML. The entire Nether Realm, the Shadahi, a Great Duke of the Pzenium kingdom, the Tempest kingdom, and now, there was the Undying Maelstrom, which he had little to no information about. As for a small character like the Headhunter Syndicate, typically, they would not be worthy of Izroth¡¯s attention. But, as long as he was in this world, there was no room for him, and the Headhunter Syndicate to both exist! ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth received a sudden alert from the system. Unexpectedly, it was from Niflheim who had requested a voice chat! ¡´System Alert: yer Niflheim has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Niflheim?¡µ ¡¯I have not heard from him since we parted ways back at the Great Sea Pce raid.¡¯ The day of the Great Sea Pce raid ended, the top guilds received some shocking news that was almost too absurd to believe. The 7th Captain and main strategist, Niflheim, had left Blue Oasis! Niflheim¡¯s loyalty to Blue Oasis was well known, and he was not an insignificant name in RML. This was a massive blow to Blue Oasis and an immense opportunity for some of the bigger guilds not counted a top guild. Unfortunately for them, Niflheim t out rejected all offers citing "personal matters" as the reason. Naturally, this left many disappointed. But, the enemies of Blue Oasis were secretly celebrating. Losing Niflheim was like having an arm of a leg cut off of Blue Oasis! From this point on, they would be seen as crippled! ¡¯Let¡¯s see what he wants.¡¯ "ept." Izroth said. ¡´System Alert: You have started a voice chat with yer Niflheim! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the yer system interface and manually end the call.¡µ [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "It¡¯s been a while, Izroth. Also, congrattions on drawing the Fireheart Apothecary Society over to your side. Honestly, you seem to have more secrets than one could keep track of." [Voice Chat] Izroth, "I see news travels quite fast to have already reached your ears. Then, I suppose I should thank you for your congrattions. Though I am curious about the reason behind your contact." Izroth was not surprised that someone with Niflheim¡¯s connections and intelligence knew of his rtionship with the Fireheart Apothecary Society¡ªespecially after the events that happened over thest few days. After all, even if he was no longer a captain of Blue Oasis, it did not mean that he was not without his own methods. [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Despite what urred, a promise is a promise. I have called to keep my end of the bargain, Izroth. Or, have you already lost interest? To the method of obtaining a territory, that is." Chapter 473 Territory Missions and Subjugations, An Esteemed Guest Arrives! Back when Izroth¡¯s party first arrived at the Settlement of Clearwater, they had a meeting with the members of Blue Oasis before the raid began. During this meeting, Guan Yu and one of the Captains of Blue Oasis, Minus, exchanged some unfriendly words with one another. In order to save face for Blue Oasis, as well as the guild leader Asgard without offending Izroth and his party before the raid even started, Niflheim sent Izroth a private message. In return for dismissing the matter, Niflheim offered to give Izroth the method of acquiring territory in RML! Of course, Niflheim never expected that things would end the way they did in the Great Sea Pce¡ªespecially with Sleeping Gardenia walking away as the ultimate victors. Nevertheless, a promise was a promise. Several days had passed by, and yet Izroth never bothered to contact Niflheim regarding the territory situation. Therefore, Niflheim decided to message him just in case he had forgotten. After all, there had been too many shocking events going on this week. In truth, Niflheim wanted to contact Izroth earlier; however, it would be a lie if he said that he did not hold any lingering resent towards Izroth following what happened with Blue Oasis. Even though he understood that it was Blue Oasis who was at fault, he believed that Izroth deliberately manufactured the circumstances. Though after a couple of days to himself to organize his thoughts, Niflheim¡¯s resentment towards Izroth had vanished entirely. He found that it was not Izroth that he resented the past few days, but himself. As Blue Oasis¡¯ strategist at the time, he should have been more aware of Izroth¡¯s original intent to test them. However, he realized what was going on far toote. When Niflheim uncovered this truth, he understood that Izroth¡¯s character was not something unreasonablyplex. In fact, there was a simplistic nature to it. It was just that being so simplistic, it bes easy for others to overlook it and miss the surface to keep digging for something that was never there all along. In the end, Niflheim discovered two things about Izroth. The first was that, above all else, he seemed to ce tremendous value on trust. As for the second, he would never tolerate dishonesty! ¡¯Territory... I set this to the back of my mind since it was not a top priority.¡¯ Izroth had not forgotten; it was just that there were more pressing matters to attend to over thesest several days. Not to mention, there was still much that he had to take care of to prepare for the impending war. That being said, knowing how to acquire territory was something that could not be ignored. [Voice Chat] Izroth, "Naturally, I am still interested." [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "I figured that would be the case. As far as I know, there are two methods of acquiring territory in RML. Though If I¡¯m being straight-forward, only one of the methods is feasible at this point. The method that my Bl-... that Blue Oasis is using is called Territory Missions. Bypleting a series of missions for the territory, you gain the right to own it. The missions will probably vary depending on what territory one wishes to get their hands on, but the overall concept remains unchanged. Of course, gaining the right to own it and owning it are two different things. To actually own the territory, you have to pay an astronomical price. If not for Blue Oasis¡¯ strong connections with some private investors, it would have been impossible to pay for the territory¡ªeven if Blue Oasis saved up all of their annual guild budgets for the next four years. Fortunately, there are those who see the limitless benefits a territory provides." Even four years of a top guild¡¯s annual budget was unable to purchase a territory?! There was also the fact that Blue Oasis needed toplete tasks such as being the first to clear a new raid that had to be on the Hardcore difficulty. Just what kind of territory was Blue Oasis after that such a ridiculous price tag and requirements were attached to it?! [Voice Chat] Izroth, "And the other method?" [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Simple, Territory Subjugation. Just as the name sounds, you take over a territory by force. I¡¯m sure you can understand now why I said this isn¡¯t feasible." Indeed, it was just as Niflheim stated. Right now, just about all the territory yers had explored belonged to one of the kingdoms in RML. These kingdoms all had several powerful existences backing them; otherwise, how could they maintain their power and influence for so long? If a guild tried to take over a portion of theirnd by force, they would be crushed with a single finger before the might of an entire kingdom¡¯s military strength! Forget one guild; even if by some miracle all ten top guilds worked together side by side, with their current strength, it would still be aughable attempt. ¡¯Territory Subjugation¡ªI¡¯m afraid this is out of reach, for now. For the time being, I will have to rely on Territory Missions to gain ess to territories. I thought my present funding would be enough, but it seems I am stillcking. Should I pay a visit to Danaharpe city?¡¯ Danaharpe was a city located in the Amaharpe kingdom where craftsmen gathered. cksmiths, Alchemists, Apothecaries¡ªif anyone in Amaharpe wanted to learn more about crafting, visiting Danaharpe was an absolute must! It was also in this ce that Amaharpe¡¯s main Apothecary building was settled. This meant that if Izroth wanted to be a 4th rank Apothecary, he would have no choice but to travel to Danaharpe to participate in the test. ¡¯No, I should focus on mastering the remaining sword forms before the war. By that time, my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection should no longer be iplete. As for whether or not I will be able to make any noticeable progress in time without the Law of Void, it will depend on my luck.¡¯ As Izroth and Niflheim continued their conversation, an interesting topic that caught Izroth¡¯s attention surfaced. [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Ah, are you aware of the demands going around that the recording of the raid run you have with Sleeping Gardenia be publicized?" [Voice Chat] Izroth, "Oh? I have no intention of doing something so unnecessary. As for the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, I cannot speak for her." In RML, yers could record their gamey. However, most yers did not have this enabled all the time because they had to pay a fee for the storage of the recordings if it exceeded a certain amount. Of course, the story was different for top guilds, especially when running a raid. In order to make sure they could be as efficient as possible and avoid repeating mistakes, top guilds made sure to record everyst one of their dungeon and raid runs. This was no different for a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia. Niflheim went on to exin the situation to Izroth, and he was somewhat surprised by how it had unknowingly spiraled out of control. Apparently, after the world announcement regarding the clear of a hardcore raid in record time, a swarm of yers took to the RML forums to gather information. A feat of that degree should not have been possible through conventional means, and so, a popr thread on the RML forum was started called "Bug Abusers Should Not Be Rewarded!". It was on this thread that yers began to demand that Sleeping Gardenia or thepany release the video recording of Izroth and Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s raid run. They did not believe that yers were capable of what was announced via the system. Of course, this "movement" so to speak, did not gain momentum on its own. There were plenty of top guilds secretly supporting it and pushing for answers. After all, they could not allow Sleeping Gardenia to monopolize such an incredible process all to themselves! Although thepany behind RML reassured yers that there was no bug abuse present in thepletion of the raid, the individuals andpanies that backed the top guilds were not people that could be brushed aside. Therefore, thepany behind RML was ced in an awkward position. As for Mariposa, the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, she had already decided the bug abusing allegations and stood her ground firmly when it came to not releasing the recordings. After all, Mariposa was no fool. She knew that there were those out there with ulterior motives. [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "I see, I suppose that makes sense. No one would be willing to disclose their secrets voluntarily. It¡¯s unclear what move thepany will make, but you should be prepared. Whatever happened in that raid, this is just my guess, but it will inevitably be revealed. When that timees, you will be on the radar of some very powerful individuals, Izroth. Ah, the dungeon is starting. I¡¯ll take my leave here. Stay well, Izroth." ¡´System Alert: yer Niflheim has terminated the voice chat!¡µ Once Niflheim terminated the call, Izroth thought about hisst words. In the end, RML and the real world were like two separate entities that were ultimately tied to each other. While his influence in RML was not small among yers, it was not the greatest. As for the real world, Izroth knew that his influence was virtually zero! In the long run, he understood that this could turn into a problem. ¡¯My attention has been solely on RML as ofte. But, I am unable to overlook my absence of influence in the real world. To ensure that my foundation is unbreakable, I will have to find a solution to resolve this matter. However, my capital is still not enough.¡¯ After adding three floors to the Mystical Realm Pce, paying personal shop taxes, handling some matters in the real world, and giving Sleeping Gardenia their 10% cut for providing the resources, Izroth was left with 541,500 gold coins or 121,837,500 RMB. While this was a lot to the average person,pared to those with actual power and influence, it was a minuscule amount not worth mentioning. As Izroth was rooted in his thoughts, he heard rushed footsteps heading up the stairs, which caused him to frown inwardly. The footsteps sounded as if the individual was flustered and panicked. "S-sir! Handler Izroth, sir! T-there is an esteemed guest waiting for you downstairs!" One of the young male NPC clerks, Agate, said. However, instead of a look of panic on his face that Izroth assumed would be present, Agate disyed excitement, and an expression Izroth had seen in countless men¡ªinfatuation. ¡¯Esteemed guest?¡¯ Izroth was not expecting guests today besides Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society. "Did they give you their name?" Izroth questioned. "A-ah, yes, sir! That beaut- That esteemed guest called herself the Wiseman of Everpeak!" Agate said. The Wiseman of Everpeak? From what Izroth knew about Kryxelsia, she was a reclusive individual. What brought her here to Amaharpe? Better yet, why was she at his Mystical Realm Pce? Chapter 474 Departed Memories?, Izroths Shocking Announcement! ... Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Mystical Realm Pce, yers were no longer focused on purchasing pills. Instead, their attention was drawn to the breathtaking beauty that had just stepped into the Mystical Realm Pce. "Her level and status are hidden¡ªshe must be a rare NPC!" "Really? It¡¯s my first time seeing a rare NPC. I wonder if she gives any special quests." "Could it be that she¡¯se to personally meet the Pill Emperor or inquire about his identity?" "So pretty!" "What do you expect? Don¡¯t you see her ears? She¡¯s a member of the Trephasia race. They are all beauties." "Trephasia... I heard rumors that there is a yer who became a Trephasia. I want to be one, too." "Sigh... I thought the Trephasia at the auction house was a beauty, but she doesn¡¯t begin topare. I guess even among the Trephasia race; there are different levels of beauty." The vast majority of yers had yet to run into a rare NPC; therefore, they were excited and continued to specte her purpose for being in a yer shop. However, how would they react if they knew that she was not a rare NPC, but a legendary existence! This legendary existence was, of course, the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. Some yers attempted to approach Kryxelsia, but every time someone got within a few meters, they felt themselves bing sleepy. By the time they snapped out of it, they had somehow ended up further away from Kryxelsia! Kryxelsia swept her gaze among the crowd; however, the individual she was searching for was nowhere to be found. As for the yers who were present, she paid them no mind. There was an aura around her that was not discernible to the eyes of others. This aura made it so that when someone approached within a few meters of Kryxelsia, their mind would be nk as they entered a state of awareness. During that time, that person would walk away from Kryxelsia, and when they came to, it would appear that they had simply drifted off for a bit. While the spell seemed to be simple on the surface, it was quiteplex and required a masterful control of one¡¯s mana. "It is close. If I am correct, then I can not afford to sit still." Kryxelsia looked towards the staircase located on the other side of the room. Just as she did so, Kryxelsia heard a familiar voice echo from that direction. "The Mystical Realm Pce is closing until tomorrow for some important maintenance! I will have to ask everyone to leave!" The voice announced, which caused everyone¡¯s attention to turn towards the staircase. "Look, it¡¯s the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce...!" "Eh? The one that was a part of the Sleeping Gardenia group that cleared the hardcore raid? So lucky...! I wish a top guild would carry me." "Ha! If you want to be carried by a top guild, why don¡¯t you get a popr shop first?" "But, wait, why do we have to leave all of a sudden? I still haven¡¯t finished looking at everything." "Then, you will have to excuse me." Izroth said. A few secondster, all of a sudden, a sh of bright light epassed the body of every yer on the first and second floor of the Mystical Realm Pce! "What¡¯s this light? I can¡¯t move!" "Wait! I still have to buy-!" At that time, all yers inside the Mystical Realm Pce, excluding those of the Fireheart Apothecary Society, had disappeared from the shop! ¡´System Alert: All [Guest] status yers in the Mystical Realm Pce have been sessfully ejected!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The Mystical Realm Pce is now in restricted ess mode to [Secondary] status yers or higher!¡µ In the blink of an eye, the once busy and bustling Mystical Realm Pce was now so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. "If I knew that the Wiseman was making a personal visit to my Mystical Realm Pce, I would have made more proper arrangements," Izroth stated as he stepped onto the first floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. "It¡¯s you." Kryxelsia¡¯s eyes widened slightly from shock when she saw Izroth. However, her expression quickly returned to normal as she released a light sigh. She then continued, "You seem to enjoy getting yourself caught up in troublesome affairs. Though since you are the owner of this establishment, I suppose it saves me some trouble." "Oh? From the way you¡¯re speaking, it seems I¡¯m not the reason behind your visit. Though you being here saves me some trouble as well." Izroth stated. He found it hard to believe that Kryxelsia woulde all the way to Amaharpe just to pay him a friendly visit. If it was not to visit him, then Izroth had a general idea as to why Kryxelsia hade to this ce. ... A few momentster, Izroth and Kryxelsia were inside the room on the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. At the moment, Kryxelsia was carefully examining the young Trephasia, who was still soundly asleep. "How did you discover her existence?" Izroth questioned. While had was going to make a trip to Everpeak and visit Kryxelsia, it caused some questions to arise regarding how she knew of the young Trephasia¡¯s location. Izroth could only hope her intentions were not ill-ced. If they were, then he was unsure if even the system restrictions would be enough to prevent Kryxelsia from taking action. As for facing someone like Kryxelsia head-on, Izroth understood that with his current strength, it was the equivalent of meaninglessly throwing his life away. But, considering that she seemed peaceful and did not appear to carry any hostile intent, Izroth believed his concerns were unwarranted. "Several days ago, I sensed an ancient aura that belonged to members of my Trephasia race. These auras should not have existed in this time period. When I left to investigate, I retraced the steps of all those involved and ended up here." Kryxelsia exined as she held her hand out, and a gentle rainbow-colored mist epassed the young Trephasia. ¡¯Ancient aura? Could she be referring to the legendary figures who were pulled into that vortex in the sky? Still, to feel an aura in Pzenium kingdom from Proximus¡ªit¡¯s likely that she is not the only one who knows of this girl¡¯s presence here. It seems I was careless.¡¯ As if sensing Izroth¡¯s thoughts, Kryxelsia spoke, "If you are concerned about others who may discover this child¡¯s whereabouts through means simr to mine, there is no need to be. I have already erased all traces. However, you must still use caution. There are those who will not halt their investigation." ... Several minutes passed by as Kryxelsiapleted her examination of the young Trephasia. "Can she be awakened?" Izroth asked. Kryxelsia remained silent for a bit before she answered, "If you are asking if I am capable of forcing her awake, then the answer is yes. However, there is no need to go to such extremes as her life is not in danger. She will awaken herself when the next moon sets and the sun reims the skies. Until then, I will stay with her. You will have to pardon my intrusion." "I see. Then, my questions will have to wait a while longer. You are a guest in my Mystical Realm Pce. If you need anything, just say the word, and the main clerk, Opal, will assist you. She will be just outside the door if you need her." Izroth said. He then walked towards the exit and continued, "With the Wiseman here, she could not be in better hands. There are a few matters that I must attend to, so you will have to pardon my abrupt departure." Kryxelsia gave a small nod and replied, "Do what you must." Izroth exited the room on the 5th floor and stepped into the corridor. "Opal, the shop will be closed for the rest of the day. For now, you will tend to our guest. Make sure her needs are met." Izroth stated. "Yes, Handler Izroth. I will not disappoint you." Opal responded with a respectful bow and a smile on her face that could not hide her enthusiasm. When Agate had alerted her to the presence of the Wiseman, Opal nearly fainted from shock! Who did not know of the famous Wiseman of Everpeak from the Proximus kingdom?! More than anything, Opal felt honored that she could serve such an esteemed guest! ¡¯Now, since Worldly Skies and the Fireheart Apothecary Society have arrived, it¡¯s about time to call everyone over. I have dyed the matter long enough. It¡¯s time I start to move around a little.¡¯ ... A few moments ago, after Izroth left the room on the 5th floor... A smile appeared on Kryxelsia¡¯s face as she looked down at the young Trephasia. She gently brushed the back of her hand against the cheek of the sleeping child. "It¡¯s been a long time, Arteria. Have your memories of me already departed?" Kryxelsia spoke in a soft voice. But, she received no response from the sleeping child. ... Later that day... A gathering was taking ce inside the conference room on the first floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. "I¡¯m d that everyone was about to make it on such short notice." Izroth stated as he swept his gaze across the yers sat at the conference table. Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, Valentine¡ªall of Izroth¡¯s regr party members were present. But, that was not all who showed up. Mirage, Azalea, Worldly Skies, Gu Chao, Qi Jiguang, Midnight, Omega¡ªeven Metronome was there! "Heh, how would I dare sit still when my brother calls?" Guan Yu stated. He then continued, "Though there¡¯s a lot of unfamiliar faces here." "When you said my master was here, I thought you were having a discussion about magic and rushed over. Now, I feel as though I¡¯ve been tricked." Valentine shook his head and said with a weak smile. "Is magic all you can think about? You truly deserve the name magic freak!" Zi Yi scoffed. "Though you have to admit, that kind of dedication is pretty admirable. Still, I don¡¯t get all the interest in magic. The frontlines are where all the fun takes ce." Halls smirked. "Well said, brother!" Guan Yu cheered. "You two dare to disrespect magic? Come, let this big brother teach you two a lesson!" Valentine said. "Eh? Why is that big sister calling herself big brother?" Mirage questioned Luna, who was sitting next to her. But, before Luna could even reply, Valentine answered, "Man! I am a man, you know?! Wait¡ªhaven¡¯t we already met before?" "Man?! No way! But you¡¯re so pretty! How can you be a man?" Mirage gasped as shepletely ignored thetter part of Valentine¡¯s sentence. "Ahahaha! Big bro Izroth, you never told me you kept such a lively crowd! I, Gu Chao, do not regret joining y-" Gu Chao spoke; however, he bit his touch mid-sentence and winced from the pain as he covered his mouth. "I warned you about trying to talk so fast, Gu Chao. If you slowed your words, perhaps you would not bite your tongue as often. Honestly, what a strange skill side-effect." Worldly Skies sighed. "Is he going to be alright?" Midnight asked as he furrowed his brows. "He seems quite sturdy. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be just fine." Omega burst into a fit ofughter when he saw that Gu Chao bit his tongue. "Noisy..." Azalea muttered to herself. If it were not for her teacher requesting her presence here, she would have already taken her leave from such a crowded ce! "So many beauties gathered in one ce. It¡¯s a shame we have to discuss business." Metronomemented. Izroth tapped the table twice as he held up the palm of his hand. After doing so, everyone fell quiet as the conference room was suddenly filled with silence. "We will get introductions out of the way soon, but first, everyone should be aware as to why I have called them here today," Izroth stated. He then continued, "Initially, I intended to wait another month or two; however, time continues to be a luxury that is seldom afforded these days." Then, without wasting another moment, Izroth made his announcement, "I n to create a guild¡ªone that stands above all others. Who here is willing to follow me?" Izroth said, however, he was met with silence as an expression of disbelief appeared on the face of almost everyone present. Did they just hear right? Izroth, the same anomaly that the top guilds could not predict, wanted to start his own guild?! If news of this ever left this room, it would cause a huge uproar! Something like this would undoubtedly upset the fragile bnce of the top guilds! However, everyone had the same question on their minds¡ªwhy now? Chapter 475 Introductions, An Oppressive Energy Descends In The Mystical Realm Palace! Zi Yi was the first to speak up as she said, "So, you finally decided to go through with it. If I¡¯m being truthful, I¡¯m surprised you have chosen to wait this long." "Indeed, it has taken longer than I anticipated," Lunamented with a light smile. "You two knew about this all along?" Halls asked in disbelief. "Was it not only a matter of time?" Zi Yi replied. In truth, Izroth never told Luna nor Zi Yi about his ns to create a guild. However, the two of them believed that it was inevitable. He was not the type to join another guild and work under someone else¡ªthis much was obvious. After all, if he wanted to, with his skills, he could have easily be a part of the top guild of his choosing! Instead, Izroth decided to move in his own direction. This left Izroth with two options¡ªto continue to move forward without changing, or to create a guild of his own. If Izroth proceeded with the first option, even if he one day managed to reach the pinnacle, it would have been through an incredibly inefficient path. In the end, Izroth was one person. If he spent his time micro-managing every small detail, how could he concentrate his attention on bing stronger with peace of mind? Ultimately, Izroth epted the fact that he was no longer the same individual that stood at the summit of the Seven Realms. This world was different and had its own set of rules. If one wanted to ovee and change the rules anywhere, then they needed one thing¡ªpower, and, right now, that was what Izroth felt that hecked the most. ¡¯Not yet. My strength is not enough to stand at the top of this world and the one outside. Until I reach that point, my life will always belong to those who are more powerful than I. No matter what world it is; this is uneptable.¡¯ Just knowing that his life could fall into the hands of another¡¯s decision at any time was intolerable for Izroth! He would not permit his fate to be determined by anything or anyone but himself! Without warning, Guan Yu stood to his feet with a serious expression on his face as he looked over at Izroth. Everyone appeared taken aback by Guan Yu¡¯s abrupt action¡ªespecially those who had known Guan Yu the longest. They had never seen him behave in such a serious manner. "Tell me one thing. What you said before, about standing above all others¡ªdo you mean it?" Guan Yu¡¯s gaze never left Izroth was he awaited his answer. Izroth¡¯s expression shifted after Guan Yu asked that question. For a brief moment, his carefree naturepletely vanished and was reced by an overbearing pressure. This pressure caused cold sweats to run down the backs of those in the conference room. Izroth had not used a skill or any special technique to produce this effect. It was just that, at that moment, his overall demeanor had changed. "If I said it, then naturally, I intend to keep my word," Izroth stated as the atmosphere became heavy. A deathly silence followed Izroth¡¯s words. However, the first to break this silence was Guan Yu as a convinced smile found its way on his face. The tense atmosphere disappeared as Izroth¡¯s carefree expression returned, which caused everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. "Good! I knew I was not wrong to call you my brother! A real man! What top guilds? Now that my brother is making a move, who can halt his steps?! Hahaha!" Guan Yu announced as he burst into a fit of joyousughter. He then continued, "Brother, of course, I, Guan Yu, will follow you!" "I¡¯m kind of offended that you even bothered to ask. How would I dare call you brother if I were to turn my back on you after all this time? All you have to do is say the word, and I will go charging forward." Halls said. "I¡¯m in. I have a feeling that by sticking with you, I wille across some interesting types of magic." Valentinemented. "Right?! Doesn¡¯t he always attract some interesting things?! I¡¯ll never run out of adventures if I stick around here. So, you can count me in. Midnight¡¯s joining too." Mirage confirmed as she pointed over at Midnight with her thumb. "Hey, don¡¯t just go volunteering people for things. But, I suppose I have nothing else better to do. So I might as well continue to babysit you; otherwise, who knows how much trouble you¡¯d cause?" Midnight sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, helplessly. "When do I ever cause trouble?!" Mirage scoffed. "That¡¯s the part she denies first...?" Omega mumbled. He then faced Qi Jiguang and asked, "What are you thinking, Qi Jiguang?" "I¡¯ll join. I have witnessed his strength and character firsthand. He is someone worthy enough for I, Qi Jiguang, to follow." Qi Jiguang stated without hesitation. "I had a feeling you would say that. Well, that old man would murder me if I left you by yourself. It should be fun to see where this takes us." Omega grinned. Worldly Skies released a deep sigh as she said, "If it were a few days ago, I would be somewhat hesitant. After all, the reason I wanted to move to the Mystical Realm Pce was to avoid bing caught up in the antics of the top guilds. However, it would seem that it is already toote to avoid them. Since that¡¯s the case, I might as well join someone I find trustworthy." Worldly Skies had witnessed firsthand how the top guilds act when they don¡¯t get their way. She believed that Izroth was not the type of person to resort to simr methods. Azalea, Gu Chao, and Metronome also agreed to join. But, most surprisingly, Metronome had resigned from his Administrator position in the Seven Dreams Consortium before his arrival! This meant that he predicted that the moment he had been waiting for had finallye. Still, it was a bold move for him to leave the Seven Dreams Consortium before anything was carved in stone. However, it did disy the high level of risk he was willing to take. It did not take long for everyone to give their answer to Izroth. Now, just two people were remaining who had not said a word¡ªLuna and Zi Yi. "Aren¡¯t you two going to say anything?" Guan Yu questioned with furrowed brows. "Why would I need to say anything? I have already given my answer a long time ago." Zi Yi stated. "I, as well." Luna added. Both Luna and Zi Yi had, in their own way, had given Izroth their answer. To them, it was never about if¡ªbut when! "Since everyone has agreed to join me, then I will never betray your trust. In return, I only ask two things of you. The first is never to betray my trust or the trust of those in this room. As for the second¡ªjust remember one thing. We will always repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. If someone helps one of us, then they are helping all of us. If someone bullies one of us, then they are bullying all of us¡ªnever forget this." Izroth dered as everyone carved his words into their minds. ... A few momentster, after things settled down, it was finally time for everyone to make their introductions. After all, not everyone had met the other before now as their primary connection was Izroth himself. Luna, Zi Yi, Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine all introduced themselves. They were followed by Mirage and then the less talkative Azalea, who gave a short introduction. Next up was Metronome. "My name is Metronome, am ex-Administrator from the Seven Dreams Consortium. I had the pleasure of meeting Izroth in the capital city of Amaharpe not long after RML firstunched. We made a few trades since then, and now here we are." Metronome said. Among everyone present, excluding Luna and Halls, he had technically known Izroth the longest! This was somewhat shocking as no one else knew of his existence until just a couple of moments ago! "My name is Qi Jiguang. I am a fighter-type ss who once journeyed together with Izroth and some of the otherrades here through the Proximus kingdom." Qi Jiguang said. "You¡¯re ¡¯that¡¯ Qi Jiguang?! The famous fighter Qi Jiguang?!" Halls eximed, to which, Qi Jiguang gave a small nod in response. Qi Jiguang was known as one of the best, if not the best closebat fighter in not just RML, but the world! However, he was well known for keeping to himself. Countless guilds wanted to recruit him when they heard he joined RML, but Qi Jiguang turned them all down. Therefore, Halls was shocked to discover that the same Qi Jiguang wanted to join his brother¡¯s guild. "Oh? Famous fighter? We should exchange pointers sometime!" Guan Yu said excitedly. "Whenever you¡¯d like." Qi Jiguang responded without hesitation. He was not one to back down from a challenge. Besides, he was also interested in the strength of the others. The introductions then carried on with Worldly Skies taking the floor. "I am called Worldly Skies, and I¡¯m a 3rd rank Apothecary. My ss is nothing special, as my main focus is on crafting. It is a pleasure to meet everyone." Worldly Skies gave a proper greeting. However, everyone was stunned when she finished speaking. She was a 3rd rank Apothecary?! Did that not mean that she was one of the two Pill Emperors?! "It¡¯s ridiculous just thinking about it. The top guilds would be foaming at the mouth if they knew that both Pill Emperors belonged to the same faction." Metronomemented. "Ah, that¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t the other Pill Emperor linked to this shop? Why are they not here with us?" Omega asked curiously. "You¡¯re right! Are they shy? I heard the first Pill Emperor doesn¡¯t like to be seen in public." Mirage said. "Who says they¡¯re not already here?" Metronome stated, which caused Mirage and Omega to raise their brows. "I suppose now is as good a time as any," Izroth said as he officially informed everyone of his identity as the Pill Emperor. However, only a handful of them was surprised. After all, there were those closer to Izroth who had long since connected the dots. "You¡ªI thought it was suspicious that you could remove so many grade three pills on the spot back in the zing Tempris Domain. So, it turns out it¡¯s like this." Mirage sighed helplessly. Just how many other secrets did Izroth have?! "Pill Emperor... To achieve that title while also wielding that much strength, can he be a traditional medicine specialist in the real world?" Qi Jiguang muttered to himself. Not too long after, Midnight and Omega followed with their introduction. Just like Qi Jiguang, Midnight and Omega had traveled with Izroth during a quest in the Proximus kingdom. It turned out that Omega grew up with Qi Jiguang. He was a tanky warrior-type ss whose primary focus was attack interception and widespread party protection. As for Midnight, he was a rare Shaman ss called the Seven Chained Sage. It was capable of summoning totems that could augment and even heal yers within its range of influence. Thest person to introduce themselves was Gu Chao. But, although Gu Chao wasst, he was certainly not least. He shocked everyone when he announced that he was not a 3rd rank¡ªbut 4th rank cksmith! Gu Chao heard about Izroth from Worldly Skies and went to the Mystical Realm Pce to personally see his character for himself. As a result, he challenged Izroth to a contest in front of the Mystical Realm Pce. Whoever could take out the highest quality item would win. Needless to say, Izroth won thepetition. Izroth ultimately earned Gu Chao¡¯s respect, who started referring to him as big bro as a way of showing it. "The surprises never end with you, does it?" Metronome winced. Despite his vast sources of information, even he was unaware of Gu Chao¡¯s identity and rtionship with Izroth. Izroth, however, gave a simple carefree smile in return. "Now that introductions are out of the way-" Just as Izroth was about to speak, the entire Mystical Realm Pce shook violently as if it were hit by an earthquake. Oppressive energy descended on everyone in the conference room. It felt as though hundreds of pounds of weight had been dropped onto them! That was when Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The Time Limit for the quest ?Awakening of The Lost Bloodline? has been modified.¡µ Chapter 476 The Young Trephasia Awakens ¡¯This aura... It feels familiar. Does it have something to do with her?¡¯ The oppressive energysted less than a breath before ending just as abruptly as it arrived. "What was that just now?" Mirage questioned as she organized her thoughts. The oppressive energy left her feeling lightheaded. But, she was not the only one affected by it. The others in the conference room also felt somewhat disoriented. "I don¡¯t know, but we should-" Zi Yi spoke; however, she stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed that something was wrong with Luna. A concerned look quickly found its way onto Zi Yi¡¯s face as she visibly frowned. She then asked, "Luna, what¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt?" They were in a safe zone, so theoretically, it should be impossible for her to be injured. Nevertheless, when that question left Zi Yi¡¯s mouth, it caused the attention of everyone to fall onto Luna. "Hurt? I¡¯m feeling perfectly fine." Luna responded. More than Zi Yi¡¯s words, Luna was taken aback by her concerned expression. It was just a small earthquake¡ªnothing that she would be hurt about. Yet, Zi Yi looked worried, and she was not the only one. "If you¡¯re fine, then why are you crying?" Miragemented. "Crying? I-" Luna moved her right hand to the right side of her cheek. The instant her hand came into contact with her face, a look of disbelief could be seen in her eyes. There were streams of tears that flowed from the corner of her eyes; however, Luna seemed to bepletely unaware of it until now. "Could it be a side-effect of that oppressive force we just encountered?" Zi Yi questioned when she saw the look of disbelief on Luna¡¯s face. "How strange... I did not feel any oppressive force." Luna stated as she gracefully wiped the tears from her eyes. She then continued, "If I were to describe it, it was unnaturally gentle with a hint of familiarity." However, those present in the conference were startled by Luna¡¯s description. How could she describe such a terrifying aura as gentle?! This only made their concern for her to rise even more! All of a sudden, Izroth stood up from his seat and walked over to Luna. "Are you certain that you are unharmed?" Izroth asked. "Yes," Luna replied as her gaze met Izroth¡¯s. ¡¯The modified Awakening of The Lost Bloodline quest taking ce the same time as her reaction¡ªnot to mention the difference in experience generated by that aura from before. It¡¯s too much of a coincidence to ignore.¡¯ "Come with me," Izroth said. If he was not mistaken, then something must have happened on the 5th floor of his Mystical Realm Pce. Since this change appeared to have directly affected Luna in some way, it was better for her to apany him, rather than leave her in the conference room. Luna gave a small nod as she stood to her feet. She did not know where they were going, but she trusted Izroth. Izroth turned to everyone and stated, "For now, remain here until we return. There is still much left to discuss." After he finished speaking, Izroth and Luna took their leave from the conference room. The two walked towards the stairs in silence with Luna trailing just behind Izroth. A few momentster, the two reached the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. Luna was surprised to discover that the Mystical Realm Pce had so many more floors than the time of herst visit several days ago. "You have been busy," Lunamented. "This is only the start. Soon, the Mystical Realm Pce will be quite hectic." Izroth stated as the two stopped before the door to the only room on the 5th floor. "Handler Izroth. Honored guest." Opal bowed respectfully; however, she was visibly shaken as if something had startled her not too long ago. Izroth sat his hand on Opal¡¯s shoulder and said, "Why don¡¯t you go make sure everything is running smoothly on the lower floors? Be thorough and make sure that nothing was damaged by the tremors." "Yes, I will go see to it at once. Please, excuse me." Opal spoke in a polite tone, but the nervousness in her voice could not be hidden. Not too long ago, she felt an oppressive auraing from inside the room on the 5th floor. However, Opal did not dare barge in to see what was going on; after all, she could not afford to offend the Wiseman of Everpeak. More importantly, Opal would not allow her reckless actions to cause Izroth a loss of face. Therefore, even though she was terrified, she stayed put outside the door as she had been instructed. So, she was grateful that Izroth asked her to son the lower floors. Opal moved briskly to the staircase and descended from the 5th floor. The moment she did so, Izroth ced his hand on the door handle that led into the room. He already used his Energy Vision Sense to see what was going on inside the room, but it was useless. There was too much interference in the atmosphere. Izroth assumed that this was most likely a side-effect of the oppressive energy that spread throughout the Mystical Realm Pce. Though what he did not know at that moment was that it was not just perceived in the Mystical Realm Pce¡ªbut the entire Mortal Realm. ... Meanwhile, the RML world chat was going crazy! "Did anyone else feel that just now? Or was it just me?" "Are you stupid? Can¡¯t you see that¡¯s all everyone¡¯s talking about right now?!" "Geez, rx dude, he¡¯s just asking a question." "LF e-girl! Willing to buy you a full set of armor and a weapon!" "Me and my party just got wiped during a fight due to a stupid bug that suppressed our movements! This is the second time! Fix your game devs!" "I don¡¯t think it was a bug! My party experienced the same thing!" "The weirdest thing happened! This Trephasia shopkeeper just started to break down and cry out of nowhere! I didn¡¯t even do anything..." "Bro, same here! The Trephasia at the auction house I¡¯m at just fell to the floor and burst into tears! So weird!" "To the guy looking for an e-girl... I understand your perilous journey, my brother. ( ?¡ã???¡ã)" "What the heck... Why is world chat always so weird?!" ... Izroth and Luna had entered into the room on the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. The first thing they were greeted by was a pair of dazzling eyes that resembled the sun and contained a faint glow within them. These eyes belonged to the young Trephasia that had been unconscious since Izroth found her in the Millennial Veiled Oasis. She had finally awakened! At the moment, she was sitting up in the bed with a drowsy look on her face as if she were tired. ¡¯It¡¯s just as I thought. To think that just waking up would cause such amotion. Is it rted to the Undying Maelstrom?¡¯ "I was just about to send for you," Kryxelsia said as her gaze fell onto Luna. She then moved the palm of her hand to cover the young Trephasia¡¯s eyes and continued, "Do not look into her eyes, young one. The Trephasia blood within you will be unsettled." Kryxelsia¡¯s words were directed towards Luna, who was immediately captivated when she stepped into the room and met the young Trephasia¡¯s eyes. It was almost as if she had been waiting for that moment her entire life! But, it was bizarre, to say the least. After all, Luna barely knew the young Trephasia. Since that was the case, why did she feel such a close connection and indescribable happiness? Luna followed Kryxelsia¡¯s advice and avoided eye contact with the young Trephasia. "That phenomenon from earlier¡ªwas it her doing?" Izroth questioned. Kryxelsia lowered her hand from the young Trephasia¡¯s eyes and replied, "Yes. It is unfortunate; however, a disturbance of that scale was impossible to conceal. For the time being, I would like to take her with me to Everpeak to stay at my abode¡ªwhat do you think?" Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. The quest explicitly stated that he had to journey with the owner of the Empress Brooch to the Mother of All Forests. On the other hand, the quest time limit had been updated, which allowed Izroth to understand how long he had toplete the quest. Quest Name: Awakening of The Lost Bloodline Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 12 Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: Assist the owner of the ?Empress Brooch? in awakening their lost bloodline and prevent the rebirth of the Undying Maelstrom. Time Limit: 90 days (Warning: Rted events may affect time limit) ... The only thing that bothered him was the warning next to the time limit. If rted events could affect the time limit, then was the 90 days the system gave even reliable? There was a lot at stake for this quest. However, Izroth could not deny that the young Trephasia would be safer with Kryxelsia in Everpeak. After all, he had personally been to Everpeak and witnessed the magic formation above it, as well as the formations inside of Kryxelsia¡¯s abode. Even a small army of legendary existences would not recklessly charge into that ce! Not to mention, Izroth knew Kryxelsia herself was incredibly powerful. ¡¯With the world eventing up, I won¡¯t be able to move freely if I have to keep an eye on her. I also need to find out more about the Guardian of the Forest, Mother of All Forests, and the Tree of Provenance before I make the journey.¡¯ To be honest, just the fact that Kryxelsia asked his opinion on the matter was enough to gain his confidence. In the end, Kryxelsia had the power to forcibly remove the young Trephasia at any time if she wished, but chose to wait for Izroth¡¯s response. "Alright, but you should be aware that I eventually n to take her to the Mother of All Forests. I¡¯m sure you have no problem with this, right?" Izroth replied. Kryxelsia shook her head and said, "This journey is one that you must take. Naturally, I have no objections." She then approached Luna and continued, "It has been many years since I havest encountered one who has undergone such a perfect transformation when given the Trephasia bloodline. The one who gifted you this must¡¯ve possessed a superior bloodline. But, fear not, young one. The effects you experienced today will diminish over time; however, it will also remain forever present within you. Never shall you be harmed by it¡ªonly protected." Kryxelsia¡¯s words set Luna¡¯s mind at ease. If something like this happened unexpectedly during an important fight, then it could mess with her concentration. Therefore, she was d to discover that it would diminish over time. Chapter 477 Temporarily Parting Ways, Sharing The SSS-ranked Ques The reason Izroth brought Luna to meet with Kryxelsia was for that exact confirmation. He figured that the effects would not be permanent, but he did not want to take any chances. After some small talk, Izroth decided to mention the Scorching Death Mark of the Pzenium Kingdom that he was marked with. But, even Kryxelsia did not have the methods to remove the Scorching Death Mark. "It is a unique form of curse magic that sacrifices one¡¯s soul as the price. Unless you receive a divine cleansing, it will be impossible to remove the mark. However, while I cannot remove it, I can help make it a bit more difficult to discover your exact location." Kryxelsia exined. She removed a silver metal armband with magic symbols carved into it. After chanting a few words, the armband disappeared from the palm of her hands and reappeared on Izroth¡¯s left arm. She then continued, "That item will scatter the signal from your Scorching Death Mark, making it challenging for anyone to pinpoint your position using the mark. However, it is limited to a range of five kilometers. They will still know your general location is within that area, so you must exercise caution." "I will keep your words in mind. This favor will one day be repaid, Wiseman." Izroth replied with a carefree smile. Izroth was not afraid of the Great Duke of the Pzenium kingdom sending other assassins after him; however, he did not enjoy having a live beacon attached to him 24/7. As a neutral kingdom, who knew what side the Pzenium kingdom would take in the uing war? If they chose to join sides with the shadahi, then it would only make things even moreplicated than they already were! Kryxelsia nodded as she turned to face Luna and said, "Young one, pay a visit to my abode in Everpeak when you have a chance. There are many things to discuss regarding your... Unique condition." "Then, I will thank the Wiseman in advance for her kindness," Luna stated politely. Although they had not known each other long, Kryxelsia treated her with a great deal of care without asking for anything in return. The natural bond that existed between members of the Trephasia race was indeed strong! Izroth¡¯s eyes fell onto the young Trephasia; whose drowsy gaze seemed to be far off in the distance. Not a single word parted from her mouth since they arrived in the room. Was she incapable of speech yet? Or, was the young Trephasia¡¯s focus on something else entirely? Whatever the case, her expression and demeanor gave her an almost doll-like appearance. "Will she be alright?" Luna asked as she nced over at the young Trephasia. "All in good time. She has awakened, but the major part of her consciousness remains in a deep slumber." Kryxelsia replied as she walked to the side of the bed and took the young Trephasia into her arms. Then, without uttering a word, a tear in space that resembled a portal appeared in front of Kryxelsia. ¡¯To cast suchplex spatial magic instantly without a chant¡ªI¡¯m afraid the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s spatial magic does note close toparing.¡¯ "The world will soon be thrown into chaos. There are several hidden hands at work on all sides, and you have too many powerful enemies, Izroth. Your current strength is not yet enough to carry these burdens. You must correct this as soon as possible; otherwise, even if you survive and make the journey to the Mother of All Forests, you will surely perish." Kryxelsia warned as she stepped through the spatial portal with the young Trephasia and disappeared from the Mystical Realm Pce. The moment she entered the spatial portal, the area of space immediately repaired itself. Just like that, she was gone. As for Kryxelsia¡¯s words¡ªIzroth knew that she was not wrong. The number of his enemies only seemed to be increasing, and his present strength was not enough to protect himself, let alone those close to him. Now, ording to Kryxelsia, if he journeyed to the Mother of All Forests, then he was practically weing his own demise. Kryxelsia should be well aware of Izroth¡¯s strength. After all, she knew that he ced first in the second team¡¯s selection¡ªa feat not easily aplished. Therefore, the Mother of All Forests must be quite an unforgiving and inhospitable ce for people to travel. ¡¯Nothing goodes from rushing ahead. I will deal with these issues as theye; for now, my main focus remains unchanged. I will increase my overall strength and influence.¡¯ All of a sudden, Izroth felt a slight tug on his arm sleeve. He looked over and was instantly greeted by a lovely smile. "You are not alone. Your enemies are also our enemies. Even if it is just a little, allow us to carry some of that burden... Allow me to..." Luna stated without the slightest bit of hesitation. There was a look of rity and resolve in her eyes; however, Luna strayed off with herst few words as she looked down as if she were intentionally avoiding eye contact with Izroth. A slight smile unknowingly found its way onto Izroth¡¯s face as he said, "Your words, I will not forget them." ... A few momentster, Izroth and Luna arrived back in the conference room on the 1st floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. Things had be lively as everyone seemed to be getting to know one another¡ªat least, almost everyone. Azalea was off in a corner and kept to herself. However, Izroth was not surprised by this as he understood Azalea¡¯s personality well enough to know that she was not exactly the most sociable individual. Not too long after Izroth and Luna¡¯s return, things quickly settled down. That was when Izroth decided to disclose the Awakening of The Lost Bloodline quest to everyone present. Of course, besides Luna and himself, Mirage and Azalea were already aware of the quest as they had received it as well. But, for everyone who did not know about the quest, they were shocked! An SSS-ranked quest! It was actually a rare SSS-ranked quest! Though there were a few that had unsurprised expressions on their faces¡ªZi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine had been with Izroth long enough that they were used to these things. "It was only a matter of time until it happened again." Zi Yi sighed. "What do you expect? Great things happen to great people¡ªand my brother is a great person!" Guan Yu stated excitedly. When the other yers in the conference room heard Zi Yi say "again", they nearly coughed up blood from shock! Again?! Did she mean that this was not the first time he came across an SSS-ranked quest?! One had to know that even an S-ranked quest was impossible for most yers to get their hands on. As for SSS-ranked quest¡ªthis was a nonexistent dream for the vast majority! Not to mention, SSS-ranked quests were rumored to affect things on a world scale. How frightening was a quest with those kinds of consequences present? But, more importantly, how amazing would the rewards be? Izroth briefly exined the details of the quest and shared it with those in the conference room, excluding Worldly Skies, Metronome, and Gu Chao. Their levels were simply too low, and all three of them were nonbatant type yers. This meant that including Izroth himself, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, Valentine, Azalea, Mirage, Qi Jiguang, Midnight, and Omega also possessed the quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline. This left one remaining slot for the quest that was yet to be filled. But, even after receiving the quest, Qi Jiguang, Midnight, and Omega were still in a state of disbelief. It really was an SSS-ranked quest! "We have just decided to join your guild, and yet we are already being gifted an SSS-ranked quest. Is this the entry reward for all new members?" Omega said jokingly with a weak smile. "There¡¯s even a chance to obtain a divine treasure chest...!" Midnightmented as reading over the quest details. What was a divine item? Even a full set of legendary equipment could notpare to a single divine item! Although the chance of obtaining a divine item was only 0.001%, there was still a possibility¡ªthis could not be ignored. As for the other rewards, they were also in another leaguepared to what one usually received from quests in RML. "An SSS-ranked quests... To think you had something like that up your sleeves. I have to say; you never cease to surprise. It¡¯s times like this I almost regret being a merchant." Metronomemented with a small grin. "Although an SSS-ranked quest sounds interesting, I will take standing before a cauldron over it any day." Worldly Skies stated. "Hehe, big sis Worldly Skies has a true love for her craft." Gu Chao said. Simr to Worldly Skies, he preferred a furnace over the tedious task of adventuring. Besides, an existence wipe from failing the quest was not ideal. "Alright, now that this matter is settled. It¡¯s time to talk about the uing war between the kingdoms." Izroth announced. ... Over the next couple of hours, Izroth and the group started to piece together a solid n for the iing war, as well as what roles they would y. As for which side they were choosing in the war, it was obviously Amaharpe, which was allied with Proximus. When it came time to select a vice guild-leader, it was agreed that this role would fall to Zi Yi. "That settles everything. We will meet at the arranged spot in six days. Be prepared, everyone." Izroth said. With that, after bidding one another farewell, everyone took their leave from the conference room to make personal preparations for the uing event. However, as Metronome was about to leave, Izroth stopped him. "I need craftsmen. But, not just anyone will do. They should be talented, but more than anything, they need to be trustworthy. What are your thoughts on this?" Izroth asked. He had a few ideas of his own; however, he wanted to use this chance to see how Metronome would approach the situation. Metronome remained silent as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. After thinking things over a bit, he came up with an answer. "Why not hold apetition? You can use thepetition to gauge their talent and test their integrity as theypete for a spot in the Mystical Realm Pce. As for spreading the word and putting it together¡ªI can make it happen in three days. Since I can borrow the name of the Mystical Realm Pce, it should not be too hard to gather a crowd topete." Metronome stated. "Apetition? Not a bad idea." Izroth agreed as he held up one finger. He then continued, "However, let¡¯s make things a bit more interesting, shall we?" Chapter 478 Competition At The Mystical Realm Palace Part 1/3 ... Three dayster... At the moment, there was arge crowd of yers gathered around the front of the Mystical Realm Pce. However, they were not there in anticipation of a new pill being released. Shocking news had spread throughout RML over the past several days that made countless yers restless. The owner of the Mystical Realm Pce was holding a grandpetition to recruit talented craftsmen to his shop! The reason this news was so big had not only to do with the reputation of the Mystical Realm Pce, but with what was being offered to those who were epted. After being admitted, one would immediately receive 50 gold coins! With the exchange rate of 1:202 gold to RMB, 50 gold coins were equal to a bit more than 10,000 RMB! But this was not the best part. On top of the bonus, they would also be granted a basic monthly sry of 75 gold coins¡ªthat was over 15,000 RMB every month! There was even room for raises and advances as long as one put in the effort. It was also stated that the Mystical Realm Pce would provide materials to the craftsmen. As for rare or hard toe by materials, they were even willing to set up an in-shop credit line that could be used to purchase 225 gold coins worth of materials! The most satisfying part of it all was that everything would continuously scale with the gold to RMB exchange rate! This meant that if the exchange rate changed to 1:101 gold to RMB, then they would receive a sry of 150 gold coins, and the in-shop credit line would increase to 450 gold coins. Of course, many yers believed that this was all too good to be true and remained skeptical. There was an old saying¡ªif something sounded too good to be true, then it¡¯s usually because it is! Unless one was a remarkable craftsman in RML, getting paid 75 gold coins monthly was a distant dream! After all, most craftsmen had to purchase or personally gather their own materials, sell it; then, the auction house took a chunk of their earnings along with the gold to RMB conversion fee. By the time all the fees were removed, and they deducted the cost of materials, they were barely left with a profit! Although there were other benefits listed as well, everyone¡¯s main goal was to obtain a spot in the Mystical Realm Pce to earn the joining bonus and generous monthly sry. If they could devote their full concentration to crafting, then their future would be limitless! But, in the end, everyone was nervous and anxious¡ªwaiting for the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce to make his appearance. Some could not hold their thoughts in and hide the creeping anxiety. "Do you think it¡¯s all true? Or, have we been tricked?" "Tricked? Who could pull a trick on such a grand scale? Besides, I have a solid source that this is not just some cruel practical joke!" "There are so many people here¡ªcan I really make it?" "I wonder what we¡¯ll have to do for thepetition. I¡¯m only a 1st rank Apothecary, so I hope we won¡¯t be asked to craft grade two pills." "Ha! Just a 1st ranked Apothecary? As a 2nd rank Apothecary, I am practically guaranteed a spot! I don¡¯t know why any 1st rank Apothecary would even waste their timeing here just to fail! Hahaha!" "Y-you! Don¡¯t think you are anything special! Hmph,pared to the Pill Emperors, aren¡¯t you just trash on the side of the road not worth ncing at?!" The 1st rank Apothecary snapped back. "It seems you can¡¯t tell the truth these days without being barked at by a wild dog. Just wait and see how I, Pr Opposed, deal with you once I be a member of the Mystical Realm Pce." The 2nd rank Apothecary said coldly. Every moment that passed, the crowd outside the Mystical Realm Pce became more and more agitated. This caused a lot of intense arguments to break out between some of the yers present. Some even went as far as challenging the other to a duel! However, a few momentster, when the doors of the Mystical Realm Pce opened, and three figures stepped out, the anxious crowd immediately halted their actions. Right now, their full attention was on the individuals who had just made their appearance. At the front and center was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce himself, Izroth! As for the two at his side¡ªvirtually no one knew the identity of those two yers. Almost instantly after Izroth and those at his side arrived, the crowd started to bombard them with questions. Many of them wanted to hurry up and confirm if what they heard was true or not. "It seems you¡¯ve managed to attract quite the crowd." Worldly Skiesmented. "The benefits are too good for the opportunity to be disregarded. Even if one has dedication and talent for their craft, it does not necessarily mean that they can be sessful. This is even more so for those who are not a part of a big guild. Though I am sure, I do not have to tell you this of all people." Metronome stated. Worldly Skies nodded and replied, "What you say is true. Even for my Fireheart Apothecary Society, although it was not a struggle, it was also not easy to remain self-sustaining." She then nced over at Izroth and said, "They are too numerous to enter the Mystical Realm Pce all at once. What do you intend to do?" "There¡¯s also the problem of potential spies being nted by the top guilds. A chance like this is one that I¡¯m sure they have been eyeing for a long time." Metronome said. "Naturally, we will have to shave down the numbers before we proceed. However, I have already prepared for this in advance. As for the situation regarding the top guilds¡ªI will deal with this matter when the timees." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. "Then, in that case, I will leave you two to your own devices. It seems these next couple of days are going to be sleepless nights." Metronome smirked as he said his farewells to Izroth and Worldly Skies. There were other things Izroth asked him to prepare that did not allow him the luxury of remaining idle. "If you wait any longer, I¡¯m afraid this restless crowd will start to riot." Worldly Skies said half-jokingly. She then continued, "Not to mention; I would like to get back to work as soon as possible. The books you provided are incredibly detailed and insightful. At my current rate, I may have to visit Danaharpe soon to take the 4th rank Apothecary test." While other yers still struggled to be a 3rd rank Apothecary, Worldly Skies was close to advancing to the 4th rank! She deserved her title as one of the Pill Emperors! Izroth was impressed with Worldly Skies¡¯ ability to digest information so rapidly. In just three days, Izroth had witnessed a stunning transformation in her overall technique. It was as if every day, it was bing more polished and refined. He believed that if she continued on this path, the results at the end of it would be frightening! ¡¯My eyes have not deceived me.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze over the crowd of yers. He estimated that there were at least 800 yers, and the numbers appeared to be increasing by the minute! It got to the point where the NPC guards arrived to make sure that order was maintained. Outside the auction house, a gathering of this size in a single spot was extremely umon! There were too many yers to speak over vocally, and the local chat was also out of the question. Therefore, Izroth used one of the features he unlocked after adding the 4th floor to his Mystical Realm Pce called a Vicinity Alert. This allowed Izroth, as a shop owner, to send an alert to yers within a certain range of his Mystical Realm Pce. This feature was limited to once every 24 hours; however, it was possible to use it up to two additional times per day as long as one paid 500 gold coins. While this amount was unthinkable for most yers, it was well worth it for shops trying to draw in as much business as possible. Of course, with the famous reputation of his Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth had no need for the feature as a means of advertising. But, that did not negate its usefulness. ¡´Vicinity Alert: yer Izroth, "I will start by saying..."¡µ Over the Vicinity Alert, Izroth confirmed what had been eating away at the minds of everyone present. He officially announced the rewards and benefits of bing a craftsman for his Mystical Realm Pce! The joining bonus, the monthly sry, the credit line¡ªit was all true! The moment this was confirmed as such, the crowd could not hold back their excitement! But, this was just the first part of the Vicinity Alert. The second part mentioned the details of the first challenge. The first challenge was simple. In order to enter the Mystical Realm Pce and participate in the mainpetition, one had to answer five questions. If one answered a single question correctly, then the system would automatically grant them ess to the Mystical Realm Pce. Every yer only had one shot! "Eh? That¡¯s it? We just have to answer one question right to get in?" "Maybe he meant if we answer one wrong, then we will fail. It can¡¯t be just answering one correctly..." One of the yers near the front of the crowd asked Izroth if he made a mistake with his Vicinity Alert; however, he reassured them that he did not make an error. "Just one question? So easy...! This must just be a formality. The real test has to be inside the shop." One of the yersmented. "So, who would like to go first?" Izroth asked as his gazended on the yers located at the front of the crowd. However, they all seemed hesitant to be the first one to step up. In the end, they still had no idea what questions would be asked; therefore, they wanted someone else to go first. That way, they could learn from that person¡¯s mistakes. Even better than that, they could message that person directly and ask what the questions were so that they would be prepared! Who wanted to give up such a supreme advantage? Worldly Skies frowned, "Is no one going to step forward?" After seeing that no one was making a move, Izroth was about to choose one at random to get things started. However, just before he could pick one out of the crowd, surprisingly, someone who was a bit further back stepped out. "I¡¯ll go." The yer who moved forward said. ¡¯Oh? It seems everyone is not as hopeless as I thought.¡¯ Their words and actions immediately drew the looks of the nearby crowd. Who was this bold yer that dared to go first?! Chapter 479 Competition At The Mystical Realm Palace Part 2/3 The yer who stepped forward was a refined woman with silver eyes and slightly curly light blonde hair that fell just below her shoulders. She wore a blue and white leather armor; however, the materials used made the leather¡¯s appearance resemble that of cloth. At their side was a thin yet gorgeous silver sheath that housed a de. "What should I call you?" Izroth asked. "I am called Maeva." The woman greeted Izroth as she stopped a couple of meters away from him. Izroth examined Maeva, as well as the equipment in her possession. From the looks of it, she was wearing a full set of rare quality equipment! While rare quality equipment was no longer impossible for the average yer in RML to acquire, it was still extremely difficult to put together an entire set. Therefore, Izroth believed that this meant one of two things. The first being that Maeva was a spy sent by one of the top guilds. But, he had a difficult time believing that the top guilds would send someone so obvious. The second was that she spent a small fortune obtaining that full set of equipment! Of course, there was also the third option where she obtained it herself; however, if that were the case, then her skills as a craftsman would suffer for it. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "You pass. You may enter." Maeva was surprised by Izroth¡¯s words. Did she just hear correctly? She passed? But, she did not even answer a single question! Unless saying her own name was one of the questions. But, if that were the case, then everyone would pass without issue! However, Maeva was not the only one startled. Those who were closer to the front of the crowd also heard Izroth¡¯s words. Was he letting her pass throughout without having toplete the first challenge? Wasn¡¯t this apparent favoritism?! "It seems the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is still a man. How can he resist such a beauty?" "I thought this would be fair, but isn¡¯t he just doing whatever he wants in the end?" "So? Who cares? Does that change what is being offered? Hmph, you¡¯re naive if you think that those with influence won¡¯t use it to get what they want." "Can you me him? I¡¯d be willing to directly ept that beauty as well." Izroth could see the confusion on Maeva¡¯s face. As for the yers in the crowd, he dismissed their words. Were people too afraid to ept a simple challenge worthy of his response? "You have not asked my profession¡ªis this fine?" Maeva questioned. "My Mystical Realm Pce has a use for all professions. Or, are you having second thoughts?" Izroth said. ¡¯No. I will enter." Maeva replied. She did not know why Izroth decided to let her pass without facing the first challenge, but she had no intention of denying his kindness. Maeva approached the door to the Mystical Realm Pce, and as she walked through the entrance that was blocked by a thin barrier. Of course, she went through with no trouble. "Was it okay to not ask her profession?" Worldly Skies asked curiously. She had a good understanding of Izroth¡¯s character; therefore, she knew the true Izroth let Maeva through so easily. But, Worldly Skies believed that he should have at least asked Maeva about her profession. "For the first challenge, one¡¯s profession holds no value." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. "No value? I see, so it¡¯s like that..." Worldly Skies had a thoughtful look on her face as if she finally understood something. "Me! I will go next!" A yer called out after seeing Maeva sessfully entered into the Mystical Realm Pce. She had ck hair that flowed down to the center of her back, along with a pair of hazel eyes. Her body had curves in all the right ces, and she had a pretty face to match! She wore elegant mage robes that hugged her body with a small magic wand attached to the belt around her hips. If Maeva was seen as a refined beauty, then the woman who just made her appearance was a fiery beauty! "My name is Morning Orchid." The fiery beauty said as she approached Izroth. The moment she made her appearance, the male yers at the front of the crowd could not remove their gaze from her. "Sigh... It looks like another beauty is going to gain free entry. Ah, I should have been born a beautiful woman instead of a man." One yermented. "Man... What I¡¯d give for one night with her...!" One of the male yers said. "You¡ªone night of what?! You dare say that again?! Hmph, why don¡¯t you ask her to be your girlfriend then?!" One of the female yers scoffed as she stomped off angrily from the male yer. "S-sweetheart! Wait! I meant friendship! One night of friendship! That¡¯s all! I was wrong!" The male yer chased after his girlfriend... Or rather, ex-girlfriend. With her presence alone, Morning Orchid managed to end a rtionship! "It is a pleasure to finally meet the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce." Morning Orchid said with a heart-melting smile. However, she was grinning on the inside. Easy! Too easy! Initially, she just came along to have a look. After all, like most yers in RML, she did not take her profession seriously. She was a 1st ranked Alchemist who only happened to take the ss out of convenience at the time. But, who would have thought that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce was just like other men? There was an old saying, "Beauty is a weapon more dangerous than any sword. For it cuts not the flesh, but the mind¡ªand what is a man without a mind but a fool?". Izroth nodded and said, "You may step forward." "Yes! Thank you for your kind generosity." Morning Orchid replied with as hurried to the entrance with hastened steps. The joining bonus and monthly sry were practically free for the taking! Why would she turn down such an opportunity? Seeing Morning Orchid move so quickly towards the Mystical Realm Pce left a bad taste in the mouth of yers within the crowd. Was this an actualpetition? Or a beauty contest?! Smack! All of a sudden, everyone heard a loud, smacking sound. When they looked in the direction of where the sound originated from, they noticed that Morning Orchid. She had just been hurrying forward, but now, she was t on her face in front of the entrance to the Mystical Realm Pce! Morning Orchid had just tried to enter the shop the same way as Maeva had done; however, the barrier actually knocked her back and caused her to lose bnce. Those who witnessed the scene firsthand tried to suppress theirughter as they did not want to upset the beauty, but there were those who were not as controlled and released theirughter. Izroth frowned as he looked at Morning Orchid and said, "What are you doing? Did you not understand the rules? Only those who sessfully answer one of the questions provided by the system can enter. Trying to force your way through will lead to nowhere." Izroth felt that he had clearly exined the rules in a way that even a child could understand via the Vicinity Alert. So then, why did this woman suddenly decide to put on aedy performance? Morning Orchid swiftly stood to her feet and dust herself off. Her face had turnedpletely red from embarrassment as she scowled at Izroth. What did he mean she still had to take the test? Was he blind? How was she any less than that woman who went in before her?! "Howe you let her through but not me?! Am I any worse than she is?!" Morning Orchid scoffed. "Do I owe you an exnation? ept the challenge or get lost. Either way, my time is not something you can afford to waste." Izroth stated nonchntly. She believed that he owed her an exnation for his actions? How arrogant! Right now, Morning Orchid was boiling over with anger; however, she had already lost enough face for one day and furiously stormed off. "Ha, serves her right...!" "I guess the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce isn¡¯t as biased as I thought." "Yeah, maybe we have a chance, after all." The only reason Izroth let Maeva enter without trouble was that she moved forward while everyone else cowered back despite facing the unknown. Yet, someone like Morning Orchid appeared to be the type who wanted to take advantage of the situation. How could he be ignorant of her intention? The yers in the crowd became somewhat relieved that Izroth was not one-sidedly picking individuals he favored. If that was the case, then they still had a chance! ¡¯Things are moving too slow. Then...¡¯ Izroth sent out a Vicinity Alert. The alert was simple, "If any yer fails to step forward within three seconds after thest person, then the first part of thepetition will be deemed concluded." After that alert, yers rushed forward one after the other! How could they let a grand opportunity slip through their fingertips? When yers approached the entrance, they greeted Izroth before moving to the entrance. When they moved close enough to the barrier, they received an alert from the system containing the five questions. However, the questions were not at all what they expected them to be. There was not a single question about crafting! "This... What kind of questions are these? How do I answer them? Is there a special way?" One of the yers frowned. One of the questions was, "If you steal food to provide for your family, then are you a bad person?". Another question asked, "You have two friends, but must abandon one to save the other, or both shall perish. How do you proceed?". How was one supposed to know what was the right answer or not for questions like this? As for those who nned to cheat their way in¡ªthey were even more disappointed by the form of questions. Izroth personally designed the first challenge to weed out those who were dishonest or untrustworthy. There were many right answers and an equal amount of wrong answers. But, with his experience and the system¡¯s assistance, creating the test as a simple matter. ... Three hours flew by as thest yer finished the first challenge. He slumped away with a look of defeat as he, like many before him, had failed. However, he was not the only way. Out of the 800 to 900 yers who participated in the first challenge, including Maeva, only a mere 73 of them were able to pass! This was more than a 90% failure rate! However, despite the massive failure rate, Izroth was satisfied with the results. To be honest, he did not expect more than 3-5% to pass with the way he designed the first challenge; therefore, it went much better than he expected! But, the true test had yet to begin! In the end, it was the second challenge that would ultimately determine who was worthy of joining his Mystical Realm Pce. Chapter 480 Competition At The Mystical Realm Palace Part 3/3 ... The yers inside the Mystical Realm Pce waited anxiously. The majority of them had been waiting for an hour or longer. "It¡¯s already been twenty minutes since thest person entered. When will the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce make his appearance?" One of the yers questioned. "This can¡¯t be everyone, right? There were a thousand yers out there! A thousand! How can it just be us?" One yer frowned. "Isn¡¯t it weird, though? All this time and we still have not been asked about our professions." "Yeah, the point of apetition is to find the strongest or most skilled people. But, hundreds of people were turned away without so much as a chance to disy their talent." "Hey, you were the first one to enter¡ªdo you know something we don¡¯t?" One of the yers asked as everyone turned their attention towards Maeva. Maeva leaned with her back against the wall. She had her arms folded, and her eyes closed. Among everyone here, she had been waiting for the longest as she was the first to gain entry into the Mystical Realm Pce. "No," Maeva replied straight-forwardly; however, her quick response caused everyone to frown inwardly. From what they heard, she was the only participant to gain entry into the Mystical Realm Pce without having to take the first challenge. It was evident that she was hiding something. Maybe she personally knew the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce? But, just as the atmosphere inside the 1st floor of the Mystical Realm Pce was bing tense, two individuals walked through the entrance. The two yers immediately became the center of everyone¡¯s focus the moment they appeared. It was none other than the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce himself, Izroth! By his side was the same woman who was with him since the first challenge first started. While they did not know her name or identity, if she was next to Izroth, then it was surely not something they could take lightly. With Izroth¡¯s appearance, everyone understood one thing¡ªthe first challenge was now officially over. "So it really is just us then." One of the yers muttered to himself. "Follow me," Izroth said without halting his steps. He was headed towards the staircase that led up to the higher floors. No one dared tog behind as they quickly followed after Izroth. Many of them had been to the Mystical Realm Pce before to purchase pills; however, most of them had never paid a visit to the 2nd floor. That kind of ce was reserved for wealthy yers or guilds. Therefore, they were shocked to discover that the Mystical Realm Pce had not one, but three additional floors! However, none of them appeared to be open to the public, and no one was able to gain a clear look into the floor due to the barrier restrictions in ce. A few momentster, Izroth, Worldly Skies, and the group of participants reached the 5th floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. Theyout of the floor had been changed as the room that housed the young Trephasia was no longer there. Instead, the floor waspletely open, with numerous tables and items spread throughout the room. Some of the items included cauldrons, furnaces, and processing stations. As for the tables, they contained various materials that ranged from herbs and reagants to ores and beast hides. If this room were to be described, it would be like a melting pot of crafting rooms! "Amazing... To think a room like this existed in the Mystical Realm Pce..." One of the yersmented in awe. "Heh, do we finally get to disy our skills? I¡¯m kinda excited now." Izroth rose the palm of his hand as the participants fell silent. "This is the second and final challenge. For those who pass, they will be an official member of my Mystical Realm Pce. The promised benefits will also be given at that time. As for those of you who fail¡ªI¡¯m sure there is no need to exin." Izroth stated. He then continued, "I have provided everyone here with the basic materials for every profession. The final challenge is simple. You have one hour to create anything of your choosing using only what you find on this floor. Of course, you are wee to cheat and use outside materials to craft your item if you¡¯d like. However, if you are caught doing so, then it will be considered your loss. To pass this challenge, you must present an item you created that is of eptable quality. As for those with no item in their hand when time runs out, their attempt will automatically be deemed as having failed." Izroth then pointed towards Worldly Skies and said, "She will be joining you. Should you sessfully craft an item before she turns in her item, you will be granted an additional 50 gold coins when you join, as well as a doubled monthly sry." What?! Everyone became fired up after hearing Izroth¡¯s words. That was a 100 gold coins joining bonus and a 150 gold coins monthly sry! What yer would not be blown away by such a generous offer? However, there were a few yers who had be more cautious instead of excited. One of these yers was Maeva. If Izroth was confident enough in that person¡¯s skill to finish before them, then they were bound to be incredibly skilled. But, there was something else that bothered Maeva. "Could it be...?" Maeva muttered to herself as a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Just as she made a sudden discovery, thepetition had officially gone underway. "You have exactly one-hour starting now. Begin." Izroth announced. The instant he made that announcement, the participants rushed forward! They all wanted to grab the best ingredients possible and begin crafting before the others. After all, there was a limited amount of crafting items avable for use. Therefore, the first person who imed one would have a massive advantage over the other participants! But, more importantly, it increased their chances of finishing before that woman and obtaining a huge bonus! However, not everyone was in a rush despite the enticing bonus Izroth offered. Maeva, along with 18 other yers, stayed back and observed. Besides the 19 yers, Worldly Skies also had yet to make her move. It was Worldly Skies¡¯ inaction that caused a handful of them to stay back. But, there were a few yers who kept their eyes on Maeva instead of Worldly Skies. Even if she would not admit it, they believed that Maeva was aware of how to pass this challenge! If that was the case, then they just needed to wait for her to make her move. 5 minutes... 10 minutes... 15 minutes... As time quickly passed by, the yers who had been observing and waiting were starting to be restless. Only 45 minutes were remaining, and yet the people they were waiting for had not made their move! "Forget it...! I can¡¯t afford to fail...!" One of the 19 yers hurried to join the other yers to begin crafting. Not too long after he did so, two more yers who could no longer wait trailed after them. When it reached the 30-minute mark, not a single person hadpleted a crafted item! There were Apothecaries, Alchemists, cksmiths, Cartographers, Inscriptionists¡ªnone of them had been sessful. "This is right... It has to be right...! So then, why isn¡¯t it work?!" One of the yers expressed his frustration. He was a 1st ranked Apothecary who attempted to craft a grade one pill using the same materials he always used. But, whenever he tried to do so, the cauldron who shake violently before expelling the contents he had ced within it. This ultimately rendered the materials useless and left him with unfavorable results. The most bizarre part was that he had done this countless times before and never had this issue! It was a simr story for the others. Whenever they were one step away from finishing, something would go terribly wrong! "Hey! Something is wrong with the equipment you provided us!" One of the yers who went by Just Havocined to Izroth. "That¡¯s right! Is this even a fairpetition? Isn¡¯t everything here rigged for us to fail?!" Another y chimed in. There were those who agreed with Just Havoc but did not dare to voice their concern as they were afraid of offending the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. However, they were grateful that Just Havoc spoke up as their level of frustration was reaching its limits. "I can assure you, the equipment I have provided is not faulty. Of course, if you feel that you are not up to the task, you are always wee to leave my Mystical Realm Pce whenever you please." Izroth stated nonchntly. Just Havoc wanted to protest, but he quickly swallowed his words. He gritted his teeth and chose to try again, hopefully, with a different result thanst time. "This challenge is quite cruel, wouldn¡¯t you say?" Worldly Skies said as he watched the yers scrambling to gather ingredients as they failed again and again. "Is it? I felt that I was far too lenient in these challenges." Izroth responded. "This is you being lenient?" Worldly Skies gave a helpless smile; however, she only received a carefree smile from Izroth in response. She sighed and continued, "Still, I¡¯m afraid that even I would have had some difficulties with this second challenge. Well, that is if I were to take the difficult route as the majority of them chose to do." Time continued to tick away for the participants as the overall pressure to finish was increased. 45 minutes... 55 minutes... 59 minutes...! There was one remaining. But, oddly enough, Worldly Skies had still not moved one step from where she originally stood since the second challenge first started! As for the Maeva and the other 15 yers who stayed back, they too had not made an attempt. It was almost as if they had no intention of trying to win the second challenge! "You have ten seconds remaining," Izroth announced. His words caused the heart of the participants to drop. 10 seconds?! An hour had already gone by so fast?! "Over... It¡¯s over...! Ah, my monthly sry...!" Just Havoc grimaced. Just Havoc was not alone in his despair. In one hour, a total of 57 yers failed to craft one item! If one included the 16 yers who did not even try, then technically, all 73 yers had failed! "The final challenge is over. I shall now announce the results." Izroth dered. "Results? What¡¯s the point?" One of the yers who were displeased about the entire situation muttered under his breath. "Does this mean that out of almost a thousand yers, no one was able to pass? How absurd...!" One of the yersined. What was infuriating was not the fact that he failed, but that he had no idea how he failed! However, for some reason, unlike the yers who struggled to craft an item, Maeva and the 15 yers who had not lifted a single finger the whole time had a calm expression on their faces. Chapter 481 Some Things Can Be Taught and Some Canno "This isn¡¯t fair! There was obviously something wrong with this cauldron!" One of the participants shouted as if he had been wronged. "That¡¯s right! This furnace was acting up as well! I made an item numerous times using the same method and materials¡ªhow can it fail this time?!" Another yer chimed in. "That woman next to him didn¡¯t even move from her spot. Maybe they knew that no matter what we did, it would be useless. Otherwise, why else would the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce offer to double our rewards?" "Yeah! We want a redo! A fair contest!" "Yeah! No one passed! Redo!" "Give us a redo!" The 57 yers who had been scrambling around for thest hour had gone past their breaking point. They failed time and time again without knowing why, and it was too much for their pride to bear. "This was a waste of time. I had no idea the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce just wanted to assume himself by watching us fail." One of the participants grumbled. He believed that this entirepetition was just one big joke! Even the worst craftsman should be able to create one item within an hour using what was given to them in this room. Although Izroth imed that the equipment he provided was in perfect condition, they refused to believe it! After all, if they were in excellent condition, howe no one was able to produce an item? "Fools..." Maeva said to herself. She sighed as she watched the unsightly behavior unfold before her. Worldly Skies shook her head. They failed due to their own ignorance and ipetence. Now, they wanted toin and demand a redo? What a joke! "It would seem that you all are not convinced that your failure is justified," Izroth stated. However, the aura around him changed and caused the unsettled crowd to fall silent as they felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon them. Izroth used a weakened version of his Soul Pressure trait to bring the crowd under control quickly. If one wanted to make demands of him, they first needed the power to do so! A few secondster, when things calmed down, Izroth released his Soul Pressure as the pressure in the atmosphere evaporated. "I shall now announce the results¡ªis there anyone who wishes to protest?" Izroth said as he swept his gaze across the group of yers. But, no one dared to protest! They did not know where that pressure came from, but right now, no one had the will to object. "One by one, step forward and present your item," Izroth stated after no one protested. Was he alright in the head? He just witnessed for himself that no one had been able to craft anything, and now he was asking that someone step forward to present their item?! Did he want to infuriate and mock them to death?! Maeva walked forward and stopped in front of Izroth. Maeva¡¯s actions caused a look of confusion and bewilderment to appear on the faces of the majority of the participants. ¡¯This item... A great find indeed.¡¯ "You pass. Wee to my Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth said as a small money pouch appeared in his hands. He tossed this money pouch to Maeva, who caught it without issue. The money pouch contained a total of 125 gold coins! 50 gold coins for joining and 75 gold coins to cover the monthly sry. Just like that, she had earned over 25,000 RMB! "I thank the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce for his generosity," Maeva stated. The item Maeva showed Izroth just now was a talisman! This meant that not only was Maeva a skilled Alchemist, but also she managed to unlock the rare side ability to create talismans! But, it was not just any talisman¡ªit was a graded talisman! Name: Fleeting Seal Talisman(Rare) Item Creator: Maeva Grade: One Usage: This talisman temporarily seals thest skill used by a target within 8 meters from the user¡¯s location for 2 minutes, preventing them from using that skill for its duration. If the target has used no skill within thest 2 minutes, then a random skill will be sealed. ?Grade Bonus [1]? - This talisman also affects all hostile targets within 5 meters of the original target and applies the same effects. Cooldown: 1 minute In RML, by default, all talismans were grade zero. It was not until a talisman acquired a grade one or higher than its grade was revealed. However, the number of graded talismans circting in RML was miniscule when taking into ount the grand scheme of things. Standard talismans could not bepared to graded talismans as the benefits granted made them a force to be reckoned with. After all, Maeva¡¯s talisman was only a grade one, and yet, the bonus effect was nothing to scoff at. In a battle against multiple enemies, it was capable ofpletely changing the flow of battle! Almost everyone watched with dumbfounded expressions. Wait, she passed? But, she did not even craft an item! How was this possible?! "Don¡¯t screw with us!" Just Havoc blurted out. He could no longer contain his anger even if he offended Izroth in the process. He then continued, "You¡ªwas this your n all along?! To toy with us?! First, you let her in without taking the first challenge, and now she passes the second challenge after not taking one step?! How could she craft an item?! I don¡¯t care what anyone else says; you¡¯re clearly showing unfair favoritism!" Those who failed to craft an item secretly cheered on Just Havoc. He took the words right out of their mouths! "Unfair this, unfair that¡ªshut up already, will ya? All of ya are like dogs who won¡¯t stop barkin¡¯ cause they can¡¯t have their way. Ya mad? Just get good kid." One of the 15 yers who stayed back along with Maeva stepped forward. He was a thin yet muscr male with wild ck hair, piercing green eyes, and wore a fierce-looking fighter¡¯s robe. There was a visible scar on the lower right side of his face and bandages wrapped around his four limbs and shoeless feet. Attached to the side of his waist by a string was a gourd with the word "Spirit" carved into it. This yer went by the name Top Tiger. Top Tiger¡¯s words caused nearly everyone to cough up blood from anger! What gave him the right to talk down to them?! Who did he think he was?! "You-" Just Havoc was about to speak; however, he was cut off by Top Tiger. "Me what? If ya have somethin¡¯ to say, then say it. Just don¡¯t keep makin¡¯ excuses cause ya suck." Top Tiger stated nonchntly. He then tossed an object towards Izroth, who caught it with ease. It was a scroll. To be more precise, it was a Realm Chart. This indicated that Top Tiger was a Cartographer. Izroth opened the Realm Chart and looked it over. There were some areas he was already familiar with thanks to his own Realm Chart. However, there were smaller unknown areas that he had no idea existed on the Realm Chart Top Tiger handed him. In terms of overall quantity, Top Tiger¡¯s Realm Chart could notpare to that Realm Chart Azalea gifted him. But, when it came down to detail, Top Tiger¡¯s Realm Chart held a definite advantage. ¡¯Good quality. Having a skilled Cartographer will be beneficial in the uing event.¡¯ Izroth gave a nod of approval before tossing the Realm Chart back to Top Tiger along with a money pouch that contained 125 gold coins. "You¡¯ve passed," Izroth stated. "Then, I¡¯ll take my leave. If ya need anything, just send a message. I¡¯m startin¡¯ to lose brain cells just being in the same room as those guys." Top Tiger said with a grin. After sending Izroth a friend request and having it epted, Top Tiger immediately took his leave from the Mystical Realm Pce. Since he was a Cartographer, there was nothing for him to gain by staying within the Mystical Realm Pce. Unlike Apothecaries or Alchemists, Cartographers had to constantly explore to discover and map out new areas. Otherwise, there was no way for them to remain relevant. Understanding this point, Izroth did not mind Top Tiger leaving. As for being worried about Top Tiger taking the gold coins and never returning, Izroth was not concerned. After all, it would be considered their loss, not his. ¡¯Interesting.¡¯ "Hold on; I didn¡¯t see him craft that item! Didn¡¯t you say that we had to turn in an item crafted using the materials on this floor?! It¡¯s obvious that he didn¡¯t create that Realm Chart during thispetition!" Just Havoc stated angrily. "You are mistaken. ¡¯To pass this challenge, you must present an item you created that is of eptable quality.¡¯ I believe these were the exact words used. As for presenting an item they created, it was only stated that outside materials could not be used¡ªnot that an outside item could not be presented. There are many ways to reach one¡¯s goals. Unfortunately, you all chose the arduous path due to yourck of understanding." Worldly Skies exined in a stern tone. Just Havoc¡¯s eyes widened in shock as a look of realization found its way onto his face. This... Was it really that simple? The other 56 yers who failed also regretted not listening closer. Instead, when they heard that the reward would be doubled, their focus was only on being the first to craft an item. None of them had even thought of carefully examining Izroth¡¯s words! When it came to craftsmen, what Izroth sought was talent. However, he did not mean talent in the traditional sense. Anyone could learn how to craft in RML with time. But, one¡¯sprehension, awareness, and observational skills were not things that could be readily changed. There was a reason Izroth immediately followed the rules with an announcement of a potential double sry and bonus. He wanted to see who was capable of keeping a clear head in the face of great temptation. With the first challenge, Izroth tested one¡¯s character. In the second challenge, he tested theirprehension and awareness. As for testing their actual crafting skills, he never had ns to do so! Some things could be taught, and some could not. One¡¯s crafting skill was something that could surely be developed. But, when it came to one¡¯s character andprehension¡ªthese were things nearly impossible to teach to someone who had already mentally developed. "The equipment... Right, the equipment! What about that? Why didn¡¯t the equipment work?!" Just Havoc said as he found something to grasp onto. Izroth inwardly shook his head. It was just as Worldly Skies stated earlier; there was more than one way to achieve one¡¯s goals. In this challenge, there was, in fact, another way to pass. "It seems everyone here will not be convinced unless they witness it themselves," Izroth stated. He then looked over at Worldly Skies and said, "Care to put on a demonstration?" "With pleasure. The fast we finish up here, the faster I can return to the 4th floor." Worldly Skies responded as she walked over to one of the tables and collected some ingredients. She then approached a cauldron located at the center of the room. Chapter 482 Worldly Skies Demonstration, 98% Failure Rate! "He expected someone to pass the challenge with this method? Honestly... He is full of surprises." Wordly Skies said to herself as she stared at the cauldron before her. It was the same D-ranked Bronze Cauldron that was used during the test to be an Apothecary. With this cauldron, one should have no trouble creating grade one or grade two pills¡ªat least, this should have been the case. "Those ingredients¡ªis she trying to craft the Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill?" One of the participantsmented when he saw the ingredients Worldly Skies picked up. He was a grade one Apothecary who went by the name Medicine Maniac and was among the 57 yers who failed the second challenge. The Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill was one of the ten free grade one pill recipes provided to yers who took the Apothecary test. However, its usefulness was mediocre at best as it only increased one¡¯s attack by a measly five points. But, in the end, it was still a challenging pill to craft. Just Havoc frowned and said, "Impossible. I saw her grab Isted Water Droplets and some Oak Treant Powder. Since when does the Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill call for either of those ingredients?" Just Havoc was a grade two Apothecary; therefore, his knowledge when it came to pills was much greater than someone still stuck as a grade one Apothecary. With a nce, he could tell what pill Worldly Skies wanted to create. While all the other ingredients definitely belonged to the Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill, the Isted Water Droplet did not and for a good reason. "Ah- You¡¯re right. Then, what is she making? Is she trying to improve the original pill recipe?" Medicine Maniac questioned. "Improve? With the Isted Water Droplet?" Just Havoc scoffed as he shook his head at Medicine Maniac¡¯s ignorance. He then continued, "Let me tell you, no matter how many Isted Water Droplets she uses, it will not affect the pill recipe. The Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill already contains two ingredients that act as purifying agents¡ªCharity Leaf and Zerule Flower. Adding Isted Water Droplets into the mix is like using soap to clean soap. It makes no difference. As for the Oak Treant Powder¡ªthis is even more foolish. The Pseudo-Body Strengthening Pill already has Yellow Roots as a listed ingredient. Adding in Oak Treant Powder would only destabilize the entire recipe, or worse, cause the cauldron to explode!" There was another error in Worldly Skies¡¯ technique that Just Havoc did not bring up, and that was her reckless temperature control. When pill crafting, one should never use such extreme temperatures as it would easily burn and destroy most ingredients before they had time to integrate properly. It was yet another amateur move! Just watching Worldly Skies make such avoidable mistakes almost made him even more upset that he failed the second challenge. Medicine Maniac frowned and replied, "Then, what does she hope to aplish by using-" However, before Medicine Maniac could finish his words, he nearly fell over from shock when he witnessed Worldy Skies¡¯ actions. But, he was not alone. The other Apothecaries present, including Just Havoc, almost coughed up blood from shock! Worldly Skies increased the temperature of the me within the Bronze Cauldron to its peak before adding in the Isted Water Droplets. What a rookie mistake! Even the newest Apothecaries knew that adding in Isted Water Droplets first had no effect on the overall pill. Since its primary purpose was to purify, if there were no ingredients in the cauldron, then what was one purifying?! Just Havoc sighed as the disappointment on his face could not be hidden as he nced over at Izroth, who stood there with a carefree expression. "I thought she was going to do something impressive, but it seems the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce won¡¯t be able to exin anything once she fails. Hmph, let¡¯s see what he has to say for himself when-" Just Havoc was speaking when, all of a sudden, he overheard something that made him believe that he was just hearing things. "Done." Worldly Skies said as the cauldron settled down. Done? ...Done?! Impossible! Not even half a breath had passed since she started, and she had already finished?! Just Havoc returned his gaze to Worldly Skies, who stood there with four freshly crafted light green pills in her hands. These pills gave off a strong medicinal, which was a sign that they had just recently been removed from a cauldron. "Fast!" Medicine Maniac eximed. Even if it was only a grade one pill, it should have taken at least 30 seconds to craft¡ªand that was if one was rushing at full speed. Perhaps a grade two Apothecary could do it slightly faster; however, to do it in less than 5 seconds was unheard of! "What did she do?!" Just Havoc turned to Medicine Maniac and asked frantically. He had nced at Izroth, and by the time he looked back, Worldly Skies hadpleted the pills. "I-I don¡¯t know... She just tossed them in..." Medicine Maniac responded in a tone filled with disbelief. "Just tossed them in? What nonsense are you spewing?!" Just Havoc scowled. "He¡¯s telling the truth. She really did just toss the ingredients in all at once. I¡¯ve never seen any pill created like that!" One of the spectating participants sighed in awe. "Impossible! I personally used that cauldron, yet it kept expelling my ingredients! How can she craft pills without a problem?!" Just Havoc had an ugly expression on his face. With over 60 yers watching her every move, he did not believe that Worldly Skies was bold enough to cheat. But, then how did she seed when he failed? Izroth inwardly shook his head as Worldly Skies walked back over to his side with leisure steps. To be honest, he felt somewhat let down that no one had been able to pass the second challenge using the hard route. ¡¯Perhaps it¡¯s too early to have such expectations. Did I overestimate the current yer¡¯s level ofprehension?¡¯ Izroth did not spend thest three days idle in RML. He used the time to visit every profession¡¯s building in Amaharpe and read their books. Although one could only hold a single profession in RML, knowledge was never a bad thing. Added to his previous world experience, as well as that of what he gained from the Amaharpe pce library, with Metronome¡¯s assistance making the preparations, Izroth set up a hidden test of sorts. This was something to separate the truly talented from the rest, and the results spoke for itself. After all, all 57 yers who took the hard road failed! So, what was the hard road that Izroth setup for the second challenge? It was simple. Izroth did not lie when he stated that there was nothing wrong with the equipment. But, what he did not disclose was the fact that every piece of equipment had an additional "piece" so to speak. For example, every cauldron wasced with a powdery substance known as Breath of Eso. Usually, it was a harmless substance. But, when introduced to warm temperatures, it was very unstable and chaotic. This was why yers like Just Havoc failed to create something as basic as grade one pills despite following the exact steps they had always done. Unfortunately, Izroth was not searching for individuals who were only good at repeating the steps of others. There was more than one form ofprehension, and knowing how to adapt to an unforeseen situation was one of them. The Breath of Eso was difficult to notice, but not impossible. If they had simply taken a step back and carefully studied their cauldron, then it would have been possible to discover it. But, the true test lied in safely eliminating the Breath of Eso after its discovery. To do this, one needed to do something simr to Worldly Skies. Worldly Skies used the technique she learned from Izroth to purify the mes with the Isted Water Droplets before crafting. But, just purifying the mes was not enough. One had to increase it to peak temperature before doing so and immediately cool it once the Breath of Eso had been sessfully eliminated before restabilizing the mes. Otherwise, with the Breath of Eso¡¯s natural instability in high temperatures, the cauldron would explode if kept at its peak temperature, not too long destroying the Breath of Eso. A simr scenario was set up with the equipment that belonged to the other professions as well. Unfortunately, no one even managed to get to the second step as they were too focused on the equipment or the ingredients being at fault. After Worldly Skies gave a brief exnation involving the Breath of Eso, the 57 yers who failed could only hang their heads in shame. If only they took more time to scrutinize the equipment, then maybe they could have somehow passed. However, everyone was too blinded by trying to be the first to finish and acquire the bonus. Now they knew for a fact¡ªthey only had themselves to me for their failure! ... A few momentster, once things settled down, Izroth finished announcing the winners of thepetition. Including Maeva and Top Tiger, 14 other yers officially joined the Mystical Realm Pce. 6 Apothecaries, 4 Alchemists, one of which was a talisman maker, 1 Cartographer, 1 Tailor, 3 cksmiths, and 1 Inscriptionist. ¡¯Not bad. It appears I will have to expand the Mystical Realm Pce again. However, the floors are bing more and more expensive. The 5th floor cost 10,000,000 RMB, but to add a 6th floor will cost four times that amount. As for a 7th floor¡ªI¡¯m afraid I need to secure more funds.¡¯ Thepetition that started with almost 1,000 yers ended with less than 2% of the total participants passing. That was a 98% failure rate! But, Izroth had no intention of sacrificing quality for quantity. Even if only one or two yers passed, it would have been well worth it in the long run. After all, gold coins and RMB were easily made, but the same could not be said when it came to findingpetent people. Izroth ejected the 57 yers who failed out of his Mystical Realm Pce before having Opal give the new members a proper tour of the shop. As for Worldly Skies, she immediately left for the 4th floor when thepetition came to an end. ¡¯For the moment, that settles the immediate shortage of manpower in the Mystical Realm Pce. Now... It¡¯s already been over a week¡ªshould I pay them a visit? You said it would be worth my while, so I hope you do not disappoint, guild leader Ewan.¡¯ Izroth took his leave from the Mystical Realm Pce. His destination? The temporary headquarters of the top guild Cross Haven! ... Two dayster... Jin removed his virtual reality headset as he sat up in his bed. ¡¯Everything is in ce for the world event that¡¯s starting tomorrow.¡¯ Jin stood up from his bed and grabbed the cellphone resting on the nearby as he checked the time. ¡¯Good, I¡¯m not too early. They should be arriving soon.¡¯ Chapter 483 Advisor Fang Qiu Jin closed his eyes before opening them a few secondster with a light smile on his face. Just now, he used the power of his soul to sense everything in the house and its immediate surroundings. At the moment, Reilei was safely in her room, and there were no issues present. He was somewhat concerned that Reilei¡¯s body may have some trouble adapting to the piece of his soul, as well as the Eight Lunar Cycles physique. But, it appeared that his worries were unwarranted. In fact, he was surprised by what he observed. ¡¯Interesting... Her Eight Lunar Cycles physique is progressing faster than it should be able to in this realm. Is it connected to the system as well?¡¯ Ever since he first entered RML, Jin¡¯s biggest curiosity was the mysterious system that set and maintained the rules in the virtual world. Although its understanding was not perfect, when it came to deciphering his heavenlyws, in most cases, it was not too far off from the real thing. From Jin¡¯s understanding, the system in RML was the pinnacle of this world¡¯s artificial intelligence. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame this worldcks spiritual essence. If its technological advances and science were to be amplified by techniques from the Seven Realms, the results would be quite impressive.¡¯ In terms of raw power, needless to say, this realm did note anywhere close toparing to that of the Seven Realms. However, in terms of the ingenuity and creativity of its mortals, surprisingly, the Seven Realms was not its match! Of course, this was only whenparing the mortals between both realms. "I¡¯ve already broken through to the 3rd stage of the Heavenly Golden Body?" Jin said to himself as he looked down at the palm of his hand before making a fist. ording to his original estimate, he should not have broken through to the 3rd stage of the Heavenly Golden Body in the real world until he reached the 5th stage within RML. At the moment, he was only at the 4th stage in RML! So, how did he advance so fast with this world¡¯s weak spiritual essence? ¡¯I suppose that exins this.¡¯ Jin looked at the window and saw his reflection. His hair was disheveled and had grown to the point that it reached more than halfway down his back! This was a side-effect of breaking through to the 3rd stage of his Heavenly Golden Body. Though, right now, Jin was more intrigued by his swift advancement. ¡¯A physique requires a minimal amount of spiritual essence to cultivatepared to that of a heavenlyw; however, it should not be this easy for me to advance. How unusual...¡¯ Jin held out his index finger as he lightly waved his hand towards the closed window before him. Without warning, the air around his finger expanded, creating a silent boom before quickly calming down. A few momentster, a hole norger than one¡¯s finger appeared at the center of a tree outside Jin¡¯s window. If one looked closely, they would notice that the hole actually traveled all the way through the tree! ¡¯Good, with this, I can use the most basic form of spiritual essence attacks. Though it would seem that my control still requires some improvement.¡¯ Jin examined a small mark on the window. It was a scratch with no depth and was barely half a centimeter across. But, Jin intended topletely bypass the window without affecting it. It was only then that his control could be considered perfect. ¡¯Even with my Heavenly Golden Body and knowledge, it¡¯s impossible to make up for this body¡¯s absence of muscle memory. It looks like I can¡¯t depend solely on RML for this matter.¡¯ Knock! Knock! Knock! All of a sudden, Jin heard the sound of someone knocking on the door to his house. ¡¯They¡¯re here. I will deal with this another time. For now, I have to make do with this level of strength.¡¯ "Now, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t keep my guest waiting," Jin said as he made his way towards the front door. ... Meanwhile, in front of Jin¡¯s house stood a woman who appeared to be somewhere in her mid tote twenties. She wore a pair of sses and had carefully managed ck hair, amber-colored eyes, and was above average when it came to her beauty. From her tidy to a fault physical appearance and clothing to the way she carried herself, one could instantly tell that she was a highly professional individual. Her name Fang Qiu, and she was currently at this location to visit a potential client. To be more precise, Fang Qiu had only agreed to meet with this individual to show some face to the person who rmended them. But, not even considering the fact that that person was not someone they could afford to offend, Fang Qiu also owed them a personal favor. "Well, it¡¯s fine. If anything, once I settled this matter, the favor I owe will be paid. To think there woulde a day that I, Fang Qiu, would change my flight n just to meet with some unknown person. When did my time be so invaluable?" Fang Qiu sighed. When that person first told Fang Qiu that the person she was going to meet only had a mere 100 million RMB to his name, she brushed it off as a joke. But, when she found out that they were serious, she could not help butment at agreeing to pay a visit. Just 100 million? She had met with clients with billions¡ªno, even trillions of RMB! How could she be interested in meeting someone who was still scraping coins? However, in the end, Fang Qiu was a professional. Therefore, even if she were somewhat reluctant to do so, she would approach this person as she would any other client. Fang Qiu snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the door before her open. It would be a lie if she said that she was not curious as to what kind of individual was capable of making that person use a personal favor. When the door opened, Fang Qiu was greeted by the sight of a young man who wore casual clothing and looked as if they did not cut or manage their hair in months. This person was, of course, Jin. Fang Qiu inwardly furrowed her brows. Her first impression of this individual was not great. Nevertheless, she gave a small respectful bow as she introduced herself. "I am Advisor Fang Qiu. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Fang Qiu said in a polite tone that was neither submissive nor arrogant. ... Jin nodded and said, "I have been waiting for your arrival, Advisor Fang Qiu." Two days ago, Jin contacted Mariposa and asked her to introduce him to apetent advisor that he could meet in the real world. At the moment, Jin had other priorities to handle, and so, finding someone who could manage his ounts was a must. After all, although 100 million RMB may seem like a lot to the average person, it was nowhere near enough for what Jin hoped to aplish. "This won¡¯t do. Even though I have not officially be your advisor, I cannot stand idle and allow this to go on. It seems we will have to make a few stops." Fang Qiu stated as she shook her head and released a small sigh. Jin was taken aback by Fang Qiu¡¯s words. Go on? They had just met, what could be going on? Fang Qiu pointed towards Jin and said in a stern tone, "Your appearance. Have you never heard the saying that first impressions mean everything? No one will take you seriously; let alone meet with you in that state. It must be corrected at once. Let¡¯s go." Fang Qiu turned and walked back towards the direction she had initiallye from. Given Jin¡¯s current appearance and nonchnt attitude, Fang Qiu assumed that he was not a rich young master from a wealthy family. Instead, he must be someone who recently ran into some money. Since that was the case, she had to change the way she approached him. When Fang Qiu first started to build her name as an advisor, the amount of fools she came across that ran into a bit of money thinking that it would never run out was not small. The number of them that ended up poor again was too many to count. In the end, no matter how good the tools at one¡¯s disposal were, it was useless if they had no intention of using them. Fang Qiu believed that Jin was bound to turn into this sort of person if she did not use a more hardened approach. ¡¯She certainly has no fear of speaking her mind. But, I don¡¯t necessarily dislike this kind of dedicated person.¡¯ Jin followed Fang Qiu and soon arrived at an expensive-looking sports car. "Do you have a license?" Fang Qiu questioned. "I¡¯m afraid not," Jin replied. "I will take care of it. For now, I will drive." Fang Qiu stated as she got into the sports car along with Jin and drove off. ... Around one hourter... "Was this much necessary?" Jin questioned. It had already been one hour since they left his house, and they had yet to talk about anything regarding finances. "This much? It is barely eptable. Besides, whose fault do you think it is? Honestly, to suddenly say you want to set up a meeting... Just who do you think you¡¯re asking to meet with? It¡¯s a miracle they agreed on such short notice. After all, that person may seem friendly, but they can be rather ruthless when ites to business. Nevertheless, you look quite presentable now." Fang Qiu stated as she looked Jin up and down before giving a nod of approval. Jin¡¯s appearance got aplete overhaul! For one, his hair had been cut and suitably styled. As for his clothing and shoes, they had been reced by something much more expensive and stylish than the casual wear that he previously had on. Fang Qiu told him to think of it as a small self-investment. At the moment, Jin and Fang Qiu were outside a building that was more than 30 floors high. But, this was not the first time Jin had been to this building. It was the same building that used to be the main hideout of the Dragon Stone gang and belonged to the Orion Corporation! Surprisingly, even after themotion that was caused at the Orion Corporation thest time Jin was here, there had not been a single mention on the news or any type of media tform. As for the building itself, it appeared to be in perfect condition. It was as if what happened that day never took ce! ¡¯The Orion Corporation... Then, it¡¯s not just a coincidence, after all.¡¯ Chapter 484 Second Young Miss of the Zi Family ... "Realm of Myths and Legends? Of course, I¡¯ve heard of it. But what does that have to do with my question?" Fang Qiu asked with a slight frown. Jin and Fang Qiu were currently on the first floor within the Orion Corporation¡¯s building. Since the two of them were waiting to be called up for their hastily scheduled meeting, Fang Qiu decided to take the time to review Jin¡¯s main stream of ie. Therefore, the question of how he made his money came up. Depending upon his answer, Fang Qiu would have to change her method of approach. Most importantly, if it was any type of money obtained through suspicious channels, she would walk away¡ªeven if she was going a favor for that person. After all, she had no intention of risking her reputation that she worked so hard to build over the years. However, what she did not expect was for the topic of RML toe up. One would have to live under a rock to not know the name of this "Second World of Opportunities" as many people in her line of work called it. In the end, the amount of money circting through RML was of astronomical proportions. Everyone in the investment world wanted to get their hands on a small piece of it. Unfortunately, not many of them were well-versed when it came to the world of gaming. Therefore, many bigpanies and firms were simply throwing money out, hoping for an excellent return. Some even went as far as to hire ex-pro gamers and a dedicated research team to gain a better insight into the gaming industry. But, s, although a handful ofpanies managed to turn a profit, there had been no shocking development. There were numerous opportunities in RML; however, it was estimated that it would be another half a year before yers started to acquire ess to the real profit makers. This included things like territories, stable yer-owned shops, high-level areas with rare resource farming areas, and what truly drove economies¡ªwar. To be more precise, the major PVPpetitions at higher-levels, and the benefits it would draw out was one of the things that would generate a massive return! Naturally, Fang Qiu was also interested in having a solid foothold in RML. However, it was not easy topete with the bigpanies and firms to snatched up all the top guilds, or ones that they believed had the potential to be a top guild. Fang Qiu did notck when it came to money. Still, even if she had ten times as much wealth, it would note close toparing to the deep pockets of those giant corporations. Therefore, how could she draw in a group full of potential like a top guild? As for just picking anyone¡ªFang Qiu was not the type of individual to tolerate mediocrity. "I-" However, just as Jin was about to speak, a woman approached him and Fang Qiu. The woman¡¯s name was Yuan Ju, and she worked as an assistant for the Orion Corporation. She was also the one who greeted Jin and Fang Qiu when they first entered the front door. The two had been waiting for her Yuan Ju¡¯s return ever since she went to inform the person at the top of their arrival. Yuan Ju gave a polite and respectful bow as she said, "The second young miss will see you now. Please, follow me." "We will have to finish this conversation at ater time. Right now, this meeting takes priority." Fang Qiu stated. She understood the general finances that Jin had to work with, and so, Fang Qiu would proceed with that in mind. But, seeing as how he mentioned RML, it was likely that his source of ie had to do with that Second World of Opportunities. If that was the case, then perhaps changing her flight would not be aplete waste of time. Of course, she did not expect anything too spectacr. After all, everyone knew that it was the top guilds or big organizations that ruled over the most popr and valuable resources in RML. Fang Qiu hid her thoughts well; however, it was not enough to keep Jin from discovering them. Ever since they first met, Jin had been evaluating Fang Qiu just as she had been evaluating him. ¡¯Her character is straightforward, and she does not hesitate to point out what bothers her. I can see why she came strongly rmended by that woman.¡¯ Jin and Fang Qiu stood to their feet and followed after Yuan Ju, who walked towards the nearest elevator as the doors closed behind them. "Requesting ess to Penthouse with two guests. Name, Yuan Ju. Temporary authorization code M-48501." Yuan Ju said. "Requesting confirmation..." Aputerized voice sounded from the elevator. "Strange, this was not here during my visitst year. Did this ce upgrade their security measures?" Fang Qiu questioned. "Yes. This specific Orion Corporation building has been chosen as a testing facility for the corporation¡¯s newest security measures. Once its sess has been confirmed, this security system will be present at all Orion Corporation facilities across the world." Yuan Ju exined with a smile. "I¡¯ve never heard that the Orion Corporation nned to release a new security system. Interesting..." Fang Qiu furrowed her brows. With the number of connections she had in the Orion Corporation, it was impossible for her not to know when a regr employee like Yuan Ju was aware of it. Of course, Jin was aware of the real reason behind the increased security measures. Without a doubt, it definitely had something to do with those individuals who invaded the Orion Corporation on that day he visited the Dragon¡¯s Den. A few momentster, theputerized voice sounded out, "Identity confirmed. Guests allowance confirmed. Elevator ess has been temporarily restricted. Next stop, Penthouse." The elevator started to move up towards the Penthouse. In the meantime, Fang Qiu took the time to remind Jin of some things. "Remember, we are here on official business. The second young miss is someone that neither of us can afford to offend, so mind your words. I say this for your own good." Fang Qiu reminded. "You have arrived at your destination." Theputerized voice announced as the elevator doors opened. Yuan Ju guided Jin and Fang Qiu to the only entrance into the Penthouse as she lightly knocked on the door. "Assistant Yuan Ju pays respects the second young miss. I have brought the guests as you have requested." Yuan Ju spoke in a calm and respectful tone. "By the way, what is your rtionship with the second young miss?" Fang Qiu asked. It had been on her mind for some time now; however, she had been somewhat hesitant to bring it up. After all, one could not be too careful when it came to dealing with the rtionships of an influential individual like the second young miss. In cases like this, it was usually better not to ask at all. But, in the end, Fang Qiu¡¯s curiosity got the best of her. Not only had the second young miss used a personal favor for him, but she was also willing to clear time from her busy schedule to take an abrupt meeting. These actions did not match the second young miss that she knew over the years. However, before Jin could answer that question, the door opened. A lovely voice that carried a pleasant tone flowed out and said, "He is the lover that I n to run away with. Advisor Fang Qiu, surely you will keep this a secret, right?" "This is..." Fang Qiu had a troubled expression on her face after she listened to those words. A love affair with the second young miss?! If her family was aware of this matter, or worse, if they discovered that she knew of it and kept it a secret then... Jin shook his head and said, "Your jokes are quite cruel, second young miss. Or do you prefer Mariposa?" "Do you think so? Let me tell you, it is difficult to get the Ice Queen Fang Qiu to lose herposure." The beautiful woman who opened the door said with a light chuckle. Although her clothing and appearance were slightly different from that in RML, it was undoubtedly the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, Mariposa! Joke? Fang Qiu released an inward sigh of relief. Still, what a cruel joke! Fang Qiu¡¯s heart nearly jumped from her chest when she thought about potentially getting dragged into something she tried her best to avoid. "The second young miss¡¯ jokes and sense of humor is ¡¯tasteful¡¯ as always." Fang Qiu said as she quickly regained herposure. However, one could tell that she was not amused by that so-called joke. "Now now, don¡¯t be upset, Fang Qiu. After all, I have given you quite a big gift this time." The second young miss responded. Fang Qiu was confused by her words. Gift? She did not remember recently receiving any gift for the second young miss. The second young miss then faced Jin and said, "We are in the real world; therefore, it is only right that you call me by my real name. But, I suppose this is the first time we have properly met face to face. Then, allow me to introduce myself." She then continued, "I am the second young miss of the Zi family and temporary executive director of the Orion Corporation, Zi Jiaxiu. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Zhang Jin." The Zi family! Jin had his suspicions about Mariposa¡¯s and Zi Yi¡¯s identity; however, it was never confirmed¡ªuntil now. But, it certainly made sense considering that Mariposa offered billions of RMB to purchase the rights to his shop. Needless to say, that was not an amount just anyone could pull out. As for whether or not the Zi family was tied to the Dragon Stone gang, Jin dismissed this fact. After all, with the influence and power the Zi family possessed, it did not make any sense to rely on some small-time gangs. This was even more so given their prestigious reputation. But, Jin was still curious about how the Dragon stone gang could gain such a firm footing in the Orion Corporation. "Yuan Ju, bring our guests some refreshments. We have much to discuss." Zi Jiaxiu said. ... A few momentster, Jin, Fang Qiu sat across from Zi Jiaxiu on a luxurious sofa. The inside decor as gorgeous, and one could immediately tell that it was done by a professional. Yuan Ju ced a cup of tea down before Zi Jiaxiu, Jin, and then Fang Qiu before bowing. Afterward, she immediately took her leave from the room. Zi Jiaxiu picked up her teacup and took a sip before cing it back down onto the saucer. "I¡¯m sure you of all people understand that this is an important time for my Sleeping Gardenia. With the world event that¡¯s happening tomorrow, I do not have much time to spare, so I hope that we can make this quick." Chapter 485 Something That Goes Against The Heavens?, Fang Qius Struggles Zi Jiaxiu was surprised when she was contacted by Fang Qiu and asked to set up a meeting on such short notice. Given her position as the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, and with the world event taking ce tomorrow, she naturally declined her request. After all, even if the two were on good terms, it did not mean that her time was so invaluable that she could ept a meeting whenever someone called. However, when Jin¡¯s name was mentioned, how could she refuse? Zi Jiaxiu had not forgotten the debt of gratitude her Sleeping Gardenia owed to Jin. After being the first guild to defeat not just any raid but a hardcore raid, obtaining a Guild Order, and bing the first official guild in RML, Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s reputation skyrocketed! But, what many did not know was that these feats did not truly belong to her Sleeping Gardenia. If not for Jin, Zi Jiaxiu knew that it would be impossible to clear a hardcore raid with just the scouting party that apanied her. No, even if their core members from the Lotus Guard were there, without any preparations, the chances of oveing a hardcore raid were less than 10%! Surprisingly, Jin did not mind Sleeping Gardenia taking the credit for the raid clear. In fact, she felt that he even supported it! Why was this? While he did not directly tell her, Zi Jiaxiu had a general sense of it. It was to send a clear message to Blue Oasis. To let them know that there was no medicine for regret in this world. At that moment, they had chosen to make their bed. Now, Blue Oasis had to swallow their shame and lie in it! "Then, I will be blunt." Jin removed a small bag that was neatly tied from his pocket and ced it onto the table. He then continued, "I want to produce and sell this inrge quantities." "Hm? What is it?" Zi Jiaxiu questioned as she picked up the small bag and carefully examined it. The top was tied together by a string, and it was little enough to fit into the palm of one¡¯s hand. But, the strangest thing was that it felt weightless¡ªas if nothing was inside of it. Jin held up five fingers as he responded, "Five samples of a pill that goes against the heavens themselves." Go against the heavens? What grand words! However, Zi Jiaxiu seemed surprised when Jin mentioned pills. "Pills? Do you study traditional medicine?" Zi Jiaxiu asked. "I suppose you could say that," Jin replied with a carefree smile. Zi Jiaxiu inwardly furrowed her brows. Pills had been obsolete for over four decades. At this point, they were considered a relic of the not so distant past. However, there were still those who studied traditional medicine that produced pills. These individuals felt that no amount of technology could rece the effectiveness of traditional medicine. Zi Jiaxiu opened the bag and was instantly greeted by a lovely fragrance. If it were anyone else, she would have dismissed this as some type of scam; however, she was curious. Not many individuals were aware of Jin¡¯s identity as the Pill Emperor within RML. Although the real world was different from RML, it was not unusual for skills to carry over. For example, if a professional cksmith yed RML and chose the cksmith profession, they would naturally excel. After all, the system in RML always rewarded yers who developed an understanding of something, be it a skill or a talent. Zi Jiaxiu wondered how Jin maintained a high level and still somehow managed to produced grade three pills in RML. If he studied traditional medicine in the real world, then it all made sense. Nevertheless, even if it was Jin, she could not just agree without more details. While Zi Jiaxiu was curious, Fang Qiu nearly fainted from shock when she saw Jin ce that small bag before the second young miss of the Zi family. Zi Jiaxiu was not there, so she did not know, but Fang Qiu was present. While they were driving around to different ces, Jin saw an old man who set up a stall and asked to stop there. That stall contained various types of strange ingredients that one did not see every day. But, at that moment, Fang Qiu did not think anything of it and just brushed it off as a bizarre interest of Jin¡¯s. But now she was secretly regretting stopping at that ce! Those things that he called pills were just some random ingredients he purchased from the old man that was broken up and squeezed together in his hand into a tiny sphere-like shape. Pill? What pill?! Was he trying to scam someone from the Zi family? Did he have a death wish?! If Fang Qiu knew that Jin had such a sick sense of humor, then she would have never set up the meeting! "I have to find a way to save him before it spirals out of control!" Was the sole thought that passed through Fang Qiu¡¯s mind at that instance. "It has not yet been tested through the proper channels. Today, we are just here to share our idea with the second young miss and see if she would be interested in a potential partnership somewhere in the near future." Fang Qiu spoke calmly and smoothly. "Trial phase?" Jin was unaware that such a thing was necessary. Zi Jiaxiu frowned and said, "Fang Qiu, what¡¯s the meaning of this? You allowed your client to present a product that has not undergone even the most basic trial phase?" "It was an oversight on my part. My client is still young in a world full of opportunities¡ªI hope the second young miss can overlook this small matter so that my client can use it as a moment of learning." Fang Qiu answered. In truth, Fang Qiu had not decided whether or not to ept Jin as her client. But, she felt partly responsible for setting up this situation. Even though she would suffer a bit in the short term, at the very least, Jin would not be med. Zi Jiaxiu was a little disappointed. Fang Qiu should have known better than to let a client present an unproven and untested product. If they attempted something simr to a different potential investor, then the two would have been thrown out immediately! "I can have my people assist you in conducting the trial phase for your product. As for the registration and other required documents, Fang Qiu can see to it. However, even if I were to speed up the entire process, it would still require several weeks. But, since we are dealing with pills, it may take a couple of months." Zi Jiaxiu stated. ¡¯The regtions in this world are quite troublesome. However, a few months is not too unreasonable.¡¯ In the Seven Realms, if one wanted to sell something, all they needed to do was go to an auction house or find a supplier. Testing? Regtions? Such things only existed in the kingdoms of mortals. But, given how frail the average mortal¡¯s life was in this world, Jin was not surprised. "Then, I will leave it in your capable hands," Jin said as he gave a nod of approval. "So, what purpose does this pill serve?" Zi Jiaxiu asked curiously. It smelled like a natural perfume with its sweet yet subtle aroma. She believed that if the pill could be converted to a liquid form, its smell alone was enough to market it as a fragrance. Meanwhile, Fang Qiu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. With a few months to spare, even if the test were to fail, it would likely be swept under Zi Jiaxiu¡¯s radar. Now, all she had to find an excuse to leave with Jin before he attempted anything else foolish. Unfortunately, she was toote! "There are two ways to use it. The first is to set the pill into a bowl of water and let it dissolve. Once the pill finishes dissolving, you can apply the water directly to the surface of your skin. After a single-use, one will notice that their skin has be smooth and full of life." Jin exined. He then continued, "But, the most effective method is to let your body soak for 10 minutes each day in a bath with one pill dissolved into it. If one does this every day, then their overall beauty will be greatly enhanced¡ªthe clock will have reversed itself on their age and appearance." Jin put some thought into what would be an excellent way to generate a stable ie while simultaneously strengthening his influence. Weapons? Heavenlyws? Neither was suitable for this world. Then, it dawned on him. Women were drawn to beauty, and men were attracted to beautiful women. Not to mention, what man would not want to keep his woman happy? By deciding to step into the world of cosmetics, Jin was practically killing two birds with one stone! The pill he introduced wasmon and quite popr among women back in the Seven Realms. The ingredients were simple, and the production method was not overlyplicated. However, in this world, it would be seen as a glorious and miraculous treasure! ¡¯I used a small amount of my own spiritual essence tobine the ingredients using an exact ratio. With the technology that exists in this world, it should be possible to create them without the use of spiritual essence.¡¯ After Jinpleted his exnation, Zi Jiaxiu, and Fang Qiu both remained silent¡ªbut for two different reasons. Fang Qiu nearly coughed up blood from anger. She had just finished saving him; however, it appeared that he had already set his mind on offending Zi Jiaxiu! Would he not be satisfied until he was caused his own destruction?! Besides, the effects of he mentioned were unrealistic and ridiculous! How could one "pill" thrown together from random ingredients he found on the side of the road at some suspicious stall possibly have such miraculous effects? Reverse the clock? One could run away from many things in life, but age was not one of them. In the end, what woman did not fear losing her beauty? As for Zi Jiaxiu, needless to say, she was skeptical. Incredibly skeptical. In fact, every part of her believed that Jin¡¯s words were an exaggeration or total nonsense. If a product that wondrous existed, it would turn the world of cosmetics upside down! The cosmetics market was a trillion-dor space. Everyone wanted a piece of it or to set a foot into it. However, thepetition was extremely fierce! Of course, the Zi family owned a wide variety of businesses, which included multiple cosmetic chains. But, the situation in the Zi family was not so simple. Chapter 486 Zi Familys Rules of Succession

Chapter 486 Zi Family¡°s Rules of Session

... Around one hour earlier... "In this world, there are those that you absolutely cannot offend. If I am being utterly truthful, it is better if you do not get any ideas. You may be unaware of this, but there are powerful families¡ªthen there are families that stand at the pinnacle, such as the Zi family. The number of families that can rival the Zi family in terms of power, influence, and wealth can be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone." Fang Qiu exined. Jin sat in the passenger seat of the car while Fang Qiu was driving as he listened. At the moment, Fang Qiu was doing her best to make sure that Jin mentally prepared himself for the world he would soon step into. Even though she had not decided to officially ept him as a client yet, at the very least, Fang Qiu chose to inform Jin of those he must never offend. After all, the world of the rich and powerful was not something that anyone could survive. There were numerous individuals like Jin who came across some money and started to grow arrogant. While their mostmon downfall was poor money management skills, there were those who simply "disappeared" one day. What did those individuals all have inmon? They had offended someone from one of the Seven Great Families! Zi, Jiang, Fu, Zhang, Wu, Tian, and Liu¡ªit was these families that made up the Seven Great Families. The level of wealth, power, and influence of any seven was enough to affect things on a global scale. A delicate bnce always existed between the Seven Great Families, which persisted for many decades. But, even among the Seven Great Families, there was still a disparity in overall strength, and the family that stood a step above the rest was, without a doubt, the Zi family. This mostly had to do with how strict the Zi family was inparison to the other Great Families. Fang Qiu made sure to exin all of this adequately to Jin. Of course, Jin was not afraid of offending these "Great Families". As long as no one blocked his path or threatened those under his protection, he would not have an issue. However, the moment someone dared to bare their fangs, even if they were one of the Seven Great Families, he would make sure they understood that their fangs were not that of a dragon¡¯s, but a dog¡¯s. "Still, the Zi family stands untouched at the pinnacle. There is a saying, ¡¯The Zi family does not keep useless people.¡¯. A simple saying, right? However, there is an undeniable truth in that simplicity. With such a strict guiding hand, it is not surprising that the Zi family has managed to solidify their position as the top family among the Seven Great Families." Fang Qiu stated. She then continued, "There is also the existence of the Zi family¡¯s Rules of Session. When ites to determining the next family head¡ªonly the Zi family uses this unorthodox method. That is why you must choose carefully which member of the Zi family you want to associate yourself with. The risk is high, but the potential reward is also great." Fang Qiu knew that Jin had some connection to the second young miss of the Zi family; however, she did not know how far that connection traveled. Was it merely returning a favor? Or was there something more to it? Whatever it was, she would not pry too deep as there were some things better left undiscovered. Either way, one thing was for sure, whether or not he was aware of it, in the eyes of those who looked from outside, Jin had already aligned himself with the second young miss. "Rules of Session? Is it that important to the members of the Zi family?" Jin asked. "Important? That¡¯s an understatement." Fang Qiu sighed. She then exined to Jin the importance of the Zi Family¡¯s Rules of Session in more detail. ¡¯So it¡¯s like this. Now I understand why she said it was dangerous to get too involved with her elder sister.¡¯ Back when Jin first made a deal with Zi Jiaxiu, or better known as Mariposa in RML, Zi Yi warned him that he should not be too involved with her. However, she did not go into too much detail as to why this was the case. But, after Fang Qiu¡¯s exnation, Jin finally understood what Zi Yi meant at that time. ¡¯Given what I have experienced so far, I¡¯m certain that those two are members of the same Zi family that¡¯s a part of the Seven Great Families. Judging by this world¡¯s standards, thepetition of the Zi family can be seen as cruel.¡¯ The Zi Family¡¯s Rules of Session happened over a 30-year period, starting when a new head stepped into power. Within those 30 years, anyone from the Zi family was allowed topete for the next family head position. As for the next head of the Zi family, they would be chosen by the current head and the Zi family elders taking into ount multiple factors. Wealth, power, influence, connections¡ªall of these were just a few of the things taken into ount. The cruel part was that any individual below a certain personal wealth threshold by the time they reached the age of 30 was expelled from the Zi family. They were even forced to change their surname. In other words, they would no longer be allowed to call themselves a member of the Zi family! Though surprisingly, there were only two rules of the Zi Family¡¯s Rules of Session. The first was that the new family head must be healthy and no older than 35 years of age. The second was that no bloodshed was permitted against fellow family members. If one broke this rule, then they would be immediately expelled from the family. Of course, that was not to say that there not times when some worked around this rule. ¡¯Seven Great Families... Since I have decided to start building my influence in the real world, our paths are bound to cross. When that dayes...¡¯ "We¡¯re here." Fang Qiu said as she stopped before a famous hair-styling shop. She nced over at Jin and noticed that he fell silent after she finished talking. Fang Qiu felt that perhaps she had said too much and ended up unnecessarily frightening him. She then continued with a light smile, "Listen, you should not worry too much about it. Just stay on your own path, and you will be fine. More importantly, we have a lot of work to do." Fang Qiu shook her head inwardly as she examined Jin¡¯s messy hair and overly casual clothing. "Then, I will take Advisor Fang Qiu¡¯s words to heart. I ce myself in your care." Jin responded with a carefree smile. ¡¯Her words may seem harsh at times, but she always seems to have my best interest at heart. It appears the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia has sent me an interesting one.¡¯ ... Zi Jiaxiu sighed internally as she put the matter regarding the pills aside for the time being. She would not get her hopes up, but part of her wanted to believe that Jin was not simply exaggerating when he spoke of such miraculous effects. But, one had to know that to sell a product, one first needed to sell appeal. Therefore, it was not umon to use "pretty" words when describing it. Afterward, Jin wrote down and handed Zi Jiaxiu the recipe for the pill. As for being worried about her stealing it and taking everything for herself, Jin was not concerned. Not only did he have countless other methods at his disposal, but he did not believe that Zi Jiaxiu was that type of person. There was also the fact that if she did betray his trust, then she would only have herself to me for the end results. As for Fang Qiu, even though she wanted to strangle Jin at the moment for causing her to undergo such shock, she already promised to handle the proper paperwork for the patent. Even if nothing urred when the time approached, it would not take her too long to get things done. "Now that official business is out of the way, I heard some interesting news floating around RML. I wonder if you can tell me whether or not it¡¯s true that the second Pill Emperor has joined the Mystical Realm Pce." Zi Jiaxiu said with a yful smirk on her face. "It seems news travels fast," Jin replied as he took a sip of the tea that Yuan Ju prepared. "What do you expect? All the top guilds have their eyes on the Mystical Realm Pce ever since thatpetition took ce. Everyone is ashamed to say this, but the sry and benefits provided have put us top guilds to shame. However, when I discovered that out of the nearly one thousand yers who attended, less than twenty were epted into the Mystical Realm Pce¡ªit softened the blow quite a bit. I suppose the other guilds are feeling the same way. Though one has to believe that the owner¡¯s standards are far too high." Zi Jiaxiu stated. "Quality has always been more meaningful than quantity in my eyes. My Mystical Realm Pce has no need for those who only view the moon and never the stars beyond them." Jin said. Fang Qiu furrowed her brows when she heard the name Mystical Realm Pce. Why did that name sound so familiar? She was positive that she had heard that name before somewhere; however, Fang Qiu could not put her finger on it. "Well said. After this event, I would like to send over a few Apothecaries from my Sleeping Gardenia to learn at the Mystical Realm Pce. Of course, I am willing to offer properpensation. I wonder if you are opposed to this idea?" Zi Jiaxiu said. "I don¡¯t mind. However, they may not want to leave after their visit." Jin replied. "Oh? Would you be willing to ept them?" Zi Jiaxiu asked with a devious smile on her face. "Sure. As long as they show some potential, it should not be too difficult for them to learn a thing or two during their stay." Jin answered. "Then, I will not reject your kindness. How does two months sound? You can make use of them as you see fit. Also-" As Zi Jiaxiu was speaking, Fang Qiu abruptly stood to her feet. "You¡¯re the owner of ¡¯that¡¯ Mystical Realm Pce?!" Fang Qiu blurted without thinking with a look of shock and disbelief on her face. Fang Qiu finally remembered where she heard the name Mystical Realm Pce. It was the name of the popr first yer-owned shop in RML! Location, products, prices¡ªwhen it came to pills, no one could hold a candle to the Mystical Realm Pce! Fang Qiu knew that if Jin was indeed the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, then the "small gift" that Zi Jiaxiu¡¯s mentioned earlier was a gross understatement! Chapter 487 The Path of Enemies Are Bound To Cross, Jins Favor?

Chapter 487 The Path of Enemies Are Bound To Cross, Jin¡°s Favor?

Jin mentioned RML downstairs when Fang Qiu asked about where he received his primary source of ie. But, before he had a chance to respond, Yuan Ju approached them and guided the two to meet with Zi Jiaxiu. Fang Qiu guessed that Jin¡¯s earnings had something to do with RML; however, she would never have thought that he was the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s owner! While the current Mystical Realm Pce was not considered impressive by any means, it held the potential to be something big. However, information regarding the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce was scarce at best, since they did not belong to any organization. As a result, many individuals and evenrge corporations wanted to know more about the shop¡¯s owner. After all, if they could get their hands on the Mystical Realm Pce, then thatpany¡¯s chance of creating a monopoly and boxing outpetitors was huge. Fang Qiu felt two gazes fall upon her that belonged to Jin and Zi Jiaxiu. It did not take long for embarrassment to seep in as Fang Qiu calmly took her seat. Did she just blurt out like that in front of a client, and the second young miss of the Zi Family?! If there was a rock to crawl under, then she would have already made it her home. A yful smirk appeared on Zi Jiaxiu¡¯s face as she said, "That is twice in one day you have lost yourposure. At this rate, you may lose your title as the Ice Queen." Zi Jiaxiu did not me or fault Fang Qiu for her sudden outburst. She, too, had been on the receiving end of being nearly shocked to death by Jin in RML. In a way, she felt somewhat satisfied that even the Ice Queen Fang Qiu could not maintain perfectposure before a simr situation. "I never remember epting such a title. People are just too sensitive or ipetent. That being said, I hope you can excuse my sudden outburst." Fang Qiu sighed helplessly as she regained herself and returned to her professional demeanor. In the business world, Fang Qiu had earned the nickname "Ice Queen" due to her straight-forward and to the point nature. But, more importantly, it was her ability to cut through thepetition without batting an eye in the process. It was because of this that numerous people found Fang Qiu to be cold and distant. "I happen to agree with Advisor Fang Qiu¡¯s words," Jin stated. He then continued, "To answer your previous question, the Mystical Realm Pce does indeed belong to me. Though it¡¯s not as if it is a closely guarded secret." Jin had not done anything to purpose hide his identity as the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. In fact, the name "Izroth" was constantly circting through RML these days. But, even though his name was well known, the vast majority of yers were oblivious when it came to his appearance. "Do you have any idea how many corporations have tried to find a way to contact you? " Fang Qiu said. Since Jin was not at the Mystical Realm Pce that often, it was not easy to make contact with him. This was even more so after he had to restrict those who could directly message him. If not, then his system message alerts would go off non-stop! Of course, Jin was aware of this; however, he was not interested in whatever those corporations had to offer. Given his present status, it was likely that those corporations would use a stronghanded method to try to acquire the Mystical Realm Pce or ask him to work under them. For Jin, neither of those two options was something he would bother entertaining. "My time is not something that they can afford to waste. I already have a grasp of their intentions; however, I have no ns to go down that path. That is all." Jin answered nonchntly. As everything settled down, Jin and Zi Jiaxiu discussed the uing world event. Needless to say, Jin was joining the side of the Amaharpe kingdom, who was allies with the Proximus kingdom. As for Zi Jiaxiu, since Sleeping Gardenia¡¯s temporary main headquarters was in the capital city of Amaharpe, the members of her guild would also be siding with the Amaharpe kingdom. The conversation was fairly casual, but, all of a sudden, Zi Jiaxiu turned serious as she brought up the next topic. "There is something you should know. I assume you remember Sage Falls?" Zi Jiaxiu questioned. Sage Falls? Even though they were not worth remembering, with Jin¡¯s perfect memory, how could he forget? Sage Falls used to be one of the top ten guilds in RML. During the Protectors of Amaharpe event, they made too many enemies by performing foolish actions. In the end, they were targeted by multiple top guilds and wholly eradicated from the event. The loss on their part was tremendous as they suffered not only level and equipment setbacks, but they were unable to gain any rewards from the event. This naturally set them even further behind the other top guilds. But, it did not end there. Down on their luck, they tried to intimidate Jin and force him to hand over the Mystical Realm Pce to their Sage Falls. However, they were all ughtered and suffered yet another setback. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the other top guilds began to prey on Sage Falls like vicious wolves, stripping them of all the power they once possessed as a top guild. Later, it was discovered that everything during the Protector of Amaharpe event had been set in motion by none other than the Headhunter Syndicate. But what was done could not be changed. The Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s power had already stabilized by that point, and they listed as one of the top ten guilds. "I remember. However, I am unsure why you brought that name up when it¡¯s not worth mentioning." Jin said. At that time in the Mystical Realm Pce, he made it clear. If Sage Falls dared to call themselves a guild in front of him again, then he would personally crush them without hesitation. "Normally, it is as you say. But, things may be a bit moreplicated this time around. These are just rumors, but as you know, there sometimes exists some truth hidden away within them. From what I¡¯ve heard, most of Sage Falls¡¯ core members have been absorbed by Fatal Touch. I know that you do not have a good rtionship with either of them, so you should be alert for any moves they may attempt. After all, those types of people won¡¯t take defeat lying down." Zi Jiaxiu warned. She had witnessed strength firsthand; however, a raid was different from fighting against actual yers. Constant sneak attacks, throwing endless waves of yers with AOE crowd control skills to the front, rare sses with unknown skills, magic items¡ªthere were too many hidden variables to take into ount. Even if Jin was strong, one could not underestimate how resourceful humans could be, especially if they became desperate enough. "Of course, if they have the guts to try something, then my Sleeping Gardenia will assist you by any means necessary. I still have not forgotten the debt I owe Fatal Touch for what happened inside the Chaotic Dogma Realm." Zi Jiaxiu stated as her eyes turned cold. Inside the Chaotic Dogma Realm, not only was Zi Jiaxiu ambushed by the members of Fatal Touch, but some of her core guild members were killed by them. As a result, those who were eliminated had their efforts washed away with an existence wipe. How could she forgive such a tant p to the face of her Sleeping Gardenia? "If they want to make a move, then let them. I have my own ways of dealing with those who wee trouble unto themselves." Jin said. Would he be afraid of a mere Fatal Touch and Sage Falls remnants? Besides, what he witnessed from his encounters with Fatal Touch, it was evident that they were on the same side as the shadahi. There was no chance at reconciliation between Jin and the shadahi; therefore, their paths were bound to cross at some point. If Fatal Touch wanted to walk towards their destruction a little faster, Jin did not mind aodating them. "Oh, it is not you that I am worried about. Just make sure nothing happens to my adorable little sister, okay? I ce her safety in your hands." Zi Jiaxiu said with a smile. But, for some reason, this smile gave off a frightening aura. Jin inwardly shook his head. He understood how overprotective Zi Jiaxiu was of her younger sister. But, even if she had not said anything, Jin¡¯s actions would not have changed. After all, Zi Yi was one of his people, so naturally, he would never allow her to suffer a loss or injustice. ... A few momentster, after some small talk, Jin and Fang Qiu were personally apanied by Zi Jiaxiu to the first floor. When they arrived on the first floor, Zi Jiaxiu was greeted with the utmost respect. Furthermore, no one had the courage to look her in the eyes. This was the second young miss of the Zi family! Who wanted to risk offending her and losing everything?! However, what really stood out to those on the first floor was the young man who walked beside Zi Jiaxiu and spoke casually. Who was that young man, and what rtionship did he have with the second young miss? Everyone knew that even the young masters from the other Seven Great Families who attempted to court the second young miss would be given the cold shoulder. So, what was the identity of this young man who seemed close to the second young miss? Whoever he was, his identity must not be simple! "You are quite popr," Jin said as he noticed the stares and whispers, as well as the respectful greetings as Zi Jiaxiu walked by. "It is important to have at least this much presence when running a business." Zi Jiaxiu replied. Fang Qiu, on the other hand, walked a few steps behind Jin and Zi Jiaxiu. At the moment, she was processing everything that took ce upstairs and organizing her thoughts. Who would have thought that she would personally meet face to face with the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce? Also, most individuals would either fawn over or lower themselves before someone of Zi Jiaxiu¡¯s status. Yet, Zi Jiaxiu seemed to treat him as an equal in every aspect. Fang Qiu had worked with Zi Jiaxiu before on multiple asions; however, she had never seen that casual side before around those who were not close to her. Of course, the biggest shock had to be that Jin had some type of rtionship with the fourth young miss of the Zi family! One had to know how overprotective Zi Jiaxiu was of the fourth young miss. The fact that she trusted Jin with her safety, even if it was just within RML, was a huge deal! If someone like Zi Jiaxiu had such a great impression of Jin, it made Fang Qiu¡¯s decision easier. "If you need anything, I will be in this area for another three to four weeks overseeing the clean up of the mess left behind by the previous administration. So, do not hesitate to contact me." Zi Jiaxiu said with a light smile. "Since you brought it up, I do have a small favor to ask," Jin responded as they reached the front entrance area. "Oh? What is it? As long as it is within my power, I will take care of it." Zi Jiaxiu stated. "It¡¯s nothing too big. I just need you to look into a few people for me." Jin said with a carefree smile on his face. However, there was a hint of coldness hidden away within his eyes when he spoke. Chapter 488 Some Matters Must Be Handled With Ones Own Hands, Fang Qiu Accepts

Chapter 488 Some Matters Must Be Handled With One¡°s Own Hands, Fang Qiu epts

Zi Jiaxiu thought that Jin would ask for something less reasonable, but he just wanted her to look into a few people for him? As the second young miss of the Zi family, she did not give out favors easily. With her standing in the Zi family, Zi Jiaxiu was confident that Jin would make a more fitting request. "Just that? Very well. As long as it exists, I am confident in my Zi family¡¯s ability to acquire information about it. However, are you sure that¡¯s everything? If you have any troubles, I do not mind personally making a move on your behalf." Zi Jiaxiu said with a meaningful expression. Fang Qiu was taken aback by Zi Jiaxiu¡¯s words. She was willing to personally make a move for Jin?! Just how high was her impression of him? "It seems I still underestimated how much value the second young miss ces on him. Is his worth that great in her eyes? I know that he is the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce and has aplished great things in RML; however, his background is too ordinary. No, it is because his background is so ordinary and yet he still managed to catch the attention of the second young miss, that his value must be special. Still, it¡¯s surprising. After all, not even the young masters from the other Great Families receive this kind of treatment. This Zhang Jin is not simple. Perhaps..." Fang Qiu thought to herself. "There is no need. Some matters must be handled with one¡¯s own hands¡ªI¡¯m sure you understand this point. Just looking into them will provide more than enough assistance. I will take care of the rest myself." Jin responded unhurriedly. Zi Jiaxiu sighed, "I figured you would say this. Then, I won¡¯t continue to push the subject." She then continued, "So, who do you need me to look into?" "Just two," Jin replied as he held up two fingers. He then said, "Wendell Wilson, the leader of the Headhunter Syndicate. As for the second... he goes by Jiang Gui." A cold and distant look shed through Jin¡¯s eyes as he spoke those names. Wendell Wilson was the name of Jin¡¯s ex-best friend, who was also the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s leader, Vault. As for Jiang Gui, it was the name of Jin¡¯s birth father! The same individual who abandoned his family and changed his entire identity. He even went as far as forsaking his own family name! It was because of him that Jin¡¯s mother, Reilei, had to undergo such terrible hardships due to the mounting debt he left in her hands. ¡¯All debts of blood must be repaid as such.¡¯ ... After Jin finished his conversation with Zi Jiaxiu, he and Fang Qiu took their leave from the Orion Corporation building. At the moment, Fang Qiu was driving Jin home; however, there was an awkward silence that lingered in the air. There had been nothing but silence ever since they left the Orion Corporation. "Is he in a bad mood?" Fang Qiu thought as she nced over at Jin, who was gazing out the window with a serene expression. On the way to the Orion Corporation, there was no end to the questions he asked. But now, he was quieter than ever. "I-" Just as Fang Qiu was about to speak, surprisingly, Jin opened his mouth for the first time since they entered the car. "Advisor Fang Qiu, I just so happen to be searching for a manager to take charge of my Mystical Realm Pce. It will also help if that person has the experience to assist in expanding that influence into the real world. I wonder if Advisor Fang Qiu is interested?" Jin said without averting his gaze from the window. At this point, Fang Qiu was not shocked by Jin¡¯s directness. But, she was surprised that Jin wanted to expand his influence to reach the real world. That was something easier said than done, especially given Jin¡¯s unknown background. At least, this would have usually been the case. However, since Jin had the support and backing of someone of Zi Jiaxiu standing, it should be possible for him to set his foot onto a bigger stage. Still, Fang Qiu was uneasy about Jin. It was not that she found him suspicious, just that she could not read him. Whenever Fang Qiu tried to do so, Fang Qiu felt like she was staring into a bottomless abyss. Everyone she worked with, regardless of their nature, Fang Qiu had a basic understanding of their overall character. However, Jin was different in a way that she could not quite put her finger on. He was full of unexpected surprises, but this was not necessarily a bad thing. "I am interested. However, I can only ept under two conditions." Fang Qiu replied. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Jin was not oblivious to Fang Qiu¡¯s interest when it came to his Mystical Realm Pce. So, he was somewhat surprised that she did not ept without hesitation. Nevertheless, he decided to hear what she had to say. "That is?" Jin questioned. "The first is that you take my advice under serious consideration. I havee across many foolish clients that have lost everything due to ignoring my counsel. Right now, being the owner of thergest yer-owned shop in RML, you have before you a golden opportunity. I do not wish to see you squander this chance." Fang Qiu stated. "This is not unreasonable. Only a fool dismisses the words of his advisors. I will take Advisor Fang Qiu¡¯s words to heart. You have my word." Jin responded. Fang Qiu nodded and said, "Good. In the end, a man is only as good as his word." She then continued, "Lastly, I refuse to have anything to do with dirty money earned through unjustified methods. I, Fang Qiu, will never bend on this condition as long as I live." Jin gave a slight nod in response as he replied, "This, too, is not unreasonable." "Then-" Fang Qiu was suddenly interrupted by Jin. "However," Jin redirected his gaze to Fang Qiu. He then said, "Never betray my trust, Advisor Fang Qiu. No matter who they may be, I always repay kindness tenfold, and contempt a thousandfold." Fang Qiu inwardly furrowed her brows as she felt a shiver run up her spine. What was this presence? How could someone from an unknown background make her feel so much pressure? She had felt this way only once before, and that was when she met the current head of the Zi family. However, Jin had not even hit the age of 30. How could he give off a simr presence to someone who was the head of a Great Family? But, the presence onlysted for a split moment before it vanished without a trace as if it never existed in the first ce. "Did I imagine it? Or... Forget it, today has been too strange." Fang Qiu thought to herself as she released a small sigh. "I understand." Fang Qiu answered calmly after a brief moment of silence. ... Less than thirty minutester, Fang Qiu had arrived back at Jin¡¯s home. On the way, the two exchanged some crucial information. In addition, they went over the essential details regarding the Mystical Realm Pce and its future management. "The capital city of Amaharpe, right? I will pay a visit as soon as possible to take a look at things." Fang Qiu stated. "Oh? You already have an ount?" Jin asked. Initially, he nned to have Fang Qiu create an ount so that she could have a direct and better understanding of the inner workings of RML. Not to mention, it would allow her to take a more hands-on approach. But, it seemed that this was unnecessary. "How can I not? If opportunities do not present themselves to you, you have no choice but to find your own. Unfortunately, it is seldom easy to locate." Fang Qiu said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had been searching, without luck, for a way to set a foot into RML on a bigger stage. In truth, Fang Qiu had been offered a high-ranking position in Sleeping Gardenia by Zi Jiaxiu. However, Zi Jiaxiu already had He Huian as her main financial advisor. If Fang Qiu joined, she would always be under He Huian. How could she ept having such small goals? Besides, Sleeping Gardenia was already a well-established organization. If she suddenly joined the higher ranks, she may be epted, but she would be seen as a stranger by those who worked their way up. What Fang Qiu wanted was to be a part of something fresh that had the potential to grow. "I already have your information, so I will send you a friend request when I go online. Since you will be busy during the uing event, I would like to visit the Mystical Realm Pce today, if possible. The more thorough understanding I have, the better I can set up a suitable structure and system of operation." Fang Qiu said. "I still have a few things to take care of before the event starts, so I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to give you a proper tour. However, I will make the necessary arrangements so that you have the authority to start immediately." Jin responded. Fang Qiu nodded, "If I can get started right away, then there is no problem." "Then, I look forward to Advisor Fang Qiu¡¯s visit to my Mystical Realm Pce," Jin said with a carefree expression. Fang Qiu exchanged farewells with Jin as he stepped out of the car and headed into his home. Fang Qiu kept her gaze on Jin until thest second as a thoughtful expression found its way onto her face. "Zhang Jin and Jiang Gui¡ªis it possible that...? No, it¡¯s unlikely. I have never heard of either of them. Then, am I thinking too deeply?" Fang Qiu thought to herself as she drove away from Jin¡¯s residence. ... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ Izroth stood inside a private room located within the Mystical Realm Pce. As he opened his system interface and looked at a particr section, he could not help but release a faint inward sigh. ¡¯It¡¯s still not enough?¡¯ [Total Essence Contributed: 7,024/???] ¡¯The event starts tomorrow, so I don¡¯t have a lot of time remaining. At this point, I can only push forward and hope for the best. Whether or not it finishes before then¡ªI can only rely on my own luck. Still, who would have thought that it would be this gluttonous? But, if it¡¯s truly as described, even I cannot predict what may happen.¡¯ "Let¡¯s just hope it¡¯s worth it. This Soul Avatar." Izroth said as an object appeared in the palm of his hand. It was the True World item that he received from the True World Treasure Chest afterpleting the quest Journey To The Chaotic Dogma Realm. However, there was something different about it this time. Chapter 489 Evolved?

Chapter 489 Evolved?

... Two days earlier... Just a while ago, Izroth had taken his leave from Cross Haven¡¯s temporary headquarters stationed in the capital city of Amaharpe. At the moment, he was on his way back to the Mystical Realm Pce. ¡¯The guild leader of Cross Haven is more ambitious than I anticipated.¡¯ While it was not the main topic of their meeting, Ewan, the guild leader of Cross Haven, directly offered Izroth a position as a Great General! If news of this escaped that room, it would be enough to shock anyone in RML. After all, the rank of a Great General in Cross Haven was only beneath that of the guild leader himself! Who was Cross Haven? They ranked within the top three as one of the best guilds in RML. There were even those who believed that, in terms of overall raw talent, they were number one! Naturally, Ewan yed a significant role in the conception of this belief. Still, it would not have been possible for Cross Haven to be viewed this way without the Five Great Generals¡¯ presence. To acquire that title, one had to stand above the rest and ovee countless obstacles. Despite this fact, Ewan was willing to allow Izroth to skip these restrictions and jump straight to the top! One had to know that even a high-ranking core member from another top guild would not necessarily be treated in this manner. But, it did not stop there. To further rope Izroth in, Ewan brought out an epic-quality item. Though it was not just any epic-quality item¡ªit was an essory! Epic-quality equipment was already difficult to acquire, not to even mention epic-quality essories. In terms of value, an epic-quality essory was over ten times more valuable than other epic equipment pieces. The main reason for this was, besides the fact that they were more of a headache to acquire than standard equipment, it was extremely rare for essories to have equip requirements. Therefore, they were incredibly versatile and could even be equipped by level 1 yers. Imagine how much easier it would be for one to level up with the help of an epic-quality item! However, in the end, Izroth turned Ewan down. While the level of sincerity was certainly disyed for all to see, how could it be enough to tempt Izroth? If Cross Haven wanted to draw him, Izroth was afraid that it was not a price that they could afford! There was also the fact that Izroth had just created a guild of his own. If he were to suddenly disband and join Cross Haven, what face would he have left in this world? Although Ewan was disappointed, he did not reveal any displeasure towards Izroth¡¯s response. In fact, it was almost as if he had already predicted that Izroth would answer that way. Therefore, he did not continue to pursue the matter. Nevertheless, Ewan did not let Izroth walk away empty-handed. Izroth opened his inventory and removed a dark blue cube-shaped object. This cube looked ordinary, but it held zero ws and was smooth on all sides. There was a faint aura around the cube that appeared to be slowly fading away. It was this item that Ewan had gifted to Izroth at the end of his visit. ¡¯Who would have thought that something like this would be in Cross Haven¡¯s hands? It seems the top guilds are quite resourceful in this regard. Though it¡¯s a shame that it only has one use remaining.¡¯ Name: Mysterious cksmith¡¯s wless Ameliorate Stone Rank: Unknown(Unbreakable) Uses Remaining: 1/10 Usage: Has a 100% chance to increase the rank of virtually any material below the mythical rank by one. This effect will not work on an item already affected by an Ameliorate Stone. This item will disappear when it uses reaches 0. Special Note: A special reward forpleting the quest ?Assisting The Mysterious cksmith?. Common, Umon, Rare, Superior, Ancient, Mythical, and Divine¡ªthis was the ranking of the materials within RML. At the moment, rare materials were hoarded by the top guilds. As for superior materials, Izroth believed that every top guild likely had a few dozens in storage. But, when it came to ancient materials¡ªthe chances of anyone having obtained them were infinitely close to 0%! However, with the Mysterious cksmith¡¯s wless Ameliorate Stone, it was different for Cross Haven. After seeing that there was only one use remaining, Izroth estimated that Cross Haven had, at the very least, nine ancient ranked materials in their possession. However, given the resources at their disposal, there was even a small chance that they had one or two mythical ranked materials! ¡¯Forget epic equipment, it¡¯s likely that within all of RML, Cross Haven is the only guild with the materials to craft a legendary¡ªpossibly even a unique piece of equipment. However, it¡¯s a bit unfortunate that it¡¯s too soon.¡¯ At the end of the day, even if one had the materials, at the moment, there was no yer cksmith at the level of crafting legendary, let alone unique quality equipment. Still, Izroth would not be surprised if, in the future, Cross Haven was the first top guild to acquire a legendary or unique equipment piece. As for the quest listed on the item, needless to say, Izroth inquired about it. However, he was told that it was useless. ording to Ewan, the members of his Cross Haven attempted to find a way to repeat the quest. Unfortunately, the Mysterious cksmith that acted as the quest giver had disappeared after itspletion. Though something like this was to be expected considering the value of the Ameliorate Stone acquired upon itspletion. If an item like that could be gathered freely, then material ranks would be a practical joke. A few momentster, Izroth arrived at the Mystical Realm Pce and immediately went up to the 3rd floor. nk! nk! nk! Upon stepping onto the 3rd floor of the Mystical Realm Pce, one would be weed by a wave of heat and the sound of nking metal. The source of this heat came from the multiple furnaces within the room. These furnaces were used by cksmiths to forge various items. There were currently four other individuals on the 3rd floor. One of them, who was in the middle of examining a blueprint, halted their actions and walked over to greet Izroth. "Is there anything I can assist you with, Pce Master?" The yer asked. They were an average looking male with a burly build and a buzzcut. His attire was suitable for a crafting environment, and attached to his waist was a sturdy looking hammer. He went by the name Ogrem and was one of the few talented yers who managed to join the Mystical Realm Pce through thepetition. Besides Gu Chao, who was a 4th rank cksmith, Ogrem was the highest-ranked cksmith in the Mystical Realm Pce as a 3rd rank cksmith. In terms of pure aptitude, Ogrem was only a little worse than Gu Chao. "How long has he been at it?" Izroth asked as his gazended on an individual near the back of the smithy, who hammered away at an object. This individual was none other than Gu Chao. At the moment, Gu Chao had a serious look on his face as he carefully handled the object he was working on. While crafting, he seemed nothing like his usual spirited self. Instead, Gu Chao became wholly concentrated on the task before him. He seemed to not even notice Izroth¡¯s entrance into the room. Ogrem sighed as he shook his head and replied, "Pce Master, I¡¯m afraid the task you gave Gu Chao is not small. He¡¯s been working on that thing for over 20 hours non-stop. The toughness of it is really too high." ¡¯Is it too much after all?¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. Before the Mystical Realm Pcepetition, Izroth handed Gu Chao the piece of Unrefined Arisia Crystal he collected during his time in the Great Sea Pce raid. With a toughness of 82, it was not surprising that even a 4th rank cksmith, like Gu Chao, experienced some difficulties refining the Arisia Crystal. However, Izroth did not think that it would be this troublesome for a small piece that was no bigger than one¡¯s finger. Izroth could only imagine the amount of effort it would take if he truly did break off a piece the size of a fist as he originally intended. As Izroth spoke with Ogrem, their conversation was cut short by a loud ringing sound that pulsated every second. The pressure generated by this ringing caused the nearby furnaces, along with the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s entire 3rd floor, to shake violently. Each ring carried a unique aura and made one feel strangely ufortable when they came into contact with it. ¡¯Is this the magic nullification power of the Arisia Crystal?¡¯ BOOOOOOOM! BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound of an explosion and constant banging could be hearding on the area Gu Chao was in. But, strangely enough, there were no signs of any explosion¡ªjust the sound itself was present. What apanied the "explosion" was an increase in the ufortable feeling it seemed to naturally generate. "Why is this ringing so loud?!" One of the cksmiths yelled. "Not good! At this rate, the main furnace won¡¯t be able to contain that level of energy output! It¡¯s going to explode!" Ogrem eximed. At the same time that chaos was ensuing, Izroth received some alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Warning! Your mana is being forcibly drained by an unknown source!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! Your energy is being forcibly drained by an unknown source!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! The effectiveness of your magic has been reduced by 50% while being affected by an unknown source!¡µ ¡¯This is...¡¯ While the system referred to it as an unknown source, Izroth was positive that whatever was happening had to do with the Arisia Crystal being refined by Gu Chao. However, the effects did not make any sense! The Arisia Crystal may possess magic nullifying capabilities, but it should not be this strong¡ªeven in its refined state! To confirm his thoughts, Izroth decided to activate his Energy Vision Sense. What appeared around him was a world of varying colorful mes that contained diverse quantities and qualities. The only thing every me had inmon was that they were converging onto a single point¡ªthe furnace used by Gu Chao. ¡¯The way these energies flow in harmony despite originating from different ces... If I can modify the flow of my Source Chant to match this pattern, then perhaps...¡¯ As this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he closed his eyes as an incredible phenomenon formed that made him feel as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of him. Or to be more precise, the shackles that had previously bound him were shattered! As Izroth opened his eyes, he was met with a new wave of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Your Essence has reached level 20.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired a new skill for the trait ?Soul Essence?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, the trait ?Soul Essence? has sessfully evolved to the next stage!¡µ Izroth¡¯s Soul Essence that was stuck at level 19.99 had finally broken through! But, that was not the only thing that changed. ¡¯Evolved?¡¯ Chapter 490 Forming The Soul Avatar Part 1/2

Chapter 490 Forming The Soul Avatar Part 1/2

Izroth knew that his Soul Essence would grant him another skill once he reached level 20 with it; however, he never expected it to evolve! But, more surprising than anything was the aura being generated by the Arisia Crystal. ¡¯How is it possible that a superior ranked material is capable of producing so much chaos? Not to mention its small size, even if it were ten times bigger, it should be impossible.¡¯ Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense once he noticed that the mes gathered towards the furnace started to die down. In the end, Izroth understood that it was pointless to specte too much. After all, the quickest way to discover the truth was to inspect the item in question. For now, Izroth could only wait until Gu Chao was finished. Since he was at the most critical step in refining, it would be too risky to disturb him as the Arisia Crystal could be destroyed. Just as Izroth was about to look over the new system alerts he received, he heard a loud burst ofughter from the area near the furnace. Thisughter belonged to none other than Gu Chao. "Bawahahaha! Good! Very good! This peerless genius born once in a lifetime has really outdone himself this time! Hehehe, big bro Izroth is always calm and carefree¡ªwait until he sees what this handsome genius aplished! Haha- Bwwtk!" Gu Chao announced grandly. However, towards the end, he bit his tongue and winced over in pain. Izroth inwardly shook his head as a helpless expression appeared on his face. This Gu Chao was somewhat shameless, but his skills as a cksmith could not be looked down upon. Still, Izroth could not help but wonder what skill Gu Chao had in his possession that gave him the side effect of biting his own tongue. "Ogrem, make sure nothing was damaged," Izroth said as he began to walk towards Gu Chao. "Leave it to me, Pce Master," Ogrem responded as he wasted no time checking over the equipment on the 3rd floor. "Stupid skill...! How dare you make this handsome young genius bite his own tongue...! See how I, your father, handle you!" Gu Chao fussed as he stomped angrily. "If a superior ranked material takes this much effort for even you to refine, then I fear other cksmiths can only silently suffer," Izroth said as he approached Gu Chao. "Ah, big bro! When did you get here?" Gu Chao asked in a surprised tone. He had been so absorbed in crafting that he did not realize Izroth stepped onto the 3rd floor. "I arrived not too long ago. But, more importantly..." Izroth stated as he gave a meaningful look. "Heh, well, perfect timing. Big bro, let me tell you, even though this Arisia Crystal is only superior ranked, its toughness is on par with a lower grade ancient ranked material. But, even then, how can a mere superior ranked material be enough to cause this once in a lifetime genius to struggle?" Gu Chao said as a broad grin appeared on his face. Gu Chao opened his palm and revealed a small aqua-colored crystal that appeared pure and untainted. It gave off a faint white hue, and just by being close to it, one would feel as though they were having their power consumed. ¡¯Something like this is also possible?¡¯ When Izroth examined the crystal in Gu Chao¡¯s hand, its appearance was nothing like the original piece of Unrefined Arisia Crystal he obtained. It was as if every impurity had been removed and left it in a state infinitely close to perfection. "You¡¯ve surpassed my expectations. Your achievement this time is not small. Is there anything you want as a reward?" Izroth stated. "Since big bro entrusted me with this task, naturally, I cannot perform half-heartedly. As for the reward¡ªhow about you let me take apart that armor of yours and-" Gu Chao spoke before being interrupted by Izroth. "Denied," Izroth said as he held up the palm of his hand. Gu Chao¡¯s expression immediately became dejected after Izroth¡¯s response. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to; however, once equipped, the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence cannot be removed. While it is possible to study it externally, it is impossible to do so internally." Izroth said. "Ah, so it¡¯s like that. Then, I guess it can¡¯t be helped..." Gu Chao sighed. Even though he was disappointed, it was something currently out of their control. He then continued with a huge grin, "In that case, the next time you find any interesting materials or blueprints, don¡¯t hesitate to bring them my way." ... [Total Essence Contributed: 7,024/???] Izroth inwardly shook his head as he saw the total Essence contributed. Thanks to his Soul Essence evolving, he contributed quite a bit of Essence; however, it was still far from enough. This was even more so considering that he had been busy the past couple of days. ¡¯Will I be able toplete it before the event starts tomorrow? No, even if I do, will it be useful after having just formed?¡¯ Trait Name: Soul Essence -\u003e Spirit Source Trait Level: 19.99 -\u003e Source Stage: 1 Essence: 199 -\u003e 1,000 Essence Regeneration: +1.25 per minute -\u003e +100 per hour Trait Effect: The user has unlocked the mysterious Soul Essence -\u003e Spirit Source that raises their overall strength. When the user reaches Source Stage 10, they will unlock an additional effect, and their source will evolve. -Flow of Essence: All Stats are increased by 8.5% -\u003e 10%. -Soul Empowerment: Increase the effectiveness of your skills and attacks by implementing Essence. Every 1 point of Essence increases the skill effectiveness by 5% -\u003e 1%. -Soul Weakness: If the user¡¯s Essence is drained too rapidly or drops below a certain point, the user enters a weakened state, which reduces all stats by 75% for 5 hours -\u003e 4 hours. -Soul Sense: The user is able to sense things that are normally hidden from them by using the strength of Essence. -Soul Pressure: The user releases the power of their Essence and caused nearby enemies within a range of 30 -\u003e 60 meters to experience a Willpower Check. Enemies who fail the Willpower Check will be ?Weakened? and ?Frenzied?. All targeted enemies within range who are far weaker than the user will experience ?Instant Death?. Consumes Essence on use. The greater the resistance, the more Essence will be consumed. Energy Vision Sense: The user can feel and see different forms of mana and other forms of energy in their surroundings (Current Max Range: 199 -\u003e 1000 meters). Consumes 0.10(+0.05 per second active) Essence per 10 meters -\u003e 0.01(+0.005 per second active) per 1 meter every second it remains active(Consumption rate increases by 100% at ranges of more than 100 meters). The greater the range and longer the skill remains active, the more Essence will be consumed. *New -\u003e Soul Avatar:... ... ¡¯Stage 1 Spirit Source. Is this the true beginning of a Source? If so, I finally understand why my Soul Essence was seen as an infancy stage Source. The difference in overall power is toorge to ignore.¡¯ One of the reasons Izroth was able topete with the young monsters that took part in the Sky Pcepetition, despite the level difference, was due to his Soul Essence. Usually, one did not acquire a Source until after they received their domain. This was why the third young master of the Dragon Pce, Kayn, referred to Izroth as "weird". It was the equivalent of skipping how to walk and immediately starting to run from the time one was born! However, Kayn warned Izroth that this was not necessarily a good thing. Since he already obtained a Source and still had yet to receive a Domain, it would be two or three times more challenging for him to acquire. But, Izroth was not discouraged by this fact. After all, since when was he afraid of a challenge? ¡¯For the Soul Avatar, I decided to use the true world item along with the Arisia Crystal to further enhance it. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the results will be until its alreadypleted. In addition, there is no guarantee that the two arepatible with one another. The risk I¡¯m taking this time is immense. However, as the saying goes, no risk means little to no reward.¡¯ Izroth shifted his gaze to the palm of his hand. Infused into the true world item he held was the Arisia Crystal refined by Gu Chao. Exceeding Izroth¡¯s expectations, Gu Chao managed to not just refine the Arisia Crystal, but upgrade it as well! Even after being refined, materials would retain the same rank. In other words, if it was a superior ranked material in its unrefined state, then it would be the same in its refined state. However, Gu Chao was able to refine the superior ranked Arisia Crystal into an ancient ranked material! If other top guilds knew of this, there was not a single one who would not try to draw Gu Chao over to their side! But, of course, Izroth did not let it end there. Using the Mysterious cksmith¡¯s wless Ameliorate, he further improved the Arisia Crystal and upgraded its rank to mythical! A real mythical ranked material! Even if one wanted to offer a substantial amount of gold coins for it, they would not necessarily be able to purchase it. After all, the number of mythical ranked materials that had fallen into yers¡¯ hands could probably be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone. ¡¯Using thest charge of the Ameliorate Stone was definitely worth it.¡¯ Name: Special Refined Ameliorated Arisia Crystal Rank: Mythical(105) Usage: A special version of the Arisia Crystal refined by a skillful cksmith, enhanced by an Ameliorate Stone and granted special properties. Although it is referred to as a crystal, this mineral is, in actuality, a metal with natural powerful shock-absorbing, anti-physical, anti-magic, and anti-energy properties. It is often used to craft items that are capable of absorbing incredible amounts of damage. Using a single shard is enough to impart an item with some of its remarkable properties. ¡¯The effects make the superior, and ancient versions pale inparison. However, there¡¯s still a huge gap between it and the true world item.¡¯ Name: Forever Drinking Leech Rank: True World(Unbreakable) Usage: This virtually indestructible relic can endlessly consume nearly every source of energy in existence and convert it into a direct source of power. Consuming this relic directly can lead to instant death that resets all the consumer¡¯s current progress and cause the relic to return to the true world. This relic requires a special method to fuse with its intended target and be a part of them. Once merged, the consumer of this relic will gain all its effects. Special Note: A relic that originates from the true world and fell just short of reaching divinity. The only one of its kind in existence. ¡¯If this item had reached a state of divinity, how powerful would it have grown? How unfortunate.¡¯ Izroth walked over to a nearby table and ced the Forever Drinking Leech infused with the Arisia Crystal on top of it. He then ced the palm of his hand above it as Essence poured out of his body and into the objects. Less than a breathter, Izroth¡¯splexion turned pale as his Essence had reached 0, and he was ovee with Soul Weakness. [Total Essence Contributed: 8,024/???] ¡¯As I thought, it¡¯s still not enough toplete the Soul Avatar.¡¯ Izroth sat down in a meditative position as he began to use his Source Chant. This caused the energy in the surrounding air to swirl and rush towards him. As a result, his Essence started to slowly regenerate, and hisplexion improved little by little. ¡¯My Essence automatically regenerates 100 every hour. With my improved Source Chant, I can recover an additional 0.1 essence per second. Given these two factors, it should take me approximately 2 hours to recover my Essence to its peak state.¡¯ Izroth locked his sights onto the two items that were greedily consuming his Essence and bing increasingly fused with each other. ¡¯Shall we see just how much you can take?¡¯ Chapter 491 Forming The Soul Avatar Part 2/2

Chapter 491 Forming The Soul Avatar Part 2/2

... 24 hourster... Izroth spent his time pouring his Essence into the Forever Drinking Leech and Arisia Crystal. Once his Essence reached 0, he would use his Source Chant to begin the regeneration process. Izroth had alreadypleted this action several times and achieved some progress. As for the Soul Weakness, Izroth was not concerned since he was within the safe confines of the Mystical Realm Pce. Otherwise, how would he be willing to cut his power by 75%? If it were just against other yers, then even if he could not kill them, he was still confident in his ability to escape. However, he was currently marked for death by the Netherworld and a Great Duke of the Pzenium kingdom. Therefore, he could not afford to wander around openly in a weakened state. ¡¯I havee this far, but the end is still nowhere in sight. Can it be that my Source stage is too low for a Soul Avatar to form with two high-quality items? Should I have stuck to my initial n, after all?¡¯ [Total Essence Contributed: 19,047/???] Originally, Izroth nned to only use the Forever Drinking Leech to form the Soul Avatar. As for the mythical-ranked Arisia Crystal, he wanted to take advantage of its incredible properties to improve his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Unfortunately, just as Izroth spected, his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was incapable of directly consuming raw materials. Since it was like that, he believed that it would be better to have Gu Chao create a piece of epic equipment and then absorb it that way. However, Gu Chao advised him against using this method. ording to Gu Chao, mythical ranked materials were the core ingredient when it came to crafting unique-quality equipment. But, with the current resources avable to yers and the level of profession holders, it would be impossible to craft a unique-quality equipment piece. While an epic-quality piece was possible, Gu Chao believed that it would be a waste. In his words, it was like "cing a ss cup into a river". No matter how much water was in the river itself, the amount that the ss could contain would remain unchanged. Izroth was somewhat surprised at how Gu Chao¡¯s personality seemed to change whenever it came to things rted to crafting. However, this was not a bad thing. In the end, Izroth agreed with Gu Chao and decided to save the Arisia Crystal. While he could obtain more in the Great Sea Pce raid, it would never achieve a mythical rank without an Ameliorate Stone. Not to mention, even Gu Chao himself stated that there was no guarantee that he could refine an ancient ranked material next time. In the end, it also depended on his luck. ¡¯It is not looking too promising, but I still have some time left. I should make the most of it.¡¯ Although 24 hours passed in-game, due to the 1:3 real-world to in-game time ratio, in actuality, only 8 hours had gone by since Izroth first began to work on his Soul Avatar. This meant that he had approximately 40 hours in-game before he had to gather for the official start of the event. Of course, he made sure to leave enough time to recover from his Soul Weakness. ¡¯Let¡¯s continue.¡¯ From that point on, Izroth continued without a moment¡¯s rest. 12 hours... 24 hours... Another 24 hours passed by quickly as the total Essence contributed increased from 19,047 to 30,071¡ªthat was 30 times more than his maximum Essence! ¡¯My armor, this true world item¡ªit seems unquenchable items find me more often than not these days. If not for the improvement of my Source and Source Chant, I¡¯m afraid it would have taken me weeks or even months to reach a simr point. Though I can only hope that this true world item does not live up to its name. Otherwise, who knows how long I will have to provide it with Essence?¡¯ 34 hours... Time swiftly ticked away as Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he focused on regaining his lost Essence. [Total Essence Contributed: 34,664/???] ¡¯Is there something I overlooked?¡¯ Izroth felt as though he was a living battery. If it were anyone else, they would have already cut their losses and walked away. However, Izroth was determined to see things through until the final moment. Izroth opened his interface as he instantly navigated to the area that contained his traits and skills. While he possessed a perfect memory, it was best to revisit the original source at times like this. Trait Name: Spirit Source Source Stage: 1 Essence: 0.13 Essence Regeneration: +100 per hour ... Soul Avatar: The user can embed a part of their soul and infuse their Essence into suitable item(s). If more than one item is used, the items must bepatible to sessfully fuse, or they will be rejected. The selected item(s) will take on a humanoid form and gain the permanent traits ?Melded Sentience?, ?Independent Soul Link?, ?Independent Mind Link?. Current Max Avatars: 0/1 The following applies to new Soul Avatars: -Treated as a half-yer by the system. -Level is set to 1. -Starting stats and growth rate are determined by the power of the item(s) of its creation and the amount of Essence infused into it by the user. The better the item(s) and quantity of Essence provided, the more powerful the Soul Avatar and its potential growth. The maximum Essence varies depending on the item(s) used to create the Soul Avatar. (Min-Max: 200-??? Essence) -ss will be automatically granted upon sessful creation. -Default skills will be determined based on the item(s) it forms from, and the amount of Essence poured into it. Special Note: The soul has no limits! ¡¯Since I have no previous reference, there is no way of telling if investing this much Essence is truly worth it. However, the system has never been selfish when ites to rewarding one¡¯s efforts.¡¯ Ideally, Izroth wanted toplete the Soul Avatar before the start of the event. After all, there was no clearly defined time as to when the event would be over. One week, one month, one year¡ªit could be anything! Not even the beta testers had participated in such arge scale world event; therefore, the information surrounding it was practically nonexistent. There was also the fact that having one extra trump card at his disposal would be beneficial. ¡¯I will attempt exhausting my Essence two more times. If it still does not form, then I have no choice but to revisit the issue once the event has concluded.¡¯ ... Around two hourster, with the help of his Source Chant and natural Essence regeneration, Izroth¡¯s Essence made a full recovery. The moment his Essence had fully recuperated, Izroth started to expend his Essence once again without hesitation. All of a sudden, when almost 50% of his Essence was drained, the stream of aura that linked him to the Forever Drinking Leech and Arisia Crystal was abruptly severed. Simultaneously, the Arisia Crystal had merged entirely with the Forever Drinking Leech, and the two items became one item. ¡¯It stopped?¡¯ Izroth observed the newly-formed item and waited for a few seconds; however, nothing happened. Name: ???(Soulbound) Rank: ???(Unbreakable) Usage: ??? Special Note: A Soul Avatar Embryo. There was no real information present about the item except in the special note section. ¡¯If it is in an embryo state, does that mean it requires more Essence to develop?¡¯ Izroth attempted to channel his Essence into the new item that appeared before him, but there was no response. There was also no word from the system itself as to what had transpired. This caused Izroth to inwardly frown as he hit an unexpected roadblock. He shook his head as he released a small sigh. It appeared that this time, he could only suffer a temporary loss. ¡¯It seems my actions were too hasty, given myck of information. In that case, I should-¡¯ As Izroth was in the middle of contemting his next course of action, his trail of thought was interrupted by the sound of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Item generationplete! An unregistered item has been detected by the system!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech? has been sessfully registered by the system!¡µ ¡´System Alert: All requirements have been met. Would you like toplete the creation of your ?Soul Avatar? using the ?Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech?? [Total Essence Contributed: 35,000] (Warning: Once the creation processmences, it cannot be canceled.)¡µ As Izroth read over the system alerts, he was surprised to discover that this type of "generation" process not only existed for skills but for items as well. ¡¯This is the first time I have heard of an item being unregistered by the system. Is this a hidden feature? Regardless, an aplishment this big¡ªthe system should have given out a special reward. Does that mean this is not the first time an unregistered item has been created?¡¯ Izroth was interested in unregistered items and the possible methods of how to produce them. However, he chose to set this aside for now as a more pressing matter was at hand. ¡¯Still, to think it took 35,000 Essence. That¡¯s 35 times my maximum output. I just hope the payout was worth the investment.¡¯ Izroth examined the Soul Avatar Embryo, but the only difference this time was its new name¡ªEternal Devouring Crystalized Leech. After making sure that nothing had been overlooked, Izroth confirmed the system alert¡¯s request toplete his Soul Avatar. Immediately after doing so, the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech began to levitate in mid-air as a dense dark blue aura epassed it. ¡´System Alert: Soul Avatar creation in progress. [0.17%] [Estimated Time Until Completion: 9 Minutes 59 Seconds]¡µ ¡¯The skill stated that it would take on a humanoid form. Does this mean it will resemble a human? There are still too many unanswered questions. Regardless, it is in the hands of the system now.¡¯ ... As the seconds dwindled away, everything remained peaceful and unchanging inside of the Mystical Realm Pce. However, what Izroth was not aware of was that a great storm was brewing above the capital city of Amaharpe. This great storm covered the whole capital city. If one studied it closely, they would notice that its center located high in the sky was directly above the Mystical Realm Pce! "This kind of weather exists in this world, too, hm? Is it going to rain?" A random yer walking along the streets of Amaharpe said as they stared up into the sky. However, they noticed something strange that caused them to rub their eyes in disbelief. Since their ss was a ranger-type, their vision was better than the average yer¡¯s. But, were they really seeing things, right? "Those are... Chains?" The yer muttered to themselves. Though when they blinked and looked again, the chains were nowhere to be found. The yer sighed as they rubbed the back of their head and grumbled, "Have I been logged in too long? I¡¯m starting to imagine things." ... Meanwhile, inside of the Mystical Realm Pce... Chapter 492 Appearance of The Mysterious Chains, Will of The World

Chapter 492 Appearance of The Mysterious Chains, Will of The World

¡¯It¡¯s one roadblock after another. This Soul Avatar is more troublesome than I envisioned. But, as the saying goes, great things do note easily.¡¯ What hovered before Izroth was a link of chains that seemed to have imprisoned the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech within. But, these were no ordinary chains. With a nce, one could tell that there was something profoundly deep and mysterious about them as they gave off a world suppressing aura. The moment the Soul Avatar¡¯s creation progress reached 100%, the domineering chains appeared around the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech out of thin air. ¡¯These chains are identical to the Chains of Mazi used to seal the passageway between the Mortal Realm and Shadahi Realm. However, if I were topare the two, the one before me now is stronger¡ªand not by a small amount. It feels as if the Chains of Mazi were made specifically to replicate the effects of these chains.¡¯ Although the chains did not look sturdy, Izroth felt that no matter what attack-type skill he used in his current arsenal, it would not leave a single scratch on them. However, he also knew that he could not allow these chains to remain like this forever. With this in mind, Izroth read over the chains¡¯ information via the system interface. Name: ??? Rank: ??? Usage: ??? Special Note: The appearance of these chains represent the will of the world. ¡¯Will of the world? Is this the system¡¯s way of trying to tell me that this item should not exist? No, if that was the case, the system would not have bothered to register the item in the first ce. Maybe my Energy Vision Sense will help to remove some uncertainties and shed light on the situation.¡¯ With that thought, Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense. However, the instant he did so, everything around him was engulfed in endless darkness. The only visible objects were the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech and the mysterious chains. This darknesssted for less than a second as everything around Izroth turned back to normal. But, his Essence that was just a bit above 50% had beenpletely drained! Izroth¡¯splexion had be pale as he underwent Soul Weakness from losing such arge amount of Essence too quickly. ¡¯Even though I restricted the range to one meter, I still lost over 500 Essence in less than one second? Not to mention, that darkness... Well, at least I confirmed one thing. These chains do not originate from this realm. But, why did they appear around the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech? Is it due to the will of the world that it mentions?¡¯ Izroth believed that there was no point for the system to register an item it did not want to exist. If something should not exist, regardless of what kind of item it turned out to be, the system would make sure that it was rejected. Therefore, two possible exnations came to Izroth¡¯s mind. The first was that someone in the Divine Realm was personally intervening with the matter concerning his Soul Avatar. Usually, it would be unthinkable that anyone in the Divine Realm would bother interfering with a yer¡¯s progress. After all, with his current strength, Izroth understood that he was far from being any type of threat to them. However, previously, seeing as how someone in the Divine Realm was responsible for interfering with his progress, Izroth did not dismiss this possibility. Nevertheless, Izroth¡¯s thoughts leaned more towards the second exnation¡ªhis location. Or, to be precise, the location of the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech. ¡¯The Forever Drinking Leech was already close to reaching the divine rank. It¡¯s possible thatbining it with the mythical ranked Arisia Crystal allowed it to take that final step and enter into the divine rank. However, the appearance of these chains¡ªdoes this mean that divine ranked materials do not belong outside the Divine Realm? Or, is it that they require a specific handling method?¡¯ Unfortunately, Izroth could not think of a concrete answer due to theck of details of the mysterious chains and Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech. For now, he could only specte until he found a way to deal with the chains. ¡¯Considering my Energy Vision Sense was instantly drained, breaking these chains are probably out of the question. Even if I use the Seal word of the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels¡¯ True Word Bow, alone, it can not suppress these chains. Do I have no choice but to use that?¡¯ Izroth pondered for a few moments before he decided on his next course of action. ¡¯Since the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech does not seem to be in any immediate danger of disappearing, I should concentrate on recovering my lost Essence. After all, it¡¯s too risky to proceed in my Soul Weakness state. In the meantime, I will take this opportunity to do some searching.¡¯ Izroth sat down as he started to utilize his Source Chant to regenerate his lost Essence. At the same time, he opened his system interface to a symbol in the shape of an unusual purple crest with three ck lines that cut across its surface. Hidden behind the three ck lines was the image of an extraordinary beast with the head of a roc and body of a bipednd dragon. It was the symbol of the Netherworld Exchange! ¡¯With the Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher, I can acquire any item at or below five moons.¡¯ In the Netherworld Exchange, everything was exchanged for using a currency called Spirit Vouchers. Since Izroth was the first yer to unlock the Netherworld Exchange, he received a bonus reward¡ªthe Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher. With it, no matter how many Spirit Vouchers an item cost, as long as it was below six moons, he could purchase it. The higher the number of moons an item costs in the Netherworld Exchange, the greater its overall value. One to three moons represented rare quality items, and four to six moons epic quality items. Seven to nine moons were even more impressive as they disyed the strength of legendary quality items. As for ten moons¡ªthey were at the pinnacle of the Netherworld Exchange and symbolized unique quality items! This was just the rough understanding that Izroth hade up with in his quick exploration of the Netherworld Exchange. Needless to say, there were exceptions. ¡¯Although five moon items are typically epic quality, what I require now is not necessarily raw power.¡¯ Izroth understood that he could not rely on pure strength to overpower the mysterious chains, so he chose to take a different approach. ¡¯If the power gap is too huge, one must simply meet force with a gentle touch instead of a heavy hand.¡¯ Izroth had still not gone over all the items within the Netherworld Exchange as it would take him weeks due to the sheer massive quantity of items. However, this time around, he narrowed his search parameters to two item types, in particr¡ªmagic items and talismans. Also, to further reduce the number of things he had to look through, Izroth solely focused on four moons and five moons items. Even though the number of items was still in the tens of thousands, with his perfect memory, it would not take Izroth too long to sort through them. ... Four hourster... Izroth opened his eyes and stood to his feet. At the same time, hisplexion returned to normal as a wave of refreshing energy rushed throughout Izroth¡¯s body. ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Soul Weakness? has ended!¡µ The first thing Izroth did was check his status to confirm that he was not still unknowingly affected by anything else. After all, who knew what other adverse effects the mysterious chains would invoke? ¡¯My Essence has already recovered. Now that I¡¯ve returned to my full strength with the effects of Soul Weakness wearing off...¡¯ For the past four hours, Izroth kept a close eye on the chains. If something unusual urred, he would have taken action¡ªeven if the chances of failure were high. Fortunately, the chains only appeared to be cutting off the connection between the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech and the neighboring space. While it seemed that one could reach out and touch it, in reality, it was in apletely different space. As to what this space was, Izroth did not know. But, Izroth was not idle the past several hours. He had long since concluded his search of the Netherworld Exchange. The Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher in Izroth¡¯s possession had vanished. In return, he acquired a talisman known as the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman. Not only was the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman epic-quality, but it was also a graded talisman! Compared to typical talismans of the same quality, it was several times more costly and challenging to acquire. If not for the Netherworld Exchange, who knew how long it would have taken Izroth to obtain such a high-graded talisman? Once Izroth did one final check and verified that everything was in ce, he was ready to confront the mysterious chains. ¡¯I¡¯ll have one chance.¡¯ "Let¡¯s begin. Infuse." Izroth said as two magic rings appeared¡ªone on his right hand and one on Izroth¡¯s left hand. ¡´System Alert: You have infused with the magic item ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The current energy output avable for the ?Twin Lasting Epoch? is 70%. Do you wish to activate this magic item? (Warning! Activating this magic item requires the user to be uninterrupted for 15 seconds. Being forcefully interrupted can result in a dangerous bacsh from the magic item.)¡µ ¡¯It would have been ideal if it were at 100%, however, 70% will have to suffice.¡¯ "Activate." The moment that word left Izroth¡¯s mouth, an immense surge of magic energy surrounded his hands as the sound of a faint pulse could be heard. Fifteen secondster, two ancient and powerful warriors appeared made from pure energy. One wielded an intimidating shield and the other a mighty bow. The instant the ancient warriors appeared, the one that wielded the majestic bow took a stance as if it were about to fire. As it got into position and pulled the bowstring of its bow, an arrow materialized out of thin air made from the same energy as the ancient warriors. The sole difference was that the arrow took on a solid physical form! Simultaneously, the word Seal materialized on the arrow¡¯s side as if it were being written by an invisible brush with energy as its ink. But, the "brush" did not stop after writing the word Seal. A second word followed it¡ªPower. The ancient warrior that wielded the bow released a fierce battle cry as they aimed straight towards the center point of mysterious chains. The bizarre thing was that the words Power and Seal seemed to be melting and fusing together into a single word on the arrow¡¯s side! ¡¯Compound Double: Power and Seal.¡¯ ...BOOOOOOOOM! The arrow shot from its bowstring tore through the air with frightening strength and explosive power. The pressure the arrow generated was so intense that it caused the space it traveled by to copse unto itself and form tiny spatial fractures! Chapter 493 Failure Was Never An Option, Empyrean Is Born!

Chapter 493 Failure Was Never An Option, Empyrean Is Born!

The arrow¡¯s flight speed was not as fast as the one Izroth used during the Great Sea Pce raid. In fact, it was many times slowerpared to that time. However, the arrow¡¯s current force was leagues above what it was in his fight against Ooudamu in the Sprite Dwellings. Wooosh! Diiiiiiiing! As soon as the arrow made contact with the mysterious chains, a loud ringing sound filled the room. Then, less than a breath of time after that urred, an ear-piercing screech flooded the entire Mystical Realm Pce! The impact generated powerful shockwaves that violently shook the room as fissures started to form throughout various nearby areas. The space between the arrow and the mysterious chains became distorted as if it were forcibly torn asunder. ¡¯To think that even with my Heavenly Golden Body and other defenses, the shockwaves alone are making me lose 5% of my HP every second just from standing close by.¡¯ Without hesitation, Izroth activated the Rapid Regeneration skill attached to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. This improved his HP regeneration by 200% and wouldst for one minute. Although Izroth still suffered some damage, for now, it allowed him to prioritize dealing with the mysterious chains. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he noticed that multiple cracks started to emerge on the arrow. As for the mysterious chains¡ªthey remained without a scratch. ¡¯If only I had a way to restore and increase the energy output of the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels, then I could have included Pierce along with Power and Seal. However, I¡¯m not sure its durability would have held up long enough to seed.¡¯ The shot performed by the ancient bow-wielding warrior thatbined Power and Seal reduced the durability of the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels by 2,000 points! That was ten times that amount of when Izroth used the true word Seal alone. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame that there is no way to repair it at this time; otherwise, these chains may have not provided as much trouble. Though it seems I won¡¯t be able to use the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels for some time.¡¯ Name: Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels(Magical Item) Rank: A (Severely Damaged) Durability: 198/500,000 (Severely Damaged) Energy: 0% Usage: After channeling for 15 seconds, summons two ancient warriors, the ?Millenial Grand Archer? wielding the ?True Word Bow? and the ?Champion of the North Shield? brandishing the ?Six Gates Northern Shield?. The energy of this item can be restored using a minimum of ?Advanced Magic Core?. ?True Word Bow? - Enables the ?Millenial Grand Archer? to empower his arrow using one of six ?True Word?¡¯s. Each basic arrow deals a fixed 6,250 energy damage and every ?True Word? drains 30% energy from the ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?. ?True Word: Power? - Enhances the destruction capability of the arrow, causing its overall power and damage to increase by 300%. This reduces the arrow¡¯s flight speed by 50%. ?True Word: Seal? - Permanently traps a target in a ?Sphere of Absolute Chains?. The user can disable this skill at any time. This skill can be forcibly broken by its target. This reduces the arrow¡¯s damage by 80%. ?True Word: Speed? - Enhances the speed of the arrow, causing its flight speed to triple. However, this reduces the arrow¡¯s damage by 50%. ?True Word: Seek? - Causes the arrow to follow its intended target indefinitely and has a 100% chance to hit its target. This reduces the arrow¡¯s damage by 1% per second in flight(MAX Damage Reduction: 30%). ?True Word: Pierce? - Empowers the arrow with the ability to ignore and pierce through all forms of defenses, barriers, and shields. This requires a charge time of 3 seconds. ?True Word: Spread? - Causes the arrow the split into 10 pieces, forming a fan-like shape. Striking the same target with more than one arrow decreases the arrow¡¯s damage by 8% per previous arrow(MAX Damage Reduction: 72%). This drains 45% energy instead of 30% energy. ?Command: Compound? - Drains 5% energy for each ?True Word?. Combines a minimum of two ?True Word?¡¯s into the same arrow. ?Six Gates Northern Shield?... ... Special Note: This timeless treasure is a memento of two particr individuals¡¯ participation in an ancient war. Acquiring an Advanced Magic Core or something greater was a headache in and of itself. However, the true issue came with repairing the severely damaged magic item. Magic items were not like regr equipment. They could not be taken to a cksmith and repaired with a few coins or materials. ording to the information Izroth obtained from the Amaharpe Pce Library, restoring a magic item to its peak state required a unique kind of craftsman. As for how to locate such a craftsman¡ªIzroth was still unclear. All of a sudden, just as the arrow looked as though it were ready to shatter, a series of powerful chains erupted from its body and quickly epassed the mysterious chains. In the blink of an eye, the mysterious chains had been trapped within a sphere with the word "Seal" above it in grand characters! Compared to the sphere used to seal Luna¡¯s voice magic, this sphere had a much sturdier and reinforced appearance. This was, of course, due to the word Power being infused into it. Since it was infused with the word Power, the sphere¡¯s sealing strength was enhanced by 300%! Unfortunately, it was far from over. While Izroth had sessfully separated the mysterious chains from the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech, not even half a breath of time passed when the sphere began to crumble and decay. Trying to contain something well beyond its own might was unsustainable. At its current rate of decay, Izroth estimated that the Sphere of Absolute Chains would break in less than three seconds! Naturally, this left him with no room for error. ¡¯I expected that it would not be able to contain the chains for long, but to think that it would be this little.¡¯ Izroth understood that he could not afford to waste any time. So, without dy, he crushed the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman in his hand. The instant he did so, a distortion in space appeared above the Sphere of Absolute Chains. Then, at the next moment, a vortex with thirty-two ancient symbols encircled it formed at the distorted space¡¯s location. Crrrrrck...! Just before the Sphere of Absolute Chains was almost entirely decayed, and the mysterious chains were about to break free, the vortex doubled in size. Then, the vortex forcibly pulled in the Sphere of Absolute Chains, along with the mysterious chains it had ensnared. Oooooom! The vortex closed immediately after it aplished its task. What appeared in its ce was a thin veil made from unfamiliar ss-like material. Behind this "veil" were the mysterious chains wildly thrashing about as it tried to break free. The Sphere of Absolute Chains had already been disintegrated under the domineering energy emitted by the mysterious chains. ¡¯These chains are too persistent.¡¯ Izroth observed the thin veil and witnessed small tears umting on its surface. Even in an isted pocket of space with its strength being drained every second, the mysterious chains refused to stay contained! This caused Izroth to inwardly sigh as he looked down at his hand. Surprisingly, the talisman he used was still there. ¡¯It seems my luck is both good and bad.¡¯ One had to know that despite their usefulness, talismans in RML were a one time use object. However, the graded talisman in Izroth¡¯s hand was a bit special. Name: Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman(Epic) Grade: Four Usage: This talisman pulls its target into a separate dimensional pocket of ?Isted Space? for 30 minutes. While within ?Isted Space?, all power is reduced by 0.25% per second (MAX Stat Reduction: 80%). This stat reduction remains until the affected is destroyed or dies. ?Grade Bonus [1]? - Drains an additional 0.75% power per second and increases Max Stat Reduction to 99%. ?Grade Bonus [2]? - Increases the duration of ?Isted Space? by 30 minutes. ?Grade Bonus [3]? - ?Isted Space? bes ?Reinforced Isted Space?, making it increasingly difficult to break free. ?Grade Bonus [4]? - Upon use, this talisman has a 16% to negate its own destruction. If this effect sessfully resolves, within the next 15 seconds, this talisman can immediately be used again, ignoring any cooldown restrictions. After 15 seconds, the talisman enters a dormant state and cannot be used again for 24 hours. Cooldown: 24 hours Izroth¡¯s luck was quite good. He managed to activate the 16% chance for the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman to negate its own destruction. This was one of the main reasons Izroth chose this talisman from the Netherworld Exchange. But, his luck was short-lived as he could not risk the mysterious chains breaking free as the price he paid was already sufficient to make most yers in RML shudder. A true world item, mythical ranked material, an A-ranked magical item, and now an epic ranked grade four talisman. Any single one of those items was enough to shake the market in RML. Not to mention the countless hours he spent nurturing the Soul Avatar, this loss this time would be huge! However, for Izroth, from the beginning, failure was never an option. Izroth crushed the talisman in his hand once again, except this time, the talisman disintegrated upon use. Simultaneously, a second vortex appeared and dragged in the already isted pocket of space along with the mysterious chains. Every second, the mysterious chains became weaker and weaker as the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman effects stacked with one another, causing the power drain to double. While the mysterious chains had not given up on escaping, one could see that its struggle was slowly fading. ¡¯It may be weakened when it leaves the isted space, but its material is still too tough to destroy. Its origins are also unknown, so I should not let my guard down just yet. Though it should no longer have the strength to suppress the Soul Avatar upon its exit.¡¯ As Izroth pondered how he would deal with the mysterious chains once they left the isted space, he suddenly received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: External influence has been cleared. Soul Avatar¡¯s creation has been resumed.¡µ Right after Izroth received the system alert, the Eternal Devouring Crystalized Leech released a blinding white light. Thissted for a full minute before the light receded. As the light faded, the first thing that emerged was a resplendent pair of silver wings. Shortly after, a male that could only be described as breathtaking appeared. He wore a basic set of white robes and was slightly taller than Izroth. The male had wless fair skin and silky silver hair that stretched down to the middle of his back. As he slowly opened his eyes, one could see that the male possessed no pupils. But, the iris¡¯ of his eyes were the color of the morning sky. The silver wings were attached to the male¡¯s back expanded as he kneeled before Izroth without a word. ¡´System Alert: Your Soul Avatar has been sessfully formed! Please choose a name.¡µ ¡¯A name? I suppose it should be something fitting.¡¯ "You shall be called, Empyrean," Izroth stated. Immediately after Izroth named the Soul Avatar, several system alerts went off. ¡´System Alert: Empyrean has been granted the Unique Race ?Skybreaker?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Empyrean has been granted the Unique ss ?Paragon Skybreaker?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Empyrean stat and skill generationplete!¡µ ¡¯Skybreaker?¡¯ Izroth was unfamiliar with the race and ss that had been chosen for his Soul Avatar. However, given that both were unique, it should not be weak by any means. A few seconds after the system alerts, a status window regarding Empyrean popped up in front of Izroth. But, when Izroth saw what was disyed on the status window, he could not help but give a small helpless sigh. No wonder the mysterious chains wanted to obstruct this thing! If Izroth had to describe it, one word, in particr, came to his mind¡ªmonstrosity! Chapter 494 Soul Avatar: Skybreaker Empyrean, Child of the Skies!

Chapter 494 Soul Avatar: Skybreaker Empyrean, Child of the Skies!

As Izroth inspected Empyrean¡¯s status window, he had to look twice just to confirm that he was seeing things correctly. After all, if any other yer saw what was disyed before him, to say that they would faint from shock may not be an understatement. ¡¯This is a Soul Avatar?¡¯ Izroth inwardly shook his head. He was concerned that the time, resources, and effort he spent to cultivate the Soul Avatar would not be worth it. However... Name: Empyrean Experience: 0.00% Level: 1 ss: Paragon Skybreaker Race: Skybreaker Health: 10,000/10,000(+1,000) (100%) Mana: 100,250/100,250(+300) (100%) Attack: 2,000(+100) Defense: 2,000(+100) Agility: 2,000(+100) Magic: 5,000(+100) Physical Resistance: 75% Magical Resistance: 75% Luck: 3 Traits: -?Melded Sentience? -?Independent Soul Link? -?Independent Mind Link? -?Unworthy To Be Equipped? -?Innate Anti-Magic Body? -?True World Connection? -?Child of the Skies? -?Sky Domain: Heaven Connecting Tethers? Skills: -?Skybreak? - SSS Ranked -?Quasi-Divine Body? - SSS Ranked -?Absorption \u0026 Conversion? - SSS Ranked -?Ancient Spirit Magic: Celestial Winds? - SSS Ranked -?Mana Core: Complete Cycle? - SSS Ranked -?Mana Core: Third Cycle? - SS Ranked -?Sky Shattering Steps? - SS Ranked -?Sky Culling? - SS Ranked -?Peak Physique? - SS Ranked -?Great Spirit Magic: Wind Path? - SS Ranked -?Peak Physical Resistance? - S Ranked -?Peak Magical Resistance? - S Ranked -?Crowd Control Immunity? - S Ranked -?Poison Immunity? - S Ranked -?Debuff Immunity? - S Ranked -?Flight? - S Ranked -?Atmospheric Pulse? - S Ranked -?Shock Absorption? - S Ranked -?Spirit Magic: Wind Approach? - S Ranked -?Mana Core: Second Cycle? - S Ranked -?Mana Core: First Cycle? - A Ranked -?Magic Fundamental Mastery? - A Ranked ... It was entirely beyond Izroth¡¯s expectations! At level one, Empyrean¡¯s overall stats had already surpassed Izroth himself! But, what truly stood out among Empyrean¡¯s stats was not his extraordinary physical and magical resistances. Instead, Empyrean¡¯s magic and mana were on apletely different level! Not 1,000 or 10,000¡ªbut over 100,000 mana! This was the main reason that Izroth had to look twice despite his perfect memory! ¡¯Excluding the true dragons, I assumed that the Trephasias were the most magically gifted race in RML, given that they are born with vast amounts of magic and mana. However, it would seem that my knowledge leaves more to be desired. There are still countless strange races in RML that have yet to be discovered and remains hidden away.¡¯ Until just a few moments ago, Izroth did not even know that a powerful race called Skybreaker existed. Based solely on the information at his disposal, Izroth understood that not only were the Skybreaker a magically gifted race, but they also possessed the natural ability to fly. Furthermore, their connection to Spirit Magic appeared to be extremely deep¡ªperhaps even stronger than the Trephasia! How could such a domineering race not be mentioned in any books within the Amaharpe Pce Library? Or, could it be that information regarding them was located on a higher floor? ¡¯Can it be that this is a race that lives outside the Mortal Realm?¡¯ That was the first thought that drifted through Izroth¡¯s mind. After all, he was aware that the Mortal Realm was not the only ce out there. With the Shadahi Realm and Nether Realm¡¯s existence, it was likely that there were even more unknown realms in RML. Not to mention, Izroth had ess to information that other yers did not due to winning the second team¡¯s selection at the Sky Pce¡ªthe Lustrum Imperial Bout. The Lustrum Imperial Bout was a grandpetition between the various realms in RML that took ce in the Imperial Penins Realm. Since that was the case, Izroth was absolutely positive that races with innate talent on par with the true dragons would appear. Even races with simrities to the Trephasia that he never heard of before may not be umon. ¡¯I can see why the will of the world wanted to block this Skybreaker from appearing here. If it does not belong in the Mortal Realm, then it being rejected is not unexpected. In the future, if I get the opportunity to create a second Soul Avatar, I will have to proceed with caution. Depending on what materials I use, the degree of potential risk will change.¡¯ To be truthful, without the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman, Izroth estimated that he had less than a 15% chance of sess at suppressing the mysterious chains. His Luck stat also yed a huge role as it allowed him to use the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman twice. Therefore, Izroth understood that next time, he had to be appropriately prepared. The second thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the number of skills at or above the S-rank. Most yers in RMLcked even one S-ranked skill, yet Empyrean had twenty S-ranked or higher skills¡ªeven Izroth himself had less than half that number! But, what truly stood out was not the skills Empyrean had in his arsenal, but rather his traits. The first trait was Melded Sentience. In simple terms, it gave Empyrean his own "personality" so to speak. In other words, his active intelligence was on par with named NPCs such as Gear¡ªmaybe even slightly higher. As for Independent Soul Link and Independent Mind Link, they allowed Izroth to remain connected to Empyrean no matter how far away they were from one another. This also made it so that Empyrean shared Izroth¡¯s will despite having an individual personality and the ability to act for himself. The next trait on the list, Unworthy To Be Equipped, was something that Izroth did not know whether tough or cry about. It was a trait that genuinely lived up to its name as it did not allow Empyrean to equip anything below the divine rank. This meant that if it was not a divine-quality piece of equipment, then it was no better than trash in his eyes! The other traits also stood out and lived up to their names. However, when Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on what was at the bottom of the list, he could not help but inwardly furrow his brows. At level 1, Empyrean already had a domain. Not just any domain, but one of the Main Upper Eight domains, Sky. Izroth was already level 50, yet there were no signs of a domain emerging. Although Kayn said that it would happen naturally and he would know when it was time, Izroth could not help but feel that this Soul Avatar¡¯s fortune was even better than his own! As Izroth familiarized himself with Empyrean¡¯s traits and skills, Empyrean stood up straight as a frown appeared on his face as he looked around the room. Of course, Izroth noticed Empyrean¡¯s ufortable expression. "If you have something to say, you can speak freely," Izroth stated. Although Izroth could somewhat tell Empyrean¡¯s thoughts due to the Independent Mind Link trait, he was curious how his Soul Avatar would interact with him. "This ce is confining... Is there no sky that exists in this world?" Empyrean replied as the wings on his back stretched open before settling back in. ¡¯I see. Although this room is not small, it is not big either. Right now, he must feel like a fish out of water.¡¯ While Empyrean¡¯s reaction did not seem as severe as a Trephasia being in a ce of death without nature, one could tell that a disconnect from the sky negatively affected him. Not to mention, he was still new to this world. So, his knowledge of it was virtually nonexistent despite his physical appearance. "It exists. Outside this building, there is a sky that stretches further than the eye can see." Izroth answered. "I want to leave. Will you stop me?" Empyrean asked. To others, it may seem as though he was indirectly threatening Izroth. However, Empyrean¡¯s mute facial expression¡ªpaired with the pure tone that his voice carried¡ªmade him seem more like a child who was asking their parent if it was alright to y outside. In the end, Empyrean was Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar¡ªa part of him. Therefore, it was impossible for him to go against Izroth¡¯smand. Izroth shook his head and replied, "I won¡¯t stop you. However, I must first establish a few ground rules. Also, since you will be out, there are some things that I want you to take care of. As long as you handle these matters well, I do not mind letting you go where you please. Of course, if I call you, then you muste at once." Empyrean closed his eyes as he stayed silent for a moment before he gave a small nod and responded, "As you will." When Empyrean opened his eyes, it was as though the skies above filled every inch of the room. At that moment, if one stared into Empyrean¡¯s eyes, they would feel as though their body had left the room of the Mystical Realm Pce and suddenly reached a boundless sky. However, what Izroth did not know at the time was that Empyrean¡¯s existence in the Mortal Realm, while a great blessing... was also a cmitous curse. ... Several hours ago in the Mystical Realm Pce... The Mystical of Realm Pce¡¯s first floor was busy as usual, with yersing and going. The atmosphere was peaceful yet hearty as the order was well maintained. After all, no one wanted to be kicked out, or even worse, put on the shop¡¯s cklist and be banned from entering ever again. "Hey, did you hear? Out of a thousand yers, less than twenty were able to pass thepetition held by the Pce Master." "Ha? You actually believe that nonsense. It¡¯s probably just an exaggeration to make working here seem more exclusive than it is. Pfft, you don¡¯t even know this much?" "What?! Are you calling me a liar?!" "I ain¡¯t calling you a truther!" The two yers began to get into a heated argument that caused them to receive awkward looks from the nearby yers. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of footsteps approached the two yers as a polite voice soon entered their ears, "Dear customers, while we value your business, if you continue to disturb the other guests, I will be forced to ask you to depart this establishment." "Huh?! Who do you think you are?! Stay out of t-" One of the yers who was a part of the argument snapped as he turned to see the person who approached him. However, he immediately released a series of rough coughs as a nervous smile appeared on his face. He then continued, "I-I mean, we will keep it down. Just two friends joking around¡ªright?" "Yeah, yeah. Just joking around." The other yer responded with a forced smile. The one who approached the two yers and instantly settled the argument was none other than Opal, the Mystical Realm Pce manager. While Izroth was busy or away, it was her job to ensure that things at the shop ran smoothly. "As long as you understand," Opal said with a pleasant smile as she walked away from the scene, which caused the two yers to breathe a sigh of relief. If they got kicked out just then, who knew when or if they would be allowed back in?! They personally witnessed others who did not take Opal¡¯s warning seriously and were quickly ejected, as well as put on the shop¡¯s cklist. Still, who could have thought that the shop owner would give so much authority to an NPC? At the same time that Opal put an end to the argument, a woman entered into the Mystical Realm Pce. The woman wore a light blue and whitebat mage outfit. She had a tidy appearance with neat ice blue hair, and hidden behind the pair of sses on her face was piercingly cold eyes the color of the artic. Attached to her waist by a strap was a white book with a sky blue trim and arcane magic symbols embedded onto its cover. "So, this is the Mystical Realm Pce. It is my first time here in person, but it is just as busy as I imagined." The woman said as she took her first step forward. Chapter 495 Handling The Affairs of The Mystical Realm Palace

Chapter 495 Handling The Affairs of The Mystical Realm Pce

As the woman walked around the shop and examined a few things, she was pleasantly surprised by the order. However, when she stopped to view the listed pills for sale, her expression quickly darkened. "Ridiculous...! Why are the prices all over the ce...?! Does he know how much he¡¯s throwing away?!" The woman said as a hint of disbelief and outrage crept its way into her tone. She then continued, "I have to put a stop to this at once." While her clothes, hair, and eye color were different from reality, her overall features made her unmistakable. This woman was not just another guest of the Mystical Realm Pce. She was the individual Izroth hired as his official financial advisor, Fang Qiu! "Wee, Administrator Aurora. It is my pleasure to meet you. I am the head manager, Opal." Opal approached Fang Qiu just moments after she entered the Mystical Realm Pce. Opal properly greeted her and gave a polite bow. Fang Qiu¡¯s in-game name was Aurora, and she was currently listed as an Administrator of the Mystical Realm Pce. This meant that her authority level and ess to the Mystical Realm Pce were beneath only Izroth himself! When she logged onto RML, the first thing she did was add and contact Izroth. This was so that they could take some time to go over everything and develop a middle ground of sorts. But, just thinking back to the message she received from Izroth gave her a headache. His exact words were, "I made you an Administrator, so do what you want. If you need any assistance, just ask Opal." While it made her job much easier to have full control, Aurora had the urge to secretly strangle Izroth. Suppose she was someone with bad intentions. With the authority granted to her as an Administrator, she could clean out the entire Mystical Realm Pce and walk away with a small fortune! Was it he just that trusting of others? Or, was it carelessness? Aurora did not know what to think anymore. One thing was for sure, this was her first time dealing with a client like Izroth. "We have been expecting your arrival-" However, as Opal spoke, she was quickly cut off by Aurora. "I want everyone cleared out in less than five minutes. As for a reason¡ªtell them that we have to perform some important renovations. After that, I will need a ce to work and ess to the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯splete financial history, active and idle inventory, employment information, material suppliers..." Aurora started to list a multitude of things as Opal listened intently. After Aurora finished speaking, Opal replied respectfully, "I will take care of it at once. If you require a ce to work, the conference room on this floor is unupied." Opal did not question Aurora¡¯s intent. Not only did Aurora hold a higher position than her, but Opal was also instructed beforehand by Izroth to follow hermands as if they were his own. "Then, have what I requested delivered to the conference room in paper form by the time I return," Aurora stated as she walked towards the stairway that led to the second floor. Since it would take a while to familiarize herself with the various systemmands of the shop, she felt that it would be faster to do things the way that she was used to. She then continued, "I am going to inspect the remaining floors." ... A few momentster, Opal did asmanded and cleared the customers out of the Mystical Realm Pce. While some were reluctant, in the end, no one wanted to risk being cklisted andplied. Meanwhile, Aurora had justpleted her inspection of the remaining floors of the Mystical Realm Pce. Upon doing so, she received a general idea of the shop¡¯s operation procedures, or rather, theck thereof. If Aurora had to use one word to describe the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s current state, it would be individualistic. Everyone was doing what they wanted to when they wanted to without any real direction or instruction. While it was not wrong to give the craftsman the freedom to work on something of their choosing, it was not a sustainable management method and failed to maximize efficiency. This was the major problem that Aurora had to address¡ªor so she thought. Aurora arrived in the conference room not too long ago, and as she looked through the documents on the table, she could not help but release a long sigh. "This is utter chaos. How can anyone run a business this way?" Aurora sighed as she massaged the temples on the side of her head. Just from reviewing a handful of documents about the financial history, Aurora discovered that Izroth could have doubled, or possibly even tripled his profit! "The good news is that the foundation is not unsalvagable. But, numerous big and small adjustments need to be made. The prices need correcting, and I will have to implement a rotating inventory to increase value." Aurora muttered to herself as she sorted through the documents. In simple terms, rotating inventory¡¯s purpose was to have specific things avable at certain times. Not only would this allow the Mystical Realm Pce to stretch its already limited stock, but it would incentivize yers to visit the shop multiple times a week for different products. By creating more foot traffic, in the process, the ceiling amount of potential profit increased. Over the next several hours, Aurora spent her time implementing changes throughout the Mystical Realm Pce. There were some things that she left untouched for the moment, such as the craftsmen, as it required a separate approach. However, when it came to nearly everything else, it had been reorganized in some way by Aurora. "That should do it. It is a bit troublesome that I can¡¯t make the price differences too drastic. Though slowly making the changes throughout the week should keep us on schedule." Aurora said as she stretched her arms. She then turned to Opal and continued, "Opal, get ready to re-open the Mystical-" ...BOOOOOOOOM! Oooooooom! Out of nowhere, a deafening sound erupted throughout the Mystical Realm Pce as the entire shop shook violently. This caused Aurora and Opal to cover their ears as an oppressive aura washed over them. "What¡¯s happening?!" Aurora questioned, but her voice was drowned out by the ear-piercing noise. After what seemed like an eternityter, the sound and shaking slowly faded away and calmed down. When it stopped, Aurora and Opal removed their hands, which covered their ears. "What was that?" Aurora asked as she looked towards Opal for an exnation. Opal shook her head and replied, "I am uncertain. However, the source seems to have originated from the room that the Pce Master resides in." Since Opal was directly tied to the Mystical Realm Pce, it did not take her long to pinpoint the source. "It came from within the shop? Are the safety restrictions not in ce?" Aurora frowned. From what she knew, shops in RML were considered safe zones by default and generally unaffected by external events. "Safety restrictions are in ce," Opal confirmed. To be safe, Aurora sent a message via the system to Izroth to check on his situation. But, she did not receive a notification in return even though it clearly showed him online. "I¡¯m going to check on the situation. I want you to investigate the other floors and make sure that everyone is alright and ounted for." Aurora said as she stood to her feet and left the conference room. ... ¡¯As I thought, themotion was felt everywhere in the Mystical Realm Pce.¡¯ Izroth was alone, and the chains that were sealed in Isted Space were nowhere to be found. As he was going over his system messages, Izroth heard a sudden knock on the door. Knock! Knock! Knock! This was the only room in the RML where no one but him had direct ess. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth informed Opal not to let anyone disturb him unless it was an absolute emergency. Though, of course, the whole Mystical Realm Pce undergoing intense tremors was undoubtedly an exception. Izroth walked over and opened the door. What, or rather who greeted him was none other than Aurora. But, when Izroth saw her appearance, he could not help butment, "Aren¡¯t you living up to the name Ice Queen a bit too well?" Izroth could immediately tell that Aurora was, in fact, Fang Qiu. But, why was her appearance so fitting to the nickname she did not enjoy? Is this what it meant to act coy? Aurora nearly coughed up before at Izroth¡¯s first words. Who was living up to that ridiculous name?! Ice Queen your head! In truth, this appearance was not Aurora¡¯s choice. After she picked the Elemental Mage ss, she acquired the rare Ice as her primary element. However, unlike other Elemental Mages, Aurora¡¯s case was somewhat unique. She could not learn a secondary element due to her affinity with the Ice element being unnaturally high. It even went so far as changing her hair and eye color, as well as making her skin cold to the touch. Of course, when Mariposa found this out¡ªlet¡¯s just say that Aurora was close to erasing and remaking her character. "If you have the energy to make such jokes, then I assume you are fine," Aurora stated as she lightly pushed her sses up and restrained herself. Joke? If there was one thing Izroth found difficult getting used to in this world, it was the inhabitants¡¯ bizarre sense of humor. Though he had to admit that Zi Yi was quite good at telling jokes. Izroth and Aurora spoke regarding the events that just transpired and her handling of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s affairs. As for the exnation given by Izroth... An "unexpected" urrence took ce during his creation process. Naturally, Aurora believed that he was referring to pills. It was not that Izroth wanted to intentionally hide Empyrean¡¯s existence from Aurora, just that exining every little detail held no real purpose. When Aurora shared the changes she made to the Mystical Realm Pce with Izroth, he had no issues. Since he entrusted her to manage the Mystical Realm Pce, he did not n on tying her hands. Not to mention, when it came to the inner workings of running a business, Izroth had no interest. Therefore, it was better for him if Aurora was confident when managing the day to day operations. "The event is starting in a couple of hours. Have you made preparations?" Aurora asked. Given that Izroth¡¯s reputation was tied to the Mystical Realm Pce, earning good results in the event was bound to draw in people from all over RML. After all, this was not a local world event like the Protectors of Amaharpe¡ªbut a genuine world event! "Everything of concern has already been taken care of. Now, the only thing for me to do is wait patiently." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. [02 Hours and 10 Minutes remaining until the World Event begins!] Chapter 496 The Four Branches of War

Chapter 496 The Four Branches of War

... Two hours passed by quickly as the Mystical Realm Pce had already re-opened. Since Izroth hadpleted his preparations, he spent the remaining time with Aurora and caught up with her on her ns for the Mystical Realm Pce. Even though Izroth insisted that she could handle things in the way she wanted, Aurora still maintained that it was best that he stay up-to-date about his own business. As for what to do with the craftsmen Izroth hired for the Mystical Realm Pce, Aurora deemed that their monthly sry was too high¡ªeven whenpared to the yers from top guilds. However, she chose not to touch this for two reasons. The first was that Izroth had already promised them said sry. If he went back on his word, it would worsen his reputation and that of the Mystical Realm Pce. This would make it extremely challenging to hire skilled craftsmen in the future. The second reason had to do with attracting future talents to the Mystical Realm Pce. At that point, Aurora would implement a more percentage-based earnings depending on what the craftsman provides to the shop. Of course, they will also be given a base sry underneath that, but it would not be asrge as the previously hired craftsmen. Aurora¡¯s gaze swept through the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s first floor as she noticed the number of yers had drastically decreased after the initial rush from re-opening the doors. However, this was to be expected, considering what was right around the corner. "You can tell that a world event is starting. There are barely any yers here." Auroramented. She then turned towards Izroth and continued, "I still have a few things I want to finish up here. Are you going to head to the Event Center? The event starts in ten minutes." ¡¯There is also nothing left for me to do here. I suppose I should head out as well.¡¯ Izroth wanted to wait until thest minute because he knew that the Event Center would be crowded at the start of the registration period. By now, things should have calmed down considerably as opposed to earlier. Izroth opened up his system interface and examined the quest he received afterpleting Choosing Sides and picking a faction. Quest Name: War of the Titans(World Event) Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Quest Rank: Unique* Quest Objective: ??? Time Limit: N/A Kingdom of Origin: Amaharpe[Supporting Side: Proximus] Contribution Points: 0 War Rank: Unassigned(Please visit Event Center) Life(s) Remaining: N/A -Rank Rewards are based on contribution points. The more contribution points obtained during the war, the better the rewards. There are various ways to acquire contribution points, which include but are not limited to: -Eliminating enemies. -Gathering and donating resources or items for the war effort. -Completing War Objectives. -Providing useful information in rtion to the enemy. *Please Note: You may also lose contribution points if your actions are deemed detrimental to the war effort. If you do not register at an Event Center before the end of the registration period, you will automatically be assigned the lowest War Rank. Reward(All Participants): -100% Experience Booster Token[2 Hours] -50 silver coins Rank Reward(Winning Side Only): -??? Penalty(Losing Side Only): -Loss of all reputation with the opposing side. -??? While there was technically no cut off time for when one could register, some yers held the impression that the earlier one registered, the greater the war ranked they would obtain. Even though this was just a baseless rumor circting around RML, many yers took it seriously and rushed to register as soon as they were able to. Izroth, on the other hand, found it inconceivable that one¡¯s war rank would be determined by who arrived first. If anything, it would make more sense to choose based upon the yer¡¯s level. "Then, I will take my leave here. As for the other matters you mentioned, you can do what you see fit." Izroth said as he made his way towards the exit of the Mystical Realm Pce. As he walked away, Aurora released a long sigh. This guy¡ªhow could he have such a rxed and carefree expression on his face when a world event was about to start? Was he not nervous? After all, while her informationwork was not the best in RML, even she was aware that Izroth had attracted the eyes of many individuals¡ªboth with unknown and bad intentions. Without a doubt, this event would be the perfect opportunity for Izroth¡¯s enemies to suppress his rise, and from what Aurora knew, the individuals he offended were not just some nobodies that could be brushed off. Aurora shook her head and said, "There is no use worrying about it. All I can do right now is to provide support in the background. Everything else is something he will have to handle using his own hands. Hopefully, it is enough." ... A few minutester, Izroth reached the entrance to the Event Center. He had only been to this ce one time before today, which was after he left the Chaotic Dogma Realm. ¡¯More yers are enteringst minute than I expected. It appears that not everyone fell for that rumor.¡¯ Fortunately, even though there were more yers than Izroth anticipated, it did not take long for him to reach the information counter and speak with one of the NPCs. The NPC was a healthy-looking human male who resembled someone in theirte twenties with tanned skin, short silver hair, and green eyes. He wore uniformed clothes befitting someone of the Event Center, but there was a fierce aura that naturally emitted from him as if he had experienced many harsh battlefields. ¡¯Oh? The NPCs this time around are certainly stronger than myst visit here.¡¯ NPC Name: War Brigade Captain Tenze(Elite) NPC Level: 50 When Izroth looked closer around the Event Center, he noticed that there seemed to be a great deal of high-level NPCs located at specific information counters. Most likely, they were here precisely because of the event. "Wee, young warrior. There sure are a lot of you spirited adventurers today. More than I anticipated have joined our branch. Are you here to register for the War Brigade, as well?" Tenze asked. ¡¯Branch?¡¯ Izroth did not know that there were multiple branches that one could register for during the event. The Amaharpe War Brigade was the primary armed forces of Amaharpe¡ªhe knew this much. But, he was curious as to what else was avable. "Are there other branches I can register for?" Izroth asked. Tenze frowned at Izroth words; however, he still answered, "You can register to one of any four branches. My War Brigade focuses on disying our prowess on the battlefield. There is also the Resource Management Division, whose job is to gather resources and materials for the war effort. Then, there is the War Intelligence Group and the General Support Unit. The former¡¯s goal is to collect useful information and distribute it to our allies. Thetter¡¯s purpose is just as it sounds, general support¡ªto provide support wherever it is needed. Ah, I should also mention that all of our branches are connected with our allies for this war effort. However, if you wish to make a name for yourself, I would advise against joining the General Support Unit." Tenze exined. ¡¯So that¡¯s how it is.¡¯ Based on Tenze¡¯s description of the branches, Izroth¡¯s interest leaned towards joining the War Brigade. The Resource Management Division seemed to be more for craftsmen, and the War Intelligence Group probably required one to infiltrate enemy backlines to acquire information. Of course, Izroth¡¯s ystyle was not exactly stealthy, and so he pushed this aside. However, he was interested in Tenze¡¯sst statement. "The War Brigade seems suitable; however, is there something wrong with the General Support Unit?" Izroth questioned. Tenze gave a light sigh and replied, "Wrong? No, nothing is necessarily wrong with it, but if I had to give it a reason, it¡¯s usually only for those who are not confident in making it with their own skills in the other three branches. They have no generals and only onemander, so their numbers are small. The order in other branches are strict, but those in the General Support Unit are usually left to their own devices,ing and going when and where they please. But, without any direction, it¡¯s not easy to make a name for yourself." Tenze then pointed towards one of the nearby information counters with no yers lined up in front of it and continued, "See that ce there with no one lined up? That¡¯s the General Support Unit¡¯s information counter. That alone should give you a good picture of its reputation and reliability." Only weak lower level yers would ever remotely contemte joining the General Support Unit, as it seemed the most rxed and carefree. As for the other branches, their requirements were more strict. But, it was just as Tenze said for the other branches¡ªit was much easier to make a name for one¡¯s self as long as you possessed the talent or strength. Naturally, the top guilds and vast majority of yers would all swarm to those branches. "I see. You¡¯ve made my choice quite easy." Izroth said with a carefree expression on his face. Tenze nodded, "Then, I will register you for the War Brigade at once-" "War Brigade?" Izroth cut Tenze off. When did he ever mention joining the War Brigade? Tenze had a questioning look on his face as Izroth walked away from his counter. However, his questioning look soon turned to disbelief, then quickly to disappointment. It seemed he had made a misjudgment! Izroth stopped in front of the General Support Unit¡¯s information counter. When he arrived, there was a woman behind the counter with long and messy purple hair that looked as if she had just gotten out of bed. Compared to Tenze¡¯s neat uniform, the woman¡¯s uniform was disorganized and wrinkled. But, perhaps the most bizarre thing of all was that this woman was fast asleep at the information counter, lightly snoring without a care in the world, while drool trickled down the side of her mouth. "Hehe... No~ I couldn¡¯t eat another bite~... Okay, maybe one more..." The woman was actually talking in her sleep with a smug smile on her face. ¡¯This is...¡¯ NPC Name: General Support Unit Commander, Seraphina(???) NPC Level: ??? ¡¯...the leader of the General Support Unit?¡¯ ording to Tenze, the General Support Unit only had onemander. This meant that the person sleeping before Izroth was none other than the head of the General Support Unit! ¡¯Is the General Support Unit that short on manpower?¡¯ The War Brigade could afford to send multiple captains, which was only one rank below that of amander, to act as recruiters. The other branches also had numerous high-ranking individuals and multiple information counters. However, the General Support Unit seemed only to have this single information counter at its disposal. Still, for the person-in-charge to be here herself¡ªTenze may have been acting polite when he said that it was not easy to make a name for yourself in the General Support Unit! "Mm... Ah..? A person still joining thiste..?" Seraphina had awakened not too long after Izroth approached as she lifted her head slightly to look up at him with one of her eyes open. The color of that eye matched that of a morning glory flower. She then continued, "Registering sote... You should be more responsible, you know..? Besides, are you sure you¡¯re even at the right counter...?" Seraphina yawned as she spoke¡ªthough thest part of her sentence was something she muttered to herself. Responsible? Was thising from the same woman who was half-asleep with drool running down her mouth?! Izroth brushed off the Seraphina¡¯s words and said, "I want to join the General Support Unit¡ªis that an issue?" "Ehhhh? Why not one of the other branches? I don¡¯t want more paperwork; it¡¯s a paaaain. I have to do it all myself, you know?" Seraphina whined as she wiped the drool from her mouth with the back of her hand. This... Was this person really the head of the General Support Unit?! Chapter 497 Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina

Chapter 497 Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina

Despite her questionable behavior as a branch leader, Izroth knew that the woman before him was not simple. The number of named NPCs that he hade across in RML that had their rank and level hidden were few and far between. Izroth did not know why such an individual would be a minormander for the General Support Unit; however, if what Tenze said about the branch¡¯s rxed atmosphere was authentic, Izroth had a good idea behind Seraphina¡¯s presence there. After a few moments passed, Seraphina noticed that Izroth was still not moving away. He just stood there with a carefree smile on his face. This was not the first time Izroth had dealt with someone like Seraphina. The more words one used with someone like her, the further away they¡¯d drift from their initial purpose. Therefore, the best response was silence. "Tch..." Seraphina clicked her tongue and looked off to the side. She then released a long sigh as she rubbed the back of her head and said, "You¡¯re persistent, you know? Fine, I got it. I got it already! I¡¯ll register you. Go stand in front of the window and ce your hand on it." Seraphina covered her mouth as she yawned and pointed to the window right next to the General Support Unit¡¯s information counter. Izroth followed Seraphina¡¯s instructions and approached the window that had a mirror, which disyed his reflection. Soon, Izroth¡¯s image disappeared as a blinking red orb in the form of a handprint emerged at the mirror¡¯s center. "ce your hand on it and confirm that you want to join the General Support Unit. After that¡ªwell, just do whatever you want. Ah, my sweet precious sleep... I was having such a good dream too..." Seraphina stated as she put her head back down on the information counter and closed her eyes. At the same time, Izroth ced his hand on the handprint as a surge of energy briefly spread throughout his body before quickly dispersing. A few secondster, a robotic voice rang out that came directly from the mirror in front of him. "yer recognized as Izroth. Event recognized as War of the Titans. War Branch is currently unassigned. Do you wish to be assigned to the General Support Unit?" The robot voice echoed. "Yes," Izroth confirmed. "One moment, please... Error. yer¡¯s recorded value exceeds that of the General Support Unit¡¯s maximum criteria. yer is unable to be assigned to the General Support Unit. War Brigade is highly rmended." Exceeded value? Unable to be assigned? Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. He did not know that there was a maximum criterion that the General Support Unit had set. The voice had also rmended to him which branch he should join! Wasn¡¯t this practically forcing him to choose the War Brigade?! Seraphina¡¯s ears twitched when she overheard the voice from the registration system as she slowly sat up straight. This was the first time she heard of the registration system rejecting someone and redirecting them to a different branch. "You haven¡¯t even joined the General Support Unit, and you¡¯re already making me do more work than usual, you know?" Seraphina grumbled as she stood to her feet and gently rubbed her sleepy eyes. Seraphina walked straight forward, and when she came into contact with the information counter, she phased right through it as if nothing was there! When Izroth witnessed this, he immediately thought that it was spatial magic. However, if that were the case, Izroth would have seen signs of it from the ripples in space due to his Spatial Awareness skill. But, there was not so much as a single fluctuation. He was also confident that the information counter was as solid as could be. Unless there was some hidden magic inscription in ce, Seraphina¡¯s real strength might be even more terrifying than he initially imagined. ¡¯Could it be... Matter maniption magic? I read a bit about it, but it¡¯s an extreme rarity because of the difficulty it requires to master even the basics. This person is not an ordinarymander.¡¯ If what Izroth spected about Seraphina was urate, he found it hard to believe that she would deliberately be assigned as amander. After all, Amaharpe was a strong kingdom; but, it was not powerful to the point that it could afford to overlook someone of Seraphina¡¯s nature. "Hey, stupid thing, why is this the first I hear of any criteria?" Seraphina said as she stood next to Izroth before the mirror. ¡¯Will it even respond to being called-¡¯ "Applicant¡¯s fame in Amaharpe is too high. Applicant identified to hold the title Protector of Amaharpe." Against Izroth¡¯s expectations, the mirror responded! Meanwhile, Seraphina seemed momentarily surprised by the mirror¡¯s response. But it onlysted for a short moment. However, she had to say that she did not expect someone with the title of Protector of Amaharpe to join the General Support Unit willingly. To acquire that title was not easy by any means. Nevertheless... "Are you messing with me, stupid thing? How is that enough to be denied entry into my prestigious General Support Unit? Huh? You picking a fight with me or something? Do you think I won¡¯t take you apart here and now?" Seraphina scowled as she ced both her hands on the mirror as if she were arguing with an actual person. "Violence is never the answer to-" The robotic voice spoke out; however, midway through, Seraphina¡¯s hands started to phase through and sink into the mirror as a smug grin appeared on her face. "Applicant is in possession of a Golden Lustrum Imperial Token." The robotic voice quickly stated. After she received her answer, Seraphina removed her hands from the mirror. ¡¯This woman... Did she just threaten an automated system?¡¯ As this thought passed through Izroth¡¯s head, Seraphina spoke in a monotone voice with a dead expression in her eyes as she said, "Why does the owner of a Golden Lustrum Imperial Token want to join the General Support Unit?" Who did not know of the prestige brought about by owning one of those tokens?! Individuals who held onto a Golden Lustrum Imperial Token would represent the Mortal Realm in the uing Lustrum Imperial Bout. Since they acted as representatives for the entire realm, they were naturally treated as heroes by the various kingdoms and deserved a great deal of respect. After all, surviving that brutal selection process was one thing, but cing within the top ten was a whole other story. "I will tell you now; you are better off joining the War Brigade as this thing rmended. Do you know about war ranks?" Seraphina asked. "I know a thing or two about them. However, some parts remain unanswered." Izroth responded. Seraphina sighed with a bothered appearance on her face. Five minutes¡ªif this guy came five minutester, then she would not have had to go through all of this and do so much unnecessary work! But, since he possessed a Golden Lustrum Imperial Token, Seraphina could already feel a headacheing on from "certain people" if she just shooed him away. "Listen carefully as I¡¯ll only exin it once..." Seraphina went on to reveal to Izroth how war ranks worked. ¡¯Interesting. Simple, but overall efficient.¡¯ ording to Seraphina, there were a total of ten war ranks. The lowest and mostmon, which made up the vast majority of the fighting force, were Soldiers. All Soldiers started at the rank of 10th ss and could work their way up to 1st ss. After reaching 1st ss, there was a chance for them to be promoted to a 5-Man Squad Leader. Just as its name stated, that person would be in charge of a 5-man group that would consist of Soldiers. Next was the 10-Man Squad Leader. This individual wouldmand and oversee two 5-Man Squad Leaders, as well as the Soldiers under them, all of who would have to report to the 10-Man Squad Leader. Thismand structure continued in this way to the very top with those of a lower rank being directly supervised by someone who was a rank above them. The rest of the war ranks after the 10-Man Squad Leader, from lowest to highest went Lieutenant, Captain, Commander, General, High General, Warlord, andstly, Warmaster. There was only one Warmaster per kingdom, and they were the suprememanders who held the final word over war-rted matters. For example, this time around, the Warmaster of the Proximus kingdom was the one who made the war deration, King Zenrou Proximus. In the end, themand structure for every war rank looked something as followed: [Warmaster: 1][Commands: 2 Warlords \u0026 180,000+ Troops] [Warlords:2 ][Commands: 3 High Generals \u0026 90,000+ Troops] [High Generals: 6][Commands: 5 Generals \u0026 15,000+ Troops] [Generals: 30][Commands: 5 Commanders \u0026 3,000+ Troops] [Commanders: 150][Commands: 8 Captains \u0026 1,200+ Troops] [Captains: 1,200][Commands: 3 Lieutenants \u0026 150+ Troops] [Lieutenants: 3,600][Commands: 5 10-Man Squad Leaders \u0026 50+ Troops] [10-Man Squad Leaders(Soldier 1st ss): *[1]18,000][Commands: 2 5-Man Squad Leaders \u0026 10 Troops] [5-Man Squad Leaders(Soldier 1st ss): *36,000][Commands: 5 Soldiers \u0026 *5 Troops] [Soldiers 1st-10th ss: 175,000+][Commands: None \u0026 0 Troops] Since all Squad Leaders were technically Soldiers 1st ss, their numbers were naturally included along with normal Soldiers. However, with yers joining the branches, these numbers would surely change over time. While Amaharpe, Proximus, and their various allies¡¯ armies were tied together, one still had to respect the setmand structure. This meant that if a High General from Proximus wanted to give an order to a General from Amaharpe, unless instructed otherwise by their own superior, they would have to carry out that order. This type of situation, however, usually only urred in the middle of a chaotic battle. Of course, the exception to this rule was the General Support Unit since they acted independently for the most part. "I will be upfront¡ªno matter how much you struggle, the highest war rank you can acquire in the General Support Unit is Captain. Ah, but even if you do get Captain, the troops are busy doing my portion of work-..." Seraphina quickly cleared her throat. She then continued, "...Our numbers are stretched too thin. So, don¡¯t think that I can afford to give you 150 people tomand. Of course, if you can gather your own people, then I won¡¯tin. Even knowing this, do you still want to join the General Support Unit?" Seraphina asked. "I only need to know one thing. Will you restrict my movement?" Izroth questioned. Commanding numerous unknown individuals? War ranks? Were such things necessary? Izroth¡¯s primary purpose when it came to selecting a branch was only one thing¡ªto move freely without restriction! "Ha? Why would I bother doing something so tiresome? Are you alright in the head? Were you dropped as a child? I-I know healing magic." Seraphina slightly trembled with a fearful look in her eyes as if the mere mention of work was enough to frighten her. Izroth inwardly shook his head. Was this person truly that against doing work? "As long as you don¡¯t restrict my movement, then the war rank does not matter to me," Izroth stated. The reward system was based on contribution points, not war rank. Therefore, Izroth was not too concerned about this part. "So persistent... Fine, let¡¯s get this over with so I can go back to sleep." Seraphina said as she smacked the mirror. She then leaned in close and whispered to the mirror, "Stupid thing, remove that restriction and ept this guy for me, or else I¡¯ll..." Seraphina murmured a few more choice words as the mirror soon sounded off. "Manual Overrideplete. yer Izroth has been assigned to the General Support Unit. War Rank assigned, Lieutenant." The robotic voice announced. "Lieutenant? That¡¯s too troublesome. He seems to like work, so just give him Captain. He has a token, right? It should be fine." Seraphina said in a careless tone as she tapped on the mirror. "General Support Unit does not possess enough active members for an additional Captain to-" But, before the robotic voice could give aplete statement, Seraphina gave it an annoyed stare. "yer Izroth¡¯s War Rank has been promoted to Captain." The robotic voice dered. Right after the robotic voice finished its sentence, a system alert went off. But, it was not just any system alert; it was a world alert! ¡¯It¡¯s starting.¡¯ ¡´World Alert: The event ?War of the Titans? has begun!¡µ ¡´World Alert: Event Interface is now unlocked for all participating yers!¡µ The world event, War of the Titans, was finally here! [1] * in this usage means that the numbers mentioned are not counted separately from the total. Chapter 498 Missed Timing, To Xanaharpe!

Chapter 498 Missed Timing, To Xanaharpe!

... Once the event officiallymenced, the first thing Izroth did was open his Event Interface to get a better understanding of itsyout and features. Izroth also received several messages from those he knew who had already joined a war branch and was deployed toplete war objectives immediately after the event started. Seraphina, on the other hand,ined about her nap being cut short and left the Event Center not too long after the event started. Before she stepped out, Seraphina mentioned that Izroth should report to the General Support Unit¡¯s main base of operation before venturing too freely. Unfortunately, Seraphina did not bother to exin any more than that before she promptly disappeared¡ªas if to escape having to go through the trouble of exining in greater detail. However, she was not the only NPC who took her leave. Tenze and all the other NPCs behind the information counters had also withdrawn from the Event Center. A group of ordinary NPCs who looked as though they originally belonged to the Event Center had shown up in their ce. This was no doubt in direct rtion to the registration perioding to an end. From here on out, if anyone wanted to participate in the world event, they would be randomly assigned to a branch and given the lowest war rank of Soldier 10th ss. Izroth finished reviewing the Event Interface and discovered that it was simr to the Netherworld Exchange in multiple ways¡ªbut with a wider variety of features. Instead of vouchers, yers could use their contribution points to purchase equipment, weapons, potions, materials, and just about anything else that came to mind. With enough contribution points, one could even buy a war rank promotion! However, unlike the Netherworld Exchange, there was no instant delivery system. There were only two ways that yers could im the item of their purchase. One method involved spending extra contribution points to have the item directly delivered to them via delivery messenger. This delivery cost was not cheap, and it varied based on distance from the nearest allied outpost. This option was likely to be the least favorite for yers as no one wanted to lose their contribution points for a mere delivery. The second option was less convenient but did not cost the yer a single contribution point. It was to pick up the item from the closest allied outpost. These outposts were spread throughout every kingdom; however, the further one traveled away from an allied kingdom, the fewer the outposts that would be avable. At the top-right corner of the Event Interface was the symbol of a spear pointing towards the sky with a wingless dragon curved around it. When Izroth touched the symbol, a nk list appeared before him with the words "War Objectives" written at the very top. ¡¯Everyone else has started to ept war objectives and yet... I suppose the differences between the branches are already showing.¡¯ Not even a half a second after Izroth opened the list, the message "No War Objectives Currently Avable" appeared at the center of it. But, Izroth expected as much for the General Support Unit. This was even more so taking into ount that the event had just begun. ¡¯Since there are no war objectives, for now, I will head to the General Support Unit¡¯s main base of operation. As for this thing¡ªI have no immediate use for it. But, it would be a shame to let it go to waste.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on a majestic emblem in the shape of a blue-phoenix covered in mes. This was the insignia of the General Support Unit. However, this was not something that all yers had as part of their system interface. It was likely that Izroth was only one of the few, if not the sole individual to have acquired it. When Izroth waved his hand in front of the emblem, the war objectives list closed and was reced by a new disy. [General Support Unit War Rank Assignment] [Lieutenants: 0/3] [10-Man Squad Leader: 0/15] [5-Man Squad Leader: 0/30] [Soldiers 1st-10th ss: 0/150] Izroth did not think that Seraphina was serious when she told him to pick his own people. Wasn¡¯t this action a bit careless for someone who was supposed to be a war branch leader? Nevertheless, even with ess to the War Rank Assignment, Izroth could only promote official members of the General Support Unit. However, as Tenze exined earlier, no one but new and casual yers would voluntarily join the General Support Unit. Even if Izroth could promote someone, he first had to find a somewhat capable person. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame to let it go to waste. But, this much is fine.¡¯ In the first ce, Izroth never intended tomand people¡ªeven with the war rank of Captain, as it would require additional attention that he did not wish to spare. There was no time to hold the hands of new yers and walk them through every step. After all, he had his own goals for this event. Izroth closed out the Event Interface after learning the coordinates of the General Support Unit¡¯s main base of operation. It was not located in the capital city but within the defended outpost city of Xanaharpe, situated near the Amaharpe kingdom¡¯s borders. Izroth stepped outside the Event Center and was about to head towards Xanaharpe when he caught sight of a familiar individual out of the corner of his eye. This person had a gloomy and defeated aura about them as they sat on the staircase that led into the Event Center. At the moment, it was no longer crowded since all yers had departed. "Is something troubling you?" Izroth asked as he descended the stairs and stopped next to them. "?!" At first, they seemed startled to hear Izroth¡¯s voice and immediately became defensive; however, when they turned to see who it was with their pair of stunning silver eyes, they rxed their guard. "Pce Master? You¡¯re still in the city?" The person Izroth ran into had slightly curled light blonde hair with blue and white leather armor that resembled that of cloth, and at their side was a thin yet beautiful silver sheath that housed a de. She was Maeva, one of the yers who had recently joined Izroth¡¯s Mystical Realm Pce during thepetition. "The war is not going anywhere, so I am in no particr rush. Why are you sitting out here? With your skills, I am sure you will have no trouble making a name for yourself in the Resource Management Divison." Izroth stated. Izroth was not polite with his words but merely speaking the truth. Not only was Maeva an Alchemist, but her talisman making abilities were nothing to scoff at and probably ranked among the best in RML. Making a name for herself in the Resource Management Division should not be a significant issue as long as she put forth the effort. However, Izroth¡¯s words seemed to have only worsened Maeva¡¯s spirits¡ªas if he had just rubbed salt in her wounds. ¡¯Hm? Did I misspeak?¡¯ Maeva let out a faint sigh of disappointment as she said, "It is an error on my part. About this..." Maeva then exined the reason for her current mood, and after hearing it, Izroth could not help but feel that she was simultaneously fortunate and unfortunate. After learning that Gu Chao refined a superior-ranked material to ancient-ranked, Maeva¡¯spetitive spirit became active. Therefore, she spent her time crafting talismans in an attempt to break through her previous barriers. In the end, after much trial and error, Maeva was sessful. She had managed to create a talisman with not one but two grades! While the sess rate was nowhere close to 100%, it was still a vital step forward on her path as a talisman maker! But, misfortune soon struck as the time had eluded her. One of the Alchemists from the Mystical Realm Pce had just returned from registering, and when they saw that Maeva had still not left, they informed her that she did not have long. They joked about her being automatically ced into the useless General Support Unit and wasting her time away during the event. Without hesitation, Maeva rushed to the Event Center; however, just as she arrived at its top step, the world alert sounded off¡ªshe had missed the registration period! ¡¯From the sound of her story, it appears that she did not get assigned to the Resource Management Division. Then...¡¯ "What branch were you assigned to?" Izroth questioned. Since she missed the chance to pick manually, the system should have automatically assigned her to a random war branch. "The General Support Unit," Maeva replied as another sigh escaped from in between her lips. She then continued, "I do not know much about it, but one of the other Alchemists did not have anything good to say. Is it true that the General Support Unit is useless?" "Hm..." The first thing that came to Izroth¡¯s mind was an image of Seraphina drooling with a smug smile on her face as she slept behind the information counter. "I suppose it¡¯s not too far from the truth," Izroth answered. He then mentioned, "War objectives are hard toe by, there is no realmand structure, so everyone does whatever they please for the most part, and the members are far from plentiful." Each statement was like an additional stab for Maeva. She felt as if she had asked the wrong person that question! Who thought that the Pce Master would be someone who enjoyed the misfortunate of others? However, just as this thought invaded Maeva¡¯s mind, Izroth¡¯s voice entered into her ears once again. "But, I will say this much. If you had to have the protection of anyone during this war, one of the best would be the leader of the General Support Unit. Also, if you need some reassurance, I, too, am a part of the General Support Unit." Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. Maeva was astounded by the Izroth¡¯s sudden revtion. She wondered why someone of the Pce Master¡¯s caliber would join the General Support Unit instead of the War Brigade. With the Mystical Realm Pce behind him, he would even do well in the Resource Management Division. "Light and darkness are usually never far from one another. Since your circumstances are set, you can only do your best to make the most of them." Izroth said. Not too long after he finished speaking, Maeva received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Captain Izroth of the General Support Unit has promoted Soldier 10th ss Maeva of the General Support Unit to the war rank of Lieutenant!¡µ "Until you decide on how to do that, you are wee to apany me, ¡¯Lieutenant Maeva¡¯," Izroth affirmed. ... After traveling for several hours and passing various checkpoints, Izroth and Maeva finally arrived at the outpost city, Xanaharpe. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the outpost city, ?Xanaharpe?!¡µ But, the moment the two stepped through the city¡¯s gates, they were met with a pleasant surprise. ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ Chapter 499 The General Support Units Main Base of Operations

Chapter 499 The General Support Unit¡°s Main Base of Operations

¡¯Oh? It finally appeared.¡¯ This was the first time since the beginning of the event that Izroth¡¯s war objectives had been updated. "I was starting to believe that we were never going to get a single war objective. To obtain one as soon as we stepped into the city¡ªit is safe to assume that it is of the vicinity-type ssification." Maeva stated as she opened her Event Interface for confirmation. She then asked, "Should we ept the request now or wait until after we visit the General Support Unit¡¯s base, Izroth?" After traveling together for several hours, Maeva had be morefortable around Izroth and even started to address him by name instead of as Pce Master. To Izroth¡¯s surprise, once Maeva broke past the initial awkwardness of traveling alone with him, she was more friendly and open than he initially thought. Since Maeva regrly gave off a solemn and distant aura around others, he believed that she would have difficulty getting along with the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s members. However, it turned out that Maeva was not intentionally giving off such an aura; she was just a naturally shy individual. "Let¡¯s drop by the base first. If the war objective is still there after weplete our business, then we will ept it." Izroth replied. Not too long after, Izroth and Maeva made their way to the General Support Unit¡¯s base near the city¡¯s center. In terms of size and grandiose appearance, Xanaharpe did note anywhere close to matching to Amaharpe¡¯s capital city. It could, at most, bebeled as an average town in the Amaharpe kingdom. Nevertheless, it was bustling with yers and NPCs going to and from ce to ce. Xanaharpe was well guarded, and the number of troops entering the city seemed to be steadily increasing with each passing moment. "Is something big going to happen soon?" Maeva questioned as she saw members of the War Brigade moving busily throughout the streets. NPC Name: War Brigade Soldier 10th ss NPC Level: 20 NPC Name: War Brigade Soldier 8th ss NPC Level: 22 NPC Name: War Brigade Soldier 1st ss NPC Level: 30 "Given where this ce is situated, it is only a matter of time before someone makes the first move. It is no longer a question of how, but when." Izroth stated. On their way to the General Support Unit¡¯s base, he exined to Maeva the circumstances surrounding Xanaharpe that he acquired during his time in the Amaharpe Pce Library. Xanaharpe usually acted as both an outpost and trade town since it was close to the borders of the First Kingdom Amaharpe, Sixth Kingdom Rosentarus, and Seventh Kingdom Malentansium. Located at a point not too far away from Xanaharpe was a piece ofnd known as the Unsanctioned Zone. At this spot, the borders of Amaharpe, Rosentarus, and Malentansium were all connected. The Unsanctioned Zone was also filled with a bountiful amount of natural resources and rare materials, causing each of the three kingdoms to build an outpost near it to ensure that the other parties kept the agreement. However, now that a war had broken out, there was no guarantee that the other side would not overstep their boundaries. The good news was that Amaharpe was on friendly terms with Rosentarus and both were not on the best of terms with Malentansium, who had close ties to the kingdom of Tempest. This created a natural disadvantage for Malentansium. But, that did not mean Amaharpe and Rosentarus would have an easy time upying the Unsanctioned Zone. After all, Malentansium¡¯s military might was nothing to scoff at. "If it¡¯s as you say, then a huge event is bound to take ce here sooner orter. We may be able to walk away with a nice sum of contribution points. If we are lucky enough, perhaps we can also gather some useful materials and resources." Maeva stated. "There will be an ample number of opportunities birthed from this location. We must make the most of them." Izroth affirmed. ¡¯Is this part of the reason why she rmended I visit this ce first?¡¯ If Seraphina did rmend this ce while taking into ount everything they had just mentioned, then... ¡¯She may care about things more than she let on.¡¯ ... A few momentster... ¡¯I take it back. That woman is too careless.¡¯ Izroth and Maeva were inside of the General Support Unit¡¯s main base of operation¡ªif it could be called that. It was a small building, not even half the size of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s first floor. Five individuals were running around hectically, and the person who appeared to be inmand was behind a desk with multiple stacks of paperwork piled to the ceiling. They were a light-skinned male who appeared to be in their early thirties with a shiny bald head, dark blue eyes, and sharp facial features. He wore a magnificent silver-ted armor with a golden trim around its edges. NPC Name: General Support Unit 4th Division Captain of the 1st Unit Hyasin(Rare) NPC Level: 50 "That Commander...! When I see her next time, I swear I¡¯ll say something! I¡¯ll really say something next time. I promise I will!" Hyasin muttered to himself as he continued to fill out the mountain of paperwork. "Heh, don¡¯t you always say that, Captain?! I¡¯m afraid when ites to the Commander, you don¡¯t dare to decline. Hahaha!" One of the individuals who ran around hecticallymented. It was soon followed by theughter of all the General Support Unit members present. "Who says I can¡¯t decline?! Watch how I turn her away next time-" Hyasin was speaking when one of the other GSU [1]members abruptly spoke out. "Commander Seraphina, you¡¯re back already?" One of the members said. "Commander! I am doing the paperwork just like you asked! See? How about the two of us go to lunch together, my treat-" Hyasin¡¯s expression quickly turned to one of delight as from his cheeks to his ears turned bright red, and he stood to his feet in excitement. But, when he looked towards the entrance and saw that Seraphina was not there, he fell silent and slowly dropped by into his seat. However, theughter around him erupted into a roaring sea. "Ahahaha! What decline? Captain, we know that you are in love with the Commander. How can you turn her down when she asks something of you? Ahahaha!" "Yeah, yeah! We¡¯re rooting for you, Captain!" "Captain, is it true that you joined the GSU with a full head of long hair, but it fell out after just one year?" "Y-you all... Ahhhhh! I swear the next time, I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll confess my feelings! Curses, I got some sand in my eyes!" Hyasin said as he wiped away his forming tears. "Huh? But, we¡¯re inside a building. How can there be sand here...?" One of the GSU members mumbled to themselves. "Besides, what do you know?! The Commander herself said she loves hardworking bald guys!" Hyasin dered proudly. ... A couple of hours ago at the GSU main base of operations before Izroth and Maeva¡¯s arrival... "Hey~ Hyasin~ You see, I have soooo much paperwork. And, and I need some help, you know? It¡¯s too much to handle alone, and I know that I can always count on you in my time of need, you know? So, like, can you like help me out here?" Seraphina spoke in an innocent and coy manner with her lips slightly perked out as she fluttered her eyes, twiddled her fingers, and constantly fidgeted around. "I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll do my best and take care of it at once, Commander! S-So, about lunch-" Hyasin epted without hesitation but was met with an empty gust of wind the moment the first few words escaped his mouth. "Thanks, Hyasin! You¡¯re the best! I knew I could count on you! Hardworking bald guys sure are the best!" Seraphina was already headed out the door waving goodbye the moment Hyasin epted as she sped away from the scene! "...the best... the best... best..." Thest few words echoed into Hyasin¡¯s ears as he fell quiet. "...ALRIGHT! I WILL GET ALL THIS PAPERWORK DONE! I¡¯M FIRED UP NOW!" Hyasin roared, as the other members of the GSU, looked at him with eyes of pity. At that moment, the same thought entered through the minds of GSU members simultaneously, "The Commander sure is ruthless in her own way." ... "This... Are you sure we are in the correct ce?" Maeva questioned as she furrowed her brows. Compared to the War Brigade members she saw marching down the street in uniformed order, the GSU members seemed way too lighthearted being so close to a potential warzone. "These are the correct coordinates," Izroth answered. "Oh? More new arrivals?" One of the NPCs carrying a stack of papers stopped when he noticed Izroth and Maeva. He was somewhat on the short side with long ck hair tied up, brown eyes, and wore casual clothing with a sword attached to the belt at his side. NPC Name: General Support Unit Lieutenant of the 4th Division Swivel(Elite) NPC Level: 48 New arrivals? Almost everyone looked over to see who had shown up. It was not often that they received even one new arrival. So, it came as a sudden surprise to see two of them at the same time. This was already the second time today they had fresh arrivals¡ªit was a new record! "Do we even have enough resources to prepare two additional War Kits?" Swivel muttered to himself. He then continued, "Ah, follow me. Since you¡¯re here, I should just introduce you to the Captain and let him deal with it." Swivel sat the stack of paperwork on top of a nearby table and led Izroth along with Maeva to meet Hyasin. "Captain, we have visitors." Swivel said as he knocked on Hyasin¡¯s desk, who had just returned to doing paperwork. Hyasin looked up and frowned, "More arrivals on the same day? We won¡¯t get a new shipment of supplies for another three days. One War Kit would not be an issue, but two is a little... Aye, this is troublesome..." Today was already a restless one, and the blows just kept piling on. War Kits contained several useful items to yers such as potions, equipment repair stones, signal res,munication talismans, etc. Every member of each war branch would receive one at the start. "If you are short on materials, then is it possible to convert what I would have acquired directly into contribution points?" Izroth asked. He did not know what a War Kit contained, but it was unlikely to be anything he absolutely needed. If he could gain some contribution points out of it, then he was okay with not epting a War Kit. "For me, as well." Maeva followed up. She felt somewhat pitiful for the GSU. They were understaffed andcked resources, so she would feel troubled if she took theirst stock of supplies. Besides, if she could get some contribution points in return, it would not necessarily be a loss. "Huh? Yeah, I suppose that can work. In that case, I will give you three contribution points each in exchange for your War Kits. Just so you know, a normal War Kit is worth two contribution points. However, since it is partly our fault, I am adding an extra one. So, how about it?" Hyasin asked. [1] Decided to shorten General Support Unit to GSU. Chapter 500 First War Objective, War Brigade Commander Aurie

Chapter 500 First War Objective, War Brigade Commander Aurie

Izroth nodded and responded, "This is a fair trade. I have noints." Although Izroth was hoping for more contribution points, Hyasin was already giving him and Maeva a good deal. Besides, War Kits were mostly for yers whocked the financial resources to purchase their own potions and other generally useful items. Naturally, Izroth had no such shortage of funds thanks to the Mystical Realm Pce. When it came to Maeva, not only did she still possess most of the gold coins she acquired at thepetition hosted by Izroth, but she was also a talisman maker with the ability to produce graded talismans. Therefore, how could she be short on funds? "Alright, then it¡¯s settled. In return for forfeiting your War Kits, each of you will gain three contribution points." Hyasin confirmed. Almost immediately after, Izroth and Maeve received a system alert. ¡´System Alert: You have acquired 3 Contribution Points in exchange for the following item(s): ?War Kit?. [Total: 3]¡µ "Good, the General Support Unit is lucky to have thoughtful individuals such as yourselves! We may not have much in terms of resources, but we do our best to take care of our own. That¡¯s why, if you ever run into other members in danger, I won¡¯t ask you to risk your life. But, if it is within your ability, I hope that you will assist them." Hyasin said with sincerity in his voice. Maeva was taken aback by Hyasin¡¯s sincerity. After all, her first impression of the GSU was not that great. However, Maeva believed that perhaps she had been too hasty judging the book by its cover instead of the contents within. "Now that you are all set. Feel free to check the GSU¡¯s War Objective Board. Our primary mission is to act as a supporting force to the other branches. This can be aplished in numerous ways. I should also mention now that the GSU does not give out war objectives with direct-type ssifications." Hyasin exined. War objectives had four ssification types¡ªGeneral, Vicinity, Direct, and Emergency. At the moment, Izroth and Maeva had only viewed the vicinity-type, which was when they first entered into Xanaharpe. As its name implied, a war objective would appear when a yer stepped foot into a specific area. As for the other three objectives, Izroth and Maeva only knew them by name due to the Event Interface; however, they had no knowledge of how it differed from a vicinity-type war objective. But, if their names were urate representations, Izroth already had a good idea of how the other war objectives functioned. Izroth decided to take Hyasin¡¯s advice and walked over to look at the GSU¡¯s War Objective Board. It was located near the back of the room, and its appearance was not too far off from the screen wall that was inside auction houses. It looked as though the board was projected onto the wall by some kind of magic. ¡¯Is this everything? I expected it not to be much, but...¡¯ [War Objective Board] ?Operation Identifier: Border Watch? ssification: General Min. Requirement(s): Soldier 10th ss Min. Level Rmended: 20 Slots Remaining: 13/45 Objective: Assist the War Brigade on watch duty at the border of the ?Unsanctioned Zone?. Reward: [+1 Contribution Point per 3 hours] Failure: [None] ?Operation Identifier: Care Package Delivery? ssification: General Min. Requirement(s): Soldier 10th ss Min. Level Rmended: 30 Slots Remaining: 6/12 Objective: Assist the Resource Management Division in delivering care packages to the border troops. Reward: [+1 Contribution Point] Failure: [None] ?Operation Identifier: Monster Clearing Party? ssification: General Min. Requirement(s): Lieutenant (Captain or higher approval needed) Min. Level Rmended: 44 Slots Remaining: 26/52 Objective: Assist members of the War Brigade in clearing all monsters near the ?Unsanctioned Zone? at the Amaharpe/Malentansium connected borders. Do not cross into the ?Unsanctioned Zone? or Malentansium territory unless ordered by a Captain or higher in case of an emergency. Doing so otherwise will automatically administer the failure penalty. Reward: [+3 Contribution Point] Failure: [-10 Contribution Points] ¡¯Isn¡¯t the penalty for failure a bit too harsh for thest one? Not to mention, the number of contribution points awarded makes its value only slightly higher than that of a War Kit. But the amount that can be lost is impossible to ignore. Is it the higher the rank, the greater the penalty for failure? Or...¡¯ Maeva sighed, "The reward is better than the vicinity-type, but... It would be nice if the reward and failure could switch ces for the Monster Clearing Party war objective. With so little avable across the board¡ªcan we truly earn enough contribution points this way?" "To obtain a sufficient amount of contribution points bypleting the GSU¡¯s war objectives alone is not likely. However, what is seen as the GSU¡¯s biggest weakness is also its greatest strength. Just that this method takes a bit of effort." Izroth stated. He then continued, "In this war, our ce is nowhere. Yet, it is because of this that we can be everywhere. Though it not as if I am walking forward blindly without a n. Right now is not the time to act upon it, but I can guarantee you one thing. When that moment arrives, we will notck when ites to how many contribution points can be earned." "n?" Maeva raised her brows out of curiosity. This was the first time she heard Izroth mention anything about a n. With his seemingly carefree personality, Maeva thought that he would just go along with the flow of things until an opportunity arose. ¡¯It may be too dangerous to bring her along. That ce contains too many unknowns, so I cannot guarantee her safety. But, this choice is not one that I should make for her.¡¯ "Would you like to hear it¡ªmy n?" Izroth asked as he motioned his hand towards the War Objective Board and epted one of them. ... A few momentster, Izroth reached the border of Amaharpe that neighbored the Unsanctioned Zone and connected with the Malentansium territory. After acquiring a war objective, Izroth and Maeva did not waste time any as they immediately made their way towards the border. However, Maeva¡¯s brows were currently furrowed as a serious and thoughtful expression was revealed on her face. When Maeva learned the details of Izroth¡¯s n¡ªno, it could not even be called a n. Reckless! That was the only word that came to Maeva¡¯s mind. But, if Izroth was serious about what he told her a few moments ago, he was not exaggerating when he stated that they would notck a way to earn contribution points! While Maeva was still unclear on some parts, she understood that if news of this got out, it would be enough to move the allied kingdoms! "To think such a great secret exists in that low-level ce..." Maeva muttered to herself. "We¡¯re here," Izroth stated, which caused Maeva to snap out of her thoughts. Izroth and Maeva came before a marsh surrounded by dense thickets and tall thin trees at its heart and outer edges. Spread throughout various areas of the marsh were hundreds of troops who belonged to the Amaharpe War Brigade. These troops included yers and NPCs. "Don¡¯t fall out of formation! You are there! Where is your focus?! I¡¯ve seen better teamwork from mindless wild beasts!" One of the individuals shouted. She was a woman with short french rose hair pushed back and held up neatly by a headband. Her eyes were fierce, and the color of honey and her skin a warm beige. The woman wore sleek light-armor, and on the lower part of her back was a pair of ck tonfa with unlit magic symbols engraved into them. NPC Name: War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Aurie(Epic) NPC Level: ??? In the end, Izroth chose the Monster Clearing Party from the GSU¡¯s War Objective Board. Since he was at the rank of Captain, he did not need permission from anyone to ept it. Izroth also discovered that when he epted the war objective, it allowed him to assign others to be a part of it. However, this seemed to apply solely for those directly under hismand, as Maeva was the only one listed to be assigned. As a Captain, the penalty was also within his control if he could justify the situation as an emergency. ¡¯To have a Commander positioned at the frontlines and using troops to clear the surrounding threats... It seems my previous suspicions were correct.¡¯ When Izroth thought about how closely this location hugged Malentansium¡¯s territory and the Unsanctioned Zone, it made perfect sense that Amaharpe would not leave things to chance. Without a doubt, they would be making a move on the Unsanctioned Zone sooner rather thanter. Izroth then turned his attention towards Aurie, who attempted to correct the clumsy teamwork of the yers who had recently joined the War Brigade. Unfortunately, therge majority of yers were used to charging in without a n. They failed to think about their position and the position of everything around them. Against wild beasts, it could be ignored to a degree. But, against those who possessed intellect and experience, it could prove to be a fatal mistake. ¡¯She is not as strong as Seraphina. It¡¯s just that her presence feels somewhat off.¡¯ Izroth could not put his finger on it, but there was something different about Aurie. He activated his Energy Vision Sense to take a more in-depth look; however, he could not discover anything out of the ordinary. "Hm?" Aurie shifted her gaze to Izroth the instant he used his Energy Vision Sense. She had long since been aware of Izroth¡¯s and Maeva¡¯s presence on her battlefield. As they were not members of her unit, it was only natural that she kept a close eye on them. However, it seemed that one of themcked manners. "Peeking at thisdy¡ªhave you seen everything you want to see?" Aurie said with a stern look as she turned to face Izroth and Maeva, who approached her. Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense and replied with a carefree expression, "If I have offended you, Commander, it was not my intent. It¡¯s just that your presence feels quite different from that of a normal person¡¯s." "Oh?" Aurie briefly narrowed her eyes at Izroth¡¯s statement. It was clear that she did not expect to hear those words leave his mouth. She then said, "Identify yourselves." Izroth removed a light-blue insignia in the shape of a phoenix from his inventory. This particr insignia belonged to the General Support Unit and was automatically ced into Izroth¡¯s inventory upon joining. All war branches had a simr insignia that varied in color and appearance. These insignias disyed a yer¡¯s official war rank and were soulbound to the individual. "I am Izroth, the GSU¡¯s 9th Division Captain of the 1st Unit. This is my Lieutenant, Maeva. We will be in your care for a while, Commander." Izroth responded nonchntly. "GSU? 9th Division?" Aurie questioned with a slight frown. Everyone knew that the GSU only had eight divisions¡ªsince when did a 9th appear? Chapter 501 Auries Three Rules, The Marsh Trembles!

Chapter 501 Aurie¡°s Three Rules, The Marsh Trembles!

Aurie carefully inspected the insignia Izroth presented. The War Rank Insignias were created by a select group of mages with special imprinting magic and contained over one hundredyers of unique magic sequences. In addition, there was a randomized magic code embedded into every War Rank Insignia that changed every hour. In short, it was virtually impossible for anyone to produce a counterfeit, and even if they did create a perfect copy, without being in-synch with the randomized magic code, it would be rendered useless. "It¡¯s a GSU Captain¡¯s Insignia, alright," Aurie said as shepleted her examination. She then continued, "As the Commander of this sector, Captain Izroth, Lieutenant Maeva of the General Support Unit¡ªI wee you. With your assistance, our work here will go a lot smoother. When will the rest of your division be reporting in?" "You are currently looking at my entire division, Commander," Izroth replied nonchntly. Aurie frowned and stated, "I do not sense anyone else lurking nearby." She was confident in her detection abilities. A division usually consisted of 150 members, and Aurie found it imusible that such arge number of individuals could hide right before her eyes. "You are mistaken. As of right now, the 9th divisionprises of myself and Lieutenant Maeva¡ªthat is all." Izroth said unhurriedly. "...Just the two of you? A division?" Aurie uttered. At first, she was shocked. However, the shock quickly morphed into confusion before ultimately ending in anger. "That useless woman...! How can she be so irresponsible...?!" Aurie spoke under her breath in a calm yet cold tone. A two-person division¡ªjust two people! Even a 5-man Squad Leader had more than twice as many members as this so-called division! Aurie was suppressing her anger to not cause a scene on the battlefield. Maeva grew somewhat anxious as she witnessed Aurie¡¯s actions. Were they going to be turned away before having the chance to prove themselves? Aurie inhaled deeply before exhaling and bringing her rage under control. There was nothing she could do to fix the issue since the GSU acted separately from the War Brigade. Right now, Izroth and Maeva only held the name of their war ranks without the actual power behind it. However, regardless of her personal feelings for Seraphina and the way she handled things, Aurie decided to give Izroth and Maeva a chance instead of immediately turning them away. Besides, even though Aurie hated to admit it, that woman may bezy, thoughtless, and wild¡ªbut she was no fool. Aurie sighed and said, "I do not me the two of you for that woman¡¯s recklessness. Nevertheless, since you have been given the rank, I expect you to live up to it. You should understand that my unit has no need for those who do not pull their own weight!" She then continued, "Captain Izroth! Lieutenant Maeva! Your role will be to clean up the stray mobs that are lingering throughout the marsh! The GSU may be independent, but as long as you are on my battlefield, I ask that you abide by my three rules!" "Rule one, you will not take any action that may endanger the lives of your fellow troops! Rule two, when you are on the battlefield, do not lose focus of your primary objective! Rule three¡ªand this is the most important rule, so listen carefully!" Aurie stated in a severe tone as she turned and began to walk towards one of the War Brigade squads. "You are not allowed to die. Otherwise, I will drag you back from the Netherworld and kill you myself!" Those were Aurie¡¯sst words to Izroth and Maeva as she moved a distance away. Even though Aurie¡¯s tone was sharp and stern, just by their brief exchange, Izroth realized that she was someone who would be the first to volunteer to be on the frontlines. In this war, yers did not have an infinite number of respawns to participate; therefore, they could not afford to be as rash as usual. By talking to Maeva on their way to Xanaharpe, Izroth found that the number of lives a yer possessed directly corrted to their war rank. For example, as a Captain, Izroth had two lives at his disposal. If he died twice during this war, he would no longer be eligible for future participation and could not interfere with the following events that urred. On the other hand, as a Lieutenant, Maeva had three lives to spare. However, she stated that before Izroth promoted her from Soldier 10th ss to Lieutenant, the number of lives disyed was five. Using those facts as the foundation, Izroth concluded that Soldiers who were at and between the 2nd ss and 10th ss possessed five lives. As for the Soldier 1st ss, who made up the 5-Man and 10-Man Squad Leaders, they were likely at four or also at five lives. Lieutenants had three lives, Captains had two lives, and it was extremely probable that any rank higher than Captain maintained one life. ¡¯The higher one goes, the greater the risk bes. However, great risks are often apanied by great rewards.¡¯ "Well, you heard the Commander. Shall we go clean up a bit, Lieutenant?" Izroth said with a carefree smile. ... Woosh! Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm cut cleanly through the body of a marsh creature. Gieeeerk! The creature screeched. Its body was covered in dark green nts that resembled seaweed. It had beady pitch-ck eyes with an awkward physical shape. It did not have any arms, and on its back was a tail that could split into three parts with tiny poisonous spikes¡ª this was its primary mode of attack. It also periodically released a toxic gas from what appeared to be its mouth. Name: Toxic Marshpit(Normal) Level: 49 HP: 0/61,939 (0%) ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Toxic Marshpit!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 150 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 0.01! [Total: 3.82]¡µ ¡¯This rate is really too slow.¡¯ These little creatures were only normal monsters, and their overall strength was not that great, but they were numerous. As for the poison, Izroth was not concerned since he was unaffected thanks to the Poison Resistance II passive granted by his Heavenly Golden Body. The amount of experience points that could be gained were negligible, given that Izroth had already reached level 50. Therefore, anything below level 50 outside of a boss monster, dungeon, or raid would give him close to no experience. Izroth also received a mere 0.01 Contribution Points whenever he eliminated a Toxic Marshpit. This meant that in order to get one full contribution point, he would have to kill 100 Toxic Marshpits! ¡¯How long has it been since I have done this type of grunt work?¡¯ Izroth gazed at the setting sun and was reminded of his time in the Seven Realms when he first joined a military unit. Those simple times were when hecked real strength and were some of the toughest moments of his life. However, they were also some of his fondest memories. "¨¦tendre." Maeva¡¯s voice sounded as she fought against a Toxic Marshpit. ¡¯There are some minor ws in her movements, but her foundations are not bad. With a few corrections, it may be possible to elevate her skill to the next level. Herbat power is high for someone who has a profession as a talisman maker.¡¯ Izroth had been observing Maeva¡¯s fighting style this whole time to get a better understanding of her skillset. Her ss was called de Dancer¡ªan upgrade of the warrior ss concentrating on swiftness and precision. In the same way that Elemental Mages used different elements, de Dancers had diverse styles. The name of Maeva¡¯s was the Elegant Ten Connections. In terms of ability, using Blue Oasis and Sleeping Gardenia as his point of reference, Izroth ced Maeva on par with the core members of those guilds. However, she fell short of someone like Vanaheim or Mariposa, who were true powerhouses of the top guilds. Overall, Izroth concluded that there was room left for improvement. When Maeva called out ¨¦tendre, the de in her hand extended at incredible speeds and pierced through the body of the Toxic Marshpit. As Maeva¡¯s de traveled a few meters through the monster, she uttered a secondmand, "Pli¨¦." The de that prated through the Toxic Marshpit suddenly bent and curved backward into a U shape and stabbed through the monster once again. The monster quivered and shrieked before falling motionless as it turned into a stream of particles. The thin de retracted and returned to its original form. Its appearance closely mirrored that of a rapier, but there were some subtle differences. For one, the de itself was much thinner than the typical rapier and slightly shorter in length. Maeva sheathed her de before she issued a light sigh. That was the 50th monster she had eliminated; however, she was not happy in the slightest. Just as Izroth had been observing her, Maeva had been watching him. In the time it took her to defeat fifty monsters, Izroth had already eliminated over eighty! To make matters worse, she felt that he was not trying his best yet still had somehow widened the monster elimination gap between them effortlessly. If Izroth¡¯s original party were present, they would shake their head helplessly as they had all personally experienced what Maeva was going through. However, how could Maeva know thatparing herself to Izroth was simply asking to be disappointed? ...BOOOOOOOOOOOM! Out of nowhere, a massive explosion urred in the area between the Malentansium and Rosentarus border that caused the whole marsh to tremble violently! But, it did not stop there. BOOOOM! BOOOM! Not even half a breathter, multiple explosions of a simr magnitude went off as if it were part of a series of chain reactions. This time, however, the eruptions originated from the Amaharpe and Malentansium border! Almost instantly after the sts, a resounding voice could be heard throughout the entire battlefield. The person behind it was using amunication talisman to transmit their voice. "This is War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Aurie! Our borders and that of our allies are under attack! 2nd Unit Captains one through seven¡ªorganize your troops, and follow border defense protocols! Captain Yan of the 8th division, your group is tasked with checking on the state of our allies! Remember my rules, everyone! None of you are to allowed to die, or I¡¯ll kill you myself!" Aurie announced before she terminated themunication. Simultaneously, the War Brigade members did not hesitate to carry out her orders as the troops could be seen safely disengaging from their battle with the monsters and moving about the battlefield. As the earth continued to shake, the sun had set entirely, and the night had begun. However, this night was unusual. A bizarre mist of darkness gradually engulfed every corner of the marsh as it became challenging to see more than a few meters ahead. Meanwhile, Izroth received a new set of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! An Emergency War Objective is now avable!¡µ Chapter 502 The Immortal Umbra Horde Attacks!

Chapter 502 The Immortal Umbra Horde Attacks!

Izroth opened his Event Interface and viewed the new emergency-type war objective. He was curious as to what separated it from the general-type and vicinity-type ssifications. From its ssification type alone, Izroth figured that the contribution points that came with it would not be inadequate, to say the least. ?Operation Identifier: Emergency Border Defense? ssification: Emergency Contribution Points Bonus: +100% Min. Requirement(s): N/A Min. Level Rmended: N/A Slots Remaining: Unlimited Objective: Defend the ?Unsanctioned Zone? borders and prevent the enemy from gaining a foothold in the Unsanctioned Zone. Eliminating enemies and securing checkpoints provide varied rewards. Reward: [+1(1) Contribution Point for participation] [Securing Checkpoint: +1(+1) to +3(+3) Contribution Points] [Soldier 1st-10th ss: +0.25(+0.25) Contribution Points] [Lieutenant: +1(+1) Contribution Point] [Captain: +4(+4) Contribution Points] [Commander: +16(+16) Contribution Points] [General or higher: ???] Failure: [-15 to -2 Contribution Points] Special Note: Contribution Points are distributed in real-time for Emergency-type ssifications. Enemy ranks will vary, which in case, Contribution Points will be allocated based on that rank¡¯s war rank equivalent. ¡¯To think a War Kit¡¯s original worth is equal to the life of two enemy lieutenants under normal circumstances.¡¯ Izroth may have called the exchange of his War Kit a fair trade back then, but he was going solely based on Hyasin¡¯s words. However, in the end, his understanding of contribution points and their value was in the early stages. But, after seeing that defeating an enemy Lieutenant gave a mere one contribution point without counting the provided bonus, Hyasin was quite generous when he gave an extra contribution point. What grabbed Izroth¡¯s attention the most was the new Contribution Points Bonus that appeared on the war objective disy. The current value was 100%¡ªthis meant that whatever contribution points would have initially been earned was now doubled because of the state of emergency. A Commander¡¯s life, which was worth 16 Contribution Points in regr times, was now set at a staggering 32 Contribution Points. That was more than eight times Izroth¡¯s total number of contribution points. Of course, getting those contribution points was another story. If Aurie¡¯s strength weremon among those of the Commander war rank, it would be a little troublesome. Unfortunately, the only Commanders Izroth hade across were Seraphina and Aurie; therefore, his frame of reference was limited. However, it appeared that he would not have to wait long to see just strong these new enemies were as the mist of darkness had reached every corner of the marsh. If one were to look from the skies to observe what was taking ce below, they would notice an enormous dome that covered the Unsanctioned Zone and all three kingdoms¡¯ borders. It was impossible to see through this dome and tell what was going on inside from the outside as one¡¯s sight was obstructed byrge-scale concealing magic. Izroth had begun to move with Maeva trailing close behind. Their destination was one of the nearest checkpoints that needed to be secured. These checkpoints were ced at several locations on the battlefield and could be spotted from a distance due to the unique light it emitted. This light was not very powerful, and it was unable to pierce the darknesspletely, but it was just enough to determine the position of the checkpoint¡ªeven for those with ordinary vision. The mist obstructed Izroth¡¯s vision, but it was easier for him to navigate with his heightened senses than it was for the others present. As for Maeva, she was keeping up perfectly with Izroth despite the dark surroundings. He was sure that she had consumed a Five Cycles Pill, but what came in handy was her ability as a talisman maker. "It¡¯s so dark! I can¡¯t see anything!" "Eh?! Where did you guys go?! Follow my voice and regroup!" "Lieutenant! I can¡¯t find the Lieutenant!" "If you have an illumination skill, use it now!" The voices of the War Brigade members echoed in the darkness as it became a mountain of a task to maintain proper order among the ranks. The mist not only reduced one¡¯s vision significantly, but it also messed with their sound perception. "Stay close and don¡¯t stray too far away," Izroth said as he activated his Energy Vision Sense, and wisps of mes appeared in the darkness. Ever since his Soul Essence trait was upgraded to a Spirit Source, Izroth received an abundant amount of breathing room when it came to the usage of his Essence. While its overall quality had not changed too drastically, the new quantity was unquestionable! Maeva nodded and replied, "This mist is too strange. I know that you are right in front of me, but your voice sounds as though it is very distant. Luckily, the effects of my talisman still work under these conditions." Maeva used a tracking talisman called the Mirrored Steps Talisman. When used, this talisman would attach itself to the target for a set period of time. During that time, whenever the target moved, it would reveal an energy-like silhouette at their location. Its primary purpose was to counter stealth-type ying styles; however, it was also convenient in situations such as their present one. Maeva used the Mirrored Steps Talisman on Izroth so that she could follow his movements and not lose his position within the darkness. The downside was that enemies could also see the silhouettes left behind by Izroth. This made him stick out from the members of the War Brigade. But, Izroth did not seem to mind and casually epted it despite the inherent disadvantage it brought upon him. His reason? "If the enemies can see my movements, won¡¯t that increase the chances of them attacking me? It¡¯s a perfect contribution point ma¡ªlike a moth to a me." That was his response. Maeva thought he was crazy for putting such a big target on his back. But, since he was so confident in his ability, she could only trust that Izroth knew what he was potentially getting himself into. "Gaaaah!" "Ahhhh! My arm! I can¡¯t-!" "Careful! There¡¯s something here!" The voices of the War Brigade members could be heard as multiple mes revealed by Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense were extinguished one by one. ¡¯Hm? It¡¯s-¡¯ Swoosh! Izroth nced to his left side as he instantly gripped the hilt of his Sword of The Storm and slid his left foot back as he shifted his body¡¯s position. He then swung his sword outward, performing a wless arcing sh. Ding! ?Parried? -2,562 Immune! Izroth¡¯s sword collided with what felt like an unbreakable steel wall. But, as soon as his sword made contact with this hard surface, it abruptly vanished. While he could have avoided the attack, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense did not perceive it as life-threatening. Therefore, Izroth decided to use the chance to gauge the enemy¡¯s strength. "What was that thing?!" Maeva eximed as she had unsheathed her de the instant she felt that something was off. She could not get a definite look at its face, but for a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of cold palish-grey skin and a pair of lifeless shining blue-eyes. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth is unaffected by ???¡¯s ?Curse of Darkness?!¡µ ¡¯So, this is the race that dominates Malentansium. A bit interesting, however...¡¯ A pair of glowing blue-eyes emerged from above Maeva, seemingly out of thin air. It switched its target after failing its attack on Izroth! But, just as this mysterious figure was about to carry out its assault, an azure-colored line shed directly across its eyes. ¡¯It¡¯s quite persistent.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -6,835 +410 -273 +16 ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has ?Impaired? ???¡¯s vision!¡µ "Foul human! How dare you cut me!" The unknown assant roared as theynded on their feet in pain with their eyes tightly sealed shut. There was cyan-colored fluid streaming from their eyes that was the color of their blood. Izroth uncovered the assant¡¯s n to switch targets effortlessly with his Energy Vision Sense. Then, using sh Counter, Izroth instantlyunched a counter-assault. This attack also activated Izroth¡¯s trinket effect, Blood Stigma, which inflicted 10% of Izroth¡¯s attack as damage every second for 10 seconds. The damage from both skillspletely ignored enemy defenses! Now that they had been injured, Izroth and Maeva finally got a look at their attacker. Its body was simr to humans; however, they were much thinner and taller than the average human. Its skin was deathly pale and visibly cold to the touch. Apanying it was a pair of glowing blue-eyes that carried with it an immense killing intent. It had short snow-white hair and pointed ears that lined-up perfectly horizontal. The fingernails on their fingertips were more like sharp ws than actual fingernails, and they wore ck armor that resembled a mixture of leather and cloth. NPC Name: Immortal Umbra Horde Baron Norehca(Elite) NPC Level: 45 NPC HP: 127,092/134,200(94.70%) Norehca was a member of the Skounae race, which dominated Malentansium. The Skounae were a race that thrived in the darkness. ¡¯Oh? To think that I would run into a Baron of Malentansium first.¡¯ The Event Interface had many useful functions, including a simplified overview of the enemy¡¯s armies. It was essential to know the enemy ranks, as those were the targets that needed to be prioritized. Naturally, Izroth read over every bit of avable information and knew that the Immortal Umbra Horde was the name of Malentansium¡¯s military force. In addition, he understood that Norehca was a Baron of Malentansium, which was the equivalent of an Amaharpe Lieutenant. But, in Izroth¡¯s eyes, he did not see a Baron of Malentansium¡ªhe saw two contribution points! "Maeva, continue ahead to the checkpoint and secure it. I will catch up to you soon." Izroth stated as a gentle breeze flowed around his vicinity. Maeva furrowed her brows at Izroth¡¯s request. He may be level 50, but going up against an elite NPC by himself would not be like fighting the Toxic Marshpits. Was he nning to face them alone? "I understand. Be careful, Izroth." Maeva responded without protest as she sped off towards the checkpoint. Even though she had some reservations about leaving Izroth to fend for himself, ultimately, Maeva believed that he was not the type of person to fall so easily. There was also a particr thought that lingered in the back of Maeva¡¯s mind. Although it was dark and she may have been mistaken, when she nced at Izroth¡¯s expression before leaving, while his carefree image did not change, the look in his eyes was different. Those were not the eyes of a person who was about to undergo an intense battle. No, Maeva felt it for a split second¡ªthat overwhelming and suffocating presence. Those eyes... They belonged to someone looking at prey! A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as Maeva left without hesitation. He was sure that she would insist on staying to help him. But, the fact that she did not do so saved him some trouble. After all, how could he have a problem with an enemy of this level? Not to mention, Izroth was unsure what effect his next actions would have had on Maeva if she remained too close. Even if it did not directly target allies, it was still possible that she may be influenced in some form. ¡¯Now... How many contribution points will I be able to collect this way?¡¯ Norehca had just regained his eyesight when, all of a sudden, he felt an overbearing force descend upon him. Even a task as simple as standing had be a challenge! Norehca was not alone. Virtually every member of the Immortal Umbra Horde within 60 meters felt this pressure descend! Some attacked their own allies, while many even directly perished under the deadly influence! Norehca had no idea what was producing this terrible force! That was when he looked forward. A horrified expression found its way onto Norehca¡¯s face, and a suffocating wave washed over him. At that moment, Norehca did not see a human standing in front of him¡ªbut a terrifying demon king that existed in one¡¯s nightmares! This was the power of Izroth¡¯s improved Spirit Source skill¡ªSoul Pressure! ¡¯Let¡¯s cut the weak out of the way first¡ªshall we?¡¯ Chapter 503 The Pressured Baron, Malentansiums Scheme!

Chapter 503 The Pressured Baron, Malentansium¡°s Scheme!

If a Baron like Norehca was having a hard time standing on his own two feet, it was easy to imagine how the lower-level enemy troops, or "hunters" as they were called, were couping with Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure. ¡´Battle Alert: Baron Norehca has been ?Weakened? by yer Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Malentansium Hunter has entered a ?Frenzied? state due to yer Izroth¡¯s ?Soul Pressure?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Malentansium Hunter has triggered ?Instant Death? of yer Izroth¡¯s ?Soul Pressure?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Malentansium Hunter!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 275 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 0.50! [Total: 4.32]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Baron Olen has been ?Weakened? by yer Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Malentansium Hunter has triggered ?Instant Death? of yer Izroth¡¯s ?Soul Pressure?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... A stream of alerts flooded Izroth¡¯s interface. However, they were immediately silenced by the system due to too many alerts going off simultaneously. But, the information could still be viewed as long as one opened their system interface. "Haaaa!" Norehca roared as he forcibly stood to his feet and managed to break free of Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure and its mental influence. But, his breathing had be heavy and unstable. Even though he broke free of the Soul Pressure, he remained weakened. There was a hint of fear present in Norehca¡¯s eyes. He was led to this location by a strange trail of light. When he arrived, Norehca found that it wasing from this human before him. That human did not seem like anyone important, but it looked as though he was unaffected by the darkness like the others. It was at that moment Norehca decided to take the initiative to strike. While they may not be too relevant, Norehca spected that, at the very least, that human was stronger than the average Amaharpe soldier. The more heads he imed, the greater his rewards would be. Why would he pass up such an easy opportunity? However, Norehca did not foresee that the person he attacked was not someone he could afford to face head-on. As a Skounae, his overall strength was increased by 30% when it was night time. It wasn¡¯t muchpared to the boost received by those with a more noble bloodline, but it should have been enough to overpower a human who was the same rank as him. Even facing someone a rank above him was possible in the night time¡ªespecially with the element of surprise on his side! "You¡ªare you a Commander hiding among your troops?! How-" Before Norehca could finish his words, a de swept from his lower torso up to his neck as a bolt of lightning crashed down at his location. This sh of lightning pierced through the darkness and caused the surroundings to light up for a brief moment, revealing the sight of numerous Skounae kneeled over on the ground and others attacking their allies in a crazed state. ?Critical Hit? -18,038 ¡´Battle Alert: Baron Norehca has been ?Paralyzed? by yer Izroth for 2 seconds.¡µ Izroth had no intention of holding a conversation with Norehca as there was nothing for him to gain. Information? Would anything of significant importance be entrusted to a mere Baron? But, just as Izroth was about to carry out his next wave of attacks, a particr thought entered his mind. ¡¯Attacking both borders simultaneously¡ªthis attack was definitely one that was nned ahead of time. If Rosentarus has a force simr to Amaharpe, it¡¯s likely there is a Commander on their side who wields strength equal to Aurie. However, to attack two separate allied forces with an equal force would be a foolish move... Perhaps this Baron can be of some use, after all.¡¯ Izroth turned his gaze to Norehca, who had been paralyzed by the side effect of his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for yers to speak to a hostile enemy NPC. However, Norehca was weakened by Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure, and even though he broke free of its mental influences, that was only because Izroth wanted to conserve some Essence. Izroth had just stopped funneling Essence into his Soul Pressure not too long ago. Now, he unleashed it a second time! Of course, the members of the War Brigade did not let this chance slip by. While they did not know what was causing the Skounae to rampage and fall over to their deaths, they would not waste this opportunity. Without mercy, theyunched a counter-attack on the Skounae within their sights! In the blink of an eye, the tables had turned. Even those Barons who were quickly picking off the weaker Amaharpe troops fell before the des of the War Brigade. "It is not impossible to let you live, Baron. I am sure you noticed it earlier when you targeted me¡ªthat this darkness has no effect on me. I only have one question for you. If you answer it, I will allow you to walk away from this ce alive." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. He then continued, "Of course, you are wee to run away. However, I should warn you. I do not make the same offers twice to my enemies." Norehca shivered as he wanted to back away. But, he felt that if he moved even a single step from where he stood, his head would fly off from his body! How could a human generate this kind of pressure? For an instant, he saw the silhouette of the Night King himself lingering behind that human¡ªthis almost frightened Norehca out of his mind! "Human, you swear to let me go if I answer your question..?" Norehca asked as he swallowed his pride. This human was too dangerous! He had to escape from this ce alive and warn the higher-ups¡ªthere was another powerful human on the battlefield that could interfere with their ns. No matter what, he had to be eliminated! If this meant he had to suffer a temporary humiliation, then so be it! Besides, all he had to do was answer one question. This human really was too stupid to dare let his enemies walk away with their life! "I am a man of my word, Baron. So long as you answer my question honestly, I guarantee that I will personally not harm so much as a single hair on your body." Izroth replied as he lifted his Soul Pressure. Norehca felt as if a huge burden had been hoisted off his shoulders when Izroth canceled his Soul Pressure. At first, there was a look of hesitation on his face; however, he had already made his choice. "...What do you want to know, human? Just so you know, even if I die, I will never betray my kingdom..!" Norehca said as he grit his teeth to hold back his anger. "There is no need to put on such a noble disy. My question is quite simple. How many Earls and Marquis havee to this battlefield?" Izroth questioned. "?!" Norehca could not hide his surprise when he listened to Izroth¡¯s inquiry. But, he quickly hid his expression. Unknown to him, that split second was all Izroth needed to know that something was off. Just as Norehca opened his mouth to respond, Izroth pointed the Sword of The Storm towards him as the tip of its de rested on Norehca¡¯s forehead. "Careful, Baron. For a lie will be your final words." Izroth¡¯s gaze turned cold. "... ve... Five...! There are five Earls on our side! Three are waiting to ambush your Commander at the border, and the other two are taking care of the one from Rosentarus! There are no Marquis! How could a mere Unsanctioned Zone be enough to attract the attention of a venerable Marquis?! I swear on the name of the Night King, this is the absolute truth!" Norehca quickly spewed his words, afraid that this human would lose his patience and throw caution to the wind. Besides, what good would this information do for him? Even if he knew, it was already toote to call for reinforcements! ¡¯Five? A bit excessive. If Aurie is facing three Skounae Earls at night by herself, I¡¯m afraid that even she won¡¯t be able to hold out forever. How troublesome.¡¯ In the Immortal Umbra Horde, an Earl was equal in strength to an Amaharpe Commander, and a Marquis wasparable to a General. But, even with theck of a Marquis, the situation was still unfavorable. To make matters worse, it was night time, so the power increase the Earls received was not something that could be ignored. Instead of fighting the equivalent of three Commanders, if one included the power boost of the Skounae, it may very well feel like fighting four or even five Commanders! If the War Brigade loss their only Commander, the already chaotic setting would deteriorate even further. "I answered your question, human! Am I free to go? You¡¯re not going to go back on your word now, are you?!" Norehca started to get nervous when he noticed Izroth¡¯s silence as he was secretly looking for a way to escape. "As I said, I am a man of my word, Baron. You are free to leave." Izroth said as he removed his sword from Norehca¡¯s forehead. Norehca inwardly grinned as he left without hesitation at full speed! "That human will regret letting me go...! Once I warn the venerable Earls, he¡¯s as good as d-" Swooosh! Bang! Crrrrrrrack! BOOOOOM! Out of nowhere, a streak of silver light fell out of the sky andnded directly at Norehca¡¯s location as a gust of intense wind formed around the impact area! At that moment, if one looked at the sky, they would see a straight line that was clear of any mist and an opening at the top of the dome. Wooooooosh! An immense wave of mana washed over the entire marsh as a massive gust of wind appeared at its center. Then, in less than a breath of time, the mist that had covered the whole marsh converged to a single point¡ªas if it were being sucked in and trapped by a gigantic invisible cylinder. The mist was devoured and then spat far away into the sky, where it was thoroughly dispersed. The members of Amaharpe, as well as those on Malentansium¡¯s side, were shocked when the mist unexpectedly cleared up¡ªbut for two different reasons. "I can see and hear again! The mist is clear! Squad two regroup!" "Squad six regroup on me! If you¡¯re wounded, prepare to fall back for medical treatment! Those who can still fight will remain here!" "Everyone, form a defensive parameter around..." The War Brigade swiftly began to restore order and structure to their ranks as the squad leaders organized those under them. Meanwhile, the Skounae from Malentansium were dumbfounded. What was that monstrous wave of mana just now? Had a powerful ally of Amaharpe or Rosentarus descended upon on the battlefield? Chapter 504 The Three Immortal Umbra Horde Earls Ambush!

Chapter 504 The Three Immortal Umbra Horde Earls¡° Ambush!

Norehca¡¯s was buried into the ground with a foot standing on top of his head. A pair of marvelous silver wings pped once as the powerful gust of wind was instantly extinguished. Those wings belonged to a man with a breathtaking appearance, wless fair skin, and silky silver hair that stretched down to the middle of his back stood over Norehca. He had an indifferent expression on his face as he stared towards the sky. But, his gaze seemed to be looking towards something much further away. "...I want to return to that ce again... Again? Have I been there before..?" He mumbled to himself as if he were in deep thought. This man was none other than Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar, Empyrean! Norehca¡¯s body twitched briefly before bing motionless. Just like that, a level 45 NPC had been eradicated! What Empyrean used just now was one of the abilities that came from his Sky Culling skill. This ability made it so that the greater distance Empyrean traveled without lowering his speed, the more damage his next physical attack would deal to its opponent upon impact. Having flown hundreds of meters¡ªit was no wonder Norehca was unable to survive the intensity of the SS-ranked skill! ¡¯That skill he used to clear the mist¡ªwas it Great Spirit Magic or Ancient Spirit Magic?¡¯ Izroth carefully observed Empyrean. At the moment, he was unclear about the upper limits of Empyrean¡¯s strength. In fact, if the two of them fought without holding back, Izroth was uncertain who would emerge as the victor! Empyrean¡¯s most ring w at the moment was his inability to equip items below the divine-rank, as well as his low level and HP value. But, these were all ws that would naturally be corrected over time. When that time arrived, Izroth would essentially have a world boss at his beck and call! Izroth was, of course, a man of his word. As promised, he did not touch a single hair on Norehca¡¯s body and chose to let Empyrean take care of the cleanup. After he finished off Norehca, Empyrean pped his silver wings and, with one leap,nded in front of Izroth. "Were you sessful?" Izroth asked. He had not summoned Empyrean to this ce. Instead, Empyrean was already on his way to meet him. Since the two were linked, Izroth knew this beforehand, which was why he agreed to let Norehca go. Before Empyrean left the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth entrusted him with several tasks. But, it had not even been half a day yet¡ªhow could he havepleted every task he was given so fast? While Izroth was directly linked to Empyrean, their means ofmunication weakened the further away he traveled. So, for Empyrean to seek him out of his own free will indicated that he either finished his assignment or something unexpected urred. Empyrean nodded in response as he held out the palm of his hands. The next moment, a handful of nts, materials, and ores appeared¡ªthe lowest of which was rare in quality. There were also several superior-quality resources among the batch! But, what truly stood out was an almost translucent object that looked as if it contained the night¡¯s starry sky within it. It was norger than one¡¯s finger; however, it was unquestionably the most valuable item Empyrean presented¡ªan ancient-quality material! ¡¯He was able to gather this much in such little time?¡¯ Even Izroth was taken aback. Not by the fact that Empyrean acquired the material itself, but with his speed in doing so! It could not have been more than eight hours since he took his leave from the Mystical Realm Pce, and yet he managed to get his hands on an ancient-quality material! Izroth guessed that Empyrean¡¯s collection speed had to do with his S-ranked Flight skill. It appeared the advantages of having a genuine flight skill was unimaginable! ¡¯It looks like I will be able to carry out my n a lot sooner than I anticipated.¡¯ Izroth epted the materials from Empyrean and ced them into his inventory. These resources yed an irreceable role in what he had nned. "We will discuss the other matterter. For now, I want you to head over to assist the Rosentarus Commander. They should be fighting against two of the strongest opponents on the enemy¡¯s side. Also, as long as it does not slow you down, assist the War Brigade members along the way and get rid of any hostile enemies." Izroth stated as he gave Empyrean an approximate set of coordinates to the Rosentarus border. Gathering resources was not the only type of task Izroth gave to Empyrean; however, those matters would have to wait until the Unsanctioned Zone was secured. "Understood," Empyrean replied as he closed his eyes and pped his wings. He then flew towards the Rosentarus and Malentansium border at incredible speeds. However, he did not fly upward into the skies. Instead, Empyrean remained just a few meters above ground level and stayed low. "What is that thing?!" One of the Amaharpe War Brigade members eximed after an extraordinary force of wind blew past him, almost knocking him off his feet. He did not see Empyrean, only a streak of silver light due to how fast Empyrean was flying. But that was not the strangest thing. The Skounae that he was fighting against was sprawled out lifeless on the ground. On its body were countless tiny cuts that were definitely not there a few seconds ago. This same phenomenon was urring everywhere on the battlefield. The instant a silver streak passed by, it was followed by a surge of wind force, and then the Skounae within that vicinity dropping dead with cuts everywhere on their body. This was the second effect of Empyrean¡¯s SS-ranked skill, Sky Culling. The best part was that the system registered Empyrean¡¯s eliminations as ones that belonged to Izroth. It was like having a passive skill that granted free Contribution Points! This was the primary reason why Izroth sent him to "assist" the Rosentarus Commander. ¡¯I should start moving, as well.¡¯ Now that the mist had been cleared up, themunication system that was grayed out had been re-enabled. Izroth sent a quick message to Maeva, letting her know the circumstances and the fact that he would not be meeting up with her at the checkpoint. After doing so, Izroth swiftly transformed into a shadow using Shadow Movement and made his way towards the Amaharpe and Malentansium border. ... Swoosh! Aurie leaned forward and mmed the side of her right forearm into the abdomen of a Skounae. Or, to be more precise, the tonfa she wielded smashed into them with power great enough to send the Skounae twirling backward. At the moment, Aurie was not in the best state as there were visible wounds marked at various spots on her body. Her armor was damaged in multiple areas, and parts of it had been ripped off. However, despite her unfavorable circumstances, Aurie¡¯s facial expression remained neutral and calm. When Aurie first arrived at the border to check on the situation, she was attacked by an Earl of the Immortal Umbra Horde. After exchanging a few blows, it was clear that she had the upper hand in the battle. But, because it was night time and the mist¡¯s effects were in ce, she failed to notice that a second Earl was lying in wait to ambush her! Though with her quick reflexes and sharp senses, she was able to dodge the unexpected attack. However, what Aurie did not expect was that there would be a third Earl whounched a surprise attack right after she avoided the first one. Because of that blow, her left arm had been impaired by an extremely potent toxin. "This woman¡ªhow is she still standing for so long after being poisoned by my Silver Cloud Venom." One of the Skounae said with a frown. Their appearance was simr to Norehca¡¯s, with the main difference being that they were a female Skounae with longer hair. The aura around them was also many times stronger than that of Norehca. NPC Name: Immortal Umbra Horde Earl Essirie(Rare) NPC Level: ??? "What are those useless fools doing?!" The Skounae, who just got knocked back by Aurie, roared andined as the mist disappeared. If he did not enhance his defenses at thest second, he would not have been able to shake that blow off without suffering severe injuries. NPC Name: Immortal Umbra Horde Earl Norebua(Rare) NPC Level: ??? "Hmph, worthless bunch¡ªcan¡¯t even maintain a simple spell. I will be sure to punish them when we return. For now, we should finish up here and im the Unsanctioned Zone in the name of the Night King." The Skounae next to Norebuamented. NPC Name: Immortal Umbra Horde Earl Salokin(Epic) NPC Level: ??? These three Skounae were Earls of the Immortal Umbra Horde. Each possessed a power that was on par with the Commanders of Amaharpe. But, what they did not anticipate was that this particr Amaharpe Commander would be so challenging to deal with. Any other Commander would have been immobilized after a few moves by Essirie¡¯s Silver Cloud Venom, and yet she had only lost movement in the arm that was struck by it. Her movements were also not sluggish like they were supposed to be, and the power behind her attacks could not be ignored. "The mist disappeared. Who was it?" Aurie said to herself. She sensed someone with arge quantity of mana had appeared on the battlefield; however, she could not tell if it was an ally or foe. But, even if they were not an ally, at the very least, Aurie hoped that they were not an enemy. After all, she currently had her hands full. "This poison is bothersome." Aurie nced at her left arm that hung freely at her side. She had some natural resistance to poisons; therefore, whatever poison those Skounae used on her had to be highly potent or unique. "Give up, Commander, and we will leave your body in one piece. You are outnumbered and outmatched. This Unsanctioned Zone belongs to the Night King of our Immortal Umbra Horde." Salokin dered. That was when, for the first time since the fight began, Aurie¡¯s facial expression changed. A slight smile appeared on her face. However, rather than call it a smile, it was closer to that of a smirk. "I acknowledge that you outnumber me. But, outmatched? If you continue to make such jokes, I am afraid I will die ofughter before you have the chance to im my head." Aurie said with confidence in her voice. "?!" Aurie¡¯s words seemed to hit a nerve of the three Skounae. A human dared to look down on them?! "Good! Since you refuse our kindness, we will make sure to rip you into twenty pieces and scatter your remains throughout the corners of this world!" Salokin howled. Along with Norebua and Essirie, Salokin moved to surround Aurie and cut off her escape route. Meanwhile, in the sky above the Amaharpe and Malentansium border, a great storm was brewing. Chapter 505 The Fierce One Armed Commander!

Chapter 505 The Fierce One Armed Commander!

Salokin was the first to make a move as he charged Aurie. As he did so, two chakrams appeared in its hands. These chakrams were shaped like a wheel with three spikes on each side and possessed a foul aura. The chakrams¡¯ frame was pitch ck, while the spikes were made out of a substance that resembled white mes. Swooosh! One of the chakrams left Salokin¡¯s hands and soared in Aurie¡¯s direction. Its movements were erratic and unpredictable¡ªas if an outside force was controlling it. Bang! Aurie waited until the veryst moment to sweep her tonfa outward to meet the chakram. Although she had sessfully blocked the weapon, Aurie was knocked back a few meters in the process as deep marks could be seen on the ground where she slid. Ding! Aurie slightly loosened her hold on the tonfa in her hand as she used her thumb and flicked the grip part of the weapon. This simple action generated enough force to make the tonfa spin rapidly in circles as it deflected a small iing projectile aimed at her right arm. When Aurie nced towards the ground where the object stabbed, she noticed a thin needle sticking out. In an instant, the soil around the needle melted, followed by a puddle of poisonous silver liquid forming at its location. This toxic needle was thrown by Essirie. It was also her poison that disabled Aurie¡¯s left arm during the initial ambush. "Die!" A roar sounded from above Aurie. This voice belonged to Norebua, who had his hands sped together above his head. As he fell and motioned his hands forward, his two-handed fist doubled in size, then tripled. It grew to the point that it spanned over twenty meters and blocked out the sky over Aurie as it rapidly descended. Then, at thest moment, numerous spikes erupted from the bottom of the gigantic fist¡ªas if its goal was not only to tten but run its opponent through as well. "Expanding Smash: Hundred Bone Raze!" Norebua bellowed. He wanted to pay Aurie back for the earlier humiliation he suffered at her hands. Aurie closed her eyes as she let out a small sigh and tightened the grip on her tonfa. If not for her left arm being disabled because of the poison, how could she allow herself to reach this point? When was thest time someone had looked down on her to this degree? Swish! Swish! All of a sudden, the spikes beneath Norebua¡¯s fists were shattered into countless pieces as his hands were blown away into the air by an overwhelming force! Aurie¡¯s strikes were so fast that even the afterimages for the blowsgged behind the original attack. At the same time, two crescent moons appeared side by side behind Norebua that hovered mere millimeters from each other. These moons were constructed from pink and golden energy. They curved away from one another as though they were gazing into a mirror faced with their own reflection. When Salokin witnessed the formation of those two moons, he warned, "Norebua, fall back!" Salokin halted his charge and redirected his movement to get closer to Norebua. However, it was toote. "Double-Cross: Savage Moonlit Cleave." The two moons closed thest few millimeters between them, and the moment they touched, a frightening energy was discharged. This energy engulfed Norebua, who was still trying to recover his bnce after having his hands blown away. Despite hearing Salokin¡¯s warning, Norebua became swept away by initial the force Aurie¡¯s attack generated. BOOOOM! BOOOOM! The twin crescent moons swallowed Norebua as two massive explosions erupted in the sky where the moons once were. Bang! Norebua plunged into the earth as arge crater formed beneath him in that shape of twin crescent moons. There were visible wounds scattered across Norebua¡¯s body as his entire right side had been crippled from the devastating attack! An outline of dark energy could be seen around Norebua. If not for this energy, it was likely that he would not have gotten away with merely having half his body crippled! "This human cannot be allowed to live. She is far too dangerous." Salokin¡¯s expression darkened as he set his gaze on Aurie. He was the one responsible for cing the dark energy defensive barrier around Norebua. However, forming the barrier so quickly came at a price. When it came to defensive capabilities among the Skounae, Norebua ranked rtively high. In fact, Salokin¡¯s own defenses were in no way superior to Norebua¡¯s if one were to make theparison. Including the advantage of it being night time, it should have been impossible to inflict that much damage with a single attack! Yet, despite having one of her arms disabled and being poisoned, that human Commander was able to shatter Norebua¡¯s defenses as though they were never there. Salokin could not let a human of that caliber roam freely, as they were sure to be a greater threat in the future! Aurie¡¯s calm and deep expression did not change as she met Salokin¡¯s gaze. But, if one observed close enough, they could see that her right arm was slightly shaking. However, Aurie did her best to hide this fact from her enemies. After all, she could not afford to disy the slightest signs of weakness. "Performing that attack with one arm may have been a bit much," Aurie said to herself as she tightened her grip on the tonfa. Double-Cross: Savage Moonlit Cleave¡ªthis was one of Aurie¡¯s most powerful offensive skills. Using a unique mixture of physical, energy, and magical elements andpressing them into the form of twin moons, Aurie could produce an overwhelming amount of destructive power. Usually, this skill was taxing to use and required two arms to execute; however, Aurie had forcibly employed it with one arm! Right now, the bacsh was slowly creeping up, and it felt as though her arm wanted to burst from the internal pressure. Her goal was to eliminate one of the three Earls to even the ying field as much as possible. Aurie knew her chances of eliminating Salokin in one shot was too low, as his power was on another levelpared to the other two Skounae; therefore, she aimed for Norebua. However, she did not anticipate that Salokin would turn to save Norebua in time. Aurie wanted to use the fact that they were underestimating her to her advantage. But, it seemed Salokin did not drop his guard down for a moment. "You are a human worthy of respect, Commander; I cannot ignore this truth. That is why you will have the honor of perishing here today." Salokin stated solemnly. He threw his chakrams towards the ground as they impaled the earth and dug deep into it. He then continued, "Do you think we arepletely ignorant of your abilities? I admit we underestimated you, but the information that can be gathered by the Immortal Umbra Horde is beyond anything you can imagine. For example, you cannot use your domain here because your allies will be trapped in the crossfire. Isn¡¯t that right, Commander?" Aurie did not respond to his question and kept her silence. However, the look in her eyes at that moment could freeze over the mes of the underworld. The troops that belonged to the Amaharpe War Brigade were currently locked in an intense battle with the Skounae from Malentansium. As for the Captains of her unit, they too had their hands full suppressing the Viscounts¡ªtheir Skounae equivalents. Aurie understood that if she ordered a retreat now, not only would they lose the Unsanctioned Zone, but the deaths on their side would be massive. "Do you think it¡¯s a coincidence we chose this ce to confront you? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized, the moment you try to lure us away, we will ughter every Amaharpe border troop in the area. Tell me, Commander, are you willing to sacrifice the lives of your troops to save yourself? I¡¯ve heard the greed of humans know no bounds! Ahahaha!" Salokin erupted into a fit ofughter. Then, out of nowhere, Salokin ceased hisughter and said, "It is your misfortune that such a restriction does not apply to me. Mirror Domain: De-" Bzzt... Bzzt! Crrrrckle! Out of nowhere, a cage made of lightning emerged around Salokin. "?!" Salokin was visibly shocked by the sudden lightning. There was someone other than the human Commander who had the guts to attack him on this battlefield?! How arrogant! Chapter 506 Disobeying An Order, Izroth Makes His Move!

Chapter 506 Disobeying An Order, Izroth Makes His Move!

"Who dares?!" Essirie shouted as she investigated her surroundings. However, right as she spoke, a beautiful crystal appeared on her foot. When Essirie peered down and saw the unknown substance, she quickly attempted to break it. But, before she could do so, the crystal rapidly expanded, encasing her inside from head to toe! "This presence... Is it his doing? He shares that woman¡¯s recklessness." Aurie said to herself as she sensed a familiar presence. "You seem to be in a tough spot, Commander. It just so happens that I have a need for some extra contribution points¡ªI hope that you will not object to my interference." A carefree voice echoed from behind Aurie. "Do you have any idea what you have just done? Your actions are too rash." Aurie sighed. It was an unspoken rule that as long as those in the lower ranks did not interfere in a fight between the higher ranks, they would not be directly targeted. Of course, this had to do with the fact that the majority of the time, those with lower ranks would simply be in the way. But, its primary purpose was different. Neither of the higher ranks could afford to be distracted when fighting someone who was their equal. Now that this young man had attacked not one but two Earls of Malentansium, they were bound to be fuming with rage at the thought of being looked down upon. This young man was, of course, Izroth! Izroth arrived at the scene using Shadow Movement when Aurie crippled Norebua. Then, just as Salokin and Essirie had their undivided attention on Aurie, Izroth used the Lightning Cage skill attached to his Sword of The Storm to trap Salokin and paralyzed his movements. As for Essirie, Izroth utilized the Crystallization effect absorbed into his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to imprison her within the magic crystal. However... ¡¯These skills won¡¯t be able to hold them long.¡¯ Just as that thought entered Izroth¡¯s mind, not even three seconds had passed before Salokin shattered the Lightning Cage. Following right after, the crystal around Essirie cracked before crumbling into a powdery substance. Right now, if looks could kill, Izroth would have died one hundred times over. Salokin and Essirie were infuriated! Those restraints were too easy to break through; therefore, they immediately knew that human was not on the same level as them and yet had still dared to interfere! He was asking for death! "Good, very good! Even a mere insect dares to bite!" Salokin stated coldly. "If I¡¯m correct, you must have been poisoned. There is a ck liquid flowing through the bloodstream in your left arm." Izroth stated as he faced Aurie andpletely ignored Salokin. Although he said liquid, in Izroth¡¯s eyes, it resembled a me. At the moment, he was using his Energy Vision Sense and noticed the dense ck me coursing through the bloodstream in Aurie¡¯s left arm. While the ck me was sessfully contained and isted in that area of her body, it showed no signs of clearing up. Aurie was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s words. She knew that he had some type of powerful observation skill at his disposal, but to be able to peer into her bloodstream. Just who was this young man? Aurie sighed and responded, "You are not mistaken. I carelessly let my guard down. This is merely a result of my own ipetence. Unfortunately, this poison is too aggressive for my usual resistance to handle alone." ¡¯Ipetence?¡¯ Facing three Skounae Earls alone at night when they were at their strongest after being ambushed and poisoned, Aurie still managed to wound one of them critically. If this were considered ipetent, then everyone else on the battlefield would never be deemed adequate! "If you had the assistance of a grade three pill, how long would it take you to remove the poison?" Izroth questioned. Izroth still possessed a handful of the Evil Cleansing Pills he crafted before entering the Great Sea Pce raid a second time. Upon consuming the pill, it granted one the Evil Cleansing passive. When poisoned or caught in an illusion, all negative effects would automatically be cleansed from their body. However, Izroth was unsure how or even if yer-made pills worked on NPCs in the same way they did yers. "A grade three pill?" Aurie furrowed her brows. She then replied, "If it¡¯s a grade three pill, while the effects are not that strong, I should be able to clear the poison in thirty seconds as long as there are no interruptions. Unfortunately, that is not a luxury I can afford at the moment." "Thirty seconds? I see. Then, I will take care of both your problems at once, Commander. I hope that you will reward me properly once everything is over." Izroth said with a carefree expression as he stepped forward. "Don¡¯t be rash! Fall back now, Captain! That¡¯s an order!" Aurie ordered. How could a Captain hold back two Skounae Earls empowered by the night for thirty seconds by himself?! Even the average Amaharpe Commander would struggle with such a task, not to mention a General Support Unit Captain! Woosh! Aurie instinctively lifted her hand to catch the object that Izroth threw towards her. When she opened her palm, a refreshing medicinal scent filled her nostrils. Without a doubt, this was a grade three pill! "That Evil Cleansing Pill should suffice in aiding you to absolve the poison," Izroth said as he walked towards Salokin and Essirie, despite Aurie¡¯smand. He then continued, "Besides, have you forgotten? As a member of the GSU, your orders hold no official power over me, Commander. Take this as me doing as I please." When Salokin witnessed the tant disregarded by the human brat and Commander as they leisurely chatted, his rage increased tenfold. First, a young brat still wet behind the ears attacked him, and now had the audacity to ignore him? Not only that, but that same human brat was talking about holding him back alone? Arrogant! Absurd! "Audacious! Essirie, remove that trash from my sights! The battlefield is not a ce for inexperienced brats!" Salokin ordered. Even though Essirie was also an Earl, in the Malentansium kingdom, strength was determined by bloodline, and bloodline defined everything. Since Salokin held a superior bloodline, while they were technically the same rank, he was above her in terms of status. "Detestable human! You dared to lift your hand without knowing your ce?! You can regret it in your next life! I will let you experience a slow and painful death! Silver Valley Noxious Rain!" Essirie motioned the palm of her hand forward as silver droplets emerged from her fingertips. She lightly waved her hand as five silver droplets sailed towards Izroth! In the middle of its flight, the silver droplets split and multiplied itself until there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of them! This made it appear as though a small rainstorm had emerged out of thin air. The Silver Valley Noxious Rain was a much weaker version of the poison Essirie utilized to incapacitate Aurie¡¯s left arm. After all, the more potent version was not easy to create and was prepared explicitly for Aurie. But, even if she had not run out of it earlier, it was not something she would waste on a random human nobody. "Careful, she specializes in poisons!" Aurie warned. She understood that Izroth had no intention of heeding hermand, and so, she could only caution him of the potential dangers. After briefly yet meticulously examining the pill Izroth handed her, Aurie consumed it. Upon doing so, she felt an immense flood of energy race into her left arm that was filled with purifying characteristics. The pill¡¯s purity amazed Aurie, as its effects were no weaker than an entry-level grade four pill. Thirty seconds? At its current rate of devouring the poison within her, it would only take about two-thirds of the time she estimated initially! Aurie closed her eyes as she concentrated on expelling the poison. Twenty seconds¡ªif it was twenty seconds, it may be possible for him to hold them off until she regained the use of her left arm. If it failed, then so be it. She would have to give up getting rid of the poison and continue the fight with one arm. Even if she had to sacrifice a limb or two, Aurie was sure of one thing¡ªshe would never give these Skounae a chance to ughter those under hermand! ¡¯Poison?¡¯ Chapter 507 Silver-Eyed Cloud Snakes Venom

Chapter 507 Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake¡°s Venom

"Toote!" Essirie sneered as her Silver Valley Noxious Rain reached Izroth andpletely submerged him. She grinned as the poor fool did not even try to avoid her toxin! He was probably scared out of his mind and just trying to put on a brave front before the Commander to buy some time by sacrificing himself. However, did he believe that his meager life was enough to stall for one second, let alone thirty? At the same time, Salokin had not merely been idle. He slyly motioned his hand upward behind his back as one of the chakrams he tossed into the ground earlier tore through the earth. The weapon moved stealthily underground as it waited for the perfect opportunity to strike Aurie. Did she really think that he would sit back and do nothing as she recovered her strength? Woosh! Suddenly, a de of wind rushed out of the toxic cloud formed by Essirie¡¯s Silver Valley Noxious Rain. "?!" Essirie felt a sense of danger as she quickly kicked off her right foot and moved to the side to avoid the iing attack. However, when her foot left the ground, a gentle breeze blew at her back. When she turned her head to look, Essirie was greeted by the sight of a cold de that released an overbearing destructive aura! Swoosh! The de cut from Essirie¡¯s forehead down to her torso, leaving a silver trail. ¡¯It¡¯s like cutting water.¡¯ Izroth stood behind Essirie, who had been cleanly cleaved in two by his Sword of The Storm! When she used her Silver Valley Noxious Rain, Izroth did not bother avoiding it as his Soul Sense was not going off. For someone like Essirie, who had hostile intentions, this meant that her poison would be useless against him! A poison of this level was not enough to break past the passive of his Heavenly Golden Body. Using the toxic cloud Essirie¡¯s attack created, Izroth activated the Tempest Strikes effect of his Sword of The Storm. This granted his attacks a wind element and increased his attack range by 10 meters for 10 seconds. He knew that such an attack was not powerful enough to reach Essirie; therefore, its primary purpose was to act as a distraction. Once Essirie made her move, Izroth immediately used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to teleport behind her and performed his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. But, for some reason, he felt as though his skill did not connect. Not only that, but no damage showed up in the battle logs, which only added to the situation¡¯s strangeness. "You brat... You dare sneak attack me..?!" Essirie spoke with her body still sliced cleanly in half! Her physique was bizarre. There were no bones or organs that showed when Izroth¡¯s sword sliced through her. Instead, it was a silver goo-like substance that was reconnecting the two separate halves of Essirie¡¯s body, causing it to reform its original shape. At the same time, Izroth nced at his Sword of The Storm and saw that the silver goo-like substance was stuck onto its de. He chose to fall back as it would be foolish to keep attacking without pinpointing Essirie¡¯s weakness. Was it a skill? Or an innate trait that she possessed? The Skounae that he hade across had blue blood, yet Essirie¡¯s was silver. Though that was not the sole reason Izroth decided to fall back. With his Energy Vision Sense active, he could see a red me rapidly closing in on Aurie¡¯s position from underground. At the moment, Aurie still had her eyes closed as she was concentrating on ridding herself of the poison. If she were interrupted now, then it would be a bit troublesome. Izroth employed his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement again to appear approximately three meters away from Aurie. As he arrived, Izroth tapped his foot on the ground as tremors spread throughout the surrounding thirty meters. The influence on the nearby earth was due to his Behemoth¡¯s Quake. Even though the damage was negligible, the tremors caused some of the Hunter Skounae to lose their bnce from its sudden emergence. Crrrck! Woosh! Salokin¡¯s chakram that targeted Aurie sprang from the earth with extraordinary force. However, it soared right past Aurie, missing her by less than a meter! When Salokin observed Izroth¡¯s actions, he narrowed his eyes. He believed that the timing of those tremors was no coincidence. As his chakram was about to leave the ground to strike Aurie, the earth shifted and caused it to be thrown off its original path of attack! "This human... Is it just dumb luck? Or..." Salokin¡¯s eyes grew cold. Where did this humane from, and how could he not have been mentioned in the Immortal Umbra Horde¡¯s intelligence report? Salokin overheard Aurie refer to that human as a Captain; therefore, his strength should be equivalent to a Skounae Viscount. But, those at the Lieutenant rank and above in Amaharpe¡¯s border defense should¡¯ve been ounted for without fail. Meanwhile, Aurie inwardly furrowed her brows. While Salokin assumed that he was acting under her radar, she had already learned of his attack. If things had deteriorated to the worst possible point, then she would¡¯ve had no choice but to interrupt the poison cleansing process forcibly. But, if that happened, then there was a high chance that the poison would break past the points she sealed on her left arm and start to seep into every corner of her body. At that moment, subduing Salokin and Essirie would be an increasingly daunting task! Izroth, with his Energy Vision Sense still active, examined Essirie. He then nced at the silver goo-like substance that could not be removed from his Sword of The Storm. However, what disturbed him the most was that the silver liquid specks could be seen inside the de! ¡¯I see. So that¡¯s how her poison works. How bothersome.¡¯ Out of nowhere, Izroth¡¯s in-battle health regeneration shot up by 5,000%! Instead of recovering 189 HP per second inbat, he was now gaining 9,450 HP per second¡ªthat was almost half of his total HP! However, this was not necessarily a good thing. If one looked closely, they would see veins forming on Izroth¡¯s neck and hands that appeared as though those parts of his body were under an enormous amount of stress! ¡¯This is why my Soul Sense did not perceive her poison as harmful. It will be a bit annoying to move around freely in this state.¡¯ Izroth had yet toe across a poison that worked in a simr way to Essirie¡¯s in RML; however, he was someone who read all the books contained in the Apothecary building in Amaharpe¡¯s capital city. Naturally, he had knowledge of some nts and materials that other yers did not even know existed as of yet. He found it interesting that a vast majority of the highest quality nts and monster materials shared amon trait¡ªthey were all poisonous! To be more precise, they were ingredients that also yed an essential role in creating highly toxic poisons. This indicated that while it could be used for healing, it was also capable of destruction! However, Izroth understood that this was not umon. Whether it was in this world or the Seven Realms, the pinnacle of medicine habitually originated from something with the potential to kill. What Izroth was surprised about was that Essirie¡¯s silver poison had close simrities to that of a Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake. In fact, it was an exact match of its description in every way! In RML, monsters were not like named NPCs. From the beginning to the end, they stayed at the same level with a pattern of unchanged attacks. On the other hand, the Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake was a formidable boss-level monster that lurked in areas filled with an abundance of mana and heavy air. In addition, it had an unnatural trait as a monster¡ªit could grow stronger! This very trait is what made the shadahi so feared, as they were monsters who could evolve after a fight. Of course, the Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake¡¯s growth was not as ridiculous as that of a shadahi, but it was still a creature with the potential to achieve legendary status. Compared to other strong venomous monsters, the Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake¡¯s venom could not be considered as particrly toxic. However, what made its venom so deadly was its abnormally elerated regeneration ability. While this was harmless to something like the Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake and benefited the creature, the same could not be said for those who came into direct contact with its venom. Chapter 508 Great Storm Changing The Tides of Battle, Salokins Change of Heart?

Chapter 508 Great Storm Changing The Tides of Battle, Salokin¡°s Change of Heart?

The regeneration rate was so elerated that no matter if it were a person or object, it would eventually crumble up and die! Fortunately, with his Heavenly Golden Body providing a sturdy physique and natural poison resistance, paired with the Evil Cleansing Pill, Izroth could minimize this effect and even benefit from it! After all, if it were another yer, without a doubt, they would have exploded upon being exposed to that level of stress. ¡¯It seems I can¡¯t allow myself to be touched again by that poison too often. The stage of my Heavenly Golden Body is still too low. My Soul Sense also has limits to what it can do. Learning this alone has madeing to this border worthwhile.¡¯ Izroth inspected the de of his Sword of The Storm but could not find anything wrong besides the silver liquid flowing inside it. ¡¯Unlike most weapons, the Sword of The Storm does not possess a durability stat. But, this does not mean that it is impossible to break.¡¯ During Izroth¡¯s fight against Sage, when she unleashed her Maelstrom Domain, it corroded his Sword of The Storm enough to directly affect its stat. If it had continued, there was a good chance that it would have turned to dust. The pupils in Izroth¡¯s eyes turned into swirling clouds of winds that resembled a destructive typhoon. Simultaneously, the surrounding winds started to pick up until it transformed into a strong gale. ¡¯Well, that¡¯s fine. I just have to deal with her. But, first, I suppose I should keep my promise.¡¯ A great storm appeared in the sky out of the blue, which caught the attention of Salokin and Essirie. Even Aurie, with her eyes closed, could feel that something was off from the sudden weather shift. "A storm this close to the Unsanctioned Zone..? This energy... It matches that de he¡¯s carrying. Is it his doing?" Aurie said to herself. Salokin frowned as he witnessed the sudden and drastic shift in weather. Where did this storme from? He had never heard of a storm taking ce near the Unsanctioned Zone. Izroth¡¯s sole objective when he used Behemoth¡¯s Quake was not just to throw Salokin¡¯s chakram off its attack path. Its second purpose was to gain Storm Surge Charges for his Sword of The Storm! There were plenty of Skounae on the battlefield, and every time one of them received damage from Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake, he obtained a single stack of Storm Surge Charge. In the blink of an eye, the stacks that he lost from using Tempest Strikes and Lightning Cage were recovered as it soared to the max of 50 stacks! Izroth overheard Salokin mention that Aurie could not use her domain due to her allies¡¯ presence on the battlefield. Since the War Brigade members were locked in an intense battle with the Skounae, they could not fall back. Not to mention, Salokin and Essirie would not just sit back and watch as they retreated. That is why Izroth informed Aurie that he would take care of her two problems. The instant he arrived, Izroth knew that he had to aplish two goals. The first goal was to help Aurie cure her poison. While the second... ¡¯Great Storm.¡¯ ... Was to provide the members of the War Brigade with a chance to reverse the tides of battle! Woooosh! Woooosh! The initially gentle breeze underwent a drastic transformation. Sharpened des of wind rained down from above and danced brutally upon the battlefield. "Ahhhh!" "What¡¯s happening- Gah!" "My leg! My leeeeg!" The organized Immortal Umbra Horde, who had been steadily overpowering the troops from the Amaharpe War Brigade, had been degraded into a state of chaos! The terrifying aspect was that they had no idea how their allies around them were being cut down. After all, the des of wind were invisible to the average individual. Unless one had a specific skill or a good sense of perception, it was impossible to see the movement of des of wind. "It¡¯sing this way!" One of the Amaharpe War Brigade Captains warned. He had a skill simr to the Eyes of Magic that allowed him to see intangible things. Not even a full breath ago, he was struggling to hold his ground against a Skounae Viscount. But, that mysterious "wind de" appeared out of nowhere and struck the Viscount. Taking advantage of that small window of opportunity, he managed to reap the life of his opponent. That was when he noticed something bizarre. The War Brigade Captain saw that the wind des had yet to injure a single troop on Amaharpe¡¯s side. Now that he looked closer, it was only the Skounae who were being targeted! He could not recall anyone in his War Brigade having high enough wind magic proficiency to use it on such a grand scale. As for the Commander, wind magic was not her specialty, so it was out of the question. But if not the Commander, then had some new reinforcements made their appearance? Either way, this was a precious chance! "Everyone! These attacks are only focusing on the Skounae! I repeat! The attacks are only targeting the Skounae! Prepare tounch a counter-attack! We will pull around and cut off their path of retreat!" The Captain of the War Brigade used amunication talisman to announce to his allies. Ever since the mist had been fully dispersed, they were able to employmunication talismans again. When everyone heard the Captain¡¯s voice via themunication talisman, they started to push back in full force! For a while, it had been a one-sided struggle with the Skounae empowered by the night slowly winning ground. The members of Amaharpe¡¯s border defenses were filled with frustration because of this, which caused them to explode with a wave of newfound energy now that they were able to counter-attack. ¡¯I¡¯ve finally gotten their full attention.¡¯ Izroth looked at Salokin and Essirie, who no longer had an expression of anger on their faces. A calm and calctive coldness reced that anger as their gazes were fixed onto Izroth. "Earl Salokin, that human..." Essirie said as her eyes never left Izroth. Salokin did not need Essirie to finish her sentence as he already knew what she wanted to say. "He does not emit any domain energy, but something else entirely. How has he already achieved this depth of power? To also be capable of moving around freely directly after receiving your Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake Venom..." Salokinmented. He then continued, "I thought it might have been a fluke when my chakram was redirected, but it appears that it was not just dumb luck. This young man must be a great talent that the humans have been raising in secret." "Then, should we change our priority target?" Essirie questioned. "No, I have a better idea," Salokin answered. His gaze became fixated on Izroth as he said, "We will have him undergo the Night King¡¯s Rite." "?!" A look of shock surfaced on Essirie¡¯s face as she spoke, "If we do that, then the yearly ceremony-" "Either way, we will benefit. Whether he survives or not, he will cease being human. He will die or... He will be a servant of the Night King." Salokin stated with a grin. When Izroth used Behemoth¡¯s Quake and Great Storm, he poured 100 points of his Essence into them¡ªthis was the energy Salokin, and Essirie perceived. Having used his Essence, Izroth improved his Great Storm¡¯s damage output by 100%! He was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the maximum range increase had changed. Back when it was just Soul Sense, there was a 50% range increase limit. This meant that no matter how much Essence Izroth poured into a skill, its range could not go beyond a 50% improvement. However, when he used Behemoth¡¯s Quake and Great Storm just now, it did not cover 45 meters as he expected, but 60 meters¡ªthat was a 100% range boost from their original 30 meters! ¡¯The changes to my Source are not as simple as I thought. I will have to retest its upper limits.¡¯ Izroth wondered if he had poured more Essence into the Great Storm, just how much would its range have improved? Would it have gone beyond 100%? "Human brat, I will give you a chance. Surrender and leave this ce quietly with us, or die¡ªthe choice is yours!" Salokinmanded. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth was curious as to what caused Salokin¡¯s sudden change in attitude. Just a few seconds ago, the Earl desired nothing more than to see him dead. Now, all of a sudden, Salokin wanted him to leave with them? Chapter 509 Accepting The Invitation to the Night Kings Rite

Chapter 509 epting The Invitation to the Night King¡°s Rite

"Amusing. You are asking an enemy who has killed your allies to join your side. Is this the value that the Immortal Umbra Horde have towards their troops?" Izroth stated nonchntly. "Don¡¯t push your luck! You should be honored that a human like you will be able to undergo the Night King¡¯s Rite! Rejoice, as you will obtain power far beyond your imagination!" Essirie shouted. ¡¯Night King¡¯s Rite?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes. He saw that term before somewhere in a book within the Amaharpe Pce Library. If it was what he imagined it to be, then... A carefree smile suddenly appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he responded, "My honor? Very well, if that¡¯s what the two of you desire, then I shall apany you." "Hahahaha! Good, very good! Now there is no need for you to die here needlessly!" Salokin stated with a grin. With how arrogant that human had been acting, he figured that he would have to make him submit by force. But, to think that he would willingly surrender himself! Aurie inwardly frowned. She had never misjudged anyone in her life, and it was one of the things she took pride in. Not to mention, he was someone with the approval of that woman. Therefore, Aurie was not worried that Izroth would betray Amaharpe. But, she had no idea what he was nning by agreeing to go with Salokin! Whatever it was, it would be far too dangerous to cross into Malentansium territory alone. Even she was not 100% confident in escaping from a situation like that with her life in-tact! "Commander, it seems I will be taking my ce as a captive for the Immortal Umbra Horde. I hope you can ry this message to my Lieutenant and prevent her from recklesslying after me. After all, that would be far too troublesome. Our previous deal still stands. My second Lieutenant will deliver the package to you." Izroth said as he returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. He then looked towards the two Earls and continued, "The Commander will regain her full strength soon, and your troops are already being pushed back. Not to mention, your ally on the ground over there is not in the best of shape. Why don¡¯t we take our leave here?" Essirie¡¯s expression darkened as she said, "You think we¡¯ll let your Commander live peacefully when-" Salokin held his hand up and cut her off as he replied, "Alright. As long as youe with us quietly, we will withdraw from this ce." "With all due respect, is that a decision you can make alone, Earl Salokin?" Essirie questioned. "I will take full responsibility for this action. Of course, I will take full credit as well." Salokin replied, without hesitation. Salokin pointed a finger towards the sky as a white burst of energy shot into the air before exploding. This was the Immortal Umbra Horde¡¯s signal to retreat. "Go fetch Norebua. We will leave before that woman recovers. After all, she¡¯s giving off quite the terrifying aura." Salokin smirked as he watched Aurie, who was currently releasing a boundless killing intent. It was no doubt due to the sudden betrayal of a great human talent. No matter who it was, the temptation of power was too alluring to ignore. Essirie swiftly went to retrieve the severely wounded Norebua. Meanwhile, Izroth had gone over to join Salokin. Once she returned with Norebua, Essirie positioned herself behind Izroth just in case he wanted to attempt an escape. "I feel as though you do not trust me," Izroth said casually. "Hmph, if you not hade willingly, I would have bound you and carried you away like a wild beast. Be grateful that I allow you to walk on your own two feet, human brat. Follow me. Oh, and if you lose your way... Well, I¡¯m sure you understand." Salokin stated as he gave Izroth a meaningful look. Without further dy, Izroth, Salokin, and Essirie transporting the wounded Norebua took their leave from the battlefield. Not too long after they escaped, Aurie opened her eyes. She had sessfully cleansed the toxin in her left arm and prevented it from spreading into other parts of her body. At the moment, Aurie had a thoughtful expression. "Our previous deal still stands. My second Lieutenant will deliver the package to you."¡ªthese were the exact words Izroth said to her. However, they did not make any sense. When they first met, he introduced himself and Maeva as the only members of his division. In other words, he had no second Lieutenant! Also, what package was he referring to that was supposed to be delivered?! "Was he trying to tell me something?" Aurie sighed. She was grateful that the Unsanctioned Zone had not fallen into enemy control; however, she was angry with herself. If she had not fallen for that initial ambush, perhaps this entire situation could have been avoided. But, there was no use lingering on something that had already passed. Right now, she had to start preparing for the future. Aurie removed amunication talisman from her side and crushed it as she announced, "All troops of the border defense, hear my orders! Clean up any remaining Skounae! Captains and Lieutenants, reorganize your troops and immediately submit a damage report! And one more thing-" "Lieutenant Maeva of the General Support Unit¡¯s 9th Division¡ªreport to the Head Command Camp at once!" Aurie terminatedmunications after she finished her announcement. "Perhaps this Maeva can assist in identifying this second Lieutenant and her Captain¡¯s intent. For now, I can only hope that he does not take too much after ¡¯that woman¡¯ and has a practical n." Aurie said to herself. ... A few momentster... After making sure that there were no Skounae remaining in Amaharpe territory, Aurie had returned to the Head Command Camp at the edge of the Unsanctioned Zone. However, before doing so, she rushed over to the Rosentarus and Malentansium border. Though what Aurie did not expect was that she would meet the Rosentarus Commander, who was on his way to the Amaharpe and Malentansium side of the border! Aurie knew that Malentansium would not attack Amaharpe while ignoring Rosentarus. Therefore, they should have dispatched Earls and members of the Immortal Umbra Horde to that location as well to overwhelm the Rosentarus troops. The strangest thing was the Rosentarus Commander did not appear to be in bad shape¡ªas if he never experienced a hard fight. Naturally, this raised a lot of questions. In the end, the Rosentarus Commander apanied Aurie back to Amaharpe¡¯s Head Command Camp and right now, sat across from the two Commanders, was none other than Maeva. Although she was a little nervous, Maeva maintained a calm outer appearance faced with the Commanders¡¯ stares. At the moment, it was just the three of them inside themand tent, which created a solemn atmosphere. "May I ask why the Commander has called me here?" Maeva asked. Aurie had been observing Maeva since she entered themand tent to see if she disyed any suspicious behavior. However, besides being a bit nervous, Maeva showed no signs of malicious intent. "Your Captain has been taken as a war captive by the Immortal Umbra Horde. No, to be more exact, he willingly apanied them back to Malentansium. Tell me, what do you know of his ns and your division¡¯s second Lieutenant?" Aurie questioned. Maeva¡¯s eyes widened from shock as she jumped to her feet and said, "The Pc¡ªno, Captain Izroth has been taken by the Immortal Umbra Horde?! What second Lieutenant?! Nevermind that, shouldn¡¯t we-!" Maeva eximed. ns? What ns? He did not tell her a thing about getting captured! Besides, why would the Pce Master willingly go with the Immortal Umbra Horde? That made no sense! But, what reason would an Amaharpe Commander have to lie to her? This is what troubled Maeva. "Please have a seat, Lieutenant Maeva. Your outburst will not change the reality of our present circumstance." Aurie spoke in a stern tone. Maeva slowly returned to her seat as she entered deep thought. The Pce Master was not the type of person to simply walk into enemy hands without a fight. Even more so, he would never betray those he sided with¡ªthis is what Maeva believed ever since she saw how he ran things at the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯spetition. Chapter 510 A Promise of The Unsanctioned Zone

Chapter 510 A Promise of The Unsanctioned Zone

"Is that true, Commander Aurie? Did one of your Captains voluntarily go with the Skounae?" The Commander from Rosentarus was also visibly surprised. He wore extravagant leather armor with two sharp des¡ªone on each of his elbows. However, the most shocking thing was his physical appearance¡ªit was not that of a human. It would not be surprising if he were mistaken for a monster by yers. The Rosentarus Commander had a tail at his back, and instead of skin, he was covered from head to toe in ck fur. His eyes were yellow and matched that of a wild cat beast. The whiskers on his face twitched after he heard the information Aurie disclosed. He belonged to the Zensana, a beast-like warrior race. NPC Name: Rosentarus Panther Battalion Commander Baut(Rare) NPC Level: ??? "Commander Baut, I have some questions for you as well," Aurie said. She then asked, "Rosentarus¡¯ border was also attacked. I do not doubt your skills as a fighter, but to be this free of injuries¡ªcan it be that there were no Earls on your battlefield?" Baut growled as he mmed his fist onto the table, "Don¡¯t remind me! That humiliation... I will pay the Skounae back tenfold for making me endure it!" He then continued, "I was ambushed when I went to check on the situation and outnumbered two to one. That¡¯s when that thing appeared." "That thing?" Aurie inquired. "A silver light of death," Baut said solemnly. Silver light of death? Aurie inwardly furrowed her brows. As the reports from her unit poured in, there was one thing in particr that stood out the most¡ªa silver streak of light that brought death to the Skounae wherever it passed. Since it did not target those from the War Brigade, Aurie surmised that whatever it was must have had a personal vendetta against the Skounae. Either way, at the very least, it appeared that they were not an enemy. "I¡¯m afraid I need more details than that, Commander Baut. Reports of this ¡¯silver light¡¯ as you call it have been pouring in nonstop. If I am not mistaken, the Curse of Darkness was lifted by that same individual¡ªwhatever or whoever they are." Aurie stated. "I don¡¯t know what I don¡¯t know! All I can tell you is I¡¯ve never seen a race like that in the Seven Kingdoms! A man with silver wings and eyes of the morning sky, that¡¯s all I know. As soon as the fight was over, it flew off into the sky without a word!" Baut growled as he kept his anger from surfacing. The Zensana were a prideful race. For Baut, being ambushed was already frustrating enough, but having to receive help from an unknown outsider who was not even an ally was humiliating! He would be aughingstock among the Battalion Commanders if the others discovered this event! Aurie released a light sigh. This was getting them nowhere. A mysterious race? A second Lieutenant that does not exist? Questions only led to more questions instead of reliable answers. "I will continue reviewing the reports. Since the Immortal Umbra Horde has retreated, the chances they willunch a secondrge scale attack are small, but we should still be prepared for the worse. For now, I-" As Aurie was speaking, she abruptly stopped as she heard amotion going on outside, which caused her to frown. "What¡¯s that falling from the sky?" "Eh? Who are you? State your business- Hey! Wait, you can¡¯t just go in there!" "It¡¯s headed towards the Commander¡¯s tent! Stop them!" "Is it an enemy attack?!" "Where did this winde from?!" Enemy attack? Maeva went on guard, and Baut immediately stood to his feet, ready to fight. "The Skounae dareunch another sneak attack?!" Baut roared. He was still holding his rage from their previous battle, so he was itching to let off some pent up anger. "I see... This saves me a lot of trouble," Aurie said to herself as she stayed seated. This mana¡ªshe had felt it once before on the battlefield. "At ease, Commander Baut, Lieutenant Maeva. This guest is a littlecking in mannerism, but they harbor no ill intentions." Aurie confirmed. She then ordered the troops outside, "Let them through!" The moment Aurie gave that order, the noise outside quieted down. A few secondster, the entrance to the tent opened as someone stepped inside. "It¡¯s you!" Baut eximed. He had been so focused on keeping his rage under control that he overlooked the familiar presence. "You saved me quite the trouble of having to look for you, silver light," Aurie said. The one who entered the tent had a pair of silver wings on his back that were neatly folded over one another and with an indifferent gaze that seemed to yearn for something long lost. It was Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar, Empyrean. Empyrean swept his gaze across the room before itnded on Aurie. "Deliver to Commander of War Brigade..." Empyrean said in a soft voice as he held out his palm, and a talisman appeared. Without moving his hand, a gentle wind swept the talisman away as it flowed through the air briefly before it settled down on the table in front of Aurie. "Hm?" Aurie carefully examined the talisman. After doing so, she picked it up and studied the markings on it. However, even though it was well made, it was not particrly impressive for someone of her caliber. She then held the talisman up and inquired, "What do you mean by giving me this talisman?" When Maeva got a clear look at the talisman, she was startled. That talisman resembled one that she had created. No, it did not just mirror it¡ªit was perfectly identical! It even had her unique craftsman signature in the bottom right corner! Without a doubt, this talisman was designed by her hands. "Where did you acquire that talisman?" Maeva questioned as she stared intensely at Empyrean. The talisman in Empyrean¡¯s hands was not just any item; it was the Mirrored Steps Talisman! A normal Mirrored Steps Talisman would not cause concern, but this specific talisman was graded. Maeva had never sold or given away any of her graded Mirrored Steps Talismans to the public, and the only one she gifted some to was the Pce Master. So how did this person get their hands on it?! "Do you have a history with this talisman, Lieutenant Maeva?" Aurie inquired. "That talisman is one that I personally gave to the Captain. It even has my unique craftsman signature." Maeva answered as she removed a simr talisman from her inventory for Aurie to see. She then continued, "I can guarantee you, Commander, this talisman is not something that I give out to others. The only way he could have gotten this talisman is from Captain Izroth." After hearing Maeva¡¯s exnation, Aurie came to a sudden realization. She had a vague feeling when Empyrean mentioned the word "delivery", but Aurie still had some reservations; however, she was sure of it now. "Second Lieutenant... Delivery... So it¡¯s like that." Aurie muttered to herself. When Izroth spoke about a second Lieutenant, he must have been referring to this man. As for the delivery portion¡ªit was unlikely that the talisman was the actual delivery. "It was given to me. I have been tasked with rying a message to the Commander..." Empyrean spoke inly. His words captured everyone¡¯s attention. "That message is?" Aurie asked. Empyrean held up two fingers and replied, "Two hours. Within two hours, you will be able to secure the Unsanctioned Zone. Have your troops ready at the border by that time¡ªthat¡¯s his message. The message has been ryed... Ufortable... I shall take my leave for now." "Hey, wait a sec-!" Baut called for Empyrean; however, he was gone just as fast as he had arrived. The moment he stepped out of the tent, Empyrean soared into the sky. Naturally, it was impossible for Baut, who did not possess a flying skill, to follow him. Aurie had a thoughtful expression on her face as if she were determining her next move. They would be able to secure the Unsanctioned Zone in two hours? What gave him the confidence to guarantee such a thing? Maeva deeply sighed, "What is he nning? This would be a lot easier if my messages got through." First, the Pce Master failed to meet her at the checkpoint. Then, he walked off with the enemies of his own volition. Now, this silver winged guyes out of nowhere with a talisman she made talking about iming the Unsanctioned Zone! Chapter 511 Land of The Skounae, Vostracane City

Chapter 511 Land of The Skounae, Vostracane City

Maeva understood that Izroth did not owe her an exnation for his actions; nevertheless, it was not a good feeling to be kept in the dark. Fortunately, worst-case scenario, he would die and respawn in Xanaharpe, the nearest allied outpost. Since he had two lives, although it would put him in an unfavorable position for the remainder of the war, it was better than beingpletely knocked out of the event. Aurie stood to her feet. After thinking it over, she hade to a decision. As a Commander, Aurie would not rearrange the War Brigade border defenses on a gut feeling or one man¡¯s words alone. That being said, on the off chance that he was sessful, she could not let that chance go to waste. "I will send word to Xanaharpe informing the General Support Unit of their Captain¡¯s missing status. Commander Baut, I am sure that you have things to attend to back at the Rosentarus border, so I won¡¯t keep you. As for us, Lieutenant Maeva, you will apany me along with my unit¡¯s 4th division to the Unsanctioned Zone in approximately two hours. I want to see if your Captain is a man of his word or not with my own eyes." Aurie dered. ... Meanwhile, somewhere near the Unsanctioned Zone within Malentansium¡¯s territory... ¡¯This Captain rank is more convenient than I gave it credit for.¡¯ The Monster Clearing Party war objective was still active since it was interrupted by the sudden enemy invasion. Typically, if he entered Malentansium territory, Izroth would have suffered the failure penalty of losing ten contribution points. But, since he was a Captain, Izroth himself could deem the situation an "emergency" and freely cross into Malentansium territory without losing a single contribution point! What more valid excuse was there for an emergency than being a war captive? ¡¯If I had to journey here the traditional way, it would have been somewhat inconvenient. Who would have thought that fate would present me with this opportunity?¡¯ The Night King¡¯s Rite¡ªit was possible that the yers who knew of this ritual could be counted on one¡¯s fingers. In simple terms, it transformed the bloodline of an individual and improved it. Usually, the Night King¡¯s Rite was used to enhance the bloodline of the Skounae, but not in the way one would think. Not just anyone could receive the Night King¡¯s Rite. Izroth read that only those with a noble bloodline could undergo the ritual. It was not a way to make weaker Skounae stronger, but rather a method to increase the strength of a Skounae who already possessed a strong bloodline. However, there was a rare second use for the Night King¡¯s Rite¡ªconversion. The ritual could transform one, regardless of their original race, into a Skounae! Of course, Izroth had no intention of bing a Skounae. With their race, there was a natural fear imprint embedded into them. This made it difficult for those with a weaker bloodline to ever oppose those above them, and even more impossible for anyone to go against the Night King¡¯smands. Izroth spected that Salokin wanted to use the Night King¡¯s Rite to convert him into a Skounae. At that point, Izroth would have no choice but to obey the Night King¡¯s everymand. However, this was uneptable to Izroth for a myriad of reasons. Though what Izroth did not understand was the reason behind Salokin¡¯s decision. So then, why did he willingly apany the Skounae into their territory? It was not his interest in the Night King¡¯s Rite itself, but for one reason and one reason only¡ªthe source of the Night King¡¯s Rite power. It was that source of power that Izroth wanted to get his hands on. The Night King¡¯s Rite¡¯s location was a closely guarded secret of the Skounae and continuously shifted from ce to ce. Therefore, Izroth brushed it off back then due to having no viable leads. But now, an Earl of the Skounae wanted to lead him directly to it! If this was not luck, then what was?! "Behave yourself, human brat. If you cause trouble here, you can consider your life forfeit." Essirie warned. A few momentster, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a new location!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! You have entered the enemy outpost city, ?Vostracane?!¡µ Vostracane was the Malentansium equivalent of Amaharpe¡¯s outpost city Xanaharpe. It was situated close to the Unsanctioned Zone border and served as a base of operations for the Immortal Umbra Horde. The city itself was built like a war fortress with towering walls, sentry towers, and even two magic cannons that were usually only found in capital cities¡ªexcluding a magic kingdom like Proximus, that is. Compared to Xanaharpe, Vostracane¡¯s defenses were a step well above it. However, this was to be expected, seeing as how Amaharpe and Rosentarus were allies. If the two of them decided to join forces tounch a full-scale attack, the Skounae were ready to respond! Not too long after Izroth received the first wave of systems alerts, he was greeted by two additional messages. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to discover ?Vostracane?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 150 World Fame!¡µ ¡¯As I thought, I¡¯m the first yer to step foot into this city.¡¯ Izroth scanned his surroundings and quickly discovered that there was not a single human, or any other race for that matter, in sight! Even though Malentansium sided with Tempest for the war, the Skounae were a very tight-knit race and did not readily ept outsiders. It may be eptable in somemon cities, but an essential outpost like Vostracane was usually off-limits¡ªwhich was why everywhere Izroth passed by, he could feel the cold stares of the Skounae in the city. "What is that thing? It¡¯s hideous...!" "Fool, have you never seen a human in person before?" "I heard they enjoy the sunlight more than moonlight. What strange creatures." "I wonder what its insides look like." Izroth overheard arge variety of conversations going on among the Skounae. Several about his bizarre physical appearance, and others about some less than friendly topics. ¡¯I suppose in their eyes; I am a unique creature.¡¯ Izroth was slightly amused by the Skounae¡¯s reaction to his presence; however, it did not bother him. He was here for a purpose and had no time to put those Skounae in his eyes. Swish! Salokin halted his steps, and Izroth, as well as Essirie, followed suit. A few secondster, a shadow appeared on the ground at his feet and emerged from the dirt. This shadow soon morphed into a Skounae and kneeled before Salokin. This Skounae was different from the those Izroth had seen thus far. Its eyes were not a shining blue but a dull red instead. Its skin was a much deeper blue than that of regr Skounae, and there was a ck marking on the right side of his face of unknown origin. NPC Name: Nameless Vretis Skounae(Elite) NPC Level: ??? When Salokin saw the Vretis Skounae, a look of disgust revealed itself on his face. "Speak," Salokin spoke coldly. "Earl Vespera and Earl Sogard have departed for the Netherworld." The Vretis Skounae said without lifting his gaze from the earth. "What?!" Essirie eximed. Earl Vespera and Earl Sogard were the two Skounae sent to attack the Rosentarus border defense troops. Of course, their primary mission was to eliminate the Panther Battalion Commander. With the strength at their disposal and the power increase gained from the night, dealing with a single Zensana Commander should have gone smoothly. Even if they could not defeat the Zensana Commander by some chance, they were more than capable of escaping with their lives. Salokin frowned and asked, "What happened?" The Vretis Skounae described the events that led up to the deaths of the two Earls. By the time he finished, Salokin and Essirie¡¯s facial expressions darkened. Losing a few Barons or Viscounts was not a problem. However, the death of not one but two Earls meant one thing. "What are we going to do? It was your idea to call off the attack and retreat! Now-" "Silence. Don¡¯t forget your ce, Essirie." Salokin¡¯s gaze turned cold as he interrupted Essirie and delivered a meaningful look. They may both be Earls, but she was not his equal. Essirie fell silent as she felt a shiver run down her spine¡ªit was her bloodline reacting to the pressure of Salokin¡¯s. "Send down my orders. Viscount Asema and Viscount Versum of the Immortal Umbra Horde will temporarily take over for Earl¡¯s Vespera and Earl Sogard ordingly. Now, leave my sights, abomination of the day." Salokinmanded. Chapter 512 Night Kings Rite, Overconfidence Is The Fastest Way To Ones Downfall!

Chapter 512 Night King¡°s Rite, Overconfidence Is The Fastest Way To One¡°s Downfall!

"Venerable Earl." The Vretis Skounae said respectfully before sinking back into the earth and disappearing from view. "This has grown rather vexatious." Thest thing Salokin predicted was that two Earls would die on the battlefield. This changed everything. "Essirie, take Norebua to the Haunting Grounds to recover. Once you finish, proceed to the Netherly Unlit Grotto. Since those two are dead, a Penumbra Inquisitor is already on their way to Vostracane. We will have to move ahead of schedule for the Night King¡¯s Rite; otherwise, nothing is left to be shown but our ipetence." Salokin stated. Essirie looked as if she wanted to protest but maintained her silence. She nodded before leaving to carry out Salokin¡¯s orders. "To have a Penumbra Inquisitor visit the region under yourmand¡ªyour luck is quite bad, Earl Salokin," Izrothmented with a carefree smile. In the Malentansium kingdom, there were three branches of powers beneath the Night King. The Immortal Umbra Horde was one of these powers that acted as the main fighting force of Malentansium. Then, there was the group who oversaw the Immortal Umbra Horde, the Penumbra Circle. There was not much information avable about the Penumbra Circle in the details listed within the Event Interface. But, there was one absolute. Any member of Penumbra Circle was, at the very least, a Skounae Marquis¡ªthe equal of an Amaharpe General! With a name like Penumbra Inquisitor, paired with the events that had urred, Izroth understood that Salokin had dug himself into a hole. Once that Penumbra Inquisitor found out that two Earls had died and Salokin retreated without gaining anything in return, the consequences would be enormous! ¡¯Their visit could not have been at a better time.¡¯ Knowing that a Penumbra Inquisitor was on the way, Salokin needed something to show that he had not failed, and this something was the Night King¡¯s Rite. "Your mouth only knows how to spew nonsense, human brat. But that¡¯s good. After all, you will need that energy when you face the Night King¡¯s Rite. We¡¯re moving! Do not fall behind!" Salokin said with a grin as he dashed forward. Izroth followed after Salokin, who limited his speed to keep a close eye on him. ¡¯Empyrean should have delivered the message by now. But, with the appearance of a Penumbra Inquisitor, I may have to modify my ns.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth¡¯smunication system was grayed out, no doubt due to some security measurements Salokin set in ce around them. However, since he was not out of range, Izroth contacted Empyrean via Mind Link. Izroth used Mind Link to ry a group of new instructions to Empyrean. ¡¯That should do it. Now, it¡¯s time I make some preparations on my end.¡¯ Without drawing attention to himself, Izroth secretly opened his inventory. ¡¯I will let you see it clearly, Earl Salokin. Overconfidence is the fastest to one¡¯s downfall.¡¯ ... Around 10 minutester... Izroth reached the entrance to a cave. However, with a nce, one could tell that this cave was man-made as the way it formed was unnatural. The inside was dark and emitted an eerie aura, but there were several areas where the moonlight beamed down. Growing near the moonlight were strange nts and dark ores¡ªall of which appeared high in quality. At the very center of the cave was a pool filled with a glowing cyan-colored liquid that bubbled on the surface. That bubbling pool was showered entirely in moonlight at every corner and seemed to be siphoning its natural energies. This dark yet serene ce was the Netherly Unlit Grotto of Vostracane. "We will begin the Night King¡¯s Rite as soon as Earl Essirie arrives. In the meantime, enjoy yourst moments as a human. Soon, you will have the honor of bing a Skounae of noble blood." Salokin said to Izroth as he walked deeper into the Netherly Unlit Grotto. Not too long after Izroth and Salokin entered, Essirie arrived. After dropping off Norebua to have his injuries tended to, she rushed over to the Netherly Unlit Grotto. Even though she was against it, Essirie was left with no choice but to participate. Whether she liked it or not, the Penumbra Inquisitor would hold her ountable for what happened at the Unsanctioned Zone, along with Earl Salokin. Therefore, the two of them were locked into this situation together. "When I give the word, you will enter into the Lunar Pool. If you do not follow my exact instructions, hmph, don¡¯t think that I will let you off with a simple death." Salokin warned. "Since I have decided toe to this ce, I would be a fool not to walk away with any benefits. Rest assured, Earl Salokin. I will not let this opportunity fall to ruin." Izroth responded. Once he ceased speaking, Salokin stepped forward and stopped right before the Lunar Pool. Then, in one swift motion, he used the sharp nails on his right hand to make a small cut on the tip of his left index finger. After doing so, a drop of his blood fell into the Lunar Pool as the bubbling surface turned calm. But, not even a full breath of time passed before the bubbling returned, except this time, it was countless times more active! Essirie followed Salokin¡¯s lead and copied his every action as she too gave a drop of her blood to the Lunar Pool. The two Skounae Earls then chanted in an unknownnguage as a whirlpool developed in the middle of the Lunar Pool. A few secondster, an object that resembled a full blood red moon emerged from the whirlpool. As soon as it appeared, Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯So this is the power source of the Night King¡¯s Rite. As expected, the amount of magic energy its emitting is off the scale.¡¯ The blood moon was approximately three meters wide and high. As Salokin and Essirie chanted, line after line of magic inscriptions appeared on the blood moon. After nearly 25 minutes passed, the entire blood red had numerous red inscriptions covering its whole surface area. The chanting came to an abrupt halt as thest few inscriptions settled in on the blood moon, and a mysterious sphere descended into the Lunar Pool. Salokin then turned to Izroth and said, "Enter." Without hesitation, Izroth walked into the Lunar Pool. It was shallow and no more than half a meter deep. He approached the blood moon and stood in front of it. Being so close to it, Izroth could physically feel the magical energy manifested around it. At that moment, Izroth knew that if he wanted to take action¡ªnow was the time. "O¡¯ he who rules over the endless night¡ªwe thank you as you have lent us your strength for this ancient rite! Invoke-" Bang! All of a sudden, a bright light shed that illuminated the Netherly Unlit Grotto. This light was harmless and did not cause any actual damage to anyone or its surroundings. At least, this was the case under normal circumstances. "My eyes!" Essirie cried as she covered her eyes from the piercing brightness. "You want to escape?! Don¡¯t even dream!" Salokin howled. He also had to stop the incantation midway to shield his eyes from the brilliant light. The Skounae had no problem moving around in the day. But, just as human eyesight was ustomed to seeing in ces of light, the Skounae¡¯s vision was adapted to dealing with the darkness. Put simply, this light would not affect a normal human much, but for the Skounae, it was simr to a human suddenly being tossed into a world of darkness! The lightsted for about two seconds before darkness returned to the Netherly Unlit Grotto. "ursed human brat! Wait and see how I-!" Skounae regained his vision; however, when he looked towards the Lunar Pool, his facial expression turned extremely ugly. Gone¡ªthe source of power for the Night King¡¯s Rite had vanished! That was not all, but that human had disappeared as well! Essirie was horrified, "We have to catch him before the-" Woosh! Without waiting for Essirie toplete her sentence, Salokin had vanished. His burst of movement was so great that it caused a sonic boom! Salokin was enraged! That human not only made a mockery of him but the sacred Night King¡¯s Rite as well. However, his worst crime was that he dared steal the Blood Moon! "Lockdown the city! No one is allowed in or out! Activate the barrier! The one who delivers to me that human brat will personally be rewarded by this Earl!" Salokin announced via the city¡¯smunication channels. Chapter 513 A City Under Lockdown, A Perfectly Timed Gift From The System

Chapter 513 A City Under Lockdown, A Perfectly Timed Gift From The System

In the blink of an eye, Vostracane City went on full lockdown mode. All passages that led out of the city had been sealed off, the city¡¯s defensive barrier had been activated, and members of the Immortal Umbra Horde were flooding the streets. It was a citywide manhunt! "A personal reward from Earl Salokin! I will im this for myself!" "That human is dead meat!" "Does it think it can leave our Vostracane City freely after setting its foot here?! Humans are as stupid as I¡¯ve heard!" A reward from someone of Earl Salokin¡¯s status was sure to be something great; therefore, the Skounae of Vostracane were searching desperately throughout the city. Meanwhile, there was a faint shadow that could be seen peeking from one of the city alleyways. ¡¯To think they would resort to activating the city¡¯s barrier defenses. Well, this was notpletely outside of my expectations. Still, it went smoother than I anticipated.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth hid his presence as he observed the Skounae energetic hunt for his location. A few seconds ago, Izroth had done something that was sure to have Earl Salokin seething in rage¡ªhe robbed the Blood Moon of the Night King¡¯s Rite right under his nose! Before the event started, Izroth made numerous preparations. One of these preparations included collecting a variety of talismans. Back in the Netherly Unlit Grotto, Izroth used the Grand Illumination Talisman to render the Skounae temporarily blind. Izroth was well aware of the Skounae¡¯s difficulty seeing in brightly lit environments, and the best method for creating that light was the Grand Illumination Talisman. The talisman was not very effective against yers and was only umon in quality. But, it was mostly used in dungeons against light-sensitive creatures. Needless to say, the Skounae fit right into this category. After Izroth blinded Salokin and Essirie, he removed a small medallion from his inventory. This was the same medallion given to Izroth by an old man named Zhi that he met on his way back to Amaharpe¡¯s capital city after clearing the Sea Pce Dungeon for the first time. Name: Zhi¡¯s Medallion(Magical Item) Rank: S-Ranked Usage: ??? Special Note: Who could possiblyprehend the words of Zhi? It was an S-ranked magic item, but its exact usages were still unclear. However, Izroth remembered that it seemed to react whenever there was a high concentration of sinister energy. After the medallion¡¯s sh with that mysterious dark lightning back in the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld, it had lost some of its golden radiance. But, a couple of days ago, Izroth noticed a new breath of life appeared to have grown within the medallion as if it had been recharged. While it deviated away from his original ns, Izroth had the idea to use Zhi¡¯s Medallion after learning of the sinister barrier around the Blood Moon with his Energy Vision Sense. If the barrier were directly linked to the Blood Moon, then Izroth may have thought twice. But, since it was independent, he knew that there was a good chance he would be sessful. Although there was no guarantee that it would work, Izroth judged that it was worth a shot. Worst case scenario, he would have to convert to his initial n. But, who would have thought that the medallion would make acquiring the Blood Moon so effortless? When Zhi¡¯s Medallion came into contact with the barrier, the dark energy that epassed the Blood Moon was instantly shattered! As the barrier fell apart, Izroth swiped at the Blood Moon and ced it within his inventory. Then, without missing a beat, Izroth used all four charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to create as much distance as possible between himself and the two Earls. Then, activating his Flickering Steps and Light Feathered Footwork, Izroth sped away from the Netherly Unlit Grotto. In truth, he would have liked to have stayed and fought the two Skounae Earls, but now was not the time nor ce. Even if he was confident in his abilities, Izroth knew that he could not deal with the two Earls before reinforcements arrived, and his retreat path was cut off. Not to mention, a Penumbra Inquisitor was on their way to Vostracane. Therefore he had to set his priorities straight. Now that he had obtained the Blood Moon, it was time to move on to the next part of his n. ¡¯Everyone in the city should be looking for me. This is the perfect time to move towards that ce.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s goal was not to escape from Vostracane as the Skounae believed it to be. Instead, he wanted to head deeper into the heart of the city! The fact that there would be more Skounae concentrated towards the outer edges of the city, blocking off potential escape routes, was a fortune in disguise. ¡¯There were two ces within a thousand meters that even my Energy Vision Sense was unable to prate. It has to be at one of those locations.¡¯ For one second, Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense at its full range of 1,000 meters. While it consumed a good portion of his Essence, that brief second was all Izroth needed as he could filter through the information with his perfect memory. ¡¯Let¡¯s try that area first since it¡¯s closer to the heart of the city.¡¯ Izroth began to move around under the radar, making sure to stay out of in sight. By now, Empyrean should have long since delivered his message to Aurie about the Unsanctioned Zone. ¡¯It would be a pity not to kill two birds with one stone.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s primary goal was the Blood Moon, which was now in his possession. As for his second, it was to create an opportunity for Amaharpe to capture the Unsanctioned Zone! ... Approximately ten minutester, Izroth prated deep into the heart of Vostracane. Currently, he had infiltrated into the core area of the main castle. With his Shadow Movement ability cooldown having ended a while ago, Izroth was able to sneak past the Skounae guards in his shadow form, stealthily blending in with the night. When his Shadow Movement came to an end 30 secondster, Izroth emerged in an isted dark corner of the inner castle. Although arge portion of Skounae was scouring the city for him, the security here could not be disregarded. ¡¯The NPCs here are all elite and above level 45. However, there are no Earls or Viscounts anywhere to be found.¡¯ No one would have guessed that Izroth would choose to venture further into Vostracane. After all, such a thing could only be seen as self-destructive! Therefore, those Viscounts and Earls were probably turning the city upside down to reim the Blood Moon. ¡¯If my Essence wasn¡¯t so low, I could have used Soul Pressure to take care of all the guards at once. But, that room is heavily guarded. Do I have no choice but to cause amotion?¡¯ The moment he made amotion, without a doubt, this castle would be surrounded in a heartbeat. However, just as Izroth was contemting his next move, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have learned the skill ?Shadow Blending?¡µ ¡¯A skill?¡¯ The first time Izroth unintentionally acquired a skill in a simr manner was within the Endless Pandemonium Tower. At that time, the system granted him the Spatial Awareness skill of its own ord. Izroth believed that the system somehow recognized his ability to understand the spatial anomalies and awarded him the skill. Like Spatial Awareness, Shadow Blending was a skill that belonged to the system, and so, its requirements were already predetermined! Seeing as how Izroth had been moving around Vostracane stealthily using shadows as his cover without being detected, the system probably regarded his precise actions in the same manner as a person executing the Shadow Blending skill! Izroth essed his system interface to inspect the new skill in his arsenal. ¡¯The system¡¯s timing couldn¡¯t have been more perfect.¡¯ Izroth had a few skill points sitting around collecting dust, so he decided to ce two skill points into Shadow Blending to max it out. Skill Name: Shadow Blending Skill Level: 1/3 -\u003e MAXED Skill Rank: B Requirements: 750 Agility Cost: 225 Mana Active: For 1 minute -\u003e 5 minutes, the user will enter ?Stealth? whenever they move into the shadows and have their presence greatly reduced. Leaving shadowed areas, receiving damage, or attacking will immediately break the user¡¯s ?Stealth? and reveal their presence. Cooldown: 30 minutes -\u003e 15 minutes Description: Be one with shadows! Tread carefully! Chapter 514 Into The Heart of Vostracane, Creeping Troubles

Chapter 514 Into The Heart of Vostracane, Creeping Troubles

Izroth activated Shadow Blending under the veil of shadows as he entered stealth. Fortunately, the Skounae built the castle to block out natural lights during the daytime, so the structure had plenty of shadow heavy areas. A breath of time passed as Izroth moved closer to his first target without detection. He was currently positioned in the middle of a pair of massive pirs that stretched to the very top of the castle. Izroth did not choose this corner of the building randomly. It was at this spot Izroth could advance smoothly¡ªat least, somewhat. Situated at the back of the room was a thick metal door with magic symbols carved into its surface. Standing guard right next to the metal door were two elite Skounae equipped with dark-ted armor. In addition, there were three Skounae following a strict guard route. Izroth scanned the entrance multiple times and realized that there were only two ways into that room. The first was through the metal door, and the second was a hidden passageway that originated from the floor above. The second passageway appeared to lead right into the room Izroth wanted to ess. He would not have uncovered its location with his Energy Vision Sense if not for the faint mana trail that flowed through it and revealed the link between the two areas. ¡¯Strange, that area ispletely unguarded. Could it be that not even the Skounae guards know of that secret entrance?¡¯ It was not umon for castles like this to have hidden routes to essential locations. These routes were typically only essible to high ranking individuals and used during emergencies. Therefore, it would not surprise Izroth if only Earls like Salokin and Essirie knew of its existence. However, knowing the passageway was there and getting to it were two separate matters. Not only was it located a floor above, but there were no stairs or the likes to reach that level. There was also the fact that the section between the bottom floor and top floor was the only cepletely exposed by moonlight within the whole castle. The instant Izroth tried to ascend; his presence would be detected. However, despite the several difficulties, Izroth knew that it was not impossible to reach the top floor undiscovered. There was a small opening among the Skounae¡¯s guard route. As long as he timed it correctly and waited for the final Skounae on the guard route to move away to their furthest point, Izroth was confident that he could reach the top floor within the given time frame. Izroth waited patiently as the three Skounae followed their guard routes to perfection. Then, the instant the third guard moved to the most distant point, Izrothunched into action. He started by executing his Light Feather Footwork to achieve a short burst of movement speed. This caused Izroth¡¯s movement speed to shoot up by 250% for two seconds! Tap... Izroth lightly tapped his foot on the floor as he quickly shot into the air at full speed, using Sky Steps to kick off the air itself. Tap... Tap... Tap... As he approached the tform on the top floor, Izroth twisted his body and mildly grazed his foot against one of the pirs to shed some of his momentum. He repeated this process three times, darting back and forth between the two pirs. In a sh, just as Izroth reached the top floor, the final Skounae guard turned around and looked upward. After three seconds passed, the guard continued on their route as if nothing happened. ... The top floor was much less spacious than the bottom level. There was a certain elegance to it that was unusual for the Skounae based on what Izroth had witnessed thus far. ¡¯It should be around here.¡¯ Izroth rubbed his hands against one of the nearby walls a few times before finding a hidden block. When he pressed it, the block sunk into the wall and revealed a long staircase that spiraled downward. But, when the passageway was exposed, it caused Izroth to narrow his eyes. The energy was too thin to discern any crucial details from far away, even with his Energy Vision Sense. However, that vile energy that washed over him when the hidden entrance was opened¡ªit was not something Izroth could mistake. ¡¯Why is that vile energy emitting from the bottom of this staircase?¡¯ Since Malentansium was allied with Tempest, Izroth figured that it was only a matter of time before the Shadahi joined the battle. The problem was that the vile energy Izroth sensed at the bottom of the spiraled staircase did not belong to the Shadahi! ¡¯The Netherworld... This energy is as heavy¡ªno, it might even be heavier than that of the Netherworld Envoy, who ced the curse on me.¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. Could it be that Malentansium had a connection to the Netherworld? Or worse, were the Shadahi and Netherworld working together behind the scenes? If so, then this was devastating news for Amaharpe and its allies. ¡¯I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡¯ Without further dy, Izroth stepped onto the spiral staircase and began his descent into the darkness. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Vostracane City... Visible veins could be seen pulsating on the side of Salokin¡¯s forehead. He had searched the entire city three times over and yet could not find that human brat! "He can not have escaped that fast. Where is that human brat hiding?! When I find him, I¡¯ll rip him to shreds!" Salokin growled. From the time he was blinded by Izroth to the point where he gave the order to lock down the city, it could not have been more than five seconds. Salokin refused to believe that human brat had the capability to escape Vostracane within that short time frame. As for that human taking his own life to escape¡ªSalokin knew that this was impossible. If that were the case, then the Blood Moon would have already shown itself as it could not be contained by the dead. Essirie cautiously approached Salokin, who was in a foul mood. She did not want to risk pushing him over the edge in this state. "Earl Salokin, is it not possible that the human was able to escape? Perhaps we should send some Hunters out to sweep the surroundings. Even if he escaped Vostracane, it would not be easy for him to get past the border defenses unnoticed." Essiriemented. While shemented at the mere thought of Izroth having departed Vostracane, it was not something they should dismiss. "Do you think I¡¯m a fool?! I¡¯ve already alerted the border troops to stay on guard! Instead of wasting time, you should-!" Salokin was about to erupt at Essirie when he suddenly heard a cold voice enter into his ears. "Quite the fascinating chat you¡¯re having, Earl Salokin." When Salokin listened to those words and perceived the presence that appeared behind him out of nowhere, it made his heart drop. Salokin slowly turned his head and was face to face with a hooded figure that stood half a meter taller than him. However, not even the hood could hide those deep, shining blue-eyes. "We receive you, honored Night Lord!" Salokin and Essirie said in near unison as they fell to their knees and mmed their heads to the ground. The two Skounae could be seen trembling as if they were afraid to make direct eye contact with the individual before them. Salokin wanted to curse his unrelenting lousy luck. He never thought there would be a day where he wished for a Penumbra Inquisitor to have visited! Why? Why did it have to be this person?! The Skounae in the vicinity followed the Earls¡¯ lead and fell to their knees. There was a natural fear of that individual that dwelled within the deepest parts of their blood. This person was not a Marquis or even a Duke of the Penumbra¡ªthey were a Night Lord of the Antumbra! NPC Name: Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars(???) NPC Level: ??? The Antumbra only had four members; however, they were all terrifying powerhouses of the Skounae race. Their strength was on par with the two Warlords of Amaharpe¡¯s War Brigade, and the purity of their bloodline was unmatched among other Skounae. Their very existence was second only to the Night King himself! But, why had a Night Lord appeared in Vostracane?! Chapter 515 The Blood Moon and A Manifestation of Absolute Evil

Chapter 515 The Blood Moon and A Manifestation of Absolute Evil

... Meanwhile, unaware of the Night Lord¡¯s arrival in Vostracane, Izroth descended thest step of the spiral staircase. He soon realized the further he moved away from the top step, the thicker the foul aura became. When he reached the bottom step, there was a purplish-ck miasma that permeated the room¡¯s environment. This miasma was the source of the sinister energy Izroth perceived. Izroth was met with a simple wooden door. It looked as if one could kick the door lightly, and it would fall off its rusting hinges. ¡¯Unlike the metal door at the entrance, this one contains no magic. It¡¯s just a in wooden door. Yet, my Energy Vision Sense is unable to discern what¡¯s on the other side of it. Not to mention...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense was going crazy internally. Thest time his Soul Sense warned him of danger this great was when he came face to face with the arm of the Netherworld Envoy! Only this time, Izroth did not have the buff of divine power bestowed upon him by Tererestiaa to assist him. ¡¯If what¡¯s on the other side of this door is causing my Soul Sense to react in such an erratic manner, it¡¯s best to take some precautions before I enter. I wanted to wait until I was safely outside of Malentansium territory before using it, but this ce will have to do.¡¯ Izroth essed his inventory, and a few secondster, a heavily concentrated wave of magic energy and mana emerged as a floating object made its appearance. It was the Blood Moon that Izroth "borrowed" from the Night King¡¯s Rite within the Netherly Unlit Grotto. But, its physical attributes differed from its previous state. There were no magic inscriptions or blood red color present. Instead, it resembled a giant ck rock that lost its original splendor. However, just because the Blood Moon¡¯s brilliance had vanished did not mean that it had gotten any weaker. ¡¯This is beyond my exceptions. That Earl must be losing his mind after letting this slip through his fingers.¡¯ Name: Blood Moon(Magical Item) Rank: SS Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) State: Inactive Mana Force: 10,000 Mana Force Intake: Inactive Usage: When in an active state, this item has the ability to draw in mana within its environment and produce its own ?Magic Core?. Activating this item requires it possesses a minimum of 200 ?Mana Force? and provides the following effect(s): -Produces x1 of the ?Magic Core?¡¯s listed below. The first ?Magic Core? is created immediately. The user can set this item to ?Recharge Mode?. -?Infant Magic Core? Cost: 200 Mana Force per Magic Core Recharge Time: 1 hour -?Advanced Magic Core? Cost: 1,000 Mana Force per Magic Core Recharge Time: 24 hours -?High-Grade Magic Core? Cost: 3,500 Mana Force per Magic Core Recharge Time: 3 days -?Exceptional Magic Core? Cost: 10,000 Mana Force per Magic Core Recharge Time: 1 week -?Heart of Magic? Cost: 15,000,000 Mana Force per Magic Core Recharge Time: 1 year ?Recharge Mode?: If enough ?Mana Force? is avable, this item will automatically produce a new ?Magic Core? of the user¡¯s choice after the recharge time has ended. The user can also create an order list to have this item create a specific ?Magic Core? at set intervals. Recharge times can be ignored, but the cost of ?Mana Force? to produce the selected ?Magic Core? will increase by 100%. Special Note: This item does not belong in the hands of the dead and will drop upon the user¡¯s death. The Blood Moon was not an S-ranked magic item, but SS-ranked! Although it was just one rank higher, the difference was massive. Not only that, but it was a rare production type magic item! As long as the Blood Moon¡¯s Mana Force Intake could keep up with its Mana Force consumption after extended use, Izroth would have a virtually limitless supply of magic cores at his disposal. The things he could aplish with the Blood Moon would have most yers salivating at the mere thought. However, Izroth was a bit disappointed about one thing. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame there is not an adequate amount of Mana Force for it to create a Heart of Magic.¡¯ Izroth guessed that the Night King¡¯s Rite required a Heart of Magic for it to function properly. He was sure that it had finished being replenishing, so why was there only 10,000 Mana Force instead of 15,000,000? Izroth spected that the 10,000 Mana Force came directly from Salokin and Essirie. The remaining that was supposed to form the Heart of Magic was drawn in by outside sources of power. These outside powers were likely to be the Lunar Pool where the Blood Moon was submerged and from the Night King himself! Of course, Izroth had no solid proof, and so it remained mere spection. Fortunately, his luck was not all bad. There was plenty of Mana Force within the Blood Moon to produce the other avable magic cores. Izroth held the palm of his hands up as two rings slowly emerged from his skin¡ªone from a finger on each hand. These rings were the main body of the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. ¡¯Its low durability is concerning, so I hope that I won¡¯t have to use it. But, I may have little choice in the matter.¡¯ Izroth touched the hovering Blood Moon as the magic symbols on its surface lit up. With a single thought, the magic item entered into its active state. Name: Blood Moon(Magical Item) Rank: SS Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) State: Inactive -\u003e Active Mana Force: 10,000 Mana Force Intake: Inactive -\u003e +0.02 per second (Extremely Low) ... After pondering for a bit, Izroth decided to use 1,000 Mana Force to create an Advanced Magic Core. Since the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels was on itsst breath and had one use left at best, Izroth felt that it would be a waste to use a higher grade magic core to restore its energy. ¡¯Interesting. This is the first magic item I¡¯ve seen with an essible interface.¡¯ Once the Blood Moon was running, its interface window appeared in front of Izroth. There were multiple settings to arrange recharge times, a detailed chart of the Mana Force usage, and several additional features. However, Izroth pushed this to the back of his mind as his current focus was on producing a magic core. Izroth quickly located themand for the Blood Moon to manually create magic cores. ¡´System Alert: You are about to create x1 ?Advanced Magic Core? at a cost of 1,000 Mana Force. Do you wish to proceed?¡µ Izroth epted without hesitation. After doing so, the Blood Moon slightly trembled as it emitted a faint red light. At the base of the magic item, a small hole norger than one¡¯s fist formed as a perfectly spherical object flew out and levitated at the forepart of the Blood Moon. This sphere was of modest size and could easily be situated in one¡¯s palm. Its exterior was like ss, and on the inside, saturated orange energy packed with mana swirled about freely. This item was an Advanced Magic Core. Izroth grabbed the Advanced Magic Core and sped it within his hands. In the blink of an eye, the magic core began to shrink until it disappeared into nothingness. Just like that, it had been wholly absorbed into his Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. When Izroth checked the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels¡¯ energy status, it had gone from 0% up to 35%. Just as Izroth anticipated, a single Advanced Magic Core only supplied enough for one use of the magic item. Izroth ced the Blood Moon back into his inventory as it once more became inactive. With that, his preparations wereplete. ¡¯Now, let¡¯s see just what you are.¡¯ Izroth pushed open the wooden door as he stayed on guard. Wooooosh..! Immune! ¡´System Alert: You are being suppressed by a strong level of energy!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Checking Willpower...¡µ ¡´System Alert: You resist the force of suppression!¡µ Immune! Immune! Immu... A mighty flood of miasma greeted Izroth as if it wanted to consume him. However, whatever its intended purpose, Izroth seemed to be immune to its effects. At first, the room behind the wooden door was in total darkness. But, after the thick miasma rushed out, a faint red hue dimly lit the chamber. Izroth¡¯s eyes immediately fell upon a tall statue of an unknown creature that stood approximately 10 meters high at the room¡¯s center. This statue was the source of that sinister aura. ¡¯What is this thing?¡¯ Izroth stepped into the room filled with deadly silence. Then... Tap... Creeeeeak... ... An eye of the statue slowly cracked opened. Within its gaze¡ªa manifestation of absolute evil. Chapter 516 Arkogiss Ordeal, The Secret Realm

Chapter 516 Arkogis¡°s Ordeal, The Secret Realm

The entrance that Izroth stepped through disappeared and was reced by a concrete wall. ¡¯Oh? Is it trying to trap me here?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the hidden area ?Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal?¡µ The statue of the unknown creature had six arms and five eyes. Four out of five of its eyes stayed shut, and one rested at the center of its forehead¡ªit was this eye that appeared to be observing Izroth. ¡¯This creature does not belong to the Skounae race. And, now that I¡¯m this close to it, while it feels simr to the Netherworld energy I have previously crossed paths with, there¡¯s something novel about it. More importantly, my Energy Vision Sense is not detecting any signs of life from it. But... Why does it feel as though it¡¯s alive?¡¯ Izroth approached the statue and fully circled around it to study every side. Everywhere he moved, the statue¡¯s eye followed him. However, besides its eye, the statue did not budge from its position. When Izroth reached the opposite side of the statue, he happened upon a silver te with words printed on its surface. ¡¯This is...¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have discovered ?Arkogis¡¯s Message?¡µ Life is unfair; don¡¯t you agree? A simplicity is ever present¡ªsinking in one¡¯s self despair and solitude. It rejects you. Refuses to permit you the right of drowning in your own pleasures. Struggle, don¡¯t struggle¡ªit will undoubtedly unearth a way to return you to the surface where the unknown awaits. Yet, with despair and solitude, it allows you to descend into an endless abyss. How unfair life is to all. But, if life is unfair to all, in the end, does not that make it fair? The price of immortality is an individual¡¯s sanity, and eventually, their humanity. Death is merely the inclusion of a delusion within an illusion that remains an elusion. To the future soul that reads this text, I leave you with a question. However, this question has no correct answer. Yet, you must choose correctly. Which is fair? Will you answer life... Or, death? Choose. - "First Son of Day \u0026 Night, Arkogis" ¡¯Arkogis?¡¯ Izroth was unfamiliar with that name; however, the text itself spoke volumes of the type of person Arkogis used to be, or perhaps, still is. He believed that Arkogis was someone who had been enlightened¡ªso to speak. It was also a possibility that they made a choice and ended up regretting itter on. ¡¯Why is this room so heavily guarded? It even has a secret entrance. Can it be that this Arkogis or its statue is of that great of importance to the Skounae?¡¯ All of a sudden, the willpower checks that had been going nonstop ever since Izroth took his first step into the room hade to an abrupt halt. At the same time, the eye on the statue that was carefully observing Izroth slowly shut closed. ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully resisted the ?Eye of Arkogis?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have met the requirements of ?Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a Secret Realm!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Realm Fragment IV?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have obtained the right to enter ?Secret Realm: Arkogis¡¯s Dream?!¡µ ¡¯Secret Realm..!¡¯ Truly his trip to Vocstracane was not in vain! Izroth swiftly opened his inventory and removed an object in the shape of a metallic ck icosahedron. At its core was a dim silver light that pulsated like a heartbeat. Name: Realm Fragment IV Realm: Arkogis¡¯s Dream Difficulty: ¡ï¡ï¡ï Fragments Located: 4/6 Realm Status: Closed Usage: Once all six fragments are discovered, the location of the ?Secret Realm: Arkogis¡¯s Dream? will be revealed. However, the Secret Realm can only be opened when all six fragments are gathered at the ess point. Those without a ?Realm Fragment? for that specific Realm are unable to enter. Special Note: This item has a 100% chance to be dropped upon death. This item¡¯s owner will continuously have their location revealed to others who hold a ?Realm Fragment? for ?Secret Realm: Arkogis¡¯s Dream?. After all six fragments have been located, this item¡¯s owner cannot be protected by safe zones. This was Izroth¡¯s first timeing across a Realm Fragment to a Secret Realm. He had read about Secret Realms; however, everything about them was shrouded in mystery. Even though Izroth¡¯s current understanding of Secret Realms was limited, the most useful information he read about their existence was before RML¡¯s official release. Or, to be more precise, the original owner of his body read it. But, since their souls were merged, this memory was something Izroth naturally recalled as if it were his own. ording to the beta testers, a Secret Realm was like a dungeon or raid; however, it was an entirely different type of beast to confront. For one, there was no respawn feature. This meant that once someone died in the Secret Realm, they would be automatically ejected. Not only that, but they would suffer harsh failure penalties depending on the difficulty of the Secret Realm. Even reverting back to level one was not out of the question! In the closed beta, the beta testers only attempted two Secret Realms in total. One Secret Realm was two stars, and the other was rated four stars. No one knew just how high the difficulty of Secret Realms could get, but one of the beta testers who attempted the two-star Secret Realm at that time wrote in a guide, "If you ever have the chance to enter a Secret Realm, you only need to keep one thing in mind. Everything you have earned up until that point is meaningless¡ªutterly useless." As for the four-star Secret Realm, there was no avable information. The only thing that was known for sure was that the group of beta testers who ventured into it was wiped out in less than one minute! ¡¯Something even the beta testers have little knowledge of¡ªthe rewards cannot be modest.¡¯ A few seconds after Izroth removed the Realm Fragment from his inventory and inspected it; a minimap opened up before him. This map had no particrnd markings and appeared to be a simple screen. On the map were three green dots and one blue dot. The green dots represented the other Realm Fragment holders, while the blue dot marked Izroth¡¯s current position. Each dot had a set of coordinates that hovered over it and followed the dot whenever it moved. ¡¯They¡¯re quite spread out. Though I suppose there is nothing that can be done until all the fragments are collected.¡¯ Izroth returned the Realm Fragment to his inventory as the minimap vanished. Since there were still two fragments left to be discovered, there was nothing he could do about it. Furthermore, even though he gained some incredible benefits bying to Vostracane, he still had a promise to keep. Shrieeeek! Shrieeeek! Shrieeeek! Out of nowhere, the red hue of light within the room turned blue as the sound of ear-piercing shrieks repeatedly echoed. Izroth¡¯s first thought was that the rms somehow went off. But, not even half a breath of time passed when his Soul Sense began to go haywire. nk! Click! Creeeeak... The massive metal doors started to creep open, and the moment they did, a surge of familiar energy swept into the room. Woosh! Izroth moved into a corner of the room that contained a shadow as his Shadow Blending skill activated and hid his presence. He had less than a minute remaining on the skill and, if possible, did not want to draw any unnecessary attention just yet. However, given the reaction of his Soul Sense, Izroth knew¡ªwhoever came through that door, he would have no choice but to confront them to make his way out! ¡¯These mes... It¡¯s them?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense was active as he noticed two mes that he encountered once before. One of the mes belonged to Earl Salokin, and the one next to it was unquestionably Earl Essirie¡¯s. However, it was strange. Indeed, those two were threatening individuals, but even when the two of them were hostile towards him back near the Amaharpe and Malentansium border, his Soul Sense never gave off such a disturbing warning. Then, just what was- "Are you enjoying yourself?" A voice sounded from above Izroth. Hovering upside down directly above his head was none other than the Antumbra Night Lord, Zars! ¡¯?!¡¯ "Oh..? To react immediately without freezing in fear before this lord¡¯s presence¡ªit¡¯s just as Salokin said. An interesting human, indeed." Zars stated as he witnessed Izroth¡¯s flickering silhouette gradually fade away. He then positioned himself upright as his feet touched the ground and continued, "Very well. Let¡¯s see if you are worthy of this lord¡¯s notice." A ck wisp of energy appeared at the tip of Zars¡¯ index finger. With a light flick, this ck wisp soared from his fingertip and moved at terrifying speeds as it rushed out of Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal! Chapter 517 Deadly Pursui

Chapter 517 Deadly Pursui

... ¡¯I couldn¡¯t sense it. Is that the strength of a Penumbra Inquisitor? Topletely avoid my detection¡ªI underestimated those of the Penumbra Circle.¡¯ Employing his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, Light Feather Footwork, and Flickering Steps, Izroth escaped Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal. He made his way out of the main castle; however, the sense of danger had yet to fade. When that voice sounded into Izroth¡¯s ear, he escaped without hesitation. To get that close to him while avoiding his range of perception... Izroth was no fool. He understood the gap between his current strength and that of the Penumbra Inquisitor was not something that could be closed with a few skills. Not to mention, Salokin and Essirie, as well as the other Skounae, could not be overlooked. ¡¯Strange, there is no one following after me.¡¯ Izroth was confident in his speed; however, he only managed to smoothly escape from Salokin and Essiriest time due to the element of surprise. But, the fact that no one was on his trail felt off. Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense to scan the surrounding 100 meters. He made sure to only keep it active for a brief period of time to reserve his Essence. ¡¯Something¡¯s closing in fast. At this rate, it will catch up to me in less than fifteen seconds. Still, the biggest problem is my Essence. I have around 300 points remaining, so I can not afford to be too wasteful. After all, if I undergo Soul Weakness at this ce, then my chances of survival will fall drastically.¡¯ Izroth was unclear about what was pursuing him, but he grasped that it was not a person. Instead, it was a bizarre phenomenon, unlike anything he had ever witnessed with his Energy Vision Sense. Everywhere that thing passed, everything transformed into darkness and was obscured. It was as if his Energy Vision Sense was being led astray. Izroth changed his direction multiple times, but the feeling of danger continued to linger. When he nced behind his back, Izroth saw a ck wisp. This ck wisp brushed past one of the Hunter Skounae and lightly grazed their arm. "Ah! What is this?! I can¡¯t get it-! Ahhhhhhh!" Starting from the small cut on their arm, the Hunter Skounae¡¯s flesh, blood, and everything began to crumble away, leaving behind only their bone. In less than two seconds, the only thing left of the Hunter Skounae was a lifeless skeleton. But, even that too, soon turned to dust that blew away with the wind. This was not a one-time urrence. The ck wisp did not separate ally from foe. If one were in the way of its path, it would go forth without pause, bringing death and destruction to those it encountered. ¡¯It doesn¡¯t seem like it will end until it makes contact with its intended target. Since that¡¯s the case, I should wee it properly.¡¯ Izroth suddenly shifted his course once again. This time he was headed to an area of Vostracane located in a far upper corner of the city. Back when Izroth first swept Vostracane with his Energy Vision Sense, there were two areas that its power could not prate. One of these ces was Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal that he had just escaped from moments ago. As for the second, if he was correct, it should be what he was initially searching for in Vostracane! Woosh! The ck wisp sped up as though it had a mind of its own and sensed Izroth¡¯s abrupt change of direction. With his Flickering Steps and bonus passive movement speed, Izroth¡¯s agility was over 10,000 points. Despite this, the ck wisp appeared to now be at least three times faster! As the ck wisp rapidly narrowed the distance, a purple lightning element could be seen epassing Izroth. The lightning began to expand over Izroth¡¯s body as a loose, deeply saturated purple flowing mantle started to form. The mantle had a damaged and torn appearance and was created solely from the lightning element as it covered Izroth from head to toe. Soon, a hood formed and fully covered Izroth¡¯s face in the process, leaving only a violet aura visible where his eyes would be located. ¡¯Second State: Heavenly Cloak. Full Mantle.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s figure began to warp and bend in an extraordinary way as a purple light shed, and he could no longer be found. Crrckle... Crrrckle! BOOOOM! The ce where Izroth was just positioned trembled as an implosive thunderp sounded off and caused the neighboring earth to shatter. In the blink of an eye, Izroth had arrived a bit more than 100 meters away from his previous location by executing the Compressed Lightning Movement. The ck wisp was still on his trail; however, Izroth was able to considerably widen the distance in one step. Though immediately after utilizing the Compressed Lightning Movement, Izroth felt as if every muscle in his body was being torn asunder from the sheer strain the skill invoked. On top of the 7% HP drain per second generated by employing the Compressed Lightning Movement, Izroth lost an additional 15% from the burst movement itself. ¡¯As I thought, using Compressed Lightning Movement with Flickering Steps active is still too much for my present body to handle. After only one burst, the side effects are already starting to show. However, I must reach that ce at all costs.¡¯ Izroth quickly scanned his new surroundings as his eyes locked onto a Hunter Skounae on his path. NPC Name: Hunter Skounae(Normal) NPC Level: 38 NPC HP: 42,329(100%) Izroth then activated an effect called Life Reaping connected to one of his essories, Ring of The Exiled One. Fortunately, there was still a couple of minutes left until its Soul Steal stacks were reset, and the ones he received back on the battlefield had not vanished. This granted Izroth an additional 100% lifesteal, boosting it to a total of 106%! Swoosh! Without halting his movement, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and swept it past the neck of the Hunter Skounae. Although it looked as though he attacked one time, in reality, Izroth¡¯s de made three swift strikes in that short time frame¡ªone to its neck and the other two over the Skounae¡¯s head! ?Critical Hit? -7,202 +7,634 ?Critical Hit? -7,202 +7,634 ?Critical Hit? -31,808 +33,716 Izroth¡¯s first two attacks were just normal attacks from his sword. As for thest blow, he used the First Baneful Sword: Destruction to finish off the Skounae. Then, instantly after it was eliminated, Izroth employed his Compressed Lightning Movement to advance another 100 meters, finally reaching his intended destination. It was a small inconspicuous building that failed to catch one¡¯s eye; however, if Izroth¡¯s suspicions were correct, this ce was the most crucial area in all of Vostracane! At a nce, the building looked to be abandoned. But, since he had examined this area with his Energy Vision Sense long beforehand, Izroth knew that this was far from the case. In total, there were more than 30 Skounae hiding stealthily in the shadows that acted as the guardians of this building. Woooosh... "Hm? What¡¯s-" One of the Skounae felt a breeze rush past them. He saw a ck mantle flutter before his eyes as everything around him fell silent. Wooosh!!! p!!! The sound and force finally caught up with Izroth¡¯s movements as a strong gale revolved around him and the noise of a thunderp rung in the vicinity. This caught the Skounae off guard and even made a few of them nearest to Izroth fall over from the wind pressure. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! During the chaos, Izroth cleared away the two Skounae, who stood guard at the main entrance. He applied the same method he used not too long ago to dispose of the Hunter Skounae. The stress on his body made him feel twenty times heavier from the consecutive uses of the Compressed Lightning Movement. Still, he understood that dying for even a second could be detrimental. ¡¯It sped up again.¡¯ Before his Compressed Lightning Movement went off just then, Izroth could see the ck wisp less than 40 meters away despite having just relocated more than 100 meters from his previous position. The ck wisp was getting faster by the second! In the same breath that he finished off the two Skounae, Izroth¡¯s sword unleashed an overbearing and piercing aura as he shed the door that blocked his path into the building. Although it appeared defenseless, there was a thin barrier oveying the door to hinder any potential intruders. However, Izroth shattered this barrier effortlessly,bining his First Baneful Sword: Destruction and Fissuring Point to execute the fusion skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. Smash! Izroth crashed through the door in one smooth motion as he instantly received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered ?Vostracane City Magic Grid?!¡µ Chapter 518 A City In Ruins

Chapter 518 A City In Ruins

Magic grid¡ªevery city in RML that used any type ofrge scale magic possessed one. Barriers, magic cannons, essential city functions, and many other things depended on a city¡¯s magic grid to function. Just like the guards stationed at the main castle, the Skounae at this location did not move from their area to search the city for Izroth. ¡¯So this is a magic grid.¡¯ Upon entering, arge white crystal approximately two meters in length hovered a few centimeters off the ground at the room¡¯s center. There was a series of numerous highlyplex magic sequences and matrices that epassed the white crystal. Izroth was unable to decipher everything as much of it was unrecognizable to him; however, he did understand the fundamental purpose of the magic sequences and matrices. ¡¯It¡¯s more troublesome than I anticipated. If I went with my original n to destroy this magic grid, then the chances of my sess would have only been around 30%.¡¯ Name: City Magic Grid(???) Rank: ??? Durability: ??? State: Active Mana Force: 98,502,613/100,000,000 Usage: ??? Special Note: A specially designed magic grid with enough magic energy to fuel an entire city for many years. Once installed, it cannot be removed from its location until its Mana Force runs out. 98 million Mana Force! That kind of energy output was the equivalent of six to seven Hearts of Magic! ¡¯If I could take this thing, then... Forget it. It still has an abundance of Mana Force.¡¯ Izroth had a rough estimation of what he would encounter, but this had gone well beyond that. Fortunately, he had a new helping hand. "The magic grid room has been breached! Stop them!" One of the Skounae outside shouted as he fired multiple arrows at Izroth. However, with Izroth¡¯s current agility and sense of perception, evading those arrows required little effort. "Wait! Something¡¯s headed this way!" "By the name of the Night King¡ªwhat is that?!" "Retreat! Mages, reinforce the- Ahhhhh!" The ck wisp pursuing Izroth caught up just moments after Izroth took his first step into Vostracane¡¯s Magic Grid building. But, due to how fast it traveled, it resembled more of a ck bolt instead of a ck wisp. On its arrival, the ck wisp was at least ten times bigger, and it no longer required direct contact with someone to affect them. Being in its general vicinity alone was enough for some of the more unfortunate Skounae to whither away. Izroth quickly spurred into action as he stood next to the City Magic Grid with his Sword of The Storm unsheathed. Woosh! The ck wisp flew into the room and headed straight towards Izroth! Its speed was iparable to when it first began its chase. 10 meters... 5 meters... 1 meter...! When the ck wisp approached the one meter mark, Izroth was suddenly encased within a beautiful crystal. However, the Crystallization skill was swiftly eradicated! It failed to survive a fraction of a second under the influence of the ck wisp! ng! The crystal that epassed Izroth fragmented and lost its structural integrity. But, it was not over yet. Right before the ck wisp destroyed the crystal, Izroth executed another skill as he summoned forth a gentle gale of protective wind. The Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard protected Izroth from all iing attacks and crowd control for five seconds. However, during the time it was active, he was unable to move or attack. It also converted 80% of all damage received into an attack with the wind element for his next sword strike! But, not even the protective winds of a maxed out A-ranked skill could hold up for more than one second. This ck wisp was even capable of withering something as intangible as the wind! ¡¯This thing is too vicious. Initially, I assumed it was a poison-based skill given how it affects its targets. However, it goes well beyond simple poison. This ck wisp¡ªis it speeding up time? No, it¡¯s nothing so grand. There¡¯s something else to it.¡¯ Now that he was face to face with the ck wisp, Izroth could examine the smaller details. When he focused his vision on it, Izroth observed an abnormality. The reason the ck wisp moved as if every part of it were alive was that every part of it was, indeed, alive! ¡¯These are... Insects?¡¯ Izroth noticed hundreds¡ªno, thousands of tiny ck insects that united together to form a single entity. These insects continually multiplied and seemed to feed off of anything with mana or magical energy. Izroth spected that whether it was organic matter or inorganic matter, the insects devoured everything at an insane rate until there was nothing left of it! When Izroth realized this, he felt that it was a shame that his Boundless Nullifying Expanse was still on cooldown. These insects would most likely be unable to thrive in its Nullification Zone. As the ck wisp crumbled away at thest of Izroth¡¯s protective winds, a surge of magical energy erupted from his body. In a sh, a fierce ancient warrior wielding a shield appeared behind him. This warrior was made out of pure energy and was known as the Champion of the North Shield¡ªone of the two ancient warriors who belonged to the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels! Under normal circumstances, activating the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels took fifteen uninterrupted seconds. But, thanks to the Protector¡¯s Right effect connected to the Champion of the North Shield, Izroth avoided this dy. Of course, this was not without a price. Without hesitation, the ancient shield warrior mmed its shield into the ground as a shielding aura enveloped Izroth just as the ck wisp was about to collide with him. This shielding aura held up much better than the Crystallization or the protective winds, but the process of decay was just slower and had notpletely halted. Suddenly, the mantle around Izroth vanished as he willingly deactivated the Second State: Heavenly Cloak¡¯s Full Mantle! Immediately after doing so, the bacsh struck Izroth as his body underwent internal turmoil. However, Izroth knew that if he made one small error, everything woulde crashing down. Therefore, despite the overwhelming bacsh of the Compressed Lightning Movements, he maintained a firm stance. As the shielding aura rapidly decayed, two arms of purple lightning emerged from Izroth¡¯s back right after he deactivated his Full Mantle. ¡¯Call of the Thunder God. Third State: Heavenly Arms.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s HP started to plunge as the shielding aura came to an end. However, before it did so, Izroth shifted his stance to match that of his second sword form with a slight reflection of his first sword form as a faint aura appeared around his de. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! ¡¯Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. Sword Return.¡¯ Izroth took two steps back as he swept his Sword of The Storm at the ck wisp. He poured 200 points of his Essence into this sword strike. Along with the initial 100% attack boost from the Third State: Heavenly Arms, the bonus wind damage from his Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, and the guaranteed critical strike from his First Sword Form: Converging Paths, the current strength of his Sword Return had surpassed that of an S-ranked skill! However, Izroth was still being pushed back by the ck wisp! But, support soon arrived as the two arms of lightning behind Izroth mimicked his Sword Return and shed with the ck wisp! ¡¯If you want something to eat that badly, then I¡¯ll let you enjoy a feast.¡¯ With every ounce of his strength, Izroth stomped his right foot forward and shifted his left foot. He twisted his body and swung his sword with all his might! Woooosh! Bang! The ck wisp that shed with his Sword of the Storm had been sessfully deflected! However, Izroth did not choose just any direction. He steered it directly at the City Magic Grid! This instantly caused the surrounding magic energy in the atmosphere to lose control as the numerous magic sequences that contained the City Magic Grid failed one by one. ¡¯I hope you¡¯re watching from the border, Commander. After all, it would be a shame to miss such a grand disy.¡¯ Izroth closed his eyes as a golden light appeared beneath his feet. Simultaneously, the City Magic Grid was breached by the ck wisp as a crack developed on its surface. What followed... Ooooooom...! BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! ... Was a city in ruins! Chapter 519 Aftermath

Chapter 519 Aftermath

... A few moments ago, Aurie and Maeva, along with approximately 150 War Brigade soldiers, positioned themselves at the Unsanctioned Zone¡¯s Amaharpe and Malentansium border. After Empyrean delivered the first message to Aurie, against her expectations, he followed up with a second message so soon. The message this time? Instead of two hours, Izroth wanted them to be ready within one hour! Not only that, but she also received some shocking news. A Penumbra Inquisitor was on their way to Vostracane! If someone from the Penumbra Circle arrived on the battlefield, it would cause a major shift in power bnce as Malentansium would undoubtedly have the upper hand. But, if Empyrean spoke the truth, Aurie understood that was all the more reason for her not to dismiss his words. However, with a Penumbra Inquisitor on the way, no matter how she looked at it, Aurie could not imagine Izroth¡¯s bold promiseing to fruition. Meanwhile, Maeva had a troubled expression as she stared at the well-fortified Vostracane in the distance. Since Empyrean could ry Izroth¡¯s messages, she knew that he must still be safe. However, she was worried about the promise Izroth made to Aurie. This was even more so after she learned of just how powerful a Penumbra Inquisitor could be. Maeva issued a faint sigh as she said to herself, "The Pce Master is too reckless. I just hope the Commander won¡¯t be too harsh on him if things don¡¯t go as nned." "Commander Aurie, this Captain from the GSU and that strange man¡ªcan their words be trusted?" One of the individuals next to Aurie questioned. This person had an ordinary appearance as he wore light armor and had a greatsword ced upon his back. He was the 4th Division Captain of the War Brigade¡¯s 2nd Unit, Gritt. NPC Name: War Brigade 2nd Unit Captain of the 4th Division Gritt(Rare) NPC Level: 57 NPC HP: ???(100%) "Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, we cannot ignore the potential arrival of a Penumbra Inquisitor. Besides, Captain-" Aurie replied as she set her sights on Vostracane. She then continued, "Have I ever led you astray?" Gritt sighed as he shook his head and answered, "How can that be? I would follow you to the Netherworld and back, Commander." "Who says I want yourpany if I¡¯m headed to the Netherworld?" Aurie stated. "You are not allowed to die. Otherwise, I will drag you back from the Netherworld and kill you myself¡ªaren¡¯t these your words, Commander? Not even you are exempt from this rule." Gritt replied with a smirk. Aurie remained silent at first as a slight smile found its way to her face, and she responded, "Yes, I suppose I¡¯m not." A couple of minutes passed by as the one hour mark approached. Gritt made sure that everyone and everything within the 4th division was in order. Meanwhile, Aurie and Maeva¡¯s gazes never wandered away from Vostracane. Then, out of nowhere, a huge eruption of light emerged from Vostracane, followed by the earth beneath the War Brigade¡¯s feet violently shaking. A few momentster, a high pitched screech filled their ears as a powerful shockwave washed over them. This shockwave was great enough to disorientate many of the War Brigade members. Soon after, the screeching noise disappeared and was reced by total silence. Maeva was one of the individuals affected by the shockwave¡¯s disorientating effects; however, she quickly regained awareness of her surroundings. But, her ears had not stopped ringing. When she took a look around her, she noticed that Aurie and Gritt were shouting what seemed to be orders with the majority of the War Brigade members in a state of confusion. As the ringing in Maeva¡¯s ears finally began to fade, she made out a few of Aurie¡¯s words. "Ta...e... o...ver...! ...Take cover!" Aurie warned as she knew that it was not over. She had witnessed that type of destructive force once before when a City Magic Grid malfunctioned and lost control. However, the chances of a City Magic Grid losing control was less than 0.000001%! Aurie was willing to bet on the fact that this was no mere coincidence. Could it have something to do with that Captain of the GSU? "How did you do it..? You reckless-" Aurie muttered to herself as the light that originated from Vostracane increased in its intensity. For that brief moment, it was as though daytime had found its way into the night. ...BOOOOOOOOOOM!!! A massive explosion took ce that could be felt from Vostracane to Xanaharpe to the nearby Rosentarus stronghold. After a few seconds passed, the brilliant light began to weaken as the tremors stopped. Once the light subsided, Maeva got a clear view of Vostracane; however, her eyes widened from disbelief as she could not believe what she was seeing. "It¡¯s gone!" One of the War Brigade membersmented with a shaky voice. Vostracane, the stronghold city of the Skounae near the Unsanctioned Zone that once stood proudly, was now in a state of ruins! In the blink of an eye, the entire city had been ttened, and its grand walls stood no longer. It was a scene of utter destruction. ... Meanwhile, back in Vostracane... Three individuals stood on thend where the once grand castle at Vostracane¡¯s heart upied¡ªtwo of which were ced within ck protective spheres. These two were Earls of the Skounae¡¯s Immortal Umbra Horde, Salokin, and Essirie. As for the remaining person, it was, of course, the Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars. "Salokin, where did you find that human?" Zars questioned as a slight smile crept onto his face. However, Salokin was speechless. His city! What happened to his city?! His eyes darted around different areas of Vostracane, but there was no one. Outside of himself and the two present, there was no other Skounae survivor! Thousands... That was thousands of Skounae lives! Gone, just like that! Essirie shivered as she beheld the spectacle of death. If the Night Lord had not protected her, then she would have shared a fate simr to the other Immortal Umbra Horde troops. She secretly red at Salokin. This was all his fault... Everything! If only he did not deviate from the original n, then they could have already conquered the Unsanctioned Zone, and she would not have almost needlessly squandered her life! Swoosh! Pop! The protective sphere around Salokin popped as he suddenly felt a tight pressure around his throat. Zars lifted Salokin before him by his neck with one arm and said, "Does this lord need to repeat his words for your amusement?" Salokin¡¯s heart dropped as he felt an overwhelming force press down against him. The bloodline in his body was reacting to Zars as if driving Salokin to follow his will. "The battlefield... Near the Unsanctioned Zone¡¯s border! I don¡¯t know more than that, honorable Night Lord! I swear by the name of the Night King!" Salokin swiftly responded as he tried to look down¡ªnot daring to make direct eye contact with Zars. "Your decision to perform the Night King¡¯s Rite on this human was a correct one. Though it is an embarrassment, you failed to realize..." Zars stated as he tightened his grip around Salokin¡¯s neck. "H-have mercy...! Honorable Night Lord, have-!" "You were too far out of your depth." Zars lifted his other hand as he tapped Salokin¡¯s forehead with his index finger. A ck wisp developed as it mercilessly ate away at Salokin. "Ahhhhhhh!" Salokin¡¯s screams filled the atmosphere; however, it onlysted a few seconds as even his skeleton was turned to ashes that dispersed with the wind. Zars nced back towards Essirie, who had a look of terror on her face. "Have mercy!" Essirie bowed as she shivered uncontrobly. "Rx, Earl Essirie. This lord does notck a heart. Your Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake venom still holds great value." Zars said as his gaze locked onto a specific location within the wreckage of Vostracane. He then continued, "After all, it would seem that we have a survivor to greet." Survivor?! Essirie was dumbfounded. How could anyone survive that level of destruction?! ... Clouds of debris flooded Vostracane and had yet to fully disperse. There was a visible silhouette at the center of the aftermath. ¡¯It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done something this rash. Though I have to say, it¡¯s not necessarily a bad feeling.¡¯ A figure walked out of the dust cloud just as it started to settle down. This person was none other than Izroth! Chapter 520 Opening The Leaderboard, Face To Face

Chapter 520 Opening The Leaderboard, Face To Face

There was a circle of golden light on the ground behind Izroth that disappeared after he stepped forward. Izroth inwardly sighed as the two rings on his fingers had various tiny cracks formed on its surface. These rings were the main body of the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels, and it was currently reduced to an unusable state. He removed the rings and set them into his inventory. ¡¯It seems I won¡¯t be able to use it again until I find someone who can restore high ranked magic items.¡¯ Being the closest individual to the center of the explosion, Izroth should have been the first person eliminated by the st. However, it was thanks to the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels that he walked away from the destruction in one piece. This was Izroth¡¯s first time using the Champion of the North Shield, and he was not disappointed. Unlike the Grand Millennial Archer that was offense orientated, the Champion of the North Shield was theplete opposite, focusing wholly on defense. The golden light that appeared beneath Izroth¡¯s feet just before the City Magic Grid exploded was linked to a skill of the ancient shield warrior¡¯s Six Gates Northern Shield called Principle of Pacification. Name: Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels(Magical Item) Rank: A -\u003e Unranked(Broken) Durability: 198/500,000 -\u003e 0(Broken) Energy: 35% -\u003e 0%(Unchargable) ... *?Six Gates Northern Shield? - Enables the ?Champion of the North Shield? to utilize the ?Gates of Six Principles?. Each ?Gates of Six Principles? drains 35% energy from the ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels?. *?Protector¡¯s Right? - The ?Champion of the North Shield? can be summoned by itself instantly, ignoring the 15 second channel time. Forcibly summoning the ?Champion of the North Shield? this way will disable all effects of the ?Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels? for 168 hours once the activated skill(s) ends. *?Principle of Pacification? - Covers the user in a protective aura for 10 seconds that can absorb up to 100% of their maximum HP in damage. If this protective aura is destroyed before it reaches the 10 second mark, the area within 5 meters around the user bes a ?Pacification Zone? for the remainder of the skill¡¯s duration. While within the ?Pacification Zone?, the user, allies, and enemies are unable to receive or deal damage and are immune to all crowd control effects. ... Special Note: This timeless treasure is a memento of two particr individuals¡¯ participation in an ancient war. Since the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels would be out ofmission after a single use regardless, Izroth took advantage of Protector¡¯s Right to directly summon the Champion of the North Shield. If not for this ability, then he would not have taken such a huge gamble. ¡¯It¡¯s a pity. But, this exchange was well worth it.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze over Vostracane, or rather what little was left of it. Despite the state of his magic item, Izroth did not view the overall situation as his loss. His gains this time around were enormous! An SS-ranked production type magic item, a Realm Fragment to a Secret Realm, and, of course... ¡´System Alert: ...Calctingplete!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 1,149! [Total: 1,242.07]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 1,742.07]¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?City Destroyer?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Ruthless ughterer?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer to reach 1,000 Contribution Points. As a reward, you have unlocked a hidden feature of the ?Event Shop?! In addition, you will receive a permanent 5% discount on all items purchased within the ?Event Shop? for the duration of the event.¡µ ¡´World Announcement: The ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard? for ?War of the Titans? has been unlocked!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have met the requirements to register your name for the ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard?. You are currently ranked [1st]. Would you like to disy your yer name on the ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard??¡µ Izroth received a long list of messages from the system. Of course, the first thing that stood out was his massive jump in contribution points. From a bit less than 100 points to nearly 1,800 in a single breath! The vast portion of these contribution points came from the thousands of Skounae that dwelled within the city. The system registered the deaths of the Skounae as Izroth¡¯s¡ªno doubt due to using Sword Return to redirect that ck wisp to the City Magic Grid. However, Izroth felt regrettable that most of Vostracane¡¯s poption were Hunter Skounae of the Immortal Umbra Horde. Not to mention, the emergency war objective had already ended, and so he only received around 0.25 contribution points or less for most of the eliminations. As for the extra 500 points, it came from sessfully destroying Vostracane¡¯s City Magic Grid and leveling the city itself. To put how many points that was into perspective, even killing someone who was the equivalent of a Skounae Earl during non-emergency times only granted 16 contribution points. This meant that one city like Vostracane was equal in value to the lives of almost 32 Skounae Earls! But, the biggest surprise for Izroth was that he acquired a new title and skill as a result of his actions. ¡¯There¡¯s quite a bit to cover. However, it will have to wait until I arrive back in Amaharpe territory.¡¯ Izroth had used up many of his high ranked skills. He also had a feeling that the Penumbra Inquisitor who sent that ck wisp after him was not done in by that explosion. Even if they were injured, Izroth was not in the best state himself. The side effects of the Compressed Lightning Movement were still apparent, and his Essence was practically drained. Fortunately, Izroth narrowly avoided undergoing Soul Weakness. But, he felt as if the blood in his body had been reced by lead. As for whether or not he would put his name on disy, Izroth decided to allow it. After all, what was there to lose? ¡´World Announcement: Congrattions to yer Izroth[Rank: 1st - 1,742.07 contribution points] for joining the ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard?!¡µ ¡ºTop 100 Event Leaderboard: 1st: Izroth - 1,742.07 contribution points¡» At the moment, Izroth was the only yer listed on the leaderboards with 2nd to 100th ce remaining vacant. In order to appear on the leaderboards, Izroth assumed one had to obtain a minimum of 1,000 contribution points. However, most yers were still struggling to acquire their first 100 contribution points¡ªhow could they already have 1,000? Izroth checked his system messages; however, hismunication functions were still grayed out. ¡¯The space around this area has been damaged pretty badly from the st. Even my link to Empyrean has been negatively affected. For now, I should head back to the Unsanctioned Zone border. Hopefully, the War Brigade has taken advantage of this opportunity and already made their move.¡¯ Izroth proceeded to make his way out of the ruins of Vostracane and to the Unsanctioned Zone. Even though he eradicated the Skounae within the city, there were still hundreds; perhaps thousands spread out among the borders. Since their stronghold had fallen, there was a good chance that they were preparing to retreat deep into Malentansium. Woosh! Crash! All of a sudden, something fell from the sky and crashed into the ground around ten meters away from Izroth. The impact created two small craters and kicked up a cloud of dust. Izroth instantly halted his steps. His Soul Sense warned him just now that if he had taken that extra step forward, the consequences would have been disastrous! Izroth witnessed two figures emerging from the craters. "Are you not going to run away from this lord again?" A voice sounded from within the dust cloud as one of the figures inside snapped their fingers, causing the particles of dust to scatter. Izroth finally got a clear look at the two individuals who appeared before him. One of them was the Skounae Earl, Essirie. As for the other, it was the Penumbra Inquisitor Izroth ran into back in Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal¡ªor, so he thought. ¡¯I see. Now I understand why my Soul Sense has been acting strange and why that ck wisp was able to obstruct my Energy Vision Sense.¡¯ "So it¡¯s you that I have to thank for that gift. You¡¯ve saved me quite some trouble. Though I must say that I never envisioned meeting one of you in such a remote ce. Is the Unsanctioned Zone that important to Malentansium?" Izroth said with a carefree expression. The Skounae who arrived before Izroth apanied by Essirie was none other than the Antumbra Night Lord, Zars! Chapter 521 Decaying Whisper O Wisp

Chapter 521 Decaying Whisper O¡° Wisp

There was not much information avable regarding the Antumbra in the Event Interface. Outside of their name and importance within Malentansium, the Antumbra was shrouded in mystery. However, what Izroth did know was that every member of the Antumbra was a Night Lord! If the Night King was considered the head of the Skounae race, then the Night Lords beneath them could be seen as the limbs that helped bring motion to everything. Compared to Skounae like Salokin or Essirie, the Night Lords were on another level. But, what Izroth failed to grasp was why a Night Lord had personally paid a visit to Vostracane. Indeed, the Unsanctioned Zone resources were valuable; however, how could something like that attract one of the top powerhouses of Malentansium? Was there some great hidden secret within the Unsanctioned Zone? Was his visit arranged beforehand? Certainly, it could not be a mere coincidence that he stumbled into Vostracane. "Insolent human brat! How dare you utter such unruly words before the honorable Night Lord! When you respond, it should be on your knees with your head buried into the soil!" Essirie shouted angrily. "Oh? I didn¡¯t realize a Night Lord needed his dog to speak for him." Izroth said indifferently. "You-!" Zars held his hand up as Essirie bit her tongue and swallowed her words. Zars grinned, "There is a saying that words cut sharper than any de. If the tongue were a sword, then you humans would be swordmasters without equals in this world." He then held up one finger as a ck wisp formed and continued, "I am curious as to how you removed control of my Decaying Whisper O¡¯ Wisp. You also escaped virtually unscathed from the explosion of a City Magic Grid. Human, this lord has taken interest in you. I think I will take you as a servant. Rejoice." When Izroth observed the ck wisp conjured up by Zars, he inwardly furrowed his brows. The attack that gave him so much trouble was executed so effortlessly. To Zars, it seemed as easy as drinking water and breathing air. Seeing this, Izroth was once again reminded of just how powerful the individuals deemed to be the strongest below the divine realm could be. But, more important than anything was thest word that left Zars¡¯ mouth. Servant? This feeling of being looked down on as if he were at Zars¡¯ mercy¡ªthere was nothing more Izroth loathed. He unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as an intense burst of wind was released. Izroth then lifted his de and pointed it towards Zars. "To call yourself a lord before me¡ªhow amusing. You may have an interest in me, but, unfortunately, I have none in you. Even if the Night King himself appeared before me and pleaded, he would be unworthy to carry my shoes, let alone be my servant. Yet, you, the blood ve of the Night King, want to take me as your servant? Laughable." Izroth spoke unhurriedly as his gaze turned sharp, and he took a single step forward. He was weed by an immense pressure that made him feel as though he had walked into a gravity pocket. But, there was not a hint of fear or hesitation in Izroth¡¯s eyes. So what if he offended a Night Lord? Even if he perished at this spot, it would not be the end. Once he increased his strength, Izroth would return the favor a thousandfold. By the time he was done, the Skounae would be a rare race to encounter within the Mortal Realm! The grin on Zars¡¯ face transformed into one that was unamused. Essirie, who stood behind the Night Lord, had an extremely ugly look on her face after listening to Izroth words. The Skounae practically worshipped their Night King as a deity; therefore, Izroth¡¯sments were a form of sphemy! There was a deathly silence that lingered in the atmosphere but was soon broken by Zars. "Oh? You¡¯re approaching me? Indeed, a sharp tongue, but a dull mind. Impudent. Originally, this lord wanted to show you mercy and raise you as his servant. But, you¡¯ve dared to tread on the name of the Night King. For this, there is only one oue¡ªdeath." Zars¡¯ tone changed as there was a ring coldness to it. At the same time, four additional ck wisps appeared, one hovering above each of his fingers. However, it did not stop there as Zars raised his other hand and created yet another five ck wisps. Now, there was a total of ten ck wisps¡ªeach with power no weaker than the first one that Izroth faced! "Wither." Zars lightly flicked his fingers as the ten ck wisps soared through the air and were on a direct collision course for Izroth! Izroth realized that outrunning one wisp was already challenging enough, even with all of his highest-ranked movement skills working together. To shake ten wisps with those movement skills on cooldown was not improbable; it was impossible. But, he had no ns on going down without a fight! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! As the ck wisps danced and moved in unpredictable patterns, Izroth increased his level of concentration. Then, as the first three ck wisps closed in, Izroth waited until thest possible moment before disappearing from view. He instantly reappeared fifteen meters away from his previous location using his final charge of Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. The three ck wisps mmed into one another. But, instead of scattering, they merged and became a single deadlier wisp. Izroth had no time to think as the next pair of ck wisps approached. He utilized his Light Feather Footwork to gain a temporary boost of movement speed as he kicked off the ground. Tap! Tap! Tap! Izroth stepped on the air using Sky Steps as the ck wisps crashed into the earth where he just stood moments ago. However, they quickly changed their direction and followed Izroth into the sky. Since he was inbat, Sky Steps could only be used for up to ten seconds, and Izroth nned to make the most of it. ¡¯I have to get up as high as possible.¡¯ 10 meters... 25 meters... 40 meters..! Izroth reached the max height of 40 meters that his Sky Steps allowed. Right as he arrived at that point, Izroth came to an abrupt halt as he essed his inventory and removed two items. The first was a Medium-Grade Mana Potion, which he consumed with haste. The second item was a dark blue paper talisman with dimly lit white characters engraved onto its surface. Izroth ced the talisman against his chest as it lit up and firmly attached itself to him. He then closed his eyes and looked to have entered a deep state of concentration. Meanwhile, the ck wisps below sped up and shot into the sky from nearly every direction, leaving Izroth with practically nowhere to retreat! Izroth¡¯s eyes snapped open as he tilted his body back and kicked off the air, causing him to shoot horizontally into the atmosphere. Then, Izroth leaned further back within the same breath as he swept his leg out and stomped on the air at an upward angle. After doing so, Izroth immediately terminated his Sky Steps. Woosh! Woosh! The ck wisps soared past Izroth, barely missing him as his speed of descent increased the instant he deactivated his Sky Steps. At the moment, instead of falling in a straight line, Izroth was plummeting at a nted angle! This was due to the still existing momentum of his final action with Sky Steps. Not only would this extend the time he remained in the air, but it would also put some distance between him and Zars. Crrrrrckle...! Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as the clouds above him turned gray. The skies darkened, and purple lightning wildly thrashed about. Bzzzt...! Bzzzzt! p! The sound of a thunderp echoed as two bolts of purple lightning struck Izroth, and in his hands, a magnificent longbow made from the lightning element appeared. This longbow had a unique appearance as its upper and lower limbs were shaped like a sword¡¯s de. ¡¯Call of the Thunder God. First State: Heavenly Descent.¡¯ Izroth used the Call of the Thunder God¡¯s first state to conjure a sword-like longbow as he drew the bowstring made from lightning. As he did so, a purple thunderbolt in the shape of an arrow formed as a crackling sound emitted faintly from it. While falling virtually upside down, Izroth aimed at his target down below. ...Swoosh! Crrrckle... p! Izroth released the bowstring as the thunderbolt unleashed a deafening roar as it sailed through the skies! Chapter 522 Calculated Sho

Chapter 522 Calcted Sho

Since the weapon in Izroth¡¯s hand was registered as a sword and bow by the system, he was able to unite his sword skills with the thunderbolts, and the skill he chose to embed into the one he just fired off was his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley. Woosh! Woosh! Izroth unleashed a second and third thunderbolt arrow as both moved at twice the speed of his first shot. Then came the fourth arrow; however, Izroth did not immediately release it and kept the arrow nocked as he maintained a steady aim¡ªas if he were waiting for something to ur. Simultaneously, the ck wisps above Izroth curved and adjusted their course to rmence their chase. Their speed had risen once again! But, Izroth¡¯s expression was not one of concern or worry. There was an unwavering calmness present as he kept his eyes on his target. After Izroth waited for a full breath of time, he finally let go of thest arrow. As the thunderbolt cut through the sky, it traveled at speed much greater than any of the previously shot arrows. It released a high-pitched ear piercing screech as it traveled through the skies. Once that arrow left the bowstring, the sword bow in Izroth¡¯s hands started to dissipate. He deactivated the First State: Heavenly Descent as he neared the ground. 20 meters... 10 meters... 1 meter...! Just as he was about to crash, the ck wisps caught up to Izroth. It mmed into his body, adding to the force of the impact. Boom! The ground slightly trembled as arge cloud of dust formed where Izroth crashnded. Simultaneously, several bright shes of light went off nonstop. ... Meanwhile, the first thunderbolt had long since reached Zars and Essirie as it pierced the soil at their feet. But, neither of them moved from the spot they stood as the arrow had missed them by over five meters! Although it created a fissure in the earth that split between Zars and Essirie, they appeared unbothered by the neglectable damage it inflicted. "A pointless struggle." Essirie scoffed. Where was that human aiming? He wanted to hit them from the air while falling in such an unsightly manner? Even if he stood on his own two feet when he made that shot, there was no way such sloppy marksmanship would be enough to reach them. Crrrckle! Crrrrrckle...! Exactly 2.9 seconds after the first thunderbolt arrow reached its destination, the two arrows that were discharged after it arrived with a thunderous boom. The first arrow contained the Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder, while the second held his Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus that mimicked Izroth¡¯s third sword form. With a single wave of his hand, two ck wisps appeared in front of Zars. Each wisp hovered in the flight path of Izroth¡¯s arrows, making a collision between them unavoidable. But, that was when something bizarre happened. The fissure that formed earlier as a result of the first arrow mmed closed. The instant it did so, the two Skounae were struck with an unexpected blow from Izroth¡¯s fourth sword form¡¯s dyed damage. Wooosh! Out of nowhere, the fourth and final arrow sped past the second and third as they were about to sh with the ck wisps! The fourth thunderbolt brushed past the second arrow as the ck wisp meant to consume the second arrow reacted and immediately moved to devour the fourth arrow. Soon, the third arrow sumbed to a simr fate and was also destroyed by the ck wisp. However, the second arrow on a path right for the ck wisp had abruptly vanished less than a meter before it connected. ...Woosh! All of a sudden, an arrow emerged out of thin air less than five centimeters away from Zars! Even Zars was surprised by this arrow¡¯s sudden appearance. However, it was not from an unknown foe. Nor was it a sneak attack Izroth managed tounch. It was the very thunderbolt that had just disappeared from view just moments ago! Bang! The thunderbolt struck Zars on his back as electrical discharges could be seening from his body. What that arrow did just now¡ªif Zi Yi were there to witness it, she would be shocked. Wasn¡¯t that skill her Void Jump?! However, while it worked simrly to Zi Yi¡¯s Void Jump, what Izroth just did was somethingpletely different. Due to the massive explosion of mana from the City Magic Grid, the space epassing Vostracane had been disced, and there were countless spatial tears. These spatial tears were invisible to the most, but Izroth could see them as clear as day with his Spatial Awareness skill. Before he utilized his Sky Steps to take to the skies, Izroth noticed the two connecting spatial points, one of which was located right at Zars¡¯ back. However, for his arrow to invade the spatial tear, Izroth could not be off by even one centimeter! Shooting at such a small target with monstrous precision while free falling upside down from the sky¡ªamong all the yers in RML, it was likely that Izroth was the only one who could pull off such a feat! Of course, Izroth¡¯s primary purpose with this arrow was not to inflict damage upon Zars. In the end, Zars was a Night Lord, and even though the system did not reveal his information, Izroth spected that he was a legendary being. This meant that any damage Izroth did at his current level of strength would be, for the most part, neglectable since the level gap was sure not to be small. Given that the second arrow contained Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder, it had a 55% chance to paralyze its target, and it was this effect that momentarily locked Zars movements. Usually, the target would be paralyzed for two seconds. But, dealing with someone at Zars¡¯ level, Izroth knew that he would be lucky if the skill even paralyzed him at all, let alone for a full two seconds. Fortunately, the odds favored Izroth, and he seeded in paralyzing Zars. Even though its time was cut short, at moments like this, every second was crucial. When the second arrow hit Zars, the smoke and light cleared up at the spot where Izroth crashnded. But, neither Izroth nor the ck wisps were anywhere to be found! ... A faint shadow could be seen crawling on the earth. However, the peculiar thing about this shadow was that it moved as though it possessed a mind of its own. This shadow belonged to Izroth, or to be more precise; it was Izroth himself. Moments ago, just before he was about to hit the ground, Izroth activated multiple Grand Illumination Talismans to create a screen of light. Since it was a low-grade utility talisman, the Grand Illumination Talisman did not have a cooldown time. Izroth took advantage of this and used up thest several of them that were in his inventory. Then, right as Izroth threw the talismans, the ck wisps seeded in touching him. In the blink of an eye, what little mana Izroth had remaining was devoured by the ck wisps. Even his magic was not spared, as a debuff was ced on him that dropped Izroth¡¯s magic down to zero. It was not long before the ck wisps also drained his energy and HP. However, instead of turning to dust like the others who came into direct contact with the ck wisps, Izroth¡¯s HP stopped at one! After there was nothing else left for the ck wisps to feast upon, they disappeared without a trace. Izroth¡¯s survival was not the result of his good luck, but rather something he nned the instant Zars summoned those ck wisps. As for how he survived with one HP¡ªthis was thanks to an item he acquired back in the Great Sea Pce raid during his first run, the Preserving Breath of Life Talisman! Whenever the user received a fatal blow, the Preserving Breath of Life Talisman would stop their HP at one and grant them immunity to all damage and crowd control for ten seconds. It even improved the user¡¯s HP regeneration by 1,000% during that time. However, the downside was that Izroth could not attack, use items and skills, nor could he obtain healing from outside sources. Unfortunately, Izroth did not have ten seconds to spare, and immediately after the ck wisps vanished, he forcibly canceled the effects of the talisman. This left his health in a dangerously low state as the bonus HP regeneration did not get the chance to y its part. Chapter 523 The Suspended Silver Thread

Chapter 523 The Suspended Silver Thread

Izroth had no time to spare as he was uncertain whether or not his second arrow was effective against Zars. After he canceled the Preserving Breath of Life Talisman¡¯s effects, Izroth used his Shadow Movement skill to morph into a formless shadow and went forward without looking back. By now, he had put a decent amount of distance between himself and the two Skounae; however, Izroth understood that he was not out of danger just yet. He felt a watchful gaze tracking his every move, and there was little doubt in Izroth¡¯s mind that this gaze belonged to Zars. ¡¯Leading him into Amaharpe is out of the question. If it¡¯s like this, then...¡¯ Since no one near the Unsanctioned Zone could match the strength of a Night Lord, Izroth had to revise his initial ns. The primary reason why Izroth chose to mock the Night King in front of Zars was to keep their attention on him instead of the Unsanctioned Zone or Amaharpe. Of course, Izroth¡¯s intent was not to y the hero. As a Captain of the GSU, if Izroth led someone like Zars back to Amaharpe, they could easily ughter the troops stationed at the border. As a result, the system would undoubtedly penalize Izroth and have his actions deemed detrimental to the war. If that happened, who knew how many contribution points the system would take from him? After all, he had already viewed the harsh reward to failure ratio for war objectives. But, more importantly, even if the border Commanders teamed up to face Zars, at most, they would be able to buy some time for the soldiers to retreat. However, that kind of thought process¡ªIzroth was aware of how optimistic it was in nature. With nowhere to retreat and no ce to advance, Izroth was left with a limited number of options. ¡¯Should I head deeper into Malentansium?¡¯ The Malentansium kingdom was vastly unexplored by yers due to the natural aggression and disdain the Skounae had against other races in the Mortal Realm. Exploring an unknownnd where all its inhabitants were against you was not exactly an ideal set of circumstances for adventurers. In the end, Izroth made his choice as he adjusted his path to head deeper into Malentansium territory. Thirty seconds swiftly went by as Izroth¡¯s Shadow Movement skill came to an end. He took a moment to ess his inventory and consume a High-Grade Health Potion to restore some of his lost HP. Moreover, since he had been out of battle for so long, his natural HP regeneration increased and sped up his rate of recovery. ¡¯Did something happen?¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. The watchful gaze that was on him had abruptly gone away. Although his tactics may have granted him some much-needed breathing room, it should not have been so much that hepletely outran the two Skounae. At the very least, Zars and Essirie should be somewhere within his range of observation, but there was nothing. ¡¯Have I miscalcted?¡¯ Izroth believed that insulting the Night King and agitating Zars would force his hand, ultimately drawing the Night Lord away from the Unsanctioned Zone. Could it be that his n had failed? Izroth briefly studied and investigated his new environment and soon discovered a small cave. The cave itself was only around 25 meters long and had some monsters that moved about inside. Izroth entered the cave, but the monsters ignored his presence. Their levels were below 25, and due to that huge gap, the monsters did not take the initiative to attack Izroth, as if sensing that they were not his match. Izroth found an isted corner of the cave without monsters and sat on the ground. He started to circte his Source Chant to increase the recovery speed of his Essence that was in a miserable state. At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system informing him that hismunications had been restored. Without hesitation, Izroth opened his system interface and saw that hismunication functions had, indeed, returned. It seemed that he was finally far away enough from where the City Magic Grid explosion urred for it to be restored. The moment Izroth essed his system messages, he was flooded with a barrage of messages from various individuals. However, he had no time to look through them as he immediately located the name he was searching for. ¡´System Alert: yer Maeva has sent you a message, "Is it true that you went with the Skounae?"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Maeva has sent you a message, "Are you still with the Skounae? You didn¡¯t respawn in Xanaharpe already, did you?"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Maeva has sent you a message, "How did you get ess to a leaderboard? No, never mind that, how did you get so many points? That explosion¡ªwas it your doing?"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Maeva has sent you a message, "We sessfully captured the Unsanctioned Zone without a fight. The Skounae retreated back into their own territory... I¡¯m still unsure why my messages are not getting through, but I hope everything is going well on your end. I¡¯ll try to keep you updated."¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Maeva has sent you a message, "I¡¯m apanying Commander Aurie and her unit¡¯s 4th Division Captain Gritt to check on the situation at Vostracane. I¡¯ve been informed that the surrounding space has been damaged, somunication may not be possible once we enter. I guess I finally figured out why my messages failed to get through. Are you still alive? If you are and end up leaving Vostracane before we arrive, rendezvous with us at the following coordinates...¡µ ¡¯Is it possible?¡¯ To Izroth, this situation was too much to be a coincidence. The time Maeva sent herst message to him was not too far off from when the watchful gaze had vanished. Was it possible they ran into Zars and Essirie while they were on their way to Vostracane? If so, the situation may have taken a turn for the worse. Izroth tried to contact Empyrean via Mind Link; however, there was no response. Empyrean was either out of range or experiencing the same kind ofmunication interference that Izroth had been submitted to! Since Izroth ordered Empyrean to watch over things from a distance and act ordingly, there was a good chance that he was now in close proximity to Vostracane. ¡¯I have to return.¡¯ Izroth stood to his feet as he made his way towards the cave¡¯s exit. He had fully recovered his HP and MP, but most of his high ranked skills were still on cooldown. However, he had no time to waste. If Izroth¡¯s thoughts were correct, then Empyrean, Maeva, and Aurie had run into some serious trouble! ¡¯If ites down to it, I¡¯ll just have to use that. If it fails... so be it.¡¯ While Izroth was troubled about Maeva¡¯s wellbeing since she was one of the people of his Mystical Realm Pce, his biggest concern was what would be of Empyrean if he perished at the hands of Zars. Despite being Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar, Empyrean possessed his own unique personality. With the Mind Link connectionpletely severed, Izroth was uncertain how far Empyrean would be willing to act based upon his previous orders. The system treated Empyrean as a half-yer but did not specify what this actually meant. If he died and was incapable of respawning like regr yers, then the effort Izroth went through to bring him into existence would go down the drain! Izroth went back towards the direction he entered and quickly reached the cave¡¯s exit. ¡¯Hm? This was not here earlier.¡¯ Hanging right outside the cave was a thin silver silk-like thread. The most bizarre thing about the silver thread was that it was not attached to anything. It remained suspended just above ground level, and when Izroth looked up, the silver thread appeared to originate from the skies itself as there was no end in sight to its length. There were no signs or warnings of danger; therefore, Izroth continued forward. The instant he stepped in the immediate vicinity of the silver thread, he was prompted with a system alert. ¡´System Alert: You are within the usage range of a ?Heaven Connecting Tether?! To utilize its effects, please grab onto the tether.¡µ ¡¯This is...¡¯ Heaven Connecting Tether¡ªIzroth was positive that this was rted to Empyrean¡¯s Sky Domain! But, the question was, how did it end up out here with no Empyrean nearby? Izroth did not know the effects of the Heaven Connecting Tether; however, he knew it could not be anything harmful if it were from Empyrean. "There¡¯s only one way to find out its purpose," Izroth said as he grabbed onto the tether as the system instructed. Vrooosh! In a sh, the tether wrapped itself around Izroth¡¯s wrist. Then, as if it were pulled on, it yanked him upward, causing Izroth to sail through the sky at unnatural speeds! Chapter 524 A Shift In Landscape! The Pink Cloud of Mysteries

Chapter 524 A Shift In Landscape! The Pink Cloud of Mysteries

... Not even a full breath of time passed as Izroth reached the destination the silver thread pulled him to. This ce was close to the area of Izroth¡¯s initial escape from the Night Lord Zars; however, the environment was nothing like thest he was here. It had not been that long since he left this location¡ªhow could the surroundings have undergone such drastic changes within that short amount of time? ¡¯The coordinates are not too far off from this location. Just what urred after I left?¡¯ Everywhere within one kilometer was concealed by a pink haze. When Izroth was in the sky, he saw that this haze had the appearance of a colossal pink cloud. The "pink cloud" did not separate despite its constant movement. Instead, it was as though it were being held inside by an invisible container. Izroth felt a familiar energy emanating from the haze. This energy matched Commander Aurie¡¯s; however, it was mixed in with an unknown source. Wooosh! Bang! A silver streak of light fell from the sky andnded a couple of meters away from Izroth. But, he was not startled by this sudden impact, nor did he take an offensive stance. After all, this silver streak was the reason why he could reach this ce so swiftly. ¡¯With this, myrgest worry can be eased.¡¯ The silver streak that descended near Izroth was none other than Empyrean, his Soul Avatar. ¡¯When I get the chance, I¡¯ll have to test just how far his limits go.¡¯ Since the event was starting so soon after Empyrean was formed, Izroth did not have the time to see exactly what he was capable of. As for the skills and traits Empyrean possessed, Izroth could not see the details through the system as he could with his own skills. Therefore, outside their names, Izroth had no other clues. In the beginning, he even tried to use Mind Link, but there was no real response from Empyrean, and his mind came up nk every time. Izrothpared this "mind nking" phenomenon to asking someone how they learned to breathe. To Empyrean, those skills were born with him and carved into his very existence. In other words, it was something that came naturally to him. "Where are Maeva and the Commander? Why are you not with them?" Izroth asked as he observed the pink cloud using his Energy Vision Sense. However, even it was incapable of peering through the mystical haze. "They are trapped inside... Can¡¯t enter..." Empyrean said as he pointed to the pink cloud. He then walked forward and stretched his arm out, but just as his hand approached the pink cloud, it opened up and retreated. It was almost as if it did not want to be touched by Empyrean. Empyrean then briefly exined the events that transpired and led to him losing sight of Maeva and Aurie at Izroth¡¯s request. ording to Empyrean, not too long after Maeva, Commander Aurie, and Captain Gritt entered Malentansium, they ran into Zars and Essirie. Since he was ordered to watch from afar unless it was an emergency, Empyrean did not act immediately. However, after sensing the hostility between the two sides and Zars¡¯ monstrous aura, Empyrean decided to move into action. But, soon after he arrived to lend a helping hand, things had already progressed to a point beyond an exchange of words. Aurie, realizing who she was up against, unleashed the might of her domain. When this happened, Empyrean was forcibly ejected from the pink clouds as though it was spitting out something that tasted bad. After that point, no matter how many times Empyrean tried to enter the pink clouds, it would make way for him. The issue was that even after flying and searching through every corner of the pink cloud, Empyrean could not find a single person. Maeva, Aurie, Gritt, Zars, Essirie¡ªthey all disappeared into thin air! Izroth was unsure why the haze refused to ept Empyrean; however, he figured it had to do with one of three things. The first being that Empyrean was considered a half-yer. But, Izroth gathered this to be the least likely reason. The other two reasons had to do with Empyrean¡¯s traits and skills. Innate Anti-Magic Body, Quasi-Divine Body, Crowd Control Immunity, Poison Immunity, Debuff Immunity¡ªany one of these skills or traits could be the cause. If one could not be controlled or influenced, then the next best course of action was to prevent them from entering. Whether or not Aurie intended to do so, Izroth did not know. However, he had a hunch that there was more to it than that. Back on the battlefield, Izroth remembered what Earl Salokin mentioned regarding Aurie not being able to use her domain because of the presence of her allies. ¡¯It¡¯s simr to my third baneful sword. Something that does not differentiate between ally and foe. The range of this domain is bigger than I envisioned. Still, to use it with her allies present...¡¯ Izroth knew that Aurie had not anticipated running into an Antumbra Night Lord. For this, Izroth felt partly at fault since he informed them that a Penumbra Inquisitor was on the way. Izroth could not have possibly foreseen Zars¡¯ unexpected visit, but that did not change the fact that he provided false information. Therefore, he knew that it was his responsibility to see things through till the end. "Can you use your Heaven Connecting Tether to bring them out?" Izroth asked. Empyrean, however, responded by shaking his head and replied, "Nothing to lock onto... No one is in there." "Then, I suppose the only way to find out what¡¯s taking ce within is to go in myself. Follow me immediately after I enter the mist. If we lose contact, stay out of range and in the skies until I return." Izroth said. He unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and took his first step into the pink cloud. Woooosh..! Instantly after Izroth walked into the haze, Empyrean made his move and followed his exact steps. However, just like the times before, the pink cloud opened itself to make way for him. When it did so, Izroth, who had certainly not taken more than a step or two into the haze, was nowhere to be found! ... Meanwhile... Maeva slowly opened her eyes as she regained her consciousness. "What happened...?" Maeva muttered to herself as she swept her cloudy gaze around her new surroundings. A few momentster, her eyes widened from shock as her vision cleared up. This ce¡ªwas she even near Vostracane anymore?! "Where am I? Where is this ce? What is this? When did my equipment change?" Maeva eximed. She immediately checked the side of her waist; however, even her weapon was gone! Maeva tried to ess her inventory, but that too had vanished. After seeing that her inventory and system interface was not showing up, a frown appeared on Maeva¡¯s face. Was this some kind of bug? "Open emergency logout," Maeva said. ¡´System Alert: Would you like to force an emergency logout? [Please Note: You may incur severe penalties when you logout.]¡µ Maeva breathed a sigh of relief. Since the emergency logout still seemed to be working, it meant that the system was running fine. Most likely, not being able to ess its functions was merely a result of her location. "Cancel emergency logout," Maeva stated as the systemplied. She then sighed, "It is rather ufortable being in such a frilly outfit." Maeva sighed as she looked in the mirror ced upon a small table next to where she sat. She was wearing an elegant cyan dress with frills, and on her hands was a pair of gloves that perfectly hugged her skin. These gloves stretched to just below her elbows. Attached to her ears was a glimmering set of jeweled earrings, and around her neck, a magnificent ne riddled with valuable gems. But, if one item truly stood out, it was the silver jeweled tiara arranged snugly above her forehead. There was a cold aura being emitted from the tiara; however, it did not bother Maeva. Strangely, it even felt somewhatforting. Maeva peered down at the throne in which she was seated, and then looked to the side and saw an empty throne at least twice the size of her own. Without a doubt, this was a kingdom¡¯s throne room! But, Maeva knew that it could not be Vostracane¡¯s throne room as it had been destroyed by a massive explosion. So, the question remained; what was this ce? As if hearing her thoughts, the system sounded off in Maeva¡¯s ears. ¡´System Alert: You have been given the role [Queen Nixpera].¡µ ¡´System Alert: The final role [Dreamer] has been filled.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The tale ?The Snow That Falls In Summer? is in full effect! ¡µ ¡´System Alert: The ?Dream Domain: Absolute Fiction, One Thousand Tales of Tragedy? has begun!¡µ Right after she received the stream of system alerts, Maeva heard the doors to the throne room creak open. What stood on the opposite side of the doors was a set of shining blue-eyes that revealed themselves in the darkness. Chapter 526 Tragic Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer

Chapter 526 Tragic Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer

After Izroth entered the pink cloud, everything around him turned dark, and for a few seconds, it felt as if he were floating in mid-air. A sh of light filled the world of darkness, and before he knew it, Izroth had arrived in an unknownnd. At a nce, he immediately understood that he was no longer in Vostracane¡ªat least, not consciously. At the moment, Izroth was at the edge of a forest on a man-made stone road. The road originated from a town in the distance and ran deep into the woods. But, calling it a town was somewhat of a stretch. There was an imposing pce at the town¡¯s center with towering walls that encircled it. Outside the pce walls was the residential area; however, it was filthypared to the pce¡¯s majestic appearance. Even from a distance, Izroth could see the rotten wooden buildings falling apart, and there was a somewhat gloomy aura that lingered about in the atmosphere. ¡¯As I thought, even with me leading the way, Empyrean was unable to follow me inside.¡¯ Izroth tried to connect to Empyrean via Mind Link, but there was no response. Of course, Izroth expected once he realized that almost all the system features had been locked. Equipment, stats, skills, inventory,munication¡ªall of it was inessible. Besides what the Dream Domain granted him, Izroth could not use anything in his arsenal! Fortunately, he could still ess the system alerts. However, as Izroth read over the system alerts he received after being pulled into the Dream Domain, he was surprised to learn that this ce contained a stringent set of rules. Skill Name: Tale Immersion Skill Level: None Skill Rank: Unique* Role: Dreamer(Izroth) Passive: If your true identity is revealed, you will suffer harsh penalties, followed by death. You mustplete the tasks given to your role. Failure toplete tasks may result in harsh penalties, including but not limited to death. As the ?Dreamer?, you have ess to the skills ?Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge?, ?Eyes of Knowledge?, and ?The Dreamer?. ?Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge? - Gain information about ?Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer?. ?Eyes of Knowledge? - Reveals all roles and names to the ?Dreamer?. ?The Dreamer? - When someone with a role is discovered by the ?Dreamer?, they will not suffer the penalties of ?Tale Immersion?. If the ?Dreamer? reveals a role¡¯s true identity or discloses any information within the ?Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge?, the ?Dreamer? will suffer harsh penalties, followed by death. Current Task(s): -(1)Change the oue of the tale without revealing your identity as the ?Dreamer?. [Iplete] Izroth wanted to grasp the situation better, so the first thing he did was make use of the Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge he acquired. After all, when faced with the unknown, information was more precious than gold. ¡¯Now I understand why the Commander refused to use her domain on the battlefield even after being outnumbered. Though I have to say... This domain is quite ruthless.¡¯ With Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge, Izroth obtained a few critical pieces of important information. The first key detail was the number of people trapped within the Dream Domain. Including himself, there was a total of six individuals who had been assigned roles. The second, and what Izroth considered to be the most crucial detail, had to do with the story itself, the Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. The tale was about a powerful king, Sonamus, who fell in love with a princess from a small kingdom. This princess was known as Nixpera. Having personally traveled to a foreignnd to ask for Nixpera¡¯s hand in marriage, Nixpera¡¯s father could not deny Sonamus. After all, to Sonamus, asking was a formality as the gap in power between their two kingdoms was too big. Thus, Nixpera¡¯s father promised his daughter to Sonamus. However, Nixpera¡¯s heart already belonged to another¡ªa minor noble hunter named Venare. The two shared mutual feelings for each other, but fate was cruel. Venare returned from a weekly hunt to discover Nixpera had departed to foreignnds having been promised to its king. Without a second thought, Venare rushed off to Sonamus¡¯ kingdom to search for Nixpera. After much effort, Venare found a way to sneak into the pce¡¯s back garden and waited for days. He knew how much Nixpera loved flowers and gardens, so he could only take this bet, and it paid off. After waiting for three days with no food or water, Venare met with Nixpera and expressed his feelings to run away with her so that they could be together. This was Nixpera¡¯s wish as well; however, things soon took a rather dark turn. Sonamus had a mistress named Asi. Just as Sonamus loved Nixpera, Asi had intense feelings for Sonamus and despised Nixpera¡¯s presence in the pce. However, Asi hid her hatred for Nixpera behind a silver smile and concocted a scheme to get rid of her. But, there was one issue¡ªNixpera had no ws to exploit! At least, that was until one faithful day. Byplete coincidence, one day, as she was walking by, Asi witnessed Nixpera being suddenly pulled into a group of hedges in the pce¡¯s back garden. Frightened yet curious, Asi secretly moved to get a closer look through the crack of the hedges while maintaining her distance. What did she see? A man! Not just any man, but this man seemed to be quite intimate with Nixpera¡ªalmost as if they were lovers! It was upon this discovery that Asi finally saw a chance. However, merely telling the king would not be enough as he would dismiss her words as simple jealousy. Asi needed a more concrete method to get rid of all the problems at once. This is where an influential nobleman named Fraun, who always had his eyes on Asi, came into y. Fraun had very obvious and deep feelings for Asi, but he did not dare make a move on her since she was the king¡¯s woman. But, the temptation was too sweet an allure, and Asi soon had the nobleman wrapped tightly around her finger. Asi informed Fraun that she wanted to be with him, but s, the only way this could happen was if he overthrew the king¡ªand she knew just the person to assist him. Later that night, when Venare came to sneak into the castle¡¯s back garden, he was discovered by Fraun¡¯s men and captured. But, to his surprise, he was not thrown in prison or killed on the spot. Instead, he was taken to meet Fraun. Venare was astonished to learn that he and Fraun had goals that aligned. Since the king had taken the women they loved as his own, Venare felt as if he hade across a dependablerade and agreed to help Fraun with his n. Fraun met once again with Asi to tell her of his ns and to stay safe on that day. But, it did not take long for things toe apart at the seams. Naturally, Asi revealed the assassination plot to Sonamus, along with Nixpera¡¯s connection to the mysterious man in the garden. Then, as one of the secret meetings took ce, the pce guards stormed the building and arrested everyone inside. This, of course, included Venare and Fraun. Their actions were seen as treasonous, and everyone involved was sentenced to death. It was over before it even began. When Nixpera learned of this matter, her heart sank, and she pleaded with the king to release Venare¡ªor, at the very least, keep him imprisoned. However, her pleas had the opposite effect as Asi¡¯s whispers still lingered in the king¡¯s ear. In his moment of rage, Sonamus confined Nixpera to her room and ced guards outside her chambers. Sonamus then proceeded with the execution as both Venare and Fraun were killed. But, against everyone¡¯s expectations, Sonamus still decided to marry Nixpera and take her as his queen! Despite feeling a sense of betrayal, Sonamus could not remove the princess from his heart. However, the day before the official ceremony urred, Nixpera ended her own life. With the one she loved having disappeared from her world, Nixpera lost her appetite for life and could not live with the burden of being with the man who stole something so precious away from her. Sonamus was devastated and heartbroken. Asi used this opportunity, and atst, the king officially made her his queen. However, day by day passed as the king slipped further into depression and a dark state of mind at the loss of Nixpera. Sonamus¡¯ personality began to change. His taste became more... Unique. To feel something, anything, Sonamus performed unspeakable things on Asi to the point where it became a pure form of torture. Unable to take it any longer, one night, Asi snuck into Sonamus¡¯ bed chambers with her body battered and broken. That night, she stabbed the king hundreds of times in a fit of unbridled rage. In the end, she plunged the knife onest time into Sonamus¡¯ heart. At this point, Asi¡¯s mind had already be unstable and lost its grip on reality. Once Asi realized that she had taken the life of the only man she ever loved, she clutched the same knife she used to kill Sonamus and sank it into her heart with a smile on her face. Finally, she could be with the one she loved. Right in that room, Asi died next to Sonamus. This was the tragic story of the Tale of The Snow That Falls In summer. Izroth knew that if the story was allowed to progress this way, then... ¡¯Everyone will perish.¡¯ In Izroth¡¯s eyes, Aurie¡¯s domain was not a double-edged sword as he initially believed it to be. It was a death trap¡ªa gruesome tragedy! Chapter 527 The Town Outside The Palace Walls, Viselo

Chapter 527 The Town Outside The Pce Walls, Viselo

Izroth read over the remaining data provided by Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge and found five pictures with names written underneath them. These pictures and names belonged to the characters introduced in the Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. There was also a stand-alone image with the role "Dreamer Viselo"beled next to it. ¡¯Is this my present appearance?¡¯ The picture showed a man with good-looking facial features, spring green eyes, and white hair, who seemed to be in his early twenties. He wore a mixture of cloth and leather protective gear that did not stand out too much. ¡¯Knowing everyone¡¯s physical appearance beforehand is a huge advantage. However, changing the story¡ªthis part is where the trouble lies.¡¯ As the Dreamer, Izroth could bebeled as an external force with no ce in the story itself. In other words, he was an anomaly. Any action he took could drastically alter the original tale; however, this was not the issue since he ultimately needed to change the ending. The problem started with making sure that the wrong individuals were not negatively affected. Izroth had no clue as to who was given what role within the Dream Domain. For all he knew, Aurie could be the King, or Essirie the Queen. Who were friends, and who were foes? This is what Izroth needed to know more than anything; otherwise, there was a high possibility that he may end up helping or hurting the wrong person! Of course, this was just the beginning of Izroth¡¯s obstacles. Even if he met his allies, there was no guarantee that they would trust him. Izroth learned that unlike him, who possessed the Eyes of Knowledge and could differentiate between ally and foe if they were face to face, the others did not have a simr ability. Therefore, he had toe up with a way to reveal himself without "revealing" himself and shift the story to a favorable oue where his allies survived. ¡¯If the tale stays true to itself, then Queen Nixpera should be within the pce. However, if she made contact with Hunter Venare, then that means Mistress Asi noticed them. If that is the case, one of the major turning points has already passed.¡¯ With Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge, Izroth had a good grasp of the story¡¯s timeline based on the data he obtained. The fact that one major event slipped by was unfortunate; however, it was not all bad news. Since the tale was starting from the point where Nixpera and Venare met in the pce¡¯s back garden, Izroth had an idea of who he would meet with first. Izroth understood that out of the five roles, getting close enough to King Sonamus, Queen Nixpera, or Mistress Asi was practically futile. If he could utilize his skills, then infiltrating the pce would be a simple matter. But, with those three behind the well-guarded pce walls, it would be an unwise attempt in his current state. ¡¯That leaves the Hunter Venare or Nobleman Fraun. As long as I find one of them, I find the other.¡¯ With that in mind, Izroth made his way towards the town. His goal? To locate Hunter Venare or Nobleman Fraun before the next major event urred. ... A few momentster, Izroth arrived at the town and strolled in without a problem. There were no guards on patrol and no one to verify a person¡¯s identity upon entering the town. The first thing that hit Izroth when he walked through the rundown streets was the putrid smell. There was a rotten stench that filled his nostrils and caused him to furrow his brows. ¡¯It¡¯s worse than I thought.¡¯ People were lying motionless on the sides of the road. Wherever Izroth¡¯s gazended, it was on someone who had tattered and dirty clothing. The outline of the townsmen¡¯s bones could be seen as their stomach sunk into their bodies, which was clear signs of starvation. The tale failed to discuss this kind of town environment, but at a nce, it appeared that this ce was amid a great famine. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth felt a small tug on his lower right leg. Although his senses had been vastly reduced due to the Dream Domain¡¯s restrictions, he still had his natural awareness and experience. Therefore, not only sneak up on him but make contact as well was no easy feat. When Izroth turned to see what had touched him, he noticed a tiny hand that resembled that of a child¡¯s¡ªand that was because this hand did, indeed, belong to a child! A small girl no older than four or five years old, whose height did not reach Izroth¡¯s waist, stood at his back. She was covered from head to toe with grime, possessed cloudy lifeless eyes, and messy hair riddled with filth. Even though the dirt on her face somewhat hid it, one could discern faint signs of bruises and cuts. There was barely any sensation of lifeing from the small girl. That, along with ack of any hostile intent, exined why Izroth could not detect her despite the girl being so close. The small girl held out her free hand; however, she did not utter a single word. She merely stood there with one of her tiny hands lightly gripping Izroth¡¯s lower pants leg and the other forming an open palm. Izroth could guess her intent. Food, money¡ªwhen one had nothing or the means to acquire it, the only option left was to either steal, beg, or starve to death. Given the young girl¡¯s weak stature, even if this town¡¯s marketce were active and lively, it would be impossible for her to resort to stealing. No one wanted to starve to death willingly, which left her with one option. "Where are your parents? Are they not with you?" Izroth asked. However, the girl did not respond and continued to stand there. He then continued, "I have no food or anything of worth to give you." Since Izroth was incapable of opening his inventory and had no type of currency to use in this Dream Domain, right now, the only thing he had was the clothes on his back and the sword at his side. "Ha... It¡¯s no use; that girl can¡¯t understand a word you¡¯re saying. Kekeke!" One of the people nearbymented. The one who spoke was a bald man. He was practically nothing but skin and bones with a broad grin on his face apanied by a cackle. A series of violent coughs soon followed as the man spat out a mouthful of blood that was several shades darker than usual. He then continued, "Who do you think you¡¯re fooling? One look at you, and I can tell you¡¯re freakin¡¯ loaded. If you don¡¯t want to give her anything, do you need to make such a sorry excuse for us lowlymoners?" "Damn nobles... Livingfortably behind their walls...!" The man muttered under his breath as he red at Izroth. There was an aspect of anger and hatred in his eyes. But, from the look of things, this man did not have that long to live, and there was an old saying, "Braver is no man than one who awaits death¡¯s evesting embrace." If the man suspected that Izroth was a nobleman, how would he dare have the courage to speak those words without being on the verge of death? "Parents? What a joke. That girl is just another orphan in this cursed town. She¡¯s an idiot who can¡¯t even speak. Just knock her away, and she¡¯ll get the message. She¡¯s used to it, after all. Come on, noble, give us lowlymoners one of your great shows..! Your disy of power! Keke-" The bald man erupted into another fit of severe coughs. "If you believe me to be a noble from this kingdom, then you are mistaken. I have traveled from a farawaynd after hearing of this kingdom¡¯s prosperity. But, it appears I¡¯ve been fed false rumors. I do not know what sort of animosity you have towards the nobles here, but it is misced at a simple traveler like myself." Izroth responded calmly. He then continued, "As for your advice on how to handle things¡ªI will have to decline." "Prosperity..? Kekeke... Kekeke! The day wille where this kingdom is trampled on. In the same way that it trampled on its people!" The man eximed. A couple of secondster, the man fell silent as his lifeless body slumped over. Just like that, the man had perished. Chapter 528 Existing Disparity, First Contact?

Chapter 528 Existing Disparity, First Contact?

Izroth inwardly shook his head. He held no ill sentiments towards the man, regardless of his less than friendly words. Being dealt a hand that never stood a chance of winning seemed to be a harsh yet absolute reality of this dreamworld. Still, Izroth never expected the elements of despair to be so apparent and authentic here. ¡¯An orphan, huh..?¡¯ Izroth was aware that this young girl was just one of the many manifestations of the dreamworld. If he knocked her hand away and continued onward, it would likely change nothing in the story. Nevertheless, a part of Izroth found it troubling to walk away. "Well, for now, let¡¯s see if we can find you something to stave off your hunger," Izroth sighed helplessly. The young girl lowered her hand and released her grip on Izroth¡¯s clothes as if understanding his intent. ... Around ten minutester... Izroth proceeded deeper into the heart of the town. At the moment, he was searching for a local inn to see if he could gather some additional information, among other things. But, he hadpany. Trailing behind him was the same young girl; however, there was a look of fatigue on her face as her pace slowed considerably. They had only been walking for roughly ten minutes, and yet she was already out of stamina. Without warning, the young girl¡¯s feet left the ground as she was swept up by Izroth and perched onto his right shoulder. She was light¡ªridiculous light! Even if she was underfed, this should not have been possible. She was quite literally, lighter than a feather. Unless Izroth¡¯s dreamworld body was just unnaturally strong, this young girl was virtually weightless! The child appeared somewhat startled at first, but she quickly returned to her previous state. "My name is Viselo. Do you have a name?" Izroth questioned. "..." ¡¯Is she really incapable of speech?¡¯ Izroth assumed that she understood him earlier, but perhaps she was merely following her instincts. "It¡¯s a bit inconvenient tock a name. Let¡¯s see... Until you can tell me if you have a name or not, I¡¯ll call you Selene. How¡¯s that?" "..." Izroth did not have the best naming sense; however, he tried to ensure that the name, at the very least, resembled those of this dreamworld; otherwise, they would stick out like a sore thumb. ¡¯Though I suppose it¡¯s a bit toote to worry about standing out.¡¯ Everywhere Izroth walked by with the young girl on his shoulders, he garnered the townsfolk¡¯s stares. If they held thoughts simr to the man who perished a while back, Izroth could only imagine what was going through their minds. A noble carrying amoner on his shoulders and parading around the streets? A sight like that was presumably unthinkable to the townsfolk! As Izroth explored the town, he realized that it had no actual marketce. There were two or three tattered stalls along the roadside with scanty scraps of stale bread and spoiled vegetables. The people at these stalls appeared slightly more fed than those littered throughout the town; however, it was not by much. ¡¯A kingdom on the brink of demise¡ªit¡¯s nothing like the magnificent scenery painted of it in the tale.¡¯ The story that Izroth read using Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge described the pce as a beautiful paradise with brilliant disys of wealth and prosperity. Excluding some of its inhabitants¡¯ actions, it came off as a utopia with an ideal society. ¡¯Now that I think about it, there was no mention of anything that existed outside the pce walls. Besides the brief note of the king paying a visit to the small kingdom and Venare¡¯s return from the weekly hunt, the entire story takes ce solely on the other side of those towering walls. Then, does this mean that everything out here does not influence the overall tale? Or, can this starting point be key to changing its oue?¡¯ Izroth had numerous questions but little to no answers. However, he had a gut feeling that the solution to altering the tale¡¯s gruesome endingy not on the inside of the pce walls¡ªbut out here! ... A few momentster, Izroth and Selene stopped in front of one of the few wooden buildings still in decent condition. There were parts of it that were worn or damaged, butpared to the other buildings in town, it might as well be a luxurious mansion. A sign hung on the building¡¯s wall that had a mug symbol with a dagger stabbed through it, and three blue hearts curved around the handle. This ce was one of thest persisting establishments in the outer pce town, the Blue Heart Inn. Izroth walked through the door of the inn and was weed by a strong odor of booze. The interior was not the cleanest, but it was surprisingly well put together. The first thing to enter Izroth¡¯s view was the bar less than ten steps away from the entrance. There were precisely eight tables in the room, and each had patrons that upied them. These people were different from the average townsfolk as they were all well built and had a battle-hardened exterior. Suddenly, the inn went quiet as everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Izroth and Selene. Some were giving him death res, while others silently observed the neers. Izroth approached the bar and ced Selene down onto one of the barstools as her legs dangled in the air. The bottom of her feet was caked in soil with several cuts and calluses from walking around with no footwear. She could barely see over the bar¡¯s countertop. Izroth sat on the barstool next to Selene as he said, "Two orders of whatever you have to eat and something to drink." The bartender sized up Izroth as he responded, "Twenty bronze coins. Six for the two meals, and the rest for dirtying my bar with your street rat. With such nice clothes, you should be able to afford it¡ªright?" "Hehe... Hahaha..." The sound of faintughter and mocking chuckles could be hearding from the bar tables. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he reached towards his waist. This simple action caused theughter to die out. Simultaneously, everyone inside the inn ced their hands onto the handle of their weapons as the atmosphere became heavy. Snap. Izroth unfastened the leather belt around his waist that held the sword he was given by the dreamworld and set it onto the bar counter. The sword itself was rather in, but it seemed to be created out of decent materials that should fetch a reasonable price. "I want a room for three nights and two meals delivered to the room per day. This should more than enough to cover the expenses, right?" Izroth said as his gaze turned sharp. Once Izroth removed his hand from the sword, those in the inn did the same with their respective weapons as the atmosphere calmed down. While a sword had its uses, Izroth was not by any means dependant on it. To him, the sword was a mere extension of himself. If he were incapable of functioning without it, hisprehension of the sword could only be considered superficial. The bartender¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Izroth¡¯s weapon. Its quality was better than 95% of the swords avable outside the pce walls. To receive it for a handful of meals and renting out one room was a bargain unlike any other! "I don¡¯t usually make exceptions, but seeing as how you¡¯re so genuine, I suppose I can do so this time." The bartender said as they reached for the sword. Woosh! nk! Out of nowhere, a throwing knife soared through the air and stabbed into the bar counter. Itnded right between Izroth¡¯s sword and the bartender¡¯s hand, preventing him from picking up the weapon. "Taking advantage of someone in broad daylight... Have you no shame?" A voice sounded near the entrance of the bar as a hooded individual stepped inside. "What do you think you¡¯re doing?! Learn to mind your business!" The bartender shouted angrily. He gave a meaningful look to a group of individuals sat at the table closest to the bar. Izroth nced back to see the new arrival removing their hood, and when he saw this individual¡¯s face, he discovered that it was one he had seen before. Not in person, but with the assistance of Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge! ¡¯This appearance is... Hunter Venare?¡¯ Without a doubt, Izroth was positive that it was Hunter Venare! However, ording to the story, Venare should be preparing to sneak back into the castleter tonight. At that point, he would be caught by the Nobleman Fraun¡¯s men. What was he doing outside of the main town behind the pce walls?! Of course, more importantly, this was Izroth¡¯s first contact with someone who possessed a role. Now, the question remained¡ªwas this person friend... or foe? Chapter 529 Hunter Venare, Friend or Foe?

Chapter 529 Hunter Venare, Friend or Foe?

"I would think twice before doing anything you would regret. Or, can it be that your eyes have stopped working to the point where you can¡¯t recognize the emblem on that knife?" Venare said as he casually strolled up to the bar. As Venare approached him, the bartender frowned and examined the knife that nearly sliced off his fingers. The knife¡¯s de was made with high-quality material, and located at its base was the emblem of a wolf with a longbow in its mouth. When the bartender noticed these features, his heart dropped, his eyes widened from shock, and he broke out into cold sweats. The only people permitted to have an emblem hammered into a weapon in this kingdom were nobles! "G-great noble...! I meant no offense! It was a poor joke on my part. As an honest businessman, how can I scam my customers? Right, two friends, don¡¯t worry about paying. A few days and some meals¡ªI took my trick a bit too far, so think of this as my humble apology." The bartender said with a nervous smile as he slyly signaled his men to stand down. The bartender was secretly cursing under his breath. Initially, he hoped to take advantage of Izroth and make a quick profit, but he was unexpectedly interrupted. Why was a noble wandering around here, and why did they have toe into his bar of all ces?! Although Venare was only a minor noble from a foreign kingdom, nevertheless, he was a noble. A noble was not someone a bartender could stand to anger! "Friend, you should not relinquish your weapon so readily to another. This world is steeped with untold threats. One can never be too prepared." Venare stated as he took a seat on the barstool beside Izroth and retrieved his knife from the bar counter. He returned the weapon to the throwing knife holster strapped around his right thigh. When Venare sat down next to him, Izroth turned to face them as his Eyes of Knowledge revealed Venare¡¯s role and real name. After seeing Venare¡¯s true identity, Izroth was somewhat taken aback. But, he figured this might be the case given the roles presented by Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge. However, what Izroth did not predict was the next words that left Venare¡¯s mouth. "It¡¯s a relief that one of you turned out to be the Dreamer. It would have been troublesome if that Night Lord or Earl had received it. I am d it is you, Captain Izroth." Venare stated in a low whisper. The one who had been assigned the role of Hunter Venare was the War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Aurie! As the Dream Domain¡¯s owner and a Commander, Izroth did not expect Aurie to be so careless as to reveal his identity! It couldn¡¯t be that she was oblivious to the rules of her own domain! However, despite Aurie exposing his identity, Izroth did not undergo any changes. There were no system alerts, harsh penalties, or any signs of him vanishing. If your true identity is revealed, you will suffer harsh penalties, followed by death.¡ªthese were the exact words listed on the Tale Immersion skill. Izroth was curious as to how he remained unaffected. "The walls here have too many ears. Shall we move to a more private location?" Venare, or rather, Aurie said. ... After having their meals brought to them swiftly, Izroth, Selene, and Venare headed to one of the inn¡¯s avable rooms. The room itself was not particrly spacious, and even with one person, it would feel moderately cramped. It had one bed that was so hard that one would be better off sleeping on a b of concrete, a nket made of dirty wool that looked as if it had never been cleaned, and one chair with the back part of it on the verge of falling off. Venare perched on the chair, while Selene sat beside Izroth on the solid bed silently and gradually stuffing her cheeks with the old meat bun that came with her meal. "W-" Just as Izroth got ready to speak, Venare interrupted him. "Stop right there. Remember, I am currently Venare. There¡¯s no problem if it¡¯s just us, but a slip of the tongue can cause disastrous results if it¡¯s done around certain individuals. Hence, you should refer to me as Venare while we are here." Venare warned Izroth. "If that is your advice, I would be a fool to ignore it. I understand, Venare." Izroth replied. He then continued, "How did you know it was me? Also, how did I avoid the penalty after being discovered?" Ultimately, this domain was created by Aurie. Because it was her domain, she should know it inside and out. If anyone could give him reliable answers his to questions, it was her! "Since it is my domain, naturally, I have some benefits that othersck. One of these advantages can lead me to whoever holds the Dreamer role and reveals to me their real identity. As for the penalty, no rules have been broken. While it¡¯s true that you cannot reveal your identity, if someone figures it out by themselves, you will not suffer any negative penalties. Though it¡¯s important to keep in mind that this exception only applies to the one who possesses the Dreamer role." Venare exined. ¡¯I see. I thought it was too much of a coincidence that we just happened to cross paths.¡¯ "Based on your words, I assume you can¡¯t see the real identity of anyone but me. Am I correct in that assumption?" Izroth inquired. "Indeed, excluding the Dreamer, even I am uncertain of who is performing which role," Venare confirmed. Izroth went on to ask them a series of questions regarding the dreamworld, being mindful not to disclose any information pertaining to the Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge as not to incur the severe penalties. By the time the two finished their conversation, approximately half an hour had flown by. However, within that half an hour, Izroth picked up a lot of valuable insights. One of Izroth¡¯s biggest questions had to do with the Night Lord Zars. It was simple¡ªhow long could the dreamworld hold and suppress a being of Zars¡¯ strength? Would its effects even work on an individual of that level? Aurie was by no means weak, but she was still nowhere near Zars¡¯ in terms of raw power. As a result, Izroth learned that Zars could potentially break free of the dreamworld. However, it was extremely improbable due to the unique nature of Aurie¡¯s domain¡ªthough she did not go into too much detail about this topic. Another thing Izroth discovered was that while those with roles had to act within the confines of the story and follow their tasks, they were not under absolute restriction. During specific time windows, those with roles were allowed to move freely without having toplete tasks. These small windows of time yed an irreceable part in altering one¡¯s fate in the tale itself. It was also why Venare could meet with Izroth despite there being no mention of them ever visiting the Blue Hearts Inn in the actual Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. Another shocking fact was that Aurie, the domain¡¯s own creator, had no knowledge about the tale¡¯s storyline as her Dream Domain created a unique story every time it was activated. "My allotted time is almost up. But, before I leave, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you." Venare said. They had put it off since there were more pressing matters to attend to. However, they needed to address the elephant in the room. They then continued, "What do you n on doing with that child? I doubt you n to take her everywhere with you. Or rather, it¡¯s not something you can afford to do with everything that¡¯s at risk." "Oh? I was sure you¡¯d remind me that this is just a dreamworld and convince me not to have any thoughts." Izroth said. Venare sighed as they shook their head and replied, "The lives that exist in the dreamworld are a bit... Complicated. In a way, they can even be beneficial to your growth outside of the dreamworld. I won¡¯t go so far as telling you not to interact with them, but I advise you to express caution with your intent. If you attempt to help every unfortunate soul you encounter, there will be no end." "This point is one I¡¯ve already acknowledge. Your worries are unwarranted, I assure you." Izroth stated. With that, Venare hurriedly departed the Blue Hearts Inn after bidding Izroth farewell. ¡¯I have a good grasp on the overall situation. Now then, shall I make my first move?¡¯ A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he stood to his feet. Chapter 530 Inside The Palace Walls

Chapter 530 Inside The Pce Walls

When Izroth rose to his feet, he felt a gentle tug on his shirt from Selene lightly grabbing ahold of it. Then, for the first time since they met, she opened her mouth to speak. "...Leave... Selene...?" The young girl asked in a barely audible voice. Izroth was pleasantly surprised when Selene spoke. It seemed that the man from earlier was wrong about her being mute. It may have been a natural defense mechanism to survive for the young child. In this type ofwless ce, one wrong word was enough for someone to forfeit their life. Seeing as how she referred to herself by the name Izroth had given her, she either failed to remember what her parents named her or was never given a name. But, it was not umon for orphans to be nameless. This was something Izroth knew from firsthand experience. "The ce I¡¯m going to is too dangerous to take you along. But, you can rest assured, I will return. Until then, you should rest in this room and not wander around. Things may be a bit chaotic soon." Izroth replied. Selene hesitated for a brief moment before she released Izroth¡¯s shirt and softly replied, "...Selene... Wait..." The cloudy look in Selene¡¯s eyes cleared up a bit after hearing Izroth¡¯s words. Even though she maintained her stoic expression, there was now a hint of something else mixed in¡ªthough the minor change was barely discernable. After that, Selene did not speak again before Izroth left the Blue Heart Inn. Once he departed, Selene sat on the bed without moving. Quietly, waiting. ... Several momentster... Izroth reached the main gate that led into the true heart of the town. Unlike the border where one could strut across without a care in the world, the path that led to the other side of the wall was heavily guarded. There were soldiers equipped with full ted armor and spears that stood next to the two checkpoints. One checkpoint to verify a person¡¯s purpose and intent for visiting, as well as to keep anyone who did not belong from setting foot inside. The second checkpoint registered any weapons or merchandise brought through the gates to ensure no illegal contraband made it through, among other things. Since Izroth¡¯s clothes were clean and his appearance was well organized, he had no trouble getting through the first checkpoint. But, when he arrived at the second checkpoint, Izroth was pulled aside to have his sword checked. This was not to see if the weapon was dangerous or anything of the sorts, but rather the guard¡¯s primary task was to search for emblems. Emblems hammered into weapons were one of the signs of nobility. If one tried to imitate or illegally forge such a symbol, if caught, they would be severely punished and, at worse, sentenced to death. After thoroughly examining and scrutinizing Izroth¡¯s sword for several minutes, the guard returned it to him and approved his entry. Since Izroth used the pretense of being from faraway foreignnds, he was given a special wooden que with an official stamp. He was informed to keep this que on him at all times. Otherwise, if he were asked to present his identification and failed to show the que, then he would be considered a foreign spy who would be captured and imprisoned or killed on the spot. Izroth safely stored the wooden que in the pouch at his side that he received from Venare. This pouch contained a handful of silver coins, and while it could not store too many items, it was useful to have in a ce that denied usage of one¡¯s inventory. When he made his way past the second checkpoint, Izroth traveled through a long tunnel that was at least ten meters high and thirty meters wide. The ground was smooth and made of a stone material that resembled marble. On the ceiling, every couple of meters were narrow openings that curved around from one side of the wall to the other. Through these openings, Izroth observed a polished metallic-like alloy with sharp spikes that had a top half linked together like a metal fence. There were dozens upon dozens of these that, if dropped down, could create a fast makeshift barrier to block someone from leaving or entering. ¡¯Invading outside the pce walls would not be too difficult given its poor state of affairs. But, capturing the town inside the walls... To have the resources necessary to construct something of this scale, I can see why this kingdom is described as powerful in the tale.¡¯ After walking for a solid five minutes, Izroth finally reached the end of the tunnel, and when he came out on the other side, he was weed by a glorious city. Every building was well constructed without w. The streets were so clean that a single piece of trash was impossible to spot. Multiple stalls were selling delicate clothes, fresh foods, fruits, and vegetables. The town was bustling with activity, and the townsfolk all had smiles on their faces. Someughed with joy; others walked the streets with their significant other, and the children yed merrily. The atmosphere was like night and daypared to the one outside the walls. If Izroth had to use one word to describe it, the first ones that came to mind were "utopia" or "paradise". If Izroth did not know how gruesome this tale ended, he would think that he had identally walked into a fairytale, not something that would eventually turn into a tragedy. ¡¯Not a single beggar or dying citizen in sight.¡¯ Izroth was unsure if it wascency or sheer ignorance, but when he looked at the townsfolk¡¯s cheerful faces, there were no signs of worry or stress. This ce was the real town described in the Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. Izroth began to explore the town in the way a traveler should. He stopped at multiple stalls and purchased a few things, from food to clothes. He spoke casually with some of the locals and even asked about their customs. But, this was not without reason. ¡¯They¡¯re still following me?¡¯ Izroth walked casually as he took a bite of the meat and vegetable skewer he had just bought from one of the food stalls. His actions this entire time had not merely been him mindlessly having a good experience. Ever since Izroth stepped through the gates, he noticed that someone had been tailing him. He decided to behave like an ordinary traveler in hopes of them leaving of their own ord, but it seemed that they had no intention of going away any time soon. A couple of secondster, Izroth turned around a corner that led into a narrow alleyway. Tap... Tap... Not too long after Izroth stepped into the alleyway, a hooded figured carefully peeked around the corner. However, for a moment, their bodynguage matched that of someone who was shocked. The hooded figure swiftly rushed into the alleyway only to discover that it was a dead end. The person they had been following had vanished without a trace! There was a hint of panic in their actions; however, they suddenly felt something sharp press up against the back of their neck, which caused them to freeze in ce. "You¡¯ve been tailing me since I stepped foot in this town. Speak, what business do you have with me?" Izroth¡¯s voice echoed from behind the hooded figure. "?!" The hooded figure trembled. How did this person manage to get behind them?! They distinctly saw him walk into the alleyway with no other way out! However, the hooded figure was unaware that immediately after they entered the narrow alleyway, Izroth kicked off the ground and used the walls to propel himself to the roof. After doing so, he waited for the hooded figure to enter deep into the alleyway before jumping down and sneaking up behind them with his sword drawn. "...What is your purpose foring to this town?" The hooded figure asked. Their voice was soft with a tinge of fierceness to it. If Izroth was not mistaken¡ªthis voice belonged to a woman! "Usually, the one with a sword to their neck answers questions not asks them. Can it be that you have no fear of death?" Izroth stated. "Of course, I fear death. However, you will not kill me." The hooded figure said as they calmed their nerves. "Oh? What makes you so confident?" Izroth questioned as he pushed the tip of the de closer to their neck. "Because... We¡¯re on the same side, Viselo. That is your name, is not it?" The hooded figure answered. Chapter 531 Tale Variation

Chapter 531 Tale Variation

"Who are you?" Izroth questioned as he inwardly frowned. Viselo was not mentioned anywhere within the Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. Therefore, besides Aurie and Selene, no one in the dreamworld should have been aware of that name. The sole reason Aurie possessed that information was due to one of the benefits she received as the dreamworld¡¯s owner. If not for that, then the only person who could recognize as Viselo was Selene. "I¡¯m going to remove my hood¡ªtry not to run your sword through my neck when I move." The hooded figure said half-jokingly. They slowly motioned their hands to the side of their hood and pulled it down. As they did so, snow-white hair tied up into a ponytail could be seen covering the nape of their neck. They then continued, "I¡¯m turning around." When the mysterious individual faced Izroth, he was greeted by two mesmerizing eyes that resembled sapphires. Her appearance was beautiful, but there was an almost natural fierceness to her presence. After the woman removed her hood, Izroth was shocked¡ªat least, at first. ¡¯Isn¡¯t this Queen Nixpera? No, something¡¯s off.¡¯ While their clothes differed and there were some minor features absent, for the most part, the woman in front of him bore a striking resemnce to Queen Nixpera! But, after taking a closer look, Izroth realized that this woman could not be Queen Nixpera. There was a small beauty mark under the right eye¡ªthis was something that did not appear in the picture of Queen Nixpera that the system presented to Izroth. Not to mention, there was no reaction from his Eyes of Knowledge. "This ce isn¡¯t exactly ideal for our conversation. Mind if we talk elsewhere?" The woman asked. There was no fear in her eyes as she spoke. It seemed that she genuinely was unafraid of Izroth harming her. Izroth lowered his sword and returned it to the leather belt at his side. He had a feeling this woman would not talk even if she were to be threatened. While he could eliminate her in this alleyway and get rid of a potential threat, that would leave too many things open to spection. Ultimately, she revealed no signs of hatred or hostility towards him, so there was no harm in satisfying his curiosity. The woman released a sigh of relief and said, "I really thought you were going to kill me for a second. I know it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met, but is that any way to greet a member of your own family?" ¡¯Family?¡¯ Why was this the first time he heard of this? ... A few momentster... Izroth and the woman were currently inside the room of an inn. However, unlike the shoddy Blue Heart Inn, this ce was on a different level. The room was ten times the size as the one at the Blue Heart Inn. The bed lookedfortable and wasrge enough for four people toy down. There was not a speck of dust or broken furniture in sight! This inn was the ce the woman led Izroth to after they left the alleyway. ¡¯Being able to afford to stay in a ce like this means she¡¯s certainly well off. She ims to be a member of Viselo¡¯s family, but how are they rted? Most of all, why did the Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge keep something this important hidden?¡¯ "I¡¯m pretty shocked that you don¡¯t even remember my name." The woman stated as she removed her cloak, unveiling a perfect-fitting set of white and blue leather armor. There were two daggers on her waist and another two strapped to her ankles. "Do you really not remember? It¡¯s me, Nixere¡ªyour cousin." ¡¯Nixere? There was no character with that name in the tale. Is this what she meant by a tale variation?¡¯ When Izroth spoke with Aurie, she informed him that he should be wary of what she referred to as a Tale Variation. While it did not ur 100% of the time, the possibility existed for the story to undergo a Tale Variation based upon the strength of those within the dreamworld. ording to Aurie, the stronger those trapped inside her Dream Domain, the more likely the odds that Tale Variations would show up. In simple terms, a Tale Variation was just as it sounded¡ªan uncontroble modification to the original story. This was the primary reason why Aurie was d that an ally ended up with the Dreamer role. Tale Variations were neither good nor bad, but rather what you made of them. If used correctly, it would be a great advantage for the Dreamer; however, it could turn into a nightmare if utilized poorly and without caution. Following Nixere¡¯s introduction, Izroth¡¯s system alert went off. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered the hidden role ?Nixere?. She can now assist you in influencing the tale¡¯s oue.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked the Viselo character skillset ?Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: New information has been added to ?Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge?.¡µ Izroth swiftly read over the system alerts, as well as the new data from Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge. ¡¯For the most part, the story itself is unchanged. However, this segment here is...¡¯ There were two areas of the story in particr that changed as everything around it remained the same. Queen Nixpera had been given a younger sister who was never there before¡ªPrincess Nixere. In that same area of the story, it spoke of Nixere meeting with her distant cousin Viselo. ording to it, the two of them were supposed to work together to liberate Queen Nixpera. Another fascinating aspect was therge blurred out gap inserted into the middle of the story. However, what surprised Izroth the most was that one of the character roles had the ending of their story experience a drastic change! Queen Nixpera, who initially took her life as a result of King Sonamus killing the one she loved, had now been noted to survive after escaping the pce with the help of Princess Nixere and Viselo! But, Izroth did not know if this was a good or bad thing. If Queen Nixpera turned out to be an enemy, this would only lend a helping hand to those who wanted to eliminate him. However, if it was an ally, Izroth knew that he could not ignore an opportunity to save them. There was also the issue of everyone else still being listed for death. ¡¯I have to identify everyone¡¯s roles before taking any extreme actions. How bothersome.¡¯ The good news was that he now had another trustworthy ally in this dreamworld¡ªat least, for the time being. Once he finished reading the updates to Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge, Izroth checked on the second thing that caught his eye, Viselo¡¯s character skillset, Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. ¡¯Oh? This is different from the skills the system normally provides. Is it because I¡¯m inside the dreamworld?¡¯ Character Skillset: Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death Character Skills: ?Advanced Swordsy - Uses Remaining: ¡Þ/¡Þ? ?Death in One Step - Uses Remaining: 2/2? ?Two Steps of Death - Uses Remaining: 10/10? ?Three Steps of Death - Uses Remaining: 20/20? ?Four Steps of Death - Uses Remaining: 30/30? There was no description of the skills, nor did it disy their effects. However, Izroth felt as though a rush of knowledge poured into his mind the instant he received the skillset. Suddenly, the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death was no longer stranger to him. In fact, it was like it had been with Izroth his entire life! ¡¯A strange sensation. Even without ever having executed any of these skills, they feel familiar. Still... Uses? Does this mean I can only execute each skill a limited number of times? Though I suppose without the presence of a cooldown timer or an energy source like mana, this type of restriction makes sense.¡¯ "Now¡¯s not the time to fall ill, cousin. We have to rescue my elder sister and take her away from this forsaken ce." Nixere said with a frown after noticing Izroth¡¯s seemingly zoned out state as he was sifting through the system alerts. "Do you have a n?" Izroth asked while closing out the system alerts. "I was beginning to think you¡¯d never ask," Nixere replied with a grin. She then went on and said, "You know the ceremony that¡¯s taking ce tonight? As the queen¡¯s younger sister, naturally, I too received an invitation. I will use that opportunity to contact my elder sister, and we will work out a concrete n from there." "That being said¡ªit would be quite out of ce for a princess to attend a ceremony alone. That¡¯s why I need you to apany me to the pce tonight, dear cousin." Chapter 532 Trouble At The Blue Heart Inn

Chapter 532 Trouble At The Blue Heart Inn

... After discussing some crucial details with Nixere, Izroth agreed to apany her to the pce ceremonyter that night. The two determined where they would meet up in a few hours. This way, they could make proper preparations before the time of the ceremony. Nixere¡¯s presence could not havee at a better time for Izroth. He had been pondering on how to enter the pce so that he could uncover the identity of Queen Nixpera, King Sonamus, and Mistress Asi. Or, at the very least, two of them. Izroth understood that as long as he discovered four out of the five roles, then thest one would give itself away. He had already found out that Aurie was the Hunter Venare; therefore, that left three more to identify. In addition, Izroth nned to take advantage of Hunter Venare¡¯s future captureter tonight after the ceremony had ended. He acquired the exact location of the hidden passageway Hunter Venare used to ess the pce¡¯s back garden from Aurie herself. If Izroth followed them the men who captured Hunter Venare, he would be led straight to Nobleman Fraun. After that, it was just a matter of allowing his Eyes of Knowledge to take care of the rest. This is why Izroth only needed to learn the real names of at least two of the three people with roles focused within the pce. ¡¯The end of the ceremony and Venare being taken captive by Fraun¡¯s men are not too far off from one another. As soon as the ceremony is over, I have to make my way there with haste. Otherwise, I will miss out on the second major turning point of the tale.¡¯ Right now, Izroth was on his way back to the Blue Heart Inn as he passed by thest exit checkpoint. He had to return the wooden que he obtained upon his entry. Besides that, he was allowed to keep the other items he purchased within the town behind the pce walls. Izroth carried two separate sacks in his hands. One was filled with various foods that contained several freshly baked loaves of bread, roasted meat, fruits, and vegetables. The second sack was noticeablyrger and housed multiple containers of clean water, a thin bucket made out of a metallic alloy, a set of small clothes, and shoes to match. However, everything inside the two bags was not something Izroth purchased for himself. This may have only been a dreamworld, but if Izroth chose to help someone, either it was the real world, Seven Realms, or RML, he would not do so half-heartedly. When Izroth entered the Blue Heart Inn, the chatters of those at the tables died down. Some of their faces had mocking smirks, and others did not even attempt to hide their disdain towards Izroth. Also, there a different bartender tending to the bar than the one from earlier. As Izroth walked past some tables, he could hear the faint sound of chuckling and whispers. It did not take long for Izroth to realize that something was amiss. As if confirming his gut feeling, when he arrived at the front door of his room, Izroth noticed it had been left cracked open. The door¡¯s handle looked as if a blunt weapon of sorts had hammered it off. Izroth had no doubts that he made sure the door was closed after he left the room, and the clues showed clear signs of forced entry. Izroth¡¯s gaze turned cold as he opened the door to the room only to find that there was no one there. Selene, who he had told to wait for his return, was nowhere to be found! ... Meanwhile, in the bar section of the Blue Heart Inn... "Hahaha!" The sound ofughter could be hearding from one of the tables closest to the bar. "The thing almost ripped my arm off!" One of the men at the table roared with an eyepatch. "You¡¯re talkin¡¯ out ya rear. If a beast like that attacked, you would¡¯ve run away cryin¡¯ for ya mama. Hahaha!" the man who sat across from him with a silver tooth responded. "It¡¯s true, I tell you! The wife back home would¡¯ve been disappointed if I returned with only one arm." The man with the eyepatch dered. "Aye, disappointed? Wouldn¡¯t be the first time, huh?" The one with the silver toothedmented. After thatstment, the bar erupted intoughter as even those at the surrounding tableughed merrily. "Hah, you say that but my wife-" Woosh! Crash! "?!" Suddenly, the man with the eyepatch was lifted off his feet, and the chair beneath him was kicked away. The already rotting chair crashed into the bar and shattered into numerous pieces. "What do you think you¡¯re doing?! You crazy-!" The man with the eyepatch shouted furiously as he struggled to break free from the grip of his captor. However, he immediately ceased his struggles when he felt a piece of cold steel pressed up against his neck. "Where is she?" A cold voice sounded. "Do you think you can do whatever you please here? Release him!" The silver toothed man ordered as he sprung to his feet with his weapon drawn. Those at the table followed his lead and also readied themselves forbat. The rest of the people in the bar kept their hands close to their waist just in case things spiraled out of control. However, for the time being, they looked on in amusement at the show that was about to start. "I will ask onest time. Where is the child that apanied me to this inn?" The one who questioned the eyepatch man and held a sword to his neck was Izroth. He had not chosen these men at random. Before, when Venare had first entered the Blue Heart Inn, Izroth witnessed the bartender at that time send a discreet signal to a group of men. Of course, after finding out at Venare was a noble, he called them off. However, their "secretive" actions did not hide from Izroth¡¯s eyes. Without a doubt, these men were somehow rted to that bartender that was nowhere to be found. That bartender was the only one with a hostile enough intent to act against Izroth. He had been humiliated by Venare and forced to make concessions in front of so many people. This gave the bartender a motive. However, with his connection to a noble and the bartender¡¯s tant fear of Venare, Izroth believed that no one would dare bother Selene after the scene that urred. But, more important than anything, what gave them the courage to put their hands on someone under his protection?! "You won¡¯t get out of here alive if you kill me! Do you have the guts?!" The eyepatch man jeered as he ignored Izroth¡¯s inquiry. However, he could not hide the fear in his eyes as he spoke. It was clear that he was trying to intimidate Izroth into releasing him. Woosh! Without hesitation, in one smooth motion, Izroth slid his sword across the eyepatched man¡¯s neck and tossed his body aside. Thump! "If you refuse to answer, then I have no use for you," Izroth stated calmly. The man¡¯s body hit the floor without resistance as hey limp and motion on the bar floor. He had died! "In the end, I only need one of you alive to get the answer I desire." Izroth swept his gaze across the group of men with their weapons drawn. The silver toothed men, and those around him all had expressions of shock written on their faces. This guy¡ªwas he insane? Didn¡¯t he realize where he was? He had the nerve to kill theirrade in front of them! "Kill him! Don¡¯t let him leave here alive!" The silver toothed man yelled in a fit of rage. One of the men kicked the table towards Izroth, using it to cover his movements. At the table about to hit Izroth, the man drove the mace in his hand through it. Bang! The table was smashed apart by the mace; however, as the table split into pieces, Izroth had vanished from the man¡¯s view! "Behind you!" The silver toothed man warned. But it was toote! ¡¯Four Steps of Death.¡¯ The man wielding the mace suddenly felt that the right side of his body had be much lighter. When he looked to his side, his eyes widened from shock. His right arm¡ªit was gone! Chapter 533 Wickedness

Chapter 533 Wickedness

Four Steps of Death was a technique that required its user to perform four specific actions that were connected. The first three steps were a collection of quick movements to confuse the opponent. However, the real movement was hidden within the third step, which positioned the user in the opponent¡¯s blind spot. This was followed by the final step¡ªa precise and well-controlled sword stroke. "Ahhhh!" A scream echoed throughout the Blue Heart Inn as the man with the mace lost his arm. Along with his mace, it had fallen to the ground as he dropped to his knees from the pain. A couple of secondster, the man¡¯s body made a loud thud as he was rendered unconscious on the bar floor. Now, there was only the silver toothed man and two people that remained. However, none of them made the first move after realizing that they had severely underestimated the man before them. "What are you two waiting for? Those idiots were just caught off guard! Surround him! We¡¯ll attack from every angle!" the silver toothed manmanded. Although his tworades were hesitant at first, they gave a small nod as they moved into position. One ced himself to Izroth¡¯s right side, and the other to his left. As for the silver toothed man, he gripped tightly onto the axe in his hands and kept his attention focused on Izroth. "Are you still unwilling to talk?" Izroth said in a distant tone. "Talk? The dead can¡¯t hear the words of the living!" The silver toothed man yelled as he charged forward. When the silver toothed man acted, hisrades who positioned themselves to block off Izroth¡¯s side escape routes also rushed in with their weapons brandished. They wanted to catch him in a pincer attack! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! The three men swung their weapons towards Izroth with all their might. nk! The men¡¯s weapons struck one another¡¯s at the location Izroth stood just moments ago. Their target had vanished again! At least, this was their initial thought. One of the men who attacked Izroth had a sudden loss of bnce as he tripped over nothing and ended up on his back. When he looked forward, his eyes widened from disbelief. He saw a pair of legs standing upright; however, there was nothing else attached to them. Soon, the man¡¯s eyes were drawn to his own lower body, and he realized that from his knees on down, there was nothing there! Those were not just anyone¡¯s legs¡ªthey were his! "Screw this! I¡¯m outta here! That guy¡¯s insane!" One of the men shouted as they ran away. They were headed towards the exit of the Blue Heart Inn! "You coward! Don¡¯t you dare run a-" The silver tooth man spoke, but he abruptly halted his words as he felt something trickling down his chest. The de of a sword entered his view that had been driven into his back and through his heart. The de receded from the silver toothed man¡¯s body as he copsed in a state of shock. ... "Monster...! That guy¡¯s a freakin¡¯ monster! I gotta warn the boss!" The man who had just escaped from the Blue Heart Inn was currently running for his life. He was frightened by what he had just witnessed¡ªa one-sided ughter! So what if he was called a coward? It was better to be alive as a coward than dead as a brave idiot! Around five minutester, he pushed open the door of a rundown building and rushed inside. Immediately after the man forcibly pushed open the door, everyone¡¯s eyes in the roomnded on him as the door closed behind him. This building had the feeling of a secret hideout to it, and so, everyone in the room went on full alert. However, after noticing that it was one of their men, they rxed. "Ha! It¡¯s just J.L. You were almost run through by our swords, ya stupid bastard." One of the people in the room joked. The room was filled with shady individuals who were up to no good. "B-boss Rox! Boss..!" At the moment, his breathing had be heavy and unsteady as he was clearly out of breath. "J.L¡ªwhat are you doing here? You¡¯re supposed to be waiting with the others for that punk to return." One of the men who sat down at one the end of a long table said. This man was the bartender that was at the Blue Heart Inn during Izroth¡¯s first visit. He was known as Rox by those outside the pce walls and was the owner of the Blue Heart Inn. J.L was the nickname of the man who was presently out of breath as he attempted to exin the situation. J.L tried to calm down and catch his breath as he replied, "B-boss...! That guy..! That guy...! Everyone¡¯s d-" Bang! Two thin sword marks appeared on the door before it was smashed from the outside. This entrance was different from J.L¡¯s as this person directly shattered the door. It was evident that they held no good intentions! "We¡¯re under attack!" One of the men yelled as a dozen more of hisrades came sprinting out of the back rooms. Izroth stepped into the building with a deathlike calmness. After discovering that J.L was most likely headed to seek help, Izroth decided to secretly follow him in hopes of being led to his target. Fortunately, it appeared that he was not mistaken in doing so. Izroth swept his gaze across the crowd of thugs as his eyesnded on one individual in particr¡ªRox, a bartender and the owner of the Blue Heart Inn. This was the person he wanted to find. When Izroth walked into the room, he received a wave of angry death res. "Tch, I thought it was a rival gang¡ªnot some stupid punk with a death wish." A muscr and intimidating man at least half a meter taller than Izroth said as he strolled in front of Izroth. He then continued, "Hey, little brat, do you know the price of making us-" "You¡¯re noisy," Izroth stated coldly as the sword in his hand shed briefly before returning to its original position. In the blink of an eye, therge muscr man went silent as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he plunged downward like a tree being felled! That sword strike was not one of the main attack techniques that belonged to the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death but was the result of Viselo¡¯s Advanced Swordy! This caused his de to move like lightning in the eyes of those who watched. Izroth stepped over the man¡¯s body and came to a stop at the end of the long table centered in the room. Encircling him was a group of at least twenty-five individuals who all had a look in their eyes as if they were prepared to jump on him any second. But, they were unmistakably waiting for the signal of the person-in-charge. "Where is she?" Izroth questioned as he ced his gaze on Rox. "I¡¯ll admit, you have some guts to enter my hideout alone. I can also admit that I underestimated the amount of skill you possess; however..." Rox stood to his feet as he picked up a knife lying around and stabbed it into the table. He gave off a strong killing intent as he continued, "Your noble friend isn¡¯t here to protect you this time, brat. As for the girl..." A grin found its way onto Rox¡¯s face as he pointed towards one of the back rooms and said, "She¡¯s right in there. Do you want to check on her? Go ahead. I won¡¯t stop you." After Rox finished speaking, Izroth walked towards the back room that he pointed to. But, before Izroth even opened it, he could smell a pungent stench of deathing from behind the door that gave him a bad feeling. Izroth kicked door the thin wooden door as he narrowed his eyes at the scene before him. He walked through the room and saw dozens upon dozens of dead bodies piled on top of each other. Suddenly, Izroth halted his steps as he stopped before one of the motionless bodies lying on the ground near the room¡¯s corner. This body was of a young girl who appeared to be no older than four or five years of age. This young girl was the one Izroth had given a name to¡ªSelene. Chapter 534 Unpleasant Memories, Rest Well

Chapter 534 Unpleasant Memories, Rest Well

"She was disappointing till the bitter end. No matter what we did to her, she didn¡¯t make a sound¡ªwhat a freak. That kid was probably already broken beyond repair. How boring. Wouldn¡¯t you say?" Rox stated mockingly. He then pulled the dagger out of the table and continued, "Were you trying to y the hero or something by taking in a street rat? What? Did your noble friend promise to adopt her out of pity? Well, let me make something crystal clear." "The territory outside the city walls is my property! My kingdom! Some damn noble wants to humiliate me? Forces me to amodate a worthless street rat in my territory?! Screw them! Who do they think they are?!" Rox viciously bellowed. He then took a deep breath as he regained hisposure. A smile then appeared on Rox¡¯s face as he said, "You shouldn¡¯t feel pity for her¡ªsince you will be joining that brat soon enough. But, first, I will have you pay the price for that noble friend of yours! You will learn that in this ce, I am the king! Ahahaha!" "Are you done?" Izroth spoke as he stayed with his back to Rox. The deathly calm aura that lingered around Izroth just moments ago had faded. There was no fear, no hatred, no anger, no sorrow, no killing intent, only a vast emptiness¡ªa vacuum of nothingness. Izroth turned to face Rox, but there was something different about him. His expression matched that of one whopletely severed their connection to the world around them. Izroth¡¯s eyes nor face possessed even the tiniest shred of emotion. With no haste to his steps, Izroth emerged from the room as two men near the doorway charged him with their weapons drawn. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s entered into a trance-like state as he submerged into his thoughts. ¡¯It¡¯s been a long time, yet I still remember it as if it happened yesterday. That time, I also failed to protect her. In the Seven Realms, I reached the summit. Not because I was gifted, nor was it due to some fortuitous encounter that altered my fate. I came into the world with nothing. I crawled my way to the summit with my bare hands and the peak¡¯s wind pushing against me at every turn. Power, wealth, fame¡ªit¡¯s always obtained toote. By the time you acquire the power to protect those you care about, you look back only to see that there is no one left. But, being alone in a world where everything you once cared about has departed beyond reach... Those who approach you do so solely out of fear or hatred... Living in that kind of world¡ªwhat¡¯s the point?¡¯ "...Ah, this sure brought back some unpleasant memories. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I think about it." Izroth snapped out of his trance-like state. "...M-mon... Mons...! M-monster..!" Rox¡¯s trembling voice drifted into Izroth¡¯s ears. After Izroth exited his trance-like state, his surroundings had undergone a drastic change. Several dozen bodies associated with Rox¡¯s organization were sprawled out on the room¡¯s floor, and the area looked as though it had been turned upside down from the wreckage. Besides Izroth and Rox, there were no signs of life within the whole building¡ªit was total carnage! Rox was currently on the floor with his back against the wall and one of his arms and legs missing. There were no traces of his previous arrogance as his fearful expression could not be concealed. "S-spare me! I¡¯ll give you anything you want! You like street rats, right?! I can get you ten- No, fifty more of them! You can do whatever you like to them! You want money too, right? I can get you-" Rox pleaded but instantly fell silent when he felt the tip of a cold de pressed against his throat. "Death for you would be a release. However, living is too good for your kind." Izroth stated without hesitation. "Wa-" Rox was unable to get a word out before Izroth¡¯s de plunged into his throat, reaping his life. ¡¯Ever since I¡¯vee to this world, I have grown toocent. The humans in this world are not as threatening as the dangers that lurk within the Seven Realms. Because of this, I have allowed my enemies to bide their time, whereas if this were the Seven Realms, they would have been killed a thousand times over. Comcency is one of the most dangerous ws for cultivators¡ªI had nearly forgotten this simple truth. Even if I can protect myself, at any moment, those around me can be affected. This has been a wake-up call. One that I did not wish to seek, but one that I needed.¡¯ Izroth returned his sword to the leather belt on his waist. He walked back into the room where Selene was located and carefully took her into his arms as he made his way towards the exit over the piles of dead bodies. ¡¯When this eventes to an end... I will make certain that I no longer have any enemies remaining in this world. Those who have wronged me¡ªwill be killed without mercy.¡¯ ... Around one hourter, Izroth stood in front of a freshly made grave located at the outskirts of town, deep within the forested area. At the head of the grave was a stone with the name "Selene" carved into it that appeared to be made by sword marks. "This world may be an illusion, but this much is the least I can do for you since you¡¯ve woken me up from my dream." Izroth ced a neatly folded pair of clothes with a set of small shoes next to the makeshift tombstone. In addition, there was a wooden carving of a crescent moon ced directly below the tombstone. These were the items he purchased for Selene inside the pce walls. After taking a few moments to make sure that everything was in order, Izroth knew that it was time for him to take his leave if he wanted to meet up with Nixere as promised. "Rest well, Selene," Izroth said. He then proceeded to leave out of the forest and travel back towards the town. A few minutes after Izroth left Selene¡¯s grave, something unusual transpired. The wooden carving of the crescent moon Izroth ced on top of Selene¡¯s grave disappeared. ... Several hourster, Izroth had long since returned to the town located within the inner pce walls. Upon his arrival, Izroth met up with Nixere, and the two proceeded to prepare for the uing ceremony. However, this was nearly one hour ago. At the moment, Izroth, apanied by Nixere, was already standing in line at the entrance into the main pce! Both Izroth and Nixere were hardly recognizable with their current choice of outfits. Izroth donned buttoned-up formal clothing that was blue with silver linings embroidered into its outer edges. His hair was neatlybed back, and he had an air of nobility to him that drew the attention of those waiting in line. However, in terms of drawing eyes to them, Nixere was in another league. She wore a lovely white dress that hugged her skin just right. Her hair was tied up in a bun and braided into three separate parts¡ªone on each side of her head, and the other skillfully wrapped around the lower part of her hair bun. She emitted an aura of refined elegance and bore an even closer resemnce to her elder sister, Queen Nixpera. "Remember, once we¡¯re inside, we have to gain an opportunity to speak with my sister alone," Nixere whispered. "Being one of the two stars of the ceremony, with so many guests, such an asion may not present itself readily," Izroth replied. "That¡¯s why I¡¯m counting on you to do your part, dear cousin," Nixere said with a smile. "I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d call what you have in mind a n," Izroth stated nonchntly. "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Some things are better left to the moment. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?" Nixpere lightly giggled. It did not take long for Izroth and Nixpere to reach the front of the line. After the guards confirmed that they were not carrying any weapons, the two were granted entry into the pce. "Wee." When Izroth and Nixere walked through the pce doors, they were immediately greeted with a bow by a group of suitably dressed servants lined up at both sides of the doors. ¡¯So this is King Sonamus¡¯ pce. It¡¯s even more pretentious than the tale described.¡¯ Chapter 535 Worst Case Scenario

Chapter 535 Worst Case Scenario

A line of tall stone pirs was located on each side of the room. The floor was made out of what appeared to be polished marble, and numerous artworks were exhibited throughout the incredibly spacious area that ranged from portraits to genuine gold sculptures. Izroth had not taken even two steps into the pce, yet the sight of wealth was on clear disy¡ªjust as it was described in the tale. It only took a couple of minutes for Izroth and Nixere to arrive at the doors that led into the throne room where the ceremony was being held. The servants opened the doors to the throne room as Izroth escorted Nixere inside. The eyes of the surrounding nobles and wealthy merchants fell onto the pair the moment they stepped through the doors. This was the first time any of them saw Izroth or Nixere; therefore, they were curious about their background. After all, anyone attending this ceremony was not a small character in the main city by any means. This caused those in the room to whisper among themselves regarding Izroth and Nixere¡¯s potential identities. "White hair... Is there anyone like that in our kingdom? Who are those two?" "I don¡¯t know, but they look well matched. Elegance and apanied by a calm heart. Very interesting. I must find a chance to speak with them." "I wonder what they¡¯re talking about. Given their appearance, it¡¯s probably something of great importance." "You¡¯re certainly catching a fair share of nces from the noblewomen here, cousin. How is it? Do any of them suit your taste?" Nixere asked quietly as she kept a lovely smile on her face. "Are these words that should leave the mouth of a princess?" Izroth responded calmly as he inwardly shook his head. "Oh? Why? Do you prefer a woman who¡¯s more dainty and sophisticated?" Nixere questioned. "No, it¡¯s just that my standards are too high for anyone in this room ever to reach them," Izroth answered with a carefree smile. Nixere released a small sigh andmented, "These are some of the most powerful and influential people in the world, yet none of them satisfy your standards? You¡¯re right¡ªyour standards are far too high. That being said..." Nixere lightly pinched Izroth¡¯s arm as she continued, "You¡¯re terrible at talking to women, dear cousin. If you are apanying a woman, you should at leastment on her beauty. Honestly... At this rate, I fear that you may never find a wife in this lifetime." Nixere spoke thest of her words half-jokingly. Izroth gave a helpless smile as he was rendered speechless. How did him notmenting on her appearance lead to him not finding a wife? This princess certainly had a way with words. Time passed by as Izroth and Nixere settled down. There were no signs of anyone else from the outside entering the throne room. Then, after almost thirty minutes, nearly 200 guests were present, all of which were from the kingdom¡¯s highest walks of life. Suddenly, the sound of beating drums and trumpets filled the throne room as a set of heavy doors positioned at the back wall opened. "Presenting our guests of honor! King Sonamus and his future Queen, Princess Nixpera!" A voice announced. King Sonamus and Queen Nixpera entered the throne room dressed in their usual formal attire; however, several precious ornaments were added to the outfits made them more suitable to wear during the ceremony. ¡¯They¡¯re here. I have to get closer for my Eyes of Knowledge to take effect.¡¯ King Sonamus and Queen Nixpera took their seats on their respective thrones as a voice announced, "King Sonamus wees and gives a special thanks to the guests who have taken the time out of their busy schedules to attend this once-in-a-lifetime ceremony! Please, rest assured, everyone will obtain the good fortune of meeting with our guests of honor. Until then, eat, drink, and be merry! For this is a day of celebration!" Everyone apuded after the announcer concluded his introduction speech. Then, one at a time, people were called up to greet the king and queen, as well as offer a gift to congratte them. Each conversationsted no more than ten seconds. After that, the person speaking was shooed away by one of the guards near the throne, while the next person was summoned. Naturally, Izroth would not let this chance slip by. He had been wondering how he would get close enough to the two without raising suspicion. But, it appeared that the opportunity had presented itself! "Do you remember what you have to do?" Nixere whispered to Izroth as they stood in the line to meet the guests of honor. "To quote what you said, some things are better left to the moment. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?" Izroth answered. "I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re starting to understand me, dear cousin." Nixere covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled softly. After waiting six minutes, it was finally Nixere¡¯s turn. Since only one person at a time could step forward, Izroth was unable to apany her. However, this was not an issue as he was the next person in line. "Then, I¡¯ll be going first," Nixere said as she walked forward and began to converse with the king and queen. Izroth carefully observed their interaction and noticed two things. Although it was only for a split second, he saw a hint of shock in Nixpera¡¯s eyes when Nixere referred to her as "elder sister". The second was rted to the indifference of King Sonamus. No matter what was said, he remained silent and detached as Queen Nixpera was the only one responding. In the story, King Sonamus was an emotional and passionate man. It was to the point that his love for Queen Nixpera drove him to the point of insanity. However, it was not this part that made Izroth feel uneasy. In the end, King Sonamus was not the one from the story, but instead being yed by someone else who was unfamiliar with his character¡¯s normal behavior. Queen Nixpera hid herself well but could not fully conceal her human nature. But, when it came to King Sonamus, his reactions and demeanor were unnatural¡ªas if they were not made by a human. Since Commander Aurie was Hunter Venare, Izroth had determined the best and worst possible rolebinations. The best involved Maeva as Mistress Asi and Captain Gritt as King Sonamus or vice versa. In this way, two of the key roles in changing the story¡¯s oue, one of which had the most substantial influence in the kingdom, would be on their side. Ultimately, King Sonamus held the greatest power in the Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer. Having him as an ally instead of an enemy would be ideal. As for Mistress Asi, while she herself had no real power or influence, she had the ear of someone who did¡ªNobleman Fraun. In terms of authority, he was only one level below King Sonamus! The way Izroth figured it, King Sonamus could keep Queen Nixpera in check, and Mistress Asi could properly utilize Nobleman Fraun in secret. If it turned out this way, then all the cards would be in Izroth¡¯s hand! However, if Queen Nixpera was indeed an enemy, Izroth may have no choice but to re-evaluate how to deal with her and Princess Nixere. As Izroth silently observed from the line, Nixere, being the future queen¡¯s sister, was granted an additional ten seconds of audience before she politely excused herself. As she walked by Izroth, Nixere winked and quietly wished him luck as it was his turn to step forward. "You may approach!" One of the guards dered. Izroth walked until he was three meters away from the throne before he was stopped by the guards. This distance was the closest one was allowed to approach the guests of honor. "I am called Viselo. I havee to congratte you on your ceremony, King Sonamus, future Queen Nixpera. Since I havee from so far away on such short notice, I regret that I could not bring any gifts. However, I have prepared a short poem that I hope my cousin, Princess Nixpera, will allow me to present as my congrattions." Izroth said without stumbling his words. The instant Izroth arrived within three meters of King Sonamus and Queen Nixpera; he had uncovered both of their identities. He maintained his calm demeanor; however... ¡¯Thisbination¡ªit¡¯s one of the worst oues... How troublesome.¡¯ Izroth found out that the person behind Queen Nixpera¡¯s role was Maeva! But, this was not the worse news. The troubling part was the true identity of King Sonamus. The individual who possessed the role that carried the most power and authority in the tale was the Antumbra Night Lord of the Skounae, Zars! Chapter 536 Message Received!

Chapter 536 Message Received!

Maeva, or rather, Queen Nixpera, gave a small nod of approval in response to Izroth¡¯s request as he went on to present his poem. Two paths cross on the stairs of the beginning, Their new home lies in the realm of a mystical pce, Together, they journey toward the unknown, With the trust of family and a true love in their hearts, How joyous these paths have united. "I haveposed this poem just for you, cousin. I hope my words find you well." Izroth said as his time ended and the guards on duty called him away. For a brief moment, Izroth witnessed a hint of shock sh through Queen Nixpera¡¯s eyes as he recited his poem. The sound of pping filled the room as Izroth finished. Since it was something dedicated to wishing good fortune upon their king and future queen¡¯s joining, how could they not apud and give words of praise? ¡¯From her reaction, my message should have gotten through. If it¡¯s her, she should be able to understand my intentions well enough. Hopefully, it did not draw his attention as well.¡¯ While Izroth¡¯s poem appeared to be congratting the king and future queen on their forting union, in reality, it was a message meant explicitly for Maeva! "Two paths cross on the stairs of the beginning" was the time when Izroth ran into Maeva, who was toote to pick her own war branch, on the stairs that led into the Event Center. "Their new home lies in the realm of a mystical pce" naturally referred to Izroth¡¯s shop, the Mystical Realm Pce. "Together, they journey toward the unknown" was their journey from Amaharpe¡¯s capital city to the Unsanctioned Zone border. "With the trust of family and a true love in their hearts" was a way to inform Maeva that she could trust him and Nixere, as well as Venare in this dreamworld. "How joyous these paths have united" was rted to Izroth and Maeva¡¯s parting of ways on the battlefield. This was the first time since that moment they were face to face again¡ªat least, as face to face as one could be within the dreamworld. After that, hisst few words were simply to reinforce his message and ensure that Maeva did not merely brush it off. Of course, Izroth would not use this method for just anyone. Maeva was quite intelligent and was a craftsman with one of the fastest learning abilities in the Mystical Realm Pce. She picked up things at incredible speeds, and in terms of natural talent in their respective fields, perhaps only Gu Chao and Worldly Skies were a step or two above her¡ªat least, for the being. Izroth rejoined Nixere, who had been waiting for him to finish up. However, as he approached Nixere, he noticed a yful smile on her face. "I had no idea you dabbled in the art of words, cousin. I always believed the only art you were interested in was that of the sword." Nixere stated. "There are times when words hold more power than a sword. Though if I had to choose, of course, I would always pick the sword. After all, there¡¯s only so much you can do to protect yourself with words alone." Izrothmented. Nixere sighed and shook her head as she said, "Why am I not surprised? Well, I don¡¯t me you. In fact, a part of me envies you. In this world, you can do everything right without mistake but still find yourself on the losing end. At a certain point, you have toe to the realization that sometimes there¡¯s nothing you could have done differently for a favorable oue¡ªthat sometimes, that¡¯s just how life works. Finding even one thing you love and being able to enjoy it with all your heart... I wonder if you¡¯re aware of just how fortunate you are, dear cousin." Nixere smiled weakly. ¡¯Sometimes, that¡¯s just how life works, is it?¡¯ ... The ceremony stayed on schedule without any abrupt surprises. Izroth and Nixere had several individuals approach them after hearing that they were rted to the future queen. Izroth let Nixere do most of the talking as she seemed to have a fair amount of experience dealing with these types of nobles and merchants. As Nixere spoke, she did so with elegance as the smile on her face never waned. It was as if she were apletely different personpared to the one who had been speaking so casually with Izroth. A few momentster, the time of the ceremony¡¯s closing arrived as the king was the first to depart from the throne room. Queen Nixpera looked in Izroth¡¯s direction, which immediately caught his attention. She then mouthed a few words before she stepped down from the throne and headed back through the doors she initially used to enter the throne room. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as the great doors closed behind Queen Nixpera. The words she mouthed to Izroth was, "Message received, Pce Master." ¡¯That takes care of one problem. But I can¡¯t waste any more time here if I want to deal with the next. By now, Fraun¡¯s men should be waiting to ambush Venare. I have it make it there before they take him to meet with the Nobleman Fraun. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to search every corner of the city on foot to uncover their hideout.¡¯ "I apologize; I must end our conversation here. It has been my honor to meet with such esteemed individuals as yourselves on this night. I pray that our paths meet again." Nixere said politely as she bid farewell to those around her before she moved to Izroth¡¯s side. She then whispered, "I am going to speak in private with my elder sister. Are you leaving to take care of things on your end?" "I was just getting ready to depart," Izroth stated. Nixere nodded and replied, "Good, we will rendezvous at the inn after we¡¯ve finished our tasks. Good luck, cousin. And stay safe." "I¡¯ll return the same words to you," Izroth responded. After their exchange ended, Izroth and Nixere parted ways. As the future queen¡¯s younger sister, Nixere should have no trouble holding a private conversation with Nixpera. To be honest, Izroth would have liked to go along with her, but his presence was needed elsewhere. ¡¯It may be the worst-case scenario, but that does not mean things are hopeless. Now¡ªshall I create my own tale variation?¡¯ ... Several momentster... Izroth was hidden in the cover of the night at a specific area outside the main pce. Not too far from this ce should be the location where Fraun¡¯s men would apprehend Venare. However, Izroth had his own ns for this part of the story. Just as he expected, Izroth saw at least eight suspicious individuals spread throughout the area. There was a seasoned aura to them that made those gathered at the Blue Heart Inn look like newborns byparison. Izroth knew that these eight were skilledbatants. To someone passing by, their actions would not look out of ce; however, if one was intentionally searching for it in the same manner as Izroth, their behavior was unquestionably fabricated. Around two minutester, Izroth witnessed a hooded figure darting through the shadows. ¡¯They¡¯re here.¡¯ After the hooded figure¡¯s appearance, a fight broke out between them and the eight individuals who performed the ambush. The figure had their hood damage and shed off by one of Fraun¡¯s men, revealing the face of Hunter Venare! "Lower your weapons ande with us peacefully. You will not be harmed. I should also rify that this is not a request but an order. Our lord wishes to meet with you." One of the men with a scar over his eye said. He was the leader of the group who ambushed Venare. "How can I trust the words of a stranger who points their sword towards me before speaking?" Venare stated as he kept his guard up. They attacked without warning, and now they wanted him to buy their whole peaceful message routine? "If you could not survive something of this level, then naturally, our lord would have no use for you. However, I acknowledge that you do have the skill to meet with our lord." The man with the scar replied. "Oh? And just what¡¯s the name of this lord of yours?" Venare questioned. "You will find out after youe with us. But, if you refuse¡ªI¡¯m afraid we will have to be impolite." The man with the scar held up his hand as the other seven individuals encircled Venare! Chapter 537 - Izroths Tale Variation Part(1/2)

Chapter 537 - Izroth''s Tale Variation Part(1/2)

Venare scanned his surroundings in search of an opening within his assants¡¯ formation; however, there was not the slightest gap to exploit. The only choice left for Venare was to fight his way out! In the end, there was no telling if their "lord" had good or bad intentions. In the dreamworld, going along with things whilecking proper information could lead to one¡¯s destruction. This was not a chance Venare was willing to take. In their right hand, Venare wielded a viciously sharp sword with a de three-fingers wide, and in his left hand was a pair of throwing knives with serrated edges. When one of the eight men on his right took one step forward, Venare immediately reacted. With a flick of his wrist, heunched the two throwing knives towards the individual who moved. Woosh! Woosh! Ding! The first throwing knife was parried away by its target, but the knight could not defend against the second one that used the first throwing knife as cover. Phhtk! As the throwing knife pierced the knight¡¯s shoulder, Venare took advantage of the small window of opportunity and darted in his direction. He wanted to break open the encirclement and create some distance to utilize the skillset at his disposal properly. But, as he moved into position, Venare suddenly felt a surge of winding from behind him. "Don¡¯t push your luck! I, Prime, the First Knight of the Silverw, will not allow you to do as you please!" The man with the scar, Prime, growled as he stormed forward and swiftly caught up to Venare! ¡¯He¡¯s fast. In terms of speed, his sword style is equal to Viselo¡¯s Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. No, it may even be a small step above it.¡¯ Due to the constraint of his senses¡¯ in the dreamworld, Izroth failed to keepplete track of Prime¡¯s movements. Luckily, even though the dreamworld disabled Izroth¡¯s use of most of his Spirit Source abilities, his Soul Sense seemed to be functioning correctly despite the various restrictions. Prime lifted his sword above his head and swung downward with a mighty force at the ground causing three marks to form. These marks resembled something made by a bird¡¯s talon and from them erupted a burst of silver aura headed right for Venare! When Izroth observed the silver aura, he inwardly frowned. Initially, he believed that this dreamworld did not have power sources to tap from, such as energy or mana. Not to mention, there were no signs of anything rted to magic or the likes ever since he was first pulled into the dreamworld. Rmbbble! Boom! The ground trembled within the immediate vicinity shook slightly as the silver aura erupted from it. Venare evaded the most dangerous part of the attack; however, he was grazed on his right arm. The force from the blow rattled his arm and caused him to loosen the grip on his sword. "?!" Venare swiftly twisted his body and caught the falling sword with his left hand. Then, in one smooth motion, he used the momentum from his rotation and sliced at the legs of the knight who was previously struck by his throwing knife! Bang! "Not enough. The skillset for this role is too limited. If only I had my actual weapons, then..." Venare muttered to himself as he realized that his sword did not cut deep enough to leave a severe wound. But, not everything was bad news. The force generated by his strike made the knight lose their bnce. Venare wasted no time dashing out of the encirclement through the gap he created. "Don¡¯t let him escape! We will not fail our lord!" Prime ordered. ¡¯The presence of an unknown energy sourceplicates things. However, I¡¯ve seen enough to gauge their skills. It¡¯s time I make my move.¡¯ As far as Izroth could tell, the biggest threat was that First Knight. As long as he was taken out, the others may be capable of putting up a fight, but it shouldn¡¯t prove too much of an issue to deal with them after their leader was removed from the picture. Woosh! Woosh! All of a sudden, two arrows soared through the air aimed at Venare. One of the arrows barely grazed Venare¡¯s cheek, while the second arrow stabbed into the earth at his feet, stopping Venare cold in his tracks. "More reinforcements? Your lord must ce a great deal of importance on me to go through such great lengths just to capture me alive." Venare said as his gaze swept past one of the rooftops andnded on the one with two men wielding bows. They already had their next arrow nocked, aimed, and ready to fire. "You could have saved yourself and us a lot of trouble if you just followed my instructions. Our lord may have requested you be brought to him alive, but he never said it had to be in one piece. Still, I shouldn¡¯t go too far and risk upsetting our lord. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll only take one of your fingers as a price for wounding one of my men. A more than fair trade, wouldn¡¯t you say? Now,e quietly and-" Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Prime felt something cold pass by his neck as a thin red line formed across the area where he was hit. "Sir Prime!" A few of Prime¡¯s men eximed as they beheld the wound on their leader¡¯s neck. That¡¯s when the group of men noticed a new arrival had found their way onto the battlefield. Somehow, this person had the ability to sneak up on their leader and urately strike at a vital point! Who was this unknown assant?! "So this is why you asked for this location back at the inn. I had a feeling I¡¯d see you here tonight. Though I was beginning to think you¡¯d never show, Viselo." Venare said. "Yourck of faith is disturbing, Venare." Izroth abruptly adjusted his body and swung his sword in a perfect arc. Ding! Ding! Izroth deflected two arrows shot by the archers on the rooftops before retreating next to Venare¡¯s side. "Can you still fight?" Izroth asked. When he attacked Prime just now, Izroth used one of Viselo¡¯s skillset moves, Two Steps of Death. It was simr to Four Steps of Death; however, it contained one true movement that capitalized on the opponent¡¯s blind spot and one true sword strike to reap their life. These two steps connected wlessly to create the Two Steps of Death. "You bastard! Who sent you?! How dare you attack Sir Prime!" One of Prime¡¯s men roared angrily. However, before the man could act, a familiar voice echoed, "Rx, it¡¯s just a scratch. But now I¡¯m angry. If I hadn¡¯t taken the precaution of coating my major vital points in Aura, I would have died just now." This voice belonged to Prime, who had just had his throat sliced open¡ªat least, he should have. Prime moved his thumb to his neck and wiped away the thin line of blood. The scratch that revealed itself was merely a flesh wound! ¡¯He survived? Should I have used Death in One Step to eliminate him, after all?¡¯ Izroth was confident that Two Steps of Death had the power to finish Prime off in one blow with his guard lowered. Since he only possessed two uses of Death in One Step, Izroth wanted to reserve them until their use was absolutely necessary. However, it seemed that he had underestimated Prime, or rather the ability Prime referred to as "Aura". "Since you¡¯ve managed tond a clean hit on me, I¡¯ll give you a chance to tell me your purpose for interfering before your death," Prime stated as his gaze turned sharp and a thin film of silver aura enveloped his body and sword. "Do you have a backup n?" Venare questioned as he returned his sword to his right hand. "A person once told me that some things are better left to the moment¡ªI believe this is one of those moments. No matter what, these men have to die here tonight." Izroth answered as he ignored Prime¡¯s inquiry. "Such reckless words. I¡¯d expect no less from someone that woman chose." Venare sighed. He then continued, "But, just this once... I¡¯m inclined to agree with you." "No answer? Very well. Then, you can take your secret with you to your grave. I will kill our new guest with my own hands. The rest of you will subdue our target. Do not kill them; however, if he resists too much, break one of his arms as a warning. I will personally give our lord an exnation." Primemanded. Chapter 538 Izroths Tale Variation Part 2/2

Chapter 538 Izroth¡°s Tale Variation Part 2/2

"I¡¯ll leave Prime to you. In the meantime, I will try to find a way to take care of those archers and the other knights." Venare said. Venare sheathed his sword and removed six throwing knives from the holster on his leg, holding three in between his fingers within each hand. He lowered his stance before kicking off his left foot to elerate towards the building that housed the archers on its rooftop. "Stop him! M-" Prime ordered as hisrades followed after Venare, but he was interrupted. Suddenly, a de of sharpened cold steel descended upon Prime as he moved his sword to intercept the blow. Woosh! Ding! "Annoying pest..! If you¡¯re in such a hurry to die, then just say so!" Prime grumbled as the sword he wielded locked with Izroth¡¯s. "Unfortunately for you, I don¡¯t intend on dying here," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. "You speak as if it¡¯s your choice to make!" Prime roared as the silver aura around him spiked and became increasingly dense. If previously it resembled a thinyer of liquid, the silver aura was now simr to a malleableyer of ice. Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off the moment Prime¡¯s silver aura changed, warning him of the impending danger. "Sword Arts: Soaring Silverw! Carving Talon!" The silver aura around Prime receded as it morphed into a concentrated version of its original form. Simultaneously, an orb of silver light manifested in the middle of where Izroth¡¯s and Prime¡¯s swords met. The orb of light shed brightly and was apanied by three deep cuts in the earth at Izroth¡¯s position. These cuts resembled Prime¡¯s early attack on Venare; however, they were much more ferocious and unrestrained. Swoosh! Just before Prime¡¯s attack fully developed, Izroth executed the Four Steps of Death to avoid it. He used a charge of the skill to dodge instead of attack as Izroth sensed that he could not allow himself to be struck head-on by Prime¡¯s sword arts. But, even though Izroth sessfully evaded the blow, three shallow cuts could be seen on the right side of his torso. ¡¯Aura... In many ways, it reminds me of Essence or the strange energy that lingers around a Domain. That being said, their core principles of control seem to differ greatly. If Essence and a Domain can be seen as internal power sources, Aura can be equated to an external one. However, if there is an external force at y, where is he drawing the power from?¡¯ Izroth scanned the environment with his natural senses to see if there was anything out of ce. But, on the surface, everything appeared normal. ¡¯Nothing. Perhaps...¡¯ "Can you afford to ce your attention elsewhere?" Prime¡¯s voice reverberated as the light finally settled. Prime waved his sword at the air as the silver aura around him fluctuated. Izroth, who was at least seven meters away from Prime, dodged as if he was right in front of the de. Bang! Right after Izroth propelled himself sideways, three deep cuts tore into the earth where he once stood. But, it did not stop there. Every time Izroth¡¯s feet touched the ground, Prime was alreadyunching his next attack. This forced Izroth into a defensive state without a chance to counterattack! ¡¯The second strongest attack of my sword arts was unable to fully prate his Aura; nheless, it did manage to leave a flesh wound. This proves that while it¡¯s sturdy, Aura does not make one invincible in the dreamworld. Since that¡¯s the case¡ªI¡¯ll just have to shave away at it until it copses.¡¯ After evading Prime¡¯s barrage of attacks, they suddenly stopped when Izroth arrived thirteen meters away from Prime. ¡¯Is this the limit of his attack range?¡¯ Izroth had numerous shallow cuts on multiple parts of his body and one concerning wound on his left arm. If not for Izroth¡¯s vastbat experience and Soul Sense, he would not havested for more than two or three attacks given the less than desirable strength of his role. In the end, Viselo¡¯s role was not meant to exchange blows with someone of Prime¡¯s level in this tale. But, Izroth understood that creating his own tale variation by forcibly altering a major turning point in the story would not be simple. In fact, having someone of Prime¡¯s level present at this part of the story was never mentioned within the tale itself. Izroth believed that it was likely a safety measure to prevent or discourage the Dreamer from influencing significant turning points. Of course, this was only spection. "You can¡¯t win. You should have realized this by now. The gap in our strength is too great a distance for you to close in this lifetime. Eventually, your luck will run out, and my sword will im your life." Prime stated. He then continued, "But, let no one say that I, Prime, am a heartless person. Since you¡¯ve survived this long against me by relying on your meager strength, I am prepared to show you mercy. Surrender quietly and state your purpose. If youply, I can consider letting you off lightly by crippling both of your arms. You will never wield a sword again, but that is a small price to pay in maintaining your life¡ªdo not allow my generosity to go to waste." "Indeed, in terms of raw strength, you are several steps above me. If we were to continue fighting head-on, I wouldst another minute or two at best." Izroth acknowledged as he stabbed his sword into the ground at his side. "But, despite our difference in strength, I do hold one clear advantage over you." Izroth sped the hilt of his sword. "You? An advantage over me? Interesting. Then, let¡¯s hear it. After all, it will be toote to speak when you¡¯re dead." Prime scoffed. He was clearly superior to his opponent in every way¡ªwhat advantage could they possibly hold over him? "I have not allowed an external source of power to be a crutch in which I lean upon," Izroth said as he yanked his sword out of the ground and instantly utilized three charges of his Four Steps of Death to quickly erase the distance between himself and Prime! "A crutch? Ha... Hahaha! So what?! If the power is there to obtain, only a fool would ignore it! You call it a crutch; I prefer to refer to it as a pair of wings!" Prime growled as the silver aura around his body thickened once again. Woosh! Prime shed outward in an arc the instant Izroth stepped into his attack range. Bang! Bang! Bang! The pressure generated by this swing caused the solid ground in front of Prime to explode and produce a sinkhole as the surrounding earth fractured. As the dust cleared away, Izroth was nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden, a sword rushed out from behind Prime and grazed his neck! Ding! Screeech..! The sound of grinding metal echoed throughout the battlefield as the sword came into contact with Prime¡¯s Aura. However, Prime remained unharmed as only a small portion of his Aura was chipped away. Ding! Prime swiftly turned his body and waved his de, forming a long fissure on the ground. But, when he looked in the direction of where he had just been attacked, there was no one there! Ding! Ding! Prime was struck twice in the same spot as thest blow, and when he reacted to the strike, Prime was met with the same results asst time. "You..!" A look of rage soon found its way onto Prime¡¯s face. Every time he tried to lock onto his opponent¡¯s position, their presence would suddenly vanish into thin air. However, what truly annoyed Prime was that Izroth kept attacking the same exact point every single time without fail! ¡¯If one attack isn¡¯t enough, I¡¯ll just use two. If that still isn¡¯t sufficient, then five, ten, fifteen¡ªhowever many it takes. I want to see just how long your Aura can protect you.¡¯ Izroth realized that while Prime¡¯s sword arts was fast and powerful, itcked control and flexibility. When one could merely overpower their opponents with raw destructive force, they tended to neglect those two key factors. Izroth discovered that Prime was no exception. Izroth was rapidly going through charges of his Four Steps of Death. 17 charges remaining... 13 charges remaining... 5 charges remaining! In the blink of an eye, Izroth had gone through almost twenty charges of his Four Steps of Death! However, when he was down to five charges, Izroth heard the sound of something shattering, followed by a smooth feeling at the tip of his de at the spot he had continuously been targeting. ng! Phhtk! The silver aura around Prime lost its brilliance as it slowly faded away¡ªIzroth had broken through his Aura! Chapter 539 Deceiving The Rules of The Dream Domain

Chapter 539 Deceiving The Rules of The Dream Domain

"Impossible..! How could he break my Aura with just his sword arts?!" Prime eximed. He could not hide his shock at the sight of his Aura dissipating. What startled Prime more than anything was that his Aura had been destroyed not by another Aura user but by someone using only sword arts! Aura was unique to the kingdom Prime served and was the main reason they were considered an untouchable powerhouse. It was not something one was born with in this world, but rather something they had to be "gifted". However, the amount of Aura was limited and strictly regted. This made it so that the total number of Aura users in the kingdom could be counted on one¡¯s fingers alone. Due to their power, every single Aura user on their own was recognized as an elite fighting force. But, Prime¡¯s case was special as he was not a genuine Aura user. Prime nced down at a small silver crystal no bigger than three centimeters embedded in his sword¡¯s hilt. The crystal had miniature cracks on its surface, and the faint silver hue it initially released had greatly diminished. "The valuable Aura Cell given to me by my lord is...!" Prime¡¯s facial expression darkened. Indeed, Aura had to be gifted; however, there were a small number of items that could disy a might simr to Aura. An item able to contain Aura was referred to as Aura Cell. Aura Cells were costly and extremely limited. For this reason, they were essible only to the highest ranks of nobility. Even if one had the money, they couldn¡¯t get their hands on an Aura Cell if theycked the authority or influence. The power provided by utilizing an Aura Cell was nothing to scoff at, but it left more to be desiredpared to the might of a genuine Aura user. Prime was well aware of the limits of Aura that relied on an Aura Cell to function, which was all the more reason why he was rmed by his Aura¡¯s sudden disappearance. As far as Prime could tell, his opponent was not an Aura user. Furthermore, they did not possess an Aura Cell, and the probability of them acquiring one in the first ce was practically nonexistent. So, how did they do it? How did they shatter his Aura? Attacking the same point? At best, that action would generate a few bruises¡ªnot the loss of his Aura Cell! As numerous thoughts flooded Prime¡¯s mind and tried to find an answer, he felt the world around him start to spin. Bang! Prime hit the ground as he viewed the world sideways. But, it was not the world that had experienced a change. Prime fell to his knees before copsing onto the ground, motionless. Before he realized what was going on, his head had already been severed from his body! Izroth stood over Prime and picked up the sword dropped by the First Knight. If he relied solely on Viselo¡¯s sword arts, Izroth knew that taking down Prime would be challenging. That¡¯s when Izroth had an idea. The system restricted the use of skills in the dreamworld; however, for abat master like Izroth, who did not innately rely on the system for skills, did it truly matter? In normal circumstances, the answer would be yes. After all, a skill granted by the system allowed for a much needed consistency. But, the same could not be said for the dreamworld. In this ce, abat master like Izroth had an advantage that the vast majority of otherscked¡ªhe had plenty of practice executing his skills without the system¡¯s assistance. While some of his techniques could not disy their full strength, the foundations were still present! With Viselo¡¯s Advanced Swordy, it was possible to breathe life into those foundations, and that¡¯s precisely what Izroth did. When executing Viselo¡¯s sword arts, Izroth infused them with the principles of the Way of the Heavenly Sword¡¯s sword forms! First Sword Form: Converging Points, Second Sword Form: Returning Wave¡ªIzroth could employ every sword form without restraint! The system may not officially recognize it in the dreamworld, but that did not diminish its effectiveness¡ªas proven by the destruction of Prime¡¯s Aura. ¡¯I can¡¯t tap into any of the elements linked to the Way of the Heavenly Sword, but the fact that I can use it in this ce holds countless benefits.¡¯ Izroth shifted his focus to the distance to check on Venare. Venare had already dealt with the two archers on the rooftop. As for the other knights, without Prime¡¯s presence and having to take Venare alive, they had difficulty getting a firm hold on the situation. Two of the knights had been eliminated by Venare, and another three were severely wounded. But, none of them seemed to realize that their leader was no longer of this world. ¡¯With Prime out of the picture, the Commander can take care of the rest. Though I must ensure not a single one of them escapes. In the meantime...¡¯ Izroth carefully examined the hilt of Prime¡¯s sword and soon discovered the Aura Cell. But, even though he had a vague impression of its purpose, Izroth was still unclear about many things. ¡¯That feeling from earlier¡ªis this the source of it?¡¯ ... A few momentster, Venare finished up things on his end. However, as Venare was about to eliminate the final knight, Izroth stepped in and requested that they be kept alive. Regardless of the circumstances, Izroth still needed to meet with Nobleman Fraun to discern their identity. If possible, Izroth did not want to kill this group of knights just in case Fraun was an ally; however, he could not risk it. Izroth walked up to thest remaining knight, who was bound with rope. Compared to the other seasoned knights, this particr one was on the younger side and looked to be in his early twenties. "Your lord is the Nobleman Fraun, am I right?" Izroth questioned. The knight stayed silent, but from his surprised expression, it was easy to read his thoughts. Of course, Izroth knew this information due to Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge, but the same could not be said for Venare. Seeing how he was unable to disclose the information within Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge directly, Izroth was forced to use an indirect method. "Silence is also an answer in and of itself," Izroth said with a carefree smile. Izroth went on to ask a series of questions to the knight. However, the questions were only a cover to feed Venare information. Izroth put every question into a yes or no format. Whenever the question was a true statement, he would end it with "am I right?" and if it was a false statement, hisst words were, "am I wrong?". Venare immediately recognized what Izroth was doing and paid close attention. "This is his first time in my Dream Domain, but his method of choice¡ªit¡¯s as if he has been here numerous times. Where did that woman find a little monster like this? Then again, I suppose monsters tend to attract other monsters." Venare thought to themselves. After nearly five minutes of questioning the silent young knight, Izroth had disclosed everything he could to Venare. Now, the rest was up to them. "If I go now, I can still make it in time. As for what to do with him¡ªI¡¯ll leave that up to your judgment. We¡¯ll meet again at the rendezvous point you mentioned. If the situation bespromised, we will go with n B. I know what you want to do, but I feel the need to remind you to proceed with caution. We¡¯ve already created three Tale Variations. Any more, and we may encounter a total nking. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already seen the results for yourself." Venare said before taking their leave to carry out their initial task. ¡¯Total nking? Is she referring to the part of the story that was blurred out by Dreamer¡¯s Knowledge?¡¯ After meeting with Nixere and running into the first Tale Variation, Izroth noticed that not only had new sections been added to the tale, but a small portion was blurred out. The strangest thing was that Izroth could not remember if anything was there or not, which given his perfect memory was troubling, to say the least. "There¡¯s no point overthinking. For now¡ªshall we go pay your lord a visit?" Izroth said as his gaze locked onto the young knight. Chapter 540 Stepping Into The Tigers Den?

Chapter 540 Stepping Into The Tiger¡°s Den?

... Several momentster... Izroth arrived outside a building with two knights guarding the entrance. These knights bore an identical crest to the ones that ambushed Venare. ¡¯This should be the ce.¡¯ Initially, the young knight was reluctant to answer any of Izroth¡¯s questions; therefore, how could the young knight be willing to give up the location where they were supposed to deliver Venare after his capture? At first, the young knight remained silent. But, when Izroth expressed his interest in Prime¡¯s sword and the silver crystal embedded into it, the young knight¡¯s attitude changed. Izroth had a vague feeling that Prime¡¯s weapon was important; however, he did not expect such aplete shift in the young knight¡¯s stance. Izroth informed the young knight that as long as they revealed where they were going to take Venare, he would personally bring the sword to its rightful owner. The young knight was hesitant, but if there was even the slightest possibility of the Aura Cell being returned to his lord, he had to take the gamble. If he did nothing, then this foreign stranger would get their hands on a priceless Aura Cell. If it were leaked into enemy hands, the First Knight Prime he respected would be the kingdom¡¯s biggest traitor! Not to mention, even if this man were strong enough to defeat Prime and had bad intentions against his lord, he would stand no chance against the lord¡¯s personal knights. In the end, a mixture of fear, self-reassurance, and inexperience caused the young knight to finally give up the location. Immediately after he did so, Izroth dispatched the young knight. At the moment, besides himself and Venare, the young knight was the only one aware of what took ce during the ambush. As he knew too much, letting him live was out of the question as it had the potential to spiral into more uncontroble Tale Variations. After all, Izroth had not forgotten Venare¡¯s warning concerning total nking. Fortunately, not everything had a grim outlook. After blocking Venare¡¯s capture and getting rid of the knights, the story underwent a positive transformation. Now, not only was Queen Nixpera going to live, but Hunter Venare¡¯s fate had also morphed into a favorable one. This meant that if there were no further changes orplications, two out of three of his allies would survive the Dream Domain! ¡¯The outside is not as heavily guarded as I anticipated. Is this Fraun¡¯s way of trying to maintain a low profile? Or...¡¯ Two knights were safeguarding the door, along with a third knight patrolling around the building. For the second most influential person in the kingdom, having only three guards seemed careless, even if it was during peace times. But, Izroth understood that sometimes what was right before one¡¯s eyes could be misleading. Izroth approached the building¡¯s entrance and instantly attracted the attention of the two guarding knights. "Halt! This ce is off-limits to the public by orders of Lord Fraun! Turn back at once!" One of the guards dered. Izroth stopped around four meters away from the knights and said, "I have been entrusted to deliver a certain item to your lord. I must meet him without dy." One of the knights frowned and responded, "Delivery? I have not been notified of any such delivery! Leave; otherwise, I can not guarantee your life stays intact!" The two knights unsheathed their swords in unison. At the same time, the third knight carefully watched from the side with his sword drawn as well. Izroth reached for the sword on his right side and removed it from his leather belt, which caused one of the knights guarding the entrance to charge forward! "Siege, wait!" The other knight that stood guardmanded as his eyes locked onto the sword in Izroth¡¯s hands. The knight charging forward came to an abrupt halt. "Why did you stop me, Morel?" Siege asked as he kept a close eye on Izroth¡¯s actions. "That sword¡ªdoesn¡¯t it look familiar?" Morel stated. "What are you-" As Siege took a closer look at the sword in Izroth¡¯s hands, his expression darkened. "Impossible...! Isn¡¯t that Sir Prime¡¯s Silverw?! He would never allow it to fall into the hands of another, unless-!" Siege eximed. "You are correct. Which is why we need a proper answer." Morel said. He then inquired, "Exin yourself. How did youe to possess that sword?" Unless one was a genuine Aura user, it was absurd to believe that Prime would die at their hands. Morel knew that the person before him was not from his kingdom; therefore, they could not possibly be a genuine Aura user. After all, Aura would never be gifted to those who were not loyal to the kingdom. As for someone with an Aura Cell defeating Prime, even then, a person with the First Knight¡¯s strength should have been able to, at the very least, escape with his life. The fact that Silverw had fallen into the hands of a total stranger could only mean one thing¡ªFirst Knight Prime had met his end. "I made a promise with a dying knight to return this sword to its rightful owner. I havee to keep this promise. Unfortunately, this is all I can say regarding the matter." Izroth answered calmly. Morel frowned and furrowed his brows. Who in this kingdom had the guts to kill one of his lord¡¯s men within the inner pce walls? This situation was too strange. However, if this person wanted, they could have tried to escape and smuggle the Aura Cell out of the kingdom back to their homnd. Not to mention, even if he was under the threat of death, Morel knew that Sir Prime would never disclose the location of his lord to a hostile person. Toe here himself¡ªperhaps this man was one of his word. "Hand over the sword. We will make certain that it finds its way to our lord." Siege said. "I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. The promise was for me to return it to its rightful owner. As an honorable knight, are you asking me to go back on my word? I must personally deliver this to your lord. Even if I have to force my way inside, I intend to keep my word¡ªas I am sure you would do the same." Izroth stated. Siege looked as if he wanted to respond to Izroth¡¯s words but did not know how to do so. Morel released a heavy sigh and said, "Siege, go inform the lord of the situation. Ask what his orders are." Siege nodded and entered the building to carry out Morel¡¯smand. "In the meantime, I¡¯ll have to ask that you remain here until we receive word from our lord," Morel said. "Naturally, I have no issue with this," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. ... Not even a full minute passed before Siege returned. Siege¡¯s orders were to ept Izroth¡¯s request and guide him indoors under close supervision. When Izroth entered the building, he was greeted by a scene of approximately one hundred knights. Several knights were already fully equipped, while others were running from ce to ce as if they were makingst-minute preparations. In all sense of the phrase, it truly was stepping into the tiger¡¯s den! ¡¯I suppose it¡¯s a good thing I did not have to force my way into this ce.¡¯ With his current restricted strength, Izroth may be able to handle two or three knights like Prime, but any more than that would be troublesome. Not to mention, Izroth had used up quite a bit of his role¡¯s limited skills to take down Prime. Izroth and Siege soon came before a door guarded by two knights releasing an air of intimidation. From their presence alone, Izroth estimated their strength was equal to or maybe even a bit higher than that of Prime¡¯s. Since the knights were aware of Siege¡¯s orders, he and Izroth were able to enter the room without issue. The room was more spacious than its outside appearance led one to believe. Itsyout resembled thebination of an office and strategy room. Just as there were two guards outside, an additional two guards stood at each side of a desk located at the back of the room¡¯s center. Behind this desk sat a man with dark blonde hair and gray eyes. With a single nce, Izroth immediately recognized that it was the person he came here in search of, the Nobleman Fraun. However, with Izroth¡¯s arrival, the atmosphere in the room became heavy. Chapter 541 Escape From The Main Palace Part 1/2

Chapter 541 Escape From The Main Pce Part 1/2

Fraun sized up Izroth upon his entry. ording to Siege¡¯s report, this man before him came to deliver the sword that belonged to the First Knight, Prime. He refused to give out any further information until he had a face to face meeting, and the words he did provide were shoddy at best. "You¡¯re dismissed, Siege," Fraun said. "Lord." Siege delivered a knight¡¯s salute before he walked out the door and closed it behind him. "Well, you¡¯re here. I¡¯d like to know how you managed to get your hands on the sword of First Knight Prime. I should warn you; I do not believe in coincidences. Think carefully before you speak. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand." Fraun stated with a cold look in his eyes. Just like the other roles, Fraun also had to deal with tasks administered by Tale Immersion. One of these tasks was to send men to apprehend the Hunter Venare before he infiltrated the main pce. To aplish this without error, Fraun sent Prime and some additional knights to ensure there was no room for failure. But, not too long ago, Fraun received an alert warning him of the task¡¯s failed oue. Now, this man just happened to visit this ce moments after that urred? He would be a fool to overlook the potential connection! "That would be a problem. After all, you would be disobeying the first rule." Izroth replied nonchntly. Fraun narrowed his eyes at Izroth¡¯s words. He then motioned his hand forward and said, "You two are dismissed." "My lord, to leave you alone with this person of unknown origin is-" One of the knights protested; however, he fell silent when he witnessed Fraun¡¯s re. "...Understood." The knight replied reluctantly. "Lord!" The two knights spoke in unison as they gave a knight¡¯s salute and left the room asmanded. The moment the doors shut behind them, Fraun released a deep sigh. "It¡¯s good to see another ally in this dreamworld. But, at least now, I¡¯m sure of it. The First Knight¡¯s death was no mere coincidence. Were you the one behind it?" Fraun asked. "It was something that had to be done for the ultimate oue. I hope it did not cause you too much trouble, Captain Gritt." Izroth answered. When Izroth entered the room and took a few steps forward, he arrived close enough in the range for his Eyes of Knowledge to take effect. He then discovered that the Nobleman Fraun was the War Brigade 2nd Unit Captain of the 4th Division, Gritt. Although this was Izroth¡¯s first time speaking with Gritt, he knew of his name from one of the many messages he received from Maeva after escaping his first run-in with Zars. "I see... If that¡¯s the case, it couldn¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s a bit of a loss on my part, but nothing I can¡¯t recover from. Since you can immediately discover my true identity, I take it you¡¯re the Dreamer? But, the way you speak is different from the Commander and the other woman. You don¡¯t sound like that man with the silver wings, either. If I had to take a guess, I¡¯d say you are our famous missing Captain Izroth from the GSU. Well, I guess not so much missing anymore." Gritt stated. ¡¯To reach that conclusion, after only exchanging a few words, I can see why the Commander chose him to follow her into Vostracane.¡¯ Back at the Blue Heart Inn, during his conversation with the dreamworld¡¯s owner, Izroth was told that if he ran into the member of her unit, he simply had to mention the first rule to gain their trust. The "first rule" referred to the first of Aurie¡¯s three rules for the unit. Rule one, you will not take any action that may endanger the lives of your fellow troops. Mentioning the "first rule" in the dreamworld to distinguish ally from foe was a safeguard that every Captain and Lieutenant in Aurie¡¯s unit had to be aware of. This was just in case, well, a situation such as this one urred where she had no choice but to use her domain with allies nearby. "Since you¡¯re already aware, it saves me quite a bit of trouble. I¡¯m sure you know why I¡¯m here." Izroth said as he ced Prime¡¯s sword on top of Fraun¡¯s desk. "I can think of a few reasons. Please, have a seat, Captain. It would seem we have much to discuss." Fraun stated as he gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. ... Meanwhile, inside the main pce... Nixere held a dagger in her hand at her side as she stood with her back against the wall near the corner of a corridor. She slowly moved her dagger to the edge of the corner, using its steel de to see if there was anyone present within the hall. "It¡¯s clear. Remember, stay close." Nixere whispered softly to the person at her side. "I¡¯ll be right behind you," Nixpera responded quietly. After the ceremony ended, Nixere was granted a private audience with Nixpera. At first, Nixere only nned to discuss potential ns to escape with her elder sister, but circumstances evolved after her contact with her cousin, Viselo. By now, Nixere believed that her cousin should have been sessful on his end. At least, she could only hope that he had not failed. If they lost this chance, who knew when or if they would get another? So, Nixere decided to act in the moment itself. Thinking on her feet, Nixere feigned that something with wrong with Nixpera, which caused the two guards outside to rush in and check on the situation. Having Nixpera pretend to be unconscious when the knights approached, with their guards lowered, Nixere removed the daggers she had hidden under her dress and mercilessly stabbed them into the neck of the guards. Presently, Nixere was helping Nixpera escape from the pce while under cover of night. At the moment, they were headed to the pce¡¯s back garden, where they would meet up with their reinforcements. However, there were numerous guards scattered throughout the pce. Therefore, the two had to proceed with caution to avoid drawing any attention to themselves. The fewer eyes they came into contact with, the better. "Now," Nixere said as she darted around the corner and rushed forward. Nixpera followed Nixere down the hall, but just as they were almost to the next turning point in the corridor, Nixere heard the faint sound of footstepsing from around the corner. Nixere clicked her tongue to express her annoyance. She came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the corner before signaling Nixpera to halt her steps. Tap. Tap. Tap. A few secondster, a guard on pce patrol duty walked around the corner. Woosh! Phhtk! Without hesitation, Nixere plunged her dagger into the guard¡¯s neck and covered their mouth with her hand as the life in his eyes faded. Then, in one smooth motion, she pulled her dagger out of the guard¡¯s neck. The guard fell over motionless, but before he could hit the ground, Nixere caught him to eliminate the noise. "Open that door," Nixere said as she gestured towards one of the closes doors in the hallway while dragging the guard¡¯s limp body. Nixpera furrowed her brows as she opened the door as Nixere instructed. Thud. Nixere released the guard after hauling him into the small room used for storage before quickly shutting the door behind her. "Was that necessary?" Nixpera questioned. "Maybe, maybe not. However, I am not willing to perform that coin flip and gamble your safety. Your happiness and safety are more important to me than the lives of everyone in this kingdom, including that bastard king. I still can¡¯t believe father gave you away like a prize to be had...!" Nixere said as she contained her anger. She then continued, "You have always supported me. This time, it¡¯s my turn to support you, dear sister." ¡´System Alert: A task for ?Tale Immersion? has been adjusted!¡µ "It changed again?" Nixpera questioned to herself as she inwardly frowned. This was the third time in under an hour that one of her Tale Immersion tasks had been adjusted. Skill Name: Tale Immersion ... Current Task(s): -(1)Reach the pce back garden with Nixere¡¯s assistance. [Iplete] -(2)Meet with Hunter Venare in the pce back garden. [Iplete] -(3)Escape from the inner town. [Iplete] -(4)Reach the border of the kingdom located on the other side of the forest at the town¡¯s outskirts outside the inner pce walls. [Iplete] Chapter 542 Escape From The Main Palace Part 2/2

Chapter 542 Escape From The Main Pce Part 2/2

"I¡¯ll scout ahead. Stay here." Nixere said as she checked the surroundings. This time, she wanted to make sure that the entire corridor and the next turn was clear before moving forward. Finding no one present, Nixere returned to Nixpera¡¯s side a few momentster, and the two began to make their way towards the pce¡¯s back garden. Nixpera could not help but release a faint sigh as she trailed behind Nixere. No weapon, no power, a weak body¡ªwhy was she cursed with such a useless role? Was there honestly nothing she could do but y the damsel in distress waiting to be rescued? If this were a fairytale, perhaps it would be somewhat of an entertaining experience; however, this dreamworld was a ce full of tragedy. One wrong misstep had the potential to change everything! Although it took almost thirty minutes, with Nixere¡¯s guidance and safety precautions, she and Nixpera finally reached the pce¡¯s back garden without any further obstructions. The garden was silent, with only the sound of chirping insects echoing in the night. Besides the moonlight and the stars above, there were no other light sources, making it quite difficult to see specific sections of the back garden. "This ce lookspletely different at night," Nixpera muttered to herself as she looked up towards the moon. But, what she did not expect to see was the strange state of the sky. If she had to use a word to describe it, the first thing that came to mind was "fragmented". The sky was like ss that someone had struck at its center, causing it to fragment and shatter. At the moment, the upper atmosphere of the dreamworld resembled this exact phenomenon. "I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t like this earlier... Is this a natural urrence in the dreamworld? No, more than anything, this looks like a world that¡¯s copsing." Nixpera thought to herself. However, the bizarre thing was that Nixere, an inhabitant of the dreamworld, did not have any type of reaction to the sky quite literally breaking apart. This caused Nixpera to doubt herself. "Nixere, is the night sky normally like this?" Nixpera questioned as she pointed upward. "Hm? Always like what?" Nixere replied with a slightly confused expression after she looked skyward. "The cracks, the missing pieces of the sky¡ªis it supposed to be that way?" Nixpera asked. Nixere frowned, "I think staying in that pce for so long has caused you to start seeing things, dear sister. The sky is in one piece as it has always been." She then continued, "We have to keep moving. The guards will soon realize that you¡¯re missing. Before that happens, we have to, at least, make it to the rendezvous point to-" Suddenly, Nixere went quiet as she swiftly stepped in front of Nixpera with one of her daggers drawn. She red at one of the hedges located a few meters away from them as it shook with signs of movementing from within. "Nixpera?" A voice sounded from within the hedges as a figure stepped out. Nixpera immediately recognized this voice as she ced her hand on Nixere¡¯s shoulder and said, "It¡¯s okay. They¡¯re on our side." As the figure emerged from the darkness, Nixere rxed her guard and returned her dagger to its sheath. She, too, recognized this individual by their appearance when he stepped out of the darkness. "Brother-inw? Is my cousin not with you?" Nixere questioned. "He is working on collecting some extra insurance. But, we do not have time for an idle conversation. We¡¯ll talk along the way since we¡¯re already running behind schedule." Venare stated as he held the hedges aside, opening a narrow pathway. Nixere nodded, "I¡¯ll guard the rear. We¡¯ll be counting on you to lead the way, brother-inw." "Leave it to me. Don¡¯t stray too far away. The passageway is narrow, and if you get lost off the original path, it won¡¯t be easy to find you." Venare warned as he stepped into the hedges. Nixpera followed him and then Nixere as the hedges slowly moved back together once they made their way in. ... Several minutester... Nixpera, Venare, and Nixere sessfully made their way out of the pce¡¯s back garden. At one of the back garden corners hidden away from the eyes of othersy a t stone. This t stone covered the entrance to a secret passageway that traveled underground through some abandoned tunnels. It was these tunnels Venare used to infiltrate the pce without being caught. However, there was no light present in the tunnels, which made navigating the maze-likeyout tricky. Fortunately, Venare made the proper arrangements beforehand. Leaned against the wall near the entrance of the secret passageway was a leather bag. Venare opened the leather bag, took out a green branch, a piece of cloth, a vial of ck liquid, and a strange-looking stone. Venare wrapped the cloth tightly around the top of the green branch before pouring the ck liquid over the cloth. He then stood the green branch upright on the wall and removed one of the throwing knives from its holster. Venare held the strange stone next to the cloth and scraped against it with his knife, causing sparks to fly. Shhieck! Shhieck! In the blink of an eye, the cloth erupted into mes, bringing light to the underground devoured by darkness. "Let¡¯s go." Venare grabbed the makeshift torch and walked towards the tunnel located on the underground¡¯s far left side. As the three entered the first tunnel, they were soon weed by another four paths to choose from. This repeated itself multiple times as the group made their way deeper into the underground structure. "I can see why you said to stay close. This ce is truly one huge maze. If one gets lost in here, they may never see the light of day again." Nixere sighed. "How did you uncover this passageway into the pce?" Nixpera asked. "I had a bit of helpful guidance," Venare responded. After moving through the tunnels for nearly fifteen minutes, Venare said, "I apologize for dragging you into this mess against your will. The situation may have left me with no choice, but that does not excuse my actions. I won¡¯t ask that you not bear a grudge against me. However, I ask that you wait until we leave this ce safely." Izroth said that Nixpera could be trusted, but since she failed to mention the "first rule" that only those of the 2nd unit had knowledge of, this meant that Nixpera had to be Lieutenant Maeva of the General Support Unit. When she came across Zars, the only thing on Aurie¡¯s mind was to keep the Night Lord contained as long as possible and hope that someone on the outside noticed the bizarre situation and called for reinforcements. "I have to admit that at first, I was shocked. But, I do not me you. Nor do I hold any kind of grudge against you. If I were in your position, I probably would have done the same." Nixpera stated. "Your words have ced my heart at ease," Venare said as they nced back with a light smile on their face. ... Somewhere outside the inner pce walls... A t stone near the area where Fraun¡¯s men tried to capture Venare moved slightly. A few secondster, it slid to the side as Venare climbed out from the hole. He helped Nixpera and Nixere out as well; however, the two women were now wearing hooded cloaks that were kept in Venare¡¯s leather bag. After all, even if it was night time, it was too risky and easy for them to be spotted going around in their formal clothing. BANG! BANG! BANG! Out of nowhere, the loud booming sound of a bell being struck repeatedly reverberated throughout not just the inner town, but the outer town as well! This was the sound produced when an intruder had infiltrated the pce. "Spread out! You! Start searching the area over there!" A voice rang out from a distance. The knights had already started to move. "They know my sister is missing. We have to get to the rendezvous point before they begin their sweep of the area." Nixere warned. "Lead the way. I¡¯ll cover our tracks," Venare said to Nixere as the group swiftly left the scene. Not too long after their departure, a group of knights arrived and investigated the area. "Nothing here. Let¡¯s keep moving!" The leader of the knight group ordered as they continued their search. ... Meanwhile, back at Fraun¡¯s hideout... ¡¯Hm? This sound is...¡¯ Chapter 543 The Fragmenting Dreamworld

Chapter 543 The Fragmenting Dreamworld

When Izroth heard the loud banging sounding from outside the building, he immediately likened it to a signal of sorts. If it was rted to the pce, there was a good chance it meant Nixpera, Nixere, and Venare escaped sessfully. ¡¯Have they already arrived at the rendezvous point?¡¯ Knock. Knock. Knock. "Enter," Fraun said. The door opened as a fully armored knight rushed in and quickly gave a knight¡¯s salute. "Speak. What¡¯s going on outside?" Fraun asked. "Reporting! An unknown assant has breached the pce! The knights guarding the future Queen Nixpera¡¯s chambers were found dead! In addition, both the future queen and her younger sister Princess Nixere have gone missing! Lord Fraun, we have been requested to provide our forces to help search for the culprit! We await your orders!" The armored knight stated. Fraun stood up from his seat and said, "Tell everyone to remain on standby." "Lord? Shouldn¡¯t we-" The armored knight looked visibly confused. The future queen had been kidnapped, and they were being told to stay on standby? Woosh! Woosh! The armored knight soon found two spears pointed at his throat. These spears belonged to the two knights who acted as Fraun¡¯s personal guards. "You dare to question your Lord¡¯s orders?" The knight on the right said with a fierce gaze. "Nysteffor, Rain, that¡¯s far enough. We have more important matters to tend to." Fraun spoke calmly. "As you will, Lord!" The knight on the right, Nysteffor, and the knight on the left, Rain, dered in unison. "Go, carry out your duty as I ordered. If you thoughtlessly question me again, next time, I won¡¯t stop them." Fraun stated coldly. "Y-yes, my Lord! I shall remember your mercy this day!" The armored knight replied nervously as cold sweats ran down their back. He then hastily took his leave to carry out Fraun¡¯smand. "It¡¯s time. Are you sure you want to go through with this? No one will call you a coward if you back out now." Fraun said as he faced Izroth. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he stood to his feet and replied, "We may not get such a good opportunity again. Besides, even if we escape this ce alive, our chances of survival once we leave the dreamworld are not very high. This is our only chance. Naturally, we cannot allow it to slip between our fingers." "I¡¯m in full agreement." Fraun sighed as a helpless expression found its way onto his face. He then continued, "The Commander¡¯s not going to be too happy about this one. However, if we can pull this off, our lives will be but a small price to pay." "Rain, summon the others of my private guard and tell them that we are pushing ahead of schedule. We will move under the guise of helping to sweep the city for the intruders. Nysteffor, after you confirm that everyone is in ce, you are to join us without dy. Are my orders understood?" "Yes, Lord!" The two knights sounded as they marched forward. "Now then, Captain Izroth- No, Viselo¡ªshall we go y us a blue wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing?" Fraun said with a heavy tone. ... Meanwhile... Nixpera, Nixere, and Venare reached the inn where they promised to meet up with Izroth. There were a few close calls while the group was on their way to the inn, but fortunately, they arrived at the rendezvous point without trouble. At the moment, the group of three was patiently waiting inside a spacious room within the inn. "What¡¯s taking cousin so long?" Nixere questioned with a frown. It was already ten minutes past the time they arranged to meet. She was beginning to worry that Viselo may have run into a few problems along the way. "I, too, am concerned about his well being. But, he is more than capable of taking care of himself. I¡¯m sure our worries are unwarranted." Nixperamented. Nixpera, or rather, Maeva, had not traveled with Izroth for long, but for the short time they were together, she discovered that the Pce Master was too reckless. First, he charged into a battle between high-level NPCs. Then, he goes on to blow up an entire city! There existed a thin line between confidence and arrogance. At first, Maeva thought that Izroth leaned more towards thetter. After all, a yer who had aplished what he had in RML deserved the right to be arrogant. However, after spending more time with him and seeing Izroth in action firsthand, Maeva found that she could not have been further from the truth. There was no arrogance in Izroth¡¯s actions¡ªonly confidence. Absolute confidence in oneself. She did not think it was possible to have total confidence without a shadow of vanity, but she did not know how else to exin it. Though she was sure of one thing. For some reason, Maeva felt that as long as she followed Izroth, she may reach new heights that she previously deemed impossible! Knock! Knock! Knock! Tap. Tap. Suddenly, three loud knocks followed by two light taps came from the other side of the door. This was the code that Izroth was told to perform by Nixere if the town was under tight security. "He¡¯s finally here. It looks like you were right about our worries being unwarranted, dear sister." Nixere said as she walked over to the door. However, the moment Nixere opened it, her heart drop. What weed her was not the sight of her cousin as she expected, but rather a fully armored knight! Venare and Nixere did not hesitate to draw their weapons as they prepared for a fight. But, against all expectations, the armored knight ced his right fist over his chest and performed a slight bow. "I mean you no harm. I am called Osen of the Red Night¡ªSir Viselo and Lord Fraun have sent me to aid in your departure from the inner walls." The armored knight, Osen, stated. Nixere frowned and kept her guard up, "I don¡¯t believe my cousin would betray us... Nevertheless, how can we trust your words? For all we know, you might try to lead us into a trap. Besides, if you¡¯re here, where is my cousin? Why is he not with you?" "I am an honorable knight of the Red Night. I give you my word that the words I speak contain only the essence of truth. As for your cousin, if you are referring to Sir Viselo, he should be apanying my Lord and his private guards to the main pce." Osen answered. "The pce?! Why is he going to the pce?" Nixere eximed. However, she was not the only one in shock. "He can be trusted. If his word is not good enough, I will give you mine." Venaremented with a sigh as she sheathed her weapon. "I also believe him to be trustworthy, Nixere," Nixpera said with a weak smile. This type of wild behavior¡ªwho else could it be but the Pce Master? The moment Osen mentioned that Izroth was moving towards the pce instead of the exit to the inner town, Nixpera and Venare immediately understood what he wanted to do. "If he is invading the pce, that indicates Nobleman Fraun¡¯s role must have been given to Captain Gritt. No doubt, he also had a hand in this reckless n. Those fools...!" Venare thought to himself. Nixere narrowed her eyes before she ced her daggers back into their sheaths. While she still had some reserves, if her elder sister and brother-inw vouched for them, they must have a good reason for doing so. "Are we really just going to leave Viselo behind while we escape to safety?" Nixpera questioned. "That¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re going to do," Venare answered without wavering. He then leaned close to Nixpera and spoke quietly, "The dreamworld is rapidly fragmenting and decaying. It won¡¯t be too long before it copses in on itself and forcibly expels everyone within. Once that happens, there will be nothing left to stop that monster. I shouldn¡¯t have to tell you the results. While that monster¡¯s bound by the rules of the dreamworld, those two want to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate him. Though even I¡¯m uncertain whether or not it will work regardless of their sess." "?!" Nixpera silently took in Venare¡¯s words. So she didn¡¯t just see things back there! The sky of the dreamworld was indeed fragmenting! Chapter 544 A Predictably Unpredictable Nature

Chapter 544 A Predictably Unpredictable Nature

"Which is all the more reason why we have to survive. If those two should fail, we will have to act as the first line of defense while everyone retreats." Venare stated as he stood up straight. Nixpera knew that Venare¡¯s choice was the correct one, but leaving in this manner left a bad taste in her mouth. However, she was also aware of her current situation. In this dreamworld, she had nobat power to her name. In the end, she would only end up being a burden and erasing the effort that everyone went through to help her escape from the pce. Nixpera gave a reluctant nod to disy her eptance of Venare¡¯s outlook. "Since you all seem to be in agreement, follow me. I have prepared one of Lord Fraun¡¯s personal carriages outside. Given my Lord¡¯s reputation, those guards at the entrance won¡¯t dare to block our path out even if the town is under strict lockdown." Osen asserted. "Then, from this moment on, we¡¯ll be in your care, Sir Osen," Venaremented. ... Osen guided Nixpera, Venare, and Nixere to a grand horse-drawn carriage surrounded by ten knights¡ªtwo of which were mounted on horses. After everyone was safely inside the carriage, Osen took the driver¡¯s seat out front and grabbed the reigns,manding the horses onward. Having a noble knight escort, it did not take long for the carriage to reach the gates. Fortunately, it had not deteriorated to a point where the numerous gates within the tunnel were dropped down. "Halt! The town is in a state of emergency! No one is allowed in or out until-" One of the guards near the entrance of the tunnel warned; however, he quickly halted his words when he witnessed the crest located on the side of the carriage. "You dare to block the path of my Lord¡¯s carriage?! Impudent! I should y you where you stand!" Osen roared with a vicious re. "I-I meant no offense! Please, go ahead. I hope honorable sir knight can overlook my rude behavior just this once!" The guard said, visibly shaken as he bowed deeply. Osen scoffed arrogantly, "Hmph, count your fortune that my Lord is in a good mood today; otherwise, your head would not still be attached to your body!" Osen ordered the carriage forward into the tunnel and swiftly made it to the end, reaching the final checkpoint. However, when Osen saw the knight standing guard at the entrance, his facial expression became grim. "Stop!" A knight stepped directly in front of the carriage, startling the horses and causing them toe to an awkward stop. "Sir Tempo, my Lord has urgent business to attend to. Why do you block our path?" Osen inquired. "So it¡¯s Sir Osen. The king has ordered that no one, regardless of their status, may enter or leave until the future queen is found. Surely, Sir Osen is not implying that the will of your Lord is above that of the king, are you?" Tempo said with a piercing gaze. "You jest. My Lord only has the highest respect for the king. In fact, he has already deployed others to assist in the search for our future queen. That¡¯s why I hope Sir Tempo can show my Lord some face as this matter is of the utmost importance." Osen replied calmly. Tempo was not some random guard that could be brushed aside with one¡¯s words or status alone. He was one of the two Grand Protectors of the kingdom¡ªa powerful wielder of genuine Aura that bowed only to the king! Thest thing Osen anticipated was that King Sonamus would send one of the kingdom¡¯s Grand Protectors to perform something as insignificant as gate guard duty. Was it just a coincidence? If not, then things were about to be troublesome. "I¡¯m sure Lord Fraun can understand that I¡¯m merely following my king¡¯s orders. I advise you to turn back while I am asking politely, Sir Osen. I have spoken." Tempo said as he rested his hand on the hilt of the de at his side. The atmosphere became increasingly tense, and both sides looked as if they would explode at any second. Osen was first to break the silence, "Very well, Sir Tempo. We shall turn back at once. However, I ask that you be the one to wake my Lord from his slumber and inform him of the situation. If ites from Sir Tempo, then my Lord will understand that I am not to me." "Ahahaha, if you were scared to wake your Lord, why didn¡¯t you just say so sooner? As a fellow knight, how can I allow you to suffer in my sights? I shall lend you a hand in notifying your Lord." Tempo said as he stepped out of the carriage¡¯s way and moved towards the side door. However, just before he was about to open the side door, Osen snapped the reigns in his hands as the horses charged forward at full speed! The two knights on horseback also sped ahead without looking back. "Osen! You must have two lives to dare deceive me!" Tempo shouted. He was enraged! "Stop him!" "Don¡¯t let him catch up to Sir Osen!" The remaining eight knights who apanied the carriage formed a defensive perimeter to obstruct Tempo and the other guards¡¯ pursuit. "Deploy the 5th light calvary! Do not let them escape! And you all-" Tempo unsheathed his sword as he red towards the eight knights. The de was deep blue, and the hilt turned from ck to white as a white aura epassed its edge. "Consider your lives forfeit." Tempo swept his de outward in a horizontal arc. Wooosh... Boooom! A mighty gale was released from his de that mercilessly crashed into the eight knights, sweeping them aside in one stroke. If they had not died from the initial impact, they would soon be dead from the severe injuries brought about by the attack! "Osen, you bastard...! Wait and see how I deal with you!" Tempo tossed his sword into the air as he jumped up after it. Swoosh! A thick and durable white aura formed around the sword creating a circr tform that Temponded on. The tform carried Tempo forward at incredible speeds in the same direction the carriage traveled! ... Meanwhile, somewhere within the main pce... Izroth, Fraun, and his elite force of twelve knights capitalized on the town in a semi-lockdown state to infiltrate the main pce. They ran into several guards who were still roaming throughout the pce; however, with Fraun¡¯s status, no one questioned his intentions. After all, in their eyes, Fraun was assisting the king in his search for the culprit. But, regardless of being able to walk directly through the pce¡¯s front entrance without issue, Fraun could not help but feel as though something was off. "Is it just me, or is it a bit too quiet for a pce that just had their future queen kidnapped?" Fraun questioned. "A simr thought crossed my mind. In all likelihood, we are marching into a trap." Izroth stated nonchntly. "I hate to say it, but you¡¯re probably right. There¡¯s a 90% chance that this is a trap. Though this is a good sign, wouldn¡¯t you agree?" Fraun noted. "Indeed. The truly powerful have no need for traps. This can only mean one of two things. The first is that he is doing so for pure amusement. The second¡ªhe¡¯s feeling vulnerable and has uncertainties about dealing with the bacsh of the dreamworld." Izrothmented. "Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s the second reason. The fragmenting skies are a sign that the dreamworld will soon crumble apart. This is likely that blue wolf¡¯s doing. By now, I¡¯m sure he has distinguished ally from foe. If I were in their shoes, I would stall until the copse of the dreamworld and get rid of my enemies in one fell swoop." Fraun exined. "Whatever the case may be, it seems we are about to receive our answer," Izroth came to a sudden standstill before a pair ofrge metal doors. These doors were the entrance into the throne room where the ceremony was held earlier; however, there were no servants in view this time around. Creaaaak...! Two of Fraun¡¯s knights pushed open the doors upon his orders as the group stepped inside. There was only one person in the throne room sat indifferently on thergest throne at the top center of the steps. "You actually came. How amusing. I suppose humans are well known for their unpredictability. However, when everything you do is unpredictable, ironically, you be oh so predictable." King Sonamus stated as he tapped the armrest of his throne twice. Bang! Suddenly, the doors to the throne room mmed shut, sealing off Izroth and his group¡¯s sole path of retreat! Chapter 545 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 1/3

Chapter 545 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 1/3

"I must admit, even I cannot break free of this ce without lifting a finger or two. I underestimated that woman. Then again, I would expect no less from a member of that race. To think I would run into a rare half-human half-spirit hybrid in this unimportant sector of all ces." Sonamus said as he stood to his feet. He then continued, "Even more surprising is that she has the spirit race¡¯s trademark Dream Domain. While it is notparable to the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains, some say that the depth of its power is equal to or greater to that of the Main Upper Eight Domains." "But, from my understanding, the number of half-human half-spirit hybrids in this world can be counted using one¡¯s fingers alone. As for the number of them that can utilize the spirit race¡¯s Dream Domain¡ªthat woman may be the only one in the Mortal Realm. It¡¯s a pity that I will have to kill her with my own hands. After all, the precious blood of a living spirit, even if it¡¯s only a half-blood like that woman, is quite difficult toe by." Sonamus grinned. "Is every member of your race so long-winded? Or, is it just that you all enjoy hearing yourselves speak." Izrothmented. ¡¯That exins why she seemed so differentpared to others when I used my Energy Vision Sense. I would have never guessed that she was hiding such a secret.¡¯ In truth, Izroth was surprised to discover that Aurie was a half-spirit. He had read many books in RML, and while there was plenty of information surrounding spirits, there was never any record or ount of a human-spirit hybrid. Not to mention, this was also Izroth¡¯s first time hearing that the spirit race possessed their own unique domain. However, it was not too shocking. After all, if the true dragon race could control two Sources, a feat saw as inconceivable by other races, then the spirit race having a domain unique to them was not too far fetched. "This arrogance... I see. You must be that human insect that fled with his tail tucked in between his legs. You should not have returned to this ce. If not for that woman¡¯s untimely interference, I would have already sent you off to the Netherworld. Never before have I met a fool so eager to depart this world." Sonamus said as he set his sights on Izroth. "Insults to mask your own ipetence. I don¡¯t remember requiring your permission toe and go as I please. If you wish to im my life, you are more than wee to try your hand at it. But, this time, it won¡¯t end with a simple arrow in your back." Izroth dered. "Pride is a dangerous thing, human. You dream of reaping the life of this lord¡ªa hopeless endeavor." Sonamus smirked. "Vile creature. Do you think we will permit you to leave this ce with your life intact? This is not the outside world. In the dreamworld, you are but a single man. Nysteffor, Rain¡ªsee to it that you give our ¡¯king¡¯ a fitting send-off!" Fraunmanded as he waved his hand forward. Nysteffor and Rain were not loyal to the king nor to the kingdom, but to their Lord first and foremost! The same went for the other knights who were members of Fraun¡¯s personal guards. Woosh! Woosh! The two knights brandished their spears and charged ahead without faltering. In a sh, they closed the distance between themselves and Sonamus, ready to run the king through with their spears! Sonamus unhurriedly grabbed the sword rested on the side of his throne. At the top center of its hilt was a blue crystal at least ten times the size of the one used by the First Knight Prime. "Echo." The instant that word left Sonamus¡¯ mouth, an ear-piercing soundwave was emitted from the sword in his hands. The soundwave was powerful enough to stop Nysteffor and Rain right in their tracks. Shrieeeeeeeek! The tile in the throne room was torn from the ground, and several pirs started to form cracks on its surface. The two knights stood their ground firmly against Sonamus¡¯ assault; however, they were slowly being pushed back by the force generated by the soundwave. Izroth silently observed Sonamus as he started to experience slight dizziness. Although he was more than fifteen meters away, Izroth could still feel the effects of the soundwave. It made one feel disoriented as if they were suddenly inflicted with a case of vertigo. As a result, some knights had trouble maintaining their bnce as they endured the world spinning around them. A few secondster, the ear-piercing sound ceased as Sonamus removed the sword from its sheath. The de was the highest quality of steel, and the purity was so great that its silver sheen was a step well above anything given to knights. Sonamus threw the empty sheath to the floor and said, "There are fourteen of you. Not particrly good odds. Of course, I mean for all of you." The doors positioned at the back of the throne room opened as arge group of pce guards poured into the room. At the same time, within the wave of knights, a mysterious robed individual could be seen stealthily moving throughout the crowd. Meanwhile, leading the pce guards was a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He donned fully ted ck armor with a red cape on his back embroidered with the insignia of ten ck swords ced in a circle. In his hands was a greatsword the shade of midnight with red symbols carved into it. The de of the greatsword alone was slightly taller than the man who stood roughly 190cm tall. This man was the strongest knight in the kingdom and one of its two Grand Protectors, as well as a genuine Aura user¡ªthe Knight of the ck Dawn, Bahamut. When he stepped into the room, Bahamut released an overwhelming presence that caused Fraun¡¯s knights, excluding Nysteffor and Rain, to take a step back instinctively. "Grand Protector Bahamut..." Nysteffor muttered as he tightened the grip on his spear. "We cannot allow him to harm our Lord." Rain asserted as he shifted his focus off Sonamus and to Bahamut. "Insolent bunch. You want to take advantage of the chaos to usurp the throne while I am protecting this kingdom? Come, I want to witness for myself the skills that give you brats the confidence to make trouble before me." Bahamut stated. Fraun inwardly furrowed his brows at the turn of events. He knew that it would not be easy, but this definitely furtherplicated things. "The pce guards are numerous, but their strength is iparable to my personal knights. The only real trouble is Bahamut and the blue wolf. I don¡¯t know Bahamut¡¯s real strength, but ording to my knights, he has no equal in this world. I¡¯m not sure how long Nysteffor and Rain can hold him back." Fraun exined to Izroth. He then continued, "That¡¯s why I will assist them. The rest of my knights will focus on poption control of the pce guards. As for that blue wolf¡ªI¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to count on you to finish the job. Think you can do it?" Izroth drew his sword from the leather belt at his side; however, it was a different de from the one he previously wielded. It was simr to First Knight Prime¡¯s weapon, but its de was of a higher quality. In addition, it was equipped with an Aura Cell five times bigger than the one Prime utilized. "Shall we find out?" Izroth walked towards the throne. Not too long after, Fraun and his personal knights engaged in a fierce battle to keep the enemy forces upied. "Oh? Do you n to face me alone, human insect? I admit that this dreamworld has restricted my powers in many ways, but it has not diminished a point where you are worthy to face me of your own ord. Every second that goes by, I regain my strength a-" Woosh! Ding! Izroth executed Three Steps of Death as Sonamus managed to block his blow at thest moment! "You really do... Talk too much." Izroth said with a cold gaze. The amused expression on Sonamus¡¯ face vanished and was reced by one of emotionless indifference¡ªas if he were looking down at an ant whose sole purpose was to be crushed beneath his feet. "You humans seem to have forgotten the meaning of fear. Allow me to refresh your memory." Out of nowhere, a blue aura erupted from Sonamus¡¯ sword. Boom! Chapter 546 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 2/3

Chapter 546 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 2/3

... Meanwhile, near the forest¡¯s outskirts, located past the edge of town, the group of Fraun¡¯s knights sped onward, deeper into the woods. However, they were not alone. Right on their tail was the Grand Protector Tempo, soaring through the air using the Aura powered tform beneath his feet. There was a grim expression on his face as the distance between himself and the carriage was closing rapidly. Not too far behind Tempo was the 5th light cavalry consisting of eight knights on horseback equipped with light armor and spears. At their current rate of travel, it would not be long before they caught up to the carriage. But, there was a chance the light cavalry would not see any action. Tempo was infuriated. Osen¡¯s behavior and tant disregard for his standing in the kingdom was a massive p in the face! "Osen, you bastard! Stop right there, and I might consider letting you keep your dog life!" Tempo¡¯s voice sounded with a boom. Osen¡¯s facial expression darkened. The moment he defied Tempo, he had alreadye to ept his fate. If he stopped now, not only would he fail his Lord, but his death was sure to be one without honor. "Galileo, Yura, stop the cavalry using any means necessary!" Osenmanded his two remaining ally knights on horseback. "Understood!" Galileo and Yura responded in unison as they adjusted the speed of their horses. "Hm?" Tempo noticed the unusual actions of the knights; however, his goal was Osen and the carriage. Woosh! Tempo flew past Galileo and Yura without slowing his pace as the two knights soon intercepted the 5th light cavalry. In the blink of an eye, they became locked in a great battle against the cavalry and halted their advance. A few momentster, Tempo arrived within striking distance of the carriage as he discharged a wave of white aura from his de. Bang! Boom! The white aura urately struck the carriage¡¯s wheels, throwing the horses off bnce and causing the carriage to scrape against the ground. With its bnce disrupted at high speeds, Osen lost control of the carriage as it swayed back and forth before ultimately capsizing. Just as they curved off the road and was about to crash into a tree, Osen released the reigns, cut the horses free, and jumped off the carriage driver¡¯s seat all in one breath. Crash! The carriage mmed into a tree and shattered apart as the horses sprinted away without pause. Temponded a few meters away from Osen and the carriage; however, there was a visible frown on his face as he inspected the carriage. A grin appeared on Osen¡¯s face as he unsheathed his sword and took an offensive stance. "What¡¯s the meaning of this farce?" Tempo asked as he narrowed his eyes. The carriage was in shambles, yet there was no one in sight. This meant that all this time, Osen had been steering an empty carriage! However, Tempo was confident that there were people inside the carriage back at the gate checkpoint. "It can¡¯t be..." Tempo¡¯s eyes widened from shock as he came to a sudden realization. The king¡¯s order, the future queen¡¯s kidnapping, Fraun¡¯s knights behaving unruly¡ªthe people within that carriage, one of them may have been Queen Nixpera! But, if that were the case, didn¡¯t that mean Fraun was nning to rebel?! "You dare betray our kingdom?! Where did you hide our queen?! Speak!" Tempo roared as the aura around him spiked. "I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Sir Tempo. I¡¯m merely acting of my own will." Osen stated as he kicked off his back foot and charged Tempo! "You damned fool!!!" Tempo howled as he lifted his sword into the air and swept it downward in full force. ....BOOOOOM! The surrounding earth trembled as a bright white light engulfed Tempo and Osen. When the light cleared, a deep cut at least six meters long had formed on the ground, and Osen was nowhere to be found. ... Somewhere deep within the forest outskirts... "We might not have much time before they figure out what¡¯s going on, so we can¡¯t slow our pace. Ah, it¡¯s this way," Nixere said as she led the way forward, with Nixpera and Venare following after her. "It seems it was a good call to ditch the carriage when we did. Good work, Nixpera." Venaremented after hearing an explosive sounding from the distance. Nixpera slightly shrugged, "I just figured it was the best course of action to take if we wanted to avoid a direct confrontation. Since our goal is to leave the dreamworld before it copses, we cannot afford to get locked into a battle. Not to mention, mybat strength isn¡¯t exactly ideal in this ce." Long before Tempo caught up to them and they traveled far enough into the forest, Nixpera suggested ditching the carriage and moving on foot. Naturally, Osen and the other knights were against it, but knowing that Tempo would catch up to them before they made it to the border, they had no choice. In the end, Nixpera, Venare, and Nixere exited the carriage, while the knights chose to y the role of decoy and led Tempo as far away as possible from their trail. Now, with Nixere as their guide, the three were quicklying up on the kingdom¡¯s border. As they cut and pushed their way through a thickyer of tall grass, the group emerged from the forest and saw a crowd of silhouettes in the distance. If one looked closely, they could even see a red g with eight silver stars among them. They were the knights of the kingdom that bordered Sonamus¡¯ territory! "Look! We¡¯re almost there!" Nixere eximed excitedly. However, there was a hint of sadness that crept through. Nixere sighed, "It¡¯s too bad cousin isn¡¯t here with us. I hope he¡¯s safe." "If there¡¯s anyone who can find a way out, it¡¯s Iz-... it¡¯s our cousin." Nixpera reassured. "She¡¯s right. There¡¯s nothing we can do for him but to keep him within our thoughts. For now, we can¡¯t let Sir Osen and the other knights¡¯ deaths be in vain. Let¡¯s proceed." Venare stated. After looking back once more, the three hastily continued their journey towards the borders. ... Back at the main pce¡¯s throne room... Woosh! Ding! Ding! Ding! Izroth exchanged three quick blows of the sword with Sonamus using abination of the Way of the Heavenly Sword and Viselo¡¯s Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. But, right as Izroth was about to push forward with his assault, his Soul Sense warned him of potential danger. Shrieeeeeeek! A burst of soundwaves fused with Aura was unleashed from Sonamus¡¯ sword as Izroth evaded the surprise attack. However, the sound alone was still enough to momentarily disrupt the fluidity of his movements. "Die!" Sonamus mercilessly brought his sword down upon Izroth¡¯s head. Swoosh! As Sonamus¡¯ attack was about to connect with its target, Izroth executed his final remaining use of his Four Steps of Death to fall back out of Sonamus¡¯ attack range. ¡¯Those soundwaves are troublesome since I have no way to block them. However, his use of soundwaves is bing less and less frequent. Is he running out?¡¯ If Sonamus possessed a character skillset, it was likely that he, too, had a limited number of times he could utilize the skills at his disposal. At the moment, Izroth had no way to counter the iing soundwaves. In addition, not only had he gone through all his uses of Four Steps of Death, but his other skills were also rapidly depleting. Izroth had one charge of his Three Steps of Death and two uses of his Two Steps of Death left in y. As for Death In One Step¡ªhe still possessed the initial two uses that came with the skill. However, even that would do him no good if he did not first break through the dense Aura epassing Sonamus. ¡¯This should be good enough. It¡¯s time I change my approach.¡¯ Izroth disengaged from the battle and fell back a bit more than five meters from Sonamus. "Oh? What¡¯s this? Are you going to run away again, human insect?" Sonamus said mockingly. "Who said anything about running away?" Izroth stated calmly. All of a sudden, a saturated purple aura enveloped Izroth along with the sword in his hands! "The real fight has only just begun." Izroth pointed his sword in Sonamus¡¯ direction. Chapter 547 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 3/3

Chapter 547 A Race Against Time! The Crumbling Dreamworld Part 3/3

"I beg to differ. This fight was over before it began. Fate smiles upon the strong. Even in this dreamworld, I was made a king that stands above all else." Sonamus stated. He then continued, "I believe you humans have a saying that goes, there exists a thin line between bravery and stupidity. So, tell me, human¡ªare you merely naive... or so blinded by your own ignorance that you fail to see the destined oue?" "Fate? Destiny? People like you permit such insignificant things to rule over your life. Saying that you stand above all else when you kneel before another¡ªwhen you let something intangible decide the path you take¡ªI wonder if you realize just howughable you are. Someone like you who is satisfied with their current power and ce in the world can never be my equal. For you, I suppose that is what you would call fate." Izroth said with a carefree smile. "I stand by my previous words¡ªyou really do talk too much." Izroth did not wait for a response as he made his move. However, the look in Sonamus¡¯ eyes spoke for itself as it was filled with cold killing intent. The purple aura around Izroth and his sword became incredibly thin. It was to a point where the Aura he implemented mirrored a thread. Shrieeeeek! A high pitched soundwave traveled in Izroth¡¯s direction as he used his final charge of Three Steps of Death to avoid it. In the same breath, Izroth entered Sonamus¡¯ blind spot and had already taken the stance of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave¡¯s Sword Counter. Combining it with the final step to his Three Steps of Death, Izroth¡¯s de moved at frightening speeds as it advanced towards Sonamus! Bang! Sonamus felt his body lift off the ground as he was propelled forward by the force of the attack. Crash! Rmmmmble! Sonamus mmed into one of the damaged pirs, causing it to copse and bury him under a small heap of debris. ¡¯I felt my attack reach that time. But-¡¯ Out of nowhere, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off as a massive pressure descended on him. This pressure was simr to a gravity pocket and made it difficult for one to move around freely. Reacting purely on instinct, Izroth forcibly twisted his body and immediately brought his sword up. Ding! Bang! Rmmmmmble! An overwhelming force collided with Izroth¡¯s sword and sent him tumbling on the ground across the floor of the throne room. His body crashed through multiple pirs beforeing to a stop after smashing into a wall, leaving a considerable imprint behind. The wall soon caved in as numerous stones fell from above and stacked on top of Izroth. "How dare youy a hand on this kingdom¡¯s king in my presence!" A resounding voice swelled with wrath reverberated in the throne room. This voice belonged to Izroth¡¯s attacker, the Grand Protector and Knight of the ck Dawn, Bahamut. Over at Bahamut¡¯s previous whereabouts, Fraun, Nysteffor, and Rain had all been severely wounded! The worse of the bunch was Nysteffor, who was missing his entire left arm. As for Rain, he could barely keep one eye open as the other had been cut beyond repair by Bahamut. Fraun escaped with the lightest wounds having only his right arm broken and being covered in a few vicious cuts. Bahamut, on the other hand, had one shallow cut across his cheek. This showed the vast difference in power between him and the other knights seen as elites. Of course, the biggest disparity existed in terms of Aura. While Fraun¡¯s side had ess to Aura Cells, it could notpare to Bahamut¡¯s genuine Aura. Ultimately, this created a one-sided battle where Fraun and his knights could never gain the upperhand. "This damn dreamworld... It¡¯s just one thing after another. Is this its way of punishing us for creating so many Tale Variations? Or, does it really want us just to roll over and die in this cursed ce? Either way, I don¡¯t n on going out so easily." Fraun grumbled as he coughed up blood before struggling to his feet. Although he was right-handed, Fraun clenched his sword into his left hand. At that moment, Fraun¡¯s world was spinning, and it became a challenge simply standing straight. He was clearly in no condition to continue fighting; however, he understood that they would never get another shot like this in their lifetime. Fraun looked around the room. He saw his remaining knights locked into a fierce battle with the group of pce guards. His knights were more skilled, but the pce guards¡¯ numbers appeared never-ending. Slowly, but surely, they too were on their way to certain death. Fraun set his gaze upward and witnessed the cracks in the pce ceiling. In addition, multiple sizable holes opened on its surface, no doubt due to the dreamworld¡¯s deterioration. "At best, we have another two minutes before the dreamworld copses. Well, it wasn¡¯t such a bad life. Sorry, Commander. I¡¯ll have to break one of your rules." Fraun internalized as he forced a smile. Fraun nced in Bahamut¡¯s direction and noticed that their attention was still drawn away. He then staggered over to Nysteffor and Rain, who were either dead or unconscious by now; however, he had no time to waste on the appreciation of their sacrifice. "Come on, still be in one piece..." Fraun muttered to himself as he ced his sword down and dug through the rubble using only his left arm. At first, the situation seemed bleak. But, after a few moments, a spark of light formed in Fraun¡¯s eyes as he finally located what he had been desperately searching for in the debris. "It¡¯s intact...!" Fraun grabbed his sword and used its tip to pry a crystal object out of two spears he found. These spears were the weapons of Nysteffor and Rain, both of which contained Aura Cells within them¡ªthis is what Fraun wanted to get his hands on, and after some minor difficulties, he was able to sessfully remove the Aura Cells from the spears. Meanwhile, on the other side of the throne room, a pile of rubble shifted about before a figure emerged out from under it. "Human insect! Today you must die!" Sonamus roared as he arose from the rubble covered in debris and an impact wound on his forehead. While his Aura protected him from severe damage, a tiny fracture had formed on his Aura Cell, disrupting the perfect flow it once possessed. "Hm? Where did that brat go? Don¡¯t tell me he ran off again?" Sonamus scoffed as he swept his gaze over the throne room and noticed that Izroth was nowhere in sight. "My king, this humble servant has taken care of the rebels," Bahamut said as he kneeled a few meters away from Sonamus. "Oh? Ahahaha, not bad, human. That woman¡ªshe meant to use this deathtrap to rid the world of me, but she has failed miserably. My strength will soon be restored, and once it is, I will make sure that woman pays for dragging this lord here. I will personally wipe out every single human within a 100km radius! To have angered this lord, let¡¯s see if you can afford it!" Sonamus¡¯ gaze became engulfed in unbridled bloodlust as hisughter filled the crumbling throne room. "My king, I will have the pce guards begin cleaning up immediately and-" Bang! Suddenly, an arm appeared around Bahamut¡¯s neck as he felt the weight of a body m into him. "You won¡¯t die that easily, right?! Get up and finish your mission, Captain! Don¡¯t you dare let these bastards win!" Fraun roared. "?! You should have yed dead! Remove yourself!" Bahamut tried to yank Fraun off his back; however, they were holding on for dear life. "Ahahaha! I won¡¯t let go even after I die! But, even if I die... You¡¯reing with me!" Fraun opened his mouth, revealing three crystals the size of coins¡ªthey were Aura Cells! Fraun bit into the crystals as a smile formed on his face, followed by a bright sh of light. "You crazy-!" ....BOOOOOOOM! A massive explosion erupted at Fraun and Bahamut¡¯s location as Sonamus was blown away by the shockwave. The Aura Cell on Sonamus¡¯ sword waspletely shattered as it used everything it had to defend against the explosion. By the time the smoke cleared, Fraun and Bahamut were nowhere to be found. On that day, Captain Gritt of the War Brigade, had perished in the dreamworld. Chapter 548 The Fallen King

Chapter 548 The Fallen King

"Humans truly have no value for their own lives! A meaningless death!" Sonamus scoffed as he stood to his feet. Sonamus found Gritt to be delusional in the face of death. So what if he took some worthless illusion with him? The words he spoke were a bunch of nonsense. Bahamut had already in the other human brat; therefore, Sonamus knew that no one left in the dreamworld had the power to threaten him. Even if that woman somehow made it to the pce, it would be toote to do anything as the dreamworld was less than a minute away from destruction. Once the dreamworld was broken, Sonamus nned to keep his promise and exterminate every human in a 100km radius. If that were not enough to quench his rage, then he would increase it to 200km. After all, as a Night Lord of the Antumbra, if he did not retaliate, wouldn¡¯t those humans begin to forget their ce? "Honorable One, this servant congrattes you on your victory." A voice echoed as a cloaked figure approached Sonamus. "Oh? You finally decided to show your face here. Spending your time hidden away like a coward¡ªyou are no better than that useless Salokin. Tell me, why shouldn¡¯t I kill you after we leave this ce?" Sonamus spoke coldly as he narrowed his eyes. The person removed their hood, revealing a gorgeous woman with curly blue hair and glowing golden eyes. This woman was Mistress Asi, and the person behind her role was the Skounae Earl Essirie. "I beg your forgiveness! This humble servant had no means tobat the enemy besides with my words and small actions!" Asi kneeled and pleaded. "Your Silver-Eyed Cloud Snake venom may hold great value, but do not think that you are irreceable. When we leave this ce, prepare to be punished. If you¡¯re lucky, this lord may just permit you to keep your insignificant life." Sonamus stated. "I thank you for your great mercy!" Asi expressed her gratitude as she bowed with her forehead to the ground while secretly clutching her fist. As Asi lifted her head from the floor, she caught something moving in the distance out the corner of her eye. "My lord, behind you!" Asi eximed as she pointed towards a pile of rubble in the distance. Rmmmble! Bang! Izroth emerged from the rubble covered in dust and several wounds. That surprise attack by Bahamut was more ferocious than he anticipated. ¡¯If I didn¡¯t have the protection of Aura and relied on my instincts to react in time with the eighth sword form, I may not have survived that blow just now.¡¯ Izroth knew that the knight was powerful but had no idea it was to such an extent. The fact that Fraun and his two knights could suppress him that long was a miracle in and of itself. But, in the end, it seemed that all three met with an unfavorable end. ¡¯Aurie was fortunate to have such a loyal Captain under hermand. To sacrifice himself to provide me with an opportunity¡ªworry not, Captain Gritt. Your sacrifice shall not be in vain.¡¯ Izroth looked towards the sky as a massive ck hole had appeared above the dreamworld. Everything was being drawn towards the ck hole asrges chunks of the dreamworld had already dissipated. The inside of the pce was thest ce being affected by the fragmenting effects. Izroth realized that he did not have much time nor strength left. The Aura Cell embedded into his sword had been almostpletely shattered after he received Bahamut¡¯s attack. But, Sonamus was not in the best of shape either, especially after that close vicinity explosion. Woosh! Without hesitation, Izroth raced forward with high-speed movements. He executed thest two charges of his Two Steps of Death to give himself a necessary speed boost in order to quickly shrink the distance between him and Sonamus. Sonamus turned around at Asi¡¯s warning and witnessed Izroth swiftly closing in on his position. "This human insect¡¯s luck knows no bounds. He continues to survive time and time again like a pest refusing to be squashed!" Sonamus mocked. He then continued, "Still, there¡¯s no need to leave things to uncertainty when this world is about to copse. I won¡¯t risk following in the footsteps of that pathetic knight. I will simply retreat until the destruction of this world is finished. Once my power returns, that human will-" Phhtk! All of a sudden, Sonamus felt a piercing pain spread throughout his body, apanied by a warm red liquid running down his upper back. "You...! You dare betray this lord?!" Sonamus red behind him; however, the moment he did so, the object stabbed into his back was driven deeper into him. Surprisingly, it was not a knight or Izroth who had attacked the Night Lord¡ªbut his own ally! Asi¡¯s hands trembled as she released her tight grip on the dagger¡¯s handle and backed away from Sonamus. There was a look of fear on her face mixed in with shock, relief, hatred, panic¡ªnearly every emotion imaginable ran through the Skounae Earl. It was unheard of for a lower bloodline Skounae to harm someone with a superior bloodline. This aspect of their race existed as something believed to be hereditary. Therefore, no matter how much Essirie tried, it should have been impossible for her to injure Zars! Asi tripped as she fell back andnded on her bottom. She stared down at her hands that were shaking nonstop. She¡ªwhat had she done? At that moment, what the two Skounae did not know was that they hade across a terrible secret of their race known only to the Night King. Themon belief held by the Skounae themselves and those circted throughout the world was a lie. There was no such thing as a Skounae born with a bloodline restriction! Instead, whenever a Skounae was born or entered Malentansium, they were secretly affected by a powerful spell. This spell imprinted the "bloodline restriction" into them, and if disobeyed, caused the person to experience unspeakable torment and fear. The owner of this hidden spell that exhibited such vast influence and power was none other than the current Night King of the Skounae. The spell had not been broken; however, because of the dreamworld¡¯s unique characteristics and isting those inside from the real world, the effects had been severely weakened. In that split moment of confusion, Essirie¡¯s fear broke free of the weakened bloodline restriction spell, and it caused her to act upon her deepest desires in that moment¡ªto kill Zars and survive. When Asi raised her head, she was met with the sight of an enraged Sonamus faced towards her, and the dread on her face could not be hidden. That fleeting instance of freedom had diminished as she snapped back to reality. Dead! She was dead! The Night Lord would kill her! But, in his moment of fury, the Night Lord turned his back on the one person he never should. "I¡¯ll kill you!" The Night Lord, filled with killing intent, reached his hands towards the motionless and terrified Asi; however, his movements came to a grinding halt. Woosh! A faint sh of purple light streaked past Sonamus¡¯ wrists. Thud! Thud! Out of nowhere, both of Sonamus¡¯ hands plopped to the ground as he saw the tip of a de enter his line of sight. Izroth was next to Sonamus with a lowered stance and sword raised into the air before the Night Lord¡¯s face, having just used Death In One Step to cleanly slice off Sonamus¡¯ hands. Crack! Thest bit of power in Izroth¡¯s Aura Cell waned as the crystal shattered, and the weak purple aura around his sword vanished. "Didn¡¯t I warn you? You talk... Way too much." Izroth¡¯s voice carried no emotion to it as he spoke. "Wai-" Sonamus wanted to say something; however, it was toote. ¡¯Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. Death In One Step.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth utilized thest Death In One Step. This techniquebined the movement with the strike. The two happened simultaneously, which meant that by the time the user¡¯s movements ceased, their attack would have already taken ce. Furthermore, Izroth united this technique with an improvised version of his Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke. This made the blow virtually undetectable and inescapable! Izroth¡¯s sword brushed past Sonamus¡¯ throat, and from an outside perspective, it looked as if the weapon¡¯s de passed right through without doing anything. However, around two secondster, a thin line formed over Sonamus¡¯ neck. Bang. Thud. Sonamus dropped to his knees as his head had been cleanly separated from his body! Chapter 549 Destruction of the Dreamworld

Chapter 549 Destruction of the Dreamworld

Izroth set his gaze towards the terrified Asi as he walked over and stopped directly in front of her. Asi wanted to run away; however, when she witnessed the look in Izroth¡¯s eyes, Asi felt that the moment she tried to flee would be thest breath she took. ¡¯This is the same woman who could not disobey Salokin¡¯s orders. To think she would attack a Night Lord¡ªhow is this possible? Is it because we¡¯re within the dreamworld?¡¯ To say that he was surprised when Essirie backstabbed Zars was a gross understatement. The possibility of Salokin or Essirie having a stronger bloodline than a Night Lord like Zars was infinitely close to zero. ¡¯If it is true that the bloodline restriction is somehow weakened in the dreamworld, then perhaps it isn¡¯t something the Skounae are inherently born with. We may have been given roles to y in this world, but our physical bodies should be untouched. There¡¯s no solid evidence; however, it¡¯s certainly worth giving this information to Amaharpe for them to look into.¡¯ When Asi noticed that Izroth had not immediately attempted to kill her, she believed that he must have been deciding on how he should deal with her. The dreamworld was standing on itsst leg and would likely copse within the next twenty seconds or so. "If I keep prevent him from killing me until this ce disappears, I can escape when my strength returns. He seems hesitant enough... I see, that¡¯s it..!" Asi thought to herself as if she came to a sudden realization. "W-we did it. We got rid of that monster together. If I didn¡¯t kill him here, there was no way he would have let me live after leaving this world! It¡¯s the same for you, too, right? What say we let bygones be bygones? Besides, I never wanted to forcibly take you away. It was all Salokin¡¯s idea¡ªah, he¡¯s dead, by the way. That monster killed him just like he would have killed us." Asi forced a smile but was unable to conceal the fear in her eyes as she spoke. There was an air of desperation that lingered about her. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he held out his hand to Asi. Asi was startled by Izroth¡¯s actions. It seemed her words were able to get through to him. Asi was ovee with a sense of relief as she reached out and epted his hand. Asi was pulled to her feet, but as she was about to open her mouth to thank Izroth, she found no words left it. Her eyes widened in shock as blood trickled down the side of her mouth. "...W...hy...." Asi coughed up a mouthful of blood as she struggled to get a single word out. Though it was a miracle that she could speak at all with Izroth¡¯s sword pierced through her throat! Izroth leaned forward slightly and said softly into her ear, "Call it, tying loose ends. Simply put¡ªyou are a walking liability, Earl Essirie." Izroth knew that if he allowed Essirie to walk away after everything she witnessed, what would keep her from telling other Skounae that he killed their Night Lord? While it was true she had a hand in Zars¡¯ elimination; it would be a simple matter to pin all the me on him once she was free. After all, who would believe that a Skounae could go against their bloodline restriction and betray a Night Lord of all people? He would be a primary target for the Skounae! Izroth was not afraid to face the Skounae, but he already had enough to take care of and plenty of powerful enemies lurking in the shadows. Adding another to the list right now would be too troublesome. As for Asi, it did not take long for the life in her eyes to fade as she slumped to the floor motionless. At the same time, Izroth received a torrent of system alerts. ¡´System Alerts: Congrattions, you have learned a new skill. Would you like to name the skill?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have made it to the end of the ?Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer?! [Survivor(s): Izroth, Aurie, Maeva][Deceased: Gritt, Zars, Essirie¡µ ¡´System Alert: A ?Dreamer? grade of S has been recorded for the ?Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer?! You will be rewarded ordingly!¡µ ¡´System Alerts: You have acquired the skill ?Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death?!¡µ ¡´System Alerts: You have acquired the skill ?Image Training?!¡µ ¡´System Alerts: You have received x1 ?Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal?!¡µ ¡´System Alerts: You have received x1 ?Essence of a Great Spirit?!¡µ ¡¯I¡¯ll have to look through everything thoroughly after I leave the dreamworld. For now...¡¯ "Name the skill Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway," Izroth said without hesitation. Most likely, he received the skill after he parried Bahamut¡¯s surprise strike; however, the system did not inform him until now. Skill Name: Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Requirements: Sword Equipped Passive: Parry damage reduction is increased from 25% to 35%. Active: For the next 10 seconds, the user¡¯s parry damage reduction is increased to 100%. Every time the user sessfully parries a strike, the user gains 1 stack of ?Sway?. Upon reaching 3 or more stacks of ?Sway?, the user can activate ?Formless Reflection?. If ?Formless Reflection? has not been used, it will automatically activate when this skill ends. ?Formless Reflection? - Consumes all active stacks of ?Sway?. A thin protective aura that resembles water forms around the user and absorbs all iing damage up to 20% + (10% per ?Sway? stack consumed) of the user¡¯s maximum HP. Can only be used once per activation of ?Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway?. Protective aurasts 1 minute or until it is destroyed. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 30 minutes ¡¯With this, I am two sword forms short ofpleting the Way of The Heavenly Sword. When that timees, only then will I be able to disy the full prowess of the sword forms.¡¯ Izroth looked around the throne room, or rather what little what was left of it. Fraun¡¯s knights that had been locked in an intense battle with the pce guards had vanished along with their adversaries. Now, Izroth stood alone within a dark void as the dreamworld¡¯s final pieces were drawn into the vortex in the sky. The Tale of The Snow That Falls In Summer had officiallye to an end. ... Meanwhile, in an area located not too far from the ruined Skounae city of Vostracane... Maeva and Aurie were positioned at the edge of the pink clouds. They had sessfully made it out and back to Malentansium after crossing the kingdom¡¯s border within the dreamworld. The moment they exited the dreamworld, Aurie attempted to use amunication talisman. Fortunately, the magic interference in the area had greatly diminished, and she was able to utilize the talisman to contact her War Brigade unit and order them to fall back. She also made sure that they ryed her message to Xanaharpe so that the city could prepare to evacuate. "How much longer until the dreamworld copses?" Maeva asked with furrowed brows. "It should be any second now," Aurie replied calmly. Right after those words left Aurie¡¯s mouth, the massive pink clouds started to shrink as if they were deting. At first, it was a bit slow, but after a handful of seconds, it began to speed up and rapidly withdraw from the surrounding environment. In the blink of an eye, the pink clouds that covered one kilometer ofnd had wholly dispersed as a single figure appeared out of thin air less than five meters away from Maeva and Aurie¡¯s location. This person¡¯s sudden appearance startled Maeva; however, when she saw who it was, her eyes lit up, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Congrattions on your safe return, Izroth," Maeva said. Izroth nodded, "I¡¯m d to see you are safe and sound." He then looked towards Aurie and continued, "We have much to discuss, Commander." "Much indeed, Captain," Aurie replied as she released a small sigh. A sh of amazement and regret passed through Aurie¡¯s eyes when she noticed that Izroth came out of the dreamworld alone. ... Around half an hourter... After leaving Malentansium territory, Izroth, along with Maeva and Aurie, returned to Amaharpe¡¯s Head Command Camp near the Unsanctioned Zone¡¯s border. At the moment, Izroth had just finished giving his report on the events that transpired within the dreamworld that left both Maeva and Aurie momentarily speechless. Chapter 550 Blessing, Curse, and Opportunities

Chapter 550 Blessing, Curse, and Opportunities

Silence filled themand tent for a few moments before Aurie was the first to break it. "Your achievements in this affair are anything but modest, Captain Izroth. While Captain Gritt¡¯s death is a great loss for Amaharpe, he always understood the mission better than anyone¡ªtoo well, if you ask me. He knew what needed to be done in the moment and made sure that it happened regardless of the cost. I am proud and feel privileged to have served with him at my side. I will personally see to it that he receives an honorable burial." Aurie stated. "I¡¯m certain he felt the same way, Commander," Izrothmented. Maeva stared at Izroth as he spoke with Aurie. She was in deep thought after listening to him recall the events of the dreamworld. Before she even entered the Mystical Realm Pce, Maeva heard plenty of rumors surrounding Izroth. Some of them were reasonable, but others appeared to be blown out of proportion. Therefore, she was skeptical and did not know what to expect. To be honest, Maeva initially nned to turn down Izroth¡¯s invitation and sit out the event after being assigned to the GSU. After all, she felt that it would be a waste of her time, given the fact it seemed to be targeted towards inexperienced yers. She would be better off spending her time crafting orpleting quests. But, Maeva was curious. She wanted to glimpse at the truth with her own eyes, and in less than a day, she had gotten her wish. If before Maeva only respected Izroth out of obligation and visible aplishments with the Mystical Realm Pce, now she held a genuine form of respect towards him. "His behavior, his achievements, a strength hidden so deep I feel that I have only barely scratched the surface, and just being near him makes one feel at ease¡ªas if everything will somehow work out. Just who is he? I¡¯ve yed many games before RML, but I¡¯ve never heard of anyone like him rising in thep scene[1]. How can someone with this much talent have stayed hidden for so long? Better yet, howe he has not joined a top guild?" Maeva internalized. There were several questions that raced through Maeva¡¯s mind; however, she could not piece it all together. "...t... nant... Lieutenant." A voice suddenly snapped Maeva out of her deep thoughts as she looked towards Aurie, who called out to her. "Y-yes?" Maeva did not realize that she had been zoned out for several minutes. Aurie gave a helpless smile and said, "To gaze at your Captain so intensely¡ªis there something on your mind?" "Gaze?" Maeva turned towards Izroth, who had a carefree smile on his face. The moment it clicked that she had been staring at Izroth the entire time, Maeva¡¯s cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as she raised a fist to cover her mouth and gently cleared her throat. "I was merely in my thoughts. I hope my actions did not bother you, Pce Master." Maeva said. She instinctively returned to her formal tone with Izroth as she closed her eyes and tried to contain her embarrassment. "Think nothing of it," Izroth responded casually. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Aurie got back on topic and stated, "As I was saying, it is both a blessing and a curse that the Antumbra of Decay did not bring along his Spirix. If he did arrive on this battlefield with it, then I¡¯m afraid my Dream Domain may have been unable to contain him for even a tenth of the length it did this time around." She then continued, "The main issue is that as long as Zars¡¯ Spirix remains intact, even if he falls, he will be reborn. It¡¯s the same for the other Night Lords as well." "He¡¯s still alive?!" Maeva eximed. She was not the only one surprised by this revtion. ¡¯Oh? It seems I won¡¯t be able to avoid the trouble after all.¡¯ Just like Maeva, Izroth was also caught off guard by Aurie¡¯s words. What was this Spirix that allowed named NPCs like the Night Lords to revive even after death? "Isn¡¯t this bad? You¡¯ve called off the retreat and evacuation, but won¡¯t he return here for revenge?" Maeva questioned. Aurie shook her head, "No. Worry not, Lieutenant. Our efforts have not gone to waste." "ording to our intel, it takes roughly two weeks for a Spirix to revive its Night Lord. During this time, it will be under heavy guard within the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt. But, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll sit still and let this moment pass us by. I have already sent word to the Warmaster informing him of the situation. Without a doubt, an elite force led by a Warlord or High General will be sent to the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt in an attempt to destroy the Spirix. After all, this asion is not one thates around often." Aurie exined. "For now, I¡¯ll have to ask that you two keep everything we¡¯ve discussed here today to yourselves. Not only for the safety of those who will infiltrate the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt but also for your own protection. Although this cannotpare to your performances, I have a small reward for the two of you." ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 250! [Total: 1,992.07]¡µ "For the time being, it is the most I can do until everything is settled. But..." Aurie released a long sigh. She awarded Izroth with 250 contribution points and Maeva with 100 contribution points for their efforts. However, due to the situation¡¯s sensitivity and what was at stake, she could only do this much until the raid on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt was underway. Though this was not the sole problem. In the end, regardless of what was said, this achievement would be attached to Aurie. Even though Izroth dealt the killing blow to Zars, his death would not have been possible if they were not under the restrictions of Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain. Therefore, not only did the system not register the kill as Izroth¡¯s, but those higher up officials would see it the same way. Naturally, Aurie had already exined the views of the higher-ups to Izroth. She was even ordered to keep silent about the true order of events. Needless to say, it left a bad taste in Aurie¡¯s mouth. "There is a truth to their thought process. Without your Dream Domain, things would have turned out very differently at the Unsanctioned Zone today. I do not fault you, Commander. You have shown me your sincerity¡ªthis is something I will never forget." Izroth said in a carefree manner. While it was regrettable that he did not receive any contribution points for eliminating Zars and Essirie, Izroth obtained several benefits from Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain. Besides, how could he be so short-sighted as to me her for a decision she had zero control over? In his eyes, even if he killed the Night King of the Skounae, to him, it was only a small step towards the pinnacle of this world. Izroth¡¯s aim was not to be number one among yers, nor was it to be the best in the Mortal Realm. His goal was to be the strongest existence in RML! After speaking for a few more minutes, Aurie wrapped up the conversation by asking Izroth and Maeva an unexpected question. "This may seem somewhat premature; however, I¡¯d like for you to take over the 4th Division and officially join my 2nd Unit," Aurie stated. She then continued, "I¡¯ll be blunt. I feel that staying in the General Support Unit would be a waste of your talents. You will never acquire the opportunity to advance past the rank of Captain given the GSU¡¯sck of members. In the War Brigade, you will be taken as far as you push yourself. Most importantly, I believe Captain Gritt would rest easy knowing that his division was left in your capable hands." "Although it pains me to say this next part, even if you wish to join the Resource Management Division or War Intelligence Group, I can make it happen. We need more capable people like you inmand positions. This offer applies to you as well, Lieutenant Maeva. So, what do you think?" "?!" Maeva was shocked. Initially, she wanted to apply for the Resource Management Division as it would be the perfect chance for her to improve and refine her talismans. Now, she was being given an opportunity to do just that. "I appreciate your offer, Commander. But I will have to decline." Izroth replied with little to no pause against Maeva¡¯s expectations. [1] Short for petitive scene". Basically, where all the pro yers mingle. Chapter 551 Absorbing The Essence of a Great Spiri

Chapter 551 Absorbing The Essence of a Great Spiri

"I see. I had a feeling that would be your answer. But, I had to ask anyway. Besides¡ªthat woman would have given me an earful if I snatched one of her people away." Aurie stated. She was disappointed that Izroth turned down her offer, but it was not outside her expectations. She then turned to Maeva and asked, "What about you, Lieutenant Maeva?" "This..." It was so sudden that Maeva did not know how to respond. If she said that she was no longer interested in joining the Resource Management Division, it would be a lie. That being said, she enjoyed traveling with Izroth as part of the GSU. But, if she became a member of the Resource Management Division, Maeva understood that she would not be without some restrictions on her movements. Of course, the main thing that troubled Maeva was that she did not want Izroth to think that she was ungrateful. After all, he was the one who took her in and granted her the position of Lieutenant in his Division. In addition, if not for him, Maeva doubted that Aurie would have made her such a favorable offer. If she left him now, wouldn¡¯t it seem like she was tossing him aside for greater benefits? "I-" Just as Maeva was about to give her answer, she was interrupted by Izroth. "Maeva, sometimes one must be selfish with their actions. Whatever you decide to do, whether it¡¯s as the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s owner or your Captain, I will not hold it against you. Do you remember the words I said to you back on the steps of the Event Center?" Izrothmented. ¡²shback¡³ "Light and darkness are usually never far from one another. Since your circumstances are set, you can only do your best to make the most of them." (Izroth) ... "Until you decide on how to do that, you are wee to apany me, ¡¯Lieutenant Maeva¡¯," (Izroth) ¡²shback¡³ A look of astonishment found its way onto Maeva¡¯s face. Before she knew it, her lips had curved into a smile, and the hesitation in her eyes had vanished without a trace. "I¡¯ve decided¡ªplease allow me to join the Resource Management Division, Commander Aurie," Maeva requested. She faced Izroth and continued, "I am grateful to you, and although our travel together was short-lived, it was an enlightening experience. But, I know that my skills will flourish under the Resource Management Division. In this way, not only will I improve myself, but also be arger asset to the Mystical Realm Pce." Maeva did not want to be someone who depended solely on Izroth to advance in the event. If she remained with him, Maeva believed that there would be no shortage of potential opportunities, especially considering what he told her about that realm with those Shadahi creatures. But, Maeva knew those achievements would not belong to her. In the end, she would end up being no more than Izroth¡¯s shadow¡ªthis was not something she desired. Izroth gave a small nod of agreement as he replied, "You are a member of my Mystical Realm Pce. Not only do you have its full support, but mine as well." Even though Izroth would not have held anything against Maeva, his opinion of her would have lowered some if she chose to stay in the GSU. A fish was meant to swim and a bird to fly. In this case, Maeva was the bird, and the Resource Management Division was her sky to soar to new heights. Right now, she was a bird trying to swim in an ocean that was the GSU. Izroth was no mind reader, but one would have to be blind not to understand what was going through her mind. If she passed up this chance for growth over such an insignificant reason, her priorities would have fallen out of order. After all, one should never stunt their own development for the sake of keeping others happy. That type of person¡ªIzroth was not interested in having them as part of his Mystical Realm Pce. "Then, it¡¯s settled. Since you¡¯re joining the Resource Management Division instead of the War Brigade, I¡¯ll have to send in a transfer notice. It should take around an hour toplete. Until then, you should stay close. You will have to return your insignia to the GSU¡¯s Xanaharpe base of operations and pick up your new one from the Resource Management Division headquarters at the outpost." Aurie exined. After going over a few essential details regarding the transfer of war branches with Maeva, Aurie shifted her attention back to Izroth. "What will you do now, Captain Izroth? Since things have quieted down here, I doubt you¡¯ll be sticking around." Aurie inquired. "I have not been in the Commander¡¯spany long, yet you seem to already know me so well. Indeed, I will be taking my leave from the Unsanctioned Zone and head towards the Demilitarization Belt situated between Tempest and Rosentarus. Though I suppose it can¡¯t be called that anymore now that there¡¯s a war going on." Izroth responded. "You¡¯re headed to the frontlines so soon?" Aurie knew that with his talent, Izroth would make his way there eventually, but not this early in the war. "Yes. Though it is rted to a personal matter I need to take care of. You can say that I have a few heads I need to hunt." Izroth answered nonchntly. ... A few momentster... Izroth sat alone at a small table inside of a tent. While the space it provided was smaller than the one Aurie used, its size was decent and did not leave one feeling ufortable. Izroth requested the use of this private tent from Aurie, and she dly made the proper arrangements. After everything he did today, how could she deny him such a simple request? As for Maeva, she parted ways with Izroth and went to Xanaharpe to return her GSU insignia. ¡¯It has been some time since I¡¯ve journeyed alone. But, considering what I intend to do next, it¡¯s probably for the best. For now...¡¯ Izroth looked down at the table in front of him. On its surface were the two items he received from the system afterpleting the dreamworld. The first item was a transparent crystal a little more than thirty centimeters in length called a Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal. ¡¯Interesting. Aren¡¯t these the same crystals that summoners use to form a Pseudo-Soul Contract with a spirit? However, it¡¯s certainly abnormal. A standard Contract Crystal is only the size of a finger, but this one is several timesrger. It also has Spirit Awakening in its name, something I have not seen before. As for the other item-¡¯ The second item Izroth acquired was a palm-sized orb with specks of blue energy particles dancing within its confines. This item was called the Essence of a Great Spirit. ¡¯I didn¡¯t expect to find one here of all ces. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve obtained one for my own use.¡¯ There were two ways to increase the power of one¡¯s Source. The easiest and mostmonly used method was the Source Chant, while the other involved obtaining a treasure birthed and formed from the world. To Izroth¡¯s surprise, the Essence of a Great Spirit was such a treasure! It could notpare ore anywhere close to what a page from the Book of Beginnings was able to offer, but it was still a treasure of the world. ¡¯This will be my first experience consuming something like the Essence of a Great Spirit to develop my Source. I wonder how great its effects will be. I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡¯ Izroth ced his hand onto the small orb as the blue energy within it spiraled into a vortex before quickly rushing out of the orb and into Izroth¡¯s hand! The energy rapidly spread throughout his entire body as a refreshing and cool feeling washed over Izroth. ¡¯What gentle energy. It¡¯s like dipping into a cool spring after a long hot summer¡¯s day.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You are absorbing the natural energies carried within the ?Essence of a Great Spirit? at an efficiency of 20%!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect of your trait ?Perfect Source Compatibility? has been activated! Absorption efficiency has increased to 100%!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Essence is steadily increasing...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your rate of Essence Regeneration is steadily increasing...¡µ Although it said steadily, Izroth could physically feel the Essence in his body expanding at an insane rate. In just a few seconds, his Source Stage actually ascended to the next level! ¡´System Alert: Your Source Stage has increased to 2.¡µ But, it did not stop there. Izroth¡¯s Essence continued to grow as it devoured everyst drop of the energy that was contained within the Essence of a Great Spirit. Then, just as the final bit of natural energy merged with Izroth, his Source Stage rose yet another level! ¡´System Alert: Your Source Stage has increased to 3.¡µ ¡´System Alert: All natural energies have been absorbed.¡µ In the blink of an eye, Izroth¡¯s Source Stage had not risen by one, but two levels¡ªnearly doubling his Essence and Essence Regeneration in the process! Chapter 552 Spirit Awakening

Chapter 552 Spirit Awakening

Trait Name: Spirit Source Source Stage: 1 -> 3 Essence: 1,000 -> 1,800 Essence Regeneration: +100 per hour -> +180 per hour ... Izroth was shocked to see the improvements to the quantity of his Essence and its regeneration. To think that consuming a single Essence of a Great Spirit would increase his Source Stage by two levels in one go! Of course, Izroth understood that such a huge leap would not have been possible if not for his Perfect Source Compatibility. Instead of absorbing 20% of the total natural energies within the Essence of a Greater Spirit, his Perfect Source Compatibility enabled him to devour five times that amount! It was no wonder he was about to jump two stages at once. ¡¯It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t consume the page from the Book of Beginnings. Otherwise, who knows how much my Source would progress?¡¯ If one were topare the two directly, then the Essence of a Great Spirit was like a cup of water, while the page from the Book of Beginnings could be seen as an entireke. Though whether or not he would be able to assimte that much energy with his Source¡¯s current level was unknown. Once he finished checking over his Spirit Source to ensure that he had not missed any changes, Izroth shifted his focus to the Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal. When Izroth looked over its details, he could not help but release a small sigh. ¡¯Isn¡¯t the Commander like a portable world of treasure?¡¯ Aurie¡¯s dreamworld was simr to a dungeon in the way that it granted rewards uponpletion. Furthermore, she was a living and breathing half-spirit, which meant her blood itself could be seen as a mythical tier material. After all, even a legendary figure like Zars wanted to get his hands on it. ¡¯Maybe I should have asked for some of her blood.¡¯ Name: Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal(Soulbound) Rank: Legendary Usage: Allows the user to form a genuine Soul Contract with apatible spirit. This item contains ?Spirit Awakening?. ?Spirit Awakening? - When activated, attracts the spirits of the world to its location that, if chosen, will automatically undergo a ?Second Awakening?. ?Second Awakening? - The spirit evolves to a higher form, greatly enhancing its overall strength and abilities. Special Note: This item is Soulbound to the user and cannot be traded or sold. If dropped from the user¡¯s inventory, it will be permanently destroyed. If those with summoner type sses could see the effects of this crystal before Izroth, they would salivate with greed and be unable to hide the envy in their eyes. Even non-summoners would want to get their hands on this item since it did not have the same ss restrictions as a regr Contract Crystal. The Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal was an authentic legendary item, and its effects were nothing to scoff at. Not only could one form a true Soul Contract with a spirit, but it even went as far as attracting spirits to its location. But, the biggest feature was, without a doubt, its ability to give a spirit its Second Awakening. Izroth did not know much about Second Awakenings, but he read enough about it to understand its significance. Just like monsters, the vast majority of spirits had a set strength from birth and would possess that same level of power their entire lives. This was one of the main reasons why yers with a summoner-type ss were on a neverending search for more powerful spirits every day. While their skills amplified the spirit¡¯s abilities, there was only so much it could do. It was also why there were virtually no summoners who started around the same time as Izroth that still had their starter spirits. In simple terms, they were too weak to be viable this far into RML. However, a Second Awakening could make even the weakest of spirits undergo an incredible metamorphosis that was not as simplistic as one plus one. After he examined it, Izroth touched the surface of the Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal as a faint white aura epassed it. At the same time, a small blue light appeared inside of the crystal. It was soon followed by a green light, a yellow light, and a red light. Before Izroth knew it, the crystal¡¯s core was filled with a myriad of lights that covered a vast spectrum of colors. Each light danced around freely within the crystal as if they were searching for something. ¡¯These lights... They¡¯re all spirits? There has to be at least a thousand of them.¡¯ When he made contact with the crystal, Izroth "linked" with it, so to speak, and understood the chaos happening within. He sensed some weak spirits bidding their time, strong presences attempting to intimidate and suppress those around them, stealthy presences that silently hid away, and even terrifying ones that seemed almost uncontroble. Every spirit appeared to be drawn by one thing¡ªthe Second Awakening. Unfortunately, despite having more than a thousand spirits to choose from, Izroth discovered that while all of them were somewhatpatible, only a handful of them possessed a highpatibility with him. Though not every spirit was reserved. Some of the more terrifying and domineering spirits wanted to forcibly merge with the crystal; however, every time they attempted to do so, the white aura that epassed it briefly intensified and suppressed them. After pondering over his choice, Izroth finally decided on which spirit to pick. However, right as he made his choice, something bizarre took ce. The white aura around the Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal intensified and cleared out everyst spirit within it! Then, in the next moment, the light receded as something began to engrave itself onto the crystal using pure energy. In less than a breath, the engraving came to an abrupt halt as Izroth inwardly frowned. The spirit he chose was no longer anywhere to be found. Even those terrifying spirits were incapable of overpowering the crystal with brute force. So, how was this one able to take over with such ease? Izroth immediately made out the symbol etched into the crystal as a crescent moon. ¡¯A moon? But, why does this one feel somewhat familiar...?¡¯ Just as that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, the crystal turned into numerous tiny particles of energy that created a sphere one meter in diameter. Crrrck...! Suddenly, various cracks spread through the sphere as if it were an egg about to hatch. Swoosh! Swoosh! The energy scattered in every direction as a figure emerged from the sphere. It was a bird that resembled a cross between a cdrius and a phoenix. Its feathers matched the clouds in the sky on a sunny day with a pair of eyes that reflected an untainted spring. Around its eyes, neck, wings, and talons were white mes that constantly swayed as if they were being influenced by an outside force. ¡´System Alert: Your ?Spirit Awakening Contract Crystal? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: A spirit wants to form a ?Soul Link? with you, do you ept?¡µ Soul Link?! Izroth never imagined he would get the opportunity to experience it for himself with a spirit! ¡¯How is this possible?¡¯ Izroth had a Soul Link with Empyrean, but this was only natural since Empyrean was his Soul Avatar. However, a Soul Link with an unknown spirit should be impossible! Soul Links could only be developed with spirits after bonding with the summoner over an extended period of time. Even then, it was not something guaranteed. Woosh! The spirit pped its wings andnded in Izroth¡¯sp. "Coo~ Coo~" It softly cooed as it rubbed its head against Izroth¡¯s chest as if showing its affection and urging him to ept the Soul Link. Izroth gave a helpless smile as he reached out and stroked the top of the spirit¡¯s head as he inwardly sighed. "First, you force your way into my crystal, and now you want to force a Soul Link? Little bird, you¡¯re too overbearing." Izroth said half-jokingly. "Coo..." The spirit turned meek as it dropped its head and behaved in a manner that could only be described as pouting. "Alright, what¡¯s done is done. Since you¡¯ve gone this far, it must be with a purpose." Izroth stated as the spirit immediately cheered up. "Coo! Coo!" Izroth epted the Soul Link with the spirit as the system sounded off. ¡´System Alert: You have formed a ?Soul Link? with a named spirit.¡µ ¡¯Named spirit? Aren¡¯t spirits named by their summoner?¡¯ Chapter 553 Supreme Growth, The Storm That Looms Over The Headhunter Syndicate

Chapter 553 Supreme Growth, The Storm That Looms Over The Headhunter Syndicate

In RML, one could not truly call a spirit their own until they gave it a name. This was the first time Izroth ever heard of a spirit having a name beforehand. However, when Izroth saw the spirit¡¯s name, he uncovered a shocking revtion. "Selene? Are you the little one from the dreamworld?" Izroth did not believe that it was a coincidence that this spirit shared the same name as the young child he ran into back in the dreamworld. When he met her, that child was nameless, and so, Izroth decided to give the young girl the name Selene. Suddenly, Izroth remembered the words of Aurie, who was Venare at the time. Back at the Blue Hearts Inn, she mentioned that the lives of those in the dreamworld wereplicated. But, they could bring certain benefits to one¡¯s growth outside the dreamworld. As for what these benefits were, the Commander did not go into any details, but Izroth never expected this kind of oue. "Coo~" The spirit happily cooed as if confirming Izroth¡¯s statement. Though with Soul Link active, Izroth no longer had to guess the spirit¡¯s words, and he could understand her as though she were speaking clearly. With the assistance of Soul Link, Izroth was able to get the general idea of what led Selene to him after she perished in the dreamworld. ording to the knowledge he obtained, Selene did not know how she came to be a part of the dreamworld, but her only memories were of her time in that ce. However, some parts did not add up. Aurie stated that her Dream Domain created a unique story every time it was activated. So, what happened to the other spirits of that dreamworld? Were they sent off to some other ce? Did they ever exist in the Mortal Realm or another realm? Were new spirits pulled into the Dream Domain every time a new story began? Loss of memories? There were too many questions. However, one thing was for sure¡ªthe young spirit before Izroth at the moment was, indeed, the same Selene he came across in the dreamworld. Apparently, when he left the wooden moon carving on Selene¡¯s grave in the forest, it unknowingly acted as a medium for her spirit to reside in. Usually, something like this would never ur; however, Selene felt a strong emotional bond to the carving, and it reached the point where it manifested into the real world! ¡¯The spirit race¡¯s Dream Domain seems to have numerous mysteries. If I get the chance, I would like to explore its limits further.¡¯ Izroth thoroughly checked over Selene¡¯s status provided by the system and was blown away by the results. Name: Selene(Mythical Beast) Summoner: Izroth Species: Yin Yang Cdrius of Rebirth Compatibility: 100% Bonding Type: Soul Link Growth Potential: Supreme Rating: ¡ï¡ï¡ï(3/12) Skill(s): -ck mes of Destruction -White mes of Restoration -Rebirth -[New skill(s) unlock at a higher rating] ¡¯I knew that Second Awakenings were useful, but even that should not be enough to produce a spirit like this. To end up this powerful... The Second Awakening definitely yed its part, but the overall potential was already present.¡¯ Having 100%patibility and a Soul Link with a spirit was impressive as is; however, what caught Izroth¡¯s eye more than anything was Selene¡¯s Supreme growth potential. From lowest to highest growth potential, it went, None, Low, Normal, Great, High, Exceptional, Peak, and Supreme. By now, it wasmon knowledge in RML that growth potential was the single most crucial factor to consider when obtaining a spirit. Typically, one could only see a spirit¡¯s growth potential after performing a contract with them. Other than that, one would have to purchase a special item that allowed them to view the information about a spirit beforehand. Of course, such an item did note cheap and was not something casual yers could afford to get their hands on. Since growth potential determined how powerful your spirit could be in the future, it was a summoner¡¯s goal to acquire one with Great or higher growth potential. And, as far as Izroth knew, Selene may be one of the first, if not the first Supreme spirit that bonded with a yer! But, seeing as how the system did not grant him a special reward for his aplishment, Izroth believed it was the former. ¡¯To think there would be a summoner with a Supreme growth spirit. It would be interesting to meet them andpare spirits. Though it¡¯s a shame, I wouldn¡¯t know where to begin looking.¡¯ It only took Izroth a few moments to finish scanning over Selene¡¯s stats. Her current rating was not exactly high, but neither was it low. In order for it to increase, Selene would have to naturally gain experience inbat. What she needed was not necessarily experience points, but exposure and participation in the battle itself. ¡¯She won¡¯t be able to gain much experience safely where I¡¯m going. In that case...¡¯ Selene happily perched on Izroth¡¯s shoulder as he stood to his feet and walked out of the tent. A few momentster, a silver streak descended from the sky above andnded a couple of meters away from Izroth. "Another task...?" Empyrean asked quietly. "Two this time," Izroth replied as he essed his inventory and removed the Blood Moon he "permanently borrowed" from the Skounae. He relinquished the Blood Moon to Empyrean and continued, "First, I need you to take this magic item to the Mystical Realm Pce and activate it within my private room. I already set the production method and list order¡ªall you have to do is activate it once you arrive." Izroth felt that the Blood Moon sitting inactively in his inventory was a waste when it could be producing magic cores. Empyrean gave a small nod as he epted the Blood Moon, stored it away inside his inventory, and said, "Understood... The other task..?" "Look after this little one. While you¡¯re gathering materials, help her gain some experience in the process. But, no matter what, you are to keep her safe¡ªthis takes priority over any of your other tasks." Izroth stated. Selene looked at Izroth, then at Empyrean, and back at Izroth again. "Coo... Coo." Selene¡¯s head seemed to be spinning as she tried to piece something together. "There¡¯s no need to be confused. We are one and the same. But, you can think of him as your elder sibling." Izroth exined. Selene was confused when Empyrean appeared as she felt the presence of two "Izroth¡¯s". Not to mention, she also shared a Soul Link with Empyrean, which only added to the confusion. Since Empyrean was Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar, they technically shared the same soul, so to speak; therefore, it was natural for Selene, who remembered Izroth by his soul, to be thrown off. At first, Selene was reluctant to leave Izroth¡¯s side; however, after a few words of convincing, she pped her wings and went over to Empyrean¡¯s shoulder. "Coo~" It did not take long for Selene to warm up to Empyrean, who shared Izroth¡¯s "scent". She rested her head on top of Empyrean¡¯s as he stood motionless and unbothered. "Now, we never got the chance to finish our conversation from earlier on the battlefield. At that time, I could sense with Mind Link that it was somewhere within the Demilitarization Belt; however, I need the exact location. So, tell me¡ªwhere is the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s main force?" One of the tasks Izroth gave to Empyrean was to locate the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s primary area of operation during the event. Since there were a limited number of times one could die before their participation status was revoked in this event, Izroth nned to take full advantage of it. Before the dreamworld, he was merely going to break an arm or two of the Headhunter Syndicate. But, now, his vision was not so narrow. Izroth did not want to just cripple the Headhunter Syndicate¡ªhe wanted to knock them out of the event altogether! It would have been troublesome if they decided to join Amaharpe¡¯s side during this war; however, it was no secret that they joined Tempest¡¯s side. ¡¯Wendell, Vault¡ªwhatever you want to call yourself. I will start by crushing you in this world. Then, as everything you¡¯ve ever obtained crumbles around you, I will end your miserable life with my own two hands.¡¯ Soon after receiving his instructions and telling Izroth what he wanted to know, Empyrean departed with Selene towards the Mystical Realm Pce. As for Izroth, he began his journey to the Demilitarization Belt. The Headhunter Syndicate had no idea the kind of storm that was making its way to them! Chapter 554 Contacted

Chapter 554 Contacted

... After Izroth took his leave from Amaharpe¡¯s War Brigade camp situated near the Unsanctioned Zone, he made his way to the Rosentarus border. If Izroth wanted to reach the Demilitarization Belt, his best option was to cut directly through Rosentarus until he arrived. As he walked in the direction of the Rosentarus border, Izroth decided to finally sort through the bulk of messages he received ever since he first escaped Zars¡¯ clutches. Most of them were from those close to him and the members of the Mystical Realm Pce. The majority of messages sent involved the person expressing their congrattions and excitement for Izroth¡¯s achievements. ¡¯Hm? Those two also messaged me? I suppose it¡¯s not too surprising considering their positions.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "Let me first start by congratting you. When you have some time to spare, be sure to message me. I¡¯d like to discuss a few things. ^_^"¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Ewan has sent you a message, "I don¡¯t suppose you are willing to disclose how you acquired such an abundance of contribution points in a short span of time? At the very least, I¡¯d like to discuss how you managed to gain ess to the Event Leaderboards. Rest assured, I have no intention of obtaining information without a fair price. Shall we talk about it further via voice chat?"¡µ The guild leaders of Sleeping Gardenia and Cross Haven, two of the top ten guilds in RML, both messaged Izroth wanting to "discuss" things. While Mariposa did not say it directly, Izroth had a good idea of what she wished to talk about. As for Ewan, he jumped straight to the point and even spoke of offering a fair price in exchange for information. It was not umon for top guilds to tap the shoulder of others when it came to acquiring important information. This was even more so when it was rted to something as crucial as the Event Leaderboard. To other yers, it was just a way to show off. But, to the top guilds, every single spot on the Event Leaderboard would bepeted for fiercely. For them, it was a rare opportunity to show the world who truly stood at the peak of RML. The better their results, the more investors and advertisers would be ready to pour funds into their future. ¡¯At a decent pace, it¡¯ll take me around half a day to reach the Demilitarization Belt. In the meantime, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to gain a few benefits along the way.¡¯ Seeing as how they were officially allies, Izroth chose to call Mariposa first, who answered almost immediately. [Voice Chat Has Started] Mariposa, "And here I was beginning to think you¡¯d never call." Izroth, "An unexpected situation arose. I was out of contact with the world for quite some time." Mariposa, "I see. I thought it was strange that my messages were failing to send even though it showed your status as online." Izroth, "Indeed. Though, I¡¯m sure you did not want me to call you just to express your concern about a few messages not getting through. You want to know how I acquired my points and about the leaderboard, right?" Mariposa, "Hehe, you certainly do not waste any time. If I said it was for both reasons¡ªwould you believe me?" Izroth, "Considering your sister is not with me at the moment¡ªnot at all." Mariposa, "I¡¯m quite hurt~ But, I will not take up too much of your time. Since you¡¯ve called me knowing what I am after, I assume you are willing to part with the knowledge in your possession? Name your price." Izroth, "I do not mistreat my allies. My price isn¡¯t too expensive. I¡¯d like some information in return¡ªan exchange, if you will." Mariposa, "Information? What did you have in mind?" Izroth, "The location of every major Headhunter Syndicate gathering point for this event." Mariposa, "..." Mariposa remained quiet for a few moments before she broke the silence and responded. Mariposa, "You must be aware that they sided with Tempest. Their bases are no longer anywhere to be found within Amaharpe or Proximus. I can disclose the ones I know, but I can¡¯t guarantee they will be the only ones. After all, it¡¯s not exactly effortless to infiltrate enemy territory. However, I can promise to ry any future information my Sleeping Gardenia procures directly to you." Izroth, "That¡¯s good enough. I¡¯ll have to thank you in advance." Mariposa, "No thanks are necessary. This trade is in my favor. Nevertheless, I have to ask. What do you intend to do with the information? You¡¯re not thinking of doing something crazy, are you?" Izroth, "That¡¯s a matter of perspective." Mariposa, "You... Never mind. After what I saw during the raid, I doubt anyone in the Headhunter Syndicate is your match. The biggest issue is the massive number of members in their guild. Attack one, and they¡¯ll swarm at you like a hive. I¡¯m curious, has the Headhunter Syndicate done something to offend you?" Mariposa knew that the Headhunter Syndicate had a poor reputation in RML. They were well known for their forceful methods and scamming yers out of their loot. It would not surprise her if someone from a guild like that did something to incur the vengeance of Izroth. Izroth, "If I said that I was doing it for the justice of all those wronged at their hands¡ªwould you believe me?" Mariposa lightly giggled, "Not at all." ... Aftering to an agreement, Izroth and Mariposa exchanged information with one another. Mariposa was amazed when she learned of the way Izroth obtained his points. Destroying a city and killing thousands in the process¡ªhow was she supposed to mimic that?! She sighed in disappointment at that part; however, not everything was bad news. At least now, she knew the requirements for appearing on the Event Leaderboard was to reach 1,000 contribution points. Mariposa kept her part of the bargain and sent Izroth a list of coordinates, all of which were ces where the Headhunter Syndicate convened. Mariposa, "My unit is preparing to depart, so it seems I¡¯ll have to cut the rest of our conversation short. Don¡¯t forget, my Sleeping Gardenia will alwayse to your aid. If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to reach out. If you call, we shall answer." Izroth, "I¡¯ll take your words to heart. Safe journeys." Mariposa, "And to you." [Voice Chat Has Ended] Once the voice chat ended, Izroth examined the coordinates sent to him by Mariposa. There were several of them, and one of them in particr perfectly coincided with the same coordinates given to him by Empyrean. ¡¯ording to these coordinates, they aren¡¯t too spread out from each other. At first nce, every point appears random, but in reality, they are all within reinforcements range of at least two different locations. Each spot is linked together without w. Is this her doing? It seems my warning has fallen on deaf ears.¡¯ Menerva¡ªIzroth was perhaps one of the few yers who knew of this name outside of those at the top of the Headhunter Syndicate. The number of yers Izroth could not read in this world could be counted on one hand. Menerva, the one secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes for the Headhunter Syndicate, was one such individual. However, what Izroth failed to understand was how someone like Vault could draw in a person with that kind of gift. Or better yet, how someone like Menerva came to work for someone with that level of arrogance. Izroth pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he reopened his voice chat. This time, he contacted the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan. Just like Mariposa, Ewan was also interested in the information in Izroth¡¯s possession, and after a brief negotiation, the two came to an agreement. In exchange for two superior quality materials and ten rare quality materials, Izroth told Ewan what he wanted to know. [Voice Chat] Ewan, "I will have someone deliver the materials to your Mystical Realm Pce before the day is out. I appreciate the Pce Master¡¯s candidness on this matter. Until we speak again." After bidding farewell, Ewan terminated the voice chat. The entire conversation was strictly business and of mutual exchange as Ewan spent no time on small talk. ¡¯Superior materials are still not easy toe by even for top guilds. Getting two, along with several rare materials, isn¡¯t too bad.¡¯ Chapter 555 Am I A Fool In Your Eyes?, A Surprising Encounter

Chapter 555 Am I A Fool In Your Eyes?, A Surprising Encounter

Izroth did not mention anything about the Night Lord or Skounae Earls¡ªjust how he destroyed a city¡¯s magic grid to wipe out its inhabitants. When it came to the Event Leaderboard, Izroth saw no reason to keep it a secret. Only top guilds were willing to pay to grab the slightest edge over theirpetition. It would eventually bemon knowledge; therefore, why not receive some benefits before that point was reached? Of course, Izroth was not worried about Ewan going back on his word. He did not believe Ewan was foolish enough to risk jeopardizing Cross Haven¡¯s rtionship with his Mystical Realm Pce. While they could not be regarded as allies, they were, at the very least, on friendly terms. Izroth knew that Ewan would never go that far over a few materials. After all, just like Menerva, Ewan was also one of the few people Izroth could not read clearly. ¡¯Now, how should I deal with you?¡¯ Izroth turned his attention to an alert that stood out from the others he had received. It was a friend request from one of thest people he expected to send one. ¡´System Alert: You have received a friend request from Vanaheim. Do you wish to ept?¡µ Vanaheim was one of the Captains of Blue Oasis, who, needless to say, was not currently on the best of terms with Izroth. The one thing that stopped Izroth from t out rejecting it was that, besides Niflheim, Vanaheim was the only other Captain of Blue Oasis who voted against forcing Izroth to relinquish the Guild Order. After some thought, Izroth decided to ept Vanaheim¡¯s friend request¡ªmainly out of curiosity. It could be that she had the same intent as Mariposa and Ewan; however, she would have to be quite shameless to request anything from Izroth after the stunt Blue Oasis pulled during the raid. ¡´System Alert: You have added Vanaheim as a friend!¡µ Less than a breath of time after Izroth epted her friend request; he received two system alerts. ¡´System Alert: yer Vanaheim has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Vanaheim?¡µ "ept," Izroth said. [Voice Chat Has Started] Vanaheim, "I did not think you would ept my friend request. First off, allow me to apologize for-" Izroth, "Alright, you can stop right there. If you¡¯ve called me merely to apologize, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wasting your time, Captain Vanaheim. Even if your words are sincere, I do not cross bridges that have been burnt. Do not twist your words, or I will not hesitate to terminate the voice call. So, tell me¡ªfor what purpose did you reach out to me?" Vanaheim sighed, "Are you truly unwilling to reconcile with Blue Oasis? After everything that¡¯s happened, we have already lost more than we gained. Is this not punishment enough?" Izroth, "Only a fool turns their back a second time to someone who backstabs them. Captain Vanaheim, am I a fool in your eyes?" Vanaheim, "No, in my eyes, it was my Blue Oasis who acted as the fool this time. To be truthful, after we found out that the second Pill Emperor is a member of your Mystical Realm Pce, it was the vice guild leader who urged me to contact you in hopes of reconciling in addition to learning about the Event Leaderboard. He seems to mistakenly believe we formed some kind of connection during our brief time together in the raid. I, on the other hand, do not me you for holding a grudge. Our judgment was toocking at the time. I can only regret, but never change that which has already passed, Pce Master Izroth." ¡¯So it¡¯s like that.¡¯ Izroth found it odd that someone with Vanaheim¡¯s personality would be shameless enough to ask a favor of him, given the circumstances. Now, it all made sense. After they severed their rtionship with the Mystical Realm Pce, Blue Oasis hoped to get on the good side of the second Pill Emperor, Worldly Skies. However, they never could have imagined that the second Pill Emperor would also be a member of his Mystical Realm Pce! Afraid they might lose their ess to high-grade pills andg behind the other top guilds, even if it meant temporarily swallowing their pride, they had no choice but to approach Izroth first to try and reconcile. As one of the top guilds in RML, it was a massive loss of face! Izroth, "If everything went ording to Blue Oasis¡¯ ns, tell me, would they still desire any reconciliation? I believe you know the answer to that question. You are mistaken to think that I hold a grudge against Blue Oasis. To speak inly, Blue Oasis is not worthy of such an honor. I have zero interest in your guild and even less interest in feigning any type of paper-thin friendship. As you said, Blue Oasis has paid their price, so I have left them alone. However, I will warn you this one time and never again. If Blue Oasis is thinking of crossing a line to get what they want... It will follow in the footsteps of Sage Falls." Vanaheim, "...You have made yourself clear, Pce Master Izroth. I will ry your message to the vice guild leader." [Voice Chat Has Ended] Vanaheim ended the voice call. She thought Izroth¡¯s words were too harsh, but if she were in his shoes with all the leverage on his side, Vanaheim felt that she would have responded simrly. Still, she could not help but feel that the worst had yet toe for her Blue Oasis. If they did not do well in this event, then... ... Around ten hourster... Izroth had long since safely crossed into Rosentarus. At first, there was not much difference between it and Amaharpe; however, the deeper he traveled into the kingdom, the more prominent nature became. It was almost like one enormous jungle filled with numerous exotic creatures and nt life. Izroth came across numerous settlements on his way to the Demilitarization Belt and realized just how unique Rosentarus was as a kingdompared to the others he explored. This was not strange considering that most kingdoms he visited up to this point were run by humans. Rosentarus, on the other hand, was ruled by the Zensana. The Zensana were a race of half-human half-animal hybrids. Some had more human than animal traits, and vice versa. From what Izroth had witnessed thus far, each group of Zensana seemed to keep to their own sub-species. For example, rabbits stayed with rabbits, birds with birds, cats with cats, and so on. However, when Izroth saw the troops stationed at Rosentarus¡¯ border, all kinds of Zensana sub-species were present and working together. ¡¯I suppose outside of its capital and major cities; it is notmon to see Zensana of different sub-species united.¡¯ Suddenly, Izroth came to a grinding halt as he narrowed his eyes and nced to his side. He activated his Energy Vision Sense and thoroughly investigated the environment. ¡¯These mes are...¡¯ ROOOOOOOOAR! A powerful shockwave swept past Izroth as a thunderous roar filled the surrounding wilderness. The most frightening aspect was that this roar originated from more than thirty meters away from Izroth¡¯s current position! How many wild beasts were capable of unleashing such a destructive roar from so far away? Woosh! Izroth used Wall Walking to run up one of the nearby trees as he jumped from branch to branch. The branches were thick enough to easily hold one or two people, so he had no trouble using them to get higher ground. A few momentster, Izroth stopped atop a tree branch as he stood up straight and looked into the near distance. Located approximately fifteen meters away in an open area of the jungle was a group of eight yers circling a single monster. The monster was a chimera-type beast with the head and paws of a lion, body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. The creature spanned nearly ten meters in length with its tail, and it stood three meters tall. There was a bloodthirsty and vicious gaze present in its eyes as the beast¡¯s body was riddled with wounds. From an outside viewpoint, the monster was on itsst leg. But, the same could also be said of the yers who encircled it. ¡¯One tank, four supports, and three damage dealers remaining. Their damage output may not be strong enough to finish it off. Aftering this far... How unfortunate.¡¯ Name: Polkentin¡¯s Failed Chimera(WORLD BOSS) Level: 50 HP: ??? (5.08%) Chapter 556 Dire Circumstances, Beast Rider

Chapter 556 Dire Circumstances, Beast Rider

¡¯Facing a level 50 world boss with such a small group. Either they are confident in their skills or a bunch of fools. Though to get it this weak, I can only assume it¡¯s the former.¡¯ The Polkentin¡¯s Failed Chimera was nothing like the Demonic Beast Shadow Wolf Izroth faced at the beginning of RML. It was a genuine world boss that reached the level 50 threshold¡ªthis set it in a different league altogether! Battling a monster like that was not something a random group of yers who suddenly decided to form a party could aplish. Besides the top ten guilds, not many organizations could muster up that quality and quantity of fighting potential. However, Izroth did not recognize any of the faces among the yers. As he scanned the battlefield, Izroth noticed something unusual about it. Initially, he paid no attention to it. But, as the seconds ticked by and nothing changed, he started to grow skeptical. On the ground were twenty yers whoy motionless. The bizarre part was that Izroth did not see any mesing from their bodies with his Energy Vision Sense, which could only mean one of two things. They were either extremely skilled at hiding their presence, or¡ªeveryone on the ground was already dead! In this situation, Izroth leaned towards thetter. Why had their bodies not yet dissipated? This was the question that spawned in Izroth¡¯s mind. ¡¯Something¡¯s about to happen.¡¯ Using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth observed the multi-colored mes that epassed the Failed Chimera¡¯s body rapidly expand. Out of nowhere, right as the creature¡¯s HP reached 5%, the numerous bodies of yers scattered across the battlefield emitted a dark purple glow. Not too long after, the dark purple energy took on a humanoid figure as they hovered stationary above each yer¡¯s body, excluding those who were alive. "Don¡¯t let it feed! Banshee, intercept it!" The party¡¯s tank yelled as he blocked an iing swipe from the Failed Chimera¡¯s heavy paw. The force generated by the blow caused the earth beneath the warrior¡¯s feet to fracture; however, he managed to hold his ground firmly. Hssst! Right as the tank defended against the Failed Chimera¡¯s frontal assault, a thickyer of corrupted mana emerged from its serpent tail. The next second, a magical projection of a serpent shot from the Failed Chimera¡¯s tail and raced towards the nearest yer sprawled out on the ground. Or, to be more precise, the dark purple energy over their body! "Leave it to me, Brick!" One of the damage dealers with a fighter-type ss dered. She was the one the party¡¯s tank called Banshee. Banshee used the high-ranked fighter movement skill Nimble Footwork to gain arge burst of movement speed. In the blink of an eye, she was able to position herself in between the magical serpent projection and the humanoid figure of energy. Bang! Banshee crossed her arms defensively as the serpent¡¯s projection collided with her. Although she was sessful in guarding against the attack, Banshee was temporarily paralyzed as a result. In addition, her HP plummeted, increasing the strain on the supporters, who were already struggling to keep the tank alive. "We¡¯re almost out of mana over here, and our potions are on cooldown! At this rate, we will run out before we manage to kill this thing!" One of the cleric-type supports warned. "If only the guild leader were here. Tch, of all the targets to randomly teleport away, it had to be them..!" The tank, who went by the name of One Shot Brick, grumbled under his breath. But, just when the party thought that things could not get any worse, something urred for the first time since their fight began¡ªa second serpent projection split off from the halfway point of the initial projection! Everyone was dumbfounded by the abrupt appearance of a second serpent. This was bad¡ªreally bad! The second magical serpent immediately rushed in the direction of a different humanoid energy figure. "Stop it!" One Shot Brick shouted. However, it was toote. Besides the paralyzed Banshee, the other damage dealers and supports were too far away. As for One Shot Brick himself, even if by some miracle he could make it over there in time, he did not have the luxury of disengaging from the Failed Chimera. Phhhkt! The magical serpent sunk its fangs into one of the humanoid figures of dark purple energy, and in the next moment, both the magical serpents and purple energy vanished. It was soon followed by the disappearance of the other energy figures that hovered above the eliminated yers. "It¡¯s over..." One of the supporters said with a look of dread. 5%... 10%... 15%... 20%... 25%! In a sh, the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP increased from 5% to 25%¡ªit healed by a staggering 20%! This was not a dungeon boss, but a world boss! Its HP value was already unnaturally high for a wild monster. To heal by 20% when they were so close to obtaining victory devastated the party. One Shot Brick grit his teeth and said, "We aren¡¯t giving up now! We¡¯vee this far! No matter what, we are going to see this through to the end and walk away victorious!" Although the words he spoke were meant to motivate everyone, even One Shot Brick himself did not believe in what was he was saying. Without a doubt, this battle was over. ¡¯A pity.¡¯ Izroth saw their hopeful expressions turn into one of defeat. While he possessed the power to help them, there was no obligation for him to do so. Besides, if it were loot he wanted, the best thing would be to wait until thest yer died before making his move against the Failed Chimera. However, since it was a level 50 world boss, Izroth understood that even he would have difficulty facing it by himself at his current level of strength¡ªthis was even more so after witnessing what its tail alone could do. Unlike the Shadow Wolf, a world boss like the Failed Chimera required several days of preparation to face. Even then, there were still unknown variables, such as that second magical serpent that did not make its appearance until the Failed Chimera reached 5% HP. ¡¯Fighting it alone would consume too much of my time. I could try to finish it off in one blow with my second or third baneful swords, but I have no enmity against them. Not to mention...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s second baneful sword had an execution effect attached to it. As long as one was below 25% HP, they would be instantly killed. But, execution effects tended to be unreliable when it came to boss monsters as most were immune to instant death skills. As for his third baneful sword¡ªit did not differentiate between ally and foe, and so, he had no doubt in his mind that the yers down there would be swept away along with the Failed Chimera! Just as Izroth was pondering on whether or not he should act, his ears twitched at the sound of something rapidly approaching in the distance. Woosh! All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew past Izroth as he nced to his side and saw arge wolf beast with two tails soaring over the tree branch he stood on. The wolf beast¡¯s eyes were the color of blue mes, and it had two horns protruding from the top of its head. Across its right eye were three scars that looked as if they were made by sharp ws during a fierce battle. But, the surprising part was that someone was sitting on the wolf beast¡¯s back with their legs gracefully at its side¡ªa woman. A wave of silver hair with edges brushed in lc entered Izroth¡¯s vision. That¡¯s when their eyes met. For a brief moment, it was like gazing into a bouquet ofvender hydrangea with a kiss of pink. The woman¡¯s lip slightly parted as though she were startled by Izroth¡¯s presence. However, her lips curled into a smile as if she had realized something interesting. The encounter onlysted for a fraction of a second as the wolf beast swiftly charged towards the Failed Chimera! Though Izroth was able to get a clear look at the woman¡¯s yer name when she passed by. ¡¯Meng Jiang... I¡¯m not familiar with that name. But, to ride a beast like a mount¡ªcould it be rted to that person? The Beast Rider.¡¯ Chapter 557 Sacred Beasts Meng Jiang, Coming To An Agreemen

Chapter 557 Sacred Beasts¡° Meng Jiang, Coming To An Agreemen

A while back, before Izroth participated in the second team¡¯s selection at the Sky Pce, there was a world announcement about someone being the first to ride a mount. However, at the time of the announcement, the person chose to keep their identity a secret. As a result, their yer name was never revealed. This left one of the greatest puzzling mysteries of RML on the table. After all, who would not be interested in how to acquire and ride a mount?! As he continued to observe the battle, a few secondster, Izroth received a message from an unexpected sender. ¡¯Hm? It¡¯s her?¡¯ Surprisingly, the message came from Meng Jiang! ¡´System Alert: yer Meng Jiang has sent you a message, "Hello, I am Meng Jiang, the guild leader of Sacred Beasts. I wonder if you¡¯re willing to lend us a hand down here, Mr. First ce?"¡µ Just as Izroth could see her yer name when she soared past him, she could see his as well. Being the only yer on the Event Leaderboard¡ªshe would have had to be living under a rock not to recognize his yer name! ¡¯Sacred Beasts? I see... It all makes sense now.¡¯ It was just as Izroth expected. The yers fighting against the Failed Chimera were members of a top ten guild. It certainly exined how they could drag a level 50 world boss down to its current pitiful state. There was not much information avable when it came to Sacred Beasts, which was mainly because they were one of the only top ten guilds to never set up a headquarters in Amaharpe or Proximus. Instead, they concentrated their efforts in the kingdom of Rosentarus and stationed their temporary main headquarters in its capital city from the very beginning of RML. Izroth did not know much about Sacred Beasts, but if they were posted in Rosentarus, an ally of Amaharpe, it was safe to assume they were on the same side during the war event. But, why had they waited until the event started to fight the boss? Weren¡¯t they afraid of wasting their limited number of lives? Then again, the temptation of a world boss was too difficult to ignore for most. ¡¯If we¡¯re on the same side of the war, as a Captain of the GSU, I suppose I¡¯m somewhat obligated to lend them a helping hand after all. However, walking away empty-handed is out of the question.¡¯ Izroth responded to Meng Jiang¡¯s message. She had already joined the fray with her wolf beast. She appeared to be a summoner-type ss that was also capable of utilizing mid-range to long-range magic spells. ¡´System Alert: You have sent a message to yer Meng Jiang, "My assistance does note cheap, guild leader Meng Jiang. First pick, four items. This is my offer to you."¡µ Almost instantly after sending his reply, Izroth got a friend request from Meng Jiang. He epted, and the moment he did so, Izroth received an invitation to voice chat from her. ¡¯She certainly does not waste any time. Let¡¯s see what you have to say.¡¯ Izroth proceeded to let the voice chat through as a charmingly sweet voice greeted him. [Voice Chat Has Started] Meng Jiang, "Four? Surely the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce does notck resources and equipment? How about the first pick of one item of your choice? We remember all favors well." Izroth, "You¡¯re mistaken. My offer was not an attempt at negotiating. To be blunt, even four items from this world boss are not enough for me to volunteer my services." Meng Jiang, "I see you price yourself quite highly. Four world boss drops are a matter of life and death for a guild like ours¡ªcan you truly live up to such high self-appraisal?" Izroth, "Since you were the one who contacted me first, I assume you already know the answer to that question. Choose carefully. Though if I were you, I would make my decision quickly." ROAAAAAAAAAAAAR! The Failed Chimera released a booming roar that temporarily disorientated all targets within its range. However, thanks to Izroth¡¯s Heavenly Golden Body¡¯s Greater Physique passive, he was unaffected by the creature¡¯s roar. Unfortunately, outside of Meng Jiang and her wolf beast that retreated to her side, the members of Sacred Beasts did not have the same luxury of immunity. Bang! The Failed Chimera swiped its paw at the party¡¯s disorientated tank; however, they were just barely able to block it in time to prevent taking the blow¡¯s full damage. Nevertheless, it was too close forfort, especially when the supports struggled to keep up with the Failed Chimera¡¯s damage output. Once the roar dispersed, Meng Jiang¡¯s wolf beast rushed back in and continued its assault on the Failed Chimera. Meng Jiang, "First pick, one item. I¡¯m aware that while the Mystical Realm Pce does notck resources, there are still materials that can only be found in Rosentarus. I am willing to provide you with these materials for a discounted price. Umon and lower at 30% below market value, rare at 20%, and superior at 10%. In addition, my Sacred Beasts will owe you a favor¡ªand we always repay our favors. Any more than this, and I¡¯m afraid we will lose more than we gain." A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face. He knew that asking for four items of a level 50 world boss drop, let alone having the first pick of all four items, was impractical. However, Izroth was interested in how Meng Jiang would respond to his oundish demands and was pleasantly surprised by her smooth counteroffer. The way a guild leader behaved under pressure, while it did not reveal everything, gave Izroth a general idea of how the guild itself operated¡ªor, at the very least, how its leader carried themselves. Based on Meng Jiang¡¯s response and the absence of a bad reputation about Sacred Beasts, Izroth finally came to a decision. Izroth, "I hope your memories are not affected once everything is settled, guild leader Meng Jiang. I would hate to have to refresh it for you. I ept your terms." [Voice Chat Has Ended] Izroth terminated the voice call after agreeing to Meng Jiang¡¯s proposal. ¡¯Having a connection to a top guild in Rosentarus can prove to be beneficial in more ways than one. This deal is not bad. I will suffer a bit of a short term loss, but the long term advantages cannot be ignored.¡¯ Not even half a breath of time after the voice call ended, a system alert generated before Izroth. ¡´System Alert: You have been invited to join a Raid Party[Current Members: 32][Party Leader: Meng Jiang], would you like to ept?¡µ ¡¯32? The Chimera must have already consumed quite a few of them after their deaths. It¡¯s a miracle they¡¯ve managed to survive this long. Just how long have they been fighting this thing?¡¯ There were nowhere near 32 bodies on the battlefield, alive, dead, or otherwise. Not to mention, after the Failed Chimera devoured that dark purple energy, the yer¡¯s body it hovered above dissipated. Izroth discovered the reason why the bodies of yers did not instantly disappear after their deaths must have been rted to one of the Failed Chimera¡¯s skills in order to better supply it with bodies for its healing ability. ¡¯Let¡¯s start by taking your meals out of the equation.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s figured started constantly fading in and out of existence as a flickering afterimage of him formed on top of the tree branch. At the next moment, the afterimage vanished as he descended upon the battlefield! ... Meanwhile... "Now, Acogu¡¯An." Meng Jiangmanded as the wolf beast, who had been using its speed to attack the Failed Chimera at alternating angles, retreated to Meng Jiang¡¯s side. Hoooowl! The wolf beast, Acogu¡¯An, unleashed a reverberating howl as ayer of blue and red auras epassed Acogu¡¯An, Meng Jiang, and her allies. ¡´System Alert: All allies have been empowered by Acogu¡¯An¡¯s ?Unchained Howl?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: All allies have their attack, defense, agility, and magic increased by 30% for 5 minutes!¡µ ¡´System Alert: All allies have their in-battle HP regeneration, and MP regeneration increased by 125% and 100% respectively for 5 minutes!¡µ At the same time, a sudden breeze rushed past Meng Jiang. She promptly looked to her side and was greeted by the sight of a flickering silhouette! Chapter 558 A Big Problem? An Izroth Solution!

Chapter 558 A Big Problem? An Izroth Solution!

¡¯What a powerful buff skill.¡¯ It did not just increase one primary stat by 30%, but four of them! This kind of power surge was enough to make a yer¡¯s overall damage soar by leaps and bounds! In addition, it granted an in-battle HP and MP regeneration boost¡ªsomething much needed for the remaining Sacred Beasts members who were standing on theirst leg. To top it all off, it was an AOE skill with a huge range of influence. But, the most astonishing part of the skill had to be its five-minute duration. An AOE buff-type skill staying in effect for that long was virtually unheard of. This was even more so for one so high level. ¡¯It¡¯s at least an S-ranked skill. How convenient. That being said, this guild¡¯s luck is quite terrible. If they had this buff earlier, it¡¯s likely they would have defeated the Failed Chimera before my arrival.¡¯ With his Flickering Steps active and the passive from his Light Feather Footwork ramping up, Meng Jiang¡¯s buff made Izroth¡¯s speed, as well as his overall strength, reach new heights! Swoosh! Izroth abruptly stopped before one of the Sacred Beasts yers sprawled out on the ground and reached down to grab them by their cor. The instant he did so, a film of dark purple energy epassed the yer¡¯s body. When One Shot Brick witnessed Izroth¡¯s actions out the corner of his eye, his heart nearly dropped out of his chest. "Don¡¯t-!" But, before One Shot Brick could give his warning, his facial expression turned grim as he observed magical energy forming around the Failed Chimera¡¯s serpent tail. Hsssst! "This is bad! Even our fastest yer couldn¡¯t outrun it...! Banshee!" One Shot Brick eximed as a magical serpent projection appeared and swiftly extended out from the Failed Chimera¡¯s tail. This time, it was headed right for Izroth! "I won¡¯t make it!" Banshee shouted. One Shot Brick wanted her to intercept the magical serpent; however, all her movement skills were currently on cooldown. Not to mention, this magical serpent was different from the normal projection. Usually, the magical serpent only activated every time the Failed Chimera lost 25% of its HP¡ªthis did not start until its HP dropped to 80%. But, there was another way for the magical serpent to make its appearance, and that was touching its "meals". The members of Sacred Beasts learned this the hard way. After its initial use of the magical serpent, the Sacred Beasts members¡¯ first thought was the same as Izroth¡ªto move those who died out of the Failed Chimera¡¯s range of effectiveness. However, they paid a heavy price when they discovered that not only did the Failed Chimera immediately target the dead yer¡¯s body with its magical serpent, but the projection moved twice as fast! In the end, even their fastest member could not outrun it, and the Failed Chimera ended up healing for 20% of its HP after devouring the dead yer¡¯s body. This is why even though it was a pain to deal with, they decided not to move a fallen yer¡¯s body again. Hssst! Izroth¡¯s silhouette flickered as he raced over and picked up a second yer, then a third. This caused two additional magical serpent projections to form that was just as fast as the first! When the members of Sacred Beasts saw this, they almost coughed up blood from anger. The guild leader had told them of his identity and background, so they thought he would be useful. But what was this? Did he want them to fail so badly?! If the magical serpents sunk their fangs into all three yers, the Failed Chimera would heal for 60%! At that point, even with Meng Jiang¡¯s buff, there would be no chance at victory. Swoosh! Bang! The first magical serpent crashed into the ground and through Izroth¡¯s silhouette as he evaded the blow; however, the magical serpent was relentless. Its movement did not halt as it bounced off the ground and shot towards Izroth. Even with his Flickering Steps active and the buff from Meng Jiang, the magical serpent was tracking his movements wlessly! ¡¯Those projections must be locked onto the dark energy surrounding the yers. I can¡¯t shake them, but...¡¯ Izroth kicked off his back foot to avoid the iing assault, as the second and third magical serpents caught up andunched a pincer attack with the other projection. A high-speed game of cat and mouse ensued between Izroth and the serpents as he moved further away from the Failed Chimera. 10 meters... 20 meters... 30 meters... Izroth reached the forested area, but the serpents persisted as he skillfully weaved through the trees. 40 meters... 50 meters... ¡¯It reaches this far?¡¯ Izroth was beginning to think that the magical serpents had no range limit. To extend 50 meters away from its host while not losing any speed¡ªno wonder One Shot Brick mentioned that even their fastest yer could not outrun them! But, right when Izroth reached the 51-meter mark, something unexpected happened. The magical serpents that had been pursuing him nonstop suddenly started to bubble up and dissolve. Hsssst! Shrieeeeek! The serpents cried out beforepletely evaporating into thin air. At the same time, the three yers in Izroth¡¯s hands dissipated and turned into particles. ¡¯51 meters there and back... If my Compressed Lightning Movement were not on cooldown, it would not be an issue. But, it seems I¡¯ll have to use a different method. Three at a time isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Izroth still had plenty of time remaining on his Flickering Steps, but he understood that there was not a second to spare! Zeuuut! Izroth¡¯s figure vanished from where he stood. ... Meanwhile, a couple of seconds ago, back at the main battlefield of the world boss, the members of Sacred Beasts were confused. The magical serpents had disappeared, but the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP had not increased by a single percentage. Could he truly have outrun three magical serpents? That should be impossible! Even their fastest yer did not get more than 20 meters away before those snakes caught up to him. Judging from how long the serpents extended before vanishing, it was evident that it stretched at least twice as far as 20 meters. But, the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP could not be deceiving them. Without a doubt, he was sessful! The Sacred Beasts members could not help but wonder what kind of frightening movement skill and reaction time Izroth possessed to produce such perfect results on his first attempt! Zeuuut! "?!" Everyone was startled when someone appeared out of nowhere, not too far away from two of the Sacred Beasts supporters. But, when they realized who it was, they nearly jumped from shock. The one who appeared was Izroth! However, this should not have been possible! It had not even been a full second since the magical serpents dissolved¡ªhow could he have moved more than 40 meters that fast?! Though none of the members of Sacred Beasts were prepared for what urred next. Just as he did before, Izroth grabbed three fallen yers. However, no one anticipated that he would pick up a fourth yer! This caused not three but four magical serpents to form and chase after Izroth! Those from Sacred Beasts almost fainted from shock. There was a limit to confidence where it morphed into arrogance¡ªhe couldn¡¯t possibly shake off four magical serpents... Right? As the members of Sacred Beasts anxiously held their breath, not even a few momentster, the projection dispersed in a simr fashion tost time. Zeuuut! But, before their disbelief could settle in, right as the projections faded, Izroth instantly reappeared on the battlefield and carried away yet another four yers! He did not do this once or twice, but a total of four times. Thest time, he even took five yers with him! This left the members of Sacred Beasts dumbfounded! Even One Shot Brick lost his concentration for a split moment and almost failed to block the Failed Chimera¡¯s strike. "What terrifying mobility. Is he using a teleportation technique along with some type of high-rank movement skill?" Meng Jiangmented under her breath as she watched the spectacle unfold before her very eyes. In the blink of an eye, Izroth removed every fallen yer out of the Failed Chimera¡¯s range! Woosh! Izroth emerged from the forested area normally for the first time, and his figure had stopped flickering as he returned to his usual state. Just like that, he had eliminated thergest worry and threat of Sacred Beasts guild! ¡¯That used up quite a bit of Essence. But, that takes care of one major problem.¡¯ Chapter 559 Polkentins Failed Chimera Part 1/2

Chapter 559 Polkentin¡°s Failed Chimera Part 1/2

Meng Jiang¡¯s theory was correct. Izroth not only used Flickering Steps but also all four charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Every time he delivered a set of yers outside the range of the Failed Chimera, he immediately used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to make his way back to the battlefield. Given that the skill only allowed Izroth to move 15 meters at a time, yet he covered a distance of almost 50 meters¡ªit would not have been possible if not for the improvement to his Source. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I recovered all of my loss Essence from consuming the Essence of a Great Spirit. Still, I never thought the limits of my Source would develop to this extent. I underestimated the difference between my former Soul Essence and a Spirit Source.¡¯ Before it evolved into a Spirit Source, Izroth¡¯s Soul Essence limited the range of his skills, and regardless of how much Essence he poured in, it could not increase by more than 50%. Now, Izroth could boost the reach of his skills, not by 50% or 100%, but rather 200%! This meant that if he poured 200 points of Essence into a skill like his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, instead of 15 meters, he could instantly move 45 meters with a single charge! Unfortunately, this change applied solely to Izroth¡¯s non-damaging skills. As for his skills that dealt damage, their range increase limit was now 100%. Nevertheless, it was still a significant improvementpared to its previous restrictions. "You certainly know how to earn your keep, Mr. First ce." Meng Jiangmented as Izroth returned to the main battleground. "Since we have an agreement, naturally, I will uphold my end of the bargain," Izroth replied casually as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. Name: Polkentin¡¯s Failed Chimera(WORLD BOSS) Level: 50 HP: ??? (17.02%) Izroth swiftly narrowed the distance as he dashed towards the Failed Chimera. ¡¯Oh? They were able to do this amount of damage with just the few of them attacking?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s swept his de across the Failed Chimera¡¯s right side, leaving behind a visible sword wound. -2,488 ¡¯I see. It¡¯s no surprise they inflicted so much damage in such a short time frame. Its defense is virtually nonexistent.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s attack just now was to test the Failed Chimera¡¯s defense, and he quickly learned that it severelycked in that department, especially considering its status as a world boss. ¡¯Its primary stats must be distributed between other factors of its strength. With a skill that can heal back 20% of its HP instantly, its health is probably on the lower end of the scale when ites to world bosses. This leaves attack, magic, and agility. However, besides those magical serpents, I have yet to see it use any other magic-based attacks. Its attack speed and movements are adequate, but its main body does not have the same mobility as the magical serpents. At least, it¡¯s not enough to overwhelm a warrior-type tank ss. This leaves attack as the most logical choice for the principal root of its strength. If it¡¯s like that, it merely bes a matter of how long Sacred Beasts tank and supporters can endure the Failed Chimera¡¯s brute force.¡¯ But, there was one thing Izroth did not understand. How did the Failed Chimera manage to kill so many top-level yers? So far, it had not demonstrated any skill capable of pulling that off¡ªit did not add up. He was missing something, though there was no time to sit around and ask questions. Just as Izrothpleted his analysis of the Failed Chimera, the beast smashed its massive paw into One Shot Brick. Bang! One Shot Brick set his shield before him and blocked the iing attack as the earth beneath him gave way and caused his feet to sink half a meter into the ground! ?Blocked? -20,295 "This bastard..!" One Shot Brickined under his breath after receiving the Failed Chimera¡¯s blow. The longer the battle went on, the more vicious the Failed Chimera¡¯s attacks were bing. In the beginning, it barely hit for 5,000 damage when One Shot Brick blocked its attack. Now, it was striking for more than four times that amount! Thankfully, its attack speed was not the fastest, so it left some breathing room for the supporters. However, the Failed Chimera¡¯s attack power was increasing much faster than it was before. If things continued at this rate, it would not be long before the Failed Chimera¡¯s attacks would be too much for One Shot Brick to handle¡ªwhether he blocked or not. The supporters healed One Shot Brick back to full HP; however, right when his HP was regained, arge chunk of it was once again shaved off by the Failed Chimera. Healing that kind of constant damage was not something the supports from Sacred Beasts had the mana to sustain for a prolonged period of time, even with Meng Jiang¡¯s buff in effect. All of a sudden, the aura around the Failed Chimera shifted. The eyes of the creature¡¯s serpent¡¯s tail glowed bright yellow as the serpent extended its body into the air. "Here theye! Everyone, prepare yourselves!" One Shot Brick warned. Not too long after he spoke, several miniature fissures appeared in the same general area on the battlefield. In total, there were twenty of these fissures, and from each of them emerged a ck serpent with the same glowing yellow eyes as the Failed Chimera¡¯s tail. Name: Serpents of Malice(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 50,000 (100%) "Banshee, Izroth¡ªyou two will take care of them! Watch out for their venom!" One Shot Brick stated. Banshee was the weakest single target damage dealer among them; however, what shecked in single target damage, she more than made up for with her AOE skills and sturdiness. As for Izroth, One Shot Brick did not know enough about him except that he was fast¡ªreally fast. Since that was the case, One Shot Brick assumed Izroth¡¯s stats were concentrated solely on his speed, meaning that his damage output would not be that high. At least, not as high as the remaining members of Sacred Beasts. There was also the fact that Izroth¡¯s HP was rtively high for someone with so much mobility; therefore, his durability should not be an issue. That¡¯s why One Shot Brick decided to pair him with Banshee to clear the Serpents of Malice. They could not afford to take their top damage dealers away from the Failed Chimera. The odds were far from great, but both could afford to take a few hits without the risk of perishing. Banshee fell back from the Failed Chimera and positioned herself next to Izroth, who had already anchored himself in between the Serpents of Malice and the raid group. "Don¡¯t let your guard down. These things are the reason so many of our guildmates died. Since so few of us are left, their numbers are a lot less than what we previously faced. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll watch your back, and you watch mine. I just hope your ranking isn¡¯t simply for show." Banshee said half-jokingly to lighten the mood. She was no fool. No matter how much luck was involved, it would be impossible to reach the spot Izroth obtained in less than a day without some skill to back it up. ¡¯So, that¡¯s what caused so many of them to fall.¡¯ Izroth gave a carefree smile in response. He then lightly tapped his foot against the ground as the Serpents of Malice slithered towards him and Banshee. Rmmmmble! Suddenly, the surrounding earth began to shake as waves of tremors washed over the Serpents of Malice. Three seconds went by, and the sky above the battlefield darkened with a swirling vortex of gray clouds spanning sixty meters formed in the atmosphere. Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle! In the vortex, countless sparks of purple lightning could be seen jumping around without restraint. Simultaneously, Izroth pointed his Sword of The Storm towards the sky, and within his pupils were shes of purple lightning. A gentle breeze brushed past everyone on the battlefield. Booooooom! The gentle breeze ceased and was reced by a wild and untamed gale as a torrent of wind des rained down from the sky! Hssst! Woosh! Shrieeeek! -5,249 -5,249 ?Critical Hit? -10,499 ... -5,249 The Serpents of Malice were bombarded by the vicious des of wind for a full ten seconds before the skies finally cleared up, and the storm vanished just as swiftly as it appeared. Banshee stood alongside Izroth with her mouth slightly opened in disbelief, and her eyes widened in shock as her mind momentarily went nk. The Serpents of Malice, all twenty of them, were gone! Chapter 560 Polkentins Failed Chimera Part 2/2

Chapter 560 Polkentin¡°s Failed Chimera Part 2/2

The Serpents of Malice were not very strong; however, they were numerous, quick, and their venom could cause paralysis while also dealing a bit of damage over time. Handling them was not an impossible task, but it was not something that could be brushed aside or put off. After all, if they were left to roam the battlefield freely, then there would be a deadly repeat of what happened the first time the Serpents of Malice appeared before Sacred Beasts. However, not only were the Serpents of Malice wiped out by Izroth¡¯s Great Storm, even the Failed Chimera was not spared from taking damage during the rain of wind des! In addition to the Great Storm¡¯s wind des, the Failed Chimera was also inflicted by the weapon skill¡¯s bleedout effect. On top of that, Izroth¡¯s Blood Stigma proc¡¯d multiple times, causing the Failed Chimera to receive even more damage over time. "He certainly lives up to the rumors." Meng Jiang internalized. Although her guild was not stationed in Amaharpe, as the guild leader of Sacred Beasts, Meng Jiang made it her business to know about the important characters who resided there. There was also the fact that most of the top guilds were initially concentrated within Amaharpe. But, if there was one name that kept appearing in the reports more than any other, it had to be Izroth. The majority of those in the spotlight of RML had already established themselves one way or another in the gaming world. However, Izroth was a dark horse¡ªan irregrity. Clearing the first world boss, defeating the first dungeon solo, taking first ce in the Protectors of Amaharpe event by a considerable margin, opening the first yer-owned shop, and most recently, clearing a hardcore raid with Sleeping Gardenia. The list went on. "Others may give the credit to Sleeping Gardenia for clearing the hardcore raid, but I know you yed a key role in their sess, Mr. First ce. This is far from what you can really do, isn¡¯t it? Just how much are you hiding? I want to see for myself." Meng Jiang thought to herself. Woosh! Acogu¡¯An jumped off the Failed Chimera¡¯s back after shing the beast with its ws andnded safely next to Meng Jiang. Meng Jiang flicked her left hand as an uchiwa feather fan with dark red, ck, and white feathers appeared. "Acogu¡¯An, use Complete Analysis¡ªbut, do not halt your attacks. I want to know everything there is to know about our new friend." Meng Jiang said with a charming smile. Acogu¡¯An made a small grunting noise as its gaze locked onto Izroth. Its eyes glowed white before returning to normal as the wolf beast removed its attention from Izroth and continued with its assault on the Failed Chimera. However, as it engaged the Failed Chimera, one could notice that Acogu¡¯An¡¯s right eye pulsated like a heartbeat¡ªglowing white one moment and going back to normal the next. Meanwhile, Izroth turned to face in the direction of the Failed Chimera when he was suddenly ovee with an odd sensation. ¡¯Hm? Strange.¡¯ For a split second, Izroth could have sworn that he was being secretly watched. However, the feeling had swiftly vanished without a trace. It made Izroth think of Aru, a member of the Phantasmal Race that had been trailing him since he practically started RML. But, this time, it felt more invasive. ¡¯Was I just imagining it?¡¯ In the end, since there was no hostile intent behind it and nothing around when he scanned using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth decided to ce it in the back of his mind. If something was watching him, it was either gone by now or extremely skilled at hiding its presence. Izroth nced over at Banshee and stated, "Banshee, is it? The battle is not over just yet." Banshee snapped out of it as she, too, faced the Failed Chimera. "Right. Yeah, you¡¯re right. I won¡¯t allow myself to be distracted at such a crucial time." Banshee said as she took a deep breath to regain her focus. But, she inwardly furrowed her brows as Izroth rejoined the action. Truthfully, Banshee was not expecting much assistance from Izroth, given that his ss was abat master. Standard skills were already difficult toe up with forbat masters, but AOE skills were a different type of monster to confront. How could he possess such a powerful AOE skill as abat master? It made her AOE skills look like trash inparison! To lose out to abat master when her ss specialized in dealing damage in a wide area¡ªthis wounded Banshee¡¯s pride. But she would not let it keep her down! Banshee darted ahead and attacked the Failed Chimera with even more vigor than before, and she was not alone. The other members of Sacred Beasts found their second wind and entered a new level of concentration. Izroth had not even been a part of the fight for that long, yet he eliminated two big problems without batting an eye¡ªhow could they sit back and let an outsider show them up? Izroth had unknowingly ignited the mes of the Sacred Beasts members¡¯petitive spirit! The attacks of the damage dealers gained a new fluidity to them. The supporters heals, and shields became more coordinated and well-timed. As for One Shot Brick, the look in his eyes turned ferocious as he kept the Failed Chimera¡¯s attacks contained. At the moment, it was like staring at apletely different party! Of course, the one to pay the price for this was the Failed Chimera itself. Its HP started to decrease at a steady pace, and with no dead yers around to heal from, the party did not have to worry about the serpent¡¯s tail. 15%... 10%... 5%...! ?Blocked? -35,029 +7,205 +12,505 +6,159 "Just die already!" One Shot Brick grumbled as he intercepted the Failed Chimera¡¯s strike, and his HP plummeted. The finish line was in sight, but they could not rx just yet. One wrong slip up and all their efforts would go to waste. The supporters tried their best to keep up with the Failed Chimera¡¯s increased damage, but the heals started to be too close a call. However, One Shot Brick understood that besides him, no one else at this point could survive even a scratch from the Failed Chimera. Even with his defenses and reducing the damage by 50% from blocking, he still received 35,000 damage! Needless to say, no one else in their party had that amount of HP to spare. Besides that, everything else was running surprisingly smooth. This was due to two individuals in particr¡ªIzroth, and the guild leader of Sacred Beasts, Meng Jiang. If not for their presence on the battlefield, then the battle against the Failed Chimera would have long since been lost. Under the intense pressure, some Sacred Beasts¡¯ members made ring mistakes that would have typically cost them dearly. But, every time something like that urred, either Izroth or Meng Jiang would cover wlessly for it. With Acogu¡¯An at her side, Meng Jiang yed the roles of both support and damage dealer. When it came to Izroth, much to the surprise of the Sacred Beasts yers, he too was able to provide support while not allowing his damage to suffer in the process. He even saved One Shot Brick from a fatal blow using some type of strange encasing crystal to fend off the attack! 3%... 2%... 1%..! The Failed Chimera did not seem to have any more tricks up its sleeves, but when it reached 1% HP, the creature unleashed a mighty roar greater than any it performed before that stunned the raid party. ROOOOOOOOAR! "?!" One Shot Brick suddenly froze in ce as the Failed Chimera opened its jaws. It wanted to devour him whole! "Can¡¯t move...!" One Shot Brick struggled to break free, but it was useless. The skill that allowed him to remove crowd control effects was still on cooldown. If he took this attack head-on from the Failed Chimera without blocking, there was no surviving! Woosh! All of a sudden, Izroth appeared in between the Failed Chimera and One Shot Brick. This caused the members of Sacred Beasts to be taken aback. Was he going to sacrifice himself to keep the hope of their victory alive?! Thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth resisted the creature¡¯s stun and then utilized a charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to position himself before the Failed Chimera. Of course, he had no intention of sacrificing himself to the Failed Chimera. ¡¯Let¡¯s see what you can do...¡¯ Out of nowhere, a thick ck and blood-red miasma epassed Izroth as a terrifying aura of ughter emerged from his body. ¡¯Ruthless ughterer, Unbridled Kill Count.¡¯ The miasma around Izroth shot forth and covered every inch of the Failed Chimera¡¯s enormous frame. Then, as it finally receded, a devastating number revealed itself in the battle logs as the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP directly dropped to 0%. ?Critical Hit? -319,878 Chapter 561 Meng Jiangs Recommendation

Chapter 561 Meng Jiang¡°s Rmendation

¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Polkentin¡¯s Failed Chimera!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your level has increased by +1!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your experience has been set to 20%!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first party to defeat Polkentin¡¯s Failed Chimera. Your party will receive the highest drop rate.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... A stream of system alerts bombarded Izroth and the members of Sacred Beasts. A few secondster, the Failed Chimera¡¯s stun effect finally wore off as everyone could move again; however, the yers from Sacred Beasts remained motionless as though they were still under the effects of the Failed Chimera. They were dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed. In one strike, Izroth removed thest 1% of the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP! While 1% may not seem like that much damage, one had to take into ount that the Failed Chimera was a world boss! Even if its HP was on the lower end for world bosses, a single yer dealing that much damage in one strike was inconceivable. However, when those from Sacred Beasts reviewed the battle logs, they nearly fainted at the sight. 300,000 damage¡ªhe dealt over 300,000 damage with one skill! It was no wonder that thest percentage of the Failed Chimera¡¯s HP plummeted so fast. ¡¯It¡¯s useful. But, the cost and stack umtion process is a bit troublesome.¡¯ What Izroth used to finish off the Failed Chimera was the skill he acquired after destroying Vostrcane¡¯s City Magic Grid and wiping out the entire city along with its inhabitants¡ªRuthless ughterer. The miasma he unleashed was from one of the skill¡¯s two effects, Unbridled Kill Count. Skill Name: Ruthless ughterer Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Commit a ruthless act of mass ughter. Cost: 40% Max HP, Willpower Check Passive: The user gains +1 ?ughter? stack per kill (MAX: 1,000). If the level difference between the user and target is too great, the user has a 0.01% to 25% chance of obtaining a ?ughterer? stack. Active: The user consumes all stacks of ?ughter? to activate ?Unbridled Kill Count? or ?Endless Massacre?. ?Unbridled Kill Count? - Unleashes a powerful killing miasma that encases its target, dealing [5% per ?ughter? stack] of the user¡¯s attack as mixed physical and magical damage. ?Endless Massacre?... Cooldown: None Special Note: A ruthless ughterer leaves behind only a path of death. The more you use this skill, the more difficult it bes to control. Be sure not to lose yourself along the way. Izroth ced his Sword of The Storm into its sheath as he noticed several gazes locked onto him. ¡¯I suppose this much is a given.¡¯ Izroth could sense the wariness some of the Sacred Beasts yers possessed. After seeing what he was able to aplish firsthand, some probably feared that he would take this opportunity to turn on them. However, Izroth paid this no mind and simply shook his head inwardly. Many of them were still in their battle mode after fighting the Failed Chimera for so long. By the time he joined them, Izroth had estimated that they had been battling the world boss for at least an hour. They were fatigued and mentally drained, so it was only natural that they were on edge. Of course, if Izroth wanted them dead, he would not have waited until the Failed Chimera¡¯s defeat to make it happen. "Splendid. You are truly splendid, Mr. First ce. I have to say I held some reservations regarding your self-appraisal, but what you said is true. It seems I¡¯ve really gotten myself a good bargain this time." Meng Jiang said with a delightful smile as she approached Izroth without concern. Seeing their guild leader¡¯s behavior made the others from Sacred Beasts rx. A few of them even copsed to the ground from exhaustion. The physical part was something they could handle for hours on end, but facing a world boss where one slip up was enough to end all their hard work was mentally taxing. "A deal is a deal. The first item is yours for the taking. Ah, I saw that amon material dropped somewhere in the loot pile¡ªfeel free to take that one. In fact, ites with my personal rmendation." Meng Jiang stated with a glowing smile. The atmosphere was dead silent after Meng Jiang finished speaking. However, that did notst for long. "Pfft...!" One Shot Brick tried to hold back hisughter, but he failed miserably. "Ahahahaha! Guild leader, you¡¯re too much! Hahahaha!" One Shot Brick burst outughing. He was soon followed by the other members of Sacred Beasts. "Hehehe, leader, you really hate to lose profit, don¡¯t you?" Bansheemented with a giggle. "That¡¯s our shameless guild leader for you! Ahahaha!" "How can she say it to his face with a smile? Bwahahaha!" "What personal rmendation? Hey, Mr. First ce, don¡¯t let our guild leader scam you! Hahaha!" "Yeah, Mr. First ce! You earned it!" "Mr. First ce!" The battlefield that was flooded with an intense atmosphere just moments ago had transformed into a field ofughter. In addition, everyone seemed to have adopted Meng Jiang¡¯s nickname for Izroth and started to refer to him as Mr. First ce. ¡¯On the surface, she appears careless, but every move she has made since our encounter has been a calcted one. Interesting.¡¯ Meng Jiang undoubtedly sensed the tense atmosphere and immediately acted to eradicate it. The deal she made with him earlier was also one that seemed to be a spur of the moment thing, but Izroth could tell that it was something well thought out. In the little time that she knew Izroth, Meng Jiang had already formed a long term connection with his Mystical Realm Pce by using Rosentarus resources as a bargaining chip. She promised him a favor from her Sacred Beasts, effectively building a gateway for future interaction. She also got a glimpse of his strength and a good understanding of his temperament. Not to mention the Complete Analysis of her wolf beast, Acogu¡¯An, that Izroth was still unaware of. To aplish so much within such a short amount of time¡ªthis Meng Jiang was perhaps one of the more frightening guild leaders of the top ten guilds. It would also exin why none of the other top guilds attempted to force their way into Rosentarus after Sacred Beasts had already established themselves. "Then, I¡¯ll take your rmendation into consideration," Izroth replied with a carefree smile as he walked over to the loot and searched through it. ¡¯The loot from world bosses are truly on another levelpared to what you can find in dungeons.¡¯ There were dozens of rare items and materials that dropped from the Failed Chimera. Even an Ancient ranked material and a few epic quality equipment pieces showed up! Though this much was to be expected since this was the first kill on the Failed Chimera. ¡¯The first thing that stands out is the Ancient material. That being said, it¡¯s unfortunate that none of the epic equipment suits me. There is an interesting ne among the rare items, but it won¡¯t serve me much purpose.¡¯ Izroth pondered over what item to take from the loot pile, and after spending a few moments thinking it over, he came to a decision. ¡¯Let¡¯s go with this one.¡¯ Izroth picked up an item and ced it into his inventory as he walked away from the pile of loot. "An interesting choice. I was confident that you would go for the Ancient material or one of the epic pieces of equipment." Meng Jiangmented. "The eyes perceive as the mind lies¡ªdo you know this saying?" Izroth asked. He narrowed his eyes as if he noticed something unusual. Meng Jiang shook her head and said, "I¡¯ve never heard of it. But, if I had to guess, I would say it has something to do with not believing everything you see. Though I must say, the reason eludes me as to why you brought this up." "You are half-correct," Izroth replied. "Oh? Then, will you enlighten me as to what it is that I am missing?" Meng Jiang inquired. "Just that it seems you¡¯ve made some enemies, guild leader Meng Jiang. You all should prepare to defend yourselves." Izroth said. "What are you-" Just as Meng Jiang was about to speak, something happened. Hooooooooowl! All of a sudden, Acogu¡¯An howled as a rain of arrows shot towards the sky from every direction of the forested area. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! The arrows curved as they rained down from the air, heading right for the remaining members of the raid party. It was an ambush! Chapter 562 Enemies Often Meet On Narrow Paths

Chapter 562 Enemies Often Meet On Narrow Paths

"Acogu¡¯An, Twin Barriers." Meng Jiangmanded as the rain of arrows descended upon them. Hoooooooowl! Acogu¡¯An released a mighty howl as a transparent blue sphere of energy emerged from its mouth. Then, just as the arrows were about to strike the party, the sphere rapidly expanded and created a dome-like structure approximately twenty meters in diameter. Clink! Clink! Clink! The arrows sunk into the barrier as if the dome was made of out stic. At the same time, the barrier turned red before slingshotting the attacks back towards the direction from which they originated. Once the arrows were deflected, the barrier returned to its blue color. Woosh! Woosh! The dozens of arrows elerated at the forested area, forcing those in hiding to reveal themselves to avoid the counterattack. ¡¯This must be the skill she was going to use at that time. To execute such arge array of high ranked skills¡ªwhat kind of growth potential and rating does her summon possess?¡¯ During the end of their battle against the Failed Chimera, just before Izroth moved in to use Ruthless ughterer, he noticed that Meng Jiang, or to be more precise, Acogu¡¯An, was getting ready to take action. The wolf beast¡¯s current stance was simr to the one at that time, and so, there was a good chance that it was going to execute this barrier to protect the raid party. "Who dares attack our Sacred Beasts?!" One Shot Brick roared as he sprang to his feet, ready for battle. "Hmph! A bunch of cowards, that¡¯s who! Waiting until we¡¯re weak to strike just shows that they are afraid of us!" Banshee scoffed. The members of Sacred Beasts were infuriated! Everyone knew that the Rosentarus kingdom was where their main headquarters was stationed. What fools were brave enough to dare attack them in their own territory?! "My, it¡¯s impolite to attack without warning. Manners are important. Unfortunately, there seems to be a severeck of them in this day and age." Meng Jiang spoke calmly with a lovely smile. "Manners? Alright, how¡¯s this for manners? Quietly hand over the loot, and we will let you all walk away from here in one piece. This is me asking politely¡ªI won¡¯t be so kind next time. After all, I would hate to pluck such a beautiful flower as yourself from its garden, guild leader Meng Jiang." A smooth voice echoed from every direction of the forested area. They were using a sound-based talisman to spread their voice and prevent their position from being discovered. Soon, the sound of a zither filled the forest. It gave one a feeling of tranquility and harmony as the gentle notes reverberated from the instrument. "You know me, yet I do not know you. But, if you do know me, you should also be well aware of my guild¡¯s influence and reach in Rosentarus. Your current actions¡ªare you sure you do not wish to rethink them? I will say this now; no one in this world or the next can pry profit from my hands." Meng Jiang stated as she walked over to the loot pile. Swish! Meng Jiang waved her hand over the loot and ced everyst item into her inventory for safekeeping. "If I want to leave this ce, do you think you can stop me?" Meng Jiang said as Acogu¡¯An strode to her side with a vicious gaze. "No, I cannot. If you wish to leave this ce, I doubt many yers in RML can prevent the Beast Rider from doing so. However... Will you leave? No, I don¡¯t think you will. After all, you have yourrades to worry about." The voice echoed as the tempo of the zither slightly increased. Meng Jiang maintained her smile, but there was a hidden coldness lurking within it. It was just as the voice said. Once she got on Acogu¡¯An, virtually no one could catch up to her. Though how could she just leave her guild members behind and flee in her own territory? That would be a massive loss of face for her Sacred Beasts! Nevertheless, Meng Jiang understood that fighting against so many yers in their present condition was not ideal for her guild members. "Guild leader, don¡¯t worry about us and escape. We don¡¯t mind losing a life! We can always get our revengeter!" One Shot Brickmented. "He¡¯s right! I don¡¯t mind dying here. We¡¯re not going down without a fight!" Banshee growled. "Yeah! We won¡¯t let the guild suffer because of us! Leave us and go!" One of the Sacred Beasts members roared. "Don¡¯t wanna." Meng Jiang replied bluntly, immediately silencing the yers from Sacred Beasts. It was true that the loss of a single event life would not be too bad, but there was more at stake than that. How could she allow others to trample over the face of her Sacred Beasts without regard? ¡¯This tune... It¡¯s difficult to notice at first, but it slowly dulls one¡¯s senses.¡¯ Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense to locate the source of the tune; however, the "mes" revealed that it wasing from every direction. ¡¯You may be able to hide your sound, but...¡¯ Among the thirty to forty mes in the forest, Izroth found one isted from the rest of the group. It kept a safe distance and was the only me that did not show itself after the initial ambush failed. Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense as he approached the edge of Meng Jiang¡¯s barrier. "Since our business is concluded, I shall take my leave," Izroth stated. In the end, this was not his battle to fight. They were after Sacred Beasts, and Izroth had no interest in the quarrel of others. He may have helped them defeat the Failed Chimera, but it was not as though they were his allies he needed to fight for. As a top ten guild, their protection was far from his responsibility or obligation. "?!" The members of Sacred Beasts were shocked by Izroth¡¯s words. But, none of them med him. They were too outnumbered. Even if their guild leader escaped, the rest of them would eventually perish. He did not owe their Sacred Beasts anything. Why would he risk one of his event lives to help them? "What¡¯s this? You don¡¯t want to stay for the fun, Mr. First ce?" Meng Jiang asked. "I¡¯m afraid our definitions of fun do not match. Bullying the weak is not something I tend to make a habit of." Izroth responded nonchntly. "I can¡¯t let thatment slide. Besides, you ruined our ns. Do you think that we will let you off so easily? As for your words¡ªI want to see how long you can sing such a tune of arrogance." The voice echoed as they strummed their zither, causing the once gentle notes to morph into something with violent resonance. Initially, they nned to strike when the Failed Chimera was at 0.2% of its HP. However, that was all ruined due to Izroth¡¯s attack that immediately dropped its HP to 0% at the 1% mark. Whatever that skill was, it was probably a trump card hidden away by Sacred Beasts. The chances of it being used again so soon were nonexistent. Not to mention, the majority of their skills had to still be on cooldown after facing a world boss; therefore, what was there to fear? At the next moment, the group of yers rushed out of the forest with great momentum. The music from the zither appeared to enhance their strength while simultaneously lowering that of its enemies. Izroth inwardly sighed. He felt that he already wasted enough time here and wanted to get to the Demilitarization Belt as soon as possible. Sadly, these attackers wished to force his hand. Suddenly, Izroth narrowed his eyes as he sensed a familiar presence. It was vague, but definitely one he hade across before¡ªand not under good circumstances. ¡¯I see... It¡¯s from that time.¡¯ Izroth remembered where he sensed this presence. The yer Izroth recognized was called Morning Sky. He was one of the four individuals hidden in the shadows back at Izroth¡¯s meeting with the Headhunter Syndicate! If he was here, then that meant this group of yers belonged to the Headhunter Syndicate! ¡¯It¡¯s just as they say... Enemies often meet on narrow paths.¡¯ "I¡¯ve had a sudden change of heart, guild leader Meng Jiang. Perhaps our definition of fun is not so far off from one another¡¯s after all." Izroth stated as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. He then continued, "I have just one request." "Name it." Meng Jiang stated. She doubted Izroth really had a change of heart. There was something he did not mention, but she would not force the topic. "No one is to interfere. All their lives... Belongs to me alone." Izroth said as he stepped outside Meng Jiang¡¯s protective barrier! Chapter 563 From Many To One And Soon None!

Chapter 563 From Many To One And Soon None!

Those from Sacred Beasts were taken aback by Izroth¡¯s bizarre request. He wanted to face thirty to forty yers by himself?! If it were casual yers, it would not be much of an issue. However, these yers knew that Sacred Beasts were one of the top ten guilds. Not to mention, they had just defeated a world boss¡ªthis alone was enough to deter most yers. Either they were incredibly foolish, or their overall skill level was above that of a casual yer¡¯s. Even if Izroth was skilled, the members of Sacred Beasts had seen him use at least three to four high-ranked skills. As abat master, they understood how challenging it was to learn one high-ranked skill, let alone three or four. To them, that was already a miracle and major aplishment. That¡¯s why they believed that Izroth had exhausted his strongest skills fighting against the Failed Chimera. Since that was the case, how could he possibly take them on by himself? "What should we do? We can¡¯t let him fight alone out there while we sit here and wait for our deaths." Banshee frowned with furrowed brows as she looked to Meng Jiang. "You¡¯re worried about the wrong thing. Mr. First ce can take care of his own well being. For now, all of you should focus on recovering." Meng Jiang said as she gently pat the top of Acogu¡¯An¡¯s head. Everyone was startled by Meng Jiang¡¯s response. But, they knew their guild leader would not make baseless assumptions. Given her personality, the Sacred Beasts yers understood that Meng Jiang must know something they don¡¯t. As for what that was¡ªthey had no clue. "I don¡¯t know what guild or organization this group belongs to; however, I have a feeling he has some history with our attackers. Regardless, they made one crucial mistake here today. They have made an enemy of my Sacred Beasts¡ªan enemy of me." Meng Jiang said with an icy smile on her face. At the same time, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate grew closer to Izroth and the barrier. The melee yers rushed in first and led the frontal charge together. When they saw Izroth step out from the barrier alone, they scoffed and shook their heads at his stupidity. "What does he n to do by himself against all of us? Just a fool in a hurry to die." One of the Headhunter Syndicate members mocked. "Ha! Let¡¯s see who can im his head first!" "That¡¯s good and all, but how about we make it interesting? Let¡¯s all put up two gold coins, and whoever takes his life gets to keep it all to themselves!" "I¡¯m in! Since there are 36 of us, the winner will walk away with 72 gold coins! That¡¯s almost five months worth of sry for us!" "Count me in too!" "Me too!" It was clear that the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate did not view Izroth or those from Sacred Beasts as a threat. Even if they got lucky and killed a few of them, so what? They were outnumbered four to one! Add that to the fact their high-ranked skills were on cooldown; what was there for them to be afraid of? Izroth took a few steps forward and drew a line in the earth with the tip of his sword. "No one is permitted to cross this line," Izroth stated nonchntly. "Hahahaha!" The members of the Headhunter Syndicate erupted into a fit ofughter. "Is this guy messed up in the head or something?" "I thought he might have something left up his sleeve, but he can only give empty threats. How pathetic!" "Heh, I¡¯m going ahead, boys! Watch me cross his line and separate his head from his body!" One of the rogue-type sses from the Headhunter Syndicate said as he activated a movement skill and quickly raced ahead of his guildmates. "I¡¯ll pay two gold coins to see that! It¡¯ll be an improvement to his brain! Bwahaha!" Morning Sky added. He knew that Izroth did not know him, but he remembered Izroth. Morning Sky had not forgotten how Izroth angered their guild leader during the meeting. At that time, their guild leader allowed him to walk away with his life intact, but his rage was still apparent. "Heh, I¡¯m the only one here who knows his real identity. As long as no one else looks too closely, if we kill him now, and I secretly take credit for his deathter, the guild leader will surely show his gratitude and reward me. He may even promote me to one of the Banes!" Morning Sky internalized. Swoosh! The Headhunter Syndicate rogue, Light Blitz, removed a dagger from his sheath as he approached Izroth¡¯s location. All of a sudden, a second Light Blitz appeared, and then a third. "Hmph, let¡¯s see how long you can keep up that arrogant bluff of yours!" Light Blitz and his copies spoke in unison. However, right as Light Blitz and his copies were about to step over the line Izroth drew in the earth, a streak of purple light shed past them. Poof! Poof! Immediately after the purple light¡¯s appearance, the copies of Light Blitz exploded into clouds of smoke, leaving the real Light Blitz standing motionless. "What¡¯s that fool doing ying around? Why¡¯d he just stop?" Morning Sky frowned when he observed Light Blitz¡¯s sudden halt of movement. Out of nowhere, Light Blitz, who was just alive and well a few seconds ago, had begun to turn into particles that drifted away into the sky. Dead! He was dead! This left the members of the Headhunter Syndicate dumbfounded and made them grow cautious. Their charge speed had drastically decreased. They did not see anything strange or out of ce. There was only a sh of purple light one moment and a dead yer the next! What kind of trick did he use to defeat Light Blitz so fast? This was the question on all their minds. Even the yers from Sacred Beasts were baffled. After all of that, he still had skills powerful enough to eliminate someone in one strike? Since when werebat masters so domineering? "As I said¡ªno one is permitted to cross this line." Izroth¡¯s figure suddenly started to flicker in and out of existence. Simultaneously, two bolts of purple lightning struck down from the sky and coated his Sword of The Storm with the lightning element. Izroth took one step forward; however, this was only from an outside viewpoint. In actuality, within less than a quarter of a breath, Izroth had arrived within the center of the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s group! "What-!" One of the Headhunter Syndicate yers were shocked by the abrupt appearance of a flickering silhouette. At first, he thought it was a ghost and became frightened. But, by the time he realized what was going on, the entire world around him had gone gray. Just like that, he was gone! However, his death was just the beginning. Bzzzt... Bzzzt! Crrrrckle! "Ahhh!" "Where did this lightninge from?!" "He¡¯s here! He¡¯s in the- Gaaaah!" After the first yer in the crowd¡¯s death, a bolt of purple lightning jumped out from his body and struck the nearest target. This single bolt of lightning was ruthless as it repeated this process indefinitely, creating a chaotic situation among the Headhunter Syndicate. Several yers were even paralyzed after being hit by the lightning and left utterly defenseless! "It¡¯s not stopping!" "Get away from me!" "Every man for himself!" This was the work of Izroth¡¯s Call of the Thunder God¡¯s First State: Heavenly Descent. Not only did it convert all his weapon-based attacks to the lightning element, but one of its effects, Lightning Chain, allowed lightning-type attacks to jump to nearby enemies within 15 meters! This meant that as long as they stayed within 15 meters of each other, the lightning would deal damage and bounce indefinitely¡ªand this is precisely what urred. In the blink of an eye, 36 yers had been reduced to 10 yers. However, even this did notst long. The few long-range mages and archer-type yers could not survive the strike from Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction, which let the skill cooldown reset upon their deaths. Combined with his Flickering Steps and Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, every swing of his sword was apanied by death. Morning Sky, of course, was not spared from this result. In fact, he and his short-lived ns were one of the first to fall under Izroth¡¯s de! In less than ten seconds, the Headhunter Syndicate had gone from many yers down to just one, and soon¡ªthere would be none! Suddenly, the sound of the zither hade to a stop, which prompted Izroth to activate his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯Oh? Trying to escape?¡¯ Chapter 564 - The Canary Sings: Open Notes

Chapter 564 - The Canary Sings: Open Notes

... Meanwhile, a person with an ancient zither floating before them ran through the Rosentarus jungle. This individual went by the name Open Notes, and she was one of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate, The Virtuoso. The Twelve Banes was a recent creation of the Headhunter Syndicate, and their status was beneath only that of the guild leader, Vault. Most of the Twelve Banes were personally recruited by Vault¡ªdrawn by the power and benefits that came along with the title. In terms of status, they were simr to the Captains of Blue Oasis or the Five Great Generals of Cross Haven. But, since they had emerged not too long ago, there was little to nothing known about the Twelve Banes. "An unforeseen turn of events has arisen. It is disappointing, but there will be another opportunity to strike a captivating tune after we regroup and gather a few reinforcements." Open Notes said to herself as she retreated. "But s, such a pity I could not pluck the wildflower from its garden." Swoosh! Open Notes felt a gust of wind brush past her. A few momentster, she noticed someone standing a few meters ahead of her. This caused her to immediately change course and sprint in a different direction. She flicked her wrist as a chaotic tune echoed from her zither and created a destructive soundwave that spread outward like a fan at the one who appeared. Boom! The soundwave violently struck the earth and kicked up a cloud of dust in the process. "That should hold them off for-" Woosh! Open Notes halted her steps and words simultaneously as the tip of a cold de of steel pressed up against her throat. If she moved forward just one more step, that sword would have undoubtedly pierced into her neck with ease! Open Notes asked, "Why did you stop? I¡¯ll say this now. I¡¯m only interested in a man who can carry a tune." The flickering silhouette stopped as a clear image of Izroth formed with his sword to Open Notes¡¯ throat. When she met Izroth¡¯s gaze and did not get an immediate response, Open Notes swallowed nervously. "I¡¯m a support-type ss. Ick the power to fight back and pose no threat to you since no one is around to adore my melodies. You wouldn¡¯t strike a defenseless woman, would you?" Open Notes said coyly. "That¡¯s up to you and whether or not you prove to be useful," Izroth stated indifferently. There was only one reason Izroth did not instantly eliminate Open Notes after he caught up to her. If someone like Morning Sky, who was with Vault that day during such an important meeting, was following her orders, then her standing in the Headhunter Syndicate must be rtively high. If the Headhunter Syndicate were a guild like Cross Haven or Sleeping Gardenia, then what Izroth had in mind would undoubtedly fail nine out of ten times. However, there was one trait every member of the Headhunter Syndicate shared¡ªthey cared about themselves more than anything else. "Useful? What? You want to make some sort of deal? If so, I¡¯m always willing to y it by ear, handsome." Open Notes replied. She then continued, "But, first, if you don¡¯t mind... How about removing that sword of yours from my throat? I¡¯m quite the modest girl at heart, so at least take me out to dinner first. Your treat, of course." "Not interested," Izroth said, and he lowered his Sword of The Storm from her neck and ced it within its sheath. "How disappointing. Though I suppose that lovely wildflower with the little pup at her side is more suitable to my tastes." Open Notes smirked. "I have no interest in your taste. I¡¯m sure she would feel the same. Now, enough games. I¡¯ll make this simple for you." Izroth said as he essed his inventory. A few momentster, he pulled out a pouch that contained an abundance of gold coins. "There are 50 gold coins in this pouch. As long as you tell me what I want to know, not only will I spare your life, but these gold coins will belong to you." Izroth stated as he dropped the coin pouch on the ground at his feet. Open Notes¡¯ eyes lit up when she saw the pouch of gold coins; however, she felt a sudden chill run down her spine that caused her to shiver as Open Notes¡¯ gaze was drawn to Izroth. "However, if you feed me falsehoods, one death will be the least of your concerns," Izroth said in a cold tone. He utilized Soul Pressure to shake Open Notes but made sure to keep the amount of Essence he used limited. It did not take long for Izroth to get a good grasp on Open Notes from their brief exchange of words paired with her entric behavior. She was a good actor, but Izroth could see right through her facade of fear. Open Notes was not afraid of perishing at his hands since she had multiple event lives to spare; therefore, Izroth knew he had to use a different approach with someone like her. "Alright, you¡¯ve made your point, handsome. Ask away¡ªthis little canary is willing to sing for you. Since it¡¯s not me... What is it that¡¯s piqued your curiosity?" Open Notes inquired. "Menerva¡ªI assume you¡¯re familiar with this name?" Izroth questioned. "That scary little apathetic doll who¡¯s always at the guild leader¡¯s side? Sorry, but that¡¯s a rose full of thorns even I don¡¯t want to touch. Can¡¯t you choose another topic, handsome?" Open Notes pouted. Izroth remained unmoved and answered with his silence, causing Open Notes to release a long helpless sigh. "Fine, fine, I get it. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re interested in her, but if I were you, I¡¯d leave well enough alone. Though I have a strange feeling you won¡¯t heed my warning." Open Notes shrugged. She then continued, "Second Bane, The Puppeteer, Menerva. The secret¡ªwell, I guess not so secret anymore¡ªstrategist of the Headhunter Syndicate. I don¡¯t know much about her, just that she¡¯s freakishly loyal to the guild leader. One day, she appeared with the guild leader, and in the days that followed, the Headhunter Syndicate went from a wild bunch to a well-established organization. That¡¯s all I know, alright?" ¡¯It adds up.¡¯ At the beginning of RML, the Headhunter Syndicate was nothing but a disconnected group of yers who used a wide array of underhanded tactics to get by. However, sometime before the Protectors of Amaharpe event began, something changed. They became more organized. Their actions shifted from mindless aggression to calcted violence with a purpose. This was probably around the same time Menerva joined the Headhunter Syndicate. When Izroth received the coordinates from Mariposa, he could tell at a nce that it was Menerva¡¯s handiwork. But, Menerva was no fool. There had to be a reason she was willing to work for someone like Vault despite his twisted character. It made Izroth think back to hisst encounter with Menerva after his talks with Vault, and the Headhunter Syndicate came to an abrupt end. ¡²shback¡³ "In the future, I advise you to exercise caution. Today, you have undoubtedly made an enemy of the Headhunter Syndicate. Your path forward will not be easily walked, Izroth." (Menerva) "Do you not fear beingbeled a traitor in your guild?" (Izroth) "I am not a member of the Headhunter Syndicate¡ªjust someone passing by. Besides, if the conversation had persisted, would not have your intention been revealed? I am not sure what grudge you hold against the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate; however, an inadequate move now only renders the significant move that seeds it ineffective." (Menerva) ¡²shback¡³ Why warn him? Why go out of her way to mention that she was not a member of the Headhunter Syndicate? Why offer him advice that would effectively go against the guild she worked for? Menerva had also deduced his identity as the Pill Emperor, yet she kept it a secret from Vault. Was it some type of game to her? Or, was she hinting at something more? Izroth wanted answers. "If you want to see a single gold coin, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to reach deeper than that," Izroth stated. Open Notes ced a finger upon her lip as she tried to think of something¡ªanything to secure her payment. "Ah, I do remember one other thing. But, it¡¯s not much. One time, she did something to upset the guild leader, and when he threatened her, she seemed angry? It¡¯s hard to tell with her, but she definitely showed some emotion for a split second¡ªthat apathetic little doll. Strange, right?" Open Notes stated. "Do you know what they were discussing?" Izroth inquired. "Not the specifics. I try not to make a habit of eavesdropping on others¡¯ conversations, so I didn¡¯t pay it much attention. But, I did hear something about an orphanage. Who knows? Maybe they wanted to adopt a child together." Open Notes said jokingly. Izroth had a thoughtful expression on his face after he heard Open Notes words. It did not take him long to start piecing things together. ¡¯So, it¡¯s like that. That¡¯s why she said those words to me back then. It¡¯s not me she was referring to, but rather herself. A message within a message.¡¯ "An inadequate move now only renders the significant move that seeds it ineffective... Interesting." Izroth muttered to himself as a carefree smile appeared on his face. "Take the coins and go. If we ever cross paths again, you won¡¯t enjoy the oue." Izroth warned as he disappeared from view using Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to make his way back towards the members of Sacred Beasts. "Well, it was nice talking to you, too, handsome." Open Notes said to herself as she picked up the pouch of coins and ced it into her inventory. Then, without dy, she departed from the area. Chapter 565 - Goals Aligned

Chapter 565 - Goals Aligned

... Izroth regrouped with the yers from Sacred Beasts. By the time he returned, the barrier set by Meng Jiang was gone, and the party appeared in a healthier state after having recovered a bit. However, going from one high stakes situation right into another caused them to enter into a state of vignce. Nevertheless, the members of Sacred Beasts could not forget what they witnessed just moments ago. To say they underestimated Izroth was an understatement. They were amazed at how he breezed through an ambush of almost forty yers single-handedly! Even if those yers were not as strong as the elites from top guilds, it was still an impressive feat. After all, seeing how they had the strength to survive in this part of the Rosentarus jungle, there had to be some decent skill to their names. "I shouldn¡¯t have listened to my friends back then and chose warrior over thebat master ss. If I knewbat masters could get this strong, I would not have hesitated at the time." One of the Sacred Beasts yers sighed. "What are you talking about? Combat masters aren¡¯t that simple. Anyone can be one, but few can reach a level of usefulness. There¡¯s a reason it¡¯s considered a trash ss despite being the most powerful ss on paper." One Shot Brick exined. He then continued, "Most yers thinkbat masters are weak because the top guildsbeled it a trash ss. But, they misunderstood our reason for doing so. It¡¯s known as a trash ss because of the insane learning curve attached to it. Anyone can be a mage, warrior, or any other ss and get by for the most part with the system¡¯s guidance. But,bat masters have no such mercy from the system. Every gain has to be earned by their own hands. Therefore, while they have no theoretical,bat masters are too inconsistent and unpredictable. Pair that with having no skill tree to learn from, and you get a ss even the top guilds want nothing to do with." "He¡¯s right. Being abat master isn¡¯t all it¡¯s cut out to be. I have a few friends who picked it. The majority of them failed to learn a single skill, but a few were able to. However, the highest was a C-ranked skill¡ªthat they spent almost a week in-game time learning. Why go through the trouble when you can just choose a ss with a stable skill tree?" Bansheemented. "A week just for one C-ranked skill?!" The Sacred Beast yer eximed. After he heard that, he no longer regretted not choosing thebat master ss. If he had done so, there was no way he would have made it to the status of a Sacred Beasts core member. But that¡¯s when it dawned on him. If it took Banshee¡¯s friend a week to learn one C-ranked skill, what ridiculous amount of time did Mr. First ce spend learning so many high-ranked skills? However, how would the members of Sacred Beasts react if they found out that the majority of the skills Izroth disyed were not ones of his creation, but rather ones he acquired from skill books?! The entire time during the fight against the Failed Chimera and even in his battle against the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth had not revealed even 5% of the skills he created! "I didn¡¯t take you for the merciful type, Mr. First ce." Meng Jiang said as she approached Izroth alone upon his return. "Impressive summon. A skill?" Izroth stated as he nced over at Acogu¡¯An, who was resting on the ground near the other Sacred Beasts members. "Nothing so fancy. Just a basic sense of smell." Meng Jiang replied with a smile. Whatever was previously cloaking the Headhunter Syndicate yers¡¯ scent allowed them to get close without Acogu¡¯An noticing their presence. However, its effects had long since faded. Therefore, Meng Jiang was aware that Izroth let thest person from their attackers live due to Acogu¡¯An¡¯s great sense of smell. "I don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve chosen to let them escape, but I¡¯m sure there is a reason behind your action. That being said¡ªI assume you know the identity of our attackers, correct? You even seem to have some sort of personal history with them." Meng Jiang questioned as her gaze shed with a trace of sharpness. It was not over yet. Whoever those yers were, Meng Jiang wanted to make sure they knew the price of attacking and threatening her Sacred Beasts. "You can say we have a bit of history. Though if I were you, I would not waste my time chasing them¡ªsince I n to remove the Headhunter Syndicate from this event personally." Izroth stated. "The Headhunter Syndicate... My, how bold they¡¯ve be in recent times. They always had an aura of arrogance and recklessness. But, they understood who they could and could not afford to offend. After a bit of sess, they must view my Sacred Beasts as something they can trample on without consequence. Tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you be able to sit idle?" Meng Jiang asserted. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he responded, "No, I suppose not. What do you intend to do?" "Since our goals align, why not cooperate? If you¡¯vee this far from Amaharpe, you must be headed towards the Demilitarization Belt situated between Rosentarus and Tempest. You may be strong, but the Demilitarization Belt is chaotic and unpredictable. The control of territory is continually shifting, and there are multiple high-level NPCs present on both sides. I can help you avoid these troublesome obstacles." Meng Jiang exined. She then continued, "In return, all I ask is that we cooperate¡ªan alliance of sorts, if you will." Izroth put some thought into Meng Jiang¡¯s proposal. Initially, he nned to face the Headhunter Syndicate alone. However, after hearing about the state of the Demilitarization Belt, Izroth believed that perhaps having an extra hand would allow him to weave through many potential difficulties. Not to mention, Meng Jiang did not seem like the type to sit back and wait for someone else to take action for her. Regardless of whether or not he epted her invitation, Sacred Beasts would move against the Headhunter Syndicate. ¡¯If what she says is true, the coordinates given to me by Empyrean and Mariposa can change at any moment. If that happens, searching for their bases one by one would be too time-consuming.¡¯ In the end, Sleeping Gardenia was based in Amaharpe, not Rosentarus like Sacred Beasts. While they certainly had members present at the Demilitarization Belt, it did note close toparing with the number of yers Sacred Beasts had at its disposal. ¡¯Having another pair of eyes and ears could prove useful. I should make the most of it.¡¯ "It¡¯s not easy for one to be my ally, guild leader Meng Jiang. However, as our goals happen to align, there¡¯s no point knocking on the same door twice." Izroth said. Meng Jiang nodded, "Now that that¡¯s settled¡ªshall wepare notes while we head to the Demilitarization Belt? You and I have quite a few secrets, Mr. First ce." Aftering to an agreement, Meng Jiang informed Sacred Beasts of her decision over a voice call with its highest-ranking members present. Some were worried about the timing of Meng Jiang¡¯s decision; however, after hearing about the arrogance demonstrated by the Headhunter Syndicate, they were easily swayed. "We¡¯re moving out." Meng Jiangmanded as the yers from Sacred Beasts took the lead towards the Demilitarization Belt. Meanwhile, Meng Jiang kept a safe distance between the group as Izroth apanied her. "What we¡¯re about to discuss is highly sensitive; therefore, I gave the order for no one to disturb us. This way, we can both be at ease." Meng Jiang stated. "Oh? What¡¯s so sensitive that guild leader Meng Jiang does not trust her own guild members with the information?" Izroth questioned. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust them. Just that, I¡¯m confident you would not want them to hear our conversation." Meng Jiang corrected. She then continued, "Abat master who possesses 30+ skills¡ªfive of which are at S-rank or above, none of which are below C-ranked. In fact, the skills at C-rank number the smallest among your arsenal. You can imagine my surprise." Izroth narrowed his eyes and, at first, remained silent at Meng Jiang¡¯s words. ¡¯That feeling of being watched from earlier... So, it was her.¡¯ "You should know that I don¡¯t enjoy others peering at my secrets, guild leader Meng Jiang," Izroth stated coldly. "Then, to deepen the trust of our alliance¡ªhow about I let you in on a few secrets of my own, Mr. First ce?" Meng Jiang said as her lips curled into a delightful smile. Chapter 566 - The One Whos Never Known Fear, State of the Demilitarization Belt

Chapter 566 - The One Who''s Never Known Fear, State of the Demilitarization Belt

... ¡¯What is she up to?¡¯ Several moments passed as Izroth and Meng Jiang continued their conversation while on their way to the Demilitarization Belt. On the surface, there was nothing Izroth could fault about Meng Jiang. Just as she said, Meng Jiang exposed her own secrets to Izroth. This even included the knowledge that top guilds dreamt of acquiring¡ªhow to obtain and ride a mount! Of course, Meng Jiang also revealed how she used Acogu¡¯An¡¯s Complete Analysis skill to see through Izroth¡¯s abilities. However, despite her apparent openness, there was something unusual about Meng Jiang that Izroth found peculiar. As if reading Izroth¡¯s mind, Meng Jiang spoke out and said, "Do you find me disturbing, Mr. First ce? If so, you would not be the first to feel this way." "Disturbing? No. If I had to choose a word, I would say rash." Izrothmented. "Rash?" Meng Jiang giggled and replied, "Yes, I suppose it would seem that way to you." After a brief pause, she then continued, "You are not entirely incorrect. I heard that it is often considered taboo to speak of one¡¯s real life in-game. However, I will make an exception. You see, I was born with a certain condition that does not allow me to experience what others call fear." Meng Jiang exined with a smile. ¡¯Born without fear? There exists such a thing in this world?¡¯ If she spoke the truth, Izroth finally understood why Meng Jiang appeared so unsettling than others he had met in this world. No wonder she did not have a visible reaction to the pressure he often emitted to test her during their journey! But, Izroth was genuinely shocked. In the Seven Realms, there lived a race despised by the heavens who was born into the world without fear and never came to know of it. However, it was a trait unique to their race. Besides that particr race, everyone in the Seven Realms had fears, and thews of the world made sure of it. Even someone like Izroth, who reached the pinnacle of the cultivation world, was not without fears. Fears were an essential part of one¡¯s growth, especially to a cultivator. In the end, it was about oveing those fears, turning them into a strength, and transcending to a state where your fears no longer ruled over you, but you ruled over your fears. This was a crucial step to enter a certain cultivation realm in the Seven Realms. Therefore, for him to meet a human who¡¯s never known fear was surprisingly new for Izroth., Please click /book/realm-of-myths-and-legends_12377393706355105/the-one-who''s-never-known-fear-state-of-the-demilitarization-belt_50549457418249117 for visiting. This is not to say that Izroth never met any humans without fear; however, the ones he did meet had all trained to suppress or ovee their fears. None of them had simply been born that way. If Meng Jiang was truly born without fear, then... "You are an unfortunate soul, guild leader Meng Jiang, to have been born with such a great curse," Izroth said as he released a small sigh. Meng Jiang¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Izroth¡¯s words as she looked at him with an expression of disbelief. "Hm?" Izroth shifted his gaze to Meng Jiang. Meng Jiang snapped out of it. Soon, a dazzling smile returned to her lips. The aura around her had be more cheerful. "It¡¯s just that you are the first person to call it a curse. Many seem to think of it as a gift." Meng Jiang grinned. She then proceeded, "A normal person touches fire once and feels that it¡¯s hot. After that, they know not to touch the fire again, or it will burn them. I, on the other hand, would not fear the fire nor the pain that apanies it¡ªno matter how many times I reach out. Themon sense thates naturally to others is something I¡¯ve had to spend years training myself to learn." "Ah, I have not told this to many people. Be sure to keep it a secret for me, okay?" Meng Jiang yfully winked at Izroth. Izroth was still uncertain whether or not Meng Jiang could be trusted. At the very least, her words and actions came off as genuine. Nevertheless, a person who has never experienced fear was dangerous in more ways than one. As for if Meng Jiang was trustworthy¡ªonly time would tell. "It would seem that now we both have secrets to keep," Izroth responded calmly. ... Approximately one hourter... ¡¯So, this is one of the main battlefields of the war¡ªthe Demilitarization Belt.¡¯ Using Sky Steps, Izroth stood in the air outside the heavily jungled area of Rosentarus. There he saw a wide stretch ofnd that cut in between Rosentarus and Tempest¡¯s borders in the distance. Its length spanned further than Izroth could see, and from above, thend resembled a belt. Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense at its maximum range to get a decent understanding of things; however, there were several areas blocked out by powerful magic. ¡¯My Energy Vision Sense is unable to see through certain ces. They must be the vital points of both sides. It appears everything is just as chaotic as she described.¡¯ Izroth promptly deactivated his Energy Vision Sense and descended from the sky. After arriving at the Demilitarization Belt¡¯s outer edge, Izroth and Meng Jiang went their separate ways. Along their journey, the two discussed various topics, including the first batch of materials that would be purchased from Sacred Beasts by the Mystical Realm Pce. However, before Meng Jiang took her leave, she requested that Izroth temporarily hold off his attack against the Headhunter Syndicate. She exined that if heunched his assault now, then the Headhunter Syndicate would be on full alert. This would make it increasingly difficult for Sacred Beasts to do their part correctly. Therefore, Izroth decided to stay his hand¡ªat least, for the next two days. ¡¯I agreed to wait a couple of days before I make my move, but that does not mean I will sit back and do nothing.¡¯ The Demilitarization Belt was on a different scalepared to the Unsanctioned Zone. Although it was located at the Rosentarus and Tempest border, almost every kingdom had a General ranked individual present. These Generalsmanded a Legion, and each of them had several strong Commanders under their wings. ording to Meng Jiang, the allied Generals consisted of individuals from Amaharpe, Proximus, Rosentarus, and Pzenium. When it came to the enemy side with existences equivalent to that of a General, they were from Tempest, Malentansium, and Pzenium. How was it that Pzenium could be on both sides at once? Apparently, the kingdom¡¯s Grand Sovereign, the highest-ranking person in Pzenium, fell ill shortly after a gathering with the kingdom¡¯s Great Dukes. No one outside Pzenium knew the whole story; however, the Grand Sovereign had slipped into a deep slumber. With no leader to choose an official side for the war, in just a handful of days, the kingdom of Pzenium underwent tremendous internal strife led by the various Great Dukes in their grab for power. In the end, those from the Pzenium kingdom acted as mercenaries for hire¡ªwielding their des in the name of the highest bidder. Of course, this was all secondhand information Izroth obtained from Meng Jiang, who, in turn, acquired it from some of her guild members in the War Intelligence Group. But, the evidence was consistent and too borate to be a lie. A few momentster, after giving it some thought, Izroth determined his next step. ¡¯Since I¡¯m already here, I might as well collect some contribution points.¡¯ The Demilitarization Belt was at the center of the action. In other words, it was bound to have arge variety of numerous war objectives avable! However, Izroth possessed two massive advantages over other yers in the Demilitarization Belt. The first was that his movements were not restricted due to his status as a General Support Unit member. The second¡ªhe was a Captain! The majority of yers were still struggling to climb out of the Soldier rank to be a Squad Leader. This meant that the war objectives they could ept were limited. Izroth, on the other hand, practically had a monopoly on every war objective that required the Lieutenant or Captain rank to ept¡ªhe nned to take full advantage of this! ¡¯Who knows? I may even bump into some yers from the Headhunter Syndicate along the way. identally, of course.¡¯ With that thought, Izroth journeyed into the Demilitarization Belt, unaware at the time that his presence there would soon give birth to an epithet that struck fear into its enemies at the Demilitarization Belt. Chapter 567 - Frontlines

Chapter 567 - Frontlines

... The next day... Somewhere on the frontlines of the Demilitarization Belt..., "Charge!" Arge scar covered muscr man outfitted in red and golden armormanded as he sat on the back of a sturdy warhorse. At a nce, one could tell that this man was one who had endured countless battles, and his title as a Commander of Amaharpe¡¯s War Brigade confirmed it. NPC Name: War Brigade 5th Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Dogma(Rare) NPC Level: ??? Commander Dogma pointed the crimson spear in his hand forward as the vanguard led the charge towards the enemy forces. So far, the War Brigade held the upper hand on the battlefield. They continuously gained ground against Tempest and their coborators within the Demilitarization Belt, forcing them closer to Tempest territory. But, after experiencing numerous battles, Dogma felt that something was off about how easily the War Brigade could advance into the Demilitarization Belt. "I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like it one bit." Dogma grumbled. "You¡¯re worrying too much, Dogma. Keep that up, and you¡¯ll start to sound like our Legion¡¯s 2nd Unit Commander. The years of peace have made the kingdom of Tempest weak. Since it¡¯s daytime, those Skounae from Malentansium are forced to limit their movements and conserve their strength. The only real threat is the Pzenium warriors, but even they are incapable of fighting against these odds. Not to mention, their presence on the battlefield has been nonexistent." A cloaked man with an ancient hardcovered book floating before himmented as he hovered in the air next to Dogma with his legs folded. This man was also a Commander of Amaharpe¡¯s War Brigade called Enigma. NPC Name: War Brigade 3rd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Enigma(Rare) NPC Level: ??? "Too much caution is a bad thing, but too little can lead to a swift death. You know this better than anyone, Enigma. Besides, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard about what happened near the Unsanctioned Zone. The information surrounding what transpired may be restricted, but if Commander Aurie was forced to use her Domain, the enemy must¡¯ve been noughing matter. If an enemy that powerful can appear in an out of the way ce like the Unsanctioned Zone, then we cannot afford to lower our guard until we secure every corner of the Demilitarization Belt." Dogma stated as he carefully swept his gaze over the battlefield. "You¡¯re no fun," Enigma replied disappointingly. "War isn¡¯t fun." Dogma asserted without hesitation. As time went on, the War Brigade overwhelmed the Tempest kingdom¡¯s forces. The battle was entirely one-sided. It was not a war but a massacre! "Hm?" One of the War Brigade troops looked down at their feet as they felt a chilling numbness. But, the bizarre part was not the icy sensation that washed over him. Corrupted energy emerged from the fallen Tempest soldier¡¯s body that was just in at the War Brigade troop¡¯s hands. This energy slithered on the ground in the direction of the Tempest border as the Tempest soldier¡¯s body rapidly decayed and turned to dust. However, this was not a rare urrence as a simr incident transpired everywhere on the battlefield. Suddenly, hundreds or possibly even thousands of fallen Tempest troops released an identical type of corrupted energy before withering into ashes. This phenomenon did not bode well for Dogma as he immediately signaled his troops to fall back and regroup. "Don¡¯t pursue! Fall back! Stay in formation and reform the vanguard, then await my orders!" Dogmamanded. "Aren¡¯t you being too cautious today? This can be our only chance to dominate the Demilitarization Belt once and for all without much effort." Enigma stated. "You don¡¯t find it strange?" Dogma questioned. "That energy? How easy this all turned out to be? Of course, something¡¯s definitely off. But, that¡¯s all the more reason to-" As Enigma spoke, he was abruptly interrupted by one of the Captains under hismand. NPC Name: War Brigade 7th Division Captain of the 3rd Unit Talon(Elite) NPC Level: 54 "Reporting! A group of mages have appeared at the edge of Tempest borders! We¡¯ve tried to prate their defenses, but a powerful barrier is obstructing our efforts! The corrupted energy also seems to be converging at their location!" Talon stated. "Whenever a bunch of mages get together and start chanting, nothing good usuallyes of it. I¡¯m going to check it out." Dogma said as he urged his warhorse forward and raced to the Tempest border. Enigma saw that Talon had not yet left back to his post and noticed the Captain¡¯s hesitant expression. "Do you have something else you want to report, Captain?" Enigma questioned. "Commander¡ªsir, I could be wrong, but... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Tempest soldiers we¡¯re fighting. In fact, speaking from firsthand experience, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re fighting any kind of soldiers." Talon noted as he furrowed his brows. "Exin." Enigma inquired. "If I had to give an example, it¡¯s almost as if arge collection of people were given weapons and basic armor then tossed onto the battlefield with no prior training. Sir, after all the battles I¡¯ve fought, every bone in my body is telling me that something is wrong. These people, I don¡¯t know what or who they are, but they are not soldiers. It was like fighting a mindless doll just waiting to be ughtered." Talon exined as he tried to hide his difort. "Corrupted energy, mindless dolls, mages... It can¡¯t be..." Before Enigma, the ancient hardcovered book flipped open as a purple aura appeared around one of the fallen Tempest soldiers who had yet to decay. With a wave of his hand, the helmet on the soldier was flung off, and what revealed itself was the ck marking of a winged serpent devouring its own tail on the soldier¡¯s forehead. When Enigma saw this mark, although one could not see it behind his cloak, his facial expression darkened. "This person is no soldier...! They have been put under a vile mind control spell. But, this type of weak spellbinding would only be effective against ordinary people. Why would Tempest go this far? What¡¯s the point?" Enigma scowled. The war had just begun; however, Tempest was already using such detestable means as if they were backed into a corner without escape. Enigma did not understand what made them so merciless as to willingly sacrifice the lives of more than a thousand ordinary people. "Wait, ordinary people...! A thousand hands unstained with blood have fallen by the sword¡ªthose insane fools are using a blood sacrifice gateway spell!" Enigma finally pieced everything together. Without hesitation, he shot forward at great speeds. He had to warn Dogma and stop the gateway spell before it wasplete! "If they are creating a Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands, whatever or whoever they are trying to bring here is-!" Out of nowhere, an ear-ringing explosion echoed throughout the battlefield. The shockwave generated by this explosion traveled for tens of kilometers in every direction and could be felt well past the edge of the Demilitarization Belt. BOOOOOOM! Woooosh! Enigma arrived next to Dogma, who had just sessfully shattered the barrier protecting the mages. However, Enigma¡¯s expression did not bode well. The mages Talon mentioned were sprawled out unconscious on the ground. However, there was a dark red puddle of unnaturally thick liquidid under their bodies. When Enigma witnessed this sight, he knew that his worst fears hade to pass. "No, I¡¯m toote...!" Enigma eximed. "Enigma? Why did youe here? I have everything under contr-" All of a sudden, a massive dark red hand with sharp ws at its fingertips covered Dogma¡¯s entire head. "Mmf!" Dogma¡¯s muscles bulked up as he grabbed onto the hand and struggled to break free. "Release him!" Enigma chanted a few words as ten deadly purple magic missiles soared through the air and collided with the unknown creature¡¯s wrist. However, to Enigma¡¯s bewilderment, his attack had no effect! "Ahhh... The fresh stench of death and the blood of mortals. If I remember correctly, the time in our realm flows ten times faster than that of the Mortal Realm. How long has it been? 300 years? A thousand? I¡¯ve lost count." A deep and cold voice sounded as a figure rose from the dark red puddle¡ªits height easily reaching four meters. The liquid fell from its body and revealed a creature with dark red skin, piercing crimson eyes, and sharp teeth that filled row upon row of its mouth. Name: (Unshackled)Commander Ekquilore(Epic Event Boss) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) "I shall pave the way for your inevitable release, Lord Syxirius." Commander Ekquilore said as a devilish smile appeared on his face, and the look in his eyes disyed a restless bloodl.u.s.t. Chapter 568 - Sword & Shield Part(1/4)

Chapter 568 - Sword & Shield Part(1/4)

... Approximately 15 minutes earlier... ¡¯This should be the ce. Have they not arrived yet?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was waiting at the coordinates near a small hill to meet with a certain individual who had unexpectedly contacted him a couple of hours ago. Izroth had spent thest day, or rather three days in-game time, epting andpleting multiple war objectives. During the process, he gained nearly 300 contribution points! This was mostly due to the advantage of his Captain rank and his ability to ept higher rewarding war objectives. Izroth did not realize how fortunate he was when it came to his previous methods of acquiring contribution points. Unfortunately, destroying a city¡¯s magic grid and wiping out its entire poption was not something that could be done on a whim. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth nced to his left side as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching his position. "You¡¯re early. If I had known you were already here, I would not have wasted time stopping off by the outpost first." A familiar voice sounded. "I just arrived. Your timing could not have been better ced." Izroth replied. He then continued, "I have to say your message was an unexpected one, Captain Niflheim." Niflheim shook his head and said, "It¡¯s just Niflheim, now. Though if we are going by our event ranks, then I suppose 10-man Squad Leader Niflheim would be my official title. Too much of a mouthful if you ask me." A couple of hours ago, Niflheim contacted Izroth out of the blue with a request, which Izroth ultimately epted. At the time of his message, Niflheim could not pull away from his responsibilities as a 10-man Squad Leader. But, after two hours, he was finally able to move freely¡ªat least for a few hours or so. "To be truthful, I¡¯m surprised you epted my sudden request. Thest time we met face to face, we didn¡¯t exactly part ways under desirable circ.u.mstances." Niflheim stated. "You had a debt, and to that debt, you have already repaid, Niflheim," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Izroth did not me Niflheim for Blue Oasis¡¯ decision back at the Great Sea Pce raid. In the end, it was up to the guild leader of Blue Oasis, Asgard, and despite the theatrics, he made his choice clear. "Besides, the task you mentioned sounded quite intriguing. I¡¯m just curious as to why you chose me to share it with." Izroth mentioned. Niflheim sighed, "Those I know who meet the requirements for it are all a part of Blue Oasis, and those who aren¡¯t from Blue Oasis are too unpredictable or cannot be fully trusted. Since I have cut ties with my former guild, naturally, I cannot ask for their assistance. You, on the other hand, more than meet the requirements and can be taken at your word." He then continued, "I gave you the rough rundown over chat. But, nothing beats seeing it for yourself in person. Follow me." Niflheim led the way into a nearby damp, narrow cave located at a hard to find point by the foot of the small hill. From the outside, the cave itself did not seem that big; however, the further inside one traveled, the more they realized just how deep this cave ran underground. Izroth followed Niflheim, and the two soon came before a dead end¡ªat least, on the surface. "I stumbled upon this ce by chance when I was first assigned this hill area to investigate with my squad toplete a war objective. Since I¡¯m the only one from my squad who knows of its existence, I decided to leave the information out of my report. After all, this ce has nothing to do with either side." Niflheim said as he unequipped his weapon and shield. "For this part, you¡¯ll need to unequip your weapon." Niflheim stepped forward, and the moment he did so, he passed right through the wall! ¡¯This is one of the ck spots I observed using my Energy Vision Sense when I first reached the Demilitarization Belt. I thought they were all the work of one of the two sides, but it seems hidden areas like this are also a cause. Interesting.¡¯ Izroth unequipped his Sword of The Storm and walked forward. Just like Niflheim, he also moved through the cave¡¯s wall, and the scenery around him instantly changed when he arrived on the other side. ¡´System Alert: You have received the quest ?Resseki & Kiren¡¯s Challenge: Sword & Shield?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your stats have been temporarily adjusted!¡µ ¡´System Alert: HP Regeneration and use of inventory have been temporarily disabled!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The cooldown on all your skills have been refreshed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Certain skills have been temporarily disabled!¡µ Instantly after he walked into the room, Izroth received some alerts from the system regarding a quest along with a few limitations to his stats and skills. Of course, Niflheim had already exined this part to him when they spoke via chat. Name: Izroth ... [HP(Hit Points): 3/3] [Adjusted] [Energy: 500] [Adjusted] [MP: 10,000] [Adjusted] [Attack: 1] [Adjusted] [Defense: 0] [Adjusted] [Agility: 1,000] [Adjusted] [Magic: 1] [Adjusted] ... ¡¯A strange adjustment. My mana and energy have increased, but everything else has dropped drastically. Most of my non-sword skills have been grayed out and cannot be utilized. However, the biggest problem is that the amount of HP and defense provided are a bit concerning.¡¯ Izroth swept his gaze throughout the room and examined every corner of his new environment. ¡¯No one would guess such a structure was secretly hiding away underneath a small hill in the Demilitarization Belt.¡¯ The room was shaped like a giant oval with white concrete walls that spanned upward nearly fifty meters and went across fifteen meters in diameters. There were gray tiles that covered the entire floor, and in the near distance, an ordinary steel sword and in metal shield hovered a few centimeters off the ground at the room¡¯s center. As he made his way towards the center of the room, Izroth swiftly read over the new entry in his quest logs. Quest Name: Resseki & Kiren¡¯s Challenge: Sword & Shield Rmended Level: None Rmended Party Size: 2 Quest Rank: Unique* Quest Requirement(s): -Must have exactly two party members to participate. -One party member must wield only a sword. -One party member must wield only a shield. Quest Objective: He who wields the sword can only attack, never defend. He who holds the shield can only defend, never attack. Attack and Defend for as long as possible. The longer you survive and the higher your score, the better rewards you will receive uponpletion. (Must survive a minimum of 10 minutes, or this quest will be considered an automatic fail.) Time Limit: None 0/1 Survive as long as possible. Reward: -x1 ?Resseki¡¯s wless Armament? (Sword User Only) -x1 ?Kiren¡¯s Perfect Guardna? (Shield User Only) -??? (Determined By Score Achieved) Failure: -Resseki & Kiren¡¯s challenge is destroyed and can no longer be attempted by anyone. Special Note: This quest is automatically assigned to a max of 2 yers upon entry. All requirements must be met for yers to begin the quest. ¡¯A game of survival where the score influences the reward.¡¯ Izroth reached the center of the room where Niflheim was already standing in front of the metal shield. As for Izroth, he, of course, stood before the steel sword. "I¡¯ll tell you now; I have no idea what to expect. Nevertheless, once we pick up this sword and shield, there will be no choice but for us to depend on one another to survive." Niflheim stated as he took the metal shield into his hands. "Life is often full of the unforeseen. One can only adapt or perish." Izroth grabbed the hilt of the steel sword. Rmmmmmble! Four passageways opened at the north, south, east, and west sections of the room. ¡´System Alert: ?Resseki & Kiren¡¯s Challenge: Sword & Shield? hasmenced! Starting timer...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Challenge difficulty has been set to x1!¡µ nk. nk. nk. "Something¡¯sing," Niflheim warned. The sound of rattling wood could be hearding from the other side of the passageways. A few momentster, four human-like wooden training dolls emerged¡ªone from each recently opened passage. The north wooden doll held a ymore, the south a dagger, the east a saber, and the west a standard steel sword. "Wee, challengers of the sword and shield. My name is Resseki." A voice rang out. "If you¡¯ve discovered this ce and can hear my voice, then my brother Kiren and I have departed from this world. Before we journeyed to explore the Danger Lands, we decided to leave behind a piece of ourselves in case we never return. But, we won¡¯t hand over our inheritance to just anyone who stumbles upon this ce." The voice of Resseki sounded. Chapter 569 - Sword & Shield Part(2/4)

Chapter 569 - Sword & Shield Part(2/4)

"Did someone leave behind a recording?" Niflheim questioned as he kept his eyes on the wooden training dolls. They had not made any other movement since they stepped out of the passage. Instead, the wooden dolls stood there motionless as if awaiting orders. "A simple recording is not too unlikely. This ce contains an intricateyout of magic formations I¡¯ve never seen before. There¡¯s a mechanical element that should not exist beside the magic in this room, yet it does. Those wooden dolls seem to run on a simr principle. Whoever these brothers were when they were alive, their identity was not simple if they could create a ce like this on a whim." Izroth answered. "You can tell all of that just by looking around? A skill like that muste in handy quite often." Niflheim said. But, he knew that it was more than just a skill Izroth relied on. To pinpoint the things he did required one to have some knowledge of the subject. Niflheim believed that, without a doubt, Izroth had done his research somewhere. As for Izroth, he was more curious about the Danger Lands Resseki brought up. If those brothers perished in the Danger Lands, it must have been a ce full of powerful threats. Of course, such a ce could have long since ceased to exist, seeing how Izroth did not know how long this room had been here. ¡¯If this room was casually thrown together, the two brothers must have been legendary figures¡ªor at least close to bing one. The wooden dolls function in the same way as a magic item, but there are novel differences between them that¡¯s enough to separate them into their own categories. Also, that power source in its chest...¡¯ Inside the wooden dolls¡¯ chest area, covered by a thin protectiveyer, was an item Izroth instantly recognized¡ªa magic core! But, it was not just any magic core. The amount of magic energy it gave off was equal to that of the Advanced Magic Core Izroth acquired from the Blood Moon! ¡¯These things are powered by Advanced Magic Cores. If possible, I¡¯d like to take one back intact to the Mystical Realm Pce. If given time, I¡¯m sure those two will obtain something useful from studying it.¡¯ Izroth felt that this area of research was best left to Valentine and Gu Chao. Even though Gu Chao was shameless at times, when it came to being a cksmith and items that interested him, he turned into apletely different person. When it came to Valentine, his interest in this type of umon or lost magic did not need to be spoken for. "Those who wish to gain our inheritance must first pass our challenge. Though we brothers are not too unreasonable. Since you have discovered this ce, it can only mean that youring here was fated to happen. That¡¯s why we will give you an opportunity. Ten minutes. If the two of you can survive for ten minutes, then you will each receive one item that belonged to us brothers. You will also be allowed to leave this room and forfeit the rest of the challenge while keeping your price. Of course, this also means that our true inheritance will be lost forever. But, it is better to be lost forever to time than in the hands of the unworthy." Resseki¡¯s voice sounded. "However, should the two of you decide to stay and proceed, you will have earned the right to continue the challenge and obtain our true inheritance that we left behind in this room. Think carefully before you decide. For once you make your decision, there is no turning back." Resseki¡¯s voice faded away as hisst few words reverberated throughout the room. At the same time, the eyes of the wooden dolls lit up as their focus turned to Izroth alone. "Well, you heard him. What do you want to do? Should we turn back and give up because it¡¯s too dangerous?" Niflheim asked with a smirk as he took a defensive stance. "I believe you already know my answer," Izroth responded as the wooden dolls began their charge towards him, the fastest of which was the one wielding a dagger. Izroth lifted his steel sword and took up a sword stance of simplicity. Woosh! The dagger wooden doll swung its weapon with a great deal of precision and speed at Izroth. There was no hesitation or second-guessing behind its movements as it struck. However, Izroth remained unmoved in the face of the attack. Bang! Out of nowhere, a metal shield appeared in front of Izroth and blocked the iing dagger. "I figured you would say that," Niflheim said as he sessfully intercepted the blow. Upon failing its attack, the dagger wooden doll momentarily staggered. Seeing this, Niflheim immediately ducked, and right as he did so, a steel de brushed just over his head. Swish! Crrrrck! Izroth cleanly sliced the wooden doll in half sideways as his steel sword cut through it with ease. nk. nk. The glow in the wooden dolls¡¯ eyes went dim as it broke into various pieces and turned into a pile of wood on the ground. ¡´System Alert: You have defeated a Stage 0 Training Puppet!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your score has increased by +1! [Score: 1]¡µ ¡¯It fell easier than I expected. Though it¡¯s not too surprising considering its stage. However, I shouldn¡¯t let my guard down. Something tells me these things are only here to wee us.¡¯ As for Niflheim¡¯s timely reaction and follow up¡ªit did not surprise Izroth. He had seen firsthand what Niflheim could do during the Great Sea Pce raid. Not to mention, Niflheim was acknowledged as one of the best tanks in RML, and it was not without reason. His technique, gaming sense, and perfect positioning were all top tier among his peers. ¡¯Let¡¯s see how well you keep up.¡¯ Izroth shifted his sword stance to the more offensive first sword form and kicked off his back foot, elerating towards the nearest saber training puppet. The saber training puppet thrust its saber towards Izroth, who leaned to the side and evaded the strike. In the same breath, Izroth swung his steel sword upward and shed through the saber training puppet in one stroke! nk. nk. Swoosh! Suddenly, the steel sword training puppet arrived behind Izroth and viciously swept its weapon down with a mighty force at his back. Bang! Niflheim blocked the steel sword and swiftly stomped his right foot to dash off to the side. At the same time, Izroth spun around half a circle as the de in his hands severed the steel sword training puppet¡¯s head from its body. ¡´System Alert: You have defeated a Stage 0 Training Puppet!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your score has increased by +1! [Score: 3]¡µ ¡¯Not bad.¡¯ Niflheim matched Izroth¡¯s timing wlessly! Every time he blocked, he would instantly move off to a different angle to allow Izroth to strike without being interrupted. Thest to approach Izroth was the ymore training puppet. Its speed was the slowest among the wooden dolls; however, the ymore in its hands looked as if it held the highest attack power out of the four training puppets. Unfortunately for the ymore training puppet, its mobility was toocking. Even with his agility limited, Izroth could outmaneuver the ymore training puppet effortlessly and swiftly struck it down. ¡´System Alert: You have defeated a Stage 0 Training Puppet!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your score has increased by +1! [Score: 4]¡µ ¡´System Alert: All Stage 0 enemies have been eliminated! [Time: 0 Minute(s) 13 second(s)]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Time remaining until Stage 1 enemies spawn: 17 seconds!¡µ "Assuming a higher stage group of enemies spawn every thirty seconds, we may have to face Stage 19 enemies to reach the ten-minute mark. The difficulty will undoubtedly spike as time goes on. But, the main problem is the recording of Resseki never specified how many points or how long we have to survive to receive what they left buried here. We could use more details, but my gut is telling me we¡¯re not going to get them." Niflheimmented. "Your gut is probably not wrong. However, it makes no difference. Our goal is to survive as long as possible, and I intend to do just that." Izroth stated. In truth, Izroth was not interested in the inheritance left behind by Resseki and Kiren, but more so in the training puppets. In fact, he even hoped that the difficulty would rise! ¡¯This is perfect. Not only is this room good for refining my current sword forms, but if I can use this opportunity to learn the final two, I can finallyplete the Way of the Heavenly Sword. Only at that point can I ess the full potential of my sword forms.¡¯ Chapter 570 - Sword & Shield Part(3/4)

Chapter 570 - Sword & Shield Part(3/4)

Seventeen seconds swiftly went by as the four passageways opened once again. ¡´System Alert: Stage 1 Training Puppets are spawning!¡µ Just likest time, a total of four training puppets appeared. Their weapons did not change, nor did their appearance. However, the Stage 1 training puppets¡¯ movements were slightly above the Stage 0 training puppets in terms ofbat experience. Nevertheless, it was not enough to influence the end result. Izroth and Niflheim made quick work of the Stage 1 training puppets. This time, they were even faster, destroying the wooden dolls in a mere 11 seconds¡ªtwo seconds less than their previous battle. ¡´System Alert: All Stage 1 enemies have been eliminated! [Time: 0 Minute(s) 41 second(s)]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Time remaining until Stage 2 enemies spawn: 19 seconds!¡µ Briefly, after the alerts sounded and the seconds ticked by, the Stage 2 enemies spawned and were promptly defeated. During this wave of enemies, Izroth made an important discovery. The quest was not kidding when it mentioned the sword could only attack, and the shield can only defend. Izroth attempted to parry one of the training puppets¡¯ iing strikes, but it passed through his steel sword as if it was not even there! Though the fact that his Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway was one of the skills disabled by the room, Izroth expected it would turn out like this. Still, not being able to do something as simple as parrying a strike was bothersome. Luckily, the training puppet¡¯s mobility was limited, so he did not have any trouble evading its attack at thest second. Izroth and Niflheim breezed through the first few stages of enemies with little change to the amount of time it took to eliminate them. Each stage seemed only to spawn a total of four training puppets with the same weapons in hand. It was not until they reached Stage 11 enemies that they started to see a noticeable change to the training puppets. ¡´System Alert: Stage 11 Training Puppets are spawning!¡µ When the Stage 11 training puppets stepped out of the passageway, their appearance had undergone a transformation. The training puppets were no longer made of wood-like material. Instead, they were shiny silver in color, and their bodies seemed to be created from an unusual metallic alloy. In addition, the new training puppets took on a more humanoid form. While they still did not resemble humans in an exact sense, their limbs were much closer to real humans than that of the wooden dolls. "It¡¯s unfortunate that taunt-type skills have no effect against these puppets. Though it seems like things are about to get interesting. I guess that the weing party is over." Niflheim stated. "That being said¡ªyou noticed it too, right?" Niflheim spoke with a thoughtful expression. "Yes. Although it¡¯s slow, these things are learning our movements and starting to adapt to our skillset." Izroth replied. ¡¯The Magic Core that powers these metal training puppets contains even more energy than an Advanced Magic Core. Are they receiving their energy from a High-Grade Magic Core?¡¯ A High-Grade Magic Core was one step above an Advanced Magic Core. But, in terms of energy output, the two were nowhere on the same level. If Izroth had to make a rough guess, he estimated that the High-Grade Magic Core generated at least four times more magical energy than an Advanced Magic Core! To put it into perspective, it was enough to fully charge Izroth¡¯s Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels and still have plenty of magical energy to spare! ¡¯If Stage 11 training puppets require a High-Grade Magic Core to operate, does that mean the higher stages will have training puppets using Exceptional Magic Cores, or perhaps even Heart of Magics?¡¯ Now, this room caught Izroth¡¯s attention even more so than before. If he could walk away from this ce with an intact Heart of Magic, the benefits would be huge! That alone would make this trip worth it. "A battle is not always about might versus might. There are some enemies you will not be able to overpower with brute force alone. Then, how do you ovee these enemies? Your technique, your environment, and more important than anything¡ªyour mind. You must learn to use these threeponents in unison and to your advantage." A voice rang throughout the room. This voice differed from Resseki¡¯s outgoing and headstrong tone. There was a soft undertone to it with a certain level of calmness. "I am called Kiren, and whether you remember or forget this name of mine is irrelevant. But, no matter what transpires, may you never disregard the words I have spoken to you on this day¡ªthis is my only advice to you." Kiren¡¯s voice echoed before fading. The moment that final word left Kiren¡¯s mouth, the earth beneath Izroth and Niflheim¡¯s feet trembled, and in the blink of an eye, the room underwent a few alterations. There were small puddles of liquid on the ground scattered throughout various sections of the room, along with patches of grass. Then, something unexpected happened to the metal training puppets. As Izroth was analyzing them with his Energy Vision Sense, the metal training puppets disappeared into thin air! ¡¯Oh? Something¡¯s shielding their magic energy.¡¯ Since the training puppets were not alive, his Energy Vision Sense could not see through their disappearance. After all, it relied heavily upon the energy in a person¡¯s body to function properly. Having no energy or lifeforce to sense, Izroth turned to his natural sense of perception to locate the metal training puppets. "A stealth skill?" The metal shield in Niflheim¡¯s hands released a radiant light. "Assimted Shield: Radiant Illumination. Reveal all that¡¯s hidden before me!" The metal shield morphed its shape to match that of a golden and purple buckler. The radiant light soon receded into Niflheim¡¯s shield. Simultaneously, four humanoid outlines moving towards Izroth were exposed! The metal training puppets were indeed using a stealth skill and were still technically invisible. However, Niflheim¡¯s Assimted Shield: Radiant Illumination ced an outline around invisible targets within his range. The higher ranked the stealth skill, the thinner the outline that formed, and right now, the outline was extremely challenging to make out. "The effects of this shield won¡¯tst for long. Let¡¯s hope every future stage doesn¡¯t involve stealth training puppets. The cooldown to this shield isn¡¯t high, but it¡¯s certainly not low enough to be avable for every new batch of training puppets that spawn." Niflheim stated. "There is more than one way to face a foe that you cannot see. The environment has been modified withmonly found details for a reason. Once you understand that point, it simply bes a matter of execution." Izroth exined as he lowered his steel sword to his side. Niflheim silently listened to Izroth¡¯s words as he observed one of the metal training puppets. However, rather than observe with his eyes, he did so with his ears. As he concentrated on the sound element, Niflheim heard the light footsteps sshing in the puddles and shuffling through the grass. Then, when he examined the area with his gaze, Niflheim saw tiny fluctuations in a puddle from being stepped in, as well as an impression left behind on the surface of a grass area. "Indeed, one does not always need to see something to know it¡¯s there..." Niflheim muttered to himself as he came to a sudden realization. ¡¯He picked it up faster than I anticipated.¡¯ Izroth discovered that most of the yers in RML, including those in the top guilds, shared amon trait¡ªthey relied too much on skills or the effects of items. That was not to say that using skills or items was a bad thing; after all, never doing so would be considered foolish and unreasonable. However, certain things did not require such a heavy-handed method. Of course, while it seemed simple, in reality, it was not easy for someone to use every one of their senses at all times. But, if a person could learn to regrly utilize all their senses simultaneously, their overallbat power would grow exponentially! As the metal training puppets closed in on their location, the tip of Izroth¡¯s steel sword made contact with the ground. At the same time, a perfect circle formed in the earth around Izroth as a rippling effect appeared in several of the liquid puddles close to him. But, these ripples were not caused by the training puppets. The ripples soon came to an abrupt halt, and the circle in the earth disappeared as nothing happened¡ªthis caused Izroth to inwardly frown. ¡¯It¡¯s still no good?¡¯ Chapter 571 - Sword & Shield Part(4/4)

Chapter 571 - Sword & Shield Part(4/4)

At the moment, Izroth was attempting toplete his ninth sword form. But, for some reason, the system was not registering the skill. Even more bizarre was the fact that Izroth could see faint signs of the sword form¡¯s influence manifesting around him. ¡¯Is there something I¡¯m missing..? No, there are no ws in my movements. Then, what is it?¡¯ Izroth sidestepped to evade the dagger training puppet¡¯s piercing strike and instantly counterattacked with Sword Counter, one of the two effects of his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave. Ding! Izroth¡¯s steel sword connected to the dagger training puppet; however, it felt like his de had just struck something indestructible as it bounced off the metallic puppet¡¯s body. ¡¯What kind of material is this?¡¯ As it inflicted damage to its opponent, Izroth¡¯s Sword Counter ignored all defenses. Therefore, no matter how great the metal training puppet¡¯s defensive capabilities, the steel sword should have cut through it with rtive ease. Woosh! Bang! At the same time, Niflheim charged into position and deflected the sword training puppet¡¯s de with his buckler. "There¡¯s more force behind their attacks now. It¡¯s a good thing that blocking in this ce absorbs 100% of the damage instead of the usual 50%." Niflheim said. His arm with the buckler attached to it trembled as a result of defending against the sword training puppet¡¯s attack. Niflheim had blocked attacks from yers, elite monsters, boss monsters¡ªeven some NPCs. However, none of thempared to the sword strike he just received from the metal training puppet. One attack was enough to make his arm go numb! Although the numbness onlysted for a split second, if every attack were simr to thest, blocking consecutive blows would be a towering task. It was just a one stage difference, but the difficulty level of the challenge had risen severalfold! Despite the sudden spike in difficulty, Izroth and Niflheim held their ground as they adapted to the metal training puppets; however, no matter which angle or spot Izroth hit the training puppets, they refused to fall! They simply brushed off every attack as though he were striking them with a stick made of soft feathers. Even his First Baneful Sword: Destruction could not prate the puppet¡¯s defenses. It was at that point Izroth realized that something was off. While he did not know them personally, Resseki and Kiren did not seem like the type of people to leave behind an impossible challenge. Could it be that he and Niflheim were too weak to attempt this challenge? Izroth found this to be highly improbable. Izroth was confident in his sword skills, and Niflheim was one of the best tanks and overall yers in RML. Not to mention, Resseki and Kiren appeared to care more for one¡¯s natural talents than their general strength. Otherwise, why would there be a restriction in this ce that disabled specific skills, limited one¡¯s stats, and forced the participants to use certain equipment provided by the brothers? Every restriction was a clear indication of what Resseki and Kiren were searching for in who they wanted to hand their inheritance to. ¡¯What am I overlooking?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Stage 12 Training Puppets are spawning!¡µ As that thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, the next wave of metal training puppets arrived on the battlefield. Unlike the Stage 11 training puppets, they remained visible. However, the gate that usually spawned the saber training puppet produced a bow training puppet in its ce. Now, there were a total of eight metal training puppets on the field, and to make matters worse, one of them couldunch ranged attacks! "We have to think of something fast," Niflheim said as he retreated to Izroth¡¯s side. The shield in his hands had returned to its original state as his Assited Shield wore off a while ago. Izroth thought back to Kiren¡¯s words. He knew that he was overlooking something, and the moment he recalled what Kiren said, it suddenly dawned on him. Ssh...! ¡¯Not everything can be overpowered with brute force alone. Your technique, your environment, and your mind¡ªI see.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s gaze locked onto one of the visible metal training puppets as they stepped into a puddle of liquid. At a nce, it was hard to notice; but, corrosive rust formed around the training puppet¡¯s foot that made contact with the liquid. After seeing this, Izroth quickly connected the dots to one another. ¡¯This Kiren... It seems his first few words were quite literal to the moment at hand and not just general advice.¡¯ Since the Stage 11 training puppets were invisible, it was almost impossible to see the liquid¡¯s corrosive effect on their feet. But, with the appearance of the Stage 12 training puppets, Izroth believed that he discovered the answer to their problems. Swoosh! "I have an idea. Just take care of the arrows, and I¡¯ll handle the rest." Izroth stated with a carefree expression. Ding! An arrow came soaring through the air towards Izroth, but it was swiftly blocked by Niflheim. The force generated by the arrow caused Niflheim to slide back a full meter beforeing to a stop. "Leave it to me and do what you need to," Niflheim responded. He did not know what Izroth had in mind, but anything was better than their current predicament. Izroth took two steps forward and stopped in front of a liquid puddle. At first, he thought this puddle was nothing but water. However, this liquid may be the key to defeating the metal training puppets! The saber training puppet darted in Izroth¡¯s direction andunched at him with a mighty force contained within its saber! But, it was not the only training puppet on the offensive. Not too far away were the dagger, sword, and ymore training puppets. Also, excluding the bow training puppet, the recently spawned Stage 12 training puppets quickly narrowed the distance between themselves and Izroth! When Niflheim observed this, he furrowed his brows but did not forget Izroth¡¯s words. He kept his attention on the bow training puppet. Niflheim understood that if Izroth said he had an idea, then he was not speaking empty words. Meanwhile, as the training puppets grew nearer, Izroth lowered his steel sword, dipping the tip of its de into the puddle of liquid at his feet. The instant he performed this action, the liquid moved up the steel sword and stuck to its edge as if it had a will of its own! In the next moment, the puddle disappeared as everyst drop was now attached to the steel sword in Izroth¡¯s possession. Woosh! When the saber training puppet reached a bit less than two meters away from his position, Izroth swung his steel sword sideways in a crescent motion as a wave of sharp sword intent emerged from its de¡ªthis was Izroth¡¯s Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides. But, there was something different about the sword intent it released. The liquid attached to Izroth¡¯s steel sword had left the weapon¡¯s edge and merged with his fifth sword form¡¯s sword intent! Bang! nk! Crash! The liquid infused sword intent sliced through the metal training puppet¡¯s sturdy body and shattered it into multiple pieces. ¡´System Alert: You have defeated a Stage 11 Training Puppet!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your score has increased by +2! [Score: 46]¡µ Bang! Bang! Bang! Crash! The sword intent continued to travel onward for several meters, sweeping through three charging metal training puppets before receding towards Izroth. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides has increased by 1.¡µ ¡¯It appears the liquid has a strong corrosive effect on the metal training puppets. It¡¯s convenient that it can attach itself to the sword; however, it disappears after only one attack. Fortunately, there¡¯s plenty of puddles scattered throughout the room.¡¯ Now that he discovered a way to deal with the metal training puppets, Izroth rapidly destroyed the four Stage 12 training puppets using the liquid¡¯s effects. Every time he attacked, Izroth would immediately locate the closest puddle to prepare for his next strike. With their newfound momentum, Izroth and Niflheim swept through the following stages with a vengeance! Stage 13... Stage 16... Stage 19..! A total of 9 minutes and 30 seconds had passed since Izroth and Niflheim started the challenge. They were just 30 seconds away from reaching the initial 10-minute mark set by Resseki. ¡´System Alert: Stage 19 Training Puppets are spawning!¡µ ¡¯Oh? They changed again.¡¯ When the Stage 19 training puppets spawned, a golden bronze sheen reced the previous silver coating. However, the biggest change was that only two training puppets appeared this time, both exiting from the north gate. One training puppet gripped a cerulean steel sword in its hand, while the other held a turquoise metal shield. Chapter 572 - The Golden Training Puppets

Chapter 572 - The Golden Training Puppets

"Hm? The timer paused." Niflheim noted as the time disyed for the challenge stopped at nine minutes and thirty seconds. The golden bronze training puppets also stood motionless after exiting the north gate. "So? How was it? Did you enjoy yourselves? You¡¯ll have to forgive my brother; he¡¯s a bit shy and not very good with words. Though if you¡¯ve made it this far, you can color me impressed. But, don¡¯t think it¡¯s over just yet. You still have to survive against our golden puppets." Resseki¡¯s voice echoed. ¡¯Is it changing again? No¡ªit¡¯s reverting to its previous state.¡¯ As Resseki spoke, Izroth witnessed the battlefield began to return to its initial state. The liquid and grass patches slowly sunk into the earth before altogether vanishing. "You may have already realized it at a nce, but these golden puppets are uniquepared to the others you¡¯ve faced up to this point. You see, these particr puppets have written into them some of the experiences of my brother and me. In other words, they not only have our skills ingrained into them but many years ofbat experience as well. Ah, I should also add that they have been analyzing your fighting styles since the challenge began. Doesn¡¯t sound too fair, right?" Resseki exined. "Brother, the recording... Hurry up and finish it so that we can leave." Kiren¡¯s voice sounded in a calm yet impatient tone. Resseki cleared his throat and continued, "Alright, alright, I got it. As you can see, my brother is somewhat impatient. Anyways, these puppets have been designed to grow stronger the longer they stay in battle and are virtually indestructible. So, don¡¯t worry about breaking them, heh. Their power output starts at 1% and steadily increases the longer they stay in battle. Of course, if you decide to give up and run away with your prizes after surviving these next thirty seconds, then you will have nothing to fear. But, should you stay, I must warn you¡ªmy brother and I, we¡¯re really strong, you know? That¡¯s why, as a parting gift, to keep things fair, I will remove a couple of restrictions. This way, should you be defeated, it can be with full peace of mind." After that, the recording came to an end as the golden puppets¡¯ eyes lit up white, and an intense flood of magic energy filled the room. Izroth, as well as Niflheim, received alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Skill restrictions have been lifted!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Combat restrictions have been lifted! Both participants are now allowed to attack and defend!¡µ ¡¯A weed change.¡¯ Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense to inspect the golden puppets; however, he had to deactivate it near instantly! ¡¯I¡¯ve never seen a concentration of pure magic energy this high¡ªit¡¯s extraordinary. My Energy Vision Sense was immediately overwhelmed by it. Still, I did manage to catch a glimpse. But, to think such valuable items are being used as mere batteries for some puppets... These brothers must have had gold running through their veins in ce of their blood.¡¯ What Izroth observed with his Energy Vision Sense was a gigantic white blob of mes that covered every corner of the room and overloaded his Energy Vision Sense. Izroth was reminded of the Mana Force costs on his Blood Moon magical item that generated Magic Cores. While the gap between each Magic Core was immense in its own way, nothing couldpare to the vast expanse that was the Heart of Magic. To put it into perspective, the lowest Magic Core, the Infant Magic Core, needed a mere 200 Mana Force to be created. While the second most powerful Magic Core, the Exceptional Magic Core, required 10,000 Mana Force for the Blood Moon to produce one¡ªthat was 50 times more than the cost of an Infant Magic Core. However, this wasughable when held next to the Heart of Magic. The Heart of Magic required a ridiculous 15,000,000 Mana Force! That was 1,500 times more than the second-highest Exceptional Magic Core and a staggering 75,000 times more than an Infant Magic Core! Izroth was confident that the source of power within the golden puppets was the Heart of Magic, and since there were two puppets, this meant that not one but two Heart of Magics had found its way before Izroth! However, if what Resseki said about them being virtually indestructible was true, then... ¡¯I would like to get my hands on the Heart of Magics, but getting to them may not be possible with this steel sword alone. What a waste.¡¯ Izroth could only inwardly sigh. Two legendary treasures were right in front of his eyes, yet out of his present reach. "They¡¯re starting to move," Niflheim warned as he adjusted his defensive stance. ¡´System Alert: Resseki Puppet and Kiren Puppet current state [Power: 1%]!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Time resumed! [9 minute(s) 31 second(s)]!¡µ The Kiren Puppet, who held the turquoise metal shield, immediately charged at unbelievable speeds. However, it was not towards Izroth, but surprisingly, Niflheim! "That¡¯s...! Unimpeded Rush?!" Niflheim eximed. He recognized that form of charging anywhere. Without a doubt, it was one of the warrior ss¡¯s trademark skills, Unimpeded Rush. Not only that, but it appeared to be a fully maxed out Unimpeded Rush! Even though it was only B-ranked, it was one of the most powerful skills of its rank in the entire game. However, Niflheim did not expect the Kiren Puppet to open up the fight with such a strong movement skill. Nor did he expect to be the Kiren Puppet¡¯s primary target. Nevertheless, Niflheim reacted right away, using his own Unimpeded Rush to sh with the Kiren Puppet midway through its charge. BANG! Shireeeeeeeeek! Niflheim¡¯s shield collided with the Kiren¡¯s Puppet shield and created a loud noise of metal scraping against one another. In the end, the two attacks canceled each other out. Also, since Unimpeded Rush temporarily made the user immune to crowd control effects, neither was affected by its stun. Meanwhile, the Resseki Puppet took a few steps forward before disappearing into thin air. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense sounded rm bells in his mind. Without hesitating, Izroth shifted his left foot forward as he slid his right foot back while swiftly rotating his body in one smooth motion. Simultaneously, he flicked his wrist on his sword-wielding arm and turned the sword, holding its handle in a reverse grip. Zeeeut! Woosh! Ding! Izroth narrowed his eyes as his steel sword intercepted a cerulean de. The Resseki Puppet that was just more than ten meters away from him had suddenly appeared at his back. Zeeeut! Having failed its surprise attack, the Resseki Puppet vanished and tried attacking at a different angle. However, Izroth read its movements as his sword was already waiting for the Resseki Puppet when it reappeared! There was no dy between Izroth¡¯s parry and his sword strike thanks to his skill, sh Counter, which granted his next attack the ability to ignore attack speed restrictions after a sessful parry. With only a twenty-second cooldown, it was an ideal skill to use in order to catch one¡¯s opponent off guard. After being struck by Izroth¡¯s sh Counter, the Resseki Puppet¡¯s movements ceased as its white eyes dimmed and it powered down. Just to be safe, Izroth attempted to attack it again; however, there was no response or damage. Just as Resseki mentioned, these puppets were tough. Even though his attack managed to deactivate it, there were no signs of damage to its exterior. ¡¯Instantaneous Movement. Not the normal skill, but my enhanced version of it. It can already use it to that extent at 1% of its power?¡¯ Crash! The Kiren Puppet mmed into the ground as it was pummeled by Niflheim¡¯s Shield m, and just like the Resseki Puppet, it shut down. "It feels nice being able to attack again. That was a little too easy, though considering it was only 1%, this may be tougher than I imagined." Niflheim stated. "If you want to back out, it¡¯s not toote," Izroth said nonchntly. "What? And let you have all the fun alone? I¡¯m fine where I am." Niflheim replied. When the system alert that allowed Izroth and Niflheim to leave the challenge appeared, both declined without regret. ¡´System Alert: Survivor Mode has been initiated!¡µ "Then, you should prepare yourself well. Because from this moment onward, it¡¯s an entirely different battle." As Izroth spoke, the eyes of the golden puppets lit up once again as they stood straight. ¡´System Alert: Resseki Puppet and Kiren Puppet current state [Power: 2%]! Power will now increase by 0.25% every 30 seconds or after every defeat of both puppets [MAX: 100%]!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your life count has been set to 100! Survive as long as possible! [Current Lives Remaining: 100/100]!¡µ Chapter 573 - Niflheims Regret and A Wager

Chapter 573 - Niflheim''s Regret and A Wager

"That¡¯s not a good sign," Niflheimmented in regards to being provided with 100 lives. He understood that if the system felt it fit to give them such arge number of lives, then this challenge had yet to truly begin. Suddenly, the golden puppets were teleported back to the north gate entrance as they reset to their original state. "Not only can these puppets copy our skills, but each of them holds an abundance ofbat experience. The further we go, the more noticeable it will be." Izroth stated. "Then, care to make a friendly wager?" Niflheim asked calmly. "Oh? I¡¯m never one to turn down a challenge¡ªwhat did you have in mind?" Izroth inquired. "Whoever has the most lives remaining or is thest one standing by the time this is over will be dered the winner. The loser will have to ept one request from the winner within their means." Niflheim exined. "Interesting. What might your request be?" Izroth questioned. Woosh! Woosh! The Resseki and Kiren puppets dashed forward, changing up their tactics from theirst battle. This time, the Resseki Puppet switched its target to Niflheim, while the Kiren Puppet turned its attention to Izroth. As for Niflheim¡¯s suggestion, Izroth did not mind lending him a helping hand when he was free, provided he gained some benefits of his own in the process. However, he had a fairly good idea of what Niflheim really wanted to request of him. "I won¡¯t ask that you forgive them for their actions and behavior-" Niflheim said as he lifted his shield to block the Resseki Puppet¡¯s cerulean sword. When Niflheim¡¯s shield stopped the Resseki Puppet¡¯s de, it instantly slipped past the weapon¡¯s edge and struck the golden puppet in the face with a mighty force. The skill Niflheim just used was known as Shield Counter. It stunned the Resseki Puppet, and Niflheim capitalized on this opportunity to follow up with a Shield Bash, pulling back his shield and smashing it into the golden puppet¡¯s face once more! Bang! Crash! The Resseki Puppet was harshly thrown to the ground by Niflheim¡¯s Shield Bash. Right when he was ready to continue his chain of attacks with a Shield Smash, Niflheim halted his movement as he noticed the Resseki Puppet¡¯s eyes dim. This was a clear indication that the golden puppet had been defeated and powered down. At the same time Niflheim conquered the Resseki Puppet, Izroth dealt with the Kiren Puppet. Utilizing the burst movement from his Light Feather Footwork and a well-ced Phantom Strike, he swiftly disposed of the golden puppet. ¡´System Alert: Your score has increased by +5! [Score: 125]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Resseki Puppet and Kiren Puppet current state [Power: 2.25%]!¡µ "To finish what I was saying earlier¡ªI¡¯ll speak inly. My request is that you do not bar Blue Oasis from purchasing items from your Mystical Realm Pce as a result of what happened during the Great Sea Pce raid." Niflheim said as the golden puppets were teleported back to the north gate in preparation for the next round. ¡¯At least he knows what to ask and what not to ask.¡¯ In truth, Izroth no intention of going so far as preventing Blue Oasis from entering his Mystical Realm Pce. Their debt was one Niflheim settled with his decision at the Great Sea Pce raid. However, even if Niflheim had requested it, Izroth did not n on bing friendly with Blue Oasis. Once someone betrayed his trust or the trust of those under his protection, they would never get the chance to do so a second time. Niflheim understood this trait of Izroth¡¯s personality, which is why he started by rifying that he was not asking for forgiveness on their behalf. "To make such a request¡ªcan it be that you still have some lingering sentiments of loyalty towards your former guild?" Izroth asked. Niflheim remained silent for a few moments before he released a deep sigh. "As much as I want to believe that to be true, it¡¯s not. Blue Oasis made their choice, and my worth only amounted to that of a mere Guild Order." Niflheim hid it well with his words, but the pain and feeling of betrayal that stung him inside could not be concealed within the depths of his eyes. He had given a lot to Blue Oasis over the years, and so to be tossed away in favor of a Guild Order by those he thought were his friends¡ªthose he considered to be like a second family to him¡ªit hurt. However, Niflheim had alreadye to terms with what happened. It would be a lie if he said he waspletely over it, but Niflheim was finally moving forward on his own path away from Blue Oasis. But, despite how Blue Oasis treated him, there was still one lingering regret in Niflheim¡¯s heart. "Back then, as Blue Oasis¡¯ strategist, I should have seen through your intentions to test us with the Guild Order. If I had done so, then perhaps I would still be in Blue Oasis, and you would still be on friendly terms with them." Niflheim said. He then continued, "Ultimately, I can only me my own shorings for this error. Nevertheless, it was my responsibility at the time, and I failed. I do not wish to see Blue Oasis suffer due to a blunder made under my watch. Of course, my request only applies to the events that transpired during the raid. As for future grievances, I have nothing to say. I just know that I want to have no regrets on the path I choose to walk." Several seconds passed. Soon, the golden puppets¡¯ eyes glowed as power returned to their lifeless bodies with even more vigor than before. "Very well. I can ept your request." Izroth stated as he gave his answer to Niflheim. He then went on to say, "However, should I emerge the victor of this wager, you will be an official member of my guild." "?!" Niflheim was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s words. Be an official member of his guild? Did he even have a guild? More surprising, Niflheim did not think that Izroth was the type of person to associate himself with a guild on personal terms. However, when he thought deeper into things, it made perfect sense. Izroth was the owner of the sessful Mystical Realm Pce, a powerhouse in terms of strength, and had several capable individuals within his reach. Everything was lined up perfectly for him to start a guild of his own. But why did he choose now to do so? What changed between the raid and the present that caused Izroth to suddenly decide to form a guild? Niflheim was curious just as much as he was shocked. However, one thing was for sure. If a yer like Izroth created a guild, it was only a matter of time before it entered the top ten rankings. "Since you are willing to ept my request, how can I deny yours? If you win, then I will join your guild. But, you should be warned, Izroth. Even if it¡¯s you, I have no intention of losing." Niflheim dered in a serious tone. Hispetitive spirit had been ignited! "It¡¯s been a while since someone has given me that look," Izroth said as his carefree smile disappeared, and his gaze became unmoving. There was no skill involved, but somehow, the aura around Izroth had transformed into one of absolute dominance. "Seeing how serious you are about it, I will let you witness firsthand¡ªhow I am when I be serious." Izroth asserted. "I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way," Niflheim responded calmly as he felt a cold shiver run down his back. However, he remained unwavering in his resolve in the face of Izroth¡¯s aura. This was far from enough to deter him! Woosh! Woosh! Izroth and Niflheim sprung into action as the golden puppets made their move. Thus began the fiercepetition! ... Approximately 29 hourster... ¡´System Alert: Current Time is [29 hour(s) 59 minute(s) 30 second(s)]!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! Resseki Puppet and Kiren Puppet has entered ?Overheat Mode?! Their power will be increased by 100%! Puppets will no longer reset after being defeated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Resseki Puppet and Kiren Puppet current state [Power: 200%]!¡µ ¡¯He¡¯s holding on longer than I anticipated. I underestimated him. Still, to think those brothers left behind a trick like this. How amusing.¡¯ Izroth stood tall as his body was riddled with numerous wounds and bruises. Chapter 574 - Izroths Test, Niflheims Response!

Chapter 574 - Izroth''s Test, Niflheim''s Response!

Izroth had not been in a state this bad since his fight against Sage during the second team¡¯s selection. However, his condition could be considered as goodpared to Niflheim¡¯s. Niflheim was covered in two to three times as many wounds as Izroth. He took long semi-controlled breaths as he tried to bring order to his breathing, but his limits were fast approaching. 29 hours¡ªthis was the longest Niflheim had ever fought nonstop in RML, and the toll was a lot greater than he imagined. Even with the fatigue-reducing effects of the Ocean Rejuvenation Pill he consumed while still a Captain of Blue Oasis, Niflheim found himself out of breath and ready to copse at any given moment. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was his wager against Izroth. No matter what, he had to see things through until the very end! As for the current results of their wager... [Izroth Lives Remaining: 84/100] [Niflheim Lives Remaining: 2/100] It was apletely one-sided match up. Niflheim hade nowhere close to the number of lives Izroth had remaining. To make matters even worse, every death Izroth experienced was a direct result of him covering for Niflheim, who was low on lives during thetter end of the challenge. In reality, all sixteen of Izroth¡¯s deaths belonged to Niflheim¡ªa crushing defeat. "You should give up and cancel the wager, Niflheim. You have seen the difference in our strength with your own eyes. There is a zero percent chance of you winning this wager. Give up, and admit your defeat. Surrender, and not only will I ept your request, but I will even revoke my request as the victor. All you have to do is say two words¡ªI surrender. This is thest time I will make this offer. Do not waste it." Izroth said indifferently. Izroth had been pushing Niflheim to surrender for the past several hours. It was not that he enjoyed bullying or taunting Niflheim. But, Izroth saw no better opportunity than now to truly test him. After countless hours of fighting under a high-stress environment, getting repeatedly told that he should give up, being mentally drained, and on the losing end of a one-sided wager¡ªhow would he respond? This was Izroth¡¯s final test for Niflheim, and he hoped not to be disappointed. Niflheim held firm and rejected Izroth¡¯s "offer" at every point, but this time was different. The situation for him was hopeless, with no path to victory in sight. Under his less than fortunate circ.u.mstances, Izroth was handing Niflheim a free way out¡ªwell, almost free. There was an intangible price, which was Niflheim¡¯s spirit. The moment he epted Izroth¡¯s offer, Niflheim¡¯spetitive spirit would be damaged, and he would be trading one lingering regret for another. However, if he could resist grabbing the tempting olive branch Izroth ced before him as he endlessly sunk in his present state, there would still be a long road ahead of him in RML. "... Up..." Niflheim muttered. "Hm?" "I said... Shut up! As in, you talk too much! Thest two hours have been nothing but give up, surrender, give up, surrender...! I¡¯ve told you once before, and I¡¯ll tell you again, my answer is no! You can ask a thousand more times, and my answer will still be no! So you can take your offer and shove it right up your a-" Ssssssssss! Out of nowhere, the hissing sound of steam could be hearding from the golden puppets. Simultaneously, the temperature in the room started to climb at an rming rate! In less than a breath of time, the temperature had gone from a mellow feeling of warmth to a zing summer¡¯s day. As if his mind had just caught up to his mouth, Niflheim snapped out of it and seemed to realize how he had just spoken to Izroth. "I-" Niflheim wanted to apologize for his unprofessional and immature behavior; however, he could not find the right words in his moment of embarrassment. He had not lost hisposure and temper like that since the early days of his professional gaming career! But, against Niflheim¡¯s expectations, he faced Izroth only to find a carefree smile on his face. For the first time since the wager started, there was no wrath, coldness, or indifference. "I¡¯ve received your message loud and clear, Niflheim. A man needs to know when to retreat, as well as when not to retreat and stand his ground¡ªeven if the odds are stacked against him. Adversity shows no mercy, and at times, we must return the favor." Izroth stated. He then faced the golden puppets and continued, "Though I have to say, I never expected yournguage to be one so colorful." Niflheim¡¯s eyes widened in shock as his clouded mind cleared up and realization set in. As a result, he could not help but release a deep sigh. "Of course, another test... Your tests are quite ruthless, Izroth. Aren¡¯t you afraid I¡¯lle to curse and despise you after this?" Niflheim sighed as he helplessly shook his head. "If you did, then it would have been my vision that wascking. Besides, any other testing method would have been much too easy for someone with your level of expertise. However, in its own way, this can be seen as your win. After all, now that I¡¯ve observed you at your best and worst, you have not only gained my trust but my respect as well. And in this world, there are not many I give either to. You would do well not to misce it. For it is not difficult to find again¡ªbut impossible." As the final few words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, the steam from the golden puppets came to a halt as their golden bronze coating turned bright red. At this point, both puppets absorbed several of Izroth and Niflheim¡¯s skills, as well as heavily examined the way they fought. Now, these puppets were twice as powerful and out for blood! Niflheim was about to step forward; however, he was prevented from doing so as Izroth held his hand to stop him and said, "There¡¯s no need. You have nothing left to prove. Allow me to see our sparring partners off once and for all." ¡¯It¡¯s unfortunate that I could not acquire the tenth sword form, but it has not been aplete waste. Not only has my Heavenly Golden Body significantly improved, but...¡¯ A small ring formed around Izroth, and in the next moment, a rippling effect spread throughout the earth, carrying with it a piercing sword intent. From an outside perspective, it looked as if the solid ground had transformed into a wavy body of water! The instant the golden puppets advanced a single step, their entire bodies came to a grinding halt as the room turned deathly silent. Not a single sound escaped for a full two seconds, and when it did return, the first thing to enter one¡¯s ears was the sound of falling metal. Bang! Crash! "Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple." Skill Name: Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: S Requirements: Sword Equipped. Passive: The user has a 1% chance to create a ?Quelling Ripple? andsts for 5 seconds with every sword attack, invoking the active effect of ?Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple? and dealing 50% reduced damage, as well as ignoring its cooldown time. If the skill is on cooldown, the remaining cooldown time on the skill is not affected and remains unchanged. Active: Creates a ?Quelling Ripple? on the surface beneath the user that sends out a rippling effect of sword intent in every direction, briefly deafening everyone in range for 2 seconds and damaging all hostile enemies in 20 meters (+5 meters every second following its initial activation) once for 10,000 fixed pure damage. In addition, for the next 20 seconds that ?Quelling Ripple? is in effect, all iing projectiles that enter into its effectiveness range will be destroyed or obstructed, and any hostile magic or mana in the area will be disrupted. Special Note: This skill can only be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 2 hours 30 minutes The steel sword in Izroth¡¯s hands vanished along with the metal shield in Niflheim¡¯s possession as a stream of system alerts greeted the two. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Resseki & Kiren¡¯s Challenge: Sword & Shield?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your final score is [Total: 30,000/30,000] (100%)!¡µ ¡´System Alert You have received x1 ?Resseki¡¯s wless Armament?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Generating additional rewards based on your total score andpletion percentage...¡µ Chapter 575 - Celestial Realm: Origin, Faulty Insignia

Chapter 575 - Celestial Realm: Origin, Faulty Insignia

The Quelling Ripple from Izroth¡¯s ninth sword form temporarily severed the connection between the Heart of Magics and the golden puppets. Regardless of their newfound power and mechanical applications, the golden puppets still depended on magic to function. By cutting this magic link, Izroth effectively rendered them useless! Niflheim inwardly sighed after he witnessed this sight. He knew from the beginning that the wager he made with Izroth would be one hard-fought. But, what he did not know was that the gap between their base power was so substantial! Perhaps things would have been different if they were not bound by the stat, inventory, and equipment restrictions within the room, but Niflheim understood that using that type of thinking was an excuse. Ultimately, he lost this wager fair and square. nk! nk! The four gates closed as a portal opened up at the room¡¯s center, and a familiar voice filled the room. "I guess I¡¯ll leave behind one more entry. Though it may be a waste of time. After all, there¡¯s a good chance no one will ever hear this message since it will only y upon 100%pletion. Disclosing this to anyone else would only be putting their lives needlessly in danger. However, on the off-chance that someone does hear this, there¡¯s something you should know about us brothers. You see, we don¡¯t belong here in the Mortal Realm. We¡¯vee from a ce far away known as the Celestial Realm." Resseki¡¯s voice sounded. ¡¯Celestial Realm?¡¯ Mortal Realm, Shadahi Realm, Nether Realm, and Divine Realm¡ªthese were the major realms Izroth was aware existed. There were also minor realms like the Chaotic Dogma Realm and the Imperial Penins Realm, where the L.u.s.trum Imperial Bout was held once every five years. However, ording to the information Izroth obtained, the passageways between realms had been severed for ages. By what? Izroth did not know. But, whoever or whatever was behind it had to be on a scale well beyond his present reach. What Izroth did know was that if one wanted to move between realms, it required a specialized S-ranked or higher magic item to do so. Of course, this did not take into ount any other factors that may obstruct one¡¯s travel through the realms. "Mortal Realm? Celestial Realm?" Niflheim said to himself as he furrowed his brows. He first learned about the Shadahi Realm from the war event information like many other yers. After gathering some additional data, Niflheim surmised that multiple realms simr to the Shadahi Realm but with different creatures might exist. However, judging from Resseki¡¯s words, he did not seem like a vicious creature filled with nothing but hatred and bloodthirst. Then, did that mean whole kingdoms and unknown races existed out there that yers had no idea about? The Mortal Realm alone was already massive, and yet there was still more?! Resseki¡¯s voice continued, "In the Celestial Realm, my brother and I were fighting a creature of great darkness and wickedness along with ourrades. However, things were not looking good¡ªfor the creature, that is. The bizarre thing is that the creature kept growing stronger as we battled it, bing immune to attacks it was previously harmed by. But, our Celestial Energy seemed to be the one thing never to lose its effectiveness. If not for this, who knew the destruction that creature would bring upon the Celestial Realm?" ¡¯This creature, why does it sound familiar?¡¯ "We were winning and had sessfully driven the creature into a corner, but that¡¯s when it appeared¡ªa Void Tunnel. The creature tried to use the Void Tunnel to escape, but it was destroyed before it got the chance... At least, it was supposed to be. A small piece of it managed to escape through the Void Tunnel, and we brothers decided to follow after it. When we arrived on the other side, we realized that we were no longer in the Celestial Realm. However, a Void Tunnel is a one-way trip. There was no going back." "I don¡¯t know how many years have passed since this recording, but the path between realms in my time are heavily damaged. There is no way for my brother and me to return home without the aid of a powerful gateway spell. However, I¡¯m afraid the energy required to send one yet alone two legendary powerhouses through severed space is impossible to .u.mte in one lifetime." "We have epted our fate. The Mortal Realm will be our new home. In the meantime, we will do everything in our power to find thest piece of the creature that escaped to this realm. However, I fear they may have had a helping hand. That Void Tunnel... They are supposed to appear at random, but the more I thought back to it, the more I could not help but feel that it was ced there intentionally. But why? Two possibilitiese to mind, but only one of them is feasible¡ªthe Divine Ones. Only someone from the Divine Realm could have ced that Void Tunnel, and the price to do so could not have been cheap." "We discovered some clues regarding the whereabouts of the creature and are headed to the Danger Lands to investigate. However, if it has regained its full strength, it may be toote for this realm with no Celestial Energy users. Nevertheless, we still have to try. In the end, it is our responsibility." Resseki¡¯s voice then went on to recall his experiences with the creature, and after going on for nearly thirty minutes straight, the recording wasing to an end. "This creature was birthed from the Timeless Chaos Pool that dwells at the heart of our Celestial Realm¡¯s homeworld. That¡¯s why we have given it the name, Shadahi. ¡¯Sha¡¯ meaning Eternal and ¡¯Dahi¡¯ meaning Chaos in our native tongue. Should we fail to destroy the creature, it will be your responsibility to eliminate it before it¡¯s toote. Our inheritance will assist you, but it is only through your own efforts that you can seed. Hopefully, there is still time." Resseki¡¯s voice faded as the recording concluded. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Resseki¡¯s Basic Inheritance Keystone!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Resseki¡¯s True Inheritance Keystone!¡µ ... ¡´System Alert: Warning! This room will detonate in 10 seconds!¡µ Izroth, along with Niflheim, wasted no time as the two entered the portal and were immediately transported out of the room. ... Izroth and Niflheim stood outside the small hill not too far away from the cave. But, when they looked back, the cave¡¯s entrance was no longer anywhere to be found. After ten seconds passed, although there was no explosion, the entire hill suddenly disappeared! Now, there was just arge piece of tnd in the ce where it previously sat. However, Izroth and Niflheim were too deep in their thoughts to care about its disappearance. Niflheim was still attempting to digest the abundance of information Resseki provided them with. Izroth, on the other hand, had his thoughts in another ce altogether. The information given by Resseki was huge! No one in the Mortal Realm knew the true origins of the Shadahi. Even legendary figures like Gear who fought against the eternal darkness had no clue where it actually came from, just that it appeared one day. Who would have thought that the Mortal Realm¡¯s greatest threat derived from the heart of another realm entirely?! However, before Izroth had an opportunity to fully piece everything together, he sensed a group of people rapidly closing in on their position. "It looks like we have somepany," Izroth stated. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Suddenly, ten individuals emerged from behind the nearby trees. "This area is off-limits! State your purpose!" The woman at the front of the group said impatiently. She had long aqua colored hair, sapphire eyes, with a cute appearance. She had a certain haughty aura about her. From the wand at her side and magebat robes, one could surmise that she was a magic-based ss. "Off-limits? We were unaware that such an order had been put into ce." Niflheim said with a frown. When he patrolled this area, there were no such territory limits imposed on it. Nothing here was important enough for there to be, except the hidden area in the cave. But, he was the only one who knew of its existence. "Unaware? Hmph, don¡¯t try to fool me! Do you think I¡¯ll believe your ignorance with the way things currently are? You must think I¡¯m stupid! You¡¯re trying to sneak into our camp and spy on us! Your precious Tempest kingdom is full of nothing but cowards! Attack! Don¡¯t let them escape!" The woman ordered as herpanions charged onward! "Tempest? You misunderstand. We¡¯re on the same side." Niflheim removed the War Brigade Insignia from his inventory and held it up for everyone to see. The insignia was of a wingless dragon in the form of a crescent with a sword running through it pointing towards the sky. It symbolized one¡¯s affiliation with the War Brigade and was the main way one could differentiate between ally and foe. "You should learn to lie better. That insignia¡¯s magic signature is false¡ªit has already been changed since yesterday!" The woman scoffed as she began to channel a spell. "Impossible!" Niflheim said. How could the magic signature for an entire war branch change overnight? Not unless... ¡¯Something major must have happened in the Demilitarization Belt during our absence. I have to find out what that is, and it looks like she knows the answers.¡¯ Izroth set his gaze on the woman with sapphire eyes, who was clearly the leader of the group. Chapter 576 - Izroths Gentle Approach

Chapter 576 - Izroth''s Gentle Approach

Judging from the number of individuals, her vocal presence, and the fact that the group was following her orders, Izroth believed that the young woman with sapphire eyes was a 10-Man Squad Leader. While this may not sound as impressive as his Captain¡¯s rank, one had to remember that the war event had just begun a few days ago in-game time. Acquiring amand position so soon meant that she was no pushover. As for why she did not recognize Izroth¡¯s yer name despite him still being ced first on the event leaderboards, she was simply not close enough for it to appear through her system interface. ¡¯There are more important matters to attend to. Still, they are allies, and killing them here could negatively affect my contribution points or rank. I suppose I¡¯ll have to use a more gentle approach.¡¯ "We are not your enemy," Niflheim said; however, his words fell on deaf ears as the group pressed forward with their assault. "Enough nonsense! I¡¯ve already seen through your lies! I, Zanna, guild leader of Echo, will not fall for the same trick a four-... f-first time!" The young woman with sapphire eyes, Zanna, scowled. "Echo? Zanna¡ªI¡¯ve never heard of either of those names. Also, why did thatst part sound so forced..." Niflheim said to himself. He made it his business to know the name of every major or rising guild, as well as the name of their guild leader and core yers. The fact that Niflheim did not know of Zanna¡¯s identity meant that they were either rtively new or a small no-name guild still trying to make a name for themselves. Niflheim leaned more towards the former. After all, to him, who had several years of experience in a top guild, Zanna resembled aplete amateur trying to gain recognition. Niflheim understood this all too well since he was also once at that point. "We should try not to hurt them. I¡¯m not sure why they¡¯re so on guard, but a magic signature isn¡¯t just erased from an insignia without reason. A big event must have taken ce during the time we spent in the challenge." Niflheim said as he essed his inventory and equipped his sword and shield. Ding! Niflheim raised his shield and blocked two iing arrows from the ranger-type sses that stayed back to provide support fire. At the same time, a thin yellowyer formed around Niflheim¡¯s shield. Woosh! "There is no need to worry. Their leader seems a bit... dense. So talking will do us no good. Fortunately, I have quite the gentle hand when ites to situations like this." Izroth said in a carefree manner as he turned his body sideways to avoid an iingnce made of ice. The remaining yers from Zanna¡¯s squad finally arrived in melee range; however, before they could strike, a sudden unbearable pressure descended upon them. "W-what is this? Why do I feel so weak all of a sudden?" "Can¡¯t... Move...!" "What¡¯s happening..?!" "I don¡¯t really feel like fighting anymore..." "What are you guys talking about?! Now¡¯s not the time for jokes!" Zanna shouted as she angrily stomped her foot. She then looked to the rangers at her side and said, "Hawk! Dove! Keepying down support fire! Hawk? Dove? What are you two-" "Do this, Hawk. Do that, Dove. Just do it yourself. I¡¯m tired." The male ranger, Hawk, stated. "Ehhh? That sounds like a lot of work, leader. Why bother fighting? We¡¯ll never be good enough. Sigh..." The female ranger, Dove, sighed helplessly. "Jeez! I don¡¯t get you guys! I really don¡¯t, all of you¡ªyou¡¯re all acting so weird! You said you¡¯d follow me, and we¡¯d make a guild, but now you¡¯re all being so mean!" Zanna¡¯s eyes began to tear up. "I just wanted... I just... Waaaaaah!" Zanna cried out as she fell to her knees and started to bawl her eyes out. "Meanies! All of you are just a bunch of meanies! Waaaaah! We¡¯re not friends anymore, you stupid heads! Waaaaah!" Zanna rolled around on the ground, throwing what could only be described as a tantrum! "This is..." Izroth was caught off guard by the group¡¯s behavior¡ªespecially the young woman, Zanna, whose arrogant attitude abruptly took a full turn. Izroth used his Soul Pressure, being careful not to pour too much Essence in and identally kill one of them; however, it should not have had this type of effect on them. Niflheim also seemed surprised by the group¡¯s actions as he looked to Izroth and said, "Did you do something?" "Yes, but its effects should not be this strong. They should only have lost some willpower and experienced a feeling of weakness in the process. But, at most, they would enter a frenzied state." Izroth stated. Niflheim gave a helpless smile as he shook his head, "So that¡¯s it. No wonder my Demoralized Spirit skill has such strong effects. If it¡¯s mixed in with that, then it makes perfect sense." Niflheim¡¯s Demoralized Spirit also weakened its opponents¡¯ willpower. It differed from Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure when it came to its ability to inflict its targets with a Demoralized status. The lower the target¡¯s willpower, the greater the effects of Demoralized, and paired with Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure, its effectiveness increased severalfold! ... A few momentster, the yers snapped out of the effects of Izroth and Niflheim¡¯s skills. However, Zanna had yet to stop throwing a tantrum, despite her squad¡¯s best efforts to calm her. The most bizarre thing was that out of all the yers present, Zanna was the only one unaffected by Soul Pressure and Demoralized Spirit! In other words, this was just the way she normally behaved! "Cheer up, leader. We didn¡¯t mean those things we said. It was the skills talking." Dove said as she attempted tofort Zanna. "No! Stupid, Dove! Meanie Dove! You jerk! Waaaah!" Zanna whined. Hawk sighed whispered to Dove, "Dove, it¡¯s no use. There¡¯s no stopping her when she gets like this. We just have to wait until she calms down. There are also those guys to worry about, but..." "...Yeah, they could have killed us with ease, yet they let us live. Perhaps they weren¡¯t lying about being our allies. Plus, even though it¡¯s just a feeling, those two are probably from a big guild. If so, we may have more pressing matters to worry about in our future, depending on who we just offended." Dovemented. As Izroth and Niflheim watched the spectacle unfold before them, Niflheim said, "How long are we nning to let this go on? It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯ll stop any time soon." Niflheim furrowed his brows. He had seen his fair share of guild leaders, but never any that threw a tantrum of this level. If it were him in that situation, he would be too embarrassed to ever show his face again in front of his guildmates! "You¡¯re correct. We have wasted too much time as it is. I¡¯ll calm her down." Izroth stated as he vanished and reappeared right before Zanna using his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. "What do you-" Niflheim could not finish his words before Izroth moved away. But, for some reason, he had a bad feeling. No matter how he looked at it, Niflheim failed to imagine someone like Izroth calming down another person. "?!" The group was surprised by Izroth¡¯s sudden appearance as they instinctively went for their weapons. "Don¡¯t. Unless you want to needlessly waste an event life." Hawk said as he prevented the squad from taking action. "What do you intend to do with us?" Hawk asked as he took a closer look at Izroth. However, it did not take long for Hawk¡¯s facial expression to turn pale when he saw the yer name disyed before him. Doomed! Now that they had offended this person, they were undoubtedly doomed¡ªthat was the only thing that went through Hawk¡¯s mind at that moment. Of all the yers to run into in RML, why did it have to be him?! Dove noticed Hawk¡¯s expression shift and did not understand why until she looked for herself. She immediately knew why Hawk reacted the way he did, and her own reaction and thoughts were not too far off from his. This time, their leader may have bitten off more trouble than she could chew! Zanna looked up at Izroth with teary eyes as she sniffled, "You bully...! Leave me alone! I don¡¯t wanna see you! I don¡¯t care, go to whatever camp! Bully! Meanie! Stu- piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid!!! Ahhhhhh!" As Zanna was speaking, out of nowhere, Izroth grabbed the cor of her mage¡¯sbat robe and soared into the sky! 10 meters... "Aahhhh! Stupid! Crazy!" Zanna yelled as she iled her arms. 25 meters... "Bully! Tyrant! Brute! Put me down! Let me go! Let me-!" 40 meters...! "Are you sure you want me to let go? If you insist, then..." Izroth released Zanna as she rapidly dropped from the sky in a freefall! Zanna nearly screamed her lungs out as she shouted, "Stupid! Why¡¯d you let go?! Save me! Waaaaah!" Swoosh! Just as Zanna was about to hit the ground in a few meters, Izroth caught her by her clothing¡¯s cor. "I have some questions that I need for you to answer," Izroth said calmly. Zanna trembled and stuttered, "W-who would a-a-answer questions f-f-for a crazy b-b-brute like y-ooooooooooooooou!" Zanna was once again taken in the air, dropped, and caught before she hit the ground. The urred another two times, and after the fourth drop, Zanna had been virtually drained of tears. By the time Izroth finished, Zanna sat in an obedient seiza position with her hands in herp, and her flushed cheeks puffed up to show her objection as she held her tears back¡ªafraid that she would get dropped from the sky again! The members of Zanna¡¯s squad and her guildmates were shocked. This was the first time they had ever seen Zanna suppress her tantrum! However, the methods used¡ªwasn¡¯t it a bit too extreme? In the end, they could not help but feel sorry for their leader. Chapter 577 - A Shift of Power Within The Demilitarization Belt

Chapter 577 - A Shift of Power Within The Demilitarization Belt

... A few momentster, Zanna managed to regain herself. She was not as talkative as before, and a visible pout remained on her face as she sat still. "It¡¯s weird seeing our leader behaving so obediently. You sure we didn¡¯t mistakenly enter an alternate reality?" Hawk said quietly to Dove. "If our fearless leader hears you, she¡¯ll get mad, you know?" Dove replied in a hushed tone; however, she was unable to contain her chuckle. Zanna red at Hawk and Dove. They watched as she was bullied, and now they wereughing among themselves? Traitors! Stupid! Meanies¡ªZanna wanted to yell these words, but when she remembered her trip through the sky, she swallowed them. Meanwhile, Hawk and Dove fell silent as they look away from Zanna to avoid direct eye contact. "Your gentle approach¡ªare you sure you weren¡¯t too harsh? She seems a bit spoiled and naive, but she doesn¡¯t appear to be a bad person." Niflheim said as he looked towards Zanna, who, in return, red at him as she ground her teeth. "It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s behaving now, and that¡¯s all that matters. More importantly, we should be more concerned about what she told us. If I¡¯m not mistaken, then the Demilitarization Belt will be the least of our allies¡¯ worries." Izroth stated. "I still can¡¯t believe so much happened in such a short span of time. Things were going smoothly before I left the frontlines. To think the circ.u.mstances would shift like this¡ªthey may have to concede the Demilitarization Belt to Tempest." Niflheimmented. After some convincing, Zanna willingly informed Izroth and Niflheim of the events that transpired while they were undergoing the challenge within the cave. ording to Zanna, a red demon named "Equator" appeared on the battlefield and began to ughter the War Brigade. Even two Commander ranked NPCs could not hold it back for more than a few moments. However, the trouble did not end there and was just the first part of Tempest¡¯s diabolical scheme. Once the creature made its appearance, arge striking force came out of nowhere and descended upon the battlefield¡ªthis was Tempest and their allies¡¯ real fighting force! Following their arrival, an already chaotic battlefield became further fractured as the War Brigade was forced to retreat. Unfortunately, this did note at a cheap price as the War Brigade had lost over 40% of their main force. After that, the War Brigade kept having to withdraw and receded back closer to the edge of the Rosentarus border. But, even all this was just the beginning of their many problems. The randomized magic core with over one hundredyers of unique magic sequences that were embedded into the War Brigade¡¯s insignias had been deciphered! No one knew why or how, but every insignia belonging the War Brigade within the Demilitarization Belt became defective. Instead of disying an individual¡¯s actual rank, itbeled everyone the same. It also had its hourly randomization effect neutralized. At first, it was only an inconvenience. However, soon enough, multiple spies infiltrated the War Brigade, using a counterfeit insignia with the deciphered magic code. Because of this, the War Brigade lost several figures inmand positions due to assassinations. Furthermore, an abundance of delicate information was leaked in the process. With no other choice, the head General in charge of the Demilitarization Belt sector sent out an order that every member of the War Brigade must destroy their insignias. Fortunately, every one of their members had their name imprinted into the core magic system that stored the data of those officially registered. Nevertheless, the War Brigade¡¯s insignia was no longer usable within the Demilitarization Belt, and so, everyone had no choice but to temporarily change war branches. Luckily, the only code deciphered was the War Brigade¡¯s; therefore, the remaining war branches¡¯ insignias were still safe to use. However, Izroth¡¯s attention was ultimately drawn to one thing¡ªthe appearance of the red demon. Even though Zanna referred to it as "Equator", Dove unconsciously chimed in. "Wasn¡¯t it Ekquilore?"¡ªis what Dove said without thinking at the time, and when Izroth heard this name, he immediately knew the red demon¡¯s identity. ¡¯Commander Ekquilore. Thest time we met, I eliminated him during my journey to the Shadahi Realm. At the time, he was only a weakened level 17 rare boss. Now, that same creature can take out Commander level NPCs. I knew its strength was suppressed, but to think the difference would be this huge between then and now. The boost to its overall power is not by any means small. But, the question remains, how did he cross over from the Shadahi Realm without the Boundary Sealing Sphere?¡¯ While Zanna exined everything she knew and her guildmates even helped fill in some nk areas, there was a limit to how much information they could provide given their war ranks. Izroth understood that if he wanted more detailed answers, he would likely have to visit this camp they spoke of. As a Captain, even if he was a member of the General Support Unit, Izroth should have no trouble gathering additional information unknown to most others. ¡¯Since he arrived here alone and not with an army or that Shadahi chained to the throne, there is a high chance they used a unique method to bring him over from the Shadahi Realm. One that cannot be easily replicated. This can be seen as the one upside for the War Brigade.¡¯ Izroth believed that if the Shadahi who was bound to the throne were brought to this ce, then 40% losses would have been seen as a miracle. "It¡¯s hard to believe the Generals did not take action personally. But, after what the voice of Resseki told us, I can understand why they decided to stay their hand." Niflheim said with furrowed brows. "You¡¯re right. They won¡¯t take any action unless they are 100% confident in killing it. Because, should they fail, it would onlye back stronger than before¡ªimpossible to defeat again using the same method." Izroth confirmed. ¡¯My first two baneful swords would bepletely useless against it since I used both during our first encounter. Then, I suppose it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not the same as I was back then.¡¯ After discussing several topics, Izroth decided that he would take a trip to the camp Zanna mentioned. As for Niflheim, even if he did not want to go, there was no choice. As a member of the War Brigade stationed within the Demilitarization Belt, he needed to join a different war branch and acquire a new insignia before doing anything else. Otherwise, it may affect his contribution point gain and take away his ability to ept war objectives. With those goals in mind, Izroth and Niflheim made their way towards the coordinates given to them by Zanna. ... Several minutester... "Why did we have to apany you?! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you bully me forever! You hear me?! Stupid head! Bully! Tyrant! Is this any way to treat a ssydy?! You¡¯ll be single forever!" Zannained. She had already told him everything she knows, and now he wanted her to guide him personally to the camp?! Why?! Hadn¡¯t she suffered enough?! "Children should learn to respect their elders. Or, can it be that you need another trip as a reminder?" Izroth said. "Y-you...! I-I-I¡¯m not afraid you...!" Zanna said as she quickly took several steps away from Izroth and put her hands up defensively with open palms. "B-besides... We¡¯re probably around the same age! What elder?! I¡¯ll have you know I turned eighteen this year!" Due to his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth¡¯s did appear younger than his actual age; however... "You know of a technique to forcibly halt your growth?" Izroth asked in a slightly surprised tone, ignoring the former half of Zanna¡¯s words. He did not think that such techniques existed in a world thatcked spiritual essence; therefore, he was genuinely shocked. Niflheim suddenly coughed but stayed quiet as he simply yed it off as him clearing his throat. However, Zanna nearly coughed up blood after hearing Izroth speak. To her, it only sounded as if he was mocking and poking fun at her! She wanted to do nothing more than strangle him! Zanna¡¯s face turned bright red as her cheeks puffed up. She tried to hold it in but failed miserably as she yelled, "STUUUUUUUUPID! Waaaaaah!" Zanna ran crying towards Dove with her arms out. But, on her way over, she tripped on a rock, fell t onto her face, and slid forward a few meters as her cries ceased. "..." "..." "Leader, are you ok-" Dove spoke but was promptly interrupted by Zanna. "...I¡¯m fine," Zanna replied indifferently. "But-" "I¡¯m fine." Dove silently sighed as Zanna slowly stood to her feet and walked onward quietly with her head down. ... A few seconds after the incident, Izroth received a message via the system. ¡´System Alert: yer Dove has sent you a message, "Please go a little easier on our leader. If you are upset, I don¡¯t mind if you take your anger out on me instead. Our leader may act out a bit, but she¡¯s really a sweet girl with a good heart. I hope that you do not think too poorly of her."¡µ ¡¯Oh? Again?¡¯ Not even a handful of seconds had passed, yet Izroth had received a private message not only from Dove but the other members of Zanna¡¯s squad as well. Although the words differed, the meaning was ultimately the same¡ªrequesting that he turn his "anger" to them and go easy on Zanna. ¡¯In the end, everyst one of them practically sent me the same messaged. If she has people like this willing to follow her, perhaps I was too harsh.¡¯ Chapter 578 - Izroths Reward, High Alert!

Chapter 578 - Izroth''s Reward, High Alert!

In truth, Izroth knew that Zanna was not a malicious person at heart. He was merely curious as to how she casually resisted not only his Soul Pressure but also Niflheim¡¯s Demoralized Spirit. Was her willpower really that strong? Or, could it be that she possessed a unique skill that allowed her to disregard them? Although Izroth¡¯sst question was a legitimate one, his previous harsh behavior towards Zanna was to find an answer to this question. After all, with her personality, there was no chance she would juste out and say it willingly. Nevertheless, regardless of how they crossed paths due to a misunderstanding, they were still on the same side of the war. Not to mention, it may have taken some coercing, but they did help Izroth out¡ªand he always repaid kindness tenfold. ¡¯I was going to wait until we reach the camp, but I suppose I can move it a bit ahead of schedule.¡¯ With that thought, Izroth gathered everyone from Zanna¡¯s squad together. Even Zanna reluctantly walked over to join them. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy as they wondered why Izroth suddenly assembled them. Could it be that he wanted to confront them about the messages they sent him? "You can all rx. The reason I¡¯ve gathered you all is to give you a small token of thanks as a show of gratitude¡ªa reward of sorts. I, Izroth, always repay the kindness of others." Izroth stated as he essed his inventory and removed a small bag. "Reward?" The yers from Zanna¡¯s squad were caught off guard as their nervousness quickly turned to confusion. "I wanted to wait until we reached the camp, but there¡¯s longer any need. Also, there¡¯s no guarantee that it will be peaceful upon our arrival," Izroth exined as he set his gaze on Zanna. He then continued, "Come¡ªsince you¡¯re the leader, I will leave the method of distribution up to you." Zanna had a cautious expression on her face as she slowly approached and said, "You¡ªwhy are you being so nice all of a sudden? You aren¡¯t trying to trick us, right? You aren¡¯t nning to take me into the sky again and let me go once I ept it?" "Do I have a reason to trick you?" Izroth replied. "Promise? You won¡¯t take me to the sky again?" Zanna asked as she pouted sadly and held her hands out to ept the small bag. "You have my word," Izroth answered as he inwardly shook his head and dropped the bag into Zanna¡¯s hands. "..." A few moments went by as Zanna¡¯s pout slowly transformed into a smirk before bing a full-on smug grin. "My, my~ Since you¡¯ve promised, then you gotta keep your word. You finally realized that you have to treat a ssydy like me with some respect and shower me with gifts~ Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s gotta be like this, ya know? You aren¡¯t so bad, after all. Hehehe, hey, how about bing my follower? You want to, right?" Zanna said with a smug look on her face. In the blink of an eye, she had already reverted to her previous behavior! "Lead-" Hawk called out but was promptly ignored. "It¡¯s not every day I personally ask someone to be my follower. But, I¡¯m making a special exception just for you. Oh, and I guess your friend can join too since I¡¯m feeling generous today." Zanna stated with a haughty aura. "Leader-" "I know you feel honored, right? Right? To follow this ssydy is a privilege! ...I mean, I¡¯m thankful and all for the reward... b-but it¡¯s not like I asked you for it or anything! And-!" "Leader!" Hawk shouted. "What?! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m in the middle of a conversation?!" Zanna said as she red at Hawk. "It¡¯s just that, they already left," Hawk stated with a weak smile. "Eh? Left? What are you- Ah!" Zanna turned around only to see that Izroth and Niflheim were nowhere to be found! "Rude! Stupid! Dummy! How could he leave while I¡¯m talking to him!" "But, leader, they left right after handing you the bag..." One of the other members of Zanna¡¯s squadmented. "..." Zanna looked down, and by the time she held her head up again, her cheeks had turned bright red and puffed up. This whole time, she had been talking to herself while everyone sat back and watched! "Waaaaaah! Stupid! Tyrant! Didn¡¯t you ask us to be your guide?! Dummy! Bully! I won¡¯t let you get away so easily after bullying me! You hear me?! Waaaaah!" Zanna burst out crying. ... Several minutester, Zanna calmed down as her cries turned to light sniffles. Meanwhile, Dove held onto the bag Zanna received from Izroth as they had yet to open it. "So, what¡¯s in the bag? Gold?" Hawk asked curiously. "I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t looked yet. But, now that our leader¡¯s calmed down, it should be the perfect time to see." Dove replied. "That guy was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, right? He should be loaded!" One of Zanna¡¯s squad members said. "That¡¯s right! Hahaha, we¡¯ll have to celebrate with a feast tonight!" "Don¡¯t get too excited. Even if it is gold coins, it¡¯s probably not much considering we only gave him information he could have found anywhere and some coordinates. Besides, it will be going towards our guild fund¡ªnot a feast." Dove stated with a light smile to the disappointment of the squad members. Dove opened the bag, and the moment she viewed what was inside, her eyes widened in shock. "T-this... H-he..!" Dove was left speechless as she tried to find the right words to say, but her mind went nk. She had to rub her eyes and double- No, triple check, just to make sure she was not just seeing things! Even then, Dove still did not believe it! She quickly revealed the items to Hawk to further verify that it was not her imagination. Hawk almost fainted at the sight of what was in the bag. He could see why the usually calm Dove was in such a frantic state! It did not take long for everyone to get a look at what was in the bag, and their reactions were the same as Hawk and Dove¡¯s¡ªshocked and virtually speechless. "I take it back... Maybe we can have that feast after all..." Dove muttered. "What? What is it? Let me see!" Zanna asked excitedly as she snatched the bag from Dove and hurriedly took a look inside. However, a frown appeared on her face as the disappointment in her eyes could not be hidden. "You all are getting excited over this? So little! It¡¯s just twenty pills. Hmph, I knew he was tricking us when he said he¡¯d reward us! I bet these things are actually worthless, and he¡¯s secretlyughing at us right now!" Zanna scoffed as she stomped her foot. Dove released a heavy sigh and said, "Leader, do you know how valuable these grade three pills are?" "What? Aren¡¯t they just pills? I got a grade one pill for a few silver coins. So this one is probably one gold coin at most, right? Twenty gold coins are useful, but is it worth getting so excited over it?" Zanna responded. "You¡¯re mistaken. A grade one pill cannot bepared to a grade two, let alone a grade three pill. These pills can only be purchased from one ce in RML¡ªthe Mystical Realm Pce. If I remember correctly, yers can only purchase one of each grade three pill in that shop once per day. If we sold these pills to those top guilds who are always craving more at a marked up price, do you know how much we can get for them?" Dove exined. "W-what? 100 gold coins..?!" Zanna eximed. "Try somewhere between 500 to 700 gold coins. At the current exchange rate, that¡¯s around 100,000 RMB." Dove said as disbelief snuck into her voice. If this were a dream, she hoped that she could at least stay asleep long enough to spend some of the RMB before waking up! ¡¯100-... 100,000?! Are you sure?! You¡¯re not just making it up, right?! These little bits of pills are worth 100,000 RMB?!" Zanna¡¯s hands trembled as she held the bag of pills carefully¡ªas though she were afraid they would be damaged in the slightest. "For a small guild like us, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you how important this is. Leader, we have to thank him in person." Dove said in a stern tone. "B-but... Ugh... I know... I know, okay?!" Zanna vocalized reluctantly. ... Meanwhile, somewhere just outside a War Brigade camp located within the Demilitarization Belt... "Are you sure it was alright to leave without saying anything?" Niflheim questioned. "It¡¯s fine. They guided us far enough. We no longer owe anything to them and they to us." Izroth stated as he approached the entrance of the camp along with Niflheim. Izroth¡¯s Essence was low after finishing Resseki and Kiren¡¯s challenge; therefore, he needed time to regain some of his lost Essence by using his Source Chant as they traveled. While his Essence was far from being fully recharged, there was enough to use his Energy Vision Sense and verify the War Brigade camp¡¯s location. Since he confirmed its existence, there was no longer any need for guides. "Halt! You there! Identify yourself!" One of the NPC guards at the camp¡¯s entrance said as he blocked Niflheim¡¯s path. Not too long after, Niflheim was confronted by nine other troops on guard duty as they surrounded him from all sides. The NPCs were on high alert as their hidden warning system went off upon Niflheim¡¯s arrival, informing the guards that he was not in possession of a valid war branch insignia! Chapter 579 - Captain Yan, Arrival of Distant Travellers

Chapter 579 - Captain Yan, Arrival of Distant Travellers

"I am Niflheim, one of the 10-Man Squad Leaders under the War Brigade¡¯s 7th Division. I was trapped in a cave during the battle and only just recently returned to camp with a friend¡¯s help. I¡¯vee to acquire a new insignia." Niflheim exined. He expected this kind of reaction after learning of what happened to the War Brigade¡¯s insignia. One of the guards frowned and said, "Trapped in a cave? You im to be a 10-Man Squad Leader, but where is your squad? Were they not with you when you were trapped in this cave? Where are they now?" "This... I¡¯ve afraid we¡¯ve lost contact with each other." Niflheim furrowed his brows. He never anticipated that the challenge would go on for a full thirty hours; therefore, he had no idea where his squad was at the moment. Niflheim¡¯s squad was made up of eight Soldier ranked NPCs and two yers; however, both yers were shown as offline and did not respond to his messages. For all he knew, the rest of his squad could have been within this camp or already eliminated from the event. "We can¡¯t just take you at your word. Anyone not present during the time of the insignia change will have to be held in the confinement area until we can fully verify their identity¡ªno exceptions." The guard stated. "Confinement area? How long will it take?" Niflheim questioned with a frown. "At least three days, maybe a week. However, you should understand that we are not asking you but telling you. Comply, and no harm wille to you if you are who you im to be." The 10-Man Squad Leader guard asserted. A week?! It may not be that long for casual yers, but if he was out of the event for a week, Niflheim knew that it would be nearly impossible to catch up with other top yers. As for reaching the top 100 rankings and taking a ce on the event leaderboards¡ªthis would be a distant dream! "I can vouch for him." A voice sounded from the side as the guard¡¯s squad leader turned to look for its source. "Do you think just anyone can-" The guard spoke but was promptly interrupted. "Anyone? No. But, as a Captain, I assume my words hold some authority. Or, can it be that a rank is nothing more than decoration in your eyes?" Izroth said as he revealed his GSU Captain¡¯s insignia! The guards were startled by the appearance of a Captain¡¯s insignia. Even though he was only a member of the GSU, as Soldier ranked individuals, a Captain was not someone they could afford to offend! "Captain...! Forgive us for not noticing your presence earlier, sir!" The guards¡¯ squad leader straightened up and gave a proper salute to Izroth as his squad members soon followed his actions. When some of the nearby yers overheard the conversation and saw themotion at the entrance, their attention was drawn in. However, they found it difficult to believe what they were hearing. "Hey, isn¡¯t that a yer? How can he be a Captain?" "He must be trolling. Captain? Forget it. I¡¯ve been grinding nonstop since the event started, and I haven¡¯t even made it past 5-Man Squad Leader. How can someone already be a Captain?" "Yeah, it¡¯s impossible. He¡¯ll probably lose contribution points being caught lying about his rank." "But... Isn¡¯t that NPC treating him a bit too polite for him to be faking?" "Now that you mention it, they did call him sir when he showed his insignia... Is he really a Captain? I wonder what top guild he belongs to... Ah, if only I were a bit closer, I could take a look at his name." "We are in a hurry. I will take personal responsibility for his presence inside the camp¡ªthis should be enough, right?" Izroth stated with a natural aura of authority around him. "I..." The guard seemed as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant to do so. "Can it be that my word is not good enough for you, Squad Leader?" Izroth asked with a distant gaze. "No, sir. It¡¯s just that... Well¡ªit¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust the Captain¡¯s word; however, we¡¯ve been ordered to make no exceptions to this rule. I am sure the Captain is aware of the recent assassination plots by those devious Tempest scoundrels. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to let him in, but that we really can¡¯t. I hope you can understand our dilemma and not make things too difficult for us, Captain." The squad leader responded. "Oh? An order? And if I order you to stand aside, will you disobey?" Izroth inquired calmly. "This... I cannot disobey the order of my direct superior officers. But, I am unable to disregard your orders as well, Captain. If you don¡¯t mind waiting here for a bit, I can send one of my guards to summon our Divison¡¯s Captain so that they can-" "What¡¯s going on here? Who is stirring up trouble at our camp¡¯s entrance?" A voice sounded from the near distance that attracted the attention of everyone at the camp¡¯s entrance. A few momentster, a young man with a noble appearance arrived on the back of a saber-toothed warbeast the size of a fully grown warhorse. The young man was extremely handsome and looked to be in his mid-twenties with neatly tied blonde hair, eyes the color of ice crystals, and he produced a calm aura of nobility. He wore a magnificent set of silver, blue, and golden armor with a blue cape on his back that possessed the emblem of a white tiger and a longsword encased in an almost ethereal sheath. When this man approached on the back of his saber-toothed warbeast, the guards immediately lined up side by side as they fell to their knees and bowed down. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ For the guards to react in this manner, Izroth surmised that this person¡¯s identity was someone well beyond that of a Captain or any troop, for that matter. After all, not even a General¡¯s arrival could cause their soldiers to kneel to them in such a fashion. "Prince Yan! We are honored!" The guards spoke in unison. When the guards referred to him as Prince Yan, a frown quickly found its way onto the face of the one sat upon the saber-toothed warbeast. "Stand. On the battlefield, I am not a prince¡ªonly Captain Yan of the 2nd Unit¡¯s 8th Division." The one called Yan stated indifferently as his gaze drifted over to Izroth. ¡¯2nd Unit? So I was not mistaken.¡¯ Izroth felt that he heard the name Yan somewhere before, and now he remembered. Back at the Unsanctioned Zone, Aurie mentioned this name over themunication talisman. At that time, Yan was tasked with assisting their Rosentarus allies, so Izroth had never met him on the battlefield. He knew of his name, but not of his person or character. "Our apologies!" The guards replied as they quickly leapt to their feet and tried to collect their nerves. "You are... Captain Izroth of the General Support Unit¡¯s newly created 9th Division, correct?" Yan said as his focus suddenly shifted to Izroth. "I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve crossed paths before, Captain Yan," Izroth replied. "You are quite popr, Captain. There is no one among the 2nd Unit who has not heard of your name. Leveling the Vostracane stronghold, thereby assisting with the Unsanctioned Zone¡¯s easy capture¡ªthis feat is not one achieved and then promptly disregarded. I also heard from the Commander that you were thest person to speak with ourte Captain Gritt." Yan stated. "I did not think I would be so popr among your unit. Captain Gritt¡ªhe was a great man." "A great man indeed. It was an honor to serve in the same unit as him. I heard you turned down our Commander¡¯s offer to take over the 4th Division." "My ce is elsewhere." "I see... A shame. When did you..." Yan casually conversed with Izroth as the guards looked on in amazement. Did this person not know who they were talking to? Even Generals would have to treat Prince Yan with the utmost respect! Yet, he dared to address him so carelessly?! To them, this guy was either really brave or incredibly stupid! ... After conversing for a bit, Yan eventually figured out what the initialmotion was all about. "This is a problem. However, it is one that can be easily resolved. After all, if it is someone you are willing to vouch for, Captain Izroth, then we cannot afford to have them remain idle in this time of danger." Yan reassured. The guards seemed somewhat nervous at those words. Judging from their conversation, the prince was on good terms with the GSU Captain. They feared that he would use his influence as a prince to make them disobey direct orders! "I came ahead, but the others should be approaching any moment now," Yanmented as he turned to face the direction he initially approached from. Not too long after Yan spoke, a wave consisting of thousands of troops marched in an orderly fashion towards the campsite. ¡¯So she came here after all.¡¯ At the forefront of the troops were two individuals. One was someone Izroth had not met directly, but through his Soul Avatar, Empyrean. The Rosentarus Panther Battalion Commander, Baut. As for the person next to Baut, Izroth recognized them immediately as the War Brigade¡¯s 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Aurie! It had been a little less than five days of in-game time since Izroth wasst at the Unsanctioned Zone. Moving so fast to the Demilitarization Belt after just securing the Unsanctioned Zone spoke volumes to the current situation¡¯s direness. Chapter 580 - War Brigade General of the 1st Legion Solomon, A Truth Thats Hard To Swallow

Chapter 580 - War Brigade General of the 1st Legion Solomon, A Truth That''s Hard To Swallow

... Several momentster... Izroth was headed deeper into the camp¡¯s core area where the primarymand tents were set up. There were multiple checkpoints in ce that did not allow one to move freely between different sections of the camp unless they had a certain rank or level of clearance. But, Izroth was not alone. He was apanied by Captain Yan and the leader of the War Brigade¡¯s 2nd Unit, Commander Aurie. With the assistance of Aurie, the issue at the camp¡¯s entrance was resolved smoothly as Niflheim was permitted to enter without having first to be ced into the confinement area. However, as a precaution and so that there were no misunderstandings along the way, Aurie assigned one of her Captains to escort Niflheim to receive his new insignia. What would have previously taken him three days to a week decreased to a mere hour or two at most! After giving proper thanks, Niflheim parted ways with Izroth in order to organize everything on his end. Once things were settled, Aurie asked Izroth to follow her and Yan. Though she did not give a reason immediately, Aurie added that she would exin once they were well within the camp. Now that they had crossed into the core area of the camp, Aurie finally spoke, "You disappeared from the Unsanctioned Zone quite fast. I did not think you would jump from one battlefield right into another, Captain Izroth. Though I¡¯m afraid this time, things are somewhat moreplicated." "You¡¯re referring to the Shadahi that appeared, Commander Ekquilore, right?" Izroth inquired. "Since you already know, it saves me the trouble of having to exin too much. But that can wait. For now, there is someone I believe would be interested in meeting you. In truth, it is also my wish that you meet them." Aurie stated as she arrived before one of therger tents at the War Brigade camp. "Oh?" Izroth was curious as to who it was Aurie wanted to introduce him to. He may not know their identity, but if they could stay inside arge tent at the core of the camp, then their status could not be small. "Commander!" The two guards at the tent¡¯s entrance gave Aurie a respectful salute as she walked through the tent ps without dy. Izroth and Yan followed Aurie into themand tent. Its general appearance was simr to the one Aurie used back at the Unsanctioned Zone; however, its size was almost two times bigger and had a long table positioned at its center. Aurie and Yan stood straight as the two saluted and said, "General!" "At ease." A peaceful voice sounded from the seat located on the opposite side of the table. ¡¯This is the General of the 1st Legion? If not for the system information, one might mistake him for amon shop NPC roaming the street side. Though I know quite well that appearances can often be deceiving.¡¯ Izroth was curious about the type of person someone like Aurie served under; however, he never envisioned that person to be someone like the man before him. The General looked to be in histe thirties with short orange hair and sses that perfectly hid his eyes. His physique was on the thin side, and he wore casual robes that Izroth could not tie to any specific ss-type. However, after viewing his information through the system, Izroth would not make the mistake of underestimating this individual. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Legion General of the 1st High Legion Solomon(???) NPC Level: ??? "You have journeyed a long way from the Unsanctioned Zone, Commander Aurie, Captain Yan. It is most unfortunate that we are unable to celebrate your recent achievements at this time." Solomon stated with a gentle smile. "We do not seek praise. We simply do what we must for the greater good of the kingdom. That¡¯s all." Aurie responded indifferently. "It¡¯s okay to be greedier once in a while, Commander. It¡¯s because of yourck of greed that those higher-ups never look your way when ites to promoting a new General in the War Brigade." Solomon sighed. "I do not fight for the sake of the higher-ups. Nor do I desire any special recognition. I only want to do what is best for the people of Amaharpe." Aurie replied, without hesitation. "It is precisely this outlook that is one of your greatest weaknesses. But it is also your greatest strength." Solomonmented. He then turned his attention to Yan and continued, "It¡¯s been a little over a year now¡ªhow are you fitting in with the 2nd Unit?" "Reporting. The 2nd Unit has treated me well. Under Commander Aurie¡¯s leadership, I feel I have grown not only as a soldier but as a person." Yan replied. Solomon released a small chuckle, "That¡¯s a far cry from the spoiled prince who sent me a letter every day for three weeks straight crying about how you wanted the Commander discharged." "This... What¡¯s in the past is in the past. I was too inexperienced back then." Yan said as he raised his hand to his mouth and lightly cleared his throat. The conversation went on for a few minutes as the group of three spoke of the reports regarding the recent developments inside the Demilitarization Belt. The majority of what was said, Izroth had already learned of from Zanna and her squad. However, there were certain parts mentioned that filled in a lot of the details missing from Zanna¡¯s recount of the events. For example, Izroth learned that there were some concerning disparities in the War Intelligence Group¡¯s reports. Their main goal was to collect intel and ry it to their allies, yet the recent event at the Demilitarization Belt called into question thepetence of its leaders. How could they miss so many important details? The summoning gate, Tempest using civilians dressed up like soldiers, the whereabouts of Tempest¡¯s main forces¡ªthere was a limit to how ipetent an organization could be! Something was amiss, and they needed to get to the bottom of it. ording to Solomon, there would be a meeting soon between the heads of every war branch and military presence on their side of the battlefield to address this issue, as well as determine their next course of action. "We will leave momentarily to meet with the other war branch heads and our allies. But, first..." Solomon finally shifted his attention to Izroth. "You must be Captain Izroth. You¡¯ll have to forgive my rudeness on ignoring formalities, but as the highest-ranking General Support Unit officer avable, may I ask that you attend the meeting in ce of your Commander?" "I¡¯m not one to get caught up in formalities. As for the meeting, I don¡¯t necessarily mind. But why would you need a member of the GSU to attend?" Izroth questioned. From what he understood, the other war branches ignored the GSU for the most part since they functioned as an entirely separate entity. So, why would a General want a Captain of that same GSU to attend such an important gathering? "Because... You¡¯ve fought it before, haven¡¯t you¡ªthat Shadhi? And since you are alive and standing in front of me, I can only assume that you¡¯ve either defeated it once before or sessfully escaped. Regardless of which it turns out to be, both are impressive." Solomon said calmly with a soft smile. However, Aurie and Yan were shocked! They heard the reports of the destruction caused by that monster. If Izroth really did fight against it, then the General was correct¡ªeven surviving and living to tell the story was an amazing feat in and of itself! Izroth maintained a carefree expression. But, he was inwardly surprised that Solomon was aware of his encounter with Commander Ekquilore. After all, the only ones who knew of it were the members of his party at the time, and he found it unlikely that any of them ever met Solomon. So then, how did he know? This weighed on Izroth¡¯s mind. "You can deny it if you wish, but this is a truth that cannot hide in front of these eyes of mine. You and that creature share a matching line of conflict." Solomon affirmed. Aurie turned to Izroth and said, "I do not know the precise circ.u.mstances, Captain Izroth, but General Solomon is someone who can be trusted¡ªon this, you have my word. The General¡¯s Absolute Symmetry can see and connect many things that others cannot. I hope that you can enlighten us regarding your encounter. Any bit of information is enough to potentially save hundreds or even thousands of lives." "You misunderstand, Commander. This is not some great secret I intentionally want to hide away. In fact, there are several things I wish to discuss. I just don¡¯t know if you or the General would believe me if I were to speak of them." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "Have I ever given you any reason to see me as such a short-sighted or close-minded person?" Aurie countered. "No, if the Commander was closed-minded, then the Unsanctioned Zone may still be in a state of chaos. But this is different as I have no way of verifying its authenticity." Izroth answered. He then continued, "However, to those who are willing to listen, I am equally willing to speak." "Rest assured, Captain Izroth. If there is one thing my Legion takes pride in, it is keeping an open mind. Here, you can speak freely." Solomon encouraged. "Then, I will start from the very beginning," Izroth said. "Your first encounter with the creature?" Solomon inquired. "No, for this, I¡¯m afraid we will have to go back somewhat further¡ªback to the origins of the very first Shadahi," Izroth stated calmly. "Origins..?!" Solomon, Aurie, and Yan eximed almost simultaneously. Impossible! The origin of the Shadahi was one of the greatest mysteries to ever exist in the Mortal Realm. How could a mere Captain of the GSU possibly know of it?! ... Momentster... Izroth had just finished speaking as the room was deadly silent. Everyone had a serious expression on their face as they tried to digest what they just heard. If what Izroth told them was true, then this was a tremendous contribution! But, it was hard for them to ept Izroth¡¯s words. One of the greatest threats and disasters to ever befall the Mortal Realm did not even originate from it, but another realm altogether? It was also byplete chance and their own realm¡¯s misfortune that a Void Tunnel just happened to appear at the right ce at the right time for it to cross over? There were too many unbelievable things, and from the way Izroth described it, it almost sounded like the fantasy of some delusional person. However, his story was consistent, even when asked to tell it another two times¡ªthis made it challenging to disregard. Chapter 581 - To The Conference!

Chapter 581 - To The Conference!

Solomon had a thoughtful expression on his face, and after a few seconds of silence passed, he stood to his feet. "I can certainly understand why you have chosen to keep this information to yourself, Captain. If you were to tell this to anyone outside this room, you would surely beughed at and seen as a joke." Solomon stated. He then continued, "These brothers who im to be from the Celestial Realm... Resseki and Kiren¡ªthey traveled to a ce called the Danger Lands. There may be some clues there to validate your findings." "There¡¯s a good possibility. However, I have no knowledge pertaining to the Danger Lands nor its whereabouts." Izrothmented. In truth, Izroth believed there was a chance some clues would be revealed if he searched through Resseki¡¯s inheritance; however, he decided not to discuss it as he went over the events. Not to mention, he had not found the right time to open the keystones that contained the inheritance. After leaving the challenge room, Izroth immediately came across Zanna¡¯s squad. Furthermore, his initial n to check through it once he safely reached the camp had been derailed by his sudden meeting with Solomon. Of course, more important than anything was the fact that Resseki referred to himself and his brother as "legendary" figures. Izroth understood that the inheritance of a legendary being was enough to draw out the greed in others. While he did not think any of the three people before him had ill intentions, Izroth already witnessed the change of a person¡¯s nature in the face of potential gains too many times. "Danger Lands? Wasn¡¯t that the home to many of the mysterious races?" Yan noted. "You know your history well. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the Danger Lands was turned to ruins by the end of the Fourth War of the Titans. Many cyclester, it was reborn into and rich in magic energy and life. That samend is the modern-day kingdom of Proximus. However, if those brothers were journeying to the Danger Lands, that means the Shadahi has been in the Mortal Realm much longer than anyone previously estimated. This changes everything." Aurie exined with furrowed brows. "Your words are correct, Commander. This shifts the way we have to think of the Shadahi and their ties to human organizations. It¡¯s impossible that a being of its intelligence lived for so many years without sinking its fangs into the Mortal Realm. The kingdom of Tempest may act as their main face, but something tells me it¡¯s not the only one. This is problematic." Solomon said as he walked towards the tent¡¯s exit. "Commander Aurie, Captain Yan, Captain Izroth¡ªwhat we¡¯ve discussed here today, I would like you to keep it a secret for the time being. Without concrete proof, we will only be jumping into the tiger¡¯s den blindfolded. For now, I will send someone trustworthy to investigate within the borders of the Proximus kingdom. What interests me the most is this Celestial Energy. The Shadahi are known for their ability to adapt to anything and everything. If there is an energy out there that they cannot ovee, we must find a way to tap into it as soon as possible." Solomon followed up. He then continued, "Captain Izroth, until we discover some type of definitive proof, I fear your reward will have to wait. That being said, the knowledge you provided us with regarding your fight against Ekquilore adds up. Although the scale isrger than you specified, that much is expected given the present circ.u.mstances. Rest assured, your contribution today has not gone unnoticed, Captain." When Izroth spoke about his fight against Ekquilore, two skills, in particr, caught Solomon¡¯s interest. The first was Demonic Hellfire. There were no reports of such a skill being used on the battlefield; however, they could make certain preparations in advance now that they knew of its existence. But, it was the second skill Solomon was most intrigued by, Power of the Seal. At random intervals, Ekquilore would be unable to act, and its defenses were rendered useless. Some reports listed Ekquilore¡¯s strange behavior of suddenly pausing out of nowhere before proceeding with his rampage; however, they never would have imagined such a huge weakness was right in front of them! If they could properly take advantage of this moment, then getting rid of the Shadahi Commander in one fell swoop looked to be quite promising! "Come, the gathering is about tomence," Solomon stated. At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your action has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 2,790.32]¡µ Izroth was surprised by the number of contribution points he received. 500¡ªthat was the same amount he gained from leveling Vostracane! Of course, this did not include the additional contribution points he acquired from exterminating the Skounae poption in the city. Nevertheless, to obtain 500 contribution points just from disclosing Ekiquilore¡¯s skills showed the great importance ced on this knowledge. Still, the best part was that it required no effort on Izroth¡¯s part except a few words! If yers discovered that he gained 500 contribution points this way, there would be an uproar. They had to exterminate enemies or craft several items just to obtain a few measly contribution points, while all he did was speak a couple of sentences and gain 500?! After he swiftly checked over his newly earned contribution points, Izroth closed out his system interface and apanied Solomon, Aurie, and Yan. Their destination? The current most heavily guarded area of the camp, the conference tent. ¡¯Solomon holds the highest authority in the Demilitarization Belt; however, that does not mean that he can freely decide everything alone. This gathering will determine the ultimate fate of the Demilitarization Belt. Attack or retreat¡ªwhich will they choose?¡¯ ... Around ten minutester... At the moment, Izroth was inside the conference tent. There was nothing extravagant about it except its size. Besides that, a simple circr wooden table with seven chairs ced around it was stationed at the tent¡¯s center. However, these chairs were not empty. They were filled with the various individuals who held power in their respective kingdom or war branch. Representing Amaharpe¡¯s War Brigade was General Solomon. As for the others seated, it consisted of a representative from Proximus, Rosentarus, the Pzenium mercenaries, the War Intelligence Group, the Resource Management Division, andst but not least, the General Support Unit. Of course, the one representing the GSU was none other than Izroth, which naturally caused him to receive several questioning looks. Meanwhile, Aurie and Yan stood a few steps behind where Solomon was seated. Since everyone sitting at the table was permitted to bring two personal guards, Aurie and Yan were Solomon¡¯s choice. "Then, since we¡¯re all gathered, I hereby announce that the conference b-" "Wait." A voice interrupted Solomon as he was about to begin the conference. "Hm? Is there something wrong, Controller Alkori?" Solomon asked. The one who spoke was a well-built man with tanned skin, eyes the color of sand, and ck hair. He was the leader of the Pzenium mercenaries with the title of Controller, Alkori. "Is something wrong? I was about to ask you the same thing. During such an important meeting, why is there some unknown brat sitting at our table?" Alkori said without mincing his words in the slightest. NPC Name: Pale Fang of the Sands, Alkori(Epic) NPC Level: ??? "Controller Alkori, it was I who made the request that Captain Izroth attend this conference to represent the General Support Unit. At this crucial time, we cannot afford to turn away a single helping hand. Naturally, this includes the General Support Unit." Solomon said calmly. "Even though he worded it somewhat crudely, I¡¯m afraid I have to agree with Controller Alkori on this matter, General. Given Captain Yan¡¯s unique identity, I can see why you made an exception and allowed him to attend; however, what we discuss here today will decide the fate of the Demilitarization Belt. Just attending is already pushing it, but to let a Captain sit at the same table as us is a bit too much." The one who spoke this time was a man on the chubbier side with neatly parted dark brown hair and sunken beady ck eyes. NPC Name: Resource Management Division Manager Tonne(Elite) NPC Level: 30 "Besides, when was thest time anyone from the GSU ever showed their face at an official meeting?" Tonnemented. "I came to this ce at the invitation of General Solomon. If anyone has an issue with me being seated at this table, there is no need to bother the General with such an insignificant matter. If anyone wants me to leave this seat, they are wee to try their own hand at doing so. Otherwise, you should learn to silence yourself¡ªor I won¡¯t mind doing it for you." Izroth said with an indifferent expression and to the surprise of everyone present! Chapter 582 - Biggest Disaster of the War?

Chapter 582 - Biggest Disaster of the War?

"You..." Alkori red at Izroth as he moved his hand towards the weapon at his side. Tonne was bbergasted by Izroth¡¯s rude behavior. He was a Manager of the Resource Management Division! While he was not as strong as those at this table, his ability to allocate resources required that they show him a certain level of respect at all times. Who did this brat think he was daring to utter such outrageous words?! However, just as the atmosphere started to be tense, boomingughter resonated throughout the conference tent. "Bwahahaha! You sure brought an interesting one along, Solomon! Alkori, Tonne¡ªthis is far enough, don¡¯t you think? The real enemy is outside this camp, not within. Do you two really have that much time to waste on managing your fickle pride?" This voice came from the Rosentarus representative. The Rosentarus representative was a well-toned woman of the Zensana race who belonged to the rabbit sub-species. However, the woman¡¯s appearance mostly resembled that of a human¡¯s, with her only defining Zensana traits being the rabbit ears atop her head and the small tail at her lower back. NPC Name: Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian, Duchess(???) NPC Level: ??? "This is none of your concern, woman!" Alkori snapped back. "I¡¯m making it my concern, though?" Duchess replied with a narrowed gaze. "Then, I-!" "Enough." A deep and cold voice sounded, causing everyone in the tent to fall silent. "My decision is final in this matter. Now, I want to begin the conference¡ªis there anyone who wishes to object?" Solomon gave off a heavy pressure as he spoke. A few seconds of silence went by as no one raised any objections. "Good. I hereby announce that the conference begins." Solomon said with a friendly smile as the heavy pressure vanished without a trace. "Tch..." Alkori had a look of displeasure on his face as he red menacingly at Izroth onest time before turning his focus forward. ¡¯Meaningless.¡¯ Izroth would not sit back and allow himself to be bullied by anyone, regardless of their identity. As long as Alkori did not attempt something foolish, then Izroth nned to let this matter rest here. After all, there was no benefit in fighting one¡¯s own ally. Aurie inwardly sighed. This Izroth was too reckless. Getting on the wrong side of the Pzenium mercenaries leader and the Resource Management Division Manager would bring him no advantages. However, she understood Izroth¡¯s temperament well from their previous encounter with one another. Of course, she also knew that this was necessary for Izroth if he wanted to gain any kind of foothold in the overall conversation. Solomon carried on the meeting and listed the topics at hand. There was a particr topic that needed to be addressed instantly, and for this, all eyes fell onto one individual¡ªthe War Intelligence Group Lead Agent. NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Lead Agent Soothing Smoke(???) NPC Level: ??? "Soothing Smoke, I am sure you are already aware of the ipetence that has been demonstrated by the War Intelligence Group these past several days. If it were a minor slip-up, I could overlook it. But as a result of your inability, we have lost the lives of thousands of soldiers. What do you have to say for yourself?" Solomon stated as he maintained a calm exterior, but there was a hidden rage present in his words and demeanor. Solomon had lost one of the Commanders under him, and another was gravely injured. How could he not be furious? The one called Soothing Smoke wore a ck cloak thatpletely hid their physical features¡ªthis was amon appearance among the agents of the War Intelligence Group. "It was an oversight on our end." Soothing Smoke replied. Bang! "Don¡¯t screw with me! An oversight on your end? Is that all you have to say?! Because of you, I lost many brothers!" Alkori erupted as he angrily mmed his fist on the table and jumped to his feet. "Your loss is... Unfortunate. But, it is within the range of predicted eptability for Pzenium warriors given the present circ.u.mstances." Soothing Smoke responded calmly. "eptability..?" Hearing that word, Alkori flew into a fit of rage as he grabbed ahold of a chakram at his side. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Out of nowhere, the conference tent was filled with a dozen additional individuals. All of them wore attire simr to Soothing Smoke; however, they seemed morebat-oriented. Simultaneously, the two people who apanied Alkori also drew their weapons and moved closer to the Controller¡¯s side. "I would advise against violence, Controller Alkori." Soothing Smoke said. "What¡¯s this? I thought everyone was only allowed to bring two personal guards, General Solomon. Can it be that your Amaharpe does not trust its allies?" Alkori scoffed. "I assure you, I, too, was unaware of our guests. Soothing Smoke, would you care to exin yourself?" Solomon questioned in a severe tone. ¡¯Interesting... This way of erasing one¡¯s presence reminds me of that time.¡¯ During his quest to escort the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, the group thete Tempest prince Ronbinarzin used as a disguise to sneak himself into Proximus, Izroth ran into yers utilizing an item called the Veil of Serok. This itempletely erased the presence of those under its influence to a point where even Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense was unable to detect anything. If even someone like Solomon stated that he did not know they were hiding, Izroth believed they had to be using an item simr to the Veil of Serok. "General Solomon, this is but a small precaution in the face of the recent developments within the Demilitarization Belt. I should not have to exin that it is well within my authority as a Lead Agent to invoke more drastic measures in a state of emergency. I would deem the assassination of variousmand figures as one such state." Soothing Smoke replied smoothly. They then held their hand up as the group of individuals disappeared. "Quite bold. Though not the kind of bold I enjoy. There is nothing I dislike more than snakes who slither in the darkness behind my back." Duchessmented. Alkori returned to his seat and said, "Agreed. General, if I don¡¯t receive a proper answer, then I will take my Pzenium warriors and leave this cursed battlefield. It is our honor to fall in battle, but I will not sit aside and let my brothers die a meaningless death." "Controller Alkori is correct. Today, you must provide us with a reasonable exnation for the War Intelligence Group¡¯s failure to notice the true movements of Tempest. If you refuse, even the Head of the War Intelligence Group will not be able to save you." Solomon stated firmly. Soothing Smoke remained quiet for a few moments before he finally spoke and said, "I receive an order from the Head that stated not to take any action within the Demilitarization Belt. I simply followed orders, General Solomon. I am sure the Head has their reasons." "The Head?" Solomon furrowed his brows. The Head of the War Intelligence Group was a mysterious individual; however, their methods for gathering intel and finding the enemy¡¯s weak point were unquestionable. There was only one person in Amaharpe who knew of the War Intelligence Group¡¯s Head true identity¡ªthe current king of Amaharpe. However, it did not make any sense. Why would the Head give such a disastrous order to Soothing Smoke? "Are you positive this order came from them?" Solomon inquired. "There is no question about the order¡¯s authenticity. Unlike the other war branches, we of the War Intelligence Group have multiple safetys to ensure there exists no room for error." Soothing Smoke replied. Solomon spent the next few moments questioning Soothing Smoke; however, no matter how hard he searched, Solomon could not find a legitimate reason for the Head¡¯s order to Soothing Smoke. "Can it not be that the War Intelligence Group has merely been breached at its highest ranks?" Izroth said what everyone was thinking, but no one wanted to assume was usible. "Impossible. The War Intelligence Group-" Soothing Smoke was swiftly interrupted by Izroth. "Has several safetys in ce, right? However, Tempest has been preparing for this moment in secret for many years. Not to mention, their hand is not the only one at work. Can you say without a shred of doubt that there exists a ce in this world that one cannot break into with the proper preparations?" Izroth asked. "..." Soothing Smoke met Izroth¡¯s inquiry with silence. "It seems difficult for everyone here to ept, so I will be the first to say it clearly. We may have no choice but to consider the possibility that the highest ranks of the War Intelligence Group have been infiltrated by those linked to the Shadahi and Tempest." Izroth said, which immediately caused the atmosphere in the room to turn grim. If their primary informationwork had beenpromised at such a high level, Ekquilore might be the least of their worries. This could turn out to be the biggest disaster of the war thus far! Chapter 583 - Attack or Retreat?

Chapter 583 - Attack or Retreat?

"I¡¯ve heard of Amaharpe¡¯s War Intelligence Group¡¯s legendary skills, but it seems that, in the end, rumors are just that¡ªrumors." Alkori disdained as he looked at Soothing Smoke with a death re. He then faced Solomon and continued, "General Solomon, I¡¯ll make it easy for you. My brothers have made a great sacrifice at the expense of your side¡¯s failure. Double¡ªI want twice as much as what was originally promised. Otherwise, I will cut my losses here and walk away from this cursed battlefield." "Ridiculous! You already signed an agreement, Alkori! It¡¯s toote to go back on your word, or can it be that you Pzenium warriors only know how to run when real trouble arrives?!" Tonne jumped to his feet and immediately rejected Alkori¡¯s proposal. As the Manager in charge of resource distribution in the Demilitarization Belt, he found Alkori¡¯s request too unreasonable. "You should be grateful that we are allies¡ªfor now. Otherwise, your head would not still be attached to your body. Regardless, my demands stand. The previous agreement was before the error on your kingdom¡¯s side and the emergence of that demon." Alkori stated coldly. "You-!" Tonne¡¯s face turned red from anger; however, Solomon decided to speak before things got too out of control. Though the General inwardly sighed. Sometimes, he felt that managing this group of individuals was akin to keeping a bunch of children in line. "Manager Tonne, Controller Alkori¡¯s words are justified. Asking for double is indeed too much for our current finances to handle, but I do not believe that we cannote to a mutual agreement that satisfies all parties involved. Although it pains me to say, our kingdom holds much responsibility in this matter." Solomon said calmly. Tonne wanted to protest but held his anger in as he released an annoyed grunt and returned to his seat. Alkori sneered, "I¡¯m d to see that you know how to weave your words, General S-" "Controller Alkori. I have entertained your outburst and outspoken nature thus far; however, even my patience has its limits. If you continue to test it, I hope you can bear the consequences that follow." Solomon asserted. Alkori narrowed his eyes but remained silent in response. Solomon internally sighed. Alkori¡¯s attitude was poor, but Solomon knew that when it came to the battlefield, Alkori was someone who could be taken at his word and then some. Besides, Solomon understood that Alkori was not as reckless as he appeared on the surface. If he left the safety of the camp now and ran into Tempest forces, there was little to no chance Alkori and his mercenary group would make it out of the Demilitarization Belt and back to Pzenium. Even if they did, their losses would be too significant to ever recover from. After agreeing on a 40% increase to the Pzenium mercenary group¡¯s original payment, Solomon set the meeting back on track. "Soothing Smoke, we are not done with our conversation. However, I must move onto the main topic of the conference." Solomon said as the mood in the tent experienced a drastic shift. The atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed as though the air was made of lead. "We will put it to a vote¡ªwhether we shoulde up with a n of attack, or... If we should cut our losses and retreat from the Demilitarization Belt." Solomon announced. "Attack." Alkori was the first to answer, and there was no hesitation behind his decision. He then continued, "If we were to retreat now, the blood of my brothers would have been spilled in vain. A Pzenium warrior has never known of defeat outside of death!" "A Pzenium warrior has never known of defeat outside of death!" The two personal guards who apanied Alkori dered proudly. ¡¯Pzenium warriors¡ªa strange bunch.¡¯ Any other mercenary group would have already packed up and left after everything that happened. However, Izroth was reminded of his battle against the Pzenium warrior Falcinean in the Millennial Veiled Oasis. They were a kingdom of warriors that only knew how to properly speak when using their des in battle. "I also say that we attack¡ªtake the fight to them. That creature is too much of an anomaly. It¡¯s too close to Rosentarus and is moving towards our border with every passing moment. If it¡¯s not stopped here, the number of casualties will not be small once it crosses into Rosentarus." Duchessmented. "Have you ordered the Zensana living near the Ronsentarus border to retreat?" Solomon questioned. Duchess shook her head as she heavily sighed and said, "It¡¯s no good. We were able to convince some of them, but most of the Zensana sub-species at the border are too prideful. They will not abandon their home¡ªeven in the face of danger." "I see. That certainly adds another element of trouble to take into ount. And, the rest of you?" Solomon queried. "I suggest that we retreat." Soothing Smoke answered. Alkori locked his gaze onto Soothing Smoke, but he did not have an immediate outburst this time. Instead, he maintained hisposure; however, one could see the fury on his face. "Did you forget so quickly whose fault this is to begin with? Now you want to run away without facing the problems you¡¯ve caused head-on? I didn¡¯t know the agents of Amaharpe¡¯s famed War Intelligence Group were such cowards." Alkori mocked. "Taunt me all you will, but that does not change the facts. Your words are spoken out of anger and thoughts of revenge for your fallenrades. The Beast Guardian¡¯s decision takes the protection of Rosentarus as the priority for her choice. As for mine, it is merely one of pure logic. Let¡¯s say we defeat the creature¡ªdid you know that as long as a single piece of it remains, it has the ability topletely regenerate itself and return immune to everything it was previously smitten by? If someone of General Solomon¡¯s caliber or even you, Controller Alkori, were to fight against it and have no way to guarantee its total annihtion, then you would only be making it stronger." Soothing Smoke exined. "What do you suggest we do then? Let it roam freely, killing everything in sight until it gets bored?!?" Alkori snapped. "Yes¡ªor at the very least, until we can find a failproof method to containing it." Soothing Smoke said as they turned their head slightly to look in Aurie¡¯s direction. Solomon narrowed his eyes and said, "I know what you want to propose, but I will only consider that as an absolutest resort." "I know¡ªwhich is why I suggested we retreat." Soothing Smoke stated. Once Soothing Smoke confirmed his choice, Tonne cast his vote to retreat, citing that current resources were being spread too thin with all the damage their forces received. Now, there were two votes to attack and two to retreat. At the moment, only Izroth, Solomon, and one other individual had yet to cast their vote. "You¡¯ve been quiet this entire time. Do you have nothing to add, Dolos Jestal?" Solomon said as he addressed the one person who had yet to speak up even once during the whole conference. ¡¯Jestal? If they¡¯re from Proximus, then they are undoubtedly connected to that same Jestal family.¡¯ Below the royal family of Proximus was the three top noble families¡ªAragon, Rutazou, and Jestal. Aragon focused on powerful fire-type magic. Rutazou specialized in a unique branch of nature magic. The Jestal family¡ªthey were considered the strongest among the three families for one reason¡ªthey were born with a natural affinity for a rare ssification of spatial magic! However, the Jestal family had been quite reclusive ever since their previous head died, and his son took over. It was not until the war began that they made an official appearance for the first time in many years. Dolos was a well-adjusted man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. His eyes possessed no pupils, but one should not mistake him as someone blind. His hair stopped at his shoulders and was ck with stripes of gray running through it. NPC Name: Dolos Jestal(???) NPC Level: ??? "I shall abstain from voting, General Solomon. Whatever choice is made here today, my Jestal family shall honor it in full." Dolos replied unhurriedly. Solomon inwardly frowned. Usually, those from noble families were the first and loudest to give their opinion on a situation. Although they had been stationed together since the start of the war, Solomon was unable to get a good grasp on Dolos or his character. There was always a thin veil that surrounded the Jestal family noble that obstructed his Absolute Symmetry. Though he did not know whether he should be concerned or... "Then, it would seem you will act as the tiebreaker, Captain Izroth. As, I too, shall abstain from voting." Solomon said with a meaningful gaze. After his words, everyone present turned to one person in the room¡ªIzroth. They were shocked by Solomon¡¯s decision. Why would he leave such an important choice in the hands of a Captain?! ¡¯I see. So that¡¯s why you invited me... Interesting.¡¯ Chapter 584 - Auries True Purpose?, A Surprising Guest At The Hilltop

Chapter 584 - Aurie''s True Purpose?, A Surprising Guest At The Hilltop

Tonne was the first to speak up and voice his opinion on General Solomon¡¯s judgment. General Solomon usually pushed things to the limit, but he had gone too far over the edge this time! "General Solomon, you can¡¯t seriously be thinking of leaving the tiebreaker to a Captain! This will affect the life of every person in the Demilitarization Belt¡ªno, perhaps even our very kingdoms! I must protest! As acting General, you should be the tiebreaker!" Tonne objected. "Rules are rules, Manager Tonne. Since the voting order has been agreed upon before our forces joined, it cannot be changed. And as stated in the rules, if a new party is to join, their vote will be castst. It also clearly states that every person at the table is to receive exactly one vote. Naturally, this applies to Captain Izroth, who is acting as the General Support Unit¡¯s official representative. Picking and choosing which rules to follow can lead down a slippery slope of no return, Manager Tonne. Of course, if everyone here is willing to overlook the rules, I don¡¯t necessarily mind." Solomon said with a smile; however, hidden beneath that smile was a terrifying reality that no one wanted to peek beyond. With those words, everyone understood Solomon¡¯s intentions and why he brought along someone from his side to represent the GSU. ¡¯Did he n all of this the moment we met? Or, is it rted to that matter? How amusing.¡¯ Two votes to attack, two to retreat, and two abstained. It was likely that Solomon predicted this result and invited Izroth to offset it. If Izroth were not here, then the power to determine their next course of action would fall onto Solomon. For some reason, Solomon wanted to avoid making the final decision himself, and Izroth had a good idea as to why this was. In the event of a tie, thest person would not be permitted to abstain from their vote. In this case, the final one to cast their vote was Izroth. One might believe that Solomon was using Izroth as a scapegoat, but that was only on the surface. In actuality, Solomon¡¯s thought process operated on a more profound ne of understanding. "Captain Izroth, your vote, if you will," Solomon requested. ¡¯Very well. I¡¯ll humor you this once, General.¡¯ Everyone¡¯s gaze was fixated on Izroth as he answered, "Then, my vote is..." ... Several hourster... Nighttime arrived at the Demilitarization Belt as the zing sun receded and a plethora of stars packed the night sky. The temperature dropped considerably at night within the Demilitarization Belt and left one feeling an icy chill pierced through to their bones. At the moment, Izroth stood on a small hilltop near the edge of the Demilitarization Belt, looking out at the calmnd that stretched further than the eye could see. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth heard the faint sound of footsteps ascending the small hill, and after a few moments, they reached the top. "Is there something you need from me, Commander Aurie?" Izroth asked without averting his gaze from the starry sky. "Your sense of perception is sharp as always, Captain Izroth. You should know that thest group has finished retreating from the camp." Aurie said as she walked forward and stopped right beside Izroth. "I see. All is well then." Izroth replied nonchntly. Silence lingered about for several breaths as a chilling breeze brushed past the hilltop. "When did you figure it out?" Aurie asked, breaking the silence. "That depends. Are you referring to General Solomon wanting to withdraw? Or, the true reason why you traveled here to the Demilitarization Belt? Either way, I figured out both the instant the General avoided casting his vote." Izroth said calmly with a carefree expression. He then continued, "But, are you sure about this? As a half-spirit, I¡¯m confident that you are more conscious of the consequences than I am. Regardless of whether or not you are sessful, your end will remain a constant. You will, without a doubt, perish." Aurie was startled by Izroth¡¯s words as she soon released a heavy sigh. "Your knowledge is not small. You know more than I assumed. However, whether I perish or not is irrelevant. That demon perfectly fits the criteria. If we seed here, then a lot of unnecessary bloodshed can be avoided." Aurie stated. "Who all knows?" Izroth inquired. "Besides you, just the General. However, I would not count out Soothing Smoke knowing about it as well." Aurie answered. "This n¡ªno, I suppose the word idea is more suitable. Did the General-" "No. I was the one who made the proposal." Aurie cut in. "If it is your choice, then I-" Woosh! All of a sudden, the space in front of Izroth and Aurie began to fluctuate and distort. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense sounded off in his mind. The danger emitted from this spatial fluctuation was not something he could afford to take lightly! Without a second thought, Izroth utilized his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement skill; however, something bizarre urred when he tried to activate it. ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Enhanced Instantaneous Movement? is temporarily disabled due to the area¡¯s spatial restrictions!¡µ Oooooom...! Kshhhh! The next moment, a contained humming noise followed by the ear-piercing sound of something tearing apart rung into Izroth¡¯s ears as the space before him became warped. After his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement failed, Izroth quickly activated his Flickering Steps. But, in an instant, he felt as though his body was drifting weightlessly in multiple directions. Despite invoking his Flickering Steps, Izroth was drawn in by the spatial distortion with an overwhelming pulling force! "Ha!" Aurie unleashed an explosive shout as a pink aura formed around her and spiked. This aura was able to push away the distorted space from both her and Izroth¡¯s position. Bang..! The distorted space swirled into a vortex several meters away from its previous location before imploding and ultimately devouring itself. However, everything within ten meters from where it imploded¡ªthe trees, grass, even the dirt itself, had vanished. From an outside perspective, it was as if someone suddenly came and took arge scoop out of the earth. Izroth returned to normal as he used his Energy Vision Sense to sweep the surroundings. However, he did not sense any hostile presence within 1,000 meters! ¡¯This ability to hide from my Energy Vision Sense... Is it their doing?¡¯ When it came to those who could escape his Energy Vision Sense, it was a short list for Izroth. But, he knew of a specific group of individuals with this exact capability. Nevertheless, Izroth was far from amused as his carefree expression was nowhere to be found. Not only did they attack him, but they even went so far asunching a ruthless sneak attack! Aurie reached to her back and swung her arms outward, now wielding her pair of tonfa. "Show yourself," Aurie stated coldly. If she had been a couple of secondste, that attack would have left them with more than just a few scratches and bruises. At first, there was no response. But, a handful of secondster, a swirling vortex emerged in the space located several meters away from Izroth and Aurie. "That¡¯s the first time anyone has forcibly expelled my Spatial Copse¡ªhow unexpected. However, it would have been better if you had just epted a painless death, Commander Aurie. Now, since you¡¯ve forced my hand, things may be somewhat unsightly." A voice echoed from within the spatial vortex. "This voice¡ªit can¡¯t be...!" Aurie eximed. She recognized the voice of their assant! Simultaneously, a person stepped out of the swirling spatial vortex as it closed behind them. ¡¯It¡¯s him? This magic... I see. It makes sense. But what does he gain?¡¯ "You should have stayed in the Unsanctioned Zone, Commander." The new arrival said as Aurie expressed a rare sight of burning fury in her eyes. "What¡¯s the meaning of this, Dolos Jestal?" Aurie questioned in a tone that could freeze the eternal burning mes of the underworld. The one responsible for the life-threatening spatial distortion that just urred was the representative of Proximus, Dolos Jestal! However, Aurie did not understand the reason behind his assault. There was no personal grudge between the two of them, yet that attack was definitely meant to reap her life. "What is the point in exining something to a person who is about to die?" Dolos said as he motioned his hand forward with an open palm as the space within forty meters of where he stood began to vibrate violently. "You have to warn General Solomon! The Jestal family is-!" Aurie said to Izroth; however, before she could finish speaking, the space in front of her rippled. When she noticed this, Aurie kicked off her back foot and created some distance between herself and the rippled space. "It is of no use. I am sure you have at least some knowledge pertaining to my Jestal family¡¯s spatial magic. I have already sealed the surrounding space¡ªthere is no way in or out, Commander. Tonight, this hilltop is where your existence shall cease." Dolos stated indifferently. Chapter 585 - True Face

Chapter 585 - True Face

¡¯It doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ Why was a member of the Jestal family attacking their own allies? Amaharpe and Proximus had close ties with one another since the Seventh War of the Titans. While Izroth was not clear about all the details surrounding that war, he knew that as one of the top three noble families in Proximus, the Jestal family was among the oldest. They fought side by side with the Proximus, Aragon, and Rutazou families, thenter helped establish what is now known as the Proximus kingdom. The Jestal family may have been reclusive in recent years, but they never showed any signs of rebellion. Then, could Dolos be acting alone? There were too many questions and not enough answers. But, Dolos did not seem like the type to talk willingly. Woosh! Aurie evaded another spatial ripple as she darted forward at incredible speeds. She knew how dangerous spatial magic was, especially the one wielded by the Jestal family of Proximus. While this was her first time fighting against a member of the Jestal family, as a Commander of the War Brigade, she learned of their natural affinity for spatial magic and what it entailed. In terms of difficulty, spatial magic was one of the hardest branches of magic to learn, let alone master. It was to the point where one could dedicate their entire life to studying it and only manage to scratch the surface. However, it was different for those who possessed the Jestal bloodline. Some believed their ancestor made a deal with a being from the divine realm or that they came across an item from the True World that transformed one¡¯s bloodline. Whatever the case, using spatial magic was as easy as breathing for members of the Jestal family. But, this alone was not the reason why they were feared and respected throughout not just the kingdom of Proximus but other kingdoms as well. Their maniption of space held a unique aspect¡ªits ability to tap into the power of time! This gave birth to a new terrifying branch of magic known as Spatial Tempus Magic. "Spatial Tempus-" Dolos halted his words as a spatial vortex epassed his body, causing him to disappear. Woosh! Not even half a secondter, an azure de shed through the air where Dolos previously stood with an overbearing and destructive force. A spatial vortex opened up several meters away from Dolos¡¯st location as he stepped out. However, the instant he did so, a fissure appeared in the earth beneath his feet, slowing his actions. Dolos looked down at the fissure with disdain as he said, "Meaningless. I permitted you to keep your life until I finished the Commander, but it seems that you are in a hurry to die." That level of attack was not enough to harm Dolos, and he did not perceive the other party to be a threat, which is why he ignored their presence. However, if they insisted on being a nuisance, then he did not mind sending them to an early grave if they so desired. Dolos motioned his hand forward, but a frown soon found its way onto his face as a ringing silence filled his ears. "Something is interfering with my spatial magic," Dolos said to himself. Just now, he tried to use Spatial Copse, but the structuring of his magic sequences had been thrown into disarray by an unknown force! "That Commander should not possess this kind of skill. Then... Him? No, how can a mere Captain disrupt my spatial magic to this degree?" Dolos internalized. "Did you forget about me so soon, Dolos?" Aurie¡¯s voice sounded from behind Dolos. "?!" Dolos swiftly turned his body and attempted to open a spatial vortex to escape; however, there were only slight ripples as a full vortex was unable to form. Bang! A pair of tonfa crashed harshly into Dolos at a devastating speed as he was blown off his feet and several meters into the air! Simultaneously, two crescent moons formed from pink and golden energy manifested next to each other in a mirrored fashion behind Dolos¡¯ back. "Double-Cross: Savage Moonlit Cleave." The two moons drew closer to each other and made contact as a frightening energy was discharged. BOOOOM! Dolos was covered by the energy as the twin moons devoured him, and two massive sts detonated in the sky above! Woooooosh! Crash! Dolos crashed down from the sky after the explosions, creating a small crater in the ground from the impact. Heid motionless and covered in wounds under a pile of rubble. Aurie took a deep breath before exhaling. Even with two working arms, using that attack generated a lot of bacsh. However, she understood that now was not the time to let her guard down. Still, Aurie was surprised. That opening was not a slip up on Dolos¡¯ part, nor was it a random lucky opportunity. She saw for herself the strange ripples that spread out from Izroth¡¯s location. When Aurie first witnessed it, she could not believe her eyes. The ripples were actually disrupting Dolos¡¯ spatial magic! Not only that, but even the surrounding mana was being destroyed or pushed aside in the wake of the ripples. Given some time to recover, a skilled magic caster like Dolos would have unquestionably found a way around the disruption by reforming his magic sequences. But, Aurie did not intend on waiting around and immediately took action. "You still have quite a few secrets, Captain," Aurie said to herself as she carefully approached the edge of the crater where Dolos crashnded. At the same time, Izroth also made his way towards the crater as he briefly reviewed his battle logs. ¡¯I didn¡¯t expect it to activate after using my fourth sword form.¡¯ ¡´Battle Alert: The passive for ?Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple? has been activated!¡µ Izroth¡¯s Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple¡¯s passive granted him a 1% chance with every sword attack to release a Quelling Ripple. This Quelling Ripple only dealt 50% damage, and the effects were much shorter-lived than the active part of the skill; however, Aurie did not let the skill¡¯s magic and mana disruption effects go to waste. Aurie immediately realized what was going on and acted ordingly¡ªa testament to her experience on the battlefield. The first thing Izroth did when he reached the edge of the crater was to use his Energy Vision Sense to examine Dolos. ¡¯His me reveals he is alive but weakened. He should no longer be a threat in this state. Still, to think he would be done in by one blow. What is it that yers call it again..? A ss cannon?¡¯ A ss cannon referred to an individual who had extremely powerful offensive capabilities but virtually no defense to back it up. Capable of dealing vast amounts of damage, yet could be easily destroyed with one or very few good hits¡ªthis was a ss cannon. "Themunication talismans are still malfunctioning due to spatial interference, and it¡¯s too dangerous to move him carelessly. I will stay here and guard his body while applying some restrictions. In the meantime, I need you to contact General Solomon and Captain Yan and inform them of this matter. Since it involves a member of the Jestal family, if things are not handled properly, it could have disastrous effects on the current state of affairs between Amaharpe and Proximus. This is something we must avoid at all costs. This whole situation is a real headache." Aurie sighed. If news got out that a Proximus representative from one of its top three noble families tried to assassinate a Commander of Amaharpe, it would drive a wedge between the two kingdoms. While the alliance would not be disbanded, it would undoubtedly nt a seed of distrust. In the end, this would only benefit Tempest and those who sided with them. "Then, wouldn¡¯t killing him and erasing all evidence be the easiest route?" Izroth suggested. Aurie shook her head and replied, "Do you think I have not already considered it? It¡¯s just that it is too risky. Just because you cannot see something with your eyes does not mean it is not there. More ways than one exist to capture the unseen and recover that which has been lost." She then jumped down into the crater and was greeted by a bone piercing chill. It was to the point where Aurie could exhale and see her own breath due to the cold air. "Only a few steps yet such a drastic drop in temperature. Is it a protective magic item?" Aurie questioned as she felt a dark and invasive cold energy flood the atmosphere within the crater. All of a sudden, a smokescreen poured out from Dolos¡¯ body that gave off a malicious intent. Sensing this, Aurie withdrew from the crater and looked on with furrowed brows. Aurie¡¯s instincts told her that staying down there with that wicked energy was dangerous. ¡¯This vile presence... It definitely belongs to them.¡¯ A pair of blood-red eyes could be seen through the smokescreen of dark energy with white specks floating inside it. A few momentster, the smoke cleared up as a figure emerged that resembled Dolos, but his appearance was different. He had gotten at least half a meter taller, and his eyes, along with his skin, turned a deep shade of red. His hair was now white and reached down to his lower back, and his fingernails were reced with razor-sharp ws. "Unforgivable." A demonic voice echoed. But intertwined with that voice was one of familiarity¡ªDolos, and his current appearance was simr to that of a Shadahi¡¯s! Chapter 586 - Spatial Tempus Magic

Chapter 586 - Spatial Tempus Magic

Not too long after Dolos spoke, two slightly curved horns emerged from the top of his head. "This appearance paired with that vile energy¡ªhow is this possible?" Aurie questioned with furrowed brows. Even though Aurie never encountered a Shadahi in her lifetime, she read over the reports on her way to the Demilitarization Belt. While there were some discrepancies present, the overall look and corrupted aura closely matched Ekquilore¡¯s! "Dolos! You would betray not just your allies but the entire Mortal Realm by siding with those monstrosities?!" Aurie was furious! Not only was Dolos a high ranking noble of the Jestal family, but more important than anything, he was human¡ªor at least, he used to be. What could drive someone like Dolos, who already had power, wealth, and fame, to side with the eternal enemies of their own race?! "A person of your benevolent nature would never understand, Commander. Yourck of ambition and narrow vision leads you down a path where you will inevitably reach a dead end. I, on the other hand, am not so short-sighted." Dolos said as the space beneath his feet violently trembled, and he levitated a few meters into the air. Out of nowhere, in the sky fifty meters above the hilltop, the space in the atmosphere fractured as a twisting vortex the size of a fist formed; however, it was barely noticeable to those down below. Izroth inspected Dolos with his Energy Vision Sense and discovered that the mes shown had changed from a saturated gray to pitch ck with white specks. But, Izroth could not look for long as the chaotic space ced a heavy strain on his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯This transformation is different from that time.¡¯ During the Chaotic Dogma Realm, and again not too long after it ended, Izroth ran into a yer called Silent Steps, who transformed in a manner simr to Dolos. The second time they crossed paths, Silent Steps¡¯ transformation seemed to have grown more powerful than when they fought against Aegis back in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. At that time, Izroth was merely a spectator of the fight. However, during their second run in, Izroth directly confronted Silent Steps, who transformed into his Shadahi-like form. If Izroth had to give a rough estimate, the transformation skill used by Silent Steps doubled his strength. Though even with his new form, Izroth was able to easily dispose of Silent Steps. But, Dolos¡¯ transformation was different¡ªand not by a modest amount. Not only was the Shadahi aura around Dolos several times more potent, but his general transformation appeared to be one of a higher quality. It was likeparing a watered-down version of something to the real thing. Of course, Dolos was not an actual Shadahi, but the gap disyed between his and Silent Steps¡¯ forms were just that vast. "If this is what lies at the end of the path taken by one¡¯s ambition, then it is a path I am thankful not to have tread." Aurie dered as a pink and golden energy wrapped around her tonfa. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The surrounding space within 200 meters has been sealed off! No one can enter or exit!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! An Emergency War Objective is now avable!¡µ ?Operation Identifier: Siding With The Enemy? ssification: Emergency Contribution Points Bonus: +100% Min. Requirement(s): ??? Min. Level Rmended: 50 Slots Remaining: Unlimited Objective: Assist the War Brigade Commander Aurie in her fight against Dolos Jestal, who has sided with the Shadahi and betrayed the Mortal Realm. You must actively participate in the battle until the end to receive the reward. Reward: [+150 Contribution Points][x1 ?Treasure Shard?] Failure: [-600 Contribution Points] ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth quickly scanned over the new war objective and epted it with haste. However, he was a bit surprised by the low rewards being offered along with a harsh failure penalty. While Dolos was hiding his real strength beneath a skill or item, Izroth knew that he was not a legendary being. Still, for a spatial magician empowered by a Shadahi transformation, wasn¡¯t the rewards somewhatckl.u.s.ter? Of course, since it was an emergency-type war objective with a 100% bonus, Izroth would end up receiving 300 contribution points instead of 150 contribution points. But, the base rewards did not offset the potential 600 contribution points loss in the slightest. Perhaps this Treasure Shard held a high value? If it was a reward for an emergency-type war objective, at the very least, it should not be something worthless. Either way, it was not as though the thought of failure entered Izroth¡¯s mind. In his eyes, if he could not handle someone like Dolos, how was he suppose to face beings like Ekiquilore or worse¡ªSyxirius? "Thankful? I see. It is as I anticipated. All of you¡ªnot a single one is aware that this war, as you call it, was over long before it even began. Now, enough talk. I can see that my words are wasted on you." Dolos spoke coldly. He reached his hand forward as if he were trying to grab hold of the space in front of him. "Spatial Tempus Magic: Singrity." Ooooooooom..! Suddenly, the twisting vortex in the sky rapidly expanded until it reached a diameter of twenty meters. The next moment, the vortex began to draw everything within 100 meters towards it with a virtually inescapable force of attraction. The vortex devoured trees, nts, small animals, monsters, air¡ªeven light itself could not escape from its grasp! The only thing that appeared to bepletely unaffected was Dolos himself and the space directly under his influence. Aurie struggled to maintain her footing on the ground; however, she skillfully controlled her mana and focused it towards her feet to stay anchored to the earth. "So this is the Spatial Tempus magic of the Jestal family. It feels like the more I resist, the stronger the pulling force bes. Not to mention..." Aurie looked over in Izroth¡¯s direction. Aurie knew that if even she was having such a difficult time staying on the ground, then the GSU Captain should not be fairing well. But, when Aurie checked on Izroth, she was shocked to see that he was no longer on the terrain! Her eyes immediately turned to the sky as Aurie¡¯s worse fears hade to pass¡ªthe powerful vortex was pulling in Izroth! "Captain Izroth!" Aurie wanted to rush to save him, but the moment her feet left the earth, she, too, would be pulled in uncontrobly. She could not help but feel that part of this was her fault. Dolos was after her life, and Izroth just happened to be caught up in the crossfire. In the end, this was not the dreamworld. This particr ying field was far from bnced, and ultimately, it was no ce for a Captain. "Do I have no choice but to use my Dream Domain?" But then our ns..." Aurie was conflicted; however, it was only for a split second. "I cannot abandon a life in front of me." Aurie internalized as she made her decision¡ªshe would use her Dream Domain. But, just as she was about to act, something unusual happened in the sky near the vortex. When Izroth was exactly ten meters away from it, a sharp de of wind that carried with it a suppressing momentum raced out from his position. The moment the de of wind connected with the vortex, chunks of debris that were in the middle of being sucked in came to an abrupt halt as it fell from the sky. At the same time, Aurie felt the force of attraction generated by Dolos¡¯ Spatial Tempus magic disperse as she no longer required her mana to stand up straight. "Impossible, my magic has been disrupted?! I underestimated this Captain. It seems he has somehow acquired a skill that acts as the natural enemy of my spatial magic. I will have to eliminate him first, or he will continue to be an annoyance." Dolos thought to himself. However, when Dolos scanned the sky with his gaze to locate the falling Izroth, he was nowhere to be found! Zeeeeut! "?!" A sharp sword intent descended upon Dolos as he felt a cold edge sweep across his back! "You...!" Dolos was lost for words and filled with fury as he caught sight of his attacker. The surrounding space within 200 meters should bepletely sealed! How was it possible that this person suddenly appeared behind him? At the moment, Izroth was in mid-air with his Sword of The Storm drawn. His attack had just sessfullynded on Dolos! In truth, Izroth intentionally let himself be pulled in by the vortex as it was the only way he could get close enough without drawing suspicion to himself. Once he was within range, Izroth activated the Tempest Strikes effect attached to his Sword of The Storm and infused it with his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple to disrupt the vortex¡¯s magic sequences! But, he did not stop there. The next action he took was even more shocking. Izroth remembered Aurie¡¯s words. She mentioned that given some time, Dolos would have found a way around the disruption effects of his Quelling Ripples by reforming his magic sequences. At that point, Izroth got an idea. If Dolos could avoid his Quelling Ripples¡¯ disruption effects by rewriting his magic sequences, couldn¡¯t he do the same with his own skills? And that¡¯s precisely what Izroth did in the short amount of time that he left the ground, to when he attacked the vortex with his ninth sword form! Chapter 587 - Primed One: The First

Chapter 587 - Primed One: The First

... When the giant spatial vortex appeared in the sky, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off nonstop, warning him of the potential danger that manifested above. If he had been pulled into the vortex, he would not have survived¡ªeven with the help of his Heavenly Golden Body. In addition, if it were not for his Spatial Awareness skill and his visit to the Amaharpe Pce Library that furthered his understanding of magic, Izroth may not have been able to escape Dolos¡¯ Spatial Tempus magic. It was also due to this that Izroth could make sudden changes to his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement skill. Although it seemed simple, in reality, it was a daunting task even for the most experienced of magic casters. Not to mention, he did so in the middle of a battle! This would not have been possible if Izroth did not possess a deep understanding of thews of magic that exist in RML. From the knowledge he acquired, Izroth understood that spells were generated from magic sequences, magic sequences from magic cycles, and magic cycles from strands. To put it into simple terms, strands were the building blocks of magic, magic cycles theyout, and magic sequences the structure. These structures that were built are what yers called Spells. Of course, different structures required different building blocks andyouts to create. Thisplex process gave birth to every spell, from rudimentary healing magic to high-grade damaging magic. Though this was something yers did not have to worry about as they had the system¡¯s assistance. All one had to do the majority of the time was have the mana to sacrifice and think or chant the spell¡¯s name to invoke its power. However, in the end, the skills automatically granted by the system could only be considered the "watered-down" version of its true might. One would only unlock a spell¡¯s real power after genuinely understanding how it functioned down to its core. This was one of the primary reasons why NPCs and monsters would always have stronger versions of a skill that a yer receives. While Izroth¡¯s Enhanced Instantaneous Movement was not a spell, he discovered that it worked on a simr building block andyout principle. Therefore, after applying and slightly modifying thews of magic, he uncovered a new realm of skill-types that perhaps he was the only yer in RML to know of its existence thus far¡ªa Primed skill. ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Enhanced Instantaneous Movement? has evolved to ?Primed Instantaneous Movement?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to acquire a ?Primed? skill!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 200!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the trait ?Primed One: The First?!¡µ Trait Name: Primed One: The First Trait Level: 1 Trait Effect: The user has a [0.01%] chance to activate the effect ?Primed Break? for all non-Primed skills. ?Primed Break? - Has a certain chance of activating a powerful hidden effect rted to the skill. Special Note: This trait is one of a kind, granted to the first yer that acquires a ?Primed? skill. Skill Name: Enhanced Instantaneous Movement -> Primed Instantaneous Movement Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A ¡ú Unique S Energy Cost: 35 Requirements: 1,000+ Agility, *??? Active: ¡ú ?Enhanced Instantaneous Movement? - Consumes 1 charge and allows the user to instantly move to any point within 15 meters. The user gains 1 charge every 45 seconds (Charges: 4). The user cannot travel directly through solid objects or strong magic barriers. This skill does not share charges with ?Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread?. *New ¡ú ?Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread? - Consumes 1 charge and allows the user to instantly move to any point within 30 meters. The user is also able to travel directly through solid objects and strong magic barriers. The user gains 1 charge every 30 minutes (Charges: 2). This skill cannot be disrupted or disabled. This skill does not share charges with ?Enhanced Instantaneous Movement?. *New ¡ú ?Primed Break? - Has a certain chance of activating a powerful hidden effect rted to the skill. Special Note: This skill can be taught to others who meet its requirements. Thanks to the Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread, Izroth could freely move through the chaotic space ced under Dolos¡¯ influence. Its effects were stronger than his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement; however, its cooldown time was much higher. But, given that it could not be disrupted or disabled and was capable of traveling through solid objects as well as strong magic barriers¡ªIzroth believed the cooldown time attached to it was a small price to pay. Though Izroth was particrly interested in the new trait he obtained, Primed One: The First and the Primed Break ability that came along with it. The trait itself was listed as one of a kind. This meant that in all of RML, besides Izroth, no one else would ever have a way of acquiring it! Although there was only a 0.01% chance to activate its effects, Izroth understood that such a low percentage spoke volumes of the power contained within a Primed Break. ¡¯I assumed Enhanced skills were the limit of yers, but it seems I was quite far off. Then, is there also another tier that exists above Primed? Or is this the absolute limit of yers who have not stepped into a higher realm?¡¯ The vast majority of yers were unaware of it, but Izroth knew of a ce in RML where even mighty legendary beings like Zushuatri or Zars were viewed as mere specks of dust¡ªthe Divine Realm. Izroth did not know the exact strength of beings in the Divine Realm, but they had the power to split apart realms and create new ones. Beings with that kind of power at their disposal¡ªhow could something like Primed abilities be their limit? ... Swoosh! Izroth¡¯s sword connected to Dolos; however, he instantly felt that something was wrong. ¡¯Strange. I¡¯m sure my attack hit just now, but...¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as this thought crossed his mind. At the same time, a grin appeared on Dolos¡¯ face that was filled with rage not too long ago. Zooooom! Zooooom! Zooooom! Suddenly, three holes opened in space around Izroth as a thin line of corrupted mana connected them in a triangr pattern. In the blink of an eye, the triangle expanded and trapped Izroth within a prism-shaped prison. ¡¯How is this possible? It should not have been this fast.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus was capable of wlessly mimicking the sword skill he executed. While it could notpare to the original in most cases, his sixth sword form just now should have interfered with Dolos¡¯ magic without issue. "How unfortunate for you that my magic has already experienced this skill of yours firsthand while I have taken up this form. Farewell, Captain of the GSU. Spatial Tempus Magic: Burial of the Damned." Dolos said as the prism around Izroth began to shrink rapidly. Dolos wanted to crush him alive! However, before the prism could copse and take Izroth along with it, he disappeared. "A Captain of the GSU managed to break free of my Burial of the Damned? Inconceivable. Could I have been found out? No, if I had been, that General would have already made his move against me." Dolos thought to himself as he inwardly frowned. He had some previous doubts when Izroth first disrupted his spatial magic, but now he was positive¡ªthis person was not a simple Captain of the General Support Unit. Woosh! As Dolos turned his head to scan for Izroth, he was greeted by one of Aurie¡¯s tonfa. Bang! Aurie¡¯s tonfa smashed into Dolos¡¯ face and knocked him back several meters. She had been patiently waiting for an opening, and Izroth¡¯s sudden disappearance seemed to have caught Dolos off guard. In that split moment, when his attention was divided, Aurie immediately rushed in to attack. The tonfa in Aurie¡¯s left hand emitted a pink glow, while the one in her right hand released a golden hue. "Double-Cross: Cosmic Sweep." Aurie stomped her right foot forward, lowered her stance, and spread her arms outward. She then swung her arms inward to form an X shape at an insane speed. The instant Aurie¡¯s arms crossed, a pink and golden energy flowed out from her tonfa and fused. Together, theybined to create a ring of energy that spun horizontally. At a nce, the mixture of the two energies resembled a gxy drifting unobstructedly through the vast confines of the universe. The ring¡¯s spinning speed increased as it shot through the air, causing the ground below wherever it passed to crumble and give way under its frightening momentum! Chapter 588 - Izroths Rampage

Chapter 588 - Izroth''s Rampage

Dolos swiftly recovered from Aurie¡¯s initial blow as he immediately began to prepare a counter for the iing attack. This ring¡¯s speed was less than that of Aurie¡¯sst destructive strike, Double-Cross: Savage Moonlit Cleave. If it was before he transformed, he might not have been able to recover and react in time after the initial blow. But, his casting speed was now five times faster! Dolos was about to activate his magic when, all of a sudden, a cage of lightning appeared around him, temporarily paralyzing his movements. At the same time, something, or rather someone, sprung out from the shadow beneath the ring of energy. This person was Izroth, who had recently escaped from Dolos¡¯ Burial of the Damned! "When did he-" Dolos¡¯ magic was obstructed by the effects of the lightning cage as his eyes widened in shock. One or two times could be written off as luck; however, to do so three times was no mere coincidence. Dolos was at aplete loss as to how was this person was moving so freely while under the restrictions of his spatial magic! ¡¯I do not know why my sixth sword form failed, but something is telling me that we can¡¯t let this fight drag out for too long. I have a theory as to why my sixth sword form did not affect him, though I can only hope that I am mistaken.¡¯ After using hisst charge of Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread to escape the confines of Dolos¡¯ spatial prison, Izroth utilized his Shadow Movement skill to hide himself in Aurie¡¯s shadow. Then, after Aurie executed her Double-Cross: Cosmic Sweep, Izroth hid within the energy ring¡¯s shadow as it traveled forward. As the energy ring grew closer to Dolos, Izroth lingered one step ahead of it. A couple of meters before the ring was about to collide with Dolos, Izroth made his move as he increased his speed to its peak, exited the shadow form of his Shadow Movement, and deployed the Lightning Cage skill from his Sword of The Storm. Lightning Cage was one of Izroth¡¯s few crowd control skills and could paralyze trapped targets for up to five seconds! Of course, he did not expect it tost that long against someone of Dolos¡¯ caliber; however, it was enough to buy time for their next move. Bzzzt...! Bzzzzt! Crrrrckle! Two purple lightning bolts descended from the sky and struck Izroth¡¯s location as his Sword of The Storm was coated in a pure lightning element. Simultaneously, Aurie¡¯s Double-Cross: Cosmic Sweep mmed viciously into Dolos, and upon contact, the pink and golden energies dissolved and seeped into his blood vessels, causing Dolos¡¯ body to undergo internal turmoil as it wreaked havoc. Dolos was sent tumbling back by the blow¡¯s aftershock as a remarkably dense and intense form of the lightning element epassed Izroth. At the same time, the pupils in Izroth¡¯s eyes disappeared as the color of his sclera shifted to that of wisteria. Not only did Izroth activate the Call of the Thunder God¡¯s First State: Heavenly Descent, but without consuming a mana potion, he instantly used the Second State: Heavenly Cloak! The mana cost increased when Izroth used another state of the Call of the Thunder God while one was already active; therefore, using both at once should have cost him 1,700 points of mana. This was well above his current 1,422 points of mana. However, his sword forms were not the sole thing to advance during the time he spent in Resseki and Kiren¡¯s challenge. At that time, Izroth also unlocked the second seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams given to him by the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. Skill Name: Seal of Ten Chakrams Skill Creator: Kryxelsia Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: +292 Mana Passive: Greatly increases a yer¡¯s potential for magic and enhances their mana based on the number of ?Chakram Seals? unlocked. ?First Seal?: Doubles the user¡¯s current mana by [MAX: 600] upon being unsealed. ?Second Seal?: The user¡¯s mana increases in quality, causing skills that utilize mana to have their cost reduced by 17%. ?Third Seal?-?Tenth Seal?: [Sealed] Special Note: A technique created by Wiseman Kryxelsia after many years of research that draws out and taps into one¡¯stent potential for magic. Zeeeeut! Izroth¡¯s movement speed soared to new heights as his figure became blurry. For a brief moment, hepletely shattered the previous top speeds reached with his Flickering Steps alone! -3,612 Izroth¡¯s HP decreased by 15% as he positioned himself behind Dolos. In the same motion, he immediately adjusted his stance to match his First Sword Form: Converging Paths. Then, the lightning element from Izroth¡¯s sword infused with Essence poured out with great vigor as it washed over Dolos with an overwhelming force! ¡¯Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? ?Critical Hit? -266,565 ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Death In One Step? has been activated!¡µ -250,974 Skill Name: Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: SS Mana or HP Cost: 200 Mana or 5% HP Requirements: ??? Passive: Damage from this skill has a fixed 100% chance to ?Critical Hit?. This ?Critical Hit? chance is decreased by 25% per active stack of ?Step of Death?. The ?Critical Hit? from this skill can stack with other ?Critical Hit? bonuses and effects. Active: The user gains +1,000% movement speed during the next 4 meters they travel(Increased to 10 meters if the user has 0 ?Step of Death? stacks). Depending on the user¡¯s ?Step of Death? stacks, the following effect(s) will ur: [0 Stacks] - The user can pay an additional 500 mana or 10% HP to instantly attack an opponent within the striking range of their sword, dealing 650% of their attack power as physical damage. This attack has a 75% chance of activating the effect ?Death In One Step? on its target. In addition, the cooldown to ?Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death? is increased from 0.25 seconds to 5 minutes. If the user chooses not to pay an additional 500 mana, they will instead gain 1 stack of ?Step of Death? (MAX: 3) and can immediately activate the [1 Stack] effect of this skill. [1 Stack] - The user can instantly attack an opponent within the striking range of their sword, dealing 300% of their attack power as physical damage. Gains 1 stack of ?Step of Death?. [2 Stacks] - The user can instantly attack an opponent within the striking range of their sword, dealing 200% of their attack power as physical damage. Gains 1 stack of ?Step of Death?. [3 Stacks] - The user can instantly attack an opponent within the striking range of their sword, dealing 150% of their attack power as physical damage. Resets ?Step of Death? stacks to 0, and cooldown time is increased from 0.25 seconds to 5 minutes. ?Death In One Step? - If the target is above 50% HP, they will receive an additional 10% of their maximum HP as energy damage. If the target is at or below 50% HP, they will receive an additional 30% of their total missing HP as energy damage. Damage from this skill ignores all defenses and cannot ?Critical Hit?. Special Note: One of a certain individual¡¯s greatest achievements as a swordsman in their years of youth. This skill can only be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 0.25 seconds ... Meanwhile, at the edge of the Rosentarus border... Solomon sat alone under a canopy in front of a table with various papers scattered about. It was not as spacious as hismand tent; however, since they would be retreating from this ce soon, there was little reason to set up a newmand tent. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Solomon said to seemingly no one. But, not even half a breathter, a figure emerged from the darkness and stood before the General. They were the representative of the War Intelligence Group, Soothing Smoke. "We have a problem." Soothing Smoke said calmly¡ªat least that was what most people would perceive. Solomon, however, could hear a hint of rm in their voice. Solomon inwardly furrowed his brows. If someone secretive like Soothing Smoke stated that they had a problem, then it was something they were not confident in resolving alone. "What is it?" Solomon inquired. "Dolos Jestal¡ªhe has betrayed us." Soothing Smoke stated coldly. Chapter 589 - Secret Connection

Chapter 589 - Secret Connection

Solomon narrowed his eyes as the pressure he gave off skyrocketed. There was a solemn expression on his face as he stood up from his seat and approached Soothing Smoke. At that moment, Soothing Smoke felt a cold chill run down his spine. "It¡¯s easy to forget due to the way he presents himself, but... I can understand why this man is marked as one of the three individuals most likely to attain the rank of Warlord in the future." Soothing Smoke thought to themselves. For a split second, Soothing Smoke lost every ounce of strength in their body, and their first instinct was to run. But, at thest second, the pressure subsided. However, Soothing Smoke was firmly reminded that the man before them was not like other Generals in the War Brigade. "Do you realize the risk of carelessly making such heavy usations against a member of one of the top noble families in an allied kingdom? Not just any ally, mind you, but one that shares a strong bond with our Amaharpe kingdom." Solomon stated. If word got out that a member of Proximus¡¯ Jestal family betrayed the alliance, whether it was true or false, it would nt a seed of distrust deep into the hearts of everyone. After that, it may not be in a day or even a week, but eventually, a spark would ignite the mes. At that point, this war would be entirely within Tempest¡¯s grasp. In truth, Solomon knew that Soothing Smoke would not have approached him unless they had some form of concrete evidence; however, he could not take any chances after the previous mishaps made by the War Intelligence Group. "I understand the weight of my words well, General. Dolos Jestal¡ªI had a few of my men keeping a close eye on him as a precautionary measure, but none of them have checked in." Soothing Smoke said. "Your men arete? That hardly counts as grounds for betrayal." Solomon responded. "My men are well trained never to bete, General. However, it is as you say, this alone is not enough, though perhaps this is." Soothing Smoke answered as he reached for a small pouch attached to his lower back. Solomon kept close track of every movement Soothing Smoke made as he did so. The next moment, Soothing Smoke removed a ck chain approximately thirty centimeters in length with exactly ten miniature skullstched onto the chain links. An aura of death lingered around the skulls. Nine of the skulls were purple, and the tenth one located at the top was golden. "The Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol..!" Solomon would recognize that chain anywhere. It represented one¡¯s loyalty to the Monarch of the Netherworld! But, this Nether Idol was unlike the others of its kind. A Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol symbolized a high standing among those who worshiped the Monarch of the Netherworld; however, only one organization in the Mortal Realm possessed them¡ªthe League of the Eidolon. "With his family¡¯s Spatial Tempus magic, it would be a simple task to slip in and out of camp undetected. I had an odd feeling about him from the first day, but I never had the chance to prove it¡ªuntil now. I personally paid a visit to his campsite and confirmed that Dolos Jestal is no longer present. I found this Nether Idol after searching through his belongings. Whether it belongs to Dolos Jestal or not, if anyone can discover the truth, it is you, General Solomon. One gaze from your Absolute Symmetry and you will receive your answer, will you not?" Soothing Smoke affirmed. "You¡¯ve broken more rules than I can count. Even the Head of the War Intelligence Group will not be able to save you if you¡¯re wrong about this. You will spend the rest of your life rotting away in a dungeon." Solomon said; however, Soothing Smoke did not falter in their choice. Solomon used his Absolute Symmetry to inspect the Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol. After doing so for about half a minute and checking over the results multiple times, the General hade to a conclusion. "Locate Prince Yan and inform him of the situation. We need to be prepared to keep this under the radar. In the meantime, I will apprehend Dolos." Solomonmanded. He made sure to refer to Yan as Prince instead of Captain because there was nothing Captain Yan could do, but Prince Yan was another story. With his status, even if the Jestal family came demanding answers after Dolos was captured, unless they wanted to cut ties with Amaharpe, they would have to go through official channels. However, by the time they received an answer, Solomon would have already gotten everything he needed. Of course, that was only if it was not the worst-case scenario that Solomon feared. The best case, given the circ.u.mstances, was that Dolos decided to act on his own. But, if the Jestal family as a whole sided with the Nether Realm and the League of the Eidolon, then it showed no one in the Mortal Realm was above suspicion. Though what Solomon feared the most was something he silently hoped would nevere to pass. Solomon stepped out of the canopy as he extended his right arm. At the same time, he crushed a small golden orb with countless tiny magic symbols carved into it. The orb dissolved and erupted into a burst of azure mes as the ear-piercing cry of a red-tailed hawk filled the atmosphere. Secondster, a two-meter high azure ming bird gripped onto Solomon¡¯s arm with its talons. The ming bird then pped its wings as it took off into the sky, carrying Solomon along with it! "If all three sides are working together, then this conflict¡ªI¡¯m afraid the odds will be stacked against us," Solomon said to himself. ... A few moments ago... "I have never seen the lightning element reach a form so pure. Where did that woman find someone like him?" Aurie internalized. While it was not the highest in terms of raw strength, in terms of quality, the purple lightning Izroth disyed was in a league of its own. That sword skill was also nothing to scoff at as even she was not absolutely confident in surviving that attack head-on! Izroth¡¯s Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death connected to Dolos and the effects of Death In One Step were activated. In total, Izroth¡¯s damage output was more than 500,000, and thanks to his 6% lifesteal, he immediately regained the 15% HP he lost from executing the skill. But, even after that devastating blow, to Izroth¡¯s surprise, Dolos was still standing! ¡¯He¡¯s still alive?¡¯ As an NPC and ss cannon, Dolos should not have possessed enough HP to survive that blow just now; however, it appeared that Dolos¡¯ magic was not the sole thing to be improved by his transformation. Nevertheless, Izroth did not walk away empty-handed. Sprawled out on the ground next to Dolos¡¯ feet was a motionless red arm with sharp fingernails! But, before Izroth could follow up with his next attack, an aura drenched in the stench of death exploded outward from Dolos, forcing him to withdraw back to a safe distance. ¡¯This aura... Strange.¡¯ Woosh! Izrothnded next to Aurie as she warned, "The surrounding space is starting to fold in on itself. At this rate, everything within 200 meters will be ttened and erased¡ªincluding us. We have to end this now. Can you interrupt his Spatial Tempus magic again?" Izroth consumed a mana potion and answered, "No, he seems to have ignored the effects this time around. There is no evidence, but we should assume that he somehow gained the Shadahi¡¯s ability to adapt along with his transformation." "I see. Then, it is all the more reason we cannot allow this fight to go on any longer." Aurie responded. She then continued, "You¡¯ve done well to shift his attention to you; however, Dolos is not aplete fool. He will not be blinded by rage; therefore, he will still be expecting me to deal the finishing blow. That¡¯s why I need to ask you a serious question, Captain Izroth. If I provide you with an opening, how confident are you in seeding?" "If it were a few moments ago, at least 80%. But now, it may be closer to 30%." Izroth replied calmly. "Why the sudden difference?" Aurie questioned. "His aura has changed to one I have seen and experienced firsthand. This deathly energy¡ªit resembles the one found in creatures of the Nether Realm." Izroth revealed. "The Nether Realm...?!" Aurie was taken aback. Could he be mistaken? After all, Dolos was clearly working with the Shadahi, and they nor Tempest ever had a connection to the Nether Realm! Chapter 590 - Netherly Swathe

Chapter 590 - Netherly Swathe

The Nether Realm was home to the Netherworld, a ce where a single entity reigned supreme and stood above all else. This individual¡¯s name had long been lost to the passage of time; however, those who knew of their existence in this era called them the Netherworld Monarch. The Netherworld Monarch was a unique existence. There was always a limit when it came to one¡¯s lifespan, whether it was True Dragons, Trephasias, or other long-lived races. It could be a thousand years, tens of thousands¡ªeven a million! Nevertheless, time would eventually catch up at some point, and one would ultimately be erased. Death could not be avoided as it was the Will of the World¡ªthe fate of all thates to exist. There was one way to circ.u.mvent death, but that method required one to step into the Divine Realm¡ªan impossible task for the vast majority. However, there was a sole exception to this Will of the World that existed below the Divine Realm¡ªthe Netherworld Monarch. They were eternal¡ªunable to experience a true death. Due to this, not even the threat of heavenly lightning could force them to ascend to the Divine Realm! It was also because of this that worshippers of the Netherworld Monarch were not umon in the Mortal Realm. In fact, the Skounae race and the League of the Eidolon were two of the biggest followers of the Netherworld Monarch. However, what troubled Izroth was that the rtionship between the Netherworld Monarch and the Shadahi was nonexistent from what he ascertained. They stayed out of each other¡¯s way. Even during the Mortal Realm¡¯sst encounter with the eternal darkness, there were no signs of the Netherworld¡¯s presence. As for the two sides making contact after that event, it was impossible. Beings from the Divine Realm sealed the eternal darkness; therefore, any type ofmunication with it from the outside was a futile attempt. Or, at least, it should have been. ¡¯To gain ess to the Shadahi and Netherworld¡¯s powers, it is unlikely that he is acting alone. There is a good chance that the entire Jestal family has a hand in this matter. If that is the case, things will not fair over well for Proximus within the alliance. There is also no guarantee that others are not a part of it. How troublesome.¡¯ All of a sudden, the aura of death epassing Dolos increased as it began to expand outward in every direction! "Netherly Swathe," Dolos uttered, and in the blink of an eye, a world of pure darkness covered the surrounding 200 meters from his position. A wave of darkness washed over Izroth and Aurie as they were separated from one another and pulled into the Netherly Swathe! ... At first, there was nothing but darkness; however, after a few moments passed, a purple hue appeared and faintly lit up the environment. The instant he was drawn into the Netherly Swathe, Izroth felt the gazes of several powerful existences lock onto him. But, it was as if those individuals were looking at him through a one-way mirror. Even though he could feel their presence, Izroth was unable to see them, and they were not able to directly interact with him. ¡¯It¡¯s the same feeling as that time.¡¯ Back during his visit to the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld, Izroth experienced a simr situation from a yer called Aza Ghost. However, she stated at the time that those effects were a benefit of being within the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. Despite her personality, Izroth did not believe that Aza was lying. The most logical conclusion was that Dolos was simply higher up on the League of the Eidolon¡¯sdder and held ess to extra benefits. For whatever reason, Dolos was somehow capable of using that same ability without having to be within the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld. If the effects of this Netherly Swathe were identical to his previous encounter against Aza, then Dolos was virtually unkible in this ce! This was the primary reason why Izroth was only 30% confident in dealing the finishing blow to Dolos after sensing that familiar deathly energy. Paired with Dolos¡¯ Shadahi transformation, this was not something he could afford to take lightly. ¡¯Do I have no choice but to use that now?¡¯ Izroth owned a straightforward solution to escaping the Netherly Swathe¡ªhis Boundless Emperor Void Perfection¡¯s Boundless Nullifying Expanse. With its Nullification Zone effects, it should have enough power to break through the Netherly Swathe. In addition, since Dolos was a magic caster, the Nullification Zone was his natural enemy. However, Dolos was not thergest threat in the Demilitarization Belt, and with a cooldown time of 252 hours, the Boundless Nullifying Expanse was not something Izroth could use freely. ¡¯I¡¯ll have to bet on this.¡¯ Izroth opened his inventory, and less than half a breathter, a small medallion materialized in the palm of his hand. This was the medallion he received from old man Zhi. Last time, it shattered the restrictive space after shing with a powerful deathly energy and helped him escape from its influence. Unfortunately, Izroth still had no idea how the medallion worked or how to activate it! Back then, it merely acted on its own ord. ¡¯If it doesn¡¯t work, then I will just have to-¡¯ Oooom! Oooom! Oooom! Without warning, several holes in space formed around Izroth at multiple angles. Shrieeek! What could only be described as a condensed stream of space rushed towards Izroth with an edge sharper than any de he had crossed paths with before in RML. Woosh! Izroth swiftly activated his Light Feather Footwork, gaining a considerable boost of movement speed as he evaded the iing assault. Zeeeut! Ooooom! The condensed space vanished as it missed Izroth and hit the ground; however, just as Izroth¡¯s foot touched the earth, a second stream of space raced in his direction. This time, however, it was slightly faster. Though with the movement speed boost from his Light Feather Footwork still active, Izroth had no trouble dodging it. But, it did not stop there. Every time Izroth avoided the condensed space, another would exit immediately after from a different hole in space with its speed slightly increased. Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense to search for a clue where these attacks originated from and noticed one obscure me not too far from his position. ¡¯Although it¡¯s faint, I can tell that me belongs to Commander Aurie. As for Dolos, his presence is spread all throughout this area, so it¡¯s impossible to pinpoint his exact position. Though if his target is Commander Aurie, it means he won¡¯t be too far away from her location. But, first, I will have to find a way to deal with these spatial streams.¡¯ ... Meanwhile... "This is a bit bothersome," Solomon said to himself as he inwardly frowned. With his Great zing Azure Bird¡¯s assistance, he managed to track down Dolos; however, he quickly ran into a problem. There was an insanely powerful spatial restriction magic in ce! "This level ofplexity when ites to spatial magic is definitely the work of someone from the Jestal family, and this energy infused into it... There is no denying it." Solomon sighed. A small part of him truly hoped that Soothing Smoke was wrong, but wishful thinking was just that¡ªwishful. "Just what are you up to out here?" Solomon muttered to himself. He then removed a small purple orb that resembled the golden one he used earlier and crushed it in the palm of his hands. As he did so, a humanoid silhouette formed in front of Solomon. After a breath of time, the silhouette underwent a drastic transformation. "It has been a long time since you¡¯ve summoned me, Solomon. I was beginning to think you stopped caring~." A sickeningly sweet and alluring voice sounded. "That¡¯s because every time I request a favor, in return, you ask for something unreasonable, Celebrexa," Solomon stated. The one called Celebrexa was a scantily d, well-endowed woman with pale skin, violet hair, and mesmerizing eyes that mimicked the starry night sky. On her back was a modest pair of ck demonic wings, and attached near the lowest region of her back was a tail. "That¡¯s only because the favors you ask are never small, Solomon~," Celebrexa noted. "Well, it¡¯s fine. I need you to destroy this spatial barrier." Solomon said as he directed Celebrexa¡¯s attention to the corrupted area of space. "Hmmm?~ This barrier is pretty sturdy. For this, I¡¯ll need five." Celebrexa said as she narrowed her eyes and licked her lip as if she were about to devour something. "Understood, do it." Solomon agreed without hesitation. He did not know what Dolos was doing inside this spatial barrier, but he would not wait around idle to find out. "Then, as usual, I¡¯ll be taking my payment in advance~," Celebrexa said as she moved closer to Solomon and stabbed her hand through his chest! Chapter 591 - Words of a Coward

Chapter 591 - Words of a Coward

Despite Celebrexa piercing Solomon¡¯s chest with her hand, there were no signs of blood or a visible wound. Instead, ayer of white energy flowed out from Solomon and coated Celebrexa¡¯s arm as if it were being channeled directly into her. A few secondster, the flow of energy came to a halt as Celebrexa had a look of satisfaction on her face. "Thank you for the delicious meal~." Celebrexa chimed as she ced the palm of her hand against the spatial barrier. "Ha!" Celebrexa released a reverberating shout as she shoved her hand forward and into the barrier. The next moment, multiple cracks and fractures could be seen in various sections of the surrounding space. These areas were the main currents that mana traveled through within the spatial barrier, and by attacking every location simultaneously, Celebrexa was able to shatter the spatial barrier effortlessly! The spatial barrier swiftly copsed; however, there was still an abundance of interference in the atmosphere that made it somewhat tricky for Solomon to pinpoint Dolos¡¯ position. But, thanks to his Great zing Azure Bird, he managed to pick up Dolos¡¯ approximate location. As Solomon hurried onward, Celebrexa followed after him and said, "My earlier offer still stands, Solomon. 120¡ªif you give it to me, I can deal with that creature for you." "As I said before, you are too unreasonable. After all, it was you who took half of my time in this world in exchange for a contract." Solomon replied calmly without slowing his pace. "What¡¯s this? Are you still holding a grudge from that time?~" Celebrexa smirked as she hovered leisurely above Solomon. "No, in fact, I am grateful. Back then, I was young, naive, and full of confidence in my ability. I believed myself to have no equal under the heavens¡ªa fool¡¯s belief. If you had not appeared on that day, I would have already perished from this world. In that sense, I owe my life to you. However, there are still things in this world that I must do¡ªthat only I can do. Until then, I cannot proceed in a short-sighted manner." Solomon responded. "..." Celebrexa stayed silent for several seconds. The smirk on her face had vanished, and soon, it was reced by an expression of ecstasy. She then said with a cloudy gaze, "Ah, it¡¯s not fair... Not fair at all, Solomon... If you speak like that, then... I¡¯ll really end uppletely falling for you~." ... Several moments ago... "This is... An isted pocket of space?" Aurie said to herself as she examined her new environment. "You¡¯re close, Commander; however, it is something much more. But, you will not be here for long." Dolos¡¯ voice echoed from every direction. At the same time, dozens of spatial vortexes opened throughout the area. Aurie narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Dolos Jestal, do you realize what you¡¯re doing? Do you truly think those two sides will ever ept a human as their equal? In the end, you will be nothing more than a servant that bends to their every will. And for what? A temporary boost in power? Is this the fate you have chosen for yourself?" "You¡ªno, the entire Mortal Realm is fighting a losing battle. Everyone worries about territory, resources, wealth, power, and influence, but it is meaningless in the end. Mortal Realm? What is that worth? In the grand scheme of things, it is but a drop in a vast ocean." Dolos stated. "Coward. All that sounds like to me is giving up before the fight even starts. Perhaps it is suitable that a man like you has fallen so far away from their own humanity." Aurie responded as she brandished the tonfa in her hands. "Call me what you will, Commander. But, the truth remains the same. Though I should warn you, stalling for time will do you no good. It will not change the inevitable oue." Dolos said. Immediately after those words left his mouth, ten javelins appeared. These javelins were constructed by ovepping space and using one¡¯s mana to give birth to a physical form. "Spatial Tempus Magic: Corpse Crown." Woosh! Woosh! The javelins rotated above Aurie uniformly in a way that closely resembled a crown. Then, in a sh, the javelins fired towards her with a fearsome force contained within their tips. Aurie slid her left foot back and kicked off it as she shot forward while the javelins grew near. Bang! Aurie charged at the closest javelin and smashed her tonfa coated in pinkish golden energy into it. Boom! Uponing into contact with her tonfa, the javelin exploded, releasing a powerful shockwave in the process. Fortunately, Aurie reacted fast enough and repositioned her other tonfa to form a makeshift shield of energy in front of her to absorb the blow. However, she was not out of danger just yet. One after the other, the remaining javelins crashed down, and whenever Aurie changed her sprinting direction, the javelins adjusted their course to match as if they had locked onto her presence. "Did you think we had no idea what you and that General were up to? There are not many people who know your secret, Commander. However, I happen to have stumbled upon that privilege." Dolos¡¯ voice sounded as Aurie continued to evade and counter the javelins. "The half-human half-spirit child. Your mother, who was a spirit, fell in love with your father, a human. Although it is frowned upon for spirits to form such worldly attachments to humans and humans to spirits, there still exist those who tread that line freely. After all, it is an unwritten rule, not an absolutew. But, your situation is different, isn¡¯t it, Commander?" Aurie did not allow Dolos¡¯ words to break her concentration as she sent out a wave of golden energy that collided with the eighth javelin, causing it to explode. Right now, she was focused on pinpointing where Dolos was hiding. "Why is it that you are the sole half-human half-spirit that is capable of utilizing the unique domain of the spirit race? Luck? No, the answer is something much more ring. Your mother was not just any spirit, she was-" Swoosh! Dolos, who was hiding in a separate pocket of space, felt something sharp brush past his cheek as a wound appeared on his face. An expression of disbelief surfaced when he noticed that he had been hit! "I have no interest in the words of a coward. Nor do I require a history lesson from you regarding my life. I can see that you are a lost cause, Dolos Jestal. I thought there might be a spark of humanity left in you somewhere that could see the error of your ways. However, you have fallen too far into the abyss to be saved." Aurie dered calmly. Aurie seeded in avoiding the javelins. Not only that, but she also managed to lock onto the area Dolos was hiding and evenunched an attack! "Who is it that¡¯s really stalling for time? You¡¯ve been very talkative for someone who stated earlier that they did not want to waste words. The damage you received from Captain Izroth must have exceeded your expectations. Your casting has be less refined and more chaotic, Dolos. In your current state, you are nothing more than a barking dog licking his wounds." The pinkish-golden aura around Aurie suddenly increased threefold! Dolos¡¯ expression darkened as he thought back to his arm being severed by that Captain of the GSU. He wanted to tear that insolent whelp limb from limb; however, Dolos knew he had to keep his priorities in check. Not to mention that Captain seemed to possess skills that were a natural counter to his Spatial Tempus magic. Therefore, Dolos understood that he had to make sure they were removed from the picture if he wanted to deal with Aurie. However, he did not expect Aurie to catch on to his wounded state so quickly. When Dolos looked over at his shoulder where his arm had been severed, he noticed that although the wound closed, there were still no signs of it regenerating. "Why isn¡¯t it healing? That impudent...! Once I finish here, I will make certain he has a fitting end." Dolos thought to himself. While he was not a member of the Shadahi race, the transformation granted him a good portion of their legendary regeneration ability. So then, why had he not healed from that brat¡¯s attack yet? Crrrrck... All of a sudden, unbeknownst to Dolos, the space behind him began to split open silently. Chapter 592 - Seed

Chapter 592 - Seed

... A few moments earlier... Bang! Izroth narrowly evaded the spatial stream as it raced past him and into the ground. But, soon after, he inwardly furrowed his brows when he realized that something was off. ¡¯Hm? Something changed.¡¯ Izroth noticed that the power behind the spatial stream was diminishing. That was not all, but its speed was also declining with each passing second. Up until a few seconds ago, the spatial stream¡¯s speed was on a steady rise; however, the number of holes in space encircling Izroth had decreased to less than 30% of their original number. Furthermore, not too long ago, multiple fractures in space emerged near his location. Izroth did not know why, but somehow, the restrictive measures imparted by Dolos¡¯ Spatial Tempus magic was no longer present! ¡¯If it¡¯s like this, then...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyes scanned the room as if he were looking for something in the seemingly endless darkness. ¡¯There.¡¯ Woosh! Just as Izroth found what he was searching for, a spatial stream rushed out from one of the nearby holes in space! But, this time, Izroth did not attempt to avoid the iing attack as he abruptly halted his movements. He then adjusted his stance to match that of his second sword form. 5 meters... 3 meters... 1 meter...! Izroth took a single step forward as he waved his sword outward towards the spatial stream, using his second sword form¡¯s Sword Return to intercept it! If it were before, Izroth would not have tried to counter the spatial stream as it could easily be regarded as the equivalent of an S-ranked skill in terms of raw power. Without his Essence reinforcing his second sword form¡¯s Sword Return, it would be a foolish endeavor. However, with the amount of Essence Izroth currently had at his disposal, if he were to use it now, there would be none left by the time he confronted Dolos. BANG! Shrieeeeek! Shrieeeek! The instant Izroth¡¯s sword shed into the spatial stream, it caused his arms to slightly tremble from the impact as a resounding screech rung inside his eardrums. ¡¯It¡¯s weakened so much, but the destructive force contained within this spatial stream is not something I can afford to receive a direct hit from.¡¯ Utilizing his Sword Return, Izroth managed to ovee the spatial stream and briefly gain control over it. In that split second, he could redirect it to any target of his choice! Izroth twisted his body and swung his Sword of The Storm that carried the spatial stream on its de¡¯s edge and aimed it at his left side. Swoosh! The spatial stream left Izroth¡¯s sword and soared in the direction of nothingness¡ªat least, this was how it appeared to the bare eye. But, after traveling just four meters, the spatial stream mmed into something. Crash! The sound of the crash was fleeting as silence soon filled the room. Then, the neighboring space fluctuated, causing the holes in space within the vicinity to shut close. The only thing left behind was Izroth and a thin vertical line at the spot the spatial stream was destroyed. Just now, with the aid of his Spatial Awareness skill, Izroth uncovered the most vulnerable point in the freshly fractured space. Once he determined that, it was only a matter of breaking it open wider. However, to do this, he required a skill capable of "cutting through space" so to speak, and the spatial stream suited his needs perfectly. But, Izroth was curious as to what caused the sudden changes. Was Dolos merely redirecting his full attention to Aurie? Or, perhaps... ¡¯Is he growing weaker?¡¯ First, Dolos¡¯ Spatial Tempus magic restrictions had faded, and then the spatial stream lost its ferocious strength. One way or another, Izroth nned to find out. Izroth approached the area where the line in space was located; however, it was no longer a simple line. In the span of a few breaths, it expanded to a size a bitrger than a person. ¡¯I have less than 400 points of Essence remaining. It¡¯s not much, but it will have to suffice.¡¯ Izroth nced down at the medallion in his hand and ced it back into his inventory as he inwardly sighed in disappointment. He hoped that the medallion would serve some purpose, but it seemed that it was unreliable for the time being since he had no way to activate its effects. ¡¯Maybe it did not feel the threat was great enough for it to act. Regardless of the reason, it looks like I won¡¯t be able to rely on it in the future. For now, I can only trust that this spatial tear will guide me closer to Commander Aurie.¡¯ Without further dy, Izroth entered the broken space as it closed shortly after he stepped inside. ... When Izroth walked into the spatial tear, he was delivered into absolute darkness. But, in a fraction of a second, he reached the other side of the spatial tear as the purple hue returned. However, what Izroth did not expect was that the moment he exited the spatial tear, the first thing that entered his vision would be Dolos! Though, strangely enough, Dolos seemed not to have noticed his presence. It was unthinkable for a master of spatial magic to miss someone breaking through space right at their back. This confirmed Izroth¡¯s previous suspicions that Dolos was still in a weakened state! Izroth¡¯s figure sunk into the darkness as he used Shadow Blending to reduce his presence and enter stealth. If Dolos had not discovered him, then how could he not take advantage of this opportunity? He wanted to get a grasp on the current situation. Mainly, there was something Izroth wanted to confirm with his own two eyes. ¡¯It¡¯s still missing. It seems they were telling the truth after all.¡¯ When Izroth witnessed that Dolos¡¯ arm had not regenerated, he knew that hisst attack was a sess¡ªbut not in a way one would think. Afterpleting Resseki & Kiren¡¯s challenge, Izroth received a certain item as a reward called Resseki¡¯s wless Armament. This was not a physical weapon or magic item, but a trinket! In RML, yers could have up to two trinkets equipped at once; therefore, after reading over its abilities, he equipped Resseki¡¯s wless Armament. In particr, one ability caught Izroth¡¯s attention, and earlier, he used Dolos in his Shadahi transformation state to test its effects. ¡¯Although it worked against him, it cannot be said for certain that it would also be effective against a genuine Shadahi of equal or greater strength. Still, at the very least, it confirms that those brothers were speaking truthfully.¡¯ One of the effects attached to Resseki¡¯s wless Armament was an active skill called Celestial Intent. In simple terms, it allowed the wearer to momentarily utilize something it referred to as Seed of Celestial Energy. This Seed of Celestial Energy resembled the Celestial Energy Resseki spoke of in his recording; however, it did not appear to be authentic Celestial Energy. Nevertheless, it was enough to give Izroth an extra edge against the Shadahi¡¯s terrifying ability to regenerate. Boom! As Izroth observed Dolos, all of a sudden, the aura around Aurie exploded. At that moment, Izroth knew that it was time to make his move. Woosh! Izroth deactivated the effects of his Shadow Blending as an overbearing aura emerged from his Sword of The Storm. "?!" Dolos sensed a sinister and oppressive intent appear seemingly out of thin air, and when he turned to see where it wasing from, the cold edge of a de weed him. "How-!" Dolos was dumbfounded when he saw a familiar figure creeping from behind the de that was only millimeters away from his face. It was that Captain of the GSU! But, what were they doing here? Even if they could escape from their confinement, it should not have been this quick! However, before Dolos had time to process what was happening, the sword¡¯s de had already shed into him. Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction took Dolos byplete surprise. In that instance, he was distracted as his mind struggled to find an answer for how this person was repeatedly able to take casual strolls through his spatial restrictions! There was no time for Dolos to react! Though it did not end there as a second wave of suffocating energy fell upon Dolos and, this time, it belonged to Aurie! "Triple-Cross: Fatal Angelic Glissade." Chapter 593 - Minor Realm

Chapter 593 - Minor Realm

A pair of pink and golden wings emerged from the back of her tonfas as an almost angelic-like hymn could be heard echoing from within the wings of energy. But, these were not the songs of angels or spirits. This angelic-like sound was produced by the ovepping energies contained inside the wings, and when one listened to it, they were ced in a hypnotic state. At the same time, Izroth was ready to follow up with his Second Baneful Sword: Kill; however, he paused as a voice entered his ears. "Hold off, Captain," Aurie said as she stormed Dolos. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth was unsure why Aurie told him to hold off on his attack, but given her character, Izroth knew that she must have had a good reason for saying so. After all, he doubted Aurie suddenly decided to feel pity for Dolos. Not only did he side with the Shadahi, but also the Netherworld. A person like that was not someone she could afford the luxury of mercy to. In the end, Izroth fell back several meters as he carefully observed the wings of energy with his Energy Vision Sense. "What is this wretched noise...!?" Dolos inwardly scowled. It felt like his head was being split apart, and the closer those energy wings moved to him, the more potent the effects became. In terms of raw destructive power, Aurie¡¯s strongest attack was the Double-Cross: Savage Moonlit Cleave. However, if her weapon skills were to be judged based upon their level of lethality, the one to reign supreme would be her Triple-Cross: Fatal Angelic Glissade. The wings of energy expanded before folding and converging in on Dolos. But, just as Dolos mentally embraced himself for the strike that was toe, he found that it never arrived. The wings of energy brushed right past him as if they were intangible, and for a brief moment, Dolos even felt a cool refreshing wave wash over him. The head-splitting noise had also vanished, and it was as though he was suddenly dragged up from the pits of the underworld and towards a ce of paradise. However, that moment was only fleeting for Dolos. Just as he was about to enter that paradise, he fell just short and rapidly plummeted to the deepest depths of the underworld, where his darkest fear awaited his return. This process repeated itself hundreds, thousands¡ªmillions of times. It was more than enough to drive even the most strong-willed of people mad. But, what Dolos did not know was that what he was experiencing only existed in the depths of his mind. At the moment, his actual body stood frozen in ce with his gaze clouded and empty. ¡¯What a vicious skill.¡¯ Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense, but not before he examined Dolos. If he were to put it in simple terms, the inside of Dolos¡¯ body resembled someone slowly pulling a rope apart with their bare hands. Dolos¡¯ muscles, nerves, bones, tendons¡ªeverything was being slowly stretched until it gave way and snapped. The worst part was that the mana and other foul energies that circted within Dolos seemed to be endlessly feeding this destruction. Aurie sighed inwardly as she watched Dolos¡¯ nk expression while he stood there motionless. Due to the Triple-Cross: Fatal Angelic Glissade¡¯s ruthless nature, it was something Aurie refrained from using even against her enemies. Therefore, to use it on a former ally left a bad taste in her mouth. Nevertheless, Aurie did not regret her choice. Dolos had crossed a line that should not have been crossed when he betrayed his own race and the entire Mortal Realm. At that point, he was no longer a human in Aurie¡¯s eyes¡ªjust a monster in human skin. "I wanted to capture him for questioning, but there may not be anything left of his mind to search by the time we reach camp. There¡¯s also that other headache to deal with regarding the Jestal family. As a Commander of the War Brigade, I know I should not say this, but he could not have picked a worse time to expose his intentions." Aurie said as she attached multiple restriction talismans to Dolos. Even though he was lost under the effects of her skill, she would not take any chances. Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath and stated, "Isn¡¯t this a good thing? It shows they felt threatened enough by your ns that they were even willing to sacrifice someone like Dolos to remove you from the picture." "I suppose that¡¯s one way of looking at it. Still, it¡¯s hard to believe someone from one of Proximus¡¯ top noble families has sided against humanity." Aurie remarked with furrowed brows. "When ites to power, no one is above its temptation, Commander. The methods or reasons may differ, but everyone craves power in their own way for their own reasons. Those who do not are destined to a life of mediocrity¡ªforever in the shadow of those that walk before them." Izroth said calmly. ... After making sure that Dolos was secured, Aurie quickly surveyed the area; however, she came up empty-handed in the search for a way out. At the same time, at Aurie¡¯s request, Izroth exined how he crossed over into their area. "The spatial restrictions ced by Dolos have been destroyed, but this ce is still holding up despite his present state. I had some reservations at first, though now I¡¯m convinced¡ªwe are within a minor realm." Auriemented. ¡¯That exins why the coordinates are a jumbled mess.¡¯ Izroth did not have much knowledge surrounding minor realms in RML, but he understood their importance. The Chaotic Dogma Realm was a minor realm, as well as the Imperial Penins Realm where the L.u.s.trum Imperial Bout would be held. Both ces had two things inmon outside of being minor realms. The first was that each seemed to possess its own set of unique rules, and the second involved the benefits one could receive from it. Even though Izroth had never visited the Imperial Penins Realm, the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, briefly spoke of her past visit to the minor realm. Not to mention, anything that could cause the realms to fight over it was far from worthless. Knowing this, Izroth was interested in whether or not it was possible to explore this minor realm. But, it did not take long for Izroth to receive the answer to his question. "This minor realm appears to be made up of countless isted pockets of space. Every point is connected, but there is no way for one to travel through that connection unless they know the specific method of doing so. Otherwise, they risk being lost in the endless void that separates the spatial pockets." Aurie exined. She then continued, "You were lucky to reach this ce in one piece, Captain Izroth. Though I assume it had something to do with Dolos being linked to both locations simultaneously. There¡¯s no other exnation as to how his spatial magic reached your previous location. Unfortunately, it is not a method we that can be repeated." "Are you saying we¡¯re trapped?" Izroth questioned. "For now, I¡¯m afraid so. Our only options are to either wait for this minor realm to eject us of its own ord or locate a backdoor that allows us to leave. Since minor realms usually have time limits, our best choice is to wait for it to eject us, but..." Aurie stated. "But, we don¡¯t have that luxury, right?" Izroth noted. "Precisely. With that monstrosity on the loose, we cannot remain idle." Aurie added. ¡¯The size of this minor realm is undetermined. Even if I use Space Defying Tread when it¡¯s off cooldown, there¡¯s no guarantee I can travel far enough to escape this ce. There¡¯s also the risk of being lost to the endless void.¡¯ Izroth had attempted to reach the world outside the minor realm, butmunication across realms was not something the system seemed to provide. His next thought was to use a Returning Scroll; however, every time he tried to do so, the system gave him an "Out of Range" message. This eventually led Izroth back to Zhi¡¯s medallion. Although he did not understand its uses, perhaps someone like Aurie could provide some useful insight. The moment Izroth revealed the medallion to Aurie, an expression of amazement surfaced on her face. "The person who gave you this medallion¡ªwas he an old man with unfathomable strength?" Aurie inquired?¡¯ Chapter 594 - Lost Generation Part(1/2)

Chapter 594 - Lost Generation Part(1/2)

"You know him?" Izroth asked. He knew there was a good possibility that someone of that old man¡¯s strength was well known. However, there was always a chance that no one was aware of his existence. After all, it was not umon for powerful individuals to live the life of a recluse. "Know him? Hm... Yes, I suppose you can say that. I¡¯ve only had the honor of personally meeting Grandpa Zhi once when I was a child. My situation at the time was unique, so I apanied my adoptive mother to pay him a visit. But, even as a child, I could tell¡ªGrandpa Zhi is an extraordinary character." Aurie stated with a look of admiration. She then continued, "My adoptive mother was only a half-student of Grandpa Zhi, but she took away much from his tutge. She also once told me that as long as one bes his student, they are virtually guaranteed to reach the legendary realm in their lifetime. Such a promise is not something that can easily be made even by those at the peak of the legendary realm." "Unfortunately, Grandpa Zhi was born in the wrong era." Aurie released a long sigh as she recalled the circ.u.mstances surrounding Zhi¡¯s presence in the Mortal Realm. "Wrong era?" Izrothmented. Aurie swept the room with her gaze once again and said, "If we can uncover the method of essing the spatial corridors, then we can move freely within this minor realm. That medallion in your possession should assist with that. Time also seems to flow slower in this minor realm. It leaves us with some breathing room, but given how vtile the space in this ce is, it¡¯s difficult to say whether or not it will remain a constant. Follow me and stay close, Captain." ¡¯Is it something she prefers not to talk about in detail?¡¯ Since Aurie brushed off hisment and did not continue exining, Izroth believed that it was perhaps a somewhat sensitive topic not meant to be spoken of without thought. Regardless, he would not pursue the matter to satiate his curiosity as it could make Aurie retreat even further from the topic. As this thought entered Izroth¡¯s mind, Aurie waved her hand as a veil of pink energy epassed Dolos and made him levitate to a position that was just a couple of meters away from Aurie¡¯s side. Soon after, Izroth and Aurie walked deeper into their part of the Netherly Swathe with the restrained Dolos. A few momentster, they approached something that resembled a "window in space". To those who did not have a means of sensing the shifting space around them, they would never notice its presence. However, for people who possessed a skill simr to Izroth¡¯s Spatial Awareness, not only could they perceive the window in space, but also the chaotic scene taking ce on the other side. Aurie carefully observed the spatial corridor and said, "Without knowing the exact travel method, it will take some time to locate a safe path. ce the medallion here." Aurie pointed to the entrance of the spatial corridor. Izroth followed Aurie¡¯s instructions and set the medallion at the center of the spatial corridor¡¯s entrance. The instant he performed this action, the medallion emitted a blinding light. This lightsted for several breaths before finally receding as the medallion maintained a light glow. At the same time, the once unstable spatial corridor began to stabilize and break open slowly. "Good, with this, we will not be restricted to this area. But, we shouldn¡¯t let our guard down. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve felt it by now, but there are multiple powerful existences watching our every move in this ce. It could be a trait of this minor realm, but it¡¯s also possible that they are hidden somewhere in the Netherly Swathe¡ªwaiting for us to step foot into their area of space. Once this spatial corridor stabilizes, we will have to proceed with caution." Aurie warned. Once she finished speaking, the room became silent as they patiently waited for the medallion toplete the spatial corridor¡¯s stabilization process. It was not until nearly five minutester that Aurie broke the silence. "Since you have Grandpa Zhi¡¯s medallion, it can only mean that he has acknowledged you as someone with potential. But, to have obtained that medallion is not something that could have been done with talent alone. You have something that othersck. As for what that is, I cannot tell you in an exact sense. However, after seeing your performance at the Unsanctioned Zone and again here at the Demilitarization Belt, I can understand why you were chosen." Aurie stated. "Earlier, I mentioned Grandpa Zhi being born in the wrong era. You would have probably¡ªno, definitely discovered the circ.u.mstances surrounding this on your own eventually. But, seeing as we have some time to kill and how involved you are in current events, I suppose now is as good a time as any." ¡¯Oh? She¡¯s finally willing to talk?¡¯ In truth, Izroth did not expect to receive an answer so soon. Of course, he was more than willing to listen to what Aurie had to say. ¡¯This world contains many secrets and mysteries that the average yer could never dream of uncovering. It is a giant puzzle, and just when you believe it to be solved, you discover there¡¯s a piece missing. Acquiring the whole picture from pieces alone may not be possible, but... One just has to find a way to fill in the nk spaces.¡¯ Aurie performed one more check on Dolos to confirm that he was secured and still lost in his own mind. After making certain Dolos was incapacitated, Aurie shifted her focus to Izroth before setting her gaze on Zhi¡¯s medallion that was floating at the center of the spatial corridor¡¯s entrance. "Long before the time of the seven heroes, the Fifth War of the Titans was waged across the Mortal Realm, and one year after it ended, the Sixth War of the Titans began¡ªthis is themon knowledge that most people are aware of," Aurie stated. Izroth inwardly nodded. He had read all about the War of the Titans in the Amaharpe Pce Library. The details epassing the wars were limited the further back one traveled in history, but the fifth and sixth wars were almost always mentioned together. However, it was to be expected considering that the time between the two wars was the shortest among the War of the Titans. "But, what history did not mention is the catastrophic effect the consecutive wars in the Mortal Realm had on the Divinity Line," "Divinity Line?" This was a term Izroth had not seen nor heard of up until now. However, from its name alone, its importance was apparent. "This is a surprise. You know so much at times that I often forget you have not yet walked this world for even half a lifetime." Auriemented. "I am not so arrogant that I believe myself to know everything under the stars and beyond, Commander," Izroth responded calmly. "A good outlook. Going back to the topic at hand, the Divinity Line is not something I will im to fullyprehend. However, if I were to simplify its usefulness, it would be an irreceable binding agent and a channel." Aurie exined. "Think of everything that exists below the firmament as a colossal mirror. Now, imagine every realm as individual ss fragments of that mirror. What would happen to that mirror if the one thing that was holding the fragments of ss together suddenly became damaged or stopped working?" "It would fall to pieces," Izroth replied. Aurie nodded, "Precisely." "Are you trying to say that the fifth and sixth War of the Titans had something to do with this Divinity Line being damaged and old man Zhi being born into the wrong era?" Izroth inquired. "You catch on quick. But, there¡¯s more to it than that." Aurie answered. "The Divinity Line not only connects the realms under the firmament, but it acts as a channel for everything we do. From magic to energy to special skills¡ªwithout the Divinity Line in ce, none of it would be within our reach. It¡¯d still exist, but if the Divinity Line were not here to serve as a channel for us to send our intent through, the effects would be like trying to light a fire with little to no oxygen." Aurie continued, "Because of the consecutive wars that broke out in the Mortal Realm before the Divinity Line had time to recover, it became damaged. Due to this, every realm suffered the consequences and paid a heavy price¡ªan entire generation born into a broken world. During that era, the people born were referred to as the Lost Generation, and Grandpa Zhi is someone from that generation." Chapter 595 - Lost Generation Part(2/2)

Chapter 595 - Lost Generation Part(2/2)

If old man Zhi was born during the Lost Generation, it meant that he stepped into the world near the end of the Sixth War of the Titans. If so, that would make him at least 300 years old! However, the humans in RML, even those at the legendary realm, were not long-lived. At most, a human who enters the legendary realm should be able to live 150 years. Beyond that, it would require an extraordinary method to deny the hands of time. But, Izroth was not too surprised by this as such means were definitely attainable for someone at Zhi¡¯s level. More importantly, ording to Aurie, the Lost Generation was an era with a damaged Divinity Line. If so, how did someone like Zhi manage to be so powerful under such harsh restrictions? At the very least, Izroth could see why Aurie said he was born into the wrong era. If someone like that had been born during a period of time where the Divinity Line was normal, who knew how much more remarkable his aplishments would be? Furthermore, even if he was from the Lost Generation, from the way Aurie described him and taking their brief encounter into consideration, it was clear to Izroth that old man Zhi¡¯s strength exceeded that of others in the legendary realm. If that was the case, why was he still in the Mortal Realm? Why had he not ascended? Better yet, why did the Laws of the World not force him to ascend to the Divine Realm? As if sensing Izroth¡¯s thoughts, Aurie said, "I was once told that Grandpa Zhi always has one foot in the Divinity Realm. However, he is never permitted to take that final step forward." "When I simplified the Divinity Line, there was one thing I left out. It¡¯s the leastmon of its uses but undoubtedly the most valued in the eyes of those ready to break through the peak of the legendary realm." "If one wants to reach the Divine Realm, it cannot be done without the Divinity Line, which connects the two nes. Besides this, there are four requirements that must be met. The first of which is rather clear cut, and that is to step beyond the peak of the legendary realm." Aurie exined. "You mention the peak of the legendary realm quite often. Does that mean there are different levels of strength within the legendary realm?" Izroth asked. "Indeed, not every person or being in the legendary realm are equal in terms of power. This goes for other realms as well; however, the difference is not too noticeable until one steps into the legendary realm. Initial, Primary, Late, and Peak¡ªthese stages determine how far one has stepped into their respective realm." Aurie spoke unhurriedly. ¡¯I see. I figured it was something like this; however, I originally thought it simply came down to a level difference. But, it seems the lines between levels be blurred at some point¡ªat least, this is the case for those in the legendary realm. If I had to make aparison, it would be simr to yers reaching a level cap. Equipment, skills, experience¡ªeven if two yers are at the max level, these things separate top yers, pros, and casual yers. Named NPCs appear to have their own form of progression.¡¯ "Ah, if you¡¯re curious, the Night Lord we encountered back at the Unsanctioned Zone is someone at the Primary stage of the legendary realm. However, if he had his Spirix with him, his power would have been equivalent to someone at the Late stage. Looking back, our circ.u.mstances were quite fortunate." Aurie noted. Izroth knew that Aurie¡¯s words were correct. If not for Zars having his guard down and underestimating them, Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain, and his presence at the Unsanctioned Zone, a great ughter would have taken ce that day. "Some say one¡¯s fortune and luck are also skills, Commander," Izrothmented. "An optimistic viewpoint to hold. But, I suppose there is some truth to what you say." Aurie responded. She then continued, "Getting back on topic¡ªthose who are genuinely at the peak of the legendary realm are few and far between. Even in the Mortal Realm, the number can be counted with one¡¯s fingers alone. However, what many people don¡¯t know is that there exists another realm under the firmament¡ªone below the divine realm, yet above the legendary realm." When Aurie brought up this subject, Izroth¡¯s interest was immediately piqued. There was a level between the legendary realm and the divine realm? "Interesting, I thought the legendary realm was the furthest one could tread before the divine realm. I¡¯ve never heard the slightest whisper of a stage that exists in between the two." Izroth stated. "That¡¯s no surprise. As I said before, not many people know of this fact. If not for my adoptive mother, I too would have remained ignorant of it." Aurie sighed. "Your adoptive mother has gifted you with a precious source of knowledge." Aurie smiled and said, "Yes, and I am forever thankful to her for it. I am afraid I can never repay for everything she has given me in this lifetime alone. She is an exceptional person¡ªone I aspire to be like one day." Izroth could hear the pride and admiration in Aurie¡¯s voice whenever she brought up her adoptive mother. Her eyes lit up like a child talking about their hero. "I never knew the Commander had such a tender side," Izroth said with a carefree smile. Aurie lightly cleared her throat as she immediately changed the topic at hand, "Anyhow, I know it is hard to ept at face value, but it¡¯s the truth. Those who step above the legendary realm but have not yet entered the divine realm are called ne Ascenders. Earlier, when I said that one has to step beyond the legendary realm, I was referring directly to ne Ascenders¡ªjust like Grandpa Zhi." "ne Ascenders... How many are there?" Izroth asked curiously. Aurie, however, shook her head and replied, "I don¡¯t know. Besides other ne Ascenders, I doubt anyone knows the exact number. However, I estimate that even taking every other major realm into ount, the amount can be counted on a single hand. Of course, this is just spection. Grandpa Zhi could be the only ne Ascender in existence for all I know." "You mentioned there are four conditions to reaching the divine realm. Bing a ne Ascender is one part, but what are the other three requirements?" Izroth questioned. Naturally, he was curious as information surrounding the legendary realm was extremely scarce and hard toe by. Even after reading every book on the Amaharpe Pce Library¡¯s first and second floors, when it came to things about the legendary realm, and beyond, Izroth repeatedly received stories or myths¡ªnothing concrete. Having ess to this kind of knowledge was crucial if he hoped to climb to the top of this world. "The second is that one must reach a certain level ofprehension of a Law of the World¡ªthis is what others refer to as a Domain. As for the third requirement, it is toplete the development of one¡¯s Source. Though it is essentially impossible to be a ne Ascender without first achieving these two feats in the first ce, so it¡¯s difficult to see them as actual requirements." Aurie stated. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. So far, with the way Aurie described everything, it sounded like Zhi should have already long since ascended to the divine realm. Therefore, what was preventing him from taking thatst step forward? "The cruelest requirement, however, is the fourth. One must be chosen to ascend during their realm¡¯s Divinity Line Cycle." Aurie observed Zhi¡¯s medallion and could not help but sigh. "Divinity Line Cycle?" "After the Divinity Line was damaged during the Sixth War of the Titans, things becameplicated in the Divine Realm. As a result, when the Divinity Line was finally repaired, the divine beings made a pact. On a specific day every 500 years, the ne Ascenders from one of the major realms will be permitted to ascend to the Divine Realm. Unfortunately for Grandpa Zhi, the first realm to be chosen was the Mortal Realm. At that time, he was nowhere close to the legendary realm, let alone bing a ne Ascender, and with there being seven major realms..." "It¡¯ll be another 3,000 years or so before the Mortal Realm¡¯s Divinity Line Cycle." Izroth finished what Aurie wanted to say butmented speaking aloud. ¡¯It¡¯s truly a lost generation. Still, 3,000 years... Even with the 3:1 time ratio, that¡¯s 1,000 years. Does this mean it¡¯s impossible for yers to ever reach the divine realm?¡¯ Aurie¡¯s words had given Izroth a lot to think about regarding how he should proceed at theter stages of RML. However, these were all issues outside the scope of his current strength. Izroth understood that if he wanted to change anything, no matter what world it was in, he first had to gather enough power to do so. Without power, everything would be mere wishful thinking. ... Several minutester... Not too long after Aurie finished speaking, the medallion at the center of the spatial corridor trembled. The next moment, the medallion shot towards Izroth and returned to his inventory. When Izroth and Aurie examined the spatial corridor, they noticed that the once unstable space had be orderly and now formed a straight path. "It¡¯s finished stabilizing. Let¡¯s move. Remember to stay alert, Captain." Aurie reminded as she stepped forward with the unconscious Dolos hovering at her side. Izroth gave a small nod as he followed Aurie into the spatial corridor. A few seconds after they entered, the spatial corridor closed itself after them, leaving behind nothing but a deathly silence. Chapter 596 - Unmarked Graves

Chapter 596 - Unmarked Graves

... After some time passed, Izroth and Aurie finally arrived at the end of the spatial corridor. Unexpectedly, the first thing that entered their sights was a graveyard that spanned further than the eye could see. There were countless unmarked graves, and each had a powerful energy of death oozing out from them. The air in the boundless graveyard was incredibly dense, making it difficult for one to breathe. However, it was not enough to deter Izroth and Aurie as they proceeded deeper into the graveyard. "Not a single one of these tombstones have a name written on them. The size of this graveyard is also a bit..." Auriemented as she furrowed her brows. While she did not know the exact number, Aurie got a decent grasp of it with a detection-type skill simr to Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense. "There are millions of unmarked graves. I thought it was merely the work of a powerful illusion at y, but there are no traces of the mana in the atmosphere being manipted. If anything, the mana in this graveyard is almost nonexistent. It¡¯s as if the death energy that resides here has reced mana as the natural energy source. There¡¯s also something else that¡¯s a bit concerning." Aurie exined. "It¡¯s possible a catastrophic event took ce in this Minor Realm. But, that would still fail to exin the abundance of life." Izroth replied as he, too, studied the graves as they walked by. ¡¯It¡¯s strange. Even though this ce is filled with death energy, everything still feels alive. It¡¯s almost as though those buried here are in a state of perpetual slumber.¡¯ Aurie¡¯s eyes widened from shock. A few secondster, a weak smile appeared on her face as she shook her head and said, "You continue to surprise me, Captain. At this rate, I¡¯m afraid nothing you do will ever shock me again." Of course, Aurie also noticed the unusual amount of life in a ce so full of death. She was concerned that whatever was asleep here would be awakened by their presence. But, she never expected Izroth to perceive this as the life contained within each grave was barely noticeable. Izroth gave a carefree smile in return and replied, "That would be a problem, Commander. How can I earn enough contribution points if nothing I do ever surprises you?" "If you keep at your current pace, I fear there will be no contribution points for others to im," Aurie said. "There¡¯s a limit?" Izroth asked, a little taken aback. Aurie looked towards Izroth and responded, "No, just my attempt at humor, Captain," She then set her gaze forward as she returned her focus to the boundless graveyard. ¡¯It seems I still have some trouble with the humor of this world. I will have to ask Zi Yi to further my knowledge on this matter.¡¯ After all, in his experience, Zi Yi told the best jokes out of everyone he knew. When it came to this, even he had to admit defeat before her expertise. ... Approximately 15 minutester... After seeing no end in sight and confirming that there was no immediate danger from those within the unmarked graves, Aurie decided it was time for them to increase their travel pace. But, despite moving several times faster than before, there were still no signs of an exit. It was not until they came before an unusual tombstone that they halted their steps. This was the first tombstone Izroth and Aurie came across that was different from the others. This particr tombstone was pitch ck; however, what truly separated it from other graves was the faintly lit purple text carved into its surface. It was abeled grave! "This text is written in an ancientnguage that originates from the Nether Realm," Aurie said as she thoroughly analyzed the words written on the ck tombstone. "Can you understand what¡¯s written on it?" Izroth questioned. "It may be an ancientnguage, but it¡¯s still anguage. I may not be able to fully understand the meaning behind it, but reading it should prove no issue." Aurie stated. ¡¯She even inherited that trait of the spirit race? Her origins are not simple.¡¯ Not many yers were aware of this, but everynguage in RML originated from the spirit race¡¯s mother tongue asnguage itself was a gift from the primordial spirits. The spirit race¡¯snguage did not have an official name, but it was usually referred to in texts as "Tongue of Origination". Every member of the spirit race was born with the knowledge of the Tongue of Origination, and it appeared that Aurie was no exception despite being only half-spirit. In most cases, the system would automatically trante thenguage for the yer to understand its meaning. However, there were certain rare cases where if a yer wanted toprehend something, they had to do their own research without help from the system. Though it was a tedious process, the payoff was usually huge as the secrets it unlocked was nothing to scoff at. Because of this, it was not umon for top guilds to enlist the help of polyglots¡ªeven if theycked a gaming background. Aurie sounded out and read the name written on the tombstone aloud, "Nek... rosa... tor... as... Nekrosatoras? Where have I-... The Death Emperor!" She suddenly eximed. ¡¯Nekrosatoras... It¡¯s definitely a name that belongs to someone from the Nether Realm. Judging from her reaction and the amount of death energy lingering around this grave, this person was not a small character.¡¯ "How is this possible? The Death Emperor should have been killed by the Nether Realm¡¯s current ruler countless cycles ago when his authority was usurped. How did they end up in this Minor Realm?" Aurie muttered to herself. "Is there something special about this name?" Izroth inquired. He understood its importance without needing to ask; however, when Aurie spoke under her breath, he could hear her words clear as day with his heightened senses, and what she said immediately caught his attention. Apparently, this Death Emperor was the previous ruler of the Nether Realm! An entity with that title had to be at the true peak of the legendary realm during the time of their rule! "Special is a bit of an understatement. A single entity did not always rule over the Nether Realm. In fact, it¡¯s one of the bizarre anomalies of the major realms. Even here in the Mortal Realm, there are multiple groups of power in the forms of kingdoms, organizations, societies¡ªwell, I¡¯m sure you get the picture." Aurie revealed. She then continued, "During their era, the Death Emperor was an individual who controlled the mightiest force in the Nether Realm. But, one day, a neer showed up. No one knew their name or where they came from, but they quickly made the other forces submit. It was not long before the Death Emperor was also defeated; however, he refused to surrender and was eventually killed. After the Death Emperor¡¯s passing, the Nether Realm became the first major realm to have a single entity as its absolute ruler¡ªthe Netherworld Monarch." Izroth was not surprised that the Death Emperor refused to surrender. It was already hard giving up power to someone you viewed as an equal, but to relinquish it to some nobody who just appeared one day¡ªthe Death Emperor¡¯s pride would likely never allow them tomit such a shameful act. This was even more so, seeing as how the Death Emperor stood at the pinnacle of their major realm. ¡¯Just what is the Netherworld Monarch? Where did theye from?¡¯ Izroth had severed the Envoy of the Netherworld¡¯s arm and even had a curse ced upon him. There was zero possibility of him ever being on friendly or even neutral terms with the Nether Realm. If the Netherworld Monarch was already able to overthrow someone like the Death Emperor so long ago who was at the peak of the legendary realm, the odds of them being a ne Ascender was virtually guaranteed! If he did not learn of the Divinity Line Cycle from Aurie, Izroth would have wondered why someone like the Netherworld Monarch had not yet ascended to the Divine Realm. "While I still have some questions, we shouldn¡¯t risk disturbing this grave any more than we already have. Let¡¯s move on." Aurie said as she moved away from the ck tombstone. "Leaving so soon? It¡¯s been more than two thousand years since Ist entertained a guest." A voice suddenly sounded. It came from the ck tombstone! "?!" Aurie was rmed. She was positive the Death Emperor was still in a state of perpetual slumber. Could it be that they were pretending this entire time?! If so, this was bad! If the conversation she had with Izroth angered the Death Emperor, in this graveyard filled with death energy, there was no chance of them surviving his wrath! Izroth, on the other hand, did not raise his guard. He realized something peculiar about the Death Emperor. Although he was affected by the Netherworld¡¯s Curse, there was no trace of killing intenting from the Death Emperor. Of course, Izroth had a theory as to why this was. "Ha, there is no need to be rmed. If I wanted to kill you, would you still be breathing? Besides, that young one there is quite pitiful. Marked for death by so many things¡ªreckless brat, it would seem the people you¡¯ve offended are well in excess." The Death Emperor¡¯s voice echoed with an amused chuckle. "I only offend those who offend me. That¡¯s all." Izroth replied without a second thought. "Good, very good. Yes, I suppose you will do just fine. After all, we share amon enemy. Isn¡¯t that right?" The Death Emperor remarked. Chapter 597 - Izroth Suffers A Loss

Chapter 597 - Izroth Suffers A Loss

Marked for death? Common enemy? Aurie had no idea what the Death Emperor was referring to in an exact sense; however, she did realize that the "aura" around Izroth was bizarre. Aurie could not pinpoint why this was, but she understood that Izroth possessed some secrets of his own. Even if she was a Commander of the War Brigade, the General Support Unit was a separate war branch; therefore, ordering Izroth to disclose the information to her was out of the question. Of course, in the end, Aurie was aware of what lines should and should not be crossed regardless of her rank. If she began to order others to reveal every secret they held, would there be anyone left who wanted to serve under hermand? Not to mention, Aurie understood more than anyone what it was like to have secrets you wanted to keep to yourself. "An enemy of my enemy is not a friend of mine by default. I¡¯m afraid to be my friend is no simple task. To be blunt, it¡¯s a price you cannot afford." Izroth said calmly. Aurie¡¯s heart nearly leaped out of her chest when she heard Izroth¡¯s reply. She knew he was a wild individual at heart¡ªsomeone not afraid to speak freely. However, this situation was different. Not only were they technically not in the Mortal Realm any longer, but they were in the presence of a peak legendary figure! Someone like Zars could notpare to the Death Emperor, and she was uncertain if even her Dream Domain was enough to restrain him. If Izroth identally invoked the Death Emperor¡¯s wrath, they would not have to worry about finding an exit to the Minor Realm. This graveyard would be their resting ce! "Oh? A price I, the Death Emperor, cannot afford? Kid, you overestimate your worth." The Death Emperor stated coldly as the surrounding temperature dropped several degrees. It was to the point one could see their own breath due to the cold atmosphere. "Say what you will. Either way, I will do what must be done with my own hands. Besides, what help can the defeated possibly offer me? I believe you are mistaken about something. It is not I who overestimates my worth, but you who overestimates yours." Izroth said indifferently without mincing his words. "Audacious! You dare to say this emperor is overestimating themselves?! Brat, I¡¯ve been generous up until now, but you¡¯ve forced my hand! Your arrogance will be the cause of your downfall!" The Death Emperor roared as his voice reverberated throughout the boundless graveyard. At the same time, the atmosphere became heavier around Izroth and Aurie as they felt a tremendous force descend upon them. Aurie inwardly frowned. It seemed that Izroth was intentionally trying to anger the Death Emperor. But, to what end? Could her initial intuition about Izroth have been wrong? Was he just another overconfident youth who believed themselves to stand above all else by merely existing? "No, even if Captain Izroth is somewhat outspoken at times, he is not an egotistical fool. He must be up to something, but just what is he nning?" Aurie internalized. While Aurie tried to understand Izroth¡¯s intent, the person in question remained calm despite the sudden increase in pressure from the Death Emperor. A couple of secondster, a carefree smile found its way onto Izroth face. Izroth walked up to the ck tombstone and said, "Are you done with this show yet?" Woosh! Bang! All of a sudden, Izroth kicked the ck tombstone, causing it to tremble. The instant he performed this action, the pressure around him and Aurie dissipated as the graveyard¡¯s temperature returned to normal. "BRAT YOU DARE KICK MY TOMBSTONE, I¡¯LL-" The Death Emperor bellowed; however before he could finish his sentence, Izrothunched another kick at his tombstone. And another, and another... Several kickster, the Death Emperor fell silent. Meanwhile, Aurie was lost for words. Just earlier, she spoke about not being surprised by Izroth¡¯s actions anymore; however, what was this? He kicked the tombstone of a peak legendary figure like the Death Emperor and even dered that he overvalued himself! That was the Death Emperor, for crying out loud¡ªan individual who once stood at the pinnacle of the Nether Realm! Yet, he was silenced with just a few kicks! If Aurie were not here to see it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it! "Are you ready to speak honestly? Or... Well, I don¡¯t necessarily mind temporarily bing a gravedigger." Izroth asserted. "To think the day woulde when I¡¯m being looked down on like this...! No wonder this kid has so many enemies out to kill him¡ªhe¡¯s insane...!" The Death Emperor grumbled. In all his years, he had never met a more crazy person than the one before him now! "Still... He¡¯s not just some wet behind the ears brat. When did the human race gain such a little monster?" The Death Emperor thought to himself. Izroth was not merely acting recklessly. In truth, with his present strength, he knew that it was next to impossible for him to defeat someone in the legendary realm, let alone one who stood at the very peak of it. Although he defeated Zars, Izroth was aware that he could not im this credit alone. Without Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain, if he directly confronted the Antumbra Night Lord in a head-on fight, his defeat was all but guaranteed. But, when it came to the Death Emperor, Izroth quickly discovered that they were a unique case using his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I noticed "that" in the beginning. Otherwise, we may have really been fooled by his theatrics.¡¯ To put it in simple terms, the Death Emperor was dying. The reason the death energy around his grave was so strong did not have to do with him absorbing what was in the atmosphere of the boundless graveyard, but rather with it uncontrobly flowing out from his body. Typically, one would easily overlook this detail as not only was it well hidden by the Death Emperor using the natural death energy in the environment, but when faced with the pressure of a peak legendary figure, most would immediately retreat or obediently submit. As for how Aurie missed this detail, Izroth gathered it had something to do with how her detection-type skill differed in terms of depth from his Energy Vision Sense. In addition, Izroth had some previous encounters with creatures of the Netherworld, which was not amon urrence in the Mortal Realm. He witnessed "healthy" creatures of the Netherworld before, and so, it was not difficult to differentiate between that and the Death Emperor¡¯s miserable state with the aid of his Energy Vision Sense. Unless the Death Emperor wanted to hasten his death and sacrifice his life to teach them a lesson, he was restricted to employing intimidation tactics. But, would someone as prideful as the Death Emperor allow his life to be traded for those who had not even stepped into the legendary realm? Such a disgrace would never be erased from his mind even if he died a thousand times over, and Izroth was conscious of this ring w in the Death Emperor¡¯s personality after listening to Aurie¡¯s story. Izroth also did not kick the ck tombstone to express his anger or disrespect towards the Death Emperor. Instead, he was striking specific areas of its surface as it drew in bits of his mana and slowed down the death energy leaking from the Death Emperor. The ck tombstone was directly linked with the Death Emperor, and while it resembled an ordinary tombstone, excluding its color, it was made up ofplexyers of magic sequences. If Izroth¡¯s goal were to destroy it, then the effort required would be immense. However, applying a few quick fixes did not pose a problem. Of course, this was not done out of the kindness of his heart. Nor was it to curry favor with the Death Emperor. Izroth¡¯s intentions were simple. He wanted the Death Emperor to know clearly that it was not he who needed them, but them who needed him! Once the Death Emperor realized what Izroth was doing, he could only grumble away hisints. He did not know how Izroth managed to repair some of the magic sequences on his tombstone, but if he were able to convince them topletely restore his tombstone, then perhaps he could finally escape this wretched ce and im his long-awaited revenge! However, just the thought of groveling before some human brat to ask for their assistance was enough to madden the Death Emperor. But, dangling a carrot in the face of a starving horse¡ªeven the most stubborn of steeds would bite. Those who tasted power were never truly prepared to embrace death, and the Death Emperor was no exception, especially with the score he still had left to settle. How could he pass on in peace? "...Name your price. As long as you repair my tombstone, I won¡¯t bargain." The Death Emperor stated solemnly. "My price? Very well. It just so happens I¡¯m in need of a servant," Izroth said as he held up one finger. "One hundred years. If you agree to serve me for that amount of time, I will repair your tombstone." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. He then continued, "You may not be immortal, but one hundred years for you should be a drop in the bucketpared to your actual lifespan. This trade¡ªI fear I¡¯m the one suffering a loss." Izroth sighed. "W-!" At that moment, the Death Emperor wanted to strangle Izroth to death! Loss? Loss your head! If anything, he was the one suffering a loss! Why did this brat make it sound like he was somehow scamming them?! Chapter 598 - Soul Binding Contract

Chapter 598 - Soul Binding Contract

The Death Emperor wanted nothing more than to emerge from his grave and teach that human brat a lesson; however, he controlled himself. Soon after, he fell into a deep silence. Aurie was dumbfounded. The fact that the Death Emperor did not immediately erupt in a fit of anger meant that he was taking Izroth¡¯s offer under serious consideration! The Nether Realm¡¯s current ruler may have defeated the Death Emperor, but one would be gravely mistaken if they believed him to be weak. Just the fact that the Death Emperor was able to survive all this time after their encounter spoke volumes of his strength. If Izroth could gain a peak legendary existence as powerful as him as a servant for one hundred years, even kingdoms would have to think twice before offending him! After all, there were quite a few legendary existences in the Mortal Realm, but those at the peak numbered less than ten! Being able to order such a powerhouse around freely, there would be no kingdom in the Mortal Realm that could bound Izroth. Fortunately, he already had a connection to their Amaharpe kingdom, and given his character, Aurie knew that Izroth would not hold any vile intentions. Nevertheless, it was incredibly dangerous. Someone like the Death Emperor was too long-lived and unpredictable. But, more important than anything, he was being driven by revenge. Aurie feared that the Death Emperor would find a way to slowly corrupt Izroth; after all, the power gap between them was immense. However, Aurie had to admit that having the Death Emperor as the ruler of the Nether Realm was a better choice than the Netherworld Monarch. Since her childhood was uniquepared to other children, Aurie was aware of some of the darker secrets behind the scenes¡ªones that even someone with Prince Yan¡¯s standing may nevere to know of in their lifetime. One such secret was that the Netherworld Monarch was naturally drawn to the Mortal Realm, or rather, its destruction, for as long as anyone could remember. Needless to say, the Death Emperor was not a generous or kind person by any standards. But, he was ultimately the lesser of two evils. At the very least, the destruction of the Mortal Realm would not be his primary goal. Not to mention, the number of secrets he held could assist them in preparing for the inevitable battle against the Nether Realm and their followers. This was even more critical now that a link was discovered between Dolos and the League of the Eidolon, an organization that revered the Netherworld Monarch. While Aurie wanted to protest against Izroth¡¯s decision, she understood the potential gains outweighed the loss deep down inside. Izroth likelyprehended this as well; therefore, if he wished to ept such a risk, Aurie would not attempt to stop him. She just hoped that he was prepared for the inherent consequences that would surely ensue. ... A full minute passed with the Death Emperor¡¯s silence, and it was now approaching the two-minute mark. But, a few seconds before that moment arrived, the Death Emperor finally broke his silence. "50 years, and I will help you remove the mark of deaths hidden in your body. I can even rid you of that curse. After all, I know the individual behind its creation." The Death Emperor said. "Oh? Didn¡¯t you say that you would not try to bargain? Anyways, I refuse. Once you¡¯re my servant, can¡¯t I just order you to remove it at no cost?" Izroth noted. Besides, why would he want the curse removed? If he no longer had the curse from the Envoy of the Netherworld, wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for him to collect Spirit Vouchers for the Netherworld Exchange? "This brat! He¡¯s too ruthless!" The Death Emperor internalized. He had hoped to pull a fast one on Izroth and get his time reduced. It was true that one hundred years was not a long time for him; however, the Death Emperor wanted to exact his revenge on the one who put him in this pathetic state as soon as possible. But now, he had to spend his time babysitting some human kid! Even worse, he was not a protector or guardian, but a servant? Ridiculous! Though, in the end, the Death Emperor¡¯s hatred towards the Netherworld Monarch outweighed the humiliation he felt from epting Izroth¡¯s terms. "...Very well. If you can repair my tombstone, I will be your servant for one hundred years. However, should you fail to restore my tombstone in less than 24 hours, you must stay here with me in this Minor Realm as my servant for all eternity." The Death Emperor dered. After witnessing Izroth¡¯s proficiency in the Laws of Magic, the Death Emperor was well aware of hisprehension ability. Even if Izroth could not fully repair the tombstone now, with some proper guidance from him, it would be possible for them to do so in the near future. In this way, whether Izroth seeded or failed, he would regain his freedom! "That wasn¡¯t the deal," Aurie said coldly. She saw right through the Death Emperor¡¯s ploy. If the human race- No, if the Mortal Realm lost a great talent like Izroth under her supervision, how could she ever forgive herself? ¡¯Amusing.¡¯ "Alright. Although there is nothing for me to gain, I¡¯ll humor you once¡ªbut, just this once. I ept your terms." Izroth replied calmly. "Captain Izroth, you-" Aurie immediately moved to protest. "It¡¯s okay, Commander. Rest assured, I have no intention of staying in this ce for an eternity." Izroth affirmed. Aurie furrowed her brows. She was conflicted. However, she no longer tried to talk Izroth out of it. Aurie sighed, "I really do hope that you know what you¡¯re doing, Captain." She gathered that if Izroth was willing to go this far, his confidence inpleting the task at hand had to being from somewhere. She could only hope that she would note to regret her choice. "So you¡¯re not a coward, after all, brat. Then, ce your hand upon the Soul Binding Contract." The Death Emperor said. The next moment, a ck scroll appeared above the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. The scroll opened and revealed a glowing purple text with the name "Nekrosatoras" printed in red near the bottom. Izroth learned about the various type of Soul Contracts in the Amaharpe pce Library. The Queen of Spirits enforced all Soul Contracts; however, not much else was mentioned regarding its origins. The Soul Binding Contract was simr to a Soul Contract between a person and a spirit; however, the thing that separated the two was their intended purpose. A typical Soul Contract was a mutual agreement between the two involved parties, while a Soul Binding Contract was a mutual arrangement with consequences attached. When it came to a Soul Contract, as long as Soul Link did not influence one¡¯s souls, either side could terminate the agreement whenever they pleased. But, such a luxury did not exist with the Soul Binding Contract. If someone broke the terms agreed upon in a Soul Binding Contract, then they would receive a divine punishment¡ªusually death. In Izroth¡¯s case, it could end with his level being decreased, or worse, he would undergo an existence wipe! Izroth carefully read over the scroll¡¯s text word for word, making sure not to miss a single detail. The contents of the scroll were just as he discussed with the Death Emperor. Surprisingly, they had not deliberately misworded or included anything sketchy in the Soul Binding Contract. After verifying the Soul Binding Contract¡¯s authenticity, Izroth ced his hand on the scroll¡¯s surface. The instant he did so, his name was signed in red at the bottom of the scroll alongside the Death Emperor¡¯s name. Swoosh! The Soul Binding Contract burst into violet mes before disappearing. A couple of secondster, a mysterious symbol imprinted itself on the back of Izroth¡¯s hand. Simultaneously, the same mysterious symbol appeared on the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. ¡´System Alert: You have signed a ?Soul Binding Contract? with ?Death Emperor of the Netherworld, Nekrosatoras?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! Breaking a ?Soul Binding Contract? can result in harsh penalties!¡µ "Then, let¡¯s begin, shall we?" Izroth said. At the same time, he activated his Energy Vision Sense and moved as close as possible to the tombstone to reduce the amount of Essence used to sustain it. ¡¯I already examined it once before with my Energy Vision Sense, but the way these magic sequences ovep is a bit chaotic. Much like the War Rank Insignia, it has a randomized magic code embedded into it. However, unlike the War Rank Insignia, the magic code shifts every ten seconds instead of every hour. Without my Energy Vision Sense, it would have been impossible for me to keep track of it. Perhaps the Death Emperor was betting on this fact? Either way... 24 hours? I won¡¯t need a tenth of that time.¡¯ Izroth essed his inventory and removed a small vial that contained a thick silver liquid. If one studied it closely, they would notice the liquid was moving around inside the vial as if it were alive! The fluid contained inside the vial was called the Liquid of Silverline, and Izroth acquired it during his time in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. ¡¯It feels like a waste to use it like this, but there¡¯s no other way to ensure my sess.¡¯ Along with the small vial, Izroth removed a small carving knife that had been sitting in his inventory since his visit to the zing Temple. Izroth then opened the lid on the vial and coated the carving knife with the Liquid of Silverline. Chapter 599 - Repairing The Tombstone, A Hidden Truth

Chapter 599 - Repairing The Tombstone, A Hidden Truth

In the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth and his party faced a rare boss called the Silverline Entity. One of its defining traits was its ability to copy the skills of the opponents it was fighting¡ªeven skills they had never used in front of it. The Liquid of Silverline Izroth acquired from the boss drop functioned on a simr principle at its core. It, too, possessed the ability to learn and adapt depending on the situation. In truth, ten seconds was hardly enough time for Izroth topletely decode and unravel everyyer of the tombstone while a magic code was protecting it. Therefore, he had to improvise. ¡¯Even with the Liquid of Silverline, there¡¯s not much room for error. The amount of magic sequences is not too high, but the number of magic cycles and strands entangled together is rather troublesome... I suppose I will just have to cross that bridge when Ie to it.¡¯ Normally, there was a correctly structured order when it came to how strands and magic cycles were paired, yet what was Izroth was currently looking at was a mass of disorder. It was no wonder why the tombstone was slowly killing the Death Emperor! ¡¯If he was not at the peak of the legendary realm, I doubt he could have survived for so long under these conditions.¡¯ Izroth could see several mes flowing out from cracks on the tombstone. These fractures were invisible to the n.a.k.e.d eye; however, Izroth was able to perceive them with his Energy Vision Sense. If he wanted to repair the tombstone to its original state, he would first have to find a way to seal the cracks. Otherwise, even if he fixed the magic portion of it, the same thing would ur again. After some thinking and determining his approach, Izroth moved the tip of his carving knife to the top left corner of the tombstone, where one of the fractures was formed. He then utilized as little of his Essence as possible and began to carve various symbols into the tombstone. The strange thing about these symbols was that they were silver in color, and instead of staying carved onto the surface of the tombstone, they would sink into it after a few seconds passed. Approximately nine secondster, the fracture on the tombstone sealed shut, and the mes that Izroth could previously view with his Energy Vision Sense were no longer present. ¡¯9.7 seconds... It¡¯s closer than I expected. That¡¯s one down, and 3,499 to go.¡¯ If he were just 0.3 seconds slower with his actions, the magic code would have changed, and the fracture on the tombstone may have be even bigger as a result¡ªat least, this would have been the case before he used the Liquid of Silverline. "Oh? This kid is more skilled than I gave him credit for. I thought he just had a few tricks hidden up his sleeve, but to think he could seal a fracture before the magic code shifted..." The Death Emperor internalized. What Izroth did earlier to his tombstone when he kicked it was a quick fix, so to speak¡ªa temporary measure to prevent the death energy from spilling out of the tombstone in vast quantities. However, what he had aplished just now was an authentic restoration! "Nevertheless, the real hardship has yet to begin. Brat, don¡¯t me this old man for being unfair. No matter the price that has to be paid, I must leave this ce." The Death Emperor thought to himself. Repairing the fractures on his tombstone may have been impressive, but if it were just that, then he would not have suffered for so many cycles in this Minor Realm and could have easily fixed the problem himself. Meanwhile, Aurie watched on in awe. She was not as well-versed in repairing magic sequencespared to true schrs of magic, but she certainly understood more than the average person. "My knowledge of magic is far from profound, but even I¡¯m confident in fixing fractures of that level. However, to do so in less than ten seconds... I¡¯m afraid this is out of my reach." Aurie said to herself. She was curious about the method Izroth employed but did not want to risk breaking his concentration. At the same time, Izroth started to grow morefortable with the fracture repairment. Since this was his first time trying something of this nature in RML, there were still many uncertainties at first. But, after seeing how smoothly everything flowed, Izroth¡¯s speed slowly started to climb. Izroth¡¯s initial 9.7 seconds soon turned into 9.5 seconds, then 8 seconds. 6 seconds... 4 seconds... 2 seconds..! "This is..." Aurie was speechless as she witnessed Izroth¡¯s wless precision with the carving knife in his hand. In just a few moments, he had gone from taking almost ten seconds to fix a single fracture, all the way down to a mere two seconds! The word incredible was a gross understatement! Even some highly skilled magic schrs she knew would not be able to achieve such outstanding results in the same span of time! Aurie was not alone in her disbelief. Even the Death Emperor was at a loss for words. The magic codes were still changing every ten seconds, so how was this human adjusting so swiftly? "The silver liquid contained within that vial... It has to be the key." The Death Emperor spected, and his theory was correct. The Liquid of Silverline Izroth coated his carving knife with copied the magic code attached to the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. In other words, whenever that magic code for the tombstone changed, so did the magic code for Izroth¡¯s carving knife. In this way, he no longer had to concern himself with the forever shifting magic codes and could turn his full attention to fixing the fractures. If not for this, Izroth would have been continuously walking a tightrope with zero room for error. Once he found his rhythm, Izroth resembled a machine with how fast and precise his hand swept across the tombstone carving magic symbols. ... Approximately seven hourster... ¡¯That should do it.¡¯ After working nearly seven hours straight, atst, Izroth finished sealing the final fracture on the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. Now, instead of death energy being released from the tombstone, it was actually being drawn in! "I haven¡¯t felt this alive in years... Ahahaha! Kid, despite your unlikeable attitude, you aren¡¯t half-bad, not half-bad at all. Ahahaha!" The Death Emperor bellowed. "Coming from someone like you, I¡¯ll take my unlikeable attitude as apliment," Izroth replied as he closed his eyes and began to circte his Source Chant. At the moment, his Essence was in a pitiful state after repeatedly utilizing his Energy Vision Sense; however, Izroth was extremely cautious so as not to overexert his Essence and enter a state of Soul Weakness. Therefore, although it should not have taken him more than two hours toplete the repairs, he took several breaks in between to replenish his lost Essence to a safe point. But, it was not over just yet. ¡¯I got the most time-consuming part out of the way, but the real trouble lies in correcting the disorder of strands and magic cycles.¡¯ Typically, when it came to strands and magic cycles that fell out of order, the magic sequences created from them would stop working. At that point, the spell in y would also cease its original functionality. However, for some reason, that was not the case with the magic involved in the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. Somehow, despite the chaotic strands and magic cycles, the magic sequences and the spell it formed were still intact. This phenomenon puzzled even Izroth as he had never encountered or read about anything like this in RML. ¡¯This concept may be above my current understanding of magic in RML. But, as long as I have a solidprehension and foundation surrounding magic, finding a solution is not beyond my grasp.¡¯ While he was repairing the tombstone, at some point, Izroth began to move on pure muscle memory as his mind entered a state of deep thought. Spells were formed from magic sequences, magic sequences from magic cycles, and magic cycles from strands. Then, what were strands created from? What about the thing that formed strands¡ªwhat was that made from? Where did it end? Were strands truly the first step to all magic? What bothered Izroth was that there were three different types of strands¡ªlight, medium, and heavy. However, wasn¡¯t this tooplicated? Not in terms of understanding, but in a way that did not make fundamental sense. At least, not in a world like RML. The system in RML was capable of deciphering his heavenlyws. A system that advanced¡ªhow could it be satisfied with such a shallow level of fundamental principles? That¡¯s why Izroth believed there was a deeply hidden truth to the magic of RML, and perhaps even everything rted to the various unique power sources such as mana, energy, or even the Essence from his Source. ¡¯What creates strands..? If I can find the answer to this question, then...¡¯ Chapter 600 - Destroying The Tombstone?

Chapter 600 - Destroying The Tombstone?

... One hour quickly passed as Izroth opened his eyes and halted the cirction of his Source Chant. ¡¯My Essence is nowhere near full, but this much should suffice.¡¯ The agreement Izroth made with the Death Emperor may have given him 24 hours toplete the task; however, he did not n on waiting any longer than necessary to escape from this Minor Realm. After all, someone like the Death Emperor, who had been here for centuries, must know a way to leave this ce. More importantly, ording to Aurie¡¯s earlier observation, time in the Netherly Swathe flowed differently from the Mortal Realm. Who knew how long it had been since they entered this ce? One hour? One day? A week? There was no way of knowing until they found a way out. Well, there was one way, but Izroth knew that with the Death Emperor¡¯s personality, it was not information he would give up for free. Therefore, Izroth decided to wait until he fully restored the tombstone. At that point, whether he wanted to or not, the Death Emperor would have no choice but toply due to the Soul Binding Contract. "You are a strange human. Why is it that I sense no Laws of the World running through your body, yet you possess a Source?" The Death Emperormented when he saw Izroth stand to his feet. ¡¯Oh? I see... That also works.¡¯ "I have no reason to tell you. But, if you answer my question first, I don¡¯t see the harm in letting you know." Izroth replied calmly as he ced the palm of his hand on the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone and removed the carving knife coated with the Liquid of Silverline from his inventory. "Very well. Ask your question. There is little under the firmament that this emperor is unaware of." The Death Emperor said confidently. Usually, he would never make this type of unfavorable deal; however, he was genuinely interested in Izroth¡¯s unique case. As long as the question was not too invasive, there was no issue with this exchange. "How much time passes by outside this Minor Realm every hour?" Izroth asked as he began to strike multiple points on the tombstone with the tip of his carving knife. This time, Izroth¡¯s goal was to untangle the mass of strands and magic cycles. After that, the only thing left for him to do would be to realign everything in its proper order. Of course, this was much easier said than done. "That¡¯s your question? Hmph, wasting this once in a lifetime opportunity on such a useless... Well, it matters not. It is your loss." The Death Emperor scoffed. He then answered, "To answer your question, for every hour that passes in this Minor Realm, only one minute goes by in the outside world." "One minute...?!" Aurie eximed. She was also curious about the time difference between the Mortal Realm and the Netherly Swathe. But, Aurie could have never imagined that the time difference would be so vast! Even though she and Izroth had been here for nearly ten hours, just a little under ten minutes drifted by in the Mortal Realm. If the Death Emperor was telling the truth, then this was an amazing discovery! It also made Aurie feel some relief. As a Commander of the War Brigade, if she had gone missing for hours without reporting in, it would definitely not go unnoticed for long. Still, although Aurie was d that Izroth chose to ask that question, she felt that it was a loss on his part. Aurie was not too taken aback by the Death Emperor¡¯s im about Izroth. After all, if someone like her who was not in the legendary realm could discover that fact, then the Death Emperor who sat at the peak of the legendary realm would certainly have no trouble¡ªeven if he was in a weakened state. Whatever the case, Izroth¡¯s situation was unique, and the secret behind it should not be disclosed so easily, especially to someone like the Death Emperor who held no attachments to the Mortal Realm. However, what¡¯s done was done. "I¡¯ve answered your question; now it is time that you uphold your end of the bargain, human brat." The Death Emperor stated. "Rest assured; I am a man of my word. To answer your question¡ªI have no idea." Izroth answered with a carefree smile. "Brat, you dare trick me!" The Death Emperor bellowed as the boundless graveyard trembled. "As I said, I am a man of my word. I truly have no idea why I was able to obtain a Source before learning of the Laws of the World. Of course, if you¡¯d like, we can make another Soul Binding Contract. If you¡¯re wrong, however, I will have you serve me an additional one hundred years. What do you think?" Izroth stated. "You-! I¡¯ve never met such a shameless brat..! Forget it! I¡¯ll take you at your word. You want to take advantage of this emperor again? I won¡¯t allow it." The Death Emperor snapped as he went quiet, and the trembling within the boundless graveyard came to a halt. Despite the Death Emperor¡¯s skepticism, Izroth genuinely did not know the answer to his question. He had a few spections, but everything was just baseless theories¡ªunproven truths. In the end, it was not a lie when he said he had no idea. Aurie inwardly shook her head. She did not want to side with someone like the Death Emperor, but Izroth was indeed a bit more... shameless than she initially gave him credit for. To think there woulde a day when a former powerhouse of the Nether Realm was yed so effortlessly by someone young enough to be many times his junior. ... Twenty minutes of silence sped by as Izroth spent the whole time reorganizing the strands and magic cycles on the tombstone. He was sessful in doing so but quickly came before a roadblock upon hispletion. ¡¯As I thought, it¡¯s no good. The strands have already died. How troublesome...¡¯ While strands were not technically alive and could not "die" in an actual sense, they had lost their structural integrity. To put it into perspective, it was like having all the correct pieces to the puzzle, but every puzzle piece was deformed. As for repairing each strand individually, forget 24 hours; not even 24 days would be enough time given the sheer quantity. When the Death Emperor noticed Izroth stopped working on the tombstone, he inwardly grinned and said, "What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you have no clue how to proceed? Where is that confidence of yours from earlier?" While Izroth¡¯s sess meant his freedom, it also represented the Death Emperor¡¯s servitude for a century. If Izroth failed, he might have to wait another decade or two to teach them a few things, but their roles would be reversed. Not to mention, the Death Emperor acknowledged Izroth¡¯s talent but detested that arrogance of his. This would be a good opportunity for him to learn that there was always a bigger sky than the one he believed himself to stand above. Izroth, however, ignored the Death Emperor¡¯s taunts. Right now, he felt that he was close to an answer. But, something was missing. ¡¯What am I overlooking? It should be- Wait... is it possible?¡¯ Izroth came to a sudden realization. Of course! The answer was right in front of him the entire time! There was never a need to dig deeper in the first ce! All of a sudden, Izroth started to work on the tombstone. He ejected some of his mana into the carving knife using the Liquid of Silverline as a medium. However, what Izroth did next almost made the Death Emperor rise from his grave. Woosh! Bang! Izroth pierced his dagger into the center of the tombstone. At the same time, the strands that he reorganized were severed, and the magic cycles that were formed as a result began slowly to disappear one by one. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE DOING?!?!" The Death Emperor erupted in a fit of rage as the death energy around his grave spiked to a terrifying degree. He did not think this brat would be so ruthless as to destroy the spell that sustained his tombstone at its core because of a few words he said! "Quiet, I¡¯m concentrating. Unless you want to stay buried here for all eternity." Izroth said with a cold gaze as he activated Flickering Steps. ¡¯I have to move fast.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s hands formed afterimages as he set aside the carving knife in his hand and directly used his hands, channeling mana to them as he reached into the tombstone! Crrrrrrckle! The instant he reached inside the tombstone, several magic sequences manifested in the air above the Death Emperor¡¯s grave. ¡¯There.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth grabbed ahold of something and pulled with all his might! Bang! The ck tombstone turned white as Izroth held a bundle of visible strands in his hands. Chapter 601 - Wrong Approach, Reaching Out!

Chapter 601 - Wrong Approach, Reaching Out!

"What is that?" Aurie muttered to herself as she observed the strands in Izroth¡¯s grasp. Needless to say, Aurie was shocked by Izroth¡¯s brazen behavior. Destroying the tombstone of a peak legendary realm figure, even if they were weakened, was a dangerous move. However, it seemed that he was not doing so out of spite or hatred towards the Death Emperor. Instead, Izroth appeared to be in a state of even deeper concentration aspared to before¡ªas if he had a sudden realization and immediately acted upon it. Nevertheless, it was a risky thing to do with the Death Emperor¡¯s temper. But, to Aurie¡¯s surprise, the Death Emperor contained his boiling rage. However, she understood that the Death Emperor had no other choice but to trust Izroth. The tombstone had already been damaged beyond repair and was no longer capable of absorbing or sustaining any death energy. This was made clear by the loss of its deep ck coloring. Of course, what caught Aurie¡¯s attention the most was the strands Izroth pulled from the tombstone. For some reason, those strands felt incredibly familiar to her, yet also very distant. It was a strange feeling that she could not instantlyprehend; however, she could tell that those strands were not simple with a nce. "Brat, if I go down, don¡¯t think I won¡¯t take you and that woman with me." The Death Emperor scowled solemnly. "If you keep talking, my mistakes will be on your hands. Oh, and you¡¯ll die, of course." Izroth replied without hesitation as he maintained his concentration. "You-!" The Death Emperor wanted nothing more than to kill Izroth a hundred times over. The tombstone was not just some random magic item, but a great treasure formed naturally from the world itself! This was the type of object that was coveted by all beings in the legendary realm, and the painstaking effort it took the Death Emperor to secure it was monumental. Not to mention, the price he paid for doing so was immense. Restoring an item like the tombstone was already challenging enough in a damaged state. But, not even the Death Emperor was confident in repairing it after it was utterly ruined. Now, it was unexpectedly destroyed by some arrogant human! However, there was no choice for the Death Emperor but toply with Izroth¡¯s demands. It was toote to regret, and all he could do was hope that Izroth knew what he was doing. Meanwhile, Izroth continued to pull the strands out from the tombstone. There were dozens of them; however, that was only how it appeared on the surface. No matter how closely one looked, they would never notice it with their n.a.k.e.d eye. But, with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth could just barely make out thousands upon thousands of nearly microscopic threads of mes. He was not holding a mere dozen strands, but rather several thousand! ¡¯At times, the answers we seek stand both before us and under the surface of where our gaze wanders. Strands are truly the beginning of all sources of energy, but I¡¯ve been approaching it in the wrong way¡ªeveryone has been approaching them the wrong way.¡¯ Back during his fight against Dolos outside the Minor Realm, Izroth improved his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement skill. As a result, he ended up discovering the existence of Primed abilities. But, Izroth realized that Primed skills were not the end of a skill¡¯s evolution process¡ªrather, it was the true starting line! After understanding this aspect, Izroth¡¯s thoughts immediately transitioned to one ce in particr¡ªthe Divine Realm. Earlier, Izroth was curious as to if it was possible to reach the Divine Realm in RML or if it was even meant for yers ever to cross that line into divinity. If it were possible for yers to reach that level, would something like S-ranked skills or Primed abilities be enough topete? The answer was no. So then, what would they use tobat monsters or other entities in the Divine Realm? What separated ne Ascenders or individuals in the legendary realm from those in the divine realm? One word¡ªpower. But, where did this powere from, and why was there such a huge gap? For this answer, Izroth received an important hint from Aurie when she spoke of the requirements needed to reach the divine realm. To be specific, the second and third requirements ofprehending a Law of the World to a certain level andpleting the development of one¡¯s Source. At the time, Aurie brushed over them due to the fact that it was practically impossible to be a ne Ascender without having aplished those two feats; however, these two things sparked Izroth¡¯s sudden revtion. What did Domains and Sources both have inmon at their core? They were a gift from the world itself and naturally manifested in an individual. Even the infant Source Izroth obtained in the Chaotic Dogma Realm was a product of the world. But, strangely enough, magic and skills were not natural products of the world! The strands used in magic and skills were creations of the beings below the firmament. However, where did theye from? To answer this question, Izroth turned to his experience in the Seven Realms. Heavenly Laws¡ªthis was the name of the cultivation techniques used in the Seven Realms, and they were separated into different categories depending on their power. But, below Heavenly Laws were techniques known as Spiritual Arts. Spiritual Arts were used by all cultivators under a certain realm who had yet to step onto the true path of a cultivator. In simple terms, Spiritual Arts were an extremely weakened imitation of a Heavenly Law¡ªa poor copy of the authentic cultivation technique. If Izroth were to apply this same logic to the skills in RML, then what yers and even NPCs under the divine realm used were merely poor imitations of the real thing. This was what truly separated those in the Divine Realm from those under the firmament! Upon this realization, Izroth received a wave of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a truth from the ?Book of Beginnings?. Your world fame has increased by +100.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel a tremendous power flow throughout your body!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your current level is too low! The skill ????? has been locked!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your current mastery too low! The trait ????? has been locked!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your current Source is insufficient! The trait ????? has been locked!¡µ However, Izroth paid the alerts no attention; he channeled his mana directly into the strands and began to intertwine them with one another. With the help of his Flickering Steps, Izroth used the tip of his fingers to lightly weave the threads around freely with peerless uracy. There were thousands of them within a single strand and the time on his Flickering Steps was limited, so there was no room for error in his actions. Izroth moved several threads around at the same time. Then, after getting a brief feel for it, he started to manipte tens of them simultaneously! ¡¯I won¡¯t make it. Then...¡¯ Izroth cleared his mind as he drowned out everything but the strands in his hands. Now, he was manipting not tens but hundreds of threads at the same time! "Amazing..." Aurie uttered unconsciously as she watched Izroth. While she could not see the threads within the strands in the same way that he could, Aurie was able to "feel" it in a sense. The way the energy around those strands constantly shifted was a work of art. Izroth continued in this state for the next ten minutes straight as the white color on the tombstone turned gray, then purple, then a deep shade of ck. A few momentster, Izroth shoved his hands back towards the tombstone along with the bundle of strands in his hands¡ªas if he were stuffing everything back inside its original container. The instant he did so, the death energy around the tombstone erupted in vast quantities. All the death energy that had leaked out over the course of centuries was being sucked into the tombstone at an astonishing rate! The Death Emperor was dumbfounded. This human not only managed to fix his tombstone, but it was in even better shape than when he first received it! How was this possible?! Meanwhile, Izroth released a deep breath as he reopened his closed-off senses. Just as he did so, a new series of alerts sounded in his ears. ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ Izroth read over all the alerts he received while he cut himself off from his surroundings. He was shocked to see that he actually unlocked a hidden truth from the Book of Beginnings! Unfortunately, it seemed that he was not strong enough to tap into its benefits as of yet. But, what truly caught him off guard was the set of alerts he most recently received. ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is impressed by your deep understanding of craftsmanship!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is reaching out to you!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to receive the God of Craft¡¯s blessing?¡µ Chapter 602 - Fulfilled Conditions

Chapter 602 - Fulfilled Conditions

¡¯God of Craft...?¡¯ Izroth had seen and heard of this title numerous times throughout his journey in RML. There was not a single individual with a craftsman-type profession who did not know of them! Mazi, God of Craft¡ªa peerless genius and unrivaled talent of his time. ording to the Amaharpe Pce Library, they were also the person responsible for creating the very first magic item! Given the God of Craft¡¯s significant contributions throughout his life, he was one of the most well-known and recorded entities in the divine realm. But, this was the first time a person in the divine realm reached out to Izroth. Although he possessed the Blessing of Heltiaa, the All-Seeing Goddess never offered it to him directly. In fact, it was more the Seer Tererestiaa¡¯s doing as she granted the blessing to show her appreciation. So, in a way, it was not a genuine blessing, but one given by a person with great ties to the divine being they served under. However, the system alert this time specifically mentioned the God of Craft "reaching out" to him. Of course, Izroth would not blindly ept the blessing without digging a bit deeper. He knew that Mazi was the one who made the chains that sealed the Shadahi Realm¡¯s entrance to the Mortal Realm at the Lake of Tears. Most likely, he also had a hand in helping to seal the eternal darkness below Amaharpe¡¯s capital city. Izroth did not know much about the Divine Realm, but he understood that the price to interfere with things under the firmament was not cheap for those who resided there. Therefore, if Mazi was willing to pay such a heavy price to assist the Mortal Realm, it could be taken that he was not their enemy. There was also the fact that the history records never associated the God of Craft with any vile or evil events. Then again, the victors often wrote history, so it was difficult to proceed based on this fact alone. Though Izroth¡¯s biggest concern was that epting a genuine blessing would make him some type of devoted follower who could never walk a separate path. If there was one thing Izroth disliked, it was having his movements or choices restricted by someone else. ¡¯I need more details. For now, I¡¯ll set this aside until we locate an exit to this Minor Realm.¡¯ Ultimately, Izroth decided to hold off on his decision until he escaped from the Netherly Swathe. Right now, he had more important matters to attend to. "Ahahaha! Good, very good! Kid, you aren¡¯t as detestable as I thought! Your unlikeable attitude still needs some work, but your methods are the real deal! I haven¡¯t felt this refreshed in millennia!" The Death Emperor could not hide his joy! Just a few moments ago, he was ready to strike Izroth down after destroying his tombstone. But, who would have thought it was possible to manipte strands with such high precision and attention to detail? Although he hated to admit it, the Death Emperor knew that not even his understanding of the naturalws surrounding magic reached such a profound level¡ªand he was at the peak of the legendary realm! Several minutes passed by as the Death Emperor finished absorbing thest drop of death energy in the graveyard that rightfully belonged to him. The reason the death energy in this section of the Netherly Swathe was so powerful had to do with the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone leaking death energy throughout thousands of years. To absorb that much death energy in just a few minutes would have been impossible¡ªeven if the tombstone was not damaged. Something Izroth did to it caused the death energy absorption process to increase severalfold, and the Death Emperor immediately noticed the difference. "Kid, tell me the truth¡ªare you some old monster who has resurrected? I hate to admit it, but the methods you used are above even this emperor¡¯s understanding." The Death Emperor stated. "Just some luck and a bit of calcting with my fingers¡ªthat¡¯s all," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. "Bah! Who would believe such nonsense? Well, whatever. After so many years, this emperor can finally leave this wretched realm." The Death Emperor scoffed. Aurie could not believe what she just heard. Even an individual at the peak of the legendary realm like the Death Emperor could notprehend what just happened? In truth, Aurie felt somewhat frustrated with herself. While they were not in the same war branch, Izroth was still technically her junior officer. Yet, not only did he inflict a crucial wound to Dolos that allowed her to subdue him more efficiently, but Izroth was also behind their ess to this Minor Realm¡¯s spatial corridors. In addition, he had been recognized by Grandpa Zhi, and now he was disying a level of understanding towards the fundamentalws of magic that she never witnessed before today. Needless to say, Aurie was happy that such a monstrous talent was on their aside, but... Why did it feel like she was the junior officer here? Aurie released a helpless sigh as she inwardly shook her head. She was considered a genius in her own rights, but Aurie knew there were some people like Izroth who could only be described as generational talents. "I guess it¡¯s true what they say¡ªmonsters often find each other. And, that woman definitely found a monster." Aurie internalized. Now, she understood the real reason that woman decided to promote him to Captain without batting an eye. Aurie knew there was no way the magic system would assign someone of Izroth¡¯s potential to the General Support Unit. If anything, it should have rejected him and redirected Izroth to the War Brigade or one of the other war branches. The fact that he was able to join the General Support Unit, without a doubt, was that woman¡¯s doing. ... Ten minutester... Atst, the Death Emperor refined the death energy he absorbed. Although it originally belonged to him, after being outside his tombstone for so many years, it collected some unwanted impurities when he had to cleanse. At the same time, two purple mes emerged. One of the mes appeared on the back of Izroth¡¯s right hand, while the other manifested above the Death Emperor¡¯s tombstone. In the blink of an eye, the purple mes turned light green as they swirled into a miniature vortex and eventually disappeared into Izroth¡¯s hand, as well as the ck tombstone. ¡´System Alert: You have fulfilled the conditions set by the ?Soul Binding Contract? with ?Death Emperor of the Netherworld, Nekrosatoras?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Death Emperor of the Netherworld, Nekrosatoras? is now under the effects of the ?Soul Binding Contract? for [100 years]!¡µ ¡¯I don¡¯t feel any different. But, I can sense a mysterious connection that wasn¡¯t there before.¡¯ For the Death Emperor, however, it was a bittersweet moment. He never believed the day woulde where he would be forced to serve under another person, let alone a human child. But, it was not aplete loss. At first, the Death Emperorughed at the mere thought of Izroth wanting to face someone like the Netherworld Monarch. Arrogant and naive¡ªthese were the first two words that came to the Death Emperor¡¯s mind. However, after seeing what he was capable of firsthand, perhaps he could be of some use against the Netherworld Monarch¡ªin the future, that is. With his current strength, the Netherworld Monarch could kill him by just looking in his general direction. "Humans are some of the shortest-lived creatures among the major realms, but they are overly imaginative. This aspect can prove useful. First, I have to get rid of this servant title by showing this human what I can offer." The Death Emperor thought to himself. "I assume you know a way to leave this Minor Realm?" Izroth asked. "Heh, who do you think I am? Just follow me." The Death Emperor responded as a ck cyclone with purple sparks of energy formed over his grave. Simultaneously, the ck tombstone started to disintegrate as its particles drifted towards the cyclone and fused with it. Boom! p! A small explosion could be heard, followed by a loud thunderp as the cyclone vanished as a figure emerged. ¡¯Hm? It¡¯s not what I expected.¡¯ What appeared before Izroth and Aurie was a man who looked to be in histe twenties to early thirties. He had ck hair with silver streaks, light gray eyes, and worebat robes that resembled Izroth¡¯s. However, the robes were ck and white with a few skulls engraved into them. "Oh? I always thought humans only knew how to wear ufortable things. This isn¡¯t half-bad. I suppose this form will do. Well? What do you think of this emperor¡¯s appearance?" The man said with a smirk. This man was, of course, the Death Emperor, Nekrosatoras! "Amazing... I can¡¯t feel a single ounce of death energy..!" Aurie eximed. If she did not already know the Death Emperor¡¯s identity, she would have mistaken him for a normal human! Chapter 603 - Leaving The Minor Realm, A Casual Family Stroll?

Chapter 603 - Leaving The Minor Realm, A Casual Family Stroll?

¡¯I suppose this eliminates one of my greatest concerns.¡¯ Even Izroth, with his Energy Vision Sense, could not see any mes within the Death Emperor that matched the same death energy he sensed just moments ago. Initially, he was uncertain¡ªno, he knew exactly how those in the Mortal Realm would react to someone like the Death Emperor¡¯s appearance. The sudden presence of a powerhouse from another realm would immediately draw the attention of everyone. Not to mention, the Mortal Realm was not on the friendliest of terms with the Nether Realm. It was possible that Izroth would be viewed as a traitor and someone who sided with the likes of the League of the Eidolon. "Of course you can¡¯t. Even those old monsters will have a hard time discovering this emperor. Although I¡¯m not afraid of them, there are more important matters to attend to with my time." The Death Emperor said with a vicious gaze. The cycles he spent in this ce on the brink of death only served to further fuel his hatred towards the Netherworld Monarch. He then continued, "I¡¯ve been trapped in this ce far too long. My power has deteriorated to the Primary stage. With this amount of strength, it may pain me to admit it, but I¡¯m not that person¡¯s equal. I need to regain my previous strength." ¡¯Primary? That means his current strength has to be around the same level as Zars.¡¯ However, Izroth believed that if Zars were to face the Death Emperor, they would not be his match. After all, the Death Emperor¡¯s power may have been weakened, but his skills were probably still present¡ªskills only attainable to those who reached the Peak stage of the legendary realm. "How do you n to aplish that?" Izroth inquired. Since the Death Emperor would be serving him for the next one hundred years, he wanted them to be at full strength. "Simple, I just need to absorb arge quantity of death energy. Live sacrifices or being around the presence of mass ughter would be the best methods." The Death Emperor responded casually. "The first is out of the question, but the second... It may be possible." Izroth said calmly. "Oh?" The Death Emperor was a bit surprised by Izroth¡¯s response. He expected to be rejected immediately, given how fickle and indecisive humans were when it came to killing or not killing. Aurie inwardly sighed. A person like the Death Emperor was not a gentle soul by any means. If Izroth did not keep a close eye on him, then who knew what kind of atrocities he wouldmit to reim his previous strength? Aurie hoped that she made the right choice by not persuading Izroth against epting the Death Emperor¡¯s deal. If things went south, then the Mortal Realm would have another cmity to face! Nevertheless, Aurie was aware of what Izroth meant by his words. Indeed, providing living sacrifices was a line she would never allow to be crossed. But, there was a war currently taking ce in the Mortal Realm, which unfortunately meant that countless lives would be lost to bloodshed. If it were this method, while Aurie would not personally approve of it since it made light of the lives lost on the battlefield, she would not disapprove of it. After all, no one was being hurt as a direct consequence of the Death Emperor¡¯s actions. "We should return soon, Captain. We have to report this situation to General Solomon." Aurie stated. "General? What¡¯s this? Are you nning to use me for your human wars? A waste of this emperor¡¯s talents." The Death Emperor scoffed. "You overestimate your own talents, Death Emperor. The enemies of this war are not simple. Besides, I thought you detested the Netherworld Monarch?" Izroth noted. "Kid, you¡¯ve got a sharp tongue to dare say that this emperor overestimates his talents. What does your war have to do with that person?" The Death Emperor scowled. "I will exin on the way. However, Commander Aurie is correct. We first need to return to the Mortal Realm." Izroth said calmly. "There¡¯s no need to exin along the way. You can just do it now." The Death Emperor said as he held his hand forward. The next moment, a spatial corridor manifested a few steps before him that mimicked the one Izroth, and Aurie used to travel to this area of the Minor Realm! However, this spatial corridor was stable even without the use of Zhi¡¯s medallion. He then continued, "Also, from now on, call me Satoras. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to exin anything." Izroth understood the Death Emperor¡¯s, or rather, Satoras¡¯ intentions. If he went around calling them by either of their previous names, even if one would not make the connection to him being the same entity who once ruled over thergest portion of the Nether Realm, it would attract too much attention. Traveling around with either of those names in a ce like the Mortal Realm was asking for trouble. One would easily be mistaken for a fanatic of the Nether Realm or a member of an organization like the League of the Eidolon. "So, what¡¯s the deal with that abomination?" Satoras asked as he pointed towards the unconscious Dolos. He noticed Dolos from the beginning but having his tombstone restored held much greater importance than some lobotomized abomination. "I suppose I should start with the current state of affairs," Izroth said as he walked forward into the spatial corridor along with Aurie, Satoras, and an unconscious Dolos drifting at their side. ... Several minutes ago in the Mortal Realm... "Strange, the Great zing Azure Bird has never been wrong before. It definitely tracked Dolos Jestal to this location." Solomon frowned. But, what concerned him was that Dolos Jestal was not alone. The Great zing Azure Bird also picked up two other presences that he hade into contact with¡ªCaptain Izroth and Commander Aurie! Solomonnded on the small hilltop where Dolos first confronted Izroth and Aurie. The small hilltop had been badly damaged, and it looked as if an intense fight broke out. "These battle scars on the earth are only a few minutes old at best. They couldn¡¯t have escaped the range of my Great zing Azure Bird¡¯s perception that fast. Could it be rted to the Jestal family¡¯s unique spatial magic? No... There would have been no point in setting up a powerfulrge scale restriction on the surrounding space if he nned on moving away from this vicinity. Then, where could they have disappeared-" Solomon abruptly halted his words as he narrowed his eyes. "Come out, or don¡¯t me me for being impolite," Solomon said in a stern tone. However, there was no response. "Very well, if you don¡¯t want toe, then I will force you out," Solomon stated as a small golden orb appeared in his hand. All of a sudden, arge spatial vortex formed in front of Solomon as a voice sounded from within, "General, is there a need to be so overbearing towards your own allies?" A few momentster, three figures stepped out of the spatial vortex. In the front was a middle-aged man with gray hair that contained very few traces of ck stripes, and behind him was one man and woman. The man at the back was also middle-aged and had half ck and half gray hair, while the woman looked to be in her early thirties with ck hair containing stripes of gray. Besides their simr hair colors, these individuals all shared onemon trait¡ªtheir eyes possessed no pupils. "This battlefield is under my jurisdiction, yet I have not received any official reports regarding your arrival. Even you are not above the rules and regtions set by the alliance, Jestal family." Solomon said solemnly. Solomon did not believe that it was a mere coincidence that three Jestal family members just happened to be here at the time of his arrival. "General, you speak as if it is prohibited to go for a stroll. Still, since the General is someone who can be trusted, I suppose it will do no harm in letting you know. We are here to deal with some personal family matters¡ªI¡¯m sure General Solomon is willing to show my Jestal family some face regarding this... situation." The man at the front of the group said with a meaningful look in his eyes. "As you say, going for a stroll is not prohibited. However, I must say that you have chosen a strange ce to do so. A battlefield is no ce for a casual family stroll, Orcus Jestal." Solomon stated. The one at the front of the group was called Orcus Jestal, an important member of the Jestal family. "This is a waste of time! We¡¯ve shown this insignificant General enough face by revealing ourselves, yet he refuses to respect our Jestal family!" The woman in the back scowled. "Is that any way to treat a respectable General, Anaemia?" The man at her side chuckled. "So what? Does a mere General deserve our respect, Leuko?" Anaemia scoffed. Chapter 604 - Confrontation

Chapter 604 - Confrontation

Orcus red at Anaemia, who clicked her tongue and looked away with her arms folded. Orcus then turned his attention back towards Solomon and said, "I hope you can forgive her bold choice of words, General Solomon. Anaemia has spent most of her life in our family residence and is not yet used to the ways of the outside world." Solomon¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he replied, "The internal affairs of your Jestal family are not of my concern." Orcus inwardly nodded when he heard those words leave Solomon¡¯s mouth. Although his Jestal family did not show themselves much over the years, it appeared that their prestige and name still held a great amount of sway. "Then-" As he began to speak, Orcus was swiftly interrupted. "However, it involves a Commander and Captain under mymand¡ªand that is my concern," Solomon emphasized. Orcus¡¯ facial expression darkened along with the other two Jestal family members. "General Solomon, I believe I have been more than respectful in my choice of words. What is the fate of a Commander and Captainpared to preserving the rtionship between our two kingdoms? Or, is it that you wish to be responsible for breaking an alliance that hassted for over a century?" Orcus stated. "That is not my intention. But, I will not permit you or anyone else to do whatever they please on my battlefield. I am exercising my right as the Head Command Officer of this sector and ordering you to the temporarymand camp at the Rosentarus border. There, you will await my return, and then perhaps we can have a proper discussion." Solomon said calmly. As the Head Command Officer of the Demilitarization Belt, if Solomon felt that someone was impeding an ongoing investigation, he could order them to be temporarily confined to the camp hemanded. As long as one was a part of the war effort and alliance, they mustply with this order. This was rarely used, especially against individuals like the Jestal family, who were high ranking nobles. However, the circ.u.mstances this time around were different. Even if they were high ranking nobles, Solomon could not overlook Dolos¡¯ connection to the Nether Realm and the League of the Eidolon. For all he knew, the entirety of the Jestal family could be involved. If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t he be handing over their only clue to those plotting against the Mortal Realm? "Don¡¯t push too far, Solomon. Otherwise, you can¡¯t me me for what happens." Orcus said with a darkened expression. He no longer addressed Solomon by his title of General, as if reinforcing that it ultimately meant nothing to him. "Is that a threat?" Solomon¡¯s gaze turned cold. "Only the truth," Orcus replied without hesitation. After that, a deathly calm epassed the surrounding vicinity as the atmosphere became tense. It looked as though a fight would break out at any moment. Tap. Solomon took one step forward, and the instant he did this, he noticed an unusual fluctuation in the nearby space that caused him to halt his actions. Solomon was not the only one who perceived this spatial fluctuation, as the Jestal family members immediately went on full alert. Orcus, Anaemia, and Leuko gave each other meaningful looks as they instantly moved to encircle the spatial fluctuation! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! When Solomon witnessed their brazen behavior, he wasted no time crushing the small golden orb he kept in the palm of his hand. Boom! Suddenly, a shockwave discharged from the hand Solomon held the golden orb. At the same time, a tiny fairy appeared lied down atop Solomon¡¯s head with a sleepy expression and released a light yawn. This fairy was no bigger than fifteen centimeters with four transparent wings, long golden hair that was twice as long as her, and bright yellow eyes. Solomon lightly nudged the sleepy fairy with his finger and said, "Merdere, I need your assistance." "..." Merdere sat up and rubbed her eyes as she levitated near Solomon¡¯s shoulder and leaned to whisper something into his ear. "Hm? That¡¯s all?" Solomon asked. "..." Merdere moved before Solomon and gave a slight nod. "If only your sister were as easy to deal with as you... Very well, take it." Solomon said. Merdere sat on Solomon¡¯s shoulder as arge quantity of mana was drawn out of his body and channeled into her. Simultaneously, mysterious golden-colored mes formed at Solomon¡¯s fingertips. "I will only say this once. If you refuse toply with the orders I have given, then you can¡¯t me me for what happens." Solomon stated, throwing Orcus¡¯ words right back at him. However, Orcus ignored Solomon¡¯s words. He could see that talking with that stubborn would get them nowhere. Besides, would he dare make a move against them and risk offending his Jestal family as well as potentially destroying the alliance between their two kingdoms? It was an obvious bluff! Ooooom...! Zeeeut! Not even half a breathter, a spatial vortex opened up less than two meters away from Orcus¡¯ position. When he saw this spatial vortex, it caused him to frown visibly. Their family¡¯s spatial magic had a unique energy signature, and the one being emitted by the spatial vortex did not match. But, when Orcus saw who came out from the spatial vortex, his eyes widened in shock. Though when his eyesnded on the figure at the back of the group of new arrivals, his shock quickly shifted to a feeling of rage. The other two members of the Jestal family shared a simr reaction to Orcus. "What have you done?!" Orcus roared. "Hm? What is this loud insect? A friend of yours?" A familiar voice sounded as the spatial vortex closed. "No, I don¡¯t know them." The person next to them replied indifferently. These two individuals having a casual conversation in front of the outraged Jestal family members were Satoras and Izroth, who had just left the Netherly Swathe. They were apanied by Aurie and the unconscious Dolos Jestal, still in his transformed state with one arm missing. Naturally, when those from the Jestal family observed Dolos¡¯ condition, they saw nothing but red as they looked at the group with death res. "I don¡¯t know the identity of the other two, but the one who just spoke is Orcus Jestal. He has quite the standing in the Jestal family, from what I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s likely that he is here to sweep their family¡¯s mess under the rug." Aurie revealed. Her gaze then drifted to the nearby distance to Solomon as she continued, "However, it seems someone else has already found them out." Solomon was relieved when he saw that Aurie and Izroth did not suffer any critical injuries. But, he was curious as to the identity of the man with them. There was not a single drop of energying from their body, which was incredibly unusual. Though it did not seem that Aurie and Izroth were on guard around them, and so their intentions should not be bad. "I warned you," Solomon said as he swiped his right hand at the air before him, leaving behind five streaks of golden mes. Woosh! Woosh! All of a sudden, a golden ribbon of mes shot out from each of the five streaks and rushed onward at incredible speeds towards the Jestal family members. At a nce, these golden ribbons appeared fragile, but if one dared to underestimate them, they would not know how they died! Of course, Solomon¡¯s aim was not to kill the members of the Jestal family. Even if they were suspicious, it did not automatically warrant their deaths. Not to mention, the political headache that would follow was something significant enough to permanently affect things on a grand scale in the Mortal Realm. In the blink of an eye, each of the Jestal family members opened a spatial vortex of their own and entered inside to avoid the golden ribbons. A few momentster, they reappeared several meters away from their previous position. However, the first thing that greeted them upon their exit from the spatial vortex was a golden ribbon! While the ribbons¡¯ speed was impressive, it was its flexibility and reaction time that made it a force to be reckoned with. "We should have just dealt with this General instead of trying to talk sense to them!" Anaemia scowled as she waved her hand forward, sending out a pulse through the surrounding space. This pulse halted the golden ribbons as they became frozen in midair. However, the mes around the ribbons erupted as it broke free of the restrictions and slipped past Anaemia¡¯s defenses. In a sh, Anaemia became wrapped from head to toe in the golden ribbons and restrained. "Graceful Ribbons: Ten Band Restriction." Chapter 605 - The Pitiful General

Chapter 605 - The Pitiful General

The moment Anaemia was caught by the golden ribbons, she struggled to break free. However, she quickly found that the more she fought, the tighter the golden ribbons became. "It¡¯s no use. Merdere¡¯s Graceful Ribbons is not something that can be broken by the likes of you." Solomon said coldly. "Merdere...? Impossible. Then the rumors-" Orcus furrowed his brows at the mention of that name. "Release her at once!" Leuko roared as several tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground beneath Solomon. "Wait!" Orcus tried to warn Leuko; however, he was a step too slow as Leuko had already made his move. Woosh! Woosh! Two tendrils swirled around one another to create a single tendril with a sharpened point. The newly formed tendrilshed out at Solomon with a heavy prative force behind it! Bang! Just before the tendril of darkness could connect to Solomon, a pair of golden ribbons crossed over each other and intercepted the attack. The sound of the impact resembled a drill losing its momentum aftering into contact with a hard surface. "Wha-" Leuko had an expression of disbelief written on his face, but he did not have time to react before he was swiftly restricted in the same fashion as Anaemia. Orcus witnessed this and could not help but sigh. He understood that he had gravely underestimated Solomon, as well as their willingness to offend his Jestal family. Nevertheless, after assaulting two members of his family, how could he let Solomon off and throw aside the face of the Jestal family? They would be aughingstock if news of this ever spread! "Oh? That human¡¯s a bit interesting. Forming a contract with two of the twelve daughters of the Queen of Spirits¡ªhis luck is quite good." Satorasmented. "The fairy on his shoulder is the Queen of Spirits¡¯ daughter?" Izroth had no idea what type of power Solomon held outside of his Absolute Symmetry; however, there was a sense of mystery that constantly shrouded the General. But, if he was able to form a contract with someone directly rted to the Queen of Spirits, then it was almost guaranteed that he was a powerful summoner. Of course, after his experience with Selene, Izroth knew that having a strong spirit at your side did not mean you could automatically ess their full strength. Though Izroth was curious about the rating and growth potential of a daughter of the Queen of Spirits. "Yes. That little spirit seems young, but she is probably around the same age as this emperor. However, the way time passes is a bit tricky in the Spirit Realm." Satoras noted. He then continued, "If my memory serves me right, her name is Merdere. She is the third youngest among the Queen of Spirits¡¯ daughters and one of the easiest, yet also one of the most difficult to form a contract with. That¡¯s why I said¡ªthat human is a bit interesting." "Both the easiest and difficult to contract? Does it have something to do with the other spirit?" Izroth asked in an inquisitive tone. "Hah, you catch on fast, kid. It¡¯s just as you say. Merdere has always been meekpared to her sisters. Because of this, she never forms a contract alone. If things have not changed since my era, then that little fairy should still be following the fifth eldest daughter around like a lost puppy. If that is the case, then that General is both blessed and cursed. So much power at his fingertips, yet he probably won¡¯t live another ten years. How pitiful. Ahahaha!" Satoras stated with a grin. "Mind your words, demon! I will not sit back and allow you to badmouth General Solomon..!" Aurie said as her piercing gaze locked onto Satoras. "The words I speak are merely the truth. Do you know why the fifth eldest daughter of the Queen of Spirits possesses one of the lowest contract rates among her sisters despite being one the most powerful? The reason¡¯s simple. Celebrexa, the Harbinger of Desires¡ªjust as her title suggests, her presence means the fulfilling of one¡¯s desires. Whether it is acquiring knowledge, for the sake of revenge, or destruction, it can be fulfilled. However, nothing in this world is free. In order to form a contract with her, one must first relinquish half of their total lifespan. After that, if one wishes to utilize her power, they have to offer up a portion of their life in exchange every time. The price varies, but it usually isn¡¯t on the cheap side." He then stated, "Do you see now why that General of yours is so pitiful? You humans are already a short-lived species, yet he is foolish enough to sign away his life." "The way I see it, the only pitiful one here is you. If not for Captain Izroth, you would have slowly rotted to death in the Netherly Swathe¡ªleft alone to wallow in your defeat until the end of your miserable life. What right does someone like you have to call General Solomon pitiful?" Aurie spoke without mincing her words. She could tolerate many things; however, badmouthing General Solomon after everything he¡¯s done... After all the sacrifices he has made¡ªhow could she remain silent? Even if Satoras was a legendary figure, Aurie did not fear speaking her mind freely. "What did you say?" Satoras¡¯ voice grew cold as his gaze fell upon Aurie with a strong killing intent. It was humiliating enough that he had to serve under some human kid for one hundred years, but now she dared to rub salt in his open wounds?! "Enough. I¡¯m sure your memory isn¡¯t so poor that you have already forgotten what I said on our way out of the Minor Realm." Izroth said calmly. "Hmph, you don¡¯t have to remind me..!" Satoras grit his teeth as he turned his attention back to the fight at hand. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I took some precautions before we left the Minor Realm; otherwise, who knows what he would do if left to his own devices.¡¯ Before leaving the Netherly Swathe, Izroth made sure to set several ground rules for Satoras to follow. One rule dictated that unless Izroth gave Satoras explicit permission, he could not harm any member who was a part of the war alliance. However, if their allegiance was unknown to him, then he could restrain them using non-lethal methods. Although he was weakened, Izroth understood that Satoras¡¯bat potential was a kingdom-level threat. Izroth knew that if he did not apply some boundaries, it would not take long for the Death Emperor to find trouble in the Mortal Realm, given his character and pride. ¡¯Still, what he said is valuable. Twelve daughters of the Queen of Spirits... A few children¡¯s books in the Amaharpe pce library told stories about her, but none of it is confirmed to be true. The information surrounding her daughters is also something not found on the first two floors of the pce library. Half of one¡¯s lifespan is a steep price to pay. It would not mean much for yers like myself, but the NPCs in RML are not immortal, nor do they respawn like in most games.¡¯ Izroth observed Solomon and the small fairy on his shoulder, as well as the golden ribbons. He did not bother activating his Energy Vision Sense as he knew what would happen the moment he did so. The mana radiating from Merdere was so dense that it was beginning to manifest itself in a physical form without the use of a spell. Mana that potent and concentrated; if Izroth tried to examine it, his Energy Vision Sense would immediately be overloaded! Meanwhile, Anaemia and Leuko were both captured by Solomon. Now, the only one that remained was Orcus. However, he was not as headstrong as the two before him and did not burst into a fit of rage. "You are tying my hands, Solomon. I have to admit; I did not believe the rumors regarding your contracted spirits. If possible, I¡¯d like to avoid crossing swords with you here. It is not toote. As long as you release those two and turn Dolos over into my custody, I am willing to overlook this matter." Orcus said. "Negotiations have already ended, Orcus Jestal," Solomon answered without hesitation. With a single thought, a new wave of golden ribbons shot out from the existing bands and multiplied several times over! Chapter 606 - Internal Turmoil Part(1/2)

Chapter 606 - Internal Turmoil Part(1/2)

"I see... If that is your final answer, then..." Orcus mmed the palm of his hands together as the golden ribbons closed in on his position! Simultaneously, a transparent ck prism developed from a spiral of mana in the air before Orcus. "Spatial Tempus Magic: Array of Revocation." Orcus kept the palm of his hands pressed together. He then shifted his right hand until his fingertips were pointing in the direction of the golden ribbons that shot towards him. Right as Orcus performed this action, the ck prism spun rapidly as it expanded outward in all directions. "Without revealing your affiliation to the Netherworld, how long would it take you to subdue him? Alive, of course." Izroth asked as he observed Orcus and their Spatial Tempus magic. After hearing Solomon call his name and witnessing Orcus¡¯ magic firsthand, Izroth knew that he was a member of the Jestal family¡ªthe same as Dolos, who sided with not only the Shadahi but the Nether Realm. ¡¯Does this mean that the entire Jestal is involved in the collusion with the enemies of the Mortal Realm?¡¯ However, it did not make any sense. If that were truly the case, why would the Jestal family reveal their hand so openly after hiding it so well for so long? Impatience? Arrogance? No, a group capable of concealing themselves that well would not have made such a tant oversight. ¡¯It¡¯s too early in the war. To reveal themselves now¡ªit doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ "Just him? Ha, this emperor may not be at full strength, but against the likes of that weakling, I only need one move to-" Satoras stated confidently; however, he was swiftly interrupted. "With his body in one piece," Izroth added. There was no definitive proof that Dolos was not acting alone; therefore, he could not act rashly and simply dispose of Orcus or recklessly injure them. If, by some chance, there really was no connection, then he may lose his war rank and the contribution points he earned up to now if he identally killed Orcus. There was even a chance that his title and property in Amaharpe would be revoked! Most likely, General Solomon had an identical trail of thought, seeing as how not a single person he captured with the golden ribbons was severely injured. ¡¯Right now, I still need the Mystical Realm Pce. Losing my contribution points would also be a waste. Keeping those from the Jestal family alive is our best option to get to the bottom of things.¡¯ "...You humans sure love to oveplicate things. If someone¡¯s your enemy, just kill them. But, if you want him in one piece, so be it." Satoras said. However, just as he took one step forward, a loud voice echoed throughout the surroundings. "Both sides! Cease your actions at once!" As this voice entered everyone¡¯s ears on the battlefield, a golden light fired from the nearby distance and stabbed into the ground between Solomon and Orcus. The moment this light touched the earth, it formed a bridge of pure dense energy. A few secondster, one could see three silhouettes soaring along the golden bridge. As the silhouettes moved closer, it revealed a group of familiar faces. At the front was none other than Captain Yan! Instead of Yan¡¯s typical War Brigade uniform, he was now in a set of extravagant robes. There was also a fresh air of authority that epassed him as he arrived on the battlefield. He was no longer Captain Yan of the War Brigade, but Prince Yan of the Amaharpe Kingdom! Apanying Yan was Soothing Smoke, the War Intelligence Group Lead Agent, and Duchess, the Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian. "Wait," Izroth said, causing Satoras to halt his steps. Now that reinforcements had arrived, Izroth chose to hold off on sending Satoras. The Death Emperor could be viewed as one of Izroth¡¯s trump cards. Therefore, having one of his trump cards be seen by so many watchful eyes, especially someone from the War Intelligence Group, was too inconvenient. Meanwhile, Aurie released a sigh of relief upon Yan¡¯s appearance. She wanted to lend a hand to General Solomon but understood that the General was handling the situation with a great deal of care. If she jumped in the middle of it without thinking, then Aurie knew that she might do more harm than good. Yan quickly scanned the battlefield and inwardly nodded. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had been killed as of yet. Since that was the case, there was still a chance for things to be resolved peacefully. "I was somewhat skeptical of Soothing Smoke¡¯s intentions, which is why I requested the Ten Beast Guardian Duchess apany us. But, it seems he was not misleading me." Yan internalized. Just as Solomon ordered, Soothing Smoke informed Yan of the current situation regarding Dolos Jestal and his link to the Nether Realm. However, Soothing Smoke did not mention anything about other Jestal family members or the presence of his Commander and Captain Izroth. "What is the Commander doing here with Captain Izroth? Also, that guy¡ªI¡¯ve never seen him in the camp before... That monster looks somewhat familiar... I suppose I need to be brought up to speed.." Yan thought to himself. If possible, Yan hoped to resolve things peacefully. But, if what Soothing Smoke said was true, and Dolos Jestal sided with the League of the Eidolon and the Netherworld, then Jestal family or not, Yan would dispense swift justice! There was no room for traitors in his eyes! When Orcus first heard a voice telling them to cease their actions, he scoffed at its arrogance. Though he never expected that the voice would belong to a prince of Amaharpe! What was a prince doing in a dangerous ce like the Demilitarization Belt? Orcus immediately halted his ck prism as it receded and dispersed. If his attack kept going just now, it would have undoubtedly struck the prince. If that happened, it was akin to his Jestal family dering war on all of Amaharpe! In the end, Orcus could only halt his attack and hold his anger inside. "If that is Prince Yan¡¯s wish," Solomon said as he released Anaemia and Leuko from the golden ribbons. The instant he released the pair, they were livid and ready to fight until one side was eliminated! But, they were quickly chastised and silenced by Orcus. One could tell by the look in their eyes that they wanted to tear Solomon apart limb from limb to repay him for their humiliation; however, they swallowed the shame. It was the first time Orcus had ever disyed that level of fury and disappointment towards them. "General Solomon, Sir Orcus¡ªshall we speak candidly? Why are two friends crossing des so close to the enemy¡¯s doorsteps?" Yan questioned. "Friends? Your people not only forcibly captured but also injured a member of my Jestal family! Look at the abomination they have transformed him into! This General wants to protect the culprits and try to cover up their crimes! Prince Yan, you must seek justice for my Jestal family!" Orcus stated. Yan frowned and responded, "Sir Orcus, those culprits you speak of are people I happen to know the character of quite well. Neither of them fits with your im. Unless you have some evidence to present, I am afraid it will only be your word against theirs. Your presence here without submitting an official report is also concerning." "Careful with your words, Prince Yan. It almost sounds like you are suspecting my Jestal family of misdeeds. Even you cannot afford the consequences of driving a wedge between the bond of our kingdoms." Orcus said with a cold gaze. "My only concern is the truth, Sir Orcus. I¡¯m sure someone of your stature must feel the same way. If that is true, isn¡¯t our solution one of simplicity? We just need to get to the bottom of the truth together." Yan said as his gazended on Izroth¡¯s group. ... Around ten minutester... Izroth arrived back at the temporary camp at Rosentarus¡¯ border along with everyone who was present on the battlefield just moments ago. At the moment, he sat in a private and istedmand tent that was sealed off at every corner. No one was allowed in or out. ¡¯If things continue at this rate, the alliance won¡¯t survive a full month before disbanding. First, the War Intelligence Group¡¯s Head gives a strange order, and now a member of one of Proximus¡¯ most prestigious noble families is part of the League of the Eidolon, who worsh.i.p.s the Netherworld Monarch. Everything is too organized to be a mere coincidence. Someone is pulling the strings behind the curtain and orchestrating these events on a grand scale, and if I¡¯m right... The real crisis has yet to unfold.¡¯ Chapter 607 - Internal Turmoil Part(2/2)

Chapter 607 - Internal Turmoil Part(2/2)

At themand tent¡¯s center was a rectangr table, and on one side sat Izroth, Aurie, and Solomon. Satoras stood behind Izroth with an indifferent expression. As far as he was concerned, humans wasted too much time on their procedures and hearings. Back during his era in the Nether Realm, everything was decided with power alone. There was no right or wrong; it was whoever had the most power that was always right. If someone wished to question them, they better have had the strength to back it up; otherwise, only death awaited them! Sat across from Izroth¡¯s group were the Jestal family members¡ªOrcus, Anaemia, and Leuko. Anaemia and Leuko red at Solomon with hatred in their eyes. The humiliation from earlier was still fresh in their minds; however, they could only secretly curse the General. The person who was ultimately passing judgment, Yan, took his seat at the head of the table. As for Dolos, he was currently guarded by Soothing Smoke and Duchess on the opposite side of themand tent until the final judgment was given. "Lead Agent Soothing Smoke of Amaharpe¡¯s War Intelligence Group, Ten Beast Guardian Duchess of Rosentarus¡ªyou two shall act as official witnesses to the hearing that is about to take ce. I¡¯m sure everyone is aware that this situation is highly sensitive and should be kept within the confines of thismand tent. General Solomon, although this is rightfully your battlefield tomand and judgment should naturally be left to your discretion, given the circ.u.mstances, I am invoking my royal privilege as a prince of the Amaharpe kingdom to oversee this personally. Do you have any objections?" Yan said calmly. "No objections," Solomon answered. He was the one who told Soothing Smoke to contact Yan; therefore, Solomon was already prepared for something like this to happen. It was just that the number of individuals on the other side of the table that Solomon envisioned was not one but three. As for the main culprit, he was still unconscious and unable to give his testimony. Yan nodded and said, "Then, let the official hearing begin." After the hearing formally started, Izroth and Aurie were asked to recount the events that led up to Dolos¡¯ current state. As the two retold the events, Orcus interrupted multiple times and objected their ims. He even argued that it was a plot by Izroth and Aurie to wrongfully frame their Jestal family and that General Solomon was a part of it! It did not take long for Orcus to lose his temper after having his ims repeatedly denied. He mmed his fist onto the table and bellowed, "Outrageous! This trial is an obvious sham! I won¡¯t tolerate this tant disrespect towards my Jestal family!" "Sir Orcus, I have tolerated your outburst as a show of courtesy. Not to your Jestal family, but for the sake of our brothers in the kingdom of Proximus. However, if you would like to see how unhospitable I can be, then you can continue to test my patience." Yan stated firmly. Orcus wanted to protest further, but it was clear that he did not want to push things beyond a point of no return. In the end, Orcus sat back down and regained hisposure; however, there was a grim look on his face. "I have heard enough. I will now proceed with the judgment for all parties involved." Yan said as he stood to his feet. He then continued, "Sir Orcus, it is clear that your side has a severeck of evidence to back up any of the ims you have made. Therefore, I am clearing General Solomon, Commander Aurie, and Captain Izroth of any wrongdoings. Unless, of course, you have any further evidence to present?" "...I don¡¯t..!" Orcus uttered as he suppressed his anger. "Good, then... As for Dolos Jestal¡ªeven as a prince of Amaharpe, I do not have the authority to remove him from his position here in the Demilitarization Belt with a hearing alone. While I personally trust General Solomon¡¯s Absolute Symmetry and the testimonies that the Commander and Captain haveid out before me, it is still circ.u.mstantial and a one-sided perspective. That being said, the Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol is not something that can appear out of midair. Since it is imed by Lead Agent Soothing Smoke to have been found in Dolos Jestal¡¯s tent, then..." Yan nced over at Soothing Smoke with a meaningful look. Soothing Smoke stepped forward, "I advise that we detain Dolos Jestal until his guilt or innocence can be proven. I am willing to stake my life on what I have discovered." They then tossed a small object on the table in front of Yan. The object was a silver emblem with three stars carved onto its surface. It symbolized Soothing Smoke¡¯s identity as a Lead Agent of the War Intelligence Group, but this was not its sole purpose. Given the War Intelligence Group¡¯s importance, those who were Lead Agents or higher were granted the unique privilege of detaining personnel regardless of rank. However, it was not without a high cost. If the Lead Agent turned out to be wrong, the consequences would be disastrous. Losing their position would be the least of their worries as such serious usations were not taken lightly. Yan gave a nod of approval as he took the silver emblem into his hand and said, "If you are willing to go so far, then I have no choice but to ept your grand gesture. For now, Dolos Jestal will be kept in this camp¡¯s custody under General Solomon¡¯s supervision until we manage to get to the bottom of everything. As protocol dictates, an officer in custody cannot hold an activemand position. Therefore, Dolos Jestal shall be temporarily relieved of hismand position in the Demilitarization Belt. General Solomon, I¡¯ll leave who fills that position to your discretion." "Finally, Orcus Jestal, Anaemia Jestal, and Leuko Jestal. The three of you not only entered an active war zone without filing an official report, but you even dared to raise your sword against the Head Commander of its sector. Usually, this type of behavior wouldnd you in a cell for a minimum of fifty years; however, I will associate your brazen actions with protecting a member of your family, as well as your ignorance of the situation. I will overlook it this time, but you should know that ignorance is no excuse for breaking thews. Should there be a next time, you will have to deal with my less than courteous side. This concludes my judgment for this hearing." ... After Yan¡¯s final judgment, those from the Jestal family, excluding Dolos, were allowed to take their leave. Without wasting any time, Orcus opened a spatial vortex outside themand tent as he stepped inside with Anaemia and Leuko. A few momentster, the spatial vortex closed. The instant they entered the isted pocket of space used by their family to travel from ce to ce, Anaemia stomped her foot angrily and asked, "Uncle, must we truly swallow this humiliation..?!" "That¡¯s right! How can our Jestal family ever hold their heads high again after today? Won¡¯t the other familiesugh at us?!" Leuko scowled. "A setback today does not mean our loss is written in stone. I did not expect a prince of Amaharpe to be so close by and interfere with our ns. Nevertheless, even he cannot stop what is toe. After all, our Jestal family is the rightful ruler of Proximus. It is only a matter of time before our family¡¯s goal is realized." Orcus reassured. "But, uncle, the royal family has the Y¡¯Zati and Wiseman of Everpeak on their side. Won¡¯t they interfere with our family¡¯s ns?" Leuko questioned with a frown. "The Y¡¯Zati hasn¡¯t been heard from since hest departed to Amaharpe. Even as the war progresses, there has been no news regarding his appearance on any battlefield. As for the Wiseman of Everpeak, she will be our biggest headache. But, as long as that person makes their move as promised, the headache will not be ours to deal with." Orcus exined. A look of excitement found its way onto Anaemia¡¯s face as she eximed, "By that person, you mean...!" "That¡¯s right. But, for now, we will return and give our report to the family head. I want to see how long that prince and General dares to hold a member of our Jestal family in confinement. That Commander and Captain will also not escape their fate. All those involved¡ªI have remembered their faces well." Orcus stated coldly. ... Meanwhile, back at themand tent... Not too long after the Jestal family left, Soothing Smoke and Duchess secretly escorted Dolos Jestal to a special confinement area. But, the conversation was not over just yet. "Now that those two are gone, shall we discuss a separate topic?" Solomon said as his gaze fell onto Satoras. Chapter 608 - Solomons Inquiry

Chapter 608 - Solomon''s Inquiry

¡¯Has he noticed?¡¯ Satoras mentioned in the Netherly Swathe that even those "old monsters" would have difficulty discovering his true identity. For him to refer to them as old monsters, Satoras definitely meant those at the peak of the legendary realm. Izroth knew that Solomon was strong, but he did not believe the General¡¯s strength had yet reached the peak of the legendary realm. However, Izroth was aware that Solomon possessed a skill that allowed him to see things that were otherwise hidden and connect any missing pieces in between¡ªAbsolute Symmetry. This was one of the reasons why Aurie suggested informing the General of Satoras¡¯ real identity. With his Absolute Symmetry, he would immediately notice that something was off with Satoras and that he was somehow connected to Izroth. ¡¯What a useful skill. Well, it¡¯s not as though I nned on hiding it.¡¯ Having someone like Solomon and Yan be in the loop would help to prevent any future misunderstandings¡ªat least, to an extent. In the end, Satoras a part of the Nether Realm, and this fact could not be ignored. Not to mention, he was no ordinary individual, but one who once ruled over thergest section of territory in the Nether Realm, the Death Emperor! If news of his presence in the Mortal Realm was released, who knew what kind of chaos would ensue? In addition, there would be several legendary realm figures out to hunt the Death Emperor! Right now, Satoras was still in a weakened state at the Primary stage of the legendary realm; therefore, even he could not fend off several legendary figures alone. ¡¯Until he regains his previous strength, we will have to tread with some caution. Though with the war going on, there is a lot of breathing room.¡¯ "Well, Commander? Captain? Why is there a creature of the Netherworld following you around?" Solomon questioned. ¡¯As I thought, he noticed after all.¡¯ "Creature of the Netherworld..?!" Yan eximed as his eyes widened in shock. He felt that something was strange about the man who apanied Izroth and his Commander; however, he could not put his finger on it. But, Yan would have never guessed that the man was a creature of the Netherworld! "While I do not understand the exact circ.u.mstances, it appears this creature of the Netherworld shares a Soul Binding Contract with Captain Izroth. Moreover, the one who holds the authority in the contract is Captain Izroth himself. Does this not require a proper exnation?" Solomon stated calmly. Yan felt a bit at ease after hearing Solomon¡¯s words; however, he was still on full alert. This was his first time seeing a creature of the Netherworld in person; however, they were nothing like the ones he learned about from the royal family¡¯s tutors. "Indeed, an exnation is certainly required." Yan sighed. One problem had been dealt with, but now he faced another immediately after. "We never intended to hide it from you, General Solomon¡ªPrince Yan. It¡¯s just that we are only now getting the chance to exin things properly." Aurie said. Solomon lightly smiled and replied, "Commander, I trust your judgment. And although we have not been acquainted for long-" He faced Izroth and continued, "I trust the head on your shoulders as well, Captain Izroth." Satoras scoffed andmented, "You humans are sickeningly sweet. Your words are like poison to my ears." "I suppose words like trust do not exist for those of the Nether Realm. With ckened hearts, admittedly, our words must truly feel like drinking poison to you. However... I am speaking to Commander Aurie and Captain Izroth. I will make this clear now. Even if you are restricted under the Soul Binding Contract, I don¡¯t trust you. If I find you dangerous, then... I won¡¯t hesitate to do what¡¯s necessary." Solomon stated in a cold and indifferent tone. "Oh? I¡¯ll admit, you have some guts to speak to this emperor that way, brat. Do you think that little fairy and demon¡¯s spawn will be enough to protect you?" Satoras said with a chilly gaze. "Pray that you never have to find out," Solomon replied smoothly without backing down. After their brief exchange, themand tent¡¯s atmosphere became heavy and tense. It was apanied by a pressuring silence that gave one a suffocating feeling. Yan furrowed his brows. He did not know Satoras¡¯ strength, but for some reason, he felt that if these two fought right now, the entire camp at the Rosentarus border would be thrown into a state of chaos! A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he broke the silence and said, "It is as General Solomon says, there is no need for concern. I just picked up a somewhat useful servant during our trip to the Minor Realm mentioned during our report." "Servant?" Solomon and Yan said in unison with slightly bewildered expressions. "You...!" Satoras grit his teeth and secretly cursed Izroth under his breath. While it was technically true that he was Izroth¡¯s servant, did that brat really have to go around telling the whole world?! If those from the Nether Realm ever found out that he was serving someone many times his junior¡ªand a member of the human race at that¡ªhe would be aughingstock! Also, what somewhat useful servant?! Somewhat useful your head! He was the Death Emperor, for crying out loud! "Am I wrong?" Izroth asked while retaining his carefree smile. "No, of course not... young master," Satoras replied through his teeth with a halfway forced smile as he suppressed his anger. Just uttering those words made him want to cough up a mouthful of blood! Of course, Satoras did not take the liberty of addressing Izroth this way of his own free will. Izroth felt that Satoras¡¯ attitude towards him was too casual. This was not necessarily a bad thing if both sides respected one another; however, it was clear that while Satoras may have thought a bit highly of him due to his talent, he did not respect him. Therefore, before they joined everyone on the way back to camp, Izroth decided that from now on, Satoras would have to address him as young master in front of others. But, this was not merely Izroth¡¯s way ofmanding respect. Right now, Satoras¡¯ mindset was still that of Nekrosatoras, Death Emperor of the Nether Realm. Izroth understood that if he allowed Satoras to maintain this mindset, it would only make things more difficult in the long run. He needed to realize that he was no longer that same Death Emperor and understand his ce as a servant, and having Satoras call him young master was simply the first step. Meanwhile, Solomon was amazed. He knew that Izroth held the upper hand in the Soul Binding Contract thanks to his Absolute Symmetry, but he would have never anticipated that the man who stood behind Izroth held the rank of a servant! Unlike most people who lived in the Mortal Realm, Solomon crossed paths with creatures of the Nether Realm several times before and knew their kind well. The fact that he could not see through Satoras¡¯ strength or sense any death energy meant that his realm was extraordinary. Such a person was a Captain of the General Support Unit¡¯s servant? "Just what happened inside that Minor Realm?" Solomon sighed as he straightened the sses on his face. "You see..." Izroth then went on to exin the events that led up to his Soul Binding Contract with Satoras. Once he finished, Solomon and Yan could not believe their ears. Death Emperor?! The same Death Emperor that towered over the Nether Realm many cycles ago?! They may be weakened now, but they were still the Death Emperor! However, what shocked them more than anything was not Satoras¡¯ true identity, but rather how Izroth was able to get such a prominent figure to serve under him! "I have a lot of questions. Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know where to begin. This should go without saying, but it¡¯s best you do not disclose Satoras¡¯ real identity to anyone else. If the wrong person catches wind of his existence, then even Prince Yan and I will be powerless to help you." Solomon warned. He then continued, "I would like to ask them a few questions¡ªcan you have them answer truthfully?" "I will remember your words, General. As for your request, feel free to ask whatever you need. Of course, I haveplete faith that the General will not overlook my contribution this time around as well." Izroth replied as hemanded Satoras to answer Solomon¡¯s questions honestly. Solomon gave a helpless smile as he understood the meaning behind Izroth¡¯s words. "Rest easy, Captain. I am not one to take advantage of another¡¯s kindness." Solomon reassured. ... Approximately two hourster... Chapter 609 - Awaiting Your Response!

Chapter 609 - Awaiting Your Response!

¡¯It¡¯s finally over.¡¯ Solomon spent nearly two hours straight questioning a less than enthusiastic Satoras, and although he managed to get a good deal of information... ¡¯I figured he would take some precautions. Should I have been more thorough? No, I don¡¯t think it would have made a difference for someone like him.¡¯ There were questions Solomon asked Satoras that involved some deep secrets of the Nether Realm; however, his response was that he did not know. Even if Satoras was out of the loop for centuries, these were deeply rooted secrets that someone at the peak of the legendary realm from the Netherworld should know the answers to. As it turned out, after Satoras regained his freedom, the first thing he did was seal various parts of his memories. The condition to break these seals was that he recovers his strength of a peak legendary realm figure. Although he despised the Netherworld Monarch, Satoras was still someone from the Nether Realm. There were lines he was willing to cross and others that he was not. Betraying his realm by revealing its deepest secrets to a group of outsiders was one of those lines the Death Emperor would not cross. ¡¯Regardless of the circ.u.mstances, we were able to uncover a lot about the Nether Realm. However, our information surrounding the Netherworld Monarch is still practically nonexistent. Just where did theye from?¡¯ Back in the Netherly Swathe, the Death Emperor mentioned that even he was unaware of the Netherworld Monarch¡¯s origins. ording to him, they just "appeared" in the Nether Realm one day. ¡¯Our paths are bound to cross eventually. Until then, I will have to focus on further increasing my strength.¡¯ From what he heard so far of this Netherworld Monarch, they were on apletely different level from others in the legendary realm. Out of curiosity, Izroth asked Satoras how someone like the Envoy of the Netherworld would fare against the Netherworld Monarch. His answer was one word¡ªLaughable. ¡¯I told him not to cause any trouble and attract too much attention, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s even possible for someone like him. Well, it¡¯s fine. For now, it¡¯s important that he returns to his previous strength so that he can be of more use to me in the future. Now that I have some time, I can finally sort through this mess.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is awaiting your response!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the War Objective ?Siding With The Enemy?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points have increased by 300! [Total: 3,090.32]¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Treasure Shard?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is awaiting your response!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a secret link between the Nether Realm and Shadahi Realm! [Reward: +400 Contribution Points, x1 Treasure Shard]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points have increased by 400! [Total: 3,490.32]¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Treasure Shard?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your action has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +1,000 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points have increased by 1,000! [Total: 4,490.32]¡µ ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is awaiting your response!¡µ ¡´System Alert... ... Over a short span of time, Izroth earned a massive 1,700 contribution points! ¡¯This method of obtaining contribution points is too good to pass up.¡¯ Not too long ago, Izroth spent three days grinding contribution points through various war objectives. Since he was a Captain, he could ept the more challenging war objectives; however, in the end, he only managed to .u.mte roughly 300 contribution points! ¡¯I wonder... Oh? I didn¡¯t think I would see their name on here so soon.¡¯ ¡ºTop 100 Event Leaderboard: 1st: Izroth - 4,490.32 contribution points 2nd: ??? - 2,225.18 contribution points 3rd: Ewan - 1,000 contribution points¡» In third ce on the event leaderboard was the guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan! While it did not surprise Izroth that Ewan reached the top 100, he did not anticipate him doing so this quickly. However, Izroth was more curious about the mystery person in second ce. Earning 1,000 contribution points this early was already considered an impressive feat. As for Izroth, he understood that his circ.u.mstances were unique. But, for someone to earn twice the amount as Ewan, one of the top yers in RML this fast, two things, in particr, came to Izroth¡¯s mind. ¡¯Is it them, or...?¡¯ If the majority of yers took a guess as to who was in second ce, their answers would probably all be the same¡ªa member of Heaven¡¯s Law. This would have also been Izroth¡¯s thought process if he had not run into that person at the Sky Pce, the only other yer who participated in the second team¡¯s selection and imed second ce, Law. Though Law was likely an alias and not that person¡¯s actual yer name, nevertheless, if there was one person he believed capable of gaining over 2,000 contribution points that rapidly, it would have to be them. ¡¯They are also hiding their identity this time. As I thought, they have no connection to the top guilds. Still, a person this skilled should be well known, yet... Forget it. Everyone has their reasons, I suppose. When the timees, naturally, I will receive the answers I seek.¡¯ After gathering his thoughts, Izroth turned his attention to one of the items he acquired from the war objective, as well as for uncovering the secret link between the Nether Realm and Shadahi Realm. Izroth removed a small sapphire shard from his inventory and examined it closely. From its appearance alone, there was nothing special about it; however, the value of these tiny shards should not be underestimated. Name: Treasure Shard(Soulbound) Usage: Collect [2/3] ?Treasure Shard? and they will automaticallybine to create a special prize! Special Note: This item is soulbound to its original owner and cannot be traded or sold. This item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user¡¯s inventory. ¡¯I still need to collect one more treasure shard for them tobine. The reward may be vague, but considering the difficulty of obtaining the treasure shards, the prize should be of some value.¡¯ Izroth returned the treasure shard to his inventory. Since it was soulbound, it would remain useless until he collected three. He did not know the specific process to obtaining treasure shards, but if he continued on as he has been, Izroth felt that it was only a matter of time before he gained a third treasure shard. ¡¯Now, I guess I have been it off long enough. Though for a divine being, they sure are impatient.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is awaiting your response!¡µ Ever since he discovered that hidden truth in the Netherly Swathe, Izroth had been receiving an alert from the system about the God of Craft awaiting his response. Izroth could not ignore the blessing entirely. After all, he witnessed firsthand how powerful a divine blessing could be during his journey to the Tomb of the Netherworld¡¯s Envoy. While most yers would happily jump at the opportunity of receiving a divine being¡¯s blessing, Izroth was different. There was no information surrounding what would happen if he epted the God of Craft¡¯s blessing. Would he have to serve their every need? Would there be restrictions? Would he still have his own freedom? There were too many unanswered questions. But, one thing was for certain, and it was that power almost always came with a cost attached. ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft senses your doubt!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel a mysterious force enter your conscious.¡µ "Hey, haven¡¯t you been taught that it¡¯s impolite to ignore people? Honestly, do you know how much I spent establishing thismunication link?" A voice grumbled as it sounded in Izroth¡¯s mind. ¡¯!?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s gaze turned cold. He did not appreciate having his mind entered without permission¡ªeven if they were a divine being. "Wah~ Scary, scary. That gaze is scary, man. Just rx and think of this as a mental call that I paid a premium price for. I may be able to sense your thoughts, but I can¡¯t directly read your mind if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about." The voice exined. Izroth rxed a bit after hearing that, however... "I don¡¯t enjoy having people inside my head, especially those who enter without asking first," Izroth said in a distant tone. "It couldn¡¯t be helped. There are more restrictions than you can possibly imagine when ites to contact between- Ah, we don¡¯t have time for this. I¡¯m sure you have already guessed my identity, but I will still introduce myself. I am called Mazi, but most know me as the God of Craft. I¡¯ve been wanting to speak with you for quite some time, Izroth." The voice of Mazi stated. Chapter 610 - Mazis Offer

Chapter 610 - Mazi''s Offer

"I know you probably have a lot of questions you want to ask. Unfortunately, sustaining this direct link for an extended period of time is too costly. Just know that I am not your enemy. In fact, you can even call me your ally in a sense. That¡¯s why you should ept my blessing. Not only will it be beneficial to your growth, but it¡¯s something you require if you ever hope of confronting that thing in the Nether Realm." Mazi exined. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. It sounded as if Mazi had been observing him for quite some time from the way he spoke. If that was the case, perhaps the God of Craft knew the identity of the one who put that restriction on him? As if sensing his question, Mazimented, "I should say this in advance, but I cannot reveal anything rted to the Divine Realm to you. Even if you ept my blessing, the answer will be the same. Not only would it make no difference given your present strength, but it would also give a certain group of annoying people a reason to interfere further." "Then, answer me truthfully. You may be known as the God of Craft, but I¡¯m an Apothecary. I don¡¯t remember reading or hearing anywhere about your achievements in the field of pills. Why have you decided to reach out to me now?" Izroth inquired. "I didn¡¯t earn the title God of Craft just for show. There is much about me that has been lost to the passage of time. If you want to know the reason I reached out to you, it¡¯s because that woman said it was time." Mazi replied. "That woman?" "Haven¡¯t you already obtained a lesser blessing from her follower?" Blessing? After that clue, Izroth knew that there could only be one person Mazi was referring to. "The All-Seeing Goddess," Izroth uttered. Upon delivering the Anivarity¡¯s Bell to Tererestiaa after returning from his visit to the Shadahi Realm andpleting the quest Journey to the Seer, Izroth received the Blessing of Heltiaa from Tererestiaa. The skill¡¯s description did mention something about the blessing being granted by the Seer Tererestiaa in the name of the All-Seeing Goddess; therefore, it was not a genuine divine blessing. That was not to say that it was fake, just that it could not bepared to a blessing received straight from the divine being themselves. "You have yet to step into the legendary realm but have somehow already uncovered a truth written in the Book of the Beginnings. If you proceed forward at this pace, it won¡¯t be long before you attract attention to yourself¡ªsome good, and others bad." Mazi revealed. "What? Are you telling me you and that All-Seeing Goddess want to protect me out of the kindness of your hearts?" Izroth asked in a sharp tone. "No. In the end, this is something we are also doing for ourselves and what is toe inevitably. You are a means to an end. Use what I offer you as a way to further yourself, Izroth. As I, too, will use you to get what I need. A mutual rtionship of use¡ªwhat do you think?" ¡´System Alert: The God of Craft is making you an offer! If this offer is not epted before time runs out, it will disappear for good. Would you like to view the offer? [Time Remaining: 59 second(s)]¡µ "Disy it," Izroth said as a new window opened up before him. [Mazi¡¯s Offer] The God of Craft, Mazi, is making you an offer! If you ept their blessing, you shall receive the following: -Blessing of Mazi(Skill) -Appraisal(Skill) -Unparalleled Craftsman(Skill) -Exemption: This individual may not ess divine power from the God of Craft; however, they are not bound by the restrictions of a follower. Condition: The individual who epts this offer must not ignore the well-being of the Mortal Realm. Failure toply with this condition will result in a harsh penalty and cause all benefits gained through this offer to be removed. This condition will remain in effect until the individual bes a ne Ascender. Izroth swiftly scanned over Mazi¡¯s offer. The Exemption made it so that he could not utilize Mazi¡¯s divine power, but it certainly erased most of his worries. It was a fair tradeoff as far as Izroth was concerned. However, wasn¡¯t this deal a little too much in his favor? ¡¯This deal is too one-sidedly favorable towards me. Is his goal solely the protection of the Mortal Realm? No, there¡¯s something more to it. I don¡¯t know what it is, but he¡¯s hiding something, and it¡¯s likely rted to the current state of the Divine Realm. But, how does it connect to the events that are going on in the Mortal Realm?¡¯ The only condition listed was that Izroth could not ignore the Mortal Realm¡¯s well-being; however, wasn¡¯t he already doing that through the quest he had been receiving? If so, why not earn some additional benefits along the way? ¡´System Alert: Warning! The time for ?Mazi¡¯s Offer? is about to expire soon! [Time Remaining: 30 second(s)]!¡µ "I¡¯ll ept your blessing, but you should know one thing about me. I always return kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. Divine being or not, if you ever betray me, I will kill you." Izroth said with a cold gaze. "..." Mazi stayed quiet until around ten seconds were remaining. "She was right about you, Izroth. You really are just like that man." Mazi said in a slightly amused voice. ¡´System Alert: You have epted ?Mazi¡¯s Offer?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Blessing of Mazi?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Appraisal?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Unparalleled Craftsman?!¡µ A golden light emerged from Izroth¡¯s forehead. A few secondster, a golden hammer appeared at the center of his forehead before sinking into his skin and disappearing as the light died down. "W-" Just as Izroth was about to inquire further, Mazi¡¯s voice began to fade away as he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The mysterious force in your conscious is fading!¡µ "Ah, looks like my time is up. Make sure you put what I¡¯ve given you to good use, Izroth. Oh, and nice armor, by the way. Whoever crafted it must have been a genius, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Take good care of her for me." Mazi¡¯s voice faded out with thosest few words. ¡´System Alert: The mysterious force in your conscious has faded!¡µ Izroth felt that it was a bit regretful that he did not get to have a more thorough conversation with Mazi. After all, how often would he get to talk to beings from the Divine Realm? However, he did unlock some clues regarding what was happening beyond the firmament. ¡¯Given how cautious he was when it came to revealing information about the Divine Realm, something big must be taking ce up there¡ªor rather, is getting ready to. I can¡¯t say that I trust him fully, but his words seemed genuine. A mutual rtionship of use, is it? How amusing.¡¯ Of course, the biggest take away from this brief encounter was the benefits Izroth gained from epting Mazi¡¯s offer. ¡¯He lives up to his reputation as the God of Craft.¡¯ Skill Name: Blessing of Mazi Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Passive: +50% Crafting Speed, +2% Blessing of Craft, +1 Luck Special Note: A blessing bestowed upon those deemed worthy by the God of Craft, Mazi. Only a select few are lucky enough to receive this blessing! It was not an A-ranked blessing like the one he got from the Seer Tererestiaa, but an S-ranked blessing and the advantages it provided was nothing to scoff at. ¡¯50% crafting speed... If applied with the Superior Pill Crafting from my Natural Pill Master trait, my total crafting speed will have nearly doubled. If the Mind of Pill Craft effect also activates, then it may even quadruple.¡¯ Izroth may have hired craftsmen for his Mystical Realm Pce; however, he did not n on allowing his own skills to suffer as a result. Another pleasant surprise was the Blessing of Craft bonus he acquired from the skill. ¡¯My Natural Pill Master trait only gives me a 0.1% bonus for Blessing of Craft, but this alone grants me 2%¡ªthat¡¯s twenty times more. This will greatly increase my production rate of pills with Blessing of Craft attributes.¡¯ Chapter 611 - The God of Crafts Gifts, Walking In The Eye of The Storm

Chapter 611 - The God of Craft''s Gifts, Walking In The Eye of The Storm

Though perhaps the most valuable thing to Izroth was not the crafting speed or Blessing of Craft, but rather the point of luck! Obtaining one point of luck was a daunting task, and the benefits it granted were not small. ¡¯With this, I have four points of luck. It¡¯s a shame that this blessing does not have any directbat applications, but it is indeed worthy of being an S-ranked skill.¡¯ After reading over the blessing, Izroth shifted his focus to the next skill on his list, Appraisal. When Izroth first saw this name show up, he was curious about its use. After all, the system already freely appraised everything for yers. However, Izroth believed that if it was a part of Mazi¡¯s offer¡ªhow could it be a worthless skill? ¡¯This is... As expected, it is different from the system¡¯s appraisal. Even so, I never thought that the gap between the two would be this immense.¡¯ Skill Name: Appraisal Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: SS Active: Allows the user to analyze and identify hidden values and characteristics of people and objects. The higher the mastery, the more in-depth details this skill provides to the user. Cooldown: 25 seconds Special Note: Let nothing hide from your sights! Without hesitation, Izroth immediately unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. ¡¯Appraisal.¡¯ Weapon Name: Sword of The Storm Weapon Rank: Epic Weapon Level: 40 Requirements: 500 Attack Attack Damage: 1,000 ~Appraisal~ ssification: A++ Durability: 2,852/5,500(Decent Condition) Sharpness: 7.2 -> 4.2 Weight: 452 ~Appraisal~ ... ¡´System Alert: Your mastery with the skill ?Appraisal? has risen by 0.01%!¡µ ¡¯Oh? It went up right away?¡¯ Just as the skill described, Izroth was now able to see the hidden values of his Sword of The Storm! ¡¯yers are aware of hidden values, but since they are concealed under most circ.u.mstances, no one has been able to get a good grasp on how they work. The fact that I can see these hidden values gives me a huge advantage.¡¯ When Izroth focused his eyes on one of the newly revealed values, a brief exnation of what it defined appeared before him. [ssification: Judges the overall quality of a piece of equipmentpared to other items of its level. ssification Ranks are as follows: S, A++, A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E, F] ¡¯The Sword of The Storm only possesses an A++ ssification. Does that mean there are other level 40 weapons out there that surpass it? The durability has also been holding up much better than I anticipated. The sharpness on the other hand... I¡¯ve felt that things have been somewhat harder to cuttelypared to when I first received the Sword of The Storm¡ªespecially after I left the Sky Pce. I figured it was rted to confronting those with higher defensive stats, but the sharpness has dropped by almost half of its original value. I suppose it¡¯s long overdue for a repair.¡¯ Izroth waited for 25 seconds until the cooldown of Appraisal ended before using it again on his Sword of The Storm. However, nothing changed, nor did his skill mastery increase. ¡¯I guess it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to master. It is an SS-ranked skill, after all.¡¯ Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as he once again waited for Appraisal toe off cooldown. The moment it became avable, Izroth used it to examine an item that still held many secrets¡ªthe Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. ¡´System Alert: Your mastery level is too low to appraise this item!¡µ ¡¯A bit disappointing, though I¡¯m not too surprised.¡¯ The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was something created by the God of Craft himself. If it were so easily appraised, it would have been deciphered and recreated a long time ago. ¡¯Let¡¯s try a few more items.¡¯ ... Approximately 30 minutester... Izroth had gone through virtually every item in his inventory using his Appraisal skill, and he found several interesting points. For one, Izroth could now see the hidden ranks assigned to pills. In addition, when it came to certain materials, it revealed to Izroth details about what type of areas or climates he could find them in. While it was still highly restricted due to his low mastery level, in the future, it would serve as something irreceable! ¡¯My mastery has risen, but... It¡¯s a lot slower than I imagined.¡¯ Skill Name: Appraisal Skill Mastery: 0.01% -> 0.25% ... ¡¯Well, since it¡¯s just appraising things, it won¡¯t be too difficult to increase my mastery. As long as I use it frequently, there should not be any issues. Though it¡¯s a shame, I can¡¯t appraise myself yet.¡¯ Of course, Izroth tried to use Appraisal on himself since the skill could appraise people; however, it stated that his mastery level was too low! As for the Lost Page from the Book of Beginnings¡ªIzroth did not even attempt to appraise it. If he could not even fully appraise something like his Sword of The Storm, what hope did he have for something even those in the legendary realm would fight over? ¡¯I got so caught up in appraising that I nearly forgot about this one.¡¯ Izroth inspected thest skill he acquired from Mazi, Unparalleled Craftsman. ¡¯Though I would have to be a fool to let something like this escape me. But, this gift¡ªisn¡¯t it a bit too generous?¡¯ Skill Name: Unparalleled Craftsman Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: SSS Passive: The user of this skill has the potential to be an unparalleled craftsman! There is no time to rest on your journey! You will no longer experience fatigue. Born To Craft(Passive) - +[100%] Crafting Speed, +[6.5%] Blessing of Craft Attention To Detail(Passive) - The chances of bestowing an item with Blessing of Craft increases the higher the user¡¯s concentration is during the crafting process (MAX: 100%). When focusing on anything to an extreme degree, the user has a small chance of entering the state of ?Mind of Craft?. Entering the ?Mind of Craft? state will temporarily provide a [300%] boost to the user¡¯s crafting speed and senses. The chances of Blessing of Craft are increased by [100%] in this state. Natural Talent(Passive) - Items crafted by the user have a [3%] chance (MIN: 0.1%) of their quality being automatically raised by one rank upon sessful creation. The higher the item¡¯s quality, the lower the chances is of this effect urring. Gifted Expertise of An Artisan(Passive) - The user gains the ability to locate and correct ws in, but not limited to, existing blueprints and recipes. Heart of A Creator(Passive) - The user will gain a permanent production method of any craftable item they disassemble. [Stored Production Methods: 0/4] Prodigy¡¯s Right(Passive) - The user can learn more than one profession, as is a prodigy¡¯s right. However, even a prodigy should not spread their focus too thin! [Primary Profession: Apothecary(3/10)(Unmastered)] [Profession Slot(2): None(0/10)(Unmastered)] [Profession Slot(3+): Locked(Insufficient Skill Mastery)] Special Note: When ites to crafting, let no one be your equal! You are unparalleled! When it came to the other two skills Izroth received, neither of them came remotely close to rivaling Unparalleled Craftsman. This skill was in a league of its own¡ªa true SSS-ranked skill! ¡¯The skill certainly speaks for itself. From the looks of it, I can only master two professions with my current skill mastery. Apothecary being my primary profession is a given since I¡¯ve already chosen it; however, I will have to carefully consider my next profession since I don¡¯t know when I will unlock another profession slot.¡¯ Izroth had a few ideas as to what he wanted his second profession to be, but he was uncertain of how to obtain the profession he wanted as it was notmon by any means. ¡¯It looks like I¡¯ll have to do some digging. In the meantime-¡¯ Suddenly, Izroth¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: yer Meng Jiang has sent you a message, "It has been very hectictely, as I¡¯m sure you know. But, I assure you¡ªI have not forgotten our arrangement, Mr. First ce. With the situation as it is in the Demilitarization Belt, don¡¯t you think they will be quitefortable right about now? I really want to knock those shameless thieving bastards down a peg or two. ^_^ If you are still interested in cooperating with my Sacred Beasts, meet us at the following coordinates at the edge of the Demilitarization Belt in two hours. :) :) :) Coordinates..."¡µ Izroth inwardly shook his head as he read over the message. ¡¯As straightforward as always. Though I don¡¯t necessarily dislike this kind of person.¡¯ Izroth replied to Meng Jiang¡¯s message, and the moment he finished sending it, a sharp look shed through his eyes. ¡¯Headhunter Syndicate, I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed yourst few days of peace in the Demilitarization Belt. Those peaceful days... Will being to an end.¡¯ A great storm was brewing in the Demilitarization Belt, and walking in its eye was Izroth himself! Chapter 612 - Paths Walked Part(1/4)

Chapter 612 - Paths Walked Part(1/4)

... Meanwhile, somewhere in Amaharpe... In a winternd located to the far north of Amaharpe, five individuals gathered around a campfire in the snow-covered forest. Four others that were assigned guard duty stood around the makeshift campsite with a look of vignce. "Heh, this is too easy. Won¡¯t we be done sooner than expected?" One of the men sat near the campfire said with a chuckle. Smack! The one who just spoke had the back of their head smacked out of nowhere. But, just as they were about to erupt in a fit of anger, they quickly retreated after seeing the identity of the person who struck them. "C-chief! Wee back..!" The man who was just smacked greeted. "Idiot, haven¡¯t I already warned ya not to drop yer guard just cause we¡¯re close to our goal? If ya die, I ain¡¯t gonna bury ya stinkin¡¯ body." The one referred to as Chief stated as he took a seat next to the campfire and removed a sk from his inner pocket. He was a burly man with untidy hair covered in snowkes. He had sharp eyes and a beard covering the entire bottom half of his face. He wore a set of winter clothes and boots that shielded him from the cold winds. ced upon his back was a two-handed hammer with a rounded surface that resembled half a sphere. Name: Chief of the Wintend Bandits, Madhammer the Brute(Rare) Level: 47 HP: ???(72%) Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Ptttk! Ptttk! All of a sudden, three arrows came out of nowhere! Two of the arrows pierced through the heads of two men sat around the campfire while the other went straight for Madhammer! Ding! Despite his burly stature, Madhammer was quick. He managed to raise his forearm and deflect the arrow with his gauntlet just in time. As Madhammer lowered his arm, one could see his darkened expression. "We¡¯re under attack! Prepare- Gaaaah!" One of the men on guard tried to warn; however, they erupted into a burst of mes! "Madhammer! Your days of terrorizing the viges in this area end today!" A voice echoed from the forest as a woman with snow attire and a beautiful longbow in her hands emerged. "You just don¡¯t give up, do you, little girl...?!" Madhammer scowled. "We have you surrounded! Surrender yourself while you still have a chance!" The woman said as she removed her hood. It was none other than Zi Yi! "Like hell, I¡¯ll surrender, girly. Why don¡¯t yae over here and make me?" Madhammer answered as he stood to his feet. "I was hoping you¡¯d say that. The hard way it is then." Zi Yi said with an icy gaze. Zi Yi lifted her bow, and the instant she performed this action, several figures arose from beneath the snow within the forest. In the blink of an eye, Madhammer and his men had their escape route cut off! "Impossible...!" Madhammer eximed. "How did they sneak up on us?!" One of the bandits yelled as his eyes widened in shock. In total, twenty figures emerged from the snow, and more than half of them wielded a ranged weapon! "I won¡¯t allow you to escape a second time." Zi Yi stated as she released a flurry of arrows from her bowstring! "You...! You bastards! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go down without a fight!!!!" Madhammer roared at the top of his lungs as he brandished his hammer. In less than a few breaths, the once calm winternd turned into an intense battlefront. ... Around three minutester... "Report." Zi Yi said as she grabbed a small wooden te. The te had the symbol of a boar with a blizzard looped around it and was retrieved from Madhammer¡¯s motionless body. This wooden te belonged to the Chief of the Wintend Bandits and was the proof she needed to take back toplete her war objective. "Squad Leader Yue reporting to the Lieutenant! We¡¯ve managed to sessfully eliminate all bandits in the vicinity! Our group has suffered some minor injuries, but there are zero casualties! That concludes my report!" Yue announced. Zi Yi gave a weak smile and replied, "Thank you, Yue. But, I thought I already told you that you don¡¯t have to call me Lieutenant. Zi Yi is just fine." "That won¡¯t do, Lieutenant! As a subordinate, how can I call my superior officer by their name without including their rank?" Yue responded with haste. She then continued with an expression of excitement, "It¡¯s thanks to the Lieutenant¡¯s foresight and skillful tactics that we were able to catch those bandits before they hurt anyone else. The fact that you predicted their movement andid an ambush in advance using the snow is amazing! You¡¯ve earned my respect, Lieutenant!" Although one could not see it due to the ck blindfold she donned around her eyes, the enthusiasm that radiated from Yue made it seem as if her eyes were lit up from joy. Like Zi Yi, Yue also wore the winternd outfit that hid most of her original equipment. Her dark hair was tied into a single long braid that reached her ankles. A set of unique jade bangles hugged Yue¡¯s wrists and ankles, and around her neck was a midnight blue ne that resembled prayer beads. The ne gave one an eerie feeling just by looking at it. Since Zi Yi was a member of the party that ced first during the Protector of Amaharpe event, she started with the rank of Lieutenant in the War Brigade. Therefore, she was given a group of fifty individuals tomand that was made up of both yers and NPCs. Yue was one of the yers assigned to her squadron and immediately stood out due to her entric behavior¡ªthis caused her to be isted from the inner group of yers that formed within Zi Yi¡¯s squadron. Zi Yi internally sighed. Despite her entric behavior, Yue was a sweet girl. In truth, Zi Yi was not worried about whether or not she called her Lieutenant. It was just that... "Heh, look. That weirdo is at it again. Honestly, she should just give it a rest already." "Can¡¯t she see that she¡¯s being a bother?" "Why doesn¡¯t our squadron leader just kick her out? So annoying..." "Not only is our squadron leader a beauty, but she¡¯s also too kind. There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll kick that weirdo out." "Hey, isn¡¯t she too old to be ying pretend? What is she? Five? Who roleys these days? How gross." A group of yers nearby spoke among themselves as they chuckled and giggled. "You all-" Zi Yi¡¯s gaze turned frigid; however, just as she was about to confront the group of yers, Yue moved forward and blocked her path. "It¡¯s okay, Lieutenant. Something like this¡ªyou can leave it to me." Yue said with a smile. Zi Yi furrowed her brows as she stopped herself. This situation was not umon. Yue was a social outcast among the other yers, but she always managed to keep a positive attitude and say, "you can leave it to me". Zi Yi had wanted to confront the problem when it first began; however, she also wanted to respect Yue¡¯s wishes. There was also a chance that her interfering would just cause the distance between the others and Yue to widen. Whatever the case, doing nothing left a bad taste in Zi Yi¡¯s mouth, especially when those whispering behind her back did not possess even half of Yue¡¯s skills. A few momentster, after making sure that there were no signs of the bandits remaining, everyone gathered together. "We¡¯re returning to camp!" Zi Yi ordered as they started their journey deeper into the winternds. "I wonder how the others are holding up right now..." Zi Yi muttered to herself. ... Meanwhile, at a separate location in Amaharpe... "There¡¯s too many of them! Where are the reinforcements?!" A yer by the name of Broken Karp roared as he struggled to block the iing attack from a monster with his shield. The monster stood over two meters tall with red eyes, gray skin, and an abnormal muscr physique. The creature had two teeth protruding from the bottom half of its mouth that resembled miniature tusks. It barely wore any armor as if it were just that confident in its body¡¯s natural defenses, and in its right hand was a heavy battle axe. Name: Ogre Protector(Elite) Level: 45 HP: 65,265(30%) "It¡¯s just an elite monster! Why does it have such high stats?!" Broken Karp scowled as he watched his HP plummet. Not only did the Ogre Protector have arge amount of HP for a wild monster, but its attack and defense were also on the high end for its level. Chapter 613 - Paths Walked Part(2/4)

Chapter 613 - Paths Walked Part(2/4)

The worse thing was that even with its size, the Ogre Protector¡¯s agility was not as low as one would think. Suddenly, a green light encased Broken Karp as his missing HP slowly began to fill up. "Thanks, Lily!" Broken Karp said as he retreated to let his HP recover some. "Don¡¯t let your guard down just yet. We have to find a way to sever the connection between the protectors and magic casters." Lily replied. Her full yer name was River Floating Lily; however, others called her Lily for short. It was clear by her equipment that she was a support-type ss and the person responsible for restoring Broken Karp¡¯s HP. "That¡¯s easier said than done." Broken Karp grumbled as he nced over in the direction of the Ogre magic casters. In total, there were six Ogre magic casters and six Ogre Protectors. Two of the Ogre Protectors had been taken care of already; however, the losses the group suffered in return were not small. In addition, with their current buffs, each Ogre Protectors was like facing a mini-dungeon boss. To make matters worse, the Ogre magic casters were protected by a strong barrier. But, it did not end there. Every time one of their parties got too close to the barrier, the Ogre Protectors would enter an enraged state and rush over, ignoring the tanks aggro in the process¡ªthis was how one of their parties got wiped out in the beginning. The Ogre Protectors would return to their normal state once yers retreated from the immediate vicinity of the barrier; however, the longer they continued to let the Ogre magic casters go unharmed, the more dangerous the fight would be over time. "There were no reports of the Ogre magic casters, and we already lost two groups because of it! We should retreat and regroup, Squad Leader!" One of the yers in Broken Karp¡¯s party stated. "Damn, don¡¯t you think I want to retreat, too? But..." Broken Karp grumbled under his breath as he nced to his right side. Not too far away, but safely outside of danger, were a group of six individuals. The equipment worn by those six looked incredibly expensivepared to what most yers could afford. However, Broken Karp¡¯s attention was not on those six but rather the young man who sat resting peacefully under a tree guarded by them. "Ha? Those guys are still fighting? Didn¡¯t I order them to kill those Ogres? So useless." The young man said with a yawn. NPC Name: War Brigade Lieutenant of the 5th Division Ikaris Juhstiss(Elite) NPC Level: 47 NPC HP: ???(100%) Ikaris Juhstiss¡ªthis was the Lieutenant that Broken Karp served under as a 10-Man Squad Leader. He did not know much about Ikaris, except that he was the son of some noble family in Amaharpe. Due to this, despite his apparentck of interest andmanding capabilities, he was still assigned the position of Lieutenant in the War Brigade¡ªno doubt as a result of his family¡¯s connections. The people around Ikaris were his private guards that he managed to sneakily transfer into the squadron under hismand. However, those people only followed Ikaris¡¯ orders and did not lift a single finger since the fight started! Naturally, this enraged the yers and other NPCs alike, including Broken Karp. Unfortunately, none of them could go against Ikaris¡¯ orders. If they did, he would view it as a defiance of one¡¯smanding officer. For yers, this meant there was a chance that their contribution points would be negatively affected. Worst case scenario, they would be kicked out of the War Brigade for insubordination! Although Broken Karp was only a 10-Man Squad Leader, he earned the others¡¯ respect over thest few days by making up for Ikaris¡¯ ck. But, even he had a limit to what he would tolerate. "Lieutenant Ikaris! We need to order a retreat! The enemy-!" Broken Karp warned; however, he was swiftly interrupted. "Retreat? What are you saying, Squad Leader? If these Ogres live and end up attacking one of the nearby viges, how will you take responsibility? You should feel honored to fight until your death for the sake of your kingdom." Ikaris replied, unmoved. "That detestable...!" Lily could not help but curse Ikaris under her breath. Were they nothing but disposable pawns in his eyes?! Broken Karp¡¯s expression darkened as he almost coughed up blood from anger! Everyone was trying their hardest to advance and seed, yet that guy- Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Broken Karp could see the de of a battle axe rush towards him out the corner of his eyes. His anger made him forget about the Ogre Protector he was battling for a split second. However, that small window of distraction was all it took to turn the tides of a battle on its head. "I won¡¯t make it...!" Broken Karp began to raise his shield to defend himself; however, he knew that he would not make it in time. He was already in bad shape. If he received a head-on attack from the Ogre Protector, his HP might not be able to hold up! Woosh! All of a sudden, Broken Karp felt a gale of wind blow past him. A slightly tattered ck cape filled his sight as it seemed to flow with the wind. Ding! The axe that was supposed to arrive never reached Broken Karp. Instead, the sound of it shing with metal entered his ears, and what he saw next caused his eyes to widen in shock. The Ogre Protector was hoisted off its feet as its huge body was sent flying several meters backwards! Bang! Rmmmmble! When the Ogre Protector¡¯s body crashed into the ground, it generated a light tremor and left a small crater formed around where itnded. "Looks like we made it just in time. Man, is that thing really only a level 45 elite field monster? It hits like a dungeon mob." A familiar voice sounded into Broken Karp¡¯s ears. Broken Karp had never spoken with this person before; however, they were famous among the yers in their Division for being granted the rank of Lieutenant right from the start! "You... You¡¯re Lieutenant Halls, right? Thank you for saving me just now." Broken Karp said in a voice full of gratitude. "Don¡¯t mention it. On the battlefield, aren¡¯t we all brothers in arms?" Halls responded with a grin. "Well said, brother!" A voice echoed overhead that made everyone instinctively look upward. Just as the Ogre Protector was about to rise to its feet, a guandao covered in an ancient blue aura descended from above. Bang! The tip of the guandao pierced through the head of the Ogre Protector, causing the monster¡¯s body to be enveloped in a blue aura. "Burst!" The voice roared as the ancient blue aura increased in intensity. The next moment, cracks started to form throughout the Ogre Protector¡¯s body as traces of the ancient blue aura could be seen throughout its skin. It was as if the aura that infiltrated the monster¡¯s body wanted to force its way out! ...BOOOOOM! In the blink of an eye, the Ogre Protector exploded as a bright blue light momentarily engulfed the surroundings before quickly dying down. Broken Karp, Lily, and the other yers who were fighting against the Ogre Protector were dumbfounded. The Ogre Protector still had a bit more than 60,000 HP remaining, yet it was taken down with a single blow! What kind of crazy attack power did that person possess?! As the dust settled, Broken Karp immediately recognized the person behind the attack. Just like Halls, he was also well known due to starting with the rank of Lieutenant. "It¡¯s Lieutenant Guan Yu! Our reinforcements have arrived!" Lily eximed as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Like Zi Yi, Halls and Guan Yu were also granted the rank of Lieutenant because of their cement as a party in the Protectors of Amaharpe event. Of course, both applied to join the War Brigade, and the two even got appointed to the same Division! "With brother Izroth out of the picture, you actually seem somewhat capable, brother." Halls said jokingly as he approached Guan Yu. "Is that even a fairparison? I¡¯m afraid everyone seemscking next to our brother." Guan Yu responded as he shook his head. "No argument there. Though we shouldn¡¯t fall too far behind. First ce may be out of the question, but we have to at least make it into the top 100. Otherwise, how can we have the face to call him our brother?" Halls stated. "Heh, spoken like a real man! Then, should we start by cleaning up here?" Guan Yu said eagerly as he brandished his guandao. Chapter 614 - Paths Walked Part(3/4)

Chapter 614 - Paths Walked Part(3/4)

A few momentster, two groups of roughly ten individuals charged out of the forest. One of the groups was under Halls¡¯mand, while the other received orders from Guan Yu. Since it was a matter of urgency, Halls and Guan Yu hurried over immediately with those who had decent mobility. "How is someone like him a Lieutenant of the War Brigade?" Guan Yu scoffed. "Forget about him, brother. Guys like that aren¡¯t worth batting an eye over. Let¡¯s focus on taking care of these Ogres first. I¡¯ll handle the one on the left while you support the squad on the right. As for Ikaris¡ªI don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry about him." Halls said with a grin as he moved off to assist with the Ogre Protector. When Broken Karp saw the new wave of reinforcements exit from the forest, he felt a sense of relief. In this event, one had a limited number of lives depending on their rank; therefore, each life was precious. After all, the longer one participated in the event, the better their chances of obtaining rewards. Unlike those elite or core yers in guilds, people like Broken Karp and many like him were not paid a sry of any kind. They depended heavily on important events and countless hours of farming to make a somewhat reasonable living or even as an extra ie source. After seeing that Ikaris was not making an effort, he secretly sent a message to one of the yers he knew at the nearby outpost asking for reinforcements. Unfortunately, the person he messaged was only a 10-Man Squad Leader, and it was not as if they could dismiss their assigned responsibilities. In the end, even though that yer said they would try asking their Lieutenant for help, Broken Karp did not hold any high expectations. In the back of his mind, he had already epted that he would lose one of his lives. So, to see that not one but two Lieutenants came to assist them, Broken Karp was filled with gratitude. Ikaris, on the other hand, looked mildly annoyed by the sudden appearance of Halls and Guan Yu. "Young lord, two Lieutenants from your Division have arrived as reinforcements. Should we provide assistance?" One of the men standing guard near Ikaris informed. "Your purpose is to serve and protect me¡ªthat¡¯s all. This entire conflict is beneath someone of the Juhstiss family. What would the other guys think of me back home if they knew I spent all day hanging around somemoners? I don¡¯t know why my father insisted I serve on the frontlines. Tch, doesn¡¯t that old man care about his son¡¯s well-being? He should have at least made it so that I was given the rank of General. Well, whatever. Let those twomoners make themselves useful and settle it." Ikaris said mockingly. "But young lord, what about Captain-" The guard tried to protest; however, he was silenced with a re from Ikaris. "What about the Captain? Do you think thatmoner Captain is foolish enough to go against me? Hmph, if he doesn¡¯t know his ce, then I¡¯ll make sure he learns it." Ikaris smirked. "Oh? That¡¯s an interesting conversation you¡¯re having there. Tell me, who is it that¡¯s going to make your Captain learn their ce?" A voice sounded from somewhere behind Ikaris. "Who-!" Ikaris turned around to see who dared listen in on him speaking without his permission. However, just before he could turn, Ikaris felt something scorching hot shoot right over his head! Neither Ikaris nor his guards had time to react as a giant hand made of mes emerged from a fireball that was initially the size of a fist. This hand of mes sped at the barrier in the distance that shielded the Ogre magic casters and crashed into it with a great destructive force! Crack! BOOOOOM! The sound of a loud explosion followed by an intense wave of heat flooded the battlefield as the barrier shattered under the force of the mes. However, it did not stop there as the hand of mes continued onward and engulfed the Ogre magic casters in a sea of fire. In turn, this interrupted the spells being channeled by the Ogre magic casters and caused the buffs on the Ogre Protectors to deactivate. In the blink of an eye, the mighty Ogre Protectors returned to their status as regr elite monsters! Ikaris felt cold sweats run down his back. If that me had been just a few millimeters lower, he would have been incinerated! At first, he was fearful; however, that fear swiftly shifted to anger. "You fool! Do you have any idea who you just almost hit?! What¡¯s your name?! I¡¯ll be sure to write a full report and get you kicked out of the War Brigade! Guards, apprehend this-" Ikaris shouted as he sprung to his feet to confront the recent arrival. But, Ikaris quickly halted his words as his heart sunk and an expression of fear returned to his face. "You want to apprehend me? You can try. That is¡ªif you have the strength to do so." NPC Name: War Brigade 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride, The Hand of mes(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ???(100%) The one who arrived before Ikaris was Lances, a member of the Pride n that Izroth met during his participation in the second team¡¯s selection. While Lances appearance had not changed much, there was something different about him. The aura that epassed him held a higher quality of refinement than the one he possessed back at the Sky Pce. Although it had only been a little more than ten days since Lances participated in the second team¡¯s selection, it roughly added up to a whole month when taking into ount the 1:3 time ratio. Lances had not growncent after obtaining his spot on the second team. With a nce, one could tell that he did not spend his time idling about since the selection ended. Ikaris was frightened to his core. Lances was not just somemoner Commander but a member of the Pride n! The Pride n was a well-known powerhouse that gave birth to several legendary realm figures every generation. While they were not officially affiliated with any kingdom, they resided within Amaharpe¡¯s territory and were on friendly terms with its ruler. It was to the point that the ruler of Amaharpe would have to show respect to the head of the Pride n! Lances was the grandson of the current Pride n head and revered as a generational talent. A minor noble family like Juhstiss was not enough to enter his sights, let alone threaten him! "I wouldn¡¯t dare! C-Command- No, sir Lances, what are you doing h-" Ikaris was promptly cut off mid-sentence. "I was on my way back to the outpost when I ran into the Lieutenants from your Division. Naturally, after I heard those under mymand were in trouble, how could I ignore them? That¡¯s why you can understand my surprise seeing you sitting here in such a lighthearted manner, Lieutenant Ikaris. Would you care to exin yourself?" Lances¡¯ voice sounded distant as he stared down at Ikaris. "I... I..." Ikaris tried to respond; however, an unbearable pressure descended upon him that made it difficult to speak. Even Ikaris¡¯ personal guards were rendered silent by the pressure Lances purposefully emitted. "Well? Do you not have a valid excuse? Speak." Lances interrogated, but again, he received no response as he increased the pressure on Ikaris. Ikaris¡¯ face turned pale as he began to sweat profusely. He found that every time he tried to speak, the pressure would merely increase. In other words, Lances may have been asking him a question, but he did not want him to answer. In Lances¡¯ eyes, the answer had already been decided! "Then, since you have no excuse, you are hereby stripped of your rank. In addition, you will receive a dishonor mark. You have brought shame and embarrassment to your Juhstiss family, Ikaris." Lances stated as he released the pressure around Ikaris. Ikaris¡¯ face became one of dread at the mention of a dishonor mark. Doomed¡ªthis was the first thought that entered into Ikaris¡¯ mind. The dishonor mark was something unique to Amaharpe, and it varied depending on the person who received it. But, one thing was for certain¡ªthe oue was always disastrous. Chapter 615 - Paths Walked Part(4/4)

Chapter 615 - Paths Walked Part(4/4)

For someone who was not a part of Amaharpe, it could prevent them from entering the kingdom or trading with it. As for those who were residents of Amaharpe, it could be something as small as paying a hefty fine or as big as being exiled from the kingdom. However, dishonor marks were different for the nobles of Amaharpe. If a noble household .u.mted a certain number of dishonor marks, then that family would be seen as unfit to uphold the pride of Amaharpe and stripped of their nobility! Due to this system, the noble families in Amaharpe constantly stayed on their toes as not to bring shame to their kingdom and end up losing their status as a result. Unfortunately, there were still those like Ikaris who took this rule lightly and paid a heavy price for it. It was not umon for noble families to disown those who were the cause of a dishonor mark in order to protect their position. With this thought and many others flooding into his head, Ikaris¡¯ mind went nk as he tried to process everything before he ultimately fainted from shock. Not only did he offend the grandson of the Pride n¡¯s head, but he also .u.mted a dishonor mark for his Juhstiss family. Even his father may not protect him! His life was as good as over. "Young lord!" One of the guards called out as he tended to Ikaris. ... Several momentster... With the help of Lances destroying the barriers and the additional reinforcements, Broken Karp, Lily, and the rest of their squadron survived. In the end, they were victorious against the group of Ogres! Of course, the MVPs this time around were Halls and Guan Yu. Thanks to their timely response to the call for help and the battle prowess they disyed, there were no further deaths. Lances observed Halls and Guan Yu from a distance. After he destroyed the barrier, Lances did not make another move and merely watched over the battle. If there was an emergency or things started to look bad, he would not have wasted any time jumping in; however, it appeared that his worry was unwarranted. "It seems there are still many hidden talents out there. It reminds me of those guys who took the second team¡¯s selection top two spots by surprise. The second team¡¯s selection may be out of current reach for those Lieutenants, but if they were to participate in the third team¡¯s selection, they would hold their own just fine. Perhaps I should invite them to visit the Pride n." Lances thought to himself as he took note of Halls and Guan Yu. The yers under Ex-Lieutenant Ikaris¡¯mand surrounded Halls and Guan Yu as they disyed their gratitude. Some of the NPCs were even crying tears of joy. After all, unlike yers, they only had one life in this world. In their eyes, Halls and Guan Yu would forever be their heroes. ... Meanwhile, at the Wiseman¡¯s abode in the city of Everpeak... "Are you finally leaving?" A calm yet enchanting voice sounded from the spiral staircase. This voice belonged to the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. "You make it sound as though you don¡¯t want me here, master." The person near the exit responded half-jokingly. "There is only so much that can be absorbed through studying and theorizing, Valentine. It is crucial to developing your magic that you also gain experience through actual application." Kryxelsiamented. "You¡¯re right, as always." Valentine sighed. He then continued, "Recently, I hit a roadblock. I feel that I¡¯m close to unlocking the secrets of the seventh sequence, but something is missing. In order to find that missing piece, I must first discover- No, rather I must forge my own path to walk on. What I desire to create is the ultimate magic. To do that, I have to start by mastering every magic sequence." Kryxelsia was satisfied with Valentine¡¯s answer. As someone with the title of Wiseman, she could teach him virtually any magic that existed in the Mortal Realm. However, in the end, if one did not create and master their own spells, how could they ever be viewed as a true student of magic? For someone like Valentine, who was obsessed with magic, his goals were far beyond that of a typical student of magic. It was this enthusiasm and drive that convinced Kryxelsia to take Valentine under her wing. Kryxelsia smiled lightly and said, "My time has not been wasted taking you in as a student. You havee far since we first met, Valentine. I look forward to your future progress, and-" Krxelsia lightly tapped her staff on the floor as she started to disappear from the spiral staircase. At the same time, the exit to her abode opened. "To witnessing the ultimate magic that you will bring into this world." Krylxesia¡¯s voice echoed as her figure vanished. Valentine respectfully bowed towards the spiral staircase and said, "I¡¯m off, master." Valentine then stood tall as he stepped through the doors of the Wiseman¡¯s abode. "Now... Where should I head to first?" Valentine said to himself. His lips curved into a smile as he lightly pushed down on his mage¡¯s cap. ... Somewhere in a remote region of Malentansium... "Move it! If anyone is caught trailing behind, they won¡¯t have to concern themselves with keeping up! I¡¯ll see to it that they have a slow exit from this world!" A threatening voice shouted. This voice belonged to a hunter of the skounae. At the moment, that hunter, along with two other hunters, led a group of people in a straight line through the dark interior of an unusual underground structure. "You all should feel honored. Not just anyone can enter the Crypt of a Night Lord." One of the skounae hunters stated. He then whispered under his breath with a smirk, "Though it¡¯s not like any of you will being out alive." The group contained individuals from different races; however, they consisted mainly of humans and zensana. The majority of them wore very modest and simple clothing. In addition, the zensana present were of the sheep and rabbit sub-species¡ªtwo of the leastbat-oriented zensana. "Ah..!" Suddenly, a small thud could be heard from near the end of the line. One of the prisoners had fallen after tripping over something on the ground. The skounae may not have any difficulty seeing in the dark, but the same could not be said for other races. "Ow... It hurts..." The young human child who just fell over winced from the pain of her scr.a.p.ed knee. When she attempted to stand to her feet, a piercing sting shot throughout her body that originated from her ankle¡ªit was sprained. The child wanted to cry but held back her tears after remembering what happened to the other children from her vige. As for the others in line, they turned their heads away. No one dared to step out and help the young child to her feet for fear of their own life. The young child fought through the pain and stood to her feet, but just as she managed to gain her bnce somewhat, arge figure loomed over her. When she looked up, she trembled in fear as her eyes widened in horror. "What¡¯s this? Didn¡¯t I warn everyone to stay in line? Since your human parents failed to teach you any discipline, I will do so in their ce!" The hunter skounae dered as he lifted the staff in his hands and swung down without mercy towards the child! Bang! The hunter skounae struck something; however, a fierce look soon appeared in his eyes when he realized what he hit was not his intended target. At thest moment, a hooded figure moved before the child and used their body as a shield to block the attack. "Trying to y the hero?! Then, you can die with this child!" The hunter skounae yelled. But, before he could attack again, he felt a tight grip around his wrist that prevented him from doing so. "Enough. Even one of their deaths right now may dy the revival of our Night Lord. Besides, that one is off-limits. They are a rare offering." One of the other hunter skounae exined as he intervened. "Tch...! Consider yourself lucky¡ªfor now. Get back in line!" The hunter skounae who initiated the matter growled as he got back into position. The hooded figure reached their hand out towards the young child; however, the frightened expression remained as they instinctively flinched. "It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t hurt you. What¡¯s your name?" A calm and gentle voice sounded from the hooded figure. "A-Aria..." The young girl stuttered. One could tell that she was still shaken and panicked by what had just transpired. "Aria, that wound on your leg looks painful. Do you mind if I take care of it for you?" The hooded figure asked in a soft tone. Aria was a little hesitant but gave a slight nod to show her approval. The hooded figure pulled back their hood as a pair of slightly pointed ears revealed themselves. "So pretty..." The young child uttered without thinking. However, it was not umon for those words to leave one¡¯s mouth upon their first time seeing a member of the trephasia race. Though, this particr trephasia was not born as a member of that race. "My name is Luna. Aria, I will treat you now, okay?" Luna said with a light smile as a warm and faint green aura epassed the palm of her hand. A few secondster, the wound on Aria¡¯s knee vanished. The pain from her sprained ankle also faded away. "Amazing..." Aria whispered at the sight of her wounds being healed. ... After healing Aria, Luna guided her back to the line and stood next to her. Every so often, the young child would nce to check if Luna was still behind her. Luna gave a friendly smile and a small wave, which caused the child to snap their gaze forward. "If I just had to take care of these hunters, then it would not be an issue. But, as expected¡ªan SS-ranked quest is not easy to clear. Hopefully, the other two have already made it inside." Luna internalized. Quest Name: Saving Grace Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: 3 Quest Rank: SS Quest Objective: The Skounae have captured innocent civilians by raiding isted viges throughout various kingdoms and have brought them to the Night Lord of Decay¡¯s Crypt to help with his revival. Save as many civilians as possible while returning alive to the nearest allied outpost. Rescuing less than 10 civilians will lead to the automatic failure of this quest. The more civilians saved, the better the rewards. Time Limit: 6 hours Civilians Saved: 0 Civilians Captured: 228 0/1 Leave the ?Night Lord¡¯s Crypt: Decay? alive with at least 10 civilians. 0/1 Return to the nearest allied outpost. Reward: ... Special Note: This quest cannot be shared and must be assigned by the quest giver. Chapter 616 - The Great Escape Part(1/3)

Chapter 616 - The Great Escape Part(1/3)

The biggest issue was the time limit on the quest. Approximately two hours had already passed, which left Luna with roughly four hours toplete the quest. In truth, escaping with those in her current group of fifteen was enough for Luna to clear her quest, and, of course, she had thought about doing this. However, the quest stated that the more civilians saved, the better the rewards one would acquire. Not only that, but something about this quest gave Luna a strange feeling. Every S-ranked or higher quest she received always came with a failure penalty attached. While the exact punishment varied, there was an ever-present risk to the yer for their failure. But, this SS-ranked quest was different. No matter what the end results turned out to be, the yer would not be penalized for failing¡ªand it was this part that concerned Luna. Was it merely luck that the SS-ranked quest she received had no downsides to the yer for failing? "Perhaps I am overthinking it." Luna thought to herself as she inwardly sighed. She observed her surroundings as she walked, being careful not to draw too much attention to herself in the process. It may have been dark for the others in the group to see anything in detail, but having consumed a Five Cycles Pill, Luna had no trouble doing so. The Night Lord¡¯s Crypt interior resembled a cross between a cathedral and an ancient temple. There was not a single window in sight, and located on the walls were numerous eerie relics of the past. Upon entering the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt, Luna did not know if the hunter skounae was telling the truth or just saying it to scare them, but there was only one shared entrance and exit. This meant that if someone wanted to escape, they would have to somehow fight through hundreds of skounae and potentially hidden traps¡ªat least, that would be the case if they were to take a more forceful approach. Luna nced down at her wrist. Her gazended on a silver bracelet that emitted a faint white hue that was invisible to all but its wearer. This bracelet was a quest item given to Luna by the person who assigned the SS-ranked quest to her. Although its appearance was not too impressive, it was a genuine high-grade magic item. The system hid its exact rank, but its effects were more than enough to convince Luna of its high-quality. With the silver bracelet, Luna could open a temporary portal that allowed those who entered to teleport a safe distance away from their current position. The coordinates were already predetermined and should ce them somewhere at the edge of Amaharpe territory. However, the silver bracelet had a few setbacks. For one, it was a one-time use item. This meant that Luna had to activate it in the most heavily popted area of captives to maximize its usefulness. Another drawback was that the portal it opened could be forcibly disrupted if it sustained too much damage. As a result, it required constant protection to ensure that itsted long enough for the captives to safely arrive on the other side. "We¡¯re here." The hunter skounae at the head of the group dered as they stopped before a giant metal door with four guards out front. He then continued, "I will warn you now; escaping from this ce is impossible. If any of you try to escape... After we capture you¡ªand we will capture you¡ªyou will beg us to end your worthless life." The hunter skounae swept his cold gaze across the group as everyone shivered at his words and avoided direct eye contact. A few secondster, the giant metal doors opened as a cold suppressive gust of wind blew past the group and caused them to tremble instinctively. ... Five minutester... "It¡¯s better lit than I expected." Luna thought to herself as she stood at the back corner of the room. The room was spacious and not in as poor of a state as Luna expected it to be. Even the lighting was more suitable for the average person. The ground was made of cheap stone-like material, and on the left side of the room were a few steps that led to a mystery corridor one could not see into. "There is nowhere close to 200 civilians here. Since it¡¯s like this, the other captives must have been sent to a separate location in the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt¡ªis that where the other two were taken?" Luna internalized. In total, there were approximately eighty captives present and exactly fifteen skounae guarding separate areas of the room. The people brought in may be weak for the most part; however, fifteen was still a small number to keep such arge crowd under control. At least, this would have been the case if not for the presence of one particr individual. Fourteen of the skounae were mere hunters; however, the one located at the top of the steps was a female skounae who released a different kind of pressure with a sharp gaze. NPC Name: Immortal Umbra Horde Earl Sakari(Rare) NPC Level: ??? "That Earl is the reason why there are so few hunter skounae guarding this room. With someone like that watching over this area, no one would dare attempt an escape." Luna was confident in taking care of the Hunter skounae without running into any trouble. Even if a Baron or Viscount was present, she still had confidence in getting everyone out safely. But, directly confronting an Earl¡ªLuna knew that she would have a difficult enough time protecting herself, let alone a portal and nearly one hundred civilians. "I need some type of distraction, but..." Luna looked around the room and witnessed the frightened faces of the captives. The vast majority of captives were elderly and children. As for the men and women, while there was a handful of them, Luna determined that they had little to nobat experience judging from their levels. Most likely, the few who did have somebat experience died trying to protect their vige when the skounae attacked. Among those present, Luna did not believe any of them would be willing to risk their life to act as a distraction. "Then, I will have to resort to ¡¯that¡¯ method..." Luna stepped forward and approached one of the nearby hunter skounae. "Pardon me," Luna called out. "What? I don¡¯t have any food to give you. If you want to eat, you have to wait like the rest." The hunter skounae growled impatiently. "I have no desire for food. I am but a humble servant of the All-Seeing Goddess. There are some who are still injured¡ªI wish to ask your permission to heal them. Even if by a little, I want to ease their pain." Luna said as she sped her hands together with a benevolent smile on her face. At the same time, a faint luminous holy aura emitted from her body that carried with it a hint of divine power. When the hunter skounae saw this, he instinctively took a step back. For some reason, being close to Luna made him feel sick. Though this was not surprising given the skounae¡¯s negative affinity towards holy energy. "I-I don¡¯t have the authority to grant your request. I won¡¯t make any promises, but I will ask the Earl." The hunter skounae replied as he walked away hurriedly. Right now, he just wanted to get as far away from Luna as possible to get rid of that ufortable feeling. Luna inwardly sighed. While it was technically true that she served the All-Seeing Goddess, it was still challenging for her to speak like a temple priestess. Thankfully, the hunter skounae seemed too distracted by her holy aura to suspect anything. A few momentster, the hunter skounae returned. But, this time, he kept a distance between himself and Luna. "Be grateful. The Earl has authorized your request. Though it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll make a difference anyways." The hunter skounae stated as he mumbled thest part under his breath. "Please extend my gratitude to the Earl, and¡ªmay the All-Seeing Goddess guide your steps," Luna said gracefully as she emitted a calming divine aura. The hunter skounae swiftly scurried off to distance himself from that wretched divine power, leaving Luna to her own devices. "I don¡¯t know when they will move us again. I have to act fast." Luna internalized as she stepped into the crowd of captives. Chapter 617 - The Great Escape Part(2/3)

Chapter 617 - The Great Escape Part(2/3)

... Fifteen minutester... "Cure." Luna chanted as a faint green hue epassed the wound of an injured captive. One secondter, the open wound on the captive¡¯s leg disappeared without a trace. "Thank you, saint of the All-Seeing Mother! Thank you!" The captive healed by Luna bowed his head as he cried tears of joy. "Saint..." "She¡¯s a true saint of the All-Seeing Mother..." "The divine ones have not forsaken us...! The All-Seeing Goddess is watching over us...!" The captives whispered silently among themselves as they looked at Luna with eyes full of reverence. During the darkest of times, even the smallest light resembled the brilliance of a sun. Right now, to the captives, Luna was that sun in a world without light. At the same time, Earl Sakari narrowed her eyes as her gaze fell upon Luna. But, Luna was careful not to meet Sakari¡¯s gaze and feigned ignorance to the Earl¡¯s watchful eyes. "I did not want to attract too much attention to myself, but my options are limited. If the people here have some trust in me, then..." Luna thought to herself. Luna spent thest fifteen minutes going around the room and healing the injured captives in the name of the All-Seeing Goddess, Heltiaa. However, it was not as if her sole purpose was to act as a missionary. "Everything is almost in ce. Now, I just have to wait for the right moment to-" Just as this thought passed Luna¡¯s mind, a massive portal opened up in front of the corridor at the top of the stairs behind Sakari. The portal¡¯s opening startled the captives as it caused the room to shake for a few moments before settling down. But, no one had time to specte what the portal was for as an aloof voice carried to every corner of the room. "The preparations for the nightly altar areplete! Take the first half of them through! And-" Sakari dered as she suddenly paused. A smirk found its way onto her face as she continued, "Make sure you take her along with the first batch." Sakari pointed through the crowd and directly at Luna! Luna remained calm; however, a flood of thoughts raced through her mind as Sakari singled her out. It was too soon! She still needed a bit more time! When the captives witnessed this, the spark of hope in their eyes slowly began to fade away. That¡¯s right, the moment they were captured, their fate had already been determined. Sakari¡¯s expression became one filled with delight. The only reason she allowed Luna to move about freely and heal the injured was for this exact moment. To give hope and then snatch it away just as fast, the looks of despair and anguish on the faces of those who lost the will to struggle¡ªwas there anything more satisfying in this world? A handful of hunter skounae surrounded Luna as the captives watched on in fear. They wanted to help, but what could they do against trained soldiers? In the end, they would only be rushing towards an early grave. "rds..." A small voice uttered from the group of captives. "Hm? What did you-" One of the captives spoke out but jumped from the unexpected voice that rung into their ears. "Cowards! Everyst one of you are cowaaaaaaaards!!!!!" A small but powerful voice sounded. Surprisingly, this sudden outburst came from the young girl Luna assisted in the group she was originally brought in with, Aria. Aria¡¯s loud outburst drew everyone¡¯s attention; however, the young girl had yelled without thinking and trembled at the pressure of everyone¡¯s gaze on her. The young girl¡¯s legs visibly shook as she almost intuitively took a step back. But, at thest second, Aria stopped herself as she clenched her trembling fist. She was young but far from foolish. Aria knew the skounae did not have any good intentions by bringing them to a ce so far away from their homes. If they took Luna away now, the chances were that they would never meet again! Not only did Luna save her life, but she even helped every injured person without asking for anything in return. Now, in her time of need, everyone just put their head down or looked away in hopes of not getting caught up in the crossfire. Witnessing this kind of behavior, Aria¡¯s anger and fury momentarily overwhelmed the fear in her heart, which caused her sudden outburst. Aria¡¯s eyes teared up. She was furious at those around her who did not stand up for Luna. But, what angered Aria the most was being so weak¡ªunable to do anything to change the oue. For a brief moment, the room fell silent. Though it did notst long as the sound of pping filled the chambers. p. p. p. However, the pping did note from the captives. Surprisingly, it was from none other than Earl Sakari herself. Sakari grinned as she pped her hands and said, "How touching. As a reward, you may also join her with the first group. Hunters, take the girl, too." After Sakari gave the order, one of the nearby hunter skounae started to make their way towards Aria as her heart dropped. She wanted to run away, but her legs refused to move¡ªfrozen in ce by fear. Aria closed her eyes tightly and prepared to be taken away. Bang! Suddenly, the sound of an explosion echoed as a blinding radiant light engulfed the room. "Gah!" "My eyes! Too bright!" "Ahhhh!" The skounae were immediately disoriented and stunned from exposure to the bright light. Even Earl Sakari was not unaffected by it. While light did not physically harm them, to the skounae, its effects were simr to abruptly turning off all the lights in a brightly lit room and rattling their brains. "Persist!" A booming voice thundered as a powerful wave of mana spread outward from the center of the room. Boom! Out of nowhere, a portal a bit shy of two meters tall appeared at the room¡¯s center that shocked the nearby captives. The light was bright for the skounae, but to the humans and zensana, it was nothing more than a mild annoyance at best; therefore, they had no trouble seeing their surroundings. "That was a very dangerous and foolish thing to do." A familiar voice drifted into Aria¡¯s ears as she slowly opened her eyes. "It¡¯s an angel..." That was the first thought that entered the young girl¡¯s mind as she saw the radiant light emerging from behind the figure before her. However, as her vision cleared up, she made out that person¡¯s true identity. "But, your words¡ªhearing them made me happy. Thank you, Aria." Luna said as a lovely smile blossomed on her face. "...Saint..." Aria managed to utter that one word before she lost all the strength in her body. She fell to her knees with her eyes widened as she looked up with a stream of tears flowing from her eyes. Luna shifted her gaze to one of the captives nearest to Aria and said, "Please take her and go through the portal. It will deliver you safely within Amaharpe territory." Luna stated calmly. "Y-yes...!" The captive replied as he hurriedly jumped to his feet and carefully carried Aria. As he walked past Luna, she warned, "If any harmes to that child, I will hold you personally responsible." "P-please leave it to me, saint! I will make sure no harmes to her! Not even a single hair will be missing!" The captive assured. Luna slightly nodded as she then turned her attention forward and announced, "Quickly, enter the portal if you want to live!" There were still those frozen in shock by everything going on; therefore, not many moved immediately after Luna¡¯s announcement. But, after they saw the man who carried Aria disappear from the room by stepping into the portal, it was as if something clicked in their minds. The next moment, everyst captive was on their feet and rushed in the direction of the portal at the room¡¯s center. "Get to the portal! We can escape!" "Thank the All-Seeing mother! I can live! I can live!!!!" "Out of the way! Me first!" "Move it! I don¡¯t want to die here! I have to get out of here!" "Ah! Watch where you¡¯re going! I was here first!" The captives were in a state of panic as a chaotic situation ensued. Everyone was afraid that the portal would disappear before they got the chance to enter. They pushed and shoved to try to get ahead of one another. "Don¡¯t let anyone escape! Stop them! Especially that woman! That little bi... Gah! I¡¯ll kill her!" Sakari roared at the top of her lungs as a dark veil began to slowly push back the radiant light. Chapter 618 - The Great Escape Part(3/3)

Chapter 618 - The Great Escape Part(3/3)

Sakari did not know where this light suddenly emerged from; however, she knew that it definitely had something to do with that wretched trephasia¡ªand she was correct. While Luna went around the room healing the captives, at the same time, she was also setting up the Grand Illumination Talismans she received from Maeva before the event started. After all, she was aware of the skounae¡¯s fragility to light. But that was not all. The Grand Illumination Talisman was not the type of talisman that could be activated on a timer; therefore, Luna decided to create her own ¡¯timer¡¯ by using a Talisman of Obstruction. A Talisman of Obstruction was used defensively as it forcibly dyed a talisman¡¯s activation by up to twenty minutes, depending on the talisman¡¯s strength and wless timing by the user. Of course, since Luna was applying it to her own talismans, thetter part was of no concern. In addition, the Grand Illumination Talisman was a low-grade talisman; therefore, Luna did not have to worry about its strength and could freely adjust the time dy. Using the two talismans, Luna meticulously set it up so that every Grand Illumination Talisman would go off simultaneously. As a result, a massive "smokescreen" would be created that blocked the view of the skounae, giving the captives time to escape through the portal. Unfortunately, the effect of the Grand Illumination Talisman was fleeting and quick to expire. It would not take long for the skounae to recover. At that point, no captive would be safe. That¡¯s why Luna used her voice magic to amplify the radiant light¡¯s effects with the word "persist". "I never thought my voice magic would change so much after that time. To think it could be used like this after developing." Luna thought to herself. When Ooudamu took over Luna¡¯s body during the Great Sea Pce raid, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Ooudamu¡¯s use of her voice magic evolved the skill to the point that Luna could not only use it on people and monsters but also objects and the environment¡ªeven manipting mana or energy itself was not out of the question! When she said the word "persist" a few moments ago, it was to make the light from the Grand Illumination Talisman stay around longer than its original duration. Most importantly, since the talismans were set to go off at a specific time, if not for Aria¡¯s sudden outburst that distracted the skounae long enough, things may not have gone so smoothly. Nevertheless, seeing the chaotic scene in front of her eyes, Luna released a helpless sigh. To think a young child would behave in a more dignified manner than those who were many times her age. But, Luna was not surprised. "A man¡¯s true nature is never revealed until he stands face to face with death. Even those you once called kind, benevolent, selfless... At that time, their most primal instinct will manifest itself in full force. When that moment urs, only one word will exist in their mind¡ªsurvive." Luna was suddenly reminded of these words she once read in a book that discussed human nature. It seemed even in this world, that rule remained a constant. ... Despite the chaos, Luna did not have time to oversee the entrance into the portal. Crash! "Ah!" One of the hunter skounae yelled in pain as a surge of holy energy rained down upon him. Before the hunter skounae had time to recover and register what was going on, another wave of holy energy smashed into him two secondster. Just like that, he was eliminated without a chance to lift a finger! "I¡¯m not sure how long this light willst. I have to take this chance to strike before they recover." Luna internalized as she cast another Superior Holy Smite on a different hunter skounae. Most hunter skounae were between level 20-30; therefore, even for someone like Luna, who did not possess a strong offensive capability, it did not require much effort to get rid of them. Not to mention, a skill like her Superior Holy Smite that contained traces of holy energy did increased damage to the skounae. With the captives still making their way into the portal, Luna was worried that the hunter skounae would instantly start to kill them indiscriminately upon their recovery. Since she still had to deal with Sakari if it came down to it, Luna wanted to eliminate as many stray variables as possible so that she could focus on the skounae Earl. One by one, the hunter skounae fell. A few tried swinging randomly to hit something; however, the light was too bright for them to properly make out their surroundings. Ultimately, they followed in the footsteps of those before them and s.u.mbed to the Superior Holy Smite. After Luna disposed of the tenth hunter skounae, her Soul Sense suddenly went off in her head. At the same time, she quickly took one step to her right. Not even one second after doing so, a ck and purple bolt shot past Luna¡¯s left cheek. Without hesitation, immediately after she narrowly avoided the bolt, Luna cast the skill Protective Barrier. However, her target was not herself or one of the captives, but rather the portal created by the silver bracelet! Bang! Crrrrrack! The bolt actually managed to prate the barrier with one strike! Fortunately, it was unable to pierce all the way through and stopped after drilling halfway into the barrier. Luna furrowed her brows. Protective Barrier was an A-ranked skill that not only created a strong shield of mana that absorbed damaged around its target but also reduced the damage of the first strike against it by 50%. The fact that a crack was formed in the barrier after one attack¡ªonly one person in the room possessed that kind of strength. "How dare you! Don¡¯t even dream of leaving this ce alive!" Sakari roared. The dark veil that was originally only on the steps had already expanded more than ten meters outward and was still increasing. This veil was slowly swallowing the radiant light produced by Luna¡¯s Grand Illumination Talismans and partially restored Sakari¡¯s vision. In Sakari¡¯s left hand was a scarlet crossbow with a small white skull located at the center of its limb. The next moment, something bizarre urred as the skull opened its mouth and began tough. Simultaneously, a mixture of ck and purple energy formed on the crossbow¡¯s flight groove that transformed into a bolt. It was the same bolt that nearly destroyed Luna¡¯s Protective Barrier in one blow! "Die!" Sakari yelled as she pulled the trigger on the crossbow. Swoosh! This time, the bolt¡¯s flight speed was at least 50% faster than the previous attack. The destructive force behind it had also not decreased in the slightest! However, Luna did not panic. Just likest time, she adjusted her position right before Sakari fired and evaded the bolt. When Sakari witnessed this, she was confused. The first time could be considered luck, but to avoid her the bolt from her Laughing Blood Skull Crossbow twice in a row¡ªhow was this possible? It was clear that trephasia¡¯s speed was not impressive, so how could she evade her bolts so effortlessly? "Since you like to dodge so much, let¡¯s see you avoid this!" A highly concentrated bundle of mana converged at the tip of Sakari¡¯s crossbow. However, after Luna realized something, a light smile formed on her face as she said, "My apologies, but I will have to excuse myself from this ce." Suddenly, Luna kicked off her back foot and jumped backwards. When Sakari noticed what Luna was trying to do, she instantly released the special bolt from her crossbow. BOOOM! As it left the crossbow, the bolt exploded with rampaging power and headed right for Luna! But Sakari was toote as before her attack could connect, Luna¡¯s body sunk into the portal. When the bolt neared the portal, Sakari quickly detonated it. Upon doing so, the bolt released a great st that kicked up arge cloud of dust and destroyed the room¡¯s center. However, by the time the dust settled, nothing remained. The portal, the captives, Luna¡ªgone! Everyst one of them was gone! Sakari stood at the top of the steps with an expression of disbelief. What just happened? How did she, a noble Earl of the skounae, allow so many captives to escape under her watch? Without a doubt, a Penumbra Inquisitor would investigate this matter. Who knew what kind of bacsh she would face as a result?! "I¡¯ll kill her...! I swear I¡¯ll kill her with my own hands...!" Sakari muttered as she bit her thumb until blood dripped down her finger. This shame¡ªshe would not rest until she found and killed the one who humiliated her! Chapter 619 - Uneasy, Meeting Point

Chapter 619 - Uneasy, Meeting Point

... Meanwhile, somewhere at the Amaharpe border... "That was close. Taking thatst attack head-on was out of the question. Avoiding it was also not an option. I would have had to use up a life-saving skill to survive. Fortunately, everyone was able to get through the portal in time." Luna internalized as she looked around and saw the group of captives celebrating their escape. Some were jumping from joy, others were crying after escaping a certain death, and many were still in a state of shock as they tried to process what just happened. But, one thing was for sure, they were all relieved to have escaped that ce in one piece. Once Luna realized that everyone had safely made it through the portal, she wasted no time going through herself. Then, the moment she reached the other side, she immediately terminated the portal. However, even though she was sessful, Luna released a small sigh of regret. She did not expect there to be separate areas where the captives were kept. Her original group of fifteen were taken to a room with only sixty to seventy people. This was quite a far cry from the 240 civilians mentioned on the quest information. Luna could not help feel that perhaps she had been too impatient in her escape. If she stayed longer and allowed herself to be taken away, could she have saved more people? No, thinking this way was wrong. It was possible there would be even more people of Sakari¡¯s strength guarding the area they would have been taken to. There was even a high possibility of running into a skounae stronger than Sakari! "I managed to save them, but... I just hope that the other two are able to do the same." Luna internalized. Her eyes then scanned through the crowd beforending on the young girl, Aria. She was unconscious, undoubtedly due to the shock of everything that transpired; however, she was unharmed just as the male captive promised. "We may be out of Malentansium territory, but traveling in a group thisrge will attract a lot of attention. We should begin making our way to the nearest outpost." Luna said to herself. There were still things like bandits and monsters to worry about on the way to the outpost. These civilians were not suited forbat, but more importantly, they were no longer under the watchful eye of the skounae. If things became too chaotic, Luna could no longer guarantee their protection. After letting everyone celebrate and gather themselves for a few minutes, Luna decided that it was time to start heading towards the outpost. But, just as she got ready to announce her decision, she went on high alert as the space behind her fluctuated. A couple of secondster, a spatial rift formed less than two meters away from Luna¡¯s location, and as the others witnessed this, they began to panic. "Did they follow us..?!" "No more... Please, not again!" "Should we run for it? If we go different ways, they can¡¯t catch all of us, right?" Zeeeeut! Right as everyone was ready to run away from the scene in fear of being captured once again, things suddenly calmed down once they saw who stepped out of the spatial rift. To their surprise, it was not a skounae, but a human! Even though chaos did not ensue, there were still some who remained on guard and cautious. In the end, just because one was human did not necessarily mean they had good intentions. As for Luna, she immediately recognized the person who came from the spatial rift. After all, it was the same individual who assigned her this SS-ranked quest! But, what were they doing here personally? "You¡¯ve brought back more than I expected. Great work, Adjutant Luna. I knew it was the right call choosing you for this assignment." The one who spoke was a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties. He had short hair that was seven parts gray and three parts ck with a pair of eyes that possessed no pupils. "Sir Aeacus, I was not informed that you woulde here in person," Luna replied as she inwardly furrowed her brows. NPC Name: Aeacus Jestal(???) NPC Level: ??? Aeacus was a high-ranking officer; however, he was not officially a part of any existing war branch. Instead, he was a member of a group deemed as a "special war power", simr to Amaharpe¡¯s Crimson Corps Guards. These types of groups were exempted from the war alliance¡¯s influence and existed solely as a power of the kingdom they were aligned with. Of course, this also meant that they were given special privileges that ordinary war branches were not. On a visit to one of the war branch sectors, upon witnessing Luna¡¯s skills firsthand and learning of her identity as one a Protector of Amaharpe, Aeacus offered her a position as his Adjutant. In terms of authority, the Adjutant of someone like Aeacus held no less influence than a Commander of the War Brigade! "Since I was the one who assigned you this mission, naturally, I have an obligation to ensure that things proceed smoothly upon your return. Also, you are my Adjutant. I may not have been able to enter the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt along with you, but how can I leave all the work in your hands?" Aeacus said with a smile as he swept his gaze across the group of shaken civilians. He then continued, "And? The other two?" Luna shook her head and responded, "I¡¯m uncertain. We were separated into different groups when we first entered the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt. I was only able to save the people that you see before us now¡ªthough it is regrettable that I could not rescue the remaining civilians." Luna turned to face the civilians as she released a heavy sigh. "Adjutant Luna¡ªyou have done a great deed on this day. I am sure the other two will seed in their mission. After all, they were personally handpicked by me." Aeacus reassured. ... Several momentster... Everyone had long since calmed down after Luna confirmed Aeacus¡¯ identity. Needless to say, they were all extremely grateful that a high-ranking noble would go through so much effort to rescue them and many expressed their gratitude. At the moment, the group was traveling in a somewhat orderly fashion as they tried not to stray too far from one another, with Luna and Aeacus acting as guides. "Are you sure it was okay to leave without waiting for the others?" Luna questioned. "Your concern is wasted, Adjutant. I have left hidden instructions that those two will be able to find when they arrive safely outside. Rest assured, they will know what to do." Aeacus answered. "Then, that spatial portal you used¡ªis it possible to-" Luna wanted to ask; however, she was quickly cut off. "It¡¯s not. I know what you want to ask, but even for me, it¡¯s impossible to transport this many people over such a vast distance. We can only use this method to proceed." Aeacus stated. "I see... May I ask another question? Where exactly are we headed? If my memory serves me correctly, the nearest outpost should be located somewhere in the opposite direction." Luna inquired. "That outpost has beenpromised. The ce we are currently headed to is called Eastgate. It is a minor outpost, but it should have no issue housing this many civilians." Aeacus said. "I never-" "Adjutant, it seems that you have an endless stream of worries. Can it be that you do not trust me?" Aeacus asked with a smile. "...No, you have given me no reason not to trust you. Just that, I feel as though I am being left in the dark. As your Adjutant, I would like to know these matters beforehand if possible." Luna said calmly. "You¡¯re quite outspoken, Adjutant Luna. But, as I mentioned before, I assure you¡ªyour worries are wasted. Now, I believe we should increase our pace. The sooner we arrive at Eastgate, the better." Aeacus said as he walked forward with slightly quickened steps. At the same time, a small grin peeked out from the corner of Aeacus¡¯ lips. ... Meanwhile, somewhere at an undisclosed location in the Demilitarization Belt... ¡¯These should be the correct coordinates. Am I the first to arrive?¡¯ Izroth thoroughly examined his new surroundings; however, there were no signs of anyone within the immediate vicinity. ¡¯It seems I have some extra time on my hands. Then, should I try that out?¡¯ Izroth removed the Dark Abyssal Cauldron from his inventory. Bang! The cauldron instantly stabilized itself on the uneven terrain by forcibly ttening the earth beneath it. Chapter 620 - Blessing of Natural Talent!

Chapter 620 - Blessing of Natural Talent!

Izroth examined the Dark Abyssal Cauldron using his Appraisal skill. On his way to the meeting point, he had not spent his time idle. Izroth used Appraisal at every given opportunity. nts, stones, monsters, materials¡ªwhatever he passed by, if Appraisal was off cooldown, Izroth used it to discern their hidden features. Of course, since his skill mastery with Appraisal was still too low, there was a limit to what information was shown. Nevertheless, he did manage to gain a few benefits along the way. ¡¯My Appraisal has only reached 1.12% skill mastery after nearly two hours. Increasing it in theter stages may prove somewhat difficult. Still, even though it has not improved by much, there is something new this time around. However...¡¯ Name: Dark Abyssal Cauldron(Soulbound) Rank: B- Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Current Fire Core: me of Synthesis(B) ~Appraisal~ ssification: S Evolution Progress: ???/??? ~Appraisal~ Usage: An ancient pitch ck cauldron made from an unknown indestructible material. It can be used by apothecaries to create pills that are grade-five or lower. The more an ?Apothecary? pushes the limits of this cauldron, the stronger it will grow. Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold and is soulbound to the user. Back when Izroth first used Appraisal to view all the items in his inventory, naturally, the Dark Abyssal Cauldron was included. At that point, only the ssification was shown under the appraisal area. But, this time, there was a new status attached to the Dark Abyssal Cauldron called Evolution Progress. However, besides its name, there was no other information avable regarding what purpose it served. Though, judging from its name alone, Izroth had a good idea of what it represented. ¡¯Since the Dark Abyssal Cauldron is a growth-type item, there is a high chance that knowing the Evolution Progress will make it easier to improve its growth. Unfortunately, for now, I can only proceed in the dark.¡¯ Izroth was a bit disappointed that he could not view more information about the Dark Abyssal Cauldron; however, he did not remove it from his inventory just for the sake of appraising it. His true goal was something he had wanted to test the moment he received it. Bang! Izroth smacked the side of the cauldron as a light green me erupted from it. Despite the fierce mes zing appearance, it wasfortably warm. This was due to the me of Synthesis Fire Core¡¯s ability to switch between extreme cold and extreme heat. When the two were perfectly bnced, it created a warm atmosphere around the cauldron. After starting up the cauldron, Izroth removed a few ingredients from his inventory. They were the exact reagents used to produce the Five Cycles Pill. The Grade Three Five Cycles Pill was useless to Izroth, who had already taken the pill itself along with the Blessing of the Craft version of it. But, he was curious about something. Izroth essed his system interface and opened his skills list. ¡¯I suspected that a Greater Blessing would provide incredible benefits, but this is beyond my expectations. Every part of the skill itself is useful; however, this passive stands out when ites to crafting.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on one area in particr of the skill Unparalleled Craftsman that he acquired from Mazi, The God of Craft, after epting his blessing. Skill Name: Unparalleled Craftsman Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: SSS ... Natural Talent(Passive) - Items crafted by the user have a [3%] chance (MIN: 0.1%) of their quality being automatically raised by one rank upon sessful creation. The higher the item¡¯s quality, the lower the chances is of this effect urring. ... Natural Talent¡ªthis passive was, by all definition, a cheat-like skill. Having a 3% chance for a crafted item to automatically raise by one rank¡ªthis meant if Izroth crafted a grade three pill, it was possible that it would be a grade four pill! If any of the top guilds found out about such a skill, it would send them into an uproar! While a 3% chance was not that impressive, for someone like Izroth, who could craft thousands of pills a day, it would not make a huge difference unless he was crafting something with rare materials. Not to mention, Unparalleled Craftsman was still at 0% skill mastery. If he improved the skill mastery, wouldn¡¯t the chances also increase along with it? In the future, it may be possible to reach 50% or even 100% with Natural Talent! ¡¯Now... Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡¯ ... Around ten minutester... Rmmmmmble! The cauldron shook violently before quieting down. The next moment, three pills rose out of the cauldron as Izroth took them into his hand. ¡¯Will I get it this time?¡¯ Izroth looked down at the three pills in his hands; however, he inwardly sighed in disappointment. ¡¯Is it possible that both effects are unable to activate at the same time? No, I doubt the system would put such a restriction in ce without a warning of sorts.¡¯ Izroth checked the remaining ingredients in his inventory. ¡¯I still have plenty of materials. Let¡¯s continue.¡¯ Izroth set the three failed Five Cycles Pills into his inventory as he resumed crafting. Five minutes... Ten minutes... Fifteen minutes...! RMMMMMBLE! Almost thirty minutes quickly went by since Izroth first began crafting, and this was the first time his cauldron had such a violent reaction near the end of the pill formation process. Bang! Bang! It sounded as if something was thrashing about within the depths of the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. As a result, Izroth immediately decreased the temperature as an invasive frost overtook the surroundings. It was to the point that the ground underneath the cauldron had a few ice crystals form on its surface. But, it appeared to work as the loud banging sound within the cauldron suddenly ceased. Woosh! Woosh! Pills with a strong medicinal scent shot out of the cauldron as Izroth caught them in his hands. ¡¯Hm? Strange...¡¯ When Izroth opened the palm of his hands, it revealed not the typical three Five Cycle Pills, but two. However, these two were different from the ones that came before them. A dark violet color reced the light purple aura that normally lingered around the usual Five Cycle Pills. In addition, there were unique line patterns engraved into both pills¡¯ surfaces¡ªthis was not something that appeared during Izroth¡¯s previous attempts. But, immediately upon seeing this, even without looking at it through the system, Izroth could tell¡ªhe was sessful. ¡¯Atst, I was able to get both effects at the same time. Though it took much longer than I anticipated, even with my four points of luck. Can it be that the chances were reduced due to my low Apothecary grade...? Still, these effects... As I thought, having both activate at the same time takes the pill to a whole new level.¡¯ Name: Five Cycles Pill(IV) Rank: Grade-Four* Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Advanced Perception?. ?Advanced Perception?: Increases the user senses of sight and hearing by 250%. Increases the user¡¯s senses of smell, taste, and touch by 75%. *?Ultimate Sensory?: During a critical situation, the user will have their sense of perception increased by 2,000% for 3 seconds. The duration of this effect is doubled if the user¡¯s HP is below 20%. This effect will not activate more than once every 12 hours. Special Note: This pill was made by one with great natural talent in pill crafting and has received a lesser blessing. Consuming this pill more than once will not grant any additional effect(s). However, consuming a higher grade version of the pill will rece its effect(s). In truth, it took Izroth less than one minute to create a Five Cycle Pill that experienced the benefit of the Natural Talent passive. But, this was not Izroth¡¯s goal. What he wanted was a pill not only upgraded by Natural Talent but one that also contained the Blessing of the Craft! After the first twenty minutes, Izroth started to truly believe that the two effects could note into y simultaneously; however, he was determined to obtain his answer. In the end, his efforts paid off as he now held two pills with both the Natural Talent and Blessing of the Craft effects, and the increase in power was not small. Superior Perception had changed to Advanced Perception and was now 150% more effective. As for the Extreme Sensory passive granted by Blessing of the Craft, it was now known as Ultimate Sensory. Not only was the cooldown time cut in half and the perception boost doubled, but it was now guaranteed to activate in critical situations! Furthermore, the duration was greater and even increased twofold if the user¡¯s HP was below 20%! But, this was not all that Izroth gained out of this crafting session. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions! You are the first yer to craft a Grade Four Pill and have been rewarded!¡µ Chapter 621 - Sacred Beasts Returns

Chapter 621 - Sacred Beasts Returns

¡´System Alert: You have received 100 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 25 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have x1 ?Special Material Bag?!¡µ Name: Special Material Bag(Soulbound) Usage: Randomly generates one rare or higher quality material that is rted to the user¡¯s profession. If the user has no profession, this bag cannot be opened. Special Note: This item is soulbound to its original owner and cannot be traded or sold. This item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user¡¯s inventory. The World Fame and gold coins were not that impressive since it was not umon to receive them for being the first yer toplete a specific task. The Special Rare Material Bag, on the other hand, was something Izroth had never seen before today. ¡¯Rare or higher... Does this mean that it can also produce a divine quality material? If so, this material bag is invaluable.¡¯ Izroth was tempted to use it right away, but he had other ns in mind for it. In the end, he decided to ce it into his inventory for the time being along with one of the two Five Cycles Pills he crafted. As for the other pill, Izroth directly consumed it. The instant he did so, a refreshing feeling washed over his senses. His sight, hearing, smell¡ªIzroth could feel everyst one of his senses reach a new height as the world around him became increasingly vivid. ¡¯The pill grade only increased by one, but the difference is like that of night and day. There is a clear gap between every pill grade; however, it¡¯s the first time the gap has been this wide with a single step forward. Grade four pills seem to contain a hidden energy within their core that separates them from grade three pills. That¡¯s probably the reason behind why it acted so violently at thest second when the Blessing of the Craft effect took ce.¡¯ Next, Izroth looked over his Unparalleled Craftsman skill to check on how much its skill mastery had risen after crafting for nearly thirty minutes straight. ¡¯Hm? Strange... Why hasn¡¯t it gone up?¡¯ Despite Izroth¡¯s efforts, the skill mastery for Unparalleled Craftsman had not budged even 0.01%! ¡¯Even after crafting hundreds of grade three pills, it¡¯s still at zero percent. Can it be that merely crafting is not enough to increase the skill mastery? Or, are grade three pills just insufficient?¡¯ Izroth had many thoughts as he waved his hand over the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and returned it to his inventory. He would have liked to continue crafting and pushing the limits of his new skills, but... ¡¯I suppose I¡¯ve kept them waiting long enough.¡¯ "Come out," Izroth said to seemingly no one. However, a few momentster, a figure stepped out from the nearby forested area. "You appeared to be in a deep state of concentration, so I figured it was best not to disturb you¡ªwas I wrong, Mr. First ce?" A familiar voice sounded. Not too long after that person walked out of the forested area, a group of individuals stepped out as well. In total, there were nearly thirty people! "No, to be honest, given your personality, I did not expect you to wait so patiently, guild leader Meng Jiang," Izroth stated. Izroth had detected Meng Jiang and the yers with her around five minutes ago. Since he knew that they held no ill intentions and saw that they were staying back to allow him to concentrate in peace, Izroth chose to continue his crafting. "Even I know how to read the atmosphere at times like this. Besides, I can say the same about you." Meng Jiang replied. She requested that Izroth hold off on attacking the Headhunter Syndicate for a few days so that she could make some preparations, and he kept his word. She then continued, "So, were you sessful?" Meng Jiang inquired with a smile. "I¡¯m sure you already know the answer to that question," Izroth responded. "Hm... I suppose so? Though if you are worried, I have already given the order that what was seen here today is not to leave this ce." Meng Jiang said calmly as she stopped before Izroth. "As long as you understand." Izroth knew how insightful Meng Jiang could be from their previous encounter. From his earlier actions, she likely deduced his identity as the Pill Emperor. Of course, it was only a matter of time until this news was widespread. After all, others would no doubt find it strange that no one had ever seen or heard of this mysterious Pill Emperor outside of Izroth himself. There were probably even those who already made the connection but had no proof to back it up. But, even if this news would bemon knowledge soon enough, Izroth did not enjoy others speaking behind his back. Ultimately, he was not too worried due to Meng Jiang¡¯s unique circ.u.mstances. Even though Izroth had not decided to fully trust her just yet, he felt that she was someone worth giving that opportunity to. "Then, since that¡¯s taken care of¡ªshall we proceed at once? It would seem that we have both been quite busy these past few days, Mr. First ce." Meng Jiangmented. ... Five minutester... Meng Jiang brought Izroth up to speed on her ns regarding the Headhunter Syndicate. ording to the Sacred Beasts guild leader, she originally nned to simultaneously strike at the weak areas where the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s yers were mainly gathered in the Demilitarization Belt. Unfortunately, this n had been turned on its head by the sudden drastic shift of power that took ce after Ekquilore¡¯s appearance on the battlefield. Now, it was almost impossible to go anywhere close to those areas since it was so deep within the Demilitarization Belt. Therefore, Meng Jiang came up with a new route to take. Meng Jiang removed a highly detailed Realm Chart from her inventory. It made those Realm Charts put up for sale in the auction house look like they were something doodled by children. "This is... The Demilitarization Belt? You were able to map out the entire region?" Izroth suspected that Meng Jiang had a solid understanding of the Demilitarization Belt¡¯syout; however, he did not think that it would be to this extent. "It¡¯s important to know every corner of your home, don¡¯t you agree? Since my Sacred Beasts decided to set up our base in Rosentarus instead of Amaharpe like most of the other top guilds, we¡¯ve had to take extra measures to ensure that we always hold the upper hand. The top guilds may look peaceful on the surface, but therein lies turbulence under the waves. One can never be too careful." Meng Jiang stated. She then pointed to three different areas on the Realm Chart and exined, "As you know, the Headhunter Syndicate has multiple bases located within the Demilitarization Belt. The situation has changed over the past couple of days, but these three points contain the highest concentration of yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. However, there is a problem." Meng Jiang dragged her finger over the Realm Chart to a ce marked "Ryden¡¯s Point". "It is virtually impossible to get past Ryden¡¯s Point without being detected due to the open field environment in this area. Additionally, we will have to deal with whatever security measures Tempest, and their allies have set in ce. That being said, if we want to reach our targets, finding a way to pass through Ryden¡¯s Point undetected is a necessity." Meng Jiang exined. "Oh? If we take this route, couldn¡¯t we avoid Ryden¡¯s Point altogether?" Izroth questioned as he pointed at an unobstructed section of the Realm Chart that showed a path around Ryden¡¯s Point that led to their target. "We could, but..." Meng Jiang released a helpless sigh as she shook her head. "Thend in that area has been contaminated by a vicious blood mist. Usually, one would consume a potion or utilize a skill to cleanse the poisonous effects, but nothing seems to work against the poison this mist emits. We¡¯ve tried everything, but the teams we send have always ended up dying." Meng Jiang revealed. ¡¯A blood mist that even potions and skills have no effect on? Interesting... It depends on the strength of the blood mist, but perhaps ¡¯that¡¯ will work.¡¯ "How long would it take for your fastest yer to reach the blood mist and return?" Izroth asked. "If we are talking in terms of pure speed, it would take me roughly fifteen minutes to make a round trip on Acogu¡¯An. But, that would draw too much attention. If we want to use a more discreet method, it would take our fastest yer on foot, Hundred Lakes, almost an hour to make it there and back. Why do you ask?" Meng Jiang inquired. "Because¡ªI may have a way that we can move through this blood mist unharmed. However, I first need to confirm something." Izroth said with a carefree smile. Chapter 622 - Some Things Gold Can’t Buy

Chapter 622 - Some Things Gold Can¡¯t Buy

Meng Jiang was surprised by Izroth¡¯s words. As a top guild, they did notck resources and had numerous methods at their disposal; still, nothing they did worked against that blood mist! If it was something that even they, a top guild, could not solve, what hope was there for anyone else? However, Meng Jiang knew that Izroth was someone with many secrets. Even if she discovered a few, Meng Jiang could not help but feel that she barely scratched the surface of the yer called Izroth. Not to mention, after what she just witnessed not too long ago with the cauldron, there was a decent possibility that he really did have a way to get past the blood mist! "Hundred Lakes." Meng Jiang called out. A few seconds after Meng Jiang spoke, a yer walked out from one of the nearby groups. "You called, leader?" The one who approached was a young man who appeared to be in histe teens to early twenties. He had short orange hair, silver eyes, and a scar in the shape of a cross mark on his right cheek. The scar on his cheek peeked out from beneath the ck mask that covered the bottom half of his face. On his sides were a pair of sai, and he donned all-ck armor that looked like a hybrid between cloth and light leather. This young man was one of the core members of Sacred Beasts, Hundred Lakes. "Our friend seems to have an important task for you. Think of it as a reconnaissance assignment." Meng Jiang stated. "Reconnaissance? What did you have in mind?" Hundred Lakes asked. He also took a moment to size up Izroth. Hundred Lakes had recently returned to Rosentarus afterpleting a war objective for the War Intelligence Group; therefore, he was not present during his guild¡¯s fight against the Failed Chimera. When he returned from his mission, Hundred Lakes was shocked to discover that the Headhunter Syndicate would be so bold as to try and steal the prey of his Sacred Beasts. But, what surprised him the most was the stories he heard about one particr individual who was not even a member of Sacred Beasts. This person was, of course, Izroth. Super speed? Teleportation? A 300,000 damage critical hit against a field boss? It sounded like an exaggerated story that someone would tell while drunk one day at some random bar. If not for the fact that the guild leader was there personally and his guildmates were trustworthy, Hundred Lakes would have never believed their words and merely written it off. "So, this is the current first ce holder in the event. He¡¯s not what I imagined..." Hundred Lakes internalized. He thought the person in first ce would look a bit more... experienced, to say the least. But, the young man before him gave off a calm and carefree aura that made him have some doubts. However, he knew that Izroth¡¯s yer name matched the current first ce holder, so he was definitely not an imposter. "Well, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get a chance to see his skills firsthand for myself soon enough." Hundred Lakes thought to himself. "Travel to the blood mist and take this with you," Izroth said as he removed a small bag from his inventory. He then continued, "Do not take it until you arrive at the blood mist. Once there, step inside, and then return." "Blood mist..?! Are you asking me to die voluntarily?!" Hundred Lakes could not believe his ears! He was among the original group who first discovered the blood mist in the Demilitarization Belt, and so, he understood its deadly effects better than anyone. They had tried countless methods to pass through this blood mist, but everything was useless. Now, this person wanted him to willingly walk into that blood mist?! They were getting ready to attack the Headhunter Syndicate soon. If he died, not only would he lose experience and an event life, but he would also be weakened for several hours as a penalty for dying. In the end, no matter how Hundred Lakes looked at it, there was no upside! "I heard about your speed from the guild leader and my guildmates¡ªwhy don¡¯t you just go there yourself to test it? Wouldn¡¯t it be faster? Or, can it be that you¡¯re okay with risking my life, but not your own?" Hundred Lakes dered. "My situation is a bit unique. If I were to test it myself, the effects might not be as clear. Of course, if you are afraid, that¡¯s fine. But, I will tell you now¡ªeven if you die, it isn¡¯t necessarily a loss on your part." Izroth said as he tossed the small bag towards Hundred Lakes. "Hm? What are you-" Hundred Lakes frowned as he checked the contents of the bag. As he did so, his eyes widened in shock. "This effect is...! I see, yes, maybe that would work..." Hundred Lakes muttered to himself. The small bag contained a single grade three pill. This was not the first time Hundred Lakes had seen a grade three pill. After all, he had already taken one of each of the grade three pills sold at the Mystical Realm Pce. But, this was his first time seeing this specific grade three pill. Even though the Mystical Realm Pce was located in Amaharpe¡¯s capital city, there was no way their informationwork would fail to mention the appearance of a new pill. This meant that the pill in his hands right now was not yet for sale in the Mystical Realm Pce. In other words, it was something one could not buy even if they wanted to! Plus, the effects of this pill were life-saving¡ªsomething any top yer would be happy to acquire. It was just as Izroth stated, even if he were to die, it would not necessarily be his loss! Hundred Lakes carefully ced the bag into his inventory. He then faced Izroth with a serious expression, cupped his fists respectfully, and said, "Leave this task to me. Whether I am sessful or not, I will make sure to bring back a clear answer." He turned to Meng Jiang, "Leader, I¡¯ll be going now." Woosh! A gale of wind epassed Hundred Lakes as his figure turned blurry, and he vanished into thin air! "Your skills of persuasion are frightening, Mr. First ce. I have never seen Hundred Lakes have such a rapid change of heart. I¡¯m curious as to what you have given him to invoke such a response." Meng Jiang said with a smile and transparent curiosity in her tone. "Since guild leader Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts will be working close to my Mystical Realm Pce in the near future, I suppose it does not hurt to let you view this in advance," Izroth said as he handed Meng Jiang a small bag that contained the same pill he gave to Hundred Lakes. Meng Jiang epted the bag as she briefly examined the pill inside. "I understand now. This Evil Cleansing Pill is certainly above the potions and skills we¡¯ve tried. It not only gives the user resistance to some forms of poisons and illusions, but its true strong point is its ability to cleanse negative effects. The cooldown is a bit long, but that brief moment is all it takes to decide life and death at critical points. There is no guarantee it will work on the blood mist; however, since the effects are permanent, I can see why Hundred Lakes was suddenly so willing to ept the assignment." Meng Jiang said calmly. She then continued, "So¡ªwill you sell some of these to my Sacred Beasts?" "Unfortunately, the ingredients for these grade three pills are a bit more challenging toe by than the ones for sale in the Mystical Realm Pce. However, a small batch may be possible to spare. Forty pills¡ªit¡¯s the most I can do at the moment." Izroth answered. Forty?! Since he said small batch, Meng Jiang was not expecting any more than five or six pills. Forty was well beyond her expectations! "I¡¯ll buy them all." Meng Jiang said without hesitation. "I don¡¯t have the gold coins on me now, but I can get someone to-" "You¡¯re mistaken, guild leader Meng Jiang. You must know as well, right? There are things that one cannot buy even with gold coins." Izroth stated. Thanks to the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth had plenty of gold coins at his disposal. But, s, not everything could be acquired through the auction house or just because one had gold coins. "Did Pce Master Izroth have something in mind?" Meng Jiang questioned. Chapter 623 - Moonlit Concealing Mantle, Entrance To The Blood Mist Chasm

Chapter 623 - Moonlit Concealing Mantle, Entrance To The Blood Mist Chasm

"It¡¯s a simple request. If you happen to discover the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s guild leader¡¯s location before I do, I would like you to contact me instead of engaging in battle. The yer who goes by the name Vault¡ªI will take care of him personally. As long as guild leader Meng Jiang agrees to these terms, I don¡¯t mind handing this small batch of pills over to Sacred Beasts." Izroth stated. "Sure. Since Pce Master Izroth feels so strongly about it, how can I deny your request? Although I have to admit that it is somewhat regrettable. I was really quite looking forward to punching that arrogant leader in the face a few hundred times." Meng Jiang¡¯s replied with a radiant smile. Izroth inwardly shook his head. He wondered how someone could say such vicious words with that kind of look on their face. If this were a yer¡¯s first time meeting Meng Jiang, they would not believe a sentence like that would leave the mouth of such a beauty. Izroth handed the bag containing forty Evil Cleansing Pills to Meng Jiang, who wasted no time distributing it to the members of her Sacred Beasts. For Izroth to go so far as to willingly give away such valuable pills, Meng Jiang knew that whatever grudge existed between him and the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s guild leader, Vault, was not simple. Truthfully, Meng Jiang would never leave the disposing of an enemy to an outsider. After all, it was more than mere revenge against the Headhunter Syndicate who dared attacked them in their own territory. Their pride as a top guild was on the line! If they did not strike back, others would look at them as weak or easy to step over if rumors were to spread. That¡¯s why even though the pills yed a part in Meng Jiang¡¯s agreeing to Izroth¡¯s offer, it was mainly his skills that convinced her to give way. Not to mention, Meng Jiang knew that maintaining a friendly rtionship with Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce would only prove beneficial in the long run. "I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what other surprises you have in store for me, Mr. First ce." Meng Jiang internalized. ... Around 45 minutester... Woosh! A strong gale of wind blew past the Sacred Beasts members as a humanoid figure emerged from out of thin air. Hundred Lakes returned and immediately went to meet with Izroth and Meng Jiang. There was a look of excitement on his face that could not be contained. "Leader¡ªthe effects of this Evil Cleansing Pills are amazing! I¡¯ve never seen anything like it!" Hundred Lakes stated. He then went on to exin what happened when he entered the blood mist. ording to Hundred Lakes, the Evil Cleansing Pills instantly dispelled the overbearing effects of the blood mist! Thest time Hundred Lakes stepped into the blood mist, he and the yers in his party died after only being exposed to it for less than five seconds. By the time they noticed the effects of the blood mist, it was already toote. Even after they rushed out, their HP continued to rapidly fall despite their best efforts to sustain their health. Those under the blood mist¡¯s effects had all healing they received reduced by 80%. This heal reduction debuff paired with the blood mist inflicting damage over time due to its poisonous nature¡ªit was impossible for healers to keep up with the pace. However, this time was different. While the Evil Cleansing Pill did notpletely eradicate the blood mist¡¯s detrimental effects, it made it so that Hundred Lakes could survive through the initial damage it inflicted. Since hecked healing-type skills, Hundred Lakes had to use a high-grade potion to ultimately survive. Still, this was huge! Last time, even a high-grade potion was not enough with the heal reduction debuff. Of course, Hundred Lakes added that if they wanted to go through the blood mist to reach the other side, they would still require enough healers to do so. The Evil Cleansing Pill may have made the effects tolerable, but the blood mist was still not something just anyone could stroll through. Meanwhile, after listening to Hundred Lakes, Izroth became even more interested in this blood mist. ¡¯Even the Phantasmagoria in the hardcore Great Sea Pce raid was purged by the Evil Cleansing Pill. The fact that this blood mist can overpower it to a certain degree¡ªhow interesting.¡¯ "You¡¯ve done well, Hundred Lakes. If we can advance through the blood mist, not only will we cut our travel time in half, but we will not have to concern ourselves with enemy traps or stray soldiers. Going by your recount of events, the number of healers we have on hand should be sufficient as long as we manage our potion intake correctly." Meng Jiang stated. She then turned to Izroth and continued, "We don¡¯t know what lies within the blood mist; however, I believe the potential benefits outweigh the risk. If Pce Master Izroth is prepared, we will take our leave at once." Izroth gave a slight nod and replied, "It seems I will be in your care for a while, guild leader Meng Jiang. Lead the way." Following Izroth¡¯s confirmation, Meng Jiang gathered the members of her Sacred Beasts together and informed them of the ns. A few of them were a little skeptical; however, the fact that Hundred Lakes personally went to test things set their minds at ease. After a few minutes, Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts all equipped a ck cloak created by their guild¡¯s Tailor. They also made sure to provided Izroth with a cloak. ¡¯Oh? Isn¡¯t this the same yer who made my Attire of a Silent Night? Since they were selling a rare outfit in the auction house, I assumed they were not attached to any guild; however, it turns out the world is a small ce. It appears there are more to Tailors in RML than simply making clothes that look presentable.¡¯ Name: Moonlit Concealing Mantle(Rare) Creator: Divine Needle Description: A mantle threaded with the wings of a Moonlit Forest Fae that, once equipped, allows the user to blend into their natural surroundings, making it increasingly difficult for those more than ten meters away from the user¡¯s position to detect their presence. It is crafted from finer materials by a skilled and talented tailor. Special Note: When this outfit is worn, all other equipment, excluding the wearer¡¯s weapon(s), bes automatically hidden. The wearer can choose to keep certain equipment pieces visible. If this cloak had such an effect, Izroth wondered what secrets his Attire of a Silent Night hid; after all, it did mention having a few built-in hidden effects in its item description. However, Izroth had yet toe across any of these so-called hidden effects. ¡¯I will have to ask Meng Jiang to introduce me to this Divine Needle so that I can ask them directly. For now, there is a more pressing matter at hand.¡¯ "Remember, we are heading into enemy territory! Even if we have the Moonlit Concealing Mantles, do not let your guard down!" Meng Jiang dered. "Yes!" The members of Sacred Beasts responded in unison. "Good! Now¡ªlet¡¯s teach the Headhunter Syndicate what it means to offend our Sacred Beasts!" Meng Jiang stated with a smile as her gaze turned cold. ... Approximately one hourter... Izroth, Meng Jiang, and the members of Sacred Beasts had been moving nonstop through the Demilitarization Belt. There were a few close calls along the way; however, they managed to slip deep into enemy territory undetected thanks to the Moonlit Concealing Mantle. At the moment, the group had just arrived before a towering chasm of arge rocky terrain that stood more than two hundred meters high. The chasm spanned roughly five meters across; therefore, not much room was avable to maneuver freely for a group as big as theirs. Though what stood out the most about this chasm was not its height or limited space but rather the blood-colored mist that filled every corner of it. Just being close to the mist made one feel ufortable. "We¡¯re here." Meng Jiang said as she stood a couple of meters away from the entrance to the chasm. This was her first time seeing the blood mist in person, and it was the same for most of the other Sacred Beasts members as well. At the same time, Izroth stood with a solemn expression in front of the chasm. ¡¯Oh? What¡¯s with this unnatural amount of bloodl.u.s.t?¡¯ The instant Izroth stepped near the entrance to the chasm, an unbelievable amount of bloodl.u.s.t and killing intent washed over him that caused even his Soul Sense to be momentarily overwhelmed! But, more than anything, he was amazed at how none the Sacred Beasts members, Meng Jiang included, seemed not to notice its presence! Chapter 624 - Blood Mist Part(1/3)

Chapter 624 - Blood Mist Part(1/3)

¡¯Even if their sense of perception iscking, it should not be to the extent that those from Sacred Beasts are unable to feel this amount of bloodl.u.s.t and killing intent.¡¯ Izroth doubted that the Sacred Beasts members decided to purposely feign ignorance as there was nothing to gain by deceiving him. Not to mention, the number of people in this world capable of hiding their intentions from his eyes could be counted using one¡¯s hands alone. ¡¯For whatever reason, it seems that I am the only one who can feel its presence. But, it¡¯s strange. There¡¯s no doubt that this feeling is bloodl.u.s.t, yet there¡¯s a certain emptiness to it.¡¯ Izroth scanned the inside of the chasm with his Energy Vision Sense; however, there was nothing unusual or out of ce. In fact, everything was abnormally peaceful, excluding the killing intent. Besides that, there were no signs of anyone or anything within the chasm. "Healers, be sure to keep your eyes on those who have been assigned to your group. Everyone else, to make the healers job easier, be sure to manage your potion intake correctly." Meng Jiangmanded. She then continued, "Since we have no idea what¡¯s lurking within this mist, One Shot Brick and Passive Shield will move at the head of the group." Meng Jiang turned to face Izroth and said, "I¡¯ll be counting on you to watch our backs as the rear guard, Mr. First ce." Izroth gave a slight nod in response as he kept his attention on the blood mist. "Let¡¯s proceed." Meng Jiang ordered as One Shot Brick and Passive Shield, the two main tanks of Sacred Beasts, led the way into the chasm. "Is there something troubling you?" Meng Jiang asked after thest of her guild members stepped into the chasm. She noticed that Izroth had not taken his gaze off of the blood mist since their arrival. The blood mist was undoubtedly a sight to behold; however, she felt that Izroth¡¯s interest in it was more than a passing curiosity. "This mist contains unusual properties. It¡¯s not alive, but it gives the illusion that it is. The air it exudes is also one of danger and uncertainty." Izroth stated as he walked into the chasm, apanied by Meng Jiang, who was also acting as the rear guard. "Danger and uncertainty? Then, I suppose we will just have to keep our wits about us. After all, how can my Sacred Beasts have climbed our way to the top ranks if we turned away every time we were face to face with danger? I¡¯m sure you understand quite well that great benefit is more often than not intertwined with risk and uncertainty." Meng Jiangmented. "Guild leader Meng Jiang is correct. However, it is important to remember one thing. Risk is only relevant when onecks the strength to face those uncertainties head-on." Izroth said with a carefree expression. "I see. Basically, what is considered dangerous for us may not necessarily be dangerous for you, is it?" Meng Jiang recited as her lips curled into a smile. A brief wave of silence descended after Meng Jiang spoke as they headed deeper into the blood mist. ... ¡¯So it can even endure this. It seems I¡¯ve underestimated its limits. Still, it¡¯s far from perfection.¡¯ Due to having consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill and the Poison Resistance II passive from his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth¡¯s bodypletely neutralized the blood mist¡¯s harsh effects. However, even though he received no damage as those from Sacred Beats did, it seemed that he was still affected by the healing reduction debuff. As they continued deeper into the blood mist, several momentster, Meng Jiang was the first to break the silence. "You know, ever since we first crossed paths, I¡¯ve been thinking about an interesting story I was once told as a child. It¡¯s about a powerful dragon that resided at the top of the highest mountain in the world. One day, the dragon decided to descend its mountain to visit a little vige located near the edge of a forest. The vigers there worshipped the dragon as a deity. With a single breath, it could summon the winds. With a single tear, the dragon could bless thend with rain. Needless to say, the dragon was quite popr." Meng Jiang released a slight giggle; however, it soon ceased as her expression turned solemn. "Unfortunately, the vige was not a peaceful ce. In the forest was a fox. This fox was nowhere near as powerful as the dragon that descended from its mountain, nor was it as wise. However, the fox was extremely cunning and full of wit. It used these traits it was naturally gifted with to terrorize the vigers for its own gains, and so, the vigers asked the dragon for its help to bring judgment upon the fox." "Hearing of the fox¡¯s misdeeds, the dragon agreed to help the vigers and entered the forest to hunt the fox. Do you know what happened next?" Meng Jiang asked. "It¡¯s typical in stories like this that the fox would find a way to outwit the dragon. Realistically, however, such wit is useless in the face of absolute power¡ªthe fox would perish at the hands of the dragon." Izroth said calmly. "As I thought, your outlook is different from others I¡¯ve told this story to, Mr. First ce. Indeed, the dragon does manage to catch and punish the fox for its misdeeds. In the end, no matter how much wit the fox possessed or how cunning it was, in the face of absolute power, it could only resign to its fate. The dragon returned to the vige to inform the vigers of the good news. Afterward, it returned to its mountain. Then, a couple of weekster, the dragon decided to descend its mountain once again to pay a visit to the vige; however, the dragon arrived only to find remnants of what was once a normal vige." "Unbeknownst to the dragon, after it eliminated the fox, a power struggle urred amongst the entities that resided in the forest to fill the void in power left behind by the fox. As a result, the vige was dragged into their dispute and ultimately destroyed." "Ambition gives birth to greed. Greed is amplified by human nature, and human nature at its core is to survive. If that¡¯s how it is, what happens when one ties their very survival to ambition and greed? An old saying goes power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. For the dragon who carried with it absolute power, is it fated to be corrupt? I say this because you, Izroth¡ªyou are a dragon that sits atop the highest mountain. One day, you wille face to face with a fox upon your descent. At that time, I am curious to see what path you will take. Will you, too, punish the fox for its misdeeds? Or..." Meng Jiang spoke unhurriedly as her words drifted into still silence. ¡¯Is that a story someone even tells to a child? Regardless, it¡¯s an amusing tale.¡¯ If one thought about their current situation, it was easy to believe that Meng Jiang was referring to Izroth¡¯s conflict with the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s guild leader and the top guilds bnce of power being disturbed; however- Chiiiii.... Chi... Chi... All of a sudden, the sound of a strange and faint eerieughter echoed throughout the chasm. But, there was something off about this sinisterughter. At the same time, a bone-piercing chill invaded the atmosphere as the blood mist became denser. "It¡¯s getting more difficult to see our surroundings. We will have to slow our pace a few steps." One Shot Brick slowed his steps, which caused the members of Sacred Beasts to follow suit. "What is this sound...? Hm? That¡¯s..." Passive Shield muttered as he narrowed his gaze. In the near distance, Passive Shield saw a blurry silhouette; however, when he blinked, it was no longer anywhere to be found. Passive Shield frowned, "Did I just imagine i-" Chiiiiii... Passive Shield felt a cold shiver run down his spine. That sound¡ªthis time, it came from right next to him! Woosh! Passive Shield quickly lifted his shield to defend himself; however, the attack he expected never urred. "What are you doing?" One Shot Brick questioned with a frown. "Eh? You didn¡¯t hear that just now? Something was just here... Right?" Passive Shield had a slight look of confusion on his face. "Hear what? Hey, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting scared just from some mist. Honestly..." One Shot Brick sighed as he shook his head. He then continued, "It¡¯s good to be on guard, but don¡¯t lose your cool head, man, or-" "Ah...!" One of the Sacred Beasts members issued a sudden startled cry from the center of the group! Chapter 625 - Blood Mist Part(2/3)

Chapter 625 - Blood Mist Part(2/3)

The startled cry immediately attracted the attention of the other Sacred Beasts members to the group¡¯s center; however, there were no signs of anything out of the ordinary. "Geez, what¡¯s the deal? I thought we were under attack." One of the Sacred Beasts yersmented. "S-sorry. I could have sworn there was something next to me. Guess I¡¯ve just been pulling too many all-nighters." The Sacred Beasts yer who issued the startling cry sighed. "Again?" One Shot Brick uttered as he furrowed his brows. First, there was Passive Shield, and now another member reacted strangely out of nowhere. It could be written off once, but to happen twice in such a short span of time after they entered the blood mist¡ªsomething was definitely ying with their heads in this ce. "Thanks to the Evil Cleansing Pill, we don¡¯t have to rush through this blood mist. But, the sooner we can get out of here, the better." One Shot Brick thought to himself. "We¡¯re picking up our pace!" One Shot Brick shouted as he hastened his steps. "What do you make of it?" Meng Jiang asked. "There is no living presence here as far as I can tell. Regardless, it appears that the longer we stay in this ce, the more aggressive the effects the blood mist will disy." Izroth stated calmly. Even though he sessfully resisted the damage portion of the blood mist, Izroth could feel it seeping deeper into his body with each passing moment. ¡¯I thought the Evil Cleansing Pill and Poison Resistance would be enough topletely suppress it, but at this rate, it won¡¯t be long before even I be affected by this blood mist. Though it¡¯s a shame... I would have liked to take a sample of it with me to examine it further. It¡¯s unfortunate that I don¡¯t have a suitable vessel to contain it.¡¯ Izroth was interested in the toxic properties of the blood mist, or to be more precise¡ªits source. Although he did not find anything out of ce when he swept the chasm using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth knew that it was unlikely for something as potent as the blood mist tock a source of origin. Just as this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, his Soul Sense went off as he immediately turned his gaze upward. The first thing that entered Izroth¡¯s sights were hundreds of scarlet eyes hidden in the darkness above the blood mist. Chiiiiii...!!! "Above us!" One Shot Brick called out. The next moment, a swarm of phantoms rushed out of the darkness and towards the raid group! The yers from Sacred Beasts were surprised by One Shot Brick¡¯s outburst, as well as the abrupt appearance of the phantoms; however, there were no signs of panic or chaos in their actions. After confirming the situation, the supporters activated a few buff skills to reinforce the party¡¯s overall survivability. Simultaneously, the members of Sacred Beasts quickly shifted their positions in a way that made sure every melee yer was in range of at least one or more ranged yer. Given that the chasm did not have enough room for every person to maneuver freely, One Shot Brick and Passive Shield would not be able to reach everyone in time if there was an emergency. In situations that involved limited mobility, Sacred Beasts applied a pairing tactic to prioritize the protection of their ranged yers, or more specifically, their supporters. In less than a breath of time, the phantoms reached within striking distance of the group¡¯s ranged members. At the same time, the creatures were finally close enough for the system to reveal their information. Name: Scarlet Phantom of the Mist(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 1,000(100%) "Their HP is too low for elite monsters! Be vignt of unique effects!" One Shot Brick cautioned. He knew that it was not unusual for monsters with low HP to have a powerful skill or two at their disposal. The Scarlet Phantoms swiftly began to shorten the distance between themselves and the group as they suddenly took on the form of a specter shrouded in a tattered ck shawl. The phantoms had no lower body; however, they had four arms. The two bottom limbs possessed long ws in ce of the creature¡¯s fingernails, while the top two arms had razor-sharp des at their tips. Besides the creature¡¯s glowing eyes hidden under its shawl, the Scarlet Phantoms had no other facial features. Just their vicious appearance alone was enough to send most yers fleeing without a fight. Of course, neither Izroth nor Sacred Beasts had any intention of retreating! The Sacred Beasts yers did not attack immediately after the Scarlet Phantoms entered their range. Instead, they all readied themselves as if they were waiting for a signal of sorts. 30 meters... 20 meters... 15 meters...! The instant the Scarlet Phantoms arrived within 15 meters, an ocean blue aura erupted from the front of the group less than one meter off the ground. This aura took the shape of arge anchor as it rapidly sunk into the earth, unleashing a wave of rippling tides that soon transformed into a swirling whirlpool and at its center was One Shot Brick! Bang! "Anchor of Deluge!" One Shot Brick shouted as a mighty force caused the Scarlet Phantoms to be pulled in his direction! Anchor of Deluge was a taunting-type skill that belonged to One Shot Brick¡¯s ss, Guardian of the Deep. It increased the threat level of all enemies within 15 meters. It also created a whirlpool beneath the user that acted as a vortex. This vortex slowly yet constantly dragged in enemies while steadily lowering their physical and magic resistances. Although One Shot Brick could not taunt all the Scarlet Phantoms, he drew the attention of a sizable portion, which removed a lot of pressure off the party. Passive Shield also utilized his AOE taunting skill to shift some of the focus towards him. Once the tanks sessfully grabbed as much aggro as possible, the ranged damage dealers finallyunched their first wave of attacks! An onught of arrows, magic missiles, throwing knives, and various distinct projectiles soared upward at the Scarlet Phantoms. Woosh! Woosh! The throwing knives, arrows, and other physical objects passed right through the Scarlet Phantoms as if they were not even there. As for the magic attacks, the moment they came into contact with a Scarlet Phantom, the creature scattered into a cloud of scarlet smoke. Fortunately, the magic attacks alone were enough to clear the first wave of Scarlet Phantoms; however, it did not take long before the next wave rushed out in full force. "They¡¯re specter types! Physical attacks won¡¯t work against them!" Banshee warned. "Physical attackers, focus on defense! Casters, try not to use any spells that take more than one second to channel! We have to keep moving towards the exit while we attack!" One Shot Brickmanded. There was no guarantee that the Scarlet Phantoms would stop spawning any time soon, and with the heal reduction debuff, as well as the damage from the blood mist, One Shot Brick felt that it was too risky to engage in a drawn-out fight that may or may not have an end. The Sacred Beasts yers followed One Shot Brick¡¯smand as they continued to advance through the chasm while they fended off the Scarlet Phantoms. Luckily, the creatures possessed low HP and could be taken care of in one shot; however, it was only a matter of time before the magic casters ran out of AOE skills, and a few Scarlet Phantoms took advantage to slip through the cracks. Meanwhile, at the rear of the group... ¡¯Appraisal.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: Your mastery level is too low to appraise this target!¡µ ¡¯As I thought... The skill mastery for Appraisal is still too low to inspect high-level monsters.¡¯ Izroth did not have the chance to test Appraisal on a high-level monster since he acquired it; therefore, he was curious if it would work on something like the Scarlet Phantoms. Sadly, the skill¡¯s mastery was still too low to reveal even the most basic of hidden information about the monsters. ¡¯It seems like this skill won¡¯t be too useful against high-level targets for some time. Still, to think that these creatures managed to get this close while avoiding my detection...¡¯ Initially, Izroth thought that he was immune to all but the blood mist¡¯s healing reduction debuff. Undoubtedly, he felt the blood mist¡¯s effects bing stronger as he journeyed deeper into the chasm, but it appeared that matters were moreplex than he expected. Bizarrely, nothing involving the blood mist showed up in the battle logs, which led Izroth to a certain conclusion. ¡¯Effects that fail to show up in the battle logs... Is it the work of a curse?¡¯ Chapter 626 - Blood Mist Part(3/3)

Chapter 626 - Blood Mist Part(3/3)

When it came to curses in RML, Izroth did not know much about them outside of what he learned within the Amaharpe Pce Library and the curse he received the Envoy of the Netherworld. Arge variety of curses existed¡ªsome more powerful than others. For example, the Curse of The Netherworld was a very bold curse where the caster had absolute confidence in their ability. It was one of the reasons why the curse could take effect so fast and even took the form of a skill that bound itself to Izroth. This was not like other curses that were typically executed in secret and required a greater length of time to exhibit their actual influence. Unlike the Curse of The Netherworld, most curses were hidden away from one¡¯s eyes to avoid suspicion. It was to the point that someone would not know they were even affected by a curse until it was already toote! Izroth suspected that whatever was behind this blood mist was also the source of this unknown curse. But, for a curse to cover such a vast range and affect multiple people simultaneously¡ªthere was no doubt in Izroth¡¯s mind that it was the work of someone or something in the legendary realm, or at the very least, close to it. If that was the case, then even he could not afford to lower his guard in this chasm. Swoosh! "Iing!" One of the Sacred Beasts yers yelled. One of the Scarlet Phantoms that was untouched by One Shot Brick¡¯s and Passive Shield¡¯s taunt skills had broken through the party¡¯s wave of ranged attacks and was headed right for the center of the raid group! "I got it!" A warrior named Falcon shouted as he moved to intercept the attack with his battle axe. He was not a tank-type warrior ss but a hybrid that specialized in self-sustain and consistent damage. Therefore, while he could not absorb nearly as much damage as the party¡¯s main tankers, Falcon was still able to take some punishment. Chiiii!!!! As the Scarlet Phantom closed in, Falcon held his battle axe up to guard against the iing attack. Usually, trying to defend against an attack from a specter-type monster using physical means was useless; however, Falcon¡¯s battle axe was a rare quality weapon that possessed the holy attribute! The holy attribute was one of the few things that made physical attacks effective against specter-type monsters¡ªat least; this was typically the case. Wooooosh! Against Falcon¡¯s expectations, the Scarlet Phantom phased right through his battle axe and through his body! This caused Falcon to shiver as a breath of frost could be seen escaping from his mouth. After the Scarlet Phantom passed through Falcon, it immediately disappeared into thin air as an alert sounded off. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Falcon has been affected by ?Scarlet Death Touch?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Falcon will receive 100% of their HP as damage over 10 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All active buffs have been removed from yer Falcon!¡µ "?!" Falcon was in a momentary state of shock. Not only was the Scarlet Phantom unaffected by the holy attribute of his battle axe, but the skill he became inflicted with as a result ofing into contact with the creature was too ruthless! "My grade three holy attribute didn¡¯t work against these things! Don¡¯t let them touch you no matter what!" Falcon warned without hesitation as he quickly consumed a high-grade HP potion. Due to the Scarlet Death Touch, Falcon was losing 10% of his HP every second on top of the blood mist¡¯s constant damage. Fortunately, the healers of his Sacred Beasts were attentive and kept his HP stable; however, if such a thing was to happen to multiple members of the party... Forget their current amount of healers; even if their numbers were doubled, it would not be possible to provide sustained support for that kind of damage! "Isn¡¯t that skill a bit absurd? Even the holy attribute isn¡¯t effective against them! Not to mention their numbers... At this rate, the healers will have to start prioritizing, and we¡¯ll lose people before we can even reach the other side!" Passive Shield stated as a sh of golden light appeared around his shield that forced one of the nearby Scarlet Phantoms back and turned them to a cloud of smoke. Meanwhile, Izroth observed the Sacred Beasts yers as they repelled the Scarlet Phantoms. In terms of overall teamwork and organization, they had a slight edge over Blue Oasis. However,pared to Blue Oasis, Sacred Beastscked a wide range of decisive firepower. But, more importantly... "Are you sure they do not require our help, guild leader Meng Jiang?" Izroth asked as he nced in Meng Jiang¡¯s direction. Izroth did not remain idle just to casually spectate those from Sacred Beasts. He was prepared to take action the moment the Scarlet Phantoms made their appearance. However, Meng Jiang surprisingly requested that Izroth only worry about protecting himself and let those from her guild handle the rest. Even Meng Jiang herself was not lifting a finger to help those from her own guild! Since that was the case... "I¡¯m sure." Meng Jiang replied with a gentle smile. She then continued, "I do not doubt that with ourbined assistance, we can ovee these phantoms without much difficulty. However, as a top guild, we must use these rare opportunities that force us to adapt to improve our rate of development. Of course, if the situation bes too out of hand, I will be counting on you, Mr. First ce." A carefree smile found its way onto Izroth¡¯s face as he inwardly nodded. ¡¯It¡¯s no wonder Sacred Beasts was able to solidify their position as a top guild despite having one of the lowest starting points. With this type of person leading the way, it would be challenging not to improve.¡¯ Most people would think that Meng Jiang was crazy using a situation like this to temper her guild members, especially during an event where each life was precious. But, in actuality, there was no better time or ce as the stakes were higher than normal. In the long run, the yers of Sacred Beasts would gain invaluable experience that all the training and exercises in the world could never grant! "Besides... They may notpare to you, Mr. First ce, but¡ªthey are still the pride of my Sacred Beasts." Meng Jiang stated confidently. Chiiiii!!! Chiiii!!! One Shot Brick furrowed his brows as he worked on fending off several of the Scarlet Phantoms he attracted with his Anchor of Deluge. Indeed, these things only took one hit to kill, but their numbers were endless. At this rate, his Sacred Beasts only had everything to lose and nothing to gain by staying in this chasm! After a brief moment of contemtion, a look of rity appeared in One Shot Brick¡¯s eyes. "If you have a movement skill, get ready to activate it! Supporters¡ªcast your AOE heals and get everyone to full HP! If you have movement speed buffs or HP regen skills, use them on those with the lowest HP or lowest mobility! If you haven¡¯t already consumed a potion, save it!" One Shot Brickmanded. Not too long after he did so, a new wave of Scarlet Phantoms descended from the darkness above the blood mist. The creatures were immediately bombarded with offensive magic from the Sacred Beasts yers; however, it was clear that the attacks this time were not as widespread due to many of their AOE skills being on cooldown. "Now!" One Shot Brick roared as he mmed his shield into the ground. Rmmmmble..!!! The earth began to tremble as the sound of ocean waves filled the chasm. At the same time, the yers from Sacred Beasts executed their movement skills and buffs. In the blink of an eye, One Shot Brick, who was just next to the group, traveled nearly fifty meters forward! But that was not all. A gentle water trail was left behind on the route One Shot Brick took to advance. When other yers came into contact with this water trail, they felt their steps became lighter as their movement speed almost doubled! This was the result of One Shot Brick¡¯s ss skill, Rapid Currents. As long as his allies followed the trail, they would receive a movement speed boost. However, the water trail¡¯s length was only as far as One Shot Brick could move in a couple of seconds. This is why he utilized the skill Unimpeded Charge along with the movement speed buffs from the supporters to create a path that was as long as possible! As One Shot Brick faced the small staggered bacsh of Unimpeded Charge not hitting a target, he noticed that the blood mist in this area was thinner than his previous location. Right as he realized this, One Shot Brick saw a faint light in the near distance. "That¡¯s.... The exit..!" One Shot Brick uttered. Chapter 627 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(1/3)

Chapter 627 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(1/3)

One Shot Brick was shocked. Although Sacred Beasts had never been able to survey the inside of the chasm before, they had a reasonable estimate of how long it would take them to reach the other side based on the two points of entry. ording to those estimates, it should have taken them another fifteen to twenty minutes to locate the exit! Even with One Shot Brick using Rapid Currents and Unimpeded Charge to increase their overall travel speed, he understood it was not nearly enough to have already arrived so close to the exit. Nevertheless, One Shot Brick did not let his guard down. "Did our Cartographers get the estimate wrong? No... This could just be another one of the blood mist tricks." One Shot Brick muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows. One Shot Brick looked behind him to see a group of barely discernable silhouettes headed in his direction. Although the blood mist obstructed his vision, he was sure that these silhouettes belonged to the others from his Sacred Beasts. "The path created by my Rapid Currents shouldst for another fifteen seconds. I want to check ahead before the others arrive to confirm that it really is the exit, but this ce is too bizarre. Just in case anything unexpected happens, I should wait here until everyone catches up." One Shot Brick internalized. He made sure to keep his guard up as what lied ahead was unknown. After all, there was no guarantee that the Scarlet Phantoms would stop chasing after their group; therefore, he had to be prepared. ... A few momentster... The rest of the group finally caught up to One Shot Brick. Just like One Shot Brick, they were also taken aback by the sudden light that revealed itself a handful of paces in front of them. ¡¯It¡¯s necessary to recognize when to advance and when to retreat. Facing those Scarlet Phantoms in a small group would not have been harmful, but there was no end to them. It¡¯s possible that whatever is behind this blood mist is also responsible for the never-ending waves of Scarlet Phantoms.¡¯ Izroth, along with Meng Jiang, was thest to escape the pursuit of the Scarlet Phantoms. Neither of them made a move besides to protect themselves asionally. As they followed the path left by One Shot Brick, Izroth and Meng Jiang kept a close eye on the party to make sure that no one fell behind. In the end, despite a few close calls, there were zero casualties among the group! Of course, the most bizarre thing was that after moving just ten meters forward, the group reached the other side of the chasm and walked out of the blood mist. "It truly was the exit...!" One Shot Brick uttered in slight disbelief. "This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Judging from the surrounding terrain, even if we moved in a straight line from one end to the other, it should have taken us at least three times longer to escape." Passive Shield stated with a frown as he furrowed his brows. "You¡¯re right; however, I reviewed the coordinates, and everything checks out. If the system isn¡¯t malfunctioning, then we¡¯re at our intended destination." One Shot Brick confirmed. Meanwhile, the members of Sacred Beasts remained vignt. The group focused on replenishing their lost health and mana while waiting for the blood mist¡¯s effects to end. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as he looked back towards the chasm the party had just escaped from. ¡¯Strange... the presence of those creatures disappeared the moment we passed outside of the blood mist. The bloodl.u.s.t and killing intent has also diminished, but I can¡¯t shake this feeling¡ªit¡¯s as though we were being observed.¡¯ Since his Energy Vision Sense was not working properly within the blood mist, Izroth could not confirm whether his suspicions were true or not; therefore, he decided not to bring it up to Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts. Regardless, Izroth believed that there was more to this chasm than the vicious blood mist and Scarlet Phantoms. In truth, he wanted to go back and investigate; however, he currently had his sights set on other matters. ¡¯Forget it. I will revisit this ce when I have time in the future. I¡¯m not sure what secrets it¡¯s hiding, but if it has so many protective elements, the mysteries contained inside cannot be small.¡¯ As this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, the effects of the blood mist finally dispersed from thest few Sacred Beasts yers. After verifying that everyone recovered and setting up a few security measures in their immediate vicinity, Meng Jiang resumedmand as she stood at the group¡¯s front. "I am sure everyone here is aware that we are presently deep within enemy territory. Regrettably, we do not have the luxury of enjoying our travels together from this point on. As such, we must keep our wits near to our minds." Meng Jiang stated. She then continued, "The good news is that the defenses at these outposts should bex given how much control Tempest and their allies have established over the Demilitarization Belt. We will take this opportunity to split into three groups and strike three points with one spear. I, myself, willmand group one. One Shot Brick will take lead group two. As for group three¡ªI will leave it in your hands, Mr. First ce. Does anyone have any objections?" The yers from Sacred Beasts remained silent in response. Meng Jiang and One Shot Brick bing group leaders were a given, but they did not expect their guild leader to grant an outsider the position. Nevertheless, not a single yer from Sacred Beasts raised any objections. Not only did they trust in their guild leader¡¯s decision, but the person in question was currently ranked first ce on the event leaderboards by an unbelievable margin. Furthermore, the members of Sacred Beasts knew that with her personality, Meng Jiang would never ce her trust in someone unworthy of it. If she trusted Izroth enough to put their lives in his hands, then what was there to dread? "It will be easier for me to move alone," Izroth stated calmly. To the Sacred Beasts yers¡¯ surprise, the one to object was not a member of their guild, but rather Izroth himself! They knew that Izroth was strong, but this was enemy territory. In addition, there was no guarantee that some high-level NPCs would not be stationed at the three Tempest allied outposts they nned to target¡ªeven if the defense in the surrounding area wasx. Going alone was practically the same as delivering one¡¯s life into enemy hands! One Shot Brick frowned, "I think you should reconsider. It¡¯s not that we doubt your ability, but the Headhunter Syndicate is hardly our sole concern. These may not be key Tempest allied outposts, but there¡¯s always the possibility of running into a Captain-ranked NPC or two. Their strength may vary, but it¡¯s not something we can afford to look down on. If our luck is bad, there¡¯s even a chance of running into a Commander. I¡¯m afraid going alone is akin to a death wish." Since One Shot Brick participated in the Failed Chimera world boss fight, he witnessed Izroth¡¯s strength firsthand. However, fighting a wild beast like the Failed Chimera and those yers from the Headhunter Syndicate was different from going up against named NPCs. If it were a one-on-one battle, then it would be understandable if Izroth wanted to go alone. But, in the end, the Headhunter Syndicate was not the only enemy they would have to confront. "Alright." Meng Jiang¡¯s voice sounded as she baffled her fellow guild members. They could not believe their ears! Was she really going to let Izroth, a guest of their Sacred Beasts, go off on his own with no assistance this far behind enemy lines?! Meng Jiang smiled and dered, "Be at ease. If Pce Master Izroth states that it is easier for him to move alone, then we shall take advantage of his generosity. Instead of splitting into three groups as we originally nned, we will form two groups. This will give us more leeway when we strike." The instant Meng Jiang finished speaking, Izroth wasted no time as he removed the Moonlit Concealing Mantle from his inventory. "Since it¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll be going ahead," Izroth said as he equipped the Moonlit Concealing Mantle. "Remember to wait for our signal before you strike. After all, it would be quite the inconvenience if they were to warn the other outposts and cause them to reinforce their defenses." Meng Jiang noted. Chapter 628 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(2/3)

Chapter 628 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(2/3)

Izroth gave a small nod as he lightly kicked off the ground and soared into the air using Sky Steps! In the blink of an eye, he traveled tens of meters away from the Sacred Beasts yers and deeper into Tempest allied territory. ... A few moments after Izroth left, One Shot Brick faced Meng Jiang and said, "It¡¯s not like you to change ns so suddenly. Does it have something to do with what Acogu¡¯An saw?" It was no secret to One Shot brick and the core members of Sacred Beasts that Meng Jiang¡¯s wolf, Acogu¡¯An, possessed the skill Complete Analysis. From the way Meng Jiang trusted Izroth to move alone, it was next to impossible that she did not use Complete Analysis on him. However, for some reason, Meng Jiang decided to remain silent about what she found after using it. Given her open personality that was unafraid to speak the truth, it was unusual for her to keep such secrets. "Perhaps, or perhaps not. Either way, it will be advantageous to our Sacred Beasts if we stay on his good side¡ªthat, I can assure you." Meng Jiang responded as she looked out towards the Demilitarization Belt. She then continued, "That is all I will say regarding that topic. Our main focus is to hunt a couple of snakes. Since they dared to strike first, we will have to remind them that our Sacred Beasts cannot be bullied by just anyone." Meng Jiang¡¯s lips curled into a lovely smile as a cold glint shed through her eyes. ... ¡¯At my current speed, it won¡¯t take me long to reach the outpost.¡¯ Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense to scan his surroundings from the air. At the moment, he was above a grove situated at the very center of the three Tempest allied outposts. One of the outposts used to belong to Rosentarus; however, after the appearance of Ekquilore and the ughter that followed, Rosentarus was forced to retreat and give up the outpost. It was this same outpost that Izroth chose to head to alone. ¡¯I only have a few seconds remaining on my Sky Steps. I have to find a spot tond.¡¯ There were high-level monsters scattered within the grove below. Although he could not see their information through the system due to the distance restriction, Izroth had a rough idea of their general strength from his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯The monsters in this area are strong for field monsters. If I had to guess, their levels should be within the mid to high 40s or low 50s range. If the average yer attempted to cross this grove unprepared, they would notst long.¡¯ The high-level monsters paired with the blood mist¡ªIzroth understood why Rosentarus had set up an outpost in this area. If one wanted to attack, they would have no choice but to tread the dangers or openly announce their attack. Now that Tempest and their allied forces were inmand of the outpost, they likely adopted a simr strategy to Rosentarus. Swoosh! Izroth rapidly descended from the sky and activated Falling Feather Steps just as he was about tond. An invisible force straightened out his body as he safely arrived on the ground. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Hollow Soul Grove?!¡µ ¡¯This area will have to do. It will be another three minutes or so before Sky Steps is off cooldown. Until then-¡¯ Izroth chose one of the areas with the least amount of monsters roaming around. It was not that he was afraid of the creatures, but rather... Woosh! Bang! Out of nowhere, a stick with a pointed tip and patterned stripes crashed into the earth and punctured a hole through it with ease. Izroth took two quick steps backward and evaded the stick. However, upon closer examination, he noticed that it was not a regr stick. ¡¯This is... A quill?¡¯ In less than two seconds, the ground where the striped quill made contact began to erode. The next moment, a puddle of putrid ck liquid formed and bubbled like boiling water as tiny ck spikes manifested on its surface. Tsst! Tsst! A bit shy of ten meters away from Izroth¡¯s location was a monster just under two meters in length at the top of a tree. The creature¡¯s appearance resembled a porcupine that looked as though it had undergone a vicious transformation to adapt to the harsh environment of the grove. On its back were numerous quills that mirrored the one that shot towards Izroth. This creature was also the reason why Izroth decided tond in this specific spot. Name: Hollow Soul Grove Silvertip Hystrix(Rare) Level: 53 ¡¯A level 53 rare monster. It¡¯s not often one can run into them outside of dungeons, raids, or high-ranking quests. It would seem that I¡¯m quite fortunate.¡¯ When he scanned the grove with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth identified several areas with strong mes. The peculiar thing about these mes was the fact that little to no other mes were present in their vicinity. But, it was not as if the Hollow Soul Grovecked monsters. ¡¯Judging from the situation I observed in the sky, the monsters in this grove must be extremely territorial. This works to my advantage. Since I have to time to spare until Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts reach the other outposts¡ªI should make the most of it.¡¯ While dungeons and raids certainly gave yers more experience and better equipment or item drops than wild monsters, there was a limited number of attempts yers could make depending on the cooldown time. This rule existed for all dungeons and raids, with the exception of a few low-level dungeons. Of course, the number of high-level dungeons and raids avable in RML that top yers could run was even more severely limited. Therefore, one could not merely depend on dungeon dives to progress and secure crucial resources. Izroth set his gaze on the Silvertip Hystrix as the creature returned a fierce re with its deep grassy eyes. At the same time, its body slowly began to expand as the quills on the Silvertip Hystrix¡¯s back quivered. Tsst! Tsst! Suddenly, the Silvertip Hystrix¡¯s body contracted as a barrage of quills fired in Izroth¡¯s direction. As the quills closed in on his position, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a mighty gale swept around him. The force of the gale threw the quills off their initial trajectory and caused them to scattered in multiple directions. ¡¯Now... Let¡¯s begin the hunt, shall we?¡¯ ... Meanwhile, within a building at an undisclosed location... There were a total of six people visible in the room¡ªthree of which Izroth would recognize immediately. One was Menerva, the hidden strategists of the Headhunter Syndicate, while the second was the leader of the rising powerhouse guild, Vault. At the moment, they were seated around a circr table. A few of them looked uninterested in what was transpiring, and some even seemed to be in their own little world. Nevertheless, despite their nonchnt behavior, every one of them had the potential to im a spot as a core yer within other big guilds. "So? Why did we have to gather in this dump? I¡¯ll get dirty just by looking at this ce." A charming voice sounded. It belonged to a yer named Open Notes¡ªthe same yer that led the attack on Sacred Beasts during their fight against the Failed Chimera. After failing the assault and with everyone else in her party wiped out by Izroth, Open Notes was able to escape with her life. Even though she had to divulge some information, it was nothing of great importance to her. Plus, in the end, she even received some gold coins. Of course, she kept this a secret from those who tagged along with her back then. "Hah? Can someone as filthy as you even get dirty to begin with, Notes? Besides, I heard you failed yourst task and ran away with your tail tucked between your legs! Well, I guess that¡¯s fitting for someone who can only pluck at strings and hide during a fight. Bwahahaha!" The one who spoke was a male with bronze skin who appeared to be in his mid tote twenties. He possessed a muscr frame that was incredibly refined¡ªas if he had undergone extensive physical training. His long and wild amber-colored hair was apanied by a pair of fierce red eyes like that of a wild beast. "What can I say? Some of us are born with beauty, skills, brains¡ªthe whole package. However, you Apex, seem only to have inherited a bag of meat for brains and just half a b-" "All of you, calm down. If you want to fool around, then do it on your own time. Right now, we have a problem to settle." Vault said with a grin as he cut off Open Notes before she could finish her sentence. Chapter 629 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(3/3)

Chapter 629 - Behind Enemy Lines Part(3/3)

Apex narrowed his eyes as he red at Open Notes before turning his gaze away. "Hey, hurry up and brief them. We don¡¯t have all day." Vault spoke in a mildly annoyed tone as he tapped his finger on the table. Menerva, who stood behind the seated Vault, stepped forward with an indifferent expression. "I have recently received word that Sacred Beasts is on the move. If the intel epassing their guild leader¡¯s personality is true, then the probability of themunching a furtive assault against the outposts where most of our members are amassed is high." Menerva exined. "Hey, hey, don¡¯t be crazy. We¡¯re in the heart of the Demilitarization Belt. If theyunched an attack against us, they¡¯d have to charge out in the open to reach this ce. Is the guild leader of Sacred Beasts really that stupid?" Apex scoffed. "Not necessarily. There is another route that can be taken advantage of to pass through virtually undetected. Furthermore, it would be best not to underestimate the Sacred Beasts guild leader. If she has decided to make a move, we should proceed with the assumption that Sacred Beasts is in possession of something that grants them the confidence to act so brazenly." Menerva stated unhurriedly. "Another route? Are you talking about the chasm? Hah! Even Toxic Toxin, that poison freak, could barely get through that blood mist in one piece! Besides, even if they made it through the blood mist by some miracle, they would have to cross through the grove. That ce is crawling with strong monsters and other hidden dangers. If they enter without preparations, even if they are a top guild, it won¡¯t be a casual stroll, that¡¯s for sure." Apex noted. Toxic Toxin was one of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate that specialized in various poisons. If even someone like him had trouble passing through the blood mist alone, how could Sacred Beasts ever dream of doing so with enough yers tounch a meaningful assault? "And so what if they have some trump card? If they dare lift their hand against us, I don¡¯t mind breaking it as a warning to others." Apex grinned as he smashed his fist into the palm of his hand. "It is true that Toxic Toxin specializes in poisons, but the blood mist is unique. The Mystical Realm Pce has the luxury of skilled 3rd grade Apothecaries that the other top guildsck. If there is a group capable of creating a pill that can bypass the blood mist, it is certainly the Mystical Realm Pce." Menerva responded calmly. "See? That¡¯s the problem with muscleheads like you. You only know how to solve problems with your fists instead of your brain." Open Notes remarked with a smirk. "You want to say that again?! Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t teach you a lesson just because you¡¯re a woman!" Apex snarled. "What? You want to teach me a lesson for speaking the truth? I¡¯m not afraid of you!" Open Notes scoffed. "You little-!" "Enough! If you two have personal issues, that¡¯s your business. You can settle itter. When you¡¯re on my time, I expect you to earn your keep. Otherwise, I¡¯ll just find someone else who¡¯s willing." Vault scolded. Although Open Notes and Apex still did not see eye to eye, they both fell silent. However, the look of displeasure and annoyance on their faces could not be hidden. Vault set his sight on Menerva and said, "Spare us the boring details and hurry up and get to the point." "As you wish," Menerva replied unhurriedly. She then continued, "ording to the information at our current disposal, it is highly likely that Sacred Beasts is not acting alone." "It was not long ago that Open Notes and her party fell at the hands of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s owner, Izroth, who coborated with Sacred Beasts to eliminate the Failed Chimera. Taking this into ount, along with the fact that both parties involved have experienced conflicts with the Headhunter Syndicate, there is at least an 80% chance that Sacred Beasts has allied with the Mystical Realm Pce for this venture." Menerva exined. "I heard rumors about the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. They say he¡¯s a skilled yer, but, in the end, he¡¯s just some nobody who owns a yer shop. When ites to real power, what threat could he possibly pose to us?" Apexmented. "While he may be just one person, as you so eloquently put it, we are unable to overlook two critical points. First is the poor rtionship that exists between the Headhunter Syndicate and other top guilds. Second is the connections surrounding the individual in question¡ªin particr, his connection with Sleeping Gardenia. Need I remind everyone present the fate that befell Sage Falls?" Menerva stated. "Sage Falls may have been weakened at the time, but they were still puissant enough to fall within the top fifteen guilds. However, before they were able to recover, Sage Falls became swept into an attack from all sides. The first guild to make a move against them at that time was none other than Sleeping Gardenia. Everyone else merely grasped the opportunity and wanted to im a piece of the spoils for themselves. But, what many people are not aware of is the reason why Sleeping Gardenia was the first to act." "Since I have been requested to spare the ¡¯boring¡¯ details, I will simply say that it has to do with the stunt Sage Falls pulled at the Mystical Realm Pce that day. Seeing as how Sleeping Gardenia sent themander of the Lotus Guard to deal with it, the connection between the two parties is anything but fickle. That is why if the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce truly is apanying Sacred Beasts, it cannot be taken lightly. Engaging him is the same as attacking Sleeping Gardenia. Of course, there is also the matter of recent news that both Pill Emperors are a part of the Mystical Realm P-" "That¡¯s enough." Vault said as he interrupted Menerva. Vault swept his gaze across those present and continued, "Do you all understand the situation now? I don¡¯t care how you deal with those bastards from Sacred Beasts, but the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce must be handled with some care. After all, it pains me to admit it, but we still need him, or rather, the Pill Emperors behind him. Once we have them on our side, even if Sleeping Gardenia wants to protect him, he can only hide in fear. But, for now, when he dies, it cannot be traced back to us. That¡¯s why I called you here." Vault¡¯s gazended on the figure seated at the far end of the table. At first nce, the figure could easily be mistaken for a yer; however, upon closer inspection, one could see that it was a lifeless doll. Though this was difficult to make out given the concealing attire and unique facial mask it wore. "You may only be ranked 8th among the Twelve Banes, but there is no one more suitable to get this task taken care of¡ªThe Nightmare, ck Dream." Vault asserted. Surprisingly, despite the doll¡¯s lifeless presence, it shook slightly as a deep and reverberating voice sounded from its position. "Leave it to me, leader. Once you obtain his coordinates, send them my way, and I will handle the rest. I assure you¡ªit will not be traced back to our Headhunter Syndicate." The lifeless doll¡¯s voice echoed. "Good. Do not fail me. While ck Dream deals with things on their end, Open Notes, Apex, and Fractured Anatomy¡ªyou three will handle Sacred Beasts. Take however many men you need. Just make sure you get it done. As for their locations, I will have the shadows take care of it." Vault stated. Vault had not forgotten about the humiliation he endured during his first meeting with Izroth. Just thinking about it made Vault want to tear him limb from limb personally! Ever since that day, he had been thinking about how to get back at Izroth. But, who knew that fate was on his side and the person in question would deliver himself right to his doorstep? Considering Menerva herself stated there was a high possibility of him tagging along with Sacred Beasts, it was practically guaranteed. "Since they dare point a sword at our Headhunter Syndicate, there is only one fate that awaits them. Total annihtion!" Vault eximed. ... Somewhere in the Hollow Soul Grove... ¡¯Sacred Beasts should be approaching the set coordinates soon. It¡¯s a shame, but it¡¯s time I end my hunt in this grove.¡¯ Raaaaawr! Name: Hollow Soul Grove Scorching Earth Liger(Rare) Level: 55 HP: ??? (18%) Chapter 630 - A Good Haul, The Awaited Message

Chapter 630 - A Good Haul, The Awaited Message

After defeating the Silvertip Hystrix, Izroth moved through the Hollow Soul Grove until he came across the Scorching Earth Liger. Out of all the mes he viewed with his Energy Vision Sense, the Scorching Earth Liger was one of the strongest in the Hollow Soul Grove. Its attacks were swift and ferocious, with each blow from itsrge paws carrying a heavy destructive force behind it. However, the most fearsome ability of the Scorching Earth Liger was not its attack power but rather the monster¡¯s natural instinct. With his Flickering Steps active, Izroth was much faster than the Scorching Earth Liger; however, the creature always managed to avoid the attacks aimed at its vital points at thest second. Among the wild monsters Izroth faced so far, the Scorching Earth Liger was in a league of its own. Even the Silvertip Hystrix, a level 53 rare monster, did note close to its might! Unfortunately for the Scorching Earth Liger, it had met the wrong opponent. Rawwr! The Scorching Earth Liger unleashed a mighty roar that caused the surrounding earth to tremble. The next moment, its paws became coated in a burning inferno that melted the ground it stood on. Then, in one swift motion, the Scorching Earth Liger pounced towards Izroth as it swiped downward with its massive zing paw. BOOOOM! The creature¡¯s attack transformed the terrain into rubble and formed a crater eight meters across in diameter. However, instantly after the Scorching Earth Ligernded, it realized that something was amiss. When the cloud of dust cleared under itsrge frame, it was the creature alone who stood within the crater. Grrrrr...! The monster released a low growl as its eyes sharpened. There was a sudden feeling of danger that flooded its senses. It quickly tried to turn around, but before it could do so, the Scorching Earth Liger came to a grinding halt. Out of nowhere, Izroth¡¯s blurry figure emerged near the monster¡¯s back. Then, in a sh, a long cut that traveled from the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s head to its tail appeared on its body. ¡¯Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death.¡¯ ?Critical Hit? -26,633 ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Death In One Step? has been triggered!¡µ -105,160 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Hollow Soul Grove Scorching Earth Liger!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded +20% EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to defeat Hollow Soul Grove Scorching Earth Liger. You will receive the highest drop rate.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s body turned into countless particles. A few secondster, the particles faded, and the only thing that remained was a small pile of items where the Scorching Earth Liger had perished. ¡¯In terms of pure destructive power, overall, it still falls a bit behind the Second Baneful Sword: Kill. Its range is also restricted to melee; however, it easily makes up for both weaknesses with its short cooldown time and burst of mobility. Still, it is somewhat regretful that it cannot be leveled up using skill points.¡¯ Izroth walked over to the pile of loot dropped by the Scorching Earth Liger and examined it. There were several crafting materials, but most of them were umon in quality. However, what did stand out among them were three items in particr¡ªthe Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s pelt, two of its fangs, and a vial of its blood. ¡¯The fangs are decent quality and can be used in weapon or essory crafting. It¡¯s also not easy to acquire the lifeblood essence of a level 55 rare monster. If I collect a few more materials, it may be possible to craft the Pseudo-Celestial Four Beasts Pill. Though it will require some testing.¡¯ Izroth was uncertain if the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s blood was powerful enough to serve as a substitute¡ªeven if the pill he wanted to craft was a weakened version of the one he originally knew. ¡¯Now... This one is a bit interesting.¡¯ Izroth shifted his focus to the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s pelt. Among all the materials dropped by the monster, the pelt caught Izroth¡¯s attention the most. Name: Unprocessed Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s wless Pelt(???) Description: This pelt belongs to the ferocious Scorching Earth Liger that resides within the Hollow Soul Grove. Its light weight, toughness, and high durability can protect the wearer from minor attacks. It also provides a great deal of warmth and neutralizes some effects of coldness. Special Note: This material has not been processed. ¡¯Is it simr to the Unrefined Arisia Crystal?¡¯ During the Great Sea Pce raid, Izroth was able to mine a small fragment of a material called Arisia Crystal. When he required the material, it was in an unrefined state. However, after giving it to Gu Chao, the skilled cksmith "recruited" to his Mystical Realm Pce, it transformed into something greater. After being refined to perfection by Gu Chao, the once superior-quality Arisia Crystal had moved up an entire rank! If the same could be done for this pelt, it would undoubtedly require an incredibly skilled Tailor. ¡¯This should fall under the expertise of someone with the Tailor profession. One of the yers I epted into my Mystical Realm pce that day held the Tailor profession; however, although they have talent, it has yet to truly manifest¡ªmostly due to an earlyck of funds for materials. At the moment, they are only a 2nd rank Tailor and still inexperienced. To process something like this pelt, only one persones to mind. Though I have yet to meet them face to face.¡¯ Presently, the sole Tailor that met Izroth¡¯s qualifications was one he knew of in name only¡ªDivine Needle. Divine Needle was the same yer who created Izroth¡¯s Attire of a Silent Night, as well as the Moonlit Concealing Mantles of Sacred Beasts. If anyone could process the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s pelt, it would have to be them. ¡¯I will have to ask Meng Jiang to introduce me once everything is settled.¡¯ Izroth ced the pelt into his inventory along with the other materials he obtained. Besides the materials, Izroth also acquired two additional items. One was a level 55 rare spear that contained a hint of the Scorching Earth Liger¡¯s beast spirit. In terms of stats, the spear surpassed Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. After all, his Sword of The Storm may be an epic-ranked weapon, but, in the end, it was only level 40. With a fifteen-level difference and being just one step below his Sword of The Storm in terms of quality, the spear was clearly the better weapon bnce-wise. It would not be a stretch to say that this rare spear was currently one of the most powerful weapons in a yer¡¯s hands within all of RML. It was something a top guild would be willing to pay a fortune to obtain! However, the skill attached to the spear paled inparison to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. Not to mention, even if he wanted to equip it, the vast majority of his skills were sword-based. If Izroth suddenly switched his primary weapon to a spear, it would require that he learn apletely different set of skills! While Izroth was not necessarily against this idea, he did not n to entertain it until he, at the very least, aplished a state of perfection for the ten sword forms that made up the Way of the Heavenly Sword. After pondering for a bit, Izroth decided to hold onto the spear for the time being. Whether to sell, exchange, or eventually use it for his own means, Izroth chose to see what the future had in store. Izroth put the spear into his inventory and ced his gaze on the final item left behind by the Scorching Earth Liger. It was a verdant-colored book that gave off a faint white aura with the words "Natural Instinct" written on its cover. ¡¯Oh? It actually dropped a rare skill book. As I thought, first kills cannot be taken lightly, but...¡¯ Izroth could not help but inwardly sigh after he read over the skill¡¯s description. If he had to summarize, it was basically a weaker version of his Soul Sense. If Izroth were to learn Natural Instinct, it would only ovep with his Soul Sense and prove ultimately useless! ¡¯It¡¯s a bit disappointing, but not aplete loss. Since it has no requirements to learn or use, its value is much higher than a typical rare skill book.¡¯ Right as Izroth ced the skill book into his inventory and finished reviewing every item, he received an alert from the system¡ªthe same alert he had been waiting for since the moment he first descended into the Hollow Soul Grove. ¡¯It looks like I wrapped things up right on time.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: yer Meng Jiang has sent you a message, "Group two will reach their destination in approximately five minutes. Get ready to move, Mr. First ce."¡µ Chapter 631 - An Unexpected Finding

Chapter 631 - An Unexpected Finding

¡¯Five minutes... I¡¯m not too far from the coordinates. If I move now, it should only take me-¡¯ Riiiiiiiiiiii...! Suddenly, a high-pitched ring invaded Izroth¡¯s ears. The next moment, everything around him descended into total silence as Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off. The world around him was spinning as it became difficult for Izroth to maintain proper bnce. ¡¯Something is affecting my sense of perception.¡¯ Izroth closed his eyes and activated his Energy Vision Sense. Right now, he had a total loss of his hearing ability, and since everything around him was constantly spinning, his eyesight turned into too much of a liability to trust. However, after Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense, he could not help but inwardly frown. ¡¯There are a few lifeforms nearby, but none of them possess a me great enough to influence my senses directly. However, to escape my natural detection range and that of my Energy Vision Sense... Is it that thing?¡¯ There were several powerful monsters hidden within the Hollow Soul Grove. The Scorching Earth Liger and Silvertip Hystrix were two of the strongest, but even they paled inparison to the strongest me Izroth sensed at the grove¡¯s center. Since he had other priorities, Izroth decided that it was best to ignore that creature and focus on the Scorching Earth Liger and Silvertip Hystrix. After all, Izroth did not doubt that whatever lived at the center of the Hollow Soul Grove was its ruler! ¡¯Based on its mes alone, if I were to confront it with my current strength, I would only have about a 20% chance of winning.¡¯ There was another reason Izroth chose to avoid the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove. Although he had not seen the creature¡¯s physical appearance, Izroth was sure¡ªit was a member of the dragon race! Of course, it was nothingpared to a true dragon like the third prince of the Dragon Pce, Kayn. Nevertheless, the blood of the dragon race ran through its veins, and Izroth understood that he could not afford to disregard it with his current strength. ¡¯It wouldn¡¯t take long for the nearby outposts to notice the scale of disturbance and send people to investigate if it is that creature. But, something¡¯s off...¡¯ Izroth held doubts that it was the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove who was targetting him. Firstly, ording to what Izroth read in the Amaharpe Pce Library, those who possessed even the thinnest of a dragon¡¯s bloodline were proud by nature. Would such a proud creature or individualunch a sneak attack on someone it undoubtedly presumed to be weaker than itself? It didn¡¯t add up. ¡¯To move this deep into my range of perception before I noticed their presence... Unless it¡¯s a member of the Phantasmal race that¡¯s stronger than Aru, there are only three other possibilities. Either the gap in our strength is too far apart, they are employing a magic item, or... They are still outside of my detection range.¡¯ Izroth immediately ruled out the first two options. For one, the Phantasmal race could not harm others due to a restriction ced on their race. As for the difference in strength, Izroth dismissed this as well. If the gap between their strength were truly so vast, then there would be no reason to ce him under the effects of an illusion. At first, Izroth had a vague hunch that he was put under the effects of an illusion; however, as time went by, he confirmed his suspicions. One may be capable of fooling his five senses, but it was an entirely different matter when it came to deceiving his Energy Vision Sense and Soul Sense. When Izroth opened his eyes, he was greeted by pure darkness as his hearing returned to him. Lurking within the depths of this darkness were ghostly figures with piercing red eyes. But, the strange thing about these creatures was that not a single one possessed a me visible through Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense. There was also the fact that after the initial disruption of his senses, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense did not go off again. This meant that the threat was hidden extraordinarily well or that the illusion itself posed no genuine direct threat to him. After understanding this point, Izroth came to a swift realization. ¡¯I see... If it¡¯s her, then I suppose that¡¯s also a possibility.¡¯ From what Izroth knew, Meng Jiang had gone to great lengths to ensure that the movements and preparations made by their Sacred Beasts went undiscovered. However, there was one major anomaly outside the predictions of Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts¡ªthe hidden strategist of the Headhunter Syndicate. This type of attack felt too strategic and sneaky. While there were monsters or NPCs capable of pulling off such a timely assault, the more Izroth thought about it, the more he considered a different possibility. Woosh! Woosh! Suddenly, dozens of thorny vines erupted from the earth beneath Izroth and wrapped around him. In the blink of an eye, Izroth was covered from his neck to ankles in a thick cocoon of vines. At the same time, the ground began to soften as Izroth felt himself slowly sinking. It was as though he was abruptly caught within quicksand where each grain weighed the same as a ball of lead. ¡¯A bit interesting.¡¯ Just as this thought entered Izroth¡¯s mind, the vines continued to grow until theypletely epassed him. The moment it did so, the softened earth hardened and formed numerous ck crystals. Then, from the vines, tiny buds rapidly sprouted. Some of the buds even started to blossom into ck roses. Afterward, everything fell silent as the darkness faded, revealing a figure with concealed attire and a unique facial mask whose body released a faint rattling noise whenever they moved. It was the same lifeless doll that Vault referred to as The Nightmare, ck Dream, one of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate! "I expected more of a challenge. I guess the rumors were just baseless nonsense after all. Well, it¡¯s fine. Once someone is trapped in the Blooming Nightmare Rose, it¡¯s impossible to escape." A lifeless voice echoed from beneath the concealed attire. The Blooming Nightmare Rose was an illusion, just as Izroth suspected; however, it differed from the illusions that most yers were used to confronting. Unlike other illusions, ck Dream¡¯s Blooming Nightmare Rose brought mere illusions to life. The more one struggled against the illusion, the faster it would transform into an inescapable and deadly reality! "When thest Nightmare Rose blooms, his fate will be sealed." The lifeless doll stated. "Oh? What¡¯s this? A puppet?" A voice sounded from behind the lifeless doll. "?!" The lifeless doll¡¯s body rattled. Although its face was incapable of disying emotions, one could tell from its jolted actions that it was surprised by the sudden appearance of the voice at its back. Without hesitation, the lifeless doll dashed forward to create distance between itself and its assant. Its gaze was immediately drawn to the area where it sessfully trapped its target, but it was shocked to discover that nothing was there! "Impossible...! My Blooming Nightmare Rose¡ªit¡¯s gone...!" The lifeless doll eximed. Not just the Nightmare Rose, but even the terrain returned to normal as the darknesspletely resided. However, before the lifeless doll could process what was happening, its body went limp as its eyes turned dull. "I lost control...? ... Can¡¯t... be..." The next moment, the lifeless doll fell to the ground motionless as itsst few words faded away. ¡¯Tounch the first strike when they are supposed to be the ones being ambushed¡ªit looks like I underestimated her foresight.¡¯ Izroth stood over the lifeless doll as he briefly studied it. ¡¯It dropped its guard and revealed itself too soon after catching me in its illusion. Though it saved me some trouble. Whatever it is, it was able to get this close to me undetected. Still, for a puppet to cast such apelling illusion when its owner is nowhere to be found...¡¯ It did not take more than half a breath for Izroth to understand how the illusion worked of the Nightmare Rose worked. Once he grasped the underlying principles, it was simply a matter of using his Space Defying Tread to travel through the Nightmare Rose to safety. However, what Izroth had not anticipated was that the nearby enemy he was searching for turned out to be a lifeless doll! ¡¯Hm...?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gazended on something strange yet familiar that was carved into the unique mask of the lifeless doll. ¡¯This symbol... What is it doing in this ce?¡¯ Chapter 632 - Wing of the Anguished Seraph, Black Dreams True Identity

Chapter 632 - Wing of the Anguished Seraph, ck Dream''s True Identity

The symbol was of a ck wing with red edges. It appeared on the mask after the lifeless doll¡¯s movements were terminated. The moment the symbol formed, Izroth sensed a harboring resentment embedded not in the mask but rather the winged symbol itself. Izroth reached down and pulled the mask off of the lifeless doll, revealing a smooth dark metallic surface. The instant Izroth separated the mask from the lifeless doll, its metal lost the dark sheen and became reced by a wooden-like coating. At a nce, the material looked as if he had been suddenly downgraded. In addition, Izroth received a neverending stream of willpower checks. It was as though the mask in his hands wanted to consume him whole! Nevertheless, Izroth maintained a calm aura as he examined the mask. He found that the item¡¯s system information was shrouded in mystery, which further served to confirm his theory. ¡¯There¡¯s no mistaking it. This is the Wing of the Anguished Seraph. That exins why it was able to hide from my Energy Vision Sense.¡¯ The Wing of the Anguished Seraph belonged to a long-lost Ancient Order that should have been forgotten in the passage of time. So much so that Izroth only recognized the symbol from old tales and legends attached to other entries he read during his visit to the Amaharpe Pce Library. In the end, there was no solid evidence of such an Ancient Order ever existing in RML to Izroth¡¯s knowledge. However, he noticed one consistent point throughout the legends¡ªevery story ended with the same words. ¡¯Abandon all hope, he who gazes upon the wing of the anguished seraph.¡¯ There was too much unknown about the Ancient Order associated with the Wing of the Anguished Seraph. Even something as simple as their name was an enigma. However, with such an elusive nature surrounding it, Izroth believed that it might hold some value. Though he was curious as to how someone could get their hands on such a historical treasure. ¡¯Perhaps I should have kept it alive to question it.¡¯ Izroth ced the mask into his inventory as the willpower checks came to a halt. For now, he decided to look into it whenever he had the chance to return to the Amaharpe Pce Library. At the moment, Izroth was only allowed ess up to the second floor. However, he was convinced that the answers he sought to countless questions were buried on the third and fourth floors of the Amaharpe Pce Library. But, in order to gain ess to those areas, it required more than just a great deal of contribution. After organizing his thoughts, Izroth shifted his attention to the lifeless doll on the ground as he reviewed the system alerts he received upon first encountering it. ¡¯I never thought this would be the first time this effect activated. It¡¯s a crafting skill but still has greatbat potential. As expected from an SSS-ranked skill.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Gifted Expertise of An Artisan? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: 7 Major ws and 58 Minor ws have been discovered in the Dreaming Soul Doll! Disying all ws...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to begin the correction process? [Estimated Time: 2 hour(s) 09 minute(s)]¡µ The reason Izroth could render the lifeless doll powerless near-instantly was thanks to one of the passive effects of his Unparalleled Craftsman skill, Gifted Expertise of An Artisan. This effect uncovered the ws contained within the design of the Dreaming Soul Doll, and Izroth did not hesitate to use one of its major ws to his advantage to disable it sessfully. ¡¯Dreaming Soul Doll... It¡¯s not often you see this type of stand-alone craftsmanship in RML. It¡¯s of no use to me right now, but it may hold some hidden value.¡¯ Izroth declined the correction process and ced the Dreaming Soul Doll into his inventory alongside the unique mask. While he was curious about what changes would ur in an item after undergoing the Gifted Expertise of An Artisan¡¯s correction process, he did not have two hours to spare. So, for the time being, Izroth set those thoughts aside. ¡¯I¡¯m running a bit behind. Being ambushed here, I doubt it¡¯s a mere coincidence.¡¯ From the way the lifeless doll briefly spoke, Izroth knew that it was not acting independently. But, he was unable to locate its owner with his Energy Vision Sense despite scanning the area multiple times. Therefore, he concluded that the owner was either out of range or somehow able to escape the detection of his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯The other two groups may have also been ambushed. But, if that¡¯s the case...¡¯ It was not as ifmunication had been cut off in the Hollow Soul Grove; therefore, if a group hade under attack, they should have sent a message out. However, Izroth received no such message through his system alerts. ¡¯I suppose it¡¯s best to at least check in on their status.¡¯ In the end, Izroth sent a message to Meng Jiang and the leader of the second group, One Shot Brick, before proceeding to make his way towards the agreed-upon coordinates. 10 seconds... 30 seconds... 1 minute... Izroth furrowed his brows after waiting a full minute with no response from either group. ¡¯Something¡¯s wrong.¡¯ Typically, Meng Jiang responded to his messages right away. However, even if it took her a little longer than usual, the response time never exceeded twenty seconds. ¡¯If I¡¯m not mistaken, and the Headhunter Syndicate is behind this ambush, then they must have a way of urately tracking our locations while simultaneously avoiding detection. If my position has beenpromised, it¡¯s safe to assume the others have already been found out.¡¯ Meng Jiang¡¯s n was bold across the board. After all, it required that they prate deep into the heart of the Demilitarization Belt andunch three simultaneous attacks on enemy outposts with a limited number of forces. This made retreat and reinforcements virtually nonexistent under normal circ.u.mstances. In addition, the fact that the Headhunter Syndicate was prepared for their arrival despite their unorthodox approach through the blood mist and Hollow Soul Grove¡ªIzroth believed this level of foresight had Menerva¡¯s name written all over it. But, even without having a line ofmunication with Meng Jiang and the other members of Sacred Beasts, Izroth was not concerned. If Sacred Beasts could not handle this much, they had no right to call themselves a top guild! ... Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location far away from the Demilitarization Belt... Crash! A perfectly rounded ss object no bigger than one¡¯s fist collided with the hardwood floor before it shattered to pieces. The object resembled an orb that was often used by mages to amplify their magical power; however, it was at least half the size of a typical magic orb. Additionally, there was ack of mana circting through the item, which was umon for magic orbs regardless of their quality. "Useless! Why did it suddenly stop responding?!" An irritated voice growled. This voice belonged to a stunning beauty who appeared to be in herte teens to early twenties with short silver hair that stopped at the nape of her neck, apanied by a pair of magenta eyes. A set of small purple crystal earrings dangled from her ears and released a faint white aura that gave away their identity as rare quality items. She wore a long ck and purple dress that fit tightly around her body. The bottom side of the dress that ran along her legs exposed a portion of her skin that ultimately drew one¡¯s eyes to the elegant pair of high heels on her feet. She went by many names; however, members of the Headhunter Syndicate only knew of her through the Dreaming Soul Dolls she used as one of the Twelve Banes The Nightmare, ck Dream. But even Vault, the leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, was unaware of her true identity! "Oh? What has you in such a foul mood, Delphini? Did one of your little distasteful amus.e.m.e.ntse back to bite you?" A graceful voice sounded as a set of footsteps neared. "Don¡¯t go sticking your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, Mysphia. What I do in my spare time is of none of your concern, witch." Delphini, who also went by ck Dream, scoffed as she red coldly at the newest arrival. This arrival was a woman who possessed long purple hair that traveled to the lower end of her back, with a pair of violet eyes that gave off a mystical air. She went by the name Mysphia, and just like Aegis, who Izroth crossed des with inside the Chaotic Dogma Realm, she was a member of Heaven¡¯s Law¡ªa group that even the top guilds dared not provoke! Chapter 633 - Heavens Law In Motion, First Strike On The Outpost!

Chapter 633 - Heaven''s Law In Motion, First Strike On The Outpost!

Mysphia¡¯s lips curled into a cunning smile as she replied, "That¡¯s certainly true. What you do in your spare time is your business. But, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten what day it is?" Delphini scowled, "What are you going on ab-" "Aegis and Ruin have returned," Mysphia stated. "Ha? That red-haired brat and baldie are here?" Delphini said mockingly. "That¡¯s right," Mysphia answered calmly. Delphini briefly fell silent as her eyes narrowed. A few momentster, Delphini broke her silence and responded, "So what if those two caught up? Since when did we gather every time someone returns? Besides, I¡¯m surprised they have the face toe back here after being done in by one guy." "Indeed, their blunder set us back quite a bit. But, now that those two have returned the time of us spending our days idle ising to an end. Also, those two are not the only ones we are expecting today." Mysphia smirked. At the mention of those words, Delphini¡¯s eyes widened in realization. Soon after, she could not stop herself from grinning as the muffled sound ofughter escaped from between her lips. It was not long until Delphini erupted into an almost hysterical fit ofughter. This went on for nearly half a minute straight before Delphini¡¯sughter died down. "Ah... I see... I see..! So those two areing to this ce as well?! Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner, witch?!" Delphini snapped her fingers. As she did so, the pieces of the shattered orb on the floor began to vibrate. nk! nk! Suddenly, the shattered orb snapped back into ce and formed a perfect sphere before shooting towards Delphini, who caught the orb in her palm. Its condition looked new without a scratch on its surface. But, the most shocking aspect was the high concentration of dense mana being emitted by the orb. Delphini looked down at the orb in her hand as a wave of mana swirled at its core. The next moment, the image of a face formed at the center of the orb. "I¡¯ll have to y with you some other time..." Delphini said under her breath as she grinned and licked her lips yfully. "Let¡¯s go, witch!" Delphini tossed the orb to a nearby wooden stand as itnded on a small cushion before she strolled towards the room¡¯s exit. "A foul mouth, as always," Mysphiamented with a light smile as she walked next to Delphini. She then continued, "Ah, we still have to pick up Lzali." "Tch! You should have done that first! Honestly, that girl¡ªhow can she do nothing but sleep?!" Delphini scoffed. Mysphia and Delphini moved further down the corridor as their voices faded. The orb left on the wooden stand remained active with the still image Delphini looked at just moments ago, and the person it revealed was Izroth! ... ¡¯There¡¯s still no response.¡¯ Izroth had just arrived at the outer edge of the Hollow Soul Grove as the outpost immediately came into view. Just as Izroth and Sacred Beasts anticipated, the overall security was extremelyx around the outpost. There were a few guards on patrol, but it was easy to recognize that they were ordinary foot soldiers with one nce. As for the outpost itself, although Tempest and its allies were able to seize control, the magic defenses around the outside perimeter were intentionally destroyed by Rosentarus before their retreat. It may have been a loss on their part in regards to a financial outlook, but knowing that it would only be used against them, Rosentarus had no choice but to cut their losses. After all, their only other option was to leave it in perfect condition for Tempest and their allies, which was out of the question. Upon reaching the coordinates he was given, Izroth attempted to contact the other groups once again. However, with the nned simultaneous attacks on the three outposts set tomence in less than one minute, there was still no response from Meng Jiang or One Shot Brick. Nevertheless, since Izroth already decided to take action, even if Sacred Beasts failed on their end... ¡¯It¡¯s here.¡¯ He would just have to revert to his original method! ... "Damn, why¡¯d we have to get stuck with patrol duty? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anyone stupid enough to attack us out here." A yer by the name of ming Moth said as he kicked a small rock at his foot. "Huh? You should be grateful I asked you to tag along. Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to secure this war objective in the middle of nowhere? Just be lucky we¡¯re able to get a few contribution points. All we have to do is walk around for a couple of hours and collect our points." The male yer next to ming Moth, who went by Reversed River, responded. "I know! It¡¯s just that ever since Tempest took over the Demilitarization Belt, things have been too peaceful. At least when the other side was here, Tempest was a lot less stingy with the amounts of points they gave out." ming Moth sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "You¡¯re right. That¡¯s why, after we finish this patrol war objective, we¡¯ll head north of Amaharpe. A friend of mine told me Tempest is nning something big up there. If we can arrive early, then we¡¯ll have our pick of war objectives." Reversed River said confidently. "Is this the same friend who told you about that rare treasure chest?" ming Moth asked with a look of skepticism. "Dude, that was all the way back in the beginner vige. When are you going to let that go? Besides, it¡¯s a different guy. Trust me, the source this time is reliable." Reversed River assured. "Whatever you say- Hm?" ming Moth went quiet as he looked towards the sky and frowned. Reversed River also looked upward in wonder as the sky darkened and gray thunderclouds formed above the outpost. "I didn¡¯t know it rained out here. Looks like it¡¯s going to start pouring down soon. Just our luck..." ming Moth sighed. Woosh! Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind blew right past ming Moth that caused him to raise his arms instinctively. From the wind pressure alone, ming Moth was nearly lifted off his feet. However, he barely managed to stand his ground and stabilize himself as the abrupt gale subsided. "What the hell was that?!" ming Moth eximed. The gust onlysted for a split moment, but it was enough to almost lifted him, a level 32 heavy armor-ted tank, off his feet! "Hey, Reversed River, you alright! Reverse R-" ming Moth said as he looked to his side; however, he was shocked by the sight that awaited him. Reversed River stood motionless with an expression of disbelief as light particles separated from his body¡ªhe had been sliced clean in half from head to toe! "?!" ming Moth trembled as Reversed River¡¯s figure shattered into countless particles. He tried to process what just happened. One second, they were casually talking, and the next, Reversed River had somehow died! But, before ming Moth could piece anything together, he felt something brush lightly against the front of his neck. The next moment, his entire world flipped upside down as everything around him turned gray. Thump! ming Moth¡¯s head crashed into the ground as his headless body dropped to its knees before falling over. Just like Reversed River, he had no idea how he met his end! But, they were not the only two who experienced this bizarre phenomenon. "Ahhh!" "What¡¯s happening?! Are we under attack?!" "I can¡¯t- Gah!" "My leg...! My leeeeg!" Chaos was ensuing inside the outpost! Both yers and NPCs alike were dropping like flies as a parade of carnage overtook the streets of the outpost. NPC Name: Order of the Gale Force, Tigran(???) NPC Level: 60 "Fools! Get back to your positions and prepare our defenses! If I find anyone neglecting their duties, I will personally cut them down!" Tigran roared. Tigran wore an intimidating, fully ted dark blue and ck armor set with a giant two-handed broadsword in his hands. He stood approximately 200cm tall and easily towered over those close to him. Even though Tigran¡¯s face was hidden behind a protective helmet, his mystical cerulean eyes released a blood-chilling killing intent. Tigran turned his gaze to the sky and locked onto a figure hovering around forty meters above the outpost. "Daring to attack this outpost when I¡¯m present, how bold¡ªor are you just unfortunate?" Tigran said to himself. He was uncertain whether or not this attack was nned with his presence in mind. After all, he was only paying a visit to this outpost while on his way back to Tempest! "Either way, don¡¯t dream of escaping this ce with your life." Tigran tightened his grip on the broadsword in his hands as the weapon became epassed in a cerulean aura! Chapter 634 - Centurion Tigrans Dragons Mark

Chapter 634 - Centurion Tigran''s Dragon''s Mark

... Meanwhile, in the sky above the outpost... Izroth hovered in the air using Sky Steps. In his eyes, purple lightning that matched that in the clouds above could be seen flowing freely. The disorder below inside of the outpost was caused by the skill attached to Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm, Great Storm. By pouring in 100 points of his Essence, Izroth not only enhanced the overall damage of his Great Storm but also increased the skill¡¯s range of 30 meters to 60 meters! While it was not enough to cover every corner of the outpost, since Izroth positioned himself at its center, the damage he inflicted was sizable. In just a few moments, 40% of the poption within the outpost had been eliminated by Izroth¡¯s Great Storm, and as time passed, the death rate continued to grow. But, Izroth did not stop there. The reason behind the mass hysteria in the outpost was not solely due to his Great Storm. Amidst the confusion, Izroth activated his Soul Pressure, and thanks to Great Storm already causing a great deal of panic, it further amplified the effects of his Soul Pressure. Therefore, all enemies within 60 meters underwent a willpower check. As a result, the vast majority were affected with a Weakened or Frenzied status, which added to the disorder. However, for those who were less fortunate, they were instantly killed from the Soul Pressure¡¯s Instant Death effect! With Izroth¡¯s Great Storm and Soul Pressure acting together, the 40% mortality rate in the outpost rapidly doubled to 80%¡ªthe outpost forces had been decimated! Izroth observed the situation down below. There was not much time remaining on his Sky Steps, and so he started his descent. But, as he did so, Izroth could not help but feel a bit disappointed. ¡¯He¡¯s not here. But, just in case, I should be thorough. After I finish up here, I¡¯ll head to the other two outposts.¡¯ Naturally, Izroth scanned the outpost with his Energy Vision Sense, but there were no signs of Vault. However, there was always the possibility of their position being protected by a high-grade magic item. Although the chances were low, Izroth knew it was best not to take any chances with someone like Menerva pulling strings behind the scenes. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Suddenly, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off as he sensed a significant build-up of energying from below near the center of the outpost. The next moment, a burst of energy erupted from the ground and shot straight towards Izroth! ROOOOOOAR! An earth-shattering roar exploded just as the burst of energy fully manifested and traveled at frightening speeds. At the same time, the energy began to undergo rapid changes. From formless energy to a steady stream, and finally a wingless cerulean dragon! ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ Izroth knew that the cerulean dragon was merely a physical manifestation of the energy released by someone below; however, the pressure it gave off resembled that of a creature that contained the blood of a genuine dragon. If Izroth had to make aparison, the energy being released towards him was just one or two steps lower than the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove! It was not an attack he could afford to take head-on by just relying on his natural defenses. As the cerulean dragon closed in on his position, Izroth waited until it was less than five meters away before activating his Primed Instantaneous Movement. Zeuuut! Izroth disappeared and instantly reappeared closer to the ground. He moved nearly fifteen meters away from the cerulean dragon and sessfully evaded the attack. But, something strange urred as Izroth continued his descent. The cerulean dragon, with whom he had just created a fifteen-meter gap, was now directly above him within arms reach¡ªit was as if it had teleported right next to him! ¡¯?!¡¯ ROOOAR! The light around the cerulean dragon¡¯s body turned bright as it roared and opened its mouth before chomping down and exploding mid-air! BOOOOM! The explosion released a massive shockwave that was powerful enough to forcibly dispersed the thunderclouds formed by Izroth¡¯s Great Storm¡ªdespite the skill having a few seconds remaining. For a brief moment, the sky lit up as if another sun had risen over the outpost. The intense light was fleeting and quickly died down. By the time the light dispersed, the cerulean dragon nor Izroth was anywhere to be found. ... At the same time as Izroth and the cerulean dragon¡¯s disappearance... On the ground, located at the heart of the outpost, Tigran rxed his grip on the broadsword in his hands as the aura around it vanished. "Hmph, they couldn¡¯t even survive a single blow. So it was just an unfortunate bug after all. Daring to challenge me with such insignificant strength, you deserved a fool¡¯s death. Be grateful you had the privilege of perishing under my Dragon¡¯s Mark." Tigran said calmly. Tigran looked around and released an irritated grunt. The outpost was already in bad condition when Tempest seized control of it due to Rosentarus¡¯ scorched earth tactics. With thistest attack, it would take them even longer than nned to restore this outpost to a feasibly functional state. As for the loss of life, Tigran was unconcerned. In the end, the troops stationed in this area were not under his direct jurisdiction. Plus, this outpost was manned mainly by yers, who were just disposable goods in Tigran¡¯s eyes. "Where is Guard Commander Vasso?!" Tigran shouted as he stabbed his broadsword into the ground in front of him. His voice was powerful enough to carry dozens of meters away from him. Not too long after Tigran spoke, one of the NPC soldiers ran up to him in a panic. When the soldier approached Tigran, he did not dare look him in the eyes and kept his head down. But, even without making eye contact, the soldier could feel Tigran¡¯s fierce gaze, which caused him to shiver and swallow his words instinctively. "Do you have something to report, soldier? If so, don¡¯t waste my time and speak." Tigran stated with an aura of authority about him. "R-reporting, sir! Guard Commander Vasso has been severely wounded and is currently unconscious, receiving treatment. H-he protected all of us when-" The soldier immediately ceased his words when the pressure around him grew. "Enough. I do not require any excuses. Ry this message to Guard Commander Vasso when he regains his consciousness¡ªhe is hereby relieved of hismand of this outpost. When I return to Tempest, I will send one of my men to take over." Tigran stated solemnly. "But, sir, with all due respect, Guard Commander Vasso is a great leader! If he didn¡¯t protect us, we would all be-" Woosh! Thump! Tigran cleanly separated the soldier¡¯s head from his body using pure brute strength with one swing of his hand! This caused the nearby onlookers to tremble. The soldier had tried to defend Guard Commander Vasso but had not even gotten to finish his sentence before being beheaded! They knew Centurion Tigran was strict, but to be so ruthless to a soldier of his own kingdom¡ªit was too much! Nevertheless, no one dared speak up on the soldier¡¯s behalf, lest they follow in his footsteps. Tigran called one of the yers over and said, "You, ry my message to Guard Commander Vasso. Or, would you like to speak freely as well?" "How could I, Centurion Tigran? It¡¯s my honor to ry your message! I will depart immediately!" The yer said with a nervous smile as he swiftly left to carry out Tigran¡¯smand. He did not want to stay around and risk losing one of his lives; after all, each life in the event was a precious resource! "I¡¯ve dyed my departure from this wastnd long enough." Tigran removed his broadsword from the ground. But, as he did so, Tigran realized something was off as the shadow of his broadsword moved in an unnatural manner. Though the moment he perceived this, the tip of a de came flying out from the broadsword¡¯s shadow! This de contained an overbearing destructive force, apanied by a piercing air that epassed its tip. Tigran did not have time to react as the de had already reached the narrow opening between his helmet and body armor! What followed after the de was a figure that also emerged from within the shadows. This figure was none other than Izroth! The surrounding onlookers were shocked! Where had this persone from? But, more importantly, did they know who they had just attacked?! Chapter 635 - Your Sword Can Never ReaChapter Me

Chapter 635 - Your Sword Can Never ReaChapter Me

Everyone stood dumbfounded as they witnessed what unfolded before them. The de had a clear path to Tigran¡¯s throat and seemed to have prated through his armor¡¯s defenses. Of course, no one rushed in to assist Tigran despite how badly the situation appeared at hand. After all, if someone were capable of taking down a person as strong as Tigran in one strike, then wouldn¡¯t they simply be rushing to their own deaths? As everyone decided to keep their distance, Izroth¡¯s gaze did not leave Tigran. ¡¯I haven¡¯t dealt with someone this troublesome alone in quite some time.¡¯ Right before the cerulean dragon was about to devour Izroth and explode, he managed to safely escape using a second charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement. This was enough for Izroth to reach the ground. Using the blinding light of the cerulean dragon¡¯s explosion as cover, immediately upon reaching the ground, he activated two skills, Shadow Blending and Shadow Movement. Shadow Movement not only helped Izroth avoid immediate detection but also enhanced the natural effects of Shadow Blending, which significantly reduced his presence in shadowed areas. This allowed Izroth to lower his presence so that he could move into position within Tigran¡¯s broadsword¡¯s shadow, avoid his sense of perception, andunch a preemptive strike. However, what Izroth did not anticipate was Tigran¡¯s unnaturally high defensive capabilities. Since Tigran was wearing heavy armor, Izroth surmised that his defenses had to be rtively high¡ªthis was even more after he discovered that Tigran was at level 60. Therefore, Izroth did not hesitate to use the fusion skill created bybining his First Baneful Sword: Destruction and Fissuring Point. ¡¯Topletely resist my First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point... Even that guy doesn¡¯tpare in terms of pure defense.¡¯ During the second team¡¯s selection on the Sky Pce, Izroth came across Roudin, who possessed an abnormally strong defense and one of the Main Upper Eight Domains, the Mountain Domain. But, even Roudin¡¯s defenses were not absurd enough to stop Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point in its tracks! Tigran looked down at Izroth with a soul-piercing gaze. Although he was calm outwardly, on the inside, he was furious! Just now, if he had been a little slower in reacting and activating the effects of his Dragon Scale armor to absorb that blow, based on the prative force it carried, he may have actually received a wound! If he had been wounded in a ce like this, he would not have had the face to show himself in Tempest! Fortunately, his sense of perception and attention to detail was incredible. Otherwise, he would have missed the strange state of the shadow beneath his broadsword and never employed his Dragon Scale. Nevertheless, Tigran did not expect the person before him to survive a direct st from his Dragon¡¯s Mark, let alone emerge from itpletely unscathed. Unless the gap between their strength was immense, it should have been impossible. But, Tigran did not even entertain this train of thought for long. After all, if the one who attacked him were truly that much stronger than him, then he would not have resorted to such indirect methods. Hence, Tigran concluded that he must have used some skill to escape the st radius while simultaneously hiding his presence. "Who sent you?" Tigran asked unhurriedly. He had yet to move ever since Izroth¡¯s de struck him. When Tigran spoke, those nearby felt a sense of relief but also fear. Tigran may be ruthless, but as long as they obeyed orders without question, they could stay on his good side. However, if some unknown powerhouse suddenly appeared, who knew what their fates would be? Though they were still surprised by Tigran¡¯s might. Even after being stabbed in the neck with a surprise attack, he appeared utterly unfazed! "If I told you, would you allow me to leave this ce peacefully?" Izroth responded in a carefree tone. Of course, Izroth already knew the answer to this question. After witnessing how Tigran treated his own soldier, Izroth understood that he would not settle for anything less than his head given Tigran¡¯s temperament! "Impossible. However, depending on how useful the information you relinquish turns out to be, I may grant you a swift death. If you refuse to cooperate, then... I will show you that there are many fates worse than death." Tigran stated coldly. The atmosphere became heavy after Tigran spoke, and a suffocating feeling overcame those within thirty meters of him as he released a suppressive aura. Izroth inwardly frowned. He, too, felt the pressure increase around him. But, what caused him to frown was the familiarity of the aura. It reminded him of the aura discharged by Kayn, the third dragon prince! This aura paled inparison to Kayn¡¯s; however, it held a faint resemnce¡ªthe presence of a dragon. ¡¯Dragon Will.¡¯ Dragon Will was simr to Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure, except that anything with a decent amount of dragon blood running through its veins acquired it inherently. If he were topare it in terms of skill rank, his Soul Pressure would be an S-ranked skill, while Dragon Will would be considered an SSS-ranked version. But, for some reason, the Dragon Will from Tigran was unusual. ¡¯No, it¡¯s simr to Dragon Will, but itcks depth. It almost feels like... An imitation? It¡¯s a shame that my Appraisal¡¯s mastery level is still too low.¡¯ Izroth tried to use Appraisal on Tigran in the middle of his attack; however, he did not learn anything. But, after facing Tigran¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Mark and with the appearance of a pseudo-Dragon Will, Izroth was certain¡ªTigran was able to somehow tap into the power of a dragon! "I¡¯ll have to decline. After all, those who have threatened me have never had a good end." Izroth said indifferently as his gaze turned cold. Woosh! When thest word left Izroth¡¯s mouth, without warning, Tigran¡¯s hand swept across his neck as Izroth¡¯s head separated from his body. It was the same attack Tigran used to behead the soldier just moments ago! "Hm?" Tigran narrowed his eyes. Although his attack seemed to have seeded, he felt no resistance whatsoever when he beheaded Izroth, as though he ripped through nothing but air. The next moment, Izroth¡¯s beheaded figure began to flicker before disappearing from view! Swoosh! Bang! A heavy force collided into Tigran¡¯s back out of nowhere, which caused him to slide one foot forward. Izroth, who was supposed to have been decapitated, was now behind Tigran with his body constantly flickering in and out of existence. By activating his Flickering Steps, Izroth nned to immediately overtake Tigran in terms of speed. After all, from their brief exchange, Izroth understood that when it came to pure defense and brute strength, Tigran held the upper hand. After dodging Tigran¡¯s strike, Izroth shifted his stance to the Second Sword Form: Returning Wave and executed a Sword Counter. However, the oue mimicked that of his first attack. ?Immune? ¡¯Again?¡¯ Just like his fusion skill, First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point, Izroth¡¯s Sword Counter was supposed to ignore the opponent¡¯s physical defenses. Yet, Tigran seemed to be immune to his armor-piercing strikes. Though with his second attempt to inflict damage stopped in its tracks, Izroth confirmed his previous suspicions. From the moment he first struck Tigran, Izroth had not disabled his Energy Vision Sense. He continued to observe the mes that epassed Tigran carefully. The first time, the mes were too meshed together for Izroth to tell them apart; however, after increasing his level of concentration, Izroth was able to spot the differences contained within the me, or rather, mes. There was not one but two uniquely distinct mes that envelope Tigran! The reason it was so challenging for Izroth to detect had to do with one of the mes remaining dormant until Tigran likely invoked it in some way. It was just that these mes were so intertwined with one another in that split moment that it was easy to mistake them as being one and the same. As for the source of the mes, from what Izroth could tell, one part came from Tigran, while the other was from his armor. ¡¯His armor is like a living beating heart, yet there¡¯s no source of lifeing from it. If the armor he¡¯s wearing is capable of fending off my attacks, there has to be some limit. I just have to find it.¡¯ "Avoiding two of my strikes, be it skill or luck, you should feel honored. But-" Tigran said as the ground within thirty meters of him started to tremble violently! Rmmmmble! "No matter how much you struggle, your sword can never reach me." Suddenly, the earth under Izroth broke open as a surge of cerulean light was expelled from the cracks! Chapter 636 - Juggernaut

Chapter 636 - Juggernaut

Izroth swiftly stepped outside the range of the fissure at his feet. Right after he did so, a cerulean dragon simr to the one that assaulted him before emerged from the cracks. However, this cerulean dragon was much smaller than the massive one from earlier and spanned approximately three meters high. It contained a lesser concentration of energy than its predecessor. Nevertheless, it was still not something that could afford to be looked down on. ¡¯I underestimated him.¡¯ From what he observed and the way Tigran spoke, Izroth figured he was the type to anger quickly and allow it to guide in his decisions. But, despite having been hit twice by someone he no doubt held in contempt, Tigran maintained a calm head on his shoulders. After their brief exchange, Izroth realized that he had misjudged Tigran. It was not anger or rage that drove him to kill the soldier earlier, but rather one word¡ªOrder. The soldier spoke out of turn and disrupted that order; therefore, Tigran restored it by eliminating him. This order extended to the way Tigran fought. When Izroth used Sword Counter, it was not the force of the blow that made Tigran slide his foot forward. If someone looked closely at Tigran¡¯s foot, they would notice that it was now touching the broadsword he stabbed into the ground. Izroth witnessed this just as he fell back to evade the cerulean dragon and quickly made the connection. ¡¯That sword probably has something to do with the energy dragons. Does it require direct contact with its user to work? If so, I have to find a way to separate him from that sword.¡¯ The moment Izroth attacked, Tigran had already calmly prepared a counter and did not hesitate with his execution. In addition, he was not underestimating Izroth, which was typicallymon for someone in Tigran¡¯s position. All of this paired with a mindset that prioritized order¡ªin terms of purebat intelligence, Tigran was one of the strongest individuals Izroth faced in RML! At least, this was the conclusion Izroth came to after their brief exchanges. Boom! When Izroth arrived at his new position, the ground he stepped on lit up and split open as a second cerulean dragon made its appearance. Rooooar! At the same time, the first cerulean dragon that Izroth avoided had already begun to make its way towards him with great momentum! Izroth¡¯s figure flickered as he dodged the second dragon. However, it was not over just yet, as every time Izroth¡¯s foot touched the ground, another dragon would rise from the earth. In less than a few breaths, more than a dozen cerulean dragons were spawned by Tigran and chased after Izroth with incredible precision. This created a terrifying scene that looked as if a hydra had descended upon the battlefield. But, Izroth was not alone in experiencing the cerulean dragons¡¯ relentless and ruthless nature. Izroth purposely moved throughout the crowd of onlookers in an attempt to limit the movements of Tigran¡¯s cerulean dragons; however, they simply charged through whatever, or in the case, whoever was in their path. In response, the yers began to scatter and escape from the area. As for those who were less fortunate, they were unable to resist Tigran¡¯s attack and fell at the hands of the cerulean dragons. "He¡¯s crazy! We have to get out of here!" "Why did I ever choose this outpost?! I¡¯m nevering to this ce again!" "Forget the contribution points; it¡¯s not worth sticking around here!" At first, they were curious and excited to see a battle unfold. After all, it was not often that one got to see a high-level NPC like Tigran in action. However, they immediately regretted their decision and no longer nned to wait around for the oue. This battlefield was not something they could afford to stand on with their current strength. "You cannot run forever." Tigran gripped the handle of his broadsword as the aura around the weapon surged twofold! "Dragon¡¯s Mark, Twin Awakening." A wave of thunderous roars echoed throughout the outpost as the number of cerulean dragons instantly doubled. Their size also quadrupled from three meters to twelve meters. The dragons skillfully swirled and weaved around one another as if they had a consciousness of their own. But, the most frightening thing was that despite their sudden increase in numbers and size, each dragon moved in perfect sync with one another. Before Izroth knew it, he waspletely encircled with his path of retreat cut off by the cerulean dragons that created a makeshift cage with their bodies. Izroth looked upward as a group of cerulean dragons dived from the top of the makeshift cage with their maws open as the light around their bodies began to shine brighter. They were about to explode just like the first cerulean dragon that targeted Izroth in the sky! Izroth lowered his sword as the tip of its de touched the ground. A small ring formed around him as a rippling effect with a sharp sword intent moved through the earth. ¡¯Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, Tigran watched as Izroth was trapped with nowhere to escape. However, he nned to make sure that a repeat ofst time did not happen. "This one... He is too dangerous to be left alive." Tigran internalized as he felt the connection between the cerulean dragons and his broadsword be severed. The cries of dragons died down as the energy that made up their physical structure started to fluctuate and grow unstable. The next moment, the once ferocious cerulean dragons shriveled up into thin strands of energy before dispersing. Tigran pulled his broadsword from the ground at his side and stabbed it in front of him. Woosh! The sword intent from Izroth¡¯s ninth sword form crashed into Tigran¡¯s broadsword, or rather, it was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y drawn to the broadsword instead of Tigran. Bzzzzt...! Crrrrkcle! Suddenly, a purple bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the area Izroth stood in, creating a cloud of smoke. Inside the cloud of smoke, shing trails of purple lightning flowed unrestrained, causing the smoke cloud to simte a thundercloud. Bzzzzt! The sound of electricity buzzed right next to Tigran¡¯s ear. He acted quickly, twisting his body and swinging hisrge broadsword around in a crescent motion effortlessly with both hands. Swoosh! The wind pressure alone from the broadsword was enough to carve a deep cut into the earth. But, by the time Tigran finished swinging his sword, he realized that what he had cut in half was just a silhouette. Woosh! Izroth arrived in front of Tigran as he shed down against his right shoulder. Ding! Crrrrckle! The purple lightning around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm revealed his use of the Call of the Thunder God¡¯s First State: Heavenly Descent. Using the cloud of smoke generated by the First State: Heavenly Descent, Izroth moved to several locations under its cover to create confusion with his flickering silhouettes. After doing so, Izroth utilized a third charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to arrive at Tigran¡¯s back. But, knowing that the same trick would not work twice on Tigran, Izroth used his first attack as a feint. When he appeared behind Tigran, without hesitation, Izroth activated the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death to gain arge burst of movement speed. With that burst of movement speed added to his Flickering Steps, it was almost as if Izroth teleported in front of Tigran. Exploiting the gap left in Tigran¡¯s defenses, Izroth acquired one Step of Death stack as the purple lightning from his First State: Heavenly Descent traveled throughout Tigran¡¯s armor. However, it was still not enough to break his defenses. Though Izroth already anticipated this result. He did not give Tigran time to readjust as his speed picked up again. Izrothunched a nonstop torrent of attacks against Tigran from every angle imaginable. He had less than twenty seconds until the effects of his World Quelling Ripple wore off. Before that happened, Izroth knew that he needed to remove either Tigran¡¯s armor or sword from the picture. ?Immune? ?Immune? Izroth¡¯s attacks seemed to have no effect; however, Tigran¡¯s movements were bing noticeably sluggish with every blow. This was the influence of Izroth¡¯s Concealed Heavy Wounds, which increased its target¡¯s overall mass with each sessful strike. Though instead of countering as expected, Tigran stood perfectly still and received Izroth¡¯s blows head-on. But, the pressure he gave off was like that of a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey. "There is a reason I have been granted the title of the Centurion Juggernaut of Tempest," Tigran said as his cerulean eyes turned red. Clink! Clink! Tigran¡¯s armor quivered as its dark blue coating became an enriched maroon, and a metal tail grew at its back. In the blink of an eye, his armor underwent a drastic transformation! NPC Name: Order of the Gale Force -> Centurion Juggernaut of Tempest, Tigran(??? -> Legendary) NPC Level: 60 -> ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) Tigran¡¯s voice sounded demonic as he spoke, "I will say this once more¡ªa sword as dull as yours can never hope to reach me." Chapter 637 - Deadly Curiosity

Chapter 637 - Deadly Curiosity

The surge of energy from Tigran¡¯s transformation forced Izroth to withdraw. When he viewed the new information disyed by the system, Izroth almost did not believe his own eyes. NPC Name: Centurion Juggernaut of Tempest, Tigran(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) That exined why a single attack from the first cerulean dragon he conjured was nearly on par with the ruler of the Hollow Soul Grove! Tigran was among one of the strongest existences in RML below the firmament¡ªa legendary being! Izroth¡¯s expression became serious as he observed Tigran. With his current strength, Izroth understood that he was practically no match for someone in the legendary realm. It was no wonder his attacks weren¡¯t working! Against someone in the legendary realm, his Sword of The Storm might as well be an ordinary kitchen knife! Even if Izroth used every skill in his arsenal, at most, he might be able to wound someone of Tigran¡¯s caliber, and that was being overly optimistic. But, Tigran¡¯s sudden power boost caused Izroth to frown inwardly. ¡¯It doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ The inner workings of Tempest were a bit different from Amaharpe; however, Tigran¡¯s rank was a Centurion, which was the approximate equivalent of an Amaharpe Commander. The problem was that in terms of overall fighting strength, Amaharpe was a step above Tempest. If someone like Aurie, who was in line to be a General in the War Brigade at any given time, held the rank of Commander, it meant that her strength should be at the level of or maybe even higher than a low-ranking Amaharpe General. In other words, Aurie was virtually at the peak strength of a Commander¡ªperhaps only excluding the Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina. Nevertheless, if Amaharpe, who was a step above Tempest in terms of war power, could afford to have someone of Aurie¡¯s ability remain a Commander, how could Tempest bear to have a legendary being like Tigran walk around with the rank of a mere Centurion? Better yet, would someone in the legendary realm be willing to lower themselves to such an extent? The answer was clear. Whatever the case, there were too many mysteries surrounding Tigran. Bang! The metal tail at Tigran¡¯s back mmed into the ground behind him, leaving a deep scar where it struck. The armor was not the sole thing to undergo a radical change. Therge broadsword in Tigran¡¯s hands turned pitch-ck with red carvings of ancient symbols formed on its surface. "You should have escaped when you had the chance. Now that you¡¯ve seen this form of mine don¡¯t even dream of leaving this ce." Tigran brandished his broadsword before lifting it into the air with one arm. Swoosh! Tigran swung the broadsword downward. The weapon did not even make contact with the ground before several fissures started to appear on the earth. These fissures were a direct result of the pressure produced by Tigran¡¯s attack; however, they were just a mere prelude for what was toe. The instant Tigran¡¯s sword collided with the ground, a massive shockwave filled with a rush of condensed energy was sent outward in the shape of a tidal wave-like arc. Izroth¡¯s World Quelling Ripple was stopped dead in its tracks and disrupted by the sudden influx of energy. In a sh, the World Quelling Ripple¡¯s neutralizing effects had been destroyed and wiped clean! But, Tigran¡¯s attack still had an excess of momentum and continued onward in Izroth¡¯s direction. Izroth watched as the wave of overwhelming and destructive energy rushed at him. ¡¯I anticipated that he would be troublesome to deal with head-on, but I have to admit that even I did not foresee this level of difficulty. Is my only option to retreat?¡¯ Izroth was no fool. The obvious answer was to retreat from the outpost and join up with Meng Jiang or One Shot Brick¡¯s group after shaking off Tigran¡¯s inevitable pursuit. After all, his main target, Vault, was nowhere to be found in this outpost. Tigran¡¯s presence at this outpost was an anomaly¡ªa fact Izroth learned while briefly listening in on Tigran¡¯s conversation with the soldier. From their conversation, Izroth discovered that the true head of the outpost was a Guard Commander by the name of Vasso. Speaking simply, Tigran was just a visitor who happened to be in the right ce at the right time to run into Izroth during his assault. While Izroth did not know Tigran¡¯s exact circ.u.mstances for visiting this particr outpost, he could only me his poor luck. Or rather, perhaps his luck was too good, and he pulled the highest card in the deck out of the three outposts? Regardless, the members of Sacred Beasts were fortunate. If one of their groups hadunched an all-out assault against this outpost, they would have undoubtedly been wiped out by Tigran. ¡¯...Retreat, is it? I suppose that does make the most sense given the circ.u.mstances. But-¡¯ A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he activated his Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, causing a thin stream of wind to envelope him from head to toe. ¡¯I¡¯ve always been curious...¡¯ Izroth held out his left arm as an object began to materialize in his hand. What appeared was a spear that emitted a wild and ferocious aura. Its shaft was golden bronze, and the spearhead located at the tip was slightly split apart¡ªlike two ck fangs mirroring one another. Located just under the spearhead was a mane that resembled that of a lion¡¯s, except it was dr.a.p.ed around the spear like a decorative shawl. The moment this spear fell into Izroth¡¯s left hand, it was as if an intense heatwave had abruptly emerged on the battlefield. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s feet became coated in a burning inferno, melting the ground he stood on. This was the spear he received after defeating the Scorching Earth Liger in the Hollow Soul Grove, the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang. ¡¯...At just what I can obtain by taking down someone in the legendary realm. In the end, I won¡¯t know until I try.¡¯ Weapon Name: Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang Weapon Rank: Rare Weapon Level: 55 Requirements: 1,000 Attack, Warrior-Type ss(2nd Advancement or higher) Attack Damage: 1,350 Agility: 210 Earthly Inferno(Passive) - An earth-scorching inferno coats the user¡¯s feet. Anywhere the user stands or steps leaves behind an ?Inferno Print? for 1 minute that deals 50% of the user¡¯s attack as mixed damage per second to enemies whoe into contact with it. There is also a small chance to inflict affected targets with a ?Burn? status effect. ?Eruption? - Causes an eruption to ur at all ?Inferno Print? locations, dealing 475% of the user¡¯s attack as mixed damage to all targets within three meters of an ?Inferno Print? and stunning them for 4 seconds. Targets also have a chance to be inflicted with a ?Burn? status effect. Targets can be affected and damaged by multiple ?Inferno Print?¡¯s eruptions. Cooldown: 25 minutes Thanks to his Battle Fundamental Mastery passive, Izroth could ignore the warrior-type ss required to equip the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang. However, what truly stood out was that the Sword of The Storm was still within his right hand. This meant that he was somehow wielding both weapons at once! Though this was no miracle. It was due to a skill Izroth acquired during the Great Sea Pce raid after sessfully mining a piece of Arisia Crystal of all things¡ªDual Wielding. Skill Name: Dual Wielding Skill Mastery: 12.98% Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: ???(Hidden) Passive: The user of this skill has met the requirements for dual wielding and will gain the following benefit(s): -The user can wield two one-handed weapons simultaneously. If the one-handed weapons are a different type, skills for the secondary weapon deal 35% less damage. (MAX Off-Hand Weapon Stat Gain: 27.75%) -While wielding more than one weapon, the user gains +25% Attack Speed. -While wielding more than one weapon, the user¡¯s weapon-based attacks can be ?Linked? [5 Time(s)] every [30 second(s)]. This effect is affected by the user¡¯s attack speed and skill mastery. -???[Requires 40% Skill Mastery] -???[Requires 80% Skill Mastery] -???[Requires 100% Skill Mastery] Special Note: The skill mastery to Dual Wielding cannot be increased using skill points. Skill mastery can only be increased through repeated use of Dual Wielding. Dual Wielding was a skill that all melee physical damage dealers dreamed of acquiring, but it remained out of their reach. If yers learned that Izroth obtained such a unique skill just by casually mining one time, they would not be able to ept it! Chapter 638 - Towering Inferno!

Chapter 638 - Towering Inferno!

¡´System Alert: Attack Damage for the item ?Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang? has been reduced by 975 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Agility for the item ?Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang? has been reduced by 152 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ The attack damage and agility reduction from the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang was a bit disappointing. However, in the end, it was still a boost to Izroth¡¯s overall stats. More importantly, the effects of the spear remained unaffected. Rmmmmmble! The wave of energy sent out by Tigran rapidly approached Izroth and covered a vast area as it spread out the further it traveled. But, with his Flickering Steps still active and the bonus movement speed from his Light Feather Footwork rising every second, Izroth¡¯s speed soared to new heights. However, instead of using his speed to avoid the energy wave, Izroth stood firm and directly received the blow! Bang! The energy wave mmed into Izroth, and despite the protective winds that were generated by his Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, he felt as if he could be blown away at any moment. ¡¯It¡¯s holding up.¡¯ Fortunately, the protective winds blocked the damage and crowd control effects from Tigran¡¯s energy wave. However, Izroth could feel the protective winds around him be weaker and weaker with every moment that passed. Though just as it seemed that the protective winds were about to give in, the energy wave dispersed. When thest of the energy wave¡¯s momentum ceased, Izroth instantly made his move. The protective winds that epassed his body were drawn to the weapons in his hands as he kicked off his back foot and advanced towards Tigran! As he moved, Izroth left behind a burning inferno with every step, and within a few breaths, there were already numerous areas of scorched earth. However, Izroth did not immediately charge into melee range of Tigran. He employed his Sword of The Storm¡¯s Tempest Strikes to grant range to his otherwise close-ranged attacks. Woosh! Izroth swung his Sword of The Storm and Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang as sharp des of wind were released from the weapons¡¯ edge. Both attacksnded without trouble, but the wind des quickly scattered as they hit Tigran¡¯s armor. ¡¯There¡¯s only a few seconds remaining until my Flickering Steps ends. Before that happens...¡¯ Tigran narrowed his eyes after he witnessed his attack once again fail to damage Izroth. To him, the power difference between them was like that of night and day. Given his opponent¡¯s strength, Tigran believed that the first Dragon¡¯s Mark should have been enough to end the battle. However, that was not the case. Now, to survive a direct strike from his empowered broadsword¡ªthe more skills Izroth¡¯s disyed, the more Tigran became interested in his origins. "A strange movement skill, purple lightning, and a teleportation technique... all things that are not easily acquired. To have a broad range of skills and specializations at such a young age¡ªcan it be that he is a disciple of that ce?" Tigran internalized. "If he truly is from that ce, it is all the more reason to kill him now and erase every trace of his existence." Tigran released a terrifying amount of killing intent. Izroth immediately felt the sudden spike in killing intent from Tigran as his Soul Sense rung sounds of danger. ¡¯Something¡¯s changed.¡¯ While Tigran had not underestimated or let his guard down against Izroth, there was still a certain level of curiosity that kept him from going all out. But now, it was as though that curiosity had been wiped clean and reced with terrifying killing intent! Izroth did not retreat in the face of Tigran¡¯s killing intent. In fact, the killing intent caused Izroth to raise his concentration. At the moment, Izroth was moving so fast that multiple silhouettes constantly lingered in the areas he trod upon. Izroth maintained a perfect distance of three meters from Tigran and made sure every step he took did not fall outside of that range. Of course, Tigran did not n to stand still and allow Izroth to do as he pleased. Swoosh! The metal tail on Tigran¡¯s armor struck out at Izroth as he raced in circles around Tigran. At the head of the metal tail was a razor-sharp edge that hooked slightly at the very tip. This hooked de was sharp enough to effortlessly leave a deep gash in the earth; therefore, one could only imagine the damage it would do if they received a direct hit from it. Izroth narrowly evaded the metal tail that aimed for his head without faltering. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ A small cut appeared on Izroth¡¯s cheek as a bit of blood trickled down the side of his face. -8,035 The next moment, Izroth activated Rapid Regeneration as a light green aura formed around him and doubled his HP regeneration, restoring just over 400 points of his health per second. ¡¯To remove a third of my HP from a small scratch even though I evaded it¡ªAs I thought, my natural defenses are useless. I¡¯ll have to decrease the window of my reaction time if I want to avoid taking damage.¡¯ Typically, Izroth waited until thest moment possible to dodge attacks. After all, the situation could change at any given time; therefore, the longer he waited before reacting, the less time his opponents had to adjust their actions. However, he could not employ this method against attacks from Tigran¡¯s metal tail. ¡¯It¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s speed reached its peak as his Light Feather Footwork approached its maximum boost of 125%, with his Flickering Steps nearing its end. 4 seconds... 3 seconds... 2 seconds! With two seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps, Izroth gained a massive burst of movement speed. He used the active skill of his Light Feather Footwork, and although he lost the passive effects of the skill, he momentarily obtained a 250% movement speed boost¡ªdouble that of his Light Feather Footwork¡¯s passive. But, he did not stop there and executed his Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death twice within 0.25 seconds of one another. For a split moment, Izroth¡¯s movement speed bonus reached a frightening 2,250%! Paired with his more than 10,000 points of agility, the flickering silhouettes were reced by solid and realistic versions of Izroth. It seemed as though he had suddenly cloned himself several times over! "What is he up to?" Tigran thought to himself as the heat in the atmosphere began to rise by several degrees. Before Tigran knew it, the ground around him within three meters had turned into a ring of moltenva. ?Immune? ?Immune? Tigran remained unaffected by the damage of the Inferno Prints as the heatwaves mmed into him. Since it did not affect him, Tigran did not bother moving out of its range. After all, his Dragon¡¯s Scale was capable of receiving much harsher punishment. But, what Tigran did not know was that Izroth was counting on that overconfidence in his defenses. Bang! Izroth slipped through the attack perimeter of the metal tail andnded a solid kick on Tigran¡¯s side. However, as expected, Tigran did not budge from where he stood. It was also at this point that Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps and other movement speed skills came to a simultaneous end. Woosh! Zeeeut! The metal tail swiped out viciously at Izroth; however, just before it could run him through, Izroth used his final charge of Primed Instantaneous Movement to escape. "Hm?" Tigran nced down at his side, where Izroth kicked him to see a burning footprint on his armor. When Tigran¡¯s gazended on the footwork, something strange took ce. The footprint, as well as the ring of moltenva around him, released a bright sh of light. ...BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!! An ear-ringing explosion erupted at the outpost¡¯s center that could be felt and seen at the far corners of the outpost. A towering pir of mes engulfed Tigran. The shockwave and heatwave from the st were so intense that it was enough to inflict a burn effect on those who were more than fifty meters away from where it urred! For the next four seconds, a zing tower of inferno appeared at the center of the outpost as though it were a newndmark. Those who watched from a distance were horrified. Just what kind of monsters were fighting right now?! At this rate, the outpost that was already in a tattered state would never be rebuilt! Some of them were tempted to rush in and get a closer look, but no one dared to do so. If the heat was this intense from so far away, they could only imagine what it was like at its source! Chapter 639 - A Shocking Outcome!

Chapter 639 - A Shocking Oue!

... Izroth consumed a Medium-Grade Mana Potion to replenish his lost MP as the towering inferno began to recede. ¡¯I didn¡¯t expect the stacking effect to be this powerful.¡¯ Izroth took well over one hundred steps as he circled Tigran to build up Inferno Prints on the ground within three meters of his position. Since targets could be affected and damaged by multiple Inferno Prints, it created a stacking effect. In other words, the more Izroth moved, the greater the effects of the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang¡¯s Eruption! Izroth also infused 100 points of his Essence into the skill, which doubled the Eruption¡¯s destructive power. This meant that if Izroth produced a minimum of 100 Inferno Prints with his current attack stat of 3,807, each capable of inflicting 475% of his attack as mixed damage, the result was practically bnce breaking! There was a good reason why weapon ss restrictions existed for certain weapons in RML. It helped to maintain a level of bnce among the sses. For example, a warrior-type ss could possess high attack power and good defense, but their mobility and the time between their attacks would be on the lower end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, rogue-type sses were quick, agile, and could attack multiple times in a matter of seconds. But, their defenses were incredibly fragile, and more often than not, their general attack power was low¡ªthis offset their high attack speed and allowed for consistent damage. Of course, there were burst focus rogue-type sses that could eliminate an enemy in the blink of an eye. However, they typically had high cooldown times, which made it hard to deal with more than one target at a time. In the end, these strengths and weaknesses were directly reflected in weapons and equipment geared towards their respective sses. But, what would happen if a rogue with high attack speed was suddenly allowed to wield a two-handed sword? Their attack power would at least quadruple while their attack speed and mobility mainly remained unaffected. Needless to say, this would cause a considerable imbnce. It was also the reason why the Battle Fundamental Mastery skill Izroth acquired was of priceless value. The Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang was never meant to fall into the hands of someone with Izroth¡¯s level of mobility. Therefore, while its Eruption active seemed extremely powerful, it was only made to be equivalent to an A-ranked skill just shy of reaching S-rank. However, this changed with the addition of Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps and other movement skills. Instead of being an A-ranked skill on the cusp of reaching S-rank, it immediately jumped multiple ranks! Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense to gaze through the receding inferno; however, there were no signs of Tigran. ¡¯His presence has vanished, but...¡¯ Due to the effect range of stacking Inferno Prints, there was a flood of alerts from the system regarding those affected or even eliminated by the burn effect generated by the intense heatwave. Izroth could not confirm Tigran¡¯s fate, which was why he wasted no time consuming a mana potion. ¡¯Even if he¡¯s in the legendary realm, I doubt he is unscathed after a st of that magnitude. Still, I can¡¯t be too careless.¡¯ To Izroth, it would not be strange if a legendary being like Tigran had some kind of life-saving skill simr to how the Skounae Night Lord Zars possessed a Spirix capable of reviving him after death. Though Izroth considered himself somewhat fortunate. The pressure he felt from Tigran did not match up to Zars. In all likelihood, Tigran was probably in the Initial stages of the legendary realm, unlike Zars, who, even without his Spirix, had reached the Primary stage. ¡¯The gap between the two stages isrger than I anticipated.¡¯ Tigran was by no means weak, butpared to Zars, it was clear which of the two were stronger. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Izroth felt something wrap tightly around his left wrist. ¡¯?!¡¯ There was no warning from his Soul Sense and nothing registered on his Energy Vision Sense. It even managed topletely hide its presence and conceal any noise. Izroth nced down at the object around his wrist and immediately recognized it¡ªit was the metal tail at the back of Tigran¡¯s armor! However, it currently extended tens of meters from Tigran¡¯s original position. ¡¯It won¡¯t budge.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s arm was restrained, and no matter how much strength he put into pulling away, it wouldn¡¯t move. At the same time, the towering inferno finally disappeared as the smoke cleared away. However, when Izroth saw what emerged from the smoke, he was somewhat taken aback. ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ The helmet Tigran wore had been knocked off. But, the shocking thing was that Tigran¡¯s head was nowhere to be found! What revealed itself was a headless suit of armor seemingly standing on its own! The most ring change to the armor was that the coating turned from maroon to pitch-ck, with hints of purple running throughout its surface. "Inconceivable! Audacious human! Do you realize how much trouble this lord has gone through to secure a fitting vessel?!" A deep and resonating voice sounded inside Izroth¡¯s head. ¡¯Telepathy? No, more importantly, this aura... There¡¯s no mistaking it. It belongs to a member of the dragon race.¡¯ Izroth could no longer see Tigran¡¯s mes with his Energy Vision Sense. After the armor revealed its presence, there was just a singr overbearing me that originated from the armor itself. Compared to Tigran, or even Zars, it was on an entirely different level. In fact, the quality of the me from the armor was on par with the Death Emperor Nekrosatoras, who signed a Soul Contract with Izroth in the Netherly Swathe Minor Realm. ¡¯So this is the uneasy feeling I had. I thought it was strange that a Centurion possessed such a high level of strength.¡¯ Whatever the case, Izroth understood that there was no longer anything for him to gain by sticking around. Seeing as he could not escape from the armor¡¯s bind through normal method, Izroth used his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread. This skill enabled him to travel through solid objects and even strong magic barriers. It also shared a separate cooldown time and charges from the primary effect of his Primed Instantaneous Movement. Zeeeut! Izroth¡¯s figure disappeared and reappeared. However, he found that instead of teleporting thirty meters away as nned, he had not moved a single step. Somehow, the armor was able to obstruct his teleportation skill! ¡¯¡¯Hmph, trying to escape from this lord? How bold, but ultimately futile. You have damaged the vessel this lord has spent a vast amount of resources preparing. Your life alone is not enough to repay a fraction of what this lord has spent! Useless fool, I warned him to wait until he fully developed...!" The threatening yet annoyed voice echoed in Izroth¡¯s mind. Resources? Vessel? From those words and the armor¡¯s furious tone, Izroth swiftly pieced things together. ¡¯I see... That exins why there were two unique mes present the first time I examined him. This thing¡ªit¡¯s a living armor.¡¯ During all his time in RML, this was only the second living armor with high intelligence capable of choosing its host that Izroth¡¯s ever seen. The first, of course, being his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Though given how unimaginably difficult it was to craft living armor, let alone one with a will of its own, Izroth was not surprised by its scarcity. However, this was thest ce he expected to run into a living armor! ¡¯It¡¯s clearly infuriated, but it has not made a move to kill me, only restrain. It must be after something. But, what?¡¯ If the armor and Tigran were two separate entities, then it was not necessarily his enemy. So, there was the possibility of having an actual conversation with it. "You haven¡¯t tried to kill me yet, so how about we don¡¯t waste each other¡¯s time? What is it you want from me? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware, but I can not bring back your host from the dead." Izroth said calmly. The voice from the armor fell silent for several seconds in response to Izroth¡¯s inquiry. Momentster, it finally spoke and said, "You have some guts, human. Most of your kind cowers in fear when faced with this lord¡¯s presence." It then continued, "You asked this lord what it is that I d.e.s.i.r.e? It is a new host that can live up to this lord¡¯s standards." "This lord would have never paired with a weakling like that if not for certain circ.u.mstances. But, now that this lord¡¯s host is no more, I will take you as my new host!" "Impossible," Izroth replied without dy. "It¡¯s not for you to decide, human." "You are correct in that sense. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you¡ªit¡¯s not possible." "Arrogant! Impossible? This lord wants to see how you stop me!" The armor roared angrily in Izroth¡¯s mind as it rushed at unfathomable speeds towards him! Chapter 640 - Insatiable

Chapter 640 - Insatiable

As the armor charged Izroth, it saw that he did not make a second attempt to break free from its restraint. Nor did he try to escape. Seeing that its target did not put up a struggle, the armor believed that he had given in and epted his fate. "Do not feel disappointed at your weakness, human. Once this lord has merged with you, you will have ess to power far beyond your means!" The armor opened up before mming itself shut around Izroth! It then slowly began to morph and change its shape to better fit its new host, and in less than a single breath, Izroth¡¯s figure could no longer be seen. A helmet identical to the one Tigran wore now covered Izroth¡¯s head as a pair of violet eyes emerged from the darkness. "Ahahaha! This human¡¯s not a bad fit for this lord! His talent is well above that of my previous host. As long as I can fully integrate myself, there is a good chance that I may finally break free of this shell. Once this lord has achieved their goal, there will be no one in this world that can suppress me! The Dragon Lord of the Abyss will rise atst!" "I see. So you¡¯re the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. I have to say; your ambitions sure are bold." Izroth¡¯s voice sounded. "?!" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss was surprised when it heard Izroth¡¯s voice as its armor trembled. Whenever the Dragon Lord of the Abyss chose a new host, it would f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y suppress their will and actions until they learned to naturally submit to its control. It was the same process it used countless times to ensure absolute authority over its host. However, this was the first time someone managed to maintain their will, let alone speak freely without its permission! "Interesting! This is the first time anyone has been able to speak without approval while under this lord¡¯s control. It seems the host this lord has chosen this time is indeed worthwhile. But, the circ.u.mstances remain unchanged, human." The Dragon Lord of the Abyss stated confidently. So what if its host could speak? It may have caught it off guard, but it was only a bit taken aback, that¡¯s all. In the end, it still had control over everything else with its new host! "Indeed, the circ.u.mstances are unchanged. It is quite the glutton, after all." Izroth said calmly. "What are you-" Suddenly, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss felt that something was wrong. Its power and authority that it used to suppress its host abruptly started to tear apart at the seams! "Ahhhhh!!! What have you done?! Roooooooar!!!" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss unleashed a mighty cry that caused the entire outpost to tremble! Clink! Clink! The next moment, the armor bound to Izroth began to crack apart and crumble. However, instead of turning to particles and disappearing, the broken pieces of armor sunk into Izroth as if they were being absorbed! "To be tricked by a human... Unforgivable!" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss bellowed as it immediately began the process of parting itself from Izroth. "You may live another day, but this lord will have you pay for your impertinence!" Even though it had already suffered some minor damage, it could repair itself given time. However, it could not help but curse Izroth. Being forced to relinquish its new host right after losing its previous one¡ªthe Dragon Lord of the Abyss would never forget the humiliation! Woosh! The Dragon Lord of the Abyss managed to tear itself apart from Izroth sessfully; however, just when it thought it was safe, its movements were suddenly restricted. "What have you done, human?! What kind of sorcery is this?!" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss struggled to break free but inevitably failed. At the same time, Izroth¡¯s Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence reverted to its original form as a long tongue made of strange ck metal coiled around the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. The metal tongue pulled the armor in as the mighty maw of a beast appeared with rows upon rows of razor-sharp ded teeth at Izroth¡¯s torso. "Wait, human! Release me at once, and I shall grant you untold power, wealth, fame¡ªwhatever it is that you d.e.s.i.r.e, this lord can make it a reality! Be reasonable, or once I escape, you won¡¯t know how you died!" Izroth remained silent in the face of the Dragon Lord of the Abyss¡¯ words. A few moments ago, it wanted to strip him of his will, and now it tried to frighten him with empty threats? Even if Izroth had the power to save it, why would he do so? Did he not warn the Dragon Lord of the Abyss that it was impossible? Yet, in the end, it still acted on its greed and anger. If it had just left after Tigran was defeated, then its fate would have been different. But, it was toote for it to regret. After realizing that Izroth was not responding to its promises or threats, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss began to panic. If things continued to progress at this rate, then it would be swallowed alive! "Human, do you dare?!" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss released a ferocious aura filled with deadly killing intent. Before, it held back some since it did not want to kill its potential new host. However, seeing as how they were refusing its kindness, they only had themselves to me! Woosh! Bang! A heavy wave of killing intent mmed into Izroth with the full might of a dragon¡¯s aura behind it. But, what was that dragon¡¯s aurapared to the one he experienced from a true dragon like the third prince of the Dragon Pce, Kayn? The armor may have been capable of releasing a strong dragon¡¯s aura, but, in the end, it was only an imitation of the real thing. CRUNCH! ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Peerless Conduct? has been activated!¡µ Izroth¡¯s Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence chomped down with great vigor on arge portion of the armor¡ªas if it had just tasted a delicacy and could not wait to take another bite! If the Dragon Lord of the Abyss had a face right now, it would have turned pale. How was this human able to endure its killing intent fused with dragon¡¯s aura?! No, that did not matter now. If this kept up, it really would be eaten alive without a second thought! "I will serve you! Young master; I will serve you! Spare me! I am willing to submit! I am willing-" The Dragon Lord of the Abyss implored Izroth; however, as if it feared its food would be taken away, the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence mercilessly gorged on the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! The Dragon Lord of the Abyss¡¯ voice faded as the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence swallowed thest few pieces of its existence. The mouth on the front of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence curled into a smile as though it had just finished enjoying a delicious meal. ¡´System Alert: The item ?Abyssal Dragon Lord¡¯s Scales? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Overeater? has been activated!¡µ The ck metal tongue retracted into the mouth of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence before disappearing as the armor returned to its original state. A couple of secondster, it once again donned the appearance of the Attire of a Silent Night. From the tranquil look of it, one would never have guessed that it had just finished devouring a living armor! Izroth released a small sigh as he inwardly shook his head. In truth, he felt that it was somewhat wasteful to destroy a living armor. If he could have used Heart of A Creator from his Unparalleled Craftsman skill, it would have given him invaluable insight into how living armors were crafted in RML by obtaining its production method. But, even though Izroth tried to warn it, it refused to listen. ¡¯It¡¯s a bit regretful, but what¡¯s done is done. Now... What will you do?¡¯ Izroth thought to himself as he looked down at his torso where the mouth of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence had been just seconds ago. To Izroth¡¯s knowledge, all living armors were growth-types; however, there was no such slot for equipment consumed with his armor¡¯s Overeater effect. Common, Umon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Unique, and Divine¡ªthese were the only options avable, and yet, it had just absorbed a growth-type living armor. This made Izroth wonder¡ªwhat would the result be from a growth-type living armor having consumed another growth-type living armor? Chapter 641 - A Devastating Blow Against The Headhunter Syndicate! Part(1/2)

Chapter 641 - A Devastating Blow Against The Headhunter Syndicate! Part(1/2)

... A few moments ago... "Hey, just give up already. Do you think that anything will change even if you kill a few of us? We¡¯ll simply keep replenishing our forces until you¡¯re down to yourst man. Sooner orter, one of you will fall. Once that happens, it won¡¯t be long until the rest crumble along." Apex said with a grin. "You sure know how to talk big for someone who hasn¡¯t been able to kill a single person on our side. I guess the rumors about the Headhunter Syndicate were true after all. A pointlessly big guild with third-rate members at its core. No, I suppose even that¡¯s being too generous. I¡¯ve seen monsters in the beginner¡¯s zone put up more of a challenge!" One Shot Brick scoffed. At the moment, One Shot Brick, along with fourteen other members of Sacred Beasts, were currently surrounded by yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. On their way to their assigned coordinates, One Shot Brick and the yers from Sacred Beasts had been ambushed. To make things worse, theirmunication was also cut off. But, instead of panicking, One Shot Brick quickly rallied his guild members together and formed a tight formation. So far, more than a dozen yers from the Headhunter Syndicate had fallen. However, when it came to Sacred Beasts, they suffered zero casualties on their side! "Brave words for someone soon to be dead. Go!" Apex ordered as he held his hand forward. The moment he gave themand, several yers from the Headhunter Syndicate rushed towards the members of Sacred Beasts. Simultaneously, various ranged attacks, including arrows and magic missiles, rained down in the group¡¯s direction. While the Headhunter Syndicate certainly held the advantage when it came to quantity, those from Sacred Beasts, without a doubt, possessed the upper hand in terms of quality. However, every time One Shot Brick or someone from Sacred Beasts cut down a yer from the Headhunter Syndicate; two more would appear to rece them. But, what caught those from Sacred Beasts off guard was how reckless their enemies were. "This is insane! They just keep charging in without care for their lives!" One of the Sacred Beasts yers, Banshee,mented with a frown as she mmed her fist into one of the yers who rushed her and knocked them back. "It¡¯s just how the Headhunter Syndicate does things. The low-level members are used as nothing but cannon fodder. They¡¯re nning to weaken us as much as possible. After that, I¡¯m sure that guy will make his move!" One Shot Brick said. One Shot Brick struck the ground as a swirling whirlpool fifteen meters wide appeared at his feet. "Lure of Deluge!" One Shot Brick roared. At the same time, the arrows and magic missiles that were headed right for his guild members abruptly changed their trajectory. Swoosh! Swoosh! The ranged attacksunched by the Headhunter Syndicate were drawn to the whirlpool created by One Shot Brick and effectively neutralized. Lure of Deluge was simr to One Shot Brick¡¯s skill Anchor of Deluge, except it "taunted" or rather f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y pulled in projectiles instead of yers. "We have to take out their leader! Get ready to move!" One Shot Brickmanded as he brandished his shield and prepared to charge through the crowd of yers. The attacking group was centered around the fifth of the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s Twelve Banes, The Beast, Apex. No one knew much about the inner workings of the Headhunter Syndicate, let alone the strength of those who called themselves the Twelve Banes; therefore, One Shot Brick had to trust his instinct. A group of yers moved to intercept One Shot Brick and those from Sacred Beasts at hismand. "Out of the way!" One Shot Brick howled as he tightened his grip on his shield. At the same time, a thin film of water epassed his entire body! Zeeeut! Wooosh! Just as One Shot Brick was about to ram through the blockade of yers from the Headhunter Syndicate, a strong gust of wind blew past him from behind. "?!" One Shot Brick was startled by the abrupt appearance of the gust. Did his Lure of Deluge miss one of the projectiles? No, how could he make such an amateur mistake? But, then, what was it? "Huh?" One Shot Brick witnessed a bizarre scene unfold before his eyes. One by one, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate were dropping to the ground. "We¡¯re under attack! Everyone regroup!" Apex cautioned. Meanwhile, One Shot Brick and the members of Sacred Beasts were stunned. Every time they blinked, another two, three, or even more yers would fall as a blurry and flickering silhouette appeared one moment, then vanished the next. "Wait, this is...!" One Shot Brick remembered where he saw this flickering silhouette. During his guild¡¯s fight against the Failed Chimera, a simr terrifying disy of speed took ce. Even though the figure was hard to make out, One Shot Brick recognized some familiar details upon closer inspection. "It¡¯s Mr. First- No, Pce Master Izroth!" One Shot Brick eximed. "Pce Master Izroth? Shouldn¡¯t he have arrived at the other outpost already? What is he doing all the way out here?" Banshee questioned. "I don¡¯t know. It could be that he got worried after we missed our scheduled strike time. With ourmunication cut off, it¡¯s possible Pce Master Izroth realized that something was wrong and rushed to our aid." One Shot Brick spected. He then continued, "Whatever the reason, we still have a mission to aplish. Let¡¯s show these bastards from the Headhunter Syndicate the price of looking down on our Sacred Beasts!" When Apex noticed the boost in morale on Sacred Beasts¡¯ side, as well as the yers from his group being erased one by one, his expression turned cold. "What is that useless woman doing...?!" Apex internalized as he grit his teeth. Open Notes should have been in the background providing support and keeping an eye on the surroundings. How did someone manage to slip through the perimeter they painstakingly set up?! Apex originally wanted to weaken the yers from Sacred Beasts and then step in to finish them off with his own hands to im all the rewards with little effort. However, at this rate, they would be wiped out before their forces could be replenished again! "Reveal yourself, coward!" Apex bellowed. Apex growled as his body size started to increase and his muscles bulked up. His eyes turned yellow as stripped orange and ck fur began to grow on the side of his face and body. Apex¡¯s fingernails became sharp ws, and pointed fangs reced his teeth. He released a beastly cry as a wild aura manifested around him. Apex kicked off the ground, creating a small cavity where he once stood as heshed out with his sharp ws at thin air! Ding! Surprisingly, Apex¡¯s ws collided with something solid as a flickering figure emerged in the spot he struck. "Stop right there, you bastard!" Apex growled threateningly as he stared down the person who had been wreaking havoc. ¡¯Oh? He was able to follow my movement?¡¯ The flickering silhouette stopped and revealed Apex¡¯s ws pressed against an azure de. This de, of course, belonged to Izroth. It was not often that Izroth came across a yer capable of following his actions with an S-ranked movement skill like Flickering Steps active. In addition, Apex did not make themon mistake of aiming at where Izroth was at the moment. Instead, he struck precisely where he predicted Izroth would step next. This type of built-in reaction required good gaming sense and a specific amount ofbat experience. "I will ask you this once¡ªwhere is the guild leader of your Headhunter Syndicate?" Izroth inquired calmly. "Ha? Do you really think that I... Would tell the likes of you!" Apex reinforced his strength as his muscles expanded. This caused the ground around both him and Izroth to break from the pressure. But, to Apex¡¯s astonishment, no matter how much strength he pushed down with to try and overpower Izroth, the person in question would not budge! "If that¡¯s your answer, then¡ªI no longer have any use for you," Izroth said coldly. Chapter 642 - A Devastating Blow Against The Headhunter Syndicate! Part(2/2)

Chapter 642 - A Devastating Blow Against The Headhunter Syndicate! Part(2/2)

... With Apex¡¯s attention drawn to Izroth and the number of Headhunter Syndicate yers in the immediate vicinity reduced, One Shot Brick and the members of Sacred Beasts went on the offensive. One Shot Brick led the way as he smoothly moved throughout the battlefield unimpeded. Those who tried to block his path were instantly knocked out of the way or trampled beneath his feet as he charged onward. With their numbers advantage waning, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate quickly had their individual weaknesses exposed. In front of more seasoned and skilled yers like One Shot Brick, Banshee, and the other core members of Sacred Beasts, they did not stand a chance! Swoosh! Ding! Apex swiped out at Izroth with his ws as a red aura lingered around the tip of his nails; however, his blow was swiftly intercepted by Izroth¡¯s sword. Apex could not fullyprehend how Izroth ended up near his assigned outpost when he was supposed to have been eliminated by ck Dream. What baffled Apex was that even if Izroth somehow defeated ck Dream, it should have been impossible for him to reach this area so quickly. None of it made sense! "No, he appears to be a speed-type yer. It¡¯s possible he escaped from ck Dream and ran full speed to meet up with the nearest group. Useless! Whatever, I¡¯ll just deal with him myself and take all the credit. I don¡¯t know why, but our guild leader hates this guy. Once I crush him here, the guild leader will have no choice but to reward me handsomely!" Apex internalized as arge grin formed on his face. The way he saw it, even if Izroth fled from ck Dream, there should be no link that led back to their Headhunter Syndicate. After all, there were a lot of puppet users in RML. Vault prohibited them from openly attacking Izroth since he still needed to find a way to draw the two Pill Emperors of the Mystical Realm Pce to the side of their Headhunter Syndicate. However, since Izroth was the first to strike in this scenario, Apex would merely im self-defense. Even if Sleeping Gardenia or another top guild wanted to step in on his behalf, their Headhunter Syndicate would be in the right! All he had to do was feign a bit of ignorance and twist some words. Apex retreated a few meters away from Izroth as the beastly aura around him grew. "I¡¯m not sure who you are, but I know all of Sacred Beasts¡¯ core members, and you aren¡¯t one of them! Our business is with those from Sacred Beasts alone! If you leave now, I¡¯m willing to overlook this offense against our Headhunter Syndicate and will permit you to live! Otherwise, don¡¯t use me of being discourteous when it¡¯s toote!" Apex shouted. Of course, he had no intention of letting Izroth go. If Izroth epted, Apex nned to demand an outrageous amount ofpensation for the lost lives of his guild members. Once Izroth refused to pay, he would be justified in his actions. Either way, there was no chance of him leaving this ce alive! Apex became irritated by the look on Izroth¡¯s face as it seemed to scream that he was unworthy of being ced in his sights. If there was one thing Apex hated, it was being looked down on. So what if he had the most contribution points? That meant nothing when it came to PVP battles! "Let¡¯s see how long you can keep up that calm expression of yours..!" Apex growled under his breath. The biggest contributor to Apex¡¯s confidence was that Izroth appeared to be a speed-type yer. If that was so, he could not have asked for a better opponent. As long as he had his skill, Predator¡¯s Acuity, no matter how fast his opponent moved, they would not be able to avoid his perception! "Fine, stay silent for all I care. I¡¯m going to wipe that annoying look off your face!" Apex lowered his stance until he was on all fours as his muscles expanded once again. Apex roared as fur started to spread over the rest of his body as he underwent a rapid transformation. By the time the fur finished covering him from head to toe, Apex¡¯s appearance had undergone a drastic change. What emerged was a fierce beast that resembled a cross between a Saber-Toothed and Bengal Tiger. This was a skill unique to Apex¡¯s ss, Beastmaster. In addition, his skill, Predator¡¯s Acuity, was further enhanced, which would hugely improve his ability to keep track of targets. Apex shot forward at full speed as he leaped ten meters into the air! "Die!" Apex shouted as a paw the size of his body made of red energy materialized beneath his frontal limbs. However, Apex failed to realize that he had unknowingly sealed his fate the moment he left the ground. Almost immediately after Apex leaped, Izroth kicked off the ground and jumped a couple of meters into the air. When Apex saw what Izroth was doing, it nearly caused him to burst into a fit ofughter. What was that idiot doing?! Didn¡¯t he know that there was a limit to how high yers could jump? The only reason he was able to bypass this limit was because of his beast form. But, it was virtually impossible for a typical yer to achieve this kind of height, even with a skill that boosted their jumping capabilities. The only way to reach him this high up would be to transform like he did or fly. While the first option was a possibility, he knew for a fact that Izroth was a Combat Master; therefore, having a ss that could transform was out of the question. As Apex began his descent, he headed right for Izroth. He wanted to tten him alive before he couldnd! But, to Apex¡¯s surprise, Izroth did not fall back to the ground. Instead, he kept getting closer and closer every moment! "What?! How can he jump so high?!" Apex eximed. Was there such a thing as an S-ranked jumping skill? "Whatever! If he wants to rush to his death, that¡¯s fine by me!" In Apex¡¯s eyes, Izroth was a fool. He gave up his only advantage, speed, the instant his feet left the ground. Now that he was mid-air, there was no longer a method for him to dodge his attack! Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as dense lightning elements gathered around him. Right as the giant energy paw was about to crash into him, Izroth kicked off the air and moved to the side just out of the attack¡¯s range. "?!" Apex was dumbfounded at what had just unfolded before his eyes. But, before he could fully process his thoughts, Apex felt a soft, cold breeze brush across the side of his neck, followed by a high-pitch screech. Apex did not see Izroth draw his weapon, but he knew the feeling of a de missing him by a hair¡¯s length. If it were just a bit closer, he would have received a critical blow¡ªat least, that¡¯s what he thought. "That was close-" "Wait, why can¡¯t I move?!" Apex internalized as his body turned rigid. ¡¯Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke.¡¯ Precisely half a secondter, a powerful jolt of lightning invaded Apex¡¯s beastly form! ?Critical Hit? -27,887 Apex went pale when he noticed his HP fall from 100% to below 5% with one strike! What kind of ridiculous damage was that?! This was the thought that went through Apex¡¯s mind. However, just when Apex believed that it was over, a wave of intense sword intent washed over him. ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Quelling Ripple? has been activated!¡µ -5,000 ¡´Battle Alert: yer Apex has died!¡µ Chapter 643 - System Bug

Chapter 643 - System Bug

Izroth held off on his next attack after seeing the effects of his Quelling Ripple activate. Apex¡¯s body broke apart as it shattered into countless particles and faded away before it could hit the ground. Tap! Izrothnded safely as his Quelling Ripple continued to expand with every passing second until it covered an area of 45 meters. Even though the passive activation of the Quelling Ripple was weaker than the ninth sword form¡¯s active, it still dealt 5,000 fixed damage to all enemies within range. Most of the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate were still in the level 30s range, which was why despite their numerical advantage, the core yers from Sacred Beasts fended them off without suffering a single loss. Furthermore, their equipment was mostly made up ofmon and umon gear. These reasons were also why many of them perished the instant they came into contact with Izroth¡¯s Quelling Ripple. Either their health stat was too low to survive, or they had already been injured by one of the yers from Sacred Beasts and crumbled under the sudden burst of damage. By the time Izroth¡¯s Quelling Ripple stopped, less than twenty yers remained from the Headhunter Syndicate! Their initial goal was to weaken Sacred Beasts by overwhelming them with numbers and constantly replenishing any loss forces from the nearby outpost. But everything was thrown into chaos too fast for them to react. yers from their side started dying out of nowhere, Sacred Beastsmenced a counterattack, and their group leader, Apex, was utterly annihted! With their group leader out of the picture and the situation arriving at a hopeless conclusion, the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate scattered in different directions. They no longer had the will or purpose to fight! "I-I¡¯m getting out of here!" "Yeah, screw this! One gold coin ain¡¯t worth it!" "It¡¯s every man for themselves! Out of the way!" Upon seeing the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate lose their will to fight and fleeing in terror, those from Sacred Beasts issued a cry of victory. While Izroth did a lot of the heavy lifting on his end, they still managed to eliminate their fair share of enemies, and so, it was a cause worth celebration! However, the celebration was brief as One Shot Brick cleared his throat and resumed his duties as the group leader. He then continued, "Make it quick. We don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll return. Also, since we were ambushed, it¡¯s probably safe to assume the guild leader¡¯s group was targeted as well. I¡¯m not too worried about them since the guild leader¡¯s there, but we should try to find a way to restore our lostmunication and confirm their safety." After he finished speaking, everyone swiftly left to carry out One Shot Brick¡¯smands. "Now..." One Shot Brick looked over towards Izroth as a helpless smile appeared on his face. Every time he saw Izroth in action, One Shot Brick could not help but feel somewhat inadequate when it came to his own skill level. "Just what kind of monster did the guild leader befriend?" One Shot Brick internalized as he walked over to Izroth. Izroth noticed One Shot Brick approaching him and returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. "Pce Master Izroth, it¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re safe." One Shot Brick said as he greeted Izroth respectfully. He then continued, "First off, allow me to thank you on everyone¡¯s behalf for your help. Things would not have gone nearly as smooth without your arrival. This ambushpletely blindsided us." Izroth nodded and replied, "I¡¯m d I was able to arrive in time to be of assistance. Though even without my interference, from what I¡¯ve seen, I doubt their numbers alone would have been enough to suppress your group for long." "I am merely speaking the truth based on my brief observation¡ªthat¡¯s all." "Then, I will shamelessly ept your truth as the reality of the matter. Ah, I hope you don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m having everyone pick up the loot. I figured it would be faster this way. Of course, I¡¯ll see to it that you receive more than your fair share of the cut, or our guild leader wouldn¡¯t let me hear the end of it." One Shot Brick said half-jokingly. "It also saves me some trouble. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll handle everything appropriately. For now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll agree that we have more pressing matters to attend to." Izroth replied. "You¡¯re right." One Shot Brick sighed. He shook his head as he spoke and said, "As wrong as it sounds to say aloud, I was hoping we wouldn¡¯t see each other again until we reached the rendevous point after achieving our goal. But, now that things have turned out like this, I¡¯m not sure if we should proceed or regroup with the others." It was clear that the Headhunter Syndicate was aware of their presence near the outposts; therefore, taking them by surprise was no longer an option. "If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you find us withmunications down?" One Shot Brick asked curiously. Their group did not simply travel in a straight line. They carefully plotted an exact course to the pre-arranged coordinates. It still shocked them that the Headhunter Syndicate was able to discover their position; however, it was at least somewhat understandable considering they were likely familiar with the area. "I had a bit of assistance," Izroth replied calmly. Whatever method he used, it seemed that he did not want to disclose too much information, and so, One Shot Brick did not pry any further. If Izroth held any ill intentions against their Sacred Beasts, he already had an ample number of opportunities to act. Besides, someone their guild leader ced her trust in could not be a bad guy. As the yers from Sacred Beasts looted thest of the dropped items, One Shot Brick endured an awkward silence with Izroth. "How does our guild leader talk to him so casually? I guess entric people tend to naturally get along. Maybe I should try to lighten the mood a bit." One Shot Brick thought to himself. He then cleared his throat, "Since you came to our aid so quickly, I assume you had no trouble taking care of the other outpost?" One Shot Brick said jokingly. "There was a small unforeseen incident, but it only led to a few minorplications. The outpost itself will not be in operating condition any time soon." Izroth responded. "Right? There¡¯s no way you- Eh? What did you say?" One Shot Brick could have sworn he just misheard Izroth. "The outpost¡ªin your words, I took care of it," Izroth confirmed. One Shot Brick was speechless. He could not tell if Izroth was joking or serious. "No, I¡¯ve never seen him joke around even with the guild leader. Then, that means..." One Shot Brick internalized as his eyes widened in shock when he came to a realization. If Izroth was telling the truth, it meant that within a short time frame, he survived an ambush, destroyed an enemy outpost, and still had enough spare time to make his way over to them to lend his support. All in under thirty minutes! "This guy... He isn¡¯t a monster. He¡¯s a system bug!" One Shot Brick internalized. ... A few momentster... One Shot Brick¡¯s group finished collecting the spoils of their victory. After they were done, One Shot Brick made the decision to continue on their way to the outpost instead of meeting up with Meng Jiang¡¯s group. Since Izroth managed toplete his task, One Shot Brick requested that he join them, to which, Izroth epted. Izroth understood that the Headhunter Syndicate would adjust their tactics after the destruction of the first outpost and having failed with their ambush. If he wanted to locate Vault, Izroth knew that he would have no choice but to check the remaining two outposts. In the end, someone like Vault was too prideful and confident to run away despite back-to-back failures. Without a doubt, he would be at one of the outposts! Chapter 644 - Uneasy! A Predetermined Path Taken?

Chapter 644 - Uneasy! A Predetermined Path Taken?

... "We¡¯re here. Vintage, Kirigami, you know what to do." One Shot Brick said. After altering their route, the group finally arrived near the Tempest allied outpost. At the moment, they remained hidden while Vintage and Kirigami turned stealth and headed closer to the outpost to scout ahead. As the scouts left to carry out their tasks, Izroth observed the outpost. ¡¯This outpost is smaller than the one I attacked earlier. Since it¡¯s a smaller outpost, there should be no magical defenses in ce, but...¡¯ After observing the outpost for several seconds, Izroth closed his eyes. ¡¯My Essence is running low. For now, I¡¯ll focus on recovering as much as possible until the scouts return.¡¯ Izroth began to circte his Source Chant as his Essence slowly refilled bit by bit. He consumed a good amount of Essence with the constant use of his Energy Vision Sense and during his fights within the Hollow Soul Grove. Though most of Izroth¡¯s Essence usage came from his battle against Tigran, or to be more precise, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. Reminded of the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, Izroth¡¯s thoughts were drawn to what urred after his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence absorbed the Abyssal Dragon Lord¡¯s Scales. ¡¯It still hasn¡¯t ended? How strange... It¡¯s neversted this long before.¡¯ Izroth never received a system alert regarding the end of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence¡¯s Overeater effect, which meant that it was still ongoing. After the Overeater effect activated, Izroth did not get any type of follow-up from the system. An estimation, a confirmation¡ªthere was nothing. ¡¯Since there was no listed option for it on the skill, it¡¯s possible the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was never meant to consume another growth-type armor. Still, it¡¯s a bit troublesome. The system should have adjusted for it by now.¡¯ In the end, Izroth could only wait and see what the future held. ... The scouts One Shot Brick sent out returned around ten minutester and gave their report. ording to them, there were numerous gaps to take advantage of between the patrols around the outpost. However, the overall strength of the outpost seemed abnormally weakpared to what it should have been. While they did not search the entire outpost, based on what they saw, there were less than thirty NPCs and yersbined that protected the outpost with an average level range of 32-38. One Shot Brick furrowed his brows and said, "It¡¯s always possible that they no longer feel the need to have as many people stationed here since the Demilitarization Belt is now considered their territory. But it still feels a bit off. This outpost isn¡¯trge, but it¡¯s not exactly smaller either. There should be close to 150 people here. Even if the numbers were cut, isn¡¯t close to 80% a bit much?" "Isn¡¯t this a good thing? Since it¡¯s less than 30 people, we can wrap things up pretty fast here and meet up with the guild leader¡¯s group. Besides, it¡¯s like you said¡ªthey basically rule the Demilitarization Belt at this point. With this outpost being so deep in the heart of the Demilitarization Belt, they likely never anticipated someone attacking them." Bansheemented. "It¡¯s also possible that we¡¯re walking into a trap. Vintage, did you see any familiar faces from the Headhunter Syndicate among the yers there?" One Shot Brick asked. "I counted about two or three familiar faces. But, if you¡¯re asking if I saw any of the Twelve Banes, based on the descriptions we¡¯ve gathered, no one was a match." Vintage responded. "It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Was our information inurate?" One Shot Brick muttered to himself as he looked over at Izroth, who currently had his eyes closed. A couple of secondster, Izroth heard the sound of footsteps walking in his direction and opened his eyes to see One Shot Brick. "I apologize if I¡¯ve disturbed you, Pce Master Izroth. But, there is something I¡¯d like to ask you about the outpost you attacked." "It¡¯s fine. What is it that you wanted to ask?" Izroth inquired. "I¡¯m not sure how much you know about the Headhunter Syndicate; however, I figured it was better to task than to not. When you attacked, did you notice if any members of the Headhunter Syndicate were present at the time?" Izroth took a moment to organize his thoughts as he remembered back to his assault on the outpost and the faces of every yer below while he stood in the sky. Izroth had no trouble recalling everyst detail with his perfect memory and quickly put together his findings. "Yes, if my memory serves me correctly, out of the 172 individuals present, there were 31 NPCs and 141 yers. Out of the 141 yers, I recognized five that had a direct connection to the Headhunter Syndicate." Izroth answered. "T-Thanks, that¡¯s all I needed to know." One Shot Brick said with a weak smile as he walked back over to his group. "Two outposts, approximately 200 individuals, and we arrive at the grand total of seven or eight yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. Even if we y it safe and double that number, it still leaves us with less than 10%. I don¡¯t like it." One Shot Brick said as his gaze turned cold. "We¡¯re moving out!" One Shot Brick dered as he turned away from the outpost and started to walk in a direction heading away from it. "Eh? Where are we going? The outpost¡¯s that way?" Banshee said as she followed after One Shot Brick, along with the other members of Sacred Beasts. "I hope I¡¯m wrong, but based on everything that¡¯s happened, I¡¯m afraid we were too careless. We¡¯re picking up our pace!" One Shot Brick shouted as he quickened his steps. "I understand your concern, but is it really alright to leave the outpost untouched?" Banshee questioned. "Forget the outpost! Our guild leader might be in danger! We yed right into their hands... Damn it!" One Shot Brick scowled as he grit his teeth. "I don¡¯t understand, what-" "A trap. I don¡¯t know how, but they knew every action that we would take from the very beginning. From going through the blood mist, even to Pce Master Izroth attacking an outpost alone. They knew our every move before we even made it..! The ambush¡ªit was also just a diversion to keep our eyes away from their true objective." "If I¡¯m not mistaken, their target was always our guild leader. And we just delivered her to them..!" One Shot Brick halted his steps. After hearing that their guild leader was the main target of the Headhunter Syndicate, every member of Sacred Beasts was filled with rage and resentment. Once he realized this, One Shot Brick had to take a moment to calm himself. While he felt the same way as them, One Shot Brick knew that he had to keep a clear head on his shoulders as the leader of the group. Right now, they were still a considerable distance away from their guild leader¡¯s general position. Even their fastest yers would take a while to get there. But, there was another option that he nearly dismissed due to being momentarily blinded by anger. One Shot Brick approached Izroth, who stood near the back of the group. He lowered his head slightly before Izroth and said, "Please, help save our guild leader if she is in trouble, Pce Master Izroth. Whatever your price may be¡ªI will bear it." Those from Sacred Beasts had their anger turn to shock when they saw One Shot Brick lower his head. One Shot Brick understood the implications of a top guild¡¯s leader being killed by another guild. If it was for the sake of Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts who had taken him in during his time of need, he did not mind swallowing his pride. Izroth ced his hand on One Shot Brick¡¯s shoulder and said, "Lift your head. A man should not lower his head before another so easily." One Shot Brick lifted his head after hearing Izroth¡¯s words. "The sincerity of your words¡ªI have received them well." Izroth removed his hand from One Shot Brick¡¯s shoulder as his feet lifted off the ground. "Rest assured; I will not allow any harm to befall your guild leader." Chapter 645 - A Direct Confrontation!

Chapter 645 - A Direct Confrontation!

Izroth took to the skies using Sky Steps and soon after disappeared from view of One Shot Brick¡¯s group. As he soared through the air, Izroth thought back to One Shot Brick¡¯s words and his spection about what was happening. The more he pondered, the more Izroth started to believe that One Shot Brick may be correct. It also made him question his run-in with Tigran. ¡¯Was meeting Centurion Tigran truly just a coincidence? It¡¯s a bit ridiculous to entertain the thought I¡¯m having, but it¡¯s not entirely impossible. However, if what I¡¯m thinking turns out to be true, then-¡¯ Swoosh! Izroth gained a burst of movement speed as he activated his Light Feather Footwork. ¡¯She is even more dangerous than I anticipated.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere in the Demilitarization Belt... "Surrender yourself quietly, guild leader Meng Jiang! If you do, then we may just allow your guild members to walk away from here in one piece. However, should you refuse... Well, I¡¯m sure you get the picture." A mocking voice sounded. If Izroth were here, he would have immediately recognized that voice as it subconsciously gave rise to deep resentment carved into his body. The voice belonged to none other than the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, Vault! At the moment, Meng Jiang and the members of her guild were surrounded at all angles by Vault and more than 100 yers from the Headhunter Syndicate! But, this was not the worse of the situation at hand. Five yers stood next to Vault, and it was clear that their status towered over the other Headhunter Syndicate yers present on the battlefield. That¡¯s because these five yers were part of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate! This was the first time that so many of the Twelve Banes moved together, and it was all with one goal in mind¡ªthe elimination of Sacred Beasts¡¯ guild leader, Meng Jiang! "Hey, you should ept those terms, girlie. It¡¯s quite generous, you know? Though I¡¯d be perfectly fine if you refused. Something tells me you¡¯d be fun to y with. Hihihihi..!" Joker spoke out with a yful grin on his face. Joker wore a ssic jester¡¯s costume with ck and gold patterns. His face was covered with an expressionless white mask with painted red lips and pitch-ck eyes. "Indeed, it would be a waste for a beauty like yourself to die a pointless death here, guild leader Meng Jiang. Tell you what, as long as you agree to be my woman, I don¡¯t mind looking the other way and letting your Sacred Beasts walk out of here alive." Vault stated as he looked at Meng Jiang with l.u.s.tful eyes. Grrrrrrrrr..! Meng Jiang¡¯spanion, Acogu¡¯An, growled as it lowered its stance and red at Vault in a threatening manner as if it understood his words. "Don¡¯t screw with us! You think we¡¯d let you harm our guild leader?!" Hundred Lakes scowled. "That¡¯s right! You think you¡¯re worthy of our guild leader? Dream on!" One of the other Sacred Beasts yers chimed in. Soon enough, every member of Sacred Beasts started hurling insults at Vault and Joker. Meng Jiang lifted her hand as her guild members fell silent. However, they continued their death res and quietly cursed the Headhunter Syndicate under their breath. Meng Jiang then reached her hand out and ced it on top of Acogu¡¯An¡¯s head. Acogu¡¯An ceased its growling as it nced at Meng Jiang before shifting its gaze back to the enemies in front of it. Meng Jiang smiled and said, "I did not expect such a warm weing party from the Headhunter Syndicate." "Of course, when ites to receiving guests, my Headhunter Syndicate is second to none." Vault stated proudly. "I see. I was unaware that your guild¡¯s specialty is the same as that of a servant¡¯s. Though I suppose such a specialty is suitable for you, guild leader Vault." Meng Jiangmented with a delightful smile. She then continued, "As for your request, I will have to happily decline. I tend not to make a habit of having a connection with every piece of trash that I pass lying on the side of the road." "You-!" Vault¡¯s face turned red from anger. She dared to openly mock him before his guild members byparing him to trash on the roadside?! "Good, very good...! I give you a way out of the hole you¡¯ve dug, but you insist on ignoring the hand I¡¯ve extended to you and continue to dig yourself deeper!" Vault red. "Ah, I would much rather prefer digging for an eternity than touching something so filthy." Meng Jiang said without changing her expression. Vault nearly coughed up blood. This Meng Jiang¡ªher tongue was too sharp, and her words cut deep. She did not hesitate with her responses in the slightest, as though she was speaking without any type of filter in ce! If he allowed her to keep talking as she pleased, Vault felt as if he really would cough up blood and die from anger alone! "Enough! Since guild leader Meng Jiang wishes to disregard our kindness, then we can only respond with force! Kill them! I don¡¯t want a single member of Sacred Beasts left alive in the entire Demilitarization Belt, starting with the ones right here!" Vaultmanded. "Yeeeeaaah!" The members of the Headhunter Syndicate released a battle cry as the first wave of yers went on the offensive! Woosh! Swoosh! Boom! The next moment, a rain of physical and magical ranged attacks poured down towards Meng Jiang and her group. "Acogu¡¯An, Twin Barriers." Meng Jiang said calmly. Hooooooowl! Acogu¡¯An unleashed a great howl as a translucent blue sphere of energy emerged from its mouth before rapidly expanding and creating a dome-like structure around Meng Jiang and her guild members. Clink! Bang! Clink! The ranged attacks struck the dome and sunk into it as though it was formed from stic. The dome abruptly changed from a tranquil blue to a fiery red as itunched the attacks towards the direction they originated from with a powerful slingshot effect! "Ahhhh!" "Hey, watch where you¡¯re aiming!" "Are you blind?! That wasn¡¯t me, you idiot! That barrier is strange!" After deflecting the iing attacks and skills, the red dome regained its blue appearance. "Acogu¡¯An, go y." Meng Jiang said as she removed her hand from Acogu¡¯An¡¯s head. Hoooooowl! Acogu¡¯An darted out of the barrier and swiftly rushed into the crowd of yers from the Headhunter Syndicate with great ferocity. Acogu¡¯An moved like the wind as it avoided attacks while simultaneously tearing through yers¡¯ defenses with its sharp fangs and ws. At the same time, the yers from Sacred Beasts made their move. The supporters started to buff their allies, and those with ranged skills paired up with the melee members of their group. The melee yers stepped out of the barrier first with their guard raised. They were soon followed by their respective ranged yers, who immediately used an AOE or high-burst damage skill. Using this method, the ranged yers could cast skills with peace of mind as the melee yers focused on parrying, blocking, or guarding against any unexpected attacks. Then, once they finished their attack, the ranged yers would re-enter the barrier along with the melee yer. This strategy lured members of the Headhunter Syndicate into targetting Sacred Beasts backline in the hope of interrupting their casting. However, those from Sacred Beasts would always retreat into the dome just in time to avoid the attack. This made it so that the enemy attacks that targeted the Sacred Beasts yers would be deflected back at its owner and cause even more damage to ur to the Headhunter Syndicate! Seeing the mess being created at the center of the battlefield, Vault was seething with rage. "Useless bunch...!" Vault cursed under his breath. He then ordered, "Fractured Anatomy, Joker¡ªyou two go deal with that barrier! King Crown, I want you to go teach that wild dog what happens when it dares to b.a.r.e its fangs at my Headhunter Syndicate!" Chapter 646 - Inescapable Grasp, Kowtow!

Chapter 646 - Inescapable Grasp, Kowtow!

"Sure. Just make sure you pay us handsomely after we finish wrapping up here." One of the yers next to Vault said as they stepped forward. He had long gray hair with ck edges that traveled down his back and wore a ck mask that concealed his facial features. He wore dark leather clothing with torn-off sleeves, and at his side was a chain with a bizarre shaped sickle attached to its end. This yer was 11th of the Twelve Banes, The Wounded, Fractured Anatomy. "Shall we go have ourselves a little fun?" Joker chuckled. Joker¡¯s body started to quiver as his figure turned into a wavy distortion before he disappeared from view! Woosh! At the same time, Fractured Anatomy jumped forward and reached for the weapon at his side. He grabbed hold of the chain and began to spin the sickle in circles rapidly without slowing his movements. "Hmph, it is a waste of my ability tobat some oversized mutt. Nevertheless, since I have agreed to confer you the privilege of my services, I shall uphold my end of the agreement." The yer by the name of King Crown spoke in an unhurried manner. King Crown donned gold and blue light armor with a luxurious blue mantle with white fur attached to its shoulder area. He possessed artic blue eyes with short blonde hair neatly parted to the side. On his back was an exquisite longsword epassed in a faint white aura, which he gripped the handle of using both hands before brandishing the longsword. King Crown locked his gaze onto Acogu¡¯An, who was still wreaking havoc among the yers from the Headhunter Syndicate and leisurely walked in its direction. Vault clenched his fists tightly as the three yers left his side. There was a look of irritation on his face as he clicked his tongue. "These guys... They listen to mymands, but they are still too unruly. I¡¯ll have toe up with a way to make them thoroughly submit to me. If not, hmph, just wait until I im the spot as the number one guild in RML! When that timees, everyst one of them will be begging to serve under me!" Vault internalized. ... Several minutes passed as the battle raged on; however, it felt like an eternity for the members of Sacred Beasts. When the three members of the Twelve Banes made their move, the tides of battle quickly shifted in the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s favor. King Crown managed to limit Acogu¡¯An¡¯s range of destruction to a specific area of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Joker and Fractured Anatomy were able to disable the Twin Barriers that protected the yers from Sacred Beasts using a uniquebination of their ss skills and items. Nheless, Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts maintained a solid formation as they fought through the seemingly neverending wave of yers. Meng Jiang alone kept Joker, and Fractured Anatomy upied. Though since Acogu¡¯An was herpanion, in reality, she was single-handedly suppressing all three of the Twelve Banes! As she did so, the other members of her guild focused on creating a gap in the enemy¡¯s encirclement to break through and fight on more favorable terms. As the battle unfolded, Vault turned to Doctor Dark, who was chanting unfamiliar words under his breath. "How long until your curses take effect?" Vault questioned. "Heh, the weaker ones have already taken effect. As for the stronger ones¡ªit depends. But, what I can say is that the more they struggle and fight back, the quicker the curses will spread throughout their bodies. Once the curses take full effect, the only ending for them is death." Doctor Dark replied confidently. Vault nodded as he grinned and said, "Good! I knew it was not a mistake to take you under my wing. Remember, as long as you serve me well; I will not mistreat you." Doctor Dark¡¯s curse skills made him ideal for PVP, but more importantly, he was one of the few Twelve Banes that swore absolute loyalty to Vault. Knowing that he had at least one person loyal to him by his side lifted Vault¡¯s mood. Vault then shifted his attention to Menerva, who remained silent the whole time with a distant gaze. "She¡¯s been even more useful than I ever envisioned. No matter what, I cannot allow her to escape my grasp." Vault thought to himself. He smirked as he approached Menerva and said, "Did you really think I was going to let you walk away after the first event ended? It looks like buying that rundown ce wasn¡¯t aplete waste, after all. As long as it¡¯s in my hands, you will continue to be my obedient dog until the day you die." Menerva did not respond and stayed indifferent. She did not even spare a single nce or word to Vault as the fighting on the battlefield intensified. "This filthy dog...! Am I not even worthy of entering her sights when I speak?!" Vault internalized. He could tolerate some disrespect from the other Twelve Banes given their usefulness; however, when he thought back to how Meng Jiang openly embarrassed him in front of his subordinates, Vault¡¯s anger resurfaced. Without warning, Vault grabbed Menerva by the lower part of her face. He needed someone to vent his anger on, and it just so happened that he had the perfect person right next to him! "Who do you think you are, huh? When I speak to you, you look at me and respond! If I want you to bark like a dog, you ask loud! Just because you¡¯ve been a bit useful, don¡¯t forget your ce! You¡¯re just another piece of property! You belong to me!" Vault scowled as he forced Menerva to look him in the eyes. He then continued, "Say it. Say, ¡¯I¡¯m your property. Thank you for not abandoning this filthy dog of yours, owner!¡¯." Menerva kept a neutral expression and did not open her mouth to speak. Seeing this upset Vault even more as he tightened his grip. "Fine, you can stay quiet. Perhaps I¡¯ll pay a visit to that ce and see if the others are more... Cooperative." Vault stated as his eyes turned cold. When those words left his mouth, Menerva¡¯s body shook slightly. A few momentster, her lips parted as she finally spoke in a low voice, "...I¡¯m your p-" "Oh? Your personality is more twisted than I gave you credit for." A voice abruptly sounded from right behind Vault. "Who-?!" Vault¡¯s heart dropped. How did someone manage to sneak up this close to him with the safety measures he had in ce?! Vault quickly released his grip on Menerva. He tried to reach for the weapon at his side and turn to face his assant; however, before he could fully turn his head, Vault felt an overwhelming force press down on him. "...Eh?" Vault¡¯s mind went temporarily nk as he attempted to process what had just transpired. Right now, Vault¡¯s forehead was buried into the ground at Menerva¡¯s feet. If one viewed it from an outside perspective, it looked as if Vault was kowtowing to Menerva! "Boss!" Doctor Dark eximed as he got ready to rush forward to assist Vault. However, the instant Doctor Dark saw the assant; his face turned pale. "It¡¯s you!" Doctor Dark grit his teeth out of hatred but did not dare charge onward. This person was the same one who killed him back in the Towering Oak Forest while he was in the middle of a huge score! But what baffled him the most was that this individual was supposed to be dead! "You bastard...! Do you know how I am?! I¡¯m-!" Vault furiously shouted as he tried to lift his head. Bang! Vault¡¯s head was driven deeper into the earth before he could finish his sentence. "I¡¯ll kill you...! I swear I¡¯ll kill you!!!!" Bang! Menerva¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the person who appeared in front of her with their hand pinning Vault¡¯s face to the earth. Even she seemed taken aback by their presence here. After a few extra head ms, Vault finally fell silent. This humiliation¡ªwhoever was responsible, he would make them wish they were dead by the time he got finished with them! "You sure gave me quite a bit of trouble." A carefree voice sounded as the person who arrived before Menerva stood straight with his foot firmly nted on Vault¡¯s head to keep it buried into the earth. This person was none other than Izroth! Chapter 647 - Circ.u.mstances, Prelude to a Slaughter

Chapter 647 - Circ.u.mstances, Prelude to a ughter

Besides Menerva, Doctor Dark, and Vault, who was currently face down in the ground, no one else seemed to notice Izroth¡¯s presence on the battlefield. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Meng Jiang and the other members of Sacred Beasts slew their way through several waves of yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. Those from Sacred Beasts were more skilled and experienced than their opponents, but what truly set them apart was their teamwork and equipment. While yers from the Headhunter Syndicate were equipped with varying levels ofmon and umon gear, the members of Sacred Beasts were covered head to toe in rare quality equipment¡ªthis was the towering difference between the core yers of a top guild and those at the bottom. It was also why Meng Jiang was confident enough to attack the three outposts at once using less than forty members of her guild. Of course, she never expected that the Headhunter Syndicate would hide themselves so well and anticipate every move they¡¯d make. Or even less, that they would prepare a massive preemptive strike. ¡¯They¡¯re holding up well.¡¯ Izroth turned his attention towards the battlefield. At the moment, neither side seemed to hold the upper hand, which in the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s case was a bad sign given their massive numbers advantage. Nevertheless, the yers from Sacred Beasts were not entirely out of danger just yet. Facing those kinds of numbers, it became easy to overlook simple things and get lost in the chaos. Mistakes would begin to show up more frequently, and while one or two could be recovered from, if the errors continued to pile up, it would only be a matter of time until Sacred Beasts was backed into a corner. When Doctor Dark saw Izroth face away to spectate the battle, he decided to seize the opportunity while his guard was down andunch a surprise attack! Doctor Dark knew that Izroth was fast, but if it was this close, then even he was confident innding a solid blow! However, Doctor Dark did not rush into a head-on assault. He secretly essed his inventory with one of his hands behind his back as a paper talisman appeared between his fingertips. "I just have to free boss Vault and get everyone¡¯s attention. Otherwise, that guy probably won¡¯t hesitate to kill boss Vault and then escape..!" Doctor Dark thought to himself. Meanwhile, Menerva was still stunned by Izroth¡¯s appearance. From the moment the Headhunter Syndicate ambushed Sacred Beasts after their fight against the world boss, and she learned of Izroth¡¯s presence there, Menerva had already begun to plot the course of events. She understood with Izroth and Meng Jiang¡¯s personalities, he and Sacred Beasts would undoubtedly retaliate in a bold fashion. Since the two were working together, all Menerva had to do was use a light guiding hand to push everything in the right direction. "...No, perhaps a part of me d.e.s.i.r.ed this oue despite understanding the price of my failure. Everyone, please forgive my ipetence..." Menerva internalized as her body trembled slightly, and she clenched her fists. Menerva had her own reasons her obeying someone like Vault. It took her all but two seconds to figure out what type of person he was at his core after their first meeting. Now, after being humiliated to this extent in public, she understood that Vault would no doubt ce the me upon her. If it was just her, she could endure it perpetually if necessary. But... Swoosh! A thin object soared into the air out of nowhere andnded a couple of meters away from Izroth¡¯s feet. It was a paper talisman with various symbols etched into it, and the instant it touched the ground, the talisman released a bright light. ... "Huh? That light... Isn¡¯t boss Vault over there?" "Where did that lighte from?" "Could someone from Sacred Beasts have snuck up and attacked the boss?!" Several yers from the Headhunter Syndicate shifted their focus towards the light. As for the Sacred Beasts yers, they did not bother adverting their gazes and even took advantage of the situation to cut down those from the Headhunter Syndicate, who lowered their guards. "Hm? That light... An Immobilization Talisman? What¡¯s going on over there?" Meng Jiang thought to herself. An Immobilization Talisman gave off a specific light and mana fluctuation; therefore, Meng Jiang swiftly identified the mysterious light source. Its purpose was to restrict the movements of all enemies within five meters of wherever it was employed. However, all of her guild members were still present nearby, and there were only yers from the Headhunter Syndicate in that area. If that was the case, why was a rare talisman being used? Unless something unexpected happened! ... The bright light was fleeting¡ªthere one moment and gone the next. "Cursed Palm of Corruption!" A dark and foul energy formed around Doctor Dark¡¯s right hand as he charged Izroth and struck out with his palm! Although his ss focused primarily on cautiously applying curses, that did not mean his only method of using them was in secret from a distance. Doctor Dark¡¯s Cursed Palm of Corruption was a melee attack made as ast resort since his ss was designed to apply curses from a safe range without revealing himself. "When I strike him with my Cursed Palm of Corruption; it will simultaneously inflict him with three of my strongest curses! Not only will I save the boss and be rewarded, but I can also get my revenge from that time!" Doctor Dark internalized with a vicious grin. "This is payback for-... Huh? Why can¡¯t I speak?" Doctor Dark realized that the words he tried to say were not leaving his mouth as if he were mute. Thump! Thump! The sound of two things dropping could be heard; one sound was light while the other was somewhat heavy. Before he was able to register what was going on, Doctor Dark¡¯s head had been cleanly separated from his body! He did not even know how he died! At the same time, the sword intent around Izroth¡¯s hand vanished. Just now, he did not draw his sword but instead used the swordless version of his skill, First Baneful Sword: Destruction. As for the restrictive powers of the Immobilization Talisman, how could it be enough to overpower the crowd control nullifying effects of his Heavenly Golden Body¡¯s Greater Physique passive? Izroth essed his inventory as he removed his foot from Vault¡¯s head. Right when Izroth lifted his foot, Vault sprung his head up and furiously roared, "You bastard, I¡¯ll-!" BANG! Vault could not raise his head all the way before a massive weight pressed down and drove his head back into the earth. A bundle of mystical chains rested on the back of Vault¡¯s head that made it impossible for him to budge. However, the results were not surprising, considering that even Izroth himself was incapable of lifting these chains. That¡¯s because these chains were the same ones used to prevent Empyrean¡¯s appearance in the world! But, they seemed much weaker than what Izroth had to deal with back when he was forming his Soul Avatar. Of course, this was to be expected, seeing as how the chains¡¯ overall power had been reduced by 99% due to the permanent effects of the talisman he used at the time to suppress it. But, even with only 1% of its strength remaining, it still contained the will of the world and a myriad of mysteries. Izroth held his hand out towards Menerva as beautiful crystals began to form at her feet and on various parts of her body. "Stay here for a while. I have to do a bit of cleaning up first." Izroth said as the crystal enveloped Menerva. Menerva closed her eyes and did not put up any resistance. In less than a couple of seconds, she becamepletely encased in arge crystal. This was the result of the Crystallization skill attached to Izroth¡¯s armor. Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and faced the main area of the battlefield as his figure started to flicker. In the blink of an eye, Izroth disappeared from where he stood as the flickering silhouette he left behind faded away. Today¡ªnot a single member of the Headhunter Syndicate would be allowed to leave this ce alive! Chapter 648 - Controlling The Flow of Battle, First Move!

Chapter 648 - Controlling The Flow of Battle, First Move!

... "Hey, Fractured Anatomy, stop fooling around and kill this girlie! She doesn¡¯t even have her summoned beast with her!" Joker yelled in a slightly annoyed tone. At the moment, both he and Fractured Anatomy were locked in their fight against Meng Jiang. So much so that the two of them could not afford the luxury of looking away and did not notice the light out of their vision. "Shut up! I don¡¯t see you doing anything useful, you bastard!" Fractured Anatomy snapped back as he gripped the chain in his hand tightly before swinging it down full force at Meng Jiang. Swoosh! Zeeeeut! Meng Jiang vanished just as the sickle at the end of the chain was about to reach her and appeared five meters away from where she was previously positioned. The instant she arrived at her new location, a burst of concentrated mana sped towards Fractured Anatomy. Bang! Fractured Anatomy received the attack head-on as it mmed into his body before dispersing in every direction. Although the attack did not cause much damage, it was enough to disrupt Fractured Anatomy¡¯s continuous stream of attacks before it could even begin. "Damn...! That¡¯s already the ninth time! How many times can she use that skill?! I refuse to believe that she can use it without end!" Fractured Anatomy muttered under his breath in annoyance. The reason he and Joker struggled tond a solid blow against Meng Jiang was because of that annoying skill that allowed her to constantly escape danger! Once, twice¡ªeven three times was at least somewhat understandable and tolerable. However, Meng Jiang¡¯s use of the skill made it seem like its cooldown time was virtually nonexistent! "Useful? You- Do you think you would be able to fight so recklessly if not for the traps Iid out?!" Joker scoffed. Joker¡¯s ss, Trickster, was a rogue-type magic-based ss that specialized in traps and deception. Typically, thisbination of traps and deception-type skills enabled Joker to control how his enemy moved and drain their mental fatigue. As the battle went on, the enemy would eventually grow impatient and tired, which often led to their deaths. But, Meng Jiang was different from the enemies he faced up until now. "Is there a need to argue over something so trivial? I hate to seerades fight amongst themselves, so allow me to settle the argument as an outside party¡ªthe two of you are equally useless." Meng Jiang said with a lovely smile. Her words enraged Joker and Fractured Anatomy as their eyes burned with killing intent; however, Meng Jiang did not flinch. At the moment, Meng Jiang controlled the entire flow of battle. She used a skill called Blink that allowed her to teleport five meters in a straight line in nearly every direction. However, Blink was only a B-rank skill, and despite Meng Jiang¡¯s constant use of it, the skill did indeed have a cooldown. But, with the uchiwa feather fan in her hand, Meng Jiang was able to ignore this cooldown, as well as the ones for other A-rank and below skills! Of course, this had its limits and restrictions. For one, every time Meng Jiang used the effects of the uchiwa feather fan, the cost of that skill would continue to increase by its original value with every use. For example, Blink originally cost Meng Jiang 200 mana to execute. However, with the uchiwa feather fan, the second cast cost her 400 mana, and the one after that, 600 mana. Currently, Meng Jiang had just used Blink for the ninth time at the cost of 1,800 mana! This effect would continue to stack indefinitely and would not reset until 24 hours passed from the first cast using the uchiwa feather fan. As for other restrictions, the item¡¯s effects could not be used on manaless, buff, or debuff skills. In addition, all offensive skills used with its effect would have their damage reduced by 50% and crowd control effects cut by 80%. Meng Jiang also used the C-rank skill, Mana Burst, as her main form of attack to ease the drain on her mana pool. Without Acogu¡¯An by her side, Meng Jiang¡¯s overall offensive power was cut down drastically. However, Mana Burst was good for slowly chipping away at one¡¯s opponents while also disrupting their chain of attacks. With a low mana cost of 40, a two-second cooldown, and a cast time of 0.1 seconds, it paired well with the mana-hungry effects of the uchiwa feather fan. When it came to the traps that Joker set around the battlefield, Meng Jiang avoided stepping in their activation range with the assistance of her passive skill, Nature¡¯s Flow. Nature¡¯s Flow enabled Meng Jiang to see the unique mana signatures hidden in the earth that belonged to Joker and keep away from them. It resembled Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense in its most basic form; however, it was limited solely to mana and did not grant a nearly as in-depth look. Not to mention, the range it covered did note close to Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense at its maximum distance. "You¡¯re starting to get on my nerves!" Joker said coldly as he essed his inventory. He removed a rough ck sphere with a line running around its center. When Fractured Anatomy saw the object in Joker¡¯s hand, he abruptly halted his follow-up charge towards Meng Jiang and immediately retreated! "You crazy bastard! Are you trying to kill all of us?!" Fractured Anatomy yelled angrily as he rushed to get as far away as possible. Meng Jiang calmly examined the item in Joker¡¯s hand using Nature¡¯s Flow; however, there was not a single drop of manaing from it. "It¡¯s not a magic item. Then- Hm?" Meng Jiang internalized, but her thoughts were interrupted as she seemed to realize something. "I wanted to y with you for a little while longer, but you brought this upon yourself, girlie!" The sphere in Joker¡¯s hand shed red and began to split open from its center. Swoosh! All of a sudden, Joker was hoisted off his feet and sailed far into the air! "Wha-" Joker looked down as he flew upward uncontrobly; however, he was shocked by what entered his sights. "King Crown! That son of a-!" ...BOOOOOOOM! When the light dissolved, there were no traces of Joker that remained. Meng Jiang smiled and said, "You did well, Acogu¡¯An." Acogu¡¯An moved to Meng Jiang¡¯s side and circled her protectively as she reached her hand out and gently brushed the top of its head. Acogu¡¯An, who was supposed to be fighting against King Crown, had returned Meng Jiang¡¯s side. As for King Crown... King Crown had a battered appearance and was down on one knee as he struggled to stand to his feet. "You will not escape my wrath..! Wherever you hide; I will-" Phhtk! A sword pierced through King Crown¡¯s neck as his body shattered into countless particles. "If you have the power to do so, I wee you to take your revenge. However, you should prepare yourself for the consequences should you fail in your attempt." Izroth said calmly. The next moment, King Crown¡¯s figure fully dissipated, and just like that, the yer who ranked 4th among the Headhunter Syndicate¡¯s Twelve Banes had been eliminated! ¡¯These numbers are somewhat troublesome to take care of one at a time. Since Great Storm is still on cooldown, then... I suppose I still have some Essence left to spare.¡¯ Izroth quickened his steps as he relocated to the heart of the battlefield. ¡¯I should be able to keep it active for a few seconds and not risk falling into Soul Weakness.¡¯ In less than a breath, Izroth poured out an overflowing amount of Essence as it swept over the battlefield. Out of nowhere, every yer from the Headhunter Syndicate felt an overbearing force crush down upon them as they were ovee with a feeling of suffocation. Several yers instantly shattered into particles under the pressure and perished, while those who were more "fortunate" entered a frenzied state and even started to attack their own allies! This was the result of Izroth¡¯s Soul Pressure. Chapter 649 - A Humiliated Vault, Unsatisfied Hatred!

Chapter 649 - A Humiliated Vault, Unsatisfied Hatred!

The members of Sacred Beasts were shocked. As core yers of a top guild, they always maintained a certain level of focus and attentiveness to their surroundings. However, after witnessing the scene before them, they halted their steps and looked on dumbfounded. The yers from the Headhunter Syndicate started to randomly die and attack one another¡ªhow could they not be stunned?! "What are they doing? Did they have some kind of falling out?" One of the Sacred Beasts yersmented. "I don¡¯t know. But do you think it has something to do with that light we saw earlier? Or maybe that terrifying pressure just now..." Another yer mentioned. "Yeah, what was that? It didn¡¯t feel like it was targeting us, but I got chills when it passed by." "I think it¡¯s that guy¡¯s doing." Hundred Lakes chimed in as his gaze was drawn to the center of the battlefield. At the moment, that area was the only peaceful ce on the battleground¡ªlike the eye of a storm. "Isn¡¯t that Pce Master Izroth? When did he get here? No, better yet, that pressure just now¡ªwas it really him?" "This kind ofrge-scale effect has to be the work of at least an S-ranked skill. No... Maybe even an SS-ranked skill..!" Hundred Lakes stated. SS-ranked?! The yers from Sacred Beasts went speechless. An SS-ranked skill was powerful enough to wipe out a small army and change the tide of a battle! When Hundred Lakes caught sight of the person at that storm¡¯s center, he felt cold sweats run down his back. "Just what kind of person did our guild leader befriend?" Hundred Lakes muttered under his breath. Hundred Lakes released a long sigh as he shook his head and cleared his mind. Right now, they still had a task toplete! "That¡¯s enough standing around! Let¡¯s teach these Headhunter Syndicate dogs what happens when they mess with our Sacred Beasts!" Hundred Lakes said as he brandished his sai. After Hundred Lakes spoke, the other members of Sacred Beasts regained their focus. Now that the numbers had been trimmed and the Headhunter Syndicate was fighting each other, they no longer had to worry about escaping the encirclement before taking action. Now, they could go on the offensive without restraint! ... Several momentster, Izroth deactivated his Soul Pressure as his Essence was retracted. ¡¯This should suffice. I have a little under 250 points of Essence remaining. Since we¡¯re still behind enemy lines, I have to reserve at least this much.¡¯ Swoosh! Suddenly, Acogu¡¯Annded in front of Izroth with Meng Jiang on its back. "You seem to have a sharper nose for danger than Acogu¡¯An, Pce Master Izroth. Should I thank you for your assistance?" Meng Jiang said with a pleasant smile. "I¡¯m certain guild leader Meng Jiang was never in any danger with this level of threat. I merely lent a hand in expediting the inevitable." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. "My, well, that¡¯s true. It was quite a disappointing experience. I will say, the ambush, however, was an unexpected surprise. It reminded me of facing that bothersome Wang Qiang a couple of years ago." Meng Jiang stated. Wang Qiang was one of Cross Haven¡¯s Five Great Generals and was regarded as the top strategist in RML. For someone like Meng Jiang, who wore her emotions on her sleeves due to her unique circ.u.mstances, a strategic type like Wang Qiang was her worst possible match-up. It was no surprise that someone like Menerva controlled the flow of events so effortlessly. ¡¯Oh? I suppose it¡¯s not too shocking they¡¯ve crossed paths. If I remember correctly, excluding the Headhunter Syndicate, the rest of the top guilds have a pretty strong history. When RML was released, they all transferred over from the previous top-ranked MMO.¡¯ As the two did so, they casually made their way towards Vault and Menerva while simultaneously getting rid of any stray yers from the Headhunter Syndicate on the way over. Meng Jiang gave a slight nod as she walked next to Izroth and said, "I see, so you and group two also encountered an ambush- Ah, it seems that ourmunication is back working properly. Poor timing, wouldn¡¯t you say?" "Whatever the cause behind it seems to have been dismantled. Though it is precisely as you say, poor timing, as the matter has already been concluded." Izroth replied. "Well, there is one more matter to attend to, is there not?" Meng Jiang noted as she came to a stop along with Izroth and looked down. "Indeed, but... This matter may take me a bit of time to settle." Izroth said as he narrowed his eyes and his gaze turned cold. "Is that you, you bastard?! Release me, and I¡¯ll be sure to make your death painless! Otherwise, you better pray that I never escape, or I will make your life a living hell! You hear me?! Both you and that Sacred Beasts bitc-" Bang! A foot crashed into the back of Vault¡¯s head, immediately silencing him and knocking him into a daze. "Ah, my apologies, Pce Master Izroth. It would seem that my foot identally slipped on purpose. I will pay for any damages to your property." Meng Jiang said with a lovely smile as she removed her foot from Vault¡¯s head. ¡¯This Meng Jiang has a sharp tongue with words that cut deeper than any de.¡¯ "It¡¯s fine. After all, guild leader Meng Jiang also has some rights to file a grievance." Izroth responded nonchntly. Vault almost fainted from anger at Izroth and Meng Jiang¡¯s casual conversation. ident? Property? They were talking as if they did not put him in their sights like some stray mutt! Vault grit his teeth as his eyes became filled to the brim with rage. When was thest time he had to endure such humiliation?! "...pay... I¡¯ll make all of them pay...! I swear I¡¯ll kill them!!!!" Vault thought to himself as he started to drown in his fury. "So? What should we do with her?" Meng Jiang asked as she pointed to Menerva, who stood a couple of meters silently away from them. Izroth¡¯s Crystallization skill had alreadye to an end; however, Menerva did not attempt to flee or run away, despite her chance to do so. Meng Jiang clearly saw that Menerva was one of the yers who stood on Vault¡¯s side; therefore, her identity as a member of the Headhunter Syndicate was no secret. "That¡¯s a good question. She has caused both of us quite a bit of trouble. I guess some discipline is in order." Izroth answered unhurriedly. Menerva inwardly sighed as she closed her eyes. Regardless of her reasons, she still sided with Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate. They had every right to feel wronged by her actions, and she was ready to ept her punishment. After all, she knew better than anyone that all actions, good or bad, had consequences that could not be avoided. "But, first..." Woosh! Phhtk! Without warning, Izroth stabbed his Sword of The Storm through Vault¡¯s neck. "Y-!" Vault tried to speak, but with a sword run through his neck and his face buried into the ground, his words could not escape his mouth. Phhtk! Phhtk! Izroth casually pulled his sword out and stabbed down again. Since Vault was a warrior-type ss with ted armor, his defenses were somewhat high. However, with the mystical chains suppressing him, there was nothing Vault could do but anguish every time the de pierced into his body. Meng Jiang observed in silence. However, she could not help but wonder¡ªwhat kind of grudge did Izroth hold against Vault that caused him to go this far? It was as though this much was not nearly enough to satisfy whatever hatredy in his heart. But, even someone like Meng Jiang could tell that in a moment like this, it was best not to ask questions. Chapter 650 - The One Called a Demon Child

Chapter 650 - The One Called a Demon Child

Izroth repeated his process several times until finally, Vault¡¯s body began to dissipate. He ced his hand over the mystical chains and returned it to his inventory as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. ¡¯As I thought, it¡¯s not enough to quell your hatred, is it?¡¯ Every time Izroth saw Vault, he wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb and erase his soul from existence for all eternity. However, he understood that now was not the right time to move in the real world. In the end, it was not just Vault he had to worry about, but the people that supported him in the shadows as well. After all, for the Headhunter Syndicate to grow this quickly andpete against other established top guilds required a massive amount of mary capital. It was not something Vault or his family alone could afford; therefore, they must have backers with deep pockets, and deep pockets usually equated to a strong hand. With his current strength, Izroth could bebeled a superhuman by mortal standards. However, there was still a limit to his physical capabilities and influence in the real world. Izroth still did not fully understand the technology in this world, but he knew there were countless anomalies. If he killed Vault in the real world, it would not just end there. If he was found out, even if they could not get to him directly, what about those around him? Zi Yi and Valentine were an exception since they came from influential families, but what about Luna, Halls, Guan Yu, his mother? At present, he did not have the power to guarantee their safety at all times if something went wrong. That¡¯s why until he was confident that he possessed the power to eradicate Vault and those who supported him at their core, Izroth would not carelessly im his life despite the lingering resentment in his heart. However, in RML, the set circ.u.mstances were different. In this world, he had both the power and influence to annihte Vault and the Headhunter Syndicate many times over. But, unless he pulled them up at their roots, Izroth knew that an organization like the Headhunter Syndicate with thousands of yers would rise again. Even if he reduced their experience or levels a bit in the process, Izroth was aware of the impracticality of dealing with a thousand yers who could scatter and regroup virtually anywhere in RML. The only reason Sage Falls never fully regained their footing was not only due to the meteoric rise of the Headhunter Syndicate but also by incurring the wrath of almost every top guild. But, the most significant factor in Sage Falls dropping out of the top ranks was that they suffered too substantial a loss too early in RML. If it had been at ater stage in the game, there might have been an opportunity for Sage Falls to recover¡ªeven with guilds like Sleeping Gardenia suppressing them. Unfortunately, they were yed by the Headhunter Syndicate during the first world event and sealed their fate after the stunt they pulled at Izroth¡¯s Mystical Realm Pce. ¡¯Now...¡¯ Menerva heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. At that moment, she knew that Vault had perished under Izroth¡¯s hands and that she was next. After she died, the freshly enraged and humiliated Vault would shift the me to her. This was even more so, seeing as how she did not attempt to assist him. However, Menerva understood that it would not end in her favor no matter what actions she took. Whether she fought or not, she would have to endure Vault¡¯s wrath all the same. At this point, Menerva simply hoped that herst act of not lifting a hand to help would keep all of Vault¡¯s wrath aimed at her. Otherwise... "I warned you before, didn¡¯t I? To get as far away as possible from the Headhunter Syndicate. Since you failed to learn your lesson, I hope that you are prepared for the consequences." Izroth¡¯s voice entered into Menerva¡¯s ears as she kept her eyes shut. "...What you did earlier, I am sure that it was not for my sake. Nevertheless, you have my gratitude, Pce Master Izroth." Menerva spoke out calmly. If Izroth had not appeared and subdued Vault when he did, then she would have been the one shamed. "I have resigned to my fate¡ªdo with me as you will," Menerva said without mincing her words. Then, the next moment- Bap! Menerva¡¯s eyes shot open as her head jerked back slightly. "..." Menerva was speechless as she felt a stinging pain on her forehead. For the first time in a long time, Menerva was confused, and her indifferent expression slowly changed to match her confusion. She could not understand Izroth¡¯s intentions. "What is he..." Menerva internalized as she raised her hand to her forehead and stared at Izroth. She was puzzled by his actions. "That was your first punishment for not heeding my advice," Izroth said casually. What? Did she read him wrong? No, based on previous events and information she gathered about Izroth, Menerva came to a simple conclusion¡ªif you point your sword towards him, he will not hesitate to cut you down. On the other hand, if you allied yourself with him, there were numerous benefits and fortunes that seemed to follow. Menerva confirmed this after the Sleeping Gardenia situation that caused an uproar all across RML. Not only clearing the first raid but doing so at the hardcore level. And as if that was not enough, they also imed a seat as the first official guild! Others may believe that it was merely the power of a top guild; however, Menerva sensed that all roads led to Izroth. That being said, with his personality, she should have already been eliminated. If he intended on keeping her alive, then perhaps he wanted information about the Headhunter Syndicate? "I can tell that your thoughts are racing¡ªattempting to locate a logical answer that exins my actions. Just like this one behind me, you, too, are cursed. Just in a different way." Izroth stated as he briefly shifted his gaze to Meng Jiang. "You can¡¯t shut it off, can you?" Izroth dered. Menerva furrowed her brows as though Izroth¡¯s words made her ufortable. "For as long as you could remember, you were alwaysbeled an exceptionally gifted child. When you were younger, kids your age called you a freak and avoided you. As for those who did not avoid you, they would bully you, feeling threatened by your intelligence. Even the a.d.u.l.ts who openly praised you secretly cursed you under their breaths whenever you corrected their mistakes." Izroth spoke unhurriedly. However, upon hearing his words, Menerva eyes widened in shock. Izroth continued, "In the end, even your own mother, they..." "Stop!" Menerva yelled as she covered her ears, shut her eyes, and lowered herself. "...Please, stop it... please... I can¡¯t turn it off... It won¡¯t go away... I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry..." A stream of tears fell from Menerva¡¯s eyes as she constantly muttered apologies. But, it did not seem to be directed at Izroth. ¡¯It¡¯s worse than I thought.¡¯ After his run-in with Open Notes back in Rosentarus, Izroth asked Mariposa to look into Menerva, and what she found was disturbing, to say the least. To be honest, Izroth expected Mariposa to dig back a few years; however, she searched all the way to Menerva¡¯s childhood¡ªif it could even be called that. Ever since she was a child, Menerva was either ostracized by those around her or befriended with ill intentions, only to be betrayed in a cutthroat world. But, the saddest part was perhaps the fate of her mother. Menerva¡¯s mother was a member of an infamous underground cult and viewed the young Menerva as an abomination that went against her cult¡¯s teachings. A child that intelligent and rational at such a young age¡ªher mother believed that a demon had possessed the young Menerva from birth; therefore, there was only one choice. However, even with her warped views of the world, Menerva¡¯s mother could not bring herself to im the life of her daughter, despite her cult¡¯s teachings. Yet, being unable to bear bringing a demon into the world and mentally wrestling with her cult¡¯s teachings, Menerva¡¯s mother became mentally unstable. She ultimately imed her own life right before the young Menerva¡¯s eyes. Menerva was just six years old at the time it urred. Chapter 651 - Just Once, Looming Danger!

Chapter 651 - Just Once, Looming Danger!

... A few momentster, Menerva managed to calm down. Not too long before she did so, One Shot Brick¡¯s group arrived on the scene, and Meng Jiang left to greet them, leaving Izroth alone with Menerva. In the end, Meng Jiang was too far away to hear what Izroth and Menerva were discussing; however, she believed that it was for the better that she did not know. After all, based on Menerva¡¯s previous actions alone, it was not difficult to understand a thing or two. "Have you calmed down?" Izroth asked. Menerva gave a slight nod in response. She remained silent for a while before finally speaking out. "I have revealed to you an unsightly blemish. I am aware that my present position is not ideal when ites to requesting a favor. However... I beseech Pce Master Izroth to retain the ounts of my life nearer to his mind than to his lips." Menerva spoke softly. "Rest assured; I am not in the habit of needlessly spreading around the history of others. However, it was ne-" "Necessary¡ªI am aware." Menerva chimed in before Izroth could finish speaking. Now that she collected herself and organized her inner thoughts, Menerva quickly pieced everything together. Menerva released a small sigh, "Your methods are not gentle, Pce Master Izroth. If you failed, there always existed the possibility that I would never have recovered. Your actions were too rash." "It¡¯s true, that may have been the case¡ªif you did not have something that you must protect at all costs. It takes a firm will to never submit. But, when onecks the strength to steer their own fate, it requires a strong heart to submit for the sake of others. How could such a heart give way?" Of course, even if he failed, Izroth did not n on allowing Menerva to suffer. There were plenty of methods at his disposal; however, this was the fastest. Not to mention, he was confident that Menerva would not permit herself to slip into oblivion. ¡¯I have witnessed a myriad of atrocities in the Seven Realms. In a world where the strong decide what is right and what is wrong, this ce is a paradise inparison. Nevertheless¡ªit appears that this world has its own cruelties.¡¯ In this world, no matter how strong a mortal was individually, they could never face the world with their strength alone. All it took was one ident, one bad day¡ªand it was all over. In a way, Izroth found that part of this world much crueler than that of the Seven Realms. After all, in the Seven Realms, at least one could cultivate the power to go against their fate and stand face to face with the heavens. But, here, one had to stand face to face with their own weakness¡ªtheir own mortality. Menerva closed her eyes as she contemted Izroth¡¯s words. "So Pce Master Izroth was that kind of man all along. If it¡¯s him, then..." Menerva thought to herself as she came to a realization. Menerva opened her eyes with a new look of rity contained within them. Since things had progressed to the point of no return, it was toote to turn back. Now, all she could do was keep moving forward. "I know that it is shameless of me to ask for a second request as I reflect upon everything that I have put Pce Master Izroth and Sacred Beasts through. However, since you have acquired detailed information regarding my past, I assume you are informed of my present circ.u.mstances as well." Izroth nodded and replied, "The orphanage." "That is correct. As long as the orphanage is under his influence, there is no action I can take. I do not fear the danger to my life as it is a choice I have made and am prepared to live with. But, I cannot risk the lives of those at the orphanage. That¡¯s why-" Menerva stood straight as she gently ced one hand over the other before bowing formally. "Please, lend me your assistance. Your price¡ªI will bear it." Menerva said without a hint of regret in her voice. Izroth did not respond immediately as he silently observed Menerva. She hid it well, but Izroth could see that Menerva¡¯s hands were trembling. Even if she put on a brave front, Menerva herself understood that if she did not seek Izroth¡¯s help here and now, that there would be no chance to do so in the future. "One time... At least one time¡ªI want to trust myself." Menerva stated without lifting her head. From a logical standpoint, it made close to no sense. In the end, Izroth was a stranger that owed her nothing. Why would he go out of his way to help her and bring potential danger upon himself? The safer choice would be to beg Vault for a second chance; after all, even if he were enraged, at the very least, he would not toss her aside until he achieved his goal. But, for once in her life, Menerva wanted to go against her mind. The world was an unfair ce; this was something Menerva learned at a tender age. So once... Just once, she d.e.s.i.r.ed to see a path that led to more than pure darkness. Just once, regardless of how dim or distant¡ªshe wanted to see the light on a path she¡¯d taken. ¡¯I want to trust myself... Is it?¡¯ Trusting yourself may seem a simple task on the surface; however, self-doubt lurked within even the most brilliant of minds. No, to be more precise, those with brilliant minds often doubted themselves more than others because they were aware of just how little they knew in the grand scheme of things. True wisdom is the knowledge of how little one knows¡ªa realization that enables them to begin asking questions to approach the hidden truth. Just now, Izroth witnessed Menerva take a critical step down the road that led to those hidden truths. Izroth pointed her in the direction she must take with his actions and words; however, it was up to Menerva toplete the journey itself. Once she reached that end... ¡¯Her growth will be limitless. In this world, perhaps such a beast was better left to its slumber.¡¯ "The current you¡ªI doubt my price is something that you can bear," Izroth stated. Menerva tensed up. "I see... Of course, he would not entertain such an unreasonable request that produces zero benefits... Ah, it ceased..." Menerva internalized as she noticed that she was no longer trembling. For some reason, even after hearing Izroth¡¯s response, she was not disheartened. Instead, she felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. This feeling... It was one that she never wanted to forget. "However-" Menerva suddenly snapped out of her deep thoughts when she heard Izroth continue to speak. "That does not mean this will always be the case. The future is filled with various uncertainties. The opportunity may just have yet to present itself. Nheless, it is a gamble I am willing to take." Izroth said as a carefree smile formed on his face. Menerva was momentarily stunned as she shot up straight with an expression of disbelief. A gamble he was willing to take? Then...! "And, you should know¡ªI¡¯ve never lost a bet." Izroth followed up. Menerva remained speechless. She tried to find the perfect words to weave together into a sentence that represented her gratitude; however, at that moment, even she came up empty-minded. But, there was no need forplicated words. That¡¯s right... After all, weren¡¯t there two simple words that embodied her feelings? "...Thank you," Menerva said softly as she bowed once more. It was only two words, but for Menerva, these two words gave birth to something she was experiencing for the first time in her life¡ªhope. ... Somewhere in RML... Crash! A wooden chair shattered to pieces as it was thrown to the ground. However, it did not cause much of a mess, considering the already destroyed state of the room. "I want him dead! You hear me?! F***ing dead!" Vault yelled. He was infuriated! Never before had he lost so much face and been humiliated to that extent! "B-Boss-" Doctor Dark tried to calm Vault down; however, he was quickly silenced. "Shut up! Not just him! Everyone close to him! Put out a bounty on everyone associated with that bastard¡¯s Mystical Realm Pce! And find out his true identity! He must think he¡¯s safe just because he can hide behind his avatar; I¡¯ll show him what happens to those who dare go against me!!!" Vault shouted at the top of his lungs. "Yes, I¡¯ll put it out at once! I¡¯ll personally inform the others!" Doctor Dark responded with haste as he headed towards the exit. "Wait!" Doctor Dark halted his steps and turned to face Vault. "That orphanage¡ªsend the Mad Dogs. Tell their leader I¡¯ll owe them a favor. I still need her abilities, so don¡¯t mess her up too bad. As for the others, they can do whatever they want with them. I¡¯ll show that b***h what happens when she fails me..!" Vault said as his gaze turned cold. Chapter 652 - The Commanders Introduction

Chapter 652 - The Commander''s Introduction

"The Mad Dogs...?! Boss, are you sure? There¡¯s no telling what-" Doctor Dark tried to speak but was swiftly interrupted by Vault. "Hey¡ªare you going to start questioning me now, too?" Vault asked as his facial expression darkened. If looks could kill, Doctor Dark would have died many times over by now! "N-No, I¡¯ll contact them and deliver your message." Doctor Dark assured as he swallowed his words. "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take care of it!" Vaultshed out. "Yes, boss!" Doctor Dark responded as he left the room with hastened steps. Doctor Dark inwardly frowned the moment he made his exit. "The boss is actually willing to use those uncontroble Mad Dogs. Damn, this is all that guy¡¯s fault that I have to go see those crazy bastards..!" Doctor Dark muttered to himself as he grit his teeth. The Mad Dogs were a vicious street gang led by a man people called Bloodhound. That¡¯s because when it came to tracking people down and getting his hands dirty, he did not hesitate. But, the reason Doctor Dark was so stunned by Vault¡¯s request had to do with one simple fact¡ªBloodhound was crazy! He knew how to get the job done; however, small things were enough to set him off at any given time. Once that happened, there was no limit to how far that guy would go. There were even rumors about how he cut out a messenger¡¯s tongue just because he didn¡¯t like the sound of their voice! How could Doctor Dark want to visit a ce with those kinds of rumors circting around it? Doctor Dark sighed, "But, since the boss gave me an order, I can¡¯t not go. I¡¯ll just say what I need to and leave as fast as possible." Several momentster... After eliminating the Headhunter Syndicate, Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts decided to hunt monsters and gather materials in the Hollow Soul Grove. With one of the outposts being eradicated and the other twocking the personnel to pose a threat, Meng Jiang believed it was best to take advantage of the circ.u.mstances. After all, there was an abundance of rare materials and strong monsters in the Hollow Soul Grove. But, more importantly, she knew that they might not get the chance to hunt there again in the near future. Once Tempest realized what happened to their outposts, they would send reinforcements, likely led by a First File¡ªthe equivalent of an Amaharpe General! Meng Jiang offered Izroth to join their hunt; however, he declined as there were some things he had to settle first. Therefore, the two parted ways as Izroth and Menerva headed back to the Rosentarus border. But, seeing that Menerva was still technically a part of the Tempest allied forces, she could not exactly stroll into the camp on the Rosentarus border. Fortunately, Aurie was still within the camp and allowed Menerva to pass as long as she remained strictly under Izroth¡¯s guard. He would also have to take full responsibility for her actions while inside the camp. Izroth did not find Aurie¡¯s conditions unreasonable. Since he was the one who chose to bring Menerva to this ce, he would naturally take responsibility for her. Izroth was positive that Aurie would have a lot of questions¡ªof which he was prepared to answer. Yet, to Izroth¡¯s surprise, those questions never came. Instead, he learned that Aurie had been searching for him for the past couple of hours. "There is someone that I must introduce you to. It may benefit you greatly." Aurie said as she led the way with quickened steps. ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth was unsure why Aurie seemed to be in such a rush. Even when introducing him to General Solomon, Aurie did not disy this level of enthusiasm. Just who was she taking him to meet? ... ¡¯This is certainly unexpected.¡¯ At the moment, Izroth and Menerva were inside amand tent with Aurie and one other individual¡ªa woman. "So this is the Captain you¡¯ve been speaking so highly of. As expected of my daughter, you have a keen eye for talent! However, after seeing him in person, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t grant your request. Or rather, I should say that I don¡¯t think it would be appropriate of me to do so." The woman next to Aurie stated with an air of maturity about her. She wore a gorgeous cloak with the hood down and had long pink hair that reached her ankles. This was apanied by a pair of sparkling eyes thatcked irises, but looking right into them was like gazing into the starry night sky. However, this was not Izroth¡¯s first time meeting this woman. While theirst encounter was not direct, she was in the pce the day Izroth entered the Chaotic Dogma Realm. One of the seven heroes, Nova! NPC Name: Nova(???) NPC Level: ??? Of course, what surprised Izroth more than Nova¡¯s presence was that she was the adoptive mother Aurie spoke of back in the Netherly Swathe! ¡¯To think her adoptive mother would be one of the seven heroes. It certainly exins a lot.¡¯ Aurie never mentioned her adoptive mother¡¯s name in the Netherly Swathe; however, whenever she brought her up, Aurie¡¯s eyes lit up like a child talking about their hero. It was no wonder¡ªher adoptive mother was one of the most well-renowned heroes in the Mortal Realm! Along with Gear and the other seven heroes, Nova fought against the eternal darkness. She also yed a massive role in reducing the number of potential casualties during the catastrophe. Aurie appeared taken aback by Nova¡¯s words as she spoke, "Why? Didn¡¯t you say that as long as he shows promise, you would consider it?" Aurie knew that Nova was not the type of person to go back on her word, which is why she was shocked by her statement. ¡¯What are they talking about?¡¯ From the sound of things, it seemed that Aurie asked Nova for a favor on his behalf. But, for some reason, after seeing him, she determined that it was improper. "Hmmm, you¡¯re not wrong, but..." Nova raised her finger to her chin as a brief, thoughtful expression formed on her face. "But?" Aurie inquired. Nova deeply sighed as she shrugged, shook her head, and replied, "He¡¯s already under someone¡¯s watch. If they haven¡¯t taken him there yet, it must be for a good reason¡ªsince that person is even closer to the old man than I am. If it¡¯s like that, my interference may do more harm than good." Aurie furrowed her brows. A few secondster, she released a small sigh. "If you say so, then there is nothing that can be done about it. I apologize if my request caused you any difort." Aurie said politely. "Ha? Why¡¯re you apologizing? I see you still haven¡¯t fixed that timid personality of yours." Nova teased. Aurie? Timid? Izroth did not know whether tough or cry. The same Aurie that stood up to Satoras, a legendary figure, when he bad-mouthed Solomon? The one who threatened to drag anyone who died under hermand back from the dead and kill them herself? That was considered timid? "You¡¯re right. I still have much to learn." Aurie replied calmly. She then faced Izroth and said, "My manners are a bitcking. But, Captain Izroth, I¡¯d like for you to meet my adoptive mother, Lady Nova." "I have heard much about you. It¡¯s not every day that someone gets the chance to speak with one of the seven heroes." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "I never thought the Izroth Aurie spoke of was the same one who conquered the Chaotic Dogma Realm. It exins why she suddenly requested a favor upon my visit when she rarely asks me for anything." Nova responded with a slight chuckle. "It¡¯s reassuring to know that Commander Aurie thinks so highly of me," Izrothmented. As time went by and Izroth spoke with Aurie and Nova, Menerva quietly observed in awe. "A yer who is capable of carrying out a casual conversation with one of the seven heroes... Additionally, judging from the earlier exchange, there exists a great possibility that Pce Master Izroth is personally connected to one of the other seven heroes. This sort of advantage¡ªyers would bepelled to battle to the death to secure such an opportunity." Menerva internalized. Chapter 653 - Izroths Request, That WhiChapter Lies In Wait

Chapter 653 - Izroth''s Request, That WhiChapter Lies In Wait

... After speaking for a few minutes, Aurie finally brought up the topic of Menerva¡¯s presence. Besides withholding the more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e details, Izroth did not hide anything from Aurie and exined the events that transpired in the Demilitarization Belt. "Ahahaha! Good, very good! Now I see why Gear and the old man took an interest in you. To be honest, I¡¯m a little jealous of them." Nova stated with a grin. Aurie sighed, "Please do not encourage his behavior, Lady Nova. You were too reckless, Captain Izroth." "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. A young man his age has to be a bit reckless if they want to aplish anything worthwhile." Nova said, brushing off the subject. "Anyhow, it¡¯s about time I get going." Nova stood to her feet as she raised her arms above her head and stretched. "You¡¯re leaving already?" Aurie furrowed her brows. "Ehhh~? What¡¯s this? Can it be that you¡¯re worried about me?" Nova teased. Aurie replied inly without hesitation, "No, I¡¯m more concerned about the trouble you¡¯re going to cause for those around you." "Oh ho? This cheeky brat¡ªI guess you must¡¯ve forgotten how amazing thisdy is!" Nova said as she cracked her knuckles. Aurie lightly smiled; however, the look of concern in her eyes could not be fully concealed. "Be careful... Mother." Nova lowered her fist as the grin on her face disappeared. "You worry too much. I¡¯ve fought way tougher opponents, you know?" Nova stated as she turned her back and punched out at the empty air before her. Riiiiiiiiiip! The sound of something tearing could be heard within themand tent. At the same time, the surrounding air waspressed and drawn to a single point before being expelled in every direction. The next moment, the space in front of Nova tore open into a rift! ¡¯Is this her power?¡¯ Izroth did not know much when it came to the abilities held by the seven heroes. Gear had the authentic version of Flickering Steps, a movement skill that allowed him to travel absurd distances at unimaginable speeds. Terminus, who was also the Combat Master instructor, seemed to possess some type of phasing ability. However, Izroth had only seen him use it once when they first met at the Combat Master ss building in Amaharpe. Zendai, the Y¡¯Zati of Proximus¡ªIzroth was uncertain of his exact abilities, but he was undoubtedly a skillful mage with a boundless quantity of mana. Now, there was Nova, who appeared to have some control over space along with enhanced physical capabilities. So much so that a simple light punch was enough to tear open a rift! The more he thought about how powerful each of the seven heroes was as individuals, the more Izroth pondered their fight against the eternal darkness. While it was true that their strength could have progressed over the years since that battle took ce, Izroth could not help but wonder what powers the eternal darkness wielded to suppress seven such individuals single-handedly. ¡¯My current strength is still insufficient.¡¯ If certain yers knew that Izroth thought of his strength as insufficient, they would want to strangle him to death! If his strength was consideredcking, then what were they worth?! The rift finished stabilizing as the chaotic air calmed down. The spatial tear was less than one meter wide and approximately two meters tall. Nova stepped towards the spatial rift, and without looking back, she said, "Besides, I¡¯ve already told you plenty of times before, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯m pretty strong." Nova grinned. Those were thest words to leave her mouth as she stepped into the spatial rift. The rift snapped close, generating a deep pping noise as air rushed in to fill the area, and Nova was no longer anywhere to be seen. Aurie closed her eyes for a few seconds to clear her mind. Then, not too long after doing so, she opened her eyes as she turned to face Izroth and Menerva. "About your request¡ªit¡¯s not a decision I can make alone. You¡¯ll have to obtain General Solomon¡¯s permission since he is the only person here capable of making that arrangement a reality. I trust your judgment, Captain Izroth, so I will put in a good word for you. Nevertheless, I cannot make any promises." Aurie stated. "I understand, Commander. I¡¯ll have to thank you in advance for your sincerity." Izroth replied with a carefree smile. Since Menerva chose to return with Izroth to Rosentarus, it was impossible for her to stay on the side of Tempest and their allies. This is why Izroth requested of Aurie that Menerva be ced in the General Support Unit directly under his supervision as a member of his Division. It had not been long since the event began, and Izroth felt that it would be a waste if someone of Menerva¡¯s talents remained on the sidelines. Not to mention the number of rewards and experience one would gain by participating. Aurie set her sights on Menerva, who stood next to Izroth and had not spoken a word the entire time. She was curious as to what kind of person would catch Izroth¡¯s attention to the point that he was prepared to take on such a heavy responsibility. "I¡¯ll speak inly¡ªI do not know you or what intentions you may hold. However, Captain Izroth has gone far enough to put his name on the line for your sake. I hope you¡¯ll do well not to bring shame to him and make me regret my choice." Aurie said without mincing her words. "I am quite conscious of Pce Master Izroth¡¯s efforts on my behalf. Know that it is not something I take for granted." Menerva spoke unhurriedly in a calm tone. "As long as you understand." Aurie nodded. She then shifted her attention to Izroth and continued, "General Solomon is still meeting with the other representatives, so your request will have to wait until he¡¯s finished." "Oh? Are they finalizing the retreat from the Demilitarization Belt?" Izroth inquired. "That among several other topics. Dolos Jestal¡¯s fate will also be decided. Though with the evidence that has been brought to light against him, I doubt the ruling will take long. The only potential issue is the delegate that arrived from Proximus. If he finds fault with the ruling, then the situation can be moreplex than it already is." Aurie answered with a sigh. "Based on his actions and the evidence surrounding him, even those from the Jestal family can not defend his conduct, let alone a delegate," Izrothmented. Izroth inwardly shook his head. How could they find any fault with the ruling? Not only did Dolos attempt to eliminate him and Aurie, but he even underwent a transformation that could only be performed by those who were aligned with the Shadahi. Plus, there was evidence of Dolos¡¯ involvement with the League of the Eidolon, who had strong ties to the Nether Realm. With such solid proof lined up, anyone who dared side with Dolos might as well give away their connection to the Shadahi or Nether World! "Indeed... In addition, they have to discuss preparations regarding the uing assault on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt." Aurie mentioned. ¡¯So, it¡¯s finally happening.¡¯ Antumbra of Decay, Zars¡ªhe was the Skounae Night Lord that Izroth and Aurie defeated back near the Unsanctioned Zone. With the help of Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain and Captain Gritt¡¯s sacrifice, Izroth was able to kill Zars inside Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain and force him into a deep slumber. However, as long as a Night Lord¡¯s Spirix remained intact, they could revive an endless number of times within their Crypt. The revival process took approximately two weeks, but, of course, Amaharpe and their allies did not n on waiting that long to make their move. After all, the opportunity to kill a Night Lord for good was not something that came every day! "When that timees, many of the elite forces from Malentansium will be on the move, and, without a doubt, an Antumbra Night Lord will be present to protect Zars¡¯ Crypt. A chaotic battle is bound to ensue, so we may have to reposition our troops to the Rosentarus and Malentansium border as a precaution." Aurie exined. "I see. Then, I assume Lady Nova¡¯s visit was not just a familial check-in?" Izroth mentioned. "You¡¯re correct. Lady Nova will be apanying the High General heading the assault on the Crypt in order to deal with the Antumbra Night Lord. We were luckyst time since Zars fought without his Spirix; however, you can rest assured that the Night Lord guarding his Crypt will not grant the same luxury." Aurie revealed. Chapter 654 - The Fate of Dolos Jestal, Immortal Persona

Chapter 654 - The Fate of Dolos Jestal, Immortal Persona

¡¯Turbulent times are approaching. But, it¡¯s hard to say that the circ.u.mstances favor Amaharpe and its allies.¡¯ Amaharpe and its allies were forced to retreat from the Demilitarization Belt due Ekquilore¡¯s appearance. It was not as though Ekquilore could not be defeated; however, with the support of the Tempest allied forces, Ekquilore¡¯s total erasure was not guaranteed. After all, if one did notpletely eradicate a Shadahi, they would merely return stronger and gain a powerful immunity to whatever previously injured them. But, that did not mean that Amaharpe and its allies would allow Ekquilore and the Tempest allied forces to continue to do as they please within the Demilitarization Belt. "Fortunately, not everything is bad news. While it¡¯s true that General Solomon and the other representatives are better off avoiding a direct confrontation with the Shadahi, we are not necessarily out of options. I cannot give you any specifics; however, I will say this¡ªthe Shadahi and the damage they¡¯ve inflicted to the Mortal Realm has never been forgotten. Not for a single moment." Aurie stated. ¡¯As expected, the kingdoms still have their closely held secrets.¡¯ While Aurie did not go into details, Izroth roughly understood what she was hinting at with her words. In simple terms, the kingdoms refused to be blindsided a second time by the Shadahi. Therefore, it was likely that they made some special preparations tobat the Shadahi or a simr species, should they reemerge one day. However, as to what those methods were or whether their level of effectiveness would prove helpful¡ªthis remained a mystery to Izroth. But, one thing was for sure. It was only a matter of time before those answers revealed themselves for the world to see. ... Ten minutes passed, and the meeting between Solomon and the representatives reached its conclusion. The moment the meeting ended, Aurie led Izroth and Menerva to Solomon¡¯smand tent located near the center of the camp. Aurie wasted no time exining the situation to Solomon as the three stood before the General. After listening to Aurie¡¯s report, Solomon released a deep sigh as he massaged his temples. "Commander Aurie, Captain Izroth¡ªI am beginning to think that you two are conspiring to increase the difficulty of my workload," Solomon said as his gazended on Menerva. "That was not our intention, General Solomon," Aurie replied with a straight face. "Commander Aurie is simply speaking on my behalf. I hope that General Solomon does not find fault with the Commander over this." Izrothmented. "Trust me; I¡¯m well aware of that fact. You two are naturally drawn to trouble. Though I can¡¯t say, that isn¡¯t the case for me as well as ofte." Solomon stated as he looked at Izroth. He then continued, "Captain Izroth, I can grant your request, but are you really sure it¡¯s something you want? If anything goes wrong, neither myself nor Commander Aurie can step in to protect you. Knowing that, are you still fine with carrying the burden on your shoulders?" "I do not see it as a burden but rather as an opportunity. And, when ites to carrying opportunity on one¡¯s shoulders¡ªwould you refuse, General Solomon?" Izrothmented. "No, I suppose I would not. However, your outlook is a double-edged sword, Captain. It¡¯s best that you remember the opportunity that sits upon your shoulder is more often than not apanied by ambivalence. I just hope there does note a point where you lose sight of the bigger picture." Solomon said solemnly. "I can assure you¡ªthere has never existed a moment where the bigger picture has left my sights," Izroth responded calmly. "Then..." Solomon rose to his feet. "I hereby assign Menerva to the General Support Unit with the rank of Soldier 10th ss. After being briefed by myself and the War Intelligence Group, she will be under the direct supervision of the General Support Unit¡¯s Captain Izroth. Commander Aurie, you will act as a witness and, if ever required, will give a truthful ount of what has transpired here today. Is that understood?" "Yes, General!" Aurie answered as she straightened her posture and raised a right fist to the center of her c.h.e.s.t. Aurie nced towards Izroth and Menerva with a meaningful gaze as she lightly cleared her throat. "Yes, General." Izroth and Menerva followed Aurie¡¯s actions, both understanding her intentions. "Commander, Captain¡ªyou two are dismissed. Soldier 10th ss Menerva, you will remain behind while I send for an Agent from the War Intelligence Group." Solomon dered. "Understood," Menerva responded indifferently. She was not surprised that Solomon wanted her to undergo a debriefing process. Even if the information she could provide was limited to an extent due to her rank, Solomon could not risk overlooking even the smallest detail with the uing events. Of course, Izroth understood this point as well. "General, before we depart, if it is not out of line, I would like to know how the matter with Dolos Jestal was settled," Aurie spoke out. "I suppose you¡¯ll find out soon enough either way. Dolos Jestal has been officially removed from his position in the war alliance. He is to be transported back to the kingdom of Proximus along with the delegate¡¯s escort group. When Dolos returns to Proximus, he will undergo a trial. As for his ultimate fate¡ªit is in the hands of the Proximus Key Assembly." Solomon exined. "The Key Assembly?" Aurie frowned. The Proximus Key Assembly handled major crimes and atrocitiesmitted against or within the kingdom of Proximus. The members of the Key Assembly typically consisted of high-ranking nobles and a few honoraries. In the end, anyone who prosecuted Dolos would run the risk of offending the Jestal family. In addition, the Jestal family was not the type to leave things to chance. Without a doubt, they already made various preparations to increase or perhaps even ensure Dolos¡¯ release! ¡¯They certainly wasted no time. Though it¡¯s much earlier than I initially suspected.¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. He predicted that the Jestal family would make a move sooner orter. But, he had to admit, they acted much faster than he anticipated. "I know what you¡¯re thinking, Commander; however, it is already out of my hands. The circ.u.mstances are unquestionably unique, but Amaharpe and Proximus have an extradition agreement in ce that has existed for more than a century. I tried doing what I can to prolong the inevitable, but now¡ªwe can only hope that the Key Assembly lives up to their reputation and dispenses justice." Solomon stated as heced his fingers together. "...Indeed, we can only hope. Excuse me, General. I will return to my post." Aurie replied before she turned around and walked towards themand tent¡¯s exit. Aurie knew that Solomon must have tried his best to prevent Dolos¡¯ fate from being decided by the Key Assembly. However, even Prince Yan, with his full authority, could not go against the extradition agreement, let alone a lone General of the War Brigade. As Aurie took her leave, Izroth also turned to exit the tent. But, before doing so, he stopped at Menerva¡¯s side. "I¡¯ll be waiting outside. So, take your time." Izroth said unhurriedly. Menerva gave a small nod in response. ... Approximately fifteen minutester... Izroth stood outside themand tent as he checked through his system interface. When he left themand tent, everything inside turned dead silent. But, that was not strange considering the number of important matters usually discussed within themand tent. Naturally, it was protected by a strong magic barrier that prevented outside ears and eyes from prying. However, Izroth did not remain idle. At the moment, he was monitoring the status of his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to see if any changes had urred as a result of the living armor devouring the Abyssal Dragon Lord¡¯s Scales. ¡¯Still no changes. I rechecked the system logs, and the Overeater effect activated without question. Then, why hasn¡¯t the effect reached its end even though-¡¯ Just as Izroth pondered what was going on with his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, his train of thought was interrupted by an abrupt stream of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: The effect of ?Overeater? has ended!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Integrating...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Conceptualization of the living armor ?Abyssal Dragon Lord¡¯s Scales? has formed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The ?Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence? has evolved!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ??? for the ?Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence? has been unlocked! Generating skill...¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Immortal Persona? is now avable for use!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Link to the ?Immortal Persona: ???? has been established!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Link to the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has been established!¡µ Chapter 655 - Immortal Persona and Authority

Chapter 655 - Immortal Persona and Authority

¡¯This is...¡¯ Izroth suddenly felt as if his entire body was thrown into a sea of mes. However, the sensation onlysted a few seconds before the raging heat transformed into a gentle warmth. ¡¯Its pulse has gotten stronger.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s living armor had a "heartbeat". Or, at least, that was the best way he knew how to describe it. In reality, the armor was a part of him, yet it was able to "breathe" on its own like a separate living entity. This feeling had always existed ever since the armor first chose Izroth as its owner back at the Sky Pce. However, the sensation he felt after the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence evolved could be likened to a stronger heartbeat. If Izroth had to make aparison, it was simr to someone in a deep slumber suddenly being jolted awake. Their heartbeat would shift from a calm and steady pace to a strong pulse. Izroth inspected his armor and immediately noticed the changes that urred after its evolution. ¡¯It¡¯s a bit disappointing that the stats have not improved. Since it seemed to be equal to a legendary armor, I was somewhat looking forward to the amount of stats I would receive. But, it¡¯s not necessarily a loss on my part.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyes were instantly drawn to the newly unlocked skill of his armor, Immortal Persona. Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) Armor Rank: Growth Type Armor Level: 51 ... *?Immortal Persona? - Allows the user to ess the ?Immortal Persona? of living armors and tap into their true power. The user must have an established link with the ?Immortal Persona? to be bestowed ?Authority?. The greater the user¡¯s ?Authority?, the more ess they are granted to the abilities of the ?Immortal Persona? they call forth. If the user¡¯s ?Authority? is too low, the ?Immortal Persona? can refuse their call. [Immortal Persona(s): ???, Dragon Lord of the Abyss] It did not take long for Izroth to finish looking over the information of the new skill; however, there were many points of uncertainty present. ¡¯Does this provide me with a way tomunicate with the living armor? Or rather, a way to interact with the entities that reside within living armors like the Dragon Lord of the Abyss? However, this mention of Authority¡ªit¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen it. Nheless, it seems to y an important role that directly corrtes to the Immortal Personas. Still, that doesn¡¯t exin this part. Unless...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on the ¡¯???¡¯ disyed among the listed Immortal Personas as he tried to call it forth. ¡´System Alert: Recognizing ?Authority?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Insufficient ?Authority?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Immortal Persona: ???? has refused your call!¡µ ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Izroth¡¯s attempt to call forth the unknown Immortal Persona failed. A few secondster, he tried again; however, he met with the same end result. ¡¯In that case, let¡¯s try something else.¡¯ Since he did not have enough Authority to call the unknown Immortal Persona, he could only turn to what remained for potential answers. ¡´System Alert: Recognizing ?Authority?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? recognized as Low Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Establishing active link with ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Active link established!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has answered your call!¡µ (What is this ce...? I was... It¡¯s you! I will-) (...?!) (I-Impossible! What have you done to this lord?!) ¡¯How noisy.¡¯ (How dare you! Was the destruction of this lord¡¯s true body not sufficient to quell your rage?! Must you humiliate me to this extent?! I admit this lord underestimated you, but to hold such a deep grudge¡ªis it that you humans have no shame?!) Izroth could clearly hear the sound of a familiar voice. Without a doubt, it belonged to the Dragon Lord of the Abyss! However, oddly enough, none of the nearby soldiers appeared to react to the boisterous voice. ¡¯I¡¯m probably the only one who can hear its voice. Does it have something to do with the established link?¡¯ (Do not take this lord for a fool by feigning ignorance, human! You expect me to believe that you did not n for this to happen from the beginning?! Hmph, I will not fall for your deception of ying themb before a tiger a second time!) Izroth was somewhat surprised by the Dragon Lord of the Abyss¡¯ prompt responses that seemed too well-timed to be a mere coincidence. ¡¯Oh? Could it be that you can hear my thoughts?¡¯ (Ha?! You already know the answer, yet you still want me to y along? To think there woulde a day when I, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, would be tricked and tormented by a human whelp...! Inconceivable!) Izroth shook his head as he inwardly sighed. This Dragon Lord of the Abyss did not seem as though it was willing to cooperate. While Izroth had not fully grasped how the Authority for the Immortal Personas worked, he spected that with his Low level of Authority over the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, it should have been able to reject his call. But, it had instead chosen to establish a link and answer without putting up much of a fight. The issue was that the Dragon Lord of the Abyss was incredibly prideful¡ªat least, that was the case when it was not under the immediate threat of being exterminated. ¡¯I advised you that it was an impossible endeavor, but you insisted on disregarding my warning. You have only yourself to me for the oue.¡¯ (Roooooooar! Deceitful! Wait and see¡ªI will find a way to free myself! Once I do, I-!) ¡¯I see. Then, I no longer have any use for you. I had nned to keep you around, and if you¡¯d done an adequate job, I was even thinking of possibly providing you with a new body. But, since you seem only to know how to disy ungratefulness, I will grant you the freedom you so d.e.s.i.r.e¡ªan eternity of emptiness and obscurity. From this day forth, the name Dragon Lord of the Abyss will be forever lost in history. Farewell, one who is with no name.¡¯ (W-wait! Don¡¯t be hasty! Do you humans not have what is called a sense of humor? This lord was merely venting its frustrations through humor!) Of course, Izroth knew of no method to actually erase the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, but it had no way of knowing that. (...) (Tell me, do you speak the truth? Are you truly willing to help this lord acquire a new body?) ¡¯I suppose that depends on your usefulness.¡¯ Izroth was not entirely against the idea of helping the Dragon Lord of the Abyss obtain a new body. That is, if it proved helpful and, more importantly, if it was even possible for him to do so. At the moment, Izrothcked the method or knowledge to produce or procure a living armor at will; however, he had something at his disposal that was undoubtedly his best chance. The skill Unparalleled Craftsman! With it, the likelihood of him being able to craft a living armor of his own in the future was not an impossibility. (...) The Dragon Lord of the Abyss fell silent as if he suddenly entered into a deep state of thought. After nearly one breath of time, Izroth received another set of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? for the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has risen from Low Level to Low-Mid Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your ?Authority? with the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? is now high enough to ess a portion of the skill ?Dragon¡¯s Mark?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? for the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has risen from Low-Mid Level to Mid Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your ?Authority? with the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? is now high enough to ess a portion of the skill ?Dragon¡¯s Scale?!¡µ (I¡¯ll be blunt. I still do not trust you, human. Though regrettably, this lord is left with no other choice but the oneid before me. I will, as you humans say, "gamble" on you.) ¡¯One day, you will understand how wise the decision you¡¯ve made today is.¡¯ (Hmph, I will believe it when that dayes. Until then, you had better not die. You must keep your promise with this lord and secure me a new vessel. To that end, and only to that end, will this lord lend you its strength.) (...It is shameful to be so weakened after granting such a miniscule amount of Authority. This new form is undesirable. I grow tired... Do not awaken this lord from its slumber unless the matter is of life or death...) ¡´System Alert: ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has severed the active link! [Cooldown: 24 hours]¡µ Chapter 656 - An Unforeseen Departure, A Gnawing Intuition

Chapter 656 - An Unforeseen Departure, A Gnawing Intuition

After the Dragon Lord of the Abyss severed the active link, Izroth could no longer hear its voice. ¡¯It appears that granting Authority can be tiring for an Immortal Persona. It¡¯s safe to assume that it cannot be given endlessly since it seems to have a draining effect on their overall power. It¡¯s good it went on without too much trouble. Now...¡¯ Izroth opened his system interface. With the rise to his Authority over the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, he gained two new skills. However, these skills were not listed with his normal skills. Instead, they were attached directly to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. ¡¯Oh? This is considered a portion of the actual skills?¡¯ ... *?Dragon¡¯s Mark? - The user can channel any amount of their mana, releasing cerulean energy in the form of a dragon that locks onto any target within the user¡¯s line of sight and seeks them out indefinitely. Upon contact with the target or at themand of the user, the cerulean energy is detonated, dealing [100% + 0.05% per 1 mana channeled] of the user¡¯s attack or magic(highest stat priority) as mixed damage to all enemies within 40 meters. Damage dealt to the primary target is increased by 500%. This skill cannot be used if ?Dragon¡¯s Mark? is already active. [Daily Limit 2/2] Cooldown: None *?Dragon¡¯s Scale? - If the user¡¯s HP is above [19,264] 80% of the user¡¯s maximum HP, any damage the user would receive is negated and stored internally until a threshold of [43,344] 180% of the user¡¯s maximum HP is reached. Healing and Shielding does not reduce the threshold. When the threshold is hit, the user will immediately receive 50% of the stored damage as pure damage. The remaining 50% will be dealt as pure damage every second over the next 5 seconds. This skill cannot be used if ?Dragon¡¯s Scale? is already active. [Daily Limit: 1/1] Cooldown: None ... The first thing that caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the daily limit next to each skill. Seeing that both skills had different daily limits, even though there was no definitive proof, Izroth spected that there was a good chance that his Authority was tied to it in some way. ¡¯For both skills, it states that they cannot be used if they are already active. Dragon¡¯s Mark is understandable since I can use it twice per day; however, if the daily limit would remain at one forever for Dragon¡¯s Scale, then there would be no need for such a restriction¡ªeven with no cooldown present. It must be that the higher my Authority, the more times I can utilize each skill. It¡¯s also possible that each skill¡¯s power will further increase.¡¯ The fact that the skills had no cooldown time was huge. It meant that as long as the daily limit was not reached, Izroth could use the skills whenever he pleased! Dragon¡¯s Mark was a homing AOE skill capable of dealing high burst damage to its primary target. In addition, not only did it prioritize the higher stat between one¡¯s attack and magic, but its way of judging range was unique. Essentially, as long as Izroth could see the target with his eyes, they would be within strike range of his Dragon¡¯s Mark! Having consumed the Five Cycles Pill, along with his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth¡¯s eyesight was on another levelpared to the vast majority of yers. Therefore, a skill like Dragon¡¯s Mark was perfect for him in that sense. Unfortunately, the skill also hit one of Izroth¡¯s weakest points¡ªmana. However, he saw this only as a temporary setback. Thanks to the Seal of Ten Chakrams the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, bestowed upon him, his mana capacity would continue to expand. But, Izroth knew that it was not a process that could be rushed and required time above all else. Nevertheless, although Dragon¡¯s Mark had its uses, Dragon¡¯s Scale was the clear victor among the two. It quite literally turned Izroth into a frontline heavy ted tank! Izroth wondered why Tigran¡¯s defenses were so challenging to break through; however, it all made sense after he read over Dragon¡¯s Scale. With that kind of protection, it was no wonder his attacks seemed to merely bounce off Tigran without effect! And, if this was just a portion of the skill¡¯s true power, then Izroth wondered how far it would evolve when his Authority reached the highest point. After confirming that there were no other changes, Izroth closed his system interface. The moment he did so, Izroth heard the sealed cover that led into General Solomon¡¯smand tent shuffle around a bit before opening as someone stepped out. "Hm? You haven¡¯t left yet, Captain?" Solomon inquired as he faced Izroth and halted his steps. "I was waiting for Menerva¡¯s debriefing to finish. If you¡¯re out here, I assume it¡¯s ended, but..." Izroth spoke as he looked towards themand tent¡¯s entrance. Yet, there were no signs of Menerva. "The debriefing? It finished nearly five minutes ago. Soldier 10th ss Menerva promptly took her leave the second the debriefing was officially concluded. I want to remind you, Captain Izroth, that Soldier 10th ss Menerva is under your supervision going forth. I would advise you to keep a closer eye on her movements. We have determined her threat level to be minimal; however, there are many changes that will be taking ce over the next few days. It is best that there are no further surprises until then, Captain." Solomon reminded. Izroth inwardly frowned. He had informed Menerva that he would be waiting for her outside themand tent. She was not the type who would leave without first saying anything. More importantly, there was only one way in and out of themand tent, and with the magic barriers in ce, teleporting while inside was not an option. Unless Solomon was hiding something from him or lying, it did not add up. However, Izroth found it difficult to believe that Solomon would go as far as lying to him about Menerva¡¯s departure. "I understand. I thank you again for your hand in settling this matter, General Solomon." Izroth said calmly. Solomon nodded and began to walk off, and as he did so, he spoke to Izroth without looking back or stopping, "Be sure to extend your gratitude to Commander Aurie, Captain. Since she was willing to put her name on the line for you, how could I refuse?" As Solomon headed away from themand tent, Izroth opened his system interface once more. ¡¯She¡¯s offline?¡¯ When Izroth checked his friend¡¯s list, he saw that Menerva was listed as offline. However, there were certain areas that yers could not logout from in RML, and a ce surrounded by powerful magic barriers like Solomon¡¯smand tent was one of them. Unless it was a forced logout or the yer used the emergency logout feature, which came with a penalty, it should not have been possible for Menerva to logout. ¡¯The game f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y logged me out when there was a fire. Could something simr have happened? No, I shouldn¡¯t waste time specting. For some reason, something¡¯s bugging me. Let¡¯s see... She¡¯s online...¡¯ Izroth sent a voice chat request, and almost instantly after doing so, he received a response as an alert from the system sounded. ¡´System Alert: You have started a voice chat with yer Aurora! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the yer system interface and manually end the call.¡µ ¡¯That was fast.¡¯ The one Izroth contacted was the advisor Mariposa introduced to him in the real world, Fang Qiu. Fang Qiu¡¯s in-game name was Aurora, and she was currently in charge of managing the Mystical Realm Pce. But, her expertise extended well beyond that of a simple ountant or bookkeeper. [Voice Chat Has Started] Aurora, "This is unexpected of you¡ªto take the initiative to call me. I figured you would be too busy maintaining your first ce spot. I suppose congrattions are in order. Though I assume you did not call me for a casual chat. Is there something you require of me?" Izroth, "You assume right. The matter I told you to take care of¡ªhas everything been finalized?" Aurora, "I just wrapped up thest of the paperwork about an hour ago. I was nning to contact you once I finished reorganizing a few things. Is that what you contacted me to find out?" Izroth, "That¡¯s part of it. I need to get in contact with someone. Also, it may be unnecessary, but I need you to arrange a ride for me." Chapter 657 - You Shouldnt Make Promises You Cant Keep, Ya Know?

Chapter 657 - You Shouldn''t Make Promises You Can''t Keep, Ya Know?

... A few minutester... Jin removed his headset and stood to his feet as he grabbed the cellphone resting on the nearby stand. The moment Jin took the phone into his hand, he felt it tremble as an iing call from Fang Qiu came through. ¡¯The technology of this world never ceases to amaze me.¡¯ In the Seven Realms, it was possible for powerful cultivators to send a long-distance message; however, those whocked the power to do so had to rely on artifacts or relics. Such items were not that easy to obtain for weaker cultivators. And, when it came to mortals, there was no hope of them ever acquiring an artifact or relic unless they had the assistance of a cultivator. But, in this world, even a mortal child could use a device to contact someone thousands of kilometers away! Jin answered the call and was immediately greeted by Fang Qiu¡¯s voice. "Your ride is outside." Fang Qiu said. "That was faster than I expected," Jin stated. "Do you need more time?" Fang Qiu asked. "No, the timing couldn¡¯t have been better. I¡¯ll head out right now." Jin replied. "Understood. I¡¯ll be waiting." Fang Qiu ended the call. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Jin ced the cellphone into his pocket as he walked towards his room door and made his way outside. ... Several people walked by and could not help but stare in awe. Some of them even stopped and started taking pictures as they talked among themselves, trying to guess the driver¡¯s identity. "Hey, isn¡¯t that the SC-Super model? I thought it wasn¡¯t supposed to be out for another six months...!" "I knew it looked familiar! The person driving must be a celebrity paid to endorse it." "Ha? If that¡¯s true, what are they doing in an area like this? The ces around here aren¡¯t exactly cheap, but they definitely aren¡¯t enough to catch a celebrity¡¯s eyes¡ªespecially one who can afford to drive an SC-Super." "The driver¡¯s a beauty! I wonder if I can get an autograph. Hehe, maybe I can even get her number." "You? Ha! Dream on!" "Look, someone¡¯s walking up to the car..!" "What are you- Eh? You¡¯re right! Damn, don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s here to see her boyfriend? Who the hell is that guy?" "Quick, take pictures! Maybe it¡¯s a potential scandal..!" "I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de yourself. It hasn¡¯t even been more than ten minutes since our conversation ended." Jin said as the door fully opened. The woman in the driver¡¯s seat dressed in designer clothes with sunsses on was none other than Fang Qiu! This was Jin¡¯s first time seeing Fang Qiu in casual clothing, and he had to admit, her formal attire did not do her nearly as much justice. But, more importantly, Jin was taken aback by Fang Qiu¡¯s presence. He had not made his request for an arranged ride that long ago, yet she had personallye to drive him. To reach his house on such short notice meant that Fang Qiu had to be somewhere close by. But, of course, Jin did not believe that she just happened to be in the area at the time. "Since I finished reorganizing everything at the shop, I figured we could use the time to discuss a few things on our way." Fang Qiu said as Jin sat down in the passenger seat. "That¡¯s fine and all, but... You sure know how to make an entrance." Jinmented, feeling numerous gazes aimed at them. "I did not take you for the shy type. Hold on." The instant the car door closed, Fang Qiu pressed down on the pedal, causing the car to elerate quickly! Before the onlookers knew it, the vehicle had already made its way down the street and away from the front of Jin¡¯s house. "I was unaware that you lived close by," Jinmented. "I recently moved into a ce nearby not too long ago. I figured it would be easier to get things done in the future." Fang Qiu rified. "You- No, never mind. How long will it take to reach our destination?" Jin questioned as he inwardly shook his head. He decided to brush off the subject for the time being. "At our current speed, it should take around fifteen minutes. It¡¯s not exactly a ce that the residents around here would wee with open arms." Fang Qiu responded. She paused for a moment and then continued, "I¡¯ll be blunt, I¡¯m still against investing in something that has no potential for mary return. At least, that is my professional opinion as your financial advisor." "Oh? Then, what is your unprofessional opinion?" Jin asked. "I¡¯ve seen money thrown down the drain for idiotic causes more times than I can count. That¡¯s why... My unprofessional opinion¡ªI admire your choice. Not as my employer, but as a person." Fang Qiu answered. "I see. Though your outlook is wrong about one thing, Advisor Fang Qiu." Jin said with a carefree smile on his face. "Wrong? Then, would you care to enlighten me?" Fang Qiu jerked the wheel sideways as she drifted around a corner. "Not all gains are mary. Sometimes, there are things that no amount of money can buy¡ªmaking their inherent worth priceless. As far as I¡¯m concerned, even if I had to spend ten times more, it would have still been the equivalent of trading y for diamonds." Jin exined. "y for diamonds, is it? Well, I suppose if you feel that strongly about it, there will be no regrets in your decision. However, it is reassuring to know that you see value beyond pure numbers." Fang Qiu noted. For a moment, Jin could have sworn that he saw the "Ice Queen" Fang Qiu crack a smile. After their initial conversation, Jin fell into deep thought. While they were still in RML, he asked Fang Qiu to find a way to contact Menerva in the real world; however, it turned out to be somewhat moreplicated than she expected. Menerva¡¯s contact information was tied directly to the orphanage, but the listed phone number was inactive. In addition, there was little to no information avable when it came to contacting her¡ªbesides a physical address where the orphanage was located. This was Jin and Fang Qiu¡¯s current destination. ¡¯Given her circ.u.mstances, it¡¯s not surprising that she doesn¡¯t have active phone service. But, I can¡¯t shake this feeling... What is it that¡¯s bugging me?¡¯ ... Meanwhile... The sound of objects breaking and being thrown around could be heard throughout the building as a rowdy group of twenty people acted without restraint. The group¡¯s threatening demeanor and wild behavior did not make it difficult to uncover their identity as thugs and streetwalkers. The building itself was already in poor condition due to being old and worn out before their arrival; however... Torn wallpaper, broken furniture¡ªit looked as if a storm had recently been through the ce. "Look at this dump! Wasn¡¯t it already messed up before we even got here? I think we actually made it look better! Bwahahaha!" One of the thugs cackled. "Yeah, you¡¯re right! Hey, maybe we should charge them a decorating fee. I heard those decorator bastards get paid pretty decent money, heh!" Another chimed in. At the same time, huddled in the corner of the room, was a group of children whose ages ranged from four to twelve. In total, there were sixteen of them. But, they were not alone. At the front of the group was a woman who appeared to be in herte teens to early twenties, with a calm expression on her face. She bore a striking resemnce to Menerva! "I¡¯m scared..." One of the younger children muttered as they tried to hold back their tears. "It¡¯s okay." The woman said as she reached her hand out and gently ced it upon the child¡¯s head. She then went on to say, "I will not permit any harm to befall any of you." "Is that any way to teach children? You shouldn¡¯t make promises you can¡¯t keep, ya know?" A chilling voice sounded from the nearby couch. Chapter 658 - Bloodhounds Game

Chapter 658 - Bloodhound''s Game

The chilling voice came from a man with the tattoo of a skull on his neck along with the word "Bloodhound" written over it. Tattooed on the man¡¯s left forearm ced around the shoulders of the provocatively dressed woman at his side was the image of a ferocious dog and the words "Mad Dogs". This man was the leader of the group causing mayhem inside the orphanage and was feared by local gangs. Those who knew of him did not know his real name and simply started referring to him as Bloodhound due to the methods he used to deal with his enemies. The woman at the front of the group of children did not entertain a response as she continued tofort them. She knew that showing any form of weakness or fear before a person like Bloodhound would only serve as a stimulus. However, she was uncertain whether or not it was possible to prevent that point from being reached with someone like Bloodhound. "...Big Sis Qiao Xiaoqing, are they going to hurt us...?" One of the children uttered with a trembling voice as she and the other children all had their eyes set on the woman at the group¡¯s front. "No. As long as you remember what I have told you, everything will be over soon." The woman called Qiao Xiaoqing replied in a low voice to avoid Bloodhound¡¯s eavesdropping. "Is this the price I must pay for going against myself?" Qiao Xiaoqing internalized. In truth, she did not care what happened to her since she was prepared to ept the potential consequences. However, Qiao Xiaoqing would never forgive herself if any of those under her care were harmed as a result of her choice. "Hey~ How much longer do we have to stay in this dump~?" The woman next to Bloodhound said seductively as she moved closer to him. "Shut up. The real show ain¡¯t even start yet." Bloodhound grinned. He then stood to his feet and shouted, "Who¡¯s up for a game, boys?!" "The boss is startin¡¯ his game? Heh, I¡¯ve been looking forward to this." "Yeah! Let¡¯s do it, boss! No one knows games like you!" "Bwahaha looks like the real fun is about to start!" Several members of the Mad Dogs gathered around Bloodhound with gleeful and amused expressions. "Let¡¯s see... Since our host is supposed to be some sort of genius, we¡¯ll y a game that suits her talents¡ªa game where she can never answer wrong. Ya know, to show off her smarts and everything." Bloodhound stated as he stepped towards the corner where Qiao Xiaoqing and the others were situated. The children shivered as they instinctively tried to back away. But, with a wall at their backs, there was nowhere to go. Qiao Xiaoqing held her arm out in front of the group as her indifferent gaze met with Bloodhound¡¯s. "Oh? That¡¯s a damn good look you have right now." Bloodhound said as he stopped before Qiao Xiaoqing. "Rx, we¡¯re just gonna y a little game. If you win, I might even think about lettin¡¯ you off easy. But, if you don¡¯t want to y, then..." Bloodhound set his sights on one of the young children behind Qiao Xiaoqing with a vile gaze. "Very well. I will y your game." Qiao Xiaoqing replied without hesitation. After seeing the look in Bloodhound¡¯s eyes, Qiao Xiaoqing knew that the moment she refused his request, he would turn to more forceful methods to gain herpliance. "It looks like you really are a genius. Though if I¡¯m totally honest with ya-" Bloodhound leaned forward and whispered into Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s ear, "I was really hopin¡¯ you¡¯d try to fight back." Qiao Xiaoqing remained unmoved as her eyes turned cold. Bloodhound took a step back and held his hand out towards one of his subordinates. "The game we¡¯re gonna y is simple. I ask you a question, and you answer¡ªthat¡¯s all. See? Simple, isn¡¯t it?" Bloodhound smirked as his subordinate handed him a switchde. He then continued, "But, as you know, it¡¯s not a real game without rewards. Let¡¯s see... Ah, I got it. How about for every question you get right, I let one of those brats go? See that? Aren¡¯t I just filled with generosity, boys?" "Boss, there ain¡¯t no one as generous as you are!" "That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Who¡¯d dare im to be as generous as our boss?! Hahaha!" The room filled withughter from the members of the Mad Dogs. However, the instant Bloodhound held his hand up, theughter immediately died down. "But, should you refuse to answer my question... It won¡¯t be you who pays the price, but rather those brats you¡¯re so desperately protecting." "Now, let¡¯s start. First question-" Bloodhound pressed the button on the switchde in his hand as a sharpened edge emerged. He then held the de up to Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s face andid it t against her left cheek. This action caused the children to release a frightened cry. "Damn brats, so noisy. Hey, haven¡¯t ya been teaching them proper manners? Ya know, like when someone important¡¯s talkin¡¯, they shouldn¡¯t make a sound. So? What do you think? Should I teach them some manners in your ce?" Bloodhound narrowed his eyes with an irritated look on his face from being interrupted by the children¡¯s sudden cry. "That will not be necessary! Y-Your game¡ªI am eager to participate..." Qiao Xiaoqing said in a shaken voice with a fearful look in her eyes. When Bloodhound witnessed this, he returned his attention to Qiao Xiaoqing. He could not keep arge grin from forming on his face. This moment... It was this moment that he lived for! There was nothing more exhrating than the fear in someone¡¯s eyes when they finally realized their situation. This was even more so for the cold types like Qiao Xiaoqing, who in his eyes only pretended to be brave for the sake of others. The realization that their fate was no longer in their hands but held in his palm¡ªhow could he not find it thrilling?! "This is troublesome..." Qiao Xiaoqing thought to herself as she observed the change in Bloodhound¡¯s behavior. Now that Bloodhound had gotten what he wanted, his actions may grow increasingly bold to invoke a better response every time; therefore, Qiao Xiaoqing knew that there was only one way for it to end. Bloodhound would eventually be bored, and in order to get onest big reaction from her, he would use the children as a means of doing so! At this point, all Qiao Xiaoqing could do was dy the inevitable. She could only hope, however unlikely it may be, that Bloodhound would keep his word when it came to releasing one of the kids every time she answered a question correctly. "Since I¡¯m in a good mood, we¡¯ll start off with an easy question," Bloodhound said as he leered at Qiao Xiaoqing. "First question... Which part of your face am I going to cut first with this de? Your left cheek, or... perhaps, your right one? You have five seconds to answer." Qiao Xiaoqing inwardly frowned; however, she did not have time to think as she heard Bloodhound¡¯s voice call out the remaining time. "Two seconds." "My left cheek." Qiao Xiaoqing answered. "Correct! Congrats, ya scored one point." Bloodhound stated with a grin. The next moment, he slowly dragged the edge of the switchde downward across Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s left cheek as blood trickled down her face. Qiao Xiaoqing closed her eyes as she clenched her teeth and tried to take her mind off the stinging pain on her face. After he finished, Bloodhound lifted the switchde to his tongue and licked some of the blood that dripped to the t surface of the de. "Wow, they weren¡¯t lying! You really are a genius. Well, I¡¯ll be damned! Hahaha!" Bloodhoundughed. "One of you take one of the brats outside. After all, I am nothing if not a man of my word." Bloodhound said as he cleaned the edge of the switchde with a cloth. "Let¡¯s go stinkin¡¯ brat! I don¡¯t wanna miss the rest of the fun!" One of the Mad Mogs stepped forward and f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y grabbed one of the younger children. "Let me go! I don¡¯t want to go! Big sis! Big sis!" The child cried out and struggled as they were dragged away towards the front door. Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s heart dropped as she secretly clenched her fists and bit down hard on her lip to the point that it bled. However, she understood that it would only end up making the situation worse than it already was if she tried anything. Therefore, she could only continue to endure. "That¡¯s it, that¡¯s the look. Don¡¯t worry; our game¡¯s just starting. I¡¯ll make sure to have enough fun for the both of us." Bloodhound stated as a look of excitement shed through his eyes. Chapter 659 - Promise

Chapter 659 - Promise

... Fang Qiu parked the car outside the gate of an old rundown building. At a nce, the building appeared to be deserted due to its tattered state. "This is the address." Fang Qiu noted. ¡¯I can¡¯t say I expected much, but... Does she really live here with others?¡¯ The building itself was a decent size; however, there were poorly patched-up holes on the roof, broken windows covered by tattered cloth, and the grass in the yard out front, while it was clear of trash and looked as best kept as it could be, was on itsst breath. If someone drove by, they would think that it was an abandoned or condemned building! It did not seem like a suitable ce for anyone to live. ¡¯Hm? That¡¯s...¡¯ Jin noticed something strange taking ce out of the corner of his eye. Near the west side of the building was a group of ten children with two men who looked like they clearly did not belong. Furthermore, from the frightened expressions on the children¡¯s faces, one would have to be blind not to see that they were terrified of the two men. "What¡¯s going on over there? There was no mention of men their age who lives here." Fang Qiu frowned when she caught sight of the men. "Stay here," Jin said as he jumped out of the car and began to walk towards the opened gate that led into the yard. "Wait a second! Where are you going? Those men are surely nothing but trouble! This is no time to try and y hero! Hey, listen to me! We should call the proper authorities to handle the situation!" Fang Qiu warned with haste; however, Jin¡¯s steps remained unwavering no matter what she said. "This guy...! No, I don¡¯t have any time to waste. I have to hurry." Fang Qiu hurriedly grabbed her phone. Fang Qiu immediately regretted bringing Jin to the orphanage. How could he be so reckless?! If anything happened to him, how could she face the second and fourth young misses of the Zi family?! Nevertheless, now that things had gotten to this point, there was no turning back! ... In the front yard of the building, two men stood before a small crowd of children. "Damn, why did we have to get stuck babysittin¡¯ some brats? Hey, are you even listening to me, Boulder?" One of the men, Skullz, said in an annoyed tone. "Shut up already. It¡¯s annoyin¡¯ enough havin¡¯ to watch these brats. Ain¡¯t like I wanna be here either, but the boss¡¯ words arew. So just keep yer yap shut and deal with it." Therger male next to him, Boulder, growled. "Come on, man. Aren¡¯t you bored? Listen, I have an idea. How about we y a game just like the boss with these kids? It¡¯s not like anyone will miss some orphan brats even if something went wrong. Heh, I¡¯ll even let you go first." Skullz said as he reached out to grab one of the nearest children. "Idiot. Do whatever ya want. Just don¡¯t go draggin¡¯ me into it with ya." Boulder scoffed as he turned his gaze to the sky and ignored Skullz¡¯s actions. "N-no! Don¡¯t! Big sis, help...!" The child¡¯s ear-piercing scream of terror flooded the front yard. "This damned brat...! Keep your mouth shut!" Skullz said angrily. If the kid¡¯s screaming disturbed Bloodhound¡¯s fun, then he would be the one to pay the price for it! Skullz balled his hand into a fist and swung full force at the screaming child. But, almost instantly after he did so, Skullz¡¯s entire arm suddenly turned stiff. "Huh?" At first, Skullz was confused. However, he scowled when he saw the hand around his wrist. "You bastard, who do you think you a-" Skullz turned his head to see who the hand belonged to, but before his eyes could meet the hand¡¯s owner, a sharp pain entered his wrist and shot up his arm. "AH-!" An outcry of pain left Skullz¡¯s mouth; however, he abruptly fell silent as his eyes rolled back, and he copsed to the ground. Although the shriek was brief, it was enough to catch Boulder¡¯s attention. When Boulder looked over, to his surprise, the first thing he saw was an unconscious Skullz sprawled out on the ground. "Skullz! What did you brats do?!" Boulder yelled as he stomped towards the group of children. But, Boulder had only taken one step before he came to a grinding halt as a great force crashed into the back of his neck. Boulder¡¯srge body fell over from the blow as a person emerged at his back. Thump! Boulder promptly joined Skullz on the ground with a loud thud as, he too, was knocked unconscious. To them, Boulder was like a terrifying giant! But now, that same giant that was so intimidating and towering just a few seconds ago was lying motionless on the ground along with his friend! None of them were aware of the details surrounding Skullz and Boulder¡¯s sudden copse. However, needless to say, the children had no qualms about the fate of the two Mad Dogs. ¡¯You should be fortunate that there are children around.¡¯ The one who responsible for Skullz and Boulder¡¯s current state was, of course, Jin. After listening to Skullz¡¯s words and witnessing his behavior, what more proof did he need to act? Jin¡¯s gaze turned cold when it fell upon the two Mad Dogs. ¡¯If I had arrived just a few minutester, who knows what would have happened here?¡¯ Jin believed that there was no ce for people like them in any world. However, when he saw the traumatized looks on the children¡¯s faces, Jin stayed his hand. They had already gone through enough for one day, and killing people right in front of their eyes would only make things worse in the long run. He decided to let the two Mad Dogs keep their lives¡ªfor now. When he saw this, Jin decided to smile, and in a calm tone, said, "It¡¯s okay. I am a friend of Qiao Xiaoqing." Friend? At first, when the children heard that word, a few of them looked skeptical. But, after seeing that Jin was not dressed like the Mad Dogs and did not behave the same way as the people who broke in and threatened them, they felt that maybe he was not like those bad men. "U-um...!" One of the children uttered as she stepped forward. The young girl was shaking uncontrobly and could not hide the fear in her eyes. But, despite all this, she still took a step forward and spoke up. "...A-Are you really a friend of Big Sis Xiaoqing...?" The young girl asked as she stared nervously at the ground to avoid eye contact. "That¡¯s right," Jin answered calmly. "Then..! Please... Please help Big Sis Xiaoqing, Big Brother! Please..." The young child could no longer hold back her tears as she started to bawl her eyes out. Soon after, a chain reaction started as the other children began crying as well and asking Jin to help Qiao Xiaoqing. All of them promised Qiao Xiaoqing that they wouldn¡¯t cry. After all, Qiao Xiaoqing understood how easily irritated and provoked individuals like the Mad Dogs were. So, to increase the children¡¯s chances of being unharmed, Qiao Xiaoqing had them promise to hold back their tears. And, they kept that promise¡ªat least, up until now. Jin smiled as he ced his hand on top of the young child¡¯s head and replied, "That¡¯s what I¡¯ve always nned on doing. Those who would dare toy a hand on someone I call a friend will have to answer to me. Today, I¡¯ll make sure bad men like that never bother you or your big sis again. You have my word." "All of you stay here," Jin said as he removed his hand from the young child¡¯s head and faced the orphanage. The moment Jin turned around, the smile on his face vanished and was reced by a cold and distant expression. ¡¯This brings back a lot of unwanted memories. I just hope whoever awakened these memories of mine... can bear the consequences.¡¯ Chapter 660 - A Better Life

Chapter 660 - A Better Life

... The inside of the orphanage was quiet. While most of the Mad Dogs that had been running wild took their destruction to the second floor, there was still a handful present on the first floor. Currently, the leader of the Mad Dogs, Bloodhound, stood at the center of the main living area. His knuckles looked slightly bruised and were smeared in blood along with the switchde in his hands. However, the more disturbing part was the look of enjoyment in Bloodhound¡¯s eyes as his gaze locked onto the floor at his feet. "I can¡¯t remember thest time I¡¯ve yed this long and enjoyed it. Hey, ya aren¡¯t dead, right?" Bloodhound said as he swung his foot forward, striking Qiao Xiaoqing in the abdomen without mercy. Qiao Xiaoqing recoiled in pain as she had the wind knocked out of her and struggled to catch her breath. "That¡¯s it! That¡¯s the face I want to see! Hey, you¡¯ll show me more, won¡¯t you?! Tell me, genius, what will I do next?!" Bloodhound stated as he repeatedly kicked Qiao Xiaoqing in between every few words he spoke. As Bloodhound immersed himself in his game, the members of the Mad Dogs whispered among themselves. "Is this alright? If things keep going like this, won¡¯t she really die?" "That Wendell bastard ain¡¯t gonna be too happy the boss damaged his property." "Idiot, you think the boss cares? That Wendell brat only knows how to throw money around and doesn¡¯t want to get his hands dirty. You think the boss would be afraid of someone like that?" "Ha? Of course, not. Still, at this rate, that girl really is gonna die." "So what if she does? Isn¡¯t she an orphan, too? No one will look twice if something happens. Besides, it¡¯s her fault for catching the boss¡¯ interest." Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s body was wounded and battered from head to toe. On her face were multiple cuts and bruises. In addition, one of her eyes had swollen shut, and her vision seemed hazy. "...Ah... Is this how I die...?" Qiao Xiaoqing internalized as she used her still functioning eye to peek over at the corner of the room. Trembling uncontrobly in the corner with their eyes tightly shut and their hands over their ears were the remaining six children who lived in the orphanage. "...Good... They listened well... They are strong kids..." Qiao Xiaoqing thought to herself. She warned them of what to do beforehand; however, even with their hands over their ears, they could still hear the sound of Bloodhound¡¯s voice along with the cackling Mad Dogs at his side. But, to them, the most nerve-racking thing was that ever since the first child was taken outside by one of the Mad Dogs, they had not heard a sound from Qiao Xiaoqing. Despite all of this, the children still followed Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s instructions. This made her feel strangely proud. That even under such circ.u.mstances, they did not disregard her words. However, a part of Qiao Xiaoqing could not help but feel... saddened. Most children would have already started crying, thrown a tantrum, or dismissed her words. But, the children in the orphanage were all m.a.t.u.r.e beyond their age. They were either abandoned by their parents at an early age or lost their family to a tragic ident and had nowhere else to go. However, they all had one thing inmon. For some time, they were left to fend for themselves. None of them had the opportunity to experience a genuine childhood or the warmth of a loving family. They were denied the indulgence of innocence that came naturally to children¡ªthrown unwillingly into an unknown world and forced to fend for themselves. If Qiao Xiaoqing had not found them and taken them in, who knows what their fate would have been? Criminals? Selling themselves for profit? Or even worse... Death. Qiao Xiaoqing felt her consciousness slowly slipping away as these thoughts blossomed in her mind. "I wanted to give all of you a better life, but... I have failed you. I hope that one day you can... for...give... me... Ah, that¡¯s... I must be seeing... thi...ng...s..." Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s consciousness started to fade as her thoughts drifted and her eyes began to close. But, just now, as her awareness escaped her, Qiao Xiaoqing could have sworn she saw a familiar face at the doorway. However, she believed it to be a ridiculous notion. After all, that person¡ªthere was no way they¡¯d be in a ce like this. ... Just moments before Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s consciousness slipped away, as Bloodhound carried out his assault, out of nowhere, something smashed through the front door of the orphanage. CRASH! Thud! Thud! The sound of something crashing and falling inside the building immediately caught the attention of the Mad Dogs, including Bloodhound. "H-hey! Look! Isn¡¯t that Skullz and... Boulder?!" One of the Mad Dogs eximed. "You¡¯re right! Crazy bastards... Are they ying some kind of prank? It ain¡¯t funny!" Just now, Skullz and Boulder had practically flown through the door. However, from the way they traveled, it almost looked as if someone hurled them inside! With Skullz, such a thing may be possible, but Boulder was arge man and weighed over 140kg¡ªhow could someone of that size be tossed through a solid door like a ything?! Bloodhound stopped his actions when he heard the sound of footsteps at the front door. "What crazy bastards dare toy a finger on my men? No, more importantly, how dare you interrupt my fun." Bloodhound said coldly as his eyes shed with killing intent. If there was one thing Bloodhound hated, it was being disturbed in the middle of his game! Jin walked through the broken doorway and halted his steps at the entrance. Before he knew it, Jin found himself surrounded and his path blocked by several members of the Mad Dogs. At the same time, Jin inwardly frowned as a familiar yet disturbing scent drifted by his nose the moment he entered the orphanage. To others, this faint scent would have gone unnoticed. However, with the improved senses of his Heavenly Golden Body, it was a pungent stench that caused the look in Jin¡¯s eyes to turn cold. ¡¯This smell... There¡¯s no mistaking it¡ªit¡¯s blood.¡¯ "Damn! I thought those Underworld Serpent guys were ambushing us or somethin¡¯, but this dude¡¯s all by himself! Heh, nearly gave me a heart attack." One of the Mad Dogs members who went by Bulldog scowled. "Ha! So what if it were those garden snake clowns attacking us? They¡¯d just be walkin¡¯ into their own funeral!" Another Mad Dogs member called Spikemented. "What are all of ya standin¡¯ around for? This ain¡¯t a pic! Hurry up and drag that bastard over here. I wanna see who has the guts to spoil my fun." Bloodhound ordered. Bulldog cracked his knuckles and neck as he said threateningly, "I don¡¯t know what tricks you used against Skullz and Boulder, but you made a mistakeing here. Well, you heard the boss. Come quietly, and maybe you¡¯ll still be able to leave in one piece." Jin ignored Bulldog¡¯s words as his gaze was drawn to the area where the strongest of the blood aroma originated. Bulldog noticed that Jin had not spared him a single nce ever since he approached him. This caused Bulldog¡¯s facial expression to darken as a vein popped out of his forehead in anger. This nobody dared look down on him like he didn¡¯t even exist?! Bulldog reached his hand out to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y grab Jin as he yelled, "Hey! Didn¡¯t you hear me?! You deaf or somethin¡¯?! I said-!" Crrrck! Before Bulldog¡¯s hand could reach Jin, he felt his entire arm go numb, and when he tried to move it, there was no response. "Why isn¡¯t my arm- Huh? Why do you look like you¡¯ve just seen a ghost?" Bulldog said when he saw that Spike¡¯s face had turned deathly pale. "Y-y-your... a-arm..!" Spike stuttered with his eyes widened in a clear state of shock! "What are you-" Bulldog looked down at his arm¡ªor, at least, where his arm should have been. Bulldog¡¯s face turned extremely ugly as the color drained from it. His arm that was supposed to be at his side had vanished without a trace! Before he had time to process what urred, Bulldog was struck by an overwhelming force that sent him flying through the back wall of the first floor, burying him under a pile of rubble. The Mad Dogs who surrounded Jin were left dumbfounded as they instinctively took a step back. None of them understood what happened to Bulldog or his arm; however, when their eyes met Jin¡¯s, they felt themselves trying to catch their breaths as a feeling of suffocation overcame them. "Since you¡¯re here, none of you should dream of leaving this ce," Jin stated in a distant tone. Chapter 661 - Pointless Struggle, A Ruthless Jin Part(1/2)

Chapter 661 - Pointless Struggle, A Ruthless Jin Part(1/2)

Just now, Jin sent a small concentrated burst of spiritual essence into Bulldog¡¯s arm before sending him flying back. Typically, using spiritual essence in this manner was rtively harmless; however, injecting such highly concentrated spiritual essence into someone who was not a cultivator would cause it to act as an acidic poison. So much so that Bulldog¡¯s entire arm was instantly dissolved up to his shoulder before he even realized that it was missing! Suddenly, a rush of footsteps could be hearding from upstairs. The other members of the Mad Dogs came out to see what all themotion was about. At first, they thought that it was just everyone being rowdy on the first floor. But, after feeling the second floor shake as a result of Bulldog crashing through the back wall, they were afraid that the run-down orphanage was about to copse! However, none of them were prepared for the spectacle that unfolded on the first floor. "Look, over there! Skullz and Boulder¡ªdidn¡¯t the boss send those two on lookout duty? What the hell happened to them?" One of the Mad Dogs on the second floor, He Chang,mented. "Damn, what¡¯s going on? Two of our guys are out! Wait, is that someone under that pile of junk? Are we under attack? Hey! Get out here now!" Another member of the Mad Dogs, Meng Wu, shouted as the remaining men hurried out of the rooms on the second floor. Meng Wu was Bloodhound¡¯s right-hand man and acted as second inmand of the Mad Dogs. He was the brains of the operation and managed the gang¡¯s inner workings. "Huh? Who the hell is that kid at the door?" Meng Wu questioned with a frown as his eyesnded on Jin. "Dunno, but I don¡¯t see anyone else with him." He Chang stated. "Just him? If he really did take out Skullz and Boulder by himself, then he¡¯s one tough bastard. Still, it might be a setup. He Chang, take a couple of the boys outside and make sure there¡¯s no one else. If that guy dide here alone, he¡¯s either brave or stupid. Either way, we have to take care of him before the boss loses his temper." Meng Wu said as he released a troubled sigh. Out of all the Mad Dogs present, Meng Wu knew Bloodhound the longest. If there was one thing he learned to avoid in that time, it was an out-of-control Bloodhound. Once that happened, even the Mad Dogs would not be safe from his wrath! "Shepard, Dane, you two are with me." He Chang said as two of the Mad Dogs followed him downstairs. "The rest of you stay here for now. If it is an ambush, we don¡¯t want to show all our cards just y-" Meng Wu was speaking until he was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected outburst. "Where¡¯d he go?! Find him!" Spike shouted as he finally snapped out of it. Spike¡¯s words caused the other Mad Dogs around him to awaken from their daze, and it did not take long for them to notice that something was amiss. The guy who busted in unannounced had disappeared! But, Spike and the Mad Dogs did not have to look far. Jin, who had just been at the entrance, was now next to Qiao Xiaoqing! However, just as the Mad Dogs were getting ready to rush over, they stopped in their tracks. "T-this is bad..." Spike muttered as he furrowed his brows. "Damn, I¡¯m toote...!" Meng Wu quietly cursed under his breath. Jin calmly ced two fingers on Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s wrist as he circted his spiritual essence throughout her body. Then, a few momentster, he inwardly released a sigh of relief. ¡¯There¡¯s still a pulse, but her breathing is faint. If this continued any longer, then...¡¯ Jin seeded in stabilizing Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s condition; however, it was only a temporary fix. She was still in bad shape and required proper care. ¡¯My spiritual essence is too low to heal her more severe wounds unless it¡¯s with the use of my soul. Since I¡¯ve already split my soul, it¡¯s too risky, but, with this much, her life is not in any immediate danger.¡¯ Nevertheless, Jin partly med himself for Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s current state. He was aware that Wendell would make a move against her; however, since Wendell still needed her to cooperate to achieve his goals, he would not go too far¡ªat least, this was what Jin initially believed. From the moment Jin chose to take Qiao Xiaoqing under his wing, she was one of his people. In other words, she was under his protection. Lifting a hand against her was the same as lifting a hand against him. Wronging her was the same as wronging him! Jin slowly stood up straight. His usual carefree expression was nowhere to be found. "Hey... Do ya wanna die?" A cold voice sounded from in front of Jin that belonged to none other than Bloodhound. At the moment, multiple veins were protruding from Bloodhound¡¯s forehead and neck that seemed ready to burst at any given second¡ªhe was furious! Not only did Jin spoil his game, but he even had the audacity topletely disregard him! When was thest time anyone dared ignore him, Bloodhound, the vicious leader of the Mad Dogs?! Jin remained silent to Bloodhound¡¯s taunt. However, Jin¡¯s silence served only to further infuriate Bloodhound. "What? Are ya her boyfriend or somethin¡¯? Well, ya probably ain¡¯t gonna want her anymore seeing how she looks now, huh? I gotta tell ya; she was damn fun. You should¡¯ve seen her squirmin¡¯ when I-" "Was it you?" Jin asked as he cut off Bloodhound. "Yeah, I did it. And, what are you gonna do about it?" Bloodhound mocked as he held up the switchde in his hands menacingly. There were no signs of hesitation or remorse in his words. In fact, there was even a sense of pride he seemed to hold for his "work". "I just wanted to be sure," Jin replied. "Hah? If you think I¡¯ll be as easy to take down as those weaklings, you¡¯re dreaming b-" Before Bloodhound could react, Jin¡¯s fist smashed into his face, caving it in and disfiguring his nose. Then, in the same motion, Jin¡¯s hand covered Bloodhound¡¯s mouth and gripped his jaw. "?!" Bloodhound tried to cry out from the pain, but nothing could escape his mouth, and regardless of how much he struggled, Bloodhound was unable to break free from Jin¡¯s grasp. Woosh! Bloodhound mercilessly swung the switchde in his hand and aimed at the side of Jin¡¯s torso! Snap! Upon making contact with Jin, instead of cutting through his skin, the switchde actually snapped in half! When he saw this, Bloodhound¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. He began to panic as he felt the grip around his jaw slowly tightening with every passing moment. Bloodhound sneakily reached his hand into his back pocket. When he pulled it out, there was a set of brass knuckles wrapped around his fingers. Without hesitation, heunched an uppercut directed at Jin¡¯s chin! Bang! Crrrrck! "Mmmph!!!!!" A muffled cry of pain came from Bloodhound as all the bones in his hands shattered. Just now, he felt like he punched a block of solid steel! With only one good hand remaining, Bloodhound grabbed ahold of Jin¡¯s wrist and tried to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y remove Jin¡¯s hand from his jaw. However, it wouldn¡¯t budge! Jin¡¯s grip proceeded to tighten at what could only be described as an agonizingly slow rate. Then, finally, he gradually lifted Bloodhound off his feet by his jaw. To Bloodhound, one second resembled an eternity! He attempted to gasp for air as he had trouble catching his breath. At the same time, the disturbing sound of bones slowly being crushed filled the silent first floor. Bloodhound¡¯s legs iled about as tears ran down his face, and his eyes started to roll to the back. Meng Wu, He Chang, Spike, and everyst one of the Mad Dogs was frozen in fear as they looked on in horror and trembled. Bloodhound, their ruthless leader whose name alone struck fear into the hearts of others, that same Bloodhound, was helplessly in tears! "H-h... Help the boss... Help the boss! What the hell are you all waiting for?!?!" Meng Wu shouted at the top of his lungs. However, no one moved. But, more importantly, he was toote. Bloodhound¡¯s movements ceased as his limbs went limp, and a stomach-wrenching crushing sound entered the ears of those present. Just like that, the infamous leader of the Mad Dogs, Bloodhound... was dead! Chapter 662 - Pointless Struggle, A Ruthless Jin Part(2/2)

Chapter 662 - Pointless Struggle, A Ruthless Jin Part(2/2)

Or, at least, that¡¯s how it looked to onlookers. In reality, Bloodhound was still alive! But, after what Jin did to him, Bloodhound would have undoubtedly preferred a swift death. In essence, Jin ced Bloodhound into an eternal sleep. This "sleep" was simr to a permanenta; however, those affected by it were forced to perpetually relive what they believed to be the final moments of their life in a never-ending cycle. And, whenever they got remotely used to it, the method would change, digging into the thoughts of the inflicted and invoking their deepest fears before transforming them into an unmerciful nightmare. But, it did not end there. The most terrifying part of the eternal sleep that made it so feared was that while it may only exist in the person¡¯s head, the pain they underwent feltpletely authentic! The majority of people who experienced this usually went insane within the first 24 hours. Few couldst more than three days before their heart gave out from the constant heavy stress, and even those who possessed the strongest of wills could only endure it for up to a week. In other words, Bloodhound might as well bebeled a dead man! ¡¯Haigen¡¯s Trial... To think I would use that crazy guy¡¯s technique in this world.¡¯ The technique Jin used on Bloodhound was created by a tyrant cultivator from the Seven Realms by the name of Haigen. Haigen had an entire nation under his thumb and was regarded as a mighty deity by his subjects. He even created the nation¡¯s religion so that the people would worship him as a higher being. Haigen¡¯s Trial was Haigen¡¯s original technique. It served as a form of punishment for disobeying his twistedws and was often used on mortals and low-level cultivators. The way Haigen used it was simple. If one awakened from the eternal sleep, then their crimes or whatever wrong theymitted would be forgiven. However, if their eyes never opened again, then they deserved their fate. Of course, Haigen¡¯s Trial was designed with only the former in mind. In truth, no one ever awakened from Haigen¡¯s Trial except for one person¡ªIzroth! ¡¯That used up more spiritual essence than I anticipated. Well, I suppose it¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need any spiritual essence to deal with the likes of them.¡¯ Jin casually tossed Bloodhound aside as he swept his gaze across the Mad Dogs who encircled him at Meng Wu¡¯s order. The Mad Dogs could not help but nce at Bloodhound¡¯s motionless body and wonder if he were truly dead. Either way, this guy was absolutely ruthless! "Well? Are you going to avenge your boss? Attack me." Jin said calmly as he took one step forward. This action alone immediately caused the Mad Dogs to retreat a few steps and widen the encirclement. "What the hell are you all doing?! Why are you afraid of one guy?! Just attack him together!" Meng Wu shouted from the safety of the staircase. However, despite Meng Wu¡¯s words, none of the Mad Dogs made a move. Some of the Mad Dogs quietly cursed under their breaths at Meng Wu¡¯s words. If he¡¯s just one guy, then why don¡¯t youe over here and give it a try?! Didn¡¯t you see how he took out the boss with one move?! Did he want them to die?! Those were just a few of the thoughts racing through the minds of the Mad Dogs around Jin. It did not take a genius to see that no one was willing to make the first move against Jin and risk bing a primary target. Therefore, they were left at a standstill. "What¡¯s the matter? Do you only know how to pick on women and children? This is thest time I¡¯ll say it. Attack me." There was no emotion within Jin¡¯s eyes¡ªa gaze that gave one a feeling of pure emptiness. But, despite his insults, the Mad Dogs swallowed their pride and silently grit their teeth. They wanted nothing more than to teach Jin a lesson, but they were reluctant to follow in Bloodhound¡¯s footsteps. The only thing that kept them from escaping was the fear of Meng Wu sending hunt squads after them for going against his orders. They could not afford to withdraw! As they grappled with themselves mentally, one of the Mad Dogs, Spike, identally looked into Jin¡¯s eyes. When his eyes met with Jin¡¯s, Spike shivered uncontrobly as his body became drenched in sweat from head to toe. "Spike?! Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you?!" He Chang eximed as Spike fell to his knees with an appearance of dread on his face. "...M-Monster..." Spike uttered quietly. Just now, Spike was sure that his head had been severed, and his body was devoured whole by a ferocious beast! But, what he glimpsed in that moment was merely a tiny thread of the natural killing intent contained within Jin¡¯s eyes. "Very well. If you won¡¯te to me, then... I¡¯ll just have toe to you." Jin said coldly. When thest word left his mouth, Jin¡¯s figure disappeared. "?! Where did he-" Without having time to react or finish his sentence, He Chang suddenly felt as though he was hit by a train. He Chang coughed up blood as he was sent flying to the opposite side of the room, joining Bulldog under a heap of rubble. After He Chang was taken out, chaos and confusion quickly followed. "Where the hell is he?!" "I can¡¯t see him?!" "I-idiot! Watch where you¡¯re swingin¡¯!" One by one, the Mad Dogs were eliminated by Jin. They stumbled around each other, and the disorder got to a point where some of them were even attacking their own allies! In the blink of an eye, the Mad Dogs numbers started to dwindle. To 20... 10... 5... Meng Wu had an ugly expression on his face as he watched his allies get wiped out with seemingly no effort on their attacker¡¯s part. "Where the hell did such a monstere from?! We shouldn¡¯t have offended anyone who can send out someone like him...!" Meng Wu thought to himself with an expression of dread. Bloodhound and the Mad Dogs were wild in their actions; however, Meng Wu was careful to keep track of who they could and could not afford to offend. Furthermore, their target was a bunch of orphans with zero backing. After all, if they had a backer with connections this powerful, would someone like Wendell dare raise a hand against them? None of it made sense! Nevertheless, Meng Wu was sure of one thing. If events continued to unfold as they had been doing for thest few moments, then the Mad Dogs would be annihted! "Wait...! If he¡¯s here to do that, then I still have a chance! I have to hurry!" Meng Wu internalized as his eyesnded on the six children huddled in a corner on the first floor. They were bundled together with their eyes closed and their hands over their ears, and when he saw that, an idea came to Meng Wu¡¯s mind. Meng Wu moved sneakily with hastened steps towards the corner of children. "If I can take one of them as a hostage, then I can leave this ce without that bastard chasing after me!" This was Meng Wu¡¯s thought process. He did not know how Jin moved so fast from one ce to another; however, Meng Wu understood that if he tried to flee without a hostage, there was a good chance that Jin would pursue him. Therefore, he needed a bit of insurance! Keeping his presence to a minimum, Meng Wu reached the corner. He wasted no time and reached for the smallest child among the group. He nned to carry them out with him! Woosh! Just as Meng Wu was about to seize the child, he felt a sudden chill down his spine. The next moment, an overwhelming force spread throughout Meng Wu¡¯s face. "?!" Meng Wu¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Out of nowhere, a hand had grabbed ahold of his face! Meng Wu nced out the corner of his eye and nearly fainted at the sight he witnessed. Every single member of the Mad Dogs... More than twenty people with fighting experience¡ªhad been utterly decimated! That was thest sight Meng Wu saw before his feet left the ground, and his mind went nk. Jin, holding Meng Wu by his face, spun around halfway andunched Meng Wu across the building! Chapter 663 - The Fierce Fang Qiu?, Severed Control

Chapter 663 - The Fierce Fang Qiu?, Severed Control

... Meanwhile, near the main entrance of the orphanage... Fang Qiu paced back and forth restlessly outside the front gate. It had not been long since Jin went inside; however, she was worried that something terrible might have happened to him! "I made a call for support just in case, but..." Fang Qiu internalized as a troubled expression appeared on her face. Even though she had managed to secure some assistance, there was no guarantee that they would arrive in time. Therefore, Fang Qiu was conflicted when it came to how she should proceed. "He told me to stay out here, but is it really alright? No... I can not just sit back and do nothing..!" Fang Qiu said to herself as she went over to the rear of her car. "Open rear storage." Beep! Suddenly, the back of the car opened, revealing a well-concealedpartment. A few secondster, thepartment closed as Fang Qiu¡¯s apparel underwent some minor changes. On her hands was a pair of ck gloves, and held within each of them was a ck cylinder no more than ten centimeters long. Fang Qiu turned the cylinders horizontally and smashed them into one another. The moment she did so, both cylinders extended outward, increasing from approximately ten centimeters to about 45 centimeters in length. Bzzzt! At the same time, a brief sh of light appeared where the cylinders made contact. The objects lit up as an electric current started to flow around them. "I doubt those two outside were alone. Hopefully, I¡¯m not toote." Fang Qiu thought to herself with a look of determination in her eyes. Fang Qiu turned around and got ready to charge through the front gates of the orphanage! However, she abruptly halted her steps when she saw the person standing at the gate¡¯s entrance. "..." "..." "...I had no idea Advisor Fang Qiu was so fierce. Though I must admit, I am touched by your concern." A familiar voice sounded. This voice, of course, belonged to Jin. ... A few momentster... Fang Qiu returned her gear to the car¡¯spartment. In addition, at Jin¡¯s request, Fang Qiu made a call to cancel the backup she secured. ording to Jin, the people inside were a bit unruly; however, after he asked them "politely", the group settled down without putting up much of a fight. Of course, Jin was not lying when he said he asked them politely¡ªJin simply neglected to mention the part where he "asked" using his fists. Fang Qiu felt that something was off with Jin¡¯s exnation. Even from the front gate, she could hear the noise of a building being destroyed and people shouting. She spected that whatever took ce inside the orphanage, Jin must have wanted it to be kept under wraps. In the end, Fang Qiu released a sigh of relief and decided not to pursue the matter. She was just thankful that Jin was unharmed, and regardless of the events that transpired inside, what¡¯s done was done. "So, what is it you need of me?" Fang Qiu inquired. In the beginning, Jin mentioned that he had a few tasks that required Fang Qiu¡¯s attention. "First, I need you to find some trustworthy people and take care of the uninvited guests napping inside. I¡¯m sure this goes without saying, but I would prefer a touch of discretion on this matter." Jin stated. Fang Qiu nodded and replied, "I understand. And, rest assured, since they are unauthorized visitors, I will see that it does not be an issue for you in the future. After all, now that the paperwork isplete, you are the rightful owner of this ce." After Jin¡¯s fight against the Failed Chimera and dealing with the ambush from the Headhunter Syndicate, Jin confronted one of the Twelve Banes by the name of Open Notes. In exchange for a few gold coins, Open Notes disclosed several things about Qiao Xiaoqing. While most of the information she provided held no real interest to Jin, there was one piece that had some value. It was then that he first learned of Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s potential connection to an orphanage. Of course, at the time, Jin was unaware of any surrounding details¡ªwhich is why he asked Mariposa, or rather, Zi Jiaxiu, to look into the matter for him. Needless to say, the informationwork and power of the Zi family was nothing to scoff at. With just her in-game name and a few rough details, Zi Jiaxiu was able to promptly deliver a full background on Qiao Xiaoqing that practically started from the time she was born! Once he understood the situation, Jin informed Fang Qiu of his intention to acquire the orphanage. As his financial advisor, Fang Qiu tried to talk Jin out of it as an orphanage could not legally generate any type of feasible positive cash flow in her eyes. However, since Jin had already made up his mind, Fang Qiu could only go along with it. In truth, Jin wanted to contact Qiao Xiaoqing earlier; however, after the event started, her messaging was set to private. By the time he obtained the orphanage¡¯s phone number, this mess had already unraveled. But, considering the orphanage¡¯s phone was disconnected, Jin doubted his call would have gone through. In the end, Fang Qiu seeded in acquiring the orphanage through proper legal channels with little resistance. After all, she made the sellers an offer they could not refuse. Though if Wendell learned that the orphanage was no longer in his possession, he would have coughed up blood from sheer anger! That¡¯s because the orphanage was how he managed to establish absolute control over Menerva, or rather, Qiao Xiaoqing. Selling it would be thest thing he would do! But, the orphanage was not technically under Wendell¡¯s name. Instead, it was in the name of one of the businesses under his father¡¯spany. The orphanage itself was so rundown that Wendell believed it would be a blemish on his reputation to put it under his own name. "While you make those arrangements, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that this building and thend it sits on are not in the best of shape. Since it is officially listed under the same group name as the business you¡¯ve registered, we cannot allow its appearance to reflect poorly upon our name. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?" Jin said calmly. "I agree, but... This ce is in need of a lot of repairs. Some parts may even have to be entirely reconstructed. The renovations will not be cheap¡ªare you sure?" Fang Qiu asked. "Use whatever funds you need to make sure it gets done properly," Jin replied without hesitation. If it was the past, he might have had to use some reservation. However, with the improvements to the Mystical Realm Pce, Jin¡¯s current financial situation was like that of night and daypared to his past self. After deducting all the expenses and taxes, Jin¡¯s total wealth reached over one billion RMB1! That¡¯s right, not million¡ªbillion! Arge portion of that money came from the rush of business a couple of days before the event started. Everyone wanted to be at their absolute strongest to ce as high as possible during the event, and to do that; they spared no expense. If Jin were still running the Mystical Realm Pce alone, even if he stayed there crafting nonstop, it would have been impossible for him to keep up with the hungry demand of yers. That¡¯s why the presence of Pill Emperor Worldly Skies and the members of the Fireheart Apothecary Society who joined the Mystical Realm Pce was invaluable! Of course, the other departments of the Mystical Realm Pce also yed a role in the shop¡¯s sess. However, the shop¡¯s Apothecary department was undoubtedly thergest earner and contributor. Fang Qiu also yed an important part. Thanks to her management, financial knowledge, and organizational skills, the Mystical Realm Pce had be like a tiger with wings. Jin could see why Zi Jiaxiu offered 3,000,000,000 RMB to purchase the rights of the shop from him when she first learned of its potential existence. Approximately $155 million USD Chapter 664 - Fang Qius Predicament

Chapter 664 - Fang Qiu''s Predicament

3,000,000,000 RMB may seem like a lot; however, it was just a stepping stone for what was toe in the long term. Fortunately for Zi Jiaxiu, she did not turn down Jin¡¯s proposal. Jin promised 50% of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s profits to Zi Jiaxiu and Sleeping Gardenia until he paid them back their initial investment and 10% in perpetuity after receiving their investment back. In a short period of time, not only was the investment paid off, but the profits Zi Jiaxiu made with Jin had nearly tripled her initial investment and would only continue to grow! "If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll see to it that it meets your standards." Fang Qiu said as she had her eyes on the phone in her hands. She was making the proper arrangements as Jin spoke. "Lastly, I need you to get this list of medicinal herbs and bring them to me," Jin said as he removed his phone from his pocket and sent the list via text to Fang Qiu. Fang Qiu took a moment to skim over the list Jin provided. She then gave a slight nod and asked, "These should be rtively easy to find. How soon do you need them?" "The faster, the better. Within the next half hour, if possible." Jin responded. "I got it. I¡¯ll have it to you in about half that time. Additionally, I¡¯ve just finished making arrangements with the cleanup and renovationpanies. The cleanup will be off the books, so there is no need to worry about a paper trail. As for the renovation... Ideally, I would like to have at least three to six months; however, since money is of no concern, it can bepleted within one to two weeks with extra hands and an around-the-clock work schedule. I will personally take care of the necessary permits." Fang Qiu exined. ¡¯Oh? That was faster than I expected.¡¯ After seeing the improvements Fang Qiu made to the Mystical Realm Pce, and how fast she implemented them, Jin knew that she operated at incredible speeds. Work that should have taken three or four people a whole week to do was finished by Fang Qiu in just a couple of days. On top of that, she handled various requests Jin dropped on her out of the blue. Despite all this, not once had sheined or cked off. But, more important than anything, Fang Qiu was not afraid to express her opinions to Jin. There were several times Fang Qiu disagreed or objected to Jin¡¯s use of funds or his style of handling business matters. However, there was never a moment when Jin outright refused to hear what she had to say or disregarded her expertise. In the short time they worked together, Fang Qiu hade to respect Jin. Not just as an employer but also as a person. Likewise, Fang Qiu had be someone Jin valued highly¡ªan endeavor many people made but few ever achieved. Fang Qiu faced the orphanage in the near distance. From the poorly managed and weathered exterior alone, she could tell that there was a lot of work to be done. Therefore, she wanted to begin as soon as possible. "I¡¯d like to take a look at the interioryout. Depending on how badly damaged certain areas are, it may just be easier to rece them entirely instead of attempting to reconstruct them." Fang Qiu stated. "Before that, there¡¯s one more thing I need you to do. You can consider this as doing me a favor." Jin said with a carefree smile. "Hm? What is it?" Fang Qiu asked curiously. ... A few momentster... When she first entered the front doors of the orphanage, Fang Qiu was astounded at how destroyed and broken everything was inside. She did not think it was possible, but the exterior seemed like a four-star hotelpared to how bad the interior state of the orphanage was. But, Fang Qiu was not prepared for what she saw next. Near the back of the building was a giant hole in the wall; however, this was not what surprised Fang Qiu. On the other side of the hole was a pile of bodies! She was unaware of exactly how many people were in the pile, but Fang Qiu estimated that there were at least twenty of them! From a distance, Fang Qiu could not tell whether the people were dead or alive! However, she believed that they were merely unconscious. After all, killing that many people, even if they were technically trespassing on his property, would not be something that could be swept under the rug. And, Fang Qiu was correct. Indeed, Jin did not kill a single member of the Mad Dogs. He broke a few bones, took a limb or two, and disrupted their memories, but only Bloodhound was set for death due to Haigen¡¯s Trial. Of course, Fang Qiu nor anyone else had any way of knowing this. To them, he would merely seem to be unconscious. Fang Qiu furrowed her brows. She noticed a simr tattoo on a few of the people outside and immediately recognized it. Since she moved closer to Jin, naturally, Fang Qiu did her research on the area and the nearby locations. To her knowledge, the Mad Dogs were nothing impressivepared to the big yers in the area; however, they were well known for their destructive and aggressive tendencies. If there were one or two of them, it would have at least made some remote sense of how Jin was able to defeat them. However, even the most skilled of fighters would struggle to handle more than twenty people at once! No, that was being too generous¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t stand a chance! The scariest part was that Fang Qiu had not seen a single wound on Jin when he approached her. This meant that not only did he defeat the Mad Dogs alone, but he even did so without having a scratch on him! "Is he even human...?" Fang Qiu thought to herself as she had trouble processing everything that happened. At least now she could see why someone like Jin was so strong in RML. If he could do this much in the real world where limits existed, Fang Qiu shivered when she thought about how far he could go in a ce where those limits were removed. By the time Fang Qiu finished looking around, she issued a heavy sigh. The building would require more work than she initially anticipated; however, that was the least of her current troubles. "That guy... So this is what he meant by doing him a favor. Just what is he expecting me to do in a situation like this?" Fang Qiu internalized as she inwardly sighed. Since Qiao Xiaoqing was not in a good state, Jin decided to relocate her to an empty room upstairs. Given her condition and that none of the children had seen her injuries with their own eyes, Jin believed that it was best if it stayed that way. This is why he had Fang Qiu temporarily watch the children to make sure none of them strayed away or injured themselves in the damaged building. However, there was a problem. "Where is Big Sis Xiaoqing...?" One of the younger children asked. "When can we see Big Sis Xiaoqing?" "I want Big Sis Xiaoqing." One of the children sniffled as they held their tears back. Fang Qiu was surrounded on all sides as the children continuously questioned Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s whereabouts and asked to see her. "She is upstairs resting right now. So, it¡¯s best not to disturb your Big Sis Xiaoqing until she wakes up." Fang Qiu exined. "We want to see her!" "We wanna see Big Sis Xiaoqing!" "Waaaaah!" "Take us to Big Sis Xiaoqing!" Suddenly, the same children that were usually sopliant and m.a.t.u.r.e beyond their years burst into tears as they cried out for Qiao Xiaoqing. "I- Wait, don¡¯t cry- Hey, h-how about a game? No? Um, candy? Ah..." Fang Qiu became frazzled as she attempted to calm the children. Fang Qiu thought that managing multi-million and billion-dorpanies and helping to build them from the ground up was challenging; however, she would prefer doing that any day over her current circ.u.mstance! Fang Qiu had zero experience when it came to handling children as she was focused more on building her career. She was not even dating anyone! In addition, she was a single child and had no siblings; therefore, the extent of her knowledge when it came to taking care of children extended as far as games and candy. After all, didn¡¯t every kid enjoy those two things? "A guide... I need a guide...!" Fang Qiu thought to herself as she vigorously searched the web, trying to look for something¡ªanything, to help her rectify her present predicament. ... Chapter 665 - Sooner Rather Than Later

Chapter 665 - Sooner Rather Than Later

Qiao Xiaoqingy unconscious on one of the beds, barely left intact in the wake of the destruction caused by the Mad Dogs. The room was a mess with broken objects, torn fabrics, and several holes that looked as if someone had mmed a metal pole through the walls. Sadly, this room was in the best conditionpared to the other choices on the second floor. ¡¯Her pulse is now fully stabilized. Her wounds are also closing. Without the use of medicinal herbs, even if the wounds manage to heal, she will be permanently scarred. It¡¯s unfortunate that my spiritual essence is still too insufficient.¡¯ As Jin examined Qiao Xiaoqing by carefully circting his spiritual essence throughout her body, he thought back to the brief conversation he had with Meng Wu, the second inmand of the Mad Dogs. After Jin threw him clear across the room, Meng Wu immediately lost consciousness. However, Jin f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y jolted him awake and questioned him. At first, Meng Wu was not cooperative and feigned ignorance. But with a bit of "convincing", it did not take long for Meng Wu to happily answer every question Jin asked. From the timing and based on what he knew, Jin already determined that the one behind the Mad Dogs attack on the orphanage was, in fact, Wendell. But, Meng Wu¡¯s answers served to verify his suspicions. In addition, Jin learned that Bloodhound and the Mad Dogs were initially tasked with just breaking a few things, intimidating Qiao Xiaoqing and the children of the orphanage, and taking Qiao Xiaoqing to Wendell. Meng Wu also informed him that Qiao Xiaoqing was supposed to be unharmed but that their leader, Bloodhound, did whatever he wanted. Of course, Jin could care less about the reasons. Whether or not Wendell requested Qiao Xiaoqing be left unharmed made no difference to him. In the end, if Wendell never sent the Mad Dogs to the orphanage, then none of this would have happened. Although it was too early for Jin to kill Wendell directly, it did not mean that he would just sit back and watch things unfold before his eyes. Since Wendell dared toy a hand on one of his people, then he would make sure the price was paid in full with interest¡ªsooner rather thanter. ... Several momentster, Fang Qiu delivered a neatly wrapped package to Jin. The package contained the medicinal herbs Jin requested; however, Fang Qiu was unsure what Jin nned to do with those ingredients. Since she was going to be employed by Jin, naturally, Fang Qiu decided to look into his past to ensure he was not involved in any shady business. From that, Fang Qiu knew that Jin possessed no history of formal or informal medical training. As for the children on the first floor, after failing with her guide search, Fang Qiu called a professional caretaker to look after them. By the time the caretaker arrived, Fang Qiu was exhausted and mentally drained. "The cleanup crew has finished removing the trash you left out back. I will need to make temporary living arrangements for the residents here while renovations are underway. Also, they are in need of various living essentials. And, after seeing the state of this ce, the professional caretaker I hired is willing to stick around for as long as she¡¯s needed." Fang Qiu exined as her eyesnded on Qiao Xiaoqing. When Fang Qiu first saw Qiao Xiaoqing, she could not help but grow angry thinking about what the Mad Dogs did to her. It caused Fang Qiu¡¯s stomach to twist into a knot, especially after learning about the events of Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s life. If Fang Qiu was ced in Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s shoes, she was uncertain if she would have had the willpower to continue living, let alone spend her life looking after others. To bear so much from a young age and still have the will to shoulder the burdens of others¡ªalthough the two had never spoken to one another, Fang Qiu held a great deal of respect for Qiao Xiaoqing. She even felt somewhat bad that she tried to convince Jin not to purchase the orphanage, despite just doing her job as his financial advisor. "There is a medical facility that specializes in bodily reconstruction. The waitlist is usually quite long, but their skills are second to none in the world. I may have some trouble making the arrangements, but I¡¯m sure they would not refuse a request from the second young miss of the Zi family." Fang Qiumented. "It¡¯s fine. I may not look like it to Advisor Fang Qiu, but I am quite skilled when ites to traditional medicine. For this matter¡ªI must depend on myself. I¡¯m sure you understand what I mean by those words, Advisor Fang Qiu." Jin responded calmly. Fang Qiu lightly sighed. Indeed, she knew precisely what Jin meant. If he went crawling to Zi Jiaxiu every time he faced a problem or needed some type of quick fix, what kind of person would that make him in the eyes of others? It would seem as if the only way Jin could face any difficulties he came across was not by depending on himself but rather the power of others. Jin did not doubt that with one phone call to Zi Jiaxiu, he could also have thepanies owned by Wendell¡¯s fatherpletely eradicated, thereby rendering any miniscule influence Wendell had ineffective. But, how could the hatred carved into his body ever be satisfied with such an oue? If he wanted to rid himself of it and keep the promise he made, then it was something Jin knew had to be done with his own hands. "Alright, I won¡¯t bring it up again. But, if you change your mind, let me know." Fang Qiu stated. She then continued, "The renovationpany should be arriving any second now, so I¡¯ll need to greet them and go over what needs to be done, as well as settle the contracts. I will inform them this room is off-limits for now. If you need anything else, you know how to reach me." The next moment, Fang Qiu left the room and closed the door on her way out, leaving Jin alone with Qiao Xiaoqing. Once Fang Qiu was gone, Jin opened the package and thoroughly inspected the medicinal herbs. ¡¯The overall quality of these medicinal herbs is at least two times greater than the standard. To gather something like this in such a short period of time... As expected of Advisor Fang Qiu.¡¯ After confirming that every medicinal herb was present, Jinid out the ingredients on the edge of the bed. Jin closed his eyes as he held the palm of his hand a few centimeters above Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s head. He deeply inhaled before slowly exhaling to clear his mind. ¡¯Let¡¯s begin.¡¯ Jin¡¯s eyes shot open as the medicinal herbs started to disintegrate and crumble apart. However, instead of scattering in every direction, the spiritual essence surrounding the medicinal herbs flowed to the palm of Jin¡¯s hand hovered over Qiao Xiaoqing. Jin controlled his breathing as beads of sweat could be seen forming on the side of his face. ¡¯As I thought, extracting the essence without the use of a cauldron is challenging with my current level of strength. Still, it¡¯s not entirely impossible. And, that¡¯s enough.¡¯ ... Approximately five minutester... Jin was covered in sweat, and his face had turned slightly pale. However, this was merely a form of physical fatigue due to the stress ced upon his body. In the end, using his meager amount of spiritual essence to extract the essence from the medicinal herbs was a tall task. He would require an hour or two of rest to recover, but it was nowhere near as bad as the time Jin broke off a piece of his soul off. ¡¯It¡¯s done.¡¯ Jin released a long sigh. It had been a while since he felt this tired. But, his efforts were not in vain, and he was more than satisfied with the results. When he first started, Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s face was riddled with cuts and bruises. But now, no one would have ever thought that she had just undergone an arduous encounter. There was not a single scratch or scar to be found! In fact, Qiao Xiaoqing appeared to be reinvigorated and in an overall healthier state than she previously was. Jin¡¯s treatment was a great sess! ¡¯She should awaken soon.¡¯ Not too long after Jin had that thought, Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s eyelids started to flutter rapidly. The next moment, her eyes began to gradually open as she regained consciousness. Chapter 666 - All The Time You Need

Chapter 666 - All The Time You Need

When Qiao Xiaoqing first awakened, she expected to be greeted by the pain of her cuts and bruises; however, to her surprise, that pain never arrived. In fact, Qiao Xiaoqing even felt strangely refreshed, as if she had just gotten a good night¡¯s rest. Qiao Xiaoqing ced her hand on her cheek and was shocked to discover that there were no signs of damage. "A dream...? No, it was too vivid to be a dream. Then, how do I exin theck of wounds? And the children..." Qiao Xiaoqing inwardly furrowed her brows. "The children..!" Qiao Xiaoqing quickly sat up and looked around the room with an expression of panic on her face as her heart raced. "They are safe and being looked after. You have my word." A voice sounded next to Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s bed. Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s eyesnded on Jin. After she listened to his words, the initial panic on her face faded and was reced by one of great relief. "It was not a hallucination, after all. What is he doing here?" Qiao Xiaoqing thought to herself as she tried to organize her thoughts. "You must have quite a few questions to ask. For the time being, I rmend you refrain from moving around too much. Your wounds have healed, but you will experience some dizziness for the next couple of hours." Jin exined. Qiao Xiaoqing took a deep breath to calm her mind. It was just as Jin said¡ªthe moment she shot up, she was ovee by an intense wave of dizziness, causing her to feel somewhat nauseous. Qiao Xiaoqingid back down as she released a small sigh. She remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking up. "I have shown Pce Master Izroth something unsightly. You must view me as pitiful and weak." Qiao Xiaoqing said in a soft and steady voice as she stared up at the ceiling. Jin shook his head and replied, "You¡¯re wrong. Being strong is not the absence of weakness but the eptance of it. And, from that eptance, acquiring the ability to ovee it in any way that you can." Understanding Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s personality, Jin knew that the safety of the children in the orphanage was her priority. She was willing to go as far as obeying someone like Wendell if it meant guaranteeing their safety. Jin figured Qiao Xiaoqing grasped Bloodhound¡¯s temperament from the beginning. After that, she must have worked around it to ensure that any outburst of violence was directed at her. After all, given Bloodhound¡¯s cruel personality, he would not have hesitated to harm the children for the sake of his own amus.e.m.e.nt. "You speakforting words. Your kindness¡ªit is undeserved but, nevertheless, appreciated..." Qiao Xiaoqing stated calmly. The next moment, silence filled the room. It remained this way for a couple of minutes; however, Jin was not bothered by it. Qiao Xiaoqing was undoubtedly a strong-willed person, but that did not mean she waspletely unfazed by recent events. However, the main reason behind Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s silence was that she felt strangely at peace for the first time in years. Her entire life, Qiao Xiaoqing had to look after herself and others. Qiao Xiaoqing still had numerous questions for Jin; however, she knew that she would be unable to maintain herposure if she spoke now. Regardless of this, two words managed to escape from Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s mouth. "Thank you..." Qiao Xiaoqing softly uttered in a slightly shaken voice. The instant those words left Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s mouth, her lips quivered. She bit down on her lower lip as her whole body started to tremble. Swoosh! Jin removed his jacket and covered Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s face. "Don¡¯t mention it. And¡ªtake all the time you need." Jin responded. Qiao Xiaoqing tightly grabbed ahold of the jacket with her trembling hands as the sound of light whimpering soon came from beneath it. Several minutester... Qiao Xiaoqing eventually calmed down and finally asked Jin the questions that had been on her mind since the beginning. Jin did not hide the truth from Qiao Xiaoqing and informed her of everything that happened upon his arrival, as well as why he paid a visit to the orphanage. As for how he found out where she lived, surprisingly, Qiao Xiaoqing answered that question herself. Using a bit of deductive reasoning andmon sense, Qiao Xiaoqing figured that he found her in the real world the same way he managed to uncover her past¡ªthe Zi family. Or, to be more precise, the second young miss of the Zi family, Zi Jiaxiu. After all, Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s life was no secret; however, there was an incredibleck of official doc.u.ments about her. Not to mention, the information Jin revealed was not something that just anyone could get their hands on. But, if it was someone from the Zi family, there was very little in this world that could escape their gaze given their resources and connections. Still, Qiao Xiaoqing was shocked to learn that Bloodhound and the Mad Dogs were defeated by Jin alone. It was inconceivable; however, Qiao Xiaoqing knew that Jin had no reason to lie to her. Being the number one ranked Combat Master among yers in RML by such arge margin, Qiao Xiaoqing previously hypothesized that Jin must have some type of formal training and real-worldbat experience that aided his sess. Another thing that caught Qiao Xiaoqing off-guard was that the ownership of the orphanage had shifted to his hands. Not only that, but he even nned on doing aplete renovation! The orphanage and thend it sat upon may be rundown, but it was not small by any means. Without a doubt, the price would be well over 1,000,000 RMB! "I cannotprehend your actions, Pce M- No, Sir Zhang. Why-" "Jin." "...Sir J-" "Jin." "...Jin. Why are you willing to go so far when it concerns someone who can still be regarded as a stranger to you?" Qiao Xiaoqing questioned. "Oh? Do you still consider me a stranger?" Jin asked. Qiao Xiaoqing shook her head and replied, "No, however, I am sure you understood what I meant." A carefree smile appeared on Jin¡¯s face as he said, "I suppose if I had to give a reason, it¡¯s because I wanted to. Is that enough?" "I have a feeling that such an answer will have to suffice, for now." Qiao Xiaoqing responded. "So? What do you n on doing now? Are you going to quit?" Jin inquired. Qiao Xiaoqing sighed, "To be perfectly honest, that is a question I no longer have an answer to. At the time, the path revealed to me was abundantly clear. But now, that same path has transformed into a road riddled with marks of uncertainties. However..." Jin understood where Qiao Xiaoqing wasing from. The only reason she started ying RML was because of Wendell¡¯s influence over the orphanage. However, now that said influence was gone, she no longer had a reason to continue. After all, to her, RML had been nothing but a prison and an unpleasant experience. Therefore, Jin would not find fault with her if she decided to quit. Of course, Jin would feel somewhat disappointed if Qiao Xiaoqing chose to leave RML. It was not difficult to find talented people; however, Qiao Xiaoqing was a talent among talents in Jin¡¯s eyes. He felt that it would be a shame to lose such a promising talent that would make the bumpy road ahead much smoother. But, whatever choice Qiao Xiaoqing made, Jin would respect her wishes. "Whatever it is you decide, I will respect your decision. But, allow me to be candid¡ªI would prefer if you did not quit." Jin stated. He then continued, "I have a goal. One that requires people with your determination and talents." In his previous life, Jin had already walked down his path alone. By the time he reached the end, he found that there was no one left by his side. And, when he looked back, all he saw was a path paved in blood¡ªa path paved in loss. In this life, Jin wanted to do things differently. In this life, when he arrived at the end... At that time, then... Chapter 667 - Jins Gift

Chapter 667 - Jin''s Gift

... "Do not misunderstand my intent. I will say this now; you are under no obligation to repay me. Everything I¡¯ve done has been of my own will. I also n on signing the orphanage over in your name once the renovations areplete, regardless of your decision. This way, history does not repeat itself." Jin stated. Qiao Xiaoqing seemed to be in deep thought after listening to Jin speak. "...I do not enjoy handouts. That being said, I shall graciously ept your generosity. If not for my own sake, then for the sake of the children who deserve a much better life than I have given them." Qiao Xiaoqing said as her eyes shed with a hint of sadness. "I believe you greatly underestimate how important you are to those you¡¯ve painstakingly cared for. When I arrived and saw those kids outside, do you want to know the first thing they asked of me?" Jin said unhurriedly. He then continued, "They did not ask to be taken to safety or protected. Nor did they ask to be saved. Shaking in fear and confronted with uncertainty, they asked me to save you¡ªto save their Big Sis Xiaoqing. In that moment, they overcame their own fears. Not a single one of them was worried about their own well-being. They just wanted you to be safe. That is how much you mean to those children. I hope that you never forget that." "...Those kids... even though I warned them about talking to strangers¡ªhow frustrating. Today... is quite frustrating." Qiao Xiaoqing said. "You say that, but your face is betraying the words you speak," Jinmented with a carefree smile. "That, too, is quite frustrating." Qiao Xiaoqing replied. Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s eyes teared up; however, it did not take away from the captivating smile on her face. Those were not welling tears of sorrow but rather ones of joy. This time, Qiao Xiaoqing held back her tears and collected herself as the look in her eyes became filled with rity. Qiao Xiaoqing had made her choice. "Your goal... I want to learn more about it. Can you tell me?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked. ... Later that night... ¡¯To think she¡¯d still be at this ce. How convenient.¡¯ Jin¡¯s cold gaze was locked onto a particr room in that hotel; however, the lights soon turned off as the person inside seemed to be getting ready for bed given the time. But, just before the room descended into darkness, Jin saw "her" face. It was the face of the woman that betrayed the previous host of his body and dated his ex-best friend, as well as one of the people who left him for dead in the middle of the road. Inside that room was none other than Jin¡¯s ex-girlfriend, Genesis! ¡¯We still have some unsettled business. Since that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s time I kill two birds with one stone.¡¯ Woosh! A strong gale of wind blew across the rooftop where Jin stood. By the time the wind settled down, Jin had vanished. ... Knock! Knock! Knock! "..." Knock! Knock! Knock! "I¡¯ming!" A woman¡¯s voice sounded in the dark room. It was easy to tell that she was irritated by the constant knocking at her door from her tone. "Light¡¯s on." The woman called out in frustration as the lights in the room turned on. When the lights came on, it revealed the owner of the voice. It belonged to Wendell¡¯s girlfriend, Genesis. Knock! Knock! Knock! Genesis angrily sprung to her feet as she stomped over to the door in her silk nightwear. "Didn¡¯t you hear me?! I said I¡¯m-" Genesis swung the door open; however, there was no one there. Genesis stuck her head out the door and looked down both sides of the hall. "I-If someone¡¯s ying a prank, I¡¯m warning you! My boyfriend won¡¯t let you go!" Genesis shouted. But, there was no response. "Maybe it was some creep... I should call the front desk andin." Genesis muttered under her breath. She then began to close the door; however, at thest moment, she noticed a small rectangr box on the floor in front of her door. There was a small note attached to the box, along with a single rose that rested on top of it. "Huh? This is...?" Genesis leaned down to pick up the box, note and rose. There was a slight look of confusion on her face. This type of romantic gesture did not seem like something Wendell would do. But, if that was the case, then who was all of this from? Genesis nced around the hallway onest time before closing and locking her room door. She tossed the rose in the trash bin before walking over to her bed and opening the note. "From your secret admirer... Secret admirer?" Genesis set the note aside and opened the rectangr box. When she saw what was inside, her eyes immediately lit up. "It¡¯s beautiful..!" Genesis gasped as she held a pendant with a gorgeous gemstone attached to its end. "What kind of gemstone is this? I¡¯ve never seen such a pretty one before. It must have been expensive." Genesis smiled gleefully. "I don¡¯t know who this secret admirer is, but he must be loaded to give something like this away. Well, this hotel is filled with wealthy young masters. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if my beauty caught one of their eyes. Hehe, too bad for them I¡¯m already taken. Still, they won¡¯t ask for it back, right? After all, it would make them seem cheap and lose face." Genesis wasted no time cing the pendant around her neck. Genesis walked over to the mirror and posed a few times in front of it. "I didn¡¯t think it was possible for me to be any more beautiful than I already am. It looks like even I can be mistaken every once in a while." Genesis giggled. "Light¡¯s off," Genesis happily walked back over to her bed with a delightful smile on her face as sheid down and the room returned to darkness. As Genesisid down and closed her eyes to fall asleep, a shadow could be seen on the balcony of her room as Jin emerged from the darkness. ¡¯I¡¯m d you enjoy my gift. I just hope you can still appreciate it as muchter on.¡¯ The "secret admirer" who gifted the pendant to Genesis turned out to be none other than Jin! Of course, Jin had no intention of courting Genesis. The pendant in her possession was not some expensive piece of fine jewelry as she believed it to be, but instead something Jin threw together after he left the orphanage. That gorgeous-looking pendant was called The Bewitching Eye of Skethera, and if Genesis knew of its true purpose, she would have never thought of wearing it! If one had to define her with two words, it was typically malice and vanity. Skethera was an empress and a kingdom toppling beauty in the Seven Realms¡ªan individual born well before Jin¡¯s time. She treated those around her like their mere existence was an insult and was known to be madly in love... with herself! One day, Skethera made the mistake of insulting a certain individual who was simply passing by her kingdom and paid a heavy price for it. A powerful curse was ced upon Skethera so that whenever she treated others with malice or disyed vanity, her beauty would deteriorate in some form. It got to a point where Skethera no longer showed herself in public due to her hideous and grotesque appearance. The story ended there, and no one truly knew what happened to Skethera in the end; however, it was thought that she slowly went mad and ultimately departed the world on her own terms. The pendant that Jin gifted Genesis contained a curse that acted on the same principles as the one that originally affected Skethera herself! Genesis would never link what was happening to her to the pendant, and even if she did, it would be toote. Once the curse¡¯s influence spread, even if she removed the pendant, the curse¡¯s effects would remain in ce. In other words, it was permanent! ¡¯A fitting gift for you. An object that allows your outer beauty to match that of your inner beauty.¡¯ Chapter 668 - Getting Underway!

Chapter 668 - Getting Underway!

... The next morning... Genesis sat up in bed with a drowsy expression as she stood to her feet and stretched. The first thing Genesis did was head to the restroom to freshen up. However, just a few seconds after she set foot into the restroom, an ear-piercing scream could be heard. Genesis moved closer to the mirror as her eyes widened, and her previous drowsiness had disappeared. On the right side of her face were two blemishes that were not there before she fell asleep! "My face! What happened to my face?!" Genesis scowled. She never skipped her skincare routines for fear of this precise moment. That¡¯s when it suddenly donned on her. The only thing she could think of was that the pillows she slept on must have been unclean! Now, her face paid the price because of some housekeeper¡¯s poor room management! "I¡¯ll file aint about whoever cleaned this roomst and have them fired! How dare they do this to my precious face! And I was supposed to go to a shootter on today... I might have to cancel because of them! Makeup¡ªI need makeup to cover this up..! I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold my head high if anyone saw me like this." Genesis quietly cursed under her breath. But, little did Genesis know that this was only the beginning. ... Back at the orphanage... "Hey, someone move those pallets to the east side!" "Coming through! Coming through!" "Where are the electricians?! I can¡¯t start on this side until the cables are repositioned!" "You, you and you¡ªstart working on recing the rusty pipes for the plumbing system. I want it done yesterday!" "Yes!" ¡¯It¡¯sing along nicely. A full day has not yet passed since they began, but the difference is already like that of night and day.¡¯ The renovationpany Fang Qiu hired was first-rate. There was not a single worker in sight cking off, and everyone seemed highly capable when it came to their appointed assignments. After histe-night visit to Genesis, Jin returned to the orphanage. He stayed the entire night watching and making sure that Wendell did not send anyone else to cause trouble. As for Qiao Xiaoqing and the orphanage children, Fang Qiu had arranged a temporary residence for them until renovations of the orphanage wereplete. She also finalized a long-term contract with the professional caretaker to remove a lot of the burden on Qiao Xiaoqing¡¯s shoulders. Qiao Xiaoqing told Fang Qiu that it was unnecessary considering everything else they had already done for her; however, Fang Qiu insisted. Fang Qiu did not know how Qiao Xiaoqing did it all this time. She could barely survive a few minutes with sixteen children, let alone years! After experiencing it herself firsthand, how could Fang Qiu allow someone else to go through that alone?! Seeing that Fang Qiu was determined not to take no for an answer, Qiao Xiaoqing decided to ept her offer. Though what shocked Fang Qiu more than anything was the fact that Qiao Xiaoqing, who had been in a bad condition, looked perfectly healthy when she saw her again! Fang Qiu was uncertain what Jin did to obtain such miraculous results. However, when she asked him about it, the response she received was "I have a bit of experience when ites to traditional medicine, that¡¯s all." "You¡¯re here early." A voice sounded from behind Jin that carried a hint of surprise in its tone. Without turning around, Jin responded, "I wanted to review their progress with my own eyes. Besides¡ªI¡¯m sure I told you it was alright to take the next couple of days off. I¡¯ve dropped a lot on your te these past few days, and you¡¯ve already helped me out quite a bit. I have no problem if you want to take a step back and rest for a while, Advisor Fang Qiu." Fang Qiu walked forward and stopped next to Jin. "A lot on my te, is it? I¡¯m offended by how little you think of me." Fang Qiu said half-jokingly. She then continued, "All jokes aside... If I had to rest after handling just this much, I¡¯d never have the time to get anything done. The quicker I finish up here, the faster I can shift my undivided attention to the Mystical Realm Pce." "Oh? I thought you said you finished everything that needed to be done." Jinmented. "I did. However, the market never stops moving. Not to mention, this is the perfect time for me to implement the next project I have in mind. I know you¡¯ve given me full control over your finances, but this is a decision that will require you to sign off on it." Fang Qiu exined. "Since it is something that will benefit me as well, as long as it¡¯s within my power, I will do my utmost to fulfill your request. What did you have in mind?" Jin asked curiously. "For the duration of this event, I want to form a partnership with the Seven Dreams Consortium to distribute our pills directly to yers on the battlefields." Fang Qiu stated. She then went on to say, "There are still a vast number of yers we have yet to reach¡ªeven the natives of RML are not out of the question. During this time, everyone is looking for a way to grow stronger. So, why not give them that opportunity? We will send yers to each major battlefield with a supply in hand to sell the Mystical Realm Pce pills at mark-up prices. We are providing a convenience, after all." "The Seven Dreams Consortium already have arge distributionwork in ce, so we just have to provide them with the pills. It will bemission-based with the Seven Dreams Consortium and their sellers gaining a percentage of every pill they sell. Of course, I will have to write up the contracts as a security measure and settle matters of inventory." Fang Qiu stated. "I see. That¡¯s quite the idea." Jin said with a carefree smile. "Then, I-" "However, a partnership with the Seven Dreams Consortium is not necessary." Jin dered. Fang Qiu was somewhat taken aback by Jin¡¯s words. For a moment, it sounded as if he was on board with the idea. It couldn¡¯t be that he wanted to cut out the middle man and attempt to do it himself, right? Regardless of what kind of business it was, one had to know that if it had a physical inventory, then building a distributionwork from the ground up was a logistics back-end nightmare! "May I ask why you are against a partnership with the Seven Dreams Consortium? Is there some bad blood between the two of you?" Fang Qiu queried. "No, we are neither on good nor bad terms. It¡¯s just as I¡¯ve said¡ªa partnership with them is unnecessary." Jin confirmed. "You... Do you have any idea of the type of hardsh.i.p.s thate with getting a distributionwork in ce? It¡¯s a logistics nightmare. If the Mystical Realm Pce were bigger, perhaps it would be possible, but it¡¯s still in the early developmental stages." Fang Qiu sighed. "It¡¯s fine. After all, I¡¯m sure that guy can use some extra work to keep himself busy. When you return to RML, add and contact a yer by the name of Metronome. I will let him know to expect you. Use him as you see fit." Jin stated. Metronome... Fang Qiu had never heard of such a yer. However, she assumed that Jin ced a great deal of confidence in his abilities if he was willing to entrust such a monumental task to him. Therefore, even though Fang Qiu was still somewhat skeptical, she decided to go along with it, for now. "I will follow your instructions. But, if I determine that he will do more harm than good, I hope that you won¡¯t mind if I send him on his way." Fang Qiu said. "If he can¡¯t at least handle this much, I see no purpose in keeping him around. If he does not live up to your expectations and fails to meet your standards¡ªdo as you wish." Jin responded without hesitation. Fang Qiu nodded in response. "Then, I look forward to meeting this Metronome." Fang Qiu said calmly. "I¡¯m going to check if they¡¯re on schedule. Excuse me." With those words, Fang Qiu left Jin¡¯s side to oversee the renovationpany. When Fang Qiu took her leave, Jin set his gaze on the bright morning sky. ¡¯Now... It¡¯s about time I return.¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... "It should be around here... Ah, I found it..! Xiao Liang, Ayanellia¡ªwe¡¯re getting ready to depart soon!" A charming voice called out. "With this, I finally met thest requirement to clear my war objective." Reilei thought to herself with a blossoming smile on her face. She looked down at the emerald crystal in her hand that was shaped like a flower. yer Name: It¡¯s So Realistic Level: 40 ss: Nine Creations Summoner Chapter 669 - Monster Stampede! Monster Stampede...?

Chapter 669 - Monster Stampede! Monster Stampede...?

Not too long after Reilei called out, the bushes nearby began to shake. The next moment, two figures emerged. One of them turned out to be Xiao Liang in his human form; however, the person by his side was an unfamiliar face¡ªa young girl. The young girl looked to be six or seven years old, with hair that echoed the winter¡¯s snow and eyes that contained a myriad of colors. She wore a simple pale blue dress that stopped just above her knees, and around her neck was a pendant with one beautiful spherical gemstone attached to it. This young girl was the small doe who had been by Reilei¡¯s side since she was born, Ayanellia. "So slow! Next time, just let me carry you on my back!" Xiao Liangined. "..." Ayanellia¡¯s mouth moved like she was talking; however, no sound seemed to escape from her mouth. "Ha?! What do you mean it¡¯s embarrassing?! You should be honored that this young master is willing to give you such extravagant treatment! You ungrateful little!" Xiao Liang pinched both of Ayanellia¡¯s cheeks and pulled on them. "..." "Hm? You¡¯re sorry? It¡¯s toote for apologies!" Xiao Liang stated with a mischievous grin. Despite her words being inaudible, Xiao Liang did not seem to have any trouble understanding Ayanellia. As Xiao Liang teased Ayanellia, he heard Reilei¡¯s voice call out his name. This caused Xiao Liang to pause his actions and chuckle as an innocent smile formed on his face. Ayanellia hurriedly moved to Reilei¡¯s side and hid behind her. Reilei gave a helpless smile as she shook her head inwardly. "Are you alright, Ayanellia?" Reilei asked as she looked down at the young girl. "..." "That¡¯s good. Did you have fun?" "..." "My, how nice. Then, next time, I will have to go along as well." Reilei said with a gentle smile. "Since I gathered everything in this area, we can finally return to Eastgate. But... Is it really okay to go back there...?" Reilei muttered thest part to herself. She appeared troubled by something. Reilei opened her system interface as she read over thest message she received. The message was from Phoenix, one of the first yers Reilei partied with in RML. Out of all the yers that she ever formed a party with, Phoenix was the one Reilei was closest to. Although Reilei was still a newbie when it came to several aspects of gaming, Phoenix was the one who helped her learn and understand things. In addition, when everyone else joined their respective war branches, instead of bing a part of the War Brigade or War Intelligence Group as the others did, she chose to stick with Reilei and join the General Support Unit! Reilei was surprised by Phoenix¡¯s decision. After all, from what she learned about the war branches, the General Support Unit would have the most challenging time .u.mting the contribution points that yers were doing everything in their power to obtain. The reason Reilei chose to join the General Support Unit had to do with the fact that its members were free to do as they pleased and go where they wanted. But, more importantly, Reilei felt that she would not be a burden to anyone or get in their way if she went with the GSU. At first, Phoenix told Reilei that it was just a coincidence that she also joined the GSU. However, that excuse did not hold up for long as one of the other yers in her usual party, Shuyi, informed Reilei of the true reason. "Coincidence? Weren¡¯t you the one most excited about joining the War Brigade? What was it you said again... Ah, right, I remember. It was ¡¯If I leave her alone, I won¡¯t be able to rest easy.¡¯"¡ªis what Shuyi said at the time, parroting Phoenix¡¯s words. ¡´System Alert: yer Phoenix has sent you a message, "I just logged on. I¡¯m still at Eastgate, but it looks like I won¡¯t be able to join you any time soon. All the roads have been blocked off because of some wild beast that¡¯s on the loose. I heard a few War Brigade 10-Man Squadrons have already been wiped out by it. For now, try to stay off the roads until things settle down."¡µ Reilei issued a small sigh. Eastgate was the nearest outpost. If she could not go there to turn her war objective in, she would have to visit the second nearest outpost. However, it would take her at least half a day to get there on foot! "Hm... Should I just log out for now?" Reilei said to herself. Just as Reilei began to ponder her next move, she received a sudden message alert from the system. The message was from Phoenix, and it seemed to be a follow-up from the one she previously sent. ¡´System Alert: yer Phoenix has sent you a message, "You¡¯re stillpleting your war objective near the Emerald Cliffs, right? Be careful. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not, but I just overheard some yers saying that the wild beast that¡¯s running around is attracted to the Emerality Jeweled Flowers that grow around there. Apparently, it¡¯s what the next subjugation party ns to use to lure the beast out of hiding. Well, like I said, it¡¯s just something I overheard, but I figured it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry."¡µ "Emerality..." Reilei nced down at the emerald crystal in her hands that was shaped like a flower. "Could this be it?" The item in Reilei¡¯s hand was referred to as the "Mysterious Gemstone Flower" that grew beneath the Emerald Cliffs in the war objective she epted. But, the flower in her hand showed up as ??? via the system information. "Perhaps I should y it safe and finish this war objective at another time." Reilei internalized as she returned the Mysterious Gemstone Flower to the spot she first discovered it. The Mysterious Gemstone Flower was special, not only because of its unique appearance but also due to the fact that it could not be ced inside a yer¡¯s inventory. To be more precise, the flowers could be ced in one¡¯s inventory; it was just that they would instantly wither upon being removed. However, this was all Reilei knew since the information provided by the war objective stopped there. Rmmmmble... "Hm?" Out of nowhere, the ground beneath Reilei started to shake. At first, it was only light vibrations. However, the faint vibrations quickly transformed into an all-out tremor that caused the earth to tremble uncontrobly! "Xiao Liang! Ayanellia!" Reilei called out as the two hurried to her side. Reilei sensed that something terrible was approaching¡ªand she was right. ROAR! Neeeeeigh! Grrrrr! Reilei¡¯s eyes widened as she witnessed the scene that emerged before her. Name: Winged Jackalope(Elite) Level: 41 Name: Red-Horned Boar(Elite) Level: 42 Name: Golden-Stripped Grizzlier(Elite) Level: 43 "What¡¯s going on? Why are so many different monsters working together? There are a lot of elite monsters among them, too. What should I do?" Reilei furrowed her brows. Reilei learned from Phoenix that monsters in RML were extremely territorial and did not typically get along with other monsters. Therefore, for so many distinct species of monsters to gather in one ce of their own ord was highly improbable. Regardless, it was toote to log out! The next moment, the Orb of Nine Creations appeared in Reilei¡¯s hand as she prepared to face the monster horde. "Stay close to me." Reilei cautioned Xiao Liang and Ayanellia as they, too, prepared for battle. 10 meters... 5 meters... 1 meter! Woosh! Reilei swung the orb in her hand outward and smashed it into the head of a charging Red-Horned Boar. The Red-Horned Boar that Reilei struck tumbled to the ground. The creature quickly struggled to its feet and red at Reilei with a vicious gaze. However, just as Reilei was ready to follow up on her attack, something bizarre happened. Instead of retaliating, the Red-Horned Boar actually ignored Reilei and turned to run away! Reilei was stunned! This was the first time she witnessed a monster run away from a yer after being attacked. But, that was not the only unusual urrence. The other monsters were also paying no attention to her, Xiao Liang or Ayanellia. A few secondster, before Reilei knew it, the monsters had passed by them without causing trouble as everything fell deathly silent. "What was that all abou-" Woosh! Suddenly, Reilei felt a bone-piercingly cold gale of wind brush past her face as her mind went nk. Without even thinking, Reilei took a single step back. It was that intuitive step back that saved Reilei from having her head torn off! That¡¯s when Reilei¡¯s gaze met with a pair of pale blue eyes as a set of system information disyed itself. Name: Polkentin¡¯s Failed Kitsune(Epic Boss) Level: ??? Chapter 670 - Polkentins Failed Kitsune

Chapter 670 - Polkentin''s Failed Kitsune

Woosh! As soon as Reilei¡¯s gaze met with the kitsune, Xiao Liang appeared above the creature with his arm engulfed intense and wild mes. Xiao Liang swung his arm downward full force at the kitsune. But, at thest moment, the creature¡¯s figure vanished from Xiao Liang¡¯s sight. Crash! Xiao Liang¡¯s fist mmed into the ground where the kitsune had just been, and the instant his hand came into contact with the earth, the area he touched immediately disintegrated. After seeing that his attack missed its target, Xiao Liang clicked his tongue in frustration. Fast¡ªthat was the first word that came to Reilei¡¯s mind. It was also the first time that Reilei ever ran into a monster she had trouble following with her eyes. Of course, the most shocking part was the type of monster that appeared before her¡ªan epic boss! "Epic... If I remember correctly, that¡¯s only one rank below a legendary boss, the most formidable monster that exists in RML. Can I fight something like that alone?" Reilei internalized. The fiercest boss monster Reilei ever encountered was the Corrupted Ouroboros, a hidden boss in the dungeon Lair of Serpents. However, even that hidden boss was only a rare boss monster. In addition, the Corrupted Ouroboros was level 35. But, the creature that attacked her had its level hidden. ording to what she learned from Phoenix, Reilei knew that this often meant the boss was of a much higher level than the yer viewing its system information. Regardless, Reilei was aware that an epic boss monster was not meant to be confronted without an entire party present. But, judging from its speed, Reilei did not believe that it would be possible to escape outright. Therefore, she was left with no other choice but to confront it if she wanted to survive. Or, at the very least, create an opportunity to escape safely. After the Failed Kitsune vanished, it reappeared several meters away from Reilei and her summons. At this point, Reilei was finally able to get a clear look at the monster that attacked her. The kitsune had light beige fur with ck highlights at the edge of its ears, paws, and tails. Speaking of tails, moving about freely at the kitsune¡¯s back were a total of eight tails¡ªeach that was approximately 1.5 meters long. The Failed Kitsune stared at Reilei with its pale blue eyes that gave off a frightening amount of killing intent. But, instead of following up on its previous attack, the kitsune appeared to be somewhat wary of Reilei. She was the first creature to avoid its attack and not fall immediately under its assault. So naturally, it was momentarily confused as it took some time to size up Reilei. Furthermore, the kitsune felt a strange aura from the two smaller creatures next to the one that evaded its strike. For some reason, they caused the kitsune to be on guard instinctively. Reilei was taken aback by the cautious nature of the kitsune; however, she did not attempt to run away. She believed that the kitsune would immediately toss aside its conservative nature and rush in to eliminate her the moment she turned her back on it. "I¡¯m not sure why it decided to withdraw after its first attack, but it gives me some time." Reilei thought to herself as she held her right arm forward. "Xiao Liang." When he saw Reilei¡¯s arm and heard his name called, Xiao Liang quickly understood Reilei¡¯s intentions. Xiao Liang reverted to his small lizard-like form and jumped up totch himself onto Reilei¡¯s right arm. "Amalgamate." The instant that word left Reilei¡¯s mouth, Xiao Liang¡¯s body lit up. At the same time, Reilei¡¯s right arm burst into blue and violet-colored mes as the summoner¡¯s orb sunk into the palm of her hand. By the time the mes calmed down, Xiao Liang was no longer anywhere to be found. As for Reilei, her appearance underwent significant changes. Her right arm was enveloped in purplish-blue scales, and her hand had transformed into a w. The far right side of Reilei¡¯s face was now covered in beautiful silver scales, and the pupil, as well as the color in her right eye, matched that of Xiao Liang¡¯s. In addition, one of the biggest physical changes was the silver tail that emerged at Reilei¡¯s lower back. The tail resembled the one that belonged to Xiao Liang in his smaller form, but it was one meter long and appeared to be much sturdier in design. "Ayanellia, stay here. And, please wait for my word." Reilei said as her eyes never left the Failed Kitsune. "..." "Do not worry. I will be careful. I promise." Reilei smiled to ease Ayanellia¡¯s worries. After seeing that Reilei did not attack or pursue it, the creature became bold. The caution that was once in the Failed Kitsune¡¯s eyes could no longer be seen as it lowered its whole body. Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, the Failed Kitsune vanished from the spot it stood. But, it was not alone. Reilei, who was just next to Ayanellia, also seemingly disappeared into thin air! Less than a breath went by before Reilei, and the Failed Kitsune reappeared several meters away from their previous positions¡ªboth of which were within an arm¡¯s length of one another. All of a sudden, arge build-up of mana gathered at one of the kitsune¡¯s eight tails as a thin white veil of energy epassed it. Swoosh! Without warning, the kitsune flicked its tail forward as a powerful de of wind shot towards Reilei! The de of wind carried a great force as it crashed into her. But, it was then that an unfamiliar scene developed in front of the Failed Kitsune¡¯s eyes. Rather than the de of wind cutting through its enemies as it always did, it abruptly scattered in all directions once it came into contact with Reilei. To the kitsune¡¯s surprise, its mighty de of wind had been effortlessly dispersed! Not expecting its wind magic to be brushed off at such close range, the Failed Kitsune was unprepared to defend itself. And, Reilei took advantage of this opening. Reilei extended her right arm outward and grabbed ahold of the Failed Kitsune¡¯s head with her w. She tightened her grip and twisted her body as the kitsune was suddenly hoisted off its feet! If other yers were there to witness this scene, they would have fainted from shock! The kitsune was not thergest boss monster in RML by any means, but it was still a reasonably big creature spanning three meters! To sweep such a creature off its feet using only one hand¡ªhow much brute strength would that require?! As Reilei lifted the kitsune off the ground and rotated her body, her w became engulfed in purplish-blue mes. SWOOSH! Her actions did not stop there as the mes around Reilei¡¯s w intensified. The mes converged to a single point in a split second and formed into a sphere of purplish-blue fire that resembled a miniature sun. "Ayanellia! Now!" Reilei dered. Simultaneously, the spherical mes raced after the Failed Kitsune as Ayanellia held her hands out. A white aura formed around Ayanellia¡¯s palms as a group of thick vines erupted from the earth and followed close after Reilei¡¯s spherical mes. It, too, was headed in the kitsune¡¯s direction! But, instead of waiting to see the kitsune¡¯s fate, Reilei swiftly returned to Ayanellia¡¯s side and swept the young girl off her feet! Reilei knew that she couldn¡¯t fight a prolonged battle against an epic boss monster alone with her current strength. From the beginning, her goal was never to defeat the Failed Kitsune but rather to create an opportunity to escape! Without looking back, Reilei carried Ayanellia and moved at full speed in the opposite direction of where she threw the Failed Kitsune. ... Just seconds after the Reilei¡¯s departure, the Failed Kitsune emerged from under a pile of thick charred vines. The creature immediately scanned its surroundings but found that it was empty. RAAAAAAAWR! The Failed Kitsune was furious! It unleashed a mighty battle cry after seeing that its prey had fled right after attacking it! The kitsune bared its fangs as its pale blue eyes turned pitch ck, and all eight of its tails produced a radiant light! Chapter 671 - The Top 100 Event Leaderboards! A Familiar Presence?

Chapter 671 - The Top 100 Event Leaderboards! A Familiar Presence?

... Meanwhile... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ ¡¯I hope too much didn¡¯t happen while I was away.¡¯ With Fang Qiu¡¯s personally overseeing the renovation at the orphanage, Izroth had peace of mind that things would get done correctly. Therefore, he chose to return home and log into RML. The camp near the Rosentarus border where Izroth logged out had been cleared and most likely moved¡ªno doubt in preparation for the uing assault on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt. Upon logging in, the first thing Izroth did was check the event leaderboards. Although he was only gone for a bit more than half a day in the real world, that was the equivalent of 36+ hours in RML. Needless to say, there was a lot that could ur within that frame of time. ¡ºTop 100 Event Leaderboard: 1st: Izroth - 4,786.57 contribution points 2nd: ??? - 3,825.92 contribution points 3rd: Ewan - 1,958.99 contribution points 4th: Dragon - 1,876.12 contribution points 5th: Reaper - 1,742.10 contribution points 6th: Igazanali - 1,735 contribution points 8th: Mariposa - 1,608.02 contribution points 9th: Road - 1,552.63 contribution points 10th: Valkyria - 1,491.13 contribution points 11th:...¡» ¡¯Oh? There are quite a few familiar names on this list.¡¯ The top 100 event leaderboards was no longer an empty wastnd. All 100 spots had been filled! But, that did not mean that everything was set in stone. In fact, the list was constantly being updated, and ranks shifted as yers gained contribution points. Izroth was surprised to discover that out of the top 10 yers; he knew all but four of them. The 2nd ranked mystery yer, 4th ranked Dragon, 5th ranked Reaper, and 6th ranked Igazanali. Though to say he did not know all of them was not entirely urate. In truth, he had some memories about the yer named Dragon. Dragon was the name of Broken Exile¡¯s guild leader, one of the top ten guilds in RML. Izroth had never run into someone from Broken Exile since their base was not set up in Amaharpe like many of the other top guilds, but from what he understood, the members of that guild were an arrogant and prideful bunch. But, seeing as how the quality of their members was said to be on par with that of Cross Haven¡¯s, Izroth did not find their arrogance unusual or even necessarily bad. Izroth believed that those who possessed the strength to back up their arrogance deserved the right to disy it¡ªas long as they knew who they could and could not afford to disy that arrogance in front of. As for the second ce mystery yer, while Izroth had no definitive proof, he spected that they were the same individual he met at the end of the second team¡¯s selection, Law. ¡¯It looks like I won¡¯t be able to ck off.¡¯ Since Law was strong enough to take 2nd ce in the second team¡¯s selection, he surely had the power to gain that many contribution points in such a short period of time. Izroth was also amazed that Sleeping Gardenia upied two spots in the top ten¡ªthis was something no other guild had done so far! ¡¯Well, I suppose they are not the only guild with two members in the top ten.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s gazended on Azalea¡¯s name. Even though Izroth¡¯s guild was newly formed and unknown, with Azalea¡¯s presence, it also had two yers that were in the top ten! As for the rest of Izroth¡¯s official guild members¡ªeveryst one of them was within the top 100 on the event leaderboards! While they were a rtively small guild, having every member listed within the top 100 yers for the event was still an incredible feat! ¡¯I was a bit worried those two wouldg behind, but it turns out my concerns were unwarranted.¡¯ The cksmith Gu Chao and the second Pill Emperor Worldly Skies did not have particrly high levels since their main focus was crafting. However, it appeared that the Resource Management Division was treating them quite well and putting their skills to good use, given that both had already .u.mted over 1,000 contribution points. ¡¯I¡¯m d to see everyone is holding up on their own. Hopefully, they will continue to climb higher in the rankings. Though I suppose the newest addition to our guild remains absent.¡¯ After Izroth finished looking over the event leaderboards, he navigated through the event interface until he came across what he was searching for. ¡¯I have nearly 5,000 contribution points. This should be enough to purchase something decent from the event shop.¡¯ Izroth glimpsed over the event shop before; however, this would be his first time actively looking through it. yers could use their contribution points to buy all types of items from the event shop. In addition, even if they spent contribution points, it would not affect a person¡¯s standing on the event leaderboards. The event leaderboards kept track of the total amount of contribution points a yer earned. But, it did not penalize them for acquiring items from the event shop. That¡¯s why whenever a yer spent points at the event shop, it would subtract the amount from their "Avable Contribution Points"¡ªnot their total. The next moment, a transparent board emerged in front of Izroth. It resembled the walls at the auction house that enabled yers to purchase items. However, theyout for this particr board was different in several ways. There was no buy or sell section. Instead, there were two options. The first option was for yers to trade in items for contribution points. But, this feature was currently unavable as it required yers to physically trade in their items at the nearest allied outpost. This feature was mainly for craftsmen, and it acted as their primary method of acquiring contribution points outside of war objectives that matched their profession¡¯s requirements. Izroth had yet to use the trade-in feature; however, from what he understood, craftsmen could only gain contribution points with this approach for items they crafted themselves. If anyone attempted to turn in another person¡¯s work and im the contribution points as their own, the points would not go to them. Instead, they would go to the creator listed on the item! This was to prevent yers from trying to actively buy contribution points with gold coins. The second option allowed yers to browse through the items in stock within the event shop. Next to each item was the name, quantity, the number of contribution points it cost to purchase it, and a "Review" button that revealed more in-depth details about the item. There were tens of thousands of items to select, ranging from weapons and armors to potions and crafting materials. Of course, there was also a feature that helped yers find specific things. But, despite therge volume of items to choose from, several high-cost items were on a firste first serve basis with a limited quantity of one. And, the cheapest among these items cost a massive 50,000 contribution points! Izroth quicklybed through the items he could purchase with his contribution points. However, by the time he reached the end, he could not help but sigh in disappointment. ¡¯It¡¯s not that these choices are bad, but...¡¯ In truth, there were many valuable things Izroth could purchase with his avable contribution points, but none of them grabbed his interest. ¡¯Forget it. It¡¯s not like my contribution points are going anywhere. I can always returnter once I collect more.¡¯ With that, Izroth closed out his event interface and set his sights forward. ... ¡¯I would like to head back to the Mystical Realm Pce and check on the Blood Moon¡¯s progress, though with the assault on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt growing near, now is not exactly an ideal time. Then, should I just rejoin Commander Aurie and General Solomon¡¯s group?¡¯ Just as Izroth was pondering his next course of action while traveling through the Rosentarus forest at incredible speeds, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence after a brief scan with his Energy Vision Sense. ¡¯Oh? This presence is... There¡¯s no mistaking it. Judging by their mes, they seem to be in the middle of a battle. But, what are they doing all the way out here?¡¯ The main allied outpost near the Rosentarus border had already moved, and with it, all the surrounding assignments and war objectives. The hunting grounds in this area were also rtively barren. Therefore, all yers should have long since left to a better location. ¡¯Then... shall I drop in and see what they¡¯re up to?¡¯ Chapter 672 - A Great Discoverys Revealed!

Chapter 672 - A Great Discovery''s Revealed!

... Clink! Bang! In the middle of the Rosentarus forest, two people were exchanging blows as their des shed. "Your skills have improved," Niflheim stated calmly. The next moment, Niflheim pushed forward with his shield as he activated the skill Shield Bash, forcing the person before him to retreat several steps. Skeeeeech! Suddenly, a violet energy wave in the shape of an arc raced towards Niflheim. The wave contained an abundance of mystical energy as it released a high-pitched screech that would cause most people to cover their ears instinctively. Niflheim strengthened his stance, raising his shield to protect himself from the iing energy wave! However, just before crashing into Niflheim¡¯s shield, the energy wave dispersed. "?!" Niflheim seemed surprised by the energy wave scattering on its own ord. At the same time, numerous sparks of light with colors that covered the entire spectrum began to spread throughout the surrounding atmosphere. Two sparks of light drifted in Niflheim¡¯s direction as they weaved and danced around one another while narrowly avoiding a collision. But, as if their luck had abruptly run out, the two sparks mmed into each other. ...BOOOM! A powerful shockwave swept past Niflheim as an explosion urred where the two sparks touched. However, it did not stop there. BOOM! BOOM! The explosions engulfed Niflheim as he was swallowed by the tide of destruction. A few secondster, the sound of explosions finally died down as a wide cloud of dust enveloped the area. Woosh! Out of nowhere, a blur emerged from the cloud of dust as a silver streak broke through! Soon after, the dust cleared, and a gust of wind blew over the battlefield, revealing two individuals standing perfectly still. One of the individuals was Niflheim with a lowered stance, and the tip of his sword pointed just two centimeters away from his opponent¡¯s throat. Likewise, Niflheim also had a de pointed at his forehead. However, it was a bit shy of four centimeters away from him. "It¡¯s your victory, Capta- Ah, excuse my rudeness. It¡¯s still a bit strange not referring to you as Captain. It¡¯s your victory, Niflheim." A voice sounded as the de being held towards Niflheim lowered. Niflheim stood up straight and returned his de to its sheath. The shield in his hands also disappeared as a smile formed on his face. "No, I would feel somewhat shameless if I counted that as my victory. My ss is just a bad match-up for you. Not to mention, your ss shines when you¡¯re up against multiple enemies. You¡¯ve improved a lot since we werest together, Sacred de." Niflheim said as he gave a satisfied nod. Sacred de was a member of Blue Oasis¡ªor rather, an ex-member. After Niflheim¡¯s "voluntary departure" as the guild put it, many of those who served with him in the 7th Squad left Blue Oasis, and Sacred de was one of them. Blue Oasis tried to brush Niflheim¡¯s leave under the rug using the excuse that he left of his own free will. But, Sacred de was there that day and knew the truth¡ªhe was forced to choose between maintaining his integrity or going back on his word. Sacred de knew what kind of man Niflheim was, and even though he put up with a lot of mistreatment in Blue Oasis, this was thest straw. Furthermore, Sacred de was never on good terms with most of the yers in Blue Oasis. Once he joined, Sacred de rapidly climbed through the ranks of Blue Oasis to a core member due to his talent. Unfortunately, this caused a lot of jealousy and hatred to be directed at him from guild members who had been around for a longer time and felt that he stole their spot from right underneath them! "So? How did you manage to avoid myst attack? You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve shown it to. I was sure I caught you off guard." Sacred de asked curiously. "It¡¯s true that I was surprised at first and I didn¡¯t know what to expect. So, I just trusted my instinct. I used Unimpeded Charge to escape from the center of the st zone. Then, once the staggering effect wore off, I immediately executed Rush while using the dust cloud as cover." Niflheim exined. "Instinct? I should have known... If you were off by even a few steps with Unimpeded Charge and messed up the timing, you would have been a sitting duck. What would you have done then?" Sacred de inquired. "Who knows? Regardless, everything turned out alright in the end, wouldn¡¯t you agree¡ªPce Master Izroth?" Niflheim said as he turned around and looked up at one of the trees a few meters away. p. p. p. Izroth pped lightly as he sat atop a tree branch. He had arrived on the scene a while ago; however, he decided to sit back and watch the battle unfold. If things got too dangerous, Izroth nned to interfere. But, he had a feeling that it would note to that. After all, he sensed no hostility from either party involved when their des crossed. "I thought it would be a shame if I interrupted your fight when it was just getting interesting. The two of you fought well." Izroth stated as he leaped down from the tree,nding near Niflheim and Sacred de. "Pce Master Izroth, we meet again. Allow me to thank you again for your help during the raid. I only wish that we did not have to depart under such tedious circ.u.mstancesst time." Sacred de said as he respectfully greeted Izroth. Izroth gave a small nod and replied, "What has passed has passed... Sacred de, is it?" "I am honored that you remember my name despite our brief encounter. What has passed has passed... indeed, these are words of truth. But, at times like this, we can only look ahead." Sacred de said calmly. As Izroth, Niflheim, and Sacred de continued deeper into their conversation; the topic Izroth had been curious about emerged atst. "Hm? Why are we still here? You mean Capt-... Niflheim has not informed you yet?" Sacred de looked over at Niflheim with an expression of clear confusion on his face. "Oh? Informed me of what?" Izroth inquired. "Well, truth be told, I nned on telling you sooner, but I wasn¡¯t able to get in contact with you," Niflheim responded. "I just recently came back online," Izroth revealed. "I figured as much. It seems got a bit too sidetracked by our fight and didn¡¯t keep a close enough eye on my friendslist." Niflheim stated. He then continued in a serious tone, "But, now that you¡¯re already here, it¡¯s probably better if Sacred de asks you himself." "Ask me?" Izroth turned to face Sacred de, who had an air of gravity about him. He wondered what was going on that could cause two top yers to turn so serious. "I already owe you, Pce Master Izroth. So, you can consider this as me paying you back." Sacred de stated with a slight smile of excitement and a hint of nervousness. He then tightly clenched his fist and dered, "I¡¯ve found it, here in Rosentarus¡ªa crusade." "?!" ¡¯...A Crusade? Interesting. Truly, interesting.¡¯ Unlike dungeons and raids that yers could venture through countless times, crusades could only be attempted once¡ªexactly, once. That¡¯s because, after the first group entered inside, the entrance to a crusade would disappear without a trace¡ªpermanently! However, it was also due to this feature that the treasures one could obtain within a crusade were enough to make anyone salivate! Of course, the most important aspect could not be overlooked in this situation. If Sacred de were telling the truth, then he would be the very first yer to have discovered a crusade! At that moment, Izroth could only inwardly sigh at Blue Oasis¡¯ misfortune. If Sacred de were still a member of their guild, he would have been obligated to report the crusade to them. But, since he was no longer a part of Blue Oasis, he was free to do as he wished. In a way, Blue Oasis had forfeited yet another great opportunity! "Are you certain?" Izroth queried. "Yes. If the recounts from the beta testers are urate, then, without a doubt, it is a crusade. It¡¯s not too far from here if you want to see it with your own eyes." Sacred de mentioned. "Then, lead the way," Izroth replied without hesitation. In the end, this was something he definitely had to verify with his own eyes! Chapter 673 - No Escape!

Chapter 673 - No Escape!

... A few momentster, Izroth, Niflheim, and Sacred de made their way deeper into the Rosentarus forest. "We¡¯re getting close. There are no monsters around this area, so we can afford to rx a bit." Sacred demented. "How did you discover the entrance to this crusade?" Izroth asked curiously. Meng Jiang¡¯s guild, Sacred Beasts, owned an incredibly detailed Realm Chart of Rosentarus. They had no doubt explored the kingdom from top to bottom since they used it as their main base of operations. If there was a crusade somewhere in Rosentarus, if there was anyone who could have uncovered its whereabouts, it should have been Sacred Beasts. So, how did someone like Sacred de, who spent most of his time behind the Amaharpe borders, manage to find it? "Honestly? It was just sheer dumb luck on my part. I happened to be in the right ce at the right time¡ªthat¡¯s all. And, once I realized what I¡¯ve found, I knew that it was not something that I could face alone. Though I suppose it would be more urate to say facing it alone would be a waste." Sacred de exined. "You made the right call. From what I understand, crusades match the strength of their entrants before increasing the overall difficulty to always be a step above. But, the higher the difficulty, the better the rewards." Niflheim stated. "Precisely. It¡¯s why I wanted the two of you to tag along. Ah, we¡¯re here. I should have mentioned this beforehand, but the entrance isn¡¯t exactly orthodox." Sacred de said. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... After running nonstop for nearly two minutes, Reilei found a safe ce to rest. She examined her new surroundings for any danger, and after confirming that there were no threats nearby, Reilei carefully set Ayanellia down to walk on her own. Reilei released a long sigh of relief. It seemed that their attack was able to suppress the kitsune and prevent it from chasing after them. Now that Reilei put a reasonable distance between herself and the Failed Kitsune, she prepared to log out and wait until it was safe to return to Eastgate. "It might take a few hours, but... It¡¯s better than cing Xiao Liang and Ayanellia in danger." Reilei internalized. Phoenix made Reilei aware of the fact that when a summon dies, they would not permanently stay that way. They merely became temporarily unavable for the summoner. As for the amount of time, it usually depended on the summon. The more powerful a summon, the longer they would be unavable. But, Reilei discovered something odd about Xiao Liang and Ayanellia after Phoenix asked her a question she never really considered. "Why are your summons always out? Doesn¡¯t it consume a lot of mana to constantly have two of them out all the time?"¡ªwhen Phoenix asked this question, it was something Reilei had no answer to at the time due to her inexperience. It was not untilter on that Phoenix helped her get to the bottom of it. The conclusion? It was a result of the bonding type that existed between Reilei and her two summons called Soul Link. Because of Soul Link, Xiao Liang and Ayanellia did not consume Reilei¡¯s mana despite constantly being by her side. But, while Soul Link provided the summoner and summon with numerous benefits, it also came at a cost different from the typical contract formed between a summoner and their summon. If a summon with Soul Link perishes, it was not just as simple as resummoning them; instead, they would remain unavable indefinitely! At least, until a summoner could get their hands on a Spirit Awakening Crystal. While Spirit Awakening Crystals were rare, they were not impossible to acquire as long as you had the funds to do so. The issue came from Xiao Liang and Ayanellia¡¯s growth potential. The greater a summon¡¯s growth potential, the higher rarity Spirit Awakening Crystal they would require to be resummoned. Both Xiao Liang and Ayanellia possessed Supreme growth potential¡ªthe most sought after and highest possible growth potential a summon could have. The number of yers with a Supreme growth potential summon in RML could be counted on one¡¯s fingers alone. Or, perhaps even using one hand! This was the precise reason Izroth told Empyrean to prioritize Selene¡¯s safety above all else. At the moment, there was no feasibly known way to acquire legendary quality Spirit Awakening Crystals! Nevertheless, even if this was not the case, Reilei still had no intention of allowing Xiao Liang and Ayanellia to go through that experience. In the end, she simply did not like the idea of them losing their lives¡ªeven if they could be brought back. "I¡¯ll see you again soon, Ayanellia," Reilei said as she gently ced her hand on top of Ayanellia¡¯s head. "..." "And, you, too, Xiao Liang," Reileimented. Reilei¡¯s transformation had not yet ended; however, Xiao Liang was still capable of hearing her speak with no problem. After saying her farewells, Reilei opened her system interface to log out. ¡´System Alert: Warning! You are currently inbat! If you log out now, you will suffer a huge penalty! Would you still like to proceed?¡µ "?!" Reilei was taken aback by the system alert. Still inbat? How was that possible? Unless it was something like a dungeon, raid, or an area with special conditions, as long as yers did not battle a hostile enemy for thirty seconds, they should be counted as out ofbat. This time was increased when it came to yer versus yerbat, but, of course, Reilei had not confronted any yers for quite some time. It had been two minutes since Reilei escaped from herst battle; therefore, the system should have already registered her as being out ofbat! "Why is it showing that a penalty will go into effect if I log out? Is this what¡¯s called a bug?" Reilei internalized as she furrowed her brows. The penalty incurred from logging out in the middle ofbat was not small by any means. But, what Reilei did not know was that- RAAAAAWR! No matter how far she ran away on foot, she would never be out ofbat! "?! It already caught up to us?" Reilei knew that their attacks were not enough to take it out; however, she at least thought it would buy them more time than it did. "This appearance¡ªis it really the same monster?" Reilei was shocked when she looked at the creature that appeared before her. It bore a striking resemnce to the kitsune she had just fled from, except its pale blue eyes were now pitch ck. In addition, the kitsune¡¯s fur had turned pure white. For a split moment, Reilei almost believed that it was a different monster. However, after seeing the system information, she confirmed that it was indeed the same kitsune she briefly fought against. To make matters worse, it looked absolutely furious! Suddenly, without warning, the tip of the kitsune¡¯s second and fifth tails lit up different colors. The end of its second tail turned blue, while the top of its fifth tail became yellow. The next moment, a powerful and concentrated stream of water erupted from the kitsune¡¯s second tail. Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning shed andbined with the stream of water, creating a terrifying swirling vortex. And, this vortex was headed straight for Reilei and Ayanellia! Reilei responded quickly as she extended her silver tail and carefully wrapped it around Ayanellia. "Hold on tight," Reilei warned. "..." Right after securing Ayanellia, Reilei kicked off the ground to the side, causing her to elerate at incredible speeds out the path of the iing vortex of destruction. Swoosh! Reilei managed to evade the attack with Ayanellia sessfully; however, the vortex continued to travel forward in the direction of the woods! ...BZZZZZT!!! When the vortex came into contact with a tree, stone, bush¡ªanything in its path, it blew right through it as its momentum remained unchanged. In the blink of an eye, the vortex left Reilei¡¯s field of vision, leaving behind a long trail of destruction in its wake! Chapter 674 - Trouble At Eastgate, Entrance To The Crusade

Chapter 674 - Trouble At Eastgate, Entrance To The Crusade

"Hide," Reilei said as she gently ced Ayanellia down and unwrapped the tail around her. Ayanellia seemed concerned for Reilei as a tiny frown appeared on her face. Nevertheless, she followed Reilei¡¯s instructions. Ayanellia used Natural Blending to conceal herself as a thin veil of mana epassed her, causing Ayanellia to be one with her surroundings. "It looks like there is no use trying to escape. Then..." Reilei turned to face the kitsune who bore its fangs at her. "I¡¯ll be depending on you, Xiao Liang," The next moment, a violet and blue aura enveloped Reilei as the magic power around her spiked to a frightening degree. Suddenly, Reilei elerated straight at incredible speeds! As if sensing the impending danger, the kitsune swiftly darted forward. It remembered being trickedst time; therefore, the kitsune did want to fall for the same thing twice! The Failed Kitsune leaped several meters into the air and spun its body in a full circle. As it performed this action, the top of the kitsune¡¯s first tail lit up white, and its fourth tail red. ...BOOM! The sound of an eruption came from the kitsune¡¯s position as a twister formed out of nowhere. And, following the explosion, the twister became engulfed in mes, creating a zing inferno that f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y drew enemies to its center! However, when the inferno appeared directly on her path, instead of slowing down and finding a way around it, Reilei charged right into the middle of it! ... A few moments ago, somewhere in the forest located just outside of Eastgate... Not too long ago, a terrifying vortex came from the heart of the forest and almost made contact with the outpost walls! Unlike major outposts, Eastgate possessed a minimal amount of defenses and personnel. In addition, while their walls were fortified with a type of structural integrity magic, they had no defensive magic barriers protecting them. Fortunately, the vortex was off by a few meters and passed right by them; otherwise, who knew the amount of destruction and damage it would have generated! As panic ensued at Eastgate, a woman stood alone at the very edge of the forest on the path created by the swirling vortex, examining whatever traces may have remained behind in the process. A pair of slightly pointed ears peeked out from behind the woman¡¯s hair, revealing her identity as a member of the trephasia race. However, she was not an NPC like other trephasias but rather a yer. This trephasia was none other than Luna! "Something capable of causing this much destruction... There¡¯s no doubt¡ªa wild boss must have appeared in the forest. But, its behavior is quite strange for a wild boss. Can it be that a group is already fighting against it?" Luna said to herself as she carefully studied the scarred earth. "Sir Aeacus has still not returned to Eastgate, and two squadrons have previously failed to subjugate the creature. If things continue to progress at this rate, there will be no one left to defend Eastgate by the time Sir Aeacus returns. Should I offer my assistance again?" Luna internalized. As an Adjutant of Aeacus Jestal, Luna¡¯s authority was on par with a Commander of the War Brigade. However, her title also made it so that she was not officially a part of the four war branches. Just like Aeacus Jestal, she was deemed a "special war power", and exempt from the standardmand structures in ce. But, before his departure, Aeacus made it clear to Luna that she was not to get involved in the affairs of Eastgate unless it was at their request. "We have everything under control. An outsider needs not concern themselves with our affairs, especially the Adjutant of Lord Aeacus."¡ªthese were the words Captain Yonas spoke to Luna. But, although he hid it reasonably well, Luna could still hear a slight tone of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e whenever Captain Yonas mentioned the name Aeacus Jestal. Luna did not know what caused Captain Yonas to secretly resent Aeacus, but it should have been set aside if it was a personal matter, given Eastgate¡¯s present circ.u.mstances. Even if it was not forever, at the very least, it could have waited until the creature that was running wild and wreaking havoc inside the forest was taken care of. As Luna pondered whether or not to confront Captain Yonas again, the sound of an explosion rang out from deep within the forest. BOOM..! Luna set her gaze in the direction of the explosion as she saw a towering spiral of mes soar into the skies. "That area¡ªit¡¯s not too far away from the outpost." Luna frowned. Based on the distance of the ming spiral, Luna estimated that whatever or whoever was fighting had to be less than one hundred meters away! "It is true that Sir Aeacus instructed me not to interfere with the affairs of Eastgate since we are simply visitors; however... I suddenly feel like taking a casual stroll through the forest. If I happen to run across any danger on the way, I suppose I would be left with no choice but to defend myself." Luna thought to herself. "I made a promise to her... that whenever the people of the Mortal Realm are in trouble, I would not turn a blind eye and remain idle. I intend to keep that promise." Luna internalized as she made her way into the forest towards the towering spiral of mes! ... Meanwhile... Izroth, Niflheim, and Sacred de were inside a dark and damp underground area that sloped downward. Fortunately, they had some light thanks to the mystical energy around Sacred de¡¯s sword. "Watch your step. The deeper we go, the more inclined the ground will be. And, trust me, it¡¯s a long way down." Sacred demented. "Speaking from experience?" Niflheim asked. "Unfortunately, yes. However, it¡¯s as they say, sometimes, misfortune can give birth to a new kind of fortune." Sacred de replied. He then continued, "While I was outpleting area patrol and area clearing war objectives, I tripped over an out of ce stone. As a result, I tumbled into a tree. But, instead of mming face-first into the tree, it opened up and swallowed me. After that, I fell to the bottom. And, it¡¯s there that I found the entrance that leads into the crusade." "Luck can also be considered a skill," Izrothmented. ¡¯I suppose it¡¯s not too surprising that my Energy Vision Sense can¡¯t function properly in this ce. I expected as much after witnessing the illusion magic bound to the tree.¡¯ Sacred de saying that the tree "swallowed him" was not exactly an urate statement. However, given the level of illusion magic in use, Izroth did not me Sacred de for being fooled. "Luck as a skill, hm? Now that you mentioned it, I do have one point in my Luck stat. Perhaps that yed a part?" Sacred de said half-jokingly. "Ah, that¡¯s right; you do have a point in Luck. Maybe it really was because of that. It¡¯s regrettable that after all this time, my Luck stat remains inactive." Niflheim sighed as he shook his head. "It can¡¯t be helped. Gaining even a single point of Luck is just too difficult, and ironically, requires a bit of personal luck." Sacred de said. "Is Luck truly that hard to acquire?" Izroth asked. "Hard doesn¡¯t even begin to describe it. But, just so you have a clear picture, Sacred de possessed the highest Luck stat in Blue Oasis¡ªtied with six other yers." Niflheim revealed. Izroth was a little taken aback. He knew that Luck was not easy toe by, but he had no idea it was such a nightmare for yers to obtain. After all, Izroth¡¯s own Luck stat was already at four! ¡¯Now that I think about it...¡¯ When Izroth thought about what he had to do to gain his current Luck points, Sacred de and Niflheim¡¯s conversation made perfect sense. From receiving the blessings of not one but two different divine beings to being the first yer tond the killing blow on a hardcore raid boss monster¡ªit was only afterpleting tasks of that magnitude that Izroth was able to acquire any points towards his Luck stat! ... After walking for approximately five minutes and having a casual conversation along the way, the three reached the bottom of the slope and stepped into a well-lit open area. However, they were not alone. In total, there were three other individuals present, all gathered around a small puddle of water with a diameter no bigger than 45 centimeters. "Niflheim, Pce Master Izroth¡ªallow me to introduce you to the three yers joining us for this crusade." Sacred de said as he stepped forward. Chapter 675 - Introductions, Party of The First Crusade!

Chapter 675 - Introductions, Party of The First Crusade!

"This guy here goes by Gram." Sacred de said as he motioned his hand to the male who appeared to be in his mid tote twenties. He wore chainmail protective gear, and attached to his side was a mace that had the emblem of an eye with two daggers pierced through it just above the handle. He had neatly arranged short blonde hair and a pair of crystal blue eyes. "He is currently ranked 42nd on the event leaderboards and will be filling one of our two supporter positions. While his healing ability is limited, Gram specializes in buffs, debuffs, and crowd control. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he¡¯s one of the best utility supporters in RML." Sacred de said. Gram gave a slight nod as he greeted Izroth and Niflheim. "In the middle is Colorful Nimbus. Just like Gram, he is one of our supporters. However, unlike Gram, his healing abilities leave nothing to be d.e.s.i.r.ed. In terms of experience, you can probably count the number of yers on your hands alone who are capable of matching Colorful Nimbus when ites to pure healing ability. But, his talents don¡¯t end there. After all, he¡¯s ranked 25th on the event leaderboards for a reason." Sacred de exined. He then continued, "Due to the unique nature of his ss, his ability to inflict damage is nearly on par with that of his healing. So we¡¯re basically getting two roles for the price of one with his presence." "I¡¯ve heard much about you, Pce Master Izroth, Captain Niflheim. Ah, excuse my rudeness. I suppose now it is just Niflheim¡ªsince you are no longer a part of Blue Oasis." Colorful Nimbus said. Colorful Nimbus looked to be in his early twenties with a thin yet muscr frame, somewhat wild dark red hair, and eyes that contained a myriad of colors. He wore a form of light armor that was a mixture of leather and cloth, and the right side of his face was the tattoo of a cloud¡¯s outline. Colorful Nimbus set his gaze upon Izroth as he sized him up. "Hm... I have to say; you certainly don¡¯t look all that strong for someone ranked 1st on the event leaderboards. Hey, how¡¯d you get so many points so fast anyway?" Colorful Nimbus asked. "Mind your words, Nimbus. Pce Master Izroth is someone I consider a benefactor." Sacred de stated. "What? I¡¯m just saying what I think. I¡¯m sure someone like Pce Master Izroth doesn¡¯t mind if I speak freely, right? Besides, it¡¯s not like I doubt his skills. Pce Master Izroth¡¯s feats alone more than speak for his strength. But, if he wants me to apologize for my words, then all he has to do is say so." Colorful Nimbus said without mincing his words. "No. If there is someone who wishes to speak their mind, I will not stop them. Words spoken have consequences¡ªgood and bad. As long as you are aware of this, then I see no issue." Izroth said calmly. "Heh... It¡¯s just as I thought. You really are an interesting one. I¡¯m looking forward to our journey together. And, even though you don¡¯t require an apology¡ªI¡¯m sorry. I just wanted to test you a bit, is all. I needed to know the kind of person you are." Colorful Nimbus stated with a satisfied grin on his face. ¡¯Amusing.¡¯ Izroth realized that Colorful Nimbus was trying to evoke a reaction from him. He would most likely gauge Izroth¡¯s character based on how he responded. They would be in the same party together and did not have days or weeks to get to know one another. Therefore, this was Colorful Nimbus¡¯ way of getting to know Izroth, so to speak. Of course, this is also why Izroth gave the response that he did to Colorful Nimbus. It was Izroth¡¯s way of giving him an answer to his question and¡ªa warning. Sacred de released a helpless sigh as he shook his head. He knew that Colorful Nimbus was not a bad person; it¡¯s just that his actions were sometimes a little entric. Still, Sacred de was d that Izroth did not seem to take offense to what Colorful Nimbus said. After all, how tragic would it be if a party got into an argument just before a crusade?! Sacred de cleared his throat and said, "I¡¯ll continue with the introductions. Last but certainly not least is our party¡¯s magic caster, Morrighan. Though most of you might know her as the Phantom Queen." Leaning elegantly against the wall was a stunning woman in her early twenties with a beauty mark just under the far right side of her eye. Dangling from her ears were a matching set of gorgeous earrings that resembled two crescent moons facing outward with a whole moon ced in between them. She wore a short ck dress with frills that stopped halfway down her t.h.i.g.hs as sleek ck stockings hugged her legs and stopped just a few centimeters above her knees. From her wrists to her upper forearms were several loose-fitting gold bangle bracelets, and on her feet was a pair of ck high heels. This woman went by Morrighan, but because of her name and the magic she used, yers started to refer to her as the Phantom Queen. When it came to magic casters in RML, if yers were asked who was number one, the answers received would be mixed. However, if those yers were top-level magic casters, their response would all be the same¡ªthe number one magic caster in RML was, without a doubt, The Phantom Queen, Morrighan! "When ites to magic casters, we honestly couldn¡¯t have lucked out more. It¡¯s not every day you get to see the number one magic caster in action." Sacred de revealed. He then continued, "Pce Master Izroth may not know this since he¡¯s been offline for a while, but the Phantom Queen was actually ranked 5th on the event leaderboards. If not for epting my request and making the trip here to Rosentarus, she wouldn¡¯t have fallen out of the top ten rankings to 11th ce." Morrighan nced over at Izroth out the corner of her eyes. Then, after a few seconds, she closed her eyes and gave a small nod in his direction. Izroth returned Morrighan¡¯s nod with one of his own. ¡¯The number one magic caster in RML, is it? I¡¯m curious to see how shepares to those three.¡¯ Izroth had seen numerous mages in action firsthand. And, among those mages who were yers, three stood well above the rest by arge margin. Vanaheim, a Captain of Blue Oasis. Mariposa, the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia. And, of course, Valentine. If Morrighan was more skilled than the likes of those three, then they truly had nothing to worry about in regards to magic! Izroth had never heard of the name Morrighan; therefore, the chance of overdramatic rumors was always a possibility. However, being able to once hold the 5th ranked spot on the event leaderboards certainly gave her an air of credibility. "Alright, that¡¯s it for introductions. Does anyone have any other preparations they need to make? There¡¯s a good chance that we won¡¯t be able to make contact with others while we¡¯re inside the crusade." Sacred de warned. No one responded to Sacred de, and so, he took their silence as confirmation that they were ready to proceed. "Good. Then, since everyone¡¯s ready, let¡¯s head inside." Sacred de said. "So? Where¡¯s the entrance?" Colorful Nimbus inquired. "You¡¯ve been right next to it the entire time. It¡¯s like I said before¡ªthe entrance to a crusade isn¡¯t exactly conventional." Sacred de answered as he took a few steps forward and stopped right in front of the small puddle. He peered down at the puddle and said, "Just follow me." The next moment, something remarkable happened. Sacred de jumped,nding in the puddle that spanned no more than 45 centimeters. And, in front of everyone¡¯s eyes, he rapidly sunk into the puddle! In less than a second, Sacred de had disappeared without a trace! Everyone was taken aback. That small puddle was the entrance to the crusade? Not only that, but it was located in such an out-of-the-way ce that was hidden insanely well. It¡¯s no wonder no one else managed to discover a crusade up to this point! Gram, Colorful Nimbus, and Morrighan followed after Sacred de as the three also vanished after leaping into the puddle. "See you on the other side," Niflheim said to Izroth as he approached the puddle and plunged in just like the others. ¡¯A crusade... I¡¯m looking forward to it. If the rumors are true, it should be an interesting experience. Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t disappoint.¡¯ With that thought, Izroth jumped into the puddle. And, after Izroth vanished, the small puddle dried up, leaving not even a single drop of liquid behind. Chapter 676 - Guide

Chapter 676 - Guide

... When Izroth fell through the puddle, he descended into darkness. Then, a few secondster, Izroth emerged, standing upright in what could only be described as a waiting room. The room was approximately ten meters in diameter and shaped like a perfect cube. Its surface was made of stone-like materials, with some wooden benches running along the walls where one could take a seat. ¡¯Where is this ce?¡¯ Izroth opened his system interface to check his coordinates; however, it was marked as "???". Though he was not too surprised by the result considering their unusual mode of transportation. ¡¯This area... If I¡¯m not mistaken, we¡¯re in an isted pocket of space. If so, it exins why my Energy Vision Sense cannot prate past our immediate surroundings. It¡¯s just as Sacred de predicted. This ce ispletely cut off from the outside world.¡¯ Izroth closed out his system interface and walked over to join Sacred de and the others. At the moment, they were standing in front of a transparent wall that seemed to be a barrier meant to restrict their movements. On the other side of the wall was a spacious area with a dark and gloomy atmosphere. But, there did not seem to be any monsters or people in the vicinity. "We just got here, and we¡¯ve already hit a wall," Niflheim said as he tapped his finger against the barrier, creating a ripple-like effect on its surface¡ªlike a pebble dropping into a still body of water. "How is it?" Sacred de inquired as he looked over at Morrighan. Morrighan closely examined the barrier in silence. But, after studying it for just a few seconds, she shook her head. "This barriercks the basic building blocks of magic¡ªit was not conjured with the use of mana. As a result, it is not possible to force our way through this pocket of isted space utilizing a standard approach." Morrighan¡¯s charmingly pleasant voice sounded for the first time. "Then, what should we do? It¡¯s not like we can give up and go back empty-handed." Colorful Nimbus said jokingly. "Hm... If what the Phantom Queen says is true, there may be a way through the barrier without the use of force. The question is if there is a way, how do we go about discovering it? Though since we¡¯ve just arrived, I believe we should refrain from moving about too much. This room may appear safe on the surface, but there¡¯s no telling what can happen at this point." Niflheimmented. "I agree. If we get too careless just because there are no signs of danger, we may end up paying the price for it. For now, let¡¯s focus on finding a safe way to reach the other side of this barrier. After all, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s where the crusade truly begins." Sacred de stated. At the same time, Izroth took a moment to study the barrier himself. Even though his Energy Vision Sense was not functioning at its full potential due to some unknown interference, that did not mean it was entirely unusable. ¡¯It¡¯s just as she said, whatever this thing is, it¡¯s not a magic barrier. If that¡¯s the case, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the other side even with my Space Defying Tread. As for forcing my way through... I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s beyond my current capability.¡¯ As Izroth studied the wall and the members of his party discussed their next course of action, a voice of unknown origins abruptly sounded from a few meters behind them. "Well, what do we have here?" The voice echoed. "?!" Hearing a voice that did not belong to any of them, everyone turned around and immediately prepared for battle! Niflheim positioned himself at the front of the group as he drew his sword, and a shield materialized in his hand. Soon, everyone followed suit and simrly brandished their weapons! The only one who did not draw their weapon was Izroth. But, that was not to say that he was not also taken aback by this sudden new arrival. Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on the person who revealed themselves out of thin air. From their physique, they appeared to be a healthy male. But, their facial features were hidden by a nk white mask with a curved smile carved into it. They wore a ck suit with a tie, and their short hair was neatlybed back. ¡¯I couldn¡¯t sense their presence. Even now, I still can¡¯t sense it.¡¯ Since Izroth could not entirely rely on his Energy Vision Sense to gauge his surroundings, he had been on high alert from the moment he entered his new environment. Very little could escape Izroth¡¯s monstrous senses; however, this person managed to sneak up on him without exposing the slightest hint of their presence! Not to mention, it was in a small room with nowhere to hide! "Please, please, no weapons." The mysterious person said as they snapped their fingers. A brief sh of light went off. Then, the next moment, everyone¡¯s weapons disappeared without a trace! Everyone was startled by the sudden disappearance of their weapons. Those were all high-grade pieces of equipment that they painstakingly acquired. But now, they were gone just like that! Their facial expressions darkened as their gazes locked onto the mysterious person who was behind their missing equipment. "My, how scary you all are. But, do not fret. I shall return your weapons momentarily. It has been longer than I can remember since I havest had the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of weing visitors. As my precious guests, please, do make yourselvesfortable. Ah, pardon my manners. Would you like some tea, perhaps?" The mysterious person spoke eloquently. "Who are you? Return our equipment to us immediately." Colorful Nimbus said in a solemn tone. "..." The mysterious person fell silent for a few seconds before releasing a sigh. "I was looking forward to spending some quality time with my new guests. It¡¯s not every century I get to entertain visitors, you know? But, if it is answers that you d.e.s.i.r.e¡ªso be it. I shall return your weapons to you. However, I advise you to behave yourselves, or you may not see them returned so easily again." The mysterious person said as they snapped their fingers once more. The equipment that disappeared earlier was returned to its rightful owners. And, although everyone did not trust the shady person in front of them, they had no choice but toply with their requests until they figured out their purpose. "First off, allow me to properly introduce myself." The mysterious person announced as they leaned forward slightly and bowed with an air of sophistication. "I have no official name, but you may refer to me as ¡¯Guide¡¯. As it implies, I will be acting as your guide for the crusade you are about to face. While I will not be joining you personally on your venture, I have been tasked with exining the rules of this crusade. Therefore, you can consider me to be an ally who is rooting for your sess in every way possible." Guide exined unhurriedly. Guide? So that¡¯s it! At the very least, it exined why they started off trapped in a room with no way out. That is if they were not somehow being deceived, and this was all not a part of a n to get them to lower their guard. However, they understood the chances that this "Guide" was telling the truth were reasonably high. After all, Guide had the power to disarm them with the snap of their fingers. While they were not entirely powerless without their weapons, it would undoubtedly cut their power drastically, seeing as how many ss-specific skills required certain weapons to be equipped. "Of course, if you wish, you do have the option to begin the crusade without listening to the rules. I will not stop you." Guide stated. When Guide finished speaking, Izroth and the rest of his party received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Would you like to begin your ?Crusade?? [Ready: 0/6]¡µ A thoughtful expression found its way onto Sacred de¡¯s face. He nced over at Niflheim, who gave him a slight nod. "Then, since it¡¯s your job to act as our guide, we¡¯d like to hear the rules." Sacred de stated. "An excellent choice," Guide responded. "Allow me to begin by exining to you how a crusade works. This particr crusade is divided into three separate stages. Clearing a stage is simple. You merely have to defeat any enemies that appear before you." "Of course, each stage has an increasing level of difficulty that perfectly suits its challengers." "However, I must caution you. Unlike the rankings you are used to, enemies in the crusade are divided into four sses¡ªMinion ss, Guardian ss, World ss, and the strongest, Hero ss." "After sessfully clearing a stage, your group will be given the option to receive your respective prizes and be transported out of the crusade. Or, vote to move onto the next stage, where you have a chance of obtaining an even greater prize upon clearing it. But, all of you should weigh the choices you make very carefully. If you proceed to turn down your prize and fail to clear the following stage, you will walk away empty-handed." Guide exined.? Chapter 677 - Enter! The First Stage of the Crusade!

Chapter 677 - Enter! The First Stage of the Crusade!

"That concludes this crusade¡¯s guidance of fundamental knowledge." Guide said calmly as they bowed politely. "So, you¡¯re basically saying that all our efforts will have been for nothing if we bite off more than we can chew, right?" Colorful Nimbus chimed in. "Precisely so," Guide responded as they stood up straight. Everyone understood Guide¡¯s exnation without issue, but there were some concerning points they brought up. For one, the way enemies were ranked in the crusade was troublesome. Those types of rankings were something no one had ever seen nor heard of before now in RML; therefore, the group had no idea what to expect. It was like walking into a forest full of swords blindfolded. One wrong misstep, and they were as good as done. That¡¯s why¡ªthey needed to extract as much information as possible from Guide before they entered the crusade. That way, they could reduce the number of unknown variables they would inevitably face. "I¡¯m curious. Are there any restrictions we should know about?" Niflheim asked. "Why, but of course. There are three major restrictions that will be in ce when attempting the crusade. One, you may only ess certain equipment and weapons from your inventory. Put simply, objects such as potions, magic items, and talismans cannot be used inside the crusade." Guide answered. He then continued, "Two, once the stage of a crusade starts, there are only two ways for it to end. You conquer your enemies, or... you be the conquered." "And, the third?" Niflheim queried. "Third... Well, it is not necessarily a restriction. But, you can think of it as a personal suggestion from your friendly neighborhood guide. Whatever you choose to do once you enter the crusade, it is important that you never forget. Everything that appears before you is an enemy in one way or another without exception." Guide stated in an ominous tone. Niflheim inwardly furrowed his brows after listening to Guide. Everything is an enemy without exception... Niflheim felt that while Guide was not lying, there was definitely more to the crusade than they were letting on. At least, this was Niflheim¡¯s gut feeling on the matter. However, when Niflheim brought up the topic of enemies, Guide responded that even they did not know what would appear on each stage. And, since there was no way of confirming whether or not Guide was telling the truth, they had no choice but to take his words at face value. "I hate to be the one to say it, but what happens if one of us dies in the middle of the stage? Will we revive after the stage is cleared? Or, do we just walk away empty-handed as you put it?" Colorful Nimbus inquired. Colorful Nimbus asked the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. If it were like a normal dungeon or raid, then the yer would be sent back to the beginning point upon death after a set period of time. But, the crusade seemed to function on a different set of rules aspared to normal dungeons and raids; for all they knew, once they died, they could be automatically ejected from the crusade altogether! If so, the risks that they were usually willing to take would have to be toned down. "Rest assured, even if you perish whilepleting a stage, as long as one of you survives after your enemies have been defeated, then it will be considered your victory. Once the conclusion of the stage has been reached, all participants will then be revived and given the opportunity to proceed to the next stage." Guide exined calmly. "That¡¯s good news. If the possibility of respawning did not exist, whether done intentionally or on a subconscious level, everyone would prioritize their own safety above that of the party¡¯s. That would make things difficult in the long run. After all, no one would be willing to lose out on this opportunity for the sake of others." Niflheim internalized. The party spent the next several minutes asking Guide questions about the crusade. Guide answered the majority of their questions without trouble; however, there were some off-limit topics that they did not, or rather could not, provide answers to. Then, after no one had any further questions for Guide, they bowed graciously. "It is my honor to serve as your guide for this crusade. Farewell, and... May fortune smile upon you on this day." The next moment, Guide snapped their fingers as a strong vortex of wind formed around them before rapidly dispersing. In the blink of an eye, Guide vanished without a trace. "Alright, everyone, listen up. I know our teamwork is unproven, but I believe that there is no question to our strength as individuals. Everyone here is within the top 50 on the event leaderboards, which requires a certain level of skill. However, even the strongest brick can be stepped over if it¡¯s not a part of a wall. For that reason, I want Niflheim to act as the glue that binds us together." Sacred de stated. He then continued, "I know and trust in Niflheim¡¯s abilities to lead us through this crusade. However, since we are a party, I would like to know everyone else¡¯s opinions on this." As Sacred de spoke, Niflheim nced over at Izroth, who had a carefree smile on his face and a look in his eyes that said "I don¡¯t want it." as if he immediately read Niflheim¡¯s thoughts. Since Niflheim decided to join Izroth¡¯s guild, he felt that it was only right to take his guild leader¡¯s opinion into ount. But, it seemed that there was no use asking, given the look in Izroth¡¯s eyes that provided a clear answer. "I have heard great things about Niflheim in regards to his strategic talents. Forgive me for being blunt, but among those present, no one else has a reputation close to Niflheim when ites to this specific area of expertise. I believe he is best suited for this task. That is my unbiased analysis." Morrighan said as she was the first to speak up. "Whatever... Is fine." An astonishingly deep voice uttered. From how deep this voice was, one would think that someone was ying a prank by using a voice changer. However, that was impossible, seeing as how RML did not allow third-party applications. This almost unnaturally deep voice belonged to Gram, who was well known as a man of few words. "No issue here. I¡¯m willing to do whatever gives us the best chances of clearing this ce. Like the Phantom Queen put so bluntly, he fits that position better than the rest of us." Colorful Nimbusmented as he shrugged. "I, too, have noints," Izroth stated. Sacred de nodded, "Good. We¡¯re all in agreement. Niflheim, we¡¯ll be counting on you." "Since everyone has already agreed, how can I turn it down? I may not be perfect, but I promise you this¡ªI will do my utmost not to betray the trust you¡¯ve all put in me." Niflheim dered. After confirming that everyonepleted their preparations, Niflheim said, "Ready up." ¡´System Alert: yer Niflheim is ready! [1/6]¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Sacred de is ready! [2/6]¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Gram is ready! [3/6]¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Colorful Nimbus is ready! [4/6]¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Morrighan is ready! [5/6]¡µ ¡¯Shall we see what secrets you¡¯re hiding?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: yer Izroth is ready! [6/6]¡µ ¡´System Alert: All yers are ready! Automatic transport to the first stage of the ?Crusade? hasmenced! 10 seconds remaining.¡µ "Heh, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the prizes we get from clearing the third stage." Colorful Nimbus grinned. 9... 8... 7... "Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time. It¡¯d be bad if we pushed our luck too far. I¡¯d hate for overconfidence to be our downfall." Sacred demented. 6... 5... 4... "Keep your guard up, everyone. Be prepared for a potential battle as soon as we arrive." Niflheim warned. 2... 1... "See ya on the other side." Those were thest words to leave Colorful Nimbus¡¯ mouth before he disappeared with the magic circle along with everyone else present. Upon their departure, all that remained in the empty waiting room was a lingering silence. ... ¡´System Alert: You have arrived at the first stage of the ?Crusade?!¡µ After being transported by the magic circle, Izroth and his party emerged in a gloomynd on their guard. There was an indescribable chill in the air as they took in their new surroundings. In the sky was a full moon dyed in a blood-red color. Around them was a boundless wastnd filled with withered trees and a dark atmosphere. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Lesser Protection?. Your physical resistance and magical resistance has been increased by 10% for 1 hour.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Greater Protection?. Your physical resistance and magical resistance has been increased by 25% for 1 hour.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Fierce Touch?. Your attack and magic has been increased by 15% for 1 hour.¡µ Chapter 678 - The Eyes Within the Darkness & Flames

Chapter 678 - The Eyes Within the Darkness & mes

¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Vital Force?. Your maximum HP and maximum MP has been increased by 12% for 1 hour.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Lasting Second Wind?. Your in-battle HP regeneration and MP regeneration has been increased by 35% for 1 hour.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Steadfast?. You will be unaffected by the first crowd control you encounter. Reduce the effects of all curses and poisons the user experiences by 50% for 1 hour.¡µ The various buffs were courtesy of Gram, one of the party¡¯s supporters. ¡¯Oh? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen buffs with such a high duration.¡¯ What surprised Izroth more than anything was not the number of buffs, the stats, or the effects they provided. Nor was it the highly impressive duration. The single greatest aspect was that the buffs affected not just Izroth but the whole party! Of course, a buff¡¯s primary purpose was to make the receiver stronger; therefore, the stats could not be ignored. And, Izroth was not disappointed in the slightest. ¡¯I can see why Sacred de called him one of the best utility supports in RML. With buffing abilities like this, he would be weed with open arms to any top guild.¡¯ Just taking Lesser Protection and Greater Protection into ount, Izroth gained 35% physical and magical resistance. Added to his current stats, it shot his resistances up to a staggering 60%! "Well, I¡¯ll be damned. Your buffs are the real deal, Gram." Colorful Nimbus whistled as he felt a surge of strength pour into him thanks to Gram¡¯s buffs. Next, after doing a quick sweep of their surroundings, with Niflheim as their vanguard, the group made their way deeper into the first stage on a broken path. As they ventured down the broken path, the first stage reminded them of a graveyard. However, there was ack of tombstones or marked graves of any kind. "You think it¡¯s true what they say about this ce? That it matches our strength and then goes one step above it?" Colorful Nimbus mentioned. "Hard to say. For one, there¡¯s too little information avable. Even if we go by the ounts of the beta yers that originally discovered the existence of crusades, it¡¯s possible that particr situation was unique to them. Seeing as how they did not make it past the first stage, it could be that they just weren¡¯t strong enough. In the end, the only way to find out is by experiencing it ourselves." Niflheim stated as he kept his gaze forward. "There¡¯s something roughly 250 meters up ahead from our current position," Izroth said suddenly. 250 meters? He could detect something from so far away? This was the thought that crossed everyone¡¯s mind at that moment. However, there was one person who did not seem startled by Izroth¡¯s sudden revtion. "Is it an enemy?" Niflheim asked as he halted his steps, causing the rest of the party to do the same. After witnessing firsthand what Izroth was capable of during the raid and their battle against the puppets, he doubted there was anything left that Izroth could do to surprise him at this point. "It¡¯s difficult to say since there is some interference," Izroth replied. Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense was once again functioning without a problem after being transported to the first stage. However, the thing he saw up ahead was engulfed in a massive amount of mes. From how it was jumbled together, Izroth was uncertain whether it was all connected or just a bundle of distinct sources. "Then, if I may," Morrighan said as she walked to the front of the party. "What do you have in mind?" Niflheim inquired after seeing Morrighan step forward. "A fresh pair of eyes," Morrighan responded as she pressed the palm of her hands together before slowly pulling them apart. At the same time, an unstable line of ck and purple mana formed in between Morrighan¡¯s hands. Then, a few momentster, the mana stabilized and took the shape of an extravagant ck wand with a purple gemstone the size of a fingernail embedded near its lower end. The wand was roughly thirty centimeters in length and thinner than one¡¯s finger. It gave off constant pulses of highly condensed mana that made it feel like the wand was alive and breathing. Morrighan made a slight waving gesture with the wand in her hand as two shadows materialized in the air before her. Soon after, the shadows morphed into two phantom ravens with a pair of eyes made from purple mana and a third eye ced at the center of its forehead. "Go," Morrighan ordered. Swoosh! Swoosh! Caw! The phantoms ravens shot into the skies before flying ahead. Once the creatures departed, Morrighan drew a circle in the air using her wand, leaving behind a trail of light-purple mana in the process. Then, when the circle wasplete, it spun rapidly as an image began to form within. ¡¯The quality of her mana is extremely pure. To think that there¡¯s a yer that¡¯s already reached this degree of mana application... Interesting.¡¯ At first, the image inside the circle was somewhat blurry and unstable. However, in less than a few seconds, the picture cleared up, revealing an overhead view of the first stage! Everyone¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to the screen conjured by Morrighan. "It¡¯s like a live stream. I¡¯ve seen some useful recon skills, but this one is like having a pair of drones with high-quality cameras attached to them." Colorful Nimbusmented. "You do not have to answer if you wish, but I¡¯d like to know if possible. How often can this skill be used?" Niflheim questioned. There was an unspoken rule among top yers when it came to asking others about their skills, which is why Niflheim would not fault Morrighan if she wanted to keep her abilities a secret. Not to mention, any information about a top yer, let alone the number one magic caster in RML, could fetch a modest price. This is the reason why top yers did not typically disclose their skills to others so easily. "As many times as I wish. However, under normal circ.u.mstances, I am unable to walk while it is in use." Morrighan answered without hesitation. "I see... Even with this limitation, its usefulness will be invaluable going forward. Thank you for rifying." Niflheim said appreciatively. Morrighan slightly nodded as she returned her attention to the magic screen. It had been nearly thirty seconds since the phantom ravens flew off into the skies. In that time, Izroth and his party were able to get a decent understanding of the first stage¡¯syout. "That area there," Izroth said as the phantom ravens passed over a massive crevice in the ground that was at least thirty meters wide and spanned several kilometers across. Morrighanmanded one of the phantom ravens to halt and the other to descend in order to get a closer look at the aperture. A few secondster, the phantom raven that descendednded on the edge of the aperture. The phantom raven peered over the side; however, there was nothing but darkness no matter which direction it looked. Swoosh! Caw! All of a sudden, the phantom raven leaped from the edge and flew down into the crevice. 5 seconds... 10 seconds... There was still nothing but darkness showing on the magic screen as everyone watched closely to make sure that nothing was overlooked. 30 seconds... "Hey, you sure there¡¯s really something down there? We could be wasting time here." Colorful Nimbus said with a frown. "Patience," Niflheim stated. 59 seconds... "Just how deep is this thin-" BOOOOOOOM! Just as Colorful Nimbus was about to speak again, an earth-shaking explosion erupted from out of nowhere! Simultaneously, the magic screen turned blurry as Morrighan lost her connection to the phantom raven that dove into the crevice. But, she instantly switched the perspective to the remaining phantom raven that hovered safely in the sky. However, even without the phantom raven, there was no way for anyone to miss the sight in front of them. In the distance, roughly 250 meters from their position, a towering wall of blue and white mes reached the skies. These mes originated from the aperture and traveled across the entire first stage! Gong!... Gong!... Gooooooooong... Suddenly, a sound that closely resembled the hand of a clock striking midnight reverberated throughout the first stage. ¡¯It¡¯s just as I thought. There¡¯s something down there.¡¯ Although it was only for a fraction of a second, it did not escape Izroth¡¯s sight. Just before the phantom raven was incinerated, he saw it¡ªa pair of lifeless eyes blue eyes peering through the darkness. NEEEEEIGH! Without warning, a horse¡¯s warcry pierced the eardrums of Izroth¡¯s party. At the same time, the blood-red moon in the sky turned blue. "It¡¯s headed this way," Izroth warned. "Huh? But there¡¯s nothing on the magic screen. Can it make itself invisible?" Colorful Nimbus noted. "No." Izroth pointed towards the ground. "It¡¯sing from there." Rmmmmmmble! Just as those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, the tremors from before started to grow in intensity with each passing moment! Chapter 679 - Gan Ceann

Chapter 679 - Gan Ceann

Crrrck! The sound of the ground breaking apart echoed throughout the first stage as the earth shook uncontrobly. On Morrighan¡¯s magic screen was the image of a fissure that branched out from the aperture. The fissure formed in the earth and was headed right for Izroth¡¯s party. And, at its current rate, it would reach them in less than five seconds! "Something¡¯s tunneling towards us! Everyone spread out and get ready! I¡¯ll build aggro the moment it shows itself!" Niflheim stated as he positioned himself to be on a direct collision course for the opening fissure. At the same time, Izroth and the remaining party members moved a few meters away from Niflheim. As the party¡¯s tank, Niflheim had to ensure that he was the primary target. There was no telling how much damage whatever emerged would do, and out of everyone present, he had the greatest chances of surviving. Niflheim was confident that not even a level 60 world boss could take him out in a single strike with his current defenses and HP, even if he took its strike head-on without blocking. Not to mention, because of Gram¡¯s buff Steadfast, he did not have to worry about wasting his own skills to escape from any potential crowd control. RMMMMMMBLE! Suddenly, the tremors spiked to a terrifying degree, causing nearly everyone to lose their bnce in the process. However, after going on for a few seconds, something unexpected happened¡ªthe tremors came to a grinding halt. For several seconds, an eerie silence filled the first stage as Izroth, and his party stayed alert. "..." Crrr... "?!" Without a second thought, Niflheim abruptly leaped back. The instant after doing so, the ground where he had been standing just a fraction of a second ago ruptured! Crrrackle! Swoosh! At the heart of the mes was a pair of lifeless blue eyes¡ªthe same eyes Izroth noticed just before the phantom raven that dove into the crevice was incinerated. Niflheim did not wait until whatever appeared showed itself. Instead, he immediately used the skill Taunting Pressure to increase his active threat level. Neigh! When the horse¡¯s war cry echoed, the mes were dispersed as a powerful shockwave washed over Izroth¡¯s party. ?Immune? ... ?Immune? ¡´Battle Alert: You are unaffected by the crowd control of ?Ghastly Wail of the Damned? due to the skill ?Steadfast?!¡µ Once the mes cleared, everyone could finally see what arrived before them. Standing with its head held high was arge warhorse the color of obsidian. The warhorse¡¯s eyes were covered by its mane made from blue and white mes. Every time the creature exhaled, a jet of fire and lightning was expelled from its nostrils. Around its hooves were mes, causing wherever it stepped to be scorched by the intense heat. However, this beast was not alone. There was someone on its back¡ªa headless ck knight with a fierce obsidian longsword at its side and a helmet in its hand. The disturbing part was that the lifeless blue eyes wereing from within that helmet! "A Duhan..!" Niflheim uttered as he recognized the creature from numerous myths and legends. Name: Gan Ceann, The Headless Horseman of the Abyss ss: Guardian HP: [100%] "..." Gan Ceann slowly began to raise its arm; however, before it had time to finish, a massive mouth of a beast constructed of energy rushed out from Niflheim¡¯s shield and swallowed it whole! "Assimte." At hismand, the beast disappeared, leaving no wounds on the Headless Horseman. But, Niflheim¡¯s shield underwent a few physical changes. It transformed into a golden kite shield that contained a faint trace of holy aura! "Now!" Niflheim called out after sessfully establishing aggro! Woosh! At the same time, the clouds in the sky turned gray and formed a vortex. But, despite all of this, instead of defending itself, Gan Ceann did not change its actions. Its arm continued to rise until, ultimately, it pointed its finger towards Colorful Nimbus. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Colorful Nimbus has been affected by ?Duhan¡¯s Call?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Colorful Nimbus will have their name called by ?Gan Ceann, The Headless Horseman of the Abyss? in 5 minutes!¡µ Soon after the alerts went off, a white skull no bigger than the size of a fist appeared above Colorful Nimbus¡¯ head. And, right beside it was a set of foreboding red text gradually counting down from 5 minutes. "What did this thing do to me?" Colorful Nimbus frowned. He was uncertain what would ur when the timer reached zero; however, Colorful Nimbus had no ns to wait around and find out! "Expel of the Wicked!" A white veil of light briefly epassed Colorful Nimbus before subsiding. Expel of the Wicked was an A-rank cleansing skill that rid the target of all harmful negative effects. Against a boss-level mob like Gan Ceann, at least this much was required to get rid of any weird debuffs or effects. But, to Colorful Nimbus¡¯ surprise, the countdown above his head had not disappeared¡ªnor did it show any signs of slowing down! "Damn, how annoying...! Guess it¡¯s a bridge I¡¯ll have to cross when Ie to it." Colorful Nimbus grumbled. After pointing at Colorful Nimbus, Gan Ceann reached for the obsidian longsword at its side. Then, with blinding speeds, it cut outward in an arc! Ding! Bang! Niflheim reacted quickly, activating the skill Rush as he gained a burst of movement speed. Then, in one swift motion, Niflheim moved to sessfully intercept the longsword before it couldplete even a quarter of its arc. ?Blocked? -2,235 ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim has been affected by ?True Cuts?!¡µ Out of nowhere, Gan Ceann¡¯s longsword was epassed by a milky white aura as Niflheim suddenly felt as though his entire body was being cut into pieces even though he blocked the strike. -14,567 56,034/72,836 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] "This damage..." Niflheim internalized as he furrowed his brows. Right now, thanks to Gram¡¯s buffs, Niflheim¡¯s physical resistances were maxed out at 90%! On top of that, he had his normal defense stat, the buffs from his assimted shield, and he blocked the strike. Yet, a casual attack from the Headless Horseman still managed to inflict more than 2,000 damage. This ced the original damage somewhere over 100,000! Followed by that, 20% of his HP went missing after being affected by that True Cuts skill. However, Niflheim remained calm as he activated Shield Smash and knocked the Headless Horseman¡¯s longsword back! "It¡¯s just a Guardian, but its damage output is already on par with a level 50 world boss. No, it should be a step above. Are we really supposed to defeat something like this with only six yers?" Niflheim thought to himself. As Niflheim focused on keeping the Headless Horseman¡¯s attacks from reaching the other party members, Izroth noticed something familiar about Gan Ceann¡¯s most recent attack. It happened right after Niflheim blocked its strike and True Cuts was activated. ¡¯That attack just now... I¡¯m certain of it. It used genuine Aura.¡¯ Genuine Aura¡ªthis was something Izroth only encountered once before in RML. But, he was not sure genuine Aura existed anywhere else in RML. Why was this? Because the ce he encountered that same genuine Aura was in Commander Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain! To Izroth¡¯s knowledge, there were only two people in the Dream Domain capable of utilizing genuine Aura, and both individuals were considered the Grand Protectors of a great kingdom! In many ways, genuine Aura was several times more frightening than mana. For one, it did not need to work on a building principle in the same way that mana required many steps to generate a spell. Instead, it was more simr to essence and could be employed numerous ways¡ªincluding amplifying one¡¯s attacks! ¡¯It will be too dangerous if this fight is allowed to drag out. It looks like I can¡¯t afford to ck off.¡¯ Bzzzt! p! Electricity danced wildly within Izroth¡¯s eyes as two bolts of purple lightning struck down from the sky, and the sound of a thunderp rang! The lightning strike startled Izroth¡¯s party, but none of them allowed their focus to shift for even a moment once they realized it was of no threat. After the lightning faded in a sh, a dense form of lightning energy gathered around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm. The sword¡¯s physical size had not changed, but the purple lightning from Izroth¡¯s Call of the Thunder God¡¯s First State: Heavenly Descent reached outward, acting as an extension for the sword and doubling the weapon¡¯s range! Woosh! Izroth¡¯s figure started to flicker in and out of existence as he kicked off his back foot,unching himself into the air in front of the Headless Horseman! As his feet left the ground, the lightning element epassing Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm increased severalfold. The next moment, a thunderp pierced the ears of everyone present. Then, in the blink of an eye, a thin purple line appeared down the center of the Headless Horseman and its mount. Chapter 680 - Grand Magic, Too Reckless?

Chapter 680 - Grand Magic, Too Reckless?

Izroth waited until the precise moment Niflheim knocked back Gan Ceann¡¯s longsword before moving into striking range. This way, the Headless Horseman did not have enough time to reposition itself and react to his attack. -6,162 ¡¯Its resistances are high. But... How strange.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s de slid against Gan Ceann, unable to pierce through its armor. However, he still managed to administer some damage as sparks of purple lightning could be seen flowing around the suit of armor. It was the first attack to connect to the Headless Horseman and deal damage. Everyone was shocked! But, it was not Izroth¡¯s damage that they were surprised by. Rather, it was what happened to Gan Ceann¡¯s HP! Name: Gan Ceann, The Headless Horseman of the Abyss ss: Guardian HP: [96.5%] That single attack was enough to knock its HP down by 3.5%¡ªthis ced its HP somewhere close to 180,000! It was much lower than anyone predicted. After all, there were some dungeon bosses within the level 40s range with that amount of HP. Unfortunately, Gan Ceann¡¯s low HP value was not necessarily good news for the party. Based onmon knowledge, it was well known that monsters with low HP typically had the skills or stats topensate for the weakness. Nevertheless, Niflheim understood that they did not have the same luxury that existed with dungeons and raids of scouting the ce before proceeding. A crusade had to be yed by the ear, which meant that they could only deal with problems as they appeared. In the meantime, even though Izroth¡¯s attack carved off almost 4% of the Headless Horseman¡¯s HP in one blow, Niflheim still maintained aggro and had Gan Ceann¡¯s attention ced on him. Bang! ?Blocked? -2,682 -14,567 38,785/72,836 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] Once again, Niflheim blocked Gan Ceann¡¯s blow. But, the effects of its True Cuts seemed to go through any defensive measures he set up in advance. It was like trying to block the wind while standing in the middle of a storm. Then, out of nowhere, a light-green magic symbol the size of a fist lit up on the side of the obsidian warhorse. At the same time, Colorful Nimbus moved with quickened steps as he arrived within the melee range of Gan Ceann. Colorful Nimbus struck out three times in swift session with his fists wrapped in a white aura. The next moment, the light-green magic symbol shattered as the shards flew towards Niflheim and sunk through his armor right into his skin! -2,885 +3,462 -3,606 +4,327 -3,606 +12,116 65,037/72,836 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] "Heh, don¡¯t worry. As long as I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let any of you die!" Colorful Nimbus dered. Not only did Colorful Nimbus damage Gan Ceann, but the damage from his attacks healed Niflheim by more than 20,000 HP in seconds! The ability to inflict damage to his target and then amplify it to heal himself and his allies¡ªthis was one of the core methods of Colorful Nimbus¡¯ ss that made him one of the top damage/healer hybrids in RML. "Niflheim, how confident are you in maintaining aggro?" Morrighan asked calmly. "Throw whatever you want at it without restraint! I won¡¯t let it touch a single hair on your head!" Niflheim shouted as he continued to contain the Headless Horseman¡¯s attacks and restrict its movements. "Very well. Then, I shall take you at your word. Prepare to fall back." Morrighan stated. Morrighan pointed her wand to the sky as the swirling clouds parted, and a massive shadow was cast over the party. "Hey, hey... You¡¯re kidding, right?" Colorful Nimbusmented as he looked up. ¡¯Oh? To prepare and cast a spell of this magnitude in such a short time frame...¡¯ Izroth detected the immense flood of mana gathering in the atmosphere when he used his Energy Vision Sense; however, he had no idea it was in preparation for this! In the sky where the clouds parted, a gigantic rock envelope in mes could be seen peeking out. The rock spanned approximately sixty meters in diameter and was currently descending rapidly as it burned through the atmosphere. What appeared in the skies above the first stage was an actual meteorite! And, it was headed right for Gan Ceann and Izroth¡¯s party! "Grand Magic: Meteoric Fall." Morrighan lowered her wand, pointing it forward in the direction of Gan Ceann. The speed of the meteorite¡¯s descent increased as Izroth, Sacred de, and Colorful Nimbus retreated. While they would not receive damage from the attack, a skill of that scale was bound to alter the terrain and could end up dragging them in! Meanwhile, Niflheim stayed behind to make sure that Gan Ceann did not escape at thest moment. 4... 3... 2... Swoosh! Just as the meteorite was less than two seconds away from impact, Niflheim immediately activated Unimpeded Rush. Simultaneously, Gram activated a movement speed buff on Niflheim, further increasing his speed. Gram also employed a Slow debuff on Gan Ceann, decreasing its mobility. Although the debuff would notst long with the Headless Horseman¡¯s high resistances, it should be long enough to hold it in ce. In a sh, Niflheim arrived tens of meters away from his previous position. Neigh!!! The warhorse stood on its hind legs with its forelegs off the ground as the lifeless blue eyes of Gan Ceann inside the helmet turned its gaze up at the meteorite. Before the meteorite even made contact with the ground, the surrounding terrain already started to break apart and disintegrate from the sheer pressure it generated. ...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!! The ming meteorite crashed into the earth straight over Gan Ceann! But, the instant the meteorite made its impact, a powerful shockwave swept over Izroth¡¯s party, followed by an intense wave of heat and storm-force winds! A giant crater formed as the ground violently trembled, and a massive cloud of dust was produced. ... Several secondster... The cloud of dust finally settled down and dispersed as the party members regrouped with one another. At the moment, they were near the edge of the enormous crater that was roughly sixty meters in diameter with a hole that led down into pure darkness. Given the size of the meteorite, the crater it created should have been many timesrger. However, Morrighan was somehow able to control andpress the area of impact! This required not just perfect control over one¡¯s mana but absolute confidence in one¡¯s abilities to pull off. "Haven¡¯t you ever heard of self-control?" Colorful Nimbus asked as he stared down into the abyss. "If I did not exercise proper control, everyone here would have been buried along with the Duhan," Morrighan replied. As Colorful Nimbus spoke with Morrighan, Niflheim casually approached Izroth, who was also near the side of the crater a few meters away. "What do you think?" Niflheim asked. "Since we¡¯re still here and received no alerts, there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯s still alive down there. But, given the force of the impact, it will take a while for it to return to the surface." Izroth responded. "That much is a given. What I mean is¡ªwhat do you think of her?" Niflheim rephrased his question. He then continued, "From what I know, she¡¯s not affiliated with any guild or organization. If we can find a way to draw her to our side, then... Well, you¡¯ve seen it for yourself." "I know what you¡¯re thinking. But, it probably won¡¯t happen." Izroth said as he stepped to the very edge of the crater. "Hm? I figured if anyone were confident in drawing her in, it¡¯d be you. Is there something you noticed?" Niflheim inquired curiously. "Perhaps. However, if you wish to give it a shot, then you have my approval. Just try not to be too disappointed with the oue." Izroth responded. "Now... it¡¯d be a shame to waste time standing around here. I¡¯m going to go check on our friend for a bit." "Huh? What are you talking ab-" Before Niflheim could finish speaking, Izroth stepped off the crater¡¯s edge and plummeted into darkness! "Izroth!" Niflheim instinctively tried to reach for Izroth, but it was toote. He was gone! It did not take long for the others to rush over after hearing Niflheim¡¯s shout. "What the hell happened?!" Colorful Nimbus asked. One moment he was speaking with Morrighan, and the next, he looked over just in time to see Izroth falling into the crater! Morrighan lightly furrowed her brows and said, "The depth of this crater is several hundred meters. Even if he has a way to survive the fall, returning to the surface will prove to be a difficult task." Niflheim frowned as he entered deep thought. Just before Izroth fell into the crater, he heard him say something about wasting time and going to check on a "friend". It couldn¡¯t be that he was going to confront the Headless Horseman alone in the crater, right? Even for him, that sort of thing was too reckless! Chapter 681 - SAR

Chapter 681 - SAR

... ¡¯It traveled fairly deep underground. Is this the aftermath of an SSS-ranked spell?¡¯ At the moment, Izroth was still freefalling. And, if he was keeping track of his distance correctly, he had just passed the two hundred meter mark. Yet, there were still no signs of the meteorite or Gan Ceann! Izroth was confident that the Grand Magic Morrighan used must have been an SSS-ranked spell to produce this level of destruction. If she did not contain the meteorite¡¯s impact, forget sixty meters, the pit¡¯s diameter would have been well into the hundreds. A spell of that level was enough to wipe out an entire legion¡¯s worth of foes! 300 meters... 400 meters... 500 meters... After reaching the 500-meter mark, a faint scolding red glow entered Izroth¡¯s vision. The inside walls of the pit were scorched, and the heat being released had not yet dissipated. ¡¯I¡¯m getting close.¡¯ Izroth fell a couple of hundred meters before activating Falling Feather Steps. Swoosh! The temperature of the meteorite¡¯s surface was still hot; however, due to his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth had no trouble enduring the heat. Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense to examine his surroundings. ¡¯This area is saturated with mana from the meteorite. But, it¡¯s just as I thought...¡¯ Rmmmmble! Crrrrrck! Neigh! Without warning, the meteorite burst open as the obsidian warhorse emerged with the Headless Horseman around ten meters away from where Izroth stood! Gan Ceann¡¯s lifeless blue eyes locked onto Izroth as the white aura around its longsword had increased severalfold since Izrothst saw it. ¡¯It¡¯s pretty durable to have survived a direct hit from an SSS-ranked spell. Though given that it¡¯s capable of using genuine Aura, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. Still, to inflict this much damage without the use of essence¡ªit looks like the rumors were not exaggerated.¡¯ Name: Gan Ceann, The Headless Horseman of the Abyss ss: Guardian With just one spell, the Phantom Queen managed to shave off more than 80% of Gan Ceann¡¯s HP¡ªthat was close to 150,000 damage! Without the use of essence, Izroth knew that even he would have some trouble putting forth that damage amount using a single skill. Of course, he had skills that could reach that damage range even with the absence of essence. But, Izroth was also aware that his circ.u.mstances greatly differed from other yers. Neigh! The warhorse scrapped its hooves against the meteorite and lowered its head as it prepared to charge Izroth! At the same time, Gan Ceann brandished the longsword in its hand. Then, as if understanding Gan Ceann¡¯s intent, the warhorse galloped forward at incredible speeds! "It doesn¡¯t seem to have an enraged state when its HP falls below 10% like typical boss monsters," Izroth said to himself casually. Gan Ceann lifted its longsword into the air as it approached Izroth. And, right when it arrived within striking range, it swung down with all its might as the white aura around its longsword became dense. Swoosh! ¡¯I suppose I shouldn¡¯t keep the others waiting too long.¡¯ The longsword was less than two centimeters away from Izroth as he appeared lost in his thoughts. Then, all of a sudden, Gan Ceann¡¯s movements ceased. As for Izroth, he was now standing behind the warhorse! The white aura around Gan Ceann¡¯s longsword disappeared as its lifeless blue eyes faded and the helmet in its hand fell to the ground. The mes around the warhorse were extinguished as it crumbled to dust, and the ck suit of armor broke apart. ?Critical Hit? -32,273 +1,936 ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Death In One Step? has been activated!¡µ -48,898 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Gan Ceann, The Headless Horseman of the Abyss?!¡µ ... Using Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death, Izroth dealt the finishing blow to Gan Ceann before returning his Sword of The Storm to its sheath. ¡´System Alert: All enemies on the first stage of the ?Crusade? have been cleared!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Transportation process willmence in 30 seconds!¡µ ¡¯Oh? How thoughtful. If I had to climb back up, it might have taken a while.¡¯ Izroth looked down at the puddle of ck liquid, which was all that remained of Gan Ceann. ¡¯It¡¯s disappointing that it doesn¡¯t drop any loot. But, this certainly is an interesting item.¡¯ As the transportation magic circle formed beneath Izroth, he analyzed the small object that appeared in the palm of his hand. It was a golden hexagon with the symbol of a star embedded into its center. Name: Level Emblem(Unique*) Usage: Increases the user¡¯s level by 1 upon use. Can only be used below level 55. Using this item resets the user¡¯s current experience to 0. This item is automatically destroyed after use. Special Note: A special reward granted to those who sessfully clear a stage of the ?Crusade?. An item that instantly increased one¡¯s level as long as the person was below level 55¡ªthis was huge! One had to know how difficult it was to gain experience and level up after reaching level 48. It could take days, or maybe even weeks worth of in-game time grinding dungeons and quests for the majority of yers to gain even one level once they reached that point. Therefore, an item like the Level Emblem could save yers a great deal of time and quicken their ascension to the highly coveted level 50 threshold! Of course, Izroth had already passed this threshold. And, as a Combat Master, reaching level 50 did not bring him nearly as many benefits as other yers. After all, for them, getting to level 50 meant an opportunity for a second ss advancement that could boost their overallbat potential severalfold! ¡¯I wonder...¡¯ There was something Izroth was curious about the moment he saw the effects of the Level Emblem. Izroth attempted to dismantle the item with a skill from Unparalleled Craftsman, Heart of A Creator. As long as he could disassemble the Level Emblem, he would be able to acquire a permanent production method to craft an endless amount of them! ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Heart of A Creator? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: This item cannot be disassembled!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Breaker of Limits? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: System Admin Restriction! This item cannot be reproduced!¡µ Izroth held zero expectations from the beginning. After all, not only was it a unique item but having a production method that was practically a leveling cheat would be too game-breaking¡ªeven for him. But, when his Breaker of Limits skill showed up, Izroth was surprised. He believed that perhaps there was a real chance of obtaining the production method! However, this thought quickly went out the window once the following system alert appeared. System Admin Restriction¡ªeven though this was Izroth¡¯s first time receiving this message in RML, he was well aware of its meaning. In the official yer¡¯s guide, it was termed SAR for short. The system was pretty rxed when it came to yers¡¯ freedom and often rewarded them for their creativity. However, there were times of extreme rarity when the system would deem something as "unattainable". In other words, it was something never meant to be reached or achieved since it went against the rules of the system. And, yers spending gold to instantly level up without any effort undoubtedly fell into this category. That¡¯s why even with Breaker of Limits activating, Izroth ran into SAR and was ultimately unable to acquire the production method to the Level Emblem. However... ¡´System Alert: System Compensation In Progress...¡µ ¡´System Alert: A profession rted production method ????? can be added to the skill ?Heart of A Creator?. Would you like to add ?????? (Please Note: Adding this production method will consume one slot for Stored Production Methods.)¡µ ...the system was not unfair! ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ Izroth was taken aback by the system¡¯s choice topensate him. Was it because his Breaker of Limits went off? Whatever the case, it appeared that luck was on his side! At least, he hoped so. Although the system stated that it profession rted, Izroth had no clue what kind of production method he would receive aspensation. For all he knew, it could be an everyday pill recipe. Or, maybe it was something that required hard-to-find ingredients to craft. Nevertheless, once he epted, one of the four limited slots for stored production methods would be gone forever. Despite the unknown factor, Izroth believed that it was worth taking the risk. Worst case scenario, he would waste a slot on something useless. ¡¯Let¡¯s see just how genuine yourpensation is.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: A new production method has sessfully been added to ?Heart of A Creator?! [Stored Production Methods: 1/4]¡µ Izroth epted the mystery production method, and right after doing so, the magic circle below him released a bright light. ¡´System Alert: Transporting...¡µ Chapter 682 - A Unanimous Decision, The Systems Gift

Chapter 682 - A Unanimous Decision, The System''s Gift

... ¡¯We¡¯ve returned.¡¯ After defeating Gan Ceann, Izroth was transported back to the waiting room. And, of course, he was not alone. The rest of Izroth¡¯s party members were also within the waiting room. Almost immediately after arriving, everyone swiftly approached Izroth. They were all curious as to how he finished off Gan Ceann. "You really freaked us out, man! You¡¯re one crazy bastard; you know that? Hahaha!" Colorful Nimbus said excitedly. Niflheim, on the other hand, released a helpless sigh and said, "That was too reckless. Please at least let me know a little more in advance before doing something like that again. Though I¡¯d really prefer it if you didn¡¯t make a habit of doing that kind of thing..." Niflheim quietly muttered thest part to himself. "I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Izroth then went on to exin what happened after he reached the bottom and confronted Gan Ceann. ... "And, that¡¯s pretty much it. By the time I reached the bottom, it was barely hanging on to its life by a thread. The damage was already done. I merely dealt the final blow." Izroth exined calmly. "I figured as much... Well, considering it¡¯s you, I can at least understand your actions. Even though it caught me a bit off guard, I know that you¡¯re not the type to rush in without confidence. And, since everything worked out in the end, it saved us a lot of time." Niflheimmented. "I guess all of those rumors about matching our strength and always being one step above us was a lie. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to show off what I can really do." Colorful Nimbus yfullymented. "Don¡¯t worry. We still have two stages to clear. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get your wish. Ah, that¡¯s right-" Niflheim looked as if he was suddenly reminded of something. He turned to face Izroth and asked, "Did you receive one as well?" Niflheim essed his inventory and removed a small object. He held the item up to show Izroth, who immediately recognized it as a Level Emblem! "Yes. Right after Gan Ceann perished, it appeared in my hand," Izroth answered. ¡¯Though, I don¡¯t exactly have it in my possession any longer.¡¯ When Izroth epted the system¡¯s offer, it took the Level Emblem he obtained as "payment" for the production method it granted him. Therefore, he was probably the only person in the waiting room without a Level Emblem! "I see. That confirms it. Everyone here was able to get their hands on one. And, judging from the special note, it¡¯s possible that we may obtain one every time we sessfully clear a stage of the crusade." Niflheim stated. "Doesn¡¯t that mean we can walk out of this ce three levels higher than when we came in? Damn, crusades are insane..!" Colorful Nimbus chimed in. At their current levels, every bit of experience went towards a grueling grind for the next level. In addition, top yers like them were constantly neck and neck with theirpetition. The Level Emblem provided them with an opportunity to step further ahead of other yers and solidify or even surpass their present standing. If they were able to get their hands on three of them, the advantages would be tremendous! After catching up with one another, things quickly settled down as everyone shifted their attention to the room¡¯s center. Located on the floor in the middle of the waiting room were six bronze c.h.e.s.ts. Each c.h.e.s.t had a different name above it, and those names belonged to the members of Izroth¡¯s party. Name: [Izroth¡¯s] First Stage Crusade Treasure C.h.e.s.t(Soulbound) Rank: ??? Usage: Contains rewards for clearing the first stage of the ?Crusade?. Everyone walked up to the treasure c.h.e.s.t with their name on it; however, no one touched them. Then, just when they stepped in front of the treasure c.h.e.s.ts, a magic circle formed on the other side as a figure silently emerged before the party. "My, that was quite the exhrating battle. You cleared the first stage much faster than I anticipated." A familiar voice echoed. It belonged to the mysterious person who simply referred to themselves as "Guide". However, this time around, the others were expecting his arrival since they were already informed that he would show up soon after they cleared a stage. "Ah, how rude of me. Allow me to personally congratte each and every one of you on sessfully clearing the first stage¡ªcongrattions." Guide said respectfully as he bowed gracefully. "Is it possible to see what items are inside the treasure c.h.e.s.ts?" Sacred de asked without dy. "...You lot are as cold as ever." Guide sighed helplessly. He then answered, "Simply put, there is not." "Then, how are we supposed to decide whether or not it¡¯s worth attempting the next stage?" Sacred de questioned with a frown. "Allow me to finish what I was saying. Indeed, it is not possible to know what items you will acquire; however, it is not as though there is no way of doing so. It¡¯s just that, typically, no one is willing to pay the price." Guide revealed. "Price? Do we have to spend gold coins just to find out?" Colorful Nimbus inquired. "Gold coins? I¡¯m afraid the price is much steeper than that." Guide said as he pointed in Niflheim¡¯s direction. Or, to be more precise, at the Level Emblem in Niflheim¡¯s hand. Niflheim had yet to return the Level Emblem to his inventory. His current experience was fairly close to 0% since he recently leveled up. Therefore, Niflheim was debating whether or not to use the Level Emblem immediately to see if there were any new skills avable in his skill crystal. Nheless, he and everyone else present was taken aback by Guide¡¯s asking price. "Hey, aren¡¯t you basically robbing us blind with a trade like that? How can any of us ask someone else to give up their Level Emblem just to find out what¡¯s in some c.h.e.s.ts?" Colorful Nimbus scoffed. "You are mistaken. The cost is one Level Emblem per c.h.e.s.t. And, since there are six c.h.e.s.ts... Well, I¡¯m sure you can count just fine. I should also mention that the contents of each c.h.e.s.t differ from person to person. So what you see in one is not necessarily what will be in another." Guide said casually. Niflheim shook his head and said, "Is there even a point to discussing this? Let¡¯s just settle it right now. Is there anyone who is against going to the second stage?" "..." Everyone remained silent to Niflheim¡¯s inquiry. "Then, it¡¯s unanimous. We¡¯re going to the second stage. The contents of these c.h.e.s.ts¡ªwe have no need to know. That¡¯s all there is to it." Niflheim said assuredly. Given that they could not move on to the next stage if even one person voted against it, as long as everyone was in agreement, there was no reason to pay such a hefty price to look at something they would ultimately not ept. "Now... Since that¡¯s out of the way, I don¡¯t suppose you have anything to tell us about the second stage, do you?" Niflheim asked. "I fear not. I have nothing to hide. As I said before¡ªin this crusade, I am an ally rooting for your sess." Guide responded without pause. Niflheim narrowed his eyes. He then faced his party members and announced, "As soon as you¡¯re all done making any necessary preparations, ready up. We¡¯ll leave at once." "My, my... Well, I can take a hint. I hope that a fruitful venture awaits. May our paths soon cross again." Guide bid farewell as he vanished into thin air. Once Guide took his leave, everyone followed Niflheim¡¯s advice. However, there was not much for them to prepare for, seeing as how their missing HP and MP had been fully restored upon being transported to the waiting room. And so, everyone swiftly readied up. As Izroth also readied up, he decided to take the chance to review the ss-specific production method he received from the system in exchange for his Level Emblem. ¡¯So, this is the system¡¯s gift. It¡¯s not what I expected. What is this... Self Awakening?¡¯ Recipe Name: Self Awakening Pill(Soulbound) Rarity: Unique* Requirement(s): Apothecary I or higher Component(s) Required: x3 of any quality herb-type material. All herb-type materials must be of the same quality. The better the materials, the greater the effects. Special Note: This recipe cannot be shared or replicated. Name: Self Awakening Pill(Unique*) Rank: Unique* Usage: The user who consumes this pill has a chance to experience ?Self Awakening?. The user also permanently gains the passive skill ?Ahead of the Pack?. ?Self Awakening?: ???. (Effects vary depending on the consumer.) ?Ahead of the Pack?: All sources of experience gained by the user is increased by X%. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will temporarily increase ?Ahead of the Pack? experience gain from X% to Y% for 1 hour. This effect cannot stack with itself. This effect will not activate more than once every 24 hours. Consuming a higher quality version of this pill will upgrade its effect(s). The chances of ?Self Awakening? can only happen upon the user¡¯s first consumption of this pill and increases depending upon pill quality. ¡¯I¡¯ve heard of awakenings for spirits, but yers... Such a thing exists?¡¯ Chapter 683 - First of Its Kind, The Immortal Beast of Legends!

Chapter 683 - First of Its Kind, The Immortal Beast of Legends!

Spirit Awakening allowed spirits to undergo a metamorphosis that took their power and potential to entirely new levels. If that was the case, Izroth believed that there was a high possibility that Self Awakening was just like Spirit Awakening. The sole difference being, of course, that it was made specifically for yers. But, the oue of a Self Awakening was still shrouded in mystery for Izroth. For spirits, they would obviously evolve to a higher form as a result of their metamorphosis. However, besides a very miniscule number of individuals, yers were humans. Did that mean that Self Awakening would upgrade a yer¡¯s race to what was considered a higher form? Or did it simply provide them with some kind of power boost? A new set of skills? Bonus stats? At this point, Izroth could only specte with no clear answer until he found out for himself. But, Izroth had no intention of creating a Self Awakening Pill for himself with the ingredients he currently had on hand. If he d.e.s.i.r.ed it, Izroth could have removed a few rare quality ingredients from his inventory and made the Self Awakening Pill on the spot since he brought along his Dark Abyssal Cauldron. However, naturally, Izroth wanted to craft the best quality pill avable so that the likelihood of undergoing a Self Awakening was as high as possible. In the end, a Self Awakening only had a chance to ur upon the very first consumption of a Self Awakening Pill, and the pill¡¯s quality yed a significant role. Therefore, Izroth required some preparation. While using mythical and divine materials to craft the pill was far out of his current reach, creating a Self Awakening Pill with ancient quality materials may be feasible. After all, he already had one in his possession, thanks to Emyprean¡¯s efforts. Hence, Izroth knew that they were possible for Empyrean to obtain. ¡¯Well, even if Empyrean¡¯s harvest turns up dry, I can always try n B.¡¯ There was one guild in RML that Izroth knew had a stash of ancient quality materials. It was just a question of whether or not they were willing to part with them. And if the materials in their storage were herb-types or not. While the Self Awakening certainly piqued Izroth¡¯s interest, he did not overlook the other benefit that came along with the Self Awakening Pill. There were two reasons why pills were so expensive in RML. First, the Apothecary profession was arguably one of the most challenging, expensive, and time-consuming professions for yers to step into. And, second, the vast majority of pills only had to be consumed a single time! Or, rather, even if a yer did consume the same pill more than once, they would gain nothing from it. Unlike regr consumables¡ªpotions, talismans, and other simr items¡ªthat yers needed to restock on a constant basis, pills were typically a one-time buy. However, the Self Awakening Pill not only had an effect that made it a regr consumable, but it was also able to permanently increase one¡¯s experience gain! Not just that, but it could even be temporarily doubled once per day! This ced the Self Awakening Pill into a special category of regr consumable pills that most Apothecaries could only dream of. And, to Izroth¡¯s knowledge, there were no items avable on the market that temporarily, let alone permanently boosted one¡¯s experience gain. If an item like this appeared in the open market, the top guilds would undoubtedly do everything in their power to get their hands on it! ¡¯It does not say the amount of experience that will be gained since it depends on what materials I use to make the pill. But, given that it¡¯s unique and soulbound, it should be a reasonable amount.¡¯ It was clear why the system soulbound the recipe to Izroth and made it so that it could not be duplicated or shared. This was the system¡¯s way of limiting the total number of Self Awakening Pills that went out into the world. After all, if anyone could craft it, given the material requirements, the market would be flooded with Self Awakening Pills if Izroth ever chose to share the recipe. But, of course, the system was unwilling to bet on whether or not Izroth would keep the recipe to himself. ¡´System Alert: You have arrived at the second stage of the ?Crusade?!¡µ The moment Izroth received the alert from the system, he pushed the Self Awakening Pill to the back of his mind and employed his Energy Vision Sense to scan the vicinity. ¡¯Just like the first stage, there¡¯s nothing near the area we were transported to. Is it intentional? Or, just a fortunate coincidence?¡¯ Izroth and his party had been transported to the top of a small hill at the edge of a grassy in that stretched further than the eye could see. And, a couple of kilometers away from their location in the opposite direction was a massive body of water. If one were standing right next to the water, it would be easily mistaken for a sea given its sheer size. However, from the small hill, Izroth discovered that it was actually ake. ¡¯A definite change of scenerypared to the first stage.¡¯ If the first stage was deemed gloomy and eerie, the second stage could only be described as peaceful. The breeze was gentle, the smell of nature was refreshing, and a beautiful full moon in the clear night sky created an atmosphere of tranquility. ¡¯However, thatke¡ªwhenever I look in its direction, I can feel a faint warning from my Soul Sense. To get a feeling of danger from nearly two kilometers away... something abnormal is residing within thatke.¡¯ "It¡¯s pretty humid here, and it¡¯s nighttime as well. But, at least it¡¯s not as dreary as the first stage." Colorful Nimbus mentioned. "You¡¯re right. In fact, it¡¯s almost... Serene? I¡¯m curious to see what emerges on such a peaceful stage." Sacred de stated. "Whatever it is, we can¡¯t afford to let our guard down. Each stage gets progressively harder, so we can be sure that whatever is lurking here is stronger than the Duhan we encountered during the first stage." Niflheim reminded. Meanwhile, Morrighan summoned two phantom ravens and conjured a magic screen. She sent one of the ravens towards the endless grass ins and the other in the direction of theke. "Hey, Phantom Queen, are you going to summon another one of those things from the sky and take care of this one as well? We might not even really need to do anything again." Colorful Nimbus grinned. Morrighan remained silent as she kept her gaze focused on the magic screen. "How cold. You¡¯ll end up hurting my feelings, you know?" Colorful Nimbus said yfully. "If you continue to y with fire, you¡¯ll eventually get burned," Niflheimmented with a sigh. "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m a healer, so I can just heal myself if I get burned, right?" Colorful Nimbus responded. "That¡¯s not- No, never mind. Just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you." Niflheim shook his head. ... A few momentster, Morrighan slightly furrowed her brows. The phantom raven she sent to search the grass ins had been stopped by an invisible barrier. "The grass ins appear to be empty. Theke also seems devoid of life, but there could be monsters hiding under the surface. I suggest we make our way there first." Morrighan stated calmly. Niflheim nced over at Izroth, who had been silent since their arrival. He did not know the exact method Izroth used; however, Niflheim was aware that he possessed a high-ranking detection skill that covered arge area. Therefore, if Izroth remained quiet after Morrighan¡¯s suggestion, Niflheim believed that he must havee to a simr conclusion as the Phantom Queen. Niflheim nodded, "Alright. Since you¡¯ve confirmed there are no visible hiding ces in the ins; theke will be our best bet. We¡¯ll follow your suggestion and head there first. Everyone, we¡¯re moving out!" Approximately ten minutester... Thanks to Gram¡¯s movement speed buff, it did not take long for Izroth and his party to reach the edge of the giantke. However, the closer they got to theke, the more intense the warning Izroth felt from his Soul Sense. ¡¯It hasn¡¯t gone off this much in a while. I-... Hm?¡¯ "Something¡¯sing this way." Izroth cautioned as he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. "That was fast. Well, at least we won¡¯t have to wait around or go searching for it. Get ready, everyone!" Niflheim said as he positioned himself as close as possible to theke. Suddenly, just as everyone moved into position, something rose out of the water and towered over the group. The creature resembled a wingless dragon with glowing green eyes, scales that mirrored heavy-ted armor, and razor-sharp teeth. However, there were no visible limbs on its body, which instantly gave away its identity. "A sea serpent! I¡¯ll draw its aggro, the rest of you-" However, before Niflheim could finish speaking, a second sea serpent emerged out of the water, followed by a third and a fourth! By the end, there were a total of five serpents¡ªat least, that was what everyone believed until the system information was revealed. "Hey, hey, is this for real? We¡¯re actually going to fight this thing?" Colorful Nimbus smiled excitedly; however, the nervousness on his face could not be hidden. "Seems like it." Sacred de said as his expression turned serious. ¡¯It¡¯s no wonder my Soul Sense went off. Compared to the Duhan¡ªthis one ought to be quite interesting.¡¯ Name: (Sealed)The Immortal Hydra ss: World HP: [Outer Left: 100%][Left: 100%][Middle: 100%][Right: 100%][Outer Right: 100%] Chapter 684 - World Class: The Immortal Hydra Part(1/3)

Chapter 684 - World ss: The Immortal Hydra Part(1/3)

It was an actual Hydra¡ªa beast of legend that was thought to be virtually unkible due to its unnatural regenerative abilities. ording to the legends, every time one of its heads was cut off, another two would grow in its ce! Right now, everyone secretly hoped that the Hydra before them did not stay true to the legends; otherwise, how were they supposed to defeat something that could regenerate infinitely? "So this is a World ss beast of the crusade." Niflheim internalized as his gaze met with the Hydra¡¯s. Niflheim employed his Maw of the Devouring Beast, targetting the Hydra¡¯s middle head, and swiftly followed up with Assimte. After he used Assimte, the shield in Niflheim¡¯s hand transformed into a thin silver circr disc approximately 45 centimeters in diameter. In addition, two more silver discs appeared. One of the discs hovered at his right side and the other to his left. "This is..." Niflheim was a little taken aback by the flimsy appearance of his shield. Also, it was the first time two extra shields formed as a result of Assimte. At first, Niflheim had no idea how to even begin controlling the floating silver discs. However, after quickly ncing over its information, Niflheim soon realized that both silver discs responded directly to his will. In other words, all he had to do was think of the action he wanted them to carry out, and they would do it! Nevertheless, Niflheim knew that it would take some time to get used to. But, it was time that they did not have to spare. Fortunately, Niflheim was confident in his ability to adapt. In Niflheim¡¯s mind, his primary task remained unchanged¡ªto protect his party members at all costs! This was the fundamental goal of every tank. "I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s sealed, but it can only be a good thing for us! Still, even if, for some reason, it¡¯s unable to unleash the full extent of its power, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s one of the strongest creatures in RML! So stay on your toes!" Niflheim shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. Woosh! Suddenly, the Hydra¡¯s middle head shot down towards Niflheim like a serpent striking out at its prey! Niflheim swiftly lifted his shield and willed the other two silver discs to the front of him, positioning them into a triangle. BANG! ?Blocked? -25,010 47,826/72,836 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] Niflheim slid back a couple of meters from the impact of the Hydra¡¯s attack. "?!" Niflheim was shocked by the Hydra¡¯s monstrous damage output from simplyshing out with brute strength. Gram¡¯s resistance buffs were still in ce, so Niflheim¡¯s physical resistance was maxed out at a staggering 90%. Niflheim thought that the Headless Horseman¡¯s physical attack was ridiculous, but it paled inparison to the Hydra¡¯s that dealt ten times more damage! Luckily, the Hydra did not seem to have a weird ability like Gan Ceann¡¯s True Cuts that further added to the pain and slipped past Niflheim¡¯s defenses. But, this was the only bright side Niflheim could find. In the end, there were four other heads to deal with! If all of them attacked at once, even if he pulled out all his lifesaving skills with Gram¡¯s buffs active, he would notst more than thirty seconds against that kind of damage. However, to Niflheim¡¯s surprise, as the Hydra¡¯s middle head withdrew, none of the other heads moved to strike. As the middle head retreated, Niflheim activated Taunting Pressure. Simultaneously, he used an AOE taunt-type skill called Guardian¡¯s Field. Guardian¡¯s Field made it so that all enemies within thirty meters of Niflheim would have their threat level increased by 100%. Furthermore, as long as enemies stayed within the range of Guardian¡¯s Field, all damage Niflheim received would be reduced by 25%! "Hey! Is the threat level established?!" Colorful Nimbus asked. "You¡¯re all set!" Niflheim acknowledged. "Then, leave it to me!" Colorful Nimbus lowered his stance and pulled his arms to his side as a green aura epassed his fists. "Soaring Fists of Invigoration: Fifty Marks!" The next moment, Colorful Nimbus¡¯unched a series of punches at speeds that should not have been possible for a healer-type ss. With every punch, a ball of green aura left Colorful Nimbus¡¯ fists and flew towards the Hydra. Swoosh! Tssst... Upon making contact with the Hydra¡¯s scales, the green aura was instantly dispersed. Then, less than a secondter, a light-green magic symbol would form in the exact spot the aura vanished. The skill itself did not seem to inflict any direct damage to the Hydra; however, that was never Colorful Nimbus¡¯ aim. Once he threw his final punch and the 50th symbol appeared on the Hydra, Colorful Nimbus dashed over to Niflheim, and without stopping, lightly tapped Niflheim¡¯s shoulder as a glowing white magic symbol materialized where his hand touched. "Hey, Phantom Queen! I¡¯m going to light up four of those symbols! Think you can hit them?! The power of the attack doesn¡¯t matter!" Colorful Nimbus yelled as he wasted no time retreating from the edge of theke. As he fell back to a safer distance, four of the fifty magic symbols on the Hydra¡¯s body lit up. "A simple request." Morrighan lightly waved the wand in her hand in a small arc as four points of purple light emerged. "Multi-Casting x4: Magic Missile." Suddenly, the four purple lights streaked ahead, moving unpredictably in the Hydra¡¯s direction. It did not take long for the magic missiles to reach the Hydra as each of them struck one of the light-green magic symbols left behind by Colorful Nimbus¡¯ attack. The moment Morrighan¡¯s magic missiles hit the four magic symbols, they shattered as the fragments were pulled to the magic symbol on Niflheim¡¯s shoulder. +7,392 +7,392 +7,392 +7,392 72,836/72,836 [Niflheim¡¯s HP Remaining] In the blink of an eye, Niflheim¡¯s returned to full HP thanks to Colorful Nimbus and Morrighan¡¯s timely follow-up. "Izroth, I¡¯m leaving the two right heads to you! Morrighan, the two left heads are all ours! Nimbus¡ªwe¡¯ll take care of the one in the middle! Sacred de and Gram, you two will provide support wherever it¡¯s needed!" Niflheimmanded as he blocked another strike from the Hydra¡¯s middle head. After seeing what Morrighan was capable of during the first stage, Niflheim decided to ce his trust in her abilities. As for Izroth, there was nothing to be said regarding his skills as far as Niflheim was concerned. Gram¡¯s damage was virtually nonexistent, and so, his main job was managing his buffs, debuffs, and crowd control. Against a monster of the Hydra¡¯s level, debuffs and crowd control would lose a huge portion of their effectiveness. That¡¯s why it was important Gram concentrated on his timing and made the most of every situation. Sacred de¡¯s ss specialized in facing multiple enemies at once; therefore, Niflheim concluded it was best to let him do as he pleased, given the abundance of targets before them. And, when it came to Colorful Nimbus, his ranged attacks were limited. However, at the moment, the middle head seemed to be the only one moving into melee strike range; hence, Colorful Nimbus had no choice but to attack whenever the opportunity presented itself. Until then, Colorful Nimbus would have to coordinate with Morrighan and the others to activate the healing marks he ced all over the Hydra¡¯s heads. Swoosh! Izroth was the first to make his move as he kicked off the ground and soared into the air using Sky Steps! Almost right after Izroth took to the skies, Morrighan¡¯s feet left the earth as she moved freely in the air. It was not a typical levitate spell where one could only slowly lift off the ground¡ªbut the legendary S-ranked skill every yer dreamed of getting their hands on, Flight! "What the- They can fly?! I¡¯m dying with jealousy down here..!" Colorful Nimbus g.r.o.a.n.e.d. "So cool..." Gram muttered to himself. Izroth approached the Hydra¡¯s outer right and right heads as their piercing gazes locked onto him. ¡¯Oh? That Flight skill is the real deal. She¡¯s surely full of surprises.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Soul Avatar, Empyrean, also possessed the S-ranked Flight skill, and while Morrighan¡¯s movements were somewhat unstable, Izroth recognized it as the same skill. Since flying came naturally to Empyrean, like breathing or walking, it only made sense that he had a much more refined control of his movements in the sky. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Suddenly, the outer right and right heads of the Hydrashed out at Izroth! However, their attacks did notnd as he skillfully maneuvered mid-air utilizing Sky Steps. When Niflheim noticed that the Hydra heads attacked Izroth, he was puzzled. Without a doubt, he secured the aggro on all five heads. So, why were two of them attacking others but not him? "Could it be that the other heads ignore threat levels in general? Or, is it when they¡¯re attacked?" Niflheim thought to himself. He was trying to piece things together, but there was just not enough information to go on. "If it bes too much to handle, retreat at once!" Niflheim cautioned over the party¡¯s voice chat to make certain Izroth and Morrighan heard him. If it were a conventional raid or dungeon with typical yers, Niflheim would have ordered them to retreat. However, everyone present was listed within the top 50 on the event leaderboards. If he yed it safe and failed to take full advantage of their strength, how could he be worthy of leading such a skilled group of yers?! After evading the Hydra¡¯s strikes, an overbearing and destructive force gathered around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm, apanied by a frightening prative energy. ¡¯Let¡¯s find out just how tough that head of yours truly is.¡¯ Chapter 685 - World Class: The Immortal Hydra Part(2/3)

Chapter 685 - World ss: The Immortal Hydra Part(2/3)

The Hydra¡¯s outer right head withdrew as its right head curved and followed after Izroth! ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point.¡¯ Right as the Hydra¡¯s right head closed in, the energy around Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm surged as he infused his Essence into the skill. Zeeeut! Izroth used Primed Instantaneous Movement to dodge the Hydra¡¯s attack and reappeared at the back of the right head. Wooosh! Izroth swept his Sword of The Storm downward as a great force erupted from its de. And, when it connected with the Hydra¡¯s heavy-ted scales, the Sword of The Storm effortlessly sliced through¡ªas if the Hydra¡¯s scales were made out of tofu. ?Critical Hit? -83,002 Skill Name: First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point[Fusion*] Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Active: Deals 600% of the user¡¯s attack as physical damage. This skill has a very high chance of causing the ?Fear? effect on its target. Damage from this skill ignores all shields and defenses. This skill cannot be ?Blocked?. This skill can be used without a sword. This skill shares a cooldown with ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?. If this skill kills its target, the skill ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? can be used again within 10 seconds, ignoring its cooldown. The cooldown to this skill is not reset when ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? resets. Special Note: A fusion of the skills ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? and ?Fissuring Point?. Cooldown: 6 minutes ¡´Battle Alert: ?The Immortal Hydra: Right Head? has been severed!¡µ In a sh, the HP of the Hydra¡¯s right head dropped to zero. However, the cooldown for Izroth¡¯s First Baneful Sword: Destruction remained unchanged. ¡¯It didn¡¯t reset, after all. I figured it would be this way, but it¡¯s still somewhat disappointing.¡¯ Izroth was hoping that the skill reset upon kill would work on each of the Hydra¡¯s individual heads. However, the system registered the Hydra heads as a single entity. In other words, even after sessfully chopping off one of them, it would not count as an actual kill! ¡¯I guess that throws my other n out the window as well. Then, we¡¯ll just have to do this the difficult way.¡¯ There was another reason why Izroth used First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point to test whether or not the skill would reset after severing one of the creature¡¯s heads. Although the skill had an activation cost of 40% of Izroth¡¯s max HP, with his lifesteal and the skill¡¯s ability to deal 5,000% of his attack as damage when it reached maxed stacks, he would immediately heal back any of his lost HP. Of course, the biggest benefit was that Izroth could do it as many times as he wanted since Ruthless ughterer had no cooldown! Unfortunately, the situation turned out different than what initially Izroth hoped. But, that did not mean he was out of ideas just yet. The Hydra¡¯s right head lost the green glow in its eyes as it descended to the ground. However, before the severed head could even reach the earth, the flesh around the headless neck started to boil. BANG! Phtttk! Grrrraawrrrr! Grrrraawrrrr! The instant the lifeless right head smashed into thend, two new heads emerged at the area it had been cut. "Damn, and here I was hoping that part of it was sealed..!" Colorful Nimbus g.r.o.a.n.e.d. For Colorful Nimbus, more heads meant more potential damage output, which would undoubtedly ce a strain on him as the party¡¯s healer. "This smell..." Sacred de frowned as he furrowed his brows and covered his nose with the back of his hand. Sacred de was the closest one to the Hydra¡¯s right head when itnded and was immediately hit by an unbearable stench that filled his nostrils. And, even after covering his nose and lowering his smell sensitivity to the lowest possible setting, it did not get any better! ¡´Battle Alert: yer Sacred de has inhaled ?Blood of the Immortal Hydra?! You will lose 1% of your HP every second for 5 minutes.¡µ -232 -232 Sacred de quickly retreated further away from the Hydra¡¯s fallen head; however, the damage had already been done. "Just the smell of its blood alone is making me lose HP?" Sacred de internalized. Since it was 1%, Sacred de¡¯s in-battle HP regeneration could offset most of it. But, in a fight where every point of HP was precious, it did not bode well. "Careful! If you inhale the Hydra¡¯s blood, you¡¯ll receive a DOT effect!" Sacred de warned everyone. As if they didn¡¯t already have enough troubles! Now, they had to worry about when and where they breathed?! However, unfortunately for the party, the impact of the Hydra¡¯s fallen head did not end there. The lifeless head dissolved, only leaving behind a pool of its putrid blood and twelve teeth. That¡¯s when something bizarre happened. The teeth sunk into the hard ground as if thend where it sat had been turned into quicksand. After a couple of breaths of time passed, miniature fissures started to appear in several areas throughout the battlefield. In total, twelve fissures developed, one of which formed right next to Gram! Crrrrck! "?!" Gram heard a strange sound at his foot and felt the ground shift slightly. But, just as he got ready to move out of the way, a hand of bones arose from the earth and grabbed ahold of his ankle. Gram went for the mace at his side and swung down with all his might. Bang! A few seconds after he did so, the shattered fragments gathered and reformed into a boney hand as a skeletal warrior with glowing green eyes pulled itself out of the earth. "Where did these thingse from?!" Colorful Nimbus eximed as he had to fend off a strike from a skeletal warrior that came from out of nowhere. The sound of rattling bones could be heard as twelve skeletal warriors wielding small shields and swords arrived on the battlefield from the fissures. Name: Children of the Hydra¡¯s Teeth ss: Minion HP: [100%] "Sacred de!" Niflheim activated Guardian¡¯s Field, causing every skeletal warrior to set their sights on him. "Already on it!" Sacred de called out as an abundance of mystical energy .u.mted within his de. The skeletal warriors started to converge on Niflheim¡¯s location as they crowded together. When thest skeletal warrior fell into ce, several silver chains with a faint trace of holy aura in them coiled around the creatures. "Holy Chains of Restraint." Gram pped his hands together as the chains tightened and dragged the skeletal warriors into a perfect bundle. "Nice, Gram!" Sacred de said as he raced into position. Gram saved him a lot of time and effort by grouping them together. "Flowing Mystic Wave!" Sacred de swung the mystic de in his hands as a high-pitched frequency noise followed by a violet wave of mystical energy rushed out from the de! Skeeeeeech! Suddenly, Sacred de was epassed in a red aura just as the violet wave shot forward. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Mass Destructive Tendencies?. Your next AOE skill will deal 25% increased damage per target struck.¡µ For someone like Sacred de with a ss whose primary focus was AOE, Gram¡¯s buff was like giving wings to a tiger! And, as a result, the power of Sacred de¡¯s Flowing Mystic Wave rose threefold! Swoosh! The violet wave of energy swept over the Children of the Hydra¡¯s Teeth. Then, in one clean stroke, all twelve of the skeletal warriors were beheaded! The headless bodies of the skeletal warriors rattled before copsing into a pile of bones and ultimately turning to ashes. Meanwhile, in the air, right after the Children of the Hydra¡¯s Teeth were eliminated, Izroth¡¯s and Morrighan¡¯s attacks bounced right off the Hydra. ?Immune? ?Immune? Morrighan narrowed her eyes as she stood in mid-air. She sensed a strange change in the flow of mana around the Hydra¡¯s outer heads. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Izroth also observed the sudden change with his Energy Vision Sense; however, his Sky Steps ended, and he had to return to the ground afterunching hisst attack. ¡¯What is it up to?¡¯ All of a sudden, the eyes of the Hydra¡¯s outer left and outer right heads turned purple as they straightened themselves out. The next moment, the outer heads opened their mouths as a dark smog began to develop inside. When Niflheim witnessed the Hydra¡¯s behavior, he recognized it as the prelude to one of the most unforgiving AOE skills a monster could possess in RML. "Spread out! It¡¯s preparing for a breath attack!" Niflheim informed the party as they followed his instructions. However, Niflheim¡¯s warning was useless. Graaaaaawrrrr! The Hydra¡¯s outer heads unleashed a massive wave of poisonous smog that epassed more than one hundred meters of thend around theke in the direction of Izroth¡¯s party! ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by ?The Immortal Hydra¡¯s Poisonous Breath?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your HP has been reduced by 40%.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your HP will continue to decrease by 2.5% every second indefinitely.¡µ Chapter 686 - World Class: The Immortal Hydra Part(3/3)

Chapter 686 - World ss: The Immortal Hydra Part(3/3)

The Hydra¡¯s outer heads closed their mouths as the stream of poison smog stopped. The next moment, a strong gust of wind formed near theke¡¯s edge at the center of the poison mist left behind by the Hydra¡¯s breath attack. The wind caused the smog to swirl into a vortex as it pulled in the surrounding poison and expelled it from the area. The vortex then copsed into itself as it spun rapidly and pushed the poison mist away from the battlefield! This was the work of Morrighan¡¯s magic; however, even she was unable to clear all of the Hydra¡¯s poison that covered more than one hundred meters ofnd. Fortunately, she was able to expel the poison away from the party on the ground and create a safe zone simr to the eye of a typhoon. Inside the typhoon¡¯s eye was an area of peace, but one step outside was where nothing but destruction awaited. "Annoying..! This thing is so damn annoying..! To think I¡¯d have to waste that skill on the second stage... Is the third stage even possible to beat?" Colorful Nimbus silentlyined under his breath. When Colorful Nimbus witnessed everyone¡¯s health falling by arge chunk simultaneously, he used three skills¡ªInstant Marking, Forceful Symbol Break, and Careful Overflow. Instant Marking allowed Colorful Nimbus to mark any number of allies within thirty meters of his position with the same white magic symbol he applied to Niflheim. The way Colorful Nimbus¡¯ heals worked was that when he ced a mark on multiple allies, the heals he cast would be split equally among all those affected. In other words, if the total healing amount was 10,000 and there were two people with a white magic symbol, each of them would recover 5,000 HP. Likewise, if there were ten yers, then each would recover 1,000 HP. As for Forceful Symbol Break, it was one of Colorful Nimbus¡¯ lifesaving skills that let him shatter up to twenty-five magic symbols without having to touch his opponent. In addition, it was one of his most powerful healing abilities since it could restore even the healthiest of tanks to full HP in an instant. But, its cooldown time was nothing to scoff at, which is why Colorful Nimbus did not want to use it until they reached the third stage. However, with the way things were currently going, Colorful Nimbus was beginning to think that perhaps he may have gotten ahead of himself. Though neither of the two skills was what made Colorful Nimbus one of the best healers in RML, instead, it was his unique passive, Careful Overflow. Careful Overflow was an assistance-type skill that made it so that any excess healing on a target was automatically given to another marked ally missing any of their HP. In the end, Colorful Nimbus sessfully restored the party¡¯s HP back to full. But, he would still have to deal with the 2.5% damage everyone was taking to their HP every second. If he failed to keep a close eye on it, the situation could spiral out of control. However, for now, it was still manageable. "Looks like that guy didn¡¯t take as much damage as everyone else. He must have a poison resistance skill that¡¯s pretty high-rank." Colorful Nimbus thought to himself. As the party¡¯s main healer, Colorful Nimbus kept a watchful eye on everyone¡¯s HP. And, besides Morrighan, who was in the sky at the time, everyst member had been affected by the Hydra¡¯s poison. From what he observed, not including Morrighan, the others received 40% of their maximum HP as damage with a 2.5% HP DOT thatsted indefinitely¡ªexcept for one other person. ¡¯First the blood mist now the Hydra¡¯s breath... I¡¯m running into quite a few interesting poisonstely.¡¯ Despite his Heavenly Golden Body¡¯s strong poison resistance, Izroth did note outpletely unscathed from the Hydra¡¯s breath attack. In total, he lost 20% of his maximum HP¡ªhalf the amount as his other party members. However, thanks to Morrighan¡¯s timely wind magic, the Hydra¡¯s poison did not have enough time to fully set in, and so, Izroth did not suffer from its DOT effect. Of course, there was one other vital factor to take into ount. ¡¯If not for this buff, there¡¯s no guarantee the poison wouldn¡¯t have prated my Heavenly Golden Body. More importantly, everyone may not have survived.¡¯ While the one-time crowd control immunity had been used up, Gram¡¯s buff Steadfast still reduced the effects of all curses and poisons by 50%. This meant that without Steadfast, the Hydra¡¯s original breath attack was supposed to deal 80% of their maximum HP as damage along with 5% of their HP every second! ¡¯As expected of something called a World ss beast. Even in a sealed state, it remains a formidable opponent.¡¯ After facing Gan Ceann in the first stage, Izroth did not expect much from the second stage. But, the difficulty between the first stage and second stage was like that of night and day. Now, he had be even more interested in what awaited them on the third stage! After its breath attack, the middle head began its melee assault once again as Niflheim maintained aggro. Meanwhile, Morrighan stayed in the skies, dealing with the Hydra¡¯s left heads. The Phantom Queen had already destroyed two heads, but four more spawned in their ce, doubling the amount of head she had to initially deal with. Morrighan learned from the first incident and was careful where she severed the Hydra¡¯s heads to make sure they fell in theke. This immediately took care of the issue of its putrid blood. But, twelve skeletal warriors would still emerge from the ground every time a head was chopped off, and there seemed to be no way of preventing it. She even tried directly destroying the teeth while the head was falling; however, they were practically indestructible. In the end, the Phantom Queen decided to leave it to her party members below to deal with, which Niflheim, Sacred de, and Gram handled wlessly. Every time a new group of skeletons appeared, Niflheim would draw them towards him with a taunt-type skill, Gram would bind them together, and Sacred de would take care of the rest! ... Over the next several minutes, Izroth¡¯s party started to find its pace as things progressed smoothly. Every two minutes, the Hydra wouldunch a poisonous breath attack from its outer heads, and just before that happened, everyone would group up around Niflheim, except Morrighan. Morrighan would stay in the sky and cast a tunneling wind spell around the party that prevented the poison from reaching those below and ultimately clearing the area. Morrighan dealt with the Hydra¡¯s left heads and poison. Niflheim kept the middle head upied and attracted aggro where necessary. Sacred de and Gram cleared the skeletal warriors. And, Colorful Nimbus maintained a watchful eye on everyone¡¯s HP to ensure that they were out of danger. Of course, the biggest change was that the Hydra¡¯s initial five heads had increased to thirty-two! Fortunately, it seemed that every time the Hydra regenerated a new set of heads, their overall power dropped significantly. Nevertheless, more heads started to take the initiative andunch sudden attacks at the party below. "If we keep this up, maybe we will eventually prevail. But, there¡¯s no guarantee that¡¯s the case." Niflheim thought to himself. At the moment, there seemed to be no end in sight to the Hydra¡¯s heads regeneration despite its power weakening, which is why they decided to try a different approach. "He¡¯s been down there for nearly ten minutes... Is he really alright in there?" Niflheim internalized as he nced over at theke. ... ?Resisted? ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing I have this skill. Otherwise, I would have been swept away right after entering thiske.¡¯ Right now, Izroth was in theke face to face with the Hydra¡¯s giant main body! Although the number of heads above multiplied many times over, there were still only five necks that extended up out of the water. However, there was not a single enemy in sight under theke, which meant that the Hydra was likely the only entity on the second stage. But, just because no other monsters were swimming around in theke did not mean it was safe. Powerful underwater currents flowed around the Hydra, making it practically impossible for anything to approach its body¡ªeven simply moving near it was a struggle. This was one of the reasons the party could not simply jump into theke and target the Hydra¡¯s main body. Luckily, Izroth possessed the skill Breath of the Great Sea that he received after clearing the Great Sea Pce raid on the Hardcore difficulty. Breath of the Great Sea granted Izroth resistance to Flow, which enabled him to resist being swept away by the powerful currents and approach the Hydra¡¯s main body underwater. However, there was another problem. A strange barrier was protecting the Hydra¡¯s main body that Izroth was having trouble prating. Even his Space Defying Tread and First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point could not force its way inside! But, Izroth was confident. As long as he discovered a way through the barrier, he could finish off the Hydra once and for all! Chapter 687 - Zakras Harmonic Spear of Causality

Chapter 687 - Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality

¡¯A strange barrier. It¡¯s made of neither magic nor aura. And, ording to my Energy Vision Sense, it doesn¡¯t even exist. Then, is it truly impossible to break through it?¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he ced his hand against the barrier. The barrier itself was malleable and soft to the touch. However, when Izroth applied even the slightest bit of pressure, his hand would be knocked away like an object leaving a slingshot. ¡¯Impossible...? No. If I can¡¯t bypass this barrier with my current means¡ªI¡¯ll just have to make a means.¡¯ Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath and equipped the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang spear. The special effect of the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang was virtually useless underwater; however, for what Izroth had in mind, the use of a spear was irreceable. ¡¯How long has it been since I¡¯ve witnessed your spear techniques?¡¯ Izroth moved a couple of meters away from the barrier and held the spear in his hands with a loosened grip as he aimed the spearhead forward. ¡¯The greatest spear wielder in the Seven Realms, the Harmonic Eclipsing Spear, Zakra. Even at the peak of my strength, in terms of pure spear technique, I was not your match. I wanted to see it one day¡ªjust how far you would go with only that spear of yours by your side. Truly, I... wanted to see that day...¡¯ A hint of sadness shed in Izroth¡¯s eyes; however, it was a fleeting moment... just a fleeting moment. Izroth closed his eyes. Then, a few secondster, he reopened them with a look of rity and mind-clearing focus. ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Mind of Craft? has been activated. Your crafting speed and senses have been temporarily increased by 300%.¡µ Swoosh! Izroth brandished the spear in his hands and tightened his grip as he slightly shifted his position before thrusting the spear forward with all his might! The spearhead sunk a few centimeters into the barrier and looked as if it would tear through at any second. However, without warning, the spear was knocked back with an overwhelming force. The force was so strong; it caused the spear to shoot away from the barrier. Izroth¡¯s hands trembled from the bacsh, but he did not let go of the spear and swiftly returned to his previous stance. The barrier¡¯s rebound effects appeared to have risen severalfold when attacked by a weapon. It was to the point that the bacsh alone shaved off nearly 5% of Izroth¡¯s HP! Fortunately, Gram¡¯s Lasting Second Wind paired with Izroth¡¯s existing in-battle HP regeneration was able to cover a portion of the damage. Nevertheless, despite the bacsh, Izroth did not halt his assault as he quickly moved to carry out his second strike¡ªignoring the decrease to his HP as his level of concentration continually heightened. With his second attack, just before the spear struck with the barrier, Izroth gathered a bit of his Essence at the point of contact. BANG! This time, however, instead of Izroth¡¯s spear sinking into the barrier, it vibrated violently as waves rippled throughout its surface. But, in the end, it was still not enough as Izroth¡¯s spear was once again pushed back, and his HP decreased. Though, without pause, Izrothunched a third strike! Izroth blocked out everything in his surroundings. In that moment of time, there was no barrier, no hydra, no crusade, no powerful currents¡ªall that existed was a man and his spear. After performing his tenth strike, Izroth finally got a grasp on the barrier¡¯s rebound effect, only experiencing its effects once every several strikes from that moment onward. 53rd strike... Izroth fully grasped the barrier¡¯s rebound effect and no longer suffered damage from the intense bacsh. 128th strike... ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive skill ?Advanced Spear Mastery?.¡µ 280th strike... ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive skill ?Spear of Perseverance?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel your movements with the spear be lighter with every swing.¡µ 562nd strike... 999th strike! How long had it been? One minute? Ten minutes? An hour? To Izroth, the answer was not even a distant thought as he wielded the spear in his hands with a single purpose. 1,000th strike! When Izrothunched his 1,000th attack on the barrier, he sensed a feeling of familiarity that he had not in his previous attacks. This feeling¡ªhe could not lose it. No matter what, he had to carve that feeling into himself and his spear! ¡´System Alert: Critical situation detected!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Ultimate Sensory? has been activated. Your sense of perception will be increased by 2,000% for the next 3 seconds.¡µ Time seemed to slow down for Izroth as his sense of perception reached a state of extremity. ¡¯This feeling... There¡¯s no mistaking it.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth¡¯s spear smoothly glided through the waters as he shed in an upward arc. Unlike his first attack, this strike contained a great deal of fluidity and refinement as it brushed effortlessly across the barrier. It was in that instant with Izroth¡¯s 1,001st strike that something unusual urred. As the spear swept over the barrier, it appeared to be undamaged¡ªsimr to all the previous times. But, then, out of nowhere, a small crack formed on the barrier¡¯s surface! Soon enough, numerous cracks started to spread throughout the barrier¡¯s surface around the Hydra¡¯s main body. And, in less than a breath of time, the once seemingly imprable barrier shattered! ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have created a new skill. Please name the skill.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Ultimate Sensory? have ended.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your concentration has wavered. The effects of ?Mind of Craft? have ended.¡µ Atst, Izroth had broken through the Hydra¡¯s barrier! And, as for the skill¡¯s name¡ªhe did not need any time to think about it. ¡¯It may not be much. But, a small piece of you shall exist in this world.¡¯ Skill Name: Zakra¡¯s Harmonic Spear of Causality Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: ???(Hidden) Active: This skill allows the user to exert brief control over the principle of ?Causality?. The effects and cooldown of this skill vary based on the user¡¯s mastery and control of the ?Causality?. Cooldown: ??? Special Note: This skill¡¯s mastery cannot be increased with the use of skill points. Skill mastery can only be improved through repeated use of this skill. The Harmonic Spear of Causality was a self-created technique that propelled Zakra to the pinnacle of the spear. A spear that could determine the oue of a battle with a single strike¡ªthis was the Harmonic Spear of Causality! For every cause, there was an effect. And, the causality principle stated that the cause always precedes the effect. In this case, with Izroth¡¯sst strike, the cause was that anything that obstructed the path of his spear would be destroyed, while the effect was the¡¯s barrier destruction. And, given that the cause always precedes the effect, the barrier¡¯s destruction was inevitable! ¡´System Alert: Error! You already have an existing ?Law?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Breaker of Limits? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained some insight into the ?Law of Causality?.¡µ ¡¯Hm? This is... No, I can¡¯t waste any more time down here. I¡¯ll have to look over it in detailter.¡¯ Izroth was curious about the system alerts he received at the end; however, he was out of range of the party¡¯s voice chat, and since their names were currently grayed out, he had no idea how they were holding up. For all Izroth knew, he could be thest remaining survivor on the second stage! However, Izroth did not believe that this was the case. After all, they were not the type of yers to go down so easily! For now, Izroth decided to trust Niflheim and the others as he focused on what was before him. ¡¯Now... Let¡¯s see if your body can regenerate as well as your heads.¡¯ Izroth returned the spear to his inventory and unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. The next moment, an overbearing and prative aura epassed his sword as Izroth positioned himself at the center of the Hydra¡¯s main body. ¡¯First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s de shot forward with incredible momentum as it shed through the Hydra¡¯s main body, creating a long cut as blue liquid spewed out¡ªit was the Hydra¡¯s blood! With the barrier gone, nothing was left to stop Izroth from attacking the Hydra¡¯s main body! But, more importantly, the Hydra¡¯s body did not regenerate like its heads as the wound remained open. ¡¯Its body is needlessly big. Then, shall we try a different approach?¡¯ Zeeeut! Izroth¡¯s figure flickered as he charged towards the Hydra¡¯s open wound. Phhhtk! Izroth¡¯s body vanished as he dove right into the Hydra¡¯s body! ... A few momentster, above theke... As Niflheim and the rest of the party fought against the Hydra, something bizarre transpired. Not too long ago, the Hydra suddenly cried out in pain and was thrashing about uncontrobly. Its attention no longer seemed focused on them¡ªas if something was eating away at it that they did not know about. "Why did its behavior suddenly shift? Could it be his doing?" Niflheim internalized. Chapter 688 - Fairing Without, Souvenir

Chapter 688 - Fairing Without, Souvenir

Niflheim was concerned about Izroth, who had been out of contact under theke for roughly thirty minutes. However, there was no time or breathing room to formte and execute a feasible rescue n; therefore, Niflheim resolved himself to face the worst possible oue. As the party¡¯s leader, Niflheim understood that he had to set aside his personal beliefs and eventually confront the facts¡ªthere was a good chance that Izroth would never resurface from theke! If that were the case, it would be up to them to defeat the Hydra with one less party member. The good news was that they discovered the Hydra¡¯s regenerative abilities were not infinite, which was likely caused by the creature¡¯s weakened sealed state. Regardless of the reason, they found that each of the Hydra¡¯s original heads could only regenerate a maximum of ten times. This meant that each of the Hydra¡¯s heads was the equivalent of facing twenty-one enemies, including the original head. And, so far, Niflheim, Morrighan, Sacred de, Colorful Nimbus, and Gram managed to severe a total of 52 heads! In the process, they sessfully put the Hydra¡¯s outer right and outer left heads out ofmission. With that, the group no longer had to worry about the Hydra¡¯s poisonous breath attacks, which allowed the Phantom Queen to focus entirely on damage output. At least, that¡¯s how it should have gone. Unfortunately, the poisonous breath was not the Hydra¡¯sst surprise. After the destruction of its outer heads, the creature¡¯s left head started to unleash a fire-type breath attack, while its right head employed an ice-type breath attack. As if the situation was not already grim enough, to make matters even worse, the time in between the Hydra¡¯s breath attacks had been cut in half. It was no longer every two minutes, but every one minute! Both breath attacks came with their own set of dangers. The Hydra¡¯s fire breath engulfed the battlefield in a sea of raging mes, burning everything in its path and leaving behind intense embers. If not for Gram¡¯s fire protection buff, the party would have been walking on a tight rope with no underneath them. As for the Hydra¡¯s ice breath, its damage was also on the weaker side. But, its primary purpose was to serve as a form of crowd control. The frost created by the ice breath was so cold that it slowed the party¡¯s movements, and after a few seconds, it would freeze their bodies entirely! This made them easy targets for the Hydra heads and the skeletal warriors. In the end, there were a couple of close calls where they almost lost a member or two. Thankfully, during one of the ice breath cycles, Sacred de identally moved too close to one of the burning embers left behind by the Hydra¡¯s fire breath. But, instead of suffering from its burn effects, Sacred de gained a temporary buff that made him immune to the effects of the frost for ten seconds. With Sacred de¡¯s findings, every time the Hydra used its ice breath, the group would hurry over to the nearest burning embers. They had to time it perfectly; otherwise, they would end up taking burn damage from the embers as a price. Though with Niflheim keeping track of their timing and the party¡¯s overall experience, they were able to smoothly adapt. However, if everyone had to choose the MVP of this battle, it would undoubtedly be the Phantom Queen. Morrighan single-handedly eliminated 39 out of the 52 of the Hydra¡¯s heads¡ªthat was 75% of the total kills! In addition, her wind magic protected the party from the poisonous mist and kept it at bay just outside the battlefield. Morrighan also made sure that the heads she severed fell into theke to minimize the amount of Hydra¡¯s blood that fell onnd. And, she drew the attention of several Hydra heads towards herself in the skies to ease the pressure on those below. If not for the Phantom Queen¡¯s presence during this crusade, it¡¯s safe to say that Izroth may have never gotten the chance to explore theke without the party having to pay a terrible price in exchange. Ultimately, the party was able to find its footing and build momentum to reach its current point. Though with Gram¡¯s buffsing to an end soon, the situation would quickly start to deteriorate. After all, if Steadfast alone ended, the 2.5% damage to their HP every second would instantly rise to 5%. They would also lose their bonus HP and resistances, causing the battle¡¯s difficulty to spike. Before that happened, they needed to find a way to end this fight. It was when this thought entered Niflheim¡¯s mind that the Hydra¡¯s behavior became unusual. The beast was preparing its fire breath when it abruptly stopped mid-way and started iling about uncontrobly. And, since none of them did anything that would cause the Hydra to act that way, Niflheim could only specte that it had to be Izroth¡¯s doing under theke. Whatever the reason, this opportunity was one that could not be passed up! [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "Phantom Queen, Sacred de¡ªdon¡¯t let up on your attacks. Gram, provide any support you can to boost their damage output. We cannot allow this chance to slip by. While it¡¯s confused, we¡¯ll throw everything we have at it and take it down once and for all!" [Voice Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Hey, hey, don¡¯t leave me out here." [Voice Chat] Niflheim, "For now, you can just focus on recovering and conserving your mana. Other than that, just keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing and stay safe. Gram¡¯s buffs will be ending soon and if we can¡¯t end it with this final push here, we¡¯ll need your heals more than ever. We can¡¯t afford to risk losing you." Colorful Nimbus was frustrated, but he understood Niflheim¡¯s intentions. Since his ss was a healer/damage hybrid, Colorful Nimbus felt that he could only disy half of his potential against the Hydra only being able to sit back and heal. With his damage skills being mostly close-ranged and having only a few mid-range skills in the mix, Colorful Nimbus felt somewhat dejected. [Voice Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Alright, alright, I got it. I¡¯ll stay put." Following Niflheim¡¯smands, Morrighan and Sacred de moved into action with Gram¡¯s assistance. However, just as the two were preparing to carry out their assault, the Hydra released an earthshattering roar. The cry was powerful enough to shake the entire second stage and prevent Morrighan and Sacred de from approaching any closer. The water within theke became increasingly turbulent. Then, for the first time since the fight began, the Hydra moved its main body forward as the beast¡¯s massive body rose out of the water! Everyone was shocked. By now, they assumed that the Hydra was restricted to theke and could not step out of it. However, it was clearly getting ready to make its way onto drynd. If that happened, the party may be forced back into the poisonous mist surrounding them! "Look! It¡¯s been injured!" Colorful Nimbus called out as he pointed towards the long wound on the Hydra¡¯s body. "Is that what caused the sudden change in its behavior?" Niflheim internalized. Niflheim scanned the surroundings of theke; however, he soon furrowed his brows. The Hydra had been wounded and was emerging from the water. But, now, the question remained¡ªwhere was Izroth?! "We cannot allow it to reachnd!" Niflheim warned. "Grand Magic: Reaper¡¯s Repose." Morrighan waved her wand as a door roughly six meters tall and three meters wide appeared at her back. The door was made of red and ck bones with trapped souls moving around inside. The next moment, the doors opened and a pair of soulless crimson eyes could be seen lurking in the darkness. Simply staring into these eyes was enough to drive one to the brink of madness. Phhhhtk! GRAAAAAAAAWR!!!!! Out of nowhere, the Hydra¡¯s body jerked violently as a hole less than three meters in diameter formed near the upper center of its body. From that hole, a pulsing blue light emerged, followed by a collection of blue slime shaped like a humanoid. The pulsing blue light shot forward at incredible speeds, crashing onto thend at theke¡¯s edge. BANG! Rmmmmmmble! Zeeeut! The blue figure vanished without a trace before suddenly reappearing right next to the pulsing blue light. "?!" Everyone immediately went on high alert. Was it a new enemy? The Hydra¡¯s true form? "I¡¯m d to see you all held up well in my absence. It took a bit longer than I anticipated." A familiar voice sounded. It belonged to none other than Izroth! "I thought I¡¯d bring along souvenir," Izroth stated as he pointed to the pulsing blue light. Name: Heart of the Immortal Hydra ... Chapter 689 - Unusual Rain

Chapter 689 - Unusual Rain

Name: Heart of the Immortal Hydra Rank: True World(Unbreakable) Usage: ?Sealed? Special Note: This heart belonged to the Immortal Hydra, a beast birthed by the True World that has lived through countless cycles. But, having been sealed for so long, the Immortal Hydra¡¯s heart is only capable of disying a portion of its true potential. The seal on this item must be removed before use. The only one of its kind in existence. While Morrighan, Sacred de, and Gram were too far away to see it, Niflheim and Colorful Nimbus were dumbfounded. Even with it right before them, the two still had a hard time believing their eyes. A heart¡ªit was actually the Hydra¡¯s heart! "I knew that he was up to something, but this... Is something like this even possible? No, if it¡¯s him, then..." Niflheim thought to himself as he inwardly shook his head. "You... No, forget it. It¡¯s good to have you back in one piece." Niflheim stated with a helpless smile. Niflheim figured he had seen it all between the raid, their fight against the puppets, Izroth¡¯s creation of a guild, and Izroth holding first ce in the event¡ªat this point, Niflheim was positive that there was nothing else Izroth could do to shock him. But, to move around inside the Hydra¡¯s body filled with its foul blood and essentially rip out the heart of a World-ss beast¡ªthis far exceeded Niflheim¡¯s expectations! Colorful Nimbus, on the other hand, was speechless. Like many others, he heard the numerous rumors surrounding Izroth. However, like most rumors, Colorful Nimbus found some of them to be in ridiculous. But, after what he just witnessed... "This guy¡¯s even crazier than what the rumors said..!" Colorful Nimbus internalized with an excited grin on his face. Izroth looked towards the Hydra, who now had more than forty heads thrashing around in disorder. The HP of each head was in a constant state of decline¡ªno doubt a result of Izroth removing the creature¡¯s heart. ¡¯It still has quite a bit of energy remaining.¡¯ After destroying the barrier around the Hydra¡¯s main body and using the opening he created that led inside the creature, Izroth began attacking the Hydra from the inside. However, moving around inside the Hydra¡¯s body was not without its difficulties. Even with his resistances in ce, Izroth was still affected by the Hydra¡¯s putrid blood. And, since he was in direct contact with it in massive volumes, Izroth was losing roughly 8% of his HP every second! His in-battle HP regeneration was able to offset some of that damage, but only enough for him to survive for few extra seconds. However, with the thanks of one of his armor skills, Rapid Regeneration, Izroth increased his in-battle HP regeneration by 200%! Along with his 6% lifesteal, Izroth was able to increase the amount of time he could spend within the Hydra¡¯s body. But, Izroth found that the longer he was exposed to the Hydra¡¯s blood, the more vicious it became. And, Izroth knew that it would not be long until his HP started to drain faster than he could keep up. Therefore, instead of random destruction, Izroth centered his focus to deal thergest amount of damage in the shortest amount of time. Though that was easier said than done. The seemingly unlimited mana inside the Hydra¡¯s body was incredibly chaotic, making it impossible for Izroth to use his Energy Vision Sense as a means of navigating through the creature¡¯s massive body. In addition, Izroth had no idea if a World-ss beast like the Immortal Hydra even possessed an internal weakness! That¡¯s when Izroth had an idea. He infused some Essence into his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple and doubled the range of its effectiveness. This was also why the Hydra abruptly stopped in the middle of its breath attack earlier. With the mana disrupting effects of the Quelling Ripples, Izroth managed to clear up a lot of the chaotic mana in his immediate surroundings. However, there was one area in particr that appeared to ignore the effects of his Quelling Ripple. And, after heading over to that area, Izroth found what he was looking for¡ªthe Immortal Hydra¡¯s heart! The Hydra was not part of the dragon race in RML, but it shared many simrities. Izroth was aware that all pure-blooded dragons possessed a Dragon¡¯s Heart. It was what gave them their boundless mana, insane growth potential, and practically guaranteed their ascension to the legendary realm. Given the Hydra¡¯s power, Izroth figured that it must have something simr to a Dragon¡¯s Heart. If it did, then with the quantity of energy gathered within it, Izroth knew that his ninth sword form would be unable to suppress it. When he reached the Immortal Hydra¡¯s heart, Izroth first thought was not to destroy it, but to take it! But, since the heart was still inside the living Hydra, he could not simply ce it into his inventory and walk away. And so, Izroth f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y removed the heart from the Hydra¡¯s body, creating a new opening and throwing it with all his might towards thend at theke¡¯s edge. Afterward, Izroth used one charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to leap into theke and wash off most of the Hydra¡¯s blood. Then, he immediately used another two charges to arrive onnd where the Hydra¡¯s heart crashnded. The Heart of the Immortal Hydra was, without question, a one-of-a-kind priceless treasure. But, it was not the sole thing Izroth acquired from the Hydra. ¡¯I won¡¯t be able to use the Dark Abyssal Cauldron for a while. But, it would have been a shame to let it all go to waste. I suppose I¡¯ll have to find a different means of storage for it.¡¯ Izroth obtained a blue liquid worth several times more than its weight in gold¡ªthe Hydra¡¯s blood! Name: Blood of the Immortal Hydra Rank: Mythical(195) Usage: The Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood is one of the most deadly poisons in existence with an extremely unpleasant smell. While even inhaling a small amount of this substance can have detrimental effects, it pales inparison to being directly injected into one¡¯s body and can even cause instant death. Despite its difficulty to acquire and work with, the Blood of the Immortal Hydra is one of the most sought-after substances for crafting not only highly potent poisons but also for top-tier elixirs. The potent Hydra¡¯s blood would corrode most containers; however, Izroth¡¯s Dark Abyssal Cauldron was indestructible! While it was unfortunate that he would be unable to use the cauldron until he found a suitable vessel to contain the Hydra¡¯s blood, the trade was well worth it. Izroth¡¯s only regret was that the Dark Abyssal Cauldron was not bigger so that it could hold even more of the mythical-rank liquid! Izroth ced his hand over the pulsing blue light as it vanished. ¡´System Alert: You have acquired x1 ?Heart of the Immortal Hydra?.¡µ Now that the heart had been separated from the Hydra¡¯s body, Izroth could finally ce it into his inventory. However, even without its heart, surprisingly, the Hydra was still moving around with an abundance of energy. Though Izroth was not rmed by this. Although it was called a heart, he was aware that it did not function the same way as a human heart. ¡¯It¡¯s losing HP every second and should still be in a state of confusion for a while after losing its heart. But, it won¡¯t be long before that confusion turns to rage.¡¯ [Voice Chat] Izroth, "Since I removed the Hydra¡¯s heart, it should struggle to userge-scale magic or even magic in general. Before it has the chance to recover from its state of confusion, we must deal the finishing blow." [Voice Chat] Sacred de, "Eh? Removed its heart? Is that what that light was earlier?!" [Voice Chat] Morrighan, "That would exin the unexpected shift in its behavior and mana patterns. You have chosen a remarkable approach. You may leave the rest in my hands." The moment those words left Morrighan¡¯s mouth, two arms reached out from the doors behind her with their hands balled into a fist. The arms were like ck phantoms and gave off an ethereal atmosphere. Around each wrist was a thick crimson restraint with chains attached to them. The other end of the chains seemed to be trapped inside the door, preventing whatever was lurking within from being unleashed upon the world. The next moment, the phantom arms opened their hands as a giant six-meter pitch-ck scythe materialized within at palms. "Grand Magic: Reaper¡¯s Repose." With one smooth motion, Morrighan waved her wand in a perfect horizontal line in front of her. Then, with blinding speed, the phantom arms gripped the scythe tightly and swung it forward near centimeters above Morrighan¡¯s head! Swoosh! The instant its swing was concluded, the phantom arms withdrew into the doors as it closed behind them before disappearing into thin air. As the doors vanished, a thin line could be seen across the neck of each Hydra¡¯s head. ...BOOOOOOM! Suddenly, theke behind the Hydra exploded as arge wave of water was disced. Out of nowhere, one of the Hydra¡¯s heads fell off. It was soon followed by a second head, a fourth, a tenth! In the blink of an eye, it was raining Hydra heads! Chapter 690 - The Second Stage of the Crusade Concludes, Resolve!

Chapter 690 - The Second Stage of the Crusade Concludes, Resolve!

... After Morrighan severed the remaining Hydra heads, Izroth, Sacred de, and the others focused on eliminating the massive influx of more than 500 skeletal warriors that spawned from the Hydra¡¯s teeth. While the skeletal warriors were numerous, in the end, they were no match for the party without the Hydra¡¯s back-up. As for the Immortal Hydra, once thest of the skeletal warriors were taken care of, itsrge body sunk back into theke. However, even after being severed and having its HP fall to 0%, the Hydra¡¯s main middle head did not die! And, no matter what attack they threw at it, the middle head was immune to their damage. The middle head¡¯s gaze locked onto the party just as it sunk back into theke along with its body. "How creepy. I guess it isn¡¯t called the Immortal Hydra just for show. As expected of a World ss beast." Colorful Nimbusmented. He then released arge sigh of relief as the Hydra¡¯s middle head submerged underwater. "If it was this troublesome in its sealed state, I wonder how strong it is once the seal is released. Better yet, who could even manage to seal a beast like that at full strength?" Sacred de questioned curiously. "There is a deep history in this world that we as yers know very little of. We know what we know and what we do not know we must attempt to understand. Until then, all we can do is continue to specte and keep searching for answers in our own way. But, regardless¡ªthis is our victory." Niflheim stated. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?(Sealed)The Immortal Hydra?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Level Emblem!¡µ ¡´System Alert: All enemies on the second stage of the ?Crusade? have been cleared!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Transportation process willmence in 30 seconds!¡µ After nearly one hour since their arrival, Izroth and his party finally cleared the crusade¡¯s second stage! This was something no other party had done before in the history of RML¡ªeven those who participated in the beta did not make it past the first stage, let alone the second. This was a huge achievement! ¡´System Alert: Transporting...¡µ ... Once the transportation countdown concluded, Izroth and his partynded back in the waiting room. The moment they got back, Colorful Nimbus plopped down on one of the nearby benches attached to the walls. "That was tiring." Colorful Nimbus released a long sigh of exhaustion. Thanks to the Hydra¡¯s poison breath, blood, and fire breath, Colorful Nimbus had to deal with micromanaging everyone HP. The entire time, he did not have a single moment to breathe! So when the opportunity to rest finally presented itself, how could he not immediately copse from fatigue? Gram, the party¡¯s other supporter, also took a seat. Although he had not spoken a single word, one could see the weariness in his expression. "Eh? How the hell are you guys still standing after all of that?" Colorful Nimbus inquired as he looked at the four still standing without showing any signs of fatigue. Besides himself, Colorful Nimbus figured Niflheim would be just as exhausted as he was considering he had to hold so much aggro for an extended period of time. Even Izroth, who had a full trip inside theke and Hydra¡¯s body seemed to bepletely fine! "Hm? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never heard of the Ocean Spring Pill?" Sacred de asked. Sacred de did not know about Morrighan, but as ex-core members of Blue Oasis, he and Niflheim consumed an Ocean Spring Pill. As for Izroth, since the pill belonged to his Mystical Realm Pce, it would be crazy to assume that he did not take one himself. "Ocean Spring Pill? What¡¯s that?" Colorful Nimbus frowned. "It¡¯s a pill that greatly reduces your fatigue. It also provides some assistance in helping to resist crowd control effects. It¡¯s one of the most popr grade two pills sold at Pce Master Izroth¡¯s Mystical Realm Pce." Sacred de informed. "Damn, such a miraculous pill exists and I didn¡¯t know about it? I knew I should have dropped by the Mystical Realm Pce before the event started! Guess that¡¯s what we get for starting off in O¡¯Tohelm, huh, Gram? Hey, Pce Master, got any of those Ocean Spring Pills you want to share over there?" Colorful Nimbus requested. "Sure," Izroth said as he removed an Ocean Spring Pill from his inventory. When the scent of the Ocean Spring Pill reached his nose, Colorful Nimbus already felt some of its fatigue-relieving effects. Even without seeing the system information, he could tell that it was a high-quality pill! "What a generous gift. Pce Master Izroth is indeed a great man and-" Colorful Nimbus said as he approached Izroth and held his hand with a smile. "That¡¯ll be 10 gold coins," Izroth stated. "...A great man-" "Ten." "..." ... In the end, Colorful Nimbus paid ten gold coins to acquire the Ocean Spring Pill. Gram also happily paid to obtain a pill for himself. And, after consuming the pill, the two were filled with a new wave of energy. "I feel like I can fight for hours now! Hahaha, what a great pill! Ten gold for this really can be seen as a generous gift, Pce Master!" Colorful Nimbus said excitedly. "I am d that you all seem to be enjoying yourselves." Guide¡¯s voice sounded as he abruptly appeared behind Colorful Nimbus. "?!" Colorful Nimbus was startled as he quickly turned around. "You have a problem with appearing before us normally?!" Colorful Nimbus scowled. "Ah, my apologies. It has been quite some time since I¡¯ve had the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of entertaining such guests." Guide said calmly as he walked towards the room¡¯s center. He then continued, "Congrattions on yourpletion of the second stage. However... I see that your prize remains untouched." Guide stopped before six golden c.h.e.s.ts that looked several times more extravagant than the bronze c.h.e.s.ts that appeared after the party cleared the first stage. "Can it be that you all... n to challenge the third stage?" Guide questioned as his tone turned serious and the atmosphere grew heavy. "Why do you ask? Is there something we should know about the third stage that you haven¡¯t told us?" Niflheim queried. "No, I have told you all that I am capable of disclosing. However, as your guide, I would like to give you some friendly advice before you make your choice." Guide said. "Oh? And, what friendly advice is that?" Niflheim questioned. "For the third stage, do not think about winning against what you face¡ªthat is my advice. Whatever you decide, as your guide, I wish you the best of luck. I shall root for your sess." Guide answered as he vanished into thin air with thest of his words fading away. "Don¡¯t think about winning? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Is he trying to say we¡¯re too weak to beat the third stage?" Colorful Nimbus frowned. "Perhaps. Or, it could be a situation simr to the Hydra we faced. While we emerged as the victors, we did not necessarily y the beast." Sacred de chimed in. "Then, why didn¡¯t he give us the same warning before we faced the Hydra?" Colorful Nimbus mentioned. "That¡¯s..." Sacred de furrowed his brows as he was uncertain how to respond to that question. Indeed, if it was a simr situation, why did the Guide not warn them at that time? "Don¡¯t overthink it. At this point, we can only specte but that will lead us nowhere in the long run. My opinion as the party leader that you¡¯ve elected is that we should take those golden c.h.e.s.ts and run. I¡¯m sure that whatever we get from those c.h.e.s.ts will have made this trip and our efforts more than worth it." Niflheim stated calmly. "So you¡¯re saying we should just give up on the third stage?" Colorful Nimbus said in a tone of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. "Precisely. If we¡¯re looking at it from a logical standpoint, we should not get lost in our greed. If we fail to clear the third stage, then all our efforts will have gone to waste. Sure, we get a couple of Level Emblems for our troubles, but the cons still outweigh the pros." Niflheim exined. The waiting room became silent after Niflheim¡¯s words. A few moments ago, the answer seemed obvious, but now... Was attempting the third stage truly the route they should take? "But-" Niflheim broke the silence. "That¡¯s just my opinion as the party leader since it¡¯s my responsibility to make sure everyone understands the potential risks. However, personally¡ªI would prefer not to end things here wondering what could have been. I don¡¯t know about the rest of you, buting this far and giving up when we¡¯re this close to the finish line would leave a bad taste in my mouth. If it¡¯s this party, I have no doubts in my mind... We can clear the third stage!" Niflheim dered confidently. "This is my resolve." Chapter 691 - Lady of the Everlasting Rain

Chapter 691 - Lady of the Evesting Rain

Niflheim made his choice clear while also fulfilling his obligation as the party¡¯s leader. Now, all he could do was wait for everyone to make their own decision. Not too long after Niflheim readied up, Izroth, Morrighan, and Sacred de also cast their vote to confront the third stage. "We¡¯ve all sacrificed valuable time that could have been used to gain contribution points. Now, you crazy bastards actually want to risk it all? Honestly..." A grin appeared on Colorful Nimbus¡¯ face as he shook his head and sighed. He then continued, "When you say something like that, how can I even think about backing out? It¡¯d make me look like I was afraid or something. I won¡¯t lie, it would suck toe all this way and walk away with nothing to show for it. But, lucky for you guys¡ªI¡¯m just as crazy as the rest of you." ¡´System Alert: yer Colorful Nimbus is ready! 5/6]¡µ "I¡¯m in. All or nothing." Colorful Nimbus dered. Now that Colorful Nimbus voted to proceed, there was only one person remaining who had yet to reveal their intention¡ªGram. Everyone turned their attention to Gram, who stayed quiet the entire time. "Heh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting cold feet aftering this far, Gram." Colorful Nimbus stated. "...Time." Gram said calmly. "What? You need some time to decide?" Colorful Nimbus inquired. "Cooldown time... We wait." Gram replied unhurriedly. "Cooldown? Ah, I guess your buffs did end. This guy¡ªI really thought you were thinking about bailing on us for a second there." Colorful Nimbus said yfully. "It seems I got a little too caught up in the moment. While we have not been transported directly in the vicinity of the monsters for the first and second stages, that does not mean the possibility is nonexistent. We should recuperate as much as possible." Niflheim stated. He then continued, "ording to Guide, we can spend up to an hour in this ce before we¡¯re forced to leave. We will make every second count." ¡¯This would have been the perfect opportunity to craft a few Self Awakening Pills to check on their effects. But, it¡¯s unfortunate that the Dark Abyssal Cauldron is the only suitable container in my possession that can handle the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood. Since crafting¡¯s out of the question, I¡¯ll just have to use the spare time to recover my lost Essence.¡¯ ... The final few seconds of the one-hour time limit within the waiting room were approaching. The cooldown on most of Gram¡¯s buffs was gone and everyone was anxious to proceed to the third stage as Gram readied up. ¡´System Alert: yer Gram is ready! 6/6] ¡´System Alert: All yers are ready! Automatic transport to the third stage of the ?Crusade? hasmenced! 10 seconds remaining.¡µ "This is the final stage. There¡¯s no doubt in my mind it will be harder than the previous two. Have you all steeled yourselves?" Niflheim asked as the transportation magic circles formed at their feet. Although he did not receive a response, Niflheim swept his gaze over everyone present and could tell from their expressions alone¡ªfailure was not an option! "Good. Let¡¯s finish this once and for all." Niflheim stated with an air of confidence. 3... 2... ... ¡´System Alert: You have arrived at the third stage of the ?Crusade?!¡µ The instant the party received that system alert, Gram activated the buffs Lesser Protection, Greater Protection, Fierce Touch, Vital Force, and Lasting Second Wind. As for Steadfast, it was still on cooldown, but the party did not have the luxury to wait around in the waiting room any longer. "This is... An arena?" Niflheimmented as he observed his new environment. Izroth and his party had arrived at the edge of a tform that was fifty meters in length and width. Epassing the tform was a powerful barrier that made the one around the Hydra¡¯s body look like child¡¯s y. "Looks like there¡¯s already someone there." Sacred de noted. ¡¯This is certainly differentpared to the other two stages. Especially...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s gaze locked onto the center of the tform. There was someone standing there¡ªa human! Or, at least, they appeared to be a human, except they had a few unique features. However, what really stood out about the woman was her unusual hair that was made up of blue mes and extended upward nearly one meter in the air. And, levitating behind the woman and to her side was a single gorgeous blue and silver double-edged straight sword. Izroth did not need his Energy Vision Sense to know that the person standing on that tform was dangerous. And, at that moment, he finally understood the advice that Guide gave them back in the waiting room. ¡¯Do not think of winning against what you face... is it?¡¯ "Wee." A voice suddenly sounded from the edge of the tform right in front of Izroth and his party. "?!" The woman who had just been at the tform¡¯s center was now standing before them on the edge of the tform! Izroth slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡¯I couldn¡¯t follow her.¡¯ Although everyone was on high alert, they were still caught off guard by the woman¡¯s abrupt appearance. Even Izroth with his monstrous sense of perception was unable to track her movements! Of course, the most surprising part was that this woman was the first person they spoke to after entering a stage in the crusade. However, no one had forgotten Guide¡¯s warning. Without a doubt, this person was an enemy they would have to face! But, at Niflheim¡¯smand, no one made the first move. The presence of a barrier, the fact that the mysterious woman did not take advantage of their shock tounch a surprise attack and she could speak¡ªNiflheim felt that this stage was not like the others. More importantly, Niflheim caught a glimpse of the woman¡¯s system information and confirmed his intuition. Name: Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis ss: Hero HP: [Undefined] "My name is Tal¡¯Nis. But, those throughout history have bestowed upon me another name, Lady of the Evesting Rain. This crusade contains two of my greatest lone feats from the early years of my life." Tal¡¯Nis spoke with a natural air of authority. "Then, the person who sealed that Hydra...!" Colorful Nimbus eximed. "That¡¯s right. She¡¯s right in front of our eyes." Niflheimmented solemnly. This woman was someone who managed to single-handedly seal a monstrosity like the Immortal Hydra! Not to mention, she said that it happened in the early years of her life. Therefore, who knew how much stronger she was at the peak of her strength?! "Since you¡¯ve reached this point, you are worthy of praise. I, Tal¡¯Nis, acknowledge you and your efforts." Tal¡¯Nis stated. She then continued, "Aftering this far, you must be curious about what a crusade is and why they exist in this world. As people I¡¯ve acknowledged, I shall reveal to you the truth." "?! Everyone was shocked by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ words. They figured that a crusade was just like dungeons and raids but with a unique twist to them. Could it be that the crusade had an entirely different purpose and reason for existing? As if sensing everyone¡¯s curiosity, a light smile formed on Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ face as she said, "Be at ease. The reason is not as grand as you may think it to be. In fact, it is one of the utmost simplicity." "You see, the world you are living in is but a hollow shell. The end of your world is but the beginning of another. Right now, you all stillck the strength to reach that ce, but perhaps one day, you will gain that opportunity." "However, once you cross over into that world, eventually, you will be forgotten. A year... A century... An era¡ªeventually, all is lost to time. A crusade is an attempt to defy this curse. It is thest remaining mark left behind by the beings who ascend to that ce which lies above the firmament. It is our story, our will¡ªthest wisp of life we breathe in your world." Tal¡¯Nis exined. ¡¯Oh? So it¡¯s like this.¡¯ What person did not want to leave behind their own mark on the world? Even the most powerful of beings did not wish to have their legacy fade away into the cruelty of time¡ªforgotten after countless eras passed. Though while Izroth calmly processed Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ words, the others in his party were dumbfounded. A world beyond this one? The beginning? Ascend? What was she talking about?! Did this mean that legendary beings were not the strongest existences in RML, but just at some starting point?! How were they supposed to ept something like that? Chapter 692 - Rules of the Third Stage?, A Choice To Make

Chapter 692 - Rules of the Third Stage?, A Choice To Make

To the majority of yers in RML, legendary beings were like unreachable gods. They were people or monsters capable of leveling cities, destroying armies, and represented what awaited yers who reached the pinnacle of RML¡ªat least, that was themon belief floating around among yers. Of course, this was not to say that yers were unaware of the existence of divine beings in RML. In fact, there were many sses, especially among healers and shamans, that required yers to fulfill certain obligations if they wanted to acquire more powerful skills. Even among crafting professions beings such as the God of Craft, Mazi was a well-known figure that virtually every cksmith was aware of. It was widely believed that while such beings existed in the lore of RML, they were just there to add a certain mystery and depth to the world¡¯s history. After all, it was not umon for games to mention an important figure and leave them forever shrouded in mystery. However, the words that Tal¡¯Nis spoke stuck to Niflheim and the others present. "...perhaps one day, you will gain that opportunity"¡ªthis was the first time they received a form of such direct confirmation! While there was always a possibility that it was merely a means of encouragement for yers so that they would continue to strive for more, those present knew more about the world than the average yer. Their general knowledge did notpare to Izroth who had the privilege ofpleting multiple S-ranked quests, ess to the second floor of the Amaharpe Pce Library, and even held a personal conversation with the God of Craft himself! But, they were apetent group of yers and understood how to ce some of the pieces together. The whole picture was still iplete; however, it was bing clearer to them by the second. Though, naturally, there were some doubts. "Hey, so, you¡¯re basically trying to tell us that the most powerful figures we know aren¡¯t even participating in the race, but that they just arrived at the starting line of it?" Colorful Nimbus frowned. "A crude outlook, though I suppose it is somewhat fitting," Tal¡¯Nis said calmly. "So much for simple." Sacred de muttered to himself. "Then, just for some rification, if what you¡¯re saying is true, does that mean you no longer exist in this world? Have you already reached a realm of strength beyond legendary? And... Will we have to defeat you in order to clear this stage?" Niflheim questioned in a serious tone. Niflheim asked the questions that were on everyone¡¯s mind. If it were the first stage, they may have been able to dismiss Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ story as a bluff and a way to deceive them. However, after witnessing her movement from the tform¡¯s center and viewing her system information, they knew that the chances of her lying were low. And, even if what she said did turn out to be a form of deception, the fact that she was a Hero ss individual remained unchanged. "You are partially correct. Countless cycles have passed since that moment. After stepping into the realm above legendary, I no longer exist in your world. Even the me before you right now is but a mere shadow of my true existence¡ªa piece that I have left behind in your world. If you wish to leave here, you must ovee the challenge I have set for which there are two methods of confronting, or... You must die." Tal¡¯Nis revealed. She then continued, "The challenge itself is simple. While still bound by the restrictions I have ced on this crusade, you may use any means at your disposal to sessfullynd one blow on me." What?! All it took to clear the third stage wasnding one attack? Wasn¡¯t this a little too easy? "Are you serious? Just one strike and it¡¯s our victory?" Colorful Nimbus asked with a hint of skepticism. "Tell me. Whether the words I speak are the truth or not, does it change your present objective? If what I say is true, will you put forth less effort than if I were uttering to you a falsehood?" Tal¡¯Nis stated indifferently. "She¡¯s right. Enemy or not, it doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s lying or telling us the truth. All we have to do is defeat her and we¡¯ll have our answer¡ªthat¡¯s all." Niflheimmented. "Well said," Izroth stated with a carefree smile. He then continued, "You mentioned that there are two methods of confronting this challenge of yours. I¡¯m curious as to what those methods may be." "Before that, I would like to start by exining the rules of this challenge. As all of you already know, to pass this challenge, you mustnd one hit on me. However, it is not my intention to exclusively defend. While it is considered my loss after one hit, each of you will be eliminated after taking five of my strikes." Tal¡¯Nis exined. "Five strikes...?" Niflheim said to himself as he furrowed his brows. If it were based on the number of strikes, wouldn¡¯t that make things like blocking and healing useless? As if reading Niflheim¡¯s thoughts, Tal¡¯Nis spoke out, "Of course, a hit is only deemed a sess if it makes direct body contact. Circ.u.mstances such as blocking or protective barriers are permitted and can safeguard you against a strike. And, when ites to healing... You are wee to try, but it will make no difference. After five hits, I assure you¡ªyou will be eliminated without exception." Tal¡¯Nis turned around and began to slowly make her way back towards the tform¡¯s center. "We have exchanged enough pleasantries. Now, you must make a choice. All of you can fight me together. Or, you cane up one at a time. Once you decide, your choice cannot be altered. And, once the first person steps onto this tform, a countdown will start." Tal¡¯Nis suddenly halted her steps. "If you choose to confront me together as one, you will have a total of six minutes tond a blow on me. However, should you decide to face me one at a time, each of you will be permitted two minutes on the tform. Now, choose. You have exactly five minutes or I will make the choice for you." Tal¡¯Nis left the party with those words as she resumed her casual stroll to the tform¡¯s center. At the same time, the barrier around the tform vanished. "Should we really trust-" Colorful Nimbus started; however, he quickly fell silent when Niflheim held the palm of his hand up. [Party Chat] Niflheim, "We willmunicate this way for now. I¡¯m sure even from this distance she can hear us speaking. I get the feeling that she¡¯s not lying to us, but we should at least take some minimum precautions." [Party Chat] Sacred de, "Good call. I was just going to suggest we do the same." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Heh, look at these two. Is everyone in a top guild so paranoid? Jk 1lol 2;)" [Party Chat] Morrighan, "We do not have time to waste. What is our next move?" [Party Chat] Sacred de, "Honestly, is there even any need to think about it? Six versus one puts us at a huge advantage. If all of us were tounch our AOE at the same time, something¡¯s sure to get through." [Party Chat] Izroth, "That approach will not work. Not against her." [Party Chat] Niflheim, "I agree. It seems too obvious a choice. If she took down something like the Hydra alone, then she probably has a lot of experience dealing with multiple opponents and AOE spells simultaneously. It may even be a specialty of hers and she¡¯s hoping for us to take that approach." [Party Chat] Morrighan, "We should also consider the benefits of the one versus one battle. Overall, we get twice the amount of time. It would also allow us a couple of battles to gauge her skill level and general strength without risking everything on a single confrontation." [Party Chat] Niflheim, "In the end, there¡¯s a risk either way. The question now is¡ªwhich of the two risks will provide us with the greatest chance of victory." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Guess that¡¯s what they call a million-dor question, huh? So, what are we going to do, party leader? >:)" [Party Chat] Sacred de, "I trust your judgment, Niflheim. Whether it¡¯s a team or individual battle, I¡¯ll go with whatever you think is best." [Party Chat] Morrighan, "I suppose it would be easier for one person toe to a swift resolution." [Party Chat] Gram, "I am fine with whatever. But, I will not be much use in a one-on-one fight." [Party Chat] Izroth, "It would appear you have a choice to make, party leader." A deep expression formed on Niflheim¡¯s face as he seemed to be weighing every possible option. He remained this way for a couple of minutes before finally sending his decision in party chat. [Party Chat] Niflheim, "Then, we will..." ... Tal¡¯Nis stood with her eyes closed at the center of the tform. There was less than a minute remaining until the party¡¯s time to pick was up. Suddenly, Tal¡¯Nis opened her eyes as she heard the sound of footsteps. "I see your choice has been made. Are you certain?" Tal¡¯Nis asked calmly. "Certain." Gram¡¯s deep voice sounded with certainty as he held his mace with a firm grip. There was no one else near Gram as he stood face to face with Tal¡¯Nis and the barrier surrounding the tform was resurrected. With this, the party¡¯s choice was clear! ¡´System Alert: Countdown willmence in 10 seconds!¡µ Jk = A short-hand expressionmonly used online over instant messaging that means Just Kidding.lol: A short-hand expressionmonly used online over instant messaging that means Laughing Out Loud. Chapter 693 - Battle Order

Chapter 693 - Battle Order

Meanwhile, Izroth and his party stood at the side of the tform with their sights set on Tal¡¯Nis. Needless to say, everyone was interested in the power of the Hero ss. But, more importantly... Colorful Nimbus released a long sigh and said, "I hope we¡¯re going about this the right way." "The choice has already been made, so there is no turning back now. Right now, our only goal is to burn everything that we can into our minds and increase the chances of the next person¡¯s sess." Sacred de stated. "Still, I feel kinda bad for him. It¡¯s like he¡¯s some sort of sacrifice we offered up. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, you know?" Colorful Nimbus shrugged. "It¡¯s true that Gram¡¯s offensive capabilities are extremely limited; however, there¡¯s no question that he is the best person for the first battle. He is anything but a sacrifice. After all, there¡¯s a reason I settled upon this battle order." Niflheim said calmly. Not too long after the countdownmenced, the party¡¯s leader, Niflheim, received an alert from the system. This alert allowed him to set the order in which the party would enter the tform and face off against Tal¡¯Nis. And, Niflheim set the battle order as followed: [1st: Gram] (Default) [2nd: Colorful Nimbus] [3rd: Niflheim] [4th: Sacred de] [5th: Izroth] [6th: Morrighan] In the end, Niflheim chose to go with the one versus one battle for the third stage. If the circ.u.mstances were different, Niflheim would have preferred to battle as a single group; however, he felt that there were too many issues with that approach. For one, their teamwork could be seen as stable for a party that just recently formed, but it was still superficial. Everyone was a top yer with an abundance of skill and experience, which is why their teamwork seemed without w on the surface. In addition, they had two powerhouse damage dealers in the form of Izroth and Morrighan that hid even more of their ws. But, in reality, everyone was just doing their own thing while Niflheim kept them on the same page. It was simr to forcing puzzle pieces to fit in a ce that they did not belong. Even if the pieces made their way in, the final image would be distorted andck uniformity. However, for some reason, Niflheim had a gut feeling that such shallow teamwork would fall apart swiftly in front of someone like Tal¡¯Nis. Plus, this way, they would be able to observe Tal¡¯Nis in action and possiblye up with a n to counter her abilities. This is also what strongly influenced Niflheim¡¯s decision for the battle order. "The first move is all yours, Gram. I hope you remember our n." Niflheim internalized. ... A few moments ago... [Party Chat] Niflheim, "Then, we will go with six battles of one-on-one." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Oh? Why one-on-one?" [Party Chat] Sacred de, "If it¡¯s you, then you must have a n in mind, right?" [Party Chat] Morrighan, "If you do have a n, I would like to hear it." [Party Chat] Niflheim, "I¡¯ll cut straight to the chase. Our teamwork is barely passable." [Party Chat] Sacred de, "I see... So you noticed it too, huh? Guess I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. It definitely leaves more to be d.e.s.i.r.ed." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Hey, that¡¯s a bit harsh, isn¡¯t it? After all, we got this far together so that has to count for something, right?" [Party Chat] Niflheim, "We¡¯ve gotten this far because our damage dealers are just too abnormal. Thanks to that, up until this point, our ws have been easy to overlook. However, this time¡¯s different. If we go in together with our current teamwork, there¡¯s a high possibility that we¡¯ll fail." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Hm... I still don¡¯t get it though. If you think we¡¯ll fail together as a party, aren¡¯t you essentially saying that it¡¯s impossible for us to win no matter what we do?" [Party Chat] Niflheim, "Who says it¡¯s impossible? In a situation where uncertainty is present in abundance, the most valuable thing to acquire is information. Right now, we know nothing about our opponent. And, since they im to be the creator of this crusade, it wouldn¡¯t be out of ce to assume that they¡¯ve been keeping a close eye on us since our arrival. If that¡¯s true, going forward, we have to take into ount the possibility that she already knows about each and every one of us. Of course, this includes our skills and fighting style." [Party Chat] Morrighan, "A well-thought precaution. If what you say is true, we are at quite the disadvantage before the battle has even begun." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Damn! Isn¡¯t that just tantly cheating?!" [Party Chat] Niflheim, "Whatever the case, we¡¯ll have to y to our strengths if we wish to seed." [Party Chat] Sacred de, "Since the choice has been made, I volunteer to go first. Part of your n is to find out what she¡¯s capable of, right? I believe I¡¯m the best one to make that happen. After all, we can¡¯t afford to send out our two big guns right away." [Party Chat] Niflheim, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I¡¯ve already decided on the battle order. And, the first one to step onto the tform will be Gram." [Party Chat] Sacred de, "Gram?" [Party Chat] Gram, "Me?" [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "Hah?! You want to send him to the wolves?!" [Party Chat] Niflheim, "There¡¯s something only he can do. That¡¯s why I wish to entrust the first battle to you, Gram. Well, if you don¡¯t want to, I won¡¯t force you." [Party Chat] Gram, "I don¡¯t know if I can be much help, but I will try my best if it¡¯s for the sake of the party. What do you need me to do?" [Party Chat] Niflheim, "Survive. And, if possible, get her to reveal as many cards in her hand as possible. Colorful Nimbus, you will be tasked with gauging her initial response to direct physical attacks, so throw everything you have at her. I will then use the knowledge the two of you obtained and attempt to draw out any trump cards. Sacred de, I want you to maintain your distance and focus on long to mid-range attacks. Since your strikes are abination of physical and magic damage, it¡¯ll help us see how she reacts to magic-based attacks. If it turns out she has a natural weakness towards magic, it¡¯ll be up to the Phantom Queen to deal the final blow, which is why she will be thest to fight. But, let¡¯s hope that it doesn¡¯t have toe to that. And so, we¡¯ll be counting on you to end things before we reach that point, Izroth." [Party Chat] Colorful Nimbus, "...Can we get a TL;DR1 version?" [Party Chat] Gram, "..." [Party Chat] Sacred de, "..." [Party Chat] Niflheim, "..." [Party Chat] Morrighan, "..." [Party Chat] Izroth, "..." Back at the tform... ¡¯Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis. It¡¯s a name I haven¡¯te across on either floor of the Amaharpe Pce Library. I wonder how long it¡¯s been since she left this crusade behind in the Mortal Realm.¡¯ Swoosh! A streak of blue and silver light soared through the air towards Gram. Bang! Gram managed to lift his mace in time to parry the attack; however, he was knocked back several meters from the strike¡¯s impact. Gram¡¯s eyes widened and his hands trembled uncontrobly. Just from parrying one attack, his arms had gone numb! Swoosh! The blue and silver light curved as it headed straight for Tal¡¯Nis. But, just as it was about to make contact, it came to an abrupt stop. The moment it did so, the streak of light¡¯s revealed itself as the sword hovering close to Tal¡¯Nis. Gram immediately cast a stream of buffs on himself that rose his attack power, agility, movement speed, and granted him a temporary aura of protection. Since he sessfully parried the sword, Gram did not receive any damage in ordance with the rules Tal¡¯Nis set. However, Gram understood after the first attempt¡ªif he tried to parry a blow like that again, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep holding onto the mace in his hands! "Oh? I did not think that you had the capability to defend against that attack. But, if you¡¯re able to handle that much, perhaps I can disy a bit more of my strength." Tal¡¯Nis stated. The next moment, the sword next to Tal¡¯Nis started to rotate at frightening speeds as it became epassed in blue mes that matched Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ hair. ¡¯This is... It seems like she¡¯ll be more troublesome to deal with than I anticipated.¡¯ When the blue mes materialized, Izroth sensed an air of familiarity from them. Tal¡¯Nis was using Essence¡ªthe same type of Essence that came from possessing a Source! However, the purity of this Essence was leagues above Izroth¡¯s current Spirit Source. ¡¯She¡¯s purposely limiting the output of her Essence as not to immediately overwhelm her opponent... Could this be what they meant by the enemy always staying just one step ahead in a crusade?¡¯ TL;DR = Too Long, Didn¡¯t Read. Basically used when someone wants a shorter version of something. Chapter 694 - TalNis

Chapter 694 - Tal''Nis

"?!" Gram was rmed by the blue mes that gathered to Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ de. There was no way he could parry something like that with his mace¡ªeven with the buffs he used on himself! As for Gram avoiding the attack, it waspletely out of the question. He could barely react to the sword¡¯s lightning-like speed. "I will have to depend on my protective barrier to-" As Gram thought about how to deal with Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ attack, he suddenly felt a cold wind brush past his neck. It was soon followed by an intense burning sensation that made him feel as though his whole body was tossed into a sea of mes! ¡´Battle Alert: Your protective barrier has absorbed a hit.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [4/5]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [3/5]¡µ As he received the system alerts, Gram was shocked. The protective barrier he most recently cast on himself was immediately destroyed. Not only that but even after sessfully protecting him from one strike, he was still struck twice. This meant that if he did not employ the protective barrier beforehand, he would have already been down to two hits remaining! Gram tightened his grip on the mace in his hands as it became epassed in red mana. Even if he was a supporter, Gram did not n on going down without a fight! At the same time, outside the tform, Niflheim sighed as he observed the battle. "I predicted things to turn out this way, but... No, I shouldn¡¯t set impossible expectations. I guess being around him has made me believe that there¡¯s a miracle around every corner." Niflheim internalized as he briefly nced over at Izroth. Niflheim returned his gaze to the stage and said, "It looks like this is as much as we¡¯ll get from Gram¡¯s battle. That floating sword seems to be her primary mode of attack. And, when those blue mes appeared around it, the weapon¡¯s speed and power appeared to have been increased sevenfold. With this, at least you won¡¯t go in blind, Colorful Nimbus." He then continued, "It¡¯ll be up to you to push her a bit further. Try to get up close and personal¡ªI want to see how she responds to a proper melee attack and if she has any defensive skills." "Close and personal, huh? You say that, but that sword¡¯s going to be a pain. Closing the distance is going to be a nightmare. That being said... I was never one to shy away from a challenge. Leave it to me." Colorful Nimbus stated with a yful grin. "Looks like the battle¡¯s just about over." Sacred demented. On the tform, Gram had just been struck a fourth time by Tal¡¯Nis. Now, he was just one hit away from being eliminated. Gram leaped forward and mmed his mace into the ground, releasing a surge of red energy in Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ direction! This was one of Gram¡¯s few offensive skills, and one of his trump cards, Harmful Shock. Based on the number of total buffs Gram had active and the number of debuffs on his target, the power, and range of Harmful Shock were enhanced. Unfortunately, Tal¡¯Nis resisted the majority of Gram¡¯s debuffs, and the ones that did manage to work did notst longer than a few seconds. For this reason, Gram employed nearly every buff in his arsenal. By the time he was finished, Gram had close to twenty active buffs! Several of the buffs Gram utilized were situational, such as increasing one¡¯s jump range or improving their vision in the dark. However, as long as it would raise the strength of his Harmful Shock, Gram did not care what buff was active. Being only a single hit away from bing eliminate, he decided to put his all into this one strike! The wave of red energy rushed towards Tal¡¯Nis and carried with it a great deal of destructive power. "Your efforts are admirable. But, the oue of this fight has long been decided." Tal¡¯Nis spoke as she reached out with the palm of her hand. Suddenly, the sword next to Tal¡¯Nis shot forward. However, instead of colliding with Gram¡¯s Harmful Shock, it evaded and went straight for Gram! Though Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ actions were strange. At their current travel speeds, the wave generated by Gram¡¯s Harmful Shock would reach her before the sword could hit Gram. "Does she n on blocking that with her b.a.r.e hands?" Colorful Nimbus frowned. "No. It seems the difficulty of this challenge has risen again." Izroth stated calmly. Swoosh! BANG! As predicted, Gram¡¯s energy wave reached Tal¡¯Nis moments before her sword made it to him. However, everyone was startled by what happened next. Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ sword had stabbed through Gram¡¯s heart. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [0/5]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Gram has been eliminated! [Time Survived: 23 seconds]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Colorful Nimbus will be automatically transferred to the tform in 10 seconds!¡µ But, what surprised everyone was not Gram¡¯s defeat. Instead, it was the object hovering in front of Tal¡¯Nis¡ªa second sword! Tal¡¯Nis materialized a second sword to fend off Gram¡¯s Harmful Shock and came outpletely unscathed. The sword that pierced into Gram shot all the way through, creating a hole in his c.h.e.s.t before returning to Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ side. Now, there were two terrifying des hovering around the Lady of the Evesting Rain! "This is rming. If she¡¯s capable of materializing those swords at will, then this has just be an even bigger headache than we envisioned." Sacred de said as he furrowed his brows. Zeeeut! Out of nowhere, Gram appeared next to Izroth and the others. Everyone was taken aback by Gram¡¯s abrupt appearance. They assumed he would be sent back to the waiting room after taking thest blow; however, there were no signs of damage. Even the hole in his c.h.e.s.t had been closed up and fully healed! Then, just moments after Gram¡¯s arrival, Colorful Nimbus was teleported onto the tform. "I failed... My apologies." Gram said with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "No, you more than exceeded expectations. If not for yourst attack, Colorful Nimbus would have been the one to deal with the sudden appearance of a second sword. Now that he¡¯s aware of it, at the very least, he can make some preparations. We all can¡ªthanks to your efforts. Good job, Gram." Niflheim stated with a light smile as he reassured Gram. Gram gave a slight nod in response. "Do you still have ess to your skills?" Niflheim asked. Gram shook his head and replied, "Locked." "I see... I guess that¡¯s to be expected." Niflheim sighed. A couple of secondster, the countdown reached zero as the next match started. Without hesitation, Colorful Nimbus used a footwork skill that increased his movement speed. He chose to take the initiative and make closing the distance a priority! "I¡¯ll show you the power of someone ranked 25th on the event leaderboards!" Colorful Nimbus dered as a light green aura covered his fists. Swoosh! Colorful Nimbus twisted his body as a streak of blue and silver light shot just past his neck. He was able to elude Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ sword without slowing his advance. Soon after, the second sword became coated in blue mes. It was the same ferocious attack she used against Gram! However, unlike Gram, Colorful Nimbus knew about it beforehand. "Heh, if you think I¡¯ll be that easy to take down you¡¯re daydreaming! Take this!" Colorful Nimbus roared. ... "Damn it! Just more second¡ªone more second!" Colorful Nimbus angrily kicked the ground as he was ejected from the tform. Colorful Nimbus put up a decent struggle against Tal¡¯Nis, but, in the end, he was unable toy a finger on her. It was one of his most frustrating experiences ever since he first started ying RML! "That sneaky woman¡¯s unreasonable! Howe she keeps summoning swords out of nowhere?! What are we even supposed to do against something like that?!" Colorful Nimbus scowled. At first, the fight seemed to be going in a good direction as Colorful Nimbus arrived within melee range of Tal¡¯Nis at the cost of taking one strike head-on. However, he was immediately forced to retreat after taking damage from a third sword that was materialized by Tal¡¯Nis. By the end of the fight, there were four swords floating next to the Lady of the Evesting Rain. And, as if doing so just to mock him, Colorful Nimbus was just one second shy of surviving for one minute! Although he hated to admit it, maybe they had bitten off more than they could chew by challenging the third stage with a Hero ss protecting it. Regardless, Colorful Nimbus knew that it was out of his hands. Now, it was up to the next person. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim will be automatically transferred to the tform in 10 seconds!¡µ Chapter 695 - Assimilate!

Chapter 695 - Assimte!

"So far, everything is going as nned. There was a minor setback since Gram and Colorful Nimbus got eliminated before the two-minute mark, but there¡¯s nothing that can be done about that." Niflheim internalized as the countdown for him to teleport onto the tform neared its end. Ideally, Gram and Colorful Nimbus would have survived the full two minutes against Tal¡¯Nis; however, she was stronger than they anticipated. The worse part of it was that Tal¡¯Nis, instead of exposing her weaknesses or hitting some sort of limit, only seemed to be growing stronger with every confrontation. "Is she toying with us? No... I¡¯m not getting that feeling from her. Well, no matter. My objective doesn¡¯t change. I must force her to reveal at least one of her trump cards, and¡ªI have to endure the entire two minutes." Niflheim thought to himself. The next moment, Niflheim was transported to the tform¡¯s center. Upon arrival, Niflheim unsheathed his sword as a shield materialized in his other hand. ¡¯We¡¯ve already reached the halfway mark and all she has done is summon more swords while periodically infusing the blue mes into the des carefully. If it was only capable of this much, not to mention the Immortal Hydra, even the Headless Horseman of the Abyss would¡¯ve overwhelmed her.¡¯ After observing Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ matches against Gram and Colorful Nimbus, Izroth had suspicions regarding her unusual approach. Earlier, Tal¡¯Nis mentioned that crusades were a way for those who¡¯ve ascended to leave behind their mark so that they would not be forgotten. Then, instead of an actual battle, she sets up a challenge that benefited them more than anything else. But, what truly bothered Izroth was being reminded of Guide¡¯s warning and advice. "Everything that appears before you is an enemy in one way or another without exception" and "For the third stage, do not think about winning against what you face."¡ªthese two warnings were what troubled Izroth. At first, he simply brushed it off as Guide¡¯s way of making sure they kept their guard up at all times. Or, perhaps it was a mind games ploy, and Guide himself was also an enemy despite iming to be their only ally. Whatever the case, for some reason, the longer he watched Tal¡¯Nis, the more Izroth could not shake Guide¡¯s words. ¡¯What was he trying to tell us?¡¯ As this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he set his sights on the tform¡¯s center as the match was about to start. He hoped that Niflheim would be able to verify some of his suspicions. After all, if there was one person who was suited for surviving against an opponent one on one, it was Niflheim. "Maw of the Devouring Beast." Niflheim raised his shield as the massive maw of a mighty beast rushed out towards Tal¡¯Nis. CHOMP! The beast devoured Tal¡¯Nis before dissipating, leaving Tal¡¯Nispletely unharmed in the process. "This one is a little more interesting than the two that came before him," Tal¡¯Nis said to herself. Swoosh! Two of the swords by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ side sliced through the air as they aimed right for Niflheim! "Assimte," Niflheim called out just moments before the swords were about to strike! ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Assimte? has failed!¡µ Failed? Niflheim was shocked when he received the alert; however, he did not have time to think as he repositioned himself to intercept the two swords. BANG! Niflheim slid back one step but managed to firmly hold his ground as the blow¡¯s impact. Heavy¡ªthis was the first word that came to Niflheim¡¯s mind when he blocked Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ swords. Now, he could see why Gram and Colorful Nimbus struggled to survive a full two minutes. There were only so many times one could guard or parry against this kind of attack before their arms turned numb. Fortunately, Niflheim had the advantage of a shield, which allowed the impact to be more evenly distributed. "It failed?" Niflheim internalized as he inwardly furrowed his brows. There were only two reasons that Assimte would fail. The first was that the shield would be detrimental to Niflheim and provide lesser benefits than his shield at the time. As for the second reason, it was that he would be unable to control the newly acquired shield! Given that Tal¡¯Nis was a Hero ss individual, Niflheim concluded the first reason was too much of a stretch; therefore, it had to be the second. However, if Niflheim could not find a way to sessfully Assimte, it would ce him at a significant disadvantage! The two swords returned to Tal¡¯Nis as blue mes formed around the other two des. At the same time, the des exploded forward in a blue and white streak with incredible momentum. "Rampart of the Passive Beast." Rmmmmmble! The surrounding area at the tform¡¯s center slightly trembled. Then, out of nowhere, a thick wall rose from the ground in between Niflheim and Tal¡¯Nis. The wall stood roughly four meters high, one meter in length, and nearly two meters thick. Crash! Crrrrck! Almost immediately after the wall appeared, the first sword with blue mes mmed into it, causing the wall¡¯s surface to develop several cracks. The second sword reached the wall not even a second apart as it pierced through the spot right above where the first sword was impaled. This caused the wall to copse and crumble to pieces. Swoosh! While the wall managed to somewhat slow it down, the second de did not stop even after the wall¡¯s copse and continued on its path to Niflheim. "Hm? That is... I see. This must be why the aura I sensed earlier possessed an air of familiarity. You¡ªare you the descendant or discipline of the Seventh Demon n?" Tal¡¯Nis questioned as the swords retreated next to her with the mes around them extinguished. "Seventh Demon n? Never heard of them. Though I don¡¯t mind hearing about them if you¡¯re in a talkative mood." Niflheim replied calmly. ¡´Battle Alert: You have sessfully used ?Assimte?. A new shield has been added to your arsenal. Auto equipping...¡µ Since Assimte only had a one-second cooldown, Niflheim continued to use it and nned to do so until he was sessful. Though he never imagined that it would only take him one more attempt. It was as if his shield sensed the impending danger from Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ attack and allowed him to call forth his newly assimted shield. "Still, this is more than just a little different from what I envisioned." Niflheim internalized. The shield in his hand underwent drastic changes. It no longer had a physical and was reced by formless light-blue mes that resembled what Tal¡¯Nis used; however, its intensity, while fierce, was much less defined inparison. This was not Niflheim¡¯s first time obtaining an unusual shield, but out of the countless shields he acquired from using Assimte, this was definitely the most unique in terms of appearance. Not to mention... "What is this sensation? It feels like this shield is constantly flowing away from me every time I try to control it. And, whenever I let it go for even a split moment, it feels like I¡¯m drowning." Niflheim thought to himself. If he had to describe the sensation, it was simr to someone trying to keep water in their hand by balling up their fist. No matter how hard you tried to hold it, the water would flow out from your grasp. "It¡¯s fine. If you don¡¯t know, perhaps it is your fate. Walk your own path. If it is truly meant to be, then the answer will reveal itself to you." Tal¡¯Nis responded. "Then, since you insist¡ªI will show you the results of the path I¡¯ve chosen up until this point." Niflheim shifted his stance. He then utilized Rush as he kicked off his back foot with a burst of movement speed! ¡¯Oh? Are those mes his new shield?¡¯ Izroth was unable to examine the shield from this distance with his Energy Vision Sense due to the barrier¡¯s interference; however, it gave off a simr aura to the mes Tal¡¯Nis used. Of course, there was ack of Essence considering Niflheimcked a Source. But, the mes he wielded seemed to possess a unique trait of their own. ¡¯It appears to be unstable in a state of instability. Will he be able to hold out for two minutes?¡¯ Even from outside the tform and without the use of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth could tell that Niflheim was having some trouble controlling his newly acquired shield. However, given the power it contained, Izroth was not surprised. ¡¯If he can find a way to control those mes, hisbat potential will reach a new height.¡¯ Niflheim swiftly closed the distance with Rush and arrived less than six meters away from Tal¡¯Nis. That¡¯s when Tal¡¯Nis did something that went against all expectations. The four swords at her side disappeared¡ªshe got rid of them! Niflheim inwardly frowned when he saw this action; however, he did not halt his steps. "I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s up to, but I won¡¯t give her time to do it." Niflheim internalized. ...Plop Suddenly, a single raindrop fell from the sky andnded right in front of Niflheim. Chapter 696 - A Glimpse At the Peak

Chapter 696 - A Glimpse At the Peak

Without warning, the blue mes from Niflheim¡¯s shield erupted forward and covered the front of his body. As thest of the blue mes arrived in ce, the ground before Niflheim where the single raindrop fell abruptly sunk as a strong pressure was released from the area of impact. The impact resembled something left behind by the edge of a de. It was thin and a little less than two meters long; however, the scar on the tform itself seemed to travel down much further. Niflheim was pushed by an overwhelming force as the blue mes scattered and he was forced to forego his charge and retreat a couple of meters. "What was that just now? A raindrop? No, it looked a bit different." Niflheim internalized with a grave expression as the scattered blue mes gathered at his left arm. Niflheim was wary after the swords by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ side disappeared. If they were moving, it was at a speed that broke the sound barrier many times over. So much so that he could not even hear it, let alone keep track of its shadow! If the des simply turned invisible, they should have at least made a sound as they sailed through the air and approached his position. But, Niflheim had a feeling that both of those assumptions were incorrect. And, it had to do with the raindrop that fell just as he was about topletely close the distance between himself and Tal¡¯Nis. It passed right in front of his eyes and gave him a sensation that could only be described as dread. Given that the tform was surrounded by an unimaginably powerful barrier, even a drop of rain should not have been able to get inside. Not to mention, what kind of rain produced such frightening sword marks? If the blue mes had been just half a secondte, Niflheim knew that he would not have made it out of there unscathed. "So, it can move on its own to protect its owner? How convenient, but... It really is too difficult for me to control. Just regathering the scattered mes took me a lot of effort. More importantly, if these blue mes are capable of protecting its owner¡ªis her peculiar hair able to do the same? If it can, this fight just became a lot harder." Niflheim thought to himself. Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ lips curled into a light smile. "Even if I was holding back, it has been longer than I can remember since someonest avoided my Evesting Rain without having witnessed it beforehand. As a reward, I shall grant you an additional thirty seconds. Whether you can use that time or not¡ªit is up to you." Tal¡¯Nis said calmly. ¡´System Alert: 30 seconds have been added to the active time! [Time Remaining: 1 minute(s) 55 second(s).¡µ ¡¯Oh? It increased?¡¯ Izroth, along with the rest of the party, received a sudden alert from the system regarding the challenge¡¯s time limit. And, to their surprise, Niflheim¡¯s time limit went up by thirty seconds. That was a 25% increase! "Eh? Why did it go up?" Colorful Nimbus asked curiously. "I¡¯d like to know as well. It looks like she¡¯s talking to him, but I can¡¯t hear anything they¡¯re saying because of this barrier." Sacred de furrowed his brows. "We will have to wait for Niflheim¡¯s return to find out. Every second in this challenge is precious. If there is a method to increase our time limit, I am certain Niflheim will not withhold such critical information." Morrighan stated. Izroth turned his gaze to the top area of the barrier. ¡¯Such heavy sword intent. It goes well past my third baneful sword. If she decides to release it all at once, I¡¯m afraid he would not survive for long.¡¯ At the same time, on the tform, Niflheim was just as taken aback as his fellow party members. Tal¡¯Nis imed it was a reward of sorts, but was it really such a simple and whimsical reason? "Heh... How unlike me to overthink things to this extent. Thest time this happened, nothing good came of it. Some people are easier to understand when taken at face value. In this respect, she¡¯s just like him." Niflheim internalized as he became momentarily reminded of the events that transpired during the Great Sea Pce raid. Though Niflheim did not allow these thoughts to linger and quickly cleared his mind. He had just gotten thirty seconds, but as Tal¡¯Nis said, it was up to him and his ability to actually make proper use of it. "Since you¡¯re offering it, I won¡¯t reject your kindness. Just don¡¯t go regretting itter on." Niflheim responded. "Life is often full of regrets. This, however, is not one of them I can assure you. More importantly¡ªdo you have time to waste on words?" Tal¡¯Nis casually pointed towards the sky. Lingering silently in the air above the tform was a massive collection of raindrops that appeared to be suspended in mid-air. However, these raindrops did not seem as though they were made out of water. In fact, when grouped together, it looked more like an ocean set aze by blue mes. Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands¡ªthere were more than Niflheim could count. To make matters worse, it covered every corner of the tform so there was nowhere for him to escape! "This is the true form of my Evesting Rain. Those who have seen it and lived to tell the tale are among the few. So, do your best." Tal¡¯Nis said as she pointed towards Niflheim. The next moment, in the sky above the tform, one of the raindrops left its suspended state and descended from the sky. This was soon followed by a second and third. At first, it could not even bepared to a drizzle given how slow the raindrops were falling. But, with each droplet that fell, the one that came after it seemed to leave its state of suspension a little faster. With the aid of the blue mes that acted as his shield, Niflheim skillfully avoided the raindrops as it began to develop into a constant drizzle. He even managed to block them a few times; however, each time that he did so, his connection to the blue mes would be weaker. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [4/5]¡µ Suddenly, just as Niflheim blocked one raindrop, another followed on the same path less than a second after it. Unable to endure the blow twice in quick session, it slipped past Niflheim¡¯s defenses and counted as a hit against him. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [3/5]¡µ "At this rate, I¡¯ll just end up running around until I die or time expires. I have to interrupt the flow of battle." Niflheim thought to himself. Niflheim immediately moved into action as he used Unimpeded Rush to boost his movement speed as he charged towards Tal¡¯Nis! Woosh! Plop A raindrop hit the location Niflheim had just been standing, leaving behind a mark of devastation no weaker than the first one. Thanks to Unimpeded Charge, after avoiding the second attack, Niflheim arrived within striking range of Tal¡¯Nis as he brandished the sword in his hand. The blue mes that made up her hair remained unmoved as Niflheim¡¯s de moved closer to Tal¡¯Nis. There were also no signs of her swords rematerializing. Nor did she take any defensive actions. In fact, in all of her fights, Tal¡¯Nis had yet to take a single step! It made Niflheim uneasy, to say the least. However, due to the side effect of Unimpeded Charge, he could not afford to pull back now! Though even if he could, Niflheim would not do so. "I won¡¯t overthink it. The fact that she has revealed her skill¡¯s true form¡ªthis alone can count as my sess. But... Now that I¡¯vee this far, how can I be satisfied with just that?" Niflheim internalized. Niflheim understood that if he stayed on the defensive now, he would be quickly overwhelmed by the Evesting Rain. If that happened, he could forget about having Tal¡¯Nis reveal any more of her hidden cards. It would just end with him defending and running around until the time ran out, or with his death. If those were the only two options at his back, then he could only move forward and create a third option! "Just a little more..! I can reach her!" Niflheim thought to himself. As Niflheim¡¯s de grew nearer, a smirk appeared on Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ face. The next moment, Niflheim felt the tform beneath his feet tremble as a torrent descended right in between himself and Tal¡¯Nis! Rmmmmmble! Crack! Before his de could reach Tal¡¯Nis, Niflheim was blown away several meters as he was knocked off his feet! ¡´Battle Alert: Your sessful block has absorbed a hit.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your protective aura has absorbed a hit.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [2/5]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [1/5]¡µ From above, it looked like a smaller version of the abyss on the first stage where the Headless Horseman lurked! The entire tform had been cut into two as the torrent came to a grinding halt. At that moment, everyone who observed from the tform¡¯s side had the same thought cross their mind¡ªthis is what it¡¯s like to glimpse at the peak of this world! Chapter 697 - Friendly Wager

Chapter 697 - Friendly Wager

As Niflheim was knocked away and his feet left the ground, he swiftly activated Break Restraints to free himself from the crowd control. He adjusted his body andnded somewhat roughly several meters away from where Tal¡¯Nis stood. The next moment, the blue mes on Niflheim¡¯s arm started to grow increasingly unstable and out of control. As a result, Niflheim was forced to cancel the assimted shield as it returned to its original form. "Even after blocking and using one of my lifesaving skills, I still took that many hits?" Niflheim said to himself as he stared at therge scar on the tform created by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯test attack. The sturdy tform had been cleaning sliced in two! "Looks like my time¡¯s up." Niflheim thought to himself. He could not help but release a small sigh of frustration. He finally understood how Colorful Nimbus felt when faced off against Tal¡¯Nis. It was like being thirsty and having a cup of refreshing water right in front of you. But, every time you picked up the cup to take a sip, the water inside would abruptly vanish¡ªonly to reappear again when you set the cup down. Somehow, Tal¡¯Nis managed to wlessly stay both just in and out of reach simultaneously. It made one feel as though she had several openings when, in reality, those openings never existed! ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim¡¯s time has expired! [Time Survived: 2 minute(s) 30 second(s)]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Sacred de will be automatically transferred to the tform in 10 seconds!¡µ A magic circle appeared beneath Niflheim¡¯s feet as he turned his gaze to Tal¡¯Nis and the rain stopped falling from above. "I want to know, this battle¡ªis there any hope for us to clear this stage?" Niflheim asked in a straightforward manner. It¡¯s not as though Niflheim believed that the battle was already over. After all, Sacred de and the party¡¯s top two damage dealers had yet to step onto the tform. However, Niflheim was curious as to whether or not Tal¡¯Nis would be willing to respond to his question. Tal¡¯Nis lightly smiled and replied, "If hope does not exist where you reside, you merely have to discover a way to create your own. That is my answer." "Create your own, is it?" Niflheim muttered to himself as the magic circle beneath his feet emitted a bright sh of light. In an instant, Niflheim was teleported off the tform. ... Upon his arrival outside the tform, Niflheim wasted no time updating the others on the situation and giving his personal outlook on his fight with Tal¡¯Nis. Although everyone had been carefully observing the match from beginning to end, watching and experiencing firsthand were two different things. Niflheim shared every piece of information he could with Sacred de before the countdown ended and they were transported onto the tform. Of course, the main thing everyone was most curious about was how Niflheim¡¯s timer increased by thirty seconds. But, even Niflheim did not know the exact reason. So, in the end, he told the group what Tal¡¯Nis said to him at that time. In the meantime, Sacred de¡¯s turnmenced. The tform had been repaired to a state of perfection as no signs from the previous battle could be found. At the same time, Niflheim proceeded to give more in-depth details regarding his experiences to Izroth and Morrighan as they spectated the ongoing battle. This included the answer to the question he asked Tal¡¯Nis as he was being teleported off the tform. "Ha? Create your own hope? Then, does that mean it¡¯s hopeless for us to win? To start with, how the hell do you even create something like hope in a situation that¡¯s hopeless?" Colorful Nimbus scowled. He then continued, "You fought her, right? So you understand it as well¡ªthat annoying feeling of getting ready to cross the finish line only to have it relocated at thest second. She¡¯s clearly toying with us! She¡¯s been looking down on us ever since we came to this stage!" "It¡¯s a question I don¡¯t have the answer for. Not to mention, if she is just toying with us as you say, then we should be thankful. Otherwise, if we had to face her head-on like the monsters on the first two stages, I¡¯m afraid we would have already returned to the world we know empty-handed." Niflheim replied calmly. "Thankful?! You...! Ah, whatever! Let¡¯s just be thankful she¡¯s treating us like some ythings! In fact, why don¡¯t we all get together and personally thank her after this is all over? We can even prepare a few gifts!" Colorful Nimbus scoffed as he angrily stomped away to the other end of the tform. "Is it fine to leave him like that?" Morrighan asked as her gaze remained on the tform. Niflheim heavily sighed as he shook his head and said, "He¡¯s just sulking. He¡¯ll get over it, eventually. I¡¯m sure his pride took a hard hit. It¡¯s not easy having practically half of your skillset be useless and epting that your opponent felt you were not as worthy as the one who came after you." With healing skills being ineffective, Colorful Nimbus was essentially like a bird with his wings clipped considering it yed a significant role in his hybrid ss. Add on to that his pride as a top yer, the way Tal¡¯Nis fought, and the fact that she felt that using the floating swords alone was enough to defeat him, Niflheim understood where Colorful Nimbus wasing from. "Setting that aside for now... Izroth, Morrighan¡ªbased on what you two have observed so far, how confident in you innding a hit on her?" Niflheim inquired. Morrighan replied, "If it¡¯s just that much, there¡¯s at least a 90% chance. That being said..." "Yeah, there¡¯s no guarantee that this is as far as she¡¯ll go," Izroth stated. "It was a good call to choose individual matches. If we had been caught off guard by that rain, most of us would have been wiped out. Now that I know of its existence, I can prepare a few countermeasures." Morrighanmented. She nced over at Izroth and continued, "That is if you are unsessful. It is my understanding that at times my choice of words maye off as being too direct¡ªI hope you did not take any personal offense." "If I were so easily offended, I¡¯m afraid the number of enemies I¡¯d make would fill this world several times over," Izroth said in a carefree manner. He then continued, "But, I fear your preparations are unnecessary¡ªsince I have no intention of losing, that is." "Then, would you care to have a small friendly wager?" Morrighan asked. ¡¯A wager?¡¯ "I did not take the Phantom Queen as the gambling type," Izrothmented. "You¡¯d be correct in your assumption; however, I¡¯m making a special exception," Morrighan informed. "Very well. I don¡¯t necessarily mind taking part in a friendly wager. What did you have in mind? I should mention beforehand that I do notck money." Izroth stated. "The terms of the wager are simple. The winner of the wager is whoever seeds innding a hit on Tal¡¯Nis and clearing the third stage. If both of us fail, then it will be considered a tie and neither of us has to forfeit anything. Of course, I, too, have no intention of losing." Morrighan exined. "Interesting. So, what are you betting?" Izroth asked straight to the point. "One A-rank magic item," Morrighan answered calmly. "?!" Niflheim, who had been silently listening to the two speak the entire time, was shocked by Morrighan¡¯s offer. She was actually willing to bet an A-rank magic item?! One had to know that even for top guilds acquiring magic items above C-rank was a challenging task. This had to do with the limited number of magic items in RML and the scarcity of those that were B-rank or higher. A single A-rank magic item was powerful enough to bebeled a top guild¡¯s trump card. It was not an item just casually ced up for a wager! ¡¯Oh? It¡¯s the same rank as the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels. To think she¡¯d give up something of that value.¡¯ After forming his first Soul Avatar, Empyrean, Izroth¡¯s Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels becamepletely unusable. However, when it was functioning properly, the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels was a top-ss magic item with various effects. However, the fact that Morrighan was willing to part with something so valuable left Izroth wondering just what the Phantom Queen wanted of him in exchange. "I see... Since you¡¯re willing to offer such a high-end item, can it be that you¡¯re after the Hydra¡¯s heart?" Izroth questioned. "No. A wager is only fair when both parties put up something of equal value. When ites to the Hydra¡¯s heart you¡¯ve obtained, even if I had an S-rank magic item to offer, I fear it may still fall short of its value." Morrighan stated. "What I want is a portion of the Hydra blood you collected." Chapter 698 - Settled, Who Are You?

Chapter 698 - Settled, Who Are You?

"Hydra blood? He snuck something like that out of the second stage?" Niflheim thought to himself. With its putrid smell and detrimental effects, the Hydra¡¯s blood should have been a challenge to keep contained. Niflheim did not know the value of the Hydra¡¯s blood; however, considering it came from a World ss beast, he figured its worth was anything butcking. Not to mention, Morrighan was prepared to put up an A-rank magic item against it in a bet¡ªthat alone spoke volumes of its significance. "Oh? I don¡¯t remember mentioning anything about obtaining any Hydra blood." Izroth said casually. ¡¯How did she find out? Or, is she just guessing and hoping to get an answer by gauging my response?¡¯ Izroth collected the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood while still inside the World ss beast. Also, it¡¯s not as though he went out of his way to inform the others that he acquired some of the Hydra¡¯s blood; therefore, he was curious what methods Morrighan used to uncover it. After all, it was safely tucked away into his inventory and he had not taken it out due to the harmful effects it would have on those who inhaled the Hydra¡¯s blood scent. "I believe that you¡¯re not the type of person who is so easily satisfied. That aside, not only are you the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, but you also have direct ties to the only two known Pill Emperors in RML. Even if you are not proficient in crafting, at the very least, surely you must have picked up a thing or two." Morrighan exined. She then continued, "A material like Hydra¡¯s blood is something thought to be an old legend. ording to those legends, some of itsmonly known uses include creating deadly poisons or powerful healing elixirs. It is a material that every craftsman would like to get their hands on, especially Alchemists and Apothecaries. I figured since Pce Master Izroth has a good head on their shoulders, they would have seized the opportunity should it have presented itself. After all, would it not make a great gift for the two Pill Emperors under your wing? Of course, if I am wrong, you may feel free to correct me." ¡¯So, it was a guess, after all. But-¡¯ "No, you are right. Indeed, I did manage to store some of the Hydra¡¯s blood while I was inside of its body." Izroth confirmed without pause. ¡¯I suppose this is fine. It¡¯s not as though I was intentionally keeping it a secret.¡¯ When it came to things like Hydra¡¯s blood, the majority of yers would keep a tight seal on it. If other yers knew that they possessed such a valuable resource, the owner of that resource would be hounded nonstop. Some would approach them to acquire it through fair means, but there were always those with bad intentions who wanted everything for themselves. Even if obtaining it required the use of force! However, Izroth was not concerned about being forced or threatened to relinquish the Hydra¡¯s blood. After all, thest group of people who tried to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y take something that belonged to him ended up dropping out of the top ten guilds! "You seem to be quite knowledgable regarding Hydra¡¯s blood. I didn¡¯t know you were a craftsman. I wonder what profession the Phantom Queen has chosen that requires the use of Hydra blood?" Izroth inquired. "I, too, have secrets I like to keep to myself. More importantly, during the time you spent inside the Hydra, I¡¯m sure you noticed the dense magic energy it carried. I¡¯vee across ancient records that discussed a few of its potential applications. I wish to confirm for myself whether or not such applications are usible. One, in particr¡ªcreating an artificial Heart of Magic." Morrighan responded. ¡¯An artificial Heart of Magic? I did not see any mention of that listed on the item¡¯s usage. But, given that it¡¯s a mythical-rank material, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there are some hidden effects. Still, creating an artificial Heart of Magic¡ªis it possible?¡¯ After seizing the SS-rank magic item, Blood Moon, from the skounae city Vostracane¡¯s Netherly Unlit Grotto, Izroth discovered the existence of the Heart of Magic. While he had never seen the actual item, Izroth spected that the Heart of Magic was a special type of Magic Core that essentially contained a limitless amount of mana and magic energy. After all, even the second greatest Magic Core that required 10,000 Mana Force and a week recharge time, paled inparison to the 15,000,000 Mana Force and the one-year recharge time of the Heart of Magic. Now, Morrighan was telling him that it may be possible to replicate the effects of a Heart of Magic using Hydra¡¯s blood¡ªhow could he not be interested? "I see. Then, I will ept your wager so long as you ept one more condition." Izroth stated calmly. "You want to know about the ancient records, right?" "I¡¯m d you catch on quickly. If you include information about the ancient records regarding the Hydra¡¯s blood usage along with the A-rank magic item, I will consider it a reasonable trade-off." "Very well. I ept your terms. I hope that you are a man of your words, Izroth." "Rest assured, in my life, I have never gone back on my word." As Izroth and Morrighan wrapped up the details of their wager, Sacred de¡¯s battle reached its peak. Although the two were conversing with one another, neither of them looked away from the tform. Sacred de followed Niflheim¡¯s instructions and kept his distance from Tal¡¯Nis, alternating between long-range and mid-range attacks. Even though he was more agile than those who fought before him, Sacred de still had a difficult time evading the raindrops from above. In addition, he could notnd a solid hit despite the numerous openings that looked readily avable in Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ defenses. In the end, despite his best efforts, Sacred de was unable to prevail. And, without the lifesaving skills Niflheim had at his disposal, Sacred de was soon overwhelmed by the increasing number of raindrops. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [0/5]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth will be automatically transferred to the tform in 10 seconds!¡µ ... "Sorry, everyone. I tried to find an opening, but that strange rain rushes to protect her every time my attack got anywhere close." Sacred de sighed as he arrived back at the tform¡¯s edge with the rest of his party. Colorful Nimbus, who had angrily stomped away a while ago, also returned after cooling down a bit. Niflheim shook his head and said, "You did what I asked of you. Because of you, we were able to gauge her response to attacks at different ranges and angles. With this, it can be seen as a sessful match." "Still, it really is just as frustrating as you guys said it¡¯d be. I couldn¡¯t touch a single strand of hair on her head." Sacred Balde stated. "Wee to the club. Wait¡ªdoes she even have any hair? I mean, isn¡¯t it all just mes?" Colorful Nimbus muttered thest few parts to himself. "It looks like you¡¯re up, Pce Master Izroth. Be sure to avenge us properly once you¡¯re in there." Sacred de said half-jokingly. Sacred de had fought against many high-level boss monsters, but it was his first time experiencing that feeling of beingpletely helpless. He wanted to do more, especially since he was the one who discovered the crusade. But, someone of the Hero ss was in an entirely different league from the boss monsters he faced up until this point. To be honest, Sacred de started to have doubts about whether or not it was the correct choice to proceed to the third stage. However, he knew deep down that those doubts were merely formed from his recent taste of defeat and helplessness against Tal¡¯Nis. Therefore, he did his best to suppress these negative feelings and recollect himself. Izroth gave a small nod in response as the transportation processmenced. ¡¯Two minutes isn¡¯t much time. It looks like I won¡¯t be able to go at this one half-heartedly.¡¯ The following moment, Izroth was transported to the tform¡¯s center where his gaze immediately met with Tal¡¯Nis¡¯. "Hm? What¡¯s this? It seems someone rather interesting has made their way before me." Tal¡¯Nis internalized. Tal¡¯Nis lifted her hand up as something unexpected happened for the first time¡ªthe countdown had been paused! ¡´System Alert: The countdown until the battlemences has been paused at 3 seconds!¡µ ¡¯It stopped?¡¯ "The blessing of two, loose fragments of two Laws, a powerful curse, and a Source out of its infancy stage with the absence of a Domain¡ªyou, who are you?" Tal¡¯Nis said as her eyes narrowed. ¡¯Oh? As expected from someone who has reached that ce. Even if they are just a fragment left behind by the original person, they¡¯re still capable of seeing this much.¡¯ Chapter 699 - Press The Attack!

Chapter 699 - Press The Attack!

"I am Izroth. Is there a need for you to know anything else?" Izroth stated with a carefree smile. With just a nce, Tal¡¯Nis had seen through many of his secrets; therefore, Izroth had no ns to disclose any further information about himself of his own ord. Not to mention, there was a good chance that this fragment of the true Tal¡¯Nis was still tied to the original. If so, it might be possible for the Tal¡¯Nis before him to ry all the information back to her original body. At the moment, Izroth did know how or why, but there was someone in the Divine Realm that wanted to stifle his growth. If not for Kayn and the mysterious man he met near the end of the second team¡¯s selection, Izroth would have never found out about this enemy hidden so well within the shadows. Not to mention, the restriction that person ced upon him would¡¯ve undoubtedly still been present. In the end, Izroth was unsure of the events transpiring inside the Divine Realm. For all he knew, Tal¡¯Nis could be rted to the divine being that restricted him; therefore, the less she understood about him, the better. "So it is Izroth you go by. Then, Izroth, shall I provide you with some free advice? A hand closed neither gives nor receives," Tal¡¯Nis said unhurriedly. "When the world is in the palm of one¡¯s hand, what is left to receive, and¡ªwhat fool would give it away so freely?" Izroth replied indifferently. Tal¡¯Nis remained silent for a few seconds after Izroth spoke. She raised her hand to her mouth as the sound of softughter escaped from between her lips. Izroth was taken aback by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ behavior. He expected Tal¡¯Nis to lose her temper after not getting what she wanted out of him. It was Izroth¡¯s attempt to throw Tal¡¯Nis off her game and possibly create an opening to have some of his own questions answered. But, unexpectedly, Tal¡¯Nis was not angry nor did she seem offended by his statement. Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ughter slowly died down as she said, "You will have to excuse me. Your words reminded me of an old friend who once said something quite identical." She briefly paused and then continued, "Very well. It appears that your mind is made up. Then, shall we proceed?" ¡´System Alert: Countdown has been resumed. [Time Remaining: 3 second(s)]¡µ 2... Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. At the same time, the Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang appeared in his left hand. ¡´System Alert: Attack Damage for the item ?Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang? has been reduced by 975 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Agility for the item ?Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang? has been reduced by 152 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ Since Tal¡¯Nis seemed to match her opponent¡¯s strength and stay one step above them, Izroth prepared to start off strong. After observing the previous fights, Izroth understood that he could not afford to take it easy against someone like Tal¡¯Nis, and so, he needed every edge he could possibly get. Also, there was something Izroth had been eager to try ever since he observed Niflheim¡¯s match. ¡´System Alert: The match has officiallymenced!¡µ Zeeeut! The instant the countdown reached zero, Izroth utilized his Primed Instantaneous Movement to close the distance! Swoosh! In a sh, Izroth arrived next to Tal¡¯Nis as his figure began to flicker in and out of existence. Simultaneously, a powerful concentration of the lightning element converged at the edge of Izroth¡¯s de as he shed down mercilessly at Tal¡¯Nis! For a moment, Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm seemed to vanish mid-attack as the sound of a thunderp echoed throughout the third stage. The next moment, a bolt of lightning descended and struck at Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ location. When Izroth reached within striking range of Tal¡¯Nis, he immediately activated his Flickering Steps. In addition, he used his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder tounch a quick and decisive sword strike. With the attack speed increase from Dual Wielding, the agility boost from his Flickering Steps, and the bonus attack speed buffs provided by his third sword form, the speed of Izroth¡¯s sword strike moved at blinding speeds! The bolt of lightningnded, causing a cloud of smoke to form. Then, right after his attack, a powerful torrent of raindrops drilled down at Izroth¡¯s position! However, all that the deadly raindrops made contact with was the silhouette Izroth left behind as he retreated a few meters away from the striking zone. But, just as he retreated, Izroth kicked off his back foot as a strange vibration was released from his heel. Meanwhile, as the cloud of dust cleared up, Tal¡¯Nis stoodpletely unharmed by Izroth¡¯s high-speed assault. ¡¯I figured it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.¡¯ The blue mes that made up Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ hair extended outward and wrapped around her body, protecting her from Izroth¡¯s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. It was only the second time she used those mes to protect herself¡ªthe first time being against Sacred de¡¯sst all-out attack. ¡¯Still... her reaction speed is even more troublesome than I anticipated.¡¯ Upon his retreat when he kicked off the ground, Izroth used Behemoth¡¯s Quake. It was an AOE skill that sent out strong quake waves within thirty meters of every direction. In addition, it had a fixed amount of damage that ignored all defenses andsted ten seconds. Typically, Izroth would have never bothered using such a low damaging skill against Tal¡¯Nis as it was bound to be brushed aside. However, since the clear condition of the third stage was tond a single blow, Behemoth¡¯s Quake was an ideal skill. But, who would have thought that even at such a close distance and after being taken by surprise, that Tal¡¯Nis was able to prepare a counter within a fraction of time? The moment Izroth¡¯s foot touched the ground and released the quake waves, Tal¡¯Nis lightly tapped her foot on the tform to unleash a wave of vibrations that mirrored his Behemoth¡¯s Quake. The two waves collided with one another, ultimately canceling each other out. "A solid focus of both speed and power with no hesitation behind his strikes. Now, I have be even more interested in you, Izroth. Show me the power that is capable of drawing the blessings of those two." Tal¡¯Nis internalized. Woosh! Izroth did not stay and kept on a constant move, avoiding the raindrops that fell from above while looking for an opening. But, even then, Izroth¡¯s steps were not without purpose. Tsssst... Everywhere Izroth stepped, a scorching mark was left carved onto the tform due to the Earthly Inferno passive from his Scorched Inferno¡¯s Fang. ¡¯As expected, the burn status effect is incapable of prating her natural defenses. Then...¡¯ Izroth¡¯s speed surged to new heights as he employed the active skill of his Light Feather Footwork, increasing his movement speed by 250% for two seconds. As a result, Izroth was able to produce arge number of Inferno Prints. Then, right as the boost from his Light Feather Footwork ended, Izroth executed his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley, creating a fissure that traveled out in Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ direction. At the same time, a sh of bright light was released from the Inferno Prints on the tform¡¯s surface, followed by an ear-piercing explosion! ...BOOOOOOOOM!!! The stage shook violently as a towering pir of mes formed near the tform¡¯s center. The explosion and pir of mes were slightly weaker than what he used to take out Tigran, or rather, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss who was secretly controlling Tigran. But, its power was not too far off. "An interesting strategy. However, it¡¯s useless. If you n to rely on raw power and speed alone to win¡ªyou will find yourself met with disappointment." Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ voice sounded with the blue mes from her hair coiled around her body. "Since you seem to be quite capable, what do you say we take things up a few steps?" As Tal¡¯Nis spoke, a gentle breeze found its way onto the tform. ¡¯Hm? This is...¡¯ It was not long after its appearance that the gentle breeze transformed into harsh winds. The bizarre thing about the harsh winds was that the direction they blew was continually changing. And, while the winds were not powerful enough to interfere with Izroth¡¯s movements, they gave birth to a different problem. "?!" Without warning, Izroth pushed off his foot to the side as the area he stood in became riddled with deep cuts. ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been hit! [4/5]¡µ Just now, Izroth¡¯s reaction was fast, but at thest moment, something unusual happened. Due to the shifting harsh winds, the movements of the raindrops became erratic and unpredictable, causing one of them to sessfully graze Izroth¡¯s skin. As the rate of their descent rose, even under normal circ.u.mstances with his Energy Vision Sense, it would be challenging to keep track of everyst raindrop. Now, with the addition of the unpredictable winds, the difficulty had just increased severalfold! Chapter 700 - Intent

Chapter 700 - Intent

Suddenly, a small ring appeared on the tform around Izroth. The next moment, the ground became wavy like the rippling waters of the sea. ¡¯Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple.¡¯ A piercing sword intent erupted from Izroth¡¯s location that spread out in every direction. The raindrops in Izroth¡¯s vicinity were extinguished by the appearance of the Quelling Ripples and the newly formed ones were unable to enter the sphere of influence produced by the Izroth¡¯s ninth sword form. ¡¯It¡¯s holding up well, but I doubt it will go on for the full twenty-second duration. Do I have no choice but to use that skill here?¡¯ The Boundless Emperor Void Perfection¡ªright now, it was still in its early stages, but its power was already equivalent to that of a low-tier S-ranked skill! Izroth was thinking of using the Nullification Zone formed from the Boundless Nullifying Expanse to momentarily render the raindrops and blue mes that protected Tal¡¯Nis powerless. However, even though the skillsted for five minutes under normal circ.u.mstances, if someone¡¯s power exceeded Izroth¡¯s, they would be able to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y break free of the Nuffilication Zone and its restrictions. For someone like Tal¡¯Nis, Izroth believed that it would be a miracle if the Nuffilication Zone held on for one second, let alone the entire five minutes. ¡¯No, I can¡¯t use it just yet. If I fail, there will be no second chance. That¡¯s why first¡ªI have to properly set the stage.¡¯ Tal¡¯Nis employed the same method she used to disperse Izroth¡¯s Behemoth¡¯s Quake to counter the Quelling Ripple headed her way. And, since the blue mes that protected her were made of Essence and not magic or mana, it remained unaffected by the destabilizing effect of the Quelling Ripple. "It has been many cycles since I havest seen a high-level sword technique from someone in the Mortal Realm and have been unable to discover or recognize its origins. Having a disruption effect generated by a constant wave of ovepping sword intent¡ªadmittedly, an exceptional approach. It is unfortunate that you have yet to fully master this sword technique." Tal¡¯Nis stated calmly as she examined Izroth¡¯s ninth sword form. She then continued, "Since you¡¯ve shown me something good, I shall reward you." Bang! Out of nowhere, Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ blue mes formed a protective barrier at her back. "How generous of you," Izroth¡¯s voice sounded from behind Tal¡¯Nis as his Sword of The Storm collided with the blue mes. ¡¯She¡¯s able to see through the underlying principles of the ninth sword form?¡¯ Izroth sensed the extraordinary sword intent contained within each droplet of "rain"; therefore, he grasped early on that while the attack might seem like magic, it was, in fact, a profoundly intricate sword technique. Naturally, this meant that Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ understanding of the sword was notcking. And, based on the sword intent Tal¡¯Nis disyed, Izroth concluded that her sword technique well surpassed his Three Baneful Swords. ¡¯The time limit for my Flickering Steps is almost up. Once the effects of the World Quelling Ripple ends, I will be ced at a disadvantage without it. As arrogant as her words sounded, she was right. Relying on my speed and the power behind my attacks alone are not enough to break past thebination of the raindrops and protective blue mes.¡¯ Swoosh! Immediately following the strike with his Sword of The Storm, Izroth thrust the spear in his left hand forward with strong momentum. The power behind the blow was not too impressive; however, the time in between attacks was nonexistent. It was to the point that the two separate attacks appeared to be a single strike. But, it did not stop there. In total, Izroth attacked eleven times in a single moment! This was one of the effects attached to his Dual Wielding, Linked. Based on Izroth¡¯s attack speed, he could instantly connect and chain his weapon attacks while ignoring the typical cooldown period in the middle of attacks. All of a sudden, Izroth¡¯s Soul Sense went off, prompting him to swiftly withdraw! ¡¯So, she¡¯s capable of using both simultaneously, after all.¡¯ As Izroth retreated to a safe distance, he narrowed his eyes as he observed the circle of des that materialized in a circr formation at Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ back. The des emerged without warning and intercepted Izroth¡¯s Linkedbination of attacks as they shielded Tal¡¯Nis along with her blue mes. The next moment, the des scattered before hovering inclined above Tal¡¯Nis, constantly circling above her. In total, Tal¡¯Nis called forth nine swords. This was more than twice the amount that she employed in the previous matches. ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of the skill ?Flickering Steps? has ended.¡µ ¡¯Not the best timing.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s Flickering Steps finally came to an end as his agility took a massive hit. But, as if that was not enough, several raindrops were beginning to slip past the disruption effect of his Quelling Ripple as his ninth sword form became overwhelmed. ... Meanwhile, outside of the tform... "Hey, isn¡¯t that cheating?! I thought she couldn¡¯t use both skills at the same time!" Colorful Nimbus muttered. Niflheim furrowed his brows with a grim expression on his face. And, he was not the only one. The atmosphere outside the tform had be heavy and tense as Izroth¡¯s fight with Tal¡¯Nis took ce. Izroth¡¯s movements were so fast that it was difficult to catch a glimpse of his shadow despite spectating from a distance. However, the more frightening part was that Tal¡¯Nis seemed to keep up with him at every turn! Initially, everyone was excited to the point they held their breath. Things were looking good for Izroth. Although he got hit once, he managed to gain thirty seconds, just like Niflheim. Also, somehow, the raindrops stopped falling near Izroth, which they suspected was likely to be the work of one of his skills. But, when everyone saw the nine swords circling above Tal¡¯Nis and the raindrops start to once again fall within the safe zone Izroth created, their excitement soon turned to worry. "That was just our assumption... Though I have to admit, it is unexpected. The difficulty level just keeps increasing." Niflheim sighed as he shook his head. Since Tal¡¯Nis got rid of her swords after the appearance of the raindrops, everyone assumed that she could not utilize both simultaneously¡ªa reasonable train of thought in most cases. However, it was never that Tal¡¯Nis was unable to use her swords and the raindrops at once. Rather, all this time, she merely felt that she had no need to! "We¡¯ve challenged the third stage too early in the game and invited disaster onto ourselves. But, if it¡¯s him, then... Will he be able to pull off another miracle?" Niflheim internalized. ... ¡´System Alert: 1 minute remaining!¡µ As the one-minute mark hit, Izroth had been unsessful in his attempts to break past Tal¡¯Nis¡¯yers of protection. During that time, he had also taken another hit due to the ruthless and nonstopbination of attacks from Tal¡¯Nis. As a result, Izroth was forced to further extend the range of his Energy Vision Sense topensate for hisck of speed; however, it put a heavy strain on the amount of Essence being consumed with every passing second. Zeeeut! Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to evade the torrent of raindrops at his previous position. The moment Izroth reappeared a few meters away, he was met with five swords traveling towards him at high speeds from all sides, including above his head. There was nowhere for him to escape! Izroth¡¯s body soon became encased in gorgeous crystals from the Crystallization skill attached to his armor. BANG! The swords crashed into the protective crystals epassing Izroth as the defensive structure immediately developed cracks throughout its surface. Crrrrack! Soon after, the crystal was shattered into countless pieces as Izroth utilized his Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway. He then spun around as his sword swept out with two phantoms des trailing behind his Sword of The Storm. Clink! Izroth used the skill Phantom Strike to parry three out of five des. And, thanks to the active from his eighth sword form, each parry rendered iing blows ineffective. ¡´Battle Alert: You have reached 3 stacks of ?Sway?. You can now use the skill ?Formless Reflection?.¡µ Without hesitation, Izroth initiated Formless Reflection as a thin film of what appeared to be water formed around him. At the same time, Izroth activated Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard to further augment his defenses. Crash! The remaining two des mmed into Izroth! ¡´Battle Alert: Your protective aura has absorbed a hit.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your protective aura has absorbed a hit.¡µ In the blink of an eye, Izroth¡¯s Formless Reflection and Gale Zone Guard were obliterated. However, they aplished their tasks and were able to fend off thest two des. ¡¯She doesn¡¯t seem to have any more surprises, but I can¡¯t afford to let my guard down. If I¡¯m going to make my move, now is the time.¡¯ Suddenly, just as Izroth was preparing for his final assault, he received an unexpected stream of system alerts. ¡¯Hm? It¡¯s establishing on its own?¡¯ ¡´System Alert: ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? is establishing an active link...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Recognizing ?Authority?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? recognized as Mid Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Active link established!¡µ (You¡¯re doing something interesting without this lord, human. Should this lord lend you a hand?) Chapter 701 - To Win Without Winning?

Chapter 701 - To Win Without Winning?

¡¯Oh? And exactly how do you n to do that?¡¯ The Dragon Lord of the Abyss¡¯ Dragon¡¯s Mark and Dragon¡¯s Scales were useful abilities; however, neither of them was enough to turn the tides of battle.?? Even if Dragon¡¯s Mark could somehow make it past the torrent of raindrops that would undoubtedly obstruct its path, it stillcked the power to break through the blue mes that shielded Tal¡¯Nis. As for Dragon¡¯s Scales, Izroth believed that it may be able to protect him from one or possibly even two hits, but the moment it was broken, he had no way of counteracting the bacsh. After all, potions and lifesteal were not avable options in this situation. And, when it came to the use of an HP recovery skill, Izroth¡¯s only one, Rapid Regeneration, was currently on cooldown after his dive into the Immortal Hydra¡¯s body. (If you ask this lord nicely, perhaps I can consider offering a hand.) ¡¯I do not have time to y with you right now. If you¡¯re not going to be useful, scram.¡¯ (You-!) Swoosh! Izroth avoided one of the flying swords. But, just as he thought it was safe, his Soul Sense went off as his Energy Vision Sense picked up an iing torrent of raindrops! Zeeeeut! Just before the torrent reached Izroth, he utilized the final charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement and teleported to a safe location. "Your time is slowly ticking away, Izroth. Now, what will you do? Do you n to continue running until the end?" Tal¡¯Nis stated calmly as she raised her arm above her head and pointed her palm towards the sky. She then continued, "Is this your current limit? Or... Will you show me something worthy of the person who has received the blessing of two beings from the Divine Realm?" All of a sudden, the raindrops ceased as the nine swords Tal¡¯Nis summoned shot into the air. At the same time, the raindrops above that were in a stasis-like state, began to swirl and converge at the middle of the circr formation as a heavy pressure descended on the tform. ¡¯?!¡¯ The pressure was so great that it caused the ground beneath Izroth¡¯s feet to shatter! ¡¯This pressure¡ªit¡¯s like being at the center of a level four gravity pocket... No, maybe even a level five. Just moving takes a lot of effort.¡¯ (This woman is too ruthless... how regrettable. I suppose I have no choice. I can¡¯t have you dying in this ce. Human, you should be grateful for this lord¡¯s assistance. It is just that¡ªthis lord is uncertain whether or not your current physical body can handle it.) ¡¯If you have something in mind, then speak. As for whether or not I can handle it¡ªthere is no need for you to concern yourself with that. It is something for me to worry about.¡¯ (Very well. I¡¯ll say this now. The effects and changes are only temporary. Once it¡¯s over, we will be unable to establish an active link for at least ten days and the bacsh will leave you vulnerable for a while. Just don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you, human.) ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? for the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has temporarily risen from Mid Level to Max Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your ?Authority? with the ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? is now high enough to ess the skill ?Dragon¡¯s Soul?!¡µ The second Izroth received the alerts from the system, he was ovee by an intense wave of heat. Every bone, muscle fiber, and cell within his body felt as if it was abruptly set aze by an unknown force. At the same time, stress on his body from Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ ability started to subside. ...Ba-dump! Izroth eyes turned cerulean in color as his pupils transformed into that of a dragon¡¯s! BOOM! An explosive wave of dense energy was expelled from Izroth¡¯s location as a new surge of power flowed within him. ¡¯This sensation...¡¯ Just when it seemed like his body was going to be torn apart from the surge of energy, after reaching the absolute limits of what his physical body could endure, the feeling receded. And, soon, the once intense burning sensation was reced by a gentle warmth. ¡¯Is this the effect of possessing a Dragon¡¯s Soul?¡¯ "So he has some secrets remaining, after all. But, if he can¡¯t survive this next attack, it will all be for naught." Tal¡¯Nis internalized as she clenched her hand pointing towards the sky into a fist. "Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Heaven¡¯s Waterfall." ... As this unfolded, the atmosphere outside the tform grew heavy as everyone could not hide their grave expressions. "It¡¯s over... There¡¯s no way we can win against something like that... We should have never challenged this cursed stage..." Colorful Nimbus uttered as he released a helpless sigh and shook his head. They thought that, at the very least, Tal¡¯Nis had used up a good portion of her hand against them. The reason they chose one on one fights in the first ce was to give thest few who stepped onto the tform a higher chance of obtaining victory. But, in the end, whether they chose to go forth individually or as a party, the end results remained the same. From the very beginning, they never stood a chance against the third stage of this crusade! Even though no one else in the party wanted to say it aloud, in their minds, they had already silently epted their defeat. "Was Guide telling the truth, after all? Is this stage truly impossible for us to clear?" Niflheim thought to himself. "No... The system is fair¡ªalmost to a fault. It would not give us a challenge that is impossible to ovee. Do not think of winning against what you face, those were Guide¡¯s words, but... How can one win without winning? Wait- Could he have meant- I see..! The answer was right there all along! How could I overlook something like this?!" Niflheim internalized as he quickly opened his party chat. He might not be able to send a verbal message to Izroth due to the barrier around the tform, but the party chat function should still work. "I have to hurry and tell him¡ªthe way to win without winning," Niflheim said to himself. ... Back on the tform... ¡´System Alert: 20 seconds remaining!¡µ As the waterfall washed over the tform, Izroth moved freely throughout the blue mes of water that stood several meters high. Izroth activated Dragon¡¯s Scales to protect himself. And, due to having a temporary Max Level Authority, the strength of Dragon¡¯s Scales reached new heights. Also, due to Izroth¡¯s Breath of the Great Sea passive that allowed him to resist Flow, he did not have to worry about being disced by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ skill. ¡¯I never thought I would see a sword technique like this in RML. How peculiar...¡¯ If Tal¡¯Nis were to unleash her full power, this sword technique would have likely covered the entire third stage. However, there were likely some restrictions in ce because of her existence as a fragment of the original Tal¡¯Nis. But, judging from the fundamentals of the sword technique itself, Izroth believed that its actual level ofplexity and potential was only a few steps below the Way of the Heavenly Sword¡ªsuch a thing should not be possible in this world! ¡¯This is more than just a skill... How can something almost as powerful as my Way of the Heavenly Sword exist in this world thatcks spiritual essence? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ There had been several strange urrences in RML that caused Izroth to question its origins. From the system being able to understand and decipher many of his heavenlyws, to his strange run-in with the members of Heaven¡¯s Law in the Chaotic Dogma Realm. Of course, the biggest thing was being able to actually cultivate in-game and have it affect his body in the real world. Although he had temporarily set it aside as a fortunate situation, that did not mean Izrothcked any misgivings. Was it all really the work of a sophisticated artificial intelligence hosted by a quantumputer? To Izroth, it was too outrageous a notion. And, after confronting Tal¡¯Nis, a part of Izroth was certain. There was no other way to exin everything he hade across up until this point. Even if he could brush most of it off as a coincidence, the existence of something even remotely close to his Way of the Heavenly Sword should have been a theoretical impossibility. Izroth was unsure how or why, but somehow¡ªthis world had a connection to the Seven Realms! Chapter 702 - One Strike To Decide Everything!

Chapter 702 - One Strike To Decide Everything!

¡¯I will have to take a deeper look into it when I get the chance. But, for now, I can¡¯t afford to let my thoughts wander.¡¯ While numerous theories entered Izroth¡¯s mind, he was forced to set them aside as the time limit was quickly ticking away.?? There were less than twenty seconds remaining until he was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y ejected from the tform. At that point, it would be considered his loss! Izroth swiftly scanned his surroundings; however, because of Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ overbearing sword intent, he was unable to use his Energy Vision Sense. Swoosh! ¡´Battle Alert: Your protective aura has absorbed a hit.¡µ The "water" created by Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ sword intent distorted near Izroth, causing him to receive a hit. Fortunately, he was well protected by not only his Dragon¡¯s Scales but also the new ability he acquired, Dragon¡¯s Soul. *?Dragon¡¯s Soul? - The user gains the following benefit(s) for 30 minutes or until their ?Dragon Force? runs out: Dragon Force: 1 -The user can now utilize ?Dragon Force?. (Not Rmended with user¡¯s current level and Dragon Force) -All stats are increased based on the user¡¯s ?Dragon¡¯s Force?. (Not Rmended with user¡¯s current level and Dragon Force) -??? (Dragon Force Insufficient) -??? (Dragon Force Insufficient) -??? (Dragon Force Insufficient) -??? (Dragon Force Insufficient) ?Dragon Force? - A natural force unique to the dragon race that empowers their physique and abilities. This ability is understood naturally by those of the dragon race as it is akin to breathing for them. Cooldown: None ¡¯One... I¡¯m not sure how low or high that is for Dragon Force, but it¡¯s likely the lowest it goes. Even so, my body feels incredibly light and sturdy. Even that attack just now¡ªI couldn¡¯t feel it.¡¯ Before when Izroth protected himself with his defensive skills, he still suffered from the impact of the blows. But, Dragon¡¯s Scales, paired with the physical enhancement that Dragon Force provided him, shot Izroth¡¯s overall power to an entirely different level! ¡¯Dragon Force... It sounds somewhat simr to Essence; however, its description is a little too broad. Then again, it is a power meant for the dragon race.¡¯ How did humans teach each other to breathe? They didn¡¯t. It was something that came naturally to them¡ªan instinct carved into their being. So then, how would one go about exining to someone who has never breathed before, how to breathe? Izroth believed that this was the case with a human using Dragon Force. Still, just from having the Dragon Force present in his body, Izroth benefited greatly. ¡¯With this, it may be possible. Whether or not he is correct, however...¡¯ Not too long ago, Izroth got a sudden message from Niflheim. But, it was strange. One of the important things brought up during their conversation before the battles started was maintaining a party chat silence. This meant that while someone was in the middle of a battle, they would not send messages over the party chat. This was for obvious reasons such as not distracting the one fighting or throwing them off. As for merely muting their party chat before their turn was up¡ªthis was not a good idea. After all, there may be more to the third stage than Tal¡¯Nis admitted. If that was the case, in a situation when one or two seconds could be the difference between life and death, it was important for them to be able to alert everyone as soon as possible. Therefore, if Niflheim himself was willing to break this rule and send him a message, Izroth knew that it had to hold a great deal of importance. And, upon reading its contents, Izroth confirmed that he was correct. To win without winning¡ªNiflheim¡¯s approach to this intrigued Izroth. But, after acquiring Dragon Force, Izroth decided to take his own approach. It was not often he met an opponent he could go all out against. How could Izroth pass up such a rare opportunity? Do not try to win? To win without winning? None of it mattered. Right now, there was only one thing on Izroth¡¯s mind. No matter what, he would reach Tal¡¯Nis with his de! "Oh? He survived? Even if I held back quite a bit, I did not necessarily go easy on him. It should have been enough to kill him five times over. Also, that power... If I am not mistaken, he is using Dragon Force. Strange, I¡¯m certain that he is fully human. How can he use a force unique to the dragon race? He continues to surprise me." Tal¡¯Nis internalized as her lips curled into a smile. Tal¡¯Nis extended her arm as the flood of sword intent started to withdraw from the tform. In less than half a breath, the sword intent gathered before Tal¡¯Nis and reached a point of extremity. "You continue to earn my respect, Izroth. Although I wish to give you more time, it would not be fair to keep thest participant waiting. That is why I will show you¡ªthe true form of my Nine Cycle Cloudburst." Tal¡¯Nis said calmly. At the same time, the sword intent in front of her morphed into a single sword. The sword that appeared was an untainted white and without w. And, the instant that sword materialized, the blues mes that made up Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ hair also turned white. "I¡¯m d you think so highly of me," Izroth said in a carefree manner as he slid his right foot forward and slightly lowered his stance. He held the Sword of The Storm at his front with the tip of the spear in his left hand pointing towards the ground behind him. When he took his stance, a deep and saturated loosely flowing mantle formed of the lightning element covered Izroth from head to toe. The only thing visible besides the weapons in his hands was his dragon-like eyes now infused with a violet aura. The purple electricity continually pulsed throughout the mantle as the currents contained within resembled a living heartbeat. Izroth had chosen to use his Second State: Heavenly Cloak, Full Mantle! ¡¯Thanks to the Dragon Force, the threshold damage from Dragon¡¯s Scales was contained. Now, even the strain Full Mantle ces on my body is negligible. It¡¯s a shame the effects are only temporary. But, since that¡¯s the case, I will have to make the most of it while it¡¯s here.¡¯ Suddenly, Izroth¡¯s figure began to warp and bend as a small sh of purple light shed and he vanished. At first, there was silence as the area of the tform where Izroth stood broke apart; however, a few momentster, the sound finally managed to catch up to his movements. Crrrckle... BOOM! An implosive thunderp rang throughout the third stage as Izroth had already arrived within striking range of Tal¡¯Nis! When Izroth arrived, he was greeted by the sight of a white streak that was mere centimeters away from his face. However, Izroth did not panic. Located near the palm of Izroth¡¯s hand clutched around the hilt of his Sword of the Storm, was a colorless ring. The colorless ring rapidly expanded and covered a radius of twenty meters in every direction. For a fleeting moment, less than a fraction of a second, the energy that made up Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ sword protected aura wavered. Though just before the colorless ring expanded, Izroth employed Zakra¡¯s Harmonic Spear of Causality. But, he did not use it against Tal¡¯Nis. Rather, Izroth used it on himself! Or, to be more precise, his Boundless Nullifying Expanse. Normally, the Nullification Zone produced by the Boundless Nullifying Expanse ced harsh restrictions on those caught inside the area¡¯s range of effect. It not only removed buffs but also rendered things like weapon effects and skills that used any type of energy source useless. Even Izroth was not spared from these restrictions. In simple terms, Izroth was able to momentarily circ.u.mvent the Nullification Zone¡¯s restrictions. Since he could not yet exert perfect control over causality, Izroth chose to go a different route. Instead of trying topletely change the underlying principles of the Nullification Zone, he used a method of the utmost simplicity¡ªhe dyed the time period when he would be affected by the restrictions! Of course, this was not without its risk. For one, with his current mastery, Izroth was only able to dy it by two seconds. And, the moment he activated the Nullification Zone, it had already shown signs of breaking due to the huge energy gap that existed between himself and Tal¡¯Nis. By the time the two-second dy was over, Izroth knew that Tal¡¯Nis would no longer be affected by the Nullification Zone. When that moment arrived, the dyed effect would catch up to Izroth as he would be ced under the restrictions of his own Nullification Zone. At that point, his Dragon Force and Full Mantle would end and he would be left at theplete mercy of Tal¡¯Nis. That¡¯s why there was no backup n or next move. For Izroth, this next strike would decide everything! Izroth poured every remaining ounce of Essence he had remaining into his Sword of The Storm as the Dragon Force in his body raged on! ¡¯Third Baneful Sword... Annihtion.¡¯ Chapter 703 - Backlash, Its My Loss

Chapter 703 - Bacsh, It''s My Loss

Oooooooooooom! A unique humming sound reverberated throughout the third stage, apanied by an aura of annihtion.?? ROOOOOOAR! Suddenly, the humming sound transformed into the warcry of a mighty dragon that seemed to reign over all else in the world. Those standing outside the tform felt chills run down their spines when the aura of annihtion emerged and the cry of the dragon entered their ears. "What the heck kind of skill is that...? Even though we¡¯re so far away, it¡¯s so suffocating." Colorful Nimbus frowned. "I¡¯m not sure, but even S-rank skills don¡¯t give off this feeling. This kind of pressure¡ªit¡¯s simr to the Phantom Queen¡¯s Grand Magic. However, it feels much more ruthless. Like it¡¯s ready to swallow everything in its path." Sacred de stated with furrowed brows. While no one knew what skill Izroth used to invoke such a strong response that it caused their bodies to tremble, they understood one thing. If they were face-to-face with something like that, their chances of surviving would be infinitely close to zero! "No, in terms of power, this skill well exceeds my Grand Magic," Morrighan said calmly as she observed Izroth. After Morrighan spoke, the shock on everyone¡¯s face could not be hidden. Who was the Phantom Queen? She was someone capable of summoning down a colossal meteorite and calling upon a skill strong enough to simultaneously sever tens of heads of the Immortal Hydra. When it came to offensive power, few, if any, came close to Morrighan! Therefore, for her to openly admit that the skill Izroth used exceeded her Grand Magic¡ªhow could they not be astonished? "How unusual... His mana was on the verge of going out of control just a second ago. But now it has undergone a tremendous evolution. That¡¯s not all. There are other energy sources outside his mana present and they are somehow able to ovep without disying any of the typical negative effects. I never imagined that besides myself, another yer would be capable of using this approach. More so, that the yer would not even be a magic caster. Truly, how unusual..." Morrighan thought to herself. The reason Morrighan¡¯s Grand Magic performed so strongpared to other types of magic, was not solely due to the skill rank of the spells she casts. Rather, it had to do with the original method Morrighan formted when it came to controlling her mana. With this method, Morrighan was able topound her mana several times over and manipte, as well as enhance magic sequences on the most fundamental of levels. For example, the level 10 mage spell, Fireball, was a C-ranked offensive skill with a two-second cast time. However, if Morrighan was to utilize her casting method, not only would the cast time be reduced to zero, but the power Fireball disyed would be on par with its B-rank equivalent, ming Spear. And, if she went all out and concentrated, having it reach the same strength as the A-rank skill, Hellfire Burst, was not an impossible task! Taking a C-rank skill and making it disy the destructive force of an A-rank skill¡ªif others magic casters knew Morrighan¡¯s secret, they would do anything to try and get their hands on it. However, how could Morrighan know that it was not Izroth¡¯s own doing that brought about this phenomenon? Instead, it was done by his Dragon Force! If Izroth attempted his chain of skills without the Dragon Force present, there was a high chance that it would have backfired because of his body¡¯s inability to contain that much power at once. Izroth¡¯s Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion was not only empowered by his Full Mantle and everyst drop of his Essence but also by the Dragon Force from his Dragon¡¯s Soul. If one also included the Law of Causality and Law of Void, then Izroth was simultaneously using five different energy sources! Added to the strain ced on his body from executing the Compressed Lightning Movement empowered by Dragon Force, it was a miracle that his body had not already been torn asunder! Meanwhile, the dragon¡¯s roar ceased as the noiseing from the tform became deathly quiet. Neither Izroth nor Tal¡¯Nis moved. The edge of Izroth¡¯s Sword of The Storm was less than one centimeter away from Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ face. As for Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ white sword, it had been driven through Izroth¡¯s back with an exit wound right at the center of his c.h.e.s.t! ¡´System Alert: 1 second remaining!¡µ Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ gaze locked onto Izroth as she lifted her hand to her cheek and felt a slightly warm sensation on her fingertips. It was blood from a small cut across her cheek! At the same time, the Dragon Force from Izroth¡¯s body vanished without a trace as his Full Mantle came to an end. Hisplexion had be pale as cerulean energy fractures could be seen forming on his hands, neck, and the lower part of his face. At the moment, Izroth felt as though every strand and fiber of muscle in his body was being pulled apart and electrocuted. Right now, he could not so much as lift a single finger! ¡¯The bacsh is worse than I thought, but... It¡¯s my victory.¡¯ "Brilliantly done. You have earned my acknowledgment, Izroth. It¡¯s my loss." Tal¡¯Nis stated as she smiled gracefully. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Level Emblem!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have cleared the ?Crusade: Lady of Evesting Rain?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first party to clear a ?Crusade?! You will receive an additional reward!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have cleared the ?Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis? hidden challenge! You will receive an additional reward!¡µ ... He had done it. With just one second remaining on the time limit, Izroth was able to reach Tal¡¯Nis with his sword! Skill Name: Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: SSS Active: The user unleashes a sword wave of true annihtion within the surrounding 50 meters that fears and stuns all targets for 5 seconds. Any target(s) (Ally or Foe) caught within the range of this skill will experience the following effect(s): ?Aura of Annihtion?: Items and skills cannot activate in response to this skill¡¯s stun. For the duration of the stun, the target is unable to use any skills or items. ?World of Annihtion?: The user steals up to 50% of the target¡¯s attack or magic(prioritizes the highest stat) and converts it into their own attack. These effectsst for 10 seconds. The amount stolen depends on the target¡¯s strength. ?Wave of Annihtion?: The target receives 2,500% of the user¡¯s total attack as pure damage that ignores all defenses, shields, and damage reductions. ?Great Annihtion?: Instantly kills the target as long as their HP is equal to or less than 30% of their maximum HP. There is also a 10% chance to instantly kill the target regardless of their HP. If the target is boss rank, they are not instantly killed. Instead, the boss rank target will be affected by a second strike of ?Wave of Annihtion? and receive an additional 25% of their total missing health as pure damage. ?Restless Intent?: If this skill kills a target, its cooldown time is reduced by 5% and the duration of ?World of Annihtion? is increased by 5 seconds. ????? - If the skills ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? and ?Second Baneful Sword: Kill? are used in the correct sequence just before this skill¡¯s execution, a powerful hidden effect will be activated, and the cooldown of ?Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion? is increased by 100%. Description: One sword to annihte all that dares to obstruct its path. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 80%. This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Cooldown: 336 hours ¡¯To think she would react so fast even under the effects of the Nullification Zone. If I was even a bit careless at the end, it would have been my loss.¡¯ After Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ final strike, Izroth only had one hit left. If the de had managed to exit his body before his attack connected to Tal¡¯Nis, he would have suffered a fatal hit. ¡¯It¡¯s just a fragment left behind before her ascent to the Divine Realm, but I was only able to inflict a small cut going all out. I still have a long way to go before I reach the top of this world.¡¯ The white sword in Izroth¡¯s c.h.e.s.t disappeared as Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ hair returned to its original ming blue color. "Can you stand?" Tal¡¯Nis asked. "Yes," Izroth replied as he stood up straight. However, just standing took all of his strength. In addition, his stats had been temporarily lowered and his skills locked because of the bacsh. The barrier around the tform was disabled as Izroth¡¯s party members rushed onto the tform. The excitement on their faces was there for all to see. They did it... They actually did it! The first-ever group to conquer a crusade in RML! Once it was announced to the world, their status in RML would soar to new heights. Chapter 704 - A Personal Request, Seventh Origin Flames Necklace

Chapter 704 - A Personal Request, Seventh Origin mes Ne

... Following the party¡¯s initial celebration, Niflheim reminded everyone to keep their wits about them until they arrived safely outside the crusade. In the end, there was still not much known about crusades, and so, it was best to proceed with some caution.?? However, even Niflheim himself could not hide the satisfaction on his face. After having the first raid clear slip through his fingers, Niflheim always felt a sense of disappointment. It was not all the time opportunities such as being the first to clear a raid came along. But, now that he yed a part in conquering a crusade, thest of Niflheim¡¯s previous regrets had dissolved. "Wait... If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t Izroth also im the first clear achievement for dungeons?" Niflheim thought to himself as something suddenly dawned on him. Dungeon, raid, crusade¡ªIzroth had participated in the first clear of all three! This was a situation every top guild dreamed of as the bragging rights that apanied it was huge! Not only that, but it would also assist in drawing new talented yers to their side and significantly boost their chances of attracting bigger sponsorsh.i.p.s. Niflheim set his gaze on Izroth, who currently had a paleplexion. Although his wounds had been healed, Niflheim spected that whatever move he performed at the end came with a serious set of consequences. "I have to be stronger. Strong enough that I can properly be his shield." Niflheim internalized as a serious expression formed on his face. ... A few momentster, the tform on the third stage had beenpletely repaired. And, currently, there were only two individuals present on the tform¡ªIzroth, and Tal¡¯Nis. Tal¡¯Nis wanted to speak with Izroth alone; therefore, she sent the others back to the waiting room. "What will happen to this ce now that we¡¯ve cleared it?" Izroth asked. Crusades were not like dungeons and raids that could be attempted multiple times. From what Izroth understood, whether it was cleared or not, after a single run, the crusade would no longer exist. But, since there was so little information surrounding crusades, perhaps it was different for this one. "It will disappear from your world. But, it is only temporary. After a few centuries have passed, this crusade will be restored in hope of the future generation finding it." Tal¡¯Nis exined unhurriedly. She then continued, "Since my real body resides in the Divine Realm, it is difficult to interfere with anything in the lower realms. Maintaining the existence of a crusade is no simple task and consumes numerous resources. It is not a luxury every individual in the Divine Realm can afford." ¡¯A few centuries?¡¯ Even if it were just one century, with a real-world in-game time ratio of 1:3, that meant the crusade would not be avable for a minimum of 33 years! ¡¯With such a long cooldown period, I can see why it¡¯s considered to be a one attempt challenge.¡¯ "The Divine Realm sounds like quite the restricting ce," Izrothmented. "It is for the best. In the beginning, countless eons before my ascension, there existed no boundary between the realms. During that time, there was endless chaos and suffering. It was not umon for realms to be destroyed and entire races massacred due to the broken structure of power and order." Tal¡¯Nis revealed. "What changed everything?" Izroth asked curiously. "If you are able to one day reach that realm, you will receive the answer to your question. The way you are now¡ªit is not yet time for you to concern yourself with matters beyond your control." Tal¡¯Nis answered. ¡¯I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised.¡¯ Izroth did not know much when it came to the Divine Realm; however, he spected that the situation there wasplex. For all he knew, it could be that even if Tal¡¯Nis wanted to tell him anything, she may not be able to because of the rules of that ce. While it was unfortunate, Izroth decided not to pursue the matter. "Now, shall we move on to the main topic?" Tal¡¯Nis said as she held the palm of her hand towards Izroth as a gentle blue me epassed him before quickly dispersing. ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Blessing of Tal¡¯Nis?!¡µ ¡¯This is...¡¯ Skill Name: Blessing of Tal¡¯Nis Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Passive: +10% bonus damage for all sword-based skills, +2 Luck Special Note: A blessing bestowed upon those deemed worthy by the Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis. Only a select few are lucky enough to receive this blessing! As Izroth read over the information of his new blessing, a light smile appeared on his face. ¡¯The 10% bonus damage for sword skills is useful. Unfortunately, it¡¯s overshadowed by whates after it.¡¯ The moment Izroth¡¯s eyesnded on thest bonus of the passive, he almost had to look twice to make sure he was not imagining things. Two¡ªit was two points of luck! With the addition of the luck from Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ blessing, Izroth¡¯s luck stat jumped from four to six points¡ªthat was a 50% increase! One had to know that even Sacred de, a former core member of Blue Oasis, had the highest luck in his guild along with six others. But, they all only had a single point of luck! Yet, Izroth¡¯s luck stat had reached a frightening six points! ¡¯Since Sacred de is no longer a member of Blue Oasis, doesn¡¯t this mean my luck stat is now higher than all of Blue Oasisbined?¡¯ Having more luck than the entirety of a top guild... If other yers ever discovered this, they would think Izroth found some way to hack and change his luck stat. After all, one yer having six points of luck to themselves was just too ridiculous of a notion to believe. ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer with a Luck stat that exceeds 5. A fortuitous encounter awaits you.¡µ ¡¯Hm? There¡¯s nothing else?¡¯ Izroth nced over his system alerts; however, there was nothing after the mention of a fortuitous encounter. He was unsure exactly what a fortuitous encounter entailed, but seeing as how it was a reward linked to his luck stat, Izroth believed that it could only be something beneficial. "It is unusual for someone to receive the blessing of more than one individual from the Divine Realm; however, your case is somewhat unusual, Izroth. Just like the other blessings you have received, I have given you the same privilege of excluding divine power in exchange for foregoing the typical restrictions ced upon a follower." "I will remember your generosity. You have my thanks." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. Tal¡¯Nis responded with a small nod and said, "Originally, I nned on gifting you my Nine Cycle Cloudburst as well. However, given the sword techniques you have disyed¡ªI believe it would be a waste for you to stray from your current path." "I understand. Regardless, I have witnessed your sincerity." Izroth would not have minded learning the Nine Cycle Cloudburst from Tal¡¯Nis. After all, another powerful skill in his arsenal was always wee. But, having more of something was not always necessarily a good thing. Izroth realized that the Nine Cycle Cloudburst was notpatible with his present sword style, and it was likely Tal¡¯Nis noticed this as well. "So? I doubt the only reason you wanted to talk to me alone was to give me your blessing. What is it that you want from me?" Izroth asked. Tal¡¯Nis shook her head and replied, "It is not what I want from you, but rather what I want of you." Tal¡¯Nis pressed the palm of her hands together before gradually drawing them apart. As she did so, a small wisp of blue and white mes formed in between her palms. The next moment, a gorgeous silver ne with a translucent gemstone appeared and s.u.c.k.e.d in the mes. "As you are aware, I am unable to leave this ce and directly interfere with matters of the realms below. However, since you have cleared my crusade, it is only natural I grant you a suitable reward. And, should you find it in your heart to do so, I hope you can gift it to my descendants of the Seventh Demon n. This is my personal request to you, Izroth." Tal¡¯Nis said as the ne drifted before Izroth. Izroth took the ne into his hands. Upon doing so, a warm sensation spread throughout his body as the mes danced within the gemstone. essory Name: Seventh Origin mes Ne essory Rank: Unique essory Level: None Requirements: Blessing of Tal¡¯Nis ?Veil of the Seventh Origin mes? - The user can summon protective mes that will automatically defend them. These protective mes can absorb up to [1,000,000] damage for a maximum duration of 10 minutes. [Limit: 2/2] Cooldown: 72 hours ????? - [Locked] Description: A special ne forged from the Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis, containing the lost Seventh Origin mes of the Seventh Demon n. She has crafted this ne in hopes that it one day reaches her descendants. The true effects of this ne can only be unlocked by a member of the Seventh Demon n. This item cannot be traded or sold. Chapter 705 - A Concerned Ancestor

Chapter 705 - A Concerned Ancestor

¡´System Alert: A new quest has been added to your quest logs!¡µ ¡¯It feels like I¡¯m slowly starting to turn into a delivery service.¡¯?? Quest Name: A Concerned Ancestor Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: N/A Quest Rank: SS Quest Objective: Tal¡¯Nis is concerned about her descendants of the Seventh Demon n, one of the mysterious races that once resided in the Danger Lands. After the Fourth War of the Titans, the Seventh Demon n was forced to flee the ruined Danger Lands along with the other mysterious races. Tal¡¯Nis has lost contact with her descendants through the ?Seven mes of Tal? for generations and is unable to establish a connection for some unknown reason. Therefore, she has entrusted you with seeking out her n members of this generation. It is currently believed that the Seventh Demon n resides somewhere within a certain sacred forest. Seek them out and hand over the ?Seventh Origin mes Ne? to their generation¡¯s n leader. Time Limit: 1 year 0/1 Visit the underground chambers of the ?Holy O¡¯Tohelm Sanctum? to discover clues regarding the whereabouts of the Seventh Demon¡¯s n¡¯s hidden abode. 0/1 Locate the Seventh Demon n¡¯s hidden abode. 0/1 Deliver the ?Seventh Origin mes Ne? to the Seventh Demon n¡¯s current generation n leader. 0/1 Assist the Seventh Demon n in re-establishing their connection to the ?Seven mes of Tal?. Reward: -Max favor with ?Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis? -Max favor with the Seventh Demon n -Acquire one of the ?Seven mes of Tal? of the Seventh Demon n(Trait) Failure: -Decline of the Seventh Demon n for another generation. -?Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis? will look upon you less favorably. Special Note: This quest cannot be shared. ¡¯That guy must be a pretty big deal in the Divine Realm. Though no one would ever think so with the way he speaks.¡¯ As Izroth read over the question information, he thought about his brief exchange of words with the God of Craft, Mazi. At the time, Mazi was able to form a direct link and speak to Izroth personally from the Divine Realm. Back then, he mentioned that doing so for a prolonged period of time was too costly. But, it seemed that even in the Divine Realm there were those with wealth and those without. After all, if it was just re-establishing the connection with her descendants that Tal¡¯Nis was worried about, why did she not use the same method as Mazi tomunicate with them? Given that Mazi was willing to pay such a hefty price tomunicate with him, Izroth wondered what kind of standing the God of Craft hadpared to Tal¡¯Nis. However, Izroth understood that even if he asked about it, Tal¡¯Nis would not, or rather could not, give an answer. ¡¯Setting that aside... The Holy O¡¯Tohelm Sanctum¡ªif what I¡¯ve read about it is urate, it¡¯s going to be a pain to gain ess to the underground chambers there.¡¯ The Holy O¡¯Tohelm Sanctum was considered a holy ce for followers of the Rekshaun, a book that contained the sacred teachings of the Divine One. From what Izroth knew, the citizens there were all fanatics and looked down on those who did not embrace their way. Of course, the headache truly came from the fact that O¡¯Tohelm was extremely protective of their sacred grounds. Those who trespassed would be attacked first, and asked questionster. That is if they could even survive the encounter. ¡¯O¡¯Tohelm... I was there briefly when I visited the Roaming Vige of the Netherworld, but I didn¡¯te across anyone from O¡¯Tohelm.¡¯ At the moment, O¡¯Tohelm was the only kingdom that did not have a hand in the ongoing war. Even Pzenium, who imed a neutral stance, had several different mercenary groups participating on both sides. Therefore, while they were not viewed as enemies, neither could they be regarded as allies of Amaharpe or the other kingdoms fighting against Tempest. ¡¯The only clue about the Seventh Demon n¡¯s hidden abode is that it resides inside of a sacred forest. But, what one person considers sacred is not necessarily the same for another. There are hundreds of sacred forests, but searching them one by one is out of the question. It seems I have no choice but to look into a way to enter the Holy O¡¯Tohelm Sanctum¡¯s underground chambers.¡¯ Izroth removed his Shadow Ne and ced it into his inventory before equipping the Seventh Origin mes Ne. Although he lost a bit of agility from doing so, the effects of the Seventh Origin mes Ne more than made up for it. It was, in all sense, a lifesaving item that could even take a direct blow from someone at the peak of the legendary realm! The only downside was that the effect could only be activated twice. In addition, if one wanted to ess the item¡¯s true powers, it required them to be a member of the Seventh Demon n. ¡¯A one-year time limit is quite generous. And,pared to other S-rank and above quests I¡¯ve done, the penalty for failure is rather easygoing. As for the rewards... Possessing max favor with a being in the Divine Realm and their descendants isn¡¯t bad. But, I¡¯m more interested in the Seven mes of Tal.¡¯ This was the first time Izroth saw a trait listed as a quest reward. And, seeing as how it was a part of an SS-ranked quest, Izroth gathered that it was anything but ordinary. After checking over the quest information, Izroth closed out his interface as Tal¡¯Nis waited patiently for him to finish. "Should the asion present itself, I will see to it that this ne makes it to your descendants," Izroth stated calmly. "Then, I shall thank you in advance, Izroth. I have high expectations of you. It brings me a great deal of enjoyment to know that my name will be remembered by those I have acknowledged this generation." Tal¡¯Nis replied as she smiled gracefully. She then continued, "I have taken up enough of your time. I am sure yourpanions are worried about you by now. Plus, it would be a shame to havee this far and leave without first obtaining your official rewards." Tal¡¯Nis pointed towards Izroth as a transportation magic circle formed beneath his feet. ¡´System Alert: Transporting in 20 seconds...¡µ "I am certain that the path you choose to take will be riddled with formidable challenges. However, I hope that you continue to hold your head high and tread onward." Tal¡¯Nis stated. "It is not the challenge itself I fear, but the absence of it. Rest assured, my path is not easily blocked." Izroth responded casually. "Fearing the absence of a challenge... is it? I see. Well said." Tal¡¯Nis gave a small nod of approval. Tal¡¯Nis sensed no trace of arrogance in Izroth¡¯s words. Instead, there was the presence of an unshakable will¡ªas if that saying was truly a part of him. 5... "Ah, I almost forgot. I have prepared an additional gift for you. Think of it as my way of saying thank you for allowing me to see some interesting things after all these centuries." Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ mentioned. 1... ¡¯A gift?¡¯ "May your journey be long-lived, Izroth." Tal¡¯Nis bid a final farewell as the magic circle activated. ¡´System Alert: Transporting...¡µ ... ¡¯Oh? It¡¯s gone.¡¯ After being transported back to the waiting room by Tal¡¯Nis, the first thing Izroth noticed was that the transparent barrier had been reced by another white wall. "Wee back. We were beginning to get a little worried since our messages weren¡¯t going through." Niflheim said as he approached Izroth. He then inquired, "If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly did the two of you talk about?" "Nothing too important. I¡¯ll fill you inter." Izroth answered. Niflheim nodded and said, "Alright. That aside¡ªyou should hurry and collect your treasure c.h.e.s.t. Also, a small ck box randomly appeared on top of your treasure c.h.e.s.t just before you arrived. Since it¡¯s soulbound to you, no one else can open it. But, as you can expect, everyone is curious as to what¡¯s inside. Of course, no one dares to ask since it¡¯s an unspoken rule." "Oh?" Niflheim exined to Izroth how no one opened their treasure c.h.e.s.t and simply ced it into their inventory. Even though they all worked together toplete the crusade, in the end, as top yers, there were still certain things that they preferred to keep a secret. This was even more so when it came to grand rewards from something like clearing a crusade. After Niflheim exined the situation to him, Izroth walked over to the center of the waiting room and stopped before a ck treasure c.h.e.s.t. The treasure c.h.e.s.t gave off an overwhelming pressure that was on the verge of being oppressive. And, sat atop the intimidating object was a small in-looking ck box. ¡¯Is this the gift she mentioned at the end?¡¯ Name: [Izroth¡¯s] Third Stage Crusade Treasure C.h.e.s.t(Soulbound) Rank: ??? Usage: Contains rewards for clearing the third stage of the ?Crusade?. Special Note: This item can only be opened by its owner. Name: [Izroth¡¯s] Mysterious ck Box(Soulbound) Rank: ??? Usage: Contains a special item. Special Note: This item can only be opened by its owner. Chapter 706 - A Message of Warning, Halt!

Chapter 706 - A Message of Warning, Halt!

Izroth briefly examined the two items before cing them into his inventory. Some were a bit disappointed that they did not get a chance to see what was in the ck box Izroth obtained; however, they expected as much given the circ.u.mstances. After all, not one of them had yet to open their treasure c.h.e.s.t.?? The moment the items disappeared, Guide appeared in front of the group. But, by now, the group had already be used to his sudden appearance. "Congrattions on your sess, everyone. I must admit, I could not believe my eyes when I saw that you were all still alive and well. My, I am sure you can imagine my surprise." Guide stated as he bowed gracefully. "Ha? You were expecting us to fail, weren¡¯t you? What happened to you being our biggest ally?" Colorful Nimbus remarked. "Ah, that fact remains unchanged. However, surely you can understand my perspective. Between a few ants and a dragon¡ªwho do you think would emerge victorious?" Guide stated nonchntly. "Ants?! You-!" Colorful Nimbus scowled, but he was quickly stopped by Niflheim. "Whatever your view may be, it is irrelevant since we have conquered this crusade. Now, is there a way out of here?" Niflheim asked in a distant tone. He was just as put off by Guide¡¯s response as Colorful Nimbus; however, they still needed to know how to leave the waiting room. And, it was most likely Guide who possessed the solution. Not to mention, as much as it pained Niflheim to admit, he understood Guide¡¯s outlook. Even during her fight against Izroth, Tal¡¯Nis had not moved a single step. If she had chosen to disy her full strength without control, then they may not have necessarily walked away as the victors. Nevertheless, Niflheim still found Guide¡¯s words a bit harsh regardless of understanding his perspective. "Why, of course." Guide snapped his fingers as a portal appeared next to him. The portal gave off strong pulses of mana as the space around it became distorted. "It has been my utmost p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to act as a guide for all of you. Although I doubt our paths will ever cross again, I wish you the best on your journey." Guide said in a courteous manner. Niflheim turned towards the party and asked, "Is there anything else anyone needs to take care of before we depart?" After a couple of seconds of no response, Niflheim took everyone¡¯s silence as confirmation that they were ready to leave the crusade. "Then, I¡¯ll be going first. Colorful Nimbus, you¡¯ll follow right after me. Izroth¡ªcan I trouble you to bring up the rear?" Niflheim asked. "Leave it to me," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Even though the crusade was over, Niflheim was uncertain what awaited them on the other side of the portal. After all, thest time they were outside, the situation at the Rosentarus border was not looking too good. And, while they were not directly next to the border, there was always the possibility that Tempest and their allies decided to advance into the Rosentarus forest. If that happened, they could be teleported right in the center of the enemy¡¯s camp! Of course, the possibility of this happening was not too high. It was just Niflheim¡¯s way of exercising some caution. And, more importantly, he still did not trust Guide. Niflheim stepped into the portal and vanished from the waiting room. After the other left, Morrighan faced Izroth and said, "I have not forgotten the contents of our wager, Pce Master Izroth. However, I still require some of the material in your possession. I hope that you are willing to make a trade. Of course, I am willing to pay a more than fair price. We can discuss the specifics once we arrive outside." Once she finished speaking, Morrighan walked into the portal. Now, there was just Izroth and Guide left in the waiting room. ¡¯Given the way that everything has been progressing as ofte, the attack on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt should be taking ce sometime this week. Right now, I have toy low until I recover from my Soul Weakness as well as the bacsh of my Compressed Lightning Movements and the Dragon Force. Though it¡¯s a shame I was unable to keep that level of Authority.¡¯ Not too long after Izroth¡¯s final attack against Tal¡¯Nis, his Authority with the Immortal Persona the Dragon Lord of the Abyss dropped back to Mid Level. In addition, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss went into a deep slumber and would be out ofmission for several days as a result of pushing itself to grant Izroth the temporary Authority he received. ¡¯Although it has a troublesome temperament, without its help, the chances of my sess would have fallen at least threefold. I suppose I should repay them in kind.¡¯ Izroth made his way over to the portal. However, just as he was about to step through, he heard Guide¡¯s voice enter into his ears. "Lady Tal¡¯Nis has told me to ry a message to you." Guide¡¯s voice sounded. Izroth halted his steps without turning around. ¡¯A message?¡¯ "Oh? And, what message might that be?" Izroth asked. "In the near future, you will be contacted by a certain someone from the Divine Realm who will offer you the world using sweet words and promises. Whatever you do, you must not ept this person. For their sweet words are poison and their promises hollow." Guide informed. ¡¯Someone from the Divine Realm?¡¯ "Why didn¡¯t she tell me this herself?" Izroth inquired. It was not that long ago the two of them spoke. So, why did she have Guide ry the message to him instead of just telling him back at the tform? "There are many eyes constantly on Lady Tal¡¯Nis; however, I am different. I am neither alive nor dead. I exist on this ne, but only within the confines of this area. You can just think of it as bending the rules a little." Guide exined. He then continued, "If you do not trust me, there is nothing I can do. Regardless, I assure you, my wordse from Lady Tal¡¯Nis herself. Whether or not you choose to follow her advice is solely up to you. I have aplished my task and delivered the message." Guide snapped his fingers as he vanished into a strong gust of wind. ¡¯How troublesome.¡¯ First, Izroth learned that there was someone in the Divine Realm who ced a restriction on him. Now, he was being told that someone else had their eyes on him? ¡¯One day, I will find out who in the Divine Realm is targetting me. When that day arrives... they will have no choice but to answer for their transgressions.¡¯ Izroth advanced onward into the portal, leaving behind an empty waiting room as the portal faded away. ... Several hours ago... Reilei¡¯s breathing was unsteady as she held onto her injured left arm. She was fatigued with a body covered in wounds. And, it looked as if she had already gone well past her limit. "Is this as far as I can go?" Reilei thought to herself as her gaze met with the Failed Kitsune¡¯s. Grrrrrr...! The Failed Kitsune released a low intimidating growl as its pure white fur was now riddled with patches of blood. Name: Polkentin¡¯s Failed Kitsune(Epic Boss) HP: ???(68.52%) After realizing that trying to escape was futile, Reilei decided to confront the Failed Kitsune. However, even after giving her best efforts, she was unable to ovee the fierce beast and had been backed into a corner. In the end, the Failed Kitsune was an epic boss whose level clearly exceeded Reilei. The fact that she was able to reduce its HP by more than 30% alone could already be viewed as an extraordinary feat. But, Reilei did not see it this way. Reilei clenched her right fist as her hand slightly trembled. A look of frustration could be seen on her face and within her eyes. However, after she took a deep breath and exhaled, that frustration transformed into determination. "No... I made a choice¡ªnever again will I allow those I care for to suffer. Be it this world or the real world... Never again will I allow myself experience that feeling of helplessness again. I can not give up now!" Reilei internalized as her breathing stabilized. At the same time, Ayanellia, who stood at a safe distance while using her magic to support Reilei, had a worried expression on her face. Woooosh! Suddenly, the kitsune¡¯s fifth tail lit up as an aura of lightning formed beneath its paws and it shot forward at incredible speeds! Reilei prepared herself to face the kitsune¡¯s charge. Although she was determined, her movements were still hindered by the effects of the kitsune¡¯s skills. Therefore, she had to choose her moment carefully. 15 meters... 10 meters... 5 meters...! When the kitsune reached within five meters of Reilei, she was ready to make her move. However, just before she did so, out of nowhere, a powerful wave of mana swept over the battlefield. "Halt!" This single word echoed with great power as the unrelenting mana wave crashed into the kitsune, forcing its movements to grind to a halt! Reilei blinked a few times as a look of confusion found its way onto her face. What was going on? Where did that sudden voicee from and why did the kitsune listen to it? "Helping to suppress that monster stampede required more time than I anticipated." A woman said to herself as she emerged from the forest. She had slightly pointed ears that gave away her identity as a member of the Trephasia race. The person who emerged from the forest was none other than Luna! "Someone is still fighting? But... Is it just her? Did the rest of her party already perish?" Luna internalized. Chapter 707 - Joining Forces, Stray Thoughts

Chapter 707 - Joining Forces, Stray Thoughts

"No... It was faint, but should be someone else hiding on the other side." Luna¡¯s primary target with her voice magic was the Failed Kitsune; however, she still received a minor feedback whenever the mana wave made contact with anyone. And, even though Reilei¡¯s presence was clear, there was a faint feedback from someone or something else close by. Unknown to Luna, the presence that registered on her mana wave belonged to Ayanellia, who maintained a safe distance while supporting Reilei. And, with the use of Ayanellia¡¯s skill, Natural Blending, it was not easy to pinpoint her exact position.?? Swoosh! Reilei mmed her fist into the stunned Failed Kitsune¡¯s head, sending it tumbling back. She did not know who helped her or why they decided to do so; however, Reilei understood that she could not let the opportunity escape! "Her appearance is something I have not seen before. It would be easy for someone to mistake her for an NPC. I suppose, in this regard, we are not so different." Luna thought to herself as she observed Reilei¡¯s movements. Luna had been approached by yers after having been mistaken for an NPC numerous times due to being a member of the Trephasia race. It was not until they got close enough that most of them realized she was actually a yer. "Does she have a fighter-type ss..? Let¡¯s try sending her a message first." Luna learned fairly quickly that there were some strange people in RML. Even if someone disyed good intentions, it could be easily misunderstood. That¡¯s why even though she offered a helping hand just now, Luna did not immediately rush in. At the same time, after her attack sessfully connected with the Failed Kitsune, Reilei was startled by the sound of the sudden system alert. "A message? It¡¯s a name I do not recognize... Can it be the person who made the creature stop with their voice?" Reilei said to herself. ¡´System Alert: yer Luna has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Luna?¡µ Reilei inwardly furrowed her brows. She remembered Phoenix¡¯s advice to exercise proper caution when it came to dealing with yers, especially those she met in the middle ofbat. Phoenix mentioned that it was not umon for yers to smile right to your face only to stab you in the back the first chance they got. When Reilei first heard that, she was shocked. Even in this world meant for having fun, such things urred? "But, they did help me when I was in trouble. It would be rude to not at least hear what they have to say..." Reilei convinced herself to ept the iing voice chat request. Luna, "Hello. My name is Luna. I apologize in advance, but I will skip the formalities. You seem to be having some trouble against that monster¡ªwould you care for my assistance?" It¡¯s So Realistic, "Are you sure? It is really dangerous and its anger seems directed at me. I don¡¯t want anyone to put themselves in danger for my sake. Ah, pardon my manners, I am called Realistic." "This is... Unexpected." Luna thought to herself as she smiled weakly. Since she was the only yer in the open, wasn¡¯t it natural that the monster would focus its attention on her? "Also, she sounds genuinely concerned for my well-being. If it is just an act to garner sympathy, then... No, I havee across many people who tried something simr, but her words do not feel forced." Luna internalized. More surprising to Luna than anything was Reilei¡¯s response to her offer for assistance. It was definitely not something one would hear every day in RML, especially when their backs were against the wall. And so, Luna was a bit caught off guard by the genuine reply she received. Luna, "Realistic, is it? I understand your concern, but I am quite confident in my abilities. At the very least, I can promise that I will not be a burden." It¡¯s So Realistic, "?! Ah, no, I didn¡¯t mean to imply anything by-" Luna could not help but release a soft giggle that could melt the ice around even the coldest of hearts. Luna, "It¡¯s fine, really. I assure you, I took no offense. Do you have room in your party to invite me?" It¡¯s So Realistic, "Party? Sorry, but it¡¯s just me." Luna frowned upon hearing Reilei¡¯s answer. Could it be that the person she detected was an enemy lying in wait? Not to mention, if what she was saying were true, then it meant she had endured this long by herself against an epic boss! Not only that but also inflicted enough damage to where the epic boss was visibly injured! Such an extraordinary feat was not easily achieved. Luna, "Are you certain it¡¯s just you? If there is anyone else around at all that you know, then-" It¡¯s So Realistic, "Ah, there is Ayanellia. I told her to stay hidden because of the danger. But, she has been supporting me." RAAAAAAAWR! All of a sudden, the Failed Kitsune unleashed an ear-piercing roar as the effects of Luna¡¯s voice magic finally wore off. Luna, "It looks like we are out of time. Invite me to a party." It was natural for the one fighting the monster first to form the party so that they were the leader. However, Luna was not prepared for what she heard next. It¡¯s So Realistic, "Um... I don¡¯t know how..." Luna, "..." Although she had been invited to a party several times, Reilei had never formed a party herself, let alone invited anyone else to one. And, it was not a topic that Phoenix went over with her! But, how could Phoenix know that even something as basic as inviting another person to a party was not something Reilei had attempted before? Luna, "Then, I will send you an invite. Please ept it." [Voice Chat Has Ended] Not even one second after Luna terminated the voice chat, Reilei received a party invite. ¡´System Alert: You have been invited to join a Party[Current Members: 1][Party Leader: Luna], would you like to ept?¡µ Reilei quickly epted the party invite as the Failed Kitsune¡¯s sixth tail lit up. The creature looked as though it was getting ready to use another skill! Meanwhile, Luna viewed the party window as she made her way from the forest to the main area of the battlefield. "How can this be?" Luna uttered quietly. Luna assumed Reilei was a fighter or some other melee-type ss since she was attacking at close-range, but it turned out that they were a summoner! Once Luna saw Reilei¡¯s ss, she connected the dots and figured the one called Ayanellia Reilei mentioned must be her summoned beast¡ªa support-type, to be exact. Though what truly stood out in Luna¡¯s eyes was the insane amount of HP and MP Reilei possessed for a level 40 summoner. yer Name: Luna [Party Leader] Level: 50 ss: ??? yer Name: It¡¯s So Realistic Level: 40 ss: Nine Creations Summoner MP: 21,655/44,700 Reilei had almost 45,000 points of mana and close to 22,000 points of health¡ªthis was double the amount summoners typically possessed around that level! But, what Luna did not know was that Reilei¡¯s current HP and MP were the results of her merging with Xiao Liang using the skill Amalgamate. One of the effects Reilei acquired when she merged with Xiao Liang was that her HP and MP values doubled! At the same time, out of nowhere, Reilei felt a refreshing aura epass her body as a light green hue formed around her. +17,403 [+7,267] 21,700/21,700 [It¡¯s So Realistic¡¯s HP Remaining] In the blink of an eye, Reilei¡¯s HP went from less than 35% to full. In addition, she gained a protective barrier for a little more than a third of her maximum HP! ¡´Battle Alert: yer It¡¯s So Realistic¡¯s fatigue has been reduced by 50% from the effects of yer Luna¡¯s ?Curing Hand of Preservation?.¡µ Skill Name: Curing Hand of Preservation Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Mana Cost: 1,800 Cast Time: Instant Active: Instantly heal yourself or an ally target within 25 meters for 600% of the user¡¯s ?Healing Factor?. Excess healing from this skill +[10% of the target¡¯s maximum HP] is converted into a protective barrier that absorbs all iing damage. The protective barriersts for 30 seconds or until it is destroyed. If the target possessed less than 40% HP when this skill was first activated, the target¡¯s fatigue is reduced by 50%. Cooldown: 4 minutes 20 seconds Reilei was amazed. She felt much lighter than she did just a second ago. Even her breathing had be stable! A gentle breeze brushed past Reilei as she instinctively looked to her side and a familiar voice sounded. It belonged to the yer she had just been conversing with over voice chat. "I will act as your support. I assume I can entrust you with the task of inflicting damage?" Luna said as she arrived next to Reilei. Reilei lightly gasped as she caught sight of Luna and the first thought that came to her mind was, "My, how pretty." "She looks like she is around the same age as my Jin. That boy... All he is interested intely is this game. But, perhaps if it is someone who also ys, then..." Reilei internalized. Reilei was concerned that her son had never truly gotten over hisst heartbreak; however, as a mother, she could not help but be worried about her son¡¯s future. If it were during their previous circ.u.mstances, Reilei would have never given it much consideration. But, with the way things had been goingtely, she now had the luxury of having such thoughts. "Ah, no, I have to focus." Reilei pushed aside her thoughts and returned her focus to the Failed Kitsune. "Leave it to me," Reilei responded with a small nod. As the creature¡¯s sixth tail lit up, the temperature in the surrounding atmosphere dropped considerably. It was to the point that Reilei and Luna could see their own breath in the cold. Chapter 708 - Natural Fear, Forced State!

Chapter 708 - Natural Fear, Forced State!

Without waiting to see what the Failed Kitsune was up to, Reilei charged forward at incredible speeds as purple mes converged at her right palm. "This is amazing. Just a moment ago, I was struggling to stand upright. But now I feel like I have been granted a second wind." Reilei thought to herself as she noticed the improvement in her movement.?? As Reilei closed the distance between herself and the Failed Kitsune, the creature¡¯s eighth tail turned pitch ck. The instant it did so, a sphere of darkness norger than the size of one¡¯s fist formed at the tip of its tail. Then, just as Reilei arrived within five meters of the Failed Kitsune, the sphere rapidly expanded in all directions, engulfing Reilei, Luna, and even Ayanellia who had maintained a safe distance from the main battlefield. In the blink of an eye, a ck dome that expanded approximately sixty meters had materialized. From the outside, there was a strange purple hue that formed a barrier and gave off an aura simr to the kitsune¡¯s mana. At the same time, inside the barrier, there was nothing but total darkness. The temperature also continued to decline to a point where it fell below zero degrees celsius. As for Reilei, after she was engulfed by the darkness, she maintained her course to strike the kitsune; however, the creature had already changed its location immediately after casting its spell. "I can barely see anything..." Reilei said to herself as she frowned. Normally, even if it was in total darkness, Reilei never had an issue seeing things when she merged with Xiao Liang using Amalgamate. After all, whether it was day or night, Xiao Liang¡¯s vision was unaffected. However, the darkness created by the kitsune was unnatural. There was a heavy energy in the atmosphere that further obstructed one¡¯s vision. And, to make matters worse, the chilling air was beginning to cause Reilei to be drowsy and sluggish. Reilei¡¯s felt her eyelids grow heavier with each passing moment as she struggled to stay awake. Swooosh! "?!" Out of nowhere, a gust of cold wind brushed past Reilei. The kitsune had struck out at her with its razor-sharp ws coated the ice element. Fortunately, Reilei was able to snap out of it and evade the attack at thest moment. But, the feeling of wanting to enter a deep slumber once again overcame her. "Why am I feeling so sleepy all of a sudden? It has not been that long since Ist slept... Then, is it one of those debuffs that I was warned about?" Reilei internalized as she kept trying to keep herself from nodding off. As she was getting ready to doze off, Reilei heard a voice that prevented her from doing so just in time. [Voice Chat] Luna, "Realistic, are you okay?" Right after the darkness epassed the surrounding vicinity, Luna opened the party¡¯s voice chat function to stay in contact with Reilei. Luckily, the darkness did not also interfere with systemmunications. [Voice Chat] It¡¯s So Realistic, "Y-yes... I¡¯m fine... However, I¡¯m... not sure how much longer... I can hold... my eyes open... I feel like I just... want to rest..." "What¡¯s going on? It sounds like she is ready to pass out." Luna said to herself as she listened to Reilei¡¯s voice that sounded as though she was barely awake. However, the odd thing was that Luna feltpletely fine. While the air was a little chilly, it was still at a fairly manageable point. And, there were no signs of negative effectsing through the battle logs. "Perhaps it¡¯s rted to that..." Luna muttered. Reilei¡¯s situation reminded Luna of something simr that happened to her when she traveled through the Pzenium desert. Since members of the Trephasia race did not handle extreme heat or areas with ack of life that well, Luna felt sluggish and drained during her visit to the Pzenium desert. Luna was uncertain what race Reilei was; however, based solely upon her appearance, it seemed to be some sort of reptile. If that was the case, then it was not surprising that Reilei suddenly became the way she did. Most reptiles did not handle the cold well and typically entered a state of brumation. Luna believed that Reilei was experiencing somethingparable to brumation due to the severe drop in temperature because of her race! "If it is due to her race, there is nothing that can be done. Our only option is to find a way out of this darkness and away from the cold." Luna concluded. Luna was only half-correct in her assumption. It was not a result of Reilei¡¯s race. Instead, it was because of her link with Xiao Liang! [Voice Chat] Luna, "Realistic, whatever you do, you can not allow yourself to fall asleep. If I am correct, this type of cold environment is unsuitable for you. For now, try to focus on finding a way to keep yourself warm to minimize the negative effects. In the meantime, I will find my way to you so try not to wander off too far." "Warm...? Warm..." Reilei murmured as her eyes closed and a faint growl could be hearding from just a few meters away. The Failed Kitsune seemed to realize that Reilei¡¯s condition was getting the best of her and decided to take advantage of the opportunity tounch a finishing blow! Grrrr...! As the creature growled, its sixth tail lit up once more. This time, an icicle roughly two meters in length materialized above the Failed Kitsune¡¯s head. When thest part of the icicle formed, a powerful burst of wind erupted behind the object, propelling it forward like an arrow being released from its string! Swoosh! The icicle soared through the air on a direct course for Reilei¡¯s head! But, just as the icicle was about to reach Reilei, the purple mes around the palm of her hand transformed as a hint of blue appeared. Then, the next moment, the mes red up into a great ze! This zepletely epassed Reilei¡¯s body, causing the icicle to melt before it could even make contact with her. However, that was not all. The cold air around Reilei began to retreat as the numbing coldness in her body was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y expelled. As it witnessed this sight unfold, the kitsune had a wary expression as it visibly trembled. For some reason, the purple and blue mes enveloping Reilei caused it to feel an instinctual fear. To the kitsune, it was like meeting an apex predator that reigned above on the food chain. It was the first time since the creature¡¯s creation that it experienced such a dreadful feeling that made it want to submit. However, lost in its rage while having its first taste of what it was like to fear something else, the kitsune became enraged as its anger further consumed it. Since it did not know how to cope with the feeling, the kitsune ultimately gave into its madness as its fur underwent yet another change in appearance. It turned from a pure white into a mixture of ck and red as all eight of the kitsune¡¯s tails lit up. ¡´Battle Alert: Polketin¡¯s Failed Kitsune has f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y entered into an enraged state!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Polketin¡¯s Failed Kitsune will lose 5% of its HP every second until its enraged state ends!¡µ All of a sudden, the dome of darkness started to shrink as the cold air also started to flow towards the kitsune. It was collecting every bit of its strength as a response to the mes Reilei summoned. "This is..." Luna was on her way to meet up with Reilei after pinpointing her location from the burning mes she emitted when the darkness started to vanish. In addition, Luna received a surprising set of alerts from the system. "This is unusual. It is willingly burning its own lifeforce to enter an enraged state? It even went as far as canceling its other skills. Something must have changed to make it feel this cornered." Luna surmised. Luna was unsure what transpired in such a short amount of time, but she knew one thing. The kitsune only started to act this way the moment those mes around Reilei emerged. Therefore, it was hard to dismiss a connection between the two. "Wait... That¡¯s strange. Where did all of her mana go?" Luna made sure to keep a close eye on Reilei¡¯s HP in case something unexpected urred. However, to her surprise, it was not Reilei¡¯s HP that dropped, but rather her MP. A second ago, Reilei had roughly 21,000 MP remaining¡ªthat was just a bit under 50% of her total mana value. However, before Luna knew it, Reilei¡¯s mana had dropped to 0%! Meanwhile, a dense concentration of mana containing several elements converged at the center of the kitsune¡¯s open maw. At the same time, the scales on Reilei¡¯s body started to light up before eventually turning into a red-orangish color. Chapter 709 - Flooding, The Orb of Creations and Sun Fire

Chapter 709 - Flooding, The Orb of Creations and Sun Fire

Reilei¡¯s eyes turned into two ming suns as she extended her arm outward. The next moment, a small wisp of raging sun fire formed at the palm of her hand.?? Even Luna, who was still several meters away from Reilei, could feel the intense waves of heat being generated by the sun fire. At the same time, the Failed Kitsune started to realize that something was wrong. The mana that it had been gathering and condensing was beginning to break down. But, that was not all. The mana that broke down did not merely dissipate into thin air. Instead, it was drawn directly into the sun fire in front of Reilei! And, the more the kitsune tried topensate for the absorbed mana, the faster it felt its strength draining. RAAAAAAWR! Left with no other choice, the Failed Kitsune unleashed its magic attack that was abination of multiple elements. However, despite having to release the skill ahead of time, the power it carried was at least three times that of the attack it used earlier that also struck the outer walls of Eastgate! Just from the amount of mana contained within the st, Luna knew that it was not an attack Reilei could afford to take head-on¡ªeven if her HP was higher than normal for a summoner. But, for some reason, Reilei remained unmoved. "I should take some precautions." Luna internalized as she used the skill Protective Barrier to form a damage absorption shield around Reilei. However, just as Luna prepared to immediately follow up with another support-type skill, something unexpected happened. ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Gluttonous Matter Breakdown?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: 30% of your mana has been absorbed by yer Reilei!¡µ "This is..." Luna instantly halted her actions upon receiving the battle alerts and seeing therge amount of that was mana f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y extracted from her body. As a member of the Trephasia race, Luna¡¯s mana reserves were much higher than other yers. Therefore, 30% of her total mana was not a small amount by any means. Luna quickly shifted her attention to the party interface. And, just as she suspected, something unusual was going on with Reilei¡¯s mana. When Lunast checked not too long ago, Reilei had roughly 21,000 points of mana remaining. But, after checking it once more, Luna discovered that number had shot up to more than 235,000! However, Reilei¡¯s maximum mana stat of 44,000 did not budge from its spot. "Absorbing that much mana... Is she Flooding?" Luna said to herself as she inwardly furrowed her brows. Mana was like water and a yer its cup. However, this cup had a tightly sealed lid. This meant that upon reaching its maximum capacity, not even a single drop of water more could fit inside. There was no overflowing effect, but rather something that more resembled an explosion. This effect was officially referred to as Mana Overflow; however, yers gave it another name¡ªFlooding. Flooding was something that had been gaining an increase in popritytely among the smaller guilds. But, it was something the bigger guilds frowned upon. Smaller guilds often used this strategy against powerful bosses beyond their immediate reach and increase their guild¡¯s overall power with the loot that dropped. However, there was a reason Flooding was not being used by top guilds. After all, just a death penalty alone would not be enough to cast aside a potential trump card. The problem was that yer¡¯s who performed the act had their mana pool virtually crippled, permanently affecting their mana regeneration and even having their cast time for spells increased. For the top yers of big guilds, the negative effects far outweighed the momentary benefit that woulde from a single sess. That¡¯s why Luna was taken aback when she first saw Reilei¡¯s mana. Yet, to Luna¡¯s surprise, Reilei did not seem to be suffering from any such side effects despite having exceeded her capacity by more than fives times. "Gluttonous Matter Breakdown... That skill is the reason why my Protective Barrier was abruptly canceled. But, if I am unable to use any skills on Realistic while she is in that state, then... No, since I said I would act as her support, if ites to it, I will just have to use that." Luna internalized as she stopped exactly fifteen meters away from Reilei¡¯s location. Right as Luna came to a halt, the Failed Kitsune¡¯s attack approached within one meter of Reilei! Since the kitsune f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y entered into an enraged state, its overallbat prowess had risen severalfold. Even though it could only maintain such a state for less than fifteen seconds, it was more than enough to wipe out an entire party of yers, let alone one or two people. Not to mention, when fighting against an enraged boss rank monster, fifteen seconds often felt like an eternity to those on the receiving end of the creature¡¯s assault. BOOOOOOOOM! The magic attack sent out by the Failed Kitsune made contact with the sun fire, creating arge explosion and kicking up a huge cloud of dust on the battlefield. The Failed Kitsune howled in glory as it overcame the apex predator that appeared before it. Now, it no longer had to experience that fear ever again! As the dust began to settle over the battlefield and the kitsune no longer sensed the threatening sun fire, its fur began to revert back to its pure white color. ¡´Battle Alert: Polketin¡¯s Failed Kitsune is no longer enraged!¡µ Name: Polkentin¡¯s Failed Kitsune(Epic Boss) Level: ??? HP: ???(3.52%) Regardless of its apparent sess, the kitsune was cautious by nature. It waited until the veryst moment to cancel its enraged state. However, as the dust fully settled, the kitsune¡¯s body trembled. That¡¯s because standing in the same spotpletely unharmed was the person it had unleashed all its might to take down! In the creature¡¯s mind, their survival was an impossibility. After all, it clearly sensed that the sun fire had vanished along with its owner! Luna was also a bit surprised when she saw Reilei; however, it was for a different reason. "So pretty." Luna found that these two words had unknowingly crossed her mind in the moment. Reilei¡¯s transformation hade to an end. The scales, ws, tail, and other changes were no longer anywhere to be found. Luna could tell that Reilei was still a beauty while in her transformation, but it did notpare to her original appearance. It was like looking at a real-life fairy! "You did well, Xiao Liang. Try to get some rest." Reilei said as she lightly rubbed Xiao Liang¡¯s head. Xiao Liang had reverted to his small lizard form as he rested upon Reilei¡¯s shoulder. He was exhausted after taking in and controlling so much mana while simultaneously maintaining a transformation link with Reilei. At first, when it noticed Reilei, the kitsune retreated a step. However, after realizing that the menacing aura around her was not there, the creature quickly regained its confidence and arrogance. She must have used thest bit of her energy to block thest attack¡ªthis was the conclusion the kitsune reached. Right now, she waspletely defenseless! The Failed Kitsune was low on HP, but it knew that allowing that person to survive would bring it nothing but trouble. No matter what, they had to die! However, the instant the mana started to physically manifest, it disappeared. The kitsune was visibly confused by what had just urred, but before it could process what was happening, it felt something lightly press against its forehead. The object was a small bead no bigger than a round marble. Inside this tiny bead, there seemed to be an entire world, and giving life to that world was an undying sun. The kitsune did not have a chance to react as the bead sunk into its forehead. The next moment, it released a terrifying howl as its body became engulfed in sun fire! At the same time, a small orb no bigger than one¡¯s fist formed above the kitsune. This orb rapidly rotated before expanding and trapping the kitsune within as the sun fire raged on. As this went on, the sun fire became so intense that it became difficult to see what was going on inside the orb. After some time passed, the sun fire within the orb finally calmed down as the orb itself fragmented before shattering into pieces. However, when the sun fire faded, the kitsune had seemingly vanished into thin air. What emerged from the sun fire was a small creature that resembled a young fennec fox with white fur, two tails, and a dazzling pair of baby blue eyes. Chapter 710 - Xiao Huli, Do Your Best Luna

Chapter 710 - Xiao Huli, Do Your Best Luna

¡´System Alert: The skill ?Sun Fire of Nine Creations? has ended.¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Polketin¡¯s Failed Kitsune? has been reborn.¡µ?? ¡´System Alert: You have sessfully tamed ?????. Please give ????? a name toplete the Soul Link.¡µ Reilei blinked a few times from confusion upon receiving the system alerts. Sun Fire of Nine Creations? She did not remember any such skill being in her arsenal. "Reborn? Then... Is that adorable little fox the monster that was just here? But, I don¡¯t understand." Reilei thought to herself as she furrowed her brows. Just a second ago, Reilei used Xiao Liang¡¯s sun fire¡ªa skill that allowed Xiao Liang to absorb energy sources and convert them into a power of his own. Once enough power was collected, Xiao Liang could send out a burst of energy that contained a nearly immeasurable amount of mana. However, if Izroth was there, he would have noticed another energy source hidden deep within the sun fire¡ªDragon Force! It was due to the use of Dragon Force that Xiao Liang was leftpletely exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately after utilizing the sun fire. As for the sun fire, it was overbearing by nature and devoured anything that got near it. Of course, this included the final attackunched by the Failed Kitsune. Unfortunately, the sun fire had trouble absorbing all of the kitsune¡¯s attack due to theplex mesh of elements shing. But, at thest moment, just as the sun fire was about to be unstable, Reilei¡¯s Orb of Nine Creations emerged, and her transformation was f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y terminated. What Reilei did not notice was that hidden in the distance, a sphere that contained a myriad of colors formed in the palm of Ayanellia¡¯s hands. After forming, it shot out, fusing with Xiao Liang¡¯s sun fire. The two joined as one, and, in the process, created a small bead-like object. This was the reason why the Failed Kitsune was unable to detect the sun fire. And, it was also this same bead that sunk into the Failed Kitsune¡¯s head, causing it to be ultimately reborn. Unbeknownst to Reilei, Xiao Liang and Ayanellia sensed the impending danger and worked together to create the fusion skill, Sun Fire of Nine Creations. If other yers discovered that this urred, they would be utterly dumbfounded. That¡¯s because there had never been a recorded case of two summons creating a fusion skill at all, let alone of their own free will without the summoner¡¯s influence! The white fennec fox slowly approached Reilei with some caution. The signs of aggression that the Failed Kitsune disyed had vanished without a trace. It was as if Reilei was looking at an entirely new entity altogether. "Is this really the same monster...? It did mention something about being reborn, but... Is this really okay?" Reilei internalized as she was somewhat hesitant. Myu... The small fox looked up at Reilei with its dazzling big blue eyes. It had a pitiful expression as though it could feel Reilei¡¯s hesitation. When Reilei¡¯s gaze met with the small fox, she lightly shook her head and decided to set aside her uncertainty. "I¡¯m still not entirely sure what happened, but it seems that it¡¯s my fault you have be like this. In that case, I will take full responsibility." Reilei said as she held out the palm of her hands. Myu..! The small fox¡¯s mood immediately underwent a drastic shift as it leaped into Reilei¡¯s hand as its two tails rapidly swayed back and forth in its excitement. "A name... Let¡¯s see... Ah, I got it. How about I call you Xiao Huli? Is that okay?" Reilei asked with a gentle smile. The small fox seemed to like the name Reilei as it gave a small nod and released a happy squeak. "I¡¯m d you like it. I hope we get along well, Xiao Huli." Reilei said with a light giggle. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully established a Soul Link with ?Xiao Huli?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Sun Fire of Nine Creations? is now avable for use.¡µ Ayanellia walked over to Reilei¡¯s side before resting her head against Reilei¡¯s leg. Just like Xiao Liang, she had returned to her true form and was currently exhausted; however, she was much better off than Xiao Liang who had taken on most of the stress. "You did well, too, Ayanellia. Thank you." Reilei stated sincerely. Meanwhile, Luna watched the scene unfold a few meters away from Reilei. "Incredible." This was the first word that crossed Luna¡¯s mind as she witnessed everything. "This is the first summoner I have seen with summons capable of taking on human form. Not only that, she was even able to somehow convert a boss monster into one of her summons... It must be the unique nature of her ss. Nine Creations Summoner¡ªit¡¯s a ss I have never heard of, but if it can allow a yer to tame a boss monster... What a frightening ability." Luna thought to herself. Turning a powerful boss monster into one¡¯s own weapon¡ªhow could something with that type of potential not be a terrifying thought? After all, it usually took an entire party of yers to face a single boss monster. Luna believed that if Reilei took full advantage of her ss, she would practically be a one-person army! Of course, the skill itself did note without its ws. Luna noticed that there was no loot or experience given from the Failed Kitsune. Also, the creature¡¯s power appeared to have been reverted to an infancy stage; therefore, it was currently nowhere near as strong as the Failed Kitsune from a few moments ago. Still, the potential was there. And, perhaps there was even something beyond its past self? Luna found that there were many interesting and mysterious things surrounding the yer It¡¯s So Realistic. "She reminds me of when I first formed a party with him..." Luna whispered to herself as she thought back to the time she found the first world boss with Izroth, as well as their journey to the Shadahi Realm. However, before she knew it, Luna¡¯s mind strayed to the time Izroth held her in his arms to hurry into the Millennial Veiled Oasis. Luna soon found that her cheeks had be flushed a rosy pink as she lightly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "What am I thinking about...? That was just because of the circ.u.mstances at the time..." Luna internalized. "...A... Na... Luna?" Reilei, who was just several meters away, had moved in front of her. "Are you okay? Your face is all red. Have you been getting enough rest? It¡¯s not good to y too much. If you feel tired, you should take a break and rest." Reilei noted. "My apologies. I did not mean to make you worry. I assure you, I am fine. However, I am truly grateful for your concern." Luna said with a graceful smile. Reilei was still somewhat worried, but since Luna seemed like a responsible girl, she decided to take her at her word. "If you say so, then... Ah, that¡¯s right. Um, is it okay if I send you a friend request?" Reilei asked. It was her first time being on the giving end of a friend request; therefore, Reilei was a little nervous. "Sure. I feel it would be a shame to simply part ways here without at least bing friends." Luna replied happily. A smile quickly formed on Reilei¡¯s face as she scrambled through her system¡¯s interface and finally managed to send a friend to Luna. ¡´System Alert: You have added yer Luna as a friend!¡µ "I will be heading back to Eastgate to make a report. What will you do now, Realistic?" Luna asked. "Eastgate... Ah, Phoenix...!" Reilei suddenly remembered that Phoenix was still waiting for her at Eastgate! "Would you mind if I apany you there?!" Reilei asked. "That should not be a problem, but... Is everything alright?" Luna inquired. "Well... I promised someone I would meet them at Eastgate. She¡¯s probably worried about me. I will send her a message to let her know that I¡¯m okay. But, I still feel bad for making them wait for long." Reilei exined with a weak smile. "Then, we should hurry so that we do not keep your friend waiting any longer," Luna stated calmly. "Yes." Reilei nodded as she began her journey to Eastgate with Luna. "By the way, Luna..." "Yes?" "Do you have anyone you¡¯re romantically involved with? If not, how about I introduce you to my son?" Son? In Luna¡¯s eyes, Reilei could not be more than two to four years older than her. Therefore, her son had to be much younger¡ªmaybe even still in primary school! "This is... I¡¯m afraid I have to decline. Besides, I already..." Luna answered as herst few words drifted off and her gaze turned to the ground. "Ah, I see~" Reilei immediately understood after seeing Luna¡¯s reaction. She then continued, "Then, I won¡¯t get in the way. Do your best, Luna. I will be rooting for you." "...Thank you..." Luna muttered quietly. Although her gaze was at the ground, one could see that her ears had be bright red. ... Somewhere in the Rosentarus forest... ¡¯The entrance and illusion have both disappeared without a trace. It looks like there truly is no way back inside.¡¯ Chapter 711 - Misjudgment, Returning To Amaharpe

Chapter 711 - Misjudgment, Returning To Amaharpe

After entering the portal, Izroth and the rest of his party arrived back at the tree where the entrance to the crusade was originally hidden. However, both the tree that led to the hidden passageway and the illusion had vanished without a trace.?? "It doesn¡¯t look like anything has changed since we entered the crusade." Colorful Nimbusmented. "Tempest and their allies are probably focused on solidifying their foothold along the Demilitarization Belt. The chances of them crossing the border any time soon, while notpletely impossible, remains fairly low. Still, at times, even if you hope for the best, it is better to prepare for the worst so that you are not caught off guard." Niflheim stated. "Well, I¡¯ll be sure to keep an eye out on the way back to my outpost. It wasn¡¯t easy obtaining permission to leave the area I was stationed. Lucky for me, the Captain I¡¯m under is a kindhearted person. Though since I assured them I would return by the end of the day, I should keep mymitment." Colorful Nimbus said as he looked over towards Gram. He then continued, "You tagging along with me on the way back, Gram?" Gram gave a small nod in response. Since he was stationed under the same Captain as Colorful Nimbus, naturally, Gram also made a promise to return by the end of the day. "It¡¯s a shame we have to part ways so soon. However, I hope both of you have a safe journey. It¡¯s been a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e." Sacred de said. "Likewise. And, if you evere across something interesting in the future, be sure to give us a call." Colorful Nimbusmented. He then faced Morrighan and said with a yful grin, "You, too, beautiful. If you ever call, I¡¯ll drop everything ande running at once, you know? We can even call it a date-" "Shall I help expedite your return to your outpost? Of course, it will be free of charge." Morrighan said as the palm of her hand released a faint purple hue. "Ha... A joke¡ªjust a joke. But, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline your generous offer. Let¡¯s go, Gram." Colorful Nimbus chuckled. "I suppose I should get going as well. Niflheim, Pce Master Izroth, Phantom Queen¡ªI would like to express my gratitude to all of you once again. If not for your help, I fear conquering the first stage would have been our limit." Sacred de mentioned. Niflheim shook his head and replied, "Honestly, we should be the ones thanking you. Without your invitation, none of us would have gotten the rare opportunity to participate in a crusade." "He¡¯s right. A crusade is not easy toe by even if one were actively searching for them. As for the favor you owed me¡ªyou can consider it repaid." Izroth stated unhurriedly. "That puts my mind at ease." Sacred de said sincerely. He was not the type that enjoyed being in debt to others. Therefore, he was d that he got the chance to pay back the favor he owed Izroth for saving him during the Great Sea Pce raid. That being said, a part of Sacred de could not help but feel as though he still somehow owed Izroth. After all, it was Izroth who cleared the third stage and allowed them to emerge as the victors. Once he finished giving his thanks, Sacred de took his leave. Fortunately, he was not stationed too far away from their current location and it would only take him about an hour or two to reach his destination. "I¡¯m going to check out the surroundings for a bit," Niflheim said as he purposely excused himself. He knew that Izroth and Morrighan still had a few things to settle; therefore, he did not want to get in their way. The moment Niflheim left, Morrighan opened her inventory and removed a dark circr object. At the object¡¯s center was something that resembled the ancient Eye of Ra, but the eye was currently closed. ¡¯The energy it gives off doesn¡¯te close to the Twin Epoch Sentinels, but... it certainly emits an aura that makes one feel uneasy. Just what kind of magic item is it?¡¯ Simply by looking at the magic item, it made Izroth feel as though his mind was being slowly pulled in by an irresistible force. "This is the A-rank magic item I promised you. It is called the Eye of Macabre. I will apologize in advance as I have already used it twice. However, I assure you, it is not an item that will disappoint you." Morrighan said as she handed off the Eye of Macabre to Izroth. Izroth epted the item as he immediately gave it a closer inspection. Name: Eye of Macabre(Magical Item) Rank: A Durability: 120,084/125,000 Uses: 8/10 Usage: When activated, the user summons the ?Eye of Macabre?. Every time a skill that uses an energy source is used, the ?Eye of Macabre? will open a little. Once the ?Eye of Macabre? is fully opened, it causes all enemies who meet its gaze, regardless of distance, to be trapped within a terrifying and powerful illusion for 1 minute. Those trapped inside the illusion have all healing reduced by 75% and experience a temporary time dtion of 1:10 for the duration. In addition, every 10 seconds, they will suffer 1,500 + [12.50%(0.50% for boss-type monsters) of their maximum health] as pure damage. Damage from this skill ignores shields. This illusion cannot be dispelled through normal methods. After the illusion ends, if the target is still alive, they will suffer 2.5%(0.10% for boss-type monsters) of their maximum HP as pure damage every second for the next 30 minutes or until they die. ¡¯Interesting. An AOE crowd control ability that¡¯s also able to inflict a great deal of damage over time. Moreover, it deals pure damage, meaning defenses and resistances are useless against it. It also ignores range, activating as long as the target looks at the summoned eye. It is the perfect magic item for a magic caster. Yet, she was willing to wager it away?¡¯ The Eye of Macabre was a powerful magic item regardless of who was the one wielding it; however, there was no doubt that magic casters would benefit the most from it. After all, it could buy them valuable time to cast spells or escape in a dangerous situation while letting the effect take ce. The fact that Morrighan was willing to part with it somewhat surprised Izroth. "If you had offered this along with the information regarding the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood, there would have been no need for you to risk losing a wager. I would have epted your trade. Can it be that you actually enjoy gambling more than you let on?" Izroth stated as he ced the Eye of Macabre into his inventory. Izroth collected an entire cauldron¡¯s worth of Immortal Hydra blood. Even for the information contained within the ancient scrolls alone, he would have been willing to part ways with a small portion of the blood. Morrighan was visibly taken aback by Izroth¡¯s words. He was the owner of the first yer-owned shop, the Mystical Realm Pce. In addition, he held the first ce spot on the Event Leaderboards and had numerous other achievements under his belt. In Morrighan¡¯s mind, that type of person, without a doubt, would be incredibly arrogant and proud¡ªno matter how well they tried to hide it. Morrighan believed that if she had merely offered Izroth a trade, he would have turned her down. But, if she made the offer in the form of a wager, Morrighan knew that Izroth¡¯s pride and arrogance would not allow him to reject the wager. At least, this was the Phantom Queen¡¯s original thought process. "It was an error in judgment on my part. I can only reflect upon my choice so that such a mistake does not ur again in the future." Morrighan admitted as she inwardly sighed. She then changed the topic and continued, "I have the ancient scrolls in my possession, but I hope you can wait for a day or two. I can¡¯t give you the scrolls themselves since they are soulbound to me; however, I will copy their contents and deliver them to your Mystical Realm Pce. At that time, I hope we can further discuss the matter of the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood." "Since it¡¯s out of your control, I can only wait. Then, I will be looking forward to your arrival at my Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth said with a carefree expression. After exchanging a few words and epting Morrighan¡¯s friend request, the Phantom Queen pointed her wand at the ground as a magic circle formed beneath her feet. "Until we meet again, Izroth." Those were Morrighan¡¯sst words before she vanished along with the magic circle. ¡¯Oh? She¡¯s also capable of using teleportation magic? How useful.¡¯ A few momentster, Niflheim returned after being contacted by Izroth. "So? What¡¯s the n now?" Niflheim asked curiously. "First, I need to return to Amaharpe to take care of a few things. Once that¡¯s settled, we will need to prepare for the uing attack on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt." Izroth answered as he began walking, apanied by Niflheim. He paused for a second and then continued, "And... don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time our Division gets a few new faces?" Chapter 712 - TalNis Gift

Chapter 712 - Tal''Nis'' Gift

... The next day in RML... Izroth was currently sitting at the center of his private room located within the Mystical Realm Pce. It had already been several hours since he arrived at the Mystical Realm Pce; however, he came across an unexpected problem. ¡¯Strange... It¡¯s been well over twelve hours, but the effects of Soul Weakness show no signs of disappearing. My skills are also still locked as a result of the bacsh from my Compressed Lightning Movements while also utilizing Dragon Force. How long will itst?¡¯ Ever since his return to the Mystical Realm Pce, Izroth spent his time thoroughly checking the state of his body. In addition, he circted his Source Chant to help with the recovery process of his Essence. However, even though his Essence had been fully restored, Izroth found that his stats were still reduced and his skills locked. Izroth examined his stats once more; however, nothing had changed since thest time he inspected it. ¡¯The assault on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt should be taking ce within the next couple of days. If I can¡¯t recovery before then... How troublesome.¡¯ Name: Izroth EXP: 82.35% Title: Oathkeeper(Primary), Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary), Schr(Solitary) ss: Combat Master [HP(Hit Points): 24,080/24,080 (100%)] -> 6,020(WEAKENED) [HP Regen(In-Battle): 213 HP/s] -> 53(WEAKENED) [Energy: 225] -> 56(WEAKENED) [MP: 1,422/1,422 (100%)] -> 356(WEAKENED) [MP Regen: 10 MP/s¡ª] -> 2.5(WEAKENED) [ATTACK: 2,734] -> 684(WEAKENED) [DEFENSE: 1,258] -> 315(WEAKENED) [AGILITY: 2,158] -> 540(WEAKENED) [MAGIC: 146] -> 37(WEAKENED) [Physical Resistance: 25%] [Magical Resistance: 25%] [Luck: 6] [Critical Hit: 9.5%] [Lifesteal: 6%] [Armor Piercing: 10%] [+19% Attack Speed] [+10% Movement Speed(Doubles when out ofbat)] [+15% Water Resistance] [+5% Permanent Experience Boost] [+150% Crafting Speed] [+45% Pill Crafting Speed] [+8.9% Blessing of the Craft] [-17% Mana Cost For Skills] [+10% Bonus Damage for Sword-Type skills] ¡¯At least it only seems to affect my main stats. Fortunately, my physical and magical resistance as well as some of my other stats are unaffected. However, it can only be considered a small victory. For now, at least until I regain the use of my skills, it is too dangerous to leave the Mystical Realm Pce.¡¯ Izroth had many enemies. Some of these enemies were visible, but others lurked in the darkness¡ªwaiting for an ideal moment to strike. And, there was no better moment than now to do so. Of course, Izroth was well aware of his situation. ¡¯The effects will most likely vanish by themselves if I give it time. Unfortunately, time is something I cannot spare with the way things have been progressingtely. I have to find a way to speed up my recovery as fast as possible. And, I may have just the thing to do it. But, I still have not heard back from him yet.¡¯ Izroth did not spend his time in the Mystical Realm Pce solely trying to recover. Although he was waiting for Morrighan to deliver copies of the ancient scrolls, Izroth wanted to begin experimenting with the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. However, he immediately ran into a roadblock. Since Izroth was using his Dark Abyssal Cauldron as a container for the hydra¡¯s blood, he was forced to use one of the cauldrons inside his Mystical Realm Pce. Izroth knew that a D-rank or C-rank cauldron would not be able to handle the hydra¡¯s blood; therefore, he borrowed the only B-rank cauldron in his Mystical Realm Pce that he specifically prepared for Worldly Skies. But, who would have thought that the B-rank cauldron would melt and fracture after receiving only a few drops of hydra¡¯s blood? In the end, the cauldron¡¯s durability dropped to zero and it was destroyed! Just like that, more than 630,000 RMB had gone down the drain! And, that was not even including the fire core needed to power the cauldron itself. This is why Izroth asked Metronome to find another cauldron at least B-rank, as well as a virtually indestructible container that could hold even the most potent of poisons. ¡¯It seems I am unable to start anything before I find a container capable of properly storing the hydra¡¯s blood. Since I¡¯m stuck at an impasse, I suppose now is as good a time as any...¡¯ Izroth essed his inventory. The next moment, two objects had appeared before him. It was the treasure c.h.e.s.t he obtained from clearing the crusade¡¯s third stage along with a mysterious ck box. Izroth picked up the mysterious ck box that was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. This was the gift Tal¡¯Nis mentioned just as Izroth was transporting out of the third stage. ¡¯Let¡¯s see what gift you prepared for me.¡¯ Izroth opened the mysterious ck box and was greeted by the sight of three transparent vials no bigger than one¡¯s finger. Each vial had the same unique symbol of an hourss embedded onto its front surface. However, when Izroth read over the system information of the vials, a weak smile formed on his face as he could not help but slightly shake his head. ¡¯Is this what they call searching for a coin under one¡¯s own foot?¡¯ Name: Ageless Vial of Sen(Magical Item) Rank: S Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Capacity: 0.00% Usage: A vial capable of storing virtually any type of liquid or gas substance and keep it from degrading indefinitely. The user of this item can control the exact amount they want to store or use. This item cannot be used to store two distinct substances. Special Note: A vessel crafted from a special stone unique to the Ageless Valley. The gift Tal¡¯Nis prepared for Izroth had been the very thing he was seeking¡ªa container for the hydra¡¯s blood! Tal¡¯Nis probably realized that some of the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood was in Izroth¡¯s possession and knew that he would have trouble finding a viable way to keep it stored. Still, he never thought that she would go out of her way to gift him not one, but three Ageless Vial of Sen! Even if their sole purpose was to act as a storage device, that did not change the fact that they were still S-rank magic items! ¡¯To think she would give away three S-rank magic items without blinking. As expected of a crusade¡¯s owner.¡¯ Izroth took out his Dark Abyssal Cauldron and was instantly hit by the overbearing stench of the foul hydra¡¯s blood. ?Resisted? ?Resisted? ¡¯If not for my Heavenly Golden Body, it would be quite troublesome to work with. But, I should be fine as long as I don¡¯te into direct contact with it.¡¯ Izroth removed the cork-style seal on the Ageless Vial of Sen and held the empty vial above his Dark Abyssal Cauldron. The moment he did so, the Blood of the Immortal Hydra inside Izroth¡¯s cauldron swirled upward into a spiral before flowing into the Ageless Vial of Sen. A few secondster, after taking in a little more than half of the hydra¡¯s blood, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The item ?Ageless Vial of Sen? has reached 100% Capacity!¡µ ¡¯It holds more than I expected for its size. I expect no less from an S-rank magic item.¡¯ Izroth ced the first vial into his inventory before using a second vial to finish absorbing the rest of the hydra¡¯s blood down to the veryst drop. ¡¯It¡¯s just a bit shy of reaching full capacity.¡¯ Name: Ageless Vial of Sen(Magical Item) Rank: S Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Capacity: 98.95% ... Izroth set the second vial into his inventory along with the unused third vial. ¡¯It¡¯s strange... I¡¯m certain I collected arger amount of the hydra¡¯s blood with the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. The rest of it could not have just disappeared by itself without reason.¡¯ Just as this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, something unusual happened. The Dark Abyssal Cauldron began to shake uncontrobly as it unleashed a heavy aura of oppression. ¡¯An overload? No... This aura feels familiar. It¡¯s almost as if I¡¯m back at the second stage of the crusade.¡¯ Grrrrr... Hssst... Raaawr... Suddenly, the sound of lowing hissing and growls entered Izroth¡¯s ears as five lines of energy erupted from inside his Dark Abyssal Cauldron! At first, the five lines of energy seemed formless and unstable. However, after a few seconds passed, they began to stabilize and take on an actual form. ¡¯This is...¡¯ Hsssst... What appeared before Izroth was five serpent-like creatures made of pure energy¡ªthey were the heads of the Immortal Hydra! ¡´System Alert: The item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? rank has risen.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? rank has risen.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Dark... ... Out of nowhere, Izroth was bombarded by a small flood of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, the hidden requirements for the item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? have been met.¡µ ¡´System Alert: A new feature has been unlocked.¡µ ¡´System Alert: A new feature has been unlocked.¡µ Chapter 713 - The Dark Abyssal Cauldrons New Features, A Series of Unfortunate Events!

Chapter 713 - The Dark Abyssal Cauldron''s New Features, A Series of Unfortunate Events!

A few seconds passed as the heads of the Immortal Hydra red at Izroth before dissipating into numerous particles. These particles were drawn into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and absorbed into its interior surface. After everything settled down and the cauldron returned to an idle state, Izroth examined the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. ¡¯This greedy thing... It¡¯s no better than the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. If I had left the hydra¡¯s blood alone long enough, it probably would have consumed all of it down to thest drop. If things continue at this rate, I¡¯m afraid every item or resource I get my hands on will be consumed by something in my possession.¡¯ In total, the Dark Abyssal Cauldron had devoured roughly one-third of the Immortal Hydra¡¯s blood Izroth collected! If he had to wait until Metronome found a container capable of housing the liquid, Izroth did not know if there would have been anything left of the hydra¡¯s blood! ¡¯Hm... Not much has changed in regards to its appearance. But, this aura¡ªit definitely matches that of a high-tier magic item.¡¯ The first thing Izroth noticed, besides the change in the aura surrounding the Dark Abyssal Cauldron, was eight colorless gemstones newly embedded on the upper inner rim of the cauldron. ¡¯Seeing as how there are exactly eight colorless gemstones, it is safe to assume it¡¯s rted to this new feature.¡¯ Izroth shifted his attention to the two new features he unlocked for the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. Name: Dark Abyssal Cauldron(Soulbound) Rank: C+ -> A Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Current Fire Core: me of Synthesis(B) Usage: An ancient pitch-ck cauldron made from an unknown indestructible material. It can be used by apothecaries to create pills that are grade-seven or lower. The more an ?Apothecary? pushes the limits of this cauldron, the stronger it will grow. *New -> ?Dark Abyssal Armlet? - When activated, the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? transforms into the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet? that is automatically equipped to the user. Cannot be activated while crafting. *New -> ?Beast Spirit Absorption? - Whenever a monster dies near the user, its spirit can be absorbed into the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet?. The more powerful the beast, the more difficult it will be to subdue and absorb its spirit. Captured spirits can be used in crafting to enhance the pill(s) with powerful effects based on the beast it belonged to. This ability is only usable with the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet? active. (Spirits Absorbed: 0/8) [Cooldown: 1 hour] Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold and is soulbound to the user. Dark Abyssal Armlet and Beast Spirit Absorption¡ªthese were the Dark Abyssal Cauldron unlocked after absorbing the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. ¡¯Let¡¯s see...¡¯ Izroth held his right hand over the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. The next moment, the cauldron stretched as if it were a shadow as it wrapped around Izroth¡¯s wrist. The shadow-like substance rapidly spread until it reached the middle of Izroth¡¯s forehead beforeing to a halt. In the blink of an eye, the Dark Abyssal Cauldron had vanished. At the same time, the shadow that attached itself to Izroth solidified and morphed into a ck armlet with magic symbols etched into its surface. In addition, there were eight miniature versions of the colorless gemstones positioned around the top end of the armlet. ¡¯Oh? Even the system information that¡¯s disyed has changed.¡¯ Name: Dark Abyssal Armlet(Soulbound) Rank: A Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) Usage: This item allows the user to see and interact with the essence of spirits left behind by fallen beasts. ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? - When activated, the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet? transforms into the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? and appears in front of the user. Cannot be activated while inbat. ?Beast Spirit Absorption?... Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold and is soulbound to the user. ¡¯It¡¯s convenient that I won¡¯t have to remove my Dark Abyssal Cauldron from my inventory every time I want to use Beast Spirit Absorption. I would like to test it right away, but my current state makes that somewhat difficult. However, since I managed to clear out the Blood of the Immortal Hydra, I can finally test that. But, first...¡¯ Izroth set his gaze on the ck treasure c.h.e.s.t giving off an overwhelming pressure. This was the true reward for clearing the third stage of the crusade! Name: [Izroth¡¯s] Third Stage Crusade Treasure C.h.e.s.t(Soulbound) Rank: ??? Usage: Contains rewards for clearing the third stage of the ?Crusade?. Special Note: This item can only be opened by its owner. Izroth discovered that outside a basic description, there was no useful information that even remotely hinted as to what the treasure c.h.e.s.t may contain. ¡¯How vague. I guess there is only one way to find out.¡¯ Izroth reached towards the crusade treasure c.h.e.s.t; however, as if actively sensing his intentions, the treasure c.h.e.s.t began to open before he even touched it. ¡¯So this is the reward for clearing the third stage of a crusade. I have to say...¡¯ Izroth viewed the contents of the treasure c.h.e.s.t and could not help but release a small inward sigh. ¡¯It¡¯s even better than I anticipated.¡¯ There were only three items inside the treasure c.h.e.s.t; however, each and every one of them was enough to cause the top guilds to fight to the death over! Name: Relic of the First Tal(Soulbound) Rank: SSS Durability: : ¡Þ(Indestructible) Uses: 3/3 Usage: Summons a powerful phantom of ?Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis? who will assist the user inbat for up to 5 minutes. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. This item automatically disappears when the number of uses reaches 0. Name: Special Material Bag IV(Soulbound) Usage: Randomly generates one mythical or higher quality material that is rted to the user¡¯s profession. If the user has no profession, this bag cannot be opened. Special Note: This item is soulbound to its original owner and cannot be traded or sold. This item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user¡¯s inventory. Name: Unique Item Treasure C.h.e.s.t(Soulbound) Rank: Unique Usage: Contains a single Unique item inside. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ When Izroth read the title of the book, a carefree smile formed on his face. ¡¯This might be the most interesting gift you¡¯ve given me yet.¡¯ Name: A Journey of Insights(Soulbound) Usage: This book contains the recorded insights of Tal¡¯Nis during the time before her ascension regarding various subjects. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Izroth opened the book and flipped through its pages one by one. The book itself was only about fifty pages; therefore, it did not take Izroth long to finish reading it. Izroth shut his eyes as he closed the book and organized the information within his mind. ¡¯The secrets of this world run quite deep. For every answer I receive, two new questions form.¡¯ Izroth opened his eyes as a serious expression appeared on his face. ¡¯The Divine Realm... Just what kind of ce is it? I wonder...¡¯ ... Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... Inside a poorly lit room stood two male individuals. One of these individuals was Vault, the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate. As for the other, it was Doctor Dark, one of the Twelve Banes of the Headhunter Syndicate. "Say that again..." Vault said in a voice that was cold enough to freeze over the mes of the underworld. "W-We still haven¡¯t heard back from the Mad Dogs and-" Doctor Dark spoke in a shaken voice; however, before he could even finish, he felt a heavy force crash into his body as he was sent flying back. Woosh! BANG! Doctor Dark mmed into the wall as he was struck mercilessly by Vault. All he did was make a report and this was the end result. But, all Doctor Dark could do was secretly curse the Mad Dogs under his breath. "Listen to me! I don¡¯t care what methods you use, I want Bloodhound and those other bastards from the Mad Dogs found! How dare they take my money and flee! Dammit! Dammit!!" Vault kicked over the nearby table as the veins on his face formed by his anger protruded. Lately, Vault had gotten nothing but bad news. After Menerva¡¯s betrayal, the Twelve Banes was now down to Nine Banes as Vault was unable to get in contact with ck Dreams and Open Notes, who seemed to have mysteriously vanished into thin air! But, this was not even the biggest of his headaches. Vault recently found out that the orphanage he secretly listed under his father¡¯spany to keep Menerva under his thumb had been purchased by some unknown party! However, when Vault went to file aint directly to his father to get the purchase overturned, he was actually yelled at and shooed away! Vault was shocked as it was the first time his father ever yelled at him. Usually, his father would get him anything he wanted without question, so Vault¡¯s anger only grew worse. It was onlyter that he found out that the uing contracts his father painstakingly secured with the prominent Zi family had been pulled at thest second! The strangest thing was that the Zi family gave no excuse or reason, which is why his father was in a terrible mood. After all, that was hundreds of millions¡ªpossibly even billions of RMB gone, just like that! As if all of that wasn¡¯t enough, for some reason, even his own girlfriend, Genesis, was refusing to meet up with him! It had only been a few days, but Vault felt as though his misfortune was only continuing to increase! Why was nothing going the way it was supposed totely?! Chapter 714 - Your Misfortune Is Not Your Own!

Chapter 714 - Your Misfortune Is Not Your Own!

... A few momentster, Vault finally managed to quell his anger¡ªat least, to a certain extent. However, it was clear that he still had a sour taste in his mouth from recent events. That¡¯s when an image of Izroth shed through Vault¡¯s mind after he remembered what happened earlier today. "While I¡¯m here dealing with this mess, that bastard goes and clears a crusade...! How dare he...! That¡¯s right¡ªever since I met that guy, everything has been going downhill! I swear I won¡¯t rest until he gets what he deserves!" Vault thought to himself as he grit his teeth. Suddenly, the sound of a system alert rang in Vault¡¯s ears. It was a message from someone he did not feel like dealing with right now. But, with the way things were currently going, Vault knew that he needed more allies, not potential enemies. ¡´System Alert: yer Haishe has sent you a message, "It looks like you and your Headhunter Syndicate are bing an overnight sensation again, Vault."¡µ "What the hell is this guy going on about?" Vault frowned. Haishe was the current leader of Fatal Touch, an organization of yers who performed practically any task as long as the price you paid them was sufficient. In terms of overall strength, Fatal Touch was not inferior to any top guild. However, since they were not technically a guild, they were not counted among the top ten guilds in RML. Vault often used the services of Fatal Touch to take care of his enemies in RML. But, it was strictly a business rtionship with their former leader, Silent Steps. However, after Silent Steps was forced to step down from the leadership role, Haishe took his ce. And, Vault saw this as a unique opportunity. In truth, Vault hoped to form a stable alliance with Fatal Touch, which is why he had been trying to get on Haishe¡¯s good sidetely. If he could form an alliance with Fatal Touch, it would only act to further solidify the power and influence of his Headhunter Syndicate! ¡´System Alert: yer Haishe has attached a video! Would you like to view its contents?¡µ "Hm? A video? What is he-" Vault opened the video; however, the moment he saw its contents, Vault immediately closed it out. "I¡¯ll kill them... I swear I¡¯ll kill everyst one of them!!!!" Vault yelled at the top of his lungs. He was just beginning to gather himself but had once again erupted into a fit of rage! Doctor Dark was startled by Vault¡¯s abrupt outburst as he watched on with a troubled expression. He released a sigh of relief after seeing that Vault had started toe back to his senses. But, out of nowhere, Vault had reverted to his initial burst of anger! "Hm?" Just moments after Vault received the video from Haishe, Doctor Dark¡¯s system alerts went off as one of his guildmates sent him a video attachment with the message "Urgent! Must Watch!". Doctor Dark furrowed his brows as he watched the video and it did not take long for his face to turn pale. "Don¡¯t tell me...!" Doctor Dark quickly closed out the video and opened the official RML forums. When he saw what was listed as number one on the trending page, Doctor Dark nearly coughed up blood from anger. [RML Official Forums] [Trending] [#1 (Video)The Headhunter Syndicate bes the Headhunted Syndicate!] [Views: 485,109,992][Likes: 101,952,143] [#2 (Guide)Preparing for the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt] [Views: 185,028,192][Likes: 25,039,692] [#3 (Video)Defiant¡¯s Great Sea Pce Raid Full Clear] [Views: 152,018,966][Likes: 19,987,221] ... The video showed their battle against the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce and Sacred Beasts within the Demilitarization Belt! From their total annihtion to Vault¡¯s face being buried in the ground as if he were willingly submitting¡ªthe video showed it all! The only saving grace was that the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce¡¯s face was blurred out. However, if certain groups of people chose to dig, it was only a matter of time before this was revealed! Doctor Dark read over some of the top posts on the video. "Ha! Serves them right! It¡¯s about time they got a taste of their own medicine!" "LOLOLOL! Dude, this video¡¯s golden! Haven¡¯t they been a little too arroganttely?" "Ah, finally justice has been served. Some of their members killed me and my friend, but there was nothing we could do about it. I¡¯m sure many others feel the same way." "Looking for GF! Will help with equipment and leveling! ;)" "Eh? Why is that one guy¡¯s face blurred out? I want to see who that hero is!" "No one seems to have made the connection. But..." Doctor Dark released a heavy sigh as he closed out the forums. "Our guild¡¯s reputation will take a big hit if nothing is done about this. We have to strike back and return the humiliation tenfold. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be aughingstock!" Doctor Dark internalized. Meanwhile, Vault secretly cursed under his breath as he started requested a voice chat with Haishe. [Voice Chat Started] Vault, "Did you send me that video just to humiliate me?" Haishe, "I just wanted to confirm something. That guy with his face blurred out who did you in, it¡¯s the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, right?" Vault, "That¡¯s right..! It was that bastard¡¯s sneak attack that ruined everything! But, how did you know it was him?" Haishe, "Naturally, I have my ways." In truth, it was not Izroth himself Haishe recognized, but rather the sword in his hands. It was the same sword Izroth used to y Silent Steps back near Avalonia¡¯s Arboretum, which ultimately allowed Haishe to ascend to his leadership role in Fatal Touch. Vault, "If that¡¯s all you messaged me for, then you got what you want. I¡¯m a bit busy right now, so I can¡¯t talk." Haishe, "Now, now... Don¡¯t be so quick to get rid of me, Vault. I have some good news that you might enjoy." Vault narrowed his eyes with a doubtful expression. Right now, no more bad news would already be considered good news to him. Nevertheless, he was interested in what Haishe had to saw. Vault, "If this is your definition of good news, then-" Haishe, "The request you made is about to be fulfilled. Well, at least, part of it." Vault was taken aback by Haishe¡¯s words. However, his expression of shock swiftly morphed into one of excitement. Atst, it truly was some good newsing his way! Vault, "Then, you¡¯re going to kill that bastard for me?!" Haishe, "Weren¡¯t you listening? I said a part of it. As of right now, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce is above what you¡¯ve paid us. Not even taking his own strength under consideration, we would also have to worry about a response from Sleeping Gardenia, Sacred Beasts, and possibly even Cross Haven. I¡¯ll be blunt. Unless the Sword Saint decides to make a move, you should get the thought out of your head." Vault was frustrated when he heard Haishe¡¯s response; however, he did not openly express his disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. Still, he knew that Izroth would be a headache to deal with because of the connections formed using his Mystical Realm Pce. But, he never thought that it would require someone like the Sword Saint to personally make a move! The Sword Saint was recognized as the strongest member of Fatal Touch. If one did not have his approval, it was impossible for them to be the organization¡¯s leader. However, there was a rumor that the Sword Saint did not like dealing with others and only showed himself openly when Fatal Touch was in trouble. How could Vault get someone like this to make a move on his behalf? Haishe, "That aside, we¡¯ve located six potential targets. All you have to do is say the word and sent the other half of the payment. After that, you can leave the rest to me." ¡´System Alert: yer Haishe has sent you a message, "Targets: Halls, Guan Yu, Mirage, Midnight, Valentine, Qi Jiguang."¡µ As he read over the listed names, it almost caused Vault to grin ear to ear. "Hmph, you might be safe for now, but your misfortune is not your own. Those around you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions! I¡¯ll be sure to return the humiliation you¡¯ve given me that day one hundredfold!" Vault thought to himself as his gaze turned cold. Haishe, "Well? Shall we proceed?" Vault, "Do it." ... Approximately one hourter at the Mystical Realm Pce... ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully crafted x1 ?Self Awakening Pill III?!¡µ Izroth had spent the past hour experimenting with the Self Awakening Pill. However, the crafting process took much longer than he anticipated as he was only able to craft one pill every thirty seconds¡ªeven with the buffs to his crafting speed. Izroth examined the Self Awakening Pill he most recently crafted using superior quality materials; however, the results did not go as he expected. ¡¯Even with the use of higher quality ingredients, the rarity is not guaranteed to be of simr quality. I should have known that the system would not be so generous. Still, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve obtained a Self Awakening Pill of this quality.¡¯ Chapter 715 - Self Awakening Pill

Chapter 715 - Self Awakening Pill

Name: Self Awakening Pill III(Unique*) Rank: Unique* Usage: The user who consumes this pill has a [20%] chance to experience ?Self Awakening?. The user also permanently gains the passive skill ?Ahead of the Pack?. ?Self Awakening?: After a series of ?Willpower? checks, the user undergoes a special awakening. The longer the user endures, the greater the awakening. Effects vary depending on the consumer. ?Ahead of the Pack?: All sources of experience gained by the user is increased by 3%. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will temporarily increase ?Ahead of the Pack? experience gain from 3% to 6% for 1 hour. This effect cannot stack with itself. This effect will not activate more than once every 24 hours. Consuming a higher quality version of this pill will upgrade its effect(s). The chances of ?Self Awakening? can only happen upon the user¡¯s first consumption of this pill and increases depending upon pill quality. ¡¯A first rank Self Awakening Pill only provides a base experience boost of 0.5%, while the second rank version of it grants 1%. However, this one jumped all the way to 3%. Even the chances of a Self Awakening have increased by arge margin. It looks like it¡¯s not as simple as doubling with every pill upgrade.¡¯ For a Self Awakening Pill I, the chances of experiencing an awakening was only a measly 1%. As for the Self Awakening Pill II, it was much better, providing the user with a 5% chance to awaken. However, both paled inparison to what the Self Awakening III pill offered with its 20% chance! ¡¯Each jump in quality seems to greatly improve the opportunity for a yer to experience an awakening. Still, 20%... With my luck stat, I may be able to scr_a_p_e by, but... No, it¡¯s still not enough. In order to ensure an awakening, I may need to craft a rank five, or, at the very least, a rank four Self Awakening Pill.¡¯ Izroth inwardly sighed as he ced the rank three Self Awakening Pill into his inventory. The next moment, he removed one of the Ageless Vial of Sen that contained the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. ¡¯Should I test it out?¡¯ ¡¯To acquire a rank four or five Self Awakening Pill, there¡¯s no question that my best chances of doing so lie with using the mythical rank Blood of the Immortal Hydra. It¡¯s just that I have no idea how much of it will be needed to craft a single Self Awakening Pill.¡¯ Izroth had already used various liquid-based materials to craft Self Awakening Pills; however, the amount required differed depending on the ingredient used. Some were a few drops per one portion, while others demanded an entire barrel¡¯s worth to equal one of three ingredients needed to craft the Self Awakening Pill. ¡¯Forget it. There¡¯s no use thinking about it any further. In the end, it¡¯s only a mythical rank material. While the loss would be somewhat regretful, I still have another vial full to use for other purposes.¡¯ Izroth unsealed the Ageless Vial of Sen and tilted it over the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. He made sure to carefully control every drop that went into the cauldron; however, Izroth could not move too slow. After all, thest time he left the Blood of the Immortal Hydra sitting in there for too long, the cauldron began to devour it. He did not know if the same thing would happen again, which is why he had to proceed with a certain level of caution. As Izroth poured the hydra¡¯s blood into the cauldron, the putrid stench quickly filled up the crafting room. Though with the protection of his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth was able to endure the harmful effects. 99%... 98%... 97%... Izroth observed as the capacity of the Ageless Vial of Sen started to fall. 95%... Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when it reached the 95% mark. That quantity of hydra blood was roughly enough to fill a one-liter container. If Izroth ced that amount up for auction, it would easily sell for over 20,000 gold coins. And, with the current gold to RMB exchange rate of 1:178, that was more than 3,500,000 RMB! Izroth continued to pour the hydra¡¯s blood into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. It was not until Izroth nearly approached the 90% mark that he finally heard the sound of a system alert ring in his ears. ¡´System Alert: 1/3ponents for the ?Self Awakening Pill? have been collected. [Component: Mythical]¡µ ¡¯92%... To craft a single Self Awakening Pill would require I use 24% of the hydra¡¯s blood. That means this one pill will cost me roughly 95,000 gold coins every time I want to craft it. But, in reality, the price is probably much higher given the rarity of hydra¡¯s blood. I can only hope the end results do not disappoint.¡¯ Now that Izroth got a solid grasp on the exact amount required perponent, he swiftly added the remaining two portions of hydra blood to the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. ¡´System Alert: 3/3ponents for the ?Self Awakening Pill? have been collected. [Component: Mythical]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Production conditions for the ?Self Awakening Pill? have been met. Pill formation in progress...¡µ The cauldron slightly trembled as the hydra blood fused with the cauldron¡¯s mes and swirled into a sphere the size of one¡¯s fist. However, as the seconds went by, the sphere started to shrink as if it were beingpressed by a great force. Once the sphere was reduced to the size of a marble, it formed into a dark-colored pill with a smooth surface as the raging mes within the cauldron settled down. Soon after, the pill levitated above the cauldron. Izroth sealed the Ageless Vial of Sen and set it into his inventory before taking the pill into his hand. ¡¯The color... It changed. But, that¡¯s not all.¡¯ The other Self Awakening Pills Izroth crafted were all light blue in color to the point of being aquatic and gave off the scent of rainfall in summer. However, this particr Self Awakening Pill had a deep blue shade that was almost on the verge of bing ck. In addition, the scenting from the pill was like that of a refreshing spring. But, what surprised Izroth the most was that the pill in his hands was not a rank four nor a rank five Self Awakening Pill. ¡¯Six points of luck and now this. It¡¯s quite fitting that they match.¡¯ Name: Self Awakening Pill VI(Unique*) Rank: Unique* ?Self Awakening?: After a series of ?Willpower? checks, the user undergoes a special awakening. The longer the user endures, the greater the awakening. Effects vary depending on the consumer. ?Ahead of the Pack?: All sources of experience gained by the user is increased by 10%. Special Note: Consuming this pill more than once will temporarily increase ?Ahead of the Pack? experience gain from 10% to 30% for 1 hour. This effect cannot stack with itself. This effect will not activate more than once every 24 hours. Consuming a higher quality version of this pill will upgrade its effect(s). The chances of ?Self Awakening? can only happen upon the user¡¯s first consumption of this pill and increases depending upon pill quality. ¡¯It¡¯s a shame the Self Awakening Pills seem to be unaffected by Blessing of Craft and my Natural Talent passive. Is it because of its nature as a unique pill that came directly from the system? Well, either way, the benefits do not disappoint. Even just taking the experience boost into ount makes it more than worth the cost.¡¯ For top yers that were constantly searching for every edge imaginable to stay ahead of theirpetitors, a 10% permanent experience boost was a massive advantage! And, to have that effect tripled to 30% by consuming another pill, even if it was just for one hour a day, was nothing short of extraordinary! Once Izroth consumed the Self Awakening Pill VI, it would increase his permanent experience gain from 5% to a staggering 15%! But, of course, while the experience boost was impressive, what truly caught Izroth¡¯s attention was the awakening. ¡¯95%... With my luck, leaving a 5% room for error should not prove to be an issue. Well, then¡ªshall we see what you can do?¡¯ Without hesitation, Izroth ced the Self Awakening Pill into his mouth as it instantly dissolved. Thump! Thump! ¡´System Alert: You have consumed ?Self Awakening Pill VI?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the passive skill ?Ahead of the Pack?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! You are currently undergoing ?Self Awakening?!¡µ Out of nowhere, Izroth felt an overwhelming force crash into his body! ¡´System Alert: You are being suppressed by an unknown force!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Checking Willpower...¡µ ¡´System Alert: You resist the force of suppression!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The unknown force of suppression has increased!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Checking Willpower...¡µ ¡´System Alert: You resist the force of suppression!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The unknown force of suppression has increased!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Checking Will... ... Chapter 716 - Awakened

Chapter 716 - Awakened

... Thirty minutester... At the moment, Izroth sat in a meditative pose with his eyes closed. The force of suppression surrounding him had progressed to where it was challenging for him to move a single finger. Even the gravity pockets he experienced before paled inparison to this unknown force. And, although half an hour had passed, the pressure seemed as if it had no intention of letting up until Izroth submitted. ¡´System Alert: You resist the force of suppression!¡µ However, despite being unable to move, there was a calmness on Izroth¡¯s face. He appeared to bepletely undeterred by the force of suppression! Though this was not surprising considering that one¡¯s Willpower was used to gauge how long one could resist the pressure. Even if he lost his peak cultivation from the Seven Realms, if there was one thing Izroth had in spades, it was Willpower! Otherwise, how could he w his way to the top of the Seven Realms? This system wanted to use Willpower to test him? What a joke! As Izroth awaited the next increase and Willpower check; however, it never came. ¡¯Hm?¡¯ Not only did Izroth not receive the next wave of pressure, but he also noticed a sudden shift in the atmosphere as the force of suppression vanished. Suddenly, Izroth¡¯s body felt as though it had been tossed into a raging inferno as he began to sweat profusely. But, this did notst for long as a bone-piercing chill overcame Izroth, pulling him from the inferno into an icy tundra. Then there was nothingness as Izroth descended into total darkness. In this darkness, there was only him¡ªset adrift aimlessly in the neverending void. He was in a ce that existed beyond the influence of time and space¡ªsomewhere that existed simultaneously in a state of absolute chaos, and then the next moment, a state of absolute order. And, just as Izroth was pulled from this darkness, he witnessed the copse of chaos and order. From that copse, the primordialws that made up the fabric of all words were born. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything returned to nothingness. ¡¯In the beginning, there was nothing. From nothing came chaos, from chaos, came order. Order shall return to chaos, and chaos shall return to nothingness... The chant of Raza¡¯Til. Was this a memory formed by my awakening? Or...¡¯ Izroth opened his eyes as he was back in the Mystical Realm Pce. In reality, he did not actually leave the Mystical Realm Pce; however, all of it was incredibly surreal. As Izroth pondered a few things, he received another alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfullypleted a ?Self Awakening?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer toplete a full ?Self Awakening?. As a reward, you may choose your method of awakening.¡µ ¡¯Oh? I get to choose? Interesting.¡¯ The next moment, a special system window appeared in front of Izroth. There were a total of four options that showed up. -Race: Evolve into a unique race. -Trait: Awaken a unique Trait. -Source: Awaken a unique Source. -Beginning: Begin your own path. [Special] [Awakening] Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he read over the four choices. ¡¯A difficult choice. Excluding thest option, everything listed here is rather straightforward.¡¯ Izroth was curious about evolving into a unique race. He wondered if it was something simr to his Soul Avatar Empyrean¡¯s Skybreaker race. Or, perhaps he would even get the chance to gain the bloodline of a true dragon? Either way, the benefits were definitely numerous. ¡¯Choosing race as the awakening seems to be the obvious choice. After all, if one gets lucky enough, it won¡¯t be impossible to gain several inherent traits for that race. And, if it¡¯s anything like true dragons, then it is also possible to acquire a second Source. But, if I know the system, there¡¯s no question that it took this into ount, which can only mean one of two things. The trait and Source one can obtain has simr potential, or... Awakening with the race method is rarepared to the others.¡¯ Izroth was also interested in whether or not he would acquire a second Source if he chose the Source awakening method. After all, he already had a Source. And, based on what Izroth knew, only unique races like the true dragons could hold more than one Source. As for choosing the trait method, it was Izroth¡¯sst option. In the end, it may be difficult for yers to obtain traits; however, acquiring a Source or evolving into a new race required luck more than anything. But, of course, Izroth had not forgotten about the most eye-catching awakening method. ¡¯Beginning... In this case, it can mean too many things. It can be anything from resetting my level back to one with my stats intact, to being allowed to train using a method avable to me alone. It¡¯s too cryptic. But, it is difficult to dismiss the word next to it.¡¯ "Special"¡ªobviously, this was the system¡¯s way of letting him know that this was not an opportunity that came around often. If that was the case, then he would be a fool not to ept it when it was staring him in the face. ¡¯Am I someone who fears risk? Whether it is this world or the Seven Realms, those who take no risk are bound to turn out mediocre or average at best. My goal is to reach the pinnacle of this world. And, given this world¡¯s history, there are those who have a headstart worth thousands of years. If I do not take risks, catching up will be a mere distant dream.¡¯ With that, Izroth made his choice as the system window in front of him closed out. ¡´System Alert: You have chosen the awakening method ?Beginning?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Physical conditions have been met.¡µ Izroth decided to proceed without hesitation. The system¡¯s warning was thoughtful, but there was no safer ce for him than inside his Mystical Realm Pce. ¡´System Alert: yer Monitoring Protocol MP-042 has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Awakening... [0.01%] Time Remaining: [06... The moment Izroth epted and the alert of the yer monitoring protocol rung in his ears, he was ovee by a sudden wave of sleepiness as his vision turned blurry and he quickly began to slip into a state of slumber. ¡¯Six hours... I suppose a small nap every once in a while... isn¡¯t too bad...¡¯ As Izroth entered his slumber, the sound of system alerts and everything else vanished. However, what Izroth did not know was that what he saw with his blurred vision was not six hours¡ªbut six days! ¡´System Alert: Awakening... [0.01%] Time Remaining: [06 day(s) 00 hour(s) 00 minute(s) 00 second(s)].¡µ ... The silhouette of a phantom could be seen traveling through a sea of trees under the starry night sky. From an onlooker¡¯s perspective, it looked as if an apparition was on the move. Zeeeeut! All of a sudden, the phantom came to a halt on one of the tree branches as it started to transform. What appeared at the end of its transformation was a person¡ªa girl with a petite frame, and long flowing ck hair that reached down to her ankles. She wore a mask that covered the lower part of her face as her orchid color eyes pierced through the darkness of night. This person was Azalea Wraith, someone Izroth took under his wing. Azalea had joined the War Intelligence Group for the event; however, she never stopped working in the shadows to collect valuable information for Izroth. And, the information she discovered a couple of hours ago was nothing small. "Strange... Why is teacher not responding to my messages?" Azalea internalized with furrowed brows. Usually, Izroth responded to her messages instantly. The only exception was if he were out of range or preupied with something else. However, it had already been more than two hours and she was still unable to get in contact with him. Thest she heard, Izroth had returned to the Mystical Realm Pce. That¡¯s why Azalea was tempted to make the trip to Amaharpe¡¯s capital city to pay a personal visit to Izroth, but she was currently following a lead that she could not let slip away. After all, it had to do with the message she sent Izroth. "I do not know why, but... There is someone targeting the members of our guild. I need to find out who that is as soon as possible." Azalea thought to herself. "Daring to target those under my teacher¡¯s protection¡ªit is a price no one can afford to pay." A cold hint of killing intent shed through Azalea¡¯s eyes as her gazended on a small cave in the distance. At first, there was no movement around the cave. However, a few secondster, a quick shadow darted into the cave. Azalea had been tracking this "shadow" for nearly an hour now as they cut through unnecessary paths and made unusual detours. But, Azalea knew that this was merely a safety precaution to prevent them from being easily followed. Though in the eyes of someone like Azalea, the shadow¡¯s erratic movements were nothing but parlor tricks. When the shadow entered the cave, Azalea¡¯s figure turned into a blur before morphing into an apparition as she disappeared from the tree branch. Chapter 717 - Siren

Chapter 717 - Siren

... The sound of footsteps could be heard echoing softly inside the cave. Swoosh! The footsteps abruptly fell silent as a faint glow of moonlight peeked through the cave''s ceiling, exposing two figures. Both figures wore hooded clothing that concealed their appearance. The hooded figure who just entered the cave had a dagger pressed to the back of their neck; however, they showed no signs of retaliating. "The lone raven sings but one word." The person holding the dagger spoke. "Nevermore." The other hooded figure answered as a few strands of long ck hair flowed out the side of their hood and a pair of orchid color eyes seemed to shine under the beam of moonlight. This hooded figure was none other than Azalea. "If these guys are involved in this, then someone must really want them dead." Azalea internalized. After following the person she had been tracking into the cave, she quickly discovered that this was no ordinary meeting location. In fact, it belonged to a group she knew quite well. "Were you followed?" The hooded figure asked. "Who do you think I am? I took the necessary precautions beforeing to this ce. But, since you are questioning my skill..." Out of nowhere, Azalea turned dissolved into nothingness. "?!" Before the person holding the dagger could react, they felt something cold press up against the back of their neck¡ªit was a dagger! Just like that, their positions had been swapped! "...You may pass. Your number is 32." The hooded figure stated. "Hmph." Azalea lowered her dagger and returned it to the sheath hidden under her forearm as she walked forward into the darkness. "This has be a bit troublesome." Azalea thought to herself as she disappeared into the depths of the cave. ... After walking for several seconds, Azalea reached a dead-end that seemed to lead to nowhere. However, instead of stopping or turning back to find another way, she continued to walk forward. The moment Azalea came into contact with the dead-end, her body phased right through the seemingly solid rock as she arrived in a spacious and well-lit opening of the cave. "Talisman of Concealment... Their methods have not changed in the slightest." Azalea internalized as she swept her gaze across the room. The instant Azalea appeared in the room, she drew the eyes of everyone there as they sized her up. In total, there were thirty-two individuals spread throughout the room. Most of which kept to themselves. However, there was one person who stoodpletely separate from the group and was facing everyone as they stood on tformed made of stone that was slightly raised off the ground. After briefly sizing up Azalea, everyone averted their gazes and went about their own business. "First off, allow me to introduce myself. I am the one who will be heading this gathering. You may refer to me as Q. It pleases me to see that so many have answered the Siren''s call." This voice came from the person standing on the tform. Their voice was distorted, so it was difficult to tell whether it belonged to a man or woman. As for their appearance, just like the others in the room, it was well hidden. The only major difference was that the one called Q wore red concealment clothing and a ck mask with no visible features. NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: Siren "The underground organizationwork, Siren... It''s not cheap to get them to post an ?ssignment. Now that I know they are involved, it won''t be easy tracking down the client who made the request." Azalea thought to herself. Siren¡ªthis organization was something known only to a small percentage of the yerbase in RML. Siren took on requests from clients that ranged from simple information collection and theft, all the way to ?ssassinations. They also made certain that the identity of their clients always remained an absolute secret. Of course, what many people did not know about the organization was that it had a powerful backer hidden in the shadows¡ªthe League of the Eidolon! Before she met Izroth, Azalea had taken on ?ssignments from Siren and was even offered a chance to join the League of the Eidolon. But, in the end, she turned them down. After all, her goal was different from those who typically ?ssociated with those types of organizations. Azalea was well aware that Siren was secretly funded by the League of the Eidolon as they often used Siren as a way of searching for potential recruits for their main organization. In other words, Siren was just a branch on the massive tree that was the League of the Eidolon. Though if one wanted to gain ess to the "Siren''s Call", the gatherings that allowed them to take on tasks, they first needed toplete a certain series of quests. "Now that basic introductions are out of the way, shall we proceed to the main topic of discussion?" Q said as they held the palm of their hand forward. Zeeeut! In a sh, a small ck and red cube appeared in front of everyone in the room, levitating before them. Azalea was no stranger to this cube as she held her hand out over the object. ¡´System Alert: Identification confirmed! [Codename: Wraith]¡µ ¡´System Alert: essing information...¡µ After having her identity confirmed, a new system window appeared before Azalea that disyed six faces, six names, and information containing their most recently known whereabouts. When Azalea saw the faces and names disyed through the system window, her eyes narrowed as her gaze turned cold. Halls, Guan Yu, Mirage, Midnight, Valentine, and Qi Jiguang¡ªthese were all names and faces of her fellow guild members. "We will always repay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. If someone helps one of us, then they are helping all of us. If someone bullies one of us, then they are bullying all of us¡ªnever forget this."¡ªthese words were spoken by Izroth the first time everyone met at the Mystical Realm Pce. And, they still echoed strongly in Azalea''s mind. "Someone dares to hunt our people." Azalea wanted nothing more than to y every person in the room for even entertaining the thought. However, she knew that this was only a single meeting location and it would ultimately affect nothing. After all, the same exact meeting was also currently taking ce at the other numerous Siren locations spread throughout RML. "The client is willing to pay 115 gold coins for the first kill on each target. Every kill after the first on each target will be worth 30 gold coins. The total collection kill count is set to 10 per target. This means after the tenth kill, the kill request for that specific target ends and it is consideredplete. As you all know, the cubes will track your progress and act as a way to confirm your kills. However, the client has made a special request. Should you provide humiliating video evidence of your kill, they will include a bonus of 50 gold coins. This bonus can only be imed once per target, so keep note of that." Q exined calmly. "?!" Those in groups began to whisper among themselves as the cave became filled with small mutters. Everyone was shocked by the generous gold pool of this request. Added together with the bonus, it was a potential 435 gold coins per target¡ªthat was close to 78,000 RMB! If one somehow imed everything for themselves, it would be a staggering 2,610 gold coins or nearly 465,000 RMB! Multi-kill requests like this did note along often since many of the targets were always NPCs or other entities tied directly to RML. It was rare that yers were the targets, and even more unexpected that someone was willing to put up almost half a million RMB in a cash pool! In the minds of those present, these six people must have really offended someone to incur such an unforgiving level of wrath! "Qi Jiguang... That damned crazed fighter. He''ll probably be the hardest person to deal with on this list. Outside those who''ve reached the Master rank or the Grandmasters, I doubt anyone can handle him. But, there''s bound to be some greedy idiots. Maybe we can use them to gauge his current strength." One of the people standing next to four other yers said to his group. Those who sessfullypleted missions for Siren joined their ranking system. From lowest to highest, it went Initiate, Novice, Disciple, Hunter, Shadow, Master, Grandmaster. While there was no limit to the other ranks, there were only five Grandmasters in Siren. Each of those individuals had priority on the most challenging, but also rewarding of requests that Siren provided. At one time, Azalea held the rank of Grandmaster. However, in order to maintain the rank of Grandmaster, it required one to be constantly active when it came topleting requests. But, after meeting Izroth and ceasing her activities in Siren, naturally, Azalea''s rank dropped down back to Master. Chapter 718 - A Fatal Oversight, A Glaring Clue!

Chapter 718 - A Fatal Oversight, A ring Clue!

"Wait a sec... I''ve seen a few of those names somewhere before... Ah, that''s it...! They were a part of Sleeping Gardenia''s raid group that cleared the first hardcore raid...!" One of the individuals in the group who went by Red Keeper mentioned. "Huh? Now that you mention it... I think you''re right." The yer standing at the head of the group, Iron Ghost, said. "Does that mean someone is starting to move against Sleeping Gardenia?" "I wouldn''t be surprised. A top guild like them is bound to have its fair share of enemies. If I remember correctly, they haven''t been on good terms with Blue Oasistely after that raid. Also, Mist Pce and Sleeping Gardenia have always been rivals for as long as I can recall." "But, are they really members of Sleeping Gardenia? I won''t im to know every single yer, but I make it my job to know the names of the core members. Moreover, that Qi Jiguang, who is well known for flying solo, is also listed here. From what I know, no one on this list is a core member of Sleeping Gardenia¡ªunless, they have been secretly hiding them." "I doubt it. You know those top guilds. Whenever they have the chance to brag or show off the talents under them, they never hesitate. After all, it just means more publicity for them. Still, now that we know Sleeping Gardenia is involved somehow, we''ll have to act carefully. We''ll target those unrted first." "What''s this? You scared or something?" "Ha? Don''t joke around. Why make things intentionally difficult for ourselves? We''ll start with the weaklings and work our way up." As Iron Ghost and Red Keeper chatted, simr discussions were happening among the others who hade in groups. Meanwhile, Azalea had already closed out the system window as she listened intently to the several conversations taking ce. She had to calm herself multiple times after hearing some of the words being spoken. Azalea was even more infuriated by the bonus reward offered just to humiliate those under her teacher''s protection! Everyone else may have been oblivious to it, but this was not some ploy against Sleeping Gardenia. Rather, it was a direct p to the face of her teacher! "Not only do they dare to hunt our people, but they even want to humiliate them? When I find out who is behind this..." Azalea clenched her fists tightly as her gaze turned cold. ... After Q discussed a few minor details involving the requests, the meeting came to an end as everyone left the cave to prepare for the hunt. As for Azalea, she was the first among those who left the cave as soon as the meeting concluded. Zeeeut! Swooosh! Since Izroth was not responding to her messages, Azalea was left with no choice but to try to get in contact with someone else. However, besides Izroth, there were only two names on her friend''s list. The first name was Luna''s. But, it was currently grayed out, which meant that she was probably in an area that did not allow for outsidemunication. So, this left Azalea with only one choice. "Why did it have to be them..." Azalea inwardly sighed. Just the mere thought of speaking with them gave Azalea a headache. However, at this point, she was out of options as time was quickly ticking away. "No, there is no time for such thoughts. Things are different from that time." Azalea internalized as she sent a voice chat. Not too long after Azalea sent out the request, it was epted as a familiar voice entered her ears. [Voice Chat Has Started] Mirage, "Suddenly contacting me out of the blue¡ªhow unlike you, shorty. So? What do you want? Did you miss my voice that much and decided to call-" ¡´System Alert: You have terminated the voice chat!¡µ "I am doing this for my teacher... Keep his words in mind... Keep them in mind..." Azalea thought to herself as she calmly reopened her system interface and called Mirage once again. [Voice Chat Has Started] Mirage, "Did you hang up on me?!" Azalea Wraith, "You are mistaken. My finger identally hit the terminate voice chatmand¡ªthat''s all." Mirage, "I don''t know if I believe that... But, seeing as how you''re calling me, it must be something important, right?" Although Mirage joked around, after their journey together in the Pzenium kingdom, she understood that Azalea was not the type of person who would go out of her way to contact someone else just for the sake of doing so. Azalea Wraith, "Where are you currently located?" Mirage, "Hm? Not too far away from Danaharpe. Why do you ask?" "It''s no good. Traveling from Danaharpe to Amaharpe''s capital city on foot will take at least a day." Azalea internalized. Azalea Wraith, "Listen to me carefully, someone is hunting us. Or, to be more precise, they are hunting those who are ?ssociated with my teacher." Mirage, "Hunting us?! What are you talking about? Why would anyone want to hunt- No, never mind. Knowing that guy, I wouldn''t be surprised if he offended a few hundred people. Hahaha!" Azalea Wraith, "Can you at least try to take this somewhat seriously? You are one of their primary targets." Mirage, "Let theme. Do you think I''ll run away and hide just because some people want me dead? Let me tell you, I, Tian Suyinrong, am not afraid of a fight!" Azalea inwardly sighed. This headstrong woman¡ªtrying to get through to her was no use! She had to take a different route. Azalea Wraith, "I am sending you a list. Can you get in contact with everyone listed on it?" Azalea sent Mirage a message containing the five other names listed that were being targeted. Mirage, "I can get in contact with Midnight, but... I was so caught up in the moment back at the Mystical Realm Pce that I forgot to add everyone else. Ah, have you tried contacting Luna or Zi Yi? I''m sure they can get in contact with everyone else on the list." Azalea Wraith, "If I could, do you think I would have called you?" With Izroth and Luna out of the picture, naturally, Azalea tried to send a friend request to Zi Yi in order to contact her. However, Zi Yi''s friend requests and messaging were both set to private! As for adding her back at the Mystical Realm Pce¡ªthe thought did not cross Azalea''s mind. Mirage, "Hah. That hurts, you know? Give me a sec, I have an idea. I''ll call you back in a bit." [Voice Chat Has Ended] Without waiting for Azalea''s response, Mirage terminated the voice chat. "I feel a little uneasy leaving things in her hands. But, despite her personality, she''s at least a bit reliable... Just a bit, though." Azalea internalized. ... Approximately five minutester... ¡´System Alert: yer Zi Yi has sent you a friend request. Do you wish to ept?¡µ Out of nowhere, Azalea received an alert from the system as she nced over it. After seeing who sent the friend request, Azalea wasted no time epting it. And, not even a full second after she epted, Azalea received an invite. "A few names from the list are still missing," Azalea said to herself as she joined the voice chat. ¡´System Alert: You have joined the Conference Voice Chat!¡µ [Voice Chat] Guan Yu, "Like I said, it''s fine! A real man doesn''t back down from a challenge!" [Voice Chat] Mirage, "Yeah, what''s there to be scared of? We just have to beat whoever dares toe after us, right?" [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Before we do anything, we have to gain a better understanding of who is behind this and their reasons. And, the perfect person to exin that has just joined us. Wee, Wraith. I hope you can shed some more light on what exactly is happening." [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Allow me to exin in full detail..." Azalea went on to inform the group about Siren, the details of the requests, as well as how she first learned about someone wanting to target them. By the time Azalea finished her exnation, everyone was infuriated! They could brush off many things; however, wanting to intentionally humiliate one of them was crossing the line! [Voice Chat] Halls, "Unforgivable...! If they want to hunt us, fine! But, is there a need to go so far?!" [Voice Chat] Midnight, "It does leave quite a bad taste in one''s mouth." [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "You''re right. However, they have made a fatal oversight." Oversight? Was there something they missed? [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Think about it. The mysterious client wants video evidence of our humiliation. Isn''t this a ring clue?" Chapter 719 - A Reason To Target

Chapter 719 - A Reason To Target

[Voice Chat] Halls, "Evidence of our humiliation... Could it be Blue Oasis?" [Voice Chat] Guan Yu, "That''s right! I bet they weren''t happy with the fact that our brother helped Sleeping Gardenia clear the raid after leaving their group! Since they went against their word, I wouldn''t be surprised if they stooped this low just to get back at us!" [Voice Chat] Midnight, "I have heard some rumors recently regarding Blue Oasis using more stronghanded methods as ofte. But, would they go so far as to risk making aplete enemy with our guild leader? Personally, I think it''s a little unlikely." [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "I will admit, Blue Oasis may hold some animosity towards us after what happened back at the Great Sea Pce raid. However, they only have themselves to me for the oue. That aside, Blue Oasis may have lost Niflheim, but they are still one of the top ten guilds. Midnight is correct¡ªthey would not risk cutting ties with Izroth. In fact, if I''m right, they will do anything in an attempt to restore the lost ties. This action would go against their ultimate d?s?r?s." [Voice Chat] Halls, "If it''s not them, then who is it? The only other guild I can think of that would want to see us humiliated is Sage Falls." Sage Falls was one of the original top ten guilds in RML. However, after being led into a scheme by the Headhunter Syndicate during the Protector of Amaharpe event, they ended up making an enemy out of virtually all the guilds present that day. But, the worst of it came after the event when they tried to force Izroth into partnering with them. In the end, not only were they wiped out and barred from stepping foot into the Mystical Realm Pce again, but Sleeping Gardenia went on the move to guilds eradicate the weakened Sage Falls. Seeing an opportunity to get rid of futurepetition and gain some benefits in the process, a few other top guilds also made their move. By the time everything was over, Sage Falls was left in a state of rambles with little to no hope of ever recovering their ce among the top guilds. [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "I doubt Sage Falls has the luxury to worry about us. What I am referring to is the video that was uploaded to the official RML forums and is currently number one on trending." [Voice Chat] Mirage, "Video... Ah! Do you mean the one with the Headhunter Syndicate getting wiped out? I''ve seen it. Serves those guys right for all their wrongdoings. Also, that guy with his face blurred out was incredible! Their movements, clothing, and even with sword reminded me of-!" As she spoke, it suddenly dawned on Mirage. [Voice Chat] Mirage, "Wait, that was him?! I see... If it''s like that, it definitely adds up." [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Video...?" After watching the first few moments of the video alone, Azalea instantly recognized the figure with their face blurred out. Without a doubt, that person was her teacher! "The Headhunter Syndicate... It makes sense. They certainly have enough money to act as a client for Siren. And, based on the personality of their guild leader, how could he stand to be humiliated in this manner for the world to see? But, some parts still bother me." Azalea internalized as she inwardly furrowed her brows. As Azalea watched the video, those in the group who had not seen it for themselves, also opened the forums to view it. [Voice Chat] Guan Yu, "That movement skill matched with the clothing and sword¡ªthat''s our brother alright. Hahahaha!" [Voice Chat] Mirage, "That guy¡ªhe went and got stronger again." It did not take long for everyone to connect the dots and realize the mysterious yer in the video was, in fact, Izroth. [Voice Chat] Halls, "It''s a little strange though. I''ve never seen our brother go this far before. Whatever that guy did must have been really unforgivable." Although no one said it at that time, they were all thinking the same exact thing. Izroth had his fair share of enemies who wanted nothing more than to see him fail. However, he always faced them with an indifferent approach. Never had he gone out of his way to intentionally humiliate someone like he seemed to do in the trending video. That''s why even people like Halls and Guan Yu could understand at a nce what urred. [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Whatever the reasons, our situation remains unchanged. Six of our people are being hunted and I am still unable to get in contact with two of them who are on the target list." [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "What I can notprehend is the reason why these specific targets were chosen." [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "I know what you mean. It is strange that none of the names of the other group who is working with Izroth is on the list. Not to mention, both my name and Luna''s are missing." If the person who made the request even knew of Midnight and Mirage''s identities, Zi Yi did not believe that they were oblivious to her and Luna''s existence. After all, along with Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine, they had been with Izroth the longest. [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "If we are talking about me alone, then I would ?ssume it has to do with my elder sister. If she were to learn that I was being targeted, she would not sit still. As for Luna... With thepany she keeps around her, having her as a target would be an impracticality." [Voice Chat] Mirage, "Company?" [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Thest time I spoke to Luna, she mentioned something about bing an Advisor for someone named Aeacus Jestal." [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Jestal? As in the noble family from Proximus that specializes in spatial magic?" [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Yes. From what Luna told me, his strength is well hidden. But, based on her judgment and previous experiences, she believes he is a legendary being. If her ?ssessment is correct, it would make sense that they chose not to target her. Though it somewhat worries me that they seem to know so much about us." Ideally, they would regroup with one another; however, their current circumstances did not allow for that. Those who were members of the War Brigade like Halls and Guan Yu may be able to request a temporary leave, but they would have to return eventually or risk having their rank stripped away. As for those in the War Intelligence Group like Azalea, they had a lot more freedom when it came to moving around during the event. However, even they could notpletely ignore their ?ssignments. Ultimately, this was the worse possible time for something like this to ur! [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Zi Yi, my teacher entrusted you with the guild in his absence. Therefore, whatevermand you choose to give me, I will follow it as though it came from my teacher himself. Use me as you see fit." Zi Yi was surprised by Azalea''s words. Truthfully, she thought was someone who went off and did things on their own without regard to what others had to say. The exception being, of course, Izroth. But, if Azalea was willing to fully cooperate, then it would make things go a lot smoother. [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "First, we need to get in contact with the others. Wraith, you said Izroth''sst known location was at the Mystical Realm Pce, right?" [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Yes." [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Then, I will handle getting into contact with him. In the meantime, I want you to track down any leads that can connect the Headhunter Syndicate to Siren. But, remember to keep an open mind while investigating. Right now, all roads lead to the Headhunter Syndicate; however, until we confirm our findings, it is best not to narrow our vision." [Voice Chat] Azalea Wraith, "Understood." [Voice Chat] Zi Yi, "Since the rest of you are targets, I want you to focus on protecting yourselves. Try not to wander too far away from your squadron and stay in well-popted areas whenever possible. This way, they will be less inclined to attack you. I will keep trying to get in contact with the others to inform them of our current circumstances. Until then, this is the best we can do. Everyone, make it your priority to stay safe." ... Twenty minutester... ¡´System Alert: Wee yer Aurora, to Realm of Myths and Legends!¡µ "I rushed here because it was a request from the fourth young miss, but... Was it really necessary?" Aurora said to herself as she stood on the fourth floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. Not too long ago, Fang Qiu received an unexpected call from Zi Yi asking her if it was possible to visit the Mystical Realm Pce and get in contact with Izroth. Although Fang Qiu was still in the middle of overseeing the construction of the orphanage, how could she ignore a personal request from the fourth young miss of the Zi family? In the end, Fang Qiu agreed and rushed to log into RML as soon as possible. Chapter 720 - Unreachable, The Hunt Begins!

Chapter 720 - Unreachable, The Hunt Begins!

"Wee back, Administrator Aurora." A gentle and respectful voice sounded from behind Aurora. "This saves me some time. I was just about to look for you, Opal." Aurora said as she turned to see the head NPC who managed the Mystical Realm Pce, Opal. "Is there something you require, Administrator Aurora?" Opal asked politely. "I want to know if Izroth is still here," Aurora responded as she opened her system interface and sent a message to Izroth to inform him of her arrival. However, seeing as how even Zi Yi was unable to get into contact with Izroth through the system, Aurora did not hold out much luck for a reply. "Yes. Handler Izroth is currently in his private crafting room that was moved to the newly renovated sixth floor. He ordered not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Does Administrator Aurora have an urgent matter to discuss with Handler Izroth?" "An urgent matter... Yes, I suppose you can say that." Zi Yi did not go into too many details as to why she needed to get into contact with Izroth as soon as possible; however, Zi Yi did inform Aurora that it had something to do with someone being after those close to him in RML. And, the fact that Zi Yi reached out to her instead of waiting for Izroth''s response meant that it was no small matter. "I understand. Would you like me to escort you to the sixth floor?" Opal asked. "That will not be necessary. You have already been quite helpful. I''m sure I can find it on my own. You may return to attending to your duties." Aurora said as she walked towards the door that led to the staircase connecting the floors of the Mystical Realm Pce. "If you require any further ?ssistance, please do not hesitate to call for me." Opal bowed respectfully as she saw Aurora off. ... "Since I''m online, after I finish up here, I should check on how Metronome is overseeing the project I handed him." Aurora internalized. Not too long after leaving the fourth floor, Aurora arrived on the sixth floor of the Mystical Realm Pce. The sixth floor was neither a crafting area nor a shopping center. It was a long hallway with five doors located on the left side. In front of every door, excluding the one positioned in the middle, was a strange barrier that almost looked as though it were made of some kind of gel-like substance. In addition, the doors were all pitch-ck in color andcked a door handle. As for the door in the middle, it appeared to have been constructed using a sturdy wooden material. And, unlike the other doors, it had a bronze handle that gave it an almost vintage feel. Aurora walked over to the sturdy wooden door and stopped in front of it. She understood that crafting could be a highly delicate process depending on what was being produced; therefore, Aurora she somewhat hesitant to disturb Izroth and run the chance of interfering with his work. However, since the request came from the fourth young miss herself, Aurora could not just walk away. Besides, she was sure that Izroth would understand given that there were people after those close to him. Knock. Knock. Knock. "It''s Fang Qiu. I have something I need to discuss with you." Aurora called out. But, after waiting for nearly one minute with no response, she decided to knock a second time. Knock. Knock. Knock! "Is anyone in there?" Aurora raised her voice. However, there was not a single sounding from the other side of the wooden door. "Strange... Is he really inside this room?" Aurora muttered to herself. "I am entering. Pardon the intrusion." Aurora said as she grabbed the bronze door handle and opened the wooden door. Woosh! Immediately upon entering the room, Aurora furrowed her brows as she lightly pinched her nose. "What is this putrid smell...?" Aurora internalized. ¡´System Alert: You have inhaled the ?Blood of the Immortal Hydra?. You will lose 1% of your HP every second for 5 minutes.¡µ Aurora''s passive skill, Breath of Absolute Zero automatically went off when she inhaled her first breath inside the room. Though Aurora was most surprised by the fact that she could receive damage inside what was supposed to be a safe zone. Aurora swept her gaze across Izroth''s private crafting room. She saw the Dark Abyssal Cauldron located at the room''s center that seemed to be the main source of the foul stench. The lingering smell from the Blood of the Immortal Hydra Izroth used to craft the Self Awakening Pills was still in the air. As she scanned the room, a frown quickly appeared on Aurora''s face. "He''s not here?" There were no signs of Izroth anywhere inside the room on the sixth floor. But, ording to Opal, he should have been up here. And, Aurora knew that he did not just suddenly log out since it still showed him online on her friend''s list. "I doubt Opal would intentionally mislead me. But, if he was here, then where did he run off to?" Aurora said as she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her to get away from the stench of the hydra''s blood. ... A few momentster, Aurora returned to the lower floors of the Mystical Realm Pce and called for Opal. Her hope was that Opal could help shed some light on what was going on; however... "That is not possible..! I am certain that Handler Izroth is currently in his private crafting room on the sixth floor..!" Opal eximed as her eyes widened from shock. "I''m telling you, he''s not there. I just finished checking for myself. Unless there is a secret hidden room I don''t know about, Izroth is not up there. Are you positive he did not just leave without telling you?" Aurora sighed. "That, too, is not possible. Inside the Mystical Realm Pce, I have a direct connection to Handler Izroth that allows me to know his location at all times. And, right now, that connection is telling me that he is still within his private crafting room on the sixth floor." Opal exined with a troubled expression. "Then, it would be a lot easier if you see it for yourself. However, you are under no circumstances to enter the room and you must stand back at a safe distance away from the door." Aurora stated. "I understand." Opal was concerned about Izroth''s well-being, but she had not forgotten his words to follow Aurora''s orders as if they wereing directly from him. ... Aurora made her way back to the sixth floor, apanied by Opal. After making sure Opal stood back far enough, Aurora opened the wooden door. The moment the doors opened, Opal gasped in shock. It was just as Aurora said¡ªIzroth was nowhere to be found! "How is this possible...? This has never happened before." Opal said as she became somewhat flustered and bewildered. "Is this the only active room on this floor?" Aurora inquired. "Y-Yes..." Opal uttered as she slightly nodded. "Then, it seems we''ve run into quite the predicament." Aurora sighed. "I''ll have to contact the fourth young miss to let her know the situation." Aurora internalized. ... Meanwhile, inside the room on the sixth floor... Izroth was in an upright meditative pose within the room. He sat just a few steps away from his Dark Abyssal Cauldron. However, the reason why Aurora and Opal could not find Izroth was that he was currently in an isted pocket of space as a side effect of the Self Awakening! The isted pocket of space was simr to the effects of the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman Izroth used to trap the Sphere of Absolute Chains and weaken the mysterious chains that tried to prevent Empyrean''s birth. At the moment, Izroth was in a state of torpor within the isted pocket of spacepletely cut off from the environment around him. ¡´System Alert: Awakening... [1.4%]¡µ ... Somewhere in RML located near the cold north of the Amaharpe kingdom... "Here seems like a good location," Valentine said to himself as he abruptly halted his steps in an open area of the heavy snow-covered forest. As he exhaled, a chilling frost could be seen leaving his mouth. "I hate to be kept waiting. How much longer do you all n on following me?" Valentine asked to seemingly no one. However, a few secondster, several figures emerged from the snowy forest. And, in the blink of an eye, Valentine was surrounded on all sides. "Well now, this is quite the spectacle. I had no idea I was adored this much." Valentine said calmly as a light smile appeared on his face. "It''s a shame to have to kill such a beauty, but just know that it''s nothing personal. We''re just doing our job, you see?" One of the figures who appeared to be the leader of the group said as they stepped forward. Chapter 721 - Insurmountable Gap, Appearance of a Third Party?

Chapter 721 - Insurmountable Gap, Appearance of a Third Party?

The leader of the group was a male in his early twenties who wore a set of white and silverbat gear that belonged to a fighter-type ss. On his hands were a pair of metal gauntlets with a faint white aura lingering around them. He went by the name Killsight and was the leader of a small organization named Kill On Sight, a group of yers that primarily focused on PVP and ?ssassination-type jobs. Their ultimate goal was to be the next Fatal Touch! "My,pliments will get you nowhere. Unfortunately for you, I have no interest in men." Valentine responded nonchntly. "Hah, I guess there are some women with unique tastes. Well, that''s too bad. If you had be my woman, maybe I could have offered you some protection¡ªafter I collected my reward, of course." The leader of the group cackled. "I''m a man, you know." Valentine sighed.. "A futile attempt. You want to try causing confusion? Your tricks won''t work on us, witch! Attack!" Killsightmanded. Man? Impossible. How could a man be so pretty? It was obviously a poor attempt at seeking to throw them off or stall for time! Following Killsight''smand, seven yers rushed forward while two remained behind and prepared a range-based attack. They nned to immediately overwhelm Valentine with sheer numbers. And, since he was clearly a magic caster, they would not give him any chance to cast his spells! "But, I really am a man... Should I try cutting my hair again? No... Thest time I did that, I got yelled at. Not to mention, I still got mistaken for a woman. Maybe I should try wearing more manly clothes?" Valentine muttered to himself as the members of Kill On Sight closed in on his position. "Heh, this will be even easier than I thought." Killsight thought to himself as a grin formed on his face. In Killsight''s eyes, Valentine had already given up and epted his fate when he did not take the initiative tounch an attack. Now that the members of his guild had narrowed the distance, even if he had an instant cast spell or two, the end results would remain unchanged. "Since it''s this easy, maybe we should go for the bonus, after all," Killsight said to himself. Swoosh! The yers from Kill On Sight arrived within striking range of Valentine as three of them approached from angles directions, coordinating their attacks to leave Valentine with no room to escape! "Die!" One of the yers cried out as they leaped into the air and swung their sword forward full force. "So noisy... Tempo Sequence: Retrace." Valentine said as he lightly twirled his finger in a small circle. In an instant, a tiny wisp of light blue mana formed at his fingertip. The next moment, the wisp released a widespread pulse that swept over those present. The yers from Kill On Sight had no time to react as the pulse of mana passed through their bodies. Crash! Thump! Thump! Then, the next moment, something bizarre happened. "...Your tricks won''t work on us, witch! Attack- huh?" Killsight halted his words as a look of confusion formed on his face. But, he was not alone. The other members of Kill On Sight were just as confused and had a simrly perplexed expression. "What just happened?" "Did weg?" "Eh? How did I get back here? I was just attacking..." "Was it an illusion spell?" To everyone''s surprise, they had somehow been returned to their initial positions before they followed Killsight''s order to attack! "Earlier, you mentioned something about a reward. Since that''s the case, I ?ssume you were hired by someone else to attack me. I suppose you lot are also the reason why mymunication suddenly started to act up." Valentine stated. Not too long ago, Valentine started having trouble with the system''smunication features. Initially, he figured it had something to do with the area. However, he quickly discovered that there was a group of yers shadowing him. In the end, he quickly linked the two together. However, cutting off one''smunication was not something inexpensive and done on a whim. "I don''t know who wants me dead, but this group is clearly just a set of pawns. Then¡ªshall we find out who the mastermind is?" Valentine internalized. At the same time, Killsight was still trying to process what had just urred. But, no matter how he looked at it, the only thing he could think of was that Valentine had powerful illusion magic at his disposal. "Don''t give her any time to cast again! She''s an illusion mage! Whatever happens, don''t let up! She won''t be able to instantly cast forever!" Killsight shouted as the white aura around his gauntlets epassed his body. This time, Killsight nned to personally make a move! As Killsight charged ahead, after traveling a few steps in Valentine''s direction, a pentagonal-shaped field of mana appeared beneath his feet. The moment his foot came into contact with the mana, three chains shot out and ensnared Killsight, instantly immobilizing him! "What is this?! I can''t move..!" Killsight struggled to break free of the chains; however, physical force was useless as the chains were created from pure mana. Though Killsight was not the only one caught by the chains. The other members of Kill On Sight were also ensnared as they attempted to close the distance a second time. And, upon being struck by the chains, besides having their movement obstructed, their mana was also drained. However, when Killsight witnessed what came next, his fighting spirit rapidly evaporated as his eyes widened from shock and his expression turned pale. "How is this possible...? What the hell kind of illusion is that...?!" Killsight muttered as his gaze was drawn to the massive pentagonal-shaped field of mana in the sky. The most shocking part was that there were not just one of these huge magic formations, but rather twenty! "We''re doomed..." "It''s over." "What the hell is this monster?" Most of the yers from Kill On Sight were at a loss for words. How were they fight against something like that?! "Zarkox First Sequence: Full Release." When Valentine uttered these words, multiple bright beams of light erupted from the magic sequences in the sky. The beams of light struck out with perfect precision, hitting their target without fail and inflicting a great deal of damage. Those with a lower amount of health were eliminated after one hit. But, even those who were somewhat sturdy could survive more than four beams of light. What was amazing about these lights was that they left no scars on the earth and did not damage any of the surroundings. Nor did they release sound. It was just the appearance of a sh of light and before the members of Kill On Sight knew it, their vision had turned gray as they perished under its effects! ... By the time the spell ended, there were only two individuals remaining¡ªValentine and Killsight. "I kept one alive because I wanted to ask a few questions, but... It might prove to be a little troublesome." Valentine thought to himself as he furrowed his brows. At the moment, Killsight was in a state of total shock. There was a nk look on his face as the overwhelming power he just witnessed constantly reyed in his mind. Killsight carefully selected the most skilled members of his organization. All of them were at least a Hunter on the Siren rankings¡ªa couple had even reached the rank of Shadow! As for Killsight himself, after countless hours of grinding andpleting missions, he managed to b?r?ly squeeze into the Master rankings of Siren. He could still notpete with the core members of those top guilds, but he was confident enough to go head to head with their elite members ande out on top. Killsight no longer saw a beauty before his eyes when he looked at Valentine. Now, all he could see was a terrifying monster! "This insurmountable gap... I haven''t felt it since I met one of the Grandmasters... Are you telling me this woman is as strong as those monstrous Grandmasters?" Killsight internalized as cold sweat ran down his back. "I have a few questions for you. I hope you can answer with some sincerity. But, first... How about you get rid of thismunication block?" Valentine said with a smile. Phhhtk! "?!" Out of nowhere, Valentine felt his entire body jerk. And, when he looked down, he saw a golden set of ws that looked to be made out of mes emerging from his ?h?st. "You should eradicate your enemies without mercy. Letting your guard down for even a second¡ªNaive." A mysterious and distorted voice sounded from behind Valentine. Chapter 722 - Fan Guang Codename: Weaver, A Strange New World?

Chapter 722 - Fan Guang Codename: Weaver, A Strange New World?

The following moment, the golden mes morphed into a light blue color before erupting into a high burst of energy! ...BOOM! The sound of an explosion rang out as the light blue mes vanished and the mysterious figure retreated a couple of meters. All the while, their feet never touched the ground as they seemed to float slightly above it whenever they moved. Killsight was shocked at the scene that unfolded before his eyes. He sent people to survey the area and make sure no one else was around. After all, he did not want to run the risk of someone swooping in at thest second to steal their prize. That¡¯s why he was baffled by the presence of this third party. "Wait, that appearance, those mes.... It¡¯s them...!" Killsight said to himself as he took the opportunity to fall back to a safe distance. Killsight understood that he was no match for Valentine; however, this person was different. While he had never met this particr person before, Killsight heard many rumors surrounding them. The mysterious figure who attacked Valentine was a woman; however, her physical appearance made it somewhat different to gauge her actual age. The first thing that caught one¡¯s eyes was the sickness in the woman¡¯s face. Her skin was a light shade of pink with purple markings that resembled blood vessels spread throughout her face and her eyes were turquoise in color. She wore a pink dress that cut off halfway down her thighs in the front but continued down to her ankles at the back. A dark golden mask covered the bottom half of her face; however, they did not hide the two protruding horns on her forehead. Her hair that traveled down her back halfway was amber with a few strands of gold running through it. On her right shoulder was a golden pauldron with three talons, apanied by a small orb with light blue mes around it located at the center of her chest, hovering in between a dark golden arc that traveled around her neck. This woman went by the name Fan Guang; however, among those in Siren, she was only known by her codename, Weaver. And, she was one of the few individuals who achieved the rank of Grandmaster in Siren! Just now, Fan Guang felt her attack connect to its target, but there was something that obstructed her blow. But, that was not all that happened in that short time window. "Your reaction time isn¡¯t bad¡ªfor a mage." Fan Guang¡¯s distorted voice sounded. The voice distortion was one of the effects of the mask that concealed the lower half of her face. "My, that was a close call. Now, just where did youe from?" Valentine said as the dust around him settled. Wrapped around Valentine were several vines with thorns embedded into them. These vines contained a trace of Valentine¡¯s mana within them and were also what forced Fan Guang to retreat. "If not for the warning of my Soul Sense, I would have taken the full brunt of that attack head-on. Fortunately, I was able to activate the Rebound of Thorns in time." Valentine internalized. Skill Name: Enhanced Mana Shield Revised: Rebound of Thorns Skill Creator: Valentine Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Requirements: 825 Magic, Magic Fundamental Mastery(Passive) Mana Cost: 750 Cast Time: Instant Active: Creates a shield of mana around the caster equal to 350% of the user magic that absorbs iing damage for up to 2 minutes. While this mana shield is active, if it is struck by a physical attack, the attacker receives 100% of the damage dealt to the mana shield + 100% of the user¡¯s magic power as magic damage that ignores all defenses. This skill shares a cooldown with ?Mana Shield?. Cooldown: 4 minutes On Fan Guang¡¯s right wrist was a matching pair of bracelets, one of which cracked after her retreat. It was thanks to the effects of this bracelet that she was able to negate the damage reflection from Valentine¡¯s skill. "To think that I would meet someone here who is capable of deceiving my Eyes of Magic... This has be quite entertaining." Valentine thought to himself as a slight smile formed on his face. Valentine¡¯s Eyes of Magic had evolved over time to the point where he could read even the slightest shift of mana or magic energy in the atmosphere. The fact that his assant was able to avoid his detection could only mean one of two things. She either had wless control over her mana or¡ªshe possessed no mana whatsoever! Of course, Valentine leaned more towards thetter. After all, having that level of absolute control over one¡¯s own mana required a magic caster close to the same level as the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. And, if the person before him truly reached that level, Valentine knew that his chances of surviving that attack would have been zero. Besides, the woman in front of him was clearly a yer. "Are you also here to reap my life?" Valentine asked calmly. At the same time, the small orb at the center of Fan Guang¡¯s chest expelled light blue mes that Fan Guang took into the palm of her hands. However, this was not actual fire, but something called spiritual force. Woosh! Fan Guang waved her hand towards the ground as the spiritual force slid off her palm and into the earth. The area where the spiritual force entered trembled before cracking open as five humanoid figures emerged from the ground. These humanoid figures were average in size and crafted from Fan Guang¡¯s spiritual force. They had no facial features. Their hands and feet had been reced by a sharp de-like object. Not too long after the appearance of the humanoids, a sixth creature emerged. This time it was a tiger with wings that were at least two timesrger than a normal fully grown tiger. ROOOOOOAR! The winged tiger made from Fan Guang¡¯s spiritual force released an ear-piercing roar that unleashed an incredible amount of pressure. It was almost as if a true winged tiger had descended upon the battlefield! Fan Guang rose into the air as spiritual force covered both her hands. "Actions speak louder than words." Fan Guang replied. ... Meanwhile, back at the Mystical Realm Pce... Izroth¡¯s body sat inside a pocket of isted space within the room located on the sixth floor. Initially, Izroth fell into a state of slumber. But, after his awakening process progressed a bit further, Izroth found himself in the middle of a vast in. ¡¯Where am I?¡¯ "Charge!" "Do not fear! Today, victory belongs to us alone!" "Yeeeeeeah!" The sound of a battle in the distance entered Izroth¡¯s ears as he set his gaze to the ongoing sh. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he witnessed the small skirmish take ce. Each side only had thirty to fifty people and only a handful of them was on horseback. Izroth tried to open his system interface; however, he was met with a single alert. ¡´System Alert: Awakening is still in progress...¡µ ¡¯I see. My real body must still be back at the Mystical Realm Pce. Still, I have no idea what this ce is. And...¡¯ Izroth noticed that his attire had changed. All of his equipment was nowhere to be found. Instead, he wore a basic set of in clothing that looked as if he were a stray viger along with a poor excuse for leather armor that possessed numerous points of exposure. Attached to the slightly oversized belt around his waist was an iron short sword. Izroth did not know where he was or why he had been sent to this ce; however, it seemed he was some sort of soldier. ¡¯It reminds me of Commander Aurie¡¯s Dream Domain... Or, maybe it¡¯s closer to the Soul Avatar I used during my trip to the Chaotic Dogma Realm.¡¯ p! Ooooooom! Neeeeigh! Suddenly, a loud thunderp sounded several meters behind Izroth in the distance, followed by the battle cry of a warhorse. Izroth turned to see what themotion was all about and saw arge white tear in space that spammed tens of meters. And, from that spatial tear, a new group of individuals that numbered only a dozen arrived on the battlefield¡ªall of which road on horseback. "Retreat! It¡¯s the Guardians of the Equinox!" "Fall back! Fall back!" The leaders from both sides ordered a retreat as their troops scattered and fled the battlefield! Neeeigh! The twelve individuals pulled the reigns on their warhorses, stopping before Izroth. Each of them gave off a mystical and profound feeling. However, they all paled inparison to the person at the head of the group. "Atst, we finally have a chance to speak." The person at the head of the group spoke in a soothing voice. It belonged to a woman. The woman removed her helmet and revealed a beauty that transcended that of a human and could only be called a goddess. But, more surprising, Izroth had seen this woman before¡ªor to be more precise, a statue of her at the Lake of Tears! This appearance belonged to the all-seeing goddess, Heltiaa! Chapter 723 - Tower

Chapter 723 - Tower

''Did she bring me here? Though I don''t know where "here" is.'' "Who are you?" Izroth asked. "I believe that is a question you already have the answer to. However, to make certain that there are no misunderstandings, I am the one who sees all that has, does, and will ever exist. I am Heltiaa, Guardian of the Equinox." The transcended beauty spoke unhurriedly. She then continued, "I am sure that you have many questions to ask. But, this ce is not suitable for holding a conversation. Follow me." The next moment, one of the individuals on horseback behind Heltiaa held their sword forward as a new spatial rift was formed in front of the group. ''Why did she choose now to contact me? No, more importantly, there''s a more pressing matter.'' Izroth had not forgotten about the words of warning that Guide ryed to him from the Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis. ''In the near future, you will be contacted by a certain someone from the Divine Realm... Could this be the person she was warning me about?'' Regardless, Izroth knew that if he wanted to obtain answers, he had no choice but to apany Heltiaa. Four of the individuals by Heltiaa side were the first to enter the rift, followed by Heltiaa herself. After that, Izroth stepped through the rift as the remaining Guardians of the Equinox rode through. When thest person went through, the rift closed and the only thing that remained on the ins was a deathly silence. ... Not too long after stepping into the spatial rift, Izroth arrived inside a massive tower. The tower was opaline white in color and looked at least one thousand meters in height. The inside of the building was shaped like a perfect hollow cylinder. In addition, there were several hundred¡ªpossibly even thousands of doors that resembled portals that were ced all around the tower''s walls and seemed to go all the way to the top. As Izroth examined his new surroundings, he saw a streak of silver light sore through the tower. However, Izroth managed to get a glimpse of their appearance. It was a woman with no pupils and the iris'' of her eyes matched the color of the morning sky with a pair of gorgeous silver wings on her back. ''That''s... A Skybreaker?'' The woman soon vanished into one of the portals located near the top of the tower. But, Izroth was surprised to see a member of Empyrean''s race in a ce like this¡ªwherever this was. "This way," Heltiaa called out. She was no longer on horseback as she began to walk towards the opposite end of the tower. Izroth followed after her as he took in the sights of the tower. "Are you curious about where those portals lead to?" Heltiaa asked without halting her steps. "It would be a lie if I said I had zero interest," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. "Each portal is directly linked to a specific location in different realms. It is much more convenient for the Guardians of the Equinox to travel on a moment''s notice this way." "What exactly are the Guardians of the Equinox?" "In simple terms, we exist to maintain a bnce between realms that are on the verge of copse. Many are unaware that realms are very much like sentient beings. When it is damaged, it will do what is necessary to protect and heal itself¡ªmuch like a human''s body does when it falls ill." Heltiaa exined. ''I see... That exins why those in the Divine Realm interfered when the Divinity Line was damaged during the consecutive fifth and sixth War of the Titans. If they left matters alone, it''s likely the Divine Realm would have personally severed the connection to the realms below the firmament. Once that urred, who knows how long it would have taken for it to fix itself?'' ... After walking for a couple of minutes, Izroth and Heltiaa reached a white doorway. The two entered the doorway and emerged in an elegant garden with a small stream running through it. There were various species of nt life and beautiful flowers in full blossom. In the distance, there was a gorgeous gazebo with a small round table and two seats at its center. Apanied by Izroth, Heltiaa made her way over to the gazebo before taking a seat. "Please." Heltiaa motioned her hand towards the other seat. Izroth sat down as he swept his gaze across the garden. So far, it seemed that they were the only two people inside this garden. "This ce brings back many memories. It always has a mysterious way of lifting my spirits." Heltiaamented with a heartwarming smile. "You say that, but... It''s not real¡ªnone of it is. Isn''t that right?" Izroth stated. At first, Izroth was still unsure. But, aftering this far, looking around the tower, and hearing Heltiaa speak, he was certain¡ªeverything here was fake. Heltiaa remained silent for a few moments. She then responded, "You are not wrong. This ce no longer exists in the way I once perceived it. But, you are not entirely correct. After all, you have been in this tower once before." ''I''ve been here before?'' There was only one tower anywhere close to the scale of this one that Izroth remembered entering in RML¡ªthe Endless Pandemonium Tower! ''Can it be...? Is this the same tower from the Chaotic Dogma Realm?'' At that time, Izroth''s party only climbed three floors due to the tower''s restrictions; therefore, he did not get a chance to see what was on every floor. Nor did he know precisely how many floors existed, for that matter. "Then, are you the true owner of the Endless Pandemonium Tower?" Izroth questioned. "At some point, it did, indeed, belong to me. However, at that time it was called the Eye of Heaven. But, that was countless cycles ago. Now, it is just a tower with a new owner¡ªthat is all." Heltiaa replied. She then continued, "Though I know this is not the question you truly wish to ask me." "Alright, then I''ll be blunt. Why did you bring me here? I doubt your sole aim is merely an exchange of words." Izroth said without mincing his words. He did not know the exact price one had to pay to contact those below the firmament; however, this form ofmunication had to be at least several times more than that of what Mazi used to contact him. Did this mean that Heltiaa''s standing was above even that of the God of Craft in the Divine Realm? Or, was this some method unique only to her? Either way, if there was one thing Izroth dislikedtely, it was feeling as though he was being dragged around in different directions by those in the Divine Realm. Whether their intentions were good or bad, in the end, Izroth would not sit back and allow others to decide his fate! Even if he had to make an enemy of the entire Divine Realm, on this, Izroth would neverpromise. "It is precisely that. Lately, you have been attracting many gazes of those in the Divine Realm. There are those who wish to support you and those who want nothing more than to suppress you. In truth, you are quite the popr topic these days, Izroth." Heltiaa stated as she opened the palm of her hand and one of the flowers from the garden with a sweet scent appeared. "So? Which is it? Are you here to support me, or... suppress me?" Izroth inquired as he narrowed his eyes. If Heltiaa was all about bnce and found that Izroth was disturbing said bnce below the firmament, it would not be too farfetched to say that she wanted to suppress him. There was even a chance that she was behind the seal ced on him during the earlier stages of RML! A light smile found its way onto Heltiaa''s face. "At some point, I did believe that was the best option. Your very existence was too much of an anomaly. Even to me, there are parts of what will ur in the future that remain a constant blur. I thought that perhaps wiping you from existence would solve this issue. Of course, my outlook on the matter has changed over time." Heltiaa answered. As Izroth listened to Heltiaa, he did not me her for that outlook. After all, some problems were easier to erase than to solve. This was also amon urrence in the Seven Realms. However, that did not mean it set alright with Izroth. Just because he understood something did not equate to him having to ept it. "You made the correct choice. Had you chosen to proceed and failed... No matter how long it took me, I would have made certain that my de found its way to your heart." Izroth stated in a distant tone. The smile on Heltiaa''s face did not fade as she responded, "You truly do sound just like that man." Chapter 724 - Balance Keeper, A Future Glimpse?

Chapter 724 - Bnce Keeper, A Future Glimpse?

"How amusing. You are not the first person I''ve heard that from. Your friend also said something simr. But, you should keep one thing in mind. Whether or not I remind you of someone is none of my concern. However, be aware... In this world¡ªonly I alone am worthy of being me." Izroth dered with a natural air of confidence. "I see... Indeed, topare you to someone else was quite insensitive of me." Heltiaa said as she ced the flower in her palm onto the table as its petals scattered with a gentle gust of wind. After a brief pause, she continued, "I sense that you are wary of me, Izroth. Have I done something to betray your trust? Or, perhaps, it has to do with the warning you received from that little one, Tal''Nis." Izroth maintained an indifferent expression; however, he inwardly frowned. ''She knows? No, I suppose it''s not too surprising given her title.'' Tal''Nis'' warning was part of the reason why Izroth was somewhat cautious of Heltiaa. But, what truly bothered Izroth was that he knew exactly what kind of person Heltiaa was after their brief exchange. She was someone who could peer into the past, present, and future. Not to mention, since she appeared before Izroth as a Guardian of the Equinox, even if it was a distant memory of her past, it was obviously one she cherished dearly. Based on everything up until this point, Izroth came to a conclusion regarding the all-seeing goddess. Heltiaa was neither good nor evil at heart. She was what one would call a "Bnce Keeper". Light and darkness, good and evil, life and death¡ªeach could not exist without the other. However, the "perfect bnce" that most Bnce Keepers sought to obtain was an impossibility. The only way to achieve a state of perfect bnce was to control or destroy chaos itself! To a Bnce Keeper like Heltiaa, Izroth was an anomaly¡ªsomething Bnce Keepers were not fond of. It''s why Heltiaa''s first thought was to erase Izroth when she could not fully see the path he would take. But, for some reason, Heltiaa decided to forsake the conventional methods of a Bnce Keeper. Not only did Heltiaa not interfere with him, but she also allowed Tererestiaa, one of her followers, to grant Izroth her blessing. It may have not been a blessing on the same level as Mazi''s or Tal''Nis; however, if not for the additional point of luck he received early on, Izroth could only imagine the number of opportunities that he would have potentially missed out on! Still, a Bnce Keeper that was willing to leave an anomaly untouched¡ªIzroth was curious as to what made Heltiaa change her mind. "Do not be rmed. Who do you think gave Tal''Nis that message to deliver?" Heltiaa said with a light smile. She then continued, "Naturally, I have my own reasons. As of now, there are still certain things that I can not tell you. If I did, I fear the future that I once glimpsed upon may vanish without a trace. I will not ask you to join my cause; however, there is something I wish to show you." Heltiaa reached her hand towards Izroth, but she stopped halfway. "May I?" Izroth gave a slight nod in response. It would be a lie to say that he was not interested in what someone like Heltiaa had to show him. Heltiaa proceeded to reach out as she gently touched the center of Izroth''s forehead with her index finger. The next moment, Izroth felt as if he were floating in mid-air. Then, the world around him changed. RAAAAWR! Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar entered Izroth''s ears as the world around him was dyed in a red hue. Izroth furrowed his brows as he observed his surroundings as he saw a city in ruins. And, despite its ruined state, it was a city Izroth recognized immediately. ''This is... The capital city of Amaharpe. But, what is this scene?'' There was not a single building left standing in the wake of the destruction. Even the grand pce had been razed to the ground! But, what stood out more than anything were the numerous creatures roaming the streets with their dark red skin and piercing crimson eyes¡ªit was the Shadahi! However, they all walked right past Izroth as though he did not exist. And, when Izroth reached out to touch one of the passing Shadahi, his hand went right through the creature. At first, Izroth believed that this was the scene that unfolded during the Mortal Realm''s previous sh with the Shadahi. But, based on what Izroth''s knew, the current capital city of Amaharpe was not built until after that war! ''An illusion... No, is it something she foresaw?'' "Are you telling me this is Amaharpe''s future¡ªthe Mortal Realm''s future?" Izroth questioned. However, there was no response from Heltiaa. ''What is it that you want me to see?'' Izroth took a few steps and nned to follow after the Shadahi, but as he did so, Izroth abruptly jumped to a new area of the capital city. This time, he appeared at the back of the ruined grand pce. This was a ce Izroth never visited during his trips to the pce, but he knew of its existence because it was one of the areas that were deemed off-limits. ''The resting ce of Amaharpe''s heroes, the Eternal Dream Cemetery. There are fewer graves here than I imagined.'' The cemetery itself was massivepared to the number of tombstones. Though this was not unexpected as being buried in the Eternal Dream Cemetery was reserved as the highest of honors. Eight tombstones were lined up in an orderly fashion in close proximity to one another as Izroth walked over. But, as he went to read the names written on the tombstones, Izroth noticed that most of them were smoothed over. It was as though someone intentionally damaged the area where the names should have been located. Nevertheless, there were three tombstones with names that were still readable. [Terminus Dawn] [Gerald Whitelight] Izroth narrowed his eyes when he saw the names written on the tombstone. Terminus Dawn, one of the seven heroes who once fought against the eternal darkness of the shadahi. And... Gerald Whitelight, another one of the seven heroes. Though he went by another name¡ªGear. The fact that Terminus and Gear were buried here, meant that they both would die sometime before the city''s destruction! As he observed the tombstones, Izroth''s gazended on the third. However, seeing the name engraved on the tombstone caused him to inwardly frown. Terminus and Gear being buried in the Eternal Dream Cemetry made sense given their contribution to Amaharpe and the Mortal Realm in general over the years. But, thisst name was one that should not have been anywhere near the Eternal Dream Cemetry! [Aeacus Jestal] What was a member of Proximus'' Jestal family doing buried in a resting ce for Amaharpe''s heroes?! However, before Izroth had time to fully process things, he shifted locations once again. To Proximus, Tempest, O''Tohelm, Pzenium, Rosentarus¡ªno matter where Izroth was transported, there was only destruction and death with little to no signs of life. After moving for what seemed to be a neverending number of times, Izroth found himself at the heart of the Demilitarization Belt. Though it was nothing like the Demilitarization Belt he remembered. In fact, it resembled the environment of the Shadahi Realm more than anything! Surprisingly, there was not a single shadahi in sight. But, there were humans, trephasias, and zensanas living in the harsh conditions. Most of which looked to be approaching the gates of death. After that, Izroth was ced into total darkness. From that darkness came an indescribable chill that made the air around him feel like ice. The next moment, a pair of giant crimson eyes opened in the darkness above Izroth as an overwhelming amount of pressure descended upon him. It was like staring into the eyes of the end. ... Izroth''s eyes shot open as Heltiaa removed her finger from his forehead. "What you have just witnessed is something you should keep to yourself, Izroth. If you were to disclose the contents of what you have witnessed to another, the situation would be somewhat erratic." Heltiaa stated calmly. "You expect me to keep what I saw a secret? It involves the end of the Mortal Realm as we know it. I made a deal and I intend to keep my word." Izroth replied. "That may be. But, it will only do you more harm than good. As I''ve said before, you are an anomaly¡ªa part of the equation that should not exist. That is why I made an exception." Heltiaa said as she stood to her feet. She then continued, "The Mortal Realm will not be the only ce that suffers. However, if you truly do wish to protect it, you will heed my words carefully. Eventually, you will have a choice to make. And, depending on that choice... The future you saw shall unfold without fail.. As for the answer, it is something no one else in this world or the next knows¡ªexcept you, Izroth." Chapter 725 - Silver Spring Tea, Izroth Awakens!

Chapter 725 - Silver Spring Tea, Izroth Awakens!

''An answer that only I know?'' Besides the sound of the flowing stream, there was nothing but silence as Izroth pondered Heltiaa''s words. At the same time, Heltiaa lightly tapped the table as two cups of tea appeared¡ªone in front of her and the other on the table before Izroth. Heltiaa took her seat and picked up the teacup unhurriedly. She then closed her eyes, and gently ced the cup up to her lips. A few secondster, Heltiaa set the cup down and exhaled softly before slowly inhaling. She then released a refreshed sigh and said, "It is called Silver Spring Tea. I do not know if it still exists in your world, but it used to be considered somewhat of a delicacy. You may never get a chance to taste it again." Izroth looked down at the tea that was light silver in color as he entered a deep train of thought. He knew that Heltiaa was unquestionably hiding numerous secrets from him rted to the vision he observed and the state of the Divine Realm. However, he understood a part of her intention. Izroth took the cup of tea into his hands. ''Since I am an anomaly in her eyes, she should have gotten rid of me at the first possible opportunity. Instead, she chose a route of uncertainty. Though from the sound of things, it seems that trying to pry any further information from her is a futile endeavor.'' There was also the fact that Heltiaa imed to be the one who told Tal''Nis to ry that message of warning to him. If that were the case, it meant that Tal''Nis was somehow tied to Heltiaa. Perhaps they were within the same faction in the Divine Realm? Whatever the circumstances, the all-seeing goddess did not fit the description of the warning. While she hid some things from Izroth, Heltiaa spoke her mind in a straightforward manner. Also, there was never any mention of an offer or guarantee of power. ''If Heltiaa is not the one from the Divine Realm that I was warned about, then... Who is it?'' It was not until nearly one minuteter that Izroth broke the silence and said, "My fate has always been my own. The actions I take, the path I choose¡ªthere is no one else in this world that can guide them. Currently, I do not have the answer. Nor do I n to go out of my way to find it. I will do things my way. And, if someone dares to block my path or harm those under my protection, be they mortal, monster, or a divine being there is only one oue¡ªdeath." Izroth''s gaze turned cold as a serious expression appeared on his face. He wanted Heltiaa to know his stance without any misconception. Since he already made a promise with the God of Craft, naturally, Izroth was willing to assist in the survival of the Mortal Realm in any way he could. But, he would do so on his own terms! "As it should be," Heltiaa replied calmly. "Then, as long as we are on the same page... I see no issue." Izroth stated as a carefree smile returned to his face. He inhaled the tea to get its scent but quickly found that it contained none. This was unusual, especially for tea of high quality. There were always notes of vors, sometimes hidden and other times bold. But, this tea had no scent whatsoever! Izroth took a sip of the Silver Spring Tea. And, as he did so, it caused him to inwardly frown. ''This is considered a delicacy?'' Not only did the teack an aroma¡ªeven the taste was nonexistent! Izroth felt that he might as well be drinking a cup of water. However, just as this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, his eyes widened slightly as an intense and indescribable aroma filled his nostrils. Heltiaa smiled when she saw Izroth''s reactions after taking his first sip. "What do you think?" Heltiaa asked. "It''s hard to think of this as tea since it is not traditional by any means. That being said... I now see why it is viewed as a delicacy. In terms of tea, it is a novel experience." "I am d to have met someone who appreciates this tea," Heltiaa said as she took another sip, repeating the same process asst time of exhaling and inhaling. After Heltiaa finished, she finally opened her eyes. "The Silver Spring Tea has no aroma. That is until you take your first sip. While the tea itself is tasteless, with every sip, a new aroma permeates your nose. The aromas that are generated are said to be unique to every individual¡ªa personal experience that only they can ever enjoy in their lifetime." Heltiaa exined. "You remind me of this Silver Spring Tea. Something, or rather someone, who can only be understood through personal experience. And¡ªsomeone who allows those at their side to grow with each encounter. That is why even though you are an anomaly... I can not help but look forward to your future progress. Because, for the first time in a long time, there exists a path unclear to me. Izroth-" Heltiaa stood to her feet and stared out into the tranquil garden. "You must prepare yourself if you truly wish to protect those around you. What I have shown you is but a fraction of the true chaos that will descend. It is also why I took the initiative to hide an extraordinary power within the little one by your side. At some point, the power inside her will fully awaken. When that happens, I hope I can count on you to protect her¡ªmy sessor." "Your sessor?" "Yes. Her name is..." ... Izroth slowly opened his eyes as he was greeted by the sight of his private crafting room within the Mystical Realm Pce. His body was no longer in an isted pocket of space and there did not seem to be any major changes to Izroth''s physical appearance; however, he was immediately bombarded by a stream of system alerts. ''Everything is just as I left it.'' Izroth thought back to the wastnd that was Amaharpe''s capital city shown to him in Heltiaa''s vision. ''As long as I''m here, I will not allow that future to be a reality.'' ¡´System Alert: Awakening... [100%] Time Remaining: [00 day(s) 00 hour(s) 00 minute(s) 00 second(s)].¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to begin your own path.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your domain has begun to manifest. (You must visit an Element Gathering Temple toplete the process).¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the trait ?Reinforced Undying Soul?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have acquired the item ?Asa''si''Inkha''na?.¡µ ¡´Syste Alert: The S-rank skill ?Breaker of Limits? has evolved into the Unique* skill, ?The Unbounded One?.¡µ ¡´System Alert... ... Izroth quickly read through the system alerts as a frown soon found its way onto his face. ''It feels like I''ve only been gone for a few hours at most, but... Is it saying that I was unconscious for more than five days?'' Although only two days had passed outside of RML, with the 1:3 IRL to in-game time ratio, Izroth had been gone for nearly a week! Izroth furrowed his brows. Indeed, one moment he was in a state of slumber, and the next, he was in the middle of some open ins. Izroth believed that if Heltiaa did not contact him when she did, he would have remained in a state of slumber the entire time! ''I have a lot of messages as well. Though that''s to be expected since I virtually disappeared for almost a week.'' Izroth did not think that his awakening process would take six days! It was no wonder the system checked his physical condition and gave him a warning before proceeding! ''I thought it was just a precaution, but-'' Izroth''s train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted as he read the messages sent to him. By the time he finished, Izroth was calm¡ªtoo calm. However, if someone had walked into the room at that moment, they would have backed away in fear at the suffocating pressure surrounding Izroth. ''Someone dares to openly hunt my people?'' Izroth was infuriated! After everything he aplished in RML, there were still those bold enough to target his people?! Most shockingly, it seemed to happen just a couple of hours after he went into his awakening! Six days... For six days, those of his guild was being hunted by a group called Siren! But, that was not all. ording to the messages he received, there was another set of footprints in the sand. Without hesitation, Izroth stood to his feet as he walked towards the door. ''My body has not yet fully recovered from the effects of the Dragon Force; however, at least I can ess my skills again.'' Izroth opened the doors to his private room and made his way down the steps of the Mystical Realm Pce. ''It''s time the hunters be the hunted.'' Chapter 726 - Days Of Slumber Part(1/2)

Chapter 726 - Days Of Slumber Part(1/2)

... Several days earlier in RML... ROOOOOAR! A winged tiger made of spiritual force sprang into the air before crashing down with its mighty paws towards Valentine! But, just as the winged tiger reached within two meters of Valentine''s position, a thin string of mana appeared. The beast seemed to realize that something was amiss and tried to change its path by pping its wings and adjusting its position. However, at thest moment, the string of mana wrapped around the winged tiger''s front paw, causing its entire body to jerk. The next moment, the string rapidly epassed the winged tiger and encased it within a cocoon as its body fell to the ground with its movements restrained. This was the effect of Valentine''s Epassing Mana String. Bang! Swoosh! When the tiger''s body mmed into the earth, at the same time, five humanoid creatures with ded limbs rushed forward and shed out viciously at Valentine from every direction! "Tempo Sequence: Retrace." As the des of the humanoid creatures were about to pierce through Valentine, they returned to their previous positions just moments before theyunched their assault. "Again? That makes the third time in under a minute... What is that magic?" Fan Guang internalized as she narrowed her eyes and observed Valentine from the air. Fan Guang would have prepared if things ended in one strike so that she could move onto the next target; however, that strange magic being used by her target made it difficult to maintain an upper edge. Every time she wanted to deal the finishing blow, the creatures Fan Guang conjured using her spiritual force would abruptly return to their previous spots. "Originally, I nned on ending this quickly while conserving as much energy as possible, but if things continue this way, I will only end up wasting more in the long run. Besides..." Fan Guang thought to herself. The winged tiger was finally released from its restraints as it stared down Valentine with its lifeless eyes. Simultaneously, the humanoid creatures darted in Valentine''s direction, repeating the motions of theirst failed attack. However, Fan Guang''s voice suddenly sounded from above as the creatures came to an abrupt halt. "That''s enough." Fan Guang dered as she snapped her fingers and the creatures, along with the winged tiger, dissipated into thin air. The spiritual force was drawn into the golden orb in the middle of Fan Guang''s chest. Fan Guang understood that she would get nowhere with her present strategy. But, more importantly¡ªwhat was with that person''s expression right now?! "Eh? Why did you recall them?! Bring them back! I wasn''t finished yet! That energy, it''s just like mana but it seems to derive from a different branch on the same tree... The origins and characteristics are simr, but it has enough distinct qualities to be considered its own mana type. Not to mention..." Valentine rambled on to himself with arge grin on his face as he began to drool. For some reason, seeing that expression on Valentine''s face while hearing their strange self-ramblings annoyed Fan Guang. Now, they even had the nerve to ask her to bring back the creatures she conjured?! This person... They were obviously looking down on her! Fan Guang''s cold and distant gaze became filled with killing intent. "You will regret taking me so lightly..!" Fan Guang scowled as the spiritual mes from her orb epassed her whole body. "Must we fight? To be honest, I would prefer to have another look at your mana type and discuss the finer details." Valentine frowned. "You want another look? Fine, I don''t mind showing you. But, when ites to discussing the finer details¡ªit will have to wait until after you die!" The spiritual mes around Fan Guang erupted as the air above the battlefield became saturated in her spiritual force. "I guess it can''t be helped," Valentine muttered as he released a small helpless sigh. He then continued, "Then, if I win, would you be willing to have a proper discussion?" "Hmph, if you''re capable enough, then by all means¡ªyou''re wee to try!" Fan Guang''s distorted voice sounded as the spiritual force in the air converged to a single point. The energy swirled downward in a vortex as it started taking the form of arge serpent. The serpent''s body spanned over fifty meters in length; however, the serpent''s size seemed more reserved as the creature coiled its body mid-air with its head sticking out from the center. Four hours protruded from the serpent''s head and pointed back at an angle. The creature''s right eye was missing with a ck void in its ce, while its other eye was purple. And, unlike Fan Guang''s previous creations, the gaze from its eye appeared lifelike. Furthermore, there was a sword stabbed through the creature''s mouth that kept it sealed shut. Valentine activated his Eyes of Magic to analyze the serpent. But, just like with Fan Guang and the rest of her creations, there was some trouble deciphering the mana type itself. Nevertheless, Valentine was still able to gather a decent amount of basic data about the serpent. For one, while the creature itself was formed from Fan Guang''s spiritual force, its left eye was like apletely separate entity that caused Valentine to experience a bit of uneasiness. Without warning, the serpent set its eye on Valentine as a massive surge of energy started to build up! Now that he had a somewhat better understanding of Fan Guang''s mana type, Valentine could sense the energy build-up with his Eyes of Magic. But, physically, there was nothing there. Though with his Soul Sense sounding the warning rm in his mind, Valentine knew that something dangerous was approaching. ...Wooom! Out of nowhere, the serpent''s purple eye shed blue as the sound of a light vibrating hum echoed in the surroundings. "?!" Valentine felt a crushing pressure crash into his body as thest remaining bit of the mana shield from his Rebound of Thorns was destroyed! At the same time, the ground beneath and around him shattered, leaving behind an unnaturally smooth and curved hole in the earth. Then, just as fast as the pressure appeared, it vanished without a trace. "What was that?" Valentine internalized as he inwardly furrowed his brows. Less than one second after that hum sounded, Valentine was struck by a heavy pressure that he could not pinpoint. But, he did notice that within a fraction of the second before he was hit, the energy build-up by the serpent''s eye had disappeared. Therefore, it did not take long for Valentine to make the connection between the two. "It''s been a while since I''ve run into something this interesting outside my master''s estate. I was beginning to feel somewhat dejected about leaving." Valentine said to himself. The reason Valentine left the Wiseman''s estate to travel was so that he could start his own path of magic. However, such a thing was much easier said than done. In this world, there was nock of creative magic and from an outside perspective, it appeared that no stone was left unturned. What Valentine needed was not only a source of inspiration but also people to test his skills against. Valentine had run a few dungeons and evenpleted some war objectives in hopes of finding skilled individuals who also wielded magic; however, he was always left somewhat disappointed by the results. Perhaps it was because he spent so much time around the Wiseman, but Valentine could not help but feel that the magic used by others wasckluster. Though Valentine did not me them. For the vast majority of yers in RML, it was easier to just follow the system''s default blueprint when it came to magic. However, Fan Guang''s magic was unconventional. Valentine could tell that she cultivated it a point that escaped the confines of the system''s default blueprint. "I suppose if I want to defeat her, I''ll have to get a little serious now." Valentine internalized. Suddenly, a gorgeous magic staff materialized in Valentine''s left hand. The magic staff emitted a terrifying amount of mana that washed over the battlefield. Fan Guang was startled by the abrupt emergence of the terrifying mana she senseding from Valentine. It was as if the instant that magic staff appeared, their magic energy spiked severalfold! "Now, shall we start round two?" Valentine said as he adjusted the wizard''s cap on his head. ... As Valentine was confronted by Fan Guang, the other members of Izroth''s guild on the list were also under attack by the assassins from Siren. Since Halls and Guan Yu were stationed together, they were able to watch each other''s backs. They were surprise attacked by numerous yers; however, most of them only had the rank of Shadow or lower in the Siren organization, so they were dealt with quite easily. But, Mirage was not so lucky. Alone, she managed to fight over wave after wave of yers in an endless assault. After eliminating more than seventy yers without rest in between for what felt like an eternity, she was exhausted and many of her more powerful skills were on cooldown. As a result, Mirage was done in by one of the Siren Grandmasters who waited for her to be weakened. Chapter 727 - Days Of Slumber Part(2/2)

Chapter 727 - Days Of Slumber Part(2/2)

But, Mirage was not the only one among those targeted who experienced an unfavorable encounter. Midnight and even Qi Jiguang were killed! Though Midnight was the most unfortunate as he was hunted down not once, but three times! This meant that the number of event lives he had was on the brink of extinction! As for Qi Jiguang, he did not go down easily. He fended off two Grandmasters along with a group of Masters and ended up killing both Grandmasters as well as more than half of the Masters who attacked him. However, a third Grandmaster appeared who specialized in traps and ended up stalling Qi Jiguang until the other two Grandmasters recovered. In the end, the two Grandmasters returned after their Soul Weakness ended and Qi Jiguang fell. Putting in so much effort to take down such a monster left a bad taste in everyone''s mouths¡ªespecially the two Grandmasters that died to him. In truth, they wanted to target him again; however, the number of losses they suffered from a single hunt was already too devastating and cost them more than the actual bounty was worth! Ultimately, they may have won the battle, but they lost the war in regards to profit! And, as the Valentine and Fan Guang... ... ...Wooom! Zeeeut! The instant Valentine heard the sound of the faint pulse, he activated the skill Blink and teleported away from his position. Right after he did so, the ground where he stood caved in and formed a smooth surface as a crushing pressure descended in that location. But, it did not stop there as the wave of attacks continued. ...Wooom!. ...Wooom! Every time the serpent''s eye shed blue, a new convergence of energy would take ce near its eye. After building up and concentration all that force to one point, the serpent would expel it into a fiercesome attack that crushed anything it came into contact with¡ªeven the pressure from a level five Gravity Pocket could notpare! However, this was all Valentine was able to analyze during a short period of time as Fan Guang gave him no room to breathe. The only bright side of the situation was that Fan Guang seemed unable to create another one of those massive serpents. In fact, every since he conjured that serpent, there were no sights of any other entities formed by her spiritual force. Valentine activated the skill Stride of the Nimbus as a small gust of wind appeared under his feet, propelling him into the air to avoid the two attacks from the serpent. Stride of the Nimbus was simr to the skill Flight; however, it required certain conditions in order to be used. Also, it held a slight advantage over Flight in terms of general outlook. Flight was a skill that allowed one to freely soar through the skies. It was a skill that many yers dreamed of learning one day. Stride of the Nimbus lost to Flight in terms of speed and maneuverability, but it made up for it with a different effect. The serpent''s left eyended on Valentine as he took to the skies. Its eye shed blue as it sent out yet another surge of crushing force. ...Wooom! Valentine adjusted his position in the sky to evade the iing attack. But, even though he sessfully dodged the virtually invisible st, the air near Valentine was forcibly expelled from its location by the serpent''s attack, causing him to spiral out of control. Valentine was able to regain control of himself in a couple of seconds. Unfortunately, the second he did so, he was greeted by the serpent''s attack. By now, Valentine managed to grasp the basic timing for the skill; however, there was always the possibility that the serpent couldunch a barrage of attacks or that Fan Guang could alter the timing to throw him off. "I guess that''s one idea out the window. Although I did not expect it to be that easy, I was still somewhat hoping it worked." Valentine internalized. In truth, Valentine hoped that the serpent would be unable to target him in the skies with his new form of mobility. "All of its power appears to be focused within its gaze. If that''s the case, I need to find a way to stay out the range of its eye." Valentine said to himself as he nced over at Fan Guang, who calmly hovered in front of the massive serpent. The lower part of her face was hidden by a mask; however, the expression in her eyes was serious. And, the golden mes within the orb at her chest were... That''s it! "I see... I should have noticed much sooner." Valentine thought to himself as his lips curved into a slight smile. Valentine abruptly stopped mid-air as he ced the staff in his hand at his side. "What are they up to?" Fan Guang muttered to herself when she saw Valentine''s unusual action. "Hmph, whatever it is, I won''t give them time to prepare. Helkali¡ªit''s time to finish them." Fan Guang stated, referring to the massive serpent she conjured. Helkali was the only named being among Fan Guang''s creations. That''s because while its body was crafted using her spiritual force, its eye was a different matter. Beast of the Nine Isles, Helkali¡ªa creature that once ruled over the distant Nine Isles. The power contained in its eyes was capable of crushing anything within its gaze. Its venom was also ranked among the top twenty serpents in the world! However, ording to a certain O''Tohelm tale, Helkali was subdued by a hero who cut out one of its eyes and stabbed its mouth shut with his holy weapon. Due to a fortuitous encounter, Fan Guang came across the remnants of Helkali''s left eye and used her ss, Spiritual Weaver, to create a temporary body for the serpent that allowed it to disy a small portion of its previous strength. "I won''t let him drag out this fight any longer." Fan Guang thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes. At the same time, as the energy near Helkali''s eyes began to gather, something bizarre happened. When the gorgeous staff by Valentine''s side left his hands, an intense wave of magic energy was released throughout the surroundings. The high degree of purity in this magic energy was enough to leave other magic casters puzzled. "Zarkox Fifth Sequence: Fragmentation." The next moment, an amazing phenomenon took ce on the battlefield that caused even Fan Guang to be left speechless. Everything, the sky, the ground, even the air itself, had be like a mirror that was suddenly shattered! It made it nearly impossible to perceive things in a typical sense! "What is this? What did you do?! No... It doesn''t matter. Regardless of what tricks you y, it is impossible to fool Helkali''s gaze!" Fan Guang scowled. ...Wooom! The surge of energy erupted from Helkali''s left eye and headed straight for one of those fragments with Valentine on its surface. However, just as the fragment shattered, Valentine appeared at a different one several meters away. Valentine sighed as he inwardly shook his head. He wanted to avoid using Zarkox Sequences in his fight against Fan Guang. He believed that this approach would give him a better chance of finding inspiration for his own magic, but... "I''m still uncertain what type of energy you use; however, I can tell that you are approaching your limit. I must admit, it is an interesting mana type, but for the magic I n to create¡ªit''s still not enough in its current state." Valentine stated as his voice echoed throughout the battlefield. He then continued, "That''s why... I''ll end this now." Suddenly, the fragmented world snapped back into ce as Fan Guang and Helkali were struck with an overwhelming stream of mana as an effect of Valentine''s Zarkox Fifth Sequence: Fragmentation. But, it was not over just yet. "Zarkox Fourth Sequence: Boundary." The next moment, a massive magic barrier formed in the shape of a sphere, covering the entirety of the battlefield and even reached the skies above. Fan Guang''s eyes widened in shock as she watched the magic barrier expand. She had never seen such a gigantic barrier created by a yer! How much mana would it cost to create something on a scale thisrge?! 115 gold coins for the first kill? What a scam! This person was worth twice¡ªno, at least several times that amount! However, Fan Guang was not the type to give up without a fight! "It will take me at least half a day to recover and I''ll end up losing out, but it''s useless to try to conserve my spiritual force in this situation. I''ll finish this with everyst drop of my remaining spiritual force!" ...BOOOM! Out of nowhere, the golden orb at the center of Fan Guangs chest cracked opened as her spiritual force spilled out and was drawn into Helkali! Fan Guang was going all out. She nned on ending things with her next strike! Chapter 728 - This Is Bad

Chapter 728 - This Is Bad

As the spiritual force spilled from the small orb in Fan Guang''s possession, it sped towards Helkali. In the blink of an eye, the spiritual force was absorbed by the giant serpent. At the same time, the energy build-up near its left eye surged to new levels. Based on the energy alone, it was at least twice¡ªno, several times more powerful than the might it previously disyed! ...WOOOM! This time, instead of the serpent''s eye shing blue, it glowed red as a massive shockwave erupted. The main wave of the attack was headed right for Valentine! It did not take long for the overwhelming power to crash into Valentine''s body. And, the instant it came into contact with him, a crushing pressure was created that forced everything it touched to cave in on itself, which caused its targets to ultimately implode. By the time the attack ended, Valentine''s figure dissipated into countless energy particles as he copsed in on himself, unable to resist the overflowing pressure from Helkali''s strike. When Fan Guang witnessed Valentine''s fate, she felt a sudden sense of relief. "That was too close. I used up nearly all of my spiritual force in thatst attack. Although it''s my victory, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth." Fan Guang said to herself as the serpent Helkali started to dissipate. Fan Guang could no longer maintain Helkali''s existence since her spiritual force had practically run out. Despite her victory, Fan Guang did not feel happy in the slightest. If she knew it would require this much effort, she would have just taken other missions. After all, her spiritual force was a unique mana type. It took considerably longer for Fan Guang to recover her spiritual forcepared to a yer restoring their mana. That''s why she always tried her best to conserve spiritual force. But, Fan Guang understood that if she hesitated towards the end, it may have been her who ended up dead instead of Valentine! "The kill should be automatically recorded to the cube. I will report back to collect my reward and call it a day." Fan Guang said to herself as she sighed. "That would be quite difficult." Valentine''s voice abruptly sounded from next to Fan Guang. "?!" Fan Guang''s eyes widened in shock. This person¡ªFan Guang was certain she had just killed him! How was this possible?! Without thinking and acting on instinct alone, Fan Guang prepared to strike first and ask questionster as she clenched her fists. But, she suddenly stopped after sensing the terrifying magic aimed at the side of her heading from a magic staff barely in her peripheral vision. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you. If I''m correct, which I am, you do not possess enough of your energy source to retaliate. And, if I see the slightest suspicious gesture... Well, I''m sure you understand your situation. Looks like it''s my win, wouldn''t you agree?" Valentine stated calmly. With that statement, Fan Guang gave up on retaliating. As for how Valentine managed to survive Fan Guang''s all-out attack... It started from the moment he activated Stride of the Nimbus. Stride of the Nimbus was a version of flight with less mobility; however, it had another effect. The user could turn invisible! Based on how long one was flying and how much mana they consumed during a certain period of time while Stride of the Nimbus was active, the time of the invisibility couldst from a few seconds to several minutes. Though this was only one part of it. Zarkox Fifth Sequence: Fragmentation was not made solely for confusing enemies. It allowed Valentine to instantly move to any of the fragmented areas that were likerge shards of ss at the time. But, what changed the battle was what happened in between Valentine''s use of the fifth and fourth sequences. Valentine used a skill called Reflect Self that enabled him to create an identical copy of himself. This copy was capable of casting one preset skill at multiple levels above the original, which in this case was Zarkox Fourth Sequence: Boundary. However, the spells it cast were merely for show! It looked grand and intimidating, but in reality, it waspletely harmless. But, Valentine knew that there was no way someone like Fan Guang would wait around to find out what it did or did not do. And so, he baited her into using her ultimate attack. Unfortunately for Fan Guang, Valentine made a perfect swap, using the invisibility effect from Stride of the Nimbus and the confusion brought about by the fifth sequence. All the time, Fan Guang was none the wiser. In the end, it was Valentine''splete victory! "Indeed... The loser has no rights. Do what you will. But, know this¡ªI am not the only one who is after your life. Soon, you will be hunted down without end. And, there will be no ce left for you to hide in the entire-" Fan Guang spoke, but was suddenly cut off. "Oh, that? I''m not really that worried. More importantly, I hope you did not forget our deal." Valentine mentioned. "Deal...? What are you-" "If I won, you promised we could have a proper discussion. Your mana type... I want to know more about it! Ah, and that orb, it acts as a vessel that contains it, right? That''s why my Eyes of Magic were unable to detect your presence. All of your mana is carried within that orb. Once I noticed that I figured there was a clear limit to how much of that energy you could release. You¡ªyour mana control is quite poor, you know? With just a few modifications, you could reduce the amount of energy you use by 30%. Also..." Valentine went on a long ramble and the more he talked, the more excited he became. However, the entire time, Fan Guang stood there in a state of befuddlement. "What''s wrong with this person...?" Fan Guang thought to herself. As Fan Guang watched Valentine happily chat about magic, she was unsure how to respond. Not because she could not follow what he was talking about, but rather it was the first time someone seemed to be genuinely excited to speak to her. Typically, those who met Fan Guang were unsettled by her appearance. She was born with a sickness in her face and so people usually did whatever it took to avoid her, yet... This person was casually talking to her about magic¡ªeven though she had just tried to kill him a few moments ago! "You... are strange..." Fan Guang''s uttered in a distorted voice from beneath her mask as she turned to face Valentine, who lowered the magic staff in his hand. "Strange? Yes, I suppose to some it is quite strange. However, when ites to magic¡ªI love it more than anything in this world." Valentine responded with a warm smile. Fan Guang felt her heart flutter as her eyes widened. To love something so much that they were capable of making that kind of expression when talking about it... "...How nice."¡ªthat was the sole thought that crossed Fan Guang''s mind at that moment. After listening to Valentine speak for a bit, Fan Guang finally made a decision. "...You are not the only one being targeted. Someone put out six assassination requests to the organization I usually take missions from called Siren. Since the requests came together, I assume they must be your friends. You should be careful this week as I will not be thest one." Fan Guang exined. "This is bad... They won''t stand a chance." Valentine muttered as he furrowed his brows with a troubled expression. Fan Guang was surprised to see to Valentine was finally taking the threat seriously after his previous responses. At the very least, he seemed to understand the position he was in now. "I suggest you hide or stay offline for a while. All requests have a maximum ten-day period, so-" "You should find another ce to take requests from. Also, since you gave me a warning, I''ll return one to you. Whatever you do, you should distance yourself as far as possible from this Siren." Valentine sighed as he shook his head helplessly. "What are you..." Fan Guang could not follow Valentine''s words. "They chose the wrong targets. That guy will definitely not sit back and allow his people to be bullied. Kindness is paid tenfold and contempt a thousandfold. Since there are six targets, that''s at least six thousandfold..." Valentine muttered thest part to himself. Valentine shook his head and continued, "It seems that ce has brought a disaster upon themselves." ... Back at the Mystical Realm Pce, after Izroth awakened... "Handler Izroth...! Thank goodness you are alright..." Opal gasped and then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Izroth. Opal immediately noticed when Izroth left the room on the sixth floor and rushed over with haste. But, Opal quickly realized that something was off.. The aura around Izroth was more suffocating than usual. Chapter 729 - Target

Chapter 729 - Target

Opal was a little startled at first; however, the suffocating aura faded when she approached Izroth. After she took a moment to regain herself, Opal wasted no time rying the messages left to her for Izroth during his absence. First, there was a report from Aurora regarding Zi Yi''s inquiry into Izroth''s whereabouts. Of course, Izroth was well aware that Zi Yi had been trying to get in contact with him over thesest few days within RML. It was a part of the stream of messages he received during his slumber. And, she was not the only one who reached out to him. Next, there was the matter of Niflheim, who returned to the capital city of Amaharpe with Izroth. After spending a day in-game at the capital city and failing to get in contact with Izroth, Niflheim decided to make his way back towards the Rosentarus/Malentansium border. The only message he left was "I''ll be waiting near Xanaharpe." Xanaharpe was an Amaharpe outpost located near the previously unimed territory known as the Unsanctioned Zone. Now, it was and upied by both Amaharpe and Rosentarus for its abundance of resources. Originally, Izroth came back to the capital city of Amaharpe not only to visit the Mystical Realm Pce but also to recruit a few new members for his division. But, considering the situation that was unfolding with those under his protection being targeted, it was a matter that had to wait. Nheless, Izroth was d that Niflheim did not choose to wait around for his return. Otherwise, he would have thrown away valuable time that could be used to gather contribution points. In the end, it was a good call to head to Xanaharpe since Niflheim would be able to keep track of the situation as it evolved. Finally, thest message Opal had came from the Phantom Queen, Morrighan. She visited the Mystical Realm Pce two days after Izroth started to undergo his awakening to drop off a book containing the contents of the ancient scrolls which described useful information on the usage of the Immortal Hydra''s blood. ording to Opal, Morrighan waited half a day before taking her leave from the Mystical Realm Pce. "That concludes my report, Handler Izroth," Opal said as she bowed respectfully. Izroth gave a small nod and responded, "Keep up the good work. I will be departing from the Mystical Realm Pce, so I leave it in your capable hands, Opal." "I will not disappoint you, Handler Izroth," Opal replied graciously. Having been with him since the start of the Mystical Realm Pce, she was happy to know that Izroth ced so much trust in her. After he finished his conversation with Opal, Izroth made his way downstairs and left the Mystical Realm Pce. Not too long after, as he stepped through the gates of the capital city, Izroth opened his status window. ''My stats still have yet to fully recover; however, the effects have diminished.'' Name: Izroth EXP: 83.09% Level: 51(Stat Points: 0) Title: Oathkeeper(Primary), Protector of Amaharpe(Secondary), Schr(Solitary) ss: Combat Master [HP(Hit Points): 24,080/24,080 (100%)] -> 12,040(WEAKENED) [HP Regen(In-Battle): 213 HP/s] -> 107(WEAKENED) [Energy: 225] -> 113(WEAKENED) [MP: 1,422/1,422 (100%)] -> 712(WEAKENED) [MP Regen: 10 MP/s¡ª] -> 5(WEAKENED) [ATTACK: 2,734] -> 1,368(WEAKENED) [DEFENSE: 1,258] -> 630(WEAKENED) [AGILITY: 2,158] -> 1,080(WEAKENED) [MAGIC: 146] -> 73(WEAKENED) By the time his battle against Tal''Nis reached its conclusion, Izroth''s stats were reduced by 75%. Now, the stat reduction dropped down to 50%. Izroth did not know why this was the case, but he figured it had something to do with the negative effects of the Soul Weakness, Dragon Force, and Compressed Lightning Movements ovepping with one another. ''I do not know how long it will take me to fully recover, but I can not sit around while those under my protection have been wronged.'' "Siren... It does not matter who is backing them. Since they dared raise their hand, I will see to it that they strike themselves." Izroth said to himself as a hint of coldness shed within his eyes. ... A couple of hourster... ¡´System Alert: You have left the first kingdom, ?Amaharpe?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the second kingdom, ?O''Tohelm?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning, the kingdom ?O''Tohelm? you have crossed into does not have an official treaty with the kingdom ?Amaharpe? that you are leaving!¡µ ''As long as I avoid any sacred grounds, moving through O''Tohelm should not be an issue. I would have preferred to go straight from Amaharpe to that ce, but... It''s unfortunate that it can only be reached by traveling through O''Tohelm.'' Izroth moved deeper into the forest that seemed to be stuck in the middle of autumn with the trunks of the trees with the forest being a deep maroon. The grass was verdant and lush with no signs of fallen leaves despite like autumn-like atmosphere. After leaving Amaharpe''s capital city, Izroth began his journey towards O''Tohelm. Or, to be more precise, he was headed to the far outskirts of a ce known as Devil''s Sanctum. It was a neutral territory situated between O''Tohelm and Amaharpe. It held a strong resemnce to thewless Tiger''s Mouth that existed near the outskirts of Proximus that was overrun by bandits; however, the two could not bepared. While it was called Tiger''s Mouth, thend itself still technically belonged to the kingdom of Proximus. At any time, they would crack down on Tiger''s Mouth and would bepletely justified to do so. The only reason a ce like Tiger''s Mouth was allowed to exist in the first ce was Proximus'' way of settling for a lesser and known evil. If the organizations in Tiger''s Mouth were eradicated, it would not be long before another organization moved in to fill the void. And, an enemy in the light that you could deal with at any given moment, was much less threatening than an enemy hidden away in the darkness. Where Devil''s Sanctum differed from Tiger''s Mouth was that it did not officially belong to any kingdom; therefore, neither Amaharpe nor O''Tohelm had a right to enforce theirws there. Both kingdoms also had an agreement that started decades ago which prevented either from amassing a military force near Devil''s Sanctum. After all, since thend connected to their borders, it could be seen as a potential act of war. In truth, there was a quicker way to Devil''s Sanctum that involved going through a mountain pass that started from Amaharpe''s side. But, ording to Azalea, it was currently off-limits due to the ongoing war and under heavy guard. Let alone a Captain of the GSU, even if a General wanted to pass through that ce, it was unlikely to happen. ''ording to the intel I received from Azalea, Siren''s main headquarters is stationed near a town located on the outskirts of Devil''s Sanctum.'' Azalea also informed Izroth that if a client wanted to make arge request, they had no choice but to visit the main headquarters in order to do so. Given Azalea''s nature, Izroth knew that she must have already followed up on that lead and raced towards the Devil''s Sanctum to uncover any possible traces. Izroth was aware that Siren had multiple locations scattered throughout the Mortal Realm; however, attacking those ces would be meaningless since Siren was prepared to toss them aside at any given moment. But, their main headquarters had remained unchanged for more than two decades! Even if their pride was somehow detached from it, it would still be a matter of face for them. And, if it were destroyed, what clients would be willing to employ their services to an organization that could not even protect itself? Of course, Izroth was not naive. He understood that when it came to taking down an organization like Siren, he could not simply barge in unprepared. This was even more so taking into ount his present condition. That''s why Izroth had a n. All of a sudden, Izroth halted his steps. "You''ve been following me ever since I left the capital city. How much longer do you n on staying hidden? Come out." Izroth said calmly as his voice echoed throughout the silent forest. At first, there was no response. But, after ten seconds passed, a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees a few meters in front of Izroth. The person who emerged was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties with yellow eyes and blonde hair. He wore a set of refined fighting gear and on the left side of his face was a strange golden tattoo with unknown markings. "Oh? You were able to detect me for that long and still came all the way out here alone? I have to say, you''re either overly confident or just in stupid. I guess getting first ce during the second team''s selection must have gone to your head." The man spoke out as he stepped forward, stopping just three meters away from Izroth. "Who are you and what do you want?" Izroth asked without mincing his words. "There''s no need for me to tell anything to a soon to be deadman. Just know that you''ve offended someone you shouldn''t have." Judging from his previous statement, Izroth figured that this man had to do with someone he came across during his time in the second team''s selection. However, there were many people who fell under his sword. How could he keep track of everyone he offended? ''Wait, those markings... He had a simr one back then on the tform.'' When he imed first ce and was made captain of the second team, there was one person who clearly voiced their objection and even went as far as threatening Izroth! That person was called Zouren.. And, he came in third ce during the second team''s selection underneath Izroth and Law. Chapter 730 - Bad Timing, Good Timing?

Chapter 730 - Bad Timing, Good Timing?

Back on the tform of the Sky Pce, Zouren made it clear that he did not ept Izroth as the team''s captain for the uing Lustrum Imperial Bout. Not to mention, as they were choosing their rewards inside the treasure room, Zouren spoke about "unusual idents" that could happen before the date of the Lustrum Imperial Bout. While Izroth did not have any absolute proof, his attacker''s response about offending someone he shouldn''t have, along with the eerily simr markings on their body made it difficult to overlook the likely connection. Izroth looked at the attacker''s system information; however, the system revealed no information regarding his true identity. Fortunately, Izroth had another method at his disposal. ''Appraisal.'' ¡´System Alert: Your mastery level is too low to fully appraise this target and only a partial appraisal will be revealed.¡µ ''As I thought, it''s still not much to go on. Nevertheless, at the very least, I managed to find out a few things. I have to say though, he must be looking down on me if he sent someone like this to im my life.'' NPC Name: ???(???) -> Haazan(Rare Elite) [Appraised] NPC Level: ??? -> 55 [Appraised] NPC HP: ??? (100%) ~Appraisal~ Physical Condition: Peak Affinity: ??? ~Appraisal~ ¡´System Alert: Your mastery with the skill ?Appraisal? has risen by 0.01%!¡µ After Izroth quickly nced over the system information, he swiftly closed out the interface as his gaze locked onto Haazan. Naturally, Izroth had faced tougher opponents than Haazan. However, that was when he still had his full strength. Now that his stats were reduced by 50% since he had yet topletely recover from his battle inside the crusade, Izroth could not afford to take Haazan lightly. Of course, he had no intention of handing over his life freely. "Now that we''ve gotten basic introductions out of the way, I''ll give you a chance. Relinquish your position as captain of the second team and cut off one of your arms. Only then can your wrongs be corrected. Otherwise, hmph, don''t say I never gave you a fair chance." Haazan stated with a cold and distant gaze filled with killing intent. From the look in his eyes, Izroth could tell that no matter what he said to Haazan, he would never let him go peacefully. But, there was no need for further provocation. After all, the moment he deduced Haazan''s identity, Izroth had no ns on letting him leave this ce alive! Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm as a strong gale erupted from his de. "Enough barking. If you want my life, it''s right here. All you have to do is take it. That is¡ªif you have the ability to do so." Izroth said calmly. Haazan''s facial expression darkened when he heard Izroth''s words. "It''s good to see that you have some confidence. It will make it all the more satisfying when you grovel on the ground at my feet." Haazan said as he held his hand forward. The next moment, a fearsome sword with serrated edges materialized in his right hand that released an aura of chilling bloodlust. Izroth and Haazan stood still for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to make the first move. And, after ten seconds passed, Haazan was about to take action as he shifted his left foot back. However, just as the battle was about tomence, the temperature in the surroundings dropped significantly as a bone-piercing chill spread throughout the atmosphere. It was soon apanied by an aura of death that seemed to linger in the air. ''Hm? This is...'' Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows when he noticed Haazan''s expression briefly shift to one of caution. He appeared to be just as caught off guard by the sudden chill as Izroth, which meant that he was not the one behind it. In addition, Izroth had felt this specific type of deathly aura more than once and was familiar with its origins. ''What bad timing. Considering they were able to hide from my detection... How troublesome.'' "Human, you have offended someone who could not be offended. This day shall be yourst as I will drag your soul to the depths of the Netherworld." An eerie voice echoed. At the same time, ice crystals started to form on the grass and trees in the vicinity. However, these were not typical ice crystals. They were obsidian in color and made one feel a sensation of death. Not too long after, a man appeared a few meters away from Izroth and Haazan on their left side. Though instead of a man, he more resembled a creature with his white hair, gray skin, and glowing red eyes. Embedded into his forehead was an obsidian orb that was small enough to fit into the palm of one''s hand. And, unlike Haazan, this individual did not try to hide their identity in the slightest. Name: Obsidian Death Neksiazon(Rare Elite) Level: 55 HP: ??? (100%) ¡´System Alert: Due to the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?, you have received the quest ?Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld(2)?! This quest cannot be declined and has been automatically epted!¡µ Izroth swiftly skimmed over his new quest details as he activated his Energy Vision Sense to keep track of his assants movements. Fortunately, whatever Neksiazon used to hide from Izroth''s detection seemed to have vanished once he revealed himself as Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense was able to pick up his presence without issue. Izroth expected the quest to be the same asst time when he eliminated Dark Bones Nekynigos, the first creature from the Netherworld to hunt him as a result of the curse. However, there were some ring differences. Quest Name: Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld(2) Rmended Level: 55 Rmended Party Size: N/A Quest Rank: ??? Quest Objective: Due to the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?, you are currently being hunted by a creature of the Netherworld named Obsidian Death Neksiazon. Eliminate Obsidian Death Neksiazon or face the consequences. Time Limit: 1 Hour 0/1 Eliminate Obsidian Death Neksiazon. Reward: -x10 ?Spirit Voucher? Failure: -Lose -5 levels. -Lose -500 world fame. -50% Chance for an Existence Wipe to ur. *Bonus Objective(s): [Difficulty: Easy] 0/1 Defeat Obsidian Death Neksiazon without losing more than 50% of your maximum HP [6,020]. [+5 ?Spirit Vouchers?] [Difficulty: Medium] 0/1 Defeat Obsidian Death Neksiazon in under 30 minutes. [+10 ?Spirit Vouchers?] [Difficulty: Hard] Defeat Obsidian Death Neksiazon in under 10 minutes without losing more than 25% of your maximum HP [3,010]. 0/1 [+25 ?Spirit Vouchers?] [Difficulty: Impossible] 0/1 Defeat Obsidian Death Neksiazon in under 5 minutes without taking any damage. [+1 ?Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher?] Special Note: This quest may be shared with any number of yers as long as they are affected by the passive ?Curse of the Netherworld?. Failing toplete bonus objective(s) will not affect the main quest objective. The first thing Izroth noticed was that the chances for an existence wipe to ur doubled from 25% to 50%! This meant that if he failed to defeat Neksiazon orplete the quest within the time limit, his entire existence would be erased from RML! Another element that was not present in the first Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld quest Izroth received was bonus objectives. While notpleting the bonus objectives would not change the main results of the quest, it did give him a chance to earn more Spirit Vouchers for the Netherworld Exchange. There was even a Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher that would allow him to buy an item from the Netherworld Exchange with a rating of five moons or lower! Unfortunately, in his current state and situation, Izroth could not concern himself with the bonus objectives, let alone clearing the impossible difficulty condition. Right now, his primary focus was to survive. "You are the second person today to say that to me. I will tell you now, there is no person in this world or the next that I cannot afford to offend." Izroth dered. "Hmph, the words of a deadman carry no weight," Neksiazon stated as he narrowed his eyes. He then set his sights on Haazan and continued, "You, other human. Leave this ce at once and I shall permit you to keep your life. This human is my prey." "What is a being from the Netherworld doing in a ce like this? Why is he after this guy? No, none of that matters. I just have to follow the young master''s orders. The young master is bound to soar to the skies and beyond with his talents. I must solidify my ce at his side while I still have a chance." Haazan internalized. "Your prey? Are you blind? I was clearly here first! If you think you can threaten me with just your strength alone, you''re dreaming! Or, did you forget where you are? This is the Mortal Realm, not your Nether Realm! Do you think you can just do as you please?" Haazan spoke in a sharp tone. "Do not test my patience, human trash!" Neksiazon scowled. "Who the hell are you calling human trash, Netherworld scum?!" Haazan snapped back as he pointed his de at Neksiazon. "Enough! Since you''re so eager to die, I will grant your wish!" Neksiazon roared as obsidian ice crystals started to form on various spots of his body. Izroth silently observed Haazan and Neksiazon going at each other''s throats as the two diverted their attention away from him. A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face. It seemed that he was wrong. Bad timing? It turned out Neksiazon''s arrival could not havee at a better time! Chapter 731 - Time’s Up

Chapter 731 - Time¡¯s Up

Haazan and Neksiazon exchanged death stares as the aura around them exploded. Haazan red over at Izroth and said, "Don''t even think about running away! If you do, I will hunt you down. And, once I get my hands on you, I''ll make certain your death is not a swift one." Haazan hated to admit it, but he sensed it from the moment Neksiazon arrived¡ªthat their strength was roughly the same. In terms of quantity, Neksiazon had a slight advantage; however, when it came to quality and refinement, Haazan held the upper hand. In the end, it would alle down to who had the better technique. "Even going so far as to offend someone from the Netherworld... This guy must have a death wish. Hmph, well, I''ll grant his wish soon enough." Haazan internalized. If Izroth chose to run away while they were fighting, Haazan figured there was a good chance he would try to go into hiding. If that happened, he would have to dy his return and have to go through the trouble of finding Izroth. But, more importantly, if Izroth got away, he would have no choice but to report the situation to the young master, ruining the image he spent a painstakingly amount of time building up. No matter what, he understood that Izroth could not walk away from this ce alive! As for Izroth, he gave no thought to Haazan''s threats. If he truly wanted to escape from this ce, it would take more than mere words to stop him. Not to mention, even if Izroth did sessfully escape if Haazan lost to Neksiazon, it would only be a matter of time until he failed the Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld quest due to the one-hour time limit. Even without taking into ount the loss of levels or world fame, there was a 50% he could experience an existence wipe. Izroth may have six points of luck, but he was unwilling to leave his fate in the hands of another, especially his enemy. "Impudent! You should be concerned with your own life!" Neksiazon howled as his entire right arm became encased in onerge obsidian ice crystal with a sharpened end. The next moment, Neksiazon stabbed his right arm into the ground in front of him as obsidian icicles rose from the earth, rushing towards Haazan! Haazan kicked off his back foot and jumped into the air, dodging Neksiazon''s attack. However, as he was in mid-air, Haazan felt a sudden chill in the air behind him. Swoosh! "Simple tricks!" Haazan scoffed as he rapidly rotated his body, deflecting several obsidian icicles that were aimed at his back his the serrated de. "It''s not over yet, human." Neksiazon pulled his right arm out of the earth and raised his left hand in the air as the temperature in the surroundings fell once again. At the same time, numerous obsidian icicles started to appear out of thin air before raining down at Haazan without mercy! "You want to defeat me with just this? Dream on!" Haazan roared fiercely as the serrated de in his hand underwent an abrupt change. The serrated de split into ten thin crimson tentacles. Each tentacle was approximately one meter in length with serrated edges. Haazan swung outward as the crimson tentacles extended and moved as if they had a will of their own, skillfully weaving through one another as they mmed into the raining obsidian icicles. BOOM! Neksiazon''s icicles were destroyed by Haazan as they exploded uponing into contact with the crimson tentacles and split into thousands of shards. However, a few secondster, the broken shards of ice merged to form a new batch of obsidian icicles. As the two exchanged blows and the fight grew in intensity, Izroth carefully observed their movements. ''He is using the moisture in the environment to aid in the creation of those icicles. There is an aura of death lingering within each ice shard and every time one is destroyed, the aura of death only seems to grow stronger.'' Izroth knew that Neksiazon had yet to disy the true power behind the obsidian ice. But, Izroth was sure of one thing, the crimson tentacles Haazan manipted from his split serrated de were not inferior to Neksiazon''s obsidian ice. Even if he was at full strength with his Flickering Steps active, Izroth was not 100% confident in avoiding the crimson tentacles due to how fast they were able to adjust their position without interfering with each other. Of course, that was if Flickering Steps was the only movement skill at his disposal. But, what truly made the crimson tentacles troublesome was their special serrated edges. The edges also resembled thorns and appeared to inflict a type of shredding effect on anything they touched. There was a good possibility that it could easily tear through one''s defenses. 30 seconds... 1 minute... 2 minutes... As Izroth watched the battle unfold, time passed by quickly. But, even after two minutes, neither Neksiazon nor Haazan was able to gain the upper hand. They were locked in a stalemate! Haazan''s expression darkened as he retreated a few steps back and halted his attacks. "Not good. If things continue at this rate, we''ll both just end up exhausting ourselves. Then..." Haazan thought to himself as he came to a decision. "What''s the matter, human? Have you finally chosen to ept your fate?" Neksiazon mocked. "This human is more troublesome than I imagined. If this battle drags out and he calls for reinforcements..." Neksiazon internalized as he narrowed his eyes. Neksiazon understood his position as someone from the Nether Realm roaming the Mortal Realm. If he exposed himself too long, it was only a matter of time until those stronger existences hunted him down. After all, the Nether Realm and Mortal Realm had never been on good terms. "Alright, you can drop the act. You know as well as I do that we''ll get nowhere like this. If I focused on dragging this out for as long as possible and switched to pure defense, do you truly think you can survive once your presence in this ce is discovered?" Haazan stated. "You-!" Neksiazon knew that Haazan''s words were true. If they concentrated solely on defending, Neksiazon was not confident in taking Haazan''s life before his presence was exposed! "Rx. Since we won''t get anywhere like this, why don''t we call a temporary truce? We both despise each other, that much will never change. However, in this case, our goals happen to align. I''m willing to set aside our personal differences until after that goal is achieved. What do you say? Though, truth be told, you don''t have much of a choice in the matter." ''Oh? It looks like my time is up.'' Izroth expected that things would eventually reach this point; however, he thought it would take a little longer. Neksiazon despised Haazan''s show of arrogance and wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. Nevertheless, his mission took priority over everything else. But, once his mission wasplete, he nned to teach that arrogant human a proper lesson. "A temporary truce? You humans are well known for your deception and lies. Why should I trust that you will keep your word?" Neksiazon questioned. "Who said anything about trust? I''m talking about something the two of us can agree on. Whichever one of us captures him first gets to decide his fate. And, the loser has to agree not to interfere." Haazan replied nonchntly. A grin formed on Neksiazon''s face as he said, "Very well. I shall ept your terms. We will start when that leaf hits the ground." "Agreed." Haazan nodded. Neksiazon pointed to one of the nearby trees. The next moment, a cold rush of wind blew past the tree as one of its leaves fell off, slowly drifting to the ground. The instant the leaf made contact with the grass, Haazan and Neksiazon sprung into action as they targeted Izroth simultaneously! However, Izroth did not panic. In fact, there was a carefree smile on his face. "It looks like your time is up as well," Izroth stated calmly. Wooooooosh! Without warning, as Haazan and Neksiazon were in the middle of their attacks to capture Izroth, a massive wave of mana washed over the forest! "?!" "?!" Haazan and Neksiazon were taken aback by the unexpected surge of mana that appeared in the sky. "Deceitful! I knew you humans could not be trusted!" Neksiazon howled angrily as he red at Haazan while releasing a high amount of killing intent. Neksiazon believed Haazan was merely buying time with his suggestion earlier to wait for reinforcements just as he originally predicted. He had been betrayed! "Nonsense! This has nothing to do with me!" "Enough of your lies! I swear, if I leave this ce alive today, I will have my revenge!" "You fool!" Haazan knew there was no use trying to get through to Neksiazon, who was currently blinded by rage. The two halted their attacks and set their sights skyward. Then, the clouds parted as a silver streak of light descended from the sky, closing in at incredible speeds! Chapter 732 - Descent, Sky Shattering Steps

Chapter 732 - Descent, Sky Shattering Steps

"What a massive amount of magic energy. But, when did that guy call for reinforcements? Did I fall into his trap? Damn, I should have just taken the risk and killed him back in Amaharpe." Haazan internalized. In the end, Izroth was still a Captain of Amaharpe''s General Support Unit; therefore, Haazan could not openly attack him so deep into Amaharpe territory. Luckily, Izroth crossed the Amaharpe border into O''Tohelm. In addition, the two kingdoms did not have an alliance with each other and the people of O''Tohelm were known for being extremely protective of their sacred grounds. Therefore, even if he killed Izroth, it would not draw much suspicion. Judging from Neksiazon''s reaction, Haazan knew that it could not be his ally. After all, the creatures of theherworld were not exactly known for their acting ability. And, he had been keeping a close eye on Izroth the whole time. Izroth also mentioned having detected his presence since he was back at the capital city of Amaharpe. Haazan figured that sometime between then and now, Izroth must have secretly been contacting his allies and setting up a trap. If so, then the situation had unraveled beyond his control. Haazan eyes filled with killing intent as he tried to contain his anger. He felt humiliated at having been led around by the nose! If the young master found out about this, would he dare show his face in front of them again? If he wanted to salvage his mission and save his reputation, Haazan understood that there was only one way. "I''ll just have to kill you first and then escape!" Haazan roared as a powerful surge of crimson energy discharged from the crimson tentacles as they shot towards Izroth! The silver streak was closing in fast, but it was still hundreds of meters away. And, while the pressure generated by the abrupt appearance of massive magic energy caused Haazan to halt his initial attack, he managed to quickly regain himself. Haazan knew that if the person heading to their location was truly allied with Izroth, then killing him would be ten times more difficult. If the fight escted, it was only a matter of time until they attracted the attention of the Almighty Eye. No, with the amount of magic energy disyed out in the open, there was no doubt the Almighty Eye was already turning its gaze to them! The O''Tohelm kingdom possessed numerous sacred grounds that not only acted as a ce of worship but also contained numerous treasures. So to ensure the protection of their sacred grounds, a sacred artifact known as the Almighty Eye was created. No one knew what the Almighty Eye was fully capable of since it was one of the O''Tohelm kingdom''s secret treasures. However, Haazan came from an influential ce and heard many rumors. For one, it was said that when the Almighty Eye detected arge source of foreign magic energy in the O''Tohelm kingdom, it passed a type of judgment. If it deemed the magic energy to pose a potential threat, its source would be immediately smitten by an attack strong enough to wipe out an entire city! Of course, due to this power, it was likely that there was an individual or even possibly a group of people controlling the Almighty Eye. If that was the case, Haazan did not believe they would be a target. But, he figured there was no point taking a risk in staying around to find out whether he was right or wrong. He could kill Izroth, escape, and report his sess back to the young master! "Die!" Haazan howled as the crimson tentacles expanded several meters, leaving Izroth with nowhere to escape! However, Izroth remained unmoved with his Sword of the Storm in its sheath and a carefree expression on his face. Out of nowhere, the sky above near the silver streak''s location shattered like ss. The next moment, the silver streak vanished as multiple areas of the sky were shattered in a descending pattern. Almost simultaneously following the bizarre urrence, the crimson tentacles under Haazan''s control crashed into Izroth from every angle as a seemingly endless chain of explosions set off upon impact. BOOM! "Deceitful human! You dare steal my prey?!" Neksiazon scowled. "So what? He''s dead now. You can stay here and scream about it all you want, but I don''t n on sticking around." Haazan sneered. From the beginning, Haazan never had any intention of ying fair with some detestable creature of theherworld. Besides, the rtionship between the Mortal Realm and Nether Realm was irreconcble. Regardless of what happened, they were destined to be enemies! After his attack went through, Haazan tried to recall the crimson tentacles and make a hasty retreat. However, something was wrong. "Huh? What''s going on? Why isn''t it moving?!" Haazan pulled with all his might, tightening his grip on the hilt the crimson tentacles extended from. But, it would not budge! Haazan attempted to forcibly cancel the crimson tentacles and return the weapon to its basic serrated form; however, even that failed! All of a sudden, Haazan felt himself being pulled in by an unknown force as he struggled to stand his ground with little sess. "The young master personally loaned me this treasure..! I can''t leave here without it..!" Haazan growled under his breath. Although he tried his best to maintain his grip, Haazan was unable to keep the weapon in his hands as it slipped through his fingertips. The second the hilt left Haazan''s hands, the weapon reverted to its original form. However, before Haazan could retrieve it, the serrated de was swallowed by the unknown force and vanished without a trace. "No!" Haazan''s face turned extremely ugly as he was in shock over losing the treasure entrusted to him. Now, even if he returned triumphantly, it would result in him having earned nothing! But, the worse had yet toe from Haazan as the dust settled from his previous attack only to reveal that Izroth was without a scratch! "Impossible..!" Haazan eyes widened as he was dumbfounded. ording to the intel Haazan received from the young master, the attack he just used should have been enough to kill someone like Izroth three times over. He could understand Izroth somehow surviving his attack while suffering great injuries. However, to face it head-on and escape unscathed¡ªHaazan had a hard time epting such a thing! Something else that surprised Haazan, and even Neksiazon, was the abrupt appearance of a new person on the battlefield, standing in front of Izroth. A resplendent pair of silver swung open, releasing a strong gust of wind. The wings were attached to the back of a breathtaking man who was responsible for intercepting Haazan''s attack. Perched atop his shoulder was a majestic young bird with feathers that resembled the clouds in the sky on a sunny day. The two who arrived were Izroth''s Soul Avatar, Empyrean, and, his contracted spirit, the Yin Yang Cdrius of Rebirth, Selene! "Coo~" Selene pped her wings andnded on Izroth''s shoulder as she happily rubbed her head against him in a disy of affection. "I''m d to see both of you are safe and sound. You remembered my words and kept Selene unharmed. You did well, Empyrean." Izroth said as he gave a small nod of approval. "Selene was quite helpful. I am... grateful for her assistance." Empyrean replied with an indifferent expression. Even though Empyrean''s expression was one of indifference, due to Soul Link, Izroth could tell that his words were genuine. Since Izroth was on his way to Siren''s main headquarters, naturally, he did not n on barging in without a proper n. This was even more so in his present weakened state. That''s why before he left the Mystical Realm Pce, he reached out to Empyrean. Originally, Empyrean was supposed to meet Izroth at Devil''s Sanctum. However, after realizing that he was being followed, as a precaution, Izroth had Empyrean and Selene meet up with him earlier than nned. After all, he wanted to be prepared for anything Siren or those lurking in the shadows may throw at him. As Haazan and Neksiazon exercised caution and carefully observed the new arrivals, Izroth briefly reviewed Empyrean and Selene''s progress. ''Given his stats, I expected him to level up without much trouble. However, Empyrean is even further along than I anticipated. If he continues at this rate, isn''t it only a matter of time until he manages to surpass me in level? Not to mention, even if I were to disregard his other stats, his current magic stat alone is off the charts.'' Name: Empyrean Experience: 68.11% Level: 1 -> 37 ss: Paragon Skybreaker Race: Skybreaker Health: 10,000 -> 18,500 Mana: 100,250 -> 110,800 Attack: 2,000 -> 2,052 Defense: 2,000 -> 2,228 Agility: 2,000 -> 2,598 Magic: 5,000 -> 6,005 Physical Resistance: 75% Magical Resistance: 75% Luck: 3 -> 6 Name: Selene(Mythical Beast) Summoner: Izroth Species: Yin Yang Cdrius of Rebirth Compatibility: 100% Bonding Type: Soul Link Growth Potential: Supreme Rating: ¡ï¡ï¡ï(3/12) -> ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï(5/12) Skill(s): -ck mes of Destruction -White mes of Restoration -Rebirth *-Sacred mes of Purification -[New skill(s) unlock at a higher rating] Chapter 733 - Empyrean’s Onslaught

Chapter 733 - Empyrean¡¯s Onught

Along with Empyrean''s astounding progress, Izroth noticed that Selene''s rating increased by two. She also acquired a new skill called Sacred mes of Purification. But, since Izroth had Selene apany Empyrean not long after they formed a contract, he had not gotten the chance to witness what she was capable of firsthand. ''I should take some time to personally oversee Selene''s development. As long as Empyrean is with her, there is no need to worry about her safety. But, it will be a little troublesome in the future if Ipletely miss out on the early stages of her growth.'' Empyrean may have been an extension of Izroth; however, in the end, he was not Izroth himself. Izroth read that if a summon and summoner were apart for too long during the early stages of their development, there was a risk that the bonding type or growth potential could be negatively affected. Of course, the negative effects were greatly alleviated due to Empyrean being Izroth''s Soul Avatar. But, that was only a temporary measure. Initially, Izroth nned to have Selene apany him once the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt wasplete. This way Empyrean would be free to take on more challenging tasks. After all, with his current stats and skillset, Izroth felt that it was about time that Empyrean''s main focus shifted from gathering resources. However, Izroth pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind. Right now, he still had to deal with the two obstacles obstructing his path. A few moments ago, Empyrean used the movement skill, Sky Shattering Steps, to swiftly arrive before Izroth in time to intercept Haazan''s attack. He then utilized the skill Absorption & Conversion to absorb not only the crimson tentacles but the entire treasured weapon itself. And, after doing so, both Empyrean''s total magic and mana stats increased! "I will deal with the one who just attacked me. You take care of the other¡ªyou have two minutes." Izroth stated calmly. "As you wish," Empyrean responded as he left the ground with a single p of his silver wings. The next moment, the wind in the atmosphere started to pick up as a strong wave of magic energy flooded onto the battlefield. "Like I''ll let you! Return it to me!" Haazan yelled out angrily. Haazan used his mana to form a serrated sword as it materialized in his right hand. The treasure given to him amplified Haazan''s original technique, but it was not as though he was powerless without it. Haazan shifted his stance and prepared to rush Empyrean before he had the chance to cast his spell. However, Haazan felt a light breeze flow at his back, causing him to instinctively turn with his sword raised. Ding! Haazan''s sword collided with a sharp de as he sessfully stopped the strike before it could reach him. Seeing the person behind the attack caused Haazan''s facial expression to darken. "Is it not my life that you are after? Then, shall I give you a chance to im it? Though whether or not you have the ability to do so remains to be seen." Izroth said in a carefree manner with his Sword of the Storm pressed against Haazan''s serrated de. Izroth noticed Haazan''s actions and immediately moved into action. As for Selene, she was casually flying in the sky above the battlefield. "If you are in such a hurry to die, I am more than willing to grant your wish!" Haazan''s said as his gaze turned cold. Meanwhile, Neksiazon came to terms with the fact that his original ns had gone out the window. Neksiazon was a cautious individual. During this type of situation when a foe of unknown strength showed up, he would usually withdraw and wait for another opportunity to present itself. However, his orders were clear. Either Neksiazon killed that human andpleted his mission or pay the consequences for his failure with his life! Ultimately, there was only one path he could take. No matter what happened, he could not allow Izroth to leave this ce alive¡ªeven if he had to cause a ruckus in a human kingdom! "Obsidian Frost Coat." All of a sudden, Neksiazon''s body was encased in a block of obsidian ice at least 2.5 meters tall. The following moment, the block cracked open, revealing something akin to a golem made of out Neksiazon''s obsidian ice. This was the result of Neksiazon''s Obsidian Frost Coat. It was a reinforced version of his obsidian ice that he used to create an imprable suit. It also doubled his offensive power, improving the overall effects of his obsidian ice. Neksiazon took a step towards Izroth in the obsidian ice golem. As he moved, the ground and grass beneath the golem''s feet were frozen solid in obsidian ice. If one observed closely, one would see that the grass frozen by obsidian ice began to rot as though it had suddenly gone weeks or even months without anything to sustain itself. This was the true power of Neksiazon''s Obsidian Frost. Whatever it froze would begin to gradually decay until it died! This was perfect for assassinations. Even if the targets escaped, as long as they did not have a way to deal with Neksiazon''s Obsidian Frost, their death was practically guaranteed. However, Neksiazon''s Obsidian Frost Coat sped up the slow decaying process of his Obsidian Frost several times over, making the impact of his skill reveal itself near instantly. Now that Izroth and Haazan were locked in a fight, Neksiazon wanted to take advantage of the situation to kill two birds with one stone! "Wind Approach: Spears of Tempest." Empyrean''s voice sounded as a mighty spear formed from the wind element materialized in front of him. The spear was four meters in length. And, thanks to the presence of the wind element, it was as though the spear itself was a mighty storm ready to unleash untold destruction upon all that it came into contact with. Empyrean pointed his hand forward. The next moment, the spear shot out like an arrow leaving its string. ...BOOOM! Swoosh! The tempest spear sliced through the air. It was a direct collision course for Neksiazon! "So fast...?!" Neksiazon internalized as he hastily crossed the obsidian ice golem''s arms. As he did so, a thick shield made from the enhanced obsidian ice emerged from the golem''s arms. After sensing Empyrean''s magic and mana levels when he first arrived, Neksiazon already deduced that he was some type of magic caster. However, since the magic energy gathering around Empyrean was so potent, Neksiazon figured by using that level of magic, it would take him some time to cast. But, who would have thought that it would not even take him more than a couple of seconds?! BANG! CRRRRCK! The tempest spear mmed into Neksiazon''s obsidian ice shield, causing numerous cracks to form on its surface. Neksiazon held his ground as the tempest spear managed to drill a little more than halfway through the thick shield beforeing to a halt and dispersing into thin air. After seeing the damage inflicted to his obsidian ice shield, Neksiaon inwardly frowned. "He was able to prate halfway through my shield with a single attack? What absurd magic power...! I guess I''ll just have to take him out first-" Neksiazon thought to himself; however, his thoughts were quickly derailed as his eyes widened in shock inside the golem. "Impossible...!" Neksiazon eximed as he witnessed the sight before him. One... Six... Eleven... Twenty! In the blink of an eye, twenty more tempest spears formed around Empyrean! If Neksiazon was capable of doing so, his face would have already turned pale and lost its color. Not a single one of the twenty tempest spears looked any weaker than the first spear he took head-on. His obsidian ice shield was nearly destroyed after one spear¡ªhow could he possibly face twenty of them?! "Wait! I was sent by the Venerable Envoy of the Netherworld! Attacking me is the same as going against the Netherworld itself! Do you truly wish to be enemies with the Netherworld just to defend the life of one human brat?!" Neksiazon bellowed. But, despite his words, the second spear shot out. Empyrean''s ignored Neksiazon''s threat without halting his actions. There was not the slightest bit of hesitation. Of course, this was to be expected considering Empyrean was Izroth''s Soul Avatar. Their lives were directly linked to one another''s. But, how could Neksiazon have known this? Crrrrck! This time Neksiazon''s shield could not hold up under the pressure of the tempest spear and shattered upon impact. Then, almost instantly after the second spear, a third one followed. "Don''t be a fool!" Neksiazon roared as he held his arms out, firing off several shards of obsidian ice in Empyrean''s direction. The shards carried a sharp aura of death behind them; however, they were blown away by the tempest spears. Neksiazon''s Obsidian Frost was powerful against living beings and substances. However, something like wind magic was a terrible match-up! It did not have any life to rot away, which cut away at the very essence of his Obsidian Frost! Before he knew it, Neksiazon was overwhelmed by the bombardment of tempest spears. And, as soon as he thought it was over, another set of spears appeared and the cycle repeated itself! Eventually, Neksiazon was unable to respond to the tempest spears and could not survive under the endless barrage of Empyrean''s spirit magic. With Empyrean''s massive mana reserves, fast cast time, and high magic damage, there was nothing Neksiazon could do to retaliate. In the end, it was apletely one-sided fight as he was reduced to ashes under the onught of tempest spears. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Obsidian Death Neksiazon.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld(2)?.¡µ Chapter 734 - To The Lawless City Of Dreams, Devils Sanctum!

Chapter 734 - To The Lawless City Of Dreams, Devil''s Sanctum!

... "Do you only know how to run away?!" Haazan shouted as heshed out with his serrated de. Zeeeut! Izroth''s figure vanished in a sh as he used Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to avoid the strike and retreat to a safe distance. Haazan was frustrated by Izroth''s fighting style. After Haazan intercepted his first attack, all he ever did was dodge without even attempting to fight back! Unable tond a solid hit on Izroth infuriated Haazan. However, as Haazan was about to follow up with his next attack, he sensed arge build-up of magic energy as the wind in the surroundings picked up. Then, just a few secondster, Haazan noticed that the presence of theherworld creature disappeared from the battlefield. That''s when it suddenly dawned on Haazan. From the beginning, this guy had no intention of fighting him. He was merely stalling for time! "Useless weak trash...! All the bragging and you get done in so easily?!" Haazan internalized as he grit his teeth in anger. Haazan red at Izroth, who currently had a carefree expression on his face and seemed to be totally unfazed by the events that transpired. Seeing that carefree look caused Haazan''s killing intent to pour out. Izroth, on the other hand, paid no mind to Haazan''s killing intent. It was just as Haazan thought. Izroth never intended to face him in a direct confrontation. Izroth did not fear fighting against Haazan. He simply had his focus ced on a bigger picture. ¡´System Alert: You have received x10 ?Spirit Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The following Bonus Objective(s) have beenpleted. [Difficulty: Easy, Medium, Hard, Impossible]¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x40 ?Spirit Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: A hidden Bonus Objective ?Defeat Obsidian Death Neksiazon without receiving any damage or attacking him? has been cleared. An additional reward will be provided.¡µ ¡´System Alert: A new feature for the ?Netherworld Exchange? has been added.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x3 ?Netherworld Exchange Token?.¡µ The reason Izroth concentrated solely on avoiding Haazan''s strikes was to clear the impossible difficulty bonus objective. With his stats reduced by 50%, Izroth understood that he could not risk going on the offensive if he wanted to seed in clearing the impossible difficulty bonus objective. Therefore, he utilized his battle experience, Energy Vision Sense, and movement-type skills to constantly stay just out of reach of Haazan''s attacks. ''A hidden bonus objective? Interesting.'' Izroth was surprised to discover that he managed to clear a hidden bonus objective. In addition, he earned additional rewards from the system rted to the Netherworld Exchange. ''A new feature... I do remember a few sections of the Netherworld Exchange being restricted. And, these Netherworld Exchange Tokens¡ªare they a more valuable version of Spirit Vouchers?'' Izroth had several questions flowing through his mind. But, first, he still had one more problem to take care of. Empyrean casually returned to Izroth''s side without a single scratch on him. "It is done... Should I take care of him next?" Empyrean asked as his indifferent gazended on Haazan. "Sure. After all, we have already wasted enough time here." Izroth replied as he sheathed his Sword of The Storm. Izroth had not forgotten about his true purpose for traveling to O''Tohelm. If the circumstances were different, he would have used Haazan to test out what Selene was capable of firsthand. However, his people were still being hunted down by Siren! He did not have time to y around with the likes of Haazan. When Haazan saw Izroth sheath his sword and Empyrean''s sights set on him, he wanted nothing more than to tear both of them limb from limb. As if stealing the treasure gifted to him was not enough, now they were speaking openly like he was some nobody! But, as much as it pained Haazan to admit, he knew that he was no match for them. And, after having witnessed Empyrean''s speed upon his descent onto the battlefield, Haazan understood that withdrawing was not an option. Therefore, Haazan was left with only one choice. "If you let me leave this ce, I am willing to tell you who is after your life!" Haazan said as he contained his rage. It was humiliating having to lower his head before some unknown nobody; however, all he had to do was survive. As long as he did that, one day, he would be sure to return the humiliation he felt severalfold! "There is no need. I already have an idea as to who sent you. Let''s see... I believe his name was Zouren." Izroth revealed as he gauged Haazan''s reaction. Haazan''s expression remained unchanged; however, his muscles tensed up when Izroth mentioned Zouren''s name. And, even though he hid it well, Izroth saw the brief moment of shock that shed within Haazan''s eyes. With this, Izroth was able to confirm his suspicions. Without a doubt, the one who sent Haazan to im his life was Zouren, the person who ced third during the second team''s selection. ''The master sending his dog willingly to his death¡ªhow foolish. Our paths are bound to cross at the Lustrum Imperial Bout. When that timees, I will make sure you understand the consequences of stepping on my path.'' After Izroth turned down Haazan''s offer, Empyrean pped his silver wings and flew towards Haazan. "Wait-!" Haazan tried to call out, but before he could finish doing so, Empyrean brushed past him without stopping. Haazan fell silent as a long thin cut appeared across the front of Haazan''s neck. The next moment, his head shot away from his body as it was effortlessly severed! ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Haazan.¡µ Just like with Neksiazon, Empyrean eliminated Haazan with little to no effort. Haazan had already received a bit of damage from his sh with Neksiazon over who got to im Izroth''s life. But, even if he was in perfect condition, his survival was still not guaranteed! Since Empyrean used magic to deal with Neksiazon, he still had the built-up bonus damage generated by the effect of his skill, Sky Culling. The greater distance he traveled without lowering his speed, the more damage his next physical attack would deal to its opponent upon impact. In order to reach Izroth, Empyrean flew thousands of meters nonstop. Naturally, this increased the bonus damage from his Sky Culling to an absurd amount¡ªsomething Haazan had no hope of surviving against. As Izroth observed Empyrean''s fighting style, he became somewhat concerned regarding his Soul Avatar''s current growth. ''As of now, he is able to overwhelm his opponents with raw power since he has high magic power and arge pool of mana to draw from. But, in the future, he will meet opponents that cannot be ovee with raw power. His battle experience is severelycking and his methods seem to be straightforward. I suppose it is partly my fault for having him focus on gathering resources. Well, it should be fine. Since he absorbs knowledge quite fast, I just have to find a way to provide him with the right challenges.'' As Izroth was in his thoughts, Selene descended from the sky andnded on his shoulder. "Coo?" Selene leaned her head to the side slightly as she carefully examined Izroth. "I''m fine. Though I appreciate your concern." Izroth said with a carefree smile as he sensed Selene''s concern through their Soul Link. "Coo!" Selene became cheerful after hearing Izroth''s response. She then pped her wings and made her way over to Empyrean, resting on top of his head. Empyrean was unbothered by Selene''s presence. By now, he was already used to the young bird making herselffortable on his head. Izroth was d to see that the two of them were getting along well. When they first departed, Izroth held some worries because of Empyrean''s inexperience in the world; however, it seemed that they were unwarranted. After gathering his thoughts, Izroth set his sights to the north. In that direction was his destination¡ªthe ce Siren''s main headquarters was located¡ªDevil''s Sanctum! ''Now... Since you''ve been showering my people with so much attention in my absence, I will be sure to return the favor a thousandfold.'' "We''re going," Izroth said as he began his journey north through the forest of O''Tohelm. At the same time, Empyrean, along with Selene, took to the skies, following Izroth from above. They were on their way to the Lawless City of Dreams, Devil''s Sanctum! ... Three hourster... ''It''s much livelier than I expected. It seems like I made the right decision by having Empyrean and Selene keep their distance for the time being. They would have drawn too many eyes.'' At the moment, Izroth was walking through the streets of Devil''s Sanctum wearing a hooded cloak that hid his appearance. The atmosphere in Devil''s Sanctum was a bit rowdy but surprisingly calm for a city that was supposed to bewless. The streets and buildings were also maintained fairly well. It was nothing at all like what Izroth imagined it would be. However, one thing immediately caught Izroth''s eye while walking the streets of Devil''s Sanctum. No matter where he looked, there was no one lower than level 48. On average, most of the people Izroth inspected through the system had question marks next to their level. And, unless every one of them possessed a special item to conceal their level, it meant that they were all above level 60! If the average yer visited this ce and upset a random person on the street, they would probably be beaten to death! ''I should be hearing from Azalea soon.. In the meantime, I will find a ce toy low.'' Chapter 735 - Twin Fang INN

Chapter 735 - Twin Fang INN

... After wandering the streets of Devil''s Sanctum for several minutes, Izroth came across a building with a sign hung over the entrance with the name "Twin Fang INN" written on it. The building''s outer appearance was quite ordinary, but it was spotless without the slightest hint of neglect for its care. ''This will make do.'' Izroth only needed a ce to stay away from prying eyes for a couple of hours max; therefore, he was not too concerned as long as he had some privacy. Izroth walked through the entrance of the Twin Fang INN, and immediately upon entering, he could no longer hear any noise from the busy streets outside. ''Oh? They''re using a type of noise-canceling magic to block out themotioning from outside. If they went this far, privacy should not be an issue.'' Izroth approached the front desk. Sat behind the desk was a young woman who was a member of the zensana race. Judging by the pattern on her feline ears and the tail swaying at her back, Izroth believed the young woman was a member of the leopard subspecies. However, the left ear on top of her head was damaged¡ªas though half of it had been bitten off by a wild animal. NPC Name: Parina(Elite) NPC Level: 58 ''Even the receptionist of an INN is a level 58 elite NPC.'' "Wee to the Twin Fang INN, dear customer. How long will you be enjoying your stay?" Parina greeted Izroth with a friendly smile and courteous tone. "Just one day," Izroth replied. "One day? Very well. That will be 100 gold coins." 100 gold coins? With the current conversion rate, that amount equaled a little more than 17,000 RMB! Izroth inwardly frowned when he heard the price. It was not as if he did not have 100 gold coins to spare; however, why was the price so unreasonably high? If it were a luxurious INN, at the very least, the price could be seen as justified. But, that was not the case. In the end, Devil''s Sanctum was awless city; therefore, their prices did not have to deal with any type of regtion. "Is there a problem, dear customer?" Parina asked while maintaining her polite tone. "No. It''s just that the other INNs I visited during my travels did not carry such a hefty price tag." "Ah, can it be that this is your first time visiting Devil''s Sanctum?" "It looks like I''ve been found out. Indeed, it is my first visit." Parina could not help but giggle after hearing Izroth''s response. However, she quickly gathered herself as she lightly cleared her throat. Izroth was taken aback by Parina''s suddenughter. Could it be that he said something amusing? "I hope you can excuse my rudeness. It''s just that it has been a while since I met a customer who was so straightforward. Well, it''s fine since it was me you told. But, you should not disclose the fact that this is your first time visiting Devil''s Sanctum to just anyone. There are those who will not hesitate to take advantage of you." Parina exined. ''So it''s like that. Though I can''t say I''m surprised. It''s not unusual for someone to be taken advantage of in this type of environment.'' Izroth was no stranger to ces like Devil''s Sanctum. After all,wlessnds were not umon in the Seven Realms. "Rest assured¡ªI am not so easily bullied," Izroth stated. Parina nodded, "It''s good to have confidence. Just remember that there are many hidden dragons in Devil''s Sanctum. It is best not to get too involved with anyone. Of course, this is just some personal friendly advice." She then continued, "As to why our prices are higher than the typical INNs you have encountered during your travels, it is due to this INN''s owner and our customer guarantee." "Customer guarantee?" "Yes. As long as you are a customer of the Twin Fang INN, no one will dare find trouble with you on our doorstep. 100 gold coins is a fairly reasonable price to pay for this guarantee. But, if you are unable to afford it, I can rmend you to an INN that is more in your price range. Though it may be somewhat rowdy." ''I see. It is a bit costly, but at least I won''t have to worry about being disturbed. As long as I am not being scammed, I have no issue with the price.'' "No, this ce will do. I prefer a more private and peaceful atmosphere." Izroth said as he removed a small pouch from his inventory with 100 gold coins and ced it on the desk in front of Parina. Parina checked the small pouch. After confirming Izroth''s payment, she set the pouch on top of a transparent cube located on the right side of the desk. The next moment, the pouch vanished along with the gold coins and a smooth tinum card appeared in its ce. Parina grabbed the card and held it out using both hands as she bowed respectfully and said, "You may choose any unupied room. Once you decide, this card will act as a key to that room and only you will have ess to it at all times during your stay. It is also proof of your temporary residency at the Twin Fang INN. If you show it to someone that wants to start trouble with you, as long as it''s nothing too serious, they will typically leave you be. Please do not lose it as a recement card will not be given under any circumstances. When a day has passed, the card will automatically self-destruct and you will no longer be able to ess your room. If you wish to extend the duration of your stay, do not hesitate to see me at any time. I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay at the Twin Fang INN, dear customer." Izroth gave a small nod as he epted the tinum card from Parina and examined it. Name: Twin Fang INN Card(Soulbound) Status: Unbound Usage: Can be bound to a room at the Twin Fang INN and used to gain ess. ''It doesn''t seem to be a magic item. If I had topare it to anything, the closest would be a talisman.'' "I am expecting a visitorter. I assume that will not pose any issues?" Izroth inquired as he put the Twin Fang INN Card into his inventory. "Visitors are allowed. However, the duration of their visitation is limited to one hour per day. In addition, they are not protected by our customer guarantee." Parina informed. "Then, I''ll keep that in mind." Parina exined a few more things to Izroth before pointing Izroth him towards the back where the rooms were located. She then offered to guide Izroth to an avable room; however, he declined her offer and made his way to the back on his own. As Izroth entered the back area of the INN, he was greeted by the sight of a long hallway with several doors on both sides of the walls. Some of the doors were awkwardly spaced to the point that it seemed as though the hall itself was missing a few doors. Izroth walked down the hall to the farthest end and came to a stop before a door with no other doors nearby. ''This one should be fine.'' Izroth removed the Twin Fang INN Card from his inventory and ced it inside a slot on the door made specifically for the card. The door lit up as several unrecognizable symbols appeared on the door''s surface. Zeeeeut! Before Izroth knew it, he was no longer standing outside in the hall. Instead, he now stood in a spacious room that was cleaned spotless from top to bottom. There was one bed in the far corner of the room and a desk with a chair on the opposite side. Near the door was amp with a magic stone that provided light. As for the Twin Fang INN Card, it disappeared from the slot outside and embedded itself onto the inner surface of the door. In fact, the entire door itself vanished from the hallway! But, it was not actually gone. It merely concealed itself after being upied. ''She said if I want to leave, all I have to do is take the card out of the slot.'' The first thing Izroth did was open his system interface and check his messages. However, there was still no reply from Azalea. ''Still no word. Then, since I have some spare time, I might as well make a few preparations. Perhaps I''ll even find something to hasten my recovery.'' ¡´System Alert: Wee to the ?Netherworld Exchange?, yer Izroth!¡µ Chapter 736 - Netherworld Exchange: Moonlit Gambit

Chapter 736 - Netherworld Exchange: Moonlit Gambit

Izroth essed his inventory and removed one Netherworld Exchange Token to examine it. It resembled a ck coin and on both sides was the image of a purple crescent moon. Name: Netherworld Exchange Token(Soulbound) Usage: Can be used at the ?Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit?. ''There''s not much information about it. But, from what little it does disclose, it''s safe to say that it is a form of currency tailored to the Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit. It must have something to do with the feature I recently unlocked.'' After clearing a hidden bonus objective for the quest Hunted By A Creature of the Netherworld, Izroth unlocked a new feature for the Netherworld Exchange. And, after inspecting the Netherworld Exchange Token, he immediately located the feature and opened it. ¡´System Alert: The ?Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit? is now open.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Since you are the first yer to unlock the ?Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit?, you have received x1 ?Lucky Netherworld Exchange Token?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to undergo the basic tutorial regarding the ?Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit??¡µ ''Lucky?'' Izroth checked his inventory to see the details about the new token he acquired, but strangely there were no new items. ''It''s not in my inventory. And, there does not seem to be a description for it. I guess I can only wait and see what happens. For now, I should obtain a better understanding of this Moonlit Gambit before I use it.'' Just like when he first essed the Netherworld Exchange, the system offered a basic tutorial about the Moonlit Gambit, which Izroth epted without hesitation. ording to the tutorial, yers could choose one item of their choice from every moon category listed on the Netherworld Exchange. And, since the highest moon category was ten, it meant that Izroth could choose up to ten items in total. For the Netherworld Exchange, moons were used to categorize items by general worth. In other words, more moons represented better quality and rarity. Once a yer finished picking their items, another set of forty items was randomly generated by the system that was listed on the Netherworld Exchange. However, the more Netherworld Exchange Tokens a yer spent, the fewer items the system would generate, increasing the chances for the yer to acquire one of the items they originally selected. The items chosen by the system were all worth one moon or less. This part depended on the overall value of the items selected by the yer. After the potential rewards were determined, the items would be hidden and shuffled randomly. Then, the yer had one chance to make a selection without knowing which item was which. And, whatever the yer obtained was the item they would have to walk away with. ''A game that''s purely focused around one''s luck. It brings back some memories.'' As the system exined the new feature in greater detail, it reminded Izroth of something he experienced back in the Seven Realms known as Artifact Stones. Cultivators would pay a certain price and get the opportunity to pick from several Artifact Stones. Most of the Artifact Stones were filled with random trash that could be tossed aside; however, there were some that contained priceless treasures! Although the chances of walking away with a valuable treasure were extremely low, countless cultivators in the Seven Realms spent small fortunes just to have the opportunity to undergo a life-changing experience. Of course, one rarely acquired a life-changing treasure from an Artifact Stone. Still, the thought and possibility alone were more than enough to draw people in every day without fail. But, the Moonlit Gambit was much more lenient. ''If I remember correctly, they have something simr in this world. There are even entire games based around it. I believe they were called gacha? I wonder if it''s possible to create something like at the Mystical Realm Pce. I''ll discuss it with Fang Qiu when the opportunity arises.'' Once the system finished going through the tutorial, a new mystic purple screen appeared in front of Izroth with the words "Moonlit Gambit" written in crimson text with a faint red hue. The screen was empty, except for a small input pad with the symbol of a Netherworld Exchange Token on it and "0/5" next to it in grayed-out text. ¡´System Alert: Please insert any ?Netherworld Exchange Token? to proceed.¡µ ¡´System Alert: x1 ?Lucky Netherworld Exchange Token? has been automatically inserted!¡µ The moment Izroth received that set of alerts, the grayed-out text changed to white, then light green, blue, bright purple, and finally shiny gold. In addition to the color shift, the "0/5" switched to "5/5". ¡´System Alert: Please select the items you wish to use for the ?Netherworld Exchange''s Moonlit Gambit?. (Limited to 1 per moon category) [0/10]¡µ ''There are a few items that grabbed my attention thest time I looked through the Netherworld Exchange, but the amount of Spirit Vouchers needed to acquire them were well beyond my means. An opportunity like this may not present itself again. I have to be mindful of my choices. Let''s see...'' Izroth navigated through the interface as he selected the items that caught his eye. From one to six moons, Izroth made his picks with ease. It was not until he arrived at the seven moon category that he slowed down and carefully weighed his options. Although there were fewer items avable in the higher moon categories, they were all top tier and every item had its own merit. In the end, it took Izroth roughly fifteen minutes to settle on his final few picks. The system then asked for his confirmation. And, after Izroth approved his choices, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Item selections confirmed. Shuffling...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Please select one card.¡µ The next moment, twenty nk ck cards hovered in front of Izroth in a straight line. He took a moment to scrutinize the cards; however, there were no noticeable differences between them¡ªeven after using his Energy Vision Sense. ''It looks like I can only depend on my own luck. Then, I''ll go with this one.'' Izroth picked the ck card closest to the center. The instant he did so, the other ck cards vanished. The ck card changed colors as a new image and name formed on its nk surface. ''This is...'' ¡´System Alert: You have received x10 ?High-Grade Healing Potion(Premium)?.¡µ Item Name: High-Grade Healing Potion(Premium) Usage: Drinking this potion will heal the user for 5,000 HP. Cooldown: 20 seconds The item that appeared was not one of the ten Izroth picked, but healing potions! Even if they were premium, their value was obviously much less than that of a one moon item. Izroth could not help but feel somewhat disappointed. Naturally, he hoped for a ten moon item. But, right now, even a one-moon item would be considered a luxury. ''I suppose even the luck stat has its limits. Perhaps the system believes I''ve been a bit too fortunate as ofte.'' However, just as Izroth epted the oue, an unexpected system alert rung in his ears. ¡´System Alert: ?Lucky Netherworld Exchange Token? detected. Would you like to return x10 ?High-Grade Healing Potion(Premium)? and choose again?¡µ Choose again? Of course, he wanted to choose again! Izroth epted without hesitation as the card vanished from his hand along with the ten High-Grade Healing Potion(Premium) in his inventory and the twenty ck cards reappeared. Furthermore, the card he previously chose had a red x across it. ''I thought the Lucky Netherworld Exchange Token only counted for five regr tokens. Who knew it had this kind of effect? I guess my luck has not been cut short just yet. But... let''s stay away from the middle this time.'' Izroth chose a card located near the outer left side. Immediately upon doing so, the ck card released a bright golden light as the other cards disappeared. There was no reactionst time when he picked the healing potion; therefore, Izroth took this as a good sign. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Ring of the Ancient Colossus?.¡µ A few secondster, the bright light died down as the card transformed into a ring that sat in the center of Izroth''s palm. ''Oh? It''s this item. I only chose it because the effects seemed somewhat interesting, but it wasn''t exactly high on my priority list. Still, I''m sure it has its own advantages. I''m interested to see what it can do.'' essory Name: Ring of the Ancient Colossus(Unbound) essory Rank: Legendary Might: +1 ?Might of the Ancient Colossus? - The wearer of this ring unlocks the ?Might?. This stat cannot be increased using stat points and must be raised throughbat or other methods. ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus? - Temporarily increased the user''s Might and amplifies its effects by 100% for 1 minute. Cooldown Time: 30 minutes Special Note: Might greatly enhances the user''s physical strength and physical capabilities. If trained properly, the user''s body can be a virtually indestructible weapon, capable of crushing even raw magic with their bare hands! Once equipped, this item is soulbound to its wearer and cannot be traded or sold.. If soulbound, this item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user''s inventory. Chapter 737 - Ring Of The Ancient Colossus, Might

Chapter 737 - Ring Of The Ancient Colossus, Might

The Ring of the Ancient Colossus was the eight moon item Izroth chose. Its original value was 125,000 Spirit Vouchers, cing it among the highest-priced category of eight moon items listed on the Netherworld Exchange. If Izroth had to earn that amount of Spirit Vouchers through normal means, even if he cleared the bonus objective up to the impossible difficulty 3,000 times without w, he would stille up short! ''Since I am not a resident of the Nether Realm, it is more challenging for me to acquire Spirit Vouchers. Right now, the only way I can get my hands on any is through the effects of the curse. However, in the long run, relying solely on someoneing after my life just to earn Spirit Vouchers is not a sustainable solution. I have to find another way to obtain them.'' As he gathered his thoughts, Izroth equipped the Ring of the Ancient Colossus as a surge of power immediately flooded into his body. At that moment, Izroth felt as if he had the strength to move mountains. He had not lost or gained any mass but somehow his body became incredibly light. ''What a refreshing feeling.'' Izroth became more invigorated than ever before as the weakened status next to his stats was no longer there. With the help of the Might stat, he had returned to his full strength in a single leap! But, it did not stop there as Izroth was bombarded by a stream of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: You have equipped ?Ring of the Ancient Colossus?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have unlocked the hidden stat ?Might?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are now immune to all rank D or lower offensive magic.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are now immune to all physical attacks that would deal less than 5% of your maximum HP [1,204].¡µ ¡´System Alert: While you have no weapon equipped, all physical attacks will deal 100% of your attack power as bonus physical damage. When you have a weapon equipped, this bonus is lowered to 20%.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your physical strength has increased by 300%.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You will now recover 50% faster from all negative status effects and physical irregrities.¡µ ''Worthy of being a legendary item. It''s just one point, but the difference with and without it is like that of night and day. Even the weakness I felt before has vanished without a trace.'' The Might stat paired with his Heavenly Golden Body gave Izroth a terrifying physical prowess. Izroth knew that if one day, he was able to properly control the Dragon Force he utilized in his battle against Tal''Nis, his body alone would be enough to raze entire armies to the ground! After Izroth checked over his status, he closed out the Netherworld Exchange interface. Even though he had three Netherworld Exchange Tokens, Izroth believed it was best to save them until he obtained at least two more. That way the chances of him receiving one of the items he would select would be at its highest point. As for the 40 Spirit Vouchers in his possession, it was barely sufficient to purchase a three moon item from the Netherworld Exchange. But, Izroth decided to save up for at least a five or six moon item. And, when it came to the Restricted Supreme Spirit Voucher, Izroth chose to keep it for situational use. After all, it was thanks to doing thisst time that he was sessful in bringing Empyrean into this world. ''After my fight with Tal''Nis, my Heavenly Golden Body was already on the verge of another breakthrough. Now, with the addition of the Might stat, it feels like I''ve reached the threshold and need one final push to advance. Once I achieve the fifth level of the Heavenly Golden Body, I doubt any skill below A-rank will have much of an impact on me. Then, it''s only a matter of time until even S-rank skills are rendered useless in front of me.'' As Izroth became lost in his thoughts, half an hour quickly passed by. However, seeing that there was still no word from Azalea, Izroth started to grow somewhat concerned. ''I know she mentioned thatmunication would be difficult where she was headed, but... Should I check on her anyway? Well... If she does not respond, perhaps I''ll use the opportunity to explore the Devil''s Sanctum.'' Izroth opened his system interface and was prepared to send Azalea a message inquiring as to her whereabouts. But, just as he was ready to hit send, the sound of a system alert sounded in Izroth''s ears. ¡´System Alert: yer Azalea Wraith has sent you a message, "I''m ready. Coordinates..."¡µ ''Oh? Perfect timing.'' Izroth deleted his original message and sent a confirmation to Azalea to let her know that he was on his way to the coordinates. After sending his message, Izroth closed out his system interface and walked towards the door. ''After today...'' A cold look shed through Izroth''s eyes as the natural aura around him was enough to make others suffocate. ''There will be no Siren organization in the Mortal Realm.'' Izroth took his leave from the Twin Fang INN with only one thought on his mind¡ªthe annihtion of the organization, Siren! ... Izroth stood at the outskirts of the Devil''s Sanctum''s main city where the Twin Fang INN was located. These were the coordinates he received from Azalea before his departure. ''Hm?'' Out of nowhere, Izroth felt a small breeze as a ghost-like entity appeared at his side! However, Izroth was not startled as this presence was one that he was well familiar with. "You''ve gotten better at concealing yourself, Azalea," Izroth stated. A few secondster, the ghost-like entity underwent a drastic transformation as it turned into an actual person. This person was, of course, Azalea. The first thing Azalea did upon her arrival was respectfully greet Izroth. She then replied earnestly, "I still have a long way to go until I reach your level, teacher." Izroth gave a small nod and said, "You have done well in my absence. If not for your timely response having informed the others of the situation, the oue could have been much worse. For this, you have my gratitude. I will see to it that you are properly rewarded for your contribution." "I was only following my teacher''s words¡ªthat''s all. I do not require a reward, but if I must choose, I hope that you will allow me to continue learning from you, teacher." Azalea responded without haste. Izroth shook his head, "That won''t do. Since I want to reward you, you will be rewarded. Or, can it be that you wish people to view me as someone who only knows how to take advantage of others?" "This... I understand." Azalea gave in after listening to Izroth''s words. She then continued, "Then¡ªI would like a better pair of daggers..." "Oh? Now that you mention it... Those are the same pair of daggers you''ve had since our first encounter, right?" Izroth inquired. Although Azalea''s daggers were well hidden and concealed under her forearms, they could not escape Izroth''s eyesight. "Yes. They are a level 35 rare weapon set. I have tried searching, but... Finding a dagger weapon set with synergy at a higher level and quality that suits my ss has been quite troublesome." Azalea released a small sigh. Azalea''s weapons were not bad by any means. Since they were a rare weapon set, even though they were only level 35, in terms of overall power did not fall behind a level 45 rare weapon. However, the opponents she had been facingtely were bing more and more difficult. Soon enough, her current weapons would no longer cut it. "Finding you a more suitable dagger weapon set that also matches your ss may be somewhatplicated. Lucky for you, I have a more dependable solution. Once we finish things here, I will introduce you to our guild''s cksmith. If there is anyone who can make you a better weapon set, it''s Gu Chao." "If it''s you who is saying so, then this Gu Chao must be highly capable. Allow me to express my gratitude to you in advance, teacher." "There''s no need. After all, you''ve more than earned it." Izroth said with a carefree smile. After exchanging a few more words, Izroth''s expression turned serious as he looked towards the far outskirts of Devil''s Sanctum. "Now... Shall we depart?" ... Several momentster near the far outskirts of Devil''s Sanctum.... Chapter 738 - Empyrean’s Skybreak, Strolling Through The Front Door

Chapter 738 - Empyrean¡¯s Skybreak, Strolling Through The Front Door

Siren''s main headquarters was in a well-isted area of Devil''s Sanctum. But, unlike its gathering locations, it was out in in sight. The building resembled a grand estate¡ªa testament to Siren''s wealth and power. At the center of the estate was a spacious training ground with more than one hundred individuals dressed in ckbat robes. In front of those individuals was a tall burly man with several scars that covered different parts of his body who released a natural aura of intimidation. He wore light ted armor and on his back was a double-edged broadsword. "If any of you are caught cking off, you''ll have hell to pay! Weaklings have no right to walk among us! Weaklings have no right to live! Weaklings are the stepping stones of the strong! I do not train stepping stones¡ªis that understood?!" The man shouted. "Yes!" The ck-clothed group responded in unison. "Hmph, this batch of trainees ain''t lookin'' so bad. I might actually find a few talents this time around." The man said to himself. NPC Name: Gauze(Rare Elite) NPC Level: 55 NPC Faction: Siren Gauze swept his eyes across the people in ckbat robes. They were the current trainees of the Siren organization that he was in charge of training. Undergoing this training process and passing was the final step in joining Siren and earning the rank of Initiate. The group of trainees consisted of both yers and NPCs who wanted to join Siren in hopes of one day joining the League of the Eidolon. Of course, this was a distant dream for many as most would be satisfied simply climbing the ranks of Siren. After all, it was no League of the Eidolon, but since they were under its protection, they received countless benefits. The main goal of yers, in particr, was to get ess to better quests while possibly earning a steady source of ie. It also allowed those without the backing of a guild to gain a reliable benefactor in RML. Gauze pped his hands twice and dered, "Alright, we''ll stop here for today! Everyone report-" Just as Gauze was about to dismiss everyone, he abruptly halted his words mid-sentence. "What the hell is with this heavy mana?" Gauze thought to himself as a visible frown formed on his face and he looked towards the sky. The instant he did so, Gauze''s eyes widened as he witnessed an unbelievable sight. In the sky, multiple fractures as if it had been cracked open by an unknown force. But, before Gauze could utter a word of warning to the trainees to prepare themselves for what was iing, a soul-shaking tremor violently shook as Siren''s entire main headquarters trembled! The powerful tremors caused many of the ck-clothed individuals to lose their bnce and fall to the ground. However, even those who maintained their bnce were unable to move for some reason. As a result, it did not take long for the people on the training ground to begin panicking. "Is it an earthquake?!" "Why can''t I move?!" "...Can''t... breath...!" "Is this part of the entry test...?" The next moment, the sound of shattering ss echoed throughout the atmosphere. And, what followed caused the hearts of those in the training ground to drop. Without warning, the ground beneath them had vanished and was reced by a morning sky! Not one of them had a flying-type skill; therefore, the only thought that crossed their mind at that moment was one thing¡ªimminent death. But, that death never came. In fact, despite the earth resembling the morning sky with drifting white clouds, they were not falling or abruptly shot into the air. When Gauze saw the panic and fear creeping into the group of trainees, he knew that he had to cut it at its roots before things spiraled out of control. "Anyone who is caught spewing nonsense will have to answer to me! Your orders, for now, are to sit tight and do nothing! Only when I dismiss you, shall you be allowed to leave!" Gauze dered. After listening to Gauze speak, the group quickly confirmed that this was not a part of Siren''s test. Naturally, this made a feeling of uneasiness spread throughout the ck-clothed individuals. If it was not a part of the test, then what was going on? What was this suffocating feeling? There were countless questions, but not enough answers! "I''m sure they''re already on the move, but I should still report this to the Head Master." Gauze thought to himself. Just as Gauze turned towards the entrance into the main estate, he narrowed his eyes. Then, in one smooth motion, he drew the broadsword from his back and shed outward in an arc without hesitation! Swoosh! "Huh? That''s..." A confused expression briefly formed on Gauze''s face as a gorgeous silver feather slowly swayed from side to side in front of his face. "...A silver feather? Where did-" All of a sudden, as Gauze muttered under his breath, a myriad of silver feathers started to fall from the sky as if led by a gentle breeze and rapidly nketed the entire estate. At the same time, Gauze''s gaze was instinctively drawn to the sky once more. Through the gaps in the nket of silver feathers flowing throughout the training ground, Gauze saw a humanoid figure with silver wings standing mid-air as he mouthed something. The next moment, Gauze found that his body was suddenly shifted sideways. No, it was not his body''s position that changed! Gauze witnessed an unbelievable sight that caused his eyes to widen from shock. Arge portion of Siren''s estate had gone missing as only half of it remained on the ground! As for the other half where Gauze himself and the trainees were located¡ªit was currently turned vertically in the air! "Ahhhh!" "How did I get up here?!" "Save me!" As the cries of the trainees echoed and Gauze was still processing everything, a faint sound carried through the wind and into his ears. It was just one word; however, for some reason, it made him shiver to his core. "Skybreak." The moment Gauze heard that word, the world around transformed into a starry night sky. The first thought that invaded the minds of those who saw this starry night sky for themselves was one word, "Beautiful". But, only one thing followed that plunge into the night¡ªdeath. ... ''So this is what his Skybreak''s capable of. It''s certainly worthy of being an SSS-ranked skill.'' Izroth observed Empyrean from the ground around fifty meters away from Siren''s main headquarters. The mass destruction that fell upon Siren''s estate was the work of Empyrean''s Skybreak and the results did not leave Izroth disappointed. However, this much could only be considered a small greeting. Izroth understood that the true battle still lied ahead. ''Azalea should already be on the move. Now, then... It''s about time I make my own entrance.'' Izroth activated Shadow Movement as he entered a shadow form and made his way towards Siren''s main headquarters. ... A few momentster, Izroth arrived at the front entrance of Siren''s estate as he canceled his shadow form. Just as he expected, there was not a single guard or weing party in sight because of Empyrean''s actions. The gate that kept outsiders from trespassing was a part of the section lifted from the ground; therefore, Izroth was able to casually stroll into the estate! When Izroth stepped foot on the estate''s grounds, his eyes were immediately drawn to the vertical half. The ground had already returned to its normal state. And, the shattered sky was also no more. "WHO DARES ATTACK THE DOMAIN UNDER THIS MASTER''S PROTECTION?!" Out of nowhere, a booming voice resonated throughout the surroundings that originated from deep within the central building of Siren''s main headquarters. Not too long after, three dark purple streaks shot out of the central building and out into the open. Izroth''s gazended on the dark purple streaks as three figures emerged from them. The person in the center was an old man who exuded an air of authority. On his right side was a man and on his left a woman¡ªboth of who appeared to be in theirte twenties to early thirties. ''It looks like I''ve been saved the trouble of looking for them.'' NPC Name: Left Song of Siren, Paradox(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: Siren NPC Name: Right Song of Siren, Enigma(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: Siren NPC Name: Head Master of Siren, Smiling Demon(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: Siren Chapter 739 - Arrogance Or Stupidity?

Chapter 739 - Arrogance Or Stupidity?

... "Arrogance or stupidity¡ªit can only be one of the two if someone has chosen to raise a hand against us at our own doorstep. Surely, it must be stupidity. Wouldn''t you agree, Enigma?" The one called Paradox spoke unhurriedly. Paradox was a voluptuous woman with long ck hair tied up neatly and a pair of alluring light silver eyes. She wore an elegant yet loosely fitting set of martial robes with the image of a siren on the back as she nced over at the man to Smiling Demon''s right side. "A foolish endeavor," Enigma replied indifferently. Enigma stood slouched over with poor posture. He had pale skin and dark circles under his cold blue eyes as if he had not slept for days. However, it was well hidden behind a featureless mask. His spiky ck hair was neither long nor short but somewhat disheveled. Enigma wore a set of martial robes that resembled Paradox''s with the image of a siren on the back; however, it was pure ck, and his arms were concealed within the sleeves that were at least twice as long as normal. In terms of standings in the Siren organization, Paradox was ced third, while Enigma ranked second. "Hm? It would seem that we have more than a few uninvited guests. Paradox, see to it that the one who snuck inside is taken care of." Smiling Demon stated. The Head Master of Siren, Smiling Demon¡ªthis name was enough to send chills down the spines of most who heard it. Not only was he the leader of Siren, but also a well-known assassin who never let his targets escape his sights. He wore red and ck martial robes. On his face was a blood-red mask with the features of a demon who possessed two sets of sharp fangs, two protruding ck horns, and nothing but darkness where its eyes should be located. And, the way the demon''s mouth was formed made it appear as if it were smiling. Ultimately, this led to the nameless Head Master of Siren gaining a nickname in the underworld scene¡ªSmiling Demon. "Leave it to me, Head Master~" Paradox responded as she transformed into a dark purple streak that raced back towards the central building. Without turning his head, Smiling Demon then addressed Enigma, "Kill anyone who does not belong¡ªno exception." "Without dy." Those were Enigma''sst words before his figure became distorted and vanished. Smiling Demon set his gaze to the sky where Empyrean hovered above with his silver wings expanded. "A member of the zensana race? No... I''ve met countless zensana during my lifetime, but never one that was so loved by mana." Smiling Demon internalized as he sized up Empyrean. The natural mana in the atmosphere seemed to converge around Empyrean as if pleading to be used. While Smiling Demon witnessed a simr phenomenon urred for members of the trephasia race, he had never seen someone from the zensana race attract natural mana on such a grand scale. But, it did not make any sense. Smiling Demon was certain that the only race in the Mortal Realm that should be capable of invoking this kind of response from natural mana were dragons. And, based upon his previous experiences, Smiling Demon believed something on this level wasparable to a young true dragon! Of course, that alone was not enough to stop Smiling Demon from taking action. A young true dragon may be powerfulpared to other races, but he was someone who stepped into the legendary realm. In the end, it would not be his match. Nevertheless, no one wanted to be enemies of the true dragons and Smiling Demon was no different. Though after observing Empyrean in more depth, Smiling Demon soon confirmed that he was not facing a member of the true dragon race. And, since that was not the case, there was no need to show any restraint in his handling of the matter! "Hmph, I don''t know who or what you are, but seeing as how you dared trample on the face of my Siren organization, your arrogance clearly knows no bounds! State your name¡ªunless you want your tombstone to remain unmarked after your death!" Smiling Demon''s voice thundered as his feet left the ground; however, he was greeted by silence. The refined killing intent aura of Smiling Demon became heavy after being tantly ignored. Even though he wore a mask, one could tell that he was infuriated! "Good, very good...! The tiger cub knows not fear. It has been a long time since someone provoked me to this extent. Since you refuse to speak, I have no use for you!" Smiling Demon stated coldly. The next moment, the sound of constant whispers and murmurs could be heard. There was no clear source to where these sounds came from as they originated from every direction of Siren''s main headquarters. At the same time, the magic energy epassing Empyrean expanded as a powerful gale erupted from his body! ... Meanwhile, near the entrance of Siren''s main headquarters... Izroth watched on as Empyrean and Smiling Demon were about to sh. ''It''s a good chance for Empyrean to gain some proper battle experience, but... Will he be able to hold him off long enough alone?'' Izroth was confident in Empyrean''s current strength; however, he was facing someone in the legendary realm. Fortunately, just as Izroth predicted, based on his observation, Smiling Demon was only at the initial stage of the legendary realm. If he were any higher, Izroth would have been left with no choice but to alter his original ns. Thanks to Azalea, Izroth was already aware of Paradox, Enigma, and Smiling Demon''s existence and prepared ordingly. Regardless, Izroth understood that none of them could be underestimated¡ªespecially Smiling Demon. Izroth''s previous confrontations against those in the legendary realm were different from this moment. One way or another, they were restricted in some way and unable to unleash their full strength. Even the Centurion Juggernaut of Tempest, Tigran, who Izroth thought was in the legendary realm turned out to be nothing but a lifeless puppet being manipted and artificially boosted by the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. In reality, this was his first time confronting someone from the legendary realm who waspletely unhindered. ''I would like to watch for a bit; however-'' Woosh! Out of nowhere, a dark purple streak appeared behind Izroth as a sharp object closed in on him from both sides! Zeeeeeut! Izroth''s figure vanished as he activated Instantaneous Movement and reappeared at a safe distance roughly five meters away from where he previously stood. ''It looks like I will have to take care of a small roadblock first.'' The dark purple streak came to a halt as a dreary voice sounded, "You do not belong here. All those who do not belong... must perish." The one who ambushed Izroth and appeared before him was the second inmand of the Siren organization, the Right Song of Siren, Enigma. After he finished speaking, Enigma wasted no time as he immediately dashed in Izroth''s direction¡ªif one could even call it a dash. For some reason, with every step Enigma took, he became slower. And, to someone like Izroth who possessed an amazing set of senses, Enigma''s movements were almost agonizingly slow. Izroth inwardly frowned as he activated his Energy Vision Sense and carefully observed without letting his guard down. ?Immune? ''?!'' Without warning, Izroth felt something light brush against his shoulder. As for Enigma who was just in front of him moving at a snail''s pace¡ªhe was gone! Or, to be more precise, Enigma had already moved past Izroth! Zeeeut! Izroth immediately used another charge of Instantaneous Movement to create distance between himself and Enigma. "Insufficient...? He is much sturdier than he looks." Enigma muttered to himself. ''What was that just now?'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as he slightly furrowed his brows. Thanks to his Greater Physique and the addition of the Might stat, he was able to brush off Enigma''s attack. Although the attack only served to probe his defenses, Izroth had not dropped his guard in the slightest. One moment, Enigma was slowly moving towards him and the next he had already blown past him! To make matters even more bizarre, there were no unusual fluctuations in his Energy Vision Sense. This left Izroth somewhat puzzled as to how Enigma suddenly jumped from one ce to another right before his eyes. ''On the surface, it gives off the same impression as a movement-type skill. However, there is an unknown factor at y. Since that''s the case...'' Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and pointed the tip of its de to the ground, causing a ripple-like effect to spread throughout the earth. ''I''ll just have to neutralize everything.'' Chapter 740 - Lowering The Playing Field, Call Of The Siren Tapestry

Chapter 740 - Lowering The ying Field, Call Of The Siren Tapestry

Izroth shifted his stance to the Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple as the mana in the surrounding area began to dissipate. "The mana in the atmosphere is... Hm... A peculiar technique. Perhaps I shall borrow it." Enigma muttered to himself as the quelling ripples approached his position! ... Somewhere inside the central building of Siren''s main headquarters... Currently, Azalea was under stealth as she blended into her surroundings. After Empyrean made his first move on Siren''s estate, Azalea wasted no time infiltrating the central building. However, she was well aware of the many security measures in ce within the central building. Add to that the fact Siren''s main headquarters was under the protection of a powerful legendary figure like Smiling Demon, Azalea understood that it was only a matter of time until she was discovered. "My presence should have been detected by now. It will not be long until-" As Azalea moved with hasted steps, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the sound of a bell''s chime entered her ears. "They are close. It has to be one of them. I must hurry." Azalea internalized as she increased her pace. While passing through the central building, Azalea left behind several items along the way called Warning Bells. Warning Bells were tool-type items that could be purchased from a special vendor in Devil''s Sanctum and allowed those who deployed them to be alerted whenever someone passed by. Typically, one would hide the Warning Bells in a well-concealed spot. However, seeing as how her presence would be detected either way, Azalea was not worried about the Warning Bells being found. The path Azalea took was known only to a limited number of individuals within the Siren organization. The Head Master, the Right Song and Left Song, the instructor Gauze, and those who managed to climb to the Grand Master rank. These were the only people who knew that this hidden passageway existed. And, the reason for this was simple. The hidden passageway led directly to the Great Demon Hall¡ªa ce that, under normal circumstances, was only essible to the Head Master and the Songs of Siren. At the moment, Azalea was headed to the Great Demon Hall to secure a certain item that would level the ying field. Or, to be more precise, to keep the current ying field from tilting too far in Siren''s favor. A few minutester, Azalea canceled her stealth as she arrived before a metal door. At the same time, Azalea noticed that the second tost of the Warning Bells she set up had gone off. "It should be kept in here." Azalea internalized as she swiftly checked the metal door for any security measures that might be in ce. Once she confirmed that there were no traps, Azalea carefully opened the metal door and stepped into the Great Demon Hall. The Great Demon Hall was a spacious room with a dark and mystical grandiose air to it. Lined up along the left and right walls were a total of twenty marble statues of sirens¡ªten on each side. Near the back of the room was a seat carved from some type of ck crystal with pulses of purple energy running through it. And, hanging above that seat was a tapestry. Azalea approached the seat as her gaze was drawn to the tapestry overhead. The tapestry was of a lone beautiful siren sat upon a rock amidst a body of water with a simple wooden ship drifting in its direction. The ship had two faceless passengers. One of which was tied to the ship''s mast and the other curled over in agony. At first nce, the tapestry appeared quite ordinary; however, if one looked at the tapestry for more than a few seconds, they would notice the imagery it disyed starting to morph into something different. After doing so herself, Azalea saw the beautiful siren transform into a hideous creature with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and beady eyes. In addition, the water was reced by a sea of souls in evesting anguish. This was the item Azalea came to the Great Demon Hall to secure. "It is the first time I have been able to see it up close in this manner," Azalea said to herself before setting her sights away from the tapestry. Of course, she managed to get a good look at the system information of the tapestry beforehand. Name: Call of the Siren Tapestry(Magical Item) Rank: SSS Durability: : ¡Þ(Indestructible) Usage: The user unleashes a great cmity upon their foes. Requires ?Song of the Siren? to activate. Cooldown: ??? Special Note: A masterpiece painted by a long-forgotten artist. After a certain master craftsman got their hands on it, ovee with a sudden burst of inspiration, they transformed the masterpiece into a powerful magical item. The next moment, two throwing knives appeared between Azalea''s fingers. She tossed the throwing knives one at a time towards the straps that held the tapestry in ce and grabbed it as it fell. If other yers knew that she had just gotten her hands on an SSS-ranked magic item so effortlessly, they would be unable to contain their envy. But, in reality, it was not as easy as it seemed on the surface. Not only was the Great Demon Hall constantly guarded by Smiling Demon, a legendary figure, but it also had the backing of the League of the Eidolon¡ªan organization that had several legendary powerhouses under its banner. Stealing from Siren was the same as taking something from the hand of the League of the Eidolon. And, who was daring enough to offend them besides a faction that was equally powerful? Of course, Izroth was an exception. Even if Siren was backed by the Divine Realm itself, they had no choice but to pay the price for messing with his people! "My, what do we have here? If it isn''t Wraith. I have not seen you since you turned down the Head Master''s offer to join the League of the Eidolon. I even volunteered to take you under my wing. Now here you are ying the role of amon thief. How disappointing." A charming voice sounded as the metal door to the Great Demon Hall closed. Simultaneously, a ck smoke cloudced with traces of violet energy spawned at the room''s center. A few secondster, a woman emerged from the smoke. She was the Left Song of Siren, Paradox. Paradox narrowed her eyes as she nced at the tapestry in Azalea''s possession. "I must say¡ªI never took you as the reckless type. Breaking into the Great Demon Hall alone is enough to warrant your death ten times over. Yet, you boldly hold within your hands the Call of Siren Tapestry. Well? Care to exin yourself? Ah, and don''t bother telling me you got lost." Paradox said in a voice that contained a hint of coldness. Azalea remained silent as she ced the tapestry into her inventory. Afterward, she triggered the hidden mechanism beneath her forearms that hid her daggers as the weapons shot into her hands. "So, that''s your answer. Your future could have been bright in the league. Such a pity." Paradox said calmly. Azalea''s eyes scanned the room for another exit; however, from the looks of it, there was only one way in and out of the Great Demon Hall, which was through the metal door. But, Azalea knew that Paradox would just sit back and let her walk out without a fight. And, as one of the two Songs of Siren, Azalea was aware that she could not afford to underestimate Paradox. "It''s fortunate that I had a chance to witness her ability firsthand, but... Dealing with it is an entirely separate matter." Azalea thought to herself. Not too long after Azalea first joined Siren, she and a couple of other promising candidates for the Grandmaster rank, acquired the rare opportunity to join Paradox on an assignment. Still, even after seeing it with her own eyes, Azalea did not fully understand how Paradox''s ability functioned. However, she was able to verify one thing. When it came to pure killing potential, Paradox''s methods were efficient to an almost frightening degree. "Don''t worry. Since we have some history, I will make your death quick and painless." Paradox stated. The following moment, Paradox''s body turned into ck smoke that erupted into every direction of the Great Demon Hall. In the blink of an eye, the Great Demon Hall had descended into a state of darkness as Azalea entered a state of high alert. Chapter 741 - Pale Imitation

Chapter 741 - Pale Imitation

... Outside Siren''s main headquarters... Izroth''s Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple immediately extinguished all hostile energy sources within twenty meters. After doing so, the ripples continued to travel outward with every passing second. As the ripples approached Enigma, a mystical aura epassed his body. Then, just as the energy neutralizing wave from Izroth''s ninth sword form washed over Enigma, it came to an abrupt halt. ''Hm?'' Izroth quickly discovered that there was something off about the quelling ripples after they made contact with Enigma. For some reason, he could no longer feel a connection to his ninth sword form. It was as if something interfered with his control over the sword skill. "Resisting is futile." Enigma''s voice sounded from right next to Izroth. Izroth swept his sword in a full arc was as his Sword of the Storm sliced through the air! Swoosh! Izroth''s de cut effortlessly through Enigma, severing his body in two. However, Izroth inwardly frowned when his sword passed sliced into Enigma. ''There was no feedback.'' The Sword of the Storm was certainly a sharp de, but there was always some feedback whenever he cut something. Just now, Izroth did not experience any such feedback and instantly knew that something was off. "I see... So you choose to resist until the end. Very well. Since you have no desire for a quick and painless death, I shall grant your wish. I am curious¡ªhow long will it take until you descend into madness?" Enigma spoke with his body still cut in two on the ground. Right after he finished speaking, Enigma''s body crumbled into countless pieces before being carried off by the wind. At the same time, Enigma reappeared a few meters in front of Izroth without a single scratch. ''He''s not using illusions, but with what''s happening, it''s difficult to think of it as something else. There''s also the possibility that I''ve been secretly poisoned and I''m seeing things, but it would have to be a poison close to the level of the Immortal Hydra''s. Of course, there''s always the third option... But, first, there is something I need to confirm.'' The ground returned to normal as the quelling ripples faded away. But, less than a couple of secondster, a new wave of ripples formed and spread out in every direction. Izroth used his Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus to mimic his ninth sword form. The overall power and effects were greatly reducedpared to the original skill. However, unlikest time when his gaze was locked onto Enigma, Izroth immediately followed up with Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. Swoosh! Izroth gained arge burst of movement speed. But, instead of charging towards Enigma, he moved full speed in the opposite direction! If someone was observing the fight from an outside perspective, it would seem as though Izroth was attempting to flee! Of course, Izroth had zero intention of running away. The moment he arrived roughly ten meters away from his previous position, Izroth shed outward with his Sword of the Storm, acquiring the first stack to his Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. At the same time, the quelling ripples from his ninth sword form came to a halt just they had done previously. And, at first nce, nothing had changed from Izroth''sst attempt. But, as Izroth''s de swept through the air, something unusual took ce. The surrounding space fluctuated as he felt his Sword of the Storm crash into a solid surface. However, there was nothing there¡ªat least, that''s how it appeared at first nce. Without warning, the space near Izroth''s Sword of the Storm began to fluctuate as a metallic object with three short and thin des revealed itself. It was a w-like weapon with sharpened edges that made one feel uneasy just from being near it. Soon after the weapon was revealed, a second spatial fluctuation took ce as Enigma emerged with a cold look in his eyes beneath his mask as his gaze met with Izroth''s. "He blocked my talon? My attack pattern must have been too predictable... I''ll admit, I underestimated him. Nevertheless¡ªI don''t believe he is capable of seeing through my ability. After all, even those in the legendary realm would not necessarily be able to aplish such a feat, let alone someone below that realm." Enigma internalized. In the end, Enigma concluded that Izroth must have used a bit of skill and luck to stop his attack. As Enigma swiftly organized his thoughts, a carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face that caught him off guard. Seeing that carefree smile on his target''s face caused Enigma''s expression to darken. They had only managed to intercept one of his attacks and now they dared to look down on him?! Enigma maintained hisposure; however, the killing intent he emitted grew increasingly fierce. Enigma pushed his talon forward with a great burst of strength and used the momentum generated to aid his retreat a few meters back. "You should have gone all out with your first attack. Because, from this moment forward¡ªyour attacks will no longer reach me." Izroth stated with a natural air of confidence. After listening to Izroth''s words, Enigma thought he must have gone crazy. Suddenly dering that none of his attacks would reach¡ªwhat a joke! "There exists a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Allow me to show you just how far across the line of arrogance you''ve wandered." Enigma said indifferently. The next moment, Enigma started to step slowly in Izroth''s direction. It was the same technique he previously used to evade Izroth''s perception! In the blink of an eye, Enigma vanished without a trace and reappeared a couple of meters behind Izroth just as he didst time; however, he immediately noticed that something was wrong. "Impossible...!" Enigma muttered to himself as his arm trembled along with the talon on his hand. It felt as if he had just struck something several times harder than steel and received a harsh bacsh as a result. But, more importantly, Enigma could have sworn that his strike was deflected by his opponent! And, this time, it could not be written off as sheer luck. "Has he truly discovered a way to predict the oue of my False Phenomenons?" Enigma thought to himself. False Phenomenon¡ªthis was the name of the ability that made Enigma into one of the most feared assassins in all of Siren and gained him the title of Left Song. This ability allowed Enigma to influence the phenomenons that urred around him. For example, if something was moving slow, he could make it move fast. Or, if an attack such as Izroth''s ninth sword form was headed his way, he could influence its energy signature to include his own, effectively giving him control over the skill. Of course, this ability was not omnipotent. He could not do something like directly influence the life or death of another being. In addition, every time he used False Phenomenon, it consumed a portion of the divine power he was bestowed. That''s because False Phenomenon was not an ability Enigma taught himself or learned from Siren. It was a rare ability gifted only to certain worshippers of the God of Disharmony. In other words, it was a blessing from a divine being! This was the reason why Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense and the Quelling Ripples from his ninth sword form seemed to have no effect on Enigma. After all, divine power was not just some ordinary energy source. "I have spent many years developing a connection to the God of Disharmony so that I could earn their blessing. It''s due to their magnanimity that I can wield the power of the False Phenomenon. Against those below the legendary realm, I am invincible." Enigma internalized. Enigmapletely removed the distracting thoughts from his mind as a new wave of absolute confidence washed over him. The person before him was not someone in the legendary realm, so what was there for him to be concerned about? Izroth sensed the sudden change in Enigma''s demeanor and could not help but inwardly smile. ''Oh? It looks like he finally decided to start taking me seriously. But, I''m afraid his luck is quite poor.'' All of a sudden, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm disappeared. Then, in a sh, the Scorched Inferno''s Fang spear materialized in Izroth''s hand. "What you''re using can only be described as a pale imitation of the real thing. Since that''s the case¡ªshall I show you how it''s truly done?" Izroth stated as he shifted to an offensive stance! Chapter 742 - Necessary Evil

Chapter 742 - Necessary Evil

Pale imitation? Show him how it''s done? Enigma had met many arrogant people ever since he first joined Siren''s ranks; however, this young man before him had to be the most arrogant individual to cross his path! Not only did he dare refer to a skill granted by a divine one as a "pale imitation", but he was even bold enough to state that he could show how it''s truly done. How long did it take Enigma to earn the blessing of the God of Disharmony to gain the rare ability False Phenomenon? Yet, this ignorant fellow wanted to brag using empty words? The atmosphere around Enigma grew heavy as his killing intent started to leak out, causing the surroundings to drop in temperature. Enigma tried his best to not mix his personal feelings with a mission, but his target went too far! "You want to show me how it''s done?" Enigma scoffed as a dark purple aura enveloped the talon on his hand. He then continued, "How naive. The power bestowed upon me by the God of Disharmony is absolute against those below the legendary realm. Initially, I nned to grant you a swift death, but... Those words you just uttered, even if they were spoken in ignorance¡ªI cannot let it go." In Enigma''s eyes, Izroth''s words might as well be insulting the God of Disharmony and looking down on them. As a dedicated follower, how could Enigma tolerate someone not setting the God of Disharmony in their sights? "Ignorance? You are mistaken. I am merely stating that which is true¡ªthat''s all. However, I can see that you will not be satisfied until you witness it with your own eyes. I hope you remember the words you''ve spoken well. You will see clearly which of us is truly naive." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. Suddenly, Enigma shed skyward with his talon as three trails of dark purple energy formed. It was as though the air itself had been cut by the talons of a mighty bird of prey! The w-like trail of energy shot into the sky at incredible speeds. Then, after traveling nearly five meters into the air, it vanished. Swoosh! Without hesitation, Izroth swung his Scorched Inferno Fang upward in an arc. And, not even half a second after he did so, the sound of grinding metal echoed throughout the battlefield as Izroth''s spear collided with something that came from above. It was the same w-like energy trail that Enigma fired into the sky just moments. Izroth slid his right foot forward and rotated his body as he tightened his grip on the spear in his hands. He waved the Scorched Inferno Fang in a nted arc, deflecting the energy trail and forcibly changing its path. Bang! Rmmmmble! The energy trail cut into the earth a couple of meters away from Izroth, causing three long scars to form on the ground as it shook from the impact. After deflecting the blow, Izroth did not sit still as he activated the skill Light Feather Footwork and gained arge burst of movement speed. He kicked off his back foot and charged towards Enigma without pause! ¡´System Alert: Your mastery with the skill ?Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality? has increased by 0.05%.¡µ ''Oh? It only increased by 0.05% this time?'' In his fight against the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis, Izroth''s mastery with the Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality increased by 1.60% after a single use! And, needless to say, there was a huge gap between 1.60% and 0.05%. ''Is it due to the effect this time around being easier to manipte? Or, does it have to do with using a more narrow approach?'' To counter the effects of Enigma''s False Phenomenon, Izroth utilized the Law of Causality. This time, the cause he controlled was that his spear would deflect Enigma''s next attack, and the effect was that Enigma''s attack was deflected by his spear. There was a reason Izroth referred to Enigma''s False Phenomenon ability as a pale imitation. After seeing it in action multiple times, he confirmed that it was nothing more than an attempt to mimic the effects of the Law of Causality! But,pared to the actual thing, it was stillcking in many ways. For one, judging from Enigma''s reaction, or rather hisck of one, Izroth immediately surmised that the Left Song of Siren had no clue what led to his attack being discovered and deflected. However, Izroth was not surprised. After all, if Enigma had been able to freely manipte the actual Law of Causality, Izroth knew that he would have never been able to intercept his earlier strike. Still, to be able to grant individuals a power that could mimic even a portion of the Law of Causality required a deep understanding of the Law itself. Therefore, Izroth was convinced that the divine being Enigma called the God of Disharmony was quite powerful among those in the Divine Realm. At the same time, as Izroth advanced, Enigma was shocked. He used his False Phenomenon to alter the original trajectory of his attack to have it strike Izroth from above. Normally, this should have left Izroth with no time to respond as it would abruptly emerge less than one meter above his head. Yet, he somehow managed to sessfully deflect his blow. No, to be more precise, it was as though Izroth knew where his attack would appear! More importantly, Enigma was certain that his eyes did not deceive him. Just now, he saw Izroth begin to move his spear to intercept the attack heunched before it even reappeared. Unless he could see into the future, such a thing should not have been possible! However, Enigma did not have the luxury to allow his thoughts to wander as Izroth''s rapidly closed in on his position. Wooosh! Izroth arrived within striking range of Enigma as the tip of his spear sliced through the air. The weapon carried with it a dominating force that seemed capable of sweeping away anything that dared to obstruct its path! Bang! Enigma waved his arm before him as he blocked the iing spear. Immediately after, his figure turned hazy as his body transformed into a cloud of dark purple smoke that blew past Izroth. The next moment, Izroth spun his body in a full circle,shing out with his spear as he performed a perfect sweep. Bang! Izroth''s Scorched Inferno Fang struck Enigma''s talon that had crept into his blind spot as Enigma emerged and the smoke dispersed. The smoke itself was a distraction while the real Enigma entered a form of stealth tounch a sneak attack on Izroth. After failing to break through Izroth''s defense consecutive times, Enigma''s attacks grew increasingly fierce as he traded several blows with Izroth. At times, Enigma used his False Phenomenon to alter his actions in order to increase his chances of sess; however, Izroth reacted every time without fail. ''It''s been a while since Ist used a spear as my main weapon in battle. I nned to switch weapons once I mastered all ten sword forms; however, I suppose there''s no harm in starting a little early. Since I have already begun to learn the ultimate spear technique, pursuing anything too time-consuming would be a waste.'' At its peak, there was no other spear technique Izroth had encountered in the Seven Realms that came close toparing to Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality. But, needless to say, learning such a peerless technique came with its challenges. It was a process that could not be rushed and required realbat application. Not to mention, with his current mastery level, Izroth understood that depending solely on Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality was not feasible. Therefore, he needed something to make up for gaps that would naturally be created while mastering the peerless spear technique. ''Something that can be picked up with rtive ease and requires little to no time to master... In addition, it has to be able to stand on its own while also being capable of meshing well with other techniques... That guy''s spear techniquese to mind, but... No, such concerns are unnecessary. After all, this ce is not the Seven Realms. Though I must admit, it still makes me somewhat uneasy to use it myself. Nevertheless, it meets all the necessary requirements.'' The spear technique Izroth wanted to use was considered taboo in the Seven Realms. That''s because it belonged to the infamous leader of the Dark Saints Cult, the Immortal Ghost Warlord¡ªa demonic cultivator responsible for extinguishing the lives of billions throughout the Seven Realms! Chapter 743 - Cryptic Oblivion Arts: Reign Of Oblivion, Upper Hand

Chapter 743 - Cryptic Oblivion Arts: Reign Of Oblivion, Upper Hand

''The Reign of Oblivion... Learning it is not difficult. I''m just not entirely certain how the system will interpret it. I suppose there''s only one way to find out.'' In the Seven Realms, there existed a myriad of sects that varied in power and influence. And, most of them were not afraid to get their hands dirty if it meant increasing their status in the Seven Realms. However, even among the sects who utilized methods that were often frowned upon, there were still certain lines that could not be crossed. That''s why whenever a sect performed acts considered taboo by the martial world, they would no longer be seen as a sect, but rather as a cult. To cults, there was no such thing as taboo and those who walked down that path would do whatever it took to gain strength and rise to the pinnacle. But, when it came to the most heinous and unspeakable deeds that weremitted in the Seven Realms, there was one cult that towered above the rest. A name that struck fear into the depths of one''s soul, Dark Saints Cult. Just as there were hierarchies among the sects, cults also had to respect the power of those above them. The Dark Saints were in a league of their own among cults and the main person responsible for their rise to power was none other than the Immortal Ghost Warlord. What set the Dark Saints apart from other cults was the foundational techniques taught to its members, the Cryptic Oblivion Arts. The Cryptic Oblivion Arts was abination of several techniques created by the Immortal Ghost Warlord. Among them was a certain spear technique known as the Reign of Oblivion, taught only to a select few within the upper ranks of the Dark Saints Cult. For those who walked down the path of the spear, the Reign of Oblivion was nothing remarkable. In fact, there were numerous techniques that easily surpassed it in terms of profound understanding when it came to the spear. However, based solely on the rapid growth potential of the user and destructive power, the Reign of Oblivion had few equals. So, why was it that a spear technique with such rapid potential and destructive power was considered taboo in the Seven Realms? It had to do with one thing¡ªSoul Deviation. The Reign of Oblivion was a powerful technique that was easy for anyone to learn and utilize. But, as with many of the heavenlyws practiced by cults in the Seven Realms, it came with a heavy price. The more someone used the Reign of Oblivion, the deeper they would spiral into madness. Eventually, they would sumb to that madness and undergo a Soul Deviation, turning them into mindless ughterers that could not tell friend from foe. The moment one fell under the influences of Soul Deviation, they were no better than a mindless beast¡ªan empty shell of their former self whose sole purpose was destruction. ... Swoosh! Izroth thrust the Scorched Inferno Fang forward and aimed right for Enigma''s head. The two had been exchanging blows without pause for thest couple of minutes. At first, Enigma held the upper hand; however, as the battle progressed, Izroth started to gradually exert a great deal of pressure on Enigma. Bang! "I told you¡ªit''s useless." Enigma scoffed as he parried the iing spear with his talons. At the same time, the dark purple aura erupted from his talons andunched towards Izroth at frightening speeds! However, Izroth did not try to avoid Enigma''s attack from point-nk range. Instead, he twisted the spear in his hands, knocking away Enigma''s talons as he shed downward with a heavy force. Simultaneously, the dark purple aura went past Izroth''s spear and crashed into him right as his attack on Enigma connected! "This crazy bastard¡ªthe power and speed of his spear increased again...! What is he up to? Does he not care what happens to himself as long as he takes me down with him..?!" Enigma internalized. As the dark purple aura vanished from around Izroth, to Enigmia''s surprise, he waspletely unharmed! ?Immune? ''Not bad. I expected some damage, but it''s even sturdier than I anticipated. My defensive capabilities may notpare to Empyrean''s, but thebined effects of my Greater Physique and Might, paired with my natural resistances, make it difficult for even B-rank skills to cause any real damage. And, those are just my passive skills. If I were to also take into ount my active defensive skills, I am confident that even if I were to face someone at the Primary or perhaps even the Late stage of the legendary realm, I would be able to survive a head-on attack or two.'' Izroth never had an issue regarding his attack power and mobility; however, his defensive capabilities were always somewhatckingpared to his other stats. But, now, his defenses were on an entirely different level! "Impossible... That attack should have rotted his flesh. How can he be unharmed? No, more importantly... how is it that he is able to predict my False Phenomenon? Can it be that he was telling the truth earlier...? No, it''s an absurd thought. It''s inconceivable that someone outside the legendary realm can even begin to possiblyprehend an ability gifted by a divine being, let alone this crazy guy. It''s inconceivable, but..." Enigma internalized as he nced over at his right shoulder, which now had a semi-deep wound from Izroth''s spear. Izroth had been keeping Enigma''s False Phenomenon in check with Zakra''s Spear of Causality; however, Enigma believed that Izroth having knowledge rted to the Law of Causality to be a ridiculous notion. A power that took him many years of devotion to get his hands on¡ªhow could he ept the fact that some brat who was still wet behind the ears was able toprehend it? "...Regardless, I''ve already consumed too much divine power. I hate to admit it, but dragging this fight out any longer will only increase the chances of an unfavorable result. Therefore¡ªI will end it with this next strike." Enigma thought to himself as he swiftly created some distance between himself and Izroth. ¡´System Alert: You feel your movements with the spear be lighter with every swing.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your attack speed has increased.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel your self-control begin to loosen.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your concentration has risen.¡µ ''What a refreshing feeling. Since I was fully concentrated on learning Zakra''s Spear of Causality at the time, I did not pay much attention to it, but... If not for this skill, it may have taken me much longer to seed back during the crusade. Not to mention, it''s perfect at countering the madness effect of the Reign of Oblivion.'' Skill Name: Spear of Perseverance Skill Mastery: MAXED Skill Rank: S Passive: The more the user swings their spear inbat, the lighter their movements with the spear will be, increasing their attack speed by 2.5% per swing [MAX: 100%]. If the usernds a critical hit, instead of 2.5% attack speed, the user will gain 10% attack speed and the bonus attack speed granted by this skill is temporarily doubled for 3 seconds [MAX: 200%]. All bonus attack speed gained from this skill applies only to spear-type weapons. Other weapon types are unaffected. If the user is out ofbat for more than 10 seconds, the bonus attack speed granted by this skill will start to rapidly deteriorate. ?Mind of Perseverance?: When wielding a spear, the user''s level of concentration is increased. The user also gains the buff ?Calm Mind & Heart?. The lower the user''s HP or the longer they are inbat, the greater the effects of ?Calm Mind & Heart?. Special Note: Those who continue to persevere will find that their path is without end. Skill Name: Reign of Oblivion Skill Mastery: 1/4 Skill Rank: S Requirements: Spear Equipped Toggle On/Off: For every sessful attack against a target, the user gains 1 Stack of ?Madness? and increases the damage of their next spear-type attack by 4%. This effect can stack any number of times. Upon reaching or exceeding 20 Stacks of ?Madness?, the effects of ?Madness? will rise exponentially and the user spear-type attacks gain 20% Armor Piercing. In addition, the user will begin to lose 4% of their maximum HP per second. The effect of the HP drain will increase by 1% for every additional second this skill is active. The cooldown timer for this skill does not start until it is deactivated. Cooldown: 1 minute ¡´System Alert: You have gained 1 Stack of ?Madness?. [Current Stacks: 52]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your next attack will deal an additional 208% damage!¡µ ''I''m already at 52 stacks of madness, but there are no signs of it taking effect.'' Suddenly, Izroth''s Soul Sense sounded with haste as the dark purple aura epassing Enigma erupted with a force at least five times greater than anything he previously disyed! ''The interval between his usage of False Phenomenom was bing longer with every use. I assumed that he was attempting to conserve his strength or running low on energy, but this oue¡ªit''s even better than I anticipated.'' Given the circumstances up to this point, Izroth understood there was only one reason Enigma would decide to abruptlyunch such a grand attack. After realizing that Izroth continued to hold the upper hand, Enigma did not want to risk a battle of attrition. He wanted to end everything with one blow! Chapter 744 - Cut Down

Chapter 744 - Cut Down

Meanwhile, as Enigma fell back to a safe distance and just managed to gather his thoughts, he was suddenly struck by an intense wave of heat. "?!" Enigma shifted his gaze towards his left foot and noticed that the ground underneath was scorched. "This annoying thing again...!" Enigma growled under his breath as he quickly moved away from the scorched earth. It was not the only area affected by the intense heat. There were numerous spots of scorched earth scattered all throughout the battlefield with a footprint at their centers. This was caused by the passive weapon effect attached to Izroth''s Scorched Inferno Fang, Earthly Inferno. At first nce, the Inferno Prints Izroth left around the battlefield appeared to be ced at random. However, if one examined the prints closely, they would discover that a specific pattern had been formed. This pattern limited Enigma''s movements and made it so that he had no choice but to move exactly where Izroth was guiding him. In other words, Enigma had no idea that he was being driven right into a corner with no room for retreat! But, just when Enigma thought his luck could not get any worse, he felt the temperature of his body start to rise uncontrobly¡ªas if his insides were suddenly set aze. ¡´Battle Alert: Right Song of Siren, Enigma has been affected by the ?Burn? status effect!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: For the next 30 seconds, all healing sources for Right Song of Siren, Enigma will be reduced by 50%!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: For the next 30 seconds, Right Song of Siren, Enigma will receive 0.5% of their maximum HP as fire damage every 1 second!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: For the next 30 seconds, all fire-type damage dealt to Right Song of Siren, Enigma will be increased by 100%!¡µ Enigma had been affected by the Burn status effect from Izroth''s Scorched Inferno Fang! With his Energy Vision Sense active, Izroth immediately picked up on the changes from the moment Enigma came into contact with the Inferno Print to his retreat. ''Interesting... Not only does it reduce healing and deal damage, but it also makes one more susceptible to fire-based attacks. In a close battle, it''s enough to turn the tides.'' Although the total damage over time from the Burn effect came out to 15% of one''s maximum health, due to the 100% fire-type damage buff, in actuality, it was double that amount. For someone like Enigma who had been driven into a corner, it turned a dire situation into a deadly one! But, despite his growing advantage, Izroth could not help but inwardly sigh in disappointment. ''I thought I could use this battle as an opportunity to break through into the next stage of my Heavenly Golden Body physique; however, it''s still not enough.'' Ever since his battle against the Lady of Evesting Rain Tal''Nis, Izroth had approached a bottleneck for his Heavenly Golden Body. He felt that with one more push, he could step into the next stage. Initially, he believed that someone like Enigma who held a high-ranking position in Siren would suffice. But, by figuring out how to deal with Enigma''s False Phenomenon, Izroth had eliminated the greatest threat. As a result, the progress on his Heavenly Golden Body had stalled once again. If he knew it would end up like this, Izroth would have never used Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality to counter Enigma''s False Phenomenon so soon! However, how could Izroth have known that Enigma''s entire fighting style heavily relied on a single ability? ''It''s disappointing, but there is no point in lingering on what is already done. I may not have broken through into the next stage of my Heavenly Golden Body, but I was able to increase my mastery with Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality and learn a new S-rank spear skill in the process. For now, I suppose I will have to make do with just this much.'' If other yers could hear Izroth''s current thoughts, they would cough up blood from anger! He managed to raise the mastery on a unique skill and learn an S-rank skill in just one battle, yet he considered it as "making do"? The vast majority of yers in RML did not have a single A-rank skill, let alone S-rank¡ªsomething most yers would stab their own friends in the back to get their hands on! Suddenly, Izroth kicked off his back foot and shot forward at incredible speeds. He used the active from his Light Feather Footwork to gain a massive 250% movement speed buff to rapidly shrink the distance between himself and Enigma. ''Thanks to my natural health regeneration and lifesteal, I''ve been able to offset the health drain from the Reign of Oblivion. But, at this rate, I can only sustain it for another few seconds or so. Once that happens, I will have no choice but to deactivate it and lose a good portion of damage output. Nevertheless, I cannot afford to waste too many skills here. After all, I still have to take care of that guy.'' Izroth nced towards the distant sky where Empyrean and the Head Master of the Siren, Smiling Demon shed. At the moment, Izroth knew that Empyrean was not in any true danger yet due to the Soul Link between them. However, there were slight fluctuations urring within Soul Link that was starting to be more frequent as time went on. This led Izroth to believe that despite his rapid growth, while Empyrean was more than capable of stalling them and trading a few blows, he was still not a match one on one against someone in the legendary realm. This was even more so when it came to someone like Smiling Demon, who appeared to have long since solidified his power as a legendary being. Of course, Izroth was not too concerned. In the end, Empyrean''sbination of defensive capabilities and high mobility made him a difficult target to catch, let alone kill. In addition, Empyrean''s race was naturally gifted with the ability of Flight. Therefore, Izroth was confident that as long as it was a battle in the skies, Empyrean could retreat at any time. After all, there were probably only a handful of individuals in the entire Mortal Realm who could catch up to Empyrean in the skies! As Izroth sped forward, out of nowhere, a dark purple aura exploded from Enigma''s location. "To think I would be pushed this far by some nameless guy¡ªjust what exactly is his background? No, that''s not important. Since we have already passed the point of no return, there is only one oue." Enigma internalized as he lifted his hand up to his mask and removed it from his face before dropping it to the ground. ''Hm? That''s...'' For the first time, Izroth met directly with Enigma''s gaze that had been hidden behind his mask. Enigma''s eyes were pitch-ck. It was as if one were staring into an endless abyss of total darkness. In addition, Izroth sensed strange energy pouring out from those eyes that differed from the dark purple energy Enigma had disyed thus far. "There are less than ten people who have seen these eyes. You should feel honored to be among them. Unfortunately for you¡ªthose people have all passed from this world by my hands." Enigma stated coldly. He then continued, "False Phenomenon: Rewrite of Fates!" An incredible wave of energy rushed towards Izroth at blinding speeds! False Phenomenon: Rewrite of Fates¡ªthis was Enigma''s true trump card. It allowed him to temporarily seal away one''s power and bind them to their own basic mortality. However, using it consumed a massive amount of divine power that would take him nearly an entire year to recover! Just as Enigma made his move, the surrounding earth trembled violently. Rmmmmble! BOOOOOOM! Out of nowhere, a huge explosion urred as multiple pirs of mes shot into the sky from the ground! These pirs of mes engulfed Enigma and managed to cover virtually every corner of the battlefield. "Where...?!" Enigma was trapped within the center of me pirs and struggling to break free from the onught of eruptions. However, he was stunned in ce and unable to move! "I have no other choice!" Enigma scowled as he used the remaining bit of divine power in his reserves to activate the effects of False Phenomenon, restoring his movement and opening a path within the towering pir of mes that epassed him. But, upon opening this path, Enigma was greeted by Izroth''s spear less than five centimeters away from his face! Phhhtk! Izroth''s spear pierced through Enigma''s head as an expression of disbelief emerged on his face. "...I-Impossible... His powers should have been... se..." Enigma was dumbfounded as his final thoughts drifted away and his life faded from the Mortal Realm. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Right Song of Siren, Enigma.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have eliminated a servant of the God of Disharmony.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Circle of the Six Gods has decreased by 500 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Order of A Thousand Blossoms has increased by 500 points!¡µ Chapter 745 - Smiling Demon

Chapter 745 - Smiling Demon

Without wasting any time, Izroth deactivated the Reign of Oblivion and essed his inventory. He removed a High-Grade Healing Potion and consumed it to restore a portion of his lost HP as he looked down at Enigma''s motionless body. "What an unfortunate soul. With the ability bestowed upon him, even someone in the early stages of the legendary realm would find it difficult to im his life. It''s just that having me as his opponent¡ªhow can it not be seen as a misfortune?" Izroth inwardly shook his head. Izroth was not merely openly boasting about his skills. In truth, Izroth could be seen as the bane of Enigma''s existence! Just by having achieved a basic understanding of the Law of Causality, Izroth had effectively rendered Enigma''s False Phenomenon useless upon realizing its true nature as a pale imitation. Even Enigma''s so-called trump card waspletely disregarded! But, it had nothing to do with Izroth controlling the Law of Causality. Izroth skimmed through the battle logs and promptly found what he was searching for. ''So, it also has this kind of ability¡ªhow resourceful.'' ¡´Battle Alert: An unknown force is attempting to seal your power!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?The Unbounded One? has activated!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of ?False Phenomenon: Rewrite of Fates? has been nullified!¡µ The moment Izroth saw the change in energy around Enigma, he activated the Eruption effect attached to his Scorched Inferno Fang spear. With Enigma under the influence of the Burn effect, the initial damage he received from Izroth''s Eruption was doubled. Normally, this should have been enough to kill Enigma two to three times over. However, Izroth was uncertain whether or not it would be enough topletely suppress Enigma, who had ess to divine power and a lower form of the Law of Causality. Therefore, Izroth decided not to take any chances. And, as it turned out, he was correct for doing so. Enigma survived the Eruption and even managed to break free from its crowd control. But, just as he was about to escape, Enigma was met with Izroth''s spear which was not only empowered by the Reign of Oblivion but also the essence he poured into it. If Enigma had kept his guard up, he may have been able to evade the blow or maybe even adjust his position to avoid a critical hit. But, Enigma had ced too much trust in the ability granted to him by the God of Disharmony. Because of this, Enigma did not fathom that Izroth would be able to ignore the sealing effects of his False Phenomenon: Rewrite of Fates. In his mind, it was inconceivable. This ultimately led to his demise. Izroth closed out his system interface and limited the range of his Energy Vision Sense in order to conserve his essence. Izroth''s gaze turned to the sky where Empyrean and the Head of Siren, Smiling Demon, were locked in battle; however, Izroth did not immediately rush over and decided to wait for his health to fully recover. As he waited, Izroth found himself pondering about The Unbounded One. ''Unbound by all under the firmament... It''s a broad skill description that covers numerous areas. I should find a way to test its limits.'' Since The Unbounded One evolved from the skill Breaker of Limits, Izroth figured that it would hold the same effects. Of course, he expected The Unbounded One to be a more amplified version of Breaker of Limits that would ultimately allow him to tread further along his path. However, he did not think that it would be capable of nullifying a skill that benefited directly from divine power! Several seconds quickly passed as Izroth received the set of system alerts he had been waiting for. ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Breath of the Great Sea? have been activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your HP and MP regeneration has increased by 200%!¡µ ''It finally kicked in.'' Izroth felt a refreshing wave of vitality fill his body as the skill took effect. Breath of the Great Sea was the skill Izroth acquired after clearing the Final Phase of the Great Sea Pce on the Hardcore difficulty. One of the passives it granted him made it so that when Izroth was out ofbat for more than thirty seconds, he would obtain a huge boost to his HP and MP regeneration. With the help of the potion he consumed beforehand and the regeneration boost from the Breath of the Great Sea, it was not long before Izroth made a full recovery. ''Azalea still has not checked in which means that it is likely she has been confronted by the Left Hand of Siren.'' Izroth returned the Scorched Inferno Fang to his inventory and unsheathed the Sword of the Storm. He then kicked off the ground and employed Sky Steps as he soared into the sky. ''If possible, I would like to avoid using the Relic of the First Tal here since it only has three charges. But, if ites to it, then I will not hesitate. I am still unsure of its abilities; however, seeing as how it is an SSS-rank magic item with a limited number of usages, it cannot be weak. I must admit, I am a little curious in regards to the phantom''s strength.'' If the phantom was even half as powerful as the Tal''Nis Izroth faced during the crusade, then someone like Smiling Demon who was still at the initial stage of the legendary realm would not stand a chance! ... A few moments ago in the skies above Siren''s main headquarters... Constant whispers and murmurs could be heard in the sky that gave off an eerie feeling and made one uneasy. These strange sounds came from behind Smiling Demon, or more precisely, from the bizarre figure lurking at his back. It was a shadowy figure approximately 1.5 meters in length. It possessed no limbs and its sole facial feature was its soulless dark blue eyes. If one looked closely into its eyes, they would see a myriad of spirits and specters crying as if their soul was trapped in a state of perpetual damnation. "Ignorant child, it''s still not toote. If you are willing to work under me and take me as your master, I am willing to overlook the fact that you have dared to raise a hand against my Siren organization." Smiling Demon dered. Smiling Demon had already exchanged a few blows with Empyrean and found that their defenses were abnormal. He was positive that Empyrean was not in the legendary realm, but his natural defenses alone made it hard to believe that was truly the case. In addition, the magic Empyrean used and exuded was something that could only be seen as a gift from the heavens. This led Smiling Demon to take a small step back and view this situation as an opportunity. "If I take this child as my disciple, forget a small Siren organization. In the future, I will be a high-ranking executive in the League of the Eidolon!" Smiling Demon internalized as a look of greed shed through his eyes. "Master...?" Empyrean uttered with an indifferent expression on his face. "That''s right! I am willing to take you under my wing and give you an abundance of resources. I guarantee that in less than two years, you will step into the legendary realm and-" "You... Are not worthy." Empyrean said without even waiting for Smiling Demon to finish speaking. For some reason, those were the first words that came to Empyrean''s mind and he spoke them without a second thought. The idea of serving under another person, especially one like Smiling Demon, made Empyrean feel ufortable to a point of almost being disturbed by the mere thought. This was a new emotion for him. Smiling Demon fell silent. Not worthy? He, who had stepped onto a path others could only dream of, was not worthy? "Audacious child! Do not mistake my kindness for weakness!" Smiling Demon''s voice exploded as the killing intent around him resurged! At the same time, the whispersing from the shadow figure behind Smiling Demon started to grow increasingly loud. "Prey upon the souls of the obliged, Murmur!" Smiling Demon roared. Swoosh! Suddenly, the shadowunched out from Smiling Demon''s back and shot into the air. Then, as the whispers grew louder, tens upon tens of spatial portals opened in the sky as the air filled with the battle cries of vicious beasts. RAAAAAWR!!!! SHRIEEEEK! In the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with more than one hundred demonic beasts in shadow forms that released ear-piercing howls. Without hesitation, the demonic beasts swarmed towards Empyrean''s position! Chapter 746 - The 54th Great Duke Of The Underworld, Murmur

Chapter 746 - The 54th Great Duke Of The Underworld, Murmur

The shadow demonic beasts took on various forms and the overall power between the creatures did not vary by much¡ªexcept for two in particr. Thest two shadowy figures that emerged as the spatial portals closed possessed a humanoid appearance. They resembled that of ancient warriors on a grand battlefield. The shadowy figure on the right wielded a dark blue long sword that physically manifested from its own body, while the one that emerged on the left held a mirror in its hands. The mirror did not release the slightest fluctuation of energy; however, one could tell with a nce that it was no ordinary object. The ancient shadow warriors were two meters tall and released a natural aura of intimidation. But, the most frightening aspect was that the power emitting from them was no weaker than someone who had stepped into the legendary realm! With the addition of Smiling Demon and the original shadow he called forth, it could be seen as having four legendary figures as one''s opponents! However, despite the clear disadvantages he faced with the legion of demonic shadow beasts and multiple powerful entities, Empyrean remained calm and did not waver. Empyrean raised his hand as an abundance of dense mana started to umte at his fingertips. Then, in the blink of an eye, the mana rapidly expanded into the surroundings, creating a pulse-like effect as it blew past the horde of demonic shadow beasts. When this pulse came into contact with the demonic shadow beasts, their movements ceased as if they were frozen in ce. At the same time, several of the demonic shadow beasts started to shrink as if their bodies were being forciblypressed. It was not long before some of the weaker demonic shadow beasts started to implode from the extreme pressure. This pressure was generated by Empyrean''s dense magic power and epassed the creatures in tens of oveppingyers of the wind element. Every passing moment, theyers would continue to grow in number and copse in on themselves until the opponent was rendered motionless. Ultimately, it led to anyone that was caught in the initial pulse being crushed by the immense magic power. This was the effect of Empyrean''s S-ranked skill, Atmospheric Pulse! As the pulse continued to expand and increase the range of its influence, it approached Smiling Demon. But, before the pulse could reach Smiling Demon, the ancient shadow warrior holding a mirror in its hands transformed into a blur. Woooosh! In a sh, the ancient shadow warrior appeared in front of Smiling Demon as a thin veil of energy formed on the surface of the mirror. When this veil of energy revealed itself, the pulse from Empyrean''s Atmospheric Pulse broke down into its fundamental form of mana before being sucked into the mirror. This prevented the pulse from reaching Smiling Demon; however, it was already toote for the demonic shadow beasts who had already fallen under Empyrean''s Atmospheric Pulse. In just one move, Empyrean was able to eliminate a little more than a third of the demonic shadow beasts. The creatures who were fortunate enough to survive until the ancient shadow warrior took action were left in a battered and deformed state. Suddenly, a myriad of whispers filled the skies. Then, the following moment, the injured and deformed demonic shadow beasts started to regenerate! The demonic shadow beasts regained their vigor along as their forms were restored. However, that was not all that happened. The physical appearance of the creatures turned into a deeper shade of darkness. And, the amount of energy each of them emitted seemed to have doubled¡ªas if they had been reinforced by something. SHRIEEEEK! The demonic shadow beasts proceeded to race towards Empyrean with their newfound strength! The first creature arrived within striking range of Empyrean. It possessed ded ws and jagged teeth as it went straight for Empyrean''s neck! "..." Empyrean''s gaze traveled above Smiling Demon as he held his hand forward and touched the head of the demonic shadow beast. Pop! The instant Empyrean touched the demonic shadow beast, it popped like a balloon as he flooded the creature with his mana. It was an incredibly crude method of mana usage; however, for someone like Empyrean who possessed an abnormal abundance of mana, it was just as effective as any A-rank attack spell. It was more than sufficient when it came to dealing with creatures like the demonic shadow beasts. A new wave of demonic shadow beasts swiftly approached Empyrean as he fended them off with a mixture of physical attacks and basic magic. But, Empyrean''s eyes never once left the entity they locked onto just moments ago. It was the first shadow creature to make its appearance by Smiling Demon''s side. And, Empyrean sensed that it posed the greatest threat on the battlefield! There existed a sinister presence around the entity that was difficult to disregard and gave one the feeling that the moment they dropped their guard, they would be devoured by it. Smiling Demon silently observed Empyrean from a distance. After thatstrge-scale magic attack, Smiling Demon was certain that he was facing a high-level magic caster. And, when he reached this conclusion, he could not help but smirk underneath his mask. "A magic caster? Kid, you do not know how poor your luck is to have me as your opponent. I have the great duke on my side and you wish to confront me with magic? How presumptuous!" Smiling Demon stated. He spoke with a contemptuous tone as he scoffed at Empyrean''s reckless actions. Smiling Demon''s words were not empty. The original shadow he called to his side was not an entity that just anyone could form a contract with. Even someone who had stepped into the legendary realm like Smiling Demon had to retreat them with a certain level of respect. Otherwise, the contract he so painstakingly achieved may be reconsidered. "I had to offer up 10,000 lives to form a blood contract with the great duke. But, most of those lives belonged to insignificant beings. Kid, with your abundance of mana and magic energy, how many lives do you think you are worth in the great duke''s eyes?" "I tried to give you a chance to survive, but since you have declined my offer, your life now belongs to the great duke. You should rejoice. With your talent, you will definitely earn a spot as one of the great duke''s ministers. It is the highest of honors to serve the Great Duke of the Underworld, Murmur!" The Underworld¡ªin RML, it was a ce only a select few yers knew actually existed. However, it was a location that remained inessible to yers. No one knew where the entrance to the Underworld was located or if it was an entirely separate realm. The onlymonly known fact was that the existences that originated from the Underworld were all creatures who wielded exceptional power. These creatures were the pirs of the Underworld and ruled with an iron fist. A group acknowledged by the naturalws of the world, the Royal Demons of the Lemegeton. And, ranked 54th of the Royal Demons was the Great Duke, Murmur. Serving under the Royal Demon of the Underworld were its two ministers. The humanoid shadow who wielded the mirror that absorbed Empyrean''s attack was known as The Great Denier, Aurelianus. And, the ancient shadow swordmaster who had yet to make its move went by The Great Embracer, Amplexus. Name: 54th Great Duke of the Underworld, Murmur(???) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Name: The Great Denier, Aurelianus(???) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Name: The Great Embracer, Amplexus(???) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Along with the shadow beasts, they controlled an army great enough to level an entire city with their might. Even some kingdoms outside the seven major powers would struggle to fend off such an overwhelming force. Empyrean remained silent as he fought off the seemingly neverending wave of demonic shadow beasts. Every time he used arge-scale AOE magic, it wiped out a good portion of the demon shadow beasts. However, without fail, the magic AOE skill would be cut short as the mana was broken down and absorbed into the mirror held by one of the ancient shadow warriors, Aurelianus. It did not take long for Empyrean to realize that defeating the neverending waves of demonic shadow beasts would get him nowhere as long as that mirror was present.. And so, he had no choice but to change his approach. Chapter 747 - A Terrifying Descent

Chapter 747 - A Terrifying Descent

Shrieeeek! Suddenly, a horde of demonic shadow beasts swallowed the sky as tens of new spatial doorways formed. It was as if nighttime had abruptly descended over Siren''s main headquarters. As the horde of creatures closed in on Empyrean from every direction, he employed Sky Culling, bursting through the encirclement. A wind stream flowed around Empyrean and forced the demonic shadow beasts that attempted to obstruct his path back. After breaking through the crowd of demonic shadow beasts, Empyrean headed straight for Aurelianus. Since the mirror in their hands was capable of interrupting his magic, Empyrean nned to destroy the object with physical means. But, Empyrean did not make it halfway to Aurelianus before the edge of a de appeared near his right shoulder just a hair''s width away. Empyrean did not bother reacting to such a direct physical attack. There was no strength behind the de aimed at him. And, with his body''s natural defenses, how could an attack thatcked any power reach him? In the end, Empyrean ignored the de as it struck his right shoulder. That''s when something unusual transpired. Empyrean noticed that his movements hade to a halt. At first, he did not understand what was going on. After all, right now, he should be moving towards the mirror-wielding shadow creature. Yet, for some reason, he stopped. Empyrean''s gaze traveled to his right shoulder. He observed that a part of his clothing had been torn and the skin on his right shoulder had been bruised. Although the de was unable to pierce through his tough defenses, it was Empyrean''s first time experiencing this level of damage. That single strike from the de shaved off close to 10% of his HP! The de itselfcked any power; however, there was a mysterious energy pulsing through it. Uponing into direct contact with Empyrean''s skin, the mysterious energy attacked to prate into his body; however, it could not travel any further than the firstyer of Empyrean''s skin. This was due to a mixture of his Quasi-Divine Body, Poison Immunity, and Innate Anti-Magic Body. If not for this powerfulbination of skills working with one another to suppress the mysterious energy, Empyrean would have received more than just a small bruise. If any other person had taken that blow just now head-on, it would have caused them to spiral into a miserable state. After seeing the wound on his shoulder, despite his shock from the new experience, Empyrean did not panic. Instead, the mana in the surrounding started to converge at his location. As this took ce, the owner of the de''s hand trembled slightly. The one responsible for the strike against Empyrean was the ancient shadow warrior, The Great Embracer, Amplexus. Just like Empyrean, Amplexus was also confused by the results of his attack. Most individuals who suffered a direct hit from his de would die within seconds. However, this person was still standing as if he werepletely unfazed by it. Even Smiling Demon, who was observing the conflict from a distance, was left bewildered. "How is this possible? This child actually withstood a direct blow from one of the Great Duke''s ministers? Could it be that he possesses a legendary physique skill?" There was a myriad of skills in RML that could improve one''s base power; however, they were usually only temporary. As for the skills that could permanently increase one''s overall base power, they were few and far between. This is why the pills produced by Apothecaries that could permanently enhance one''s base power were always in such high demand. The main reason behind Smiling Demon''s shock came from the fact that Empyrean was supposed to be a magic caster with some minor physical attributes. After all, it was not umon for some magic casters to train themselves physically as to have anotheryer of protection in their arsenal. However, this was the first time Smiling Demon confronted a magic caster with such monstrous mana and magic power who also had a physique power enough to receive a head-on strike from one of the Great Duke''s ministers! "If I knew this child had this kind of talent, I would have handled this matter myself. Now that the Great Duke has their eyes set on him, I can only swallow my losses. It is a shame such a talent will fall into the hands of the Underworld." Smiling Demon internalized as he could not help but inwardly sigh in regret. While it was unfortunate that he would not be able to take Empyrean as his personal disciple, it was not aplete loss on his part. "After he bes a part of the Great Duke''s shadow army, his talent may not belong to me directly, but it will still be within my grasp." Smiling Demon redirected his gaze towards the remaining half of the Siren headquarters main building. "That girl, Paradox, what is taking her so long? She should have already handled the intruder- Hm?" Smiling Demon''s swiftly redirected his gaze to the entrance of Siren''s headquarters. The killing intent around him surged as a dark purple aura erupted from his body. Just now, Smiling Demon felt the mes of life he ced inside of Enigma fade. The mes of life created a connection between the caster and target to keep track of their life force. There were only two exnations as to why the mes of life would be suddenly extinguished. The first was that the caster removed the connection themselves. As for the second¡ªit meant that the person to who the me of life belonged had perished! "How is this possible? The connection to Enigma''s me of life has disappeared! With the blessing of the God of Disharmony, even if it was someone in the legendary realm, taking his life would not necessarily be a simple task." Smiling Demon internalized. He found it difficult to ept; however, the mes of life were virtually impossible to manipte. Without a doubt, Enigma had departed from this world. And, to Smiling Demon, this was a huge loss! Enigma was personally chosen and trained by Smiling Demon. If all went well, Enigma would have eventually inherited the role of Siren''s Head Master. "Hmph, even if I take no action against that person, the Circle of the Six Gods will not let him go after killing one of their followers. However, since that person dared to kill someone I have taken under my wing, they will have no ce left to live under the firmament!" Suddenly, more than thirty demonic shadow beasts halted their actions and moved away from the horde. The creatures started their descent from the sky above Siren''s main headquarters and made their way towards the entrance. Smiling Demon was uncertain how that person defeated Enigma. After all, if that person was in the legendary realm, it would have been impossible for them to hide their aura after releasing a part of their strength. That is unless they were in thete or peak stages of the legendary realm. But, Smiling Demon knew that this was unlikely. If it truly were someone who reached that stage, it would not have taken them so long to extinguish Enigma''s mes of life. Whatever the case, Smiling Demon decided that it was best to send the demonic shadow beasts to confirm that person''s strength. Smiling Demon turned his attention back to Amplexus and Empyrean as the two exchanged a series of blows that generated powerful aftershocks. It was to the point that the weaker demonic shadow beasts were unable to get close to the two! ...Bzzzzt! BOOOOM! Out of nowhere, a group of gray clouds appeared in the sky, swirling into a vortex. The next moment, a loud thunderp sounded as ck lightning descended right through the great array of demonic shadow beasts. All the creatures that came into contact with this lightning immediately perished under its might. Seeing this fierce energy, the Great Duke''s minister, Aurelianus, was ready to draw the ck lightning into its mirror. However, it stopped abruptly at the final moment. Aurelianus turned its head to face the Great Duke, Murmur, whose eyes glowed as if they weremunicating with it¡ªit was a warning from the Great Duke. If Aurelianus had attempted to absorb that ck lightning with its mirror just now, the consequences would have been irreversible! The appearance of the ck lightning-caused Smiling Demon to instinctively shiver as he felt cold sweats run down his back. He sensed that one strike from this lightning was enough to destroy everything in its path! But, where did this frightening lightninge from? Chapter 748 - Heavenly Lightning of Extinction

Chapter 748: Heavenly Lightning of Extinction

The demonic shadow beasts Smiling Demon ordered to descend werepletely wiped out within a matter of seconds. Then, not even half a breath had passed before he detected a figure emerging from the cloud of smoke and darkness formed by the destruction of the demonic shadow beasts. ¡°Is this the owner of that ominous ck lightning?¡± Smiling Demon internalized as he set his sights on the person ascending to the skies. This individual was none other than Izroth! Izroth had a carefree expression on his face as his gaze met with Smiling Demon¡¯s. Although he maintained hisposure, even Izroth was caught off guard by the arrival and raw destructive power of the ck lightning. ¡®The system has given me quite the surprise this time.¡¯ Izroth looked down at the Sword of the Storm in his hand. Its azure de had turned pitch ck and emitted a terrifying power. ¡®So this is the effect of a Primed Break on an SS-ranked skill. To think it would evolve to this point¡ªthe effect is even better than I envisioned.¡¯ ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Primed Break? has been activated!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: A powerful hidden effect for the skill ?Call of the Thunder God? has been activated!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have unlocked the effect ?Primed Ability: Heavenly Lightning of Extinction?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your trait level for ?Primed One: The First? has increased.¡µ Trait Name: Primed One: The First Trait Level: 1 -> 2 Trait Effect: The user has a [0.01%] -> [0.03%] chance to activate the effect ?Primed Break? for all non-Primed skills. ?Primed Break? ¨C Has a certain chance of activating a powerful hidden effect rted to the skill. Special Note: This trait is only granted to the first yer that acquires a ?Primed? skill. ¡®The trait level actually increased after one activation? No, I suppose it makes sense given its low probability.¡¯ After he received the trait Primed One: The First, despite knowing the potential of Primed skills, Izroth did not pay much attention to it. It had nothing to do with Izroth being uninterested in obtaining new Primed skills. It was just that he quickly found that acquiring them required not only a deep understanding but a good amount of luck as well. And, while the trait gave him an opportunity to obtain one naturally over time, initially, there was only a meager 0.01% to activate its effect. Even with six points of luck, Izroth knew that the possibility was still distant¡ªat least, this was his original thought on the matter. Izroth thought back to the message the system gave him after obtaining Tal¡¯Nis¡¯ blessing. It mentioned that he was the first yer with a luck stat that exceeded five and that he should expect a fortuitous encounter. Izroth concluded that this was not the fortuitous encounter the system spoke of back then; however, the two were not entirely disconnected from one another. It seemed to be quite a big deal for one¡¯s luck to exceed five. If not, would the system even bother mentioning it? ¡®If I am correct after one¡¯s luck stat surpasses five a new door that leads down a path of fortune may open. As to where this path travels, it can only be to a ce of endless opportunities.¡¯ Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God Skill Level: 3/5 Skill Rank: SS -> Unique SS Requirements: None ?First State: Heavenly Descent?: ¡­ *New -> ?Primed Ability: Heavenly Lightning of Extinction? Mana Cost: 5,000 The user calls down a single bolt of extinction lightning, dealing 2,500% of the user¡¯s attack power as pure damage to all enemies struck upon its descent before fusing with the user¡¯s weapon. While this skill is active, all weapon-based attacks are converted to pure damage. All damage dealt with the user¡¯s weapon affected by this skill is increased by 100%. When a target is sessfully struck and damaged by the user¡¯s strike, the same attack jumps to a nearby enemy within 30 meters in the form of extinction lightning and strikes them as well. There is no limit to the number of times this skill can jump to another enemy. This skillsts for 5 minutes. Cooldown: 336 hours ¡­ Without halting his momentum skyward, Izroth quickly examined the changes to his Call of the Thunder God. Upon doing so, he made a shocking discovery. ¡®This is¡­ Can it be that once a Primed Ability is activated, it is permanently unlocked?¡¯ If the effects were temporary, the system would have stated as much. However, Izroth received no such system alert. This meant that the upgrade to his Call of the Thunder God skill was permanent! ¡®Since it¡¯s like this, it is not surprising that the chances are so poor for a Primed Break to ur. Though it is regrettable that with the present state of my mana, I am still unable to use it freely.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s current mana had yet to pass 2,000 points. At the moment, even if his mana was tripled, it would still be insufficient to reach the 5,000 mana threshold required to execute the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction. As for how he was capable of using it this time, Izroth believed that it had to do with him already paying the mana cost to execute the First State: Heavenly Descent. Taking that into ount, the system should have found a way to make up for the difference without damaging his mana pool in the process. ¡®Although the mana cost and cooldown are somewhat inconvenient, the effects and skill duration cannot be taken lightly. If I want to use it in the future, it seems I have no choice but to release more of the chakram seals for the Seal of Ten Chakrams.¡¯ The Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, gifted Izroth the Seal of Ten Chakrams to assist the development of his mana pool and overall understanding of magic. And, up to this point, he had only managed to release two of the ten seals. Izroth estimated that if he wanted to use the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction of his own will, he would need to unlock at least another two seals. Without warning, a wave of sharp killing intent washed over Izroth that caused his gaze to turn cold. ¡®So this is the person bold enough toy a hand on those under my protection?¡¯ The killing intent directed at Izroth belonged to Smiling Demon, who wanted nothing more than to tear him apart for extinguishing Enigma¡¯s mes of life. However, Smiling Demon was not the only one who wanted the other party to pay their debt. Izroth released his Soul Pressure and immediately dispelled Smiling Demon¡¯s killing intent while simultaneously returning the ¡°favor¡± to Smiling Demon. Smiling Demon may not have personally made a move, but, in the end, the owner was responsible for the behavior of their dogs. And, since Smiling Demon was the Head Master of the Siren organization who was responsible for executing multiple kill contracts on those under Izroth¡¯s protection, he would settle the debt with him! ¡°?!¡± Out of nowhere, Smiling Demon was struck by cold air. At the same time, he noticed that his killing intent had been forcibly dispersed! ¡°It¡¯s just a young brat, yet he is able to scatter my killing intent and counter with his own? I was curious as to how Enigma could have suffered at the hands of someone barely old enough to walk upright. This brat is not simple. Is it rted to that ck lightning and the artifact in his hand? Regardless, since he has willing delivered his life into my hands, I shall ept it without dy!¡± Smiling Demon internalized. Smiling Demon¡¯s voice echoes throughout the skies as he bellowed, ¡°Hear me, intruders of Siren! Today, none of you should think about leaving this ce with your lives!¡± ¡°Leave? You are mistaken. The price of harming those under my protection is not something you can afford to escape from.¡± Izroth¡¯s voice sounded. Izroth pointed his Sword of the Storm empowered by the Heavenly Extinction Lightning towards the skies as a gentle breeze spread throughout the atmosphere. Hints of ck lightning could be seen flowing within Izroth eyes while the clouds above darkened and formed a swirling vortex. Crrrrrckle! The breeze rapidly picked up as bolts of ck lightning jumped around inside the clouds. ¡°This ce is where you and your Siren organization will spend the rest of eternity.¡± Izroth stated coldly. Chapter 749 - That Which This Lord Cannot Have Must Be Destroyed!

Chapter 749: That Which This Lord Cannot Have Must Be Destroyed!

¡°With just you and those other children? Kid, your words are too overbearing. It has been ages since I have met with a youth as arrogant as you.¡± Smiling Demon scoffed. He then continued, ¡°There are those born at the bottom of a well and fail to realize the vastness of the sky. Do not think that defeating Enigma with that magic item at your disposal makes you infallible.¡± In Smiling Demon¡¯s eyes, Izroth was someone who depended solely on the magic item in his possession to overwhelm his opponents with the ck lightning it generated. However, even with the magic item, Smiling Demon did not put Izroth in his sights. After all, he was not the only person in this world to own a high-tier magic item! Shortly after Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm pointed to the sky, the once gentle breeze transformed into a mighty gale. Following the emergence of this gale, a countless number of wind des poured down from above like a vicious torrent. These wind des were generated by the weapon skill attached to Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm, Great Storm. But, the wind des this time around were a little different from the usual ones that appeared. Hidden within them were faint traces of the extinction lightning. Izroth carefully controlled the flow of energy when utilizing the Great Storm. After all, if he did not control it, there was a good possibility that the wind element would fuse with the extinction lightning and morph into a great disaster. While this would result in a terrifying attack, it was virtually impossible for Izroth to properly restrain it with his current level of mana. Attempting to do so would only cripple his mana pool, or even worse,pletely destroy it. Once that happened, he would no longer be able to use skills that required mana. Swoosh! Phhhtk! Shrieeeeek! As the wind des embedded with the strength of Izroth¡¯s extinction lightning rained down from the darkened clouds, the group of demonic shadow beasts was immediately thrown into a state of utter chaos. The moment one of the creatures was struck by the terrifying wind de, a ck bolt of lightning would jump from their body to a nearby demonic shadow beast. This created a massive loop of constant damage that continuously bounced between the creatures. Even if a demonic shadow beast managed to survive the initial strike and started to regenerate, they would be struck down by a ck bolt from an ally. In less than a single breath, the army of hundreds of demonic shadow beasts had been reduced to a few stray creatures! The few who were able to survive had broken away from the main group and traveled as far away from their closest ally as possible. Of course, the demonic shadow beasts did not act of their own will, but rather the Great Duke Murmur controlling them instructed the creatures to scatter in every direction. The effect of Izroth¡¯s Great Storm empowered by the extinction lightning continued to rain down destruction upon the battlefield; however, it did not reach Smiling Demon as well as the Great Duke and its ministers, who fell back to a safe distance ahead of time. ¡®Since I enteredbat, there is not much time remaining on my Sky Steps. I have to find a way to bring this battle to the ground, or-¡® Just as this thought entered Izroth¡¯s mind, a thin silver thread appeared before him. This thread seemed to originate from above, but one could not tell where it originated from with their eyes alone. The thread contained traces of magic that were familiar to Izroth. He had seen it once before and immediately recognized its owner. Without a doubt, it belonged to Empyrean! The thread gently brushed against Izroth¡¯s shoulder before shifting to his back. ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by ?Heaven Connecting Tether?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your movement speed has increased by 30%.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your mana regeneration has increased by 100%.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Tethered?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained the temporary skill ?Connecting Jump?.¡µ Skill Name: Tethered Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Affected by ?Heaven Connecting Tether? Passive: The user can move freely in any direction within 60 meters of the ?Heaven Connecting Tether? they are connected to. The user may only be connected to one ?Heaven Connecting Tether? at a time. Skill Name: Connecting Jump Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Affected by ?Heaven Connecting Tether? Active: The user can instantly move to any ?Heaven Connecting Tether? within their line of sight. Doing this immediately changes the user¡¯s ?Heaven Connecting Tether? to the one at their destination. Cannot move to a ?Heaven Connecting Tether? that is already in use. The cooldown for this skill increases by 3 seconds with every use and does not reset until this skill is canceled by the original caster [Empyrean]. Cooldown: 3 seconds Izroth felt his body be lighter as he was affected by the Heaven Connecting Tether. Due to the Mind Link and Soul Link that existed between Izroth and Empyrean, the two could ¡°sense¡± one another¡¯s troubles. The further they were apart, the weaker this connection would be. However, the opposite was true when they were near each other. Their link became many times stronger. This was even more so when Izroth and Empyrean were in battle. ¡®Interesting¡­ Does he possess a support-type domain?¡¯ After hisst encounter with Empyrean¡¯s domain, Izroth figured it was merely an advanced means of transportation that allowed Empyrean or allies to travel quickly from one location to another. But now, Izroth was curious what other powers were hidden away within Empyrean¡¯s domain. So far, Empyrean had only used his domain in a supporting capacity; therefore, Izroth was uncertain whether or not it was capable of dealing direct damage. However, even if it was restricted to a supporting role, it had already demonstrated its usefulness. ¡®Whatever the case, it is to our advantage. With this, I no longer have to worry about my Sky Steps running out or finding a way to bring the battle to the ground. Still, in the future, I should learn a flight-type skill when I have the time. After all, depending solely on my Sky Steps or Empyrean being present is impracticable.¡¯ All of a sudden, just after Izroth connected with the Heaven Connecting Tether, Murmur¡¯s eyes lit up red as its gaze fell upon him. Then, out of nowhere, a loud ringing sound reverberated within Izroth¡¯s head. If not for his Heavenly Golden Body, the noise alone would have been enough to paralyze him. That¡¯s when something unexpected urred. The ringing inside Izroth¡¯s head began to fade and quickly morphed into a voice. (You are a peculiar existence, human. I have taken an interest in you. Therefore, I am willing to give you two choices¡ªserve me or die.) The voice that spoke sounded extremely domineering. It was as if they were an existence that was used to reigning above all those around them. However, from the nature of the voice, one was unable to tell whether it belonged to a man or woman. ¡®This voice¡­ Is iting from that thing?¡¯ Izroth narrowed his eyes as he lowered his Sword of the Storm and looked over in Murmur¡¯s direction. ¡°Serve you? There is no one below or above the firmament who is worthy of my service. As for the second option, I will have to disappoint you¡ªsince I have no intention of dying here today.¡± Izroth proimed without hesitation. (Insolent! It is the highest honor to serve the Lemegeton! But, very well then. But, you should know something, human. That which this lord cannot have must be destroyed!) The voice cut off as the Great Duke Murmur severed the connection. At the same time, the aura epassing Smiling Demon underwent a drastic change as his power surged at least twofold! ¡°Ahahaha! Kid, I do not know what you did to offend the Great Duke, but allow me to thank you by granting you a quick death!¡± Smiling Demon roared as the dark purple aura around him turned a deep blood red. Smiling Demon shot forward at terrifying speeds and instantly shrunk the distance between himself and Izroth! ¡®He¡¯s fast.¡¯ Even with his heightened senses, Energy Vision Sense, and Soul Sense, Izroth could barely keep track of Smiling Demon¡¯s movements. Chapter 750 - Strength of the Ancient Colossus

Chapter 750: Strength of the Ancient Colossus

To begin with, the gap between Izroth and Smiling Demon was not small given that thetter was someone in the initial stage of the legendary realm. And, it seemed this gap had only widened due to the benefits Smiling Demon received from the Great Duke, Murmur. However, Izroth was not speaking empty words earlier when he responded to the Great Duke. In the end, he had no intention of dying in this ce! Smiling Demonshed out with his palm wrapped in the blood-colored aura. There was an incredible amount of sinister energy contained within this palm that made one want to instinctively retreat before its path. Zeeeut! Izroth used Instantaneous Movement and vanished just as Smiling Demon¡¯s attack closed in. However, when Izroth reappeared several meters away, Smiling Demon had already caught up to him! ¡°Trying to escape?! There¡¯s no use!¡± Smiling Demon roared as he pressed onward with his attack. But, this time, Izroth did not immediately retreat. Instead, he slightly adjusted his body as a thin veil of essence formed around his Sword of the Storm. At the same time, Izroth swiftly pulled his de in front of him as Smiling Demon¡¯s palm arrived. When Smiling Demon witnessed Izroth¡¯s actions, his killing intent grew as he inwardly scoffed. ¡°This ignorant child actually wants to defend against my Killing Blood Palm?¡± Smiling Demon internalized. ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Smiling Demon howled as continuous waves of ovepping destructive force descended upon Izroth. BANG! Smiling Demon¡¯s palm crashed into Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm, causing the de itself to tremble under the strike¡¯s intensity. ¡®It¡¯s heavier than I anticipated.¡¯ Currently, Izroth was being pushed back by the weight of Smiling Demon¡¯s strike. His muscles tensed up as he struggled to hold on under the immense pressure. But, just as it appeared that Smiling Demon was going to overpower him, Izroth was filled with a new wave of strength. Veins could be seen bulging from the flesh on Izroth¡¯s hands and around his neck as Smiling Demon¡¯s momentum began to diminish. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated ?Ring of the Ancient Colossus?¡¯s effect ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus!? ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of Might have been temporarily amplified by 100% for the next 1 minute.?¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You are now immune to all rank C or lower offensive magic.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You are now immune to all physical attacks that would deal less than 10% of your maximum HP.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All non-weapon based physical attacks deal 200% of your attack power as bonus physical damage.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All weapon-based attacks deal 40% bonus physical damage.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your physical strength has increased by 600%.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You will now recover 100% faster from all negative status effects and physical irregrities.¡µ After activating Strength of the Ancient Colossus, Izroth¡¯s physical strength soared to new heights. While physical strength itself did not increase one¡¯s attack power, it enhanced one¡¯s overallbat capabilities. Attacks that were previously difficult to resist were no longer an issue. And, it became easier to overwhelm an opponent with physical strength alone as the chances of producing status effects like knockbacks and stuns multiplied severalfold! In Izroth¡¯s case against Smiling Demon, it enabled him to even the ying field and shrink the basic physical gap that existed between his current level and that of someone in the legendary realm. But, in terms of strength, even with the effects of his Might doubled, Smiling Demon still held a slight advantage as a legendary being. Nevertheless, Smiling Demon could no longer rely solely on raw physical strength to overpower Izroth. What Izroth did not understand was how Smiling Demon, someone who was clearly only at the initial stage of the legendary realm, could sustain a Royal Demon of the Underworld and its two ministers. Izroth was unable to see the depths of the Great Duke Murmur¡¯s powers; however, he ced the Great Duke¡¯s two ministers a step or two above Enigma. And, since both creatures served Murmur, Izroth believed that the Royal Demon¡¯s power was by no means weak inparison. ¡®To wield this power¡­ Without a doubt, he must be paying some kind of price in return. The Royal Demons may be powerful, but they are not divine beings; therefore, divine power is out of the question. Then, is it his lifeforce or mana? Either way, I doubt it is something he can sustain indefinitely. Still, I do not have the luxury of stalling to find out. I have to find a way to end this in one go. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to use the Relic of the First Tal.¡¯ The Relic of the First Tal was an SSS-ranked item that Izroth received after he defeated the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal¡¯Nis, and cleared her crusade. The magic item could summon a phantom of Tal¡¯Nis who was capable of assisting Izroth in battle; however, not only did the item have a long cooldown period, but it also had a limited amount of uses. That¡¯s why Izroth decided to leave it as ast resort. After all, Tal¡¯Nis was someone who had already ascended to the Divine Realm. If so, her phantom likely had the capability of suppressing figures at the peak of the legendary realm! How could Izroth be willing to use it against a mere head of the Siren organization? ¡°Hm?¡± Smiling Demon inwardly frowned as the blood aura around his hands grew increasingly unstable and erratic. When the blood aura from Smiling Demon¡¯s Killing Blood Palm came into contact with Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm, its destructive power began to subside. It did not take long for Smiling Demon to sense that something was off. For some reason, the power behind his Killing Blood Palm was fading. No, to be more precise, it was as though the blood aura was being drawn away and coerced by an unknown force. Smiling Demon attempted to halt his attack midway after he felt it slipping out of his control; however, he was a step toote. The blood aura vanished from his palm. Then, not even a fraction of a breath went by as a deep blood aura erupted from Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm. Smiling Demon was pushed back by the abrupt emergence. And, although his mask hid his facial expression, his shock was clear. That¡¯s because the attack aimed at Smiling Demon was of his own creation! ¡°This aura matches that of my Killing Blood Palm¡­! How did this brat manage to manifest it?!¡± Smiling Demon growled under his voice. Izroth utilized his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave¡¯s Sword Return infused with his essence to send Smiling Demon¡¯s attack right back at the Siren Head Master. Under normal circumstances, Izroth would not have been capable of driving back Smiling Demon¡¯s strike with his Sword Return; however, the amplification of his Might stat and raw physical strength made it possible! As for Smiling Demon, since he was familiar with the skill, he thought that he would be able to neutralize a portion of the blood aura redirected at him. However, there was a foreign energy source that ¡°tainted¡± the blood aura and allowed it to effortlessly prate through his defenses. Smiling Demon regained his footing and looked down at his hand. There was a bruise at the center of his palm from the bacsh of his attack. Not only was Smiling Demon¡¯s strike not sessful, but he even had his own attack turned against him! How could he silently suffer this humiliation? ¡°How dare you!¡± Smiling Demon¡¯s anger exploded as the killing intent around him became suffocating. If the average yer were to directly face this killing intent, they would have not had the courage to lift a single finger. But, as someone who experienced countless battles of life and death, Izroth was unmoved by the killing intent and maintained a calm mind. And, what happened next, almost caused Smiling Demon to cough up blood in sheer rage. Instead of retreating or trying to escape as he predicted, Izroth raced towards Smiling Demon without hesitation! ¡°He wants to attack me head-on? Good¡­ Very, good¡­! This kid is not putting me in his sights!¡± Smiling Demon internalized as he clenched his fists, causing the surrounding air to scatter in all directions. Then, out of nowhere, Smiling Demon felt his movements grow sluggish. Simultaneously, Izroth appeared to have sped up. The wind seemed to dance beneath his feet as his figure flickered in and out of existence. Chapter 751 - Vicious Combination, A Debt of Arrogance Paid

Chapter 751: Vicious Combination, A Debt of Arrogance Paid

After using Concealed Heavy Wounds from the Five Way Imprint Inscription on his Sword of the Storm, Izroth managed to slow Smiling Demon down. The active effect of Concealed Heavy Wounds made it so that those affected would have their total body mass increased by 200% for five seconds. However, the most useful thing about this effect was that it did not count as crowd control. This meant that even with the level difference between Izroth and Smiling Demon, the Siren Head Master could not merely shake it off. Once Smiling Demon¡¯s speed was reduced and his bnce thrown off from the sudden change in his mass, Izroth wasted no time activating his Light Feather Footwork and Flickering Steps in sync. In addition to the speed buff he received from Empyrean¡¯s Heaven Connecting Tether, Izroth soared through the sky at terrifying speeds. In the blink of an eye, Izroth arrived before Smiling Demon and swung his sword downward with a speed that could not be followed with one¡¯s eyes alone. The strangest aspect about this sword strike was that it had no start-up motion and just seemingly appeared out of thin air. However, it was just that the sword strike was so blindingly fast that the beginning motion could not be perceived. This was the result of Izroth¡¯s sh Counter, a skill that enabled him to temporarily ignore attack speed restrictions after he sessfully parried an attack. And, since Izroth just recently parried Smiling Demon¡¯s Killing Blood Palm, he seemed determined to take full advantage of the situation at hand. Swoosh! ¡°?!¡± Even though Smiling Demon was under the effects of Izroth¡¯s Concealed Heavy Wounds, as someone with an ample amount of experience, it did not take long for him to recover. But, not even half a breath after he regained his bnce, Izroth¡¯s de was alreadying down right at his head! Smiling Demon was confident that he could take this strike head-on without suffering a major injury; however, he was cautious of the ck lightning contained within Izroth¡¯s sword. Therefore, in the end, he chose to take a different and safer approach. Boom! A mixture of dark purple and red aura exploded from Smiling Demon¡¯s body and formed a thin veil of energy. Although the veil of energy was thin to the point that it looked as though the wind alone was enough to blow it away, in reality, it was a sturdy protective barrier that had no issue defending against an attack from someone at the initial stage of the legendary realm. Of course, this was not the most dangerous thing about this barrier. Those that attacked it would suffer a harsh bacsh due to the chaotic mixture of energies that formed the barrier. The more powerful the attack, the more severe the bacsh one would undergo. Knowing that Izroth willingly charged at him head-on, Smiling Demon could not help but smirk under his demonic mask. Not too long ago, Izroth had turned Smiling Demon¡¯s own attack against him. Now, Smiling Demon wanted to do the same! ¡°Hmph, I will pay back my humiliation tenfold. Brat, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless when I gave you a chance to submit!¡± Smiling Demon internalized. Just as the veil of energy made its appearance and Izroth¡¯s sword was about to strike against it, something unexpected urred. Izroth, along with his Sword of the Storm, stopped a couple of centimeters before hitting the barrier. At the same time, a hair-thin silver thread could be seen floating freely in the wind behind Smiling Demon¡¯s back. Then, right in front of Smiling Demon¡¯s eyes, Izroth vanished from view without a sound. Swoosh! Without hesitation, Smiling Demon rapidly spun his body. At the same time, he instantly absorbed the power from the barrier he created into his hand andshed out without mercy at his back! BOOOOOM! The barrier disappeared as arge explosion urred where the silver thread was located. ¡°Ahahaha! Ignorant brat! It¡¯s a hundred years too soon for you tounch a sneak attack on me!¡± Smiling Demon stated with a hint of disdain in his voice. How long had he been performing high-level assassinations? Smiling Demon had sharp senses that had been forged through countless battles. While he did not know the exact powers of that silver thread, Smiling Demon could tell when he was being set up for an ambush. After all, he had performed simr tactics many times himself. Still, Smiling Demon was somewhat disappointed that Izroth did not suffer the same humiliation as him and was sent flying back by his own attack. ¡°It¡¯s a little disappointing that he got off so easy, but what¡¯s done is don-¡° Phhhtk! All of a sudden, a sharp de pierced through the left side of Smiling Demon¡¯s chest out from his back. ¡°?!¡± Smiling Demon¡¯s body shook from shock as he nced down and saw the de protruding from his chest. However, Smiling Demon did not have to time react as he was surrounded by a cage created by the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction. This cage was formed by another one of the weapon skills attached to Izroth¡¯s Sword of the Storm, Lightning Cage. Under normal circumstances, the cage would paralyze enemies inside for five seconds, but Izroth knew that it was highly unlikely it could contain Smiling Demon for that long. Fortunately, he had no ns to wait that long! In one smooth motion, Izroth¡¯s pulled his Sword of the Storm out from Smiling Demon¡¯s body as a burst of energy erupted from the wound. The next moment, an overbearing aura of destruction converged at the edge of Izroth¡¯s de as he shed down mercilessly, leaving a deep wound across Smiling Demon¡¯s back. ¡®First Baneful Sword: Destruction.¡¯ Bzzzzt! Crrrrck! Smiling Demon¡¯s mask cracked as his body slightly twitched. It had not been half a second, yet he was already forcibly breaking through the Lightning Cage! ¡®As expected from someone in the legendary realm. Keeping them subdued with crowd control is too unreliable. However, it¡¯s already toote.¡¯ A heavy killing intent spilled out from Izroth¡¯s sword. It gave one the feeling of impending dread as it swept across the battlefield. When the sharp killing intent emerged, Smiling Demon¡¯s mask cracked, revealing the face of a middle-aged man in a state of disbelief. ¡°That sword intent and ck lightning are too overbearing..! I have to call the tapestry!¡± Smiling Demon internalized. Ooooooom! A golden light appeared above Smiling Demon¡¯s head as a beautiful hymn rung throughout the skies. Those who heard this song were often ced into a state simr to intoxication and lowered their guard. But, this was not the main purpose this song served. In fact, it was the key to summoning the trump card of the Siren organization, the SSS-ranked magic item, the Call of the Siren Tapestry! ¡°Die!¡± Smiling Demon roared as the golden light faded. When the golden light faded, an eerie silence filled the air. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Where is the tapestry?!¡± Smiling Demon thought to himself as he grew anxious. ¡°Were you expecting something?¡± Izroth¡¯s voice sounded. ¡®Azalea must have been sessful in obtaining the tapestry. Without it, hisst lifeline has been cut.¡¯ ¡°What did you do?!¡± Smiling Demon asked coldly. ¡°You were right,¡± Izroth said, ignoring Smiling Demon¡¯s inquiry. ¡°It is a bit disappointing. I expected more from someone in the legendary realm. But, it seems that you only amount to this much. How utterly¡­ Disappointing.¡± Izroth¡¯s said indifferently. ¡°Wait-!¡± Before Smiling Demon could finish speaking, a single wave of powerful sword energy filled with killing intent traveled right through his body without obstruction. ¡°Second Baneful Sword: Kill.¡± Indeed, Smiling Demon had stepped into the legendary realm and his overall power could not be ignored; however, Smiling Demon was too arrogant. Smiling Demon¡¯s strength may have exceeded Izroth¡¯s, but he could tell with a nce¡ªSmiling Demon was no closebat expert. The Siren Head Master¡¯s movements were awkward and the depth of his skills left much to be desired. Not to mention, Smiling Demon was an assassin. This meant that he specialized in stalking his enemies and waiting for the perfect moment to strike from the shadows. But, he disregarded this method of approach and openly revealed himself when Empyrean firstunched an attack on Siren¡¯s main headquarters. Izroth believed that since he and those he brought along had not yet stepped into the legendary realm, Smiling Demon becamefortable and disyed his arrogance. With this, he lost his biggest advantage as an assassin, which was the element of surprise. Additionally, Smiling Demon had the support of a Great Duke of the Underworld and its ministers. Also, while he was impressed with Empyrean and Izroth¡¯s talent, as a legendary being, he still looked down on them. All of this together caused Smiling Demon to hold absolute confidence in his control over the situation that was unfolding. But, he could have never predicted that things would turn out this way! Enigma had been removed from the picture and there were no signs of Paradox. But, what truly surprised Smiling Demon was the fact that Empyrean was holding his own against the Great Duke¡¯s ministers. This prevented the Great Embracer and Great Denier from interfering in their battle. After these events, Smiling Demon was convinced that there would be no more surprises; however, that could not have been further from the truth. And, in the end, Smiling Demon paid for his arrogance with his death. ?Critical Hit? -85,306 -22,500 -26,248 -164,050 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Head Master of Siren, Smiling Demon!¡µ Chapter 752 - A Shared Fate

Chapter 752: A Shared Fate

¡´System Alert: You have eliminated the Head Master of the Siren organization, a division under the jurisdiction of the League of the Eidolon.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the League of the Eidolon has decreased by 1,000 points.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Order of A Thousand Blossoms has increased by 1,000 points.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have obtained x1 ?Song of the Siren?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +800 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 800! [Total: 5,786.57]¡µ Izroth received a barrage of alerts from the system; however, he paid no mind to it as he set his sights on Empyrean. At the moment, Empyrean was locked in the middle of an intense battle with the Great Duke Murmur¡¯s minister, Amplexus. But, just as Izroth was ready to move off to assist Amplexus, the person in question retreated as his shadowy figure became unstable. Amplexus was not the only one to experience this bizarre phenomenon. The Great Duke, Murmur, the demonic shadow beasts, and his second minister Aurelianus¡¯ figures also started to lose their stability as their actions came to a halt. Murmur¡¯s vicious eyes peered towards Izroth as the Great Duke¡¯s voice abruptly sounded within his mind. (Insolent human! Do you have any idea what you have done?! Daring to kill a servant of this noble¡ªdid I give you permission?! If this noble were there in person, you would have to die a thousand times over for your arrogance!) Murmur¡¯s voice was filled with a mixture of rage and haughtiness. Of course, the Great Duke was not upset at the fact that Smiling Demon had fallen under Izroth¡¯s hands. Rather, in Murmur¡¯s eyes, Smiling Demon was its property. And, the fact that Izroth killed Smiling Demon without its permission was a great offense. As a Great Duke and Royal Demon of the Lemegeton, there were few individuals in the world willing to offend Murmur. After all, offending a Royal Demon was the same as not giving any face to the Lemegeton. And, with the power and influence of the Lemegeton, who dared to undertake such a brazen and impudent act? ¡°Do I require your permission to kill?¡± Izroth¡¯s noted indifferently. ¡°No matter who they are or the powers behind them, those whoy a hand on my people have no choice but to answer to me. Even if you were here in person, this fact would not change.¡± Izroth wondered how Smiling Demon was able to maintain a connection with the Great Duke and its two ministers, as well as the tens upon tens of demonic shadow beasts. Now, it all made sense. The Murmur before Izroth was only a fragment of its true self that was probably still within the Underworld. In other words, the creatures Izroth and Empyrean faced were only shadows of the real Great Duke as well as its ministers. Nevertheless, if their fragments gave off this kind of power, then Izroth believed that their true forms had to be on the higher end of the legendary realm. However, to Izroth, it did not matter. ¡°Demon, noble, deity¡ªnone of it holds significance. Regardless of the circumstance, I always pay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold.¡± Izroth stated. ¡°Initially, I held no animosity towards you or the Underworld; however¡­ You have threatened me more than once.¡± Izroth stated coldly. ¡°Throughout my life, there have been many who have wanted to kill me but none with the ability to do so. In the end, they all shared the same fate¡ªdeath.¡± Izroth turned his back to the Great Duke as he looked in the direction of Siren¡¯s main building down below. ¡°If one day you should appear before me, your life will no longer be yours to do with as you please. And, should you decide to send anyone after me, I do not necessarily mind knocking down the gate to the Underworld to find you.¡± When Murmur listened to Izroth¡¯s words, its already unstable shadow body became increasingly vtile. (Arrogant! Not only do you dare to threaten this noble, but you dare to im a boldness great enough to knock down the gate of the Underworld?! Insolent! Hear me, human! In the future, you will not know how you died, but know that this noble will not rest until you are brought to kneel before me! Do you hear me?! You will kne-) Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Empyrean appeared behind Murmur as his hand came down and tore right through the shadowy figure. The next moment, the unstable shadow dissolved as Murmur¡¯s voice fell silent and its magic was instantly disconnected. As the shadow was dissolving, it was drawn into Empyrean¡¯s palm as if it was being absorbed. Since the state of Murmur¡¯s shadow was on the verge of breaking down, it released arge amount of excess energy. And, with his body¡¯s natural ability to dismantle magic, Empyrean was able to forcibly severe what little connection the real Murmur had to its shadow. Of course, Empyrean¡¯s main purpose seemed to be geared towards absorbing the remnants of the shadow. Once that moment passed, there were no remaining signs of Murmur, its ministers, or any of the demonic shadow beasts. Now, the only two figures in the skies above Siren¡¯s headquarters were Izroth and Empyrean. Woosh! Empyrean moved over to Izroth¡¯s side as thetter briefly observed his state. ¡®Even if they were only fragments, he was still able to hold back three powerful figures and a horde of weaker creatures. It looks like I underestimated his current strength. Though it¡¯s a shame the shadows disappeared along with Smiling Demon¡¯s death; otherwise, it would have been the perfect chance for him to further hone his skills. It seems I will have to find another opportunity for him.¡¯ Empyrean¡¯s clothes were somewhat tattered from his sh against the Great Duke¡¯s ministers. There were also some bruises and flesh wounds on his skin¡ªan impressive feat considering Empyrean¡¯s unnaturally high defensive capabilities. However, there were no signs of any life-threatening damage. Izroth nodded inwardly after confirming Empyrean¡¯s state. ¡°Eliminate all the remaining Siren members within the vicinity. None of them are allowed to leave this ce alive¡ªeven those under the earth.¡± Izroth said calmly. Empyrean gave a small nod in response before flying away at great speeds to clean up the rest of the Siren members. Although a good majority of those from Siren were eliminated by Empyrean¡¯s Skybreak during the initial attack, there were still hundreds roaming around inside the main building. And, after briefly scanning the area at maximum range with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth noticed energy signatures moving away from Siren¡¯s headquarters. Given the nature of Siren¡¯s existence and present circumstances, Izroth concluded that there were hidden tunnels underground that expanded in multiple directions. The members of Siren probably created these tunnels as an emergency means of escape from a cmity. Unfortunately for them, they could not hide from Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense. Izroth started his descent to the ground at a frightening pace with his Flickering Steps still active. As he descended, Izroth opened his system alerts. ¡®There¡¯s still no response from Azalea after heading into the main building. I hope I¡¯m not toote.¡¯ Earlier, Azalea snuck into the main building of Siren¡¯s headquarters to secure the SSS-ranked magic item, Call of the Siren Tapestry. Since the magic item did note to Smiling Demon¡¯s aide, Izroth knew that Azalea must have had some degree of sess in her mission. However, her current state was unknown. Izroth sent a short message to Azalea to confirm her status as he arrived at the ground and made his way into the main building. Upon entering the building, Izroth did not detect the presence of anyone nearby. Nevertheless, he did not let his guard down as he proceeded to make his way deeper into the headquarters. Then, without slowing his pace, Izroth essed his inventory. He was curious about the item he obtained after defeating Smiling Demon. The following moment, a strange forest-colored trinket in the shape of a crescent moon appeared in the palm of Izroth¡¯s hand. Inscribed into the trinket were numerous snakes coiling around one another. And, if one listened closely, they could hear the slight hum of a siren¡¯s song. ¡®Oh? Not bad. This must be why I felt my senses began to dull back there. Still, this is unexpected. To think I would gain ess to a second one within such a short time frame. Is it because my luck stat exceeds five now?¡¯ essory Name: Song of the Siren essory Rank: Unique Perception: +3 essory Skill: Perceptive Nature(Passive) ¨C Reveals the ?Perception? stat to its wearer. This stat cannot be directly increased using stat points. ?Siren¡¯s Song? ¨C Releases a song within 60 meters that lowers the perception of all enemies by 50% and increases the perception of allies by 50% for 5 minutes. Cooldown: 24 hours Chapter 753 - Deep Insight

Chapter 753: Deep Insight

Numerous hidden stats existed in RML that the vast majority of yers were unable to see. There were simple hidden stats like Mass, which determined a yer¡¯s total weight with the inclusion of their equipment. Therefore, even if two yers had equal Agility stats, if one was wearing heavy armor while the other wore leather armor, the yer in leather armor would hold the speed advantage. There were also stats like Physical Strength that measured one¡¯s physical capabilities. And, of course, rare stats like Might also existed that allowed yers to step into a new dimension of power. The Perception granted by Song of the Siren fell into the same category as Mass and Physical Strength. It was a stat every yer possessed from creation; however, it could not be viewed like other stats. Perception took into ount the development of a yer¡¯s senses along with things like passive detection skills and transformed it into a numerical value. Though this was notmon knowledge to most yers in RML. ¡®Not bad. With this, I finally found a second ring worth equipping.¡¯ yers in RML were able to equip up to two rings at a time. At the moment, Izroth only wore the Ring of The Exiled One. And, even though he searched the auction house for a good ring, the items listed there left more to be desired. Therefore, obtaining the Song of the Siren was a pleasant surprise. This was even more so considering the fact that NPCs in RML rarely dropped any loot whatsoever. ¡®I¡¯m curious what my current Perception stat is like.¡¯ Izroth equipped the Song of the Siren. The instant he performed this action, the world around him became much clearer as a refreshing wave washed over his senses. ¡®This feeling¡­ It¡¯s amazing. Some things that I previously needed to Energy Vision Sense to detect¡ªI can see as clear as day now. Three points in Perception are enough to make this big of a difference?¡¯ Five Cycles Pill, Heavenly Golden Body, Soul Sense¡ªwith all these elementsbined, Izroth¡¯s Perception was already well above the level of the average yer. But, now that he was in possession of the Song of the Siren, the gap had only widened even further! Almost immediately after Izroth equipped the Song of the Siren, he was greeted by a wave of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to achieve a Perception stat above 9!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 100 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have learned the skill ?Deep Insight?!¡µ ¡®Hm? This is¡­¡¯ Izroth inspected the new skill he was awarded by the system and could not help but feel that it was somewhat simr to a skill he already possessed. Skill Name: Deep Insight Skill Level: 0.00% Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Be the first yer to achieve a Perception stat of 9 or higher. Active: The user gains a deeper insight into a target, uncovering up to [1] w or weakness. Cooldown: None Special Note: This skill cannot be used on the same target within 72 hours. ¡®It¡¯s like an active version of the Gifted Expertise of An Artisan passive under the Unparalleled Craftsman skill. But, it seems the application for Insight goes beyond blueprints and recipes. Though there¡¯s a limit, who is to say that the same limitations will exist once I master it?¡¯ Gifted Expertise of An Artisan allowed Izroth to locate and correct ws in blueprints and recipes; however, Deep Insight appeared to have no such restriction in ce. ¡®Let¡¯s test it out.¡¯ Izroth¡¯s figure flickered as he headed deeper into Siren¡¯s main headquarters. On his way, he nced at a nearby painting hung on the wall and used the skill Deep Insight. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Sirens of the Great Sea Painting?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: The paper used to create this painting is of lower quality than the ink, causing the painting to lose its original luster over time.¡µ ¡®I see. So that¡¯s how it works. Then, I wonder¡­¡¯ Izroth looked at his own hand and activated Deep Insight. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Izroth?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: This person¡¯s mana pool is underdeveloped, making it incredibly difficult or impossible for them to execute skills with high mana costs without receiving some form of bacsh.¡µ ¡®What frightening uracy.¡¯ Indeed, with his current mana pool, Izroth was restricted in several ways. For one, he could not perform a proper Element Fusion without damaging his mana pool. In addition, he could not exert the full power behind the Call of the Thunder God due to the mana multiplier that made it impossible for him to have every state active simultaneously. But, Izroth knew that when he finally ovees the problem regarding hisck of mana, his strength would jump by leaps and bounds! As for his Perception stat, without the Song of the Siren equipped, Izroth discovered that it was at seven points. Of course, with the ring equipped, Izroth¡¯s Perception stat was now ten points. However, if not for the Song of the Siren, he would not have met the requirements to learn Deep Insight. Or, at the very least, it would have taken him a much longer time to do so. After Izroth finished looking over his Perception and testing Deep Insight, he returned his focus to the task at hand. Although he was checking his rewards, Izroth never stopped scanning the surroundings with his Energy Vision Sense. But, for some reason, it seemed that no matter how far he searched, Azalea was nowhere to be found! ¡®This can¡¯t be right. Can it be that the area she¡¯s in is obstructing my Energy Vision Sense?¡¯ Izroth understood that if Azalea had met with an untimely death, she would have responded to his message by now. Therefore, she had to still be somewhere inside Siren¡¯s main headquarters. However, since this was Izroth¡¯s first time inside thepound, he was not familiar with itsyout. Nevertheless, it did not mean that Izroth waspletely helpless and without a solution. ¡®Azalea mentioned that the magic item she was going to retrieve was located in a ce called the Great Demon Hall. Since she said it¡¯s a ce that only a few people know the route to and given Smiling Demon¡¯s personality, it should be in the most isted area of the headquarters which is¡­ Found it.¡¯ Woosh! Izroth increased his speed as he located an entrance that seemed out of ce whenpared to theyout of the rest of Siren¡¯s headquarters. It was ced in a very discreet location that escaped the natural gaze and would typically go unnoticed to those who passed right by it. Without dy, Izroth made his way into the passageway and quickly arrived at the end and, in the blink of an eye, Izroth came before arge sturdy metal door. ¡®I can¡¯t sense anything beyond this door. No, wait¡ªI can feel a faint presence on the other side; however¡­¡¯ With his improved Perception stat and Energy Vision Sense working in tandem, Izroth was able to sense someone in the other room. It was just that he could not determine if this entity was friend or foe due to whatever was causing interference within the room. ¡®I suppose there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡¯ Izroth pushed open the metal door¡­ Swoosh! The door had barely opened a half a meter before a sharp object came flying out at Izroth aimed right at his neck! But, right as the sharp object was about to reach his neck, it abruptly stopped. ¡°Ah- Teacher?¡± A familiar voice sounded from the other end of the sharp object. This voice belonged to the owner of the dagger pointed at Izroth¡¯s neck; however, after realizing who it was, they quickly lowered their weapon. ¡°Oh? You still have the face to call me teacher after attacking me so openly?¡± Izroth said with a carefree smile. But, despite his words, there were no signs of anger or discontent in his voice. In fact, there was even a hint of satisfaction. Azalea slightly furrowed her brows and responded, ¡°My apologies, teacher. This student is willing to ept any punishment you bestow upon me.¡± Izroth inwardly shook his head. He did not expect Azalea to take his words so seriously. ¡®My attempt at humor has gone unnoticed. I discussed it a bit with Zi Yi, but¡­ It seems that I am stillcking in this department. I can only continue to learn from her.¡¯ ¡°Forget it. Since you did not know who was entering, your actions were not unjustified.¡± Izroth stated. Izroth knew that if even he could not tell who was on the other side of the door, how was it possible for Azalea to do so? ¡°That aside, did you run into any trouble?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s settled now. It is a good thing you arrived, teacher. Otherwise, I may have been forced to take my own life.¡± Azalea replied. ¡°Take your own life?¡± Izroth was perplexed by Azalea¡¯s choice of words. Why would she have had to take her own life? Chapter 754 - Eradication And Arrangement

Chapter 754: Eradication And Arrangement

¡­ Once everything settled down, Azalea went on to exin to Izroth the events that transpired after she sessfully acquired the Call of the Siren Tapestry. ording to Azalea, she was hindered by the Left Hand of Siren, Paradox, quickly after she imed the SSS-ranked magic item and forced into a direct confrontation. At first, Azalea was at a disadvantage due to the special trait of Paradox¡¯s powers. However, with a bit of nning and patience, she managed to turn the tables in her favor. Nevertheless, things did not progress smoothly even after Azalea gained her footing. While, in the end, she was able to take down Paradox, just before the Left Hand of Siren fell, she sealed the only way out of the Great Demon Hall. Azalea tried to search for other exits but came up empty-handed. She also attempted to contact Izroth; however, there was a powerful magic barrier epassing the Great Demon Hall that cut off unauthorizedmunication to the outside world. Even a Returning Scroll was useless! Seeing no other way out, despite searching the Great Demon Hall top to bottom multiple times, Azalea started to contemte whether or not the only way out was through despawning herself. That¡¯s when the doors opened from the outside and granted her an opportunity to escape. But, Azalea thought it was another enemying to protect the Great Demon Hall. She never would have guessed that the person on the other side of the door was Izroth, who was supposed to be facing Enigma and Smiling Demon. Azalea was even more surprised to learn that both had fallen at the hands of Izroth. She could not help but inwardly sigh in amazement. Azalea knew from the moment she crossed des with Izroth that he was not ordinary, which is why she decided to follow him. ¡°It looks like I made the correct choice that day. If it¡¯s him, then maybe¡­¡± Azalea internalized. ¡­ A few minutester¡­ Izroth and Azalea left the ruined Siren¡¯s headquarters. Currently, the two were on their way back to the Devil¡¯s Sanctum. As for the remnants of Siren, they were chased down by Empyrean and eliminated¡ªeven the ones who escaped hastily through the underground tunnels. ¡°Teacher, what do you n to do now?¡± Azalea inquired. Siren may have been the organization that performed the assassinations on their people; however, there was still an unknown party behind the scenes who orchestrated everything. Well, unknown was not quite right. Azalea and Zi Yi had a good idea who may be behind the request to Siren, but there was no solid evidence that linked to the potentially involved party. Of course, they made sure to share their findings with Izroth. Ultimately, he would be the one who decided what actions they took. In addition, although they destroyed Siren¡¯s main headquarters, there were still otherrge branches. Eventually, news of what transpired today would reach those branches. In order to save face, they would be left with no choice but to make an example of the people who attacked their main headquarters. However, this was not the biggest problem at hand. The real threat was not the other branches of the Siren organization, but rather the power that backed them¡ªthe League of the Eidolon. Destroying Siren¡¯s main headquarters was no different from not showing any face to the League of the Eidolon. And, unlike Siren, who was protected by a single legendary individual, the League of the Eidolon had several legendary powerhouses in their ranks. It was even rumored that their leader was at the peak of the legendary realm! In front of them, someone like Smiling Demon, who was only at the initial stage of the legendary realm, was nothing! ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. I still have to make some arrangements. For now, I will head back to the Twin Fang INN before eventually making my way to Xanaharpe.¡± Izroth replied. The assault on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt was not too far away and Izroth wanted to get there a bit ahead of time to gauge the situation. Fortunately, Niflheim was already present there, so he would not be leftpletely out of the loop. But, more than anything, Izroth wanted to finish what he started. The Antumbra of Decay, Zars, was the Skounae Night Lord that Izroth and Commander Aurie defeated back near the Unsanctioned Zone within the Dream Domain. However, due to a certain artifact¡¯s effect, despite iming the Night Lord¡¯s life, he was now on the verge of reviving. During his revival, Zars would bepletely defenseless. But, the Crypt where his revival was supposed to take ce would be under heavy guard by a horde of Skounae. Among those Skounae, would be a member of the Antumbra, a powerful figure whose might equaled or perhaps even exceeded Zars himself. And, it was unlikely that they would be unprepared like Zars. Without a doubt, the Night Lord guarding Zars¡¯ Crypt would have their Spirix with them. With it, their power would increase severalfold! ¡°As for the other Siren branches, there is no need to worry about them. When I said that after today Siren will no longer exist, I was not speaking empty words.¡± Izroth said in a carefree manner. However, there was a hint of coldness in his voice as he spoke. ¡­ Somewhere near the outskirts of Amaharpe¡­ BOOOOM! ¡°Ahhhh! Someone help me!¡± ¡°What is this?! I can¡¯t feel my- Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Save me!¡± Near the outskirts of Amaharpe, a heavily guardedpound was covered in a sea of mes. There were numerous people below being consumed by purple and ck mes as they tried to escape. But, it was futile. No matter where they retreated, the mes would eventually catch up and devour them, leaving not even a single strand of hair behind. ¡°Ah, this feeling¡­ It¡¯s been too long since Ist had a meal this delicious.¡± A voice filled with self-indulgence sounded from the skies above the sea of mes. It belonged to a man who appeared to be in histe twenties to early thirties. This man possessed ck hair with hints of silver streaks and light gray eyes. He wore a set of ck and whitebat robes with skulls engraved into them. This person was none other than the legendary figure Izroth formed a Soul Contract with inside the Netherly Swathe, the Death Emperor, Nekrosatoras! ¡°I don¡¯t know what we did to offend this great one, but my Siren organization will make things right! I only ask that this great one has mercy!¡± A pleading voice echoed from below near the center of the ck mes. This voice originated from a middle-aged man who seemed to be standing on hisst leg with grievous wounds. NPC Name: Second Fang of Siren, Yeril(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: Siren NPC HP: ???(0.10%) ¡°Mercy? Sure. Allow me to show you how merciful this emperor can be.¡± Satoras said as he held his hand forward. At the same time, the ck mes surrounded Yeril and engulfed them from head to toe. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± Yeril¡¯s voice reverberated throughout thepound before slowly fading away. Soon enough, thepound fell deadly silent. Not even the sound of an insect could be heard. Satoras gazed down at the sea of mes as thepound crumbled¡ªfallen from its once grand state. ¡°This makes twelve. Hmph, foolish humans. Who told you to offend those you could not afford to offend? But, this emperor should thank you. If not for your ignorance, how could I enjoy this delicious meal? Ahahaha!¡± Woooosh! As Satoras flew away from the ruined Sirenpound, the only thing that could be heard was the lingering sound of hisughter. At Izroth¡¯s orders, Satoras located Siren bases and reaped the lives of those present¡ªsparing no one in the process. In total, he had already in thousands of Siren members and razed twelve of their bases to the ground! Indeed, Izroth¡¯s words were not just an empty threat. After today, there truly would be no more Siren organization in RML! ¡­ Izroth and Azalea arrived at the Twin Fang INN. Once there, Izroth obtained a visitor¡¯s pass for Azalea before heading to the room he purchased. Visitors were only allowed to stay inside the INN for up to one hour. After that, they would have to leave the Twin Fang INN. Izroth did not know why such a rule was in ce; however, since they would not be staying here much longer, one hour was more than enough time to regroup and recover some of his missing essence. Though there was still one more thing he needed to take care of. Izroth opened his system interface, and after waiting for a few seconds, the system alert sounded as a voice call was started. [Voice Chat Has Started] Mariposa, ¡°This is unexpected. It must be quite important considering that you have never taken the initiative to contact me before.¡± Izroth, ¡°I¡¯m in need of your assistance.¡± Mariposa, ¡°¡­Go on.¡± Mariposa was curious about Izroth¡¯s request. She had never heard his voice sound this cold before today. She knew immediately that something must have happened. Izroth, ¡°I need you to spread something for me to every guild, and organization you know. It doesn¡¯t matter who they are, as long as they kill any of the top-ranking members of the Headhunter Syndicate and submit proof to my Mystical Realm Pce, they will be rewarded 200 gold coins per kill with no limit. As for the other guild members, I will offer 5 gold coins per kill with a limit of ten kills. To the person who kills the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, I will grant them 10,000 gold coins. And¡­ My Mystical Realm Pce will also owe them a favor.¡± Mariposa, ¡°?!¡± Chapter 755 - A Price To Pay, Two Moves

Chapter 755: A Price To Pay, Two Moves

Izroth, ¡°This offer willst for two weeks in-game time.¡± Since they hunted his people for six days, Izroth would make it so they had to suffer a simr fate for at least twice that amount of time! Mariposa was taken aback by Izroth¡¯s request. She knew that he was not on good terms with the Headhunter Syndicate and their guild leader; however, she did not think that it had devolved to this point. With the current conversation rate, 200 gold coins per kill was the equivalent of giving out approximately 35,000 RMB. What¡¯s more, there was no limit to the number of times one could im this reward. But, the fact that Izroth was willing to put out a bounty worth 10,000 gold coins, a value that roughly equaled 1,800,000 RMB, would cause a huge uproar. After all, even somerger guild would be reluctant to part with 10,000 gold coins just to im the life of one individual. If it were someone else making this request to her, Mariposa would have been hesitant to ept. That¡¯s because, in the end, she would be using her name as the guarantor. In other words, Mariposa was giving her word that the aforementioned rewards would be granted. If something went wrong, it could lead to her reputation being damaged and a great loss of face. If it was just that much, Mariposa could brush it off; however, with the present delicate situation in the Zi family, she was unable to afford any mishaps. Nevertheless, Mariposa understood Izroth¡¯s character. Without a doubt, he was a man of his word; therefore, she was not worried whether or not Izroth would keep his promises. Not to mention, due to her initial investment in the Mystical Realm Pce, Mariposa received 10% of all profits from the shop. She knew better than anyone that Izroth had the funds avable to support this endeavor. However, for those who were more informed, they knew that the gold coins could only be considered a side bonuspared to the true prize. ¡°My Mystical Realm Pce will also owe them a favor.¡±¡ªto Mariposa, this favor was the most valuable reward. Even if one had 100,000 gold coins, it may not be enough to equal this single favor! Mariposa was tempted to keep this information to herself and mobilize the entirety of Sleeping Gardenia toplete this task; however, it was just a fleeting thought. Since Izroth was personally making this request to her, how could she not carry it out properly? Mariposa, ¡°This will not be an issue, but are you certain this is the action you want to take? Once I put the order out and advertise this to every channel, it will be toote to take it back. I am sure I do not have to tell you this, but cing an active bounty on an entire top guild has never been done before. I cannot say for sure that some of the other top guilds will not see it as a form of provocation. Of course, my Sleeping Gardenia is willing to face the storm with you should ite.¡± Izroth knew that Mariposa¡¯s words were correct. If it were being done by his own hand, it could only be said that the top guild that fell was too weak. However, since Izroth was setting a bounty, there was a decent chance that a few of the top guilds would try to suppress this matter. To them, it may be seen as Izroth looking down on the top guilds and showing no face to their standing. But¡­ Izroth, ¡°I appreciate your concern, guild leader Mariposa, but¡­ If anyone dares to obstruct my path, I will consider them an enemy¡ªno matter who they may be. There are certain lines that should not be crossed. Since the Headhunter Syndicate dared to take out assassination requests on my people and harm them, they will have to suffer a worse fate.¡± If it was just eliminating those of the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth could more than manage by himself with his current strength. However, he wanted those from the Headhunter Syndicate to experience the same feeling of being hunted every waking moment¡ªnever knowing when a knife would end up in their back. Every time they left a safe zone, it should be with fear in their hearts! Mariposa, ¡°What did you just say?! Assassination requests?!¡± Mariposa was shocked! No wonder he was prepared to go to such lengths to punish the Headhunter Syndicate! It also exined why his voice sounded so cold when he spoke about them. Mariposa, ¡°I always knew the people from the Headhunter Syndicate were a bunch of good for nothings, but I never thought they would stoop so low! Hmph, since it¡¯s like this and they were the first to strike, others will not me you even if you use this method.¡± Mariposa, ¡°By the way¡­ Did they touch her..?¡± Mariposa¡¯s voice turned ice-cold when she asked Izroth that question. Izroth, ¡°No. She was one of the few not targeted.¡± Of course, the person Mariposa was referring to was Zi Yi. It was no secret that Mariposa dotted on her younger sister. If they had gone after Zi Yi, Mariposa would not have hesitated to bring down the full wrath of Sleeping Gardenia to solve them¡ªeven if Izroth had never made his request! ¡­ A few moments passed as Izroth and Mariposa went over some of the finer details. Mariposa, ¡°I will send someone to sort things out with the ice queen. Then, if there¡¯s nothing else-¡° Izroth, ¡°Wait. Since you are doing me a service, naturally, I will not allow you to leave empty-handed. After all, I cannot have people say I only know how to take advantage of others.¡± Izroth, ¡°Find me three materials of the same quality that can be used in pill crafting. The higher the quality, the better. However, they must all be of the same quality. I will say this now, it should not be anything less than ancient quality if you want the best results.¡± Ancient quality?! One had to know that even for top guilds, acquiring even a single ancient quality material was a difficult task, let alone three! It was not as if Mariposa¡¯s Sleeping Gardenia had no ancient quality materials; however, the amount totaled less than ten and each was considered a great treasure. After all, even if one had the money to purchase ancient materials, they would still not necessarily be able to obtain them given that the demand was several times higher than the supply. If it were anyone else, Mariposa would not have even entertained the thought of giving away three precious ancient quality materials; however, who was Izroth? Not only was he the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, but also the infamous Pill Emperor! If he needed ancient materials, didn¡¯t that mean he was going to craft a god-like pill for her?! Mariposa, ¡°I will have someone send the materials to your Mystical Realm Pce within the hour.¡± Izroth, ¡°Have them deliver it to Xanaharpe. I will be heading there soon.¡± Mariposa, ¡°Xanaharpe? Alright, that should not pose any problems. Are you going there to participate in the raid on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt?¡± The news about the uing raid on the Night Lord¡¯s Crypt was all over the RML forums and dedicated RML video channels. Many of the yers who were stationed too far away from where the raid was taking ce were filled with envy for those able to participate. Some even thought about abandoning their post to participate in the raid! Izroth, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mariposa, ¡°How fortunate it is that you chose the General Support Unit. When ites to moments like this, a part of me regrets choosing the War Brigade.¡± Izroth, ¡°Your choice was not wrong. Those of the General Support Unit are left to fend for themselves when ites to obtaining war objectives. In this aspect, it cannotpare to the War Brigade, which is more than capable of providing its members with a steady stream of war objectives.¡± The freedom of movement granted by the General Support Unit was tempting, but it was not ideal for earning contribution points. Needless to say, Izroth¡¯s case was special since he took advantage of numerous unique opportunities. But, for the vast majority of yers, such opportunities were unavable. And, even if they were avable, did they have the ability to dare attempt it? After exchanging a brief farewell, Mariposa left Izroth with a few words before her departure. Mariposa, ¡°I will spread the news shortly. These next two weeks¡ªI¡¯m afraid the Headhunter Syndicate will have no room to breathe without fear in RML. How fitting.¡± [Voice Chat Has Ended] Once the voice call ended, Izroth turned his attention to Azalea, who had been sitting patiently upright on the bed with her eyes closed. However, the moment Izroth looked over, Azalea opened her eyes which contained a hint of newfound rity. ¡®She must have gained some insight after her fight back at the Siren headquarters. Then, since she calls me teacher¡­ should I give her another push in the right direction?¡¯ Izroth approached Azalea, who immediately stood to her feet to greet him. ¡°Teacher.¡± Azalea greeted respectfully. ¡°You¡¯ve done well this time around. I know I said I would have a pair of daggers crafted as your reward, but I feel that this is not enough given your contribution. Since that¡¯s the case, I will teach you two moves¡ªdo you wish to learn them?¡± Izroth inquired. Chapter 756 - A Small World

Chapter 756: A Small World

¡°Yes, teacher,¡± Azalea responded without the slightest bit of hesitation. There was a slight spark in her eyes as she could not hide her anticipation. ¡°So far, teacher has only taught me a few basic techniques that helped to solidify my foundations. This is the first time he has offered to teach me moves directly. I cannot let this opportunity pass me by.¡± Azalea internalized. Although she maintained a calm appearance on the outside, Azalea¡¯s fighting spirit and eagerness to learn were on full disy. Izroth sensed Azalea¡¯s enthusiasm and decided to not waste any time. ¡°Follow me,¡± Izroth said as he walked towards the room¡¯s exit. Azalea apanied Izroth as the two made their way to the front desk. Sitting at the front desk was the same young zensana woman Izroth met when he first arrived at the Twin Fang INN, Parina. When Parina saw Izroth and Azalea approaching, she stood to her feet and gave a courteous greeting. ¡°Hello, dear customer and guest. Are you in need of some assistance?¡± Parina inquired. ¡°I would like to use the Moonlit Dove Garden.¡± Izroth requested. The Moonlit Dove Garden was one of the amenities that came along with one¡¯s stay at the Twin Fang INN. It was a spacious area where one could enjoy the scenery of the garden, as well as hone their skills. But, one did not typically choose thetter. After all, the Moonlit Dove Garden was technically a public ce in the Twin Fang INN. Who would want to risk others potentially spying on their skills? That¡¯s why when Parina mentioned it to Izroth after he purchased his room, she did not think that he would end up using it since his stay would be rtively short-lived. Parina¡¯s brows rose. She seemed a bit taken aback by Izroth¡¯s request. Soon after, she furrowed her brows as if something was troubling her. ¡°Dear customer, although the Moonlit Dove Garden is free to use for anyone who stays at our Twin Fang INN, I rmend against using it at this time,¡± Parina stated with a small sigh. Izroth inwardly frowned at Parina¡¯s words. If it was free for everyone to use, why would she be against him using it? Seeing Izroth¡¯s reaction, Parina knew that she had to give a proper exnation. ¡°Please do not misunderstand my intentions. Right now, there are some special guests using the Moonlit Dove Garden to host a small gathering. I am afraid that if you go there now, it will only bring you trouble.¡± Parina exined. ¡°Oh? There are people who would dare cause trouble here?¡± Izroth questioned. Parina clearly stated that the Twin Fang INN did not tolerate trouble on their doorsteps. Could it be that these special guests were above that rule? Parina shook her head and replied, ¡°No. Even those special guests have to respectfully greet my master when they see him. Therefore, they would not have the nerve to cause trouble at our Twin Fang INN. However, once one steps foot outside, your safety is no longer guaranteed.¡± His safety was no longer guaranteed? Upon hearing those words, a carefree smile formed on Izroth¡¯s face. Though this expression appeared to baffle Parina. Even after hearing everything she just said, he still had the heart to smile? ¡°Rest assured, I will not seek out trouble. But, if trouble seeks me, I am not afraid.¡± Izroth said calmly. Not too long ago, Izroth destroyed Siren¡¯s main headquarters that was under the protection of the League of the Eidolon. In addition, he severed the arm of the Netherworld Envoy which led to him being marked by a curse and hunted by the creatures of the Netherworld. He offended a powerful shadahi in the Shadahi Realm, a Great Duke of the Pzenium kingdom who wanted him dead, and there was an individual he met during the second team¡¯s selection with a strong background who desired his death. Safety? Howughable! Was there a moment when he was everpletely safe from danger? While Izroth would not go out of his way to make enemies, he was not afraid of having them! Of course, whether or not they could deal with the consequences that came after was a different story. Parina sighed. She understood no matter what she said, Izroth would not back down. Regardless, she had already given him a heads-up. She only hoped that it was enough. ¡°Very well. To get to the Moonlit Dove Garden, go down the right hall and turn left once you reach the end. You will notice it immediately.¡± Parina revealed. Izroth gave a small nod as thanks before ncing back at Azalea. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Izroth said as he made his way to the right hall with Azalea not far behind him. After the two left, Parina released a heavy sigh. ¡°I should have tried harder to prevent them from going there, but¡­¡± Parina muttered to himself as she sighed once again in defeat. ¡°It¡¯s no use. What¡¯s done is done. Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking it. The garden is big enough for them to stay in their own part. Besides, maybe they will even be friends?¡± The young zensana said to herself as she took her seat and resumed her work. ¡­ ¡®This should be the ce.¡¯ As Izroth approached the entrance, he noticed someone standing by the path that led into the Moonlit Dove Garden. However, since he did not know that person, Izroth paid them no mind and continued on his way. ¡°Wait.¡± The person standing by the entrance said in a haughty manner. It was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He possessed short yet lustrous silver hair, light blue eyes, and had an above-average appearance. He wore a set of high-quality light armor with a sheathed katana hanging from his waist by a pair of golden twines. ¡®Hm? This is unexpected.¡¯ The first thing Izroth discovered about this young man was that he was not an NPC, but a yer! There were not many yers in Devil¡¯s Sanctum due to the high level of its residents. And, in a ce where a single misstep could easily result in one¡¯s death, one needed at least enough strength to protect themselves or escape from danger. Needless to say, being in a city where any random person on the street could kill you, was not idle for yers who preferred to be in control of their own fate. Not to mention, the price to stay at the Twin Fang INN was not cheap and cost close to 18,000 RMB per night¡ªa price most yers could not afford. ¡®Is there arge guild or organization using this as a temporary gathering price?¡¯ This was the first thought that crossed Izroth¡¯s mind. Regardless, it had nothing to do with him. Besides, just because some random person told him to wait, did he have to obey? If they were, at the very least, courteous, Izroth would have considered stopping to listen to what they had to say. However, Izroth had no intention of wasting his time on someone without even the most basic of manners. Izroth proceeded to walk forward without paying mind to the young man. A brief look of shock and disbelief formed on the young man¡¯s face. But, it was quickly reced by an expression of anger. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I said wait!¡± The young man raised his voice as he reached out to grab Izroth¡¯s shoulder. Woosh! Before the young man¡¯s hand could touch Izroth, he felt something cold pressing up against the front of his neck. ¡°My teacher is not someone that the likes of you can touch.¡± Azalea¡¯s voice sounded coldly as her gaze darkened with her dagger held up to the young man¡¯s neck. ¡°Fast¡­! I couldn¡¯t see her movement at all!¡± The young man internalized as he felt a shiver run down his spine. But, this feeling onlysted a brief moment before the young man remembered where he was. ¡°Do you think I, Hyran, am afraid? This is the Twin Fang INN. If you kill me, do you really believe you¡¯ll be spared?¡± A smirk formed on the young man, Hyran¡¯s, face. He then continued, ¡°Besides, even if we weren¡¯t in the Twin Fang INN, you wouldn¡¯t have the guts to kill me, or else Young Zouren would not let you go.¡± Izroth halted his steps as he turned to face Hyran and said, ¡°Did you say Zouren? Is he here now?¡± ¡°What? Are you afraid now? Don¡¯t worry, as long as you kneel, apologize and pay me five hundred coins, we can let bygones be bygones. If you¡¯re sincere, maybe I can even put in a good word for you.¡± Hyran stated. After witnessing Izroth¡¯s actions, he took it as a sign of fear and became emboldened. ¡°Five hundred gold coins, is it?¡± Izroth affirmed. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Hyran replied. He was barely able to contain the excitement and greed in his voice. ¡°I see¡­ Kill him.¡± Izroth said as he turned and walked into the garden. Hyran¡¯s heart dropped upon hearing Izroth¡¯s words. This person dared to kill someone in the Twin Fang INN?! ¡°You can¡¯t-!¡± Before Hyran could finish his sentence, Azalea swept her dagger across his neck. Although it seemed like a single strike, Hyran was struck multiple times in quick session. And, in the blink of an eye, he was eliminated without even knowing how he died! ¡®A rabbit pretending to be a lion by standing next to a dog. How amusing.¡¯ The moment Hyran mentioned five hundred gold coins, Izroth knew immediately that he was not a true resident of the Twin Fang INN and only a guest. Since guests were not protected by the Twin Fang INN¡¯s policy, why wouldn¡¯t he dare kill him?! ¡®Indeed, the world is a small ce. I never thought I would have you answer to me so soon, Zouren.¡¯ Chapter 757 - Moonlit Dove Garden, A Gathering of Future Powers

Chapter 757: Moonlit Dove Garden, A Gathering of Future Powers

¡­ A few moments ago, at the center of the Moonlit Dove Garden¡­ The center area of the Moonlit Dove Garden was bustling with activity. Although it was referred to as a garden, its spacious size and scenic view caused it to resemble a ce of nature that was formed naturally by the world over tens of thousands of years. There was a stream that ran throughout the Moonlit Dove Garden; however, it seemed to have no beginning nor end¡ªas if it were trapped in an endless cycle. The garden was not short on beautiful nt life filled to the brim with a natural vibrancy that made one feel at ease and erased their fatigue. This location was not only one of the most popr ces in the Twin Fang INN but the entirety of Devil¡¯s Sanctum! Scattered throughout the garden¡¯s central location was a group of individuals whose appearance and air of authority gave away their identities as people of high social status. However, among this group, five people, in particr, stood out as extraordinary aspared to tens of others within the garden. This group consisted of three males and two females who all came from incredible backgrounds in the Mortal Realm. And, one of them was someone Izroth would have recognized immediately. The group sat together at a round table; however, no one appeared to be speaking. That is until one voice broke the silence. ¡°I epted your invitation to give you some face, Young Zouren, but¡­ Is there something that upsets you so much that you cannot appreciate the presence of the two beauties in yourpany? If so, thisdy would not find it disheartening to retire a little early.¡± One of the women spoke with a voice light and sweet enough to cause one¡¯s heart to flutter. However, what truly caught one¡¯s eye was this woman¡¯s breathtaking beauty. Of course, this was no surprise considering that she was a member of the trephasia race¡ªa race well known for its beauty. But, even among other trephasias, it was difficult to find one who reached this level in terms of appearance and natural grace. She possessed a pair of eyes that mirrored the verdant of a vibrant forest. Her long flowing hair matched the color of moonlight. And, the mana in the surrounding atmosphere appeared to resonate with her. ¡°Leave? Surely a princess from one of the nine great ns of the forest is not so anxious? Rx and enjoy the scenery of this garden. In the end, I¡¯m sure if anyone can appreciate its beauty, it is the fifth princess.¡± Zouren responded calmly. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough of the ttery. Is it not time you tell us the real reason you called us here?¡± the fifth princess said with an inquisitive gaze. She was not the only one curious as to why Zouren invited them to this ce. The Devil¡¯s Sanctum was well known for being awless city filled with more lowlifes than one would care to encounter in a lifetime. Unless one was performing questionable acts or shady business, there was no purpose for their visit to this city. After all, when it came to sightseeing, there were a plethora of other cities with more pleasant scenic qualities. ¡°Haazan should have alreadypleted his task and returned by now. Why has he still not arrived? I should never have given this assignment to someone so ipetent. Since I sent the invitations out before participating in the second team¡¯s selection, if I do not handle this situation correctly, how can I still have any face left?¡± Zouren internalized. ¡°Since the fifth princess is so eager, then I will no longer dy the matter,¡± Zouren said as he stood to his feet and swept his gaze across those present at the table. NPC Name: Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: The Unstoppable Behemoth, Hakros(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Azure Lightning Agromin(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren(???) NPC Level: ??? Luxia, one of the nine princesses of the Nine Great ns that resided in the Mother of All Forests, the ce of origin of the trephasia race. The title of ¡°Princess¡± was only given to the most skilled female trephasia of a n. And, one of the requirements to acquire this title was that the trephasia must have the blood of a High-Born running through their veins. But, the thing that made a princess of the Nine Great ns so respected throughout the Mortal Realm was that one of them would be the future queen of their race. This meant that Luxia could one day oversee the Mother of All Forests and all trephasias within would have to answer to her. Next was the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia. She was a refined young woman with lily colored eyes and long straight pink hair that stopped mid-way down her back. In terms of looks, despite being human, she was in no way inferior to Luxia. She wore a set of white and pink clothes woven together skillfully that gave her an appearance of elegance and grace. At her side was an exquisite sheath that housed a de releasing a strong aura of frost despite being contained. Sychia was a Thousand Blossom Maiden of the Order of the Thousand Blossoms, a title given only to the most outstanding individuals in the order. Sat beside the Thousand Blossom Maiden was a man approximately 2.2 meters in height¡ªmuch taller than any of those present. He had bronze skin, fierce red eyes, and wild ck hair. His muscles were extremely well defined and could not be hidden beneath the monster fur he wore. This man was known as the Unstoppable Behemoth, Hakros. Among the younger generation, and the even older generation of the Mortal Realm, there were few who could rival him when it came to raw physical strength. Then there was the Azure Lightning, Agromin. His height was slightly below average and his physique was nothing special. But, he could not be underestimated. Agrominmanded special azure lightning that was capable of striking down multiple foes in the blink of an eye. Though most terrifying was his speed, which was ranked near the top among the younger generation. Finally, there was the host of this gathering, the Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren. Due to being abat genius and grasping his Source from an incredibly young age, Zouren became the Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, a group with connections and power that reached the deepest levels of the Mortal Realm. Because of his young age as a disciple, people began to refer to him as ¡°Young¡± Zouren. These five individuals were all rare talents of the younger generation in the Mortal Realm and came from powerful backgrounds. Any one of them wielded enough influence and personal strength to inspire respect among those who crossed their paths. And, most importantly, every one of them had the potential, resources, and aptitude to one day reach the peak of the legendary realm! Before entering into the second team¡¯s selection, Zouren sent out special invitations to the four at the table. He nned on winning them over to help solidify his future as the master of the Eight Heavens. However, there was a problem. When Zouren sent those invitations out, it was with the belief that he would im first ce in the second team¡¯s selection and take on the role of captain. But, not only did he not obtain first ce, even second ce had fallen out of his reach! How could Zouren have known that two unknown nobodies with questionable backgrounds would end up at the top? Even now, his blood boiled when he thought about how they ruined his ns. That¡¯s why he sent some people to deal with them. And, once they sessfully returned, the captain seat of the second team would belong to him. In this way, even if he did not take first ce, he could maintain appearances. But, the deadline Zouren set had already passed, which is why, initially, his attention was away from the gathering. He tried his best to stall for time; however, there was no contact from either of the parties Zouren sent out. This was troubling. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to wait any longer. I will deal with those two failurester. For now, I can only dy the main topic at hand.¡± Zouren thought to himself. ¡°As you all know, each of us are in possession of a Realm Fragment to the three-star Secret Realm Era of Titans. And, since the fragments resonate with one another, I¡¯m sure you all are already aware of the fact that I am in possession of two of the six fragments needed to ess the Secret Realm. That¡¯s why I propose-¡° ¡°Arrogant! How dare you cause trouble here?!¡± A voice erupted not too far from the entrance of the Moonlit Dove Garden. Zouren inwardly frowned. Who was so brazen as to cause a disturbance at an event he hosted? Zouren looked over towards the area where the loud voice came from; however, the moment he saw who was there, his gaze became cold. That¡¯s because that person was supposed to be dead! If he were here, then¡­ ¡°It¡¯s him¡­! That fool must have failed..!¡± Zouren internalized as he contained his anger. The person his gazended on was thest person he wanted to see right now. The one who stole his spot as the captain of the second team, Izroth! Chapter 758 - Zouren’s Intention?

Chapter 758: Zouren¡¯s Intention?

Although Zouren was seething with rage on the inside, his outer appearance remained calm and collected. Zouren knew that if Izroth entered the Moonlit Dove Garden and started running his mouth without thinking, it could have a negative impact on his ultimate goal behind this gathering. No matter what, he could not allow his ns to be ruined here¡ªeven if he had to temporarily take a few steps back. Luxia frowned when she witnessed the disturbance taking ce near the garden¡¯s entrance. ¡°I dare not say that I know every talented youth in the Mortal Realm, but there are very few who escapes me. Young Zouren, is this a friend you invited to join us in the Secret Realm?¡± Luxia inquired as she sized Izroth up. Friend? Zouren wanted nothing more than to immediately reject this ridiculous notion. However, he held his tongue and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a young friend I met during the second team¡¯s selection. After seeing that he had some skills, I allowed him the honor of attending this gathering. As for the Secret Realm¡ªI have yet to discuss this matter with him. So, I hope that the fifth princess can give me some face and not mention it before I have the chance to properly exin things.¡± Zouren replied smoothly. ¡°Nonsense. I don¡¯t remember agreeing to anything like this. Thest person who joins us in the Secret Realm must be someone without close ties to any of us. Yet, it¡¯s clear you¡¯re trying to turn the odds in your favor.¡± Agrominmented without restraint. He then continued, ¡°At the same time, they must also not be any weaker than us. This person clearlycks a domain¡ªhow can he bepared to anyone at this table?¡± ¡°This bastard¡¯s pretty annoying and doesn¡¯t know how to speak, but he¡¯s right. I don¡¯t really care who joins, but we won¡¯t have time to babysit in the Secret Realm. That aside, a domain doesn¡¯t define one¡¯s strength. Are you saying that I¡¯m weak? After all, I don¡¯t have a domain.¡± Hakros stated with a grin. Agromin scoffed and responded, ¡°You know what I mean! Everyone knows a person of the Wild Lands is born with an immense innate strength that makes up for their inability to acquire a domain. I can ept that your case is special, but that guy is obviously not someone from the Wild Lands like you.¡± ¡°Whatever the case, does it even matter? As long as he¡¯s strong, I have noints.¡± Hakros said. ¡°That brain in your head is also a muscle. If you don¡¯t learn to properly exercise it, sooner orter, you will regret it.¡± Agromin sighed as he shook his head. ¡°Maybe you just exercise that brain of yours too much. What need is there to overthink everything? If something happens, you just need to have the power to ovee it. Isn¡¯t it just that simple?¡± Hakros noted. ¡°You- This is why I said-¡° ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯re all friends here. How about we leave this discussion for ater date? When ites to training, both the mind and body are of equal importance. Without the mind, the body is but an empty vessel. And, without the body, the mindcks a vessel to carry out its will.¡± Zouren interjected. After Zouren spoke, both sides took his outlook into consideration. In the end, they decided to take a step back and cease their arguments. ¡°Then, since that¡¯s settled, I will go over to greet our friend. It seems that there has been a misunderstanding that needs to be sorted. You¡¯ll have to excuse me while I attend to the matter at hand.¡± Zouren said as he walked away from the table at the garden¡¯s center and began to make his way over to the entrance. ¡­ After Zouren walked away, Luxia nced over at Sychia. The next moment, Luxia¡¯s mouth was moving as if she were speaking; however, there were no audible words that could be heard. That¡¯s because she was using the magic spell Spoken Thoughts to privatelymunicate with the Thousand Blossom Maiden. ¡°Tell me honestly, did you make a pact with anyone else regarding the Secret Realm?¡± Luxiamunicated through Spoken Thoughts. Sychia closed her eyes and released a small sigh. She then responded, ¡°If I were to respond with no, you will see it as a lie and raise your guard. Should I choose to answer with yes, the end results will not differ. Seeking both a truth and a falsehood when neither exists. You¡­ Are precisely the type of person I hate the most.¡± Sychia replied via Spoken Thoughts in an unhurried and calm tone. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just as I thought. I really can¡¯t stand you. You¡¯re an eyesore, so why not just drop dead for me?¡± Luxia stated. However, despite her vicious words ryed through Spoken Thoughts, Luxia¡¯s outer expression remained one of elegance as she kept a gentle smile on her face. ¡°If you have the ability to kill me, you are wee to try your hand at it. As for dropping dead at your request, I refuse.¡± Sychia responded as her outer appearance stayed unmoved and indifferent. ¡°It¡¯s not that Ick the ability. I merely detest the thought of dirtying my hands here today. Besides, who knows what the future may hold?¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, near the entrance to the Moonlit Dove Garden¡­ At the moment, a group of young men was blocking Izroth and Azalea¡¯s path into the garden. After Azalea dealt with Hyran, just as Izroth expected, nothing happened due to Hyran not being a customer of the Twin Fang INN, but a guest. Once the path was cleared, the two entered the Moonlit Dove Garden; however, those who were close by witnessed Hyran¡¯s fate. While Hyran was a nobody in their eyes, he was still someone Zouren assigned to guard the entrance. Naturally, this meant that killing Hyran was no different from not showing any face to Zouren. And, based on their unknown identities, those present knew immediately that Izroth and Azalea were not well-known figures among the younger generation. In other words, this was not a ce they belonged nor could they afford to cause trouble here! Nevertheless, if they dared to still cause problems while knowing the identity of the person behind this gathering, then their status was no small. That¡¯s why, even though the group blocked Izroth and Azalea¡¯s path, they did not attack without forethought. ¡°You two¡ªmay I ask to see your invitations?¡± The person at the head of the group spoke out. The one who spoke was a handsome young man named Julius. He was dressed in refined attire and conveyed his words in a tone that was neither arrogant nor submissive. ¡°If I can handle this matter without fault, Young Zouren will see me in a brighter light. If I can form a solid connection with the future master of the Eight Heavens, it will open up many doors for me.¡± Julius internalized. ¡°Invitations? From my understanding, the Moonlit Dove Garden is avable to all residents of the Twin Fang INN and their guests.¡± Izroth stated in a carefree manner. ¡°Friend, it is better not to create problems that are beyond your ability to solve. Do you know the identity of this gathering¡¯s host? He is the Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren. The person you just killed may not have any status, but even if the dog bit you, it is not for you to punish without its master¡¯s approval. I suggest the two of you crawl over to Young Zouren and beg for forgiveness. Maybe then you can still leave Devil¡¯s Sanctum with your lives.¡± Julius suggested; however, his tone was no longer bnced. Now, it contained a clear hint of arrogance and disdain. From Izroth¡¯s response, Julius knew that these two before him were just some nobodies staying at the Twin Fang INN. Even if they had a bit of money, it was just that. It could notpare to the power and influence of those at this gathering. Azalea¡¯s eyes turned cold. How could she allow someone to insult her teacher right in front of her face? Julius wanted them to crawl and beg for forgiveness? How audacious! Azalea did not care about the rules of the Twin Fang INN. That person had to pay the price for insulting her and her teacher! But, before Azalea could make a move¡­ BANG! Out of nowhere, the sound of a loud crash rang throughout the garden. The next moment, Julius was faced down unconscious on the ground! Everyone was dumbfounded. Not because of Julius¡¯ abrupt defeat, but rather because of the person responsible for his miserable state. ¡°Who gave you a right to cause trouble at my gathering?¡± Zouren said with his foot pressed onto the back of Julius¡¯ head. Surprisingly, it was Zouren himself who took action against Julius! However, this left everyone involved in blocking Izroth¡¯s path riddled with fear. If Zouren was willing to personally make a move for the sake of two other two¡ªjust what were their identities? Zouren¡¯s directed his gaze at Izroth. He had to control the situation at its core; therefore, punishing Julius was a way to, at the very least, disy his intentions. Needless to say, Zouren¡¯s actions surprised Izroth. The two of them were not on friendly terms by any means. In fact, it would not have been strange if Zouren hade to reinforce Julius¡¯ position. But, instead, Zouren quickly silenced the young man and shifted the me of causing trouble from Izroth to him! Given the arrogance Zouren disyed during their previous brief encounters, this piqued Izroth¡¯s interest. ¡®Oh? Just what are you up to?¡¯ Chapter 759 - Secret Realm, Zouren’s Generosity

Chapter 759: Secret Realm, Zouren¡¯s Generosity

Not too long ago, Zouren sent someone to eliminate Izroth. Now, he was being unusually friendly. After all, with Zouren¡¯s proud nature, how could he not find trouble with Izroth and Azalea after one of his men died under their hands? Izroth did not know what Zouren was plotting, but it had to be something noteworthy if he was willing to go this far. ¡°I want to think everyone foring. However, this gathering is now officially over. Rest assured, I, Zouren, will remember those of you who have attended today¡¯s event.¡± Zouren announced. ¡°Eh, it¡¯s over already?¡± ¡°I was hoping to form some more connections¡­ Sigh, what a shame.¡± ¡°At least Young Zouren will not forget us. Hmph, Julius, that guy, trying to show off and ended up offending the wrong people.¡± ¡°Aye, I¡¯m d I sat back and watched; otherwise, that could be me in that ce right now¡­¡± Everyone whispered and discussed among themselves as they thanked Zouren before leaving the Moonlit Dove Garden. As for the unconscious Julius, Zouren had one of the individuals leaving the garden take him along with them. Now, the only people who remained in the garden were Izroth, Azalea, Zouren, and the four special guests he invited. After the other guests took their leave, Zouren made a small gesture towards the inner chest area of his martial robes. This action put Azalea on guard as she carefully observed Zouren¡¯s movements. Not even half a secondter, a talisman appeared in Zouren¡¯s hand that released a faint pulse. Izroth noticed that after the faint pulse spread, the surrounding space within a few meters underwent some changes. But, despite these changes, there were no signs of danger or killing intent. ¡°I used a Drifting Barrier Talisman. As long as we remain within its sphere of influence, no one will hear what we¡¯re discussing.¡± Zouren exined in a solemn tone. He then proceeded to ask, ¡°Why have youe to this ce?¡± Zouren was unsure how Izroth figured out that he was holding a gathering at the Twin Fang INN¡¯s Moonlit Dove Garden; however, it was toote to do anything about it. More importantly, Zouren did not yet grasp Izroth¡¯s intention. That¡¯s why as a safety precaution, just in case Izroth chose to cause trouble, Zouren sent everyone else away. Of course, this was excluding the special guests he invited. Zouren¡¯s mind traveled in a myriad of directions. But, how could he have known that Izroth only discovered this meeting by chance? ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t you already know the reason? I believe he went by Hyran.¡± Izroth answered. Even though Izroth did not n on encountering Zouren, the timing could not have been better. One way or another, Zouren had to pay the price for sending someone to im his life. Zouren narrowed his eyes as he secretly cursed Hyran under his breath. ¡°That useless fool¡­! He wasn¡¯t even useful enough to keep his mouth shut..!¡± Zouren thought to himself. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Zouren asked with a darkened expression. ¡°What do I want to do? Of course, I came to collect a debt.¡± Izroth stated. After those words, the atmosphere grew heavy. Both sides released incredible pressure as the intensity of their confrontation reached a critical point. It seemed that at any moment, either side would make their move! However, after a few moments passed, the pressure from both sides ceased as Zouren was the first to break the silence. ¡°Hmph, if you couldn¡¯t even handle a weakling like that, do you deserve to be the second team¡¯s captain?¡± Zouren scoffed. He then continued, ¡°You want to collect a debt? Fine. Since I underestimated you, I¡¯ll give you a chance. I assume you know the value of a Secret Realm. The treasures it contains are said to be great enough that kingdoms of the past have fought wars over them. I am giving you an opportunity to enter a Secret Realm.¡± ¡®A Secret Realm?¡¯ Once Zouren mentioned the Secret Realm, Izroth began to piece everything together. Izroth noticed that while Zouren dismissed everyone, there were still a few people at the garden¡¯s center. It was clear that their status and power were no lower than that of Zouren¡¯s, considering they were still present. Not to mention, Izroth could sense the deep power that dwelled within those individuals. Izroth finally understood why Zouren went as far as to get rid of everyone and set up a Drifting Barrier Talisman to have a private conversation with him. Zouren must have wanted to keep him from disclosing anything that could ruin or damage his reputation! However, even if that was the case, Izroth felt that it was not enough to warrant an invite to a Secret Realm from Zouren. ¡®There must be an underlying reason behind his abrupt ¡°generosity¡±. Regardless, the opportunity to enter a Secret Realm does note by often.¡¯ Back during his trip to Vocstracane, the skounae outpost city leveled by Izroth near the previously neutral Unsanctioned Zone, Izroth entered a hidden area known as Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal. It was there that he discovered the existence of the Secret Realm: Arkogis¡¯s Ordeal and obtained the fourth Realm Fragment. But, in order to discover the location of the Secret Realm, it required a total of six fragments. In addition, it could only be opened when all six fragments were gathered at the ess point. Izroth often checked on the status of his Realm Fragment; however, the fragments located were still at four out of six. This meant that until thest two fragments were discovered, there was no way to enter the Secret Realm. If Zouren was inviting him to a Secret Realm, it must have meant that the four people at the garden¡¯s center came here for that reason. Nevertheless, Izroth did not allow himself to be blinded by the chance to enter a Secret Realm. Ultimately, he still did not trust Zouren. Not to mention, there was little to nothing known about Secret Realms among the RML yer base. Though danger was no stranger to opportunity; therefore, Izroth was not afraid. ¡®I may have defeated Smiling Demon who was at the initial stage of the legendary realm; however, the power I used at that time is still too unreliable. If I grow toocent with my current strength, it will only be a matter of time before I¡¯m hunted down endlessly by my enemies with no way to fight back. I have to be stronger. Strong to the point that I can look down on beings like the Netherworld Monarch and those above the firmament in this world.¡¯ Izroth had notpletely written off Zouren¡¯s debt. Nor did not believe Zouren would not try anything in the future. However, since he walked away unscathed, Izroth chose to set the matter aside for the time being. But, if Zouren tried to aim for his life a second time¡ªeven if he invited him to ten Secret Realms, it would not be sufficient. He would have to use his life as payment! ¡°Oh? A Secret Realm? A bit interesting.¡± Izrothmented nonchntly. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m willing to bring you along, but I have a few conditions.¡± Zouren mentioned. ¡°First, you are not allowed to disclose the fact you are the second team¡¯s captain. If anyone brings it up, just say you made it to the top ten.¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± Izroth responded without hesitation. He then continued, ¡°Why should I go out of my way to stretch the truth for your sake? If they don¡¯t ask, I won¡¯t bring it up. But, if they ask a question of specifics, I will not lie for your sake.¡± ¡°You-!¡± Zouren had a strong urge to attack Izroth right then and there, but he managed to stay his hand as he quickly regained his calm. ¡°Very well, then I¡¯ll make it worth your while..! How does one grade two epic quality defensive talisman sound?¡± Zouren spoke through his teeth to restrain his anger. ¡°Five.¡± Izroth countered. ¡°Two!¡± Zouren offered as he felt his blood boiling. ¡°Three. Otherwise, you can forget about it.¡± If looks could kill, Zouren¡¯s gaze would have been enough to destroy Izroth a thousand times over! But, Zouren did not forget the greater goal that lied ahead. ¡°Take it¡­!¡± Zouren scowled as he reluctantly tossed a small bag towards Izroth. Izroth caught the small bag and checked inside. There were three golden talismans with cryptic white text etched into them. And, just as Zouren mentioned, they were all grade three epic quality talismans! Any one of these talismans would sell for an absurd price! Izroth removed one of the talismans from the small bag and handed it to Azalea. ¡°Keep it. It¡¯s never bad to have one more lifesaving tool at your disposal.¡± Izroth said calmly. ¡°Thank you, teacher.¡± Azalea graciously epted Izroth¡¯s gift. Zouren, who witnessed this sight, almost coughed up blood from anger. He pushed him to give another talisman just to give it away to the person next to him?! ¡°Now, since that¡¯s settled¡­ Shall we head over? It seems your guests are growing somewhat impatient.¡± Izrothmented. Chapter 760 - Skill Orbs, Are We Going Or Not?!

Chapter 760: Skill Orbs, Are We Going Or Not?!

¡°Hmph! You cane over, but she has to leave.¡± Zouren said as he pointed to Azalea. ¡°Your presence here raised questions and agitated an already delicate situation. If the bnce is upset any further, you can forget about the Secret Realm.¡± Izroth looked over at Azalea; however, before he could even speak, Azalea respectfully cupped her fists and said, ¡°Teacher, there is no need to concern yourself with my thoughts. As for our previous arrangement¡ªthis matter can wait.¡± Azalea did not know what a Secret Realm was or the benefits from going there, but she roughly understood its importance from the brief exchange between Izroth and Zouren. Knowing her teacher¡¯s temperament, Azalea would not be surprised if he insisted that she still join the discussion even if the Secret Realm was off the table for her. But, there was a good chance this would lead to the entire situation being upheaved. In the end, Azalea decided to dismiss herself and ease Izroth¡¯s worries. How could she let him miss out on such a rare opportunity because of her presence? Izroth inwardly shook his head at Azalea¡¯s actions. Initially, he nned on asking her thoughts on the matter, but it appeared that it was unnecessary. ¡°Since I promised to teach you some skills, I will keep half of that promise now,¡± Izroth said as he held his hand out. The next moment, a transparent orb no bigger than one¡¯s fist materialized in the palm of Izroth¡¯s hand. As the orb finished forming, a gentle cerulean light started to flow within it. ¡®It is unfortunate that I could not imprint its primed version, but¡­ It¡¯s not impossible for her to search for her own understanding.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: You have imprinted the skill ?Enhanced Instantaneous Movement? into a Skill Orb. Do you wish to rename the skill?¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill has sessfully been renamed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to set additional conditions for the skill?¡µ ¡´System Alert: Additional conditions have been set!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have created x1 ?Skill Orb: Phantom Shift?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You currently have [1/5] Skill Orb slots remaining.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You cannot create another Skill Orb for 24 hours.¡µ After reaching level 50, yers could undergo a second ss advancement. This change was enough to propel a yer¡¯s power to a level well beyond that of their peers. However, such a ss advancement did not exist forbat masters. Instead,bat masters unlocked a new ss feature¡ªthe ability to create items known as skill orbs. Skill orbs were simr to skill books in that they could be used by yers to learn the skill that was contained inside. However, unlike skill books that yers had no control over,bat masters were able to set requirements and conditions for the skill. Whether it was lowering or increasing the requirement, it had the ability to change the overall potential of the skill. This was a feature known only by Izroth. After all, even the beta testers never made it this far with thebat master ss. This meant that Izroth was the first-everbat master in RML to reach level 50! While the ability to create skill orbs did not increase abat master¡¯s strength, in a way, it transformed thebat master into the ultimate support ss. A ss that granted yers the ability to create skills and teach them to others¡ªif news of this were to spread, it would cause a huge shockwave to sweep throughout RML! Even something like a C-ranked skill book could go for hundreds of gold coins. As for A-ranked skill books¡ªthey were not on the market often, but thest known A-ranked skill book that was put up for sale sold for 12,000 gold coins. That was more than 2,000,000 RMB! When it came to S-ranked skill books, there was zero every released to the open market. If it did sell, it was something only the top guilds who were backed by wealthypanies could ever hope to afford. ¡®It¡¯s a shame the growth potential is one step short. But, it¡¯s better than I anticipated.¡¯ Name: Skill Orb: Phantom Shift Starting Rank: B Max Rank Growth Potential: SS Usage: Teaches the user the skill ?Phantom Shift?. Special Note: This item will be automatically consumed upon use. Skill Name: Phantom Shift Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: B Charges: 3/3 Requirement(s): 1,500+ Agility Condition(s): Every 10% mastery acquired, the Agility requirement for this skill is increased by 300 points. Active: Consumes 1 charge and allows the user to instantly move to any point within 10 meters. The user gains 1 charge every 1 minute 30 seconds. The user cannot travel directly through solid objects or strong magic barriers. Special Note: This skill has been improved from its original version by the creator. The skill mastery to Phantom Shift cannot be increased using skill points. This skill¡¯s rank can be improved through repeated usage and proper execution. ¡®It¡¯s starting rank is only B; however, its growth potential is SS-ranked. Does that mean as one continues to master it, it will eventually grow into an SS-ranked skill? If so, the value of skill orbs are not small. Also¡­ it appears the system automatically takes the difficulty of the condition into ount to determine the skill¡¯s growth potential. In the future, I will have to think carefully about how to implement conditions.¡¯ Izroth handed the skill orb to Azalea, who happily epted it. ¡°For now, work on mastering this skill. Once I return, I will teach you another suitable skill.¡± Izroth said calmly. ¡°Yes. Thank you, teacher. I shall await your return.¡± Azalea responded. Even though a veil covered the lower part of her face, it could notpletely hide the light smile that found its way to her lips. Azalea red towards Zouren and said coldly, ¡°If anything happens to my teacher, I will not rest until your body no longer has a head.¡± Without waiting for Zouren¡¯s response, Azalea turned into a phantom as she disappeared from the Moonlit Dove Garden without a trace. Hearing Azalea¡¯s words without having a chance to respond caused Zouren¡¯s blood to boil over. First, he had to make some concessions and invite this hateful person to a Secret Realm and now even some random nobody was looking down on him?! ¡°Good, enjoy your arrogance while you can¡ªboth of you!¡± Zouren internalized as he held back his rage. ¡°Remember our deal,¡± Zouren said as he canceled the Drifting Barrier Talisman and began to walk back towards the garden¡¯s center where the others were waiting. ¡°Your reminder is unnecessary,¡± Izroth replied casually as he followed Zouren to the center of the Moonlit Dove Garden. As the two approached, a sweet voice sounded, ¡°You have kept us waiting for quite some time. I¡¯m curious to know what the two of you were discussing so secretively.¡± This voice belonged to the fifth princess of the Nine Great ns, Luxia. ¡°Just some casual catching up. Rest assured, its insignificance does not deserve the fifth princess¡¯ attention.¡± Zouren stated without pause. Luxia narrowed her eyes. Did he take her for a fool? If it was just some casual catching up, was there a need to use a talisman to iste the sound around that area? Nevertheless, Luxia did not pursue the topic. ¡°I see. It is important to maintain good rtionships. In this matter, Young Zouren is wise.¡± Luxiamented with a lovely smile. ¡°This woman¡ªhmph, does she think my status is any less than hers?¡± Zouren thought to himself as he kept his cool about him. It was obvious what Luxia was hinting at from her words about maintaining good rtionships. She was both threatening and mocking him at the same time. However, Zouren ignored Luxia¡¯s attempt to fish for more information by rattling him. This was the closest they have been to opening the Secret Realm. Regardless of his personal feelings towards those present, Zouren would not let this opportunity pass him by. ¡°And who might this friend be?¡± Luxia inquired as she set his gaze on Izroth and greeted him with an expression filled with warmth. ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t care what you two were walking about or this small talk! I hate wasting my time more than anything! Zouren, you bastard, are we going to the Secret Realm or not?!¡± Hakros roared impatiently. Chapter 761 - Control, Arriving At The Entrance To The Secret Realm

Chapter 761: Control, Arriving At The Entrance To The Secret Realm

¡°How unruly,¡± Luxia whispered under her breath in response to Hakros¡¯ sudden outburst. ¡°Since I have gathered you all here, naturally, it is to discuss entering the Secret Realm. But, before that, allow me to introduce to you the sixth member who will be joining us in the Secret Realm, Izroth. Izroth, this is¡­¡± Zouren went on to introduce everyone. Izroth gave a small nod in response. Besides Zouren, he was not familiar with any of those present and did not recognize any of them from the second team¡¯s selection on Zushuatri¡¯s Sky Pce. However, Izroth could tell at a nce¡ªif any one of these individuals participated in the second team¡¯s selection, they would have easily made it into the top ten! After he finished basic introductions, Zouren lightly cleared his throat and said, ¡°As you all know, we will be entering the three-star Secret Realm: Era of Titans.¡± The moment Zouren mentioned the name of the Secret Realm, the atmosphere turned heavy. ¡°Titans¡­ I¡¯m not sure if our luck is really good or extraordinarily bad.¡± Agromin sighed. ¡°Indeed. Every Secret Realm containing the word Titan is known for the great treasures that reside within. However, it is also equally as known for its difficulty being infinitely close to the next stage. Meaning, even if it is listed as a three-star Secret Realm, we have to approach much like one would a pseudo-four-star Secret Realm.¡± Luxia chimed in. ¡°Precisely. That is why I would like to make a proposal. Entering a Secret Realm while fragmented will leave us gaining little to no benefits. In order to maximize our rewards and minimize our losses, we should choose someone to act as the leader. In this way, not only can we avoid internal strife, but also-¡° ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Hakros did not wait for Zouren to finish before cutting him off. He then continued, ¡°Leader? What¡¯s the point! Let me tell you, once we enter the Secret Realm, I will do things my own way! As for what the rest of you do, I could care less! As I¡¯ve said before, I don¡¯t have time to babysit.¡± ¡°I never thought these words would leave my mouth, but Hakros is right. What¡¯s the point of electing a leader when there¡¯s no trust present? Instead, how about this¡ªwe split into two groups of two. This way we can cover more ground inside the Secret Realm since our time will be limited. At the same time, we can ensure one another¡¯s safety in case any unexpected problems arise. After half the time has passed, we¡¯ll rendevous at a predetermined location.¡± Agromin suggested. ¡°I agree with this approach. Seeing as how Hakros is determined to move alone inside the Secret Realm, we should not stop him. But, if it is like this, I am afraid someone else among us will have to travel by themselves.¡± Luxia chimed. ¡°I don¡¯t mind moving with the fifth princess,¡± Agromin stated. ¡°Then, I shall graciously ept your offer,¡± Luxia replied with a gentle smile. ¡°These two bastards¡ªthey nned this all along¡­!¡± Zouren internalized as his expression darkened. Agromin and Luxia must have known that he would make a suggestion to be the leader since he held two out of six of the fragments. They also knew how Hakros would respond to it with his headstrong nature. But, instead of supporting his decision or t out rejecting it, they used it to further their own agenda! ¡°Now, there is no need to have such a grim expression, Young Zouren. I am sure our new friend here is more than willing to apany you¡ªsince the two of you have quite a close connection, after all.¡± Luxia said in a friendly tone. She then faced the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia, and continued, ¡°Ah, this is unfortunate. It looks like you will have to move independently within the Secret Realm, Sychia. No, how can I allow a maiden such as yourself to wander a Secret Realm alone? I could never be at ease if anything happened to you. How about you just join me and Agromin? That way, we can all watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± ¡°Your offer¡ªI refuse,¡± Sychia replied without haste as she red at Luxia. ¡°My, that¡¯s a shame. I was truly looking forward to traveling together with you. Indeed, such a shame.¡± Luxia giggled softly before lightly pping her hands together. ¡°Then, since everything has been decided, shall we depart?¡± Luxia said as she held her hand out. The following moment, the earth a few meters away trembled within the Moonlit Dove Garden as a single sapling rose from the earth. This sapling grew rapidly and blossomed into a tree with overflowing magical power. Afterwards, exactly six branches extended downward from the top of the tree as the tip of the branches curled to create a makeshift tform. Izroth examined the tree with his Energy Vision Sense and immediately noticed that it was intrinsically connected to the entire nt life inside the Moonlit Dove Garden. Whether it was a de of grass or wildflower¡ªit was all being influenced by the tree. ¡®It¡¯s my first time seeing it in person¡­ Is this the rare Nature Magic of the trephasia race?¡¯ Due to their high affinity with nature and mana, it was no surprise that the trephasia created a branch suitable for their use. Just as its name suggested, Nature Magic involved control over nature and acted as the doorway to an even more amazing magic¡ªCreation Magic! However, ording to what he read from a book at the Wiseman of Everpeak¡¯s estate, Creation Magic was considered to be a lost magic. Though there was some spection that the Guardian of the Forest, who protected the Tree of Provenance in the Mother of All Forests, was the only entity in the Mortal Realm capable of using Creation Magic. Regardless, even using something like Nature Magic, which acted as a close second to Creation Magic, was an impressive feat by itself. ¡®It¡¯s too bad that guy isn¡¯t here to see this. I am sure it is something he would appreciate more than most. But, perhaps¡­ a bit too much.¡¯ The makeshift tform crafted from the tree¡¯s branches finished forming as Luxia was the first to step on, followed by Agromin, Hakros, and Zouren. In truth, Zouren wanted to continue the discussion about bing the leader, but with half of the group turning their head at his suggestion, he knew that persisting any further would only cause him to lose face. ¡°I still need to gain the full support of the fifth princess. Once I do, I will be one step closer to bing the future master of the Eight Heavens. Until then, I will let her have her way.¡± Zouren thought to himself with a grin. Izroth and Sychia were thest two to step onto the makeshift tforms. And, after everyone was on a tform, the branches retracted back towards the top of the tree as the group was pulled into the tree itself! Inside the tree was a spacious wooden room with hundreds, or possibly even thousands of mirrors epassed by wooden branches. Each mirror was roughly 1.5 meters in length and disyed various images that ranged from a luscious verdant forest to a peacefulke. ¡®This should be an isted pocket of space formed within the magic tree. Is this also the work of her Nature Magic?¡¯ ¡°We will arrive in a few moments. Until then, feel free to make yourselvesfortable.¡± Luxia said as six wooden chairs sprouted from the floor. But, despite her hospitality, no one took a seat. The atmosphere was heavy and the auras around everyone became intense. Right now, the only thing on their mind was entering the Secret Realm! ¡­ A few momentster¡­ In a quiet forest located on a distant mountain range, a lone sapling rose from the earth. Rmmmmble! The ground shook as arge tree emerged and shot out six branches that impaled the earth. Zeeeut! Zeeeut! The branches disappeared and in their ce appeared Izroth and the others who were inside the magic tree. Then, just as fast as it grew, the magic tree sunk into the earth and vanished, leaving no trace of itself behind. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Luxia announced. ¡®So, this is the entrance to the Secret Realm. I have to say, it¡¯s somewhat different than I expected.¡¯ Located several meters away from Izroth and his group was a dark purple portal approximately one meter wide and two meters in length. The portal was surrounded by a white ring of energy with ancient golden text engraved on its surface. Chapter 762 - Secret Realm: Era of Titans

Chapter 762: Secret Realm: Era of Titans

¡°Here!¡± Zouren¡¯s voice sounded, followed by the whistle of an object flying through the air. Bang! Izroth reacted quickly as he lifted his hand, catching the object in his palm. Although it was a casual throw and there was no killing intent behind it, the force it generated was not something the average yer would have been able to handle without falling over. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Zouren¡¯s childish antics. He looked down at the object given him and briefly inspected it. Just like the previous Realm Fragment he received, it was a metallic ck icosahedron. The only difference was that instead of a faint silver light pulsing at its core, there was a barely discernable ck light. Name: Realm Fragment VI Realm: Era of Titans Difficulty: ¡ï¡ï¡ï Fragments Located: 6/6 Realm Status: Closed Usage: Once all six fragments are discovered, the location of the ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? will be revealed. However, the Secret Realm can only be opened when all six fragments are gathered at the ess point. Those without a ?Realm Fragment? for that specific Realm are unable to enter. Special Note: This item has a 100% chance to be dropped upon death. This item¡¯s owner will continuously have their location revealed to others who hold a ?Realm Fragment? for ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans?. After all six fragments have been located, this item¡¯s owner cannot be protected by safe zones. The moment Izroth received the Realm Fragment, the white ring of energy with ancient text dissipated as the surrounding area violently trembled. At the same time, a couple of system alerts sounded in Izroth¡¯s head. But, what surprised Izroth was that the Realm Fragment in his hand sunk into his skin. Once the Realm Fragment disappeared, a white and gold magic circle materialized on the back of Izroth¡¯s right hand. The appearance of this magic circle matched the white energy that epassed the portal just seconds ago. After shing a few times, the magic circle vanished and entered a dormant state. ¡´System Alert: The ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? Realm Status has been updated from [Closed] to [Open].¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by ?Realm Stability?.¡µ Izroth did not feel any different; however, he could vaguely sense the presence of the Realm Fragment inside his body. As for how the Realm Stability affected him¡ªIzroth had no clue. For whatever reason, the system did not bother to further borate. ¡®There¡¯s a good chance I will get some answers once I enter the Secret Realm. For now¡­¡¯ Izroth set his sights on the portal as it slowly expanded until it was double its original size. In addition, it turned from a dark purple color into a lightvender. At first, the portal appeared unstable. But, not too long after it underwent a transformation, the violent trembles ceased and the portal stabilized. Izroth tried to use his Appraisal skill on the portal; however, his current mastery was too low to uncover anything. ¡®It¡¯s just as I suspected. Appraisal is unable to see through the portal, but¡ªperhaps that will work.¡¯ ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Secret Realm Portal?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: The (redacted) inside this (redacted) has beenpletely (redacted) from the (redacted) making it (redacted) for its inhabitants to (redacted) to the (redacted).¡µ ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. He did not have the Deep Insight skill for long and so he expected some surprises. But, this was the first time the information he acquired was nked out. Was it trying to say that his mastery level was too low? Or, was it information someone or something wanted to purposely keep confidential? Of course, there was also the possibility that every Secret Realm¡¯s portal did this to protect the contained mysteries within. Nheless, Izroth could not shake this gut feeling that there was something more to this Secret Realm than what lied on the surface. ¡°The Secret Realm is now open. But, before we enter, I would like to make onest suggestion.¡± Luxia said as she stepped forward. She then continued, ¡°We do not know what dangers may lurk on the other side of this portal. There have been some reported cases of people being transported right into the middle of danger. That¡¯s why I propose we enter in a specific order¡ªthat is, to lower our chances of being caught off guard.¡± ¡°I agree with the fifth princess. It would be too much of a loss for any of us if we were to be injured before we could even begin to explore the Secret Realm.¡± Agrominmented. Zouren nodded and said, ¡°We should at least do this much as a group. Once we¡¯re all safely inside then we can stick to the original n.¡± ¡°Excellent, then we are all agreed. Hakros, since you are the most eager and durable of every present here, why don¡¯t you go in first?¡± Luxia said without waiting for Izroth and Sychia to express their opinions. As for Hakros, with his personality, there was no chance of him refusing the opportunity to be the first to enter the Secret Realm. ¡°Hmph, want to use me as a shield? Fine! I¡¯ll go along with it just this once and clear the path if need be. But, don¡¯t expect me to wait for any of you once I¡¯m on the other side.¡± Hakros stated as he walked towards the portal and halted his steps right in front of it. A grin appeared on Hakros¡¯ face as the wild fighting spirit in his eyes could not be hidden. As someone from the Wild Lands, the need for battle was in his blood! ¡°I hope you don¡¯t disappoint me..!¡± Hakros growled to himself as he stepped through the portal. The following moment, the portal released a brief sh of light as Hakros vanished! ¡°Now, Agromin should go in, followed by myself and then Young Zouren. After that, Sychia and then our new friend here will enter.¡± Luxia stated with a warm smile. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere after Luxia spoke. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll-¡± Agromin was about to make his way towards the portal to the Secret Realm; however, out of nowhere, an elegant and sweet scent filled his nostrils. ¡®Hm?¡¯ Swoosh! A gentle breeze blew past Izroth as his view was filled with the sight of cherry blossoms that appeared out of thin air. It was not long before Izroth¡¯s eyesight waspletely obstructed by a storm of cherry blossoms. But, just before thest of the cherry blossoms blocked his view, Izroth spotted a figure running through the storm of cherry blossoms without issue. This figure was the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia! Followed by a short sh of light from the portal, the cherry blossoms disappeared. And, the Thousand Blossom Maiden was no longer anywhere to be found. ¡°My, how impatient¡­ Do you think you can escape from me?¡± Luxia spoke in a sweet voice; however, there was no hint of warmth this time around. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± The look in Luxia¡¯s eyes turned cold and was filled with hidden killing intent as she sped into the portal after Sychia along with Agromin! ¡®Oh? I can see why she took off with such haste.¡¯ Back in the Moonlit Dove Garden, Izroth was not blind to Luxia¡¯s targeting of Sychia. However, he initially believed that it was just a simple form of rivalry. But, judging from what had just urred, it was obvious that some form of bad blood existed between Luxia and Sychia. Whatever the case, he did not n on getting caught up in the middle of their feud. After all, it had nothing to do with him. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some advice if you want to live. Don¡¯t even think about sticking your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, understand?¡± Zouren said before he rushed into the portal without waiting for Izroth¡¯s response. ¡®Don¡¯t stick my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, is it¡­? Well, now¡ªI¡¯m a bit interested.¡¯ A carefree smile appeared on Izroth¡¯s face as he walked into the portal. As he did so, the world around him went ck and fell into total silence. ¡­ Zeeeeut! Izroth¡¯s vision slowly returned as he left the world of darkness and emerged in an unfamiliar ce. Though there was a familiar sound that rang in his head upon his arrival. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? will close in 24 hours! If you fail to reach the exit portal before time expires, you will be unable to leave the Secret Realm!¡µ Atst, Izroth had arrived in the Secret Realm, Era of Titans! Chapter 763 - Breath of Gaea

Chapter 763: Breath of Gaea

¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to enter a Secret Realm! You will be rewarded a temporary item beneficial to your current Secret Realm.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 150.¡µ ¡´System Alert: For being the first yer to enter a Secret Realm, you have been rewarded the temporary item ?Breath of Gaea?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to enter a 3-star Secret Realm! Your rewards have been temporarily withheld until you exit the Secret Realm.¡µ As Izroth read over the new wave of system alerts, he was somewhat disappointed to discover that some of his rewards had been withheld by the system. But, fortunately, the system did not leave him empty-handed. Izroth essed his inventory and removed the temporary item he acquired. The item was a refined silver ring with unknown white symbols etched onto its surface. Izroth sensed a flow of life circting inside the ring; however, there appeared to be nothing else particrly useful about it. essory Name: Breath of Gaea(Soulbound) essory Rank: Unique* Description: An extremely well-crafted decorative ring that emits a vibrant aura of life. If the wearer reveals this ring to others, they will either be seen as an ally or enemy. Special Note: This ring can be equipped regardless of how many essories its wearer has. ¡®This is a bit different from what I expected. Just wearing it and revealing it to others will automatically make me an ally or enemy in their eyes. If that¡¯s the case, isn¡¯t it better to just not wear it?¡¯ Izroth was somewhat skeptical about the ring. For one, it did not give any stats. More importantly, there wasn¡¯t even an effect attached to it despite its unique rank! Instead, there was only a simple description. ¡®No, this ring is definitely simple. The system clearly stated that it would grant me an item beneficial to the current Secret Realm. That means this ring must hold some form of significance here. I just have to find a way to use it to my advantage.¡¯ Izroth decided to equip the ring for the time being. If it turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, it would not be toote to unequip itter on. ¡®Now¡­ I suppose I should figure out where I am.¡¯ Currently, Izroth stood inside of an ancient temple that was in ruins. At the center of the spacious temple was a broken statue made of marble. It was difficult to make out the exact features due to it being shattered into numerous pieces, but one could tell that it was the statue of a person. Without a second thought, Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense and extended it to its maximum range to scan the surroundings. He maintained this state for a few seconds to get a clear picture of things before deactivating his Energy Vision Sense to conserve his essence. But, after he finished scanning the area, a visible frown formed on Izroth¡¯s face. ¡®Strange, there are no signs of life within this temple or the surrounding kilometer. How is this possible?¡¯ The others had only entered into the portal a few seconds ahead of him. How could all of them have already traveled more than a kilometer away? ¡®Could it be that everyone was sent to different locations?¡¯ To Izroth, this was the most logical answer. But, it still did not exin why there was such arge absence of life. ¡®I may have been transported far away from any civilizations¡­ That is, considering this Secret Realm has any residents. For now, I should find my way out of this temple. Maybe once I step outside some light will be shed on certain things.¡¯ After a brief survey of the temple, Izroth found that there was only one pathway located on the opposite side of where he originally appeared. ¡®It looks like there is only one way in and out of here. Since there¡¯s nothing useful in here, I should get moving. After all, my time in this Secret Realm is limited.¡¯ 24 hours may seem like a lot of time, but Izroth still had no idea how big this Secret Realm was or where this exit portal the system mentioned was located. One thing was for sure, Izroth did not n on being trapped inside the Secret Realm; therefore, his first priority was to obtain information on the exit portal¡¯s location. Of course, this would not interfere with his ns to explore the Secret Realm. As for the others who entered before him¡ªIzroth was not concerned. In the end, they were not even acquaintances, let alonepanions. In truth, Izroth even nned to go separate ways despite Luxia¡¯s earlier suggestion once they were inside the Secret Realm. Nevertheless, it was not like any of themcked the strength to fend for themselves if anything unexpected did arise. Izroth made his way over to the pathway. The pathway was dark as there was no light source present. Due to this, Izroth did not know how deep or far it traveled. But, despite the darkness, Izroth was still able to make out some details. Though if not for his enhanced senses, it would have been impossible for Izroth to even think about navigating through the dark pathway using anything more than luck to hope he somehow managed to reach the exit. The next moment, Izroth stepped onto the pathway and was immediately swallowed by the darkness. ¡­ Several minutester¡­ Izroth had been traveling in total darkness for thest few minutes and there seemed to be no end in sight. However, just as he was beginning to think that perhaps he was trapped in some sort of endless loop, he saw a glimpse of light pouring through a small crack not too far ahead of him. Izroth halted his steps as he approached the crack. He could not make out anything on the other side, but there was a faint hint of warmthing from the light itself. ¡®If I¡¯m not mistaken, this glow should originate from a natural light source. Then¡­¡¯ Izroth looked ahead into the endless darkness. There was no way to tell just how long it would take for him to leave this ce if he continued onward. And, if that light truly dide from a natural light source like the sun, it would lead him directly outside of this ruined temple! The ceiling was roughly ten meters from the ground; however, this was not a problem for Izroth. Swoosh! Izroth kicked off the ground as he jumped several meters into the air. Though just as he started to lose momentum, his foot came into contact with the wall and he was propelled further upward. This was thanks to his skill, Wall Walking. Wall Walkingsted a mere three seconds; therefore, Izroth did not have much time to force open the crack in the ceiling to create a pathway of his own! ¡®I need to reserve my Sky Steps in case of emergencies. Since I¡¯m venturing into unknown territory, I should hold onto as many cards as possible until I obtain a solid grasp of this Secret Realm.¡¯ After reaching a bit past the halfway point, Izroth pushed off against the wall with his foot at an angle. This sent him right towards the small crack in the ceiling. At the same time, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of The Storm. Then, in one motion, he swung twice in quick session without killing his momentum. Swoosh! Swoosh! Izroth¡¯s sword strikes left an X-shaped mark over the crack as held his left arm overhead and crashed into the ceiling! Bang! The ceiling crumbled under the impact as a bright light poured in while Izroth shot through the new opening. Zeeeut! Izroth immediately used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to ensure his arrival without fault. Tap. As his feet touched the ground nearly ten meters away from where the opening he created was formed, Izroth was weed by the sight of a wilderness. This wilderness traveled in every direction as far as the eye could see. But, although it appeared vibrant and full of life, there were still no signs of life present ording to Izroth¡¯s Energy Vision Sense. Even the nts, which typically contained faint traces of energy he could observe with his trait, were apparently devoid of life. However, it did not make any sense. After all, Izroth was currently seeing and feeling the abundance of life with his natural senses right before him. ¡®How peculiar.¡¯ Chapter 764 - Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, Rebellious Son of Thunder

Chapter 764: Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, Rebellious Son of Thunder

¡­ Izroth ventured deeper into the wilderness. So far, he had been traveling for nearly fifteen minutes and there were no signs of animals or monsters, let alone people. But, it was not all bad news. Izroth came upon a strange tree with red leaves and a deep blue trunk that resembled the depths of the ocean. The tree was only three meters tall, making it one of the smaller trees Izroth hade across within the wilderness. Another unique feature this tree possessed was the abundance of fruit growing from its branches. This fruit bore a striking resemnce to figs, except it was bright maroon in color. In addition, there were short spikes that covered its surface. ¡®I have read thousands of books at the Amaharpe Pce Library and the Apothecary guild, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this in RML.¡¯ Izroth wasted no time plucking all the fruit from the tree and cing them into his inventory. However, he kept two of the fruit in the palm of his hands. Appearance-wise, there was not much that differed between the two fruit. That is, excluding their colors. While most of the fruit on the tree was bright maroon like the one Izroth held in his left hand, the fruit in Izroth¡¯s right hand was an untainted saffron. There were tens of the bright moon fruit; however, there were only three of the saffron fruit. ¡®Just from this alone, my trip to this Secret Realm has already paid off.¡¯ Name: Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree Rank: Mythical(192) Usage: An unmatured ?Wing of the Ambrosia Tree?. While it is often referred to as a fruit, the ?Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? is a special ore found only in the ?Ancient Wilderness?. Once fully matured, it is said that the ?Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? will be devoid of impurities and require no refining. Adding this ore to items will cause them to exhibit some effects of longevity. Special Note: While edible, the ?Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? is considered highly unptable, and consuming it may cause harmful bodily side effects. Name: Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree Rank: Pseudo-Divine(1) Usage: A fully matured ?Wing of the Ambrosia Tree?. While it is often referred to as a fruit, the ?Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? is a special ore found only in the ?Ancient Wilderness?. Unlike most ores in nature, the ?Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? is devoid of impurities and does not require refining. Adding this ore to items will cause them to exhibit some effects of longevity and immortality. Special Note: Unlike the ?Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree?, the ?Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? tastes of a rich sweetness that¡¯s simr to honey with a hint of cinnamon. But, due to its extremely high purity, consuming it will result in death. Not only did Izroth obtain close a good amount of mythical quality ore, but he even received three pseudo-divine ores. In terms of rarity, not even the Blood of the Immortal Hydra could notpare to a pseudo-divine material! It had been less than an hour since he entered the Secret Realm and he already received such a massive bounty. ording to its description, the Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was capable of granting items effects of longevity. As for what these effects may be, Izroth had a few guesses but nothing concrete. Unfortunately, the Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree seemed incredibly difficult to work with given its toughness of 192 was only three points shy of the potent Blood of the Immortal Hydra. However, the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was clearly in a league of its own. With a toughness rating of one, it was so easy that evenplete novices could make use of it. Though whether or not they would unleash the material¡¯s full potential was another story. But, what really caught Izroth¡¯s eye about the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was one word¡ªimmortality. What was immortality? One of the most sought-after dreams of humanity¡ªeternal life! Of course, Izroth did not believe that it grant one true immortality. After all, it was not a true divine material. But, just by studying the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, it may be possible for one to delve deeper into the topic of eternal life in RML and grasp a more concrete understanding. Not to mention, even being given a form of limited ess to immortality would be unquestionably beneficial to the receiving party; therefore, Izroth was not disappointed in the slightest. ¡®It¡¯s a shame that there were only three of them that managed to reach full maturity. If I could return to this ce, I may have been willing to wait for the others to mature before picking them. But, time is a luxury Ick at the moment.¡¯ Izroth stored the remaining two fruit in his inventory as he took onest look at the Ambrosia Tree before continuing on his journey into the Ancient Wilderness. ¡®It¡¯s strange¡­ A ce with this much nt life, even if there are no monsters, at the very least, there should be some wild beasts roaming about. Can it be that this ce truly is devoid of living creatures?¡¯ The more time Izroth spent in this Secret Realm, the more he was certain¡ªthis ce was nothing like the Mortal Realm. As Izroth pondered about the bizarre state of the Secret Realm, the sound of flowing water drifted into his ears. Based on the turbulent sound alone, Izroth concluded it was most likely a stream. And, it was not too far away from the direction he was headed. There was nothing particrly special about the stream itself; however, wherever there was a water source, there was a good chance that people would be close by. At first, Izroth questioned whether or not there would be any people in the Secret Realm. But, after receiving the Breath of Gaea from the system, Izroth knew for certain there were inhabitants in this Secret Realm. While it would not be disadvantageous for him to simply explore the Ancient Wilderness and search for other treasures like the Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, Izroth had a feeling that there was much more this Secret Realm had to offer. At the moment, he did not know what that was. But, if he wanted to find out, Izroth understood that he needed to make contact with the residents of this Secret Realm. After all, if he failed to take full advantage of his current circumstance, he could only look back and regret in the future. Izroth swiftly made his way towards the sound of the flowing water as it became louder with every step. It did not take Izroth longer than a few breaths to reach his destination as the view of the stream came into sight. The water rushing through the shallow stream was light blue with a soft luster that appeared almost ethereal. However, just as Izroth was about to approach the stream, he suddenly slowed his steps beforeing to aplete stop. ¡®There¡¯s someone here?¡¯ Several meters away from Izroth there was a person kneeled over the stream. Based on the physique, it appeared to be a man with light blonde hair verging on the peak of white that stopped at his shoulders. It was hard to tell due to the angle, but they seemed to be washing their face or quenching their thirst. ¡®Even though they are right in front of me, I can¡¯t feel their presence.¡¯ Naturally, Izroth had scanned the area with his Energy Vision Sense beforehand. But, it did not reveal that anyone was present in the vicinity. Though what surprised him more than anything was that this person was capable ofpletely escaping the scope of his enhanced senses! Suddenly, the man paused his actions and slowly stood to his feet. The next moment, he turned and red in Izroth¡¯s direction, revealing a pair of sky blue eyes with hints of white energy flowing through them. He was quite handsome and appeared to be in histe twenties to early thirties. He wore an outfit that loosely resembled a toga that highlighted his well-toned body that looked as if it were forged through countless battles. ¡°Who is it?! If you have the courage,e out and face me! I will not flee from a challenge!¡± The man¡¯s voice boomed. When the man turned around, Izroth was finally able to get a look at his system information; however, it was nothing at all like he expected. ¡®This is certainly a first¡­¡¯ Name: Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis(???) Level: 0 Chapter 765 - Astratis

Chapter 765: Astratis

Name: Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis(???) Level: 0 ¡®Level zero¡­ Is this even possible?¡¯ To Izroth¡¯s knowledge, the lowest level in RML was one. This was the level all yers started their journey. Even the weakest of vigers were, at the very minimum, level 1. So, then, how could it be that this person before Izroth was at level 0? ¡®Something¡¯s off. The system is clearly disying his level as zero, but the aura he¡¯s giving off is telling apletely different story. Is he using some kind of treasure to hide his true level?¡¯ Izroth knew that there were plenty of treasures in RML that could hide a person¡¯s system information; however, those treasures all had some kind of energy signature when in use. Yet, Izroth did not sense a single drop of mana or any type of energying from Astratis. It was unnatural¡ªjust like everything else in this Secret Realm. ¡®Perhaps I¡¯ll have better luck with that.¡¯ Izroth used Deep Insight to peer into Astratis. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: This person is suffering from a severe internal wound, causing a noticeable decrease in their general strength and lifeforce.¡µ ¡®I see¡­ It¡¯s no wonder he is on such high alert. Still, it¡¯s somewhat strange. Even if he is weakened, his level should not have fallen to zero. Seeing as how he could detect my presence and unleash an aura this heavy in spite of his injury, it¡¯s possible he is someone that has already stepped into the legendary realm.¡¯ While Izroth could not ce his exact strength, he was certain Astratis was no weaker than someone like Smiling Demon. To be able to maintain that level of strength while in a severely weakened state was a clear testament to Astratis¡¯ true abilities. Izroth stepped out as he walked towards Astratis. And, in less than half a breath, he halted his steps exactly five meters away from Astratis. When Izroth approached him, a small frown found its way onto Astratis¡¯ face. ¡°A mortal? How did he survive this long in the Ancient Wilderness?¡± Astratis said to himself as he furrowed his brows. ¡®Mortal?¡¯ Of course, the current Izroth was a mortal. After all, in RML, only those who ascended into the Divine Realm could be regarded as higher beings. ¡®Could this person be someone from the Divine Realm? ¡­No, with the state of the Divinity Line and the naturalws of this world, something like that should not be possible. Then, does it have something to do with the lifestyle of the residents in this Secret Realm?¡¯ For all Izroth knew, those with any kind of power inside this Secret Realm could be seen as godlike beings. More importantly, Izroth had to learn the answer to one question¡ªwas this person an ally or foe? Astratis studied Izroth with a piercing gaze. Then, as if confirming his initial doubts, Astratis retracted his aura. ¡°Mortal, I do not know how you wandered this deep into the Ancient Wilderness, but you should return from whence you came,¡± Astratis stated. ¡°¡­It looks like that matter will have to wait. Though I can¡¯t say my luck was good this time around. For now¡­¡± Astratis muttered to himself as a hint of disappointment emerged on his face. He then released a heavy sigh and said, ¡°The Ancient Wilderness is filled with countless dangers. Losing one¡¯s life here is not umon. You are fortunate to have survived this long. But, even great fortune has its limits. In the end, mortals like youck the Ethos to face the Blighted. Where is your vige? I shall apany you there.¡± ¡®Oh?¡¯ Given his rough greeting, Izroth figured that Astratis was the strong-headed type who would attack first and ask questionster. He never expected Astratis to be so thoughtful as to be willing to escort someone, who was a powerless stranger in his eyes, to safety. Of course, Izroth had no such vige to return to considering he entered this Secret Realm from a portal in the Mortal Realm. In addition, Izroth did not fear any potential dangers and was more than capable of taking care of himself. But, there were some words in particr spoken by Astratis that caught Izroth¡¯s attention. ¡®Ethos? The Blighted? Neither one sounds familiar. Based on the context, Ethos must refer to a type of power. As for the Blighted, they could be monsters or just a group of hostile individuals. I need more information. For the time being, it¡¯s probably best that I do not mention the Mortal Realm.¡¯ ¡°I am from Opal Town. But, I¡¯m afraid I have no idea how to get there from here.¡± Izroth said calmly as he shook his head. When Izroth first started ying RML, he was spawned in one of the beginner zones called Opal Town. And, indeed, he currently had no clue on how to get there from the Ancient Wilderness. Therefore, it could not be said that he was speaking falsehoods. ¡°Opal Town¡­ Opal Town¡­ I fear this name escapes me.¡± Astratis stated with a thoughtful expression. He then continued, ¡°There is a small vige by the foot of the mountains near the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness. It may not be your home, but you will be safe there. I am sure the vigers will be more than weing. They may even know of this ce you call Opal Town.¡± ¡®This is a good opportunity. If I can interact with the vigers, I may be able to acquire a deeper insight into this world.¡¯ ¡°Then, I will have to trouble you for a while,¡± Izroth stated. ¡°Nonsense. It is my duty to help those in need, especially mortals like yourself. I am a littlete with introductions. I am the Son of Thunder, Astratis.¡± ¡°I am called Izroth.¡± ¡°Izroth? An unusual name. Follow me. Be sure not to stray too far away.¡± Astratis started to walk west of the stream¡ªthe same direction the water was flowing. Izroth followed a few steps behind him. ¡°You said the name of your vige was Opal Town, right? Which of the four pirs does it reside under? Knowing this much will help you get a headstart on returning there someday.¡± Astratis questioned. Pirs? Izroth was unaware of what Astratis was talking about. But, from the sound of things, it was possible that the four pirs were equivalent to the seven kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. If that was the case, it would be somewhat suspicious if he did not know what was considered asmon knowledge in this Secret Realm. Nevertheless, while Izroth may have been willing to stretch the truth, he could not tell an outright lie. Izroth shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I am unclear on this matter. I remember being plunged into an endless darkness and regaining myself inside a temple in ruins. Besides that, my memories of this ce are all nonexistent, excluding a few important details.¡± Izroth only knew what Zouren and the others in the group he came with discussed about the Secret Realm beforehand. Izroth¡¯s response caused Astratis to visibly frown. ¡°Hm¡­ If all you can remember is a few select pieces of information such as your name and the town you are from, it is possible that something has caused your memory to fade. But, fear not. Perhaps in time, your memories will naturally return to you.¡± Astratis said in an encouraging tone. ¡°However, to think you would even forget the four pirs¡ªthe memory loss must be quite extensive.¡± Izroth remained silent and chose not to correct Astratis¡¯ assumptions since it worked well to his advantage. ¡°But, perhaps this is secretly a blessing in disguise¡­¡± Astratis muttered to himself. He then raised his voice and said, ¡°Alright, listen up. I won¡¯t go too far into the details, but it may be a bit troublesome if you go around speaking nonsense about the four pirs out of ignorance. As a mortal, it is not a consequence you can bear.¡± ¡°There are four pirs in this world which are said to hold the heavens and earth apart. The Pir of the North, Myania. The Pir of the South, Schimatia. The Pir of the East, Yia. And, the Pir of the West, Ourami. Each pir rules over a separate part of this world and is worshipped by thousands.¡± Astratis exined. ¡°Which pir do you worship?¡± Izroth inquired. Astratis abruptly halted his steps as his expression darkened and the aura around him became heavy. ¡®Hm? Did I touch upon a sensitive topic?¡¯ ¡°¡­Considering your circumstances, I can forgive your offense this once. However, you must never ask this question again. Those pirs¡ªthey are the monstrosities of this world.¡± Astratis stated. A few secondster, the intense aura around Astratis vanished as he continued the journey. However, there was now a lingering silence in the air. But, surprisingly, Astratis was the first to break the silence. ¡°The words I have spoken¡ªyou should keep them close to your heart but never repeat them to others. Least you wish to bring a disaster upon yourself and those around you. Hearing one truth is the same as hearing nothing. Even if your memory should one day return, I hope that you do not forget this, Izroth.¡± Astratis said solemnly. Name change! ?? Chapter 766 - Cry of the Ateleigos!

Chapter 766: Cry of the Ateleigos!

¡­ Several minutes went by as Izroth and Astratis continued on their way downstream. Astratis had not spoken much ever since he brought up the four pirs; therefore, Izroth decided to give him some time to readjust. The moment Izroth noticed Astratis regained himself, he broke the silence and said, ¡°You said it was dangerous in the Ancient Wilderness. But, as far as I can tell, it is quite peaceful.¡± Whether it was his journey alone through the Ancient Wilderness or with Astratis, Izroth had not run into any sort of danger. There were no monsters, hazardous terrain, or bandits lying in wait to make an ambush. If anything, the Ancient Wilderness seemed like the ideal ce to take a rxing stroll through nature. It did not make any sense tobel such a ce as dangerous. ¡°Peaceful? Yes, I suppose it must appear that way to someone without Ethos.¡± Astratismented. He then exined, ¡°The Ancient Wilderness is home to the Blighted¡ªcursed beings who cannot be harmed by the power of mortals. Only those who have established a stable foundation in the utilization of Ethos can face them.¡± ¡°You mentioned the Ethos and Blighted before, but exactly what are they?¡± Izroth inquired. Astratis released a slight grunt and responded, ¡°To not even remember the basic foundations of the world¡­ You are like a newborn child who has yet to experience what the world has to offer.¡± ¡°Ethos is the power bestowed to those of us birthed by the Protogenos.¡± As Astratis spoke, he held out the palm of his hand, and on its surface, a milky light blue energy formed. The energy was faint and resembled that of antern¡¯s me; however, there was a profound and mystifying feeling to it. Izroth tried to use his Energy Vision Sense to examine the energy, but there were no changes. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve run into an energy source that cannot be perceived by my Energy Vision Sense. It appears to work on an entirely different set of principles from mana. Comparing the two would be like trying topare water to sand.¡¯ Astratis closed his hand as the Ethos disappeared. ¡°Foul and wicked beasts of evil who knows nothing more than destruction¡ªthat is the Blighted. Those of us capable of utilizing Ethos use it tobat the Blighted and protect mortals from their senseless destruction. At least, that¡¯s how things should be¡­¡± Astratis muttered thest part under his breath as he sighed. Senseless destruction? To Izroth, that sounded exactly like monsters in the Mortal Realm whose only goal, more often than not, was to y anyone who went near them. As for Ethos, Astratis¡¯ exnation did not reveal much, which caused Izroth to be somewhat disappointed. ¡®Ethos¡­ It¡¯s possible that it holds some simrities to Dragon Force for the residents of this Secret Realm. Just like how asking a true dragon how to use Dragon Force is the same as someone asking you how to breathe¡ªperhaps it¡¯s all a natural instinct.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace. We should reach the vige in-¡° GRWAAAAAAAAAH! Out of nowhere, a soul-shaking cry echoed throughout the Ancient Wilderness that cut off Astratis¡¯ words. The force from this cry was so powerful that Izroth and Astratis were struck by the sonic shockwave it generated. ¡°?!¡± Astratis¡¯ looked startled by the cry. However, his expression quickly shifted to one of bewilderment. What was strange and did escape Izroth¡¯s gaze was the glimmer of expectancy that shed through Astratis¡¯ eyes as if he were grateful to its sudden emergence. ¡°This is the battle cry of the Ateleigos..! I have never heard its cry filled with such heavy rage.¡± Astratis stated with furrowed brows. He then nced over at Izroth andmented, ¡°You are quite courageous. Most mortals would have retreated one hundred steps when faced with the Ateleigos¡¯ cry, yet you remain unmoved. Even though you are a mortal, you possess the heart of a warrior.¡± Retreat one hundred steps? Izroth inwardly shook his head. If he retreated one hundred steps just from the mere sound of a creature¡¯s cry, what face would he have left in this world or any world for that matter? That aside, what caught Izroth¡¯s attention besides the cry was the direction it came from. ¡®That direction¡­ It¡¯s at the same location as the Ambrosia Tree.¡¯ Izroth was unsure if it was just a coincidence or not. But, for some reason, he could not shake this foreboding feeling. Astratis ced a finger on his chin as if pondering something. He remained silent for a few seconds before a look of rity formed in his eyes. ¡°Izroth, I am afraid this is where we part ways,¡± Astratis said with a serious expression. ¡°If you keep following this stream to the end, you will reach the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness. Once you do, continue to head north. There, you will find the vige at the foot of the mountains. Tell them the Son of Thunder sent you.¡± Astratis exined. ¡°Oh? It just so happens that I want to see this Ateleigos with my own eyes. I am curious as to what kind of creature¡¯s cry can reach us from this far away.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. It¡¯s too dangerous. If I was at my full strength, it would not be a problem to ensure your safety. However, with my current power, it will be too difficult to protect you while confronting the Ateleigos. This curiosity of yours¡ªyou should do away with it this time.¡± Astratis advised. GRWAAAAAAAAAH! The cry of the Ateleigos sounded once more. This time, it seemed to be much closer, as if it were moving towards Izroth and Astratis. ¡°You do not have to concern yourself with my safety. Since I am willing to put myself in danger¡¯s path, naturally, I am also willing to bear any consequences that follow.¡± Izroth noted. Astratis was shocked by Izroth¡¯s response. Not retreating from the Ateleigos¡¯ cry was already a great feat in and of itself for a mortal. But, even after experiencing that oppressive force, he was still willing to confront it? ¡°Does heck fear because of the issues with his memory? Either way, I am no longer sure if he is courageous or just reckless. Regardless, he has made his choice. If I try to control his every action against his will, I will be no better than those monsters.¡± Astratis internalized. Astratis released a deep sigh as he shook his head and said, ¡°Fine. Just make sure you keep your distance. As I said before, I won¡¯t be able to keep an eye on you. So, if you run into any trouble, do not be afraid of fleeing to keep your life. It is good to have courage, but one must also possess the strength to wield that courage. Otherwise, one¡¯s bravery can turn out to be nothing more than stupidity.¡± ¡°Rest assured, I am aware of my limits,¡± Izroth replied with a carefree expression. This was Izroth¡¯s chance to see the use of Ethos in action. Perhaps once he saw it in battle, he would have a better chance at deciphering its mysteries. But, more importantly, this was the first hostile threat Izroth would encounter in the Secret Realm. He was curious about its powers and level. Astratis gave a small nod of approval and said, ¡°I will support you with my Ethos, so try to follow me as best as you can.¡± The moment Astratis finished speaking, he held his hand up as a milky light blue aura formed and flew out at Izroth. Izroth did not feel any ill intent from the aura and so he did not resist as it sunk into his body. When the aura entered his body, Izroth felt a refreshing wave wash over him as his body became incredibly light like a feather. ¡®This is Ethos? Now I can confirm with absolute certainty¡ªit truly is nothing like mana or essence.¡¯ As this thought crossed Izroth¡¯s mind, he was greeted by a wave of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: You have been affected by an unknown energy source!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a new energy source!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer to discover the energy source Ethos! You will be rewarded for your efforts.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 300.¡µ ¡´System Alert: For being the first yer to discover the energy source Ethos, you have unlocked a new energy source.¡µ Pronunciation: Ah-Stra-Tis Ah-Tuh-Lay-Guh-As Chapter 767 - Thanasia

Chapter 767: Thanasia

When Izroth received the new stream of system alerts, it was as if an abundance of life was breathed into the world around him. The trees, nts, stream¡ªIzroth sensed that all of it was intrinsically connected. But, that was not all that changed. Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense as he looked over at Astratis. Unlikest time when it showed even the slightest fluctuation of energy, Izroth observed a calm milky light blue aura epassing Astratis. It was the same as the Ethos he disyed to Izroth not too long ago. Izroth could also see the mes of life within the nt life of the Ancient Wilderness. But, perhaps the most frightening thing was that Izroth was now able to detect the multitude of hidden dangers. ¡®It is no wonder he said that this ce is dangerous. I was unable to perceive it before; however, with the changes to my Energy Vision Sense, it¡¯s now clear to me¡ªI have been walking through a field ofndmines this entire time.¡¯ On his journey through the Ancient Wilderness, Astratis was the only living creature he came across. But, this was Izroth¡¯s own misconception. In fact, just in their immediate surroundings, there were at least five existences who were no weaker than Astratis. The reason Izroth could not sense them before even with his enhanced senses was likely due to the fact that none of them wanted to be found or bothered. ¡®I can¡¯t tell if they are people or the Blighted that Astratis spoke of. Either way, I now have a way of detecting their presence. That said, there¡¯s really no other information about it.¡¯ Although Izroth received Ethos, the system did not grant him any additional information or even a basic guide regarding its use. However, Izroth expected as much. After all, there was no true guide on how to use mana, let alone the essence he received from his Source. In the end, he would have no choice but to rely on his own ability to slowly understand Ethos. As Izroth adapted to the Ethos in his body, Astratis inwardly furrowed his brows. He noticed some changes to the way the Ethos flowed throughout Izroth¡¯s body once he injected his own Ethos to assist him. But, he shook his head and clearly erased his initial thoughts. ¡°My injury must be more severe than I imagined if I am having trouble circting Ethos to an outside source. If I want to regain my strength, I have to find the new location of the Ambrosia Tree. And, if the Ateleigos, the guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, is nearby, then the tree itself cannot be too far away. Still, the Ateleigos¡¯ rampage is a bit concerning. Did something happen to the Ambrosia Tree under its protection? If so, then my trip to this Ancient Wilderness will have been made in vain.¡± Astratis internalized. ¡°Remember, if things be too dangerous, you are to leave immediately. Let¡¯s go.¡± Astratis reminded Izroth before moving off in the direction of the Ateleigos¡¯ cries at incredible speeds. Izroth quickly followed after Astratis. As he did so, Izroth maintained a distance of three meters between them. After running through the Ancient Wilderness for almost a full breath of time, Astratis noticed something bizarre. ¡°How is this possible? Even if I intentionally reduced my speed by more than half and channeled some of my Ethos into him, in the end, he is just a mortal. He should be struggling to keep up by now, but¡­ Why does he not look tired at all?¡± Astratis thought to himself as he nced back at Izroth, who followed along without showing any signs of fatigue. ¡°It looks like I have underestimated mortals. Then¡­¡± Astratis muttered to himself. ¡°We¡¯re increasing our speed!¡± Astratis dered. Swoosh! The next moment, Astratis¡¯ speed soared to new heights as he shot forward, leaving Izroth tens of meters behind in an instant! ¡°My apologies, Izroth. Originally, I wanted to tire you out so that you would agree to turn back and head to the vige. After all, it really is too dangerous for mortals to be near the Ateleigos. I have to admit, I misjudged your determination. But, I am doing this for your own sa-¡° ¡°You seem to be in quite the hurry. Is the Ateleigos that important to you?¡± A voice sounded from exactly three meters behind Astratis, interrupting his train of thought. When that familiar voice entered Astratis¡¯ ears, he was left momentarily dumbfounded. Astratis quickly looked back to see if he was just hearing things; however, that was not the case. Trailing right behind him was the same mortal that should have been heading back towards the stream! Astratis saw the carefree smile on Izroth¡¯s face as he returned his attention to what was ahead. At this point, he could only sigh and ept the oue. ¡®Trying to purposely lose me with speed alone¡­ I¡¯m afraid you are too naive.¡¯ Given Astratis¡¯ personality, how could Izroth not know what he was up to? Nevertheless, despite his well-ced intentions, Izroth had his own ns to pursue. With thepounding movement speed effect of his Light-Feather Footwork and two charges of his Primed Instantaneous Movement, Izroth immediately closed the distance Astratis put between them. As for revealing his power, Izroth was not concerned with this matter. Although it was just a theory, Izroth figured that since he was initially unable to detect Ethos, it was not too far-fetched to assume that Astratis could not detect the mana or energy he used. Besides, even if his power was discovered by Astratis, Izroth was not concerned. Astratis did not appear to be a bad person; therefore, worst-case scenario, Izroth was willing to reveal that he came from the Mortal Realm. Whether or not Astratis would believe him or not¡ªthat was another story. ¡­ After traveling for a couple of minutes, Astratis came to an abrupt stop, causing Izroth to halt his steps as well. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Astratis said as he swept his gaze over the surroundings. Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense and observed several lifeforms retreating from the area. As for the Ateleigos¡ªthere appeared to be no traces of it despite the ear-piercing cry it released earlier. But, Izroth did not let his guard down. His Soul Sense was going off without rest the moment he and Astratis arrived in this area of the Ancient Wilderness. Astratis¡¯ expression turned serious as a sh of electricity sparked within his eyes. An eerie silence lingered in the atmosphere. The only thing that could be heard was the faded sound of the stream flowing in the distance. ¡°Remember, under no circumstances should you meet its gaze.¡± Astratis cautioned. Tap¡­ Tap¡­ Tap¡­ The faint sound of footsteps entered Izroth¡¯s ears as his gaze was drawn to the area of dense trees across from him. A few secondster, what emerged from that densely forested area was a single woman. However, it was no ordinary woman, but rather a breath-taking beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Her skin was without blemish and looked as if it was gently kissed by the sun. Her eyes were the color of a sunflower¡¯s petals; however, the pupils were elliptical like those of a serpent¡¯s. She wore a white chiton that enhanced her natural elegance and revealed glimpses of her daring beauty. But, the most eye-catching thing about this woman was her unusual verdant green hair that released a light hissing noise. ¡­Hsssst The woman¡¯s hair was not traditional in any sense and turned out to be a collection of serpents! Name: Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia(???) Level: 0 ¡®Oh? This is¡­¡¯ Even whenpared to those of the trephasia race back in the Mortal Realm, in terms of beauty, Thanasia did not lose in the slightest. However, their sudden appearance naturally left Izroth with some questions. Though when Izroth saw the title before Thanasia¡¯s name, he quickly began to piece things together. ¡°Do not trust your eyes, Izroth¡ªthey deceive you,¡± Astratis stated. He then exined, ¡°That creature is one of the three Ateleigos, the Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia.¡± ¡°The Rebellious Son of Thunder¡ªit is good to see that you are still so courageous even after your sh with the Teraidi. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I wonder who gave you the courage to steal from the Ateleigos.¡± Thanasia¡¯s voice turned cold as the snakes grew restless, hissing in a threatening manner. ¡°Steal? Do you think I, Astratis, am but a lowly thief?¡± Astratis scoffed. He could tolerate many things, but besmirching his reputation was not one of them. ¡°Good, not only a thief but also a liar..! Do you take me as a fool? The scent of my Wings of the Ambrosia Tree¡ªit is all around you!¡± Thanasia raised her voice. Chapter 768 - Don’t Go Too Far!

Chapter 768: Don¡¯t Go Too Far!

¡°I have not yet discovered the location of the Ambrosia Tree this time around. Why is she so adamant? Can it be that the Ateleigos have aligned themselves with the four pirs and are working to further discredit me?¡± Astratis internalized with a frown. The Ateleigos were powerful creatures that many wanted to draw over to their side. However, the Ateleigos were prideful and protective of their treasures. The youngest of the three Ateleigos, Thanasia, was the Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree¡ªa treasure tree that bore the highly coveted fruit known as Wings. To the mortals of the Secret Realm, the fruit was useless. However, to those birthed by the Protogenos, it was something that possessed countless uses. However, since the treasures of the Ateleigos were constantly sought after, it caused a great deal of bloodshed. In the end, the Ateleigos reached an agreement with those birthed by the Protogenos. Every month, they would hide their treasures, and those who managed to locate them could acquire a small portion. The agreement was beneficial to all those involved and had never been broken since its establishment. That¡¯s why Astratis was taken aback by Thanasia¡¯s wild usations. ¡°¡­No. The Ateleigos have too much pride to willingly submit to any of the four pirs. Besides, their lives are tied directly to their treasures. Ultimately, harming them yields no benefits.¡± Astratis thought to himself. Besides the Ambrosia Tree, there were two other treasures¡ªeach protected by one of the Ateleigos. The second eldest guarded the Endless Nectar Fountain. If the Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was considered the sun, then the Immortal Nectar that flowed from the Endless Nectar Fountain was the moon. Its value was no less than that of the Wing of the Ambrosia Tree. As for the eldest of the Ateleigos, their treasure was the Chamnimi Lotus Tree, a treasure tree well known for its ethereal beauty and the lotus shape fruit that bloomed from its branches. Those who consumed the fruit were believed to undergo a rebirth. There were even some legends that the fruit could transform a normal mortal into a higher being! However, the fruit from the Chamnimi Lotus Tree was too mysterious. The few lucky individuals who did manage to find it seemed to always return with hazy memories. Though instead of discouraging others from seeking the treasure tree, it further motivated them. After all, who could resist the temptation of such a mysterious treasure? ¡°After a bit of trouble, I was able to procure some Immortal Nectar. The reason I came to the Ancient Wilderness was to obtain a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree. As long as I consume the two together, I can heal the wounds I received during my battle against the Teraidi. I wanted to take my time; however¡­ Since news of my fight has already spread this far, it won¡¯t be long before they make a move. I must recover my strength before that happens.¡± Astratis internalized. Astratis understood that in his current state, having Thanasia as an enemy was inconvenient. He needed to get to the bottom of things before the situation spiraled out of control. In the end, he truly did not take any fruit from the Ambrosia Tree! But, something bothered Astratis. It was not umon for fruit to be plucked from the Ambrosia Tree; therefore, even if he did take some fruit, Thanasia¡¯s reaction should not have been so violent. If that was the case, what happened to the Ambrosia Tree that made Thanasia so furious? ¡°I do not know why you use me, but you should know that I, Astratis, have always honored the agreement. If you wish to know the real truth, I would not mind having a discussion with you. However, if you want to falsely use me without any proof, I will not sit back and allow you to tarnish my name.¡± Astratis stated. ¡°Enough! I grow tired of your deception. I will give you five breaths to return the Wings of the Ambrosia Tree. If you do so, I am willing to overlook this matter; however, you will be barred from the agreement for one year due to your transgressions.¡± Thanasia replied indifferently. She narrowed her eyes and with a cold gaze continued, ¡°But, should you fail to relinquish that which you have stolen, you shall be the eternal enemy of the Ateleigos.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go too far, Thanasia,¡± Astratismented solemnly as his expression turned serious. As the atmosphere intensified, Izroth silently observed the exchange between Astratis and Thanasia. It appeared that a fight was bound to break out at any given moment! Needless to say, Izroth was in no hurry to reveal that he was the one who took the Wings of the Ambrosia Tree. For one, while Izroth did not believe that Astratis was a bad person, who was to say that he would remain the same when the treasure he needed to heal his wounds was right before his eyes? As for Thanasia, she merely failed in her role as the Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree. If he had lost his life trying to obtain the fruit, Izroth understood that he would only have his own weakness to me. And, the agreement? That was something made by the residents of this Secret Realm. It had nothing to do with Izroth! Therefore, it did not weigh heavily on his conscience. That being said, Izroth was also not the type of person to allow others who had not wronged him to take the fall on his behalf. ¡°A guardian that failed in its duty wants to find fault in others¡ªhow amusing. If something under your protection was stolen, you only have your ownck of ability to me.¡± Izroth¡¯s voice sounded as a carefree smile found its way onto his face. When those words left Izroth¡¯s mouth, they immediately caught the attention of Astratis and Thanasia. Astratis was baffled by Izroth¡¯s statement. Even if it was true, to speak that way to a prideful Ateleigos after he gave him a clear warning¡ªdid this person take their life so lightly? While Astratis was taken aback, on the other hand, Thanasia¡¯s expression darkened as she gazed in Izroth¡¯s direction. Of course, Izroth did not meet her gaze as he remembered Astratis¡¯ note of caution. Not to mention, Astratis himself had also kept his gaze away from Thanasia during their entire exchange. Regardless, Izroth could feel her gaze clearly directed at him and it carried with it a deadly undertone. ¡°My ownck of ability¡­? I see. A noble remark. I am afraid I have not caught the name of this young celestial,¡± Thanasia said with a tinge of disdain in her voice. Thanasia inwardly frowned when she observed Izroth. She noticed his presence from the beginning; however, the amount of Ethos in his body was so faint, that she simply did not put him in her sights. ¡°I-¡± Before Izroth had the chance to respond, Astratis stepped forward and held his arm out in front of him. ¡°This is between the two of us, Thanasia. This mortal has suffered from loss of the mind and does not yet remember how the world works. My previous offer still stands. Think clearly for one moment. You are well aware of my circumstances. If I had taken the Wings of the Ambrosia Tree as you im, would I be foolish enough to continue to wander around in my current condition?¡± Astratis remarked. Thanasia remained silent as if she were pondering what Astratis had to say. Then, just as five breaths had passed since her warning, Thanasia broke her silence and said, ¡°¡­Very well. If you wish to discuss, I do not mind giving the Son of Thunder some face.¡± Astratis lowered his arm and released a small sigh of relief. Naturally, he did not wish to sh with the Ateleigos over a simple misunderstanding. And, although Thanasia was prideful and overwhelmed with anger, she was no fool. ¡°However-¡± Thanasia¡¯s voice sounded. Swoosh! Without warning, a verdant snake formed from mysterious energy erupted from Thanasia¡¯s feet and shot towards Izroth! There was not much raw power behind this snake; however, it emitted a sinister feeling that caused one to fall into a state of natural uneasiness. ¡°This mortal must forfeit their life,¡± Thanasia stated without remorse. A mere mortal dared to speak out of line to her? Who gave them such courage?! ¡°Is this your way of giving me face?!¡± Astratis¡¯ roared as his eyes lit up, releasing a bright white light from within. Chapter 769 - Unbending, A Third Party!

Chapter 769: Unbending, A Third Party!

Hssst! The verdant snake released a vicious hiss. The next moment, its body coiled as it charged towards Izroth with its mouth wide open. The creature wanted to devour him outright! ¡´Battle Alert: You have been targeted by the skill ?Deadly Adoration?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have partially resisted the effects of Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia''s ?Deadly Adoration?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have resisted Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia''s ?Fear?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have resisted Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia''s ?Frenzy?.¡µ The moment Thanasia''s attack erupted, Izroth was bombarded by a small stream of alerts from the system. While he was able to resist the fear and frenzy effects, Izroth was still partially affected by one of Thanasia''s skills. Despite this, he did not feel any different. Nor did Izroth detect any abrupt changes in his body. As the verdant snake barely made it halfway to Izroth, the sound of crackling thunder echoed throughout the Ancient Wilderness. Crrrrckle! Suddenly, silence emerged as a sh of blinding light flooded the atmosphere. The next moment, a bolt of lightning fell from above and struck the verdant snake conjured by Thanasia. The lightning made no sound when it struck; however, after the blinding light receded, a deafening thunderp roared as the snake was instantly vaporized! ''So this is his power... Interesting. It''s stillcking whenpared to the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction I used against the Siren Head Master; however, in terms of speed, even the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction cannotpare.'' Even with all of his enhanced senses and ability to now detect Ethos, Izroth was barely able to see the shadow of Astratis'' lightning strike. And, while its raw destructive power was not at the level of the Heavenly Lightning of Extinction, it was not too far off. ''ording to Deep Insight, his general strength should be weakened. That means he should only be capable of disying a portion of his true power, but, as I thought¡ªhis true strength should be at the peak of the legendary realm. Though the matter with the levels and this realm''s energy source are somewhat misleading.'' At first, Izroth believed that Astratis was merely hiding his level to prevent others from discovering his strength. However, Thanasia''s level also showed up as zero. Unless it wasmon for the residents of this realm to intentionally cloak their level, it was unlikely that someone like Thanasia, who was not injured, would hide their power. As Izroth stood unmoved by Thanasia''s, her deathly gaze found its way to Astratis. "You dare obstruct my attack to defend this mortal?! Do you still want me to believe you''re here to discuss?!" Thanasia scowled. Thanasia inwardly frowned at Astratis'' actions. To the celestials like Astratis and ancient races like herself, the lives are mortals were worth next to nothing. Why would he risk offending her to defend a mortal? Astratis stood tall and said firmly, "I am still willing to discuss; however... Do you think just because I am in this state that my words mean nothing? If I want to protect this mortal, even if your eldest sister were here, no harm would befall him." Thanasia narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists in anger as she grit her teeth. "Must you go so far, Son of Thunder?" Thanasia''s cold voice sounded. Astratis did not respond to Thanasia. He had already made his stance clear and his silence served to further solidify his decision. This lingering silence between the two parties caused the atmosphere to intensify. It appeared that Thanasia''s rage had not yet been fully quelled. And, Astratis had no intention of taking a step back. As the atmosphere became heavy, Izroth stood by and calmly observed. Without a doubt, Thanasia was someone who had stepped into the legendary realm. More importantly, unlike the Siren Head Master, Smiling Demon, she did not appear to specialize in assassinations or setting up ambushes. This meant that her confronting her head-on would not be a simple undertaking. But, what surprised Izroth the most was Astratis'' willingness to protect him despite the Son of Thunder''s earlier forewarning that he would be unable to do so. The two had not known each other that long and in Astratis'' eyes, Izroth, who was just a "mortal", should hold no value whatsoever to him. Then, why did they go out of their way to offend Thanasia instead of just handing him over? After all, from what Izroth overheard not too long ago, Astratis seemed to need a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree to help with his current condition. Even though Izroth had taken all the fruit from the tree, that was not to say that more would not grow in the future. It was even possible that Thanasia had a private stash of some sorts that could benefit Astratis. So, what was it that made him ignore those opportunities just to protect a "powerless" stranger? ''Hm?'' Out of nowhere, Izroth felt an unusual presence descend from out of thin air. At the same time, the sunlight abruptly vanished as night fell upon the Ancient Wilderness. However, the bizarre thing was that the sun had yet to set! Upon further inspection with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth noticed that in an area a bitrger than one hundred meters, there were multiple auras of death infused with Ethos. As for the state of the Ancient Wilderness beyond that¡ªit appeared to have just fallen out of existence. Of course, Izroth did not think a vast portion of the Ancient Wilderness just disappeared. A more reasonable exnation was that something, or rather someone, within this artificially induced atmosphere forcibly restricted the range of his Energy Vision Sense. When the atmosphere changed, a slight frown appeared on Astratis'' face as he furrowed his brows. "They were sent out faster than I anticipated. To arrive this quickly... they must have been tracking me from the moment I entered the Ancient Wilderness..." Astratis muttered to himself. Although Astratis spoke under his breath, it was not low enough to escape Izroth''s ears with his heightened senses. ''I see... That exins why he was so on guard back near the river and during our initial journey towards the vige.'' Originally, Izroth thought that Astratis was on high alert back then due to his injured state. But, while that certainly yed a part, the fact that he was being actively hunted must have been what had him on edge the entire time. Suddenly, a cloud of dark gray smoke formed in between Izroth, Astratis, and Thanasia. Then, a few secondster, four figures emerged. All four of the unknown individuals were men with bodies that could only have been sculpted by undergoing countless struggles of life and death. Upon their arrival, it was clear that these four were not human with their ashen gray skin, and snow-white hair. The sclera of their eyes matched a lightless night and was paired with crimson irises that gave off an intimidating aura. "Dogs of Ourami...! You dare to interfere in my business?!" Thanasia scowled. "Silence, beast! We are under direct orders from our master to deliver the Rebellious Son of Thunder to them!" One of the four men stated as he stepped forward with his gaze locked onto Astratis. From his demeanor alone, it was obvious that this man was the leader of the group. ''Oh? This is the first time in RML that I have encountered warriors of their caliber.'' In regards to caliber, Izroth was not talking about their strength. Of course, of them were weak. In fact, going strictly by his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth realized that the one who stepped forward was not that much weaker than the current Astratis. What Izroth was referring to was the will of a battle-hardened soldier. This was something impossible to gain unless one had survived numerous life or death conflicts. Though Izroth did not expect to see a will this firm in a ce like RML, let alone a Secret Realm. "You want to deliver me? How bold!" Astratis'' said as his gaze turned cold and lightning flowed throughout his eyes. At the same time, the crackling sound of thunder brewed above the Ancient Wilderness. He then continued, "Let''s see whether or not you have the ability to do so." ¡´System Alert: A new quest has been received! Would you like to ept?¡µ ''This is... Well, I suppose this way is also fine. I wanted to see how things progressed a bit longer, but¡ªit seems I won''t be able to sit still after all.'' Quest Name: The Rebel & The Liberator(1) Quest Difficulty: SSS Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: Help the ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? recover from their injuries and fend off the Anzeyta. Time Limit: 10 minutes 1/1 Obtain a ?Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree?. 0/1 Give x1 ?Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? to ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?. 0/1 Fend off the Anzeyta until ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? recovers enough strength. Reward: -x1 Vial of Immortal Nectar -x1 Teraidi w Shard -Max favor with ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?. Failure: -?The Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? is captured by the Anzeyta. -Lose 5 levels. -Automatically ejected from ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans?. Special Note: This quest cannot be shared. Chapter 770 - An Unwilling Retreat! Warriors Of Death: Anzeyta, Time Needed

Chapter 770: An Unwilling Retreat! Warriors Of Death: Anzeyta, Time Needed

''It''s worthy of being a three-star Secret Realm.'' Not much time had passed since Izroth was transported to the Secret Realm; however, he had alreadye across an SSS-ranked quest! Of course, it was not without risks. Losing five levels would be a huge setback. In addition, if he were automatically ejected from the Secret Realm so soon, he would miss out on countless opportunities. Nevertheless, the penalties could be considered rather mild for an SSS-ranked quest. After all, it was not umon for a failure to lead to an existence wipe. There was also the issue of having to relinquish a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree as part of the quest. The Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was a priceless pseudo-divine material that could be used to craft items or enhance their effects. To give that up would be the equivalent of letting go of tens of high-quality items that yers would spill blood over. But, more important than anything, siding with Astratis now would put Izroth on his side through whatever dispute existed in this Secret Realm. Such a thing could work to hinder his movements or future gains. However, Izroth never stopped observing Astratis from the moment their paths crossed. While he did not fully understand what secrets or troubles were tied to Astratis, there was one undeniable truth¡ªhe was not someone with ill intentions. Otherwise, he would have never offered to guide Izroth to the vige earlier or handed him over to Thanasia without question. Since Astratis was willing to stick up for him and showed no signs of a wavering resolve, Izroth decided to return the favor. Not to mention, the thought of running away at the first signs of danger never entered Izroth''s mind! If the risk was great, the reward was bound to be just as good! Izroth epted the quest before sweeping his gaze over the four new arrivals. ording to the quest information, those four were called the anzeyta. And, from Thanasia''s scowling remark, Izroth knew they acted as soldiers or hunters of someone called Ourami. ''Ourami... If I recall correctly, they are one of the four pirs that rule over a part of this Secret Realm¡ªthe Pir of the West. I already had a feeling Astratis was not on good terms with the pirs given his reaction when talking about them; however, it seems to be more than just simple displeasure.'' Izroth shifted his attention to the leader of the four new arrivals. ''The three in the back are roughly equivalent to the Right Hand of Siren, Enigma. However, in terms of battle experience and ability, although our des have not crossed, I can already sense a clear gap between those three and Enigma. As for the one in the front... He''s a bit more troublesome.'' Name: Warrior of Death, Vrys(???) Level: 0 Name: Warrior of Death, Evgos(???) Level: 0 Name: Warrior of Death, Edaros(???) Level: 0 Name: Head Warrior of Death, Maragos(???) Level: 0 Just like Astratis and Thanasia, the anzeytas levels were disyed as zero. At this point, this solidly confirmed Izroth''s previous spection that, for whatever reason, levels did not work normally in this Secret Realm. Naturally, this made it difficult to quickly grasp a decent insight into what to expect when facing an enemy. Fortunately, Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense reduced and Deep Insight skill managed to shed some light on the mystery. "The Son of Thunder has stolen the Wings of my Ambrosia Tree! Are you hunting dogs not afraid that my sisters and I will cancel the agreement?!" Thanasia''s voice erupted in anger as the snakes that made up her hair violently hissed. The leader of the anzeyta, Maragos, did not even spare a nce towards Thanasia as the battle aura around him exploded forth with unstoppable momentum! Maragos'' aura alone was enough to cause Thanasia to retreat two steps back. "Hmph, just a beast who only knows how to rely on tricks in the end. If you have aint, you can take it directly to our master! We, the anzeyta, will carry out the orders given to us by our master. If you want to interfere, then we will have no choice but to consider you an obstacle. And¡ªwe will remove all obstacles." Maragos stated. Thanasia grit her teeth as she held back her anger. In truth, she was not afraid of Maragos or the other warriors of death; however, the one behind them was another story. It was not something she could decide on a whim. "Good...! It appears that your master does not put the Ateleigos and my eldest sister in their eyes..! This grievance¡ªI will remember it!" Thanasia said coldly. The next moment, Thanasia''s body was enveloped in Ethos that took the form of arge serpent. ... Therge serpent made of Ethos slithered away at great speeds, acting as a vehicle of sorts for Thanasia. At the moment, she was heading towards the mountains located near the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness. "This is not over! Hmph, just wait until I speak with my eldest sister!" Thanasia internalized. "As for that mortal... he will have no choice but to seek me out with the ''gift'' I left him. The more he resists, the greater the desire. When that timees¡ªI''ll be sure to quell some of this anger!" Thanasia''s eyes shed with killing intent as she increased her pace. ... Meanwhile, after Thanasia unwillingly took her leave, only Izroth, Astratis, and the four anzeyta remained. "Surrender yourself, Rebellious Son of Thunder, and perhaps my master will be merciful in their judgment. Resist and we will be forced to apprehend you with force." Maragos said with a calm yet strong authority in his tone. "Enough. My answer has been made clear. If you wish to fall under my hand, then I will be more than happy to oblige." Astratis responded without hesitation. Then, without taking his eyes off his enemies, Astratis said, "Leave this ce, Izroth. The anzeyta only follow the orders of their master. As long as you do not interfere, they will ignore your presence. For dragging you into this mess and not being able to properly escort you to safety¡ªyou have my apologies." There was a hint of guilt in Astratis'' voice as he spoke. The Ancient Wilderness was a dangerous ce even for celestials such as himself, let alone a mortal. Nheless, Astratis understood that it was safer for Izroth to take his chances in the Ancient Wilderness rather than face certain death being caught up in his fight against the anzeyta. Astratis could not help but release a helpless sigh. But, what happened next caused him to turn nearly speechless. "I overheard your conversation just now. I do not understand the exact details, but, with this, you should be able to recover enough strength, right?" As Izroth spoke, a rich and sweet smell filled the atmosphere. "You- How is this possible..?" Astratis asked as his eyes widened in shock. It should have been impossible for a mortal to get their hands on it, but Astratis knew that his eyes did not deceive him. Without a doubt, Izroth held in his hand a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree! "You must have quite a few questions; however, they will have to wait. All I can say for now is that I am an ally." Izroth said as he handed the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree over to Astratis. Astratis was left momentarily dumbfounded by Izroth''s sudden reveal as he epted Izroth''s gift. It turned out Thanasia had the right idea, but the wrong target! Maragos narrowed his eyes as the smell entered his nostrils. "Futile..." Maragos growled under his breath. Even if Astratis consumed a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, he would still need some uninterrupted time to recover. But, would they just sit back and give him the time? In Maragos'' eyes, it was nothing but an extension of false hope. After all, who would protect him? That weak mortal by his side? Howughable! While it was impressive that a mortal managed to get their hands on a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree, in the end, it was bound to have been the result of an unprecedented amount of luck. Astratis quickly snapped out of his shock as he shook his head disappointingly. Indeed, the item in Izroth''s hand would help him recover if he consumed it along with the Immortal Nectar; however, it was toote. Even if he had some methods to protect himself, it would notst long enough for the effects of the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree to kick in. Astratis furrowed his brows as he thought to himself, "Do I no choice but to risk it?" Just as this thought went through Astratis'' mind, Maragos'' voice sounded, "Warriors! Go and carry out the order of our master!" "The Head Warrior''s orders have been received!" The three anzeyta behind Maragos answered as they moved to encircle Astratis, cutting off his paths of retreat. As for Izroth, needless to say, neither Maragos nor any of the anzeyta put him in their eyes. They had not even spared him a single nce. Right now, their only purpose was to subdue Astratis! Suddenly, a strong burst of wind erupted from Izroth as he removed the Sword of the Storm from his inventory and unsheathed it. "You need time, right? Then-" Izroth said as he stepped in front of Astratis. The instant Izroth walked before Astratis, the air around him changed¡ªthere was a deathly calm that lingered about. The aura around Izroth was so sharp that it felt as though it could physically cut into those within the vicinity. When this change took ce, for the first time since his arrival, Maragos set his gaze to Izroth. "I will buy you as much time as you need," Izroth stated without looking back. Chapter 771 - Surge Of The Thunder King, A Different Kind Of Opponent

Chapter 771: Surge Of The Thunder King, A Different Kind Of Opponent

Astratis inwardly frowned at Izroth''s words. He could not sense any strengthing from Izroth; however, he knew that Izroth was a rare talent¡ªthat is whenpared to other mortals. But, no matter how talented a mortal was, without Ethos, it was impossible for them to ever be on equal footing with the ancient races. Even the strongest person amongst the mortals would fall effortlessly when faced against those like the anzeyta. However, after Astratis noticed the change in atmosphere around Izroth once his sword was drawn, he could not help but grow somewhat hopeful. "How can a mortal emit such a sharp sword aura? No. That is of no importance. Right now..." Astratis internalized. "You are right. I have a lot of questions, but since you call yourself an ally¡ªI will ce my trust in you, Izroth." Astratis stated. The following moment, Astratis sat on the ground in a meditative pose as a barrier of lightning formed around him. "My Lightning Barricade can withstand most attacks. I just need you to prevent them from charging up any big attacks for as long as possible. I won''t be able to do much for you while I am recovering, but-" Astratis held the palm of his hand out as a strand of the lightning element jumped from his fingertips and entered into Izroth''s body. "It''s not much, but this is all I can do for you." ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Give x1 ?Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree? to ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been affected by the skill ?Surge of the Thunder King?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your attack, defense, and agility has increased by 100% for 5 minutes.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Lightning Armor?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Protect ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? until he recovers enough strength. [Time Remaining: 05 minute(s) 00 seconds]¡µ ''He said it wasn''t much, but...'' Izroth felt a surge of power rush into him as faint traces of Astratis'' lightning flowed inside his eyes. He then swiftly read over the temporary passive he received from Astratis. Skill Name: Lightning Armor Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: Reduces all iing damage by 25%. Every 5 seconds, a pulse of lightning is released in every direction, temporarily paralyzing all enemies within 5 meters for 1.25 seconds. For every enemy struck, the user gains a temporary shield equal to 30% of their maximum health that rapidly decays over 5 seconds. Not only did the skill reduce all iing damage, but it also had AOE crowd control and damage absorption effects! With its short cooldown period, Izroth estimated that this temporary passive was equivalent to an SSS-ranked skill. At close range, a person with this passive was practically invincible! This was even more so if they were fighting multiple close-ranged enemies. After using a portion of his Ethos to empower Izroth, Astratis wasted no time as he directly consumed the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree! When Izroth realized what Astratis had done, he was somewhat surprised. In the Mature Wing''s description, it clearly stated that due to its extremely high purity, consuming it would result in death. Of course, Izroth did not believe that someone like Astratis had ns to im his own life; therefore, he was curious as to what the Son of Thunder had nned. But, at the moment, Izroth could not afford to divert his attention. As if waiting for the exact moment Astratis consumed the Mature Wing, the anzeyta finally made their move. "All obstacles will be eliminated!" One of the anzeyta warriors of death, Vrys, shouted. In terms of physique, Vrys was muchrger than the other anzeyta and seemed to hold a noticeable advantage when it came to brute strength. Vrys charged ahead with great momentum, causing the ground beneath him to tremble with every step. However, despite his head-on charge, Izroth did not take a single step from in front of Astratis. Izroth''s actions appeared to have only served to further provoke the anzeyta as the aura around Vrys burst forth. A mere mortal wanted to stop his charge? Absurd! BANG! Without slowing down, Vrys crashed into Izroth with his shoulder lowered as the earth under him shattered from the pressure. Maragos'' eyes briefly widened before narrowing as he released a small hint of killing intent. At the same time, Vrys was unable to hide the shock on his face. The veins in his huge muscr arms were pulsating, disying the use of his utmost strength. However, just now, it felt as though he ran into an immovable wall! But, when Vrys saw what it was that stopped him, there was a moment of shame that passed through his eyes. However, it was quickly reced with unbridled rage. Izroth''s hand was ced firmly on Vrys'' shoulder. With just one arm, Izroth was able to fend off the charge of the anzeyta without being pushed back! ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated ?Ring of the Ancient Colossus?''s effect ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus!?¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of Might have been temporarily amplified by 100% for the next 1 minute.?¡µ ... ¡´Battle Alert: Your physical strength has increased by 600%.¡µ ... ''I only have to protect him for five minutes, but... do they expect me to simply sit back and defend?'' Suddenly, the energy around Izroth''s Sword of The Storm shifted. And, the instant this urred, Maragos'' intuition that was built from countless battles called out to him. "Vrys, move!" Maragos roared as a dark shadow epassed his legs. Woosh! Maragos moved at a frightening speed as a monstrous killing intent flooded the entire atmosphere and converged on Izroth''s location! However, he was toote. Izroth''s figure flickered in and out of existence as he disappeared from Vrys'' vision at a speed that far exceeded that of Maragos. "Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death... Death In One Step." ?Critical Hit? ?Critical Hit? -179,132 ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Death In One Step? has been activated!¡µ -53,740 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Warrior of Death, Vrys!¡µ In the blink of an eye, Izroth''s Sword of The Storm brushed across Vrys'' neck and sent the anzeyta''s head flying from his body! Not long after, Vrys''rge body copsed lifelessly to the ground as it dissolved into a cloud of ashen smoke. ''With this, it should be a bit less troublesome.'' In the end, Izroth decided to take full advantage of being looked down on by the anzeyta. In order to level the ying fields a little, Izroth immediately went for the kill using the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. Initially, it would have been impossible to take out Vrys in one strike unless he used a good portion of his essence; however, Astratis'' buff altered Izroth''s original ns. In the eyes of the anzeyta, Izroth was a powerless mortal who just happened to be somewhat lucky and skilled. He was nothing more than a speck of dust on the road that could be blown away with a random breeze. Unfortunately, of them could have ever foreseen this oue. Suddenly, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off as a wave of killing intent descended upon him from his blindspot. Swoosh! Izroth''s body was sliced in half from head to toe by a single swipe of Maragos'' hand. But, less than a fraction of a second after this took ce, Izroth''s cut body flickered before vanishing altogether. Maragos was a step toote and ended up attacking the afterimage generated by Izroth''s Flickering Steps. Though, instead of trying to counterattack Maragos, Izrothpletely ignored his presence and swiftly made his way towards the next warrior of death, Evgos. This action infuriated Maragos; however, he did not allow his anger to blind him. Rather than chasing after Izroth, Maragos wasted no time redirecting his focus to Astratis, who was currently enclosed behind his Lightning Barricade. Maragos straightened his hand andunched a piercing strike towards Astratis in an attempt to shatter his protective barrier! But, right before his attack could reach, Maragos abruptly twisted his body and redirected his attack to the side of him! Bang! Boom! Maragos'' fingertips struck the de of Izroth''s sword, creating a small explosion in the process that forced both parties back a few steps. ''Oh? He was able to block that attack?'' At the moment, with abination of Astratis'' buff and his Flickering Steps, Izroth''s agility almost reached a terrifying 20,000 points! This kind of speed was not easy to keep up with relying on one''s eyes alone. But, even more than that, Maragos used his bare hands to sh with his Sword of the Storm. This meant that Maragos'' body had likely reached a point where it could be considered a weapon that was just as dangerous as any de. ''It seems my n failed. As expected, it''s different with this kind of opponent.'' Izroth''s actions, from eliminating Vrys to ignoring Maragos and going after someone else, were for the sole purpose of angering the anzeyta. By doing this, he would be the main focus of their attacks while they ignored Astratis'' presence to avenge theirrade. But, even in a fit of rage, Maragos saw through Izroth''s intentions and wasted no time going after the Son of Thunder. Chapter 772 - Sinister Spirals, Opening!

Chapter 772: Sinister Spirals, Opening!

While Izroth was surprised that Maragos was able to keep up with his speed, Maragos was even more taken aback by the fact that his attack had been blocked. In addition, he was even pushed back in the process! Even though he changed the trajectory of his attack midway, the power it contained was much greater than Vrys'' earlier charge. "I can see why Vrys died so swiftly by your hands. I do not know what kind of creature you are hiding in the skin of man, but you are no mortal." Maragos stated as two spiraling vortexes of ck energy gathered in the palm of his hands. The next moment, two thin swords with des that mirrored the night appeared within Maragos'' hands. Although the des were incredibly thin and seemed brittle, the sharp de aura that came from their edges well surpassed that of Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. "Evgos, Edaros¡ªprepare the Wilting Gauntlet. I will handle this creature in the clothing of a man." Maragos ordered. The instant Maragos gave the order, Evgos and Edaros moved near one another. The two held the palm of their hands together as dark mist converged to the space in between them. This mist started off as formless; however, it began to slowly take the shape of something that roughly resembled a gauntlet. ''Hm? What are they up to?'' Izroth did not know what this Wilting Gauntlet was that Maragos wanted his subordinates to prepare; however, he had no ns of waiting around to find out. Zeeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished from where he stood and reappeared next to Evgos and Edaros using Primed Instantaneous Movement. "?!" Evgos and Edaros were caught off guard by Izroth''s sudden appearance, but neither of them made a move in response. Swoosh! Izroth swept his sword sideways as a wave of sword intent rushed out from his de. It was his Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides. But, right as the sword intent was about to strike the two anzeyta, a pitch-ck wave of energy collided with it, destroying Izroth''s attack and creating a deep scar in the earth. ''Oh? A bit interesting...'' The ck wave of energy just now was something Izroth was simr with¡ªsword intent! Or, to be more precise, sword aura! In the Seven Realms, when one understood the basics of the sword, it was able to transform and physically manifest itself to sword intent. If one hoped to achieve anything worthwhile on the path of swords, then materializing one''s sword intent was seen as the true starting line. From what Izroth understood so far, the sword intent in RML seemed to work on a set of eerily simr principles. But, although it was all usually ced under the same name, in truth, there were different levels of sword intent. Once someone mastered the basics of sword intent, it could evolve to the next stage¡ªsword aura. The difference between sword intent and sword aura was like that of night and day. One''s sword became sharper, quicker, and overall more powerful. ''It''s not as strong as the sword intent I faced against Tal''Nis, but I cannot afford to be careless. Still, I have to find a way to stop whatever it is they are preparing.'' Bzzzzzt! Out of nowhere, a surge of lightning pulsed from Izroth''s body that spread out in every direction. ¡´Battle Alert: ?Warrior of Death, Evgos? has been paralyzed by the skill ?Lightning Armor? for 1.25 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: ?Warrior of Death, Edaros? has been paralyzed by the skill ?Lightning Armor? for 1.25 seconds!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have gained a temporary shield of [14,448] that will decay by [2,890] every second!¡µ Thanks to the Lightning Armor passive, Izroth managed to temporarily immobilize two of the anzeyta. As a result, the dark mist being gathered by Evgos and Edaros started to slow down considerably. However, it seemed that simply paralyzing them was not enough to fully cancel what they were nning. As for Maragos, he escaped to a range just outside of Izroth''s Lightning Armor as it was actively discharging. And, as he was falling back to a safe distance to not get caught in the wave of lightning, Maragos sent out two overbearing spirals of dark Ethos that originated from his dark des. Soon after Maragos performed this action, a strong gale encircled Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. The following moment, his figure flickered as he sessfully avoided Maragos'' attack. However, it was not over. Instead of dispersing or continuing to travel forward, the two spirals of dark Ethos changed their direction to match that of Izroth''s! ''I see. It must be a homing-type attack.'' Izroth''s figure flickered all throughout the battlefield as he avoided the spirals. Simultaneously, Izroth swung his Sword of the Storm from every angle imaginable as intense des of wind shot forth towards the three anzeyta. Izroth utilized the Tempest Strikes effect of his Sword of the Storm to shower a barrage of ranged sword strikes at his enemies. Not only did this keep Maragos on a constant move, but it also obstructed Evgos and Edaros'' progress. Izroth also targeted the dark spirals in an attempt to destroy them; however, as if they had a mind of their own, the spirals avoided a direct collision with his des of wind. ''There is a sinister energying from those spirals. The destructive power is weaker than his first attack, but... That''s the rming point. Something is telling me that if I get hit by those spirals, while I won''t die immediately, I would be at an instant disadvantage. It''s unfortunate that I am unable to use my ninth sword form. Though whether or not it would even be effective is another story.'' Izroth nced over at Astratis, who was currently sitting in a meditative pose with his eyes closed behind his Lighting Barricade. Izroth''s Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple destroyed all iing projectiles as well as any hostile magic or mana in its area of influence. But, was Ethos even considered magic or mana? After learning it himself, Izroth believed that it was closer to something like essence more than anything. Of course, more importantly, Izroth did not whether or not his quelling ripple would register Astratis'' Lightning Barricade as "hostile" and end up disrupting it. If that happened, Astratis would be leftpletely defenseless and Izroth understood that someone like Maragos would not let such an opportunity pass him by. ''Something that can buy time while restricting their movements without affecting Astratis...'' Izroth pondered for a moment as he continued his assault from a distance while evading the neverending dark spirals. That''s when it suddenly dawned on him. ''Of course... There is that item I received from her. It''s perfect for this kind of situation. I''m not sure how long it will take to set up, but it''s worth a shot.'' As Izroth came up with a potential solution, Maragos concentrated on fending off his onught of attacks to assist in hastening the Wilting Gauntlet. Needless to say, the anzeyta head warrior did not enjoy being forced into defending; however, from the very start, he never lost sight of the bigger picture. "Once the Wilting Gauntlet is constructed, we can deal with this creature and the Son of Thunder''s protective shielding in one swoop. Until then, I will allow him to run wild a little longer." Maragos growled to himself as he continuously intercepted the des of wind from Izroth''s Tempest Strikes. Crrrrckle! Without warning, one of the des of wind Maragos blocked sent a surge of lightning throughout his body. -45,548 "?!" Maragos felt his muscle constricting as his movements ceased. However, he had no idea what just happened. He blocked the de of wind just like all the others before it, yet the moment his swords came into contact with that specific de of wind, he felt something shock him. Zeeeut! With almost no dy from when Maragos was struck, Izroth consumed a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to instantly arrive in front of the head warrior. An overbearing aura emerged from Izroth''s Sword of the Storm as he cut downward towards Maragos'' head! A split second ago, Izroth infused his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder into one of the des of wind he fired in Maragos'' direction. This de of wind was more than twice as fast as the others. But, that alone would not have been enough to deceive someone like Maragos with his abundance of battle experience. Instead, Izroth timed his strikes to where he fired off a normal de of wind ahead of time. Simultaneously, he used the instant attack effect of his First Sword Form: Converging Paths to send out a well-concealed de of wind that contained his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Fortunately, not only did this attack slip through Maragos'' defenses, but the paralyzing effects of Izroth''s third sword form also went off. Seeing this, Izroth swiftly made his move, seizing the brief opening to follow up with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction! Chapter 773: The Eye In The Sky

Chapter 773: The Eye In The Sky

Izroth''s Sword of the Storm descended upon Maragos and carried with it an overbearing wave of destruction. As the de approached him, Maragos'' expression darkened. He had not dropped his guard for a moment, but this person before him managed to create their own opportunity. "I thought I overestimated this creature by using the Night Blooming Phase, but¡ªit seems I''ve still looked down on them." Maragos internalized as the dark Ethos around him became abnormally calm. The next moment, a crimson red liquid began to stream from Maragos'' eyes as his pupils turned pitch ck. The liquid that fell from the anzeyta''s eyes resembled blood; however, it appeared to be an unknown type of substance. Izroth realized the abrupt changes happening to Maragos, but he did not pull back on his attack. Swoosh! Izroth''s swung down with the full force of his Might of the Ancient Colossus. However, the second Izroth made contact with his sword, he immediately sensed that something was off. Ding! Izroth''s Sword of the Storm managed to reach Maragos, but the results were far from expected. ''Oh? I detected the changes around him, but this is...'' At the moment, the edge of Izroth''s weapon was pressed against Maragos'' forehead; however, there were no signs of damage. When Izroth struck the anzeyta head warrior just now, it felt as though he hit an indestructible wall. The feedback from the impact turned Izroth''s hands numb and almost caused his Sword of the Storm to fly out of his hands. Fortunately, thanks to the effects of Might, Izroth swiftly recovered from the physical irregrity of his numbed hands. ''To stop my first baneful sword while I have the effects of the Might of the Ancient Colossus active is by no means simple. But, more than that¡ªthis was a bit unexpected.'' Even though Izroth was somewhat surprised that Maragos sessfully resisted his attack without being pushed back in the slightest, there was another issue that instantly diverted his attention. Suddenly, two dark streaks of light sped towards Izroth from his left and right sides. At the same time, the dark spirals sent out earlier by Maragos caught up to Izroth and were quickly closing the distance from behind him. But, it did not stop there as two additional dark streaks of light rushed at Izroth from above, leaving him with essentially nowhere to retreat! BOOM! The barrage of attacks from all directions was in perfect sync with each other as they connected with wless timing. Upon doing so, it generated an earth-shaking explosion of Ethos that was well contained to Izroth''s position. Simultaneously, within the controlled chaos, a bright red light shined in the sky above, causing the three anzeyta to instinctively turn their gaze upward. However, the light seemed to onlyst for a fleeting moment before disappearing. Although the explosion was confined to a limited area, the aftermath had spread throughout the battlefield. Several of the nearby trees were blown over, the grass within the vicinity had been razed, and the powerful aftershock cracked the earth, causing arge cloud of dust to rise. A couple of secondster, a single dark streak of light shed inside the dust cloud as it split open and dispersed. Three figures emerged from the dust cloud. Two were the anzeyta warriors Evgos and Edaros, who were still channeling the Wilting Gauntlet. As for thest individual, they bore a striking resemnce to the anzeyta head warrior Maragos! If not for the blood-like substance that was still pouring from their eyes, it would have been easy to mistake them for someone else. Maragos had undergone a major transformation. His eyes were pitch ck with no hint of redness to them. His ashen gray skin had be a jet ck charcoal color to the point where the light that hit his skin was lost. And, his physique had be and more well refined in a muscr nature. In addition, a new pair of limbs protruded from Maragos'' sides, granting him a total of four arms. Also, in each of his hands was a de whose sheen mirrored the abyss. This was the true form of the anzeyta race that only a select few could achieve after numerous life and death encounters¡ªthe Nightly Bloom. "..." Maragos silently swept his gaze over the battlefield, carefully scanning the surroundings with his eyes. Astratis was still sitting in a meditative pose behind the protection of his Lightning Barricade. As for his opponent, they were nowhere to be seen! "To think someone on this mission besides the Son of Thunder could make me enter the Nightly Bloom. Be they man or creature¡ªdeath by my hands is an honorable one." Maragos said as he walked towards Astratis with a pace neither fast nor slow. It did not take long for the anzeyta head warrior to arrive in front of Astratis as he halted his steps before the Lightning Barricade. "Even after entering the Nightly Bloom, breaking through this protective barrier will take some time. But, it is of no concern. Soon, Evgos and Edaros will finish conjuring the Wilting Gauntlet. After that, no matter what barrier he tries to hide behind, it will have no choice but to make way." Maragosmented as he looked down at Astratis. With this, Maragos considered the mission given to him by his master as all butplete. Still, until Astratis was restrained and escorted to his master, Maragos would not lower his guard. "Evgos, Edaros, prepare to- ?!" Maragos was about to give the order to attempt the first break through of Astratis'' Lightning Barricade, but before he could do so, the barrier shattered. Crrrrckle! BOOOOOOM! "Impossible...!" Maragos eximed as a powerful wave of lightning flooded the battlefield and thunderstorms brewed in the sky above. Before Maragos'' eyes stood the Son of Thunder, Astratis, with an overwhelming aura around his being. "Kneel." Astratis'' voice reverberated. Bang! An unbearable pressure fell upon Maragos as he fell to his knees with cold sweats running down his back. His eyes were unable to meet Astratis'' as he gazed at the ground. He felt that one wrong move would erase his very own existence. As a warrior of death, Maragos did not fear death. However, there was an almost instinctual terror when faced with the Son of Thunder at the peak of their strength! "It should have taken him a much longer time to recover even with a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree...! How is this possible...?!" Maragos'' thoughts raced as he tried to understand what was happening. "I told you before, did I not? Let''s see whether or not you have the ability to make me submit." Astratis'' stated as he held the palm of his hand forward. Crrrrckkkle!...BOOM! Without warning, a lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking Maragos, causing his cries of anguish to fill the air. The following moment, the world around Maragos turned ck as he was instantly vaporized into nothingness! ... "Ahhh!" Maragos'' roared as he looked towards the ground. Currently, the anzeyta head warrior was on his hands and knees, sweating profusely. However, their mind was in a state of confusion. What just happened? Without a doubt, they were supposed to no longer be a part of this world! "...I died at the hands of the Son of Thunder just now, but... What is this sorcery...?!" Maragos muttered to himself as he lifted his head. Immediately, Maragos saw he was still more than fifteen meters away from Astratis. But, even more bizarre was the fact that the Son of Thunder was still sitting calmly behind his Lightning Barricade! After witnessing this sight, Maragos underwent an even greater deal of confusion. "Evgos, Edaros... They''re-" Maragos slowly stood to his feet with a darkened expression and turned around to see the two anzeyta lying lifelessly on the ground. Maragos clenched his fist and unleashed a violent battle cry. He did not understand what just happened, but for some reason, he felt as though he had been thoroughly deceived. Naturally, this caused him to be ovee with rage. After all, even the calmest of warriors would find it difficult to control themselves after their subordinates had been eliminated under their watch. At the same time, an unusual shadow could be seen lurking behind one of the fallen trees. Soon enough, this shadow took on a humanoid form. Of course, this was other than Izroth! ''It''s more effective than I anticipated.'' Izroth carefully observed Maragos from a distance after canceling the shadow form of his Shadow Movement skill. A few moments ago, Izroth used his Shadow Movement skill to escape from Maragos'' attack and erase his presence. However, he prepared something beforehand that Maragos himself unknowingly assisted him with. It was the A-ranked magic item he received after his bet with Morrighan, the Eye of Macabre! The red light from earlier was actually the Eye of Macabre being opened. The instant this took ce, Maragos was trapped in a powerful illusion. But, he was not the only one under its influence. Evgos and Edaros were also caught in a simr illusion. The two anzeyta had not fallen as Maragos thought.. And, Astratis had not regained his strength yet. Everything was merely the illusion generated by the Eye of Macabre! Chapter 774: Conserving Ones Strength?

Chapter 774: Conserving One''s Strength?

The Eye of Macabre was an A-ranked magic item that collected energy upon activation. After it reached a certain threshold, it would open an eye and all those who met its gaze would be trapped within a powerful illusion for one minute. However, those under the influence of the illusion would experience a temporary time dtion, causing one minute to feel like ten. In addition, it also inflicted damage over time to the targets it afflicted. ''It''s fortunate he transformed when he did. Otherwise, it may have taken much longer until the eye was opened.'' Due to Maragos entering the Nightly Bloom and unleashing a highly concentrated burst of Ethos, as well as the channeling of the two anzeyta to call forth the Wilting Gauntlet, the Eye of Macabre did not take long to fully open. But, despite the three anzeyta all sumbing to the illusion generated by the Eye of Macabre, Izroth did not immediately take action and took a moment to observe. ''The damage from the Eye of Macabre should be enough to deal with the other two, but thest one will require a bit more effort.'' The reason Izroth did not immediately follow up with an attack while the anzeyta were under the effects of the illusion had to do with the damage provided by the Eye of Macabre. It wasmon knowledge in RML that directly attacking someone affected by an illusion would break them free of it. Of course, there were a few exceptions to this case; however, since nothing was listed on the Eye of Macabre about ignoring that kind of liability, Izroth decided it was not worth the trouble. As for the magic item''s damage, it inflicted 1,500 pure damage in addition to 12.5% of the target''s maximum HP every 10 seconds. In the end, as long as Izroth let the damage run its full course, even if the anzeyta were not killed in the process, they would be hanging on to their life by a thread. Though Izroth doubted he had to worry about their survival. On the asion they did damage to live through it, there was still thetter part of the skill''s damage. Once the illusion ended, those affected would suffer 2.5% of their maximum HP as pure damage every second for a whole thirty minutes! Unless one was blessed with healing-type skills or high HP regeneration, their demise was practically guaranteed! ''My main objective is to protect Astratis until he recovers. I just have to buy enough time and let damage from the Eye of Macabre take care of the rest.'' Izroth did not forget the bigger picture at hand. He was alone in an unknown realm and had already offended one of the entities that ruled over it by siding with Astratis. While he was not afraid, Izroth understood his current situation. There was a high chance that he would have to face stronger opponents during his time in this realm. He needed to conserve essence, as well as any high-ranking skills and trump cards possible to increase his overall chances of survival. If he showed his full hand here against some "hunting dogs", then how could he face the greater force behind them when the time arrived? ''The illusion should be over soon. Then...'' Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath as a sharp sword intent gathered within. ... "GAH!" Maragos roared to the sky as he stood tall with his arms spread. The anzeyta head warrior was finally broke out of the illusion and shouted to eliminate the fear that had built up in his heart. "What wicked manner of sorcery..!" Maragos growled as he swept his gaze across the battlefield. It was not the first time he was trapped in an illusion, but the illusion this time around was too ruthless! In the span of what felt like an eternity, the head warrior had been killed in different ways several times over. To make matters worse, every time Maragos thought he escaped the cycle of death, it would turn out that he was still trapped inside the illusion! Even now, a part of Maragos was doubtful that it was over. However, for some reason, his instinct told him that this was no longer an illusion. "What is this cursed power flowing through my body?" Maragos muttered to himself as he could feel an unknown force slowly chipping away at his lifeforce internally. "Edaros!" A voice abruptly sounded from behind Maragos. "?!" Maragos was still somewhat muddleheaded due to the intensity of the illusion; however, hearing that voice snapped him back to reality. "That voice¡ªit belongs to Evgos." Maragos internalized as he swiftly turned around. Maragos was weed by the sight of Edaros lying unconscious on the ground. As far as he could tell, there were no signs of any external wounds or injuries. But, regardless of this fact, Edaros showed zero signs of life! As for Evgos, regardless of his darkened expression and miserable state, he still followed his orders. The anzeyta continued to channel the Wilting Gauntlet as his lifeforce grew weaker with every passing moment. "Head Warrior¡ªit was an honor to fight at your side!" Evgos said with a look of determination in his eyes. Seeing that look, Maragos immediately understood the warrior of death''s intentions. Since death was fast approaching, Evgos wanted to sacrifice himself and forcibly draw in the remaining Ethos needed toplete the Wilting Gaunlet. But, despite knowing the oue, Maragos knew that to stop Evgos would be an insult to his warrior''s spirit. "Long live the Heaven''s Son!" Maragos shouted. "Long live the Heaven''s Son!" Evgos echoed as white cracks began to form on the surface of his skin. At the same time, a dense quantity of Ethos converged to his position. Zeeeut! Right when the two anzeyta cried out, an intense pressure erupted from behind Maragos as Izroth appeared out of nowhere using his Primed Instantaneous Movement! The anzeyta head warrior had not let his guard down and swiftly adjusted his stance to intercept the iing strike. Although Maragos was infuriated, he had been waiting for this moment! "So you were still lurking around here, after all! You shall pay for the lives of my subordinates with your death!" Maragos'' voice reverberated as he opened his mouth, revealing a dark blue vortex of Ethos. Simultaneously, a thin line of azure light appeared in front of the head warrior''s eye. The next moment, the dark blue vortex in Maragos'' mouth erupted as he released a powerful st! At point-nk range and no charges of Primed Instantaneous Movement remaining, Izroth activated Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard as a gale of protective wind epassed his body. ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard? has reached maximum capacity! [MAX: 54,680]¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Warning! The protection of ?Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard? has exceeded its limits and will begin to fail!¡µ Almost immediately after its activation, the protective winds scattered after absorbing the maximum amount of damage possible from Maragos'' attack. When the effects of Izroth''s Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard ended, he wasted no time activating his nextyer of defense as his body became encased in beautiful crystal. Crrrrck! Just like the protective winds, the crystals showed signs of breaking apart right after its arrival. ¡´Battle Alert: Warning! The integrity of ?Crystallization? has reached [12%]!¡µ However, as thestyer of crystal was about to shatter, Maragos'' attack came to a sudden halt. When the attack stopped, Izroth canceled the Crystallization effect attached to his armor as he emergedpletely unscathed. "...Im...possi...ble..." Maragos struggled to utter as a long cut formed from his head to his lower torso. "From the moment you were trapped by the Eye of Macabre, this fight was already over," Izroth said calmly as he returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath. "Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke." ¡´Battle Alert: The dyed damage effect of ?Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke? has been activated!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have struck a vital point! The damage from ?Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke? has increased from 130% to 650%!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The bonus damage effect of ?Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard? has been consumed!¡µ ?Critical Hit? -149,240 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Head Warrior of Death, Maragos!¡µ ... A few minutes passed by as Izroth quietly watched over Astratis. Despite defeating all the anzeyta present, he still had to wait until Astratis recovered; therefore, the quest was still ongoing. Izroth believed that there would be no problems since he took care of the three anzeyta; however, there were still in the middle of the Ancient Wilderness. And, ording to Astratis, there were many powerful creatures lurking about in this ce. Since it would be the perfect moment to strike at potential prey, Izroth had to stay on guard. ''Hm?'' Suddenly, Izroth sensed a change around Astratis as the Son of Thunder''s eyes shot open and the Lightning Barricade faded. When this happened, a stream of system alerts entered into Izroth''s ears. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Fend off the Anzeyta until ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? recovers enough strength.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You havepleted the quest ?The Rebel & The Liberator(1)?!¡µ Chapter 775: Are You Willing To Hear Me Out?

Chapter 775: Are You Willing To Hear Me Out?

Although Izroth received alerts from the system regarding hispletion of the quest, his attention was currently on Astratis. ''Oh? The aura around him is different. Is this the result of regaining his full strength?'' Izroth wanted to examine Astratis once more using Deep Insight; however, it could not be used on the same target within 72 hours. Needless to say, by the time he was able to use it again on Astratis, his time inside the Secret Realm would have long passed. Upon lowering his Lightning Barricade, Astratis stood to his feet and immediately scanned the surroundings. But, when he noticed that Maragos and the other anzeyta were nowhere to be found, it caused the Son of Thunder to furrow his brows. "Did they flee? No... Warriors of death would never retreat unless it was the order of their master. But, if that guy really came here in person, my Lightning Barricade would not have been enough to stop him from taking action. Then, how...?" Astratis internalized as he tried to understand what happened while he was recovering. That''s when his gazended on Izroth. Surprisingly, they were still alive! Even more than that, they seemed to bepletely unharmed. "How is this possible? I may have loaned him the power of my Lightning Armor, but even then to remain unscathed in the face of the anzeyta¡ªjust who is this person?" Astratis thought to himself. To Astratis, unless one was a celestial like himself or one of the ancient races, facing off against the anzeyta should have been impossible. No matter how much a mortal trained, it would be like an ant training to fight a lion. Even if it spent a thousand lifetimes doing so, there was no chance of emerging victorious. Astratis was suspicious of Izroth and his true identity; however, since he handed him a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree and protected him, Astratis felt that he truly was an ally. Not only that but Izroth could be considered his benefactor! Even if he was hiding some things from him, Astratis had no ns to pursue it. Of course, that was not to say he did not have some questions for Izroth. But, Izroth had certainly earned his trust and respect. Astratis approached Izroth and stopped a few steps away from him. "Izroth, you have done me a great favor on this day. On my name, Astratis, bearer of the title, Son of Thunder, you have my gratitude." Astratis said as he genuinely expressed his appreciation. Izroth gave a small nod and responded, "If I judged you to be someone whocked character, I would have never handed you the Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree. Since you are someone who stands by their own moral values and we can be considered somewhat acquainted during our brief journey, naturally, I will lend you a hand." "Ahahaha! Excellent! As thanks, while it is nowhere near enough to express my sincerity, I hope you won''t reject my gift." Astratis stated as he snapped his fingers, generating a small spark of electricity. The next moment, two items appeared out of thin air and slowly floated in Izroth''s direction before stopping in front of him. ¡´System Alert: You have reached maxed favor with ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Vial of Immortal Nectar!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Teraidi w Shard!¡µ ''These are the quest rewards? Indeed, it was worth giving up a Mature Wing.'' One of the objects before Izroth was a vial filled with light green liquid. Even though the vial was sealed shut, one could feel a vibrancy of life contained within the liquid. This was the Vial of Immortal Nectar. The object next to the vial, although it was called a shard, was a ck fragment the size of one''s head. The strange thing about this ck fragment was the dreadful and robust aura that epassed it. It was as if that aura belonged to a mighty ancient beast of legend and vaguely reminded Izroth of the Sealed Immortal Hydra he faced back during the crusade. "The vial contains Immortal Nectar, a substance thates from the Endless Nectar Fountain. Its value is not any less than that of a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree." Astratis said calmly. He then exined, "When the two arebined together, it creates a miracle elixir of life. As long as the person who consumes it has not already left this world, their recovery is assured. But, be extremely careful. Typically, you would not eat a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree as it can cause a great deal of bodily unrest. However, that''s only if it is not taken with the Immortal Nectar. Normally, you would process them together under intense mes to maximize their restorative properties. My method was a bit barbaric. Unfortunately, there was no time to be reserved." ''I see. I was curious as to why he would directly consume the Mature Wing given its high purity. Combining the two, one can create a miracle elixir. I wonder...'' "I will keep your advice in mind," Izroth said as he ced the two objects into his inventory. Astratis nodded in approval and noted, "Now that you have insulted the youngest of the Ateleigos, there''s probably no way for you to get any Immortal Nectar. So, be sure to use it sparingly." Izroth inwardly shook his head. How could he have known that the Ambrosia Tree was Thanasia''s property? Regardless, he did not feel bad taking them, especially after she raised her hand against him. As for collecting more of the Immortal Nectar¡ªif there was an opportunity to do so, as long as Thanasia''s siblings were anything like her, then doing so would be a simple task! Though if Thanasia knew that Izroth had this thought in his mind, she would have coughed blood in anger. ... A few moments passed by as Izroth exined to Astratis what happened while he was recovering. At first, Astratis was speechless and could not help but feel somewhat skeptical. However, after listening to Izroth talk about Maragos entering the Nightly Bloom, Astratis became thoroughly convinced. There were not many individuals outside of celestials who knew of the anzeyta''s Nightly Bloom. Though what amazed Astratis was that Izroth faced Maragos in that state and seemed to suffer no injuries. Not to mention, Maragos was not alone and came with three other anzeyta warriors! Now, it was no longer a doubt in Astratis'' mind¡ªthis Izroth was no mortal! Astratis cleared his throat as his expression turned serious. "Izroth, I''m sure you know, right? That I have some questions I would like answered. Of course, I am also willing to answer the questions you have for me as well. After all, since you helped me, whether you like it or not, there are those who will see you as a nuisance ande to im your life." Astratis exined. "Are you talking about the one called Ourami?" Izroth asked. "That''s right. The anzeyta you fought against are under the Pir of the West, Heaven''s Strength, Ourami." Astratis replied. "Heaven''s Strength? To darepare their strength to the heavens itself¡ªa bold deration." "It is, as you say, a bold deration. That being said, it is not far from the truth. In terms of physical strength alone, Ourami has no equal in this world." Izroth knew that if someone like Astratis was making such a im, then Ourami''s strength must be legitimate. Still, there was something that bothered Izroth. "I''m curious. Is there a pir who goes by Heaven''s Son?" Izroth inquired. Astratis'' brows rose slightly as he seemed taken aback by Izroth''s abrupt question. "This... Indeed. The Pir of the East, Heaven''s Son, Yia. But, how did you know? Can it be that your memories are returning to you?" ''That''s right... He still believes that I am someone who has lost my memories.'' Izroth never lied to Astratis, but either remained silent or stretched the truth to some extent. However, it was time he cleared some things up. "Actually..." ... Izroth went on to rify some things to Astratis. While he did not reveal anything about the Mortal Realm, Izroth did mention that he was from a ce outside the sphere of influence of the four pirs. Naturally, Astratis was shocked when he heard this piece of information. There existed a ce in this world where the four pirs hands had not reached? This was shocking news that could shake the very foundation of their world! "Izroth, what you''ve told me¡ªyou must never reveal it to anyone else, do you understand? If such a ce was known to exist, the four pirs would not rest until it is under their rule." Astratis said with a grave expression. "Rest assured, I have no intention of letting it be known," Izroth reassured. Even if the four pirs could find their way to the Mortal Realm, there were already established powerhouses there. How could it be easy to rule over such a ce? "It''s hard to believe that there is a power other than Ethos that can even be used to defeat the anzeyta. The world is truly a vast ce. My eyes have been opened on this day." Astratis sighed. "Still... To think that they cried out to the Heaven''s Son before they perished. Are those two finally moving in sync? If so, the situation is even worse than I imagined." Astratis said as he closed his eyes. A few momentster, he opened his eyes with a look of rity. "Very well, then. I''ve decided. Izroth, I want to enlist your aid. Of course, I will not take advantage of you. I shall ensure that you are rewarded properly. That''s why¡ªare you willing to hear me out?" Astratis requested in a solemn tone. ¡´System Alert: A new chain quest has been generated!¡µ Chapter 776: A State Of Instability, A Familiar Face

Chapter 776: A State Of Instability, A Familiar Face

''A chain quest?'' Quest Name: The Rebel & The Liberator(2) Quest Difficulty: S Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: The ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? wants to enlist your help in gathering some allied forces located on the other side of the ?Mountain of the Blighted? outside the ?Ancient Wilderness?. Time Limit: 8 hours 0/1 Cross the ?Mountain of the Blighted?. 0/1 Find ?Ilioreas? in the ?Sunstone Cave?. 0/1 Convince ?Ilioreas? to send aid to ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?. 0/1 Apany ?Ilioreas? to the ?Hidden Celestial Abode? and meet up with ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?. Reward: -x1 ess to the ?Cyclops Workshop? located inside the ?Hidden Celestial Abode?. -x1 Token of Promise Failure: -None After giving it a quick read-over, Izroth wasted no time epting the quest. ''It might be a chain quest, but the difficulty level went down. There''s also no penalty for failing the quest. Well, at least, no direct penalty.'' While there was no penalty listed under the failure category, Izroth knew that if he failed, it was likely that any potential chain quests that were supposed toe after would never arrive. After all, he doubted things would merely end after finding this Ilioreas person and bringing them to Astratis. ''Is this his way of testing me?'' Since his favor with Astratis was maxed, Izroth knew that the Son of Thunder truly did trust him. However, trust and reliability are two different sides of the same coin. Even if Astratis trusted Izroth, there was still the matter of whether or not he would be useful in the long run. In the end, he did not personally see Izroth''s battle against Maragos and the other anzeyta; therefore, it was understandable that he wanted to give him a personal test. Of course, Izroth did not find this to necessarily be a bad thing. If this was, in fact, Astratis'' way of testing him, then that meant as long as he seeded, an even more difficult task awaited him. And, with high difficulty came great rewards! ''I have to find the one called Ilioreas... is it? That part should not be difficult now that my Energy Vision Sense can properly sense Ethos. However, having to convince him is...'' Izroth knew nothing about Ilioreas and even if he did, the person in question would see him as nothing but a stranger. If Astratis wanted their help, it made more sense for them to go in person as it would increase their chances of seeding. ''Even if it''s as a test, he does not seem like the reckless type who has no forethought. Then, could it be that something with a higher level of urgency requires his attention?'' As Izroth pondered Astratis'' potential train of thought, the Son of Thunder spoke. "I need you to find someone for me. But, I''ll be honest with you¡ªI don''t expect much." Astratis sighed. "Oh? I''m quite good at finding people." Izrothmented. Astratis shook his head and said, "s, if that alone was the problem, it would be a simple task. However, if you truly defeated an anzeyta of Maragos'' caliber, then finding Ilioreas should not be too difficult. It is convincing them that will be the troublesome part." He then continued, "If possible, I would have liked to make the trip myself. But, now that I have returned to full strength, I must return to the frontlines. Since my enemies do not know that I have regained my strength, I n to use it to its full advantage." "I see. That certainly makes sense. But, if you think it''s pointless, why bother sending me to such a ce to begin with?" Izroth inquired. "Because, that ring on your finger¡ªit belongs to Gaea, does it not?" Astratis said as he pointed to Izroth''s hand. "I failed to notice it before because of my injured state, but I''m certain that ring contains the breath of life that can only be granted by Gaea," Astratis noted. ''I see. Since he made noment when he first met, I thought he overlooked it or failed to recognize it. Instead, it turns out it''s like this. Though seeing as how he did not immediately attack me upon discovering it, it''s safe to assume he is not an enemy of this Gaea.'' One of the rings on Izroth''s fingers was called the Breath of Gaea. It was given to him by the system upon entering the Secret Realm; however, it did not have any powerful effects attached to it. If anything, it seemed to be an object that was solely sentimental in value since revealing it to someone would potentiallybel that person as an ally or enemy. Izroth looked down at the Breath of Gaea on his finger. ''Does this Gaea have some type of personal connection to the one I''m supposed to convince?'' "As long as you mention my name and show that ring, Ilioreas should be willing to meet with you and hear you out. But, the rest will be up to you. I know it is unreasonable of me to make this request without being able to provide you with any feasible methods. Nevertheless, I hope that you will find a way to surprise me, Izroth." Astratis stated. ... Approximately 20 minutester... ¡´System Alert: Portal closure of ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? [Time Remaining: 22 Hour(s) 58 minute(s) 13 second(s)]!¡µ ''An hour has already gone by since I entered the Secret Realm. Since my time here is limited, I have to gain as many benefits as possible in the shortest amount of time. For now, my main focus will bepleting the chain quest and hopefully opening a new path. That being said, I should not ignore something of value as long as it''s not too far out the way.'' Izroth halted his steps as he finally reached the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness. The moment he arrived, the first thing that entered Izroth''s eyes was a small vige in the distance at the foot of the mountains. Before Izroth parted ways with Astratis, he was informed that he should stop by the vige to gain some insight into the Mountain of the Blighted. Even though the mortals of this realm were apparently powerless, Astratis mentioned that it was not umon for peddlers to stop at the vige. Sinceing from the other side of the Mountain of the Blighted was an arduous journey for them, peddlers would often rest there before they continued their journey. ''The Blighted... I have yet toe across any since I was teleported to this Secret Realm. I''m curious as to how they differ the monsters back in the Mortal Realm. I suppose gathering some information before I go would not cause too much of a dy.'' After briefly gathering his thoughts, Izroth made his way towards the vige located at the foot of the mountain. ... ''Strange, ording to Astratis, this vige should be lively around this time, but this atmosphere... Did something happen here recently?'' Although it was called a small vige, the vige itself was at least three times bigger than average. But, at the moment, it was like a deserted ghost town. There was not a single individual anywhere in sight¡ªat least, on the surface. Izroth scanned the vige with his Energy Vision Sense and immediately noticed that there were more than a hundred people hiding in what appeared to be underground tunnels. ''Hm, this is...'' Izroth caught something with his Energy Vision Sense; however, just as he did so, a familiar scent drifted by his nose. ''This smell... Cherry blossoms?'' Soon after Izroth inhaled the scent, a storm of cherry blossoms emerged from out of nowhere andpletely obstructed his view. The next moment, a strong aura of frost filled the atmosphere. Without warning, a thin and graceful de emitting a simr frost aura to the one in the atmosphere peeked out from the storm of cherry blossoms and right towards Izroth. Swoosh! Ding! Before the de could strike, Izroth swiftly unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and intercepted it. At the same time, Izroth''s gaze met with a pair of lily-colored eyes as strands of long flowing pink hair swayed in front of them. "Are you with them as well? I will have you know, my life is not that easy to im." An elegant voice sounded. However, despite its elegance, there was a trace of chilling killing intent underneath it. ''I thought I sensed a familiar presence with my Energy Vision Sense. So it was her.'' This elegant voice belonged to one of the individuals who entered the Secret Realm before Izroth, the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia. However, ording to his Energy Vision Sense, they did not appear to be in a good state. "I don''t know what you''re going on about, but I have nothing to do with it. However, if you still wish to fight, then... I don''t mind doing things the forceful way.." Izroth said with a carefree expression as he released his Soul Pressure. Chapter 777: Hunted, Enemies In All Directions

Chapter 777: Hunted, Enemies In All Directions

The instant Izroth released his Soul Pressure, the cherry blossoms in the atmosphere began to blink in and out of existence. Sychia''s gaze remained locked on Izroth as if trying to peer into him. A few secondster, she closed her eyes and released a small sigh as her cherry blossoms dispersed. Sychia lowered her de and returned it to its sheath. "The eyes reveal all there is to know about a person. Your eyes¡ªthey do not have the same vile gaze as those who are after my life. Izroth, was it? Forgive my impudence, but I was only looking after my own life. If you wish to file a grievance, I would not hold it against you. That being said, I hope it can wait until we leave this Secret Realm." Sychia said calmly as she turned to walk away. But, after taking not even two steps forward, the Thousand Blossom Maiden fell to one knee and coughed violently as she covered her mouth with her hand. Sychia looked down at the blood in the palm of her hand as herplexion seemed to have worsened. "Did you n on fighting your assants in that miserable state?" Izroth asked. "It is of of your conce-" Sychia could not finish even getting through her sentence before violently coughing once more. Izroth observed Sychia and knew that in her current state, it would be a monumental task to make it out of the Secret Realm in one piece, let alone survive another encounter with those who were after her life. Though he did not expect her to be so prideful. If anyone else were in the same situation as her, they would have probably asked for some assistance. Still, Zouren''s statement to "not stick his nose where it doesn''t belong" lurked in the back of Izroth''s mind. In addition, Izroth also had some fame with the Order of a Thousand Blossoms after eliminating the Right Hand of Siren, Enigma. Therefore, Izroth was curious as to why some of the others in this Secret Realm wanted to im Sychia''s life. Although Izroth did not decide yet whether or not he would help her, at the very least, he wanted to hear the reasons. Plus, there was another thing Izroth was curious about. ''It''s strange. Was I the only one transported to a different location after entering the gate to the Secret Realm?'' Judging by Sychia''s state and words, it was clear that she had undergone an intense battle and narrowly managed to escape with her life. However, it had only been a little more than an hour since they entered the Secret Realm. While Izroth was uncertain of the Secret Realm''s size, if it was true that everyone was transported to different locations, then Sychia should not have run into the others so quickly. That is unless her luck was just that terrible. There was also a chance that those who were after her possessed some type of tracking artifact. However, if that were the case, Sychia would not have stopped at this vige as it would give them time to catch up to her. ''I don''t know what''s going on, but taking into ount her previous actions outside the entrance to the Secret Realm, it seems she already knew that her life was being targeted beforehand. Are all of them in on it? If so, it would exin her aggressive greeting. But, when they''re this stubborn...'' "?!" Suddenly, Sychia felt incredibly light as she was abruptly hoisted off the ground. "Y-you¡ªwhat is the meaning of this?! Unhand me at once!" Sychia eximed as she attempted to struggle free; however, with her current condition, it was difficult to break free without risking further injury to herself. As for why the Thousand Blossom Maiden was so taken aback, Izroth had just picked her up with one arm and tossed her over his shoulder. This was the first time someone dared to carry her, let alone in such an unsophisticated and barbaric manner! She was a maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms¡ªhow could he carry her around like a sack of rice on his shoulder?! But, even though she was troubled and flustered by Izroth''s actions, Sychia was surprised. Despite her elegant stature and weakened state, she was by no means physically weak. The fact that Izroth was able to effortlessly restrain her movements with one arm meant that his physical strength was nothing to scoff at. Of course, this had to do with Izroth''s Might stat, which granted him a great boost to his physical capabilities. After struggling for a few seconds as Izroth walked, Sychia realized that doing anything more would only be a waste of energy. And so, she finally calmed down and released a helpless sigh. "Did you finally calm down?" Izroth asked calmly. "..." "You knew that your life was being targeted, right? Yet, you still decided toe to this Secret Realm surrounded by enemies. You are either incredibly courageous or foolish¡ªthough I suppose there is a thin line between the two." Izroth stated. "...You are one to talk. At first, I thought it was all just an act to get me to let my guard down. But, now¡ªit is clear that Zouren is after your life. Although I am curious as to how you got him to willingly hand over a Realm Fragment." Sychia responded. "I will have you know, my life is not that easy to im," Izroth said, echoing Sychia''s earlier statement. "You... Nevermind. Where do you n on taking me?" "From what I understand, it is not umon for peddlers to stop by this vige to rest after traveling from the other side of the mountain. If that''s the case, there is bound to be an inn or ce of rest where we can discuss things properly. I may even be able to help you heal the poison flowing through your veins." "?!" Sychia''s eyes widened in shock by Izroth''s words. Of course, the Thousand Blossom Maiden was well aware that she had been poisoned. It was the reason why she could not properly stabilize her mana and naturally recover. Given her status as the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia possessed items that were capable of cleansing many forms of poisons. Unfortunately, her enemies were aware of this and came well prepared. The type of poison they used did not reveal any outer symptoms. Rather, the harm came strictly in the form of internal damage. This made it not only difficult to detect before it could do actual harm, but also hard to treat due to theck of external symptoms. "To know that I have been poisoned... Could it be that you are familiar with poisons?" Sychia asked. "I suppose you could say that¡ªsince some of the greatest medicines are technically poisons," Izroth answered nonchntly. "Medicines? Are you a great healer..?!" Sychia eximed. In RML, great healer did not refer to the healer ss or any ss in particr. Rather, it was used for those who had exceptional knowledge when ites to herbs and developing medicines. It wasmonly used amongst schrs, alchemists, and apothecaries, which were the main driving forces behind restorative substance development in RML. "As long as you help me cleanse this poison, on my honor as the Thousand Blossom Maiden, I will find a way to return the favor. On this, I give you my word." Sychia said in a resolute manner. ¡´System Alert: A new quest has been received! Would you like to ept?¡µ Quest Name: Enemies In All Directions Quest Difficulty: SS Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: There are those who wish to see the ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? perish from this world. Assist ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? in removing the poison in her body to help ensure her survival. This quest is automatically considered failed if ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? dies within the time limit. Time Limit: 23 hours 0/1 Find a way to detoxify the poison affecting the ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia?. 0/1 Help ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? arrive safely outside the ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans?. Reward: -Honorary Saint of the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms?. -Max favor with ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia?. -Gain max fame with the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms?. -Lose 10,000 fame with the ?Circle of Six Gods?. -Lose 500 fame with the ?Fifth Great n?. -Lose favor with the ?Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia?. -Lose favor with the ?Azure Lightning Agromin?. -Lose favor with the ?Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren?. Failure: -Lose 2 levels. -The chances of ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia?''s death in the ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? increased exponentially. -Lose 5,000 fame with the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms?. -Gain 5,000 fame with the ?Circle of Six Gods?. -Gain 2,500 fame with the ?Fifth Great n?. -Max favor with the ?Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia?. -Gain favor with the ?Azure Lightning Agromin?. -Gain favor with the ?Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens, Young Zouren?. ''Oh... Interesting. Originally, I nned on helping her to return the "favor" of Zouren sending that assassin to im my life.. But, I have to admit, this approach works just as well.'' Chapter 778: Favored Failings

Chapter 778: Favored Failings

''Though it''s a bit strange. This quest... Why is it that the rewards for failing appear more enticing than the actual reward itself?'' Just by failing the quest, one would be able to gain a great deal of fame with two top-tier powers in the Mortal Realm. In addition, a connection would be forged between three individuals who all had some form of status. There was the fact that one would lose two levels; however, such a price was small to pay when forming long-term connections. Of course, the most notable thing was maxing out one''s fame with the Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia. This was even more so for someone like Izroth. Izroth still had the SSS-ranked quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline toplete. While there was plenty of time until the deadline, eventually, he would have to visit the Mother of All Forests. In order to finish that quest, it required that Izroth obtain the Guardian of the Forest''s blessing and acquire a drop of Millennial Dew from the Tree of Provenance. To have max favor with someone like Luxia would undoubtedly make those tasks more essible. After all, given how someone like Zouren was willing to reign in his arrogant behavior to gain her favor, there was a high chance that Luxia''s status was exceptional even among the princesses of the Great ns. Nevertheless, it did not sway Izroth in the slightest. He had met many individuals simr to Luxia. One day, they would treat you as their best friend, and the next, as long as it benefited them, they would not hesitate to backstab you. They were also wrapped up in numerous schemes and enjoyed being in absolute control. That''s why Izroth found itughable that Zouren was trying to win over someone like Luxia. Without a doubt, the Princess of the Fifth Great n was simply using him as a borrowed de to help eliminate Sychia. Then, when the time came, she would likely find a way to shift the me of Sychia''s death onto Zouren and the power behind him. At that point, Luxia would sit back and watch as the Order of a Thousand Blossoms shed with the Eight Heavens to avenge the death of their maiden. As for what Luxia stood to gain from this¡ªIzroth had no clue. Ultimately, Izroth chose to ept the quest as he headed further into the vige. ... A few momentster, Izroth arrived in front of a building with a sign above it that read "Comfort Dreams Lodging". With a name like that, it was clearly a ce of rest. Therefore, Izroth wasted no time entering the building. Izroth stepped into what looked like a basic reception area mixed with a cafe that contained several tables and chairs. He swept his gaze across the room, but there were no signs of anyone present. Though since everyone was hiding underground, it came as no surprise to him. Izroth ced Sychia down on one of the nearby chairs and walked over towards the back area of the lodgings. Since there was no receptionist, they could not get a proper room. However, Izroth figured that it would not cause any issues if he imed a room for himself and paid the fee whenever those underground decided to return. Unfortunately, all the doors in the lodgings were protected by a system barrier. After realizing that was the case, Izroth returned to the front and checked behind the receptionist desk for any type of keys. But, there was nothing that resembled a key anywhere behind the desk. ''This is a bit troublesome.'' While Izroth could probably cut through the system barrier using Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality, it would be too much of a waste. So, in the end, Izroth decided to use the front of the lodgings. As Izroth walked around the lodging, Sychia carefully observed his every action. "Izroth... Why have I never heard of this name before today? Since he participated in the second team''s selection at the Sky Pce, he should not be unknown. Then, what power does he belong to?" Sychia internalized. "Take this." A voice entered Sychia''s ears, causing her to snap out of her deep thoughts. Before she even looked up, an intense medicinal smell filled her nostrils. Immediately upon inhaling that scent, Sychia could feel the poison in her body began to slightly retreat. "This is... A grade four pill..!? No, that is not correct. The quality has reached a level of extremity whenpared to other pills of a simr grade. If I am not mistaken, this should be a grade three pill." Sychia said as she furrowed her brows. "Oh? You were able toe to that conclusion with just a nce?" Izroth asked. "I may not be an apothecary, but I have had the fortune of watching my master craft pills of varying levels. It is unfortunate that I do not have a talent in pill making." Sychia replied as she epted the pill from Izroth. After briefly examining the pill, Sychia consumed it as the pill immediately dissolved in her mouth. Right after doing so, a flood of purifying energy rushed into her, rapidly spreading to every corner of her body. "The purity of this pill is even greater than I imagined...!" Sychia internalized as her eyes widened from shock. The pill Izroth handed Sychia was the Evil Cleansing Pill, a grade-three pill that granted the passive skill Evil Cleansing. Evil Cleansing made one resistant to various forms of not only poisons but also evil illusions. In addition, whenever one was poisoned or trapped inside of an illusion, the skill would automatically cleanse all negative effects. Though it was something that could only ur once every two hours. Sychia closed her eyes and focused on stabilizing her mana while simultaneously reinforcing the purifying effects of the Evil Cleansing Pill flowing throughout her body. ... 15 minutester... Sychia opened her eyes. The first thing she did was look down at her right hand and form a fist. Swoosh! Sychia lightly swung her fist at the air beside her. Soon after, a controlled shockwave of mana was expelled from her fist as several cherry blossoms briefly materialized before vanishing. At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Find a way to detoxify the poison affecting the ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia?.¡µ "It looks like you sessfully managed to cleanse the poison and stabilize your mana," Izroth said calmly as he examined Sychia with his Energy Vision Sense. Suddenly, Sychia stood to her feet with her arms straightened at her side as she stepped forward. The Thousand Blossom Maiden then gave a deep bow with her eyes closed towards Izroth. "I, Sychia, the 82nd Thousand Blossom Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, am eternally in your debt, Izroth. One day, this debt shall be repaid by my hands. If not, I shall find myself forsaken by the goddess." Sychia dered sincerely. "There''s no need for such rigid formalities. Your words today¡ªrest assured, I will let them fall on deaf ears." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. Izroth would not reject Sychia''s sincerity since he understood that given her stubborn nature, regardless of what he said, she would insist on finding a way to repay him. ''Not bad. She might be somewhat stubborn, but her personality seems pretty straightforward and honest.'' Sychia stood up straight and opened her eyes. There was a cold look present and even though she tried her best to hold back, Izroth could feel the hidden killing intent. "I think it''s about time you exin what happened. Starting from when you entered the portal into the Secret Realm," Izroth stated. Sychia nodded and began to exin the train of events that led to her injured state. ... A few momentster... "And that''s when I sensed your presence approaching the vige. Since you were alone, I figured it would be best to take you out before you could call for help, but... My apologies. Looking back at my rash actions, I am quite embarrassed." Sychia revealed. "No, given the set of events, your actions were well in-line. Still, to think they would use such a ruthless method¡ªwhat exactly happened between you and that trephasia princess?" Izroth inquired. ording to Sychia, after she entered the portal, she arrived in some old abandoned ruins. From what description alone, it sounded simr to the ruins Izroth was transported to. However, there was no one around when Izroth arrived only seconds after. Therefore, he was certain they teleported to different locations. Though it was the next part that surprised Izroth. Upon her arrival, Sychia saw no signs of the first person to enter the portal, Hakros. As for the others, Luxia, Agromin, and Zouren all arrived at the same ruins. Needless to say, Izroth was transported to an entirely different location. ''Hm.... Does it have something to do with the nked-out text I saw when I used Deep Insight on the portal?'' Chapter 779: A Doting Master, Reminisce

Chapter 779: A Doting Master, Reminisce

Whatever the reason, it did not change the fact that Hakros and Izroth¡ªthe first andst people to enter the Secret Realm¡ªhad arrived at different locations than the others. In regards to Sychia, eventually, the others managed to catch up to and surround her. She was able to hold her ground for a while, but the odds were too stacked against her. Ultimately, the Thousand Blossom Maiden was poisoned by Agromin and she was forced to use a lifesaving artifact to flee. The artifact was a one-time use, but it teleported Sychia several kilometers away from her previous position. That''s when she stumbled upon this empty vige with its residents hidden underground and decided to use the chance to recuperate. ''The fact that she was able to hold off against three opponents of simr strength and still found an opportunity to escape can be seen as exceptional. Though there is something else that I am curious about.'' "You said that your master is an apothecary, but... Can it be that the two of you are not on good terms?" Izroth inquired. Sychia frowned, "How can that be? My master took me in when I was just a child abandoned by the world. We may not be rted by blood, but she still treats me as her own daughter." "Then, it''s strange. From the sound of things, your master should be a fairly high-grade apothecary. How can she send a disciple that''s like a daughter out without the basic necessities?" Izroth found it difficult to believe that Sychia''s master would willingly allow her to go to a ce surrounded by enemies without some preparations. That''s why he asked if the two were on bad terms. "This..." Sychia seemed a bit hesitant toment on Izroth''s point. Seeing her reaction, Izroth got a decent idea about what was going on. ''So it''s like that. I thought she was the obedient type, but... Maybe she''s at a rebellious stage.'' "Your master doesn''t know you came to this Secret Realm, right?" Izroth remarked. "?!" Sychia was visibly startled by Izroth''s words. Izroth released a small sigh as he inwardly shook his head. It all finally added up. It was not that the master had disregarded the disciple, but that the disciple had snuck away from the master. "So it''s true. I found it strange that your master, an apothecary, would permit you toe to this Secret Realm without being sufficiently prepared. As a result, you were poisoned with no countermeasures at hand." Izroth stated. "I never imagined they go as far as using such a vile method as poison...! It is a coward''s weapon. Only those whock dignity would resort to its use." Sychia said as she withheld her anger while thinking back to when she was attacked and poisoned. "Naive." Izroth''s voice sounded. "...What did you just say?" Sychia''s gaze turned cold as she looked at Izroth. This person had just saved her life; therefore, she was grateful to him. However, to call her naive when she said nothing wrong¡ªhow could she not be displeased? "I can understand why your master did not let youe to this ce. Your thought process is still too naive. Vile method? Coward''s weapon? Dignity? How absurd. Once you are dead, what value do those words hold?" Izroth said indifferently. "Are you saying that I should lower myself to their level...? That I should forfeit my values and resort to underhanded tactics..?! I would sooner die than allow myself to fall that low!" Sychia said without wavering. Izroth sighed and shook his head, "This is why I said¡ªyou''re naive." "I am not suggesting that you change your morals and ignore the values you have built. However, it is important to understand that the world is filled with those who would resort to anything to aplish their goals. Even if that means getting their hands dirty in the process. History is ultimately written by the victors. So when one looks back, they will not see how you died to a coward''s weapon. All they will see is a pitiful nameless soul who perished trying to change their history. To believe that everyone in this world inherently shares the same values as you¡ªwhat else can I call you but naive?" Sychia wanted to retort; however, she no response. The cold gaze in her eyes faded and was reced by one that exuded helplessness as she looked down. Sychia thought back to the moment she first asked her master permission to travel to the Secret Realm. After hearing Izroth''s words, she was reminded of her master''s expression at that time. That gentle, yet firm and helpless expression she gave her as she uttered, "You are still too inexperienced, Sy. Do you n on making your master worry until the very end?" ''...It seems I touched on a rather sensitive subject.'' Although her head was down and the room was silent, Izroth noticed a few drops of liquid falling onto the back of Sychia''s hands. ... After a few minutes passed by, Sychia calmed down and regained herposure. "I have shown you something quite unsightly and unbing." Sychia sighed. She then continued, "You are right. My thoughts were indeed naive and revealed my inexperience. It is just as my master feared. She was right¡ªeven now, I am causing trouble to others and making her worry about me." Izroth inwardly nodded. The fact that she was seriously reflecting on things was a good sign. Seeing as how he had to keep her safe for nearly 24 hours, Izroth figured it was best to help her gain some insight into the true face of the world¡ªsomething Sychia''s master should have done. ''s, a master who is too doting and wants to protect their disciple from the world is only doing them harm in the long run. Though, I suppose I can understand the sentiment..." Izroth was suddenly reminded of his time in the Seven Realms. He had many teachers throughout his life, but there was ever only one person he called master. And, just like Sychia''s master, that person, too, attempted to shield him from the true face of the world''s cruelty. ''Being reminded of those days¡ªperhaps that is why I used such a childish method to open her eyes. To think I would reminisce in a ce like this... How unlike me.'' Izroth became briefly absorbed in his thoughts before clearing his mind and returning his focus to the task at hand. "Is there a specific reason why you came to this Secret Realm despite your master''s concern?" Izroth asked. Sychia slightly furrowed her brows as she seemed to be in deep thought. A few secondster, she appeared to have reached a conclusion as a look of rity found its way into her gaze. "Normally, I would not tell something like this to an outsider; however, your words reminded me of my master. A person like that¡ªI do not believe they have any ill intentions. Even if I may be called naive again for using such a reason, I am willing to trust you, Izroth." Sychia stated. The next moment, Sychia''s expression turned serious as she continued, "My master has always possessed a weak physique and poor health. But,tely, the symptoms seem to be getting worse with each passing day. We have tried countless high-grade medicines and methods, but all of them ended in failure." "The Mortal Realm is abundant in resources; however, it is a ce controlled by various powers. It is not simple to explore freely. But, a Secret Realm is different. Unlike the Mortal Realm, it is filled with resources for the taking. Even if the residents are dangerous, they will not be able to follow us back to the Mortal Realm." "I have heard many stories about lifesaving treasures often emerging from Secret Realms. Therefore, even if it is against my master''s wishes, I could not allow this opportunity to escape my hands. I am not afraid to risk my life if it means that I can repay even a small amount of the kindness my master has given to me." Sychia exined. Izroth could not help but smile inwardly. ''The master is worried about the disciple while the disciple is worried about the master. Well, this reason, even if her actions can still be seen as naive, at the very least, it is understandable. Still, toe to a ce surrounded by enemies just for a chance at saving her master, it''s quite admirable. Perhaps...'' "I may have a way to save your master. It''s not guaranteed since I do not know how far along your master''s illness has progressed, but I have seen what it can do with my own eyes. It''s just that, it may be somewhat dangerous." Izroth stated. "Is that true..?!" Sychia eximed as she shot up to her feet. She then continued, "Even if it is merely a possibility, I am willing!" "Then, you''ll have to follow me for a while, is that alright?" Izroth asked. Sychia bowed gracefully and replied, "As long as you have a way to save my master, I will follow you to the underworld if needed." Chapter 780: Mountain Of The Blighted

Chapter 780: Mountain Of The Blighted

... Izroth and Sychia took their leave from the lodgings. Since the Thousand Blossom Maiden finished stabilizing her mana, they could move without being hindered. Not to mention, their time in the Secret Realm was limited. Therefore, every minute was precious. ''It looks like getting any information about the Mountain of the Blighted is out of the question.'' From the time he arrived until now, the vigers were still hidden underground and showed no signs ofing up to the surface. While Izroth would not have too much trouble finding the concealed entrance to the underground area, it would take some time. Also, there was no guarantee that the vigers or peddlers were willing to talk. ''There''s no point wasting time on something that may yield no results. We will just have to go in blind. Though I must admit, it is far from ideal.'' At the moment, Izroth had to deal with an S-ranked and SS-ranked quest simultaneously. ''...No, I suppose it''s three now?'' Not long after Sychia imed that she would follow him to the underworld if necessary to heal her master, Izroth received yet another quest from the system. Though there was one thing that troubled him. Quest Name: A Hopeful Promise Quest Difficulty: SSS Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: The ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? has ced their hopes in you to heal her master the ?Thousand Blossom Holy Maiden, Seina?. Time Limit: 2 days 0/1 Find a way to cure the ?Thousand Blossom Holy Maiden, Seina? of their illness. Reward: -Official Saint of the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms? -Max favor with ?Thousand Blossom Holy Maiden, Seina? -Gain max fame with the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms? -??? -??? Failure: -Lose 3 levels. -Death of the ?Thousand Blossom Holy Maiden, Seina? -Lose all favor with ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? -Lose all fame with ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms? The contents of the quest were simple. He simply had to find a way to cure Sychia''s master within two days. This basically left him with one day the moment he set foot outside the Secret Realm. But, what troubled Izroth were two things in particr. First, it was an SSS-ranked quest. This alone represented the viciousness of the illness Sychia''s master suffered from. As for what else bothered Izroth, it was one of the consequences of failing the quest¡ªthe death of Sychia''s master, the Thousand Blossom Holy Maiden, Seina. This meant Sychia''s master was swiftly approaching the end of her life! ''It''s no surprise she recklessly charged into the Secret Realm with no regard to the consequence. She must have known that her master does not have much longer to live. Indeed... it is not easy to repay the kindness of a life given.'' The approach Izroth nned to use was the same one Astratis used to recover from his injuries. Though, to be honest, Izroth was not entirely sure it would work. In the end, it was still filled with unknowns and untested. There was a possibility that it only worked on those with Ethos. Or, maybe the illness of Sychia''s master required one to take a more specific path without deviation. But, whatever the case, Izroth was at least certain of one thing¡ªit was not somethingpletely uncurable. The system was fair and would never give yers a quest that was impossible toplete. This meant that even if the method he had in mind did not work, there was still a way. However, ifbining the Wing of the Ambrosia Tree with the Immortal Nectar failed, it would not leave Izroth with much time to find another solution. Fortunately, he had a backup n. Though he hoped it would not reach that point. "Just to rify, you n to cross this... Mountain of the Blighted, to convince someone you have not met before to send aid to a person you have not been acquainted with for more than an hour or so? Even stranger, judging from how the task was handed to you, those two do not appear to be close friends. You¡ªare you sure you are not being scammed?" Sychiamented with a doubtful expression. He had called her naive not too long ago; however, wasn''t he currently in the middle of being taken advantage of by some stranger? A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he replied, "Those who can scam me¡ªI am afraid there was only one such person I have met in my life. As for others, it is not easy for them to take advantage of me." "Well, if you say so. Regardless, I will assist you to the best of my abilities." Sychia sighed. She then continued, "You said we have to collect something called Immortal Nectar from the Endless Nectar Fountain, correct? How do we find it?" "I''m not certain," Izroth answered honestly. "Then, the elixir-" "Allow me to finish. I''m not certain, but the one I ampleting this task for should know the location of the Endless Nectar Fountain. Though that ce should be guarded by someone powerful. Plus, we are not exactly on the best of terms with the one guarding it. That''s why if I cannot cross a mountain, they may be unwilling to reveal the location, lest it leads to my demise." "In that case, we cannot afford to fail," Sychia said solemnly. "Of course, I have no intention of failing," Izroth replied nonchntly. ... After traveling for nearly ten minutes east of the vige, Izroth and Sychia came before the start of a mountain pass. Izroth spotted the location of this mountain pass the instant he stepped out of the Ancient Wilderness. At first nce, the mountain pass looked to be naturally formed by nature; however, upon closer inspection, one could see faint traces of abnormal formations. ''It''s barely discernable, but I''m positive¡ªthis path was carved utilizing Ethos. Was it someone like Astratis, a celestial, who carved this mountain pass? But, for what reason?'' While it was well hidden, the Ethos contained within the mountain pass could not escape Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense. Sychia saw that Izroth was carefully observing the mountain pass. Of course, she did so herself. But, Sychia did not notice anything out of the ordinary. "Is something wrong with this path?" Sychia inquired. "No, there should be no issues. I was just curious as to the reason behind its creation." Izroth said as he stepped onto the mountain pass and began to journey ahead. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Mountain of the Blighted?!¡µ Sychia followed after Izroth and asked, "Creation? Are you saying that the residents of this Secret Realm built this mountain pass?" To Sychia, the mountain pass appeared to be formed naturally. However, if that was not the case, then the group that created this mountain pass must have a high affinity to nature for it to blend in so well. "If I''m not mistaken, it was made by a single person." Izroth rified. "A single person? If that is true, they are an existence who has stepped into, at the very least, thete stage of the legendary realm." Sychiamented as her brows rose in astonishment. "This territory may belong to that individual. Be sure to stay on guard." Izroth reminded. "Even without your warning, I nned on doing so. For some reason, the moment we stepped foot onto this mountain pass, I became ovee with a sense of uneasiness." Sychia stated. ''Oh? She sensed it as well? Her perception is sharper than I thought.'' Just as Sychia mentioned, Izroth, too, had felt uneasy after walking on the mountain pass. However, strangely enough, it had nothing to do with the mountain pass itself. In fact, the mountain pass seemed to suppress the feeling of uneasiness. "Let''s increase our pace," Izroth said as he started to sprint forward. Sychia nodded as she increased her speed to keep up with Izroth. ... After roughly five minutes of sprinting nonstop at high speeds, Izroth and Sychia were forced to slow their pace. "Odd, there was no indication of a mist this heavy forming from the distance," Sychia stated. The two were suddenly surrounded by a thickyer of mist that appeared of out thin air. This made it difficult for them to see more than one or two meters ahead. All of a sudden, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off in his mind, causing him to immediately activate his Energy Vision Sense. ''This is... How did such arge force manage to get this close without a trace?'' "Sychia." "Yes, I am aware. I can feel their gazes." Sychia ced her hand on the hilt of the de at her side. A few secondster, the heavy mist cleared up. However, Izroth and Sychia were not alone. Standing on the mountain pass was a single man with an unusual appearance. He possessed ghostly white skin, long snow-white hair, and a pair of lifeless red eyes. But, more importantly, this man was not alone. Surrounding Izroth and Sychia on all sides of the mountain pass, as well as on the short peaks were tens upon tens of individuals with simr appearances! ''So, this is the Blighted Astratis spoke of... It''s just as he said¡ªI cannot detect a single sign of life.'' Name: Nameless Blighted(???) Level: 0 HP: ??? (100%) Chapter 781: Blighted, Lurking

Chapter 781: Blighted, Lurking

The Blighted¡ªfrom what Izroth understood, they were simr to the undead that existed in the Mortal Realm. However, there were some noticeable differences between them. "Grrkwaaa!!" The Blighted who stood on the mountain pass ahead of Izroth and Sychia unleashed a loud shrieking cry. "Grrkwaaa!!" The rest of the Blighted, as if responding to its cry,unched forward, bringing along with them a pure wave of killing intent. ''Is that one their leader?'' Izroth''s gaze locked onto the Blighted on the mountain pass in front of them. He did not panic as the group Blighted charged from every direction. Instead, Izroth calmly observed the movement of the Blighted and realized that everyone was rushing at them. That is except the first Blighted who released the ear-piercing cry. ''Strange. The Blighted are supposed to be mindless bloodthirsty creatures who will even devour their own kind to satiate their bloodlust. Why are they following the order of another Blighted? Was he wrong? Or...'' Naturally, Astratis would not let Izroth journey through the Mountain of the Blightedpletely uninformed. The Son of Thunder shared with him some basic information about what he may encounter along the way. This included the behavior of the Blighted and how to take advantage of it. However, the Blighted before Izroth was nothing like what Astratis mentioned. Of course, Izroth did not believe that Astratis intentionally misled him. After all, it was of no benefit to him to deceive Izroth after having already regained his strength. But, the fact remained unchanged that the Blighted appeared to be working together and followingmands¡ªthis was in direct conflict with the information Izroth obtained. As the Blighted arrived within five meters of his position, Izroth moved his hand to the hilt of his Sword of the Storm. Though before he could draw his sword, Sychia held her hand out. "Leave this to me," Sychia said as she took a step forward and unsheathed her de. ''Oh?'' "Then, if you insist," Izroth replied with a carefree smile as he lowered his hand. Although he exchanged a blow with Sychia back at the vige, she was still in a weakened state. He was interested to see what she was capable of. After all, he had to ensure her safety until they reached the outside of the Secret Realm. Therefore, it was important to see how well Sychia could hold her ground with his own eyes. When Sychia''s de left its sheath, a cascade of cherry blossoms in mid-bloom scattered throughout the battlefield. After epassing every Blighted within the beautiful scenery of falling cherry blossoms, all of a sudden, every cherry blossom came to a grinding halt as time seemed to stand still. "Blossom Sword Twelfth Outlook: Scattered Bloom." The second after those words left Sychia''s mouth, the cherry blossoms vanished. The following moment, a single cherry blossom bud materialized on the forehead of one of the Blighted closest to Sychia. Then, in a fraction of a second, the cherry blossom fully bloomed. Phhtk! When the flower bloomed, a deep cut formed on the Blighted''s forehead as a putrid ck liquid escaped from the wound. Soon after, several simr cherry blossoms appeared on the several different parts of the Blighted, repeating the same process as the first flower that materialized. In the blink of an eye, the Blighted was covered from head to toe in deep wounds as it fell to the ground motionlessly. Though it was not the only one. A simr phenomenon was emerging all throughout the battlefield. One by one, the Blighted sumbed to the effects of the cherry blossoms and were covered in deep cuts before copsing to the ground. Izroth watched the spectacle unfold. To those who were far away from this ce, it would resemble stunning picturesque scenery. But, for someone like Izroth who was able to peer into Sychia''s attack¡ªit was a ruthless strike that caused death to soon follow. ''A piercing sword intent that''s hidden behind a seemingly delicate strike... Not bad.'' The cherry blossoms may seem like magic, but Izroth was certain that every flower was a sword strike. Each cherry blossom was directly connected to Sychia''s sword as she disyed a form of wless control and precision. ''If it''s this much, she should be able to deal with someone like Maragos without trouble. But, if she can defend herself to this extent... Doesn''t this reduce the difficulty of the quest by quite a bit?'' What Izroth failed to realize was that his presence was an anomaly to the quest Enemies In All Directions. The first part of the quest was to find a way to detoxify Sychia. Under normal circumstances, this would be a nightmare for the vast majority of yers toplete. In most cases, it should require the yer to locate the initial user of the poison and find a way to get the antidote from them. Of course, the only somewhat guaranteed chance of this happening was finding the portal out of the Secret Realm ahead of time and waiting for them to arrive. During that entire time, Sychia would be poisoned, growing weaker and weaker with every passing moment. This would increase the difficulty of protecting her even further. But, Izroth had a grade-three poison cleansing pill in his possession with a purity so high that it could rival a grade-four pill! How many yers in RML could get their hands on a grade-three pill with the effectiveness of a grade four pill? Let alone a lifesaving one that cleansed poisons. The answer was less than the number of fingers on one''s hand! ... In less than a couple of breaths, Sychia managed to eliminate thest of the Blighted. Sychia returned her sword to its sheath. Her nose scrunched up slightly and her brows furrowed from the putrid stench in the air. "This smell is rather unpleasant. I suggest we leave this area with haste." Sychia stated as she held the back of her hand up to her nose. "I agree. If we continue at our current pace, we should arrive on the other side of the mountain in an hour or so. Well, as long as we don''t run into any more surprises like this one. Let''s go." Izroth said calmly. Izroth sprinted ahead with quickened steps as Sychia swiftly followed after him. ... Not long after Izroth and Sychia left the area that had been transformed into a Blighted graveyard, the heavy mist returned. But, this time, it did not immediately vanish as a single mysterious figure lurked within. The only thing one was able to make out where the figure''s crimson eyes. A couple of secondster, the heavy mist disappeared. As it did so, there was nothing there to be seen. But, more shockingly, there were no traces of the Blighted! Even the putrid ck liquid released from their bodies had been scrubbed clean from the mountain pass. Going by looks alone, it would be impossible for anyone to tell that a one-sided massacre had just urred there. Suddenly, arge shadow appeared on the ground that belonged to an enormous creature passing overhead. The shadow on the ground moved at great speeds; however, one could make out a pair of wings and a long tail. Despite the movement of something so massive, there was no sound. But, what was truly terrifying was that this giant creature had been present the entire time Izroth and Sychia confronted the Blighted, yet it managed to escape their detection. And, at the moment, it was heading in the same direction as them. ... "Grrkwaaa!" Swoosh! Izroth''s de swung forward, cleaning severing the head of a Blighted from its body. Izroth did not halt his steps as he continued to dash ahead through the crowd of Blighted, only attacking when necessary. "How are these creatures able to evade our detection and get this close to us before we can discover their presence?" Sychia asked as she kept up with Izroth while fending off the Blighted attacking from every angle. "That''s a good question. I''ll let you know when I have an answer." Izroth replied nonchntly as he evaded one of the Blighted whounched their whole body at him. ''This is troublesome. Their strength isn''t that great, but their numbers seem to be increasing the further we head into the mountain. There''s also something else that''s bothering me...'' At the moment, Izroth and Sychia were fighting their way out the middle of a huge crowd of Blighted that seemed to be neverending. It was like facing a small army filled with bloodlust that did not fear death. Bzzzt! Crrrrrckle! "There''s something I need to confirm. There''s a small crevice up ahead. We''ll head there for now. I''ll clear a path." Izroth stated as two bolts of lightning crashed down from above, epassing his Sword of the Storm in the powerful purple lightning. Swoosh! Izroth swung his sword outward with an overbearing aura as one of the Blighted were immediately fell. Bzzzt! Upon falling, a bolt of lightning jumped from the Blighted body to one of the nearby creatures, causing them to receive a great deal of damage as well. The lightning continued to bounce between multiple targets, clearing the path ahead to the crevice for Izroth and Sychia. Chapter 782: The Lurker

Chapter 782: The Lurker

The chain of lightning from Izroth''s Call of the Thunder God''s First State: Heavenly Descent spread throughout the crowd of Blighted as the two entered the crevice. Not too long after arriving at the crevice, the Blighted quickly converged on the path''s entrance; however, they were unable to fit through as they grouped up and became entangled with one another. As for the handful of Blighted that managed to slip into the crevice, they were swiftly taken care of by Sychia, who protected the rear. "There is a dead-end ahead. I also do not see anything that stands out. Are you certain this is the ce?" Sychia inquired. At the end of the short path was nothing but solid rock. And, needless to say, there were no other trails avable in the crevice. Currently, their only choice seemed to be to head back towards the direction they had juste from. "This crevice is not what I''m interested in. Just wait." Izroth said calmly as he closed his eyes, leaned against the rocky surface, and channeled his Source Chant. ''I''ve used up a lot of essence. I should take this time to recover a bit.'' Izroth used most of his essence maintaining his Energy Vision Sense and asionally deploying it to cover a vast area. However, this much was necessary as it provided much-needed information about a ce he had little to no knowledge about. ''Thanks to the Perfect Source Compatibility trait, my Spirit Source has been growing at a frightening pace. The amount of essence I can use now has nearly tripled. Still, I can''t afford to be careless. There are still more than twenty hours left until the Secret Realm closes. Since it is uncertain when I may run into trouble, I should always be prepared to face the worst possible oue.'' Trait Name: Spirit Source Source Stage: 1 -> 5 Essence: 1,000 -> (1,921)2,700 Essence Regeneration: +100 per hour -> +270 per hour Trait Effect: The user has unlocked the mysterious Spirit Source that raises their overall strength. When the user reaches Source Stage 10, they will unlock an additional effect and their source will evolve. ... Originally, Izroth had consumed more than half of his essence along the way when exploring the Secret Realm. Though a good portion of it was recovered thanks to his natural essence regeneration. ''I am five stages away from the next evolution of my Source. But, as I thought¡ªeven with Perfect Source Compatibility, I need a stronger Source Chant. Perfect Source Compatibility allowed Izroth''s Source to grow stronger even without him doing anything. However, his progress speed may double or even triple if the trait was paired with a more reliable Source Chant. In addition, if he could find a better Source Chant, Luna, Zi Yi, Halls, Guan Yu, and Valentine, who also possessed Sources, would benefit immensely. This was even more so considering theycked the Perfect Source Compatibility trait that Izroth acquired. ... Several minutes passed by as Izroth suddenly stopped circting his Source Chant and opened his eyes. Sychia had been silently keeping watch over the surroundings. Though she was still in disbelief at what she had just witnessed. A Source! He actually had a Source! How was this possible?! Everyone knew that one must require a Domain before a Source. This is how things had always been. So, then, why was it that this person in front of her eyescked any form of domain energy, yet possessed a Source?! "In the Mortal Realm, only those of the true dragon race who are born with an innate Source can achieve a Domain before a Source. But... He is clearly not someone from the true dragon race. Just what tricks did he use?" Sychia internalized. As Sychia tried toprehend things, Izroth inwardly frowned as he looked over at the bundle of Blighted struggling effortlessly to get into the crevice. ''Could it be that I was wrong?'' The reason Izroth stopped in the crevice was to confirm something rather abstract. From the moment Izroth stepped foot into the Mountain of the Blighted, he felt as though they were being watched. Although it was a vague and distant feeling at first, the deeper they ventured into the mountain, the clearer that feeling became. There was something else that bothered Izroth as well and that was the first encounter with the Blighted. For some reason, his Soul Sense went off to inform him of danger, but it ceased soon after Sychia made her move. However, it did not add up. The Blighted were relentless, but theycked strength outside of numbers. Though even when surrounded by hundreds of Blighted, more than twice that of their first encounter, and fighting their way out, Izroth''s Soul Sense did not go off a single time. Nevertheless, that feeling of being watched never entirely went away. Since it may be something or someone capable of avoiding the detection of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth figured it was best to confirm it with his eyes. But... ''Perhaps I was too cautious.'' "Let''s continue-" Just as Izroth was about to inform Sychia that they were continuing their journey, the sky suddenly darkened as everything fell deathly silent. At the same time, the numerous Blighted outside the crevice disappeared without a trace. Not a single one of the hundreds of Blighted remained. If not for the Evil Cleansing passive and his natural resistances, Izroth would have believed it was an illusion all along! Izroth swiftly made his way out of the crevice with a single stride, jumping over Sychia in the process. He quickly scanned the area and noticed that not a single Blighted remained. Izroth turned his gaze to the sky as the sight caused him to narrow his eyes. ''I see... It''s not that the sun has abruptly set. It''s just that this thing is too massive. How can something this big go undetected for so long? No... Even now¡ªI still can''t sense its presence.'' In the sky was a creature whose body spanned well over one hundred meters. It had a pair of massive wings, a long tail, and ghastly white scales. ''?!'' Out of nowhere, a heavy pressure descended onto Izroth that caused the ground beneath him to fracture and his blood to boil. It was just a split moment, but Izroth''s gaze met with the creature''s. A casual look from its crimson eyes alone was enough to crush most individuals from the pressure alone. However, Izroth stood strong and did not lift his gaze. The following moment, the creature seemed to show no interest as it turned its gaze ahead and continued onward. In the blink of an eye, just as quick as it appeared, it vanished. Swoosh! Sychia arrived next to Izroth and asked, "Are you alright?" "I''m fine," Izroth replied as the pressure around him disappeared and the blood in his body calmed down. ''What was that creature? Though I suppose the more important question is why did it erase the Blighted yet chose to ignore us? Also those scales and its eyes... Is it also one of them?'' Izroth had numerous questions; however, there was no time to search for answers. Right now, he still had a quest toplete. ''It''s possible Astratis may know something about it. I''ll have to ask him when we meet again.'' "This Secret Realm is full of dangers. It is possible we just witnessed one of the apex predators of this ce. It saved us some trouble by clearing the mountain pass. But, I would rather not encounter it a second time." Sychia said as she released a small sigh. "Let''s increase our pace. If it is clearing all the Blighted on the way, we should take full advantage of it." Izroth stated. "Most people would run as far away as possible in the opposite direction from a creature like that. Yet, you want to take advantage of it?" Sychia was amazed by Izroth''s boldness. "It is impolite to turn down a free meal when it is offered to you so readily," Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "I am unable to read him. It is troubling." Sychia thought to herself. She was uncertain whether or not it was actual confidence or false bravado that Izroth disyed. Regardless, as long as she was by his side, Sychia did not n on letting any harm befall him. After all, the fate of her master rested in his hands. ... Approximately 25 minutester... The rest of Izroth and Sychia''s journey through the Mountain of the Blighted was smooth thanks to taking advantage of the creature that cleared the path ahead. Due to that, the two made great headway and reached the other side of the mountain much faster than anticipated. The first thing that greeted their sights was a long great valley filled with a vibrancy of life that expanded further than the eye could see. ¡´System Alert: You have left the ?Mountain of the Blighted?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Sunstone Valley?!¡µ Chapter 783: Hunting The Hunters

Chapter 783: Hunting The Hunters

¡´System Alert: 1/1 Cross the ?Mountain of the Blighted?.¡µ Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense at maximum range to scan arge portion of the valley. His goal was simple. He wanted to iste any energy signatures that were strong, alone, or in an isted ce with the potential of being a cave. Izroth only kept his Energy Vision Sense active for a couple of seconds before ending it and taking a moment to organize the vast amount of information he obtained. ''There are five strong energy signatures. Out of the five, three of them are in isted locations that hold the highest likelihood of being the Sunstone Cave.'' Out of the three individuals or creatures Izroth detected, one was alone and the other two appeared to be together. However, there was something troubling about the locations. ''They are inpletely opposite directions. If I choose wrong, we would consume too much time having to turn back. Not to mention, I still have no idea how long it will take to convince them. Then... Do I have no choice but to take the 50% chance?'' Izroth believed the person who was alone held the highest chance of being Ilioreas. After all, someone who lived in a ce called the Sunstone Cave was probably not used to having any visitors. But, Izroth thought about Astratis'' current circumstances and could not rule out the possibility that perhaps someone from the other side was meeting with Ilioreas in an attempt to win them over. If that was the case, then the possibility of him failing the quest would increase with every moment that person had to convince Ilioreas. Of course, there was no penalty for failing the quest. However, Izroth was not the type to willingly embrace failure. ''Well, I suppose there is no point in overthinking it. I just have to cross that bridge if Ie to it.'' "Let''s go," Izroth said as he began to descend down the mountain pass and into the valley as Sychia traveled close behind. ... Meanwhile, back in the Mortal Realm... At the moment, a huge wave was sweeping through RML. It was an event called Hunting The Hunters. However, it was not an event given by the system, but rather one that was organized by yers! Several hours ago, some shocking news was spread throughout RML and rapidly took the world by storm. Initially, there were some yers who remained skeptical about it, but there were two core points that changed their perspective. One was the fact that a top guild like Sleeping Gardenia was backing it. And, secondly, videos had already started to show up on the forums showing yers iming their reward. With these two factors, the situation boomed and more yers started to join in. It was to the point that some were even willing to abandon their post in the official event to chase after this profit. However, while this event was organized by Sleeping Gardenia, it was made clear that the true person behind this Hunting The Hunters was none other than the Mystical Realm Pce owner, Izroth! This had to do with the ultimate reward that every top yer, guild, and organization had their eyes on¡ªa favor from the Mystical Realm Pce. Just by eliminating the leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, they could gain a favor that was impossible to purchase with money alone. In fact, in their eyes, it was the 10,000 gold coins that were just a bonus! ... Somewhere near the Xanaharpe... "What did you just say?! Are you certain?! You have to be 100% positive!" A loud voice sounded. This voice belonged to the guild leader of Blue Oasis, Asgard. Right now, Asgard had grabbed the messenger by the shoulders with a hopeful look in his eyes. "I have confirmed it myself. We cannot let this chance pass us by, leader." Complex Assault, the vice-guild leader of Blue Oasis responded as Asgard had a strong hold on his shoulders. "...Excellent... Truly excellent! Our Blue Oasis has not been abandoned hahaha!" Asgard eximed as his mood seemed to instantly improve. He then continued, "Let Captain Minus and Squad 6 find the guild leader of the Headhunter Syndicate and deal with him! Wait, have Captain Road also apany him! We can''t let this opportunity slip away from us! This may be our Blue Oasis'' only chance to regain the favor of Pce Master Izroth!" ... At another location in the Mortal Realm... "Hey, Ewan¡ªya heard about the bounty on those bastards from the Headhunter Syndicate? Ahahahaha! Serves em'' right! They have been a bit of an eyesoretely." Dragus, the vice-guild leader of Cross Haven said boisterously. "I am well-informed. I have already made a few arrangements. Although, I would have liked to personally attend to the matter." Ewan, the guild leader of Cross Haven, replied. "Heh, it''s not like ya have a choice. We gotta finish things up here, after all!" Dragusmented. "Unfortunately, this one is a little troublesome," Ewan said calmly as the ground beneath his feet shook as his gazended on the ferocious warrior a few meters in front of him. Name: Jiltanis the Great Destroyer(WORLD BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? (22.83%) ... Back at the Mystical Realm Pce... "I''m here to im my reward! I killed two people from the Headhunter Syndicate! I have proof!" "M-me too! I got four of them!" "I killed someone who I thought I saw hanging around people from the Headhunter Syndicate¡ªdoes that count?!" At the moment, the Mystical Realm Pce was flooded with yers. Most of them were there to collect their rewards for the bounty. Of course, there were a few dishonest souls among them who simply wanted to see if they could take advantage of the situation to make a quick profit. "T-these people...!" Aurora thought to herself as she rapidly dealt with the quest bombarding her. Aurora was Fang Qiu''s in-game name. She acted as Izroth''s financial advisor. And, after thistest fiasco, she wanted nothing more than to strangle Izroth. Just as Aurora had finishedying down a solid financial strategy, Izroth dropped this bounty hunt out of nowhere! However, despite the headache, it generated and the fact that it was not the best use of one''s finances, in the end, Fang Qiu understood Izroth''s character. Since his friends were targeted, there was no way he would sit back and do nothing about it. Thankfully, Mariposa sent over some guild members from Sleeping Gardenia who specialized in logistics and information management; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to properly control the situation at hand. BANG! Suddenly, a heavy shockwave spread throughout the Mystical Realm Pce, causing everyone to fall silent. "Anyone who does not follow the rules will be thrown out of the Mystical Realm Pce! Line-up properly and wait for your turn patiently; otherwise¡ªI will remember you." A voice of authority reverberated. "Isn''t that the genius fighter Qi Jiguang...?" "Eh? You''re right...! Is he a part of the Mystical Realm Pce now...?" "Impossible... I heard that guy is a lone wolf." "But, he''s right in front of us..." The yers calmed down as some of them began to whisper among themselves regarding Qi Jiguang''s presence. Izroth knew that things at the Mystical Realm Pce would be a bit chaotic; therefore, he asked Qi Jiguang to maintain order and make sure Aurora''s instructions were followed. And, if someone did not listen, he was free to toss them out of the Mystical Realm Pce as he pleased. As for the shockwave earlier, it came from Qi Jiguang mming his fists together as a warning. "I want to personally hunt down those bastards myself, but it will not be toote in the future. Besides, that guy also promised to teach me a new fist technique. If it''s him, then it should be well worthwhile." Qi Jiguang internalized. ... Currently, inside the Secret Realm... ''It should be somewhere around here.'' Izroth traveled forward roughly twenty meters with quickened steps beforeing to an abrupt stop. Seeing that Izroth halted his steps, Sychia stopped at his side and said, "Is this the ce you needed to visit?" Izroth and Sychia arrived a few meters away from the entrance into a cave. Ultimately, Izroth chose to go in the direction that had two energy signatures. Worst case scenario, he would have to burn through some movement skills to head in the other direction and hope that Sychia was about to keep up. Still, for some reason, Izroth had a strong feeling that this was the ce he was supposed to be. And, that had to do with the ring he obtained from the system after entering this Secret Realm. ''This thing... The closer I moved to this cave, the warmer it feels¡ªas if it was guiding me where to go. Let''s hope it''s not wrong.'' "We''re about to find out," Izroth responded as he walked into the dark cave. The moment Izroth entered the cave, he received an alert from the system. Chapter 784: Ilioreas

Chapter 784: Ilioreas

¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Sunstone Cave?.¡µ ''It looks like we came to the right ce.'' When he first headed into the cave, Izroth was weed by darkness. But, as he ventured further in, a warm light appeared on his descending path. The closer Izroth walked towards the light, the brighter it became. Soon, it got to the point where it was so bright that it was like staring into the sun. However, this blinding brightness onlysted a split second as Izroth arrived in an underground cavern. The cavern was serene with gorgeous rock formations and a clear untainted body of water running through it. Though what really caught one''s eyes were the numerous softly glowing stones on the cavern walls. These stones resembled the color of the sun and gave one a feeling of warmfort just by being in the same vicinity. ''Those stones must be how this cave got its name. I would like to take some with me, but... It''s a shame Ick the means to do so.'' The Sunstones were well embedded into the cavern walls and required a good quality pickaxe in order to remove them. Unfortunately, the one low-grade pickaxe Izroth previously had in his possession had broken during his previous excavation in the Great Sea Pce raid. ''In the future, it seems I will have to invest in a good quality pickaxe. Or, at the very least, find a more convenient way of extracting materials.'' "So warm... This kind of atmosphere naturally soothes your heart and puts you at ease. Even in the Mortal Realm, there are only a handful of ces simr to this cavern." Sychiamented as she observed the surroundings. "Absurd! Do you take me for a fool?! I''ve been waiting here for half a day yet you had no intention of epting my invitation from the start! You will have to answer for this eventually!" A voice suddenly erupted from deeper inside the cave. The voice belonged to a woman. And, from the sound of things, the conversation was not going well. Not too long after the outburst, Izroth heard the sound of footsteps approaching. A few secondster, a woman stepped out from one of the cavern passages. She was a great beauty with long golden hair and clear blue eyes. The aura around her was nothing to scoff at as it easily surpassed that of Maragos, the anzeyta death warrior that Izroth previously encountered. Name: Lady of Clear Eyes, Kysamia(???) Level: 0 Kysamia set her gaze on Izroth and Sychia before a small frown appeared on her face. "What is a lower celestial doing with a mortal? Did they wander into this cave by chance? Hmph, forget it. Let them disturb that guy''s peace. This can be seen as me venting." Kysamia said as she turned her gaze ahead and continued on her way towards the direction Izroth and Sychia had juste from. ''Lower celestial?'' Due to the ethos circting inside his body, Kysamia had mistaken Izroth for a lower celestial. The Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia had also referred to Izroth as a "young celestial". ''Is it that one''s ethos determines one''s standing in this Secret Realm? If so, it''s not too surprising. After all, no matter where it may be, in the end, it is always the strong who stands at the top.'' Sychia furrowed her brows and said, "What was that about?" "The residents of this Secret Realm use an energy source known as ethos that differs from the mana we are used to back in the Mortal Realm. Those whock the ability to use ethos are called mortals." Izroth exined calmly. "I see... I thought it was unusual how the mana in this Secret Realm was nonexistent." "Wait here," Izroth said as he walked towards the passage Kysamia had stormed out of just moments ago. Sychia nodded and dered, "If I sense that you are in danger or you directly call for my assistance, I wille to your aid at once." "It won''t be necessary, but¡ªI appreciate the sentiment," Izroth said nonchntly while he casually waved his hand as he went through the passage. After Izroth left, Sychia quietly positioned herself next to the entrance of the passage. "I hope I am making the correct choice... For my master''s sake..." Sychia internalized as she closed her eyes. ... ''It''s quiet.'' The passage was only ten meters long, so it did not take Izroth long to reach the other end. Izroth arrived in a room that looked manmade. In the room was a single table and chair with a bookstand nearby. Above the table was a single sunstone that released a gentle light and kept the room well-lit. Sat down in the chair reading a book on the table in front of him was a healthy middle-aged man. The man wore simple yet refined clothing. His hair was ck with slight waves and stopped a little past his shoulders. He had eyes that matched the color of the sunstones embedded in the cavern walls and a well-maintained beard. And, as the alert from the system sounded, Izroth did not even need to look at the man''s system information to know his identity. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Find ?Ilioreas? in the ?Sunstone Cave?.¡µ Ilioreas did not bother to look up as Izroth entered the room. "Why has one who holds the Breath of Gaeae to pay me a visit?" Ilioreas said as he flipped through the page of his book and continued to read at his own pace. ''So he already noticed it. I thought it was strange how he allowed me to enter this ce so freely. Since he did not immediately turn me away or attack after seeing the ring, at the very least, he should not be an enemy. Though I doubt Astratis would have sent me here if that were the case to begin with. Now...'' "I came here on behalf of the Son of Thunder, Astratis. He would like to request that you send aid to him." Izroth stated. "Very well. Then, I shall give you the same answer as the one before you. I will ept your request. However, before I apany you on the journey, you must wait until I finish reading a book. You are free to leave at any time, but once you do so, you cannot return to this ce." Ilioreas said indifferently. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he looked down at the book Ilioreas was reading. The text was in an ancientnguage that he had note across before in RML and the book itself was rather thin. In addition, it seemed that Ilioreas only had at most two or three more pages to go. Even if he read at a slow pace, with the amount of text on the pages, it should not take him more than half an hour to finish. But, there was something that bothered Izroth. The woman from before had been waiting for half a day but ended up storming out of the cavern. However, why did she decide to give up when he was so close to finishing the book? ''I still have plenty of time remaining until the quest time limit is up. I would like toplete it as soon as possible since my time in this Secret Realm is limited, but... I suppose it wouldn''t hurt to wait a bit. If he truly is handing out false promises, then I will find a way to properly deal with him.'' "Then, I will wait," Izroth responded. ... One minuteter... Ilioreas flipped to the next page of the book. Two minutester... Ilioreas flipped the page again. When Izroth witnessed this, he was somewhat surprised. He thought for sure that Ilioreas was an incredibly slow reader, given the temper of the woman who was here not too long ago. But, Ilioreas'' pace was not bad at all! In that case, the woman who left when she was so close to the end was really too impatient. If she had waited just a few more minutes, it may have been possible to achieve her goal. Unfortunately, one whocked patience could only regret¡ªat least, these were Izroth''s initial thoughts. Five minutester... Ten minutester... After ten minutes passed, Izroth could not help but inwardly frown. Ilioreas had clearly not stopped turning pages for a moment, but for some reason, no matter how much he turned the page, he always appeared to only have three or four pages remaining. ''No wonder she was so upset. I''m surprised she waited for half a day before storming out of this ce.'' There was something strange about the book in Ilioreas'' possession. Izroth noticed that the content on each page was different after Ilioreas flipped to the next one. However, it was almost as if the book had an infinite number of pages that never ran out. ''I can''t afford to wait here for an hour, let alone half a day... Is this really a task of patience? There has to be another way...'' The system never gave yers a quest that was impossible toplete; therefore, Izroth understood that there must be a way to sessfully convince Ilioreas. Chapter 785: Ilioreas Test

Chapter 785: Ilioreas'' Test

Izroth carefully examined the room, as well as the book being read by Ilioreas. As Ilioreas turned to the next page, Izroth noticed that a new page would form out of thin air with a different set of ancient text every time. But, no matter how much or little text was on the page, Ilioreas would always turn to the next one in exactly one minute without missing a step. Something else that troubled Izroth was how unnaturally absorbed Ilioreas was in the book''s contents. It was to the point that it came off as an obsession. In the end, Izroth decided to use Appraisal and Deep Insight to gain a better understanding of Ilioreas, as well as the book on the table. ¡´System Alert: Your mastery level is too low to appraise this item!¡µ ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Ilioreas?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: This person is currently in a deep trance due to the influence of outside forces.¡µ ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?#@!?&*+??!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: The space-time effects contained within this item have fractured.¡µ ''Even though the mastery of my Appraisal has risen past 15%, it is still unable to see through this book. Fortunately, my Deep Insight did not fail me. But, what does this mean? Is this book somehow controlling him?'' ording to the ws Izroth discovered, Ilioreas was in a deep trance because of an outside force; however, it did not specify the origins of the outside force. As for the book with an indecipherable name, in simple terms, it appeared to be damaged. But, if it was dealing with space, Izroth should have been able to observe the damage in a physical sense thanks to his Spatial Awareness skill. However, there were no such signs of spatial influences or interferences. ''First, let''s check everything in this room.'' ... Izroth spent the next couple of minutes using Deep Insight on every item in the room. The bookshelf, the books, table, chair¡ªhe even used it on the cavern walls that protected the room. ''Besides a few interesting points, there is nothing that seems out of ce. Even my Energy Vision Sense can''t see anything wrong with this room or the items in it. Then... Am I overlooking something?'' Izroth thought the difficult part of this quest would be to convince Ilioreas to aid Astratis; however, that was not the case at all. Rather than convince him, Izroth could not even get a response from him. After his initial greeting, despite Izroth''s attempts to speak to Ilioreas, he did not respond. Izroth even tried to close the book himself just to see if it would work, but it would not budge. It was as though a powerful force held it in ce and it possessed a will of its own¡ªmoving only when it desired to do so. ''Should I destroy it?'' If the book was behind Ilioreas'' deep trance, then destroying it may solve the problem, but... ''No, it''s too risky.'' Since the book utilized something asplex as space-time, there was no telling what kind of detrimental effect it would have on Ilioreas or the surroundings if it was destroyed. ''The answer has to be somewhere in this room, but I already checked everything here using Deep Insight and Energy Vision Sense.'' Ilioreas stated that if Izroth left, he would never be able to return. Therefore, Izroth was certain that what he was searching for had to be within the immediate vicinity. Izroth took a moment to think back to Ilioreas words. ''You must wait until I finish reading a book...'' "A book..." Izroth muttered to himself. "...I see...! How could I have been deceived this entire time?" Izroth said to himself as it suddenly dawned on him. Izroth shook his head and could not help but sigh. The answer was right in front of him all along! If there was a book with a seemingly infinite number of pages, then it would not be wrong to say that it was impossible for one to ever reach the end. However, Ilioreas never said that he had to finish the book he was reading, but rather "a book". The trance, the mysterious book¡ªthey were all merely things to throw yers off from the ring truth that stared them in the face. Izroth walked over to the bookshelf and recovered a book that was roughly the same size as the unknown book on the table. The next moment, Izroth turned the book until it was on thest page and ced it over the unknown book with ancient texts. A few secondster, the one-minute mark approached as Ilioreas flipped the book Izroth ced in front of him shut. As the book closed, a faint smile formed on Ilioreas face as he stood to his feet. And, for the first time since he stepped into the room, Ilioreas looked at Izroth. "I have given this test to many, yet many have failed. I have given the answer to many, but s, many are too stupid to see that it has been ced in their hands. Youngd, patience is a virtue. But, having so much patience that it can cause one to remain idle indefinitely can be harmful." Ilioreas stated. Izroth agreed with Ilioreas statement. Indeed, patience was a good trait to have as it allowed one to progress in ways that were otherwise unthinkable. However, if one never took action and remained patient their whole lives, they would find life to have passed them by. "The words you speak hold a great deal of truth. But, what is the point of giving those who visit you such a test?" Izroth inquired. "Aye, if I do not give these tests, I am afraid that I will have to talk to an endless stream of fools," Ilioreas said calmly. He then continued, "There is a saying. A wise man thinks himself a fool. A fool thinks himself to be wise. The world then bes a house of fools." "I have lived in a house of fools for far too long that I often found myself on the verge of bing one." Ilioreas sighed as he shook his head. "When a wise man is surrounded by fools who believe themselves to know all there is and will be, then are they not the wisest of fools? If you look at it this way, you can say that you have lived in a house of wise men." Izroth said in a carefree manner. "If the house of fools turns into a house of the wisest fools, then I be a wise man among wise man..." Ilioreas muttered to himself. Then, out of nowhere, boisterousughter filled the caverns before dying down a few momentster. "Ahahahaha! Good, very good youngd! I have notughed like that for a long time. It would seem my eyes truly have not shamed me!" Ilioreas stated. ¡´System Alert: You have gained favor with ?Ilioreas?.¡µ "Youngd, what is your name?" Ilioreas asked. "I am called Izroth." "Izroth? A strong name! Then, Izroth, I, Ilioreas, am a man of my word. Since you have passed my test, I shall lend my hand to the Son of Thunder." As Ilioreas expressed his joy, Izroth received an alert from the system. ''It''s finally here.'' ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Convince ?Ilioreas? to send aid to ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?.¡µ "If the Son of Thunder sent you instead of paying a personal visit, then the situation must be dire. In that case, shall we depart to the Hidden Celestial Abode at once?" "I have traveled here with apanion who is assisting me in my journey. I hope it''s possible that they can travel with us." Izrothmented. Izroth had a connection with Astratis and just recently managed to somewhat gain Ilioreas'' favor by passing his test. However, Sychia was still aplete outsider. In addition, in the eyes of others, Sychia was a "powerless mortal". Therefore, Izroth did not know if she would be allowed to apany them to what was probably their core ce of gathering. "Hm? The mortal outside is yourpanion?" Ilioreas'' brows rose in surprise. "Fascinating, truly fascinating! A celestial and a mortalpanions? I never believed I would live to see the day! You continue to exceed my expectations, Izroth." Ilioreas eximed. Izroth was taken aback by Ilioreas'' reaction. So far, besides Astratis, everyone Izroth encountered in this Secret Realm seemed to look at mortals as if their existence was worth nothing. However, it appeared that Ilioreas was a true schr who kept an open mind. "If this is all there is, yourpanion can apany us. I''ll see if anyone has the guts to turn away those I bring as guests." Ilioreas stated. ''Good, with this, one problem is solved.'' If possible, Izroth wanted to keep Sychia as close as possible since one of his quests was to ensure her safety. Though, truthfully, Izroth had a feeling that it may actually be safer for Sychia to go her own way rather than dragging her into this battle of another realm. But, regardless of the dangers, Izroth had no intention of failing! ... Izroth called for Sychia at Ilioreas'' request, as the Thousand Blossom Maiden entered the room. "You may feel a little dizzy. Stand firm." Ilioreas said as he pped his hands together. As he performed this action, three circles with ancient text appeared beneath everyone''s feet. Zeeeeut! In the blink of an eye, everyone disappeared from the cavern''s room, leaving only silence and emptiness in the Sunstone Cave. Chapter 786: Hidden Celestial Abode

Chapter 786: Hidden Celestial Abode

... Izroth was transported outside the Sunstone Cave along with Ilioreas and Sychia. "Moving on foot will be too slow. We will take my chariot." Ilioreas stated as he raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. A few seconds passed as the sound of hooves rapidly approaching echoed in the atmosphere. Neeeeigh! Suddenly, four warhorses made of mes that matched the sun appeared in the sky. The ming warhorses pulled a grand chariot. The chariot had two sizable wheels made of mes and gave off a frightening pressure as it approached. The ming warhorses moved at incredible speeds beforending in front of the Sunstone Cave. The moment theynded, Ilioreas walked over to the leading warhorse and gently ran his hand across its mane made of mes. "It has been a long time, old friend. I will have to depend on you once more." Ilioreas said calmly. The ming warhorse gave a small nod as the door located at the back of the grand chariot opened. Although it was called a chariot, it was many times more spacious than a regr chariot with seating circling around the inner walls. Its appearance resembled a cross between a traditional chariot and a carriage. "Let us depart," Ilioreas said, gesturing for Izroth and Sychia to enter the chariot. Izroth stepped onto the chariot with Sychia and took a seat as Ilioreas joined them soon after. ''Each warhorse is not any weaker than Thanasia. The one he referred to as old friend, based on its aura alone, is powerful enough to stomp someone like Maragos to death. Are they one of the ancient races of this Secret Realm?'' As this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, the ming warhorses stomped on the ground and soared into the skies. Their speed easily surpassed Izroth when he had Flickering Steps active multiple times over. However, the most surprising thing was that despite their speed, the chariot itself remained stable. Also, those inside the chariot were not thrown about carelessly. In fact, Izroth could not feel the slightest vibration or wind pressure. "This chariot is rather convenient," Izroth stated. "You have keen eyes. This chariot was crafted by the Enati Cyclops using mystical wood from a Sacred Tree. There are not many materials that exist in this world that are worthy of being pulled by an ancient race as old as the Alogonix." Ilioreas replied. "How long will it take us to reach the Hidden Celestial Abode?" Izroth inquired. "Whenever those guys wake up¡ªwhich should be rather soon." "Hm?" A couple of seconds after Ilioreas spoke, a brilliant ray of light shined down on the ming warhorses and chariot. The light onlysted for a split second, but by the time it disappeared, the warhorses, chariot, Izroth, Sychia, and Ilioreas all vanished into thin air. ... Somewhere inside the valley not too far away from the Sunstone Cave... "That''s...! Ilioreas'' Chariot and¡ªthe Celestial Ray?! How dare that traitor side with those rebels!" This enraged voice belonged to the Lady of Clear Eyes, Kysamia. She had just left the Sunstone Cave not long ago after failing to win over Ilioreas. Now, he was leaving on the Celestial Ray that belonged to their enemies?! If this was not taking her as a fool, what else could it be?! "The pirs will not stand for this! I must report back immediately!" Kysamia said with a darkened expression. ... ''What a strange sensation.'' When Izroth was epassed by the ray of light, he felt as if he were floating weightlessly on clouds. It was afortable, yet unusual sensation. But, it did notst long as they reached their destination. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Hidden Celestial Abode?!¡µ ''It''s somewhat different than I imagined.'' As Izroth looked around, he expected to see a dark and gloomy ce; however, it would not be wrong to call it a sanctuary. The Hidden Celestial Abode spanned hundreds of meters and the bottom, as far as the eye could see, was surrounded by clouds. The area above resembled a clear morning sky and the atmosphere matched, but there appeared to be no sun or light source present. Scattered throughout the abode were numerous buildings of various designs and sizes, but they all had a feeling of luxury to them due to the brilliant craftsmanship. The Hidden Celestial Abode was incredibly lively with celestials moving from one ce to another in the air or sprinting at speeds that one could hardly follow with their eyes alone. With its serene atmosphere, Izroth was surprised this ce was not called the Celestial Paradise! Izroth and the others exited the chariot. But, the moment Sychia''s feet touched the ground, a sh of light formed in front of the group. BANG! Out of nowhere, someone crashed into the ground a couple of meters away from Izroth. "Who dares bring a mortal to the Celestial Abode?!" A voice of anger sounded from the person who just arrived. It was a man donning the battle wear of a taean warrior. The helmet he wore made it difficult to make out his face, but the fierce look in his eyes was not hidden. Name: Celestial Warrior Frous(???) Level: 0 Frous red in Sychia''s direction as his eyes locked onto her. "Who dares to question my guest? Boy, you have eyes, can you not see who stands before you?" Ilioreas stated as he stepped forward. "Who are you?! Identify yourself!" Frous scoffed as he disregarded Ilioreas. Izroth inwardly frowned. This person seemed like a guard, but could it be that he was not informed of their arrival? No, even then, if someone like Astratis wanted to invite Ilioreas, shouldn''t this person know who they were? Ilioreas shook his head in disappointment as he released a small sigh. "Aye, I will have to tell Astratis to re-educate the younger generation. The celestials who are born and grow up in this ce have lost their sense of the world." Ilioreas stated. "What are you going on abou-" Frous frowned as he was growing impatient. However, as his gaze wandered andnded on the chariot and ming warhorses behind the group, his eyes widened in shock. "The Alogonix...! And, this chariot, it''s made of wood from a Sacred Tree! You are the Progenitor of the Sun...!" Frous eximed as his hostile attitude immediately underwent a drastic change. "Forgive my poor wee. It is as you said¡ªI have lost my sense of the world. I hope you can overlook my offense." Frous said as he stood tall and ced his fist over his chest. This was the celestial warrior''s way of expressing their sincerity. "Oh? Not bad. It seems the younger generation still has some sense in them. But, boy, next time-" Ilioreas walked next to Frous and ced their hand on his shoulder. The instant Ilioreas'' hand touched Frous, an unbearable pressure descended upon the young celestial, causing his face to turn pale. "You should look first before taking action. Otherwise, you may not know how you perished from this world. Take this as a lesson of life and grow from it." Ilioreas said as he removed his hand from Frous'' shoulder. Frous breathing grew heavy; however, he quickly regained his breath. Though he did not dare look Ilioreas in the eyes. "I thank the Progenitor of the Sun for his lesson," Frous stated. ''It onlysted a moment, but that pressure... I underestimated him.'' Izroth personally experienced this kind of pressure back in the Mortal Realm when he fought against the arm of the Netherworld''s Envoy. The kind of pressure that could only be emitted by someone who reached the peak of the legendary realm! No, the aura Ilioreas released was even stronger than that! In fact, it was closer to the mysterious old man, Zhi, Izroth met in the Towering Oak Forest. ''Could it be... A ne Ascender?'' Although it was widely believed that those of the legendary realm was the strongest existence below the firmament, in truth, there was another realm above it¡ªne Ascenders. ne Ascenders were those who could not yet ascend to the Divine Realm due to the way the ascension was now controlled by the divine beings to prevent another damaged Divinity Line incident. However, the reason ne Ascenders were not included in the power realms was because of the restriction ced upon them. Once someone became a ne Ascender, they could not interfere with the matters of the world below the firmament. If they disobeyed this rule, they would incur the wrath of the divine beings. Ultimately, it would lead to the end of their existence. ''Is he not afraid of receiving divine retribution? Or... Did I simply sense wrong?'' Besides Zhi, Izroth had not met any other ne Ascenders; therefore, he only had one frame of reference. But, if Ilioreas truly was a ne Ascender, there is no way he would be unaware of the potential consequences he faced from interfering in this Secret Realm''s manners. "Old man, can you not bully the young ones too much?" An elegant voice echoed as a colorful feather appeared a couple of meters away from the group. The next moment, a woman with a captivating appearance emerged from the feather. "Bully? Hahaha! Rest assured, I was just teaching the boy some manners, Ierosni.." Ilioreas replied casually. Chapter 787: Gratitude, Non Divine Blessing

Chapter 787: Gratitude, Non Divine Blessing

The woman who emerged out of the colorful feather was a breathtaking beauty. She appeared to be in herte twenties to early thirties and donned in an attire fit for a queen. She had spring green eyes and ck wavy hair that was partly tied up. And, even though the aura around her was remarkably calm, Izroth could sense a dense source of power contained within it. "It is because you are the one teaching the manners that I cannot rest easy," Ierosni responded. Her lips curved into an elegant smile as she walked forward. Frous immediately moved to the side, not daring to block Ierosni''s path. "Frous, go and inform the others in the Sanctuary that our guests will be arriving momentarily," Ierosni said as she halted her steps right before Ilioreas while sending a meaningful gaze in Frous'' direction. "By your will," Frous responded respectfully as he raised his hand to his chest. Then, in the blink of an eye, a ray of light epassed Frous, causing him to disappear. It was as if he were swept away by the light. After Frous took his leave, Ierosni set her sights back to Ilioreas. If someone were to show up and see those two standing there face to face, they would think that a confrontation was about spiral into y. However, that was far from the case. "This little one receives the Son of Light and the Progenitor of the Sun," Ierosni said politely as she pressed the palm of her hands together a few centimeters away from her face. She slightly tilted her head forward and her hands back, allowing the tip of her fingers to meet with the center of her forward. "Aye, it has been a long time since I have been called by those names. There is no need for such formalities, little girl. Or, could it be that you no longer see me in a favorable way?" Ilioreasmented. Ierosni lowered her hands and lifted her head as she replied, "How can that be? You have left the Sunstone Cave toe to our aid in a time of need. If I do not do at least this much, I am afraid I can not bear the shame in the future. But, seeing as how you insist, how can I refuse your request?" "It is pleasant to see you again, uncle," Ierosni said with a warmful smile. Ilioreas gave a small nod of satisfaction andmented, "This greeting is more suitable." After exchanging greetings with Ilioreas, Ierosni turned her focus to Izroth. "Judging by your appearance, you must be the one called Izroth. But, pardon me if I have erred¡ªthe one I know as Izroth should be a mortal who carries a Breath of Gaea. The Breath of Gaea is bound to you; however, the Ethos flowing through you is unattainable for mortals. You are certainly descended from the Protogenos." Ierosni stated as she sized up Izroth. Izroth could not help but inwardly shake his head. Of course, he was not descended from the Protogenos of this Secret Realm. And, it was true that he possessed no Ethos when he first met Astratis. But, that changed the moment Astratis circted some of his Ethos through Izroth. After detecting the new energy source in his body, the system rewarded him Ethos for being the first to "discover it". ''Right now is still not a good time to reveal that I am from the Mortal Realm. Astratis may be an exception from what I''ve seen so far, but... There is no telling how the other celestials will react to an outsider. I can''t risk putting Sychia in potential danger in a ce where there seems to be no escape.'' "I am indeed Izroth. I have some special circumstances that I am unable to reveal at this time. However, I am sure my actions speak for themselves." Izroth said without mincing his words. "Do not be mistaken. It is not that I am doubting you, I just wanted to make sure I am thanking the correct person." Ierosni said as she took Izroth''s hand and held it up between her palms. Izroth sensed no hostility or ill intentions from Ierosni; therefore, he did not try to stop her. "Izroth, you are the reason my husband hase back to me safely. On my name, Ierosni, bearer of the title, Daughter of the Eternal Vow, you have my gratitude." Ierosni said sincerely. ¡´System Alert: You have received the skill ?Blessing of Ierosni?!¡µ Izroth was surprised when he acquired a skill. Even more so when he discovered that it was a blessing-type skill! Izroth knew that without a doubt, even if Ierosni was powerful, it was impossible that she had stepped into the divine realm, which was a requirement to grant blessings to others. The only time Izroth obtained a blessing through the means of someone below the divine realm was from the Seer Tererestiaa. However, Tererestiaa was a devoted follower of the All-Seeing Goddess and often acted as an extension of her will. Therefore, she may have given Izroth the blessing, but, in the end, the power of the blessing originated from the All-Seeing Goddess herself. However, Ierosni''s blessing was different. She was the original source! Though when Izroth read over the skill, he obtained a better understanding. Skill Name: Blessing of Ierosni Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Passive: Women of all races will find you more appealing, You are not easily charmed by women, +1 Luck Special Note: A pseudo-blessing bestowed by the Daughter of the Eternal Vow, Ieorsni. This blessing contains no traces of divinity. For one, the skill itself held no divinity, which meant the blessing was not hiddenly linked to someone in the Divine Realm. The one point of luck was also an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. That being said... ''So these types of passive effects also exist? Is there even a need for them?'' Izroth did not know whether tough or cry as he inwardly shook his head. Was this system trying to turn him into a phnderer? As for not being easily charmed, how could someone like Izroth- ¡´System Alert: The passive skill ?Blessing of Ierosni? has activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have resisted Guardian of the Ambrosia Tree, Thanasia''s ?Deadly Adoration?.¡µ ''...I suppose this kind of skill has its uses.'' Earlier, when Izroth and Astratis first confronted Thanasia, she used Deadly Aodration on Izroth. However, Izroth partially resisted most of the effects. Though it seemed that there were still some lingering effects left behind. Izroth did not know whether or not Ierosni detected this and intentionally took action. Either way, it appeared this passive was not simply for creating phnderers. "Your husband has also helped me a great deal," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Ierosni released Izroth''s hand and shook her head. "No, your actions hold a higher significance than you realize. If not for you, Izroth, we would have been forced to take action and ruin countless years of nning in the process. But, thanks to your efforts, we did not have to reveal ourselves before the right time." Ierosni stated. The next moment, Ierosni turned around and began to walk off. "Follow me. You arrived just in time. The gathering at the Sanctuary is about tomence." Ierosni said without halting her steps. Izroth nced over at Sychia, who could not fully hide the displeasure in her eyes. Though Izroth did not me the Thousand Blossom Maiden. Beingpletely ignored and treated as if your existence was irrelevant¡ªit would be strange if someone did not feel any sort of difort. Regardless of Ierosni giving Sychia the cold shoulder, she did not go out of her way to insult or chase her away. In the end, Sychia was Ilioreas'' guest; therefore, even if she thought nothing of the Thousand Blossom Maiden, she would not do anything distasteful and risk offending the one behind her. "Do not let it bother you, youngdy. This kind of outlook¡ªI am afraid it ismonce among those from a different time. Time is forever changing and often works to change people. It is just that it may take a little longer for some than it does for others." Ilioreas noted. He then continued, "But, you can be at ease. As long as I am here, they will not dare go too far." After he spoke, Ilioreas followed after Ierosni, apanied by Izroth and Sychia. ... A few minutester... "Outrageous! We must strike with haste! If we dy any further, it will onlyplicate things!" "Battle hungry fool! Is the only thing on your mind war?! We should avoid bloodshed as much as possible!" "Then, what? Should we all hold hands and just get along? Do not be naive! Do you think it''s possible to get along with them?!" As Izroth entered a spacious hall along with Ierosni, Ilioreas, and Sychia, the first thing that weed him was a fierce discussion was taking ce within. Chapter 788: Sanctuary

Chapter 788: Sanctuary

The hall had an open spot in the middle where four individuals stood while exchanging fierce words with one another. Running along the outside walls in a nearly full circle were multipleyers of stone seating with steps running in between a few parts that allowed people easier ess to seating. At the moment, there were more than thirty people sitting on the stone seating, observing the verbal exchange between the two parties. One of the parties was someone Izroth instantly recognized as the Son of Thunder, Astratis. Astratis was the one who suggested that they should take the chance to strike immediately. However, it appeared that the Son of Thunder was in disagreement with one who wanted to take a more peaceful and passive approach. It was a woman with long amber hair and light emerald eyes, who wore a simple set of blush pink robes with a hood pulled over her head. Name: Daughter of the Peaceful mes, Eiritia(???) Level: 0 "Brother, there is no use trying to convince our eldest sister. She dreams of peace but is not willing to do what is necessary to achieve it. War? Bloodshed? Just how much more do we have to lower our heads and allow the pirs to do as they please? Everyone¡ªare you not tired of lowering your heads to those who already look down on you?!" One of the men next to Astratis and Eiritia eximed. The man who spoke had cerulean hair with subtle waves that stopped just above the middle area of his back. He possessed golden eyes that looked as if they could peer into one''s soul and donned an attire that loosely resembled a toga. Name: Son of Waves, Thalos(???) Level: 0 "Yeah!" "We''ve had enough!" "We must fight back!" Some people on the stone benches shouted, showing their support for Thalos'' stance. "...I agree. We cannot permit this situation to persist in its present state. How much longer can we keep the Celestial Abode hidden? It moves constantly, yet they havee close to finding our position multiple times. Even if we decide not to act, I will no longer stay my hand." Thest man among the center group spoke. There was a gloomy and dark presence around the man that was almost to the point of being suffocating. One could not tell the color of his eyes with a part of his long ck hair drooping over the upper part of his face. He wore a set of dark robes that was apanied by a ck scarf wrapped around his neck. Name: Son of Twilight, Skos(???) Level: 0 "We- hm?" Astratis was about to speak; however, he abruptly fell silent as his gaze was drawn to the main entrance of the Sanctuary. Astratis was not the only one whose attention was caught. The others next to the Son of Thunder, as well as those who sat upon the stone benches all shifted their focus towards the entrance. "The Daughter of the Eternal Vow arrives with the Progenitor of the Sun and our honored guest, Izroth!" Ierosni announced. "The Progenitor of the Sun...? It can''t be...! They left the Sunstone Cave?" "This is good news! With the Ancestor of Light on our side, how can we not lead an assault?" "Izroth...? Was there a young celestial by such a name?" "Isn''t he the one Astratis spoke of? If so, he is indeed an honored guest." The celestials on the stone benches disyed their shock and excitement. However, there were a few who had mixed expressions. "Why is there a mortal among them?" "Revolting...! A wild mortal stray has wandered in." "How can a mortal be allowed to set foot into the Sanctuary...?! What is Ierosni thinking bringing them here...?!" "Hmph, then why don''t you go tell her it''s not allowed?" "I am no fool. I enjoy my head being where it is." The celestials were taken aback by Sychia''s presence. In the entire history of the Sanctuary¡ªno, even the Hidden Celestial Abode¡ªno mortal had ever set foot here before today! It was, by all means, a historical event! Izroth nced over at Sychia, who silently clenched her fists as she tried to ignore the handful of obvious res of revulsion. "Silence!" Astratis'' voice boomed, shaking the entire Sanctuary. Crrrrrckle! Rmmmmmble! p! The sound of thunder reverberated throughout the hall as everyone fell silent. A few secondster, the shaking stopped as the thunder faded away. "Mortal? What does it matter?! If you all continue to misbehave, do not me me for being overbearing." Astratis stated. He then continued, "Do you n to look down on mortals in the same manner that the pirs have looked down on us? Shall we be the thing we are fighting against¡ªthe very thing we detest?! Answer me!" Crrrrrckle! Rmmmmmble! "Oh? This boy sure has grown up sincest we met." Ilioreasmented to himself as he inwardly nodded in satisfaction. Since Sychia was his guest, naturally, Ilioreas would not allow her to be continually insulted in his presence. After all, that was equivalent to others looking down on him. But, with Astratis speaking up, it seemed there was no longer a need to interfere. As for the few displeased celestials on the stone benches, none of them dared to respond to Astratis. Thalos ced his hand on Astratis'' shoulder as the thunder and shaking immediately ceased. "Brother, calm yourself. Your words are not wrong, but your method of instilling values will only push your goals further away." Thalos said calmly. Astratis briefly closed his eyes and cleared his mind as he released a small frustrated sigh. "I know. I was not too different from them when I was first experiencing the world. So I understand how difficult it is to change. Still, it is frustrating to see others repeating the same mistakes you have made in the past." Astratis sighed heavily. "Your frustration is well warranted, brother. However, it is true that a mortal has no ce in the Celestial Abode, let alone the Sanctuary. Those without the power to steer their own fate¡ªknowing what awaits them should we fail in our endeavor will only bring them despair." Thalos stated solemnly. "We won''t fail," Astratis responded without hesitation. "Yes, we won''t¡ªwe can''t," Thalosmented. ... A few momentster, things settled down in the Sanctuary. After properly weing Izroth, Ilioreas, and reluctantly, Sychia, the gatheringmenced once more. Ilioreas and Ierosni joined the center group to decide on their next course of action, while Izroth sat with Sychia on one of the stone benches. Izroth carefully listened to the exchange between the involved parties, making sure not to miss a single point. ''Ipleted the quest, but... Is it simr to thest time?'' ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Apany ?Ilioreas? to the ?Hidden Celestial Abode? and meet up with ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You havepleted the quest ?The Rebel & The Liberator(2)?!¡µ Izroth checked over his system alerts and realized that while it said hepleted the quest, he had yet to receive the quest rewards. But, he remembered that the same thing happened thest time he finished a quest in this Secret Realm. He had to be given the rewards directly by Astratis¡ªa task the system usually took care of automatically. ''It seems I have no choice but to wait.'' ... Approximately ten minutester... After some back-and-forth among the celestials, they finally managed to reach a decision. Those who were on the fence earlier, due to Ilioreas appearance, had leaned towards the side of the brothers, who wanted tounch an offensive assault on the pirs. As for Eiritia, the celestial who appeared to be the only one actively advocating for peace, she saw that trying to convince them any further was futile. In the end, she was decisive and changed her stance to match that of her brothers. She was well aware that they could not afford to be divided as it would only expedite their fall. Therefore, even though she did not agree with the headstrong methods of her brothers, Eiritia still wanted to support them and keep the celestials together as one. "Has the first target been decided?" Thalos asked. Astratis nodded as he turned his attention towards the group of celestials and announced, "As you all know, it was not long ago that I shed with the Teraidi, the architect of the ancient races. In the process, I was severely wounded, but I was able to sessfully cast the Teraidi into the Na''Ei Cha¡ªthe eternal pit." "?!" The celestials could not hide their expression of shock and disbelief. They heard rumors about Astratis'' recent feat; however, hearing it firsthand was apletely different matter. "To cast the Teraidi into the Na''Ei Cha¡ªeven for me, it would take a great deal of effort." Ilioreas internalized as he was pleasantly surprised by Astratis. The Teraidi was an immortal creature from whom 95% of the ancient races descended from. Needless to say, it was a powerful entity capable of rivaling the pirs. But, more importantly... "If the Teraidi is out of the way, the pirs have lost their natural guard." Skosmented. "Precisely. Without the presence of the Teraidi, we can strike directly at the heart of the pirs.." Astratis stated resolutely. Chapter 789: The New Sword Of The Storm

Chapter 789: The New Sword Of The Storm

The celestials began to whisper among themselves. They knew that this moment was approaching, but that did not stop the feeling of uneasiness that slowly snuck up on them. All of the celestials present spent a good portion of their lives looking up to the pirs in the same way that mortals revered them. It was challenging for them not to think of the pirs as beings that were untouchable¡ªeven after Astratis had sessfully in the Teraidi. However, the celestials buried this fear deep in their hearts. Everyone understood that it was toote to turn back. Now that they had rebelled, the pirs would not stop hunting them until they were all cast into the Na''Ei Cha. If they wanted to change their fate, the only path for them was to steel their resolve and face the pirs with all their might. Astratis paused for a few seconds to give everyone some time to absorb his words. He understood that even if the resolution was present, there were still undoubtedly those with lingering fears and feelings of uncertainty. As the celestials'' whispers ceased, Thalos spoke up after Astratis. "The Teraidi''s fall will have already caught the attention of the east and west pirs. Fortunately for us, given the arrogant natures of the pirs, they will not act as one. We will take advantage of that arrogance." Thalos said. "I''m not so sure about that, brother. I failed to mention it earlier, but there is a possibility that the east and west pirs are working together." Astratis revealed with furrowed brows. "?!" Everyone was taken aback by Astratis'' sudden revtion. Pirs working together? These were words that did not belong in the same sentence! And, if it turned out to not just be the east and west pirs, but also the north and south¡ªit would only be the second time in history that all the pirs worked together! "This news... Brother, are you certain?" Thalos inquired. "I sent someone to confirm it as soon as I returned. But, for now, we should proceed with the thoughts in our mind that we may have to face the east and west pirs simultaneously. This will increase the overall risk level; however, our original n remains unchanged. No matter what we encounter, today, we will take the first step towards freeing this world!" Astratis dered. ... Approximately 10 minutester... The meeting had adjourned as the celestials took their leave from the Sanctuary. There were still numerous preparations to be made for the inevitable battle that was fast approaching. As for those who remained behind, including Izroth and Sychia, there were the six others. Ilioreas, Astratis, Thalos, Skos, Ierosni, and Eiritia. After silently listening to the contents of the meeting and observing the celestials, the pirs began to pique Izroth''s interest. ''Just how strong are these pirs?'' Something in the Hidden Celestial Abode was obstructing Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense; however, with his high perception stat of 10 and natural experience, Izroth was able to roughly ce the strength of those present. If they were back on the Mortal Realm, everyone present would be considered, at the very least, a legendary realm powerhouse at thete or peak stage! Even the celestials who left not too long ago were at the early stages of the legendary realm or infinitely close to breaking through to that point. With so legendary realm individuals, it was enough to rival any of the kingdoms in the Mortal Realm! "Allow me to properly introduce you. Everyone, this is Izroth. I owe him a deep debt of gratitude. Izroth, these are my elder brothers, Thalos and Skos. My elder sister, Eiritia. And, you have already met my wife, Ierosni. I have another elder sister who is not present at the moment due to certain circumstances, but you will meet them when fate permits." Astratis said as hepleted his introductions. "My name is Izroth. This is mypanion, Sychia. We''ll be in your care for a while." Izroth stated in a manner that was neither arrogant nor submissive. "A mortal as apanion? Uncle, it seems your vision has skipped a generation. It is a pleasure to meet you, Izroth. And, you as well, Sychia." Eiritiamented with a calming smile. "Since you helped my brother return safely, it can be said that we all owe you a small debt of gratitude. If in the future you need a simr helping hand, we will do our best to return the gratitude we have received." Thalos stated. "...I am going toplete my preparations," Skos said as his body started to fluctuate. Not too long after, he disappeared from the Sanctuary. However, just before he left, Skos gave a small nod to Izroth. Astratis shook his head and sighed as Skos vanished. "That guy... Don''t mind him, Izroth. He may not show it, but he is the most anxious out of everyone." Astratis sighed. He then continued, "Ah, that''s right. I have yet to reward you for your hard work." Astratis made a few more arrangements with those present before stepping next to Izroth. "Sister, please make sure our guest is well taken care of," Astratis said as he ced his hand on Izroth''s shoulder. "Rest easy, brother. As long as she is under my care, no harm shalle to her." Eiritia responded gracefully. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows. He did not like the idea of Sychia leaving his sights while there was still a quest active¡ªeven if this ce was rtively safe. "There is no need to worry about yourpanion. You have my word. Plus, where we''re going, it is not possible for mortals whock Ethos to enter. That being said..." Astratis then lowered his voice to where only Izroth could hear him. "I''m curious how a mortal got Ethos to flow through them. But, well, I won''t force your hand. You are my benefactor, after all." ''I figured it wouldn''t escape him. At this rate, I''m not sure how much longer I can conceal the full truth regarding the Mortal Realm.'' "We will pay a visit to your dwellings when we return," Astratis said to Eiritia. The next moment, a brilliant ray of light epassed Izroth and Astratis as they were swept away from the Sanctuary. ... Somewhere deep within the Hidden Celestial Abode... A ray of brilliant light shined down as Izroth and Astratis emerged. ''How useful.'' Izroth did not know the source behind the transportation system that generated the brilliant ray, but it was incredibly useful to getting around without trouble. ''ording to the system, we have not left the Hidden Celestial Abode, but... Is this really connected to it?'' At the moment, Izroth stood before two towering ck metal doors that were tightly shut. The surroundingnd was deste with red y-like earth. The sky above resembled a starless night sky; however, there was an abundance of a soft red hue that made it so the world was not enveloped in a state of darkness. "You''ll need this," Astratis said as he snapped his fingers, causing a small golden coin with special carvings to appear in his hand. Astratis handed the coin to Izroth. And, the instant he did so, Izroth received two alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Token of Promise?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained ess to the ?Cyclops Workshop?!¡µ ''Oh?'' "The Son of Thunder, Astratis, is here!" Astratis'' voice boomed as he ced his hands on therge ck metal doors and pushed them open. Creeeeaaaaaak! The doors seemed extremely heavy. The fact that Astratis was able to open them with his physical strength alone was a testament to his power. ...Boom! Boom! Rmmmmble! The moment the door opened, the earth began to shake. At first, Izroth thought they were trimmers; however, surprisingly, this shaking was caused by footsteps. "Your reward is quite good this time. After all, there are not many who can invoke the services of the Enati." Astratismented. Izroth looked up and saw one giant eye. The figure reached their massive hand down as the token in Izroth''s hand vanished. The following moment, his Sword of the Storm also disappeared without a trace. "?!" Izroth did not know how his weapon was taken, but before he could say anything, Astratis spoke up. "Rx. Your weapon¡ªit will not be the same as before." Astratis said with arge grin. ... A few momentster... The doors to the workshop opened once more as Izroth received an alert from the system. He had gotten his Sword of the Storm back. But, it was not the same at all. ''This... Is the Sword of The Storm?'' Weapon Name: Sword of The Storm Weapon Rank: Epic -> Unique Weapon Level: 40 -> 0 Requirements: 500 Attack -> 1,500-5,000 Attack [Current: 1,634] *Upgraded->Attack Damage: 1,000 -> 2,500-10,000 [Current: 2,723] *Upgraded->Weapon Skill Storm Surge(Passive) - Every time the userpletes a sessful attack and every 3 seconds they are inbat, the user gains 1 stack of ?Storm Surge Charge? (MAX: 150). Use ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks to activate any of the following effect(s). The user begins to rapidly lose ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks after remaining out ofbat for 1 minute. *Upgraded->?Tempest Strikes? - Consumes 10 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. The user gains the wind element for physical-based weapon attacks which increases their range by a distance of 25 meters for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes *Upgraded->?Lightning Cage? - Consumes 20 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. The user forms a 20 meters cage of lightning anywhere within a 25 meters range. While trapped inside the cage of lightning, enemies be ?Paralyzed? for 5 seconds and receive a 40% damage increase as lightning damage from all sources. Cooldown: 10 minutes *Upgraded->?Great Storm? - Consumes 50 ?Storm Surge Charge? stacks. Summons the great storm with fierce winds that resides within the de of the ?Sword of The Storm? in the surrounding 100 meters. The great storm disorientates enemies inside of it while releasing arge amount of random sharp ?des of Winds? that deal 100% of the user''s attack as damage. This damage ignores 80% of enemies defenses and has a high chance of causing struck enemies to ?Bleedout? for 10 seconds. ?des of Winds? can ?Critical Hit?. This stormsts for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour *New->?Bonus Forged Effect: Touch of the Primordial Forge? - This weapon has been forged by the ?Primordial Forge?. It cannot be destroyed or damaged by items at or below the Unique rank. *New->?Bonus Forged Effect: Peak Growth Evolution? - This weapon has undergone an evolution to reach the peak of its growth. The requirement and attack damage of this weapon increases or lowers based on the user''s attack. Bonus attack provided by weapons is not calcted. *New->?Bonus Forged Effect: Destructive Aftermath? - Every 10th strike, the user unleashes a wave of destruction from their sword in a 25 meter radius that deals 400% of the user''s attack as lightning damage to enemies and has a 75% chance to paralyze them for 2 seconds. After activating, this effect cannot ur again for 20 seconds. *New->?Bonus Forged Effect: Great Lightning Army? - The user summons [26] ?Lightning Soldier? and [1] ?Storm Commander? that will aid them in battle for up to 30 minutes. The number of summons and their strength are based on the ?Sword of The Storm? current attack damage. Cooldown: 12 hours. Special Note: A de forged from an ancient great storm Chapter 790: Day Of Remembrance, The Systems Forceful Hand

Chapter 790: Day Of Remembrance, The System''s Forceful Hand

As Izroth examined the Sword of the Storm, the first thing he noticed was that its rank had jumped from Epic to Unique¡ªbypassing the Legendary rank altogether! Next, was something he never witnessed before in RML. The level of his weapon dropped from level 40 down to level 0, yet its power remained entirely unaffected. This part still puzzled Izroth. Another shocking fact was that the weapon''s attack nearly tripled and would continue to grow as his base strength increased. Of course, there were also some upgrades made to the already existing weapon skills of his Sword of The Storm; however, what stood out ringly was none another than the bonus forged effects. It was not just one or two bonus forged effects, but a total of four! In addition, it was on a Unique rank item! When they first met back in front of the Mystical Realm Pce, Gu Chao, the current head cksmith of the Mystical Realm Pce, revealed a level 30 rare item with two bonus forged effects called the Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest. Izroth was curious about how cksmithing worked in RML. So, he observed Gu Chao''s crafting abilities before the start of the event. That''s when Izroth noticed that virtually none of the items Gu Chao''s crafted had bonus forged effects attached to them. Was it due to his poor luck? Or, was there a limited number he could craft within a certain time frame? Naturally, Izroth was interested. In the end, Gu Chao shook his head and told Izroth, "Big bro, you got it all wrong. It takes me only an hour to craft the Soft Bone Sea Swallow Chest. But, do you know how long it took to add two bonus forged effects to a rare chest piece? Three days! Three! This little brother of yours nearly fainted from starvation! I''m just d I didn''t choose a weapon; otherwise, it would have taken me twice as long! I-" At that point, Gu Chao bit his own tongue and didn''t continue to speak for a bit after that. Nevertheless, Izroth was able to grasp a decent understanding of it. And, that''s why he was even more shocked with the ability of these Entai. Gu Chao was a grade four cksmith, who was soon on the verge of bing a grade five. Yet, it would still take him six days in-game to produce a level 30 rare weapon with two bonus forged effects. However, not only had the Entai upgraded Izroth''s level 40 Sword of The Storm from the Epic to Unique rank, but they also managed to add four bonus forged effects! And, this was all done in a few minutes, let alone hours or six days! Just how skilled were these Entai to produce such a masterpiece as if it were as easy as breathing? "So? Are you satisfied?" Astratis asked with a grin on his face as if he already knew Izroth''s answer. Izroth inwardly shook his head as he returned the Sword of the Storm to its rightful ce. "It is a good sword," Izrothmented. Astratis nodded and said, "It''s not easy to get something personally crafted from the Entai. That''s why I could only give you the Token of Promise and let them upgrade something you already have. Those guys don''t talk much at all, but they are natural-born craftsmen of the forge. When ites to their skills, they are second to none in this world." "I am afraid if other cksmiths knew a ce like this existed, they would alle rushing to learn their secrets," Izroth stated. "Ha, do you think others have not tried? Asking them how to craft is like asking a sea beast how to swim or a man how to breathe. It is all pure instinct." Astratis responded. "I see. A pity. Though I would like to see their crafting process some time." Izroth said calmly. "Sure, I can arrange that. But, it will have to wait until after things with the pirs are settled. After all, we can''t afford any mistakes this time around. That being said-" Astratis'' expression turned serious as he continued, "I think it''s about we had an open dialogue about a serious topic, don''t you agree?" ''Oh? Has he finally reached the limits of his curiosity? I nned to tell him about the Mortal Realm after we left the Hidden Celestial Abode, but... Well, I suppose there''s no harm to doing so now. My judge of character has yet to lead me astray.'' But, before Izroth could speak, Astratis ced his hands on Izroth''s shoulders and said, "My sister¡ªwhat do you think of her? It won''t be easy to win her heart, but if you perform well in this uing battle, it is not impossible if I put in a good word for you." ''...'' "This is..." Izroth was momentarily speechless. He thought Astratis wanted to inquire about the things he was hiding; however, it turned out he actually desired to y matchmaker! ... Several minutester... A brilliant ray of light shone down in front of an open-roof temple with a serene atmosphere. Not too long after the light shed, two figures emerged¡ªIzroth and Astratis. "Ahahaha, to think you would turn down my offer. I am not sure whether to be offended or impressed. There are many men who would face death to gain my sister''s favor." Astratis stated. "Brother, have I not advised you against doing such distasteful and unnecessary things?" Eiritia''s voice suddenly echoed as the sound of footsteps approached. A few secondster, Eiritia walked out of the temple along with Sychia at her side. "If I do not say anything, I fear my eldest sister will be alone eternally," Astratismented. "You... Forget it. Allow me to apologize for my brother''s behavior. Please do not take everything he says to heart." Eiritia said as she turned her attention to Izroth. "It''s fine. Your brother just has an active spirit." Izroth replied with a carefree smile. "Indeed, my brother does have an active spirit¡ªjust as he has a prior engagement with his wife before departing to the Celestial Battlegrounds," Eiritia stated with a graceful smile. "Prior engagement? But we didn''t have anything nned today?" Astratis frowned. "Does today not mark the day you wed? Yet, not only did you forget, you even allowed her to wee another woman. If not for the uing battle, do you think your wife would spare you?" Eiritia noted. "The day we... Our Day of Remembrance!" Astratis eximed as his face turned pale. The Day of Remembrance was the celestial version of an anniversary. And, Astratis had been so busytely that it hadpletely slipped his mind. No wonder her mood seemed to be continuing to worsen throughout the day! "This is why men are..." Eiritia muttered to herself she released a heavy sigh. She then spoke up and said, "I have arranged for a set of events to take ce in the Abode''s Garden. I know that you have been working hardtely for our sake; therefore, I will not allow you to suffer. But, brother, this is thest year I will cover for you." "As expected of my elder sister! You have my gratitude! Izroth, I have some more things to discuss with you, but it will have to wait untilter! The Guiding Ray will transport you when it is time, so make any necessary preparations! Then, I am taking my leave!" Astratis said with haste as a bolt of lightning crashed down on his location and he moved at a terrifying speed. The Guiding Ray was fast, but it still took a few seconds to lock onto their position and determine their destination. However, Astratis did not have such a luxury! Right as Astratis left, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received a new quest! Would you like to ept? [Warning: Declining this quest will result in an immediate automatic ejection from the ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans?!]¡µ Izroth could only inwardly shake his head at Astratis'' actions. The next moment, he opened his system interface to read over the quest information. ''This quest... Isn''t the system basically forcing my hand?'' Quest Name: The Rebel & The Liberator(3) Quest Difficulty: SSS Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: Assist the ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis?, who is making his move against the pirs along with his allies. Time Limit: N/A 0/1 Apany ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? to the ?Celestial Battlegrounds? and survive until the end while emerging victorious. Reward: -x1 ess to the new ?Celestial Abode?. -??? -??? Failure: -Lose 3 levels. -Automatically ejected from ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? -Lose ess to the ?Cyclops Workshop?. If Izroth declined, he would be automatically ejected from the Secret Realm, losing out on any potential rewards in the process. But, the rewards for the quest itself were too unclear, while the penalty for failure was fairly harsh. Nevertheless, how could the rewards from an SSS-ranked quest be bad? Of course, Izroth would ept such a quest! Chapter 791: To The Celestial Battlegrounds!

Chapter 791: To The Celestial Battlegrounds!

Besides, if Izroth were to decline the quest and be automatically ejected from the Secret Realm, he would no longer be able to ensure Sychia''s safety for his other active quest. Although the Thousand Blossom Maiden managed to fully recover from her previous state, in the end, there were still others in the Secret Realm who wanted to im her life. In that kind of situation where one was powerless to do anything, how could Izroth be at ease? The contents of the quest were simple. All Izroth had to do was survive in a ce called the Celestial Battlegrounds while emerging victorious. Though Izroth was a bit troubled by the vagueness of the questpletion requirement. Survival was one thing, but with his current strength, Izroth knew that he could not guarantee a victory for the celestials. Even if it was an SSS-ranked quest, how could he be expected to continuously facete or peak stage legendary realm powerhouses? Izroth did not know the exact strength of the enemies he would be facing on the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, if the pirs were able to force so many legendary realm powerhouses to go into hiding, their personal strength and the power of those theymanded could not be underestimated. As Izroth''s thoughts wandered, he noticed that Sychia appeared to be lost in thought with a troubled expression on her face. She had been like this for the past few moments. Izroth figured she was either concerned about her master back in the Mortal Realm or possibly nervous about what they were going to face soon. Regardless, since they would be entering a high danger area soon, Izroth could not afford to have Sychia ce her attention elsewhere. After all, it only took one moment on the battlefield to lose one''s life. "Is there something weighing on your mind?" Izroth asked as he approached Sychia. Sychia released a small sigh and replied, "I inquired about the location of the Endless Nectar Fountain you mentioned to me earlier, but... there seems to be a problem." "Oh?" "The owner went into hiding along with the Endless Nectar Fountain after discovering signs of an inevitable uing conflict. Apparently, until everything settles down, it will be nearly impossible to find their location. Unfortunately, time is the one thing weck." Sychia exined. ''So that''s why her mood took a sudden downturn. I suppose it can''t be helped given the circumstances.'' Sychia must have felt that fate was working against her at every turn. ''Astratis mentioned that the one who guards the Endless Nectar Fountain is Thanasia''s sister¡ªone of the three beings of the Ateleigos ancient race. If they are hiding together, even if we find them, it won''t be easy to acquire the Immortal Nectar using force alone.'' Izroth was still in possession of the Immortal Nectar Astratis rewarded him forpleting the first quest; however, even if it were for an SSS-ranked quest, Izroth could not use it for Sychia or her master''s sake. There was a debt in this world he had yet to fully repay and Izroth nned on utilizing the Immortal Nectar to fulfill that purpose. The chances of it working were probably not 100%. But, as long as it was not 0%, Izroth was prepared to give his greatest effort! ''Forget it. There is no point thinking about it. In the end, if there is not a path before me, I just have to create one.'' Izroth looked over at Eiritia and asked, "Is there anyone in the Hidden Celestial Abode who possesses the highest quality Immortal Nectar?" Eiritia''s brows rose slightly. Her expression revealed that she was a bit taken aback by Izroth''s question. "There is one, but it is better if you do not hold out any hope for that approach. If it were just normal Immortal Nectar, then it should be possible to acquire as long as you trade something of equal value, but... when ites to the highest quality Immortal Nectar, only a maximum of five can be produced once every ten revolutions of the seasons. The Immortal Nectar not only replenishes one''s youth and beauty but is also considered a rare delicacy. That is why that woman will never give it up¡ªthe Daughter of Spirits, Methysria." ''The Daughter of Spirits... If it is a delicacy she desires, offering a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree in exchange should work. Unfortunately, I only have two left in my possession after giving one to Astratis to recover. Even if I sessfully made the trade, I would be right back where I started¡ªone item short. Though if ites to it, I may have no other choice.'' Izroth had plenty of Young Wings that he plucked from the Ambrosia Tree. If it came down to it, he would just trade some for standard Immortal Nectar and work with whatever was at his disposal. However, for some reason, every time Izroth had this thought, he felt that an unknown force was reaching out to him. It was as if it were warning him to discard that approach. ''Strange... It doesn''t feel like a gut feeling, but something is telling me I shouldn''t entirely ignore it.'' Izroth turned his attention back towards the disheartened Thousand Blossom Maiden and said, "Do not be discouraged. Since I have decided to help you, even if I have to pull up the underworld from its roots, I will find a method. There is still a road ahead of us. Our path has not been entirely cut off just yet." After listening to Izroth''s words, Sychia''s mood started to improve bit by bit. Of course, she could notpletely hide the concern for her master, but, Sychia knew the oue of her failure. And, no matter what, failure was not an option! ... Nearly half an hourter... Izroth spent the past half hour exploring the Hidden Celestial Abode with Sychia and even collecting some materials unique to the Secret Realm. The two were apanied by Eiritia, who acted as the perfect guide¡ªregardless of Sychia''s status as "mortal" in their world. In terms of strength, Eiritia did not equal up to her siblings despite being the eldest among them. Along their brief journey, she spoke of her past self-doubts and being looked down on as well as how she managed to ovee them. As someone who was in a simr situation of being seen as a burden¡ªperhaps it was this unique perspective that caused her to get along quite well with Sychia. But, now, the serene atmosphere of the Hidden Celestial Abode had taken a drastic turn as Izroth stood at the entrance where he arrived. At the moment, including Izroth and Sychia, there were exactly 96 other individuals gathered. Standing at the head of the group filled with celestials was Astratis, who was apanied by his two brothers Thalos and Skos. As Izroth examined the group, he realized that no one present was weaker than an epic ranked being back in the Mortal Realm. And, more shocking than anything, nearly 20% of the group had already stepped into the legendary realm! Since when was it this easy to put together a force that consisted of so many figures in the legendary realm?! ''Hm? Did he already depart?'' Izroth searched around; however, he saw no signs of Ilioreas. At the same time, thest brilliant light from the Guiding Ray died down. Almost instantly after it did so, Astratis stepped forward as everything fell quiet. There was a look of unwavering determination and resolve in Astratis'' eyes. "Brothers! Sisters! Today, we face a challenge unlike one ever presented before us! Rebels! Disgraces! Cowards¡ªthese are just a few of the names that have been thrown at us by the pirs and those who support them! They want us to spend our life with our heads down! They want us to revere and fear them as we once did before! But, those days are long in the past! No longer shall we revere those who encourage wickedness! No longer shall we walk with our heads down in fear! On this day, we will return the suffering we have received a hundredfold! We will severe that which binds us! Today¡ªwe live as true celestials!" Astratis roared proudly as the sound of thunder filled the atmosphere and lightning could be seen in the skies above. "Yeeeeeeaah!" "Today we live as true celestials!" "Today we live as true celestials!" As the celestials chanted Astratis''st words, any previous nerves they had seemed to vanish into thin air. Their eyes were burning with fighting spirit and a sense of indescribable pride. ''Interesting. I thought he was just a headstrong guy, yet it turns out he can give such a rallying speech. I am not a celestial, but even I was somewhat moved by it. I can only imagine how it must be like for them, who spent most of their lives living under someone else''s thumb.'' "We depart! To the Celestial Battlegrounds!" Astratis dered as he held his hand to the skies. Bzzzzt! Crrrrrckle! p! An ear-piercing thunderp echoed throughout the atmosphere as a bolt of lightning struck down on Astratis'' location. By the time the sh disappeared, Astratis donned an extravagant armor filled to the brim with his powerful lightning element. The following moment, the Guiding Ray epassed Izroth along with the entire group. ''The Celestial Battlegrounds we''re headed to¡ªI wonder what kind of ce it is. Well... It''s been a while since I could let loose properly.'' In the blink of an eye, the entrance area of the Hidden Celestial Abode became empty. However, the faint lingering echoes of the celestials'' war cry could still be heard. Chapter 792: Kindness, A Cycle Of Despair

Chapter 792: Kindness, A Cycle Of Despair

... The brilliant light from the Guiding Ray transported Izroth andpany to a ce filled with an abundance of vegetation and freshwater streams. The trees were spread out, but the area resembled an open grasnd more than a forest. It was a peaceful atmosphere; however, this site was not that of the Celestial Battlegrounds. "This is as far as the Guiding Ray can take us without being detected by those pirs. Brothers, here is where we part ways." Astratis stated. "Stay safe, brothers," Thalosmented. "..." Skos remained silent; however, he gave a small nod to acknowledge Astratis'' and Thalos'' words. "That goes for all of you as well. We may be entering the Celestial Battlegrounds from different locations, but we must still fight as one. And¡ªwe must return safely to those who await us back at the Hidden Celestial Abode." Astratis addressed his fellow celestials. After Astratis spoke, without a moment''s hesitation, the group split into three parts. Thalos departed with thirty people to the east. Skos with twenty to the south. And, twenty-six individuals departed in a group to the north, who was apanied by none of the three brothers. This left Astratis with twenty celestials. Of course, Izroth and Sychia were also joining Astratis'' group. "We head west!" Astratis dered as he led the way forward. Izroth, Sychia, and the celestials followed after Astratis as they made their way west. ''To carry out this kind of n¡ªthese siblings must be fairly confident in their own abilities.'' The general n was simple and straightforward. With the Teraidi out of the way, each brother would lead a group to assault the heart of a pir. The Son of Waves Thalos'' target was the Pir of the East, Heaven''s Son, Yia. While the Son of Twilight Skos would work to suppress the Pir of the South, Heaven''s Constetion, Schimatia. As for the Son of Thunder¡ªAstratis was tasked with taking down the Pir of the West, Heaven''s Strength, Ourami. Naturally, this left a gap in power in the group headed to confront the north pir. At least, this was how it seemed on the surface. In truth, the north was being left to another one of the siblings, who had already infiltrated that area in search of a weakness to deal with the cunning pir that ruled there. The Daughter of Order, Nomii, Astratis'' second eldest sister. Once the group arrived, Nomii would takemand and lead the assault on the Pir of the North, Heaven''s Mind, Myania. This type of full-scale attack from all directions simultaneously was something the arrogant pirs would never seeing. After all, having lorded over this world for so long, in their mind, there was no one who dared attack them all at once in their own territory. The pirs not only possessed strength but also had an army formed from the numerous ancient races under their rule. This is why it was every group''s task to suppress the ancient races while their head took care of the pir. Though Izroth was curious as to why Ilioreas was not included in the battle n. After all, it would remove a lot of stress off one group if Ilioreas assisted them. Then, once they finished, that group could head over to help their closest ally and so on. ''Can it be that it''s fine as long as he does not directly make a move?'' If Izroth''s assumption about Ilioreas was correct and he was a ne Ascender, then it should be impossible for him to interfere in something that would affect the state of the entire Secret Realm. Otherwise, he would face a divine punishment and possibly be erased from this world for breaking the rules set by the ones above the firmament. But, if Ilioreas could not interfere, then what was the purpose of obtaining his aid? Unless it was merely a symbolic gesture¡ªthis part left Izroth somewhat puzzled. "Why?" Sychia''s voice abruptly sounded next to Izroth. "Hm?" Izroth nced over in Sychia''s direction. "Why are you going so far out of your way to help people you have not known for even half a day? Even with me..." Sychia sighed as her words seemed to trail off. After she was poisoned, Sychia remained calm and resolute on the outside. But, internally, began to despair. The thought of failing to do everything in her power to save her master and her master''s impending death¡ªit all weighed heavily on her heart. However, lurking deep in her heart, what Sychia feared most was not her death. Nor was it joining this conflict in the Secret Realm. The Thousand Blossom Maiden''s deepest fear was her master passing on from the world before she had a chance to see her again. Sychia could not help but think back to the final words her master said to her before she left in a fit of anger after her master turned down her request to go to the Secret Realm. And, the look on her master''s face at that time. That look of concern, not for herself, but for Sychia¡ªeven with death just over the horizon¡ªhow could Sychia bear to see such an expression? "Do you n on making your master worry until the very end..? How can you say that..? Are you telling me to just sit back and wait for you to die..? I refuse...!" Sychia internalized as she tightly clenched her fists. Sychia loosened her fists and calmed her mind. "I do not understand your thought process. In such a situation, would it not benefit you more from taking advantage of the chaos once the conflict breaks out?" Sychia spoke with a steadied voice. She then rified, "I know I should be thest one toment after gaining some benefits from your assistance but do not misunderstand me. I just do not want to see someone who has helped me being taken advantage of for their kindness." "Kindness? Such a word is wasted on someone like me." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. Kindness? Although Izroth was considerate of those under his protection, to call him kind would be overreaching. While a part of the reason he helped Astratis was due to his upright character, it was also because he needed to gain as much information of the Secret Realm as possible from one of its inhabitants. In addition, the quest given to him by the system yed a significant role as well. As for helping Sychia cure her poison¡ªeven that was just because of the quests with a side bonus of interfering in whatever Zouren had nned. After all, Izroth had not overlooked the fact that Zouren sent an assassin to im his life. It''s just that it would not be toote to settle matters after he acquired some benefits. ''Kindness is it? I... have already walked past that line of no return.'' "No, it is not wasted. Even if you have something to gain from your actions, it does not negate the acts of kindness you perform. In my eyes, the person who saved me and gave me hope when none existed¡ªthat person will always be kind. If anyone tries to say otherwise... Then, they are truly naive. Even if that person is the one who gave me hope." Sychiamented. ''This girl... How amusing. She reminds me of the young girl who took me in when I was injured and temporarily lost my cultivation. That girl also said something simr after I fought off those mortal bandits.'' Izroth was reminded of the time he briefly lived as a mortal after temporarily losing his cultivation. After fighting nonstop for what seemed like an eternity, he could finally rest. It was during that time Izroth gained irreceable insight that allowed his cultivation to soar to new heights once he recovered. "Then, in order to avoid being naive, it seems I have no choice but to take your words to heart," Izroth said as a carefree smile found its way to his face. ... Several minutester... As the group continued their journey, Izroth witnessed many things along the way. When crossing the grasnd, they came across multiple settlements run down with mortals. However, the atmosphere was not good. Despite the abundance of vegetation and freshwater, the mortals all seemed starved and there was ack of light in their eyes¡ªas if their souls had been drained. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he witnessed this sight along the way. "Why are all the settlements like this when there is so much food and water around? Is it all poisonous so they can not eat and drink?" Sychia inquired. Astratis had a fierce look in his eyes as he observed the state of the mortals. One could tell that he was bothered by their current state; however, he understood the importance of the mission ahead. Therefore, he could not risk everything and stop just to save a few mortals when the entire fate of their world was at stake. "It is not that they can''t, it''s that they don''t dare. This is the result of living under the pirs. It is nothing but a neverending cycle of despair.." Astratis stated. Chapter 793: Celestial Battlegrounds

Chapter 793: Celestial Battlegrounds

Sychia frowned as she observed the mortals in the nearby settlement. As someone who was orphaned from a young age and had personally experienced starvation, Sychia could not help but feel pity towards the mortals of this Secret Realm. If this were the Mortal Realm, she would have not hesitated to send resources to the settlements they traveled past; however, her current circumstances did not allow for such a luxury. Nevertheless, as a Thousand Blossom Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sychia could not ignore those in need. Even she was not so foolish as to believe that she was a hero who could help everyone. However, at the very least, Sychia did not want to ignore those right before her eyes. "It may take a few minutes, but if I can collect some nearby food and water, I should be able to help them. If the pirs or anyone else wants to find fault, then they can do so with me." Sychia stated. Izroth inwardly shook his head after he listened to Sychia''s words. ''This girl is too kindhearted. Her master''s situation is not good, yet she still has time to worry about others who areplete strangers to her. I could somewhat understand if it was the Mortal Realm, but this ce is not one that she calls home.'' Izroth did not believe that it was a bad thing to be kind in one''s heart. But, naturally, it had its drawbacks. For one, such a person was typically easily taken advantage of by others. There was also a good chance that they would be betrayed by those who answered to their kindness to further their own goals. Most likely, Sychia had been shielded by her master from the darker side of humanity throughout her life. Unfortunately, this was a double-edged sword. No harm or cruelty would befall Sychia, but it would cause her view of the world to be warped. Still, the fact that she was able to see through Luxia''s n and sped through the portal into the Secret Realm¡ªin this regard, Izroth knew that Sychia was notpletely hopeless. Perhaps a part of her already understood that the world was not a kind ce. But, if she epted that, the brightness of the world she envisioned would be dimmed. "If you wish to help them, I will not attempt to stop you. However, will you stay and take responsibility for them after doing so?" Astratis said solemnly. "This... It would not be possible." Sychia replied with a troubled expression. Sychia was prepared to turn any anger or fault towards her; however, she could not stay in this Secret Realm and take responsibility for them. For the first time since she was taken in by her master, Sychia had to choose between her values or her own selfish desire, which was to save her master. Though what surprised Sychia and caused her to feel somewhat frustrated was not how difficult the choice was, but rather how quickly she decided with little to no struggle. As soon as Sychia was reminded of thest look on her master''s face before she secretly snuck off to the Secret Realm, it was only a brief moment, but a single thought crossed her mind¡ª"If my values would have me forsake my master, then it is my values that must be forsaken." In that moment, Sychia was willing to throw away the values that she ced such a high importance on if it meant her master had a chance to survive. "Since you are not prepared to go that far, then I suggest you give up. It is not that I wish to waste your resolve¡ªjust that I feel that it is misced. If you want to truly change their circumstances, then there is only one way. We must remove the pirs from this world. If we don''t solve the core problem, these mortals will only end up in the same situation tomorrow." Astratis exined calmly. "...I understand. I was too simple in my method and ignored other aspects. It is as you say. As long as the core problem still remains, ultimately, nothing will change. In order to give everyone an opportunity to survive, I cannot allow my resolve to be taken away by only looking at what is in front of me." Sychia stated. ... Izroth noticed a shift in Sychia''s mindset as they continued along their journey. Even as they passed by the human settlements, she kept her gaze set forward. It was not that she disregarded her values. Instead, Sychia came to terms with everything¡ªincluding the priority she had to ce on each matter at hand. ''This is a good experience for her. If she is able to grow from this lesson, it will benefit her in the long run.'' As this thought ran through Izroth''s mind, Astratis'' voice sounded. "We are here. Everyone, no matter what happens, you must remember to stick to the n." Astratis reminded. At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Celestial Battlegrounds?.¡µ ''This is the Celestial Battlegrounds? It''s different from what I imagined.'' The Celestial Battlegrounds were split into four separate regions. The first region at the bottom right of the Celestial Battlegrounds was where Izroth and the others were currently located. The scenery was not that different from the grasnds; however, the trees here were more abundant. Though it was not quite at the level of a forest, calling it a grasnd at this point would be a stretch. Though it was not all grasnds. At some point, the grasnds cut off and a field of snow came into view. That''s because the top right region was apletely differentndscape. It was a slightly mountainousndscape filled with snow. But, where things got strange was that the top left region located next to it was and of zing infernos and volcanos. As for thend on the bottom left, calling itnd would not be urate. Instead, it was a sea with numerous small man-made inds. ''Such drastic changes inndscape within a confined area... It reminds me of the Sky Pce.'' Back when Izroth participated in the second team''s selection on the Sky Pce, there were four separate regions. Each region had its own unique elemental aspect. In addition, Izroth and the participants were constantly shifted around by a grand teleportation array, having to constantly survive on their toes in a harsh environment. Izroth extended his Energy Vision Sense to full range and immediately scanned the surroundings. "There are more than two hundred lifeforms up ahead. They appear to be gathering something. They have not noticed our presence." Izroth said calmly as he deactivated his Energy Vision Sense. Maintaining his Energy Vision Sense at max range for too long would consume too much essence; therefore, he only used it to briefly scout the area. "What nonsense are you saying? There are no such enemies ahead." One of the celestials spoke up as he stepped forward. It was a young man with forest green hair that stopped halfway down his back and aureolin color eyes. On his back was a sleek longbow and a quiver filled with arrows epassed in Ethos. This young man was called Tox and he was in charge of keeping tabs on their surroundings during the journey. He possessed a special ability that allowed him to see things that were hundreds of meters away¡ªthree hundred, to be exact. Yet, he had not seen one lifeform, let alone the two hundred that Izroth mentioned. How could he let Astratis be fooled by an outsider on his watch? Astratis frowned and said, "What is going on? Are their enemies or not?" With his own power, naturally, Astratis had a way of knowing this answer. However, if he used his power here, there was a high possibility that the Heaven''s Son Ourami would immediately detect his presence in the Celestial Battlegrounds. Once that happened, they would lose the element of surprise and the difficulty of their ns would increase severalfold. "I know that you helped the Son of Thunder in his time of need, but there is no need to ring false rms in an attempt to further gain his favor," Tox said with a displeased expression. He then turned to Astratis and continued, "The Son of Thunder knows about my ability, Expanded Gaze. When ites to detecting people, at least among this group, I am certain that I have no equal. I can guarantee that there are no signs of life within 300 meters of our current position." Tox spoke firmly as he nced over at Izroth. From the beginning, it bothered him that someone dared to cling onto the Son of Thunder''s leg. They even had the audacity to bring a mortal with them on such a serious mission! Tox wanted to see what kind of excuse they woulde up with. "I see. 300 meters..." Izroth said as he released a small sigh. "If you understand, then apologize for wasting our time-" "I think you''ve misunderstood something. 300 meters¡ªisn''t it too short of a distance to im that you have no equal?" Chapter 794: Dare To Make A Bet With Me?

Chapter 794: Dare To Make A Bet With Me?

The celestials were shocked by Izroth''s words. Due to Astratis'' praise of him, the majority of celestials present had a good opinion of Izroth. Of course, they also felt that it was irresponsible of him to bring a mortal to the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, since that mortal was a guest of Ilioreas, no one dared toment on this point openly. Nheless, they believed that Izroth''s words this time were too arrogant. Tox was not merely bragging when he said he had no equal in the group when it came to detecting people. His ability even allowed him to remain hidden away from prying eyes, making him the ideal person to scout for potential dangers. Even someone like Astratis could not extend his range of detection without giving away his presence in the Celestial Battlegrounds to the pirs. Yet, this person imed to be able to sense things that even their best scout could not detect? They found this difficult to ept. Tox''s expression darkened as he scoffed, "Good, let''s see how long you can keep that straight face of yours when we confirm the truth." He then approached Astratis and said, "I, Tox, have been diligent in my duties as this group''s scout. To have my ability questioned like this, even if he is the Son of Thunder''s benefactor, I have my pride as a scout to maintain. Therefore, I would like to make a suggestion. I hope the Son of Thunder is willing to listen to my selfish request." "Did you forget our purpose foring here? We do not have time to waste on entertaining any selfish requests." Astratis stated. "How can I trust my back to someone who doubts my abilities? And, how can they trust their back to me? I fear if this problem stands the way it is, it will only be detrimental to our group''s synergy. I promise, my request is one that will not interfere with our current mission. I am not so foolish as to risk everything on a few words. It''s just that humility is better taught sooner rather thanter. It is only then that a person can truly grow from their ignorance." Tox spoke his thoughts clearly and concisely. Astratis nced over at Izroth. There was a calm look on his face and not a single sign of panic in his eyes. Even Astratis found it challenging to take Izroth at his word without foreknowledge of his skill; however, those were not the eyes of someone who was on the verge of being exposed. "Forget it. Tox is not wrong. They have been doing well to hide their dissatisfaction since they understand the importance of our mission, but... It is not necessarily a good thing to keep it buried. If it is to erupt, then it''s better it happens outside of battle." Astratis internalized. "Alright. As long as it will not interfere or cause us to deviate from our original objective, I am willing to listen to your request. But, I will say this now¡ªif it''s something that the other involved party does not agree to, you must drop the matter. Is that understood?" Astratis said solemnly. Tox nodded and replied, "Rest assured. If they are someone who''s afraid to back up their words with actions, then I have no reason to waste any further time on such a coward." "Speak your request," Astratis said. Tox turned to face Izroth as he pointed towards him and asked, "Izroth¡ªdo you dare to make a bet with me?" "Sure," Izroth answered indifferently without the slightest bit of hesitation. Izroth already had a good idea about the kind of bet Tox wanted to make with him. Why would he turn down such an opportunity that threw itself at his feet? Tox and a few of the other celestials who felt that Izroth was too arrogant were taken aback by Izroth''s quick response as well as his calm demeanor. It was to the point that even they started to doubt whether or not he was simply being arrogant and actually had the skills to back it up. Nevertheless, since it had already progressed to this point, it was toote to change course. Besides, if Tox stopped now, it would be the same as admitting hecked confidence in his own ability. Tox pointed forward in the direction the group was headed. Despite their exchange, they had not slowed their pace and continued to move deeper into the Celestial Battlegrounds. "If there are two hundred lifeforms ahead of us in this direction as you say, I, on my name, Tox, bearer of the title, Celestial of Stride, will admit defeat. However, if it turns out you are spewing falsehoods, you must properly apologize for speaking out of ce. Do you dare ept?" Tox requested. ''This is a bet?'' Given how prideful Tox sounded and how passionate he appeared about the situation at hand, Izroth was certain that he would make a huge bet. Something along the lines of Izroth having to leave the Celestial Battlegrounds with Sychia or kneel down and beg for forgiveness. But, it turned out that the bet he wanted to make was just both parties iming responsibility for their words¡ªsomething a man should do regardless. How could it be considered a true bet? Where were the stakes? ''This guy seems a bit hot-headed on the surface, but he is quite sincere.'' Izroth sensed that Tox was not a bad person at heart. After all, while there were signs of displeasure, never once had he emitted any kind of killing intent or disgust towards him or Sychia. ''Since he is so sincere, I suppose I can overlook a few things. That being said, it is better that humility is learned sooner rather thanter so that a person can grow from their ignorance.'' A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he used Tox''s own reasoning against him. "I can ept your request, but... it''s a little much to call this a bet. How about this-" As Izroth spoke, he held out the palm of his hand as an object appeared. It carried a uniquely sweet aroma that every celestial present immediately recognized. It was a Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree. It couldn''t be that he actually wanted to wager such a thing, right? However, there were those who saw this as Izroth''s way of bluffing. If Tox refused to ept the bet and ce up something of equal value, then he would have a reason to disregard the bet entirely without beingbeled a coward for running away from it. When Astratis saw the Young Wing in Izroth''s palm, he smiled weakly as he thought to himself, "No wonder Thanasia went on a rampage. This guy... Did he uproot the whole Ambrosia Tree?" If Izroth could hear Astratis'' thoughts right now, he would have been somewhat regretful. Indeed, why hadn''t he thought of that?! "Hmph, don''t think that I will run away. Since I dare suggest a bet, I dare to y." Tox said as he removed a single bow from the quiver on his back. The arrow was pitch-ck with silver markings running along its shaft. It was roughly 80cm long and the arrowhead had a unique curve on one side that bent inward. The other celestials looked surprised when Tox removed the arrow from his quiver. "He''s betting a Whisper Striding Arrow?" A young woman celestial, Neri, eximed. "This bet is too much. The Enati only makes ten of those arrows every full cycle of the seasons. In terms of value, it''s worth at least three Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree." Another celestial, a man called Argosima, chimed in. "This is the Whisper Striding Arrow. It is capable of piercing through any material and will follow its target no matter where they are in the world as long as you whisper their name to it. While using a bow can bring about its full potential, even without the assistance of one, its power cannot be underestimated. So¡ªis this enough to bet against your Young Wing?" Tox spoke with confidence. ''Oh?'' Izroth was interested in the Whisper Striding Arrow. Since it was crafted by the same beings who upgraded his Sword of the Storm, he did not believe that Tox was exaggerating its effects. ''If I can obtain this arrow, I may be able to use Heart of A Creator to acquire its production method and peer into the Enati''s crafting techniques¡ªsomething no one in this Secret Realm has been able to do before.'' Now, this¡ªthis was a true bet! "It is enough. But, I am not a man who takes advantage of others." Izroth stated. The next moment, two additional Young Wings appeared in Izroth''s hands. "I will bet these three Young Wings against your Whisper Striding Arrow. Of course, the loser will still have to admit their defeat as well. What do you think?" Izroth asked. Besides Astratis, everyone was shocked by Izroth''s ability to take out three Young Wings without pause. Now, they could not help but have lingering thoughts. Was one willing to go this far and use such a grand gesture for a mere bluff? Did his ability to detect enemies really surpass Tox? "I ept!" Tox responded without dy. Chapter 795: I, Izroth, Will Not Think Any Less Of You

Chapter 795: I, Izroth, Will Not Think Any Less Of You

... After settling on the terms of the bet, Izroth and Tox chose Astratis to personally oversee it and dere the winner. The terms of the bet were simple. One, it would onlyst up until one kilometer in the direction they were currently headed. Two, there had to be at least 200 lifeforms present. As long as both conditions were met, it would be considered Izroth''s victory. However, if neither condition was fulfilled, then Tox would emerge as the winner of the bet. If there were any changes in circumstance along the way for whatever reason, then the bet would be voided and the wagered items kept by their rightful owners. In addition, if either party performed an act that intentionally sabotaged the bet, it would automatically be regarded as their loss. Izroth nor Tox had any problem with these rules. Of course, neither party was worried about the other going back on their bet. With so many witnesses present and Astratis overlooking the manner, who dared be so shameless as to go back on their word? The group proceeded onward in their journey and it was not long until they reached the 100-meter mark into the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, even being 100 meters further in, Tox did not detect any lifeforms. 200 meters... 300 meters... At this point, with his ability, Tox had covered a total of 600 meters ahead of them. Yet, there were still no signs of anyone or anything present. Tox looked over at Izroth, expecting to see an expression of panic on his face; however, Izroth maintained a calm outer appearance. Seeing this caused Tox to scoff under his breath. He could not help to think that he had made a bet with a crazy man! Wouldn''t such a thing ruin his reputation? "Hmph, let''s see how much longer you can keep up that facade." Tox internalized. 400 meters... 500 meters... 600 meters... Without slowing their pace, the group had traveled a distance of 600 meters from where they entered the Celestial Battlegrounds. This meant that Tox had scanned a vast area of 900 meters! In his eyes, there was no longer any need to continue this bet¡ªhe was already the victor. At first, due to Izroth''s calm demeanor, Tox was a bit apprehensive for the first couple of hundred meters. After all, although the chance was small, there still existed the possibility that the lifeforms Izroth mentioned could somewhat avoid his detection. But, after passing the 300-meter mark, Tox''s apprehensive faded. And, by the time they arrived at the 600-meter mark, it had long since disappeared entirely. "How much longer will we have to continue to y along with this charade?" Neri remarked, unable to hide the displeasure in her voice. "I agree. In this case, it''s clear who is the victor and who is the loser. It can''t be that he''s hoping to get lucky and have 200 people appear out of nowhere, right?" Argosimamented in a simr tone. Although most of the celestials remained silent, naturally, they agreed with Neri and Argosima. They felt that Tox had been more than patient and lenient when he epted the 1,000-meter rule so that the other party could not make any excuses. Those who initially had a good impression of Izroth started to change their perspective of him. For a brief moment, there were even those who were secretly excited that the person Astratis spoke so highly of would disy his skills. But, s, they could only shake their heads and sigh. At this distance, Izroth''s detection range would have to be not double, but more than triple that of Tox''s! Of course, no one was foolish enough to keep holding out hope for some kind of miracle. In their eyes, if Izroth at least admitted his defeat and owned up to his mistake, they could still find a way to respect his courage. Sychia slightly furrowed her brows as she nced over at Izroth. In truth, even she was beginning to have some doubts. Though she had not known him for long, the Thousand Blossom Maiden did not see Izroth as the type to seek attention using such an unscrupulous approach. Therefore, she was confused and conflicted. Had she mistakenly ced her confidence in the wrong person? "Just what is he hoping to aplish? I can not understand him at all..." Sychia thought to herself as she released a faint sigh. In the end, Sychia still held out hope that she did not make the wrong choice. If not for Izroth, her life would have still been in danger. And, she would have had to slowly watch as thest bit of hope to save her master slipped through her fingers. For the sake of that hope, Sychia decided to remove her remaining doubts. She also made up her mind that even if Izroth turned out to be wrong, she would apologize in his ce. This way, at the very least, she could begin to repay him for the path of hope he had carved for her. Izroth noticed the fluctuation of emotions around him; however, he remained indifferent. That being said, how could he let such a prime opportunity pass him by? "If anyone else wants to join the bet, I am willing to wager one Young Wing against anything of equal value. Naturally, the original rules will remain in ce." Izroth stated. "?!" The celestials were shocked by Izroth''s bold statement. Making one losing bet was not enough. Now, he wanted to bet against everyone here? Where did he get such a bold attitude?! "If you doubt whether I can afford to pay or not-" Izroth interlocked his fingers as more than twenty Young Wings materialized in his arms. "I hope this can put you at ease. Of course, if you are afraid orcking in means to bet, it can''t be helped. I, Izroth, will not think any less of you." Izroth said with a carefree smile. The celestials were temporarily dumbfounded as Izroth took out more than twenty Young Wings. How did one person manage to get their hands on so many Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree?! No, more importantly, was he looking down on them?! That carefree smile was obvious not one understanding, but rather of mockery! Wasn''t he basically saying that if they dared not bet, they were either too poor or too scared?! How would their pride as celestials let them tolerate this insult?! Besides, this was a chance to earn a free Young Wing! Who would not take up such a sure-win bet? "I am willing to bet a Golden Plum Seed!" "I will wager a zing Griffin Feather!" "I''ll bet two- No, three items!" "I also..." Besides a few who were more cautious by nature, almost every celestial present joined in on the bet! Izroth had those who wanted to participate hand their items over to Astratis in case their memory "failed" themter. The celestials were offended by Izroth''s suggestion; however, it was not as though he were asking them to hand their items over to him for safekeeping. If it was Astratis, then they did not mind entertaining Izroth a little longer. In the end, among the twenty celestials, excluding Astratis, a total of 17 ced their bets with Izroth. With some individuals betting two or three times for arger return, there were exactly 38 items handed over to Astratis. As for the Young Wings in Izroth''s possession, naturally, no one was worried that he would go back on his word. With so many celestials taking part in the bet, did he dare to deny them when it came time to pay debts? Astratis could only sigh as he witnessed what unfolded. However, a part of him was grateful to Izroth. The group''s nerves had been high for a while and only further increased after they stepped foot into the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, after the first bet was made and Izroth drew attention towards himself, those nerves had vanished. It was not that the group dropped their guard, but that their nerves had settled after being caught up in something they saw as beingpletely unorthodox and outrageous. As for whether Izroth did so on purpose, Astratis doubt he put so much thought into it. Nevertheless, that did not change the oue. ... Soon after the second round of bets concluded, the group reached the 650-meter mark. Immediately upon doing so, a frown formed on Tox''s face. "There are some life signatures up ahead," Tox mentioned. When those words left his mouth, the heart of every celestial who had just made a bet against Izroth not long ago dropped. Sensing this, Tox shook his head and rified, "But, there are no more than twenty, let alone 200." Upon hearing that, the celestials breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, they thought the bet was lost in only a handful of steps! "Can you tell if they belong to hostiles?" Astratis inquired. "Judging from the pattern of their life signature, several of them seem to be of the ancient races. The rest, however, are merely harmless mortals." Tox confirmed. "Then, we will proceed with-" "Wait¡ªsomething''s not right!" Tox eximed abruptly as his eyes widened in shock. Chapter 796: A Strange Following And A Shocking Scene!

Chapter 796: A Strange Following And A Shocking Scene!

"This doesn''t make any sense... Just what is going on over there...?! Why are the members of the ancient races taking orders from mortals?" Tox was baffled by what he witnessed. At first, Tox thought that he was just seeing things. After all, how could those ancient races be ordered around by mere mortals? However, upon closer observation, Tox soon realized that his ability was not ying tricks on him. With Tox''s sudden revtion, the other celestials were just as bewildered as him. "Ancient races following mortals¡ªhas there ever been such an urrence throughout the history of the world?" "How can it be? Even the strongest mortal would be no match against the weakest of the ancient races." "It really doesn''t make sense at all." As the celestials spoke among themselves, Astratis furrowed his brows as a slight frown appeared on his face. "It is unthinkable that those stubborn ancient races would submit to mortals. s, it''s unfortunate that I am unable to use the Celestial Gaze without drawing attention to myself; otherwise, I could confirm it right away. If it is true that mortals have discovered a method to control the ancient races, it will be beneficial to our purpose foring to the Celestial Battlegrounds." Astratis internalized. Though despite his optimism, Astratis did not get his hopes up too high. In the end, there was a higher chance that Tox misread the situation unfolding than there being some mysterious method that even the celestials did not know existed. Meanwhile, Argosima released a small sigh of relief. "That Tox¡ªis he trying to scare us to death? For a moment, I thought he was going to say there were 200 people, not twenty." Argosimamented as he shook his head. "Are you still thinking about that bet? You should follow my example and set it to the back of your mind. All you have to do is wait patiently for the free gift to fall into your hands." Neri replied in an almost boastful tone. "Heh, you''re right. We can just sit back and reap the benefits this time. I''m d you convinced me to wager four items like you. Otherwise, I would have really lost out." Argosima said gratefully. "Just be d you listened to my advice and-" Neri replied as she smiled and nodded. "This can''t be right! Why are they still increasing...?!" Tox eximed. Every step Tox took, the number of people he discovered with his detection skill continued to rise. 50... 100... 150! "There-!" Tox tried to speak, but he seemed to have trouble getting the words out of his mouth properly. His face was no longer one of shock or disbelief. Instead, it had transformed into a look of dread! "Tox? What''s wrong? Did something unexpected happen up ahead?" Argosima asked. However, Tox ignored their inquiry and immediately set his sights on Izroth. At the moment, Izroth still maintained that same carefree expression of his that he had from the beginning. But, looking at it now, Tox felt as though he were staring at the face of a demon. "...200..." Tox uttered quietly. Neri frowned, "What is it? Why is it that you have chosen to go mute all of a sudden? Speak up properly." "...200¡ªthere are more than 200 lifeforms ahead of us...!" Tox forced himself to speak out. The instant those words left Tox''s mouth, everyone looked at him as if in a puzzled manner. Though Tox did not me them as even he found it hard to ept the words that came out of his own mouth. It was not too long ago that he imed himself to be without equal when it came solely to detecting others. No equal? He could not help to look back and see it as an absurd statement! If he was without equal, then what was Izroth? How could someone with such a miniscule amount of Ethos beat him at his own specialty? Naturally, there were those among the celestials who did not immediately take Tox''s words at face value. 200? Surely, they were just hearing things, right? Yes, that must have been it. Or, perhaps it was Tox''s poor attempt at humor. "It''s okay if you want to tell jokes, but it should note at the cost of neglecting your duties as a scout," Argosima stated. Argosima put up four items for the wager¡ªan amount that exceeded even the value of Tox''s original bet with Izroth. More importantly, he ced his bet along with the others not even a minute ago! Wouldn''t his loss now be a little too unreasonable?! "That''s right. Don''t be ridiculous. The range of your detection is 300 meters. We are roughly 620 meters from where we entered the Celestial Battlegrounds. In order to observe a group that far away, one would have to more than triple the range of your detection ability. A detection ability that covers an area thatrge¡ªwouldn''t it be stepping into the territory of the Celestial Gaze?" Nerimented. Only extremely powerful celestials like Astratis or his siblings could implore the Celestial Gaze, a detection ability where one extended their Ethos thousands of meters. This allowed them to observe everything in a broad or narrow manner. It also let them "see" things that were otherwise hidden from the visible eye. Of course, the downside was that it could not be concealed since one''s Ethos would be on full disy. That''s why someone like Tox with a natural detection ability was invaluable on their current mission. Now, Tox wanted them to believe that someone, who barely had enough Ethos to be considered a lower celestial, could detect people that were nearly an entire kilometer away? It was a ridiculous notion! Some of the other celestials who also took part in the wager also expressed their concerns with Tox''s im and wanted to see it with their own eyes. "Isn''t saying he has a Celestial Gaze too much of a joke?" "Hah, maybe he''s trying to get some of us to back out and take some more Young Wings for himself." "It''s not good to be too greedy, you know? We''ll be keeping our bets. Ahahaha." "You all...!" Tox had to swallow his words as he almost coughed up blood in anger. He had already chosen to ept his defeat ande to terms with it, but now they used him of wanting to take more for himself? Take more what? Embarrassment? Hadn''t he already been humiliated enough?! "Alright, let''s stop there. There''s no need to linger on the matter any further. Since we have to pass that way regardless, we''ll know the results soon enough. That being said, I hope that everyone has not forgotten our main objective. When we arrive, I won''t be able to make a move and risk alerting the pir. Therefore, I will be depending on everyone here to handle the matter without fault. If I find that anyone is cking off because of the bet, then I''ll just end it here and dere Izroth the victor. Understood?" Astratis stated. After Astratis spoke, the celestials followed his instructions and dropped the subject. It was just as he said, they would be there soon enough and get their answers. ... "Careful, they''re right on the other side of this hill. Many of them are mortal, but forty of them are still a part of the ancient races." Tox warned. It did not take long for the group to reach their destination. Astratis was nowhere in sight. He had chosen to trail close behind and keep a lookout from a safe distance. Those of the ancient races possessed many unique abilities, some of which were long-rangedmunication or soul sharing upon their death. It was best to avoid directly revealing himself for as long as possible in the Celestial Battlegrounds to limit the level of risk. The group came before a somewhat steep hill, which they quickly ascended towards the top. The hill separated the grasnds-like area from a patch ofnd that was surrounded by towering trees with a small man-madeke at its center. But, it was no ordinaryke. The water within theke, if one could even call it that, was a dark charcoal color that resembled sludge more than it did any kind of drinkable water. There was also a foul odoring from theke that smell like that of burning sulfur. It was an unpleasurable experience, to say the least. The only upside was that theke''s foul odor acted as a natural cover for the group''s scents, shielding them from those ancient races who may possess a strong sense of smell. Of course, they did not know how one with such a strong sense of smell could stand theke''s odor in the first ce. The group arrived at the top of the hill; however, they did not rush in. Instead, they peaked their heads over to observe the situation below. But, what everyone witnessed left them momentarily speechless. Indeed, there were more than 200 lifeforms on the other side of the cliff and this undoubtedly surprised the celestials. However, that was not what caused them to be speechless. At the same time, Izroth narrowed his eyes as he noticed something unusual down below. ''Strange... How can they be in this ce? And, that''s... Why is he in such a miserable state? What are they nning?'' Izroth was not the only one curious and taken aback by those on the other side of the cliff. Sychia clenched her fist as the look in her eyes changed to one of aversion. That''s because she recognized four of the people down there! Three of them were the reason she ended up in that pathetic state and had to rely on Izroth to recover. They were the same individuals she and Izroth came to this Secret Realm with¡ªZouren, Luxia, and Agromin! But, what Sychia did not expect was that she would see another familiar face. Kneeled down wounded before theke covered in heavy and thick chains that exuded a terrifying aura was the first person to step through the portal of the Secret Realm, Hakros! Chapter 797: On My Signal

Chapter 797: On My Signal

"How is this possible..?" Sychia muttered to herself when her eyesnded on Hakros, who was bound by chains. ''It''s no wonder I failed to discover them with my Energy Vision Sense. Their energy signatures¡ªit changed.'' Every person and living being had a unique energy signature. Changing it was the equivalent of someone altering their fingerprints. Under normal circumstances, such a thing was impossible without first tearing down and then rebuilding one''s mana or energy from the ground up. However, would any of those below risk doing something so extreme in the middle of a Secret Realm? Of course, there was always the chance that they used some kind of magic item to create a fake energy signature. But, even if that were the case, what did they hope to aplish by doing so? "Everyone should be able to hear me clearly." A voice suddenly sounded in Izroth''s head. ''Hm? This voice...'' Izroth was not alone in hearing this voice as the others in his group also seemed to receive the sudden mind transmission. "I have temporarily created a mental channel for us tomunicate without running the risk of giving away our position. If you want to convey a message, all you have to do is think of who you want to receive it and your mental channels will automatically be connected." The voice exined. Izroth did not recognize the voice of this celestial. However, that was not unusual given that they were not the talkative type. That being said, with the mental channel active, Izroth''s mind could "see" the owner of the voice as if they were having a conversation face to face. ''So it''s them.'' Izroth nced over at one of the celestials near the outer edge of the group. It was a young man with short silver hair and bangs that covered his eyes. This young man was one of the few celestials who did not partake in the bet and kept quietly to himself for most of the journey. Name: Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo(???) Level: 0 Izroth turned his attention away from Isylo and shifted his focus to Sychia, who was next to him. ''I wonder how she''s holding up.'' The people down there were responsible for poisoning her earlier and came infinitely close to iming her life; therefore, it would be surprising if Sychia did not hold some type of resentment. After all, not even half a day had passed since their attempt on her life. As Izroth observed Sychia, he noticed that along with her gaze of aversion, was a trace of surprise. Though Izroth had a decent idea why she was taken aback. She may have spoken quietly to herself just a moment ago, but with his enhanced hearing, it did not escape him. Without a doubt, Sychia was shocked by Hakros'' capture. And, to be honest, Izroth was a bit surprised as well. Rather, he did not expect Zouren and the others to confront Hakros. Thanks to the quest he received, Izroth knew that while Hakros may not be considered their ally, he, at the very least, should not be their enemy. Was there some kind of bad blood between them? "Will you be alright?" Izroth asked directly to Sychia via the mental channel. "I admit, I find every moment difficult having to suppress my anger. That being said, I have been taught that anger only gives the illusion of strength. I will not let it overtake me. But, that does not mean I will sit back and do nothing." Sychia replied. ''I was worried that she would be reckless or lost in her anger since she is somewhat inexperienced, but... I guess it saves me some trouble.'' Fortunately, despite her inexperience, Sychia had a good head on her shoulders and did not rush forward without forethought. "Still, there is something that I can not understand," Sychiamented. "Hm? What is it?" Izroth inquired. "Hakros... his capture should not have been possible. Even if those three worked together, to not only capture him but to do so without receiving a single injury¡ªit is not feasible." Sychia stated. "Oh? Is he that strong?" Izroth questioned curiously. "In terms of pure physical strength alone, even those in the legendary realm who focus primarily on their physique would find it challenging topete with Hakros. However, it is not his physical strength that is his greatest weapon, but the power of the ancient behemoth that flows through his veins. The Unstoppable Behemoth¡ªthis name is not merely for show." Sychia exined. She then continued, "Due to the power of the ancient behemoth, the more enemies he faces or the more powerful his foe, the stronger Hakros bes. He was also born with a special physique where his body is impervious to all forms of intrusion¡ªbe it de or poison. Thisbination of the ancient behemoth and an unnaturally powerful physique gifted from the heavens earned him the moniker Unstoppable Behemoth. That''s why, even if those three worked together, let alone capturing him alive, they would have to be more concerned with keeping their lives." ''Power of the ancient behemoth? This is the first time I''m hearing of something like that. It seems there are still many hidden secrets in the Mortal Realm.'' Izroth did not im to know all there was about the Mortal Realm, but his knowledge was well in abundancepared to other yers. However, even then, RML was a vast ce¡ªa world of itself. And, unless he climbed to the top of this world, he would never uncover all there was to know. ''His physique sounds simr to my Heavenly Golden Body. But, his physique seems to be at a higher level than my current Heavenly Golden Body. Since it''s like that, Sychia''s words should not be an exaggeration.'' "Everyone, get ready to attack. We have confirmed the presence of at least seven ancient race members who serve the Pir of the West. We are unable to verify what they''re up to, but if it has anything to do with the pirs, it''s better we don''t wait around to find out. We''ll go on my signal." Tox''s voice sounded in everyone''s mind. At the moment, everyone, including Tox, had set the wager in the back of their minds. Right now, their attention was focused solely on the enemies before them. This was not just any conflict. This was their first time directly opposing the pirs openly. Needless to say, this created some nerves among a few of the celestials present. However, at this point, they had no choice but to steel themselves. There was no going back now. If they failed, it was all over. They would no longer have a ce in this world. And, even if they somehow did, it would be as servants of the pirs. No one wanted to live such a miserable life; therefore, they had no choice but to fight and win. As for defeat¡ªit was not an option! "Be careful." Izroth reminded Sychia. As long as he was there, Izroth had no ns on allowing Sychia to fall in harm''s way; however, trying to stop her from fighting here was aughable choice. How could Sychia sit back and watch as the ones who poisoned and attacked her were right before her eyes? "I will return these words to you, Izroth," Sychia replied as a look of fierce determination appeared in her eyes. ... Meanwhile, down below... "Hurry up and move them to theke. I still have things to do. Not to mention, this ce... I really can''t stand the smell." Luxia said as she scrunched her nose and furrowed her brows. "Hahaha, cheer up, princess. This time, we''ve gained a lot of benefits bying here." Agrominmented with a grin. "That''s right. Who would have thought that this Secret Realm contained so many treasures and opportunities? We have to take everything we can before the portal appears back to the Mortal Realm." Zouren noted. "The portal... Tch, don''t remind me of something so unpleasant!" Luxia scoffed as she red at Zouren. Luxia thought back to the moment when Sychia sped through the portal while ignoring her words. Not only that, but even after catching up to the Thousand Blossom Maiden and surrounding her, she still managed to slip through her fingers! Luxia was furious! "Hey, hey. It''s fine. Don''t tell me you forgot that I poisoned her? Even if she is still alive, forget making it to the portal, even surviving in this Secret Realm will be a struggle." Agromin stated as he could not contain hisughter. "You''re right. And, even if that little girl does make it to the portal, we will be waiting for her. If she dares toe, then she''ll be weing her own death." Luxia stated as a small smirk formed on her lips. Luxia sighed and said, "Let''s hurry up and finish here. We''re expected back at-" Swooosh! Out of nowhere, one of the members of the ancient races fell over. Bang! Bang! Bang! Soon after, another three fell to the ground lifelessly! "We''re under attack!" One of the ancient races yelled. "Who dares attack us?!" Zouren said coldly as he red in the direction that the arrows came from. Chapter 798: A Price To Pay

Chapter 798: A Price To Pay

As Zouren turned to see who was behind the attack, he was greeted by a hail of arrows that curved up over the nearby hill and momentarily blotted out the sky. The next moment, the entire area was showered by waves of arrows as if it were raining in the skies above. ... The rain of arrows continued nonstop for ten seconds straight beforeing to a halt. By the time the arrows stopped raining down, several of those from the ancient races were wounded or had already copsed. What was surprising was that the mortals in the area had somehow walked awaypletely unscathed despite being caught up in the middle of the widespread attack. If it was just a few people, then it could only be attributed to their luck. However, for every mortal present to have escaped unharmed¡ªwithout a doubt, it was by design. During the time of the raining arrows, a new small structure had appeared near theke. A bundle of trees with thick trunks had emerged from the ground and twisted around one another to create a single spiraling structure. The outside of the tree was currently riddled with countless arrows as its twisted shape unraveled and the trees sunk back into the earth. "It would seem some people need to be taught a proper lesson," Luxia said with a lovely smile; however, her expression did not match the cold look and killing intent in her eyes. Just before the arrows struck, Luxia used her nature magic to create a strong barrier around herself, Zouren, and Agromin. As for the members of the ancient races and other residents of this Secret Realm¡ªshe cared nothing of their fate. "Huh? How are they all unscathed? And here I thought they would make our jobs a lot easier. Ah, well. Hey, at least these ancient guys are a bit sturdy." Agromin said as he swept his gaze across the mortals, most of whom were cowering in fear. "Hmph, most of them are just a bunch of useless things that we were stuck with. If they die, they can only me their own weakness. It''s not our job to babysit them." Zourenmented. "Now now, while I certainly understand your outlook, it would not look well if we were to return alone. Besides, there are still a few dependable ones, wouldn''t you agree?" Luxia said as she nced over at a close-by group that consisted of four individuals from the ancient races. These individuals were some of the few who managed to emerge from the rain of arrows without a scratch on them. In addition, the aura each one of them gave off was no less than that of Maragos, the anzeyta death warrior that Izroth faced back in the Ancient Wilderness. Zeeeut! Out of nowhere, one of the mortals by theke vanished without a trace. Zeeeut! Zeeeut! Not long after, another pair of mortals disappeared. Soon enough, the disappearance of the mortals started to increase at an rming rate! "Audacious! You want to mess with our master''s sacrifice?!" One of the six powerful individuals from the ancient races spoke up. It was a man who stood just above two meters tall and protruding from the top of his head were two mighty horns. He had arge muscr frame and his skin was more like the hide of a beast than actual flesh. Name: Keeper of the Ninth Gate, Vagelrio(???) Level: ??? Vagelrio was a member of the fierce Megada ancient race. And, while those of his race were not well known for their intelligence, they admired and followed the strong. This made Vagelrio and others of his race perfect candidates for the pirs, who ruled with strength as their core. "The master''s orders must be carried out!" Vagelrio said as he removed the heavy battle axe from his back and brandished it using one hand. Then, the next moment, Vagelrio swung down with an incredible force, causing the earth to fracture where his battle axe struck. "Ahhhhh!" "Have mercy!" "Great deity, have mercy!" The mortals in the path of Vagelrio''s attack cried out; however, it was toote. Vagelrio''s attack washed over them, immediately reaping their lives in the process. When the mortals perished under his battle axe, something bizarre happened. A white yet dim orb of light left each of their disintegrating bodies and floated towards theke filled with ck liquid¡ªas if it were being called to it. "Monster!" A voice abruptly sounded from above. Swoosh! All of a sudden, a figure descended rapidly from the sky as a sharp point rushed out at Vagelrio! Bang! Crrrrrck! Vagelrio raised his battle axe to intercept the attack as the ground beneath him shattered from the pressure. The sharp point belonged to a spear, which was currently wielded by one of the celestials who were a part of Izroth''s group. And, just like Isylo, they were one of the few celestials who did not participate in the wager. However, unlike Isylo, along with Astratis, they were one of the only three legendary realm experts in Izroth''s group. It was a woman with snow-white hair that fell down to her ankles; however, this hair was currently tied up neatly and resembled a long tail. She possessed a pair of crystal clear blue eyes. And, at the moment, these eyes were locked onto Vagelrio. Name: Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri(???) Level: 0 Kyamakri was different from most celestials when it came to her stance towards mortals. Just like Astratis, she believed that it was their duty as celestials to protect the mortals of this world and ensure that entities like the pirs never emerge again. Seeing Vagelrio use his power to ughter helpless mortals right before her eyes¡ªhow could Kyamakri sit still any longer? "You wish to oppose the master''s will? Your life is not enough!" Vagelrio roared as his strength exploded outward. But, Kyamakri was not pushed back. Instead, a rippling wave formed next to Vagelrio as caused his strength to mysteriously diminish. "She couldn''t sit back after all. It''s not as nned, but... I guess we have no choice...! Attack!" Tox''s voice echoed. But, it was not out loud. Instead, Tox ryed his message via the mental channel. As soon as Tox gave the order, several celestials emerged out of thin air all throughout the battlefield and immediatelyunched an attack on any nearby enemies! "Oh? Where did these guyse from?" Agromin frowned as the unknown foes suddenly appeared. "Does it matter? Since they want to interfere, their lives are no longer their own to keep." Zouren scoffed. "...How impolite of me. Since our guests have given us such a warm greeting, we should return the favor." Luxia stated as she held her hand out towards the earth. "Nature Magic: Great Forest Return." The instant those words left Luxia''s mouth, in the distance behind the hill, a single tree sprouted from the ground. And, in the blink of an eye, this tree grew at an abnormal rate, shooting towards the sky! Soon, a simr phenomenon began to ur within the surrounding area as trees sprouted out in a perfectly circr ring. By the time thest tree rose from the earth, it was as if a great forest had been brought into existence. Each tree stood more roughly 120 meters tall and grew wlessly next to one another in a way that created a natural barricade. The trunks of the trees were also incredibly thick and emitted faint yet terrifying magic energy. "With this, there will be nowhere left to run," Luxia stated. "Good." A voice abruptly emerged from behind Luxia. The next moment, a stream of cherry blossoms fell in front of Luxia''s eyes. When Luxia witnessed this sight, her eyes widened in shock. However, immediately after the brief moment of surprise, Luxia''s killing intent seemed to soar to great heights. "You-" But, before Luxia could open her mouth to speak, tens of thousands of cherry blossoms began to gather around her as the trephasia princess became trapped inside arge dome of cherry blossoms! "Scatter!" Zouren roared as he rushed over to the dome of cherry blossoms as a massive wave of energy gathered around his fist. He wanted to break it from the outside! Swoosh! Zouren swung his fist towards the dome of cherry blossoms; however, he felt a cold chill run down his spine that caused him to instinctively redirect his attack to his back! Bang! Zouren''s fist collided with something solid as a look of disbelief appeared on his face. ''Oh? He blocked it?'' "It''s you...!" Zouren grit his teeth as a look of anger formed on his face. "It''s a bit rude to interfere in the personal matter of others. But, if you want someone to fight, I will keep youpany." Izroth stated with a carefree expression as Sword of the Storm was pressed against Zouren''s fist. Truthfully, Izroth was a little surprised that Zouren was able to block his upgraded Sword of the Storm with his bare hands. But, Izroth soon discovered that something was off about the energy around Zouren''s hand. ''This energy.... What is it?'' Chapter 799: Worth

Chapter 799: Worth

If it were his previous Sword of the Storm, Izroth would not have paid it too much attention. However, his current Sword of the Storm was a Unique grade weapon. The fact that Zouren was able to block such a weapon using only his fist, without a doubt, had to do with the strange energy he used. There was also something else that caught Izroth''s attention. He noticed that the instant his Sword of the Storm touched Zouren''s fist, it felt as he was being pushed away. It was not because Zouren possessed some monstrous physical strength, but rather there was an unknown force at y. "Keep mepany...? Do not be conceited!" Zouren said as his gaze turned cold. The next moment, the energy that epassed Zouren''s fist became increasingly dense. The energy resembled a vortex that pulled everything to a single point! BOOM! With just a slight twitch of his fist, the energy that Zouren swiftly built up in his fist exploded outward with an overwhelming force. "Ignorant fool. If you had stayed away, perhaps you could have kept your life for a little longer. But, since you delivered yourself to my feet, I might as well let you kneel down before I erase you from this world." Zouren stated as he lowered his fist. "You want me to kneel before you? I''m afraid even if you were to step into the divine realm right this moment, you still would not have the ability to make such a thing happen." Izroth''s voice sounded calmly from the cloud of dust that was kicked up by Zouren''s attack. Rmmmmmble! Suddenly, the earth within the surrounding sixty meters started to shake as miniature quakes spread throughout the battlefield. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Suddenly, the cloud of dust was blown away as eight sharp des of wind shot forward in Zouren''s direction! "You sure know how to talk big¡ªfor someone who is about to die, that is." Zouren scoffed as he swept his hand in front of him. In one smooth motion, Zouren lightly tapped his hand against seven of the des of wind. As for thest one, it missed him by almost half a meter so he didn''t even bother intercepting it! The moment his hand came into contact with des of wind, their trajectories all changed as they were repelled in different directions away from Zouren. "You n to defeat me with such weak and wild attacks? It''s just as I knew from the beginning. I don''t know what kind of method you used to fool that old man of the Sky Pce and the third young master of the Dragon''s Pce, but you are not worthy of that Golden Lustrum Imperial Token. Only someone with both status and power like myself am worthy of such an honor. How can some unknown nobody take first ce? I don''t ept it." Zouren dered as he red at Izroth without hiding his killing intent. "Oh? Do I need you to ept it?" Izroth spoke unhurriedly. "Of course! Who told you to take the captain seat for the second team''s selection? With your status, are you qualified? In the end, you only have yourself to me for your demise. Hopefully, in your next life, you learn who you can and cannot afford to offend." Zouren responded as the mysterious energy that covered his hands began to expand until itpletely epassed his arms. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face. "Someone that I cannot afford to offend? Let me tell you¡ªthere has never existed such a person." Izroth said nonchntly. "You-!" Zouren wanted to retort but was quickly cut off by Izroth. "Enough words. You should hurry and bring out your domain; otherwise, you may not get another chance." Izroth said as he returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath. When Zouren witnessed Izroth sheathing his weapon, paired with his arrogant words, he nearly coughed up blood out of pure anger. Not only did he put away his sword, but he even provoked him to unleash his domain? May not get another chance? Arrogant! Truly, arrogant! When was thest time someone had looked down on him like this?! Zouren gritted his teeth as veins could be seen protruding throughout his face while he attempted to control his anger. "Good, very good! Initially, I still hoped you would put up somewhat of a decent struggle. But, now, I can see that attacking with words must be your only talent! Want to see my domain? If I, Zouren, need to use my domain to defeat someone like you, then I will crawl on the ground like a dog for the rest of my life!" Zouren said mockingly. He then continued, "Though it''s too bad I won''t get to see you suffer a bit first¡ªsince you''ll be leaving this world now!" Out of nowhere, a strong surge of killing intent appeared behind Izroth as the sound of crackling lightning echoed throughout the battlefield. Agromin, who had been hiding his presence and waiting for the perfect moment to strike, finally made his move against Izroth! "This idiot really believes that we''ll just sit back and let him do as he pleases? Does he think this is some sparring session where we take turns fighting one on one? In a real battle, there is no such thing as cowardly tactics. You do whatever it takes to win while suffering the least amount of losses possible. When ites down to it, all that matters is the end result¡ªnot the process!" Agromin internalized. Agromin''s body was cloaked in azure lightning from head to toe as heunched his surprise attack against Izroth. Unlike the typical lightning element that focused mainly on raw destruction, Agromin''s azure lightning was special. It could fuse with his body to grant him not only a great deal of destructive power but also something that made him feared among those of the same generation. Agromin''s speed was fast, but it was nothing too impressive. There were plenty of others of the same generation who were even faster than him. But, even those who were naturally faster than Agromin could not avoid his strikes because of one thing¡ªeleration. Agromin''s azure lightning gifted him with an eleration rate that reached the levels of extremity. Because of this, his opponents were unable to properly respond to his blitz-like attacks. After all, no matter how fast someone was, it became useless if there was no window of time left for them to react. When Zouren saw that Agromin made his move, a smirk appeared on his face. Of course, he was well aware of Agromin''s fighting style and knew that it was only a matter of time until he took action. "It''s a shame I can''t finish him with my own hands. But, seeing the shocked look in his eyes when he doesn''t even realize how he died¡ªI guess this oue is not too bad." Zouren thought to himself. If they were in the Mortal Realm, Zouren would have taken his time to deal with Izroth. However, their time in this Secret Realm was limited and every moment wasted here was another that could be used to gather treasures. Seeing that Izroth''s death was inevitable, Zouren turned to face the dome of cherry blossoms. "I should take this chance to lend the fifth princess a hand so that she will have no choice but to owe me a favor. Still, I didn''t expect that girl to recover from that poison so fast. Judging from her state, the pill she consumed must have been at least a grade-four pill. I guess that''s just one of the benefits of having a high-grade apothecary for a master. Too bad she''s going to die here anyway." Zouren stated as he once again prepared to break through the dome. ...Crrrrrckle..! Suddenly, without warning, Zouren felt the surrounding atmosphere undergo a sudden shift. This abrupt change seemed to originate from Izroth and Agromin''s location as a powerful flood of the lightning element was unleashed in every direction! "That fool. Doesn''t he even know how to control his own attacks?" Zourenined as the lightning element rapidly approached him. That''s when Zouren realized that something was off, which caused him to furrow his brows. "Wait¡ªsomething''s wrong. This isn''t azure lightning. This is-!" Zouren noticed that the destructive lightning element unleashed was not Agromin''s azure lightning. Instead, it was some kind of purple lightning with a much higher concentration of destructive energy! Realizing that the purple lightning was hostile, Zouren immediately raised his hands as the destructive energy washed over him. Bzzzt! Immediately after doing so, Zouren''s entire body momentarily seized up. "?!" Zouren was able to avoid any kind of major damage; however, the lightning still managed to seep into his body, temporarily paralyzing him. "Break!" Zouren roared as he forcibly expelled the purple lightning energy from his body, restoring his movements. But, just as Zouren thought that matters could not get any more unusual- Plop! Something fell before Zouren''s feet, causing him to instinctively look down. It was an arm without an owner. No, to be more precise, he knew its owner. This arm¡ªit belonged to Azure Lightning Agromin! Chapter 800: Unbound, Total Control

Chapter 800: Unbound, Total Control

"Did that guy have a high-ranking defensive magic treasure or talisman on him? No, that shouldn''t be the case. It''s impossible that a magic treasure or talisman was activated without causing the slightest bit of mana fluctuation. Then... did he actually manage to react to Agromin''s attack?" Zouren internalized as his expression darkened. Zouren did not expect Izroth to evade Agromin''s surprise attack. Though what truly caught him by surprise was the fact that Izroth not only emerged unscathed, he evenunched a counterattack! "Gaaah!!!" Agromin cried out as his face turned pale and the azure lightning that epassed his body started to waver. An ugly expression appeared on Agromin''s face as he grit his teeth and immediately elerated away at great speeds! "That bastard Zouren! How dare he deceive me! Didn''t he say that guy was just a weakling who got lucky and barely survived the selection?! Damn it...! Damn it!" Agromin''s mind raced as he burned with fury. Unfortunately for Agromin, who kept his distance to catch Izroth by surprise with his elerated ambush, failed to hear Zouren''s remarks. In other words, Agromin had no idea that the "lucky survivor" he just attacked actually ced first in the selection and held the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token! At the moment, Agromin wanted nothing more than to tear apart Izroth for injuring him and Zouren for deceiving him; however, he understood that keeping his life was the main priority. In the end, Agromin was someone who specialized in quick and powerful attacks while retreating before his enemies even knew what happened. With this kind of fighting style, Agromin''s defensive capabilities were virtually nonexistent. As a result, he ended up losing one of his arms! Agromin nced back as he fled and quickly discovered that Izroth was not following after him. This caused him to secretly breathe a sigh of relief. If Izroth had chosen to chase after him in his present state, he may have needed to sacrifice more than one arm to escape. He believed that perhaps Izroth was not confident in catching up to him or that he was more concerned about Zouren''s presence. Whatever the case, it only served to benefit him. "Those two probably have some bad blood between them. He should be more focused on Zouren than someone like me. I need to find a ce to recuperate and then leave this ce as soon as possible! As for those two¡ªI''ll make sure to settle all grievances at ater date!" Agromin thought to himself as killing intent filled his eyes. At the same time, Izroth peeked over at the fleeing Agromin before setting his sights on Zouren. The Sword of the Storm he recently returned to its sheath had been drawn once more. Of course, Izroth did not simply have the habit of randomly drawing and sheathing his sword. From the beginning, Izroth was well aware of Agromin''s n to ambush him thanks to his Soul Sense and Energy Vision Sense. But, instead of taking the initiative to strike, Izroth made preparations in advance. Izroth understood that the moment he sheathed his sword, Agromin would make his move. However, what Agromin did not know was that in doing so, he had already ensured his own defeat. The instant Agromin appeared behind him, Izroth used two skills¡ªFirst Sword Form: Converging Paths and his Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke. Izroth''s first sword form made it so that his seventh sword form not only had a 100% chance to critically hit but also made the sword strike instantaneous. Although the attack speed from his seventh sword form was fast, in the end, it required Izroth''s sword to be sheathed. And, since Izroth was unaware of Agromin''s true speed, in order topletely seal off his opportunity to evade the strike, using the first sword form was a necessity. As for the purple lightning that was unleashed, it was one of the new effects from Izroth''s upgraded Sword of the Storm, Destructive Aftermath. Destructive Aftermath activated right as Izroth''s seventh sword form empowered by his first sword form struck Agromin. This caused all three effects to ovep with one another and immediately overpowered Agromin''s azure lightning, shredding through what little defense he possessed. Though Agromin turned out to be more skilled than Izroth thought. ''It should have been his head that was sent flying, but at thest moment, he adjusted his position mid-attack and sacrificed his arm to retreat. To make such a decisive decision without hesitation¡ªhe has some potential. But, it''s a shame. His appetite is bigger than what he can afford to stomach.'' As for why Izroth chose not to chase after Agromin and finish him off¡ªthere was no need. Whether he did anything or not, Agromin''s fate had already been sealed. Suddenly, a carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face. Seeing that carefree look on his face, Zouren felt that Izroth was not putting him in his sights. Was it the fact that he made Agromin run away with his tail tucked between his legs that gave him such confidence? If so, he was too naive! "Hmph, do you think you''ve already won after cutting off one arm? Don''t ce me on the same level as that trash." Zouren stated coldly. He then continued, "I tried to grant you a swift death multiple times, but you continue to refuse my kindness. If you''re really that eager to suffer to death, so be it. You wanted to see my domain, right? Then, I''ll show you¡ªjust how foolish even the mere thought of you defeating me is." "Oh? So you''ve already resolved yourself to crawl on the ground like a dog for the rest of your life? I underestimated your courage." Izroth said calmly. It was not that long ago that Zouren boldly dered that if he used his domain, he would spend the rest of his life on the ground like a dog. "Do you think I''ll fall for your provocation again? As long as I kill you, such a thing¡ªit was never mentioned." Zouren smirked. All of a sudden, the earth beneath Zouren started to form ripples and bubbles as if a stone had been dropped into boiling water. "I see. I suppose that''s true. But, it seems your memory has failed you. Have you forgotten what I said earlier?" Izrothmented. Out of nowhere, a towering shadow that blocked the sky''s light abruptly loomed over Zouren. "You may not get another chance." Izroth reminded. "?!" Zouren sensed a terrifying killing intenting from behind him; however, he had no time to think and reacted without a second thought. The mysterious energy that epassed Zouren''s arms rapidly spread until it covered his entire body. At the same time, he lifted his arms above his head as an overwhelming force crashed into him! BANG! Crrrrrack! Rmmmmmble! The impact shattered the earth within tens of meters, creating a small crater and a strong quake followed by a series of miniature tremors. The blow was powerful enough to not only alter the surrounding terrain but Zouren, who had defended against it at thest possible moment, was drilled deep into the ground! The sound of rattling chains could be heard as the dust cloud cleared up and arge figure emerged. The figure stopped before Izroth and stared at him with a fierce pair of piercing red eyes. This person was the same individual who had been suppressed and bound by chains near the edge of the ckke. The Unstoppable Behemoth, Hakros! "Was it you who liberated me?" Hakros asked as he looked directly into Izroth''s eyes. "That''s right," Izroth replied nonchntly as he met Hakros'' gaze without backing down in the slightest. Back when Zouren first pushed Izroth away, he used Behemoth''s Quake empowered by his essence to immediately gain Storm Surge Charges for his Sword of the Storm. He then activated Tempest Strikes and sent out eight des of winds, seven of which were a part of setting up the activation of Destructive Aftermath while simultaneously distracting Zouren. But, the eighth de of wind was different. Zouren thought Izroth merely had poor aim. However, what he did not know was that the eighth de of wind Izroth sent out carried with it apressed version of his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple empowered by his essence. And, he targeted none other than Hakros! To be more precise, Izroth targeted the chains that bound Hakros and interrupted the flow of mana. As for injuring Hakros, Izroth was not worried. If what Sychia said earlier was true, then he should be more than capable of surviving that strike with his special physique. Which, from the looks of things, seemed to be precisely the case. Having Sychia iste Luxia, taunting Zouren, crippling Agromin, freeing Hakros¡ªZouren did not realize that Izroth was not just one step ahead of him. From the very beginning, Izroth was on an entirely different ne of existence! He was in total control of the whole battlefield! Chapter 801: The Days Of No Return

Chapter 801: The Days Of No Return

... A few moments ago... Sychia rapidly approached Luxia undetected. Not too long ago, one of the celestials in the group used an ability known as Disconnecting Light. This allowed Sychia and her group to blend in with their surroundings as the light around them was manipted in such a way that it fooled one''s natural senses. But, just this much alone was not enough to hide their presence. In order to erase their breath, the Celestial of Stride, Tox, used something called Stride of the Specter. With the two abilities working in unison, along with the ckke that obstructed one''s sense of smell, the group was able to sessfully sneak up on Luxia and the others. Sychia was surprised that one of the celestials did not wait for the signal to attack; however, it ultimately worked in their favor. "With this, there will be nowhere left to run," Luxia stated. A cold look shed through Sychia''s eyes as she drew the sword at her side, causing a storm of cherry blossoms to flow outward from the sheath. "Good," Sychia said as she arrived behind Luxia. "?!" When Sychia''s voice entered Luxia''s ears, a brief look of shock showed on the fifth princess'' face. But, the shock was soon reced by a heartless gaze. The next moment, a wave of cherry blossoms washed over Sychia and Luxia. During that small window of time when everyone was focused on the Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri, after dealing with the rain of arrows shot by Tox, Sychia managed to catch Luxia off guard and isted her from the others. ... Sychia stood face to face with the princess of the fifth great n. The Thousand Blossom Maiden had seeded in separating Luxia from herpanions; however, that much was the easy part. The two were surrounded by a dome of cherry blossoms that thoroughly blocked the outside view. The ground itself was also covered in ayer of cherry blossoms. The area was neither toorge nor too small and spanned roughly twenty meters in diameter. But, for someone like Luxia, a magic-user that thrived when it came to long-rangebat, such a change in venue was far from ideal. "My, you look much healthier than when west crossed paths. You were in such a hurry to run awayst time that I failed to give you a proper send-off. Seeing as how you returned to me of your own ord¡ªit delights me." Luxia said as she presented herself in a friendly manner. "Do you never tire of putting on such a facade? There is no one else but the two of us present. My Thousand Blossom nket ensures that no one can interfere with us. Is this not what you wished for, Luxia?" Sychia responded as she tried to maintain her calm demeanor. Looking at Luxia smiling and presenting herself with a friendly attitude caused Sychia''s stomach to turn. She was one of the few individuals who knew Luxia''s true personality. A woman with a twisted heart who would use others as she pleased before tossing them aside when their use had run its course. At one point, Sychia truly did see Luxia as a close friend that she could confide in; however, that time had been long forgotten. "..." Luxia fell silent for a few seconds as the smile on her face vanished. "Ah... I really can''t stand you, after all. You''re like a bug that won''t die no matter how many times I squash you under my feet. Sorry, I''ll apologize to the bug forparing it to someone worth less than dirt like you. No, I take it back. Even dirt has a purpose in this world. But, you¡ªyour existence is an eyesore. Can''t you just hurry up and drop dead already?" Luxia''s attitude took a full turn as a look of disdain formed on her face. "...That''s it. That''s more like you, Luxia." Sychia stated as she remained unmoved by Luxia''s words. "Hey, are you an idiot? Why did youe here just to die? What? Don''t tell me that you think you can kill me just because you trapped me here. I''llugh, you know? Or, perhaps¡ªdo you want to be friends again, Sy?" Luxiamented. "Silence! I do not want to hear that name leaving such a foul mouth!" Sychia red. Luxia giggled and replied, "I see. I am no longer allowed to say that name. Well, it''s fine. Ah, but, Sy¡ªyou really shouldn''t give a magic-user time to set up their spells." Rmmmmble! Suddenly, the earth beneath Sychia''s feet trembled as the cherry blossoms on the ground swirled energetically. The following moment, a dozen vines emerged from the ground that swiftly closed in one Sychia''s position. Each vine possessed sharp tips like the head of a spear. Swoosh! Sychia leaped into the air and flipped backward to evade the vines. But, the moment her feet touched the ground, arge tree emerged. In the blink of an eye, several thick branches rushed out of the tree''s trunk and wrapped around Sychia, pulling her into the tree and sealing her movements. Luxia approached the tree and looked up at the helpless Thousand Blossom Maiden. "Do not me me for being merciless. me yourself for being born in the wrong generation, Sy." Luxia said as she snapped her fingers. Phhhtk! Phhhtk! Sharp spikes that resembled the thorns of a rose protruded out of the thick branches that locked Sychia in ce, skewering her from every angle. Simultaneously, an array of flowers bloomed around the thick branches. "Nature Magic: Exquisite Inflorescence Disy." During their brief exchange of words, Luxia set up several magic spells all throughout the cherry blossom dome. Why would she wait until they finished speaking to make her move? Even more so when she was already at a disadvantage. Still, Luxia expected Sychia to at least put up somewhat more of a fight. She could not help but feel somewhat disappointed. "Hm? Why hasn''t it disappeared yet?" Luxia internalized as she frowned. Despite Sychia''s defeat, the cherry blossom dome was still functioning. However, it did not take long for Luxia to get her answer. All of a sudden, Sychia, who had been impaled by her attack, turned into a mass of cherry blossoms! "?!" Luxia''s eyes widened in shock. A clone¡ªit was actually a clone! "Impossible! How can a mere clone exude a lifeforce strong enough to deceive my Mind of Nature?!" Luxia thought to herself. Luxia''s Mind of Nature could detect the lifeforce of anything as long as it was within her line of sight. However, Luxia did not notice the slightest change from when Sychia swapped her real body with a realistic clone! Phhhhtk! Out of nowhere, Luxia''s felt her entire body jerk forward. Her gaze drifted downward as she a thin de protruding from the center of her chest. Luxia opened her mouth as if to speak; however, she coughed up a mouth full of blood. "...Y...ou...!" Luxia uttered. "I told you¡ªI do not want to hear that name leaving such a foul mouth." Sychia''s voice sounded from behind Luxia as she held the sword that was driven in the fifth princess'' back! The de of the thin sword started to disintegrate and transform into the petals of cherry blossoms. These cherry blossoms circled around Luxia and started to stick to her one by one in quick session. In the blink of an eye, the cherry blossoms covered the fifth princess from head to toe. "Blossom Sword Fourth Outlook: Peak Spring Blossom Festival." After epassing Luxia entirely, the cherry blossoms scattered in every direction, leaving nothing behind before raining down from above. The scene mirrored that of a cherry blossom festival during their blooming season. Sychia released a sigh of relief as the de of her sword returned to normal and she ced it in her sheath. However, Sychia did not seem pleased with the oue as her eyesnded on a cracked forest green orb on the ground where Luxia stood just moments ago. "To think she would send one of her three main bodies to this Secret Realm instead ofing in person. She is still just as cautious as I remember." Sychia said to herself as she furrowed her brows. "Regardless, since I destroyed one of her main bodies, the bacsh she receives will not be small. With this... There is no longer any hope of reconciling..." A saddened look shed through Sychia''s eyes. In the end, she was once close to Luxia and a part of her secretly wished that those days could return. However, after nearly experiencing death, Sychia had been given a wake-up call. If there was someone who wanted to scheme to im her life, then she would not go down without a fight! ... Sometime before Sychia''s fight reached its conclusion... "Was it you who liberated me?" Hakros asked as he looked directly into Izroth''s eyes. "That''s right," Izroth replied nonchntly as he met Hakros'' gaze without backing down in the slightest. Hakros narrowed his eyes as he sized up Izroth. He did not pay much attention to him back at the Moonlit Dove Garden and merely dismissed him as one of Zouren''sckey. "Tch... to think that bastard would directly seal my consciousness instead of fighting me head-on..! What Heaven''s Strength? I''ll be sure to repay that coward for wasting my time!" Hakros snarled as he averted his gaze and removed the chains on his body, dropping them to the ground. "Anyway, I guess I owe you. One time, anytime, anywhere¡ªI''ll lend you a hand. All you have to do is say my name and I''ll be there.." Hakros stated. Chapter 802: Unknown Motives, Resolve

Chapter 802: Unknown Motives, Resolve

''Oh? He''s not as headstrong as I thought.'' Although he spoke in a rough tone, Hakros expressed his thanks in a straightforward manner. There were no eloquent words or half-hearted praise spoken. Since Izroth did him a favor, Hakros would do the same¡ªthat''s all. Izroth did not dislike this kind of forthright person as he found that they were often the easiest to deal with. After all, they usually wore their emotions on their sleeves. Of course, Izroth set Hakros'' favor to the back of his mind. At the moment, what captured his attention was the name Hakros just mentioned. "Heaven''s Strength? When and where did you meet them?" Izroth inquired. The title Heaven''s Strength belonged to the Pir of the West, Ourami¡ªthe individual they were currently on their way to confront! From the sound of things, it seemed that Hakros got caught up in some trouble and ended up being restrained by Ourami with those chains. However, how did Hakros even manage to find them? And, more importantly, why did Ourami allow Hakros to live? Did it have something to do with the ckke and white orbs of light he saw earlier? Izroth had several questions. But, the main priority right now was having Hakros confirm where hest met the Pir of the West. "Like I know. I just ran into a few annoying flies who attacked me for no reason while I was mindin'' my own business. No matter how many of them I wiped the floor with more just keptin''. That''s when that guy showed up¡ªthat so-called Heaven''s Strength bastard, along with pointy ears, neck scribble, and sparky. I don''t know what those morons were nning, but they looked all chummy and irritating. So, I punched them. A while after that, I got blindsided and sealed by those chains and lost consciousness." Hakros stated. ''I see. If they were with the Pir of the West, then it probably wasn''t just some random coincidence that he ran into the group that ambushed him. Still, to emerge from such a battlepletely unscathed¡ªit looks like Sychia was not exaggerating his physical abilities. As for those names, they''re a bit... Suitable, I guess?'' Izroth could not help but inwardly shake his head at Hakros'' naming sense. Pointy ears referred to Luxia, who was a member of the trephasia race that possessed slightly longer and pointed ears. Neck scribble was, without a doubt, Zouren, who had a bizarre azure-colored tattoo with unknown markings around his neck area. And, of course, sparky was Agromin, someone who utilized the lightning element. ''I suppose I should tell him my name before he takes it into his own hands.'' But, Izroth was curious as to what Luxia, Zouren, and Agromin were doing with Ourami. As well as the reason why they targeted Hakros and brought him to this ckke. However, given the personality that Hakros disyed thus far, Izroth doubted that he knew if anything deeper was going on. "By the way, stone face, did youe here with that flower girl?" Hakros asked as one of his brows rose inquisitively. ''...'' "It''s Izroth. And, yes¡ªI came to the Celestial Battlegrounds with Sychia. I''m also with the others that are fighting against the group who works for the Heaven''s Strength you mentioned." Izroth said calmly. The moment Izroth brought up that Heaven''s Strength had a connection with some of those present, the fierce aura around Hakros rose sharply. "I figured it was something like that. Hey, do you know where that Heaven''s Strength bastard is? I still owe him a few punches to the face." Hakros stated with highly concentrated killing intent. Izroth shook his head and replied, "No, I was hoping you''d have the answer to that question. But, we are on our way to where they typically reside. As long as they are not wandering about, we should run into them there. However, that favor¡ªI''ll be using it now. From now until we leave the Secret Realm, I want you to follow my orders." "Are you sure you want to do that?" Hakros narrowed his eyes as his gaze locked onto Izroth. "What? Don''t tell me that you''re a man who goes back on their word? Was it not you who said anytime and anywhere?" Izroth spoke in a carefree manner. In Izroth''s eyes, Hakros was too much of a wild card to let roam around freely while they were attempting to take down the Pir of the West. If he charged ahead and caused trouble that ended up drawing out Ourami, then it could potentially ruin their initial ns to catch the pir by surprise. If Izroth did not have quests to worry aboutpleting, he would not have minded Hakros roaming around and acting wild on his own. But, with such great rewards and harsh penalties on the line, Izroth needed to reign him in a bit. Not to mention, with someone like Hakros around, Izroth would have another safety for Sychia during the inevitable chaos. After all, he did not forget that one of his quests included her protection. Hakros released a deep sigh as he turned away from Izroth and said, "I don''t hand out favors easily and yet you''re wasting it now? I can''t understand it. But, whatever. As much as I want to wring that Heaven''s Strength bastard''s neck with my own hands, I''m a man of my word. Until we leave this Secret Realm, I''ll follow along. However, if things get too boring, I ain''t forgivin'' you." He then continued, "Besides, we''re going to where that guy is anyway, right? Who knows? Maybe I''ll get a chance to show that ignorant guy what real Heaven''s Strength looks like." Swoosh! Out of nowhere, the wind picked up in the surroundings as the dome of cherry blossoms scattered as Sychia emerged standing near its center. ''She finished faster than I expected.'' Naturally, Izroth had been keeping a close eye on Sychia with his Energy Vision Sense. The second it seemed that she was in danger, he would have used his Space Defying Tread to force his way into the cherry blossom dome. However, Izroth decided that he would not do so unless it was absolutely necessary. While Sychia did not say anything, whenever Luxia was brought up, he noticed the subtle change in the way she spoke. At times, it was almost as if she were speaking about a close friend. While other moments it came off that she held a strong grudge against Luxia. Therefore, Izroth figured there was some sort of history between the two long before they were at the Moonlit Dove Garden. Izroth was unaware of what that history may be, but he knew that it was something Sychia had to resolve herself. ''Oh? That''s a good look she has.'' Izroth saw a new look of rity in Sychia''s eyes that was not previously present. The aura around her had also be somewhat sharper. This was the presence of someone who finally managed to find their resolve. ''There''s still some room for improvement, but... Not bad. At the very least, she has earned the right to no longer be called naive.'' "I''m going to go join in on the fun. You don''t mind, right?" Hakros said as he mmed his fist into his hand and cracked his knuckles. "Go ahead. Just don''t injure anyone on our side." Izroth replied. "Tch, if they''re weak enough to be injured when I''m not even attacking them, shouldn''t they just stay off the battlefield? Whatever, I''ll do as you say." Hakrosmented before charging ahead to join the ongoing battle. A few secondster, Sychia arrived in front of Izroth with her sword sheathed. There was a look of curiosity on her face when she witnessed the way Hakros had just interacted with Izroth. That headstrong guy was actually following someone else''s orders? Just what transpired while she was inside the Thousand Blossom nket? "Did I miss something?" Sychia inquired. "Not much," Izroth answered with a carefree smile. He then mentioned, "It looks like you found the answers you were searching for." Sychia nodded and responded, "There is still much I have to learn, but... I have decided to see things through until the end. I may end up causing my master more trouble as a result, but as her disciple, if I continue to remain silent, will not others think less of the one who raised me? I will not allow shame to fall upon my master¡ªeven if the source of that shame is me." ''Good. It seems I haven''t wasted my time.'' "Always remember the words you''ve spoken today. Should you ever find yourself in a state of doubt, repeat those words. That way, you will never forget the resolve you''ve discovered today." Izroth stated. "These words¡ªI will take them to heart," Sychia replied calmly. Izroth gave a small nod as he looked towards the ongoing battle and said, "Now, shall we finish things up here?" Chapter 803: An Unbelievable Sight

Chapter 803: An Unbelievable Sight

... After Hakros joined the battle, a lot of pressure was removed from some of the stronger celestials who had to deal with multiple members of the ancient races. The Celestial of Stride, Tox, maintained his distance and provided long-range support with his bow and arrow. As a result, he managed to suppress many of the ancient races who specialized in attacking, greatly limiting their movement and options. As for the Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri, she was still locked in an intense battle with Vagelrio, one of the strongest of the ancient races present. Despite hisrge physique, not only did Vagelrio possess abnormal physical strength, but he was also quick on his feet. Kyamakri also found his defense difficult to prate due to Vagelrio''s thick hide-like skin. In addition, while Vagelrio did not have the brightest of minds, he made up for it with raw animalistic instinct. Swoosh! Bang! Kyamakri thrust the spear in her hands forward with great momentum; however, it was intercepted by Vagelrio as he blocked the iing blow with his heavy battle axe. Currently, Kyamakri had a few bruises and a wound on her right shoulder that looked serious. But, despite its appearance, the injury itself was merely a flesh wound. She was in a much better state than Vagelrio. There were several wounds scattered on Vagelrio''s body, the worst of which was a deep gash that ran along the side of his left thigh made by Kyamakri''s spear. Since both parties specialized in head-onbat, there was extremely little breathing room in between blows and none at all for errors. Suddenly, a wave of ripples formed on the surface of Vagelrio''s axe. The following moment, the battle axe started to tremble as the structural integrity of its de weakened significantly. It seemed that one more push would be enough topletely shatter the battle axe! However, Vagelrio frowned and immediately noticed that something was wrong with his weapon. It was the same thing he felt happened to him earlier when Kyamakri first attacked. "Strange waves again! I''ll blow it away!" Vagelrio roared as he tightened his grip on the battle axe and drove forward with a powerful force! "This beast..." Kyamakri muttered with furrowed brows as the waves of ripples dispersed. Most opponents would have already sumbed to the effects of Kyamakri''s ripples. However, since Vagelrio had a stronger physique than normal and the weapon in his hands was not ordinary, he managed to hold out much longer than Kyamakri anticipated. The way her ripples worked was that it divided whatever it came into contact with into multiple sections. It did not matter if the target was something physical or intangible, its power would be diluted into separateyers. Once this urred, Kyamakri could target eachyer individually and destroy them one by one, permanently cutting the overall power of whatever was caught in her ripples. And, after everyyer was taken care of, its original source would cease to exist. Of course, the stronger her target, the moreyers were created, increasing the amount of effort required to eliminate the original source. "To be able to resist up until this point¡ªI can''t afford to let my guard down." Kyamakri internalized. As Vagelrio attempted to overpower Kyamakri, she met his force with a gentle touch. She used a minimum amount of movement and strength to slightly alter the path of the battle axe before swiftly withdrawing her spear. Simultaneously, Kyamakri disyed a set of highly-technical footwork, slipping under Vagelrio''s left arm, around his side, and to his back¡ªright into his blindspot. BANG! With nothing to stop its drive forward, Vagelrio''s battle axe crashed into the ground, creating a small fissure that traveled several meters in front. Also, because of the subtle adjustment made by Kyamakri to its trajectory, Vagelrio was temporarily thrown off bnce as his stance weakened significantly. "In the end, you only know how to rely on your brute strength to gain an advantage. From the way you move and fight, I can tell¡ªthis is your first time fighting an opponent who does not attempt to meet your strength with their own. But, strength alone is not always enough to emerge victorious in battle." Kyamakri said as a series of ripples formed on the surface of the spear in her hands. However, these ripples were different from typical ripples that expanded outward from their origin point. Instead, the ripples around Kyamakri''s spear appeared to be in reverse¡ªas if it began from the outer ring and was copsing in on itself. Vagelrio released a mighty battle cry as he prepared to pull his battle axe out of the ground and swing around with all his might; however, he was toote. "Styles of Thirty-Two Inverse: Pressed Ripple Overflow." Shrieeeeeeeeek! Without warning, an ear-piercing ring was emitted from Kyamakri''s spear as the weapon shook violently in her hands. At the same time, Kyamakri brandished her spear and swung it upward with full force. When the tip of Kyamakri''s spear grazed Vagelrio, the ripples on the surface of her spear came to a grinding halt. Then, in the blink of an eye, the flow of the ripples reversed with extraordinary vigor. Vagelrio cried out. The intensity of the inversed and then abruptly reversed ripples was enough to split his body down the middle, tearing him in half! Kyamakri closed her eyes as she whipped her spear to the side and turned her back, walking away from the scene. Thump! Thump! As she walked away, the sound of Vagelrio''s divided body hitting the ground entered her ears. Kyamakri took a brief moment to calm herself and control her breathing. She then opened her eyes and scanned the battlefield to see where she was most needed. However, when Kyamakri opened her eyes, they did not stop at a look of calmness. They continued to widen as an expression of shock slowly set in on her face. "This¡ªJust what is going on here...?!" Kyamakri thought to herself as she was greeted by an unbelievable view. Kyamakri had been so caught up in the fight against Vagelrio just now, that she could not afford to let her attention slip to those battling around her. But, what was this? Could this even be called a battle anymore?! "That''s it! That''s it! Show me everything you got! Don''t hold back or¡ªyou''ll die!" Hakros'' voice boomed as he grabbed two members of the ancient races by their face with his bare hands and mmed them into the ground, dragging them across the earth before tossing them into the sky. At the same time, two enemies charged at Hakros from the left and right sides. However, before they could approach him, a few cherry blossoms fell in front of each of the enemies and entered Hakros'' line of sight. "Blossom Sword Twelfth Outlook: Scattered Blossom." Sychia''s voice sounded. The next moment, a cascade of cherry blossoms in mid-bloom burst forth, covering the two enemies. Not too long after, a single cherry blossom bud materialized on their foreheads before fully blooming. Phhtk! Phhtk! Suddenly, a deep cut formed on the foreheads of the enemies as well as several vital areas of their bodies! "Tch, hey, flower girl, don''t get in my way. You just have to stand there and be protected." Hakros snarled. Hakros had been asked by Izroth to prioritize Sychia''s safety. Naturally, this was Izroth''s way of having an extra safety when it came to the Thousand Blossom Maiden''s safety. After all, he had multiple quests to focus on. "I did not ask for your protection, nor do I require it. But, if you wish to assist me, I will not stop you." Sychia responded with a carefree expression. "Tch, that damned expression¡ªwhy does she look like that stone-faced guy?" Hakros grumbled to himself. "Whatever, just don''t go stealing my prey," Hakros growled before he resumed his rampage. "I will do what is needed, that''s all," Sychia replied as she, too, joined back in on the action. Needless to say, when Kyamakri witnessed the two mowing down enemy after enemy, she was left in a state of disbelief. How was it that two mortals, without any Ethos whatsoever, were capable of fending off not one, but multiple beings from the ancient races?! Even the strongest of mortals should not be capable of such a feat! Yet, it was transpiring right before her eyes. "Mortals? Lower celestial? That''s not possible! Who are these people and where did theye from?" Kyamakri said to herself. Of course, Kyamakri was not the only celestial who was left dumbfounded. Every single celestial present was stunned to their core. However, they did not have time to process their thoughts and make sense of the unbelievable sight before them in the middle of battle. But, perhaps the most startling scene was the strange beings made of some type of purple energy that appeared on the battlefield out of thin air. The strange beings resembled ancient soldiers that wore ck armor and wielded a remarkable battle aura. Though even the ancient soldiers could notpare to the one whomanded them. Among the ancient soldiers was one being in particr that stood out from the pack. The armor it wore was an even deeper shade of ck and more refined. And, the battle aura that it emitted made the ancient soldiers seem weak byparison. At the moment, that figure stood next to the person Kyamakri recognized as the one invited to their group by Astratis, Izroth! "Help them clean up the rest, Sagarus," Izroth said calmly. "I have received your order, my lord." The being next to Izroth, Sagarus, responded as he stepped forward. ''I wanted to test it out, but... The results are even better than I imagined. As expected from a Unique-grade weapon forged by master cksmiths. My old weapon can''tpare.'' ¡´System Alert: You have 28 Minute(s) 43 Second(s) remaining on the skill ?Great Lightning Army?!¡µ Chapter 804: Great Lightning Army

Chapter 804: Great Lightning Army

The number of enemies more than tripled that of the celestials present. While the celestials were not weak, those of the ancient races possessed numerous strange abilities that increased the overall difficulty of the battle. In the end, the battle was still in favor of the celestials; however, Izroth realized that if things had continued down their current path, then the number of injuries would rise. There was also the possibility that reinforcements were on their way. So, in order to even the ying field, minimize any potential losses, and sate his curiosity, Izroth decided to activate the Great Lightning Army, one of the new skills of his Sword of the Storm. The Great Lightning Army was a bonus forged effect that allowed Izroth to summon 26 Lightning Soldiers and 1 Storm Commander. The effectssted for a total of thirty minutes and had a cooldown time of twelve hours. That''s why Izroth nned on taking advantage of every moment the Great Lighting Army was active. As for the barrier of towering trees set up by Luxia, it crumbled and withered away the moment Sychia dealt the finishing blow. Therefore, Izroth knew that they could not rely on it to keep any reinforcements away from the fight. It was also important to take into ount that if the unknown ckke did hold some form of significant importance to the Pir of the West, Ourami, then he would not let it fall into enemy hands so easily. The worst-case scenario was that Ourami himself showed up on the battlefield! However, if they could find out how this ckke was connected to the pir, perhaps it would be possible to discover a way to use it against him. Izroth closely observed the battlefield. He had not made a move and simply monitored the ongoing battle. It was not because he relished the thought of joining the fight, but rather he wanted to be where he was most needed as quickly as possible. This was due to the quest he received not too long ago. The quest also influenced Izroth''s decision to use the Great Lightning Army to ensure a smoother process. Quest Name: Well Grouped Quest Difficulty: SS-F Rmended Level: N/A Rmended Party Size: N/A Objective: Minimize the number of celestial losses until the end of the ongoing battle. A celestial is considered a "loss" when eliminated or they can no longer participate in the battle. This quest is considered concluded when one party retreats or one side is exterminated on the battlefield. Time Limit: None Current Celestial Losses: 0/19 Reward: -x30 Purified Energy Liquid Drops [Requires 10 losses or less] -x1 Soil of Gaea Bag [Requires 5 losses or less] -x1 ???''s Celestial Tree Seed [Requires 3 losses or less] -??? [Requires 0 losses] Failure: -None The difficulty of the quest was between SS rank and F rank, meaning it was only as challenging as the effort one was willing to put into it. Surprisingly, there was no failure penalty listed for the quest. However, Izroth understood from experience that this did not necessarily mean that there were no consequences. Failing this quest would not directly punish Izroth, but bring about a domino effect. If too many of the celestials were injured in this battle, then going forward, their group''s strength would be weakened. If this happened, the sess rate of emerging victorious in the Celestial Battlegrounds, the requirement for Izroth toplete his SSS-ranked quest, would be greatly lowered. The oue may not only lead to him losing three levels. It would also result in him being automatically ejected from the Secret Realm and losing ess to the Cyclops Workshop¡ªboth things Izroth nned to prevent by virtually any means necessary. Izroth watched the movement of the Lighting Soldiers as they assisted the celestials who were having the most trouble suppressing multiple ancient races. ''Their movements are not bad. While the individual strength of each Lighting Soldier is not too impressive, they can probably handle a level 40 elite monster on their own. But, when working together...'' From what Izroth observed, the Lighting Soldiers were split into seven groups of three and one group of five. Those in a unit of three worked closely together and supported the celestials by blocking the weaker of the ancient races and preventing them from interfering in the more intense battles. As for the group of five, they acted together to directly subdue one of the stronger ancient races. While the enemy they fought had not yet stepped into the legendary realm, in terms of power, they were probably only one or two steps away. The fact that it only took five Lighting Soldiers to suppress such an enemy, Izroth had to admit that he underestimated how domineering the Great Lighting Army would be. And, this was not even them at their full strength! ording to the skill, the number of summons and their strength would be based on Izroth''s Sword of the Storm''s current attack damage. At the moment, the attack damage was only 2,723 out of 10,000 points. If one converted this to a percentage, it meant that the Lightning Soldiers were only at a little more than 27% of their total potential! Not to mention, their numbers would also continue to grow. At its full potential, Izroth may hold in his hands an army that was capable of opposing several legendary realm figures. Having such power, even if it was only for thirty minutes, was enough to easily take over an entire enemy stronghold with ease! However, while the Lightning Soldiers were certainly outstanding in their own right, they were still far away from the Storm Commander, Sagarus. Among those summoned through the Great Lightning Army, Sagarus was the only one who could speak. Izroth was somewhat taken aback when he found that Sagarus appeared to have his own consciousness. Unless it was an item that possessed an Immortal Persona like the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, it should be impossible for something conjured from it to wield a consciousness of its own. To Izroth''s knowledge, besides his Sword of the Storm, there existed no other such item discovered by yers in all of RML! ''Is this also one of the abilities of the Enati who reforged it?'' Izroth did not have an exact answer; however, he spected that it had something to do with that mysterious race of giant cksmiths, the Enati. As these thoughts passed their Izroth''s mind, the Storm Commander Sagarus raised the ck and purple lightning sword in his hand to the skies as dark gray clouds swirled overhead. When Izroth witnessed Sagarus'' actions, he immediately recognized that posture and the effects brought about by it! ''This is... Great Storm? But, this range of coverage¡ªit''s equal to the Great Storm empowered by my essence.'' Great Storm was one of the offensive skills attached to his Sword of the Storm. The original range when Izroth used it was thirty meters. However, when empowered by his essence, it doubled to sixty meters! Right now, the same skill was being employed by Sagarus at such a range! All of a sudden, a hail of sharp des of winds rained down from the skies, striking those Sagarusbeled as enemies ording to Izroth''s own perception. Many of the weaker ancient races could not hold up under the effects of Sagarus'' Great Storm and fell before its rampage. Even those who were stronger and relied on their natural defensive capabilities could not ignore the des of wind generated by the Great Storm. In the blink of an eye, the entire battle turned around. As the pressure on the ancient races rose, they were quickly bing overwhelmed with every passing moment. And, after losing some of their strongest thanks to thebined effort of the more powerful celestials like Kyamakri, as well as Hakros, Sychia, Sagarus, and the Lightning Soldiers, the battle had bepletely one-sided! ... A few minutester... ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Well Grouped?. Checking results...¡µ ¡´System Alert: A total of 19 out of 19 celestials are in good or perfect condition! [Rank Acquired: SS]¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x30 Purified Energy Liquid Drops.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Soil of Gaea Bag.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ???''s Celestial Tree Seed.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone.¡µ Izroth received an alert from the system confirming thatpletion of his quest as thest enemy of the ancient races was struck down by Hakros. As for Izroth, he did not have to participate in the battle directly as everything remained well under control. After the battle concluded, the celestials temporarily split into several groups. Some focused on erasing the signs of a battle from the area, while others inspected the ckke. There was also a couple of celestials who volunteered to escort the mortals a safe distance away from the ckke. While this all took ce, Izroth decided to ess his inventory and check on the rewards he obtained from clearing the quest. ''Liquid, soil, a seed... It''s clear that all the materials are for cultivating a tree. But, this item¡ªis it really what I think it is?'' Izroth''s attention fell upon thest item he acquired from the quest. It was a small ck stone with dark green emerald carvings on its surface. Izroth did not recognize the carvings or their meaning. But, he felt a tremendous source of energy being emitted from the small object that could fit into the palm of his hand. This was the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone. Chapter 805: Pocket Dimension Stone, How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Chapter 805: Pocket Dimension Stone, How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Izroth examined the ck stone with unique green carvings. And, after a brief inspection, he quickly found out that his initial thoughts were correct. Name: Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone(Magical Item) Rank: SS Durability: ¡Þ(Indestructible) State: Inactive Stage: N/A [Shown When Active] Usage: When activated, creates a small pocket of isted space that contains a vibrantndscape filled with natural worldly essence and provides the following effect(s): -All nts and minerals have their growth/mature speed increased by 500%. Cooldown: 2 weeks Special Note: This item cannot be moved while active. The cooldown timer will not start until this item is deactivated. Deactivating this item will erase all living things/unnatural objects within the pocket of isted space and reset the environment to its beginning stage. Additional effects can be unlocked as this item reaches higher stages. The item''s stage is determined by the quality and quantity of what materials reside within the pocket of isted space. Isted space¡ªit was like a small realm of its own that existed in a separate area of space. Of course, calling it a small realm was a slight exaggeration. In reality, while pockets of isted space varied in size, even the biggest of them could notpare in size to an actual small realm. In fact, their sizes typically ranged from an average size room to a grand stadium. But, creating a pocket of isted space the size of a grand stadium was no easy feat. And, perhaps one of the only individuals in the Mortal Realm capable of performing said feat was the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. Izroth knew this because when he first paid a visit to the Wiseman, he was transported through arge area of isted space. ''An isted pocket of space... Besides the Thirty-Two Localities Istion Talisman that I used to assist in suppressing those mysterious chains when forming my Soul Avatar, it is the only item I''ve obtained that deals with isted space. Though that talisman is somewhatcking whenpared to this Pocket Dimension Stone. But, it seems I will have to be careful where I choose to set it up.'' Once activated, the Pocket Dimension Stone could not be moved again until it was deactivated. However, deactivating it would not only erase everything inside but also execute a two-week cooldown timer. Though if it was just this much that would have been fine. After all, Izroth could just recollect everything of value inside before deactivating it. And, while two weeks in-game was certainly a long time to wait, in the end, it was only a little less than a five-day wait in real-world time. What were five days to Izroth? But, unfortunately, deactivating the Pocket Dimension Stone to move it would reset the stage progress to its beginning state! Izroth did not know what kind of benefits woulde from increasing the item''s stage; however, how could the advantages bestowed by an SS-ranked item be poor? ''I could open up another floor within the Mystical Realm Pce and set it up there, but... This is what they would call cing all of one''s eggs into a single basket.'' If Izroth did not have it in his inventory, he stored virtually everything of worth in his Mystical Realm Pce. This included things like the SS-ranked magic item Blood Moon that he seized from the Skounae. And, of course, the massive stock items themselves that were needed for the Mystical Realm Pce to function as a shop. However, while the capital city of Amaharpe was a rtively safe ce, it would be foolish to ignore the various dangers that existed. Not to even mention the monstrosity that was sealed beneath it, Amaharpe''s in the middle of an intense conflict with enemy kingdoms. Who knew when an assault would take ce and the amount of damage that woulde from it? Just because it was a yer shop that authorized yers to control some features, it was still a building that could be swept away in the chaos of war. Would Amaharpe or the system reimburse Izroth upon its destruction? If the system maintained its state of fairness, the answer was no. Ultimately, it would not be considered a bug or glitch, but a natural part of the world''s flow. If that was the case, why would the system reimburse what was meant to be lost? ''When I return to the Mortal Realm, I will have to look into gathering herbs and minerals capable of taking root in a foreign environment. As for where I will set up the isted space¡ªI will have to carefully consider my options when the timees. For now...'' Izroth returned the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone to his inventory. He did not bother checking the other items he obtained since he already had a rough item of their purpose. Plus, it was not as though he would be able to cultivate it in this Secret Realm. Just as Izroth finished checking over the magic item, Sychia and Hakros approached him. "Are we going to where that Heaven''s Strength bastard is? These things weren''t nearly enough for a decent warm-up." Hakros stated with a grin. "As long as we stay on schedule, that should be our next move. Finding people here was a little unexpected, so we are a bit behind on time." Izroth replied calmly. "I know it was mentioned that the pirs do not typically interact with one another, but... That may change if their power is threatened. If the other groups reach their pirs before we do, there is a chance they may alert the Pir of the West or call for his assistance. We may need to increase our pace so that we do not fall too far behind." Sychiamented. "Oh? There are more out there like that guy? This Secret Realm just became a bit more interesting!" Hakros stated as the fighting spirit in his eyes intensified. He then nced at the ground and inquired, "So? What do you n on doing with that thing?" "That depends on what they have to offer," Izroth said with a carefree smile as his gaze also fell towards the earth. Sychia''s brow rose in an inquisitive matter as she chimed in, "Is there something I missed? What are you two talking about?" Hakros grinned and responded, "Of course, we''re talking about the little rabbit hiding in its... Hole!" Bang! Hakros struck downward with his fist, breaking open the earth at his feet. Swoosh! Suddenly, a silver streak flew out of the opening at extreme speeds; however, before it could escape, a Hakros'' hand appeared in front of it. The following moment, the silver streak was stopped dead in its tracks, revealing a familiar individual. This person had been punched into the ground several minutes ago by Hakros and was silently waiting for everyone to leave before making their escape. This individual was none other than Zouren! However, he had miscalcted. "I hid my presence perfectly...! How did they-" Zouren internalized. But, he did not have time to finish his thoughts as Hakros shoved his arm forward while holding Zouren''s face with hisrge hand. BANG! Hakros mmed Zouren''s head into the ground as he looked down and said, "Where do you think you''re running, neck scribble?" "Hakros...! You bastard! Do you n on bing enemies with my Eight Heavens?!" Zouren shouted in an infuriated manner. "Eight Heavens, One-Hundred Heavens¡ªit doesn''t matter. If I want to do something, I''ll do it. That''s all. And, right now, I feel like bashing your face in. You were there, right? When that Heaven''s Strength bastard sealed my consciousness? Hey, what were you doing with that guy back then?" Hakros said as his eyes became filled with killing intent and his murderous gaze locked onto Zouren. "This damned muscle-head..! How does he still remember that after having his consciousness sealed...?!" Zouren thought to himself as he grit his teeth. The chains that sealed Hakros'' consciousness should have also erased his memories of the event. That''s why Zouren was so shocked when Hakros attacked him earlier. Even if he did break free, Hakros should not have recalled that he and the others were there when he was sealed! Of course, what Zouren did not know was that Hakros'' special physique not only made him impervious to all forms of physical intrusions but even mental intrusions! So, even though his consciousness was sealed away, Hakros memories remained as clear as day. "I''m not afraid of this muscle-head, but fighting him right now would leave me with no benefits! Plus, his defense is too stupidly high to get through within a short amount of time! I have to find a way to calm him down and convince him to work with me-" Out of nowhere, as these thoughts crossed Zouren''s mind, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. "You can''t kill him yet. After all, we still have some unfinished business." When Zouren heard that voice, his heart immediately sunk. It couldn''t be that...! "Tch... I just wanted to break an arm or two." Hakros growled as he reigned in his killing intent. Once Zouren realized that Hakros actually erased his killing intent, his expression darkened beneath the behemoth''s hand. "Why is that muscle-head Hakros listening to that guy?!" Zouren internalized. That headstrong and arrogant guy who looked down on everyone was actually following another person''s orders?! What was with this absurd situation?! "This appearance suits you quite well.. Now, shall we discuss it¡ªjust how much your life is worth?" Izroth said indifferently as he looked at Zouren with a distant gaze. Chapter 806: A Man Who Does Not Keep His Word Cannot Be Called A Man

Chapter 806: A Man Who Does Not Keep His Word Cannot Be Called A Man

"Since when did these three be so close..?!" Zouren angrily grit his teeth. If it were just Hakros, Zouren was confident in his ability to escape. Although he may suffer some injuries, it would not be anything so severe that he could not recover given some time. However, it was not just Hakros he had to worry about. Izroth and Sychia were also present! There was also a few strong individuals among the people they came with and there was no guarantee that they would sit still as he escaped. "What do you intend to do?! If youy a hand on me, my Eight Heavens will track you down to the underworld to avenge me! Do not think they have overlooked what you did to my junior brother during the second team''s selection! If I put in a good word, maybe you can keep your life! But, if I do not return to the Mortal Realm from this ce, all of you will be hunted down for all eternity!" Zouren eximed. Right now, Zouren could only see three options in front of him. The first was to risk everything in order to escape. The next choice was to strike fear into the hearts of those present by using his background. While Hakros may not care about it since he lived in the Wild Lands, a ce outside the influence of the seven kingdoms and the powers there, that was not necessarily the case for the remaining two. Sychia was a part of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and Izroth was just some nobody who had a bit of talent with no strong backing. Both were individuals who could not afford to offend the Eight Heavens! "Even if that''s true, you won''t be around to see. What good is vengeance once you''ve departed from this world?" Izroth responded indifferently. Eight Heavens? If they wanted to hunt him down, so be it. However, whether or not they would be able to bear the consequences for doing so was another story. In the end, Izroth did not mind making them follow in the footsteps of the Siren organization. Of course, given that the Eight Heavens had disciples like Zouren, Izroth knew that their power and influence were well above that of Siren. Nheless, what did he have to fear? Izroth would not go out of his way to start trouble; however, if someone started trouble with him, then he would be the one to finish it¡ªno matter who was behind them! "This crazy guy...! Is he really nning to kill me here?!" Zouren''s eyes widened in shock as he saw Izroth''s unbothered and distant gaze. Without a doubt, this person, be it from ignorance or arrogance, did not put the Eight Heavens in his eyes! "Wait! What do you want?! Money? Items? If you just name it, I can make it happen! All you have to do is be willing to set things between us aside!" Zouren spoke hurriedly. "This humiliation...! I''ll never erase it!" Zouren internalized as he buried his anger and killing intent deep within his heart. It would not be toote to get revenge on they were back in the Mortal Realm. For now, even if he had to swallow his pride, he would find a way out of this ce. Then, when the time was right, he could pay them back for this humiliation a hundred¡ªno, a thousandfold! "Your offer is tempting, but before that¡ªaren''t you forgetting something important? A man who does not keep his word cannot be called a man." Izroth mentioned. Zouren''s heart sunk when he heard Izroth''s words. It couldn''t be that he actually wanted him to go forth with such an absurd act! He was the Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens! How many people were willing to crawl at his feet and beg for ten days and ten nights just for a chance to be in his good graces?! "If I, Zouren, need to use my domain to defeat someone like you, then I will crawl on the ground like a dog for the rest of my life¡ªwere these not your exact words? Though I am not a heartless person. You only need to do so until our group is ready to depart." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. "Don''t go too far!" Zouren shouted as he almost coughed up blood in anger. "Ahahaha! You bastard¡ªyou actually went ahead and made such a crazy promise? Ahahaha! Then, he''s right! A real man has to keep his word, you know?" Hakros said with a grin. As Sychia witnessed the scene before her eyes, she furrowed her brows and could not help but feel somewhat conflicted. While Zouren was by no means a good person and certainly deserved retribution, to have him behave like a wild animal was too much. She felt that it would be better to simply put him out of his misery. She also did not think that Izroth was the type of person who enjoyed seeing others despair for his own entertainment. That''s why she could not fullyprehend his actions. Naturally, Sychia''s behavior did not escape Izroth''s perception. "Is there something you find wrong with my method?" Izroth asked without averting his gaze. Sychia knew instantly that his question was clearly directed at her. She was taken aback that she was seen through so easily; however, since he asked, Sychia chose to speak her thoughts. After all, although they had not known each other for a long time, Izroth had more than earned her respect. "I understand that I may be speaking out of turn since you seem to have a prior conflict with him, but... It is just that I did not take you for someone who enjoys employing this sort of method." Sychiamented. "You are mistaken," Izroth said as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and held the tip of the de to Zouren''s forehead. He then continued, "The world is an unpredictable ce that''s in a constant state of chaos. It may asionally give the illusion of order, but it is nothing more than a mirage. That is why it bes important for one to set principles. In a world that is unpredictable, one must possess the means to find a way back to themselves should they ever be lost in the chaos. It is not that I find enjoyment in this, rather, it is my way of upholding a set principle. In this way-" "Wait! I''ll do it! I''ll-!" Zouren tried to call out. But, his voice soon fell silent as a look of disbelief formed on his face. Phhhhtk! Izroth drove his Sword of the Storm through Zouren''s head without hesitation. At the same time, a terrifying sword intent swept throughout the surroundings before quicklying to a calm. "I shall never be lost in the chaos of this world," Izroth stated calmly. Zouren''s body began to wither away as if it were rapidly decaying. ''Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze...'' A few moments after the sword prated his forehead, Zouren''s body disintegrated into nothingness. Zouren did not have time to react. In the end, he never expected that Izroth would be so insane as to actually go through with his action! Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath and turned to face Sychia. "Ultimately, a man without his word is nothing. If a man is nothing, then their existence is the equivalent." Izroth said as he walked towards Sychia. As he stepped next to her, Sychia almost instinctively took a step back. She did not know why, but at that moment, her body just reacted on its own. "If one''s existence is nothing, then the worth of their life is... Nothing. Take this as a lesson." Izrothmented as he walked past Sychia and continued to walk off towards the hill they originally came from. When Izroth was finally far away enough, Sychia released the breath she had been holding in as she felt cold sweats running down her back. This... Was this the same person she had been traveling with this entire time? The one who always walked with that carefree expression on his face? No, his carefree expression had not changed. But, for some reason, even though it onlysted for a split moment, that same look caused Sychia to catch a glimpse of it¡ªthe endless abyss that was Izroth. Gazing into that endless abyss, Sychia could not help but feel that it was fortunate Izroth did not hold a grudge against her for attacking him back at the vige. Otherwise, her fate may have been the same as Zouren''s! "Oh? This stone-faced guy... What did he say his name was again? Ah, that''s right... Izroth." Hakros internalized. "Heh, I''ll remember it," Hakros said to himself. ... Several minutester... Izroth, Sychia, Hakros, and the celestials finally met back up with Astratis on the other side of the hill. They finished clearing up the battlefield to the point that no one would be able to tell that an intense fight had just taken ce. Chapter 807: Reaping Benefits, An Overdue Conversation

Chapter 807: Reaping Benefits, An Overdue Conversation

Although they were unable to discover the purpose of the ckke, they sealed it off just in case anything unforeseen urred. As for the mortals, they had been safely escorted to a safe distance away from where the battle took ce. Now, it was finally time for the group to resume their path towards the Pir of the West, Ourami''s stronghold. But, before that... "I hereby dere the winner of this bet, Izroth. If there is anyone who does not agree with the results, feel free to speak up now." Astratis announced. However, there was no one who spoke up. In fact, many of the celestials seemed somewhat ashamed that they had been swept into the bet and looked down on Izroth as someone arrogant. "A bet is a bet. It''s our loss." Tox sighed as he was the first one to speak up. He then walked in front of Izroth, stopping one meter away from him. Tox bowed and said in a sincere tone, "I, Tox, admit defeat. You have opened my eyes. I will ept this humility and use it to grow from my ignorance." A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he ced his hand on Tox''s shoulder and replied, "Stand tall. As long as you are willing to use this opportunity to grow and not repeat past mistakes, then we can move forward on a new path." Izroth did not hold a grudge against Tox. In the end, their methods were a bit rough, but they meant no real harm. After all, it was not as if he requested a bet with their lives on the line. Since Tox was man enough to admit his faults and open his mind, Izroth was willing to overlook his pastments. Argosima and Neri also expressed their apologies for looking down on Izroth. They even went as far as apologizing to Sychia after considering her dead weight who would only drag them down. With Tox, Argosima, and Neri taking the initiative, the other celestials followed their actions and voiced their apologies. They could not just sit back and let those three ce all the me onto themselves. Otherwise, how could they ever hold their heads high as celestials? Astratis gave a small nod as a satisfied looked appeared on his face. He found it to be a good lesson for all those involved. This would serve as a way to help them expand their horizons so that hopefully, in the future, they would look and think twice before they leaped. "Then, since there is no one who objects¡ªIzroth, I believe this belongs to you," Astratis said as he snapped his fingers. The next moment, a bundle of items appeared in front of Izroth''s feet. Herbs, mysterious stones, materials from ancient races, books¡ªeach of these items was worth no less than that of the Young Wing of the Ambrosia Tree. Of course, these were the items wagered by the celestials. Without hesitation, Izroth swept the items up into his inventory. With this, in terms of quality, Izroth was certain that even the hidden storages of those top guilds could notpare to what he had just obtained! "Now that everything is settled, we should get moving¡ªat least, that''s what I''d like to do. But, first... I see you brought some new friends." Astratis said as his gazended behind Izroth. Currently, standing in an imposing manner behind Izroth were the Lightning Soldiers, Storm Commander Sagarus, and Hakros. There was still a decent amount of time remaining before the Great Lightning Army went on cooldown; therefore, the Lightning Soldiers and Storm Commander Sagarus had not yet disappeared. As for Hakros, naturally, he was keeping his promise to Izroth. "There is a strong lightning element that I have not seen before contained within these beings. But, this shouldn''t be possible. That man should also be a mortal, but... Does there exist a mortal that exudes this kind of natural fighting aura?" Astratis thought to himself as he observed the warriors made of lightning and Hakros. Astratis knew that Izroth was holding something back; however, seeing as how Izroth was his benefactor, he did not push for answers. But, this time was different as it may directly affect their mission. ''I suppose it''s a conversation that''s long overdue.'' Initially, Izroth nned on clearly telling Astratis everything at some point; however, Zouren, Luxia, and Agromin''s actions changed things. ''If those three met with the Pir of the West, then it''s likely he already knows about the existence of the Mortal Realm.'' Judging from the way Astratis spoke of the pirs, given their arrogance and sense of superiority, how could they have been willing to entrust mere "mortals" with any task? There was no doubt in Izroth''s mind that the Pir of the West was told about the Mortal Realm. Unfortunately, Izroth did not know what coteral effects this would have. The amount of information surrounding Secret Realms was infinitesimalpared to things like dungeons or raids. It was well known that monsters who resided within the confines of a dungeon or raid could never leave that zone. However, that did mean that these rules necessarily applied for Secret Realms. Was it possible for residents of a Secret Realm to use the return portal that would appear to cross over into the Mortal Realm? If so, wouldn''t the situation in the Mortal Realm be increasinglyplex and chaotic? There were too many unknown variables to take into ount. In the end, Izroth decided that the best-case scenario was to clear things up and hopefully solidify Astratis'' and the celestials'' stance as an ally. "I have a few things to say. Are you willing to hear me out?" Izroth inquired with a carefree smile. "This request¡ªhow can I turn it down?" Astratis grinned. He had asked Izroth the same thing not long after he recovered his strength. Not hearing Izroth out would be the same as calling himself a hypocrite. ... A few momentster... Izroth walked at the head of the group with Astratis as he exined everything in clear terms to the Son of Thunder. Without Izroth even having to make a request, Astratis had the Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo, set up a boundary around them to ensure that the conversation would stay between him and Izroth. And, the more Izroth talked, the more Astratis could see why he always chose his words so carefully. This kind of secret was enough to shake the very foundations of the world¡ªtheir world, that is! "To think there are other worlds out there... I admit, I still have a difficult time believing you, but... It would exin why those without Ethos can exert that much power. Mana and energy, is it? I did not think there existed another worldly source outside the Ethos and Primordial Code." Astratis said with furrowed brows. Izroth revealed to Astratis the existence of the Mortal Realm and that he, along with Sychia and Hakros were from there. In addition, Izroth also exined the two main sources of power in the Mortal Realm, mana, and energy. Izroth did not go into too many details such as the ongoing war. After all, this world was currently in a war of its own. But, he made sure to rify the main points. "Oh? I thought Ethos was the only energy source in this world." Izrothmented. "This... Well, it wouldn''t be entirely wrong to think this way. There are less than ten forces in this world that are capable of employing the Primordial Code. And, every one of those forces is a part of the Protogenos¡ªour primordial ancestors from which everything in the world originates." Astratis exined. ''Primordial Code... Is it a high-level Source or Divine Power? From the sound of things, it has to be thetter. Creating a world... If it isn''t just a legend of this Secret Realm that has been handed down, then it''s possible this ce has existed since the beginning of RML''s history¡ªbefore the Divine Realm was established.'' ording to RML history, long ago, there was no such thing as the Divine Realm that separated those below the firmament from those above. This resulted in multiple worlds being destroyed and generated constant power struggles that would make the current war in the Mortal Realm look like a squabble between infants. If this Secret Realm was one such world where a few divine beings foresaw the chaos and cut themselves off from everything, then what Astratis would make perfect sense. But, of course, this was only Izroth''s spection. Nevertheless, the possibility alone was amazing. ''This Secret Realm has many mysteries. If I have the chance, I''d like to learn more about this world and just how far back its history goes.'' ... As they progressed on their journey, Izroth and Astratis carried on their conversation. Each of them was eager to learn more about one another''s worlds and how the two differed. While doing so, time flew by and, in the blink of an eye, the group finally arrived at their destination. ¡´System Alert: You have discovered a hidden area of the ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered ?Fourth Heart of the World?.¡µ Chapter 808: Fourth Heart of the World, Impact

Chapter 808: Fourth Heart of the World, Impact

The moment Izroth and his group crossed into the Fourth Heart of the World, the entire scenery underwent a drastic change. The grasnds, along with the distant sea, mountains, and volcanos, hadpletely vanished! It was as if they had stepped into a different part of the world that was separate from the Celestial Battlegrounds. The "sun" in the sky was jet ck with a thin dark red ring wrapped around its outeryer, causing it to closely resemble a sr eclipse. But, despite its appearance, the area was not covered in a shroud of darkness. There were no clouds drifting above. Rather, there were several groupings of colorful arrays of lights scattered across the sky that looked simr to nebs. Thisbination of bizarre sun and sky caused the atmosphere to feel mncholic. However, there was something eerily beautiful and breathtaking about this ce. Thend itself was not barren as one would expect given the unique environment. While it could notpare to the abundance of nt life that existed in the Ancient Wilderness, there was still a plethora of unusual nt life present. In the distance was an enormous pce with no outer walls that surrounded it, revealing the arrogance of its owner. After all, in their mind, what need was there for walls when there was no one who dared oppose them? The closer someone moved towards the pce, the less nt life there was present as if even the nts did not dare approach that entity''s pce. Of course, this was not somewhere one could just roam around freely. That''s because the Fourth Heart of the World was under the direct jurisdiction of one of the beings who ruled over this world¡ªthe Pir of the West, Ourami! Before Izroth and his group entered the Fourth Heart of the World, the Celestial of the Periphery Isylo ced a boundary around the whole group to hide their presence. However, even with this safety measure, if they were careless for even a split second, their cover would be immediately blown! "Alright, everyone. I won''t waste time giving some sort of speech. At this point, you all should know what we came here to do. If you haven''t resolved yourself by now, it''s not toote to turn around and walk away." Astratis stated in a solemn tone. However, there was no response from those present. In the end, everyone was well aware of what was at stake with this mission. If they failed here, the possibility of living in a world where celestials could experience freedom in its truest form would be extinguished. There would be no ce left for them in this world but underneath the foot of the pirs. How could they ept such a fate? Astratis swept his gaze across those present and noticed that the nerves that were present earlier were nowhere to be found. There was a clear look of strong resolve in everyone''s eyes that said no matter what happened, they would not go down without a fight! Izroth observed the sudden shift in the attitudes of the celestials. In truth, he was somewhat skeptical of their determination at the beginning. After all, it was easy to feign a united front on the surface. In this kind of situation where one''s life was on the line and there was no guarantee of sess, it would not be umon for a few people to get cold feet and back out at thest possible moment. However, it seemed his skepticism was unwarranted. ''It''s been a while since I''ve seen a group this united for a single purpose.'' A carefree smile found its way onto Izroth''s face as he thought back to a simr time in the Seven Realms before he began to walk down the true path of cultivation. A time when he and those he called his brothers felt invincible under the skies as they charged forth into battle with one purpose in mind. Of course, at that time, Izroth did not truly know how high the sky was and just how fleeting that feeling of invincibility would be. After a brief moment of silence and no one turning to walk away, Astratis gave a small nod and said, "Good. I knew that I, Astartis, had chosen the right people to callrades." He then continued, "We will follow the original n and part ways here. Isylo, you will apany me. Your only job is to keep my presence hidden for as long as possible until it''s time to make a move. As for the rest of you, I''m sure you know what to do. Go wild and draw out as many of Ourami''s forces as you can. Your focus isn''t to obtain victory but to stall them for as long as possible. However, no matter what happens, you cannot allow them to return to the pce¡ªno matter what." Astratis stressed thest part. Although he did not have the heart to say it directly, the celestials knew exactly what the Son of Thunder meant. Even if it cost them their lives in the process, they could not let Ourami''s forces fall back to the pce when he made his move. Otherwise, Astratis would be surrounded on all sides and the chances at grasping victory would slip through their fingers. "This time, I really can''t protect any of you. That''s why¡ªI hope you''ll protect each other." Astratis said as his gaze brieflynded on Izroth. Izroth immediately understood Astratis'' intention from his gaze alone. That look was practically screaming "you can protect them in my ce, can''t you?". ''Aren''t your expectations a little too high for someone you''ve just recently met?'' Izroth inwardly shook his head. ''Well, I suppose it''s fine. I won''t make any promises, but... I''ll do my best to protect those in front of me. So, just concentrate on what you need to.'' Izroth closed his eyes and made a small gesture that was barely noticeable; however, it did not escape the person it was meant for. When Astratis saw Izroth''s gesture, a slight smile appeared on his face as he returned his gaze ahead. "Rest assured, we will take care of ourselves. Just do us all a favor ande back to us safely. Otherwise, I do not know how I''ll find the courage to face Elder Sister Ierosni." Kyamakrimented. "Yeah... I''d rather face all four pirs than be the one who has to deal with that." Tox said as he rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Hey, you cheeky brats¡ªaren''t you already nning too far ahead?" Astratis grinned. "Well, since Isylo will be with you, at the very least, we should be able to recover the body," Kyamakri noted. "...I will do my best..." Isylo said in a soft tone. "No, you don''t actually have to take them seriously." Astratis sighed as he shook his head. Seeing this scene, it was not long before a round ofughter from the celestials filled the boundary created by Isylo. At that moment, a single thought flowed through Astratis'' head as he locked this image before him in his mind. "If this is thest memory I have with myrades, it''s not a bad one at all." Astratis internalized as he closed his eyes to savor the moment. Not too long after, theughter died down as the atmosphere returned to a serious state. "We''ll be parting ways here. Isylo, release the boundary around them. We''re going." Astratis said as he turned away from the group. The Son of Thunder had already said all that needed to be said; therefore, he did not spare another second. As soon as he finished speaking, the space around Izroth and the others fluctuated. Then, in the blink of an eye, Astratis and Isylo were no longer anywhere to be seen. ''Oh? What a useful ability. It''s stronger than the one he used back near the ckke. Even with my Energy Vision Sense, I can''t feel their presence.'' Since Isylo''s power created separate boundaries around certain parts of space, it was almost like they were on apletely different ne of existence. That''s why even with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth was unable to track Astratis and Isylo. A couple of moments after Astratis departed with Isylo, the group decided they had gained enough distance. Now, it was finally time for them to make their move. "Everyone, keep your guard up. Let''s head to-" Kyamakri spoke; however, she was quickly cut off as a loud whistling sound came from the air. "WHO DARES TRESPASSES INTO MY MASTER''S DOMAIN!" A loud voice echoed as the whistling sound grew closer and louder. In the sky, a blue and white streak of light rapidly descended and was headed right towards where the group was gathered! "Brace yourselves!" Kyamakri warned. Suddenly, the streak of light crashed into the ground as a bright sh turned transformed the surrounding night-like atmosphere into the light of day! At first, there was a lingering silence as if the sound had not yet caught up to the streak of light. However, the instant the sound managed to reach them, a devastating force erupted from the impact site. ...BOOOOOOOOOM!!! An earth-shaking explosion caused the ground to violently tremble as the surrounding nt life was immediately turned to dust under the pressure! Chapter 809: Left Eye of Ourami, The Mandate of Scrutiny

Chapter 809: Left Eye of Ourami, The Mandate of Scrutiny

The violent trembles soon came to an abrupt halt as a powerful gust of wind swept away the dust in the atmosphere along with the debris. At the same time, the nt life that was destroyed by the impact started to take roots once again. It was as though the nt life had a will of its own as it began to slowly grow again. Meanwhile, Izroth and most of the others in his group were forced to spread out at a moment''s notice to avoid being in the epicenter of the impact. Just from looking at the size of the crater generated by the crash, even if one had somewhat sturdy defenses, it may have been difficult to escapepletely unscathed. "Are you two alright?" Izroth asked without looking back. "I am fine. The force of the impact at this distance was fairly tamepared to the center." Sychia responded. "As if some gentle breeze like this could do any real harm. More importantly, that thing¡ªyou don''t mind if I take care of it, right?" Hakros asked as his vicious gaze locked onto the one who just appeared before the group. The one who arrived from the sky was a cross between man and beast¡ªmuch like the Keeper of the Ninth Gate, Vagelrio. It was roughly two meters tall with pasty skin. Its arms were fused with a pair of ck wings and on its back were another pair of wings except they were dark yellow. Their legs were closer to that of a bird rather than a human as razor-sharp talons could be seen in ce of its feet. But, perhaps the eeriest thing about this man-creature was its eyes. Or, to be more precise, its left eye. While their right eye resembled that of a normal bird, its left eye matched the patterns of the neb-like view in the sky. And, when the dust was fully expelled away, Izroth was finally able to see its system information. Name: Left Eye of Ourami, The Mandate of Scrutiny(???) Level: 0 ''That eye... It feels like we''re being observed and judged by a distant gaze.'' Although it was just a hunch, given the circumstances, Izroth believed that the one watching and judging them from afar had to be the Pir of the West, Ourami. And, if that was the case, it was a good thing that Astratis had already left this ce with Isylo. The observation onlysted for a brief moment before Izroth sensed that it had disappeared. ''Oh? We''re not worthy enough to be considered a threat, is that it? Interesting...'' Without a doubt, the reason Ourami averted his gaze was because he did not consider Izroth and those present as a threat. Not only were they not enough for him to personally take action, but even something as simple as observing them was viewed as a waste of time in his eyes! "No, there''s no need. In order to properly draw their eyes to us, we''ll have to grab their attention in a grand manner. For now¡ªSagarus." Izroth said as the Storm Commander kneeled next to him along with the Lighting Soldiers nearby. "The Great Lighting Army is at yourmand, my lord," Sagarus dered without hesitation. "Since they gave us such a warm reception, we should return the favor in kind. Bring me back its left eye." Izroth stated indifferently. "Your order has been received," Sagarus replied as he stood to his feet. Soon after, the Lightning Soldiers followed the Storm Commander''s actions and also rose to their feet before springing into action! There were less than ten minutes remaining until the Great Lightning Army went on cooldown, but that did not affect their power. Besides, if they truly wanted to draw out Ourami''s forces and get the Pir of the West to look at them seriously, they could not waste time on just one enemy. The next moment, Izroth tapped on his left shoulder twice. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, a gentle gust of wind blew next to Izroth''s left side as a humanoid-shaped entity materialized next to him. This entity had no physical features and was an almost ethereal presence that asionally faded in and out of existence. "We will handle things here. You all can go on ahead." Izroth said to seemingly no one. However, as the words left his mouth, the sound was immediately erased. Instead, a stream of energy that matched that of the ethereal presence escaped from Izroth''s mouth and was drawn into the humanoid-shaped entity. Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the entity vanished. If one just saw what happened, they would think it was a ghost. But, this was one of the abilities that belonged to one of the celestials of the group, the Celestial of Duality, Diparxi. This particr ability allowed Diparxi to take what one said and distribute it to several different locations where his influence stretched. While it was not as stealthy and well hidden as the type ofmunication used by Isylo, it still made for a great way to ensure the group kept in contact. In the distance, Kyamakri looked at Izroth with furrowed brows as if she were conflicted with his suggestion. This was not just any opponent, but one that was under the direct service of the Pir of the West, Ourami! Could he handle such an opponent with so few people? Wouldn''t it be safer to just attack him together and then focus on drawing on the rest of Ourami forces? Did he n on sacrificing himself? Kyamakri could not understand what Izroth was up to. "No... Since Astratis ces such a great deal of trust in him, he must have something more concrete in mind. Besides, with those odd warriors and irregr mortals by his side, it should be possible to fall back should anything go awry." Kyamakri internalized. Kyamakri was the one officially left in charge by Astratis upon his departure. Therefore, she was responsible for the lives of all those present and making sure that the mission was carried out wlessly. Since Izroth wanted to give them a new window of opportunity, it was her job as the group''s leader to take full advantage of it! In the end, Kyamakri responded to Izroth''s request. She instructed the other celestials to back off and regroup. There were those a little confused by Kyamakri''smand; however, they still followed her orders. Then, once everyone regrouped, Kyamakri clearly exined their next course of action to continue on and leave this fight to Izroth''s group. Some of the celestials voiced their objections and concerns, but Kyamakri had already made her stance on the matter clear. Ultimately, the celestials respected Kyamakri''s authority and went along with her orders. Before the group departed from the area, Kyamakri sent a message to Izroth the same way he did earlier as her voice entered his ears. The message was one of simplicity¡ª"Stay safe." After that message, Kyamakri and the other celestials left the area. Of course, the Mandate of Scrutiny would not just sit back and watch intruders escape right before his eyes! "Insolent!" The Mandate of Scrutiny roared as it pped its wings and prepared to take off after the celestials; however, before it managed to do so, a de of lightning descended down on it from above. Bzzzzt! Crrrrckle! Bang! The Mandate of Scrutiny adjusted its body and lifted its talons at thest moment to intercept the blow. The strike came from the sword that belonged to the Storm Commander Sagarus. "Make way!" The Mandate of Scrutiny cried out as an intense wave of blue and silver Ethos washed over the battlefield! Meanwhile, seeing that Izroth decided to send the Great Lightning Army instead of letting him fight, Hakros released a low growl that did not hide his displeasure. "If you want to fight it, I won''t stop you, but... This kind of opponent¡ªwill you really be satisfied with them alone? I had a much more interesting idea in mind; however, if you wish to fool around here, you''ll miss out on the real deal." Izroth said calmly. Hakros narrowed his eyes and his impatience was on clear disy; however, he released a heavy sigh under his breath as he rxed his battle aura. "You haven''t forgotten what I said, right? I won''t forgive you if it''s something boring." Hakrosmented. "That''s fine. I just hope you won''t regret itter and keep up." Izroth stated nonchntly. "Ha? Regret? Keep up? Interesting...! Hey¡ªdo you think, I, Hakros, won''t be able to keep up with whatever you have nned?" Hakros said as his battle aura rose to new heights! "There are some who bite off more than they can chew and those with the actual strength to back up their words with actions. I''m curious to see which one you turn out to be." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. "...Good...! Good! It''s been a while since someone dared question whether or not I have the ability to back up my words with actions!" In the blink of an eye, the pressure around Hakros increased more than tenfold. Naturally, Izroth was not merely taunting Hakros. He understood well how those like Hakros reacted when presented with a challenge. This was even more so when their ability was called into question. ''It may have been a somewhat unnecessary precaution, but with this, at least I can guarantee that his focus will be on what awaits us ahead rather than what''s in front of him.'' When Sychia witnessed the way Izroth interacted with Hakros, she half-excepted the behemoth to start a brawl given his, at times, abrasive personality. But, why did she feel like Hakros was being led around on a string by Izroth with just a few words? ''Now... Shall we begin the true assault?'' Chapter 810: Are You Finally Awake?

Chapter 810: Are You Finally Awake?

... Sagarus and the Lightning Soldiers worked together to suppress The Mandate of Scrutiny; however, there was a clear mismatch if one looked at the warriors of lightning from an individual perspective. In terms of power, The Mandate of Scrutiny exceeded that of Sagarus and the Lightning Soldiers from the Great Lightning Army. But, with Sagarus leading the way in the confrontation and the smooth teamwork of the Lightning Soldiers that properly connect their actions, despite The Mandate of Scrutiny''s advantage in terms of power, he was unable to gain the upper hand. That being said, The Mandate of Scrutiny was notpletely powerless. In fact, he had already managed to eliminate seven Lightning Soldiers. It was just that the biggest headache, Sagarus, always found a way to avoid a fatal strike at thest moment. The Mandate of Scrutiny knew that he was much stronger than these strange beings. So then, why was he having a hard time cleaning them up in one go?! This caused an immense amount of frustration to form as the blue and silver Ethos around The Mandate of Scrutiny erupted in every direction. Sagarus and the remaining Lightning Soldiers retreated several meters to avoid being swept away by the powerful surge of energy. Sagarus then held up the sword in his hand and pointed it towards The Mandate of Scrutiny. When the Storm Commander raised his arm, twelve of the Lightning Soldiers broke away from the core formation they had set up and surrounded The Mandate of Scrutiny. The twelve Lightning Soldiers then pped the palm of their hands together as an intense wave of the lightning element began to epass their beings. Bzzzt! Bzzzzt! Suddenly, a ring of purple lightning that connected the twelve Lightning Soldiers to one another materialized and rotated rapidly. Then, in the blink of an eye, the ring expanded outward until its radius reached approximately 25 meters. The following moment, a burst of purple lightning was expelled from the top and bottom sides of the ring. By the time the purple lightning finished forming, The Mandate of Scrutiny had been trapped inside a cylindrical cage with bars made of terrifying lightning aura. As Izroth observed the actions of the Lightning Soldiers and the formation of the cage, he felt that the move they were employing was somehow familiar. But, there was something unusual about it. ''Hm? This is... Lightning Cage? No. That skill is not capable of unleashing this kind of aura of destruction. Rather, it feels more simr to Destructive Aftermath. This is as if the two skills have somehow be one.'' Lightning Cage was one of the original weapon skills of Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. It could trap enemies inside a cage of lightning and paralyze them for up to five seconds. In addition, it increased any lightning damage they received while inside by 20% for the duration of the skill. However, even if he poured some essence into the Lightning Cage to enhance its abilities, it would still not emit this type of destructive aura. That''s because the skill itself did not inflict any direct damage to the enemies trapped within. But, for some reason, that did not seem to be the case with the cage of lightning created by the Lightning Soldiers. "Want to trap me? An impudent bunch!" The Mandate of Scrutiny cried out as he pped his wings and took to the air. He nned to bust right through the top of the lightning cage as a denseyer of blue and silver Ethos appeared above him. Crrrrckle! Without warning, a pulsing wave of destruction in the form of the lightning element was released from the center outer edges of the cage where the ring was still rotating. But, instead of traveling outward, the wave of destruction moved inward within the confined space. p! Once it fully closed in, the wave collided with itself as the sound of a thunderp spread throughout the atmosphere. However, it did not end there. The instant the wave collided, the lightning element inside the cage grew extremely chaotic. And, just as The Mandate of Scrutiny was about to crash into the top of the cage, an ear-piercing explosion erupted from the cage''s center. BOOOOM! The destructive lightning element that was concentrated towards the cage''s center quickly expanded to fill the entirety of the cylindrical cage. The Mandate of Scrutiny crashed into the top of the lightning cage; however, while he was able to severely damage the top of the lightning cage, he could not build up enough momentum to break through in one go. Right as he failed to break through on his first attempt, the destructive lightning caught up to The Mandate of Scrutiny. The view inside of the cage became temporarily obstructed by the st as new surges of the destructive lighting element poured into the cage every couple of seconds. This went on for a total of ten seconds before the lightning element in the atmosphere finally calmed down. ''Abination skill that requires twelve Lightning Soldiers to activate. It is an ideal move to use against stronger opponents, but... It''s as I thought¡ªsuch a skill is not without its price.'' As the cage of lightning dispersed, Izroth watched as the bodies of the twelve Lightning Soldiers who participated in setting up the skill started to dissipate. To activate that powerful skill, it required the twelve of them to sacrifice themselves in the process. In other words, it was a double-edged sword. After losing seven Lightning Soldiers and not achieving any true advantage, Sagarus probably concluded that as long as The Mandate of Scrutiny continued to chip away at their forces, then it was only a matter of time until their defeat. That''s why in order to tip the scales in their favor, Sagarus chose to sacrifice twelve of the remaining Lightning Soldiers. It was a risky move. If it failed, then they would be left at a significant disadvantage. However, Sagarus had no alternative. He was simply doing what was necessary to carry out the orders given to him. This was his number one priority as the Storm Commander. "What a terrifying attack. Even if it is someone at the primary stage of the legendary realm, they would not be able to walk away unscathed. As for those at the initial stage... I am afraid it would be hard for them to endure." Sychiamented with furrowed brows. Sychia nced at the sword on Izroth''s back. She had shed with it once before, but it did not give off such an oppressive feeling at the time. Sychia was uncertain what took ce, but she knew it had something to do with their trip to the Hidden Celestial Abode. After all, it was not until they spent time at that point that Izroth''s sword underwent such a drastic change. However, just what kind of skilled person was capable of embedding this kind of power into a single sword? As far as Sychia knew, there were only four individuals in the Mortal Realm capable of doing so. But, when it came to someone who was able to achieve that level of craftsmanship within such a short time frame¡ªthere were none! Hakros also observed the fight closely and could not hide his excitement. He wanted to charge in and have a go at those Lightning Soldiers himself. But, more than that... ''This guy... Couldn''t he try a bit better to hide his intentions? Unfortunately, I don''t have the time to y with you right now.'' Izroth could feel Hakros'' gaze locked onto him as well as a battle aura that constantly screamed, "I want to fight you. I want to fight you. I want to fight you." In the end, the Lightning Soldiers were only a part of Izroth''s overall power. Hakros understood this point and wanted to face the person capable of calling forth those Lighting Soldiers. But, even with his headstrong personality, Hakros did not forget the deal between him and Izroth. Of course, that deal onlysted until they set foot outside the Secret Realm. As the dust settled, a figure emerged and stopped right in front of Izroth. They then fell to their knees, lowered their head, and raised their hands up towards Izroth, presenting him with something. This figure was, of course, Sagarus. "My lord, it is as you''ve willed," Sagarus said respectfully. In the Storm Commander''s hand was a small spherical object. Though it was not just some random stone he found on the ground, it was actually the left eye of The Mandate of Scrutiny! However, more than an eye, it resembled the smaller version of a magic orb with its wide array of colors and mystic-like energy. "You''ve done well, Sagarus," Izroth said as he gave a small nod and took the object into his hand. When Izroth took the eye into his hand, an overwhelming force descended upon him. The powerful gaze from earlier had returned. And, right now, its full attention was locked onto Izroth! "Oh? Are you finally awake?" Izroth asked in a carefree manner as he remained unmoved. He then continued, "You can see us, right? Well, though I''m not sure whether you can hear us or not. But, that''s not important. I''m sure you can understand even if you can''t hear me. Don''t worry, I have no ns on running away. However, if you want this eye back¡ªI''m afraid you''ll have to send more than one bird to retrieve it. After all, we have quite the big appetite." Soon after Izroth finished speaking, the eye calmed down. Rmmmmmmble! A few secondster, the earth started to lightly tremble and slowly grew more intense as time passed. ''It looks like he didn''t waste any time responding.'' In the distant pce, thousands of ancient races poured out en masse from its gates! Chapter 811: Complicated

Chapter 811: Complicated

... Not long after Sagarus presented Izroth with the eye, the Storm Commander and remaining Lightning dissipated as the Great Lightning Army came to an end. Izroth was not disappointed with the performance of the forged effect; however, the twelve-hour cooldown time was somewhat troublesome. Nevertheless, Sagarus and the Lightning Soldiers had aplished the tasks given to them. Izroth extended his Energy Vision Sense to its maximum range as he observed the ancient races rushing out of the pce gates like water bursting through a dam. ''Their numbers are much greater than ours, but we have the advantage of quality over quantity. That being said... There are eight of them that will prove to be a little problematic for Kyamakri and the others celestials.'' After getting a decent grasp on the enemy forces, Izroth reduced the range of his Energy Vision Sense to conserve his essence. "Are we going to catch up with the others?" Sychia inquired curiously. Izroth gave a small nod and responded, "Yes. But, our goal will be somewhat different from the others. Excluding Astratis, we came here with twenty celestials. Among them, there are only three who have stepped into what we call the legendary realm back in the Mortal Realm. However, the enemy side has eight such beings." Izroth, Hakros, and Sychia had begun to move and were currently headed towards the pce in the distance where the thousands of ancient races poured out. "Eight against three... No, even if we include an opponent for each of us here, there is still an imbnce that exists. Although our main priority is to keep their attention drawn to us, it will be a rather demanding effort." Sychiamented. "Isn''t it fine? Whatever those guys can''t handle, I''ll just take the rest." Hakros stated confidently. "Even for you that would be too reckless." Sychia sighed as she shook her head. It was not that Sychia underestimated what Hakros was capable of, but rather facing multiple legendary beings at once was a task that was much easier said than done. This was even more so for individuals like them who had yet to step into the legendary realm. While they would not lose in terms of talent or skill, when it came to raw power, it was still difficult to ovee the natural gap that existed between someone in the legendary realm and one who had yet to enter that stage. "It''s true that the number of those who have reached the legendary realm on their side outnumbers us, but that does not necessarily mean we are at a major disadvantage," Izroth stated calmly. He then continued, "The source of energy in this Secret Realm is unique; however, I can still roughly gauge their overall strength. In Mortal Realm terms, three of the celestials are at the primary stage while one has reached thete stage of the legendary realm. The eight on the enemy side are mostly at the initial stage with only one being at thete stage and one at the primary stage." ''I can see why the system gave me that quest earlier at the ckke. If we were in a poor condition entering this ce, our chances of sess would have been practically nonexistent.'' Initially, Izroth felt that perhaps using the Great Lightning Army back then was too much of an insurance policy. But, in the end, that decision was currently ying to their advantage. "When we arrive, you two will be responsible for taking care of the stray two causing trouble. If things get too dangerous, don''t hesitate to withdraw." Izroth said as he essed his inventory. The next moment, he removed a golden talisman with cryptic white text etched into it. This was the grade three epic quality talisman he received from Zouren back in the Moonlit Dove Garden. Zouren gave Izroth a total of three talismans, one of which he gave to Azalea as a reward. "Catch," Izroth announced as he tossed the talisman towards Sychia, who caught it without issue. Sychia briefly examined the talisman in her hands and was surprised to discover that it was one of such high quality. "This is too much. I am afraid that I can not ept it." Sychia said with a troubled expression. Sychia had used her life-saving methods to escape from Luxia, Zouren, and Agromin not long after they stepped into the Secret Realm. Therefore, this talisman could not have been given at a better time as they were about to go into a dangerous and chaotic situation. However, Sychia did not feel right epting the talisman from Izroth. She was already in debt to him for curing her poison and aiding in her recovery. There was also the matter of him revealing a possible way to heal her master and giving her hope when there was none. Izroth had done all of this and did not even ask for a gift or reward in return. How could Sychia be so shameless as to continue receiving without giving anything in return? She would be too ashamed to face herself in the future. But, how could Sychia know that part of the reason Izroth helped her was simply to return a portion of the "favor" to Zouren for daring to send someone to im his life? Also, there was the ongoing quest that required Izroth to ensure her safety. It was not as though Izroth did not have anything to gain from helping the Thousand Blossom Maiden. In fact, even giving her one of the talismans was an investment into the ongoing quest and an extrayer of added insurance. However, that was not to say that Izroth waspletely cold towards the idea of helping Sychia. In the end, if shecked any redeeming qualities, he would not have lent her a hand even if it would throw off Zouren''s ns or meant giving up a potential quest. After all, Izroth had his own standards for dealing with people. Regardless, Izroth saw right through Sychia''s concerns and could only inwardly shake his head. To turn down a life-saving item in this kind of situation could be seen as her falling back into her naive ways. However, that was not the case at all. There was no naivety present in her eyes when she made her choice. Rather, it was merely one of morals and values. This was an aspect of Sychia that Izroth appreciated. That being said, this was something that involved not only her but him as well. Therefore, Izroth had no ns on backing down. "Once I give a gift, I consider it rude to be returned. It is the same as saying my gift is not good enough for you. Can it be that my gift is unworthy in your eyes?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. "How can that be? This gift is more than generous. It is just that-" Sychia started to reply, but was abruptly cut off. "Hey, flower girl, just take it. If that stone-faced guy is giving it to you, he probably has other tricks up his sleeves. As for me¡ªmy physique is all the protection I need. Between the three of us, it''s only you who''scking in this area. Or, do you n to slow us down?" Hakros remarked. Seeing that she was outnumbered and unable to return the talisman without seeming discourteous, Sychia decided to, albeit reluctantly, ept Izroth''s gift. "Then... I shall once more ept your generosity. Thank you." Sychia said as she tucked the talisman away into a safe ce. Although she felt guilty for feeding off Izroth''s kindness, Sychia swore to herself at that moment that no matter what it costs her, she would find a way to repay Izroth once they returned to the Mortal Realm. "By the way, you told us what we will be doing. But, where will you be?" Sychia questioned. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face as he replied, "Taking the other eye." ... A few momentster... The sight of moving shadow could be seen moving on the ground throughout the battlefield that was covered by thousands of those from the ancient races. This shadow appeared to have a will of its own as it weaved through the wave of enemies and into the backline of their forces. Swoosh! Suddenly, the shadow sped into an area near the pce gates cloaked in ayer of total darkness. The following moment, the shadow rose from the earth, taking on the form of a humanoid silhouette before revealing an individual. This person was, of course, Izroth. Izroth had already separated from Hakros and Sychia who went to take care of their assigned tasks. He used his Shadow Movement skill to infiltrate deep into enemy territory and then immediately found an area to use the skill Shadow Blending. This allowed him to erase his presence as long as he transversed his steps within darkness. Izroth observed the inside of the pce gates that the ancient races had stopped pouring out of just moments ago and instantly discovered something rming. ''I got here without much trouble, but it looks like my previous ns won''t be possible. This situation just became a lot moreplicated...'' Izroth only caught a brief glimpse of a white garment as its owner entered the pce. From his current distance, Izroth should have been at the very edge of being able to view it, but he saw it clearly in that instant¡ªthe system information that disyed for the owner of the white garment. Name: Pir of the East, Heaven''s Son Yia(???) Level: 0 Izroth wanted to use his Energy Vision Sense; however, before he could do so, he felt an intense warning from his Soul Sense as if urging him against the action. Without a doubt, the moment he used his Energy Vision Sense, his presence would be discovered! But, this did not make any sense. What was the Pir of the East doing in the territory belonging to the Pir of the West when their region was also supposed to be under assault?! Chapter 812: A Change of Plans, The Unstoppable Behemoth!

Chapter 812: A Change of ns, The Unstoppable Behemoth!

Fortunately, Izroth arrived at the time that he did; otherwise, his presence would have undoubtedly been discovered. Nevertheless, the presence of the Pir of the East changed everything. ''How troublesome. Now I understand why the conditions given by the system for an SSS-ranked quest seemed so generous. It looks like there''s no choice but to alter our original ns. That being said...'' At the moment, Izroth had no way of getting into contact with Astratis, who was currently on his way to confront the Pir of the West. Hopefully, the Son of Thunder had yet to enter the pce. If he did, Izroth may already be toote! ''A way to draw their attention without alerting them... Perhaps that method will work. It''s a bit risky since I don''t know how the Pir of the West will react, but it''s the only option right now that won''t cost me a great price to implement. Though if ites down to it, I may have to use it¡ªthe items I received from her.'' After ensuring that there was no one else entering the pce, Izroth activated his Flickering Steps. In addition, so that his presence would stay hidden, Izroth employed charges of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to cross certain areas where there was ack of darkness. In this way, Izroth was able to maintain the effects of his Shadow Blending skill. ... "A mortal wants to taint the sacrednd of our master and block my path?! You deserve a thousand deaths!" A screeching voice filled with anger echoed. This voice came from a person who bore a striking resemnce to the Keeper of the Ninth Gate, Vagelrio. The major difference was that this man''s horns were much thicker than Vagelrio''s. This individual was also a member of the Megada ancient race and one of the Keepers who served Ourami. Name: Keeper of the Seventh Gate, Keros(???) Level: ??? "Mortal this, mortal that¡ªit''s getting old. Just shut your mouth and talk with your fists, you oversized steak!" Hakros said as he mmed his fists together, creating a small but powerful shockwave that spread out in Keros'' direction. "Arrogant mortal! You darepare me to mere cattle! Die!" Keros'' eyes turned red with bloodlust as he struck the earth in front of him with both of hisrge hands, prating into the ground. The next moment, the number of veins on Keros'' arms increased as the earth around him trembled. Crrrrrack! The sound of the fracturing earth could be heard as the ground started to break apart. Then, in one swift motion, Keros pulled upward with great might, breaking off a thick piece of the earth that was more than ten meters in length. This was not a special skill, but just Keros disying his raw physical strength! "Ahhhh!" "Sir Keros! We''re still here!" Some of the ancient races who were less fortunate became caught up in Keros'' path; however, the Megada ignored their cries as some fell from therge stone. BANG! The shockwave send out by Hakros collided with the piece of earth lifted by Keros and shattered a portion of it upon impact. It also hit some of the ancient races who were lifted up by Keros. Swoosh! After blocking the shockwave, Keros slid his foot back into a throwing position. "Silence!!!" Keros cried out beforeunching what remained of the huge piece of earth towards Hakros with some of the ancient races still onboard! "What''s this? You want to have a contest of strength with me?" A grin formed on Hakros'' face as he kicked off his back foot. Instead of running away from the iing attack, he charged right into it without fear! "Then, don''t disappoint me!" Hakros roared as the aura around him exploded. Hakros crashed right into the huge piece of earth. Upon doing so, it was shattered into countless pieces as the ancient races who managed to hold on were flung away in every direction! "Block him!" One of the nearby ancient races called out. Several members of the ancient races quickly positioned themselves in between Hakros and Keros. Despite Keros'' brutal actions against his own side, the hierarchy was clear. They did not dare ck off in fear of incurring the Megada''s wrath. Or, even worse, angering their master! However, as those individuals from the ancient races attempted to intercept Hakros, the aura around him seemed to only grow stronger. There were those who were confident in their strength and sped forward to stop Hakros; however, they were immediately ttened under his feet. ded weapons, razor-sharp ws, poisonous needles¡ªno matter what the group of ancient races sent at Hakros, it all appeared to deflect off of his hardened physique! "What''s with this crazy mortal?! Why does his body ignore all of our attacks?" "His defense is too tough! He must have the protection of a high celestial! We have tobine our attacks to get through!" "We outnumber him! Focus your attacks on him! Focus your attacks!" In the blink of an eye, Hakros was surrounded on all sides as he continued his charge in Keros'' direction. In total, there were more than one hundred ancient races whose only goal right now was to im his life! But, what his enemies did not know was that trying to defeat him with numbers alone was the worst possible solution! "That''s more like it! All of you,e at me together! Ahahaha!" Hakros'' eyes glowed red as a heavy dark blue and white aura epassed his body. ROOOOOOOOOOOAR! Out of nowhere, the cry of a peerless ancient beast reverberated throughout the battlefield. This cry was enough to cause an instinctive fear for many of the ancient races present. However, this was not surprising considering the origins of this ancient beast''s cry. The Ancient Behemoth Okath was one of the primordial beings¡ªan entity equivalent to the father of all dragon bloodlines who was brought into existence by the world itself, the Celestial True Dragon! It was that same ancient behemoth''s bloodline that flowed through the veins of Hakros and granted him the power to ovee everything in his path. And, the more enemies he faced at once or the stronger the opponent in front of him, the greater Hakros'' strength grew! BOOM! With every step Hakros took, it was as if the space around him was bending and fluctuating. The pressure generated by the strengthened aura of the ancient behemoth was enough to directly affect the gravity in the environment, causing the space around the Unstoppable Behemoth to curve! Whenever Hakros'' foot touched the ground, the earth trembled and nearly gave way as multiple fissures formed on his path. The weaker ones among the ancient races could not even get close enough to attack due to this unusual phenomenon! As for Keros, his anger only seemed to grow as he watched the repeated failure of those under hismand. "A bunch of weaklings! Can''t even handle a puny mortal! Move!" Keros blurted out as he swept his arm outward, knocking away his own allies that were in front of him. Keros lowered his stance with his horns pointed forward. Then, in a split second, Keros elerated at great speeds. He was on a direct collision course with Hakros! "Gah!" "Move aside, Sir Keros is- Ahhhh!" Those who stood on Keros'' path, be it ally or foe¡ªit mattered not to the Megada. He had watched this disgraceful scene go on long enough! If they could not even handle a single mortal, then what use did they have for him or his master? This was Keros'' simple thought process. As for how a mortal was able to break through the encirclement and survive for so long, Keros did not care. All he knew was that as a member of the Megada ancient race, how could he lose to a mortal when it came to strength? It was an absurd notion! The distance between Hakros and Keros quickly shrunk. Neither looked as if they had any ns to move out of the other''s way. 10 meters... 5 meters... 1 meter...! "DIE!" Keros roared as he prepared to run through Hakros with his horns! But, what happened next caused the atmosphere to immediately undergo a drastic change. St! Without his momentum lowering in the slightest, Hakros charged right through Keros, splitting the Megada''srge body in four directions! This scene shocked the ancient races present whose eyes were filled with terror and disbelief at what they had just witnessed. There was no resistance, no struggle, no contest of strength¡ªonly a one-sided ughter! Hakros halted his charge as a looked of disappointment appeared on his face. "Since he was so confident, I didn''t hold back, but... What''s this? Why the hell was he so weak?" Hakros frowned. Zeeeeut! Hakros narrowed his eyes as he instinctively swung his fist to his right side; however, once he noticed who it was, he immediately halted his attack partway through. "Oh? This guy... Although I pulled back my attack just now, he''s stronger than he looks." Hakros internalized as he felt a hand pressed against the back of his wrist. "That''s quite the greeting you have," Izroth said calmly. "You''re not gonna me me, right? Sneaking up like that while we''re in the middle of a battlefield." Hakros replied. "Your words are not wrong. That aside, the item I left with you, hand it over. There''s been a change of ns. Also, I''m curious¡ªhow confident are you in your defense?" Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "Oh? It sounds like you''re about to do something interesting. Whatever it is, count me in. This guy wasn''t enough at all. As for my defense, whatever it is, I''ll receive it head-on!" Hakrosmented proudly. Chapter 813: Attention Received!

Chapter 813: Attention Received!

Hakros took out the item Izroth left with him and casually tossed it over. "You haven''t forgotten your other task, have you?" Izroth asked as he caught the item in his hand. "Tch, don''t worry, I didn''t forget. As long as flower girl is in my field of vision, she won''t be allowed to die." Hakros responded. As the two spoke casually while surrounded by enemies, a look of horror appeared on the faces of the nearby ancient races the instant Hakros removed the item. This thing¡ªwasn''t it the left eye that was kept by The Mandate of Scrutiny? How did these two get their hands on it?! It was no wonder they received such abrupt orders to eliminate all intruders without question. The Mandate of Scrutiny was tasked with watching over everything that went on in the Fourth Heart of the World and the left eye gifted to him by their master was what made that possible. The eye alone could be regarded as a high-level artifact. But, even if someone defeated The Mandate of Scrutiny, they would not have the courage toy their hands on it. That''s because that eye belonged to the Pir of the West, Ourami! What brave soul dared touch it? Or, at the least, that should have been the case. If these two were crazy enough to snatch the left eye of their master from The Mandate of Scrutiny, one could only question their actual strength as well as their sanity. That''s why the ancient races were hesitant to engage Izroth and Hakros even though they had them surrounded. Not only did one of them manage to run through Keros, someone from the Megada ancient race who were well known for their physical strength¡ªthey even took the left eye from The Mandate of Scrutiny. If they tried to fight such people, wouldn''t they just be rushing to their deaths? "Only the Keepers and Mandates of our master can fight them..." One of the ancient races muttered. "...We can''t retreat. If we do, the master will not tolerate it." "It''s just two of them, we can tire them out." "Tire? Sir Keros was blown apart. No tiring, we walk away in one piece it is a victory." "Attack or retreat?" "Attack? No, retreat? Wait, we..." "Which one? What are we doing?" After Keros'' defeat and the added pressure from being in front of the left eye, the ancient races quickly became disorganized and spiraled into a state of confusion. There was no leader to take control of the situation as the other Keepers and Mandates were busy with their own battles. When Izroth witnessed this sight, he inwardly shook his head. Many of the ancient races had a basic level of intellect; however, it seemed that most of them were not blessed with a high level of intelligence like the Ateleigos Thanasia or the Anzeyta Maragos. It also did not help that the pirs relied heavily on fear to keep the ancient races in line and viewed them as disposal goods. With thisbination, it was no surprise that the ancient races could not think for themselves when faced with a major crisis. They only knew how to follow the orders given to them. But, when both choices in front of them would lead to the same oue, which did they choose? As the ancient races struggled over their next course of action, a breeze that carried with it a few scattered cherry blossoms appeared near Izroth and Hakros before turning into a spiral. Swooosh! A small gale of wind formed as the spiral of cherry blossoms dispersed in every direction, revealing the Thousand Blossom Maiden. Sychia had just finished her battle against the Keeper of the Eighth Gate, Fidossa¡ªa being that belonged to a humanoid serpent-type ancient race. Their attacks were sharp and they possessed fangs that were capable of discharging deadly poison. Although she did not agree with the way the pirs did things, she had no personal grudge against Fidossa. But, seeing poison brought back some bad memories for Sychia to when she was ambushed. And, in the end, those thoughts quickly left the Thousand Blossom Maiden mind as she showed no mercy to her enemy. Once she wrapped things up on her end, Sychia was going to regroup with Hakros and begin to assist the other celestials in their fights at Izroth''s request. But, when she arrived, she noticed that Hakros was not alone. "You are here? Did you already seed?" Sychia asked curiously. ording to the original n, Izroth was supposed to be well within the pce. However, if he was here instead, did that mean he aplished his goal? Wasn''t this a bit too fast? "No, there''s been a change of ns. But, before we discuss that... It''s somewhat crowded here. Clear them out." Izroth stated calmly as his gaze swept across the ancient races around them. "Very well," Sychia replied without hesitation. "These guys are a bit boring, but... Whatever. I guess I can count it as a warm-up. After all, just this much alone¡ªI''m still not satisfied." Hakros grinned. The following moment, Sychia and Hakros left to carry out Izroth''s request as they started to mow down the ancient races and break the encirclement. As Hakros and Sychia took care of that problem, Izroth looked down at the small orb in the palm of his hand. Since the left eye was still registered as "alive" by the system, Izroth could not store it in his inventory, which is why he handed it over to Hakros for safekeeping. After all, he could not risk being discovered by Ourami as he snuck into the pce. But, now that the Pir of the East arrived, Izroth tossed aside his initial thoughts. ''Hopefully, this works to grab his attention.'' Izroth squeezed the eye in the palm of his hand, immediately gaining the attention of the individual behind it. He then lifted his hand to reveal a ring that emitted a vibrant aura of life. This ring was the Breath of Gaea that he received from the system upon entering the Secret Realm. At the request of Astratis, Izroth removed the ring before they departed from the Hidden Celestial Abode. Astratis mentioned that the aura of life the ring exuded would interfere with Isylo''s ability, which kept them away from the prying eyes of others. Therefore, Izroth had kept the ring in his inventory. That is, until now. Izroth ced this ring into the clear gaze of the eye. ''This ring¡ªare you familiar with it? Let''s find out.'' When Izroth revealed the ring to the eye, it locked its gaze onto the item. But, after a couple of seconds passed, the presence from the eye vanished once more. 5 seconds... 10 seconds... 15 seconds... As time went by, Izroth tried to activate the eye''s watchful gaze again. However, after he showed the ring, there was no further response. ''Did it fail?'' Izroth slightly furrowed his brows. Could it be that he was mistaken? ''It seems I will have to go with n B-'' Out of nowhere, Izroth''s Soul Sense sounded off numerous rms as he felt multiple power gazes lock onto him simultaneously! ''Oh? It looks I caught his attention, after all. Perhaps a little too well.'' At the same time, all throughout the battlefield, a bizarre scene unfolded that left both sides in a brief state of confusion. Without warning, the Keepers and Mandates who were busy facing the celestials had abruptly pulled out of their respective battles. "Trying to escape?!" Kyamakri shouted as she chased after her opponent with a spear in hand. She did not know what they were up to, but had no ns to sit around and wait to find out! A simr situation was unfolding with the other celestials as well, who followed in pursuit of their fleeing opponents. At first, they were concerned that Astratis'' presence had been discovered and they were making a retreat back to the pce. However, the Keepers and Mandates did not appear to be heading to the pce. Rather, they seemed to be making their way towards a specific location on the battlefield. But, just what or who could seize their attention to this extent while they were in the middle of an intense battle? In the blink of an eye, the area around Izroth, which had been recently cleared out by Hakros and Sychia, was once again upied. In a split moment, their position had be the center focus of the entire battlefield as the Mandates, Keepers, and Celestials all arrived. "It''s him?" Kyamakri was taken aback when she saw that the enemies appeared to be drawn by Izroth. Even if he was someone skilled, was this much necessary for one person? "Hm? Wait, that thing in his hand... And that ring... That''s...!" Kyamakri''s eyes widened in shock as she finally understood what was going on. And, she was not alone. The other celestials were also dumbfounded by Izroth''s actions. Who did not know of the bad blood that existed between the pirs and the one called Gaea?! They did not mix like oil and water. Hatred was too light of a word to describe it. If Izroth was in possession of this ring and still dared to step into the pir''s territory¡ªit was no wonder every Mandate and Keeper was drawn to him! Chapter 814: The Pillars Emerge!

Chapter 814: The Pirs Emerge!

The moment the Mandates and Keepers arrived, a terrifying bloodlust descended upon the battlefield to where Izroth, Hakros, and Sychia gathered. When Hakros felt this killing intent, the blood of the ancient behemoth that ran through his veins boiled with excitement. "This is more like it...!" Hakros growled. Being face to face with so many powerful opponents at once, how could he contain his enthusiasm? Hakros did not know what Izroth did to incur the hatred of this crowd so fast, but he wanted to learn such a useful method! "Remember what I said. Do not lose sight of the objective." Izroth reminded after clearly feeling a shift in the aura around Hakros. "Don''t worry. After all, you''re giving me a real good opportunity here to pay some old debts." Hakros stated with a fierce look in his eyes. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Suddenly, three figures appeared amidst Izroth and his group. One was the Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri. As for the other two, it was Izroth''s first time meeting them face to face outside the main travel group. On the left was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties and exuded a great aura. The hair that stopped just at his shoulders was half ck and half white. The iris of the man''s left eye was pitch ck like an abyss, while the white of his right eye was, instead, ck with a pure snow-white center. Although Izroth had never spoken with this man personally, he was not entirely unfamiliar with him. That''s because he was the one responsible for taking over the group''smunication after Isylo departed with Astratis¡ªthe Celestial of Duality, Diparxi. Though despite filling the role left by Isylo, Diparxi''s main ability was not merelymunicating and rying messages. He was one of the three legendary realm celestials present on the battlefield. Next to Diparxi was a woman who gave off an unusual aura. She possessed long messy ck hair that almost reached her ankles. Wrapped around her right eye and covering the top right part of her face were bandages; however, her left eye revealed a gorgeous light blue iris. Bandages were also wrapped around her chest as she wore a set of loose-fitting robes with an elegant yet domineering design that revealed her navel area. Attached to her left wrist with a simple strap was a gourd. The woman''s cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink, but it was not out of embarrassment or anger. Rather, if someone took one nce at the hazy look in her left eye and inhaled the scent of sweet liqueur that came from her, they would think that she was inebriated! And, they would not be wrong. This woman was the Daughter of Spirits, Methysria, as well as the strongest among those present, standing at thete stage of the legendary realm. Even though Methysria was the strongest, Astratis took into ount the unique nature of her ability and made Kyamakri the leader in his absence. Of course, this did not mean that Methysria was not able to think straight. "Hey, kid¡ªya have something reeeeal interesting there, ya know?~ Look, you really manage to set them off- hic! Hahaha!" Methysria stated as casually pointed towards ancient races unleashing their killing intent. She then lifted the gourd and took a few gulps before softly exhaling. "This is not the time for jokes, Methysria. Now that the essence of Gaea has been revealed in this ce, our ns have been ruined." Diparxi stated as he visibly frowned. He then looked over at Izroth and continued, "If you do not have a good exnation for your actions, even he will not be able to cover for you." They had nned this excursion for a long time. To fail now because of an avoidable mistake would be catastrophic. ''Ruined ns? I''m afraid it''s a little toote to be concerned about such things.'' Now that the Pir of the East had arrived, even if they went forward with the n, the only thing that awaited Astratis was a heavily wounded state¡ªand that was if he was fortunate. Unfortunately, Izroth did not have time to go into details given their current circumstances. However, if he left the celestials too far in the dark, they may be unwilling to cooperate. Therefore, he tapped his left shoulder twice, activating Diparxi''smunication ability. With it, he spoke only five words. But, these five words were enough topletely change the expressions of the celestials into one of somber. Even the Daughter of Spirits seemed to be pulled from her state of inebriation as the hazy look in her left eye cleared up. "This¡ªare you absolutely certain?" Kyamakri inquired in a grave tone. She secretly hoped that Izroth was just fooling around and speaking nonsense. At least, that would be better than the news he just delivered. But, against her hopes, Izroth gave a small nod in response. The words he said to the celestials were simple, "The east pir is here." "I can''t tell you exactly how I knew who it was, but¡ªmy eyes did not deceive me. That, I can assure you." Izroth rified calmly. Although the celestials were taken aback by his statement, Izroth could still sense an underlyingyer of doubt. For one, Izroth should have never met nor seen the Pir of the East or any of the pirs for that matter. Secondly, even if there was another pir present, wasn''t the timing of his discovery a bit too convenient to ignore? If not for the fact that Astratis personally vouched for Izroth and the previous disy of his detection ability that was well above Tox''s, the celestials would have thought Izroth was a spy sent to disrupt their ns at a critical point. Of course, the biggest reason behind helping to clear up their doubts was the ring on Izroth''s finger. The Breath of Gaea would not have fallen into the hands of someone who sided with the pirs. Kyamakri released a heavy sigh as she shook her head and said, "This makes no sense. The pirs have never acted together since the First Overturn many cycles ago. Even if their territory is under direct threat, thest person they''ll turn to is another pir. That is unless something unprecedented urred without our knowledge." "Indeed, this is well outside their ordinary behavior," Diparximented. Suddenly, Methysria narrowed her eyes as she nced to her right. "It seems we''ll have to put this conversation on hold. We have some guests arriving." Methysria said in a calm yet solemn manner. Not long after those words left her mouth, the earth trembled as a great scene unfolded. The ancient races kneeled down simultaneously as their killing intent immediately vanished without a trace. In the presence of these individuals, they did not dare carry the slightest hint of killing intent. The following moment, an oppressive aura descended upon the entire battlefield. It was so heavy that simply standing had be a challenging task. In addition, the Ethos in the atmosphere became thick, making it difficult to breathe naturally. As this phenomenon unfolded, the massive pce doors in the distance opened as two figures emerged. With one step, they instantly disappeared and, in the blink of an eye, stood in the sky above the battlefield. ''Oh? I thought it''d take a little more effort, but... It turns out I pulled an even bigger fish. It''s no wonder they didn''t act against us immediately despite their bloodlust.'' "Struggling against a group of insects? Pathetic. What''s the point of keeping you alive if you can''t perform a task as simple as removing trash?" One of the two individuals said with a deep and indifferent voice. The one who spoke was a man with straight white hair that stopped halfway down his back. He had a pair of piercing light silver eyes and donned attire fit for a ruler. Though the most frightening thing about this person was that the pressure he emitted was not in any way inferior to the Son of Thunder. This man was the Pir of the West, who was also called Heaven''s Strength, Ourami! "You can deal with their failure at ater time. I''m more curious as to why some brat who can''t even properly circte his Ethos is in possession of the ring that belongs to that cursed woman. Also... What gives him the courage to act so brazenly?" The one next to Ouramimented. There was only one individual in the eyes of the ancient races worthy enough to stand next to their master. That was, of course, the Pir of the East, Heaven''s Son, Yia. The Pir of the East had short ck hair and wore arge white coat that hid his body. His eyes were constantly closed, so it was impossible to peer into them. And, just like Ourami, this individual was no weaker than Astratis or his two brothers. "Is there a need for such curiosity? Should we question every ant that wanders onto our path? The solution is simple¡ªwe just have to step on it." Ourami said as he looked down from above on Izroth and the other of celestials. In his eyes, they were no different from a passing group of ants! Chapter 815: The Keepers and Mandates of Ourami

Chapter 815: The Keepers and Mandates of Ourami

Zeeeeut! Suddenly, Sychia, Hakros, Kyamakri, Diparxi, and Methysria vanished from sight. But, they were not the only ones. All throughout the battlefield within a hundred meters, no celestial was anywhere to be found! This was one of Diparxi''s abilities that allowed him to swap the positions of those affected by the ghostly-like beings he controlled with ones ced at a different location. Diparxi had set this up beforehand in case of an emergency situation where they had to fall back. Needless to say, the presence of two pirs undoubtedly fell under this category. Unfortunately, this ability was only enough to buy them some time given its limited range and the fact that they were within an area under the influence of a pir. When Ourami and Yia saw the celestials disappearance, neither of the two reacted to stop them. "They want to flee once they''ve stepped into the Fourth Heart of the World? A futile attempt. Even with the Teraidi''s absence, the likes of you cannot escape from my grasp." Ourami scoffed. "Hm? What''s this? Did they abandon theirrade? It turns out in the face of death, even those celestials lose their vigor and values." Yiamented as his attention fell onto a single person who had remained behind after the other celestials and those two mortals fled. "Are you surprised? They know better than to dare walk before us while carrying the essence of that woman. Perhaps they believe we will show them mercy if they distance themselves from it. Such a useless gesture. It''s just what I''d expect from a group of ungrateful rebels. We should have eliminated them all from the beginning." Ourami stated as his gazended on the sole person left behind. "You are having quite the casual conversation up there. Can it be that I don''t exist in your eyes?" Izroth said indifferently. Izroth stood alone in the face of the two pirs and amidst a sea of ancient races that surrounded him on all sides. In the eyes of others, it may look as though Izroth had been abandoned. However, Izroth had requested to be left behind of his own ord! Of course, there were those who were against it. Sychia believed it was too reckless and tried to change Izroth''s mind. Or, at the very least, stay and help him fight. But, when Izroth said he had his own reasons for doing so, they could only hope that he was not speaking empty words just to soothe their conscious. Though, in the end, they epted Izroth''s choice. Not only did Izroth warn them about the presence of a second pir, but he was even willing to ce himself in harm''s way so that Astratis would not walk into his potential demise. At this point, if Izroth said he had his own reasons, they trusted his words. However, the most surprising matter was how easily Hakros epted falling back with the celestials. This was even more shocking when the one who left him in that previously pathetic state had arrived right in front of his eyes. Would someone of Hakros'' temperament be able to control himself with such polished grace? The next moment, a powerful gale of wind blew out from Izroth''s location as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. A look of disgust and anger formed on Ourami''s face when Izroth spoke. "Insolent! A mere lower celestial dares to speak and draw their weapon before us?!" Ourami erupted in a great fury. Since when were the pirs spoken to in such a casual manner, let alone by a lower celestial? That ant even had the courage to unsheathed its weapon in their presence! Had their prestige fallen so low since the rebellion that now even some random nobody had the courage to speak to them without permission? How absurd! "Cut off its hands and bring me its ring. As for what you do with the rest of it¡ªmake sure that ant dies a painful death." Ourami ordered coldly. Right after Ourami gave this order, the sea of ancient races rose to their feet. At the front of this great force were the remaining six Keepers and Mandates of Ourami. Name: Left Hand of Ourami, The Mandate of Force(???) Level: 0 Name: Right Hand of Ourami, The Mandate of Seizing(???) Level: 0 Name: Keeper of the Sixth Gate, Akeli(???) Level: 0 Name: Keeper of the Third Gate, Tigryli(???) Level: 0 Name: Keeper of the Second Gate, Fantamonas(???) Level: 0 Name: Keeper of the First Gate, Protas(???) Level: 0 Unlike The Mandate of Scrutiny and most other Keepers, those who remained Keepers were not primarily humanoid-animal hybrids except for the Keeper of the Third Gate, Tigryli. Tigryli appeared to be a cross between a man and a tiger. He possessed a powerful frame and a natural beastly aura. But, besides the Protas, Tigryli looked the most ordinary out of the remaining Keepers and Mandates. As for the First Gate Protas¡ªhe looked the most human out of any of the ancient races present. Protas was epassed by a mysterious aura that made it difficult to get an exact read on him; however, that was only if one relied on their eyes alone. Though Izroth knew that out of the Keepers and Mandates alike, Protas was the strongest and had already stepped into thete stage of the legendary realm. The Sixth Gate Akeli is where the appearances started to drift further away from a typical humanoid ancient race. Akeli was a headless creature with a devilish form. One could not tell if it was male or female as six thin, to the point of being almost sickly, dark red triple jointed limbs extended from the side of its body. What appeared to be eyes ran along the surface of its twisted physique. The Second Gate Fantamonas was a specter-like entity with no true physical form and seemed to exist both in and out of this world simultaneously. Though when it came to the Left Hand of Ourami, The Mandate of Force¡ªthings took an even more bizarre turn. The Mandate of Force resembled a tall seven-meter dark stone statue of a woman with flowing tears carved as if they were flowing from her eyes. But, unlike a typical statue, the woman''s head was ced sideways at the center of her body. The statue''s front hands were pressed together as if offering a prayer and from its upper back protruded a total of thirty-two additional arms. And, they were one of the two primary stage legendary realm beings Izroth sensed earlier. The Right Hand of Ourami, The Mandate of Seizing, was thergest present, spanning roughly fifteen meters. At its core was an area covered with a pair of small ck wings and from this core expanded five enormous pairs of wings. Two pairs of wings came from the top of the core, two pairs from its sides, and one pair from below. These wings were covered in several thickyers of obsidian feathers that looked challenging to prate. And, just like the other Mandate, it was also at the primary stage of the legendary realm. However, Izroth understood that one''s realm did not always urately represent one''s total strength. While it was a good general rule of thumb to follow, one would be unwise to follow it rigidly. These six beings were a part of Ourami''s core force andmanded the vast army under him. Their loyalty to the Pir of the West was absolute. "It''s been a while since I''ve seen the master this furious. I''ll do the honor of taking care of this impudent whelp." Tigryli said as he released a low growl and leaped forward. BANG! Tigrylinded directly in front of Izroth. He was at least twice Izroth''s size and his muscr frame was on par with a member of the Megada ancient race. Tigryli was someone in the initial stage of the legendary realm. He relied on a streak of relentless attacks, as well as utilizing his speed, power, and natural instincts to overwhelm his opponents in battle. A grin formed on Tigryli''s face as he stared down at Izroth. This person barely had any Ethos running through their veins. He could sneeze and they would die from the pressure! Tigryli''s eyes fell into the de in Izroth''s hands as his nose twitched. "This guy has some really good stuff. A de that''s touched the Primordial Forge¡ªit''s too good for the likes of your hands. I''ll offer it to our master!" Tigryli roared as he swiped down with a heavy force. His goal was not to im Izroth''s life, but rather to carry out his master orders and take off Izroth''s hands with one strike! Bzzzzt...! Crrrrrckle! Out of nowhere, the clouds in the sky darkened as a purple bolt of lightning struck down from the skies right to where Izroth and Tigryli were located! During this sh of light, Izroth''s figure began to flicker as two arms made of lightning emerged out of thin air! Chapter 816: Taking Advantage!

Chapter 816: Taking Advantage!

When the sound of an ear-piercing thunderp rang throughout the atmosphere, Tigryli''s heart sunk. He looked shocked and shaken by the appearance of the lightning. And, he was not the only one. However, the reason was soon made clear as to what was behind this abruptly generated fear. "It''s the rebel¡ªthe Son of Thunder is here!" "The Son of Thunder hase!" Many of the ancient races cried out and although there was a difference in phrasing, they all mentioned one thing¡ªthe Son of Thunder. Standing in the sky, a visible frown of displeasure formed on Ourami''s face. And, while Yia''s expression did not change much, his furrowed brows seemed to leave him mildly bewildered. "Since when was there another celestial with the ability to call down the world''s judgment from the skies?" Yia questioned. In the Secret Realm, the world''s judgment is what others knew as lightning. The reason the ancient races and even the pirs were taken aback was due to a simple fact. There was only one individual in the world who could call down lightning from the skies and that person was the Son of Thunder, Astratis. "No. Celestial or not, there is no other being in this world who can call down the world''s judgment besides the Rebellious Son of Thunder¡ªat least, not in the world we''vee to know," Ourami stated in an indicative tone. "What are you trying to say?" Yia asked as Ourami''s tone piqued his interest. "Not long ago during my outside excursions, I came across some interesting mortals," "Interesting mortals? Do not jest. You''ve already contradicted yourself." Yia interrupted. How could a powerless mortal be interesting to beings of their caliber and standing? "I was skeptical at first too, but you can not feel it, can you¡ªthe Ethos contained within that lightning?" Ourami asked. Boom..! Tigryli''s attack created a small shockwave; however, instead of blowing Izroth away as he originally intended, his attack was met with a flickering silhouette that scattered in every direction. Tigryli narrowed his eyes and released a low growl when he realized that Izroth was attempting to flee from his grasp. Just now, he had briefly hesitated when the lightning revealed itself and almost made aplete fool of himself in front of not just his master, but another pir as well! To make matters worse, the person he was supposed to have pped away in one strike had ignored him altogether! "To make a fool of me in front of our master... You must die!!!!" Tigryli roared as his physique began to bulk up and his eyes turned bright red with bloodlust. Tigryli shifted his stance from one that was upright to standing on all fours as he allowed his beastly instincts to take over! The next moment, Tigryli kicked off his hind legs and sped forward after Izroth at a terrifying speed. With his beastly transformation, the Keeper of the Third Gate was actually a step above Izroth''s speed¡ªeven with his Flickering Steps active. ''Oh? It''s been a while since I''ve met someone who could keep up with me while Flickering Steps is active, let alone surpass me in terms of speed.'' But, Izroth was not too surprised that Tigryli could keep up with him. For one, Tigryli was someone equal to a being at the innate stage legendary realm. Though, more importantly, Tigryli possessed a set of powerful hind legs. His hind legs were shaped in such a way that they acted like springs that stored up a great deal of energy before exploding forward. This was one of the advantages of the enhanced beastly frame granted to him by his transformation. ''At that speed, it won''t take him long to catch up. In that case... I''ll take full advantage of their carelessness.'' Izroth was well aware of how he was viewed in the eyes of the Pirs, Keepers, and Mandates alike. To them, he was only someone who was acting recklessly in order to buy time for hisrades to retreat. But, that could not be any further from the truth. Zeeeut! Izroth''s figure flickered around the battlefield as the arms of lightning followed closely behind. There were no longer just the two arms of lightning he started with. In the blink of an eye, their number had already grown to seven! Woosh! Izroth shed out with his Sword of the Storm as its edge swept clean across the neck of a nearby Megada. Then, in the same breath, the seven arms of lightning mimicked Izroth''s attack and also targeted the Megada. But, by the time it got to the fourth arm of lightning, the Megada had fallen under the sudden onught. The domineering arms of lightning that gave off an oppressive aura were a result of Izroth''s Call of the Thunder God Third State: Heavenly Arms. Not only did it grant Izroth a massive attack boost that could grow over time, but it also conjured arms of lightning¡ªeach of which was capable of mimicking his attacks. While the attacks made by the arms of lightning did not carry over a skill''s special effect or crowd control, it inflicted 10% of the skill''s damage as pure lightning damage that ignored defenses. Though 10% alone was not too impressive, with an upper arm limit of 100, it could stack to incredible heights. This is why Izroth decided to go after the weaker enemies first. Once he gained more arms of lightning, even those stronger and more sturdy ancient races would find it challenging to survive the seemingly nonstop onught of attacks. Crrrrckle! After eliminating the Megada, the remaining arms of lightning swiftly shifted their target to the closest individual, which was a being of the serpent-like ancient race. This creature had a much weaker constitution than the Megada and was vanquished after receiving the three remaining consecutive blows. ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Megada Warrior Karvos?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The duration of ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? has been increased by 15 seconds and your attack has risen by 5%!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Serpent Fang Slith?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The duration of ?Third State: Heavenly Arms? has been increased by 15 seconds and your attack has risen by 5%!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions... At the moment, Izroth was quickly sweeping through the crowd of ancient races. With his Energy Vision Sense active, he picked off enemies with weaker Ethos and avoided those he could not finish in a single strike with the assistance of his arms of lightning. In this way, Izroth could build up as many stacks of his arms of lightning as possible in the shortest time frame. Izroth kept his movements fluid yet erratic as he moved through the crowd untethered. And, every time Tigryli was about to catch up to him, Izroth would use a charge of his Instantaneous Movement or activate his Light-Feather Footwork to gain a small boost of speed. This caused Tigryli to nearly go mad from anger. No matter how close he came, it seemed that Izroth was always one hair''s length away from him! "Do you n to run away forever?!" Tigryli bellowed as he came to a grinding halt, causing the earth beneath him to shatter. Tigryli crossed his arms out in front of him as he deeply inhaled. As he inhaled, Tigryli''s chest expanded like a balloon. When the ancient races who were close by witnessed the Third Gate''s actions, they wasted no time moving out of his path. "Out of the way! Sir Tigryli is going to roar!" "Move it! Don''t get in Sir Tigryli''s way!" Half a breathter, as some of the ancient races were trying to stay clear of Tigryli''s path, the Third Gate''s mouth opened as a massive shockwave burst forth. At first, there was no sound as everything within a fifty-meter radius seemed to fall silent. During this silence, the entire ground in front of Tigryli was upended as the earth violently trembled. ...ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR A fraction of a secondter, the sound finally managed to catch up to the emergence of the shockwave that was generated as a mighty roar descended upon the battlefield. Despite some of the ancient races'' best efforts, many of them were caught up in the widespread shockwave. Meanwhile, the shockwave from the roar managed to catch up to Izroth, who had kept the Third Gate just out of his reach. This was not a typical shockwave with only pressure as its main driving force. It was flooded and saturated with Tigryli''s Ethos and carried with it a destructive wave of aura that wanted to level anything that dared step onto its path. ''I can''t outrun it.'' Izroth had already consumed hisst charge of Instantaneous Movement and the next would not be up for another few seconds. ''Then... Guess I have no choice but to take it a bit seriously.'' In an action that wentpletely against the expectations of those present, Izroth stopped and faced in the direction of the shockwave. At the same time, he adjusted his stance as a thickyer of essence wrapped around his Sword of the Storm. Chapter 817: A Well Timed Gift, A Given Opportunity

Chapter 817: A Well Timed Gift, A Given Opportunity

Izroth tightened his grip on his sword as the shockwave approached! ''Sending me such a well-timed gift... I should thank him properly.'' Izroth poured a portion of his essence into the Sword of the Storm as the sword intent around the de intensified. Then, just as the destructive shockwave arrived before him, with one clean motion, Izroth outward horizontally. At first, it looked as though Izroth was going to lose his ground. However, in that split moment, an arm of lightning mimicked Izroth''s actions. Followed by a second arm and then the remaining seven! Although Izroth''s arms of lightning did not copy a skill''s effect, it did reinforce them. And, that''s exactly what Izroth needed for this skill. The Second Sword Form: Returning Wave¡ªSword Return. ''It''s still not enough.'' Izroth could feel himself slowly giving way to the shockwave. If not for the arms of lightning reinforcing him, he would have already been blown away by it! ''If this isn''t enough, then...'' All of a sudden, Izroth was filled with a new surge of strength. Veins could be seen protruding from the flesh on his hands and neck as the force behind the shockwave was immediately diminished. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated ?Ring of the Ancient Colossus?''s effect ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus!?¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of Might have been temporarily amplified by 100% for the next 1 minute.?¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You are now immune to all rank C or lower offensive magic.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You are now immune to all physical attacks that would deal less than 10% of your maximum HP.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All non-weapon based physical attacks deal 200% of your attack power as bonus physical damage.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All weapon-based attacks deal 40% bonus physical damage.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Your physical strength has increased by 600%.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You will now recover 100% faster from all negative status effects and physical irregrities.¡µ After activating the effect of his Ring of the Ancient Colossus, Izroth stood his ground firmly as the shockwave reversed its direction. Simultaneously, its previous lost momentum and diminished power returned in an even greater force as it erupted back out towards the direction it came! In the distance, Tigryli had fully exhaled and returned to his normal beastly state. A sly grin appeared on his face as he looked over that high level of destruction caused by his hands. Even though his goal was not to kill Izroth right away, Tigryli had momentarily lost his temper after being constantly humiliated in front of two pirs. Therefore, he had to do something to restore his pride. "Hopefully, the master doesn''t hold it against me. I should hurry up and retrieve the ring and sword to present it-" BOOOOOOM! RMMMMMMBLE! Tigryli abruptly halted his words as the earth trembled. But, this time, it was even more intense than when he released the shockwave just now! "What is this...?!" Tigryli released a low growl. Soon after, Tigryli''s eyes widened as a look of disbelief formed on his face followed by one of bewilderment. That''s because something wasing towards him at a rapid pace¡ªit was the same shockwave he used, except its power and range had been more than doubled! But, how was this possible?! Hundreds of ancient races, who originally believed there had backed away to a safe enough distance, soon found themselves caught up in the shockwave. Most of them were caughtpletely off guard and had not prepared any type of defense skills. As a result, the casualties spiked well into the hundreds as the earth around them was ttened by the pressure! Tigryli knew that he would not be able to outrun this shockwave. And, even if his defense was a little higher than average, this specific type of attack focused more on causing internal damage than external. If he took such a strike head-on, without a doubt, the injury would not be small! Tigryli unleashed a mighty roar as he crossed his arms and braced for impact! Swoosh! Out of nowhere, a figure appeared in front of the Third Gate. This person was the strongest among Ourami''s followers, Keeper of the First Gate, Protas. "Tigryli, you have embarrassed our master enough for a lifetime¡ªin front of his guest, no less. When this is over, you will be punished ordingly." Protas said indifferently. Tigryli could not even retort or defend himself¡ªonly hold his head low in shame as he wallowed in his humiliation. At that moment, the image of the person responsible for his misfortune came to mind. Of course, that person was Izroth. "Unforgivable! How dare he embarrass me in front of the master! I''ll kill him! I''ll kill him!" Tigryli internalized as he could not control his killing intent. Protas peered into the distance as the shockwave finally reached him. "This has gone on long enough," Protas stated as he casually waved his hand forward. Instantly upon doing so, the shockwave that carried with it a great momentum was dispersed as a long dark purple scar at least twenty meters long formed diagonally across the air. From this scar, a terrifying energy spread out and seemed to devour any remnants of Ethos from the dispersed shockwave as it hovered above. Meanwhile, Izroth sensed an intense gaze locked onto him in the distance. ''Oh? He''s making his move already?'' Among the Keepers and Mandates, Protas was the only one Izroth ced at thete stage of the legendary realm. Izroth was not thoughtless. He knew that with his current strength, defeating Protas single-handedly, let alone the pirs, was a mindless fantasy¡ªthat is if they were by themselves. ''They should be making their move soon. In that case, I should not dy things on my end any longer.'' Behind Izroth was a brilliant disy of arms of purple lightning. Thanks to the shockwave just now, before Protas moved in to stop it, Izroth was able to reach his maximum Arm of Lightning stacks. The number of arms had grown from a mere nine to one hundred! With so many arms of lightning gathered, it looked as if Izroth had a pair of lightning wings at his back. Izroth quickly essed his inventory and removed a Medium-Grade Mana Potion, restoring his mana to its peak state as his Flickering Steps had long sincee to an end. ''With Strength of the Ancient Colossus active, I should be able to reduce the bacsh. By how much, I''m not sure, but... You''re watching this right now, aren''t you? I''ll give you an opportunity. Whether you take it or not is up to you.'' When Izroth finished consuming the mana potion, lightning began to epass his body as a loose and deeply saturated purple flowing mantle startled to form. The mantle was created by the lightning element and had a tattered appearance; however, it covered Izroth from head to toe. A hood materialized that fully covered Izroth''s face, leaving behind only a violet aura visible where his eyes were located. ''Second State: Heavenly Cloak. Fully Mantle.'' After activating his Full Mantle, Izroth gained another source of attack boost. Along with achieving the maximum stacks from his arms of lightning and his recently improved Sword of the Storm, in total, Izroth''s attack stat rose to a frightening degree, just barely peaking past the 30,000 mark¡ªthis did not even ount for the passive benefits of his increased Might stat! This kind of attack stat waspletely unheard of for yers and was easily on par with some high-leveled boss monsters! Suddenly, Izroth''s figure began to warp and bend to a degree of extremity as a purple light shed and his figure vanished. "Hm? This person..." Protas narrowed his eyes as he lost track of Izroth; however, it did not take long for the First Gate to regain sight of him. "?!" The space before Protas fluctuated as Izroth appeared before him without warning and in eerie silence. But, just as Izroth reached his destination, the sound of his movement finally caught up to him. Crrrckle! BOOOOOM! The ce where Izroth stood not even half a second ago shook violently as an implosive thunderp rung throughout the battlefield and further shattered the already broken earth around the area. Protas reacted instantly, shing out with his hand to where Izroth positioned as the Ethos around him exploded! Woosh! Protas hand shed right through Izroth as the space continued to fluctuate before Izroth''s figure dissipated. "This is the speed of a lower celestial? Absurd." Protas thought to himself as his attack struck nothing but air. Izroth gave off the Ethos of a lower celestial, but after the recent events that transpired, Protas found that notion to be somewhat ridiculous. "What is he trying to do?" Protas internalized as he quickly followed after the brief trial of Ethos Izroth left in his wake. Izroth hadpletely ignored him and continued on his way even though he had a perfect opportunity to strike. Protas was curious as to what his sights were set on. Chapter 818: A Terrifying Blow!

Chapter 818: A Terrifying Blow!

... Izroth used the Compressed Lightning Movement from his Full Mantle to gain short but massive bursts of movement speed. Just now, he had covered over 100 meters with a single step! Even for someone like Protas who was at thete stage of the legendary realm, as long as one did not specialize in speed, they could only catch a glimpse of Izroth''s afterimage. ''The bacsh is considerably less this time around. If two points of Might reduced it by this much, then as long as I find the right opportunity to upgrade my Heavenly Golden Body, it may be possible to use the all-out burst without being rendered helpless in the end.'' Previously, Izroth could only use five bursts of Compressed Lightning Movement. However, with the addition of the Might stat, that number had improved to eight. Additionally, the distance he could travel per burst rose from 88 meters to 108 meters¡ªa distance that would have been even greater if he had his Flickering Steps active. Unfortunately, Izroth was still unable to fully control using his Flickering Steps along with the Compressed Lightning Movement. While doing so granted Izroth unimaginable speed, the bacsh was too harsh¡ªeven if he did have the Might stat to assist with the recovery process. So, Izroth decided to wait until his Flickering Steps came to an end before activating his Compressed Lightning Movement. ''I''ve used two full-range bursts just now. This is close enough.'' The space around Izroth warped and bent as he came to a grinding halt. The earth where he stopped shattered under his feet as sparks of purple lightning jumped around his mantle. Every second Izroth had Compressed Lightning Movement active or used a full range burst, he lost a certain percentage of his HP as a result. Despite this, Izroth did not eliminate any of the ancient races along his path in order to recover with his lifesteal. Of course, it was not just out of pity or the kindness of his heart. In fact, there were two reasons for Izroth doing so. The first reason had to do with his arms of lightning. Each arm would mimick Izroth''s attack, but there was a 0.10 attack dy on each arm. Under normal circumstances, this would be incredibly fast at ten attacks per second. However, the downside was that until thest arm finished its strike, Izroth would be unable to attack again. This meant that for ten seconds, Izroth''s only offensive skill would be the arms of lightning and the mimicked attacks. Unfortunately, Izroth did not have ten seconds to waste. This was even more so considering that the draining effects of his Compressed Lightning Movement increased the longer he kept the skill active. As for the second reason, it was simple. For what Izroth had nned, the more targets that were alive¡ªthe greater the oue. ''This location should do.'' Izroth held his Sword of the Storm sideways out before him with one hand. The moment he performed this action, many of the nearby ancient races heard the faint sound of a slow heartbeat. The sound of the heartbeat appeared to have no true origin and seemingly came from nothingness. With every passing moment, the heartbeat sped up and soon after, it started beating so rapidly that it fell silent. Oooooooooom! "What''s this sound?" "I can''t move! ROOOOOAR!" "We..." The unique sound of a hum resonated throughout the battlefield. This hum was fleeting, but for its brief duration, it seemed to silence everything¡ªeven the world itself. At the same time, the natural instincts of the ancient races seemed to re up out of control as the look in their eyes changed. Then, in the blink of an eye, a bizarre scene unfolded. The ancient races began to attack one another and fight amongst themselves. It was as if they had a sudden fallout with one another! However, if one observed the look in their eyes closely, they would notice a crazed frenzy about them that was not previously present. "Third Baneful Sword..." Izroth slowly closed his eyes as his existence seemed to fuse with the area in his surroundings. "..m... Stop him!" Protas'' voice exploded as he moved full speed towards Izroth''s direction. The sound had finally returned and carried his voice. When Protas gave the order, the Keepers and Mandates started to make their move. If Protas was reacting this way, it meant that whatever that person was up to must be stopped! However, the Keepers and Mandates were the only ones who responded to Protas'' order. As for the remaining ancient races, they were either unable to move or in a frenzied state. But, this was not a result of Izroth''s skill. Rather, it was from the Soul Pressure he exerted from his Spirit Source! A devastating pressure descended within 100 meters that spread out from Izroth''s location. The aura was vile and filled with a nature of destruction that had been saturated in an immense killing intent. Once again, everything within 100 meters fell silent as if even the world did not dare make a sound in front of this terrifying presence. In that split moment, the area turned ck and white as the world became silent, still, and peaceful. "Annihtion." The moment that word left Izroth''s mouth, the peaceful world unraveled. Izroth gradually opened his eyes as the ck and white world disappeared. Upon doing so, a stream of system alerts flooded Izroth''s mind. So much so that the system had to automatically silence them. ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?The Mandate of Force?!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Megada Warrior Takavas?!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Keeper of the Sixth Gate?!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Fierce Hound Grekoro?!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Keeper of the Third Gate, Tigryli?!¡µ ¡´System: Congrattions... Izroth stood silently as he looked towards the sky. ''How unfortunate...'' Meanwhile, in the sky over the battlefield, the two pirs stood just barely far enough to be out of range of Izroth''s Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion. However, the expressions on their faces had turned serious before bing infuriated! They, who ruled over this world with an iron fist, were forced to retreat in front of someone?! How many cycles had it been since they suffered such tant humiliation?! "He cannot be allowed to live," Ourami said coldly. "I agree. He must die here today." Yiamented. Ourami was so caught up in the moment, that he did not even realize that for the first time, he referred to Izroth as "he" instead of an "it". "That attack just now cannot be underestimated. It directly drew in the strength of those under its influence. If both of us were caught in it just now, we may not have walked awaypletely unscathed." Yia noted. He then continued, "What you said earlier about there being other worlds out there¡ªI believe you. That person obviouslycks the Ethos to perform these feats. In order to do so, he must have a unique energy source that exists outside the world we know. If we can get our hands on that power and make it ours, then..." Yia''s eyes opened slightly as he nced over at Ourami in a meaningful way. "I know what you want to say. It just so happens that I was about to suggest the same thing." Ourami responded. If they could grab ahold of that mysterious energy source behind Izroth''s power, then they would be able to overtake the other pirs. And, given enough time, even achieving a status simr to that of their Protogenos would not be out of reach! How could they pass up such a premium opportunity?! "We will act together to detain him," Ourami said as he pped his hands together. The next moment, several thick chains materialized at the pir''s sides. These were the same chains Ourami used to seal Hakros'' consciousness. Their origin was one of mystery and it was difficult to perceive their existence even though they were right next to Ourami. "This situation is absurd; however... I am inclined to agree." Yia stated as a dark ring made of Ethos formed in front of him. This ring was approximately one meter in diameter and constantly rotated at high speeds, releasing asional sparks of Ethos as it spun. The two pirs descended from the sky andnded on the ground several meters away from Izroth. A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face; however, it was hidden by the hood of his mantle. "You two ran away faster than I anticipated. Well, it''s fine. I suppose the pirs only amount to this much." Izroth said nonchntly. Ourami''s expression darkened as he coldly responded, "We value strength over all else. That is why we shall give you a chance. Surrender and obey us. It is the only way you will leave this ce with your life. Otherwise, only death awaits." "Amusing... You run away then return to make empty threats. What else can it be but amusing?" Izrothmented. He then continued, "Besides, I''ve already made other arrangements." "What are you-" Crrrrrckle! p! Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Yia vanished from Ourami''s side as a trail of lightning was left in his wake. However, the trail of lightning was not Izroth''s purple lightning! Chapter 819: Unparalleled

Chapter 819: Unparalleled

Izroth had no time to read over the upgraded Heavenly Golden Body; however, he could feel the extreme changes his body underwent as well as the effects they brought about. For one, Izroth felt that the bones in his body had be increasingly durable. He noticed that the instant he stepped through into the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body, the strain caused by his Compressed Lightning Movement was sharply reduced. In addition, the previous build-up of stress on Izroth''s body that was generated by his earlier three movements had practically vanished altogether. But, there was another change that directly affected Izroth''s body in an extreme fashion. The Earthly Golden Bones not only boosted his overall strength capabilities but also increased his body mass to fives times its original amount! The additional mass did not alter his physical appearance; however, even more unusual, the abrupt shift in mass had no effect on Izroth''s mobility. Somehow, it felt as if it were simultaneously present and nonexistent. The rattling of chains echoed around Izroth in every direction. In a sh, Ourami''s chains sealed off the area around Izroth as they rapidly began to copse in on themselves while several of the chains shot out in an attempt to restrain Izroth. It was obvious that Ourami did not care whether or not Izroth was severely injured; however, it was clear that the pir wanted to capture him alive. Izroth was not naive. Just because his Heavenly Golden Body was upgraded and he had Full Mantle as well as the World of Annihtion buff from his Third Baneful Sword still active, did not mean that his chances of obtaining victory had skyrocketed. At most, it only jumped by a couple of percent if even that. Ourami had not used anything close to a domain or Source, yet he was already able to disy a great deal of power. And, while Izroth was uncertain whether or not the residents of this Secret Realm were even capable of learning a domain or Source, the fact did not change that Ourami had yet to demonstrate his true ability. Izroth remembered that Astratis mentioned Ourami''s title as Heaven''s Strength was not just for show. And, in terms of physical strength, within the Secret Realm, he had no equal. If someone like Astratis spoke that way, then it was not a simple matter of overexaggerating the pir''s ability. Without a doubt, Ourami''s true strengthy in his abnormal physical body. This was something caught a glimpse of after attacking him not too long ago. The protective aura that epassed Ourami when he attacked was not generated from a magic item like his Seventh Origin mes Ne or some hidden artifact. Instead, the protective aura around Ourami came from the core of the pir''s physique. Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, a rain of chains fell down upon Izroth in a seemingly endless barrage. Every time one of the chains struck the earth, it trembled from the impact and left deep scars in its wake. At the same time, Izroth slowly felt his consciousness slipping away as he became somewhat drowsy. ''This is...'' Izroth closed his eyes. In the beginning, the rattling of the chains seemed like nothing more than jumbled noise. But, upon listening closely, the sound of a unique melody flowed was created amidst the chaos. This sound was discernable under typical circumstances; however, Izroth could "see" the strange points with his Energy Vision Sense. The unique melody was hypnotic and drew one in. By the time they realized what was going on, it would be toote. Zeeeeut! Thirty meters away from the sphere of chains, Izroth appeared out of thin air as he opened his eyes and briefly observed the chains in the distance. If he was a bit slower, he may have ended up in the same state he could Hakros back at the ckke! ''Those chains... They''re simr to the mystery chains that represent the will of the world.'' When Izroth first formed his Soul Avatar Empyrean, a bundle of mysterious chains appeared out of nowhere and attempted to seal off his efforts. These mysterious chains were peaceful as long as you did not obstruct their path. But, the moment you showed any hostility towards them, they became ruthless and relentless in their pursuit to aplish the will of the world. However, while Ourami''s chains worked on a simr principle, Izroth was positive that they did not contain the will of the world like those mysterious chains. That being said, they were able topletely seal off the surrounding space in the area he was recently located in. If not for his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread, Izroth may have had to burn through several lifesaving items just to escape in one piece! ''It''s a good thing I saved the charges back then.'' Back when he was being chased by the Keeper of the Third Gate Tigryli, Izroth used up thest of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charges. However, even though Izroth''s Enhanced Instantaneous Movement and Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread came from the same skill, they had separate charges. Just now, Izroth utilized one of these charges to escape from the confined space. One of the effects of his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread was that the skill could not be disrupted nor disabled. Also, unlike Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, he could travel directly through solid objects and magic barriers. Of course, the downside was that the primed ability had a charge limit of two. Furthermore, the recharge for an additional charge was 30 minutes¡ªa far cry from the 45 seconds it took for Izroth to gain an Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charge. ''I have five bursts remaining before I can no longer use Compressed Lightning Movement. When that happens, I won''t be able to outrun those chains for long.'' As the sphere of chains unraveled and prepared to resume their pursuit of Izroth, he cleared his mind and gathered his thoughts. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Mind of Craft?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your crafting speed and senses have been temporarily increased by 300%!¡µ ''That''s right. I had nearly forgotten...'' In a moment, Izroth''s perception soared to new heights as the world around him seemed to slow down. ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Deep Insight? has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The passive skill ?Gifted Expertise of An Artisan? has taken effect.¡µ ''These chains are nothing more than a man-made creation. If that''s the case, then... I''ll just have to find its weakest link.'' Izroth understood that relying on brute force and his speed to overwhelm Ourami was not possible. Those chains were also tough enough that they could withstand being cut in half by his Sword of The Storm¡ªa weapon that had been enhanced by the Enati. But, just because something seemed indestructible on the surface, did not mean that was truly the case. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Melodic Chains of Kleides?!¡µ Although it was hidden by his current form, a carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he received feedback from his Deep Insight. At the same time, Izroth''s Gifted Expertise of An Artisan amplified as a result of his Deep Insight. ''As long as it''s man-made, there is no way it will fail to see through it. After all, this skill once belonged to the number one craftsman in the Mortal Realm.'' ¡´System Alert: Analyzingplete!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have located [15] ws in ?Melodic Chains of Kleides?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to begin the correction process?¡µ "Start it," Izroth said without hesitation. Using Deep Insight, Izroth saw through the most ring weak point that existed within the chains. And, by immediately following it up with his Gifted Expertise of An Artisan, Izroth was able to undercover a wide array of ws within the chains. Of course, even though the system asked if Izroth wanted to begin the correction process and he agreed, naturally, he had no ns on truly repairing the chains! The next moment, a spear materialized in Izroth''s other hand. It was the Scorched Inferno''s Fang. ¡´System Alert: You have equipped ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Attack Damage for the item ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang? has been reduced by 975 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Agility for the item ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang? has been reduced by 152 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ When Izroth equipped the Scorched Inferno''s Fang, it erupted in purple mes as sparks of lightning could be seen flowing throughout the spear. Izroth kicked off his back foot as the space around him warped. In the blink of an eye, he ced himself right at the center of the storm of chains! "Hm? Does he n on embracing his death?" Ourami inwardly frowned as he witnessed Izroth''s actions. Ourami did not expect Izroth to escape from the encirclement of chains he created earlier. However, despite escaping, they were now cing themselves in a simr situation once again of their own free will. "It seems he has gone mad." Ourami scoffed. Chapter 820: Unparalleled

Chapter 820: Unparalleled

Izroth had no time to read over the upgraded Heavenly Golden Body; however, he could feel the extreme changes his body underwent as well as the effects they brought about. For one, Izroth felt that the bones in his body had be increasingly durable. He noticed that the instant he stepped through into the next stage of the Heavenly Golden Body, the strain caused by his Compressed Lightning Movement was sharply reduced. In addition, the previous build-up of stress on Izroth''s body that was generated by his earlier three movements had practically vanished altogether. But, there was another change that directly affected Izroth''s body in an extreme fashion. The Earthly Golden Bones not only boosted his overall strength capabilities but also increased his body mass to fives times its original amount! The additional mass did not alter his physical appearance; however, even more unusual, the abrupt shift in mass had no effect on Izroth''s mobility. Somehow, it felt as if it were simultaneously present and nonexistent. The rattling of chains echoed around Izroth in every direction. In a sh, Ourami''s chains sealed off the area around Izroth as they rapidly began to copse in on themselves while several of the chains shot out in an attempt to restrain Izroth. It was obvious that Ourami did not care whether or not Izroth was severely injured; however, it was clear that the pir wanted to capture him alive. Izroth was not naive. Just because his Heavenly Golden Body was upgraded and he had Full Mantle as well as the World of Annihtion buff from his Third Baneful Sword still active, did not mean that his chances of obtaining victory had skyrocketed. At most, it only jumped by a couple of percent if even that. Ourami had not used anything close to a domain or Source, yet he was already able to disy a great deal of power. And, while Izroth was uncertain whether or not the residents of this Secret Realm were even capable of learning a domain or Source, the fact did not change that Ourami had yet to demonstrate his true ability. Izroth remembered that Astratis mentioned Ourami''s title as Heaven''s Strength was not just for show. And, in terms of physical strength, within the Secret Realm, he had no equal. If someone like Astratis spoke that way, then it was not a simple matter of overexaggerating the pir''s ability. Without a doubt, Ourami''s true strengthy in his abnormal physical body. This was something caught a glimpse of after attacking him not too long ago. The protective aura that epassed Ourami when he attacked was not generated from a magic item like his Seventh Origin mes Ne or some hidden artifact. Instead, the protective aura around Ourami came from the core of the pir''s physique. Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, a rain of chains fell down upon Izroth in a seemingly endless barrage. Every time one of the chains struck the earth, it trembled from the impact and left deep scars in its wake. At the same time, Izroth slowly felt his consciousness slipping away as he became somewhat drowsy. ''This is...'' Izroth closed his eyes. In the beginning, the rattling of the chains seemed like nothing more than jumbled noise. But, upon listening closely, the sound of a unique melody flowed was created amidst the chaos. This sound was discernable under typical circumstances; however, Izroth could "see" the strange points with his Energy Vision Sense. The unique melody was hypnotic and drew one in. By the time they realized what was going on, it would be toote. Zeeeeut! Thirty meters away from the sphere of chains, Izroth appeared out of thin air as he opened his eyes and briefly observed the chains in the distance. If he was a bit slower, he may have ended up in the same state he could Hakros back at the ckke! ''Those chains... They''re simr to the mystery chains that represent the will of the world.'' When Izroth first formed his Soul Avatar Empyrean, a bundle of mysterious chains appeared out of nowhere and attempted to seal off his efforts. These mysterious chains were peaceful as long as you did not obstruct their path. But, the moment you showed any hostility towards them, they became ruthless and relentless in their pursuit to aplish the will of the world. However, while Ourami''s chains worked on a simr principle, Izroth was positive that they did not contain the will of the world like those mysterious chains. That being said, they were able topletely seal off the surrounding space in the area he was recently located in. If not for his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread, Izroth may have had to burn through several lifesaving items just to escape in one piece! ''It''s a good thing I saved the charges back then.'' Back when he was being chased by the Keeper of the Third Gate Tigryli, Izroth used up thest of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charges. However, even though Izroth''s Enhanced Instantaneous Movement and Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread came from the same skill, they had separate charges. Just now, Izroth utilized one of these charges to escape from the confined space. One of the effects of his Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread was that the skill could not be disrupted nor disabled. Also, unlike Enhanced Instantaneous Movement, he could travel directly through solid objects and magic barriers. Of course, the downside was that the primed ability had a charge limit of two. Furthermore, the recharge for an additional charge was 30 minutes¡ªa far cry from the 45 seconds it took for Izroth to gain an Enhanced Instantaneous Movement charge. ''I have five bursts remaining before I can no longer use Compressed Lightning Movement. When that happens, I won''t be able to outrun those chains for long.'' As the sphere of chains unraveled and prepared to resume their pursuit of Izroth, he cleared his mind and gathered his thoughts. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Mind of Craft?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your crafting speed and senses have been temporarily increased by 300%!¡µ ''That''s right. I had nearly forgotten...'' In a moment, Izroth''s perception soared to new heights as the world around him seemed to slow down. ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Deep Insight? has been activated.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The passive skill ?Gifted Expertise of An Artisan? has taken effect.¡µ ''These chains are nothing more than a man-made creation. If that''s the case, then... I''ll just have to find its weakest link.'' Izroth understood that relying on brute force and his speed to overwhelm Ourami was not possible. Those chains were also tough enough that they could withstand being cut in half by his Sword of The Storm¡ªa weapon that had been enhanced by the Enati. But, just because something seemed indestructible on the surface, did not mean that was truly the case. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Melodic Chains of Kleides?!¡µ Although it was hidden by his current form, a carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he received feedback from his Deep Insight. At the same time, Izroth''s Gifted Expertise of An Artisan amplified as a result of his Deep Insight. ''As long as it''s man-made, there is no way it will fail to see through it. After all, this skill once belonged to the number one craftsman in the Mortal Realm.'' ¡´System Alert: Analyzingplete!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have located [15] ws in ?Melodic Chains of Kleides?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Would you like to begin the correction process?¡µ "Start it," Izroth said without hesitation. Using Deep Insight, Izroth saw through the most ring weak point that existed within the chains. And, by immediately following it up with his Gifted Expertise of An Artisan, Izroth was able to undercover a wide array of ws within the chains. Of course, even though the system asked if Izroth wanted to begin the correction process and he agreed, naturally, he had no ns on truly repairing the chains! The next moment, a spear materialized in Izroth''s other hand. It was the Scorched Inferno''s Fang. ¡´System Alert: You have equipped ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Attack Damage for the item ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang? has been reduced by 975 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Agility for the item ?Scorched Inferno''s Fang? has been reduced by 152 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ When Izroth equipped the Scorched Inferno''s Fang, it erupted in purple mes as sparks of lightning could be seen flowing throughout the spear. Izroth kicked off his back foot as the space around him warped. In the blink of an eye, he ced himself right at the center of the storm of chains! "Hm? Does he n on embracing his death?" Ourami inwardly frowned as he witnessed Izroth''s actions. Ourami did not expect Izroth to escape from the encirclement of chains he created earlier. However, despite escaping, they were now cing themselves in a simr situation once again of their own free will. "It seems he has gone mad." Ourami scoffed. Chapter 821: Break

Chapter 821: Break

Regardless of whether he had gone mad or not, Ourami did not intend on letting what was before him slip through his fingers. "Hmph, if I want you to live, then you must live. If I want you to die, you must die. Do not fall under the illusion that the choice is yours to make." Ourami said as he held out the palm of his hand and clutched it into a fist. When the pir''s hand closed, the chains that surrounded Izroth grew restless and increasingly chaotic as theyshed about viciously. However, the Ethos contained within the chains had undergone a minor transformation. The striking power of the chains was cut by nearly 50%. But, at the same time, the unique melody the chains released started to ur more frequently. In addition, the melody became louder with every passing moment. Izroth, who had repositioned himself amidst the Melodic Chains of Kleides, immediately experienced the effects of the abrupt shift in the behavior of the chains. At this point, unless one was at least at thete stage of the legendary realm, they would have already fallen unconscious. And, if not for the fact that he recently entered the Mind of Craft, boosting his overall awareness by 300%, Izroth may have also suffered the same fate. But, right now, Izroth was also to resist the hypnotic-like melody produced by the chains. As he pushed through, Izroth swung his Sword of the Storm and Scorched Inferno''s Fang outward simultaneously. Dink! Dink! The sword and spear hit two chains that narrowly missed Izroth and rushed past his sides. The weapons bounced off the chains and the rebounding force caused Izroth''s arms to slightly tremble. ''Even with the Earthly Golden Bones and Strength of the Ancient Colossus, it feels like my arms would have been blown away along with my weapons if I underestimated it. This is going to be a little more troublesome than I anticipated, but...'' On the two chains that passed by Izroth, two tiny fractures appeared in the spots he struck with his Sword of the Storm and Scorched Inferno''s Fang! Just now, Izroth did not simply strike the same spots one time each. He used one of the effects of his Dual Wielding skill known as Link. Link allowed Izroth to, just as its name entailed, link his attacks to each other. From an outside onlooker, it would seem that he only attacked once. But, in actuality, Izroth hit the same spots five times. Soon after Izroth attacked, the arms of lightning at his back mimicked his actions. Just like Izroth, each arm of lightning also attacked five times in rapid session. The original pace of 100 attacks per 10 seconds had soared to 500 attacks! While Izroth''s arms of lightning did not copy skill effects, technically, "Linked" was not categorized as a skill effect. Rather, it was more like a massive attack speed buff thatsted for a split moment and had reached the pinnacle of speed. Therefore, to the arms of lightning, it was no different from five normal attacks. Because of this and one more element... ¡´System Alert: The skill ?The Unbounded One? has been activated.¡µ The arms of lightning had temporarily bypassed their own attack dy restriction! In the blink of an eye, a hail of lightning arms raged on around Izroth. Without the attack dy out of the way, there was virtually no rest time in between each strike. In addition, unlike before when each arm of lightning would follow soon after the other, the arm of lightning did not wait as each was able to attack without having to wait for the previous one toplete its strike. If it were just one or two strikes, it would not make much of a difference. However, when striking out 500 times, they were able to disrupt the flow of the chains along with the melody it brought forth. Of course, Izroth was not moving around without purpose. During this time, he carefully managed his movement to control the striking point of several arms of lightning. Izroth targeted the weak points in the chains that were disyed by his Deep Insight and Gifted Expertise of An Artisan. With each step he took, new tiny fractures appeared on certain links within the Melodic Chains of Kleides. And, by the time his final arm of lightning finished its attack, Izroth stopped his movement. In the distance, a look of disdain appeared on Ourami''s face as he watched Izroth''s futile attempt. "Trying to break the Melodic Chains of Kleides with brute force¡ªit looks like he really has gone mad," Ouramimented with a grin. In terms of durability, while the Melodic Chains of Kleides may not stand up to something that was bathed in the mes of the Primordial Forge, it was virtually indestructible. Even someone like him would not find it easy to break those chains with brute force alone. If even he, who was called Heaven''s Strength, would find difficulty doing so, then what hope was there for others? That''s why Ourami found the whole situation to be fairly amusing. However, as Ourami saw thunderstorms brewing in the distance, the pir understood that he could no longer afford to y with this person from another realm. "As much as I would like nothing more than for Yia to fall here, it is not yet time. With the loss of the Teraidi, the Hearts of the World have be too vulnerable. If a pir were to fall here, that vulnerability would only be more apparent to the celestials. But, first-" Ourami said to himself. He then turned his attention back towards Izroth, "I must secure what belongs to me." The only one who knew of Izroth''s existence among the pirs beside himself was Yia. It would not be too difficult to hide away his property and keep it away from prying eyes. Ourami also knew that someone with a somewhat calctive personality like Yia knew what should and should not be asked given the circumstances. "It seems that I will have to take the matter into my own hands, after all. Return to me." Ourami stated as he called back the Melodic Chains of Kleides. However, there was no response. Ourami frowned and repeated, "Return." Once again, there was no reaction from the chains. Suddenly, Ourami felt a powerful sword intent wash over him, colliding with the natural protective aura formed from his physique. That''s when the pir noticed something was wrong. Not just with the chains, but also with the protective aura around him! Ourami looked down at the ground and saw that the thinyer of natural Ethos was being stripped away from his feet. No, to be more precise, it was disintegrating! A simr phenomenon was happening all over Ourami''s body, as well as to the Melodic Chains of Kleides in the nearby distance. Not too long after, Ourami felt something warm on the palm of his right hand. The pir lifted his hand and saw a thin stream of red liquid flowing from a small cut located at the center of his palm. Ourami''s mind went nk for a moment. How many cycles had passed since hest witnessed this red liquid leave his body? The chains around Izroth fell to the ground and were disintegrating rapidly into the sky. Izroth released a controlled breath as the arms of lightning on his back spread wide. ''The feeling is still familiar...'' Skill Name: Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: SS Charges: 1/3 Requirements: Sword Equipped. Active: Releases a powerful sword intent in a 35-meter radius that affects all enemies, hostile forces, and objects with ?Disintegration?. All enemies struck by this sword intent will receive 750% of the user''s attack as physical damage. The effects of this skill can be amplified up to [500%] depending on how strong the target''s attachment to life is. Restores 1 charge every 12 hours. [MAX: 3] ?Disintegration? - For the next 10 seconds, the target''s movement speed and healing are reduced by 50%, and all shields and defenses are reduced by 100%. In addition, every second over the next 10 seconds, the target will receive 1% of their maximum HP as pure damage. This damage increases by 1% every second until the end of this effect''s duration. The target can be affected by multiple stacks of Disintegration. Special Note: This skill can only be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 0.25 seconds Ourami slowly lowered his hand as the entire atmosphere around him changed. The look in his eyes transformed from amused to a cold indifferent gaze. At the same time, the Fourth Heart of the World began to tremble as if it were responding directly to Ourami''s mood. The pir took one step forward, causing an earthquake to ur as the ground where he stepped instantly fractured apart¡ªas though it were unable to bear his steps and had to give way. Ourami casually walked forward. With every step he took, a powerful earthquake was sent out and he appeared to move twice the distance. Chapter 822: The Fourth Heart of The World Trembles!

Chapter 822: The Fourth Heart of The World Trembles!

As Ourami moved closer, Izroth felt a heavy pressure descend upon him as the Ethos in the atmosphere thickened. "You-" Just as Ourami was about to open his mouth to speak, a shadow loomed over him from behind as a wave of powerful killing intent was released in every direction! BANG! A massive force mmed into the Pir of the West, causing his body to crash into the earth. But, it did not stop there. Due to the impact of the blow, Ourami traveled across the earth tens of meters, leaving a path of destruction in his wake! "Heh, I finally returned the favor, ya bastard." A familiar voice sounded from where Ourami had stood just moments ago. There were few people in the Secret Realm who could send Ourami flying with an attack. As for those who could do so with their physical strength alone¡ªthere was probably no one in the entirety of the Secret Realm! At least, not among its residents. ''He''s right on time.'' The one who attacked Ourami just now was none other than The Unstoppable Behemoth, Hakros! But, Hakros was not alone. "...Um... Mister Hakros, sir... may I request that you put me down now...?" A faint voice spoke. This voice belonged to the person Hakros was carrying in his left arm at his side and a celestial who had been at Astratis'' not up until not too long ago. It was the Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo. "Hah? You aren''t gonna stay and fight? Well, whatever. It''s more interesting that way." Hakros said as he let Isylo down. He then continued, "Your ability ain''t all that bad, mouse voice. But, it''s just as I thought¡ªit''s not nearly as satisfying as punching someone right to their face. They''ll have nothing toin about if they lose that way, right?" The battle aura around Hakros soared as arge grin formed on his face. The look in his eyes became filled with a terrifying excitement that only those who craved a direct confrontation could understand. At the same time, the blood of the ancient behemoth boiled in Hakros'' veins when faced with a strong opponent like Ourami. "...I can''t understand what you are saying at all..." Isylo muttered to himself as Hakros'' excitement was lost on him. Even someone as strong as the Son of Thunder did not look forward to fighting the pirs. Rather, he did so out of a sense of duty. He knew what had to be done in order to ensure a path of survival for those in this world. However, Hakros was different. Isylo felt that this person wanted to fight simply for the joy of fighting! "...But, stay safe¡ªboth of you..." Isylo said softly as he vanished without a trace. Woosh! Bang! With one leap, Hakros jumped into the air andnded right next to Izroth. "Took you long enough, stone face. I was beginning to think you nned on leaving me out." Hakros stated with a yful grin that was somehow terrifying. "I had to adjust my method a bit so it took a little longer than expected. But, this way is for the best. Now, you won''t have to worry about those chains returning." Izroth responded. One of the reasons Hakros did not stay behind was, of course, due to Izroth''s Third Baneful Sword. Since the skill did not differentiate between ally and foe, all those caught in its range would suffer from its effects. And, even if Hakros was confident in his unique physique, there was still the possibility that something could go wrong. However, this was not the main reason Hakros had to wait for an opportunity. The chains that were used to seal his consciousnessst time were still in Ourami''s possession. But, now that they had been destroyed, he would not have to worry about such a thing happening a second time around. Izroth''s n was simple. The others would retreat so that he could execute his Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion. Doing so, he would gain a massive attack boost while simultaneously culling Ourami''s major forces who were all gathered not too far away from the epicenter of his attack. This would free up Kyamakri, Methysria, Diparxi and the other celestials to clear out the remaining forces that were outside the range of Izroth''s attack. In addition, it also acted as a way to send a message to Astratis without actually having a way to contact him. Without a doubt, the moment the two pirs appeared on the battlefield, Astratis must have felt their presence and realized that their original n was no longer feasible. After all, facing two pirs alone would be him walking to his death. But, not acting meant that everyone he brought with him was likely to be exterminated down to thest person. If it were only his life at stake, Astratis would not have hesitated to act¡ªeven if it meant sacrificing himself so that the others could escape. Unfortunately, Astratis did not have such a luxury. He had to take into ount the lives of all the mortals and celestials of this world. Understanding this point, Izroth knew that if he did not show Astratis there was still a potential path to victory, then the Son of Thunder could not justify his actions. And, the moment Izroth disyed the sliver of hope, Astratis acted without hesitation! As for the task Izroth gave to Hakros, it was merely to keep an eye on where Astratis emerged so that he could make contact with the Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo. Then, with Isylo''s assistance, Hakros would return and make his move once Izroth sessfully suppressed the chains that once bound him. Originally, Izroth nned to wait for the right moment to activate the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone and trap the chains inside. After that, he would immediately deactivate the item, resetting the environment and erasing all unnatural objects inside, thereby "destroying" the chains. Of course, doing so would have made the item unusable for two weeks. But, it would have been a small price to pay in the long run. Fortunately, Izroth found another way to destroy the chains without having to resort to the use of the pocket dimension stone. "Where is Sychia?" Izroth asked. "Flower girl? She''s helping clean up those guys near the edge of the battlefield. What, are ya worried or something? Isn''t it safer anywhere else but here right now?" Hakros replied. "You''re right," Izroth said as he faced the opposite direction away from where Hakros sent Ourami flying. He then continued, "Then, I''ll be counting on you not to die while I''m gone." "Like hell I''d die here. Take care of whatever you need to. I won''t let this bastard even nce at your shadow." Hakros stated. Izroth gave a small nod before the space around him warped as he disappeared from view. Hakros looked in the direction Izroth headed before turning his attention towards Ourami. "How long do you n on resting? I still haven''t paid you back in full for what you did earlier. Or, are ya scared of fighting without those little chains?" Hakros said to seemingly no one. However, not long after he spoke, the shaking of the earth became increasingly more intense. The following moment, arge cloud of dust kicked up from Ourami''s direction as a streak of light sped towards the Unstoppable Behemoth! Hakros eyes widened in excitement as he swung his fist out full force, crashing into something with an unbelievable amount of sturdiness. BANG! Crrrrack! Hakros intercepted Ourami''s fist and caused it to collide with his own. The impact of the two attacks meeting send shockwaves in every direction and made the earth sink a couple of meters underneath the Hakros and Ourami. "That''s more like it!" Hakros roared as the battle aura around him soared once more. Ourami stared at Hakros with a cold gaze. If looks alone were enough to kill, Hakros would have died multiple times over by now! The most terrifying aspect of the exchange just now was that neither side used any kind of special magic or skill. Instead, the two relied solely on their physical strength to open the earth and send out destructive shockwaves. ... Meanwhile... Swoosh! In one movement, Izroth arrived outside the range of his initial Third Baneful Sword''s attack. At the moment, Izroth''s health was at a critical level due to the extended use of his Compressed Lightning Movement. Although he managed to break through Ourami''s natural protective aura, he did not have time to also pierce through his defenses and rely on his lifesteal. Therefore, he was not kidding when he said Hakros arrived just in time. Right now, Izroth needed a way to recover his lost health and it was right before his eyes. Izroth swept his gaze over the chaotic state of the ancient races that acted as Ourami''s forces. He may not be able to use Ourami as a point of recovery for his Compressed Lightning Movement; however, the ancient races were a different story! Chapter 823: Crash of The Lightning King

Chapter 823: Crash of The Lightning King

From the beginning, Izroth knew that he would have no choice but to use his Compressed Lightning Movement if he wanted even a remote chance of surviving long enough for Astratis to make his move. But, knowing that there would likely be no one remaining within range after using his Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion, Izroth came up with a safeguard. And, this safeguard was Hakros. The reason Izroth asked Hakros how confident he was in his defense was due to the fact that he needed someone who could take Ourami''s attacks head-on while he recovered. In this way, the pir''s attention would not turn towards Astratis or the other celestials who were working to clear up the rest of Ourami''s forces. Izroth arrived within the center of a crowded area of ancient races. But, despite being there, no one seemed to have noticed him as he made no sound upon his arrival. In addition, the space around him was distorted and although he was standing right in front of them, it was as though he were a ghost. However, this effect was only fleeting as the distorted space returned to its normal state and the sound from Izroth''s movement finally caught up to him. "?!" "It''s the Teraidi!" "The Teraidi has returned!" "Run! Don''t anger it!" The ancient races who were just filled with an erratic killing intent suddenly became fearful as they ran away from Izroth with all their might. However, their movements were abnormal and their steps appeared to be all over the ce with a poor sense of bnce. There were even those who directly tripped over their own feet or tail in the process. ''Teraidi? Isn''t that the creature that Astratis fought?'' Izroth did not know much about this Teraidi; however, what he did know was that it was a creature powerful enough to severely wound someone as powerful as the Son of Thunder. Therefore, it had to be something or someone that stepped into the peak stage of the legendary realm. But, what were the ancient races mistaking him for the Teraidi? Could it be that his current appearance was simr to that creature? As this thought entered Izroth''s mind, the aroma of sweet liqueur filled his nostrils. ''Hm? This scent... Is it her doing?'' Izroth had inhaled this scent before and knew that it belonged to the Daughter of Spirits, Methysria. But, spirits did not refer to the beings that one would typically think about in RML. Rather, Methysria''s title was given to her because of the strong connection to the liqueur she personally distilled and refined. Of course, it was not solely for drinking out of pleasure. The liqueur the Daughter of Spirits used carried mystical effects and greatly amplified her natural abilities. Izroth could see Methysria not too far away from where he was located. Even though she was surrounded on all sides, the ancient races stumbled right past her as if she did not exist. Though when one saw the look of intoxication in their eyes, it was easy to understand why this was the case. Methysria took onerge gulp from her gourd before inhaling from her nostrils. The next moment, she exhaled, releasing an intoxicating mist that quickly spread out in all directions. Those who inhaled this mist became instantly drowsy and copsed to the ground, no longer able to even walk on their own feet. "It''s a thousand years too soon for you all to drink with thisdy," Methysriamented. At the same time, her gaze shifted to Izroth. From his appearance alone, it was difficult to believe that it was the same person. A strong shockwave swept out around Izroth and knocked down some of those weaker ancient races who were attempting to stumble their way away from him. At the same time, he shed out with his Sword of the Storm, instantly cutting down a member of the serpent ancient race. Soon after, Izroth''s arms of lightning mimicked his attack,shing out at the closest enemy. With his current attack that exceeded 200,000 and the lightning arms dealing 10% of that as damage, the majority of the ancient races struck could not survive more than two to three attacks. Even those who were more sturdy than normal would fall after an additional two or four attacks. As his arms of lightning were culling enemies left and right, Izroth began to replenish his lost HP to full while simultaneously reducing the number of enemies. While doing so, Methysrianded in front of Izroth with light steps. "That''s quite the ability you have there. If I didn''t already know any better, I would have thought you were a spawn of the Teraidi." Methysria stated. "Oh? Does it look that simr to my current form?" Izroth asked. "No way. But, to those who have never seen the Teraidi and inhaled the scent of my spirits, it would seem that way." Methysria replied. She then continued, "From upon its massive frame, a hundred serpents spit forth mes of destruction. With a size so immense, it could touch both ends of the world from one spot. That is the real Teraidi." ''Such arge creature would make the world boss during the Protector of Amaharpe event seem like an ant inparison.'' If Methysria''s description was not exaggerated, then the Teraidi would be thergest creature Izroth heard of so far within RML! Thest of Izroth''s arms of lightning finished its attack was the cycle wasplete. "I have to return," Izroth said as he gave a small nod before vanishing just as fast as he came. Methysria moved away the moment just before Izroth left and looked off into the distance where the storm clouds loomed over the Fourth Heart of the World. She released a slight sigh as she shook her head. "Let''s hope we can all drink again when this is over..." Methysria internalized. ... A few moments ago... A streak of lightning soared across the battlefield with incredible momentum. If one looked closely at this lightning, one would notice that two figures were at its core. One of which was the Son of Thunder, Astratis. As for the other, it was the Pir of the East, Yia! At the moment, Astratis held Yia by his neck as they traveled away from where the main battlefield was located. "You! But, how?!" Yia inquired as the shock on his face could not be hidden. "Surprised to see me? Allow me to give you a proper greeting." Astratis said as the lightning element around him increased more than tenfold! The next moment, a group of storm clouds formed in the sky overhead as a single bolt of lightning struck down where Astratis and Yia were positioned. "Crash of The Lightning King." ...BOOOOOOOOOM! A massive explosion rang throughout the Fourth of the World as the earth shook violently. The explosion sent out several pulsing shockwaves as the surrounding earth waspletely decimated! By the time the dust and smoke cleared up, it showed Astratis standing tall. As for the Pir of the East, he was able to narrowly escape from Astratis'' grasp at thest moment. But, it was not without its price. The true fight had not even started, yet his right arm had already been severely injured. This put Yia at an immediate disadvantage against the Son of Thunder! "How are you still alive?" Yia asked with a darkened expression. "That''s quite the acting ability you have. You seem genuinely surprised by my survival. But, aren''t you a bit too obvious? You sent the Anzeyta to im my life and failed. That''s all." Astratis responded indifferently. Yia furrowed his brows as he sized up Astratis. Right now, Astratis was not injured in any way despite his life and death battle against the Teraidi. However, it did not make any sense. He was absolutely certain that the Son of Thunder had suffered life-threatening wounds! Even if he did recover, it should not have been so quickly! "I do not know what you did to recover so fast, but it is useless. You should have stayed hidden. Do you truly think you can defeat two pirs alone? A foolish endeavor." Yiamented. "Alone? You are mistaken. Unlike you pirs, there are those I would dly trust with my life any day. When ites to being alone, shouldn''t you be more concerned about yourself?" Astratis responded. At the same time, a refined and dense gathering of Ethos epassed Astratis'' body. "Today is the day your reign as pirse to an end," Astratis stated with a serious expression. "An end...? What nonsense. We have ruled over this world for many cycles. We are its rightful rulers. You and all the celestials who follow you are nothing but rebels who want to disrupt the order of this world without knowing the consequences it will bring about. I warn you, Son of Thunder. Give up on your futile attempts and submit. Otherwise, you will responsible for the destruction of this world. Mark my words." Yia said in a foreboding tone. "Then, it''s a responsibility I''ll just have to bear," Astratis responded without hesitation. Chapter 824: Ungrateful, A Clash of Strength!

Chapter 824: Ungrateful, A sh of Strength!

"Bear the responsibility? What arrogant and ignorant words." Yia scoffed. He slid his uninjured arm behind his back and continued, "You and your siblings are an ungrateful bunch. We permitted you to live under the same sky as us, but you were unsatisfied and coveted our authority. We should have put all of you down the day you were brought into this world." "Ungrateful? Don''t make meugh! Are you saying my brothers and sisters should be grateful for letting them rot away inside that monstrosity?" Astratis spoke in a darkened tone as his gaze turned cold. At the same time, a new set of thunder clouds formed in the sky overhead as the lightning Ethos that epassed Astratis red about fiercely. "If not for the sacrifice our mother made hiding me away at birth, my brothers and sisters would still be rotting in that forsaken ce. I was fortunate to have not gone through the same hardship as my siblings; however¡ªI will not allow you to make light of their suffering!" Astratis roared as the lightning Ethos erupted from his body. Crrrrckle! Boom! Rmmmmble! The sound of a violent thunderstorm reverberated throughout the Fourth Heart of the World as lightning rained down from the skies! A constant flow of lightning filled Astratis'' eyes and caused the hair on his head to stand as the Son of Thunder''s hands became coated in wildly destructive lightning. p! Astratis mmed the palm of his hands together, causing the lightning he gathered in his palms to disperse. The following moment, Astratis slowly pulled his hands apart as a small spark of lightning could be seen flowing in between his palms. "My, raising your voice to your elders¡ªhow unruly. It appears you need to be taught... A valuable lesson!" Yia eximed. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, the dark ring Yia conjured earlier appeared a few meters above Astratis and expanded outward until it reached a diameter of nearly 100 meters! The instant the dark ring finished expanding, it transformed into a bright ring of light. The ring of light spun at an extreme speed and, in a sh, it was as though the dim Fourth Heart of the World had gained a miniature sun that lit up the gloomy night-like atmosphere. "Light of Divergence: False Illusory Daybreak," Yia called out as a giant cylinder of light shot down from the rotating ring. The cylinder of light obstructed Astratis'' view and plunged him into a world of brilliant light. However, the Son of Thunder did not panic as the lightning element between his palms grew severalfold in intensity. Suddenly, the lightning jumped to Astratis'' right forearm, coiling itself around it like a serpent before extending a bit more than half a meter out from his hand. By the time the lightning settled down, it formed a lightning gauntlet with a serrated-like de made of the element at its end. Unlike the usual lightning Astratis called forth, this one was much more vicious and condensed down into a concentrated form. "One of the celestial three great treasures crafted by the Enati Cyclops, the Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet. Another group of ungrateful rebels. When this is over, I will be sure to personally remove their hands and pluck that eye of theirs so that they may never craft again in this lifetime." Yia''s voice echoed from every direction within the brilliant field of light. "To get to those under my protection¡ªI''m afraid you''ll have to step over my lifeless body to do so," Astratis stated as he stabbed the serrated de of his gauntlet into the earth. When his de pierced into the ground, several pirs of lightning rose up on both sides of Astratis. "Temple of the Lightning King: Upward sh." Boom! Boom! Boom! All of a sudden, a chain of thunderous explosions erupted as the pirs of lightning released a powerful discharge that covered the entire area! ... Meanwhile... BANG! Rmmmmmble! Hakros intercepted Ourami''s fist with his own, causing the ground around them to rupture and making an upheaval ur. The pressure from the shockwaves they generated by their collision alone was enough to casually blow away most yers in RML. Arge grin formed on Hakros'' face as the veins on his arm could be seen bulging from his skin. The look in his eyes was wild to the point of being almost bestial; however, Hakros had not lost control for a second. After all, if he gave in to such instincts, how could he enjoy this fight to its fullest? "Heaven''s strength? What a joke! If this is all you can do, just hand that title of yours over to me. I''ll put it to good use!" Hakros released a ferocious battle cry as the blood of the ancient behemoth in his veins boiled in excitement. "Insolent. My title was gifted to me by the world¡ªyou are not worthy to im it." Ourami said coldly. The following moment, the impact of their collision sent both Hakros and the pir back several meters. "Worthy? We''ll just have to wait and see which of us is worthy or not when one of us is dead! Hahahaha!" As Hakros released a boisterousugh, he lifted his left foot before stomping the earth with tremendous force, sending out a series of powerful quakes from his position. "To think there woulde a day when, I, who gained the title of Heaven''s Strength, would meet someone with a physique blessed by the world like my own. Are all the residents of their world this strange?" Ourami internalized as he, too, crushed the ground under his feet and sent out a countering force to Hakros'' attack. Although the pir did not want to ept it, he knew that relying on the base strength of his physique alone to overwhelm Hakros may not be possible. And, he was correct. Ourami was unaware of it, but Hakros was the natural bane of his existence. Due to the blood of the Ancient Behemoth Okath that flowed through Hakros, even if Ourami was at the peak of the legendary realm, it was virtually impossible to overwhelm him by relying on physical strength alone. However, Ourami could not ept that there was someone, especially from another world, who was capable of rivaling his strength. Out of nowhere, the atmosphere around shifted as the air in the surrounding became thick and heavy, making it difficult for one to breathe. "Oh? Are ya finally getting serious? Bring it on, ya bastard." Hakros grinned as he gestured for Ourami to attack him. "I do not know how things work where you''re from, but in the Fourth Heart of the World¡ªno, within the entirety of this world¡ªwhat I willed has alwayse to pass," Ourami said as his outer appearance began to undergo a transformation. Ancient and mysterious silver markings appeared under both of the pir''s eyes as he loosened the top part of his ruler''s attire as it hung loosely from his waist, revealing an incredibly refined physique. In terms of size, he was not as muscr as Hakros; however, the power contained within his physique seemed to bepressed down into a full-bodied state. Along the back of the Ourami''s arms was something that resembled silver scales that ran all the way from his shoulders to the back palm of his hands. "Since you are so eager to leave this world, I will lend you a hand," Ourami stated. "If you want me to leave this world, then make me using your fists!" Hakros roared as he kicked off the ground and charged toward Ourami with incredible momentum. This was the same charging tactic he used to run through one of Ourami''s Keepers of the Megada race. All those who stood on its path were blown away! Boom! Boom! Boom! Every step Hakros took caused the earth to tremble as the gravity around him seemed to increase the closer he approached Ourami. However, something strange happened as Hakros charged ahead. Ourami, who was just several meters away from him, had abruptly vanished. "Where are you looking?" Ourami''s voice sounded from next to Hakros. But, before Hakros could respond, a tremendous force mmed into his body, sending him flying and sliding across the earth in a simr matter to how he greeted Ourami earlier. However, not even half a second went by before Hakros emerged and the ancient behemoth aura around him unleashed a mighty battle cry. ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR! "AHAHAHAHAHA! That''s more like it! If you''re gonna be called Heaven''s Strength, it''s gotta be at least this much! AHAHAHAHA!" Hakros'' excitement seemed to have overtaken him as he could no longer contain himself. He raised his arms into the air and struck the ground. The moment he performed this action, the earth bent in a strange way as it curved up towards the sky and resembled a tsunami as he rushed out towards Ourami! Ourami stared at the tidal wave of the earth in his path as he held out the palm of his hand. Chapter 825: The Right Hand of Ourami

Chapter 825: The Right Hand of Ourami

As Ourami held his right hand forward, causing the tsunami-like attack that rushed towards the pir toe to a grinding halt. It was as if all its momentum had abruptly waned into nothingness. Woosh! Out of nowhere, the space behind Ourami bent as a sharp sword intent emerged behind the pir! Swoosh! Ding! A streak of silver shot out from Ourami''s lower back, tearing a hole through his attire before it collided with a sharp edge mid-air. "Those attacks will not work on me," Ourami said coldly without adverting his gaze. Without much dy, an arm of lightning descended upon Ourami as a barrage of constant strikes rained down on the pir. However, every time one of the arms of lightning approached Ourami, the silver streak would move and intercept the blow,pletely negating the damage in the process. By the time thest arm of lightning struck, not a single attack had managed to get through the silver streak. ''Oh? I haven''t been away for that long yet he''s already changed this much. Did he go this far because of the loss of his chains?'' The person who just appeared at Ourami''s back and attacked just now was, of course, Izroth. After recovering his HP, Izroth immediately made his way to where Hakros and Ourami were battling. Due to the destructive and physical nature of their fight, the original location shifted as they moved closer to the outskirts of the Fourth Heart of the World. This also put them further away from Astratis and Yia, as well as the main battlefield. All of a sudden, the silver streak shot towards Izroth at an extreme speed! In order to reduce the overall stress on his body and conserve thest few bursts of Compressed Lightning Movement that remained, Izroth activated his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement without hesitation. At the same time, Ourami slightly raised his right hand. ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Primed Instantaneous Movement?''s activation has been forcibly canceled by an unknown force!¡µ Immediately after noticing that his skill failed, Izroth instantly changed his approach and decided to employ Primed Ability: Space Defying Tread in ce of Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Primed Instantaneous Movement?''s activation has been forcibly canceled by an unknown force!¡µ ''What is this..?'' When Izroth received the alert from the system, although he was a little taken aback, it was not too surprising. Earlier, the space around him had been sealed off, which prevented Izroth from using his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Izroth linked effect was due to the chains Ourami used. However, if the situation was the same as it was at that time, then his Space Defying Tread should have worked without issue. Yet, it was also forcibly canceled just now. This meant that whatever ability Ourami was using just now differed from the method he previously employed. However, the strange thing was that Izroth could not detect anything unusual with his Energy Vision Sense. In addition, his Soul Sense also failed to respond and warn him of the impending danger. Fortunately, Izroth had already learned his lesson in the past about relying too much on his Soul Sense and was prepared. Just as the silver streak was about to pierce through Izroth''s head, Izroth swiftly adjusted his sword as he activated the Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway. Bang! Izroth''s sword shed against the silver streak as he sessfully parried with blow. And, thanks to the eighth sword form, the damage he would have received was fully negated. Nevertheless, parrying that blow just now caused his whole right arm to almost fallpletely numb! ''What absurd strength.'' Despite the increase in his mass and overall strength from the upgrade to his Heavenly Golden Body, as well as having the Strength of the Ancient Colossus active, Izroth was still sent several meters back from the impact of the blow. Although Izroth did not lose total control of his movements and was able to maintain himself upright this time around, the force of that attack was not something he could afford to frequently take head-on. ''In the end, our base strength is too far apart. If I face him as I would a typical opponent, it will only end in my defeat.'' Izroth was not ignorant of the natural gap of power that existed between himself and Ourami. Even though on the surface it seemed like a fairly even match-up, Izroth had not been able to gain any real ground against the pir. There was also the fact that Izroth was on a time limit with the duration of his skills, while Ourami''s power was more inherent and constant. ''I nned on saving it for the uing raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt, but... Should I use it here?'' As Izroth pondered his next course of actions, his gazended on the silver streak as its movements finally came to a halt, revealing a silver metallic-like tail. The tail was roughly two meters in length and matched the same pattern of metal-like scales that formed on the back of Ourami''s forearms. "Oh? You are still able to move after receiving that attack? It would seem that I underestimated your resilience. It will not happen a second time." Ourami said with an air of absolute certainty about him. He then continued, "Since both of you have chosen to walk down a path of adversity, I shall oblige your hopeless endeavor." The sky above Ourami darkened as arge shadow formed over him. Hakros had leaped high into the air and was currently crashing down from above where Ourami stood! "Ya talk too much with your mouth! Just let your fists speak for ya!" Hakros roared as he mmed his fists down with a monstrous strength! "As I''ve said¡ªit''s useless," Ourami said calmly as he held forward his right hand. The moment Ourami performed this action, all the momentum Hakros built disappeared as he approached the pir. Then, as Ourami ced his right hand down, he punched upward with his left hand, meeting Hakros'' fists. BANG! Unlike the previous times they''d shed, this time around, Hakros was blown away one-sidedly! When Izroth observed this exchange, he inwardly frowned. Even if Ourami had gotten physically stronger, he should not have been able to overpower someone like Hakros so effortlessly. But, more importantly, the Hakros that Izroth knew would not unleash such a weak attack thatcked any strength behind it. That''s why he found it bizarre that Hakros'' most recent strike was like a yful punch rather than a serious blow. However, Izroth could still not detect anything out of the ordinary with his Energy Vision Sense. Though Izroth did discover something peculiar regarding Ourami''s actions and that was the movement of his hands. Izroth was only able to catch a glimpse of it earlier; however, he saw the slight movement of Ourami''s right hand just as he was about to execute his Instantaneous Movement skill. Also, when stopping Hakros'' earlier attack and the strike just now, Ourami moved his right hand. But, when he struck Hakros, the pir withdrew his right hand and switched to his left. If it happened just once, it could be considered a coincidence. However, to ur multiple times within such a short span of time, there had to be something more going on. ''Somehow his right hand was able to prevent the activation of my Instantaneous Movement but did not stop the burst of my Compressed Lightning Movement. If it was merely sealing the surrounding space or locking certain skills, then it would make sense; however, to stop arge AOE attack in its tracks and weaken Hakros'' attack... Just what ability is he using? And, how does it rte to that right hand of his?'' Right now, Izroth could only specte from what he had observed thus far and did not have an immediate solution. But, since he was now well aware of the oddity surrounding Ourami''s right hand, Izroth could start working on a way to counter its abilities¡ªwhatever those abilities may be. That being said, they did not have much time. If they did not find a way to deal with whatever was obstructing their movements and attacks, it would not take long for Ourami topletely overpower them and turn it into a one-sided battle. Suddenly, Izroth felt the previous restriction around him that prevented him from teleporting be lifted as the mysterious force vanished altogether Then, without hesitation, Izroth slid his left foot back and, in the blink of an eye, arrived right next to Ourami with arge burst of movement speed as he immediately swung his de outward. Izroth used the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death to close the distance andunched an instant empowered sword strike! Simultaneously, Hakros, who had regained his stability, charged in from the pir''s left side! Despite being knocked away, the attack only seemed to further ignite the blood of the ancient behemoth that flowed through his veins and increased his overall strength by another level! Chapter 826: Your Own Terms, Ouramis Flaw?

Chapter 826: Your Own Terms, Ourami''s w?

Hakros drew his fist back and unleashed a devastating punch that caused the surrounding space to ripple and briefly distort. At the same time, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm was on a direct path towards the right side of Ourami''s neck. As Hakros'' fist approached, Ourami lifted his left hand and held out his palm to intercept the blow. Simultaneously, the pir''s metallic-like tail moved swiftly to deflect Izroth''s sword strike! ... Somewhere on the battlefield in the Fourth Heart of the World... Swoosh! An elegant de swept across a member of the serpent ancient race as a stream of cherry blossoms drifted in the air around it. Thump! The ancient race''s body fell to the ground as the de was returned to its sheath. "There seems to be no end to them," Sychia said to herself as she released a small sigh and sheathed her de. After parting ways with Izroth and Hakros, Sychia joined the celestials in clearing out the remnants of Ourami''s forces on the outskirts of the battlefield. Initially, the Thousand Blossom Maiden wanted to join Izroth; however, Izroth requested that she lend her aid to the celestials. After all, even if the core of Ourami''s forces were wiped out, there were still some strong ancient races under hismand. Since Izroth was her benefactor, Sychia decided to ept his request. Nevertheless, she could not help but feel restless after feeling the earth beneath her feet tremble several times due to the ongoing battles in the distance. If anything happened to Izroth, not only would she never be able to properly repay the debts she owed him, but perhaps the only chance to save her master would disappear along with him. How could she be at ease when there was so much at stake? But, more importantly... "Everything is going well. There have been a few injuries on our side, but that much is to be expected on a battlefield. We have reduced their overall numbers by roughly eighty percent and the battle is starting to look favorable for our side. It is going smoothly for us¡ªthat is why I cannot understand. Why can I not rid myself of this terrible premonition?" Sychia internalized as her gaze peered into the distance. For some time now, Sychia could not shake this feeling that something terrible was approaching them; however, she could not exin it. Even though she had a detection skill, it was on the same level as Tox''s, let alone Izroth''s. Therefore, if something truly was approaching, they should have detected it much earlier on than she did. Though what Sychia felt was more akin to a "gut feeling". Suddenly, Sychia felt a gentle wind pass by her as the scent of sweet liqueur flooded her nostrils. Even without looking, Sychia could immediately identify the person by the aroma alone at this point. "What are you staring at so feverously, girl? Are you concerned about yourpanions?" Methysria asked as she arrived next to Sychia and drank from her gourd. The Daughter of Spirits was the only celestial in this part of the battlefield along with Sychia and took care of most of the ancient races in the area. Companions? Sychia was not sure if that was the correct term to describe their situation. They had not known one another long enough to be consideredpanions. Regardless, the Thousand Blossom Maiden did not exactly dislike Methysria''s way of phrasing their connection. "Yes. I suppose you could say that." Sychia replied calmly. She paused for a moment and then continued, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Methysria let out a small breath of satisfaction as she lowered the gourd from her lips and responded, "Sure." "Why did you choose to stay back and help here instead of going to fight the ones you call pirs?" Sychia questioned. Sychia did not know Methysria''s exact strength, but ording to Izroth, the Daughter of Spirits was at thete stage of the legendary realm in Mortal Realm terms. While there was a distinct power gap between thete-stage and those at the peak of the legendary realm like the pirs, in the end, they were still both powerhouses in their own right. That''s why Sychia was curious as to why Methysria did not rush to help Izroth and Hakros, or even her own ally, Astratis. "You sure ask some questions that hit hard, girl. But, well, it''s not like I necessarily keep it a secret or anything. To put it simply, my ability is not suitable for teambat. That and it won''t work on anything that''s already drunk." Methysria answered. "Are you saying the pirs fighting right now are drunk?" Sychia''s brows rose as she was taken aback by the Daughter of Spirits'' words. "That''s right. Though it''s not the type of drunk you''re thinking about." Methysria chuckled. She then exined, "The way my ability works is that those who are exposed to my liqueur for too long be drunk on that which they desire. It causes them to lose rationality and eventually turn into mindless beasts." "For most, it is power or influence; however, the pirs already have both in excess. To them, there is nothing more important than maintaining their absolute authority. Tell me, how can someone who is already drunk well beyond a point of normalcy enjoy the taste of the liqueur that passes between their lips?" Methysria stated calmly. "I see... Your circumstances are unfortunate." Sychia said with a hint of pity contained in her voice. From the sound of things, the pirs were the natural bane of Methysria. Not only that, but her ability could even affect her own allies, so she was unable to fight in the same area as them for a prolonged period of time. "Heh, what''s this? Don''t tell me you feel sorry for me?~ Girl, let me tell you, there are those born under circumstances outside their control. In that kind of situation, there are only two things someone can do. Either they give up and ept the path they''ve been given to tread, or they push forward and create a path of their own. Right now, we''re all creating our own paths. And, it''s possible that those paths may lead to the edge of a cliff. However... So what? Isn''t it better to go out on your own terms rather than those that were prearranged for you?" A calming smile appeared on Methysria''s face. "Your own terms..." Sychia muttered to herself as she thought of her master. Indeed, Sychia''s fate was one that had been predetermined. If not for her master taking her in and creating a new road, Sychia would have also been forced to make a choice simr to the one Methysria spoke of. "Alright, let''s end things here. We can talk over a nice drink when we return victorious to the abode. We may have cleaned up the majority of the forces, but there is still work to be done." Methysria stated. "Yes." Soon after, Sychia and Methysria started to make their way towards a different area of the battlefield. As they traveled, Sychia could not help but think back to Methysria''s words. For some reason, she felt fine being around Methysria. At first, she did not understand why. However, after hearing Methysria speak about her abilities, Sychia concluded that she was so "drunk" on something that she was not affected by Methysria''s liqueur. But, the question sat in her mind¡ªjust what was the poison of her choice? Sychia cleared her mind and pushed the thought to the back of her head. She knew that now was not the time for soul searching. "Among the four pirs, where does the Pir of the West stand in terms of strength?" Sychia inquired. "Strength is a rtive term among the pirs. However, if we are speaking strictly in terms of pure strength andbat potential it''s, without a doubt, the Pir of the West, Ourami." Methysria responded. Sychia frowned and furrowed her brows as she said, "If that is true, why did Astratis choose not to face him directly?" It did not make sense for Astratis to leave the stronger of the two opponents to someone else given his standing among the celestials. "As I said, strength is rtive. If yourpanions, who rely heavily on physical attacks, had to face the Pir of the East, their fates would have been sealed before the battle even started. Speaking frankly, if it was any pir other than the Pir of the West, the situation would not be good for yourpanions. However, since it is Ourami, at the very least, they have a chance to fight back and wait for Astratis." Methysriamented. "It sounds like the Pir of the West is an oddity among the pirs." "You''re right. He is an oddity. When ites to the pirs, the Pir of the West is the only one to ever have inherited the position after it was relinquished by his father. Unfortunately, he was born with a cursed body. Though calling it unfortunate feels wrong to say." "Cursed?" Chapter 827: Cursed Body, Epithets!

Chapter 827: Cursed Body, Epithets!

"A body that contains Ethos yet is unable to utilize it in the manner that it is meant to be¡ªthat is what it means to be born with a cursed body. However, those with cursed bodies are not entirely forsaken." Methysria stated. She then continued, "Based on the amount of Ethos one possesses from birth, their physique is enhanced to a certain degree. Those with weak Ethos are not much stronger than a mortal hunter. As for those with stronger Ethos, they can barely be considered on the same level as those of the Megada ancient race. However, Ourami is different." "Even for a pir, Ourami was born with an abnormal amount of Ethos. This led to a change never seen before in one that possesses a cursed body. The manifestation of a different kind of authority¡ªthe Epithets." "Epithet? Like your titles?" Sychia inquired. Each celestial seemed to have a specific title that expressed what it was they had control over or, at the very least, gave one a general idea of it. "You''re half right. However, an Epithet is more like a title that resides within another title." Methysria replied. Sychia furrowed her brows. A title within a title? Methysria sensed Sychia''s confusion. Although she maintained her silence, the Daughter of Spirits felt that there were many things off about Sychia and her twopanions. For one, they disyed abilities well beyond that of any mortal. Not to mention, theycked basic information that anyone should know. The only reason Methysria did not bring it up was due to the fact that they were Astratis'' guests. In addition, they were currently fighting towards the same goal. Besides, Methysria believed there was a good chance that the Son of Thunder was already aware of the irregrity of their existence. "It may soundplicated, but try to think of it as a bowl filled with water. The bowl is the vessel that carries the authority behind one''s title, while the water itself is the power that one controls with their authority. This is what it means to have Ethos." Methysria said as she held out her left palm, revealing a light blue mystical stream of energy that flowed upward. She then continued, "Having an Epithet is like pouring melted wax into the water¡ªthey simply won''t mix. But, that does not mean the water nor the wax ceases to exist. Instead, the water epasses the wax, and the bowl now contains two distinct substances." "I see...! I think I understand now." Sychia said as it suddenly dawned on her. Having control of a power that was unique to the individual¡ªwasn''t this the same as a Domain?! "No, I can not sense any Domain energying from her or any of the other celestials. There are some differences between the authority given by Ethos and awakening a Domain, but the fundamental concepts make themparable to one another. It is almost as if someone took the rules of a Domain and created a unique energy source that revolves around nearly identical principles. This is highly unusual..." Sychia internalized. "My Ethos grants me authority over Spirits, hence my title is the Daughter of Spirits. Astratis'' Ethos grants him authority over Thunder, hence his title as the Son of Thunder. But, since thunder cannot exist without lightning, it can be said that he is the only existence to ever have an Epithet without a cursed body simr to Ourami''s¡ªthe Epithet of Lightning. However, we are still not certain whether or not it is entirely urate to call it an Epithet. In the end, it conflicts too much from what we know." Methysria exined. Sychia pondered briefly and then responded, "It sounds as though an Epithet is almost like a byproduct of one''s Ethos. It appears to exist solely for the purpose of maintaining the naturalws that revolve around it." "Oh? We have had simr thoughts, but... To think you would arrive at a simr conclusion after only hearing a brief exnation." Methysriamented with a light smile. Sychia and Methysria slowed their movements as they arrived at a new section of the battlefield that had yet to be cleared. "Enemies! Enemies!" One of the nearby ancient races cried out. "Kill!" "For the master!" Several of the ancient races charged at Sychia and Methysria at every angle. In the blink of an eye, the two were surrounded on all sides. "By the way, do you know what Epithet the Pir of the West possesses?" Sychia asked out of curiosity as she unsheathed the elegant de at her side. "Do you remember when I said his case was a little unique? Well, that''s because he possesses four Epithets." Methysria answered before she drank from her gourd and spewed out a vapor of liqueur in her surroundings. This caused some of the weaker ancient races who charged forward to fall to the ground unconscious after they breathed it in. "Four?" Sychia swept her sword outward as a constant flow of cherry blossoms bloomed on the de''s edge. The next moment, the cherry blossoms were expelled from the de and sliced through the enemies, riddling their bodies with several vicious cuts. "That''s right. Unfortunately, since he is the youngest pir, the information we have regarding his abilities is somewhat unreliable. However, we spected that Mandates are somehow rted to it. The Left Hand Force, the Right Hand Seizing, the Left Eye Scrutiny, and¡ªthe Right Eye, Divination." Methysria stated. ... As Hakros'' fist approached, Ourami lifted his left hand and held out his palm to intercept the blow. Simultaneously, the pir''s metallic-like tail moved swiftly to deflect Izroth''s sword strike as Ourami slightly moved his right hand. "I''ve already told you¡ªit''s useless." Ourami''s voice sounded. BANG! Ding! Hakros'' fist was the first to reach Ourami as it collided with the pir''s left hand. The impact of the strike immediately shattered the ground under the pir''s feet; however, the Ourami himself remained unmoved despite the frightening force behind the blow. Next, was Izroth''s Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. The skill granted him a huge burst of movement speed and caused his next sword strike to instantly strike the opponent in range. However, the strange tail intercepted his Sword of the Storm as the driving momentum behind the sword strike appeared to have simply vanished into thin air. ''It''s the same as that time.'' Izroth was immediately reminded of when Hakrosunched an attack on Ourami from above. At the time, Hakros was blown away¡ªas if he had merely been bested in strength. However, for it to be so one-sided considering the source of Hakros'' power, Izroth knew there had to be some kind of mysterious force at work that even his Energy Vision Sense was unable to detect. At the moment just before his Sword of the Storm shed with Ourami''s tail, Izroth felt the sword intent contained within the de disappear. And, just like what happened with his Primed Instantaneous Movement, the skill had been forcibly canceled. But, that was not all. Even the strength behind his basic sword strike was nowhere to be found! Ourami''s tailshed out, knocking Izroth away several meters. Simultaneously, Ourami increased the grip of his fingers on Hakros'' hand, lifting the behemoth into the air with one arm! "You want to have a contest of strength with me? I ask you¡ªare you qualified?" Ourami said with a cold gaze as he looked up at Hakros. However, without giving Hakros any time to respond, Ourami shoved his left arm forward, tossing Hakros away and into the distance! Out of nowhere, an overbearing destructive and prative force formed next to Ourami. Barely a fraction of a moment had passed, yet Izroth wasted no time and immediately used a burst of Compressed Lightning Movement tounch a second assault. This time, however, Izroth was using a fusion skill¡ªthe First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point! Though Izroth did not stop there as the spear in his other hand underwent a bizarre phenomenon, causing the aura around it to drastically shift. Izroth utilized Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. He did not know how Ourami was able to directly exert some kind of influence over them; however, in terms of changing the oue at hand, the Law of Causality was second to none! Thanks to using the Link ability of his Dual Wielding, Izroth''s arms of lightning were still in the middle of making their rain of instant attacks; however, it did not prevent him from following up with another attack due to its restrictions. This created a unique situation where while Izroth''s arms of lightning were still in the middle of their barrage, he was able to unleash a devastationbination attack! Izroth''s Sword of the Storm unleashed a terrifying sword intent that would cause yers who stood before it to tremble in fear. And, with the buff provided by his arms of lightning, his fusion skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point had reached an entirely new level! Chapter 828: Epithets of Seizing and Divination

Chapter 828: Epithets of Seizing and Divination

Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality allowed Izroth to exert brief control over the principle of Causality. However, given hisck of mastery of the skill, Izroth was unable to unleash its full potential. This limited the number of ways in which he could utilize the principle of Causality. And, it applied even more so against someone of Ourami''s caliber. Nevertheless, despite the inherent limitations due to Izroth''s current mastery, the principle of Causality remained incredibly versatile. It simply required one to be creative in their execution. ''If the mountain is immovable, I just have to move the earth around it.'' Izroth understood that even if he was sessful in the use of Causality against Ourami, the effects would break almost instantly due to the power gap between them. Therefore, he had no choice but to utilize a more indirect approach. Swoosh! Izroth shed through the air with his Sword of the Storm, leaving behind a faint trail of purple lightning as it descended towards Ourami. "This time, I shall seize your very fate," Ourami stated calmly. The following moment, the pir''s right eye released a faint glow as his right hand moved and his tail reacted to Izroth''s iing attack. The Epithet of Seizing¡ªthis was the ability contained within Ourami''s right hand. With it, the pir could "seize" things that were both physical and intangible. Be it one''s train of thought or the strength behind their attack, Ourami was able to separate it from its source. Although the effect was temporary, in a ce like a battlefield, such an ability could change the entire flow of a battle within an instant. It was with this ability that Ourami kept Hakros'' abnormal strength at bay with seemingly rtive ease and limited Izroth''s movement skills at key moments. However, if it was just that much, the celestials would not consider Ourami to be the individual with the highestbat potential among the pirs. It was not an overstatement to call the Epithet of Seizing a fleeting ability as it onlysted a fraction of a second. This meant that Ourami had to possess wless timing with his execution; otherwise, it was practically worthless. Even for someone at the peak of the legendary realm, it was impossible to always have perfect execution within such a limited window of time. But, for Ourami, it was different because of one thing¡ªthe Epithet of Divination. The pir''s right eye allowed him to peer up to three seconds into the future! While this was not considered impressive as far as futuresight was concerned, most of those abilities typically required one to perform a long ritual and serve a being capable of granting them divine power. When it came to the battlefield, one could not exactly perform an entire ritual in the middle of a fight. Therefore, in terms ofbat effectiveness, Ourami''s ability was leagues ahead! Paired with his Epithet of Seizing, it created a perfectbination where he always knew the precise moment to "seize" something from his target. Just as Ourami''s tail was about to sh with Izroth''s Sword of the Storm, it changed its trajectory and avoided the de. Instead, the tail struck the ground in front of Ourami, causing the earth it collided with to shatter and form a dust cloud. ''Is he trying to obstruct my vision? It won''t work.'' Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense active and his sense of perception was at the highest level it had ever been before. How could he lose track of someone with just a little bit of dust blocking his eyesight? Izroth activated Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality. He used it on his Sword of the Storm and adjusted the causality so that "The Sword of the Storm will always reach its intended target." As for the effect it would bring into existence, it was "The Sword of the Storm hits its target". So, no matter where Ourami moved to or how far he ran, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm would find him! Of course, Izroth was curious as to why Ourami altered the path of his tail at thest second. From what Izroth had experienced thus far, the pir was not the type to back away from a head-on challenge. Most likely, his pride as a pir would not allow him to do so even if he wanted to. Therefore, his actions came off as somewhat unusual to Izroth. But, Izroth had no ns of pulling his attack back. In the end, he could not afford to back down and risk losing a potential opportunity. Needless to say, Izroth was not beingpletely reckless. Since he still had the protection provided by the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes, he could receive another direct hit or two from Ourami without instantly losing his life. Out of nowhere, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm shot forward through the dust cloud near its center. The principle of causality seemed to be taking effect as the de found its way to Ourami. However, right as Izroth cut through the dust cloud and caused it to split apart, he felt a heavy force crash into his Sword of the Storm. ''?!'' Without warning, a powerful torrent of liquid shot out of the crack in the earth created by Ourami''s tail not that long ago. The liquid erupted like a geyser; however, at first nce, one could tell that it was not water due to its murky ck color. In fact, Izroth recognized this liquid as the same substance that was in theke where he liberated Hakros. ''This is...'' The torrent of ck liquid was unbelievably heavy. Each drop of the liquid made Izroth feel as though his sword was being hit by a solid iron ball the size of one''s fist. Despite this unexpected interrupt, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm continued on its path towards Ourami, who was just on the other side of the torrent of ck liquid. But, there was a problem. If Izroth continued on with his attack, he would have to go right through the ck liquid to reach Ourami. After all, his Sword of the Storm was guaranteed to reach its target, but that did not mean there would be no obstacles along the way that may bring harm to Izroth. Woosh! Izroth''s Soul Sense sounded in his head as a silver streak curved around the torrent of ck liquid and swiftly positioned itself at Izroth''s back. It was Ourami''s tail! However, it appeared that the tail had doubled in length as it extended further outward than normal. In the blink of an eye, Izroth was ced in between the ck liquid and Ourami''s tail. This left him with a difficult choice to make. If he continued onward, without a doubt, Izroth knew that he would lose thest of his protective aura. However, if he forcibly canceled the causality applied to his sword and attempted to avoid the pincer-like assault, it was likely that Ourami was expecting it and would immediately seal his movements to prevent his escape. If that happened, not only would Izroth have gained nothing in the process, but he would still suffer the same oue of being struck from both sides! Since he would be hit either way, Izroth decided that the best course of action was to not let up. Besides, he still had a few tricks up his sleeves. ''I may not be able to parry it from this angle, but...'' All of a sudden, Ourami''s tail slowed down and dropped slightly as if a heavy burden was abruptly ced upon it. ''That should buy me some time.'' Without halting his actions, Izroth used one of the inscriptions ced on his Sword of the Storm called Concealed Heavy Wounds. This allowed Izroth to instantly double the mass of a target, which, in turn, decreased its overall maneuverability. Though even under the effects of Concealed Heavy Wounds, Ourami''s tail was still quite fast and quickly on its way to catching up to Izroth. BANG! [-30,058] [-30,058] ... [-30,058] The ck liquid mmed into Izroth''s body, immediately reducing what was left of his protective aura by more than 30% of its initial value. ''It''s heavy... Is it some kind of liquid metal?'' Izroth did not have much time to think as he emerged from the ck liquid to the other side of the geyser-like eruption. There, Ourami stood without a hint of concern as a small grin appeared on the pir''s face. "I can see everything," Ouramimented as the glow in his right eye dimmed. The mysterious aura Ourami''s right eye emitted did not disappear. In fact, it grew even stronger than before! Chapter 829: Dissatisfaction of Ones Limits, Wrath of the Behemoth

Chapter 829: Dissatisfaction of One''s Limits, Wrath of the Behemoth

"Hm? This strike is a bit annoying. Then..." Ourami internalized. As this thought passed his mind, Ourami''s tail abruptly ceased its attack and rapidly retracted back to him in an instant. At the same time, the tail extended and swirled around Ourami, creating ayer of protection around his entire body. ''Oh? Is he nning to block my sword strike head-on?'' Izroth exchanged blows with Ourami''s tail; therefore, he knew about its abnormal sturdiness. If it was another sword strike, Izroth may have been concerned about piercing through the tail. But, his fusion skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point was capable of prating all shields and defenses that it came into contact with. In the end, no matter how sturdy Ourami''s tail turned out to be, it would be unable to obstruct his de! At least, that''s how it should have been. Dink! ?Immune? When Izroth''s sword finally reached Ourami, the de bounced off and knocked his arm back. The impact almost caused Izroth''s weapon to fly out of his hand! Not long after Izroth''s first attack failed, the arms of lightning at his back began tounch their barrage of attacks. ?Immune? ?Immune? ... ?Immune? Even the arms of lightning could not get through the protection set in ce by Ourami''s tail. ''This is...'' As thest of the arms of lightning descended and came up short in its assault, Izroth observed Ourami with his Energy Vision Sense. And, what he saw caused him to inwardly frown. ''His Ethos¡ªit''s disappearing. What is he up to?'' Izroth was disappointed that his attack could not damage Ourami despite activating the principle of Causality; however, it was not outside of his expectations. Given Ourami''s level of strength and his standing in the Secret Realm, Izroth understood that the pir must have numerous lifesaving methods at his disposal. "Why don''t yae out of that shell of yours?!" Hakros shouted from above Ourami in mid-air. After being knocked away by Ourami, Hakros quickly found his way to his feet and jumped back into the action. However, there was something different about the behemoth. His physical appearance had undergone a drastic change. Hakros'' eyes turned pure white as his wild ck hair had grown down to his knees. His bronze skin was now a deeply saturated blue with multiple ck ancient markings scattered throughout its surface. These ancient markings released a faint glow, which contained a vicious and ancient power. "If you won''te out then... I''LL JUST BREAK YOU!" Hakros roared as he sped his fists together and swung down with all his might! BANG! CRRRRRRACK! Rmmmmmmble! Hakros'' fists crashed into Ourami from above with a force so great that it caused the earth to give way and tremble violently. A dark blue aura was released from Hakros'' fists and could be seening from the fractures created in the ground. When Izroth sensed the wild and destructive energy of Hakros'' attack, he instantly used his Compressed Lightning Movement to fall back from the area. ...BOOOOOOOOM! Just moments after Izroth left the epicenter, the wild energy erupted from the fractured earth, causing a massive explosion to ur. At the same time, the lightning mantle around Izroth''s disappeared. He could no longer afford to keep the skill active due to the huge drain it had on his HP. And, since he could not afford to use it in order to find other individuals to heal from again, Izroth had no choice but to end the skill. When Izroth ended his Full Mantle state, he was hit by a bacsh as tremendous pressure seemed to have fallen on him. He could feel the Earthly Golden Bones tremble and his muscles tense up as numerous veins could be seen protruding from his neck and hands from the intense wave of stress. ''I feel much heavier than before, but... I can still move and use my skills. Also, unlikest time, my stats did not decrease. This must be the result of having two points of Might working in harmony with my Earthly Golden Bones. Though I do not have much time left until the active effect of the Ring of the Ancient Colossus wears off and my Might drops back down to one.'' Izroth essed his inventory, removed a High-Grade Healing Potion, and consumed it to restore a portion of his missing HP. ''I only have one charge of my Primed Instantaneous Movement remaining. The Strength of the Ancient Colossus is ending soon. And, with my Compressed Lightning Movement finished and Flickering Steps still on cooldown... I''m afraid this battle has just be a lot more troublesome.'' When his Full Mantle ended, Izroth also lost close to 80,000 attack. While this still left him with a bit more than 150,000 attack thanks to his arms of lightning, it was still a huge cut to his overall power. There was also the issue of his essence running low. Izroth closed his eyes as he calmly pieced everything together. ''I suppose this is my current limit.'' Although Izroth had not run out of skills or options, none of them led down a road to victory. At best, with the methods Izroth had in mind, he could hold out for another minute or so if he was lucky. Even though the goal from the very beginning was never victory and only to stall Ourami as long as possible until Astratispleted his battle, Izroth could not but feel dissatisfied with his own strength. ''I still have a long way to go until I reach the top of this world.'' If other yers knew of Izroth''s current thoughts, they would have wanted to strangle him to death! He eliminated thousands of enemies with one move, single-handedly defeated multiple legendary realm figures, and managed to exchange some blows with someone at the peak of the legendary realm without dying immediately. And, although it was absorbed by a protective aura, he evennded a solid hit on them at the start! Achieving any single one of these feats was a mountainous task capable of forever cementing a yer''s fame in RML. Yet, he was still not satisfied? Could such a person ever be satisfied in their lifetime?! ''I wanted to see how far my own strength could take me, so I didn''t want to use this here, but... since I''ve received my answer and things havee to this point, I have to see it through until the end.'' Izroth looked down at the palm of his hand. At its center was a small object that was roughly the length of one''s finger. It was a gorgeous blue and silver double-edged. "Then, I''ll be relying on you this time," Izroth said as he tossed the miniature sword into the air. ... Meanwhile, the dust cloud at the epicenter of Hakros'' attack cleared up. At the moment, Hakros stood in the middle of a wide crater with a hole in the earth where Ourami was previously located. Hakros'' strike had knocked the pir into the depths of the earth; however, the behemoth did not seem satisfied in the slightest. "Tch... Damn monster." Hakros said to himself as he nced down at his fists which were slightly bruised. If it were previously, Hakros would not have paid much mind to it. However, to bruise his fists from attacking in his Wrath of the Behemoth form¡ªeven though Hakros did not want to acknowledge it, Ourami was the strongest opponent he ever faced! Hakros set his gaze on the hole before him as his body returned to its normal state. The Wrath of the Behemoth boosted his overall power and speed immensely; however, it was only temporary. It activated whenever Hakros was faced with overwhelming power. So, the fact that Ourami forcibly triggered it meant that he was just that strong. "Huh? Where did that stone-faced guy go? Don''t tell me, I identally blew him away." Hakros said to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. He got too caught up in the fight and forgot that Izroth was present as he ttened the surroundings. "Well, if it''s that guy, he should be fine. Otherwise, how can he be someone that I, Hakros, acknowledged?" Hakros said as he tilted his head and cracked his neck. "That''s a rather straightforward outlook." Izroth''s voice sounded as he arrived next to Hakros. "Heh, isn''t it what others call having faith in someone?" Hakrosmented with a grin. "I''m afraid most others would run away after viewing the definition of your faith," Izroth responded. Chapter 830: Reemergence

Chapter 830: Reemergence

Izroth set his sights on the deep hole that extended into pure darkness. ''To think he could exert this kind of strength against someone at the peak of the legendary realm. The ancient bloodlines of this world cannot be underestimated.'' After attacking Ourami not too long ago, Izroth knew firsthand the hardness of that metallic-like tail. Despite the multiple boosts to his physical strength and using a fusion skill, his arm was still knocked away when his sword collided with Ourami''s tail. The fact that Hakros was not blown away and seeded in striking Ourami deep into the ground revealed the terrifying nature of his physical strength. However, Izroth noticed that whatever gave Hakros that massive boost of power appeared to have already ended. Nevertheless, Izroth could see how he managed to earn the nickname of Unstoppable Behemoth. No matter how many times Hakros got knocked down, he got back up twice as strong and with even more vigor. That''s why Izroth was surprised that he did not see someone of Hakros'' caliber participate in the second team''s selection. Based on the performance Izroth witnessed thus far, he believed Hakros would have had no problem cing in the top ten of the second team''s selection. So, as he searched for Ourami''s presence with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth asked Hakros about the second team''s selection. "Huh? Selection? I heard that neck scribble guy talkin'' about some selection thing pretty often. If you''re talkin'' about that, I wasn''t invited." Hakros stated. ''Not invited? Come to think of it, the method of my invitation seemed rather unorthodox.'' The only reason Izroth was invited was due to the mysterious man he met for the first time near the end of the second team''s selection. However, Izroth did not know that man''s identity or purpose. Just that, for some reason, he had been observing him back since the time he spent in Opal Town. Still, Izroth could not help but inwardly shake his head at the fact that someone like Hakros was not invited to participate in the selection. It was no wonder the Mortal Realm''s second team ced consistently in the bottom five of the Lustrum Imperial Bout thest couple of decades. Without a doubt, the decisions surrounding the Lustrum Imperial Bout, something that directly affected the Mortal Realm''s standing, involved all the top powers of the Mortal Realm. Add to that the limited number of spots avable and numerous advantages one could gain from participating, it was bound to create a power struggle for spots. However, this kind of invitation system and strict management of the selection process caused those like Hakros to be overlooked or outright ignored altogether. ''With Zouren gone, we are short one participant for the Lustrum Imperial Bout. I''m not sure how much authority I have as the team''s captain. But, if it''s possible, then...'' Due to the agreement he had with the God of Craft Mazi, Izroth could not ignore the well-being of the Mortal Realm. Naturally, this included how others perceived the Mortal Realm at the Lustrum Imperial Bout. Of course, it was unreasonable to request that Izroth ensure all the teams of the Mortal Realm were ced within the top ten of the selection. But, at the very least, he needed to make sure that the second team surpassed their previous performances over the past two decades. Needless to say, having one person missing was detrimental to that goal. That''s why, if possible, Izroth wanted to fill Zouren''s spot with Hakros. While he was unsure how those behind the scenes would react to someone who did not even receive an invitation iming a spot, in truth, Izroth was not concerned. In the end, he would follow the path he believed led to the greatest chances of sess¡ªthat''s all. Izroth organized his thoughts as he shifted his attention to a more pressing matter at hand. ''Strange, there are no signs of his Ethos. Where did he disappear to?'' Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense in order to find out Ourami''s whereabouts; however, there were no traces of the pir. Even if Hakros'' attack was powerful, it should not have been enough to bury the pir more than one thousand meters underground. In addition, with the amount of Ethos Ourami possessed, it would not be hard to pinpoint his position. Izroth was reminded of the moment his sword strike bounced off Ourami and he sensed the pir''s Ethos disappearing. At the time, Izroth figured it was Ourami preparing a powerful attack. But, there was no build-up of Ethos anywhere nearby that confirmed his spection. Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense and concentrated on circting his Source Chant. ''I have less than 200 points of essence remaining. If I''m too careless, I may end up experiencing Soul Weakness.'' Even though his Earthly Golden Bones and Might made it so that he was able to recuperate from negative effects faster, Izroth was still recovering from the bacsh of using his Compressed Lightning Movement. If he were to add Soul Weakness on top of that, the rate of his recovery would slow significantly. Rmmmmble...! Out of nowhere, the earth began to shake. At first, the shakes were light and barely noticeable. However, not even a few seconds passed before it turned violent and chaotic. The moment it turned chaotic, the ground split open several meters in front of Izroth and Hakros as a metallic spiral appeared. The spiral matched Ourami''s tail that he used to protect himself, but there was something different about this one. It was a much cleaner silver with numerous cerulean ancient markings carved on its surface. They were markings Izroth had nevere across before in RML; however, he could feel an untamed power pulsating from every symbol etched onto the metallic surface. "Tch... There''s not even a scratch. It''s been a while since I''ve hit something so sturdy. What the hell is that thing made out of?" Hakrosmented with a low growl. Izroth silently observed the spiral. If even his fusion skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point followed by Hakros'' attack was unable to prate it, then he knew that attacking Ourami while they were in that state was a fruitless endeavor. A few secondster, the markings on the spiral stopped pulsing before slowly sinking into Ourami''s tail. The next moment, the spiral unraveled as the tail began to retract back to its original length. And, as it did so, Ourami finally revealed himself once more. However, he had undergone a drastic transformation. Izroth narrowed his eyes as his Soul Sense went off like never before, warning him of the impending danger that stood in front of him. Ourami was covered from head to toe in the same metallic alloy of his tail that resembled silver scales. His hair had grown somewhat wild and almost looked like the mane of a beast. The pir''s legs had also transformed. He stood with his toes to the ground and the rest of his foot raised off the earth, matching that of a digitigrade beast. Ourami''s face was concealed by the silver "scales" as a single curved white metallic horn shaped like a lightning bolt mid-strike protruded from his forehead. And, his eyes were hidden behind a thinyer of cerulean energy that mirrored the one that was on his tail not too long ago. Chapter 831: Lets Try It Your Way!

Chapter 831: Let''s Try It Your Way!

However, the most frightening thing about the pir''s transformation was his presence. It was not that it was overwhelming, but rather it did not exist whatsoever! ''I can''t sense a single drop of Ethos or any other energying from him, but... I doubt he purposely made himself weaker.'' If he was not standing before Izroth and Hakros for them to view with their own eyes, the two would have never known he was there! "I no longer have the time nor patience to y with the two of you. Originally, I nned to capture you in one piece. But, since you are so eager to forfeit your lives and defy my will, you must be taught a suitable lesson." Ourami said as he held his left hand outward. He then continued, "Worry not. I will only crush your limbs. After all, you still have some use to me." "We still need to buy some time. Are you pre-" Izroth attempted to warn; however, he halted his words midway as a heavy pressure fell upon him. Woosh! BANG! Crrrrack! Izroth reacted swiftly as he kicked off his foot and evaded the blow at thest moment. But, even after sessfully evading it, Izroth still received some damage from the shockwave that was released. Fortunately, the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes from the Seventh Origin mes Ne still protected Izroth and absorbed the damage. [-19,586] ''Oh? I took almost 20,000 damage just from the shockwave of the attack?'' Izroth would not im that his defensive capabilities were the best among all the yers in RML; however, they were certainly above averagepared to most others. Therefore, the fact he suffered that much damage showed just how dangerous that attack could have been if he were struck by it directly. But, what Izroth did not anticipate was that the attack just now came from thest person he expected it to. "Don''t tell me you''ve had a sudden change in heart, Hakros," Izroth said calmly as he carefully analyzed Hakros. Hakros stood with his fist drilled into the ground where Izroth had just stood less than a breath ago. Surprisingly, the one who attacked him was not Ourami, but Hakros! However, Izroth could not understand why the behemoth chose now of all times to betray him. It did not add up. ''Is it rted to his abilities?'' Izroth nced over at Ourami. The same time Ourami lifted his hand was exactly when Hakros attacked him. Naturally, Izroth did not believe it was merely a coincidence. "What is this? I can''t control my arm." Hakros said as the veins on his arm could be seen bulging, disying the great deal of stress it was under. "The oue is not surprising. No matter how much raw strength, speed, or resilience you possess, it is impossible to oppose the Epithet of Force. Shall I demonstrate?" Ourami stated as he pointed one finger towards the sky. Woosh! All of a sudden, Hakros'' arm shot upward as though his arm had been repelled away from the earth. "Bow," Ourami uttered as he directed his finger to the ground. BANG! Hakros'' whole body jerked forward as his head mmed into the earth! "You bastard...! Fight me head-on if you dare..!" Hakros growled as he tried to push himself up; however, whenever he exerted more strength, the pressure that bound him only seemed to grow increasingly stronger. "I said... FIGHT ME HEAD-ON!" Hakros roared as the earth beneath him shattered and the bloodline of the ancient behemoth started to awaken. "As I have already rified, I no longer have time to waste with your vain struggles. Though I must admit, it was quite entertaining¡ªeven if only for a fleeting moment. Unfortunately, I have lost interest. That goes for both of you..." Ourami said coldly as he red to his left side. Swish! Ourami''s tail darted out and blocked a de of wind that targeted the pir. Bzzzt...! Out of nowhere, numerous lightning bolts jumped around Ourami. And, in the blink of an eye, the lightning quickly linked together, forming a cage-like structure. Simultaneously, several bolts of lightning bounced within the cage and directly struck the pir. The instant the cage of lightning appeared, Hakros was freed from Ourami''s grip and pushed off the ground as he sprung to his feet. "That won''t hold him for long," Izroth said as he repositioned himself next to Hakros. Just now, Izroth used the Tempest Strikes and Lightning Cage effects attached to his Sword of the Storm to momentarily seal Ourami''s movements. Fortunately, he umted the maximum number of stacks and all of it had yet to deteriorate despite technically being out ofbat for a while. Originally, Lightning Cage was supposed to paralyze the target for five seconds; however, Izroth understood that even a couple of seconds at this point would be a miracle. If not for the recent upgrade to his Sword of the Storm, Izroth was unsure whether or not it would have affected Ourami at all. Then, the next moment, Izroth did something unexpected. He willingly deactivated his arms of lightning. But, he knew there was no other choice. ''It''s a bit regrettable, but they''ve be more a hindrance than an asset at this point.'' While it was useful when he was in his Full Mantle state and could use Compressed Lightning Movement, the same could not be said for his current condition. In the end, he could not afford to wait ten seconds in between attacks against Ourami without the speed to back it up. This was even more so now that the pir had undergone a new transformation. "We need a way to stall him for a little while longer. I have a n, but it may be dangerous even with your physique." Izroth cautioned. Izroth could no longer get an urate read on Ourami''s strength; however, he was certain the pir''s overall strength had improved severalfold. Although Hakros possessed an ancient bloodline, Izroth knew that it did not make him truly invincible. There had to be some limit or threshold to it¡ªsimr to how his Dragon''s Scale worked. When that threshold was reached, Izroth did not know if Hakros would be able to bear the full onught of Ourami''s strikes. "I ain''t one for strategies, so just speak simply. What do ya need me to do?" Hakros asked without hesitation as his ferocious gazended on Ourami. One could tell that the behemoth wanted nothing more than to charge forward and tear Ourami limb from limb. But, despite his seemingly headstrong nature, Hakros was not thoughtless. They had been throwing everything at this guy and yet nothing appeared to be affecting him. In fact, he just became stronger right before their eyes! Hakros was aware that if they continued to tread down this path, it would only lead to their miserable defeat. That''s why even though he was not the type to follow ns in the middle of a battle, Hakros was willing to give it a shot. This was solely due to Izroth having earned his respect. Izroth gave a small nod and exined, "Then, I''ll keep it simple..." Izroth truly did keep his exnation short and down to a few simple words. However, these few words alone were enough to ignite Hakros'' battle spirit. "You crazy bastard¡ªI like it! Then, we''ll try it your way!" Hakros stated as arge grin formed on his face. Chapter 832: Plans Before Absolute Strength Are Meaningless, Plan B!

Chapter 832: ns Before Absolute Strength Are Meaningless, n B!

Almost immediately after Hakros agreed, the lightning cage around Ourami dispersed in every direction as the pir freed himself from its bindings. All of a sudden, Ourami''s gaze shifted into the distance where a raging thunderstorm and arge circle of light were formed. It was the location Astratis and Yia were fighting; however, there was something that caused the pir''s eyes to narrow behind his cerulean visor. The circle of light started to wane and dim as it faded away. At the same time, the thunderstorm also subsided. "...Something is wrong. Yia''s presence is bing weaker. Did he already fall?" Ourami thought to himself as he inwardly frowned. There was no doubt that the Son of Thunder was able to contend with them on equal grounds, but it should have been impossible for him to overwhelm Yia within such a short frame of time. Unless Astratis advanced to a new stage of power without their knowledge, it did not make any sense. But, Ourami found that difficult to believe. If Astratis had truly transcended to that level of power, there would have been no need to separate them. After all, at that stage, he would have been able to suppress both of them directly. The only thing that made sense was that Astratis received reinforcements; however, the number of celestials who could join a battle against a pir could be counted on one''s fingers alone. And, Ourami did not detect the Ethos of any such new celestials present in the Fourth Heart of the World. "It is regrettable, but I cannot allow him to fall within my territory," Ourami internalized. Ideally, Ourami wanted Yia to be out ofmission for a while. This would allow him to expand his own influence and territory without drawing too much attention to himself. However, if Yia were to disappear while in his territory, the other pirs would grow restless and raise their level of caution. This went against Ourami''s ultimate goal. "Those old fools are all the same. They remain satisfied as long as they have their own little corner of the world to rule over. I, on the other hand, will not be bound by such archaic conventions." Ourami said to himself. The pir swept his gaze across Izroth and Hakros as his metallic-like tail extended several meters in length. In the following moment, a dim cerulean light could be seen flowing in between the crevices of the tail as it emitted a strange shifting sound. nk! nk! nk! Ourami''s tail began to split into multiple sections, forming sharp metallic objects that were shaped roughly like arge tooth from a shark. Each object was as big as two fists side by side and, just like Ourami, did not emit a single drop of Ethos. By the time thest piece of Ourami''s tail detached, there were approximately fifty de-like objects hovering above Ourami in a circle. "Go," Ourami ordered indifferently. Swoosh! Swoosh! When that single word left Ourami''s mouth, the fifty shards shot through the air at incredible speeds towards Izroth and Hakros! ''Since they don''t contain any form of energy or lifeforce, I can''t follow them with my Energy Vision Sense. I will have to rely on my natural sense of perception if I want to avoid them. But, with my current stats, it''s much easier said than done.'' Two of the tail fragments approached Izroth with a wild flight pattern that caused them to be somewhat unpredictable. Though Izroth was able to narrowly evade the first tail fragment after sessfully reading its flight path. Though he did not have much time to rest as the second tail fragment was not far off. Izroth did not waste any time as he fired off a de of wind from his Sword of the Storm. The first strike did nothing as the tail fragment brushed it off. However, after two more attempts, Izroth was able to slightly alter its trajectory and made the fragment hit the ground a few meters away from his position. Zeeeeeut... When the tail fragment struck the earth, there was no tremble or rumbling¡ªonly the faint whisper of something quickly scratching against the ground. Izroth nced over in the direction where the tail fragmentnded and noticed that an imprint that perfectly matched the object had been created. The most frightening aspect was that the earth around where the tail fragment prated remained totally unscathed. This kind of attack was many times more terrifying than a normal attack. The fact that there was no damage at all around its target meant that every drop of power it contained was concentrated to a single point of near-wless extremity. An attack of that nature was virtually impossible to defend against without special means at one''s disposal! To make matters even worse, there were fifty of said objects! ''This is a bit troublesome. Forget stalling him, at this rate, we will be fortunate just to keep our lives.'' "Fortunate, indeed..." Izroth said to himself as a slight smile formed on his face. Izroth''s original n was simple. He wanted Hakros to charge in and attack just as he had previously done. This is why the behemoth called him crazy, but still readily agreed to follow Izroth''s instructions. Hakros had no idea what Izroth was up to; however, he did not care as long as it did not involve running away from a fight that caused his blood to boil in excitement. As for what Izroth had in mind, he was going to deploy his Boundless Nullifying Expanse. With it, Izroth believed he should be able to disrupt whatever allowed Ourami to influence their bodies and skills. Of course, the effects would onlyst a fleeting moment given the power gap that existed between himself and Ourami. But, it should have been enough for Hakros to close the distance andnd a solid blow as Izroth found another way to temporarily restrict the pir''s movement. After all, considering the behemoth''s strength came from his bloodline, it should not be bound by the restrictions of the Boundless Nullifying Expanse. Though, it was still a gamble. Izroth was unsure whether or not Ourami was even using Ethos or another form of unique energy to affect them. If it turned out that the pir also possessed a powerful bloodline simr to Hakros, then the n would have ended in failure. In the end, none of that mattered. One could create all the ns under the heavens. But, ultimately, before absolute strength, any n was rendered meaningless. And, as someone who has been on both sides, Izroth knew this from firsthand experience. ''In the face of absolute strength, ns are but an empty daydream. But, I suppose dealing with this kind of thing isn''t so bad.'' "Hakros, we''re moving to n B," Izroth stated as he did not halt his movement. Bang! Hakros held his fists together and knocked down one of the tail fragments rushing towards him. "Hah? n B?" Hakros responded, confused by Izroth''s words. n B? They never discussed any n B. "Yes. n B¡ªwe just fight until our heart''s content. That''s all." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "Hahaha! You really are a crazy bastard! This n¡ªI like it even better than thest!" Hakros roared. Chapter 833: A Brief Exchange, A Given Boost!

Chapter 833: A Brief Exchange, A Given Boost!

Ourami inwardly scoffed when he heard Izroth and Hakros'' brief exchange. Fight until their heart''s content? What sheer and utter absurdity! Could it be that they finally lost themselves to their fears and started their slow descent into madness? "A hopeless endeavor," Ourami uttered to himself as he turned his attention away from Izroth and Hakros. Ourami gazed into the distance where Yia had been dragged away by Astratis. "After I save his life, he will be in my debt," Ourami said before he kicked off the ground and soared more than fifty meters into the air! The pir was not using a flight-type ability. It was due to his physical strength reaching new heights, as well as the ability of his Epithet of Force. In simple terms, the Epithet of Force allowed Ourami to "pull" and "push" whatever he desired. This is why Hakros was unable to overpower the pir despite the massive physical boost he received from his ancient behemoth bloodline. It was also why Ourami could seemingly blow Hakros away with little to no effort. In his original form, this ability only work on things that came into contact with his left hand. However, in Ourami''s present state, he was not bound by such limitations and was capable of influencing anything within his line of sight! At the same time, Izroth and Hakros were bombarded by Ourami''s tail fragments. The speed and unpredictable nature of the tail fragments made them difficult to evade; however, the two were able to hold their ground. Hakros used a more direct approach and smacked the surface of the tail fragments with his fists. Although his actions could be viewed as reckless, even with his impressive physique, Hakros was not attacking mindlessly. The behemoth''s timing and use of the right amount of force were perfect. However, despite his best efforts, Hakros could notpletely avoid receiving damage. Since Hakros focused on only dealing with the attacks aimed at his vital areas, it did not take long for his body to be covered in heavy bruises. "They''re like little flies that won''t stop buzzin''!" Hakros growled as he knocked away yet another tail fragment. Meanwhile, when Izroth saw that Ourami leaped into the air, he immediately dashed towards Hakros. ''We have to keep him here as long as possible.'' "Hakros, give me a boost!" Izroth called out as he pointed at the sky and ran forward without stopping. Without hesitating, Hakros interlocked his fingers and lowered his hands, providing Izroth a makeshift tform. As Izroth approached Hakros, he kicked off his right foot andnded with his left foot in Hakros'' hands. "Next time..." Hakros'' muscles expanded as he lifted his arms upward with incredible momentum. "We''re swapping roles!" Hakros shouted. The next moment, Izroth shot into the sky like an arrow being released from its string! 10 meters... 25 meters... 40 meters! When Izroth reached the forty-meter mark, his speed of ascent began to slow. ''To think he could get me this high up. It''s at least twice the distance I anticipated. That guy... What absurd strength.'' Due to his Earthly Golden Bones, Izroth''s total mass was five times heavier than it was supposed to be. Yet, Hakros could still toss him up to a height roughlyparable to a twelve-story building. When he reached around the 45-meter mark, all of Izroth''s momentum disappeared as he started to lose height. However, the instant this urred, Izroth stepped on the air as if it were solid and continued his ascent. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the skill ?Sky Steps?!¡µ Thanks to Sky Steps, Izroth was able to mimic the effects of the S-ranked skill, Flight. However, it was more simr to walking on air than actually flying. There was also a limitation that Sky Steps possessed, which restricted Izroth to a height of forty meters. But, with the way the skill worked, it did not start counting the forty meters until Izroth activated it. This meant that it was not forty meters from the ground, but rather forty meters from Izroth''s starting point. In this case, Izroth''s starting point was 45 meters in the air. This essentially ced the height limit for his Sky Steps at 85 meters! As Izroth ascended higher into the sky, Ourami felt a strange shift in the movement of his tail fragments. "I did not recall them. Can it be that one of them perished?" Ourami said as he frowned inwardly. For some reason, half of the tail fragments he left behind to deal with those two annoyances were currently making their way to him. However, the bizarre part was that there were only two circumstances in which his tail fragments would return to him. The first was that they finished their task. But, since Ourami''s intention was to suppress the two until he finished dealing with the Yia situation, this could not be the case. As for the second, it would be that the target had already perished. "How unfortunate. I wanted to capture both of them alive, but... So be it. As long as one of them remains alive, I suppose this oue is eptable- hm?" Out of nowhere, Ourami felt something unusual on his left hand. When he looked down to see what it was, the pir saw a small crystal slowly expanding on the back of his palm. Then, in the blink of an eye, the expansion rate of the crystal exploded as it swiftly epassed Ourami''s whole left arm! "What is this substance?" Ourami red from behind his visor as the crystal restricted his arm''s movement. Not only that, but it also momentarily prevented him from using the Epithet of Force contained within his left hand to "push" the crystal away from his arm. Not long after Ourami''s left arm was covered, his entire body was consumed as he became encased from head to toe in the crystal. Though not even a half a breath passed before numerous fractures could be seen forming on the crystal''s surface. Crrrack! Pow! Ourami forcibly shattered the crystal, causing countless shards to scatter in every direction. But, the instant Ourami shattered the crystal, he sensed that something was off. "My Ethos... It''s growing restless." Ourami said under his breath. Because of his cursed body, Ourami''s Ethos functioned differently than others. He could fuse with his Ethos and transform the energy source itself to where it became a perfect part of him. This is why Izroth could not sense any Ethosing from Ourami despite it still being there in clear abundance. Nheless, in his current state, his Ethos operated as a bodily function rather than an energy source. Unbeknownst to Ourami, the origin of his troubles came from a colorless ring that expanded around him in mid-air. At the same time, a sharp sword intent filled the air around the pir, causing his already unstable form to tremble. "Tenth Sword Form..." "?!" Out of nowhere, Ourami heard a familiar voice enter his ears; however, at first, he did not think it was possible That''s because that person was supposed to be fifty meters beneath him on the ground right now! Ourami''s gaze beneath his visor turned cold as he looked down and saw Izrothing towards him from below! "You remain a constant annoyance. It is no longer amusing." Ourami stated as he held his left hand out towards Izroth. Ourami nned to "push" Izroth back to the ground with his Epithet of Force; however, nothing happened. "!? What is this?" Ourami uttered as his Epithet of Force was having trouble functioning properly! "Life Closing Raze." Izroth''s voice sounded as his sword intent swiftly expanded! Chapter 834: Ouramis Wrath!

Chapter 834: Ourami''s Wrath!

When Izroth first arrived within range of Ourami just moments ago, he used the Crystallization effect attached to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to seal the pir''s movements. Izroth understood that the effects of Crystallization would not hold Ourami for long; however, his purpose was to create a window of opportunity to use his Boundless Nullifying Expanse. ''His form has not changed even when under the influence of the Boundless Nullifying Expanse. That being said, he does not seem entirely unaffected by it.'' Izroth had been observing Ourami carefully and noticed that the abilities he used appeared to be contained within certain parts of his body. This made Izroth think back to the Mandates he came across previously. While the Mandates were not an actual part of Ourami, it was likely that each was gifted a portion of one of the pir''s abilities. If that was the case, Izroth concluded that the names of the Mandates were somewhat rted to Ourami''s powers. With this information along with witnessing and experiencing Ourami''s abilities firsthand, Izroth gained a rough understanding of the pir''s capabilities. ''Force, Seizing, and Scrutiny¡ªthey all work just as they''re described. That just leaves his right eye... Foresight? He seems to be able to predict our moves well before we act. However, judging from his reaction this time around, there''s a possibility that there''s a brief cooldown period or a prerequisite for its use. Either way, it worked to my benefit.'' "A mere irritation!" Ourami scowled as he mmed his hands together. BOOM! The force generated by the pir''s simple action caused a strong pressure wave to rush out in Izroth''s direction. The shockwave covered a vast area, leaving Izroth with no room to evade it as he was forced to receive it head-on. [-125,952] Initially, Izroth felt himself being swept away by the shockwave. But, the feeling did notst for long as a system alert sounded off. ¡´Battle Alert: The effects of ?Breath of the Great Sea? has been activated!¡µ When the Breath of the Great Sea activated, Izroth immediately gained solid stability as the shockwave was unable to blow him away as Ourami intended. Thanks to the "Resistant to Flow" passive provided by the Breath of the Great Sea, Izroth resisted the knockback effect of the pressure wave. This was a good thing; however, there was some more unfortunate news that overshadowed it. ''Fortunately, the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes does not rely on an energy source to function; otherwise, this approach would have ended poorly. Surprisingly, it''s still holding up, but... At this rate, it won''t be able tost much longer.'' Thankfully, Ourami vastly underestimated Izroth and Hakros. If not, with a more heavy-handed and direct method, the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes would not havested more than one or two strikes! Though even if it provided them with an opportunity, if there was one thing Izroth did not enjoy, it was being looked down on. Nevertheless, Izroth did not grow careless. He knew the instant his protective aura vanished, he would not be able to withstand a single strike from the current Ourami. Even that casual shockwave from a moment ago would be enough to eliminate him more than three times over! Therefore, whether he seeded or failed, Izroth understood that, without a doubt, this was hisst chance! Swoosh! The sword intent from Izroth''s Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze crashed into Ourami with a heavy force as the pir crossed his arms to defend against the attack. [-499,149] "Enough!" Ourami bellowed as the pressure in the atmosphere grew heavier and almost suffocating. At the same time, the colorless ring generated by Izroth''s Boundless Nullifying Expanse started to rapidly vibrate. It was being forcibly torn apart! ''Not yet.'' Izroth readjusted his position mid-air and send out yet another terrifying wave of sword intent. Although this strike was not as terrifying as his first one, it had a strikingly simr aura about it. Though this was not surprising considering the skill he just used. ''Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus.'' Izroth''s sixth sword form was able to instantly mimic thest sword skill he used. Which, in this case, was his tenth sword form. The effects were greatly reduced due to the high skill rank of his tenth sword form. However, since Ourami was unable to "Seize" any of Izroth''s skills or effects because of the Boundless Nullifying Expanse, the Disintegration effect of his Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze went off in full force! Small parts of Ourami''s silver scale-like armor started to fracture as it was suddenly sshed with some type of corrosive substance. In addition, the pir''s speed had fallen drastically, causing him to have a dyed reaction to Izroth''s following sword strike. Swoosh! Crrrck... [-316,851] -65,649 As Izroth''s sixth sword form washed over Ourami, the natural protective aura that epassed the pir had finally been shattered! "?!" Hidden underneath Ourami''s silver mask was an expression of disbelief as a thin cut appeared on the right side of his neck! From the moment he was born, there existed no one in the world who was able to prate through his natural defenses. Yet, this person whom he simply dismissed as a mild annoyance, had done just that! And, it was not just that. Even though he had no definitive proof, Ourami was certain that person was also responsible for disrupting his Epithets! But, what confused Ourami more than anything was why this person, who was from an entirely different world, was set on opposing him? He could notprehend it no matter how hard he tried. With a wave of thoughts rushing through his mind, the pressure around Ourami vanished. At first, there was a deadly silence. This silence could not havested more than a second. But, for some reason, it seemed to linger in the atmosphere eternally. Though when the silence finally ended, the Fourth Heart of the World trembled. Ourami was furious! Izroth''s Boundless Nullifying Expanse shattered as the pir regained full control of his Epithets. ''This is bad.'' When Izroth saw his Boundless Nullifying Expanse shatter, he immediately kicked off the air on a downward descent before he canceled his Sky Steps. Originally, the Boundless Nullifying Expanse was supposed tost five minutes. But, of course, Izroth knew this was only a dream when faced with someone of Ourami''s strength. Nevertheless, he did not think it would be broken in under a single breath. Izroth estimated that the restrictions wouldst at least three times longer than they did! ''I miscalcted, but... It seems I was sessful. Though perhaps a bit too much so-'' Suddenly, a silver silhouette appeared next to Izroth as his Soul Sense went off like never before. ''?!'' Without the slightest bit of sound or Ourami entering his vision, Izroth was struck by an overwhelming force that sped up his descent to the earth! ¡´Battle Alert: The protective aura of the skill ?Veil of the Seventh Origin mes? has ended.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have been temporarily staggered.¡µ Due to being staggered for a brief moment, Izroth was unable to activate Falling Feather Steps to correct hisnding as his body crashed into the earth. ...BANG! The impact shaved off nearly 75% of his HP in one go! If not for his incredibly sturdy body, the height he fell from would have immediately reaped his life! "Your life¡ªit is no longer required." Ourami''s voice sounded while he was on a direct collision course for Izroth! Zeeeut! Out of nowhere, just as Ourami was about to reach the ground, four blue and silver streaks soared across the sky, crashing into the pir''s side and forcing him tens of meters away! "?!" Chapter 835: Powerful Reinforcements Arrive!

Chapter 835: Powerful Reinforcements Arrive!

As he was being forced back, Ourami finally caught a glimpse of what crashed into him. "These are... Swords?" Ourami said to himself as he quickly made a slight gesture with his left hand. Oooom! The next moment, the four swords that crashed into Ourami were blown away. At the same time, the pir''s right eye released a faint glow as he utilized the Epithet of Divination. "Above." Ourami turned his gaze overhead and saw five swords on a direct collision course for him. The pir''s gaze darkened underneath his mask as he pointed his right hand to the sky, seizing the momentum behind the swords. However, that was when a voice that carried with it a natural air of authority entered Ourami''s ears. "That armor of yours is quite sturdy. As expected of an individual that stands near the peak of this realm. However, bullying someone who is many times your junior¡ªare you not ashamed?" The voice stated unhurriedly as its ownernded gracefully from the sky next to Izroth. The voice belonged to a woman who appeared to be in herte twenties. She wore an elegant set of clothing and possessed a pair of eyes like that of a zing inferno. The aura she emitted was extremely refined and apanied by a deep and profound power that slept underneath it all. But, the unique thing about this woman was her usual hair which was made up of blue mes extending upward in the air. Zeeeut! Swoosh! Swoosh! The nine swords that were sent out earlier returned to the woman''s side and levitated behind her back. Each weapon was a gorgeous blue and silver double-edged straight sword that contained deadly hidden sword intent. "You have done well, Izroth. Then again, I expected no less from the person who has ovee my crusade." The woman said proudly. She was none other than the owner of the crusade recently cleared by Izroth and five other top yers. And, the only crusade in RML ever conquered by yers, the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis! To be more precise, it was a part of her¡ªa phantom. Earlier, not long after his Full Mantle came to an end, Izroth realized that if events continued along their current path, the chances of sess would only decline. That was when Izroth decided to use one of the items he received after clearing the crusade. It was the only SSS-ranked magic item he had in his possession¡ªthe Relic of the First Tal. Name: Relic of the First Tal(Soulbound) Rank: SSS Durability: : ¡Þ(Indestructible) Uses: 2/3 Usage: Summons a powerful phantom of ?Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis? who will assist the user inbat for up to 5 minutes. Cooldown: 252 hours Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. This item automatically disappears when the number of uses reaches 0. The current Tal''Nis before Izroth was not the same one he fought against in the crusade. Rather, it was a simr existence that worked on the same principle. The phantom summoned by the Relic of the First Tal was but one of the fragments left behind by Tal''Nis before her ascend into the Divine Realm. And, just like the Tal''Nis in the crusade, it seemed to be both separate and connected to the real Tal''Nis. That is why even though the Tal''Nis in front of Izroth recognized him, she had no knowledge beyond what was discussed strictly within the confines of the crusade. Nevertheless, the phantom was undoubtedly strong. With just one move, she had forced Ourami back tens of meters and even managed to damage his silver scale-like armor! "If you were a little slower, it would have gotten a bit troublesome," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. When Izroth noticed who arrived, he released a small inward sigh. ''It seems we''ve managed to buy enough time. But, that was too close.'' A thinyer of wind epassed Izroth as it rapidly dispersed. Just before he was struck by Ourami''s attack, Izroth was able to activate the skill Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard. This skill created a protective aura around Izroth that absorbed the damage from all iing attacks, as well as crowd control for five seconds. Needless to say, the protective aura was shattered immediately by Ourami''s attack along with the remainder of the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes. However, if not for his fast reaction time in activating the Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, Izroth may not have survived that long fall to the ground as thest of his HP would have been depleted! "This kind of experience is a rarity. It would be a shame if it were not taken full advantage of, would you not agree?" Tal''Nis responded calmly. "I suppose you''re right," Izroth said as he stood to his feet. After thatst blow, Izroth felt as if his body was ready to break apart. If not for his Earthly Golden Bones and Strength of the Ancient Colossus, Izroth would not have been able to stand on his own two feet right about now. But, he did not n to spend the rest of the battle simplyying around! Without warning, a silver streak appeared next to Tal''Nis as an overwhelming pressure descended upon the vicinity. Ourami, who had just been pushed back, followed up with a counterattack. He did not know where this person came from; however, since they dared to interfere, their only choice was death! Just like what happened earlier, the pir appeared without sound or presence. He was simply somewhere one moment, and then another ce the next. BANG! Ding! The nine swords that levitated at Tal''Nis'' back moved at blinding speeds, as the tip of the des connected to one another and intercepted Ourami''s strike. "?!" The pir''s cerulean visor briefly shed as if it were expressing his shock. He could not recall thest time someone stopped while he was under the effects of his Silent Coursing. Silent Coursing was a side effect of Ourami''s Epithet of Seizing that automatically "seized" his very own presence when he transformed. This made it virtually impossible for others to follow movements, let alone respond to his attacks. "You are not a celestial of this world. Are you also from that ce called the Mortal Realm?" Ourami scowled. "To attack and interrupt me while I am in the middle of a conversation¡ªhow rude. Were you never taught any manners as a child?" Tal''Nis said. A stream of blue mes flowed from her hair and epassed Izroth, shielding him from the shockwave of the attacks. "Manners? What nonsense. When one stands above everything, is there a need for such worthless beliefs?" Ourami scoffed. "A crude outlook. Even I, who have gazed beyond the pinnacle of this world below, dare not say I stand above everything. But, I expect no less from someone like you. A naive frog at the bottom of a well¡ªthat is all you amount to." Tal''Nis spoke without remorse. "You darepare me to a mere frog?" Ourami stated as the pressure in the atmosphere increased severalfold. "Is she wrong?!" A thunderous voice boomed. Bzzzt... Crrrrckle! Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning struck down from above Ourami! But, at thest moment, the lightning curved away from the pir as it was forced away from him using the Epithet of Force. Chapter 836: By Any Means, An Undefined Sharpness

Chapter 836: By Any Means, An Undefined Sharpness

Ourami''s expression darkened beneath his visor as he set his gaze above. "Today is the day we pry the world from the tightened grip of you pirs!" Astratis dered as he descended andnded opposite of Tal''Nis. With Tal''Nis at his front and the Son of Thunder at his back, Ourami was left with nowhere to retreat. However, the thought of fleeing had not once crossed the pir''s mind. After all, it was he who ruled over the Fourth Heart of the World. What face would he have left if he fled from his own territory in the face of enemies? Nevertheless, Ourami''s mood quickly soured with the arrival of Astratis. "If he''s here, then Yia..." Ourami thought to himself as he came to terms with Yia''s fate. Ourami knew that if Astratis was present, it meant that Yia''s defeat had already been carved in stone. "Answer me, Son of Thunder. What have you done to the Pir of the East?" Ourami inquired solemnly. "What have I done? Don''t tell me that form of yours reduces your intelligence. You of all people should know what fate awaits those destined to leave this world. He has already been cast into the eternal pits of the Na''Ei Cha." Astratis stated without remorse. "Ignorant fool! Do you know what you''ve done?!" Ouramished out. The Na''Ei Cha was not an actual pit, but rather a special presence that resided everywhere and yet also nowhere in the Secret Realm. This special presence was said to be one of the Protogenos¡ªa being who assisted in the creation of this Secret Realm. However, even though the Na''Ei Cha was a presence, it was also a ce. There was no known entrance or exit to the Na''Ei Cha and no one knew its true form. What they did know was that celestials and pirs alike would be drawn there upon their demise. This was due to one simple fact. Thews that existed in the Secret Realm made it so that they could not die! When Izroth first discovered this fact during his time exploring the Hidden Celestial Abode, he was not too surprised. After all, when he visited the Shadahi Realm, he ran into something simr where the shadahi there were virtually immortal due to the rules of their realm. Therefore, it was not impossible for other realms to have their own unique set ofws. Though what Izroth did not initially understand was the point of a war where neither side could truly defeat the other. It was at that time he learned about the existence of the Na''Ei Cha. The Na''Ei Cha acted as a seal that trapped the demised inside. And, ording to the celestials, this seal was impossible to open from the inside. Of course, there was a way to temporarily lift the seal and free someone; however, it was one of the deeply hidden secrets of this realm that only a few knew. Though neither the pir nor celestials possessed this knowledge. "I have done what is necessary. Though you should not worry too much. Since you will be joining them soon." Astratis said boldly as he bolted forward with his hand held outward. Crrrckle! p! A thunderp sounded as five streams of lightning left Astratis'' fingertips. At first, each stream was separate. But, as the streams approached Ourami, they merged together, forming a single powerful burst of lightning! Clink! Clink! Clink! Ourami called back his tail fragments as they snapped back together, reverting his metallic-like tail to its original length. Swoosh! The instant Ourami''s tail was back in one piece, it whipped out and crashed into the stream of lightning, dispersing it in every direction. "All of you celestials are the same. A bunch of shameless cowards who only know how to rely on others. Involving outsiders in the affairs of our world¡ªdid you ever stop to consider the possibility of external threats?" Ourami said calmly. "Do you think I don''t know what you''re up to? Want to call us shameless? That''s alright by me. If it means ridding this world of you and those like you, I am not afraid to be shameless or cowardly. External threats? Even if that were true, do you believe our world could survive and thrive under the current internal threats? If so, you pirs are even more naive and arrogant than I imagined." Astratis responded. Astratis was no fool. He knew that Ourami''s words were simply a means to rile him up and get him to act recklessly. If it were under normal circumstances, perhaps his taunt would have worked. However, the Son of Thunder was aware of how much was at stake. "Is he acting cautiously because he is unable to grasp her strength?" Astratis internalized as he nced over at Tal''Nis. During his fight against Yia, Astratis held the upperhand. That being said, Yia was still a pir and would not fall so easily. Even if Astratis had the upperhand, putting Yia out ofmission was still a mountainous task. But, right when Astratis was bing concerned about a drawn-out battle, Tal''Nis appeared and tipped the scales in his favor. With her aid, Astratis was able to sessfully suppress Yia and cast him into the eternal pits of the Na''Ei Cha. Needless to say, Astratis was taken aback by Tal''Nis. Although he could not sense any Ethos from her, the power she disyed was by no means inferior to his own. He had an abundance of questions; however, he understood that now was not the time to explore them. At the very least, she appeared to know Izroth and did not seem to be an enemy. Given their current circumstances, that was good enough for Astratis. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Out of nowhere, nine swords encircled Ourami as Tal''Nis'' voice sounded, "Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Seventy-Two Frenized Cuts." One moment, the nine swords were perfectly still. Then, before one could even blink, a frightening scene emerged. Zeeeut! Each sword moved at blinding speeds as Ourami was caught at the center of an onught of attacks! The pir used abination of all his Epithets tobat the iing swords. With his Epithet of Scrutiny and Divination, Ourami was able to predict the trajectory of each sword as well as uncover a blind spot. And, by utilizing his Epithet of Force, he repelled many of the attacks. But, even then, the pir could not avoid being struck. That''s why he used his Epithet of Seizing to "seize" a good portion of the force behind the strikes that did reach him. In this way, Ourami was able to reduce the damage he received as his scale-like armor provided ample protection. Unfortunately, there were still several cuts that he could not prevent as parts of his "armor" were chipped away. "How is this possible? There should not exist a de with this level of sharpness in the world." Ourami thought to himself as he inwardly frowned. What surprised the pir more than anything was the sharpness of Tal''Nis'' sword. No, sharpness was not the correct word. He did not know how to describe it, but it was as if the sword cut because that was merely the purpose behind its existence. Chapter 837: More Ways Than One, A Forced Hand

Chapter 837: More Ways Than One, A Forced Hand

As the three exchanged blows, Izroth had retreated to a safe distance. But, of course, nowhere in the Fourth Heart of the World was truly safe given the individuals fighting. Izroth observed the fight as he circted his Source Chant to recover some of his lost essence. ''I used up too much essence. It will take me some time before I can fully recuperate.'' Izroth pushed his Source to the limit, treading a thin line that could have led him into a state of Soul Weakness with one careless misstep. Bang! "I thought you went and kicked the bucket, stone face. " Hakros said as hended next to Izroth. "I''m afraid it''s not that easy to get rid of me. You''re in a better state than I anticipated." Izroth responded as he briefly examined Hakros. The behemoth''s body was riddled with bruises from fending off Ourami''s tail fragments not long ago. It was not until the pir recalled the tail fragments that Hakros was finally able to make his way over to Izroth. Still, Izroth was surprised by the level of durability Hakros possessed. Not just anyone could face an attack from someone at the peak of the legendary realm and walk away with merely some heavy bruises. This once again demonstrated the terrifying nature of Hakros'' bloodline and natural physique. "Heh, as you said¡ªit''s not that easy," Hakros replied with a grin as he turned his attention towards the ongoing battle. He then inquired, "A friend of yours?" "You can say that we are acquainted," Izroth answered. "Oh? So, what now? Don''t tell me we''re just leaving to go clean up some small fries on the outskirts." Hakros said as he nced over at Izroth. "No. The others are more than enough to handle the remnant forces. You haven''t forgotten the main purpose of a Secret Realm, have you?" Izroth asked. "Hah? Purpose? Isn''t it treasure hunting or something?" "Precisely." "Are you saying you want to go looking for treasures now? I still need to pay that guy back properly." Hakros frowned. In truth, Hakros wanted to join back in on the fight against Ourami. He was not satisfied with the way things ended. Not to mention, it was not often he faced opponents that drove his bloodline to the brink of its limitations. "It''s not as though we need to search too far. After all, there''s a treasure trove right before us." Izroth stated. He then continued, "You said you wanted to pay him back, correct? Then, we shall do so in full. In the end, there are more ways to settle a debt than by relying on force alone." "What are you on about?" Hakros questioned as he could not follow along with Izroth''s words. "Just as you said¡ªtreasure hunting," Izroth said as he set his gaze on Ourami''s grand pce in the distance. ... A few momentster... ...BANG! Rmmmmble! The pce doors were smashed open as they fell to the ground in pieces, creating a small pile of rubble in the process. The following moment, Izroth stepped over the pile of rubble with Hakros at his side. "Now, shall we begin our treasure hunt?" Izrothmented with a carefree smile. ... Meanwhile, outside the pce... "Temple of the Lightning King: Upward sh." Astratis roared as he pierced the earth with the serrated de of his Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet. Swoosh! Boom! Boom! Boom! A chain of explosions went off as several pirs of lightning erupted from the ground, releasing powerful discharges in every direction. Ourami was at the center of the lightning pirs as he kicked off the ground with a great force and soared into the air. However, just as he was about to escape and rise above the lightning pirs, a single drop of rain fell onto his left shoulder. Plop... When the raindrop made contact with the pir, it immediately shredded the protectiveyer of armor on his left shoulder and knocked Ourami back to the ground. "?!" Ourami tried to use his Epithet of Force to push himself away from the earth; however, he swiftly stopped midway after gazing into the future with his Epithet of Divination. "If I went back up just now..." Ourami thought to himself as he silently grit his teeth out of anger. It was not what Ourami saw with his Epithet of Divination, but rather what he did not see. There was no future. This could only happen for two reasons. One, there was a powerful oracle obstructing his future visions. Or, the more likely reason¡ªhe did not exist in that future. This meant that if he followed through with his original ns, he would not have survived! "Worms! Insects! How dare they oppose me!" Ourami brooded. Tal''Nis hovered above the lightning pirs at the center as she looked down on Ourami. This served to further infuriate the pir. When was thest down someone dared stand above him while in his presence?! But, what truly enraged Ourami was the look in Tal''Nis'' eyes. That cold look that clearly conveyed her thoughts¡ª"How pitiful". "Looking down on me with that pity-filled gaze... I will personally rip those eyes of yours out with my own hands!" Ourami roared. "Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Heaven''s Waterfall," Tal''Nis said as she held her arm up and pointed her index finger towards the sky. Above Tal''Nis, a massive stream of water that resembled a densely cascading waterfall rushed down into the cylinder-like structure formed by the lightning pirs. This waterfall was filled with a devastating sword intent that carried with it an unstoppable force of destruction. At the same time, Astratis'' lightning pirs closed in. And, as if feeding off the water-like sword intent, the lightning grew even more chaotic and vicious than before. ...BOOOOOOOM! A huge explosion took ce that was confined to the area initially formed by the lightning pirs; however, the shockwave swept across the Fourth Heart of the World. Tal''Nis descended from the sky andnded next to Astratis as she recalled her Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Heaven''s Waterfall. Astratis'' lightning pirs also vanished as thest few sparks jumped about. "Your techniques are some that I have never seen before in this world. Are you from the Mortal Realm that Izroth spoke of?" Astratis questioned. "I once was. However, my true body no longer resides in that ce. I am but a mere fragment of my real self." Tal''Nis answered calmly. "A fragment? Real self?" Astratis muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows. Astratis did not fullyprehend Tal''Nis'' words. If this was but a mere fragment of her true self, then just how strong was her real body? Though Astratis had a difficult time epting something like that at face value. After all, if what she said was true, it would imply that she was at least on the same level as the Protogenos who created their world! "He is rather sturdy," Tal''Nis said. ...Rmmmble! Bang! Without warning, Ourami stood up as the rubble around him shot in every direction. Tat! Tat! The blue mes from Tal''Nis'' hair coiled around her body, shielding her from the iing rubble. Although Ourami rose to his feet with great vigor, it was clear that his limit was fast approaching. The majority of the pir''s silver scale-like armor had been shredded to pieces. In addition, he was covered in several wounds of various severity¡ªa result that would not havee as fast if not for Izroth breaking through the natural protective aura of his physique. Ourami''s breathing wasbored and his left eye that showed through the crack in his visor seemed hazy¡ªalmost as if his consciousness was slipping away. Seeing that Astratis and his unknown assant were not faltering, Ourami''s expression darkened as he said, "Remember, it was you who forced my hand, Son of Thunder." Then, as if he gained a sudden burst of energy, Ourami dered, "For your transgressions against the rightful rulers of this world and tant disregard for the consequences that will inevitably follow, you must pay the price. I, the Pir of the West, Heaven''s Strength, Ourami, the one who presides over the Fourth Heart of the World, ask that the Son of Thunder, Astratis, be judged! This is my one decree!" Crrrackle! Tal''Nis narrowed her eyes as she shifted her gaze to a ce far away from the Fourth Heart of the World. At the same time, following Ourami''s outburst, the skies above the Fourth Heart of the World became covered by a thick ck mist. Chapter 838: One Decree, A Disappointment

Chapter 838: One Decree, A Disappointment

"It would seem that this realm holds a great deal of secrets," Tal''Nismented as she set her sights on the ck mist. "Yes. Perhaps too many." Astratis spoke in a solemn tone as he also eyed the ck mist. The ck mist emitted a gloomy and eerie aura that prated into every corner of the Fourth Heart of the World. Once the aura epassed the area, the ck mist parted as a figure emerged. The figure was an old man in all-ck attire with long gray hair and a pair of sunken eyes that matched that of an abyss. The old man presented himself in an aloof manner¡ªas if everything in the world was beneath him. But, what stood out most about this individual was his overwhelming presence. It felt as though nothing in the Fourth Heart of the World could escape his grasp. "Hm? So it is the spawn of the Heaven''s Point that calls upon me. Boy, do you know what it means to call for the One Decree?" The old man said unhurriedly. Although the old man was still far away and not shouting, his voice seemed to carry into the ears of all those present in the Fourth Heart of the World with ease. "I, Heaven''s Strength Ourami, son of the Heaven''s Point,prehend my actions with full rity!" Ourami stated without hesitation. The old man remained silent for a few seconds before he spoke out and responded, "Very well. As the one who controls the flow, I shall honor the pact I made that day with your father." Astratis'' expression darkened as his gazended on the old man. "So it was him, after all. I always knew there was a chance, but still... To think Ourami would be willing to go this far." Astratis said to himself as a hint of anger shed through his eyes. The One Decree was a pact made between two individuals where both sides must carry out the request of the other that was reasonable as well as within their means. However, something like the One Decree was not given away so easily for obvious reasons. The fact that Ourami was able to do so with such a powerful existence was, without a doubt, a gift left behind by his father. "An acquaintance of yours?" Tal''Nis inquired. "Not in the slightest. It is because of that monster that the pirs exist and run wild without fear of any consequences. He is the reason why us celestials and the free ancient races of this world are forced to fight for our very existence. The Son of Harvest and Progenitor of the Flow, Kyvernos. He is the true ruler of this world. He does not typically involve himself in worldly matters, but... The One Decree is a different story." Astratis exined as his gaze turned cold. He then nced over at Tal''Nis and continued, "I am not certain what bond you hold with Izroth or what promise was made, but your aid has been plentiful. I will not ask that you face this battle of uncertainty with me in a world that is not your own." A light smile formed on Tal''Nis'' face as she listened to Astratis speak. She was but a mere fragment of the true Tal''Nis; therefore, it did not matter whether she "lived" or "died". That being said, she still possessed the pride of someone who peered above the legendary realm. "I may only be a fragment of my true self, but my will remains untainted," Tal''Nis stated as the water-like sword intent above her dispersed and started to gather before her. The next moment, the sword intent transformed into a single pure white sword without w. Simultaneously, the blue mes epassing the Lady of Evesting Rain turned white. There was no heat being released from the mes or Tal''Nis'' sword. Instead, there was a mysterious power that existed within them. "Hm?" Kyvernos slightly narrowed his eyes as he observed the changes that surrounded Tal''Nis. He let out a light scoff and dered with scorn, "You are not a being of this world. Your mere presence here has polluted the flow. But, do not worry. I shall correct this oversight." The instant Kyvernos finished speaking, a monstrous pressure descended upon the entire Fourth Heart of the World, causing it to tremble. The pressure was so great that some of the weaker ancient races in Ourami''s forces were unable to withstand it. As a result, their bodies immediately crumbled to dust as their existence was erased in the blink of an eye. It did not end there as the particles of dust from those affected by the pressure flowed in a steady stream towards Kyvernos. In a sh, the stream of dust morphed into a dark purple sphere that was roughly the size of a plum. The sphere emitted an eerie aura. And, if one examined it closely, one would see a collection of tormented souls at the sphere''s core. Kyvernos grabbed the sphere as he opened his mouth and devoured it in one go. After he did so, a frown formed on his face. "Lowly creatures... A rotten taste as always. But, it shall suffice." Kyvernos stated as a dim ck light appeared on the tip of his right index and middle fingers. Upon seeing the ck light and sensing the sinister aura it contained, Tal''Nis and Astratis wasted no time making their move. ...BOOM! Suddenly, a thunderous p erupted as a powerful concentration of the lightning element jumped wildly around Astratis. Then, in the blink of an eye, Astratis appeared in the sky. The Son of Thunder stood less than ten meters away from Kyvernos as he ced his fingers together as if he were holding an invisible sphere. "Passage of the Lightning King: Six Thunderous Paths!" The moment Astratis spoke, several overwhelming and destructive waves of the lightning element discharged from his body in every direction. Soon after, the lighting element quickly began to take shape as it expanded and formed aplex set of pathways that stretched more than one hundred meters. In fact, if not for its numerous twists and arches, it may very well have extended more than several kilometers! The pathways that appeared were barely wide enough to fit a person''s foot, let alone for them to walk on. However, these were not ordinary pathways. Astratis lightly ced his left hand on a nearby lightning pathway. The instant he performed this action, Astratis disappeared without a trace. ...Crrrckle! Zeeeut! Without warning, Astratis appeared next to Kyvernos. This movement urred so fast that even if one did not blink, they still would have missed it! Though this was not surprising. The Passage of the Lightning King: Six Thunderous Paths allowed Astratis to move to any point on the lightning pathways just by simply making contact with any part of it. More frightening was that this movement happened at the same speed as a sh of lightning! Astratis shed outward at Kyvernos as a strong surge of lightning erupted from the serrated de from his Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet. It was as if a ferocious thunderstorm had suddenly descended upon the Fourth Heart of the World. At the same time, out of nowhere, an untainted white de appeared behind Kyvernos. The de belonged to Tal''Nis and contained a nearly limitless stream of sword intent. And, as the de approached Kyvernos, it resembled a great flood that was capable of drowning anything in its path. In less than a single breath, Kyvernos was faced with two terrifying attacks with nowhere to retreat! However, instead of being ovee with a sense of panic or urgency, Kyvernos'' facial expression seemed to shift to one of annoyance. "To think that there are still those who are foolish enough to raise their hand against me in this world. It would seem that I have been too lenient these past few cycles. I will correct this oversight." All of a sudden, the sinister aura at Kyvernos'' fingertips expanded, causing the entirety of the Fourth Heart of the World to transform into a world of ck and white. For a brief moment, everything in this new world came to a grinding halt. Though this power was not as grand as governing time itself. There was something peculiar about it. Despite theck of activity, there was an indescribable presence of chaos that reigned supreme. With everything seemingly frozen in ce, Kyvernos unhurriedly made his way before Astratis. The Son of Thunder was still in the middle of his strike and the ferocious power within his Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet remained unchanged amidst the chaos. But, even though Kyvernos was right before him, Astratis did not seem to be aware of his presence. "Perhaps in another five cycles, your de may have been able to barely reach me. Unfortunately, your impatience has be your downfall. What a disappointment." Kyvernos said to himself as he narrowed his eyes and examined Astratis. The next moment, he closed his eyes and uttered, "It''s a shame... Well¡ªI can always make more." Kyvernos reached his right hand out towards Astratis'' forehead as the sinister aura returned to his index finger. Chapter 839: Reunion, Unable To Defy

Chapter 839: Reunion, Unable To Defy

Shiiiiing! Phhhtk! Out of nowhere, a thin yet brilliant ray of light shone down right in between Astratis and Kyvernos. Simultaneously, a stream of thick ck liquid could be seen oozing out from Kyvernos'' hand where his index finger had once been. As for the index finger itself, it had been cleanly severed by the ray of light! In the following moment, the ck and white world slowly began to vanish as movement returned to the frozen world. Then, as if having never been interrupted, Astratis'' and Tal''Nis'' attacks carried forward with unbelievable momentum. ...BOOOOOOM! Following the first st, a series of cascading explosions urred¡ªeach more powerful than thest. Due to the water-like nature of Tal''Nis sword intent, it acted as a catalyst for Astratis'' lightning. Therefore, when the two attacks made contact, they fed off one another in a constant loop of destruction. Normally, this kind of on-the-spotbination would not have been possible for two individuals who had just met each other. And, even if they somehow managed to seed inbining their strikes, the end result would be chaotic and unpredictable. However, despite being a fragment of her true self, Tal''Nis''prehension of the elements that existed beneath the firmament was instinctual. Therefore, she was able to perfectly bnce the two elements. This feat was something that was difficult to achieve even for a peak legendary realm figure who controlled both elements. The fact that Tal''Nis could do so when one of the elements belonged to another person was virtually unheard of! Astratis did not lose focus on his attack and pressed forward; however, he could not help but be shocked inwardly. "The power behind my lightning has increased nearly threefold. This person... Just how deep is her understanding of the naturalws to maintain this sort of bnce?" Astratis thought to himself. But, the Son of Thunder quickly pushed his thoughts aside and cleaned his mind. He knew that allowing his mind to stray now would lead to a swift demise. "Writ of the Lightning King: Skyward Judgment!" Astratis roared as a heavy flood of Ethos containing his unique lightning element rained down from the sky in the form of a lightning bolt barrage. The next moment, the entire sky of the Fourth Heart of the World became lit up. The light caused by the massive explosion nketed every corner as though daylight had been introduced for the first time. This eye-blinding lightsted several seconds before dissipating. By the time it cleared up, Astratis had retreated tens of meters from his previous position using his Six Thunderous Paths. At the same time, Tal''Nis recalled the pure sword to her side as she silently observed the situation in the sky above. The smoke generated by Astratis'' and Tal''Nis'' attacks gradually cleared away. And, as it did so, it caused the Son of Thunder to narrow his eyes as a slight frown appeared on his face. Standing at the center of the recently dispersed cloud of smoke was Kyvernos. Though the most shocking part was that besides his finger that had been severed by the ray of light, he came out virtually unscathed! Some pieces of Kyvernos'' clothing had been torn and tattered. In addition, there were a few minor bruises that were already on the verge of recovery. "An ambush? Merely a petty trick of the weak." Kyvernos stated unhurriedly. Simultaneously, the thick ck liquid from his hand stopped pouring out and split into thousands of thin threads. These threads connected to the piece of Kyvernos'' finger that was cut off and reconnected it to his hand. If one were not there to witness it, they would have never known his finger being severed ever urred! "I was hoping he would be somewhat rusty after spending so many cycles idle, but... It''s just as I thought¡ªan old monster is still a monster." Astratis internalized. While his survival was not outside of Astratis'' expectations, he never anticipated that theirbined attacks would only inflict that much damage! "Will you show yourself? Or, shall I personally drag you out?" Kyvernos announced as the atmosphere grew heavy and his facial expression darkened. Although he was not seriously injured, in the end, he was still the absolute ruler of this world. Attacking him was akin to striking against the world itself. Therefore, those who dared oppose Kyvernos had only one oue in his eyes¡ªdeath! "It has been but a few cycles since west crossed paths and yet you still remain as impatient as always, Kyvernos." A voice sounded from above the Fourth Heart of the World as a brilliant ray of light descended in between Astratis and Kyvernos. "Hmph, I should have known it would be you. You should have stayed silently hidden away in your cave, Ilioreas." Kyvernos scoffed. Ilioreas was the one responsible for breaking Kyvernos'' "flow" over the surroundings, as well as severing the Progenitor of the Flow''s finger to halt his attack on Astratis. "It is good to see you again, too, brother," Ilioreas responded calmly as his steady gaze met Kyvernos''. ... A few moments ago... ''I anticipated some obstacles, but... To think my Energy Vision Sense is unable to peer into the depths of this pce. The whole building must be protected by some form of ethos. Well, considering where we are, I suppose it''s not too surprising. Since am I still uncertain of the limits of ethos, I can''t afford to be careless.'' When Izroth and Hakros entered the pce, the two wasted no time making their way toward the heart of the pce. After all, it was not umon for the center of the pce to be the most heavily guarded and safest area. And, for an area with those two conditions in ce, the treasure room could not be far away. At least, this was the case under normal circumstances. Izroth took into ount Ourami''s personality, as well as the state of the Secret Realm. He knew that in Ourami''s eyes, even if he were to set a priceless treasure out in the open for all to see, no one dared to im it as long as it belonged to him. If that was the case, what person was foolish enough to stroll into his pce andy their hands on his treasures? Such a person simply did not exist in this Secret Realm¡ªat least until now. The reason Izroth chose to head to the pce''s center was not due to the two previously mentioned conditions, but rather because of Ourami''s arrogance. Given his pride, would Ourami allow himself to be anywhere but the center where everything revolved around him? Plus, who could possibly be better suited at keeping an eye on his belongings than he himself? ''I was able to get a good look at the pce''s exterior when I used Sky Steps earlier, but I can only make rough estimates based on such limited information. Still, if I am not mistaken, we should be approaching the center soon. Though it''s strange...'' The closer Izroth moved to the center of the pce, the more he could not shake this feeling of uneasiness. It was not as though his Soul Sense was warning him of potential danger. Instead, this feeling came from the vast experiences he cultivated over time. "Everyone must have run outside to join in on the fun. It''s a bit regretful..." Hakros said as he growled thetter part under his breath. Due to the sudden attack on the Fourth Heart of the World, most of the ancient races that served under Ourami left their assigned posts to confront the celestials. It was not surprising that they had yet to run into anyone within the pce. "Don''t let your guard down. This ce¡ªthere''s something off about it." Izroth warned. He then continued, "Let''s increase our pace. The faster we find the treasure room, the sooner we can return to the battlefield." "You don''t have to tell me twice," Hakros replied with a grin. Izroth increased his pace as Hakros followed close behind. ... The two ventured deeper into Ourami''s pce. On the way, they came across a few of the ancient races under Ourami''s rule. However, those left behind in the pce were either too weak to join the battle outside or were simply there to serve as some form of amusement for the pir. The former could not withstand a single strike from Izroth or Hakros, while thetter were pitiful existences. Even after Izroth offered them freedom, they refused to leave the pce. In the end, Izroth could only offer the opportunity and not force their departure. Not only was his time limited, but it was also not his duty or purpose to save those within Ourami''s pce. But, he understood that in their eyes, defying Ourami was the same as defying a deity. To most individuals, such a thought was iprehensible. ''Hm? This is...'' The moment Izroth arrived close to the heart of Ourami''s pce, he sensed an overwhelming sinister auraing from outside the pce. Chapter 840: Relic, The Palace Treasure Room

Chapter 840: Relic, The Pce Treasure Room

Even though it was unfamiliar, Izroth was able to barely perceive it. Not with his Energy Vision Sense, but rather using his natural senses. However, just as quickly as he sensed it, it vanished without a trace. It was to the point that Izroth almost believed that he must have imagined it. ''That sinister aura... It came from outside the pce. Is it why I have been feeling this sense of uneasiness? I left Tal''Nis back there, but even if I poured most of my remaining essence into the relic, the time limit she can remain active cannot exceed ten minutes. In that case, I don''t have much time to spare.'' Bang! As this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, Hakros knocked down a pair of towering doors that impeded their path. Woosh! Woosh! Izroth and Hakros sped through the doorway before they abruptly halted their steps. "Oh? That bastard sure knows how to show off." Hakrosmented as he examined his surroundings. ''I expected it to be somewhat grand given his personality, but... Isn''t this a little too much?'' Izroth silently surveyed the spacious area that could only be described as a ridiculously extravagant throne room. Everything from the floor to the walls was made out of ancient-grade material! Even those powerful organizations and kingdoms in the Mortal Realm would not dare use ancient-grade materials for such a purpose. Instead, they chose a more practical route and merely reinforced regr sturdy materials with magic. Although this method was not as durable as using ancient-grade materials, its cost efficiency to performance ratio was virtually unmatched. However, the ancient-grade floor and walls were not all that took Izroth by surprise. Rather, it was the luxurious throne located at the head of the room with a genuine atmosphere of domination around it. With one swift movement, Izroth arrived in front of the throne and viewed the information disyed by the system. Name: Seat of the Heaven''s Point(Relic) Owner: Pir of the West, Ourami Boundary: ??? Usage: This item is currently bound to [Pir of the West, Ourami] and cannot be changed until its owner perishes or relinquishes control. When sitting upon this seat, it consumes the user''s energy and grants them the following skills(s): -?A Ruler''s Authority? - ??? -?Extension of a Ruler''s Will? - ??? -?Dominion of Absolute Authority? - ??? -?The Last To Fall? - ??? Special Note: Once set in ce, this item cannot be moved. The skill effects of this item are only visible to its owner. The skill effects of this item can only be activated if the owner is sitting on the seat. If the owner leaves the seat or runs out of energy, all of this item''s effects will be automatically disabled. ''A relic? It''s the first time I''vee across one in RML. Is it a Secret Realm''s version of a magic item? No, if it was just that much, would the system bother creating apletely separate category?'' By now, Izroth had a decent understanding when it came to how the system in RML did certain things. For example, despite skills and traits being so simr to each other, the system still separated them. This was due to the fact that while they were somewhat identical, one could be seen as a natural gift of the world and the other as artificially created. ''Since skills are manmade, given the extensive history of RML, it''s likely those in the beginning simply tried to mimic traits. Perhaps it''s the same with magic items and relics¡ªa deep-rooted imitation that evolved to its current state over time.'' Of course, this was all merely Izroth''s theory. Nevertheless, when it came to details about RML''s history, there was probably no other yer in RML that could match Izroth''s knowledge. He was confident that even if his conclusion turned out to not be entirely correct, his path of thought was not far off. ''Still, that does not change the fact that it bears a striking simrity to a magic item. Itcks a rank that''s typically given to magic items based on their capability. It looks durable, but there are no signs of a durability stat.'' After viewing the Seat of the Heaven''s Point''s system information, Izroth immediately attempted to use Deep Insight to gain a better understanding of the relic. However, the end results were disappointing. ''Unfortunately, my skill level with Deep Insight is still too low to see through this relic.'' Skill Name: Deep Insight Skill Level: 15.71% Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Be the first yer to achieve a Perception stat of 9 or higher. Active: The user gains a deeper insight into a target, uncovering up to [2] ws or weaknesses. Cooldown: None Special Note: This skill cannot be used on the same target within 72 hours. Ever since he entered the Secret Realm, Izroth had not been cking off on his use of Deep Insight to increase its skill level. He used it on everything and everyone except those powerful individuals. It was not that Izrothcked the desire to potentially learn more about them, but instead, he did not want to waste his chances. After all, with his previous skill level of Deep Insight before he stepped into the Secret Realm, it was unlikely that any information he received would be beneficial. And, since he could not use it on the same target within 72 hours, Izroth knew that he could not be careless. ''It has improved a lot, but there are still some limitations.'' Not only did the number of ws and weaknesses that could be discovered using Deep Insight increase from one to two, but the details it provided also became a little more refined. The next moment, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm, causing a strong gale of wind to blow around him. ''I''d really like to tear this entire room down and take it with me back to the Mortal Realm. Especially, this throne. It is true that too much greed can leave one with empty hands, but...'' "Hakros, we''ll be tearing this ce apart until we find what we came for¡ªstarting with the floor," Izroth stated. When Izroth briefly extended his Energy Vision Sense to the maximum range of the room, he detected something hidden far underground. But, with so much ancient material in use, it was difficult to tell whether or not it was just some natural energy flowing through the ground or something more. Either way, there was only one way to find out. "Tear it apart? Ahahaha! Yeah, I think I prefer this side of yours!" Hakros said as he clenched his fist. Then, without skipping a beat, the behemoth jumped towards the center of the room and mmed his fists into the ground full force! BOOM! Crrrrckle! Rmmmmble! The floor could not withstand the full force of Hakros'' blow as it cracked from the pressure. The shockwave generated by the blow was also enough to send tremors throughout the center of the pce''s interior. "This thing¡ªit''s sturdier than I thought," Hakros growled. Just now, Hakros intended to break open the floor with his blow but only caused somerge cracks to form. Though this was not too surprising seeing as how the entire room was virtually made built using ancient-grade materials. Forget physical strength, even those powerful magic cannons used to defend cities in the Mortal Realm would not necessarily be about to break through it in one shot. "Well, that''s fine since there''s a simple solution. I just gotta keep hitting it until it breaks!" Hakros roared as his fist crashed into the floor. But, the behemoth did not stop there as heunched a barrage of earth-shaking blows at the floor¡ªeach blow being faster and more powerful than thest. Soon enough, the cracks turned into fissures, and the fissures into a crater. When Izroth witnessed this sight, he could not help but inwardly shake his head. Only someone like Hakros was crazy enough to use pure physical strength to forcibly break through ancient-grade materials. But, with his unique physique, he was perhaps one of the few individuals from the Mortal Realm actually capable of doing so. Izroth shifted his stance and used the Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley, adding to the destruction being caused by Hakros increasing the size of the crater. ... ...Crrrck... BOOM! Suddenly, the ceiling of an enclosed room copsed, and a pile of rubble scattered on the floor. Not long after, two individuals emerged from the dust cloud. These two were, of course, Izroth and Hakros. Afteryering their attacks together for nearly one minute straight, the two of them were finally able to reach the hidden underground chamber of the pce. ''I was beginning to suspect there was nothing here, however... I guess my concerns were unwarranted. It''s no wonder the room above was so extravagant.'' "Ahahaha! I want to see the look on that bastard''s face when hees back to this ce!" Hakros bellowed as he took in the sight before him. A few meters ahead, there was a pile of treasures ranging from materials, potions, gold, weapons, and more. With just a single nce, one could tell that there was enough treasure here to rival the wealth of a powerful organization or a mid-sized kingdom! "We''re taking it all. Do not leave behind even a single gold coin." Izroth said with a carefree smile. Chapter 841: The Harvest

Chapter 841: The Harvest

... A few momentster, Izroth and Hakros stood in an empty treasure room. Just as Izroth dered, they did not leave behind even a strand of thread! ''To think there woulde a time when my inventory is filled to this extent. I''ll have to sort through it all once we return to the Mortal Realm.'' The inventory space given to yers in RML was massive. But, it was not infinite. ''Thankfully, Hakros did note empty-handed.'' Fortunately, Hakros carried a small band within the monster fur he wore. ording to Hakros, it was a storage-type magic item. Though he did not carry it around because he had any interest in treasures or gold coins. Rather, Hakros used the band solely to carry around food and drinks. ''Using an S-ranked storage-type magic item as a means to carry around food and drinks¡ªperhaps this level of extravagance is not too far behind Ourami''s. Well, that''s fine. I suppose it works in my favor since he''s able to carry the rest of the treasures.'' As for Hakros running off with the treasures after they left the Secret Realm, Izroth was not worried about that. After all, Hakros was more liking to challenge him to a fight for the treasure head-on than run away like a thief. Besides, unless Hakros was a highly skilled actor, Izroth could tell that he genuinely had no interest in Ourami''s treasures. ''It seems he truly dide to this Secret Realm in search of strong opponents to fight against. In that case, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone...'' "In return for your assistance, when we return to the Mortal Realm, I''ll be sure to introduce you to a good sparring partner. Their natural physique is probably not any less impressive than yours." Izroth mentioned. "Oh? A sparring partner who can match my physique? Interesting...! Then, I hope you don''t go back on your word." Hakros replied as his intense battle spirit could not be hidden. "Rest assured I, Izroth, have never gone back on my word," Izroth responded nonchntly. After looking around once more to make sure they did not miss anything, Izroth set his gaze upward towards the hole they came in from. "Now, shall we depart to-" Izroth started to speak before he was abruptly cut off by an abrupt earthquake. RMMMMMMBLE!!!! Out of nowhere, the entire pce violently trembled. Compared to the earlier eerie sensation Izroth felt, this one was on another level altogether. "We''re going," Izroth stated as he used his natural movement ability and the skill Wall Walking to head back up the hole. Not long after, Hakros quickly followed after Izroth. ... A few moments ago, outside Ourami''s pce... "It is good to see you again, too, brother," Ilioreas responded calmly as his steady gaze met Kyvernos''. "You still have the face to call me brother?" Kyvernos scoffed. He then continued, "I have allowed you to live as you please despite the fact that you dared oppose me back then. I see now that was a mistake. I should not have shown you such a kind mercy." Kyvernos'' tone when he spoke to Illioreas was cold and distant with no hint of a familial bond present. "You left me with no choice. Since you were at the center of everything, you could not see it. But, I saw it clearly. No, even now, I can see it. How you became just like him¡ªour fath-" Illioreas stated. BOOM! Before Illioreas could finish his sentence, an oppressive and eerie aura descended upon the battlefield. The next moment, sinister energy epassed Kyvernos'' palm as he struck out in a casual manner towards the ground. This casual motion caused an indescribable pressure to spread throughout the battlefield, making it difficult for both the ancient races and celestials alike to even stand straight. Except for those who were at least at thete stage of the legendary realm, even a task as simple as breathing became a hardship! "Perish," Kyvernos uttered as the sinister energy took the form of a sea of ck mes in the sky above him. Although the energy resembled mes, there was no heating from it. Instead, it seemed to be a physical manifestation of the embodiment of death itself. When Kyvernos lowered his palm, the "ck mes" rained down in a seemingly endless stream. Thump...! Tssssst! The instant one of the ck mes made contact with the ground, it released a loud thumping sound. Then, what followed was a ghastly sight. The areas the ck mes touched seemed to erode and transform into a stream of dark purple dust. Whether it was the ground, nts, or living creatures, the result was the same. "Rooooar!" A member of the Megada ancient race released a mighty cry as a small wisp of the ck mes struck its bulky and muscr frame. In the blink of an eye, the Megada''s eyes released a dark purple glow before the hair on its body vaporized and its skin turned gray. The whole transformation urred in less than a single breath. But, by the time it was finished, the Megada became an empty skeletal-like husk. It was as though all the lifeforce and ethos in its body had been forcibly removed! When the Daughter of Spirits, Methysria, saw what happened to the Megada after being hit by a mere wisp of the me, her eyes widened in shock as her facial expression darkened. "Everyone gather! Kyamakri, do it! Get Isylo to assist you!" Methysria shouted with haste as she quickly took a couple of gulps from her gourd. By the time Methysria took her final gulp, the celestials had already gathered close to her position. "It''s a bit risky to use around others, but... It''s better than the remaining option of taking those ck mes head-on." Methysria thought to herself. Then, in one breath, Methysria spewed an intoxicating mist from her mouth that expanded several meters outward in everything direction. The mist was able to ease a good majority of the pressure on the celestials as it formed a dome-like smokescreen around them. It was also able to hold back the ck mes. But, it was being rapidly overpowered by the endless barrage. At the same time, Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri arrived right next to Methysria a spear in her right hand and Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo under her left arm. Isylo had not yet stepped into the legendary realm and was one of the physically weakest celestials present; therefore, he could not breathe properly, let alone withstand the pressure from Kyvernos'' strike. Kyamakri was using her ethos to further ease the effects on Isylo; however, it was barely enough for him to breathe properly. Though despite his weakened state, Isylo lifted his shaking hand and created a boundary around the group. The boundary Isylo set up this time was different from the previous boundaries he utilized to hide someone''s presence. This particr boundary separated space itself, creating a pseudo-isted pocket of space. After setting up the boundary, Isylo''s already exhausted expression became incredibly pale as if all the ethos in his body had been drained. And, that was not far from the truth since he was used to only doing so in an area small enough for one person. Creating a boundary big enough for all the nearby celestials¡ªit was shocking that he had not already passed out of exhaustion! Simultaneously, just as some of the ck mes were about to break through Methysria''s mist, Kyamakri tightened her grip on the spear in her right hand and swung it full force over her head with one powerful movement. In an instant, Kyamakri''s attack generated multipleyers of ripples as it ovepped with Isylo''s boundary before colliding with the ck mes. The effects did not perfectly fuse together like the skills Astratis and Tal''Nis used against Kyvernos; however, the timing and wless execution on Kyamakri''s behalf allowed them to work in unison. The ripples that erupted from Kyamakri''s spear crashed into the ck mes, diluting its strength into hundreds of separateyers. But, even with its power cut so drastically, the ck mes were still slowly pushing past the ripples and breaking into the pseudo-isted space! Suddenly, Kyamakri coughed up a mouthful of blood as the strain on her body increased with every passing moment. However, she understood that if she fell back even one step, while she and Methysria may survive the aftermath, the celestials who were not in the legendary realm would surely perish. "If only Diparxi was here..!" Kyamakri growled under her breath as she held on. The Celestial of Duality, Diparxi, possessed an ability that was equivalent to long-range teleportation. However, he was at a location further away on the battlefield. Plus, there was no guarantee his ability could even work properly under these extreme conditions. Nevertheless, Kyamakri believed that the possibility itself was better than simply waiting for those around her to perish. "I can''t...! I can''t hold it any longer...!" Kyamakri spoke through her teeth as she could slowly feel her control over the ripples slipping away. There were simply too many to target individually no matter how fast she acted! Crrrrck! Swoosh! Kyamakri''sst bit of control over the ripples faded as Methysria''s mist was blown away and the boundary created by Isylo shattered. Methysria and Kyamakri''s expressions darkened as the ck mes broke through everyyer of their protection and they prepared to confront the inevitable! "It''s toote! Brace yourselves!" Methysria warned. Though in her heart, Methysria knew... Even if most of those present tried to defend themselves¡ªit would be of no use. Zeeeut! Just as the ck mes were closing in on their position and celestials braced themselves, a flickering silhouette appeared at the center of the group, apanied by a gorgeous yet fearsome spear. Chapter 842: Scattered Flames, Not An Impossibility

Chapter 842: Scattered mes, Not An Impossibility

Swoosh! With one graceful motion, the fearsome spear swept out above the group of celestials and scattered the ck mes. In addition, the instant this person appeared, the oppressive force that epassed the group dispersed. Not long after, the rain of ck mes abruptly stopped. When Methysria, Kyamakri, and the other celestials present saw the person who emerged before them, they were ovee with a sudden sense of relief. "It seems I made it just in time. It took longer than I anticipated dealing with that snake in its den." A steady and charming voice sounded from the group''s savior. The voice belonged to a woman who seemed to be somewhere in her twenties with long scarlet hair that was neatly tied up and a pair of piercing cerulean eyes. She wore a set of red and ckbat robes. In her hand was a long ck spear with markings carved into the side. And, with one nce alone, one could feel the mighty aura that the spear released, which did not lose to Astratis'' Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet. Bang! Rmmmble! When the woman casually ced the bottom end of the spear on the ground next to her, the surrounding earth trembled and cracked from its weight. That''s because this particr spear was crafted out of material many times heavier and more durable than something like steel. "Master...!" Kyamakri uttered as her eyes lit up. Seeing the appearance of that spear, Kyamakri did not even have to look at the person to know their identity. After all, the owner of that spear was the one who taught her how to wield one! "All of you held on well. You can leave the rest to us." The woman said solemnly as she turned her gaze to the distance. Name: Daughter of the Lawful Order, Nomii(???) Level: 0 The Daughter of the Lawful Order, Nomii, was one of Astratis'' siblings. She was tasked with confronting the Pir of the North, Heaven''s Mind, Myania and departed from the Hidden Celestial Abode long before Izroth and the other celestials. This was due to the Pir of the North''s personality. Unlike the other celestials who relied heavily on their strength alone, Myania was highly proficient in setting traps for her enemies to walk right into. Therefore, it could be said that trying to confront her head-on was several times more difficult than any of the other three pirs. Thus, Nomii secretly infiltrated Myania''s territory long ahead of time and slowly disabled the traps. Then, the day finally came when their ns to topple the pirs were set in motion and her reinforcements arrived. In the end, Myania was caught off guard by her traps being disabled and the sudden ambush of celestials. Nevertheless, a pir was still a pir. But, even though Myania put up a good fight, the fact that Nomii was present in the Fourth Heart of the World meant that she had seeded in her task. Kyamakri contained her emotions since they were on a battlefield; however, she was happy that her master returned alive. It was not that she doubted her skills, but confronting a pir was a life-or-death mission. All of a sudden, Kyamakri''s eyes widened in shock as she eximed, "Master, your arm...!" "Hm? Ah, that-" Nomii looked down at the empty sleeve of herbat robe where her left arm should have been. She then looked back at Kyamakri and replied with a smile that contained no traces of regret, "It was a small price to pay." Nomii managed to vanquish Myania, but not before the pir imed one of her arms in the process. However, in Nomii''s eyes, such a price was cheappared to the freedom of the celestials. "All of you, fall back. This is an order." Nomii stated as her expression turned serious. The next moment, Nomii''s silhouette flickered before she vanished into thin air. A look of sadness shed through Kyamakri''s eyes as her master left. Methysria ced her hand on Kyamakri''s shoulder and held up her gourd. "What do you say we share one when this mess is all over?" Methysria said. "...Yes, I''d like that," Kyamakri responded with a weak smile. Methysria made a small yet reassuring gesture before she faced the group of celestials and dered, "You heard her! We''re falling back! Those of you who can move properly, assist those who have trouble moving or have lost consciousness!" ... ''Just what happened here?'' After clearing out the treasure room, Izroth and Hakros returned outside of the pce. However, the sight that awaited them was almost as though they were in apletely different ce from the Fourth Heart of the World. The atmosphere in the Fourth Heart of the World was already gloomy and eerie, but thend now reminded Izroth of his time in the Shadahi Realm¡ªand of death where most living beings simply could not survive. Arge part of Ourami''s pce had crumbled and the battlefield was now a barrennd that had been razed to the ground. The majority of the natural ethos in the atmosphere that Izroth could previously feel had disappeared. Izroth wanted to check on the area with his Energy Vision Sense; however, when she attempted to use it, he felt as if he had been abruptly thrown into the center of a boundless ocean. There were only a few times something like this happened. Though the mostmon reason was that something or someone nearby was emitting such an abnormal amount of energy that his Energy Vision Sense became overwhelmed. But, even without his Energy Vision Sense, using his enhanced perception Izroth was able to peer into the distance where Astratis and Tal''Nis should have been fighting Ourami. While doing so, Izroth''s gazended on an unknown individual¡ªan old man with sunken eyes. All of a sudden, that old man nced over as if he could see Izroth looking at him and met his gaze. At that moment, Izroth underwent a simr experience as when he met the gaze of that unknown massive creature back at the Mountain of the Blighted. It was a casual gaze that made one want to willingly submit to an overwhelming disy of power. "It would seem that a somewhat troublesome one has appeared this time," Izroth said calmly. "So you can feel it too, huh? Even from here, that guy is making the blood that runs through my veins boil..!" Hakrosmented. The blood of the Ancient Behemoth Okath was reacting strongly to Kyvernos'' presence. It was to the point that even though Hakros was not in a direct confrontation with him, the behemoth''s blood still felt the need to increase his strength. From this reaction alone, Hakros knew that whoever that person was, even someone like Ourami could notpare to them. "We''ll part ways here for now. Find Sychia and then meet up with me." Izroth stated. Izroth had not forgotten about the SS-ranked quest Enemies In All Directions that required him to aid the Thousand Blossom Maiden in her safe arrival outside the Secret Realm. Since most of the strong ancient races under Ourami had been defeated and the pir himself was under siege by two powerful individuals, Izroth was not too worried about Sychia''s safety. After all, she was more than capable of taking care of herself under such conditions. However, the situation had changed. Now, there was an unknown foe of extraordinary power present on the battlefield. Even if she were not directly a part of the fight, there was no guarantee she would not be caught in the crossfire. This issue was even more concerning after Izroth witnessed the dramatic changes to the environment of the Fourth Heart of the World. "Tch, and I was just starting to get excited. Fine, since our earlier promise is still going on, I guess I''ll have to leave the fun part to you for a bit. Don''t go taking it all for yourself!" Hakros shouted with a grin. The behemoth then leaped a great distance away from Izroth as he began his search for Sychia. ''The fragment of Tal''Nis will notst much longer. Many of my skills are still on cooldown. And, my essence has yet to recover to even a tenth of its total value. Regardless...'' Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and removed the Scorched Inferno Fang from his inventory. ''Has there ever been a challenge that, I, Izroth, have ever run away from?'' During his time in the Seven Realms, Izroth faced numerous challenges that, at the time, seemed impossible to ovee. But, never once had he run away with his tail tucked between his legs. While there was no shame in admitting one''s weakness and working to ovee it, Izroth understood that this was not the current case. ''The system is fair. Even if a head-on confrontation is not possible, there has to be a way to clear the quest. If I can find the conditions that need to be met, then...'' Swoosh! Izroth sprinted at great speeds towards the center of the battlefield. ''Clearing this quest is not impossible.'' Chapter 843: The Final Clash Approaches, A Lack of Authority!

Chapter 843: The Final sh Approaches, A Lack of Authority!

... An untainted white sword epassed by a pure sword intent levitated in the air. But, rather than being used to attack, this particr sword intent seemed to act as a protective enclosure. "This level of power¡ªthere is no mistaking it." Tal''Nis'' said as she reigned in the sword intent she used to defend against Kyvernos'' ck mes. She then grabbed the hilt of the sword and slowly lowered the weapon to her side. "This person has already stepped into the realm of a ne Ascender." Tal''Nis thought to herself. Below the firmament, there existed beings more powerful than those monsters in the legendary realm that most yers believed to be at the pinnacle of strength. These individuals were called ne Ascenders. And, they were just one step away from reaching the Divine Realm! "But, is he truly a ne Ascender?" Tal''Nis inwardly frowned as she could not help but hold onto some doubt. Though Tal''Nis'' suspicions were well warranted. ne Ascenders can not interfere with the natural order of the world where they reside. If this rule is broken, the ne Ascender would not be able to escape the punishment brought about by the will of the world. The best-case scenario was that they would end up crippled and have a significantly lower chance of ascending to the Divine Realm. While the worst case may result in a penalty for their realm that would dy the window of ascension for all in their realm. Therefore, unless Kyvernos had given up on ascending or simply did not fear the consequences brought about by the will of the world, Kyvernos'' actions should not have been possible. "This level of interference should have already gotten the attention of the will of the world. Then, why is it not showing up?" Tal''Nis said to herself as her gazended on Kyvernos. "The moment I emerged, I felt that something was strange about this realm¡ªthat there is a deep and well-protected secret hidden within the origins of this world. Unfortunately, I am but a fragment of my true self." The highly concentrated sword intent around Tal''Nis disappeared. To be more precise, the sword intent gathered at the de of Tal''Nis'' sword. In terms of sharpness, it was several times higher than the final attack she used against Izroth during the crusade. Out of nowhere, Tal''Nis sensed a significant atmospheric shift in the near distance. "Hm...? This is... My, how fascinating. The one who calls himself Astratis seems to be quite resourceful. If I fall too far behind, what face will I have left? It is regretful that my time is sooning to an end. But, before I depart from this ce, shall I leave behind onest gift?" Tal''Nis said as a slight smile formed on her face. At the same time, the untainted white sword in her hand became pitch-ck like the depths of an endless abyss. Meanwhile, located several meters away from Tal''Nis, a bolt of lightning struck down at an empty spot. Bzzzt! Rmmmble! The sh of lightning left just as quickly as it arrived. And, from the lightning, a figure emerged. This person was donned from head to toe in light golden armor with white essence coursing throughout that mimicked the chaotic nature of the lightning element. A helmet covered their face; however, a pair of white lightning flowed where their eyes would be located through an opening in the armor''s helmet. In addition, a wild mane of white lightning traveled down to their lower back area. Although calling this attire armor was not entirely urate. Despite its armor-like appearance, it was created entirely from the lightning element! "He has no regard for life¡ªbe it friend or foe..!" Astratis'' voice sounded from behind the armor. Since he was one of the closest people to Kyvernos when they summoned the ck mes, Astratis had the least amount of time to react. Fortunately, he did not let his guard down for a moment and immediately pushed his ethos to the very upper limits. "I did not want to reveal this form yet since it is iplete, but it seems I am left with no choice," Astratis said to himself. Astratis'' outer appearance was not the only thing that underwent a drastic change. The raw power he emitted had grown by leaps and bounds, reaching new heights altogether. Compared to the previous strength he disyed, it almost seemed as though he did not take his previous encounters with the two pirs seriously. However, that was not the case at all. There was a reason Astratis had kept this form hidden so long that even his siblings were unaware of it. Not only was it extremely challenging to control, but it consumed a massive amount of his ethos in the process. But, more importantly... "I acquired this power with only one goal in mind¡ªto repay the one responsible for the suffering us siblings. Since it hase to this, so be it." Astratis briefly closed his eyes before opening them as the ethos around him surged. "I did not think it possible, but your patience and tolerance have grown even thinner since west spoke," Illioreas said as he safelynded on the ground. What epassed Illioreas was a sphere of light that dispersed the instant his feet touched the ground. "Enough. You may be at the same stage as me, but you are not my match. Your taunts are also growing tiresome. Leave this ce and I shall overlook your disobedience once again." Kyvernos replied as he alsonded on the ground less than ten meters away from Illioreas. "Taunts? Yes, I suppose to you the truth may seem like a taunt. Even now, you are still pretending to be something you are not, brother. I remind you here and now that no matter how much you endeavor to exert your authority, you can never be one of the Protogenos. Also, whether or not I am your match... Shall we test it out?" Illioreas stated firmly as his expression turned serious. Soon after Illioreas spoke, his expression shifted as a slight smile appeared on his face and he said, "Of course, I will not do so alone." Woosh! Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Astratis, and Tal''Nis arrived next to Illioreas. The aura around both of them had increased severalfold. It was to the point that it caused Kyvernos to narrow his eyes and seriously observe the two. ... ''Strange... I know that most of Ourami''s forces were already on the verge of being wiped out when I entered the pce with Hakros, but¡ªisn''t this ce a little too deserted to be considered a battlefield?'' Currently, Izroth was on his way to where Tal''Nis and the others were located. However, along the way, he noticed that be it the ancient races or celestials, they were nowhere to be found! Izroth tried to tap his shoulder in order tomunicate using Diparxi''s ability; however, there was no response. Though given the chaos that seemingly ensued during his absence, Izroth was not surprised. ''I do not know what happened to the celestials and ancient races, but seeing as how the quest Enemies In All Directions is still active, it means that Sychia is still safe. Or, at the very least, alive. For now, that will have to be enough. I have to focus on-'' Swoosh! "?!" All of a sudden, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off. Zeeeut! The following moment, Izroth vanished and then reappeared several meters away using his Instantaneous Movement. Almost immediately after he did so, a silver streak of light shed past where his head was just a fraction of a second ago! ''Just now, if I did not react in time, my head may have flown off my body.'' "I was wondering where you insects ran off too. Who would have thought I could find a way to vent my anger so soon?" A familiar voice sounded from where Izroth previously stood. However, seeing the appearance of the person standing there caused a carefree smile to form on Izroth''s face. "I almost failed to recognize you. With such a tattered appearance, I thought you were a beggar who mistakenly wandered onto the battlefield." Izroth said nonchntly. The one who failed to ambush Izroth just now was none other than the Pir of the West, Ourami! But, just as Izroth mentioned, he was barely recognizable at a first ncepared to when Izrothst saw him. Ourami''s brilliant scale-like armor had shattered with only bits and pieces left on his skin. His once threatening tail had been severed and there were several serious bruises scattered across the surface of his body. "You insignificant...! You darepare me to a mere beggar?!" Ourami scowled. The pir''s mood was already in a foul mood due to Kyvernos'' indiscriminate attack that not only caught him off guard but also ruined his Fourth Heart of the World. But, now, even a lowly being was brazen enough to openly mock him? Where had the authority of the pirs gone?! Chapter 844: A Difference of Paths, Seizing The Seizing!

Chapter 844: A Difference of Paths, Seizing The Seizing!

Before today, the celestials always decided toy low and stayed out of sight. Therefore, despite their rebellious intentions, none of the pirs paid them any mind. Regardless, even if they did run into a celestial or anyone else for that matter, they were treated with the utmost respect. After all, not only were they strong, but each possessed a strong army that served under them. However, that all seemed to change as ofte. Now, the celestials were not afraid to openly attack them. Even more infuriating for Ourami was that a mere lower celestial actually spoke to him as if they were equals! No, rather, that person did not seem to put him in his sights! When had the world turned so far upside down that such a thing was happening right before his eyes? "Given your current state, are you certain it''s wise to go around picking fights with others?" Izroth asked with a carefree expression. "Do not delude yourself. Even if I only possessed ten percent of my original strength, crushing you would be the same as having a passing thought." Ourami scoffed. He then continued with a grin, "Or, have you forgotten ourst encounter so soon? Do you n on being rescued again and running away with your tail tucked between your legs?" "Oh?" Izroth narrowed his eyes as his carefree expression faded. Izroth was no fool. He knew that Ourami was attempting to provoke him. However, in Izroth''s eyes, that was a grave mistake. The fact that someone as proud as Ourami was using such a method suggested only one thing¡ªhe was wary. If that was the case, it most likely meant that Ourami''s strength had gone on a considerable decline after his battle against Tal''Nis and Astratis. In addition, given his miserable state and level of anger, Izroth also spected that Ourami was caught in whatever mass-scale attack affected his territory. In other words, before the fight even began, Ourami had already unwillingly shown his hand! Those who were not used to employing those particr methods were easily seen through. This was even more so when the other party was someone like Izroth who dealt with numerous individuals with a simr personality in the Seven Realms. ''Even if he is weakened, I can not afford to lower my guard. After all, he is still someone at the upper end of the legendary realm. That being said... It has been a while since someone has underestimated me to this extent.'' Izroth''s eyes turned cold as he brandished his Scorched Inferno''s Fang and Sword of the Storm. While he would not tantly fall for Ourami''s provocation, in the end, Izroth never had any ns of running away from this fight. Suddenly, Izroth''s figure started to flicker in and out of existence. Swoosh! Ding! In the blink of an eye, Izroth appeared behind Ourami after activating his Flickering Steps and swung outward with his Sword of the Storm. But, just as Izroth''s de was about to sh into Ourami, the pir managed to adjust his position and defend against the strike. ''He''s slower.'' With that brief exchange alone, while Ourami''s reaction time was still nothing to scoff at, Izroth could tell that he was much slower than when theyst fought. And, it was not just his reaction time, but his overall speed as well. Before, it was as though Ourami could tell ahead of time when and where Izroth''s attacks woulde from. But, now, it felt like Ourami was reacting in real-time. Out of nowhere, Izroth noticed that the power contained within his Sword of the Storm disappeared. However, unlikest time, he knew that this particr was meant to "seize". Izroth did not walk away from their previous encounter empty-handed! Swoosh! In a sh, Izroth immediately released his Sword of the Storm as well as his Scorched Inferno Fang. Then, in one quick and smooth motion, Izroth swapped the weapons. This switched Izroth''s Sword of the Storm to his secondary weapon and the Scorched Inferno Fang to his primary. At the same time, without pausing his actions, Izroth shed in a cross-motion with both his weapons, causing a powerful gust of wind to m into Ourami. "?!" Ourami was knocked several meters back as his feet slid across the earth, causing a long tear to form along the way. A look of shock formed on Ourami''s face as he could not hide his disbelief. Just now, he was certain that his Epithet of Seizing had sessfully taken the power out of Izroth''s strike. So, how was he still able to knock him back? "Are you curious?" Izroth questioned as multiple figures of his flickering silhouette appeared around Ourami. Zeeeut! Swoosh! Izroth arrived in Ourami''s blind spot and swung out again with a ferocious strike at the pir. This time, however, he did so with his spear instead of his sword. "I don''t know what tricks he usedst time, but I will not be made a fool of again!" Ourami thought to himself as he once again used the Epithet of Seizing on Izroth. And, he made sure to target Izroth himself to allow no room for error! The moreplex the target, the more difficult it was for Ourami to seize its power. With his current weakened state, Ourami nned to use the minimal amount of strength necessary to subdue Izroth; however, he never expected them to have such a rotten trick up their sleeves! Seeing Ourami''s actions, a slight smile found its way onto Izroth''s face. The power from both of his weapons and body dissipated as Ourami seized away his strength. However... Swoosh! Swoosh! Just likest time, Izroth swapped the hands in which he held his weapons as a bolt of lightning crashed down at Ourami''s location. It was his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder! Bzzzt..! Crrrrckle! BOOM! A small yet contained explosion erupted as the lightning strike kicked up a cloud of dust. Though the cloud did not linger for long as Ourami used his Epithet of Force to push the dust away from their position. When the dust cleared, Ourami''s face was no longer one of shock or disbelief, but rather one of pure rage. Could it be that this person found a way topletely counter his Epithet of Seizing? To Ourami, it was simply iprehensible¡ªan utter impossibility! Yet, his eyes did not deceive him. Not once, but twice his Epithet of Seizing seemed to work one moment and then abruptly stop functioning the next. This was the first time he ever encountered such a bizarre phenomenon! "What did you do?!" Ourami scowled as his killing intent burst forth, washing over Izroth in full force! The fact that someone on the level of a lower celestial could resist his Epithet of Seizing¡ªOurami had never felt so humiliated! "Do I have to exin myself to you?" Izroth responded nonchntly as he continued with his barrage of attacks, unbothered by Ourami''s killing intent. He wanted to frighten him with just that much killing intent alone? Even if it was a hundred times greater, Izroth would not falter to such a weak half-hearted killing intent. ''For someone who lived for so longfortably at the top unchallenged, it is unfathomable to you. However, for those of us who have started with less than nothing, how can you possibly understand the path we''ve traversed?'' After his previous fight with Ourami, Izroth spent every moment going over the battle in his mind. Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times¡ªIzroth had fought that same battle in his mind in search of a path that led to an absolute victory. During those battles, Izroth became familiar with Ourami''s movements, his decisions, and, most importantly, the way his Epithets functioned. This was how Izroth discovered a technique that made it possible to "trick" Ourami''s Epithet of Seizing. Izroth realized that Ourami could only seize the power in things within a precise moment. But, even if one knew about this piece of information, it was not necessarily possible to counter it. One of the reasons Izroth was able to do had to do with his skill Dual Wielding. Ourami''s Epithet of Seizing captured one''s power in the moment, but what if that moment could be forced to instantly pass? That was exactly what Izroth aplished. By switching his primary and secondary weapons, Izroth''s stats changed because of the stat penalty effect of his Dual Wielding skill. Undergoing such a drastic change at the same exact moment when Ourami used his Epithet of Seizing, Izroth was able to destabilize its influence. By not being able to get a precise lock on the power it was seizing, Izroth effectively rendered Ourami''s Epithet of Seizing useless! The timing required to pull this off had to be wless. Also, one had to possess the ability to freely cause their own power to be in a temporary state of flux. This was something that most people would be unable to aplish. And, as for someone like Ourami¡ªhe would have never thought of it! Chapter 845: A Bold Claim, Ouramis Desires

Chapter 845: A Bold im, Ourami''s Desires

Izroth was always on a constant mission to improve himself in order to reach the pinnacle of this world. In order to do that, it required that he learned from small and big experiences alike. However, while Izroth was busy reflecting on his battle and looking for ways to improve if he had to confront his opponent again, Ourami had never set Izroth in his sights. And, even if the pir did miraculously view Izroth as his equal, he still would not have lingered on that one battle in an attempt to improve himself. From what Izroth knew about the pirs, Ourami was someone born with both strength and talent. Of course, this was not a bad thing and could be considered a huge blessing. But, there was never a drive present past wanting to maintain his authority. After all, with his strength and talent, eventually, he would reach an even higher stage. In the end, no matter how hungry one was to seed, if there was always a feast waiting for them a home, they would never truly know what it was like to starve. It was simr to walking a tight line with a safety ced underneath. No matter how real the danger seemed, there was ultimately something there to catch you. Izroth, on the other hand, was someone who walked that tightrope every day with no safety. And, needless to say, there was no feast waiting for him at home. He only had two options. Either he kept moving forward or fade into obscurity. Of course, the path he chose was obvious. After hisst attack, Ourami swiped out at Izroth, causing him to fall back a few meters to evade the attack. As he created distance between himself and Ourami, Izroth touched the ground with the tip of his Sword of the Storm before swinging it upward in an arc. Rmmmble! When Izroth performed this action, a fissure that contained a sharp sword intent opened up in the earth and rushed out towards Ourami. This was caused by his Fourth Sword Form: Dipping Valley. As the fissure passed by him, Ourami noticed that his movements had suddenly grown slower. However, the damage caused by the sword intent was of no threat, which caused him to inwardly scoff at Izroth''s attack. "Is this how you were nning to defeat me? Even if you throw a thousand attacks of this level at me, it is useless." Ourami grinned as he kicked off his back foot and elerated at an incredible speed. In less than a breath, Ourami closed the distance and positioned himself right next to Izroth as he struck out with his fist. Bang! Izroth''s felt his muscles tighten as he was impacted by Ourami''s blow. However, despite the sess of his attack, Ourami felt that something was off with that blow just now. The pir looked down at his hand and saw that it was trembling from the impact. ''As expected... Even with Flickering Steps active, he can still react to with my current speed.'' Just now, at thest moment, Izroth activated his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave''s Sword Return. In doing so, he countered Ourami''s attack and used his own strength against him. Unfortunately, Sword Return had its limits and could not entirely counter Ourami''s strike. But, with the aid of his Heavenly Golden Body''s Greater Physique and Earthly Golden Bones, Izroth had little to no trouble dealing with the excess force from Ourami''s attack. Though Izroth did not growcent afternding a few strikes. He was aware that despite Ourami''s weakened state, he was still at a disadvantage. After all, while he was not weakened, some of his more powerful skills like Compressed Lightning Movement were still on cooldown. But, even if it was not on cooldown, Izroth was not certain his current body could handle using that skill twice in one day¡ªeven with his Earthly Golden Bones. ''I need a decisive strike, but...'' In truth, there was one thing Izroth did not possess the current means to counter. Regardless of how many times he went over his previous battle with Ourami in his mind, Izroth had no method to counter Ourami''s precognitive-type skill that alerted him to dangerous situations before they urred. Therefore, Izroth knew that if he aimed for a decisive strike, Ourami would most likely see iting and avoid it altogether. Once that happened, Izroth would have no way to retaliate and be forced to retreat. But, would Ourami just let him go? ''If possible, I wanted to avoid it. However, it would seem that there is only one path to take. But first...'' All of a sudden, Izroth''s figure stopped flickering as he halted his steps. It was not that the time on his Flickering Steps ended. Rather, Izroth forcibly ended the skill of his own ord. ''I will have to create an opportunity.'' "Hm? What is he up to?" Ourami thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes and observed Izroth''s strange actions closely. "Neither of us has anything to gain from this battle," Izroth said unhurriedly. "What? Have you finally chosen to beg for mercy? Well, it''s toote." Ourami responded coldly. "Beg for mercy? You''ve misunderstood. It''s just that if I''m being frank, you are much weaker than I remember." Izroth stated as he held his hand with an open palm. He then continued, "Five moves¡ªthat is all it will take to defeat you." The instant Izroth finished speaking, several veins could be seen bulging out from Ourami''s temples as his killing intent exploded outward. Five moves? Even the Son of Thunder, Astratis did not dare make such a bold and ridiculous im. Arrogant! Ignorant! Conceited¡ªthese were just a few of the words that crossed Ourami''s mind as he imagined tearing Izroth limb from limb. "Good...! I want to see how you defeat this lord in five moves..!" Ourami spoke through his teeth as he tried to restrain his anger. The pir understood that the instant he let his anger take control, his present condition would only worsen. And, with enemies still inside the Fourth Heart of the World, as well as the other pirs constantly looking for a chance to gain more power, Ourami could not afford to grow any weaker. So, even though he was absolutely livid, Ourami did not immediatelysh out at Izroth. "Then, how about we make a bet?" Izroth said nonchntly. "A bet? You think too highly of yourself. Do tigers make bets with pigs?" Ourami mocked. He then went on and said, "Anything of value that you possess will naturally belong to me once I dispose of you. Besides, what can an insignificant being like you have that this lord possibly desires? The treasures in my store room are well beyond the imagination of your small mind." Of course, Ourami had no idea that the room he mentioned had beenpletely cleaned out by Izroth and Hakros not long ago. In terms of wealth, at the moment, even those of the ancient races possessed more than him! Though Izroth had no intention of correcting Ourami. "And, here I thought you knew how to grasp the bigger picture." Izroth released a small sigh. He then continued, "Have you already forgotten about the portal that leads out of this world? Right now, I am the only one who can tell you how to ess it." Ourami narrowed his eyes as he seemed to ponder Izroth''s words. However, his expression changed as if something had suddenly dawned on him. "Before you get any strange ideas, I should tell you now that the others are no longer around here," Izroth said with a carefree smile. His words seemed to strike a chord as Ourami''s expression shifted once again. For Ourami, having an entire world to himself ripe for conquering was too tempting to pass over. No longer would he have to share his authority with the pirs or that old monster. Instead, he would be the Protogenos of the world and mold it into his likeness! "Regardless of whether or not hispanions have already fled, I have no way of confirming it at the moment. For now, killing him is too risky. But, leaving him alive... How can I endure this humiliation?" Ourami internalized. ''It looks like he''s hesitating. Then, shall I give him one final push?'' Ultimately, while Izroth was not technically lying to Ourami, he was still stretching the truth of matters. The others who came to the Secret Realm with him were already taken care of earlier except for Hakros and Sychia. However, both of them were nowhere around the immediate vicinity for Ourami to confirm their presence. As for him having information on how to ess the portal, naturally, Izroth would obtain it from his Realm Fragment when his time in the Secret Realm wasing to an end. Therefore, he truly was the only one who could grant Ourami''s wish. After thinking for a moment, Ourami appeared to have reached a decision. "Very well. Since you are so eager to bet, then let us bet." Ourami said as his killing intent subsided. "No matter what the bet is, I can always kill him after he shows me how to ess the portal." Ourami thought to himself. Izroth inwardly grinned as soon as Ourami agreed to entertain his bet. ''He''s probably thinking about disposing of me as soon as I reveal to him the location of the portal¡ªhow naive.'' Izroth saw through Ourami''s intentions like an open book. ''Unfortunately, this will be thest bet you make.'' Chapter 846: A Day of Surprises, The First Move!

Chapter 846: A Day of Surprises, The First Move!

"If I win, you will reveal to me not only the location of the portal and how to ess it. But, you must also tell me everything there is to know about the world that you havee from. In addition, you must swear your life to me and follow me around for 100 days with your head lowered¡ªbegging my forgiveness." Ourami stated with a grin. After thinking about it for a moment, Ourami felt that he would be letting Izroth off too easily if he simply got rid of him once everything was said and done. Instead, he could use the opportunity to soothe some of his anger and repay a portion of the humiliation he suffered. Besides, with such a set of conditions, it would not be toote to im his life whenever he pleased. However, more than that, Ourami was curious as to the power structure of the other world. Was it simr to their own where pirs ruled thend? Or, was it a ce of chaos? Whatever the case, even he knew that he could not take a careless approach. "If there are more individuals in that world who are simr in strength to that sword woman I faced earlier, I may have no choice but to change my initial approach. Nevertheless, there is nothing that will stop me from iming that which I have set my eyes on." Ourami thought to himself. "Oh? Alright, I''ll ept your conditions." Izroth said with a carefree smile as his gaze turned cold. It was obvious that Ourami wanted to humiliate him. However, since when was he so easy to humiliate? Hearing Izroth ept his terms, Ourami could not help but inwardly smile. "Then, as for the terms of the bet, it''s simple-" "Wait," Ourami spoke out as he cut off Izroth in the middle of his sentence. He then continued, "How can it be a bet if you do not clearly state your terms? Or, can it be that bets in your world operate differently?" "No, there is no difference. It''s just that there is no need for me to state my terms." Izroth replied indifferently. Ourami frowned and said, "If you have already epted your defeat, why do so in such a problematic manner?" "You misunderstand things rather often. Terms? Is there a need for me to set them when the other party won''t be around to follow through?" Izroth stated without pause. Ourami fell silent. It took a moment for him to process Izroth''s words. Won''t be around? No need to set his terms? Why did it feel like what was supposed to be their natural standings were suddenly switched? If anyone were to be the one to make such a bold statement, it should be him¡ªa pir! So, then, what gave this person the confidence to dere what could only be defined as an absurd remark?! "...Ah... Ahahaha!" Without warning, Ourami burst into a fit of thunderousughter that caused light tremors to rush through the ground. Not too long after, Ourami''sughter died down. The intense killing intent that was present before had calmed down significantly. "I see. I finally understand now. Insane¡ªthis person''s mind has been poisoned." Ourami internalized as he looked at Izroth in a new light. Before, the pir viewed Izroth as an arrogant and ignorant bug who did not know their ce. But, now, the pir saw Izroth as a crazy person who only knew how to shout nonsensical ims. Letting someone whose mind was poisoned drive him to this point of anger¡ªhow could Ourami not find such a situation amusing? "Alright, even if your mind is poisoned, a bet is still a bet. State the winning requirement." Ourami stated as he waved his hand casually for Izroth to hurry along. ''Hm?'' Izroth noticed the sudden shift in Ourami''s behavior. Just a moment ago, the pir was ready to tear him apart. Now, although Ourami''s killing intent had not entirely subsided, it was obvious his mood had undergone a drastic transformation. Not to mention... ''A poisoned mind? This guy¡ªdoes he think I''m insane?'' Izroth did not know whether tough or cry. Nheless, it would exin the abrupt change in the pir''s attitude. "The bet is simple. You will receive five of my moves without leaving this circle." Izroth exined. "I see. So that''s why you did something so unnecessary." Ourami smirked. Before he ended his Flickering Steps, Izroth used the Earthly Inferno passive from his Scorched Inferno Fang to leave behind a trail of Inferno Prints. In doing so, he created a circle around himself and Ourami that was approximately fifteen meters in diameter. Izroth continued his exnation, "As long as you are still standing after five moves inside this circle, it is considered your victory. Anything other than that will be regarded as my victory. Simple, is it not?" Ourami remained silent for a brief moment. He then responded, "Alright, we will go with these conditions." Ourami did not know what kind of tricks Izroth had up his sleeves; however, no matter what he had nned, it was all useless before absolute strength! "I''ll say this now¡ªdo not think of escaping upon your defeat and going back on your word. Otherwise, I will make sure you know the meaning of a life worse than death." Ourami warned with a sharp gaze. "Worry not. I, Izroth, have never gone back on my word. But, don''t worry. Even if you want to go back on yours, there will not be a chance. Then, shall we begin?" Izroth said calmly. All of a sudden, a faint song entered Ourami''s ears. At first, the song was peaceful and soothing. But, the further this song lured on in, the more vicious it became. "?!" As the tune carried on, Ourami''s vision turned hazy as the world around him seemed to be spinning, which made him somewhat light-headed in the process. In the blink of an eye, Ourami''s sense of perception had been thrown into chaos. And, the one behind this was none other than Izroth. Izroth did not waste any time and immediately activated the skill attached to the Song of the Siren ring he received after taking down the Siren Organization. The skill''s name was Siren''s Song. And, for five minutes, it reduced the perception of all enemies in range by 50%. Simultaneously, it increased the perception of all allies by 50%. Of course, this included Izroth himself. Before activating the effects of Siren''s Song, Izroth''s perception stat was already at 10 points. Now, with a 50% boost, it instantly shot up to 15 points and the difference was like that of night and day. Even though Izroth did not possess x-ray vision, it was as if he could see every single muscle in Ourami''s body and the small twitches just before they set into motion. He also could feel the faint ripples in the air that formed whenever Ourami moved as well as hear the sound of the pir''s beating heart. In truth, his senses were almost too overwhelming! If it were anyone else experiencing this for the first time, they would have felt somewhat nauseous. But, Izroth adapted quickly. He maintained control and steadied his senses, ignoring what he did not need and focusing on the things he wanted to perceive. ''More is not always necessarily better if one does not know how to properly control it. That being said, it seems there''s nock of surprises today.'' What Izroth did not expect was that he would receive a stream of alerts from the system after activating Siren''s Song. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to achieve a Perception stat of 15 or higher!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 125 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have learned the skill ?Time Dtion?!¡µ Izroth was surprised by the system alerts. That''s because while his perception stat was technically 15 points at the moment, that was only because of Siren''s Song. Could it be that even if it was only temporary, as long as one experienced it, it would still count as them having reached the requirements? If so, didn''t this mean that he could monopolize all the rewards pertaining to the perception stat?! Since there was no time to spare, Izroth instantly pushed the thought to the back of his mind for the time being. Even if he received a new skill, there was no time to go over it carefully. After all, even though he made a bet, Izroth knew that he could not let his guard down against someone like Ourami. In reality, whether Ourami followed through on the bet or went back on his word was not important to Izroth. In the end, Izroth''s goal was simple. He just needed Ourami to stay in the circle for as long as possible! As Izroth cleared his mind, he dashed forward as a thick ck and blood-red miasma epassed him. At the same time, a frightening aura of ughter erupted from his body before rushing out at Ourami! For his first move, Izroth did not pull any punches. He was using the same skill that took down the world boss Polkentin''s Failed Chimera! ''Ruthless ughterer, Unbridled Kill Count.'' Chapter 847: The Start of an Unstoppable Chain of Events

Chapter 847: The Start of an Unstoppable Chain of Events

Although his sense of perception had been cut in half, Ourami could still sense the sudden emergence of the overwhelming killing intent headed right for him. "He never nned to use five moves!" Ourami thought to himself when he felt the strong killing intent. In his current condition, the move Izroth used may not be enough to im his life; however, it was not something he could casually ignore. Ourami believed that Izroth never intended to use five moves in this bet. Instead, after using some trick to affect his senses, it was more likely that he used one of his strongest moves right from the beginning to catch him off guard. Ourami detected the power behind the attack being aimed at him. After doing so, a menacing grin formed on his face. He immediately concluded that Izroth''s current attack did notpare to the domineering energy he disyed earlier. This meant one of two things. The first was that with little to no ethos, Izrothcked the energy to use an attack on that scale again. Another reason could have to do with the strain such a technique ced upon his body. Even though he did not show it on the surface, Ourami could tell that Izroth was not in perfect condition. After all, even if the attack he just used was strong, the power and speed he showed earlier were nowhere to be seen. Seeing this further reaffirmed Ourami''s thoughts of Izroth''s mind being poisoned. If he was unable to defeat him with his previous strength, what gave him the courage to believe that he was capable of doing so now? In the end, a wounded dragon was still a dragon. How could it be beaten by a stray dog? Woosh! Woosh! Ourami crossed his arms out in front of him to defend against the iing blow. At the same time, faint silver energy emerged from the body, releasing a small burst of wind. The wind contained pressure heavy enough to cause the ground beneath Ourami''s feet to cave in and give way. It was not a special technique or some type of defensive ability. Rather, it was from Ourami''s natural physique. However, after breaking through the mainyer of his natural physique during their first fight, Ourami''s defensive capabilities had been greatly reduced. ?Critical Hit? -388,780 [+23,327] The miasma from Izroth''s Ruthless ughterer: Unbridled Kill Count washed over Ourami. The moment it did so, Izroth instantly regained the 40% HP he lost as a requirement for activating the skill. In addition, Izroth managed tond a critical hit on his first blow. However, Izroth did not stop there. In the following moment, Izroth gained a massive burst of movement speed, which allowed him to instantly shrink the distance between himself and Ourami. Right when he arrived next to Ourami, Izroth swung his de out at a terrifying speed. It was to the point that his attack seemed to take ce at the exact same time as his movement. Thisbination of attack and movement in the same motion came from a skill Izroth learned after being trapped in Aurie''s Dream Domain, Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. ?Critical Hit? -23,760 +1,426 The damage was not as high as his first attack; however, Izroth''s main goal was not the damage itself, but to reach Ourami without giving him any time to react. BOOM! Out of nowhere, a heavy force descended onto Izroth''s body as though he abruptly stepped into the center of a high-level gravity pocket. Ourami utilized his Epithet of Force to create a zone within the circle that immensely weighed everything down. Even those of the Megada ancient race who were known for their abnormal strength and tenacity would find it difficult to stand under this kind of pressure. "It was never mentioned that I must simply sit back and take your attacks without retaliating. As long as this zone is in ce, no matter how fast you are, it is useless. I gave you a chance to beg for mercy, yet you still dared to raise your hand against me. Well, it''s fine¡ªsince you can still crawl without legs!" Ourami stated as his rage exploded. Izroth''s first attack caused a bizarre wound to appear across Ourami''s chest that pulsed with a faint dark red color. To be wounded in such a manner by someone he viewed as an inferior being¡ªOurami''s anger had returned to full throttle! Meanwhile, as Ourami was being consumed by his own madness, Izroth was inwardly shocked. ''He didn''t avoid it?'' Given the coverage area of his first attack, Izroth knew that unless Ourami stepped outside of the circle, there would be no way for him to avoid it. However, his second attack was different. It was true that the attack and movement happened in near-perfect sync with Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death, but if anyone could evade it, it should be Ourami! During his previous battle against Ourami, Izroth did not notice any usage limits to Ourami''s precognition skill; therefore, it should not be a cooldown issue. Then, could it be that it had somehow been broken during his battle against Astratis and Tal''Nis? Or, was the second strike simply negligible in his eyes and not worth avoiding? ''No... With his personality, how could he be willing to let himself be struck by an attack twice in a row when there is a chance to avoid it?'' Izroth did not believe that someone like Ourami would intentionally let himself be hit after just receiving a wound on his body. Initially, Izroth linked Ourami''s slowed reaction time to his inly weakened state. But, what if that was not the entire truth? ''Did something happen with his precognition skill since ourst encounter?'' As Izroth pondered over this thought, he did not remain idle. While Ourami loved listening to himself talk, Izroth took a quick moment to nce over the new skill he received from the system after his perception stat reached 15 points. As for the pressure from Ourami''s Epithet of Force, due to the Earthly Golden Bones from his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth was able to withstand it without much issue. While his overall speed would certainly be affected, it was not enough to prevent him from taking action. ''This is...'' When Izroth read over the effect of his new skill, he was almost thankful to Ourami for providing him with such an opportunity. Izroth thought it would be a skill simr to Deep Insight meaning that while it possessedbat potential, it was severely limited in its early stages. But, that was not the case at all for this skill. Skill Name: Time Dtion Skill Level: 0.00% Skill Rank: Unique* Requirements: Be the first yer to achieve a Perception stat of 15 or higher. Active: The user will perceive everything at [1% to 99%] of its actual speed. The longer this effect is active and the slower the user perceives everything, the greater the burden ced upon them. This burden is lessened the higher the user''s skill level. Over usage of this skill can permanently damage one''s perception. Cooldown: None Special Note: This skill has no direct effect on the user''s actual speed or reaction time. Time Dtion allowed Izroth to perceive things at a portion of their original speed. If it was just 10% or 20% slower, that would already be a huge difference. But, this particr skill let him perceive things at 1% of their true speed¡ªthat was a one hundred times difference! Not to mention, there was not even a cooldown attached to the skill. But, Izroth was no fool. He knew that there was no way such a miraculous skill could exist without some shorings. Even though the effect was game-changing, what stood out most to Izroth was the final line of the active description. Since the skill did not rify what was defined as over usage, it was the system''s way of telling the yer to figure it out themselves. ''Then, shall I test it out?'' ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the skill ?Time Dtion?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Due to the effects of ?Time Dtion?, you will now perceive everything at [95%] of its original speed!¡µ The instant Izroth activated Time Dtion, everything in his eyes moved slightly slower. It was only set at 95%, but Izroth could clearly feel the difference with his heightened perception. Even though the actual speed of everything moving remained unchanged, to Izroth, it was almost like the world began to flow to his will. As for the burden ced on him, Izroth could feel himself bing slightly fatigued. But, with the rejuvenating effects of his Ocean Spring Pill and the increased recovery rate from physical irregrities from his Might stat, it was barely noticeable. Izroth was tempted to test the upper limits of the Time Dtion skill; however, he quickly reined in his curiosity. After all, the risk of permanently damaging his perception was too deep a cost. BANG! Ourami threw a swift punch at Izroth as the faint silver energy that epassed his fist carried with it a destructive momentum. Zeeeut! Izroth used a charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to avoid the punch at thest second. But, he did not go far as he reappeared right behind Ourami. Simultaneously, an overbearing aura surrounded Izroth''s Sword of the Storm as he swept downward at Ourami with a wless stroke. Then, without pause, Izroth activated another charge of his Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. But, instead of moving towards Ourami, Izroth retreated exactly four meters with a huge burst of movement speed. Uponing to a halt, a terrifying sword intent left Izroth''s de that unleashed an overwhelming killing intent that drowned out everything in its surroundings. Chapter 848: Origin of Obliteration

Chapter 848: Origin of Obliteration

-15,840 -99,000 In his rage, Ourami charged forward through both of Izroth''s attacks and received them head-on. Ourami was taken aback by the fact that Izroth could still move so freely under the restraining effects of his Epithet of Force; however, he was more annoyed at the trick Izroth used earlier. Given Ourami''s stage of power, his original perception was nothing to scoff at. But, it was due to that exact reason that the effect of Siren''s Song on Ourami was so great. Of course, it was just his perception, Ourami would not be so bothered. However, for some reason, his Epithet of Divination also seemed to suffer from whatever trick Izroth used! "My Epithet of Divination is not responding...! How is this possible?!" Ourami thought to himself as he scowled. What Ourami and even Izroth himself did not realize was that Ourami''s Epithet of Divination was directly linked to perception. Ourami''s epithets were not like different from the titles of celestials. It was not something external or separate yet connected to their true self. Because of his unique physique and cursed body, Ourami''s epithets were one with him. Therefore, as long as his overall perception was affected, his Epithet of Divination would also suffer in the process! "I''ve had enough of your tricks!" Ourami roared as the crack beneath his feet shattered with every step. Swoosh! In an instant, Ourami appeared in front of Izroth. This movement was simr to the one he used to knock Izroth out of the sky during their first encounter. Right now, Ourami no longer cared if his condition worsened. Nor did he care about the bet. He wanted nothing more than to break all four of Izroth''s limbs and keep him barely holding on to life by a straw! As for the location of the portal and information about the other world, while it was true having Izroth''s cooperation made things easier, it was not as though he had no way of extracting the truth. "I still need him alive. But, one does not require limbs to breathe!" Ourami internalized. Ourami opened his hand as the silver w-like armor around it trembled. At the same time, he used his Epithet of Force on himself to elerate the movement of his hand. This created an attack simr to the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death that Izroth used against him. The attack and movement acted as one action. It was as if Ourami meant to mock Izroth by using his own skill to tear off his limbs! ¡´Battle Alert: You have adjusted the effects of ?Time Dtion?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You will now perceive everything at [90%] of its original speed!¡µ Seeing that Ourami rushed forward without any regard for defense, Izroth lowered the Time Dtion, causing everything around him to seem slower than usual. However, even though it was just a 5% difference, Izroth immediately felt a heavy burden ced upon his body. The burden was not so great that it obstructed his movements, but it almost called out as a warning to Izroth. From that, he understood that if he attempted to go any further than this with his current skill level of Time Dtion, he would step into dangerous territory. ''To think a 10% difference would cause this much strain on my body even with my present physique. If that''s the case, if I were an average person, wouldn''t it be difficult to even maintain 1% with such a low skill level?'' In terms of physique, Izroth was confident that even if he was not somehow at the top of the list among yers in RML, he was definitely within the top ten. After all, thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body, B-ranked skills or lower were useless against him. This meant that one had to rely solely on A-ranked or higher skills just to even graze him. Or, at the very least, an attack equivalent to an A-ranked skill. Not to mention, his Might stat further enhanced this effect. Nevertheless, even with so manyyers of defense at his disposal, Izroth knew that he could not let himself be hit head-on by Ourami''s attack. Otherwise, he would not know how he died. ''I could avoid this attack, but I would have to give up the opportunity I created. Though if it fails, then... No, such a thought is useless. After all, since when have I, Izroth, been afraid of taking a risk?'' Instead of employing his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement to escape from Ourami''s head-on attack, Izroth lowered his de to the earth. ....Oooooooom! Right as Ourami''s hand was mere centimeters away from his face, the world within the surrounding fifty meters turned ck and white. "This is...?!" Ourami''s heart sank when he experienced the ck and white world. That''s because, unlike most others who were unaware of Kyvernos''rge-scale attack, Ourami''s cursed body and epithets allowed him to see that chaotic ce. Therefore, when he witnessed a simr change in the world around him, Ourami instinctively hesitated. However, Ourami was unaware that this slight moment of hesitation would be what led to his ultimate downfall. Not long ago, Izroth struck Ourami with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. Then, almost instantly afterward, the pir received his Second Baneful Sword: Kill head-on. Now... ''Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion.'' Earlier, in order to reduce the numbers of Ourami''s army and even the ying field against other legendary realm powerhouses, he used his Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion. Originally, with its cooldown time of 336 hours, Izroth should not have been able to activate the skill again for two weeks in-game time. At least, this would be the case if not for one of the skill''s effects called Restless Intent. Restless Intent made it so that whenever Izroth''s third baneful sword eliminated a target, its cooldown was reduced by 5%. And, after killing hundreds upon hundreds of the ancient races under Ourami''smand with the skill''s Wave of Annihtion, the cooldown on Izroth''s third baneful sword had reaped more than enough lives to fully reset! Ourami''s movements froze as he felt a portion of his strength leave his body. He wanted to act; however, there was an almost instinctual fear every time he remembered his earlier attempt at trying to forcibly break free of Kyvernos'' influence. The bacsh at that timebined with just having faced two powerful figures was what reduced him to his present state. But, it was not Ourami''s own will that decided on this course of action. Instead, he was being impacted by the fear effect of Izroth''s Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion! Simultaneously, a huge flood of power poured into Izroth''s body as he pilfered a part of Ourami''s power due to the World of Annihtion effect of his third baneful sword. This caused his attack stat to soar from the mid-4,000s to almost 30,000 points! ''Oh? It''s only this much? I guess even in his weakened state, the difference in our base strength is still too much.'' The amount of strength taken by World of Annihtion varied based on the target''s strength. The stronger the target, the more challenging it became to absorb their strength. Regardless, it still caused Izroth''s current attack stat to more than quadruple! As Izroth''s power surged, the Wave of Annihtion from his third baneful sword engulfed the surroundings. ¡´Battle Alert: Due to the target ?Pir of the West, Ourami?''s HP value, the effect ?Great Annihtion? has been activated?!¡µ Ooooooom! If it were most other individuals, they would have been instantly killed from the effects of the third baneful sword''s Great Annihtion. However, since Ourami was considered a boss rank opponent by the system, the Great Annihtion effect sent out a second Wave of Annihtion. Though it could not really be seen as a mercy. -746,300 ?Critical Hit? -1,492,600 The first Wave of Annihtion that crashed into Ourami already dealt a massive amount of damage¡ªeven more than Izroth''s Ruthless ughterer: Unbridled Kill Count! But, because of the critical strike of the second Wave of Annihtion, it was almost as if the pir was hit by a total of three Wave of Annihtions instead of two! "AH!" Ourami cried out as he broke free of the crowd control restrictions ced upon him by the third baneful sword and shook off the fear effects. However, even without his Epithet of Divination, Ourami was ovee with a foreboding sense of danger. Every fiber of his being told him to retreat. But, the more this feeling set in the angrier the pir became. How could his pride allow him to retreat against someone he ridiculed and called an insect? If he retreated, wouldn''t that make him less than an insect?! What pride would he have left to show his face as a pir?! "DIE!!!!" Ourami unleashed an earth-shaking battle cry as his power exploded and he pushed his hand forward thest few centimeters to tear off Izroth''s head! This time, Ourami no longer cared whether or not Izroth lived! But, just before the pir could grab hold of Izroth''s face, the ck and white world transformed into one of pure white. Everything in existence seemed to have disappeared around Ourami. Even Izroth, who was right in front of him, could no longer be seen. The next moment, the pure white world abruptly turned into a ck abyss. In this abyss, not a single speck of light could be seen and no life was present. It was to that point that Ourami, who was trapped in this ck abyss, was incapable of even feeling his own life. Meanwhile, Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system as in his eyes that existed outside of that pure white world and ck abyss, Ourami''s body was turning to ash¡ªas if his very existence was being erased. ¡´Battle Alert: You have sessfully used the skills ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction?, ?Second Baneful Sword: Kill?, and ?Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion? in the correct sequence!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the hidden effect for the skill ?Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Origin of Obliteration? has been triggered!¡µ Chapter 849: Ordinance of Execution, Existence

Chapter 849: Ordinance of Execution, Existence

... A few moments ago... Bzzzzt...! Zeeeut! Astratis'' figure constantly appeared at different locations on the battlefield as he employed his Six Thunderous Paths. Swoosh! Crrrrckle! Whenever the Son of Thunder moved, a trail of vicious lightning would form. After several movements, the lightning converged to a single point, creating a thunderous sphere. The gathering spot of the thunderous sphere was not random. Not far away from its position was none other than the Progenitor of the Flow, Kyvernos. "Hmph, you want to use speed to ovee me? Boy, you are too arrogant. Did you forget that it is I alone who controls the flow?" Kyvernos gathered sinister energy at the tip of his index finger. All of a sudden, a brilliant ray of light descended from the sky. It was as though a giant spotlight had abruptly found its way to Kyvernos. However, this was no ordinary light. The instant the light came into contact with the sinister energy at Kyvernos'' fingertip, it caused it to waver. In addition, Kyvernos could feel an ovepping wave of destructive force descend upon him in a seemingly neverending cycle. Kyvernos'' expression darkened as his eyes turned cold. "I grow weary of your interference, Illioreas. Do you think that I will not cast you into the Na''Ei Cha?" Kyvernos stated. The mysterious light that epassed Kyvernos was the work of the Progenitor of the Sun, Illioreas. The entire time, Illioreas had been keeping the full might of Kyvernos'' attacks at bay. He did not make a move unless Kyvernos made a move. And, even then, only if that move would prove somewhat difficult for Astratis and Tal''Nis to face head-on. This heightened focus on defense and interception made Illioreas even more troublesome to deal with than Kyvernos originally anticipated. "Grow weary all you like. My life no longer moves to your will." Illioreas responded. He then continued, "The day after we took care of that nightmare, ever since that moment you have changed, brother¡ªand, not for the better. Did you forget the promise we made that day when our two brothers sacrificed themselves to extinguish that nightmare? We promised to never allow a monster like that to exist again. Therefore, brother, even if you despise me as a result¡ªI have every intention of keeping the promise I made that day." Illioreas'' expression seemed somewhat saddened as he spoke. In the depths of his heart, he hoped that his brother would slowly change over the cycles. But, even if his brother failed to change of his own will, at the very least, Illioreas nned to gain enough strength to force that change himself. However, he knew that using such a method was only a delusion he trapped himself in. Not because Kyvernos'' current strength exceeded his own, but rather due to the fact that one could not force change upon someone who was unwilling to take the journey. "For numerous cycles, I have been fooling myself into believing that which I have wanted to believe¡ªeven if it was far from the truth that was right in front of my eyes all along." Illioreas thought to himself. "For the sake of our brothers... And, for your sake as well, brother¡ªI will no longer turn a blind eye to the truth of our world." Illioreas dered. The next moment, Astratis appeared next to the thunderous sphere and took it into the palm of his hand, crushing it. BOOOOM! Upon crushing the thunderous sphere, the earth trembled as a devastating explosion consumed the surrounding one hundred meters! Oooooom! Not long after the massive explosion, the cloud of dust was blown away into the sky as the sinister aura around Kyvernos exploded. "For my sake? You think too highly of yourself, brother." Kyvernos said mockingly as he seemedpletely unphased by Astratis'' attack. Or, at least, that''s how it appeared at first nce. "Hm?" Kyvernos felt something warm run down the left side of his neck as he reached his hand up to touch it. He looked down and saw some thick ck liquid on his fingertips that caused him to narrow his eyes. Just now, he was absolutely certain that he thoroughly crushed Astratis'' attack and dispelled any foreign ethos in the atmosphere around him. Therefore, even though it was not a serious or life-threatening injury, Kyvernos was genuinely surprised by his wound. "Oh? It''s not healing?" Kyvernos thought to himself as he could feel the wound on his neck pulsating while showing no signs of recovery. As the Son of Harvest, Kyvernos was able to "harvest" ethos itself. This, in turn, boosted his regenerative abilities to an unbelievable level. Even if one of his limbs were severed, it would immediately attach itself back to him using the ethos in the atmosphere. And so, a small injury like that one on his neck should have closed in a fraction of a second. Yet, this was not the case at all. "Hmph, brat... You''ve gone and learned something rather interesting. I wonder¡ªhow did youe by such a technique?" Kyvernos said as his gaze locked onto Astratis, who was currently covered from head to toe in his lightning-type armor. Although Kyvernos appeared to be unmoved on the surface, beneath it all, Astratis could feel the sudden shift in attention to him. To most, it would be an unbearable feeling of suffocation; however, Astratis remained steady and calm. "I have nothing to say to a monster taking the form of man," Astratis replied seriously without hesitation. "All my efforts have not been wasted." Astratis thought to himself after seeing that his attack on Kyvernos seeded. The Lightning Ruler''s Ordinance of Execution¡ªwith some hints from Illioreas, this was the technique Astratis came up with to one day rid the world of Kyvernos. Kyvernos was able to freely manipte the ethos in the atmosphere to not only heal himself but also obtain virtually limitless strength. Astratis understood that as long as he had no way to interrupt that connection, his chances of victory were infinitely close to zero. Therefore, he created a technique that took the natural destructive power of the lightning element, recklessly amplified it, and converted it into a well-condensed form. This form was the lightning armor he currently wore. And, the recklessly amplified lightning element fed on itself in an endless loop. This made it so that whenever Astratis attacked, as long as a part of it connected to his target, it would destroy any ethos present in that area. In addition, the destructive force was so concentrated that no other ethos could freely flow near that contaminated area. This was the power of the technique Astratis poured his blood, sweat, and tears into¡ªthe Lightning Ruler''s Ordinance of Execution. Illioreas'' brows rose when he witnessed the wound Astratis left behind on Kyvernos'' neck. "He alreadypleted it? A few years have not yet passed since he approached me about it. He made this much progress in such a short amount of time?" Illioreas internalized. "In the end, even with the disconnect that exists between them... I suppose he is still his father''s son." Illioreas said to himself as he released a heavy sigh. Astratis'' monstrous talent reminded him of his own brother, Kyvernos. It was due to this fact that, at first, Illioreas was hesitant to assist Astratis. In his heart, Illioreas feared that if Astratis seeded, he might one day follow in his father''s footsteps. "No, this time... I will prevent such a tragedy from urring." Illioreas thought to himself. Meanwhile, Kyvernos wiped the thick ck liquid on the cloth at his side. Illioreas interference, Astratis'' technique, and a sense of wariness towards the woman who did not belong to their world¡ªthese were all things Kyvernos did not foresee. Regardless, he would not permit anyone to step over the authority of the One Decree. Even if he had to tear apart the entire Fourth Heart of the World in the process, then so be it. "Old monster! Today is the day you pay for your atrocities!" A voice boomed as the sound of something sharply whistling through the air could be heard. ...BANG! Right in between Kyvernos and Astratis, a long ck spear with markings carved into the side pierced into the earth, ttening the area it arrived at and sending tremors throughout the surroundings. Then, in the blink of an eye, a flickering silhouette appeared standing atop the spear that quickly came into focus. When Astratis saw this figure, at first, his heart ached. However, soon after, a feeling of relief washed over him. "Allow me to share this burden with you." The figure said without looking back towards Astratis¡ªalmost as if they were ashamed to face them. The one who appeared before Astratis was the Daughter of the Lawful Order, Nomii. "Sister, it is good to see you," Astratis said as he let out a sigh of relief under his lightning helmet. His gaze naturallynded on Nomii''s missing arm and could not help but feel somewhat responsible. After all, it was his decision to have Nomii deal with the Pir of the North, Myania. But, Astratis did notment on Nomii''s missing arm. He knew that thest thing his sister wanted was his sympathy or to appear weak in front of him. Not to mention, it was not as though they had time to have an idle chat. Nomii gave a small nod in response to Astratis. However, from the moment she arrived, her gaze never once left Kyvernos. A denseyer of killing intent erupted from Nomii as a look of revulsion and scorn formed on her face. "This child¡ªwhat a disobedient looking you''re giving me," Kyvernos said indifferently. Chapter 850: The End of an Era, Erased

Chapter 850: The End of an Era, Erased

Nomii red at Kyvernos despite the immense pressure that came from directly meeting his gaze. But,pared to what that monster put her and her siblings through, such pressure could never make her falter. Suddenly, a slight smile formed on Nomii''s face. Seeing this smile caused Kyvernos to visibly frown as he said, "Did I say something that amused you?" "No, I was simply with thought¡ªthat this will be thest day you roam this world. Today is the day your eraes to an end." Nomii stated boldly. Kyvernos remained silent for a moment. Though it did not take long for his lips to curve into a grin. "I see you inherited your mother''s optimism. Then-" The atmosphere around Kyvernos shifted as he spoke. The sinister aura that was previously contained at his fingertips started to spread outward in every direction. "Shall I also allow you to inherit her fate?" Kyvernos said as he smiled eerily. "Monster! I will cut you where you stand!" Nomii cried out as the ethos around her exploded forth. In one quick motion, Nomii lightly kicked off the top of her spear, rotating her body. At the same time, she grabbed ahold of her spear without stopping her momentum and swung downward in a ferocious arc towards Kyvernos! Astratis did not fall too far behind as he attacked Kyvernos from above with the serrated de attached to his Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet. BOOM! With so many powerful individuals present, the ethos in the surrounding atmosphere trembled and became wildly unstable. This caused multiple cracks to form in various areas of the Fourth Heart of the World. "Come! Let us see if you possess the power to carry out your words" Kyvernos bellowed. Swoosh! Woosh! Bang! Kyvernos lifted his right hand and blocked Nomii''s de with his bare hand. However, if one looked closely, one could see a thinyer of sinister aura epassing the hand he used to block the spear. Nomii tightened her grip on the spear, causing the ground beneath Kyvernos to shatter. Unfortunately, missing one arm was no small matter for someone who wielded a spear. To say the power of her strikes was cut in half was an understatement. Of course, Nomii was well aware that she would not be able to rely on brute strength to ovee Kyvernos. This was even more so given her current state. Therefore, she had to depend on the only thing she could¡ªtechnique. As Astratis'' strike swiftly approached Kyvernos, Nomii loosened her grip on the spear, adjusting her hand as she spun her body in a forward motion. BANG! Nomii utilized her dexterity and used the heel of her foot to kick down near the top of the spear. Crrrck! The blow caused a miniature fracture to form on the surface of Kyvernos hand as even his sinister aura had some trouble enduring the weight of the spear. Bzzzt! From Astratis'' serrated de, multiple tendrils of lightning rained down. Then, at the veryst moment, Nomii released her spear and immediately retreated. The red markings on Nomii''s spear lit up brightly as the weapon began to shake intensely. At the same time, the lightning tendrils from Astratis'' Lightning Ruler''s Gauntlet wrapped around both Kyvernos and Nomii''s spear. ...BOOOOOOOM! A massive explosion shook the entire Fourth Heart of the World as a wild lightning storm suddenly descended. A few moments passed as the lightning storm subsided and a strange calm returned to the Fourth Heart of the World. Zeeeut! Nomii appeared next to Astratis and asked, "Are you alright?" "This form is still a bit too much to perfectly control, but... I''ll live," Astratis replied. The lightning armor that once covered his body head to toe was now broken and fragmented in multiple sections. In addition, more than half of his lightning helmet had been destroyed, revealing cerulean-colored energy veins that flowed through the Son of Thunder''s neck and the lower part of his face. Astratis took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. The next moment, the cerulean veins started to recede from his lower face. However, it did not disappear from his neck. This was one of the side effects of his technique that ced an unbelievable amount of strain on his body and caused the ethos within his body to wildly fluctuate. "Even at his stage, it will be difficult to survive the self-destruction of a weapon that contains the breath of the Primordial Forge. Though, to be truthful, I am more surprised by your newfound strength. It would seem you have quite a few secrets, brother." Nomii said as she nced over at Astratis. Astratis smiled weakly and responded, "It couldn''t be helped." "I know. It''s just that even though you are the youngest of us siblings, you have already grown to such a point. As your elder sibling, I cannot help but feel somewhat ashamed having to rely on your strength." Nomii sighed. "Don''t be ridiculous, sister. It was all of you who helped me grow to this point. My strength is all of our strength¡ªit belongs not to myself, but all of us." Astratis stated calmly. Illioreas could not help but smile as he listened in on the conversation between Astratis and Nomii. But, a part of his heart was also pained as he released a heavy sigh. "If only our bond was this close, perhaps..." Illioreas thought to himself as his mind wandered. Woosh! Out of nowhere, a hand with a sinister aura grabbed ahold of Astratis'' face! "?!" Astratis'' eyes widened in shock as he felt an overwhelming force m into his body. "How dare you unfilial brats!" Kyvernos roared as his hand covered Astratis'' face. The Progenitor of the Flow''s current appearance was far from his original. For one, the top half of his torso was missing and had been reced by tens of ck tendrils. These tendrils were made from that thick ck miasma that acted as Kyvernos'' blood. And, near the tip of each tendril was an eerie sunken eyeball that matched that of Kyvernos''. Where his stomach should be was, instead, a mouth with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth and a long tongue that hung outside. It was, in all sense, a revolting appearance. "Unhand him monster!" Despite her initial shock, Nomii reacted almost immediately as sheunched a fierce punch at Kyvernos. However, without her spear, the power gap between them was even more apparent than usual. SMACK! A bundle of ck tendrilsshed out at Nomii, mming into her body and sending her flying several meters away like a ragdoll! "Impossible...!" Illioreas uttered as a look of disbelief appeared on his face. Just now, he was certain Kyvernos'' presence had left this world for the Na''Ei Cha. Once one was called to the Na''Ei Cha, they could not resist and their very being would be dragged down. This was an absolutew of their world set into ce by the Protogenos. Even someone as powerful as Kyvernos could not go against their will! "I shouldn''t have let my guard down..!" Illioreas thought to himself as he rushed into action. He could no longer afford to y a more defensive role to restrain Kyvernos. Illioreas understood that if he did not act right now, all their efforts would go to waste! However, Illioreas facial expression darkened. Since Kyvernos already had a hold of the weakened Astratis, the situation was dire. He knew that the chances of him making it in time were nonexistent. "I should have erased all of your existences the moment you were born! But, do not worry. I will correct my oversight!" Kyvernos'' voice screeched from the mouth where his torso once was as he tightened his grip on Astratis'' head. Phhhtk! Out of nowhere, Kyvernos'' body jerked slightly as a pitch-ck de protruded out from where his chest would have been. ... Meanwhile... ''To think the system would perceive it like this... I suppose it is to be expected.'' At the moment, Izroth had his system interface opened as he looked over the new effect that had been added to his Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion. As for Ourami, he had already perished from this world. And, ording to the skill information Izroth just read, any world for that matter. Skill Name: Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/3 Skill Rank: SSS ... ?????... *New -> ?Origin of Obliteration?: Inflicts [100% of the target''s total HP] as pure damage to all targets within 50 meters. Damage from this effect cannot be reduced or ignored. Damage from this skill bypasses invulnerability and unkible effects. Non-yer targets eliminated by this effect are wiped from existence. All other targets will have their level permanently reduced by 1 and will be forcibly logged out for 72 hours. This effect can only be activated if the skills ?First Baneful Sword: Destruction? and ?Second Baneful Sword: Kill? are used in the correct sequence before this skill''s execution. Using this skill increases the cooldown of ?Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion? by 100%. Description: One sword to annihte all that dares to obstruct its path. Special Effect: This skill can be used without a sword, but the damage is reduced by 80%. This skill cannot be leveled up using skill points, the user must experience many battles to further advance. Cooldown: 336 hours Temporary Cooldown Timer: 28 Days 00 Hour(s) 00 Minute(s) 00 Second(s) Chapter 851: A Shift In Rankings, Regrouping

Chapter 851: A Shift In Rankings, Regrouping

Izroth knew that the hidden effect of an SSS-ranked skill had to be strong; however, for it to be a wide range AOE effect that was practically an instant kill was beyond his original expectations. Not only that, but it could erase the existence of non-yers from RML! Though the most shocking thing was not the virtually instant kill effect or its massive range. Instead, it was its ability to permanently reduce a yer''s level by one. While one level may not sound like a lot, for top yers or those at level 49 or higher, it would be a dreadful experience. After all, yers spent days of in-game time leveling up even once. But, it did not stop there. If it was just that much, it could still be considered somewhat salvageable. However, the effect also restricted a yer from logging in for 72 hours following their elimination! Although it was only one day in real-world time, 72 hours was long enough topletely shift one''s cement among the top-ranked yers! This was even more so considering the war currently going on in the Mortal Realm. ''That reminds me...'' Izroth opened his system interface as a transport scoreboard appeared in front of him. ''Oh? It''s changed again. It seems when I get back to the Mortal Realm, I won''t be able to ck off.'' ¡ºTop 100 Event Leaderboard: 1st: ??? - 5,002.02 contribution points 2nd: Izroth - 4,992.04 contribution points 3rd: Ewan - 2,958.99 contribution points 4th: Dragon - 2,894.12 contribution points 5th: Morrighan 2,882.10 contribution points 6th: Reaper - 2,655.33 contribution points 7th: Igazanali - 2,627.68 contribution points 8th: Azalea Wraith - 2,458.65 contribution points 9th: Mariposa - 2,219.04 contribution points 10th: Valkyria - 2,115.13 contribution points ...¡» It had not been long since Izroth left the Mortal Realm; however, everyone was making fast progress in increasing their positions. More surprisingly, there was actually someone who managed to overtake his position and bump him down to the second-ce spot! Even Morrighan, who fell out of the top ten due to leaving her original post in order to be in the crusade, had regained a solid position within the top ten. Though Izroth was not too surprised. Ever since thest major contributions he made near the Unsanctioned Zone and Demilitarization Belt, he had simply been too busy to freely umte contribution points. Even after he returned to the Mortal Realm, there was still a lot left to do. Regardless, Izroth did not n on sitting back and remaining idle. ''The attack on the Night Lord''s Crypt ising up soon. There should be some opportunities to im many contribution points by participating. Not to mention, I still have a few things up my sleeves. Still, to think there is someone else who can achieve that amount of contribution points in such a short time. I''ll have someone look into it when I return to the Mortal Realm. After all, with that many contribution points, even if they''ve hidden their name, it will be difficult topletely cover their tracks.'' Izroth understood how challenging it was to umte arge number of contribution points. He destroyed an entire city, aided in taking down one of the Antumbra Night Lords of the Skounae race, helped discover a high-ranking traitor in the Demilitarization Belt, and much more. Therefore, he knew that someone who gathered a simr amount of contribution points must have done things that were equivalent to his feats. Or, at the very least, incredibly close. As for that person''s identity, Izroth had someone in mind. However, since there was no proof at the moment, in the end, it was merely spection. A few momentster, Izroth closed out the system interface as he averted his gaze to the ground before him where Ourami stood not long ago. There was not a single trace left of the pir after undergoing the effects of the Origin of Obliteration. ''It is not a skill I can use carelessly.'' Not to mention the long 28-day cooldown ced upon his Third Baneful Sword: Annihtion, the Origin of Obliteration had its greatest drawback. In the end, it still affected everyone in its range¡ªallies included. Therefore, if Izroth used it too carelessly, his own allies may end up paying the price and suffering under the effects of the Origin of Obliteration. In addition, relying too heavily on a single effect to ovee stronger opponents was something Izroth knew was not a long-term solution. In fact, despite the seemingly inescapable nature of the effect, it did not mean there existed no means under the firmament to counter it. Needless to say, Izroth was still more than happy to have one more trump card at his disposal. Izroth averted his gaze towards the distance. There was a reason he had not left after taking care of Ourami. ''They should be arriving soon.'' Not long after he defeated Ourami, with his heightened sense of perception from the effects of Siren''s Song, Izroth noticed two familiar auras headed his way. At the moment, Izroth''s state was not good. His essence was so low that he could undergo Soul Weakness at any second if he pushed it even one step further. Also, most of his powerful skills were on cooldown. In addition, even with all of his anti-fatigue passives, Izroth felt unbearably exhausted. If it were any other yer, they would have already copsed from being fatigued! ''Time Dtion¡ªit''s a skill capable of changing the flow of a battle, but... Even at just 90%, it consumes too much fatigue within a short amount of time. Of course, raising my skill level will help, but getting it to 100% will not happen overnight. For the time being, I have to find other ways to quickly recover my fatigue or increase my stamina. Otherwise, using it efficiently for more than a few seconds every battle will prove rather problematic.'' Not long after this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, the two familiar auras he detected came into view in the distance. These two individuals were moving at great speeds towards Izroth and soon reached his location. "Huh? Where did that bastard run off to?" Hakros frowned as he scratched the back of his head and carefully examined the surroundings. The first to arrive was Hakros, who Izroth sent off in search of Sychia. As for the person who apanied him, naturally, it was the Thousand Blossom Maiden herself. "I sensed it as well. But, his aura just vanished. It would appear that we rushed over for nothing." Sychia said as she released a faint sigh. After seeing that there was no danger present, Sychia turned her attention to Izroth and politely greeted him. "It''s good to see you are safe," Sychiamented with a light smile. Sychia had been roaming the battlefield eliminating the remnants of Ourami''s forces. However, when that rain of ck mes appeared, everything immediately turned to chaos as those touched by the sinister mes perished. Fortunately, she was close to another group of celestials. One in particr called Diparxi used his ability to transport all those nearby to safety, Sychia included. However, it was a close call. If she had not used thest few life-saving artifacts on her to survive the initial pour of the ck mes, it would have been a dangerous situation. "I could say the same about you," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. Izroth was relieved to see that even though Sychia had a few minor wounds, she was rtively unharmed. He knew that the Thousand Blossom Maiden was more than capable of taking care of herself; however, that was only under normal circumstances. And, at the moment, the circumstances were far from normal. Izroth never anticipated someone more powerful than Ourami showing up on the battlefield and throwing everything into chaos. It was no wonder this quest was SSS-ranked. Earlier, even with the addition of another pir and Ourami''s army, Izroth did not feel as if Astratis and the other celestials would lose. That''s because although he hid it well, Izroth could tell that Astratis was holding back his true strength. ''I suppose without this kind of anomaly, it would not be an SSS-ranked quest. In my current state, it will be difficult to directly interfere; however, I cannot remain idle.'' "Hey, where did that Heaven''s Strength bastard go?" Hakros inquired. "He no longer exists," Izroth responded calmly. "Hah? You don''t mean-" "That''s right." "Ah! This stone-faced guy¡ªhe went and took all the fun for himself! I knew it! Next time, we''re swapping roles!" "Oh? Next time? Does this mean you n on owing me again in the future?" "Heh, no way. You''ll be the one in debt to me next time around!" Hakros stated proudly. "Yes, of course," Izroth replied nonchntly in a half-hearted manner. "Oh, don''t forget about our promise earlier! If that person can''t fight at least ten rounds with me, you''ll have to take their ce." "Sure. But, I won''t lose." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "This guy... Well, it''s not like I n on losing, either." Hakros said with a yful grin. Chapter 852: A Falling Secret, Ruthless Sword Intent

Chapter 852: A Falling Secret, Ruthless Sword Intent

After briefly exchanging a few words, Sychia looked toward Izroth and asked, "What now?" Hakros'' gaze also fell on Izroth as Sychia asked that question. At this point, Sychia had already epted Izroth as the leader of their makeshift group. As for Hakros, he was still bound to the promise he made with Izroth earlier; therefore, he would naturallyply with his requests. That being said, the more he was around Izroth, the more Hakros saw him in a new light. When Zouren first introduced Izroth to the group, Hakros figured he was just another one of Zouren''sckeys who managed to get some type of advantage. But, that could not have been further from the truth. In the end, despite his headstrong personality, Hakros was no fool. He could see right through those who held ill intentions. That''s why in order not to get involved in their games and schemes, he entered the portal first to distance himself from them. Otherwise, how could he properly explore the Secret Realm? Of course, he never anticipated that Zouren, Luxia, and Agromin would stoop so low as to team up with Ourami to ambush him. But, regardless of the circumstances, Izroth was the one who freed him. Therefore, even if he was asked to walk through the zing infernos of the underworld, Hakros would not hesitate! There was also a gut feeling Hakros had about Izroth. For some reason, he believed that as long as he got to know Izroth, there would be nock of interesting things in the future. "This kind of guy doesn''t go out of his way to make enemies. But, given his personality and strength, he probably annoyed a lot of strong and influential guys. I won''t let him have all the fun!" Hakros thought to himself as he grinned menacingly. ''Hm? What is he so excited about?'' Hakros did not hide his eagerness as Izroth clearly felt his battle intent and excitement. Izroth inwardly shook his head as he could only imagine the thoughts going through Hakros'' mind. He then cleared his thoughts and replied to Sychia, "It is not a fight that we should casually interfere in any more than this." Izroth closed his eyes as he sheathed his Sword of the Storm and returned the Scorched Inferno Fang to his inventory. "Hah? There''s still one more strong bastard over there, isn''t it? Aren''t we gonna fight?" Hakros frowned. "There are some battles you cannot fight for others. Besides, we have aplished more than enough." Izroth responded calmly. Sychia furrowed her brows and said, "I have no issue with your decision, but I am curious. We have alreadye this far. Why is it that you choose now to stay our hand?" Izroth opened his eyes which seemed to peer into the distance. "This is something that must be finished by the hands of those who started it. That''s all." Izroth responded nonchntly. As Hakros expressed his dissatisfaction, Izroth looked down at the small item that appeared in the palm of his hand not long ago. It was the Relic of the First Tal he used to summon the phantom of the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis. ''Since it was your request, I will trust in your judgment and see things through until the end.'' In truth, Izroth did n on joining the ongoing battle in the distance. However, just moments after his fight with Ourami concluded, he received a telepathic message from Tal''Nis. Just before the effects of the Relic of the First Tal ended, she ryed to him something rather foreboding. "The rest is to be left in their hands. We must not interfere any further than this. The secret of this realm¡ªit can no longer remain as such." Those were the words Tal''Nis said to Izroth before the effects ended. Without Tal''Nis'' involvement in the ongoing fight in the distance, the only ones who remained were the original residents of this Secret Realm. But, Izroth was curious about the secret Tal''Nis brought up. ''A secret that can longer remain as such... Couldn''t she have been a little more clear than that?'' Izroth inwardly sighed as he thought about Tal''Nis'' cryptic message. However, it was not as though he could summon her again and ask her to clearly exin things. After all, the cooldownsted for just over ten days. Not to mention, even if he could summon her back immediately, it would consume one of the already limited number of usages for the magic item. ''Though judging by her tone, perhaps even she was uncertain about the whole truth behind this Secret Realm... Well, I suppose this much is fine. For now...'' "Sychia, you''ll follow me. There may be no intention of participating in the battle; however, at the very least, we should see things through until the end with our own eyes. As for you-" Izroth stated as he turned his attention to Hakros. He then continued, "I have an important task to entrust to you. Are you up for it?" ... A few momentster... Swoosh! Swoosh! "Here is close enough," Izroth said as he abruptly halted his steps. Sychia stopped next to Izroth with a look of visible repulsion on her face. "What is that thing?" Sychia inquired with furrowed brows. "I''m not entirely sure. However, it is safe to assume that thing is what''s responsible for those ck mes you mentioned." Izroth answered. ''This sinister aura... It''s the same one I sensed back in the pce and again after I set foot outside. Then, is this the true form of that old man?'' At the moment, Izroth and Sychia were roughly fifty meters away from the main area of the ongoing battle. But, even from that distance, the two of them could still see what was unfolding. Hovered above the ground was a strange being with hundreds of long ck tendrils. Each tendril had an eerie sunken eye at its end and contained a sinister aura that made it difficult to breathe properly. That monstrosity was the Progenitor of the Flow, Kyvernos. And, right now, he seemed to be in a state of berserk. ''Hm? That''s...'' Near the center of the cluster of ck tendrils, Izroth detected a familiar aura buried deep beneath the sinister energy. It belonged to a pitch-ck sword that was slowly eroding away the ethos within and around Kyvernos. ''Although its appearance is somewhat different, there''s no mistaking it. That de should be her doing. Still, what a ruthless use of one''s sword intent.'' The familiar aura inside the de that Izroth detected belonged to none other than Tal''Nis. It was the final "gift" she left behind in this Secret Realm, the Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Evesting Flood. The reason Izroth saw it was such a ruthless use of sword intent had to do with the way the skill functioned. At its core, the sword intent cut in a never-ending loop at frightening speeds. The cuts themselves were not visible to the naked eye; however, the cuts were so powerful that they were able to cut through both physical and things that were typically intangible such as energy. Or, in this case, more specifically, ethos. However, the truly ruthless nature of this skill was not its infinite cuts, speed, or ability to cut through the physical and intangible. Instead, it was the meticulous and precise use of sword intent Tal''Nis disyed. The fact that the cuts were not visible to the naked eye had nothing to do with their speed. It was simply because the cuts were too small. Every cut did not span even a single millimeter. It was these cuts that caused the eroding-like effect within and around Kyvernos. This kind of control over one''s sword intent was not something that should exist in this world! Izroth observed the berserk state of Kyvernos. And, while it was true that anger could give one a huge burst of strength, it was temporary and superficial at best. ''This battle¡ªit''s already over.'' ... Meanwhile... Woosh! Bzzzt! Crrrckle! p! Astratis swept his serrated de past a group of the ck tendrils, severing them from the main body. "Fall monster!" Astratis roared as the lightning element around him surged forth! The Son of Thunder could not maintain the full state of the Lightning Ruler''s Ordinance of Execution he created to counter Kyvernos; however, he concentrated on keeping a part of it active on just his right arm. Under the current circumstances, it was the best he could do. "We have already relied too much on others in this matter. Is this not our world to protect? Is it not our responsibility to rid it of its nightmare?!" Astratis cried out as he cut through another grouping of ck tendrils. Astratis was extremely grateful to Tal''Nis. If not for the assistance, he may have had to sacrifice a limb to escape from Kyvernos. But, even though he was grateful for her assistance, Astratis ultimately felt that it was his responsibility to protect his world! Phhhtk! Plop! Plop! Several ck tendrils could be seen scattered on the ground as a putrid ck liquid poured from the areas Astratis cut. Thanks to his Ordinance of Execution and the ck sword left by Tal''Nis, Kyvernos'' wounds were not healing. "This ends now, brother!" Illioreas dered as he mmed his hands together. The next moment, an intense wave of heat washed over the battlefield and what could only be described as a small sun appeared in the sky over the Fourth Heart of the World. Chapter 853: The Secret Realm Trembles, A Hidden Truth Revealed!

Chapter 853: The Secret Realm Trembles, A Hidden Truth Revealed!

The Progenitor of the Sun, Ilioreas¡ªjust as his titles suggested, he was capable of summoning forth the power of a sun. Whether it was light, heat, or even the destructive power contained within a star, Illioreas could disy its might on a grand scale. Because of this, despite Kyvernos possessing a more dominant title, in terms of raw destructive power, Illioreas exceeded even Kyvernos himself! As the intense wave of heat spread throughout the Fourth Heart of the World, the remaining ck tentacles attached to Kyvernos started to bubble and burst as if he were being boiled alive. But, despite the sudden change in atmospheric temperature, those nearby like Astratis felt a gentle warmth epass them. Unlike the enemies caught under the influence of his skill, Illioreas allies were provided with protective shielding. "?!" Kyvernos realized the threat of the small sun in the sky and wasted no time making his move. Although the sinister aura around him had been severely reduced, it was not at a level one could afford to rx their guard around. BOOM! In the blink of an eye, Kyvernos drew in a massive amount of ethos. However, upon doing so, the eroding effect on his body hastened and the damage he received was amplified. Seeing Kyvernos'' actions caused Astratis to visibly frown. "Does he want to take us down with him? We can not allow that to happen!" Astratis thought to himself as he swiftly leaped into action! Astratis'' Ordinance of Execution, as well as the ck de left by Tal''Nis, were still functioning properly. It was just that Kyvernos ignored the consequences and chose to forcibly absorb ethos regardless of the inevitable self-inflicted injury. This meant that whatever move Kyvernos had nned next would be the deciding factor! "You wish to defy me until the end? Very well, then¡ªI shall show you the oue of your foolish so-called efforts! I will erase it all and begin anew!" Kyvernos roared as the ethos around him ceased flowing. The following moment, the atmosphere was strangely peaceful as the small sun in the sky began to grow in size. Simultaneously, a pool of putrid ck liquid formed underneath Kyvernos. Then, in a sh, the ck liquid expanded outward in all directions as countless pirs of ck mes erupted from the ground! Everything with even the slightest bit of life or ethos that the ck liquid touched immediately turned to dust. But, the most frightening thing about this ck liquid was that it would not just end with the destruction of the Fourth Heart of the World. "Astratis, we must not permit this to spread outside of this ce!" Illioreas warned with a grave expression. Illioreas was well aware of the existence of the skill Kyvernos was currently using. That''s because it was the same skill Kyvernos used on their own father to destroy his massive body that covered more than half of the Secret Realm in its true state. The Flowing Reversal of Life¡ªa skill known to expand indefinitely to the point that it could cover the entirety of the Secret Realm. Anything and everything that came into contact with it had its life force harvested by Kyvernos. Ancient races, nts, celestials¡ªnone of it mattered. As long as it had even the slightest bit of ethos or life, it could not escape its impending fate. Meanwhile, in the distance, Izroth observed the ck liquid quickly approaching their direction like a mighty tidal wave as he received a strong warning from his Soul Sense. "We''re moving," Izroth stated as he grabbed Sychia by her side and jumped into the air using Sky Steps. Sychia was taken aback by Izroth''s abrupt action as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. To a Thousand Blossom Maiden, being touched in such a manner was considered a great insult. Even more so if that person was an outsider. However, Sychia knew that Izroth had no ulterior motives. Not to mention, they were not in the Mortal Realm right now; therefore, who would know of this as long as neither of them spoke of it? Swoosh! Izroth approached the height limit for his Sky Steps, sessfully escaping the range of the ck liquid. As he looked down at the Fourth Heart of the World from above, he almost felt somewhat pitiful for Ourami¡ªalmost. In the end, this could all be said to have been set into motion by Ourami''s own actions. ''Since I''m not inbat, I can maintain Sky Steps for twenty seconds. But, it seems escaping onnd will be somewhat difficult.'' The reason Izroth did not attempt to flee onnd was due to the fact that the ck liquid moved much faster than his own base speed. If he attempted to outrun it with his stronger movement skills still on cooldown, the end result would be catastrophic. ''It''s already reached the entrance of the pce... Will he be alright down there?'' Not long ago, Izroth sent Hakros off to take care of something in the pce. But, to his knowledge, Hakros did not possess a flight-type skill. And, even though his physique was unique and seemingly indestructible, would it be able to hold out against this type of merciless attack? ''Well, if it''s him, he should be able to find a way to take care of himself.'' Izroth shifted his gaze to the sky above. Behind the small sun that abruptly appeared were variousrge fractures and tears in space. Normally, these phenomena were invisible to the naked eye. But, thanks to his Spatial Awareness passive skill, Izroth could see them as clear as day. ''The Secret Realm itself is being torn apart. If it continues like this for much longer, then- Hm..?'' Out of nowhere, Izroth received an unexpected alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Due to the increase in your perception stat, the skill ?Deep Insight? has been temporarily improved.¡µ ¡´System Alert: A simr nature has been detected by ?Deep Insight?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been updated regarding ?Secret Realm Portal?! Would you like to view the update?¡µ Before he entered the Secret Realm, Izroth used his Deep Insight skill to inspect the portal. However, at the time, the most important parts were redacted. At least, until now. ''Is it because of the spatial fractures? Either way, there is no reason to decline.'' Izroth epted to see the updated w; however, even he did not anticipate uncovering such a big secret. ''This is... How is this possible?'' Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he read over the new system alert. ''I finally understand what she meant by the secret of this realm being no longer able to remain as such. This secret¡ªit''s enough to turn not just the Mortal Realm, but all the major realms on their head.'' ¡´System Alert: w [1]: The [Divinity Line] inside this [world] has beenpletely [isted] from the [Laws of the World] making it [possible] for its inhabitants to [ascend] to the [divine realm].¡µ ... As Izroth contemted the heavy truth, a major change happened down below. Astratis pushed himself past his limits as he once again donned his Lightning Ruler''s Ordinance of Execution from head to toe. At the same time, Illioreas pped his hands together as the small sun morphed into an orb norger than one''s fist. Swoosh! The orb sped down from the sky at blinding speeds and sped right into Astratis'' body. BOOM! BOOM! A series of explosions rang as the ck liquid near Astratis retreated whenever he stepped. "?!" The eyes at the tip of Kyvernos'' few remaining ck tentacles widened in shock. No one was able to resist his Flowing Reversal of Life. Even his father, who was once known as the strongest being after the Protogenos, could not resist his skill. So, then how was this person who had not even stepped into the same stage as him able to do so?! "Impossible... Impossible!" Kyvernos bellowed as a new wave of ck liquid emerged that was aimed directly at Astratis. Woosh! Bzzzt! p! The sound of a thunderp echoed as the ck liquid targeted at Astratis immediately dispersed. "This ends now!" Astratis said calmly as numerous cerulean veins could be seen coursing throughout his lightning armor. "Lightning Ruler''s Ordinance of Execution... Final Judgment." Astratis'' figure disappeared. In a sh, the Son of Thunder stood next to Kyvernos as his lightning armor crumbled away into nothingness. ...Phhhtk! BOOM! "Arrrrghhhhh!!!! How dare you! Unfilial son! How dare you!!!" Kyvernos cried out as thest few of his ck tentacles turned to dust. The following moment, Kyvernos'' entire body was surrounded by a brilliant light as a strong pulse of the lightning element exploded forth from his body. St! The instant the lightning burst forth, Kyvernos transformed into a pool of ck liquid. At the same time, the ck liquid started to recede as it lost its sinister aura. "It is... Finally over..." Astratis uttered before he copsed. Zeeeut! Illioreas appeared next to Astratis, catching him before he could fall. And, right at Illioreas side inside of a protective bubble of light was Nomii. As he looked at the two siblings, a smile appeared on his face. However, the sadness in his eyes could not be hidden as he looked at thest bit of ck liquid disappear. "Rest easy, brother..." Illioreas said to himself as he closed his eyes. Chapter 854: We Are Victorious!

Chapter 854: We Are Victorious!

... Several hourster... "Cheers! Ahahaha!" "The tyranny is over! High praise to a new era! High praise to our brothers and sisters!" "High praise!" At the moment, a grand festival was currently happening at the Hidden Celestial Abode. No, now it was just known as the Celestial Abode. It no longer needed to remain hidden from the dangers of the world! The intense and heavy atmosphere that previously existed was no longer anywhere to be seen. The expressions on the faces of the celestials were one of joy and boundless excitement. Though their reaction was not strange considering the events that recently unfolded. All four pirs had been cast into the pits of the Na''Ei Cha! Or, to be more urate, three pirs. However, besides Izroth and a select few, no one knew of Ourami''s actual fate. But, not only were four pirs taken care of, even that old monster had been defeated. An event this important had not urred in numerous cycles! Of course, the reason behind the joy of the celestials was that they were finally free from the grasp of the pirs and Kyvernos. No longer did they have to sit back in fear as the pirs ran their world into the ground. No longer did the mortals and ancient races of their world have to suffer under the unfair and cruel rule of the pirs. Now, they were truly free! Though despite their sess and festive mood, this was also the celestials'' way of celebrating those who perished during the great conflict. In the end, the number of losses on their side was not small. Out of all the celestials that joined the assault on all fronts, roughly 40% perished in the intense sh. And, another 30% suffered from severe wounds. Typically, the wounded would not be too huge of an issue; however, that was only the case before Astratis'' recent falling out with the youngest of the Ateleigos sisters, Thanasia. Without the aid of the Ambrosia Wing and Immortal Nectar, there was no guarantee that those who were severely wounded would ever make aplete recovery. There were also many other potential headaches to worry about. Now that the pirs and Kyvernos were gone, there was a massive void of authority left on the table. And, those who feared directly confronting Kyvernos and the pirs would be sure to take advantage of the chaos to attempt to solidify their influence. As for Astratis and the other celestials, given their recent endeavors, they were in no state to wage an all-out war with those hidden forces. Therefore, for now, all they could do is attempt to stabilize the situation and hope that it did not get too far out of hand until they recovered enough strength to act. But, regardless of the long road ahead of them, the celestials did not regret their actions. After all, to them, traveling on the long unknown road was a small price to pay. ... Meanwhile, inside the Sanctuary at the heart of the Celestial Abode... A group of individuals gathered in the Sanctuary. Unlike thest gathering, it felt somewhat empty. And, even though the mood outside the Sanctuary was festive, the one inside was heavy. One thing almost every individual present had inmon was that they participated in the battle against the pirs and returned with their lives. Astratis'' brother, the Son of Waves, Thalos had an eyepatch over his eye and a long scar that traveled underneath it. However, this wound was not from fighting against a pir. When he arrived, Thalos found that the Pir of the East, Yia was not present. Therefore, after razing the ce to the ground, he immediately left to search for traces of the missing pir. But, what Thalos came across on his way was a terrifying and mysterious creature who was believed to be the cause of the appearance of the blighted in their world. Fortunately, Thalos managed to inflict a wound on the creature and used the chance to escape. But, the creature took one of his eyes in retaliation. Thalos was furious that he was not there to help his siblings and felt the most guilt out of all those present¡ªeven if the event was beyond his control. As for the Son of Twilight, Skos, he took care of the Pir of the South, Schimatia, and gained a few scars in the process. But, overall, he was the one among his siblings who suffered the least amount of injuries. The remaining celestials appeared fatigued. And, if they were not physically injured, then they certainly had some mental wounds. The Daughter of the Eternal Vow, Ierosni, and Daughter of the Peaceful mes, Eiritia both looked at one another with meaningful gazes. Among the siblings, they were the only two who did not participate in the battle. Therefore, at the very least, they would do their best to deal with the aftermath. "Everyone, I know that you are exhausted and mentally drained; however, you must never forget¡ªeven for a moment¡ªthat it is because of all of your efforts that we have emerged victorious on this day. Those who we lost will never leave our minds and hearts. They shall live eternally in the history of our world as heroes who helped bring about this new era through their brave sacrifice." Ierosni stated in a calm and soothing tone. "Ierosni is right. I know there must be some among you who me yourselves for being unable to save those who were with you, but this is not a shame your heart should bear. Everyone was aware of the possibility of never returning. Yet, even then, they still chose to walk forward without wavering. Right now, they would not want you, who they fought beside, to feel shame. They would want you to hold your heads up high and announce for all the world to hear¡ªwe are victorious!" Eiritia dered proudly. Those who heard Eiritia shout those words were taken aback. The usually reserved Eiritia was proudly raising her voice for all to hear. Even the usually strict and frightening Ierosni was using a calm and soothing voice tofort them. While it was true that they could not shake off the battle that happened earlier today, at the very least, they could take that first step toward the future they fought so hard to achieve. Was this not the least they could do for their brothers and sisters who gave their lives? "We are victorious!" Nomii cried out as she stood to her feet. "We are victorious!" Kyamakri shouted. "We are victorious!" Skos followed. "We are..." Soon enough, every celestial was on their foot, chanting those three words. And, it did not take long for their voice to reach outside of the Sanctuary. "We are victorious! We are victorious! We are victorious!" All the celestials on the Celestials Abode cried out at the top of their lungs. With theirbined chant, their voices carried hundreds of meters away from the Celestial Abode. It was not until this glorious moment that a new era had truly begun in the Ancient Celestial Realm. ... "Oh? Those guys sure know how to have a good time. You sure we shouldn''t have joined them up there?" Hakros asked as he gazed up at the Celestial Abode in the distance. "It is their victory to celebrate. As outsiders, is it not only right that we give them a moment among themselves? Not to mention, I am certain that they have a lot to deal with now that a power vacuum exists." Sychiamented. "Sychia is correct. We have done our part. For now, we should give them proper time to reorganize themselves and mourn their losses. Besides, that matter may be settled, but... Could it be that you already forgot?" Izroth said calmly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Treasures and all that before the portal appears." Hakros grumbled. "Don''t worry. We''ve collected more than enough treasures from the pce treasure room. I am talking about the thing I need to confirm before we leave this ce." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "Hm?" Both Hakros and Sychia looked at Izroth as a hint of curiosity appeared in their eyes. What could be so important that Izroth was willing to set aside seeking more treasures when their time was already limited? Of course, what Hakros and Sychia did not know was that Izroth had no need to get all the treasures this time around. And, it was due to one of the items he received after clearing the SSS-ranked quest. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Apany ?Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis? to the ?Celestial Battlegrounds? and survive until the end while emerging victorious.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?The Rebel & The Liberator(3)?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received permanent ess to the ?Celestial Abode?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Elixir of Immortality?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Realm Key?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Lost Scroll of the Ancient Realm?.¡µ Item Name: Elixir of Immortality(Unique*) Usage: Upon consuming this elixir, the user will be immortal for 1 hour. During this time, the user will experience the following effect(s): -Immediately restores health and all other energy sources to 100%. -Expel all negative effects. -Unable to die. -Unable to receive damage. -Ignores all forms of crowd control. -After 24 hours passes upon consumption, the user will gain a permanent benefit from this elixir. This effect cannot be ignored. Cooldown: None Name: Realm Key(Magical Item) Rank: SSS Durability: 150,000/150,000 Owner: Izroth Linked Realm: Ancient Celestial Realm Portal ess: Avable [N/A] Usage: The user can open a portal to the [Ancient Celestial Realm] once every seven days. Portals formed by this key will automatically disappear after one hour and reappear at the same location seven dayster for one hour. The owner of this key may close the portal at their will. Special Note: A mysterious key capable of creating a portal to another realm. Chapter 855: Ancient History

Chapter 855: Ancient History

The Realm Key allowed Izroth permanent ess to a Secret Realm! Not just to any Secret Realm, but a three-star Secret Realm! If news of this got out, it would cause yers'' mouths to salivate and the eyes of those top guilds to widen in greed and envy. In RML, high-quality resources were limited. This was even more so the further one progressed. Each top guild had its own territory where they fiercely protected their guild''s resources. It was not umon for several small skirmishes to ur between guilds over the right to certain resources. However, in the Mortal Realm, the vast majority of top-quality resources were in the hands of the major kingdoms. No matter how powerful the top guilds were among yers, they could notpare to an entire kingdom with their current strength. The top guilds could only find ways topromise and secure their own resources in territory not marked by the major kingdoms. A Secret Realm like the Ancient Celestial Realm contained an abundance of resources¡ªmost of which had no major powerying im to them. For the top guilds, it was an ideal scenario! Of course, another important thing to consider was that the Secret Realm had items that simply could not be found in the Mortal Realm. With a Realm Key in his possession, Izroth now had personal ess to a massive treasure trove! Izroth was somewhat disappointed that he could only open one portal every week. He also did not enjoy the fact that the portal could only stay open for an hour on the trip to and back from the Secret Realm. This meant that if one entered and did not return within an hour, they would have to spend seven days in the Secret Realm. In addition, if one missed the portal returning to the Mortal Realm when it reappeared one weekter, that person would have to wait an entire week if Izroth did not open another portal. Nevertheless, the benefits far outweighed the potential losses. ''Even if I spent an entire week here, exploring every corner of this Secret Realm would not be possible. Not to mention, it''s not time I can afford to spare.'' Izroth had other quests toplete that were on a time limit. Also, there were many problems he still needed to deal with in the Mortal Realm that required his presence. ''It seems I will have to send some people here when I return to properly survey this Secret Realm. I''m also not entirely sure how it determines where the portal leads to or if it will separate those who enter just as what happened to us. If that is the case, those without at least some strength to protect themselves will not be able to enter even if they are apanied by stronger yers.'' There was still a lot to consider regarding the Realm Key; however, Izroth knew that the answers would be clear to him once he tested it sometime after his return. As for the Elixir of Immortality, Izroth was surprised by its effects. He knew that the rewards from an SSS-ranked quest were nothing to scoff at; however, wasn''t this item a little too unbnced for something like the system to give out to a yer? It was practically a potion that not only healed one to perfect condition but also made them virtually invincible for one hour! ''Elixir of Immortality... The effects are probably genuine, but it is thest one that is somewhat troubling.'' 24 hours after its consumption, the elixir would grant its consumer a permanent benefit. The key word was "benefit", which meant that whatever it was would indeed prove useful one way or another. Still, what bothered Izroth was the fact that the effect it gave the consumer could not be ignored. This type of phrasing in an item or skill description did not typically lead to something positive for the individual on the receiving end. Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm what kind of permanent effect it would have without first consuming it. ''Perhaps I am simply overthinking it.'' Izroth inwardly sighed as pushed it to the back of his mind. There was no use dwelling on a matter that would naturally reveal itself when the time was right. ''But, I have to say... I did not expect to find something rted to that ce here.'' Thest item Izroth received afterpleting his quest was the Lost Scroll of the Ancient Realm. Name: Lost Scroll of the Ancient Realm(Soulbound) Usage: This scroll contains some lost history of the Ancient Celestial Realm. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. In terms of direct benefits, the Lost Scroll of the Ancient Realm could notpare to the first two rewards Izroth received. However, it was not something one could put a price on. Izroth had already read over the contents of the scroll and it contained information about the Ancient Celestial Realm. Not just any information, but things rted to the Protogenos¡ªthe founders of this realm. As well as the origins of the realm itself. Izroth remembered what Astratis told him during their journey about the first celestials being birthed from the Protogenos. At first, Izroth merely took it as the setting of the Secret Realm which was more of a legend than actual fact. But, through the contents of the scroll, he discovered that the first celestials were truly given life by the Protogenos! Though it was not in a traditional way. Many cycles ago, the realms were in a state of neverending chaos. During that time, there was no Divine Realm. Instead, those who reached the divine realm were able to roam freely below the firmament. Naturally, this led to a great imbnce in the world. That''s when the Divine Realm was born and those who exceeded a certain level of strength and met the requirements were forced to ascend to that ce by the Laws of the World. As a result, they were cut off from directly interfering in the world below the firmament and vice versa. However, in that moment of great change, a few exceptionally powerful figures joined hands and went against the Law of the World. They split apart arge portion of space and isted itpletely from everything¡ªincluding the Law of the World. In the beginning, it was just an empty void. But, over many cycles, an entirely new world was formed, and eventually, the celestials, as well as ancient races, were brought into existence. This new world became known as the Ancient Celestial Realm. It was a name given to this realm by its creators as a reminder of their mothend, the Celestial Realm. That''s right, Izroth discovered that the Celestial Realm and the Ancient Celestial Realm were actually, at one point, the same ce! It was no wonder the ethos used by the residents here vaguely reminded him of the celestial energy. They shared the same origins! Though perhaps the most shocking secret Izroth uncovered had to due with the Timeless Chaos Pool located at the heart of the Celestial Realm. The reason it existed was due to the fact that after those powerful figures forcibly separated a part of the Celestial Realm from the Laws of the World, it created what was known as the Timeless Chaos Pool. The same Timeless Chaos Pool that the eternal darkness, the Shadahi originated from. This was perhaps a secret that few if any in the entirety of RML knew of besides Izroth himself. ''The Timeless Chaos Pool... If possible, I would like to visit the Celestial Realm one day and see it for myself.'' Right now, Izroth did not know if it was possible to visit the other major realms. More importantly, did the other realms even physically exist at the moment? Izroth halted his steps before a hole in the ground filled with rubble. It was the same hole not long after he entered the Secret Realm. This hole led to an underground tunnel with a temple at its end. At the time, Izroth did not want to waste any time exploring it given the time limit in ce. But, after reading the contents of the lost scroll and obtaining the Realm Key, he wanted to return to that ce before he left the Ancient Celestial Realm. "Stay here. I''ll be back soon." Izroth said as he disappeared. To be more urate, he turned into a shadow using the Shadow Movement skill and moved in between the cracks of the rubble to travel underground ... Approximately one hourter... Sychia quietly sat under a nearby tree in meditation with her sword ced across herp. "Hah... What the heck is taking that guy so long?" Hakros groaned. "You should use this time to meditate. You would be surprised at what you can uncover and discover about yourself with a calm mind." Sychia said calmly as she opened her eyes and stood to her feet. "Meditate? Isn''t that just an excuse people use to sleep while pretending to be productive or something? What a scam." Hakros frowned. "You... Nevermind. Besides, it seems we will not have to wait any longer." Sychia replied as she released a light sigh. Woosh! A shadow rushed up from the cracks of the rubble-covered hole and morphed into a humanoid figure. This person was, of course, Izroth. "Wee back." Sychia greeted Izroth politely. "We can finally leave this ce!" Hakros said excitedly. "We''re returning to the Celestial Abode," Izroth stated without hesitation. "Hm?" Both Sychia and Hakros were somewhat surprised by Izroth''s sudden desire to visit the Celestial Abode However, what shocked them the most was the atmosphere around Izroth. It seemed to change upon his return. Chapter 856: A Small Portion of Gratitude

Chapter 856: A Small Portion of Gratitude

... A few momentster... A brilliant ray of light shone down at the entrance into the Celestial. And, from this light emerged Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros. "I don''t think I''ll ever get used to that weird sensation," Hakros groaned as he rubbed the back of his head in difort. "The method of transportation is convenient. I wonder if they employ the use of something simr to magic formations." Sychiamented. Woosh! Bang! Out of nowhere, someone crashed into the ground a couple of meters away from Izroth and his group. "I wee the young heroes!" The person dered in a respectful voice. The one who appeared before Izroth and his group was the Celestial Warrior Frous. However, unlikest time, he treated Izroth and the others with the utmost respect. Though this was not due to his group''s rtionship with Astratis or Illioreas. Instead, Frous heard of their aplishments during the fight inside the Celestial Battlegrounds. But, more importantly, even though Frous was on a different battlefield, he considered themrades who fought together toward the same goal. Once one fought together, be it mortal, ancient race, or celestial¡ªFrous would see them as a reliablepanion. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Has he awakened yet?" "You havee at a perfect time. He awakened just recently and has informed me to escort you to the Inner Sanctuary upon your return to the Celestial Abode." Frous stated. "Oh? Then, lead the way." Izroth replied calmly. ... Izroth came to the Celestial Abode to speak with Astratis; however, he never expected Astratis would also be looking to speak with him. ''Is he still curious about the Mortal Realm?'' Although Izroth told Astratis some basic things about the Mortal Realm, now that everything settled down, he could exin things properly. ''Well, it''s fine. Now that I have a Realm Key, I should reinforce my alliance with the celestials so that those I send in the future will have another form of protection.'' In the end, this ce was not the Mortal Realm. And, now that the pirs were out of the picture, who knew what kind of chaotic power struggle would take ce? That''s why Izroth had ns to form a long-term alliance with the celestials. It may even be possible to begin an item exchange of sorts. After all, just like how they were only certain items in this Secret Realm, perhaps some of the items from the Mortal Realm would pique their interest. Of course, such a thing would require some infrastructure to be set in ce, and Izroth already had the perfect people in mind to handle this potentially monumental task. "Yes. Since you are ready, we can depart with haste." Frous said as he moved to the front of Izroth and his group. The next moment, the Guiding Ray descended and epassed the group in light as they disappeared from sight. ... A brilliant light shone down into the front of a magnificent pathway. This pathway was made of a marble-like material and had tapestries of fierce warriors on its walls. Frous lead Izroth and his group down the pathway and came before a thick metallic door. "Celestial Warrior Frous has brought the respected guests at your request!" Frous announced in front of the door. At first, there was only silence. However, a few secondster, therge metallic door opened as a powerful yet soothing breeze pushed out from within the room. "This is as far as I guide you. May the celestial way guide your steps, young heroes." Frous said before he walked back to the direction he came from as the Guiding Ray epassed him. After Frous took his leave, Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros walked into the room as the door closed behind them. "This ce... How serene." Sychia said to herself as he observed her surroundings. The Inner Sanctuary was a spacious garden with a quiet stream flowing through its center. Despite its enclosed state, somehow, there was sunlight spread to every corner of the room, which made one feel refreshed. Near the center of the garden, located not too far from the stream, were two individuals¡ªa man and a woman. "Foolish husband! What nonsense are you speaking?! Do you even understand what it is that you are saying?!" Ierosni''s voice echoed throughout the garden. At the moment, she seemed extremely displeased. "I have already made my decision. It is final." Astratis stated calmly. "Just look at you. You have not yet fully recovered, yet you want to tread the ropes of fate once more? Must you always tempt fate so?!" Ierosni said with a saddened look in her eyes. Despite her anger, beneath it all, one could tell that she was merely worried about Astratis. After his battle in the Fourth Heart of the World, Astratis managed to recover from his more severe wounds; however, there were still visible veins of cerulean energy circting throughout his body. This was the result of overusing his Ordinance of Execution against Kyvernos. While he would eventually recover with time and rest, his overall power would be temporarily hindered. However, there was another reason why Ierosni was so against him leaving the safety Inner Sanctuary. An awkward silence filled the Inner Sanctuary as Izroth, and the others observed quietly from a distance. Ierosni released a small sigh and said, "Since you have already made up your mind, so be it. I know that you will not change it so easily. Just promise me that you will not forget the promise we made on that day? No matter what happens, you must always return to my side¡ªwithout fail." "I will never forget, my love," Astratis replied warmly. "Good, because if you do, then I wille to find you myself and drag you back if I have to," Ierosni said with a loving smile; however, her words and the terrifying aura around her did not match her expression. She then turned and continued, "Now, we have kept our guests waiting long enough." ... Ierosni walked over and properly greeted Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros before leading them over to Astratis, who was currently resting upright on a strange cloud-like material. "Izroth, young heroes¡ªit is good to see you!" Astratis stated joyfully. "You seem to be doing well. You are more energized than when Ist saw you." Izrothmented. "Hahaha! My body is quite tough, you know? I can take a few hundred beatings and still get back up!" Astratis proudly boasted. "It would be more suitable if you simply did not receive the beatings in the first ce. Would it not, dear husband?" Ierosni said with a heartwarming smile that, again, did not match the aura she was giving off. "Right, right. Of course, my wife has the right idea. Hahaha!" Astratis chuckled. The next moment, Astratis cleared his throat and said with a serious look on his face, "Izroth, Sychia, Hakros, and although she is no longer with us, Tal''Nis¡ªthese four names will never be forgotten in our world. I may be a littlete, but please, allow me to properly express a small portion of my gratitude." Astratis gave a meaningful nce to Ierosni, who removed four small pouches from a spatial storage within the Inner Sanctuary. "It is not nearly enough to thank you for all that you have done; however, I hope that it will at least serve as a small reward," Astratis stated. Ierosni gave a single pouch to each of those present, except for Izroth, who received two in Tal''Nis'' ce. ''Hm?'' Izroth had already received the quest rewards from the system. He did not think Astratis would prepare them a separate rewardpletely unrted to the quest. ''He said a small reward, but... How can this be considered as showing a portion of one''s gratitude?'' Name: Unique Item Bag(Soulbound)w Rank: Unique Usage: Contains a single Unique item inside. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. It was actually a unique item bag! And, Izroth received not one, but two of said item bags! Unique-ranked items were only one step below divine-ranked. At the moment, in RML, it was practically impossible to acquire one even if one threw their entire wealth at it! That''s because unique-ranked items could not be obtained through ordinary methods. There was also the fact that the pool of unique-ranked items was simply too small. Even if one had the money necessary to purchase one, finding one that was actually for sale was just as challenging. "Here," Hakros said as he tossed his item bag to Izroth, who caught it without trouble. He then continued, "You like treasure, right? Then, consider that a downpayment. Whenever you''re about to do something interesting in the future, you better call me first, got it?!" Izroth inwardly smiled at Hakros'' actions. Even though he did not express it properly with his words, it seems he was still grateful to Izroth for his experience inside the Secret Realm. The following moment, Sychia held his item bag out toward Izroth and dropped it in his hands. "If not for your aid in clearing my poison, I would have never had the opportunity to receive this reward in the first ce. It should rightfully belong to you. Besides, since you promised to help heal my master, consider this a token of my gratitude." Sychiamented. Seeing the sincere attitudes of those present, a smile could not help but find its way onto Astratis'' and Ierosni''s faces. "You two¡ªI can''t ept this," Izroth said with a light sigh. "Hah, what nonsense are you saying? If we decide to give it to you, then you should just take it." Hakros growled. "Yes, we cannot ept that which we have already given away." Sychia chimed in. "No, I mean, I really can''t ept it. My inventory¡ªit''s already full. Do you mind holding a few things?" Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "..." "..." Chapter 857: Astratis Requests

Chapter 857: Astratis'' Requests

... After Izroth mentioned hisck of inventory space, while Astratis never heard of an "inventory", he could guess its functions based on Izroth''s words alone. And, the Ancient Celestial Realm had something simr. "The Call to the Void is a relic given to each celestial after they receive their title. Although you are not from our world, it is clear that ethos now flows through your body. That makes you one of us. And, based on your feats at the Fourth Heart of the World, it is only a matter of time before you receive your title. So, you can just think of it as an early gift." Astratis exined. Izroth looked down at the palm of his hand at the metallic spherical object that was the size of a plum. He could sense faint traces of ethos flowing throughout the sphere and when he concentrated on that object, he felt as though his consciousness was being pulled into it. ''So, there are also items like this. It would be quite popr among the gathering professions.'' Name: Call to the Void(Relic) Usage: Provides the user with a medium-sized subspace storage that can be essed at their will. Special Note: This item is destroyed upon usage. If the user is already in possession of subspace storage, this item will instead expand the preexisting storage. The next moment, the metallic sphere broke into thousands of tiny fragments before entering Izroth''s hand. There was no feeling of difort from the process; however, it would definitely be somewhat unnerving for those who experienced it for the first time. ¡´System Alert: A new subspace storage has been detected.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Expanding current subspace storage...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Taskplete. Your current subspace storage has been sessfully expanded.¡µ The entire process only took a few seconds, and by the end of it, Izroth noticed that his inventory space had increased by a little more than 50%! ''Oh? Even a ten percent or twenty percent increase would have been useful. To think it would expand my inventory space by this much. It looks like I won''t be running out of inventory space again any time soon.'' Once he acquired more room in his inventory, Izroth ced the item bags inside without issue. Now that one matter had been settled, Izroth was curious about something Astratis mentioned not long ago. "A title? You mean it''s possible for me to obtain one even though I''m not originally from this world?" Izroth inquired. "Well, that''s the thing," Astratis said with a helpless expression as he rubbed the back of his head in a frustrated manner. He then continued, "This is the first time something like this has happened. But, there is no mistake that as long as ethos flows through one''s veins, as long as the requirements are met, they should obtain a title." "Requirements?" "Yes. But, the problem is, while the requirements are not necessarily difficult to meet, they are also not so simple." Astratis sighed. "Then, is there someone I have to meet to pass some sort of test?" Izroth asked. "Titles are not given by anyone. It urs naturally. Meaning, that when it is time to know, one will know. My title, Daughter of the Eternal Vow, is one I acquired the day I promised myself to my husband." Ierosnimented with a smile as her gazended on Astratis. She then looked over at Izroth and said, "My husband obtained his title after being brought to hide within a thunderstorm that raged for seven days and seven nights during a more... Unforgiving time. But, a title and power are typically one. While it is true that we do not receive them until ater date, we are already given our titles at birth. It is simply that we have yet to discover them. That is why my husband is not entirely certain about what your oue will be. After all, you are one who was not birthed by the Protogenos." "I see. It is a unique case indeed." Izroth replied as he pondered Ierosni''s words. In Izroth''s eyes, whether he received a title or not, it did not change things. Ultimately, he had gotten by without one just fine and would continue to do so if needed. Nevertheless, he also would not mind an additional source of strength. "Though I''m curious¡ªwhy are some of your titles different in the beginning?" Izroth questioned. Those like Astratis and Ierosni titles started with "Son" or "Daughter". Yet, there were celestials with titles that simply started with "Celestial". Did it have to do with their lineage and rtion to Kyvernos? "Hm? Ah, that. It just separates those who have grasped the true understanding of their title from those who are still walking the path of gaining insight. Once someone understands the core of their title, they be a true inheritor of that power." Astratis exined. ''A true inheritor, is it?'' ... A few momentster... Izroth and Astratis continued their conversation. Astratis spoke about his time in the Ancient Celestial Realm at a young age, while Izroth talked about a few of his adventures in the Mortal Realm. Soon enough, the two were lost in conversation. Not wanting to disturb them, Ierosni excused herself and asked Sychia, as well as Hakros if they would like to apany her. Sychia understood Ierosni''s intentions and decided to follow her. As for Hakros, Ierosni convinced him with a more straightforward method. She heard of Hakros'' great desire for battle from the celestials who were at the Fourth Heart of the World; therefore, she asked if he would like to visit their training area and perhaps spar against some of the otherbat-crazed celestials. Even though the war was over and most of the celestials were rxing or celebrating, there were still those who knew that all troubles were not yet behind them. So, they did not halt their training. In the end, how could Hakros refuse such a tempting offer? Needless to say, he epted without hesitation! But, Ierosni had another purpose for leaving the two alone. She knew her husband''s temperament well. So, she decided to help him a bit. Before Izroth knew it, only he and Astratis remained in the Inner Sanctuary. Their conversation came to a brief pause as silence filled the room. Izroth could feel the sudden shift in atmosphere and knew that Astratis must have had something on his mind. But, what is it that would cause him to hesitate this way? "Izroth, the truth is that I did not ask you to visit me just to reward you and for casual conversation. I admit, making such a request in front of yourpanions proved rather difficult. But, now that it is just the two of us... Although it is shameful of me to do so, there are two things I wish to request from you. Will you hear me out?" Astratis said with a serious expression. ''So that''s why he''s been acting somewhat off.'' Izroth felt that something was off with Astratis for a while. Despite the free-willed nature of their conversation, Astratis'' mind always seemed to be in another ce. Judging from his reaction, he probably did not expect Sychia and Hakros to apany Izroth. This made it more challenging for him to speak freely of his requests. Naturally, Izroth did not owe Astratis nor the celestials anything. In fact, it could be said that they still owed him a great debt. Nheless, Izroth nned to establish long-term rtions with the celestials. Therefore, as long as the requests were not too unreasonable, he had no reason to refuse. "Sure. After all, didn''t you say it yourself not too long ago? That I''m one of you. If that''s the case, shouldn''t we help each other out when we''re in need?" Izroth said with a carefree smile. Astratis was visibly moved by Izroth''s words. He felt guilty making more requests of Izroth after all of his help; however, he had to set aside his personal feelings for the greater good. Still, his respect for Izroth had reached an even higher level¡ªsomething he did not think possible. "The first request has to do with the Ambrosia Wings in your possession. If possible, I would like to make a trade for some of them." Astratis stated. He then continued, "Our rtionship with the Ateleigos isn''t the best right now. And, since they are in hiding after our sh with the pirs, finding them will not be easy. However, the Ambrosia Wings are crucial in the recovery of those who were severely injured. No matter the cost, I am willing-" "Sure," Izroth replied, cutting Astratis off before he could finish speaking. He then went on to say, "As long as it is a fair trade, I see no issue." In the end, Izroth only needed a few Ambrosia Wings for what he had in mind. Giving some to Astratis in exchange for things of equal value was not at all a loss on his part. Chapter 858: Decree of Absolute Trust

Chapter 858: Decree of Absolute Trust

Astratis was taken aback by Izroth''s sudden agreement. However, from what he''s seen of Izroth''s character thus far, Astratis could not help but shake his head and release a small sigh. "I have underestimated your sincerity, Izroth," Astratis said as he stood to his feet. He then continued, "In truth, it is still a mystery to me as to why you have decided to assist us. You have even gone so far as to go against people from your own world in our aid. Yet, I still held onto the slightest suspicion towards you and yourpanions. I am deeply ashamed." In Astratis'' eyes, Izroth and those who apanied him were anomalies. And, when he fought side by side with Tal''Nis, Astratis could not help but secretly manifest some doubts. What if there were more powerful figures like Tal''Nis back in the ce they called the Mortal Realm? What if after Izroth''s return those powerful figures chose this opportunity to attack while their forces were weakened? What if¡ªthese types of questions flooded Astratis'' mind. However, thest tiny shreds of doubt finally left his heart and mind. If he could not trust his own judgment towards a person, how could he ever help lead the celestials forward into a new era? And, right now, his judgment told him Izroth and hispanions held no such wicked intentions. Izroth remained silent for a few seconds as he observed Astratis. ''I suppose it''s not as though I can''t see where he ising from. Still, if Ipletely overlook it, then he may not rest easy.'' "I admit, it is rather disheartening to be viewed in this manner even after all we have done. It almost makes your early sincerity seem somewhat forced." Izroth sighed. "I can not take back the err of my ways. But, I can promise you this¡ªOn my name, Astratis, bearer of the title, Son of Thunder, you have my absolute trust, Izroth. Should I ever question that trust, may the Protogenos enact your retribution!" Astratis stated firmly. ''Well, if it''s this much, it should be fine.'' Izroth knew the importance of that deration, especially when Astratis involved the Protogenos who were his ancestors. If he truly ever went back on his word, the shame would not belong to him, but rather to the Protogenos. How could he bear such a sin? Izroth gave a carefree smile and responded, "Then, since you have shown me your sincerity, let us set this matter behind us. A man can be many things, but without his word, he bes nothing. That is why I hope that you do not forget the words you have spoken here today." "Ahahaha! Rest assured, little brother! If I dared bring shame to the Protogenos, my elder siblings would not let me off." Astratis said in a joyous manner as his mood seemed to lighten. It was as though a heavy burden had been lifted off his heart. "Little brother?" Izroth uttered as a puzzled look appeared on his face. "Did you not ept my decree of absolute trust?" Astratis said with an equally puzzled expression. "Decree of absolute trust?" Izrothmented. "Wait, can it be that your world does not have such a tradition?" Astratis asked as his eyes widened in shock. Tradition? Was it not just the same thing as the previous times they brought it up as a form of appreciation or promise? After seeing Izroth''s reaction, Astratis exined the way the decree of absolute trust worked. In short, whenever someone made a decree using their title and ced their absolute trust in another person, as long as the other person epted their words, the two would be the equivalent of brothers or sisters¡ªeven if they were not rted by blood! In other words, without realizing it, Izroth had agreed to be the youngest brother among Astratis and his siblings! When Izroth realized what actually happened, he could not help but give a helpless smile as he inwardly shook his head. ''There is such a tradition in this world? It seems I will have to be careful if I visit other Secret Realms in the future. That being said, I suppose this oue is also not bad.'' Izroth had been wondering how to bring up a potential alliance that would ultimately benefit all parties involved. But, if he was now considered as Astratis'' younger brother, then wouldn''t that make matters run more smoothly? "I have caused another mishap. If you wish to nullify the decree, then I shall ept any punishment that-" Astratis spoke hurriedly. "It''s fine. As I said before, a man without his word is nothing. Ignorance is no excuse. Although it was unintentional, the bond has already been formed. Besides, breaking it now would put you in a rough spot, right?" Izroth stated calmly. "Well... It would be a little troublesome. Ahaha..." Astratis smiled helplessly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Then, what''s done is done, brother," Izroth said with a carefree expression as he closed his eyes. ''I guess walking down this road is also not bad.'' Izroth had already walked a long path. With each step he took, he noticed that there were fewer and fewer people around him. Eventually, when he turned to look back, Izroth realized that he had been walking that path alone for longer than he could remember. All the brothers he made at the beginning of his journey, those he once called friends¡ªin the end, none of them made it to the end of that road. That''s why Izroth made a promise to himself. This time around, he would try a different method to reach the pinnacle. While this world may not be the Seven Realms, it did not matter to him. All he had to do was reach the top with those beside him! "Yes, what''s done is done. Let''s set it behind us, youngest." Astratis said as the excitement in his eyes could not be hidden. All this time, Astratis had been the youngest among his siblings; therefore, to have someone else inherit that title made the moment all the more joyous! "Back to your request¡ªI can exchange some Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree, but I have a need for the remaining two Mature Wings in my possession. I hope you understand." Izroth stated. Izroth needed both Mature Wings of the Ambrosia Tree for what he had in mind and could not afford to give them away even if the exchange was equal. "How could I dare take advantage of you in such a way? I know how scarce the Mature Wings of the Ambrosia Tree are. Not to mention, there would not be enough for all those who need them. Besides, even with the Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree, the recovery process is still improved at an incredible rate." Astratis mentioned. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Then, we can settle on the exact contents of the exchangeter. You said you had two requests, right? What is the other one?" "Ah, that request¡ªI think it''s best if I tell you after you properly meet your elder siblings," Astratis said as a slight grin formed on his face. ... Several minutester... "Youngest¡ªno, I suppose you''re the second youngest now. This guy... Are you sure you didn''t do this just so you wouldn''t be the youngest anymore?" Thalos said followed by a boisterousugh as he pped Astratis'' back. "Brother, you were the youngest before me. Surely you understand my feelings better than most." Astratis said in a yful manner as he pped Thalos'' back. "Ahahaha!" The two brothersughed as they became increasingly aggressive to one another with their back-pping. "You two¡ªcan you at least behave just for today? This is a joyous day. After all, it is not often that we get to wee a new member to our family." Eiritia said with a heart-warming smile. One could tell that Eiritia was truly happy. And, she was not the only one. Ierosni and Nomii were also in a good mood upon hearing the news. And, while Skos was quiet as usual, in his own way, he showed his distant support for Astratis'' decision. Astratis and Thalos calmed down as their attentionnded on Izroth. "Since you''re our youngest now, if you ever have any issues, you cane to us. If others dare bully you, we''ll let them see the err of their ways." Thalos said confidently. Chapter 859: Astratis Decision

Chapter 859: Astratis'' Decision

"Then, I may have to trouble you," Izroth said in a carefree manner. "Trouble? What are you talking about? You are our youngest. We will do everything within our power to protect you from harm. It is no trouble. Of course, we will not impede your growth and solve every problem for you. However, rest assured, it is just as Thalos said¡ªwe will not allow anyone to bully you." Ierosni stated warmly. "That''s right. So, as long as your acts are done without evil intentions, feel free to just go wild. We''ll take care of anything that follows." Astratis said proudly. "You¡ªdon''t go trying to make him take after you. I still remember that time you wanted to tame an Alogonix and ended up causing a stampede thatsted for days. Don''t tell me you forgot after all this time who had to calm them down after that?" Nomii mentioned. "Do not forget the time he wanted to learn the art of the forge from the Enati and almost ended up extinguishing the primordial fire because he tried to roast meat within its mes." Eiritia lightly giggled. "Hahaha! After that, they banned you from entering the forge and refused to let any outsiders without at least some basic knowledge step into the forge! Ahahaha!" Thalos bellowed. "Didn''t you say that asking them how to craft is like asking a sea beast how to swim or a man how to breathe? That it''s all pure instinct?" Izroth inquired as his gazended on Astratis. "This is..." Astratis avoided meeting Izroth''s gaze with a somewhat guilty look on his face. "Youngest, don''t be fooled by him. While it''s true that the Enati are naturally talented cksmiths, it is still possible to learn a great deal from them. It''s just that this guy has absolutely zero talent when ites to the art of the forge. Ahahaha!" Thalos said as he pped Astratis'' back in a lively manner. "You all¡ªwe are here for our youngest, not for old stories about me. What face will I have left as an elder brother if you all continue?" Astratismented yfully. ... The conversation and pseudo-celebration to wee Izroth as their youngest continued on for several minutes. During that conversation, Izroth also came to an agreement with Astratis regarding the exchange of the Young Wings of the Ambrosia Tree. After some time passed and everyone was acquainted, Izroth was officially recognized as the seventh sibling of Astratis and the others. Of course, despite the joyous asion, those present knew that Astratis did not call them solely for this purpose. "You didn''t gather all of us here just to introduce us to our youngest. So, what do you have to say, brother?" Thalos finally asked the question on everyone''s mind. "It seems I''ve been seen through," Astratis said with a weak smile. "We have known you for many cycles. When there is something dwelling on your mind, how can we fail to take notice? Speak freely, brother." Eiritia said in a graceful tone. After he paused for a moment, Astratis looked over at Izroth. "This has to do with myst request." Astratis then turned to face his siblings with a serious expression. ''Oh? What is he nning?'' Izroth noticed the shift in aura around Astratis as he faced the others. "I have decided¡ªI will be leaving this ce and going with our youngest to visit his home world called the Mortal Realm," Astratis announced. "?!" Those present were shocked by Astratis'' words and their facial expressions could not be hidden. Going to another world? What was he talking about now of all times? "Brother, do you know what you''re saying? I understand your love for adventure, but how can you leave this ce in its current state?" Thalos frowned. "I agree. It is too soon. We are not certain how the ancient races will react now that the pirs are no more. There are also the celestials outside of the Celestial Abode who may start to reappear now that the threat is gone. If you are absent, dealing with the aftermath of the events will be increasingly difficult." Eiritiamented. "Our eldest sister is right. You are not just another celestial, brother. You defeated the Teraidi and yed a major role in taking down that old demon. This will cause those with ill intentions to think twice before doing something questionable. But, if they were to discover that you are no longer in this world, they may grow bold." Nomii exined. Everyone did not hesitate to disy their stance against Astratis'' decision. After his battle with the Teraidi, Astratis had already be a powerful symbol for those in their world. However, once his fight with Kyvernos spread to every corner, he would transform from a symbol into a legend. This kind of influence was not easy to rece. As for relying on their uncle, Illioreas, he already decided that he would not interfere in such matters. In the end, Illioreas did not want to end up like his brother, Kyvernos. To him, that kind of authority was like poison. Once one got a taste of it, it would eventually consume them. Therefore, after the battle concluded in the Fourth Heart of the World, Illioreas returned to his Sunstone Cave. As the others attempted to talk Astratis out of his rash decision, Izroth silently observed in deep thought. ''To think this would be his request. It''s not like I necessarily mind him returning to the Mortal Realm with me, but... Wouldn''t this be a bit of a headache to deal with? More importantly, even if I did agree, can residents of a Secret Realm even leave its confines?'' If an unknown peak legendary realm powerhouse suddenly appeared in the Mortal Realm, those major kingdoms would immediately go on a state of high alert. Just a single peak legendary realm powerhouse was enough to upset the delicate bnce that existed between the kingdoms. But, if it was known that a ce existed with multiple legendary realm powerhouses, some of which were at the peak, Izroth could already foresee the troubles that followed. Izroth knew that those who did not want to risk sharing their authority would use any means necessary to prevent them from crossing over into the Mortal Realm. Even if Izroth tried his best to keep it hidden, eventually, news of the Secret Realm would get out. After all, there was someone back in the Mortal Realm who was well aware of this ce and would undoubtedly be seeking revenge for what urred. Of course, Izroth was talking about the Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia. Sychia destroyed Luxia''s clone, which ording to the Thousand Blossom Maiden was linked directly to Luxia herself. This would, without a doubt, lead to some form of retaliation which would inevitably expose the Secret Realm. Astratis'' presence in the Mortal Realm would not be like dropping a pebble in water and creating a small ripple. Instead, it would be like dropping a massive boulder and making waves! A few momentster, Astratis calmed everyone down. "I have already decided. As long as our youngest approves my request, I will be leaving to the Mortal Realm." Astratis stated firmly. While he was well aware of the concerns his siblings had, in the end, Astratis had equally as great concern. No, perhaps his concern was even more pressing. "Brothers, sisters, I think this journey must be made by me. While it would not be bad if everyone in this new world is like our youngest, there is still a chance that there are those who may have ill intentions towards our world. We cannot allow chaos to pour into this ce without being prepared. It may seem like I am doing this just to fool around and go on an adventure, but I promise you this¡ªI am doing it for the sake of our future. I hope that you all believe in me." Astratis said in a sincere manner. After he finished speaking, a lingering silence filled the room. There were those were seemed to have a tinge of guilt in their eyes. That''s right, how could they forget? Even if he appeared to be the most reckless on the surface, when it came to the safety of the celestials, there was no one more responsible than Astratis. He would be willing to ce his life down if it meant their safety. This was a trait that earned him respect among all celestials, including his siblings. "Then, brother, since you have made your choice, we will not stop you." Thalos sighed. Chapter 860: A Heavy Promise?

Chapter 860: A Heavy Promise?

Eiritia released a helpless sigh. She knew that the words Astratis said were true; however, as the eldest among the siblings, she could not help but disy a sense of worry. What if he met with unexpected trouble in this Mortal Realm ce and had nowhere or no one to turn to? What if there were monsters like the pirs and that old demon over there? These potential worries left Eiritia deeply concerned about what the future may hold. "You do not hide yourself well. I can tell what troubles you." Ierosni said to Eiritia. "I am more surprised by how calm you are about this. If anyone were to object to it, I assumed it would be you." Eiritia responded. Ierosni shook her head and said, "Do you think I did not try talking him out of it? That man¡ªonce he has made up his mind, it is easier to return from the Na''Ei Cha than to change his mind." After Astratis told her of his decision, naturally, Ierosni attempted to talk him out of it. While it was true that Astratis'' absence may cause some unexpected troubles to arise, it was not something they could not handle. But, in the end, Astratis was her husband. No matter how strong or powerful he became, she would not be able to stop worrying about him. "Even then, you are not the type to give in so easily. What made you change your mind?" Eiritia inquired. "Well..." Ierosni''s nced over at Izroth as a light smile formed on her face. She then continued, "If someone like our youngest is from there, then it cannot be such a bad ce, right?" Eiritia smiled weakly as she out a sigh of defeat. "Indeed. Speaking of our youngest¡ªwe still have yet to hear what it is that he has to say about this matter." Eiritiamented. Ultimately, the decision belonged to Izroth. After all, among them, he was the only one who knew how to travel back to his world. If he did not agree, even if Astratis were willing to go, it would not be possible. "Brother, I will not inconvenience you. You have my word." Astratis stated firmly. At first, Izroth remained silent as he appeared to be in deep thought. But, when he heard Astratis speak, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. As for being an inconvenience... How could having a peak legendary realm figure on your side be an inconvenience? Of course, Izroth did not mind Astratis returning with him to the Mortal Realm! Izroth was not worried about upsetting the bnce of power between the kingdoms. From the moment Fourth Kingdom Tempest chose to ally itself with the Shadahi and possibly even the Netherworld, both of who were the eternal enemies of the Mortal Realm, they had already upset any bnce in ce. Astratis'' arrival to the Mortal Realm may raise a lot of questions, but Izroth was not afraid of any potential aftermath. Besides, if what he predicted came to pass, it may even be possible to avoid some of the more troubling aspects. It was just that there were still a lot of uncertainties about how the Realm Key or realm portals in general functioned. Therefore, Izroth could not give a definite answer. "How can I see you as an inconvenience? If anything, your presence would allow me to have some peace of mind. That''s why, as long as it is within my power, I would be grateful if you returned with me to the Mortal Realm." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Astratis'' eyes seemed to light up at Izroth''s response. Needless to say, the words he said earlier were true about identifying any potential threats to their world. However, Astratis was still eager to see an unexplored world with his own eyes. As far as Astratis knew, he would be the first person to leave the Ancient Celestial Realm and travel to another world. This was a huge event! ... After the final decision was made, Izroth and the others settled on some details regarding the previously agreed upon exchange. Additionally, each of those present provided Izroth with a small gift to officially wee him as their youngest. "I thank you for your thoughtful gifts, everyone," Izroth said as he finished cing the gifts he received into his inventory. "This is the least we should do for our youngest. But, it is a shame. If we knew ahead of time, we could have prepared something more befitting." Eiritia sighed regretfully. "The gifts I have received already hold a great deal of value. If I acquire any more than this, I am afraid I would feel indebted to all of you." Izroth replied. "Nonsense. If we do not spoil our youngest, then who shall we spoil?" Ierosni said with a yful smile. "Brother, you are fortunate. If I were not in this state, I would have suggested we switch positions." Nomii said as she faced Astratis. "Sister..." Astratis looked at Nomii''s missing arm. Let alone a Young Wing; even a Mature Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was not capable of regenerating a lost limb. When a Wing of the Ambrosia Tree was paired with the Immortal Nectar, it would create a potent healing substance that could perform miracles. However, it could not heal something that was not there to be healed. "Whether it takes one cycle or ten, I promise¡ªI will find a way to restore your arm. A talent like yours should not beid to rest." Astratis stated. "I appreciate the sentiment, but you do not have to worry about me. Even without an arm, I will not give up on the spear. The power behind my attacks may have fallen, but I just have to make up for it with wless technique." Nomii responded. But, despite her strong and steady outer appearance, if one looked deep enough, one could see a slither of uneasiness contained within Nomii''s eyes. Nomii knew that attempting to master the spear with only one arm was a near impossible task. It was not a weapon one could afford to take that lightly. As the atmosphere began to turn somewhat solemn, Izroth''s voice broke through the awkwardyer of silence. "It may be possible to restore your arm," Izroth said. When he spoke, an expression of disbelief appeared on the faces of those present. Restoring a normal missing limb was not an issue; however, Nomii was a master of the spear and someone in the legendary realm. The arm she was missing contained traces of ethos she built up over numerous cycles. To im to be able to restore it despite these barriers, how could they not be shocked? "Brother, it is all well to have good intentions; however, you must not make such promises lightly," Thalos said with furrowed brows. "That''s right. How can we ask you to take on such a burden? It would not be fair to you. Just forget about this matter." Astratis stated as he attempted to brush it off. Getting Nomii''s hopes up was not a bad thing. But, if for some reason he failed after making false promises, who knew how Nomii would handle it? She had already sacrificed enough for their sake. How could they put her through another potentially discouraging ordeal? "I admit, I am not one-hundred percent confident, but the odds are in our favor. I''d say the chances are around this high." Izroth said as he held up eight fingers. "Only an eight percent chance..?! Just what kind of dangerous thing do you have in mind?" Thalos frowned. "I am afraid with such low chances, we cannot permit it. The risk is too great." Eiritiamented. "Everyone," Nomii spoke, which immediately caused those present to fall silent. She then continued, "While I appreciate your concerns, whether or not I will take the risk is up to me." Nomii then looked over at Izroth and said, "Even if it is a one percent chance, I am willing to do what is necessary. I am not afraid of bearing pain." After Nomii finished speaking, the atmosphere turned heavy. However, what happened next was something no one present could have anticipated. "You are all mistaken. It is not eight percent¡ªit is eighty percent." Izroth rified. Eighty percent?! Didn''t that mean it was practically guaranteed to seed?! But, was such a sess rate even possible? ''Since I am uncertain whether or not I can find the correct ingredients in this world, the best I can promise is eighty percent.'' Chapter 861: Return To The Mortal Realm

Chapter 861: Return To The Mortal Realm

As long as Izroth could find the correct ingredients, he was confident that the sess rate of restoring Nomii''s missing arm was 100%. However, he was unsure about the rarity or existence of the required ingredients in RML. And, if he needed to use substitute ingredients to rece those he could not find, it may lower the chances of his sess. Nevertheless, based on his previous efforts and experiences when it came to crafting in RML, he understood that it was certainly a great possibility. "Eighty percent? Are you certain?" Astratis inquired as his eyes widened in shock. "If I can acquire the necessary materials and the conditions are right," Izroth replied calmly. "If it is materials you need, then we can gather them immediately!" Astratis said hurriedly. The fact that Nomii lost her arm weighed heavily on Astratis'' heart this entire time. If it was possible to restore it, then he would do everything and anything in his power to make it happen! "I can prepare a list, but..." Izroth set his gaze on Nomii, who seemed to be in deep thought. The next moment, the room fell quiet. Then, not too long after, Nomii broke the lingering silence. "My answer does not change. Eight percent or eighty percent¡ªit does not matter. If there is even the slightest chance of restoring my arm, then I am willing to bear the risks. Even if you fail, I will not hold it against you, youngest." Nomii stated with a look of rity in her eyes. Izroth gave a small nod and replied with a carefree smile, "Rest assured. I will put forth my best efforts." Not only would restoring Nomii''s arm deepen his rtionship with the celestials but considering that she won against a pir like her brothers, it was likely that her strength was equivalent to someone at the peak of the legendary realm. Or, at least, close to it. But, that was before she lost her arm. If Izroth could restore Nomii''s arm, then he would have another powerful legendary realm figure on his side. Why would he pass up such an opportunity? After Nomii made her choice, Izroth went into a few details about the materials that would need to be gathered in order to restore her lost arm. However, just as Izroth expected, the Ancient Celestial Realm did not have several of the ingredients he required. Fortunately, based on the description of its potential effectiveness he gave, there were a few ingredients those present hade by in the Ancient Celestial Realm. There were also some ingredients that Izroth knew of after reading about them in books from the Amaharpe Pce Library. But, knowing about them and acquiring them were two separate matters. "I will ask around to see if others may have heard of and collected these ingredients you mentioned. I shall excuse myself." Eiritia said politely as she left the room. Skos also took his leave after Izroth finished speaking. In fact, he was even one step faster than Eiritia in his departure. "Then, I will also-" Astratis began to speak; however, he was promptly cut off. "Have you already forgotten, my dear husband? You have a journey that you must prepare for. I am sure our youngest is eager to return home. You must not be a burden to him." Ierosni stated firmly with a frighteningly warm smile. She then faced Izroth and bowed politely as she said, "Please, take care of my husband." "I will not allow him to suffer. On this, you have my word." Izroth said with clear decisiveness. "Then, I shall hold you to your word, youngest," Ierosni responded as a lovely smile blossomed on her face. "Wait, I''m the elder brother, right? Shouldn''t I be the one taking care of our youngest?" Astratismented. "You want to take care of others with your reckless nature? Look at our youngest. He is still young, yet carries himself well. Not only has he disyed his battle prowess, but his knowledge of herbs and the healing arts is exceptional. You must not let him be bullied, understand? Also, keep those ''snakes'' away. Someone like our youngest, with just his strength and talent alone at such a young age, is bound to attract temptresses. Also..." Ierosni spoke without pause as she lectured Astratis. ''This new brother of mine... You sure have it rough.'' ... Later that day... ¡´System Alert: Warning! The ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? will close in [0 hour(s) 1 minute(s) 08 second(s)]! If you fail to reach the exit portal before time expires, you will be unable to leave the Secret Realm!¡µ ''It should be somewhere around here.'' At the moment, Izroth, Sychia, Hakros, and Astratis were in front of a cave located several kilometers from the Celestial Abode. There were no signs of life present within the immediate vicinity. Once everything was settled at the Celestial Abode, Izroth, Sychia, and Hakros went out to further explore the Ancient Celestial Realm. They came across ancient beasts, both friendly and hostile. Met wandering celestials. They even discovered a few more treasures. And, before they knew it, their time in the Secret Realm had already approached its end. "I have a big headache waiting for me when we return." Sychia sighed. Sychia destroyed the clone of the Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia. As a result, Luxia would definitely seek revenge on Sychia, as well as those who sided with her. But, more importantly, Sychia had journeyed to this Secret Realm without her master''s permission. Sychia was anxious to see her master since she found someone who could potentially cure her. However, she was also dreading that moment after going against her master''s wishes and sneaking off to the Secret Realm. Sycha released a heavy sigh after thinking about what was ahead of her. Meanwhile, Hakros seemed to be in a good mood. Though it was not surprising since he not only got to spar against some strong celestials, he also managed to sh with some powerful ancient beasts. Plus, there was still the promise he had with Izroth regarding a suitable sparring partner. How could he not be in a good mood? "Hm? Strange... This has never been here." Astratis furrowed his brows as he peered into the depths of the cave. There, a portal releasing a lightvender glow could be seen. This was the portal generated by the Realm Fragment that led back to the Mortal Realm. "That''s not surprising. It''s a portal that can only appear under the most extreme of conditions." Izrothmented. Without the Realm Fragments, such a portal would have probably never appeared in this Secret Realm. "I see. Then, will returning be somewhat troublesome?" Astratis inquired. "For others, it would be nearly impossible. But, do not worry. I have my methods." Izroth stated. "You have a great deal of secrets. The world youe from must be quite amazing. I can not wait to see it with my own eyes." A voice sounded just a few steps from behind Izroth and Astratis. Izroth and his group had ast-minute addition to it. "Are you sure you want toe along? I do not mind searching for the ingredients myself, sister." Astratis mentioned. "How can I sit back and watch while everyone else goes out of their way for me? I may not have my full strength, but I am still highly capable of taking care of myself. I will help search for the ingredients with my own efforts. It is the least I can do to ease the burden on those involved." Nomii stated. In the end, Nomii decided to also return with Izroth to the Mortal Realm along with Astratis. She was touched that her siblings wanted to do so much for her; however, she was not the type to sit back and watch. Instead, she wanted to take action with her own hands. The following moment, Izroth and the others entered the cave and quickly arrived in front of the portal. The portal matched the one Izroth previously used to enter the Secret Realm. He just hoped that it would not teleport them to random locations in the Mortal Realm. ¡´System Alert: Warning! The ?Secret Realm: Era of Titans? will close in [0 hour(s) 0 minute(s) 10 second(s)]! If you fail to reach the exit portal before time expires, you will be unable to leave the Secret Realm!¡µ "Let''s go," Izroth said as he was the first one to step through the portal. ... Zeeeeut! After stepping through the portal, Izroth observed his surroundings. ''I''ve returned.'' Izroth, along with the others he entered the portal with, had arrived back at the Mortal Realm! Fortunately, unlike what Izroth originally anticipated, they were not separated. ''It hasn''t been that long, but it almost feels like an eternity.'' As Izroth took in his surroundings, so did Astratis and Nomii. "The ethos¡ªthere is no ethos here," Astratis eximed. "How is this possible?" Nomii eyes widened in disbelief. Chapter 862: Do You Know Your Wrongs?

Chapter 862: Do You Know Your Wrongs?

When they arrived in the Mortal Realm, Astratis and Nomii had no time to take in the sight. That''s because the two were shocked to discover that there was no ethos in the atmosphere! "How unusual... I can still feel the ethos flowing through my body. But, there is none present in this world. Brother, I have been meaning to ask this, but¡ªhow is it that you and yourpanions can fight so fiercely without the use of ethos?" Astratis inquired. "In the Mortal Realm, there are different kinds of energy sources one can utilize. These energy sources are simr to ethos in the sense that they allow one to gain power far beyond a normal person''s means. However, it''s important to keep in mind that at their core, there is always something that separates the energy sources from one another." Izroth exined. He then continued, "The mostmon source of energy that you will find most used in the Mortal Realm is called mana. It is a flexible energy source that is highly attuned to thews of nature. In this aspect, it is not much different from the ethos that you use. The main difference, however, is that ethos grants one control over certainws of nature while mana imitates or maniptes thews of nature. This makes it so that in terms of actual power, ethos has the upper hand. But, when ites to flexibility and multifunctionality, mana holds the advantage." The two celestials took in every one of Izroth''s words. For them, who were strangers to this new world, every bit of knowledge was invaluable. After pondering over it for a bit, Astratis could not help but be amazed. ording to what Izroth said, didn''t it mean that one could hold several titles in this world? If so, it finally made sense to him how Izroth was able to use lightning back in his world. It was no wonder he did not feel a trace of ethos from his lightning back then. As for Nomii, she was equally as taken aback as Astratis. "To think there is a ce where ethos does not flow freely and yet the people from its origins can still disy such formidable power... Can it be that all the mortals of this world can use this thing called mana?" Nomii asked with furrowed brows. "There are some unique cases. But, for the most part, yes. First and foremost, you should keep in mind that this ce is not the Ancient Celestial Realm. I have already exined the basic power structure and ongoing events to you beforeing here; however, there are still many things you must remain mindful of." Izroth replied. "Rest easy, youngest. We will not make trouble for you." Nomii reassured. Izroth shook his head and responded, "It''s not that I''m afraid that you will make trouble for me. Rather, it is I who may end up causing trouble for the two of you." Izroth had many powerful enemies lurking in the Mortal Realm and even further beyond. Even with their strength, there was no guarantee that Astratis and Nomii would remain unscathed. Of course, the two were still more than capable of taking care of themselves. After all, it was not as if they had no battle or world experience. Having to live under the thumb of the pirs and Kyvernos for so long and w their way out from under that thumb was a massive undertaking. Due to such a set of circumstances, from Izroth''s perspective, celestials could be seen as one of the most naturally battle-hardened races he hade across during his travels in RML. ''Hm?'' Izroth nced off to his side as he sensed someone rapidly closing in on our position. "Hmph, we''ll see if anyone dares trouble you with us siblings around." Astratis dered confidently as his gaze seemed to peer somewhere into the distance ahead. He then continued, "Speaking of trouble... Are you perhaps expectingpany?" "No," Izroth replied as he used his Energy Vision Sense to get a more in-depth look at who was approaching them. ''Oh? I''ve never seen this aura before, but... Why does it feel familiar?'' Izroth was certain that he had never crossed paths with whoever or whatever was headed their way. However, he could not shake this feeling of familiarity. Though he could not quite ce his finger on his. Not too long after Izroth and Astratis detected the unknown presence, a gentle breeze suddenly began to flow throughout the surroundings. Following this gentle breeze was the faint scent of cherry blossoms that grew stronger with every passing moment. Woosh! Out of nowhere, the gentle breeze converged to one point before releasing a small yet powerful gust of icy wind and dispersing in every direction. At the same time, numerous cherry blossoms appeared out of thin air and gently drifted as the breeze dispersed. The next moment, a woman appeared at the center of these cherry blossoms. The woman looked to be in herte twenties. She had silver hair that was neatly tied into what resembled a long tail. Her eyes were crystal blue without impurity. And, when it came to her physical appearance, she was a cold yet peaceful beauty with a mature aura epassing her. She wore a set of white and pink clothes that were woven together with a skillful hand. In addition, on the lower part of her back resting horizontally on a thin strap was a gorgeous sheath that contained a de with sharp and cold sword intent. The woman''s eyes swept over all those present beforending on Sychia. The moment Sychia saw this woman''s appearance, she felt her heart tremble and the anxious expression on her face could not be hidden. ''She''s strong.'' Izroth observed the woman with his Energy Vision Sense; however, it was clear that she was hiding her true strength. The "mes" shown when he used his Energy Vision Sense were extremely calm around the woman. And, after seeing her in person, Izroth was even more certain¡ªshe was someone who had already stepped into the legendary realm. But, Izroth was not wary of this new arrival. From her attire and entrance alone, it was obvious what she came here for. Or, rather who she came here for. "Junior sister, do you know your wrongs?" The woman said in a cold voice as her icy gaze seemed to pierce into the depths of Sychia''s soul. "Senior sister, I-" "You still want to make excuses? You explicitly went against the master''s orders and ventured out on your own. I will ask again¡ªdo you know your wrongs?" The woman who appeared before Izroth and his group belonged to the same Order of a Thousand Blossoms that Sychia was from. Izroth was not surprised that the woman seemed upset with Sychia. After all, no matter the reason, going against the wishes of one''s master was uneptable. However, he was curious as to how she managed to find them so fast after they had just returned from the Ancient Celestial Realm. As her senior sister stepped forward, Sychia almost instinctively took a step back. However, Sychia stood her ground as a resolute expression formed on her face. "Senior sister, I did what I had to do to save master. You know of our master''s health! How can I simply remain idle and do nothing?!" Sychia eximed. "That is not your responsibility. I have told you many times to leave it to-" "I refuse! The master took me in after I was abandoned and treated me as her own daughter! Even if I must disobey the rules of the Order, I would not hesitate to do so again if it means a chance at my master''s survival!" Sychia''s senior sister narrowed her eyes. In front of her, Sychia was typically silent and reserved. This was the first time she spoke in such a straight-forward and determined manner. Unfortunately... "You do not understand... Truly..." Sychia''s senior sister sighed as she closed her eyes. She then continued, "Master does not have much longer left to live, Sy. I am not talking about a week or a month; I am talking about days at best. Yet, here you are wandering around instead of being by her side in the end. Sy, if you truly care for the master''s wellbeing, you must face her before she departs from this world." In truth, she was not mad at Sychia for disobeying her master''s orders. Instead, she was upset that Sychia chose now of all times to be disobedient. If something happened to Sychia during her master''s final moments, how would she ever have the face to see her master off properly? Chapter 863: Known?

Chapter 863: Known?

The woman approached Sychia, who moved towards the front of the group. As she did so, the woman''s system information finally revealed itself to Izroth. NPC Name: First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia(???) NPC Level: ??? "Should we lend a hand?" Nomii asked. "It is not our ce to interfere. We must let her resolve this issue herself. If she is unable to do it, then... Well, I suppose her resolve only amounts to that much." Izroth replied calmly. The First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms¡ªto Izroth, this title had no meaning. However, based on the way Sychia addressed her and the control she exhibited over her aura, it was safe to assume that Sylvia''s standing in the Order of a Thousand Blossoms was fairly high. Perhaps even among the highest. The condition of Sychia''s master also seemed to have deteriorated. This meant that the chances of allowing an outsider inside the Order of a Thousand Blossoms were virtually nonexistent. If Izroth could not even meet with her to discover the core issue, how could he possibly cure her? There was also the issue of Izroth''s youth, which in the eyes of most others equated to ack of experience. If he imed outright to be able to cure their master, they would think he was trying to sell them snake oil and chase him off. ''Well, if ites down to it, I can always sneak in. Though I must admit, it feels somewhat shameful to resort to such a method.'' Having to sneak into somewhere just to heal someone was something Izroth had never envisioned himself doing. If he failed the quest, he would lose three levels as well as all favor and fame with Sychia and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. This was quite a light punishment for failing an SSS-ranked quest. Nevertheless, Izroth was not the type to invite failure. If he made up his mind to do something, then even if he had to move mountains and oceans to make it happen, he would not hesitate. Sylvia nced over at Izroth and the others before she returned her gaze to Sychia. "How can you say such a thing? Master was still sick when I went into the Secret Realm, but she was still healthy enough to move around. At minimum, she should have months left. How can her health have deteriorated to this point within such a short span of time?" Sychia frowned with furrowed brows. Sylvia released a heavy sigh as she shook her head and said, "I don''t know. That''s the problem, no one knows. Master''s health has always been poor for as long as I can remember, but Sy... This is the first time I''ve seen her like this. It''s serious." Sylvia''s eyes contained a hint of sadness as she spoke about her master''s condition. Sychia''s entire expression sunk as her mind momentarily went nk. She knew her senior sister well. There was no way she would joke about something so severe. If she was like this, then it meant her master''s condition had truly reached a dangerous ce. If that was the case, she did not have much time to act! Sychia quickly snapped out of it as she looked over at Izroth before redirecting her gaze to Sylvia. "Senior sister, I may have found someone who can cure our master," Sychia stated as she clenched her fists. Sylvia''s eyes widened in shock. However, a pitiful look soon found its way onto her face. "I know that you want to do everything in your power to help our master, but there are some words you should not speak without a way of turning them into reality." Sylvia sighed. For a brief moment, Sylvia almost grabbed onto the straws Sychia cast into the water. But, she could not afford to drown in her own emotions and false hopes. Unlike the others within the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia had no time to be saddened by her master''s fate. If she did not stand strong now of all times, it would only be a matter of time before the Order of a Thousand Blossoms copsed from within. For the sake of all of her sisters and those under the protection of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, she could not entertain such hopes without absolute reason. Sychia could sense the doubt from her senior sister and immediately tried to convince her. "I do have a way! This person was even able to cure the poison I was affected by in the Secret Realm!" Sychia exined hurriedly. "Then, we will have to reward this person properly. Still, who would dare to poison a Thousand Blossom Maiden?" Sylvia spoke in a cold tone. "It is not of importance right now. What is important is that the person who helped me is here right now! Senior sister, you know that our master is a 7th-grade Apothecary. But, I''m afraid that even her pills do not contain the same level of purity as the one I consumed to cure my poison." Sychia stated. She then quickly followed up, "I know that it may seem that I am desperate to find a way to cure our master, and... It would not be wrong to say that is so. However, I do not allow my desperation to cloud my judgment. Senior sister, if not for my sake, then¡ªat the very least, for our master''s sake, can you see the pill I consumed and decide for yourself?" Sylvia closed her eyes and fell silent. She could not afford to waste any more time here. That being said, Sylvia knew that if she rejected Sychia''s request, it would form a demon in the young maiden''s heart. "Very well. Since this is the first time I have seen you so adamant about something, I will help you see it through. But, make no mistake, junior sister. I make no promises to permit some unknown outsider to treat our master. Do I make myself clear?" Sylvia said as she locked her gaze onto Sychia. "I understand," Sychia said as she met Sylvia''s gaze. "Oh? This girl... Just what happened in that Secret Realm for her to grow this much within such a short time?" Sylvia thought to herself as she unconsciously found herself smiling. In the past, Sychia would lower her head or avert her gaze whenever she stared at her. Now, Sychia was meeting that same gaze head-on. Naturally, Sylvia could not help but feel proud of her growth. And, she was certain their master would feel the same way. "It seems you have finally grown up, Sy." Sylvia internalized. ... Not long after Sylvia agreed to meet Izroth, Sychia officially introduced her senior sister to the group. "Everyone, I apologize for thete introduction. This is my senior sister from the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, the First Sword of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia." Sychia stated. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. On behalf of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, I would like to thank you for looking out for my junior sister." Sylvia said cordially as she cupped her fist. Despite her stern personality, Sylvia did not present herself in an arrogant or overbearing manner. "May I ask which one of you cured my junior sister of her affliction?" Sylvia inquired. Although she asked, Sylvia already had her eyes locked onto Izroth. That was for two reasons. The first had to do with how often Sychia would nce his way. As for the second, she knew that it could not be the others by his side. One of the people was clearly from the Wild Lands, who did not "believe" in things like pills or potions. They relied solely on the natural strength of their body and whatever nature provided them. Sylvia also could not feel a single drop of mana or any type of energying from the other two individuals beside him no matter how hard she tried. She was someone who had just stepped into the primary stage of the legendary realm. Even a person at the peak of the legendary realm would not necessarily be able to high their strength from her. But, the important aspect was that without mana or some other form of energy, it was impossible to craft pills. Therefore, she ruled them out. In the end, this only left Izroth as the logical choice. The next moment, Izroth stepped forward and cupped his fists. "My name is Izroth. I am the one who gave the pill to your junior sister that cleansed the poison in her body." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. "You said Izroth?" Hearing that name caused Sylvia to furrow her brows. For some reason, she felt as if she had heard that name somewhere before. However, she could not quite put her finger on it. "That is correct." Izroth reaffirmed. "Izroth... Izroth..." Sylvia muttered to herself as she seemed to fall into deep thought. Then, it suddenly dawned on her where she heard that name. "Izroth...! The winner of the second team''s selection¡ªthat Izroth?" Sylvia eximed. Chapter 864: Honorary Saint

Chapter 864: Honorary Saint

''Oh? She knows me?'' It had already been over a month in-game time since his trip to the Sky Pce for the second team''s selection. Izroth knew that it was only a matter of time before those in positions of power came to know of his name. After all, the teams chosen at the selection would represent the Mortal Realm on a grand stage. Those who participated were all geniuses and young powerhouses who were undoubtedly the future of the Mortal Realm. Therefore, it was not umon for some powers to seek out these talents and attempt to win them over to their side. And, even if they could not poach them from the power backing them, it was still possible to form an early connection that may reap some benefits in the future. However, there were also those who wanted to destroy the next generation ofpetition from their rivals or im revenge. Indeed, there was an agreement in ce that no matter what happened at the Sky Pce, one should not interfere with the participants. But, how could those powerful organizations bear suffering a loss and losing face without retaliating? In the end, it was not umon for said organizations to use underhanded or indirect means to aplish their goals. Nevertheless, Izroth did not see any such ill intention from Sylvia. Not to mention, after he arrived back in the Mortal Realm and met with Sylvia, Izroth officiallypleted the SS-ranked quests Enemies In All Directions. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Enemies In All Directions?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your favor with the ?Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia? has been maxed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms? has been maxed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have be an Honorary Saint of the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the ?Circle of Six Gods? has decreased by 10,000 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your reputation with the ?Circle of Six Gods? has be Irredeemable! You can no longer gain fame with the ?Circle of Six Gods?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the ?Fifth Great n? has decreased by 500 points!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your favor with the ?Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia? has decreased by 2,500 points!¡µ ''This Circle of Six Gods does not seem to be on good terms with the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. As long as someone bes an ally of one, they also be an enemy of the other. For it to be like this, there must be some history between the two.'' The Circle of Six Gods¡ªwhen Izroth defeated the Right Song of Siren, Enigma, the system mentioned he eliminated a servant of the God of Disharmony. Izroth did not know anything about the God of Disharmony; however, from the name of the organization alone, there was a high chance they were working with others. If that was the case, who did the Order of a Thousand Blossoms have on their side above the firmament that made them confront such an enemy head-on and risk the wrath of those divine beings? While someone in the divine realm could not directly interfere with those below the firmament, it was still possible to use those with their blessings to enact their will. Therefore, one would not typically be an enemy of those under divine protection unless they had someone supporting them. The next moment, Izroth removed the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token from his inventory. It was proof of his identity as a member of the second team that would represent the Mortal Realm in the uing Lustrum Imperial Bout. If one revealed the token to others, even if that person were a king, they would have to treat that individual as an honored guest. This was the level of importance and authority that the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token held. Upon seeing the token, any lingering doubts regarding Izroth''s identity vanished from Sylvia''s mind. There was no fool brave enough to forge the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token and walk around showing it off to others so easily. Without a doubt, the person in front of her was the real Izroth. Sylvia also received some recent news that it was Izroth who took down the servant of the God of Disharmony, Enigma. Just from this act alone, her Order of a Thousand Blossoms would wee him. But, that was only under normal circumstances. "I have been discourteous in myte greetings as I had to handle some internal matters regarding my Order of a Thousand Blossoms. I hope that you do not take it to heart." Sylvia said in a courteous manner. "It''s fine. There are some matters that must be handled without dy. Since it has to do with your junior sister, naturally, I will not find fault with you." Izroth replied calmly as he ced the Golden Lustrum Imperial Token back into his inventory. Sylvia was taken aback by Izroth''s response. Typically, those in the same position as him all came from a powerful background and were extremely arrogant. At the moment, her Order was going through a major crisis and could not afford to make any new enemies with their master''s declining health. And, since she represented not just herself, but also the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia acted ordingly. "Then, since you are willing to look past this matter, I shall not continue," Sylvia said. She then continued, "On to a more important topic, Izroth¡ªyou have saved the life of this generation''s Thousand Blossom Maiden. As per thews of my Order of a Thousand Blossoms, we shall recognize you as an Honorary Saint. On behalf of my master and all those of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, I, the First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia, thank you. Know that you are always weed at our Thousand Blossoms Peak." Sylvia spoke in a sincere tone as she properly thanked Izroth. The life of a Thousand Blossom Maiden was invaluable as they were the future of the Order. That''s why the Order of a Thousand Blossoms would do everything in their power to ensure their safe return. Even if it were an enemy that spared their Thousand Blossom Maiden, it would count as saving their life and they would repay the favor without fail. That is the reason the Order of a Thousand Blossoms made sure such a thing was well known throughout the Mortal Realm. After Sylvia spoke, there was a brief silence. She seemed to have something to ask but appeared somewhat hesitant. Of course, Izroth had a good idea of what she wanted to inquire. "You want to ask if I truly have a way to save your master, right? You can speak freely." Izrothmented. Sylvia released a heavy sigh and replied, "It is true, but... I am afraid my junior sister is too inexperienced when ites to healing methods and has underestimated our master''s condition. I do not wish to waste your time on an internal matter." Their master was a grade seven Apothecary that was one step away from reaching grade eight. In addition, they invited several guests to the Thousand Blossoms Peak ranging from priests and alchemists to curse specialists and poison masters. They even invited a grade eight Apothecary! Yet, even that person was powerless in the face of her master''s condition. Therefore, no matter how great the quality of Izroth''s pills or his future potential, Sylvia could not help but see his aid as anything but futile. After all, if the great masters they invited could not solve her master''s issue, how could someone who did not even seem to be her age yet solve it? Even if he was the winner of the second team''s selection, it did not necessarily mean that his crafting arts were on par with those great masters. "Then, since it is my time to waste, there should be no issues, correct?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. "This..." Sylvia inwardly furrowed her brows. "With his identity as an Honorary Saint and the winner of the second team''s selection, even if others have some objections to his presence, they can not use the excuse of bringing in an inexperienced outsider. Then, perhaps..." Sylvia fell into a deep state of thought. Although she did not want to admit it, there were those within the Order of a Thousand Blossoms that wanted nothing more than for her master to fall to her sickness so that they could seize power. In truth, it was these people she was worried the most about, which is why she came out personally to find Sychia and escort her back to the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Sylvia nced over at Sychia, who had a hopeful and bright look in her eyes. Seeing that expression caused Sylvia to mentally retreat back a few steps. If there was even the smallest chance of her master recovering, then... "Very well. Honorary Saint of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Izroth. I, Sylvia, shall personally escort you to the Thousand Blossoms Peak." Sylvia dered. Chapter 865: Even If I Have to Move The Heavens

Chapter 865: Even If I Have to Move The Heavens

... A few momentster, Izroth, Sychia, and Sylvia were on a flying tform in the shape of a cherry blossom. It was several meters long and wide enough to easily fit the three as they soared through the sky at a great speed. As for Hakros, Astratis, and Nomii, Izroth had other arrangements for them since they could not set foot on the Thousand Blossom Peak. After all, unlike Izroth, they did not earn the title of Honorary Saint. The promise Hakros made with Izroth onlysted until they left the Secret Realm; therefore, he was no longer in Izroth''s debt. However, the behemoth did not immediately cut ties with Izroth and even suggested that he would take him around the Wilds Lands someday. Of course, Hakros was most looking forward to the sparring partner Izroth mentioned back in the Secret Realm. As for the spoils he acquired from Ourami''s treasure room, Izroth asked Hakros to drop everything off at his Mystical Realm Pce so that Aurora could sort through things properly. In return, Izroth promised to take to Hakros along on something a bit "interesting" sometime in the future. When it came to Astratis and Nomii, the two did not entirely leave Izroth''s side. Instead, they maintained a good distance and followed after Izroth while keeping their presence hidden. Izroth was not surprised that Sylvia saw Astratis and Nomii as ordinary people. When he first arrived in the Ancient Celestial Realm and met Astratis, even with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth could not see through the Son of Thunder. That is until he learned how to feel ethos directly. However, if one did not actively know how to feel ethos, then their reaction would be the same as Sylvia''s. Nevertheless, it worked out the way Izroth hoped. Now, he did not have to worry about openly throwing away the bnce of power within the Mortal Realm. "How was your first experience of a Secret Realm? Did you receive anything of worth?" Sylvia inquired as she nced over at Sychia. "Yes. It has broadened my views and opened my eyes in more ways than one." Sychia replied gracefully. But, not long after she spoke, a look of sadness shed through her eyes as she released a small sigh. This expression did not escape Sylvia''s gaze. "Your mind seems burdened and your heart heavy, junior sister. Know that you are always wee to speak freely. As your senior sister, it is my responsibility to assist you with your worries." Sylvia stated. At the start, Sychia seemed somewhat hesitant to speak. However, she knew it had to be said eventually. "Senior sister, for what I have to say¡ªcan you deploy a sound barrier?" Sychia said with a serious expression. Sylvia narrowed her eyes. To deploy a sound barrier here of all ces... Could it be it was something that she did not want to discuss around their guest? Sensing Sylvia''s thoughts, Sychia reassured, "It is fine. What I have to say is something that I am sure he is already aware of." Sylvia gave a slight nod in response. The following moment, she used a Drifting Barrier Talisman to ensure that no one could listen in on what it was that they had to say. "Then, is there something you would like to tell me, Sy?" Sylvia inquired. "The truth is..." Sychia went on to exin in great detail the events that unfolded inside the Secret Realm regarding her interaction with the others who apanied originally them. This included her personal destruction of the Princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia''s clone, as well as the demise of the Third Disciple of the Eight Heavens Young Zouren, and Azure Lightning Agromin. By the time Sychia finished her giving her ount of what transpired in the Secret Realm, Sylvia''s expression had shifted to one of cold rage. "How dare they target a Thousand Blossom Maiden of our Order! Even if they are part of the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n, that''s going too far!" Sylvia said as she voiced her clear outrage. It took Sylvia a while before she managed to calm herself; however, every time she thought back to Sychia''s words, Sylvia could not help but feel anger. But, even in her anger, Sylvia still kept a clear mind and did not be blinded by rage. "You two must never speak of this to another soul. We can deal with the people from the Azure n, but the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n are two powers that our current Order of a Thousand Blossoms cannot afford to offend. It is true that destroying the Fifth Princess Luxia''s clone is a serious offense; however, as long as we send a few good words with somepensation, given our history with one another, they will not be openly aggressive. As for the problem with the Eight Heavens... I''m afraid it has already gone beyond the point of reconciling." Sylvia stated. She then continued, "Young Zouren was not an ordinary disciple, but a direct disciple who was in line to potentially be the next head of the Eight Heavens. His talent was something that appeared only once every hundred years. The Eight Heavens have spent a considerable amount of resources on his upbringing and he was practically guaranteed to step into the peak of the legendary realm in the future. ying a future peak legendary figure of a powerful n like the Eight Heavens¡ªI fear even in death, they will not forgive your offense." Sylvia averted her gaze to Izroth, who sat calmly near the back of therge cherry blossom. "Someone who ced first in the second team''s selection must have a powerful backer. But, why is it that I have never heard of his name before then? Is his master a hidden old monster? Is that why his actions were so reckless? If so, I am afraid he has underestimated the Eight Heavens. After all, their head is a peak legendary realm expert." Sylvia thought to herself. Seeing Izroth''s calm and carefree expression as she spoke about the potential consequences left Sylvia feeling bewildered. She wondered what gave him the courage and confidence to offend the Eight Heavens to such an extent. "This has be quite the headache..." Sylvia said to herself with a heavy sigh. Now that Izroth was an Honorary Saint, he was almost provided the same benefits as Thousand Blossom Maiden. This meant that the Order of a Thousand Blossoms had an obligation to ensure his safety. But, in the face of such powerful foes with their master at death''s doorstep, it could not have happened at a worse possible time. "Senior sister, I..." An expression of guilt appeared on Sychia''s face. Her senior sister already had to deal with most of the internal affairs in their master''s ce. Not only did she have to deal with their master''s condition rapidly declining, but she also had to prepare for the potential troubles she caused. To ce more burdens onto her senior sister, who had to maintain a strong outer appearance, how could Sychia not feel riddled with guilt? "You both did what you had to do. There is no need to feel guilty about your actions, Sy. Besides, our Order of a Thousand Blossoms may not be as strong as those powers, but we will not allow ourselves to be bullied so easily. If anyone wishes to find fault with the two of you in the future, they will first have to find it with me." Sylvia stated confidently. "Senior sister..." A look of gratitude could be seen in Sychia''s eyes as she felt Sylvia''s sincerity. At the same time, a slight smile also formed on Izroth''s face as he quietly listened and watched what unfolded before him. ''This Order of a Thousand Blossoms... For someone to raise two such individuals¡ªI want to speak with that person myself.'' In these types of situations, it would not unusual for the Order of a Thousand Blossoms to distance themselves as far away as possible from Izroth. After all, it was technically him who slew Young Zouren. Therefore, they had every right to deny any rtion to the matter. But, instead of doing so, Sylvia stayed by her word and honored thew of their Order. For this simple action, Izroth saw her in a good light. ''Don''t worry. Even if I have to move the heavens to make it happen, I will save your master.'' Chapter 866: Visit To The Thousand Blossoms Peak

Chapter 866: Visit To The Thousand Blossoms Peak

... Several momentster... Swoosh! Therge cherry blossomnded on the ground and dispersed into hundreds of petals before vanishing into thin air. The moment the groupnded, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Thousand Blossoms Peak?.¡µ The Thousand Blossoms Peak was located on a mountain that bordered O''Tohelm and the Wild Lands. There was a long pathway that one typically had to journey up if they wanted to reach the Thousand Blossoms Peak. However, for those like Sylvia who possessed a Floating Blossom, they could safely travel directly to the peak. If someone without a Floating Blossom attempted to enter the Thousand Blossoms Peak using a simr method, the defensive formations in ce would activate. And, ording to Sylvia, even those at thete stage of the legendary realm would not have an easy time escaping once they became trapped. "Wee to the Thousand Blossoms Peak, Izroth," Sylvia said with a light smile. Izroth took in his new environment as he swept his gaze around the mountain. There were several structures of different sizes made from a granite-type material. In addition, the scent of cherry blossoms filled Izroth''s nostrils the moment he set foot on the mountain. This was due to a massive cherry blossom tree located towards the back of the Thousand Blossoms Peak. This tree stretched nearly one hundred meters into the sky. And, from its branches flowed luminous pink cherry blossoms. "Wee back, senior sister! Junior sister!" A voice sounded as a gust of wind blew before Izroth and the others. Woosh! The instant the gust of wind calmed down, a young woman appeared at its center. She had emerald eyes and short ck hair that stopped at the lower part of her neck. Her attire was simr to Sylvia and Sychia''s. NPC Name: Thousand Blossom Saintess, Jade(???) NPC Level: ??? A smile appeared on Sychia''s face and her eyes lit up when she saw Jade. "Senior sister Jade. You did not have to go through the trouble ofing out to greet us personally." Sychia said as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as she avoided direct eye contact. "What are you saying? Why wouldn''t Ie to greet this mischievous junior sister of mine?" Jade grinned as she moved closer to Sychia. She then continued, "Who would have thought this usually well-behaved girl would trick me and escape from the Thousand Blossoms Peak?" "S-senior sister, I..." Sychia wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. Those who wanted to leave the Thousand Blossoms Peak could not do so without going through the Thousand Blossoms Saintess, Jade. Although she was called a Saintess, in reality, her role was more simr to that of a protector and enforcer. Jade was responsible for the safety and well-being of the disciples on the Thousand Blossoms Peak. The reason Sychia was so embarrassed when faced with Jade was that thest time they met, she tricked her senior sister into letting her leave the mountain despite her master''s wishes. Under normal circumstances, Jade would have confirmed the person''s words. However, given her status as the Thousand Blossom Maiden and her well-behaved personality, Jade simply took Sychia''s words at face value and allowed her to leave the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Naturally, when Sylvia revealed Jade''s blunder, she was properly scolded. "I apologize for the way my selfish actions reflected poorly on you, senior sister Jade," Sychia said in an apologetic tone. A helpless expression appeared on Jade''s face as she let out a small sigh. "Forget it. What''s done is done. Next time you trick me, I won''t let you off so easily, got it?" Jade replied. Jade knew the reason why Sychia tricked her had to do with the current state of her master''s health. In the end, how could she be upset with her junior sister over an act of passion? Sychia may have referred to it as a selfish action; however, Jade saw things in a different way. The fact that Sychia was willing to risk a heavy punishment for sneaking off the Thousand Blossoms Peak for the sake of her master¡ªJade was moved. After the greetings and apologies were out of the way, Jade shifted her attention to Izroth. As the Thousand Blossoms Saintess, even if it were someone apanied by her senior and junior sisters, she could not simply permit anyone entry into the Thousand Blossoms Peak. "Senior sister, junior sister¡ªthis is...?" Jade spoke inquisitively. "Forgive thete introductions. This is Izroth, an Honorary Saint of our Order of a Thousand Blossoms." Sylvia stated. "Honorary Saint...?!" Jade seemed taken aback by Sylvia''s words. It had been many generations since theyst received an Honorary Saint. However, hearing just those two words, Jade''s entire attitude shifted as the wariness she previously disyed towards Izroth transformed into one of appreciation. "Forgive my rudeness, Honorary Saint Izroth. As the Thousand Blossoms Saintess, it is my honor to wee you to the Thousand Blossoms Peak." Jade said as she properly greeted Izroth. When Jade heard the name Izroth, she immediately thought of the person who defeated the Right Hand of Siren, Enigma who was from the Circle of Six Gods. While Enigma himself was not that strong, the ability he obtained from receiving the divine blessing of the God of Disharmony made him troublesome to deal with. That ability had caused them countless headaches and reaped the lives of several Thousand Blossoms Disciples. Therefore, by eliminating Enigma, Izroth effectively avenged the lives of their fallen disciples. The Circle of Six Gods and her Order of a Thousand Blossoms were like oil and water¡ªthe two simply did not mix. This ill-fated rtionship stemmed from when a member of the Circle of Six Gods killed a Thousand Blossom Maiden several generations ago. Ever since then, the two had be sworn enemies that could not exist under the same sky. However, neither one had been able to gain an upper hand over the other for many years. Izroth gave a nod in response and said, "Your Thousand Blossoms Peak has quite the view. It is a shame that I do not have the leisure of sightseeing." "Pardon?" Jade blinked a few times with a perplexed look on her face. "Jade, how is the master''s condition?" Sylvia asked. The moment she asked that question, the atmosphere grew heavy as Jade''s expression became grim. Jade shook her head and replied, "It''s not looking good. Since you left, her condition has deteriorated even further. Senior sister, ording to the physician, the master has less than a day left in this world." Jade delivered the news with a heavy tone. Sychia''s eyes widened in shock. She felt as if her soul had been suddenly pulled from her body. Less than a day? Wasn''t there still supposed to be a few days left? And, before that, wasn''t it a few months? How could it have gotten this bad so quickly?! "We cannot afford to dy any longer! We must visit master at once!" Sychia said hurriedly. "Indeed, dying any further is uneptable," Sylvia stated. Sychia turned to face Izroth as she lowered her head. When Jade witnessed this, she was shaken. A Thousand Blossom Maiden was bowing their head to someone besides their master? If others learned of this, then it would create all sorts of trouble. "Sychia, you-" Jade wanted to say something, but before she could speak, Sychia spoke out. "No matter what price I must bear, I shall ept it without question. That''s why, please, Izroth... Save my master!" Sychia said. A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face after witnessing Sychia''s sincerity. "Don''t worry. As long as I''m here, even if death itself were here, it could not im your master''s life without my permission." Izroth stated boldly. He then continued, "Lead the way." "Follow me!" Sychia said as she took off at great speeds into the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Izroth followed quickly after Sychia. "Jade, hold off your report to the elders for a while," Sylvia said as she, too, trailed after them. "But, senior sister, if I do that, you will-" Jade was not able to finish her sentence before Sylvia had already disappeared into the distance. "..." Jade stood there silently for a moment before she released a heavy sigh. "It seems things around here will be troublesome very soon. Well, I cannot lie to the elders. But, I suppose I can take my time walking there to deliver the news." Jade muttered to herself. The next moment, Jade began to walk slowly to a certain ce within the Thousand Blossoms Peak. ... Meanwhile... Swoosh! Sychia came to a halt as Izroth and Sylvia appeared beside her. The three came before arge marble door that was sealed with a special magic formation. It emitted a powerful wave of pulses that contained cold energy that could freeze one''s heart upon contact. This was the room Sychia''s master stayed in. And, judging from the auraing from behind the door, the situation was not good. Chapter 867: Order of a Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina

Chapter 867: Order of a Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina

Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as the cold air washed over him. ?Resisted? ?Resisted? Thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body and having consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill, Izroth was able to resist any negative effects brought about by the coldness. However, the fact that he could still feel a chill despite having sessfully resisted it revealed the core of a vicious nature. "It''s already progressed this far. I''m afraid overstaying our wee will have a harmful impact on us. We must keep our visit as brief as possible." Sylvia warned. "Master..." Sychia uttered to herself as her expression saddened. A part of Sychia could not bear to see her master in her current state; however, she knew what had to be done. Sylvia waited a moment for Sychia to prepare herself. But, the wait did notst long as their time was limited. "First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia hase to greet the master!" Sylvia announced. "Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia hase to greet the master!" Sychia followed. After the two spoke, there was a moment of lingering silence. Then, a few secondster, a calm and soothing yet weak voice sounded from behind the door. "You may enter." The voice responded. The next moment, the door to the room opened on its own as Sylvia stepped forward with Sychia close behind. As for Izroth, he followed silently after the two. The door closed the instant Izroth set foot into the room. What weed him was a spacious and tranquil room filled with several powerful magic formations. Izroth did not know much about magic formations in RML, but his understanding of magic itself had reached incredible heights. Therefore, he could tell at a nce that the magic formations were set in ce to suppress the cold aura leaking out of this room. Or, to be more precise, from the woman sitting upright on the bed. ''So this is the current head of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. ording to Sychia, they are not rted, but... Aren''t their appearances a bit too alike?'' Sitting upright on the bed was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. There was a gentle and refined aura of maturity that epassed her as she gave off a natural sense of authority¡ªeven with her sickly state. She possessed an exquisite pair of eyes the color of a lily and long pink hair that was slightly darker than that of Sychia''s. The woman wore a set of simple white robes that contained traces of healing magic. But, what truly stood out about this woman''s appearance was her extremely pale skin that released a frosted chill. Being the source of that chill, it was a miracle that she had not frozen to death yet. Though the fact that she was still alive and able to speak was a testament to her strength. She was the current head of Order of a Thousand Blossoms and Sychia as well as Sylvia''s master, the Holy Maiden, Seina. NPC Name: Order of a Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina(???) NPC Level: ??? When Seina''s gazended on Sychia, there was a look of relief in her eyes. But, soon after, that expression vanished and was reced by one of sternness. "Master-" Sychia attempted to speak; however, before she was able to do so, Seina held up her hand, causing her to halt her words without hesitation. "Against my wishes, you left the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Furthermore, you purposefully deceived your senior sisters and put yourself in unnecessary danger. You understand your wrongdoings, do you not?" "...I do. For my actions, I am willing to ept any punishment that master chooses." Sychia replied respectfully. "Good. As long as you understand." Seina said as she closed her eyes. She then continued, "You are prohibited from leaving the Thousand Blossoms Peak for one month. In addition, during that time, you must visit the Self-Reflection Room every day for half a day and reflect on your actions." "I understand..." Sychia stated as she lowered her head in an apologetic manner. Sychia knew the consequences of disobeying her master''s decision; therefore, she did not protest. "Now that that matter is settled... Foolish girl. It is good that you have returned safely. Do you enjoy causing your master endless worries?" Seina opened her eyes as the earlier expression of relief returned with a warm presence. Seina had raised Sychia as her own daughter from the time she was a young child. Naturally, she was worried about her well-being. But, at the same time, a part of her was proud to see Sychia finally taking her own steps forward. "It was not my intention," Sychia said as she gave a helpless smile. "I know. If your intentions were impure at heart, I would not have let you off with such a light punishment. Still, as your master, I have failed you, Sy-" Seina was abruptly interrupted by a series of harsh coughs. "Master!" Sychia and Sylvia called out simultaneously as they prepared to rush over. However, before they could do so, Seina motioned her hand for them to stay where they were, causing them to halt their steps. A few momentster, the coughs died down. Afterward, Seina''s expression appeared to have be paler. This change did not escape Izroth''s gaze. "I am fine. It is just some light coughs. You two¡ªthere is no need to show me such expressions." Seina stated. Both Sychia and Sylvia looked as if tears would burst forth at any second as the concern could not be hidden on their faces. "Master, how can you say you failed me? It was this disobedient disciple of yours who went against your wishes. Please, do not me yourself." Sychia said hurriedly. Seina shook her head and responded, "It is no secret that I have doted on you from the time you were a child. You are like the daughter I could never have. I thought that I would always be around to protect you. But, soon, that will no longer be possible. As your master, I have taught you the ways of our Order, but I have not prepared you properly for the harsh realities of this world, Sy. If something were to happen to you because of myck of teachings, I could not bear it. Even after departing from this world¡ªI could not bear it." Following Seina''s words, there was a brief silence. Then, without warning, Sychia rushed over to her master''s side as a stream of tears flowed from her eyes. "Master! You cannot leave me! If you die, this disciple will die with you!" Sychia cried out as she kneeled over the side of the bed. "Silly girl. You are no longer a child. If you say such things again, I will get angry." Seina replied as she gently stroked the top of Sychia''s head. Sylvia tightly clenched her fists as she looked away from Sychia and her master. However, no matter how fiercely she fought to hide her emotions for the sake of her junior sisters and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia silently stood there as the tears fell from her eyes. ... A few momentster... Things finally managed to calm down as Sychia had returned to standing upright and Sylvia readjusted herself. Sychia''s cheeks were still flushed bright red as she thought about the embarrassing sight she had just shown to Izroth. But, strangely, she also felt as though a heavy burden had been suddenly lifted off her heart. "I have not mentioned anything yet, but it appears you have brought a guest. This is a rare asion. Though I am certain you are aware of the rules regarding outsiders during this time." Seina said as her eyes finally fell on Izroth. Although this was the first time she had directly looked at him, Izroth had not felt Seina''s watchful "gaze" leave him since the moment he entered the room. "Master, allow me to exin. It''s like this..." Sylvia said as she went on to introduce Izroth and retold the events that Sychia conveyed to her. After doing so, the entire room shook as Seina''s expression turned cold. "They darey and on my precious disciple? That old man from the Eight Heavens and the Fifth Great n will have to give me a proper exnation...!" Seina said in a cold and fearsome tone. To think they would use such vicious methods in an attempt to kill her disciple. How could Seina not be absolutely furious?! "Master, you must calm yourself. Please think about your health." Sylvia reminded. In truth, Sylvia was just as outraged about what happened as her master. However, as of right now, her master''s health took priority over all other things. The matters with the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n would simply have to wait. Chapter 868: Source of the Chill

Chapter 868: Source of the Chill

"Senior sister Sylvia is right. Besides, thanks to Izroth, I was able to recover quickly and return safely. If not for his aid, your disciple may not be standing before you right now." Sychia stated. "It is as you say," Seina said as she looked toward Izroth. She then continued, "ording to thews of our Order, you are an Honorary Saint. You can no longer be considered an outsider. For saving the life of a Thousand Blossoms Maiden, you have earned the gratitude of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. But, for saving this one''s disciple, Izroth, you have my gratitude. I, thank you." "I merely followed through with what I felt was right at the time. That''s all." Izroth responded calmly. Seina lightly shook her head and said, "Under such circumstances, most people would hesitate to help and risk making enemies of the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n. However, you still chose to act regardless of the unfavorable oue. It is easy to say outside of the moment that one should have done the right thing. But, it is often difficult to do what is considered right in the moment itself. It has given me great insight into your upright character, Izroth. I can see why my disciple has decided to ce her trust in you." "Then, based on what you''ve heard so far, I''m sure you already know why I''m here," Izrothmented. "I am aware," Seina replied. Seina was no fool. She knew why her disciple had brought Izroth to see her. But, it was of no use. Even if he was talented for his age, how could he have more knowledge than those great masters of healing she invited? One of them was even a grade eight Apothecary! That being said, Seina did not have the heart to ignore her treasured disciple''s efforts and outright turn Izroth away. "It''s fine. There will be no trouble in allowing him to diagnose me. Once he fails, I can peacefully turn him away. With that much, my disciple can not say that I did not give him a chance." Seina thought to herself. In Seina''s eyes, if Izroth could not even discover the source of her condition, then how could he possibly have a method to cure it? It took those great masters of healing a few hours of running tests and observations to reach a conclusion. Would a young man have the patience and experience required to perform the same feat? "You may diagnose me. However, if I am not satisfied with the results, I will respectfully ask that you leave this ce. Is that alright?" Seina spoke in a straightforward manner. ''Oh? Is she testing me?'' Izroth was not offended by Seina''s decision. After all, he was quite aware of his current circumstances and identity. The fact that someone of Seina''s standing was willing to even let him diagnose her could already be seen as a miracle. Nevertheless, Izroth understood that if he did not impress her with his diagnosis, then she would never allow him to attempt to heal her. If that happened, he could forget about iming the rewards for clearing an SSS-ranked quest. ''The fact that this is an SSS-ranked quest means that her condition is not simple. Since that''s the case...'' "That''s fine. Then, I shall begin immediately." Izroth said as he activated his Energy Vision Sense and carefully examined Seina. "Hm? This is... Source? It is my first time seeing such a young Source user." Seina thought to herself as she was inwardly shocked. However, just as this thought crossed her mind, she was even more dumbfounded by what she heard next. "I havepleted my diagnosis," Izroth stated as he deactivated his Energy Vision Sense. "?!" Seina was taken aback by Izroth''s im. And, she was not the only one. Sychia and Sylvia were also surprised by Izroth''s sudden remark. Not even a minute had passed since he began, yet he said that he had alreadypleted his diagnosis. "Junior sister... Did you actually bring a crazy person with you?" Sylvia thought to herself as she slowly started to regret her previous decision. "Are you certain that you do not require more time?" Sychia inquired as she furrowed her brows. Those great masters of healing spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with her master. How could Izroth possibly discover the problem so fast? If it was like this, then her master... Sychia nced over at her master, whose current facial expression had darkened. Seina did not get a bad feeling from Izroth; however, perhaps her condition was obstructing her ability to evaluate others. He had already finished? As if such a thing was possible! If not for the fact that he saved her disciple''s life in the Secret Realm, Seina would have already kicked him out without even entertaining whatever nonsense he had to say! "My disciple is right. If you need more time, I do not mind giving it to y-" "You have been poisoned. The traces are faint, but it appears to have been slowly built up over a long period of time." Izroth exined. He then inquired, "Is there anything you have consumed on a daily basis over the years? Something that perhaps not many others have ess to inrge quantities." After hearing Izroth speak, Seina''s darkened expressionpletely vanished. This diagnosis¡ªit was the exact same as the great masters she invited! Seina shifted her gaze to Sychia. And, as if sensing her master''s thoughts, Sychia shook her head. Naturally, Seina figured that Sychia must have shared the details of her sickness with Izroth in order for him to reach such a quick conclusion. However, that did not seem to be the case at all. After all, her disciple would not hide such an important truth from her. Seina returned her gaze to Izroth and replied, "The only thing thates to mind is the Hundred Blossoms Tea. But, it should not be this. The elders of our Order also drink the same tea regrly. We have also checked to see if there were any issues with the batch of tea leaves itself; however, the results showed that there was no foul y at hand." The fact that Izroth was able to reach the same conclusion as the great masters of healing within a fraction of the time left a huge impression on Seina. Nheless, even if he reached the same conclusion as them, it was of no use. The tea leaves had been checked and examined hundreds of times by those experts. If there were something to be found, it would have already been brought to light. "I wish to examine the tea leaves myself. I assume there is no objection?" Izroth remarked. "You may do as you wish. Sylvia, bring our Honorary Saint some Hundred Blossoms tea leaves." Seina stated. "Yes, master," Sylvia responded as she carried out her master''s request. ... Less than a few breaths of time passed before Sylvia returned to the room with a batch of Hundred Blossoms tea leaves. She immediately turned the tea leaves over to Izroth, who wasted no time examining them. The atmosphere became somewhat intense as a lingering silence filled the room. No one wanted to say anything, but they truly believed that it could not be the Hundred Blossoms tea leaves. This was not only because of the judgment of the previous experts that did not find anything wrong with them. It was due to the source of the tea leaves. The Hundred Blossoms tea leaves were grown right on their Thousand Blossoms Peak and were managed by the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. This meant that besides the disciples who managed it, no one else had ess to it. It was unthinkable that a disciple of the Order would dare poison its Holy Maiden. Not to mention, how would a disciple be able to get their hands on a poison strong enough to affect someone at the peak of the legendary realm? None of it added up! ''It''s just as I thought.'' ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Hundred Blossoms Tea Leaves?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: This item has been contaminated by an unspecified substance.¡µ Izroth used his Deep Insight skill to examine the tea leaves. And, as it turned out, they were indeed contaminated. However, there was something that he did not understand. ''How is it possible that not one, but several experts missed this? Something is not right...'' Izroth closed his eyes as he briefly contemted a few things. The obvious answer was that those experts were working with whoever was behind the poison. However, Izroth found it difficult to believe that several experts would all be working with the same person. ''There is definitely something going on behind the scenes here, but now is not the time to bring up this matter. Now that I''ve found the source of the issue, I am confident¡ªshe can be cured.'' Chapter 869 An Unexpected Roadblock 869 An Unexpected Roadblock After seeing Seina''s condition firsthand and discovering its source, Izroth was indeed confident in curing her. However, there was one ring issue at hand. ''Assuming that those great masters who paid a visit are not all working together to deceive the Holy Maiden, whatever unspecified substance was used to poison her is capable of evading their eyes. This type of poison should be scarce and not easy toe by. This means that as long as I can uncover the identity of the substance that was used, I should be able to pinpoint its origins.'' Since the Holy Maiden was a high-ranking Apothecary, even if she were in a weakened state, she should have discovered the presence of an unknown substance on the tea leaves. This is why Izroth leaned away from the fact that those healing experts were working together with someone to deceive her. But, this also revealed the vicious nature behind the poison. There were not many poisons in the Mortal Realm that was potent enough to affect a legendary realm powerhouse. Therefore, this greatly limited the number of possibilities. Nheless, since Izroth''s knowledge of high-ranking poisons in RML was severely limited, he would have to take a more unorthodox approach. "I managed to iste the source of your illness, but it will take some time to prepare what is required. For now, you should consume this Evil Cleansing Pill. It may only be a grade-three pill; however, it should help to dissipate some of the residual effects of the poison." Izroth said as he removed an Evil Cleansing Pill from his inventory and held it towards Seina. The moment Izroth removed the pill from his inventory, a strong therapeutic scent filled the room. Even though she heard the recount of events from her disciples, Seina was still somewhat skeptical. After all, how could a grade-three pill be that impressive? However, after seeing it firsthand, Seina could not help but be amazed. "It is indeed a grade-three pill, but... With this level of purity, it isparable to a grade-four pill. The essence signature also matches him." Seina thought to herself. Each pill that was crafted contained a unique essence signature that matched its creator. As a high-ranking Apothecary, Seina was able to detect this unique essence. Therefore, if Izroth tried to deceive her by presenting someone else''s pills, she was ready to speak up about it. But, who would have thought that, instead, she would be impressed by a simple grade-three pill? More importantly, Izroth did not make the im that the grade-three pill would heal her but only get rid of some residual effects. And, based on the quality of the pill he presented, Seina concluded that his words were spot on. However, Seina could still not wrap her mind around the source being the Hundred Blossoms tea leaves. She personally examined them numerous times and did not find anything amiss. If it were just her, she could use the excuse of her poor health. But, even the grade eight Apothecary she used a favor to invite did not discover any problems with the tea leaves. Yet, somehow, a young Apothecary managed to do so within a fraction of the time? Naturally, this increased Seina''s suspicions. In the end, when something seemed too good to be true, that''s because it usually was the case. However, when Seina looked at the hopeful gazes contained within the eyes of her two disciples, she set her suspicions aside and released a light sigh as she epted the pill from Izroth. "For the sake of my disciples, I shall trust in your judgment, Apothecary Izroth," Seina said before she consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill. The fact that she referred to Izroth as an Apothecary instead of Honorary Saint meant that Seina was finally willing to regard him in the same manner as the other great masters of healing she invited. The instant Seina ced the Evil Cleansing Pill in her mouth, it immediately dissolved as she let out a short breath. To her surprise, more than just eliminating some of the residual effects, a bit of the chilling aura within her body had been forcibly expelled! Of course, this did not mean that she had been healed. But, her skin was no longer as cold to the touch and had managed to regain some of its warmth. "What an incredibly pure pill. Grade four? This may even beparable to some lower grade five pills. Just who is this young man?" Seina thought to herself as she closed her eyes and focused on circting the mana within her body to aid in the pill''s effects. A few momentster, Seina opened her eyes as the temperature in the room had risen slightly. In addition, her cold pale skin had regained some color to it as her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. She felt as though a breath of fresh air had washed over her. "It has always been said that a wlessly crafted low-grade pill could provide the same benefits as a higher-grade pill; however, the amount of effort and technique required to do so is often seen as not worth it. Today, you have opened my eyes, Apothecary Izroth," Seina said as a light smile formed on her face. To most Apothecaries, the quality of a pill was secondary to its rank. For example, a grade four Apothecary would find that it was much easier to craft a grade-four pill with decent quality in high quantities rather than a batch of wless grade-two or grade-three pills. This had to do with the time and effort required to craft wless pills¡ªeven for high-ranking Apothecaries. However, for someone like Izroth who possessed a frightening crafting speedpared to others, the quality of a pill was just as important as its rank. Or, perhaps even more so. When Sychia and Sylvia saw their master''splexion be better within the span of a few moments, they were ovee with eagerness. They tried their best not to get their hopes up too much, but after witnessing the sight before their eyes, the two could no longer contain themselves. "Whatever it is that you need to help my master recover, I will see to it that our Order of a Thousand Blossoms retrieve it! You just have to say that word!" Sylvia stated. "As long as our master can recover, we will not allow you to suffer a loss. Even if I have a work a lifetime to do so, I will make sure this debt is paid in full." Sychiamented. This was incredible news! Even those great masters of healing had not been able to do much to alleviate their master''s symptoms! Seeing as how Izroth was able to do what they could not, Sychia and Sylvia were ready to assist in any way possible if it meant the swift recovery of their master. "I will see to it that you receive the full support of the Order, Apothecary Izroth. As for the price of your treatment, I shall allow you to decide." Seina said calmly. ''Oh?'' The Order of a Thousand Blossoms was a mid-sized power. However, that was only when taking into ount their overall strength. In truth, they were not any weaker than the major powers in the Mortal Realm. There was a reason why the Fifth Great n maintained an amicable rtionship with them over the years. Not to mention, they were able to stand up to a powerful organization like the Circle of Six Gods. This had to do with one thing¡ªstrength. To be more precise, it was the Holy Maiden of each generation''s strength of a peak legendary realm powerhouse! This alone allowed the Order of a Thousand Blossoms to have an equal footing with those major powerhouses. The fact that someone of that caliber was willing to let Izroth set his own price was no small gesture. But, it was not unexpected considering what was on the line. Still, while the opportunity was certainly one of rarity, Izroth did not lose sight of the bigger picture. "We can speak of prices after I seed in curing you. For now-" BANG! Suddenly, the doors to the room were knocked open with a heavy force, causing Izroth to halt his words mid-way. "How dare you bring an outsider to this ce without our foreknowledge! Even if you are the direct disciples of the Holy Maiden, your actions are too much!" A voice with hints of vexation sounded as a middle-aged woman stepped into the room. Chapter 870: Forgotten Authority

Chapter 870: Forgotten Authority

The woman who entered the room carried with her a certain air of authority. However, it was not difficult to tell that she was outraged by Sychia and Sylvia''s behavior. The woman narrowed her eyes in a scornful manner as her gazended on Izroth. She possessed a pair of eyes that matched that of sunflower petals with long straight sapphire hair. Her attire was simr to that of Sylvia and Sychia; however, there was a golden outline around the edges of her clothes with a symbol of three cherry blossom petals on her left chest. And, under her right eye were two markings of horizontal ck lines parallel to one another. NPC Name: Third Guardian of the Thousand Blossoms, Olivia(???) NPC Level: ??? "Aunt Olivia..!" Sychia''s eyes widened in shock when Olivia burst into the room unannounced. "I can expect this kind of poor behavior from a junior, but for the senior to encourage it¡ªSylvia, have you gone mad?" Olivia spoke in a stern tone. Sylvia took a step forward and replied, "Aunt Olivia, I will take full responsibility for what happens. However, this person is not an outsider. He is an Honorary Saint who-" "Honorary Saint? Him?" Olivia frowned as she sized up Izroth. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like an ordinary young man. The sword at his side was somewhat impressive; however, that''s all there was to him. How could he be worthy of being an Honorary Saint of their Order of a Thousand Blossoms? "Whether or not he is an Honorary Saint, you still cannot bring just anyone to this ce. Those invited here are all great masters of healing who have taken a divine oath under the watch of the guardians. But you two have brought aplete stranger with unknown ties to this ce. Your actions are inexcusable!" Olivia stated. She then continued, "As punishment, both of you will spend twenty hours a day in the Self-Reflection Room for three months! As for this stranger with unknown origins, he will be confined to the Thousand Blossoms Peak until his identity is confirmed." Sychia and Sylvia wanted to object; however, Olivia was not only a Thousand Blossoms Guardian but also a part of the same generation as their master. Nheless, after seeing some positive results with their master''s health in the short amount of time that Izroth had been present, they were terrified that Olivia would end up offending Izroth. If that happened, what if he refused to continue their master''s treatment? Wouldn''t it be too huge of a loss? The atmosphere within the room grew heavy, but the silence that started to fill the room did notst long as a carefree voice broke through. "How amusing," Izrothmented calmly with a carefree smile. "How rude! Tell me, what is it that you find so amusing?" Olivia said with a re. "It''s just that based on your actions, one would assume that you are the Holy Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms," Izroth stated. He then continued, "Also, you wish to confine me? Wishing is one thing. But, whether or not you have the ability to do so is a different question." She wanted to confine him against his will? Even if Izroth were on amicable terms with Sychia, he would not allow the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, or anyone for that matter, to control his actions. "Arrogant!" Olivia unleashed a powerful aura that swept throughout the room. This aura belonged to someone who had clearly reached thete stage of the legendary realm! However, just as her aura was about to approach Izroth, it dispersed as a heavy voice sounded. "Enough," Seina said solemnly. ''Oh? It took her longer than expected. Still, to think she could act to this extent in her current condition. The Evil Cleansing Pill may have helped alleviate some negative effects, but... She''s still much livelier than I anticipated.'' Even in her current state, without lifting a single finger, the Holy Maiden managed to disperse the aura of someone at thete stage of the legendary realm. "Olivia... Not only do you enter my room unannounced, but you also insulted our honored guest. More importantly-" Seina said as the covers on her bed shifted. The following moment left everyone present in a state of disbelief. "You- How is this possible...?!" Olivia''s eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the scene before her. Tears could be seen flowing from Sychia and Sylvia''s eyes as their expressions of disbelief quickly transformed into ones of astonishment. "Master, you''re standing...!" Sychia eximed. Seina, who had been bedridden for several months, was now standing on her own two feet! How could those present not be shocked?! Seina walked over with a natural air of authority and a strange calmness that epassed her. She stopped right in front of Olivia and met her gaze, sending shivers down the spine of the Thousand Blossoms Guardian. "You dare to discipline my disciples when I am here in front of you. Tell me, junior sister, has my authority been forgotten?" Seina said with a cold and distant gaze as an indescribable pressure descended upon Olivia. "Senior sister, I... I..." Olivia wanted to speak, but the pressure was too great, causing her mind to fall nk. Seina closed her eyes and released the pressure she ced upon Olivia. "I shall overlook your actions this time since it can be seen as you performing your duties. However, in the future, you must remember that even when performing your duties..." Seina leaned closer to Olivia. She then whispered in her ear, "As long as I am here, no one else can make the final decision on matters." Olivia remained silent as her gaze fell to the floor. The next moment, Seina stood up straight as she turned to face Izroth with a warm smile. "You must excuse my junior sister. Shecks a gentle touch when handling sensitive matters. I hope our Honorary Saint does not think too poorly of our Order after this small mishap." Seina said calmly. "Since you have taken care of it, I will not speak of it further. But, enough time has already been wasted. Your condition has certainly improved; however, it can only be considered a second wind." Izroth stated. "Worry not, Apothecary Izroth. I am aware of my body''s state quite well." Seina responded. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Then, we can start right away. I will need to acquire some ingredients. It''s just that I''m not sure a ce like your Order will have what I need." "Surely you jest. You merely need to say what it is that you require, and even if my Order of a Thousand Blossoms does not have it, I can guarantee you that will shall do everything within our power to obtain it." Seina replied graciously. Ingredients? She was a grade seven Apothecary at the peak of the legendary realm. Naturally, she had a plethora of ingredients at her disposal. However, Izroth already knew this, which meant that the ingredients he wanted must be quite unorthodox for him to make such ament. "Then, I will give you a list. The ingredients must be gathered in the correct quantities and qualities; otherwise, I can not make any guarantees." Izroth stated as he removed a small piece of parchment from his inventory. The piece of parchment was nothing special. It was something yers could obtain from any general store that allowed them to write notes using the mana around them as ink. Izroth wrote down the ingredients he needed on the parchment and held it out. As the eldest disciple present, Sylvia moved to receive the parchment from Izroth. But, before she could do so, Seina motioned forward with her hand, causing the parchment to levitate over to her. As she read over the ingredients, Seina furrowed her brows. She had never heard of thisbination of ingredients being used in pill crafting. But, what stood out the most was not thebination of ingredients but rather the type. "Apothecary Izroth, are you sure this is the correct list?" Seina inquired. "I am certain," Izroth replied without hesitation. "I see. Then, I''m sure you are aware of what you''re asking me to gather." Seina said as she narrowed her eyes. "If we had more time, there would be other options. However, this is the best choice given your present circumstances. Of course, I will not force your hand. But I will say this now. Besides me, there is no one else in the Mortal Realm who can cure you with the time you have left." Izroth stated. Seina fell silent for a brief moment. She then released a light sigh as a slight smile found its way onto her face. "Sylvia, see to it that every ingredient on this list is gathered within two hours. Have your junior sister Jade apany you as you may have to visit more... Unpleasant areas." Seina said as she levitated the list over to Sylvia. "Yes, master. I will take care of it immediately!" Sylvia replied as she epted the list and quickly made her way out of the room. ... After she left the room, Sylvia read over that list of ingredients. However, as she did so, Sylvia abruptly halted her steps as she could not believe her eyes. "Spined Serpent Venom, White Scorpion Toxin, Juugarian Tree Sap... These ingredients¡ªAren''t they all poisonous...?!" Sylvia eximed. ... A few momentster... "You will have to excuse the mess, Apothecary Izroth. As you can imagine, I was not expecting any visitors." Seina said as she stood before a gorgeous wooden door. Chapter 871: Eight Supreme Remedies

Chapter 871: Eight Supreme Remedies

While Sylvia and Jade were collecting the ingredients Izroth listed, Seina, apanied by Sychia, decided to escort him to her personal crafting room. As for Olivia, after Seina issued her warning, she no longer pursued the matters at hand and left peacefully. However, based on her previous bold actions, Izroth did not believe that was the end of things. Whether or not she was the main source or a part of those who went out of their way to poison the Holy Maiden¡ªIzroth had no proof. In the end, it was not umon for someone in Olivia''s position to seek more power when it was made avable. But, making borderline baseless spections and having proof were two separate things. After all, the two could simply be on unfavorable terms. Besides, there was something Izroth noticed back in the room that raised some doubts. For one, when Seina stood to her foot and reprimanded her, Izroth did not see any fear on Olivia''s face. Instead, what he saw was submission. If Olivia did have something to do with poisoning a peak legendary figure, unless she was a good actor, the first response she would have had to Seina standing was fear. That''s because she would have been well aware of the consequences if she had direct ties to those responsible. Under that kind of pressure, faced alone with Seina, it would have been virtually impossible for her topletely hide all traces of fear. This was even more so under Izroth''s watchful gaze. ''If she really does have nothing to do with it, I suppose it''s back to square one.'' "So long as it''s a ce without disturbances, I will find a way to make do," Izroth responded calmly. "Rest assured. Without my permission, no one is permitted to set foot in this ce." Seina said as she pushed open the wooden door. Although it seemed like an ordinary wooden door, Izroth could feel a mysterious energy flowing through it. In addition, when Seina ced her hand on the door, it felt as though the wood was alive and resonated with her. When the doors opened, a strong medicinal smell filled Izroth''s nostrils. The room itself was spacious. There were several bookshelves lined up along the walls, and near the back of the room was a sturdy desk with a single chair behind it. There were also various magic formations that Izroth was unfamiliar with inside the room. However, upon closer observation, Izroth was able to uncover some general uses regarding some of the more basic functions. ''Based on the magic sequences involved, it should have something to do with environmental and temperature control. There are also some defensive magic formations that were probably designed to protect against the potential fallout that can ur when crafting high-grade pills. This ce must have cost quite a fortune to build. However, it''s not surprising considering she is a grade seven Apothecary.'' Izroth had already amassed quite the amount of wealth as a grade three Apothecary. But, if he was a grade seven Apothecary like Seina, the top guilds would have to give up more than just a few gold coins to acquire even a single grade seven pill! ''Still, this ce is impressive. It looks like I will have to upgrade the Apothecary floor in the Mystical Realm Pce when I return.'' As this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, his eyesnded on a silver and gold cauldron located at the center of the room. Three fangless serpents were painted on the cauldron''s side as the item itself emitted a mighty yet calm aura. Name: Cauldron of the White Night(Magical Item) Rank: SS Durability: 250,000/250,000 Current Fire Core: White mes of Night(SS) Usage: A mighty cauldron crafted using the finest of metals and the inner linings of a fire sack from the legendary White Night Serpent. It can be used by apothecaries to create pills that are grade nine or lower. Special Note: This cauldron contains many secrets. Seina approached the cauldron as she brushed her fingertips across its edges. "I would offer its use to it, but... It appears that will not be necessary. Am I correct in my assumption?" Seina said as she nced over at Izroth''s armlet. "When did you notice?" Izroth inquired as the armlet attached to him transformed into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron andnded before him. "Such a powerful medicinal aroma can only be formed by a cauldron after it has processed a countless number of pills. Even if its physical appearance has been altered, my nose has never deceived me." Seina replied. "Oh? Even though there''s no smell?" Izroth noted. Despite his enhanced senses, Izroth did not smell any such aromaing from his Dark Abyssal Cauldron in its armlet state. "As I''ve said, my nose has never deceived me, Apothecary Izroth. It can be considered a small talent." Seinamented as she examined Izroth''s cauldron. She then continued, "What a wild yet impressive cauldron. It does notpare to my Cauldron of the White Night, but... That is not to say that it will not be able to one day equal or surpass it. It would seem that you havee across quite the treasure." ''As expected from a high-ranking Apothecary at the peak of the legendary realm. It''s difficult for something to hide from her gaze.'' "Still, using a B-ranked fire core for such a treasure seems like a waste," Seina remarked. She looked over at Sychia and said, "Sy, bring out a suitable fire core from my personal storage for our Honorary Saint." "Yes, master." Sychia gestured respectfully before she moved to carry out her task. "I''m afraid here is where I must excuse myself for a while, Apothecary Izroth. If there is anything you require, feel free to request it from my disciple. She will be sure to amodate you appropriately. I shall return by the time the materials you have requested arrive." Seina said as she made her way towards the door. "As your temporary physician, I would like to remind you that you are still experiencing a second wind effect from consuming the Evil Cleansing Pill. Pushing yourself too far may cause your symptoms to resurface in an even more vicious manner. I''m sure I don''t need to remind you, but¡ªyou should hold off on doing anything too reckless. At least, until you manage to fully recover." Izroth stated nonchntly. Seina suddenly halted her steps. Then, without looking back, she replied, "I have no intention of making any big moves in my current state. Besides, don''t you find it quite interesting? How easily one is startled by the drop of a pin in a room filled with silence." After those words, Seina opened the wooden doors and promptly took her leave. Once she left, the doors shut tightly as the magic formation bound to it seemed to increase in strength several times over. ''Who would have thought that her master would have such a twisted character? Though I don''t necessarily dislike this type of person.'' Despite her twisted character, Seina had clearly drawn lines for those around her. And, if one chose to cross the lines she set with rity, the Holy Maiden was prepared to do what was needed to maintain the sanctity of those lines. The most terrifying aspect was that she operated in a natural way, as if her actions were simply second nature to her. That''s why on the surface, to most outsiders, Izroth knew that Seina would be regarded as someone with a twisted character. However, in truth, she was merely a person with well-defined principles. ''Hopefully, she does not go too far. After all, it would be a shame toe this far to cure her and walk away empty-handed. For now, let''s focus on crafting the first of the Eight Supreme Remedies.'' The Eight Supreme Remedies¡ªthis name was unknown within RML. However, back in the Seven Realms, unless one lived under a rock, there was not a single cultivator who did not know that name. That''s because the Eight Supreme Remedies were considered works of miracle! But, these works of miracles were not created by some almighty cultivator or ancient immortal. In fact, its creator was a young man who had barely stepped into the world of cultivation. In terms of strength, the young man was below average at best. However, when it came to the art of healing, even those old monsters were not necessarily his equal when it came to understanding the fundamentals and evolving them beyond their limits. After years of tireless research and experiments, the young man finally seeded in creating eight new remedies, whichter became widely known as the Eight Supreme Remedies. Each remedy varied greatly in ingredients and technique; however, they all had three things inmon. The first was that each remedy was capable of curing a specific kind of ailment. The other two were simple¡ªefficiency and time. As for the remedy Izroth nned to craft, it was the first of the Eight Supreme Remedies, the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill! Chapter 872: Reminded of Ones Self, False Hope?

Chapter 872: Reminded of One''s Self, False Hope?

''Hundred Death Poisoning Pill... That guy sure had a strange way of naming things.'' Izroth remembered meeting the young man who created the Eight Supreme Remedies. At that time, Izroth questioned him about his naming sense and how others might view it as an actual poison meant to harm people. That guy''s response caught Izroth off guard back then. ''When one poisons death, aren''t they basically bringing it to life? That entric guy went and said things like that all the time, making people think had he lost his mind. He really had an outrageous view on things.'' As Izroth had that passing thought, a slight smile formed on his face. Despite its ominous name, the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill did not cause death but helped to prevent it by curing all types of deadly poisons. Typically, curing poison was a huge task that first required one to discover its origins. Without knowledge of its source, it was almost impossible to urately cure one''s poison. However, the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill solved that problem. With it, one did not need precise information on the poison used. This meant that so long as the poison possessed one of the general traits fused into the pill, it could be cured! ''The basic principle behind the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill is to fight poison with poison. The crafting process is swift and the technique is not too difficult, but getting the bnce right requires that one has a wless controlled touch. A single misstep and the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill will transform into a lethal substance. At that point, even a perfect Hundred Death Poisoning Pill may not be able to save someone who consumed it. More importantly, if one fails in their attempt, various traces of the poisons used during the crafting process be trapped within their body. I have the Heavenly Golden Body so I can resist most forms of poison, but it is not currently at its full potential. Whether or not it canpletely subdue something like the potential side effects of a Hundred Death Poisoning Pill is unknown.'' "My master has taken quite the liking to you," Sychia said as she approached Izroth. "Is that so?" Izroth replied with a carefree smile. At the moment, Sychia could not hide her joyful expression. Compared to her time back in the Secret Realm, she appeared to be in a much better mood. "My master does not allow just anyone to enter her private crafting room. More importantly, it has been a long time since I have seen her so energetic." Sychiamented as she looked over at Seina''s cauldron. She then continued, "Did you know that before today, I have never seen my senior sister shed a single tear? That strong senior sister of mine who has always put the Order first. That is why... I hope you know how grateful I am to you, Izroth. For curing me in the Secret Realm to allowing my senior sister to fully express herself, and¡ªfor allowing me to once again see my master stand on her own two feet, Izroth... I am truly grateful." Izroth could hear the sincerity within Sychia''s voice as she spoke, as well as the passion in her voice whenever she mentioned her master. During his time in the Seven Realms, Izroth had many teachers; however, there was only one person he ever acknowledged as his master. His master took him in when he was an orphan and instilled in him the values of what it truly meant to be a cultivator who walked a path beyond the heavens itself. At the time, Izroth did not understand most of his master''s words. To the young him, the majority of it seemed like senseless ramblings. However, as he progressed on his journey of cultivation, Izroth began to see just how invaluable and wise his master''s words were back then. Without his master''s teachings, he would not have reached the pinnacle of the Seven Realms and be the person he was today. Sychia''s circumstances with her master reminded Izroth of himself and his own master. Perhaps that''s why he had somewhat of a soft spot when it came to lending a helping hand in this matter. Izroth closed his eyes. ''When one calls out to power, they often find that it arrives a step toote. That is why one must not seek power but understanding. Once you have that understanding, naturally, power w ill begin to seek you.'' Izroth thought back to his master''s words as he remained silent for a few moments. Not long after, he opened his eyes and disyed a new calmness. ... A couple of hourster... As the hours passed, Izroth spent his time leisurely reading over the books inside the Holy Maiden''s crafting room. He found that while the number of books was not as great as what was avable at the Amaharpe Pce Library, in terms of rarity, it was nowhere near close. There were several books that focused on ancient crafting techniques. Some also contained a great deal of information regarding rare herbs and materials. However, some of the more interesting books Izroth read had to do with magic formationsmonly employed in high-ranked pill crafting. He was able to gain a deep insight into its understanding, but the number of high-quality materials required to set the majority of magic formations he discovered was immense. It was to that point that it would consume nearly a third of his Mystical Realm Pce''s current funds! The fact that Seina had several such magic formations in ce was a grand luxury provided by her status as a peak legendary realm powerhouse. Not to mention, the Order of a Thousand Blossoms had been around for many generations, giving them plenty of time to umte a vast amount of wealth. As Izroth pondered if there was a more efficient way to employ magic formations, the wooden doors to the crafting room opened. Izroth immediately pushed his thoughts aside as his gaze shifted to the room''s entrance. He instantly recognized two of the auras; however, the third was someone Izroth had never met. "As the First Guardian of the Thousand Blossoms, naturally, you have the right to see for yourself. It''s just that I hope you won''te to regret your words, senior sister." Seina said as she walked through the doors, apanied by Jade and another woman. "Hmph, it is too soon to speak of regret. Besides, we will soon see who the regretful one is." The woman responded firmly. Not long after she spoke, the woman''s system information went on disy for Izroth. NPC Name: First Guardian of the Thousand Blossoms, Yuveil(???) NPC Level: ??? ''Oh? Another guardian? Though this one seems a bit different from thest.'' The woman who apanied Seina and Jade appeared to be in herte thirties. She had neatly tied ck hair with a pair of violet-colored eyes. The attire she wore was simr to that of Olivia and also had a golden outline, revealing her identity as a guardian of the Order. But, unlike Olivia, this woman carried herself with a higher level of authority. The way she spoke also had an underlining tone of arrogance. This was something Olivia did not have when speaking with Seina. As the two went back and forth, Seina and Yuveil approached Izroth. Yuveil wasted no time sizing Izroth up. However, by the time she finished, a light smile appeared on her face. Though it was not a smile of joy, but rather one of disdain and mockery. "This is who you have decided to ce your hopes in? Junior sister, has your illness consumed your mind? How can we, with good conscious, permit a brat to treat the cherished Holy Maiden of our Order? I''m afraid I cannot condone this course of action." Yuveil stated. Although her words seemed to being from a ce of concern regarding Seina''s well-being, Izroth was no fool. It was clear that she was trying to purposely provoke him while also using him as an excuse to downy Seina''s frame of mind. Izroth could also sense the feeling of uneasinessing from Sychia the moment that woman walked into the room with her master. On the surface, their rtionship with one another appeared amicable. However, there was a clear line drawn between the two thatpletely separated them. ''I don''t know what she''s up to, but if she wants to use me for her own goals, I''m afraid she will find herself faced with disappointment.'' "I fear you''ve mistaken my int entions, senior sister. Whether you condone it or not, I have already made the decision. As per our agreement, you are merely here in an observer''s capacity. Nothing more, nothing less." Seina reminded. "Fine. Since you are so blinded by false hope, so be it. No one can say that I did not attempt to stop you." Yuveilmented with a cold gaze as she nced over at Seina. "Surely, you jest. Besides, is it not you who is blinded by false hope? After all, I am still here, senior sister." Seina responded as she returned Yuveil''s icy gaze with one of her own. After the two spoke, the atmosphere inside the room became heavy¡ªalmost to the point of suffocating. Chapter 873: A Gleeful Yuveil

Chapter 873: A Gleeful Yuveil

As the mood within Seina''s private crafting room became awkward, Izroth walked past the two and over to Jade. "Were you able to find all the ingredients on the list?" Izroth asked. Jade was baffled by Izroth''s actions and the shock on her face could not be hidden. Couldn''t he read the air? Also, the fact that he casually walked past and outright ignored the First Guardian¡ªwho in their Order of a Thousand Blossoms besides the Holy Maiden dared to do so?! "Hm? Is something wrong? Could it be that you were not able to gather all the ingredients?" Izroth inquired. Jade snapped out of it as she shook her head and responded, "No, me and senior sister Sylvia were able to find everything on the list that you requested. Although the standard total when crafting pills is twenty batches, we prepared ten times that amount." As Jade spoke, she handed over a small sapphire ring to Izroth. It was the spatial storage item that was used to store the batches of ingredients she gathered along with Sylvia. ''Ten times? That would make it two hundred batches.'' Most of the ingredients that Izroth requested could be considered lower mid-tier at best. However, there were still a few ingredients that should have been hard toe by on such short notice. The fact that Sylvia and Jade procured all the ingredients for not only one or two attempts, but rather two hundred hundred batches worth was an incredible feat! Izroth took a moment to check over the ingredients inside the spatial storage ring. As he did so, he could feel a hostile gaze locked onto him. The gaze belonged to, of course, Yuveil. After beingpletely ignored by Izroth and treated as if she did not even exist, how could the First Guardian not be outraged? When was thest time someone dared act this arrogant in front of her? This was the Thousand Blossoms Peak, not some random city street! "Hmph! What a rude little fellow...!" Yuveil scoffed. As for Izroth, he paid no attention to Yuveil. Right now, his main goal was to cure Seina. Not to mention, based on her attitude, was she even worthy of his attention? From the moment she saw him, there was no form of greeting or hospitable behavior. But, if it was just this much, Izroth would not have minded. After all, they were twoplete strangers. She did not owe him a courteous greeting. However, Yuveil wasted no time looking down on him with eyes full of disdain without even giving him a chance to first disy his skills. This type of person was someone that Izroth could never see himself getting along with; therefore, why should he entertain her nonsense? ''Everything is in order. With the upgraded fire core, it will be a bit more difficult to control the mes; however, the higher purity of fire should increase the pill''s overall quality.'' Izroth walked back towards his Dark Abyssal Cauldron and halted his steps right before it. "You all may stay and observe. But I will say this now. If you disrupt me or cause any trouble during the crafting process, you will be kicked out without exception." Izroth stated calmly. Normally, it would be considered rude to observe another Apothecary''s pill crafting process. However, given that the current circumstances were somewhat unique, Izroth did not mind it. It was not unusual to use one or two poisonous ingredients in pill crafting. After all, when paired with the correct substances, their poisonous nature would transform into something helpful. However, for everyst ingredient to be poisonous¡ªthis was something never heard of. Seeing as how everyst ingredient he requested was poisonous, it would be strange if there was no one to observe him while he was making it. After all, Izroth may be an Honorary Saint, but there was a limit to how trusting one could be upon a first meeting. "Be at ease. As a fellow Apothecary, I understand quite well how important one''s state of mind is when crafting pills. With me here, let''s see who dares step out of line." Seina dered. "Entrusting your fate to a scam artist... Even if you are desperate, you have to remember that you are still a Holy Maiden of our Order. If a grade-eight Apothecary could not cure you, it is impossible for this brat to do so. Just wait and see how he fails and makes a fool out of all of you. Rest assured, I will not give him any excuses to lean on for his failure." Yuveil stated with a trace of contempt. &n bsp; Yuveil did not believe that an inexperienced young man could seed where a grade-eight Apothecary failed. Such an outlook was simplymon knowledge. Yuveil did not know how he managed to deceive Seina and her disciples, but she would not fall for such insignificant tricks. "Once he fails, I can use it as an excuse to officially strip him of his status as an Honorary Saint for misleading us. After that, I will repay the disrespect he has shown me. When that timees, let''s see how arrogant he can remain without the protection of the Holy Maiden." Yuveil thought to herself. Meanwhile, Izroth tapped the side of his cauldron as the mes within red up. . ''So this is an A-ranked fire core. The heat is several times more intense than that of a B-rank fire core. With this, I won''t have to worry about any impurities forming.'' After testing the limits of his new fire core, Izroth reduced the heat to a stable temperature as the mes became gentle yet fierce. The next moment, Izroth closed his eyes and cleared his mind. ¡´Battle Alert: You have activated the skill ?Time Dtion?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Due to the effects of ?Time Dtion?, you will now perceive everything at [90%] of its original speed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered the state ?Mind of Craft?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your crafting speed and senses have been temporarily increased by 300%.¡µ ''Let''s begin.'' Izroth removed the first ingredient from the spatial ring. It was a small dark purple leaf with white spots called the Stargazing Leaf due to the white spots that resembled sparkling stars in the night sky on its surface. ?Resisted? ?Resisted? The moment the leaf appeared in Izroth''s hand, its poisonous effects attempted to spread. However, thanks to his poison resistance, something of this level could not affect him. Izroth dropped the leaf into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. And, the instant it made contact with the mes, the poisonous fumes began to spread all throughout the room. At the same time, Seina lightly tapped her foot on the floor as a group of magic sequences formed. She activated one of the room''s atmosphere control magic formations to contain the poison and stop it from spreading. "The Stargazing Leaf... While it is not lethal, it can still cause those whoe into contact with it to experience paralysis. If not handled with care, one would be rendered helpless the moment they touch it. To not show any signs of paralysis must mean he possesses a special physique that''s capable of resisting poisons. Still, it''s strange. I have heard of a Stargazing Leaf being used as a sedative when mixed with a few other ingredients, but never in pills created for recovery purposes." Seina thought to herself as she closely observed Izroth. As the one who would be potentially consuming the pill, naturally, Seina nned to carefully watch every one of Izroth''s moves. But, at the same time, the Apothecary side of her was curious to see how Izroth nned to utilize ingredients that were typically meant to bring about one''s demise. After Izroth threw in the first ingredient, it did not take long for the second to follow. Then, a third and a fourth. One by one without pause, Izroth started to add the ingredients nonstop to the cauldron, causing it to violently tremble every time something new was added. By the time he reached the twentieth ingredient, a gleeful expression had formed on Yuveil''s face. Yuveil was a grade-six Apothecary; therefore, her knowledge when it came to pill crafting was far from shallow. That''s why when she saw Izroth casually throwing the ingredients into the cauldron without a single care in a world, she almost failed to contain her mockingughter. Fool! This person was an absolute fool! It was not umon for some pill recipes to add a few ingredients to the cauldron at the same time. However, it was generally never more than five. In some rare cases, it could even go as far as seven or eight. But, adding twenty ingredients consecutively to a cauldron without pause¡ªsuch a pill crafting method did not exist! In Yuveil''s eyes, Izroth was an absolute amateur when it came to being an Apothecary. The fact that he could even heat up the cauldron was already a miracle in her eyes. Yuveil nced over at Seina with a delighted grin on her face. As for Seina, she had not taken her eyes off Izroth as she looked on with furrowed brows. At first, Izroth piqued her interest with his bizarre crafting method. However, that interest was slowly turning into bewilderment. "What is his purpose? If he does have one, I cannot see its end... Let us hope that he truly does have one." Seina internalized as she remained silent. At this point, it was toote to turn back. Seina could only ce her hopes in Izroth and hope that her sense of judgment had not indeed been clouded by her condition. Chapter 874 Chapter 874: Pill Rebirth, Hundred Death Poisoning Pill Izroth continued to add the poisonous ingredients to the Dark Abyssal Cauldron one after the other. It was not until he ced the 35th ingredient into the cauldron that he finally stopped. Right as he did so, Izroth increased the me intensity of the cauldron and pushed it to its upper limits. The Dark Abyssal Cauldron trembled as the mes roared on for nearly ten seconds straight. Then, in one smooth motion, a small vial appeared in Izroth''s hand. The instant Izroth opened the vial, Seina wasted no time extending a protective aura around herself and her disciples. Yuveil also took simr action to protect herself. "What is that foul stench...?! Jade, just what dangerous thing did you give to that young man?" Yuveil frowned as she red at Jade. Whatever was in that vial was no ordinary substance considering that it was powerful enough to leak through the shielding of the magic formation. But, more surprisingly, it could even affect those at the high stages of the legendary realm! Jade carefully scrutinized the vial; however, no matter how much she thought about it, there was never such an item included among the ingredients she gathered with her senior sister. "That item was not among those that we provided to the Honorary Saint," Jade replied. She was just as perplexed as Yuveil. "Are you telling me it is something he managed to acquire himself?" Yuveil scoffed. "That is the only usible exnation," Jade responded calmly. Yuveil set her gaze back on Izroth. In her mind, not only was this person''s background too unknown, but also extremely dangerous. After all, there were only a handful of poisonous substances that could affect someone like her who had stepped into thete stage of the legendary realm. "This person... His intention was never to create a cure! What he''s crafting right now is a pill of death!" Yuveil thought to herself. Cure? What cure? She had never heard of a cure that used nothing but poisons, especially one so sinister. The only thing it could "cure" was life by leading one down a path of death! While everyone within the room was left in utter confusion and disbelief by Izroth''s unusual actions, he was only concentrated on the crafting process. After all, if he lost focus for a single moment, the effects of Mind of Craft would immediately cease. After Izroth opened the vial, he carefully added a single drop to the Dark Abyssal Cauldron. Simultaneously, he reduced the intensity of the mes to its lowest possible setting. What Izroth just added to the cauldron was indeed something that was not a part of the materials within the spatial storage ring. In fact, he went through a great deal of effort just to obtain it--the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. Although Izroth only used a single drop, it could still be seen as an incredible waste of such a valuable ingredient. However, in order to ensure that the best possible pill was formed, Izroth had no choice but to pay a small price.When Izroth ced the Blood of the Immortal Hydra into the cauldron, a bone-freezing chill rose from the cauldron and spread throughout the entire crafting room. "This chill... Strange, there does not seem to be an issue with the magic formation." Seina thought to herself as the chill drifted by her. What the Holy Maiden did not know was that the chilling from the cauldron had nothing to do with temperature. Rather, it was simply the pill''s unique "scent" in a manner of speaking. Just that instead of a smell, it was more of a sensation. The sensation grew stronger with every passing moment. It felt as though those present had been abruptly dropped into the center of a snowstorm. However, just as it started to be somewhat unbearable to tolerate, the sensation vanished without a trace. No, more urately, it all converged to a single point--the cauldron in front of Izroth. Rmmmmble! Tssssst... The Dark Abyssal Cauldron shook violently for a few seconds before stabilizing. At the same time, a light hissing sound could be hearding from the cauldron as two dark purple pills slowly rose from its interior. Crrrck! Suddenly, without warning, several cracks appeared on the two pills as they seemed to be breaking apart. When Seina and Yuveil witnessed the pills cracking, the two reacted inpletely opposite manners. Seina was clearly disappointed by the results, while a smile had found its way onto Yuveil''s face. "Oh my, to produce a Fractured Pill in front of others--how embarrassing. It seems like it''s a failure this time. I suppose it''s a good thing your disciple has prepared two hundred batches. But, I fear that with this level of mediocre skill, even five times that amount may not necessarily suffice." Yuveil conveyed with an expression that said ''I told you so''. Fractured Pill--it was a phenomenon that urred near thepletion process of a pill that contained too many impurities to properly form. Such a pill was even worse than the garbage you would find on the side of some random street. Any half-decent Apothecary, even if the pill was not entirely sessful, would at least be able toplete the pill-forming process. Not being able to do so was something that onlyplete amateurs ever experienced! "It is not umon for one to fail in their first attempt when executing difficult pill recipes. As an Apothecary, you should be aware of at least that much. Ah, my apologies, senior sister. My words were a little impolite. I forgot thatmon sense is often lost on you." Seina replied without mincing her words. Yuveil red at Seina as she withheld her anger and maintained a calm outer demeanor. "Hmph, you want to lecture me aboutmon sense when you entrusted some unknown brat with your fate? We will see whomon sense is truly lost on. You can delude yourself all you want. Anyone who crafts a Fractured Pill obviously has no idea what they''re doing." Yuveil mocked. "Who says the pills I''ve made are fractured?" Izroth''s voice sounded. Once the two pills formed and began to crack, Izroth deactivated his Time Dtion skill and exited his Mind of Craft state as he turned to face Yuveil. "I said it. What? You want to object? The results speak for themselves!" Yuveil scowled.He failed and now he was trying to save face when the results were as clear as day? Did he take them for fools? Howughable! "You are correct about one thing. The results do indeed speak for themselves. However, you should wait for the results before speaking." Izroth said with a carefree expression. Right when Izroth finished speaking, the pills began to fall apart as small fragments broke off and fell into the cauldron. However, what happened next left everyone present stunned. Instead of crumbling or dissolving into nothingness, a faint glow emitted from the pill as the fragments fell off. The most shocking fact that was the pills were still one piece. But, they were no longer dark purple in color. The two pills had transformed into a deeply saturated blue that released a soft light blue hue. "This is...!" Seina''s eyes widened in shock as she was left momentarily speechless. "Impossible...!" Yuveil''s facial expression became extremely ugly at the appearance of those pills. "Incredible..." Sychia muttered to herself as she stared in awe. She was only a grade-three Apothecary; therefore, her knowledge and skill were limitedpared to someone like her master or the First Guardian Yuveil. However, even she could tell that the pill Izroth created was nothing short of a masterpiece. "Pill Rebirth... It''s actually Pill Rebirth...!" Seina eximed in disbelief. The Holy Maiden could not believe her eyes. Even as a grade-seven Apothecary, out of the tens upon tens of thousands of pills she crafted, less than ten of them had undergone a Pill Rebirth! A Pill Rebirth was an extremely rare urrence that could only happen when a pill thoroughly transcended its limits and the Apothecary entered the legendary Mind of Craft state! But, even after entering that state, producing a pill that had undergone a Pill Rebirth was far from guaranteed. The reason why Yuveil and even Seina had mistaken the Pill Rebirth for Fractured Pills was that the two had a simr emerging process. Not to mention, Pill Rebirths was such an extreme rarity that it was only natural to believe that it was Fractured Pills that appeared. Izroth took the pills into his hands. He immediately ced one into his inventory. After doing so, he inspected the remaining pill in the palm of his hand. ''Oh? It turned out even better than I anticipated. Was it because of the Immortal Hydra''s blood?'' ?€?System Alert: Congrattions, you have sessfully created a new pill; please name it.?€¡ë ''Since it''s a name that entric guy liked, I suppose it will do.'' "Hundred Death Poisoning Pill," Izroth said with a carefree smile. Chapter 875 Chapter 875: Internal Matters of the Order, A Last Card To y ¡´System Alert: Congrattions! You are the first yer to craft a Grade Five Pill and have been rewarded!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 150 World Fame!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received 40 gold coins!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have x1 ?Special Material Bag?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have reached an unprecedented milestone for your profession and have been rewarded!¡µ ¡´System Alert: All items crafted from the ?Apothecary? profession will have their effects permanently increased by 10%.¡µ Name: Special Material Bag(Soulbound) Usage: Randomly generates one rare or higher quality material that is rted to the user''s profession. If the user has no profession, this bag cannot be opened. Special Note: This item is soulbound to its original owner and cannot be traded or sold. This item is automatically destroyed if dropped from the user''s inventory. Name: Hundred Death Poisoning Pill(Unique*) Rank: Grade-Five Usage: The user who consumes this pill permanently gains the passive skill ?Poison Resistance III? and temporarily experiences the effects of ?Poisoning Panacea?. Special Note: This pill can be consumed more than once. However, consuming this pill a second time will not grant the skill ?Poison Resistance III?. Izroth received a flood of system alerts; however, his primary focus was on the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill in his hand. ''It''s both unique and grade-five. It''s my first time seeing a pill like this in RML. The Immortal Hydra''s blood is certainly one aspect of it, but... Does it also have something to do with the non-reurring effect?'' Unlike themonly crafted pill, the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill had both temporary and permanent effects upon consumption. This meant that just like the Self Awakening Pill, it was a rare pill that could be consumed more than once and still bring about benefits! There were just two problems. Even though Izroth only used a single drop of the Immortal Hydra''s Blood, he was still using an invaluable mythical-ranked material. Therefore, mass producing them with the same quality was out of the question. But, more importantly, such a pill was the natural enemy of assassins who relied on poisonous means to get rid of their targets. If it were just a normal antidote, there would be no issue since most antidotes were limited to specific poisons. And, while there were several ways to cleanse weaker poisons, the same could not be said for those more cruel and lethal high-ranking poisons. The frightening thing about the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill for assassins was that it did not just grant resistance to a thousand poisons, it also acted as a Poisoning Panacea. In other words, it was a cure-all pill when it came to poisons! If anyone were to produce such a pill, they would immediately be the target of those lurking in the shadows. After all, how could they allow their primary killing method to suffer such a massive setback? Of course, Izroth was not afraid of those lurking in the shadows. Nor was he against mass producing the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill. But, now was not the right time. ''Until I find a suitable substitute for the Immortal Hydra''s blood, I will hold off on introducing this at the Mystical Realm Pce.'' The first yer crafted grade-five pill in RML¡ªif others knew about this, they would faint from shock. That''s because, currently, most yers were still struggling to craft grade two pills consistently. As for those who were capable of crafting grade three pills, while the exact number of individuals was unknown, it was believed to be less than five in all of RML! And, grade four pills? Even Worldly Skies, the person known as the second Pill Emperor, had just recently managed to step through that door. Therefore, for Izroth to craft a grade five pill when most others were still two to three stages behind¡ªit was no wonder the system viewed it as an unprecedented achievement! After he examined the pill, Izroth walked over to Seina and stopped a few steps before her. "Once you consume this pill, the remaining toxin in your body should fully dissipate," Izroth said as he handed the pill over to Seina. He then continued, "I also rmend that you make some adjustments to your diet. In particr, what you drink." When Izroth said thosest few words, he nced over to observe Yuveil''s reaction. However, despite her unpleasant attitude, Izroth did not see any clear signs of someone who had just been indirectly exposed. Nevertheless, it was also a possibility that Yuveil was simply good at hiding herself. And so, he could not readily jump to conclusions. After all, without any proof at hand, it remained a suspicion. ''I''ll end things here. In the end, this is an internal matter of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. It is up to her to solve it. By treating her poison, I''ve done my part.'' The quest only stated that he had to find a way to cure the Holy Maiden. And, while he had taken a liking to the master and disciple pair, Izroth had other important matters to attend to that required his attention. He held no obligation to the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. Besides, once the poison was cured, Izroth had a striking feeling that Seina would be more than enough to deal with things on her own. After Seina epted the pill from Izroth, she did not immediately consume it. Instead, she carefully scrutinized it. "Amazing... It is only a grade-five pill, but the strong medicinal scent it''s releasing is clearly above that level. It''s as if two separate pills at different levels have merged into one while retaining their own unique identities. Even after crafting a few pills that have undergone Pill Rebirth myself, it is the first time I have seen such a phenomenon. How fascinating." Seina said aloud as she could not hide her inner Apothecary. "So what if it''s undergone Pill Rebirth? If it can''t cure your illness, then it''s useless. Not to mention, it''s a suspicious pill containing only poisonous ingredients. How can such a thing possibly cure anyone? I wouldn''t be surprised if it gave you a stomachache instead." Yuveil stated. Then, as if an idea had suddenlye to her head, a slight grin appeared on Yuveil''s face. "But, on the off chance that the pill does work, this young man would have done a great deed for our Order. Of course, you must understand that as the one who carries the title of First Guardian, it is my duty to ensure and protect the interests of the Order above all else. Naturally, that also means making sure your health is taken care of, Holy Maiden." Yuveil said without mincing her words. Seina inwardly frowned. She did not know what Yuveil was up to, but considering her abrasive personality, the Holy Maiden knew that it could not be anything good. Yuveil set her sights on Izroth and said, "Since you crafted two pills and our Order gathered the ingredients for it, shouldn''t that pill also naturally belong to us? That''s why, using my authority as the First Guardian, I hereby dere that you turn over the second pill in your possession for extensive testing. Once we have confirmed that it will not harm the Holy Maiden, we will then feed the pill to a poisoned beast to confirm its effects. If the poisoned beast survives and fully recovers after some days of observation, only then will we consider allowing the Holy Maiden to consume the pill." She then continued, "Normally, we would not have had the time to do so; however, since our Holy Maiden was able to recover to the point of moving around and disying some strength, it should not be a problem to dy it for a few more days." Sychia''s eyes widened in shock. A few days? Just because her master could move around, Izroth had already stated back in the room that the effects were only temporary! If she had to wait a few days for testing and everything else to consume the pill, wouldn''t it be toote? Her words sounded as though they came from a ce of concern, but wasn''t Yuveil basically trying to sentence her master to death?! "Oh? And if I refuse to wait for such nonsense... Just how do you and the guardians n to stop me?" Seina said with a cold gaze as a heavy aura pressed down on Yuveil and swept throughout the entire room. Yuveil winced from the pressure as her expression darkened. However, the grin on her face only grew wider. "This is why you have no allies among the guardians, you ignorant brute...!" Yuveil thought to herself. "Obviously, even if we were ten times braver, we dare not attempt to stop the Holy Maiden. It''s just that if the pill fails and something ends up happening to you, then... Oh my, I wonder who the Order will turn to for answers? Perhaps it is the disciple who brought an unknown person back to our Thousand Blossoms Peak and the senior sisters who aided in her efforts." Yuveil stated. "...You dare threaten my disciples?" Seina''s entire expression shifted as a suffocating pressurepletely epassed Yuveil. Chapter 876 Chapter 876: Matters of Respect Seina would tolerate many things; however, threatening her disciples, who she treated and raised as her own daughters, was the same as touching a dragon''s reversal scale! That being said, even though Seina saw right through Yuveil''s actions, it was still enough to make her momentarily hesitate. If the pill truly did not heal her, then after she was gone, who would protect her disciples from those vying for power within the order? The guardians? After her constantly declining health, the few that were on her side had switched over to Yuveil. Yuveil''s influence was already at the top among the guardians, and none of them would speak out against her. This was even more so if Seina was not around. "After all these years... Master, why did you choose me that day?" Seina thought to herself as she closed her eyes to contemte. The Holy Maiden had several disciples; however, only one of them would ultimately be the Holy Maiden and stand at the top of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. Back then, the previous Holy Maiden, who was also Seina and Yuveil''s master, had chosen her over her senior sister. Ever since that day, her rtionship with Yuveil had never been the same. She could not help but think that if, on that day, her master had instead chosen Yuveil instead of her, perhaps the current state of the Order would be better off. As these thoughts crossed Seina''s mind, a familiar voice snapped her out of her most inner thoughts. "Master, do not worry about your disciple! I believe in the pill Izroth has crafted!" Sychia abruptly dered. "Insolent! How dare you interrupt when your elders are speaking?! Have you been taught no respect?!" Yuveil scowled. "First Guardian Yuveil! Although you are my elder, I am the Thousand Blossoms Maiden. As next in line for bing the Holy Maiden, in terms of authority, the only one who ranks above me is my master. I ask that you take my position into ount when speaking about matters of respect." Sychia stated with a resolute look in her eyes. Even though she was still inexperienced in several aspects, she was not mindless. That''s why, in order not to further burden her ill master, Sychia stood by silently and endured many years for her sake. But, the thought of losing her master as she remained idle and continued to endure silently awakened a side of Sychia that even she herself had no idea existed. Yuveil''s expression turned extremely ugly when she heard Sychia''s words. Her junior sister was one thing. But, now, even some naive girl dared to speak to her so brazenly?! How could she not be absolutely livid?! "Sy..." Seina uttered with an indication of shock. Seina was taken aback by Sychia''s sudden outburst. That child, who was usually well reserved and polite, was now speaking up for herself. And, that look in her eyes¡ªthere was not the slightest hint of backing down or retreating in the resolve those eyes contained. A feeling of pride swelled within Seina as a charming and warm smile had unknowingly found its way onto her face. "You have grown up right before my eyes, Sy... You are no longer that little frightened and abandoned child I found on that day. You have grown into a lovely young woman." Seina thought to herself as she was ovee with an indescribable feeling of happiness. Yet, there was also a bit of sadness and emptiness mixed within when she saw the child she raised be a young woman. "I see... This immense feeling of joy with a hint of emptiness... Is this how a mother feels when her child has blossomed this beautifully?" Seina internalized. The following moment, Jade stepped forward and stated firmly, "While I do not know much about this Izroth, I know my junior sister. Master, I trust in the judgment of my junior sister. Please do not worry about us. No matter what happens to you, the three of us sisters will never allow the other to suffer. If senior sister Sylvia were here with us, I''m sure she would feel the same as us, master." Seina stayed silent for a while. Then, a few momentster, she released a small sigh. "You two... Very well. Since they are so adamant, for the sake of my precious disciples, I shall proceed with consuming the pill crafted by Apothecary Izroth." Seina said as she announced her decision. "Think about what you''re doing! Do you really want to go against the will of the guardians in this matter?! If something happens to you, then-!" Yuveil eximed. But, the First Guardian was swiftly interrupted by Seina. "First Guardian Yuveil, since you seem to enjoy lecturing my disciple so much on respect, need I remind you that I am still the Holy Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms? If you wish to formally protest, you may go to the other guardians and do so. However, I have made my choice. Now, leave this ce¡ªwhile I am still asking politely." Seina stated coldly. Yuveil''s face flushed bright red as she tightly clenched her fists in an attempt to contain her anger. "Hmph, I will take this matter to the guardians at once! Even if you are the Holy Maiden, there are certain rules you must follow! I will be making a formal protest!" Yuveil scoffed as she stormed out of the crafting room. But, just before leaving the crafting room, she red onest time at Izroth. ... After Yuveil left the crafting room, the atmosphere immediately became more rxed. Sychia and Jade released a long sigh of relief. It was not easy for them to speak up against the First Guardian Yuveil. And, by doing so, they knew that, in the future, Yuveil would try her best to find faults with them. Nevertheless, they meant every word they said and would say it again without hesitation for their master''s sake. "My apologies, Apothecary Izroth. We have shown you quite the disgraceful disy." Seina said as she faced Izroth. She then continued, "As for the second pill you crafted and the leftover ingredients my disciples gathered; naturally, we will not ask you to turn it over. In fact, please think of it as a small gift for allowing me to witness a Pill Rebirth with my own eyes after so long. And, as a small apology on behalf of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms for the inhospitable actions of its First Guardian towards our Honorary Saint." The two-hundred batches of ingredients that Sylvia and Jade gathered were easily worth several thousands of gold coins. For someone like Seina, who was a grade-seven Apothecary, what were a few thousand gold coins? It was not even enough to be considered pocket change in her eyes! It''s why the Holy Maiden referred to it as a "small gift" rather than a form ofpensation. After all, if her illness was really healed, how could her lifepare to a measly few thousands of gold coins? "Since you wish to gift it to me, then I will not refuse. As for the other matters at hand, it is not worthy enough for me to take them to heart. Against those who doubt me, I will allow the results to speak for themselves." Izroth responded nonchntly. Izroth had nothing to prove to someone like Yuveil; therefore, he took her words as senseless ramblings. In the end, he did not have time to waste entertaining whatever petty schemes she wanted to set in motion. Izroth was willing to overlook Yuveil''s actions this once. It could be considered his version of a "small gift" to Sychia and her master for bringing back some old fond memories of his own master. But, if Yuveil ignored his moment of kindness and still nned to drag him into the middle of their internal affairs, then she would have to bear the consequences. Seina gave a small nod of approval to Izroth''s response. The next moment, the Holy Maiden looked down at the pill in her hand and then at her two disciples, who could not contain their nervous and anxious expressions. A light smile appeared on Seina''s face. Then, without wasting another moment, she consumed the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill. Tsssssst! The instant Seina consumed the pill, a burst of icy wind was forcibly expelled from her body. This icy wind was cold enough to instantly freeze the floor around Seina as severalyers of frost could be seen on multiple areas of her body. ''I knew the poison was not normal, but to have this kind of reaction to the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill... It''s even more vicious than I anticipated.'' Izroth looked down at his feet, where ayer of ice had begun to build up. Fortunately, his Heavenly Golden Body made it so that he could endure the cold without much issue. As for Sychia and Jade, the two channeled their mana and remained close to one another to fend off the cold energy. The two had no intention of leaving their master''s side; therefore, to them, tolerating this level of frost was nothing. Chapter 877 Chapter 877: Living Poison, Approaching Troubles? Shrrieeeeek! Out of nowhere, a loud ear-piercing screech filled the room. This cry caused an almost instinctual level of fear when it emerged. At the same time, theyers of frost on Seina''s skin started to break away and converge toward the source of the cry. In the blink of an eye, the cold energy transformed into the shape of a bird-like beast with sharp talons and three serpents that acted as tails. Shrrieeeeek! "What is that thing...?!" Jade eximed as her eyes widened in shock. "I am not certain, but it seems to be the source of the cold energy guing master. Just where did such a terrible thinge from?" Sychia frowned. Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he observed the bizarre phenomenon. This was his first time seeing it in RML; however, based on its appearance and the circumstances, he reached a swift conclusion. Back on the Sky Pce when Izroth was choosing his reward forpleting the second team''s selection, he came across a withered scroll. On that scroll, it mentioned special types of poisonous treasures that could only be found deep within the Wild Lands. It also just so happened that one of the books Izroth read in Seina''s crafting room went into great detail about this particr type of poison. Of course, it was not surprising a high-ranking Apothecary had such a rare book. After all, there were many uses for poisons in a positive light when it came to pill crafting if one could find the proper method to safely process them. ''This is... Living Poison?'' Living Poison¡ªjust as its name suggested, it was a special type of poison that was alive and sentient. In terms of existence, it was closer to that of a monster than poison; however, due to its unique nature, it was categorized as poison. Unlike typical poisons, a Living Poison acted as a parasite that fed off its host. But, what was even more rming was the fact that it could develop and evolve over time. The Living Poison would adapt to its environment andpletely consume its host. This ultimately destroyed the Living Poison itself since it needed its host in order to survive after it assimted with them. However, the sole purpose of its existence was to terminate the life of the one it affected. This meant that even if it led to its demise, it would not hesitate to do what was necessary. It was also capable of protecting its own existence when threatened, which is why it revealed itself aftering under the assault of the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill. While it was most dangerous in this state, Izroth viewed this as a good sign. ''Since it revealed itself, it must mean that the Hundred Poisoning Pill is effective against it. But-'' Izroth ced his hand on the hilt of his de. ''I should not take any chances.'' Just as Izroth was ready to unsheath his Sword of the Storm, a voice suddenly sounded in his head. "Youngest, there is some trouble headed your way." The voice warned. The voice belonged to the Son of Thunder, Astratis. As for how he was able tomunicate with Izroth over such a long distance, from the very beginning, Astratis used his ethos to remain linked to Izroth. This way, if Izroth was in trouble, he could rush over to his aid immediately. Back in the Fourth Heart of the World, using this method was too risky due to how sensitive the pirs were to ethos; however, the Mortal Realm was different. Since ethos could not be detected and felt in the same way as mana, it could easily fly under the radar of even the most mana-sensitive beings. This made it a near-perfect way ofmunication. ''Trouble? What is it?'' "I''m not sure. But judging by the atmosphere around them, I can tell that those guys are up to no good. I don''t know if it''ll help or not, but we overheard them arguing among themselves as to who would take the lead. I believe the two groups called themselves the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n." Astratis replied. ''The Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n? Their appearance was inevitable. But, isn''t this a bit too fast? Not to mention, it is too well timed.'' Izroth knew that news of what happened in the Secret Realm would reach those groups eventually. This much could not be avoided. However, the first to make their move should have been the Fifth Great n. What did not add up was the presence of the Eight Heavens. It was true that Zouren had not returned from the Secret Realm, but they should not have discovered this news so quickly. After all, Sychia eliminated Luxia''s clone before Izroth took care of Zouren. Therefore, there should have been no way they knew of the following events that urred. However, what other reason would they have to visit the Thousand Blossoms Peak together with people from the Fifth Great n? "I know you told us toy low, but I don''t like this one bit. Should wee and pick you up?" Astratis inquired. Shrieeeek! Izroth did not take his eyes off the Living Poison as he silently pondered for a moment. ''No. I will remain here to see things through until the end. For now, stay where you are. If there is any danger that I am unable to handle, I will call for you.'' "Hm... Alright. I know that you can take care of yourself, but be careful. We''ll be keeping a close eye on things from down here." Astratis stated. ''Then, I''ll be counting on the two of you.'' The next moment, Astratis closed the link between himself and Izroth. While the two could still reach each other at any time, their connection was temporarily halted. ''The chances of those from the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n visiting the Thousand Blossoms Peak for something rted to the Secret Realm is high. However, there is still the possibility their visit may be entirely unrted to the matter. I will have to wait and see how things y out.'' If the two groups really dide to pick a fight with him, Izroth was not afraid. Though given the present circumstances, he believed it was more probable that they were here to get some answers from Sychia and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. ''There''s no use in thinking about it too much. For now, I will deal with what''s in front of me.'' Without warning, a strong gale of icy wind scattered throughout the room. "This chill...! It feels like it is piercing through my bones..! Was master suffering this much the entire time?" Sychia uttered to herself. How could her master smile and make such peaceful expressions while enduring this type of torment every day?! When she thought of this, Sychia became even more infuriated at the thought that someone may have poisoned her master. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, the Living Poison set its sights on Izroth and dived right towards him as it unleashed a mighty screech! Since it was a parasitic-type existence, the Living Poison could not survive for long in its current form. After being forced out of Seina''s body by the Hundred Poisoning Pill, it needed to find a new host to inhabit. And, since Izroth was the closest, it naturally chose him as its new target! Shrieeeek! ¡´System Alert: A new target has been found by the ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron?. Would you like to activate the skill ?Beast Spirit Absorption??¡µ Izroth was a bit taken aback by the system alert. That''s because Beast Spirit Absorption was something that should only be usable on dead monsters. ''Can it be that the system considers a developed Living Poison without a host the same as a dead monster?'' It was true that a Living Poison was closer to a monster than actual poison; however, Izroth did not think it would be possible to use Beast Spirit Absorption on it. But, since the system was so eager to give him such a great gift, how could he refuse? ''Activate it.'' The instant Izroth made his choice, the Dark Abyssal Cauldron not too far from him morphed its shape as it rushed to his side with haste! ¡´System Alert: The item ?Dark Abyssal Cauldron? has transformed into the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Beast Spirit Absorption? has been activated!¡µ Grrrraawrrrr! The terrifying cry of a mythical beast rang throughout the crafting room as five purple serpents made of energy emerged from Izroth''s Dark Abyssal Armlet. Though these were no ordinary serpents. They were sea serpents. To be more precise, they resembled a smaller version of the Immortal Hydra''s heads! Faced with an overwhelming presence, an instinctual fear overtook the Living Poison, causing it to change its course. Instead of going for Izroth, it was now aiming for Sychia and Jade! However, before it could reach the two, one of the purple sea serpents wrapped around its left talon. Soon after, the second sea serpent coiled around its neck as the other three also moved to bound the Living Poison''s movements. Shrieeeek! The Living Poison cried out; however, it was toote. Swoosh! In the blink of an eye, the purple sea serpents retracted back into Izroth''s Dark Abyssal Armlet, dragging the Living Poison in along with it! ¡´System Alert: The spirit ?Withering Frost Shade? has sessfully been absorbed by the ?Dark Abyssal Armlet?. [Spirits Absorbed: 1/8]¡µ The moment Izroth absorbed the Living Poison, he received another set of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Find a way to cure the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina? of their illness.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?A Hopeful Promise?.¡µ Chapter 878 Chapter 878: Visitors of the Thousand Blossoms Peak ¡´System Alert: Your favor with the ?Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina? has been maxed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have be an Official Saint of the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the ?Order of a Thousand Blossoms? is already maxed! Generating a new reward...¡µ ¡´System Alert: A new reward has been generated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Legendary Item Treasure Chest?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Branch of the Ancestral Thousand Blossoms Tree?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Magic Formation Blueprint: Endless Sword Blossom Array?!¡µ As Izroth received the stream of system alerts, not too far away from him, the aura around Seina had undergone a drastic transformation. There was no longer a presence of coldness that lingered within and around her. Instead, it was reced by a vibrant source of life. In addition, the Holy Maiden''s ghostly pale skin had regained some color as her cheeks lightly flushed a rosy shade of pink. Seina stood motionless with her eyes closed as she circted the mana within her body. The next moment, her eyes widened in shock as she uttered, "It''s gone...!" Previously, whenever she attempted to circte her mana, Seina would be ovee with severe pain. It was as though millions of tiny microscopic des were piercing into her mana stream. However, that pain when she circted her mana was no longer there. To Seina, who had endured that level of torment for what seemed like an eternity, it was an incredibly refreshing feeling. "Master!" Sychia and Jade cried out as the two rushed over to Seina''s side. "Master, are you alright? How are you feeling?" Sychia asked with an expression of concern and anxiousness. A light and calming smile appeared on Seina''s face as she responded, "I feel as though I have returned to the days of my youth. Although it will still take some time before I can recover to my peak condition, there are no longer any traces of that terrifying chill inside of me. Thanks to a certain stubborn disciple of mine, I am well. Sy, I am well." When thosest few words left Seina''s mouth, a look of disbelief formed on Sychia''s face as a flood of thoughts rushed into her head. Disobeying her master''s orders, tricking her senior sister, running away to the Secret Realm, being ambushed and poisoned, meeting Izroth¡ªeverything happened within such a short span of time. So much so that she had no time to slow down and think of her actions. The only thing on her mind the entire time was to find a way to cure her master. And, in the end, she found a way. An overwhelming wave of emotion swept over Sychia as a stream of tears fell from her eyes as she tightly embraced her master. She was unable to contain the flood of emotions as her cries echoed throughout the crafting room. "Silly girl. You are all grown up. Why are you crying like such a child?" Seina said in a helpless manner. But, despite the Holy Maiden''s words, the tears that ran down her face told a different story. Jade lowered her head and covered her eyes with her forearm as she, too, could not hold back her tears. Meanwhile, Izroth stood silently and allowed the master and disciples to have their moment as a carefree smile formed on his face. ''Well, I suppose this kind of feeling is not bad.'' ... Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Thousand Blossoms Peak... At the moment, a group of several individuals stood before the gate that led into the Thousand Blossoms Peak. This gate was the main entrance into the Thousand Blossoms Peak and was where most members of the Order, as well as guests, arrived. "What is the meaning of this? We have traveled all this way, and this is the greeting that we receive? Are you looking down on my Eight Heavens?" One of the individuals at the head of the group said coldly. It was a middle-aged man wearing loose-fitting martial robes. He had ck hair with streaks of gray running throughout it and a pair of light blue eyes. And, on his face was a neatly maintained beard. NPC Name: High Enforcer of the Eight Heavens, Balugon(???) NPC Level: ??? "Indeed. This treatment is quite rude. Though, I suppose this type of behavior is as expected when ites to human etiquette. Our Fifth Great n has supported your Order of a Thousand Blossoms since its founding days. With such history, do you not think it appropriate for your Holy Maiden to be the one who personally greets us upon our visit?" The woman next to Balugon spoke in an elegant manner. At a nce, one could tell that this woman was a member of the trephasia race. Not just by her pointed ears, but also by her great beauty. She possessed silk-like silver hair that flowed down past her lower back and a set of beautiful emerald green eyes. And, the expensive attire she donned was suitable for that of a mage. NPC Name: Tempest of the Fifth Great n, Avia(???) NPC Level: ??? "My apologies, elders. Our Holy Maiden is currently attending to important matters that could not be dyed. So, I, her first disciple, havee to greet you in my master''s stead. Of course, our Order of a Thousand Blossoms wees the Eight Heavens and Fifth Great n. It is just that we were not made aware of your uing visit. If we had known, we would have prepared a more suitable wee." Sylvia said calmly. Sylvia was barely able to contain herself in front of this group. It was their members who attempted to harm her junior sister. Now, they had the audacity toe to their Thousand Blossoms Peak in such an arrogant way. How could she not be furious? Nevertheless, Sylvia put the Order above her personal feelings and maintained her level-headedness. "Junior sister Jade should have already delivered the materials. But, I am not certain how long the entire crafting process will take. Or, more importantly, if the cure will even work as intended. That''s why, no matter what, I cannot allow these vultures to know of master''s current condition." Sylvia thought to herself. It was true that the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and the Fifth Great n were close from the beginning; however, that had to do with their ancestors who were great friends. But, as time passed, the Fifth Great n began to view them as more of a vassal rather than as equals as it was during the days of their ancestor. Therefore, the rtionship between them had been on a slow downward spiral. As for the Eight Heavens, the Order of a Thousand Blossoms had no history with them. But, they were not someone who could be ignored. The Eight Heavens were well known for giving birth to talented individuals who grew up to be powerful and influential legendary realm powerhouses. Even those major kingdoms would to a moment to think twice about bing their enemy. "Important matters? What nonsense! What could be more important than weing a High Enforcer from the Eight Heavens?! It is your Order''s highest honor to receive me!" Balugon scoffed as a frown appeared on his face. "My apologies. This disciple understands the elder''s frustrations, but it is truly an important matter. Please, allow me to wee you into our Thousand Blossoms Peak and arrange some entertainment until my master-" Sylvia was speaking before she was suddenly interrupted. "What is going on here?!" A voice echoed as a shower of cherry blossoms appeared before the gates of the Thousand Blossoms Peak. The following moment, a figure emerged from the cherry blossoms as they dispersed in every direction. The one who arrived was none other than the First Guardian of the Thousand Blossoms, Yuveil. "Exin!" Yuveil said as she red at Sylvia. "I-" As Sylvia was about to speak, Avia cut her off. "What''s going on? It''s simple. Your young disciple was just exining to us how unimportant our presence is here¡ªsince it is not even worth a proper greeting. Ah, what should I do? I came here in an attempt to smooth things over, but... If this affects the rtionship between your Order and our Fifth Great n, then..." Avia said with a calm smile. p! Sylvia''s eyes widened in shock as Yuveil''s hand made contact with her face. "How dare you treat our honored guests in such an inhospitable way! Why have you not shown them in yet?!" Yuveil shouted as she looked at Sylvia with a cold gaze. Sylvia was left speechless and dumbfounded. She had not even had the chance to exin her side things. Yet, her senior aunt took the words of outsiders at face value and humiliated her in front of them! This caused Sylvia to boil over with rage as she was filled with a sense of injustice. But, how could she raise her hand against her senior aunt? She could only swallow this bitter humiliation. Then, taking a full turn, a weing and warm smile formed on Yuveil''s face as she said, "Honored guests, please, allow me to escort you to our Thousand Blossoms Peak. As the First Guardian, I shall ensure that all your needs are well met." Chapter 879 Chapter 879: No Room For Compromise, Close Future Ties? ... Meanwhile... The mood inside the crafting room became lighter as things finally settled down. "It is a littlete; however, allow me to properly express my gratitude, Apothecary Izroth¡ªno, since you saved the life of a Holy Maiden, I suppose now it is Saint Izroth," Seina said with a blossoming smile. Just like with the Thousand Blossom Maiden, saving the life of a Holy Maiden had its benefits. But, instead of simply being an Honorary Saint of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, one would be an Official Saint! Although it was only a difference of one word, the two could not bepared. An Official Saint would receive the same treatment as a Thousand Blossom Maiden; however, they held no direct responsibility for the Order of a Thousand Blossoms. In other words, they were treated as a great benefactor! "No one has received the title of an Official Saint since the founding of our Order. Back then, our ancestor was close friends with a member of the trephasia Great ns. That benefactor saved our ancestor''s life. They are the reason why our Order can exist until this day. And, the reason why whoever saves the life of a Holy Maiden is considered an Official Saint of our Order." Seina exined. She then continued, "Ah, but please do not worry. Even though it seems like a title thates with a heavy burden, it is actually quite the opposite. Think of it as being our honored benefactor to whom we owe an unpayable debt of gratitude." Due to the somewhat grandiose name of the title, Seina was afraid that Izroth may misunderstand her intentions and was trying to forcibly restrict him to her Order of a Thousand Blossoms. Of course, after seeing his skills as an Apothecary firsthand, Seina would like nothing more for Izroth to officially join their Order. Unfortunately, because of the unique nature of their skills and origins, their Order only epted female disciples. "It''s a shame. Truly, a shame." Seina thought to herself as she inwardly sighed. ''A benefactor, is it? That''s fine by me. As long as it does not interfere with anything, it is only advantageous for me.'' Izroth knew that the reward from an SSS-ranked quest was nothing to scoff at. How many yers would kill to have max favor with a strong group like the Order of a Thousand Blossoms? And, how many of those same yers would die a thousand times if it meant they could acquire max favor with a person at the peak of the legendary realm? For the vast majority of yers, even speaking to a peak legendary realm figure was neigh impossible. As for gaining their favor, it was easier to clear a hardcore raid than to do so¡ªlet alone earn max favor with one. "I see. Since the Holy Maiden is so sincere, how can I turn down her gratitude? I will happily ept your kindness." Izroth said with a carefree smile. Seina shook her head and replied, "It is I and my Order who are happy to ept you. I owe you my life. The price of a life owed is not cheap. That''s why..." Seina leaned in and whispered in Izroth''s ear, "If anyone dares to trouble you in the future,e look for me. I will be sure to give you a satisfying result." The next moment, Seina stood up straight and began to walk towards the door. The Holy Maiden suddenly stopped and said, "Feel free to use my name if it helps. Even those old monsters will have to think twice aboutying a hand on you. Ah, also, take this. Although it is a bit old, it should still hold some weight." Woosh! Seina tossed a small object at Izroth as he caught it in his hand. ''Hm?'' Izroth examined the item as its system information popped up. Name: Twin Blossom Crest(Soulbound) Rank: S-Ranked Usage: Whenever the one in possession of this item reveals it, those who see it must treat their presence and words the same as the Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden. Authority granted by this item does not supersede or overrule that of the Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden. Special Note: This item cannot be replicated, traded, or sold and is soulbound to the user. ''Oh? It hasn''t been long, but it seems like I''ve already managed to get my hands on something useful.'' This was not a reward mentioned in the quest. Instead, it was an item given to him directly by Seina. Izroth ced the Twin Blossom Crest into his inventory. "What do you n on doing now?" Izroth asked. "Unfortunately, any celebration will have to wait. There are some matters that must be settled without dy. There is no longer room forpromise. Also, it would appear that I have some unexpected visitors to greet." Seina replied as a cold gaze shed through her eyes. Due to her declining health, for the sake of her disciples, Seina made a lot ofpromises. As a result, her disciples had to suffer and endure due to no fault of their own. But, no more. No more would she remain idle as the guardians abused their authority in the name of the Order and the greater good. No more would she silently tolerate the constant oversteps of her authority. Sychia frowned, "Master, you have just recovered. You should at least rest before-" "Sy, I have rested enough for several lifetimes. Besides, it is time I remind everyone who is the Holy Maiden of our Order," Seina stated with a serious expression. After hearing those words, Sychia could no longer find it within herself to protest. She was still concerned about her master, who had just recovered. However, she was aware of the current fractured state of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and its out-of-control guardians. If things continued on this path, then it was only a matter of time until their Order reached a point of no return. "Allow me to apany you," Izroth said calmly as he stepped forward. "Hm? It''s not that I mind, but¡ªis there any particr reason you wish to apany me?" Seina inquired. "You could say I have a bit of history with your guests," Izroth answered. A bit of history was an understatement. Even though his history with the Fifth Great n was brief, he was still viewed in a negative light after he decided to cure Sychia of her poison back in the Secret Realm. But, Izroth''s history with the Eight Heavens was far from small. During the second team''s selection, he killed one of their most prized and talented disciples, Roudin. Then, in the Secret Realm, he eliminated another one of their treasured disciples, Zouren. With their talent, those two were individuals who were guaranteed to reach a high stage of the legendary realm in the future. Even for a powerful organization like the Eight Heavens, losing two talents of that degree was no small blow. This was even more so considering the vast amount of resources they must have received to reach their strength at such a young age. As for why Izroth wanted to apany Seina, he was simply curious as to how the other party would react to his presence. If they showed no reaction, it would be clear that they did note here searching for him intentionally. In other words, he would have just happened to have been in the wrong ce at the wrong time. However, if they really were here to settle matters with him, then... ''I will make sure they know that I, Izroth, am not so easy to bully.'' ... Inside the Thousand Blossoms Peak main hall... At the moment, several disciples from the Order of a Thousand Blossoms were dancing elegantly at the center of the main hall. With every step they made, a new cherry blossom formed. And, as their steps quickened, it was not long before the main hall turned into a scene that could typically only be seen when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. As the disciples danced, at the head of the hall with avish banquet disyed on the table before them were Yuveil, Balugon, and Avia. The remaining few guests stood silently behind their respective leaders. "It has been quite some time since I havest had the honor of witnessing the Dance of the Blossom Festival," Avia said as she took a sip of tea. "Not bad. Not bad. Your female disciples are not only talented at the dancing arts, but their looks are also a step above most others. I have a few young disciples I''d like to introduce to them sometime. Perhaps over time, it will help connect our two groups as more than just acquaintances." Balugon stated. "It would be our great honor, High Enforcer Balugon. I am sure our disciples will get along quite well." Yuveil said as she was barely able to hide the gleeful expression on her face. Chapter 880 Chapter 880: A Decisive Holy Maiden! Sylvia stood silently not too far away from Yuveil; however, when she heard the guardian''s words, she was left stunned. In order to properly cultivate their Order''s techniques, their disciples could not ever be with a man. Otherwise, the imbnce would cause irreversible damage. In other words, their strength would revert to a level that was just as weak as before they even started training! "How could Aunt Yuveil entertain such an outrageous offer? Who does not know about the unique circumstances of our Order? It is obvious these people came here with no good intentions. I have to warn master, but..." Sylvia thought to herself as she furrowed her brows. BANG! Without warning, the doors to the main hall blew open, causing a momentary scene of panic among the disciples. "What''s this? You''re already throwing me a celebration so soon? My, you really shouldn''t have." A familiar voice echoed throughout the main hall. When Yuveil heard this voice, it caused her expression to darken. "I heard something very interesting just now regarding my Order''s disciples. Tell me-" Seina suddenly appeared at the center of the main hall as a gentle breeze of cherry blossoms flowed around her. "Who is so brazen as to make such a bold suggestion?" Seina''s voice turned cold as her aura swept out and flooded the entire main hall! As the aura washed over them, Avia and Balugon''s expressions immediately changed. Avia red over at Yuveil, who felt shivers run down her spine. Balugon also had a displeased look on his face in response to Seina''s arrival. "It''s the Holy Maiden..." One of the disciples of the Order whispered. "The Holy Maiden is walking about...?" "The rumors were true. The Holy Maiden was being cured..!" "Insolent!" Jade''s voice erupted from behind Seina as she stepped next to her master. "The Holy Maiden stands before you, and this is your greeting?!" Jade scowled. When Jade revealed herself, a look of panic appeared on the face of the disciples. As the Thousand Blossom Saintess, Jade was responsible for the safety and well-being of the disciples. But, more than that, she was also in charge of the day-to-day disciplinary actions. Therefore, the young disciples present had an almost natural sense of fear and respect towards her. "This disciple greets the Holy Maiden!" One of the disciples shouted as she fell to her knees and kowtowed. "This disciple greets the Holy Maiden!" The remaining young disciples followed their lead and wasted no time properly greeting Seina. When Yuveil witnessed that sight, she quietly grit her teeth in frustration. "What''s going on? Don''t tell me she was faking this entire time..! It has not even been half an hour since I''vest seen her, yet she is able to disy that type of aura...!" Yuveil thought to herself as she became restless. To Yuveil, it did not make any sense. Even if Izroth managed to craft a pill that had undergone Pill Rebirth, in the end, he was just an inexperienced young man. What could he possibly aplish in something that a grade-eight Apothecary has already failed? Therefore, the only logical conclusion was that Seina had been faking all along! But, despite it being the logical conclusion in her mind, Yuveil found it difficult to ept. After all, she knew her junior sister and they were not the type to put on an act in front of others. "How did she do it? How? She''ll ruin everything. All my ns¡ªI can''t let them go to waste aftering this far. I can''t! I can''t! Fate cannot always be on her side!" Yuveil''s thoughts spun out of control as an overwhelming sense of panic washed over her. "Senior sister-" Seina''s voice sounded. Gasp! Yuveil gasped for air as she snapped out of her spiraling state. Without realizing it, she had be drenched in sweat and Seina had walked to the table before her. However, Yuveil could not meet the Holy Maiden''s eyes. It was not that she did not want to, but for some reason, Yuveil felt that if she met her junior sister''s gaze, she would be driven into a state of absolute madness! Yuveil had been affected by the overwhelming scent of Seina''s cherry blossoms directed at her. To ordinary people, this particr scent was something pleasant and even somewhat soothing. But, to one who had practiced the techniques of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, it was unbearable. That''s because the deeper one''s understanding was of the technique, the stronger the scent of cherry blossoms they emitted. With it, they could directly suppress another member of their Order without lifting a single finger. It was also why even if Sylvia full-on rebelled earlier and tried to openly retaliate against her elder, it would have been useless due to the unique nature of the scent. Of course, it was against the rules of the Order for anyone to abuse the suppressing scent. It was originally made to protect the Order''s hierarchy and ensure that there were no internal conflicts that could not be "solved". Unfortunately, the Living Poison that once contaminated Seina also caused her suppressing scent to stop working. But, now that the poison had been removed, there was no longer anything to obstruct her path! Seina nced over at Sylvia. When she saw the bruise on her disciple''s cheek, she narrowed her eyes as the aura around her became cold. "Holy Maiden Seina, I do not know what internal matters your Order has, but is it not rude to humiliate your own people in front of guests?" Avia frowned. "That''s right! Even if you are the Holy Maiden, you and your Order must still show respect to a High Enforcer of the Eight Heavens! Or, do you want to risk offending-" Smack! Out of nowhere, Balugon was sent flying across the room as his body mmed harshly into the wall of the main hall. Rmmmble! Crrrrck! Despite being reinforced with magic, the walls could not endure the pressure and crumbled under the might of the collision. With a single move by the Holy Maiden, Balugon was renderedpletely unconscious! After witnessing what happened to Balugon, Avia immediately bit her tongue and swallowed her words as her face turned pale from fright. That was a High Enforcer of the Eight Heavens! Not even her Fifth Great n would take offending them so lightly, yet she struck him without the slightest amount of hesitation! In Avia''s eyes, if Seina did that to a High Enforcer, who could be seen as her equal in terms of status, what was to stop the Holy Maiden from doing the same to her? If Seina had been serious just now, forget being knocked unconscious. Balugon would not even know how he died! This was the insurmountable difference in strength between someone at the primary and peak stage of the legendary realms! "The Thousand Blossoms Peak is not a ce where you can speak and act however you wish. Even your heads would not dare behave so arrogantly in front of me. If I killed the two of you now, tell me, do you think those old monsters will personally make a move on your behalf?" Seina stated with a clear air of authority around her. As Izroth watched the events that unfolded before him, he was taken aback by Seina''s vast change in personality from when he first met her. When she looked at her disciples, there was always a protective and stern yet warm feeling that epassed her. Even when she spoke with him, Seina maintained a gentle and blossoming smile on her face. However, right now, it was as if an entirely different person had possessed the Holy Maiden. There was an overbearingly suffocating aura of authority about her and a bone-piercing coldness that seemed to seep into the deepest depths of one''s skin. ''Well, after enduring for so long, I guess it''s no surprise she''s this furious. Still, to not be afraid of offending not one but two powerhouses¡ªshe must be quite confident in her abilities. Though, with this, I suppose my original ns are useless.'' Izroth did not expect Seina to take such a strong-handed and straightforward approach to deal with her "guests". By the time she arrived and made a move, one of the main guests had been knocked unconscious and the other had suddenly turned into a mute. As for Yuveil, she did not even have the courage to make eye contact with Seina! "Sylvia, step forward," Seina said calmly. "Yes! Sylvia greets the Holy Maiden!" Sylvia dered as she stepped forward and kneeled down on one knee with her fists cupped respectfully. Themanding aura her master gave off caused Sylvia to unconsciously refer to her as the Holy Maiden. "I have never seen master this angry..! Senior aunt Yuveil really went too far this time..." Sylvia thought to herself. "Tell me what happened from the beginning," Seina stated firmly. "Yes, reporting! It is as follows..." Sylvia responded as she went on to exin what took ce from the moment the guests arrived. The more she spoke, the uglier Yuveil''s expression became. She wanted nothing more than to jump out of her seat and silence Sylvia; however, she felt as if she would be devoured the moment she made any sudden movement. Once Sylvia finished exining what urred, Seina''s gaze became fixated on Yuveil. "First Guardian Yuveil, is there anything you have to say for yourself?" Seina asked. "..." Seina was met with silence. Even if Yuveil wanted to speak, she was still under the influence of the suppressing scent. How could she properly defend her actions? "Then, you will have no problem facing the consequences of your actions," Seina said coldly as she slowly reached her hand towards Yuveil. "Since when did the honorable Holy Maiden bully others?!" A voice suddenly thundered. "Indeed. It is impolite to bully those weaker than oneself. Should we not talk things over as friends?" Another voice sounded; however, this voice contained a trace of elegance to it. The next moment, two figures suddenly emerged at the entrance to the main hall. Seina halted her hand as she turned to face the entrance. "So you two finally decided to show yourselves. I was wondering how long you were going to hide. But, even if you''re here, it changes nothing. If it were those old monsters, I may have considered giving them some face. However, with just the two of you-" Seina stated as her gazended on the two who just arrived in the main hall. NPC Name: Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, Devil''s Hand Louven(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Sacred Leaf of the Fifth Great n, Pelyria(???) NPC Level: ??? "I''m afraid you are overestimating yourselves," Seina said without mincing her words. Chapter 881 Chapter 881: A Missing Piece? Izroth set his sights on the two new entries into the main hall. The first individual was a middle-aged man with short gray hair and hazel-colored eyes. He had a strong and tense face that would naturally cause others to think twice before confronting him head-on. This man was known as the Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, Devil''s Hand Louven. The person next to Louven was a young woman. But, despite her youthful appearance, this woman was actually the oldest person in the main hall. Though this was no surprise considering that she was a member of the long-lived trephasia race. She possessed light blue hair with streaks of silver running throughout it that was neatly tied up into a bun. Her eyes were a charming violet that gave off a natural feeling of allure. She was known as the Sacred Leaf of the Fifth Great n, Pelyria. ''Oh? Why would they reveal themselves now?'' Thanks to his high perception stat, Izroth discovered the presence of the two legendary figures. But, in truth, it was not difficult to do so. It was almost as if the two of them were not afraid of their presence being known. Based on what he observed with his Energy Vision Sense, Louven and Pelyria should be somewhere at thete stage of the realm. Even if both of them teamed up, they were far from Seina''s match. What Izroth did not understand was why the two chose to reveal themselves despite having witnessed Seina''s strength firsthand. To save those who were a part of their groups? If that was so, they would have taken action as soon as Seina made a move against the High Enforcer Balugon. Instead, they waited precisely until Seina targeted Yuveil before revealing themselves. Did it make any sense that they would ignore their own people''s well-being and care for what happened to someone who was a part of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms? The answer was, of course, no. ''What am I missing?'' Izroth felt that he did not have all the pieces to the puzzle. What was so valuable about Yuveil that they were willing to reveal their hand at an unfavorable time? To conquer the Order of a Thousand Blossoms? Although the Order was a strong organization, it could only be considered mid-tier at best if one excluded the Holy Maiden Seina. It was not worth going through all this trouble and risking offending someone at the peak of the legendary realm just to overthrow them. So then, what was it that they had their eyes set on? And, more importantly, what did it have to do with the First Guardian Yuveil? These were the questions Izroth asked himself. The moment Pelyria and Louven appeared, the atmosphere inside the main hall became increasingly intense. It was to the point that some of the weaker disciples of the Order were having a difficult time breathing under the immense pressure. Swoosh! Jade extended her aura and formed a makeshift protective barrier around the group of disciples to ease the pressure on them. "Everyone, evacuate the main hall at once and return to your quarters. From this point forward, no one is allowed to leave their quarters or the Thousand Blossoms Peak until further notice. Go." Jademanded. When Jade finished speaking, one of the older disciples led the others to a nearby hidden tunnel that led outside of the main hall. No one attempted to stop the disciples from departing and by the time they left the main hall, there were only a handful of people remaining. "Junior sister, you should apany them," Jade said without averting her gaze from Pelyria and Louven. Sychia; however, shook her head and replied, "I appreciate your concern, senior sister, but as the Thousand Blossom Maiden, it is my duty to remain here by master''s side. I will not run away." Jade remained silent for a moment as she nced over at her junior sister. She then released a helpless sigh and said, "Very well. But, you must prioritize your own safety above all else. Understand?" "Yes, senior sister," Sychia responded firmly. As the intense atmosphere in the main hall reached its peak, Pelyria called out, "Avia,e." When she was called, a look of relief appeared on Avia''s face as she started to stand to her feet. "Did I say you could get up?" Seina''s voice coldly sounded as she glimpsed over towards Avia. The instant Seina''s gazended on her, Avia''s face turned pale as her legs went numb, causing her to fall back into her seat. When Pelyria saw Seina''s response, her eyes turned cold. "You are going too far, Holy Maiden. Can it be that you want to disregard the bond of our ancestors?" Pelyria inquired with a darkened expression. "Bond? How amusing. Was it not your Fifth Great n who was the first to disregard the bond of our ancestors when your little princess ambushed and tried to im the life of my disciple? Speaking of which, do not think I have forgiven the matter. I will be sure to personally pay your Fifth Great n a visit and demand answers from that old witch who does not know how to properly raise her descendant." Seina stated. "Mind your words, Holy Maiden. You are speaking about someone who is in line to be the next great ruler of the Great ns. You may be strong, but even you can not match the might of all the Great ns that reside within the Mother of All Forests." Pelyria warned. "Great ruler? I see even at her age, she still knows how to have great ambitions." Seina said with a light grin. Due to her position as a head of one of the Great ns, the "old witch" Seina referred to was considered a potential candidate to be the great ruler of the trephasia race. However, at the moment, she was only a candidate, just like the other heads. Pelyria was infuriated with Seina''splete disregard for the head of her Fifth Great n. But, she quickly calmed herself. Right now, she still had the upper hand. "I will overlook your unruly behavior for the sake of the long-standing rtionship of our Great n and your Order. But, regarding what happened between the young disciples, do not forget that it was your disciple who destroyed one of the clones belonging to our little princess, causing her to sustain some internal injuries. From the looks of it, your disciple seems to be in good shape for someone who was supposedly ambushed." Pelyria stated. "Oh? Are you calling my disciple a liar?" Seina asked as she narrowed her eyes. "From what I have heard, you specifically forbade your disciple from leaving the Thousand Blossoms Peak and entering the Secret Realm. Yet, against her own master''s will and orders, she still went. Tell me, how can we trust the words of someone who would disobey and deceive even their own master?" Pelyria said with a yful smirk. Upon hearing Pelyria''s words, Sychia lowered her head in shame. It was not that she regretted her actions that led to her master''s life being saved. But, she did indeed disobey her master''s order and gave Pelyria just the excuse she needed to flip the me. From an outsider''s perspective, whose words were more trustworthy? She, who deceived her master? Or, Luxia, the little princess of the Fifth Great n who maintained a clean reputation on the surface? "In the end, it is our little princess'' word versus the word of your disciple. So, we are willing to somewhatpromise and only demand that-" "I was also there. I wonder if my word counts?" Izroth said as he cut off Pelyria. The moment Izroth spoke, Pelyria red at him, and a visible frown found its way onto her face. "Who is this young child? How dare he interrupt me and speak when the elders are talking!" Pelyria lightly scoffed. "Those who bark the loudest usually do so to drown out the sound of the truth. Can it be that you are afraid of what I have to say?" Izroth said with a carefree expression. "You want to lecture me? Insolent!" Pelyria scowled as a single golden leaf appeared between her fingertips. Swoosh! With a light flick of her wrist, the golden leaf sped towards Izroth at a frightening speed! Bang! A powerful gale of wind blew around Izroth; however, he remainedpletely unmoved. That''s because he knew that there was no need for him to act. Just before the leaf was about to hit him, Seina caught it in between her fingers. As she caught the leaf, a look of anger appeared in the Holy Maiden''s eyes. "Attacking an Official Saint of our Order in front of me¡ªam I nothing in your eyes? You must be truly fearless!" Seina said as she tossed the leaf back at Pelyria. Wooosh! The leaf darted through the air and carried with it the scent of cherry blossoms. Pelyria''s eyes widened in shock when Seina returned her attack. Official Saint? Since when did the Order of a Thousand Blossoms ept male disciples?! If she truly did just attack an Official Saint, it was the same as publicly pping the Holy Maiden''s face! Chapter 882 Chapter 882: Coming To An Understanding? In that brief span of time, a myriad of thoughts flooded into Pelyria''s mind. In the end, her original ns had beenpletely thrown to the wind thanks to a few words spoken by a bystander! After such a grave insult, she had lost the upper hand. But, more importantly, now she could even lose her life! "I have to block it!" Pelyria thought to herself as she gathered a denseyer of mana in front of herself to create a makeshift magic barrier. However, without halting its momentum, the golden leaf tore right through the magic barrier like a hot knife through butter. Swoosh! Then, just as the golden leaf was about to reach Pelyria''s throat, a voice sounded, "Wait." All of a sudden, the golden leaf came to a grinding halt. The tip of the leaf had made contact with Pelyria''s throat, causing a small trickle of blood to run down the middle of her neck from the spot it barely punctured. If that voice had been even a tenth of a secondte, the golden leaf would have pierced right through her neck! As for the one who spoke, there was only one person in the main hall who was courageous enough to tell the Holy Maiden to wait in her current state. This person was, of course, Izroth. But, Izroth did not speak up for Pelyria''s sake. Nor was it due to the kindness in his heart. ''She still has some use. I can''t let her die here just yet. That being said... She did n on actually killing her just now?'' Izroth nced over at Seina, who had a calm andmanding appearance. He could not tell if the Holy Maiden knew that he was going to stop her at thest second or if she truly was going to kill Pelyria over her offense. However, even though it was just spection, Izroth believed that if he had not said anything just now, Seina would not have hesitated to get rid of Pelyria after she raised her hand against him. ''Is this the privilege of being an Official Saint with max favor?'' While that thought casually crossed Izroth''s mind, Pelyria felt cold sweats run down her back as an expression of disbelief and shock was written on her face. She did not understand why that young man chose to save her life just now after she had recklessly attacked him. Did he have something to gain by helping her? Or, could it be that they were just a kind person who did not want to witness bloodshed? Regardless, Pelyria was grateful he decided to speak up on her behalf. "What is it, Saint Izroth? Are you perhaps worried that the consequences may lead back to you if I were to kill her? Rest assured, no one from the Fifth Great n will darey a hand on you as long as I am alive. All you have to do is say the word. Her life is in your hands." Seina reassured. "I''m afraid that if you handle such a sensitive matter with a strong hand, others will think that you are attempting to forcibly cover up your disciple''s actions. This will only reaffirm their suspicions and cause your disciple''s reputation to fall. As her master, I''m sure you do not want such an unfavorable oue for your disciple, right?" Izroth said unhurriedly. Seina stayed quiet for a few moments. Then, without warning, the golden leaf fell from Pelyria''s throat as the strong scent of cherry blossoms faded. "Consider yourself fortunate that Saint Izroth has such a forgiving andpassionate character. Otherwise, your head would no longer be attached to your body right now." Seina said coldly. Pelyria let out an inward sigh of relief. Then, without skipping a beat, she quickly cupped her fists together in a respectful manner. "Little Saint, thank you for having mercy and sparing this one''s life. My eyes were clouded, and my actions guided by anger and my devotion to our Fifth Great n''s little princess. Forgive this one''s inappropriate outburst." Pelyria said as she quickly tried to regain herself. The more she spoke, the more Pelyria felt anger flowing through her. After the feeling of relief was over, it was swiftly reced by one of outrage. Why did she have to grovel in front of some nobody human who was young enough to easily be her great great great grandchild? It was humiliating! "I must endure..! For the sake of our little princess..! I will make sure to repay this humiliation one day...!" Pelyria thought to herself as she contained her anger. Izroth could see right through Pelyria. Although her words seemed genuine and apologetic on the surface, given her abrasive personality, she was probably secretly cursing him. "When guided by anger and devotion, it is indeed difficult to control one''s actions. That being said... Do not misunderstand. The Holy Maiden may have acted on my behalf, but even if she had not stepped in, my life would not have been yours to im. Remember that." Izroth stated with an indifferent and distant gaze. Pelyria tightened her grip on her cupped fists as her nails dug into her skin, drawing a bit of blood. "This is ridiculous! Even if he is an Official Saint of your Order, how can you let him behave so unruly?! Holy Maiden, your methods are too unyielding! Do you see my Eight Heavens and the Fifth Great n as a bunch of unknown nobodies?!" Louven finally spoke up. This entire time, Seina had not once treated them with the slightest ounce of respect despite where they hailed from. They were not like Avia and Balugon, who held decent positions but were still disposable. The two of them were high-ranking members of their respective organizations! If anything happened to them, the old monsters who backed them would not sit still. Louven believed that Seina was bluffing and putting on an act to cover up the fact that she was ill. "Right now, she is probably putting on this act to maintain a strong appearance. But I won''t be so easily fooled. She is overexerting herself. Once she reaches her limits, let''s see if she can remain so arrogant in front of us." Louven thought to himself. Louven then set his sights on Izroth. In his mind, this ridiculous situation all started with the words that he spoke. "That young man... Why is it that they look so familiar? I am certain that we have never crossed paths, but..." Louven contemted as he inwardly frowned. That''s when it suddenly dawned on Louven. Izroth¡ªhe had heard that name somewhere before! "She called him Izroth... Wait, can it be that Izroth? The one whose name has been circting throughout the Eight Heavens?!" A sudden realization came over Louven as he remembered why Izroth seemed so familiar. Back when their disciples returned from the selection on the Sky Pce, a huge uproar was made in the sect because none of them returned with the captain''s seat. But, even more rming, one of their disciples had actually fallen during the selection! This news shook the entire Eight Heavens and sent out ripples throughout the organization. And, this was all due to one person. A young man who imed the captain''s seat for himself during the second team''s selection and defeated one of their most treasured disciples. That young man''s name was Izroth! "It could just be a coincidence, but my gut is telling me they''re the same person. If so, he has trampled on the pride and face of our Eight Heavens. His life is no longer his to keep." Louven thought to himself. Out of nowhere, Izroth felt a wave of killing intent directed at him that came from Louven. ''Oh? What''s this? Could it be that he somehow recognized me?'' Initially, Louven looked at him with some displeasure and annoyance. However, that abruptly changed to killing intent after Seina mentioned his name. Of course, even if he wanted to kill Izroth, he was not so brazen and foolish enough to attempt to do so while Seina was present. "What a presumptuous statement. You make it sound as if your existence represents the entirety of the Eight Heavens. While I certainly have no qualms with your Eight Heavens, my Order of a Thousand Blossoms will not allow anyone to suppress us. Nor will I permit outsiders to interfere and speak out of turn about how we discipline the members of our Order." Seina stated. She then continued, "Also, if you interrupt Saint Izroth again while he tries to speak¡ªI will see to it that you are unable to open your mouth again." "!?" Louven wanted to protest; however, after seeing the look in Seina''s eyes that said she was serious, he decided to remain silent and put up with the humiliation¡ªthat is, for now. Seina looked over at Izroth with a meaningful look. "Since we havee to an understanding, I will ask again¡ªdo my words count?" Izroth inquired with a carefree smile. Pelyria silently grit her teeth and spoke through them as she responded, "...Yes..! It is only right that we listen to all sides involved...!" Chapter 883 Chapter 883: Spirit of Mana Pelyria did not know what Izroth was nning, but if he wanted to somehow shift the me for what happened in the Secret Realm to their little princess and her Fifth Great n, it was useless. In the end, even if he were an observer of what transpired, others would only see it as himing to the defense of Sychia and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms as their Official Saint. With no other background and reputation to grab hold of, his statement would obviously be called into question. And, once the seed of doubt was nted, it was only a matter of twisting a few things to make it seem as though he was covering for his allies. "You want to speak? So be it! I may have slipped up just now, but you are still too naive. It is a thousand years too early for you to pull one over on me, brat." Pelyria thought to herself as she inwardly grinned. Aftering to a "mutual" agreement, Izroth exined how he found the poisoned Sychia within the Secret Realm. But, if it was just this much, Izroth knew that it would be too easy to use him of making fraudulent usations. Without any solid evidence, it was a futile effort. However, unfortunately for Luxia and the Fifth Great n, Izroth was an Apothecary. And, not just any Apothecary, but one who was incredibly keen on finer details that others would often miss. "If I remember correctly, the Great ns of the trephasia race all specialize in a particr field. The Second Great n specializes in a certain type of magic that uses a unique approach to mana, while the Fourth Great n is well known for its unique method of controlling beasts. Remind me, what is it that the Fifth Great n specializes in?" Izroth asked calmly. A surprised look emerged on Pelyria''s face. How did this young human know so much about the Great ns? Of course, the majority of what Izroth knew about the Great ns came from the Amaharpe Pce Library. However, this particr bit of information and some more in-depth insight into the trephasia race came from his casual conversations with the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. Naturally, this also meant he was aware of what the Great ns represented, as well as their specialties. Pelyria furrowed her brows as she tried to think of what Izroth was going with his words. But, she understood that if she took too long to answer, it would seem as though she was trying to hide something. "Our Fifth Great ns specializes in collecting and processing the high-quality herbs that reside within the Mother of All Forests. Though I fail to see what this has to do with your recount of the events that transpired in the Secret Realm." Pelyria stated firmly. "There is no need to rush. Naturally, you will know the answer soon." Izroth said with a carefree smile. He then continued, "Before I cured the Thousand Blossom Maiden of her affliction, there were two things that immediately stood out. The first was the unusualck of external symptoms. Since you are from the Fifth Great n, even if you are not an expert on poisons, I''m sure you understand the rarity of a poison that leaves no external traces." When it came to poisons in RML, the vast majority of poisons showed external symptoms such as odd rashes, discolored skin, uncontroble hemorrhaging among many other things. This was mostly to the benefit of the yer in order to assist them in discovering the origin of the poison. It was the system''s way of helping the average yer who had no knowledge when it came to poisons before RML. It was because of this that poisons that did not disy any form of external symptoms whatsoever could be counted using one''s hands alone. Nevertheless, it was still not entirely impossible for someone to get their hands on that kind of poison. But, it was the second thing Izroth noticed that gave him a clearer answer on the overall picture. Pelyria frowned and said, "Indeed, it is rare for such a poison to exist, but not so rare that it cannot be acquired. Just what are you trying to say?" "You''re right. If it was just that, while it may prove somewhat challenging for someone to get their hands on it, it is not outside the realm of possibility. However, there was another peculiar thing about this poison. It also disrupted the flow of mana." "If you are trying to say that our Fifth Great n had something to do with that poison, I''m afraid you''re grasping at straws," Pelyria stated with a darkened expression. She then continued, "It is true that our Fifth Great n processes various types of poisonous herbs; however, none of those poisonous herbs exhibits the two traits you''ve mentioned, be it separately or together. If you do not believe me, you can ask the Holy Maiden. As a grade seven Apothecary, naturally, the Holy Maiden has personally paid a visit to our Fifth Great n." "She''s right. There are no poisonous herbs, whether separate orbined, that can replicate the effects that you are speaking of, Apothecary Izroth." Seina confirmed calmly. Seina made sure to change the way she addressed Izroth due to the ongoing discussion. "You see? My words are not false, little saint. Though there is no need to be ashamed of your error. You are still young and inexperienced with a bright road ahead of you." Pelyria said with a trace of well-hidden mockery in her tone. "Indeed, what you said is not wrong. But, there is a minor problem with your wording. While there are no poisonous herbs that match my description, if I recall, there is a special herb that only your Fifth Great n produces and does not share with the outside world. Not a poisonous herb, but a great elixir nt that can expand one''s mana pool. Tell me, among the herbs that your Fifth Great n collects and processes, is there not one called the Spirit of Mana?" Izroth spoke unhurriedly. "Oh? Spirit of Mana? How interesting. This is a herb I did not encounter upon my various visits to the Fifth Great n." Seinamented. The moment Izroth mentioned the Spirit of Mana, Pelyria''s expression became pale as her heartbeat quickened. "He even knows about the existence of the Spirit of Mana?! This is a great secret of the Great ns...! This information is not something that''s casually shared with outsiders...! Just who is this young man?!" Pelyria''s thoughts raced as she tried to deduce Izroth''s identity but came up empty-handed. "It''s not surprising. After all, there are treasures and even some skills that can do it, but... A herb that can expand one''s mana pool past its original capacity is practically unheard of. Of course, its most important trait is its ability to repair a broken mana pool." Izroth exined. Back when he pushed his mana pool too far and damaged it a second time during the second team''s selection, it was the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia who helped him fix it. At the time, she used a herb called the Spirit of Mana. This, of course, led to a discussion about the herb and the Wiseman did not hold back on the details. Even Izroth was surprised by how nonchnt she spoke of what was supposed to be a great secret of the Great ns. However, this also revealed something to Izroth about Kryxelsia. One was that the Wiseman probably came from one of the Great ns. And, her status and strength were high enough that she did not fear the repercussions of revealing such sensitive information. "From the sound of it, this Spirit of Mana seems like it has more benefits than drawbacks," Seina stated. "Normally, that is the case. However, that only applies if it''s been properly processed. In its unprocessed state, if even the slightest trace manages to get into your mana stream, it will act as more of a poison than an elixir of any kind. Instead of expanding the mana pool, it will disrupt and taint it. As a result, it will truly turn into poison. All while showing no external symptoms since it is not poison by nature." Izroth rified. Pelyria shook to her core as Izroth went into great detail about the Spirit of Mana. She grit her teeth and knew that she could no longer remain silent. She had to do something¡ªanything, to open up a path of retreat! "Preposterous! I can no longer stand by and listen as you use our Fifth Great n of such a ludicrous misdeed! Spirit of Mana? How imaginative! Can you prove such a thing even exists?!" Pelyria erupted in an outburst. Izroth shook his head and responded, "Unfortunately, I can not." "Then-!" "But, I know someone who can," Izroth said with a carefree expression as his gaze shifted over to Avia, who had not dared to move after Seinast spoke. ''I will give you a way out, but it will cost you. Let''s see if you are smart enough to take it.'' Suddenly, Avia felt a cold chille over her that caused her to shiver. She did not know what it was, nor did she care. All she wanted to do was gain some favor with the little princess of her Fifth Great n¡ªnot get caught up in whatever this entire mess was. None of this was what she signed up for. At this point, Avia just wanted to return to the Mother of All Forests! Chapter 884 Chapter 884: Truth Unveiled, The Most Basic Instinct Izroth had been silently observing everything and everyone ever since he entered the main hall. Naturally, this also included Avia. He could tell from her behavior that she did not n to be stuck in the middle of a situation of this scale. By now, Avia must havee to the realization that she was only a disposal tool to those who were above her in status within the Fifth Great n. And, now Pelyria had lost control of the situation, what little fate and hope she held onto must have perished. Right now, she understood that her life was no longer in her own hands. Not only that, but she had offended that ruthless Holy Maiden, who was supposed to be bedridden and powerless. How could she not feel as though she had been purposely deceived and sacrificed? ''Unless she is the type to die for another''s cause, she should be searching for a way to survive right about now. Either way, there no longer exists a path she can take that someone else has not paved for her.'' If Avia chose to remain silent, she would ultimately be disposed of by the Holy Maiden as a sacrificial token of sorts. But, if she betrayed the Fifth Great n, she would be a person marked for death by all the Great ns that resided within the Mother of All Forests. This meant that no matter what path she took, her life was practically over! "...If I stay quiet, then perhaps the elder will-" Avia tried to organize her thoughts as she nced over at Pelyria. However, the moment their gazes met, a look of dread swiftly found its way onto Avia''s face. There was a cold and distant look in Pelyria''s eyes. That look obviously was telling her to throw her life away! Without a doubt, she had been abandoned! "Did she betray us? I have been monitoring everyone''s movements since before we even set foot on the Thousand Blossoms Peak. If she tried tomunicate with someone ahead of time, I should have realized it. Is she working with one of the other Great ns to undermine our Fifth Great n?" Pelyria''s thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of everything. On the surface, the rtionship between the Great ns may seem amicable; however, in truth, there was a massive power struggle and intensepetition over who would be the next great ruler. The only way Pelyria could exin Izroth''s knowledge about the Spirit of Mana was that someone leaked it to him. And, the only person who could have done so among those present was either herself or Avia. Of course, needless to say, Pelyria ruled herself out. This left Avia as the obvious choice. "Wait..!" Pelyria''s eyes widened as she was suddenly reminded of something. Izroth approached Avia, who currently looked as if she had been frightened by a ghost. "You are a member of the Fifth Great n. Tell me, is there a herb called the Spirit of Mana that exhibits the effects I''ve mentioned that your Fifth Great n processes?" Izroth inquired. "Don''t you dare!" Pelyria warned. Swoosh! Crrrck! Out of nowhere, a heavy force descended upon Pelyria, causing a bit of blood to trickle down from the side of her mouth. Seina gave Pelyria a meaningful look that contained a clear warning of what would happen if she misspoke. Avia remained quiet to Izroth''s inquiry. At the moment, her thoughts were still in a state of chaos after discovering that she had been so casually used and discarded by those she spent so long trying to impress. "Think carefully about whether you wish to answer or not. As well as about those who threw you away after your purpose was served. Why must you sacrifice yourself and bear the consequences of their actions? Their scheme failed, but it is not surprising. After all, when ites to experience in scheming..." Izroth said as he then nced over at Yuveil. He then continued, "I fear that with this level of mediocre skill, even five times the amount may not necessarily suffice." Izroth''s words caused Yuveil to tightly clench her fists at her side until she drew blood from her own hands out of anger. Back in the crafting room when she mistakingly thought that Izroth crafted a Fractured Pill, she said those exact words to him. Now, he was using his own words to mock her! Yuveil had not suffered so much humiliation in a single day since her master chose Seina as the Holy Maiden of their Order over her! Izroth set his sights back on Avia, who finally lifted her head. She was still shaken by everything; however, there was a look of defeat in her eyes. "...Yes. The Spirit of Mana, everything you''ve described¡ªit is all true..." Avia confirmed as she closed her eyes while tears streamed from her eyes. "It''s over. It''s all over." Avia thought to herself. She had just betrayed the Fifth Great n. Her life was over. She would never be able to return to the Mother of All Forests. But, as someone who still had a long life ahead of her, Avia did not want to die for the sake of another''s cause in some faraway ce. At least, in this way, she could keep her life and still have a chance at survival¡ªeven if it was miniscule. Without missing a beat, Izroth returned his attention to Pelyria, who was brimming with killing intent. The moment Avia opened her mouth, any ns she had to deny the existence of the Spirit of Mana had been thrown out! "A person from your Fifth Great n has personally verified my words. Is this enough to prove its existence?" Izroth asked with a carefree expression. However, Pelyria did not answer him. Instead, her gazended on someone who had been unusually quiet since this all started to unfold¡ªYuveil. "It''s her doing...! It all had to be her doing!" Pelyria thought to herself as her killing intent exploded, directed towards Yuveil. As for Yuveil, she was taken aback by Pelyria''s sudden disy of killing intent. She had no idea what caused such a drastic change in the Sacred Leaf of the Fifth Great n. "It all makes sense now! We''ve been had...!" Pelyria internally concluded. "Well yed... Well yed, indeed...!" Pelyria uttered as an eerie smile appeared on her face. She then continued, "Who would have thought that your Order is so good at colluding with others? Feigning the sickness of your Holy Maiden and conspiring with a member of our Fifth Great n to lead us into a trap¡ªhow fearless! Yuveil, you will pay for your betrayal!" Yuveil''s facial expression turned extremely ugly as she quickly stood to her feet and shouted, "You- Don''t speak nonsense!" "What''s this? Is there something you wish to share, First Guardian Yuveil?" Seina said without looking back. However, just the tone of her voice alone was enough to send shivers down one''s spine. "Junior sister- No, Holy Maiden Seina! You cannot trust the words of an outsider! She is merely attempting to sow a seed of distrust among our Order!" Yuveil spoke hurriedly. "That old fool! What is she doing?!" Yuveil thought to herself as she was ovee with a sense of panic. Pelyria had gravely misread the situation. She believed that Yuveil and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms colluded with Avia to gain knowledge about the Spirit of Mana beforehand. And, by doing so, worked together to smear the reputation of the Fifth Great n and the little princess. Given thepetitive nature of the Great ns, it was not umon for them to nt spies in a rival Great n to undermine them from within. If news of what happened here got out, it would bring about a great deal of shame to the Fifth Great n. But, more importantly, now that everything was aired out, regardless of what action she took next, the Holy Maiden would be justified! "So dedicated! Even now, you are still keeping up with such a pathetic act! Just know this, Yuveil, Avia¡ªour Fifth Great n will never forget this betrayal." Pelyria stated. Zeeeut! Out of nowhere, Pelyria vanished as hundreds of golden leaves scattered in every direction outside of the main hall. "I have to report this to the n head at once!" Pelyria thought to herself as she sped out of the main hall at incredible speeds! She used her natural movement skills along with a high-ranking magic item that allowed her to instantly teleport a certain distance away from her previous location. The uses were limited; therefore, she only used it in dire situations. Of course, this was just that. Pelyria knew that if she stayed any longer, her life would likely be forfeit. So, she had to escape while there was still a chance! "Want to escape from my Thousand Blossoms Peak? You can enter when invited, but if you wish to leave, you first need my permission." Seina said as arge pattern made of glowing pink mana formed beneath her feet. This pattern was in the shape of a cherry blossom tree and covered the entire floor of the main hall! Chapter 885 Chapter 885: A Justified Path! Izroth examined the pattern that emerged on the floor of the main hall. And although he was unable to see the whole pattern, Izroth gained a rough understanding of its purpose. ''What a terrifying arrangement of sword intent.'' At first, Izroth thought that Seina was activating some type ofrge-scale magic formation. However, he quickly discovered that was not the case. What the Holy Maiden utilized was not the power of a magic formation but rather her sword intent! The sword intent she used ovepped and materialized with Seina''s mana in a way that Izroth had not seen before in RML. As the pattern formed, a thin sword contained within an exquisite sheath appeared from out of nowhere in Seina''s hand. "Watch closely, Sy. Your master will show you the true power of our Order''s Blossom Sword Outlook." Seina said as she nced over at her disciple. "Yes, master," Sychia replied with a serious expression as she did not dare to blink and risk missing a single moment. "Blossom Sword Twelfth Outlook... Scattered Bloom." As Seina spoke, her de left its sheath at a frightening speed. The speed of the draw was so great that all one could see was a slight twitch to the Holy Maiden''s hand that drew the sword before returning it to its sheath in the same motion. But, in the brief moment Seina unsheathed her sword, something incredible happened. ... Thanks to her natural movement skills and her magic item, Pelyria had already reached the edge of the Thousand Blossoms Peak. But, just as Pelyria was about to cross the edge, her vision turned blurry. Then, when her vision finally cleared up not too long after, the world around her had changed. "What is this..?!" Pelyria said to herself as her eyes widened in shock. All of a sudden, everywhere she looked, the only thing that filled Pelyria''s vision was the sight of endless flowing cherry blossoms. Before Pelyria knew it, she was surrounded from head to toe by cherry blossoms as thest of her vision became covered by cherry blossoms. Pelyria could feel herself being consumed by the cherry blossoms, but she did not try to resist. Not because she had no strength remaining. Rather, the world of cherry blossoms caused her to experience a strange and intoxicating sense of peace that she did not want to part from. "...How... beautiful..." Pelyria uttered as she waspletely devoured by the endless cherry blossoms. Then, as the cherry blossoms scattered, there was nothing left behind but a single blooming cherry blossom that flowed away with the passing breeze. ... Meanwhile, back in the main hall, the sword in Seina''s hand disappeared along with the pattern on the floor. Seina released a light sigh as she looked down at her trembling hand. "It has been too long since I have used the Blossom Sword Outlook. My body has not yet fully readjusted." Seina thought to herself as she calmed her hand and closed her hand into a fist. The next moment, when the Holy Maiden opened her hand, the trembling ceased. While the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill managed to cure her of her affliction, it could not immediately restore the Holy Maiden to peak condition. Nevertheless, she was still able to properly disy the powers of someone who had stepped into the peak of the legendary realm! Sychia looked on in awe. She used the Blossom Sword Twelfth Outlook: Scattered Bloom back in the Secret Realm; however, it was nowhere near the same level as the one her master just demonstrated! "I still have a long way to go, master..." Sychia said as she closed her eyes and constantly reyed what just transpired in her mind. As Sychia reflected on her master''s teachings, Louven''s expression had gone pale. Not long ago, he had thoughts of making a move against Seina when her strength faded. However, did this look like someone whose strength was on the decline? Pelyria may not be someone who specialized inbat as he did, but she was still an individual who reached the samete stage of the legendary realm as him. Therefore, she was far from a weakling. The fact that Seina was able to cut her down in one move revealed just howrge the gap was between someone at thete and peak stages of the legendary realm! "Our ns have fallen through. But, it is not all lost. I do not have to returnpletely empty-handed. For now..." Louven quickly organized his thoughts. Fortunately, he decided to take a step back and let Pelyria take the lead. Right now, there was nothing solid that implemented his Eight Heavens since all the connections within the Order belonged to the Fifth Great n. "Holy Maiden Seina, I can see that my visit today has been poorly timed. It seems there is much to be done within your Order. As a guest, I will not interfere in matters that have nothing to do with my Eight Heavens. As for that rude brat Balugon¡ªhe did not know how to mind his words in front of the Holy Maiden. You may punish him as you see fit. If there is nothing more, I shall take my leave and allow you some privacy to deal with your internal affairs." Louven said respectfully as he wasted no time making his way out of the main hall. "Wait." Seina''s voice sounded just before Louven was about to leave the main hall. Louven''s heart dropped as he abruptly halted his stopped. "In our Order, the Official Saint is to be treated with the same level of respect as the Holy Maiden. Are you not forgetting something?" Seina stated. Upon hearing those words, veins could be visibly seen protruding from the side of Louven''s head and neck out of outrage. She wanted him to be respectful to the enemy of his Eight Heavens?! Was it not even that he let him leave for the time being?! Seina was not blind. She did not miss Louven''s killing intent from earlier that was directed at Izroth. The two did not seem familiar with one another; however, she knew that there must be some history between them one way or another. In the end, she concluded that Izroth must have run into some trouble with someone from the Eight Heavens. And, judging by Louven''s reaction, it had to be a person with quite the standing and influence among the younger generation. But, even if Izroth offended the Eight Heavens, it did not matter to Seina. Izroth was her benefactor to whom she owed her life. If the Eight Heavens wanted to bully him, she would not sit back and remain silent! Naturally, Izroth saw right through Seina''s intentions. ''She has a sharp gaze. I will have to be careful around her in the future.'' Louven only slipped up for a moment, but Seina managed to instantly make the connection. Of course, Izroth did not think badly of Seina. It was merely that all of one''s cards should not be so easily revealed to another¡ªeven if that person was their ally. Louven quickly calmed himself and turned around as his gazended on Izroth. He spoke through his teeth and said, "Little saint, it was a pleasure to meet you. May our paths cross again one day." "I''m sure fate will allow our paths to cross again. Perhaps even sooner than you think." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "Indeed. Who can go against fate?" Louven said with a heavy tone. After he spoke, Louven took his leave from the main hall. This time, the Holy Maiden did not stop him. "I thought you were only talented when it came to pill crafting, but it seems there are more interesting things to you that I have yet to uncover, Saint Izroth," Seina said with a warm smile. "Just Izroth is fine. Being called saint is a bit troublesome." Izroth stated calmly. "Then, Izroth, what did you think of my acting?" Seina inquired. "For a second, I thought you were really going to kill her at the start," Izrothmented. "Since you asked that I make it believable, I did my best not to disappoint," Seina responded. Before they left the crafting room, Izroth informed Seina about his suspicions regarding Yuveil, the origin of her poison, and the unusually timed arrival of people from the Fifth Great n and Eight Heavens. Once she heard Izroth''s exnation, Seina was ready to drag out those "guests" and take care of them all in one fell swoop. However, if she used such a heavy-handed method, the bacsh from the powers behind those people would not be small. Even if she was more than capable of protecting herself, even the Holy Maiden could not protect all of her Order''s disciples once they left the safety of the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Therefore, Izroth managed to calm Seina and convince her that there was another way to get to the truth. At the same time, they could im the moral high ground, save the reputation of their Order, and bring to light those who were so good at moving in the dark. Chapter 886 Chapter 886: Departing The Thousand Blossoms Peak In truth, Seina was a bit skeptical about whether or not Izroth''s n would work. However, it ended even better than she anticipated! Not only did Seina uncover who was responsible for poisoning her disciple, but she even acquired solid evidence of Yuveil working with outsiders. Still, although Seina was d that she got some answers, she was truly heartbroken and deeply wounded by her senior sister''s betrayal. She knew that their rtionship had deteriorated since the day her master chose her as the Holy Maiden over her senior sister, but Seina did not think it had reached such a low point. As her junior sister, a part of Seina wanted to ignore Yuveil''s misdeeds and try giving her another chance to redeem herself. However... As the Holy Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Seina knew what needed to be done. "Senior sister... Do you really hate me so much that you were willing to betray our Order?" Seina wanted to ask this question, but could not find it in herself to speak those words. "Excuse me, Izroth. There is onest matter that I must attend to." Seina said as she walked towards Yuveil and stopped right in front of the opposite side of the table where she sat. "J-junior sister, you must believe me! I had nothing to do with the poisoning, I swear-" "Enough!" Seina''s voice erupted, causing Yuveil to fall silent. "...Enough already... Yuveil..." Seina said as a pained expression shed through her eyes. Seina closed her eyes and continued, "First Guardian Yuveil, you have betrayed the Order of a Thousand Blossoms and conspired with outside forces to do it and its Holy Maiden harm. For your actions, you will immediately be stripped of your title of First Guardian and have your Blossom techniques abolished. In addition, your name shall be removed from the Order archives and you shall spend the rest of your life confined to the Self-Reflection Room to contemte the weight of your actions. Yuveil, I am d our master is not alive to see what you have be. It would have broken her heart... Just as it has mine." "You can''t...! You..! Y-!" A look of dread and defeat appeared on Yuveil''s face as she tried to speak; however, she could not form a proper sentence as she fainted on the spot from shock. In the end, Seina took everything from her senior sister, besides her life. This would be thest mercy she could show to her senior sister. ... A few hourster... It did not take long for the news of Yuveil''s punishment to spread throughout the Thousand Blossoms Peak. It was the first time in the history of the Order that a First Guardian had been stripped of their rank and sentenced to life within the Self-Reflection Room. However, there were mixed feelings among the disciples. Some of them felt that the story going around was too wild to be true. It was no secret that the Holy Maiden Seina and First Guardian Yuveil did not exactly see eye to eye. And, now that she recovered, framing Yuveilf was the swiftest way for the Holy Maiden to reim her authority within the Order. That being said, the disciples who thought like this were in the minority. Yuveil''s abuse of her authority as the First Guardian did not sit well with the majority of the Order''s disciples. This was even more so for the newer disciples who were often left to the mercy of those who curried favor with Yuveil''s faction despite Jade''s best efforts. They were d to see that Yuveil was finally paying the price for her actions. As for the other guardians, Seina had not punished them. Since Yuveil was the mastermind behind the entire matter, the Holy Maiden decided to overlook their actions for the sake of the Order''s future. After all, if she suddenly locked away all the guardians or expelled them from the Order, its foundations would be incredibly weakened. Instead of punishing them directly, Seina sent the guardians a strong statement by making a clear example out of Yuveil. If they still chose to follow down a simr path after seeing the end results, then Seina would handle matters ordingly. Still, Seina did not let the guardians off entirely. She stripped away most of their authority to the point that they were only guardians in name without any true authority or influence. If they wished to gain what they lost, they would have to prove their worth to the Order from scratch. In order to fill the void in power, Seina created a new division within the Order that would be overseen by her eldest disciple, Sylvia. This division would work to ensure that no one was abusing their authority within the Order. And, to keep that division in check would be the division that her second disciple, the Thousand Blossom Saintess Jade, was in charge of. The two divisions would keep each other in check and would answer only to the Holy Maiden. In this way, the entire power structure of the Order had undergone a drastic change in under a day. As for the several guests left behind in the main hall, Seina released them all except for Avia and Balugon. She saw no reason to pointlessly ughter those who were simply used as tools for those above them. Unfortunately for Balugon, he dared to have thoughts about their young disciples. This was an offense that the Holy Maiden could not ignore. Therefore, as punishment, she decided that the High Enforcer Balugon would be crippled and thrown off the Thousand Blossoms Peak to fend for himself. As for whether he would survive or not¡ªSeina had no interest. After all, this much could be seen as her giving some face to the old monster of the Eight Heavens. And, when it came to Avia, Seina was surprised after Izroth asked that she leave her to him. In the end, Avia was still someone at the primary stage of the legendary realm. She was not to be underestimated. That''s why she was a bit hesitant to approve. But, once Izroth gave her some reassurance, Seina reluctantly agreed. Of course, she made certain to give Avia a "friendly" warning of what would happen to her if even the slightest harm came to the Official Saint of her Order. Now, after having made sure that all the major loose ends were tied up, Seina was currently standing at the main entrance of the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Next to the Holy Maiden were her three disciples, Sychia, Jade, and Sylvia. As for why the group was at the main entrance, they were there to properly see off Izroth, who was apanied by Avia. "My apologies, Izroth. Getting everything in order again took much longer than I anticipated. But, it does not excuse ourck of hospitality, especially after all you have done for our Order. You must visit again one day so that we can properly entertain you." Seina said with a blossoming smile. Izroth shook his head and replied, "Being able to read the rare books in your private collection and keep the materials you''ve collected is more than adequate. I will not forget the kindness your Order has shown me. If you ever need some assistance in the future when ites to crafting, do not hesitate to contact me." If anyone else were there, they would think Izroth''s words were too arrogant. After all, what could a grade three Apothecary help a grade seven Apothecary aplish? However, those who were present knew exactly what Izroth was capable of. After all, they witnessed it for themselves. "Then, I may have to trouble you in the future, Apothecary Izroth. My previous promise still stands. If you run into any trouble or require some help, do not hesitate to use the Twin Blossom Crest I''ve given you. If you show it to a disciple of our Order on the outside, then they will be able to contact me and I wille rushing over with haste." Seina stated. Izroth and Seina went on to exchange a few more words before Sylvia and Jade also gave their farewells to Izroth, being sure to thank him again for saving their master''s life. Then, it was finally Sychia''s turn to bid her farewells. "Izroth, I will never forget all that you have done for me, my master, and our Order. You forever have my gratitude. I may never be able to repay you in my lifetime, but... One day, I will be the Holy Maiden of our Order. When that timees, I will continue to uphold and honor my master''s promise. Izroth, you will forever be a benefactor to our Order. And¡ªa great friend." Sychia said sincerely with a grateful expression on her face and a slight hint of reluctance in her eyes. "I''ve never been all that good at farewells, so I''ll just say this. It''s been fun, young maiden. I''m sure this is not thest time our paths will cross. That''s why, rather than saying farewell, I''ll say this instead. I''ll see you around, Sychia." Izroth said as he began his descent down the Thousand Blossoms Peak along with Avia. "Farewell, great benefactor." Seina, along with her disciples, said in unison as they watched Izroth depart along with Avia. As Izroth started his descent down the Thousand Blossoms Peak, his focus immediately shifted to whaty ahead of him. ''The raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt is starting soon. I have to head to Xanaharpe and start making preparations.'' Chapter 887 Chapter 887: An Alternative Path ... As Izroth descended the Thousand Blossoms Peak, Avia observed him closely¡ªwatching his every move. "We''re still too close to the Thousand Blossoms Peak. I''ll have to wait until we reach the foot before making a move to escape." Avia thought to herself. Avia did not know what Izroth hoped to aplish by having her along; however, she understood her current circumstances. She had to ce as much distance between this ce and herself as fast as possible and go into hiding. She may have had a headstart now, but those who would be sent by the Great ns to chase after her were not people she could fend off alone. That''s why she needed to find the right moment to separate herself from Izroth and start erasing her tracks. ... A few passed by as Izroth and Avia reached the bottom of the Thousand Blossoms Peak without incident. Once they reached the bottom, Avia prepared to make her move. "Since you technically saved my life, I will not harm you. But, you may have to experience some difort for a while." Avia thought to herself as she reached behind her back and removed a small ss vial of pink powder that was hidden under the cloth around her waist. "One whiff of this powder from the Harterys Flower should put him to sleep long enough for me to create enough distance between us. He will suffer a mild headache when he awakens, but by that time, even if he returns to the Thousand Blossoms Peak, I will have already erased my tracks." Avia organized her actions in her mind. Then, just as she prepared to take set her ns into motion, Izroth''s voice sounded. "You can try to run away, but that would be your biggest mistake," Izroth said indifferently without halting his steps or looking back. "?!" Avia was taken aback by Izroth''s sudden words. She had been extremely careful to ensure that her actions went unnoticed. How did he manage to discover that she was up to something? No, more importantly, what did he mean that it would be her biggest mistake? "Are you threatening me?" Avia inquired with a narrowed gaze. Avia did not know how strong this young man before her was; however, she was still someone at the primary stage of the legendary realm. Without the Holy Maiden to suppress her, how did he n on stopping her? After Avia spoke, Izroth halted his steps. "You misunderstand. If you want to run, I won''t try to stop you. But, do you truly wish to spend the rest of your life hiding in fear?" Izroth asked. Avia frowned and replied, "What? Are you saying you can guarantee my safety? If so, you are either fearless or ignorant. The Fifth Great n is not something you can afford to offend. I will admit, the protection of the Holy Maiden will buy some time at best, but they will eventually respond¡ªharshly. Yet, you want to tell me you can ensure my safety to the point that I will not have to hide away? Your im is too bold. Or, is it that you have some incredible background that will cause even the Fifth Great n to think twice before they act?" Although Avia mentioned that Izroth''s im was too bold, she did not fully write him off and decided to take the chance to probe for some information. If he truly dide from an incredible background, then perhaps there was some actual weight behind his words. "I''m afraid my background is rather uninterestingpared to your mighty Fifth Great n. That being said..." Izroth said as have a carefree smile and turned to face Avia. He then continued, "I am confident that I won''t lose to them in terms of might." Avia''s brows rose from surprise due to Izroth''s words. She really could not know whether he was aimlessly boasting or not. However, the confidence in his words and the expression on his face did not belong to someone who feared the Great ns. Avia remained silent for a few moments before she released a heavy sigh and returned the small vial to the cloth on her waist. "Forget it. It is a bit riskier, but I can always run away anytime I want. For now, I want to see what gives him the confidence to make such a bold statement." Avia thought to herself. If it was the past Avia, she would have never agreed to something so ridiculous and uncertain. However, she witnessed firsthand how the young man in front of her controlled the situation in a room full of legendary realm powerhouses. Even if he did have the Holy Maiden there to back him up, it was not an easy task performing under that kind of pressure. "Besides the little princess, it is the first time I have met someone from the younger generation who can pull off a simr feat. If it is like this, then perhaps..." Avia contemted as she fell into deep thought. For the time being, she decided to follow Izroth. As for what the future holds, it remained unclear to her. But, whatever it was, it had to be better than spending the rest of her life hiding. ... Several momentster... Swoosh! Swoosh! Out of nowhere, two figures appeared on the path in front of Izroth and Avia. "?!" Avia immediately went on high alert and prepared to defend herself. However, Izroth''s reaction was theplete opposite. "What''s this? You haven''t been gone that long and brought a woman back with you? Our youngest sure does move fast." A familiar voice sounded. This voice, of course, belonged to Astratis. "Don''t speak nonsense. How can just any woman be worthy enough of our youngest?" Nomii scoffed as she sized up Avia. "Alright, you two have the wrong idea. It''s just someone I''ve made some arrangements with, that''s all." Izroth stated as he inwardly shook his head. He then looked over at Avia and said, "You can rx. These two are with me." "With you? I see." A frown appeared on Avia''s face as she analyzed the two who managed to sneak up on her. "I can''t sense a single trace of mana or energy in their bodies. Are they using some type of magic treasure to hide their presence?" Avia thought to herself. "So? How''d everything go up there?" Astratis questioned with a grin. "Thanks to your heads-up, everything ended smoothly. Though, if I''m not mistaken, we should have a visitor shortly." Izroth answered. "Visitor? Did you n on meeting up with someone ahead of time?" Astratis asked. "I suppose you could say that," Izroth replied nonchntly. ...BANG! Out of nowhere, a crimson red streak fell from the sky a few meters away from Izroth''s group, causing the ground to shake and forming a cloud of dust. "It looks like they arrived sooner than I expected," Izroth said calmly. "I thought I would have to wait for at least a few days before you came down from the Thousand Blossoms Peak, brat. But, it seems my concerns were unwarranted. It is indeed difficult to go against fate, wouldn''t you say?" A voice that carried with it a tone of arrogance sounded as the surrounding dust settled. "You''re right. It''s amusing how fate works at times." Izrothmented in a carefree manner. As the dust settled, the system information of the new arrival revealed itself to Izroth. But, even without the system''s aid, he already knew the identity of this person. NPC Name: Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, Devil''s Hand Louven(???) NPC Level: ??? Louven swept his gaze over the group, and by the time he finished, a grin formed on his face. Izroth may have won the second team''s selection, but Louven heard that he used some type of powerful magic treasure and an underhanded method to defeat Roudin. Therefore, Louven was not concerned as he was well on guard. As for those two strangers, Louven could not even detect a single drop of mana or energy from them! Louven was not given the title Destructive Sight just for show. With his eyes, he could peer past things like magic barriers or the protective aura of magic items to see through his opponents. Doing so allowed him to swiftly discover their weakness and use it to destroy them. The only person present who could give him some mild trouble at best was Avia due to her knowledge of herbs from the Fifth Great n, but even she was far from being his match. Not to mention, she was likely with him against her will. If that were the case, wouldn''t she be grateful to him instead of meddling? "Well, it doesn''t matter. Besides, it''s better to eliminate any witnesses. They can only me themselves for being in the wrong ce at the wrong time with the wrong person." Louven thought to himself. When Louven appeared, Avia immediately became anxious. Not only was Louven someone at thete stage of the legendary realm, but he came from the Eight Heavens. And, for some reason, it seems he had some kind of grudge against Izroth. To make matters worse, Avia could see that dangerous look in his eyes. Without a doubt, he did not n on letting anyone go! At that moment, Avia could not help but silently curse her inquisitive nature. She should have run away when she had the chance back then¡ªthis was the thought that crossed her mind. But, instead of everyone shivering in fear or being in a state of panic as she expected, Avia witnessed an unbelievable sight. Despite being faced with ate-stage legendary realm expert, there was not the slightest bit of shock or fear among those present. In fact, it was calm. A bit too calm! "Youngest, is this the visitor you spoke of? Aren''t they a little rude?" Astratismented with a frown. Chapter 888 Chapter 888: A Suitable Gardener?, A Nature Revealed and Eyes Opened Avia was left baffled by Astratis'' words. Could he not see that their current situation was not good? Did he want to eliminate any chances of their survival? Even if he nned on forfeiting his life, shouldn''t he at least take others into ount first?! "I have to do something...!" Avia thought to herself with furrowed brows as she stepped forward. ''Hm?'' When Izroth saw Avia walk to the front of the group with an anxious expression, he could already guess her thoughts. But he did not intend to stop her. ''How amusing. Since she took the initiative, let''s see what she has nned.'' "Oh? What''s this? Don''t tell me you n on using your Fifth Great n to threaten me or save yourself. We both know your current circumstances. In fact, if I were to deliver your head to the Fifth Great n myself, wouldn''t they thank me?" Louven said with a grin as a look of greed shed through his eyes. The Fifth Great n was well known for its ess to rare high-quality herbs that could only be found in the Mother of All Forests. There were many individuals who would kill a thousand times over to secure a stable supply channel with the Fifth Great n. Avia was visibly shaken by Louven''s words as she felt a strong wave of killing intent wash over her. However, she understood that the moment she dropped her guard or backed down, her life would be in danger. "I admit, I am not your match. But I would suggest that you walk away while you still have the chance." Avia said as she quickly regathered herself. "It''s good that you understand your limits¡ªat least, that''s what I would have said if you stopped after your first few words. Walk away? And, just who will make me, the Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, walk away?" Louven scoffed as he released the pressure of his aura. At the same time, a dark crimson me red up on his right hand. Even from a distance of several meters, the intensity of the heat released by the mes could be felt. "Do not be rash. If you start amotion here, aren''t you afraid that the Holy Maiden will discover what you''ve done eventually and seek revenge?" Avia said as she winced from the heat wave that passed by her. "Nice try. But, at this distance from the Thousand Blossoms Peak, even if the Holy Maiden discovers what I''ve done, it will be toote to change anything. After it''s already over, will she risk starting an all-out war with my Eight Heavens for the sake of a dead man?" Louven stated. In Louven''s eyes, even if Izroth held some importance to the Holy Maiden, it was not to the point that she would seek him out at the Eight Heavens just to avenge his death. "I didn''t know you were this bold. Where was this confidence when you were face to face with the Holy Maiden back on the Thousand Blossoms Peak?" Aviamented as she gave a meaningful nce to Izroth. Avia knew that Louven had no intention of letting her go. Not to mention, winning in a head-on fight was not possible. However, Avia was confident in her ability to stall Louven using the substances of her Fifth Great n. Therefore, her only option left was to ce her hopes in Izroth and his twopanions in hope that they could somehow get in contact with the Holy Maiden on the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Since this was the only path to her ensure her survival, Avia was willing to take the risk. Also, even though she would not say it, it was also her way of paying the debt she owed Izroth for saving her life. As Izroth observed the situation, he gave a small inward nod of approval. ''She may just be doing it for herself. But regardless, she did not immediately run away when danger approached and instead stepped forward. This kind of person definitely has some uses. It''s a shame the Fifth Great n threw away such a person in an attempt to further their own schemes. Well, I suppose it''s a good thing for me.'' Initially, Izroth nned on learning all he could about the Great ns and Mother of All Forests from Avia in preparation for his future visit. After all, the Wiseman may somehow be rted to the Great ns, but who knew how long it''d been since she was actually there? Because of how long-lived the trephasia race was, for all he knew, the power structure could havepletely changed within the time she spent in Proximus and traveling around. Therefore, it was best to have a fresh perspective on matters. Not to mention, having a guide in the legendary realm when he visited the Mother of All Forests toplete the SSS-ranked quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline would definitely make it easier to move and avoid unnecessary troubles. But, after seeing her reaction to Louven''s arrival, Izroth started to think that perhaps there would be more uses for her in the future. That is, as long as she did not cross any lines and betray his expectations. ''Now that I think about it, there is still the issue of finding someone to manage the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension once it''s activated. With her knowledge of herbs from the Fifth Great n, there should be no problem if I leave it to her.'' If other yers knew of Izroth''s thoughts to practically make a legendary realm figure his personal gardener, they would cough up blood from shock. Others would be doing everything in their power to curry favor with a legendary realm being, yet he wanted to have one as his gardener? What kind of absurd thought was that?! "Audacious!" Louven erupted as the crimson mes around his hand surged. When Avia brought up what happened back on the Thousand Blossoms Peak, Louven was reminded of the humiliation he had to endure. Avia''s words were like rubbing salt in his fresh wounds. How could he not be infuriated after having to swallow his pride like that in front of others?! "I was going to let you live a little longer, but since you''re so eager to die, I will grant your wish!" Louven bellowed as he swung his hand forward in a swiping motion. The moment Louven performed this movement, the crimson mes on his hand shot out like the twisting body of a ming serpent toward Avia. Once Avia saw that she managed to redirect Louven''s main focus to her, she knew that her taunt was sessful. "Good, that should give them some time to-" Avia nced at her back; however, what she witnessed almost caused her to faint from anger! Instead of taking the opportunity, she provided tomence their escape, Izroth and the others had not moved a single step! Could it be that they did not understand her intentions? No, that was unlikely. Izroth was someone she likened to the little princess in terms of having a calctive mind. It should not have been a problem for him to see through her intentions! Avia quickly snapped out of it as the crimson mes approached her. However, she was so taken aback in the moment that she failed to react properly and messed up her timing. "I won''t make it..!" Avia thought to herself as she closed her eyes tightly and circted her mana full throttle to brace herself for the iing blow. "..." Avia waited, but, to her surprise, the blow never came. The next moment, Avia opened her eyes. And, the scene before her left the trephasia in a state of utter disbelief. She almost thought her eyes deceived her. That''s because Louven, a powerhouse at thete stage of the legendary realm, was currently sprawled out on the ground at someone''s feet! To be exact, he was at the feet of one of the individuals she did not sense any mana or energy from. Avia''s mind momentarily went nk. One second, she was thinking desperately about her survival, and the next, the major crisis that appeared had vanished in the blink of an eye. "Youngest, isn''t this guy too weak? Are you sure you''re from the same ce?" Astratis inquired with a frown as he scratched the back of his head while looking down at the motionless Louven. Although Izroth exined to him some of the power structures in the Mortal Realm, in Astratis'' mind, he still believed that all the people in the Mortal Realm would be simr to either Izroth or the fragment of Tal''Nis. Therefore, even though he was only testing Louven, he used a much more heavy-handed method than he typically would when testing a weaker celestial or someone from an ancient race. Who would have thought that the first person he tested in the Mortal Realm would fall down after one strike? Izroth shook his head and responded, "His strength would be considered on the higher end here. It''s not that he''s weak; it''s just that you''re too abnormal. There are few people here that are capable of rivaling you." Besides people like the Holy Maiden who were at the peak of the legendary realm and that old man called Zhi, there was likely no one else in the Mortal Realm who could block Astratis'' path. Not to mention, the Son of Thunder''s situation was unique. Due to the world he was from, his power was not limited in the same way as those from the Mortal Realm. This meant that it may be theoretically possible that his power had already exceeded that of the average peak legendary realm being! Of course, he was still not at the same level as someone who was a ne Ascender. But, at the peak of the legendary realm, he was virtually unrivaled! Even if it was not him being serious, how could a small character like Louven possibly survive his strike? Chapter 889 Chapter 889: Two Choices, One Oue Avia finally snapped out of it; however, she was left speechless by what she had just witnessed. There was only one exnation for Louven''s swift defeat¡ªthe person in front of her was an expert at the peak of the legendary realm! "It''s no wonder he was so confident..! Just who is this young man...?" Avia thought to herself. Even those young masters and descendants of royal blood did not have the luxury of a peak legendary realm figure acting as their escort! It was no wonder this young man was not afraid of the Eight Heavens or the Fifth Great n! With the Holy Maiden and the mysterious man who instantly subdued Louven, he had at least two backers who were at the peak of the legendary realm. Who would risk bing enemies with not one, but two powerhouses at that stage over matters that started among the younger generation? Suddenly, Avia felt cold sweats on her back as she thought back to earlier when she almost made a move against Izroth. There was a high chance that the mysterious man in front of her was already observing them from that moment. If Avia truly did have ill intentions and attacked Izroth, she would have not even known how she died! The thought that her life could have ended out of pure ignorance caused Avia to release a long helpless sigh. Today, she really learned what it meant to not judge a book by its cover. "My eyes have truly been opened. As long as he has the Holy Maiden and this man backing him, the chances of the Fifth Great n and Eight Heavens seeking revenge openly are unlikely. I was just cursing my choice from earlier to stick around, but... it is a good thing that I allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. Otherwise, I really would have missed out on a great opportunity." Avia thought as she nced over at Izroth. "It is already toote to turn back. Since that is the case, I must prove my worth to this young master so that I am not seen as a burden." Avia contemted. Avia was still unaware of what Izroth hoped to gain from her; however, no matter what he requested, she had to do her best to bring about eptable results. This was even more so since Izroth already had somebody at the peak legendary realm as his protector. As someone at the primary stage of the legendary realm, Avia knew it would beughable to offer her services as his guard. That was when Avia suddenly remembered something that happened back in the main hall on the Thousand Blossoms Peak. "Wait, didn''t the Holy Maiden call him an Apothecary back in the main hall? If he has an interest in pill crafting, then isn''t this perfect for me?" Avia internalized. While Avia was not an Apothecary herself and could not teach Izroth pill crafting, she was still someone from the Fifth Great n who possessed an extensive amount of knowledge when it came to herbs and how to process them. For an Apothecary, someone like Avia was akin to giving wings to a tiger! And, who knows? As long as she proved her usefulness, perhaps her standing would surpass that of what she could ever have hoped to achieve under the Fifth Great n. As Avia was thinking of how to win over Izroth with thoughts that were not too far from his own, Astratis held up Louven with one hand by the cor of his clothing. "Youngest, what should we do with him?" Astratis asked. Although Louven looked half-dead after being struck by Astratis, he was still breathing. In the end, this was the Mortal Realm, not the Ancient Celestial Realm. So, Astratis decided that whatever fate came to Louven should be left up to Izroth''s judgment. "That will depend on him. Can you wake him up?" Izroth replied. Astratis gave a small nod. Then, without wasting any time, he sent out an intense electrical shock. "?!" Louven''s eyes snapped open as his entire body tensed up and shook from the electrical shock. The shock did notst long and when it was over, Louven gasped for air. But, without even having enough time to catch his breath, he found himself on the ground as Astratis released him from his grip. A look of confusion was stered on Louven''s face as his heartbeat was out of control and his eyes darted everywhere. Where am I? What''s going on? What was I just doing? Didn''t I just die? How did I get here? Those were the flood of questions that rushed into Louven''s mind when he regained consciousness. "Thest thing I remember is attacking that trephasia, and then... And then... Why can''t I remember anything that happened after that...?!" Louven thought to himself as he tried to gather his mind. Everything happened so fast that Louven failed to realize that he was attacked by Astratis. In his eyes, he was simply conscious one moment and unconscious the next. As ate-stage legendary realm powerhouse, he had never undergone such a terrifying experience! "You have two choices." A familiar voice entered Louven''s ears that caused him to look toward its origins. Just a few steps away from him, looking down with a distant gaze, was Izroth, who had approached the shaken Louven. "You can either sign a Soul Binding Contract and hand your life over to me, or... We can just skip the Soul Binding Contract and go through with the second part on its own. The choice is yours." Izroth stated indifferently. The Soul Binding Contract was absolute and ensured that neither side could not go back on the contents of the contract. Unlike Avia, who no longer had anywhere to go, Louven was still a highly influential person within the Eight Heavens. Without the presence of a Soul Binding Contract, it would be impossible to guarantee his loyalty, especially considering the arrogance of character he''d shown thus far. Regardless, Izroth had some uses in mind for Louven. Eventually, the Eight Heavens would confront him about Roudin and Zouren''s deaths. Unfortunately, there were still many things Izroth did not know about them. Needless to say, Louven was the perfect candidate to obtain information about the Eight Heavens. "Impudent! You want me, the Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, to sign a Soul Binding Contract and hand my life over to you?! You''re dreaming brat! Killing disciples of my Eight Heavens is already a grave sin, but with my help and influence, it can be forgiven. However, if you dare toy your hands on an elder of the Eight Heavens, there will be no one left in this world who can save you!" Louven scowled as he red at Izroth with a gaze that wanted to tear him apart limb from limb. Who was this brat to look down on him? More importantly, when did people be bold enough to ask an elder from the Eight Heavens to undergo a Soul Binding Contract?! As for helping the Eight Heavens forgive his actions, of course, Louven had no intentions of doing so. After suffering this humiliation, he would be sure to repay the shame a thousand times over! "I see. If that''s your answer, then... Avia,e over here." Izroth said without averting his gaze. Avia''s brows rose in surprise as Izroth called her over. But, she did not ask why and immediately made her way over to his side. "Is there something you need from me, young master?" Avia asked in a polite and respectful tone. In Avia''s eyes, Izroth was someone capable of giving orders to a peak legendary realm expert. If she spoke to him as an equal when even that kind of unfathomable existence treated him with such respect, wouldn''t she be indirectly putting herself above them? That''s why Avia was quick to change the way she addressed Izroth. ''Oh? Young master? It seems she''s alreadypletely made up her mind. Then, I guess it shouldn''t be an issue.'' "Since our visitor has refused my kindness, he no longer serves a purpose. Kill him." Izroth said as he started to walk away and continue along their original path. He then continued, "We''ll be going on ahead. Catch up to us once you''re finished." Astratis and Nomii followed after Izroth without questioning him. Since the choice was left to their youngest, naturally, they did not n on interfering with his methods. Avia was clearly taken aback by Izroth''s orders. He wanted her to kill an elder of the Eight Heavens? If she did that, the Eight Heavens would never forgive her and she would be hunted by them for the rest of her life. And, as a trephasia, that time was not short. However, instead of being in a state of panic as she thought she would have been, unexpectedly, Avia felt a strange sense of calmness wash over her. Chapter 890 Chapter 890: A Bounty imed, Unknown Intentions "That''s right. What is there to be scared of? I am already going to be hunted by one group, what does adding one more matter? This must be his way of testing my resolve. I ought to give him a suitable response." Avia thought to herself as she held the palm of her hand out toward Louven. "What do you intend to do...?" Louven questioned with a darkened expression. "Why bother asking a question you already know the answer to?" Avia answered coldly. "Don''t be foolish! As long as you assist me, my Eight Heavens can guarantee your safety! You should know, even your Fifth Great n will take you back if we put in a good word! Or, do you really n to ce your fate in the hands of some unknown brat and spend the rest of your life running?!" Louven scowled. Louven was left in a powerless and defenseless state by Astratis; therefore, he was unable to retaliate. But, as long as he could show Avia a ray of hope, there was no way she could refuse him¡ªat least, that''s how it should have been. "Brat? Mind your words, Louven. That is my young master you''re speaking ill of." Avia said as a light green aura epassed her palm. "Wai-!" Before Louven could speak, a bundle of vines with thorns rushed out of Avia''s hands. ... A few momentster... Izroth was walking down the path along with Astratis and Nomii when he felt a sudden breeze on his back. "It is done." Avia''s voice sounded as she arrived behind Izroth and the others. Izroth nced back at Avia and gave a small nod before returning his attention to the front. Even if Avia did not say anything, Izroth already knew the decision she made since he had been keeping an eye on things with his Energy Vision Sense. And, just as Avia said, she had indeed taken care of Louven. ''Now that that''s been settled, it''s time to make my way to Xanaharpe. I wanted to pay Danaharpe a visit beforehand, but it will have to wait a little longer. The raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt can start at any moment. I can''t afford to fall too far behind. There''s also the matter of getting these three properly settled in.'' There was no craftsman in Amaharpe who had not heard of Danaharpe. Though that was not surprising considering that it was often called the city of craftsmen. No matter what profession someone took in RML, if they wanted to achieve a higher grade, a visit to a crafting city like Danaharpe was an unavoidable journey. Although Izroth''s skills were above that of a grade three Apothecary, he still needed to travel to Danaharpe. In order to increase his current Apothecary grade, Izroth would have to take and pass the test at the main Apothecary Guild located there. There were many benefits that came from having a higher grade as an Apothecary. For one, Izroth would gain ess to the higher floors of the Apothecary Guild''s library. While the Amaharpe Pce Library was certainly impressive in its own rights, it was more generally focused, and a good portion of the information was rted to the world''s history. However, at a profession''s guild''s library, sole emphasis was heavily ced on topics rted to that particr profession. Just as these thoughts crossed Izroth''s mind, the unexpected sound of alerts from the system sounded in his mind. ¡´System Alert: yer Aurora has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Aurora?¡µ ''Hm? It''s unlike her to suddenly contact me out of the blue. Did something happen at the Mystical Realm Pce?'' Izroth had given full authority to Fang Qiu to run things as she saw fit. Therefore, unless it was an emergency, she was never typically the first one to contact him. "ept it." ¡´System Alert: You have started a voice chat with yer Aurora! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the yer system interface and manually end the call.¡µ Aurora, "I gave you more than enough time, yet you''re still behind schedule. If we want to make the change by the end of this week, you- One moment¡ªhello?" Izroth, "Sounds like things are busy on your end. Is everything alright over there?" Aurora, "It''s when I''m not busy that you should be concerned. It''s a bit hectic here, but everything is running smoothly. Though that''s not what I contacted you for. Someone is here to im the bounty you set." Izroth, "Oh? Already? Have you verified its authenticity? No, if it''s you, I suppose the answer to that question is obvious." Even if Aurora did not specify, there was only one bounty when imed that she would bother to contact him and that was the one ced on the leader of the Headhunter Syndicate, Vault! Aurora, "I am d you are getting to know me better. I personally confirmed its authenticity. Without a doubt, it''s him." ''They moved faster than I anticipated.'' Izroth knew that the bounty he ced on Vault would be more than enough to gather the attention of top yers. After all, 10,00 gold coins along with a favor from his Mystical Realm Pce were too good of an offer to pass up. It was just that he did not expect someone to im the bounty so fast. This was even more so considering how on guard Vault would have been after thest humiliation he suffered under the hands of Izroth and one of the top guilds Sacred Beasts. Aurora, "However, there''s a slight problem. I was unsure how to respond since it involves you, so I contacted you." Izroth, "If you say it like this, then I doubt they''re just asking for more gold coins as a reward." Aurora, "That''s just it. They don''t want the gold coins. Instead, they asked to speak to you." Izroth, "Oh? Speak with me?" Not just anyone would turn away 10,000 gold coins just for a conversation. This made Izroth somewhat curious about their identity and purpose. Izroth, "Do you have a name?" Aurora, "Yes. They called themselves Haishe." ''Haishe?'' Even though the two never exchanged words, Izroth clearly remembered that name. Haishe was someone from a yer organization known as Fatal Touch. Fatal Touch was not a part of the top guilds; however, their overall power and influence were not any less than that of a top guild. They acted as a mercenary group that carried out various tasks such as helping take down boss monsters, gathering rare materials, and, of course, yer assassinations. However, Izroth was not on good terms with Fatal Touch after one of their members ambushed Luna and her friends. Although he did not take a direct part in the ambush, Haishe was one of the people present that day. Since Izroth made it in time to help Luna and eliminate the mastermind behind the ambush, he did not actively pursue Fatal Touch after that day. But, that did not mean he hadpletely forgotten about what urred. Nor had he forgiven Fatal Touch for daring to go after one of his people. ''What is he up to?'' Izroth heard rumors about Fatal Touch having a somewhat close rtionship with the Headhunter Syndicate as they were one of their best customers. To suddenly betray their star employer was not out of character for an organization like Fatal Touch, but it was unusual when the other party was a top guild. The only reason Izroth believed the video was authentic and not staged had to do with Vault''s personality. Izroth found it challenging to believe that such an arrogant guy would set aside his pride and willingly die at the hands of someone else just for an uncertain chance of fooling him. Nevertheless, the possibility was not entirely zero. Therefore, Izroth did notpletely discard it from his mind. Izroth, "I''ll handle it. Tell them to contact me. I will ept." Izroth was unsure what Haishe hoped to aplish; however, there was one easy way to find out. And, that was by talking to him directly. Aurora, "Then, I''ll inform him at once. By the way, you should drop by the Mystical Realm Pce when you have some spare time. I know you''ve given me full authority on matters, but it''s not good in the long run to entirely distance yourself from your own business." Izroth, "I''ll be sure to keep that in mind." Aurora, "As long as you understand. Then, take care of yourself." ¡´System Alert: yer Aurora has terminated the voice chat!¡µ Not long after Aurora ended the voice call, Izroth received a new set of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: yer Haishe has requested a voice chat!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Haishe?¡µ "ept." The moment Izroth epted the voice chat, a familiar voice came from the other side. Haishe, "I''m d you''ve decided to ept my call, Pce Master Izroth. I believe we have quite a few things to discuss. Wouldn''t you agree?" Chapter 891 Chapter 891: Haishe''s Request, Arriving At Xanaharpe Izroth, "I will admit, it is unlike a mercenary group to turn away gold coins." Haishe, "Would you have been willing to speak with me directly otherwise?" Haishe was correct. After theirst encounter, Izroth had no reason nor obligation to hear him out beyond fulfilling his end of the agreement. Since that was the case, it was clear that Haishe had more than one purpose in contacting Izroth. Izroth, "No, I suppose not. Then, what is it you wanted to discuss?" Haishe, "Before that, I''d like to extend my thanks to you." Izroth, "Oh? I don''t recall doing anything that warrants your thanks." Haishe, "That''s true if we''re talking about intentionally. But, indirectly, it is thanks to you that I was able to be the new leader of Fatal Touch. Silent Steps was a fool who only knew how to do things that benefited his own selfish desires. However, after hisst set of blunders, his support within Fatal Touch reached a new low, allowing me to rise up. You should also know that Silent Steps is no longer a part of Fatal Touch." ''An internal power struggle. I guess that exins the atmosphere back then.'' During their previous encounter, Izroth could tell that the rtionship between Silent Steps and Haishe was like that of water and oil¡ªthey simply did not mix. If there was a power struggle going on back then, it exined why Haishe walked away without aiding Silent Steps. Nevertheless, Izroth wanted to know what all of this have to do with him. Just as Haishe said, his "help" was not intentional; therefore, it was not as if he had to go out of his way to bring up this topic. Izroth, "The internal matters of your Fatal Touch hold no interest to me. If there is something you wish to say, then speak freely. I have no intention of wasting my time listening to flowery words." Haishe, "Straightforward¡ªI like it. Then, I''ll be blunt. There''s a special dungeon we need your help to clear. No, to be more precise, we need the help of one of the Pill Emperors from your Mystical Realm Pce." Izroth, "A special dungeon that requires the help of an Apothecary. I see... Does that mean you''ve discovered a Trial Dungeon?" Haishe, "So you already know of them. That saves me a lot of time exining." In RML, the vast majority of dungeons had a ssic style. There were monsters that yers had to fight through in order to reach the final boss monster. However, while that particr type of dungeon ounted for more than 95% of the dungeons in RML, there was a small portion of special dungeons that did not follow the style that yers were used to. Among those dungeons was a type known as a Trial Dungeon. Unlike most dungeons that tested yersbat prowess, Trial Dungeons ced a heavy emphasis on one''s profession. If Haishe was asking for the aid of a Pill Emperor, then the Trial Dungeon he found must be one meant for Apothecaries. Or, at the very least, required an Apothecary to make it past a certain point. ''A Trial Dungeon is certainly interesting; however, it will have to wait until after the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt. I would ask Worldly Skies to go along, but I can''t entrust her safety to them. I''ll have to take care of it myself.'' With her talent and dedication, Izroth believed that Worldly Skies should have the skills of at least a grade four Apothecary by now. However, he did not trust Haishe nor Fatal Touch. Though despite not trusting them, Izroth was a man of his word. If this was the favor Haishe wanted to request from him and his Mystical Realm Pce, he would fulfill it to the best of his abilities. Izroth, "I''ve heard of them before, though I have yet to enter one personally. If this is the request you wish to make of my Mystical Realm Pce, then I will grant it. After all, I, Izroth, am a man of my word. However, your request will have to wait a few days." Haishe, "Dying it a few days won''t be a problem. We still have a few things we need to prepare on our end so that actually works out perfectly. I''ll message you the day before with the basic details and the day of with the coordinates to the Trial Dungeon." Izroth, "That''s fine. And, just to be clear, this counts as the favor you are asking of my Mystical Realm Pce. I want to be sure there are no... Unfortunate misunderstandings." Haishe, "Rest assured, I am well aware of my request." Izroth, "So long as you understand." Haishe, "I understand loud and clear. Then, I won''t waste any more of your time. See you soon, Pce Master Izroth." ¡´System Alert: yer Haishe has terminated the voice chat!¡µ ''He said he''d be straightforward, but still goes and ends things like that. How amusing.'' At the end of their conversation, Haishe did not say that he would see the Pill Emperor soon, but rather that he would see Izroth soon. This meant that he was likely already aware of Izroth''s identity as one of the Pill Emperors. However, Izroth was not too surprised. It was just as Menerva said, it was only a matter of time before others started to uncover his identity as a Pill Emperor. Not to mention, it was not as if he intentionally went out of his way to keep it a secret. ''Hopefully, he really does just need my assistance to clear a Trial Dungeon. This will also give me a good chance to see if there truly are secret tries between Fatal Touch and the Shadahi, or if Silent Steps was just an anomaly.'' Izroth knew that Silent Steps had some ties to the Shadahi after witnessing his transformation. However, what Izroth was uncertain of was whether or not the entirety of Fatal Touch was also in on it. Since Silent Steps was the leader, the chances were high. But, seeing as how there was a recent power struggle, perhaps Silent Steps was acting for his own self-benefit. Either way, Izroth nned on getting some answers. ''I will follow through with my word. But, if they are conspiring with the Shadahi, then... The moment Iplete my task, I will have to deal with them ordingly.'' Izroth had not forgotten the deal he made with the God of Craft, Mazi. The Shadahi was a threat to the Mortal Realm; therefore, anyone or anything rted to them was not something that he could afford to ignore. If it turned out that Haishe and Fatal Touch were connected to the Shadahi in any way, Izroth nned to uproot them from the source. ... The next day... ¡´System Alert: You have entered the outpost city, ?Xanaharpe?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ ''It''s even more crowded this time around. But, I guess this much is to be expected.'' After traveling for just over a day on foot, Izroth finally arrived at Xanaharpe. However, it was nothing like thest time he visited this city. The streets were crowded with yers who gathered for the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt. It was to the point that the guards were forced to limit entry into the city to those who were Soldiers 1st ss or higher. As for the rest of the yers, they were forced to wait outside of the city. "Wee, Captain." The guard at the gate greeted Izroth, who showed his GSU insignia to gain ess to the city. Izroth gave a small nod as he walked through the gate and began to make his way toward the General Support Unit''s main base of operations. ''I sent Avia off with Nomii to assist in finding the materials I need to restore her arm. Astratis said he wanted to take a look around for a while, but... Well, if it''s him, he should be fine. The others should have already arrived at the base. I should meet up with them soon.'' ... After walking for a bit through the crowded city, Izroth reached the GSU''s main base of operations and entered inside. "Captain, what should we do? We''re already stretched too thin. We can''t afford to send anyone." A familiar voice sounded. This voice belonged to the General Support Unit Lieutenant of the 4th Division, Swivel. Izroth only briefly exchanged words with Swivel thest time he was here; however, he could tell that they were troubled by the tone of their voice. "I know that. But, we don''t have a choice. If the GSU doesn''t send anyone, wouldn''t it bring shame to the Commander?" The man sitting at the table across from Swivel responded with a heavy sigh. He was the head of this GSU base, the General Support Unit 4th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Hyasin. And, just like Swivel, he seemed troubled. "You''re here. I was starting to think you wouldn''t show up." Another familiar voice sounded from the side of the room as the owner of that voice approached Izroth. "How could I miss such a big event?" Izroth replied in a carefree manner. The person who walked up to Izroth was one of the individuals he was meeting at the GSU''s base, Niflheim. Izroth then looked around the room and asked, "Where is she?" "She left not too long ago to gather information. You sure chose an interesting one this time around." Niflheim responded. "I see. And, them?" Izroth inquired as he nced over at Hyasin and Swivel. "They''re trying to decide who to send as a representative for the General Support Unit to the raid for the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, well, I have a feeling they won''t have to worry about that problem much longer." Niflheim said with a meaningful look in his eyes. Chapter 892 Chapter 892: Representative of the General Support Unit "If ites down to it, I''ll just have to hand over the reins to you while I go as the representative, Swivel," Hyasin said with a long sigh. "Don''t go asking for the impossible, Captain. Without you, this ce would fall apart in a matter of days. Allow me to go in your stead." Swivel stated. Hyasin shook his head and replied, "Only the Commander or one of us Captains can officially represent the General Support Unit. There''s no way the Commander will show up for something so tedious. And, if we send a Lieutenant, they''ll only look down even more on the General Support Unit. Not to mention, I don''t want you to have to face those scornful gazes due to shorings that are no fault of your own. If only those other guys weren''t so wild and scattered all over the ce, I could have had one of them make the trip." "Captain..." Swivel was touched by Hyasin''s concern. But, he was also frustrated that he could not be of any help. After all, if not for Hyasin''s hard work, the already scattered GSU would have been in a state of even greater disarray. Hyasin released a heavy sigh as he looked down at his desk in defeat. "It seems you have a problem, Captain Hyasin. Should I lend a hand?" Izroth said as he approached the two. "Huh? Who-" Hyasin did not recognize the voice at first; however, when he popped his head up, arge happy grin found its way onto his face. "Captain Izroth¡ªyou''re here!" Hyasin said as he quickly stood to his feet in excitement. The moment Hyasin said that name, the other GSU members present abruptly halted their actions and turned their attention toward Izroth. "Eh? Is that Captain Izroth?" One of the GSU members said softly. "The same Captain Izroth who leveled Vostracane and helped take down one of the Antumbra Night Lords?" "Shh..! Hey, you know we aren''t supposed to speak about that...!" "What? It''s not like we''re outside. Everyone here knows how to keep their mouth shut." "He''s much younger than I imagined. Our General Support Unit is fortunate to have someone who can finallypete with the Rising Suns of the other War Branches." "Heh, I like that our General Support Unit is finally getting some recognition, but that might be a little too much. Those three are just too abnormal." The title of Rising Sun was only given to one person from each War Branch who was the most outstanding individual among the uing generation. And this generation of Rising Suns consisted of three individuals¡ªone human, one trephasia, and one zensana. Even though each of them was from different kingdoms and races, all three had something inmon. When it came to the uing generation, they were considered the monsters of monsters. Even those from the older generation could not afford to look down on those given the title of Rising Sun. Unfortunately for the GSU, this generation of Rising Suns did not include anyone from their War Branch. It was not that their War Branch did not have anyone talented; it was just thatpared to those three young monsters, those from their uing generation would only be setting themselves up for ridicule if they epted the title of Rising Sun. In fact, if not for Commander Seraphina''s influence, it was likely that their War Branch would have been shut down altogether! Therefore, when someone young like Izroth came along and achieved such breathtaking feats, naturally, the members of the GSU became excited. Hyasin loudly cleared his throat and said, "I didn''t realize we could afford to take an early vacation today!" The moment Hyasin spoke, the members of the GSU quickly went back to work. Nheless, the scattered whispers about Izroth could still be heard throughout the room. "Excuse my men, Captain Izroth. They are a bit restless today. It''s not often we get exciting news that involves a person from our General Support Unit. As if we didn''t already have enough exciting news going around for a lifetime with this uing attack." Hyasin stated calmly as a helpless smile formed on his face. "It''s fine. At times like this, a minor distraction from the unknowns thaty ahead is not so bad." Izroth responded with a carefree smile. Izroth was reminded of his earlier days of walking down the path of cultivation. In those days, he did not know if he would live to see the next hour, let alone tomorrow. During those dark times, it was the small distractions from the endless battles, killing, and death that helped keep him grounded. "Ah, you''ll have to forgive my directness, Captain. But did I hear you correctly just now? Are you really fine with acting as the General Support Unit''s official representative for the uing attack?" Hyasin asked. "That''s right. I already have ns on joining the attack. Whether I do so as a representative or not doesn''t matter to me. That is, as long as my movements remain unrestricted." Izroth responded. The reason Izroth joined the GSU was so that his movement during the war would not be limited. If the GSU''s only benefit were suddenly taken away, then he would rather go ahead with his original n. Arge smile found its way onto Hyasin face as he pped his hands together. "Really?! You''ll go?! You''ll be helping me out in a real pinch here!" Hyasin said as he released a sigh of relief. He then continued, "Oh, and there''s no reason to worry about your movements being restricted. You may have to take part in a few official meetings before the attack takes ce and after it concludes. Ah, you probably won''t have to speak or anything outside of a brief introduction. But, besides that, there should be no issue. After all, our General Support Unit prides itself on our free spirits!" "Then, I see no problem. If the General Support Unit needs a representative, I''ll do it. Besides, we can''t have others looking down on us, right?" "Well said!" Hyasin said with a strong nod of approval. As Hyasin finished giving his exnation and Izroth confirmed his eptance, a new set of system alerts sounded. ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! An Emergency War Objective is now avable!¡µ ?Operation Identifier: Representative of the General Support Unit? ssification: Emergency Contribution Points Bonus: +100% Min. Requirement(s): Captain Min. Level Rmended: N/A Slots Remaining: 1/1 Objective: Act as the official representative for the General Support Unit and apany the War Brigade and allied forces to the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt. You must properly attend to the duties of a representative until the end of the assault to receive the reward. In addition, all forces under yourmand will receive a separate War Objective that cannot be declined. Reward: [MAX: +500(+500) Contribution Points][x1 ?Treasure Shard?][x1 ?Merit Emblem?] Failure: [MAX: -750 Contribution Points] Special Note: Contribution Points are distributed in real-time for Emergency-type ssifications. Contribution Points will be allocated or deducted based on how youplete your duties as a representative. After epting the War Objective, Izroth exchanged a few casual words with Hyasin before the Captain expressed his thanks once again. "Again, I can''t thank you enough. Stay safe out there, Captain Izroth. Remember, the General Support Unit may not be as big as the other War Branches. But, if one of our people is in trouble, we''ll be there to support them. As long as you call for us, we won''t hesitate toe running to your aid. That is a matter that we will never be too busy or stretched thin for." Hyasin said with confidence. "I will be sure to keep your words in mind. I still have some preparations to make, so I''ll be taking my leave. I''ll meet up with the otherster, as we''ve discussed. Try not to work yourself too hard, Captain." Izroth said as he turned to walk away. "Yeah, I''ll be sure to keep your words in mind," Hyasin said to himself as he watched Izroth depart. ... A few minutester, Izroth, apanied by Niflheim, stood before a small shop located near the back end of the city. The shop had a small wooden sign hanging above the door with the words "Cedar''s Nest" carved onto its surface. ''I''m a bitte, but this should be the ce.'' Before Izroth left Xanaharpe, there was another task he had toplete that involved a promise he made with the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia, Mariposa. For helping him set up the hunt on the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth promised that as long as Mariposa sent him three high-quality ingredients, he would deliver something of great use to her. This was, of course, the Self Awakening Pill. At the time, Mariposa mentioned that she would send someone to Xanaharpe in a few hours to meet up with Izroth. However, he never expected to enter the Secret Realm and then get caught up in the mess at the Thousand Blossoms Peak. As a result, the person from Sleeping Gardenia who was supposed to be delivering the materials had to wait around in Xanaharpe for at least two days! But, Izroth was notpletely thoughtless. After his return from the Secret Realm, he tried to get in contact with Mariposa, but she had not returned any of his messages. This was highly unusual, considering that she typically responded instantly to his messages. However, given how chaotic things have beentely and everything on Mariposa''s te, Izroth merely wrote it off as her being busy or in ce with limited to nomunication ce in RML. Chapter 893 Chapter 893: Meeting At Cedar''s Nest Izroth entered the shop and was immediately greeted by a peaceful atmosphere. The interior of the shop was less than half the size of the Mystical Realm Pce''s first floor; however, there was a cozy and warm feeling to it. Hanging on the walls were pieces of old artwork that looked somewhat weathered¡ªas if they had endured through the ages. Lined up against the walls were two bookshelves filled with books that had no titles or covers. ced with a clear intent of keeping the walking space in the room flowing smoothly were several round wooden tables. And, tucked neatly under each wooden table were a pair of chairs with seat cushions. Unlike outside of the shop, where the streets were crowded with people rushing to and from ces, there were only two individuals present. "Wee. Feel free to look around and take a seat wherever you''d like." A voice sounded from behind a simple wooden table located near the back of the shop. The voice belonged to a inly dressed middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and a full beard. NPC Name: Cedar''s Nest Shop Owner, Osmond(Elite) NPC Level: 45 ''I didn''t think there was still a quiet ce left in Xanaharpe with how hectic things are outside. It''s certainly a ce most yers would overlook, but not to this extent. Why is it so empty?'' Izroth could understand if it was empty during normal times; however, people had to practically squeeze by one another walking down the roads of Xanaharpe. This kind of ce was perfect for yers to schedule a meet-up or to stop and take a break. ''Well, I suppose it''s notpletely empty.'' Izroth''s walked by the bookshelves as his gaze shifted across the room to the only other person in the shop beside the owner. It was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. She possessed wild curly ginger hair with a pair of soft hazel eyes hidden behind the sses on her face and freckles on her rosy cheeks. She wore light amber-colored schr robes that seemed one step oversized for her petite frame. On the table in front of the young woman was an opened thick hard-covered book that she was lost in. From the look of things, she appeared to be near the end of the book with only a few pages left to go. Izroth walked over to the young woman''s table and quietly sat down at the seat in front of her. After seeing how absorbed she was in the book and how close she was topleting it, Izroth decided not to disturb her and used to the time go over things in his inventory. ... A couple of minutester, the sound of a book closing could be heard as the young woman released a small sigh. There was a look of disappointment in her eye after having finished the book¡ªas if she yearned for more. "So? How was it?" Izroth asked calmly. "?!" The young woman''s body jerked slightly as she was clearly startled when Izroth spoke. "A-Ah... I-I''m very s-sorry...! I-" The young woman quickly reached for the book and embraced it as she used it to hide most of her face. Her eyes peeked over the book as she continued, "E-Excuse me... I... I... am not currently interested in a rtionship..!" The young woman closed her eyes tightly as it seemed to take all her energy to utter those words. However, upon hearing her speak, Izroth did not know whether tough or cry as a carefree smile found its way onto his face. ''It seems I''ve been rejected.'' ... It did not take Izroth long to clear up the misunderstanding and properly introduce himself. Just as he thought, the young woman was from Sleeping Gardenia and was the one Mariposa sent to deliver the materials. The young woman went by the name Freesia. And based on their brief interaction, Izroth could tell that interacting with others was not her strong point. That''s why, at first appearance, Izroth was surprised Mariposa entrusted someone like Freesia to deliver such precious ingredients to him. But, Izroth knew well from experience the mistake of judging one too quickly. If it was Mariposa, Izroth believed that there was definitely a reason she felt confident enough in Freesia to safely deliver the materials. "M-My utmost a-apologies...! I-I''m so embarrassed...!" Freesia said as her entire face turned red from the embarrassing misunderstanding. When Izroth was clearing up the misunderstanding, he discovered that Freesia''s words from earlier were Mariposa''s doing. ording to Freesia, Mariposa told her, "If a man approaches you while you''re alone, just say that you''re already in a rtionship. If that doesn''t work, then..." Well, Izroth would rather not remind himself of the second part. ''That woman sure has quite the twisted sense of humor. Just what is she teaching her guild members?'' "It''s fine. I''m d we''ve managed to clear things up." Izroth said as his eyes fell on the book in Freesia''s hands. Just like the other books on the bookshelves, it had no cover or title. "So? Did you find anything interesting?" Izroth inquired. "Yes! It was wonderful!" Freesia said in a slightly higher tone as she could not contain her excitement with a sparkle in her eyes. It was also the first time she did not stutter to get her words out. But, as if quickly realizing her actions, Freesia sunk into her seat. "P-pardon my outburst..." Freesia spoke softly. "I don''t mind. Books are the gateways that lead to many different worlds. Even if one were to spend their entire life exploring those worlds, in the end, they would find that they have only barely managed to scratch the surface. It is something wonderful and yet also intrinsically sad." Izroth replied unhurriedly. "Wonderful yet sad... One origin where two truths exist in harmony... The guild leader was right¡ªyou have a beautiful mind." Freesia stated without thought as she looked at Izroth in awe. In just a few moments, she had gone from being incredibly tense to somewhat rxed. The guard she had up in the beginning also began to drop after she listened to Izroth''s words. To most people, books were just tools for entertainment or knowledge. But, to her, they were so much more. From a young age, she knew that her rtionship with books was not like others. To her, each book was its own world that she had the privilege of exploring. Needless to say, this unique outlook caused her to have a troublesome childhood as her peers often mocked her passion for books. That''s why despite her shy and reserved nature, even though it was their first time speaking to one another, Freesia did not feel ufortable around Izroth. It was the first time she heard someone weave her thoughts and feelings into words so perfectly. To her, anyone who was able to clearly convey that kind of outlook on books could not be a bad person. Izroth felt somewhat bad for having Freesia wait around longer than expected. So, after sensing her nervousness, at the very least, he wanted to make things a little easier for her. After his previousment, Freesia opened up to Izroth as she spoke about the book she''d just read, as well as some of her favorite novels. And, while she was still soft-spoken, her stuttering had practically ceased altogether. Then, after a few minutes passed, Freesia was suddenly reminded of her original purpose ofing to Xanaharpe. "My apologies. When ites to books, I can get a little sidetracked sometimes. T-Thank you for listening to my rambling..." Freesia said as a light smile appeared on her face. She then continued, "Let''s see... I was not given any specifics about your request outside of a rarity preference, but... Will these suffice?" As Freesia spoke, she removed nine items from her inventory and ced them on the wooden table in front of her. Each item was a type of herb; however, they were not ordinary herbs. They released strong aromas and almost felt as though they were alive. "The guild leader is aware that you only requested three ingredients, but as long as it does not inconvenience you, she asked that I hand over an additional two sets of ingredients..." Freesia noted. Izroth briefly examined the herbs as he gave a small nod and responded, "I understand. These will do just fine. For what I have in mind, quality is the only important factor. This won''t take long." Izroth stated as epted the ingredients and stood up from his seat. ''It looks like I underestimated those top guilds. They aren''tgging behind as much as I thought.'' Izroth thought that Mariposa and Sleeping Gardenia would have some troubleing up with three ancient-quality materials. After all, even if one had the gold to acquire them, they would not be able to purchase them due to the severeck of supply and the overwhelming demand. Yet, they were able to provide not three but nine ancient-quality materials! Chapter 894 Chapter 894: The New Unsanctioned Zone, Land of Unity Izroth looked over at the shop owner and said, "I want to use your shop to craft a few pills. Is that fine?" "Go ahead. But, if you break anything, you''ll have to pay for it out of pocket, Captain." Osmond replied nonchntly without looking up from the book in his hands. "I''ll be sure to keep it brief," Izroth responded. The next moment, the Dark Abyssal Armlet transformed into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and appeared before Izroth. Freesia was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the cauldron. It was the first time she saw a cauldron that was capable of transforming. What surprised her even more, was the fact that Izroth was going to craft the pill public! Even though it was only her and the shop owner present, one had to know that Apothecaries kept their crafting techniques and recipes a secret from others. That''s because both things could hold a potential astronomical value and give them a clear edge over other Apothecaries. This was even more so for the top guilds, who maintained a tight grip on their pill recipes and the crafting techniques of their Apothecaries. Of course, Izroth was not worried about such a thing. For one, he did not think that Freesia nor Mariposa was the type of person to steal what belonged to him. But, more importantly, even if someone wanted to copy the Self Awakening Pill, it was useless. The system made it so that the recipe could not be shared or replicated. Naturally, this meant that Izroth was the only person in all of RML who was capable of crafting it. Izroth started up the cauldron and tossed in the first batch of ingredients. Then, after roughly thirty seconds, the first pill emerged. Without wasting a moment, Izroth repeated the steps two additional times. In total, it took him less than two minutes to use the nine ancient-quality ingredients. When Freesia witnessed Izroth''s unbelievable crafting speed and how he casually tossed the ingredients into the cauldron, at first, she was nervous. Although she was not an Apothecary, Freesia was a Herbalist¡ªa profession that focused on gathering, cultivating and studying various types of herbs. Due to this, she worked closely with the Apothecaries of Sleeping Gardenia and viewed their crafting process with her own eyes. But, after seeing how Izroth crafted pills, Freesia almost felt somewhat pitiful for the Apothecaries of Sleeping Gardenia. "It''s no wonder the guild leader wants to send our Apothecaries to learn at the Mystical Realm Pce. The difference is too much." Freesia thought to herself as she looked on in amazement. Not too long after Izroth crafted thest pill, he recalled the cauldron as it transformed back into its armlet state and wrapped itself around his arm. "The quality is a bit varied, but your guild''s luck is not bad," Izroth said as he handed over the three pills to Freesia. Izroth managed to craft two Self Awakening Pill IV and one Self Awakening Pill V. Each possessed an awakening chance of 50% and 75%, respectively. As for the experience gains, the Self Awakening Pill IV was 5% with a 10% temporary experience boost, while the Self Awakening Pill V was 8% and 18%. Fortunately, one did not require a pill of the same rank to activate the temporary experience boost effect. In other words, once someone consumes a Self Awakening Pill of any rank, they would be able to use a Self Awakening Pill I to trigger the temporary experience boost. Otherwise, someone like Izroth, who consumed a Self Awakening Pill VI, would have to pay a steep pricepared to a person who took a weaker version of the pill. When Izroth spoke, Freesia snapped out of her thoughts and epted the pills. "Y-yes..! Thank you very much for your hard work..." Freesia said in a slightly futtered state. Freesia examined the pills as her eyes widened in shock. But, it did not take long for her brows to furrow as if she were stumped by something. "U-um...!" Freesia uttered as she quickly stood to her feet. She then continued, "Just what are these pills...? It''s the first time I''ve seen pills with this rank." "Some things are better left to the imagination," Izroth responded with a carefree smile. In truth, Izroth himself had no idea how the Self Awakening Pillpared to higher-ranked pills since the highest pill he crafted was the grade five Hundred Death Poisoning Pill. In terms of effectiveness,paring the two was likeparing apples to oranges. That being said, the Self Awakening Pill held some clear advantages over the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill that made its effects above that of a grade-five pill. "Ah, my a-apologies if I''ve overstepped," Freesia said softly. "No worries. After all, it''s not a bad thing to be inquisitive." Izroth replied. The next moment, he removed another pill from his inventory. "Take this. I arrivedte due to some unexpected circumstances and caused you some trouble. Consider it a small gift to make up for myte arrival." Izroth said as he gave Freesia a Self Awakening Pill he crafted from his very first batch of the pills. The one he handed her was a Self Awakening Pill III. The chances of awakening were only 20%, but as long as her luck was good, it was still a possibility of sess. Freesia''s first instinct was to decline Izroth''s gift. After all, it was her assignment to wait for his arrival. Plus, since she spent her time reading, Freesia did not mind the wait. However, before she knew it, Freesia found that she had already epted the pill. "Thank you..." Freesia said as she lightly smiled. Freesia did not care about the value of the pill. She simply desired something tomemorate the moment she first met a person with the same view of books as her. For that reason alone, Freesia found this trip worth it. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Then, since our business has concluded, I''ll be taking my leave. Stay safe on your journey." After he spoke, Izroth began to make his way toward the exit as he gave a casual wave without turning back on his way out. Then, just before leaving the shop, he said, "Though I have a feeling that won''t be too much of an issue for you." Those were Izroth''s final words before he left Cedar''s Nest. Freesia''s cheeks flushed pink as her lips curved into a joyful smile. "He is even more amazing than the guild leader described..." Freesia said to herself. Then, not long after Izroth left, Freesia walked over to the bookshelves and returned the book she borrowed to its proper ce. "T-thank you for your h-hospitality, shop owner..." Freesia said to the shop owner. "This much is the least I can do for those risking their lives every day on our behalf. You''re wee to visit anytime you want, Captain." Osmond responded without looking up from his book. Freesia gave a small respectful bow before walking toward the exit. The reason Cedar''s Nest was so empty had nothing to do with its location but rather its hidden restrictions. Only those who were ranked Captain or higher could enter through its doors. As for those who failed to meet the requirements, they would be blocked from entering by an invisible barrier. "It was a nice break while itsted. But, it''s time I return to my division." Freesia thought to herself as she left Cedar''s Nest. ... Several minutester... After leaving Cedar''s Nest, Izroth met up with Niflheim at Xanaharpe''s gate and departed the city for what used to be known as the Unsanctioned Zone. However, after being upied by Amaharpe and Rosentarus, it was renamed the Land of Unity tomemorate their alliance in iming thend that had been fought over for years. At the moment, Izroth and Niflheim were about to cross into the Land of Unity to join the main allied forces who were preparing for the uing raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt. "I meant to bring it up sooner, but while you were busy, we recruited a few useful people to join the division. Of course, it''s not official yet since we decided to wait for your opinion before making any final decisions; however, I''d like to know your thoughts on the matter." Niflheim stated. "I trust in both of your judgment capabilities. If you''ve found people you feel can be useful to our division, then may do as you wish. After all, since you two will be leading the squadrons under my division, you should choose those you deem suitable." Izroth replied calmly. He then continued, "That being said, I am curious about the people who''ve managed to catch the eyes of my Lieutenants." "They definitely have some potential. Just do me a favor and try not topare them too much to thepany you usually keep." Niflheim said half-jokingly. "I''ll keep your words in mind," Izroth said with a carefree smile. "Ah, we''re here," Niflheimmented as the two finally arrived at the border of the Land of Unity. As he went through the checkpoint with Niflheim, Izroth surveyed his surroundings. ''They sure didn''t waste any time. It hasn''t been that long since I wasst here, but it''s already changed this much.'' Chapter 895 Chapter 895: Friendly Advice The Land of Unity was a sizable piece of territory situated between the borders of Amaharpe, Rosentarus, and Malentansium. It was well known for its abundant amount of resources; however, because of its location, each of the three kingdoms dered rightful ownership over the territory. Due to this, entry into the Land of Unity was highly restricted, and yers could only dream of entering the area. At least, that''s how it was thest time Izroth was here. But now, the territory previously known as the Unsanctioned Zone was like a lively town. There were members of the human, trephasia, and zensana races walking among the freshly paved stone roads. An array of stalls selling a variety of items lined were lined up on the sides of the road, and multiple structures that were still in the process of being built could be seen everywhere. The Land of Unity was still under construction by the joint forces of Amaharpe and Rosentarus; however, the amount of progress that had been made was massive. Of course, the ce was under heavy guard with regr patrols by members of the War Brigade. They were still right next to the Malentansium border, and there was no telling if or when the Skounae would try tounch a surprise assault. Until the new territory was fully constructed and the defenses set in ce, thend was still somewhat vulnerable. Needless to say, because it was rich in resources, Amaharpe and Rosentarus strictly supervised the Land of Unity. If someone was caught trying to take resources without permission, it would be seen as stealing from the two kingdoms. While the rewards were certainly tempting, for most yers, it simply was not worth the potential risk of being kicked out of their war branch or cklisted by the two kingdoms. As Izroth and Niflheim took in their surroundings, the two ventured further into the Land of Unity. "I''ve heard rumors that the real reason why Amaharpe and Rosentarus wanted to im thisnd has to do with more than just its resources. It''s said that their true goal is the natural magic vein that''s hidden underground." Niflheim stated. "A magic vein? An interesting rumor." Izrothmented. Izroth had already used his Energy Vision Sense to check for anything unusual; however, he did not sense anything that remotely resembled a natural magic vein. Though that did not mean the rumor about there being a magic vein was fake. After all, Izroth understood that it was always possible that something was interfering with his Energy Vision Sense that prevented him from sensing the magic vein. In RML, a magic vein was like a natural magic formation created by the world itself that channeled mana in its purest form. That''s why things like nts and ores could have their quality increased just by being near a magic vein. And, if one was able to tap into the magic vein itself, they could unlock a terrifying power. After walking for a while, Izroth and Niflheim halted their steps. "This is where we part ways. I''ll send you the coordinates so that you can meet up with us after you finish what needs to be done on your end." Niflheim said. Izroth gave a small nod. The following moment, he removed a few small pouches from his inventory and handed them over to Niflheim. "Here are some pills and 500 gold coins. Each person in the division is to receive one of each pill. Also, some of the stuff being sold here is not half bad. You can use the gold coins to prepare whatever is necessary. If you need more, don''t hesitate to contact me." Izroth stated. The pills Izroth gave to Niflheim were the Five Cycle Pills and Ocean Spring Pills. One pill improved the basic senses, while the other helped with fatigue. Both were crucial on the battlefield. Not to mention,pared to most other divisions, this one had no experience working together. Therefore, anything that could give them a better edge over others on an individual level would take some of the pressure off his Lieutenants. Niflheim epted the small pouches and set them into his inventory. "It''s a shame I can''t attend the representative meeting with you. I would have liked to see who we''re dealing with personally." Niflheim said with a helpless sigh. The reason why Izroth was parting ways with Niflheim so soon after setting foot in the Land of Unity was due to the representative meeting that would be taking ce soon. Typically, the representatives from the war branches were allowed to have one or two aides apany them; however, the situation was different for the GSU. The power structure within the GSU was rtively uniquepared to the other three war branches. So, unless it was the Commander herself, the attendance of aides was not permitted for a GSU representative. From this alone, it was clear that the other war branches did not take the GSU seriously and looked down on them. Even though Izroth only joined the GSU because of the freedom of movement it granted him, in the end, he was still one of its members. He was not the type to sit back and watch as others looked down on something he was a part of. "We''ll just have to show them what we''re capable of. That way, they won''t have the face to treat our General Support Unit as a mere burden." Izroth said calmly as a serious looked shed through his eyes. After exchanging a few more words, Izroth and Niflheim went their separate ways. Izroth headed further into the Land of Unity. The representative meeting was taking ce at the central area where the temporary main base of operations for the uing raid was set up. Izroth walked for several minutes until, eventually, he reached a grandmand tent with multiple people standing at attention outside. ''ording to Hyasin, this should be the ce.'' Without wasting any time, Izroth approached themand tent. This action immediately caught the eyes of those nearby as one of the individuals moved to block Izroth''s path. "Hold it. This area is currently off-limits. I do not know what branch you are from, but if you are an aide, you will have to wait until yourmanding officer arrives before entering." The individual stated. The person who blocked Izroth''s path was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties with short white hair and silver eyes. Over his closed left eye was a scar that had clearly been gained in battle. He wore a set of heavy armor, and on his back was a magnificent spear. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Division Captain of the 1st Unit Edgar(Rare) NPC Level: ??? The next moment, a brass emblem with a faint magic aura appeared in Izroth''s hand. "I am here as the official representative of the General Support Unit, 9th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Izroth," Izroth said as he revealed the emblem. "General Support Unit?" Edgar frowned as he examined the brass emblem. Without a doubt, the brass emblem was authentic. After all, how many people had the guts to walk up to themand tent with a fake representative emblem? However, it was clear that Edgar was taken aback by Izroth''s appearance. It was notmon for the General Support Unit to send someone as a representative to these types of meetings. But, considering how important the mission was this time around, they would have lost too much face and opened themselves up to a lot of potential scrutiny if they failed to y an active role. "Pardon the misunderstanding, Captain. Since you are here as the General Support Unit''s representative, naturally, you have the right to enter." Edgar said as he stepped aside and opened up the path. Izroth put away the emblem and continued to make his way into themand tent. But, just as he was about to enter, Edgar''s voice sounded once more. "I''d like to give you some friendly advice, Captain. You may be a representative, but it will be best if you remain silent when inside. Most representatives do not view those from the General Support Unit with kind eyes. Do not give them a reason to look down on you." Edgar warned. Although the way he spoke was blunt, Izroth could tell that Edgar''s warning wasing from a good ce. That being said, he did not say anything that Izroth was not already aware of. "Rest assured, Captain. I have no ns of letting them look down on me or my General Support Unit." Izroth said with a carefree expression before making his way into themand tent. ... The moment Izroth stepped into themand tent, the noiseing from outsidepletely vanished. ''There are multiple high-level magic barriers protecting this ce. I suppose it''s to be expected.'' Izroth swept his gaze across the room and immediately recognized a few faces. However, most of those present were people he had never seen before today. Chapter 896 Chapter 896: Representatives of the War Branches There was arge round table at themand tent''s center. At that table sat four people¡ªeach with two individuals standing upright behind them. Of the four people at the table, Izroth immediately recognized two of them; the War Brigade 1st Legion General of the 1st High Legion Solomon and Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian, Duchess. Izroth had personally spoken to Solomon on various asions; therefore, they could not be considered strangers. As for Duchess, despite their limited interaction with one another, their paths had previously crossed. Standing quietly behind Solomon was another person Izroth was no stranger to. It was the War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Aurie. Next to Aurie was an unfamiliar face¡ªa handsome man with soft features who looked to be in his early thirties with snow-white hair and a pair of pale turquoise eyes. The light armor he wore was tinum in color, and on his back was a magnificent ive with a well-curved de. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Ezra(???) NPC Level: ??? At Duchess'' back were two members of the zensana race. One was the Rosentarus Panther Battalion Commander Baut, who previously worked with Aurie to fight for what was once known as the Unsanctioned Zone. Although Izroth had not directly met with Baut, he was aware of his existence through Empyrean, who he sent to help Baut after he was ambushed by members of the Skounae race. Slightly hunched over next to Baut was a sub-species of the zensana race Izroth had not seen before; however, he was somewhat familiar with them due to his trip to the Amaharpe Pce Library. The most defining feature was, without a doubt, the pair of feathered wings on their back that were currently folded in. They possessed a pair of yellow eyes with the features of a half-bird and half-human. This person was a member of the zensana owl sub-species. NPC Name: Rosentarus Avian Battalion Commander U''Talow(???) NPC Level: ??? It was clear that Solomon was here as the War Brigade''s representative, while Duchess was present to represent the zensana of Rosentarus. As for the other two at the table, each of them belonged to the remaining two war branches. NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Special Agent Veiled(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Resource Management Division Advisor Palmer(Rare) NPC Level: 45 The first one was known simply as Veiled, and he was shrouded in mystery. He wore a ck cloak that covered himpletely from head to toe. In addition, his face was hidden behind a white porcin-like mask with no defining features. Izroth did not know much about the inner workings of the War Intelligence Group; however, he was aware that someone with the rank of Special Agent held the same level of authority in their war branch as a General did in the War Brigade. The two who came with Veiled were called Soothing Smoke and Nimble Whisper. Both of which had appearances that were just as well hidden as Veiled''s. Izroth had run into Soothing Smoke before during his trip to the Demilitarization Belt; however, there was not much they revealed about themselves. Of course, this was no surprise considering what war branch he was a part of. NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Lead Agent Nimble Whisper(???) NPC Level: ??? Palmer, on the other hand, was like an open bookpared to Veiled and the others from the War Intelligence Group. He was a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties with neatlybed light brown hair and clear amber eyes. He donned simple yet noble clothing. And, in his eyes was a calctive look, apanied by a stern expression on his face. As an Advisor of the Resource Management Division, it was Palmer''s job to ensure that war funds and resources were not being squandered while also making sure that the soldiers were taken care of on a reasonable budget. Even though Palmer did not have the authority tomand soldiers to fight on the battlefield or gather information like those from the War Intelligence Group, his influence was not any less than that of a General or Special Agent. After all, without funds and resources, it was impossible to fight a war. And needless to say, no one wanted to get on the bad side of an Advisor who had the ability to increase or decrease their potential operation funds. Just like the other representatives, Palmer was apanied by two individuals. One of which was a Manager of the Resource Management Division called Tonne, who was present at the Demilitarization Belt when Izroth wasst there. The person next to Tonne was a middle-aged man with ck hair that was on the verge of bing gray. He had a set of sunken green eyes with a pair of bags under his eyes as if he had not rested in days and wore a dark blue robe. NPC Name: Resource Management Division Manager Everett(Elite) NPC Level: 36 ''I don''t see that woman here. Does she n to move alone?'' As Izroth analyzed those present, he felt several gazesnd on him. However, those at the table did not pause their conversation upon his arrival. "General Solomon, when will the High General be arriving so that we can begin the representative meeting?" Palmer inquired. "The High General will not be attending this representative meeting. As ordered, I will be taking the lead in their absence." Solomon answered calmly. "Then, why are we wasting time when everyone is already present?" Palmer questioned with a frown. "It is proper protocol to wait for all representatives to arrive before beginning. Fortunately for you, Advisor Everett, it seems you no longer have to wait." Solomon said as his gazended on Izroth. At first, Palmer was bewildered by Solomon''s words. In his eyes, everyone was present besides the High General, who was noting, ording to Solomon. If that was the case, then... Palmer shifted his gaze to Izroth, who had just entered themand tent. Izroth''s appearance caused the Advisor to furrow his brows. He made it his job to know everyone of importance at the representative meeting; however, this was his first time seeing the young man who just walked in. "Who is this young man?" Palmer thought to himself as he sized up Izroth. "Introduce yourself and then take a seat so that we may begin," Solomon said without wasting time. Izroth walked over to the only empty seat at the table and stood in front of it before he introduced himself. "I am here as the official representative of the General Support Unit, 9th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Izroth. It is a pleasure to meet my fellow representatives." Izroth revealed before taking a seat at the table. General Support Unit? The moment Izroth said those words, many of those present seemed taken aback. The General Support Unit was given a representative spot as more of a courtesy than anything. Unless it was the Commander of the General Support Unit herself, no one actually expected to see anyone from that war branch make an appearance. After all, it was no secret that many people had called for the General Support Unit to be disbanded. "General Solomon, is this a joke? I can understand if we were waiting for the Commander herself to arrive, but isn''t it too much to send an inexperienced Captain to take part in this meeting? I am sure you are aware of what is at stake here. Speaking bluntly, the General Support Unit serves no purpose here with their presence." Palmer stated. As Palmer spoke, Soothing Smoke leaned over and seemed to be whispering something in Veiled''s ear. At the same time, Solomon responded, "Advisor Palmer, may I remind you that despite your personal feelings, anyone may be sent as a representative. If the General Support Unit has assigned Captain Izroth this task, I have no doubt that they are more than capable of fulfilling it." "General Solomon is correct. What''s more important is that now that everyone is gathered, we may finally begin." Veiledmented. "I agree." Duchess casually chimed in. Palmer frowned. It was obvious that he was not happy about having to wait for a mere Captain from the General Support Unit to make an appearance. However, he decided to drop that matter. If he continued to protest when everyone present had already epted things, he knew that it would only cause him to stand out in a bad way. "Very well. Since General Solomon and everyone else has no issue, then so be it." Palmer said reluctantly. "Then, since that''s settled... Let''s begin." Solomon stated. He then continued, "Today, we will be discussing how to proceed with the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, before we get into that, there is something else we need to address. Recently, we''ve received some disturbing news from the War Intelligence Group. I''ll let Special Agent Veiled exin the details." Chapter 897 Chapter 897: A Frog At The Bottom of A Well Knows Nothing of The Sea "As everyone here is presumably already aware of, the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands was recently used to summon a certain creature that wreaked havoc in the Demilitarization Belt." Veiled stated. The moment Veiled brought up that creature, the atmosphere in themand tent shifted to one of a lingering heaviness. Solomon and those from the 1st Legion seemed particrly bothered by the mention of that creature. Commander Ekquilore¡ªa vile creature from the Shadahi Realm who emerged through the kingdom of Tempest''s use of the forbidden spell known as the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. The reason it was listed as a forbidden spell had to do with the atrocious prerequisite to its activation. It required the blood of one thousand innocent people to be spilled and their lives to perish amidst a battle. However, unless it was those fanatics from O''Tohelm, finding one thousand innocent people ready to willinglyy down their lives was virtually impossible. It''s why Tempest had to use a twisted mind control spell to manipte and sacrifice their own citizens. ''Oh? A gateway spell formed through blood sacrifice... So that''s how he was able to cross over into the Mortal Realm.'' Izroth was curious as to how Commander Ekquilore managed to forcibly break through the seal ced on the Shadahi Realm; however, it seemed it was not his own doing. ''Still, this is a good thing. If the creature bound to that throne was summoned here instead of Commander Ekquilore, it means that the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands probably has a limit to what it''s capable of summoning. Though the fact that Tempest can summon a creature from the Shadahi Realm at all... The seal must have somehow weakened in that ce. At this rate, it''s only a matter of time before things be even more chaotic.'' Izroth always knew that the Shadahi''s powers were sealed in the Shadahi Realm; however, he had no idea just how much the seal truly limited ess to their actual strength. Back when he first fought against Commander Ekquilore during his trip to the Shadahi Realm, they were only a level 17 rare boss monster. But, ording to the information Izroth obtained, that very same creature had now grown into the equivalent of an Epic Event Boss. If that was the case, didn''t this mean that even something like a Lesser Shadahi Patroller¡ªa level 16 elite monster¡ªwould be seen as a huge threat to the average yer at its full strength? But,pared to the powerful Shadahi that Izroth came across in the Shadahi Realm, who was bound to the throne, something like the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers and even Commander Ekquilore could only be viewed as mild threats. Besides their name, Izroth did not know much about them. However, during their brief encounter, he left that being in an enraged state. They were known as Syxirius, The Unworthy. "As you''ve said, we are all already aware of this urrence. But, since you''re bringing it up in this manner, I assume the news you have is somehow rted to that creature?" Duchessmented. "You could say that. While it is not directly rted to them, the matters are not necessarilypletely detached from one another. Thanks to the hard work done by General Solomon and Lead Agent Soothing Smoke, we were able to recover this item." Veiled said as an object appeared in his hand out of thin air as he sat it on the table in front of him. It was a ck chain roughly thirty centimeters in length with ten small skulls attached to the chain links. A lingering aura of death epassed the skulls¡ªnine of which were purple, along with a tenth golden skull positioned at the top. "This Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol is proof of one''s high standing ties to the Netherworld. While it is difficult to identify the owners of a Nether Idol, we do know that the majority of them are found on those rted to the League of the Eidolon." Veiled exined. "Special Agent Veiled, you''ll have to excuse my bluntness, but just how does this have anything to do with the uing assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt?" Palmer inquired with a visible frown. In truth, most of those present were also curious as to where Veiled was headed with his words. He was speaking of the Shadahi and the Netherworld without any mention of the Skounae they would be facing. Needless to say, this did not bode well with them. "Using this Ten-Headed Demon Nether Idol, our War Intelligence Group has recently confirmed secret ties between the League of the Eidolon and the kingdom of Tempest. Our sources also revealed that the League of the Eidolon will be making a move in this uing raid along with Tempest. And, if Tempest is moving, we cannot overlook the possibility of another Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands." Veiled stated. Almost everyone present was taken aback by Veiled''s words. It wasmon knowledge that Tempest and Malentansium were working with one another. However, first the Shadahi and now the League of the Eidolon who had ties with the Netherworld¡ªthis news was shocking! Though there were four individuals present who did not seem taken aback by this news, one of them being, of course, Izroth. While he was unaware of the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands, ever since his fight against Dolos Jestal, Izroth knew about the connections Veiled had just brought up. Therefore, he was not surprised by the announcement. General Solomon, Commander Aurie, and the Ten Beast Guardian Duchess were also not startled by Veiled sudden revtion. After all, they were present during the incident with Dolos Jestal. But, those who were without some foreknowledge of past events were in a state of utter shock. If not only Tempest, who already proved they had no issues crossing certain lines, but also the League of the Eidolon joined in the protection of the Night Lord''s Crypt, didn''t the difficulty of this assault just increase severalfold? "Permission to speak." A voice sounded from behind Solomon. This voice belonged to Commander Ezra. It was the first time someone besides a representative had spoken up, and all eyes immediately fell on the Commander. "Feel free to speak your mind, Commander Ezra. I also encourage all those present not to hesitate to speak up as long as it contributes to the topic at hand." Solomon stated calmly. "The way I see it, it''s quite simple. We cannot avoid a direct confrontation with the Skounae if we wish to stop the Night Lord''s revival. We also are unable to ignore the possibility of another Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands incident. But, even amidst the chaos, there are still certain variables within our control." Ezra said. He then continued, "The biggest potential threat is the arrival of another one of those vile creatures on the battlefield. Even if we manage to stop the Night Lord''s revival, there will still be yet another evil set loose upon our world. That is why I suggest we make the first move simultaneously on all fronts." "That''s a bold suggestion, human." One of the zensana behind Duchess voiced. It came from the Avian Battalion Commander, U''Talow. "Even with all our forcesbined, there are only roughly 10,000 troops. The Skounae alone will have close to twice that number since we''ll be fighting them in their own territory. If we include the forces from Tempest, the League of the Eidolon, and the Pzenium mercenary warriors, we''ll be looking at facing close to 30,000 enemy troops. If we divide our forces when we''re already at such a great numerical disadvantage, wouldn''t we be setting ourselves up to be ughtered?" U''Talowmented. "I agree with Commander U''Talow. Splitting our troops so thin on all fronts with no nearby reinforcements is too reckless. We also cannot afford to wait for more reinforcements to arrive, considering our window of opportunity will be gone by then." Duchess stated. "Commander Ezra is not one to speak without thinking. I am sure he has given it some deep thought. At the very least, we should finish hearing what he has to say." Aurie spoke up on Ezra''s behalf. "There''s no point. Even if we had the numbers to pull it off, there''s also the matter of resource allocation. If we''re apart, it''s not as simple as splitting the avable resources evenly among the different groups. We would have topletely overwrite our current distribution system and find a way to reach the groups on all fronts. If we had a few weeks¡ªno, even just a few days to work with, it may be possible. But, doing so on such shorthand notice is unthinkable." Palmer noted. Solomon was about to speak up to reign things back in; however, one sentence caused him to momentarily halt his decision. "A frog at the bottom of a well knows nothing of the sea," Izroth said as the gazes of everyone present locked onto him. There were those who were already annoyed by Izroth''s presence at the representative meeting; however, they chose to overlook it due to his silence. But, a mere Captain of the General Support Unit dared toment when they were discussing a topic of such high severity? Not only that but his words just now were clearly directed at them! "Mind yourself, Captain. This is not a ce to speak thoughtlessly." Palmer warned. "I agree. That''s why I can no longer sit back and listen to such thoughtless outlooks." Izroth said with a carefree expression. He then continued, "Commander Ezra has the right idea, but everyone seems to have simply written it off. If this is not an example of frogs at the bottom of a well, then what is?" Chapter 898 Chapter 898: A Hand To y At first nce, Ezra''s n may seem like nothing more than a reckless suggestion tounch attacks on all fronts; however, Izroth knew precisely what Ezra had in mind because his thoughts went down the same path. "It is good to be confident but not arrogant, Captain. But, since our views are so limited in your eyes, please, do enlighten us." Palmer said with a gaze of discontent as he looked at Izroth. From the moment he arrived, Palmer already did not have a good impression of Izroth. In his eyes, and that of most of the Resource Management Division, the General Support Unit was seen as nothing but a financial furnace. No, even a furnace had a purpose and could keep one warm. The General Support, however, waspletely worthless! Back when the war branches were first formed, the General Support Unit was created with the intended purpose of covering any potential weaknesses of the other war branches. However, over time, the power structure and influences of the other war branches far exceeded that of the General Support Unit. It eventually reached a point where the General Support Unit became a group of errand runners. But, with the improvements made tomunication magic and transportation magic over the years, the General Support Unit lost even that purpose. If not for its current leader, who advocated for its continued existence, the General Support Unit would have ceased to exist. That''s why those from the other three war branches looked down on people from the General Support Unit. To them, they were simply leeches who did things at a leisurely pace and could not even aplish a tenth of what their war branches could do. "If you had remained silent, I would have been willing to overlook your presence. But, since you''re willing to make a fool of yourself and the General Support Unit who went with you, I won''t stop you." Palmer thought to himself. This attack on the Night Lord''s Crypt had many eyes on it from those higher-ups. Therefore, there was a lot of pressure to seed. And needless to say, failure was not an option. For those who underperformed here, their career would be virtually over with little to no chance of advancement in the future. This was even more so for someone like Palmer, whose ultimate goal was to be a Head Executive of the Resource Management Division. As long as Palmer could find a way for an already worthless General Support Unit to make a fool of themselves on such a grand stage, he would aplish something the Resource Management Division had been attempting to do for ages. And that was finding a legitimate and undisputed reason to officially dissolve the General Support Unit! "It is not my intention to step on any toes, but as long as Commander Ezra does not mind me stealing his spotlight..." Izroth said as he nced over at Solomon. The following moment, Solomon gave a small nod. However, this nod was not directed at Izroth but rather at the person standing behind him. "Surely you jest, Captain Izroth. In the words of General Solomon, feel free to speak your mind. Besides, I must admit, I am curious to see if our thoughts truly align." Ezra said calmly. "Then, since Commander Ezra has no issue with it, I am willing to open your eyes in his ce," Izroth stated with a carefree smile. He then continued, "It is true that splitting our current forces will result in poor results; however, that''s only if we are talking about dividing them evenly." When Izroth began to speak, the entiremand tent fell silent. Right now, there were two types of individuals listening to his words. Those who were waiting for him to make a ring mistake. And those who truly wanted to see just where he was headed with it. "Commander Ezra spoke of making the first move simultaneously on all fronts; however, he never mentioned splitting our forces to a dangerous point to make it happen. In truth, we would only need to reorganize less than 10% of our troops, leaving more than 90% for the main assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt." Izroth exined. "You mean to say that you wish to confront Tempest, the League of the Eidolon, and the Pzenium mercenary warriors with only a thousand troops?" Duchessmented as she narrowed her eyes. "Precisely," Izroth replied without hesitation. "Ridiculous! Since when did the representative meeting be a ce to make jokes?! Are you saying we should send a thousand people off to their deaths?!" Palmer eximed. Izroth released a small sigh. From the very beginning, he could sense the disdain that came from Palmer. It was clear that for whatever reason, Palmer was not a fan of his presence at the representative meeting and was taking every opportunity to knock his words down. However, Izroth meant what he said to Edgar before he entered themand tent. He had no intention of letting anyone look down on him or the General Support Unit. "I have been patient, but... I will not tolerate those who put words in my mouth." Izroth said as his gaze turned cold. The next moment, Palmer felt a suffocating pressure descend upon him as cold sweats ran down his back. The instant he met Izroth''s gaze, it was like he had been abruptly tossed into a deep abyss into the jaws of a demonic beast! Just as it was bing unbearable to breathe, Solomon''s voice sounded, "Enough." Right when those words were spoken, the pressure was lifted from Palmer, who immediately gasped for air. "Advisor Palmer, you should choose your words more carefully. Disagreeing is one thing, but insulting a man''s honor and moral integrity is another." Solomon stated. He then looked over at Izroth and continued, "And, you. I will overlook your actions this time since it was a direct insult to your honor; however, I will not tolerate any further acts of this nature. Do I make myself clear, Captain?" "Understood, General. I will be sure to reflect on my actions." Izroth responded casually. Just now, Izroth used his Soul Pressure on Palmer to make two things clear. One, he would not allow himself to be pushed around, and¡ªhe did not need the Resource Management Division and its resources. The Resource Management Division was filled with overconfident people like Palmer, who thought that they could say whatever they wanted without consequence. However, the only reason people tolerated their arrogance was not because of their strength but due to their appetite for resources. But, Izroth was different. He had the Mystical Realm Pce behind him and did not require any support whatsoever from the Resource Management Division. As for the whole General Support Unit being affected by his actions, Izroth was not concerned. If that happened, he had a feeling that woman would not sit still. Plus, if it came down to it, he did not mind bearing some costs and supporting the General Support Unit. Though it would give Aurora another headache to deal with. "Returning to the topic at hand¡ªjust how do you suggest we confront three separate forces with a thousand troops?" Duchess inquired. "It''s simple. As Commander Ezra mentioned, the greatest potential hidden threat is the emergence of another Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. From my understanding, such a spell can typically only be performed by a small group of specially trained mages." Izroth exined. He then continued, "Even if Tempest has another group of mages capable of performing the same task, they are not foolish enough to risk having them all in the same ce at once. So, as long as we can eliminate the group of mages before they reach the main battlefield, it should be impossible for Tempest to open a second gateway." "I see. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that such a powerful blood sacrifice spell can be used by just any mage. But, there is another issue. Such crucial pieces will undoubtedly be under heavy guard. Even if we send a separate contingent to confront them, it will be difficult to break through their defensive." U''Talow noted. "You''re right. But what if we used a small strike force instead? An elite strike force that can deal a quick decisive blow and retreat before beingpletely surrounded. Once the mages are no more, Tempest will retreat to avoid losing a group of potential sacrifices. As for the League of the Eidolon, they specialize in assassinations and isting targets. In order to counter that, we will have small groups ofbat-oriented agents from the War Intelligence Group secretly shadow those with the rank of Commander or higher. After all, their main goal will be to disrupt the higher chains ofmand." Izroth stated. As those present listened to his words, one could see the thoughts churning in their minds as they yed out the scenario in their heads. "This n¡ªit is not impossible to pull off..." U''Talow uttered under his breath. "It certainly has its fair share of risk, but it is a sound strategy. Though what of the Pzenium warriors? They will never retreat from a battlefield." Duchessmented. "It is actually the Pzenium warriors that are the most easily dealt with in this situation. If you have an enemy that cannot refuse a battle, then you just have to give them one on your own terms. They just need the right push. And, in order to give that push, we will build a golden bridge that they cannot refuse to retreat across." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. Chapter 899 Chapter 899: Meeting Adjourned! ... A few momentster... After Izroth suggested his n, a good portion of the meeting became going over the exact details with a fineb. In the end, they could not afford to make any careless mistakes with what was at stake. As for Palmer, after Izroth used Soul Pressure, he turned incredibly docile. He made a fewments regarding the role of the Resource Management Division; however, he no longer spoke with excessive aggression. That being said, the look in Palmer''s eyes had turned cold after his exchange with Izroth. Once everything was decided, and the more minor details were taken care of, the representative meeting reached its conclusion. "The representative meeting is officially adjourned. I look forward to everyone''s cooperation." Solomon said as he stood to his feet. He then continued, "The path that lies ahead of us will not be easily walked upon. However, as long as everyone fulfills their assigned roles, victory shall remain within our sights." After Solomon spoke and dismissed everyone, Palmer was the other members of the Resource Management Division were the first to take their leave from themand tent. The War Intelligence Group was not too far behind them as Veiled, and the other members vanished without a trace. "Captain Izroth, a word," A voice sounded from behind Izroth as he stood from his seat. ''Hm? It''s her.'' The one who called out to Izroth was the Rosentarus representative, Duchess. She was apanied by Baut and U''Talow, who walked at her back. Izroth had met with Duchess before during his time in the Demilitarization Belt; however, he never had a direct conversation with her, let alone one that she initiated. ''Ten Beast Guardian... I heard their status in the kingdom of Rosentarus is quite high.'' From what Izroth knew about them, the Ten Beast Guardians were a group of individuals made up of some of the strongest warriors from the zensana race. They also possessed an extraordinary level ofbat prowess that was not seen among the typical members of their sub-species. Duchess'' case was even more unique given that she was from the rabbit sub-species¡ªa group considered meek and submissive by nature. Nevertheless, Izroth did not have a bad impression of Duchess. Not to mention, he was interested in what she had to say. "Is there something I can help the Ten Beast Guardian with?" Izroth responded calmly. "After all of this is over and done, why don''t you leave the General Support Unit ande work under me? From what I''ve heard about your war branch, it is a waste of your talent to remain there. And, who knows? If everything goes well with this n, I may even be able to propose that you undergo the Beast Spirit Ritual." Duchess stated. If any other yer received such an offer, they would have jumped at the opportunity without hesitation. It was not an offer made by some run-of-the-mill Captain or Commander, but a Ten Beast Guardian! As long as one served under them and made a solid connection, they would be virtually untouchable in the kingdom of Rosentarus and treated with respect wherever they went. And, even if they left the safety of the kingdom, their enemies would have to think twice before making a move against them. There was also the matter of the Beast Spirit Ritual. Although Izroth only read bits and pieces about it from old folk tales from some books in the Amaharpe Pce Library, there was one consistent point. Those who experienced the Beast Spirit Ritual would have their physical capabilities improved exponentially. Izroth figured that it was either a skill or something simr to his Might stat. Either way, the advantages were definitely long-term. Under normal circumstances, only someone from Rosentarus could undergo the Beast Spirit Ritual. But, there were expectations that could be made, especially if one was personally rmended by one of the Ten Beast Guardians. Though receiving this rmendation was more difficult than climbing a mountain with one''s hands tied. "I appreciate your offer, but I am afraid I will have to decline. It is just as you say, the current General Support Unit is a waste of my talent. However, I n to turn it into a war branch worthy of my talent¡ªone that no one else will dare to look down upon. Since I have resolved myself to achieve this, I cannot alter the path I''ve set. Otherwise, I am but a man of empty words." Izroth responded without hesitation. Izroth was ttered by the genuine offer that Duchess made him; however, there were simply too many things he had to do. From the Lustrum Imperial Bout to the Trial of Dragons and preventing the future shown to him by the All-Seeing Goddess, Heltiaa¡ªIzroth had no room to rest. Of course, the most important fact was that Izroth simply did not wish to serve under someone else. He wanted to create his own path within the General Support Unit. A look of disappointment formed on Duchess'' face. She closed her eyes and released a small sigh of regret as she shook her head. She then opened her eyes and said, "A shame. While it is regretful, I respect your decision and resolution, Captain. I look forward to seeing what you achieve in the future. That being said, it would be an even greater shame if our conversation ended just like this." Duchess held the palm of her hand out and squeezed it tightly into a fist. The next moment, she opened her hand and revealed a small carving of a rabbit. "Take this as a token of our first official meeting. In the future, as long as you show this token to anyone from my tribe, you will be treated as an honored guest. Those from my tribe are very timid by nature, so I will apologize in advance for any misunderstandings." Duchess stated as she gave the rabbit carving to Izroth. "How can I turn down such a generous gift? I will thank you in advance for the hospitality." Izroth replied as he epted the carving and ced it into his inventory. Duchess gave a small nod and said, "Then, we will be taking our leave. Take care of yourself, Captain Izroth." After Duchess bid her farewell, she made her way toward themand tent''s exit. As Baut and U''Talow followed after her, both gave a small nod as they passed Izroth on their way out. "I see you still enjoy finding trouble for yourself, Captain." A familiar voice sounded as a set of footsteps approached Izroth. "You''re mistaken. It is not that I find trouble; it is that trouble seems to always seek me out, Commander." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. The person who walked up to Izroth this time was Commander Aurie. And, she was not alone. "I have heard a lot about you from Commander Aurie and General Solomon. But, it appears their assessment of you was an understatement. Ah, pardon my rudeness. I have not yet properly introduced myself. I am the War Brigade 1st Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Ezra. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain Izroth." Ezra said in a calm and soothing voice as he cupped his fists. "A pleasure, Commander," Izroth replied as he returned the greeting. "The n you came up with was impressive. It was not that far from what I was going to suggest. Though I must admit, the way you arranged to deal with the Pzenium warriors is a stroke of brilliance. Even I could not have thought of using such an approach." Ezra stated. "Your words are too polite. Since you were able to think along a simr line, I am certain that you would havee up with another solution, Commander." Izrothmented. "That may be true, but the end results would have been left to a particr level of uncertainty," Ezra noted graciously. He then continued, "Forgive the abrupt departure. There are still preparations to be made. Commander, Captain." After a brief exchange of farewells, Ezra took his leave from themand tent. This left only Izroth, Aurie, and Solomon. "Be careful, Captain. As the one leading the representative meeting in ce of the High General, I was forced to be impartial. However, now that the meeting has officially ended, I am speaking on my own terms. After the stunt you pulled here today, you will undoubtedly be ced on the Resource Management Division''s radar. And, given their fragile ego, they will not let you off easily. It is likely that they will try to make an example out of you." Solomon stated. "Is there anything that can be done to prevent them from retaliating?" Aurie inquired with a frown. "Unfortunately, as long as they do things by the book, there is nothing that can be done. And, if there''s anything those from the Resource Management Division are good at, it''s knowing how to use rules and regtions to their advantage. Of course, should they decide to overstep, naturally, I shall intervene. But, until then, Captain Izroth will have toy in the bed he''s made. Though I''m sure, he has no problem doing so." Solomon exined calmly. "Thank you for your concern, Commander¡ªGeneral. But I''ll be fine. I have no qualms with the Resource Management Division; however, if they want to create trouble... Even if they start it, I will be the one who finishes it¡ªthat, I can guarantee." Izroth assured. After Izroth gave some assurance, the three went on to discuss a few topics over the next couple of minutes. Aurie was the first of the three to leave. Then, just as Izroth was prepared to also depart from themand tent, Solomon called out, "A moment, Captain." Izroth halted his steps and turned to face Solomon. "There is something I need you to do. However, what I am about to ask of you must be kept strictly between us." Solomon said in a serious tone. ... Several momentster... Chapter 900 Chapter 900: First Impression Inside a tent located somewhere in the Land of Unity stood three individuals. The atmosphere within the tent was heavy, and one person, in particr, had a darkened expression on their face. That person was none other than Advisor Palmer from the Resource Management Division. "How dare that brat look down on Advisor Palmer and our Resource Management Division! He is too arrogant!" Tonne scoffed. "That''s right. Since when did a mere Captain from the General Support Unit gain the courage to ignore the face of our Resource Manage Division? I''m afraid if you don''t handle this matter properly, others will think our war branch is easy to bully." Everettmented. "I agree! We have to act immediately! We''ll put every restriction in ce until theye begging for mercy and-" Tonne was speaking before being abruptly cut off my Palmer. "Quiet!" Palmer shouted. Tonne swiftly bit his tongue and swallowed his words. In the Resource Management Division, one of the most important things was forming connections. And, since Palmer was one of the most influential Advisors, thest thing Tonne wanted was to get on his bad side. "We will take no actions. At least, not for the time being." Palmer stated. An expression of disbelief soon found its way onto Tonne and Everett''s faces. That Palmer, who was well known for being vicious and ruthless when it came to crushing hispetition, was choosing not to take immediate action? Naturally, they were left utterly speechless! "With the uing assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt, we can''t afford any unnecessary distractions. As long as this raid is a sess and we perform our roles wlessly, there is a high chance I will be promoted to Senior Advisor. Right now, that is our main primary goal, understand?" Palmer said as his cold gaze swept over the two present. Tonne and Everett remained silent; however, it was clear that neither of them nned to oppose Palmer''s decision. "Once I be a Senior Advisor, dealing with a nobody Captain from the General Support Unit will be as simple as saying the word. Besides, after I submit my report to headquarters, even if I don''t lift a finger, they will not allow the humiliation done to our Resource Management Division to go unpunished." Palmer stated with a grin. "Your foresight is truly inspiring, Advisor Palmer. The Senior Advisor position is as good as yours." Tonne chimed in. "Hmph, do I need you to tell me that?" Palmer sneered. "No, s-sir I..." Tonne became flustered as he could not finish a proper sentence. A vicious look shed through Palmer''s eyes as he thought back to the humiliation he suffered during the representative meeting. Although he just mentioned not having to lift a finger, how could he let things end like that without consequence? "Just you wait. Once this raid is over, we''ll see how long you can keep your arrogance. I''ll carve into every fiber of your being the heavy price of raising your hand against me." Palmer thought to himself as he burned Izroth''s face into his mind. ... Meanwhile... ''The coordinates should be around here.'' After his talk with Solomon, Izroth left themand tent. Then, not even after taking two steps outside, he received a message from Niflheim. The message contained coordinates to a gathering point for the recruited members of the 9th Division. The coordinates led to a location just outside the range of the area being developed in the Land of Unity. Thendscape was a lightly forested area with rocky terrain and several natural rock formations. There were not a lot of people who ventured this far out, which made it an ideal spot to meet up. Izroth heard the sound of movement and voicesing from the other side of the natural rock formation in front of him. The rock formation was roughly twenty meters tall; however, instead of going around it, Izroth dashed right toward it. Woosh! Tap! As Izroth approached the rock formation, he lifted his foot and made contact with it before performing a quick series of steps. He used his Wall Walking skill to rapidly scale the rock formation. And, in the blink of an eye, Izroth reached the top. Izroth walked over to the edge of the rock formation and looked down on the other side. There, a group of approximately sixty people was gathered. Standing at the front of that group were a man and a woman¡ªboth of which Izroth instantly recognized. ''Oh? It''s still a bit far off from 150, but they gathered more people than I anticipated. Well then, I suppose I should make a good first impression.'' ... At the same time, near the bottom of the rock formation... "Our Division''s Captain will be here soon, so I would like to give a friendly reminder to everyone present. The Captain is a straightforward person. So long as you don''t betray his trust, then you have nothing to worry about. However... Should you choose to go against that trust, you will not enjoy the oue." Niflheim announced as he swept his gaze across the crowd. He then continued, "I will now hand it off to our Division''s 2nd Lieutenant." "Thank you, Lieutenant Niflheim." A distant yet calm and stable voice sounded from next to Niflheim. The woman had perfectly neat purple hair that stopped right at her shoulders, eyes the color of honey topaz, and an indifferent facial expression. She wore purple and golden leather-type equipment with a beautiful longbow on her back that was almost twice her size. This young woman was a brilliant strategist that Izroth decided to personally bring under his wing not that long ago, Menerva. Most of those gathered by Niflheim and Menerva were yers who waited too long to pick a war branch for the event. As a result, they were automatically assigned to the mostcking war branch, which was, of course, the General Support Unit. There were also a few unlucky people who were disced after the messy insignia situation that urred in the Demilitarization Belt. Some even intentionally used that situation to join the General Support Unit for fear of missing out on the uing raid. After all, there was no guarantee their unit would be assigned to it. And, it was not as if they could request a temporary leave to join an official war event that their unit was not a part of. But, the main reason most of the yers epted Niflheim and Menerva''s request was due to one thing¡ªtheir rank. Or, more importantly, the rank of the person they were working for. The majority of those present had less than 100 contribution points total and had not managed to climb past the lower to mid Soldier ranks. This was not necessarily due to theirck of skills but rather because of how difficult it was to earn contribution points as a member of the General Support Unit. Unlike the other war branches, the General Support Unit did not give out direct-type war objectives, which was the main source of acquiring contribution points. Therefore, they were left to find their own requests. Of course, this was much easier said than done. That''s why they were curious as to how two yers managed to reach the rank of Lieutenant in the General Support Unit. Even more impressively, apparently, there was another yer who obtained the rank of Captain! How could they turn down such an invitation? "I am sufficiently aware that the majority of those of you present did not join the General Support Unit by choice. However, you can only ept the circumstance as it is and endeavor to make the most of an unpropitious situation." Menerva stated. "When is this Captain of yours going to show themselves?" One of the yers spoke up abruptly. The one who spoke was a young man with a rough appearance and a scar that ran across the center of his face. He had short brown hair and a pair of energetic gray eyes. He wore heavy ted armor, and on his back was arge sword that resembled a ymore, except it was much wider than average. This yer went by the name Champion. Menerva shifted her gaze to Champion and said, "Worry not. Your desires are about to be fulfilled. After all¡ªthe test is about tomence." The moment those words left Menerva''s mouth, out of nowhere, an unbearable pressure descended on all those present. This pressure caused ten yers to immediately faint and more than half to sumb and fall to their knees. As for the rest, they were struggling just to remain standing! Champion was one of the yers who managed to stay standing; however, the effect that the pressure was having on him was as clear as day. Bang! Champion removed his sword from his bang and stabbed it into the ground to help support himself. "Good. I was worried that most of you would pass out, but it seems there are some decent ones among you." A nonchnt voice sounded from where Niflheim and Menerva stood. However, to those present, it was their first time hearing this voice. While most could not even spare the energy to lift their head and see its owner, there were a few who were able to do so. And, among those few was Champion. Champion struggled to see that person''s face; however, he could only raise his head enough to see a faint carefree smile on that person''s face. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the General Support Unit''s 9th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Izroth. It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Izroth stated with a carefree smile as his Soul Pressure descended on the group of yers. Chapter 901 Chapter 901: The 9th Division''s Test, ying The Odds Izroth carefully controlled his Soul Pressure as he casually walked up near the head of the group. The next moment, he unsheathed his Sword of The Storm and, with a single stroke, carved a sword mark several meters in length at his feet. He repeated this process three times until there were a total of four sword marks on the ground¡ªeach approximately five meters apart. When Izroth finished making thest sword mark, he returned to standing in front of Niflheim and Menerva. "I will give everyone here an opportunity to prove themselves, but first..." Izroth said as he released his Soul Pressure over the crowd. The moment Izroth released his Soul Pressure, the majority of those present gasped for air as they struggled to catch their breath. It was the first time many of them had experienced such terrifying pressure. Not to mention, there was no forewarning whatsoever. Needless to say, they werepletely unprepared. "Those who fell unconscious have no ce here. Therefore, they are disqualified." Izroth dered. In the blink of an eye, sixty yers had been cut down to fifty. Naturally, this caused the nerves of those gathered to turn somewhat uneasy. However, regardless of nerves, Izroth had no intention of epting someone who could not even remain conscious after only enduring a small amount of his Soul Pressure. "I marked a total of four lines on the ground. Each line will correspond to the rank you will receive upon joining the 9th Division. Those who are unable to make it past the first line will be deemed as having failed. Past that, if you make it to the second line, you will be granted the rank of a 5-Man Squad Leader. If you''re able to cross the third line, then you''ll be a 10-Man Squad Leader. As for the final line¡ªif there is anyone here who can walk across it, that person will be directly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Keep in mind, you must remain standing for at least three seconds after reaching a new line to receive that rank." Izroth stated calmly. After listening to Izroth''s words, the shocked expression of those present could not be hidden. As long as they walked across that line, they would immediately be a Lieutenant! That would open them up for a vast new array of potential war objectives and make it much easier for them to acquire contribution points. There was also the benefit of being able tomand up to fifty troops, which would provide them with a better opportunity to stand out and make a name for themselves. The yers who fell to their knees forced themselves to stand. And those who had not fully sumbed to Izroth''s Soul Pressure became reinvigorated as a fierce look shed through their eyes. The atmosphere had shifted from one of surprise and dread to one of extremepetitiveness as the yers carefully looked around to size up their potentialpetition. "The pressure you''ve all just experienced was an example of what you''ll all face. It will also increase the closer you get to each line." Izroth exined. When those words left Izroth''s mouth, some of the yers became dejected. Three of them even walked off without saying a word, giving up on the test altogether. Instead of waiting to fail and having to go through that suppressive feeling again, they''d rather just walk away with what little pride they had left. Of course, Izroth did not try to stop them. "Ah, I almost forgot to mention. The pressure you felt just now is what you will encounter once you step across the second line." Izroth said nonchntly as his gaze swept out over the crowd. Everyone was momentarily stunned. That terrifying and suppressive force was only the second line? If that was the case, what were the third and fourth lines like? Would there even be anyone who could be a 10-Man Squad Leader, let alone a Lieutenant?! Wasn''t this test a bit too much? Even the War Brigade would not have such outrageous promotion conditions in ce for those ranks. "But, don''t worry. I will not make things too difficult for you. You are allowed to use any skills that are at your disposal. Of course, that includes things like movement skills." Izrothmented. When the yers heard that they could use skills, their biggest fears subsided. There were even those who failed to hide their gleeful smiles at that announcement. After all, a few of the yers present specialized in movement-type skills. To them, this was an ideal situation. All they had to do was rush in at their top speed and remain standing for three seconds. Champion nced at some of his fellowpetitors with a serious expression. He could tell exactly what they were thinking by the grins that covered their faces. "Idiots. Like hell it''d be that easy. There has to be some kind of catch to it." Champion uttered under his breath. And, he was not wrong. "However, should you choose to use a skill, you will be marked. Those marked will have to receive one of my attacks for each skill used. That''s all." Izroth said as he sheathed his Sword of the Storm. He then continued, "The test will go on for exactly one minute. After that, all ranks will be finalized. Now, you all may begin." Right after he spoke, Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense. This time, however, he controlled his essence to a much greater degree. Doing so consumed more of his essence, which is why he decided to ce a one-minute time limit on the test. For the few ten seconds, no one budged. It was as though everyone was waiting for another person to take the first leap and adjust their ns based on the results. However, after the ten-second mark passed, several yers started to be restless. Since time was limited, every second mattered. "Forget it...! Since no one else wants to go, then I''ll go!" Champion dered as he walked forward. The moment he arrived within five meters of the first line, Champion felt a heavy weight press down on him. But, unlike what he had just endured moments ago, it required significantly less effort to move. In the blink of an eye, Champion reached the first line and stood still for three seconds. "Congrattions, you have officially be a member of the 9th Division," Izroth congratted casually. "Save your thanks, Captain. I''ll ept it once I be one of your Lieutenants." Champion dered with an air of confidence. This time around, Champion was prepared for what to face. He would not let himself stumble so easily a second time! The next moment, Champion stepped past the first line. And, the instant he did so, the pressure increased twofold. But, he did not stop his advancement toward the second line. As Champion disyed some progress, the rest of the yers finally began to make their move. Meanwhile, Izroth, Niflheim, and Menerva closely observed the action of every yer present. "I knew that some of those we chose was a risk, but to think thirteen of them would be eliminated at the beginning. It was an oversight on my part." Niflheim sighed. "You cannot me yourself. The finite pool of yers that we have to pick frompels us to y the odds. We selected those who disyed the bare minimum traits oftent potential. There were bound to be those who revealckluster results." Menerva said calmly. "Menerva''s right. If we had more time and more options, things would be different. Unfortunately, we are running low on both. That being said, it seems that the two of you did note uppletely empty-handed in your search." Izroth said as a few individuals caught his eye before his gaze finallynded on Champion, who had just reached the second line. He then inquired, "What is that guy''s name?" "The one in the front? I believe he goes by Champion. I found him during one of the vicinity war objectives I took part in. He showed some solid mechanics and has above averagebat IQ. He doesn''t seem like a dishonest person; however, his attitude could definitely use some work." Niflheim exined. "That''s an easy enough fix. More importantly, where would he rank in a top guild?" Izroth asked. "With his current abilities, he couldn''t be a core member. But, he should have no issue making it as an elite member. That being said, with the right guidance, it wouldn''t take him long to catch up to the core members. It''s just that I''m concerned about whether or not he has the capacity to receive it." Niflheim responded. "Oh? Are you saying you''re not confident in adjusting his attitude and guiding him?" Izroth inquired. "Well, I''ve dealt with his type before, and it usually ends one of two ways. You beat them up a bit, and they leave out of anger. Or, you beat them up a bit, and they submit out of respect." Niflheim answered. "A barbaric approach. However, based on previously observed interactions, I am inclined to agree with your method." Menerva chimed in. "My thoughts were along simr lines as well," Izrothmented. If Champion overheard their conversation, he would cough up blood from anger. He had not even officially entered the 9th Division, yet there were already three people who wanted to beat him up a bit?! What did he do to deserve such a fate?! After a brief moment of lingering silence, Niflheim was the first to speak up. "...Hey, we aren''t the bad guys here, right?" Niflheim said in a half-jokingly manner. Chapter 902 Chapter 902: Pressured Steps As Izroth, Niflheim, and Menerva spoke, several other yers made it past the first line. However, after reaching that point, a few fell to their knees as they struggled to continue moving forward. "I have to at least make it to the third line...!" One of the yers had grown somewhatfortable with the pressure said to themselves. This yer wore a dark-clothed outfit. He had spiky short light blue hair and a pair of eyes that matched. He went by the name Hollow Crane, and he was one of the yers who managed to cross the first line. He was also one of the yers who were able to remain standing after Izroth''s initial demonstration. Hollow Crane was a rogue-type ss called Night Hunter who specialized in moving when it was dark and ambushing targets before they could see what wasing. And, like most rogue-type sses, he possessed several movement skills. "I don''t know what ss he is, but since he''s using an AOE skill that can suppress multiple people, he''s most likely a warrior-type ss. If that''s the case, when ites to speed, I''m confident I won''t lose. It''s not dark out, so it''ll be a bit slower, but I just have to avoid one of his attacks as soon as I use Night Pacing." Hollow Crane thought to himself. Night Pacing was a movement-type skill with a low cooldown that granted him a short burst of movement speed. This effect was tripled when he used the skill under the cover of darkness; however, the sun had already risen. Nevertheless, he did not believe that he would lose to a warrior-type ss when it came to speed. Without hesitating any further, a cloak of darkness formed around Hollow Crane''s body as he shot past the second line in an instant. The moment he passed the second line, Hollow Crane felt the pressure increase severalfold. He noticed a portion of his speed was cut, but it was still something he could tolerate. "I can do it!" Hollow Crane said to himself as he sped past Champion and quickly closed in on the third line. However, just as his foot stepped on the third line, something suddenly caught Hollow Crane''s attention. "Where did he go?" Hollow Crane thought to himself as his heartbeats quickened. Izroth, who had just been standing next to Niflheim and Menerva, was no longer anywhere to be seen! Just as that thought crossed Hollow Crane''s mind, out of nowhere, the entire world turned upside down. "Huh? What just-" Hollow Crane''s mind wentpletely nk as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. It was not that the entire world had flipped but that he himself had turned upside down. Bang! Hollow Crane was knocked back several meters to the area in between the first and second lines as his body crashed into the ground. And, standing where he had just been moments ago was none other than Izroth. "Ambition is not a bad thing. However, it''s important not to lose yourself to greed." Izroth stated as he stood directly on the third line in an imposing manner. Instead of preparing for Izroth''s imminent attack after crossing the second line and then waiting the three seconds, Hollow Crane chose to go right for the third line. If Hollow Crane had not immediately rushed for the third line, he might have been able to evade or defend against Izroth''s strike. After all, although Izroth did not explicitly mention it, he restricted the strength of response based on what line a person reached. Since Hollow Crane sped past the second and third lines at once, naturally, Izroth responded in kind. After seeing Hollow Crane''s fate, the yers who were about to follow in his footsteps suddenly got cold feet. Hollow Crane''s speed just now was not slow by any means. And although some were confident in matching or even exceeding that speed, what they were not confident in was taking on an attack of that magnitude. This was even more so considering they would also have to deal with the increase in pressure, which would undoubtedly reduce their response time. But, more frighteningly, most of those present could not follow Izroth''s move against Hollow Crane just now! Izroth casually made his way back next to Niflheim and Menerva as he turned to face the rest of the yers. So far, out of sixty yers, ten were instantly disqualified, three gave up, fifteen had yet to make it past the first line, and the rest already crossed the first line to officially join the 9th Division. But, of course, there were those among the yers present who were not satisfied with just joining the 9th Division and wanted to hold a higher rank for themselves. Several of them were unable to make it to the second line; however, there were a total of twelve yers who managed to do so and stay standing for a minimum of three seconds. Of those twelve yers, half of them could no longer continue after getting halfway to the third line. Then, as the 45-second mark approached, only four yers had made it sessfully across the third line¡ªthree males and one female, none of which used any skills to progress up to this point. "It feels like I''m walking in a quicksand with chains wrapped around my legs...!" Champion thought to himself as he grit his teeth and persevered. Champion was one of four yers who made it past the third line. But, he was no longer in the lead as two of the other three yers had caught up to him. As for thest of the four, he could no longer bear the pressure and finally fell to his knees from exhaustion. 10 seconds... With just ten seconds left to go, another one of the yers in the lead copsed from fatigue, leaving only Champion and the female yer remaining. 4 seconds... Champion and the female yer reached the fourth line; however, the instant they did so, an unbearable pressure washed over them, making it difficult for them to take even one more step. 3 seconds... Champion could feel the strength in his body leaving him, and to him, every second felt like an eternity. 2 seconds... Bang! The sound of someone dropping to the ground could be heard. 1 second... ... As soon as the one minute passed, Izroth deactivated his Soul Pressure. ''It turned out better than I anticipated. Most of them are somewhat rough around the edges, but it''s nothing that can''t be improved. It seems I chose the right two people as my Lieutenants.'' In truth, Izroth believed that more than half of the yers would fail to cross the first line and join the 9th Division. However, out of the sixty yers, thirty-nine were able to pass. This was well above his original expectations. ''Their overall strength still leaves much to be desired. Nheless, it appears those two selected people with a decent head on their shoulders.'' After witnessing what happened to Hollow Crane, no one else attempted to use skills to blindly rush forward. Although it was true Izroth was not using his full strength, he purposely disyed a clear gap between himself and those present. If, after seeing that gap for themselves, they still chose to go that route, they were either overconfident or foolish and rash. Izroth wasted no time opening his system interface and inviting those who passed to the 9th Division. Since they were already a part of the General Support Unit itself, Izroth did not require anyone''s permission or authority to ept them into his division. ... Once everything settled down, the thirty-nine yers who passed all gathered in front of Izroth, Niflheim, and Menerva. "Wee to the 9th Division. I only have three rules. Rule number one, never betray me or yourrades. Rule two, if someone messes with one person from our division or the General Support Unit as a whole, then they are picking a fight with all of us. And, rule three¡ªyou only report to me and those directly above you in our 9th Division. If you run into anyone who has a problem with that, contact me immediately. I will personally take care of it." Izroth announced. He then continued, "You will each be assigned to one of my Lieutenants. Their orders are my orders and are to be followed as such. In a moment, Lieutenant Niflheim will distribute your rewards for sessfully passing the test I''ve set. But, before we get to that..." Izroth nced over at Niflheim and then at Menerva. "So? Which one of you will pick first?" Izroth inquired. "I will." Niflheim and Menerva answered simultaneously. Right as they answered, Niflheim and Menerva faced one another. "How about I give you the second and third pick? All you have to do is hand over the first pick to me." Niflheim said calmly. "Even if you were to hand me the following three picks, that trade is insufficient. Though, I am sure you are well aware of that, Lieutenant Niflheim." Menerva responded indifferently. "Then, it seems we''re at an impasse," Niflheim noted. Chapter 903 Chapter 903: The Victor, A Bad Match Up "How do you suppose we resolve this impasse?" Menerva asked. Niflheim took a few moments to mull it over. He did not know much about Menerva outside of what he learned about her over the past few days; however, Niflheim knew from the moment he met her that she was not your typical yer. He was also reminded of what urred during the Protectors of Amaharpe event. At the time, Niflheim was unaware of Menerva''s existence. But, he learned that she was the person behind the events that led to the beginning of Sage Falls'' decline and the rapid rise of the Headhunter Syndicate. She was also almost responsible for causing a massive all-out war to ur between the top guilds. And perhaps the most terrifying aspect was that no one even knew that she existed. That is, outside of a very select few members of the Headhunter Syndicate. Of course, there was one thing in particr that caused Niflheim to give it some deep thought, and that was the fact that Izroth personally recruited her. Niflheim understood that this was the biggest warning of how he should not take Menerva lightly. That being said, he was confident in his own abilities and experiences. Not to mention, he was not the type to back down from a challenge. "I assume you don''t want to settle things with PVPbat. So, how about we keep things simple?" Niflheim said. He then held his fist out and continued, "Rock, paper, scissors. First to lead by two wins. How about it?" Menerva''s brows rose as she was a little surprised by Niflheim''s suggestion. But, his choice revealed quite a bit about him. "Rock, paper, scissors... Very well, I ept," Menerva confirmed. Once Menerva agreed, the two stood before each other and prepared to begin. "For the first match, I am going to throw rock. The second match, I will throw paper. And, in the third match, I will throw rock again. But, no matter what, I will never throw scissors." Niflheimmented. "Is this your attempt at throwing me off, Lieutenant Niflheim?" Menerva questioned as she narrowed her eyes. If Niflheim never threw scissors as he said, then all Menerva had to do to guarantee her victory was throw paper every time. As a result, the only two oues for her were to win or tie. Naturally, this would ce Niflheim at a disadvantage that could not be ovee. "If you want to take it that way, it''s fine. But, whether you believe it or not, I am telling you the truth. Then, shall we start? We throw on the count of three." Menerva nodded without averting her gaze as she stared right into Niflheim''s eyes. Niflheim met Menerva''s gaze and said, "1... 2... 3." Woosh! Woosh! The instant Niflheimpleted his count, he, along with Menerva, had both chosen rock. "I''m a bit hurt that you didn''t trust me," Niflheim said in a joking manner. "Trust is different from blind trust, would you not agree?" Menerva noted. "No, you''re not wrong. Again." Niflheim stated as he started yet another countdown. As for the results of the second match, this time, the two had chosen paper and ended up tying once more. "You are rather honest, Lieutenant Niflheim," Menerva said indifferently. "And you''re rather trusting. Unfortunately-" Niflheim replied as a light smile found its way onto his face. He then continued, "You''ve already lost." A slight frown found its way onto Menerva''s face. "Unless the rules of the game have been unknowingly altered without my knowledge, we are still tied," Menerva reminded. "No, the rules have not changed. And, you''re right, we are still tied. But, I finally figured it out¡ªthe fundamental difference between the two of us. That reason is why no matter how many times we y, you won''t be able to win. If you don''t believe me, that won''t be an issue. After all, I will show you what you''recking." Niflheim stated without mincing his words. "Please, enlighten me," Menerva responded casually; however, there was an underlying coldness to her tone. "Then, I''ll be starting. 1... 2... 3." Niflheim counted down as the third match swiftly concluded. As for the results of the match, Menerva had chosen rock. "I take it back. It turns out you are not honest, after all." Menerva stated. "And, it seems you aren''t all that trusting. I suppose we both have our ws." Niflheim replied calmly. At the moment, Niflheim''s hand was open in a palm¡ªhe had picked paper! Izroth silently observed the match between Niflheim and Menerva. So far, things were going just as he predicted. ''I expected it to go this way, but this match up... He really is the worst kind of opponent for her to face.'' There was a reason Izroth sent Menerva to Xanaharpe to meet up with Niflheim in advance. He wanted them to spend a few days together, which would undoubtedly lead to them observing each other. However, the way the two of them analyzed things was vastly different. In terms of pure intellect, there was a huge gap that existed between Niflheim and Menerva. Niflheim could be considered above average in that regard; however, Menerva was an intellectual anomaly. She was someone capable of thinking ten steps ahead and following the most logical choices that would yield the highest results. But, it was because of this gift and her unique upbringing that Menerva acquired a ring weakness. If one had never met her before, it would be almost impossible to discover. However, for someone like Niflheim, he saw right through it. And it was the first two matches that helped to reaffirm his initial suspicions. At first nce, it may seem like all she had to do was y paper to eventually win, but that was far from the case. "Was this his n all along? Just what kind of monster is he trying to create?" Niflheim thought to himself as he nced over at Izroth. Niflheim returned his gaze to Menerva as he released a small sigh and said, "Are you ready to carry on with the final match?" "Are you looking down on me?" Menerva inquired with a distant gaze. "Not at all. It''s just that the current you can''t win. At least, not when ites to this. That''s all." Niflheim answered calmly. "Then, let us end the conversation here and undergo the next round," Menerva stated. "Sure. Though I should warn you, this time¡ªI will throw scissors." Niflheim said. However, Menerva''s expression remained unchanged as she did not say a word. Without wasting any time, Niflheim started the next countdown. 3... 2... 1...! Woosh! Woosh! Niflheim and Menerva''s hands arrived simultaneously at the center point in between the two of them. This time around, Menerva selected rock. And, as for Niflheim... "I guess it''s just my lucky day," Niflheim said with a light smile. In the end, Niflheim yed paper, putting him up two wins against Menerva and making him the victor of their challenge. A momentary look of disbelief appeared on Menerva''s face as she saw the results. "How..." Menerva uttered to herself. This was her first time losing a game of rock, paper scissors. And, she did not lose once, but twice! However, no matter how much she racked her brain trying to figure out how she lost so wlessly, Menerva was unable to reach a logical oue. "Sometimes, you just have to y the person, not the odds. I''ve noticed for a while now that you are incredibly meticulous when ites to details. You also like to think several steps ahead. Neither one of those traits are a bad thing, but youck the gut instinct to bnce them properly. As a result, I presented you with my choice, giving you the odds ahead of time, allowing you to y against yourself." Niflheim stated. Like Izroth, Niflheim quickly found out that Menerva could not go against the most logical choice presented to her. This made it easy for Niflheim, with his experience and sharp instincts, to manipte the results of the matches. In the end, Niflheim was the type to follow through with his guts. But, against Menerva, all he had to do was make the path and let her walk down it on her own. Of course, there was still a chance she would eventually catch on to what he was doing. But, by then, it would be toote to change the results. Chapter 904 Chapter 904: The 9th Division''s New Members Menerva narrowed her eyes as she looked at Niflheim. After a brief moment of thought, she closed her eyes and released a small sigh. "I admit my defeat. This round goes to you, Lieutenant Niflheim. Next time, I will be choosing the game." Menerva said calmly. "Sure. But, you should know¡ªI have no ns on losing next time, either." Niflheim replied with a friendly grin. When Menerva finished wrapping up her conversation with Niflheim, she walked over and faced Izroth. "I have disappointed you..." Menerva said as she slightly bowed and spoke in an apologetic manner. Menerva was highly conscious of the fact that Izroth brought her on with the intention of being his strategist. However, to lose a game of rock, paper, scissors in front of him¡ªeven if she graciously admitted her defeat, how could she not feel ashamed? "Disappointed? You''re mistaken. I just want you to do what you do best." Izroth responded. "What I do best?" Menerva asked as she stood up straight with an inquisitive expression. "I know that you can''t turn it off. That''s why, instead of trying to turn it off forcibly, we''ll add a safety switch. That safety switch will be in the form of instinct¡ªsomething that you find yourself unable to follow." Izroth exined. "I see. I concluded that the purpose of you sending me to Xanaharpe ahead of time was to recruit yers for the 9th Division and prepare for the uing raid, but it seems in the process, I misunderstood your true purpose." Menerva sighed lightly. "Do not feel disheartened. In terms of possessing a purely strategic mind, I''m afraid even if you search all of RML, you will find it difficult to locate anyone remotely close to you. However, as you''ve just learned, your weakness is too easily exposed when you meet an opponent that knows you head-on. Of course, the simple solution is just to keep you hidden forever. But, in the long run, that would merely be putting a bandage over a fatal wound." Izroth stated. He then continued, "That is why you must do what you do best, which is absorb all the information you can. You are to observe and analyze every one of Niflheim''s moves until you manage to form your safety switch. In other words, I will have you develop an artificial instinct." "An artificial instinct..." Menerva uttered to herself as she seemed to be pulled into deep thought. "If it were anyone else, I would not bother suggesting this method. But, if it''s you, there''s a good chance it can work¡ªconverting logic to instinct and instinct to logic." Izroth exined calmly. From the first moment he discovered Menerva''s w, Izroth understood what had to be done in order to correct it. However, he also knew the unique nature of the solution he came up with. Menerva was capable of doing something others could not, and that was blurring the lines between intuition and instinct. But, Izroth did not intend for her to merely blur the lines. Instead, he wanted Menerva to merge them together into one. "I understand. I will do my utmost not to disappoint you." Menerva affirmed. "I know," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. ... A few minutester... Not long after Menerva finished her talk with Izroth, she and Niflheim went on to select the members of their Squadron. Although they did not formally agree on it, since he was the first to select the yer he wanted, Niflheim gave Menerva the second and third picks. In the end, Niflheim felt a little bad for pulling one over on Menerva; therefore, he decided to extend an olive branch to make up for it. Of course, Menerva readily epted without a second thought. After all, there was no downside for her, only an upside. By the time the twopleted their selection process, Menerva''s Squadron had 19 members, while the remaining 20 members were ced under Niflheim''smand. As for who Niflheim chose as his first pick, surprisingly, it was not one of the four yers who managed to step past the fourth line. Rather, the person he chose stopped as soon as they walked past the first line and never proceeded any further. Nevertheless, it was this yer that not only Niflheim but also Menerva had an eye on. It was a young woman with flowing golden hair and a pair of observant aquamarine eyes. She wore a refined gold and white robe with mystical patterns inscribed onto certain parts of its surface. This young woman was called Bellum. Unlike the majority of yers that participated, Bellum was the only one to give up immediately after crossing the first line. Naturally, this caused her toe in deadst among those who sessfully passed the test to join the 9th Division. But, there was a good reason why Niflheim and Menerva were willing to give up the second and third picks to choose Bellum despite her underwhelming performance. When Izroth first arrived on the scene and gave a strong wee to those present, everyone could barely stand straight and had beenpletely caught off guard. That is, except for one individual in the sea of sixty yers¡ªBellum. Not only did she not seem surprised by Izroth''s abrupt appearance. She also had no problem enduring the force he unleashed using his Soul Pressure. Of course, Niflheim and Menerva were sharp enough to take notice of it. But, neither one of them said anything in hope that the other somehow missed it. Needless to say, their hopes did note true. Izroth also took note of Bellum; however, in order to let things take their natural course with Niflheim and Menerva, he intentionally ignored her presence. Though even he was surprised that she chose to stop after walking past the first line. The sole reason Izroth bothered to even make the fourth line was due to Bellum''s presence. Despite their best efforts, thest two yers standing could not do so long enough to gain the rank of Lieutenant. But, this was not surprising since Izroth intentionally made the fourth line for Bellum to challenge. ''It''s clear she didn''t choose to join the 9th Division for the sake of increasing her rank. In that case, what does she hope to aplish?'' If she was capable of enduring his Soul Pressure to that extent, at the very least, she was well above that of the average yer. Of course, there was always the possibility that she simply didn''t care about rankings when it came to this event. However, Izroth had a feeling that things weren''t so simple. That being said, Izroth had no intention of prying into Bellum''s private matters since she was not disying any kind of suspicious behavior. ''I don''t know her intentions. But, as long as she follows the rules I''ve set, it doesn''t matter. For now, we have more important matters to prepare for.'' "Now that everyone has their assigned squadron, I want to officially wee all of you to the 9th Division. I won''t speak for other divisions, but I will always reward those who perform well. And, as a reward for your efforts just now, Lieutenant Niflheim will be distributing some resources. Think of it as a wee gift. And, an insight into what can be gained if you show good results." Izroth stated. The next moment, Izroth looked over toward Niflheim and gave a small nod. Niflheim removed the first set of small bags from his inventory and started to personally distribute them among the yers present. Soon after, Niflheim walked in front of Champion and handed him one of the bags. "Hold your head high. You did well." Niflheim said before he moved on to the next yer. "Thanks..." Champion muttered as he released a heavy sigh. There was an aura of defeat about Champion as he had a gloomy expression. One more second... Just one more second, and he would have grabbed the rank of Lieutenant! How could he not feel dejected aftering that close only to have it slip away at the final moment? Thest thing he could care about right now was some small rewards bag. "Might as well see what''s in it..." Champion sighed again as he checked into the bag Niflheim handed him. However, the moment Champion looked inside the bag, his eyes widened in shock as the air around him underwent a drastic change in the blink of an eye. Champion had to check again just to make sure he was not just seeing things. But, there was one question that immediately popped into his mind¡ªwas this really just a reward for joining some random GSU division?! Chapter 905 Chapter 905: Reward Bag, A Promise and Goal The first things that jumped out at Champion were several healing and mana potions. The majority of the potions were Medium-Grade. More surprisingly, there were even a couple of High-Grade potions, which could cost up to one gold coin each. Just the potions alone were worth a small handful of gold coins, but that was not all the bag included. "This is...!" Champion''s jaw dropped in disbelief when his eyesnded on the two items at the bottom of the bag. Pills¡ªthere were actually pills inside the reward bag they received! Not just any ordinary grade one pills, but a grade-two and a grade-three pill! Thebined cost of those pills easily tripled that of the potions'' overall value. Champion did not know the exact amount, but based on some information he heard passed around, it was probably close to 50 gold coins. And that was considered a rather conservative price point. Regardless, at minimum, the bag was worth anywhere between 60 to 100 gold coins. Even if one used the bare minimum of 60 gold coins, with the current conversation rate, the cost was approximately 10,500 RMB! With 39 yers present, assuming everyone received the same bag, the cost 2,340 gold coins. This meant that the person in front of him just casually handed out 416,520 RMB like it was nothing. This was not something the average yer, whose entire in-game worth was only around 10 to 20 gold coins, could afford. "He said his name was Izroth, right? Why does it sound like I''ve heard that name somewhere before?" Champion thought to himself with furrowed brows. For some reason, Izroth''s name seemed familiar to him; however, he could not remember where he heard it from. Despite his fame among the top guilds and high-level yers, Izroth''s name was still fairly unknown in RML. The vast majority were not like the top guilds. They did not pay much mind to the world announcements. And, even if they did in that moment, they had no reason to remember the names that appeared. Therefore, in many regards, Izroth was still fairly unknown despite his several breathtaking achievements. That being said, his name had already started to reach and stick to more yers after the bounty he set on yers from the Headhunter Syndicate. As Champion was lost in his excitement and thoughts, the others yers who joined the 9th Division were having simr reactions. "Hey, is this for real...?" One of the yers muttered in disbelief. "If this is just considered a wee gift, I wonder what we''ll get for standing out." "I didn''t want to say anything, but I was a bit suspicious of their intentions. After this, even if they ask me to lead the charge, I won''t hesitate." "Huh? When did I get a new war objective?" "Eh? You received one as well?" As the yers spoke among one another, they wasted no time consuming the pills. A few of them feared Izroth might suddenly change his mind after realizing the value of what he had just given away. However, if Izroth knew they had such thoughts, he would only shake his head. Was he so cheap as to take back something he had handed out? More importantly, it was only a few hundred thousand RMB. If he made a fuss over something like that, wouldn''t he be too shameless? After seeing other yers consume the pills, others began to mimic their actions. Once they consumed the pills, a refreshing aura washed over them. In addition, the world around them became increasingly vivid. Small details that previously went unnoticed suddenly entered their sense of perception. Also, the fatigue they built up after enduring Izroth''s Soul Pressure was no longer anywhere to be found. It was as though they had obtained a new second wind on life itself. "Amazing... Was this ce always so full of life?" One of the yers said to themselves. "Just a moment ago, it was tiring just standing up straight. Now, I feel like I can suddenly run a marathon." "I wasn''t so sure of it at first, but... Can he be that Izroth?" One of the more informed yersmented. "I also didn''t want to say anything; however, it''s a little hard to ignore, right? If he is, one thing''s for sure. We may have just hit the jackpot." Forget the reward bag. As long as they left a good impression and formed close ties with Izroth, they could potentially earn enough to make the stuff in the reward bag look like trash on the side of a road! ... A few minutester, once the yers'' initial excitement died down, most of them realized that the moment they joined the 9th Division, a new war objective had appeared for them. The strange thing about this war objective was that it did not give them the chance to ept or decline. But, the majority of them simply wrote it off as something typical. After all, many of those present had not received that many war objectives due to being members of the General Support Unit. Regardless,pared to the previous war objectives they''ve done, this one provided a lot more contribution points and rewards. Since the war objective was for all those under hismand and could not be declined, Izroth knew that there would be some questions. That''s why so that there were no misunderstandings, Izroth decided to exin the situation to those present. He did not go into details about the representative meeting but instead focused on their main goal and ns concerning the uing battle. By the time Izroth finished going over everything, the new members of the 9th Division were left speechless. They were just a small division of fewer than fifty yers, yet such an important task was left in their hands. It was no wonder this person had that test and rewarded everyone so well. If he could pull this off, the amount of contribution points and recognition he would receive outside of the war objective would be astronomical! However, could they truly pull something so insane? They were not guild members who were used to fighting with each other. Their division had also just been formed without any kind of teamwork, which created an air of uncertainty. Not to mention, each life in the event was precious, seeing as how they were limited. Would they even survive under the conditions he mentioned? Izroth could sense the uneasiness and anxiousness within the group of yers. But, he did not me them. What he was intending to achieve was something even a well-trained division with all its members would have a near impossible time aplishing. And, even if they were sessful, the chances of that division being wiped out were infinitely close to 100%. Nevertheless, Izroth was confident in Niflheim and Menerva''s abilities to manage the yers under them. And, of course, Izroth was confident in his own strength. "If there are any other questions, you can direct them to the Lieutenant you''ve been assigned to," Izroth announced. He paused for a moment and then continued, "I know that some of you may have a few reservations about what we n to do. I also know that these ns areing from those you''ve just met today. However, I will make a promise to all of you right now. While I cannot guarantee your survival with absolute certainty, no matter what happens, we will do everything in our power to make sure that each and every one of you survives until the very end. All we ask for in return is that you follow the orders we give without fault." "Just so you understand my sincerity, if there is anyone among you who wishes to leave the 9th Division now, I won''t try to stop you, nor will I hold it against you. You may even keep the rewards you''ve received. But, if you do choose to leave, you will one daye to regret it. I intend to make the 9th Division the strongest division in not just the General Support Unit but among all the war branches. The only question is, who wants to reach that ce with us?" Izroth dered as he swept his gaze out across the crowd of yers. At first, there was a lingering silence. But, not a single person moved from where they stood. Then, a few secondster, a voice roared from the group of yers and said, "I will follow the 9th Division!" The person who spoke up just now was none other than Champion. At the moment, there was a serious expression on Champion''s face with a look of fearsome determination in his eyes. For some reason, Champion believed that Izroth was not joking when he said he nned to make them the strongest division among the war branches. It was not just the items he obtained as a reward that convinced him of this but rather Izroth himself as well as those who already followed him. Champion had not seen Menerva in action; however, he did catch a glimpse of Niflheim''s skills when they first met. If such a person was willing to follow someone else, then perhaps... Just maybe, what he said was genuine. Not long after Champion spoke, another voice echoed from the group of yers. "I''ll follow the 9th Division!" Soon enough, a series of chants rang throughout the surroundings as the crowd of yers became caught up in the moment as the entire atmosphere shifted. "I''ll follow the 9th Division!" "I''ll follow the 9th Division!" Chapter 906 Chapter 906: Departure A light smile appeared on Niflheim''s face as he walked back next to Izroth and turned to face the crowd of chanting yers. "It looks like you''ve given them some proper motivation. It''ll make our jobs a lot easier." Niflheim stated. "I concur. We will require all the assistance we can muster for this n to work with minimal to no losses. When must we depart?" Menerva inquired. "We''ll be departing as soon as possible. And by that, I mean within the next half hour." Izroth answered. "Thirty minutes? You''re really putting us on a time crunch here." Niflheim sighed. "It may not be a lot of time, but I trust the two of you will do what needs to be done," Izroth said calmly. "There is a quandary. Thirty minutes is not enough time to summon the main forces that have assembled in the Land of Unity," Menervamented. "That''s because we''ll be leaving ahead of our main forces," Izroth stated. He then continued, "Twelve hours from now, our main forces will depart into Malentansium. In three days, they will begin their assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt. Before ites to that, we have to take care of things on our end. No matter what happens, we will not let the Tempest mages reach the Night Lord''s Crypt." During the representative meeting, one of the things Izroth suggested was the existence of a special group of mages trained by Tempest to open a Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. In order to prevent that from urring, Izroth proposed that a small strike force be sent to deal a quick and decisive blow against them. When the roles were being decided, Izroth volunteered himself and the 9th Division for the task. Needless to say, there were those against it. After all, even if the 9th Division were at full capacity, it would only be 150 people. Not to mention, how could they entrust such a heavy task to a Captain? In the end, Izroth convinced them to leave it to his 9th Division for one reason¡ªspection. While there was a high chance of him being correct, there was also the possibility that he could be wrong. If that turned out to be the case and they sent a War Brigade Legion to intercept the Tempest forces, they would be losing roughly 20% to 30% of their forces. Naturally, they could not risk weakening themselves to that extent based on spection¡ªeven if it held some merit. But, if a lone division offered to volunteer for such a dangerous mission that may or may not yield results, no one could fault them if it turned out to be fake andter came to light. Of course, this was all simply a way for Izroth to drive the assignment toward him. Regardless of what others thought, he was confident that Tempest would use this chance to open the second Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. Not to mention, on the off chance he did turn out to be wrong, there would be no harm done, and he could shift his focus from attacking to scouting. "So, realistically, we have roughly two days and some change to see things through. It''s still not nearly enough time to train anyone, but we can instill some basics in them. It''s not a long-term solution, but a quick fix is all that we can afford right about now. We''ll see that it gets done." Niflheim said as he walked past Izroth and pat him on the shoulder. Niflheim made his way toward the newly recruited 9th Division members. Since they did not have a lot of time to waste, he understood that every second from this point onward was invaluable. "Your n is too impetuous¡ªis what I would have liked to say," Menerva remarked. "Oh? What stopped you?" Izroth asked with a carefree smile on his face. "I have witnessed firsthand more than once what you are capable of, Izroth. During those times, I have found that what would be considered temerarious to others does not necessarily apply to you. Consequently, I will trust the orchestration you have set in motion and do everything within my power to ensure that it does not go astray." Menerva stated as she began to follow after Niflheim. As Menerva walked away, she suddenly halted her steps and said, "Do you remember what you said to me on that day? You told me that you have a goal. One that requires people with determination and talents." "I remember," Izroth replied calmly. "Good. Then, I will show you my determination and talent firsthand." Menerva said as she resumed her steps. ... Thirty minutester... After their conversation with Izroth, Niflheim and Menerva wasted no time organizing their newly formed squadrons. Once they properly assigned the ranks of their 5-Man and 10-Man Squad Leaders, their next goal was to instill some basics into the members of the 9th Division. The basics included things such as how they would retreat if needed or what to do if their method ofmunication suddenly vanished. They also went over a few battle formations based on the number and sses of yers. In addition, even though they were somewhatcking when it came to yers with support-type sses, they possessed a decent bnce between physical and magic-based sses. After setting roles and going over the battle formations a few times, it was finally time for the 9th Division to depart. And their destination? The Tempest and Malentansium border connected on the far end of the entrance into the Land of Unity. ... More than half a dayter, Izroth and the 9th Division reached the end of the Land of Unity. In front of them on the right side was a gloomynd of darkness with no life in sight. There was a putrid scent that drifted ever so slightly over into the Land of Unit that was enough to leave one nauseous. Thatnd belonged to the kingdom of Malentansium. However, the opposite side waspletely different. It was a ce gued by a seemingly endless sea of raging storms and turbulent winds. That was the territory of the kingdom of Tempest. Although bothnds were connected directly to the Land of Unity, it was too dangerous for either of their armies to march through. Not to mention, setting up a stable supply chain or calling for reinforcements would be an impossibility. It was the reason why Vostracane was constructed in the first ce in order to properly contest Amaharpe and Rosentarus for ownership of the Unsanctioned Zone. And it was also the reason why neither of the two kingdoms could immediately send in more troops after the destruction of Vostracane. ''Tempest... It''s the first time I''ll be paying a visit to this kingdom. Though I can''t say, I''m really looking forward to it.'' So far, every encounter Izroth had with something regarding Tempest led back to something bad. There was also the fact that Tempest was secretly colluding with the Shadahi¡ªno, rather openly colluding since they had already made their move back in the Demilitarization Belt. Nheless, even though this was Izroth''s first time visiting Tempest, he was notpletely ignorant when it came to the kingdom''s inner workings. Unlike most kingdoms in RML, the power structure in Tempest was quite different inparison. For one, they did not have a king but rather an Emperor. However, unlike the kings of the various kingdoms, the Emperor did not hold virtually absolute power. Instead, for many big actions, they had to win the approval of the Counsul and the majority votes of the Senators. That''s why it was impossible for the Emperor to have made the move while keeping those important members of his kingdom in the dark. There was no way he would not have been kicked out of his position as Emperor without haste if what he had done was of his own admission. "We will be crossing into hostile territory. Everyone, be sure to keep your guard up and remember what we''ve discussed." Izroth reminded. He then continued, "Let''s go." Once Izroth gave that order, he and the 9th Division crossed the border into Tempest. The nerves of the yers could not be hidden. Some of them were even shaking from nervousness. But, they had already decided to stick by the 9th Division despite their nerves. It also helped that the ones leading them did not carry an ounce of doubt about them. In fact, there was an almostforting level of confidence in their leaders. This put their minds at somewhat ease. Chapter 907 Chapter 907: Cave Mortem Monsoon The moment Izroth and the 9th Division stepped across the border, they received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have left the ?Land of Unity?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the fourth kingdom, ?Tempest?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning, the kingdom ?Tempest? you have crossed into is hostile territory!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Cave Mortem Monsoon?!¡µ As Izroth led the 9th Division into Tempest, there were met by strong winds that changed directions at random and unpredictable intervals. There was also some light rainfall, and the sound of rumbling thunder could be heard as lightning shed in the distance. The deeper they headed into the territory, the more vicious the winds became. In addition, the light rainfall abruptly turned heavy as it poured down with no end in sight. And, due to the vicious nature of the wind, each rain droplet was like being struck by tiny prickly needles. Even though the rain did not cause direct damage to their HP, it made it increasingly challenging to keep moving forward at a fast pace. In the end, they had no choice but to slow their progress in order to prevent themselves from being separated. It also did not help thatmunicating had be rather difficult because of the heavy rain, roaring thunder, and strong winds. ''My Energy Vision Sense is still functioning; however, there is too much interference around us. I can''t sense anything beyond twenty meters. Fortunately, I gave everyone a Five Cycles Pill and Ocean Spring Pill before we entered this ce; otherwise, it would have been troublesome to make this journey.'' ¡´System Alert: You have been invited to a Conference Voice Chat by yer Niflheim. Do you wish to ept? [Participant(s): Niflheim...]¡µ A system alert suddenly popped up for Izroth and the other members of the 9th Division. "ept it," Izroth confirmed. As Izroth joined the voice chat, the other members of the 9th Division also started to join one by one. ¡´System Alert: This Conference Voice Chat has restricted user speech.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been granted overriding permission to speak by yer Niflheim Conference Voice Chat.¡µ ¡´System Alert: yer Menerva has been granted overriding permission to speak by yer Niflheim Conference Voice Chat.¡µ [Voice Chat Has Started] Niflheim, "Unless anyone under the rank of Lieutenant has something important to say, keep the voice chat clear. It''s bing hard to manage without, but there are too many of us for casual conversation." Including Izroth, Niflheim, and Menerva, there were a total of 42 yers in the conference voice chat. If everyone started speaking at once, it would not take long for things to be chaotic. That''s why Niflheim granted himself, Izroth, and Menerva overriding permission to speak. This feature would temporarily silence anyone that did not have the same permission and prevent a flood of voices in an emergency situation. Izroth, "It was a good call." Niflheim, "I knew the weather in this ce wouldn''t be weing, but it''s getting worse the deeper we venture in. At this rate, it''ll take us longer than expected to make it out of this ce." Menerva, "We may have a more pressing matter." Niflheim, "What makes you say that?" Menerva, "The kingdom of Tempest avoided utilizing this path for a reason. Of course, we are already well aware of this fact. But, I suspect the name of this ce is not merely for show. Cave Mortem is a Latin phrase that means Beware of Death." Niflheim, "That''s quite an eerie name. Wait, you know Latin?" Menerva, "Among many othernguages." Izroth, "This path may be dangerous, but it is still better than our other option. We don''t have enough support-type yers to cross through that part of Malentansium that''s riddled with poisons. Even if we did, we''d also have to deal with the curses gained by setting foot on thatnd." Niflheim, "Yeah, it really is the best of two bad options." Menerva, "I agree. However, it will be problematic to implement any of the battle formations we havee up with under present conditions." Izroth, "Then, let''s just hope it doesn''te to that. Everyone, be sure to keep your guard up. I have not detected anything, but there is still a chance that we may run into monsters." Niflheim, "Any monsters that can survive under such extreme conditions won''t be easy to deal with. We''ll also be fighting in an environment they''ve likely thrived in. You should all focus on..." ''Hm?'' As Niflheim spoke, Izroth suddenly sensed something in front of them with his Energy Vision Sense at the very edge of detection range; however, it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. ''What was that just now?'' Izroth only managed to catch a glimpse of the "me" that emerged on his Energy Vision Sense''s radar, but he knew that he was not simply seeing things. And, one thing was for certain¡ªthat me did not belong to a yer or any humanoid being. ''The fact that it didn''t rush to attack could mean that it is not hostile. There''s also a high chance that we may have just not entered its aggro range yet. Or...'' Izroth knew that there was also a third option that would make whatever lived inside the Cave Mortem Monsoon even more dangerous than it was given credit for. ''...It has a high level of intelligence for a monster.'' A monster with high intelligence under normal circumstances was already troublesome to face. However, one that could survive under such extreme conditions and understood not to attack arge group head-on, if they did not handle it with some caution, things could potentially spiral out of control. Izroth, "There is something close by." When Izroth spoke, Niflheim halted his speech mid-way. Niflheim, "How far out?" Izroth, "At least twenty meters." Niflheim, "Should we alter our course?" Izroth, "No. Taking a detour will consume too much time that we don''t have. If ites to it, we''ll just have to face whatever it is." Bzzzzt! BOOOOM! Rmmmmble! Out of nowhere, an ear-piercing thunderp sounded as a giant bolt of lightning struck out less than ten meters away from Izroth and the 9th Division. The emergence of the lightning bolt was powerful enough to scatter the rain and cause the ground to tremble under everyone''s feet. At the same time, in the exact location where the massive lightning bolt struck, a deep crack roughly five meters in length appeared. Niflheim, "Everyone, halt!" Niflheim unsheathed his sword as his shield appeared in his other hand as his gaze locked onto the crack in the near distance. Following Niflheim''s orders, everyone halted their steps. And, without missing a beat, they prepared for a possible confrontation. Niflheim narrowed his eyes as the crack pulsed with a bizarre dark blue energy that emitted a faint light. Even though Niflheim did not possess Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense, his gut was telling him that whatever it was, they could not afford to be careless. Everyone silently held their position as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. If not for the raging storm taking ce around them, one would be able to hear the beat of their hearts in the silence. Izroth, "It''sing." Izroth warned as he broke the silence and unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. All of a sudden, something flew out of the crack created by the massive lightning bolt and unleashed a terrible cry. Grwaaaaaak! It was hard to make out the features of the creature under the endless downpour of heavy rain; however, one could make out its dark blue glowing eyes as its location shifted from one ce to another in the blink of an eye. But, that was not the biggest of their concerns. Grwaaaaaak! Grwaaaaaak! Not long after the first creature emerged, a stream of simr creatures erupted out of the crack en masse! One, Three, Ten... Twenty¡ªthere were too many to count! "Everyone, prepare yourselves!" Niflheim roared as he activated his skill Maw of the Devouring Beast. CHOMP! As the ancient and fierce energy beast closed its maw on one of the creatures, it immediately dissipated. "Assimte!" Niflheim called out as the shield in his hand underwent a drastic transformation. It morphed into a long kite-style shield that was pitch-ck with golden trim on its edges. At the shield''s center was a translucent mystical crystal embedded with a mysterious aura. Not long after Niflheim used Assimte and the creatures started to move in on their position, the crystal began to pulsate with a bright golden light. This golden light rushed out of the crystal and split into numerous lines of energy that attached themselves directly to the creatures that emerged from the crack. It was at this point that the system information for the creatures finally revealed itself. Name: Monsoon Death Shade(Elite) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Chapter 908 Chapter 908: The Monsoon Death Shades The Monsoon Death Shades attached to the other end of Niflheim''s golden lines of light had the appearance of apparitions. Each creature was approximately 1.5 meters tall with pale gray skin and glowing dark blue eyes. They were covered in some kind of tattered ck aura that made it difficult to see if they possessed any unique facial or body features. However, there was a single thin limb-like object connected to their back with what seemed to be arge hand. The hand was formed like a w with sharp nails and hung freely above their heads. When the Monsoon Death Shades appeared, the members of the 9th Division became fluttered by the overwhelming number of monsters. Not just any monsters, but elite monsters that they knew virtually nothing about! Niflheim, "Everyone, stay calm! Remember what we practiced!" Niflheim spoke over voice chat and reminded everyone of what needed to be done. The time they practiced may have been short, but he knew that the yers they recruited into the 9th Division had a decent head on their shoulders. As long as they did not enter full panic mode and get too separated, things would not spiral out of control. Many of the 9th Division members pushed down the feeling of uncertainty that rushed into their thoughts as they heard Niflheim''s words. They could not help but feel nervous given their current circumstances. The condition around them was not ideal for a head-on fight. Not to mention, this would be their first time actually fighting together as a division. But, they understood that if they perished here, one of their precious event lives would be lost. Therefore, they quickly gathered themselves and rushed into the battle formation their practice. And, despite the vicious winds and heavy rain mming into them, they managed to pull it off. The battle formation they constructed was one of the utmost simplicity. Those who were ted users or could take some form of punishment created a circle around the ranged and support-type yers. At the same time, those who relied on melee attacks positioned themselves to be the second line of defense. In addition, they were to strike the nearest target once one of the people in the main outer circle drew in aggro. As for Niflheim, he was at the heart of the battle formation as he activated the AOE taunt skill, Guardian''s Field. Grwaaaaaak! Grwaaaaaak! When Niflheim used Guardian''s Field, he immediately drew the aggro of every Monsoon Death Shade as they redirected their focus toward him. Although Niflheim increased the threat level of the Monsoon Death Shades in range, his primary goal was merely to prevent any of them from instantly prating through their circle of defense. That''s why, not long after Niflheim used Guardian''s Field, some of the other yers with taunting skills wasted no time drawing a portion of the aggro toward them. This still left Niflheim to deal with the majority of the monsters; however, it reduced the amount of pressure ced on him. Bang! Shrieeeeek! One of the Monsoon Death Shades crashed into Niflheim''s shield. But, when they made contact with the mysterious crystal at its center, they released a painful cry before circling back around. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim has been affected by the skill ?Monsoon Shade?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Perfect Condition? has cleansed all negative effects from the skill ?Monsoon Shade?. yer Niflheim will be immune to all simr negative effects for the next 10 seconds.¡µ "A negative effect on the first attack? These things can''t be taken too lightly." Niflheim thought to himself. Thanks to his passive skill Perfect Condition, Niflheim was able to escape unscathed from the potential negative effects. However, it also meant that he could not discover its effects until someone else was affected by it. The attacks from the Monsoon Death Shades happened one after the other and left no time for Niflheim to breathe. As a result, he did not hesitate to hand things over so he could redirect his main focus. Niflheim, "Menerva, I''m passing over the mainmand to you!" Menerva, "Understood." Niflheim and Menerva came to an agreement that while the division was together unless Izroth himself stepped in, Niflheim would assume the role ofmand. This was to prevent any contradicting orders from being given and to make sure everyone remained on the same page. If the weather conditions were not so severe, Niflheim might have not had to hand overmand. But, since he could not get a good grasp of the battlefield in this situation, with a ranged ss, Menerva should have no problem properly overseeing things. As the 9th Division became locked in an intense battle with the Monsoon Death Shades, Izroth had yet to move as his gaze was locked to a ce in the distance. Izroth decided to entrust the Monsoon Death Shades to the 9th Division. Not only was this the perfect time for them to practice working together and takingmands, but it would also help to build up some trust while they watched each other''s backs. Of course, if things got too out of control, Izroth nned to step in. However, he hadplete fate in Niflheim and Menerva''s abilities to lead the new members of the 9th Division. As for Izroth himself, there was another matter that caught his attention. ''It''s simr, but... I''m not mistaken¡ªit''s not the same.'' Before the massive lightning bolt struck the ground and caused the Monsoon Death Shades to appear, Izroth detected an aura with his Energy Vision Sense. However, while the Monsoon Death Shades possessed a simr aura, there was something different about itpared to the one that Izroth sensed earlier. Another strange urrence was that the Monsoon Death Shades had an almost artificial-type aura. That was not to say that they were not real threats or fake monsters; however, they did not feel like the standard elite monster one typically faced. It was almost as if they were all separate yet connected. Different, yet the same. Izroth had seen this kind of aura pattern before with his Energy Vision Sense. And, it meant one thing. ''Where are you hiding...?'' Izroth patiently waited with his Sword of the Storm unsheathed. Suddenly, one of the yers on the outer circle of the battle formation cried out. The voice belonged to one of the 10-Man Squad Leaders in Niflheim''s squadron named Astral Knight. They were one of the few fully heavy-ted yers present. They were also one of the individuals who drew some of the aggro of the Monsoon Death Shades off Niflheim. However, something bizarre happened to them that caused one of the yers next to them to feel a chill down their spine. Astral Knight, who had been fighting without issue, had suddenly stopped moving. His physical appearance had also undergone an unusual change with his skin turning pale gray and his eyes bing pitch-ck. "Astral! Hey!" The yer next to Astral Knight named Clouded Sky called out; however, there was no response. Grwaaaaaak! The next moment, the original wave of Monsoon Death Shades Astral Knight taunted were on their way to carry out the second wave of attacks. Clouded Sky, "Something happened to Astral Knight! His appearance has changed, and he''s not moving!" Clouded Sky spoke up over voice chat. If Astral Knight did not stop the Monsoon Death Shades and keep aggro, then their battle formation would gain a ring weakness. Menerva, "Any support with a cleansing skill, use it to aid Astral Knight. Bellum, cover for him." Woosh! Bellum''s sped across from the other side of the battle formation''s second line and swiftly arrived in front of Astral Knight just as the Monsoon Death Shades were about to close in. "What is she doing? Does she n to take their attacks head-on with that gear?" Clouded Sky thought to himself with furrowed brows as he remained on high alert. Based on the refined robes Bellum wore, Clouded Sky was skeptical of whether or not she could face multiple attacks from an elite monster without at least leather or light armor. But, what happened next, caused Clouded Sky''s eyes to widen in shock as a look of disbelief found its way onto his face. One moment, the Monsoon Death Shades wereing at them in full force, and the next, they dissipated into golden dust before they could even reach Bellum. What left Clouded Sky speechless was the fact that he had not even blinked, yet he still had no idea what had just urred right in front of his eyes. By the time thest of the Monsoon Death Shades that attacked Astral Knight vanished, one of the supports used a cleansing skill and cleared the negative effects of the Monsoon Shade. "T-thanks..." Astral Knight said as he regained his normal physical appearance. Bellum gave a small nod before she made her way back to her previous position in the battle formation. Menerva observed Bellum''s actions from start to finish while making sure not to neglect other areas of the battlefield. However, even she was still somewhat puzzled by Bellum''s ss. It was likely a magic-type ss, but her physical abilities were too high for her to be just another typical magic caster. Izroth, on the other hand, was a bit surprised when he noticed Bellum''s actions through his Energy Vision Sense. ''Oh? I''ve only seen it once before, but... If I''m not mistaken, what she just used is a form of Matter Maniption magic.'' The first time Izroth caught a glimpse of Matter Maniption magic was when the Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina used it back when he was deciding what war branch to join. But, regardless of their simrities, what Bellum utilized was not the exact same as the Matter Maniption used by Seraphina. And the difference had nothing to do with level or mastery had to do with a part of its core concept. Chapter 909 Chapter 909: Endless Stream of Enemies, Not Seeing Things Not long after Bellum made her move, the other members of the 9th Division started to gain their footing. "Cover me!" One of the yers shouted as they were retreating back into the center of the formation after securing an elimination on one of the Monsoon Death Shades. Swoosh! Grwaaaaaak! Bang! As the yer retreated safely into the center of the battle formation, the Monsoon Death Shade chasing him was intercepted by one of the heavy-ted users protecting the outer perimeter. As they kept their momentum driving forward, the Monsoon Death Shades started to quickly fall one after the other. The most frustrating thing to deal with was the attacks of the creature, but rather the effects of the Monsoon Shade. Not only did it cause those affected to be rendered temporarily immobile, they soon discovered that if it were not taken care of fast enough, it would spread to other yers who were nearby. In order to prevent this from happening, Menerva gave an order for the closest yer next to the person who was affected to call it out so that their supports could use a cleansing skill. However, there was a problem with this strategy that Menerva was well aware of. Even though all the yers present consumed a Five Cycles Pill and improved their overall senses, the weather conditions made it challenging to know what was going on more than a couple of meters in front of them. Therefore, despite the rtive closeness of their battle formation, it was still difficult to always react ordingly before the Monsoon Shade spread to other yers. Menerva, "No one is to move alone. Do not abandon the person closest to you. For now, I will take over the responsibility of calling out to the supports." The next moment, Menerva''s eyes emitted a light golden glow as the scene around here became much clearer. It was as if the heavy rain and vicious winds had suddenly been tamed. But, this was not actually the case. In reality, this was merely the effect of the skill, Vision of Purification. It was a skill that allowed Menerva to peer through and ignore any outside obstructions. However, this skill had a major drawback in that the outside obstructions could also include certain enemy attacks. This meant that if she used it recklessly against the wrong enemy, it would put her in an unknown state of danger. However, after observing the Monsoon Death Shades for a while, Menerva believed it was safe to use due to their collection of skills. After Menerva activated her Vision of Purification, the fight took a huge turn. Because of well-timed call-outs, the supports were able to swiftly cleanse those affected by the Monsoon Shade, and the yers could return their full focus toward the assault. But, just when the number of Monsoon Death Shades was being culled, out of nowhere, a second massive lightning bolt struck down not too far away from where the first one hit. Grwaaaaaak! Just likest time, another wave of Monsoon Death Shades emerged from the crack in the ground created by the strike. This time, however, the number of Monsoon Death Shades doubled to more than forty creatures! When the yers of the 9th Division witnessed the sight of the small army of terrifying creatures, they felt their hearts nearly jump out of their chests. It was no wonder this ce had a name that warned others to beware of death and Tempest was not foolish enough to send their troops to march through this area. Forget the harsh weather conditions. Even if the environment were in their favor, this kind of endless stream of enemies would a nightmare to face! "What do we do...?" One of the yers muttered to themselves as they tried to push down their nerves. If they turned back now, the Monsoon Death Shades would most likely pick them off one by one. However, if things continued on in this manner, then wasn''t it only a matter of time until they were overrun by these creatures? Menerva furrowed her brows when the second wave of Monsoon Death Shades emerged from the crack. They had just begun to regain their footing, and now they were presented with an unexpected dilemma. "The supports will not be able to cleanse those affected forever with their cooldowns. We have to find another way. More importantly... What is he up to?" Menerva thought to herself as her gazended on Izroth. It did not take long for Menerva to notice that, besides unsheathing his sword, Izroth had yet to make a move since the fight broke out. Menerva understood that this could only mean one thing¡ªhe was waiting for the right opportunity. "The right opportunity... I see. These creatures, what he sensed earlier¡ªthere must be a source." Menerva internalized. It was highly umon for elite monsters to appear in a swarm like the Monsoon Death Shades. There were only two instances where something like that urred. The first was inside dungeons and raids. As for the other, it was when something more powerful was summoning them to do its bidding. And, if that was the case, with their current strategy, they were only bidding time until they were wiped out by an endless wave of monsters! Menerva, "Everyone, prepare to move north on a three count at mymand. Do not break the formation." Bang! Niflheim blocked one of the Monsoon Death Shades and send it flying away as he shed out with his sword. Menerva, "Begin." "Move north? Did she discover something?" Niflheim thought to himself. Niflheim knew that if they moved north now, even if they tried their best to maintain the formation, it would inevitably fall apart. After all, they only roughly practiced the formation in a mostly stationary position. To keep a solid formation while moving and being under attack from multiple sides was something even a well-trained division would find hard to pull off. However, Niflheim also understood that Menerva was no fool. Therefore, Niflheim followed her instructions and slowly led the division''s advancement north of its current position. As Niflheim moved, the others followed as they tried their best to keep the formation from falling apart. To help with their timing, Menerva introduced a count system. So, when she mentioned a three count, the entire formation would take three steps, count to three and then take another three steps. They would repeat these steps until Menerva gave themand to hold their position. The stops in between each steps made it so that anyone who was off on their count did not fall too far behind and could readjust as they moved. While it was not a perfect system, the simplicity of it was something much needed considering the limited amount of time they had to prepare. Nheless, despite their best efforts, the constant moving and reaction to enemy attacks started to cause several small openings to appear within the battle formation. "We will not be able to maintain this formation much longer. He has to make a move soon." Menerva thought to herself. The reason Menerva chose to move the members of the 9th Division had to do with Izroth''s intention. If there was someone or something truly controlling the Monsoon Death Shades, there was a high chance that there was a limit on how far away it could be from the creatures it summoned. There was also the possibility that moving away from the source of the lightning strikes could remove the threat of the Monsoon Death Shades altogether. Either way, it would have to choose to leave them alone or reveal itself if it decided to pursue them. Both choices were better than sitting around and waiting for it to chip away at them slowly. At the same time, Izroth moved alongside the division outside of the main formation. He kept his Energy Vision Sense at its current maximum range of twenty meters and did not neglect his natural senses as he scanned the area thoroughly. And, just as it seemed that nothing would change, a familiar me appeared at the very edge of his Energy Vision Sense in front of them. It was the same me he detected before the arrival of the Monsoon Death Shades! Just likest time, the me quickly started to fade just as fast as it arrived. But, Izroth had no ns on letting it escape this time! ''I won''t let you get away from me a second time.'' Zeeeeut! Izroth, "I am going on ahead." Izroth immediately activated his Instantaneous Movement and arrived right next to the source of the me. When Izroth moved to that location, he did not see anything around him. The me showed by his Energy Vision Sense also vanished into thin air. However, the system information popped up and confirmed that he was not simply seeing things¡ªeven if nothing was there. Name: Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus(AREA BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Chapter 910 Chapter ?910 Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus There were not many dissimrities between an area boss and a world boss; however, there was one ring difference. World bosses, as their name implies, are free to roam the world as they see fit. On the other hand, an area boss was forever bound to their area and could not leave its confines. The area size varied depending on where the area boss was located, but regardless, it was an absolute rule. Ultimately, this meant that as long as Izroth and the 9th Division could escape the area boss'' area of influence, they would no longer have to worry about the Monsoon Death Shades. Therefore, Menerva had the right idea about keeping the division on the move. As for Izroth, he long since guessed that the creature behind the Monsoon Death Shades was one of intelligence. And, now that he discovered that the creature in question was an area boss, it made perfect sense. Izroth was also aware that area bosses were extremely territorial. Meaning that as long as they were trespassing in its area, it would never let them go. ''If I can''t see it, then...'' Izroth tapped his foot against the ground, sending waves of tremors out in every direction. Since he was unable to see or detect the area boss, the next best choice was to use an AOE attack and use it to pinpoint its position. To help with this, Izroth poured a bit of his essence into the skill Behemoth''s Quake to improve its range and give him a better chance of getting some answers. However, what happened as a result left Izroth with more questions than anything. Izroth''s Behemoth''s Quake sessfully hit the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus, but the bizarre thing was that he could not pinpoint its exact location. This was highly usually given that all he had to do was follow the timing of the quakes sent out by his Behemoth''s Quake and go from there. However, rather than saying there was no feedback at all, it was more like the feedback he felt was all over the ce. It was the first time Izroth experienced such a phenomenon when using Behemoth''s Quake. ''I can continue to use AOE skills, but it''s no use. As long as I can''t force it out of hiding, it will be as though I''m fighting against a ghost. Not to mention, this kind of match-up is not ideal for the AOE skills at my disposal.'' One of Izroth''s strongest AOE moves, Great Storm, was attached to his Sword of the Storm. In fact, not only his weapon but many of Izroth''s attacks were influenced by the lightning and wind elements. Izroth was not sure whether or not such attacks would be effective against a monster who lived and thrived within those two particr elements. There was also a small chance the present conditions could actually enhance his attacks. Of course, there was only one way to find out. As Izroth''s Behemoth''s Quake reached the Monsoon Death Shades in the distance, he received several stacks of Storm Surge Charge. And, the instant he reached fifty stacks, Izroth activated the skill Great Storm. The skill covered arge area and was perfect to not only flesh out the location of the area boss but also aid his division in facing off against the Monsoon Death Shades. -2,286 ?Critical Hit? -5,572 -205 -2,286 ... To Izroth''s surprise, his Great Storm managed to affect the Monsoon Death Shades. However, he immediately realized that the damage itself was significantly reduced by at least 50%. Not long after Izroth used Great Storm, a wave of destructive sword intent exploded from his Sword of the Storm as the Bonus Forged Effect: Destructive Aftermath activated. -12,545 -12,545 -592 -12,545 ... Izroth kept a close eye on the battle logs and quickly noticed the discrepancy within the damage values. And, it was clear what belonged to the Monsoon Death Shades and the area boss. ''As I thought, attacks with the lightning and winds elements are practically ineffective against it. Then, in that case, I''ll just have to take a different approach.'' In the end, Izroth using Great Storm and Destructive Aftermath helped ease some of the pressure on the 9th Division; therefore, it could not be considered a waste. But, his true target was the Immortal Ruler Morsanus. Izroth shifted his stance as the tip of his Sword of the Storm touched the ground, creating a ripple-like effect around him. ''Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple.'' In the blink of an eye, a rippling effect rushed out in every direction, distorting the mana in the atmosphere as its range continually extended with every passing second. Grwaaaaaak! When the ripple passed by the Monsoon Death Shades, their movements halted as their bodies started to fizzle in and out of existence. Naturally, the members of the 9th Division took advantage of this moment and pressed their attacks on the creatures. At the same time, something even more unusual urred. The vicious winds and heavy rains abruptly subsided in any ce the ripples from Izroth''s ninth sword form came into contact with. ''Oh? This is...'' UWOOOOOOH! Out of nowhere, a deep earth-shaking cry flooded the battlefield. The cry was so loud that some of the 9th Division members nearly lost consciousness as it rang inside their heads. The source of this cry was unclear as it came from every direction within the Cave Mortem Monsoon; however, it clearly sounded like the cry of something furious! Crrrrckle! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! All of a sudden, four massive lightning bolts crashed one of the other onto the battlefield as the ripples from Izroth''s ninth sword form were forcibly interrupted. At the same time, the heavy rain and vicious rains rapidly returned. This time, they were several times more brutal. But, that was not even the most concerning part. Grwaaaaaak! The four massive lightning bolts that struck down created four separate cracks, all of which unleashed a seemingly endless wave of Monsoon Death Shades that would blot out the sky if the sun was showing. It was clear that Izroth''s attack had an effect on the Immortal Ruler Morsanus. Not just that, it angered it to the point of bringing down its wrath upon them. Yet, Izroth was still no closer to forcing the creature out of hiding. But that was when it suddenly dawned on Izroth. The wisp of energy that kept appearing and disappearing at will, the loud cry just now, the reaction from using his ninth sword form¡ªhe finally figured out why he could not draw the area boss out of hiding! ''I thought it was hiding because it was some kind of summoner, but I''ve been approaching it the wrong way this whole time. It isn''t hiding, this thing¡ªit is the Cave Mortem Monsoon.'' It was a ridiculous notion given that the Cave Mortem Monsoon covered several kilometers worth of territory. However, Izroth was certain that the Cave Mortem Monsoon and the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus were virtually one and the same! This meant that they were not just crossing some dangerousnd in Tempest but had also unknowingly ventured into the body of a boss monster! If that were true, then this would be thergest boss ever discovered up until this point in RML! The Brooding Behemoth Basbus that appeared during the Protector of Amaharpe events and the mysterious giant whale-like creature that Izroth came across during his trip to the Sea Pce Graveyard Dungeon might as well be ants in the face of this area boss. But, there was a more concerning question that needed to be asked. How was one to defeat a boss of this magnitude? And, could the 9th Division even hold up long enough to find a way out? One thing was for sure, they could not afford to confront the Monsoon Fiend of Death, Immortal Ruler Morsanus when they already had such an important mission ahead of them. Not to mention, even if they did manage to defeat the creature, wouldn''t that only serve to benefit Tempest? After all, the Immortal Ruler Morsanus was one of the main reasons Tempest could not freely send troops to Amaharpe or Rosentarus without having to first travel through Malentansium. Nevertheless, Izroth could not merely sit back and allow the 9th Division to be slowly wiped out. Izroth, "We have a problem. I managed to find what I was looking for, but it didn''t turn out exactly as I had anticipated. It turns out that the entire Cave Mortem Monsoon is the inside of an area boss." When everyone received that news, they shook to their core as they were shocked beyond belief. An area boss the size of a small kingdom¡ªhow could such a monstrosity even exist?! No, rather, what were they supposed to do about that kind of monster?! Menerva, "...That is quite troubling. This changes things significantly." Just like Izroth, Menerva believed it was a summoner hiding at a safe distance. And while they were not all the way correct, they were not entirely wrong either. The Monsoon Death Shades were indeed the summons of a stronger creature. It was just that the creature in question was incredibly abnormal. Niflheim, "The inside of an area boss? That''s insane...! I guess at least now we know why Tempest and no one else wants to travel through this ce. So, what''s the n?" Izroth, "Even if we discover a way to defeat the area boss, now is not the correct time. Not to mention, conquering it will only open up both Amaharpe and Rosentarus to their attacks. That being said, I have an idea, but... It''s a bit reckless." Chapter 911 Chapter 911: A Reckless n Niflheim, "Whatever it is, it has to be better than waiting around here." Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath before removing the Scorched Inferno''s Fang from his inventory. Izroth, "Is there anyone who can use the skill Diminish Friction?" Sanctity, "I-I can use it." Sanctity was one of the yers chosen by Menerva, who made it to the second line during Izroth''s test. She was one of the few support yers of the 9th Division who specialized in yer buff and cleansing magic. Izroth, "Good, that''ll make what I have in mind a little easier. Bellum, can you alter the base element of things?" Bellum, "...It is possible. However, there is a limit to what I am able to modify." Izroth, "How about changing fire to ice?" Bellum, "That is achievable. I am not sure what you have in mind, but I should warn you that my skills consume mana based on the total mass of whatever I am altering." Izroth, "Cooldown?" Bellum, "As long as I possess mana, there is no issue." Izroth, "Then, listen closely. We''re going to..." Izroth exined his n over voice chat; however, the more he spoke, the more the members of the 9th Division were puzzled. This... Could it really be considered a n? Even though he mentioned the n he had in mind was a bit reckless, wasn''t this well past that? More importantly, would something like that even work? Menerva, "I see. It is certainly usible, but... It is a rather unorthodox approach." Niflheim, "Unorthodox? Aren''t you being a bit too kind? Though I have to admit, this idea takes me back to when I was a kid. Let''s do it." The moment Niflheim finished speaking, Izroth''s figure started to flicker in and out of existence. Izroth, "Then, get ready, everyone." Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Izroth was already more than ten meters away from where he previously stood as he moved swiftly with his Flickering Steps active. Without slowing down a single step, Izroth ran north in a straight line. And, with every step he took, a ming imprint was left in the ground. However, it was not a normal imprint. In actuality, Izroth was not only running in a straight line but also taking four quick steps side by side, making sure that they were perfectly connected to the steps behind them. Ultimately, this created a makeshift path of scorched earth in Izroth''s wake. After running for nearly ten seconds, Izroth put a good distance between himself and the 9th Division. Izroth, "Now." When Izroth gave themand over voice chat, something unusual started to happen with the scorched earth path created by the passive effect from his Scorched Inferno''s Fang. The ming scorched earth began to transform into a smooth sheet of ice. This was the work of Bellum''s skill. It did not take long for the ice to start to catch up to Izroth. When he realized this, Izroth used the active effect of his Light Feather Footwork to gain a temporary movement speed boost, immediately cing some distance between himself and the ice. It was not long before his Light Feather Footwork wore off and his Flickering Steps was almost at its end. Swoosh! Just as his Flickering Steps came to an end and the ice was about to catch up to him, Izroth raced out of the vicious winds and heavy rains into and that was rtively peaceful inparison. He had reached the other side of the Cave Mortem Monsoon! Izroth, "Start." ... When Izroth gave that order, Sanctity activated the AOE buff skill Diminish Friction on the members of the 9th Division. As its name implied, it reduced the level of friction one would typically experience. The instant Sanctity used Diminish Friction, Niflheim arrived at the point Izroth mentioned in his ns. "Ha... This crazy guy. Well, let''s hope this works...!" Niflheim said to himself as he started to run forward with a crowd of Monsoon Death Shades not too far behind him. Woosh! The next moment, Niflheim leaped into the air andnded on the sheet of ice as he slid down the path created by Izroth and Bellum. In addition, thanks to the Diminish Friction buff used by Sanctity, Niflheim soared at speedsparable to him using a skill like Unimpeded Rush! The next yer up after Niflheim was Champion. As he saw Niflheim speed away on the sheet of ice, he was left dumbfounded. It was actually working! "This is insane...! But, I hate to admit it¡ªit looks like a good time! Here I go!" Champion roared as he followed in Niflheim''s steps. At first, he nearly lost his bnce after leaping onto the sheet of ice; however, he managed to catch himself at thest second and slid along at an incredible speed. "Woooooo hooooooo!" Champion cheered as he raced down the ice. Soon after Champion, one by one, the other members of the 9th Division made their way onto the path of ice. A few of them embarrassingly fell while trying to run and jump onto the sheet of ice like the others; however, they had no choice but to swallow their embarrassment, get back up, and take a more reserved approach. ... A few momentster... Swoosh! Thest member of the 9th Division slid out of the Cave Mortem Monsoon. "I thought I was going to die...!" One of the yersmented. "Hey, at least you didn''t fall over..." "Are we going to have to do that again when we leave Tempest?" As thest yer arrived and everyone was chatting among themselves, Menerva did a final headcount to make sure that no one was missing from their division. As for the Monsoon Death Shades, they could not leave the confines of the Cave Mortem Monsoon and ended up disappearing back into the depths of the chaotic environment. "Everyone is ounted for. Fortunately, there were no casualties." Menerva stated as she walked next to Izroth. "You weren''t kidding about it being reckless. It''s a good thing everyone has pretty decent bnce; otherwise, some of them may have been left behind to fend for themselves." Niflheim noted. "It''s fine. I did not n on leaving even one person behind. If it came to that, I would have gone back for them personally while the rest of you continued with the mission. That''s all." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Izroth knew that his method was fairly risky; however, the payout was worth it since, in the end, everyone was able to emerge safely from the Cave Mortem Monsoon. Izroth took onest look at the massive area boss that stretched far above. ''One day, I''ll return to this ce. When that timees, the Cave Mortem Monsoon will be a thing of the past.'' In truth, Izroth would have liked nothing more than to find a way to confront the Immortal Ruler Morsanus. But, the mission he was entrusted with was his top priority. Besides, it was an area boss. It was not as though it would be going anywhere soon. "ording to the Realm Chart I secured, if we continue to head north from our current position, we''ll run into the nearest Tempest outpost city. If we want to avoid that, we''ll have to take a small detour and head to a small outpost close to the Tempest and Malentansium border. That should be the same ce where Tempest forces are preparing to march into Malentansium to aid in the protection of the Night Lord''s Crypt." Niflheim exined. "How long will it take to reach our destination?" Izroth asked. "If we move at a normal speed, around half a day. But, if we move with a bit of urgency, since everyone here has consumed an Ocean Spring Pill, it can be half that amount of time." Niflheim answered. "Then, we''ll have to move with some urgency. It will be a little troublesome if we have to follow Tempest forces into Malentansium before we strike. However, it also won''t be in our favor if we directly attack their outpost. Since that''s the case, we''ll have to arrive just before their departure and find the right opportunity to strike." Izroth stated. He then turned to face the members of his 9th Division and continued, "Everyone, we are now in hostile enemy territory. Every person you see is likely a foe. I have said it once before, but I will remind everyone here again. Keep your wits about you, and whatever you do, do not lower your guard. We are moving out." Chapter 912 Chapter 912: Detour ... Not too long after Izroth gave the order for the 9th Division to move out, they began to head in the northwest direction. The Realm Chart that Niflheim acquired did not have an incredible amount of details. After all, it was not easy to procure a Realm Chart of a kingdom that was not on friendly terms with their side. However, the Realm Chart did have a few key details that led to Niflheim''s suggestion. The path Niflheim rmended required the group to travel away from their true destination, but he knew that it was worth losing some time in order to hide their approach to the Tempest outpost. That''s why instead of going straight toward to outpost, Niflheim pointed them in the direction of a certain jungle that resided within Tempest territory. ording to the Realm Chart, the jungle stretched close to the outpost they were headed for and could provide cover for them. In the end, it was decided that it would be better to take a slight detour than to walk around in the open and take a huge risk that they would be discovered before getting anywhere near the outpost. At the moment, Izroth and Niflheim acted as the group''s vanguard as Niflheim led the way to the jungle. "There is no intel on what kind of monsters await in the jungle. Although I''m sure it goes without saying, I''d like you to scan the ce before we enter to make sure we aren''t caught off guard." Niflheim stated. "As you said, it goes without saying. More importantly, what do you think of their performance thus far?" Izroth asked. Niflheim took a moment to ponder before he replied, "Overall, they all performed reasonably well at their given roles. Of course, my outlook is a bit more rxed than usual considering our circumstances. But, if you''re asking whether or not we brought along the right yers, then I''d say you have nothing to worry about. After all, I''m sure you''ve realized it as well¡ªthese guys have something that isn''t easy to teach." The fact that no one from the 9th Division perished back in the Cave Mortem Monsoon despite the abnormal situation that arose was viewed as a clear victory by Niflheim. That was not to say everyone''s performance was wless. However, there was one important reason why Niflheim told Izroth he had nothing to worry about. In fact, in a way, Niflheim was grateful for the appearance of the area boss because it allowed them crucial insight into the yers under theirmand. And it also showed that Izroth chose the right test method when it came to epting members of the 9th Division. The odds back in the Cave Mortem Monsoon were clearly stacked against them. The poor weather conditions, an angry area boss, a seemingly neverending wave of elite monsters attacking them on all fronts¡ªit would have been difficult for things to be worse than that. But, despite the abrupt emergence of unfavorable events one after the other, no one ran away or gave up. Sure, there were some yers who became anxious or nervous because they could not see the oue ahead of them. But, Menerva managed to keep everyone calm and reassure them by not showing the slightest sign of doubt in themands she gave out. Though even with Menerva''s role ofmand, it would have been useless if the yers themselves had not ced their trust in her, themselves, and those fighting alongside them. This was not something easy to achieve for those with fragile wills. "Indeed. I must admit, the two of you have quite the eye for others." Izroth said with a carefree smile. "Well, you did give us some time. But, for the record, it''d probably be easier in the future if one of us chooses the test method from now on." Niflheim said half-jokingly. "Oh? Then, should we y a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide?" Izroth asked. "No thanks. I think I''ll retire undefeated." Niflheim said with a light chuckle. ... Approximately one hourter... After traveling nonstop and increasing their pace a few times along the way, Izroth and the 9th Division finally reached the entrance of their first destination. Before the group was a vast expanse of vegetation; however, certain parts were so densely packed together with nts that they were unable to see what was more than a few meters in front of them outside of the darkness. Some sunlight seemed to peak through the top of the trees, but the great majority of it was blocked out by the way the top of the trees covered the jungle. Izroth utilized his Energy Vision Sense to its maximum range to scan the jungle and immediately viewed a wide array of lifeforms. The lifeforms he detected were small as insects and as big as monstrous beasts. But, it was not just monsters to be concerned about as Izroth also sensed active lifeing from some nts within the jungle. And it was not typical of what he detected from nts that merely contained traces of mana within them. "This ce is too tightly packed together. It will be difficult to use any of the battle formations we came up with here." Niflheim frowned. "If ites to it, we''ll just have to improvise. Besides, it is not densely packed all the way through. I''m more concerned about the hidden dangers lurking within." Izrothmented. "Did you find something?" Niflheim inquired. "Nothing we can''t handle. However, our supports will have to remain on high alert." Izroth said calmly. Niflheim gave a small nod as he turned to face the yers from the 9th Division and said, "Alright, everyone, listen up! We''ll be heading into the jungle. Our goal is to use it as cover so that we aren''t discovered by our enemies. As I''m sure you all can see, it''ll be a little tricky to move around as freely as we''d like; however, from this point onward, everyone will be assigned a partner. If anything happens to one of you, be it that you get separated, attacked, or anything else that falls in between, you are to alert us immediately so that we can respond ordingly. I''ll leave the pairings at Lieutenant Menerva''s discretion. Keep in mind..." Niflheimid down some ground rules for the division while Menerva worked on the pairings. Then, a few momentster, they were finally ready to enter the jungle. After receiving the all-clear from Izroth, Niflheim was the first to step into the jungle. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Ferae Jungle?.¡µ Once Niflheim walked in, he was closely followed by the other members of the 9th Division. Since Niflheim was the vanguard, Izroth decided to act as the rearguard. As for who he was paired with, Menerva chose to ce him with Bellum. ... Several minutester... The 9th Division made their way deeper into the jungle as some of the yers began to talk among themselves. Many of them were total strangers for the most part; therefore, it was not unusual that they wanted to get to know more about who they were partnered with. At the same time, at the back of the group, Izroth and Bellum walked silently next to one another. And, after a lingering silence that persisted ever since they first set foot into the jungle, Bellum finally broke her silence and asked what had been on her mind since the Cave Mortem Monsoon. "How did you know?" Bellum asked. "I met someone like you a while back when I first signed up for the General Support Unit. Your circumstances aren''t the same, but it was simr." Izroth replied casually. "Who was that someone?" Bellum inquired curiously. "The current Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina," Izroth answered. "I see. Do you mind if I ask what exactly was different between the two of us?" Bellum questioned. "If I had to make a directparison, I would say one is graceful while the other is rather forceful," Izroth exined. "The way you worded it just now, I suppose I am the forceful one?" Bellummented. "No, quite the opposite, actually. You flow with your magic, allowing it to guide you in whichever direction it wishes to take you. She, on the other hand, bends it to her will to ensure that she is the one who guides it." Izroth stated. Chapter 913 Chapter 913: Not By Chance, The Carrot and The Stick "Then, having seen both up close, from your perspective, which one is the correct method?" Bellum asked. "I suppose that depends," Izroth replied calmly. "On?" "Whether or not you''re willing to ept the truth." "What are you-" "Alright, I think I''ve yed along long enough. To be honest, I was somewhat curious. Why is it that someone with your abilities seems to hold no interest in their ranking? At first, I thought that perhaps you simplycked any ambition. Or, maybe this was all just a way for you to kill some time. But then, it dawned on me. Even though this is our first time meeting, I have seen your name before." Izroth stated nonchntly. He then continued, "Ranked 15th on the event leaderboards, Bellum. That''s you, is it not?" "Certainly, I am ranked 15th; however, it was not as if it is some great secret. After all, both you and Lieutenant Niflheim have ess to the event leaderboards." Bellum noted. "You''re not wrong. But, if I''m right, our meeting didn''t just happen by chance." When Izroth said those words, Bellum''s expression shifted as she narrowed her eyes and stopped walking. Not long after she did so, Izroth halted his steps as well and turned to face Bellum. "Oh? Did I say something unnecessary?" Izroth inquired. Bellum sighed faintly and replied, "No, you are correct. Our meeting did not happen by chance. Although I am unable to go into the full details of the matter at this point, I can assure you that my intentions are not-" "I''ll stop you right there," Izroth said as he held up one hand and cut Bellum off. He then continued, "I did not bring this up to hear your reason. At the end of the day, you are a member of my 9th Division. No matter your circumstances before joining, so long as you follow the rules, I could care less about your intentions. And, to be perfectly blunt, your magic is rather useful." Bellum''s eyes widened in surprise as a startled expression formed on her face. The next moment, she released a small helpless sigh and smiled lightly. "Then, since you have no intention of digging any further, can I ask why you decided to bring it up?" Bellum inquired out of curiosity. "It''s simple. I want to know why you stopped after crossing the first line." Izroth said calmly. During the test to join the 9th Division, Bellum stopped immediately after she stepped across the first line. Naturally, Izroth did not believe that someone capable of climbing to the 15th-ranked spot on the event leaderboards could possess such fragile willpower. Therefore, he was curious as to why Bellum chose not to continue. "The truth is, I have grown weary. That''s why, even if it is just for a fleeting moment, I would like to rest." Bellum stated as her voice contained a hint of despondency. Although she hid it well, Izroth caught a glimpse of the disheartened look in Bellum''s eyes as she spoke. It was clear to him that she had her own set of troubles and burdens. ''It seems that she is someone who can be trusted, at least, for the time being. I''ll just have to wait and see what the future holds.'' In the end, Izroth did not sense any bad intentions for Bellum; however, it was obvious that she had something in mind since their meeting was not by chance. But, rather than listening to here up with excuses for keeping certain details to herself, Izroth decided to make his stance clear. That way, until Bellum was ready to talk, there would be no excuse for misunderstandings. "Then, when you''re ready, I''ll be waiting. Until that timees, feel free to rest for as long as you''d like." Izrothmented with a carefree expression. Izroth turned to face the direction of the route being taken by the 9th Division and said, "We should catch up with the others before we fall too far behind." After he spoke, Izroth resumed his steps into the depths of the Ferae Jungle. Bellum stood silently as she watched Izroth''s back as he walked away. "He''s different from what I envisioned. But-" Bellum thought to herself as she followed after Izroth. "It''s not a bad thing at all..." Bellum said to herself softly. ... Approximately one hourter... The 9th Division ventured deeper into the Ferae Jungle with Niflheim leading the way. So far, their journey was progressing smoothly as the group had not faced a single monster attack ever since they left the Cave Mortem Monsoon. "I wonder how much longer it''ll take us to reach the Tempest outpost at this pace..." Champion muttered to himself as he seemed ratherx for someone near the front of the group. Champion was not the only one with a rxed attitude. Many of the 9th Division yers were casually talking among themselves without much of a care in the world. When they first entered the Ferae Jungle, everyone was tense and on edge. However, after not running into any trouble for so long, their initial uneasiness faded away. Of course, the rxed atmosphere did not escape Niflheim and Menerva. While it was not a bad thing for everyone to grow more ustomed to one another, they were currently in hostile territory with limited information avable to them. Being levelheaded was a good trait; however, there was a difference between levelheadedness and letting one''s guard down. And, right now, the 9th Division was treading that line in a dangerous fashion. That being said, Niflheim understood the 9th Division''s current position. Most of the yers in the divisioncked the samepetitive mindset that the elite and core members of top guilds had. That''s because at any time, if those top guild yers failed to perform up to the expected standard, there were many others waiting to seize their spot. This drove everyone to capitalize on the moments that presented themselves. And, it was what remained absent from the members of the 9th Division. Just as Niflheim was about to address the issue over the voice conference, someone else beat him to it. Menerva, "I will only say this once, so listen carefully." When Menerva''s voice sounded, everyone immediately fell silent. There was always a bit of distance to her voice whenever she spoke, but this time, her tone was more serious than usual. Menerva, "Those who lose sight of the assignment at hand¡ªour 9th Division does not require such half-hearted individuals. You all may have joined the 9th Division, but I would like to remind everyone that your position is not set in stone. If we suffer an avoidable loss due to yourck of awareness, the consequence that follows will be without clemency. Just so my words are not misconstrued, I am referring to your termination from the 9th Division. It would be unfortunate to forfeit the unique opportunity that has been presented to you. Or, must I remind everyone of the benefits received thus far?" The atmosphere became increasingly tense after Menerva spoke as the members of the 9th Division returned to the same state of high alert they had when they first entered the Ferae Jungle. Indeed, it was not every day someone was willing to gift them something worth almost 100 gold coins as a mere "wee gift". Not to mention, the war objective was also one of high value. These types of opportunities did note around every day for yers like them who did not have the support of a big guild. If they let it slip away, they would have to live with the regret that inevitably follows. "So, you''ve chosen to bear the role of the stick. You sure chose the troublesome one... In that case, I guess it''s time I respond with the carrot." Niflheim thought to himself. Niflheim, "It''s just as Lieutenant Menerva said. We can''t afford to lose sight of the mission we''ve been entrusted with. Remember, if you contribute properly and aid in our overall sess, the rewards you''ll get will make our wee present seem like a passing thought inparison. That''s why I hope everyone will give this mission their best. If you do that, your efforts alone will leave me content. And, of course, you will be rewarded in kind." Niflheim''s words put a bit of ease on the tense atmosphere and reinvigorated the determination of the 9th Division members. At the same time, despite the irritation and difort it brought about, Menerva''s earlier remarks stayed stuck in the back of the group''s minds as a constant reminder of the potential consequences. Chapter ?914 A Deafening Release Chapter ?914 A Deafening Release ... Swoosh! Niflheim used his sword to cut through a thick bundle of vines as the sound of flowing water filled his ears. A few meters in front of Niflheim was a river several meters deep and roughly thirty meters across. The river flowed in both directions and eventually curved off as far as the eye could see. "This wasn''t on the Realm Chart." Niflheim thought to himself as he furrowed his brows. Niflheim expected there to be some unforeseen obstacles given that the Realm Chart was not perfect; however, to miss an importantndmark like a river meant that the Topographer did not venture this deep into the Ferae Jungle. Unfortunately, the river was too deep for them to walk across and too wide for the group to jump to the other side. There was also no noticeable break point from one end to the other. Niflheim thoroughly examined the river and its surroundings before he took to voice chat. Niflheim, "Change of ns. There''s a river here that isn''t marked on the Realm Chart, but the bigger issue is that we don''t have time to go around it. Swimming and jumping across are also out of the picture. Bellum, is it possible to make a bridge of stone or earth sturdy enough to get everyone safely to the other side?" Bellum, "What is the river''s size?" Niflheim, "Around thirty meters across, give or take a few. As for its depths, it''s a bit harder to tell, but if I had to give a rough estimate, it''s at least ten meters deep." Bellum, "In that case, it''s possible to create a bridge that reaches the other side; however, there''s one problem. Even if I constructed it out of stone or earth, without some form of foundation, it will not have any structural integrity. Before you ask, making it out of metal is also not possible since it would require an iparably higher amount of mana that I do not possess." Niflheim inwardly frowned as he stared out at the river. Was there truly no way for them to make it across without having to take an even greater detour? "Do we have no choice but to chance it on the bridge holding up?" Niflheim thought to himself. Menerva, "Lieutenant Niflheim, what is the ground like on the other side of the river?" Niflheim, "Hm? It looks exactly the same as this side. Do you have something in mind?" Menerva, "Possibly. But, first, there is something I need to verify. I am on my way to the front. Captain Izroth, Bellum, I would like the two of you to meet me there." Izroth, "Understood. We''ll start heading over." ... A few momentster, Menerva arrived at the front of the group. And, without wasting any time, she kneeled down by the edge of the river to examine the ground. "You find what you''re looking for?" Niflheim asked as he approached Menerva. Menerva stood to her feet and replied, "Yes. I will exin as soon as the others join us." Not long after Menervapleted her examination of the river''s edge, Izroth, apanied by Bellum, stepped out of the opening made by Niflheim. Bang! Menerva removed therge longbow from her back as the bottom end of it pierced into the ground. The longbow was more than twice her size, standing at a little over three meters tall. Bang! Bang! Bang! In the following moment, six violet-colored chains with pointed ends made of mana prated into the earth, granting the weapon some much-needed stability. As Izroth walked over to Menerva and Niflheim, he briefly analyzed the oversized longbow. ''It''s the first time I''ve seen someone use this kind of bow. But, isn''t it a bit too impractical?'' The setup of the weapon alone ced its user at a great disadvantage since it seemed impossible to utilize while moving around. This meant that as long as a person managed to get close to them or could rain down ranged attacks on their locked position, things would end poorly. However, with those types of disadvantages present, Izroth knew that there had to be something that made it for it. Not to mention, Menerva was the kind of person who constantly thought things through. Therefore, she must have found that such a ss is what best suited her style of y. "Can you make it to the other side of the river?" Menerva inquired as she faced Izroth. "Sure. Is there something you need me to do once I''m over there?" Menerva gave a small nod and said, "No, I merely needed to ensure a feasible backup n in case this one is unsessful." She then continued, "My current n is to provide the necessary foundation for Bellum''s bridge by employing these." nk! Menerva removed three long metal rods with tips that made them resemble nails. Attached to the opposite end of each rod through a ring with a slight indentation was a thick metallic-like rope twisted into a tight helix. And, at the end of the rope was a metal spike. When Niflheim saw the rods with the thick rope and spikes, he quickly realized what Menerva was up to. "I see. You want to use the same principles that apply to reinforced concrete." Niflheimmented. "Precisely. Except, there will be no need to experience the displeasure of having to wait for it to acquire its fullpressive strength." Menerva exined as her gaze shifted to Bellum. "I will fire a total of three metal rods to the other side of the river. Once the rods are connected, the rest will be up to you." Menerva stated. After Menerva finished going over a few more minor details, she moved on toplete the final preparations. Menerva grabbed one of the metal spikes attached to the end of the rope and stabbed it into the ground. The force she used was not that great; however, the spike drilled into the earth effortlessly until only the rope was visible. Menerva repeated this step for the other two metal spikes, cing each of them exactly thirty centimeters apart from one another. Once she was done, Menerva picked up the first metal rod and positioned herself behind her longbow. She started by activating the skill Vision of Purification as she set the notch portion of the ring onto the bowstring. She ced her left foot firmly near the bottom end of the longbow where there was a small space specifically for her footing. Then, using both hands and her entire body weight, Menerva leaned back as the bowstring slowly began to bend. By the time Menerva managed to pull the bowstring to its limits, a full ten seconds had passed! "I would advise covering your ears," Menerva warned. Taking her advice, Izroth, Niflheim, and Bellum ced their hands over their ears. Then, without a moment''s dy, Menerva released her grip on the metal rod. ...BOOOOOM! Rmmmmmble! Screeeeeech! The instant Menerva let go of the bowstring, the surrounding earth trembled as the powerful release resulted in a sonic boom. This sonic boom was soon followed by a high tone ear-piercing screech as the metal rod whistled through the air. Before anyone could even blink, the metal rod had already reached the other side of the river and drilled into the earth. Snap! The metallic-like rope made a snapping sound as it straightened out to its utmost limit. However, despite the immense force, it remained in one piece. ''Oh? It certainly has its downsides, but still--what a terrifying weapon.'' It took ten seconds just to draw the projectile, and themotion it caused was problematic. However, the sheer amount of explosive power it contained was probably enough to one-shot a high-level tank wearing a full set of rare-quality equipment, let alone the average yer. And, the speed made it so that even the most agile of yers would have a difficult time evading it. "That''s some ss you have," Niflheimmented as his ears were still ringing even after covering them. After the first rod reached the other side of the river, Menerva wasted no time moving on to the next one. And, less than thirty secondster, she had sessfully shot-fired all three rods. When thest rod drilled into the ground and locked into ce, the only things that remained visible were the three perfectly spaced and straightened metallic ropes that stretched across the river''s surface. Chapter ?915 Hidden Terrors of the Ferae Jungle Chapter ?915 Hidden Terrors of the Ferae Jungle Menerva grabbed the front end of her longbow as the mana chains vanished and the bottom part removed itself from the ground. Then, in a sh, the longbow disappeared before rematerializing on Menerva''s back. "The foundation has been set," Menerva confirmed as she stepped away from the river''s edge. "You''re up." Niflheim said to Bellum. Bellum moved closer to the river''s edge and held her palm above the water. At first, the water flowing around the metallic ropes began to boil as though something hot had been abruptly dropped into it. But, a couple of secondster, the water underwent aplete transformation as it rapidly solidified before morphing into a stone-like material. The change only applied to the water directly in between and around the outer edges of the ropes, but it stretched all the way to the other side of the river. And, just like that, a new stone bridge appeared in the middle of the Ferae Jungle. Bellum released a faint sigh when she was done as she removed a mana potion from her inventory and consumed it. It was increasingly more difficult to modify something with a fluid structure in constant motion like water; therefore, it consumed arger quantity of mana than she initially anticipated. "Here," Izroth voice sounded as he arrived next to Bellum and tossed a small bag toward her. Bellum caught the bag and checked its contents. Inside were twenty High-Grade Mana Potions. "Thank you," Bellum said as she ced the potions into her inventory. Izroth nodded in response before shifting his gaze to the stone bridge. "Then, I''ll be crossing first," Izroth stated. "Wait, wouldn''t it be better if I went across first? As long as it can hold a heavy-ted user like myself, then everyone else should have no problem crossing." Niflheim chimed in. "It''s fine. If it can hold me, then there''s no need for concern." Izroth said as he stepped onto the stone bridge. Due to the Earthly Golden Bones passive from his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth''s body mass was currently five times that of his original! A full set of heavy-ted equipment typically weighed around 25kg, while those on the upper end could weigh up to a staggering 100kg. However, even if Izroth were somewhere around 70kg, that would still put his body mass at an incredible 350kg¡ªmore than three times that of an upper-end heavy-ted armor set! After setting foot on the stone bridge, Izroth walked forward a few meters. It did not take him long to reach the center of the stone bridge. ''It''s holding up well.'' The stone bridge showed no signs of breaking even at its middle point, which would be the weakest part of the structure. Izroth, "The structural integrity is sound. You can begin sending people across. I''ll start cleaning up things on the other side." Menerva, "Understood." Izroth dashed the rest of the way and quickly reached the other side of the river. The moment he arrived, Izroth immediately unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. ''Oh? Their numbers have increased since thest time I checked with my Energy Vision Sense.'' The instant he set foot off the stone bridge, numerous pairs of red eyes locked their gazes onto Izroth from trees within the depths of the dark jungle. Soon after, the sound of chucklingughter filled the surroundings. Hehehehe! Hehehehe! Woosh! Ding! Out of nowhere, a small flying object shot out at Izroth from one of the trees; however, just before it could reach him, he was able to deflect it. Izroth nced over to where the objectnded and saw the fragments of a stone half the size of one''s fist. Zeeeeut! All of a sudden, Izroth''s figure disappeared, causing the strangeughter to fall silent. The next moment, Izroth appeared on top of one of the nearby tree branches where there were three sets of red eyes using a charge of his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement. Oouah! Oouah! One of the creatures released a warning cry to alert its fellowpanions as Izroth got a good look at them. Each of the creatures was around one meter tall and resembled a chimpanzee. But, unlike normal chimpanzees, they possessed red eyes, a full mouth of razor-sharp fangs, and dark purple fur. Name: Ferae Tricky Primate(Elite) Level: 49 The Ferae Tricky Primate closest to Izroth unleashed an ear-ringing cry as it jumped out at him, revealing its razor-sharp teeth! Swoosh! Izroth swept out with his Sword of the Storm as a sharp wave of sword intent shot out from the tip of its de. The sword intent struck the Ferae Tricky Primate and sent it flying back into itspanions, who were also caught in the range of the attack. Oouah! Oouah! Seeing theirpanions attacked, the other Ferae Tricky Primate cried out. Some of them began to throw rocks at Izroth, while others rushed him in an attempt to overwhelm him with their numbers. However, there was not the slightest bit of panic in Izroth''s eyes as he adjusted his sword stance. ''Now, I suppose I should finish cleaning up here before the others arrive.'' ... Meanwhile, on the other side of the river... Menerva prepared to send the first group across the stone bridge. The group consisted of Niflheim, Bellum, and the other yers from the 9th Division. Even though the stone bridge seemed sturdy, to be on the safe side, Menerva decided it was best to send everyone in groups of five at a time. In addition, when one group reached the halfway point, the next group would start making their way over. As long as everyone moved with a sense of urgency, Menerva estimated that it should not take more than a minute for everyone to reach the other side. "Then, we''ll see you on the other side," Niflheim said to Menerva as he started to make his way across the stone bridge with his group. At the same time, near the middle of the groups who were in the queue to cross, one of the yers of the 9th Division called Revel waited patiently for their turn. Revel was a young fit man with ck hair fashioned in a buzzcut and a sharp pair of gray eyes. He wore a set ofbat gear designed for his ss, which was one of the only three fighter-type sses in the 9th Division. Revel was one of the few yers in the 9th Division who never rxed their guard since crossing into Tempest territory. But, unbeknownst to Revel, a small insect not even half the size of one''s finger was crawling up the side of his leg. The small insect was ck and red in color, with three legs on each side. It traveled up Revel''s body until it reached the opening near the neck portion of hisbat gear and crawled in through it. Revel lightly scratched the lower half of his neck where the insect had just passed by, narrowly missing the creature. Though Revel was not the only one in the 9th Division who came into contact with this insect. Without knowing it, almost half of the group experienced underwent a simr urrence. "Next group, it is your turn. Do not slow your steps." Menerva stated as it was Revel''s group''s turn to cross the stone bridge. ... Roughly one minuteter... Thest group had just stepped off the stone bridge and reached the other side of the river. Menerva herself was a part of this group as she wanted to ensure that things proceeded without a hup. "Hm?" Without warning, Menerva was ovee by a sudden wave of dizziness as her vision became momentarily blurry. However, after closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head, the feeling disappeared as her vision returned to normal and the dizziness vanished without a trace. "Hey, are you alright?" Sanctity asked with a look of concern as she stepped directly next to Menerva. Sanctity was one of thest yers off the bridge along with Menerva and noticed that something seemed to be wrong with her. "I am fine. Your concern, however, is greatly appreciated." Menerva responded calmly. "How odd. I admit that I have not gotten much sleep over these past few days, but... No, there is no excuse. I will have to find the time to rest properly." Menerva thought to herself. Menerva had gone through a lot over the past few days in matters regarding the orphanage; therefore, she brushed it off as simple fatigue. But, what happened to her had nothing to do with fatigue. Rather, she, along with several other members of the 9th Division, was experiencing one of the greatest hidden terrors of the Ferae Jungle! Chapter ?916 Sudden Collapse Chapter ?916 Sudden Copse ... After reaching the other side of the river, Izroth and the 9th Division continued their journey through the Ferae Jungle. As for the Ferae Tricky Primates, Izroth was able to take care of most of the creatures before the rest of his division arrived. However, several of the Ferae Tricky Primates fled after witnessing what happened to theirpanions. Though Izroth did not bother to chase after them. After all, their goal was not to hunt the monsters in the Ferae Jungle. At the moment, Izroth had taken a position at the front of the group along with Niflheim as the two led the 9th Division onward. "We''re keeping a better pace than I anticipated. If things continue at this rate, we should be able to reach our destination within the next two hours. That being said--it''s strange." Niflheim stated as he nced at the members of the 9th Division behind him. "So you''ve noticed it as well," Izrothmented. Not long after they made it across the river, Izroth noticed that several of the 9th Division members were bing increasingly sluggish and fatigued. However, this should not have been the case considering all of them had consumed an Ocean Spring Pill. Even if they had poor stamina beforehand, with the effects of the Ocean Spring Pill aiding them, it should have been impossible for them to experience so much fatigue within just a few hours. If it were just one or two people, perhaps it could be written off as a somewhat unique set of circumstances. But, nearly a third of the 9th Division was starting to drag behind. ''Something is definitely off. And, whatever it is, I''m unable to pinpoint it. Even after checking everyone with my Energy Vision Sense and looking over the battle logs, there was nothing out of ce. Nheless, we can''t continue like this. If we do, it won''t be long before the rest of the 9th Division also suffers from the same thing.'' "This may sound strange to say, but on the bright side, whatever it is, at least it only seems to be affecting our stamina. Of course, that''s not to say there won''t be more adverse effects the longer we leave it unchecked. In fact, I''m sure things will get worse from here on out if we don''t solve it soon. After all, based on everything that''s transpiring, I believe one of two things happened." Niflheim stated. He then continued, "First, we unknowingly walked into a magic formation. Though I figured we''d rule this out given your ability that''s able to detect these sort of things long beforehand." Niflheim was well aware of Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense and its ability to detect mana along with other things. The reason Niflheim figured the chances of it being a magic formation was low had to do with the fact that no matter how great a magic formation one constructed, it required a vast consumption of mana to function. There was simply no way to hide something like this from Izroth''s Energy Vision Sense unless someone used a high-grade concealment-type magic item. Needless to say, Niflheim did not think this was the case, given their current location. "I also think it''s unlikely we''re trapped inside a magic formation. We can rule out poisons and illusions as well." Izrothmented. Izroth''s thought process was the same as Niflheim''s when it came to the magic formation. As for why he also ruled out poisons and illusions, after Izroth consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill, he gained the passive skill Evil Cleansing. This made it so that if he were ever caught under the influence of poison or an illusion, the negative effects would automatically be cleansed. This effect could only ur once every two hours. And, seeing as how it had yet to go, Izroth felt that both possibilities were unlikely. "That being said, if you''re talking like this, then I assume you''re leaning more toward the second option," Izroth noted. Niflheim nodded and responded, "You''re right. Although it''s mostly just a gut feeling, I think sometime after we entered the Ferae Jungle, somewhere along the way, we were cursed by someone or something. I don''t have any solid proof, but... It would certainly exin why nothing is showing up on the battle logs." In RML, as a general rule, curses did not show up on battle logs, and the majority of the time, one would only know that they were affected by it after it was already toote. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule, such as the Curse of The Netherworld Izroth received from the Envoy of The Netherworld. Nheless, curses usually took a while before the effects fully set in and disyed their strength. "What you say makes sense. However, if we have been cursed, it''s safe to assume that we were not all impacted simultaneously." Izroth said calmly. "I agree. The timing is too spread out. It appears to be connected, but also separate somehow." Niflheimmented. While the members of the 9th Division were disying simr symptoms that confirmed the incidents were not isted, there was no clear pattern of infection. Therefore, it was not easy to locate the exact cause of the problem. "For now, I suggest we have some of the supports attempt to cleanse the negative effects. Depending on the curse, it could work, but..." Niflheim said as he furrowed his brows. "As long as we don''t know the source, it''s possible we''ll just be cursed again," Izroth said. "Exactly." Niflheim sighed. Once it was decided, Niflheim followed through over voice chat and had a few of the support yers attempt to cleanse those he believed were cursed. Unfortunately, even the A-rank cleansing skill used by Sanctity did not seem to make any difference. To make matters even worse, the mysterious affliction swiftly spread to more than half of the 9th Division. "Need... To take a... Break." One of the 9th Division yers, Revel,mented. At the moment, Revel''s breathing was heavy and erratic as he struggled to keep a normal pace. In addition, hisplexion made it seem as though he had not slept for days. "Eh..? Why do I feel so tired...? I can hardly keep my eyes open..." Revel thought to himself as he felt his eyelids grow heavier with every passing moment. And, before he knew it, his eyes hadpletely shut. Bang! Out of nowhere, Revel''s body crashed into the ground, causing those around him to be rmed. "Hey, are you okay?" One of the nearby yers, Love Mist, asked. Love Mist was a petite young woman with above-average looks. She had ck hair fashioned into a french braid that reached the lower part of her back and a pair of eyes the color of honey. She wore a set of elegant robes with a simple ck wand at her waist, which clearly disyed her identity as a magic caster. There was no response from Revel when Love Mist spoke, causing her to frown. The next moment, she leaned over to check on Revel. "Hm? That''s..." Love Mist muttered to herself as she noticed something odd slightly sticking out from the back of Revel''s clothing near the bottom of his neck. At a nce, it looked like a small shadow that was no bigger than a portion of one''s finger. But, by the time she blinked, Love Mist saw that nothing was there. "Was I imagining it just now?" Love Mist thought to herself. "I may have just been seeing things; however, I should say something just in case." Love Mist said to herself. Although she was unsure whether she actually saw something, given the state of the 9th Division, Love Mist figured it was better to report it and let those in charge deal with the information as they pleased. Love Mist was cautious by nature and had a keen eye for detail. It was because of these traits that Menerva chose Love Mist to be a part of her squadron. As two of the unaffected yers helped Revel up and supported him, Love Mist took to voice chat to report her findings. Niflheim, "A small shadow? Are you certain?" Love Mist, "I would be lying if I said I were absolutely certain, but I''m pretty sure something was there. It showed up right after he fainted and then disappeared without a trace before I could get a good look at it." Niflheim, "If what you''re saying is true, it''s too much of a coincidence that this shadow appeared right as Revel fell unconscious. It''s not concrete, but it''s definitely something worth checking out. What do you think, Menerva?" Menerva, "...In-" Suddenly, Menerva fell silent without even finishing a word. Niflheim, "Hm? Menerva?" Niflheim was met with silence. "I''m going to go check on things. I''ll leave the vanguard in your hands." Izroth stated. Niflheim gave a small nod in response. Then, without hesitation, Izroth started to make his way toward the rear of the group. Chapter ?917 Little Assassins Chapter ?917 Little Assassins ... As Izroth sped to the back of the group, he saw that several other members of his 9th Division had fallen unconscious. Luckily, the entire group was not yet affected, and those who showed no signs of the affliction could assist theirrades. However, it would not be long before the number of those who fainted exceeded the yers who remained conscious. ''To be able to avoid my detection to this degree... This jungle has many hidden dangers.'' All of a sudden, one of the yers that Izroth was just passing by suddenly lost consciousness and began to fall over. Fortunately, there was another yer nearby, Clouded Sky, who managed to catch them before they hit the ground. ''Hm?'' Swoosh! Without warning, Izroth halted his steps and unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. Then, in one quick motion, he swept his de out at the neck of the yer who fainted. "?!" Izroth''s abrupt attack sent a wave of chills down Clouded Sky''s back. Thest thing he expected was for the leader of the 9th Division to attack one of his own people! But, to Clouded Sky''s surprise, Izroth''s sword only seemed to graze past the yer''s neck without harming them. Nevertheless, he was still confused by Izroth''s actions. Krieek..! "What-" Clouded Sky jumped slightly as he heard an unusual noise. At the same time, he witnessed a bizarre ck smoke emerge from the back of the yer''s neck that Izroth''s sword had just barely missed. The following moment, the sound of something hitting the ground caused Clouded Sky''s gaze to turn toward the earth. "What the heck is that thing...?!" Clouded Sky eximed. On the ground by Clouded Sky''s foot were two small streams of ck smoke. The source of the ck smoke originated from what appeared to be some kind of bug that had been cleanly sliced in two. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he carefully examined the bug as it had already started to dissipate. ''I couldn''t sense its presence at all.'' Name: Ferae Assassin Insect(Elite) Level: 50 HP: 0/1,000(0%) ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Ferae Assassin Insect!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 1,056 EXP!¡µ ''Ferae Assassin Insect... Could these little things be the source of our unexpected troubles?'' Having a name with "assassin" in it certainly did not bode well. At the very least, it would also exin why Izroth was unable to detect their presence. Most likely, the insects possessed a special skill that allowed them topletely erase their presence. This meant that as long as one did not see it with their own eyes up close, the Ferae Assassin Insects would remain virtually undetected! ''Despite being a level 50 elite monster, the amount of experience points granted by it is too little. Not to mention, their health is alsocking. This, paired with the fact that it''s an insect, their numbers are probably significant in this Ferae Jungle.'' Izroth understood that with no reliable way to detect the presence of a Ferae Assassin Insect, even if he got rid of the ones present, there was nothing to stop more of them from affecting the members of the 9th Division. ''I''ll worry about finding a way to deal with themter. For now, I will focus on getting rid of the ones present. Hopefully, those under the Ferae Assassin Insects'' influence will return to normal after they''re taken care of.'' Izroth, "Everyone, I may have located the source of our problems. Those of you who can still move will assist me." Izroth then went on to give a brief exnation about the Ferae Assassin Insects along with the best way to deal with them. Since the creatures had such low health and no defensive capabilities once their presence was discovered, they were not too difficult to eliminate. The hardest part was simply finding them. Not long after Izrothpleted his exnation, the yers followed his instructions. What Izroth told them was simple. He instructed them to first check near the back part of the neck of those who appeared fatigued. And, if they anything that remotely resembled the Ferae Assassin Insect¡ªstrike it down. "Ah, I found one...!" Clouded Sky gasped as he had just crushed one of the Ferae Assassin Insects in his hand. "There''s one here too!" Another yer called out. "These little bugs were actually crawling on people...?! Gross..!" "This jungle is too terrifying. Where''s some insect repellent when you need it?" As the unaffected yers eliminated the Ferae Assassin Insects, Izroth was also on the move as he skillfully weaved through the yers with quickened steps. And, with every swing of his sword, a Ferae Assassin Insect on a nearby yer was cleanly cleaved in half. Keeping his swift pace, it did not take long for Izroth to reach the end of the group. Tap. Izroth halted his steps as he arrived at his destination. His eyes immediately fell on several unconscious individuals, one of which was Menerva. ... A few minutester, all the Ferae Assassin Insects had been destroyed by Izroth and those of the 9th Division. At first, there were no signs of a change to the condition of those gued by the bugs; however, roughly one minute after their removal, the yers started to regain consciousness one by one. As for those who were fatigued, they began to rapidly recover thanks to the effects of the Ocean Spring Pill. Niflheim released a heavy sigh and said, "Luckily, we were able to avoid a total disaster this time. Now that we know of their existence, as long as we check periodically for their presence, it shouldn''t be an issue. We lost a bit of time dealing with these bugs, but if we increase our pace for a while, it''s still possible to arrive on schedule." "I apologize for my carelessness. I believed my disorientated condition to be a direct result of my recent sleep deprivation. By the time I discovered the events unfolding, I was overtaken. My attempt to warn you proved to be unavailing." Menerva said in a steady tone. However, despite her steady tone, there was a hint of an apologetic note to her usually monotoned way of speaking. "It''s fine. After all, even I was unable to discover the presence of those bugs. The fact that you were able to catch it just before you fell unconscious is unfortunate but impressive, nheless." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. Menerva was one of the first yers unknowingly impacted by the Ferae Assassin Insect; therefore, she was also among the earliest group of yers who lost consciousness. "There''s no need to beat yourself up over it. In the end, we did not suffer any losses." Niflheim noted. He then continued, "That reminds me, Love Mist really stepped up this time around. If not for her reporting something most others would have brushed off, things may not have ended so smoothly this time around." Izroth nodded, "I agree. It''s only right that she''s properly rewarded for her efforts. I will find something suitable for her. But, it will have to wait until we leave this jungle." This was a good chance to encourage other members of the 9th Division and show them the results of contributing. However, after their recent run-in with the Ferae Assassin Insects, it was too reckless to stop moving in this ce for too long a period of time. ... After waiting a few minutes for everyone to recover and regain themselves, Izroth made an announcement over voice chat. Izroth, "Everyone, we''re increasing our pace. Don''t fall behind." The moment after he finished speaking, Izroth and the 9th Division started to move through the Ferae Jungle at an increased pace. Of course, they made sure not to move so fast that the slower sses, such as magic casters and supports could not keep up. However, at their current speed, they were certainly pushing the limits of those sses. Then, after moving nonstop for nearly half an hour, Izroth and his group came before a open clearing. In this clearing was a spacious area of grass uncrowded by trees, unlike the rest of the Ferae Jungle. There was also another unusual phenomenon. "How pretty..." Sanctity uttered as her eyes widened and she was taken aback by the scene before her. The clearing was filled with beautiful butterflies with transparent wings that reflected off the sunlight, causing a spectrum of colors to form as a result. Chapter ?918 Out of Line Chapter ?918 Out of Line ... Meanwhile, somewhere far away from the kingdom of Tempest... At the moment, a monumental event was taking ce in RML. However, this event was not rted to the ongoing war. It was a special meeting that seldom urred. This gathering consisted of the most influential guilds and organizations in RML. But, due to theck of trust that existed between those participating, it was not something that happened face to face. Instead, it was taking ce via a uniquemunication magic item known as the Spiritual Gathering Mirror. The Spiritual Gathering Mirror was a B-ranked magic item that could only be acquired bypleting a certain quest in RML. It allowed its user tomunicate with others at vast distances as long as the other party also owned a Spiritual Gathering Mirror. But, it was not like the defaultmunication systems that existed in RML. The Spiritual Gathering Mirror put the user into an astral-like state and transported their spiritual body to a separate ne. This ne was directly linked to all the Spiritual Gathering Mirrors in RML, making it the perfect ce to meet "face to face" without actually having to meet up in-game. Inside the Mirror World, as yers called it, one could not attack or be attacked. Therefore, it eliminated the threat of setting up any potential ambushes. As for the owner of this Mirror World and the creator of the Spiritual Gathering Mirrors, it was unknown. However, the chance of them being a legendary realm powerhouse was practically guaranteed. The Mirror World itself was seemingly endless. The ground was made of ss with a myriad of clouds flowing through it. There were also numerous floating clouds that hovered above the ground. Sitting or standing on these clouds within the Mirror World were currently twelve individuals in an almost ethereal-like form. But, their main features made them easily identifiable. "This Mirror World is still too bizarre. I can never get used to it." Masterworks stated. Masterworks was one of several Administrators of the Seven Dreams Consortium. Although the Administrators were all equal in terms of authority, Masterworks had the most influence in the consortium and often acted as their representative. "I just want to know why you called us here, guild leader of Broken Exile, Dragon." Meng Jiang said as her gazended on the man standing on one of the floating clouds several meters across from her. She then continued, "You mentioned that it was an important matter, but that''s quite subjective. After all, what''s important to you is not necessarily important to me and my Sacred Beasts." "Hmph, this woman¡ªthat annoying attitude of hers still hasn''t changed." Simplicity, the guild leader of Mist Pce,mented. "You are certainly one to talk. As I remember it, it is your attitude that can be rather unpleasant and overbearing." Mariposa, Sleeping Gardenia''s guild leader, chimed in. "You-! Don''t think you can speak any way you like since we''re in this Mirror World!" Simplicity said coldly. "Oh? Do you think that I am afraid of you? It appears your memory of our most recent encounter has already been repressed. Of course, I can''t me you. After such a humiliating defeat, I, too, would want to erase the thought from my mind." Mariposa stated with a smirk. Simplicity almost coughed up blood in anger as she listened to Mariposa''s words. The rtionship between Sleeping Gardenia and Mist Pce had always been highlypetitive¡ªeven before the release of RML. The two guilds could never see eye to eye, and one always tried to one-up the other. After so many years of intense conflicts, instead of describing their rtionship as that of rivals, it was more akin to that of a blood feud. Meng Jiang lightly giggled at Mariposa''s reminder to Simplicity. "I''ll kill you, you bi-!" "That''s enough." One of the yers said as they cut Simplicity''s words short. "Hmph..!" Simplicity red at Mariposa; however, she was able to calm herself and reign her anger in. "Returning to the topic at hand, although guild leader Meng Jiang put it quite bluntly, I happen to share her sentiment. Why are we here, Dragon?" The guild leader of Cross Haven, Ewan, inquired with a sharp gaze. Just like Sleeping Gardenia and Mist Pce, Cross Haven and Broken Exile also shared an intense rivalry. Both guilds were seen by yers as the strongest in RML, and the two were oftenpared to one another on a daily basis. However, since the two guilds had never officially shed with each other in RML, the title of who was the strongest still remained a mystery. The yer known as Dragon met Ewan''s gaze with his own. Then, the next moment, he swept his gaze out across all those present. yer Name: Ewan [Guild Leader of Cross Haven] yer Name: Mariposa [Guild Leader of Sleeping Gardenia] yer Name: Meng Jiang [Guild Leader of Sacred Beasts] yer Name: Simplicity [Guild Leader of Mist Pce] yer Name: Asgard [Guild Leader of Blue Oasis] yer Name: Wang Ping [Guild Leader of Hypers Symphony] yer Name: Seeking Fangs [Guild Leader of Hollow Tempo] yer Name: Reject [Guild Leader of Defiant] yer Name: Vault [Guild Leader of Headhunter Syndicate] yer Name: Haishe [Leader of Fatal Touch] yer Name: Masterworks [Administrator of the Seven Dreams Consortium] yer Name: Dragon [Guild Leader of Broken Exile] This gathering inside the Mirror World did not just consist of a handful of guilds. It actually included the guild leader of every guild in the top ten within RML! There were also representatives from Fatal Touch and the Seven Dreams Consortium who, even though were not recognized as guilds, still held enough influence and power that was not inferior to that of the top ten guilds. "Recently, some people have stepped out of line, causing others to think that the top guilds are a group of pushovers. As for the reason why I''ve called for this gathering¡ªit''s simple. I wish to solve this problem before it besmonce." Dragon said unhurriedly. He then set his sights on Mariposa and continued, "Mariposa, I''m disappointed that you of all people would agree to entertain such nonsense to this degree." Although Dragon did not mention anything or anyone specific, those present immediately knew what he was referring to. And, if there were any doubts before, they were cleared the moment he mentioned Mariposa''s name. Of course, Dragon was talking about the recent bounty ced on one of the top ten guilds, the Headhunter Syndicate. In truth, everyone present knew that Dragon did not truly care about a mere Headhunter Syndicate. After all, even if they were considered a top ten guild, there was no reason for him to go out of the way for them. Instead, Dragon''s attention was only on one thing¡ªauthority. To be more precise, the authority that naturally came along with being one of the top ten guilds in RML. Lately, the presence of Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce had been disrupting that authority. It was to the point that some smaller guilds actually started to believe they couldpete with his Broken Exile over ims to certain territories filled with resources or limited dungeons. These kinds of challenges to their authority were rare at best; however, they were beginning to be increasingly more frequent. And none of it started until the emergence and rise of Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce. Before others attempted to follow in his footsteps, an example had to be made out of them. That way, in the future, everyone in RML would know that the authority of the top guilds was unquestionable and absolute. The only thing that would be awaiting those who went against this was total annihtion! It was difficult to tell due to the ethereal-like form, but Vault''s expression darkened when Dragon brought up the bounty. His blood could not help but boil every time it entered his thoughts. Even more infuriating, the person who betrayed and backstabbed him, Haishe, was also present at this gathering! "Amusing. You speak as though I require your permission to do as I please. Thest I checked, Broken Exile does not control the top guilds nor my Sleeping Gardenia, for that matter. What I do and how I do it¡ªI''m afraid you have no say." Mariposa replied calmly without backing down in the slightest. "This is ridiculous!" Vault erupted in a fit of rage. He tried his best to hold it in, but the more he was reminded of current events, the angrier he became just being near Haishe and Mariposa. "Haishe! You have a lot of guts showing your face here, you bastard! How dare you lure me into a trap! And, you, Mariposa¡ªwhy did you start this whole mess...?! What has my Headhunter Syndicate ever done to offend Sleeping Gardenia...?!" Vault bellowed at Haishe; however, when he spoke to Mariposa, he grit his teeth and controlled his tone. Vault was well aware of Mariposa''s status in the real world. Recently, his father lost a huge contract with the Zi family, which caused them to suffer a massive loss. He had hoped to curry favor with Mariposa and find an opportunity to help his father regain those contracts. But, how could he have anticipated that she would openly set a bounty out on his Headhunter Syndicate for some nobody? Nheless, despite his anger, Vault knew that she was not someone he could afford to offend right now. As for Haishe, he remained silent as a light smile found its way onto his face. He seemed unconcerned with Vault''s sudden outburst and did not even bother to entertain it with a response. Chapter ?919 Split Decision, Brewing Troubles ?919 Split Decision, Brewing Troubles Mariposa, on the other hand, scoffed, "What has your Headhunter Syndicate done? Even if I had all day to exin, it would not be long enough. All I will say is that this time, you and your Headhunter Syndicate offended the wrong person. For this, you only have yourself to me." She then raised her voice and dered, "Since everyone is present, I will say this now! Pce Master Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce are friends of my Sleeping Gardenia! As long I am here, no one is allowed to touch them! Otherwise, they will have to deal with us!" After Mariposa spoke, it fell silent. Those present knew that there was a close rtionship between Sleeping Gardenia and the Mystical Realm Pce; however, they never expected Mariposa to voice her position so strongly. Usually, one would wait to read the atmosphere before stating their stance. But, Mariposapletely ignored this standard. Now, if everyone else agreed on the opposite, she would have ced herself and Sleeping Gardenia in an unfavorable position! "I am of like mind as the guild leader of Sleeping Gardenia. I owe Pce Master Izroth a great debt. My Sacred Beasts will not sit back and watch if there are those who will threaten him." Meng Jiangmented without hesitation. "I advise the two of you to reconsider. What is one person''s worth whenpared to the authority of the top guilds?" Dragon stated. "It''s not that I disagree with what you''re saying, but... Aren''t you overlooking something important here? Right now, the Mystical Realm Pce is the only ce that''s capable of selling and mass-producing grade three pills. If we upset its owner, aren''t we just handing over an opportunity for others to rise?" Asgard noted. "I will admit, having two grade three Apothecaries is useful. But, so what? In the end, what matters is power above all else. As long as we will it, what yer will dare buy from the Mystical Realm Pce without our permission? At that point, the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce will have one of two choices¡ªsubmit or watch as his shop bes a deste wastnd." Dragon said coldly. "Absurd! Dragon, I''m warning you right now! If you follow through with this nonsense, I will consider it a direct attack against my Sleeping Gardenia!" Mariposa intervened. It wasmon knowledge by now that Sleeping Gardenia had a close rtionship with the Mystical Realm Pce. In fact, due to her initial investment and agreement with Izroth, Mariposa received 10% of all the profits that moved through the Mystical Realm Pce. Therefore, if Dragon interfered with the business, it was not just harassing a close ally; it was the same as attacking Sleeping Gardenia itself! "This woman... Since when was she so passionate about protecting others? Does she have some kind of special rtionship with the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce?" Simplicity thought to herself with a smirk on her face. "Heh, this Izroth only has himself to me. Who told him to set a bounty on a top guild? I agree with Dragon''s take on this. That kind of arrogance has to be checked while there''s still time." Seeking Fangs said. "That''s right! This guy is too shameless! He wants to destroy my Headhunter Syndicate for no reason!" Vault eximed. "No reason? Shameless? Was it not guild leader Vault who made the first move in cing a bounty on those close to Pce Master Izroth?" Mariposa red. "I don''t know where guild leader Mariposa received her information, but I regret to inform you that it''s filled with falsehoods. My Headhunter Syndicate never made such a move." Vault replied. "How can your words be trusted after what happened at the first event? Your actions almost caused an all-out war between the top guilds. Do not think everyone here is ignorant of what transpired that day." Mariposa stated. "You...!" "Let''s stop right here." Dragon said as he red at Vault. He then continued, "We''ve gotten too far off topic. But, since there seem to be different takes on my approach, let''s put it to a vote, shall we? All those in favor of restoring the authority of the top guilds?" Dragon was the first to raise his hand. Soon after, five other hands went into the air. Among those who decided to side with Dragon was Vault, Simplicity, Seeking Fangs, Reject, and Asgard. "And, all those against?" Dragon''s voice sounded as he lowered his hand. This time, however, only two hands went up. These hands belonged to those who originally voiced their disapproval, Mariposa and Meng Jiang. As for those who did not take either side, there were Ewan, Wang Ping, Masterworks, and, surprisingly, Haishe. "I do not agree with your approach, Dragon. That being said, I have no intention of dragging Cross Haven into your mess one way or the other." Ewan stated solemnly. Ewan and Cross Haven''s rtionship with Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce was not bad by any means. However, it was also not close to the point that he would voluntarily step into the middle of it. As for Wang Ping, Hypers Symphony had always been close allies with Cross Haven; therefore, he decided to follow in Ewan''s footsteps and abstain from taking a side. When it came to Masterworks, of course, his Seven Dreams Consortium had no need to choose a side. They would merely side with the person who came out on top. After all, that would lead them to the most profit. But, while everyone else had a clear reason for their position, one that remained a mystery was Haishe''s. Fatal Touch was usually the first to jump at an opportunity like this; therefore, it came as a surprise to everyone that Haishe decided to abstain instead of siding with Dragon. Regardless, everyone had already made their stance on the matter clear. "Then, since it appears everyone has made up their mind, those who are not in agreeance may leave. Your presence is no longer required. But, before you depart from the Mirror World, I will give you some free advice. Those who block our path will be shown no mercy." Dragon dered. "I hope everyone remembers my words clearly. If you still choose to target the Mystical Realm Pce despite my warning¡ªdon''t me me for being ruthless when the timees." Mariposamented before her ethereal-like body vanished from the Mirror World. "So be it." Meng Jiang said as her figure dissipated as well. Soon after Mariposa and Meng Jiang disappeared from the Mirror World, the others who did not side with Dragon followed close behind, one after the other. "Dragon, this time, you may have bitten off more than you can chew, let alone swallow. I hope you are prepared." Ewan said before his figure dissipated. "Hmph, just a bunch of weaklings. Once we force the Mystical Realm Pce to submit, don''te crawling over for a piece." Dragon scowled under his breath. "So, what now?" Asgard inquired. "We wait. Right now, this event makes it too difficult to move freely. Once it''s over, that''s when we''ll make our move. Until then, we''ll bide our time and begin preparing. As long as everyone here is willing to follow my lead on this, I assure you, you will not suffer a loss¡ªonly gains." Dragon said confidently. "I was worried that brat Ewan would stick his nose in the middle of my business and side with the Mystical Realm Pce to spite me, but it turns out he''s actually taking a step back. As long as Cross Haven is out of the picture, the others are of no concern." Dragon thought to himself as a grin found its way onto his face. In his eyes, the time until they conquered the Mystical Realm Pce was just right around the corner! ... A few moments ago, in the Ferae Jungle... Izroth and the 9th Division had just stepped into an open clearing in the Ferae Jungle with hundreds of captivating butterflies fluttering about. However, instead of enjoying the mesmerizing sight, everyone was on high alert after what recently urred with the Ferae Assassin Insects. But, after getting a closer look at the creatures'' information, everyone eased up a bit. Name: Ferae sswing Butterfly(Normal) Level: 1 HP: 10/10 (100%) With their level and HP, one could identally smack one of the creatures to death; therefore, they posed no immediate threat. "Everyone, be sure not to cause any unnecessary disturbances while moving through this area! These things may appear harmless, but it''s best not to take any chances! Supports, be on full alert!" Niflheim warned as he proceeded onward through the clearing. "I don''t like this ce one bit..." Niflheim muttered under his breath. "It''s fine. As long as we do not disturb this ce, I have a feeling that there is no need for concern." Izroth said with a carefree smile. ''To think such a peaceful ce would exist out in the middle of this vicious jungle. The resources around here are also not bad. It''s a shame now is not the right time to take them.'' Chapter ?920 Prey 920 Prey There were high-quality nts spread all throughout the clearing, which likely could only be found in the Ferae Jungle. However, Izroth could feel an unusual presence in this ce and decided that it was best to leave this area undisturbed. In fact, if Niflheim had failed to follow his instinct and had not given the order to not make any unnecessary disturbances, Izroth himself would have done so. If he were alone or the 9th Division was not on a time limit, then Izroth would have been more than willing to take the risk. After all, without risk, there was seldom a worthwhile reward. But, given their current circumstances, it was best to keep moving forward. Not to mention, this area of the Ferae Jungle had probably never been explored by yers before now. Therefore, it would not be toote to make a trip in the near future and return to im the materials here. As Izroth and the 9th Division made their way through the clearing, the Ferae sswing Butterflies maintained a peaceful nature. "After going through that stormy ce and dealing with those bugs, this is a nice change of pace." Astral Knightmented. "Yeah, almost makes you forget that we''re in the middle of a mission. I wouldn''t mind rxing here for a bit." Clouded Sky stated with a light chuckle. "Hey, Sky, what do you think about our Captain?" Astral Knight asked. "Huh? Where''s thising from? Don''t tell me you''re regretting things now." Clouded Sky responded as one of his brows raised. "No, that''s not it. It''s just, aren''t you the least bit curious? You know, if the rumors are true?" Astral Knight said in a lowered voice so as not to be overheard by those around them. "Rumors? Ah, you''re talking about-" Rmmmmmble! Click! Click! Click! Out of nowhere, the ground in the clearing shook violently as the Ferae sswing Butterflies started to fly in wild and panicked patterns. At the same time, the sound of loud clicking noises constantly rang in the ears of the group. The clicking seemed to be growing closer with every passing moment. ''Hm?'' "Something''sing this way fast. I''ll lead it away, take the division members and proceed. I won''t be far behind." Izroth said as he activated the skill Light Feather Footwork and sped off in the direction of the clicking noise. "Wait-!" Niflheim tried to call out; however, Izroth was already too far away, and the clicking noise drowned out his voice. "This guy, why does he always have to be so reckless?" Niflheim muttered as he released a small sigh. "Forget it. He can take care of himself. I''ll just focus on handling things on this end." Niflheim thought to himself. Niflheim, "Follow me! We''re rushing through! Champion, Astral¡ªyou''re with me! Menerva, I''ll leave the coordination of the ranged yers to you!" Menerva, "Understood." Niflheim, "Everyone else, prepare yourselves! Make sure you don''t fall behind!" After Niflheim gave the order, Champion and Astral Knight made their way to his side. The three then lead the group forward at an increased pace on a direct path to the opposite side of the clearing. ... ''Odd. The concentration of mana in this area of the Ferae Jungle is incredibly dense. Even my Energy Vision Sense is having a rough time differentiating things. But, the clicking noise definitely originated from somewhere around here.'' Swoosh! Suddenly, Izroth kicked off his back foot andunched himself forward. Just as he did so, he felt a cold breeze brush past his back. ''It seems there are still a few strange things in this jungle.'' Izroth shifted his weight to his dominant foot and spun around halfway as he continued to slide back a couple of meters beforeing to a stop. What entered Izroths gaze, where he had just stood moments ago, was a giant praying mantis approximately two meters tall. The creature was dark crimson in color with small silver spikes protruding out of its back. Though the most terrifying thing about this creature was the pair of long razor-sharp des located on its front legs. Name: Ferae Obsconis Mantis(Rare) Level: 58 HP: 9,281/132,583(7%) The Ferae Obsconis Mantis tilted its head to the side slightly as it appeared to be sizing up Izroth after its surprise attack failed. Izroth narrowed his eyes as the system information for the Ferae Obsconis Mantis was disyed. ''It''s already been weakened to such an extent.'' Despite his Energy Vision Sense not functioning to its fullest extent, relying on his natural senses, Izroth was fairly certain that there were no other yers or NPCs around this section of the Ferae Jungle. Of course, there was always the chance that the person possessed methods to escape his sense of perception. But, Izroth had a more likely answer. Nevertheless, nothing changed the fact that a rare monster had delivered itself before him. How could Izroth just sit still and let such an opportunity slip away? Swoosh! In the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished and reappeared behind the Ferae Obsconis Mantis. Then, in one swift motion, he swung his Sword of the Storm outward as an overbearing aura was unleashed from the de''s edge. -14,332 ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Ferae Obsconis Mantis!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have been rewarded 109,462 EXP!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Obsconis Mantis Exoskeleton?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Obsconis Mantis Core?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger?!¡µ ''Oh? The material is practically guaranteed since it''s a rare monster. But, to also receive a core and weapon from the same drop¡ªmy luck isn''t too bad.'' Izroth ced the items into his inventory as the Ferae Obsconis Mantis'' body started to dissipate. With one strike, not only did he gain over 100,000 experience points. But, he also managed to get his hands on a good harvest! ''It''s a good thing I came this way. Otherwise, given its cunning nature, it would have lured whatever was after it right to the group.'' The Ferae Obsconis Mantis was a high-level rare monster. This meant that the possibility of it possessing some basic form of intelligence was high. Izroth was even more sure of this after it did not press the attack and instead took a moment to evaluate Izroth after he dodged its strike. Izroth believed that the creature was running away from something or someone and attempted to wound him as a distraction and ultimately aid in its escape. But, it never expected Izroth to respond the way he did. Boom! Boom! Click! Click! Click! Without warning, the earth trembled around Izroth, causing him to turn. Simultaneously, the clicking noise grew louder as the trees were toppled one by one in the same direction that the Ferae Obsconis Mantis emerged. Boom! The tree in front of Izroth abruptly blew up and splintered apart as it fell toward him. Izroth swiftly jumped to the side andnded safely out of the tree''s path as it crashed into the ground. The next moment, the clicking noises could no longer be heard. Instead, there was something heavy stepping on the ground that was not only heard but felt. What appeared several meters away from Izroth was a gigantic beetle at least twice the size of the Ferae Obsconis Mantis. The monster had a thick ck exoskeleton that looked as though normal weapons would merely bounce off of it and a powerful horn that was responsible for blowing apart that tree not too long. ''This ce doesn''t shy away from surprises.'' Name: Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle(WORLD BOSS) Level: 60 HP: ??? (100%) A world boss! Not just any world boss, but one that reached level 60! Without a doubt, it was likely this Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle that severely injured the Ferae Obsconis Mantis. But, if that were the case, it would mean that Izroth had just stolen this boss'' prey! Although its eyes were hard to see, Izroth could feel the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle''s gaze locked onto him¡ªas if it knew that he was the one responsible for stealing its prey. Click! Click! Click! All of a sudden, therge beetle began to make rapid clicking noises. At first, it was no different from the previous time. However, not too long after it started up again, Izroth felt himself slowly losing focus. Though the moment he realized what was happening, Izroth quickly activated his Soul Pressure and released his essence to fight off the clicking noise and regain his concentration. After realizing that its sound was no longer having any effect on Izroth, the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle stopped and immediately began a devastating charge toward Izroth. Woosh! Izroth halted the release of his Soul Pressure and started to move further away from the path being taken by the 9th Division. ''I''ll lure it away, lose aggro, and then meet up with the rest of the 9th Division.'' Right now, facing a level 60 boss head-on would consume too much time. As a result, Izroth had no choice but to go with the second best option avable. Chapter ?921 Relentless, Whos The Hunter and Whos The Prey! ?921 Relentless, Who''s The Hunter and Who''s The Prey! Since the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle was a world boss monster, there was no true limit to the distance it could chase after Izroth. If it was a truly vindictive beast, it could very well follow him all the way out of the Ferae Jungle and even the kingdom of Tempest itself! But the chances of that happening were not high. The reason for that being Izroth figured as long as he showed the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle the possibility of catching him was not worth the effort, it would willingly back off after a while. Izroth moved through the multitude of natural obstacles that existed in the Ferae Jungle at his top base speed. However, no matter how skillful his movement, Izroth was unable to outright shake the Insolum Beetle. In fact, with each passing moment, the distance between the two was rapidly closing. This was also in part to the monstrous strength possessed by the Insolum Beetle that allowed it to easily and effortlessly trample anything in its path. ''Its speed is faster than I expected. In that case...'' The next moment, Izroth''s figure began to flicker, and, in the blink of an eye, several silhouettes flickering in and out of existence appeared as he gained a massive speed boost. One second, the Insolum Beetle was close to catching up, and the next, Izroth managed to leave it in the dust! After traveling for nearly ten seconds straight, Izroth could no longer see the Insolum Beetle behind the vast array of nt life. ''This should be far enough.'' Just as this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, in the distance of the direction he had juste from, several trees were instantly toppled, forming in an almost perfect circr formation. At the same time, Izroth felt a faint breeze that was not previously present, followed by the ear-ringing sound of what could only bepared to the rotating des of a helicopter. But this noise was many times more deafening than that of a mere helicopter. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Out of nowhere, the trees behind Izroth started to swiftly drop at an unprecedented pace. In addition, the deafening sound was growing closer. ''This is...'' Izroth sensed the impending danger as his Soul Sense went off at full throttle. Without thinking twice, Izroth immediately used a charge of his Instantaneous Movement and teleported himself as far away as possible from hisst location. Not even two seconds after Izroth performed this action, he saw a huge ck streak of light blow past where he had just teleported away from! Simultaneously, despite being fifteen meters away from that area, a strong gale of wind mmed into Izroth. As for the path he was just on¡ªit had beenpletely ttened to the point that it resembled scorched earth! Soon after, the ck streak came to a grinding halt as itnded on the ground. This ck streak was, of course, the Insolum Beetle. And, as the creaturended, its wings retracted and hid safely beneath the protectiveyer of its tough exoskeleton. Click! Click! Click! The Insolum Beetle once again locked its onto Izroth¡ªas if it was trying to tell him that he could not escape its grasp. ''To think that it would be capable of flight, let alone at such speeds. I suppose this changes things.'' Initially, if he could not shake the Insolum Beetle off his trail, Izroth nned to use his Sky Steps to take to the air and avoid it that way. However, it turned out that not only could the creature fly, but it was able to do so several times faster than its speed onnd! ''I can''t afford to waste too much time here. Should I just have Astratis handle it?'' In the end, Astratis'' presence in the Mortal Realm was too great of an anomaly in many ways, and Izroth was not yet prepared to deal with the aftermath that inevitably would follow. That''s why, long before they left the Land of Unity and crossed into Tempest, Izroth instructed Astratis to keep a good distance from their group and not to act unless he deemed it absolutely necessary. ''No, I''ll just have to find another way. It''s still too early for his existence to be known.'' Astratis'' way of dealing with things was not exactly discreet. In addition, Astratis drew his power from the origin of thunder itself which ovepped with the Law of Thunder. While the average person would not notice his existence if there were an abrupt change to the Law of Thunder from Astratis'' presence, Izroth knew that, without a doubt, those old monsters would discover something was off. After that, it would not be long before Astratis'' existence was made known. ''It''s a shame Nomii is searching for the materials to heal her arm. Even if she used her power, it would not be as easily detected. Well, it''s fine.'' A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as a dagger with a gorgeous ck de appeared in his left hand. This dagger had a slight white hue around him that was barely discernible. There was also a strange coldness filled with a sharp de intent that flowed throughout the weapon. This was the Obsconis Hunting Dagger Izroth recently picked up from the Ferae Obsconis Mantis. Weapon Name: Obsconis Hunting Dagger Weapon Rank: Rare Weapon Level: 58 Requirements: 1,400 Agility, Rogue-Type ss(2nd Advancement or higher) Attack Damage: 520 Agility: 1,650 Attack Speed: 62% Stalking The Cicada(Passive) - Every attack has an 8% chance to erase the presence of the user''s next strike. ?Dark Ambush? - For the next 1 minute, your presence will be greatly reduced. During this time, the user''s physical attacks with a weapon will deal 100% bonus damage as dark damage. Cooldown: 10 minutes ¡´System Alert: You have equipped ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Attack Damage for the item ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger? has been reduced by 376 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Agility for the item ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger? has been reduced by 1,192 points due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Attack Speed for the item ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger? has been reduced by 45% due to the effect of ?Dual Wielding?!¡µ ''The stat loss is a shame, but...'' ¡´System Alert: You have activated the ?Obsconis Hunting Dagger? weapon skill ?Dark Ambush?!¡µ ''I''ll just have to make do.'' All of a sudden, Izroth''s presence seemed to be abruptly erased from the surroundings. It even caused the Insolum Beetle to be at a momentary loss as to where he disappeared to. If Izroth had just used the Dark Ambush, there was a good chance that the Insolum Beetle would have still been able to locate him. After all, it had no trouble hunting down the Ferae Obsconis Mantis, who likely had the same or a simr skill. However, Izroth did not just use Dark Ambush. He also activated the skill Shadow Blending as he concealed himself in the shadows of the Ferae Jungle. Shadow Blending was only a B-ranked skill, but it was also capable of greatly reducing one''s presence. Because of this, when it was used in tandem with a skill like Dark Ambush, it worked to amplify the overall effects of both skills. Using Dark Ambush and Shadow Blending in this manner allowed Izroth to imitate the presence-hiding effects of a high-ranked stealth skill that was at least S-ranked! Click! Click! Click! The Insolum Beetle''s bodynguage grew increasingly agitated as it appeared frustrated by the fact that it had lost track of its prey not once but twice in one day! How could it not be infuriated?! Bang! Out of nowhere, the Insolum Beetle began to smash the ground in front of itself with its mighty horn. Each time its horn struck the earth, it caused the ground to tremble and generated terrifying shockwaves that spread out in every direction. As a result, the nearby trees and nt life could not hold up under the immense pressure and, in less than a breath of time, the surrounding fifty meters of the Insolum Beetle was entirely ttened. This created a giant cloud of dust that lifted into the sky and could be seen from far away. As for Izroth, his Heavenly Golden Body made it easier to endure the shockwaves of the Insolum Beetle, but there was no longer a shadow for him to move through. This effectively rendered his Shadow Blending skill useless! And, with his Shadow Blending losing its effect, Izroth could once again feel the vicious stare of the Insolum Beetle. Although it was not direct right at him, Izroth had a feeling that the Insolum Beetle roughly knew his position. ''As I thought, even with Dark Ambush activated, it has an easier time locking down my rough position.'' "This thing is too relentless. Does it think that I''m its prey?" Izroth said to himself as he brandished his weapons. He then continued, "Since it''s not giving me a choice, I might as well make it clear who''s the hunter and who''s the prey." Chapter ?922 Agony, Full Onslaught ?922 Agony, Full Onught Based on its relentless pursuit, Izroth believed that the Insolum Beetle had no thoughts of letting him go without a fight. Still, wasn''t this aggro a bit too high for having just stolen its prey? Izroth understood it being angered; however, after realizing that chasing him was harder than simply finding another prey, the Insolum Beetle should have backed off. After all, as a world boss monster, it had to possess some form of basic intelligence or, at the very least, a high level of natural instinct. ''I''ll be cutting it close, but I''ll have the 9th Division proceed without me.'' After Izroth made his decision to confront the Insolum Beetle, he switched over to voice chat to inform the others of his choice. Izroth, "Niflheim, Menerva¡ªwhen you arrive outside the Ferae Jungle, proceed as originally nned. I will catch up once I finish over here." Niflheim, "Understood, but... are you sure we shouldn''t circle back to help out?" Izroth, "No, the mission takes priority. Besides, if it bes too dangerous, I''m confident in my ability to escape if I''m alone." Niflheim, "I see. Then, stay safe. We''ll take care of things on this end, so don''t worry about us." Menerva, "You may leave the safety of the 9th Division in our hands. We will not disappoint you." Izroth, "I wouldn''t expect anything less from the two of you. Then, I''ll be silencing voice chat for a while. If there''s an emergency, send me a message, and I''lle rushing over immediately." Niflheim, "Got it." Menerva, "Understood." Once he was finished, Izroth followed through and silenced his voice chat. Seeing as how he was facing a level 60 world boss alone, it required his full concentration. After all, the slightest unnecessary distraction was enough topletely turn the tide of battle out of his favor. ''I''ll have to take advantage of Dark Ambush while it''s still active.'' Izroth had not remained while he spoke to Niflheim and Menerva. His Flickering Steps wasing to an end; however, Izroth was using the boost to his agility to throw off the Insolum Beetle''s senses while simultaneously closing in on its position. Bang! The Insolum Beetle mmed its horn into the ground, sending out another shockwave in every direction. This shockwave was nowhere near as powerful as the one it used just moments ago to tten the surroundingndscape, but it was still enough to cause tremors. Crrrrck! The next moment, the Insolum Beetle''s horn dug into the earth, causing cracks to form as a piece of the ground broke off. Woosh! The Insolum Beetle lifted its head and swung its horn upward in a mighty force, sending a fragment of earth roughly half its size soaring into the air. When the fragment of earth was approximately ten meters in the air, it came to a sudden stop. At the same time, it released a faint light as it became coated in a powerful wave of mana. The mana that epassed the fragmented earth caused its rough shape to transform into that of a perform sphere. On the sphere, one could see their own reflection off of the dark silver sheen that was notyered over it. The sphere emitted a light humming sound as numerous spikes started to emerge from its bottom half. Then, in the blink of an eye, the spikes shot out of the sphere toward the ground at frightening speeds! The thickness of each spike was around the same size as one''s finger; however, its length was close to thirty centimeters. It was also fired off in a spiral from the sphere, increasing its overall power and ability to puncture through its target. BANG! When the first spike hit the ground, it drilled into the earth to the point that no part of it was sticking out. If not for the perfectly smooth hole it left along the path it traveled, there would have been no trace of its existence! However, it was not just this one spike that struck the ground as hundreds quickly trailed after it. This rain of spikes from the sphere covered the surrounding thirty meters and left no ce untouched besides the ground directly under the Insolum Beetle itself. The attacksted exactly five seconds before the sphere in the air crumbled apart and returned to normal earth. Click! Click! Click! The Insolum Beetle looked around to catch sight of its prey that should currently be run through with spikes. However, to its surprise, there was no body lying around within its vicinity. Swoosh! Phtk! Phtk! Out of nowhere, a sharp sword intent erupted from above the Insolum Beetle as it felt a slight stabbing pain pass through the surface of its exoskeleton. Krieeewk! The Insolum Beetle cried out in anger as a sword and dagger were currently dug into its exoskeleton. As for Izroth, he was right on top of the Insolum Beetle! ''I knew it would be tough to pierce through, but it''s even harder than I expected.'' When the Insolum Beetle conjured the sphere, at first, Izroth evaded the iing spikes. But he quickly realized that it would be impossible to avoid them forever. Though after noticing that the area above the Insolum waspletely unaffected by the sphere, Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to ce himself directly on the Insolum Beetle''s back. Then, in its brief state of confusion, Izroth took the chance to strike out. Although his attack was sessful, the damage was not too high due to the Insolum Beetle''s hard exoskeleton. However, Izroth still managed to just barely get through its externalyer. In addition, when his Obsconis Hunting Dagger struck the Insolum Beetle, Izroth received a stream of systems alerts. ¡´Battle Alert: The effect of ?Dark Ambush? has been triggered!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The special effect of the dark element ?Agony? has been triggered!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: For the next 30 seconds, ?Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle? will have its senses and defenses reduced by 50%.¡µ Izroth was pleasantly surprised by the emergence of the special effect from the dark element activating on his first strike. In RML, when one inflicted elemental damage, there was a small chance for a special effect to activate thatsted 30 seconds. For example, the fire element had a chance to inflict a target with the Burn status. The dark element, on the other hand, caused affected targets to experience the Agony effect, which resulted in a significant reduction to one''s senses, as well as their defensive stat. This paired well with a skill like Dark Ambush as it now made it more challenging for the Insolum Beetle to even keep track of Izroth''s rough location. Izroth did not let this opportunity pass him by as he pulled his weapons out of the Insolum Beetle''s exoskeleton and carried out an onught of attacks. There were still a few seconds remaining on his Flickering Steps, and he wanted to take full advantage of the boost to his attack speed. Izroth also utilized the Linked effect from his Dual Wielding skill to rain down more than fifteen attacks instantaneously! With the amount of attacks taking ce, Izroth activated the passive effect of the Obsconis Hunting Dagger several times over, causing many of his strikes to gopletely unnoticed by the Insolum Beetle. Also, a wave of destruction that contained Izroth''s sword intent was sent out as a strong burst of the lightning element that passed right through the Insolum Beetle''s hard exoskeleton. This was due to one of the skills attached to Izroth''s Sword of the Storm, Destructive Aftermath. The lightning from Destructive Aftermath momentarily paralyzed the Insolum Beetle, robbing it of its ability to respond to Izroth''s attacks. Not long after, Izroth''s Flickering Steps came to an end. This greatly reduced his attack speed! Woosh! Suddenly, Izroth ceased his attacks and kicked off the Insolum Beetle''s back. The instant he did so, the Insolum Beetle forcibly broke free of the paralyzing effects of Destructive Aftermath. Then, without dy, its wings began to flutter rapidly, generating a powerful gust of wind. However, Izroth did not slow down on his assault. After creating some distance, he activated Tempest Strikes from his Sword of the Storm and swung outward from mid-air at the Insolum Beetle. A de of wind that carried with it an extraordinary and overbearing momentum rushed out from the edge of Izroth''s Sword of the Storm and crashed into the Insolum Beetle, who was about to leave the ground. BANG! Phhhtk! Izroth had been waiting for the Insolum Beetle to spread its wings. And, right as it did so, Izroth used Tempest Strikes to carry a certain skill¡ªFirst Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. Beneath the hardened and tough exterior of the Insolum Beetle''s exoskeleton was a soft interior. Aiming for that point, the Insolum Beetle was unable to withstand the force of Izroth''s First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. And, as a result, Izroth was able to effortlessly clip one of its wings! Chapter ?923 Destination and A Missing Leader ?923 Destination and A Missing Leader Krieeewk! The Insolum Beetle cried out as one of its wings was clipped by Izroth''s First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. At the same time, it spun out of control due to the suddenck of its other wing before crashing harshly into the ground. By the time Izroth wrapped up his first wave of attacks, the Insolum Beetle''s health had fallen by slightly more than 5%. While this did not seem like much at first nce, for one yer to single-handedly reduce a world boss'' HP by that much within less than half a minute was unheard of¡ªlet alone a level 60 world boss! If not for the Insolum Beetle''s tough exoskeleton, the damage would have been even greater than that. This showed just how terrifying Izroth''s current attack power was between his upgraded Sword of the Storm and the amplification effect of his Earthly Golden Body. Not long after Izroth sent out the first de of wind, he unleashed several more strikes that found their way to the Insolum Beetle. Izroth aimed for the recently exposed soft interior of the Insolum Beetle, causing his attacks to deal many times more damage than when they met with the creature''s exoskeleton. Click! Click! Click! After it struggled for a few moments, the Insolum Beetle was finally able to regain its bnce as its other wing closed in. However, the damage by Izroth had already been done and left it partly exposed. Naturally, this angered the Insolum Beetle. A monster of its power typically had no natural predators where it resided; therefore, it was used to freely having its way and dominating all those that it came across. Most likely, this was the first time it had received damage to this extent that caused it to suffer such a huge loss in the process. How could it not be infuriated that something dared to go against it in its own territory?! Just as Izroth''s Tempest Strikes came to an end, a low humming noise could be hearding from the Insolum Beetle. Following the emergence of this sound, certain areas of the ground around the Insolum Beetle began to break apart and stick to the creature''s body before melding together. ''Hm? What is it up to?'' Izroth was currently positioned exactly ten meters away from the Insolum Beetle as he observed its unusual behavior. He did not know what it had in mind, but he had no ns to wait around and find out. Zeeeut! Without hesitation, Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to instantly close the distance between himself and the Insolum Beetle. As he arrived next to the creature, Izroth activated the Lightning Cage effect attached to his Sword of the Storm. Bzzzt! Crrrrckle! In the blink of an eye, a cage of lightning appeared out of thin air and trapped the Insolum Beetle inside. Izroth knew that this cage would not hold the Insolum Beetle for long; however, its paralyzing effects should be enough to forcibly interrupt whatever it was attempting to do. But, against Izroth''s expectations, there was no change to the happenings surrounding the Insolum Beetle. ''Is it not enough? Then...'' Bzzzzt...! p! An intense burst of the lightning element erupted from Izroth''s sword as he used his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. But, just before he activated the skill, a thundercloud formed in the sky before two purple bolts of lightning struck down at his location. The aura from the lightning quickly wrapped around Izroth''s Sword of the Storm and Obsconis Hunting Dagger, causing multiple surges of electricity to flow on the surface of the weapons. Izroth''s eyes also underwent a minor change as the same purple lightning around his weapons could be seen pulsating throughout his gaze. Along with his third sword form, Izroth utilized his Call of the Thunder God''s First State: Heavenly Descent, along with its Second State: Heavenly Cloak. Not only did this convert all of Izroth''s weapon-based attacks to lightning damage, but it also boosted his overall attack and the amount of lightning damage he could inflict. Of course, this boost also applied to his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder BOOM! When Izroth''s de made contact with the Insolum Beetle, a loud thunderp rang throughout the surrounding Ferae Jungle as an explosion burst forth! ... One hourter... "We''re finally here." Niflheim thought to himself. After increasing their pace and moving nonstop, Niflheim, Menerva, and the rest of the 9th Division had just reached their destination at the edge of the Ferae Jungle. Despite having consumed the Ocean Spring Pills, some of the 9th Division members appeared fatigued and drained. But, this was not because of actual fatigue. Rather, it had to do with the constant dangers they ran into within the Ferae Jungle on the way to their destination. Fortunately, they were all able to make it out with their lives intact. However, there were still no signs of their division''s captain. "I never want to go in that ce again..." Sanctity uttered with a gloomy expression. "Yeah, I''d rather fight those weird things in the storm than move through that jungle a second time." Revel sighed. As the yers talked among themselves, Menerva approached Niflheim and said, "He is not responding. Could something have gone awry?" Niflheim furrowed his brows and replied, "I don''t know. I''ve seen firsthand what that guy''s capable of, so it''s hard to believe there''s a situation he can''t ovee. That being said, not to mention the Ferae Jungle, this entire world is filled with unforeseen things. Luckily, since there was no alert, at the very least, we know that he''s alive. However, I have to admit, even I''m starting to get somewhat worried." After their initial contact broke off, Niflheim and Menerva had not heard from Izroth. When half an hour passed, they sent him a message to update him on their status and to see how things were going on his end. Then another set of messages once they were about to reach their destination. However, there was no response to either of their messages. Naturally, this led to some worry over Izroth''s well-being. "I must confess, the absence of our leader is an unpleasant turn of events. But we still have our orders to carry out. Shall we proceed?" Menerva remarked. Niflheim released a heavy sigh and said, "You''re right. It''s unfortunate, but we''ll just have to make do without him. Though we''ll need to adjust our ns ordingly." "I concur," Menerva agreed. After making a final judgment, Niflheim called everyone from the 9th Division together to go over the n. "ording to intel given to us by the War Intelligence Group, the outpost we''ll be keeping an eye on is known as the Gale''s Eye. Compared to your typical Tempest outpost, it is not that heavily fortified. But this isn''t too relevant since we''ll be striking once our targets leave the outpost and are on the move to Malentansium." Niflheim exined. "I have a question." Astral Knight said as he raised his hand. "Go ahead." Niflheim nodded. "Just who are our targets? I know they''re from Tempest, but we don''t really know any more than that. Is there a specific reason why we''re going so far out of our way to attack them?" Astral Knight said. The other members of the 9th Division were just as curious as Astral Knight. Although it was mentioned to them that their targets were somewhere in Tempest, they did not know who they were targetting or why, for that matter. At the time, most of them did not bother to dig any deeper because of the rewards for joining the 9th Division and the lucrative contribution points from the war objective they acquired. However, now that there were so close to their objective didn''t they have the right to know? After all, crossing the border deep into enemy territory just to eliminate some targets¡ªwasn''t this typically a specialty of the War Intelligence Group? They weren''t going to have to assassinate a king or anything crazy like that, right? "I understand your concerns. Of course, we''re more than willing to answer your questions. But, just so that none of you misunderstand, there''s a reason we didn''t reveal our targets up until this point. It''s not because we don''t trust you; it''s just a natural precaution we had to take due to the sensitivity of the information you''re about to hear. This goes without saying, but this strictly stays between the 9th Division until our mission isplete. If Ie to find out that someone did not follow this rule, their expulsion from the 9th Division will be the least of their worries." Niflheim stated seriously as he swept his gaze across those present. The atmosphere immediately shifted to a heavy one once Niflheim spoke. Now the yers present were even more curious about what kind of big secret required so much discretion. Niflheim then went on to exin their primary target along with the n he, Izroth, and Menerva came up with. There were a few variations since Izroth was not currently present; however, the end goal remained the same. Chapter ?924 Assault Groups ?924 Assault Groups ording to the intel, the group they were after was stationed in Gale''s Eye under the protection of a First File of Tempest and their soldiers. A First File was the Tempest equivalent of an Amaharpe General; therefore, they could not be underestimated. Fortunately for them, in order to avoid drawing too much attention and keep a low profile, despite being under the protection of a First File, their targets would be moving in as a separate contingent not too far behind the main group. This contingent would be their target. Or, to be more precise, the mages under their guard. By the time Niflheim finished exining everything in great detail, the members of the 9th Division were left utterly dumbfounded. Mages that could call forth a gateway to summon a dangerous creature capable of pushing back thebined forces of Amaharpe and Rosentarus? A First File, which was the equivalent of an Amaharpe General potentially protecting them? Just what the heck had they agreed to by joining this division?! It was no wonder the contribution points were so much higher than anything they''d ever seen before! On the bright side, it seemed that they would not have to face off directly against the First File. However, if the main group realized something was off with the separate contingent they were to attack, that may not necessarily be the case. "In regards to the First File, you all can somewhat rx. Worst case scenario, they catch on to us, and we''re forced to retreat before their reinforcements show up. But, as long as you all follow our instructions, we''ll be able to strike and safely fall back before that happens." Niflheim exined calmly. He then continued, "I''ll let Lieutenant Menerva go over some of the finer details. Listen closely, we won''t have time to repeat things a second time since we have a lot to cover." Niflheim''s advice was well received as the yers of the 9th Division looked on half eagerly and half anxiously as they awaited Menerva''s words. Menerva stepped forward and said, "Based on the information that we have acquired, the separate contingent will consist of 25 elite troops, 3 Guard Commanders, and 1 Centurion. Among the elite troops, the lowest of their ranks should be Immune¡ªthe equivalent of a Soldier 1st ss. The Guard Commanders possess strength equal to a Lieutenant or Captain of the War Brigade, while the Centurion rivals that of a War Brigade Commander." Whenever they were transporting someone or something important, a ssic Tempest tactic was to create a small independent group while the main focus was typically shifted to therger group traveling in front of them. This allowed them to stay under the radar since not paying attention to therger group could lead to unexpected consequences. Another known fact of the tactic was that the smaller group would always be protected by the second-strongest person. This person was usually under the directmand of therger group''s leader. And, since the person in charge this time around was a First File, it was safe to assume that the one leading the separate contingent would be a Centurion under theirmand. This was all the information Izroth obtained from the War Intelligence Group after he epted the war objective. Of course, he made sure to ry this information to Niflheim and Menerva. "Lieutenant Niflheim will focus on locking down the Centurion. Meanwhile, the rest of us will have our tasks divided. Bellum, Champion, and Love Mist¡ªyou three will be Assault Group A. Your primary goal will be the elimination of the five mages. Astral Knight, Clouded Sky, and Sanctity will form Assault Group B. Revel, Hollow Crane, and Benevolent Tea, Assault Group C. ded Conscious, Heartless Jade, and Knightmare¡ªthe three of you will make up Assault Group D. Each of your groups will be responsible for engaging a Guard Commander. As for those of you who were not assigned to a group, your sole focus will be on the elimination of the elite troops present." Menerva stated. She then turned her attention to Bellum and continued, "Our true purpose this time around is the eradication of the mages. Everything else is secondary. If all five mages can be dealt with, it is a good thing. However, even if you are only able to eliminate two out of five, our mission can be considered a sess. To increase our chances of sess, I will try my best to provide your Assault Group with support from a distance." "We want to make sure that everyone understands the risk involved here. Although we''ve managed toe up with a feasible n, it will not be easy to aplish by any means. That''s why, if you''re not confident in fulfilling the role we''ve chosen for you, now is your time to speak up. But, before you decide, I would just like to say that Lieutenant Menerva and myself have been observing each and every one of you since our time in the Land of Unity. If we did not believe in your ability, you would not have been selected in the first ce." Niflheim dered with a clear air of confidence. After Menerva and Niflheim spoke, there was a lingering silence as the atmosphere had grown increasingly tense. Naturally, there were a lot of nerves going around; however, Niflheim''s words of encouragement helped to smooth things over. For many of those present, it was their first time being a part of something with such high stakes. But, many found that hidden underneath their nerves and anxiousness was something surprising to even them¡ªexcitement. Bellum released a light sigh. Originally, she nned on making a good first impression and just breezing by while mostly taking on the role of an observer. However, if she stepped back and did nothing at this critical point, it may make achieving her real purpose infinitely more difficult. "I suppose there''s no other choice. Since it''se to this, I might as well switch my focus to making my mark." Bellum thought to herself as the look in her eyes changed. There was now a depth of coldness hidden beneath her gaze. After seeing that no one was willing to surrender their assigned role, a proud smile appeared on Niflheim''s face as he gave a nod of approval. "Good. This is the minimum amount of confidence I expect from members of the 9th Division." Niflheim said. He then continued, "We still have some time before they leave the Gale''s Eye. Until that moment arrives, we''ll be going over every possible scenario so that we can prepare for any unforeseen events." ... Approximately 30 minutes earlier... Krieeewk! Click! Click! Click! Zeeeut! Izroth''s figure flickered in and out of existence as he appeared several meters away from the Insolum Beetle. At the moment, he had a few scratches and bruises here and there, but there were no signs of any severe wounds. ''To think this thing was still hiding some tricks up its sleeves. If I had moved a few stepster, the damage would not have been light.'' Not too long ago, the Insolum Beetle transformed the ground beneath Izroth''s feet into quick sinking mud. The mud was infused with the Insolum Beetle''s mana, so it was far more difficult to escape from than your typical quick-sinking mud. However, just as it conjured a massive boulder overhead and getting ready to drop it right on top of Izroth, he used his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple to disrupt the flow of mana and break free. In the process, he managed to not only avoid the Insolum Beetle''s attack and escape the mud but also inflicted a decent amount of damage to it. ''I''ve been fighting for a bit more than half an hour. The others should be long safe by now.'' Even though there were still many dangers present in the Ferae Jungle, Izroth believed in Niflheim and Menerva''s abilities to lead the group to safety. As for the Insolum Beetle, at first, Izroth only nned to wound it and find the first chance to escape. However, after some time and realizing that the creature had no ns on letting him escape, Izroth decided to confront it head-on. As a result... Name: Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle(WORLD BOSS) Level: 60 HP: ??? (20%) Izroth managed to severely wound the world boss and had shaved off 80% of its HP in half an hour! Chapter 925 Chapter 925: Fleeing The Insolum Beetle''s exoskeleton was extremely tough; however, Izroth was able to slowly chip away at it piece by piece using the exposed area where its wing once existed as a starting point. In truth, while the Insolum Beetle possessed arge amount of HP due to its status as a world boss, its HP was on the lower endpared to other world bosses around its level. This mostly had to do with its high natural defense and strength. In terms of raw physical prowess, even Izroth, with his Heavenly Golden Body and the Ring of the Ancient Colossus effect active, could notpete with the Insolum Beetle head-on. Not to mention its mobility and magic abilities could also not be underestimated. Overall, the Insolum Beetle was unbelievably well-rounded in all aspects except one¡ªits health. There was also the fact that it was not used to fighting other strong opponents. After all, it likely ruled over this section of the Ferae Jungle without contest. Because it always relied on its overwhelming power to suppress everything around it, the Insolum Beetle''s attack patterns were simple and straightforward. Once Izroth learned its attack patterns, he went on a full offensive strike. There were a few times it went outside of this attack pattern, but it could not help but return to what it knew after failing. In the end, Izroth slowly shaved away at the Insolum Beetle''s HP while avoiding its strikes over the past thirty minutes. The only reason he momentarily halted his attacks and fell back was because of a warning from his Soul Sense as well as his own instinct. ''What is it trying to do?'' Izroth observed the Insolum Beetle, whose entire body began to shake excessively as the mana around it started to grow restless. ''It can''t be...'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as sensed the strange fluctuations in the surrounding mana within the atmosphere. Then, without wasting another second, Izroth''s figure flickered away at great speeds. He also utilized multiple charges of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to create as much distance as possible between himself and the Insolum Beetle. Just as Izroth was a bit more than fifty meters away from his previous position, he felt a shockwave crash into him. However, right before the shockwave struck him, Izroth activated his defensive skill, Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard. ...BOOOOOOOM! Rmmmmmble! The earth shook as a massive explosion emerged, and an ear-ringing noise swept over that part of the Ferae Jungle. ... A few momentster, the effects of the explosion died down. However, the aftermath was heavy as nearly one hundred meters of the Ferae Jungle had been cleanly wiped out! The origin point of this explosion came from the same ce the Insolum Beetle stood not that long ago. Although it was no longer anywhere to be seen, it left a giant crater in the wake of its destruction. ''To think it would detonate its magic core out of the blue. Since when did world bosses be this reckless?'' Izroth managed to walk away from the explosion; however, he lost more than half his HP after his Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard was overwhelmed by the explosion. "I thought I was far away enough to fully minimize the damage with Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, but the explosion was more powerful than I anticipated. Fortunately, my body is rather sturdy." Izroth said as he consumed a high-grade health potion to restore some of his lost HP. Thanks to thebination of his Might stat and Heavenly Golden Body, it was not easy to deal life-threatening damage to Izroth in one go. Nevertheless, as an extra precaution, he decided to use Warpath de: Gale Zone Guard, and it turned out to be the correct choice. While he may have still managed to survive the explosion, his overall state would have made recovering much more challenging in the short term. After Izroth consumed the health potion, he opened his system alerts and checked over them. ''It''s just as I thought. It''s not here.'' Despite exploding its magic core, Izroth had not yet received an alert from the system regarding the defeat of the Insolum Beetle. Even if it took care of itself, the system should still count it as his kill. Therefore, there was only one exnation¡ªthe Insolum Beetle was still alive. "Did it understand its own circumstances and hope to take me out in the explosion? No, that isn''t important. Right now, I have to find it before it''s toote." Izroth said to himself as he headed to the explosion''s center and started to look for clues left behind by the Insolum Beetle. "Even if it''s a world boss, exploding its own magic core must have left it in a sorry state. Since it''ll bepletely defenseless while it attempts to reform its magic core, along with the fact that I injured its wings, it can''t have gone too far from here." Izroth was not worried about the Insolum Beetle restoring its magic core. After all, it would still be injured and unable to disy its full might in front of him. What concerned Izroth the most was something that existed in practically every jungle with strong monsters¡ªterritory. The Ferae Jungle covered arge portion ofnd; therefore, it was unlikely that the Insolum Beetle was the only strong existence in this ce. Now that it was injured, Izroth believed that other monsters with high intelligence might take this chance to get rid of it and im its territory as their own. If that happened, even if he did the most damage to the Insolum Beetle, he would end up walking away empty-handed for his efforts! He had already wasted half an hour fighting the Insolum Beetle; therefore, he needed to have something to show for it. ''Hm? This hole is...'' A small hole in the earth where the Insolum Beetle was located before the explosion caught Izroth''s attention. It was so insignificant and easy to mistake for a natural urrence as a result of the Insolum Beetle''s explosion; however, Izroth noticed something unusual about the hole. "It''s hard to see with all the magical interference in the atmosphere, but there''s definitely a trace of the Insolum Beetle''s magic around it. It covered its path of retreat well. If it were anyone else, it might have gonepletely unnoticed. Unfortunately, it met me. Still, to explode its magic core and use earth magic to escape while doing so... This thing is more crafty than I thought. That being said, aren''t these circumstances a little too ridiculous?" Izroth said as he inwardly shook his head. This was the first time he witnessed a boss monster flee in the middle of a battle, and it was a level 60 world boss at that! How many yers would believe such an oundish set of events that ultimately led to a world boss running away from a single yer? ''This should be the way.'' After following the faint trail of mana left by the Insolum Beetle with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth found the rough direction that the world boss should have fled in. "Let''s hope I''m not toote," Izroth uttered to himself as he took off at great speeds into the Ferae Jungle. ... Izroth followed the mana trail and arrived at the entrance of a cave. The cave itself was hard to see into from the entrance; however, after using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth was able to confirm what was inside. ''It''s barely discernable, but without a doubt, this is definitely the ce.'' Izroth felt the presence of the Insolum Beetle within the cave. However, for some reason, Izroth sensed that the atmosphere inside the cave was somewhat bizarre. At first, he thought it might have something to do with the Insolum Beetle reforming its magic core. But, upon closer examination, Izroth discovered that the two werepletely unrted. ''Strange, I''m certain it''s alone in the cave. Then, why does it feel like another presence resides within this ce? Also, this cave... It''s hard to tell, but it wasn''t naturally formed. Meaning, something or someone must have created it.'' The Insolum Beetle specialized in earth magic; therefore, it was possible that it used it to create this cave. But that would not exin the other unrted presence Izroth could feel embedded into the cave itself. ''I guess there''s only one way to find out.'' Izroth entered the cave with his Energy Vision Sense active to navigate his way through the darkness. After walking for a couple of minutes straight, Izroth could finally see a lighting from ahead. He made his way toward that light and was greeted by a blinding glow. When Izroth took a few steps forward, the blinding glow faded, and what revealed itself was a spacious cavern. On the cavern''s ceiling were countless aquamarine stctites that bore a closer resemnce to gemstones than your typical rocks. These stctites released a slight warmth and were the main source of lighting within the cavern. Chapter 926 Chapter 926: Divine Flower of Renewal The same aquamarine glow wasing from a small water source roughly twice the size of an average swimming pool. The purity of this water seemed unnatural. And, surprisingly, growing around its edges were several ancient quality nts! More shockingly, there was a single flower in a state of half-bloom hovering above the water source at its center. Despite only being in half-bloom, Izroth could smell the powerful aroma being released from it. ''Such a strong aroma from this distance... Is it a mythical quality nt? But what is this? Even mythical quality nts shouldn''t have this kind of effect.'' The nts growing around the water source could be considered weeds. In other words, they were merely unforeseen and "unwanted" urrences caused by the growth of the flower in half-bloom. However, what kind of nt could cause ancient quality nts to sprout like weeds around them? There was only one answer Izroth could think of as he walked closer to the water source; however, it was his first timeing across one in RML. ''This is... A divine nt? No... Something''s not quite right. Although I''ve nevere across one, a divine nt''s aura should be much stronger than this.'' As Izroth stopped in front of the water source, the system information for the flower disyed itself. Name: Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal Rank: Pseudo-Divine(???) Usage: Although it is currently in a half-bloomed state, the Divine Flower of Renewal contains immense power and can directly influence the growth of life. When the Divine Flower of Renewal reaches full maturity, it will be a genuine divine nt. Legend states that consuming the Divine Flower of Renewal once it has fully matured will reforge one''s body into that of a true divine body. Special Note: This flower has been growing for over 10,000 years and is approaching maturity. ''No wonder something seemed off about its aura. It has yet to reach full maturity, so it''s still only considered a pseudo-divine nt. Regardless, there''s no doubt that once it blooms, it will be a genuine divine nt. Could this be the fortuitous encounter the system mentioned?'' Back when he received a blessing from the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis, Izroth was the first yer with a Luck stat that exceeded five points. As a reward, the system mentioned that he would experience a fortuitous encounter; however, it failed to point out any specific details. But, if this was not considered a fortuitous encounter, then what could possibly match up to it? ''Whether it''s a fortuitous encounter or not, how can I walk away when such a treasure is right before my eyes?'' The Divine Flower of Renewal could reforge one''s body into something known as a true divine body. While Izroth did not know the specifics of having a true divine body, there was one person he could draw some reference from and that was his Soul Avatar, Empyrean. Empyrean did not possess a true divine body but rather a quasi-divine body. This meant that his physique was only partly divine and had not quite reached a state ofpletion. But, even only having a partly divine body, Empyrean''s base stats, resistances, and immunities were all first ss. Peak Physique, Peak Physical Resistance, Peak Magical Resistance, Crowd Control Immunity, Poison Immunity, Debuff Immunity¡ªthese were all things Empyrean possessed because of his Quasi-Divine Body. If a Quasi-Divine Body was capable of reaching such heights, then how terrifying was a true divine body? ''The Heavenly Golden Body was created to improve one''s physique well beyond its natural limits. But, in the end, it''s still impossible to achieve a true divine body with the Heavenly Golden Body physique alone.'' No matter how powerful the Heavenly Golden Body physique was, it could neverpare to a true divine body. After all, the very foundation of the Heavenly Golden Body physique was derived from the effects of a true divine body. In other words, it was an imitation of the real thing! An extremely well-crafted imitation, but still an imitation. Of course, the Heavenly Golden Body still had its own advantages; however, they had to be earned rather than simply gifted. Izroth started by collecting all of the ancient quality nts around the edge of the water source. There were roughly two dozen ancient-quality nts. Even the water itself had been influenced by the Divine Flower of Renewal and was blessed with a high level of purity and life essence. Name: Liquid of Renewal Rank: Ancient(8) Usage: A byproduct of the Divine Flower of Renewal, the Liquid of Renewal possesses strong rejuvenation and purification effects. While it can be consumed in its natural state, it is highly rmended to first dilute it due to its great potency and extreme rarity. ''Good thing I still have one of these.'' Izroth removed an Ageless Vial of Sen from his inventory. The Ageless Vial of Sen was an indestructible S-ranked magic item capable of storing virtually any liquid or gas substance. He received a total of three vials as a gift from Tal''Nis; however, two of the vials were currently being used to house the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. Fortunately, Izroth still had one unused vial in his possession. Izroth held the Ageless Vial of Sen above the Liquid of Renewal as the water quickly sucked into the vial. ¡´System Alert: The item ?Ageless Vial of Sen? has reached 100% Capacity!¡µ Izroth was able to store roughly 60% of the Liquid of Renewal before the Ageless Vial of Sen reached its full capacity. He released a faint sigh and said, "It''s a shame I''m unable to store all of it. Still, it''s more than I expected." ''In terms of quantity, it''s at least ten times greater than the Blood of the Immortal Hydra contained within a single vial. Can it be that the storage space of a vial is determined by the quality or toughness of the material it''s storing?'' Izroth ced the Ageless Vial of Sen into his inventory as his gazended on the Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal. ''Was the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle waiting for it to fully bloom before consuming it? No, something''s still off. Even if it was taking a chance and saving the Divine Flower of Renewal, that doesn''t exin why it did not stop to consume the Liquid of Renewal. Unless there''s a reason why it was unable to consume it? Or, perhaps... It didn''t dare to consume it.'' Izroth furrowed his brows as a bad feeling started to slowly creep up into the back of his mind. Izroth had not let down his guard. From the beginning, he kept his Energy Vision Sense active to keep a close eye on the Insolum Beetle in case it was up to something. But it was still severely wounded and slowly recovering from its wounds a bit deeper inside the cavern. ''This ce... I have a bad feeling about it, and I''d rather not stick around to find out if I''m right. I''ll finish off the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle and rejoin the 9th Division. But, before that...'' Woosh! Izroth leaped into the air over the water source and grabbed the Divine Flower of Renewal before swiftly cing it into his inventory. Tap! On the other side of the water source was only the cavern wall. Izroth shifted his body so that his feet made contact with the cavern wall before he kicked off its surface. This sent him back toward the side he came from as he safelynded on his feet. Then, without skipping a beat, Izroth dashed full speed into the depths of the cavern to locate the Insolum Beetle. ... Approximately ten minutester... Krieeewk! The Insolum Beetle cried out as a sword pierced directly through its head. Bang! The next moment, the creature''s cries fell silent as its body crashed into the ground and started to dissipate. ''It''s too bad it exploded its magic core. Then again, that may have also been what kept it from entering an enraged state.'' Izroth returned the Obsconis Hunting Dagger to his inventory and sheathed his Sword of the Storm. At the same time, a stream of system alerts bombarded Izroth. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your level has been increased by 2.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are now level 54!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Adamantine Exoskeleton?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x5 ?Unrefined Adamantine Ore?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Adamantine Insolum Chestte?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Adamantine Insolum Shield?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x10 ?Fine Ground Adamantine Powder?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the title ?Supreme Bug Catcher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Skill Book: Molding Earth?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer to solo a world boss above level 50 and will be rewarded. Would you like to announce it to the world?¡µ ''There''s a good chance no one knows of this world boss'' existence, but since we''re still in the middle of an important war objective, it''s best not to attract too much attention.'' Izroth chose to decline the announcement. He then picked up the items dropped from the Insolum Beetle and set them into his inventory. Chapter ?927 Owner ?927 Owner ... After he finished his confrontation with the Insolum Beetle, Izroth began to make his way back to the cave''s entrance with quickened steps. "It''s been a while since I''ve checked in with the 9th Division. I-" Out of nowhere, a strong wave of killing intent crashed into Izroth that seemed as if it would devour him whole as he approached the cave''s entrance. Izroth''s Soul Sense went off, warning him of the danger thaty just ahead. ''This killing intent... It makes the Insolum Beetle seemughable inparison.'' Izroth ced his hand on the hilt of his Sword of the Storm as he stepped outside of the cave and halted his steps. He took a moment to observe his surroundings with his Energy Vision Sense. However, he was forced to immediately cut the skill short due to the overwhelming shift in the mana within the atmosphere. ''The mana here has be restless.'' "?!" Without warning, Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to teleport several meters away from where he''d just been standing. The next moment, something bizarre happened. In the spot Izroth was previously located stood a ferocious beast with a massive frame at least three times the size of the Insolum Beetle! ''Such arge body, yet I couldn''t sense it at all.'' Besides itsrge frame, the creature''s eyes were the color of the radiant sun. It had a thick and long coat of light silver fur that covered its entire body with several white stripes across its surface. And as it stood there, it gave off an air of dominion that came naturally to its kind--as if it ruled over all things before it. There was also a presence that lingered around it capable of making those weaker automatically submit out of pure fear and instinct. Even before viewing its system information, Izroth could tell in his mind that, without a doubt, this monstrous tiger beast was the true ruler of the Ferae Jungle. Name: Overlord of the Ferae Jungle, Beast King Invigris(LEGENDARY WORLD BOSS) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) ''A legendary world boss... Well, this is unexpected. How troublesome.'' If Izroth had not relied on his natural reflexes to avoid the Beast King Invigris, there was no way he would have survived that blow even with his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat. Izroth was not the type to fear a challenge but only ack of one. However, he remained in a state of constant awareness when it came to his own strength. While he had certainly taken some steps, Izroth understood that he had yet to reach the pinnacle of the Mortal Realm, yet alone all of RML. There were still numerous existences out there that, if they truly wanted him dead, he would have no way to defend himself against it. Nevertheless, as someone from the Seven Realms, Izroth did not think this situation to be unfair. After all, the path of cultivation was riddled with "unfair" happenings. And, in the end, it was always power that reigned supreme. As long as one could grab hold of enough power, it was possible to change their destiny and ovee the path written for them by the heavens as known as fate. Although their encounter was brief, right now, Izroth was able to sense it on a deep level. If he tried to fight this creature before him head-on with his own strength, there was less than a 1% chance of him emerging as the victor! The Beast King Invigris stared down Izroth with its solemn gaze that felt heavier and heavier with every passing moment. But, Izroth bore this pressure and stood tall in the face of the creature''s overbearing force of intimidation. ''I don''t have a lot of options. As I am right now, I can''t afford to fight it head-on.'' Izroth still had the Relic of the First Tal, which was capable of summoning a powerful phantom of the Lady of Evesting Rain. He also still had Astratis, who was most likely closely observing the situation from a safe distance. However, that was not the problem. The true issuey in the scale of the battle itself should it ur. After seeing numerous figures in the legendary realm, Izroth judged that the Beast King Invigris before him was a creature who had long since stepped into the peak of the legendary realm. The sh between multiple beings in the legendary realm was already enough to not go unnoticed. But, it could notpare to a sh of peak legendary realm powerhouses. After all, Izroth witnessed himself what that kind of battle was like back in the Ancient Celestial Secret Realm. It would not take long for Tempest to realize the disturbance and send people to investigate. There was even a possibility that those old monsters outside of Tempest would set their gazes on the battlefield. At that point, it would be impossible to hide Astratis'' existence and the fact that it was possible for other powerful beings to cross into the Mortal Realm without the use of a Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. This would throw the already chaotic Mortal Realm into a deeper state of disarray. Izroth knew that now was not the time to disrupt the power structure in the Mortal Realm. The Ancient Celestial Realm was still in the process of recovering from its battle against Kyvernos and the pirs. It would take a lot of effort to return things to a state of order after creating such an enormous void of power. That''s why until the Ancient Celestial Realm managed to stabilize its situation, Izroth wanted to hold off on any big moves for as long as possible that involved those from that ce. ''I guess this exins why the Insolum Beetle didn''t dare touch anything of value in the cave despite its severe wounds. Even if it were able to survive, for the time being, it would have been trampled to death the moment its owner discovered what urred.'' "...Is this still considered a fortuitous encounter?" Izroth said to himself with a carefree smile. Izroth thought that the presence he felt earlier in the cave was due to the influence of the Divine Flower of Renewal. While this was partly true, that was not the presence Izroth actually sensed. Rather, that aura belonged to the original cave''s owner standing right in front of him, the Beast King Invigris! "I don''t suppose if I return what I''ve taken that you''ll be willing to let me go, right?" Izroth spoke in a nonchnt manner. However, the creature''s silence and calm gaze had long given Izroth the answer to his question. "I figured that would be the case," Izroth stated as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. "Arrogant human. I have lived for more than 1,000 years. This is the first time a human has been so bold as to steal from this Overlord and then dare to draw their de in my presence." A deep and resounding voice echoed throughout the surroundings. "So you speak, after all," Izrothmented calmly. The voice that spoke just now belonged to the Beast King Invigris; however, Izroth was not surprised. As a creature who reached the peak of the legendary realm, it was not umon for it to have developed the means of intelligentmunication. In fact, it would be more strange if it was unable to do so. "Would you believe me if I said I thought this flower had no owner?" Izroth said as a strong gale blew around him from unsheathing his Sword of the Storm. "Wickedness--I have learned over the course of my life that it is a trait all you humans seem to have in excess. Whether or not I believe you is irrelevant, human. The fact that you have stolen from this Overlord, even if brought about by your own ignorance, is still a great sin. But, I admire your courage and the look in your eyes, human. That is why this Overlord is willing to give you a chance." Invigris said unhurriedly. "Oh? A chance? Very well, let''s hear it." Izroth responded. In truth, Izroth did not think that the Beast King Invigris was capable of something like giving chances, especially to those of a race it viewed in poor light. He was interested to see what this Overlord of the Ferae Jungle meant by giving him a chance. "Relinquish the Divine Flower of Renewal. After that, you shall remain in the Ferae Jungle for the remainder of your life as my servant. This will be the price paid for the arrogance of your actions. Of course, I will have to take one of your eyes for daring to draw your weapon against this Overlord. Though you should be grateful that I leave you with all of your limbs intact." Invigris dered. "I''m afraid I''ll have to refuse," Izroth replied without hesitation. Servant? The Beast King may be stronger than the current him, but was he worthy of such an honor? Even if he had a thousand more lifetimes, the answer would always remain the same--no! "It was not a request." Invigris roared. Chapter ?928 Caution and Pride ?928 Caution and Pride For centuries, the Beast King Invigris had been patiently waiting for the Divine Flower of Renewal to reach full maturity. Once consumed, it would aid in solidifying its ability to ascend beyond this world. That''s because, unlike mortals, beasts had a different way of ascending into the Divine Realm. Due to their natural connection with the world and innate talents, instead of ascending like mortals through the divinity line, beasts were reformed into the Divine Realm itself as an entirely new entity. It was simr to experiencing a rebirth, except the only part of them that remained would be their bloodline. Of course, this bloodline would be vastly improved upon reaching that ce along with their natural gifts, turning them into a true divine beast! However, Invigris was forced to put their ns on hold because of some young ignorant human. Now, he would have to rent the Divine Flower of Renewal and wait a few more years than originally anticipated for it to bloom. How could it not be furious after enduring for so many centuries? Under normal circumstances, Invigris would have merely in the perpetrator without wasting words; however, it was somewhat cautious after its first attack out of anger failed. Invigris was not fearful of Izroth as one might think. Instead, he was wary of one thing¡ªthe divine energy faintly radiating from that person. And it was not just one divine energy Invigris felt, but multiple sources! Of course, what Invigris sensed were the several blessings bestowed upon Izroth by those in the Divine Realm. The All-Seeing Goddess Heltiaa, God of Craft Mazi, Lady of Evesting Rain Tal''Nis¡ªthere was even a pseudo-blessing he received from the Daughter of the Eternal Vow, Ierosni. Although it could notpare to a true divine blessing, it was as close as one could get without counting the actual thing. Nheless, these several divine blessings caused Invigris, who was soon to ascend, to quell their anger and take another path. With their life experience and intelligence, Invigris knew that this young human in front of him was not normal. After all, it lived for a millennium, and this was its first timeing across any being that received two, let alone three blessings from those greater beings. This showed the Beast King just how much those above the firmament cherished this young human. The situation would be different if the Beast King were nowhere close to ascending. After all, even if those above the firmament wanted to interfere there was a limit to what they could or were willing to do. But, since they would undergo a rebirth when they reached the Divine Realm, thest thing Invigris wanted was to make enemies of those greater beings by killing the one under their protection. This was even more so considering the potent divine energy radiating from those blessings. Without a doubt, even among the greater beings, those who gave that young human their blessings must have reached extraordinary heights. However, its long-standing pride as the Overlord of the Ferae Jungle would not allow Izroth to get away without some form of punishment for dying its ns. Ultimately, Invigris believed that as long as they did not kill Izroth, those greater beings would not find fault with it. ''Oh? Strange, its killing intent disappeared.'' Naturally, Izroth noticed the change in the drastic shift in the Beast King''s killing intent. It was also bizarre how it was willing to speak to him. Among those who met or knew about highly intelligent beasts like Invigris, it wasmon knowledge that they were usually arrogant, and rightly so. After all, they essentially dominated whatever territory they ruled over, and very few if any would ever challenge that authority. That''s why Izroth found Invigris'' behavior unconventional. This was even more so considering he took away something incredibly valuable from the Beast King. Regardless of their intent, Izroth had no intention of following through with Invigris'' delusions. ''The situation isn''t ideal, but if there''s no other choice, so be it.'' Thest thing Izroth needed right now was to sh with the Overlord of the Ferae Jungle; however, it seemed that no matter what he chose to do, Invigris did not n to back down. Therefore... "Astratis," Izroth calmly called out to seemingly no one. However, not even a full second passed before a figure appeared standing right next to Izroth. This person was, of course, the Son of Thunder, Astratis. "You called, youngest?" Astratis said as his gaze locked onto the Beast King. The moment Astratis felt the killing intenting from Izroth''s position, he immediately moved closer to respond as swiftly as possible in case things got out of hand. After all, if anything happened to Izroth under his watch, how would he have the heart to face his siblings, let alone his other half? When Astratis appeared, the Beast King Invigris narrowed its eyes and sized him up. There was not the slightest fluctuation of mana or any energy source for that matter within this person; however, for some reason, its instinct told it that it could not afford to look down on that man. No, it was more than that. But, the feeling was fleeting. "Was it some kind of trick?" Invigris growled to itself. No matter how it looked at it, the person in front of him was just a normal mortal. Besides being unable to sense their presence or any energy sources, there was nothing else noteworthy or remarkable about them. "Enough," Invigris said as it lifted one of its front paws and struck the ground under it. Rmmmmble! That simple action caused the surrounding area to tremble as parts of the ground were fragmented, and the nearby trees violently swayed. "Another ignorant mortal does not change the oue of your fate. I tried to give you a path of retreat, but you arrogantly chose to meet my mercifulness with yet more naivety. That shows your clearck of judgment. I do not know what those greater beings see in you, but in this jungle¡ªin this realm¡ªit is I who stand at the mountain peak!" Invigris roared. This roar swept through the entire Ferae Jungle and carried on for more than ten kilometers in every direction. It caused numerous monsters to shiver in fear and find the nearest ce to hide. Even those boss monsters like the Insolum Beetle were shaken by this terrifying roar. "Can you handle it without revealing your hand?" Izroth asked nonchntly under the roar of the Beast King. "If that''s the requirement, I''ll be able to y a few rounds with it. But I won''t have the means tond a killing blow. Is that alright?" Astratis replied calmly. "That''s fine. I just need you to keep it busy and keep this safe." Izroth said as he removed the Divine Flower of Renewal from his inventory and handed it off to Astratis. "Oh? This ce has some good stuff." Astratis said as his brows rose while he briefly examined the Divine Flower of Renewal before storing it in his Call to the Void. He then continued, "Worry not, youngest. I will keep it safe." Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Then, I''ll leave it in your capable hands. If it gets too dangerous, you can do what must be done or run away. After all, your life takes priority." The Divine Flower of Renewal was undoubtedly valuable, but it was still only one material. In the end, Astratis was much more important than a mere flower. Woosh! Right when he finished speaking, Izroth made his way toward the 9th Division at his top base speed. At the same time, Astratis immediately ran in theplete opposite direction of Izroth. "Heh, youngest... It''s supposed to be my job to worry about you, not the other way around." Astratis thought to himself as he moved deeper into the Ferae Jungle. "Audacious!" Invigris'' roar ceased, and it was quickly reced by a voice of infuriation. It shifted its gaze to the way Izroth ran off but contained its rage and urge to give chase. "Right now, the Divine Flower of Renewal is more important. Young human, I will never forget this day...! This Overlord will have his vengeance!" Invigris roared as it turned to chase after Astratis. ... A couple of hourster, somewhere in the Tempest Kingdom near the Gale''s Eye outpost... "It''s almost time. Everyone, stay on guard." Niflheim warned. Chapter ?929 Recon ?929 Recon At the moment, Niflheim and the 9th Division were positioned on the other side of a small hill roughly fifty hundred meters out from the Gale''s Eye outpost. Normally, it would be dangerous to get even this close to an outpost that had a First File among its ranks; however, the 9th Division was currently utilizing special talismans to minimize their presence. This was another gift provided to Izroth to make thepletion of their mission a little smoother. Of course, if they were reckless and got too close, even with the special talismans, their presence would undoubtedly be discovered. After the group departed from the confines of the Ferae Jungle, they patiently waited behind the small hill for the Tempest troops to make their move. But, they did not remain idle the entire time. Menerva sent two yers from the 9th Division who possessed both a long-duration stealth skill and a reconnaissance-type skill to observe the situation at a closer range. She wanted to gather as much information as possible about their targets and made clear that no matter how irrelevant the information seemed, it was to be reported back to her. Woosh! Woosh! Out of nowhere, two yers emerged from seemingly nothingness. However, none of the 9th Division members were startled by their abrupt appearance. After all, these were the two yers Menerva sent out an hour ago to collect information from the outpost. "Hollow Crane, Heartless Jade¡ªgood job making it back without attracting any attention to yourselves. So, what did you discover?" Niflheim asked as he approached the two along with Menerva. "I''ll go first." Hollow Crane replied as he stepped forward. He then continued, "I overheard a few troops saying they would be departing from the outpost within the hour." Niflheim nodded and said, "I know this. It was a good call to send the message when you did as soon as you heard it. Since they''ll be departing soon, it means the intel we received from the War Intelligence Group is urate." Before the two left, Niflheim asked them to ry any information regarding their movement immediately via the group chat. After all, there were always unforeseen circumstances that could potentially change the pace at which Tempest decided to move. Though Niflheim was pleasantly surprised by Hollow Crane. Back when Hollow Crane took on the test to join the 9th Division, even though he was able to pass the first line, he was too hasty and underestimated what awaited beyond the third line. As a result, he did not solidify his position past the second line and rushed to the third line. This made it so that he was just a regr member of the 9th Division instead of a 5-Man or 10-Man Leader. That kind of poor judgment and hasty decision-making was something no one inmand wanted anything to do with. However, Hollow Crane was one of the people Niflheim chose to be under hismand. After the test, Niflheim did not hear anyints from Hollow Crane. Instead, he had been humbled after receiving that attack from Izroth and was the only one bold enough to use a skill in the test. Niflheim believed that kind of person was capable of learning from their mistakes and oveing them. Not to mention, it was not easy to find a bold person who knew how and when to take a step back after having failed. A yer with rough features that could be molded into something more¡ªthis reminded Niflheim of himself during the time before he joined Blue Oasis and became one of the Seven Captains of a famous guild. "I''m aware. But I heard something else, too. It''s something I wouldn''t have normally brought up. However, Lieutenant Menerva said to report anything, no matter how insignificant, so I figured I could just wait to deliver it in person." Hollow Crane stated. "Hm? What is it?" Niflheim inquired. "Well, after I heard those guys talking about when they''d be departing, they mentioned something else. I''m not sure what it means or if it''s even relevant, but they were walking about some hero showing up at the Night Lord''s Crypt." Hollow Crane reported. "Hero? Could it be that they know about Nova?" Niflheim thought to himself with furrowed brows. "Is something troubling you as well?" Menerva asked as she nced over in Niflheim''s direction and noticed that he slipped into his thoughts. "Perhaps..." Niflheim responded in a mutter. He then asked, "Did they mention the name of the hero?" Niflheim only knew about Nova, one of the seven heroes who faced the eternal darkness, being a part of the force assaulting the Night Lord''s Crypt through Izroth. Menerva, on the other hand, was present when Izroth met Nova. Therefore, she was also aware of the hero''s presence. However, Nova''s existence should be one of the closest-guarded secrets of the forces stationed in the Land of Unity. Even some Generals were kept out of the loop. The only reason Izroth knew was due to his connection with Commander Aurie, who was Nova''s adopted daughter. And Niflheim, of course, found out through Izroth. "Name? Yeah, I think it was something like Jinx? Joke? Or maybe Jax? It was a strange name, so I can''t say for sure. But, I''m confident it was something along those lines." Hollow Crane noted. "Jinx... Joke..." Niflheim uttered to himself. As far as he knew, there was only one person among the seven heroes with a name even remotely close to what Hollow Crane reported. "Jiox," Menerva said calmly; however, her mind seemed preupied as she spoke. "Ah, yeah, that was it! Jiox¡ªI''m sure of it!" Hollow Crane remarked. "Could it be that not one but two heroes are joining the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt? If so, our side should have a much easier time oveing that of Malentansium and Tempest forces. But... What is this feeling of restlessness I''m getting?" Niflheim thought to himself. If there truly was another hero that would appear at the Night Lord''s Crypt, then it was a good thing for Amaharpe and its allies. However, the fact that Tempest was aware of this information and still prepared to send out their forces just did not add up. That is unless they were already prepared and confident enough to face them. "No one is to bring up this matter again. I will discuss it with Captain Izroth when it returns." Niflheim stated. "Oh? What is it that you wish to discuss with me?" A voice sounded not too far away from Niflheim as a person appeared a few steps away. This person was, of course, Izroth. "You''ve returned. Good, just in time." Niflheim said with a serious expression as he turned to face Izroth. ... Niflheim took a few moments to exin the situation to Izroth. "Jiox? Interesting." Izroth said calmly. ''I''ve seen him before, back when we were heading into the Chaotic Dogma Realm. If I''m right, he should be the one who was in the hooded clothing.'' Before they entered the Chaotic Dogma Realm, Izroth and the others met the seven heroes. However, just like Niflheim, Izroth also had a feeling of uneasiness about the situation. Though it was not for the same reasons as Niflheim. In the Chaotic Dogma Realm, there was a team of yers working with the Shadahi. But how could yers like that gain ess to such an important ce with the help and influence of some powerful forces? Although Izroth brought it up to Gear, there was nothing that could be done at the time. After all, to start an investigation against the seven heroes was the same as going against the people who saved the world and were practically exalted beings in the Mortal Realm. Not to mention, who would believe that they would side with the Shadahi? How could one just suddenly use them of siding with those they fought so hard against? It would not make any sense whatsoever to those who heard it. Of course, Gear took the matter seriously and said that he would personally look into it. But, after that, Izroth had not heard back from him or seen Gear since their run-in against the Envoy of the Netherworld. Still, if there truly was a traitor among the seven heroes, then the Mortal Realm had a more pressing concern to be worried about. Someone like that had the knowledge and ess to potentially cripple the Mortal Realm when it counted the most. However, even if Jiox was showing up at the Night Lord''s Crypt, Izroth knew that he could not juste to a conclusion too fast. In the end, he could be there to assist Nova. There was no guarantee that he was the traitor. Chapter 930 Chapter 930: Moving Out! ''Since we''re not technically in the loop of what''s going on behind the scenes, all we can do is specte. Still, we shouldn''t take any chances. There are still a few hours left until the main forces in the Land of Unity advance into Malentansium. In that case...'' Izroth removed a scroll along with a feathered pen from his inventory. The feathered pen in his hand swiftly weaved together words onto the scroll. The next moment, Izroth closed the scroll as a magic seal appeared on its surface. This magic seal not only had a trace of Izroth''s mana print within it but would also let anyone know if the scroll had been opened after it was sealed. Izroth had been given these tools in case he could not be there in person to deliver sensitive information. However, he did not expect to use them until it was to report a sessful elimination of the Tempest mages. "Hollow Crane, use a teleportation scroll and return to Xanaharpe. Once you arrive, make your way over to the Land of Unity and find the War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion Aurie. Tell her I sent you and deliver this scroll to her personally." Izroth said as he held out the scroll for Hollow Crane to take. "Yes." Hollow Crane replied as he epted the scroll; however, when he tried to take the scroll, it was still firmly in Izroth''s grip. "This must only exchange hands once¡ªfrom your hands to Commander Aurie''s. No one else is toe into contact with this scroll, understood?" Izroth stated solemnly. Hollow Crane felt as if a heavy weight had abruptly found its way onto his shoulders. It was just delivering a message from Xanaharpe to the Land of Unity, but... Why did it feel like such an overwhelming responsibility? Regardless, Hollow Crane had no intention of turning it down. Even though Izroth allowed him to join the 9th Division, Hollow Crane did not know what kind of impression the Captain had of him. This was his chance to improve his image in Izroth''s eyes after what took ce back during the test. "Understood! I won''t even let a fly get near it!" Hollow Crane responded seriously with a look of determination in his eyes. Izroth gave a small nod as he released the scroll, "After you deliver the scroll, you are to stay with Commander Aurie''s unit and follow their instructions." Hollow Crane set the scroll into his inventory as he cupped his fists toward Izroth and said, "I will do as you say." Suddenly, a translucent orb norger than one''s fist formed in the palm of Izroth''s hand. As the orb finished materializing, a soft cerulean light began to flow inside of it. "Also, take this," Izroth said as he tossed the orb over to Hollow Crane. Hollow Crane was caught off guard and fumbled a bit but was able to catch the orb in his hands as he released a small sigh of relief. At first, Hollow Crane thought it was some kind of magic item. But, upon closer inspection, he realized that it was something much more valuable for someone with a rogue-type ss like himself. "This is...!" Hollow Crane''s eyes widened in shock as he sucked in a wave of cold air. It was an item he had never seen before in RML¡ªa skill orb! More importantly, although this skill orb stated that this skill was only B-ranked, its growth potential was actually SS-ranked! One had to know that for yers like them, obtaining an SS-ranked skill was a distant dream at best. No, wait, skills could jump that many ranks?! It was umon, but a few skills at their max level could increase the overall skill''s rank by one grade. But, to be able to jump from B-rank to SS-rank¡ªwasn''t that leap a little too ridiculous?! Not to mention, Izroth was just giving him such a valuable thing despite what happened in the test. "I thought the Captain would think less of me after what transpired at the 9th Division''s test or make things difficult until I won over his favor, but... He never even put such a thing in his eyes. I was a fool to think my small actions would be enough to move this person." Hollow Crane thought to himself as he released a sigh of defeat and awe. The look of determination in Hollow Crane''s eyes seemed to soar to new heights. At that moment, he made a decision. Regardless of what happened, in the future, he would follow Izroth and the 9th Division through a pit of mes if need be! ''Although I can only create a skill orb every 24 hours, it''s a good thing creating the same skill orb does not consume an additional slot.'' Izroth gave Hollow Crane the Skill Orb: Phantom Shift. It was the same skill orb he granted to Azalea before he went off to the Secret Realm; however, its rank and advancement depended entirely on how much effort was put forth by the person using it. "Thank you, Captain! I won''t disappoint you!" Hollow Crane stated as he consumed the skill orb and bowed respectfully. The other yers from the 9th Division were taken aback by Hollow Crane''s actions. They were curious as to what Izroth gave him that caused him to react in such an over-the-top way. Just what was that orb? After giving a final farewell, Hollow Crane used a teleportation scroll and was on their way back to Xanaharpe. Once Hollow Crane departed, Izroth turned to Niflheim and Menerva. "For now, we''ll keep quiet about this and let Commander Aurie handle things on her end. We still have a mission toplete, so our focus needs to be here." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. "Yes," Niflheim replied. "Understood," Menerva responded. "We still have one more person who needs to make their report. Heartless Jade¡ªdid you find anything?" Niflheim asked as he looked over at Heartless Jade. "This... Well..." Heartless Jade lightly scratched the side of his face with a slight look of embarrassment. While he did not understand the specifics, based on everyone''s reactions, he knew that the information Hollow Crane delivered had to be of significant importance. How was he supposed to follow that up? Niflheim frowned, "What is it? If you''re withholding something because you''re unsure, don''t worry about it. We''ll determine whether or not it''s relevant. All you have to do is say it." "Steak... All the troops stationed in Gale''s Eye are having steak before their departure..." Heartless Jade said as he tried to keep hisposure. He then continued, "I also heard that one of the Guard Commanders adopted a new dog recently..." "..." "..." "..." Everyone remained silent as Heartless Jade made his report. However, could this even be called a report? Steak? A new dog? What the heck were they supposed to do with that information?! For some reason, Heartless Jade felt a wave of defeat wash over him as hepleted his report. "Well, don''t feel too down. After all, we did say to report anything regardless of its relevance." Niflheim said with a helpless smile. Though he did not think it was necessary to mention sorting through the most basic of information like someone''s dinner ns. ... A few minutester... The gates to the Gale''s Eye outpost opened as thousands of troops marched out in an orderly fashion before getting in formation in front of the outpost. Niflheim, "They''re starting to move. Remember, stay down and out of sight until we say otherwise." Niflheim switched over the main way ofmunicating to voice chat to ensure that everyone could hear him clearly. As Niflheim gave a reminder to the members of the 9th Division, a warhorse galloped out of the Gale Eye''s outpost and dashed to the front of the troops at incredible speeds. Wherever the person on the warhorse passed, the surrounding troops immediately lowered their heads in a show of both respect and fear. Neeeeigh! The person on the warhorse pulled the reigns after reaching the front of the formation. Niflheim, "Pay attention. That person is the one who will be leading the charge for Tempest at the Night Lord''s Crypt. It''ll also be their second inmand that we''ll be facingter." On the back of the warhorse was a woman in light blue and white robes. She appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties. She had fair unblemished skin, short white hair that did not fall past the nape of her neck, and a fierce look in her lily-blue eyes. With one look, one could tell that this person was someone used to standing above others, especially on the battlefield. However, with the potent mana that naturally flowed around their body, there was a clear reason behind the great amount of confidence they exuded. This person was someone who instilled respect and fear into the troops of Tempest, cia. NPC Name: First File of the 10th Tempest Legion, cia(???) NPC Level: ??? Chapter 931 Starting Point! Menerva, "It turns out fate has frowned upon us." Izroth, "Oh? What makes you say that?" Before Menerva joined the 9th Division, she was a part of the Tempest forces along with the other members of the Headhunter Syndicate. This meant that among those present, she possessed the most insight and knowledge about their enemies. Not to mention, Menerva was not the type to speak without having first essed the situation. Menerva, "The person leading these troops is known as the Lady of the ck Winter, cia. Although not directly, I once briefly partook in service under her leadership for arge-scale war objective. It was during that time that I witnessed cia and her main forces sh with a Rosentarus army no fewer in numbers. However, the Rosentarus army did not stand a chance. As soon as the battle started, cia, along with two of the Centurions under hermand, charged into the center of the enemy forces and imed the head of themanding officer. After the swift loss of theirmanding officer, the battle was nothing more than a one-sided ughter." Niflheim, "So, we know that she''s not afraid of charging head first into danger. But I still don''t get it. Couldn''t it have been that the Rosentarusmanding officer was simply too weak? If they''re anythingpared to the Amaharpe Generals, even if they were initially caught off guard by her head-on charge, they shouldn''t have lost their lives so easily." Even among the Amaharpe Generals, there were several power discrepancies. But, the gaps were not typicallyrge enough for one topletely overpower the other. This was even more so if that someone recklessly charged into the center of their forces. Menerva, "My initial thought process was of a simr manner. However, I would argue that to be one of the Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardians is no simple task." Niflheim, "Wait a second. Are you saying she managed to take out a Ten Beast Guardian and walk away in one piece..?!" ''Someone capable of easily handling a Ten Beast Guardian... Interesting.'' The Ten Beast Guardians of Rosentarus¡ªthey ranked among the topbatants of Rosentarus and were some of the strongest zensana in the Rosentarus Kingdom. Defeating them was the equivalent of severing one of Rosentarus'' fingers and should have been a huge blow to them this early in the war. This kind of big news should have already spread all throughout the seven kingdoms; however, the fact this had not been made public by Rosentarus must have meant that they wanted to bury it as far as possible. The Ten Beast Guardians were more than just a title. It was a symbol to unite all of the zensana sub-races of Rosentarus under a single banner in the name of protecting their homnd. To lose one of those symbols this early in the war, Izroth was not surprised that Rosentarus chose to keep it a secret. But, what it did not exin was why Tempest chose to do the same. After all, eliminating one of your enemy''s strongest warriors was something any kingdom would go to great lengths to makemon knowledge. Menerva, "Precisely. cia is not your typical Tempest First File. Although they may merely be rumors, I have heard that cia is someone set to be a future Legate. As for her current strength, it is said to beparable to that of a First Prefect." A First Prefect of Tempest was on a simr level to a War Brigade High General. And, when it came to being a Legate, they were cut from the same cloth as a War Brigade Warlord! There were only two Warlords in the War Brigade, which was a testament to their power. Even if it was only rumored to be mentioned in the same breath as a First Prefect and called a future Legate¡ªthis cia could not be underestimated. Plus, a person like that most definitely did not keep poorpany around her. ''If she is set on a path to be a Legate, her strength should be around the same as that man. The War Brigade 1st Legion General of the 1st High Legion, Solomon. If that''s the case, the mission may prove to be more troublesome than I anticipated. Regardless, it''s not as if we''re facing cia and her forces directly. Our primary targets are the mages. As long as we don''t overstay our wee, there should be no issue.'' Izroth knew that the moment they attacked that separate contingent, it would not be long until cia and her main force would be alerted. At that point, they would only have roughly ten minutes to do what needed to be done and withdraw. Neeeigh! "We march!" cia dered. She then went forward on her warhorse toward the Malentansium border as her troops followed after her in formation. They had officially departed from the Gale''s Eye outpost. ... Fifteen minutester... A new group emerged from the Gale''s Eye outpost. This time, however, it was much smallerpared to cia''s main forces. The group consisted of thirty individuals, four of which were on horseback surrounding a carriage that housed those under their protection. At the front of the group was a burly man who appeared to be in his early forties. He had short ck hair, fierce red eyes, and multiple scars on his face that indicated the number of vicious battles he''d experienced throughout his lifetime. He wore a set of fully ted ck armor and on his back was a battle axe that released a great deal of bloodlust. "Anyone who lets their guard down on this journey, I will personally see to their discipline! Is that understood?!" The man at the front shouted. "Yes, sir!" The men responded in unison. "March!" The group''smander ordered as they took their leave from the Gale''s Eye. ... Approximately thirty minutester... The separate contingent had been moving nonstop. They trailed behind the main group; however, they always made sure to keep a certain distance from them. This method was often used by Tempest forces when escorting something of importance. But, even though it wasmonly known, there was a reason why it was so difficult to deal with. For one, the main group in front of them usually consisted of arge force. Such a great force was enough to trample any enemies that approached them. Secondly, it was under the protection of elite troops. So, even if one wanted to quickly take care of them, they may not necessarily have the power to do so. But, thirdly and most importantly, touching this separate contingent was the same as touching a dragon''s reversal scale. If something happened to them, Tempest would hunt down whoever was responsible even if it meant going to the ends of the earth to do so. That''s why people were hesitant and weighed the full risk of attacking a Tempest contingent before actually taking action. Due to thesebinations of reasons, the attack on a Tempest contingent was extremely rare. "We''ll be arriving at the Malentansium border soon! Be on guard!" The group''smander reminded. "Tch, damned night beast... Are they worthy of allying with our Tempest kingdom...?" One of the troops muttered. "For now, we have to endure it. After we aplish what needs to be done in a few days, we''ll never have to worry about dealing with those arrogant night beasts again." Another one of the troops responded. All of a sudden, the two troops felt cold sweats run down their path as an overwhelming killing intent washed over them. This caused their face to turn pale as their eyes met with their group leader. "Centurion, we were wrong!" The two soldiers immediately fell to one knee and cupped their fists. "Hmph, the earth always has ears. The next time you two speak out of turn, don''t me me for what happens to you." The group''smander stated before setting his gaze back to the front. The two soldiers let out a sigh of relief and quickly fell back into position before the Centurion changed his mind. As the group continued to travel through the small forest path that led to Malentansium, the Centurion felt as though something was off. "It''s quiet..." The Centurion thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes. Since when was the forest of these parts so devoid of life? Swoosh! Out of nowhere, a silver streak of light burst forward from the depths of the forest right toward the carriage! Chapter 932 Targets Acquired! In one swift and smooth motion, the Centurion gripped the handle of his battle axe and swung to his side. Woosh! Ding! The silver streak struck against the de of the Centurion''s battle axe as he managed to block it sessfully with little effort. The Centurion narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the object he had just defended the carriage against. It turned out to be a thin silver arrow! But, not long after he blocked that first arrow, a wave of arrows appeared in the air above the contingent. "We''re under attack! Protect the carriage! Prepare to send the signal to the main force!" The Centurion roared. At the same time, the wave of arrows rained down in a stream, targeted at the elite troops and the carriage. The Centurion and Guard Commanders brandished their weapons and knocked away the approaching arrows, ensuring that they did not reach the carriage under their protection. The elite troops quickly got into a defensive formation around the carriage and prepared for a follow-up assault they knew was inevitable. This rain of arrows continued for five seconds nonstop before finallying to a halt. By the time it finished, some of the elite troops had been hit a few times. However, there were no major casualties among them. At worse, a few had their movements somewhat impaired by being struck in the foot or leg. A few seconds after the rain of arrows stopped, the contingent was in a solid battle formation as they patiently awaited their next set of orders. "Y-" Just as the Centurion was about to give out his orders, he suddenly went on high alert as he swung outward with his battle axe at a terrifying speed in front of his warhorse. BANG! The sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard as the Centurion''s battle axe collided with something in mid-air. "Who are you? Do you know what it means to attack a Tempest contingent?" The Centurion said in a cold voice as his gaze shifted from the marvelous azure de to the person who appeared before him. "Does it matter?" A carefree voice sounded in response. The owner of this voice was, of course, Izroth. After Izroth exchanged blows with the Centurion, the 9th Division emerged from behind the nearby trees and bushes from both sides of the forest path. "Enemy troops!" One of the Guard Commanders shouted. "Impossible! How did they go undiscovered by the main force?!" One of the elite troops eximed. As the 9th Division yers advanced toward battle, the charge was led by none other than Niflheim. Following close behind Niflheim were Bellum and Champion. Since Izroth returned in time, Niflheim and Menerva were able to return to their original strategy. Izroth would deal with the Centurion leading the group, and Niflheim would join Assault Group A to handle the mages. As for Love Mist, she was moved to Assault Group C to rece Hollow Crane, who left to deliver Izroth''s message to Commander Aurie. As for how the 9th Division was able to make it to this ce to set up for an ambush in time, it had to do with precise timing. In truth, Izroth and the 9th Division departed from near the Gale''s Eye not long after the main forces under cia''smand left the outpost. Because of this, they had a fifteen-minute headstart on the separate contingent. But it was not really fifteen minutes. If they departed too soon, there was a good chance that cia''s forces would spot them. At that point, their only choice would be to retreat with everything they had. However, if they had left toote, the contingent led by the Centurion would have spotted them and sent a signal off to the main forces before they even had a chance to act. Therefore, the 9th Division had to time their movement perfectly to avoid the main forces while also leaving themselves with enough time to set up an ambush. ''Oh? He managed to react in time?'' Due to his heavy-ted equipment and burly physique, Izroth guessed that the Centurion would be rather slow to respond. However, it seemed that even while being donned in a full set of heavy armor, his speed could not be underestimated. NPC Name: Centurion of the 10th Tempest Legion, Aloysius(Epic) NPC Level: 62 NPC HP: ??? (100%) "Hmph!" Aloysius'' arm muscles swelled as he drove his battle axe forward with great strength, causing Izroth to fly back a few meters. Izroth used the momentum of the push to flip backward andnd on the ground safely a couple of meters away from Aloysius. "I am Centurion Aloysius of the 10th Tempest Legion under the First File cia! Who dares attack our contingent?! Identify yourselves at once!" Aloysiusmanded as he pointed his battle axe toward Izroth as his killing intent swept over the surroundings. "Identify ourselves? If you have the ability to find out, then you''re wee to do so. Other than that, from here on out, the only conversation will take ce with our des." Izroth replied with a carefree expression as he pointed his Sword of the Storm at Aloysius. "Presumptuous!" Aloysius roared as he raised his arm wielding the battle axe into the air. Rmmmmble! The ground began to tremble as a red light epassed Aloysius'' battle axe. Then, in the blink of an eye, the red light morphed into a giant battle axe roughly ten meters in size. This was a battle axe Aloysius conjured using his mana and weapon intent. "Grand Felling Execution!" Aloysius shouted as his fighting spirit soared to new heights. Simultaneously, the giant axe made from his mana and weapon intent rapidly descended¡ªit was on a direct collision course for Izroth! ...BOOOM! The giant axe caused a miniature earthquake to ur as the area in front of Aloysius was ttened by his attack. Swoosh! The aura around Aloysius'' battle axe vanished as he swept his weapon outward to clear up the cloud of dust kicked up by his attack. However, what the Centurion saw caused a slight frown to form on his face. There were no signs of the person he targeted. Without warning, heavy force pressed down on Aloysius, causing the legs of his warhorse to buckle under the pressure. Neeeeigh! The warhorse cried out as it tried its best to endure the sudden weight increase; however, it ultimately copsed. But, just before it did so, Aloysius leaped off the warhorse''s back andnded safely on the ground. Though when hended, Aloysius still felt as though his body had be heavier and sluggish. Zeeeeut! Izroth emerged behind Aloysius and shed down at his back with his sword as an overbearing aura descended along with it. -8,052 Izroth''s Sword of the Storm managed to leave a deep mark on Aloysius'' armor and even inflicted some damage; however, Aloysius'' defenses were higher than he expected. ''I knew that my damage would be cut down when facing a full heavy ted opponent, but for it to be by this much...'' Just moments ago, Izroth used the inscription contained within his Sword of the Storm, Concealed Heavy Wounds, to double Aloysius'' total mass. This action was to force the Centurion off of the warhorse. After that, Izroth executed his Primed Instantaneous Movement and instantly followed up with his First Baneful Sword: Destruction. But, the damage from his attack was reduced by more than 50%¡ªand that was the result of a rtively clean hit. However, since his Sword of the Storm was able to cut through the heavy-ted armor without much effort, Izroth believed that Aloysius himself possessed an umon hardened physique that acted as a second naturalyer of armor. ''I doubt he''s revealed his true hand yet, so I can''t let my guard down. That being said, they''re holding up quite well.'' Izroth nced over at the ongoing battle between his 9th Division and the remaining elite troops. So far, it seemed that their side held the clear upper hand. This was mostly thanks to Niflheim leading the charge and Bellum effectively disrupting the flow of battle for the enemies. But, despite having an upper hand, they appeared to have gained no ground toward the actual carriage itself, which was their main target. However, this was not entirely their fault. Rather than being overly aggressive, the elite troops focused on defense. This made it increasingly difficult for the 9th Division to make a quick break toward the carriage without risking being attacked from behind. Chapter 933 The Ability To Trust "Centurion Aloysius!" One of the Guard Commanders shouted as they witnessed Aloysius get struck from behind by Izroth. It was a middle-aged man with gray hair, emerald eyes, and a rough appearance. He donned a set of white and light blue leather armor. And, instead of a ded weapon, he wore a pair of gauntlets that gave off several pulses of destructive magic energy. NPC Name: Guard Commander of the 10th Tempest Legion, Fulgencio(Rare) NPC Level: 53 NPC HP: ??? (87.52%) Out of all the Tempest troops present, Fulgencio had been with Centurion Aloysius the longest. It was the first time in countless years since he''d seen the Centurion be wounded, especially so early inbat. Although the wound itself was not life-threatening, it was still enough cause for concern. After all, Fulgencio knew just how ridiculously tough it was to break through the Centurion''s defenses. Fulgencio immediately snapped the reigns on his warhorse and began a charge toward his Centurion and Izroth. Swoosh! BANG! Out of nowhere, a shield mmed into the side of Fulgencio''s warhorse with incredible momentum, causing the creature to stumble in its quickened steps. Neeeeigh! Crash! The warhorse was knocked to the ground; however, just before it hit the ground, Fulgencio jumped off its back. His gaze then turned to the person who had just assaulted him. And, if looks could kill, that person would have died several times over. "I don''t have time to waste on insignificant soldiers like you! Remove yourself from my path!" Fulgencio shouted as a heavy wave of killing intent manifested in the surroundings. It was the type of killing intent that could only be formed after having experienced numerous life-or-death struggles on the battlefield. "Insignificant? Hey, you Tempest bastard¡ªyou''ve gone and said something you shouldn''t have." Astral Knight said as he lowered his shield and brandished his weapon. BANG! Suddenly, a devastating force mmed into Fulgencio, causing them to slide back a few meters. At thest moment, the Guard Commander was able to defend against a direct blow; however, a faint red magic symbol within a circle appeared on his gauntlet where he was struck. "That''s right! If we''re insignificant, then what are you?! Are you worthy enough to face the Captain of our 9th Division?!" Clouded Sky scoffed as he hit the ground with the end of his staff. It was the staff in Clouded Sky''s hand that had just hit the Guard Commander. Of course, the staff itself was not your ordinary wooden staff. The wood used to craft it was just as hard as any steel and contained an unbelievable level of flexibility. The next moment, a light orange aura appeared around Astral Knight and Clouded Sky. The instant this aura epassed them, they felt as though they could break through anything in their path. Though this was not unusual considering the nature of this buff that originated from the third member of their Assault Group, Sanctity. Sanctity was one of the few support yers who were a part of the 9th Division and specialized in buff as well as cleansing magic. The skill she used on Astral Knight and Clouded Sky just now was called Untroubled Push, which allowed those affected to temporarily overwhelm anything they came into contact with, regardless of a difference in strength or force. That being said, the skill itself did have some limitations. For one, the range was notrge by any means. Also, if the gap in strength was too far apart, it was possible to ovee the skill. But, even though every in their Assault Group was in their level 40s while their opponent had already breached the level 50 barrier, Sanctity was not worried. That''s because they had a strong backer that always seemed to step in at just the right time. Surprisingly, this backer was not one of the Lieutenants of their 9th Division, nor was it their Captain. Rather, it was someone just like them who had only recently joined the 9th Division. But, it was not just this way for Sanctity''s Assault Group. Be it Assault Group C, Assault Group D, or even the yers who were facing the elite troops, they all had one thing inmon. Someone had been interfering at critical moments and prevented losses on several asions. And that person was none other than Bellum. Although Bellum was with Assault Group A, whose primary goal was the elimination of mages inside the carriage, Niflheim entrusted her with a second task. The task itself was one of the utmost simplicity. "Whenever you can protect a member of our Division, help them. I''m not asking you to fight their battles for them, but just to give them a slight push. Of course, if it''s too much to handle, then that''s fine, too."¡ªthese were the words Niflheim said to Bellum before their assault started. At first, Bellum was unsure why Niflheim would request such a thing from her. After all, their goal was the elimination of the mages. And, as one of themanders on this mission, it was his job to ensure their sess above all else. Besides, even if it were a somewhat heartless viewpoint, those who died would simply lose one of their event lives and respawn. This was a small price that many core members of the top guilds would have no problem paying if it meant they could further their own advancement. In other words, a calcted loss. However, Bellum discovered that the Lieutenants of this Division were not normal. It was not that the mission itself was unimportant to them. But why did it feel like the war objective itself was a secondary thought? Bellum felt as though they possessed on air about them that their sess was guaranteed. Overconfidence? Arrogance? These were the first two words that came to Bellum''s mind after her realization. But she quickly dismissed them. During their journey together, she had not witnessed either of those two traits from the Lieutenants. So then, what gave them such a high level of conviction? For this answer, Bellum came to one conclusion. Bellum''s gazended on Izroth in the distance, who was facing off against the Centurion. Meanwhile, because of Bellum''s actions, the yers started to, unknown to themselves, fight with greater confidence. This growth in confidence did not lead to an increase in recklessness. Instead, it made the yers of the 9th Division fight with greater unity. Up until this point, the 9th Division could only be considered a group of individual yers with personal ystyles that were all over the ce. Even though their teamwork was not bad for a newly formed force, it was still far from the average party''s ability to work together efficiently. However, this was not because the yers present were inexperienced with group y. Rather, it was because trusting a stranger with your back did note easy. In the end, they had a limited number of lives to lose in this event; therefore, everyst one of them was precious. How could they trust that the person next to them would not do whatever it took to save themselves at a crucial moment and leave their back exposed? This was something that lingered deep within the heart of many of the 9th Division yers. Though it was bing clearer with every passing second¡ªthe trust between the members of the 9th Division was finally beginning to reach levels of stability. As the 9th Division started to overwhelm the elite troops, Niflheim''s Assault Group took advantage of a gap in the Tempest troops'' battle formation. They cut through the opening and were quickly closing in on the carriage''s position. At the same time, one of the other Guard Commanders near the carriage shifted their gaze to Niflheim''s group. The Guard Commander was a young woman with tied-up silver hair, piercing emerald eyes, and a stunning appearance. She wore light battle armor that was easy to move around in but protected her vital areas and wielded two thin swords that released a natural cold aura from their des. "Want to touch the property of my Tempest kingdom while I am here? Ridiculous." The young woman said as she raised her hand into the air. There was a cold gaze in her eyes as she looked down from her warhorse that caused one to feel a natural chill. It was as if they were being cut by countless tiny des. Chapter 934 Mysterious Guard Commander Suddenly, the young woman red to her left side and swung out with her twin swords. The movement of the twin swords was so fast that relying on one''s eyes alone to follow them was out of the question. Bang! "What''s with this person...?! Are all the Guard Commanders this strong...?!" Revel muttered to himself under his breath as he was knocked back by the force of the young woman''s blow. Just now, Revel believed that he was taking advantage of the young woman''s brief moment of distraction; however, it turned out that she had never truly taken her sights off them. Revel was a part of Assault Group C along with Love Mist and Benevolent Tea. Love Mist was a magic caster, and Benevolent Tea was one of the few support-type sses in the 9th Division. Therefore, they worked well together with Revel, who was a close-range fighter. "Revel, don''t attack her head-on! We have to create an opening before you strike! Until then, just focus on defense!" Love Mist warned. "Damn it..! Alright, I got it!" Revel responded in a frustrated tone as he retreated back a couple of meters. So far, it seemed that no matter what approach they took against this young woman from Tempest, it was impossible tond a solid hit on her. Not to mention, the speed of those twin swords she wielded was too fast! If not for the fact that Benevolent Tea granted Revel a protective barrier before his attack just now, he may have been immediately cut down in one go. In addition, there was a terrifying and cold auraing from the young woman that the other Guard Commanders did not seem to possess. This increased the pressure of going against her to the point that it felt suffocating. "Fulgencio, stop wasting time and take care of them. If we are dyed because of this contingent''s ipetence, what face will my Tempest kingdom have left?" The young woman stated. She then continued, "I shall personally see to the protection of the carriage." Out of nowhere, a thickyer of ck smoke rushed out at the young woman before circling around her. "As if we''ll just allow you to do as you please." Love Mist said as she held the simple wand in her hand forward. The wand was the source of the ck smoke and came from one of Love Mist''s skills called Dark Smoke Tomb. The skill allowed her to conjure a stream of ck smoke that, when inhaled, caused enemies to be trapped in an illusion. Simultaneously, it lowered their overall sense of perception and slowly ate away at their natural defenses. Unless one knew of the skill''s effects beforehand, it was incredibly difficult to counter¡ªeven if one possessed a skill that removed negative effects. And this was due to another effect of Dark Smoke Tomb called Chained Fantasy. This made it so that as long as an enemy used a skill that removed negative effects while under the effects of Dark Smoke Tomb, its cooldown time would triple. However, the most terrifying thing was that Dark Smoke Tomb would automatically activate again and ce them under the effects a second time without their knowledge. It was as though one were dragged beneath twoyers of illusions, and if they broke the firstyer, the consequences would be even greater. This is why the skill was so challenging to ovee unless one had some foreknowledge of its effects. At least, that''s how it was supposed to be. "I can only keep her trapped for fifteen seconds at most! Revel, you-" Love Mist called out; however, before she could finish her words, a cold sword intent swept past her. In the blink of an eye, the thick ck smoke was blown away and dispersed. At the same time, Love Mist''s eyes widened in shock as she felt cold sweats run down her back. "Love Mist!" Revel shouted with concern; however, he was just as shocked as Love Mist by what had just transpired. "That''s...!" Benevolent Tea gasped as she saw the object that rushed past Love Mist. BANG! Neeeeigh! As the object flew right past Love Mist, it headed toward the young woman on the warhorse, who intercepted it with her twin swords crossed. The object was a long metal rod roughly 1.5 meters in length. But, rather than a normal metal rod, it more so resembled a rough spear with its pointed tip. Those who had not seen it before would think that it was just that¡ªa spear. However, those of the 9th Division knew exactly where this "metal rod" came from. Though instead of a metal rod, it was more urate to call it arge arrow. When therge metal arrow collided with the young woman''s twin swords, it spun with a vicious rotation that made it resemble a drill of sorts. This caused her warhorse to be pushed back several meters and showed no signs of slowing down. "It would appear that we have another rat hiding in the forest. To believe this little surprise attack is enough to take me down¡ªinsolent." The young woman said with a cold gaze as the aura around her surged. Crash! The next moment, after losing a great deal of its momentum, therge arrow was knocked toward the ground by the young woman as she received a new surge of power. The young woman managed to sessfully deflect the attack; however, she narrowed her eyes as she looked down at her slightly trembling hands. "Hmph." The young woman let out a light scoff as she tightened her grip on her twin swords and controlled the aura around herself, which caused the trembling in her hands to cease. But, there was a sharp glint that appeared in her eyes as her gaze wandered deep into the forest from the direction therge arrow had emerged. If that arrow had appeared even half a secondter, Love Mist would have been cut down by the young woman''s sword intent just now! ... "She managed to block it? This is unexpected." Menerva said to herself as she stood in front of her giant bow stationed into the ground. At the moment, Menerva was located roughly fifty meters away from the sh taking ce between the 9th Division and the Tempest contingent. Just a few moments ago, she fired off a shot and set it on a path that would not only assist in eliminating one of the Guard Commanders but also lend a hand to one of the Assault Groups, all the while targeting the carriage. In other words, she attempted to aplish three goals with one shot. However, while she was able to assist one of the Assault Groups, the other two goals had unexpectedly fallen t. Though this was no fault of Menerva''s. What she did not know was that the Guard Commander she aimed for was not your typical Tempest Guard Commander. And she quickly pieced this together the instant her arrow was intercepted and deflected. "Lieutenant Niflheim may not be aware of their presence. Just in case, I shall properly inform him." Menerva said as she switched over to voice chat while preparing her next arrow. ... Meanwhile... "DIE!" Aloysius roared as a heavyyer of killing intent bombarded Izroth while the Centurion swung downward with his battle axe, disying a terrifying wave of strength. BANG! Izroth sessfully parried the battle axe''s blow; however, the force of the strike was enough to knock him back several meters. ''What freakish brute strength. It''s not quite on the same level as that guy, but it''s certainly above that of your average Centurion. I can see why one of the Ten Beast Guardians fell under cia''s assault.'' With his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat, there were not many people Izroth hade across that could contest him with brute strength alone, let alone overwhelm him. Hakros was from the Wild Lands and possessed a special bloodline; therefore, his monstrous strength came naturally. But, the person in front of Izroth did not appear to be from the Wild Lands. Nor did they seem to be anything particrly special about them. However, for some reason, the force behind this person''s blows was enough to send him backward. If not for having his Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway active and reducing iing parry damage by 100%, Izroth would have received a great deal of damage. Chapter 935 Not A Man Without Reason Bang! Aloysius stationed his battle axe in front of him with its de to the ground as his hands rested on the handle. This was apanied by a fierce gaze in his eyes as the aura around him seemed to be more refined. "This group was able to slip in between the gap left by the main group and set up an ambush. There are a few skilled ones among them, but the elite troops of my Tempest kingdom will not sumb to their enemies so readily. It''s two pesky things I''m annoyed with right now, the first of which is that person hiding deep in the forest whounched that dangerous attack not too long ago. As for the second..." Aloysius thought to himself as his sight locked onto Izroth. "Despite your poorck of judgment, I''vee to hold you in some regard. You are the first person in many years to survive this long under the onught of Protervus. Under normal circumstances, I may have been willing to let you walk away with your life out of pure astonishment. Unfortunately, you''ve chosen a moment where this luxury is not avable to you." Aloysius stated solemnly. He then continued, "However, I am not a man without reason. Surrender and tell me who put you up to this little farce. Do this, and while I cannot guarantee that you keep your life, I will put in a good word to the duchess on your behalf." ''Oh? He isn''t as headstrong as I thought.'' Given the other party''s aggressive personality, Izroth did not expect Aloysius to make such an offer. Of course, he had no intention of epting something so absurd. Nheless, it was still surprising. "Interesting; it just so happens that I, too, am not a man without reason. Our only targets are the mages in the carriage under your protection. Surrender them, and I won''t mind letting you and the rest of your soldiers leave this ce alive." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. "How bold! You have a potential path to life, yet you turn away from it! Since you wish to perish so badly, so be it!" Aloysius roared as he once again brandished his battle axe. Aloysius charged forward and once again became entangled in an intense battle with Izroth. As the two shed, Assault Group A, which contained Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion, finally managed to get within striking distance of the carriage. "Stop them!" Fulgencio shouted as he witnessed Niflheim''s group approach the carriage. However, the moment the Guard Commander himself attempted to change directions, his path was quickly blocked by Astral Knight. "Where do you think you''re going?!" Astral Knight bellowed as he rushed a skill called Enemy Intercept to instantly position himself between Fulgencio and the path to the carriage. "Irritating welp...! I''ve had just about enough of your interference! Out of the way!" Fulgencio growled as he punched out with his right fist at Astral Knight. The gauntlet on Fulgencio''s right hand exploded with a newfound destructive force as it crashed down on Astral Knight, who blocked his path. Astral Knight braced himself. He raised his shield and prepared to take Fulgencio''s attack head-on. At the same time, the light orange aura around him changed to a deep red. This was, of course, Sanctity''s doing. Unlike the light orange aura that improved the quality of one''s attacks and allowed them to prate through tough defenses, the deep red aura improved the defensive capabilities of those under its influence. BANG! Fulgencio''s fist mmed into Astral Knight''s shield and immediately forced him back several steps. However, it did not stop there as a small series of explosions erupted not even a full second after Fulgencio''s attacknded. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! In terms of raw power, these explosions were not life-threatening to a tank like Astral Knight by any means. But, the true terror of these explosionsy in the destructive energy they carried over. Each time an explosion rang out, Astral Knight could feel the shield''s integrity in his hand weakening. It was as if it were being continuously bombarded by an invisible force and only grew stronger with every waking moment. Crrrrck! "What?!" Astral Knight''s gasped as his eyes widened in shock. Due to the ovepping waves of destruction, the shield in Astral Knight''s hands started to form cracks throughout its surface! "Damn it...!" Astral Knight muttered under his breath. The shield in his possession was a rare-quality shield that had taken him a great deal of effort to get his hands on. The cost of repairing something like that was by no means cheap; however, he simply grit his teeth and endured. He also reminded himself of Izroth''s words about being rewarded as long as they performed well. Needless to say, stopping a Guard Commander here would certainly count for something. That''s why Astral Knight''s only focus right now was not letting Fulgencio reach Niflheim''s group! "You aren''t going anywhere!!!" Astral Knight shouted as he gained an explosive burst of power. Crash! In the blink of an eye, Astral Knight overpowered Fulgencio, striking the Guard Commander with his shield and knocking him back several meters. "I won''t lose to the likes of you!" Astral Knight stated; however, his voice sounded somewhat different than usual. In addition, his eyes had turned blood red, and it looked as though he had been driven to a state of madness. This was due to a skill unique to Astral Knight''s ss called Last Call To Madness. It worked on a simr principle to Izroth''s Reign of Oblivion skill. The longer it remained active, the more stacks of madness Astral Knight would incur. The more he incurred, the greater the chances of him losing control to the point where he could even potentially injure his own allies! However, in return, Astral Knight received a massive boost to his overall stats, ignored all crowd control effects, and would take reduced damage from iing enemy attacks. Nheless, it was not a state Astral Knight could keep under control for long; therefore, he wanted to end the fight as soon as possible. After all, once he deactivated the skill, there would be a brief window of time where he would be left in a state ofplete vulnerability. "Clouded Sky, Sanctity--we''re ending this now!" Astral Knight roared. "Yes!" Clouded Sky and Sanctity called out in unison. Meanwhile, Niflheim and Champion positioned themselves next to Bellum by the carriage. Without hesitation, Niflheim swung his sword out at the carriage in full force. Ding! Ooooooom! Woosh! Just before Niflheim''s de could reach the carriage, it was stopped by a thin yet sturdy veil of mana. Uponing into contact with this veil of mana, a humming sound was released as Niflheim''s arm trembled before being forcibly blown away from the carriage. "Yeah, I figured it wouldn''t be that easy," Niflheim muttered to himself as he quickly recovered his stance. "There''s a powerful magic barrier protecting the carriage. Bellum, you''re up. Champion, you''ll be standing guard with me. Do not let even a single hair on her head get touched, understood?" Niflheim stated calmly as he maintained a high level of vignce. "Y-yeah!" Champion said as he raised his greatsword and became incredibly tense. He knew that being assigned to Assault Group A along with Niflheim and Bellum would be a high-pressure situation; therefore, he had mentally prepared himself. But, despite his mental preparation, the pressure was a lot greater than he initially imagined. Their Captain was fighting head-on against a Centurion whose strength he could not even grasp, the other Assault Groups were giving it their all to keep the Guard Commanders in check, and the rest of the 9th Division were fighting their hearts out against the elite troops of Tempest. This was all so that, ultimately, his group could eliminate the mages inside the carriage. If they failed, everyone''s hard work would go down the drain. So, when all those thoughts caught up to Champion upon reaching the carriage, needless to say, he felt somewhat overwhelmed by the immense pressure on his shoulders as a member of Assault Group A. Pat! "?!" Champion jumped as he felt something tap against his shoulder; however, he quickly rxed once he realized that it was just Niflheim''s hand. "Breath, Champion. I can tell that you have a lot of thoughts floating through your head. However, don''t think about useless things. Your sole mission right now is to protect Bellum. Everything else is irrelevant. Besides, for guys like the two of us, the more we overthink things, the more stupid we be." Niflheim said with a light grin as he removed his hand from Champion''s shoulder. Chapter 936 Individual Goals, Report Champion pondered Niflheim''s words before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "That''s right. All I need to do is focus on my goal just like everyone else in the 9th Division. I won''t be a burden!" Champion thought to himself. "Thank you, Lieutenant Niflheim. I won''t disappoint you." Champion said with a newfound calmness and a look of rity in his eyes. When Niflheim saw the change in Champion''s demeanor, he gave a small nod of approval. Simultaneously, Bellum had already started to work on breaking through the magic barrier around the carriage. "Hm... It''s stronger than I thought. Not only is it a magic barrier, but it''s crossed with a magic formation. Tempest must have poured a small fortune into the protection of this carriage. It is virtually impossible to break within a short period of time." Bellummented. "Are you telling me you can''t break it in time? They''ve probably already sent the signal for reinforcements, so we don''t have much time to waste." Niflheim inquired with furrowed brows. "I can disable the magic barrier portion within a few breaths; however, my understanding of magic formations is only at the basic to intermediate levels. Since this is undoubtedly an advanced-level magic formation or higher, I will have to improvise. It''ll take me anywhere between five to ten minutes to get through it." Bellum responded. "Five to ten minutes... You''ll be cutting it close. But we have no other choice. Don''t worry about your safety and focus on disabling the carriage''s protections. We''ll make sure no one interrupts you." Niflheim stated. "Then, I leave my back to you, Lieutenant Niflheim," Bellum said as she had already started the process of breaking through the magic barrier on the carriage. At the same time, Niflheim turned his gaze to one of the shes going on nearby. It was the fight between Assault Group C and the mysterious female Guard Commander. Not long ago, Niflheim received a message from Menerva warning him about one of the Tempest Guard Commanders; however, all he could do was tell those facing that person to use additional caution. "It would be nice if we had some reinforcements to send their way, but if Menerva''s right, then there''s no one else we can send in the 9th Division that wouldn''t simply be in the way." Niflheim thought to himself. Against strong opponents, one could not simply hope to overwhelm them with numbers. After all, no matter how many ants tried to confront a zing sun, they would never be able to ovee it. Menerva carefully selected the members of each Assault Group from among those with the most potential and synergy in the 9th Division. Everyone else was too far behind to face someone like a Tempest Guard Commander, especially one Menerva considered to be an anomaly. "In the end, defeating a few Guard Commanders is not our purpose here. So long as we take care of things over here..." Niflheim thought as his gaze suddenly sharpened. "Stop what you''re doing at once!" One of the Tempest elite soldiers shouted as he charged toward Niflheim''s group. Despite being heavily wounded, the elite soldier slipped away from one of the 9th Division members and immediately redirected his attention to Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion. "I''ll leave this one to you, Champion," Niflheim said calmly. Champion tightened his grip on the greatsword in his hands, and without responding, he stepped forward directly onto the path of the iing Tempest elite soldier. When the Tempest soldier witnessed Champion''s actions, he seemed to gain even more momentum now that someone was attempting to obstruct his charge. The Tempest soldier pushed forward with his spear andshed out with a strong and precise thrust aimed at Champion''s neck! With one smooth motion, as the spear approached him, Champion swung downward with his greatsword. This action took the Tempest elite soldier by surprise and also caused them to see Champion as an unskillful fool. With a single nce, it was clear to the Tempest soldier that his spear would long reach its target before that clunky greatsword came anywhere near him. Without a doubt, it was his victory. However, just as the Tempest soldier was assured of his imminent victory, something happened that caused him to second-guess the reality in front of him. "What is this?" The Tempest soldier was at a loss for words and shaken as he realized the spear in his hands seemed to be slowing down. No, to be more precise, it was as if it were getting further away from its target! Woosh! In the blink of an eye, the spear reached its maximum range. But, against the Tempest soldier''s expectations, it stopped more than half a meter short of its intended target¡ªit came nowhere close to hitting Champion''s neck! "Eh? I missed by this much? What-" The Tempest soldier was left momentarily frozen by his massive blunder. He was an elite soldier handpicked by the Centurion for this escort mission, and he made such an amateur mistake. However, what the Tempest soldier remained unaware of was that the mistake was not one of his own doing. As Niflheim observed the sh between Champion and the Tempest soldier, a light smile appeared on his face. "I wasn''t mistaken after all. She must have seen it as well back in the Cave Mortem Monsoon. This guy... His ss isn''t simple." Niflheim thought to himself as he watched the events unfold. Shiiing! "?!" Out of nowhere, the Tempest soldier felt his entire body tremble as his view was blocked out by the sight of a giant greatsword. But, before the Tempest soldier could react, he found his body had been cleanly cleaved in two. Champion released a deep breath as the Tempest soldier''s body turned to particles. For anyone who just observed the conflict from an outside perspective, it would seem that the Tempest soldier made an unforgivable blunder by misjudging the distance between himself and Champion. Then, taking advantage of that misjudgment, Championnded a finishing blow. However, it was just as Niflheim suspected¡ªChampion did not have your typical warrior-type ss. Rather, it was a rare warrior-type ss called the Wayward diator. The Wayward diator has strong attack potential and above-average defensive capabilities; however, the most frightening thing about this ss was one of its main skills, a passive called Meadow of the Wayward. Those who targeted Champion within a certain range would experience something akin to dysmetria. This impaired their ability to correctly judge distances and made it increasingly difficult for them to have coordinated movements. And, the longer a battle progressed, the more apparent and widespread these effects would be to the point that it would no longer matter if they were targeting Champion or not. This is why Menerva assigned Champion to Assault Group A along with Niflheim and Bellum. If for whatever reason, they ever came under heavy assault, it would give them enough breathing room to react without being outright overwhelmed. Crrrck! Not long after Champion defeated the Tempest soldier, the sound of something cracking and shattering came from the carriage as the protections around it shook. "I''ve destroyed the magic barrier. I will now begin on the magic formation." Bellum said without turning her attention away from the carriage. ... A few moments ago... "Report! I have an urgent report for the duchess!" A man dressed in Tempest soldier armor called out as he sped ahead on horseback to the front of arge moving group. This group was the main force being sent from Tempest and led by cia to assist at the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Halt!" Two of the soldiers on horseback yelled as they blocked the soldier''s path by crossing their spears. Neeeeigh! The soldier pulled the reigns on his warhorse and almost fell over from having his path obstructed; however, he quickly regained himself. "I have an urgent report for the duchess! You must let me through immediately!" The Tempest soldier urged. "Hmph! You dare to approach ourdy on horseback? Audacious! Besides, what qualifications do you have to meet with our-" One of the Tempest men who blocked the soldier''s path scolded. But, before he could finish his scolding, a calm yet cold voice sounded from the other side, "Let him through." "Y-yes, mydy." The Tempest men lowered their spears without question and immediately made way for the Tempest soldier. The Tempest soldier swallowed nervously as they dismounted from their warhorse and approached on foot. However, the moment they came within five meters of the woman at the head of the group, the Tempest soldier was ovee with an indescribable chill. He did not even dare look the woman in her eyes as he fell to one of his knees with his gaze directed at the ground. "If I recall correctly, you are one of Centurion Aloysius'' men, Cosmin. Tell me, what is so urgent that you must speak with me directly and halt our march?" cia said without averting her gaze. Chapter 937 A Clock In Motion, A Showing Hand "?!" The Tempest soldier, Cosmin, was surprised by cia remembered the name of someone like him who was a nobody in her eyes. "D-Duchess, it is an honor that you remember this lowly one''s name. My apologies for interrupting the duchess, but I have a report from the separate contingent in our distant rear. ording to the signal sent from their end, they havee under attack and are currently engaging in battle against an unknown enemy force that numbers less than fifty men." Cosmin exined. "Eh? Who''s stupid enough to attack a separate contingent? Is he sure it came from the Centurion?" One of the nearby Tempest soldiersmented. "Idiot, there''s no way that Centurion Aloysius would send a false report." "But, there shouldn''t be any need for concern. After all, it''s that Centurion Aloysius we''re talking about here. Like hell he''d fall to something like a mere ambush." "Silence," cia said casually; however, this casual word was enough to immediately silence everyone with haste. cia remained quiet for a moment as if she were in deep thought. She then called out, "Prisca." "I am here, mydy." A voice sounded in response. But, this voice seemed to have no point of origin, and one could not tell the identity of its owner. "Take fifty men and make your way over to assist Centurion Aloysius," cia stated. "If it is just to assist Centurion Aloysius, I alone am enough, mydy." The voice replied. "Have you forgotten who else is present among the separate contingent? Their safety, along with the mages in escort, must note to any harm. I will not take any chances. You have your orders; see that you carry them out." ciamanded. "Yes, mydy." The voice sounded before fading into the winds. "You may return to your unit," cia said unhurriedly. "U-understood, duchess." The Tempest soldier gave a respectful salute before returning to his warhorse and making his way back toward his unit. "We shall continue our march into Malentansium," cia ordered as she was the first to begin moving again. "Yes!" The soldiers cried out in unison as the entire main group resumed their journey. ... BANG! Aloysius slid back several meters before he managed to regain his bnce. As he came to a halt, Aloysius narrowed his eyes with a darkened expression as a bit of blood trickled down the side of his mouth. "How is it possible that I''m losing in terms of strength?" Aloysius thought to himself as he nced down at the battle axe in his hands. Just a moment ago, Aloysius was overwhelming Izroth with his power to the point that he could not receive one of his attacks head-on without being knocked back. But, not too long ago, it was as if Izroth hade into a second wind of strength, and Aloysius found himself actually being pushed back! Aloysius, who was always used to holding the advantage of strength over his opponents, was left momentarily stunned by this situation. However, the fact that Aloysius became suddenly overpowered by Izroth was not some random phenomenon. Izroth utilized the passive from his Ring of the Ancient Colossus, Strength of the Ancient Colossus. This temporarily increased his Might stat and the effects it brought about by 100%. Since the Might stat worked in perfect synergy with the Earthly Golden Bones passive from Izroth''s Heavenly Golden Body, it was not as simple as one plus one equals two. As a result, Aloysius quickly found himself on the backfoot of Izroth''s assault. ''I only have a bit under thirty seconds left until Strength of the Ancient Colossuses to an end. If I want to thoroughly defeat him here, it will require a bit more effort on my part. Though, at this point, it appears we''re both waiting for the same thing.'' Izroth could tell that Aloysius had not gone all out. What gave this away was ack of desperation often seen in those who were backed into a corner with no way out. So far, Izroth had not gotten such a feeling from Aloysius. This meant that the Tempest Centurion had yet to disy the full hand at his disposal. Before it reached that point, Izroth knew that Aloysius was probably waiting for the same thing as him¡ªwhich side would be the first to tip the scales in their favor. Once the answer to this question became clear, a clock would start for one side and would determine which of the two was faced with reaching that point of desperation. From the beginning, Izroth and the 9th Division were ced at an automatic disadvantage since they had a separate clock in the form of the inevitable Tempest reinforcements. Therefore, the worst-case scenario for the 9th Division would be that another clock starts as soon as the other is finished. Meaning they could not afford to be here when the reinforcements from the main group arrived. On the other hand, Izroth also viewed this as an invaluable experience for the 9th Division. After all, it was not every day that they would get to undergo this kind of high-stakes, high-pressure situation. These conditions were ideal for expediting one''s growth and unlocking theirtent potential. This was even more so considering the 9th Division was still freshly formed. Nevertheless, even though Izroth understood this was a good opportunity for the 9th Division''s development, he did not lose sight of the bigger picture. Izroth kicked off his back foot and pressed forward with a rain of sword strikes against Aloysius. He did not give the Centurion a single moment to catch his breath as he continued to push him back with every blow. However, Aloysius was a battle-hardened individual and safeguarded his vital points. This prevented Izroth fromnding any critical hits despite several of his attacks breaking through the Centurion''s defenses. Izroth, "Is your group having a problem with the protections surrounding the carriage?" Izroth casually spoke over voice chat without halting his offensive barrage against Aloysius. Niflheim, "Yeah, we ran into a little trouble on our end. ording to Bellum, it was not just a magic barrier protecting the carriage but also a magic formation that''s at least at the advanced level. She''s already managed to disable the magic barrier and is currently working on finding a way past the magic formation. She said it should take five to ten minutes. Though we just approached the five-minute mark a few seconds ago." ''Oh? A magic formation that''s at least at the advanced level? I suppose that exins the strange aura mixed in with the magic barrier I sensed earlier. That being said, can she disable a magic formation that powerful within such a short frame of time?'' Izroth had some knowledge regarding magic formations in RML. ording to the books he read, a magic formation had a total of five levels. From lowest to highest, the levels went Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, and Pinnacle. The Endless Sword Blossom Array magic formation Izroth received as a reward after saving the Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina, was an Expert-level magic formation¡ªjust one step shy of reaching Pinnacle. Magic formations possess numerous sub-types, from attack-based to illusions or even recovery. They were incredibly versatile. However, the resources required to set up a magic formation were astronomical. It was not something most yers could afford to dabble in, let alone own the means to deploy. "Enough!" Aloysius'' voice boomed as an explosive crimson aura erupted from his body. Izroth retreated several meters just beforehand to avoid being swept away under the sudden emergence of Aloysius'' aura. ''It looks like he finally decided to show his hand.'' At the moment, Aloysius looked furious to an almost frenzied point. However, he had not lost his mind or gone berserker as one would think. This was merely a byproduct of his true power feared by those who faced him on the battlefield. "This farce has gone on long enough! Now that it hase to this point, none of you can dream of leaving this ce alive!" Aloysius roared as a stream of white smoke flowed from his mouth. At the same time, the battle axe in the Centurion''s hands turned pitch-ck and became epassed by a thinyer of crimson aura as a potent wave of killing intent poured over the surroundings. This caused many of the 9th Division members, and even those on the Centurion''s side, to feel a heavy air of oppression fall upon them. NPC Name: Centurion of the 10th Tempest Legion, Aloysius(Epic -> ???) NPC Level: 62 -> ??? NPC HP: ??? (100% -> 49.28%) Chapter 938 Ranazera While there was not much change the Aloysius'' physical appearance outside the bloodthirsty look in his eyes, the entire atmosphere around him underwent a drastic shift. It was no longer like that of a Tempest Centurion. Instead, it was as if one were suddenly face-to-face with a terrifying warrior of carnage. Though the aura around Aloysius was not the only shocking event to take ce. Surprisingly, Assault Group D consisting of ded Conscious, Heartless Jade, and Knightmare, were able to take down the Guard Commander they were facing. Despite being rtive strangers to one another, the teamwork between the three flowed naturally and seemed to click almost immediately. As a result, they were the first of the Assault Groups tasked with eliminating a Guard Commander that seeded. Assault Group D''s victory was just in time as Assault Group C was struggling to simply stay alive against the mysterious Guard Commander. No matter how much Revel, Love Mist, and Benevolent Tea tried, they could not gain an upper hand against her. There were also multiple close calls in which one of them almost lost their life. Forget an attempted counterattack, it was challenging just staying alive! That''s why once Assault Group Dpleted their battle, Niflheim ordered them to aid Assault Group C in handling their target. But, even with another assault group lending a hand, they were still unable to suppress their opponent. As for Assault Group B, made up of Astral Knight, Clouded Sky, and Sanctity¡ªthe three finally seeded in finding a good rhythm after a rough start. Their earlier struggles were mostly due to the unique effect of Guard Commander Fulgencio''s gauntlets. Because of the pulses of destructive waves the gauntlets emitted, it was difficult to attack Fulgencio head-on without paying a hefty price. Also, the Guard Commander''sbat experience was abundant, which made it a simple task for him to take advantage of the assault group''s fractured teamwork. However, once Assault Group B got used to Fulgencio''s attack patterns and improved their timing, the Guard Commander swiftly found himself on the opposite end of his previous experiences. Now, he was the one being suppressed and could barely keep up with the assault group''s smooth chain of attacks. Even the elite Tempest troops were finding it a mountainous task to endure the 9th Division''s offensive strike. In fact, more than half of the elite troops had already been eliminated. It was clear that if things continued down this path, the separate contingent would be backed into a corner with nowhere to run, and they would be wiped out! Swoosh! Swoosh! Using her twin swords, the mysterious Guard Commander swept outward in a circr motion. Each strike produced apressed wave of sword intent that rushed out from the edge of her des. This forced all six members of the 9th Division confronting her to retreat several steps. "This is crazy...! Why does this person feel so much stronger than the other Guard Commander we fought...?!" ded Consciousmented. "Yeah, I''m surprised Assault Group C managed to hang on this long by themselves." Heartless Jade stated with furrowed brows. "Well, Love Mist was the one who suggested we switch our focus to pure defense and survival until help arrives, so we''ve been doing that the entire time. But, even with the three of you here, we still can''t find an opportunity tounch a counterattack..!" Revel sighed. "Then, if our two groups are still not enough, I guess we will just have to wait until Assault Group B finishes up on their end. With three Assault Groups working together, I refuse to believe that we still cannot gain an upper hand." Love Mist stated in a slightly frustrated tone. "A useless bunch. Even if they survive, I will personally see to it that their punishment is not light." The mysterious Guard Commander said to herself as her gaze swept over those who remained of her allies. She set her sights on Fulgencio, who was still struggling against Assault Group B, before her eyes ultimatelynded on Centurion Aloysius. "I thought Fulgencio would prove to be of some use, but it seems that I overestimated his capabilities. Well, it matters not. Now that Centurion Aloysius has gotten serious, it will not be long until this matter is settled. Still, it is irritating¡ªthe look in their eyes that believe they have a chance to oppose me." The mysterious Guard Commander contemted as she saw the fierce gazes of the 9th Division members. "As I thought... This identity as a simple Guard Commander is too inadequate. Even a group like this dares to look down on me." The mysterious Guard Commander said as she reached toward her wrist and removed a small transparent style bracelet. The instant she performed this action, her whole body was covered by dark purple energy. "Something''s happening! Be on guard!" Revel warned. Of course, even without him saying anything, the others knew that the Guard Commander was preparing to make a big move. But, against their expectations, the attack they were waiting for never came. "What''s going on? Why didn''t anything happen?" ded Conscious frowned. "No, something did happen. Look, her appearance has changed. And that''s not all." Love Mist said as a troubled expression appeared on her face. "This is much better. Wearing this thing is always a bit stuffy. Although Duchess cia forbade me from removing it while outside her presence, it will not be an issue as long as I eliminate everyone here." The Guard Commander stated. Immediately after removing that transparent bracelet, the aura epassing her transformed from a steady sharpness to a bottomless abyss. If one stared into the abyss for too long, they would feel like they were being cut into thousands of pieces with no way to defend themselves. Though that''s not all that changed about this Guard Commander as her silver hair was now azure in color, and her emerald eyes turned silver. However, what stood out the most about her now was the birthmark of a swirling vortex of wind that resembled a typhoon located at the center of her forehead. "Hey... Are you serious right now?" Revelmented as the new system information for the Guard Commander revealed itself. NPC Name: Ranazera Tempest, Sixth Princess of the Fourth Kingdom Tempest(???) NPC Level: ??? ''Hm? This aura...'' When Ranazera removed the transparent bracelet around her wrist, Izroth instantly detected the shift in her aura. He also took note of the change in her appearance. That hair color and symbol in between her forehead¡ªhe had seen them before and knew exactly what they represented. ''To think a member of the Tempest royal family would be here. It''s no wonder I felt something was off about her when I used my Energy Vision Sense.'' This was not Izroth''s first time meeting a member of the Tempest royal family. When he saw Ranazera, he was immediately reminded of the man who entrusted him with the mind beads to deliver to the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia. A man who died and betrayed his kingdom for the sake of the Mortal Realm. A man who would undoubtedly be forever marked as a traitor in the eyes of his kingdom and family. That man was, of course, the Second Prince of the Tempest Kingdom, Robinarzin Tempest. While Izroth escorted the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan after being invited to the quest by Mirage, Robinarzin Tempest was disguised as the vice-leader of the Silver Hawk Merchants. In order to hide his true identity, the second prince used a transparent bracelet to alter his appearance and hide his strength. Izroth figured Ranazera must have used something simr to escape the gaze of his Energy Vision Sense. As for why she chose to hide her identity, Izroth could think of a multitude of reasons. But, what he was most curious about was why a princess of Tempest was acting as a part of a separate contingent. Unlike the royal families of most kingdoms, the Tempest royal family did not hold the absolute highest authority. Instead, the Emperor''s power was checked by two groups¡ªthe Council and the Senate. There were only two members of the Council; however, there were over three hundred members of the Senate! The Senate represented the people''s will, while the Council represented the will of the noble households. As for the Emperor, naturally, they represented their own beliefs as well as that of the royal family. But, Izroth discovered that in recent years, the bnce of power had begun to shift in favor of the Emperor and the royal family. Chapter 939 Differing Mindsets At first, the reason for this was unclear. However, after discovering the rtionship between Tempest and the Shadahi, it did not take long for Izroth to connect the dots. Without a doubt, the Emperor and the royal family were using the power of the Shadahi to increase their strength and influence in Tempest. If that were truly the case, then there was no way the Council and the entire Senate would be on board as they watched the bnce of power shift before their eyes. ''Tempest may look united from an outside perspective; however, there has to be a great deal of internal strife going on behind the scenes. If it''s like that, our enemy may not be Tempest itself but the Emperor and royal family.'' "You dare to let your mind wander before me?" Aloysius growled. In a sh, Izroth found himself faced with Aloysius'' battle axe! ¡´Battle Alert: The effect ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus? has ended!¡µ Just as Izroth brought his Sword of the Storm to meet Aloysius'' battle axe, the effects of his Strength of the Ancient Colossus reached its end, reducing his Might back to its previous value. BANG! Izroth sessfully parried Aloysius'' blow; however, the difference in strength was made abundantly clear as he was sent sliding back several meters after their weapons met! Izroth nced down at his hands and noticed they were slightly trembling after shing with Aloysius head-on. Though it did not take long for him to steady himself and the shaking to cease. ''The strength behind his blows has increased again.'' Even if his Strength of the Ancient Colossus had not ended, Izroth still believed that Aloysius would have held a slight advantage in terms of physical strength. Without the Strength of the Ancient Colossus, Izroth knew that he would have to change his approach, especially considering Aloysius'' strength was not the only thing that improved. The Centurion''s speed also saw a significant rise, and the battle intent contained within his battle axe could cause one to be swept away if they were not careful. Zeeeeut! Without wasting a moment, Aloysius did not wait for Izroth toe to halt before following up with his next strike. Woosh! Aloysius swung the battle axe in his hand as the weapon released a terrifying roar that rang throughout the surroundings. This was apanied by a ck and crimson aura that exploded forth,pletely leveling the area in front of the Centurion. BOOM! Rmmmble! The ground shook as Aloysius'' attack generated several tremors and caused arge cloud of dust to kick up as the ck and crimson aura faded. A few momentster, the cloud of dust settled and revealed the entire forested area thirty meters out from Aloysius had been razed to the ground. In addition, Izroth, who was at the head of the attack, was nowhere to be seen. When the yers from the 9th Division felt and witnessed Aloysius'' power, it sent a wave of cold sweat down their backs. Even though they were not facing him directly, the members of the 9th Division could feel the threatening aura leaking from the Centurion that made them want to instinctually retreat. "Hey... Is the Captain alright after something like that?" ded Conscious asked with furrowed brows. "I know our Captain''s pretty strong, but this is a Centurion we''re talking about. Maybe some of us should help him out." Heartless Jademented. "I agree. We can''t let the Captain fall here." ded Conscious chimed in. "That''s not possible. If it was a few moments ago, it may have been an option; however... If even one of us leaves right now, it won''t take us long to fall apart." Love Mist stated seriously. "So, what? We''re just supposed to let the Captain suffer alone? How can you be so cold?!" ded Conscious scowled. Although he had not been a part of the 9th Division for long, ded Conscious fully epted his ce as one of its people. ded Conscious was incredibly grateful after receiving Izroth''s kindness. For someone like him who could not afford to casually buy something like a grade-three pill, the rewards Izroth provided just for simply joining the 9th Division were like hitting the jackpot. ded Conscious was a person who believed in loyalty and returning a favor gained several times in kind. Therefore, when Love Mist seemed to coldly dismiss assisting Izroth, naturally, ded Conscious was upset. Love Mist released a small sigh as she inwardly shook her head at ded Conscious'' reaction. "Think logically for a second. If the Captain really needed help, who do you think would be the first person to rush to his side?" Love Mist remarked. When Love Mist said those words, the other five members of the 9th Division found their gaze all drifting toward the same person. Despite themotion caused by Izroth and Aloysius'' sh, that person stood calmly by the carriage without the slightest hint of concern on his face. Of course, this person was Niflheim. Seeing Niflheim''s calm demeanor, the others immediately understood Love Mist''s point of view. Indeed, if Izroth were in any real danger, then wouldn''t Lieutenant Niflheim be the first person to rush to his side? Or, at the very least, wouldn''t he show some kind of panic or concern? Yet, neither of those things came to pass. So, if Niflheim was not worried about it, then what reason did they have to stress over it? "We need to ce our trust in the Captain and Assault Group A. Right now, our mission is to ensure that we do not allow her to interfere by whatever means necessary. We must not grow reckless and be the reason why the 9th Division fails this war objective! We willplete the task given to us!" Love Mist stated as her gaze locked onto Ranazera. Unlike ded Conscious, Love Mist did not believe that she owed Izroth or the 9th Division anything except a reasonable effort on her behalf. After all, it was through her own efforts that she passed the test to join the 9th Division and rightfully earned the rewards that came along with it. However, there was a specific reason why Menerva chose Love Mist to join her squadron. It was not due to her sense of loyalty orbat prowess but rather Love Mist''s ability to calmly assess a situation and make a quick and solid judgment call ordingly. Loyalty was something that could be slowly earned, and one''sbat prowess in RML remained one of the simplest things to improve, as it merely required time and effort. But, the ability to make urate judgment calls in high stake situations was not typically something one could learn without years of experience. It was clear to Menerva that Love Mist was gifted in this area. Because of this, Menerva also knew that Love Mist would be smart enough to realize the benefits that came along with being a member of the 9th Division. That''s why, in a way, this kind of mindset made it so that out of everyone present, it was perhaps Love Mist that held the strongest desire to ensure their sess! Not even half a breath after Love Mist spoke, a flickering silhouette could be seen emerging right beside Aloysius. BANG! "?!" Aloysius narrowed his eyes as he just barely managed to block the iing sword strike with his battle axe. "Oh? Even your reaction time has improved. Then, shall I take it one step further?" Izroth''s voice sounded as currents of purple electricity could be seen flowing through his eyes. Simultaneously, his body became epassed in a flowing mantle of purple lightning. ''Call of the Thunder God Second State: Heavenly Cloak... Full Mantle.'' In the blink of an eye, Izroth''s entire body was covered with the flowing lightning mantle as the lightning element around him surged. The moment the mantle of lightning appeared around Izroth, Aloysius immediately went on high alert as he felt a sense of dangering from his opponent. All of a sudden, Izroth''s body twisted and bend as the space around him became distorted, and his silhouette constantly flickered in and out of existence. Then, without warning, Aloysius found himself upside down, soaring through the air as his body crashed through multiple trees. ...Crrrrckle! Boom! Boom! Boom! Izroth had already attacked Aloysius several times, and when the sound finally managed to catch up, a series of thunderous explosions sounded throughout the entire battlefield! Chapter 940 A Gaze Turned To A Much Greater Place ''Oh? It''s a lot better thanst time. Even the hp loss penalty from Full Mantle has been reduced.'' Despite having Flickering Steps active and using Compressed Lightning Movement at the same time, Izroth did not feel a massive strain on his body. There was still a lot of stress produced by the intense burst of movement speed; however, it was not to the point where he risked being left in a weakened state after its use. Of course, this was due mostly in part to his Earthly Golden Bones and Might stat enhancing his overall physical capabilities. ''I still have to be considerate when using it continuously over long distances, but this feeling... There''s no doubt about it. Even if someone at the peak stage of the legendary realm wants to catch me, unless they specialize in movement skills, it will not be easy.'' When he first used Compressed Lightning Movement, Izroth could only travel in short bursts up to five times or perform a single long-distance burst. However, after the improvement of his Call of the Thunder God to a Unique-SS ranked skill, Izroth could utilize up to eight short bursts! Not only that, but the total distance he could travel in a single long-distance burst with his Flickering Steps active was almost 3.5 kilometers! Needless to say, even with the recent progress in his physical abilities, performing that kind of long-distance movement burst would undoubtedly ce his body under an unbelievable amount of stress. And the consequences of doing so would not be light. However, just the mere fact that it was a genuine option in Izroth''s arsenal was an incredible feat. Rmmmble! Snap! Aloysius emerged from underneath a pile of trees and snapped the trunks in half as he rose to his feet. Several parts of his armor had been cracked or shattered from receiving the barrage of Izroth''s attacks. But Aloysius did not even have time to gather his thoughts as he once again found himself being blown away by an indescribable force. This time, however, Aloysius managed to stay on his feet as he was knocked back through sheer will. The Centurion''s eyes widened in disbelief as he felt blood trickling down the side of his mouth. Unfortunately, before he could even raise his battle axe to strike, Aloysius again found himself at the mercy of his assant. Forget counterattacking; even doing something as simple as defending became an impossible task for the Centurion. In a blink of an eye, the fight had turnedpletely one-sided in Izroth''s favor. He did not give Aloysius time to breathe and continued to rain down a storm of attacks as the shockwaves from his motions with Compressed Lightning Movement released strong waves of the lightning element that could be felt throughout the battlefield. When the members of the 9th Division witnessed Izroth''s transformation and how he sent Aloysius flying, they were left momentarily stunned. But, when the fight turned into a one-sided ughter, a strange feeling slowly crept into their hearts. Most of those in the 9th Division did not understand the feeling; however, they were experiencing a mixture of fear and awe. Though buried beneath both of those feelings, unknown to the yers looking upon Izroth, they felt something else¡ªa sense of hopelessness. In the face of such overwhelming strength that could single-handedly treat a high-level epic NPC like a ything, almost every member of the 9th Division had the same thought cross their minds. Was there even a purpose of them being here? If it was this person, then perhaps it was possible toplete the task alone. When Niflheim saw the facial expressions of the 9th Division members, he could only inwardly sigh. He knew exactly what they were thinking because he himself experienced something simr back when he and Izroth did the quest Resseki & Kiren''s Challenge: Sword & Shield. During their fight against the golden puppets, Niflheim was pushed well beyond his limits¡ªboth physically and mentally. However, after the thirty hours of nonstop fighting, Izroth still had that calm and carefree expression on his face, as if it were just another day. There was no struggle, no desperation. Niflheim found that while looking at a mountain, Izroth''s gaze was turned to a ce much greater. What Niflheim viewed as a mountain, to Izroth, was not even considered a stepping stone. It was at that point Niflheim truly realized that Izroth was not like the core yers from top guilds. From the very beginning, he was neverpeting with other yers. Instead, his goal was something much higher than the average yer could ever possibly imagine! Of course, Niflheim had long sincee to terms with those unexpected thoughts. Now, he had a different set of goals. Meanwhile, the members of the 9th Division discovered that they werepletely unable to follow Izroth''s movements! If not for the flickering silhouettes caused by Izroth''s Flickering Steps, they may not have even caught a glimpse of his transformation¡ªand this was after all of them had consumed a Five Cycles Pill. However, the members of the 9th Division were not the only ones in a state of shock. The remaining elite troops of Tempest had an expression of dread. Many of the elite troops had been with the 10th Tempest Legion and Aloysius for many years; however, this was the first time they saw him blown away and suppressed after unleashing his true strength! No, that was not entirely urate. There was only one other person they witnessed suppress Aloysius to this extent, and that was the current leader of the 10th Tempest Legion, cia! After having their numbers cut by more than half, losing a Guard Commander, and seeing Aloysius struggling on his end, those that remained of the Tempest elite troops were greatly shaken. Naturally, this also lowered their fighting spirit as the person who was like a steady pir in their eyes had begun to crumble. "Centurion Aloysius!" Fulgencio roared in a state of rage as he charged in the direction Aloysius had been knocked away. "As I''ve already said, your opponents are us!" Astral Knight yelled as he moved to intercept Fulgencio''s path. "Out of the way!" Fulgencio scowled as his eyes turned red with bloodlust and the explosive aura around him surged to new heights as he shed with Astral Knight. But, even with rage fueling the Guard Commander''s strength, Astral Knight did not back down and was able to sessfully stop Fulgencio in his tracks. At the same time, Ranazera''s gaze turned cold as she nced over at the end of the path of destruction left in the wake of Izroth and Aloysius'' battle. For the first time during this encounter, Ranazera became uneasy. Although her overall strength was above that of Aloysius, the gap between the two of them was not that wide. One thing was for sure, Ranazera knew that she would not be able to knock the Centurion around as effortlessly as his assant. The group''s target seemed to be the mages within the carriage; however, she had just revealed her identity as a princess of Tempest! Now that her identity had been exposed, would that person let her go? At the moment, Ranazera regretted not following the restrictions set by cia. All she wanted to do was teach a lesson to those who dared to look down on a member of the Tempest royal family. "I have to escape while they''re still fighting." Ranazera thought to herself her hands were ced discreetly behind her back. The mages were an invaluable asset to the Tempest kingdom; however, to Ranazera, her life was infinitely more important. Not to mention, the me would ultimately fall onto Centurion Aloysius for his ipetence. From what Ranazera witnessed thus far, the only real threat among the group of enemies was the person fighting against Aloysius. Therefore, as long as she escaped now, there would be no one capable of stopping her. Woosh! "What are all of you doing?! Do not let her escape!" Niflheim shouted abruptly. As Niflheim''s voice sounded, the members of the 9th Division quickly snapped out of it. They were temporarily distracted by the unbelievable seen unfolding before their eyes and had briefly dropped their guard. "Huh...? What just..." ded Conscious uttered to himself. "Why do I suddenly feel a bit dizzy...?" Love Mist said as she lightly shook her head to try and regain her senses. But those two were not the only ones who found themselves in a strange state and attempting to gather their thoughts. Though this happening was not entirely their fault. A few moments ago, Ranazera sneakily utilized a high-grade Dazing Talisman. The Dazing Talisman was not shy and did not directly inflict damage to those affected. Instead, it caused all those within its range of influence to be lost in thought and ced into a dazed-like state. This made it perfect for slipping away in chaotic situations like what often urred on battlefields. Or, in this particr case, when everyone''s attention was temporarily preupied. Chapter 941 Miscalculated, Priority It took a few seconds for ded Conscious, Love Mist, and the other members of their assault group to shake the effects of the Dazing Talisman. Upon doing so, they immediately started their pursuit of Ranazera. However, besides Heartless Jade, who possessed a rogue-type ss, the others were simply too slow to ever dream of catching up with Ranazera. Though even Heartless Jade somehow managed to catch up to Ranazera, he did not have the confidence nor strength to suppress her alone. "They chose the worst possible time to let their guard down," Niflheim said to himself as he let out a small sigh. Ranazera was too valuable of a target to let slip away. Niflheim wanted to personally make a move; however, his main priority was protecting Bellum while she bypassed the magic formation. Capturing a Tempest princess would indeed be a huge aplishment for them, but Niflheim understood that the elimination of the mages held greater importance. Still, if there was even the slightest chance of achieving both objectives, then... Niflheim quickly switched over to voice chat. Niflheim, "The Tempest princess is escaping. If you''re done over there, I''d like you to capture her¡ªalive, if possible." Although Niflheim did not mention a specific name, everyone in the 9th Division knew precisely at who his words were directed. Menerva, "I see. So she was indeed a member of the Tempest royal family." Even though she was far away from the battlefield, Menerva''s eyesight was nothing to scoff at, considering her ss. Naturally, she also witnessed the transformation to Ranazera and recognized the trademark azure hair and typhoon birthmark of the Tempest royal family. Menerva, "Based on her physical appearance and weapon preference, I presume she is the sixth princess of Tempest?" Niflheim, "Yeah, it''s the sixth princess, alright." Menerva, "Then, it is all the more reason that her capture is a necessity. We cannot permit this opportunity to pass us by." Niflheim, "Hm? From the way you''re speaking, it sounds like there''s more to her than just being a member of the Tempest royal family." Menerva, "That is an understatement. Among the members of the royal family, to my current knowledge, it is the sixth princess who carries the most influence with the noble families of Tempest. During my time with... the previouspany I kept, there were even rumors of the sixth princess having a close rtionship with the Council. In addition, due to her many achievements on the battlefield, her poprity with the people of Tempest and many prominent members of the Senate is particrly high. Her capture holds the key to providing us invaluable insight into not just the Tempest royal family, but the Council and Senate as well." Niflheim, "Well, when you put it that way... Why didn''t you bring it up sooner?" Menerva, "At the time, I did not believe her capture to be a feasible possibility. Also, I had no desire to distract from the task at hand. That being said, I regret to say I miscalcted." Menerva saw Izroth''s strength firsthand back when it confronted the Headhunter Syndicate. Not to mention, he was a part of several great achievements that ranged from clearing the first dungeon to oveing the first hardcore raid. Therefore, in her mind, Menerva had already ranked Izroth as possessing monstrousbat prowess. Of course, Menerva ounted for the fact that Izroth had likely not shown all his cards. It was to the point that Menerva believed that she had overestimated his true potential strength. But, after seeing how one-sided the fight was against Aloysius, Menerva found that she had actually underestimated Izroth''s strength! Niflheim, "I know exactly what you mean." Niflheim had long stopped trying to gauge Izroth''s exact strength long ago. Every time Niflheim thought he saw the pinnacle of Izroth''s strength, he would turn around and do something thatpletely blew his previous outlook out the door. Attempting to keep up with it would only cause one to wallow in their own self inadequacies. Out of nowhere, a blinding streak of purple lightning shot past the battlefield and went in the direction that Ranazera escaped. ...Crrrckle! Boom! A few seconds after the streak of purple lightning soared by the battlefield, the sound finally managed to catch up as the space it passed on the way distorted. By the time the sound caught up, several of the Tempest elite troops abruptly fell over motionlessly as an overbearing aura swept by them. In the blink of an eye, besides Guard Commander Fulgencio and the carriage, all the Tempest forces on the battlefield had been cleaned out! The members of the 9th Division, who were just shing against the Tempest elite troops, found themselves suddenly swinging or targeting thin air. The person behind all of this was, of course, none other than Izroth. His thoughts were the same as Niflheim and Menerva''s in that Ranazera''s apprehension could not be neglected. As for Centurion Aloysius, he was left in critical condition by Izroth and hung on to his life by a thread. However, it was not as if Izroth suddenly decided to be merciful and spare Aloysius. Instead, just as Izroth went in to deliver the final blow to the Centurion, a fearsome ck frost rushed out of his body and encased him in what appeared to be dark ice. Izroth tried breaking this ice using brute force; however, he quickly discovered that approach would consume too much time. He also attempted to use his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple to disrupt the dark ice, but there were no changes or signs of it deteriorating under the effects of the quelling ripples. Izroth had a few more skills that he could have tested against the dark ice; however, upon hearing Niflheim''s request and realizing Ranazera wanted to escape, he made a swift judgment call. Eliminating Aloysius would bring about some benefits. But, the worth of his life paled inparison to Ranazera''s capture. Not to mention... Without halting his movement, Izroth nced down at his right arm. ''Is this that woman''s doing?'' Covering Izroth''s right hand and part of his forearm was a ck frost that sunk deep into his skin with a bone-piercing chill. Despite his speed, Izroth found that he could not avoid the ck frost. There was something strange about the ck frost that seemed to slow his movements the instant it emerged and grabbed ahold of him. If not for Izroth''s timely response and Soul Sense, it was possible that his entire body would have been affected by the ck frost! ''That attack was meant to kill its target. Not only that, but it was also hidden deep enough that it went undetected by my Energy Vision Sense. I can feel a unique mana signature emanating from the ck frost on my arm, so it''s definitely a form of magic but... As for why my ninth sword form was ineffective in dispelling it¡ªit remains a mystery. Though the fact that even the recovery effect from my Might stat seems to be stagnating is a little troublesome.'' Izroth could feel the ck frost receding from the depths of his bones; however, it was agonizingly slowpared to his typical recovery rate. Nheless, even with one arm temporarily out of use, Izroth was still confident in capturing someone like Ranazera. ''Strange... She shouldn''t have made it this far.'' Each individual burst of movement speed from his Compressed Lightning Movement was capable of traversing a distance of up to nearly 450 meters. Of course, Izroth did not "jump" the entire 450 meters for fear of overshooting Ranazera''s position. Rather he traveled forward roughly 100 meters as he figured that was the farthest Ranazera could have gotten within such a short frame of time. But, there was no sign of the sixth princess. The moment Izroth realized this, he activated his Energy Vision Sense and extended it to its maximum range for a brief moment. ''Oh? She''s farther ahead than I thought. Did she use some kind of magic treasure?'' Izroth was able to lock onto Ranazera''s position with his Energy Vision Sense; however, forget 100 meters¡ªshe was approximately 500 meters from where the battlefield was located! Without a doubt, Izroth knew that she must have used some sort of treasure to transverse that distance. After all, if she were naturally that fast, her speed would surpass that of his Compressed Lightning Movement with Flickering Steps active. Izroth, "Those of you pursuing Ranazera are to return to where the rest of the 9th Division is located. I will take care of the rest." Since there was no chance of the Assault Groups catching up to Ranazera, Izroth decided to send them back to where Niflheim and the others were gathered. In the end, they were still behind enemy lines, and the unexpected could happen at any moment. Therefore, it was best that they did not stray too far from the main group. ''Even with the reduced hp loss rate, I can''t maintain Full Mantle for much longer. I''ll have to end it fast.'' The moment this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, the space around him became distorted and bent as his flickering figure vanished without a trace. Chapter 942 Political Hostage ... A few moments ago, more than half a kilometer away from the battlefield... Ranazera was sprinting at full speed in the direction of the Gale''s Eye outpost. "That was a close call. If not for the life-saving magic treasure I always carry, it would have been difficult to escape unscathed." Ranazera thought to herself. After sessfully escaping from the battlefield, Ranazera used a high-ranked magic item called The Carrying Winds. It allowed Ranazera to near instantaneously travel a distance of up to 500 meters. However, it had a drawback in that it required a brief channel time in order to work. That''s why Ranazera had to first create some distance between herself and her pursuers before using it. Otherwise, they would have potentially interrupted the magic item''s cast. Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly. "I will return to the Gale''s Eye and contact Duchess cia. With the protections around the carriage, it may still be possible to save the mages. As for those who attacked us..." Ranazera said as she tightly clenched her fist with a cold gaze. "I''ll ensure they can''t leave Tempest in one piece...!" Ranazera scowled. "I''m afraid you''ll have to be disappointed." A voice suddenly sounded next to the sixth princess. "?!" Ranazera was caught off guard by the abrupt sound of a stranger''s voice. However, the most frightening thing was that she did not hear this person approach her at all! ....Crrrrckle! BOOM! Out of nowhere, a powerful shockwave spread out and mmed into Ranazera as a surge of the lightning element overwhelmed the surroundings. Ranazera winced as she was forced backward. As she slid, the sixth princess twisted her body and adjusted her stance to face her assant. But, when she saw the person who appeared in front of her, Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock. Simultaneously, she felt her heart immediately sink as her expression darkened. That''s because the person before her was supposed to be fighting against Centurion Aloysius more than five hundred meters away from her location! This person was, of course, Izroth. Ranazera instinctively took a step back as she watched the mantle of terrifying lightning flow freely. She could not see the face of her attacker; however, those glowing eyes of lightning hidden beneath the hooded covering set their gaze upon her. And, for some reason, Ranazera felt as though she were staring into an endless abyss. Not too long after Izroth reached Ranazera, the mantle around him dissipated as he ended his Full Mantle state. At the same time, he activated the skill Rapid Regeneration attached to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to increase his HP Regeneration by 200% for one minute. This would be more than enough to rece HP he lost from utilizing Full Mantle and Compressed Lightning Movement. The moment Izroth ended Full Mantle, he was hit with the bacsh from the continuous stress of Compressed Lightning Movement. As a result, Izroth felt as if his body was transformed into lead and had been abruptly dropped into a vat of quicksand. Regardless of the unfavorable side effect, unlikest time when he used Flickering Steps with Compressed Lightning Movement, his skills were still avable. Also, there was no stat reduction penalty ced upon him. ''Although there''s no visible change to my stats or skills this time around, I feel incredibly sluggish. Can it be the work of a hidden effect? It''s unfortunate that I''m still unable to use the Appraisal skill on myself. Otherwise, I may be able to find out the source of my sluggishness.'' Izroth knew that his sluggish state was directly tied to the strain produced by his movement skills; however, there was nothing in the system alerts or battle logs that showed any kind of side effects. ''Well, I suppose it''s fine. Even in this condition, it shouldn''t be an issue given her current state.'' From the moment he arrived, Izroth''s gaze had not once left Ranazera. In turn, Ranazera had not taken her eyes off Izroth. But, Izroth could clearly sense the sixth princess'' uneasy state. He also believed the fact that Ranazera had not attempted to escape yet meant that she was not absolutely confident in doing so. In fact, given his previous disy of strength and how fast he caught up to her, it was likely that she saw no path of escape. However, surprisingly, instead of spiraling into a further state of panic, Ranazera''s expression changed to one of calmness as she seemed to have regained herself. ''Oh? As expected of a royal family member willing to brave the battlefield. Despite fearing the difference that exists between the two of us, she''s managed to keep a level head. Or is it that she still has something up her sleeve?'' If Ranazera had a protection hidden within her that was simr to the one in Aloysius, then it would be rather troublesome. That being said, it was not impossible to deal with for Izroth. After all, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve to break through that dark ice that he was unwilling to use on Aloysius. But, Ranazera was a different case. He did not mind using some methods to shatter it. "Who are you? No, I guess that question does not matter at this point. Let me pose to you a different question¡ªwhat do you want? If your goal were to kill me, you would have already attacked by now. Since that is not the case, it must mean that you hope to acquire something from me of value." Ranazera stated as she broke the air of silence. "You catch on quite fast. Then, since you already know your situation, how abouting along quietly? Of course, if you wish to resist or escape, I may have to rethink my stance on the value you bring." Izroth replied with a carefree smile and his hands behind his back. At the same time, he released his Soul Pressure. Seeing Izroth''s smile, along with the pressure brought about by his Soul Pressure, Ranazera felt chills run down her back. Rethink the stance of the value she brings? It was obvious that he was threatening to eliminate her if she made the wrong move! Ranazera furrowed her brows. Typically, there was someone higher behind these types of assants. Because of this, they did not dare harm a person of her standing without first checking in with their superiors. But she got a different feeling from Izroth. That expression on his face and his words¡ªRanazera could tell that he really would not hesitate to cut her down where she stood! Still, how could she, a proud member and princess of the Tempest royal family, allow herself to shrink before another? In the end, Ranazera still had her pride as the Sixth Princess of Tempest. "Alright, I shall not resist. But know that no matter much you threaten me, I will not allow myself to be humiliated. I would rather die a thousand deaths!" Ranazera said with a resolute look in her eyes. "As long as you cooperate and don''t cause any trouble, no harm shalle to you. Much less something like being humiliated. On this, I give you my word." Izroth stated calmly. Fortunately for Ranazera, she chose to retreat not long after revealing her identity. Otherwise, if she had recklessly proceeded to ughter the members of the 9th Division, Izroth would not have given her his word. But, Izroth was not foolish and made sure to set some conditions in ce just in case Ranazera tried to get bold. In this way, it was up to the sixth princess whether or not she remained safe. As for Ranazera''s thoughts on the matter, she could not help but feel regret at having exposed her identity one step too soon. If she had known of Izroth''s strength beforehand, she would have never removed the item that concealed her. Though it was toote to regret now. "To think I would end up being a political hostage. How shameful..!" Ranazera thought to herself as she secretly clenched her fists. It was not umon for the nobles of kingdoms to be held as political hostages. As for the kingdom that captured them, they had several options at their disposal on how to handle the matter. However, under normal circumstances, the captured person would simply be traded for gold and treasures. There were even exchanges where a kingdom would trade the political hostage they captured for one of their own people being held in another kingdom. It was an extreme rarity that a political hostage would be killed as they were worth more alive than dead. This was the sole reason why Ranazera was not willing to fight Izroth to the death or risk escaping and losing her life in the process. "I have your word, but how can I trust someone I know nothing about? You have yet to tell me your identity. Or, should I say, the identity of the power behind you?" Ranazera said with a sharp gaze. "First, put this on. Then, we can discuss a few things." Izroth said as he casually tossed a small object toward Ranazera. Chapter 943 Relic From The Palace Treasure Room, A Full Retreat At first, the sixth princess was a bit startled. But, she caught the small object in her hand and carefully observed it. The item was a small ck band that resembled a smooth jade bracelet. The band had unknown symbols carved onto its surface. However, what surprised Ranazera was that she could not feel a single drop of mana, or any kind of energy for that matter,ing from the object. "I have never seen this kind of item before. What is it?" Ranazera inquired. "Does it matter? Whether you choose to wear it or not is entirely up to your own will. But, I will say that refusing to wear it may bring you more harm than good." Izroth responded without hesitation. Ranazera was somewhat hesitant to wear some unknown item. But, she understood that she currently did not have much of a choice. She released a long sigh before cing the ck band on her wrist. Snap! The instant Ranazera equipped the ck band, it snapped tightly onto her skin. But, to her surprise, there was no pain or difort. However, Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock as she soon realized something was wrong. "You¡ªWhat did you do?!" Ranazera scowled. Once the ck band tightened, Ranazera felt all of her strength leave her body. In her current state, even some random foot soldier could im her life! She quickly tried to remove the ck band; however, it was no use as it would note off no matter how much strength she exerted. "The effects are only temporary, but it will ensure that you do not get any ideas about retaliating. As I''ve said before, this will bring you more good than harm." Izroth answered nonchntly. ''I was unsure if it would work or not given the differences that exist between the energy sources in the Mortal Realm and ethos, but... It seems my worries were unwarranted.'' Name: Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas(Relic) Usage: Greatly suppresses the power of the one who wears it. This relic cannot be forcibly ced upon a wearer and must be willingly worn by the wearer themselves. Once equipped, this relic cannot be taken off or damaged by its wearer and must be removed by another person not affected by a Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas. Special Note: This item is automatically destroyed upon removal from its wearer. Izroth briefly used his Energy Vision Sense to check on the changes to Ranazera and noticed that theyer of "mes" around her was practically nonexistent. This showed that the Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas was working just as intended. ''The suppressing effects are quite powerful. Though I suppose that''s not too strange given the strict conditions that surround the relic.'' The Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas was one of the many items Izroth looted from the Pir of the West Ourami''s Pce Treasure Room. ? Just as its name revealed, it was capable of suppressing an individual''s power. However, in order for it to properly take effect, the wearer themselves had to equip the relic. Needless to say, there were not many situations where one would voluntarily weaken themselves. Therefore, despite its powerful suppressing effects, its usage was extremely limited. "Scoundrel...!" Ranazera growled under her breath as she grit her teeth and held back her anger. How was this doing her more harm than good?! He was obviously making fun of her! But, right now, even if she wanted tosh out, it would be like a small child trying to fight a fully grown adult. She could only silently curse Izroth in her thoughts and hope deep in her heart that he kept his word. "As promised, since you''ve been so cooperative, I''ll tell you my identity now," Izroth stated. Of course, Izroth heard Ranazera speak under her breath, but he chose to simply ignore it. Even if she whispered a few curses, as long as she behaved, he did not mind her venting her anger a little. "My name is Izroth. I am the 9th Division Captain of the General Support Unit from the kingdom of Amaharpe." Izroth revealed in a carefree manner. Captain? General Support Unit? For a moment, Ranazera thought that she was hearing things. A mere Captain managed to defeat a Centurion of Aloysius'' strength and proceed to catch up to her after she used The Carrying Winds magic item? Not only that, he was not even a member of the War Brigade or War Intelligence Group, but a person under the General Support Unit? Who would believe such nonsense?! Did he take her for a fool?! There was no way a Captain, let alone one from the General Support Unit, known even among other kingdoms for being the weakest war branch, could possibly disy that sort of power! More importantly, Ranazera''s pride would not allow her to ept being captured by some unknown Captain from the weakest war branch of an enemy kingdom! "Hmph, even if you do not wish to tell me the truth, there is no need toe up with such a half-baked tall tale." Ranazera scoffed. The sixth princess believed that Izroth was telling the truth about his name and being from the kingdom of Amaharpe. However, she considered everything else he said a lie and was something he used as a cover. After all, the best lies had certain truths within them. Izroth could only inwardly shake his head as he listened to Ranazera''s words and witnessed the doubt present in her eyes. But it was not his job to convince her that he was telling the truth; therefore, he chose not to entertain her words. "Follow me. Oh, and try not to stray too far away. Otherwise, I won''t be able to guarantee your safety." Izroth stated as he began to walk back in the direction where the 9th Division was located. At the same time, Izroth sent a quick message to Niflheim and Menerva to inform them of his sess in capturing Ranazera. Meanwhile, Ranazera stood still for a bit as she silently observed Izroth. A small part of her was tempted to run away when he turned his back; however, despite his obvious disy of dishonesty, Ranazera felt that he truly would not make a move against her. The sixth princess released a heavy sigh before reluctantly following Izroth with quickened steps. ... Several minutester... At the moment, Izroth and Ranazera were supposed to be on their way back to the battlefield they''d just left, but there was a change of ns. Not too long after he captured Ranazera and was about to start his journey to meet up with the 9th Division, Izroth received a message from Niflheim. The message stated that Bellum was able to break through the magic formation protecting the carriage. Upon doing so, the mages within the carriage attempted to resist but were met with a swift death at the hands of Assault Group A. ording to Niflheim, the strength of the mages could not evenpare to that of the average magic caster. It was to the point that he had doubts that the mages they eliminated were their true targets. However, regardless of his initial doubts, they had indeedpleted their main objective. As for Guard Commander Fulgencio and the remaining members of the Tempest elite troops, they were cleaned up by the yers from the 9th Division. There were also no signs of changes to the state that Centurion Aloysius was left in. In addition, the losses to the 9th Division were minimal, as only three of its members had fallen during the intense battle. All in all, it was an absolute victory for Izroth and the 9th Division! Since their mission had beenpleted, Izroth instructed Niflheim and the others to return to the Xanaharpe outpost with the Returning Scrolls provided to them before their departure from the Land of Unity. They were to then head to meet up with Commander Aurie of the War Brigade and apany her unit to the Night Lord''s Crypt while awaiting his return. As for Izroth, since he had somepany present with him, it was not possible to use a Returning Scroll. He had no choice but to make the journey through the Tempest border and Malentansiumnds to the Night Lord''s Crypt on foot. Naturally, Niflheim and Menerva expressed their disapproval of Izroth''s n. Even for him, it would be far too dangerous to travel through the Tempest border and Maletansium alone. This was even more so considering that he was escorting a princess of Tempest. Without a doubt, there would be people sent by Tempest to pursue him. But, since he defeated Centurion Aloysius, those sent would at least have the strength of a First File. Given Ranazera''s status, it was possible that they may even send a First Prefect¡ªsomeoneparable to a High General of the War Brigade! In their eyes, it was too risky for Izroth to deal with alone. That being said, Niflheim and Menerva were also aware the current 9th Division was still too weak and inexperienced. Chapter 944 Ranazeras Offer Not to mention, those in the 9th Division capable of apanying Izroth without dragging or slowing him down, besides Niflheim and perhaps two other individuals, there were none. Because of this, in the end, Niflheim and Menerva had no choice but to ept Izroth''s ns. The only thing that made them feel somewhat at ease was that with his speed, Izroth should have no problem escaping his pursuers¡ªeven if he had to give up on the sixth princess in the process. "Is this your grand n? For us to walk all the way to Amaharpe by passing through the Tempest border and Malentansium?" Ranazera inquired with a frown. After discovering what direction they were headed in, Ranazera got a fairly decent understanding of what Izroth had in mind. "That''s pretty much the gist of it," Izroth replied casually. "You¡ªare you being serious right now?" Ranazera said with furrowed brows and a clear expression of shock. This was far too sloppy and reckless of a n to proceed with; however, Ranazera knew that it was only because her capture was an unnned event. But, if he truly nned to get past the Tempest borders and into Malentansium, then... "Hmph... Your n is too arrogant. I want to see how you make it past the Tempest border." Ranazera thought to herself as she inwardly grinned. "How is it, by the way? The Lady of the ck Winter''s ice is quite different from anything you have experienced thus far, right?" Ranazera said with a slight smirk on her face. Sometime after she had already been captured, Ranazera noticed the dark frost on Izroth''s right arm. When she realized this, she almost wanted to cough up blood in anger. He had been bluffing that entire time! If she had known that he was wounded, she would have tried to escape or even fight back! But, now that her power was suppressed, those were no longer options. "You said you''d ensure my safety, but what are you going to do with only one good arm? You can probably barely even protect yourself. Why notpromise? If you let me go right now, I''ll make sure you''re handsomely rewarded. Since you have the strength to take down someone of Centurion Aloysius'' caliber, I can even offer you a position far above that of a mere Captain of some useless war branch. My Tempest kingdom is not unkind to those with talent, especially if they are also in our favor." Ranazera said as she attempted to win Izroth over. "Hm... You''re right. It''s the first time I''ve seen ice this ruthless in the Mortal Realm." Izroth said as he looked at his arm, which was affected by the dark frost. The dark frost had spread from the middle part of his forearm all the way up to just past his elbow. The worst part was that it showed no signs of slowing down or dispelling. ''If it continues to spread at this rate, I''ll be a frozen block of ice before I get anywhere close to the Night Lord''s Crypt. I thought it would go away on its own with the help of my Might stat, but it seems I will have to think of a solution.'' After hearing Izroth''sment, Ranazera finally saw a potential opening to take advantage of. The sixth princess figured that as long as she pressed a bit harder, it would be possible to influence Izroth''s allegiance. No, even if influencing his allegiance was not possible, it may be possible to get him to temporarily ignore it for some self-benefit. In the end, Ranazera believed that every person had their price. And, if this person was not lying about being a Captain of the General Support Unit, her offer should have proved incredibly tempting. "Since you''ve kept your word up until now in regard to my well-being, I will return the favor by telling you something about that wound on your arm. After all, if you die, then I will be in danger as well with my power sealed." Ranazera stated. Izroth inwardly shook his head. He could see right through Ranazera''s hidden agenda in endeavoring to win him over using both fear and temptation. However, how could she know that no matter what she offered, it was useless? Izroth had close ties to Amaharpe, but even if he did not have that connection, he would still be unable to ept Ranazera''s offer, and this was due to a big reason¡ªTempest had a close rtionship with the Shadahi. For several reasons, Izroth had an ill-fated affinity with the Shadahi to the point that neither would ever see eye to eye. There was also the fact that Izroth had a contract in ce with the God of Craft Mazi that involved doing what was in his power to help protect the Mortal Realm. Naturally, siding with the Shadahi or anyone connected to them would go against that. Therefore, in Izroth''s eye, Ranazera''s offer was simply an unimaginable path for him to take. That being said, he did not mind ying along for a bit to see what Ranazera had to say. "Oh? Then, feel free to enlighten me." Izroth said calmly. "By now, you have probably tried to dispel the dark frost but found nothing you do works. However, the approach you used was undoubtedly wrong, seeing as how that frost on your arm is not a feat of magic." Ranazera said with a slight grin. She then continued, "But, if you want to know any more than that, then you must first ept my proposal. And, of course, remove this strange item from my wrist." ''Not a feat of magic? The unique mana signature I detected says otherwise, but...'' Ranazera''s words did not seem like a lie just to throw him off. Unless she was an extremely good actor, Izroth believed that she was telling the truth. Or, at the very least, what she knew to be true. However, Ranazera''s im that the frost was not magic did not add up. Izroth''s understanding of magic in RML was rtively deep. This is why he knew that a unique mana signature was something that directly corrted to the use of magic. But, it was also because of his deep understanding that Izroth was aware that not everything about magic or mana had been set in stone. ''If the source of this frost really isn''t magic, then it would exin why my ninth sword form was unsessful in disrupting it, let alone dispelling it in its entirety. Do I have no choice but to use Nullification Zone to break through it?'' Of course, Izroth was referring to the Nullification Zone that was a part of his Boundless Nullifying Expanse. Regardless of the energy source, once Nullification Zone was active, it would thoroughly nullify it. But, with Nullification Zone having a cooldown time just shy of eleven days, his third baneful sword still on cooldown, and the Night Lord''s Crypt in the near future, Izroth did not want to use Nullification Zone unless it was absolutely necessary. ''If ites down to it, I may have no other choice but to use Nullification Zone to deal with the effects of this frost. Let''s hope it doesn''te to that.'' "I appreciate your concern, but I''m afraid I will have to decline your offer. As for this frost, naturally, I have my own ways of dealing with it when the timees." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Ranazera''s facial expression darkened as she warned, "Do not be so fast to refuse my offer. As long as I say the word, Duchess cia will remove the frost from your arm. The other things I promised will also be delivered upon in generous excess. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cast off the shackles of a mere Captain of the General Support Unit! To dismiss it so easily would be nothing short of foolish!" Izroth halted his steps. This simple action caused Ranazera to also pause and even almost instinctively take a step back. "I would rather be seen as a fool in your eyes than as a dishonest man in the eyes of those who have ced their trust in me. If you require any more reason than this, then the future of the Tempest kingdom truly died that day along with the Second Prince, Robinarzin." Izroth stated. Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock the moment Izroth mentioned the second prince. However, her expression quickly shifted to one of anger and outrage. "What do you know about my second eldest brother?! How dare you utter his name out of that filthy mouth of yours!" Ranazera scowled as she angrily grit her teeth. ''Hm?'' Izroth turned to face Ranazera. He could clearly see the amount of unbridled rage contained within her eyes. But, to Izroth''s surprise, it was apanied by another emotion he did not expect to see from the sixth princess¡ªanguish. ''I wasn''t expecting that kind of reaction out of her for someone who should be considered a traitor by his entire kingdom. Can it be that the two of them were close? Even then, betraying one''s kingdom is no small sin. How interesting. Then, shall I pry a bit deeper?'' Chapter 945 Traces, Arriving At The Tempest & Malentansium Border ... Meanwhile... A mysterious figure arrived at the battlefield where Izroth and the 9th Division shed with the Tempest elite troops. At the moment, the mysterious figure stood before Centurion Aloysius, who was still encased in a thickyer of dark ice. The mysterious figure frowned and said to themselves, "To not only defeat Aloysius but also activate and survive mydy''s ck Winter Fence¡ªthe people who ambushed the separate contingent were no pushovers." The voice of this mysterious figure belonged to the person sent out by cia to aid the separate contingent, Prisca. However, her physical features were hidden by a mystical mist that epassed her body. When Prisca first arrived on the scene, she found that there were no survivors. Even the carriage that was protected by abination of powerful magic barriers and an advanced-level magic formation had been utterly destroyed! Most importantly, there were no signs of the mages but lingering traces of their mana signature in the surroundings. From this, Prisca deduced that after the protections around the carriage were broken, the mages attempted to put up a fight but failed miserably and met with their deaths. Of course, this was not surprising to Prisca, considering those present had the ability to take down someone of Aloysius'' strength and survive cia''s ck Winter Fence. Regardless of what took ce, one thing was for certain¡ªtheir ns had been thoroughly interrupted. Prisca red at the frozen Aloysius, and if it looks could kill, the Centurion would have perished several times over. "Useless fool..! How dare you make mydy look bad. Even killing you would not rece the disgrace you''ve caused...!" Prisca said as a dark purple aura formed around the palm of her hand. Woosh BANG! Prisca struck out at the block of dark ice as the mystical mist around her burst forth and shattered it in one go. "P-P-Prime Eques...! T-t-the m-mages and p-p-princess... W-what h-h-happened...?!" Aloysius struggled to get his words out as he shivered uncontrobly. The ck Winter Fence kept him safe from outside forces; however, it severely lowered one''s body temperature to preserve their body in emergency situations. Aloysius was still hanging on to his life by a thread. If not for the preservation effects of the ck Winter Fence, he would have likely fallen on this battlefield long before Prisca''s arrival. "Dead. You''ve really gone and screwed things up this time, Aloysius. I don''t care what happens to you, but your failure will undoubtedly drag down drag Lady cia''s prestige!" Prisca scowled. Aloysius'' already pale expression seemed to increase after listening to Prisca as thest bit of hope left his eyes, and his body slumped over. "K-k-kill me...! I-I have d-disgraced-" "Silence. Whether you live or die is not your decision to make. Your life belongs to mydy. Until she says otherwise, it is to stay intact." Prisca stated as she swiftly cut off Aloysius. The Centurion fell silent. He was too ashamed of his failure to look Prisca in the eyes, let alone face cia. "Prime Eques, we''ve found something." A voice sounded as a ck-cloaked figure suddenly appeared behind Prisca. The cloaked figure immediately kneeled when upon their arrival. "What is it? Say it quick." Prisca said in a displeased tone. Aloysius'' grand failure had left her in a foul mood; therefore, she was in no mood for any pleasantries. "We''ve discovered traces of what appears to be The Carrying Winds used by the sixth princess. Based on the level of mana and spatial disruption in the atmosphere, we have determined that another person must have given chase. However, we have yet to encounter any signs of the sixth princess having perished. Therefore, we have determined that the sixth princess may still be alive and has been taken as a potential hostage." The cloaked figure exined. When Prisca and Aloysius heard the cloaked figure''s report, the two were taken aback. "Are you absolutely certain there were no signs of the sixth princess having been killed?" Prisca inquired with a heavy tone. "Yes, Prime Eques." The cloaked figure replied without hesitation. Prisca nced over at Aloysius and said, "Count yourself somewhat fortunate, Aloysius. If the sixth princess is still alive, you may yet be able to partially redeem your blunder. At the very least, it''d be just enough to keep your body in one piece after your death." She then turned around and ordered, "Hear me, Ghosts of the Nox! Your mission is to locate the sixth princess and report her position immediately! If they are on foot, they could not have gone far! Unless the sixth princess is in immediate danger, you are not to act alone under any circumstances! Disperse!" After Prisca spoke, there was a brief gust of wind before the surroundings became eerily quiet. If one were looking from the outside, they might have believed she had lost her mind and was talking to herself. However, Prisca''s words were directed at the secret troops under cia known as the Ghosts of the Nox. Not much was known about them, given their secretive nature. It was to the point that even those who were in the 10th Tempest Legion were unaware of their existence. But, they were responsible for many groundbreaking feats achieved by the 10th Tempest Legion over the years. "Wait," Prisca said just as the kneeled cloaked figure was also about to take their leave. She then continued, "Given our current position, it''s possible they may be heading to the Tempest-Maletansium border. It''s also possible that to throw us off, they will attempt to cross through the Cave Mortem Monsoon into the Land of Unity or Rosentarus. I will send someone to deliver a message to the Gale''s Eye outpost to handle the blockade of the Cave Mortem Monsoon. However, I want you to personally deliver a message to the First File in charge of overseeing the Tempest-Malentansium border. They are a bit entric, so make sure you deliver the exact words I''m about to tell you if you want to walk out of there with your life." "Understood, Prime Eques." The cloaked figure responded calmly. ... Approximately one hourter... Izroth, along with the escorted Ranazera, arrived a reasonable distance away from a towering wall that stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. On top of the wall were multiple troops who gave off a presence that was not inferior to the Crimson Corps Guard of Amaharpe. In addition, there were several magic cannons posted along the top of the walls that were enough to erase an army that numbered in the tens of thousands and made attempting to fly over the equivalent of having a death wish. The only way past the wall was through a checkpoint in the form of a massive gate protected by a small squadron of elite troops, severalyers of magic barriers, and a magic formation that was at least at the expert level. Needless to say, even for someone in the legendary realm, a head-on attack was out of the question. ''The presence of guards is heavier than I anticipated.'' Since Tempest and Malentansium were allies, Izroth did not think that Tempest would go so far as setting up such impressive defensive measures along their border; however, this was clearly not the case. Izroth exhaled as a wave of dark frost escaped from his mouth. The dark frost had spread from his arm over to a portion of his chest and neck. If not for his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat, he would have long since been turned into a block of ice. ''It''s too dangerous to pass through this ce in my current condition. I still held out some hope, but it''s just as I thought¡ªI can''t rely on the recovery effects of the Might stat to clear up the frost. I didn''t want to have to resort to that either, but... There''s still one more thing I can try before using the Nullification Zone.'' The next moment, Izroth removed the Scorched Inferno''s Fang from his inventory. When he performed this action, Ranazera furrowed her brows. He wasn''t nning on charging in and attacking, right? But, to Ranazera''s surprise, Izroth spun the spear in his left hand until it was upside down and stabbed it into his right arm! "?!" Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock as she watched Izroth''s absurd actions. Why was he suddenly attacking himself? Had the dark frost reached his mind and turned him insane? "Hey! What are you doing?! If you want to off yourself, at least remove this thing from my wrist first!" Ranazera stated in an agitated manner. However, what happened caused Ranazera to blink twice as the sixth princess believed that she had to be seeing things wrong. "How is this possible...?" Ranazera muttered to herself in disbelief. The dark frost that had been slowly consuming Izroth this entire time actually started to show signs of receding! To Ranazera, this was an unbelievable sight. She had seen those in the legendary realm sumb to the effects of that dark frost. Yet, some unknown young man was capable of quelling its vicious nature? Just what was going on? Chapter 946 Suppressing The Dark Frost, The Fate Of Power Without Control As Ranazera was left dumbfounded by the change to the frost on Izroth''s arm, Izroth himself was also surprised. However, it was for a different reason. ¡´System Alert: The cooldown for the skill ?Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality? has been set to [3 Days].¡µ To deal with the dark frost, Izroth utilized the Causality controlling effects of Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality. But, Izroth did not manipte the Causality of the dark frost to get rid of it in its entirety. Instead, he used it to suppress the dark frost and keep it at bay. Izroth chose to take this approach for two reasons. The first reason had to do with the ferocious characteristics of the dark frost, while the second was rted to his current control and mastery over Causality. After his fight with the Lady of Evesting Rain Tal''Nis in the crusade, Izroth realized just how difficult it was to manipte a Causality associated with himself, let alone the Causality of someone who possessed a greater quantity of energy than him¡ªbe it mana, essence, or even ethos. As for his mastery and control over Causality, while his understanding of it was not shallow, there was a different problem Izroth faced. Even though he had a solid grasp on his own interpretation of Causality, Izroth found that it was impossible for him to keep up. But not in the way one would think. Izroth''s situation was simr to someone trying to fit the sun into the moon. No matter how hard they tried to make it happen, it was simply unimaginable as even if they could move the sun, it would consume the moon. The foundation of Izroth''s current understanding of Causality was the moon. If it were to be destroyed or damaged because he recklessly rushed to achieve results, it would only lead to the loss of a great opportunity. In the end, it was because of his deep understanding of the issue that Izroth knew what must be done. ''Three days... It''s a good thing I didn''t attempt to erase it directly; otherwise, there is no telling how long the cooldown would have been. Thankfully, the suppressing effects of Zakra''s Harmonic Spear will likelyst until the three days are up. By that time, I should be able to think of a more long-term solution to rid myself of the dark frostpletely.'' To be honest, after witnessing how the dark frost reacted to his Zakra''s Harmonic Spear, Izroth was no longer absolutely certain that his Nullification Zone could overwhelm and nullify its effects at its current rank. ''If I am able to locate something that contains the Law of Void, it will be possible to improve the rank of my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. At that time, even this dark frost will not pose a true threat. That being said, finding something that holds the Law of Void in the Mortal Realm is a daunting task, to say the least. Perhaps I should ask Astratis if there are any such items in the Ancient Celestial Realm.'' "Get ready to move," Izroth said as he returned the Scorched Inferno''s Fang to his inventory and resumed his steps. Ranazera snapped out of her stunned state as she walked forward with quickened steps. She was unsure how Izroth managed to erase cia''s ck Winter Fence, but seeing that made the sixth princess think that perhaps she was wrong in her previous assessment of him. "This man... Just what is his true identity? Back then, maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe I should have... No, for everything that is at stake, I cannot afford to take such a gamble. In the end, everything I do is solely for the glory of my Tempest kingdom." Ranazera thought to herself with a slightly troubled expression. ... Roughly one hour ago... "What do you know about my second eldest brother?! How dare you utter his name out of that filthy mouth of yours!" Ranazera shouted as she red at Izroth with a sharp and angered gaze. "I may know than you think. After all, I was there in the moments he breathed his final breath," Izroth said as he halted his steps. Ranazera seemed visibly shaken after Izroth spoke. However, her expression soon darkened. And, although she tried her best to hide it, the brief surge of killing intent Ranazera emitted did not escape Izroth. "Even with the gates of death opened before him, he maintained a steady heart and unshakable will. He was a man willing to be marked and remembered as a traitor by his own kingdom and people. He did this not for the sole sake of doing what he deemed to be upright and righteous. In fact, one could even view his reasons as somewhat selfish." Izroth said calmly. "You-!" "But, I will say this about the second prince. Even if his reasons were selfish in a sense, it was also equally selfless. For his actions will lead to saving not just Tempest and its citizens, but all the kingdoms and people of the Mortal Realm." Izroth stated. He then continued, "Amaharpe and Tempest may be long-time enemies with deep-rooted hatred that spans back multiple centuries; however, do not misunderstand. I may have close ties to Amaharpe, but the side I stand on is that of the Mortal Realm. Should anyone do anything that threatens the existence of that side, such as Tempest''s actions of aligning themselves with the shadahi, I will not remain idle. In the depths of his heart, past his personal desires, I am sure your elder brother understood this point as well. Which is why he ultimately made the choice he did." The more Izroth spoke, the angrier Ranazera seemed to be. However, this anger did not appear to be targeted at Izroth or even the second prince. Rather, it was more akin to self-loathing. Ranazera''s expression shifted, and despite her darkened expression, the pain contained within her eyes was as clear as day. "Power with ack of control is not power. It is merely an empty path that leads to inevitable ruin. The Tempest kingdom has chosen to willingly take this path by siding with the shadahi. Do they truly believe that once the shadahi destroys the other kingdoms of the Mortal Realm, they will be left unscathed? Or does the momentary illusion of control give them the impression that they are infallible? Whatever the answer, Tempest is ying with a power they cannot possibly hope to tame. The price for that ignorance will lead to its downfall." Izroth said as he resumed his steps. Ranazera remained silent as she failed to find the right words to say. There was a conflicted look on her face as the sixth princess stood there with her gaze on the ground pondering over Izroth''s words. Ranazera tightly clenched her fists and said quietly to herself, "Dammit...! You think I don''t know that...?! Dammit...!" Ranazera silently cursed under her breath with an expression of helplessness. Without uttering another word, the sixth princess moved to swiftly catch up to Izroth. The sixth princess appeared to have returned to normal by the time she caught up; however, Ranazera pushed those troubles and worries to the back of her mind and¡ªinto the depths of her heart. ... Izroth, with Ranazera trailing close behind, was currently in the middle of a long line. This line was for those who wanted to pass through the towering walls. However, most of those passing through this ce were not doing so to travel into Malentansium. At the moment, Ranazera had her appearance concealed with the help of the Moonlit Concealing Mantle Izroth received from his time with Sacred Beasts. After all, the sixth princess was well known in Tempest, and they stick out like a sore thumb if she did not hide her identity. Of course, Izroth made sure to let Ranazera know that if she caused any trouble, he would not hesitate to do everything in his power to cut her down, regardless of what urred. Having seen his speed firsthand and taking into ount her powerless state, naturally, Ranazera was not willing to risk seeing if Izroth was bluffing or not. Therefore, she chose to cooperate. "What do you intend to do? Getting past the Gates of Aegis'' checkpoint without an approved Tempest identity te is impossible." Ranazera warned in a low voice. Ranazera feared that if Izroth ended up caught, he would keep his promise whether she caused trouble or not. Chapter 947 Impenetrable Shield Of Tempest: The Gates Of Aegis "Oh? Are you referring to one of these?" Izroth said as a small smooth wooden-like token with ck carvings on its surface appeared in the palm of his hand. "That''s...!" Ranzera lightly gasped as she saw the item in Izroth''s hands. Without a doubt, that was a genuine Tempest identity te! "How did you- I see¡ªit must have been back during that battle..." Ranazera muttered to herself with furrowed brows. Ranazera recognized the Tempest identity te in Izroth''s possession. It belonged to one of the Tempest elite troops that were a part of the separate contingent. Still, Ranazera was shocked Izroth had time to get his hands on one. After all, he defeated Centurion Aloysius and pursued her while somehow making time to swipe a Tempest identity te. "So, he even thought this far ahead. This man is more terrifying than I gauged. He is far too dangerous to ignore..!" Ranazera thought to herself. Just as Ranazera guessed, Izroth indeed took the identity te from one of the Tempest elite soldiers. Right before chasing after Ranazera, Izroth helped cut down a few of the Tempest elite soldiers to make things easier for the 9th Division in his absence. It was also during this time that he noticed the identity te hanging on the side of the Tempest soldier''s waist by a twine. In that instant of his Compressed Lightning Movement and Flickering Steps, Izroth used his Appraisal skill to inspect the identity te and discovered its purpose. That''s when Izroth came up with a n on the spot and snatched a couple of identity tes while cleaning up several of the elite troops. Izroth knew that he would not be able to use a teleportation scroll after capturing Ranazera. He was also aware that his path of retreat to the Cave Mortem Monsoon would likely be under heavy protection by Tempest forces. Ultimately, there was only one path left for Izroth to take, and that was to blend in within in sight. Naturally, having an identity te was crucial to this n. ''Fortunately, the Tempest identity tes do not have the same safety measures installed as the insignias of the war branches. Otherwise, using someone else''s identity te would prove to be somewhat difficult.'' "The line is starting to move a lot faster. I''m sure I don''t have to remind you, but I suggest you be on your best behavior when we reach the gate." Izroth said as he returned the identity te to his inventory. "Hmph, your concern is unwarranted. I value my life quite highly. I have no intention of gambling it away." Ranazera responded calmly. "As long as you understand. Here." Izroth said as he tossed something over to Ranazera. Ranazera was almost hesitant to catch it after what happened earlier with her power being suppressed; however, after she realized what it was, she caught it without incident. The item Izroth gave to Ranazera was a Tempest identity te. It was nearly the exact same as the one he revealed earlier, except the ck carvings on its surface were different. "What is the meaning of this? I already have an identity te." Ranazera stated. "Showing the identity te of a Tempest royal family member at its border is bound to draw unnecessary attention. Though I''m sure you were already well aware of that." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. Ranazera narrowed her eyes and released an inward sigh. She figured it was unlikely that Izroth would overlook such a major detail, but she still held out some hope that it would get lost in the chaos. "I cannot cross the Gates of Aegis. Do I truly have no other choice but to disclose that...?" Ranazera contemted. Now that it hade to this, at the very least, Ranazera had to ensure that her actions did not bring forth great danger. "...Wait, there is something you must hear before we cross the Gates of Aegis. As long as you listen to my words sincerely, I promise you on my life, I will be fully cooperative on our journey." Ranazera said with a serious expression on her face. She then continued, "Of course, divulging anything that would do harm to my Tempest kingdom is out of the question. But, besides that, my promise remains the same." Izroth did not immediately respond to Ranazera as the line continued to move, and they were quickly approaching the front near the gate. ''Strange... What caused such a sudden change of heart?'' Not long ago, Izroth could still sense Ranazera''s watchful gaze looking for every opportunity to make an escape without risking harm to herself. But, the words she just spoke contained no hints of falsehoods. And, for the first time since their journey began, Izroth could not feel the sixth princess'' watchful gaze. It may have been that this was just because they were so close to the Gates of Aegis. Or, it could have to do with the fact that those at the gate may recognize her even with the Moonlit Concealing Mantle equipped. But, Izroth believed that it was no harm to hearing her out. If Ranazera turned out to be sincere, then it would indeed make the rest of the journey proceed smoothly. "Very well. I shall listen to what you have to say." Izroth replied as he removed a talisman from his inventory. When the talisman appeared, it released a faint pulse that spread out to cover Izroth and Ranazera. "This is... A Drifting Barrier Talisman?" Ranazera said to herself as she recognized the effects of the talisman. "Correct," Izroth responded casually as the talisman in his hand dispersed. The Drifting Barrier Talisman was something Izroth decided to get his hands on after his conversation with Zouren at the Moonlit Dove Garden. The Drifting Barrier Talisman was used to hide a conversation from prying ears. And, as they moved closer to the gate, those prying ears would increase in great abundance. ''It seems that I will have to thank Sychia again the next time I see her for providing me with the Drifting Barrier Talismans.'' "Whatever you have to say seems important enough that you''ve erased the thoughts of escaping. Even if it turns out to just be something temporary, it''s enough to gain my attention. Or, at the very least, enough for me to hear you out properly." Izroth stated. Ranazera was taken aback by Izroth''s seemingly straightforward nature. But, since she managed to get his attention, there was no time to waste. "Then, I will get right to it. As I have mentioned previously, the ce we are about to cross is known as the Gates of Aegis," Ranazera exined. "Yes, I am aware of this. As well as the name it''s called by other kingdoms¡ªthe Imprable Shield of Tempest." Izrothmented. The Gates of Aegis¡ªthis ce was well known among the various kingdoms as being one of the most heavily fortified locations in Tempest for well over a century. Throughout history, several attempts had been made to ovee the Gates of Aegis; however, all of them ended in total failure. It was because of this undefeated string of victories that the Gates of Aegis earned its nickname, the Imprable Shield of Tempest. Even now, it remained unconquered and was one of the greatest symbols of strength wielded by the Tempest kingdom. "Since you are aware of that much, I will spare you the small details. The Gates of Aegis was not constructed to protect my Tempest kingdom against the other kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. It was built to protect us from a much greater threat." Ranazera stated solemnly. ''A threat greater than the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm? Besides the potential reemergence of the shadahi and the Nether Realm... Can there be another powerful force lurking in the shadows of the Mortal Realm?'' However, it did not make any sense to Izroth. If there was a force in the Mortal Realm strong enough to rival or even surpass the major kingdoms, how could they fly under the radar for so long? After all, there was no way those major kingdoms would allow such a threat to go unchecked. "And? Just what is this greater threat that you speak of?" Izroth inquired. "The Northern Wild Lands," Ranazera answered without hesitation. Though the sixth princess'' response caused Izroth to frown inwardly. "Northern Wild Lands? To my knowledge, such a ce does not exist in the Mortal Realm." Izroth said as he narrowed his eyes. There was indeed a ce called the Wild Lands in the Mortal Realm; however, that ce was located almostpletely opposite of the Tempest kingdom! Chapter 948 The War Erased From History ''To the north of Tempest should be nothing but an endless range of mountains that goes on further than the eye can see. It''s true that there are a few mountain tribes that live in those mountains; however, their strength is nowhere near being to the point of threatening a powerhouse kingdom like Tempest.'' "Hmph, how could you have heard of it? Let alone you, even among those in my Tempest kingdom, besides the members of the royal family and a select few noble families, its existence is unknown." Ranazera scoffed. ''I suppose if it''s under those conditions, it makes sense that its existence could stay hidden for so long. Still, why go to such great lengths to keep it a secret?'' For a kingdom topletely bury the potential presence of another major power in the Mortal Realm was virtually unheard of in RML. Besides, this went against one of the books Izroth came across in the Amaharpe Pce Library about whaty beyond the seven major kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. To the northy the Endless Mountain Range, the south a vast sea, the east the Wild Lands, and to the west the Dark ins. For what Ranazera said to be true, it would mean that beyond the Endless Mountain Range was another force of unknown power, ability, and purpose. Izroth had read through all the books on the first and second floors of the Amaharpe Pce Library. Yet, he had never oncee across anything that even remotely mentioned the Northern Wild Lands or its inhabitants. Not even as a fairy tale or storybook, which often contained some rare insights into the history of RML. Nheless, even if Izroth did take Ranazera at her word, there was one issue that needed to be addressed. "Alright, let''s say that these Northern Wild Lands exist. With the natural terrain barrier provided by the Endless Mountain Range north of Tempest, it would have to be located tens of thousands of kilometers away from Tempest''s borders. For an enemy so far out of sight, does it make any sense to build a fortress just on the off chance they may cross the Endless Mountain Range one day? It seems like a bit of overkill." Izroth stated. Ranazera''s expression turned serious as she replied, "That is because you do not know the truth." She then exined, "Around two hundred years ago, a group of explorers from Tempest set out on a mission to view the edge of the Mortal Realm. At the time, it was believed to lie at the end of the Endless Mountain Range. However, what those explorers found instead was something thought to be impossible. A fertilend that existed beyond the Endless Mountain Range¡ªa ce our Tempest ancestors have deemed the Northern Wild Lands." Izroth listened intently to Ranazera. So far, he did not sense any sort of deception from her words. "ording to our ancestors, it is a ce with a vast abundance of resources and habitablend. That''s why when the group of explorers returned and delivered this news to the royal family, the Emperor of the time decided to send the first prince, a Legate by the name of Temulus, along with his troops to gain a footing in this new region. But, instead of gaining a solid footing, it is more urate to say that they only met with disaster." Ranazera said as her expression turned somewhat gloomy. "Legate Temulus and the 80,000 Tempest soldiers under hismand¡ªthey were all wiped out. That is, all except one man, who was able to return to Tempest with a message." Ranazera clenched her fist tightly as she spoke. Although she had not been born when it happened, Ranazera could still remember the words engrained into every member of the Tempest royal family from a young age. "Never return¡ªthe royal family must never set foot on or past the Endless Mountain Range again. Those were the messenger''s final words before thest of his life faded away. And, that message came from none other than the first prince, Legate Temulus himself. Since then, it has been forbidden for any member of the Tempest royal family to journey to the Endless Mountain Range." Ranazera stated. ''Legate Temulus... This name¡ªcan it be the same Temulus from the Heroes of the Past?'' On the Amaharpe Pce Library''s second floor, Izroth read a book called "Heroes of the Past" which listed several famous historical figures throughout the Mortal Realm''s history. It also described their aplishments and, of course, their unrivaledbat prowess. The historical figures in that book all came from one of the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm that existed at their respective points in history. However, there was one person whose origins were listed as unknown. ''Spear of the Heavy Gale, Temulus. It did not mention his origins in the book Heroes of the Past, but based on his title and name, it''s unlikely to be a mere coincidence. It would also exin the line at the end of the page that mentioned Temulus regarding his sudden disappearance from the world.'' From what Izroth knew, Temulus was considered to be one of the most naturally gifted warriors ever to grace not just the kingdom of Tempest but the Mortal Realm. It was even believed that he would one day reach past the limits of the legendary realm and be a ne Ascender. For Temulus to meet his demise at the hands of another was probably inconceivable for the Emperor of that era. But what was even more unbelievable was the fact that Tempest buried Temulus'' legacy to the point that he was not mentioned as being a part of their kingdom. What kingdom did not want to hold its head up high in a prideful manner when it came to the ancient heroes who fought for them? More importantly, that person was also apparently a member of the royal family. How could the royal family ept their own ancestor being written off the pages of the Mortal Realm''s history books? ''If Legates back then were the same as the ones now, it means they possessed strength on par with the Warlords of the War Brigade.'' In the entire allied army, there were only two individuals who donned the title of Warlord, and both were existences capable ofying waste to tens of thousands of troops single-handedly. ''Temulus was considered a prodigy of the spear. If the records written about him in the Heroes of the Past are true, it means that he wielded the strength of someone who reached the peak stage of the legendary realm. It''s even possible that he was only one step away from bing a ne Ascender. Yet, such a person was not only defeated but suffered total annihtion? It''s no wonder Tempest reacted the way they did in building the Gates of Aegis. If such a powerful foe truly emerged at their backs one day, it wouldn''t take long for chaos to rain down.'' "I have to admit, it is an interesting story. That being said, what does that have to do with us proceeding through the Gates of Aegis? There is indeed a path on the other side that leads to the Endless Mountain Range, but our destination is the kingdom of Malentansium. Not to mention, even if we had to pass through the Endless Mountain Range, the enemies you are concerned about are located tens of thousands of kilometers away from here. Making preparations is good and all, but is there a need to live in constant fear over something that urred over two centuries ago?" Izroth said unhurriedly. "That warning may be over two hundred years old, but the words of our ancestor is not to be taken lightly. The Gates of Aegis is proof of that very fact." Ranazera warned. She then scoffed, "As for what it has to do with us traveling through the Gates of Aegis, I am not surprised that someone like you from Amaharpe is unaware." "Oh? Then, do enlighten me." "Over thest decade, the Cursed Grounds of Malentansium has expanded outward to the foot of the Endless Mountain Range. This means that in order to get to Malentansium from Tempest, we first have to make a brief detour through the Endless Mountain Range. Otherwise, we will sumb to the plethora of curses that reside in the Cursed Grounds and perish." Chapter 949 Cover Blown At The Gate? ''It''s already expanded that far?'' Izroth did not know about the origins of the Cursed Grounds; however, he was aware of the fact that it was constantly expanding from an unknown point of origin located within Malentansium. But, ording to the texts he''d read, its rate of expansion was abysmally slow. It should have been impossible for it to reach the foot of the Endless Mountain Range within just a single decade. Even if it had ten times as long to expand, it still should not havee anywhere close to it. ''Did something change within thest ten years that significantly increased its rate of expansion?'' Of course, there was also the possibility that everything Ranazera said was a well-crafted lie, and she wanted nothing more than to travel through the Endless Mountain Range for some reason. Though Izroth found this to be unlikely as his instinct and experience were telling him that Ranazera''s words were not false. ''If the Cursed Grounds has expanded that far out, it''s true that we would have no other choice but to take a detour through the Endless Mountain Range.'' Izroth did not know much about the curses inflicted upon those who set foot into the Cursed Grounds; however, those who returned from that ce alive were few and far in between. Perhaps his Might stat could help fend off most of the negative effects brought about by the curses there. But, even if he had the ability to cross that ce alone, there was no way he would be able to take Ranazera through without the risk of harming her or worse. "Next! Keep it moving! Have your identity te ready before you reach the front of the line! If you slow down the process, you''ll be sent to the back of the line to await your turn again!" One of the guards at the gate checkpoint shouted. Izroth removed the Tempest identity te from his inventory to have it ready in hand, as they were now only a handful of people in front of them. "Whether or not we cross the Endless Mountain Range¡ªI will decide once I see the situation myself. While I won''t go as far as making any promises, I will take what you''ve told me into ount. If it can be avoided without paying too high a price, I will consider it." Izroth said calmly. "Very well. As long as you are willing to take it under consideration, I cannot hope to ask for anything more." Ranazera replied graciously. Ranazera inwardly sighed. She understood that making such an absurd request of her captor was highly unorthodox. It was already a miracle that he did not immediately dismiss her; therefore, she did not continue to push the matter. Nheless, even though Izroth did not make any promises, his objective stance caused Ranazera to view him in a slightly different light. "I am still not convinced that he can be trusted, but... He does not seem to harbor any ill intentions. Second brother¡ªwhat was it that you saw in this man before your death?" Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows as a hint of mncholy shed through her eyes. "Next!" The guard at the gate called out as the previous group he''d just inspected made their way through the Gates of Aegis. Izroth and Ranazera were up next. The two made their way forward, with Izroth leading the way. As for the sixth princess, she made sure to wear the Moonlit Concealing Mantle in such a way that hid her hair and the birthmark on her forehead. After all, Ranazera''s azure hair and typhoon birthmark were unmistakable signs of her identity as a member of the Tempest royal family. As Izroth approached the checkpoint and held out the Tempest identity te he confiscated, he discreetly examined the guards at the gate. ''I felt it a while back, but these guys really aren''t your ordinary gate guards.'' NPC Name: Order of the Eternal Aegis, Calyx(Rare Elite) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Order of the Eternal Aegis, Jubal(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Order of the Eternal Aegis, Vincent(Epic) NPC Level: ??? Each of the gate guards gave off a ferocious aura that was not in any way inferior to Centurion Aloysius. There was even one guard in particr who appeared to be leagues ahead of someone like Aloysius. ''Order of the Eternal Aegis... I''ve heard that it was formed for the specific purpose of guarding the Gates of Aegis since the first day of its creation. In terms of prestige, it holds one of the highest among the Tempest Orders.'' Izroth handed the identity te to the guard named Jubal. He had been the one shouting for everyone to have their identity tes ready before they reached the front of the line. Jubal carefully examined the identity te before setting his gaze on Izroth. Jubal narrowed his eyes as his gaze met with Izroth''s. In response, Izroth immediately averted his own gaze toward the ground. When Jubal witnessed this, a light smirk formed on his face as he said, "Alright, you''re all set. You''re up next." Jubal handed the identity te back to Izroth as he turned his attention to Ranazera. Izroth reimed the identity and waited patiently as Jubal checked the identity te he gave to Ranazera. ''They are even more cautious than I presumed.'' The reason Izroth swiftly averted his gaze was that he could feel Jubal''s suspicion slowly building. A normal person would not be able to meet the gaze of someone as battle-hardened as Jubal without showing some form of fear or uneasiness. This was even more so considering the constant battle intent being released by those who guarded the gate. Therefore, Izroth made a quick decision to turn his gaze to the ground to alleviate any concerns or suspicions toward him. Fortunately, due to his timely reaction, it was enough to fool Jubal into believing that he was merely seeing things. "You''re all set! Next!" Jubal called out. Ranazera sessfully made it through the checkpoint, and she walked with Izroth toward the entrance through the Gates of Aegis. Despite hiding her face and appearance, Jubal did not bat an eye, as it was not unusual for those who wanted to venture into the Endless Mountain Range to take some extra precautions. After all, most of those who passed through the Gates of Aegis were merchants looking to make some connections with the mountain tribes in hopes of opening a path to trade. Of course, it was not easy to gain the trust and favor of the mountain tribes; therefore, only a select few merchants had ever been sessful. The Gates of Aegis were protected by severalyers of magic barriers and aplex expert-level magic formation. However, what was extremely well hidden from a distance was anotheryer of defense that one could not perceive until they were right at the gate itself. ''This is... A pinnacle-level magic formation?'' This was Izroth''s first time seeing a pinnacle-level magic formation in RML; however, he was certain that this thing was infinitely more powerful than the advanced-level magic formation that protected the carriage. ''If someone tried to force their way into this ce without any foreknowledge, they wouldn''t know how they died. Tempest really went all out to create this ce.'' When Izroth and Ranazera approached the first magic barrier, a small opening formed that was justrge enough for the two of them to travel through. Just as the two were about to step through the magic barrier, a voice sounded from the side, "Oh, what this? Princess¡ªis that you?" Ranazera was startled when she heard one of the gate guards suddenly call out her title as he approached her, causing her heart to sink. "My apologies, but I fear you are mistaking me for someone else," Ranazera responded as she was quick to think on her feet. Her gaze slowly drifted over to Izroth, who maintained a calm and rxed expression. However, there was an underlying coldness that reminded the sixth princess of what would happen if their cover was blown. "Hm... No, the aura is a bit weaker, so I wasn''t certain at first, but being this close, now I''m absolutely positive. You are the Sixth Princess, Ranazera. I don''t know if her highness remembers me, but I attended your 20th year of life celebration. To think we would meet once again at the Gates of Aegis of all ces. My, what a fortunate coincidence, wouldn''t you say?" The gate guard stated with a wide smile that gave one an unsavory feeling. Chapter 950 Aurelius Windstorm The guard was a man who appeared to be in his mid tote thirties with short bright yellow hair and piercing violet eyes. He wore a full set of ck and silver leather gear with golden trims, and near the left chest area of the leather armor was the symbol of a golden shield. This symbol represented those who were a part of the Order of the Eternal Aegis. Unlike the other guards, this person was the only one located directly next to the first magic barrier. And, it was the one person whose strength Izroth was unable to fully grasp with his Energy Vision Sense among the guards present. However, Izroth was sure of one thing¡ªthis person was in an entirely different league than the other gate guards present. NPC Name: Order of the Eternal Aegis, Prime Eques Aurelius(???) NPC Level: ??? "Of all people to run into, it just had to be this guy." Ranazera thought to herself as she tried her best to hide her troubled expression. Aurelius¡ªa person who held the title of Prime Eques. This meant that among those stationed at the Gates of Aegis, he was second only to the Order of the Eternal Aegis'' Head. However, Aurelius was thest person Ranazera had hoped toe across at the Gates of Aegis. It was well known that the Order of the Eternal Aegis'' Head did not attend to matters regarding the Gates of Aegis unless it was under imminent threat. Therefore, it was often seen by outsiders that Prime Eques Aurelius was the one truly in charge of overseeing the Gates of Aegis. Officially, Aurelius held the rank of Prime Eques under the Order of the Aegis'' Head. But, before he joined the Order of the Aegis, he had already received the rank of First File! While Aurelius'' ability was certainly nothing to scoff at, it was not the reason why Ranazera wanted to avoid this person. Rather, it had to do with his entric personality. It was to the point rumors had circted that he was pushed away from serving under his previous First Prefect due to his unpredictable nature. There was even one rumor that said upon visiting a remote vige, a young man identally brushed past Aurelius, slightly touching him with his left hand. After that incident urred, Aurelius ordered the soldiers of his Legion to cut off the young man''s left hand. But, if the problem ended there, it would not have spread any further than the ranks of the Legion. Once the young man''s left hand was severed, Aurelius then ordered his soldiers to sever the left hand of all who carried the same blood as that young man. He also put out a decree that whenever another person was born with the same blood as that young man, at birth, the child would have their left hand severed. It was said that when the First Prefect, who Aurelius served under at the time, caught wind of this, they were absolutely furious. However, since Aurelius had a powerful backing, the First Prefect''s hands were tied. Ultimately, the most they could do was send him off to the Gates of Aegis. After all, it was rumored that the Order of the Aegis'' Head was actually a member of the royal family. But, since very few people knew of the head''s true identity, this was never confirmed by the public. In the end, despite his entric behavior, Aurelius found his way into the Order of the Aegis. So far, there had been no massive incident since his arrival. Though this was to be expected given the strict nature of the Order. Though if he were part of a minor noble family and forget joining the Order of the Aegis, his family would have long been erased by the vengeful trail of enemies Aurelius left in his wake. Fortunately for him, he was a member of the Windstorm family. The Windstorm family''s power in Tempest was only second to that of the royal family. And, in some ways, it was considered equal. This had to do with the fact that the current head of the Windstorm family held the seat as one of the only two members of the Tempest Council. Since those on the Council represented the will of the noble families, it naturally meant that the Windstorm family held a lot of power and influence in Tempest. This was more than enough to bury and cover up the countless "mishaps" caused by Aurelius and silence those who dared to even dream of speaking out. As Aurelius doubled down on Ranazera''s identity, the sixth princess was unsure how to respond to him. Should she order him to keep quiet about this? No, this was Aurelius Windstorm. It was more likely that he would cause a scene just because it seemed like an amusing thing to do. "I do not wish to deal with this man, but... It may be toote. I have to think of something." Ranazera thought to herself as her mind raced. "And, who''s this? I don''t remember such a person ever being a part of your personal guard, princess. My, we aren''t sneaking off and eloping somewhere, are we? Although that would be quite entertaining if that were true-" The aura around Aurelius suddenly shifted as his cold gazended on Izroth. He then continued, "I would have to cut him down him and escort her royal highness back to the royal pce." Simultaneously, Aurelius'' killing intent swept out in full force as it crashed into Izroth. Izroth maintained a calm but distant expression as he was bombarded by Aurelius'' unbridled killing intent. ''What a terrible killing intent.'' Izroth was not intimidated by Aurelius'' killing intent. What he meant by terrible was not its strength but rather that it had a certain darkness to it that was typically only present in those who found joy in the agony of others. Without a doubt, this person hadmitted countless atrocities. This was not the first time Izroth hade across this kind of person. When it came to dealing with someone like Aurelius, it was both the easiest and most problematic thing to do. This was because there was no true logic behind their actions. But, strangely enough, they were also the type to follow their heart in the moment. ''It seems there will have to be a small change of ns.'' In truth, Izroth was somewhat surprised by Ranazera''s reaction. It appeared that she did not look favorably upon Aurelius and would rather be taken as a political hostage than deal with him. That being said, Izroth understood that if Ranazera had wanted to attempt an escape, now would be the perfect time to do so right under the Gates of Aegis. But, if that happened, Izroth would be sure to keep his word and see that the right price was paid. "How arrogant," Izroth said as he stepped in front of Ranazera with an unshakable gaze. "Oh?" Aurelius narrowed his eyes as he observed Izroth. Just now, he used his killing intent to test him, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever. At the very least, he believed the person before him had some skill and battle experience. As for Izroth, he knew it was toote to feign total ignorance and could not afford to y along as he did with the gate guard who checked his identity te. Therefore, he decided to take a different path. Ranazera, on the other hand, was baffled by Izroth''s decision to confront Aurelius. Could it be that he was unaware of this Aurelius'' identity? Not to mention, this was the Gates of Aegis, where his word was practically thew! If Izroth caused any trouble here, it would not take long for the Order of the Aegis to rain down a swift judgment upon him! "If a fight breaks out here while I''m in my current state, then..." Ranazera contemted as she inwardly furrowed her brows. Meanwhile, Izroth''s words caused a yful grin to form on Aurelius'' face. Though the look in his eyes remained unchanged. "Me? Arrogant? Strange¡ªno one has ever called a member of the Windstorm family arrogant before today. Do you know why that is? It''s not that they can''t; it''s because they don''t dare to." Aurelius said as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it toward Izroth. Chapter 951 Ranazeras Doubts, Messenger The tip of Aurelius'' sword sat less than one centimeter away from Izroth''s neck. Just now, Aurelius'' motion in drawing his sword was so fast and effortless that if there were any onlookers, it would have seemed as if the sword suddenly appeared in his hand. Those around had not yet noticed Aurelius had drawn his sword. Otherwise, the other gate guards would have reacted immediately and surrounded those present. Izroth, however, remained unmoved by Aurelius'' actions as he maintained a steady expression. "That may be the case for others, but I hold no such sentiments," Izroth replied calmly. He then continued, "As for your arrogance¡ªto my knowledge, you do not currently hold a seat on the Council or Senate. Nor are you a part of the royal family. When ites to status, the sixth princess stands above you, yet you openly speak with such familiarity and draw your de in her presence. The fact that you are unaware of my identity means that you are not important enough to know. However, I will say this much. Should you choose to dy us any longer than necessary on the path ahead of us or blow our cover¡ªeven your Windstorm family will not be able to protect you for taking such a misstep." Based on his observation, Izroth had already determined that Aurelius must have been a part of some powerful noble family in Tempest before he even brought up his family''s name. After all, not just anyone would be so bold as to speak to a member of the royal family in such a manner. Once Aurelius mentioned his family name, it became even more apparent to Izroth why he acted so brazen in front of the sixth princess. ''It''s said that while the Windstorm family''s individual power cannot match up to the Tempest royal family, in terms of influence, they are considered to be on par with the royal family. But that''s only if one were to take the surface of the matter as the whole picture. Because of their influence, it is easy for the Windstorm family to draw the other noble families to their side and bolster their strength at any given time. Even though it may appear that the royal family possesses a power advantage, in truth, the two are not that far apart. I suppose it''s just one more reason why the current Emperor of Tempest chose to ally with the shadahi.'' Many centuries ago, one who held the title of Emperor in Tempest had absolute authority. However, that all changed when a certain Emperor took the throne. That Emperor was given the moniker Morsomnibus, which directly tranted to "death to all" in the old Tempest text¡ªa name he earned a thousand times over for his ruthless, cold, and psychotic personality. That era was a dark time for the Tempest kingdom, where hundreds of thousands of its people perished in an attempt to satiate the Emperor''s thirst for killing. Eventually, after the Tempest people suffered through a long era of atrocities, Morsomnibus was overthrown by his younger brother, and a new age came to the kingdom. It was also at this time that the Council and Senate were created to ensure that another Morsomnibus did not emerge from the Tempest kingdom. However, Izroth believed that over the years, the desire to go back to a time when the royal family held absolute power was bing stronger with every new Emperor that took the throne. "Oh? Something that not even I, Prime Eques of the Order of the Aegis, am not important enough to know?" Aurelius said with narrowed eyes as though he were trying to see through Izroth. However, Izroth''s calm expression and unwavering gaze made it impossible to know what he was thinking beyond a surface level. Discovering this, a look of disappointment on Aurelius'' face as he frowned and lowered his de. "Ah, how boring. Hurry up and get out of my sight, so I don''t have to look at that annoying face of yours." Aurelius stated as he returned his de to its sheath. Ranazera was shocked when she saw Aurelius back down. That entric man who always did whatever he wants without thought of others actually stayed his hand? What was going on? Could it be that this person was not the real Aurelius? Of course, Ranazera knew what such a thought was absurd. Nevertheless, she was still dumbfounded by Aurelius'' willingness to let them proceed. Izroth, on the other hand, was not at all surprised by Aurelius'' actions. After all, he knew their types quite well. If one were not used to dealing with people like Aurelius, one would think that everything he did was simply a spur-of-the-moment thing. However, that was far from the case. In fact, one could even say that they were extremely calctive types who understood the utmost limits of the lines they could and could not afford to cross. Since Izroth did not show the slightest fear or hesitation when Aurelius tried to intimidate him and mentioned his family name, he was unsure if confronting Izroth was a line he could afford to cross. Without enough information at his disposal, Aurelius weighed the benefits versus the risks and determined that thetter outweighed the former. Those like Aurelius were cowards when faced with the unknown but bold when it came to that which they could influence and control. "Let us proceed, princess. We must make up for lost time." Izroth stated as he gave an "after you" gesture to Ranazera. Ranazera quickly snapped out of it as she made her way through the first magic barrier of the Gates of Aegis. As she did so, the sixth princess was conflicted. Back when Aurelius had his sword close to Izroth''s neck, despite his deplorable personality, he was still a person from the Tempest kingdom. She could have opened her mouth and exposed Izroth as someone from an enemy kingdom, but instead of speaking up and possibly ending her unfortunate situation, Ranazera chose to remain silent. "Once we cross the Gates of Aegis, there will be no turning back. Second brother, third sister... Am I truly doing the right thing...?" Ranazera thought to herself as a troubled expression formed on her face. After Izroth and Ranazera made their way through the magic barrier, Aurelius motioned for the gate guards to resume letting people through. It was not that he instructed them to stop; however, the gate guards seldom saw Aurelius interact with those who went through the Gates of Aegus. Therefore, they intentionally dyed the line''s progress so as not to disturb the Prime Eques. After all, they all knew how he could get if his mood were bad. "Something about that guy rubs me the wrong way. Also, that stubborn princess was actually acting so meek in front of him. I don''t like it. I don''t like it one bit¡ªthat smug bastard." Aurelius said to himself as he clicked his tongue. He then called one of the gate guards, Vincent, over. "You called for me, young lord?" Vincent said in a respectful manner. Vincent belonged to one of the minor noble families who served under the Windstorm family; therefore, he was extra careful in how he addressed Aurelius. "I want you to go look into something for me. I''m sure I don''t have to say this, but don''t screw up." Aurelius spoke in a cold and distant tone as his expression darkened. ... Thirty minutester... After Izroth and Ranazera passed through the Gates of Aegis, another certain individual arrived at its entrance. "Prime Eques, a messenger of unknown origins, wishes to speak with you. They say it is a matter of the utmost urgency, but they refuse to disclose any information unless it''s you who receives it." One of the gate guards, Jubal, stated as he respectfully delivered the message. "Oh? A messenger of unknown origins? Looks like we''re getting quite a few unusual visitors today." Aurelius said as he was instantly reminded of Izroth and Ranazera. He then inquired, "Where is this messenger?" "We''ve temporarily escorted them to one of the holding rooms used by high-status merchants while their cargo undergoes inspection at the gate. Since we weren''t sure of their identity, we believed it was better to be on the safe side. Of course, I made sure to leave behind enough guards so that they could not slip away or cause any trouble." Jubal answered with haste. "Idiot, you didn''t have to do anything so troublesome. No one is foolish enough to cause any trouble at the Gates of Aegis with that old monster watching over this ce. That being said, seeing as how they asked to meet with me, they must know a thing or two about how things work here. Let''s go; escort me to this mystery messenger of ours." Aurelius stated with a sharp gaze. Chapter 952 Fooled, Quietly ... Inside a spacious room located at the Gates of Aegis sat a mysterious cloaked figure d in all ck. This cloaked figure was a member of the Ghosts of the Nox, as well as the same individual Prisca ordered to visit the border. But, the cloaked figure was not alone as two sets of fierce gazes were locked onto him. There was only one way in and out of the room; therefore, if someone wanted to escape, they would first have to get past the two guards stationed on both sides of the door. These guards were a part of the Order of the Eternal Aegis, so their strength was not to be underestimated. All of a sudden, the door opened from the outside as two men stepped into the room. "I heard there was someone who wanted to see me. But, I gotta say¡ªyour get-up and timing are rather suspicious." Aurelius'' voice sounded as the door closed behind him. Aurelius was apanied by Jubal, who led the way to the room. Though after arriving, Jubal stood directly in front of the door without saying a word. The moment Aurelius entered the room, the cloaked figure stood to their feet and made a respectful gesture as he slightly bowed in the process. "I do not quite understand what you mean, but... This lowly one greets the Prime Eques of the Order of the Eternal Aegis. I would like to start by saying that I am honored to be in your noble presence." The cloaked figure stated calmly. "Oh?" The look in Aurelius'' eyes changed after the cloaked figure''s greeting¡ªas if his interest had been piqued. He then continued, "I guess you''ve got some manners. Very well. Initially, I only nned on taking a look at the face of the person who dared to summon me before disposing of them personally. But, seeing as how you know how to choose your words properly, I''ve decided to let you keep your life. Well, at least, for the time being." The cloaked figure released a small inward sigh of relief. "It''s a good thing I followed Prime Eques Prisca''s instructions precisely. Otherwise, I may have been cut down before I could even exin the situation." The cloaked figure thought to themselves. "This lowly one thanks the Prime Eques for his extraordinary generosity in allowing me to keep my life. Although this lowly one has no name, in order to not inconvenience the Prime Eques, you may refer to me as Nix." The cloaked figure, Nix, said. "Nix, is it? Don''t misunderstand. I may not have immediately taken your life, but I still haven''t fully decided to spare you. That is unless you give me a good reason as to why I should allow your head to stay attached to your body." Aurelius stated coldly. Aurelius was still in a foul mood about his earlier encounter with Izroth and the sixth princess, Ranazera. Therefore, if someone appeared who he could take his anger out, he would more than wee it. "I would not dare to request anything more than for you to merely receive a message from the one I serve. I was sent here under orders from the Prime Eques of the 10th Legion, Prisca, regarding a matter of utmost importance. It involves the royal family." Nix remarked as they revealed an insignia of a ck snowke with special markings carved into its surface. Aurelius narrowed his eyes at those words as he carefully examined the insignia in Nix''s possession. "That''s the insignia of the duchess'' legion, alright. Still, something doesn''t add up here. You said you were sent by Prime Eques Prisca and not the duchess herself. A matter that involves the royal family¡ªthere is no way that fanatic of a Prime Eques would go behind the back of their master." Aurelius said as he set his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Please stay your hand for a moment longer, Prime Eques. The situation was just that urgent. There was no time to report directly to the duchess with what is at stake." Nix responded with a sense of urgency. Aurelius'' hand halted just before he was about to grab the hilt of his de. "I will give you one minute to exin. If I sense the slightest falsehood to your words... Well, I''m sure you get the picture by now." Aurelius stated as he lowered his hand. "You have my gratitude. Allow me to start from the beginning..." Nix said as they went on to exin the situation in detail to Aurelius. ... Exactly one minuteter... Nix finished his exnation right as the one-minute mark hit, as though he had prepared specifically for that moment. Nix exined how the 10th Legion was on its way to join the uing battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt, as well as the separate contingent of mages apanying them. They also informed Aurelius of the fate of the separate contingent. Needless to say, this included their hunch that Ranazera was a part of the contingent and had likely been taken as a political hostage. Nix even mentioned that Prisca predicted a possible escape through the Gates of Aegis after noticing a few missing Tempest identity tes in her initial investigation of the scene. Meanwhile, Aurelius had fallen silent. There was a dangerous aura that radiated from his body as the atmosphere within the room became heavy. "Excuse my insolence, but... We would like to request your cooperation. Although it is not guaranteed they wille this way, it remains a possibility. Since the sixth princess is technically under the duchess'' protection, it will reflect poorly on her if this situation is not handled with great care. Therefore, we humbly request your aid." Nix weaved their words together graciously. At first, Nix was inwardly nervous due to the deafening silence on Aurelius'' part. But, after a few moments of awkward silence, Aurelius finally spoke. "Alright. I will send the orders immediately to report anyone matching the description you''ve given me. Since the matter regarding the sixth princess is sensitive, I will entrust only those closest to me to oversee that portion of the inspection. Rest assured, if I find anything, you''ll be the first to know. However, when it''s all said and done, you''ll have to tell Prime Eques Prisca that she owes me one." Aurelius said unhurriedly. "I can assure you, Prime Eques Prisca never forgets a favor," Nix replied. "Then, we''ll get right on it. Until then, you should stay here and rx. You must have journeyed to the Gates of Aegis without rest. You''ve earned a small break for delivering such a vital message." Aurelius stated with a smile that was somewhat unsettling. "This lowly one thanks the Prime Eques for his hospitability; however, I must report back to Prime Eques Prisca at once to update her on-" "Nonsense. You are a guest of this young lord. How can I send you away without showing proper hospitality? If it helps to set your heart at ease, I will send one of my own men to inform Prime Eques Prisca in your stead. Think of this as showing me some face." Aurelius cut off Nix before they could finish. Nix furrowed their brows beneath their cloaked appearance. If it were anyone else, he would have declined their offer without fail. However, Nix knew that refusing Aurelius'' hospitality after he''d gone to such great lengths to insist would only lead to disaster. "...Then, since the Prime Eques insists, this lowly one shall graciously ept your offer," Nix replied without fuss. Once Nix officially epted his invitation, Aurelius called out to the two guards originally protecting the door, "Calyx, Marcus¡ªsee to it that our guest is properly entertained. Jubal, go and fetch Vincent. Tell him there''s no need toplete the other task I gave him and to return at once." Aurelius said as he made his way out of the room. "Yes, Prime Eques," Jubal responded as he gave a quick salute before immediately heading out. As the door closed behind him and Jubal took his leave, the expression on Aurelius'' face changed and darkened. "Good... Very good...! It''s been a while since I''ve been fooled so thoroughly. That bastard sure managed to pull one over on me. I''ll be sure to repay the favor a thousand times over once I get my hands on him." Aurelius thought to himself as the ground beneath his feet shattered from a sudden burst of pressure. Aurelius was furious. The more he thought back to Izroth''s arrogant and haughty attitude at the gate, the more Aurelius became enraged in the depths of his heart. How could he tolerate knowing that some nobodymoner was able to get away right underneath his nose? "If that old monster finds out what happened, it''ll be a headache. I have to settle this matter quietly." Aurelius said to himself. ... Meanwhile, somewhere close to the Tempest Malentansium border... ''I expected an inhospitable environment, but... the situation here is even worse than I thought.'' Izroth inwardly furrowed his brows as he stood before a wastnd covered as far as the eye could see in a foul miasma. Chapter 953 Pride Of A Princess, Another Path? "The Cursed Grounds¡ªone of the great mysteries of the Malentansium kingdom," Ranazeramented with furrowed brows as she took a step forward and stood next to Izroth. She then continued, "While its exact origin is unknown, it is believed to have been caused by the decaying body of an evil true dragon thought to be located at its center. But, even after centuries of attempts by countless individuals, no one has been able to sessfully reach the middle of the Cursed Grounds and return to speak of it." ''An evil true dragon?'' So far, all the books Izroth read in RML depicted the true dragons as a powerful race of beings that were infinitely close to an infallible existence. While true dragons could not be considered necessarily good by nature, neither were they evil. In fact, they were perhaps one of the most neutral races in RML, or at the very least, the Mortal Realm. Add that to their natural monstrous talent and prideful mindset; it was difficult to believe that one of the true dragons would turn evil. This was even more so, considering the Dragon King and the Dragon King''s Pce would not allow such a true dragon to tarnish their venerated status. Though Izroth knew that there were clear exceptions to the rules. One such example was Kayn, the third young master of the Dragon n. His personality was rather outgoing for a true dragon. And, despite his overwhelming talent that was enough to make most others feel inferior inparison, he exuded absolute confidence in his own abilities rather than sheer arrogance. That was not to say that the young dragon princecked any arrogance. After all, it was natural for the strong to have some arrogance. However, Kayn disyed it in a rather tasteful manner and did not simply throw his weight around without purpose. ''An evil true dragon... There''s a good chance that it could just be an amusing tale made up to discourage others from being too reckless. But, nheless, it''s a bit interesting. Perhaps one day, I will have the chance to seek the answer myself. Unfortunately, that day is not today.'' "It seems you were telling the truth, after all. Just as you''ve said, without making a brief detour through the Endless Mountain Range, it is impossible to journey into Malentansium territory. That is unless we decide to go back through the Gates of Aegis and proceed another way." Izroth stated as he finished examining the miasma. After departing from the Gates of Aegis, Izroth and Ranazera made their way toward the foot of the Endless Mountain Range. They were still nearly half an hour from the foot of the mountains; however, Izroth was close enough to clearly see that the miasma did indeed stretch to the base of the Endless Mountain Range. As for flying over it¡ªIzroth had already considered that option. But he quickly found out that it was not feasible. The miasma released a strong fume that drifted into the air. And, even though Izroth could get high enough with his Sky Steps to avoid it, the distance to the other side was too far for him to make it in one go. ''Even for me, with my current physical body, it is impossible to guarantee that I won''t sumb to the effects of the Cursed Grounds, let alone someone like her.'' Izroth nced over at Ranazera, who had a troubled expression on her face. It was not hard to tell what she was thinking. Right now, she waspletely powerless and could only leave her fate in the hands of a stranger from an enemy kingdom. Whether he decided to go through the Endless Mountain Range or try their luck in crossing through the Cursed Grounds on foot, Ranazera knew that she had no choice in the matter. She could only hope that her captor was not so foolish as to lead them to their deaths. "It appears our options are rather limited, princess," Izroth said with a carefree expression. Ranazera released a helpless sigh as she shook her head and replied, "I am not oblivious to my present circumstances; however..." Suddenly, without warning, Ranazera threw her body forward toward the miasma of the Cursed Grounds! Woosh! Just as the sixth princess was about to fall forward into the miasma, a shing silhouette sped out and grabbed ahold of her shoulder. Then, in one swift motion, Ranazera momentarily lost control of her own body movements as she grew further and further away from the miasma. The sixth princess stumbled backward several meters before ultimately falling onto the ground with a fierce look in her eyes. "For someone who said they highly value their life and is unwilling to gamble it away, you certainly seem to have a death wish. What happened to fully cooperating on the promise of your life? Can it be that your life is worth so little in your eyes? Or does the promise of a Tempest princess only amount to this much?" Izroth stated as his gazended on the sixth princess. Just now, Izroth managed to react in time to stop Ranazera from falling into the Cursed Grounds. Even though a brief exposure would not likely be lethal, it would still cause a great deal of harm, given Ranazera''s currently powerless state. Without a doubt, it would greatly slow the pace of their journey. Not to mention, in order to avoid any long-term effects, Izroth would have no choice but to find someone who could handle curses as fast as possible. After all, if the sixth princess died under his protection, things would turn into a headache if it was not handled properly. "Hmph, you might as well just kill me now! No matter what happens to me, I will not set foot into the Endless Mountain Range!" Ranazera scowled. Ranazera knew that there were only two options¡ªturn back to the Gates of Aegis or bypass the Cursed Grounds by taking a detour through the Endless Mountain Range. Of course, Ranazera understood the risk of turning back to go through the Gates of Aegis. Because of this, she was certain that Izroth would go with the only other option avable, which was taking a path that involved the Endless Mountain Range. However, Ranazera refused to go against the words of her ancestors and ignore their warnings. "Think of me what you will, but I still have my pride as a princess of the Tempest kingdom! Even if it costs my life, it will be a small price to pay to ensure that the people of Tempest can live on!" Ranazera stated firmly. "Here I thought that the princess of a major kingdom would have a more level head on their shoulders. I must admit that it''s somewhat disappointing." Izroth said as he inwardly shook his head. "You think I don''t know what you''re nning after seeing this? Our options are limited? It''s obvious that you want to go through the Endless Mountain Range!" "You should wait until others are finished speaking before you go ande to your own conclusion. Otherwise, no matter how well-ced your intentions are, it will all be for naught if you''re not alive to see whether your efforts bore fruit or not." "You¡ªwhat are you-" "While it''s true that I said our options were limited, not once did I mention that there was no other path to take. Do you think I''ve been simply standing here to enjoy the scenery this entire time?" Ranazera furrowed her brows as a slight frown appeared on her face. "What are you getting at? There is no other path besides returning through the Gates of Aegis. Are you telling me that''s a risk you''re willing to take?" Ranazera inquired. "No, I have no intention of returning to the Gates of Aegis," Izroth replied casually. "Then-!" "However, if there exists no path before us, the solution is fairly simple. We must create a path of our own." Izroth stated as he looked downward. In his hands was a book with a dark brown exterior and bright golden text on its cover. The book emitted a faint and familiar aura that wasmonly found on a certain item type within RML¡ªit was a skill book. ''I nned on eventually awarding this to a member of the 9th Division that showed some promise; however, it seems I''ll have to find another suitable prize.'' This skill book was one Izroth acquired after defeating the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle back during his time in the Ferae Jungle. ¡´System Alert: Do you want to learn the skill ?Molding Earth?? Warning! Once you learn this skill, the skill book will be destroyed!¡µ ''Yes.'' The next moment, the skill book in Izroth''s hands shattered into countless particles before dispersing in every direction. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have learned the skill ?Molding Earth?!¡µ ''If we can''t go through it, over it, nor around it, then... We''ll just have to go right under it.'' Chapter 954 Molding Earth From the moment they arrived at the edge of the Cursed Grounds, Izroth had been closely examining thend with his Energy Vision Sense. He soon discovered that while the earth within the Cursed Grounds was heavily tainted, if one were to dig almost fifty meters down, they would find no trace of the harmful miasma. Of course, digging a hole fifty meters deep by hand was out of the question. And, even if one could dig it by hand, there was still the matter of stability to take into consideration, as well as the absence of a light source underground. If one simply tried to dig without a proper n at such depths, it would not take long for the earth to copse and cave in on them, ultimately burying them alive in endless darkness. Under normal circumstances, unless one were a skilled mage that specialized in earth-type magic, it would have been impossible to consider such a reckless action. However, Izroth now had a skill in his possession that gave him a solid foundation to tunnel underneath the Cursed Grounds. Not to mention, with his deep understanding of the foundations of magic in RML, Izroth believed he would have no trouble controlling and managing the earth''s stability. Izroth swiftly nced over the skill information that appeared before him after using the skill book. ''I haven''t bothered learning any genuine magic skills due to my low magic and mana stats; however, even with ack of magic power, this skill is still quite useful. It also isn''t too out of ce with my current fighting style.'' Skill Name: Molding Earth Skill Mastery: 0.00% Skill Rank: A Requirement(s): 25 MP, 1 Magic Mana Cost: 25 MP/per 1 meter of earth Cast Time: Instant Active: The user can freely manipte the surrounding earth. If an enemy is struck by anything under the influence of Molding Earth, depending on the nature of the attack, it may inflict up to [375% of the user''s magic] as earth damage and has a chance to cause one or more of the following effect(s): ?Staggered?, ?Stun?, or ?Disabled?. Cooldown: None Special Note: This skill can only be improved through repeated usage and proper execution. ''Thinking about it a bit further,ing across this skill when I did was rather fortunate. It''s not easy to find a high-rank spell that can be implemented with low mana and is still useful with weak magic power.'' Of course, in the hands of a proper mage with high mana and magic stats, something like Molding Earth, if trained and utilized correctly, could potentially make them one of the strongest and most versatile mages in RML! ''Since the usage requirements are so low, it''s an ideal skill to ce into a skill orb. Unfortunately, if I want to make it a skill orb, I will have to wait until I reach a level ofplete mastery with it.'' "Your dedication to the people of Tempest is admirable. For that reason alone, I am willing to overlook your momentarypse in judgment. However... Should thatpse in judgment happen a second time, you won''t have to worry about risking your own life¡ªI will save us both the trouble and personally see to it that your wish is granted." Izroth stated in a distant and heavy tone. "You-" Ranazera wanted to retort; however, she found that no words came to her mind at that moment. At the same time, Izroth shifted his gaze toward the earth beneath him. The surface resembled hardened y and had a severeck of greenery or any kind of nt life for that matter. ''My current mana regeneration is still too low. But, thanks to the passive Magic Fundamental Mastery, my mana regeneration is increased by 100% as long as I''m outside of battle. Still, it seems I have no choice but to rely on mana potions.'' At first nce, 25 mana per 1 meter may not seem like a lot; however, the distance from their position to the other side of the Cursed Grounds was at least a couple of kilometers. Even with the 17% mana cost reduction provided by the Seal of Ten Chakrams, it would still require a minimum of roughly 82,000 mana to reach the other side with enough space for two people. And this estimate was not even taking into ount the inevitable adjustments that would have to be made to ensure the tunnel''s stability. In all likelihood, Izroth believed that it would probably take at least twice that amount¡ªand that was a conservative estimate. ''Let''s begin.'' Izroth held the palm of his hand outward toward the ground as the mana around him began to grow restless. Ranazera rose a brow at Izroth''s actions. So far, all he''d done is take out some random book and destroy it. Just what did he possibly hope to aplish? Rmmmble! "?!" Ranazera was startled by the abrupt shaking of the surrounding earth. "Odd, there should be no such natural phenomenon that urs in this area. Is it his doing?" Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows as her gaze locked onto Izroth. Crrrrack! The next moment, a shocking scene urred as a hole opened up in the earth. Inside the hole was a spiraling staircase that went down tens of meters! ''Oh? The maniption process is a lot simpler than I anticipated. It''s true that controlling it is somewhat challenging due to the low skill mastery; however, it merely requires a more thorough adjustment.'' To manipte the earth with the Molding Earth skill, Izroth simply had to visualize what he wanted to create, and the skill would take care of the rest. For someone like him, with a consciousness vast enough to envelop that of a normal person many times over and perfect picture memory, it was as easy as breathing to mentally conceptualize what he wanted to conjure. Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the sudden formation of the spiral staircase. This guy¡ªshe thought he was a closebat specialist, but... To think he would also be capable of using this kind ofplex earth magic. "How many more secrets is this person hiding?" Ranazera silently contemted. "After you," Izroth said as he motioned for Ranazera to step onto the spiral staircase. As he did so, Izroth removed a in-looking talisman from his inventory. He held the talisman in between his fingers and made a slight flicking motion with his wrist as the talisman began to release a soft illuminating light. This talisman wasmonly mistaken for the Grand Illumination Talisman due to its simrity; however, it was known as the Talisman of Illumination. Name: Talisman of Illumination(Common) Usage: Upon activation, this talisman released a soft illuminating light that canst for up to 10 minutes. This talisman is automatically destroyed when its light fades. Cooldown: None Unlike the Grand Illumination Talisman, which released a bright light for a fleeting moment, the Talisman of Illumination emitted a soft light thatsted for a prolonged period of time. The Talisman of Illumination was not as useful as the Grand Illumination Talisman against the Skounae when it came to catching them off guard, but it certainly had its usage when venturing through the territory of a race that resided in the darkness. Ranazera stood to her feet and approached the spiral staircase. As she looked down past the entrance, bathed in the soft illumination of the talisman in Izroth''s hand, all she could see was darkness. Needless to say, it gave her an eerie feeling. "Is it safe?" Ranazera inquired. "Does it matter? It''s either this or we travel through the Endless Mountain Range. Of course, you''ve already made it quite clear where you stand." Izroth responded. Ranazera inwardly frowned. But she knew that what Izroth said was correct. In the end, whether it was safe or not, there was no alternative. After a brief moment of hesitation, Ranazera began her descent down the spiral staircase. Izroth consumed a mana potion as he followed closely after Ranazera. Since the range of the Talisman of Illumination was rtively limited, he could not afford tog too far behind. As Izroth went traveled far enough down the spiral staircase, the opening above started to close. ... Approximately twenty minutes after Izroth and Ranazera entered the spiral staircase, a group of individuals arrived near its entrance. "The trace cuts off here. Although it''s well hidden, it can''t escape the methods of Nisang. They must have gone underground from a nearby entry point. Judging by the surrounding mana particles, it should be close by. They couldn''t have left more than half an hour ago. Of this, Nisang is certain." One of the individuals stated. The person who just spoke had an unusual appearance. He wore a mask with the face of an evil beast and wore a bizarre pelt that only revealed a set of unique triple-jointed arms. He crawled on all fours like a wild beast and spoke in a rather hoarse tone. But this person was no wild animal. In fact, he was a member of the Order of the Eternal Aegis known as The Trackless Dog of Tempest, Nisang. "Good work, Nisang. I knew I could rely on that nose of yours¡ªwell, or whatever you use to track others." Aurelius'' voice sounded in an amused tone as a slight grin formed on his face. Chapter 955 In Pursuit Not long after Nix''s visit and discovering his blunder, Aurelius gathered a group of his most trusted soldiers and began to pursue Izroth and Ranazera. "Having to take some extra precautions so that old monster wouldn''t find out what we''re up to has made us lose too much time. If they went underground, finding them through normal means is out of the question. It could also just be a tactic to throw us off their trail. But, to fool Nisang''s methods¡ªI''ve yet to meet such an individual capable of doing so. Not to mention, why go through the trouble of taking such an arduous path instead of just going through the Endless Mountain Range?" Aurelius stated as he narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the area Nisang pointed out. "Young lord, if I may speak?" Vincent requested as he stepped forward respectfully. "What is it?" Aurelius replied impatiently as he tried to wrap his head around things. "I believe this is not a trick to throw us off. Please take what I am about to say with a hint of skepticism, young lord." Vincent said calmly. "That''s rather reassuring," Aureliusmented mockingly. He then continued, "Out with it already. I''ll be the one to decide whether or not it''s worth listening to." "Of course, young lord. I think the reason they chose to avoid making the journey through the Endless Mountain Range has to do with an old tale passed down through my family." "Hey, if you waste my time with some nonsense, I''ll kill you. What the hell does some old tale have to do with this?" Aurelius frowned. Having served under Aurelius for many years now, Vincent was used to his threats; therefore, he continued on as if things were normal. "Long ago, a member from the Tempest royal family offended a foreign power with unknown origins. Due to this, members of the royal family are forbidden from ever setting foot on the Endless Mountain Range. It is said that the day they break this condition set by their ancestors, the fall of Tempest would not be far behind." Vincent exined. He then rified, "My family only knows of this matter because our ancestor served as part of the emperor of that time''s personal guard. It has been passed down through every generation of our family. Though the start of it all has long since been lost." Aurelius took a moment to ponder as he stared out into the Cursed Grounds. It was said that besides the royal family, no one knew why the Gates of Aegis was constructed. Also, even though it had never been confirmed, there were rumors that the old monster at the head of the Order of the Eternal Aegis was actually a descendant of the royal family. "Our family has always known that the royal family was hiding a great secret from the rest of us. If I can get some answers, my father will have no choice but to let me out of this dull ce." Aurelius thought to himself. Aurelius had been stuck at the Gates of Aegis for years. Naturally, he did not n on staying in such a downtrodden ce forever. After all, even if others found it an honor to be a part of the Order of the Eternal Aegis, for someone like him who was a part of the Windstorm family, such an honor was meaningless. He wanted nothing more than to regain the previous power he lost and make up for lost time. "If you''re so sure they won''t cross the Endless Mountain Range, then it means their destination is probably Malentansium," Aurelius said with a slight grin. "Is it not more likely that they''ll attempt to retreat into the Land of Unity?" Vincent put forth. As long as they traveled underground and used the miasma as cover, it should not be impossible for them to get to the Land of Unity without issue. Not to mention, the Land of Unity was currently under the major control of Amaharpe and Rosentarus, with Proximus acting in a supporting role. It would not be easy to reach the sixth princess once they crossed that threshold. "That bastard''s eyes¡ªI still remember them as clear as day," Aurelius said as he made a gesture with his hand. The moment he performed this gesture, the soldiers he brought with him started to prepare to move out from their current position. "That kind of guy, there''s no way he''ll risk missing a big stage like the Night Lord''s Crypt. Without a doubt in my mind, that''s where he''ll be headed with the sixth princess. Of course, I have no intention of letting him reach that ce with his life intact." Aurelius stated as a hint of killing intent shed through his eyes. He then ordered, "We''re moving out! We''ll cut through the Endless Mountain Range and cut them off before they get anywhere near the Night Lord''s Crypt!" ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Malentansium... After their run-in with the separate contingent, Niflheim, Menerva, and the rest of the 9th Division returned to Amaharpe via a Returning Scroll. Once they arrived and reorganized themselves, the 9th Division joined up with the rest of the allied forces and was currently on their way toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. Currently, Niflheim and Menerva were traveling together with a familiar face¡ªthe War Brigade 2nd Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Aurie. "It has not been long since the establishment of the GSU''s 9th Division, but you all have already performed a great deed with incredible results. If this continues, that woman may have no choice but to make a move personally." Aurie stated in a pleased tone. The woman she was referring to was, of course, the current Commander of the General Support Unit, Seraphina. "We only did what was necessary. Though we won''t be turning away any rewards when the timees. So, be sure to put in a good word for us, Commander." Niflheim said as a small smile formed on his face. "Naturally, this should be the case. I''m sure General Solomon himself will speak up on your behalf if the Resource Management Division tries to pull anything." Aurie responded with a fierce gaze. Izroth left a heavy impression on the Resource Management Division¡ªthough not necessarily one where they saw him in a bright light. But, regardless of personal feelings, Aurie would make sure things did not go astray when the time came. As for why the 9th Division was currently traveling with Aurie''s unit, it was actually Izroth who made the request of Aurie long beforehand and instructed his two lieutenants to make sure it was carried out. In the end, the 9th Division was a part of the GSU; therefore, they technically did not have to answer to anyone. But, this was a double-edged sword. If they were in trouble, no one had the obligation, beyond being on the same side, to send aid. There were still too many unknowns about the kingdom of Malentansium. And so, Izroth wanted to make sure that the 9th Division was in safe hands in case of his absence. After all, the chaos that would inevitably ensue at the Night Lord''s Crypt was not something that could be looked down on. "Still, imagine our surprise when a messenger returned from your unit much earlier than we ever could have anticipated. Now, Tempest forces will have to think twice about whether or not they are truly willing tomit to the defense of the Night Lord''s Crypt. However, while I''m d you''ve seeded, it seems that I will have to have a word with your Captain upon his return. His actions this time around are really too reckless." Aurie said with a helpless sigh. Aurie was made aware of Izroth''s situation with the sixth princess of Tempest and knew that he would be hunted to the ends of the earth. "Our Captain may appear thoughtless on the surface; however, he always maintains a n within a n. There is no need for concern over his safety, Commander Aurie." Menervamented. "Who''s worried about his safety? I''m more concerned about the path of destruction he''ll leave in his wake." Aurie sighed as she shook her head. The Commander was suddenly reminded of the aftermath of the Malentansium outpost city of Vostracane. ... Somewhere far beneath the Cursed Grounds... ''This is the first time I''ve used mana at this level of quantity and consistency. It''s only been two hours since I started, yet it feels like the shackles on the fourth seal of the Seal of Ten Chakrams are already breaking free. As I thought, there is a considerable difference between magic theory and actual magic application in real-time.'' Chapter 956 Onward Under The Cursed Grounds When it came to those who understood the very foundations of magic itself, Izroth could be considered ranked among the top individuals in the Mortal Realm. However, in terms of magic application, he was far from being on the same level as people like Kryxelsia, Valentine, or the Phantom Queen. After all, magic was not something that existed in the Seven Realms. Though this was not to say that Izroth''s magic application skills were poor. Because of his deep understanding of the foundations of magic and naturalprehension skills, Izroth had no trouble disying an advanced level of magic application. Whereas the average magic caster would struggle to freely manipte the surrounding earth, Izroth could do so without much difficulty¡ªeven with his current low skill mastery. ''The skill mastery for Molding Earth has already increased by nearly twenty percent. It was moving much faster initially, but its progress has slowed considerably. It seems that the previous assumption I made about repetitiveness in magic development turned out to be true.'' Izroth quickly discovered that while performing repetitive tasks with Molding Earth gradually increased his skill mastery at a steady pace, it was doing something unique that invoked extraordinary growth. That''s why, along the way, he had been secretly changing the forms of the structures used to stabilize the tunnel. The mass and purpose remained the same; however, each was almost like a unique piece of art. This kind of method was ideal since it did not require any additional mana. But that was not the only reason for Molding Earth''s rapid growth. Izroth''s passive skill Magic Fundamental Mastery also had a part to y in it. One of the benefits granted by the passive skill made it so that when learning or growing magic-based skills, the speed in improving upon them was increased by 10%. At first nce, this amount may seem somewhat negligible. However, when a skill was being used consistently, such as Molding Earth, it allowed the skill mastery to develop at a frightening speed. "This was a ridiculous n. Are you even human? How can you dig for so long without rest? Consuming so many mana potions to replenish your mana¡ªare you not afraid of permanently damaging your mana pool?" Ranazeramented with a slight groan. Given the personality she''d disyed up until this point, Izroth believed that Ranazera was not the talkative type. However, not long after he began constructing the tunnel, she had been speaking virtually nonstop. There was no specific direction or purpose to the words she spoke, and the topics brought up were of a wide variety. But, one would be foolish to think nothing of it. ''She''s quite persistent. Though I expect no less from someone in her position.'' It may seem as though Ranazera was speaking without purpose; however, Izroth saw through her intentions from the very beginning. Despite being captured, the sixth princess was still trying to draw whatever information she could out of Izroth¡ªregardless of how insignificant or useless it seemed. If it were someone else, they might have answered casually since the questions appeared rtively harmless. After all, most people in Izroth''s position would be beyond ecstatic, having captured a member of an enemy kingdom''s royal family due to the rewards and fame it would bring them. That''s why it was not umon for those types of individuals to lower their guard when approaching the finish line. Unfortunately for Ranazera, she came across someone like Izroth. "It will take much more than some dirt to slow me down. As for my mana pool, while your concern is appreciated, it is misced." Izroth replied calmly. It wasmon knowledge among yers that consuming too many potions within a short span of time could lead to a special type of poisoning. For example, if one consumes too many mana potions, they could suffer from mana poisoning. If not handled properly, it could lead to permanent damage to one''s mana pool. Needless to say, since Izroth had already experienced what it was like to have a fractured mana pool, he was in no rush to go through that again. As for how Izroth avoided being mana poisoned after consuming so many mana potions nonstop, it had to do with abination of his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat. But, if it were just this much, it still would have been risky for Izroth to consume so many mana potions within such a short time frame. This was even more so, considering he was still suppressing the effects of cia''s ck Winter Fence. That''s why Izroth used nothing but high-grade mana potions. High-grade potions contained fewer impurities and would not produce the effects of mana poisoning as rapidly as consuming low-grade potions. ''With Molding Earth constantly improving, there should be no issue keeping the effects of mana poisoning at bay. As long as I maintain this pace, I can meet up with the 9th Division and allied forces before they begin their attack on the Night Lord''s Crypt.'' Amaharpe and its allies may have done their best to keep the uing assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt under wraps, but Malentansium and Tempest had their own informationwork. There was no guarantee that their n had not already been exposed. In fact, it was more likely their n had long been uncovered. However, even if Amaharpe and its allies managed to keep it a secret by some miracle, it did not take a genius strategist for Malentansium to realize that their enemies would undoubtedly take advantage of the Night Lord''s revival to strike. Either way, they would be prepared for an all-out war! While Izroth had confidence in Commander Aurie''s strength, as well as Niflheim and Menerva''spetence when it came to leading the 9th Division in his absence, he still felt the need to be there at the frontlines. For one, there would be many hidden dangers on such arge-scale battlefield¡ªbe it traps or strong individuals. The 9th Division was not bad for a newly formed group; however, against those with a plethora of experience, they would be at a clear disadvantage in terms of general strength. But, just those reasons alone were not enough to garner Izroth''s concern. After all, despite its inherent challenges, this sort of battle would be a good experience for the 9th Division''s overall development. What Izroth wanted to ensure was that the resurrection of the Night Lord Zars never came to pass. ''After what took ce in the Dream Domain, if Zars is revived, he won''t rest until Commander Aurie, and I are destroyed. I''ll have to see to it that he remains buried¡ªpermanently.'' Izroth was no stranger to powerful enemies. However, unlike most of his foes in RML, Zars could not be killed using standard methods. Since he was a Night Lord of the skounae race, Zars possessed an artifact known as a Spirix. As long as his Spirix remained intact, he could revive an endless amount of times. Izroth believed that having an enemy like that around in the Mortal Realm would undoubtedly bring about countless future disasters on a grand scale. Of course, in the end, even if the grudge Zars had against him did not exist, Izroth had an obligation to do what was best for the Mortal Realm. It was well known that the skounae had close ties to the Nether Realm and Netherworld Monarch¡ªboth of which were eternal enemies of the Mortal Realm. Needless to say, Zars was no exception. Seeing as how Izroth was given the perfect opportunity to remove a significant threat to the Mortal Realm from the picture once and for all, how could he let it pass him by? "We''ll be increasing our pace from here on out. I suggest you do your best not to fall behind." Izroth said calmly. "Are you sure it''s something you can even handle? I''d rather not be buried alive in this ce along with you." Ranazera frowned. Even a skilled magic caster specially trained in earth magic would find it a daunting task to keep this kind of pace, relying solely on mana potions. Ranazera knew that if something happened to Izroth this far underground, there was nothing she could do but ept her fate. "I still have some treasures that can allow me to escape; however, it is uncertain whether or not they will work this far underground. Not to mention, even if I do sessfully escape, there is still the issue of this strange item that seals my power. If he is the only one who knows the method of removal, then..." Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows. As Ranazera mulled over the questionable decision of her captor, Izroth wasted no time entertaining the Tempest princess'' words. Not long after he spoke, the swiftness at which he cleared a path forward and simultaneously created stabilizing structures increased severalfold. Ranazera was taken aback by Izroth''s huge leap in pacing when manipting the surrounding earth. But, more shockingly, what she feared most did note to pass, as there was no visible drop in the tunnel''s quality. Chapter 957 Seal Of Ten Chakrams: Fourth Seal The reason Izroth could maintain the high-level quality of the tunnel despite his seemingly abrupt growth in speed had to do with two things. First off, he no longer focused on making distinct changes to the structures used to support the tunnel. Instead, he made every one of them uniform. And while this did not decrease the mana cost, it allowed Izroth to mass-produce them without giving any thought to adding unique properties. Secondly, in the beginning, Izroth took things slowly so that he could be ustomed to the use of magic. Since it was his first time using a purely magic-based skill, Izroth chose not to rush through it. He wanted to form a solid understanding of just how magic worked beyond the system''s influence and enhance his ownprehension of magic, which revolved mostly around theories. Now that he had achieved his goal, Izroth decided it was time to push his magic usage to the limit and attempt to unlock the fourth seal on the Seal of Ten Chakrams. ''I can feel the shackles on the fourth seal loosening. My mana is also starting to grow restless, as if it''s undergoing a great change. This odd sensation¡ªis it also a part of the fourth seal?'' ... Several hourster... Rmmmble... Crrrrck...! Out of nowhere, a hole roughly two meters in diameter opened in the earth. The following moment, two individuals emerged from the hole as it closed behind them, leaving no visible trace of its existence. As for the two who stepped out of the earth, it was, of course, Izroth and Ranazera. Right as Izroth left the underground tunnel, he received a series of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the seventh kingdom, ?Malentansium?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning, the kingdom ?Malentansium? you have crossed into is hostile territory!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have entered into the ?Netherly Shadow Fields?!¡µ Although they were technically already in Malentansium the moment they crossed where the Cursed Grounds began, after burrowing so far underground, the system did not consider them to be within the confines of Malentansium itself. Therefore, upon leaving the underground tunnel, they were officially deemed as being in the seventh kingdom. This meant that their chances of running into skounae or other hostile lifeforms would rise significantly. ''It may have been safer to travel through Malentansium underground; however, it''s far too time-consuming.'' Izroth knew that if he continued to use Molding Earth as a means to travel, by the time they reached anywhere near the Night Lord''s Crypt, the battle would have already long since ended! Izroth''s goal was to make sure they emerged far enough away from the Cursed Grounds to where there was no risk of them being affected by its curses. With that goal achieved, staying underground any longer would only unnecessarily prolong their journey. ''I''ve managed to improve the skill mastery of Molding Earth more than I anticipated. Still, it''s quite far away from reaching a state ofpletion.'' During his time underground, Izroth was able to increase his skill mastery of Molding Earth to nearly 35%! There was not much that changed about the skill; however, the one thing that made a huge difference was the boost to the amount of earth Izroth could freely manipte. Initially, it was 25 mana per 1 meter of earth, but after passing 25% skill mastery, it rose to 25 mana per 1.50 meters of earth¡ªa 50% improvement! Naturally, this helped in reaching their destination much faster than expected. However, the improvement to his Molding Earth skill was not the only thing that aided in the eleration of their journey. One of the shackles on the Seal of Ten Chakrams finally shattered, unlocking the fourth seal. Skill Name: Seal of Ten Chakrams Skill Creator: Kryxelsia Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* ... *->?Fourth Seal?: Creates an artificial mana pool in the user''s body separate from their original mana pool. The user slowly absorbs mana from their surroundings [Current Absorption Rate: 2.50 mana per second] into the artificial mana pool and can use it as their own. In addition, the user''s mana undergoes a minor evolution, allowing 15% of mana used from the user''s original mana pool to be refunded. If the user''s mana is below 50%, this effect is doubled to 30%. [Mana Stored: 386/5,000] ?Fifth Seal?-?Tenth Seal?: [Sealed] Special Note: A technique created by Wiseman Kryxelsia after many years of research that draws out and taps into one''stent potential for magic. The first three seals on the Seal of Ten Chakrams were certainly helpful in their own right; however, even if all three of the first seals werebined, they could still notpare to the fourth seal. Not only did the fourth seal create an artificial mana pool within the user, but it also improved the overall quality of the mana in their body. Although it was referred to as a minor evolution, the fourth seal greatly enhanced the quality of Izroth''s mana. And, while the quantity of his mana remained untouched, he could clearly feel the changes to his mana pool. Whenever he used mana, a portion of it was instantly recovered. This effectively eased the overall strain on his mana usage greatly. Along with the out-ofbat mana regeneration provided by his skills Magic Fundamental Mastery and Breath of the Great Sea, even without the use of mana potions, Izroth could execute his Molding Earth skill indefinitely. Needless to say, using mana potions allowed him to speed up the process. But, it no longer ced him at any risk whatsoever of receiving mana poisoning. Of course, the true star of the fourth seal was its ability to create an artificial mana pool. This artificial mana pool allowed Izroth to store up to 5,000 mana¡ªthat was nearly twice the amount of his own mana pool! That being said, unlike his original mana pool, the artificial one provided by the fourth seal was unaffected by the likes of mana potions. Izroth could only rely on the natural mana in the atmosphere to slowly recover the mana he used from his artificial mana pool. Nevertheless, it was still a huge benefit and worked to solve one of his most pressing issues, which was having a limited amount of manapared to his level. ''I have to say, the Wiseman gave me quite an interesting gift.'' The Seal of Ten Chakrams was a unique magic created by the Wiseman of Everpeak. How deep did one''s understanding of magic have to be to formte a spell that could potentially turn even the most talentless of individuals into full-blown magic casters? Even with his current knowledge regarding the foundations of magic itself, Izroth was not entirely sure that he could create a skill simr to the Seal of Ten Chakrams in a short span of time. After all, this went well beyond a solidprehension of magic and stepped into a realm unknown to most. ''I have yet to unlock half the seals, yet it has already managed to reach such a stage. Speaking inly, it can easily bepared to some S-ranked skills.'' As Izroth was in the middle of his thoughts, his gaze swept across the Netherly Shadow Fields as he carefully observed his surroundings. If one were to view thend from the sky, one would see an expansive field-likendscape with a light purple mist that nketed the entire area. However, despite the presence of the mist, one''s eyesight was not obstructed. Additionally, an unpleasant smell filled one''s nostrils that resembled burning sulfur and gave those who inhaled it an unpleasant sensation. But surprisingly, thend itself was far from deste. It was filled with a reasonable amount of nt life as well as a flowing source of water; and, of course, various lifeforms. Although Izroth checked to make sure the area was clear beforehand using his Energy Vision Sense, he still preferred to rely on his natural senses to survey the area. ''There are a few lifeforms lurking nearby, but they have yet to notice our presence.'' The lifeforms Izroth detected were not skounae but monsters that roamed the Netherly Shadow Fields. In terms of strength, based on their aura alone, Izroth believed that they were equivalent to normal monsters between levels 40 to 45. ''Dealing with the monsters in this area won''t be too much of a problem. That being said, if possible, I''d rather not risk attracting too much attention.'' In truth, Izroth was not too concerned about running into the skounae. Instead, it was more likely that he would run into other yers. And, the kind of yers venturing into level 40 to 45 hunting grounds were almost guaranteed to be a part of a mid-sized guild or higher. More importantly, if those yers were roaming freely in the Netherly Shadow Fields, they were probably on the same side of the war as Tempest and Malentansium. When it came to yers, especially those connected to a guild, information spread fast. If something unexpected were to ur and they attracted the wrong gazes, Izroth knew it would not be long before something troublesome arose. Chapter 958 Outskirts There was even a good chance that a war objective or quest had been released by Tempest to search for Ranazera and ensure her safety. It was not that Izroth feared a direct confrontation with these yers or the guilds behind them. But, it would undoubtedly slow their journey through Malentansium and ce an unavoidable target on his back. There was even a chance that those with ill intentions would want to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of Ranazera. After all, the Tempest princess had no shortage of enemies both inside and outside of her kingdom. If that happened, Izroth knew that they would certainly find a way to ce the me on him. At that point, he would not just be an eternal enemy of Tempest, but even his standing in Amaharpe would be affected. In the end, she may be from an enemy kingdom, but Ranazera came from a royal bloodline. Whether or not to take her life was not something a mere Captain of the General Support Unit had the authority to decide. Of course, Izroth was no ordinary Captain. If necessary, he would not hesitate to do what needed to be done¡ªroyal bloodline or not. "We''re moving. I''m sure I don''t have to remind you, but-" Izroth said before being cut off halfway by Ranazera. "Don''t try to escape or cause trouble. I got it already." Ranazera groaned. "Let''s hope your actions do not betray your words," Izroth replied casually as he resumed his steps. Ranazera quickly followed after Izroth as the two proceeded into the depths of the Netherly Shadow Fields. ... After traveling through the Netherly Shadow Fields for a few hours, Izroth and Ranzera finally arrived near the outskirts. On their way to the outskirts, the two came across a handful of hostile monsters; however, Izroth took care of them without much issue. As for yers, due to Izroth''s vignce, they managed to avoid any unforeseen trouble. ''I knew the numbers would be reduced, but still... To think we came across so few yers in the Netherly Shadow Fields. Both sides must have already sent out their war objectives.'' Malentansium would do everything in its power to ensure Zars'' safe revival; therefore, whether the uing assault was known to them or not, it meant fortifying the defenses of the Night Lord''s Crypt. After all, for Malentansium, losing a powerful individual like a Night Lord would be a huge blow. ''Hm?'' Out of nowhere, Izroth halted his steps as he peered into the distance. Izroth''s abrupt pause caused Ranazera to also stop in ce as she looked his way with a perplexed gaze. "Why did we stop all of a sudden? Are we finally taking a break?" Ranazera questioned. The sixth princess thought that after infiltrating into Tempest, facing a Centurion, dealing with the stress of crossing the Gates of Aegis, and using magic to dig a tunnel more than a kilometer long, any sane person would be exhausted. However, against all her expectations, Ranazera witnessed no signs of fatigue from Izroth. Since she was a part of the Tempest forces, Ranazera was used to long marches and harsh conditions. Not to mention, even if her strength had been sealed, it was not a difficult task to keep up, especially when the one in front of her was doing all the work clearing the path ahead. "Besides a few minor altercations, we''ve been traveling without rest through the Netherly Shadow Fields. For him to stop now¡ªcould something be wrong up ahead?" Ranazera thought to herself. For the first time since they stepped outside of the underground tunnel, they came to aplete standstill. Naturally, Ranazera found this behavior to be highly irregr. After a breath of time passed, Izroth replied, "No. I''ve just noticed something rather amusing, that''s all. We''ll keep moving forward." "Something amusing? Here I thought you were finally showing that you have a human side..." Ranazera said as she muttered thetter part under her breath. "Oh? Is there a side of me that''s not human?" Izroth spoke calmly as he walked onward. "You- Do you have the ears of a Typhoon Wolf Beast?" Ranazera scoffed as she trailed after Izroth. ... Approximately 15 minutester... Izroth and Ranazera reached the edge of the Netherly Shadow Fields as the light mist started to disperse. When the two stepped outside of thest stretch of mist, an unbelievable view entered their sights. ''Oh? This ce... Has it always been here?'' What appeared in the distance was arge city. But, what was strange was the fact that Izroth could not see it until they ultimately set foot outside the mist of the Netherly Shadow Fields. It was even more bizarre, considering that the mist did not obstruct one''s vision. ''None of the Realm Charts indicates a city being located here. No, it''s more urate to call it a fortress.'' Compared to the outpost city of Vostracane that previously existed at the edge of the Land of Unity, the city in front of Izroth was on a different level. Its walls and defenses were nearly on par with the capital city of Amaharpe! However, this ce was far away from the Malentansium capital city. ''I suppose those not allied with Malentansium would have some difficulty reaching this ce unharmed, let alone someone with the Cartographer profession. Still, for it to remainpletely hidden until one steps outside of the light mist¡ªcan it be the work of a magic formation?'' A magic formation powerful enough to veil an entire area from a distance had to at least be at the pinnacle level. While it was true that this ce was located fairly close to the Tempest border, with the natural defenses provided by the Cursed Grounds and Endless Mountain Range, there was no reason for Malentansium to have a fortress positioned here. That is unless there was a specific reason as to why this ce existed out in the middle of nowhere. ''There should not be anything worth protecting out here. That being said, I don''t n on letting my guard down. But, before that...'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gazended on a particr area covered in ck stones of varied sizes. Ranazera furrowed her brows as a troubled expression appeared on her face. "We are about to set foot into the territory of Duke Sorkoza. Can it just be a coincidence, or...?" Ranazera thought to herself as she nced over at Izroth. But, despite her best efforts, the sixth princess could not get a clear read on him. Woosh! Out of nowhere, a thin object soared through the air at frightening speeds. In one swift motion, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and deflected the object as it struck the ground a few meters away from him. Ding! Tssss! When the unknown object made contact with the ground, it melted through the earth as a putrid dark liquid bubbled up in a puddle around it. ''This sweet smell... Cloud Serpent Venom?'' Based on the unnaturally sweet smell and its effect on the surface it made contact with, Izroth noticed clear traces of a poison called Cloud Serpent Venom. He immediately recognized its presence by its characteristic smell that was so sweet that one could actually taste something simr to wildflower honey on the tip of their tongue. ''The venom from a Cloud Serpent is not easy toe by.'' Cloud Serpent Venom was one of the higher-tier poisons that Izroth used to concoct the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill. Thanks to the connections and resources of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, he had no problem acquiring the Cloud Serpent Venom to craft the pill. However, not just anyone could afford to get their hands on such a potent poison. After all, even in its unrefined state, the Cloud Serpent Venom was enough to briefly immobilize a legendary realm powerhouse. And, if not treated with haste, it could even have some more prolonged adverse effects. Being this close to the Cloud Serpent Venom, even if it failed to make direct contact, something as simple as inhaling it could have negative consequences. Fortunately, Izroth had the protection of his Heavenly Golden Body and some other skills to resist the Cloud Serpent Venom. However, the sixth princess, who stood only a few steps away from Izroth, began to feel the effects of the Cloud Serpent Venom overtake her. Upon inhaling the poisonous scent of the Cloud Serpent Venom, Ranazera lost her bnce and stumbled a bit. A wave of sudden dizziness overcame the sixth princess; however, she was able to keep herself from falling over. Ranazera winced as the world around her seemed to be spinning when, suddenly, a light green aura epassed Ranazera. The next moment, her dizziness faded, and she regained full control over her motions. "My Mystic Cleansing Charm was triggered... Poison? This¡ªdid he already foresee it back then?" Ranazera thought back to the moment when Izroth previously halted his steps and peered into the distance. Chapter 959 Vague Familiarity One of the protective treasures Ranazera kept on her was called the Mystic Cleansing Charm. It cleansed the effects of poisons and illusions while helping its owner recover some of their stamina and life force. Could he have known that there was an ambush set up here? But if that were the case, why did he willingly walk into it a trap? These were the questions that shed through Ranazera''s mind. Ranazera''s gaze wandered over to Izroth. "As long as this item restricts my power, there''s nothing I can do. This guy¡ªhe may seem alright, but we''ve been moving without rest. Is he just that confident in his own skills or arrogant? No, more importantly, that attack just now... I was only able to catch the end of it; however, I''m certain¡ªit was aiming for me." Ranazera furrowed her brows with a troubled expression. Ranazera''s eyes did not fool her. And needless to say, she was not alone in uncovering this ring detail. ''They hid it rather well but not well enough. There was a clear level of killing intent behind that attack just now. As for those responsible... How strange. Was I mistaken?'' Naturally, Izroth had long since discovered the ambush waiting up ahead. However, he was sure that their target was him¡ªnot the sixth princess. That''s because he recognized a vaguely familiar aura when he used his Energy Vision Sense earlier. ''Whether they''re after me or the one under my protection, it does not matter. What has to be done does not change.'' "How much longer do you n on hiding? Or, is it that even with your advantage of numbers, you are afraid of one person?" Izroth said calmly to seemingly no one. At first, Izroth was met with a lingering silence. But, in less than half a breath, the sound of rapid movement could be hearding from some of therger ck stones nearby. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! In the blink of an eye, a group of five individuals appeared before Izroth and Ranazera. Each individual wore a ck cloak that hid their physical appearance and released a heavy aura of intimidation. Additionally, based on their organized movement and how they positioned themselves to block off any paths of escape, Izroth determined that they possessed a strong degree of teamwork. "Follow us quietly, and your life may be spared. If you insist on putting up a fight, then do not me us for being inhospitable." One of the cloaked individuals said as they stepped forward. "If you wish to spare my life, it must first belong to you. However, since I have somewhere important to be, I will extend a simr offer. Leave now, and I am willing to spare your lives." Izroth responded with a carefree expression. Spare him? Even if he took their words at face value, Izroth understood the type of people these assants were from their willingness to eliminate Ranazera without hesitation. How would they willingly let a potential witness walk away with their lives, let alone him? If Izroth epted their offer just now and went quietly, they would not hesitate to stab him in the back. And, even if they did allow Ranazera to run away, it would not be long before they chased after her to tie up loose ends. "What an arrogant man. Very well, since you insist on doing things the hard way, we shall merely have to respond in kind. Do it." The person at the head of the group ordered. The instant they gave the order, the other four cloaked individuals sped forward at incredible speeds toward Izroth and Ranazera. "Hey, remove this thing, and let me help you!" Ranazera said hastily. Just now, those guys definitely aimed to take her life! If something happened to Izroth and she was left powerless, wouldn''t she be at theirplete mercy? "That won''t be necessary," Izroth replied as the sword intent around his Sword of the Storm sharpened. Just as Izroth was about to make his move, a strong gust of wind blew through the surroundings. "Gah!" "Ah!" Without warning, the four individuals that charged at Izroth were blown back by the gust of wind before they could reach him. However, surprisingly, this wind did note from Izroth or his Sword of the Storm. "Attacking a princess of our Tempest kingdom¡ªyou must be tired of living!" A thunderous voice echoed as a miniature twister formed in between Izroth and the group of assants. "This wind, that voice¡ªit''s him...!" Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock as she immediately recognized the new arrival. Boom! The twister dispersed as a single person emerged from its center. It was the Prime Eques that oversaw the Gates of Aegis located at the Tempest border, Aurelius Windstorm. The four men sent out to attack earlier retreated back to the side of their group''s leader. The person at the group''s head muttered to themselves, "Aurelius Windstorm... What is he doing here? Isn''t he supposed to be guarding the Gates of Aegis? A rather troublesome man has appeared..." "We''re retreating." The group''s head ordered. "But, the contract-" One of the subordinates spoke up. Swoosh! In a sh, the subordinate who spoke out had their head cleanly separated from their body. Simultaneously, they were engulfed in dark green mes as everyst trace of their existence was erased. ''Those mes...'' Izroth noticed something rather interesting about the mes used to incinerate the cloaked assant. ''That familiar aura I felt earlier... Although it''s vague, they certainly share some simrities. But, if it is them, what are they doing here? More importantly, why are they after me?'' "Hmph, you want to leave after your offense? You first have to ask this young lord''s permission!" Aurelius stated with a cold gaze as he snapped his fingers. When he performed this action, the weather in the atmosphere underwent a dramatic shift as the temperature dropped by several degrees. The winds soon became chaotic as a light breeze rapidly morphed into a full-blown gale. Soon after, eight violent twisters roughly ten meters high materialized and raced around the assants. The wind speeds were so fierce that anything that came into contact with the mana-infused outeryer of the twisters was quickly shredded to pieces. Before the group could retreat, they were encircled by the twisters as they closed in on their position. But, right as the twisters were about to copse upon one another, a brilliant light shed. ...BOOOOM! An ear-ringing explosion sounded at the outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields as the twisters disappeared. As for the group of assants, they were no longer anywhere to be found. "Tch... A bunch of slippery bastards." Aurelius muttered to himself. He then turned to face Izroth as he walked up and stopped right in front of his face. Izroth, however, remained unmoved and calm as Aurelius approached him. "I''ve been looking all over for you, you snake-like bastard. I have to admit, that little act you pulled back at the Gates of Aegis was amusing. But, let''s see how you slither past me this time." Aurelius stated as a look of rage could clearly be seen in his eyes. For him, rescuing the princess was just a bonus. Right now, Aurelius wanted nothing more than to tear apart the person who deceived him. "You talk about acts, but... You seem to be doing quite well yourself. For a moment, I almost believed you actually cared for the well-being of your kingdom''s princess." Izroth responded. As Aurelius confronted Izroth, Ranazera was left shocked to see Aurelius away from the Gates of Aegis. "Could it be that he realized something was wrong back then and followed after us?" Ranazera thought to herself. However, it was strange. The Aurelius she knew was not so diligent in his duties. More importantly, since when did that narcissistic guy who only cared about himself suddenly start to take an interest in how she was treated by others? "Princess, you should have said something back at the Gates of Aegis. I would have cut this guy down right then and there if I knew what was going on. Don''t tell me you''ve actually gone and fallen for your captor?" Aurelius said without adverting his gaze from Izroth. "Aurelius, watch your words!" Ranazera snapped back. "Hey, now, is that any way to talk to your savior? I''ll start to feel really hurt, you know?" Aurelius grinned. "Young lord! You should have let one of us go ahead first!" A voice sounded from the near distance as a new group of people arrived on the scene. In total, there were ten individuals. The one who spoke just now was Aurelius'' most trusted aide, Vincent. Vincent was at the forefront of the group as he stopped a few meters away from Izroth and Aurelius. His actions caused those with him to follow suit as they also halted their steps. "Young lord, should we-" "Shut up. I know what you want to say. But, this bastard is mine. Got it? None of you are allowed to interrupt." "Understood, young lord," Vincent replied with a helpless sigh. He then looked over at Ranazera and bowed politely, "Princess Ranazera, we have done the unforgivable and allowed you to suffer. Please, rest assured, we shall return you home to Tempest safe and sound." Chapter 960 A Future At Stake, An Unexpected Interest? ... Meanwhile, several kilometers away from the outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields... Zeeeut! A wave of bright light washed over a deserted area. In the following moment, four individuals appeared as the light rapidly dissipated. These four were responsible for ambushing Izroth and Ranazera at the edge of the Netherly Shadow Fields. However, after the arrival of Aurelius Windstorm, the group''s head used a long-distance teleportation magic item to retreat with haste. The magic item ced them a few kilometers away from the Netherly Shadow Fields and deeper into Malentansium territory. "Our ambush failed. Now that our target knows that we are after him, it won''t be easy to find another perfect opportunity to strike." The group''s head said as they lowered their hood, revealing a pair of dark emerald eyes that resembled a sea of burning mes. The group''s head was a woman who looked to be in her mid tote twenties with fair porcin skin. However, what stood out about this woman was her unique hair. It flowed down to the middle of her back when she removed her hood and was engulfed in dark green mes! Though it was not as if her hair was on fire, instead, it was simply a part of her n''s heritage. "I know we failed our ambush, but... Was killing that guy really the right move, Tal''Yah?" One of the other individuals said as they also removed their hood. The one who just spoke was a young man who seemed to be in his mid tote teens. He bore a striking resemnce to Tal''Yah with his burning dark green eyes and ming hair that stopped at the nape of his neck. However, in terms of intensity, the mes were much tamer than that of Tal''Yah''s. There was a troubled expression on the young man''s face and a trace of naivety that lingered in his eyes, which announced his inexperience in the world. "Do not be naive, Tal''Han. That man was an outsider sent to monitor the progress of our mission. If he decided to report our failure before we could strike again, where would our n have left to go? As far as everyone here is concerned, he died due to his own recklessness¡ªthat''s all." Tal''Yah stated firmly. Upon hearing Tal''Yah''s words, the young man did not have the heart to continue discussing the matter. Seeing the young man''s defeated aura, Tal''Yah released a heavy sigh as she walked over and ced her hand on his shoulder. "I understand your feelings, but as the head of our n, I cannot hesitate to do what is in the n''s best interest. Ultimately, it is my responsibility to ensure our n''s survival, and if that means eliminating a person or two, so be it. If something were to ever happen to me, such a responsibility would fall onto your shoulders. Always remember, Tal''Han, what we do does not just affect us. It also has a direct impact on the lives of our kin. We do not have the luxury of pitying others." "...I understand. I''m sorry, sist- no, n head. I always end up making things more difficult for you..." Tal''Han said as he hung his head in shame. "All is forgiven. Speak no more of it. Right now, we have an important task to finish." Tal''Yah stated as she removed her hand from the young man''s shoulder and faced the other two people present. "Kol''Jil, Zel''Kan¡ªI need the two of you to return and keep track of our target. Remember, you are only to observe and not take any action. I don''t know what it is, but that man... There''s something off about him. Not only did he deflect the Demon Horn Needle, but he seemedpletely unaffected by the fumes of the Cloud Serpent Venom. He likely possesses a skill or artifact that can resist strong poisons. He also uncovered our presence, so we can assume he has a detection-type skill. You two will need to keep your distance in order to reduce your chances of being discovered." Tal''Yahmanded. "What will you do, n head?" The one called Kol''Jil inquired. "With the information we''ve acquired, we have no choice but to change our approach. His reaction time cannot be looked down on, so it will be challenging to subdue him quickly without attracting too much attention once he sets foot into Duke Sorkoza''s territory. That''s why, in order toplete our mission, I am going to prepare a small gift for our target." Tal''Yah replied as she pulled her hood back over her head. She then continued, "Everything we do is for the sake of our n''s future¡ªfor the sake of our Seventh Demon n''s survival." ... A few moments ago, at the outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields... The atmosphere became heavy as Aurelius confronted Izroth face to face. Aurelius turned and walked several steps away from Izroth beforeing to an abrupt stop. He then faced Izroth and said, "That''s a nice sword you got there. I''ll be sure to take good care of it after humiliating its owner." ''Oh? I guess he''s not as hot-headed as I thought.'' Izroth believed that Aurelius would strike out at him without hesitation. But, against his expectations, Aurelius did not immediately draw his de. Nevertheless, it did not alter Izroth''s opinion of him. "If you have the ability to do so, then I can only me it on my ownckings. That being said... I hope you can take responsibility for your words just now." Izroth said with a cold and distant gaze. In the end, one could be defeated but never humiliated! "Hey, Vincent, how many moves do you think it will take the young lord to deal with that guy?" One of the soldiers who apanied Aurelius asked. "If it''s the young lord, then I would not be surprised if he finished it in one move. But, apparently, that guy is the one responsible for taking down Centurion Aloysius. If he is capable of that much, he should at least be able to survive ten moves against the young lord." Vincent stated calmly. He then continued, "But, whether it''s one move or ten moves, the result will remain unchanged¡ªour young lord is bound to be the victor." After hearing Vincent speak, the soldiers present became excited to see Aurelius in action. Most of them had only joined Aurelius after his arrival at the Gates of Aegis; therefore, they never truly got the chance to see him fight. However, one thing was for sure. No matter how impressive one''s family background, it was impossible to be the Prime Eques of the Order of the Eternal Aegis without the skill to back it up. Aurelius unsheathed his sword, revealing a sharp de roughly eighty centimeters in length with a gorgeous ck and silver hilt. A gentle gust of wind swirled around the de as a heavy sword intent rushed outward, creating a deep scar on the earth in front of Aurelius. ''A good sword.'' In terms of pure crafting technique, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm, reforged by the Enati in the Primordial Forge, was a step above Aurelius'' sword. However, the materials used to forge Aurelius'' sword were of a higher quality. The mana that flowed through the de was also incredibly dense. Though what was most surprising about the sword was the emergence of something Izroth did not sense thest time Aurelius drew his sword back at the Gates of Aegis¡ªfaint traces of the Law of Wind! ''Weapons capable of containing even the faintest traces of aw have to at least be at the unique grade.'' "A little interesting..." Izroth said to himself as a carefree smile appeared on his face. Thump! Thump! "?!" Without warning, Izroth felt a stream of loud thumping heartbeats resonate from his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. ''This... Is it reacting to his sword?'' The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was a living armor; therefore, it possessed its own will. But, not once had it ever shown an interest in any weapons. Even after his Sword of the Storm had been reforged, it did not show the slightest sign of interest. However, for some reason, it seemed to be interested in Aurelius'' sword. ''It''s true that the materials are of a higher quality, but it should not be to the extent of drawing the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence''s interest. Then, can there be a hidden secret that even I am currently unable to sense?'' Izroth closed his eyes and took a moment to calm down his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. But, from Aurelius'' perspective, it looked like Izroth was trying to calm his nerves after being confronted by him. Seeing this, a grin appeared on Aurelius'' face. "This bastard¡ªI thought he actually had some skill to back up that arrogance of his. Turns out, it was all just an act, after all." Aurelius thought to himself. Aurelius pointed his sword toward Izroth and said, "Come, I''ll let you have the first move. That way, when you reach the afterlife, you can at least brag about how you fought this young lord." Chapter 961 Izroth Vs Aurelius Windstorm A few secondster, Izroth opened his eyes. While he seeded in calming his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence, it was still restless. However, it was much better than its previously agitated state. Izroth was not sure why the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was interested in Aurelius'' sword; however, since Aurelius was willing to separate him from his sword, should he not return the favor? "Princess Ranazera, pleasee this way so that we can better ensure your safety. Rest assured, the young lord and those of us under him will do everything in our power to protect you," Vincent stated respectfully. Ranazera nced over at Izroth to see his reaction, but he did not even look her way despite Vincent''s words. But the sixth princess understood that it was far too naive to believe that he was not keeping track of her every move. Ranazera remembered it clearly¡ªhow fast and effortlessly Izroth caught up to her after she attempted to escape from their first encounter. While Ranazera was aware of Aurelius'' strength, as long as she was powerless, she felt that it was too much of a risk to try anything that may encourage Izroth to keep his earlier promise. However, Ranazera knew that such an excuse would not sit well with those who hade to her rescue. Therefore, she decided to point to another matter at hand. Ranazera lifted her arm and disyed the ck band around her wrist. "As long as this thing is attached to me, it''s too dangerous for me to do anything reckless. I will stay right here until this matter is concluded." Ranazera stated. "That''s..." Vincent had a puzzled look on his face as he tried to identify the ck band''s origins; however, he did not even detect any mana or energy flowing through the item. Of course, this was to be expected, considering the item used ethos to function¡ªan energy that waspletely unknown to those from the Mortal Realm. "Strange, judging from theck of energy source, that item should not pose any direct threat to the princess... Could she have somehow been fooled by that man?" Vincent thought to himself with a frown. "Rx, Vincent. It doesn''t matter where our princess stands. It''ll all be over soon enough." Aurelius said with an air of confidence. "Yes, young lord," Vincent responded as he no longer pursued the matter. Aurelius smirked as he stared down Izroth and said, "Daring to hold a sword before a member of the Windstorm family, heh, you really are an arrogant bastard. That, or you''re just wholly ignorant. Either way, be it arrogance or ignorance, you only have yourself to me for the consequences." When one mentioned Tempest and weapons in the same sentence, the first thing that came to mind was the spear. Tempest was well known for having some of the strongest and most painstakingly developed spear techniques throughout the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. But, when it came to the sword, there was one family name that always came up when speaking of Tempest, and that was Windstorm. "Amusing. Though I happen to agree with your words. Whether it is arrogance or ignorance, the consequences cannot be ignored. As for your family''s sword techniques, I have indeed heard of the outstanding swordsmanship of the Windstorm family. However, as I recall, in recent years, the strongest swordsman in Tempest has note from your Windstorm family." Izroth said with a carefree expression. When Aurelius heard Izroth''s words and saw that carefree look on Izroth''s face, his expression darkened. The Windstorm''s family sword techniques were ranked among the top 25 in not just Tempest but the entire Mortal Realm! It was not something one could casually look down on or afford to take lightly. However, Izroth was correct in that they had been dethroned from having the undisputed strongest sword techniques in Tempest. ording to what Izroth knew, every year, Tempest would host a tournament that allowed any of its citizens to participate. Of course, despite this open invitation format, typically, only those of noble bloodline joined. To the nobles, the tournament was a way for them to show their power to other families and develop a pecking order of sorts. Up until around four years ago, someone from the Windstorm family always took first ce in this tournament. But, these past few years, the victor had always been a certain person from the Tempest kingdom. And, as if rubbing salt in the wounds of the Windstorm family, that person was a swordsman! The first year, people merely viewed it as sheer luck that would likely never happen again in their lifetime. However, against their expectations, that person emerged victorious for consecutive years. Because of this, news began to spread that the Windstorm family''s swordsmanship was on the decline. Needless to say, the Windstorm family was furious and did everything in their power to "handle" the situation. But, unfortunately for them, that person always seemed to vanish into thin air when the tournament came to an end. And, no matter how hard they searched for clues to that person''s whereabouts, they always came up empty-handed. For Izroth to bring up that person to Aurelius left the young lord of the Windstorm family overflowing with anger. When was thest time anyone dared to talk to someone who held the Windstorm name in such an openly disrespectful manner? No, rather, when did the Windstorm name mean so little in the eyes of others that even some arrogant bastard was willing to humiliate them without remorse? Suddenly, out of nowhere, a sharp wave of sword intent rushed out at Izroth! Without missing a step, Izroth reacted swiftly as he moved to narrowly evade the iing sword intent. Swoosh! Shiiiiing! The earth where Izrothst stood split open as a long and deep sword mark was left on the ground that spanned several meters. "I see you had a sudden change of heart," Izroth stated calmly. The vicious strike just now was not the work of a bystander or third party¡ªit came from Aurelius himself. It was not long ago that Aurelius proudly announced that he would let Izroth have the first move; however, he actually struck out first. While there were no such things as taking turns inbat, it was still seen as rather shameless to go back on one''s words so fast. Regardless, Izroth never lowered his vignce against Aurelius for a single moment. Nor did he need to depend on something like an offered first move. Not even half a second after Izroth made his remark, he swung his sword outward at the air before him. At the same time, a surge of sword intent emerged from the tip of his Sword of the Storm and sped toward Aurelius. Aurelius sensed the iing sword intent and could not help but inwardly mock its presence. Compared to his strike just now, it was like a tame kitten trying to confront a mighty tiger! "Such a weak sword spirit. Yet, you dare mock the Windstorm family''s sword technique...!" Aurelius thought to himself as he tightened his grip on his sword. The next moment, a thinyer of wind rotated rapidly around his de. "Windstorm First Style: Windy Edge," Aurelius said as he raised his sword upright. Right after doing so, the wave of sword intent from Izroth''s Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides reached Aurelius. However, right before it was about to make contact with Aurelius'' sword, a powerful gust of wind blew out in every direction and dispersed the sword intent in every direction. Without pause, a small burst of wind gathered at Aurelius'' feet as he shot forward at incredible speeds. At the same time, the wind around his sword came to a standstill, but it was soon reced by a chilling aura formed on the edge of his de as he arrived within striking range of Izroth. "Windstorm Second Style: Cold Draft." Aurelius leaned inward and shifted his position to a lower stance before sweeping his sword upward at blinding speeds. To bystanders, this smooth set of actions seemed virtually instantaneous! As Izroth was greeted by a cold and merciless aura, his figure vanished at thest moment. Zeeeut! In a sh, Izroth appeared behind Aurelius while the Prime Eques was still in the middle of his attack. Simultaneously, Izroth''s sword instantly swept downward at frightening speeds. Just now, Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to evade Aurelius'' strike. He quickly followed it up with the Returning Wave Sword Counter effect from his second sword form. This left Aurelius with no time to react to his attack. Chapter 962 Windstorm Sword Styles But, even as the attack approached him in apletely defenseless position, there was not the slightest bit of panic present on Aurelius'' face. Woosh! Izroth cut through Aurelius effortlessly. However, he immediately noticed that something was off with the impact of his sword. ''It''s different...'' Just as that thought crossed his mind, Aurelius disappeared, leaving behind an abrupt gust of wind. Izroth narrowed his eyes as his Soul Sense went off. At the same time, he could feel a sudden shift in the atmosphere as a heavy rise of electric currents spread throughout the surroundings. "Windstorm Fifth Style: Thunder Call." A strong st of wind blew at Izroth''s back as Aurelius appeared out of thin air with his sword swinging in a downward motion. Around Aurelius'' sword was a light golden aura. This aura released a terrifying sword intent and was fused with the lightning element. This not only increased the speed of the strike but also enhanced its destructive powers several times over. Right before Izroth''s attack could reach him, Aurelius used a movement skill called Fleeting Breeze. With it, he could briefly make himselfpletely intangible and move freely within a certain distance. In addition, Aurelius used another movement skill that was in constant use known as Flowing Winds. Flowing Winds provided a boost to Aurelius'' overall speed while also providing him withrge bursts of speed whenever he concentrated mana on his feet. It was this skill that he performed earlier to shrink the distance between himself and Izroth. Bzzzzt... Crrrrckle! All of a sudden, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm emitted a faint glow as a bolt of lightning descended from above Aurelius. ''Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder.'' BOOM! An ear-piercing explosion sounded as a powerful series of shockwaves erupted from Izroth and Aurelius'' location. Without turning to face Aurelius, Izroth reversed his grip on the Sword of the Storm, using the attack speed buff from his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder to quickly adjust his sword''s position to intercept Aurelius'' strike. "Woah... Is that the famous Windstorm Sword Styles? It''s more domineering than I imagined." One of the soldiersmented with a look of awe on their face. "Its ranking among the sword techniques throughout the kingdoms is not just for show. The Windstorm Sword Styles focuses on harnessing the power of wind and lightning. What makes it special is that itbines one''s sword intent with those elements. This allows the members of the Windstorm family to disy a flexible style of swordsmanship that can adapt and overwhelm their opponents at will." Vincent stated as his eyes remained locked on the battle. Meanwhile, as if feeding off one another, Izroth and Aurelius'' strikes that contained both sword intent and the lightning element tangled into a mess of chaos that created a storm of destruction. In the end, the build-up of destructive energy resulted in both Izroth and Aurelius being forced several meters apart from one another. However, this did not mean that the two were equally matched in the sh just now. Aurelius had a look of disbelief on his face as he stood motionless with his hands trembling uncontrobly as he struggled to keep a tight grip on his sword. "How is this possible..?!" Aurelius thought to himself as he could not hide the confusion and anger in his eyes. After their attacks shed, while it was true that both parties involved were forced back by the aftermath, the distance the two traveled was vastly different. Aurelius was sent back several meters. On the other hand, Izroth had only moved back half a step! In addition, when their swords crossed during thatst attack, Aurelius felt as though he was hitting an unmoving wall of solid metal. Izroth was not surprised by the dumbfounded look on Aurelius'' face. At thest moment, right before their swords crossed, Izroth activated the Strength of the Ancient Colossus. This amplified the effects of his Might stat by 100% for one minute and elevated his physical strength to an entirely different level. Thest-second change in pure physical strength gave Izroth the upper hand and caused Aurelius to be caught off guard. This ultimately led to the Prime Eques being utterly overwhelmed by Izroth''s Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. Aurelius stopped his hands from trembling as he stood up straight and lowered his sword. "To receive my Thunder Call head-on¡ªI guess you aren''t just all talk, after all. But..." Aurelius'' expression darkened as the aura around him shifted. He then continued, "Don''t go getting any wild thoughts in that head of yours. I''ll admit I let my guard down just now. From this point on, I''ll show you the true terror of my Windstorm family''s swordsmanship." Crrrrckle! With his Energy Vision Sense active, Izroth could see the changes happening to Aurelius'' aura. There was a sudden overflow of the lightning and wind elements pouring out from his body as the mana around him exploded forth. Ranazera''s gazended on Aurelius as she watched the fight unfold. In truth, she was shocked that Izroth managed to push Aurelius back using a sword skill, of all things. But, the sixth princess knew¡ªthe true battle was only just beginning. "This is the technique passed down to the descendants of the Windstorm family. To think that arrogant guy would use it in a ce like this." Ranazera muttered to herself. At the same time, the lightning and wind elements that epassed Aurelius settled down. However, the new source of strength flowing from Aurelius did not dissipate in the slightest. In fact, with every passing moment, it even appeared to be growing. "You should feel honored. It''s not every day one gets to face the Storming Bulwark of my Windstorm family." Aurelius proudly proimed. Although his physical appearance had not undergone any drastic changes, the energy around Aurelius was a different story altogether. There was a coating of the lightning element paired with the wind that covered the Prime Eques from head to toe. ''I suppose he still has a few tricks up his sleeves.'' Suddenly, Aurelius soundlessly vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, everything around Izroth appeared to move considerably slower. But, it was not as if everyone had abruptly be sluggish. This was due to a skill Izroth activated, Time Dtion. At the moment, Izroth was perceiving everything around him at 80% of its actual speed. To most yers, this by itself would be an incredible boost. However, for someone like Izroth, who possessed extraordinary senses, it was like giving wings to a tiger! Swoosh! Izroth utilized his Light Feather Footwork as he slid his right foot back and swung his sword in a horizontal arc to his right side. To onlookers, it looked as though Izroth was swinging randomly at nothing but air. However, right as Izroth''s sword reached the halfway point of its arc, it collided with something that was not supposed to be there. Ding! BANG! "?!" Aurelius, who had just disappeared without so much as a sound, was suddenly right next to Izroth with his sword locked in ce. "Impossible...! How can he still follow my movements..?!" Aurelius thought to himself as an ugly expression formed on his face. Storming Bulwark was a powerful buff skill that granted its user a huge boost of destructive power and speed. It also used the wind element to wlessly hide the user''s presence and seal off any sound that came from the movements they made. Thisbination of speed and presence erasing essentially made the user invisible to their opponents. That''s why Aurelius could not believe that someone who had probably never even caught a glimpse of the Storming Bulwark beforehand was able to follow his movements. It was not something that should be possible! Of course, things were much different for Izroth. Not only did Izroth rely on his Energy Vision Sense to track Aurelius'' movements, he also used Time Dtion to make it so that he had plenty of time to react to the surprise attack. "I must admit, it''s quite a clever use of the wind element to hide one''s presence. In the middle of an intense battle, a single moment where you lose track of your opponent can cost you your life. However, it''s unfortunate. Such a method¡ªit will not work against me." Izroth stated with a distant gaze. Aurelius grit his teeth as he nearly coughed up blood in anger. Was he saying that his Windstorm family''s swordsmanship was useless against him? How could he ept such a ridiculous im?! Chapter 963 Heavy Weighing Thoughts "We''ll see how long you can keep that arrogance," Aurelius said coldly as a gale of wind burst from his sword. Izroth kicked off his back foot and created some distance between himself and Aurelius. At the same time, a vortex of wind several meters wide began to swirl around Aurelius. "Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone!" Aurelius roared as he swept his sword down before him. When he performed this action, the wind vortex instantly expanded in all directions. Every ce the wind vortex passed became riddled with deep cuts as the ground in its path waspletely destroyed. In addition, almost immediately after heunched his attack, Aurelius shifted his stance as a mixture of the lightning and wind elements converged at a point above his head. Bzzzt...! Several waves of violent electricity discharged from the mixture of elements as the Storming Bulwark that epassed Aurelius seemed to grow in strength. "Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser." The moment Aurelius spoke, the elements of lightning and wind above his head sped into his sword as the two became one. He stomped his foot on the ground while he simultaneously drove his sword into the earth. Rmmmmble! When Aurelius'' sword entered the earth, it felt as though the entire outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields started to tremble. Then, out of nowhere, several twisters materialized. Each of the twisters had strong winds that could easily slice through tough metals. In addition, there was a powerful source of lightning flowing throughout its core. Every time the twisterpleted a full rotation, which roughly took less than half a second, it released a terrifying bolt of lightning that contained a heavy sword intent. ... Meanwhile, with the sudden arrival of the intense tremors and the atmospheric changes, the soldiers under Aurelius looked on in awe and fear. "Is this the Prime Eques'' true strength?" One of the soldiersmented as he struggled to keep his bnce due to the trembling earth. "How could the Prime Eques of our Order be weak?" "But, it looked like he was in a tough spot just a second ago..." "Hey, don''t be an idiot. Our Prime Eques was probably just ying with that guy. Now that he''s serious, that guy doesn''t stand a chance." Despite the hectic environment, the soldiers casually chatted among themselves. After they witnessed Aurelius'' power firsthand, their confidence rose to a new level. Having a Prime Eques like this, was there even a need for them to be concerned over the oue of this fight? Vincent nced over at the soldiers, who rxed their guard. "We are not here for a time of leisure! Keep your wits about you!" Vincent scolded with a visible look of disappointment in his eyes. After his stern words, the soldiers stopped their casual chatter. But, several of the soldiers present seemed displeased with how Vincent spoke to them. "...Tch, he''s just from a minor noble house that serves the Windstorm family. If it wasn''t for the Prime Eques, then..." One of the soldiers muttered under his breath. The soldiers who followed Aurelius were all from higher-standing noble families of the Tempest kingdom. After all, not just anyone could be by the side of someone from the Windstorm family. However, Vincent was different from the rest of them. He came from a minor noble family that served under the Windstorm family for many generations. That minor noble family was nothing special. It had no sort of political power. Furthermore, itsbat potential was not particrly highpared to others of simr standing. But, it was still not a family that could be touched, thanks to being under the Windstorm family. Vincent returned his gaze to the battle ahead. He furrowed his brows as a frown soon found its way onto his face. ... After Aurelius used the Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, the battlefield had be a total mess. The earth had been leveled and scarred. There were also numerous burn marks from the lightning thrown out by the twisters, while any resemnce of nearby nt life had been decimated or damaged beyond regrowth. The twisters conjured by Aureliussted for nearly ten seconds before finally dispersing. At the same time, the wind vortex also vanished as the atmosphere began to revert to its previous state. Aurelius swept his gaze over the aftermath of his destruction with a grin. "In terms of raw destructive power, the third and fourth styles are ranked the highest among the Windstorm Sword Styles. Combined with the Storming Bulwark, there is no way that arrogant bastard could have survived." Aurelius said to himself. After he scanned the surroundings thoroughly, Aurelius was unable to find a single trace of Izroth. But, even after destroying Izroth, Aurelius still felt annoyed whenever he remembered that carefree look on his face. "Didn''t you say my family''s swordsmanship was useless against you? Weren''t you speaking so boldly not long ago? Now, look at you! You''ve be nothing but the dust beneath my feet! Hahahaha!" Aureliusughed mockingly. Ranazera released a small sigh as she watched everything that unfolded. "Second brother, what is it that you saw in such a person?" Ranazera thought to herself with a troubled expression. She then uttered to herself, "Even after all this time, I still cannot grasp what went on through that head of yours. Second brother... Did I not make the right choice...?" Ranazera always struggled to understand her brother''s intentions. But, ever since Izroth told her of his encounter with Robinarzin, she felt as if she had finally started to get a grasp on it. Unfortunately, the feeling was transient. This battle, the war, the current state of her Tempest kingdom... Even now, the sixth princess still held her doubts and suspicions about it all. However, among all that doubt and suspicion, there was something that bothered her. It was constantly gnawing and scratching in the depths of her mind during her whole journey with Izroth. But it was not until the moment he disappeared that Ranazera experienced a strange sense of emptiness. Obviously, the two were by no means close. They could not even be considered acquaintances, let alone friends. Nor did she abruptly develop romantic feelings toward him. Not to even mention the fact that he was someone from an enemy kingdom who captured her against her will. But still, despite all that, there was an emptiness present. Though it was not as though Ranazera was oblivious to the cause. That gnawing and scratching in the depths of Ranazera''s mind came from some words Izroth had previously said to her. "I may have close ties to Amaharpe, but the side I stand on is that of the Mortal Realm."¡ªthese were the words that stuck to Ranazera. However, the words alone were not enough for it to dwell on Ranazera''s mind for this long. The tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, his demeanor¡ªall of it revealed someone who meant what they said wholeheartedly. There was no veil of lies or false niceties, only a simple truth that was solidly stood by. In truth, a part of Ranazera was envious of Izroth''s straightforward nature. As a princess of the royal family of Tempest, she always dealt with people who were deceptive and untrustworthy. They either wanted something from her as a princess of the royal family or because of her ties to the people of Tempest. That''s why meeting someone like Izroth, who did not speak half-heartedly, was a nice change of pace. But was that really all there was that bugged her? No, there was something more. Ranazera realized that somewhere along the way, she, too, had been sucked into that world of deception and lies. Everything that Tempest did, she told herself that it was necessary for the greater good. But she knew that was a lie. Even with the little influence and poprity that she had, it was always about doing what was expected of her by the royal family. Though was that really the correct choice? This question had been on her mind ever since she heard of her second brother''s "defection" to Proximus. Her second brother was someone once loved by the people of Tempest. Now, his name was being used as a curse, and the me for the war beginning had been shifted to him. All because he tried to do what he believed to be the right thing. "My second brother knew the potential consequences of his actions, yet he still chose to follow his heart. I... Can I at least take a step forward in my own direction for the greater good that I believe in...?" Ranazera thought to herself as she clenched her fists. Chapter 964 A Shifting Blame, Windstorm Ultimate Style As Ranazera became lost in her thoughts and Aurelius celebrated his victory, a tiny crack formed in the earth under the Prime Eques'' feet. In the blink of an eye, the crack expanded as a sinkhole a little more than one meter in diameter opened. Although he was caught off guard, Aurelius reacted quickly and jumped away from the sinkhole just before it could drag him in. Woosh! Woosh! Just as Aurelius'' feet were about to touch the ground, several sharp spikes of earth rose up. Aurelius shed forward with his sword and destroyed the earth spikes. But it did not end there as the earth around the Prime Eques turned restless. The following moment, the earth engulfed Aurelius in a sphere-like structure that was roughly three meters tall. Crrrack! All of a sudden, a hole opened in the earth a few steps away from the sphere that trapped Aurelius. Not long after its appearance, a figure emerged as the hole closed behind him upon exit. This person was, of course, Izroth. ''The sword intent behind thatst attack wasn''t too bad. But, as I thought¡ªit''s still not enough.'' A few moments ago, when Aurelius used the Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, right before the attacks could reach him, Izroth used the Molding Earth skill to burrow underground. He alsounched a series of attacks against Aurelius, such as the sinkhole, earth spikes, and the sphere of earth. ''Realbat application of magic is indeed different from simply digging tunnels. The flow of mana is more chaotic whenever I attempt to go outside the skill''s parameters that are set by the system. It also exins a few other things I''ve found a bit unusual. Interesting...'' In RML, Izroth found that magic worked on a simr yet vastly different principle from techniques that originated from the Seven Realms. It would certainly exin why sometimes, when he created skills in RML, while simr to their Seven Realms counterpart, would differ in some areas. Initially, Izroth thought it was just the system''s unique way of bncing things. However, it turned out that the system was using the standards of magic and working backward from there to decipher the skills he created. Or, at least, this was the theory that Izroth had managed toe up with. BOOM! The sphere of earth Izroth used to confine Aurelius was split apart before being blown into every direction by a power explosive-like force. Aurelius'' expression darkened as he stared at Izroth with a cold gaze. A few moments ago, he was confident that person''s presence hadpletely vanished from this ce. So then, how could they be standing before him without a single scratch?! What Aurelius did not know was that his own senses did not fail him. Rather, it had to do with an item Izroth utilized, the Obsconis Hunting Dagger. Izroth used the Obsconis Hunting Dagger''s active skill, Dark Ambush. This significantly reduced his presence for one minute and made it impossible for Aurelius to detect him after the aftermath of such arge-scale attack. Aurelius tightened his grip on the sword in his hands. No one had ever survived thebination of his Storming Bulwark, Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser, and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, let alone escaped unharmed. No, that was not quite urate. There was one other person who managed to do so every year for the past four years at the Tempest annual tournament. But, whenever he was reminded of that person, Aurelius felt like razing the earth to the ground out of sheer rage. There was already one person who humiliated him and the Windstorm family every year. How could he stand to allow another such person to exist? What pride would he have left as the young lord of the Windstorm family?! "This time, I''ll make sure you stay buried!" Aurelius threatened in a cold voice as the aura around him exploded, unlike anything he''d previously disyed. ''Oh? That''s...'' Izroth carefully observed the change in Aurelius'' aura and immediately discovered something out of the ordinary. At the same time, those who watched the events unfold could not believe their eyes. That guy¡ªhow could he still be alive after receiving an attack like that?! "Hey... Is it really okay...? Shouldn''t we help the Prime Eques?" One of the soldiers said nervously. Aurelius was a member of the Windstorm family. If anything happened to him while they were present, would not the Windstorm family seek answers from them and their families? Or, perhaps even worse, they would end up buried alongside Aurelius! But, they were also well aware of Aurelius'' character. Since he had given the order not to interfere, if they made a move, they would undoubtedly be punished for disobeying hismand. And, more likely than not, that punishment would lead to their death. It was a situation where, either way, they lost! That''s when the gaze of the soldiers fell on Vincent. That''s right! If it were Vincent, who had been with Aurelius the longest, perhaps the Prime Eques would listen to his words. "Hey, Vincent, shouldn''t we step in to help the young lord? All you have to do is give the order." One of the soldiers stated eagerly. "Y-yeah, that''s right. Just give us the order, and we''ll help the young lord immediately." Another soldier chimed in. It did not take long for almost all the soldiers present to urge Vincent to take action. However, the more they spoke, the darker Vincent''s expression became as a look of disgust appeared in his eyes. Naturally, Vincent saw through their intentions. They only wanted him to give the orders so that if anything went wrong, all the me could be shifted to him. Now, whether he gave the order or not, depending on the end result, those soldiers would say how they urged him to take action, yet he failed or ignored their advice. But Vincent could only inwardly sigh. No matter how two-faced these soldiers were, they came from esteemed families in the Tempest kingdom. Even though he hated to admit it, they were right. "A big incident cannot afford to take ce here in the midst of a great war. If the young lord chooses to punish me for my actions... So be it. As long as the princess and the young lord can return home safely, the price does not matter." Vincent thought to himself. "Everyone, prepare yourselves for battle! We are going to assist the young lord!" Vincentmanded as he drew his weapon with a stern look on his face. After Vincent gave the order, the soldiers also followed his actions and unsheathed their weapons as they readied themselves to join the battle. Meanwhile, as those under Aurelius prepared to throw themselves into the fray, Ranazera was currently in a state of shock. The destruction caused by thatst attack was not something a Captain from any unit of the Amaharpe forces could survive, let alone one from the General Support Unit. "I thought he was someone who specializes in speed. Then, he uses earth magic like a trained earth magic caster. Following that, he also performed a set of sword skills that were strong enough to overwhelm the Windstorm Sword Styles¡ªa sword set that ranks among the top 25 sword techniques in the world. This person... Second brother, just what kind of person did you ce your trust in when your final moment arrived?" Ranazera thought to herself. At this point, the sixth princess did not know what to think of Izroth. Needless to say, she had not forgiven him for capturing her; however, the actions he took weighed heavily on her mind. Ranazera''s gaze locked onto Izroth and Aurelius in the distance. The results of this fight would determine whether or not she could return home to Tempest. But, for some reason, all Ranazera could think about was the fate that awaited her upon her return. Meanwhile, the conflict between Izroth and Aurelius seemed to escte to another level. In a sh, the energy around Aurelius had increased severalfold and reached a frightening degree. "Originally, I was nning to save this for that bastard at the annual tournament. But... I decided to make an exception and test it out on you first. You should feel honored." Aurelius proimed proudly. He then continued, "This is the ultimate technique that I have developed and shall be passed down to future generations of the Windstorm family. It will be a mark permanently left in the history books of the Tempest kingdom!" Zeeeut! Without warning, Aurelius vanished from where he stood as the energy around him materialized and took the shape of a mighty ancient roc! Shrieeeeeek! The ancient roc released a shrilling cry and seemed to reach into the depths of one''s soul as it towered overhead. "Windstorm Ultimate Style: Great Roc Wing Beat." Shrieeeeek! Woosh! The moment Aurelius uttered those words, the ancient roc pped its massive wings as an incredible amount of sword intent poured forth! Chapter 965 Great Roc Wing Beat, A Pale Blue Hand Izroth observed the ancient roc summoned by Aurelius. While its presence was nowhere close to that of an ancient beast, the pressure it gave off was enough to fool most and cause them to retreat. Of course, what Aurelius called forth was not a genuine beast. The ancient roc itself was formed out of sword intent, as well as the Law of Wind and the Law of Lightning. Earlier, Izroth detected faint traces of the Law of Wind from Aurelius'' sword; however, it was the first time he had witnessed the Law of Lightning. To most, it wasmon knowledge that a person or object could only contain a singlew of the world. But that was not always the case. For example, thanks to his skill, The Unbounded One, Izroth was able toprehend not only the Law of Void but the Law of Causality as well. That being said, Izroth''s case was one of the utmost extreme rarity. More importantly, even he could not use twows simultaneously without paying a heavy price in return. After doing so in his fight against the Lady of Evesting Rain Tal''Nis during the final stage of the crusade, he was left in a severely weakened state. At that time, he had the help of both his Heavenly Golden Body and the Dragon Force temporarily granted through the authority of the Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss. Dragon Force was something utilized by the dragon race that gave them their mighty physical prowess and high durability. Compared to the Might stat, it was several times more powerful when it came to enhancing one''s physical capabilities. Izroth inspected Aurelius multiple times with his natural senses and Energy Vision Sense. There was nothing that revealed anythingparable or superior to Dragon Force. But, if that was the case, how could he utilize twows simultaneously without any clear signs of bacsh emerging? ''A bit interesting. Though it''s a shame, this skill¡ªit is still iplete.'' Izroth was not simply lost in thought upon the approaching attack. With Time Dtion active, it gave him a clear wind of time to sort through his thoughts and decipher Aurelius'' sword skill. To assist him in that matter, Izroth used Deep Insight and immediately discovered a major w. Shrieeeeek! The ancient roc pped its wings once more as it conjured a vicious storm of lightning and harsh winds that wreaked havoc throughout the battlefield. ''This ce is still quite far away from the city, but... It will be a little troublesome if the chaos draws any unnecessary attention. I''ll end this here.'' Izroth shifted his sword stance as an overbearing aura erupted from the edge of his de. As the waves of attacks generated by the ancient roc closed in on his position, Izroth''s figure began to flicker in and out of existence. ...BOOOOOOM! Less than half a breathter, the area where stood exploded and caused the earth to tremble violently. Therge explosion was followed by a series of miniature explosions that swept throughout the surroundings. As this urred, Izroth''s figure flickered in numerous areas as the explosions appeared to follow his path. Boom! Boom! Boom! Izroth evaded every attack at the moment just before impact. This made it even more challenging to predict his moves since he would not give any signs of his potential actions ahead of time. ''His reaction time is faster than I expected.'' Not many people Izroth ran into could keep up with him once he used Flickering Steps. But, despite his struggle tond a solid blow, Aurelius was still able to keep track of his movements to a certain extent¡ªeven with the presence suppressing effects of Dark Ambush still active. Meanwhile, Aurelius maintained his position as he constantly adjusted the path of his attacks. There was a look of frustration mixed with exhaustion on his face that worsened every time the ancient roc pped its wings to release a new wave of destruction. "This bastard...! How is he still alive after receiving my sword technique head-on...?!" Aurelius thought to himself as he tightened the grip on his sword. "?!" Suddenly, Aurelius covered his mouth as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Aurelius looked down at his hand and closed his fist. "Again... Am I going to allow myself to be humiliated again by some arrogant nobody...? I won''t..." Aurelius muttered. He then shouted, "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT!!!" Aurelius roared as his eyes glowed light green, and his skin turned pale. The sword in his hand trembled as his aura and sword intent underwent a drastic transformation. ROOOOOAR! The next moment, a soul-suppressing roar descended from above. This roar came from the ancient roc. The transformation that urred not only happened to Aurelius but also to the ancient roc. The ancient roc turned dark green, and its cries shifted from that of a loud bird closer to that of a true ancient beast! Naturally, this did not escape Izroth, who was met with a crushing pressure equivalent to that of a level four Gravity Pocket. The pressure was significant enough that, even with his Flickering Steps active, it made it seem as though he was moving at his base speed. ''This change... Did he have a breakthrough in the middle of battle?'' Izroth witnessed the evolution of Aurelius'' Windstorm Ultimate Style: Great Roc Wing Beat happen right before his eyes. Along with its evolution, the earlier w that was exposed as a result of his Deep Insight vanished without a trace. ''The opening has disappeared. Then, I will merely have to make my own.'' Izroth did not halt his steps as he continued onward through the multipleyers of obstruction and destruction rained down by the ancient roc. While it was true that Aurelius'' sword technique had undergone an evolution and improvement, Izroth noticed that the user himself was having a difficult time controlling the abrupt boost in power. Out of nowhere, Izroth nced to the side as he swiftly kicked off his right foot. Swoosh! Bang! ''They finally decided to make their move.'' Izroth looked over at the metal arrow pierced into the ground where he had just stood not even seconds ago. His gaze thennded on the individuals in the near distance charging forward. "Everyone, aid the young lord!" Vincent yelled as he led the charge toward Izroth''s position. "Tch, I thought I got him...!" One of the soldiers trailing right behind Vincent said as they clicked their tongue. "It''s alright. You don''t have to hit him. As long as you keep pressuring him, he''s bound to make a mistake. We, along with the young lord, will take care of the rest." Vincent stated calmly. "Well, if you say so. Still... Ain''t no way I''m missin'' that bastard a second time." The soldier said as they knocked another arrow on their bow before releasing it. The entire sequence of motions happened in a sh. In addition, they were so smooth and natural that one would not even notice he had released an arrow until it had already long since left his bow''s string! Swoosh! The arrow soared and weaved through the air as if it were being guided by an invisible hand. Not long after its departure, the arrow pierced through Izroth''s body. However, instead of making contact, it merely phased through as a flickering silhouette disappeared. Zeeeeut! In a sh, Izroth arrived in front of Aurelius with his Sword of the Storm already mid-swing. "How did he get over there so fast...?!" The soldier who shot the arrow gasped in shock. As the soldier was lost in shock, Vincent said, "I''m going ahead!" The instant he finished speaking, Vincent''s speed rose to an incredible degree as he shot forward at frightening speeds! ''First Baneful Sword: Destruction.'' The overbearing aura from Izroth''s sword erupted forth with an unstoppable might toward Aurelius. Right now, Aurelius seemed to bepletely overwhelmed by the sword intent and thews all mixing into one. To any average onlooker, it would only seem as though Aurelius was getting ready to unleash a mighty attack that could level the entire area. However, to those with more experienced eyes, they could tell that the Prime Eques was slowly losing control over the evolution of his own sword technique! "I won''t make it...! Faster!" Vincent said to himself as he grit his teeth and pushed himself to his limits. Ding! The moment right before Izroth''s sword was about to reach Aurelius, it struck something hard. At the same time, a pale blue hand appeared wrapped around the de of his Sword of the Storm. Chapter 966 An Unexpected Guests At The Border As the bright aura being emitted by Aurelius calmed down, one would see that it was not a pale blue hand that gripped onto Izroth''s sword but rather a hand with skin that was deep blue. Zeeeut! Without hesitation, Izroth used a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement to create a distance of several meters between himself and the new arrival. The person who intercepted his attack just now was not Vincent, but Izroth managed to get a good look at their system information before he withdrew. Izroth maintained a calm mind as he observed the individual that blocked his attack. This person had long white hair, deep blue skin, and a pair of crimson eyes. The average yer would have mistaken this person for a typical skounae; however, Izroth had seen them before firsthand. Without a doubt, this person was a Vretis. Salokin, one of the skounae earls Izroth followed into Vostracane, referred to his kind as an "abomination of the day". That''s because the Vretis, unlike the typical skounae, was unaffected by changes between day and night. Rather, their power was still increased when nighttime came around, but during the day, they were not weakened like normal skounae. Due to this trait, the average strength of a Vretis was actually higher than that of a typical skounae. That being said, one would be foolish to think that the Vretis stood at the top of the skounae race, and this had to do with one thing¡ªnumbers. When it came to the poption of Vretis, they ounted for less than 5% of the skounae race. Because of thisrge gap in numbers, unlike what would ur with a High-Born or Nature Lord of the trephasia race, the Vretis were treated as lesser beings. In the eyes of other skounae, the Vretis were merely a group of abominations. ''This guy... I couldn''t sense him.'' Izroth never let his guard down; however, he was still unable to sense the Vretis skounae''s approach. But, if it were just that much, Izroth would not have paid it much mind. After all, with the countless mysterious skills and items that existed in RML, it would not be umon for someone to have a method that could escape his sense of perception. What surprised Izroth more than anything was the fact that this person was able to block his First Baneful Sword: Destruction barehanded! Not to mention, despite having the Strength of the Ancient Colossus active, he could not pull his sword free from their grasp. As a result, Izroth was forced to use a charge of his Primed Instantaneous Movement in order not to relinquish control of his sword. But, after seeing that person''s system information, Izroth understood why his attack was intercepted so easily. Yet, it also led to even more questions. "Making such a loud a fuss in my territory, hmph, the arrogance andck of manners you humans disy never ceases to amaze me." The Vretis skounae spoke as he swept his gaze across those present. Meanwhile, Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock when she saw Vretis skounae. Even though this was only their second time meeting, she remembered them clearly. This person was the lord of the territory that bordered the Netherly Shadow Fields! "Duke Sorkoza...!" Vincent said as he halted his steps with a gloomy facial expression. NPC Name: Overseer of the Eclipse, Duke Sorkoza(???) NPC Level: ??? Vincent had never met Duke Sorkoza; however, he had seen pictures of him on an information scroll passed out to every member of the Order of the Eternal Aegis. Since Tempest and Malentansium entered into an alliance, naturally, it was essential to know who you could not afford to offend, as well as who you could absolutely not afford to offend. As for where Duke Sorkoza was ced, he was on the could absolutely not afford to offend section of the information scroll. This meant that offending him could very well put the alliance between the two kingdoms in jeopardy of going up in mes! "This is bad. We can''t afford to risk offending Duke Sorkoza. But, the young lord is..." Vincent said to himself with furrowed brows. Shrieeeeek! Suddenly, the ancient roc unleashed a shrill cry as the energy within it continued to rise to a dangerous degree. Aureliuspletely lost control over his own sword technique and was no longer able tomand the ancient roc as it attempted to forcibly absorb everyst drop of sword intent, Law of Wind and Law of Lightning. Sorkoza looked up at the ancient roc as it readied itself to p its mighty wings, caring not for ally or foe. "A brat who doesn''t even know how to control his own strength should not roam the world so freely," Sorkoza said as he casually waved his hand. As the Duke made this motion, the power surge within both the ancient roc and Aurelius himself ceased altogether. ...BOOOOOOM! In the blink of an eye, the ancient roc imploded. Simultaneously, Aurelius loosened his grip on the sword in his hands before it fell to the ground. Not long after he lost the grip on his hand, Aurelius soon followed in its steps as he fell to the earth unconscious. Bang! "Young lord!" Vincent called out as he rushed over to Aurelius. However, the second he arrived within a couple of meters of Sorkoza, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him that caused Vincent to halt his steps. The pressure caused the hairs on the back of Vincent''s neck to stand as he swallowed nervously. The Duke had not done anything out of the ordinary. It was just that the aura he gave off awakened an almost instinctual feeling of confronting a natural predator in those who got too close to him. "Honorable Duke, please forgive this lowly one for speaking out of turn. That young man is the son of the Tempest kingdom''s Windstorm family, as well as the Prime Eques of our Order of the Eternal Aegis. I ask that the honorable Duke spare him for the sake of our two kingdoms." Vincent stated respectfully with a bow. "Windstorm... I see. So, this is that old man''s offspring. That old man was right. This brat has a bit of talent, but he really is too full of himself." Sorkoza scoffed. He then continued, "Take him and go. I am willing to overlook your transgression this time. However, from this day forth, you are never allowed to set foot into my territory again. Are my words clear?" The look in Sorkoza''s eyes shifted as Vincent felt briefly suffocated by the Duke''s gaze. "Y-yes...! We thank the Duke for his mercy...!" Vincent responded as he moved over to Aurelius'' side. Vincent bent down and ced one of Aurelius'' arms over his shoulder. Just as he did so, Vincent noticed the sword left on the ground. In his state of uneasiness, he nearly forgot to grab Aurelius'' sword. "The young lord''s sword, I should-" Vincent reached out to grab the sword. Swoosh! Vincent quickly pulled his hand back as a sharp fragment of earth shot up in between his hand and the sword. "You can go, but that sword stays here with me," Izroth said in a carefree manner. "You-!" Before Vincent could reply, the earth around the sword trembled. The following moment, the sword sunk into the earth as though it were being pulled in by quicksand. "Don''t!" Vincent roared as he tried to stop the sword from sinking; however, it was toote. He red over at Izroth and said coldly, "That sword is the property of our young lord¡ªof the Windstorm family! Return it at once!" "I refuse," Izroth replied without dy as the ground next to him opened up, revealing Aurelius'' sword. Izroth used Molding Earth to form a small pir of earth and lifted the sword before him as he grabbed its hilt. When he took the sword into his hand, Izroth felt a strong surge of energy rush into his body. It was soon followed by a gentle breeze as he sensed the Law of Wind circting through the weapon''s de. ''What a refreshing feeling.'' The moment Izroth took possession of the sword, his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence once again before agitated and restless. It wanted to devour the sword without dy! ''It seems like a bit of a waste.'' Izroth was somewhat reluctant to let such a sword get eaten by his armor; however, he was curious as to why the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence desired the sword so badly when it never showed any interest in weapons up until now. Chapter 967 Indifference Vincent''s expression darkened when Izroth took his young lord''s sword into his hand. Just now, he let his guard down. He did not expect Izroth to behave so brazenly in front of Duke Sorkoza. "Does this personckmon sense? Is he so eager to face death?" Vincent thought to himself with a visible frown. So far, Izroth had led a group to eliminate a high-value asset of Tempest mages, taken their kingdom''s princess captive, snuck past the Gates of Aegis, and offended the Windstorm family. Now, he was also acting in such a manner before Duke Sorkoza, someone who was known as an entric character when it came to the skounae. Even if by some miracle he was able to escape today, Vincent believed that Izroth was already as good as dead after having offended so many powers. As for Izroth, how could he be afraid of offending a few powers? The number of people who wanted him dead was a long list. So what if a couple more names got added to it? Izroth never went out of his way to create enemies, but that did not mean he was afraid of dealing with those who dared block his path. If this Duke Sorkoza wanted to interfere on behalf of Tempest, Aurelius, or whoever else for that matter, Izroth would not hesitate to do what was necessary. After all, they may be strong, but it was not as though he had no way of dealing with opponents like Duke Sorkoza. "Duke Sorkoza, this person before you is a viin. The reason the young lord fought so hard despite knowing that we were on the border of the Duke''s territory was to stop that viin who kidnapped a princess of our Tempest kingdom." Vincent exined. Sorkoza looked over at Ranazera and replied, "So, it''s the little sixth princess. I believe we''ve met before. Though you were quite young at the time, so I doubt you remember this old man." "The Duke is too kind. Even as a child, how could I shake the Duke''s extraordinary presence from my mind?" Ranazera responded graciously. Seeing that the Duke and Ranazera were already somewhat acquainted, Vincent decided to take another step he may not have been so bold enough to do previously. "Duke Sorkoza, I know that I am in no ce to ask for a favor after your gracious judgment, but I would like to request the Duke''s help in rescuing the sixth princess of our Tempest kingdom. That sword is also a precious treasure that belongs to the Windstorm family. I am sure the young lord and the Windstorm family will be forever grateful if you could help return it to its rightful owners." Vincent said respectfully. Sorkoza nced over at Vincent before his gazended on Izroth. "Oh? This human..." What surprised Sorkoza was that, to his surprise, Izroth was casually examining the sword in his hand and appeared unbothered by his gaze. Typically, those under the influence of his gaze became overwhelmed and felt suffocated by his aura. But, the young human before him was theplete opposite as he maintained a calmposure. Sorkoza also sensed a strange "scent"ing from Izroth. This scent was not rted to one''s sense of smell. It was the distinct mark of another power that epassed someone. "The internal matters of your Tempest kingdom do not concern me, let alone the retrieval of some trinket. While it is true that our kingdoms are currently in an alliance, I have neither the interest nor obligation to resolve your personal matters for you. If you wish to save your sixth princess and take back the sword in his possession, so be it. However, you are to do it away from the border of my territory." Sorkoza stated. Vincent''s eyes widened in shock at Sorkoza''s response. Ranazera was a part of the Tempest royal family, and Aurelius was the young lord of the Windstorm family. There was not a short line of people who would be willing to do anything to put those two powers in their debt. He knew that the Duke''s character was not normal, but given his position in Malentansium, even he should readily be willing to lend a hand. Ranazera, on the other hand, released a small sigh as she inwardly shook her head. Vincent was too naive. Even as a child, Ranazera understood the Duke''s temperament. Although he acknowledged her existence, Ranazera never got her hopes up for a single moment. That''s because the Duke was someone who only cared for his own city and territory. As for what happened outside of it, he held virtually zero interest. In fact, the only reason he set foot outside his territory years ago was for the sole purpose of purchasing Tempest magic cannons to increase the defenses of his city. Since such an important deal had to be done in person, naturally, the Duke had no choice but to pay a visit to Tempest. CRUNCH! Out of nowhere, the loud sound of metal being crushed and torn apart could be heard. Duke Sorkoza had a somewhat inquisitive look on his face when he witnessed the events that unfolded before him. But, for everyone else who looked toward the source of the noise, their faces turned pale, and the sight almost caused them to cough up blood in anger. "The young lord''s sword...!" Vincent sucked in a breath of cold air as he could not believe his eyes. "What is that thing...?" Ranazera muttered to herself as she had a somewhat disturbed expression. Izroth''s Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence transformed back to its original form as a long tongue made of ck metal wrapped around Aurelius'' sword. The metal tongue drew in the sword as the maw of a beast formed with rows upon rows of sharp-ded teeth at Izroth''s torso as it chomped down on the sword. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! Despite the high quality and durable materials of the sword, it was effortlessly ripped to pieces by the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Upon seeing that sight, Izroth was secretly relieved that his armor had some self-control. Otherwise, if it were ever interested in his Sword of the Storm and followed through with its own desires, he would not know whether tough or cry. As his living armor broke down the sword, Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Peerless Conduct? has been activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The item ?Sword of Twin Natures? has been destroyed!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effect ?Overeater? has been activated!¡µ A few moments after Izroth received the system alerts, the metal tongue retracted into the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence before it reverted its appearance back to that of the Attire of a Silent Night. From its tranquil appearance, one would have never guessed that a terrifying thing lurked behind it. After his armor consumed the Sword of Twin Natures, Izroth did not feel any immediate changes. However, he was not surprised, as something simr happened the first time he absorbed the Abyssal Dragon Lord''s Scales. ''I''m not sure how long it will be until it takes effect, but, at the very least, it should not interfere with anything. Now... How should I deal with this?'' Izroth heard Duke Sorkoza speak about not interfering in Tempest internal affairs; however, he still had to travel through the Duke''s territory in order to meet up with the 9th Division and the rest of the allied forces. ''Taking a detour will consume too much time. But starting arge-scale battle here will also be a bit troublesome. Should I just use Molding Earth until we reach the other side of his territory?'' Even though using Molding Earth to cross Duke Sorkoza''s territory would set him behind for a few hours, in the end, it would be much faster than taking a long detour around the Duke''s territory. As Izroth weighed his options, there was something else that troubled him. For some reason, ever since the moment he appeared, Izroth sensed that there was something unusual about Duke Sorkoza. For one, he was a Vretis. Let alone being a Duke, it was fortunate that he was not the servant of another skounae. From what Izroth understood about the skounae, they were bound by their bloodlines, which was a curse inflicted upon every skounae born in Malentansium by the Night King. They could not defy those who held a purer bloodline than them. This was a great secret of the skounae race that perhaps even those Night Lords were unaware of. Vretis were beings who were considered to have an inferior bloodlinepared to normal skounae. Due to this, they could never hope to rise within the ranks of nobility and were destined to be servants. But, obviously, that was not the case for the Vretis before Izroth right now. The aura he exuded dwarfed that of the previous Vretis skounae Izroth met back in Vostracane. Even the Earls he came across during his time near the Land of Unity could notpare to Sorkoza. Chapter 968 Trade Izroth sheathed his Sword of the Storm and returned the Obsconis Hunting Dagger to his inventory. Upon seeing Izroth''s actions, Sorkoza reigned in his oppressive aura and took a moment to size up Izroth properly. Initially, Sorkoza bothered to catch a small glimpse of Izroth as he was not interested in some young human of unknown origins. However, after he disyed that strange armor, resisted his aura, and now sheathed his weapon, Izroth managed to catch the Duke''s attention. "Human, you, too, are barred from setting foot into my territory. I do not wee those who cause trouble." Sorkoza stated calmly. "That''s a bit troublesome. Taking a detour would consume too much time. As long as there is no threat against me, I have no intention of causing trouble in your territory. On that, you have my word. I only wish to pass through unobstructed." Izroth replied in a carefree manner. "Hmph, what is your word worth? You humans are good at spewing flowery words when it suits you. But, in my experience, humans often say one thing and do another. Besides, I have no reason to allow you passage through my territory. Whether or not it takes you longer to reach your destination has nothing to do with me." "A man without his word is nothing. Naturally, if I give my word, I intend to keep it. As for me passing through your territory, while it''s true that reaching my destination has nothing to do with you, that does not mean there is no benefit to you." "Oh? And just what benefit might that be? I''ll warn you now if you''re talking nonsense, don''t me me for losing my patience." Sorkoza said with a cold gaze as he narrowed his eyes. Vincent inwardly mocked Izroth. He was still upset after watching his young lord''s treasured sword being destroyed right before his eyes, and listening to Izroth''s words made him somewhat gleeful. "This ignorant guy must not know the Duke''s personality. If he does say some nonsense, he won''t walk away from this ce with his life. If that happens, when the young lord wakes up, he may be willing to overlook our failures." Vincent thought to himself. Once Aurelius awakened from his unconscious state, Vincent knew that his wrath would not be far behind. This was even more so after he eventually learned of the Sword of Twin Nature''s destruction. Without a doubt, Vincent and the soldiers under him would be among the first to face Aurelius'' outrage. At the very least, if they could recover the sixth princess and Izroth lost his life here, perhaps Aurelius would overlook their shorings. There was even a chance that they may actually be rewarded! As Vincent was lost in his thoughts, Izroth had other things running through his mind. He considered fighting Sorkoza head-on was an option; however, since Izroth did not sense any killing intent from the Duke, he chose against that method unless it was absolutely necessary. He could also use Molding Earth to tunnel underneath Duke Sorkoza''s territory. But, there was another method Izroth thought of that may possibly work and did not require taking a detour or engaging in an all-out battle. "I suggest a trade. So long as you allow me to pass through your territory, I am willing to give you something someone of the skounae may find a little helpful. Of course, I will keep my word about not causing trouble, intentionally, that is." Izroth stated as he held out the palm of his hand. Izroth''s words caused Sorkoza to frown. Even if it was something that someone of the skounae race may find helpful, how good could it being from a young human? Not to mention, the Vretis were different from normal skounae in some aspects. What benefited one would not necessarily benefit the other. Still, Sorkoza was curious about this young human due to their ability to maintain a calm demeanor. He was not sure if this human was truly confident or just arrogant; however, Sorkoza was notpletely uninterested in seeing what he had to offer. The following moment, a small ck and white cube the size of one''s fist appeared in the palm of Izroth''s hand. ? On the cube''s surface were various inscriptions carved in ck on the white side of the cube and white on the ck side of the cube. These inscriptions were of unknown origins; however, upon closer inspection, one would feel a breathtaking aura of life and death exuding from the object. Sorkoza studied the cube in Izroth''s hand. But, even with all his years of life and experience, it was the first time he saw such characters. Still, for some reason, even though the inscriptions werepletely foreign to him, they felt vaguely familiar and almostforting. "This is..." Sorkoza muttered to himself. In the blink of an eye, the Duke disappeared from where he stood and reappeared directly in front of Izroth. "?!" Those present were taken aback by the Duke''s sudden movement and seemingly inquisitive nature toward the object in Izroth''s hand. As for Izroth, despite the Duke''s abrupt change in locations, he did not flinch nor take an aggressive stance. "Human, are you not afraid I will snatch your item and give you nothing in return?" Sorkoza inquired as he carefully examined the cube. "You are wee to try. But whether or not you''ll be able to do so sessfully is a different matter. Also, you don''t seem like the kind of person who would forcibly take what rightfully belongs to others." Izroth responded casually. Vincent felt a chill run down his back as he broke out in cold sweats. Whether or not he''d be able to do so? Was this guy insane?! How could he speak to the Duke in such a bold manner? It was okay if he had a death wish, but was there a need to drag them down with him?! Ranazera was also surprised by Izroth''s fearless choice of words. He may have been able to overwhelm Aurelius, but Duke Sorkoza was on an entirely different level, as seen by how effortlessly he handled Aurelius'' out-of-control sword skill. If a fight were to truly break out or the Duke tried to snatch the item in Izroth''s hand, there was nothing present capable of stopping him from doing so. However, to everyone''s surprise, the Duke did not erupt into a fit of rage. Instead, an even more bizarre incident took ce as a light smile formed on his face. "I am many things, but a thief is not one of them. Tell me, what are the origins of this cube? Why does it feel strange and distant yet familiar and close to me?" Sorkoza asked curiously. "Its origins are a mystery. But, what I can tell you is that it is something that can help you and other Vretis. It still has its uses for me, so I am somewhat reluctant to part with me. Though I am sure the true nature of this item will only shine when it finds those it has a connection with." Izroth answered. The item Izroth revealed to Sorkoza was one he found in Ourami''s treasure room back in the Ancient Celestial Realm. It was a relic known as the Sphere of Morning Totality. One of the most unusual things about this item was that despite having the word sphere in its name, it was in the shape of a cube. However, Izroth believed that its cube form acted as a dormant state of sorts. Once it demonstrated its true power, only then would it show its true form. ''I have already studied this item ostensively. It is not suitable for humans to use. It may indeed have some unknown benefits in the future, but its practical use is too limited. Also, perhaps it may help resolve that long guing issue of the skounae. Or, to be precise, the Vretis.'' The Sphere of Morning Totality was a relic of the Ancient Celestial Realm with a fascinating effect. It allowed its user to split their bloodline in two¡ªone light and the other darkness. The light represented the superior side of one''s bloodline, while the darkness depicted one''s impurities. In theory, it could help unlock the true potential of one''s bloodline. The reason this item was not too useful for Izroth or other humans had to do with the fact that humans were not creatures defined by their bloodlines like most other races in RML. Therefore, its value was not that high outside of extreme situations. But, for the skounae, especially one of the Vretis, this item could be seen as a priceless treasure! "Interesting...! How interesting...!" Sorkozamented as if he had discovered something within the Sphere of Morning Totality. Although he did not know its exact effects, Sorkoza was able to unlock a few of its secrets just by observing the inscriptions on its surface. This was a precious item that was not too useful for humans but infinitely valuable for the Vretis! "Human, as long as you give this item to me, not only will I allow you safe passage through my territory, I am also willing to hand over another treasure in return," Sorkoza stated in a pleased tone. Chapter 969 A Full Retreat, Izroths Plan Vincent was left stunned by Sorkoza''s choice. Not only did he seem to have epted the request, the Duke even went so far as to offer a treasure on top of it! Just what was that cube capable of to be able to make the cold and unwavering Duke react this way? Vincent quickly snapped out of his daze. He was uncertain of what treasure was being offered forth. But whatever the case, Vincent knew he could not sit back and allow the deal to proceed. After all, if Izroth sessfully made a deal with Duke Sorkoza to enter his territory, there would be no way to follow him without the risk of offending the Duke. The sixth princess would also be out of their grasp. And if that old monster at the head of their Order discovered their actions, who knew what the consequences would be? "Duke Sorkoza, that man is from the kingdom of Amaharpe, an enemy of our two allied kingdoms. I do not think it is appropriate to make a deal with-" Vincent spoke out; however, his words soon fell silent as a heavy force descended upon him. "Who are you to interrupt when I am in the middle of my personal business? I have already shown a great deal of mercy by stopping that brat you''re carrying from bing useless trash and sparing your lives. Yet, you still have the audacity to tell me what is and is not appropriate? Audacious!" Sorkoza bellowed. At the same time, a powerful wave of energy swept past Vincent that blew him back several meters along with the unconscious Aurelius. Vincent was able to brace himself while simultaneously protecting Aurelius as he took on the brunt of the force. "Ahk!" Vincent had the wind knocked out of him as he unleashed a series of harsh coughs paired with a pale expression. As much as he wanted to protest, Vincent had no choice but to bite his tongue and swallow his words. However, he still believed the Duke''s actions to be too much! How could he treat his own allies this way while befriending an enemy? Even if he was a Duke of the skounae, this kind of behavior was uneptable! "It''s no use. For the time being, we have no choice but to ept our failure and fall back to the gates. Our only hope is to contact the Windstorm family and have them send someone to clean up the young lord''s mess. This problem has already grown beyond our control." Vincent contemted. Vincent struggled to his feet. As he did so, the other soldiers rushed to his side and helped carry the unconscious Aurelius. "We''re returning to the gates," Vincent stated solemnly. The soldiers were left baffled by Vincent''s decision. If they retreated here, was that not the same as asking all of them to ept the inevitable punishment that would follow? "What do you mean we''re returning? If we do not at least return with the sixth princess, how can we exin things to that old monster?" One of the soldiers questioned in a frantic manner. "That''s right...! Can you afford to take responsibility for those orders of yours?" Another soldiermented. "Whether or not I can afford it, there is nothing else to be done here. Our immediate priority is to ensure the safe return of the Windstorm family''s young lord and the Prime Eques of our Order. As for the old monster¡ªthere is no need for them to be made aware of our actions today. I will send word to the Windstorm family. They will not remain idle after what transpired here." Vincent said as his cold gaze locked onto Izroth. After Vincent spoke, the soldiers could not find any words of retort. That''s right, if it was the Windstorm family, surely, it was possible to fix everything without creating a huge scandal in the process¡ªthis was the thought that flowed through the soldiers'' minds. Vincent turned to face the Duke and said respectfully, "Forgive me if I''ve offended you, Duke Sorkoza. We have long overstayed our wee. We shall ept your gracious offer and retreat from the border of your territory." "Hmph, you should have just done that to begin with. Go, and do not return to this ce." Sorkoza responded without sparing a nce in Vincent''s direction. Vincent looked over at Ranazera with a troubled expression. He released a helpless sigh as he shook his head. Not long after, he began to make his way toward the Gates of Aegis along with the soldiers of his Order. As Vincent and the soldiers retreated, Izroth did not pay it much mind. Even if they nned to call for reinforcements, he would be long gone by then. Besides, even if they decided to return, it was not as if Izroth feared a direct confrontation. Izroth pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he returned to his previous trail of thought regarding Sorkoza. ''His temperament is greater than the previous members of the skounae race that I''vee across. It seems that giving the Sphere of Morning Totality to him may not be such a high-risk gamble, after all.'' Even though Izroth wanted to cross Duke Sorkoza''s territory, he was not the type to simply hand over a treasure to satisfy the other party. In truth, Izroth had another reason for taking out the Sphere of Morning Totality. The skounae were a race that had ties to the Nether Realm and Netherworld Monarch. The Nether Realm and Mortal Realm were eternal enemies; therefore, the skounae could be seen as a disease to the Mortal Realm that had to be removed at some point. However, that much was easier said than done. The skounae were a strong race who were ready to live and die at themand of the Night King without question. Even if all the kingdoms in the Mortal Realm set aside their differences and joined hands, it was still unlikely that the skounae could be dealt with effectively. This was mostly thanks to organizations like the League of the Eidolon. There were numerous hidden forces in the Mortal Realm that secretly worshipped the Netherworld Monarch because of organizations like the League of the Eidolon. And, although it was only Izroth''s guess, he believed there was a good chance that even people in high positions of power were a part of it. Rather, it was a statistical improbability that, among those high-ranking officials of the kingdoms, none of them were involved. That''s why when Izroth first analyzed the Sphere of Morning Totality, he devised a n. Initially, it involved him locating a member of the skounae race born outside of Malentansium and somehow gaining their trust. However, if it was someone like Sorkoza, perhaps going that uncertain route was unnecessary. ''I never considered a Vretis because I thought all of them were subservient and docile due to the Night King''s influence over the skounae bloodline, but... If it''s a Vretis capable of earning the title of Duke, it may work. Rather, isn''t it more likely to seed this way?'' Izroth''s n was one of the utmost simplicity. But, it was the prerequisite for it to be set into action that made it somewhat troublesome to implement freely. Since the Sphere of Morning Totality could split one''s bloodline and unlock its true potential, it may be possible to rid oneself of the Night King''s curse. In other words, they would no longer be bound to do the bidding of others against their will! However, it was a potential double-edged sword. Seeing as how the Sphere of Morning Totality could improve one''s bloodline, Izroth understood that there was the possibility of his ns backfiring. If Sorkoza chose to abuse the relic''s powers, Izroth might end up creating a different faction of skounae who was not just stronger but also not restricted by the orders of those with a superior bloodline. Nevertheless, Izroth was confident in his ability to judge others. Right now, his instinct told him to entrust the Sphere of Morning Totality to Duke Sorkoza. If it turned out that he somehow misjudged the Duke, Izroth was not afraid to make sure that his mistake was "corrected". As for the treasure Duke Sorkoza mentioned, it was well outside of Izroth''s expectations. But, it did offer him some insight into the Duke''s character. "Are you sure it''s okay to hand out treasures to your enemy?" Izroth asked with a carefree smile. "A useless outlook. What history is there between the two of us for such a meaninglessbel to exist?" Sorkoza scoffed. Chapter 970 Void Curtains, Sorkozas Test The Duke continued, "If that is a concern you carry, it shows that you know nothing of how things operate at the heart of Malentansium." Izroth knew Duke Sorkoza''s words were not wrong. That''s because, besides the skounae, no one truly understood the inner workings of the Malentansium kingdom beyond a surface level. It was well known that the Night Kingmanded the skounae, and the Night Lords beneath him maintained order on a broad scale throughout the kingdom. However, there was no concrete information regarding the kingdom''s internal power structures. Of course, there was the matter of titles and bloodlines, but that only provided a more general insight. To those looking in from outside of Malentansium, it had long since been epted that the kingdom was united on all fronts under the rule of the Night King. There were no such things as factions or organizations like in other kingdoms, just the will of the Night King that must be carried out at all costs. ''Is there something more going on under the surface? With the way the Night King exerts their influence, it is unlikely. That being said, I should not overlook an opportunity to fill a potential gap in ack of information.'' "It''s not exactly easy for a human to roam around Malentansium, let alone gain an opportunity to understand its inner workings. Perhaps you''d care to enlighten me? That is unless you are the type of person who enjoys being right more than you like to correct what''s wrong." Izroth said calmly. Sorkoza narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "You are rather bold for a human. If you had run into another Duke of the skounae, your words would have caused your head to have already been separated from your body." "If I offended the Duke, it was not my intention. I merely speak the truth. In order to speak the truth, at times, one must risk being offensive. Besides, If I had run into another Duke, I am rather confident when ites to my ability to keep my head attached to my body." Izroth responded in a carefree manner; however, he gave off a deep aura that made one feel as though they were being sucked into an endless abyss. "Then, if I were to make a move against you right now, how confident are you in that ability of yours to keep your head attached to your body?" After the Duke asked that question, the atmosphere grew heavy and intense. "I''m afraid if I told you the truth, you may find it somewhat difficult to ept." "So, you''re saying it''s not impossible for you?" "It''s not impossible." "I see. If that''s your answer, then you must be quite confident in your ability to escape." "If it was necessary, then yes." "Oh? Are you saying it wouldn''t be necessary to escape against me?" "As I''ve said before, the truth... may be rather difficult for you to ept." The oppressive aura emitted from Izroth and Duke Sorkoza rose severalfold. As Ranazera observed the two, she found that it was bing increasingly difficult to breathe under the immense sh of auras. But, what shocked her more than anything was the fact that Izroth was not losing ground against Duke Sorkoza. "What''s going on? Are they about to fight right here?" Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows as she tried her best to maintain herposure. There was a lingering and deafening silence present. However, after a few seconds that felt like an eternity passed, the two oppressive auras receded. At the same time, a faint expression resembling a light smile appeared on the Duke''s face. "Alright, you pass," Sorkoza said as he snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, a wavy hole in space opened up at the Duke''s back that resembled a curtain. This spatial curtain was roughly two meters high and a little more than one meter wide. The bizarre thing about the sudden emergence of this spatial curtain was that it did not make any noise or release the faintest bit of energy. It was as though its entire existence was not actually there. Just now, Sorkoza was testing Izroth to see whether or not he would falter in the face of conflict or stand by his words. In the Duke''s experience, humans, especially those who were inexperienced in the ways of the world, more often times than not, went with the former of the two. This was even more so if their life was under direct threat. However, Izroth not only showed no signs of faltering, but he was also bold enough to speak his mind without being intimidated. In Sorkoza''s eyes, while he could not say for certain if Izroth were a trustworthy human, at the very least, he was not the same as those who carried themselves with false bravado. ''This is... I see.'' When Izroth peered into the spatial curtain, he was met with nothing but endless darkness. Even with his Energy Vision Sense, he could not detect any traces of energy. If not for the fact that the effects of his Evil Cleansing Pill did not activate, Izroth would have thought that he was seeing an illusion. "The truth can indeed be ufortable at times¡ªboth to tell and to hear. If it were not so, perhaps this world would be a much different ce." As Sorkoza spoke, Izroth noticed a certain look in the Duke''s solemn gaze. It was one he had seen many times before during his time in the Seven Realms; the look of someone who walked a treacherous path alone and had the weight of the world on their shoulders. "Alright, we''ll end the small talk here. The treasure I mentioned earlier is kept in the treasure room at the pce in my city. My Void Curtains will take us to the pce. From there, we will head to the treasure room andplete the arrangements to ensure your safe travel through my territory." Sorkoza stated. "?!" Ranazera gasped as her eyes widened in shock. Duke Sorkoza, someone who did not even allow an official envoy from their Tempest kingdom to set foot into his city, was actually going to allow an outsider to enter?! Not only that, but they would be going to the pce! "I don''t mind paying a visit to your city, but the princess must also apany us. Is that fine?" Izroth mentioned. Sorkoza looked over at Ranazera as he shook his head and replied, "Usually, I do not permit outsiders entrance into my city, especially those of royal blood from other kingdoms. However, until our exchange concludes and arrangements are made, I will allow the sixth princess of Tempest to apany us. Of course, if either of you dares to cause trouble in my city, know that the consequences for doing so will not be light." Sorkoza warned. "Rest assured, we have no ill intentions," Izroth reassured. "As it should be. Let us depart." Sorkoza said as he stepped into the Void Curtains before he disappeared without a trace. Not long after he did so, Izroth and Ranazera followed behind him. ... Zeeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Izroth and Ranazera appeared in a spacious courtyard surrounded by tall walls that blocked the outside view. "This is..." Ranazera muttered to herself as her gaze wandered around the courtyard. One moment, she was surrounded by darkness, and the next, she was in a spacious courtyard with unknown scenery. "Do not linger about. Follow me and make sure not to stray too far away." Sorkoza stated as he was currently walking toward a pair ofrge steel doors in the nearby distance. "Let''s go," Izroth said as he followed Sorkoza''s path. Izroth''s words snapped Ranazera out of her curious gaze as she quickly caught up with the two. Right now, she was still powerless. Plus, who knew what would happen now that they were within the Duke''s pce? "This is the first time someone from my Tempest kingdom has entered Duke Sorkoza''s courtyard. It''s said that this ce contains many hidden secrets of the skounae race, which is why the Duke carefully guards it under strict orders from the Night King. Even my father may not necessarily be wee here." Ranazera thought to herself as her gaze wandered over to Izroth. "This person... To think they would impress the Duke to this extent. Plus, that item he offered¡ªjust what is it to make the Duke react this way? Every time I think I start to gain an understanding of him, he surprises me once more." Ranazera sighed deeply. Chapter 971 A Fair Warning, Similar Paths ... Meanwhile, several kilometers off the Land of Unity/Malentansium border... The allied forces led by Amaharpe marched onward toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. In order to maintain the element of surprise, a great number of skilled magic casters were utilized to deployrge-scale AOE stealth magic. Additionally, members of the War Intelligence Division carefully erased all traces of the presence of the allied forces as they marched through Malentansium. At the moment, Niflheim, Menerva, and the rest of Izroth''s 9th Division took up their position at the rear of the allied forces alongside Commander Aurie''s 2nd Unit. So far, they had been traveling nonstop into the depths of Malentansium, and the atmosphere was intense. For many of the 9th Division members, as well as the majority of the yers participating in the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt, it was their first time experiencing such an overwhelming disy of military might. This naturally left many individuals feeling nervous and anxious about whaty ahead. "Lieutenant Niflheim, a word?" A voice sounded from behind Niflheim. This voice belonged to one of the 9th Division members, Bellum. Niflheim revolved around as he faced Bellum with a meaningful gaze and replied, "Sure. Shall we head somewhere a little more private?" Bellum nodded in response. Niflheim looked over at Menerva, who was next to him, and said, "I''m leaving things here to you for a while. Is that fine?" "A simple task. I will oversee the 9th Division." Menerva answered. Niflheim gave a small nod before he returned his focus to Bellum. "Lead the way." Nilfheim said as he gestured. ... A few momentster, Niflheim and Bellum had separated several meters away from their group and to a more isted area of the allied forces'' formation at the rear. Though the two did not stray too far and made sure to stay within the confines of therge-scale stealth magic. Once they were far away enough, Bellum was the first to speak and asked, "Why didn''t you tell him? I doubt you did it out of pure consideration for me. After all, thest time I checked, the two of us were never that close. Right, Captain Niflheim?" "It took you long enough. I was beginning to think you wouldn''t bother bringing it up. But, knowing your personality, that''s impossible, isn''t it? Vice guild-leader, Bellum." Niflheim narrowed his eyes. "Ex-vice guild-leader." Bellum retorted. "Ex-captain." Niflheim followed up. "..." "..." A brief silence filled the atmosphere before Bellum broke it with a small sigh and said, "It would seem that we both have met with an unfortunate set of circumstances." "Well, it''s certainly regretful..." Niflheimmented with a heavy sigh as he thought back to the events that took ce at the Great Sea Pce raid. He then continued, "However, I wouldn''t necessarily say it''s unfortunate." "For you to say that your assessment of our Captain must be quite high." "If not for him, I''d just be wandering around without much to consider. So, I''m rather grateful." Niflheim spoke in a tone filled with gratitude. "I suppose your situation wasn''t too far off from my own. But, judging from your words just now, it seems when one door closed for you, another one opened. You are rather fortunate, Xiang Ei." "Oh? This isn''t like you at all. The Lin Daiyu I know isn''t so sentimental." Niflheim said with a light smile. "Well, let''s consider today a special asion. It''s not often you meet a fellow kindred spirit." "I never thought I''d hear those wordse from your mouth of all people. I got to say, you''ve changed. For the better, of course." "I appreciate your words; however, we both know that people never change. They merely be more of their true selves." "I used to think that way as well. But I''ve found myself changing that outlook as ofte. Perhaps, it''s not entirely impossible for people to change." Niflheimmented solemnly. He paused briefly as if he were lost in his thoughts before he continued, "You wanted to know why I didn''t tell him your identity? The truth of the matter is I did try to tell him. But, our Captain isn''t someone who pries into the affairs of others. To him, as long as you have not done anything unforgivable, your past and background do not matter. All that matters is that you do not misce the trust he ced in you. So long as you do not cross that line, our Captain and the 9th Division will always ept you." After Niflheim finished speaking, Bellum appeared to go into a state of deep thought. Every so often, a troubled look would sh through her eyes as if she were contemting a matter of great importance. Once a few breaths of time passed, Bellum closed her eyes before she reopened them with a gaze of rity. "There is something that you and our Captain must know. It concerns my former guild, Broken Exile." Bellum stated in a serious tone. Niflheim''s brows rose when Bellum mentioned the name Broken Exile. "Oh? Hasn''t it been a while since you''ve left?" Niflheim asked. As she mentioned, Bellum was the former vice guild leader of Broken Exile, one of the top ten guilds in RML that was said to be the only one capable of rivaling Cross Haven. However, from what he knew, Bellum departed from Broken Exile even before he left Blue Oasis. "I may no longer be the vice guild leader, but I still have contacts inside the guild. I''m sure it''s the same with you and Blue Oasis, is it not?" Bellum replied. Niflheim had a troubled expression on his face when Bellum brought up Blue Oasis. Of course, what she said was true. He did have some contacts left in Blue Oasis who he could seek information from; however, Niflheim did not have the face to reach out to them. Therefore, in terms of information, he was severelycking whenpared to Bellum. "I see. So you really don''t know." Bellum said as she could not hide her surprise. "Know what?" "Well, considering our Captain''s rtionship with Sleeping Gardenia, it''s possible he already knows, but... Not that long ago, a meeting between the guild leaders from each top guild and a few other notable people was held in the Mirror World." "They used the Spiritual Gathering Mirror?" Niflheim was taken aback by the disclosure. The Spiritual Gathering Mirror was a B-ranked magic item that could only be contained bypleting a certain quest in RML. It was not easy toe by, and the price for using it was not cheap. Therefore, unless it were an emergency, most people would much rather use RML''s internalmunication features. Needless to say, top guilds possessed the resources to use the Spiritual Gathering Mirror as they pleased; however, for all the guild leaders to attend¡ªthis is the part that shocked Niflheim. "For everyone to gather in the Mirror World, was it Ewan? No... If it''sing from you, then it''s probably that man." Niflheim said with furrowed brows. Bellum nodded, "That''s right. The one who called the meeting is the current guild leader of Broken Exile, Dragon." Niflheim frowned and said, "If Dragon was the one who called the meeting, I can roughly guess his purpose. How much time do we have?" "Until the eventes to an end. That''s when they''ll make their move." "I see..." Niflheim released a heavy sigh. Whether or not Izroth was aware of what was going on, Niflheim did not know for sure. After all, if Izroth did know something, then it was not told to him. Whatever the case, he had to ensure Izroth was not left in the dark about this matter. "Why did you decide to tell us this now?" Niflheim asked curiously. There were plenty of opportunities for Bellum toe forth with this information. But, she chose now of all times to do so. The timing felt rather strange to Niflheim, with Izroth being absent from the 9th Division. "At first, I wasn''t sure. The rumors I''ve heard regarding our Captain are abnormal, to say the least. That''s why I wanted to see it with my own eyes." "And?" "While I haven''t known our Captain long, I think I understand why you chose the path you did, Lieutenant Niflheim. Our Captain... He is different from those I''ve known that were in a simr position as him. I just thought it would be unfair to see a man like that receive the short end of the stick¡ªthat''s all." Chapter 972 A Vretis Safe Haven? ... After discussing a few more leisurely topics, Niflheim and Bellum started to make their way back toward the 9th Division. "So? What do you n on doing after this is all over? Of course, you''re always more than wee to stay with the 9th Division." Niflheim said. "Who knows? Maybe I''ll do just that. I don''t dislike this kind of rxed atmosphere, after all." Bellum replied calmly. Niflheim abruptly coughed as he moved his hand to cover his mouth. "Hm? Are you feeling alright?" Bellum asked. "Yeah, I''m fine," Niflheim responded as he cleared his throat. He internally sighed as he shook his head. He did not expect to be caught off guard by Bellum''s words. Rxed? If she knew the things that usually happened while being around Izroth, those would be thest words she used to describe the situation. "Moving on¡ªdo you really not n on bing a Lieutenant of the 9th Division?" Niflheim questioned. "Even if I did, it''s not as if we have enough members for another Lieutenant. Besides, I think I''ll focus on enjoying myself for once. Perhaps once this is all over, I''ll reconsider it. But, for now, this much is fine." Bellum stated with a light smile. "Then, I won''t bring it up. For now, at least." Niflheim said with a yful grin. He then continued, "That being said, although you want to enjoy yourself a bit, I''ll be relying on you in the uing raid. The members of the 9th Division have decent foundations and room to grow; however, most of them are still far from beingparable to the elite members of the top guilds, let alone the core yers. It''ll be our responsibility to oversee their safety, especially if our Captain isn''t able to return before the attack begins." "Don''t worry. As long as I''m a part of the 9th Division, if the timees, I won''t hesitate to lend you a hand." "That''s all I ask of you." ... Earlier, at Sorkoza''s pce... Izroth and Ranazera followed Sorkoza into the main pce entrance. Inside the pce was a spacious room with a long hall. Compared to the usual pce decorations, this one was not asvish and took a more minimalistic approach. Nevertheless, in its simplicity, there was an air of grace and serenity that lingered throughout its interior. "Wee back, Duke Sorkoza!" A chorus of voices echoed the instant therge doors opened. Lined up in an orderly fashion on each side of the entryway were a total of twenty individuals. These individuals were currently bowing in a respectful manner as they greeted Sorkoza upon his entrance into the pce hall. "This..." Ranazera was taken aback by the sight she witnessed. She was not surprised by the attendants that weed Sorkoza. After all, she was a princess of the Tempest kingdom, and such things were not foreign to her. However, what shocked Ranazera was the fact that everyst one of the attendants was a Vretis skounae! ''Oh? To think there would be a ce in Malentansium with this many Vretis skounae gathered... Is it possible that this entire city is a safe haven for the Vretis created by Duke Sorkoza?'' Izroth was only specting; however, it would certainly exin why the Duke had such harsh entry restrictions. If word got out that the Vretis were assembling at one location, it might be viewed as a treasure trove of servants by other skounae. "Are all of these Vretis your servants?" Ranazera inquired. It was notmon to see so many Vretis together. Sorkoza halted his steps and, without adverting his gaze, said, "We do not use such a foul word in this ce." Ranazera quickly realized her poor choice of words, given the status of Vretis skounae in Malentansium. "My apologies, Duke Sorkoza. It was a poor choice of words on my part. I meant no offense." Ranazera said as she conveyed her sincerity. "So long as you understand," Sorkoza responded indifferently before he resumed his steps. As the group moved deeper into the pce, Izroth was in the middle of examining the pce and part of the city outside with his Energy Vision Sense. ''I found it strange that this ce was built so far away from other Malentansium cities. From a geographical standpoint, it would generally be correct to assume that it was constructed as a safeguard against a potential Tempest assault. However, why go this far to build a fortress in an isted ce already protected by so many natural defenses? Unless there is something, you don''t want others to see. Regardless, it''s the perfect cover...'' As Izroth and Ranazera trailed after Sorkoza, they could feel the piercing gazes of the Vretis attendants. It did not go so far as them disying any killing intent, but it was clear that they were not fans of the presence of outsiders. This was even more so after Ranazera''s previous statement. Still, none of them spoke out, despite their difort. Izroth did not sense any traces of fear toward Duke Sorkoza from the Vretis attendants; therefore, their calm behavior, even in the face of difort, just went to show the level of respect they held toward Duke Sorkoza. "Valga, Toreins," Sorkoza called out without slowing his pace. The moment he did so, two shadows appeared at the Duke''s feet before they emerged and took the form of two Vretis skounae. One of the Vretis was a man with a somewhat rigid appearance, while the other was a woman with nimble grace. "You called for us, Lord Sorkoza?" The two Vretis said in unison. NPC Name: Guardian of the Dawn, Valga(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Guardian of the Dusk, Toreins(???) NPC Level: ??? Ranazera was startled by the abrupt emergence of the two Vretis. She had not sensed their presence in the slightest! Izroth, on the other hand, was not too surprised since he had already detected the two with his Energy Vision Sense from the instant he set foot in the pce courtyard. He did not, however, expect Duke Sorkoza to call them out from their roles as observers. "After I conclude some business, I will entrust you two with the task of safely escorting these guests to the edge of my territory," Sorkoza stated. Valga and Toreins silently nced at each other as if the same thought crossed their minds. "Is there a problem?" Sorkoza inquired as his gaze swept over the two Vretis. "...Lord Sorkoza, I hope you can forgive my bluntness, but¡ªwhy must we leave your side to protect two outsiders?" Toreins, the male Vretis, spoke out. "I agree with Toreins. I must protest. It does not require the two of us to escort these outsiders to the edge of the territory. Lord Sorkoza, you can send anyone else toplete such a task. However, if it must be us, then I implore you to at least keep one of us at your side. Otherwise, I am afraid we will not be able toplete the mission you have given us with a clear mind." Valgamented. Sorkoza closed his eyes and said, "Very well. Valga, since it was your idea, you shall escort them. Toreins, you will remain here at my side." "Thank you for entertaining my selfish request," Valga stated. Sorkoza nodded, "Make any preparations you need in advance. You will depart the moment we finish conducting our business." "Yes, Lord Sorkoza," Valga replied as she sunk into the earth and disappeared. "I shall return to my duties," Toreins said as he also vanished into the earth. ... A few momentster... After walking around for nearly ten minutes in what seemed like an endless maze, Sorkoza stopped before a stone wall. At first nce, it looked to be just another typical stone wall. However, when Sorkoza ced the palm of his hand against the stone wall, a spatial portal that resembled his Void Curtains opened. This time, however, whaty on the other side could be seen as clear as day. "Once we enter inside, you are not to touch anything without my permission. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your safety against the magic formations used to protect the items within the treasure room." Sorkoza warned. Izroth gave a small nod in return. Ranazera also made a simr gesture to show that she understood the Duke''s warning. "Then, let''s go," Sorkoza said as he stepped into the spatial portal, followed by Izroth and Ranazera. ... In the blink of an eye, Izroth arrived in a room that was roughly the size of a small house. The first thing that caught his eye were the various magic formations epassing several items lined up neatly on top of a disy tform. Each item gave off a powerful aura that was not inferior to some top-grade treasures Izroth had seen before in RML. In terms of quantity, it did note close to Ourami''s treasure room. However, when it came to quality, it did not lose. ''This room... There is not a single item here less valuable than an S-ranked magic item.'' "You may choose one item from this room." Sorkoza''s voice echoed. Chapter 973 ???S Void Heart After Sorkoza spoke, Izroth walked around the treasure room and inspected the items closely. With his Appraisal and Deep Insight skills, Izroth could see through many of the items in the treasure room and uncover any hidden secrets. By the time he examined every item in the treasure room, Izroth swiftly narrowed down his selection to three items. On the surface, these items were not that much different from the other treasures present. But they all had one thing inmon¡ªIzroth was unable to see through them with his skills. This meant that all three items were of the highest quality among those in the treasure rooms. Between the three items, there was one in particr that caught Izroth''s attention the most. Izroth approached one of the item tforms that contained what appeared to be a ck pearl. This ck pearl was epassed in an unusual aura, which made it so that when one looked directly at it, one would see a series of strange phenomena that should not exist in the Mortal Realm. However, the most bizarre part was that Izroth could sense that this ck pearl was not ying tricks on his mind. Rather, these phenomena were genuine. ''This pearl... There''s no mistaking it. But this shouldn''t be possible. How can there be traces of the Law of Void in this item?'' The reason the ck pearl caught Izroth''s eye had to do with the faint traces of the Law of Void he felting from the item. However, it did not make any sense. ording to the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, the Law of Void could only be contained by items that were of the divine rank. But, Izroth was certain that the item before him, despite its mysterious nature, had not reached the divine rank. So, how was it possible that it contained traces of the Law of Void? ''An item below the divine rank that can contain the Law of Void should not exist in the Mortal Realm. If that''s the case, there has to be another exnation.'' Izroth hit a roadblock with his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection skill. Since the skill required the Law of Void to progress, Izroth was stuck in a difficult ce. This was due to the fact that the Law of Void, while technically existing everywhere, was one of the most challengingws to find in nature. In RML, there was a ce known as "The Void". There was not much known about this ce besides the fact that it was seemingly endless and not bound by thews of the world. However, even if it could not be bound by thews of the world, it could still be influenced by them. That''s why even though it existed separately from the otherws of the world, it still remained possible for individuals to tap into its power. For example, while it was on a much smaller scale, Zi Yi''s ss, Void Seeker, utilized the Law of Void in its ss skills. Izroth''s skill, however, did not simply borrow power from The Void. Instead, it consumed The Void itself and ruled over it with absolute authority. Being able to manipte and wlessly control the endless and vast power of The Void at will¡ªthis is how the heavenlyw got its name, Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. Izroth swiftly gathered his thoughts and reached a decision. ''There is a high chance that this item may not contain the genuine Law of Void, but there is still the possibility that a connection exists between the two. If I am able to find that connection, perhaps it can aid in my search for discovering a stable source of the Law of Void.'' "It looks like you''ve made up your mind," Sorkoza stated as he walked over next to Izroth. Izroth did not make an effort to hide his interest in the ck pearl, so it did not escape Sorkoza''s gaze. Izroth gave a small nod and said, "Where did you find this item?" "I found it a long time ago during an expedition I took to the Dark ins," Sorkoza responded nonchntly. ''Oh? The Dark ins?'' To the northy the Endless Mountain Range, the south a vast sea, the east the Wild Lands, and to the west¡ªthe Dark ins. This wasmon knowledge to the residents of the Mortal Realm. But, although he knew of its existence, Izroth had never been to the Dark ins or any of the other ces thaty beyond the boundary of the kingdoms. ''As I recall, the Dark ins is a ce filled with evil creatures and unfit to sustain normal life. There is also the other thing, but... It could just be the results of an old folklore that was misinterpreted.'' The Dark ins was not only known as a brutal ce to journey through. It was also believed to house a certain legendary "key". Even though it was called a key, in actuality, it was said to be a gate or portal. Regardless of its true form, its purpose did not change as it led those who found it to a ce known as the Underworld. "I have tried for years to unlock its secrets; however, it eludes me. Human, I am saying this for your own good, you should pick another item. If you choose to ignore my warning, then, in the future, do not say that I scammed you because you decided to pick this thing. I will say this now, once we trade, the exchange will be final." Sorkoza cautioned sternly. If even he could not solve the mysteries of this ck pearl, what chance did some young human have? While it was true that this human was not the same as those inexperienced brats he often crossed paths with in the past, it was still beyond his current means to unlock this item''s secrets. "It''s fine. I''ve already decided on this item. As for what happens in the future¡ªthere is no need to be concerned. Since it was my choice, naturally, I will live with it." Izroth confirmed. He then continued, "Besides, if even I cannot unlock its mysteries, I fear that no one else in this world may be capable of doing so." ''Well, I suppose those two would have a good chance as well.'' "Hmph, what arrogance. So be it. Sometimes, it is beneficial to experience the harshness life renders. Since you wish to tread upon that path, I will not stop you." Sorkoza said as he made a simple gesture with his hand. The moment he performed this action, the case around the ck pearl lowered as the magic formation that protected it deactivated. When the magic formation deactivated, a boundless aura filled the treasure room and caused one to feel as though they were floating in space. "What is this strange feeling? It''s like I''m being pulled toward an unstoppable force." Ranazera thought to herself with furrowed brows as she tried her best to maintain her bnce. Izroth waved his hand over the ck pearl and ced it into his inventory. Simultaneously, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ????''s Void Heart?!¡µ ... After Izroth received the treasure, he handed over the Sphere of Morning Totality to Sorkoza. For most trades, the other party would be hesitant to exchange an item before getting something in return. However, Izroth knew that the Duke was confident in his ability to ensure that nothing unforeseen transpired. Not to mention, they were currently deep within the Duke''s pce¡ªa ce protected by numerous magic formations. Why would he fear receiving the short end of the stick in such a favorable exchange? Once Izroth concluded his trade with Duke Sorkoza, the Duke led them back to the entrance of the main pce. When they arrived, Valga emerged from the ground and greeted the Duke. "Have you finished making the necessary preparations?" Sorkoza questioned. "Yes, Lord Sorkoza. Everything is in ce. We may depart at any time." Valga answered respectfully. Sorkoza looked over at Izroth and said, "Valga will escort you and the sixth princess safely to the border of my territory. Once you arrive, our deal will have officiallye to an end. In the future, I hope that you do not cause any trouble at the borders of my territory." "Rest assured, I never willingly invite trouble upon myself," Izroth said in a carefree manner. ''It''s just that trouble somehow always seems to find me.'' ... Approximately 15 minutester... Izroth and Ranazera had already taken their leave from the Duke''s pce. So that they did not have to walk through the city, the Duke used his Void Curtains and provided them with a path directly outside the city. "Hey, why didn''t the Duke just use that teleportation ability to take us to the outer edge of his territory?" Ranazera inquired. Of course, this question was not directed at Izroth. Rather, it was asked to the one acting as their escort, the Vretis skounae, Valga. Chapter 974 The Swinging Pendulum "Why should Lord Sorkoza have to bother with such a menial task? The Lord is not your personal chauffeur. You should be grateful Lord Sorkoza allowed the use of the Night Scowler Beast." Valga said as she red at Ranazera. Duke Sorkoza''s territory was quite vast. Reaching its borders in the direction that Izroth wanted to go would take more than a day on foot. And that was if they kept a good pace the entire time without any hups along the way. In addition, as the group traveled through Duke Sorkoza''s territory, Izroth noticed that most areas they passed through were barren. As for the areas where there were signs of nt life or other lifeforms, it was unhospitable with an unforgiving terrain and harsh environment. In order to make their journey easier, Duke Sorkoza allowed them to use a creature known as the Night Scowler Beast. The Night Scowler Beast was arge four-legged beast with ck scales that looked more like fur. It was unique to the kingdom of Malentansium and often used as a mount by those high-ranking skounae. At first nce, the creature did not seem to have any way of seeing where it was going since itcked eyes; however, its "eyes" were located under its body. But, even though they looked like eyes, they were actually highly sensitive sensors that helped to see where it was going. Using these sensors, it relied on detecting vibrates and feeling the flow of mana to guide its path. At the moment, Izroth, Ranazera, and Valga were riding on the back of this Night Scowler Beast toward the border of the Duke''s territory at high speed. In terms of mobility, while swift, the Night Scowler Beast was far from the fastest mount. However, what itcked in speed, it more than made up for with its durability, endurance, and ability to traverse even the most challenging of terrains. "I obviously didn''t mean it that way..." Ranazera muttered under her breath. The sixth princess did not hide her annoyance with Valga''s aggressive response to a simple question. However, since Valga acted as their escort through the Duke''snds, Ranazera held back from revealing too much displeasure. After the response to Ranazera''s previous question, the atmosphere on the back of the Night Howler Beast was filled with an awkward silence. This awkward silencested for a couple of minutes before, surprisingly, Valga was the one to break it. "...You humans know nothing of Malentansium or the skounae. If you did, then you would have never asked such a ridiculous question." Valga stated. "You-" Ranazera was about to retort; however, she was quickly cut off by Valga. "That is why I could not understand why Lord Sorkoza asked that I broaden your horizons. What good will it do for humans, who do not even care for their own kind, to understand something they cannot aid in changing." Ranazera wanted to say that not all humans were like that; however, for some reason, she could not say those words. In truth, she knew that Valga was not wrong. Humans were greedy and selfish creatures who typically only cared for themselves or those closest to them. Sure, there were exceptions to this standard as kind-hearted humans existed; however, those truly kind-hearted individuals were few and far between. It was impossible for them to make up for the thoughtless desires of the entire human race. Still, despite knowing all of this, Ranazera felt troubled by Valga''s words. It struck a chord deep in her heart that she had been ignoring for as long as she could remember. "You''re right... Humans can be uncaring for one another. Not just that, but we are capable of unleashing horrors upon each other that should never be spoken of. But your outlook and approach are wrong." Ranazera said firmly. Valga narrowed her eyes and replied, "Wrong..? If my memory serves me correct, is it not you humans who started this great war between the kingdoms? Is it not you humans who are constantly tampering with powers beyond your control and understanding?" "It is." "Then-" "But, even then, is it not also humans who are the ones fighting against it? Was it not a human kingdom that was the first to speak out and confront an injustice it witnessed? Countless humans risk their lives daily to protect those who cannot fight for themselves. They struggle with right and wrong, good and evil. Yet, they work to ovee it. Will you say that those people do not care for others?" "So what if a few humans are different, that does not mean-!" "You say that humans do not understand anything about Malentansium or the skounae! But... you, too, do not understand anything about humans!" ''Oh?'' Izroth silently observed the interaction between Ranazera and Valga. In the beginning, it seemed as though the sixth princess had no way of refuting Valga''s statement. However, she gathered herself and responded with an air of confidence, despite having her own self-doubts to confront. ''Perhaps, Tempest''s future is not entirely bleak. Of course, knowing the answer and solving it are two different things. In the future, depending on what she decides to do, then...'' ... Approximately ten minutester... After Ranazera confronted Valga, the awkward atmosphere from before increased severalfold. Even though Valga did not behave improperly, it was clear that she held her anger and frustration inside. Understand humans? Why did she have to do something so troublesome? No, more importantly, since when did it be about her understanding of things? Were they not talking about the ignorance humans had toward Malentansium and skounae? At that moment, Valga thought back to her conversation with Duke Sorkoza just before their departure from the pce. ... Earlier, right as Izroth, Ranazera, and Valga were about to leave through the Void Curtains... Duke Sorkoza pulled Valga aside. So that their conversation would not be heard by those outside, the Duke set up a soundproof magic barrier. When Valga saw the Duke''s actions, she swiftly kneeled down and thought the Duke had other ns for their two "guests". Could it be that the Duke wanted her to secretly eliminate them along their journey? "Valga, what do you think of that human?" Sorkoza asked while looking into the distance. "That human...?" Valga''s gaze followed Sorkoza''s before itnded on Izroth, who stood next to the Void Curtains along with Ranazera. She then answered, "My apologies, Lord Sorkoza. I do not see anything that separates that human from others of his kind. If I had to say one thing, it would be that he is less unruly than those we havee across in the past." After she gave her answer, Valga heard the sound of a light chuckle, which caused her eyes to widen in shock. Initially, she thought that she was merely hearing things; however, when she nced up at the Duke, a stunning view came into her sight. That Duke, although it was faint and barely discernable, she was certain¡ªjust now, he smiled! However, it was so fleeting that by the time Valga blinked, she cleared her head and empty her thoughts. "What am I thinking? Yes, I must have been seeing things." Valga thought to herself. "Less unruly, is it..? I see." Sorkoza said calmly. He then continued, "Valga, along your journey, I want you to broaden the horizons of our two guests in regards to Malentansium and the skounae." "My Lord, as you know, I am more than happy to follow your instructions, but... I must ask why such a thing is necessary when humans do not even care for their own kind?" "Hm... Someone once told me that I may be the type of person who enjoys being right more than I like to correct what''s wrong." "Wha- Such an arrogant person!" "But, that person was not wrong, Valga." Valga was taken aback. How could the Duke say such a thing? That person could not have been further from the truth! After all, if it were not for the Duke, the Vretis under his protection would have long since be servants of other skounae. "I found that I have becent as ofte. This city I worked so hard to build, all of you I aim to protect from those with ill intentions¡ªI found that as a result, I have neglected something important." "My Lord, you have the weight of all the Vretis on your shoulders. It is a burden anyone would be crushed carrying. You have done your all to ensure our survival. How can you say that you''ve becent?" Chapter 975 Skounae "Tell me, Valga, are there not still other Vretis out there who endure every day in hopes of one day being freed from their servitude?" Sorkoza asked. "This..." Valga had a troubled expression. She knew that Sorkoza was correct. She could not bring herself to say that the Vretis outside this city was not his responsibility. After all, she was once one of those lost Vretis until the Duke saved her. "Valga, if we are incapable of caring for our own kind, how can we ever expect anyone else to care for us? We do not require pity; however, if there is no window from which to view our circumstances, both inside and externally, it will be difficult to invoke any longsting changes." Sorkoza exined calmly. He then continued, "You may not understand right now, but today will forever be marked as a crucial event for the Vretis. And, whether it is known to him or not, it will all be thanks to that human." Valga was visibly shaken as her eyes widened in shock. For her Lord to make such a statement, it could not be taken lightly. She was unsure of the exact details; however, Valga knew that they had paid a visit to the treasure room. The Duke never permitted outsiders to enter the treasure room, yet today, he allowed two to set foot there. If that was the case, something of monumental value must have been exchanged. But what was it that caused her Lord to utter such bold words? This was the thought that wandered through Valga''s mind. "Alright, we have kept our guests waiting long enough. To increase the speed of your journey, take the Night Howler Beast. Be sure to return safely." Sorkoza said as he disabled the soundproof barrier and started to make his way into the depths of the pce. Valga looked surprised when Sorkoza brought up the Night Howler Beast. Though after hearing what he said next, her expression turned into one of contentment and gratitude. Valga bowed her head and replied, "Yes, my Lord." After their conversation ended, Valga led Izroth and Ranazera through the Void Curtains. As the group departed, the Void Curtains closed behind them. Sorkoza halted his steps and looked back at where the Void Curtains had just closed. "That human... Is it just a coincidence, or..." Sorkoza said to himself as his gaze moved down to his hand. The next moment, he squeezed his hand into a fist before he opened it and revealed the Sphere of Morning Totality. "No, how could a human possibly know one of the greatest secrets of the skounae? Perhaps it is merely fate that we crossed paths on this day. Whatever the case may be, I can no longer afford to becent." A solemn expression formed on Sorkoza''s face as he resumed his steps. ... Several hourster... Woosh! The Night Howler Beast sped through an area of unfavorable rocky terrain as it swiftly arrived on the other side of a small hill. At the moment, the atmosphere on the back of the Night Howler Beast was still tense after Ranazera and Valga''s earlier exchange. Their previous conversation left things in an awkward manner between the two. As for Izroth, he casually rxed on the back of the Night Howler Beast and enjoyed the scenery along the way. Although the scenery itself left much to be desired, it was not every day that one could freely travel through Malentansiumnds. ''At this rate, we should reach the border in roughly half an hour.'' Izroth''s gazended on Valga, who was at the head of the Night Howler Beast. ''Though I have to admit, it''s a shame. I thought I could learn more about the skounae, but... Well, it''s fine. After all, someone like her...'' Just as this thought ran through Izroth''s mind, Valga''s voice sounded from the front of the Night Howler Beast. "...How much do you know...?" Valga inquired in a low voice. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face. It was just as he thought. Someone like Valga, who seemed to hold Sorkoza in extremely high regard, was unlikely to not follow through with his directions. Now that they were getting closer to the border, Valga finally decided to set aside her personal feelings and carry out the task the Duke entrusted to her. "The skounae are a race united under the absolute rule of the Night King. The status of each skounae is decided from birth and by the strength of their bloodline. Those with weak bloodlines can only be Hunters, while those with stronger bloodlines can be granted the rank of Baron or higher. However, what''s important to remember is that those with weaker bloodlines are unable to disobey themands of those with stronger bloodlines. This creates a level of strict hierarchy among the skounae." Izroth exined. He then continued, "There exist no individual factions among the skounae; however, there are three separate groups that serve under the Night Lord. These three groups are the Immortal Umbra Horde, which makes up thergest force of the skounae and consists of those with the ranks of Hunter, Baron, Viscount, and Earl. There is also the Penumbra Circle that houses the Inquisitors, who oversees the Immortal Umbra Horde and other skounae of the Penumbra Circle and consist only of those with the ranks of Marquis or Duke. And, of course, there are the three Antumbra Night Lords, whose sole purpose is to carry out the Night Lord''s will." Valga''s brows rose as she listened to Izroth. This was all knowledge that outsiders could get their hands on with the right means. However, most humans did not know of the Inquisitors existence or of the bloodline constraints the skounae faced. Nevertheless, even though she was somewhat impressed that a young human knew this much about the skounae, Valga had yet to hear him mention anything that only those who lived in Malentansium knew of. Besides, there was also one important point that he overlooked. "Then, there are the Vretis. In terms of numbers, the Vretis ount for less than five percent of the skounae. And, because their bloodline is seen as inferior by other skounae, they often end up as servants. Shall I proceed?" "No need. I have a rough understanding of your knowledge." Valga replied coldly. However, Valga''s coldness was not directed at Izroth himself. Rather, it was that his words were the reality of how the Vretis were perceived. "What you have said is correct. That is, except for two things." Valga stated. "Then, feel free to enlighten me," Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "For one, there exists several factions outside of the three main forces of Malentansium." ''Oh?'' From all the information Izroth acquired about Malentansium, it never mentioned any factions outside of the main three groups. He always found it strange that there was no mention of other factions or organizations in Malentansium since it was somon in other kingdoms. But, he simply wrote it off as the influence of the Night King''s Curse that kept things in absolute order. Izroth was not the only one present with those thoughts. Ranazera was stunned to discover the existence of other factions in Malentansium. As a princess of Tempest, naturally, she had ess to a great deal of informationworks. But none of them ever mentioned factions outside of the Immortal Umbra Horde, Penumbra Circle, or the Antumbra Night Lords. For there to be several factions in a kingdom thought to be fully controlled at every corner by the Night King was a huge discovery! "You are not incorrect that the Night King rules over Malentansium with absolute authority. You are also right that the Inquisitors maintain public order. However, the skounae are not as close and united as you think. Everyone obeys themands of the Night King, so on the surface, they all seem to get along well. But, beneath it, is a power struggle among the Dukes and Marquis'' of the Penumbra Circle." Valga exined. She then continued, "The Night King does not interfere in the affairs of the skounae. Whether it is due to ack of interest or invoking the survival of the fittest, no one knows. But, even after all the years of suffering the Vretis has endured, the Night King has never spoken out against it." Valga nced back at Ranazera, "You asked earlier why Lord Sorkoza did not use the Void Curtains to teleport you two to the edge of the territory? The truth is, the territory you''re heading into belongs to a faction that is not on friendly terms with my Lord. If they sensed Lord Sorkoza''s power anywhere close to their borders, they would have undoubtedly reacted to it in an aggressive manner." Chapter 976 The Great Rebirth Each kingdom in the Mortal Realm, no matter how peaceful it appeared on the surface, had internal power struggles and conflicts. However, there was an exception to this rule¡ªthe kingdom of Malentansium. Due to the Night King''s control over the skounae, it was widely epted that Malentansium had no such internal conflicts. After all, there was never any news or big events that happened in Malentansium that would lead one to believe such power struggles existed. But, ording to Valga, Malentansium was not exempt. If that was the case, what the other kingdoms knew about Malentansium could no longer be taken as an indisputable fact. ''Besides the Night King and the Antumbra Night Lords, it is the Penumbra Circle who holds the most power and influence in Malentansium. But, if the Night King does not care about the matters unfolding between the skounae and the Night Lords do not interfere, then it can be said that the Dukes and Marquis'' of the skounae have the most control. This changes things.'' It was always believed that everything the skounae did was for the purpose of fulfilling the Night King''s wishes. However, if they were capable of acting toward their own goals and ambitions, this shifted the way the skounae had to be perceived by the outside world. Though there was one thing that did not sit right with Izroth. It was not as if the other kingdoms of the Mortal Realm did not have the means of infiltrating Malentansium and discovering this information themselves. After all, there were numerous mysterious methods employed by the War Intelligence Group alone, let alone other stand-alone organizations. Therefore, Izroth considered the possibility that the internal conflicts among the skounae were intentionally kept a secret by those higher-ups in the kingdoms. But, even if that were true, it brought forth another question¡ªwhy would they want to keep it a secret? ''The skounae have close ties to the Netherworld and the Netherworld Monarch. Also, whether it is direct or indirect, they also seem to possess a connection to the shadahi. Those with the influence and authority to keep such arge secret of an entire kingdom suppressed to this degree... I''m afraid it would have to be a ruler or... someone close to their ranks.'' For the ruler of a kingdom such as Amaharpe or Proximus, keeping the skounae''s secret was unthinkable to most. Izroth had yet to meet the ruler of Amaharpe; however, he did have a chance to meet the ruler of Proximus. From the impression he got back then, the ruler of the magic kingdom did not seem like a person who harbored ill intentions. Of course, there was always the possibility that he was able to hide himself and his true intentions deeply. But, the furious reaction the magic kingdom''s ruler had when the shadahi was brought up appeared genuine. Plus, he was the one to initiate the war against Tempest and the shadahi for the sake of the Mortal Realm. Therefore, Izroth trusted that they had nothing to do with it. And, even if they did, perhaps it was not fully intentional. However, if it was not the ruler of a kingdom, the one behind it must be someone with a rank equivalent to that of a Warlord or the head of an entire war group¡ªboth of which were equally as terrifying. The first person that came to Izroth''s mind was, of course, the Head of the War Intelligence Division. It was said that their true identity was known only to the king of Amaharpe. In other words, they were aplete mystery. Not to mention, they were in a perfect position to potentially manipte and control information on a grand scale. Also, not long ago, there was some suspicious behavior regarding orders given by the Head of the War Intelligence Division. While it was not enough to say that they betrayed the allied forces, it certainly raised a few brows in regard to how questionable the orders were. Needless to say, this was all merely Izroth''s spection. He had no solid proof of anything, so he could only piece together the strands of information he possessed and go from there. Still, it left him with more questions than answers. "W-wait a moment. You just casually dropped a huge piece of news here. Malentansium is under the absolute rule of the Night King. Even if the Night King does not care for internal conflicts, would they still dare to cause trouble? More importantly, I have never once received any reports from Tempest Intelligence about there being infighting in Malentansium." Ranazeramented. At the moment, the Tempest princess was perplexed. What Valga said was too far away from the widely epted truth. To take her words at face value without any hard proof was too much for the sixth princess. "What does thepetency of your human groups have to do with me? Whether you believe my words or not, I could care less. However, since my Lord has asked that I enlighten the two of you, I do not intend to do so half-heartedly. What you choose to take away from it or believe, in the end, is entirely up to you." Valga replied indifferently. Ranazera fell silent as she entered into a state of deep thought. Just like Izroth, she also thought that, if such a thing were true, it would have been impossible to keep hidden without some outside interference. But why would someone go to such great lengths to keep it a secret? "Based on what you just said, those who hold the most influence in Malentansium are the Dukes of the Penumbra Circle. But what is the point of fighting to hold empty power?" Izroth questioned. Even if one Duke eliminated all the other factions and they were thest ones left standing, ultimately, the true power stilly in the hands of the Night King and Night Lords. No matter how much the Dukes fought, this fact could never change until the Night King and the Night Lords were removed from the picture. "The Great Rebirth," Valga said in a heavy tone. The Great Rebirth? Neither Izroth nor Ranazera had heard of it. However, judging from Valga''s tone, it seemed to be a serious topic. "What is this Great Rebirth?" Izroth asked. "The Great Rebirth urs once every one hundred years. During the hundred-year period, the Dukes fight for power and influence. It is rumored that once the hundred-year period reaches its end, thest Duke left standing will undergo a process known as the Great Rebirth. Those who undergo the Great Rebirth will have their bloodline purified. As a result¡ªa new Antumbra Night Lord will be born." Valga exined. "A new Night Lord..?!" Ranazera eximed. ''Oh? This is unexpected...'' A skounae''s bloodline was something that was set from birth. Therefore, no matter how much a Hunter skounae wanted to be Baron or Earl, it was impossible through normal means. The same could be said of a Duke wanting to be a Night Lord. However, if there were a way to "purify" one''s bloodline, naturally, those Dukes would do anything in their power to obtain the right. This was more than enough reason for there to be an internal power struggle. Izroth was suddenly reminded of his time in Vostracane when those skounae Earls wanted to put him through a ritual known as the Night King''s Rite. Izroth escaped before the ritual couldmence; however, he knew that the Night King''s Rite was used to enhance the strength of one''s bloodline. Or, a much rarer secondary use¡ªto convert someone of another race into a skounae. But, the Night King''s Rite was not something just anyone could undergo. Additionally, Izroth had doubts that the same ritual could be used to transform a Duke into a Night Lord. After all, if that were the case, wouldn''t those Earls have used it to improve their own bloodline? ''The Great Rebirth... If it is a method used to create Night Lords, then it is too dangerous to be left alone.'' "When is the next Great Rebirth supposed to take ce?" Izroth inquired. "If I remember correctly, the next one is set to take ce sometime within the next few days," Valga answered. The next few days?! Izroth narrowed his eyes when he heard that piece of information from Valga. If what she said was correct, then in the next few days, a new Night Lord would be born. In addition, it just so happened that, at the same time, the Night Lord Zars would also be potentially revived! ''This timing... Can it just be a coincidence, or...?'' Chapter 977 Contact The timing of Zars'' resurrection at the Night Lord''s Crypt and the Great Rebirth was too close. However, while he reserved a basic level of suspicion, Izroth did not believe that it was intentional. ''The chances of a Night Lord being sacrificed just as a means of distraction is too unlikely. Then, it just means our luck is rather unfortunate. If a fourth Night Lord appears in the Mortal Realm, the bnce of power will be disrupted or unchanged, depending on the sess of the uing raid. Either way, there is only a downside for the allied forces.'' Even if the allied forces stopped Zars'' revival, it would be as if he never perished with the emergence of another Night Lord. But, if they failed to stop Zars'' return, then the scales of power would tip more into Malentansium''s favor. "This Great Rebirth¡ªdo you know where it''s taking ce?" Izroth inquired. "Only those Dukes who qualify to take part in the Great Rebirth wille to know of its exact location. But it''s rumored to be held somewhere in the heart of Malentansium. Before you get any futile ideas, Lord Sorkoza is not partaking in the Great Rebirth." Valga said in a meaningful tone. Valga was unsure what Izroth had in mind; however, she did not want the Duke getting mixed up in his human schemes. "This person is too dangerous. The further away they are from the Duke, the better." Valga thought to herself. She was not oblivious. From the way this human spoke, Valga knew that it was this human who made the Duke speak such nonsense about beingcent. Before today, such words would have never left the Duke''s mouth. Yet, aftering into contact with this human, Valga could feel something stirring in the Duke. That''s why, for the sake of the Duke and the Vretis under his protection, Valga wanted nothing more than to aplish the task given to her to escort these two to the border. ... Approximately thirty minutester... BANG! Therge body of the Night Howler Beast crashed into the ground beforeing to a full stop. "This is as far as I go," Valga said as the Night Howler Beast lowered its body closer to the ground. The next moment, Izroth and Ranazera got down from the back of the Night Howler Beast and briefly scanned their surroundings. ''I don''t sense any other lifeforms nearby. The terrain here is also easy to transverse even without a Night Howler Beast.'' "If you continue east of here, in less than fifty steps, you will reach the territory of Duke Verkesrie. I must remind you that Duke Verkesrie is not on friendly terms with Lord Sorkoza. Once you set foot there, even if you get into any trouble, Lord Sorkoza will not be able to help you. You will be on your own." Valga warned. "Your concern is appreciated, but we are more than capable of taking care of ourselves from here. Be sure to send Duke Sorkoza my regards. Let''s go." Izroth said as he nced over at Ranazera before he started to make his way east. Ranazera followed after Izroth; however, after she took a few steps, the sixth princess stopped and looked back at Valga. "I know that you''ll probably never change your mind about humans. Maybe I''ll also never fully change mine about the skounae. But, even then... I''m d I was able to hear your words. So, I guess, thanks..." Ranazera said before she quickly turned and ran to catch up to Izroth. Valga narrowed her gaze as she watched the two head further away. After they were out of view, she released a heavy sigh. "What''s with that human...? Saying whatever she wants..." Valga muttered to herself. ... A few hours ago... Vincent returned to the Gates of Aegis along with the unconscious Aurelius and the other soldiers that apanied the Prime Eques. Right now, all those who were present at Aurelius'' defeat were gathered in a private meeting room with a look of despair and anxiousness on their faces. They had been like this ever since they returned to the Gates of Aegis. Vincent inwardly sighed as he looked over at the unconscious Aurelius lying down on the bed in the room''s corner. He knew that he had dyed the matter long enough. "I wanted to wait until the young lord regained his consciousness, but... If I dy any longer, there may be no room left for survival." Vincent thought to himself with a heavy heart. The next moment, Vincent stood to his feet. This simple action startled those present as their gazes all traveled toward the center of the room. Vincent walked over to the room''s center and stopped before an orb the size of one''s head that rested upon a cushion atop a sturdy podium. Vincent unsheathed a small dagger hidden behind his waist and pricked the tip of his finger as a single drop of blood flowed out from his fingertip. He held his finger over the orb as the drop of blood fell down and made contact with the orb. The instant it did so, the surface of the orb became wavy and resembled that of a pond that had a stone dropped into it. Vincent quickly returned his dagger to its sheathe as the orb on the podium started to emit a faint crimson glow. Then, a few secondster, a gathering of mystical light red smoke formed within the orb as the faint crimson glow became clear and stable. "You are not of the Windstorm family, yet you dared use the Bloodright Orb. You better have a good exnation, or it won''t end with just your life as the price." A voice echoed from the orb. "Vincent Galius greets the head of the Windstorm family," Vincent said respectfully as he kneeled before the orb. "Galius? I see. Since the Galius family has served the Windstorm family well over the years, I am willing to overlook your offense this once¡ªshould the reason you provide satisfy this head." The voice from the orb spoke. "My apologies for using the Bloodright Orb; however, since it concerns the young lord, I was left with no other alternative. I beg the head''s forgiveness." "Vincent Galius... So, you''re the brat that follows around that foolish grandson of mine. Tell me, what trouble has that foolish grandson of mine gone and gotten himself into this time?" "Yes, reporting to the head..." Vincent went on to exin the events that unfolded. He made sure not to leave anything out. He started from the point when the sixth princess first appeared at the Gates of Aegis and ended it with their conflict at Duke Sorkoza''s border. "FOOLS!" The voice from the orb reverberated, causing the entire room to tremble. Vincent and the soldiers'' expressions turned pale as their gaze fell to the earth from shame and fear. "Such an unfilial grandson...! Will that brat not be satisfied until I confine him to the family home?! How dare someone look down on my Windstorm family! And that Sorkoza¡ªhmph, I''ll be sure to properly settle things with him!" The voice from the orb said in a furious tone. The voice continued on for a few breaths before finally somewhat calming down. "I will take care of the mess caused by my foolish grandson. For now, you are to stay where you are. I will have someone escort my grandson and all those involved back to the Windstorm family home. For your sake, my grandson''s life better not be in danger." "...Yes, head. Rest assured; we will take care of the young lord to the best of our-" Before Vincent could finish, the light on the orb dimmed as the light red smoke within dispersed. The connection had been forcibly terminated. Once the orb disconnected, the room fell deathly silent and the atmosphere grew heavy. Over... It was over! This was the single thought that flowed through the minds of all those present. Several of them wanted to run away, but no one dared to disobey the words of the Windstorm family''s head. After all, it would not just be them who suffered, but their families as well. Vincent could only release a sigh of defeat. He thought back and figured maybe there was a way he could have stopped the young lord from acting so recklessly. However, he knew Aurelius'' temperament well. Such a thing would have been impossible. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Malentansium... Chapter 978 Wisp Of An Instinct The allied forces consisting of Amaharpe, Proximus, and Rosentarus, had been marching nonstop through the territory of Malentansium. Thanks to the diligent and skilled mages entrusted with maintaining therge-scale AOE stealth magic, as well as the efforts of the War Intelligence Group, the allied forces were able to prate deep into Malentansium without being detected. "2nd Unit, halt! We will set up camp here!" Aurie''s voice was carried throughout the section of her troops through the use of amunication talisman. When Aurie gave this order, a little more than 1,000 thousand slowed their march before quicklying to a standstill. Since they were located at the rear of the allied forces, their abrupt stop did not interfere with the progress of other units. "Eh? Why did we stop all of a sudden?" One of the soldiersmented. "Did I just hear right? Is the Commander telling us to set up camp here?" "We''re right in the middle of Malentansium territory, setting up camp here away from the main group... The Commander definitely has a good reason for doing so." Although the troops of the 2nd Unit followed Aurie''s orders without question, there was a look of confusion and bewilderment on their faces. Even the Captains of the 2nd Unit, even though they hid it well from their Divisions, were surprised by the order to set up camp at this location. Though the 2nd Unit members were not the only people at a loss. Those of Izroth''s 9th Division were traveling together with the 2nd Unit, so they also received the message to halt from Aurie. Though they were just as lost as the members of the 2nd Unit. "Ha? Why are we stopping here? Won''t we miss all the action?" Champion groaned. "Heh, maybe we''re about to go on some super secret mission. Isn''t it a bit exciting to think about?" Astral Knightmented. "Secret mission? You''ve been watching too many of those old spy film marathons. We''re probably just taking a break or something." Clouded Sky stated. As the yers from the 9th Division casually spoke among themselves, Niflheim and Menerva looked at each other with meaningful gazes. The moment Aurie gave the order to stop, the two immediately knew that something more was going on behind the scenes. "Did our Captain happen to mention anything to you?" Niflheim inquired. "I was preparing to make the same inquiry," Menerva replied calmly. "I see. So that guy just went and left us in the dark, huh? That''s not like him." "I concur. Therefore, we must assume one of two paths of thinking. Either our Captain is also unaware, or..." "There''s a good reason why he had to keep it a secret," Niflheim said as he finished Menerva''s trail of thought. He then continued, "Whichever way it goes, we should try to find out what''s going on. Let''s go meet with the Commander and get to the bottom of things." Niflheim called out, "Love Mist--we''ll be leaving the 9th Division in your hands for a bit." "W-what..?! So suddenly? But I''m not-" Love Mist responded frantically; however, her words were cut short by Niflheim. "You''ll be fine. All you have to do is keep these guys out of trouble. If anyone gives you any problems, they''ll have to answer to us when we return. Until then, try to keep the division in one piece." Niflheim said thetter part half-jokingly. Though to Love Mist, who just had a huge responsibility, dropped into herp, instead of the light humor helping her rx, it only seemed to make her increasingly more tense. What if something troubling arose out of nowhere? Would the members of the 9th Division even listen to her? What if something did happen, and she ended up giving the wrong orders that led to people being lost? These were all questions that flowed through Love Mist''s mind as her nervousness was beginning to be more and more apparent. That''s when Love Mist felt a light hand touch her right shoulder. At first, Love Mist was shocked as she snapped out of her spiraling thoughts. But she was even more stunned to see the person in front of her. "You should have faith in yourself, Love Mist," Menerva said firmly as her resolute gaze met with Love Mist''s. "Oh?" Niflheim''s muttered to himself as his brows rose in pleasant surprise. Although the 9th Division had not been together long, they already had a decent grasp on the personality and temperament of those around them. For example, the 9th Division viewed Niflheim as someone reliable and steady. He gave them a feeling of reassurance whenever he was around and would always tell them to keep their heads up if doubts started to surface. Menerva, on the other hand, was seen as cold and calctive. The coldness she gave off was not one of heartlessness, but rather it was as if an invisible barrier was around her at all times that kept people at arm''s length. While this made her somewhat difficult to approachpared to someone like Niflheim, the members of the 9th Division still respected Menerva. She would not merely point out their mistakes and then scold them. Instead, whenever she pointed out a mistake, Menerva always gave a wless solution on how to correct it. She also understood the limitation of each member of the 9th Division and never pushed them further than what she knew they were capable of handling. That''s why that same cold and calctive Menerva to step up to Love Mist and encourage her to have faith in herself was thest thing anyone expected from the 9th Division. In the end, those of the 9th Division came to understand why their Captain chose Niflheim and Menerva as his Lieutenants. "You possess remarkable attention to detail and always maintain a high level of awareness when ites to your surroundings. Additionally, you have a good head on your shoulders. That is why Lieutenant Niflheim and I have decided to ce our trust in you, not on a whim, but after meticulous consideration. Do not underestimate yourself." Menerva stated confidently. Love Mist''s eyes widened in shock. Then, a few secondster, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Not long after, her anxious nerves seemed to fade as she opened her eyes with a look of newfound rity. At that moment, for some reason, Love Mist was unbelievably calm. "I understand. Leave the 9th Division to me." Love Mist said clearly. Menerva gave a small nod in return as she removed her hand from Love Mist''s shoulder and began to make her way toward Aurie''s location. Niflheim followed alongside Menerva. Once the two were far enough away, a light smile formed on Niflheim''s face. "Where did thate from?" Niflheim questioned. "I, myself, am not certain. All I know is that when I witnessed her panicked state, I was vaguely reminded of my old self. Back then, if I only had one person who told me to have faith in myself, then perhaps life would have paved forth a different road for me to tread upon." Menerva replied. "Ah, I see. So, you''re saying you did it because it just felt like the right thing to do back there in the moment, right?" "I suppose I am." "Then, you chose to go with your instinct." "I chose..." A certain look shed through Menerva''s eyes as if something had just dawned on her. Seeing that expression, Niflheim could not help but inwardly grin. "Our Captain sure missed something interesting just now. What a shame." Niflheim thought to himself. "A bit strange, I know. But, you''ll get used to it." Niflheim noted. "A strange feeling, indeed." Menerva released a light sigh. ... A few momentster... Niflheim and Menerva arrived at the makeshiftmand center where Aurie was located. At the moment, themand center was guarded by several soldiers. However, upon seeing the two approach the tent, as if they were expecting their arrival, the soldiers stepped aside and let them enter themand center without obstructing their path. "Lieutenant Niflheim, Lieutenant Menerva, I''m d you could join us. I was about to send word for you to report to themand tent, but you''ve arrived just in time." Aurie stated. "Commander, this is..." Niflheim said as his gaze swept over the room. In themand tent, gathered around a table at its center, was every one of Aurie''s Captains from the 2nd Unit. For everyone to be gathered here like this, Niflheim and Menerva knew that they must be nning to make a huge move soon. Chapter 979 The Golden Bridge Strategy, Pulling One Over "There''s no time for small talk, Lieutenant. Since your Captain is not here and has entrusted me with your 9th Division, I''ll be sure to make full use of you. I assume you have no objections to this?" Aurie inquired. "I''m not really sure what''s going on here, but since our Captain has ced his trust in you, we''ll go along with it. Besides, ording to theyout on this table, it seems like you''re getting ready to do something rather interesting." Niflheim said as his eyes were locked onto the map disyed at the table''s center. Based on a few of the keyndmarks, Niflheim was able to determine that it was a map of Malentansium. To be more precise, it was ayout of their surroundings that expanded several kilometers from their current position. Of course, this detail was also picked up by Menerva. "Naturally, you''lle to understand everything in time," Aurie said as she gestured with her hand for Niflheim and Menerva to join them around the table. She then announced, "Everyone, this is Lieutenants Niflheim and Menerva of the General Support Unit''s 9th Division under Captain Izroth. They, along with the 9th Division, will be participating in this mission with us. Make sure you do your best to work with one another." Niflheim and Menerva could feel the gazes of those present sizing them up. The pressure given off by those intense gazes was enough to cause the average yer to retreat instinctively. Niflheim and Menerva had seen a few of the Captains here from a distance during their march through Malentansium; however, this was the two''s first time meeting them face to face. "So, these are the Captains of the 2nd Unit. But what is this? Their auras don''t match that of the Captains I''vee across before at all." Niflheim thought to himself. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Kalmesia(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 2nd Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Ward(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 3rd Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Granden(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Squadron Lieutenant of the 4th Division Ranne(Elite) NPC Level: 50 NPC Name: War Brigade 5th Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Rose(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 6th Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Vigoros(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 7th Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Nagaza(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: War Brigade 8th Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Yan(???) NPC Level: ??? In total, excluding Aurie, there were eight other individuals in themand tent upon his and Menerva''s arrival. Among the eight were five human males, two human females, and one trephasia female. Surprisingly, it was the trephasia who held the rank of 1st Division Captain. This made her the second-inmand of the 2nd Unit under Commander Aurie, which was even more of an unusual urrence than a trephasia being a part of the War Brigade to begin with. "Wee, Lieutenants~. We''ve heard quite a bit about that Captain of yours, so we have high expectations of the two of you~," Rose said in a gentle tone with a warm and weing smile. The 5th Division Captain, Rose, was a woman with light coral hair that was slightly curly at its ends, baby blues eyes, and a soothing voice that caused those around her to naturally lower their guard. "We''ll do our best to live up to those expectations, Captain. Though I do hope you don''tpare us to our Captain too much." Niflheim replied with a helpless smile. Niflheim had already learned his lesson when it came to trying topete with Izroth. In his eyes, that guy was a monster in a ss of his own. After all, if even an ex-core yer of a top guild like himself had a challenging time keeping up with him, what chance did the average yer ever have? "Alright, let''s end the pleasantries here. We have work to do and not a lot of time to get it done." Aurie stated as themand tent fell silent. After themand tent went silent, Aurie continued, "I know all of you must be wondering why I chose to break away from the main force and set up camp here." Aurie''s words struck everyone in themand tent. Indeed, her actions were irregr, to say the least. "Well, if it''s the Commander''s doing, then the reason must be sufficient enough, right~?" Rosemented. "Of course, we did not stop here just for some rest and rxation. It is here that we are going to begin implementing the Golden Bridge Strategy." Aurie dered. Golden Bridge Strategy? This was the first time they had heard of such a strategy; however, based on its name alone, for some reason, it sounded rather inciting. However, when Niflheim and Menerva heard that name, the two came to a sudden realization. "You, too?" Niflheim asked. "Yes. It would appear that our Captain was rather cautious regarding this matter." Menerva replied calmly as she quickly caught on. Aurie looked over at Niflheim and Menerva and said, "This was a strategy suggested by your Captain. Since the two of you know him the best out of anyone present here, feel free to speak up if you notice anything out of the ordinary." Niflheim had a somewhat awkward expression on his face upon hearing those words; however, he did not speak up just yet and held back his suspicions. At the same time, Aurie proceeded to go over the "Golden Bridge Strategy". In simple terms, it was a strategy that was made for the sole purpose of dealing with the Pzenium warriors, who never retreated from a battle. Using the Pzenium warriors'' pride as its driving force, the 2nd Unit would split into several groups. One group would consist of 300 troops, five of 100 troops, and the rest would be divided into groups of 50 or fewer troops. The smaller groups would be made up of those confident in their speed and ability to escape, while thergest group would be filled with the elites of the 2nd Unit. p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® However, their purpose was not to sh head-on with the Pzenium warriors. Rather, it was to bait them into multiple small-scale battles and ultimately lead them as far away as possible from the Night Lord''s Crypt. After doing so, the 2nd Unit would circle around and meet up with the allied forces while a small portion stayed back to keep the Pzenium warriors upied. All in all, it was a solid n that was, on the surface, perfect for dealing with Pzenium warriors without having to risk an all-out battle that would inevitably deplete their forces. But there was a problem. By the time Auriepleted her exnation, Niflheim released a heavy sigh. "Is there something troubling you, Lieutenant?" Aurie asked after noticing the strange mood around Niflheim and Menerva. "This..." Niflheim was trying to think of the best way to deliver the news to Aurie; however, before he could do so, a voice sounded from right next to him. "Commander, I am afraid that our Captain has, as some would say, pulled one over on you," Menerva stated without hesitation. Immediately after she spoke, Menerva removed a scroll from her inventory. Niflheim also removed a simr-looking scroll from his inventory. "I did not take you as the humorous type, Lieutenant. Captain Izroth went over these exact details in person. To say that he pulled one over on us, I hope you can bear the weight of your words." Aurie said somberly as the atmosphere in themand tent became heavy. "Indeed, I have met and spoken with Captain Izroth. He does not seem like the kind of man to fool around when ites to important matters." Yanmented. "The n our Captain suggested is sound; however, it is too artificial andcking in depth," Menerva stated nonchntly. Lacking in depth? Even the War Brigade 1st Unit Commander of the 1st Legion, Ezra, who was a well-known strategist under General Solomon, confirmed the feasibility of the strategy. How could they say itcked depth? "I understand your doubts, but the answers you seek are undoubtedly contained within these scrolls given to myself and Lieutenant Niflheim," Menerva said as she ced the scroll on the table along with Niflheim. Before they started their journey to Tempest, Izroth handed a sealed scroll to Niflheim and Menerva without either of them knowing the other was also in possession of one. He did not tell them the contents of the scroll and told them to keep it safe. During that time, Izroth also said, "When the timees to walk across the golden bridge, you are to hand the scroll over to Commander Aurie of the 2nd Unit." At the time, those words meant nothing to Niflheim and Menerva. However, without a doubt, this must have been the moment Izroth was speaking about back then. Aurie briefly examined the two scrolls on the table. She nced over at Kalmesia, who was a few steps away from her side and saw her give a small nod of approval. This meant that there were no harmful effects contained within the scrolls. The following moment, Aurie picked up the scrolls and read over their contents. By the time she finished reading, the Commander''s hands trembled as a fierce look appeared in her eyes. Chapter 980 Return ... Somewhere, at another location in Malentansium... Several hours had passed since Izroth and Ranazera set foot into the territory of Duke Verkesrie. The two ran into a few monsters along their journey; however, their troubles stopped there as the monsters were quickly disposed of by Izroth. As for the skounae, they had note across any since they arrived in Duke Verkesrie''s territory. But this was not too strange considering how far away they were from the main city in the territory. Of course, this was not to say that their existence had gonepletely undetected. Every so often, Izroth could feel a watchful gaze eyeing him from a distance. But, whenever he tried to use his Energy Vision Sense to pinpoint its exact position, the watchful gaze vanished into thin air. Since he did not sense any killing intent, Izroth decided that it was not worth dying their journey to dig any deeper. Besides, even if they did make a move, it was not as though he feared confrontation. "I''ve been curious for a while now. But no matter how much I think about it, none of it makes any sense. If the Night King has the ability to manipte the bloodline of a skounae and turn them into a Night Lord, why do they not just create an army of Night Lords? Why go through this whole Great Rebirth thing with the Dukes that would only serve to weaken their overall strength?" Ranazera said with furrowed brows. "Who knows? It could be a limited resource issue. Or, perhaps, to them, it''s all just for the sole purpose of self-entertainment. It is not easy to understand the thoughts of someone in a position of absolute control. Their version ofmon sense may not necessarily match yours or mine." Izroth said in a carefree manner. He then continued, "But, you sound rather troubled, considering Tempest is allied with Malentansium. Would it not be a good thing for you if your ally could produce an endless stream of Night Lords?" "What ally? In the end, everyone is just running around doing whatever they want with no regard for the other. Even as we speak, the Duchess has probably already long returned to Tempest after learning the fate of the mages." Ranazeramented. Izroth and the 9th Division eliminated the mages that were supposed to be used to open a Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. Therefore, even if arge battle broke out as they predicted, Tempest no longer had a reason to be present at the Night Lord''s Crypt. After all, why would they risk their own forces without any potential benefits to gain? In fact, one could even say that the permanent death of a Night Lord was in their favor since it may make Malentansium cooperate more voluntarily. Ultimately, Tempest was doing what was in their best interest. But, Izroth had already predicted that this would happen. In the end, Tempest and Malentansium wanted two different things. They may have a few temporary goals that lined up together; however, their core goals did not align with one another''s. Because of this, the longevity of their so-called alliance was always in great jeopardy of copsing. The moment either side felt that the other had outlived their usefulness, they would not hesitate to hang them out to dry. ''If the Tempest forces have retreated, all that''s left to worry about are the Pzenium mercenary warriors and the League of the Eidolon.'' To Izroth''s knowledge, there were three forces who would support Malentansium in defending the Night Lord''s Crypt. The first was Tempest, who had likely already fallen back to their kingdom, so this took care of one problem. The other two were the Pzenium mercenary warriors and the League of the Eidolon. Since they hid in the shadows and would not likely strike until a critical moment, there was not much Izroth could do to take care of the League of the Eidolon. Therefore, he could only hope that the War Intelligence Group properly followed his instructions and prepared themselves. As for the Pzenium warriors, naturally, he had ns for taking care of them. ''As long as the scrolls were safely delivered to Commander Aurie, the Pzenium warriors should not make it anywhere close to the Night Lord''s Crypt. It will be difficult to find any traces of the League of the Eidolon until the fight breaks out; however, even if they do appear, the agents from the War Intelligence Group should be ready. If everything goes as nned, we will have effectively cut Malentansium''s battle power by roughly 30% before the battle has even begun. With this, the odds are starting to lean in our favor.'' BANG! Out of nowhere, something crashed into the earth a few meters in front of Izroth, causing arge cloud of dust to form and sending out a small shockwave.please visit "Another ambush?!" Ranazera braced herself as she went on high alert. Izroth, on the other hand, seemed totally unfazed by the events unfolding. Instead, a carefree smile found its way onto his face as the dust started to settle. "I was beginning to worry that you''d gotten lost," Izroth said calmly. "You should have more faith in this brother of yours, youngest. That beast was quite persistent. It just took me longer than expected to shake it off my trail." A familiar voice sounded as the dust was forcibly dispersed. The one who emerged when the dust cleared was, of course, the Son of Thunder, Astratis. Izroth examined Astratis and noticed that he had a couple of small scratches on his arms. "Are you injured?" Izroth inquired. "Ha? Oh, this? It''s just a couple of yful scratches made by that oversized feline. Hahaha, youngest, you really are too bold. But, I like that about you." Astratis said as he tossed a small pouch over to Izroth. Izroth caught the pouch in his hands as he inwardly shook his head. That "oversized feline" who made the yful scratches he spoke of was the Overlord of the Ferae Jungle, Beast King Invigris. It was not just any beast, but one close to breaking through the shackles of the legendary realm and ascending to be a divine beast! For Astratis to say that he only received a few yful scratches from such a creature just went to show how truly fearsome the Son of Thunder was. Izroth had not seen Astratis since they parted ways in the Ferae Jungle after encountering Invigris. Back then, Izroth entrusted the Divine Flower of Renewal to Astratis so that he could meet up 9th Division. Of course, Izroth told him that if it became too difficult, all he had to do was simply discard the Divine Flower of Renewal. After all, to Izroth, Astratis was much more important than some item. Izroth opened up the pouch, and the moment he did so, a powerful wave of aura leaked out and immediately overwhelmed the surroundings. Before it got too out of hand, Izroth closed the pouch and ced it into his inventory. Without a doubt, it was the Divine Flower of Renewal! "I''ve troubled you," Izroth said as he made a thankful gesture to Astratis. A part of him felt a little bad having Astratis run away at his request. "Hahaha! What are you saying, youngest? It''s been a while since I''ve had such fun! It reminded me of the time I escaped from a wild Alogonix affected by a wicked curse. At that time, I had to rely solely on my wits and quick feet to escape its pursuit. I also..." Astratis went on about his adventures back in the Ancient Celestial Realm. ''That''s right. How could I forget that he''s this kind of person?'' Rather than seeing it as a burden to Astratis, every experience in the Mortal Realm was a new adventure. Meanwhile, Ranazera was dumbfounded and lost as to what was unfolding before her eyes. Just now, that person made such a grand entrance, yet she could not feel a single drop of mana or any other energy, for that matter,ing from him. This could only mean that he was using a magic treasure to hide his true power. Or, his strength was so great that she was unable to perceive it! Of course, the sixth princess had no way of knowing that the true reason she could not feel Astratis'' presence was due to him being from the Ancient Celestial Realm. As Astratis rambled on about his adventures, it seemed that he finally became aware of Ranazera''s presence as he stopped his words and looked over at the sixth princess. "Youngest, this is?" Astratis asked inquisitively as he sized up Ranazera. Chapter 981 Trust "This is the sixth princess of the Tempest kingdom, Ranazera Tempest. I''ll be escorting her to someone I trust in the allied forces." Izroth replied calmly. "Hm... I see. So it''s like that. I was worried for a moment that our youngest had gone off and gotten himself a woman when I wasn''t looking. Hahaha! I guess that exins the Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas around her wrist. It''s usually used to test the mettle of its user, so I was a bit confused to see it here, of all ces." Astratismented. After hearing that, it finally made sense to Izroth why the band had such strange restrictions. At first, he thought it was merely a setback due to its powerful effect. However, to think it was actually used as a way for its user to test themselves. Izroth could certainly see how that would be the case. "Have you heard any news from our second sister?" Izroth asked. Nomii, the other celestial who apanied Izroth back from the Secret Realm along with Astratis, was currently traveling around the Mortal Realm. Her goal was to locate and obtain the materials Izroth required to create a pill that could restore the arm she lost during her battle against one of the pirs. Of course, Izroth did not send Nomii toplete the search alone. He had Avia, a trephasia from the Fifth Great n who specialized in herbs, go along with her. This would make it easier for Nomii to move around in the unfamiliar Mortal Realm, as well as greatly aid in her search for the necessary materials. "No, but knowing her, she''s not letting up in the slightest in her search. Rest assured, youngest, our second sister is not someone who will give up without reaching her goal." Astratis stated confidently. Izroth nodded and replied, "She certainly possesses that kind of temperament." Izroth and Astratis continued the journey onward. They also spent the next few moments catching each other up on the events that passed ever since they split paths. Upon learning what happened at Sorkoza''s border with the ambush and then being attacked by another force, Astratis was furious. "What cowardice! Youngest, just say the word, and we''ll storm this Gates of Aegis or whatever and deliver justice!" Astratis bellowed. However, when Ranazera heard those words, she almost coughed up blood from shock. Did this guy even know what the Gates of Aegis represented? It was the most powerful stronghold ever constructed by the kingdom of Tempest. Yet, he said he''d storm that ce? What wishful thinking! Even if there were a hundred of him, breaking through the ce would not be possible! "No, that won''t be necessary. There are more important things to take care of right now. But I do appreciate the thought, brother." Izroth replied as he could not help but inwardly shake his head at Astratis'' words. Indeed, if it were Astratis, he would be capable of razing the Gates of Aegis to the ground. However, not only would that reveal his identity to the world, but it would also draw too much attention their way. More importantly, Izroth had to keep the fact that a connection between the Mortal Realm and Ancient Celestial Realm existed a secret for as long as possible. He knew it was only a matter of time before word began to spread around; however, he still wanted to dy it until he came up with a long-term solution. It took a while, but Izroth managed to calm Astratis down as the Son of Thunder finally gave up on the idea of striking the Gates of Aegis. "Youngest, about this matter¡ªit''s not something we have to tell others, right?" Astratis said with a meaningful look as he cleared his throat. "It''s something that stays between us," Izroth responded with a carefree smile. Astratis released a sigh of relief. If his other half or Nomii found out that he let the youngest face such a dangerous situation alone while he was off ying with an oversized feline, he would never hear the end of it! ... A little earlier, somewhere in Malentansium... Aurie''s hands trembled as a fierce look appeared in her eyes once shepleted reading the scrolls handed over by Niflheim and Menerva. "That Captain of yours... I''ll be sure to have a long word with him after he returns. That being said, to think he''d see this far ahead... he never ceases to amaze me." Aurie said as she released a heavy sigh. She then rolled the scrolls up and tossed them into the air. "Vigoros, erase them." Aurie called out. In the blink of an eye, a light blue me engulfed the two scrolls, causing them to be incinerated mid-air, leaving not even a speck behind. "The contents of the scrolls were identical. It was probably Captain Izroth''s way of ensuring that, in case one of you could not make it back in time, the message would still get delivered properly." Aurie exined.please visit She then continued, "ording to Captain Izroth''s revised n, if his assumption is correct, then we will meet with more resistance than we anticipated." Aurie spoke with a heavy tone the further she got into her statement. That''s because she did not want to believe the contents she just read could be true. However, as the Commander of the 2nd Unit, Aurie understood that she could not ignore the possibility. "Commander Aurie, your actions just now are a bit troubling." A voice sounded from out of nowhere. The next moment, a shadowy figure emerged from the corner of themand tent. However, the instant the shadowy figure emerged, they had several des pointed at their throats or a heavy aura of magical energy focused in their direction. Everyst one of Aurie''s Captains immediately made a move to intercept their unexpected visitor. "Stand down, everyone," Aurie ordered. When she gave the order, the Captains of the 2nd Unit withdrew their hostile stance and maintained a high level of vignce. "I believe I told you to keep your distance. What are you doing here, Mystic Silence?" Aurie questioned with a cold gaze. NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Lead Agent Mystic Silence(???) NPC Level: ??? Mystic Silence wore a ck shroud that hid his appearance, and their presence was not noticeable, even at such a close distance. "I am merely performing the duties entrusted to me. Commander, I must be made aware of all things if I am to prevent any unexpected threats at your back. Therefore, everything you know, I must also know." Mystic Silence stated. Mystic Silence was the Lead Agent assigned to Commander Aurie to counter the League of the Eidolon''s assassination attempts. Of course, Aurie was not the only one to receive a shadow tail in the form of an agent from the War Intelligence Group. As per Izroth''s suggestion, all those with the rank of Commander or higher had someone from the War Intelligence Group acting as their shadow. However, Aurie made it clear for Mystic Silence to keep their distance from themand tent during the nning stages. But, as was typical of those from the War Intelligence Group, they could not stand being kept in the dark and acted as if the rules did not apply to them. Naturally, this kind of attitude did not sit well with someone like Aurie, who always believed that one should have a certain level of structure when it came to the chain ofmand. "What was in those scrolls is none of your concern. Now, Rose, please escort our guest out of themand tent and see to it that it stays that way." Aurie stated as she gave Rose a meaningful look. "Yes, Commander~ Let''s go~" Rose said as she pped her hands once with a smile on her face. When she performed this action, a single rose petal appeared above Mystic Silence''s head, as well as her own. "Wai-" Mystic Silence tried to call out; however, before they could do so... Zeeut! Without warning, Mystic Silence and Rose vanished from themand tent. "Alright, we don''t have much time before we''re interrupted again. Those from the War Intelligence Group are persistent." Aurie stated. "Aren''t the War Intelligence Group our allies here? I know they aren''t exactly known for their upright nature, but is it really alright to keep them out of the loop?" Niflheim questioned. "If your Captain''s words are true, then it''s necessary. Until we know for certain, the only ones who can be trusted are those present in thismand tent and Captain Rose." Aurie replied in a serious tone. Chapter 982 Nightfall Glades, A Decision ... After Astratis met up with Izroth and the two discussed a few things, the Son of Thunder went back to secretly trailing Izroth from a safe distance. As for Izroth and Ranazera, they continued their journey through the territory of Duke Verkesrie without incident. And, since they were able to maintain an uninterrupted pace, it did not take long for them to reach their first major destination. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Nightfall des?.¡µ ''We''re finally here. It''s a lot more serene than I imagined.'' The Nightfall des was a spacious open area surrounded by a forest with towering ck and silver trees. Due to the terrainyout, it was difficult for those outside to see what was going on inside and vice versa. There were also several hidden dangers spread throughout the Nightfall des. So, if one was not careful, their life may slip away before they realized what was going on. The Nightfall des was Izroth''s primary destination because of one reason¡ªthe allied forces would have to pass through this ce in order to reach the Night Lord''s Crypt. If the allied forces had kept to their original ns, they should have already made it past this ce. However, Izroth''s goal was not to meet up with the main allied forces. Instead, it was to rendezvous with the 9th Division and Commander Aurie''s 2nd Unit. ''I haven''t been able to contact Niflheim, Menerva, or anyone from the 9th Division, for that matter. There must be amunication block in ce. Still, knowing those two, the scrolls I gave them should have already been handed over to Commander Aurie. As long as she does not disregard my adjustments, they should have already engaged with the Pzenium warriors near the south side of the Nightfall des.'' By now, Aurie should have called pulled away from the main group of the allied forces and gathered everyone to discuss the Golden Bridge Strategy. Given Aurie''s personality and the 9th Division''s recent show of sess, Izroth knew for certain that Niflheim and Menerva would also be included in that meeting if he was not there to attend himself. Those two had a keen eye for detail, so there was no way they would overlook the right moment to hand over the scrolls he entrusted them with. As for the contents of the scroll, it was nothing too extravagant. The overall n still remained the same. The goal was to ensure that the Pzenium warriors stayed away from the battlefield at the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, their method of doing so would slightly shift to ount for the inevitable increase in resistance the 2nd Unit would face. Though, in truth, Izroth hoped he was merely being overly cautious and was wrong in his assumptions. After all, if it turned out that he was correct, it would be enough to deal a huge blow to the allied forces. ''I''ve been feeling somewhat uneasy ever since I departed from the Land of Unity. At first, I thought I was overlooking something important, but... Well, it''s fine. Those two guys should have met up with the 9th Division by now. Even if something dangerous happens, they''ll be able to handle it. That being said, we should increase our pace from here on out.'' Izroth halted his steps and turned to face the sixth princess. "Hm? W-what is it?" Ranazera was a bit taken aback by Izroth''s abrupt stop and the fact that he turned to face her. Izroth reached out toward Ranazera, which made the sixth princess want to naturally retreat. However, she decided against it and simply resigned herself to fate. Besides, if he truly wanted to harm her, would he not have done so long ago? Clink! Fsssst! Ranazera''s eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at her wrist, where the strange band had locked onto her. However, when she lowered her gaze, Ranazera saw the ck band snap off her wrist as it started to dissolve. At the same time, the sixth princess could feel her strength pouring back into her body as though she had been reborn. "This... What is the meaning of this?" Ranazera asked with furrowed brows as she could not hide her perplexed expression. Just now, to Ranazera''s shock, Izroth removed the Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas! However, it was not as if they were in a ce that she could no longer escape from, which is why Ranazera was unable toprehend Izroth''s actions. Now that her strength was no longer suppressed, should the opportunity present itself, she could escape with the magic treasures hidden on her body. "You may have been able to keep up until now with it on, but since we''ll be increasing our pace, naturally, it will be much easier with your strength fully restored," Izroth stated calmly as he resumed his steps onward. "You- What if I decide to use this chance to escape?!" Ranazera said as she stepped forward. The sixth princess did not know why she said those words. But, for some reason, Izroth''s actions left her unsettled. "You won''t try to escape." "How can you be so sure?" "If the kingdom of Tempest is to have a future, one that is not shrouded in death and misery, it will need someone from the royal family who cares not only for itself but also the people of Tempest. If you believe that is something you can aplish on your own, then feel free to ''escape'' all you''d like. However, I think- No, rather, I know that one day, you wille to regret your decision. When that timees, it will not be you who suffers the most, but the people of Tempest." Ranazera clenched her fists as her gaze fell to the ground. Even though she did not immediately reply to Izroth, the painful look in her eyes and the troubled expression on her face revealed her conflicted thoughts. "...Then, are you saying that you can help me change things...? Can a mere Captain of the General Support Unit take responsibility for those words...?" To most, Izroth''s words would seem more like a joke than anything else. After all, what was a Captain of the General Support Unit, the most worthless war branch, supposed to do to change anything of importance? However, for some reason, Ranazera wanted... No, she needed to believe that an alternate path existed for Tempest. The sixth princess was full of doubts. For one, how could she possibly overlook or gain more influence than her own father and eldest brother? It was a fool''s attempt. Yet, even still, the sixth princess wanted nothing more than to take that single step forward. "It''s true that the words of a General Support Unit Captain do not hold much weight, let alone enough influence to change the fate of a kingdom. However, as long as you''re willing to fight for it, I will ensure that there is a path for you to seed. This is not my word as a General Support Unit Captain, but a personal one." Ranazera fell silent as she entered into a state of deep thought after listening to Izroth. In truth, she was impressed by Izroth at every turn of their journey. Defeating the Prime Eques of the Order of the Eternal Aegis, getting Duke Sorkoza to allow him entry into a city that even her father may not necessarily be weed into. And now, he was saying there was a way for her to prevent the downfall of Tempest. Of course, Ranazera knew that it was too naive to ce her hopes in a person she met not long ago. Even more so if that person was supposed to be an enemy of her Tempest kingdom. But, instead of cing hope in Izroth, the sixth princess decided to do something else¡ªce hope in herself to make the correct decision. If it was that much, then even she could do it, is the thought that crossed her mind. The sixth princess raised her head and looked forward with a renewed look of rity in her eyes. "What is it that I have to do?" Ranazera asked firmly. ... A few hourster... Outside the Nightfall des, a certain battle was currently taking ce. However, to call it a battle was not exactly urate. Rather, it was more like a wild goose chase. "Stop them! Do not let them escape!" A thundering voice rang throughout the battlefield. Chapter 983 Warriors Of Pzenium At the moment, two groups were engaged in a skirmish. However, to those who looked in from the outside, rather than calling it a skirmish, it was more like a potential extermination waiting to happen. This was due to the massive difference in numbers between the two sides. After Commander Aurie read over the information contained within the scroll and went over a few key matters with those in themand tent, the 2nd Unit, apanied by the 9th Division of the General Support Unit, immediately set off into action. They waited patiently at the south side of the Nightfall des andid out an ambush for the Pzenium warriors. But, while their initial strike was sessful, it also did not do much to change their overall circumstances. Though it did manage to aplish two things. For one, it confirmed Commander Aurie''s earlier suspicions. However, more importantly, it drew the attention of the Pzenium warriors and caused them to chase after the 2nd Unit through the outskirts of the Nightfall des. The Nightfall des consisted mostly of a wide open area, but that was only if one made their way through the maze of towering trees that surrounded it. Right now, the 2nd Unit was using the towering trees of the Nightfall des'' outskirts to outmaneuver the Pzenium warriors at every turn. This is why, despite the sizable difference in the size of their forces, the 2nd Unit had yet to be overwhelmed. Needless to say, this was all thanks to some of the major changes to Izroth''s revised Golden Bridge Strategy. The first major change was how the troops were divided into separate groups. Instead of the main group being made up of 300 soldiers, it had more than twice that amount as it stood 700 strong. As for the other groups, everyst one of them consisted of 100 soldiers. Adding the 2nd Unit and 9th Division numbers together, this amounted to a total of just under 1,300 troops. Therefore, there were six other independent groups within the Nightfall des. Of course, the groups did not confront the Pzenium warriors in a head-on sh. After all, it would only lead to an inevitable defeat. Rather, every time the fight got too intense, or it looked as if the main group was about to be encircled, one or more of the independent groups from the 2nd Unit would appear andunch a strike that opened a gap in the Pzenium warriors'' defensive. Using this opportunity, the main group from the 2nd Unit would escape, create some distance and then re-engage their targets. This caused a high level of frustration and impatience to develop among the Pzenium warriors. "These so-called warriors of the other kingdoms are pathetic. I was expecting them to put up more of a fight. Who would have thought they''d flee like cowards right afterunching an ambush against us?" One of the Pzenium warriors stated with a deep voice. The Pzenium warrior was a man who appeared to be in histe thirties to early forties with tanned skin, sand-colored hair, and pale crimson eyes. He stood over two meters tall with a physique that resembled that of chiseled stone and gave off a heavy aura of intimidation befitting a warrior of his stature. This man was known as Menkar. NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Great Warrior)Menkar(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) Menkar was a part of the Sandstorm Walkers¡ªa powerful group of mercenaries for hire that originated from the kingdom of Pzenium. The Sandstorm Walkers did not belong to any particr power in Pzenium nor outside of it. There were only two things that guided the path of the Sandstorm Walkers, which were gold and battle. Next to Menkar were two individuals who released a fierce battle-hardened aura, though most of their physical features were hidden by the garbs of the desert they donned as Sandstorm Walkers. However, these were not your average Sandstorm Walkers. NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Warrior)???(Rare) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Warrior)???(Rare) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) The Sandstorm Walkers had a strict hierarchy among their ranks. However, this hierarchy was not determined by one''s length of service or experience on the battlefield. Only one thing dictated the standing of a Sandstorm Walker¡ªstrength. Until one acquired strength as a Sandstorm Walker, they were not even worthy of a name. Therefore, those who wanted to be a Sandstorm Walker had to forfeit their name until they earned the right to wield it with pride. When that moment arrived, they would be given a new name and allowed to use it as their own. A step in front of Menkar and the two Sandstorm Walker Warriors was another person. He was the same man whose thundering voice carried throughout the outskirts of the Nightfall des as he gave out orders. This individual''s strength was incredibly deep and hard to grasp. In terms of physical appearance, he was not as impressive as someone of Menkar''s stature. But, there was a reason why the Great Warrior of the Sandstorm Walker did not stand at that man''s side and kept one step behind him. This man looked to be in his early thirties, with skin kissed by the sun, a pair of eyes the color of sand, and a rather handsome appearance. The aura he gave off was refined and controlled; it was to a point that those inexperienced in battle would mistake him for amon veteran warrior. However, after hearing his name and learning of his presence on a battlefield, most would be ready to retreat in fear. This was the impact of the man known as the Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan. NPC Name: Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan(???) NPC Level: ??? Gakhan was the one in charge of leading the Pzenium warriors toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. This was a task personally given to him by one of the Great Dukes of the Pzenium kingdom. "I don''t like it. Not one bit." Gakhan said under his breath as he narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over the battlefield. They had been engaging in and out of battle for the past few hours without being able to gain a single edge over their enemies. To make matters worse, there were individual groups who would strike at the weakest points in their battle formations and instantly retreat afterward. Of course, Gakhan tried to split off a group from his own forces to chase them down. But, for some reason, they always managed to slip away at thest moment into the Nightfall des and reappear at apletely different location, far away from their previous position. Realizing that splitting off any more of their forces would leave them in a potentially vulnerable position, Gakhan did not bother sending out any further separate groups. Instead, Gakhan decided to turn all his focus on the main group that had been slipping away through the cracks of their encirclement. Needless to say, retreating was not an option. Gakhan had been keeping close track of the sudden arrivals and estimated that the enemies only consisted of a little more than 1,000 troops. Meanwhile, the forces under hismand were 8,000 strong! Retreating from such an easy battle would be a stain on the honor of the Pzenium warriors! No matter what, Gakhan was determined to crush the foes before him with overwhelming might! "We''ve wasted enough time here. If they had any further reinforcements, they would have revealed themselves by now. Menkar, get the Sandstorm Walkers ready. We will wipe them out in one go." Gakhan said as his gaze turned cold. "I will make the preparations," Menkar responded as he sunk into the earth with the two Sandstorm Walkers Warriors by his side. "Let''s see just how long you can continue to avoid death," Gakhan said to himself as he took a single step forward. In the blink of an eye, Gakhan vanished without a trace. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in the Nightfall des... Aurie stood at the top of a certain point in the Nightfall des. It was a small cliff that was easily dwarfed by the towering trees, making it impossible to see what was going on beyond them. However, Aurie''s purpose atop the small cliff was not for that of spectating the events that unfolded within the Nightfall des. "Kalmesia, begin," Aurie stated with a serious expression to seemingly no one. But, the moment the Commander gave that order, something bizarre urred within the Nightfall des. The towering trees in the distance started to shuffle around! It was almost as if arge group of trees decided to simultaneously take a sudden stroll through the Nightfall des! Chapter 984 Setting The Final Stage The bizarre eventsted for less than a minute; however, by the time it stopped, the entireyout of the forest had undergone a drastic shift. Aurie gazed into the distance toward the direction where the main group of her 2nd Unit should be retreating from the Pzenium forces. "Things have already progressed to this point. Now, all we need is to focus on carrying out the final steps." Aurie thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes. "Still, I was hoping the Sandstorm Walkers wouldn''t be involved in this matter. Though, I suppose expecting that was far too optimistic of an outlook. The others should be able to hold their own well against them; however... ording to Captain Nagaza, there is a named Great Warrior of the Sandstorm Walkers that''s among the Pzenium forces. Besides him, there''s also that man¡ªthe Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan. If Gakhan is involved in this, then... is it Great Duke Hammer taking the initiative?" Pzenium was not like the others kingdoms in the Mortal Realm when it came to their participation in this great war. Every kingdom had a clear side on which they stood. Be it with Tempest, Amaharpe, or remaining neutral¡ªthe objective of the kingdoms was clear for all to see. That is, except for the kingdom of Pzenium. To begin with, Pzenium being recognized as a kingdom was a stretch. It had no true ruling structure, and most of those with power only used it to fight over control of the limited number of oases that existed in the desert kingdom. Nevertheless, Pzenium was recognized as a kingdom for two reasons. The first was the military might of its citizens. In Pzenium, if one were not a warrior who experienced life on the battlefield, their worth was well than that of garbage on the side of a road. Secondly, there was a certain existence in Pzenium that managed to collect those battle-hardened warriors under their wing. That person was known as the Grand Sovereign. But, there was a set of unique circumstances that surrounded Pzenium. Even though it was ruled over by the Grand Sovereign and there were those with powerful influence like the Great Dukes, Pzenium was governed by something known as the Laws of the First Mercenary King. Even the Grand Sovereign could not overrule the Laws of the First Mercenary King, which allowed the warriors of Pzenium to act as free men when it came to how they chose to wield their des. Therefore, while the Grand Sovereign was capable ofmanding the forces of Pzenium, in the end, they could never order the warriors of Pzenium not to fight a battle of their choice. That''s why many of those who came from Pzenium were mercenaries for hire and work with other kingdoms. But, despite fighting for both sides, Pzenium warriors were never met with distrust. Nor were the kingdoms who hired them worried about a potential betrayal. This was all due to the Laws of the First Mercenary King. The Laws of the First Mercenary King stated that there were only three ways for a Pzenium warrior to leave a battlefield they''d stepped onto¡ªdeath, victory, or the absolute defeat of the side they chose to fight for. Of course, most Pzenium warriors would rather die than admit defeat; therefore, it was generally epted that only two ways existed, death or victory. Nheless, it was because of the Laws of the First Mercenary King that Pzenium did not operate like a typical kingdom. This was a great fortune for the other kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. After all, if not for this, Pzenium''s war potential and thirst for battle would have made them a threat to be feared by every kingdom! The reason Aurie found Gakhan''s presence so troubling was due to his connection with Great Duke Hammer, one of the most influential individuals in the kingdom of Pzenium outside the Grand Sovereign themselves. "Crimson des of the Desert, Falcinean and Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan¡ªthese two are the left and right hands of the Great Duke Hammer. However, I heard reports that Falcinean is no longer at the Great Duke''s side. If that really is the case, it''s one less headache to worry about. That being said, I have no ns of letting my guard down. We are still outnumbered eight to one, so there is no room to rx. I must ensure that everything proceeds smoothly." Aurie held her hand out and shouted, "Main group, keep the enemies on the offensive! Everyone else, head to your positions and prepare yourselves! We will make our final stand here and bury the Pzenium forces in the Nightfall des!" Aurie''s words were not directed to the air around her but rather to the bracelet around her wrist. This bracelet was a special magic item that allowed Aurie tomunicate with others who were at a distance. Aurie set up a formation that blocked all forms of long rangedmunication within several kilometers of her current position in the Nightfall des. This stopped the Pzenium warriors from rying their potential circumstances to other parties and worked to disrupt their ownmunicationwork. Only those with a special bracelet like the one around Aurie''s wrist could receive and send long-rangemunications within the formation. Therefore, it gave the 2nd Unit a huge advantage in terms of organizing its forces. "Originally, the n was only to stall the Pzenium forces and leave behind a small contingent to keep them busy in the Nightfall des. However, their numbers are even greater than we imagined. It''s just as Captain Izroth mentioned in the scroll. How could he see this far ahead?" Aurie thought to herself. In truth, it was already established that they would be outnumbered. But, ording to their original estimate, it should have only been three to one, or four to one at most. Never would they have imagined that it would be a staggering eight to one. This wentpletely against the scouting report filed by the War Intelligence Group. "It''s unlike the War Intelligence Group to make such a ring oversight. I''ve heard whispers and rumors about strange things going on regarding the Head of the War Intelligence Group, but... Is it really true? If the War Intelligence Group has beenpromised at the highest levels, then the dangers that coulde of it will be catastrophic." Aurie released a heavy sigh and said, "No, I''m getting too far ahead of myself. In the end, rumors are just rumors without any solid evidence. It would seem that Captain Izroth''s theory is likely the correct one. Though, in truth, a part of me had hoped that he was wrong this time." The next moment, Aurie briefly closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts. "Gakhan and the others should be making their move soon. It''s about time I made one of my own." ... "What was I thinking back then? I got too caught up in the moment, but... Is this really okay?" Ranazera thought to herself as she let out a long sigh. The sixth princess looked down at her wrist where the Power Suppressing Band of Doulontas had once been. Her gaze then drifted upward and locked onto the person walking a few steps in front of her. This person was, of course, Izroth. After traveling nonstop for a few hours, the two eventually reached the south end of the Nightfall des. However, their journey along the way was filled with awkward silence after theirst conversation ended. Ranazera finally managed to work up the courage to make her first major step on a path she decided for herself. But, after pushing herself so far and asking Izroth what is it that she had to do, the answer he gave her in return was, "It''s simple. You just have to ce your trust in me." What kind of answer was that?! Based on his confident attitude, she thought he already had some kind of grand n in mind that could turn around the situation in Tempest! Yet, all he could say was to ce her trust in him! How was she supposed to be at ease with such a vague response?! Naturally, this caused Ranazera to question whether or not she had made the correct decision back then. The sixth princess helplessly sighed as she shook her head. "What''s done is done. I have already made my choice. Turning back now would only make me a fickle person. Since he said to ce my trust in him, I might as well give it a shot. What other path is there for me to take? If it turns out that he deceived me, then I can only me my own poorck of judgment and naivety." Ranazera thought to herself as she came to terms with her choice atst. Izroth nced over at Ranazera and noticed the change in the atmosphere around her. ''Oh? It looks like she finally fully resolved herself.'' Chapter 985 Run-In Ranazera''s internal conflict did not escape Izroth. He simply did not say anything about it because it was something that only Ranazera herself could sort through. If he attempted to force her into a particr direction, it would only backfire and lead to Ranazera questioning herself even more. ''I still can''t reach anyone from the 9th Division. Allmunication in the area must have been cut off.'' Izroth set his gaze ahead as he scanned the area with his Energy Vision Sense. ''The mana is up ahead is chaotic. A battle must have just taken ce there not too long ago. We must be getting close.'' If Aurie was using the hit-and-run tactics he suggested, then by now, Izroth figured they should be getting ready to engage in the final sh. Out of nowhere, Izroth''s ears twitched slightly as he heard a faint rumbling sounding from the ground beneath him. The tremors originated from tens of meters away; however, they were rapidly getting closer. ''Strange, I didn''t detect anything with my Energy Vision Sense, but...'' "We may have somepany. Keep your guard up." Izroth warned without changing his outer demeanor. "Is it another ambush?" Ranazera questioned while also maintaining an indifferent appearance so as not to give away the potential upper hand. Now that her strength was no longer being suppressed and she could defend herself, naturally, Ranazera was not afraid of a confrontation. "Probably? Though I doubt it''s the same people we came acrossst time." Izroth replied calmly. "Probably? That''s not very reassuring." Ranazera sighed. Caw! Caw! Suddenly, the sound of a raven''s cry could be heard as a bird circled directly overhead tens of meters in the air. Izroth gaze locked onto the bird in the sky, and he immediately noticed something unnatural about it. ''Hm? That bird...'' Rmmmmble...! Boom! Without warning, the ground located in between Izroth and Ranazera erupted as a small explosion urred. Woosh! Woosh! Izroth and Ranazera kicked off their back foot and avoided the explosion as fragments of earth flew out in their direction. In the blink of an eye, a gorgeous pair of twin swords appeared in Ranazera''s hand. Simultaneously, a strong gale of wind burst forth from Izroth''s position as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. Ding! The two wielded their des and deflected the fragments of earth as the dust cloud settled around the area where the explosion urred. "It looks like we found some rats running around." A deep and eerie voice sounded. At the same time, a man dressed in desert garbs with a pair of long metal talons stepped forward. And next to this man were four other individuals dressed in simr clothing--three men and one woman. When Izroth saw the clothing worn by those individuals, it did not take long for him to discover their identity. ''Those are the same clothes that were worn by the Sandstorm Walkers I came across in the Millennial Veiled Oasis. However... The auras around them are a bit different. Except for that man I faced, they''re clearly a few steps above the Sandstorm Walkers we fought in the Millennial Veiled Oasis.'' All the Sandstorm Walkers had most of their system information hidden; however, Izroth could see that four of them were elite Sandstorm Walker Warriors, while the one who seemed to be in charge was a rare elite with a different title. NPC Name: (Sandstorm Walker Desert Rogue)???(Rare Elite) NPC Level: ??? "We don''t have time to waste on a couple of strays. The great warrior''s call takes priority." The Desert Rogue stated. "Have you forgotten the great warrior''s other directive? We are to eliminate any suspicious individuals or stragglers along the way. These two are casually wandering around in the midst of battle. Isn''t it a little too suspicious?" One of the male warriors noted. "I guess you have a point." The Desert Rogue grumbled. He then said, "Whatever, we''ll just quickly dispose of them and meet up with the great warrior. Since they dodged our initial attack, they must have at least a shred of skill. Split up and take them out." The moment the Desert Rogue gave the order, the four Sandstorm Walker Warriors charged forward in groups of two without hesitation. One of the groups ran right for Izroth while the other pair made their way toward Ranazera. "You want to face me with only the two of you? As usual, what an arrogant bunch you Pzenium warriors are." Ranazera said coldly as her gaze sharpened. A sharp and bottomless sword intent formed around Ranazera''s twin swords and filled the surrounding. "?!" The Sandstorm Walkers were caught off guard by the sudden emergence of such a heavy sword intent and instinctively halted their charge as they retreated a few steps. "This woman... She''s not normal. Could she be one of the special targets the great warrior mentioned?" One of the Sandstorm Walkers who had just retreated said in an almost delighted tone. "If she is, our luck is too good. After all, the great warrior promised to reward whoever ims the head of a special target." The other replied in an equally ted manner. Ever since they were first ambushed near the entrance of the Nightfall des, the Pzenium warriors had begun to mark those whose strength stood out among their enemies. Most of the individuals marked as special targets were Captains of the 2nd Unit under Commander Aurie. Due to the sword intent she disyed, naturally, the Pzenium warriors mistakenly believed that Ranazera was one of those Captains. Out of nowhere, the two Sandstorm Walkers felt a wave of cold sword intent rush past them. They reacted swiftly and managed to defend themselves against the strike; however, it forced them to create even more distance between themselves and Ranazera. The Sandstorm Walkers gave each other meaningful nces as they immediately dashed in two different directions. Their goal was to split Ranazera''s focus and strike at her from two separate angles. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Three small throwing knives soared toward Ranazera and aimed right for her vital points. These throwing knives came from the Sandstorm Walker, who was targeting Ranazera''s left side. Ding! Ranazera deflected the throwing knives with her twin swords. But the moment she did so, the sixth princess realized that the movement of her twin swords had be stiff and unusual. "She fell for it." The Sandstorm Walker grinned. Ranazera briefly examined her twin swords and saw that there were extremely thin strands wrapped around their des. "These are... Wires?" Ranazera said to herself as she narrowed her eyes. When the Sandstorm Walker tossed the throwing knives, they attached tiny strands of their mana to the objects. Then, when the throwing knives made contact with Ranazera''s sword, the strands of manatched onto her twin swords. This allowed the Sandstorm Walker to momentarily restrict the movement of Ranazera''s weapons. Unfortunately, the Sandstorm Walkers'' confidence in their own abilities caused them to underestimate Ranazera severely. "We''ll be iming that head of yours!" The Sandstorm Walker roared as they brandished the one-handed battle axe in their hands. They took advantage of the window of opportunity provided by theirrade and rapidly closed the distance tounch an attack. "Rising Twin Gales." Ranazera''s voice sounded. In a sh, two powerful gales of wind formed from Ranazera''s sword intent erupted from her twin swords and crashed into Sandstorm Walker. Bang! The Sandstorm Walker was blown away several meters along with the battle axe in their hands as numerous cuts appeared at various ces on their body. "Impossible...! How could she still attack while my Locking Wires are in ce- ?!" The Sandstorm Walker looked down at hands as their eyes widened in shock. Somehow, the Locking Wires that were connected to Ranazera''s twin swords had been severed! "I have to create some space and regroup with the others..!" The Sandstorm Walker thought to themselves as they attempted to wait for backup to arrive. "Are you two almost done over there?! We could use a hand-!" The Sandstorm Walker called out. However, when they witnessed the sight before their eyes, a feeling of despair poured into them all at once. Not even a few breaths of time had passed since they firstunched their attack. How could something like this have happened? The other group of Sandstorm Walkers who went to attack Izroth were sprawled out on the ground and slowly turning into countless particles! But the most shocking part was that the Desert Rogue had met with a simr fate! In terms of strength, the Desert Rogue was not much stronger than a typical Sandstorm Walker Warrior; however, their speed and killing techniques were a step above. For a Desert Rogue to fall to another person so quickly was practically unheard of! "Where are you adverting your gaze?" A chilling voice drifted into the Sandstorm Walker''s ears. But, before the warrior could react, they were overwhelmed by a barrage of sharp sword intent and joined the ranks of theirrades. The next moment, the twin swords in Ranazera''s hands disappeared as she looked over at Izroth. "That guy... I knew he wouldn''t have much trouble with the warriors. But, to think he also took care of a Desert Rogue, who''s known for their speed and killing techniques, in that time. As expected of the man who defeated Centurion Aloysius and Aurelius Windstorm." Chapter 986 What Question To Ask, Cornered Rats The twin swords in Ranazera''s hands disappeared as she made her way over to Izroth. As Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath, Ranazera approached him and said, "Pzenium warriors appearing this deep into Malentansium territory is highly unusual. The atmosphere in this part of the Nightfall des is also off. There''s a reason you wanted toe to this ce in such a hurry, isn''t there?" Ever since Izroth removed the band that suppressed her strength, they had traveled nonstop to reach this area of the Nightfall des. Then, almost immediately upon arriving, they ran into not just Pzenium warriors but Sandstorm Walkers. "We''ll talk while we move," Izroth said calmly. Then, with hastened steps, Izroth began to make his way toward the direction where he sensed previous traces of battle with his Energy Vision Sense. "This guy doesn''t know the meaning of rest." Ranazera thought to herself as she quickly followed after Izroth. "The Sandstorm Walkers only move when there''s gold in the picture. I also overheard them mention that they were following the orders of a great warrior. If a great warrior of the Sandstorm Walkers is really involved, this matter isn''t small." Ranazeramented as she caught up next to Izroth. As a princess of Tempest, Ranazera was far more conscious of the inner working of the Pzenium warriors than most others. That''s why she knew that the cost of getting a great warrior to make a move was enough to cover a small noble family''s annual budget. It was not something that just anyone could afford to do. "Oh? Are great warriors that strong in your eyes?" Izroth inquired. "It''s true that their power is not to be underestimated. However, with your strength, a great warrior should not be too much of a problem for you to handle." Ranazera sighed. A great warrior was indeed strong; however, their strength was probably around the same level as Centurion Aloysius or Aurelius at best. In Ranazera''s opinion, Izroth, who had defeated both parties and walked away unscathed, was not someone that needed to be worried about a great warrior. But that did not mean that there were no concerns. "The main issue at hand is that a great warrior isn''t someone who moves recklessly on their own. The Sandstorm Walkers may not technically be under anyone in the Pzenium kingdom, but that does not mean their warriors act without direction. Most likely, someone who holds a lot of power and influence in the Pzenium kingdom is pulling the strings. And, if it''s at the scale I believe it to be, then I suspect that person is at least at the level of Great Duke." Ranazera exined. She then frowned with furrowed brows and said, "But, what I can''t wrap my head around is what a Great Duke of Pzenium has to gain by expending so many resources in Malentansium?" ''She has a sharp eye. I haven''t revealed anything, yet she''s already seen this deep into the matters unfolding. Well, since we''ve alreadye this far, there''s no harm in revealing a few things. Besides, it may also help her see things a little clearer for what''s toe.'' "If we take the timing of the Great Rebirth into ount, everything starts to make a little more sense," Izroth stated. "What are you trying to say?" "Malentansium isn''t exactly known for forming rtionships with outsiders. Be it their alliance with Tempest or utilizing the Pzenium warriors; both are uncharacteristic of how the skounae typically operate. Therefore, we have to assume that there is a reason behind their sudden change of behavior." An inquisitive look briefly appeared on Ranazera''s face before she went into a state of deep thought. Indeed, the timing of everything was a little too convenient to be written off as a simple coincidence. "Are you suggesting that this is just another way the Dukes of Malentansium are using to fight for their spot in the Great Rebirth?" Ranazera asked curiously. "That''s one reason. But, you''re overlooking something rather important." Izroth replied casually. "Something important?" Ranazera muttered as she visibly frowned. "You asked earlier, what does a Great Duke of Pzenium has to gain by expending so many resources in Malentansium? It''s not the wrong question to ask; however, it''s also not the most significant. The true question you should be asking is--what is the connection between the involved parties? Depending on the answer to that question, the very power structure of the Mortal Realm as we know it maye crumbling down." "This..." Ranazera''s eyes widened in shock as she became lost for words. However, this shock was soon reced by a troubled expression as she tried to process everything and search for the answer in her own way. ''I hope that I''m wrong this time, but... The signs are not looking good. If things continue to progress at this rate, it won''t be long before the future that the All-Seeing Goddess Heltiaa showed me bes a reality.'' ... Meanwhile, somewhere in the south part of the Nightfall des... At the moment, the main group of the 2nd Unit, which consisted of 700 soldiers, was encircled by the Pzenium forces that numbered roughly 7,000. But, it seemed that more troops from the Pzenium forces side were pouring in every second from all directions. This made the situation for the 700 soldiers look rather miserable, to say the least. Menkar, the Sandstorm Walker Great Warrior, stepped forward from the encirclement of Pzenium warriors as he deeply inhaled. "CORNERED RATS! RATS...! Rats... rats..." Menkar''s voice exploded forth and echoed as it swept over the group of surrounded soldiers. From the volume alone, one would think he was using a talisman to project his words; however, it was a result of Menkar''s natural thunderous voice. "LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER OR BE SLAUGHTERED WHERE YOU STAND! THIS IS YOUR FIRST, LAST, AND ONLY WARNING!" Menkar roared. "So loud... Why did I have to get stuck with this troublesome task? Is the Commander just telling me to die here? I''ll really die, ya know? Like, seriously, I can already feel my death approaching. Should I just give up? I want to give up..." The sound of one nervously biting their nails could be heard and was soon followed by a long sigh. Those words just now came from a certain individual located at the front of the 700 troops who were surrounded. It was a gloomy man with a slouched-over posture. He had messy white hair and a pair of lifeless ck eyes with bags under them, as if he were suffering from a severeck of sleep. He wore a set of dark silver and ck armor with a sheath at his side that seemed to house a thin sword approximately 75 centimeters in length. The sword released an ominous aura and matched the gloomy atmosphere around its owner. If a stranger had heard their words and witnessed their weird behavior just now, they would have never guessed that this man was actually one of the Captains of the 2nd Unit. NPC Name: War Brigade 2nd Division Captain of the 2nd Unit Ward(???) NPC Level: ??? Not far away from Captain Ward were Niflheim, Menerva, and the other members of the 9th Division. Originally, Commander Aurie did not include the 9th Division in the main group. After all, the main group was entrusted with undertaking a dangerous task where one wrong move could end their life. Aurie did not feel right sending those who were not officially under hermand on such a high-risk mission. However, after some convincing and reassurance by Niflheim, the Commander ultimately included them in the main group. Of course, it was not as though Niflheim was a fan of the potential risk. But, since this was a n personally suggested by Izroth, he felt that it would be wrong to sit back and safely do nothing while everyone around them was giving it their all. That being said, Niflheim had conflicted feelings about the person left in charge of the main group. Niflheim furrowed his brows as he observed Ward, who appeared anxious and pessimistic. "What''s this guy''s deal? He constantly mutters strange things and acts skittish, but... We''ve lost less than five percent of the main group under hismand. Even I would have some trouble keeping the numbers that low considering what we''re up against. Not to mention..." Niflheim thought to himself as he swept his gaze across the members of the 2nd Unit. Despite Ward''s rming behavior, Niflheim noticed that none of the members of the 2nd Unit seemed demoralized or concerned. Chapter 987 Encirclement, Menkars Challenge As if sensing Niflheim''s thoughts, a voice came from behind him, "You don''t have to be so tense, Lieutenant Niflheim. Our captain may seem a little unreliable at first, but he always finds a path forward." Before Niflheim could turn his head, the owner of that voice stepped up next to him. Though this was their first time speaking directly with him, Niflheim immediately recognized the individual. It was a young man with short burgundy hairbed neatly to the side and a pair of opaque silver eyes. NPC Name: War Brigade 3rd Squadron Lieutenant of the 2nd Division River(Elite) NPC Level: 50 "Were my thoughts that obvious?" Niflheim sighed lightly. "Well, I can''t really me you since everyone who has met our captain holds simr thoughts," River responded as he yfullyughed it off. He then continued, "You see, our captain''s a real coward to his core. He''s the type of man who, if there''s a chance to run away from a fight, won''t hesitate to take it." Niflheim could only helplessly smile in response to River''s words. "No matter how hard I try, I can''t imagine that guy running away from a fight. We''ve been out of contact for a while due to themunication block in ce, but I''m sure he''s already made it pretty far into Malentansium by now." Niflheim thought to himself as Izroth''s entered his mind. "Ah, don''t get me wrong. I''m not really speaking down on the captain or anything. After all, there''s a reason why the Commander chose our captain to lead the main group. Even if he isn''t the strongest captain of the 2nd Unit when ites to fighting ability, if we''re talking about ensuring one''s survival, Captain Ward is unrivaled in the 2nd Unit- no, in the entire War Brigade." River stated proudly with a light-hearted smile. After Niflheim listened to River speak, he observed Ward even closer than before. Ward was currently in the middle of nervously biting his nails and muttering to himself. In addition, the gloomy atmosphere around him seemed to be growing with every passing moment as the Pzenium warriors were slowly shrinking the encirclement around the main group. In this situation, where they were outnumbered roughly ten to one, even Niflheim started to be a little restless. If the timing were off by even a handful of seconds, it would not take long for the main group to bepletely wiped out! "River...! River,e quick...!" Ward called over without adverting his gaze from Menkar in the distance, who was still shouting at the top of his lungs. "Seems that''s my cue. Take care of yourself, Lieutenant Niflheim." River said as he made his way over to Ward''s side with hastened steps. Not long after River took his leave, Bellum approached Niflheim and said, "I must admit, I underestimated the amount of confidence you have in our captain. I can even feel it starting to rub off on those guys as well." Bellum nced over at the other members of the 9th Division a few meters away. The atmosphere around them was somewhat tense; however, everyone still managed to keep their nerves under control, and their heads held high. "Well, I can''t say I''m too surprised. You were always the type of person to take risks that others saw as reckless." Bellum stated as her lips curved into a yful grin. Niflheim and Menerva had long since disclosed that Izroth was the one behind this n to Bellum and the rest of the 9th Division members. However, instead of being dissatisfied or doubtful of what most would consider to be a rather bold n on its surface, those of the 9th Division were excited. After the sess they achieved in Tempest, the 9th Division''s trust and confidence in Izroth, as well as Niflheim and Menerva, soared to new levels. But, more importantly, they started to no longer see each other as just a bunch of strangers who happened to be fighting together. While it was still difficult to go as far as saying they had be close friends, the members of the 9th Division had started to unknowingly ept one another asrades. Of course, a part of them was also driven by Izroth''s promise to reward those who contributed and properly performed their duties. Though, in truth, what gave them the most reassurance was witnessing Izroth''s strength firsthand in his fight against Centurion Aloysius. They could still clearly remember the moment Izroth single-handedly overwhelmed the Centurion to the point that it turned into a one-sided battle. Ever since that battle, the members of the 9th Division could not help but feel a sense of pride swell up inside of them. Be it inside their minds or hearts, there was one thought or feeling they mutually shared. Their Captain was strong¡ªextraordinarily strong. If this n came from someone like their Captain, then it had to be something worth doing! "Coming from you, I''ll take that as apliment," Niflheim replied with a light smile. "So? Any idea who we''re up against?" Bellum inquired as her gaze locked onto Menkar in the distance. "Not a clue. But from what I can tell, he''s clearly a few steps above the Pzenium warriors we''ve fought so far." Niflheim answered. All of a sudden, Menkar''s voice once again carried throughout the battlefield. "Hear me, o'' warriors of foreignnds! I am Menkar, great warrior of the Sandstorm Walkers from the deserts of Pzenium! I find no joy in having to ughter those who are greatly outnumbered! However, this ce is a battlefield! I will not hesitate to do what must be done! Still, a battle that brings no honor is meaningless; would you not agree?! So, I will give you a different path forward!" Menkar roared as he leaped into the air. BOOM! Crrrrack! Menkarnded several meters away from the encirclement and crashed into the ground less than ten meters away from the main group! This immediately put the 2nd Unit on an even higher alert than they already were as they prepared for the final sh. But, against their expectations, Menkar did not charge onward tounch an attack. Bang! Menkar removed therge two-handed battle axe from his back and let it hit the earth to stand upright as he rested his hands atop its handle. The great warrior unleashed a heavy wave of killing intent as his battle aura exploded forth. This caused many of those from the main group who were closest to Menkar to instinctively take a step back. Menkar''s gaze fell onto Ward, who stood at the head of the main group. However, after sizing up Ward, Menkar could not help but frown as a look of disappointment appeared on his face. Based on the insignia carved near the right shoulder te of Ward''s armor, Menkar discovered that he was a Captain of the War Brigade. This meant that, while he was probably not the mastermind controlling all the forces they''ve crossed des with inside the Nightfall des, he should undoubtedly be the leader of this little group who had given them so much trouble. "This pathetic-looking guy carries the scent of a coward. Hmph, it''s no wonder he''s so good at running away." Menkar thought to himself as he red at Ward, who instantly avoided his gaze. Despite his obvious disappointment, Menkar continued on and said, "I, Menkar, wish to witness the might of the so-called warriors of the War Brigade and challenge you to the Battle of Rites! Will you ept and die with honor?! Or shall we ughter you where you stand?!" Battle of Rites? The majority of the main group had no idea what Menkar was speaking of. Though this was not surprising, considering the Battle of Rites was something that typically only urred when Pzenium warriors met one another on a battlefield, and both sides wanted to avoid massive bloodshed. But, for a Pzenium warrior to suggest the Battle of Rites when they clearly held arge advantage¡ªit waspletely unheard of. "Battle of Rites? Is he offering some kind of duel?" Bellummented. "That''s basically the case. However, a Battle of Rites under these circumstances is a bit unconventional." Niflheim said as he attempted toprehend Menkar''s goal. He then continued, "To simplify, it''s a set of three one on one duels where both sides must send out three warriors to represent them. Whichever side is the first to im two wins is deemed the victor. More importantly, the winner of the Battle of Rites is also considered to be the victor of the entire conflict. Speaking bluntly, I can''t see how there''s anything they stand to gain by making this move." Needless to say, Menkar''s actions left Niflheim perplexed. And he was not the only one. Chapter 988 Ignored Provocation "There is not much that I know about those from the Pzenium kingdom. But, from what I do know, are they not just a group of battle freaks who like to fight? Maybe this is just their way of having fun. In their eyes, we''re nothing more than sitting ducks waiting to be devoured." Bellum stated. "Perhaps," Niflheim muttered as he sighed lightly. "Overthinking things isn''t like me. Speaking of which, I''m surprised she hasn''t spoken up yet. She''s been really quiet ever since we left themand tent. Is something weighing on her mind?" Niflheim thought to himself as he nced over to his side. A few meters in that direction stood Menerva with a distant gaze. Niflheim did not know what was on her mind; however, she seemed to be looking far ahead to a ce no one else could see. Niflheim returned his gaze forward as he looked at Menkar before his eyes ultimatelynded on Ward. In the end, whether or not they epted Menkar''s challenge fell on the shoulders of the 2nd Division Captain. "Do you think they''ll ept the challenge?" Bellum asked curiously. "There''s no way that''s possible." Niflheim sighed as he shook his head. Based on Ward''s personality to avoid a direct fight at all costs, Niflheim found it incredibly unlikely that the Captain would ept such a battle¡ªeven if it were technically in their favor from an objective standpoint. Not to mention, even if they epted Menkar''s challenge and emerged victorious, it would only mean that they won the battle itself. There was still nothing stopping them from continuing onward toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. Seeing as how their main objective was to ensure that such a thing did not happen, at best, epting the Battle of Rites would only slightly slow down the inevitable. "Captain Ward, what are your orders?" River asked as he kept a cautious gaze locked onto Menkar. "Tell everyone to prepare for an Omega ss retreat on my signal. I can''t fight that guy. Look at him; he''s huge. That axe is huge. I''ll definitely be cut in half in a split second..! What nonsense about a Battle of Rites? He obviously just wants my life...!" Ward said as he nervously bit his lip. "I figured you''d say something like that. I''ve already made the preparations. You just need to give the signal." River replied with a helpless expression. The moment they were surrounded, River had already started to set in motion the Omega ss retreat as a precaution. After all, among all those in the 2nd Division under Captain Ward, it was Lieutenant River who knew him best. As for epting Menkar''s challenge, River obviously knew what choice his Captain would make. "Double check...! Triple check...! Quadruple check...! We can''t afford any mistakes¡ªnot a single one...!" Ward stated quickly. "Yes, yes. I''ll do that at once, Captain." River said as he started to walk back toward the core area of the main group. As Ward and River spoke, Menkar seemed to be growing increasingly impatient with every passing moment. He had given them an ample amount of time to reply to his challenge and even personally stepped out before them. Seeing Ward and River casually chat away in his presence annoyed the great warrior as an immense wave of killing intent erupted from Menkar. "Do you not hear the call to my challenge?! Will you remain cowards until the end and meet with a dishonorable death on this battlefield?!" Menkar shouted. "I can''t listen to this anymore! Lieutenant, that guy is too arrogant! I bet he''s all bark and no bite! Let me knock him down a few pegs!" Champion, who was a few meters behind Niflheim, said as he grit his teeth and stepped forward. Upon witnessing Champion''s actions, Niflheim inwardly shook his head. "Although he''s calmed down a bit, he''s still too impatient. Though honestly speaking, it''s hard to me him." Niflheim thought to himself. Menkar''s actions were too arrogant. It was clear that the great warrior did not put them in his sights. Even someone like Niflheim could not help but be annoyed by his constant barking. "Don''t be reckless and fall for his provocations. We''re staying put until it''s time to move." Niflheim stated calmly. "But, Lieutenant-!" Champion wanted to object; however, he was swiftly cut off by Niflheim. "Since Commander Aurie allowed us to join the main group, even though we''re not a part of the 2nd Unit, we shouldn''t act in a way that will drag them down. If we make the wrong move because of our personal desires and fail, would you like to be the one to exin that failure to our Captain?" "That..." Champion was unable to find the words to retort. In the end, he knew that Niflheim only doing what was best for the 9th Division and the main group. "Still... Do we really have no choice but to sit here and wait to be ughtered?" Champion asked with a frustrated expression. "I won''t allow that to happen. If ites to that point, even if I have to force a path open myself, I will make sure you guys have a way out." Niflheim replied without hesitation. After hearing Niflheim''s response, Champion felt embarrassed by his actions. "It''s not like I''m asking you to sacrifice yourself for us or anything; I was just a little frustrated with that bastard, is all... Well, I mean, sorry, I guess..." Champion said in a somewhat clumsy manner. "Well, it''s not like I don''t understand how you feel," Niflheim said with a sigh. He then grinned and continued, "If an opportunity doese to give that guy a good hit, I wouldn''t mind doing so at all." "I knew you''d understand me, Lieutenant! Right? That guy definitely needs a good hit!" Champion stated as he immediately regained his vigor and excitedly clenched his fist. Meanwhile, after hearing no response and seeing no reaction to his challenge, the killing intenting from Menkar reached its peak as veins could be seen protruding from his face. Menkar hade across many who begged him to spare their lives. He even met those who wished to follow him after witnessing his strength. However, never had the great warrior of the Sandstorm Walkers experienced such a high level of cowardice from his enemies! "Gakhan, that man¡ªjust what does he hope to aplish by having us put up such a farce?" Menkar thought to himself as he grit his teeth. Suggesting a Battle of Rites was not the great warrior''s idea. Instead, it came from the true leader of the Pzenium forces present, Gakhan. When Gakhan spoke of wiping the enemies out in one go, Menkar dly moved to set things in ce so that his orders could be carried out smoothly. However, now that they had them cornered, Gakhan instructed him to request a Battle of Rites. This is what Menkar failed toprehend. With their massive advantage in numbers, Menkar believed it was best to crush them with an overwhelming show of might. In his eyes, these weaklings who only knew how to strike and run were not worthy to undergo the Battle of Rites! Though, in truth, a part of Menkar was grateful for their arrogance. Since they showed no signs of epting the Battle of Rites, even Gakhan could not me him for taking matters into his own hands. Woosh! Menkar lifted his two-handed battle axe and raised it into the air as he twisted his waist and adjusted his stance. As the great warrior performed this action, a dense wave of mana coated the des of the axe and seemed to be growing with every passing moment. When Ward saw that Menkar''s patience had finally run out, he hurriedly shouted, "Do it now! Now!" After Ward gave the order, the main group started to move and shift their formation around. Swoosh! BANG! Rmmmmmble! Menkar mmed his battle into the earth before him, causing an intense series of tremors to erupt from the point of impact. Simultaneously, the earth split open as a strong wave of mana rushed out and aimed directly for Ward! "Everyone, prepare yourselves! You know our task! Be sure not to overextend!" Niflheim warned those of the 9th Division as he raised his shield and prepared forbat. He then looked over at Champion and said, "Looks like you just might get that wish of yours, after all." Chapter 989 Unnatural Layout, Confirming Thoughts At the same time, the wave of mana arrived before Ward. Ward reacted fast with an anxious look on his face as he kicked off his back foot and unsheathed his weapon. The weapon looked like a standard sword, except itcked a proper guard, and its de was pitch ck. Additionally, its de was extremely flexible¡ªto the point that it resembled stic more than it did actual metal. The gloomy aura around Ward intensified and expanded outward as his facial expression darkened. Just before the wave of mana could strike him, Ward swiftly stepped to the side and avoided confronting the attack head-on. However, despite evading the core of the strike, the wave of mana still carried with it a ferocious momentum that affected those in close proximity. In the same motion, in order to count that momentum, Ward adjusted the position of his de to make slight contact with the wave of mana. As the unusual sword touched the wave of mana, it curved from its halfway point. When it bent in this manner, something strange happened to the wave of mana. It abruptly changed course and traveled upward toward the sky. "So terrifying...! If I get hit by that, I''ll definitely die...!" Ward muttered to himself as his hand trembled. Ward only felt a portion of the impact generated by Menkar''s strike; however, just redirecting it took a lot of effort and nearly numbed his hands. That kind of raw power was not something that could be received head-on without consequence. Menkar narrowed his eyes as he lifted his battle axe and rested it over his shoulder. "Oh? That gutless man actually withstood my Heavy Sand Graze? And that weapon... How is such a flimsy-looking toy able to redirect my strike?" Menkar said to himself. Menkar''s n was to get rid of their leader in one strike to destroy any morale they may have and end this fight as quickly as possible. But, against his expectations, Ward managed to respond to his Heavy Sand Graze. "Hmph, let''s see if that was mere luck or skill," Menkar stated as he slid his right foot back. Crrrack... Boom! The earth around Menkar''s feet shattered as he shot forward at incredible speeds with his battle axe in hand! Based on his attack just now, Menkar determined that he had a sizable advantage in terms of overall power. Therefore, he knew that there would be no issue overpowering the man in front of him. But, the great warrior was no fool. As someone who experienced countless battles and fought all kinds of opponents, Menkar understood the cost of letting one''s guard down. So, he had no intention of staying his hand or taking it easy on his opponent¡ªeven if he did view them as a spineless coward. After all, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit! When Ward saw Menkar''s making his way over, he wasted no time and immediately started to retreat at full speed. Menkar''s rage grew as he witnessed Ward running away; he shouted, "Dishonorable coward! Face me like a man!" Menkar continued his pursuit of Ward, who fell back into the main group that was in the middle of retreating. ... A few moments ago, somewhere in the Nightfall des... ''This should be the ce, but... What is this?'' After dealing with the Sandstorm Walkers, Izroth and Ranazrea made their way toward the ce Izroth discovered earlier with his Energy Vision Sense. From what he detected, the area in front of him should have been where a battle took ce. However, there was something bizarre about the surroundings. ''There''s no doubt about it. This is definitely the ce. Not only is the mana in the atmosphere chaotic, but there are also faint signs of a sh. It''s just that thisyout feels too unnatural. It''s almost like this specific part of the forest was man-made.'' When Izroth examined the trees in the area, he realized they were positioned differentlypared to the rest of the trees within the naturally flowingyout of the Nightfall des. Additionally, Izroth discovered traces of something that, to his knowledge, should not have been present in the Nightfall des. ''If I''m not mistaken, this should be the work of Nature Magic. And from the looks of it, one of extraordinary quality.'' Nature Magic was a rare magic used by members of the trephasia race. Izroth had only seen it once before when it was used by the fifth princess Luxia to transport them to the entrance of the Secret Realm. If not for his previous experience and the use of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth would have never been able to discover that theyout of the surrounding trees had been altered. "Didn''t you say a battle took ce here? Instead of the aftermath of a conflict, it looks like a perfect ce to have a pic." Ranazeramented as she studied the surroundings. "It seems something rather interesting urred here long before we arrived," Izroth replied casually. "Hm... No matter how much I look around, I don''t see it. Care to share your mysterious findings?" Ranazera inquired. "There''s something I want to check first. Wait here a moment." Izroth said. "What do you-" Before Ranazera could reply, Izroth soared high into the air. "He''s also capable of flight?" Ranazera said in a tone of disbelief as her gaze traveled toward the sky. Izroth used the Sky Steps ability attached to his armor to take to the skies. Of course, this was not a true flying-type skill. Rather, it was closer to a movement skill that allowed one to "step" on air as if it were a solid surface. Regardless, it was more than enough for Izroth to maneuver through the sky for a while. When he reached the forty-meter limit of Sky Steps, Izroth came to a halt as he observed theyout of the Nightfall des. And it did not take him long to make an intriguing discovery. ''I see. So, that''s how it is. If it''s of this scale, then... Does she n on burying all of the Pzenium forces in the Nightfall des?'' After confirming his initial thoughts, Izroth descended from the skies and arrived back on the ground. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Ranazera asked curiously. "You could say that. For now, we''ll keep moving. Our destination shouldn''t be much further off." Izroth stated as he wasted no time resuming the journey onward through the Nightfall des. "Hey, you still haven''t told me what you were looking for around here!" Ranazera said as she hastily moved to catch up to Izroth. "Before that, tell me, if you were faced with an enemy of greater number and you could not use might to ovee them, what would you do?" Izroth questioned. "If it''s an enemy that can''t be defeated using power, then the obvious answer is to use one''s wits. But even brilliant tactics have their limits in the face of an overwhelming advantage of strength." Ranazera answered. "As expected of someone who has seen the battlefield. Your answer is not bad. Then, what would happen if the limit of tactics is reached? What would be your next move?" "Hm..." Ranazera took a moment to ponder Izroth''s question. She then replied, "If might or tactics are no good, then the best choice would presumably be to retreat. Otherwise, even if you manage to hold out long enough, ultimately, it will be no different than watching one''s self slowly bleed to death." "And if you''re unable to retreat?" "This..." Ranazera furrowed her brows with a thoughtful expression on her face. If one could not use might, tactics, or retreat, then the only thing left was for them to lie down and die. Of course, surrendering was also an option. However, there was no guarantee their enemy would show mercy. "I''m afraid I don''t have the answer." Ranazera sighed as she shook her head. "Don''t feel too dejected. The answer is actually rather simple. You just have to use their own might against them." Izroth revealed. "Use their own might against them? Is that not simply another form of tactics?" Ranazera inquired with a frown. A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face as he responded, "You''re correct." "You¡ªare you toying with me?" Ranazera scowled. First, he said tactics were useless and then suggested a tactic as the solution. What kind of logic was that? Chapter 990 A Brief Lesson, Halted Momentum! "Oftentimes, we already have the correct answers to a question. But, even if we have those answers, at times, we may look for another road to tread that leads down the same path. This is even more so for those who are already used to a certain way of thinking and viewing the world around them." Izroth stated. He then continued, "The path you will have to take to correct the course your Tempest kingdom is on will be filled with those who share your thoughts but harbor a different outlook on what defines it. You must learn to have faith in yourself and the choices you will inevitably have to make. I hope you remember this well." Izroth''s words caused the sixth princess to go silent as she entered into a state of deep thought. When Izroth saw Ranazera taking what he said seriously, he inwardly nodded in approval. Izroth decided to use this chance to teach Ranazera an important lesson that should serve her well in navigating through those she could and could not trust upon her return to Tempest. ''This n has its share of risks. There''s no guarantee that she will be able to change anything, and Tempest is doomed to walk toward its own destruction. But, even then, this is the best way I can think of that will have the greatest long-term effects. If Temepst cannot be separated from the shadahi, then the Mortal Realm will lose a kingdom of great strength. With the future the all-seeing goddess showed me, that cannot be allowed to happen.'' ording to what he witnessed, the shadahi clearly seeded in conquering the Mortal Realm and toppling the kingdoms, Tempest included. If there was a way to cut off Tempest from aiding the shadahi from the inside or even slow down their overall ns, Izroth felt that he had to give it a shot. And, right now, Ranazera was his best chance at doing that. ''I''ll prepare her as much as possible. As for how much she''s able to understand and implement--it will be up to her.'' ... Meanwhile... Seeing Menkar bravely charge at their enemies, the Pzenium warriors who encircled the main group decided to fall his lead as their fighting spirit soared. "Follow the great warrior! Annihte our enemies!" One of the Pzenium warriors cried out as he charged ahead. "Follow the great warrior!" "Crush them and gain your honor on the battlefield!" "We are Pzenium warriors! We know not of defeat!" "We know not of defeat!" Not long after Menkar personally took action, wave after wave of Pzenium warriors ran like mad beasts as everyone tried to be among the first to im the heads of their foes. Due to this, with every moment that passed, the encirclement around the main group began to copse onto them from every direction. "Protect the Captain! Don''t let that man through!" One of the 2nd Unit soldiers yelled as Menkar approached their position. This soldier had a bulky appearance and wore a set of heavy armor. It was a middle-aged man with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a few battle scars on their face. In the soldier''s hands was a thick war door-type shield that stood almost as tall as him. This person was one of the individuals entrusted with guarding the rear of the main group upon their retreat, Lieutenant Skatal. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st Squadron Lieutenant of the 2nd Division Skatal(Elite) NPC Level: 52 "Make way! I have no time to deal with you pests!" Menkar growled as he swung his battle axe outward in an arc at the group of soldiers that gathered to block his path. BANG! Skatal stood his guard and intercepted the blow with his shield. Phhtk! Upon receiving the blow head-on, the veins in Skatal''s arms could be seen bulging as some of them burst, and blood trickled down his arms. "What ridiculous strength...! The captain redirected a blow like this...?!" Skatal thought to himself as he was sent flying back several meters. Skatal was confident in his defensive abilities. Of course, he understood that he was no match for a great warrior like Menkar. But, at the very least, Skatal had hoped to slow him down long enough for his Captain and the rest of the main group to create some distance. "Lieutenant Ward!" One of the nearby soldiers called out as he rushed over to Skatal''s side, who had fallen just a few steps away from him. "Fool, don''te over here!" Skatal shouted. Almost instantly after those words left the Lieutenant''s mouth, a towering shadow cast itself over Skatal and the soldier who rushed to his aid. "Since you are courageous enough to receive a direct blow from me, I shall send you off with an honorable death on this battlefield at my hands!" Menkar said as the battle axe in his hands descended. In the blink of an eye, Menkar had arrived before Skatal without halting his momentum. Suddenly, a stream of light blue mes formed between Skatal and Menkar right as the great warrior''s battle axe descended and erupted forth. "Where did these mese from?" Skatal thought to himself as his eyes widened in shock. To Skatal''s surprise, he was still alive. But, even more shockingly, that terrifying great warrior''s attack was actually stopped by the blue mes that appeared out of nowhere! "These mes..." Menkar was just as taken aback as Skatal by the emergence of the blue mes. To Menkar''s knowledge, there should be no one on this current battlefield capable of stopping his blow without consequence. Woosh! The next moment, the blue mes swirled before they moved off in a certain direction. Menkar withdrew his battle axe and followed the trail of the blue mes with his eyes. The blue mes wrapped around the arm of a particr individual as though it was a serpent made of fire. "Lieutenant Skatal, it looks like you have your hands full. Mind if we step in to ease some of your burdens?" Niflheim stated as the blue mes returned to his side. "It''s still pretty difficult to control the way I''d like. That being said, I''ve gotten somewhat used to it. Still, I knew it was impressive, but to think it couldpletely negate the blocked damage. It was hard to tell its true strength in the face of that monster, but these mes are really something else." Niflheim thought to himself as he nced down at the blue mes around his arm. Despite its appearance, the blue mes were not a result of magic. The mes itself was actually a shield. It was the same shield Niflheim received after he sessfully used his Assimte skill on the Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis. While the power of the mes was certainly already impressive in Niflheim''s eyes, in front of someone like Tal''Nis, it was hard to get a solid grasp on its true capabilities. "Lieutenant Niflheim, you..." Skatal was dumbfounded by Niflheim''s actions. Skatal was prepared to throw his life away if necessary to slow Menkar down even a little bit; therefore, he was not expecting anyone toe to his aid. "Lieutenant Niflheim, I am grateful for your assistance, but you should retreat with the others. How could I have the courage to face your Captain if anything were to happen to you?" Skatal stated as he stood to his foot. Even if Niflheim could block one of Menkar''s blows, Skatal believed that it was still too reckless for a Lieutenant to face a great warrior head-on. Not to mention, Niflheim was not a part of the 2nd Division or even the 2nd Unit, for that matter. It did not feel right to shift responsibility to him and hand off such a heavy burden. Meanwhile, Menkar, who decided to momentarily stay his hand out of interest, thought his ears had stopped working properly. Lieutenant? What nonsense. How could some little Lieutenant be capable of blocking a blow from his battle axe so wlessly? "If you''re speaking like that, I''m afraid you don''t fully understand the kind of man our Captain is, Lieutenant. If we were to flee in the face of a little danger, how could we be worthy of following someone like our Captain?" Niflheim said with an air of confidence. Niflheim was not alone. Behind him were two other members of the 9th Division, Bellum and Champion. Bellum sighed, "I know I said I''d help you out when needed. But, aren''t you a little too good at finding trouble?" "Heh, what trouble? This guy sure had a good time talking big. I won''t be satisfied until I knock that arrogant look off his face!" Championmented with a grin. Chapter 991 A Surprising Emergence And Engage Niflheim kept his gaze locked onto Menkar, who seemed to have shifted his focus from Ward and Skatal over to him. Even though he sessfully blocked the great warrior''s attack, Niflheim knew that he could not afford to let his guard down. "The way rankings work in Pzenium is rtively different than the other kingdoms. But, if I had to make aparison, someone with the title of great warrior should fall somewhere between a Commander or General of the War Brigade. He has yet to disy his full strength, so I''m not sure where he falls. I''ll have to quickly ess his strength before the rest of the Pzenium forces reach this area." Niflheim thought to himself with a sharp look in his eyes. Unlike other kingdoms in the Mortal Realm, Pzenium did not have any official rankings, as the kingdom itself did not technically have an army. However, there were still ways to roughly determine the strength of an individual by whether or not they had a title. This was even more so for someone who was a part of the Sandstorm Walkers like Menkar. As a named great warrior, Menkar''s authority and strength were far ahead of the typical Sandstorm Walker. Upon hearing Niflheim''s response, Skatal released a long sigh of defeat as he struggled to his feet with the aid of the soldier who rushed over to his side. Although the Lieutenant had never personally met Izroth, from how highly Commander Aurie spoke of him, Skatal could guess the kind of Captain he was, as well as what those who followed him would be like. As a soldier, Skatal was willing to sacrifice everything to ensure the safety of Captain Ward and for the greater good. If he was prepared to go that far, how could he find fault with Niflheim''s words? After all, just as he understood the kind of man Captain Ward was, naturally, Niflheim would better know the kind of person his own Captain was. Not to mention, Skatal was well aware that he was no match for a great warrior like Menkar. Since Niflheim could block a blow from Menkar, at the very least, he had a higher chance of survival. "Then, Lieutenant Niflheim, members of the 9th Division¡ªI leave this task to you. I will pull back with the 1st Squadron and form a second line of defense at the rear. If it gets too dangerous, don''t be afraid to retreat. If ites to it, we of the 1st Squadron will take over and fulfill our duties until the end." Skatal stated in a thoughtful manner. "Should it reach that point, we''ll be counting on you, Lieutenant Skatal. For now, it''s best if you focus on recovering your strength." Niflheim responded. Skatal nodded before he shouted, "1st Squadron, we''re falling back and setting up a second defensive line at the rear! Do not let anyone through!" After Skatal gave out that order, a portion of the soldiers towards the main group''s rear swiftly reacted and started to prepare for the potential sh with the Pzenium warriors headed their way. The following moment, Skatal retreated along with the soldier at his side, as well as the rest of the 1st Squadron under hismand. "Are you done with your little chat?" Menkar''s voice sounded as the battle aura around the great warrior surged. "I have to say, I didn''t think you were the type to wait for us to finish. It makes me a little curious." Niflheim replied calmly as the blue mes around his arm became restless after Menkar unleashed his battle aura. "Since you blocked my attack just now, I don''t mind allowing you to live a little longer. In the end, what do a few more seconds of life count for?" Menkar said as he raised his battle axe above his head. He then continued, "Seeing as how that cowardly Captain of yours fled in the face of my axe and your fellow Lieutenant became worthless after a single strike, do you truly believe that you stand a chance against me?" "Captain Ward doesn''t have time to waste exchanging blows with someone like you. But, more importantly, I have to correct you on something¡ªhe is not my Captain. For that, you should count yourself rather fortunate. If my Captain were here in person, I''m afraid you wouldn''t be standing before us right now." Niflheim said as he unsheathed his sword. "How preposterous that you''ve chosen such absurd words to be thest you''ll ever speak," Menkar growled as the battle axe above his head fell down at a frightening speed and struck the earth before him! "Heavy Sand Graze!" The great warrior roared as the earth split open, and a wave of mana simr to his first attack rushed out at Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion! Niflheim stepped forward and said, "You two know the n. Our goal is only to stall him, not get caught up in an all-out battle. That being said, if there''s a chance to get rid of him for good, then-" Rmmmmble! Woosh! BANG! The blue mes from Niflheim''s shield surged and formed a protective barrier that intercepted Menkar''s wave of mana. As a result, the wave of mana was forcibly dispersed in several directions. "Of course, we''ll be taking it," Niflheim said as he brandished the sword in his hand. At the same time, arge grin appeared on Menkar''s face as the air around him changed. "So, it wasn''t just a coincidence that you blocked my strike. That makes you all the more worth ying on this battlefield!" Menkar bellowed. BANG! Without warning, Menkar released his grip on the battle axe stabbed into the ground, and stomped his foot on the earth. This action caused a series of intense tremors to spread throughout the surroundings. Simultaneously, Niflheim noticed something unusual taking ce beneath his feet. "The earth... It''s changing." Niflheim muttered to himself as he felt his feet sink slightly into the earth. In less than a breath of time, the earth within approximately fifty meters of Menkar was nowpletely covered in sand! "Sand Domain: Shifting Desert." Menkar dered as he picked up the battle axe he drove into the ground. "Domain? Is this what he was talking about? If so, this guy may be more troublesome than I envisioned." Niflheim thought to himself. Due to certain circumstances back when he was still with Blue Oasis, Niflheim was already aware of the existence of domains in RML. However, initially, his knowledge could only be considered shallow at best because of the limited information avable at the time. Fortunately, Niflheim learned more about domains from Izroth and knew that they were typically divided into two categories known as the Main Upper Eight Domains and the Lower Domains. There were also some extremely rare and powerful domains known as the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains. "If I remember correctly, something like the Sand Domain should fall under the Lower Domain category. Although we still can''t underestimate him, our luck isn''t bad." Niflheim contemted. "Get ready. We''re starting," Niflheim stated as he adjusted his stance. "Heh, I was hoping you''d say that," Championmented as he removed the greatsword from his back with an eager expression. "We should exercise some caution. I don''t know what these sands are, but they give me a bad feeling. I can''t sense the slightest trace of mana flowing through it." Bellum warned. "That''s not strange, considering it''s not the work of magic. I''ll exin everythingter. But, for now, just think of it as another skill we have to deal with. Champion, you''re up." Niflheim said as he nced over to his side. "Leave it to me," Champion responded as he moved to the front. Without wasting a second, in a sh, Champion raced ahead with a great burst of speed. He used the skill Unimpeded Rush to gain arge burst of movement speed as he attempted to close the distance between himself and Menkar. Needless to say, Niflheim understood after seeing Skatal being blown away so effortlessly that, in terms of physical strength, Menkar was well above them. But, as someone who was used to tanking boss monsters much stronger than him, Niflheim was not intimidated in the slightest. Menkar was taken aback by Champion''s boldness. Simultaneously, he was insulted that Niflheim was not the one charging at him. "It''s been a long time since someone dared to attack me head-on. Come, you shall be the first to experience death at my hands!" Menkar roared as he kicked off his back foot and sped forward on a direct collision course with Champion. Chapter 992 Dark Clouds "Even looking at this guy from far away, I already knew he was strong, but facing him like this¡ªwhat a ridiculous pressure he''s giving off." Champion thought to himself as he felt cold sweats run down his back the closer he got to Menkar. "Still,pared to enduring the pressure that our Captain gave off during the entry test, this much... Is nothing at all!" Champion yelled as he pushed down his instinct to retreat and continued to charge ahead. It did not take long for Champion and Menkar to arrive within melee range of one another. But, surprisingly, Champion was the first to make his move. Champion disregarded all defense as he swept outward with the greatsword in his hands. "Narrow Impact!" Champion cried out as a dense concentration of mana instantly gathered around his greatsword. In the blink of an eye, the Champion''s greatsword seemed to shrink in size until the edge of its de became thinner than the point of a needle. Narrow Impact was an attack-type skill unique to Champion''s ss, Wayward diator. It momentarily lowered Champion''s defense stat and increased his attack while focusing everything to a single point at the edge of his greatsword. Woosh! Menkar halted his momentum and leaned back just enough for Champion to narrowly miss his attack. In addition, Champion could not stop his de mid-swing in the middle of his attack. This, paired with hisplete disregard for defending, left Champion in an incredibly vulnerable state. Menkar did not miss this opportunity as he raised his battle axe and, in one smooth motion, swung downward at the defenseless Champion with a terrifying force. "Damn, he actually dodged?!" Champion silently contemted as he was taken aback by Menkar''s actions. Champion was not surprised by the fact that Menkar was able to avoid his strike. It was just that with his towering stature, haughty attitude, and obvious advantage in terms of strength, Champion believed that Menkar was the type of person to meet his attack head-on. Instead, the great warrior decided to evade the strike and immediately set up a counterattack in the process. Champion inwardly sighed, "It''s a little disappointing. But, with this..." ¡´Battle Alert: Champion is being targeted by ?(Sandstorm Walker Great Warrior)Menkar?.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: Champion''s passive skill ?Meadow of the Wayward? has been activated!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: ?(Sandstorm Walker Great Warrior)Menkar? has been affected by Champion''s passive skill ?Meadow of the Wayward?!¡µ "I guess I''ll just have to leave the rest up to him," Champion said to himself as Menkar''s battle axe arrived at his face. Zeeeeut! All of a sudden, Champion vanished in front of Menkar as a tide of blue mes burst forth from where he previously stood. Boom..! The sound of a soft explosion could be heard as the sand within five meters of Menkar jumped from the ground as a result of the impact before raining down. Menkar narrowed his eyes as he observed the blue mes that held back his battle axe not once but twice. "That attack wasn''t part of the n. I guess he couldn''t help himself. Nheless, you carried out your task well, Champion." Niflheim said as he now stood face to face with Menkar. "Hmph, I suppose you aren''t just a lucky coward, after all," Menkarmented as his muscles bulged. The next moment, Niflheim''s feet sunk slightly further into the sand. Niflheim maintained an unwavering expression as he endured the sudden increase of force pressed down upon him. "I''m d I haven''t disappointed you," Niflheim stated with a sharp gaze. So far, everything was going just as Niflheim envisioned. At his current level, naturally, Champion was no match for someone like Menkar. Under normal circumstances, sending him charging head-in first was no different than sentencing Champion to certain death. Of course, Niflheim never intended to let it reach that point. Just now, when Menkar attacked Champion, Niflheim utilized a high-ranked skill called Safeguard Exchange. This let Niflheim swap positions with any ally who was under attack in his field of vision as long as they were within a certain range of him. It also automatically blocked the iing attack and gave Niflheim a temporary buff to his defenses. As for why Niflheim sent Champion in first, it was so that his passive skill, Meadow of the Wayward, would be activated. This would impair Menkar''s ability to correctly judge distances and make it increasingly difficult for the great warrior to disy coordinated movements as the battle progressed. Since taunt-type skills did not work on NPCs in the same way as monsters, Niflheim understood that if he were to engage Menkar, it would be tricky to get the great warrior to shift his focus to Champion without taking some risks. By doing things this way, Niflheim was not only able to bring Menkar under the effects of Meadow of the Wayward but also ensure that he was the main priority of the great warrior''s blows. "Compared to that woman, these blows feel as light as a feather." Niflheim thought to himself as he was reminded of his battle with Tal''Nis. Suddenly, Menkar released a chilling breath as an icy frost formed upon his exhale. "Hm? What is this?" Menkar said to himself as he nced down at his hands. Without warning, the temperature in the atmosphere dropped several degrees. Simultaneously, Menkar saw that his hands were slowly being engulfed in frost, along with various parts of his arms, legs, and face. However, Niflheim seemed to bepletely unaffected by the drop in temperature. Though this was to be expected, seeing as how it was the doing of one of his own allies. Bellum, "For some reason, I''m unable to directly manipte the sand in the vicinity. It limits my ability, but I still have a few tricks left up my sleeves." Bellummunicated over voice chat while she maintained a safe distance. Niflheim, "It can''t be helped. Just do what you can, and I''ll try to handle the rest on my end." Niflheim did not know exactly how Bellum''s skills worked; however, he knew that it needed a proper catalyst to disy its full potential. "Does it have to do with the sand being a part of his Domain? Speaking of which, it''s strange. There haven''t been any noticeable changes since he used his Domain besides the appearance of the sand itself. Is there another secret behind it?" Niflheim contemted. "Ha!" Menkar unleashed a mighty cry as the frost on his face shattered and dispersed. However, it appeared that the great warrior was not able topletely get rid of all the frost that formed on other parts of his body. Since Bellum could not manipte the sand, she changed the air itself around Menkar, which caused the drop in temperature, as well as the appearance of the frost. Unfortunately, it was not easy for Bellum to constantly manipte air due to its physical intangible statepared to more solid forms of matter, which is why she did not typically resort to it. "Worthless tricks," Menkar growled as the sand beneath his feet began to grow restless and shift about. "?!" When the sand under Niflheim''s feet moved, he was thrown off bnce. Niflheim managed to quickly regain his footing. But, in that split moment, Menkar struck out with his battle axe. This blow was different from the others that came before it. There was no mana contained within it; however, the overwhelming power it gave off was obviously many times higher than Menkar''s previous attacks. This did not go unnoticed by Niflheim. BANG! Niflheim''s foot slid back as he blocked as the blue mes intercepted the Menkar''s battle axe. However, this time, the blue mes trembled as Niflheim lost nearly 15% of his HP despite his sessful block. "What''s going on? There''s no energy or mana behind it, yet it''s clear that his power suddenly spiked." Niflheim thought to himself. Right when the sands started to shift around, Menkar''s power exploded to a new level. Niflheim did not think it was just a simple coincidence. He figured that, somehow, the two were rted. "You''re enduring well. But how long can you persist? Try not to die too fast." Menkar said with a frighteningly enthusiastic grin. p! "Hm?" Menkar''s gaze moved off to the distance on the east side of the encirclement. The sound of a thunderp rang from the distance. And not long after, out of nowhere, a swirling vortex of dark clouds appeared in the sky above the battlefield. This was swiftly followed by yet another loud thundering boom as a second swirling vortex of dark clouds appeared in the sky over the south side of the encirclement. Chapter 993 Chaos Ensues Right as the two dark clouds emerged, the first wave of Pzenium warriors reached the main group, causing an intense sh to break out between both sides. Since the main group was retreating toward the east, that direction became the first area to be closed off by the Pzenium warriors. As for the other directions, they were still quite a bit away from reaching the main group. But, at the current rate, it looked as though it would not take long for the main group to be left at theplete mercy of the Pzenium forces. "Fall, cowards of the battlefield!" One of the Pzenium warriors roared as theyshed out with a scimitar at one of the nearby 2nd Unit troops. Bang! The soldier from the main group narrowly avoided the strike. But, instead ofunching a counterattack, the soldier continued to run forward through the wave of Pzenium warriors. "How dare you turn your back on me!" The Pzenium warrior angrily yelled as they turned about to chase after the 2nd Unit soldier in a fit of rage. This was not a unique situation. Surprisingly, a simr scene was unfolding all throughout the battlefield. Rather than confronting the Pzenium warriors, the soldiers from the main group avoided getting locked in a battle and focused all their energy on dodging and running. Naturally, this served to further enrage the Pzenium warriors, who already viewed them as cowards for their hit-and-run tactics. For many of the Pzenium warriors, it was their first time fighting such an enemy that held no shame or honor in their choice of tactics. "Fight us!" "Why are you running?!" "Don''t let them escape! Cut them all down- Hey, get out of my way!" "Bastard, my enemy is getting away! You''re the one in the way!" "Say that again, and you''ll be at the end of my de!" "Ha?! You think I''m afraid of you?! Try me!" Due to the Pzenium warriors turning around to chase after the opponents who escaped past them, many of them bumped into each other and had a rough time maintaining a certain level of order. This led to several arguments erupting¡ªsome of which even led directly to a fight between Pzenium warriors. As the chaos among the Pzenium forces seemed to be growing with every passing moment, the main group had yet to lose a single troop as they skillfully moved against the current of Pzenium warriors. "What the hell are those fools doing?!" Menkar growled as he witnessed the chaotic scene from a distance. The great warrior wanted nothing more than to go over there and personally bring order to things; however, he was currently dealing with a headache much bigger than he ever anticipated. Swoosh! Phhhtk! Niflheim''s sword grazed against Menkar''s right arm, leaving a shallow cut. Even though he did not suffer much damage from the attack, Menkar was growing increasingly frustrated. That''s because every time he attacked, he always seemed to narrowly miss his mark. To make matters even worse, when Menkar thought he sessfully evaded a strike, he was somehow still hit. Was it poison? Or, perhaps, magic? Maybe it was the work of a curse? These were the thoughts flowing through Menkar''s mind. While he did not know the exact cause, the great warrior understood that something suspicious and unusual was going on. Meanwhile, Niflheim carefully observed Menkar''s actions along with the change in his behavior and movements. "It''s starting to work. His attack patterns and movements are bing more erratic. That being said, it''s still a bit troublesome tond any solid blows, thanks to this sand." Niflheim thought to himself. Despite Champion''s passive Meadow of the Wayward, Niflheim had little sess innding vital blows against Menkar. Even just now, his attack was supposed to be aimed at the great warrior''s neck, not his right arm. But, Menkar''s control over the shifting sand made maintaining one''s bnce challenging. Niflheim had grown somewhat ustomed to it; however, Menkar''s battle experience was on full disy as he minimized risky positions and capitalized on opportunities. As for the chaos in the distance, Niflheim was not too shocked by Menkar''s outrage. For one, Pzenium warriors had no truemand structure among themselves outside of listening to the strongest one present. However, if there were no one around to give out immediate orders, they would end up doing whatever they pleased. It also greatly helped that the main group was made up of elites from the 2nd Unit who all excelled in agility. This was why despite the Pzenium forces'' best efforts and obvious number advantage, they had such a difficult time catching them. However, what outsiders would not know is that those with the highest agility among the 2nd Unit were those of the 2nd Division under Captain Ward. And they ounted for more than 20% of the main group''s numbers. It was due to the members of the 2nd Division leading the way that the number of causalities among the main group was virtually nonexistent. After all, they were skillful in drawing attention to themselves before fleeing. This is why even though Ward was a coward by nature, Aurie appointed them as a Captain under hermand. In the eyes of most, having a cowardly soldier under them was seen as a great deal of shame. However, to Aurie, one of the most important things she instilled in her troops was to survive on the battlefield at all costs. It was because of Ward''s training that the 2nd Division members were so skilled at running away after drawing enemies in. Ward''s actions may be looked down on by other War Brigade Units; however, if you asked the soldiers who served under him what they thought, none of them would speak ill of him. That''s because when it came to survival rate of one''s troops, there was none better than that of the 2nd Division under Captain Ward''smand. BANG! Out of nowhere, Menkar mmed his battle axe into the ground in front of him. This caused a small tidal wave of sand to form and rush over toward Niflheim''s direction. Niflheim reacted swiftly as he kicked off his back foot while simultaneously using the Rush to gain a small burst of movement speed. At the same time, Niflheim nced over at the dark clouds in the sky. "Those clouds... Can it be?" Niflheim said to himself. ... Somewhere on the east side of the battlefield... "Die, demon!" A Pzenium warrior cried out as they thrust their spear forward with all their might. Before the Pzenium warrior''s spear could reach its target, they were effortlessly split in half by a purple streak of light. "For those who block my lord''s path, only one fate awaits¡ªdeath," Sagarus stated as he stepped over the dissipating body of the Pzenium warrior he had just cut down. Not far off from Sagarus and shing with the Pzenium warriors in small units of three or more were a total of 26 lightning soldiers. At the moment, the Pzenium warriors were being overwhelmed by lightning soldiers who seemed to have emerged out of thin air at their backs. Although their numbers were not that great, the Pzenium warriors at the rear still struggled to hold up against the lightning soldiers'' individual might. That, paired with their wlessly organized teamwork, the Pzenium warriors felt as if they were battling against a group of mentally linked warriors. However, while the lightning soldiers and Sagarus were certainly great threats, they could notpare to the monster wreaking havoc. What made this monster frightening was that their movements could not be followed with the eye alone, and in every ce, their flickering figure emerged; several Pzenium warriors perished as a burst of purple lightning exploded from their bodies. "Where did these monsterse from?!" One of the Pzenium warriors scowled. "Who cares? We have to stop them before the encirclement is fully breached!" "Look at their numbers! Losing here would be a disgrace! We must eliminate them before- Gah!" One of the Pzenium warriors was abruptly cut down as a flickering silhouette with purple eyes of flowing lightning appeared next to them beforeing to a halt. "That''s no monster! How dare you try to fool us!" One of the Pzenium warriors shouted before angrilyshing out. ''It''s a lot more chaotic on this side than I imagined.'' Izroth''s Flickering Steps came to an end as the purple lightning in his eyes vanished. ''My First State: Heavenly Descent and Flickering Steps are both on cooldown now. But, with this much, it should be enough to draw some attention away from the main group.'' Chapter 994 Great Lightning Rally, A Descending Palm "You''ll pay for your arrogance!" One of the Pzenium warriors yelled as they rushed toward Izroth with a pair of swords in their hands. After he witnessed the purple lightning that originated from Izroth, it did not take long for the warrior to make the connection between Izroth and the "lightning demons". In his eyes, Izroth was a magic caster who controlled the lightning demons attacking their forces. Therefore, as long as he was eliminated, those demons should disappear along with him. The Pzenium warrior was uncertain how Izroth was able to move so fast. But, for whatever reason, it seemed that his speed had diminished. This was an opportunity the Pzenium warrior would not pass by. It wasmon knowledge that magic casters had poor closebat abilities. That''s why he believed that as long as he closed the distance before Izroth could make another move, it would spell his doom. "Fall!" The Pzenium warrior unleashed a battle cry as he reached within striking range of Izroth and shed out with his two swords. In the middle of his attack, the Pzenium warrior saw the world in front of his eyes split into two parts as he lost control over his movements. At first, he thought it was just another form of magic. However, the Pzenium warrior felt his life rapidly fade away. In the blink of an eye, he had been cleanly cleaved in half! Sagarus stood before Izroth with a ck and purple lightning sword in his hand that he had just used to cut the Pzenium warrior in two. "Attacking my lord in my presence¡ªhow impertinent," Sagarus said as he raised his sword into the sky. He then dered, "Hear me, o'' soldiers of the Great Lightning Army! ughter all those who dare to obstruct our lord''s path!" Upon making his deration, as if obtaining a second wind of power, the lightning soldiers seemed to be increasingly fierce in their actions as they cut through the Pzenium warriors at their position. ¡´Battle Alert: ?Storm Commander Sagarus? has used the skill ?Great Lightning Rally?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: All ?Lightning Soldiers? are empowered by 15% for the next 10 minutes. This bonus is increased by an additional 3% for every ?Lightning Soldier? in the immediate vicinity of another ?Lightning Soldier?. This effect can stack.¡µ ''Oh? I managed to catch a good glimpse of it back in the Secret Realm, but at the time, I still wasn''t sure whether or not it was something consistent. However, with this, there''s no mistaking it.'' Izroth discovered that not only could Sagarus use some of the skills attached to his Sword of the Storm, but he was also capable of invoking skills that were not a part of the sword itself. For example, the Great Lightning Rally was not one of the skills Izroth''s Sword of the Storm possessed. This meant that there was still a deeperyer of secrets contained within the Sword of the Storm. However, Izroth was unsure if this was brought about by the Enati''s reforging or if the secrets were always there but simply hidden from his eyes. There was also the chance that it was the result of both. Whatever the case, it only served to benefit him. "I understand your desire to help your allies, but this is too reckless. There are thousands of Pzenium warriors here. Going any deeper than this will be dangerous." A voice sounded as a fully cloaked figure stepped next to Izroth. Their appearance was well hidden, but the sound of their voice gave away their identity as the sixth princess of Tempest, Ranazera. "You can rx. Once we seed in creating a path for the main group to escape, we will immediately fall back." Izroth stated in a carefree manner. ''It shouldn''t be long now until thest few piecese together. Interfering any more than this won''t make much of a difference. Besides, that person is also here.'' Sagarus led the lightning soldiers onward to break open a path for the main group. The lightning soldiers already had the upper hand due to their individual prowess and wless teamwork. However, with the addition of the Great Lightning Rally cast by Sagarus, their battle power reached an entirely new dimension. The average level of the Pzenium warriors on the battlefield was somewhere between the high thirties to mid-forties. Their overall strength was not considered weak by any meanspared to the average troop power of most armies. But, even with their great numerical advantage, they could not halt the momentum of the Great Lightning Army led by Sagarus. To make matters more difficult, a good portion of the Pzenium forces to the east and south sides of the battlefield had been thrown into chaos because of the Great Storm skill used by Izroth and Sagarus. With a seemingly endless torrent of wind des raining down, the lightning army pushing forth, ack of propermand structure, and the main group''s agile nature¡ªthe Pzenium forces found themselves quickly crumbling. Not to mention, Menkar was still locked in a battle against Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion. ... "If things continue on this path, the encirclement will fully copse! I must end this battle!" Menkar thought to himself as the aura around him exploded. Niflheim retreated a few steps back as he nced over at the waning blue mes coiled around his right arm. "The mes are beginning to lose their vigor and are bing more difficult to keep stable. They held up a lot better than I anticipated. It''s a shame I''m stillcking the strength to disy its full potential." Niflheim inwardly sighed before his gaze returned to Menkar. Bellum, "We should withdraw. It''s unfortunate, but we do not have the attack power to deal with this guy in a short period of time. Their forces are also closing in from the south and north. If we continue to stay here, we''ll end up beingpletely isted and cut off from the main group." Niflheim was a tank, so his damage output was not that highpared to others at his level. Champion''s damage was above average; however, due to the level disparity between him and Menkar, he was unable to disy his full strength. As for Bellum, while her damage output was decent, her ss was more utility based than anything. Of course, Niflheim knew that Bellum''s suggestion was correct. There were two reasons he did not bring along any heavy damage dealers to face Menkar. First, his goal was never to defeat the great warrior but to stall Menkar long enough for the main group to create some distance. And secondly, besides Menerva, there was no one present in the 9th Division with a great enough damage output to threaten someone like Menkar. Needless to say, Menerva tagging along was out of the question. Her ss focused on sniping targets from a long distance. She would be a sitting duck on this battlefield. Plus, given the dangerous position they were in, Niflheim understood that there was no way both he and Menerva could be absent from the 9th Division. "She''s right. This much should be enough." Niflheim thought to himself as he released a heavy sigh. Defeating a great warrior here would not just ease the burden on the 9th Division, but it would also provide a good deal of contribution points. However, Niflheim knew that there were more important matters to consider. Niflheim, "You''re right. We''ve done all we can here. Get ready to retreat on my signal." Niflheim knew that a Pzenium warrior of Menkar''s caliber would never retreat from a battle. Even with the declining state of the Pzenium forces, Menkar did not show any intention of backing down to go to their aid. However, if they retreated, given the dire situation unfolding in the distance, Niflheim believed there was a good chance that the great warrior would not try too hard to stop them. After all, if Menkar truly were that stubborn, he would have ignored everything and continued to chase the fleeing Captain Ward. "Now-" "Grand Magic: Pacifying Palm." Just as Niflheim was about to give the order to retreat, a voice sounded that caused him to fall silent midway. However, it was not the words themselves that brought about his silence but the scene that followed. Out of nowhere, a giant palm made of mana rapidly descended from several meters in the sky above Menkar. "Wha-" ...BOOM! Rmmmmmmble! The palm of mana crashed mercilessly into the great warrior and blew away arge portion of the sand at the center of its impact point. Chapter 995 Not Against It, Untypical Circumstances ... On the east side of the battlefield, the number of Pzenium warriors was rapidly dwindling under the vicious assault of Izroth and the lightning soldiers. Every time a new group of enemies attempted to block their path, they were mercilessly cut down. It got to the point where even the Pzenium warriors, who were well known for their fearless approach to battle, began to show some signs of hesitation. While it was an honor to perish on the battlefield at the hands of a strong enemy, this enemy was different. If their death were at the hands of another warrior, they would dly face their fate. However, what honor awaited them after dying at the hands of some lifeless lightning demons? Did such a death even hold any meaning? It was thoughts like this that caused some of the Pzenium warriors to waver when choosing whether or not to confront Izroth and the lightning soldiers. Ultimately, this led to many of the Pzenium warriors opting to focus on those retreating from the main group. In this way, even if they avoided Izroth''s group, it could not be seen as them fleeing from a battle. Of course, while this choice saved them from a potentially swift death, it still greatly damaged the pride of numerous Pzenium warriors. Naturally, this shift in behavior by the Pzenium warriors did not escape Izroth''s gaze. ''They''ve started to avoid confronting us head-on. I thought all Pzenium warriors held no fear of death. But, I suppose even they value their life to a certain degree. We were able to pull away some of the pressure on the main group, but with their actions now, the focus will fall back onto them. Are they still not going to make their move?'' Izroth''s gaze pierced into the distance beyond their current battlefield. "Sagarus, take the lightning soldiers and help reduce the pressure in the most dangerous areas where the enemy forces are concentrated. Your priority is to aid in the retreat of our allied forces." Izroth stated. "Yourmand has been received, my lord!" Sagarus responded as he broke off from Izroth along with the other lightning soldiers and headed deep into the ranks of the Pzenium forces. Woosh! Out of nowhere, a sharp object zipped past the front of Izroth''s neck! Right before the object could hit its mark, Izroth slightly tilted his head back and managed to evade it narrowly. However, despite sessfully avoiding it, a small shallow cut appeared on his neck. ''Oh? If I had reacted just a stepter there, I would not have gotten off with such a light wound. To be able to prate through my defenses and not trigger my Soul Sense¡ªit seems I''ve caught the eye of someone with a bit of skill.'' Thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat, Izroth could not be damaged by skills or attacks that did not reach a certain threshold. Therefore, the fact that it could damage him even after he dodged meant that the power behind that attack just now was equivalent to at least an A-ranked skill. However, seeing as how it was also able to elude the detection of his Soul Sense, Izroth believed it to be, at minimum, somethingparable to an S-ranked skill. The next moment, Izroth halted his steps. This caused Ranazera, who was only a few steps behind him, to also pause her movement. "Why did we stop?" Ranazera questioned. The sixth princess waspletely unaware of the fact that Izroth had just been attacked. Though this was not surprising since even Izroth himself did not perceive the attack until it was within a dangerously close range. "It would appear that an unexpected guest hase to greet us," Izroth said calmly. ''What are they doing in this ce?'' "As I thought, subduing you will prove to be a rather problematic task. Fortunately, I came prepared this time." A voice sounded as a cloaked figure emerged a few meters in front of Izroth. "It''s you...!" Ranazera scowled when she saw the person who appeared before them. Although their appearance was well hidden by the cloak, Ranazera remembered their voice clearly. That''s because they were the leader of the group behind the ambush that urred at the border of Duke Sorkoza''s territory. More importantly, they almost imed her life with their sneak attack when her power was still sealed! "Good, you saved me the trouble of finding you myself! I will repay the debt owed for the previous attempt on my life!" Ranazera said coldly as her twin swords materialized in her hands. Just as Ranazera stepped forward, Izroth held his arm out in front of the sixth princess. "Why are you stopping me? This person has to pay for their actions." Ranazera said with a darkened expression. "A wise choice. Little princess, if you value your life, do not interfere. Last time, you were merely a means to an end¡ªnot our primary goal. As long as you do not needlessly intrude, you may even be able to return to your Tempest kingdom in one piece." The cloaked figure stated. "You-!" A means to an end? Hearing her life being treated so casually by a stranger caused a new wave of anger to wash over Ranazera. But before she could voice her displeasure, Izroth spoke up. "I''m curious. There are many people who wish for my death; however, there are not many people I can think of that want to capture me alive. I do not believe there exist any personal grievances between us. So, tell me, who are you working for? If it''s just a face-to-face meeting they want, then depending on your answer, it''s not as if I''ll necessarily reject tagging along with you." Izroth stated. "Wha- Are you crazy?! Are you really thinking about going with someone so suspicious?!" Ranazera frowned. "This..." The cloaked figure seemed to bepletely thrown off by Izroth''s words. "Indeed, the goal is to capture and bring him back alive, but... Would he really be willing toe with us of his own free will...? Or is it some kind of trap to get me to let my guard down?" The cloaked figure thought to themselves. The intel they received about their target mentioned that he was upromising and extremely arrogant. The best method when dealing with those types was through force. However, if they truly were willing to follow of their own ord, then would that not be most idle? ''Seeing as how they requested I be captured alive, it must mean they want something from me. Either that or they want the satisfaction of dealing with me using their own two hands. Regardless, considering their aggressive approach, it''s definitely someone I''m not on the best of terms with. That being said, since they want to meet me so badly, I''ll grant them their wish. I just hope they can deal with the aftermath of their desires. Besides, I''m more curious about something else.'' Needless to say, Izroth was the type to entertain those who pointed their de at him. Under normal circumstances, he would have never wasted words on the person before him. However, if his suspicions were correct, then these circumstances were anything but typical. "Of course, going with you right this moment won''t be possible. As you can see, I''m in the middle of something rather important that I cannot half-heartedly abandon. Once I finish taking care of things here, then we can have a proper conversation. Is this not the best case for the both of us?" Izroth said in a straightforward manner. "...How do I know your words can be trusted?" The cloaked figure questioned with a hint of distrust carried in their tone. "Because I''m sure we want the same thing. But, if my words alone are not enough, perhaps this will help to somewhat ease your mind." The moment Izroth finished speaking, an intense wave of blue mes exploded forth from his body before epassing him in a protective veil. "T-That''s...!" The cloaked figure''s whole body trembled as their shock could not be hidden at the emergence of the mes. In the presence of those blue mes, the cloaked figure felt an uncontroble urge to kneel and pay their respects. ''It feels like a bit of a waste to use it this way. But this is the quickest way to handle this matter.'' "H-how... How is it possible that this is here...?" The cloaked figure muttered as they removed their hood, revealing an expression of disbelief. Chapter 996 A Temporary Withdraw When the person removed their hood, a long flow of dark green mes appeared, along with a pair of emerald eyes that resembled a sea of burning mes. The moment that individual lowered their hood, Izroth was finally able to get a nce at their system information. However, even without the system, Izroth could tell that his suspicions were correct by their appearance alone. ''I had a feeling they were rted, but... To think my luck would be this good. I''m almost somewhat tempted to thank the person who sent them right to my doorstep.'' NPC Name: Head of the Seventh Demon n, Tal''Yah(???) NPC Level: ??? Back when he was ambushed at the border of Duke Sorkoza''s territory, Izroth sensed a familiar aura from the dark green mes used to eliminate one of the assants. It vaguely reminded him of the mes used by the Lady of the Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis. However, despite their simrities, there were too many noticeable differences between the two mes, which is why Izroth could only specte. Before he could confirm his suspicionsst time, Tal''Yah had already left the scene. But, Izroth knew that as long as they were after him, their paths would inevitably cross again. This is why he did not attempt to stop their escape. It was also why he was in no rush to cut down Tal''Yah after she attacked him just now. Although it would have been a misunderstanding, if he ended up killing the current head of the Seventh Demon n, Izroth would automatically fail his quest and be their eternal enemy. Not to mention, he would undoubtedly lose the blessing he received from Tal''Nis along with the chance to acquire one of the Seven mes of Tal. Fortunately, Tal''Yah did not appear to be the stubborn type. That being said, it was not as though she had zero apprehensions. Izroth could still sense some lingering distrust Tal''Yah held alongside her astonishment; however, at the very least, she did not choose topletely dismiss his words. This was no doubt due to the fact that he disyed the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes. The power of the mes was nowhere close to what the fragment of Tal''Nis disyed during the crusade. But it was more than strong and pure enough for someone like Tal''Yah to realize its origins; or, at the very least, have a rough understanding of it. Of course, regardless of if she had some worries about whether or not he was deceiving her, Izroth understood that Tal''Yah could not dismiss what was before her eyes. In the end, even if it was only the smallest of chances of what she believed to be true, as the head of the Seventh Demon n, it was not something she casually ignore. Not long after Izroth used the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes, Tal''Yah''s expression became troubled. "If that me is truly what I believe it to be, then perhaps my Seventh Demon n has not beenpletely forsaken by our ancestors. But, if it turns out to be a form of deception and he uses the opportunity to escape... there will be nowhere left in the Mortal Realm for our Seventh Demon n to go." Tal''Yah contemted. Not even half a breath passed before Tal''Yah released a light sigh and pulled her hood back over her head. "I do not know just how much you understand about the mes in your possession; however, since you revealed it to me in this manner, it must mean that you are aware of its significance to my Seventh Demon n. For the time being, I will refrain from asking how you came into possession of those mes. I am also willing to stay my hand until you conclude your business on this battlefield. But, if it does turn out that this is just a trick, then even if I must use this life of mine as the price, I will make sure to repay the debt brought about by your false hope." Tal''Yah stated solemnly. The next moment, Tal''Yah became engulfed in dark green mes as her body started to vanish. "Until that timees, I shall be watching over you, Izroth." Tal''Yah''s voice sounded before slowly fading as the dark green mes dispersed, and she was no longer anywhere to be seen. ''I can''t sense her nearby with my Energy Vision Sense. To think that after the first encounter, she has already discovered a way to avoid my detection. Her temperament is also not too bad. The Lady of the Evesting Rain is quite fortunate to have such a descendant.'' "You''re just letting her go?" Ranazera frowned. The sixth princess did not understand what Izroth and Tal''Yah were talking about; however, it was obvious that the two had some indirect history between them. Or, to be more precise, it seemed that he had something she wanted that made her agree to withdraw temporarily. "It''s not a matter that concerns you. I also advise you to give up on any useless thoughts of revenge. If you wish to chase old debts, then I will be forced to settle the one I owe you for attacking the members of my 9th Division." Izroth responded with a meaningful look in his eyes. Ranazera furrowed her brows. She then released a helpless sigh as she closed her eyes and said, "Forget it. I''ll let it go. I''ll just consider it as me giving you some face." "So be it," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Izroth knew it was not easy for someone like Ranazera to let go of things, especially when an attempt was made on her life. As a princess of Tempest, she had her own pride. If she needed to see it as giving him some face in order to drop it, then Izroth did not mind. Izroth looked down at his palm. The protective aura from the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes still had plenty of time remaining until it ran out. One of the quest tasks was to give the Seventh Origin mes Ne to the current head of the Seventh Demon n; however, Izroth chose to hold off on handing it over to Tal''Yah. It was not that he nned on keeping to himself. Instead, he had another idea in mind. Initially, the quest mentioned that he had to go to the underground chambers within the Holy O''Tohelm Sanctum to discover clues regarding the whereabouts of the Seventh Demon''s n''s hidden abode. After doing so, Izroth would then have to locate the actual Seventh Demon n''s hidden abode. It was supposed to be at that point he handed over the Seventh Origin mes Ne to Tal''Yah and proceeded to the final part of the quest. However, now that Izroth had met Tal''Yah before his trip to the Holy O''Tohelm Sanctum, couldn''t he just get the location of the Seventh Demon n''s hidden abode directly from her? If so, he had just jumped from a 0% to a 75%pletion rate for the quest in one leap. Now, all he really had left to do was to assist the Seventh Demon n in re-establishing their connection to the Seven mes of Tal. In order to aplish that, Izroth believed that he would undoubtedly require Tal''Yah and the Seventh Demon n''s assistance. ''The matters concerning the Seventh Demon n will have to wait untilter. Right now, I have to focus on what''s before me. It''ll be a shame to let this protective aura go to waste. I should make the most of it.'' The Veil of the Seventh Origin mes active skill from the Seventh Origin mes Ne granted Izroth a protective aura thatsted for ten minutes and could absorb up to a total of 1,000,000 damage! How could let such a thing go to waste in the middle of a battlefield? "Sagarus," Izroth called out to seemingly no one. Bzzzzt! Crrrrckle! In a sh, a bolt of lightning struck down in front of Izroth. From that bolt of lightning, a figure emerged. This figure was none other than Sagarus. "You called, my lord?" Sagarus said as he kneeled. "Watch over her for a while. " Izroth stated calmly. "Leaving so suddenly--just what are you up to now?" Ranazera inquired curiously. "Someone has been looking this way for quite a while. I figured it''s only right I give them a proper greeting." Izroth said with a carefree smile as his gaze traveled into the distance towards the north part of the battlefield. Chapter 997 Erased, Return To The Top ... Meanwhile, somewhere on the north side of the battlefield... "Menkar, that battle-hungry fool... All he had to do was get them to ept the Battle of Rites. Instead, he went and made a mess of things." Gakhan said to himself with a cold gaze. Of course, Gakhan was not some kind-hearted person who wished to give his enemies a chance. The reason he suggested the Battle of Rites despite their obvious advantage was for no other reason than to draw out their truemander, who had yet to reveal themselves. As for the results of the Battle of Rites itself, in the end, it did not matter if they emerged victorious. While it was true that Pzenium warriors were bound by the Laws of the First Mercenary King, Gakhan knew that the same could not be said for their current enemies. "Well, this oue also isn''t bad. Since I instructed my personal troops to operate in the capacity of an observer, there should be no issue carrying out the task assigned to me by the Great Duke. Still, these enemies cannot be underestimated. The fact they can survive this long against the Sandstorm Walkers while being greatly outnumbered... It''s not a feat your typical War Brigade Unit is capable of pulling off." Suddenly, Gakhan''s gaze shifted to his side as he quickly lifted his right arm up to the side of his head. Phhhtk! A cut appeared on the side of Gakhan''s neck, causing his eyes to widen in shock. At the same time, another wound formed near his right shoulder that was much deeper than the one on his neck. "As I thought, my eyes did not betray me. You must be the one in charge of the Pzenium forces here." A voice sounded out from next to Gakhan. "How did they find me?" Gakhan thought to himself as his expression darkened. In the beginning, Gakhan revealed his presence in order to strike a hidden fear into his enemies. However, after that, he made sure to conceal his aura so that it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint his exact location. For him to be discovered out of the blue, naturally, Gakhan was taken aback. But, Gakhan''s surprise onlysted for a brief moment. Besides, this saved him some trouble. "I was just about to seek you out myself, yet you went and delivered yourself to me. I cannot help but wonder whether you are brave or ignorant. Regardless, you will have to pay dearly for your transgression, warrior of the War Brigade." Gakhan stated solemnly as the killing intent around him slowly started to leak out. Just now, if Gakhan had been half a step slower, that attack would have cut deep into his neck and instantly ce him into a disadvantageous situation. Fortunately, he was able to throw the attack off course at thest moment and redirect most of the damage to his right shoulder area. If not for this, the results would have been disastrous! "I''m afraid you''re mistaken. I''m not from the War Brigade. I am the Captain of the General Support Unit''s 9th Division, Izroth." Izroth replied calmly with a carefree expression as he immediately created some distance of a few steps between himself and Gakhan. ''Too shallow... To think he''d be able to react to my attack while I have Shadow Blending and Dark Ambush active. Is he someone who has already stepped into the legendary realm?'' The moment Izroth set his sights on Gakhan, once he arrived within a certain distance, he utilized abination of the Shadow Movement and Shadow Blending skills to navigate through the battlefieldpletely undetected. Since Shadow Movement granted him arge agility boost and allowed Izroth to fuse with his own shadow, it worked in perfect sync with Shadow Blending. This not only reduced his presence but also granted Izroth the stealth effect. On top of that, Izroth was wielding the Obsconis Hunting Dagger along with his Sword of the Storm. This was so that he could use the Dark Ambush skill attached to the weapon and further erase his presence. It reached the point that even those who excelled in detection skills would have trouble discovering his existence. Izroth''s n was to use this opportunity to immediatelynd a critical hit on Gakhan while they were caught off guard and finish him off cleanly in the process. However, to his surprise, Gakhan did not hesitate to sacrifice a part of his right shoulder and avoided the worst possible oue. "Izroth? That name... His appearance also matches." Gakhan thought to himself as he sized up Izroth. "What difference does it make? After all, your life will soon being to an end." Gakhan said indifferently. "Enemy attack! Protect the Controller!" One of the nearby Pzenium warriors cried out as they charged toward Izroth and Gakhan. "What?! How did an enemy get this close without us noticing?!" "How dare youunch a sneak attack! Do not dream of leaving this ce with your life!" "Kill him!" In the blink of an eye, Izroth was surrounded from all sides by more than fifty Pzenium warriors as they began to copse in on his position. "I''m afraid you''ll find that my life is not so easy to im," Izroth said nonchntly. The next moment, a powerful wave of sword intent infused with essence was released from Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. This sword intent expanded seventy meters outwards in every direction from Izroth''s location. And it was so potent that the Pzenium warriors closest to Izroth immediately disintegrated into thin air! "?!" Gakhan, who had just been a few steps away from Izroth, instinctively retreated in the face of that sword intent. Even though it was his first time seeing such a move, due to his abundance of battle experience, Gakhan could sense that it was something extremely dangerous. However, even after retreating more than thirty meters in a single move, the sword intent expanded too rapidly and caught up with Gakhan. When the sword intent made contact, Gakhan felt as though he was abruptly dropped into an endless abyss of darkness. Lurking inside that darkness was an unfathomable existence that all Pzenium warriors one day hoped to greet with open arms on the battlefield¡ªthe incarnate of death itself. Suddenly, Gakhan eyes widened as he felt cold sweats run down his back, and he snapped out of it. "Was that an illusion? It felt too real... I truly thought death had found me atst. This warrior¡ªhe is definitely the one that the Great Duke has been searching for. Is this the strength of the man who was said to have dominated the second-team selection? What terrifying talent." Gakhan thought to himself as he quickly gathered himself and controlled his breathing. Despite having escaped the illusion, Gakhan could still feel the life force in his body slipping away. Though, to call it an illusion was not entirely urate. What Gakhan saw was a manifestation of Izroth''s sword intent generated by his Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze. The stronger one''s attachment to life, the greater the effects inflicted upon them by the tenth sword form. Unknown to Gakhan, it was thanks to his detachment from life and eptance of his one-day inevitable death that he was still standing right now. Nevertheless, the damage inflicted by Izroth''s tenth sword form was not light by any means. But, more importantly, this allowed Gakhan to get a decent grasp on just who was dealing with and also understand why someone like Falcinean never returned from his mission. "After stepping into the initial stage of the legendary realm, I have never suffered to this extent on the battlefield. No matter what, this person must not be allowed to live. With the Great Duke''s temperament, he will not give up on avenging his son. But, at such a young age, this young man''s power has already reached such a level. It is only a matter of time before he surpasses the Great Duke. Under normal circumstances, it would pain me to do so, but... I must extinguish the me that is this young warrior." Gakhan thought to himself as his gaze locked onto Izroth. As for the other Pzenium warriors who surrounded Izroth, they were no longer anywhere to be found. In fact, besides Gakhan, there were no other Pzenium warriors within seventy meters of Izroth. But, it was not just those fifty warriors who vanished. Rather, in a sh, more than two thousand Pzenium warriors on the north side of the battlefield had disappeared without a trace! At the same time, Izroth received arge stream of system alerts. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Sandstorm Walker Warrior!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Sandstorm Walker Rogue!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Pzenium Warrior Kazmul!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Sandstorm Walker Warrior!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions... ... ¡´System Alert: Calcting rewards...¡µ ... ¡´System Alert: ...Calctingplete!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 1,062.50! [Total: 6,054.54]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your rank on the ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard? has changed from [2nd] -> [1st]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 6,554.54]¡µ Chapter 998 Ten Thousand Nesting Physique, Scarlet Sand Spiders ''Oh? It''s more than I expected. But, with this, I''ve finally managed to make up for the time I lost in the Ancient Celestial Realm.'' During the time he spent in the Secret Realm, there was no way for Izroth to gain any contribution points. As a result, he ended up being overtaken as number one on the event leaderboards. Of course, Izroth nned on eventually regaining his original spot on the event leaderboards through the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt. After all, there was bound to be an abundance of opportunities to gain contribution points there. But, it seemed he came across an early plentiful bounty thanks to the Pzenium forces. ''Perhaps I should have offered for the 9th Division to take care of this problem alone. It''s a waste to let such a good source of contribution points slip through my fingers.'' Needless to say, Izroth knew that if he had made such a suggestion at the representative meeting, the amount of opposition he faced would not have been light. There were already those against entrusting a newly made Division of the General Support Unit with eliminating the Tempest mages. If Izroth had tried to push for the 9th Division to handle the Pzenium forces alone as well, it would have been rejected outright. Izroth gazended on Gakhan. Despite having just witnessed the destruction of more than 2,000 Pzenium warriors, there was no fear in his eyes. In fact, the look he had was one that Izroth was no stranger to. It was one of resolve and determination. ''Even those at the initial stage of the legendary realm would find it difficult to survive the Life Closing Raze if their attachment to life is too strong. The fact that he is still standing means that he must havee to terms with his own death even after staring it directly in the face.'' "Allow me to ask you one thing before we battle. You said your name is Izroth, correct? Are you the same Izroth who won the second team''s selection?" Gakhan inquired. "That''s right," Izroth answered calmly without hesitation. At first, Izroth figured that it was Gakhan''s pride alone as a Pzenium warrior that brought forth the resolve and determination on his face. However, while that may have been one part of it, after Gakhan asked that question, Izroth started to quickly piece together a few things. He could not help but inwardly shake his head. Izroth''s interactions with those from the kingdom of Pzenium could be counted on one hand alone. While there was no doubt that his name may have spread after winning the second team''s selection, it was still not something the average Pzenium warrior would know about. Based on Gakhan''s reaction to his name and the expression on his face that said he was ready to risk it all if it meant taking him down, there was one person in particr from Pzenium that came to Izroth''s mind. ''The Great Duke... I see. So, that''s how it is. It''s no wonder the atmosphere around him changed so suddenly. What a waste.'' During the second team''s selection, Izroth eliminated one of the participants by the name of Anvil. While there was nothing particrly special about that participant, he happened to be the only son of a Great Duke from the kingdom of Pzenium. Since Gakhan was acting in this matter, Izroth concluded that he must have a close connection to that Great Duke. At least, it was to the point that Gakhan was willing to trade his own life if it meant eliminating him. Izroth could roughly guess Gakhan''s thought process after seeing the Pzenium warriors around him perish and knowing his identity. Whether it was through intellect or instinct, Gakhan knew that Izroth would one day be a huge threat to the Great Duke and wanted to deal with him before it was toote. Izroth found that kind of loyalty and steadfast mindset admirable. That being said, he had no intention of falling in this ce. "I was surprised to learn of Falcinean failure. That man was not someone who would lose his life at the hands of another so easily. Now, I finally understand why Falcinean met with the fate he did that day." Gakhan said. The following moment, a spider with a length no longer than one''s finger appeared near Gakhan''s wounded shoulder. This spider was the color of sand and emitted a unique energy signature simr to Gakhan''s. ''Hm? That''s...'' Not long after the first spider emerged, two more appeared on Gakhan''s body, followed by ten, twenty, fifty¡ªthe increase in their numbers seemed to show no signs of slowing down! "I am known as the Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan. Izroth of the General Support Unit''s 9th Division, let today be the day that one of our souls rests eternally in the Grand Battle Pce." Gakhan stated with a deathly calm about him. In a sh, the spiders that gathered on his body rapidly scuttled towards the ground. Chiiisss...! When the first set of spiders made contact with the ground, the surrounding earth instantly transformed into red sand. Izroth observed the spiders and red sand; however, the energy being used by both did not resemble mana or essence. And, if it was the work of a domain, it failed to give off any simr feelings to the domains Izroth had previously encountered. ''A bit interesting.'' It was impossible for the average person to see it; however, with his heightened senses and Energy Vision Sense, Izroth noticed something unusual about the spiders. As the "creatures" moved, red sand formed behind them. However, the spiders were not creating the red sand out of thin air. Rather, if one looked close enough, one could see the spiders weaving like motions that transformed everything they touched into red sand. As for the red sand itself, Izroth detected a sinister aura contained within it. Additionally, the areas covered by the red sand seemed to instantly have its mana and life force instantly drained. The spiders pouring off Gakhan''s body spread out in every direction; however, the bulk of them were on a path to Izroth. Though Izroth''s next actions would be something that caught Gakhanpletely off guard. Rather than fleeing or attacking the spiders making their way over to him, Izroth sprinted forward with no reserve! "Charging right me¡ªhow arrogant... No, rather, ignorance is a curse of youth. Was I foolish to believe that this man would one day be a threat to the Great Duke?" Gakhan thought to himself. Sandweaver of the Desert¡ªthis was a moniker given to Gakhan because of a special trait he was born with called the Ten Thousand Nesting Physique. The Ten Thousand Nesting Physique allowed Gakhan''s body to serve as host and home to a single species of up to ten thousand insect-type or arachnid-type creatures. Gakhan chose a rare and dangerous arachnid-type creature that was native to the Pzenium kingdom known as the Scarlet Sand Spider. The existence of Scarlet Sand Spiders was not well known to those outside of Pzenium; however, for those who lived in the kingdom, just the sight of a single one brought about a sense of dread. That''s because long ago, these creatures were almost responsible for the fall of Pzenium. They were abnormally attracted to sources of water and nt life located in ces that were dry and humid. This made a desert kingdom like Pzenium the perfect spot for the Scarlet Sand Spiders. Those who lived in Pzenium relied on oases'' to survive. But, oases were severely limited and constantly fought over. It was these essential oases that were often the target of Scarlet Sand Spiders. In fact, there was even a legend that Pzenium was originally a beautiful ce full of water and nt life until the Scarlet Sand Spiders made their appearance. Though the most terrifying aspect of the Scarlet Sand Spiders was their ability to weave a unique red sand that drained the mana and life force of whatever it came into contact with. In the end, due to the danger of their existence, the Grand Sovereign at the time gathered their forces and went on a quest of mass extermination of the Scarlet Sand Spiders. They were ultimately sessful and managed to kill the Scarlet Sand Spider Queen, effectively cutting off the reproductive line of Scarlet Sand Spiders. It would not be an exaggeration to say that thest of the Scarlet Sand Spiders in existence were currently in Gakhan''s possession! Chapter 999 Overwhelmed For his opponent to charge blindly into the vicious Scarlet Sand Spiders, in Gakhan''s eyes, Izroth''s fate was already sealed. In the blink of an eye, Izroth reached the wave of Scarlet Sand Spiders and stepped into it without hesitation. The instant he did so, Izroth felt the mana in his body break apart and start to flow toward the Scarlet Sand Spiders. As a result, in a single step, his overall mana was reduced by 50%. And, by the time Izroth took a second step, his mana had been reduced to zero. But, it did not stop there. Since his mana had been sucked dry by the creatures, they began to go after his life force. Fortunately, Izroth still had the protective aura of the Veil of the Seventh Origin mes active. Thanks to this, Izroth was able to ignore the damage brought about by the Scarlet Sand Spiders. Furthermore, even though the creatures drained all of his mana, the mana contained within the artificial mana pool created by the Seal of Ten Chakrams'' Fourth Seal remained untouched. Izroth was not entirely sure as to why this happened. After all, the mana absorbed into the artificial mana pool was pulled directly from the surrounding atmosphere. And, seeing as how the Scarlet Sand Spiders had no problem devouring the mana in the surrounding environment, the same should apply to the artificial mana pool. Nevertheless, Izroth did not linger on it for too long since it was to his benefit. Gakhan narrowed his eyes as he carefully observed Izroth''s every movement. Usually, it would take a few breaths for the Scarlet Sand Spiders to weave the red sands and spread their influence into the environment. Therefore, those caught within the confines of the red sands and Scarlet Sand Spiders had their mana and life force slowly chipped away until they were ultimately overwhelmed. However, since Izroth charged head-first into the wave of Scarlet Sand Spiders and stepped upon the red sands, Gakhan believed that his mana should have already been cleaned out. If that were the case, the Scarlet Sand Spiders would go after Izroth''s life force and it was only a matter of time until he sumbed. That being said, Gakhan felt that something was off. "I can clearly sense that the mana within his body has been drained by the Scarlet Sand Spiders. So, why is it that I can still feel manaing from his body? Those blue mes... Are they serving as a protective aura?" Gakhan contemted as his expression darkened. Gakhan was only half right in his assumption. It was true that the mes protected Izroth; however, the mana Gakhan sensed originated from the artificial mana pool within Izroth. In addition, the fact that the Scarlet Sand Spiders could not get through the mes, Gakhan knew this meant that it was not something made out of mana. "It looks like I''ll have to take action personally to get rid of those mes," Gakhan said to himself as he held out his right arm. Riiiiip! Suddenly, the side of Gakhan''s right arm split open horizontally from his wrist all the way up to his shoulder as the Scarlet Sand Spiders in that area scattered. Following the shocking scene, a stream of thick crimson liquid poured out from his right arm like a waterfall and created a pool beneath his feet. To those who first witnessed this horrifying sight, they would be left in a momentary state of fright. In their eyes, it would look as though Gakhan tore open his own arm and started to bleed profusely. But the most bizarre thing was that despite his massive loss of blood, Gakhan appeared to be fine and unfazed. That''s because the crimson liquid was not his blood but rather a gift he received after bing host to the Scarlet Sand Spiders. Gakhan covered the lower half of his face with his right forearm as the crimson liquid still streamed down as the puddle under his feet continued to expand. ''Oh? The red sand¡ªit''s changing. I don''t know what he has nned, but I won''t allow him to do as he pleases.'' Out of nowhere, Izroth gained arge burst of movement speed. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before Gakhan with his Sword of the Storm already in a striking motion! Gakhan had a look of disbelief on his face when Izroth appeared at his front. Gakhan had not let his guard down. Yet, somehow, he failed to keep track of Izroth''s movements. It was not that Izroth was too fast for him to follow, but that his presence just seemed to abruptly disappear at random intervals. It made Gakhan feel as though he was facing a ghost that was gone one moment and there the next. To make matters worse, the attack used by his opponent was even stranger. From Gakhan''s perspective, the attack urred at the exact moment of Izroth''s disappearance and reappearance. This left him with no time to respond to the strike as Izroth''s sword descended without obstruction. As for Izroth''s "disappearing act" and attack, it was due to two things. The first was the effects of the Obsconis Hunting Dagger. He still had Dark Ambush active, so his overall presence was still greatly reduced. But, on top of that, the 8% chance ofpletely erasing one''s presence upon their next strike¡ªthe passive attached to the Obsconis Hunting Dagger, Stalking The Cicada, activated. Even with his experience on the battlefield and sharp senses, in that split moment, Gakhan lost track of Izroth. Though the start of everything came from the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death, which Izroth chose to fully activate the first effect of. Under normal circumstances, Izroth usually passed over the first effect. After all, using it would cost him an additional 500 mana or 10% of his HP. But, more importantly, it would immediately set the skill''s cooldown to five minutes. The Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death was not just a damage skill, but one that allowed its user to disy a high level of mobility with therge movement speed burst it granted. This could normally be done up to four times before going on cooldown; however, there was an exception when the full effect of the first skill was activated. Not only was the overall damage of the strike boosted, but the effect Death In One Step was also activated. And, as long as the target was below 50% HP, it made it so that they would receive an additional 30% of their total missing HP as damage. On top of the guaranteed critical hit from the first strike of the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death and the damage Gakhan already received from Izroth''s ambush as well as the Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze, the Sandweaver of the Desert was left thoroughly overwhelmed. Woosh! Izroth''s Sword of the Storm cut cleanly down Gakhan. Crrrrckle...! BOOM! The moment his sword connected, a devastatingly powerful sword intent swept throughout the surroundings and carried with it sparks of purple lightning. The Destructive Aftermath effect of his Sword of The Storm activated and blew away the Scarlet Sand Spiders in the area, eradicating everyst one of the creatures in the vicinity. The following moment, the sword intent from Destructive Aftermath receded and the atmosphere calmed down. At the same time, the dagger in Izroth''s hand disappeared as he returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath. As Izroth sheathed his sword, Gakhan, who still had an expression of disbelief on his face, body split into two parts! Almost immediately after doing so, the two parts shattered into countless particles before dispersing toward the sky. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 150! [Total: 6,704.54]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your fame with the Fifth Kingdom of Pzenium has increased by 1,000!¡µ ''This method is much more effective when ites to gaining contribution points.'' Even after eliminating roughly 2,000 Pzenium warriors, Izroth received a little more than 1,000 contribution points. However, just for defeating Gakhan, he earned 150 contribution points. That meant his life alone was worth the same as about 300 Pzenium warriors! Though what Izroth truly did not expect was that he would also gain fame in the Pzenium kingdom for eliminating Gakhan. Chapter 1000 Destruction Of A Trump Card, Commence The Final Stage! Back when Izroth defeated Falcinean, and even after eliminating 2,000 Pzenium warriors, he did not gain any fame for the Pzenium kingdom. Yet, after dealing with Gakhan, his fame immediately shot up by 1,000 points, which was by no means a small amount. This could only mean that Gakhan''s existence in the Pzenium kingdom was of significant enough importance to affect things on a sizable scale. However, the reason could not be due to his individualbat prowess. It was true that the Pzenium kingdom respected strength above all else, but, in terms of rawbat power, in Izroth''s eyes, Gakhan was not that far off from someone like Falcinean. Rather, if not for the Scarlet Sand Spiders and Gakhan''s unique physique capable of housing the creatures, it was likely that he would outright lose to a warrior of Falcinean''s caliber. If that was the case, why did his fame in the Pzenium kingdom not increase by even one point after defeating Falcinean? ''Is it like this because he had a closer connection to the Great Duke? Even so, how unusual.'' Under normal circumstances, if someone killed a person of importance from a kingdom, that person would lose fame and be ced on unfriendly terms with the kingdom in question. But, for some reason, this was the opposite case with Gakhan and Pzenium. Izroth had several guesses as to why this may be the case; however, without any evidence, it was only all baseless assumptions that he decided to push into the back of his mind for the time being. ''Well, whatever the case, it doesn''t change the fact that I earned quite a bit this time around.'' Not only was Izroth able to reim his first-ce spot on the event leaderboards, but he also acquired some insight into a few things. For one, he discovered that his artificial mana pool, while being a part of him, remained unaffected by abnormal status effects. This a huge considering the number of outside factors that could have adverse effects on one''s mana. This meant that, in the future, even if Izroth lost all the natural mana in his body, he would still have the mana stored separately within the artificial mana pool to utilize as he sees fit. As Izroth briefly contemted his findings and organized his thoughts, he set his gaze on the east side of the battlefield. ''I was nning on meeting up with the 9th Division right away, but it seems that won''t be necessary. Besides, it''s not good if I interfere too often and ignore letting them build up some experience. For now, I''ll return to where Sagarus and the others are. While I don''t think she''ll do anything reckless with Sagarus watching over her, I can''t be too certain.'' Woosh! Izroth kicked off the ground and soared into the air using Sky Steps as he started to make his way toward the west battlefield. ''It should be about time for the main event to start.'' ... Somewhere in the kingdom of Pzenium... At the moment, in a grand castle located in the Desert''s Gem, a certain man sat motionless on his throne. Kneeled over on the ground before this man was a trembling servant with a darkened expression. "...Say that again." The man on the throne said coldly as an overbearingly suffocating aura spread through the room. This aura caused all the other servants and guards in the vicinity to shiver instinctively as cold sweats ran down their backs. That''s because this was the first time they had seen their master this enraged ever since he received news about the death of his only son during the second team''s selection. However, evenpared to the loss of his son, the anger this time seemed more deeply routed in unfiltered rage. This man was none other than one of the Great Dukes of the Pzenium kingdom, Great Duke Hammer. "G-Great Duke... C-Controller Gakhan''s l-life stone has s-s-shattered." The servant exined with a shaky voice without daring to lift his head from the floor. "I see. So, my hearing is not deteriorating in my old age. I see, I see..." Hammer uttered to himself. As he did so, the atmosphere in the room became deathly silent. The only thing that could be heard was the constant tapping noiseing from Hammer tapping his finger on the armrest of his throne. The life stone was a magic item connected to a specific individual. If something happened to that individual, the life stone would be damaged. A few cracks meant that the individual''s life was in danger. However, for a life stone to shatter could only mean one thing¡ªthat individual was no longer in this world. The Great Duke''s temper was well known. If he was in a bad mood, no one was safe from his wrath. Even though the servant was just delivering the message, in his heart, he had already epted his death. However, against the servant''s expectations, his head was still attached to his body as he heard the Great Duke release a heavy sigh. "Who else has learned of this news?" Hammer inquired as he closed his eyes and the wrathful around him subsided. The servant''s mind momentarily went nk. He was caught off guard by the Great Duke''s calm response. But, fearing that his dy would cause the Great Duke''s rage to reignite the servant quickly answered. "I-I came to report to the Duke immediately upon its happening and made sure to erase all traces of the life stone shattering. Rest assured; this servant is the only one who knows of Controller Gakhan''s fate." The servant responded proudly with haste. "Good, then there is still time to prepare some countermeasures. You did well- what did you say your name was again?" Hammer asked as he stood up from his throne. The servant''s excitement grew upon hearing the Great Duke personally ask for his name. "Great Duke, this lowly servant''s name is Rasar. It is my honor to serve the Great Duke." The servant, Rasar, responded. "Rasar... You have done a good deed. For that, you deserve to be rewarded. If news of Controller Gakhan''s fate were to spread outside the Desert''s Gem before I could make the proper arrangements, the repercussions would have been rather troublesome." Hammer stated with an air of authority. "I dare not ask for a reward! Just serving the Great Duke for the rest of my life is reward enough!" Rasar said quickly. "You speak well. I nned on iming your head, but I suppose you still have your uses. That being said, because you delivered such news so openly, I''m afraid their lives will have to be carried on your shoulders, Rasar." Hammer said as he descended the throne and walked past Rasar. Rasar did not understand the meaning of the Great Duke''s words; however, the following moment, something bizarre took ce. A gentle breeze blew through the room as tiny grains of sand could be seen floating in the air. It was strange considering that this ce was deep in the castle''s center where wind nor sand should be able to reach. Rasar''s nose twitched as a familiar scent passed by that caused his eyes to widen in shock. He swallowed nervously and did not dare to move a single centimeter. That scent, there was no mistaking it¡ªit was fresh blood! "Gakhan''s death means that I have lost one of my trump cards. His Ten Thousand Nesting Physique and ability to control the Scarlet Sand Spiders cannot be replicated. The others will find out eventually, but I must make my move beforehand in order to keep the situation under my control. Who was it...? Who was it that dared to touch what is mine?" Hammer thought to himself with a cold look in his eyes as he strolled casually toward the doors at the other end of the room. "Rasar, make sure to clean up this mess properly. Oh, and although it goes without saying, not a word to anyone about our conversation today. I look forward to your continuing loyalty." Hammer said as he walked through the doors, and they closed behind him. When the Great Duke took their leave, and he heard the doors close, Rasar slowly lifted his head and looked around the room. "I''m afraid their lives will have to be carried on your shoulders, Rasar."¡ªRasar finally understood what the Great Duke meant by those words. Everyst one of the servants and guards in the room had been killed! The most frightening thing was Rasar did not hear a single scream or sound. "As expected of the Great Duke. To kill off an entire room without sound ormotion... He''s truly worthy of being called the Hushed Sands of the Desert''s Gem. If I had misspoken in the slightest just now, I would have ended up the same as everyone else here. How terrifying." Rasar thought to himself. ... Meanwhile, in the Nightfall des... Located roughly two hundred meters away from the battlefield, Aurie stood atop a small cliff with her gaze set in its direction. "All the Pzenium forces have gathered. Everyone is in position. Kalmesia, Wardmence the final stage!" Aurie dered. Rmmmmmble! The moment Aurie gave the order, the entire south portion of the Nightfall des began to tremble. Chapter 1001 Sea Of Beauty, Field Of Death ... Back at the battlefield, a bizarre scene was unfolding before the eyes of the Pzenium warriors. Out of nowhere, certain trees within the Nightfall des started to emit a light green glow. "What''s happening now?!" One of the Pzenium warriors growled. "First that terrifying force from the north side and now this... Where are Great Warrior Menkar and Controller Gakhan?" "This battlefield is cursed...!" Ever since theymenced their attack, the Pzenium forces found themselves running around aimlessly after the main group. Even though their numbers were almost ten times that of their enemies, for some reason, the Pzenium forces found themselves unable to eradicate them. No, rather than eradicate them, it was a challenge merely attempting to catch and surround their enemies. It gave them a feelingparable to trying to hold flowing water in an enclosed fist. No matter how much they tried to keep the water contained, it always found a way to slip through the smallest of cracks. This kind of battle was what frustrated Pzenium warriors more than anything. That''s because, despite their abundance of battle experience surviving in the harsh conditions of the Pzenium deserts, Pzenium warriors were used to direct confrontations. Dealing with enemies who were skilled in hit-and-run tactics and escaping was not something most Pzenium warriors encountered. Naturally, Aurie was well aware of this shoring, which is why she assigned Ward as the leader of the main group. She knew that the Pzenium forces would have no idea how to react to Ward''s "cowardly" tactics that prioritized survival over pride and achievements. While Ward was not the strongest of the captains in her 2nd Unit, without a doubt, there was no other captain capable of facing the Pzenium warriors with such overwhelming odds against them. At least, not without paying a heavy price in return. Woosh! Bang! All of a sudden, a white thread shot out from one of the glowing trees and pierced into the nearest tree which also released a light green glow. Woosh! Bang! Woosh! Bang! In the blink of an eye, this phenomenon was urring all throughout the south side of the Nightfall des where the Pzenium forces gathered. The abrupt appearance of the glowing trees and white threads caused the Pzenium forces to be thrown into a greater state of confusion. Some of the Pzenium warriors tried to cut through the white strand that got in their way; however, their weapons bounced off as a high-pitched ringing sound erupted from the white strand. This sound was intense enough to temporarily immobilize the Pzenium warriors who were within ten meters of the white strand that was struck. A few even thought that their heads would explode from the pressure. After suffering from that kind of harsh feedback in multiple areas of the battlefield, no one touched the white strands and did everything in their power to carefully avoid them. As for the main group led by Ward that the Pzenium warriors were pursuing, somehow, they had vanished into thin air! At the same time, several intense tremors emerged on the battlefield that caused many of the Pzenium warriors to lose their footing. These intense tremors were swiftly followed by a bright white light that covered every area of the earth where the Pzenium warriors were positioned. Every moment that passed, the bright light grew in intensity. "What is this light?! I can''t see anything!" One of the Pzenium warriors shouted angrily. "Quick, we have to catch up to them! They must be trying to use this chance to escape!" Crrrack... Suddenly, a small crack formed in the ground at one of the Pzenium warriors'' feet. From this crack creeped out a pure white flower that resembled a scabiosa. "Hm? What''s-" Swoosh! Without warning, the flower unleashed tens of thin white vines that shot out at the Pzenium warrior and wrapped around his legs. "Break!" The Pzenium warrior cried out as he shed down with the curved sword in his hand. The Pzenium warrior was able effortlessly to cut through the white vines. However, the instant he sliced a white vine, tens more white vines emerged out of the damaged area. Additionally, as if realizing it was faced with a threat, the ferociousness of the white vines grew as they began to propagate without end. "I won''t be done in my mere nts! I won''t...! I-! Gaaaah!" The Pzenium warrior shed with great vigor; however, it was useless. The more he cut, the tighter the grip of the white vines became. And, in less than a single breath, the Pzenium warrior was covered from head to toe in white vines as several white scabiosa-like flowers bloomed on its surface. This situation was not unique to that particr Pzenium warrior. Everyst Pzenium warrior caught within the light underwent a simrly terrifying experience. For a while, the battlefield was filled with the struggles and battle cries that contained the dying breath of the Pzenium warriors. However, with every second that passed, the noise would further die down. It proceeded this way until there was not a single sound remaining on the battlefield. The only thing that could be seen was an endless sea of white flowers scattered on the earth. To most who stumbled upon this sight, they would see the sea of flowers as a thing of great beauty and tranquility. But, for those who knew the truth, it was no different than gazing into a field of death. ... Several minutester... Currently, the main group and the rest of the scattered 2nd Unit members had regrouped at a location more than one hundred meters away where the white light appeared. The amount of physical and mental fatigue could be seen among the 2nd Unit troops as many of them were currently sitting on the ground or sprawled out in an attempt to catch their breath. Their exhaustion was understandable, considering they did not have a single moment to rest and rx and had been running around with their lives on the line for what seemed like an eternity. "Good work, everyone." Aurie''s voice sounded and carried through the area. She was using a talisman to project her voice to all those present. When Aurie appeared and spoke, many of the 2nd Unit members almost immediately sprung to their feet to greet the Commander. However, Aurie quickly stopped them from doing so. "There is no need to get up. Rx while you can; you''ve all earned it. That being said, try not to get toofortable. I know everyone has been pushed to their limits, but this ce is not safe. We cannot stay here for too long. So, until it is time to move, make sure to focus on recovering your strength. That is an order." Aurie announced. Aurie''s words made everyone release a sigh of relief. They knew that what happened here was bound to cause amotion and attract unwanted attention. It would not be long before people arrived to investigate, so they had already mentally prepared themselves to move right away. However, the Commander was being considerate of their current state despite the potential risks. This made them even more grateful they served under someone like Aurie. "Captain Ward, status report," Aurie called out. Ward approached Aurie with a disheartened expression as he made his report. "In total, we have 65 casualties, 27 people in critical condition and 253 who suffered from injuries both small andrge. Captain, I..." Ward looked like he wanted to say something but could not find the words to do so. It was clear that Ward med himself for those who were lost and injured. Aurie ced her hand on Ward''s shoulder and said, "You performed exquisitely, Captain. In war, loss is inevitable. You did the best you could to ensure the survival of as many of ourrades as possible. For that, you should be proud of yourself. I admit, their loss pains me, but we have no time to grieve." She then continued, "Right now, the fate of this world is at stake, and we still have to y our part in ensuring that the worst does note to pass. Then, and only then, can we be allowed to properly grieve those who have given their lives for this grand cause. Only then will the lives of our fallenrades not have been in vain. I will do everything in my power to make sure their sacrifice has meaning." "Yes, Commander... I, too, will do everything in my power to make sure of that¡ªso as not to betray the trust the Commander has ced in me." Ward responded as he ced his fist over his chest and bowed slightly, giving the War Brigade salute. Chapter 1002 A Leaders Presence, Direct Contact ... "Lieutenant Niflheim, I request a private conversation at a more fitting time so that we may further explore the importance of priorities," Menerva said calmly. "Is it really necessary?" Niflheim replied with a weak smile. "It is necessary," Menerva responded firmly without pause. At the moment, the members of the 9th Division were gathered at the rear of the 2nd Unit. The atmosphere was still somewhat tense after having just narrowly escaped with their lives from the Pzenium forces, so everyone remained on edge. Though something just happened to help somewhat ease the tense atmosphere. Not long ago, Lieutenant Skatal, who was saved from Menkar by Niflheim, came over to check on him and the 9th Division as well as give his thanks. The moment after Lieutenant Skatal took his leave is when Menerva made herment. Of course, Niflheim had already expected as much. Menerva made it clear that she was against him moving away from the 9th Division under such circumstances; however, he still proceeded to do so and ultimately confronted Menkar. Niflheim''s actions to keep Menkar under control and stop his rampage undoubtedly saved many lives of those from the 2nd Unit. But, regardless of the end result, Niflheim understood that his decision was a bit reckless. Fortunately, no one from the 9th Division had been lost. That being said, even if he could go back and repeat things, Niflheim felt that he would have made the same exact choice. That''s because a certain thought crossed Niflheim''s mind at that moment, "What would that man do?" The person he was thinking about was, of course, Izroth. Niflheim had no doubt that Izroth would have been the first to confront Menkar and ensure that they suffered as few losses as possible. Needless to say, Niflheim was well aware of the gap that existed between him and Izroth, which is also why he knew the recklessness of his actions. Nevertheless, Niflheim did not regret his decision. As for Menerva, she was not necessarily upset at Niflheim''s actions. In fact, a part of her was reminded of Izroth when Niflheim unhesitantly went forward to stop Menkar''s rampage. She also understood the importance of keeping their forces as plentiful as possible. But, ultimately, Menerva''s highest priority was with ensuring the safety and survival of the 9th Division members that Izroth had entrusted to her. Everything else after that was secondary. "I''m d to see you all are still in one piece." Izroth''s voice sounded as he approached the 9th Division along with Ranazera by his side. He then continued, "I hope you all managed to learn a few things from this experience." "It''s the Captain...!" Hollow Crane eximed. "Alright! The Captain''s returned!" Champion said excitedly. "Wee back, Captain!" Astral Knight greeted. One after the other the members of the 9th Division happily weed Izroth. The moment those of the 9th Division saw Izroth, the tense atmosphere hadpletely evaporated and was no longer anywhere to be found. "What''s with these guys? Just a second ago, they were all on edge. Is this the effect of his presence on those who serve under hismand? Even so... Isn''t this a bit too much for a Captain of the General Support Unit?" Ranazera contemted as she inwardly sighed. Of course, by now, Ranazera knew that Izroth was not your average GSU Captain. "Having this kind of moralizing effect on those under yourmand... Well, I suppose, at the very least, his heart is not filled with malice." Ranazera thought to herself as she silently observed. "Wee back, Captain," Niflheim said with arge grin as he walked up to Izroth. "We have been awaiting your return. It is pleasing to see that you are unharmed." Menervamented as she, too, approached Izroth. Izroth gave a small nod and stated, "There were a few unexpected things that urred on my journey. I''ll make sure to get you two up to speed a littleter. But, first-" "I should properly greet our guest," Izroth said as his gaze shifted to the person who walked up behind Niflheim and Menerva. "I was beginning to think Pce Master Izroth had already forgotten about my existence." A familiar voice sounded. "Rest assured; my memory is not so poor that your existence would slip my mind, Phantom Queen." Izroth state in a carefree manner. Morrighan stepped forward and said, "We have much to discuss." Earlier, not long after he and Ranazera reached the south end of the Nightfall des, Izroth heard a raven''s cry and saw a strange-looking bird circling directly above them. He immediately recognized that bird, along with the unique mana signature it contained. It was the same magic raven used by the Phantom Queen to scout ahead in the first and second stages of the crusade. Then, momentster while following the trail of battle that would eventually lead them to the battlefield, along the way, Morrighan suddenly appeared before Izroth. Since he was unable to locate the Phantom Queen with his Energy Vision Sense beforehand yet was able to detect her with it when she arrived in front of him, Izroth believed that she was not nearby. Or, at the very least, she was more than one kilometer away. Izroth knew that the Phantom Queen could use long-range teleportation magic as she witnessed it firsthand sometime after they left the crusade. However, to shift her position more than one kilometer in an instant¡ªeven an S-ranked skill teleportation skill could notpare. ording to Morrighan, she had been attempting to get in contact with Izroth to discuss a potential exchange for a portion of the Blood of the Immortal Hydra; however, it was to no avail. Though it was not too surprising. The first time the Phantom Queen visited the Mystical Realm Pce to deliver the ancient scrolls containing information about the possible applications of the Blood of the Immortal Hydra, Izroth was nowhere to be found. At the time, she left the scrolls to Opal, the NPC in charge of the Mystical Realm Pce, after having waited for some time and not seeing any signs of Izroth. Morrighan also tried to send a private message and a friend request, but both failed to go through. At that point, a part of her regretted not just adding Izroth as a friend after the crusade ended. However, she could not help it. Sending a friend request after making such a bet and misunderstanding Izroth''s temperament¡ªthe Phantom Queen was not so thick-skinned. As for why she could not message Izroth, he had long since restricted his private messages so that only those on his friend list could contact him. Additionally, after he unlocked the event leaderboards, an endless stream of friend requests started to pour in; therefore, he had no choice but to restrict that as well. Naturally, this limited Morrighan''s options, and she was left with no choice but to locate Izroth through a more direct approach. That being said, it was not as though Izroth had time for a casual conversation. Therefore, he said they could have a proper discussion once things concluded in the Nightfall des. Taking Izroth''s words to heart, not long after that, Morrighan arrived at the battlefield and wreaked havoc on the east side of the Pzenium forces to push things along. Eventually, she set her sights on Menkar, who seemed to be the one in charge of the Pzenium forces and helped deal with him. Morrighan''s presence on the east side of the battlefield was why Izroth did not concern himself with it. "It looks like our discussion will have to wait just a little longer," Izrothmented. "By all means, Captain Izroth, don''t mind me and continue. I''ve already waited for quite some time to receive your report. What''s a few more moments of time?" Aurie''s said as she arrived at the rear where the 9th Division was positioned. Although her outer demeanor appeared at ease and rxed, Izroth could feel Aurie''s gaze that was saying, "Don''t you owe me a few exnations?" Izroth could not me Aurie. So much had happened within such a short span of time. Not to mention, he did technically deceive her with the original Golden Bridge Strategy. Even if it was necessary, Izroth understood that he owed the Commander a reasonable exnation. Still, Izroth was d that Aurie trusted him enough to take the contents of the message he delivered through the scrolls seriously. Otherwise, things may not have gone so smoothly. "I was just about to pay a visit to the Commander. Should we go somewhere a bit more private to talk things through?" Izroth said with a carefree smile. Chapter 1003 A String Of Mounting Problems ... A few momentster... Izroth and Aurie sat across from one another inside a temporarymand tent along with two other individuals. One of the individuals was the sixth princess of the Tempest kingdom, Ranazera. As for the other person, it was Aurie''s 1st Division Captain, Kalmesia. Kalmesia stood silently by Aurie''s side with a calm demeanor and her eyes closed. However, one would be mistaken if they believed she had rxed her guard. More urately, her presence was more like a sheathed de ready to be drawn at any given moment. "I''ve had Captain Kalmesia set up a barrier around themand tent. She is also here as per the protocol when dealing with an honored guest that hails from an unallied kingdom. At my request, Captain Kalmesia has closed off her hearing and sight; however, she can still sense everything inside the barrier she has created and will act immediately if there are any signs of peril. So, I hope our honored guest can keep that in mind." Aurie said calmly as she nced over at Ranazera. Ranazera may be a political hostage from a hostile kingdom; however, Ranazera was also a member of the Tempest royal family. This greatly changed the dynamics of how Aurie had to act when dealing with the sixth princess. The sixth princess was not only a potentially valuable source of information; in addition, she could be traded for a massive amount of resources or perhaps even another political hostage of equivalent value. For those reasons alone, Ranazera''s safety was a top priority in Aurie''s eyes. "You can be at ease, Commander. I''m sure our honored guest will not be causing you any trouble." Izroth stated. Aurie''s gazended back on Izroth as she said, "Since those words areing from you, it eases my mind somewhat. That being the case, you sure have a knack for getting yourself into troublesome situations, Captain." "It''s just that trouble is rather skilled in finding me, Commander," Izroth replied with a carefree smile. Aurie released a light sigh as she smiled helplessly. The next moment, the atmosphere became serious as Aurie tapped the table twice. Upon doing so, a separate barrier appeared within the tent that isted Aurie and Izroth from Ranazera. It was clear that whatever Izroth had to say next was something that Aurie did not want Ranazera to overhear. "It''s time you properly exin everything from the beginning." Aurie stated soberly. ... Several minutester... Themand tent had fallen silent as Aurie seemed to be in a state of deep contemtion. Izroth had just exined his intent behind hiding the true Golden Bridge Strategy andpleted his report of the events that urred during his journey to the Nightfall des. "...Captain Izroth, if it were anyone else, I would have my suspicions about how you managed to reach such a conclusion. However, while I do not doubt your words, as a Commander of the War Brigade, I cannot allow my personal opinion of you to cloud my judgment. So, I ask you, Captain Izroth¡ªhow did youe to discover the existence of such a high-ranking mole in our ranks?" Aurie inquired with a serious and darkened expression. "I have my own ways of collecting information, Commander. In truth, I thought of informing you and General Solomon after the representative meeting; however, at the time, I only had a vague suspicion at best and no evidence in hand. With that in mind, If I had brought it up during that time, it would have been difficult to believe¡ªeven if you hold a favorable opinion of me." Izroth said unhurriedly. Aurie knew that Izroth''s words were correct. Both she and General Solomon were not in a position to take Izroth''s words at face value just because they viewed him in a good light. Not to mention the danger and possible bacsh that came along with investigating someone who was at the rank Izroth was speaking of¡ªit was no small task. If they were discovered pursuing something with no evidence, at best, they would both be stripped of their ranks and authority within the War Brigade. For Izroth, however, it was different. As a member of the General Support Unit, he was not bound by such inconveniences. Also, not many people knew this, but Aurie was aware that the GSU was a special existence that could not be interfered with carelessly. This was all because of that woman who was at its head. If she caught wind that someone had tried to meddle in the affairs of the GSU, she would kick up a fuss and would not be easily appeased. "Let''s set this matter aside for now. Truthfully, I do not have the authority to carry out a proper investigation. This information is too sensitive to entrust to a messenger or a long-rangemunication device. I will have to meet with General Solomon in person and decide what course of action we''ll take from there. Until then, I''m sure it goes without saying, but we must keep this under wraps as much as possible, Captain. If the person in question catches wind of anything, we''ll all be put at risk." Aurie noted. "I understand," Izroth replied with a nod. Aurie also gave a small nod before she tapped her finger twice on the table. When she did so, the barrier that isted her and Izroth vanished. Of course, the one around themand tent remained intact. "Now, we should discuss what took ce near the territory of this Duke Sorkoza you mentioned. From what I know, that old monster from the Windstorm family cares a great deal about face. The Windstorm family won''t forgive you for injuring its direct descendant. In fact, I wouldn''t be surprised if they requested your life as one of the conditions when we officially enter into talks of exchange with the Tempest kingdom." Aurie said as she shifted the subject. "Oh? Do you think I''ll be handed over?" Izroth asked with a slightly amused smile. "Hmph, as long as I''m around, I''ll never allow such an injustice to take ce," Aurie stated with a sharp gaze. She then continued, "Besides, I doubt those higher-ups will even remotely entertain that kind of thought. Those guys are always doing whatever they like to further their own gains, but they''re also a prideful bunch. Not to mention, if they traded someone who aplished a great feat for our alliance just to settle a grievance, who would dare attempt anything of simr value in the future? You may have injured the young Windstorm, but he still has his life. Even if the Windstorm family wants to make a ruckus about it, the most they can do is ask for a little extrapensation from those higher-ups." Needless to say, Izroth was never concerned with being traded. Thanks to all of his achievements and efforts through his time in the Amaharpe, his fame with the kingdom was maxed out. He also had the Protector of Amaharpe title. With such securities in ce, there was no way those higher-ups would act against him. It was actually more likely they would respond with an even more aggressive stance! "Still, in the future, you must be careful, Captain. The Windstorm family may not be able to request your life as part of the official exchange talks, but that will not prevent them from employing other methods. Do not let your guard down." Aurie warned. "I''ll take the Commander''s words to heart," Izroth replied casually. Izroth had nothing against the Windstorm family; however, if they wanted to im his life, they would first have to get in line. And, of course, they would have to have the ability to do so. "Moving on¡ªI have never heard of there being a fortress city located where you spoke of in Malentansium. Nor have I ever heard mention of this Duke Sorkoza before today. But, what concerns me the most is what you discovered during your brief stay in Duke Sorkoza''s territory. Captain Izroth, are you sure you did not perhaps misunderstand?" Aurie stated. "I''m certain of it," Izroth answered without hesitation. "I figured as much. Still, truthfully speaking, I was hoping you had some lingering doubts." Aurie sighed. From Aurie''s point of view, it was one major problem right after another. As if the high-ranking mole was not enough, now, they had to worry about the birth of a Night Lord that was apparently right around the corner! Chapter 1004 Final Arrangements "This ritual, the Great Rebirth as you called it¡ªyou said it will be taking ce sometime within the next few days, correct?" Aurie inquired. "That''s right. Although I don''t have an exact date, I think it will happen before or during the uing attack." Izroth confirmed. "There''s not enough time..." Aurie muttered to herself with furrowed brows and a troubled expression. The Great Rebirth was a bombshell of news that would undoubtedly causerge waves throughout the Mortal Realm if it becamemon knowledge. More importantly, if Izroth was correct and a new Night Lord was really born before or during the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt, it added an extrayer of threat that could not be ignored. But, even if they did discover the location of the Great Rebirth, it was still too dangerous to make any half-hearted moves. After all, ording to Izroth, the most powerful and influential Dukes of the Skounae would be gathered there. In terms of status and strength, a Duke of the Skounae was on par with a High General of the War Brigade! They were not individuals that just anyone could face. This was even more so given the severeck of preparation and information about the Great Rebirth. Still, to allow the birth of another Night Lord right under their noses while they did nothing to try and stop it¡ªhow could Aurie ept such a thing? "I could always go there personally and use my Dream Domain. But, if I''m being honest, I''m sure not how long my Dream Domain will be able to contain that many powerful existences." Aurie thought to herself. The reason Aurie could hold the Night Lord Zars with her Dream Domain for as long as she did was not only because she tried her hardest to maintain it, but also because he did not have his Spirix with him. The Skounae Dukes may not be as powerful as Zars, but there would definitely be more than one gathered there. Additionally, with such a grand and important ritual, it was likely that a Night Lord would be there to oversee it personally. Or, even worse, the Night King themselves! Not to mention the Night King, even if it were only a Night Lord with their Spirix, the situation would still be dire. "We are stuck in a rather awkward position. Our attack on the Night Lord''s Crypt cannot be dyed. But, we also cannot afford to ignore the emergence of a fourth Night Lord. Otherwise, even if we stop the Night Lord Zars'' revival, the bnce of power will remain the same as it was before." Aurie stated. "Do you have something in mind?" Izroth asked. ''Should I just send Astratis to take care of it?'' Astratis was someone virtually unrivaled among those who stood at the peak of the legendary realm. It was to the point that Izroth remained uncertain whether or not Astratis was actually a ne Ascender. If it were him, handling a Night Lord and a few Dukes of the Skounae should not be an issue. Even if the Night King themselves were at the Great Rebirth, while Izrothcked an understanding of their exact strength, he still did not believe that Astratis would necessarily lose. ''No, it''s still too early for his existence to be announced so clearly. There''s also the potential aftermath to take into consideration.'' If some unknown entity suddenly appeared in the Mortal Realm who was capable of ying a Night Lord or possibly even the Night King, it would create a tidal wave of problems. Such an existence whose motives were unclear and there was no information about¡ªhow could the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm ever rx? In the end, it would cause more chaos than anything. This would be even more so if they could not tolerate Astratis'' existence and a battle of such magnitude took ce. "Nothing that solves our immediate problems. But worry not, Captain. I have no intention of remaining idle on this matter. Realistically speaking, it is nearly impossible for us to do anything to prevent the creation of another Night Lord with the current means at our disposal. That being said, there may be someone who can do something about it on such short notice. It''s just that..." Aurie said with a heavy sigh as she halted mid-sentence. "Oh? There''s such a person? Though, I have to say, based on your reaction, it seems you''re rather reluctant to contact them." Izroth pointed out. "That''s not it. It''s just that that woman¡ªshe''s really toozy and indifferent when ites to these sorts of issues. I''m not sure she''ll be willing to make a move. But right now, we''re low on options. There''s no other choice." Aurie released another heavy sigh. "If it''s someone the Commander acknowledges, their strength must be the real deal," Izrothmented. Aurie served under someone like General Solomon. Not to mention, she was the adopted daughter of one of the seven heroes, Nova. Therefore, she was no stranger to powerful figures. "Well, there''s a reason she''s considered a special war power. In fact, since you''re a Captain of a GSU, you must have already met her at least once before." Aurie stated. "Ah, I believe I know who you''re referring you," Izroth said with a look of pity in his eyes. "Seeing that look in your eyes, I guess you''ve understood that woman''s personality by now," Aurie said with a helpless smile. "This... I wish you the best of luck, Commander," Izroth said with a carefree smile. ... Aurie and Izroth spent the next few minutes wrapping up their conversation and deciding on what would be done with the sixth princess of Tempest, Ranazera. Tap. Tap. Tap. Aurie tapped her finger on the table three times. Immediately after doing so, Kalmesia opened her eyes and sense of hearing. "Captain Kalmesia, I am assigning you and the rest of the 1st Division under yourmand to safeguard the Sixth Princess of Tempest, Ranazera Tempest, until the Guardian Escort Squad arrives," Aurie stated. She then continued, "I have already sent Captain Nagaza to handle the delivery of the news, so they should meet up with us before we arrive at the Night Lord''s Crypt. Additionally, I will also temporarily ce Captain Ward and the 2nd Division under yourmand as well. They are to assist you where necessary." "Understood, Commander. I will carry out your orders as instructed." Kalmesia replied calmly. In truth, Aurie was confident that Kalmesia and the 1st Division alone were enough to handle Ranazera''s protection. The only reason she chose to send Ward and the 2nd Division as well as to give them some time to rx. After all, they were the ones who took the brunt of the operation in the Nightfall des. Plus, with Ward present, they should be able to detect and prepare for any dangerous situations at the drop of a hat. Of course, this was just a little extra insurance in Aurie''s eyes. "Then, I officially leave the safety of the sixth princess in your hands, Commander, Captain," Izroth stated. Izroth looked back at Ranazera, who remained quiet the entire time as she silently listened to her fate. "Since we''ve finished here, I should take my leave. There are still a few things I have left to take care of. I''d like to thank Commander Aurie for taking in the 9th Division and watching over them in my absence." Izroth said as he expressed his gratitude. "Your thanks is appreciated but unnecessary, Captain. After all, are we not all allies who should do everything in our power to support one another?" Auriemented. "Yes, you''re correct," Izroth replied casually. "Take care on your way back, Captain," Aurie said. "Of course, Commander," Izroth said as he turned to walk out of themand tent. On his way, he stopped next to Ranazera. "We''ll be parting ways here. But, it won''t be thest we see of each other, princess. I hope you''ll behave yourself until we meet again." Izroth stated. "Just don''t forget what you promised," Ranazera responded. "Naturally," Izroth replied as he resumed his steps and exited themand tent. ... Approximately 5 minutester... After Izroth left themand tent, he made his way back over toward where the 9th Division was located. Since his previous conversation with the Phantom Queen was cut short upon Aurie''s arrival, she had been waiting for his return. And not long after Izroth got there, he and Morrighan went off to a more isted area away from the temporarymand camp. Chapter 1005 Magic Architect "I will get right to the point," Morrighan said as she held out her hand. The next moment, a silver circr disc roughly 30 centimeters in diameter with magic symbols carved onto its surface appeared in Morrighan''s hand. The disc hovered a few centimeters above her palm and released a faint humming sound as it slowly rotated. "This is an S-rank magic item called Silver Inversion Disc. It is capable of expanding up to 350 times its original size and inverts the perception of all those within its range of influence. It also reduces the physical and magic defense of those affected by 75% and periodically allows the user to teleport instantly to any location within its range of influence." Morrighan exined. ''Oh? To think she''d take out an S-rank magic item. It seems she''s quite serious this time.'' Acquiring magic items above C-rank was a challenging task and an A-ranked magic item was enough to act as one of a guild''s trump cards. And, when it came to S-rank magic items¡ªeven those top guilds probably only had one or zero in their possession! As for trading or exchanging an S-rank magic item, no one would ever entertain such an outrageous idea. Because of the limited number of magic items in RML and the scarcity of those above B-rank, no amount of gold coins would be enough to purchase one. Yet, Morrighan was willing to part ways with such a magic item. This showed just how much she valued the Blood of the Immortal Hydra in Izroth''s possession. "Since you''re showing me this, I''m assuming you want a portion of the Blood of the Immortal Hydra I collected during the crusade," Izrothmented. "That''s right. I am willing to exchange the Silver Inversion Disc for a reasonable amount of the Immortal Hydra''s blood. Seeing as how you already have the information contained within the ancient scrolls as well, I believe this offer is more than appropriate." Morrighan stated. She then continued, "Since Pce Master Izroth is an honest person, I will be straightforward. Besides, you will find out regardless the moment you ept the Silver Inversion Disc. Before, you asked me what my profession was and inquired about the required use of a resource like the Immortal Hydra''s blood. In truth, my profession is a Magic Architect." ''Magic Architect... I see. That exins why she wanted to keep it a secret. If those top guilds learned of this, they would be a lot more persistent in their attempts to win her over.'' Morrighan was already considered the best magic caster in the eyes of the top guilds. Naturally, this reason alone was enough for them to do everything in their power to bring her over to their side. However, if one were to add the Magic Architect protection on top of that¡ªMorrighan''s value would skyrocket to another level. That''s because the legendary Magic Architect profession gave one the knowledge and skills to construct magic items! As far as Izroth knew, Morrighan was the first, and perhaps only, yer to obtain the Magic Architect profession in RML. He also read that creating magic items was not cheap and the required resources to do so were oftentimes astounding. Even for a skilled yer like Morrighan, she most likely had to rely on gathering her own high-end resources. After all, the top guilds were well known for always immediately snatching up any high-end resources that appeared on the open market. Not to mention, if Morrighan tried to interact with a top guild in order to obtain certain high-end resources, it would undoubtedly end with them using it as an excuse in an attempt to recruit her. However, Morrighan being able to take out an S-rank magic item, while somewhat surprising, was not too unbelievable for a yer of her caliber. What truly took Izroth aback was something in particr that Morrighan said. "You will find out regardless the moment you ept the Silver Inversion Disc"¡ªthere was only one reason Morrighan would have made a statement like that. Whenever Izroth created skills through the Combat Master ss, the skill itself always listed him as the creator by default. This rule also applied to craftsmen who created items. But, if that were the case, it would mean that Morrighan was responsible for the creation of the Silver Inversion Disc¡ªan S-ranked magic item! A Magic Architect itself was already enough to kick up a fuss. But one that could craft S-ranked magic items¡ªif such news was released, it would cause a massive ripple effect to spread throughout RML. "An S-ranked magic item is certainly tempting. But I''m curious. I am the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. Are you not afraid that my greed is even greater than that of the top guilds? After all, a Magic Architect with your capabilities is quite difficult to turn a blind eye to." Izroth stated calmly. "If Pce Master Izroth is such a man so easily consumed by greed, then I have truly misjudged you for a second time. If that''s the case, I would only have myself to me for being deceived." Morrighan replied without hesitation. ''I guess she hasn''t forgotten about that.'' Izroth nodded and said, "You can be at ease. I have no intention of exposing your profession to others. And, while my Mystical Realm Pce would wee you with open arms, I won''t attempt to force the matter." "Upon my visit to the Mystical Realm Pce, I learned that Pce Master Izroth is rather generous and open to the craftsman around him. That''s why it''s not as though I would necessarily be against forming a mutual rtionship with the Mystical Realm Pce. That is, so long as Pce Master Izroth is willing to suffer in my ce." Morrighan said with a meaningful look in her eyes. ''Interesting.'' Izroth immediately understood Morrighan''s intent with those words. "In other words, you want me to deal with blocking the top guilds that have been chasing after you nonstop to win you over. That''s a rather troublesome task, wouldn''t you agree?" Izrothmented with a carefree smile. Of course, Izroth was no stranger when it came to interacting with the top guilds. He had his fair share of both friendly and hostile encounters with them. But, whether or not they were a top guild did not matter to Izroth. As long as they did not attempt to obstruct his path or mess with the people under his protection, Izroth would not find trouble with them of his own ord. However, if they attempted to go after what was his, then their fate would end the same way as Sage Falls. "That''s why I said Pce Master Izroth would have to be willing to suffer in my ce," Morrighan responded as her lips curved into a light smile. ''An S-ranked magic item and the Magic Architect profession... It''s not like this is necessarily a bad deal for me. She may also be able to repair the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels¡ªperhaps even restore it to its full original strength. As for suffering in her ce...'' "If I were incapable of enduring at least that much, I''m afraid I''d be too disappointed in myself. Since you have shown me your sincerity, I must respond in kind." Izroth said as he removed an Ageless Vial of Sen from his inventory. "The Blood of the Immortal Hydra requires a special kind of container to house its contents. Preferably one that''s indestructible. For now, I will lend you an Ageless Vial of Sen. You can return it when you see fit." Izroth stated as he tossed the vial toward Morrighan. The Phantom Queen made a small motion with her finger, causing the vial to stop mid-air before slowly levitating in front of her. "That particr vial holds roughly 50% of the Immortal Hydra''s blood that I have in my possession," Izroth stated nonchntly. "?!" Morrighan''s eyes widened in surprise. 50%? She did not know precisely how much that amounted to; however, just the fact that he gave her half of what was in his possession shocked the Phantom Queen. Not only that, she was not fooled by the small appearance of the Ageless Vial of Sen. As a Magic Architect, she instantly recognized that the vial was actually an S-ranked magic item! Without a doubt, it held much more of the Immortal Hydra''s blood than its physical appearance would have one assume. Chapter 1006 Coming To Terms, Imposed Limitation "You truly have me at a loss for words," Morrighan said with a helpless smile as she examined the contents of the vial through the system. In truth, she had already prepared herself only to receive a handful of drops at most from Izroth. However, because of the importance that the Immortal Hydra''s blood held to her, Morrighan decided that it would be okay to suffer a momentary loss. "I am not sure if Pce Master Izroth is aware of this fact, but in order to craft magic items that are higher than C-rank, one requires high-end resources. And, when one approaches A-rank magic items, the resources used must be, at minimum, of the ancient-rank. However, in order to craft magic items that are S-rank or higher, I require the use of mythical-grade resources. The Silver Inversion Disc is a magic item that I have poured all of my resources, knowledge, and efforts into." Morrighan said as the Silver Inversion Disc slowly levitated over in Izroth''s direction. Izroth held out the palm of his hand as the Silver Inversion Disc halted right above it without pausing its rotation. "I am not usually the sentimental type; however, I hope that Pce Master Izroth does not let my creation waste away and puts it to good use," Morrighanmented. "Don''t worry. I''ll be sure to take full advantage of it." Izroth assured. He then clenched his hand into a fist as the Silver Inversion Disc was sent to his inventory. "Now that that''s settled, we should go over a few things if you n on being a part of the Mystical Realm Pce," Izroth stated. ... Izroth and Morrighan spent the next few minutes ironing out some details regarding the Phantom Queen forming a mutual rtionship with the Mystical Realm Pce. For one, Izroth made it so that if Morrighan wanted to sell her magic items through the Mystical Realm Pce, she was free to do so. As for the cut of profits¡ªthere was none. 100% of what Morrighan would make from selling her magic items would go right to her. That is if she fronted the cost using her own resources. If she decided to use the resources of the Mystical Realm Pce, then she would only have to pay back the amount used for the materials from the profit. As for the amount of resources she could request¡ªIzroth did not set a limit. That''s because no matter what kind of magic item she crafted, it was guaranteed to yield a sizable return. Additionally, Izroth had an interesting idea in regard to the method of selling. Since the Mystical Realm Pce had plenty of iing flowing in, Izroth was not interested in the money portion of magic items, but rather the draw potential. Whenever Morrighan wanted to sell a magic item at the Mystical Realm Pce, they would hold a special auction event with that magic item as the star attraction. Not only would this drum up business and create more buzz around the Mystical Realm Pce; but it would also enable other craftsmen of the Mystical Realm Pce to get their best works recognized. Of course, they would have to earn their item slot in the auction by putting forth the effort. Furthermore, Izroth nned on adding another floor to the Mystical Realm Pce so that Morrighan would have a private ce to craft should she decide to visit or stay there for a while. Izroth also handed over the severely damaged Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels to Morrighan. After giving it a quick look over, the Phantom Queen confirmed that it was possible to repair the magic item; however, it would require a hefty amount of resources and some time to do. Naturally, Izroth had no trouble with those conditions. ''I should inform Advisor Fang Qiu to make some preparations for the future.'' "I''ve only mentioned the rough outline of things. In the future, I will entrust another person with going over the more precise issues and providing you with whatever resources you need." Izroth stated. "For now, this much is plentiful. Though I hope Pce Master Izroth remembers the nature of our rtionship. The one condition I mentioned will not be changed." Morrighan reminded. "It''s fine. There is no problem with the condition you set. After all, I have no intention of dragging you into my own affairs." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Morrighan did not mind forming a connection with the Mystical Realm Pce; however, she made it a condition that it would only be in the capacity of a craftsman. This meant that she would have nothing to do with things like dungeons, raids, boss fights, or yer conflicts. That being said, the Phantom Queen also mentioned that she would not sit back and watch if the Mystical Realm Pce ever came under a direct threat. Izroth was not bothered by Morrighan''s decision. In the end, the concerns Morrighan revealed were all small matters in Izroth''s eyes. In the long run, everything brought up was an insignificant price to paypared to having a Magic Architect of the Phantom Queen''s level be a part of the Mystical Realm Pce. "I''m curious, how long did it take you to craft an S-rank magic item?" Izroth inquired. "Not ounting for the time I spent gathering resources; it took me roughly six hours," Morrighan answered casually. Six hours? If those top guild yers found out it only took the Phantom Queen six hours to craft an S-ranked magic item, they would be filled with an endless stream of envy! ''Six hours... Are the creation of magic items that simple?'' Izroth did not know much about the creation process of magic items in RML. Needless to say, information about the production process of magic items was either lost to the passage of time or kept under heavy guard by those fortunate enough to have happened upon some secrets. It was not something that would be left in a ce like the Amaharpe Pce Library. Instead, it was more likely that any magic item production methods were locked away in some hidden vault owned by those with power and influence. "In truth, it is not necessarily difficult to create the magic item itself, but... Well, I suppose there is no harm in telling you now that we share a connection." Morrighan sighed as she lightly shook her head. She then continued, "The reason why there are so few magic items to begin with has to do with the burden creating a magic item ces upon a Magic Architect. C-rank or lower magic items do not have that heavy of a burden, but once a Magic Architect begins to craft magic items that are B-rank or higher, in order to bring it to life, so to speak, they must give a piece of themselves to the magic item. The higher the magic item''s rank, the bigger the piece that must be given." ''I see. That would certainly exin the scarcity of magic items.'' Although Izroth had a good amount of magic items in his possession, he was not oblivious to his own fortunate circumstances. For the average yer, obtaining a C-rank or B-rank magic item could already be seen as a great fortuitous encounter, let alone an S-ranked or higher magic item. "That piece I am speaking of is a person''s life force. Of course, if we were just speaking about health, I could solve the issue with just a few potions. However, the life force I''m speaking of is something much more unique. It is the very thing that ties one to this world. But, seeing as how I am a yer, it is a little different in my case. I can craft any number of magic items at C-rank and below. After that, twenty B-rank, ten A-rank, five S-rank, two SS-rank, and one SSS-rank¡ªthis is the limit imposed by the system in terms of crafting high-rank magic items." Morrighan exined. "Oh? Then, since you''ve given me the Silver Inversion Disc..." "Yes, it''s exactly what you''re thinking. To put it simply, I can only create four more S-rank magic items." ''A crafting limit on high-ranked items... Will the same apply to things like pills and equipment as well?'' If that was the case, Izroth hoped that the skill The Unbounded One would be able to bypass such limitations. Izroth inwardly sighed. It was a shame that Morrighancked a skill like The Unbounded One that allowed one to be unbound by all under the firmament. Otherwise, perhaps it would have been possible to surpass the limit imposed by the system on the creation of high-ranked magic items. Chapter 1007 Meeting With The Head Of The Seventh Demon Clan "The limitation set on high-ranked magic items is unfortunate. That being said, if others were also able to take on the Magic Architect profession, isn''t it possible to create as many high-ranked magic items as you wish so long as you possess the resources?" Izroth inquired. If the process of creating magic items was as easy as Morrighan said, then any person with a decent head on their shoulders could be a Magic Architect. Of course, there was always the chance that Morrighan downyed the difficulty of creating a new magic item. After all, she was one of the top mages among yers in RML. What was considered easy to her may not necessarily be seen as easy for others. Morrighan, however, shook her head and replied, "If bing a Magic Architect was the same as most other professions, it would be a feasible idea. Unfortunately, if one wishes to be a Magic Architect, there are three essential factors to take into consideration. Magic aptitude, a high level of mana control, and, the most important factor--luck." "Oh? Why is luck ced so high on the list?" Izroth asked. "Perhaps there are other ways to acquire the Magic Architect profession. However, based on my own experiences, it requires one to obtain a legendary-grade Profession Specialization Scroll." Morrighan exined. She then continued, "I got lucky and found one among some ancient abandoned ruins in Proximus. It is the same ce I came across the ancient scrolls containing information about the possible applications of the Blood of the Immortal Hydra." ''A Profession Specialization Scroll... I''ve never heard of it, but from its name and the fact that it''s a legendary-grade item, I can roughly guess its effects.'' "Interesting. There''s such a ce in Proximus?" Izroth had been to the kingdom of Proximus before, but he did not yet have the chance to explore it in its entirety. Not to mention, the location of the Proximus kingdom is exactly where the Danger Lands used to be. The Danger Lands was a ce that housed several unique races in the past. Therefore, Izroth was not surprised that Morrighan managed to stumble across something like abandoned ancient ruins. "It is a pity, but that ce destroyed itself not long after I imed ownership of its contents." Morrighan sighed regretfully. Most yers would keep such important information close to their hearts. This was even more so when it came to acquiring things like legendary-grade items. However, Morrighan spoke without concern and Izroth could tell that she was not lying about the ruins being destroyed for the sake of hoarding everything to herself. Of course, even if she did, Izroth would not have med her for doing so. Still, to share such information with him, Izroth did not know if Morrighan''s trust in him had risen by a good deal, or if she was just that confident in protecting what was hers. Either way it went, Izroth was not disappointed. "A pity indeed," Izroth said with a carefree smile. He then continued, "Then, shall we get back on track and finish going over the basic proposal?" "That suits me just fine. I am rather curious to find out what kind of proposal Pce Master Izroth has in store for me." Morrighan stated as her lips curved into a yful smirk. ... After a few moments passed, Izroth''s conversation with Morrighan came to an end. Izroth sent the details of the basic proposal over to Fang Qiu, she was surprised to see that, even though it was a rough proposal, the foundations were solid. She knew that, without a doubt, Izroth had thought things through so thoroughly. After that, Fang Qiu gave Izroth an earful about howe he couldn''t think things through this clearly when setting up the Mystical Realm Pce. But, Izroth could not refute Fang Qiu''s words because she was correct. In the beginning, he did not pay it much mind and simply threw everything together without a second thought. It was not that he was incapable of doing so, but rather that he found it troublesome and not high on his list of priorities at the time. Nevertheless, Fang Qiu was unable to hide the enthusiasm in her voice. The addition of a Magic Architect and the potential emergence of an auction house at the Mystical Realm Pce would bring the shop to even greater heights. No, calling it a simple shop anymore would be inurate. Instead, wouldn''t they finally be taking their real first steps towards bing a legitimate business group?! ''Now that I''ve taken care of things with the Phantom Queen, there''s one more matter I have left to see to.'' Once he settled things with Fang Qiu, Izroth parted ways with Morrighan. And, right now, Izroth was on his way to meet up with the current head of the Seventh Demon n! ''Well, then... Shall we find out who''s so eager to meet me?'' Tal''Yah mentioned that her goal was to capture Izroth and bring him back alive. However, since they did not have much time for idle chat in the middle of a battlefield, Izroth did not get a chance to find out who gave Tal''Yah that order. And, more importantly, why Tal''Yah, the head of the Seventh Demon n, willingly epted it. ''Just how far has the Seventh Demon n fallen?'' Due to the quest given to him by Tal''Nis, Izroth knew that the Seventh Demon n had been in decline for generations after losing contact with Tal''Nis sometime after the Fourth War of the Titans. Still, based on the fact that Tal''Nis was able to climb to a ce like the Divine Realm and the temperament she disyed, how could her descendants behave like some mercenaries for hire? If Tal''Nis knew of what they had be, wouldn''t she cough up blood from sheer anger? Whatever the case, Izroth had to find out what was going on with the Seventh Demon n if he ever wanted to seed in helping them to re-establish their connection to the Seven mes of Tal and regain their footing as a n. ''This ce should do.'' Izroth abruptly halted his steps and said, "I know you''re watching. This should be far away enough from the camp, right? So, why don''t you stop hiding and show yourself now?" Izroth had traveled more than one hundred meters away from where the 2nd Unit and 9th Division were temporarily camped out. The words he spoke seemed to be directed to no one in particr; however, not even half a breath passed before a cloaked figured appeared soundlessly in front of Izroth. "I was beginning to think you would not keep your word. I must say, I''m surprised. I thought for sure that I had been thoroughly fooled." The cloaked figure spoke before removing their hood. This person who appeared was precisely the one Izroth came out here to meet. The current head of the Seventh Demon n, Tal''Yah. "A man is only as good as his word. Since I''ve agreed to do something, naturally, I will follow through." Izroth stated calmly. Right after finished speaking, Tal''Yah wasted no time and began to ask, "That ne-" "Wait," Izroth said as he held up his hand and cut off Tal''Yah. "What is it?" Tal''Yah frowned. She was unable to hide the restlessness within her eyes. It was obvious to Izroth that she had many questions for him. However, Izroth also had questions of his own that he needed to be answered. He could not allow Tal''Yah to start throwing a barrage of questions his way one-sidedly. "First, we should set some basic ground rules. I''m sure you''re feeling quite curious right about now. But I, also have some things I''m interested in. So, we''ll each take turns asking questions. How about it?" Izroth said without mincing his words. Hearing Izroth speak so clearly and in a straightforward manner, Tal''Yah realized that she had been too anxious and quickly calmed herself. "Very well. Then, I would like to be the first one to ask a question. Is that alright with you?" Tal''Yah requested. Izroth gave a small nod and replied, "That''s fine. Though I already have a good idea of what it is that you wish to know." The next moment, the Seventh Origin mes Ne appeared in Izroth''s hand as he held it out for Tal''Yah to see. "You want to know where those mes from earlier came from, right?" Chapter 1008 Not Abandoned, Not Forgotten "Ah... Yes, those mes¡ªwhere did you acquire such a pure me? And, why is it that I felt a strange connection with it?" Tal''Yah asked. "That''s two questions." Izroth pointed out. "I-" "Well, it''s fine. I''ll just ask more questions after I answer, so I don''t mind. The mes you saw earlier came from this ne I''m holding. As for why you felt a connection, you shouldn''t be too surprised. After all, this ne was something created by the ancestor of your Seventh Demon n." Izroth responded. "Wha-" Tal''Yah''s eyes widened in shock as a look of disbelief appeared on her face. That ne was made by an ancestor of their Seventh Demon n?! "How is that possible?! Nearly all the relics of the Seventh Demon n were lost after the Fourth War of the Titans! Where did you find-!" "I believe the agreement was that we''d take turns. Or is it that you have no intention of answering my questions?" Izroth said with a distant gaze. Tal''Yah fell silent as she clenched her trembling fists. This action was not born out of anger but rather came from the excitement of such a monumental discovery for her Seventh Demon n! After the Danger Lands were devastated following the Fourth War of the Titans, the Seventh Demon n lost its foundations. Naturally, this also included the treasures and relics had been built up since their founding. Ultimately, the Seventh Demon n was forced to roam the Mortal Realm, and over time, the true art of the Seven mes of Tal had been forgotten. As a result, the Seventh Demon n was unable to gain a solid footing over the generations and had been on a constant decline. As the current head of the Seventh Demon n, this was a burden Tal''Yah inherited from the n heads that came before her. And, even though she did not want to admit it, they were close to reaching their breaking point. If things continued down this path without change, there would be no hope remaining for the uing generation of the Seventh Demon n. This was a problem that weighed heavily on Tal''Yah''s heart. That''s why if there was even the slightest possibility that she could recover a part of their n''s heritage, Tal''Yah was willing to take whatever risks that came along with it. "The Seventh Demon n''s hidden abode¡ªI want to pay a visit there. Is it possible?" Izroth inquired. Tal''Yah furrowed her brows as she entered a deep state of thought. Then, a few momentster, she replied, "It is possible, but... Why-" Tal''Yah suddenly stopped herself. She remembered that it was still not yet her turn to ask questions again. With what was potentially at stake, Tal''Yah understood that she had to proceed with a certain level of caution from this point on. "I''m d you remembered. As for the answer you gave me¡ªit''s good enough. Then, for my next question, I would like to know who sent you to capture me?" Izroth asked the main question that had been lingering in the back of his mind this entire time. "This..." Tal''Yah appeared troubled by Izroth''s question this time around. There was a clear emergence of hesitation written all over her face and a conflicted look in her eyes. However, Tal''Yah''s gazended on the ne in Izroth''s hands. While it was faint, she could feel traces of the same connection she felt before back on the battlefield. "If he decides to flee after learning the identity of the person who wants to capture him, I may lose the only chance to restore the Seventh Demon n to its former glory. That is not a regret I wish to carry with me for the rest of my life. But... If I ignore the possibility and it turns out to be genuine, I will have be the biggest sinner in the history of the Seventh Demon n." Tal''Yah thought to herself. The following moment, the hesitation on Tal''Yah''s face disappeared and the conflicted look in her eyes transformed into one of rity. Izroth waited patiently for Tal''Yah''s answer. Her hesitance did not go unnoticed by him. But, from the looks of it, Izroth believed that Tal''Yah had finally resolved herself. "The person who orchestrated your capture by the hands of my Seventh Demon n is the little princess of the Fifth Great n, Luxia. However, I am not certain what she wants with you. To find that out, you will have to pay the little princess a visit yourself." Tal''Yah stated. ''Fifth Great n Luxia... So, it''s her. But why did she send people to capture me alive?'' The rtionship between Izroth and Luxia could not be considered friendly; however, it was not exactly hostile. After all, the number of interactions they had was not many. There was the fact that Izroth was on close terms with the Thousand Blossom Maiden Sychia. But was that enough to orchestrate his capture? Besides, if Luxia truly had a grudge against him, why did she want him alive instead of just instructing Tal''Yah to aim for his life? ''No, there''s also the incident that urred on the Thousand Blossoms Peak. Then, does it have to do with me ruining her ns? Still, even if that is the case, I didn''t expect news to reach the Fifth Great n so fast. Can it be that there are still some spies hidden in the Order of a Thousand Blossoms?'' Back when he cured Sychia''s master, the Order of a Thousand Blossoms Holy Maiden, Seina, Izroth had already ruined whatever ns Luxia set in motion. However, during that time, Izroth also revealed a huge secret of the Fifth Great ns¡ªthe existence of the Spirit of Mana. Izroth knew that it was inevitable that news of what happened would leave the Thousand Blossoms Peak eventually and find its way to the Fifth Great n. But, for it to be this fast had to mean that the Fifth Great n still had a few people simr to Yuveil in its ranks. Though it was not too much of a concern. Now that Seina had recovered, she would undoubtedly act with a higher level of caution and vignce than before. It would not be possible to poison her a second time; therefore, those spies from the Fifth Great n would be unable to act recklessly. ''So that''s how it is. The reason she didn''t use the Seventh Demon n to kill me outright means she wants to know how I came to learn of the existence of the Spirit of Mana¡ªone of the Fifth Great n''s most closely guarded secrets. She probably ns to kill me right after she gets what she wants. How amusing.'' "Then, I have onest question for you. Once you answer it, I''ll be sure to answer all the questions on your mind." Izroth said nonchntly. Izroth already learned everything that he needed to know from Tal''Yah. Now, there was something he wanted to know. "As long as you keep your word, I''m absolutely fine with that arrangement!" Tal''Yah responded with haste as if she were afraid that Izroth would suddenly change his mind. Izroth inwardly shook his head at Tal''Yah''s reaction. That being said, he understood why she acted that way, given the opportunity before her. Plus, Izroth felt a little bad for Tal''Yah. Regardless of whether or not she answered his questions, if he wanted toplete the quest given to him by Tal''Nis, he had no choice but to hand over the Seventh Origin mes Ne and assist the Seventh Demon me. Even though his actions could not technically be considered a form of deception, Izroth still figured he would at least somewhat make it up to Tal''Yah by satisfying her curiosity. "The little princess you mentioned¡ªwhere is she currently?" Izroth asked. Since Luxia wanted to meet with him so badly, Izroth did not mind granting her wish if she was close by. However, it would be on his own terms. As for what would happen after that, it would depend on Luxia''s response and reason for sending people to capture him. "I can''t answer with absolute certainty. Originally, we were supposed to send a message and meet up with a different group after capturing you. That group would then take you to meet with the little princess. But, if I had to guess, it''s likely that her real body is located somewhere inside the Fifth Great n''s main household." Tal''Yah answered without hesitation. Chapter 1009 Gift Of The Everlasting Flame She then released a small sigh and continued, "However, if I''m being honest, even calling it a guess is a little much. The little princess of the Fifth Great n is rumored to have tens of main bodies and tens¡ªno, maybe even hundreds of auxiliary bodies spread all throughout the Mortal Realm. Finding her true body is something that even those closest to her may not necessarily be able to do." ''I knew she was the cautious type after what happened in the Secret Realm, but... She''s even more careful than I anticipated.'' The Luxia that traveled to the Secret Realm with Izroth and the others turned out to be one of the main bodies Tal''Yah spoke of. During their time in the Secret Realm, Sychia ended up destroying the Luxia main body that had apanied them. Therefore, Izroth was aware that she had multiple bodies. Nheless, he did not expect the number of other bodies to be so plentiful. ''It looks like I will have to pay a visit to the Mother of All Forests sooner than I thought. However, it will have to wait until after the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt.'' "I suppose a promise is a promise. Feel free to ask whatever questions you''d like." Izroth said in a carefree manner. When Izroth said those words, Tal''Yah''s eyes lit up. She wasted no timeing up with her first question. ... Approximately ten minutester... Tal''Yah had been asking Izroth questions practically nonstop for the past ten minutes straight. What was his rtionship with the Seventh Demon n? Where did he find the Seventh Origin mes Ne? How much did he know about the Seven mes of Tal and the history of their n? Those were just some of the few questions that came up in their conversation. However, every time Izroth answered Tal''Yah''s question, she became increasingly astonished. From his meeting with Tal''Nis in the crusade to being entrusted by their ancestor to seek out the descendants of the Seventh Demon n¡ªTal''Yah could not help but have her breath taken away. Tal''Yah closed her eyes as a stream of tears fell down the side of her face. "After all these years, we just assumed the ancestor had abandoned us, but... To think the ancestor was trying their hardest to re-establish contact with us...! We believed ourselves to have been discarded and forgotten, and yet all this time...! As the current head of the Seventh Demon n, I am greatly ashamed...!" Tal''Yah said as she tightly clenched her fists. For Tal''Yah, there were countless times she thought about taking her younger brother and leaving behind all the responsibility that came along with being the n head. Since their ancestor had forsaken them, why should she devote her life to the survival of such a n? That was a thought that invaded her mind and lingered within its depths more times than she could remember. However, after hearing the truth from Izroth and knowing that their ancestor still cared this much for them after all the generations had gone by... That she never gave up despite there being seemingly no way forward¡ªhow could Tal''Yah''s heart not be moved? Izroth remained silent and allowed Tal''Yah to sort through her intense feelings. He understood exactly how much it meant to a declining n to see a glimmer of hope. ''During that time, perhaps if we also had an ancestor like Tal''Nis who was this persistent, then...'' Izroth was reminded of some unpleasant memories during his time in the Seven Realms. ''Forget it. The past is not something that can be held on to if one wishes to move forward.'' Izroth buried those memories back deep into the depths of his mind. At the same time, Tal''Yah gently wiped her eyes as the tears stopped flowing from her eyes. "I am embarrassed by the unpleasant sight that I have shown to this benefactor. I hope you can excuse my pitiful disy and forgive my past behavior." Tal''Yah said in a sincere manner with a weak smile. She then continued, "If you wish to seek revenge or carry out punishment, I will not resist. I only ask that your anger be directed toward me and not my Seventh Demon n." Even though her goal was not to kill him, Tal''Yah was not so shameless as to ignore her past transgressions against Izroth. In the end, no matter the reason, she still attacked him. If she had seriously harmed him while carrying out the mission she was given, Tal''Yah would have denied the Seventh Demon n a chance to rise up once more. Izroth removed the Seventh Origin mes Ne from his inventory once again. This time, however, he held the ne out towards Tal''Yah. "This is called the Seventh Origin mes Ne. It is an item that was entrusted to me by your ancestor. I was told that if I ever encounter this generation''s head of the Seventh Demon n, I should relinquish ownership of this ne to them." Izroth exined as Tal''Yah carefully took the ne into the palms of her hands. "This warmth... It''s sofortable." Tal''Yah muttered as she closed her eyes and felt a wave of gentle mes wash over her. The next moment, the ne in Tal''Yah''s hand emitted a bright blue glow. Then, in the blink of an eye, blue mes exploded forth from the Seventh Origin mes Ne! These mes engulfed Tal''Yah and covered every part of her body. However, instead of screaming out in pain or panicking, Tal''Yah seemed to be in an incredibly rxed state as she did not attempt to resist the mes. A few secondster, the mes receded from Tal''Yah''s body and converged a little less than one meter before her. ''Oh? This is...'' Out of nowhere, the blue mes became restless and started to move about. Tal''Yah finally opened her eyes just as the blue mes finished taking shape. Bang! Tal''Yah immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed in front of the mes. "Tal''Yah, 18th Head of the Seventh Demon n, greets the Heavenly me Ancestor!" Tal''Yah cried out as her body trembled and a flow of tears escaped her eyes despite her best efforts to contain them. The blue mes had transformed into a humanoid figure. Their physical features were difficult to make out since they were made entirely out of the blue mes; however, their form was one that Izroth recognized immediately. It was the Lady of Evesting Rain, Tal''Nis! ''No, it''s different from those times.'' This version of Tal''Nis was made purely from mes and seemed ethereal in its presence. It was not like the fragment of Tal''Nis that Izroth met during the crusade or the phantom of Tal''Nis summoned by the Relic of the First Tal. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Without warning, three cloaked figures leaped out from behind the nearby trees. ''So, they finally decided to show themselves. Though I can''t say I''m too surprised.'' Izroth had long since detected the presence of these three individuals. However, since he was already aware of their identity and they did not show signs of bloodlust, he decided to simply ignore their presence. But, even if Izroth ignored their presence, he knew that they would not be able to sit still in front of these mes. "This descendant greets the Heavenly me Ancestor!" The three cloaked figures said in unison as they instantly removed their hoods. They were the same three individuals who had been by Tal''Yah''s side since the beginning of her mission, Tal''Han, Kol''Jil, and Zel''Kan. The three stopped behind Tal''Yah and mimicked the n head''s actions of paying their respects. "Rise, my descendants of the mes." The mes of Tal''Nis'' words echoed. Although the mes did not have a mouth from which to speak, everyone within the vicinity could still hear the words spoken by it clearly. "We dare not! We have shamed the Seventh Demon n!" Tal''Yah dered. "We have shamed the Seventh Demon n!" Tal''Han, Kol''Jil, and Zel''Kan echoed. "My foolish descendants. You have survived up until this point despite the catastrophe that urred many centuries ago. Your enduring to this point is the furthest thing from shaming the Seventh Demon n that I''ve founded. So, I say, once more¡ªrise, my descendants of the me." The mes of Tal''Nis stated. Tal''Yah rose to her feet along with the other three members of the Seventh Demon n. Not a single one of them was able to hold back their tears upon facing the mes of Tal''Nis. Chapter 1010 Everlasting Flame To them, this was more than a simple greeting and paying respects to their ancestor. Their n had suffered across many generations and had thought themselves to be abandoned by Tal''Nis. There was not a day that went by where those of the Seventh Demon n questioned if they had done something wrong to upset their ancestor long ago. To have several centuries worth of troubles and worries passed down from generation to generation answered after all this time, how could their hearts remain unmoved? "What you are seeing now is but a wisp of the will that I have left behind inside of the Seventh Origin mes Ne. These mes reflect my consciousness and true thoughts. It will speak as I would. It is not until the connection with the Seven mes of Tal is restored that you will be able tomunicate with my true body that has long since left the world you reside in. In order to re-establish that lost connection, I shall grant you a gift." The mes of Tal''Nis said as it reached out its ming arm toward Tal''Yah and touched her forehead with its index finger. Tal''Yah''s closed her eyes as she felt an indescribable energy rush into her. After a few breaths went by, Tal''Yah opened her eyes; however, they were not the same as before. The dark green mes within her eyes were no more. Instead, it had transformed into blue mes that resembled the one Izroth witnessed back in the crusade from the Lady of the Evesting Rain. The dark green mes that originally made up Tal''Yah''s ming hair also underwent a simr change and turned into blue mes. ''The intensity of the mes is different, but there''s no mistaking it. She resembles the fragment of Tal''Nis I saw in the crusade rather closely now.'' "These mes..." Tal''Yah looked down at her hand as a small wisp of blue mes appeared at its center before quickly dispersing. Tal''Yah clenched her fist tightly as her hand trembled. "The heavenly me from which all the Seven mes of Tal originate¡ªit''s actually the Evesting me...!" Tal''Yah said with a look of disbelief as she was still in a state of awe. She then continued, "Ancestor, this descendant is not worthy of the Evesting me. But, I swear on my life, as this generation''s n head, I shall do everything that is within my power to restore the Seventh Demon n to its former glory. I will not allow the gift the ancestor has given this descendant to go to waste. I will find a way to re-establish the lost connection to the Seven mes of Tal." Tal''Yah spoke with a firm resolveced into her words. The mes of Tal''Nis seemed to nce back at Izroth before returning its attention to Tal''Yah. "You must remember well, my descendant. The person who has delivered the Seventh Origin mes Ne to your hands is the greatest benefactor of our Seventh Demon n. They will aid you in repairing the connection to the Seven mes of Tal. In the future, you must never allow them to suffer at the hands of those with ill intentions. Should the words I have spoken today ever be lost on you¡ªthat will be the moment you are no longer a descendant of my Seventh Demon n." The mes of Tal''Nis stated. "Yes, ancestor! We of the Seventh Demon n will carve into our hearts the debt owed to our benefactor!" Tal''Yah cupped her fists and lowered her head. The mes of Tal''Nis slowly started to dissipate and flow towards the Seventh Origin mes Ne in Tal''Yah''s possession. "Ancestor!" Tal''Yah called out with a shocked expression on her face as the mes of Tal''Nis were fading. "Granting you the Evesting me through this wisp has consumed too much of what little strength it had remaining. But, be at ease, my descendants. I hold a great deal of confidence that this will not be thest time we speak. Remember, my descendants¡ªno matter how many eras maye and go, I will always be watching over the Seventh Demon n." The mes of Tal''Nis said as thest wisp was extinguished. When the mes of Tal''Nis vanished, Tal''Yah and the other Seventh Demon n members once again fell to their knees and kowtowed to see Tal''Nis off properly. Even if it was only a wisp of their real ancestor, they treated it no different than if Tal''Nis would have been there in person. ... A few moments passed as Tal''Yah and the Seventh Demon n members were finally able to collect and calm themselves from the events that had just unfolded. Tal''Yah approached Izroth and stopped right in front of him before cupping her fist into her hands and lowering her head respectfully. "Great benefactor, I have truly wronged you. As a result, I almost became the biggest sinner of my Seventh Demon n for daring to point my de at the great benefactor. As promised, you may punish me as you see fit. If it is my life you wish for, I only ask that you show mercy and wait until I restore the Seventh Demon n to its former glory." Tal''Yah stated in a sincere manner. "n head..." Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan said in a pitiful voice. "Sister, you can''t! Even if the Seventh Demon n is able to regain its past glory, how can it survive without you?! Great benefactor, spare my sister''s life and take mine instead! I-" Tal''Han shouted as he stepped forward. But, the moment Tal''Han took his first step forward, Tal''Yah''s voice sounded, "Tal''Han, silence! This is a burden that I must bear alone!" "Sister... Throughout my life, I, Tal''Han, have never once disobeyed you. But, this time-" Tal''Han said as he clenched his fists tightly. He then continued, "I will not let you carry this burden alone! You have always protected me! Now, let me be the one who protects you!" ''Oh? This kid¡ªthat''s quite the look he has in his eyes.'' A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he observed Tal''Han. With a nce, he could tell that Tal''Han was inexperienced due to the air of naivety he exuded. However, despite this, Tal''Han''s gaze remained unmoving. It was clear that he was ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of his sister and the Seventh Demon n. "Tal''Han, you-!" Tal''Yah scowled. Tal''Yah was not heartless. How could she not be touched by her younger brother''s actions? In fact, a part of her was proud of Tal''Han since it was the first time he firmly stood his ground. Not to mention, he was doing so for her sake. However, what kind of elder sister would she be if she allowed her younger brother to take the punishment in her ce? Tal''Yah was prepared to scold Tal''Han; however, before she could do so, she heard Izroth''s voice sound from in front of her. "I believe there has been a misunderstanding. I have no intention of punishing you, nor anyone else from the Seventh Demon n, for that matter." Izroth rified. Tal''Yah, Tal''Han, and the other Seventh Demon n members were visibly stunned by Izroth''s words. "Great benefactor, we... We attempted to harm you¡ªhow can you forgive the debt owed so easily?" Tal''Yah asked with furrowed brows and a perplexed look on her face. To those of the Seventh Demon n, they were raised in a way that all debts, good or bad, must be paid back tenfold without fail. From their perspective, Izroth choosing not to settle the debt incurred from attacking him baffled the Seventh Demon n members. It was even more shocking that such behavior wasing from a human, a race well known for its petty acts of vengeance and harsh retaliation against those who wronged them. The members of the Seventh Demon could notprehend Izroth''s decision, which caused their hearts to grow unsettled. "Your ancestor has already given me more than enough to settle such a small debt. So, don''t overthink it too much." Izroth stated calmly. Most of what Izroth received from Tal''Nis was only possible because of the efforts he put forth in the crusade. However, the three S-ranked Ageless Vial of Sen were things that the Lady of the Evesting Rain did not have to gift him. If not for those special containers, Izroth knew that it would have been a headache for him to find a suitable vessel capable of containing the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. Chapter 1011 KolJil And ZelKan Of course, Izroth was also helping Tal''Nis in various ways, so neither side was losing out on the exchange. However, Izroth figured that this would be the fastest method to get Tal''Yah and the other Seventh Demon n members to drop the matter of punishment. Besides, it was not as if they actually harmed him or did anything else unforgivable. Izroth was not the type to dwell on such an insignificant thing, especially when there were more important matters to attend to. "...Then, since this great benefactor has put it that way, we shall humbly receive your clemency," Tal''Yah responded helplessly. Tal''Yah felt strange walking away without consequence; however, Izroth brought up their ancestor''s grace towards him. If she pushed the issue, wouldn''t it be the same as looking down on her ancestor? "I still have a few matters to finish in Malentansium. Once I''vepleted what needs to be done here, I will assist you in re-establishing your Seventh Demon n''s connection to the Seven mes of Tal." Izroth stated. "The Seventh Demon n has waited through several generations for an opportunity to restore our lost connection to the Seven mes of Tal. Even if we had to wait for a few more years, I would notin." Tal''Yah replied with grace. Tal''Yah''s expression then became serious as she called out, "Kol''Jil! Zel''Kan!" Woosh! Woosh! The two Seventh Demon n members moved with haste and arrived behind Tal''Yah with their fists cupped. Tal''Yah turned to face Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan. "You two are to stay by our great benefactor''s side until he is ready to make his journey to the hidden abode of our Seventh Demon n! His safety and well-being are your number one priority¡ªam I clear?" "We receive the n head''s orders!" Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan responded in unison. Tal''Yah then turned back to face Izroth and said, "Forgive me for not consulting the great benefactor beforehand; however, please allow Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan to apany you on your journey. Although I would have liked the honor of doing so myself, I must report back to the Seventh Demon n and inform the elders of what has urred so that we may make the proper preparations for the future. But rest assured. Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan are two of our Seventh Demon n''s mightiest warriors. They will not be a burden to the great benefactor, and you may employ their services as you see fit." Izroth examined Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan. Kol''Jil was a man who appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties and stood nearly two meters tall. Although the cloaked attire he wore hid most of it well, with Izroth''s level of perception, he could see the defined muscles on Kol''Jil that came from years of intense training. Also, unlike the dark green mes that Tal''Yah previously disyed or the blue mes she received from Tal''Nis, the mes that made up Kol''Jil''s hair and flowed within his eyes were a dark saturated red. Zel''Kan, the young woman that stood next to Kol''Jil, looked to be in her early twenties. The thing that stood out the most about her unwavering pair of eyes. Also, just like Kol''Jil, she had different colored mes that made up her hair and inside eyes that were light violet. "What are the two of you waiting for? Greet the great benefactor!" Tal''Yah said as she stepped aside and motioned forward with her hand. "I am called Kol''Jil. It is my honor to follow the great benefactor," Kol''Jil stated as he stepped forward to greet Izroth. "I am called Zel''Kan. As the n head mentioned, I will do my best to ensure that I do not be a burden to the great benefactor." Zel''Kan said as she, too, stepped up to greet Izroth. ''Not bad. They both have yet to step into the legendary realm, but based on their aura, they''re probably as strong as a skilled War Brigade Commander. It''s a shame the Seventh Demon n has lost their heritage for so long; otherwise, with their levels of talent, these two would have long since stepped into the legendary realm.'' "Since n Head Tal''Yah wishes to ce two gifted warriors of her n at my side, naturally, I will not refuse," Izroth replied casually. Having two members of the Seventh Demon n with him would make his journey to the hidden abode much easier. Additionally, he would essentially have two Commander-level individuals at his disposal. This would help increase the overallbat power of the 9th Division, which it was desperatelycking heading towards the Night Lord''s Crypt. ''Having these two will help lower the chances of losing any 9th Division members in the uing chaos. While it''s important for the members of the 9th Division to gain experience, I also have to take their safety into ount. It''s not something that can be left to Astratis.'' In the end, Izroth believed that Astratis'' presence was much too important to use for the simple task of protecting the 9th Division. "I thank the great benefactor for going along with my selfish request," Tal''Yah said with a joyful smile. She then continued, "If you will excuse us, we shall take our leave. I will report this matter to the elders of the Seventh Demon n along with my younger brother." "Then, I wish n Head Tal''Yah a safe journey. However, will you and the Seventh Demon n be alright? The request you epted from that person¡ªit won''t take them long to find out that you''ve abandoned it." Izroth said. "I appreciate your concern, but we will be able to manage. It is true that we arecking in many ways; however, my Seventh Demon n still has a few treasures to rely on. Not to mention, now that I hold the Evesting mes, I can deploy the full power of our n''s formation. The little princess and the Fifth Great n, unless they are willing to throw away a ridiculous amount of resources to do so, will not be able to gain entry into the Seventh Demon n''s hidden abode unless I will it to be so. But, from what I know, the little princess is not the type to attack head-on. So, we should be fine for quite some time." Tal''Yah reassured. Izroth nodded and replied, "Since you have things figured out, then I can be at ease." Izroth could not help but think of how tragic it would be if the Seventh Demon ns'' hidden abode were suddenly destroyed and he ended up failing the quest. After exchanging a few more words, Tal''Yah walked over next to Tal''Han. The two faced Izroth and cupped their fists respectfully. "Until we meet again, great benefactor," Tal''Yah said sincerely. The next moment, Tal''Yah and Tal''Han were engulfed by blue mes before vanishing as thest of the mes dissipated. Right as Tal''Yah and Tal''Han took their leave, Izroth received a message from Menerva. ''It looks like I''m just in time.'' Menerva messaged Izroth to inform him that the 2nd Unit was preparing for departure. She wanted to know if the 9th Division would be going along with the 2nd Unit or traveling on their own terms. Izroth replied and Menerva before he closed out his system interface. ''Since we''re both headed to the same location, for the time being, we''ll stay with the 2nd Unit.'' "We''re leaving. By the way, if anyone should ask, just say that you are my personal guards." Izroth said as he turned towards the direction of the temporary camp. "Yes, great benefactor." Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan replied in unison. "Also, calling me great benefactor around others will sound too out of ce. Just call me Izroth." Izroth stated. Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan looked at one another before they returned their gazes forward. "Yes, young master Izroth." The two responded. "Just Izroth is-" Izroth suddenly stopped mid-sentence. When he saw the look in Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan''s eyes that screamed, "Anything more than this is uneptable", he decided to let them do as they pleased. "No, never mind. I suppose that''s fine as well." Izroth said as he could only helplessly smile inwardly. Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan seemed relieved when Izroth said those words. The two pulled their hoods back over their head and positioned themselves behind Izroth on each side. "Let''s depart," Izroth said as he started to make his way back towards the temporary camp, apanied by Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan. Chapter 1012 Signal ... The day of the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt had finally arrived. The allied forces of Amaharpe, Proximus, and Rosentarus were gathered roughly one kilometer away from the location of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Even from their current distance, the allied forces could see the Night Lord''s Crypt as clear as day due to its massive size that rivaled that of a fortress city. However, unlike a typical fortress city in RML, there were no magic cannons or towering walls with defensive magic embedded into them. Instead, there was an incredibly powerful set of magic formations that covered every part of the Night Lord''s Crypt. The Night Lord''s Crypt was located in a remote area of Malentansium¡ªa ce that rarely received visitors. However, today was unlike any other as tens of thousands had assembled in this remote region of Malentansium. Solomon stood at the vanguard of the allied forces along with several other Generals and high-ranked officials from Proximus and Rosentarus. Solomon peered into the distance where a sea of skounae awaited them that surrounded the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Solomon¡ªhow much longer must stand here and do nothing?! The longer we wait to attack, the closer the nightes upon us. Looking at the sea of enemies, our forces are already outnumbered three to one. We cannot hand the skounae the advantage of the night. The assault must begin while it''s still light out!" An aggravated voice sounded from nearby. Solomon nced over at the individual who just spoke. Ever since they reached their destination, this person had been the most vocal about beginning the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt. And, with every moment that passed, they were bing increasingly restless. The person who walked up and stopped a few steps away from Solomon towered over him as they stood over two meters tall. It was a man of the zensana race with a pair of horns protruding out the side of his head. He had dark tanned skin with certain areas of his body that were protected by a thick hide. His muscles were several times more dense than that of humans and he had a fierce look in his eyes that showed he was ready for battle. This man was a member of the ox sub-species of the zensana race and was one of the Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardians, Argousa. NPC Name: Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian, Argousa(???) NPC Level: ??? "The n has not changed since thest time you asked, Argousa. We will await the High General''s signal. Until that moment arrives, no one is to make a move." Solomon stated calmly. In truth, it was not as though Solomon necessarily disagreed with Argousa''s outlook. It wasmon knowledge that the skounae''s strength increased during the night when it was dark. Fighting them on those terms while also being outnumbered would only make the battle more difficult than it already was looking to be. However, Solomon had served under the High General for many years. He understood that the High General was not the type of man to risk the lives of his troops by fooling around. Therefore, Solomon knew that there must be a good reason for his dy. Thankfully, the mages deployed by Proximus were proficient and there had been no issues with the AOE stealth magic in ce. If not for this, their presence would have already been discovered by the enemies and the element of surprise would have been thoroughly lost. Argousa stared Solomon down for a few seconds. The next moment, he growled under his breath before angrily stomping off back towards the direction he came from. Those from the ox sub-species were abative bunch who were not afraid to speak their minds. But, they were also the type who respected hierarchy above all else. Naturally, Solomon was aware of this fact and knew that if he backed down or showed weakness, Argousa would have continued to challenge him on the matter. Therefore, he met Argousa''s gaze head-on and held firm to his words. "I feel bad for you, General Solomon. The ox zensanas are well known to be a rough-spoken bunch who are hard to deal with. Most people tend to avoid them altogether when serving with them due to their confrontational nature. A persistent bunch. Though I would be willing to entrust my back to them on any battlefield, would you not agree?" A gentle voice sounded from just a few steps away from Solomon. The voice originated from a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties with an air of feminine maturity about her. She had wavy cerulean hair that stopped halfway down her back with a pair of light aquamarine eyes. She wore a set of gorgeousbat mage robes with a part of her back exposed, which revealed a tattoo of a creature simr to a blue whale emerging from ocean waves. Because of the tattoo on their back, one would instantly uncover this woman''s identity as a member of a powerful noble family that hailed from the Proximus kingdom, the Oras family. NPC Name: Herald of the Surging Tides, Lena Oras(???) NPC Level: ??? "Argousa may appear rash, but he is still a Ten Beast Guardian of Rosentarus. I am certain he understands better than most the importance of the task at hand. We cannot afford to make any mistakes that will set us back in the slightest." Solomon stated. He briefly paused before he continued, "But, it is just as you say. I would entrust my back to them on any battlefield." "Do you believe that we should-" Rmmmmmble! Out of nowhere, the earth began to tremble violently. "It''s beginning." Solomon thought to himself. He then announced, "Everyone into position! Get ready to move out on mymand!" Although Solomon spoke in a voice that was nowhere near loud enough for all the allied forces to hear, hemunicated with everyone through a special magic item around his wrist. It looked simr to the same magic item used by Aurie and her 2nd Unit in the Nightfall des. However, the mana contained within the magic item on Solomon''s wrist was several times more dense. Right as Solomon gave out the orders, a faint noise that could only be described as a high-pitched whistle sounded throughout the area. Every moment that passed, the high-pitched whistling noise be increasingly louder. And, soon enough, it reached a point that drowned out all other sounds within several kilometers. Then, without warning, the whistling sound came to an abrupt stop and was reced by a deafening silence. Simultaneously, a stunning scene unfolded near the Night Lord''s Crypt. Or, to be more precise, in the skies directly over the crypt itself. The next moment, a thin stream of white light that originated from an unknown point in the sky shot down at blinding speeds. When the stream of white light materialized, its illuminating effects were so great that it could easily be seen from hundreds of kilometers away. That''s when it happened¡ªa thunderous cataclysmic force erupted from above the Night Lord''s Crypt. ...BOOOOOOOM! "Allied forces! Commence the attack!" Solomonmanded. With that order being given from Solomon, the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt had officially begun. ... ... ... ''It''s finally started.'' It had not been that long since Izroth and the 9th Division reached the rendezvous point of the allied forces along with Aurie''s 2nd Unit. However, after leaving the Nightfall des, their journey to the Night Lord''s Crypt went smoothly and gave them time to recuperate. Fortunately, all of the 9th Division members had consumed an Ocean Spring Pill. So, their fatigue recovery rate and general stamina were much higher than the average yer''s. It was mostly their mental fatigue that suffered and needed recovery time after the intense shes that urred at the Nightfall des. Izroth, "Everyone, remember to stay on your guard. Look out for those closest to you; however, your own safety should be top priority." Izroth had been keeping a close eye on the 9th Division members, and he was not disappointed. Izroth and the rest of the 9th Division had already switched over to voice chat so that theirmunication would not get immediately lost in the inevitable chaos. ''No one seems to be dragging their feet, so that''s a good sign. Now, then¡ªit''s time we cut this Night Lord off at his roots.'' Just as this thought crossed Izroth''s mind, he received some alerts from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! An Emergency War Objective is now avable!¡µ ¡´System Alert: A new quest has been generated! Due to special circumstances, the quest ?Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm? has been automatically epted.¡µ Chapter 1013 A Special Quest And Emergency War Objective ''Oh? It was automatically epted?'' Without halting his hastened steps, Izroth opened his system interface and quickly skimmed over the new quest he had received. Quest Name: Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: N/A Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: An important event is urring that will decide how the scale of bnce tips in the Mortal Realm. You must do whatever is in your power to stop the scales from tipping against the Mortal Realm itself. Time Limit: 1 day 0/1 Prevent the full revival of the ?Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars?. Reward: -Unlock 1 Unique* ss-rted skill. -x1 ?Token of Fate? Failure: -Lose 5 levels -All stats and experience gain will be temporarily reduced by 75% for 1 week. -Lose 1 random divine blessing. The lost divine blessing cannot be restored. Special Note: This quest will be automatically epted. This quest cannot be shared. The quest that had been given to Izroth and epted without his choice was actually an SSS-ranked quest! ''It mentions the scales of bnce. Then, does it have to do with the All-Seeing Goddess or the God of Craft?'' A while ago, Izroth made a deal with the God of Craft Mazi to do whatever was in his power to help the Mortal Realm in times of crisis. The revival of a Night Lord with another on the way could certainly be ssified as a crisis capable of upsetting the delicate power bnce of the Mortal Realm. Izroth also had a conversation with the All-Seeing Goddess Heltiaa not long after he left the crusade. It was then that she showed him a vision of the destruction that awaited the Mortal Realm should things follow the shadahi''s ns. Either way, seeing as how it was already in line with what he intended to do, Izroth did not mind the quest being automatically epted at all. In fact, it could even be viewed as an extra benefit. ''The failure penalty is not bad for an SSS-ranked quest. That being said, the permanent loss of a divine blessing would also mean forfeiting a part of my luck stat.'' Although its exact value was hard to pinpoint, Izroth knew that many of the fortuitous encounters he came across were likely a result of his high luck stat. If possible, he would rather not lose a single point of his luck. There was also something else that caught Izroth''s attention. This time, however, it was not the failure penalty but rather the rewards that were listed for the SSS-ranked quest. Surprisingly, there were only two rewards. Izroth had never heard of anything called the Token of Fate; therefore, he could only specte blindly as to potential uses. Whatever the case, since it was listed as a reward on an SSS-ranked quest, naturally, it would not be something useless. What surprised Izroth was the other reward¡ªa unique ss-rted skill. It wasmon knowledge among yers thatbat masters did not have any ss-rted skills. This rule was not any different in Izroth''s case. While it was true that after reaching level 50 he could now create skill orbs, it had nothing to do with an actual skill itself. Rather, it was more of a system privilege¡ªnot a genuinebat master ss skill. Therefore, Izroth was curious as to if he would truly receive a ss-rted skill for thebat master ss. Or, if the system would simply grant him a random skill given thebat master''s ability to utilize the skills of virtually every ss in RML. ''I guess I''ll have toplete the quest if I want to find out. Now, for this one... The rewards are better than I expected. The contribution points bonus is also double that of a typical emergency ssification war objective.'' Izroth switched his attention to the emergency ssification war objective that appeared right as General Solomon gave the order to engage. And it was this war objective that yers who participated in the attack had been anxiously awaiting. ?Operation Identifier: Assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt? ssification: Emergency Contribution Points Bonus: +200% Min. Requirement(s): ??? Min. Level Rmended: N/A Slots Remaining: Unlimited Objective: The allied forces have officially begun their assault on the ?Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars? crypt. Eradicate the enemies defending the Night Lord''s Crypt and aid the allied forces in obtaining victory. Reward: [+100(+200) Contribution Points for participation] [Securing Area: +20(+40) to +100(+200) Contribution Points] [< Hunter: +1(+2) Contribution Points] [Baron: +8(+16) Contribution Points] [Viscount: +25(+50) Contribution Points] [Earl: +100(+200) Contribution Points] [Marquis or higher: > +500(+200%)] Failure: [MAX: -500 Contribution Points] Special Note: Contribution Points are distributed in real-time for Emergency-type ssifications. Contribution Points will be allocated or deducted based on how youplete your duties. The total amount of contribution points that were up for grabs was possibly the most ever made avable for a single war objective. There were approximately 30,000 skounae that gathered to defend the Night Lord''s Crypt. Even if everyst one were a Hunter skounae, the minimum amount that could be earned for ying all of them would be a staggering 90,000 contribution points! Of course, the Hunter skounae made up the vast majority of the enemy forces; however, there were definitely higher-ranked skounae spread throughout their ranks. This meant that, in reality, the number of contribution points avable was likely twice or maybe even three times that amount! For most yers, they may never get another chance to earn this many contribution points in one go. So, naturally, many yers were pumped up and full of energy and determination. They would not allow such a great opportunity to pass them by! Izroth closed out his system interface. Almost right as he did so, Solomon''s voice sounded in the minds of all those present through the use of hismunication-type magic item. "Mages, drop the stealth magic! Everyone, prepare to engage with the enemies!" Solomon''s voice sounded. Solomon''s words caused many of those present to tense up as the atmosphere became heavy. This was it¡ªthe true start of the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt! A soft humming sound rang throughout the surroundings as a transparent magic dome that covered the entirety of the allied forces fizzled out of existence. ... The second the stealth magic disappeared, the allied forces split into three groups. Roughly twenty percent of the troops went left with the Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian Argousa at the front. "ughter everyst one of them!" Argousa''s voice exploded. A simr situation was taking ce on the right side, where another twenty percent of the allied forces'' troops split off. The right side was led by a magic caster of the Proximus kingdom, the Herald of the Surging Tides, Lena Oras. "Do not fall behind!" Lena shouted from horseback as countless water droplets of mana started to form in the atmosphere around her. As the left and right wings split off, the center of the allied forces charged forward at breakneck speed. The center ounted for sixty percent of the allied forces'' troops and was led by none other than General Solomon himself. And, at General Solomon''s side, were two individuals. The person on General Solomon''s left side was Commander Aurie, while the one on his right side was Commander Ezra. Auriemanded the 2nd Unit, which was directly under General Solomon. As for Commander Ezra, he oversaw the 1st Unit. The light that fell that the sky earlier and illuminated the entire area did more than just destroy the magic formations that protected the Night Lord''s Crypt. It also caused the skounae forces to be thrown into a state of chaos and be momentarily disoriented by the abnormally bright light. This was undoubtedly the best chance to strike while they were still attempting to regain themselves! "Commander Ezra, I''ll leave the opening of a path to you and the 1st Unit," Solomon said calmly. "Yes, General! Captain Edgar, Captain Zas¡ªon me!" Ezra called out. The next moment, two soldiers in a full set of heavy armor and wielding a spear in their hand rode up from behind Ezra and moved to his sides. Swoosh! Ezra removed the magnificent ive with a well-curved de from his back as his pale turquoise eyes turned cold. "We will push forward and open up a path for our troops!" Ezra yelled. "Yes, Commander!" Edgar and Zas responded in unison. Chapter 1014 The True Goal That Lies Ahead Edgar was the 1st Division Captain of the 1st Unit under Commander Ezra. As for Zas, he was the 2nd Division Captain who was also a part of the 1st Unit. The two of them were known as the Inexorable Spears of the 1st Unit. And, together with Commander Ezra, it was said that not a single thing on the battlefield was capable of obstructing their charge. Ezra sped up to the front of the center group along with Edgar and Zas. ... Meanwhile, in front of the Night Lord''s Crypt... "Wretched..! Where did the lighte from?!" One of the skounae scowled. "Enemies! We''re under attack!" "Impossible! How did they get this close without us detecting them?! What are our scouts doing?!" The majority of the hunter skounae were still trying to recover from the concussive-like effects brought about by the abrupt emergence of the bright light. However, those skounae with higher ranks managed to recollect themselves a bit faster. That being said, they had notpletely shaken off the negative effects of the light. "Don''t let your guard down! We will hold them back here! Prepare to engage-!" One of the Baron skounae screamed out orders; however... Woosh! The Baron skounae suddenly stopped talking mid-way through their sentence as their head was sent flying into the air! This terrifying scene was the first thing some of the hunter skounae who had just recovered their sight witnessed. However, before they had time to process what had just happened, their heads also went flying before they even realized how they had just died. "Enemies! Kill them! Kill-!" A skounae shouted before their body was cleanly cleaved in two by a magnificent ive. Ezra''s cold gaze swept past the skounae, and with every swing of his ive, he imed the life of one or more skounae. "The lives of the innocents that you''ve destroyed¡ªI will make sure their vengeful spirits can find peace in the afterlife," Ezra said with a darkened expression as he charged through the crowd of skounae, brandishing his ive. The number of peaceful viges in Amaharpe and Rosentarus that were raided and destroyed by the skounae, only to be used as sacrifices to hasten the revival of the Night Lord was not small. As a Commander of the War Brigade, Ezra knew that there was no such thing as rules when it came to war. However, he still strongly believed that there were lines that should never be crossed. And one of those lines was dragging the lives of countless innocent civilians, be it the elderly or children, into a conflict they had no hand in. Edgar and Zas stayed close to Ezra as the three drove further into the depths of the sea of skounae. They had sessfully opened up a path for the center allied forces. ... At the moment, numerous intense shes were breaking out all throughout the battlefield in front of the Night Lord''s Crypt. The center allied forces used the opening created by Ezra and his Captains and rode their momentum to prate almost thirty percent of the way into the skounae forces. The left and right wings were almost making decent progress and had already reached twenty percent of the way into their respective sides. However, the momentum generated by their surprise assault started to diminish quickly. The disoriented skounae had begun to get themselves together and it did not take long for them to fight back in full force. Even though the skounae lost close to ten percent of their forces from the initial strike, they still held a clear advantage when it came to numbers. Additionally, it was still day out, which meant that they could not disy their full strength. Once the night approached, the overall strength of their forces would rise immensely and the allied forces would be thrown into a dangerous situation. Of course, the skounae was aware of this point. That''s why despite their numerical advantage, they focused on purely defensive tactics. This made it deeply challenging for the allied forces to push through and gain some ground following their surprise strike. As for Izroth and the 9th Division, they were currently close to the front of the center allied forces. Woosh! Phhhtk! Izroth effortlessly shed through one of the hunter skounae who recklessly charged at him from the right side. In the same motion, he spun his body andunched a sharp kick at a skounae who tried to attack him from behind. Then, right as his kicknded on the skounae, Izroth swept his sword outward and cleanly severed the skounae''s head. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Hunter Skounae.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 3! [Total: 6,878.54]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated a Hunter Skounae.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 3! [Total: 6,881.54]¡µ ''Three contribution points for a hunter skounae. If I continue at this rate, I may be able to reach 10,000 contribution points during this attack.'' Izroth had already in over one hundred hunter skounae. However, he was not having much luck when it came to running into higher-ranked skounae. So far, the only none hunter skounae he came across and defeated were two Baron skounae. Though Izroth knew that theck of higher ranked skounae on their path was the work of General Solomon and his core forces. ''It''s about time I split off with the 9th Division.'' Although the contribution points were not bad, Izroth had not forgotten his true goal. In order to achieve that, he first needed to find a way into the Night Lord''s Crypt itself through the sea of skounae enemies. "Niflheim, I''ll leave the front to you for a bit. Don''t push too far ahead from our current position." Izroth stated. Bang! Niflheim crashed his shield into one of the hunter skounae close to him and sent them tumbling back. "Got it. Leave it to me." Niflheim responded without hesitation. Niflheim had no idea what Izroth was up to, but he knew that now was not the time to casually ask questions. Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished and reappeared a few meters away next to one of the 9th Division members, Bellum. At first, Bellum was surprised by the abrupt arrival of someone next to her; however, swiftly realized who it was that approached her. "Captain? Did you need something-" Bellum started to inquire. "Die, cursed humans!" A skounae yelled as they suddenly jumped out at Izroth and Bellum! Woosh! Without adverting his gaze, Izroth swept his Sword of the Storm horizontally at the skounae. Phhhhtk! The skounae''s body was divided into two parts before Izroth ced his sword into its sheath. "I need your help with a small project," Izroth said in a straightforward manner. Small project? Bellum did not know what Izroth had nned, but, for some reason, she felt that whatever it was, it would not be as simple as a "small project". "What kind of project did you have in mind?" Bellum asked curiously. ... Fifteen minutester... The battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt hade to somewhat of a deadlock. The allied forces had long since lost their initial momentum and had to rely heavily on tactics and the power of their vanguards to gain even a single meter of ground against the skounae. However, not every group suffered from this problem. Some of the independent units were able to skillfully move through the small open gaps in the skounaes formation. These gaps were notrge enough for a War Brigade Unit, let alone an entire Legion to fit through. But, they were just big enough for a group the size of a Division to pass through. That being said, there were no Divisions reckless enough to attempt such a feat. After all, once they were surrounded, it was all over. It was just that the independent groups were a special bunch filled with elite troops. As for Izroth and the 9th Division, they decided to take another route to the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Crrrrrck... The earth a few meters in front of the Night Lord''s Crypt began to crack open before expanding into a hole that was two meters in diameter with a staircase leading up to the ground. Tap. Izroth was the first to step out of the hole. Not long after, the rest of the 9th Division also started to emerge from the hole one after the other. Chapter 1015 Fallen Flames Of The Seventh Demon Clan ''I didn''t expect that the closer we got to the Nigth Lord''s Crypt, the more difficult it would be to manipte the surrounding earth. Initially, I nned on digging directly underneath the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, if we continued on at that rate; it would have taken us hours to proceed any further. Since I don''t know what''s waiting for us inside the Night Lord''s Crypt, I must conserve as much mana inside of my artificial mana pool as possible. This will have to be close enough.'' After he met with Bellum, Izroth went over a n to get the 9th Division close to the Night Lord''s Crypt without attracting too much attention to themselves. The n involved Izroth''s use of Molding Earth and Bellum''s ability to manipte an object''s matter. By utilizing Molding Earth, Izroth was able to dig a tunnel underground, which was the same method he used to avoid the Cursed Grounds at the Tempest/Malentansium border. However, Izroth could not recklessly waste the mana in his artificial mana pool; therefore, he entrusted Bellum with closing up the path behind the 9th Division. Since Bellum was capable of using her magic in a simr way to Izroth''s Molding Earth, they were able to ensure that no other members of the allied forces identally fell through the areas they dug. What Izroth did not anticipate was that upon getting closer to the Night Lord''s Crypt, for some unknown reason, the cost of manipting the surrounding earth increased exponentially. Eventually, it reached a point where if Izroth and Bellum had decided to proceed onward, they would not have made it a few meters before running out of mana. As the remaining members of the 9th Division were still making their way out of the underground tunnel, the skounaes that protected the Night Lord Crypt''s entrance had already started to rush over. "Trespassers! Don''t leave a single one of them alive!" One of the skounae that stood guard near the entrance shouted. NPC Name: Viscount Belos(Rare) NPC Level: 51 "Sneaky humans. Without the barriers in ce, there''s nothing to stop them from traveling underground and getting this close. Regardless, they will soon be surrounded and outnumbered. They''re merely rushing to their deaths!" Viscount Belos scoffed as he charged forward as well. "The Earl has entrusted us with guarding the entrance into the Night Lord''s Crypt! We cannot allow these humans to enter as they please, Belos!" The male skounae that followed next to Belos stated. NPC Name: Viscount Saogin(Rare) NPC Level: 51 Including the two skounae Viscounts, there were a total of twenty-five skounae¡ªmost of which were hunters with a few Barons mixed in. Additionally, the moment Izroth and the others were discovered after they exited the underground tunnel, numerous skounae were rushing over to their location. At the current rate, it would not take long until they werepletely surrounded on all sides by hundreds of skounae. Izroth, "Remember not to be too caught up in individual head-on confrontations. Our main goal is to enter the Night Lord''s Crypt." Izroth reminded the 9th Division over voice chat. "Young master, please allow us to clear a path ahead for you," Jol''Kil said as he stepped forward next to Izroth along with Zel''Kan. ''I am curious to see what these two are capable of firsthand. I suppose this is as good of an opportunity as any.'' Izroth gave a small nod of approval to Jol''Kil''s request. Even though he would be missing out on a few contribution points, Izroth understood that there would be plenty of other opportunities ahead of him. Right after Izroth conveyed his approval, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan raced ahead to meet the skounae without hesitation. When he first examined the two Seventh Demon n members using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth determined that their strength was somewhere around the same level as a skilled War Brigade Commander. However, this was only in terms of the quality and quantity of the "mes" Izroth saw with his Energy Vision Sense. In reality, their actual strength could be higher or lower than he initially spected based on their personal skill levels orbat experience. "Should we help them?" Niflheim asked as he walked up next to Izroth. "No, they''ll be able to handle themselves. Prepare to lead everyone to the entrance as soon as the path forward is cleared." Izroth replied calmly. "Leave it to me," Niflheim said before he left to make sure that the 9th Division was organized and ready to move out at a moment''s notice. Niflheim did not know much about the two cloaked figures who followed Izroth around; however, they seemed to obey his orders and even referred to him as "young master". Izroth also informed him that they were members of the Seventh Demon n¡ªthe same name that Tal''Nis mentioned to him in the crusade. Niflheim swiftly pieced things together and realized that Izroth must have received some kind of quest back then from Tal''Nis. But he did not pry any further than that. After all, he knew that the quest must have had its own restrictions considering Izroth was likely the sole person to acquire it. Not to mention, there were more pressing matters at hand. "I will gain the rights to undergo the Night King''s Rite!" One of the hunter skounae yelled as he arrived within striking range of Jol''Kil. Woosh! The hunter skounaeshed out with the two-handed mace in his hands that resembled a morning star and aimed directly for Jol''Kil''s head! At the same time, three wisps of dark red mes appeared¡ªone on each of the hunter skounae''s shoulders and thest on the surface of the mace itself. BANG! Thud! Without warning, the hunter skounae''s body crashed into the ground as the earth beneath his feet cracked. Simultaneously, the hunter skounae''s arms sunk as his legs started to tremble. "Can''t move-" The hunter skounae growled as he tried to lift his mace to defend himself; however, his arms and mace felt as though they had abruptly be significantly heavier. Swoosh! In one smooth motion, Jol''Kil swept past the hunter skounae''s neck with his hand and cleanly separated his head from his body. In the blink of an eye, the hunter skounae had perished! ''Oh? Those dark red mes... Its power seems to be simr to the Concealed Heavy Wounds inscription bound to my Sword of the Storm. That being said, it appears to be much more effective overall.'' Izroth noticed that the areas or objects marked by Jol''Kil''s mes seemed to suddenly grow in mass. On a battlefield, even a slight second of dyed reaction could lead to one''s doom, let alone beingpletely thrown off by an unexpected weight increase. This was even more so considering that the mes had the ability to affect specific areas and create an uneven distribution. This would work to further throw the one under its effects into a state of mental chaos and panic. After he had effortlessly in the first skounae, the other hunter skounaes were reluctant to engage Jol''Kil head-on; however, they were under direct orders from the Viscounts. In the end, the hunter skounaes could not go against the restrictions of obeying those of a higher bloodline than them. So, they did not halt their attack. In fact, once the hunter skounaes epted their new reality, their level of aggression grew. They threw away all thoughts of defense and diverted their entire being to offense. Sssssst! "Raaaaah!" One of the skounae cried out as a light violet me engulfed their face before rapidly spreading to the rest of their body. The pained cries of the skounae onlysted a brief moment as its entire head corroded at a frightening pace before melting into a thick bubbling light violet liquid. This corrosion process swiftly urred on the remaining parts of their body wherever the light violet mes touched. As the light violet liquid spread on the ground, the other skounae who stepped in it soon found themselves engulfed in light violet mes and following in the footsteps of the one before them. "Avoid the liquid on the ground! Do not step in it unless you want to die!" Belos barked angrily. In less than a breath, their forces had been reduced by a breathtaking sixty percent due to those bizarre dark red and light violet mes! If things on this way, then- "?!" Belos'' eyes widened in shock as he looked down at his hand with an expression of horror. He had been on high alert this whole time, but somehow his hand was now covered in those dangerous light violet mes! Woosh! Plop! Without hesitation, Belos cut off the infected hand to avoid being consumed by the mes. However, just when the Viscount thought he had escaped his fate, a ring of light violet mes formed around his neck. Chapter 1016 A Path Cleared, A Giant Hand Of Flames ''That me--is it poison?'' In the blink of an eye, Belos was consumed by the light violet mes as his body melted into a puddle of bubbling liquid. ''No... At first nce, it does give off the same impression as poison, but it''s slightly different. It rapidly corrodes and liquefies whatever ites into contact with. It seems that each me of the Seventh Demon n has its own unique characteristics.'' In terms of generalbat effectiveness, Izroth determined that Jol''Kil''s dark red mes were more versatile. Not only could the dark red mes be used to disrupt enemy movements and provide better odds ofnding a killing strike, but they could also subdue enemies without harming them. That being said, when it came to pure killing potential and what others would rather not fight against, Zel''Kan''s light violet mes greatly surpassed the dark red mes. But, in Izroth''s eyes, the most terrifying aspect of both Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan''s mes was their ability to use them without any gestures or preemptive actions. This left virtually no window of opportunity for their opponents to defend against their mes or know when it was arriving. ''It looks like they really did intend on taking me alive. I must admit, I didn''t expect much seeing how far the Seventh Demon n has fallen. But, if this is their strength before recovering their n''s heritage, it''s impressive how they''ve managed to reach this level. It seems Tal''Yah was not lying when she said that they were two of the Seventh Demon n''s mightiest warriors. Though they are fortunate. If they chose to fight seriously when we first crossed paths, I''m afraid they would have suffered quite a bit.'' Due to the Earthly Golden Bones passive of his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth''s damage and physical strength increased based on his body''s total mass. This meant that if Jol''Kil used the dark red mes against him, Izroth''s overall power would skyrocket rather than him being restricted by it! As for the light violet mes Zel''Kan used, they were exceptional in their own right, but it was still no match for the corrosive effects of something like the Blood of the Immortal Hydra or the Immortal Hydra''s poison. Izroth was confident that since he was able to survive against both of those, he would not have much of a problem enduring the light violet mes. ''With this, I''ve managed to get a rough understanding of their capabilities. They should prove useful in what''s toe.'' Niflheim, "Everyone, we''re heading to the entrance! Follow behind me but don''t move off in front of me! Our Captain will protect the rear! Move out!" Niflheim gave the orders over voice chat after organizing thest of the 9th Division that exited the underground tunnel. Originally, Niflheim thought it would take a few moments for the two cloaked figures to clear the path forward. However, after seeing how quickly they were sweeping through the enemy skounae, Niflheim hastened his ns and got the 9th Division together much faster. Once Niflheim delivered the order to move out, he ran forward on the same path Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan cleared out. And, not long after Niflheim took action, the rest of the 9th Division followed his lead. At the same time, the skounae who were close to where Belos perished had a look of horror on their faces. If even a Viscount like Belos was defeated in an instant, what chances did they possibly have of confronting such a terrifying enemy? "These enemies are too dangerous! Unless the Earl himself is here, there''s no way to stop them! We have to fall back and reorganize the forces we have left...!" Saogin thought to himself after he witnessed the fate of his fellow Viscount. Just now, Belos was right next to Saogin, yet he was still unable to react to it, let alone do anything to prevent Belos'' death. Since he and Belos had a simr level of strength, Saogin was rmed by how easily he had fallen and knew that there was only one option left. "Retreat! Fall back and reorganize!" Saogin called out, but it was toote. A light violet me epassed Saogin from head to toe as the skounae Viscount briefly screamed out in pain before meeting the same fate as Belos. Woosh! Woosh! Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan stopped on each side of the entrance that led into the Night Lord''s Crypt. The entrance was not a typical door. Instead, it was a flight of stone steps that led down into a darkness where one could not see the end. "You could have left the other one for me, Zel''Kan. Are you trying to show off alone in front of young master Izroth?" Jol''Kil growled lightly. "I merely wished to show young master Izroth that I am dependable. It''s not my fault that you decided to take your time with the small fries. You will just have to be faster next time, Jol''Kil." Zel''Kan responded casually. "Stop them! Do not let them enter the Night Lord''s Crypt, or it will be the end of us all!" A skounae shouted from the distance. That particr skounae was a part of the forces that were rushing full speed towards Izroth and the 9th Division in an attempt to encircle them. It was just that none of them expected that the two Viscounts would fall so quickly to the hands of these enemies. But, given the distance between them and the 9th Division, they knew that it was impossible to stop them from entering the Night Lord''s Crypt. Niflheim reached the descending staircase and stared down into its depths. "The skounae sure has a thing for darkness. Though it''s not like we have time to send in a scouting party. Well, here goes nothing." Niflheim said to himself as he began to make his way down the staircase. Niflheim, "Be sure not to activate any light spells on your way down until I give the okay! Remember to watch your step!" Niflheim was uncertain what awaited them further down the staircase. However, if there were enemies at the bottom, then using light magic would be the same as loudly announcing their arrival. Besides, since everyone in the 9th Division had already consumed a Five Cycles Pill, their sense of perception was much higher than that of the average yer. Therefore, they should be able to navigate their way through a bit of darkness so long as they were careful. The others of the 9th Division hurried down the staircase after Niflheim. As this happened, Izroth sensed a heavy dark presence speeding towards their direction from the distance. Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan also appeared to have noticed the dark presence as they nced at each other before staring off into the distance. ''Hm? That''s...'' "Insolent humans! How dare you set your dirty feet onto the sacred grounds that belong to the exalted Night Lord!" A voice bellowed furiously. The next moment, a tall and thin skounae with several wounds blew past the skounae that were headed to the Night Lord''s Crypt entrance, trampling those that got in his way. The skounae traveled at incredible speeds and left behind a trail of faint shadow-like afterimages wherever his feet touched. Izroth ced his hand onto the hilt of his Sword of the Storm as his eyes locked onto the rapidly approaching skounae. Less than half a breathter, the skounae finally arrived close enough for the Izroth to view his system information. NPC Name: Earl Tasarin(Rare) NPC Level: 62 It was an Earl skounae! More importantly, it was the first time Izroth encountered a rtively high-ranked skounae since the start of the assault! Because of the emergency-type war objective, an Earl''s life was currently worth a whopping 450 contribution points per kill. That amount would be the same as eliminating three Viscounts! Earl Tasarin''s gaze locked onto Izroth, who was positioned at the rear of the 9th Division and had his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Seeing Izroth''s standing there without fear and ready to draw his weapon caused an overwhelming surge of anger to swell up within Earl Tasarin. A young human brat who was still wet behind the ears dared to block his path so fearlessly? There was a difference between bravery and sheer stupidity! Earl Tasarin shouted, "Today, all of you must perish by my hand-" Suddenly, the temperature in the surrounding atmosphere skyrocketed. Then, out of nowhere, a giant hand made of mes appeared next to Earl Tasarin. Chapter 1017 A Surprising Reunion 1017 A Surprising Reunion "W-" Crack! BOOOOOM! The sound of a loud explosion rang out as an intense wave of heat flooded into the area and caused the earth to tremble violently. Woosh! Woosh! Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan positioned themselves in front of Izroth to defend against the powerful shockwave generated by that attack just now. A few secondster, the shockwave dispersed, and the mes dissipated. As for Earl Tasarin¡ªhe was no longer anywhere to be seen as he had been instantly incinerated by the giant hand of mes! "What powerful mes...!" Zel''Kanmented as a tinge of surprise found its way into her voice. "Young master, are you alright?" Jol''Kil asked without adverting his gaze from the direction that the giant hand of mes originated. "I''m fine. Also, you two can rx. They aren''t our enemies." Izroth said as he removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. He thenmented, "I didn''t know that you were the type to steal another''s prey." "Prey? You have quite the humor. How can a small fry like that possibly be worth your time?" A familiar voice sounded. ''I didn''t expect to run into him here of all ces.'' Zeeeeut! Without warning, a young man appeared a few meters in front of Izroth in a cluster of mes. "Besides, it can''t really be considered as stealing your prey¡ªsince that guy ran away from one of the people under mymand, after all." The young man said as the mes around him dispersed. NPC Name: War Brigade 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride, The Hand of mes(???) NPC Level: ??? Lances is one of the individuals who participated in the second team''s selection at the Sky Pce, along with Izroth and many others. He was also someone who managed to ce seventh over more than one thousand skilled youths of the Mortal Realm. ''It looks like he hasn''t been cking off.'' When Izroth examined Lances with his Energy Vision Sense, he found that the aura around him had be extremely refined. Without a doubt, Izroth was certain that right after the second team''s selection ended, Lances must have been hard at work training for the uing Lustrum Imperial Bout. "That aside, it looks like great minds think alike." Lances said with a grin. "It seems that way," Izroth replied in a carefree manner. "How many troops did you bring with you?" Lances inquired as he sized up Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan, who now stood silently behind Izroth on each side. "Including myself, 44¡ªyou?" "About the same¡ª45." As Lances gave his response, a greatmotion took ce in the group of skounae in the direction Lances originally came from. "Ahhhh!" One of the skounae cried out as they were ruthlessly cut down. "Defend! There are more enemies behind us!" One of the Baron skounae in the area ordered. Swoosh! The next moment, the same Baron skounae who gave out the order to defend had their head sent flying with a curved sword that resembled a scimitar. Then, in the blink of an eye, arge gap opened up in the skounae''s formation as a surge of allied troops poured through. These troops were led by a middle-aged gentleman inbat robes. He had slightly curly ck hair that went down to his lower neck and a pair of pitch-ck eyes that seemed tock any hint of emotion. In his hand was a curved sword, and with every swing, an enemy skounae was in without fail as he lead the charge towards the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt. At the same time, the skounae from the opposite side were closing in on Izroth and Lances'' position. "One moment." Lances said as he stepped forward. p! Lances pped his hands together as a towering wall of zing mes rose up from the earth, blocking off the path of the iing skounae on the opposite side. Almost right as the wall of mes appeared, thest few troops that belonged to Lances'' 5th Unit managed to create some distance between themselves and the pursuing skounae they punched through. As the skounae attempted to close the distance, the wall of mes that Lances summoned immediately spread to form a half-circle shape and obstruct their path. This effectively blocked off the entire entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt. "As long as there''s not at least a Marquis among them, that should hold them back for a bit. Since we''ve run into each other like this, it''d be a shame to just part ways. What do you say we work together?" Lances stated as he turned to face Izroth before moving his gaze to the members of the 5th Unit. "I see no harm in that," Izroth replied casually. ''Besides, if it''s the 5th Unit of the 21st Legion, then...'' The 5th Unit finally reached the entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Good work, Captain Noir¡ªall of you. Now, let''s-" Lances said; however, just as he was in the middle of speaking, two individuals rushed out towards the front. "See?! I told you it was him! There''s no way I wouldn''t recognize our brother!" One of the individuals said in a tone filled with excitement. "I thought you were seeing things, but he really is here..! Guess your eyes weren''t ying tricks on you." The other person stated as he rubbed the back of his head. When Izroth saw these two rush out to the front, a carefree smile appeared on his face. "I see the two are still full of energy, Halls, Guan Yu," Izroth said. "You''ve really been up to a lot without us, brother." Halls stated with a yful grin. "That''s right! If you were going to clear a crusade, you should have called us. We would havee running right away." Guan Yumented. "It was something I got unexpectedly invited to. Next time, I''ll bring you two along to somece fun. I''m sure the two of you will enjoy it there." Izroth responded casually. "Hah, since you said it, don''t forget your promise." Halls stated with an eager grin. "Heh, since when has our brother ever forgotten a promise he''s made?" Guan Yumented. Izroth had not seen Halls and Guan Yu since he made that shocking announcement back at the Mystical Realm Pce. However, the three of them often kept in touch through messages. This is why Izroth knew that if Lances were here, Halls and Guan Yu would not be too far behind. After all, the two of them were a part of his 5th Unit. Lances cleared his throat and reminded, "My Inferno Walls will soon draw attention this way. Those Noir. Of course, Izroth viewed Noir''s information through the system. However, he was surprised to find higher-ranked skounae have probably already realized that something is wrong here and are rushing over. We should get moving while we still have time." "I agree. It looks like we''ll have to catch up along the way." Izroth stated calmly. Halls and Guan Yu had nodded as they reigned in their excitement. "Izroth, perhaps it''s best if you go first and alert the members of your group to our presence. After all, we can''t afford to risk any misunderstandings this deep into enemy territory." Lances suggested. He then continued, "I will have Captain Noir lead the 5th Unit from the vanguard right behind you. I will cover our rear and meet up with you all once I ensure that the skounae can''t here reach us easily." "That''s fine with me. Then, I''ll see you at the bottom." Izroth stated as he started his descent on the staircase that led into the Night Lord''s Crypt. The moment he stepped onto the first staircase, Izroth felt a cold and dark aura brush past his body. ''Oh? Even from this far away, I can still feel his presence.'' Izroth did not halt his steps and continued to make his way down, along with Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan following close behind. As Izroth entered the staircase, not too far away from him were Halls, Guan Yu, and the one called Noir. Of course, Izroth viewed Noir''s information through the system. However, he was surprised to find out that Noir, who held the rank of Captain, was actually a yer. Not only that, but even though this was Izroth''s first time meeting Noir in person, he instantly recognized his name. ''Noir... So, he''s the one who''s currently ranked 12th on the event leaderboards.'' Izroth used the Appraisal skill on Noir without halting his steps. Name: Noir Level: ??? -> 53 [Appraised] ~Appraisal~ Physical Condition: Strong Affinity: ??? -This person has unlocked the hidden stat ?Reinforce?. ~Appraisal~ ''Oh? This is the first time I''ve seen another yer with a hidden stat.'' (Unedited) DaoistZenFeng Chapter 1018 A One-Way Ticket Izroth had already reached 31% skill mastery with his Appraisal skill and was now able to see through the basic information of most yers. However, this was the first time he hade across someone with a hidden stat simr to his Might stat. ''Reinforce... Is it a defensive-type hidden stat? Or, perhaps it focuses more on empowering one''s attacks?'' While his Appraisal skill revealed the existence of the hidden stat, Izroth could only specte based on its name alone. Nevertheless, he found it a bit interesting and was curious as to how many hidden stats existed in RML. "For the time being, do not use any light sources. If you have a hard time seeing in dark spaces, make sure you stay close to someone with good eyesight." Izroth reminded. All of a sudden, as he descended the staircase, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Warning! All forms of systemmunications are disabled in this area.¡µ ''I was wondering why Niflheim or Menerva haven''t checked in yet. It seems that this is the culprit behind it.'' Since they were in a party together and the distance between them was not too great, Izroth was still able to open his system interface and view the health bars of Niflheim and the rest of the 9th Division. At the moment, everyone''s health was still at full; therefore, at the very least, Izroth knew that the 9th Division was not in any immediate danger. ''Hm?'' After traveling down the staircase for a minute or so, a faint light suddenly appeared in the distance of the seemingly endless darkness. ''Did they just reach the bottom?'' Given Niflheim and Menerva''s nature, they wouldn''t have risked revealing themselves by using a light source unless it was rtively safe. "If anyone can use light magic, now is the time to activate it," Izroth announced. Not long after his announcement, a few people from the 5th Unit used light magic to illuminate the area. As they did so, the group''s pace increased by severalfold now that they could see properly in front of them. "Hahaha, finally some light! It felt a bit too awkward to talk in the dark. Brother, I wanted to ask¡ªyou and Commander Lances seem familiar with one another. Did the two of you meet before?" Halls asked. "A while back, we participated in an event together along with many others. Back then, we happened to cross paths a couple of times. I wouldn''t say we''re all that familiar with each other; however, it''s not as if we areplete strangers." Izroth answered nonchntly. "You participated in an event together with the Commander? Why am I not surprised?" Guan Yu sighed as he shook his head. "An event? Are you talking about the second team selection?" Halls inquired. "Oh? You know about the selection?" Izroth responded. ''I never mentioned it to them since I believed it to be irrelevant, but... I never expected someone like Lances to bring it up to others.'' "Well, when we visited the Pride n, they wouldn''t stop talking about it and how the Commander ced seventh among the geniuses of the Mortal Realm. It was kinda hard not to know about it." Halls said with a slight chuckle. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! They did bring up an event like that, didn''t they? I remember being surprised that the Commander only ced seventh. He''s pretty strong, after all. I guess there are still plenty of monsters out there. It''s making me itch for a battle with one of them..!" Guan Yu said as he attempted to contain his enthusiasm. "That''s true. If someone like Commander Lances ced seventh, it really does make you curious about those who were able to rank above him. The person who walked away with the first ce spot must have been a monster among monsters." Halls stated. "Right?! I really want to try fighting that person at least once! Ah¡ªbrother, since you participated in that event, you definitely ced within the top ten, right?" Guan Yu said as if it were a matter of fact. "You said you wanted to try fighting the person who ced first at least once, correct?" Izroth replied as he nced over at Guan Yu with a carefree smile on his face. The moment Guan Yu saw that carefree smile on Izroth''s face, a wave of realization washed over him and caused him to smile helplessly. "Hahaha! Brother, this is what they mean when they say that you should be careful what you wish for! It''s toote to take it back now!" Halls burst out in a fit ofughter once he realized what was going on. "You¡ªit''s just a friendly spar between us brothers. What''s there to back out from? A real man doesn''t run away in the face of a challenge. Besides, it''s not as if I''ve been sitting around doing nothing all this time. I may not be able to defeat our brother. But who knows? I may still be able to give him a surprise or two." Guan Yu stated. "Hah, I figured you''d go and say something like that. Well, I suppose if it''s the current you, maybe you really will be able to give brother Izroth a small surprise." Hallsmented. "Then, after this is all over, I look forward to a surprise¡ªfrom both of you. I''m going ahead to warn my group of your arrival." Izroth said calmly. "Wait, what do you mean the both of us-" However, before Halls could finish his sentence, Izroth had already sped ahead at an incredible speed down the staircase. "...I somehow got dragged into it. Was it the monsterment..?" Halls said with a heavy sigh. "Ahahaha! Didn''t you just say it''s toote to back out, brother?" Guan Yu grinned as heughed heartily. "Fine! If we''re doing it anyways, I might as well get some revenge! Let''s make a bet. Whoever survives the longest against our brother has to treat the other to a feast!" Halls said as he sped up his pace. "Ha! You''re on!" Guan Yu epted without hesitation as he, too, increased his speed. ... A few momentster... ''I''m d to see those two haven''t been cking off. I''ll have to test their progress myself when I have the chance.'' Woosh! Izroth halted his steps as he arrived at the bottom of the staircase. The moment he arrived, the sound of a familiar voice entered his ears. "You''re finally here. I was just about to send someone back to check on the situation since the messaging system doesn''t work this far in. I almost started to think you got yourself into some trouble up there." Niflheim said as he walked up to Izroth. "If it were genuinely a situation that even our Captain was struggling to surmount, then our presence would have only served as an encumbrance. After all, even if our Captain happened to meet an opponent that he could not triumph over, he still possesses the ability to escape should it be necessary." Menerva noted as she paced alongside Niflheim. "You''re not wrong, but, as always, your choice of wordses off rather harsh," Niflheimmented with a weak smile. After briefly catching up, Izroth informed Niflheim, Menerva, and the rest of the 9th Division of the 5th Unit''s presence as well as their imminent arrival. Once he exined the situation, Izroth turned his attention to the path ahead. What he saw was a glowing circr portal that emitted faint pulses of abnormal energy. The portal was formed from what appeared to be some kind of slow-moving dark purple smoke and it was approximately five meters in diameter. Izroth could not see beyond the portal with his Energy Vision Sense, so he did not hesitate to use his Appraisal skill to examine it. ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Appraisal? has failed on ?????.¡µ ''Oh? Even with my Appraisal skill mastery above 30%, I still failed to see through it. Then...'' Izroth activated Deep Insight. Fortunately, this time, he did note uppletely empty-handed. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?????!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: ????? is only capable of one-way travel.¡µ ''One-way travel. Once we stepped through this portal, we''ll have to find a different way out. Normally, it wouldn''t be a problem so long as we have Returning Scrolls. But, I''m confident that''s overly optimistic thinking.'' Seeing as howmunications through the system were already cut off, Izroth knew that the chances of there being more restrictions once they stepped through the portal were extremely high. However, greater difficulty more often times than not meant greater rewards. As Izrothpleted his scan of the mysterious portal, Halls, Guan Yu, and the rest of the 5th Unit finally arrived at the bottom. Chapter 1019 Into The Night Lords Crypt "Huh? Isn''t that Niflheim? What''s he doing here?" Hallsmented as he saw Izroth standing together with Niflheim. "Niflheim? Ah, the tank from the raid that got cut short. Tch, just remembering how shameless those Blue Oasis bastards were still makes my blood boil..! But this Niflheim guy isn''t too bad. At the very least, he''s a man who keeps his word. Plus, if he''s here with our brother, it must mean he''s a part of this group." Guan Yu stated. "Heh, this guy¡ªwhen did you learn to be so mature?" Halls grinned. "Don''t you know? I was born this mature." Guan Yu replied. "Born this mature your head. If you were born mature, then I was born as the most handsome man in this world." Halls yfully sneered. "Brother, at leaste up with something that''s a little more realistic." Guan Yu said with a look of pity in his eyes. "For some reason, that look in your eyes pisses me off more than your words." Halls sighed. "Hahahaha!" Guan Yu and Hallsughed with one another as they headed over to where Izroth stood. By the time the two approached Izroth, Niflheim, and Menerva, theirughter had died down. After that, Halls, Guan Yu, Niflheim, and Menerva exchanged a brief introduction with each other. Halls and Guan Yu had already met Niflheim once before back during the raid at the Great Sea Pce; therefore, they were not total strangers. However, this was their first time meeting Menerva. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I have heard about the two of you through our Captain. It is my desire that we undergo cordial interactions with one another in the future." Menerva stated calmly. "Uh... You too?" Guan Yu responded as he rubbed the back of his head with a slightly perplexed expression. The way Menerva spoke threw him off, but he still managed to catch the gist of what it was that she was trying to get across. "It''s nice to meet you. Also, you don''t have to worry about being so formal with us. Since our brother has acknowledged you, then we can already be consideredpanions. I hope you''ll keep that in mind and won''t think of the two of us as total strangers." Halls said with a smile. "I shall do my utmost to keep that in mind," Menerva replied in a straightforward manner. Guan Yu leaned over towards Halls and said quietly, "Hey, it may just be me but... Doesn''t it feel like we''re missing something here?" "Hm, now that you mention it... It does feel like we''re missing something, but I can''t put my finger on it." Halls responded quietly. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, a new person emerged from the staircase at incredible speeds and did not halt their movement until they reached the front of the portal where Izroth and the others were located. This person was, of course, Lances. "I''m d to see everyone made it here safely. It took a bit longer than expected, but I was able to secure our backs. Now, even if a Marquis were to try to follow us, it would take them a while to break through what I''ve set up." Lances stated confidently as he locked his gaze onto the portal. "That''s reassuring. Though I have a feeling that even if they were able to follow us down here, it wouldn''t matter much in a bit." Izroth said nonchntly as he walked up to Lances'' side. "I can see why you''d say that. I''ve seen these types of portals before. If I''m not mistaken, this portal should be connected to an area of isted space. More importantly, portals like this are typically a one-way trip. This means once we step through it, even if we''re met with thousands of enemies, we''ll be on our own with no path of retreat until we locate the exit. It''s not toote to turn back with your people, Izroth." Lances said as he nced over at Izroth. "What a coincidence. I was just about to say the same to you. I won''t me you if you decide to back out now." Izrothmented with a carefree smile. Lances lightly smirked as he moved his gaze back to the portal and said, "Yeah, I figured it''d be like this. Then, shall we head to monopolize all the glory for ourselves?" "That was the n all along. I''ll head in first. Any problems with that?" Izroth said. "Not at all. Just try not to die right after you get to the other side." Lances stated with a slight grin. "Naturally," Izroth replied in a carefree manner as he ced his hand against the portal. The moment Izroth''s hand made contact with the strange purple smoke, his body rapidly turned into a stream of vapor before being sucked into the portal. In the blink of an eye, Izroth was no longer anywhere to be seen. ... Woooosh... A soft chilly breeze brushed past Izroth as the faint noise of the howling winds entered his ears. ''I can''t see a thing. I guess for the skounae, this kind of environment is the most ideal.'' At the moment, Izroth was in a ce of total darkness that was no different from having one''s eyes closed. It was to the point that even with his monstrous senses, Izroth was still not capable of seeing in this kind of pure darkness. Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense at full range in an attempt to gain some understanding of his new surroundings; however, he quickly discovered that his Energy Vision Sense could not function properly in this environment. ''My Energy Vision Sense seems to be functioning fine¡ªat least until I attempt to go beyond a range of more than twenty meters from my position. Once I try to go any further than that, everything starts to be blurry and scattered.'' Within twenty meters, Izroth did not sense any other life forces nearby. But, seeing as how his Energy Vision Sense was malfunctioning at long ranges in this ce, Izroth still made sure to keep his guard up. ¡´System Alert: You have entered the ?Night Lord''s Crypt: Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! The space in this area is locked by an unknown force! Due to this, certain methods of travel may be restricted or prohibited!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Warning! You have entered a special instance! Certain system features may be unavable during this time!¡µ ''It looks like my suspicions were correct. If we want to get out of here after achieving our goal, we can''t rely on the Returning Scrolls. Under normal circumstances, we could send out small separate scout parties to search for an exit, but... dividing our forces in this type of environment may be too risky.'' Not long after Izroth arrived, others from the 9th Division and 5th Unit also started to appear. Then, after a few breaths passed, Lances was thest person to emerge. With that, everyone from the 9th Division, and the part of the 5th Unit that Lances brought along, was ounted for. "Those who can use illumination skills spread out and try to cover as much of an area as possible." Lances ordered. When Lances gave this order, roughly 25% of the 5th Unit''s members activated an illumination-type skill and began to create some distance between themselves. Four of the 9th Division members that were capable of utilizing illumination-type skills looked over at Izroth, who gave them a small nod of assurance before they, too, followed Lances'' instructions. "Aren''t you two going as well?" Izroth asked of Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan, who did not budge from his side. "There is a great wickedness that dwells within this ce that leaves me uneasy. The others present can handle lighting the path forward. Your protection is our number one priority, young master Izroth. Please forgive our selfish actions." Jol''Kil said in a calm and respectful manner. "I agree with Jol''Kil. Given the present circumstances, I feel that it would be inappropriate to leave your side at this time. I hope that young master Izroth can understand our position on this matter. Also, please allow us to enter ces first from now on. If something were to happen to you under our watch, we would never be able to face our ancestor or n head in the future." Zel''Kanmented reverently. "I''ll try to keep that in mind," Izroth said without giving it too much thought. Izroth understood that Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan were the type of individuals to take their duties seriously. Therefore, he would not go out of his way to deny them that opportunity. That being said, if it became absolutely necessary, Izroth knew that all he had to do was give themand and the two of them would have no choice but to back down andply¡ªeven if it was in direct conflict with their obligations. ''Hm? This is...'' All of a sudden, Izroth''s ears twitched as a rattling sound entered his ears. Then, out of nowhere, a dark and evil oppressive aura flooded the atmosphere, causing many of those present to instinctively shiver in fear. Chapter 1020 Army Of The Night Marchers, Hidden In Darkness nk... nk..! nk! "Can anyone else hear that strange noise?" One of the 9th Division members, Champion,mented. "Huh? I thought I was just imagining things, but¡ªyou can hear it, too?" Revel frowned. "Yeah, whatever it is, it sounds like it''s getting closer," Champion said with furrowed brows. "Everyone, remain alert! Something ising this way!" Niflheim called out. He then said to himself, "I guess asking for the element of surprise while storming through the front door was a bit too much to hope for." nk! Niflheim, who positioned himself at the vanguard, caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a foot made of bone peeking out from the darkness and into the light that was being illuminated by one of the nearby magic casters. The next moment, a strange creature stepped out of the darkness and fully into the light as Niflheim was finally able to get a good look at it. "I''ve seen a lot of monsters before, but... What is that thing?" Niflheim said as he raised his shield. The rattling sound came from the creature located roughly fifteen meters away from Niflheim. The creature was as tall as the average man with no distinctive facial features except a mouth that covered the entire body half of its face. Within the creature''s mouth were rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth and a long ck tongue approximately thirty centimeters in length that hung out the side of it. The most bizarre thing about this creature outside its unsettling mouth was its body which resembled that of a human without skin. The major difference was that its entire body was colored in a deeply saturated mixture of purple and red. Additionally, its legs were shaped like that of a digitigrade''s, and the lower parts of it appeared to be made out of jet-ck bones. When the creature was close enough, Niflheim and the others present managed to view its system information. Name: Undead Night Marcher(Rare Elite) Level: ??? HP: ???(100%) Raaaaaaagh! Without warning, the creature opened its mouth and unleashed a terrifying ghostly wail with a screech-like pitch. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Champion has been affected by ?Tranquil Night Hysteria?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Sanctity has been affected by ?Tranquil Night Hysteria?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Noir has been affected by ?Tranquil Night Hysteria?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: yer Niflheim has been affected by ?Tranquil Night Hysteria?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert... ... ¡´System Alert: The passive skill ?Evil Cleansing? has been activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Tranquil Night Hysteria? has sessfully been cleansed!¡µ ?Immune? ''Oh? If my Evil Cleansing passive was activated, then¡ªis it an illusion-type skill?'' If it were just poison, Izroth was confident that his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat would be enough to shed any adverse effects. After all, his Heavenly Golden Body alone provided greater poison resistance than the cleansing effects of his Evil Cleansing passive skill. Since the only other thing that could activate his Evil Cleansing passive were evil illusions, naturally, Izroth concluded that an AOE illusion-type skill must have been used. "Such a vicious sound technique...! If I were careless, I would have been drawn to its horrid intent." Jol''Kilmented. "Indeed, this creature is rather unsettling; however... It would seem that we have an even bigger issue that lies in front of us." Zel''Kan chimed in. ''Sound technique? No, that''s not quite right... The auras are simr, but I''m certain¡ªit doesn''t match.'' nk! nk! nk! nk! Not even half a breath after the Undead Night Marcher revealed itself, several others emerged from the darkness. Five... Twelve... Twenty... Forty¡ªthere did not seem to be an end in sight to the creatures pouring in as the rattling noise rose to an ear-drumming level. "Get in formation! Prepare to engage the enemy!" Lances ordered. But, a small frown soon found its way onto Lances'' face. That''s because, despite his orders, only a handful of individuals from the 5th Unit moved into action. This swiftly caused those who were getting ready to position themselves toe to an abrupt stop out of confusion. As for the others¡ªthey stood motionless and unresponsive in a trance-like state. "Something''s wrong." Lances said to himself as he narrowed his eyes and his gaze seemed to pierce into the darkness ahead. "What''s going on with you guys?! Snap out of it!" Guan Yu shouted in an attempt to get those within his vicinity under the influence of the illusion to break free. "Shouting probably won''t do much good. If we didn''t consume an Evil Cleansing Pill, we''d probably be in a simr state to them." Halls stated. "It was still worth a shot." Guan Yu said as he brandished his guandao. At the same time, the Undead Night Marchers halted their screech and started their charge towards the 9th Division and 5th Unit members. "Protect those who are still under the effects of the illusion. I''m going to check on something that''s troubling me." Izroth said as he sped forward without awaiting a response. "Young master!" Zel''Kan called out, but it was toote to attempt to convince him. Didn''t he just say he''d try to at least keep it in mind not to go off ahead of them? Was this his form of trying? Both Zel''Kan and Jol''Kil alike could not help but have these thoughts. "There''s no time, Zel''Kan. We must carry out the young master''s orders. We just have to trust that the young master is capable of taking care of himself. Since he could face the n head''s attack head-on, at the very least, he will not perish before we are able to reach him." Jol''Kil stated as he did not hesitate to jump right into the action. "I hope that you are correct," Zel''Kan said with a hint of concern in her tone as she also made her move. Simultaneously, when Lances witnessed that the majority of those present were not responding, he pped his hands together and called forth a towering wall of intense mes. These walls erupted a few meters ahead of the vanguard and obstructed the path of the Undead Night Marchers. Tssssssst! Woosh! Woosh! Without slowing their momentum, the Undead Night Marchers ran right through the wall of zing mes. However, the creatures did note outpletely unscathed. Several areas of their bodies became like melting wax and arge chunk of their health was instantly shaved away. Nevertheless, the Undead Night Marchers persisted without a moment wasted. "That guy¡ªdid he also sense that something was wrong just now? I guess I can leave that to him for now. More importantly, do these things have no regard for their own lives?" Lances frowned as a heavy concentration of mes epassed his right hand. Swoosh! "Hand of Inferno!" Lances roared as he thrust his right palm forward. Rmmmble! Fwoosh! A towering pir of mes erupted from Lances'' right palm and took the form of a giant ming hand as it rushed out at a crowd of Undead Night Marchers. BOOM! The hand of mes crashed into the group of creatures and unleashed a concentrated explosive force that instantly incinerated the Undead Night Marchers within its immediate vicinity. ... Meanwhile... A figure stood deep within the darkness located not too far away from the entrance into the Night Lord''s Crypt. "How dare those insolent and inferior beings set foot onto these sacred grounds. They must answer for their transgressions with their lives." A dark and raspy voice that carried a slight echo sounded from the darkness. "So, this is where you were hiding." Izroth''s voice sounded. "Who-?!" The individual within the darkness seemed taken aback by the sudden sound of an unfamiliar voice. Woosh! Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle! ''Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder.'' p! A thunderous p rang throughout the area as lightning struck down at the spot in front of Izroth. Although there was no light in this area and Izroth relied on his Energy Vision to perceive his surroundings, the lightning sh that just urred from his third sword form allowed Izroth to catch a brief glimpse of his target. ''I thought something felt a little off earlier when the Undead Night Marchers screeched. You may be able to fool others, but you cannot escape my Energy Vision Sense.'' Earlier, Izroth noticed that the effects of the Tranquil Night Hysteria were not the result of the Undead Night Marchers but rather of someone who was controlling them. NPC Name: Penumbra Inquisitor, Marquis Varokin(Epic) NPC Level: ??? Chapter 1021 Inquisitor Of The Penumbra Circle, Marquis Varokin ''Oh? He''s an Inquisitor of the Penumbra Circle?'' The skounae were divided into three separate groups based on their bloodline. One of those groups was known as the Penumbra Circle. Only those with the rank of Marquis or Duke could be a part of the Penumbra Circle; however, those with the title of Inquisitor yed a special role among the skounae. The Inquisitors of the Penumbra Circle maintained order in the Malentansium kingdom and ensured that the Night King''s will was being carried out properly. There were two different types of Inquisitors in the Penumbra Circle. The first type was those with the rank of Marquis. It was these Inquisitors that kept a close eye on skounae who were at or below the rank of Marquis. As for the other type of Inquisitor, they held the rank of Duke. But, unlike their Marquis counterpart, their only mission was to oversee their equivalents and prevent them from tearing each other asunder. It was amon fact that skounae could not disobey the will of the Night King. But this did not mean that everything in the Malentansium kingdom always ran smoothly. If one were ipetent or abusing their position in a way that could potentially reflect poorly on the Night King or Malentansium itself, the Inquisitors would step in to correct it. ''He must be the one controlling the Undead Night Marchers. Is he a summoner or necromancer?'' With his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth could see a simr "me" that matched that which epassed the Undead Night Marchers. If they were summoned or being controlled by someone, it would exin why the auras felt different yet simr to one another. Ding! Izroth''s Sword of the Storm collided with something that felt several times harder than steel. It managed to stop his sword in its tracks and forcibly dispersed the lightning element generated by his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. ''A magic barrier?'' Izroth could see a thinyer of dark purple mana coating Varokin''s body from head to toe. The mana formed a sturdy protective barrier thatpletely shielded the skounae Marquis from harm. A dense flow of mana gathered around Varokin as he said, "What''s this? It appears that a little rat has managed to sneak past the Undead Night Marchers." "How did he break free of my Tranquil Night Hysteria?" Varokin thought to himself as his expression darkened. There was a reason why Varokin was entrusted with guarding the portal ess point into the Night Lord''s Crypt. Tranquil Night Hysteria¡ªthis was a high-ranked illusion spell capable of pacifying anyone who disyed strong emotions or great levels of excitement. For an enemy to enter into unknown territory and be surrounded byplete darkness, paired with the abrupt appearance of creatures like the Undead Night Marchers and having no way to immediately return¡ªhow would anyone in those situations be able to remain inplete control of their emotions? "Did he use some kind of artifact to free himself? Well, it matters not. His fate remains the same." Varokin thought to himself as the killing intent around him exploded forth. "I don''t know how you were able to reach this ce or ovee my Tranquil Night Hysteria. But now that you''re here-" Varokin said as the mana around him rapidly transformed into something that resembled heavy rain frozen in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, the rain-like mana changed into thousands of ck needles that were as thin as a strand of hair. These ck needles of mana formed a dome-like structure that left Izroth with nowhere to retreat. "...You can forfeit your life!" Varokin scowled. Almost in the very same breath as their appearance, the ck needles rained down towards Izroth in a constant torrent. Soooooou! The ck needles continued to rain down for nearly five seconds without pause beforeing to a sudden halt. The next moment, the dark purple mana within the atmosphere receded into Varokin as the lingering ck needles vanished. Varokin narrowed his eyes as he swept across the room with his gaze. Instead of being greeted by the sight of a human turned into a porcupine, the space in front of Varokin was empty and Izroth was nowhere to be found. Zeeeut! Suddenly, a piercing intent along with an abrupt rise in temperature emerged at Varokin''s back. The skounae Marquis reacted swiftly as a thin protective barrier once again spawned around his body. Bang! Crack! "?!" A look of disbelief appeared on Varokin''s face as he was momentarily overpowered and knocked back several steps. Though what truly shocked Varokin was the fact that his protective barrier now had multiple cracks and fractures on its surface! "How is this possible? He was able to fracture my Veil of Darkness in just two blows?" Varokin said to himself as his expression turned serious. The Veil of Darkness was a defensive-type skill that nullified and dispersed any attacks that it came into contact with. The more one was shrouded in darkness, the greater the skill''s defensive capabilities. That''s why in this kind of environment, the Veil of Darkness was virtually indestructible. To fracture it after only two attacks¡ªhow could Varokin not be taken aback by such a ridiculous oue? "I suppose you are not just some little rat scurrying around. Be honored, human. You shall now have the honor of facing I, Marquis Varokin, without reserve." Varokin stated as he stood up straight. Izroth, however, could not help but inwardly frown at the results. ''I nned onpletely shattering it in one go just now. Its protection abilities are greater than I anticipated.'' When Varokin conjured the dark needles and blocked Izroth''s path of escape, he immediately attempted to use his Primed Instantaneous Movement to shift locations. However, to his surprise, the skill failed to activate! At that moment, Izroth thought back to the warning he received from the system after he entered the Night Lord''s Crypt. It mentioned that certain methods of travel might be restricted or prohibited due to the surrounding space being locked by an unknown force; however, Izroth did not think that those methods of travel also included instant movement skills. After realizing that he could not rely on his Primed Instantaneous Movement to escape the barrage of ck needles, Izroth activated the skill Time Dtion and quickly came up with a solution on the spot. First, Izroth used Molding Earth to barrel into the ground. In the same motion, he called forth the Scorched Inferno''s Fang spear, using his Dual Wielding skill to utilize it alongside his Sword of the Storm. Once he barreled into the ground, Izroth immediately closed the hole and opened a new one right at Varokin''s back. And as he did so, Izroth used the skill Reign of Oblivion. This made it so that every spear-based attack against a target increased the damage of Izroth''s next spear attack by 5%. It was also an effect that could stack any number of times. Of course, just this alone was nowhere near enough to break through Varokin''s protective barrier. With Time Dtion still active, Izroth''s thoughts held even greater rity than usual in a short span of time. Due to this, he was ovee by a moment of inspiration in the middle of his spear strike. Since he could fuse his First Baneful Sword: Destruction with his Fissuring Point skill¡ªwhy not do the same for the Reign of Oblivion? While there was no guarantee that it would work, Izroth knew that it was in the middle of a battle that abat master could gain and improve his skills the most. Even if he failed, Izroth did not mind taking the risk since it would only lead to a temporary setback. Fortunately, right as he was striking out with his spear, Izroth managed to sessfully change his usual approach. This led to the S-ranked Reign of Oblivion skill evolving to a different level. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have gained a new insight into the preexisting skill ?Reign of Oblivion?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The skill ?Reign of Oblivion? has evolved.¡µ Without halting his momentum, Izroth kicked off his back foot and shot forward like an arrow being released from a bowstring. The next moment, Izroth''s figure started to flicker in and out of existence as he left footprints that created puddles of scorching heat and dimly lit up the area it came into contact with. Chapter 1022 Explosion? A Bigger Explosion! ''I have to avoid using Molding Earth. Something in the environment is increasing its mana cost severalfold. It''s unfortunate, but I also can''t rely on my Primed Instantaneous Movement in this ce. If that''s the case, I''ll just have to return to the basics.'' Everywhere Izroth stepped, he left a flickering silhouette lingering behind. At the same time, with every movement, a burning inferno print was carved into the ground thanks to the Earthly Inferno passive of the Scorched Inferno''s Fang. Varokin reacted swiftly as he pped his hands together and rapidly gathered a heavy dark mana around him. Woosh! Just as the mana started to build up around Varokin, Izroth''s spear shot right past his neck. Crack! ''It''s still not enough.'' Izroth was able to break a part of the protective barrier that guarded Varokin''s neck as his spear slid against it. However, after his strike, Izroth did not pull back and continued to press the attack as he rained down a barrage consecutive of blows. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Varokin was bombarded by a flurry of strikes that gave him no time to respond. The worst part about this was that every time Varokin did attempt tounch a counterattack, Izroth vanished and he would be met with a flickering afterimage; only to be then attacked from his blindspot. As a result, the skounae Marquis was forced to rely on his already crumbling Veil of Darkness to defend himself. Phhhtk! All of a sudden, a thin wound appeared on the right side of Varokin''s neck and a bit of blood trickled down. Pssssst! The moment Varokin was wounded, the thin aura of darkness around him began to dissipate. In the blink of an eye, his Veil of Darkness had beenpletely destroyed! Varokin''s gaze turned cold. He was taken aback by the copse of his Veil of Darkness in its ideal conditions. At this point, there was no doubt in Varokin''s mind that the person he was facing had to be a powerhouse among the younger generation of humans. "This human must not be allowed to grow any further. This sacred ce shall be his grave..!" Varokin thought to himself. BOOM! Suddenly, a massive surge of energy exploded from Varokin''s location, causing Izroth to fall back in order to escape its range. ''I guess it''s not too surprising that he still has a few tricks up his sleeves.'' Just now, Izroth used the Linked effect of his Dual Wielding skill to apply pressure on Varokin with attacks that had no dys in between them. This, paired with the natural increase to his overall swiftness due to Flickering Steps, Izroth was able to quickly chip away at Varokin''s HP. Initially, Izroth nned on not letting up on his assault on Varokin. After all, while the contribution points for eliminating a Marquis of the skounae were quite good, Izroth had not forgotten about his goal for entering the Night Lord''s Crypt. However, just now, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off and warned him of the danger contained within the explosion. The st itself was not all that powerful and had been limited to a small area. But Izroth could see with his Energy Vision Sense that there was a bizarre "me" mixed in with Varokin''s mana in the explosion. Tssssst! The numerous inferno prints Izroth left on the ground through his constant movement lit up the surrounding area well enough for him to see with his eyes. ''Hm?'' Something immediately caught Izroth''s attention as he saw what appeared to be grayish slime spread throughout multiple sections of the ground. At a nce, there was nothing special about the slime. However, Izroth noticed that when the slime came into contact with the inferno prints he carved into the ground with his steps, an unpleasant pungent odor was released. ''I want to conserve as much of my strength as possible. But I also can''t afford to waste too much time here. I''ll have to end this fast.'' Sooooou! A torrent of ck needles abruptly fell on Izroth''s location as he swiftly evaded it. "Perish, human!" Varokin scowled as he prepared for his next wave of attacks. ...BOOOOM! Without warning, an earth-shaking explosion urred as everyst one of the inferno prints on the ground was detonated. Since most of the inferno prints were right around Varokin because of Izroth''s previous attack, it acted as the epicenter of the st and formed a towering pir of mes that momentarily lit up the entire area. ... A few seconds earlier... ...BOOOOOM! Swoosh! Guan Yu swung his guandao downward with a mighty force, cleaving the Undead Night Marcher before him in two. "What was that explosion just now?!" Guan Yu said with furrowed brows as he waved his guandao sideways and knocked back three of the Undead Night Marchers that charged towards him. "No idea, but we don''t have time to worry about that right now!" Halls said as he blocked an iing strike from two Undead Night Marchers with his shield. The next moment, both of the creatures were sent soaring backward by Halls'' Rebound skill. Currently, Halls and Guan Yu were still fending off the waves of Undead Night Marchers. However, there was something different from the time before Izroth''s departure. "Aim for their mouths and lower joints! Those are their weak points!" Niflheim''s yelled as he intercepted an attack from a nearby Undead Night Marcher. Niflheim, along with many others of the 9th Division and 5th Unit who were under the effects of Varokin''s Tranquil Night Hysteria, had returned to their senses. No one knew how they were able to break free all of a sudden; however, those like Halls and Guan Yu figured that it definitely had something to do with Izroth''s disappearance. Thankfully, the 9th Division and 5th Unit had not suffered a single loss in the process. This wasrgely due to thebined efforts of Lances, Jol''Kil, and Zel''Kan. The three of them kept the majority of the Undead Night Marchers at bay while Halls and Guan Yu focused on handling any that slipped through the cracks to ensure that no one identally perished. Once everyone snapped out of their trance, they quickly collected themselves and greeted the Undead Night Marchers with an extreme show of force. "Zel''Kan!" Jol''Kil called out. "I already know! I will leave things here to you!" Zel''Kan responded as she melt through a group of the creatures on her path and sped forward at full speed towards the direction that the explosion came from. "Captain Noir, I leave the 5th Unit in your hands!" Lances stated as he, too, took off in the direction of the explosion. "If it''s that guy, I''m sure there''s no need for concern; however, it''s better to be safe than sorry." Lances thought to himself. ... Meanwhile... ''Every time I see it, I''m reminded of why the system has ss requirements in ce for certain weapons.'' At the moment, Izroth stood before a devastated area that spanned tens of meters. This was caused by the Eruption effect attached to his Scorched Inferno''s Fang. A weapon like the Scorched Inferno''s Fang, in particr its effects, was meant to be used by heavy armor or light armor yers¡ªnot by someone like Izroth, who possessed an incredible level of consistent mobility. The more one moved, the greater number of inferno prints they spawned on the ground. And, since the damage of the inferno prints could stack, when the Eruption effect was activated, it created an attack that was, damage-wise, likely on par with an SSS-ranked skill! That being said, even after he unleashed the devastating attack, Izroth did not let his guard down. That''s because something was off. ''How strange. I can''t sense his presence anymore with my Energy Vision Sense. But I still have yet to receive any alerts from the system. Did he escape in the chaos?'' Izroth inwardly frowned as he continued to scan the area for Varokin with no sess. ''No, even if he was able to escape, it doesn''t exin how he''s suddenly able to avoid the detection of my Energy Vision Sense.'' Izroth heard the sounds of rapidly approaching footstepsing from the direction where the 9th Division and 5th Unit were located. ''Forget it. It''s just a Marquis. Searching for him now would lead to too much wasted time. We have something much bigger to deal with.'' "Young master!" Zel''Kan called out. Chapter 1023 Reign Of The Shattering Void, Let There Be Light! ... A few momentster, Izroth, Lances, and Zel''Kan were joined by the rest of the 9th Division and 5th Unit. By the time Zel''Kan and Lances reached Izroth''s location, Marquis Varokin had long vanished without a trace. And, after seeing that Izroth was unharmed, the three wasted no time returning to where their allies awaited. But just as the three of them started to make their way back to assist the others with the Undead Night Marchers, their forces, led by Niflheim and Noir, had already made their way over to them. Apparently, just seconds after Lances and Zel''kan departed, the Undead Night Marchers abruptly turned to a cloud of dust and disappeared. Based on their ount of events, Izroth determined that the sudden disappearance of Marquis Varokin coincided too closely with that of the Undead Night Marchers for it to be a mere coincidence. There was also the fact that the Tranquil Night Hysteria broke right around the time Izroth shattered a part of Varokin''s Veil of Darkness. However, there was something that bothered Izroth that he could not put his finger on. ''It doesn''t match. The skounae are bound to the wills of those above them. If a Marquis like Varokin was tasked with guarding this area, it''s impossible that he would have retreated of his own free will. It''s more likely that he''d fight to the death. Then, that leaves one of two possibilities. The first is that the system made an error, or¡ªsomeone interfered without me noticing.'' Izroth did not entertain the first possibility too much. After all, the system was not the type to make such simple mistakes. As for Izroth''stter belief, for someone to make a move right under his watchful gaze and go entirely undetected in all aspects¡ªit had to be someone who had already stepped into the legendary realm. What troubled Izroth was the fact that whoever that person was decided to leave them alone and not retaliate. ''There''s only one reason they''d choose to ignore intruders right before their eyes at a time like this. The revival¡ªit must be much closer than we thought.'' If the Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars'' were sessfully revived, Amaharpe and its allied forces would suffer a huge loss. It was to the point that it could tilt the war in Malentansium and Tempest''s favor. ''It would have been helpful if the quest gave me a bit more information to go on.'' Due to the time limit for the quest Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm, Izroth knew that, at most, they had one day to prevent Zars'' revival. However, he understood from experience that S-ranked or higher quests were often unpredictable. Just because the time limit was set to one day did not mean that Zars could not be revived before then. Izroth set those thoughts aside for the time being as he opened up his system interface. ''It''s a shame that he left so soon. I wanted to see how far I could take this skill after it evolved. I suppose I''ll just have to wait until the next opportunity presents itself.'' Skill Name: Reign of Oblivion -> Reign of the Shattering Void Skill Mastery: 1/4 -> 2/4 Skill Rank: S -> Unique SS Requirements: Spear Equipped Toggle On/Off: For every sessful attack against a target, the user gains 1 Stack of ?Madness?. In addition, after this skill''s activation, the user will begin to lose 4% -> 2% of their maximum HP per second. The effect of the HP drain will increase by 1% -> 0.5% for every additional second this skill is active. The cooldown timer for this skill does not start until it is deactivated. *New -> ?Shattering Void? - While this skill is active, the user''s attack speed when wielding a spear-type weapon is increased by 100%. Spear-type attacks can momentarily disrupt all forms of shieldings and barriers. Additionally, the user''s spear-type attacks have a chance of gaining 99% Armor Piercing. *New -> ?Controlled Madness? - The user gains the following based on their total stacks of ?Madness?: 1+: Increases the damage of the user''s next spear-type attack by 8%. This effect can stack any number of times. 10+: Increases the attack speed of the user''s next spear-type attack by 10%. This effect can stack up to 20 times. (MAX: 200%) 20+: The effects of ?Madness? will rise exponentially, and the user spear-type attacks gain 60% Armor Piercing. 40+: Increases the attack speed of the user''s next spear-type attack by 10%. This effect can stack up to 20 times. (MAX: 200%) 60+: After every spear-type attack, the user has a 25% chance to instantly attack [6] time(s), ignoring all attack speed restrictions. The number of attacks increases by +1 for every additional 10 stacks of ?Madness?. Cannot be activated by attacks from this effect. 120+: The user can unleash a devastating blow with their spear, dealing 600% + [20% per ?Madness? stack] of the user''s attack as energy damage. This skill gains 100% Armor Piercing and cannot be defended against. After this effect is used, all stacks of ?Madness? will be consumed and this skill will automatically enter a cooldown phase of 1 hour. Cooldown: 1 minute In the middle of his battle against Varokin, Izroth''s Reign of Oblivion skill evolved into the Reign of the Shattering Void and the two were like night and day whenpared to one another. ''I thought the system would just grant me another fusion-type skill, but it''s gone above my expectations. Does it have something to do with my Time Dtion or Battle Fundamental Mastery?'' Even for abat master in the midst of battle, Izroth believed that his skill evolved several times faster than it did under normal circumstances. ''I''ll have to look into itter. For now, I''ll simply focus on what lies in front of me.'' "Commander Lances, it''s ready on yourmand!" One of the 5th Unit members suddenly called out from the distance. "What are those guys up to? We''ve been standing here for a while. Won''t we be ambushed again at this rate?" Guan Yu frowned. "Who knows? Whatever it is, I''m sure there''s a good reason for the dy." Hallsmented as he shrugged his shoulders. "Rx, we won''t have to worry about being ambushed again after this." A voice sounded from behind Halls and Guan Yu as they suddenly found a hand ced on their shoulders. Halls and Guan Yu immediately recognized the voice of the one who approached them as they turned their heads simultaneously to the side. "Commander? When did you get over here?" Guan Yu said as his brows rose slightly in surprise. "No, more importantly, what do you mean we won''t have to worry about being ambushed again? Aren''t we pretty much dead in the water here?" Halls inquired. Lances removed his hands from Halls'' and Guan Yu''s shoulders as a light grin appeared on his face. "Haven''t the two of you learned by now? I never go anywhere unprepared. Since we ran into some unexpected trouble right after we arrived, there was no time to set things in ce. But, trust me, this will be well worth a small dy." Lances stated. He then held his hand out and continued, "Watch closely as I even the ying field. Do it!" Hssssst...! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! When Lances gave the order, a faint hissing sound like pressure being released could be heard. At the same time, several glowing mes that cracked like a campfire appeared in different areas and spread throughout the surroundings. Ooooooom! The next moment, the ground rumbled as the mes erupted and formed numerous pirs that curved into the air and converged at a single point overhead. Woooooosh! When thest of the mes finished gathering, it formed arge sphere that mirrored a miniature sun. Thoom..! The miniature sun rapidly expanded before imploding and copsing in on itself. However, instead of causing a wave of destruction to emerge, countless particles of light started to drift throughout the atmosphere. At first, these particles of light did not make much of a difference within the darkness of the Night Lord''s Crypt. However, after a few seconds passed, the light being emitted by each particle grew in intensity. Before long, the particles of light seemed to multiply and replenish themselves wherever they traveled and dispersed without end throughout the darkness. In less than a few breaths of time, the Night Lord''s Crypt became moderately well-lit as those within the 9th Division and 5th Unit could finally see out in front of them without the continuous use of light magic. Chapter 1024 Testing The Waters, What Separates Them? "I didn''t think you''d have a trick like this hidden up your sleeves," Izroth said as he approached Lances. "I could say the same of you." Lances responded as his gaze traveled to the two individuals that walked behind Izroth. Those two were, of course, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan. During their fight against the Undead Night Marchers, Lances took the chance to observe the two Seventh Demon n members in action. It did not take long for him to realize that the two of them were, at the very least, on the level of a War Brigade Commander. To have two people of such might following him around so obediently and referring to him as young master¡ªLances believed that Izroth''s background had to be an incredible one. However, Izroth was shrouded inplete mystery to Lances. After the second team selection ended, naturally, Lances used the connections of his Pride n to dig into Izroth''s background. But, in the end, he came up empty-handed, for the most part. Of course, Lances was on to get his hands on some information regarding Izroth''s feats. But, if he were being honest, it was nothing too extravagant for one capable of iming the first-ce spot in the second team''s selection. Needless to say, Lances had no idea of the important role Izroth yed in defeating Zars. Nor was he aware that Izroth was the one behind the eradication of the Siren organization, a group under the direct protection of the League of the Eidolon. Unfortunately, what Lances failed to realize was that no matter how much he dug, it was useless. After all, the "incredible background" he was searching for just simply did not exist because Izroth possessed nothing of the sort. As for the legendary realm powerhouses that were under hismand or supported him in some manner¡ªoutside of Gear, even his closest allies were not aware of their existence. It was not that Izroth deliberately kept it a secret from them or anything; just that it never came up in any of their conversations. And he did not typically go out of his way to make things known without immediate reason. Therefore, how could someone like Lances or the Pride n possibly know what kind of terrifying forces Izroth had by his side? Lances returned his to the forefront and said, "The light being generated is from an Expert-level magic formation called The Renewing Lights. The magic formation itself isn''t all that impressivepared to others of its rank; however, this one is a little special. It has been infused into an SS-ranked magic item called the Perpetual Propagating Dial." He then continued, "The Perpetual Propagating Dial has the ability to replicate nearly anything that isn''t living an almost endless number of times. The only downside is that whatever it replicates can onlyst for a couple of days before it disappears by itself. But, with this, we will no longer have to worry about going without light while we''re trapped in this ce. By the way, in case you''re curious, it was personally crafted by the Supreme Elder of my Pride n." ''Oh? An Expert-Level magic formation that''s capable of being fused with an SS-ranked magic item? The way magic functions in RML, in theory, it is possible to achieve. That being said, theory is one thing, but putting it into practice is another matter altogether. A person capable of breathing life into that kind of theory must possess a deep understanding of magic items and magic formations. It seems that the Pride n is not to be underestimated.'' "I see. Then, shall we proceed? I assume you''re of like mind that we have wasted enough time here." Izroth stated as he started to walk off ahead with Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan following close after. As Izroth walked away, Lances released a light sigh as a look of disappointment appeared on his face. He shook his head before he ordered the 5th Unit to move out. "Young master, that Commander of the War Brigade is too insolent. How dare he try to pull the great benefactor of our Seventh Demon n under his service." Zel''Kanmented; however, she utilized her mana in such a way that only Izroth and Jol''Kil could hear her words. "You''re thinking too deeply. It''s just his way of testing the waters a bit, that''s all." Izroth replied in a carefree manner. Lances did not go into such detail for the mere purpose of bragging about his n or the resources in his possession. Instead, his goal was to see Izroth''s reaction and, based on that, attempt to gain some insight into his background. Izroth was not oblivious. He knew that after winning the second team''s selection, everyone who was present that day would look into him. An unknown person emerges amongst the younger generation, defeats one of the people favored to enter the top five and one of Zushuatri''s disciples, speaks casually with the third young master of the Dragon n Kayn, and walks away with the first ce spot of the second team''s selection. Izroth believed that one would have to be willfully ignorant to not look into him after everything that urred. As for those who failed to do so, they were either of no threat to him or not worth his attention. However, Izroth already knew the results that woulde up from their search¡ªnothing. They were looking for something that did not exist. By now, Lances probably realized this point and figured that the only way to find anything out was by personally "testing the waters". But what reason did Izroth have to entertain his curiosity? "Young master, you are really different from the humans that we have learned about," Jol''Kil said with a hint of confusion in his voice. "I''m curious, what perception does the Seventh Demon n hold towards humans?" Izroth inquired. "We were taught that weaker humans are often cowardly by nature and submissive of those above them, while those with strength are usually arrogant, greedy, and prideful," Zel''Kan exined. "Hm... I see. Well, it''s not as though your perception is entirely wrong." Izroth stated casually. He then asked, "Do you two know what separates humans from most of the other races that reside within the Mortal Realm?" Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan briefly pondered Izroth''s question. "Their numbers are by far thergest among the races," Jol''Kil stated. "Humans are also extremely fragile and weak in the earlier stages of their life. Compared to other races who are born with strong innate talents, a human''s road to gaining strength is much longer and harder paved. Due to this, they have no choice but toe up with imaginative ways to ensure their survival and increase their strength." Zel''Kan said unhurriedly. "Both answers are not wrong in a general sense; however, neither are things that separate humans from the other races. In terms of poption, while it''s true that humans are the most numerous, the zensana and skounae are not too far behind. As for having a creative imagination, it can be said that the trephasia, the original users of Creation Magic, excels much more at this point." Izroth stated calmly. Zel''Kan furrowed her brows and asked, "Then if both answers are incorrect, what do you believe it to be? Please, enlighten us, young master." "The answer is simple really. For humans, it alles down to one thing. It is this one thing that dictates their every action and decision¡ªmorals. To be more precise, the vast diversity of morals." Izroth answered. He then continued, "Most other races of the Mortal Realm all more or less share the same morals. But for humans, our morals are as varied as the number of sand grains within the Pzenium desert. It is these varied morals that are the source of most conflicts that arise between humans. Even this current war is an example of that. However, it is these same varied morals that have allowed humans to progress as far as they have¡ªto prove that it is their morals which hold the best solution." Morals? Was it really such a simple thing that differentiated them? This was the thought that crossed the minds of the two Seventh Demon n members. In their eyes, such a thing was bound to lead to destruction rather than peace. Was he trying to say that humans would walk a constant path of destruction until only one consistent set of morals existed? Chapter 1025 Depths Of The Night Lords Crypt, A Terrifying Energy Emerges! "Unfortunately, life is not so simple that it can be defined by a single set of morals. Ultimately, what we deem things like good or evil is up to how we perceive the world and the people around us. People breathe life into their existence¡ªbringing about meaning through their words and actions. This is why it is important for one to walk down their own path, regardless of their origins." Izroth stated calmly. Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan listened intently as the two seemed to enter into a state of deep thought. As warriors of the Seventh Demon n, just like their predecessors before them, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan spent their entire life doing whatever was necessary for the n''s survival. Because their purpose had already been defined from birth and the path ahead was set for them, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan had been stuck facing the same problems as their predecessors. It had never crossed their minds to change the way that things were done because that was how it had always been. In truth, they were not walking their own paths. They were simply imitating and treading down the exact same path as their predecessors. ''Hopefully, this much of a push is enough.'' Izroth learned a lot about how the Seventh Demon n operated from Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan during their travel to the Night Lord''s Crypt. He discovered that, outside the n head, no one else had managed to step into the legendary realm within the Seventh Demon n since their decline. Izroth was by no means an expert regarding the legendary realm in RML; however, he understood from his time in the Seven Realms what was required if one wanted to progress to higher levels of strength. Using his Energy Vision Sense and personal experience with others of that realm, Izroth determined that Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan were only one step away from reaching the legendary realm. But, unless they learned to adjust their perspective, that single step might as well be the distance of a chasm the size of an ocean. ''If these two can step into the legendary realm, it will make restoring the Seven mes of Tal easier. Also, having two more legendary realm figures by my side wouldn''t hurt at all.'' Izroth nced over to see Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan in deep thought. Seeing this, he returned his attention forward and decided to give them time to reflect on his words. As for the others, the 9th Division and 5th Unit moved deeper into the heart of the Night Lord''s Crypt. So far, there had been no other ambush attempts or even the smallest signs of other skounae. Naturally, this made many of those present extremely anxious as they believed it was only a matter of time until they were surrounded with no method of escape. But, despite their anxiousness, everyone remained focused and on high alert. The 9th Division ced their trust in Izroth, as well as Niflheim and Menerva. And, needless to say, the 5th Unit also trusted Lances. As long as those two pirs remained in ce, no matter what they faced, the 9th Division and 5th Unit had the courage to confront it head-on. ''I couldn''t really get a good look at it before because it was shrouded in darkness. But now that I can see it, this ce¡ªit''s more dreary than I envisioned.'' The inside of the Night Lord''s Crypt was roughly the size of arge pce and had several pathways ventured to who knows where. The interior material that made up its foundations was some kind of dark blue stones that resembled raw granite. There was novish decor or exquisite furnishing in sight as what was typical of a grand ce such as thing. However, there were some unusual tapestries hung on certain walls. The tapestries all depicted a figure who closely mirrored the Night Lord Zars with a full moon in one hand and dark mes in the other. It varied from tapestry to tapestry, but this figure was portrayed as a great bringer of destruction as everyst one of the illustrations disyed a ce in ruins. "There are so many passageways. How do we know which one to take?" Guan Yu questioned as his gaze traveled around the room. "The skounae are a straightforward bunch. They aren''t the type to do anything overlyplicated. So, we just have to use our heads a little. Tell me, if you had one precious trophy and a bunch of mediocre ones that you wished to disy, where would you ce the most important trophy?" Lances asked. "Hm... If it''s the most important, then wouldn''t you want it to be front and center for everyone to see?" Guan Yu responded. "That''s right. It''s no different for the skounae. In this case, the Night Lord is the trophy they wish to disy proudly. If we look at it this way, then the path we have to take bes rather obvious." Lances said as he pointed to one of thergest pathways towards the direction they were headed in. He then continued, "Right through there, without a doubt, will eventually lead us to the Antumbra Night Lord of Decay, Zars. When the timees, we will prevent his revival and rid the Mortal Realm of a great threat¡ªonce and for all." A piercing look appeared in Lances'' eyes as his gaze seemed to peer into the depths of the Night Lord''s Crypt. ... A few momentster... After quickening their overall pace, Izroth and his allies came before the entrance of a wide spacious room. Additionally, before they entered therge pathway, Izroth and Lances agreed to send three people out from each of their respective groups to find a way out of the Night Lord''s Crypt. The search party consisted of those who were confident in their speed and ability to escape. They were also given orders to retreat immediately if a situation that they couldn''t handle arose. The search party was further instructed to return to therge pathway and meet up with the main group once they found an exit. However, once thirty minutes passed, they were to return regardless of their sess or failure. "Young master, up ahead," Jol''Kil warned as he furrowed his brows. "Yes, I can sense it. In fact, I''m sure everyone here can sense it as well." Izroth said nonchntly as he nced over at his allies. e¦Áglesn?¦Íel At the moment, everyone either had a serious or frightened expression on their face. That''s because the instant they approached the entrance that led into the wide spacious room, a terrifying energy poured out and washed over them. Many members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit felt like they would be torn apart and swallowed whole by that terrifying energy if they took even one more step forward. Izroth looked over at Lances who, as if immediately understanding his intentions, gave a small nod in response. "Jol''Kil, Zel''Kan¡ªyou two will apany me. The rest of the 9th Division will remain here until I give the order." Izroth stated. "5th Unit, you will stay here with the 9th Division. Until you receive my orders, you are not to leave this spot. Captain Noir, you''re with me." Lances said. "Dang, it looks like Noir''s going to get all the fun to himself this time." Guan Yu groaned. "I know it''s useless to say this to you, but just be patient. You can feel it too, right¡ªthat terrifying aura? I''m sure the Commander is just looking out for us. Though I have to admit, it is a little disappointing to stay back here and watch." Halls sighed. Guan Yu and Halls were not the only ones disappointed about being put on standby. Under normal circumstances, Niflheim and Menerva would have raised their objections. However, the two of them knew it the moment they sensed it. That aura came from something or someone that the current 9th Division had no hopes of facing head-on. At most, they could provide some minimal support but the risk far outweighed the benefit. Therefore, the most sensible solution was to allow those with the highest chances of survival to go first. In this way, it would be possible to gain some understanding of just what they were facing. "Stay safe, Captain. We''ll be right here behind you ready to jump in at a moment''s notice." Niflheim stated firmly. Chapter 1026 Blighted Feathers Of The Dusk "Then, I leave my back to you and the rest of the 9th Division. I will send you a signal when it is time to make a move." Izroth said without turning back as he stepped through the entrance along with Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan. Not long after Izroth walked forward, Lances followed with Noir right behind him. The first thing Izroth noticed inside the wide spacious area was that the effect of The Renewing Lights had greatly diminished; however, strangely enough, there was a dim purple hue that lingered about in the atmosphere and made it possible to see with a certain level of rity. Although the average person may still have a somewhat difficult time freely navigating the room, a person with a decent level of perception would find it less of a challenge. The room was also vastly different from the other area of the Night Lord''s Crpyt where Izroth and his allies arrived. e¦Áglesn?¦Íel The interior was simr to that of a cathedral or ancient temple. It had several thick pirs lined up on each side that led towards a wide staircase located on the opposite end of the entrance. At the top of that staircase was a mysterious corridor that one could not peer into. And, hung up on the walls were numerous eerie relics that gave one an ominous feeling. ''The mana in the area is restless. That unusual energy is also bing increasingly dense.'' The further they walked into the depths of the room, the more vicious that terrifying energy they felt near the entrance became. The average person would have already suffocated under such immense pressure. "There''s someone up ahead," Lances stated with a serious expression. "How kind of them to send someone to greet us," Noir said casually. ''Hm?'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as he noticed a sudden shift in the room with his Energy Vision Sense. A few secondster, Izroth, Lances, Jol''Kil, Zel''Kan, and Noir stopped at the bottom of the staircase. There, levitating at the top of the staircase in a meditative pose with his eyes closed was a single skounae with cold palish-grey and long snow-white hair. He wore a set of simple ck robes and had a silver ne with a small white gemstone embedded in the prong around his neck. The prong resembled the tip of a bird''s talon and was pitch ck in color. More importantly, without a doubt, the terrifying energy everyone felt originated from this man. "I do not know how a few rats managed to find their way here so quickly, but-" The man said as he opened his eyes. Soooooou! An immense pressure swept throughout the room that made the previous one pale inparison. It was as though they were abruptly dropped into a high-level Gravity Pocket. Not to mention, the killing intent infused into the pressure made those it passed by want to instinctively flee. "I do not have time to deal with a bunch of children." The man stated calmly before slowly closing his eyes once more. He then continued, "Come, my shadow beasts of the night." As the man spoke, the ground started to tremble as numerous fissures formed at the top of the staircase. Gwraaaah... An unusual faint cry sounded from the fissures as several streams of darkness flowed out from between the openings. Bang! Crack! The next moment, one of the streams of darkness transformed into arge w that mmed into the ground outside of the fissure, immediately shattering the ce it came into contact with. A simr scene was taking ce not just atop the staircase, but throughout multiple areas of the room. GWRAAAAAAH! GWRAAAAAAH! The cries that started off as faint spiraled into an amalgamation of frightening screams that flooded the atmosphere. "Be grateful, for I shall offer up your lives as a sacrifice to the Night Lord. Now, my shadow beasts, feast upon the intruders who dare enter this sacred ce." The manmanded as he held his hand forward. NPC Name: Blighted Feathers of the Dusk, Duke Zareign(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) ''As I thought, this skounae is a legendary realm powerhouse.'' A skounae Duke was the equivalent of a War Brigade High General. To reach that level, one had to have already stepped into the legendary realm. ''The fact that he''s stationed in front of this corridor is a good sign. Most likely, the Night Lord Zars is being kept right on the other side. We must reach that ce and interrupt the revival process before it''s toote.'' Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and removed his Scorched Inferno''s Fang from his inventory. At the same time, Izroth''s gaze locked onto one of the shadow beasts. The shadow beast had dark scales with fracture-like areas on its body that emitted a red pulsating glow. The creatures were roughly 1.8 meters tall and nearly twice as long if one included the length of the scaly tail on its back. It stood hunched over on its two bulky reptilian-like back legs and reminded one of a tyrannosaurus. Its front legs were slightly elevated off the ground with razor-sharp ws and were slightly longer than its back legs. The bottom half of its mouth was curved downward with strange dark white spikes protruding from its surface. Simr spikes also ran along the top of its head and down its back to its tail. It had a pair of beady glowing red eyes that released a great level of bloodlust. Name: Night Terror Shadow Beast(Epic) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) Noir eyes widened as his lips curved into arge grin. This kind of opponent¡ªit was precisely what he joined the War Brigade to face! "To be smiling in such a situation¡ªwhat a crazy man..." Jol''Kil muttered to himself as he nced over and saw therge grin stered on Noir''s face. "They''reing. Stay alert." Izroth reminded. Gwraaaah! The first Night Terror Shadow Beast that emerged from the fissure cried out as it jumped down off the top of the staircase and right towards the group at the bottom! Woosh! As the Night Terror Shadow Beast was still mid-air, a few wisps of dark red mes appeared on certain areas of its body. BANG! The creature crashed into the staircase as Jol''Kil''s mes took effect. However, almost immediately after it fell, the Night Terror Shadow Beast bounced back to its feet and proceeded onward to the group. While its pace had been slowed, its agility was still not to be underestimated. Jol''Kil frowned when he saw the creature get back to its feet. To be able to move under the effects of his me meant that they were highly abnormal and persistent. Not to mention, they must possess a great level of physical strength. It would not be a problem if it were just one shadow beast; however, there were at least sixty of them present! ''We can''t ignore these creatures. I guess now is as good of a time as any to send the signal.'' Bzzzzt! Crrrrckle! Suddenly, a high concentration of the lightning element epassed Izroth''s sword as several powerful lightning bolts struck down from above. Boom! Boom! In total, twenty-seven lightning bolts rained down. And, by the time it finished, a small army of lightning soldiers all appeared in front of Izroth. One of the lightning soldiers kneeled down in front of Izroth. He was different from the others and had a moremanding aura about him. This figure was, of course, Storm Commander Sagarus. "What are your orders, my lord?" Sagarus asked as he kneeled in front of Izroth. "Lead the lightning army and eliminate these creatures," Izrothmanded. "By your will," Sagarus responded as he stood to his feet and unsheathed his sword. He then roared, "O, Great Lightning Army, hear me! Our lord has given us the order to eradicate the beasts before us! We shall now carry out his will!" Crrrrckle! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Without dy, Sagarus charged towards thergest group of shadow beasts and swung the sword in his hands. BOOM! The sword unleashed a wave of destruction that closely mirrored the Destructive Aftermath effect of Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. This single wave was powerful enough to push back several of the Night Terror Shadow Beast. At the same time, the other lightning soldiers jumped into action and followed Sagarus'' lead to confront the Night Terror Shadow Beasts. The lightning soldiers formed small units of two or three that stuck close to one another and covered any potential gaps in their defenses. Chapter 1027 Unsettled Anger, Charge Onward! As the Sagarus and the lightning soldiers confronted the Night Terror Shadow Beasts, Jol''Kil intercepted the first of the creatures that jumped from the staircase. At the same time, Zel''Kan provided support from a distance with her mes while ensuring not to stray too far away from Izroth. After all, the skounae at the top of the staircase gave her a bad feeling. As for Izroth, Lances, and Noir, they had yet to make their move. However, it was not as if they remained idle without purpose. "It seems this guy isn''t the only troublesome one around," Lances asked without adverting his gaze from the Duke. "Oh? So you''re able to sense them as well?" Izroth said calmly. "The Renewing Lights may not be functioning to its full capability in this area, but since I''m the one in direct control of it, there are still a few tricks I can use. So, how do you want to handle this? The entrance into that corridor has a special life seal on it, so it won''t open unless we defeat the person guarding it." Lances stated. "Then, isn''t what we have to do rather simple? We just have to eliminate those who stand in our way." Izroth responded. He then continued, "I''ll deal with that man. I''ll leave the others to you and your Captain. Any objections?" "Hey, I know you''re confident in your strength, but that''s a Duke of the skounae. And not just any Duke, but the Blighted Feathers of the Dusk. Facing him alone won''t end well¡ªeven if it''s you." Lances warned. "Oh? Is he that famous?" Izroth inquired curiously. "Yes, but not in a good way. The Blighted Feathers of the Dusk has been a huge headache for many years in the Mortal Realm as wherever he goes, a rotting trail of destruction is left behind. Because of him, thousands have met with their death be it by his hand or through starvation due to the blight he carries." Lances exined. ''A trail of destruction caused by a blight... I remember reading something that sounds eerily simr to that on the second floor of the Amaharpe Pce Library. It did not specify exactly who was responsible, but it did mention that it was someone from the skounae race.'' While he was in the Amaharpe Pce Library, Izroth came across many books on various topics. One of the books he read while there contained a detailed record of diseases and other harmful things that existed in RML. In that book, there were a few lines that read "A skounae who carries the blight of death and leaves a trail of rotting destruction in its wake. Those who have seen this skounae and lived to tell the tale all recount the same prelude to destruction¡ªa rain of feathers that carries a blight descends when dusk arrives.". ''I see. It certainly adds up. But, even if that person in the book is him, it doesn''t change what needs to be done.'' "It''s fine. If it bes too dangerous, I''ll fall back. Besides, I''ll be much more at ease knowing that you''ll be taking care of things on this side." Izroth stated as he walked forward. "Alright, then I''ll leave that man to you. If it gets too dangerous, I''ll intervene." Lances reminded. "Then, should that moment arise, I will raise noints," Izroth replied casually without halting his steps. As Izroth walked away, Noir narrowed his eyes as he nced over at Lances and said, "Commander, it''s not like you to take a step back in the face of a huge prey like this. Does that guy have something on you?" Noir had been a part of the 5th Unit under Lances since the start of the war, yet this was his first time seeing the Commander willingly hand over a potentially big trophy to someone else. It was nothing at all like thepetitive and brazen Commander he had grown ustomed to. More importantly, Noir was skeptical whether or not Izroth could even handle the Duke alone. Of course, he was well aware of Izroth''s ranking as first ce on the event leaderboards along with his reputation and other achievements throughout RML. However, a legendary realm opponent was an entirely different beast to confront. It was not an entity that yers could face alone and usually required the entire core of a top guild working together near wlessly to ovee. How could a single yer ever dream of taking on a legendary realm opponent alone? That would be no different than willingly walking to one''s death! "No, it''s nothing of the sort. That guy is just a little special, is all. If possible, I''d like it if he agrees to join my Pride n, but I have a feeling he already has his sights set on something far away from this world. It would be best if you do notpare him to others of his rank, Captain Noir." Lances stated firmly with a meaningful look in his eyes. "If you say so, Commander. I suppose I''ll just have to take your word for it." Noir responded without pause. For Lances to give out that kind of high praise was an extreme rarity and came as a surprise to Noir. As for wanting to invite someone to join the Pride n directly¡ªeven he was never made such an offer by the Commander! "I''m curious to witness firsthand what the current rank one on the event leaderboards is capable of." Noir thought to himself as his gaze fell onto Izroth. "Don''t be too disappointed. We still have some other guests to keep us entertained." Lances said as his lips curved into a small grin. Woosh! Woosh! Without warning, numerous thin ck needles rained down directly above Lances and Noir. However, just as the ck needles were about to pierce through them, a bending wall of mes emerged above Lances and Noir. Tsssst! The ck needles were instantly incinerated uponing into contact with the intense mes. "Another annoying pest has arrived. I wanted to get my revenge on the man who dared raise his hand against me, but he is already strolling towards his death. I suppose you will just have to make do quelling this rage within me." A familiar voice sounded as three figures stepped out from the darkness. The person who stood at the forefront of the small group and just spoke out was none other than Marquis Varokin. Varokin was apanied by two Vretis Skounae; however, they were different from the Vretis Izroth ran into back at Duke Sorkoza''s territory. These Vretis werepletely devoid of emotions and emitted a terrifyingly cold killing intent along with a bountiful amount of bloodlust NPC Name: Penumbra Inquisitor, Marquis Varokin(Epic) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Nameless Vretis Mind Doll(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Nameless Vretis Mind Doll(???) NPC Level: ??? Varokin was still enraged from his earlier encounter with Izroth and the anger could be seen on his face as his gaze kept wandering off to where Izroth was located. However, he dared not approach the staircase without the Duke''s permission and could only quietly swallow his anger. "If I had not been called back by the Duke, I would have crushed that human brat with my own hands. How unfortunate...!" Varokin growled under his breath. "That''s a pretty tacky way to greet someone. But I guess it''s still a greeting, nheless. Since you''ve been so kind as to greet us, allow us to return the favor!" Noir roared as he unsheathed his scimitar. Shing! The moment Noir drew his scimitar a dense and sharp aura formed around its edges. At the same time, a voice suddenly sounded from the distance. "Those lightning soldiers belong to the Captain! Do not attack them! Aim for the monsters they''re fighting!" Niflheim''s voice sounded. At the moment, Niflheim was charging as the vanguard with the rest of the 9th Division trailing right behind him. When Izroth called forth the lightning army, Niflheim knew that was the signal for them to make their move. However, Niflheim and the 9th Division were not the only ones present. "Finally, we get to join in on the action!" Guan Yu said as he charged forward with Halls right next to him. "Just don''t let your guard down. I''ll watch your back as always." Halls stated with a yful grin. "Heh, I was just about to say the same thing to you!" Guan Yu replied with a smirk. Halls, Guan Yu, and the 5th Unit also chose to make their move and participate in the battle when they saw Lances use his mes. Chapter 1028 An Intense Battle Unfolds "Remember what we have discussed! Do not scatter and stray too far from your assigned group!" Menerva reminded as she removed therge bow from her back and nted it firmly into the ground. Menerva understood that this kind of enclosed environment was unsuitable for her ss. After all, her ss excelled at incredibly long-range attacks that were meant to annihte mostly stationary enemies in one shot. Needless to say, facing off against quick-moving creatures like the Night Terror Shadow Beasts at this close of a range was far from ideal for Menerva. However, she was not just standing thoughtless at the entrance. When Menerva noticed the type of environment they would be fighting in, naturally, she started to formte ways to somewhat make up for her ss'' shorings. "I''ll watch your back, Lieutenant. So, just do whatever you need to. I won''t let these monstersy a single finger on you. Or, well, w." One of the 9th Division members, Knightmare, stated. Knightmare was a young man who appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties. He had short light brown hair and a pair of light silver eyes. He stood nearly two meters tall and wore a full set of heavy-ted armor that was a mixture of dark grey and silver. He held a long kite shield in his left hand and a straight one-handed long sword in his right. Knightmare was one of the individuals chosen by Menerva to be a part of her Squadron. And, currently, Menerva entrusted him with guarding her while she used her bow. "Once Iplete the necessary arrangements, you may join the others and carry out the next phase of what we discussed beforehand. Until then, I trust that you will aplish the task I have assigned you without fault." Menerva said calmly as multiple chains shot out from her bow and pierced into the ground. Meanwhile, Niflheim, Halls, Guan Yu, and the others who acted as the vanguard engaged with the Night Terror Shadow Beasts. Bang! Niflheim crashed his shield into one of the creatures and interrupted its sneaky strike on one of the lightning soldiers, sending it sliding back several meters. The lightning soldier Niflheim guarded turned its head and looked at him briefly. It then gave a small nod before shifting its focus back ahead. Niflheim was a little surprised by the lightning soldier''s acknowledgment. He assumed that they were just bundles of mindless energy summoned by Izroth; however, it seemed that they were notpletely devoid of thought. Although the lightning soldiers were just conjured beings, after Niflheim witnessed their strength firsthand, he determined that keeping them alive would prove to be a tremendous advantage. "I don''t know exactly what these lightning creatures are, but their strength seems to be roughly on par with a yer around level 40¡ªmaybe even a bit higher. However, the discipline behind their movements and teamwork are well above what the average yer is capable of disying. As long as we work together with them, it will help ease the burden ced on the 9th Division and 5th Unit." Niflheim thought to himself. Before their arrival, the lightning soldiers were outnumbered by the Night Terror Shadow Beasts; therefore, no matter how good their teamwork was, there were blindspots that they could not cover. However, now that the 9th Division and 5th Unit had joined the battle, the scales quickly began to tip in their favor. Woosh! Guan Yu swung his guandao outward as an ancient blue aura from his erupted de and swept over a group of nearby Night Terror Shadow Beasts. Gwraaaah! Gwraaaah! BOOM! When the ancient blue aura collided with the creatures, it caused a strong and concentrated explosion to ur at their location as the surrounding area fractured. "These things are pretty sturdy!" Guan Yumented as he witnessed the Night Terror Shadow Beasts he had just struck swiftly jump back to their feet and resume their assault. BANG! At thest moment, Halls stepped in front of Guan Yu and lifted his shield. As the creatures pressed forward with their attacks without concern and struck Halls'' shield, a thin aura epassed it as the Night Terror Shadow Beasts were blown back tens of meters after the impact. "Their attack power is also no joke. I wonder if our brother''s group can hold up against these things." Halls'' stated with furrowed brows. "Heh, do you really think our brother would take in a group of useless people? If they can''t handle this much, then they don''t deserve to stand next to our brother on the battlefield." Guan Yu responded in a straightforward manner. As Halls and Guan Yu carried on with their attack, Lances and Noir were locked in a battle against Marquis Varokin, and the two Nameless Vretis Mind Dolls. However, they were not alone as Commander Sagarus of Izroth''s lightning army joined their battle. eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Lances shed with Marquis Varokin and, at a nce, the two seemed pretty evenly matched. However, it was clear that both sides had yet to reveal their true hand. As for the Nameless Vretis Mind Dolls, Noir was facing one alone, while the other was being taken care of by Commander Sagarus. Just as their names implied, the Vretis expressed no emotions and showed no signs of pain or difort when struck. Because of this, the Nameless Vretis Mind Dolls fought in a reckless way withplete disregard for their own safety. Naturally, this increased the amount of pressure ced on Noir as the Vretis he shed with battled in a way that did not mind the exchange of its life for his. Of course, Noir had no ns of sitting back and allowing the Vretis to do whatever it pleased; therefore, he swiftly shifted his approach. "I suppose this is as far as it goes. A shame¡ªI was looking forward to more of a challenge." Noir said as his gaze turned cold and the sharp aura around his scimitar abruptly spiked to a frightening degree. He then continued, "Facing a mindless beast... How dull." Swish! Swish! In the blink of an eye, the aura around Noir''s scimitar vanished as he made two blinding movements with his de. Phhhtk! Out of nowhere, the right arm of the Nameless Vretis Mind Doll fell to the ground as it had been cleanly severed! Reinforce¡ªjust like Izroth''s Might stat; it was a hidden stat not obtainable by normal means. The Reinforce stat was not a defensive-type skill as one would think. Nor did it improve the actual damage of one''s attacks¡ªinstead, the Reinforce stat focused on one thing¡ªsharpness. Not just any kind of sharpness, but one that was capable of cutting through anything in existence. That''s why, even though the stat did not boost Noir''s overall damage output, it granted him a terrifying passive that enabled him to reach 12th ce on the event leaderboards. This passive was called The Great Bisect. As long as Noir ced a clean cut on a target with his scimitar, he could effortlessly sever things into two parts. This meant that if Noir cut an opponent''s neck or torso, The Great Bisect would bypass damage output and instantly transform the strike into an instant kill! Noir whistled and said to himself, "I was aiming for its neck, but it reacted faster than I anticipated. Here I thought it was totally mindless. I guess it doesn''t want to die without taking me down with it. Well, that''s too bad¡ªsince I have no intention of dying to mere fodder." As Noir gained the upper hand against his Vretis, Commander Sagarus had alreadypletely suppressed the Nameless Vretis Mind Doll he was facing off against. The Vretis was still alive; however, it was not able to move as it had been charred beyond recognition and stayed sprawled out on the ground. Sagarus turned his gaze towards the staircase. There, at the top, he saw Izroth standing just a few steps away from the Duke. It looked as if the two were exchanging words; however, to Sagarus, this was of no concern. Bzzzzt! Crrrckle! Sagarus turned his attention back to the battlefield as he raised his sword towards the air and called forth dark clouds with purple lightning surging through them. ... Meanwhile, atop the staircase... When Izroth arrived before the Duke, he felt a huge pressure descend upon him. But, he remained unmoved. Noticing that Izroth was unaffected, the Duke opened his eyes and gazed upon him. "Young human brat, your insolence knows no bounds." Duke Zareign said as he left his meditative pose and his feet touched the ground. Chapter 1029 Duke Zareign Zareign''s cold gazended on Izroth as he emitted heavy killing intent. The Duke was surprised that a young human had withstood his aura and approached him without falling to his knees. However, besides that, Zareign was unimpressed and did not even ce Izroth in his sights. In Zareign''s mind, what threat could someone who had yet to set foot into the legendary realm possibly pose? To him, it was no different than watching people casually discard their lives before his eyes. But, what irked the Duke more than anything was how calm and collected Izroth''s expression was as he stood before him. There was a limit to how arrogant and ignorant one should be! "Rejoice, human child. When you arrive in the afterlife, you can brag to every being there about how you perished at the hands of Duke Zareign. Be sure to send me regards to the others I have sent off to that ce." Zareign stated indifferently as he casually snapped his fingers. Zeeeut! Zeeeut! Zeeeut! The next moment, three ck orbs the size of one''s head appeared above Zareign. A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he brandished his Sword of the Storm and Scorched Inferno''s Fang. "There will be no need for me to send your regards¡ªsince I will make sure that you can deliver it yourself in person," Izroth replied calmly. Zareign narrowed his eyes as the aura around him darkened. "An amusing choice ofst words." Zareign scoffed. He then uttered, "Disappear." The instant that word left the Duke''s mouth, the three ck orbs over his head shot out in three separate directions. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! One of the ck orbs traveled on a straight path towards Izroth. As for the other two ck orbs, one soared to the left and the other to the right. ''Guess he''s not much for small talk. Though, I can''t say that I don''t prefer it that way.'' Without hesitation, Izroth activated Flickering Steps as his body started to flicker in and out of existence. And, right as he performed this action, the ck orb that was on a straight path to him pierced through his flickering silhouette. Izroth sessfully avoided the first ck orb as multiple afterimages lingered in the ces he shifted in search of Zareign''s blindspot. But, less than a second after he avoided the first ck orb, the other two curved around on their flight pattern. Then, as if the two ck orbs were opposite poles of a ma, they rapidly pulled towards one another with Izroth at their meeting point. Snap! The two ck orbs crashed into one another and released a shrieking snap-like noise that sent out several ovepping waves of mana in the form of vibrations in every direction. These vibrations contained a mighty destructive force that caused whatever it swept past to copse into itself under an immense level of pressure. However, the vibrations were not confined to the top of the staircase as they spread more than fifty meters out from the origin point. Although the destrructive effects of the vibrations became weaker the further away it was from the shing ck orbs, it did not take long for it to throw the battlefield into a state of chaos. Many of those from the 9th Division and 5th Unit alike experienced an intense sensation of dizziness as the world around them seemed to be spinning nonstop. This opened up numerous opportunities for the Night Terror Shadow Beasts and ced several groups in precarious situations. But, this kind of oue could be seen as lightpared to those who were positioned closer to the staircase. The vibrations paralyzed their movements and made them feel as if their body was ready to implode and shatter at any given moment. But, right before it reached a critical point, the vibrations tremble differently than before¡ªas though another set of vibrations abruptly collided with it. This caused the vibrations generated by the crashing of the ck orbs to quickly lose their effectiveness and disperse. Zareign looked at the floor beneath his feet and noticed a strange rippling-like effect that resembled a stone being dropped into still water. "Mana disruption?" Zareign thought to himself as he snapped his fingers. Upon doing so, the ck orbs released away from one another before returning to Zareign''s side along with the first ck orb that shot towards Izroth. Simultaneously, Zareign unleashed his mana full throttle and overwhelmed the mana disruption effects that were already having trouble dispersing the vibrations he created. Though by the time he seeded, the damage was already done and, as a result, both vibrations had vanished. Swoosh! Out of nowhere, a streak of light pierced through the air in Zareign''s blindspot that was just out of his peripheral view. BANG! The streak of light hit a protective wall of transparent mana and got stuck in its track. Zareign nced over at the object that hit the protective barrier he set up and saw the tip of a spear. "A hopeless-" Zareign began to speak; however, his words were cut short as something unbelievable ensued. Crack! Woosh! In a split moment, the protective wall of mana fractured and broke apart before outright shattering as the spear prated through it effortlessly. Phhhtk! The spear stabbed into Zareign''s right shoulder as the Duke had a look of disbelief in his eyes as his gazended on the wielder at the other end of the spear. That person was, of course, Izroth. ''Too shallow. Even though it managed to pierce through, I suppose the overall power of the strike is still somewhat diminished.'' A few moments ago when Zareign released those sinister vibrations, Izroth reacted fast and used his Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple to counteract it. Although it was swiftly erased by Zareign, Izroth had already aplished his goal and sessfully disrupted the Duke''s vibrations. But Izroth did not stop there as he took advantage of the exact moment when Zareign called the ck orbs back to his side andunched an attack from his blindspot. Izroth was well aware that a normal attack would not work on someone in the legendary realm like Zareign; therefore, he activated the skill Reign of the Shattering Void. Naturally, Izroth understood that Zareign probably had someyers of protection around him even with his aloof attitude. And so, he took advantage of the Reign of the Shattering Void''s disruption effects on shields and barriers, as well as its armor-piercing ability. All these things paired together with the essence from his Source that Izroth infused into the attack, were more than enough to punch through any defenses that stood in its way! ''It''s a shame that I''m unable to stack the effects of madness using my ninth sword form. However, I expected as much.'' If it were possible to instantly reach 120+ stacks of madness using an AOE skill like his ninth sword form, it would be like giving wings to a tiger, as the skill could, in theory, stack thousands of times with just one move alone. Despite his attack just now being too shallow, it did not change the fact that Izrothnded the first strike on Zareign. To a reputable Duke of the skounae like Zareign, this was a great humiliation and a huge p to the face. And, this boundless rage could be seen in his eyes. If looks alone could kill, Izroth would have already died a thousand times over! However, whether the Duke was angered or not held no importance to Izroth as he did not let up on his attack. Bzzzt...! Crrrckle! Although the ninth sword form did not provide him with stacks towards his madness, it did grant him Storm Surge Charges for his Sword of the Storm. p! A surge of the lightning element emerged from Izroth''s sword and encircled Zareign. The following moment, a cage of lightning was formed that momentarily immobilized the Duke. This was due to one of the weapon effects attached to Izroth''s Sword of the Storm, Lightning Cage. Lightning Cage was supposed to paralyze its target for five seconds; however, needless to say, Izroth did not count on it. But, for what he had in mind, limiting Zareign''s movements for one or two seconds was more than enough time to act with his Flickering Steps in use. Bzzzzt...! Suddenly, numerous electrical currents of purple lightning could be seen flowing on the surface of the ground. ''Call of the Thunder God... Fourth State: Heavenly Field.'' Chapter 1030 Confrontation In The Skies, Heavenly Field ... Meanwhile... Outside the Night Lord''s Crypt, an intense battle was unfolding between Malentansium and the allied forces. The allied forces which consisted of Amaharpe, Proximus, and Rosentarus were slowly gaining ground against the skounae. Despite their initial momentum dying down, the allied forces revealed no signs of being pushed back on all three sections of the battlefield. In the sky above the battlefield stood a particr individual whose gaze seemed to stretch far and wide. The person was a man standing confidently with his right hand resting casually on a golden hilt with red gemstones embedded in it. The hilt was attached to a sword that did not possess a sheath that enabled one could see its keen silver de. The man''s armor was intricately crafted with diverse patterns and textures, and it appeared to be made of abination of metal and leather. A red cape attached to the armor flowed behind the man as if it were being carried by the wind. The helmet he wore had a raised visor that revealed only his red eyes and stern expression. And a gorgeous red plume was ced atop his helmet that remained perfectly still despite the turbulent winds in the sky. This man was the person both Solomon and Aurie served under and the one responsible for overseeing the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt, High General Caius. NPC Name: War Brigade 1st High Legion High General of the 1st Core, Crimson Dragon yer Caius(???) NPC Level: ??? Caius narrowed his eyes as he felt an unusual shift to the winds at his back. "You''rete," Caius said calmly without making a move. "Late? Hmph, such carefree arrogance seems to be a skill you humans have mastered. A pity such arrogance does not work on those who have the strength to oppose it." An eerie and aged voice sounded from behind Caius. "Enough! We did note here to exchange words with this human warrior! He is the one responsible for destroying our defenses and leading this futile assault against the treasured grounds that belong to the Night Lord who serves the sacred one! He must be punished!" A second voice echoed; however, this voice sounded considerably more outraged than the first. "Punished? With just the two of you? Absurd." Caius replied indifferently as he casually turned to face thetest arrivals. What greeted Caius was two individuals of the skounae race. However, they were not your average run-of-the-mill skounae. The immense auras the two skounae gave off did not lose out to someone like Duke Zareign in the slightest. On the left side was the first person who spoke. It was an elderly skounae with incredibly pale blue eyes that were somewhat different than one would expect from a skounae. He had long white hair that flowed down to his lower back and a hunched-over figure formed from countless years of poor posture. He wore a set of clean and simple ck robes that seemed to prioritizefort above all else. And, there was a calm energy that continuously swirled around the elderly skounae and asionally emitted violent energy that influenced its surroundings. Next to the elderly skounae was a younger skounae who seemed to be in the midst of his aging years. He had an angered expression and a cold look in his eyes as he stared down Caius without blinking. His white hair was tied neatly into a single long braid that traveled all the way down to his ankles. He stood upright with an air of confidence that epassed him. He donned exquisite dark blue and silver leather armor that clearly disyed his high status among the skounae. And on his back were tworge metallic discs nearly half his size that hovered a few centimeters apart from one another. NPC Name: Benevolent Darkseeker, Duke Malkonen(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) NPC Name: Twin Lunar des, Duke Noresuga(Legendary) NPC Level: ??? NPC HP: ??? (100%) The elderly skounae, Duke Malkonen, smiled light-heartedly and said, "Now, now, even if we are enemies on this day, it is best to maintain some basic level of manners, would you not agree?" "Are you always so talkative with your enemies?" Caius asked as he gripped the hilt of his sword. "My, well, only to those I believe are worth holding a conversation with. Though... I am afraid mypanion is not of the same patient nature as myself. So, I suppose our conversation will have to end here." Malkonen said nonchntly without losing the smile on his face. However, as Malkonen was in the middle of speaking, Noresuga disappeared from his side. Woosh! BANG! Shrieeeeeeek! An ear-piercing noise erupted in the skies that caused a few of the clouds in the sky to split open. In the blink of an eye, Noresuga had arrived before Caius andunched a ferocious attack. One of the discs that were on the Duke''s back was now rapidly rotating and grinding against the de Caius used to intercept it. "It gues me¡ªhow otherspare the Dukes of the skounae to the High Generals of the War Brigade. Put simply, I have always found such aparison to be ludicrous. Today, I will prove it to be so." Caius stated as a massive amount of energy built up within his de. "Avoid it!" Malkonen called out. The next moment, a sh of white light flooded the atmosphere. To those on the ground, it would appear as though another sun had formed in the sky. ...BOOOOOOOOOM! ... A few moments ago, in the Night Lord''s Crypt... ''Call of the Thunder God... Fourth State: Heavenly Field.'' Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle! p! p! p! The sound of numerous thunderps erupted as the lightning element within the atmosphere increased severalfold. Simultaneously, purple lightning strikes sparked on the ground and quickly reached every corner of the room. Those present felt a sudden tingling sensation on their skin and had the ends of their hair stand up. Suddenly, five shes of light appeared throughout various areas of the battlefield. When this urred, Izroth''s flickering figure silently disappeared as a sh of lightning formed directly where he had just been standing. Gwraaah! Gwraaah! In a sh, Izroth appeared tens of meters away from Duke Zareign and reappeared next to a group of Night Terror Shadow Beasts. However, he did not just show up next to one group of the creatures. Every ce one of the shing lights emerged, Izroth''s silhouette could be seen. But this silhouette was different from the ones typically left behind whenever he used his Flickering Steps. The new silhouettes showed no signs of flickering and appeared to be sturdy solid figures! p! A thunderp sounded as each group of Night Terror Shadow Beasts received a heavy amount of damage and were thrown into a state of chaos. In the following second, yet another five shes of light appeared in different areas of the room. And, just likest time, Izroth''s solid silhouette arrived in that ce as the creatures howled out in despair. This was the work of Izroth''s Call of the Thunder God''s Fourth State: Heavenly Field. Skill Name: Call of the Thunder God Skill Level: 3/5 -> 4/5 Skill Rank: Unique SS -> Unique SSS Requirements: None *New -> ?Fourth State: Heavenly Field?: Mana Cost: 1,800 Mana Active: Creates a field of lightning that covers a range of sixty meters and increases the user''s agility by 100% for 5 minutes. Every 10 seconds, a torrent of [25] lightning strikes will rain down over the course of 5 seconds. During the 5 seconds, the user can temporarily transform into lightning and instantly move any number of times to the location of a lightning strike. Each lightning strike also deals 100% of the user''s attack as lightning damage to enemies within 3 meters of where it strikes and has a chance to paralyze its targets for 1 second. Enemies struck directly by a lightning strike will receive 300% additional damage. The user gains the ability to use ?Heavenly Lightning Parade? during this period of time. This skill shares a separate cooldown from ?Heavenly Lightning Parade? and can still be used while ?Heavenly Lightning Parade? is on cooldown. Cooldown: 6 hours ?Heavenly Lightning Parade?... ... Zareign looked at the scene that unfolded before him with an enraged expression. A young human dared attack him and then immediately flee to battle the creatures he called forth? Did that human not put him in his sights?! Arrogant! Conceded! Insolent! The more Zareign thought about it, the greater his anger became. "Insolent human¡ªI shall personally tear you limb from limb!" Zareign roared as the energy around him surged to tremendous heights! Chapter 1031 Taking The Bait, Blighted Feathers ''It looks like he took the bait.'' When Izroth witnessed Zareign''s reaction to his tant disregard after having sessfullynded a single strike against him, it was something he had already anticipated. Someone of Duke Zareign''s standing only had to answer to the Night King and Night Lords. However, since both parties did not typically interfere with the way Malentansium was run, in reality, Duke Zareign was used to reigning freely over all those around him. Additionally, Zareign was a legendary realm powerhouse who had grown ustomed to being treated with a certain level of respect and fear wherever he went. In the Duke''s eyes, the fact that Izroth simply approached him of his own will could be seen as a great insult. Also, even though the strike was shallow, it was still considered a monumental humiliation for Zareign to have been wounded by Izroth. Though what pushed Zareign over the edge of his rage was that right after Izrothnded his blow, he immediately retreated and went off to attack the Night Terror Shadow Beasts. That was no different than saying his opponent did not set him in his sights! For a person to believe that they could afford to ignore him in favor of dealing with some mere creatures that were under his control¡ªhow could Duke Zareign contain his rage in the face of such a grand affront to his pride? Izroth, on the other hand, continued to ignore Zareign and focused on eliminating or incapacitating the Night Terror Shadow Beasts near any ce the lightning strikes rained down. ''I was worried that the heavenly field would also be affected by the spatial restrictions that are in ce; however, it seems my instinct was correct. It''s a good thing that the essence I invested to extend its range did not go to waste.'' In the Night Lord''s Crypt, the surrounding space was locked, which disabled many skills and items that included teleportation or required the maniption of space. But Izroth''s Fourth State: Heavenly Field was not your typical movement skill. Instead of instantly teleporting to a spot as he did with his Primed Instantaneous Movement, the heavenly field temporarily transformed Izroth into lightning. Due to this, for a brief instant, Izroth became a direct part of the heavenly field itself and was naturally connected to the lightning element it brought forth. This allowed Izroth to instantly link himself to any of the lightning strikes and move to that position without the need to manipte space in any form. Of course, Izroth could have also utilized the heavenly field in his fight against Marquis Varokin and the Undead Night Marchers; however, he knew that Varokin was not the biggest threat in the Night Lord''s Crypt. After all, there was no way a Marquis would be entrusted with the safety of a Night Lord''s revival. Since Duke Zareign was the only threat that remained between him and preventing the revival of the Night Lord Zars, naturally, Izroth had no reason to keep this hidden mobility card tucked away. In truth, Izroth had already learned the Fourth State: Heavenly Field back during his time in the Secret Realm after he defeated the Pir of the West, Heaven''s Strength Ourami. However, this was the first time he had the opportunity to use it in an actual battle. And what better opponent than a person in the legendary realm like Zareign? Though one of the things that surprised Izroth after he acquired the Fourth State: Heavenly Field, was the skill rank his Call of the Thunder God upgraded to¡ªUnique-SSS. This was Izroth''s first time seeing that skill rating. But, more importantly, the skill level itself was only at four out of five. This meant that there was still another rank a step above Unique-SSS! The first thing that crossed Izroth''s mind was the possible existence of a skill with the Pseudo-Divine rank. However, this was only spection seeing as how such a skill rank had never appeared in RML before. At least not that any yers were aware of. As Izroth jumped around the battlefield using the lightning strikes from his heavenly field, the man around Zareign reached a critical level. ''It''s almost time.'' Needless to say, Izroth did not choose to ignore the Duke in favor of the Night Terror Shadow Beasts just to enrage him¡ªthat part was simply the byproduct of his true intention that Izroth anticipated. Izroth''s true goal was something else entirely. Woosh! Gwraaah! Izroth thrust forward with his Scorched Inferno''s Fang, effortlessly blowing through the head of a Night Terror Shadow Beast. ¡´System Alert: You feel your movements with the spear be lighter with every swing.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your attack speed has increased.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have gained 1 Stack of ?Madness?. [Current Stacks: 65]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your next attack will deal an additional 520% damage!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You feel your self-control begin to loosen.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your concentration has risen.¡µ ''It''s not as much as I wanted, but it will have to do.'' In just a few seconds, Izroth had gained more than sixty stacks of Madness for his Reign of the Shattering Void! During this time, Izroth remainedpletely unaffected by the Madness stacks. But when Izroth reached sixty stacks of Madness, he started to hear faint whispering eerie voices. However, with his unnaturally high willpower and the Mind of Perseverance effect of his Spear of Perseverance passive, the voices were swiftly suppressed. ''The effects of Madness seem to increase exponentially after sixty stacks. Though only this much is not nearly enough to disrupt me.'' If a few whispering voices were enough to throw him off, Izroth would have never even dreamed of reaching the top of this world. Bzzzt...! One of the lightning strikes hit near the middle of the staircase. At the same time, Izroth''s body transformed into lightning and instantly jumped to that point before he returned to his normal self. The moment he reached the staircase, he dashed on a straight path toward Duke Zareign. Though just as Izroth was less than a few steps away from arriving within strike range of the Duke, out of nowhere, a slow drifting feather appeared before his face less than a couple of centimeters away. The instant that feather emerged, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off full force, warning him of the potential danger. Right as he was about to collide with the feather head-on, Izroth caught a glimpse of a lightning strike from his heavenly field out the corner of his eye and immediately activated the skill''s effect to escape the danger. Izroth rematerialized a few meters away from Zareign near the top of the staircase. However, it was not over yet. Izroth nced upward and saw an abundance of scattered feathers floating above the whole room. With the current amount disyed, it was more than enough to cover every corner of the room twice over! Since he used his ninth sword form to deal with the vibrations caused by Zareign''s ck orbs, Izroth could no longer rely on that to suppress the feathers. Of course, he still had his Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus, which could mimic the effects of thest sword skill he utilized. Using its effects, Izroth would be able to technically execute his ninth sword form a second time; however, there was a problem. The sixth sword form was only capable of disying a small portion of his ninth sword form''s full effects. Based on the aura being emitted by the feathers, Izroth did not believe that a weaker version of his ninth sword form would be enough to suppress the attack. Izroth also thought of using his Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze which inflicted the Disintegration effect on all hostile forces and objects it came into contact with. Unfortunately, the tenth sword form, even if he were to pour in essence to increase its range of effectiveness, would note close to covering every ce his allies were gathered. Therefore, there was only one choice he had to make in that split moment as the feathers began to descend. ''I would have preferred not to do things this way, but it seems there''s no other choice. If one charge isn''t enough, then I''ll just have to use more.'' As this thought passed through Izroth''s mind, a terrifying sword intent epassed his Sword of the Storm. The next moment, Izroth infused some of his essence into his attack as he executed the Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze. Without pause, Izroth pushed his Flickering Steps skill to its maximum speed as he also employed the active effect of Light-Feather Footwork, granting himself even more movement speed. Along with the agility boost from his heavenly field, it was enough for Izroth to arrive at the outermost range of where his first strike of the tenth sword form would stop. Once he arrived at that point, Izroth unhesitatingly unleashed yet another charge of his Tenth Sword Form: Life Closing Raze with a portion of his essence! Chapter 1032 Duke Zareigns Doubts As the sword intent from his tenth sword form spread throughout the room, it collided with the descending feathers. The feathers gave off a chilling dark aura that exploded upon contact as the Disintegration ability of Izroth''s tenth sword form took effect. Simultaneously, the Night Terror Shadows Beasts all received massive damage as the wave of sword intent swept past them. Gwraaaah! Gwraaaah! The creatures cried out as those who were already wounded could not survive under the hostile sword intent and disintegrated into nothingness. As for the creatures who were still fairly healthy, they quickly found themselves severely weakened due to the movement speed and defensive reduction effects of the tenth sword form''s Disintegration. Additionally, their health was rapidly falling with every passing moment as they were losing a percentage of their HP every second. The 9th Division and 5th Unit took advantage of this opportunity and unleashed an all-out attack against the Night Terror Shadow Beasts while they were weakened. That being said, although many of them hid it well, several of those from the 9th Division and 5th Unit alike were frightened by what they had just felt. The sword intent from Izroth''s tenth sword form sent chills down their spines. And when they thought of everything else that happened as a result of his actions, those present could not help but be astonished. The lightning soldiers, calling down lightning, effortlessly going anywhere on the battlefield that he chose in the blink of an eye, and now, a terrifying sword intent that made them d he was on their side¡ªhow was it possible for a yer to disy this level of strength and versatility? "It looks like our brother went and got stronger again." Guan Yu said as he tightly clenched the guandao in his hands with an eager expression. "He wasn''t really being serious about that whole sparring thing earlier, right?" Hallsmented with a helpless sigh. As Izroth sessfully eradicated Zareign''s feathers at a different location on the battlefield, Marquis Varokin found himself at theplete mercy of Lances. Woosh! A giant ming palm mmed into Varokin and sent them flying back. BANG! The Marquis crashed into the wall as burn marks and a huge palm print could be seen embedded on the surface behind him. Varokin coughed up a mouth full of blood as he was heavily wounded. He had already been struggling to keep up with Lances'' bombardment of ming attacks; however, Izroth''s tenth sword form acted as the nail in the coffin. The sword intent from the tenth sword form deprived Varokin of his defensive capabilities and even destroyed the magic barrier he had in ce. Lances immediately jumped on that momentary gap like a predator striking out at its prey. As a result, Varokin received the full brunt of Lances'' attack just now and suffered a great deal of damage in the process. Varokin gathered up his strength and managed to free himself from the wall he''d been smashed into. However, before the Marquis'' feet could even touch the ground, he felt a harsh wave of heat emerge in his surroundings. "Inferno Ruler Impact." Lances'' voice sounded. Varokin''s eyes widened in shock as arge fist of zing mes abruptly found its way before him. What stunned Varokin was not the fist itself but rather the fearsome creature it was attached to. It was a creature several meters tall that appeared to have been birthed by mes. This creature had a powerful upper body with well-defined muscles and gave off an imposing presence. Its skin had ava-like texture with glowing burning cracks running throughout its body. Surprisingly, the creature did not possess a lower body as that part of its body appeared trapped inside aplex seal of unknown origins. But, even without a lower body, its formidable and awe-inspiring nature that embodied the raw power and intensity of mes was evident for all to see. "Honorable Duke, save-!" Varokin cried out; however, it was toote for the skounae Marquis. BOOM! The huge fist of the ming creature incinerated Varokin, leaving not even a trace of ashes behind! Lances looked over at Izroth with a meaningful look in his eyes. "I can''t let you be the only one who shows off here, can I?" Lances thought to himself. ''Oh? That creature... It seems that guy is still full of unexpected surprises.'' When that ming creature revealed itself, Izroth immediately sensed its overwhelming presence. Even someone like Duke Zareign did note close to the energy being emitted by the ming creature. If Izroth had to make aparison, the ming creature was probably on par with the Overlord of the Ferae Jungle, Beast King Invigris! The Beast King Invigris was an existence a step away from reaching the divine realm. Yet, despite being partially sealed, the ming creature was still in such a dreadful existence. ''I guess he didn''t reveal all his cards during the second team''s selection. Otherwise, he would have ced higher than seventh. If that creature were ever to be set loose, it would bring about quite the catastrophe. Fortunately, it doesn''t look like he''s having any trouble maintaining that seal.'' Izroth had already guessed as much back when Lances had defeated the Earl right before they entered the Night Lord''s Crypt; however, without a doubt, the current Lances was well above the strength of your typical War Brigade Commander. It also exined why he felt confident enough to charge into the Night Lord''s Crypt with such a small group of fewer than fifty people. Izroth set his sights on Duke Zareign, who currently had a darkened expression. It was obvious that the Duke was wary of the ming creature called forth by Lances. "Where did these two little human monsterse from? No, these brats¡ªare they even human?" Zareign contemted with a sharp gaze. To Zareign, it did not make any sense for such young humans to wield such a high level of strength. If someone told him that they were young true dragons who decided to take on the form of humans for fun, Zareign would believe them. Nheless, even if that were the case by some chance, it did not alter their fate in Zareign''s eyes. "To think that I, Duke Zareign, would be driven to this point by some unknown youths. How disgraceful." Zareign stated as a pair of translucent ck wings shot out from his back. He then continued, "I took you lightly because of your youth but no more. Today, everyone who has dared to intrude upon the sacred grounds of the Night Lord''s Crypt shall perish by my hand." Rmmmmble! Out of nowhere, the room began to tremble violently as numerous fissures opened up on the ground. When the wings surfaced at Zareign''s back, Izroth''s Soul Sense went off with even more urgency than when the feathers appeared. The first round of lightning strikes from Izroth''s heavenly field had momentarily stopped as five seconds had passed. This meant that it would not be up for another few seconds. However, those handfuls of seconds might as well be an eternity against someone in the legendary realm. Izroth wasted no time as he moved with quickened steps towards Zareign. Due to thest spot where he cast his tenth sword form, Izroth was positioned seventy meters away from the Duke. While his Flickering Steps was still active along with the agility boost from his heavenly field, Izroth understood that it would not be enough to reach the Duke in time before he managed toplete whatever he was up to. Izroth nced over at Lances who was a little closer than him to Zareign. ''No, he won''t make it in time either.'' Unfortunately, Lances was also too far away to make a move because of his battle against Varokin. ''In that case...'' In the blink of an eye, Izroth became covered in a tattered hooded mantle constructed from purple lightning. Izroth activated the Call of the Thunder God''s Second State: Heavenly Cloak. But, he did not stop there and continued on by triggering its other effect, Full Mantle. The space around Izroth warped and bent as his figure seemed to have vanished from existence. Although it was faint, one could see physical fractures and tears appear in the surrounding space. ...BOOOM! p! Before the sound even caught up to him, Izroth had already arrived in front of Zareign with his spear in a thrusting motion! Bzzzt...! Crrrckle...! Chapter 1033 Izroths Onslaught The instant Izroth reached within striking range of Zareign, he felt a heavy strain weigh down on his body. Due to having Flickering Steps, Heavenly Field, and Full Mantle active simultaneously, the amount of stress it ced on his body was astronomical. If not for the Earthly Golden Bones effect of his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat, he would have had trouble pressing forward with his attack so smoothly right after "jumping" with his Compressed Lightning Movement. ''My body''s holding up well. It shouldn''t be an issue as long as I control my movements with a certain level of precision.'' At his current agility, which was over 20,000 points, even with his monstrous sense of perception, Izroth still had trouble following his own movement without relying solely on his instinct and muscle memory. At least, this would have been the case if not for one skill at his disposal¡ªTime Dtion. Right as he triggered the effect of his Full Mantle, Izroth also set his Time Dtion skill to 75%. However, this added to his burden. That''s why, to ease that burden, Izroth also utilized the Strength of the Ancient Colossus skill from his Ring of the Ancient Colossus. This temporarily doubled his Might stat for one minute, not only further enhancing his physical body but also making it so that he recovered much faster from physical irregrities. However, Izroth knew that he could not afford to be careless. With Reign of the Shattering Void and Compressed Lightning Movement active at the same time, he was losing more than 10% of his health every second, and the number was also going up with every passing moment. Izroth sustained this HP loss with a small percentage of lifesteal and by employing the Rapid Regeneration effect attached to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence that increased his HP regeneration by 200% for one minute. But even that would soon not be enough to keep up with the constant use of the powerful skills he was using inbination with one another. Since the Duke had not escaped the range of his tenth sword form, he was also affected by the defense-reducing effects of Disintegration. However, Izroth swiftly discovered that the effect that his tenth sword form had on Zareign was not amplified by much. The stronger one''s attachment to life, the greater the effects of the tenth sword form were amplified. The fact that Zareign showed minimal signs of distress meant that he was prepared to face his death at any given moment. Though Izroth was not too surprised by the results. Lower ranked skounae may still possess a healthy attachment to life like Varokin who tried to plead for the Duke to save him in hisst moments. But for those higher up on the pecking order like Zareign, they were no different than blindly zealous servants of the Night King and Night Lords. To Zareign, his life belonged to the Night King and Night Lords. Therefore, to die carrying out their will was the highest honor rather than something to be feared. Nevertheless, Izroth actually preferred that to be the case. To him, it was easier and much more straightforward to face an opponent who was already prepared to fight until the end and give up their life if necessary. Those kinds of opponents were not usually the type to plot and scheme or flee right before their imminent defeat. And more importantly, they would face whatever was thrown at them head-on. Izroth stabbed his spear into the center of Zareign''s chest. With his agility boost from Flickering Steps and the Fourth State: Heavenly Field, the 100% attack speed gain from his Spear of Perseverance passive, the 25% attack speed increase from his Dual Wielding, and the massive 400% attack speed surge from his Reign of the Shattering Void, the strike was so fast that the spear cutting through the air released a sharp high-pitched whistling sound and generated a sonic boom. BOOM! Izroth''s first strikended perfectly at the center of Zareign''s chest. Right as it did so, Izroth received an alert from the system. ¡´Battle Alert: The ?Instant Multi-Strike? effect of ?Reign of the Shattering Void? has been activated!¡µ The next moment, the spear in Izroth''s hands turned incredibly light. Then, in the blink of an eye, Izroth struck out six times in instantaneous session with his spear, further pressing his assault against the Duke. -30,250 -30,640 -31,030 ?Critical Hit? -62,842 -31,811 ?Critical Hit? -64,403 -32,592 Every time he sessfullynded an attack with his spear, Izroth gained stacks of Madness. This increased the damage of his next spear attack and could stack any number of times. And for Izroth, this was only the beginning of his onught. ¡´Battle Alert: The ?Link? effect of ?Dual Wielding? has been activated!¡µ Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of sonic booms rung throughout the room as the sword and spear in Izroth''s hands transformed into a thin streak of light. In the blink of an eye, following the six strikes, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm and Scorched Inferno''s Fang bombarded Zareign from every angle imaginable. Due to his current boosted agility stat and skill mastery of Dual Wielding, Izroth could perform a staggering twenty instantly chained attacks with the skill''s Link effect. Since the number of strikes was divided evenly among both weapons, this meant that ten of the attacks originated from his spear. Out of those ten attacks, even though it was only a 25% chance, because of his abnormally high luck, eight of the attacks triggered the Instant Multi-Strike effect of his Reign of the Shattering Void. The number of attacks for Instant Multi-Strike started off at six; however, they increased by one for every additional ten stacks of Madness. Although the attacks from Instant Multi-Strike could not activate its own effect, it still granted Izroth stacks of Madness. And, by the time hisst strike connected, Izroth had reached a staggering 176 stacks of Madness! ¡´System Alert: You have gained 1 Stack of ?Madness?. [Current Stacks: 176]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your next spear-type attack will deal an additional 1,408% damage!¡µ Chapter 1034 A Mass State Of Confusion In that split moment, Izroth felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon him as the world around him became warped. Everything was flipped upside down, and the earlier voices that were only whispering had transformed into full-blown screams of terror. A myriad of shadow-like demonic creatures materialized. Each of the creatures had a horrifying appearance as if they were birthed from the very depths of the underworld. Furthermore, Izroth could no longer see Duke Zareign or his allies. Instead, he was in an entirely different world from the one before. In this world, the fabric of time and space was ruptured, and chaos ruled. Thews of the world did not exist, and everything appeared to be random without a purpose. Izroth exhaled as he maintained his calm nature as thrust his spear forward without altering its path. From his point of view, he was striking out at nothing but chaos as the world around him spun without rest. However, in his mind, Izroth knew that these vivid visions of a warped reality were a result of him having umted so many Madness stacks. ''Even with my Energy Vision Sense, I am no longer capable of perceiving my surroundings. But that doesn''t change anything. My target is right where he''s always been. My spear will reach him.'' Even as the space around him seemed to be shattering and falling apart, Izroth remained steady in his actions. He understood that the moment he faltered, the Madness would consume him whole. In the end, he would end up lost to the chaos and at theplete mercy of his enemy. The Scorched Inferno''s Spear in Izroth''s hand trembled as a tyrannical energy exploded forth from its tip. Clink! Crack! Ooooooooooom! A series of vibrations rang throughout the room and carried with it an unstoppable energy that erased everything that stood in its path. Phhhhtk! ¡´Battle Alert: Your ?Madness Stacks? has been reduced to 0.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Reign of the Shattering Void? has been automatically deactivated.¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The skill ?Reign of the Shattering Void? has entered a 1 Hour cooldown phase.¡µ Izroth closed his eyes and focused his thoughts as the shrieking screams slowly quieted down before disappearing altogether. At the same time, the Full Mantle around Izroth slowly broke apart and vanished. The following moment, Izroth opened his eyes as the world around him had returned to normal. There were no more creatures of nightmares, unpredictable chaos, or an inverted world. What awaited Izroth was the sight of his spear and Duke Zareign. Zareign had an unusually cold look on his face as his emotionless gaze was locked onto Izroth. "The Night King''s will¡ªit shall be done..." Zareign remarked. At that moment, the entire room had fallen silent. The Night Terror Shadow Beasts were no more as thest of few were finished off by Izroth''s heavenly field and tenth sword form. Marquis Varokin had been taken care of by Lances. And Commander Sagarus of Izroth''s Great Lightning Army as well as Noir both emerged victorious in their battle against the Nameless Vretis Mind Dolls. The only opponent that remained standing in the room was Duke Zareign. But everyone present was stunned by the scene at the top of the staircase. Duke Zareign, a skounae who stepped into the legendary realm, currently had a giant hole drilled through the center of his body. And at the center of that hole was Izroth''s Scorched Inferno''s Spear! The translucent ck wings on Zareign''s back had been blown off by the impact. However, the most frightening aspect was the level of sheer devastation atop the staircase. Excluding the mysterious corridor, everything from the top of the staircase going back had been obliterated into nothingness! "I''m afraid you''ll have to remain disappointed," Izroth said calmly as he moved his spear to his side. Bang! All of a sudden, Zareign fell backward as hey motionless on the ground and his body started to dissipate into countless particles of energy. "...That... What the hell just happened...?" Champion uttered to himself with a look of fear and awe in his eyes. Champion said what was on the mind of everyone present in the room. And he was not the only one confused by the events that had just unfolded. From nearly everyone else''s point of view, all they saw clearly was that Izroth''s spear had somehow blown a hole through Duke Zareign. One moment, Izroth was nearly seventy meters away from Zareign, and the next, the Duke had been defeated. Naturally, this left many members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit confused by what had just transpired. However, they could not be med for their bafflement. It was impossible for any of them to keep up with Izroth''s heavenly field, let alone his Compressed Lightning Movement paired with other mobility skills. Furthermore, Izroth''sbination of agility boosts and attack speed increases for his spear-type attacks made it even more unthinkable that his allies could keep track of his actions. It was to the point that, even without having blinked once, it still remained an inconceivable task. In fact, among all those present, there were only two people who were able to catch the slightest glimpse of Izroth''s final spear strike at the end. One of these individuals was, of course, Lances. And the other happened to be none other than Menerva. Menerva had the skill Vision of Purification active in order to see clearly through the purple hue within the room. Because of this, she was able to vaguely see it¡ªthat absurd power that did not belong in the hands of a yer. "The system is supposed to be an impartial entity that enforces fairness above all else. But this... How is it that the system permits him to demonstrate this caliber of strength without penalty?" Menerva contemted as she discreetly checked the battle logs and her eyesnded on thest two lines of text. ?Critical Hit? -5,660,577 Over 5,000,000 damage¡ªMenerva did not believe that there was a single yer besides Izroth that was currently capable of reaching anywhere even close to that breathtaking number! Without pause, Menerva quickly used her privileges as one of the party''s leads and disabled the ability for everyone to freely view the party battle logs. "This is for the best," Menerva said to herself as she inwardly sighed. Menerva did not take such an action in an attempt to hide away''s Izroth disy of strength. Rather, she determined that if anyone else from the 9th Division ever saw that number, they would lose a great deal of motivation. After all, if the one leading them was able to show that level of power, what purpose would they ever have to give it their all when it truly counts the most? Not to mention, those in the 9th Division who looked up to Izroth and set him as their goal would find a dark shadow looming in their hearts as Menerva concluded that such a thing was, although she did not like using the word¡ªimpossible. In truth, a part of Menerva could still notprehend Izroth. In her mind, he was clearly an individual who could not be measured by the standards ofmon sense. He was someone who could have possibly stormed the Night Lord''s Crypt alone and still managed to find a way to survive. That''s why she could not understand it from a logical standpoint. A person with that much power at their fingertips¡ªwhy did they keep anyone by their side? Was it the same as carrying around an unnecessary burden? No matter how much Menerva pondered in an attempt to find a suitable answer, she came up empty-handed. This invoked a feeling that she did not enjoy¡ªoblivion. As Menerva dwelled deep into her thoughts, Lances kept a straight face as he observed Izroth; however, he could not stop his heart from racing in excitement. "Genius? No, this isn''t something as simple as a genius. This guy¡ªhe is a genuine monster. No wonder he seemed to get along so well with the third young master of the Dragon''s Pce. This uing Lustrum Imperial Bout, atst¡ªthe Mortal Realm has a true shot of walking away on top!" Lances thought to himself as he tried his best to control his exhration. For many years now, the Mortal Realm performed less than ideal when it came to the Lustrum Imperial Bout, a rarepetition that happened every five years between the realms. Those who won the Lustrum Imperial Bout gained countless benefits on top of being held as the pride of their respective realm. For someone who came from the Pride n, a n with a long-standing history, naturally, Lances wanted nothing more than to do everything in his power to seed. Meanwhile, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan, who stood at the bottom of the staircase, looked at each other with troubled expressions. "Zel''Kan, the great ben- No, young master Izroth¡ªif we attacked with the intent to kill previously, then the two of us, along with the n head..." Jol''Kil noted. "Yes... We would not have known how we perished. We are truly fortunate that the young master has a benevolent heart; otherwise..." Zel''Kan released a helpless sigh as she shook her head. Chapter 1035 Forces In The Distance ... A few moments ago, just as a thunderous cataclysmic force erupted from above the Night Lord''s Crypt that signaled the start of the battle, four individuals had their gazes set in the direction. Even from their position of nearly one hundred kilometers away, the four were still able to see the bright light that illuminated the skies above the Night Lord''s Crypt. "It would seem that the battle hasmenced. If it''s that light then... I see, so they decided to send the Crimson Dragon yer just as I was informed." The one who spoke was a man with short hair that was a mixture of gray and ck with a pair of eyes that possessed no pupils. This man''s name was Aeacus Jestal¡ªa member of the prestigious Jestal family of the Proximus kingdom who specialized in a rare ssification of spatial magic. Standing next to Aeacus was a beautiful young woman with a graceful appearance. Her slightly pointed ears that peeked from behind her long flowing hair gave away her rtion to the trephasia race. "Is it okay to remain this far away from the battle instead of moving to their aid?" The young woman''s pleasant voice sounded. If Izroth, Halls, and Guan Yu were there, they would have immediately recognized the young woman by her voice alone. This young woman was, of course, Luna. After joining the War Brigade, Luna was instantly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and granted her own Squadron to lead. However, this arrangement did notst for very long. During her time at one of the war branch sectors, Aeacus happened to be paying a visit. When he witnessed her talents firsthand, he offered Luna a position as his Adjutant¡ªa person who held no less authority than a Commander of the War Brigade. Since Aeacus was deemed a special war power of the Proximus kingdom, he was not bound by the rules and regtions of the war branches. Of course, this also meant that he possessed worthy enough to be granted that privilege. "I see your endless streams of worries have not changed, Adjutant Luna," Aeacus said with a smile without adverting his gaze from the illuminating light in the distance. "It''s simply that I have a difficult time understanding the process behind your thoughts, Sir Aeacus," Luna replied calmly. Despite having been his Adjutant since practically the start of the war, Luna still could notprehend Aeacus. There were moments when he seemed to be a genuine and kind person such as when he assigned her and two others to rescue some civilians that had been taken to be sacrificed in the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, there were also times when Luna sensed a chilling coldness flowing beneath that constant smiling face of his. Nevertheless, Aeacus appeared to be someone who did things at his own pace and in his own way. "That''s rather reassuring. After all, Adjutant, if even you who remain by my side on a daily basis are unable toprehend my next move, then what hope do those looking from far possibly have? Does this answer suffice? Well, even if it doesn''t, I''m afraid it will have to do for the time being." Aeacus stated with a friendly smile. "That answer¡ªit will suffice, for now," Luna said as she narrowed her gaze and nced over at Aeacus; however, the look on his face was the same as always. She released a light sigh as she returned her gaze forward. "As I expected, I still have no idea what he''s nning. But if he is hiding his true actions so deeply in an attempt to subvert the watchful eyes of something or someone, then their reach must extend quite far. Nevertheless, whether his actions are truly for the sake of what''s right or just a ploy to advance his own hidden agenda¡ªI must see the answer with my own eyes and determine for myself." Luna thought to herself. The next moment, a spatial rift opened up a few steps in front of Aeacus as he walked forward. "Also, you underestimate the Crimson Dragon yer. That man, unless it''s a Night Lord with their Spirix or the Night King themselves, there is no one else on that battlefield who''s qualified enough to even dream of taking him down. With that said, we will be departing now, everyone. We must finish making the arrangements for the show that''s about to start." Aeacus said as he casually walked into the spatial portal. The two other individuals followed Aeacus into the spatial portal, leaving Luna standing alone as her gaze stayed locked onto the Night Lord''s Crypt. "He should also be participating in the battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt right now," Luna said to herself as she closed her eyes and calmly strolled over to the spatial portal. "I hope that you remain safe, Izroth." Luna thought to herself as she stepped through the spatial portal and it immediately closed behind her. ... At the same time, somewhere else a good distance away from the Night Lord''s Crypt, close to 3,000 troops that carried gs disying the War Bridgade''s insignia were moving at a fast pace. Based on the current travel path of the troops, it was clear that they were headed toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. Located near the rear of War Brigade troops, there was one group that stood out¡ªa War Brigade Division. Compared to all the other War Brigade Divisions in this Legion that were led by residents of the world, this particr Division was headed by a yer. "Life sure is full of surprises. Who would have thought that we would end up crossing paths on our way to the same ce?" Valentine said with a yful grin on his face with a gust of wind beneath his feet as he moved. "Crossing paths? More like I picked up a stray dog who was set out into the rain. I still can''t believe you went and got kicked out of your war branch. How did you even manage to aplish that feat so fast?" Zi Yi sighed as she shook her head. "I already exined that it wasn''t my fault at all. I left my master''s ce toote and was automatically ced in the Resource Management Division. When I went to visit one of their headquarters to see about an assignment, I saw this interesting magic device that used aplexyering of concentrated mana and formations to automate material processing. I only looked at it for a bit before they kicked me out without reason." Valentine exined. "You¡ªis that really all you did?" Zi Yi questioned with a doubtful look in her eyes. "Of course, it was entirely unjustified. How could they be so cruel as to keep such interesting magic to themselves?" Valentine said excitedly as drool began to run down the side of his mouth as he wiped it with the back of his hand. "...Didn''t you also try to dismantle the magic device on the spot to get a better look at how it functioned?" A distorted voice sounded from behind Valentine and Zi Yi. This voice belonged to a young woman, Fan Guang. Fan Guang was a former member and Grandmaster of the Siren organization who was given the codename Weaver due to her aplishments. Back when someonemissioned Siren to eliminate Valentine and a few others who were under Izroth''s protection, Fan Guang was tasked with Valentine as her target. Ultimately, she lost to Valentine and gave up on trying to im the bounty. And, not long after that altercation, Fan Guang decided to follow Valentine''s advice as she cut ties with the Siren organization. Fan Guang was thrown off by Valentine''s strange behavior. Even after she fought with him, he was more interested in her magic than getting revenge. But, more importantly, he did not treat her differently or attempt to avoid her as many did when they first saw her appearance. After all, even though the mask she wore covered a good portion of it, it could not hide all of the scars on her face. After that experience which was a first for Fan Guang, she decided to follow Valentine and had been by his side ever since, which is how she knew the truth of what happened that day at the Resource Management Division headquarters. "Ha... you, I knew it had to be something else. Fan Guang, you did the right thing. This guy losses allmon sense when ites to magic. If you let him get away with it once, he''ll never learn his lesson." Zi Yi said as looked over at Valentine. "Fan Guang, you''re supposed to back me up in a situation like this," Valentine said with a helpless smile. "Ah, I apologize. I am still growing ustomed to having these kinds of conversations with others..." Fan Guang said in a remorseful tone. "No, well, I was only being humorous just now. There''s no need to take it to heart." Valentine exined. He could not help but feel guilty after hearing Fan Guang''s tone. "I see, humorous... Ha..." Fan Guang let out a smallugh filled with pity as she believed that Valentine had attempted to make a joke that escaped her. "Magic freak, what kind of things are you trying to teach Fan Guang?" Zi Yi scoffed as she red at Valentine. "Nothing~ Nothing~" Valentine innocently brushed it off with a light chuckle. Zi Yi went on to reprimand Valentine a few more times before the topic of conversation shifted. "The Night Lord''s Crypt¡ªisn''t that where Halls and Guan Yu said their Legion was heading to a few days ago?" Valentine asked. "Yes, but those two together... I just hope they haven''t gone and gotten themselves into any trouble." Zi Yi sighed. "You''re asking for the impossible," Valentinemented with a faintugh. Chapter 1036 Event Rewards, The Decoy Duke ... Inside the Night Lord''s Crypt... After Izrothnded the finishing blow on Duke Zareign, he immediately began to focus on recovering his strength. ''I gained quite a bit this time around.'' As he consumed a mana potion, Izroth took the time to go through the system alerts he received. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated the Blighted Feathers of the Dusk Duke Zareign!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 4,500! [Total: 15,134.54¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 15,634.54¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first yer to reach 10,000 Contribution Points! As a reward, you will receive a permanent 10% discount on all items purchased within the ?Event Shop? for the duration of the event.¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Special Event Treasure Chest?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Special Event Shop 50% Discount Voucher?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: As you have received two simultaneous ?Top 100 Event Leaderboard? first yer achievements, your permanent discount for the ?Event Shop? has been increased to 20%!¡µ Name: Special Event Treasure Chest(Event Only) Usage: A special treasure chest created bybining 3 ?Treasure Shard?. Open to collect a special event-only prize! Special Note: This item is automatically destroyed upon use. Name: Special Event Shop 50% Discount Voucher(Event Only) Usage: Reduces the price of a single item purchased from the ?Event Shop? by 50% of its original cost. Special Note: This item is automatically destroyed upon use. ''Oh? I figured there would be a reward for being the first to reach 10,000 contribution points, but this is even better than I expected.'' Thanks to the 200% emergency war objective, Izroth gained a staggering 4,500 contribution points from eliminating Duke Zareign. This was enough to instantly shoot him past his initial goal of acquiring 10,000 contribution points. On top of that, he even earned a bonus of 500 contribution points for his great contribution to the war effort. Additionally, Izroth received almost 4,000 contribution points from eradicating a good portion of the Night Terror Shadow Beasts earlier. The average strength of each creature was roughly that of a high-level skounae Viscount, while the strongest of the bunch was at the level of a skounae Earl. Still, Izroth did not expect to gain contribution points from the Night Terror Shadow Beasts. After all, even after destroying some of the Undead Night Marchers, he was not rewarded with any contribution points. Because of this, Izroth believed that the Undead Night Marchers must have been conjured creatures that were considered an extension of Marquis Varokin. On the other hand, the Night Terror Shadow Beasts were likely tamed monsters under the direct control of Duke Zareign. While the two were not all that different from a yer standpoint, the distinction itself was important due to the way the system distributed contribution points. After he confirmed his contribution points, Izroth shifted his attention to the two special event items he obtained. He first set his sights on the Special Event Treasure Chest as he removed it from his inventory. Rather than a treasure chest, its appearance was more simr to that of a small ring box that fits perfectly in the palm of one''s hand. The box was ck with exquisite patterns of gold and tinum. It emitted a faint violet energy that gave one a feeling of awe and excitement. ''So this is what forms when you merge three Treasure Shards. I''m still a single Treasure Shard away from acquiring one through standard means. But with this, I will know whether or not Treasure Shards are worth pursuing. Since it contains an event-only item, I doubt I''ll be disappointed.'' As those thoughts crossed Izroth''s mind, he opened the Special Event Treasure Chest as a refreshing aura swept through the immediate surroundings. ''Oh? A pill?'' At the center of the treasure chest that Izroth opened was a spherical object with strange patterns etched into its surface. At first nce, Izroth thought it was a pill as that''s what its appearance reflected; however, he quickly found out that was not the case. ''No, while it does look like a pill and even releases a refreshing aura, it''s not the same.'' Izroth wasted no time examining the item''s information through the system. And it did not take long for him to realize its usefulness. Name: Prosperous Bead of Attainment(Event Only) Rank: Unique* Usage: Consuming this item grants the user 1 random ?Hidden Stat? and sets that stat''s value to its lowest default. Special Note: This item is automatically destroyed upon use. ''An item capable of granting its consumer a random hidden stat¡ªits value is easily on par with the event shop voucher. No, rather, it exceeds it. The voucher can only be used once, but a hidden stat stays with a yer forever. Are all items given by the Special Event Treasure Chest of simr value? If so, once news of this gets out, yers will start to go crazy trying to obtain Treasure Shards.'' Izroth''s Might stat was a hidden stat that he obtained from a legendary ranked item. If the Prosperous Bead of Attainment was able to grant yers a hidden stat with that kind of potential, then its consuming one was almost not different than acquiring a legendary ranked item! The small box vanished from the palm of Izroth''s hand as he picked up the Prosperous Bead of Attainment. ''If it worked at that time, perhaps...'' The instant he saw the effects of the Prosperous Bead of Attainment, there was one thought that immediately entered Izroth''s mind. ''It''s certainly worth a shot.'' ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Heart of A Creator? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: This item cannot be disassembled!¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?The Unbounded One? has activated!¡µ ¡´System Alert: System Admin Restriction[1]! This item cannot be reproduced!¡µ ¡´System Alert: System Compensation In Progress...¡µ ¡´System Alert: A profession rted production method ????? can be added to the skill ?Heart of A Creator?. Would you like to add ?????? (Please Note: Adding this production method will consume one slot for Stored Production Methods.)¡µ ''It actually worked..!'' Just now, Izroth used the Heart of A Creator effect from his Unparalleled Craftsman skill. Heart of A Creator allowed him to disassemble an item in order to gain ess to its production method. However, unique items like the Prosperous Bead of Attainment could not be replicated¡ªat least, under normal circumstances. Due to his skill The Unbounded One, Izroth was not bound by the standard restrictions that the system imposed in the same way that other yers were. This did not mean that the system modified the parameters it set. Instead, it simply created another solution that would not work in direct conflict with its parameters. Of course, it was not as if it came without any risk to Izroth. For one, the Prosperous Bead of Attainment would be destroyed. Furthermore, for all he knew, the production method could have a cost well beyond his current means. But Izroth was not someone who was afraid of a little risk. Even if its production cost happened to exceed what he was presently capable of, it did not mean that would always be the case. Izroth confirmed the addition of the new production method as the Prosperous Bead of Attainment dissipated from his hand. ¡´System Alert: A new production method has sessfully been added to ?Heart of A Creator?! [Stored Production Methods: 2/4]¡µ Just as Izroth was about to open his system interface and view the new production method, a voice called out to him. "Izroth, it would seem that we''ve run into a problem." Lances'' voice sounded as he arrived at the top of the staircase. "Yes, I''ve noticed," Izroth replied calmly as he set aside previous thoughts and set his gaze toward the mysterious corridor. He then continued, "I figured that it might just be a slight dy before any changes urred; however, that doesn''t seem to be the case. If it''s like this, then..." "It''s exactly as you''re thinking. Duke Zareign¡ªhe''s not the person linked to the life seal. And if it''s not a skounae Duke, then that only leaves one possibility." Lances stated with a serious expression. ''I already suspected as much. Though I was hoping it would turn out to be a needless worry.'' The mysterious corridor was protected by a special life seal that could not be broken unless the one guarding it was defeated. When Duke Zareign was eliminated, the mysterious corridor should have opened a path that led to the area where the Night Lord Zars was in the process of being revived. But, there were no signs of changes to the mysterious corridor as the path forward was still sealed. If a Duke of Zareign''s strength was not the person linked to the mysterious corridor, then the only other entity that came to mind was one¡ªa Night Lord. If a Night Lord was connected to the life seal, it meant that they would have to find and defeat them if they wanted to proceed any further. However, there was no way the Night Lord would show themselves and risk the revival of Zars unless it was absolutely necessary. ''Is there really no other way?'' "Is there any way to break through this seal?" Izroth inquired as he nced over at Lances, who appeared to be in a state of deep thought. [1] See chapter 681 Chapter 1037 The Mysterious Corridor ''There are still a few hours remaining on the cooldown for Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality. I could try to use the Nullification Zone of my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. But at its current level, it may not be able to create a long enough window for someone to travel through. Should I have brought along Empyrean, after all?'' Empyrean was Izroth''s Soul Avatar who had the trait Innate Anti-Magic Body. Due to this, Izroth believed that Empyrean might have been able to merely walk right through the mysterious corridor and automatically break down whatever magic was at y. However, Izroth knew that a ce like the Night Lord''s Crypt was unsuitable for someone like Empyrean. Empyrean was used to soaring freely in the skies unbound by enclosed spaces. Naturally, the Night Lord''s Crypt was not exactly known for its hospitable environment for those who were not of the skounae. ''Forget it. With the restricted space in this area, it''s impossible for me to contact him. Not to mention, the Night Lord can be revived at any time. We do not have the luxury of remaining idle.'' After a few moments of deep pondering, Lances finally left his contemtive state and said, "With this level of protection in ce, unless it''s a peak legendary realm powerhouse, one shouldn''t even think of breaking through it with some half-hearted attempt." "You say that, but your words do not match your expression," Izrothmented as he witnessed the sly grin on Lances'' face as if he had something in mind. "Well, I do have an idea in mind. But it''s a bit reckless." Lances replied with a grin. "I have a feeling that alone will not be enough to deter you," Izroth said calmly. So far, Lances had pulled off one surprise after another. Coming this far with such preparations, Izroth understood that he must have obtained some more in-depth information about the Night Lord''s Crypt. Though this did note as much of a shock to Izroth considering Lances'' background as a member of the Pride n. There were means at his disposal that most yers simply did not have ess to. Izroth, on the other hand, had a limited amount of knowledge regarding the Night Lord''s Crypt and relied mostly on the reports shared by the War Intelligence Group. As a Captain of the General Support Unit, he was fortunate to be entitled to that much. If not for the connections he had to General Solomon and Commander Aurie, there was a chance Izroth would not have even managed to get his hands on any report at all. That being said, it was not as if the War Intelligence Group expected a Captain of the GSU to charge ahead into the Night Lord''s Crypt. After all, in their eyes, that was akin to handing away one''s life without meaning. "This corridor is protected by a powerful life seal; however, its foundations are still based in magic. If we shift around the building blocks, it should create an opening for us to exploit and temporarily bypass the security restrictions of the corridor." Lances exined. "I can see why you said your n is reckless. You want to interrupt the strands on this corridor?" Izroth said with a meaningful look in his eyes. "Precisely. Disrupting magic sequences is one thing. But manipting the strands of magic thisplex¡ªwho knows what the end results will look like if we make the wrong move?" Lances noted. Izroth fell silent as he carefully scrutinized every part of the corridor''s entrance. ''This is different from the Death Emperor''s tombstone. Theyering of magic hasn''t deteriorated due to the passage of time. If I hastily attempt to do the same thing that I did back then it won''t end well. Still, if it''s just disrupting it for a while, it should be possible, but...'' "How long do you need?" Izroth inquired. Lancess shortly pondered before he responded, "Five minutes¡ªten minutes at most. Are you confident?" Izroth replied not with words but with a carefree expression as he moved closer to the corridor entrance. "Heh, I trust you''ll handle things properly. Let''s go for it." Lances said as he repositioned himself a few steps behind Izroth. The following moment, Lances made various cryptic hand signs before kneeling down and mming his palms into the ground at his side. Rmmmmble...! Out of nowhere, the entire room started to tremble as the temperature in the atmosphere instantly rose by several degrees. "Everyone, stay alert and be prepared to move on my signal! Those who are confident in their defensive abilities gather at the front and form a protective wall!" Lances shouted as a set of zing infernos engulfed his hands, and the ground beneath his hands began to boil as it transformed into moltenva. "Kol''Jil, Zel''Kan¡ªmake sure that no one from the 9th Division and 5th Unitgs behind and moves on Commander Lances'' signal," Izroth said without adverting his gaze from the corridor. "Yes, young master." Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan, who stood off to the side atop the staircase, responded in unison. As the 9th Division and 5th Unit moved into position, Izroth nced back at Lances. Lances gave a small nod and said, "Whenever you''re ready." Izroth shifted his attention back to the corridor''s entrance as he reached the palm of his hand forward. The instant he performed this action, Izroth felt a strong force of repulsion keeping his hand away. However, Izroth pushed through it as he was able to get his ce his hand into the mysterious corridor''s entrance. ''Since I''ll only be interrupting the strands within the corridor, I won''t have to expend much essence. It''s maintaining a certain level of stability during this process that will prove somewhat problematic.'' During his time in the Netherly Swathe when he saved the Death Emperor from his slow inevitable death, Izroth unlocked many secrets regarding how magic functioned in RML. Strands were the basic building blocks of all magic, and without them, magic itself would not be possible to perform. Back in the Netherly Swathe, Izroth had to repair the Death Emperor''s tombstone using various means at his disposal and his newfound understanding of magic. But that process was incredibly draining on his essence and required a high level of consistent concentration. For the corridor, however, Izroth merely needed to shift around a few of the strands to the point where the corridor''s structural foundations were weakened without actually destroying the foundation itself. If he identally destroyed the foundation of the corridor, the bacsh would be enough to annihte everything and everyone in not just the room but possibly the entire Night Lord''s Crypt! This is why Lances warned of the n''s reckless nature. If it were anyone other than Izroth, who won the second team''s selection, Lances would have never suggested this method. "Oh, I almost forgot. The moment you start to mess with that corridor, the person who is connected through its life seal will be alerted of our presence. To be honest, even if we manage to make it to the other side, it won''t be long before that person reveals themselves¡ªthe Night Lord tasked with watching over this resurrection. You understand what I''m saying, right?" Lances stated in a steady tone. "That doesn''t change what it is that we have to do. That bridge¡ªwe will cross it when wee to it." Izroth said casually as essence epassed the palm of his hands. Woosh! Izroth pulled out a bundle of strands from the corridor, causing it to emit a high-frequency pitch of mana that nearly brought the 9th Division and 5th Unit members to their knees from the overwhelming intensity. ''How troublesome.'' Izroth kept a calm mind as he wasted no time getting to work carefully rearranging the strands attached to the corridor. "So loud! What do you think they''re doing up there?!" Guan Yu yelled, unable to hear himself over the ear-shattering pitch. "What?! I can''t hear a word you''re saying!" Halls shouted as Guan Yu''s words fell on deaf ears. "I said-!" A few secondster, the high-pitch frequency died out, causing everyone to release a sigh of relief. "Man...! I can still feel my ears ringing...! What the heck do you think those two are doing up there?" Guan Yu questioned with furrowed brows as he rubbed his ears in an attempt to rid himself of the lingering ringing sound. "No idea. But seeing as how we haven''t moved yet if I had to take a guess, there''s probably something blocking our way." Halls answered. Suddenly, a threatening wave of energy erupted from the depths of the corridor. It was a cold energy of death and darkness that made one instinctively want to retreat as it sent chills down their spines. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he detected something unusual from the corridor. ''Why is that energy in this ce?'' Deep from within the corridor, Izroth sensed a strange yet familiar energy. It did not belong to the Night Lord Zars or any other skounae he''de across. Surprisingly, the aura he discovered matched that of a shadahi! Chapter 1038 Breaking Through The Corridor ? ''There''s no mistaking it. This aura is definitely of shadahi origins. But the question remains. Is it possible that there is a shadahi hiding within the Night Lord''s Crypt? If that''s the case, then the more pressing question bes how it was achieved without the use of a gateway.'' So far, the only known shadahi in the Mortal Realm was Commander Ekquilore who was summoned via the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands. However, ording to thetest reports, Commander Ekquilore had yet to leave the confines of the Demilitarization Belt. Needless to say, the shadahi had numerous watchful gazes locked onto his every movement. The moment he decided to step out of the Demilitarization Belt, there was no way news of it wouldn''t spread fast. Furthermore, the shadahi aura Izroth detected from the corridor did not even remotely match that of the Commander Ekquilore he faced back in the Shadahi Realm. While it was possible that crossing over into the Mortal Realm changed his aura, Izroth did not believe that it would be to the point where it waspletely unrecognizable. ''Could it havee out of the rift in Tempest? If so, does that mean Tempest has found a way to stabilize the rift?'' Izroth knew that there was a rift that connected the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm somewhere in the kingdom Tempest. However, to his knowledge, that rift was too highly unstable for anyone to travel through¡ªbe it going oring from the Shadahi Realm. If Tempest truly did find a way to stabilize the rift between the Mortal Realm and Shadahi Realm, then this news was too huge to remain undiscovered. ''No, right now, it''s nothing but spection. There''s also a chance the aura I''m feeling is from a Chaos Variant. It''s not too far-fetched considering the secret rtionship between theherworld and the shadahi.'' Chaos Variant¡ªthis was the name Izroth called those who took on the cursed power of the shadahi and could transform to mimic some of a shadahi''s abilities. So far, Izroth hade across two such individuals. One of them was the ex-leader of Fatal Touch known as Silent Steps. As for the second person, it was, of course, Dolos Jestal. The aura given off by a Chaos Variant was virtually indistinguishable from that of an actual shadahi. The presence of a Chaos Variant made the most sense in Izroth''s mind due to the circumstances that surrounded the potential summoning of a second shadahi from the Shadahi Realm. That being said, Izroth did not entirely write off other possibilities. ''There''s no use thinking too much about it. The answers I seek; I will naturally obtain them once we reach the other side of this corridor.'' Izroth cleared his mind and increased his level of concentration as he focused on manipting the strands of the corridor. As he did so, the temperature in the atmosphere rose to a point that even those positioned near the bottom of the staircase started to feel as though they were dropped onto an ind surrounded by scorching mes. A few minutester, Lances eyes shot open as he pushed his arms halfway into the ground at his sides. "Hear me, Ruler of the zing Inferno! Grant me authority over your undying mes through your 8th Incarnation!" Lances chanted as arge seal of mysterious origins formed at his back. Right as hepleted his chant, a ming creature emerged from therge seal. This time, however, there was something different about it. For one, it was much weaker than the first ming creature that Lances previously summoned. In addition, its appearance was much less intimidating and closer to that of a human''s than a monster''s. The ming creature''s appearance resembled that of a young female fire spirit with flowing hair of brilliant mes. Though, unlike the members of the Seventh Demon n, this fire spirit-like entity''s entire body was crafted from mes. "I am the 8th Incarnation of the Inferno Ruler, Emberosia. Rejoice, mortal, for my lord has chosen to grant your request. I shall now lend my power to you. Use it as you see fit." The ming entity, Emberosia, stated. Without waiting for Lances'' reply, Emberosia morphed into a spiraling whirlpool of mes that converged to a single point at Lances'' back. Then, in the blink of an eye, the mes rapidly flowed into Lances, causing his entire body to burst into mes. To those who witnessed this scene for the first time, it was a terrifying sight to behold. But there were no screams of anguish from Lances. Instead, the energy around him abruptly grew exponentially. Lances stood to his feet as his physical appearance had undergone a few changes. The 5th Unit Commander donned a suit of armor made entirely out of mes. The armor was made up of multipleyers of mes, with the outermostyer being the brightest and hottest part. The mes seemed to be constantly moving and flickering with every breath he took. And his face was partially concealed by the mes, leaving only his glowing eyes that contained a fiery intensity visible. The dominating fire element that epassed Lances made it evident with a nce that he had be a much more formidable force. "Everyone, be sure to brace yourselves!" Lances cautioned as he extended his right arm out to his side. At the same time, five wisps of mes emerged at the tip of Lances'' fingertips. Lances clenched his fist as the wisps of mes dispersed before nimbly swirling around his right fist like a rotating ring of mes. Crack! In a sh, the floor beneath Lances shattered as he kicked off his back foot and dashed toward the corridor, leaving a trail of mes in his wake. "Break!" Lances roared as the fire element around him spiked considerably. BOOOOOOOM! Arge explosion sounded throughout the room as it violently shook. Upon impact with the corridor''s entrance, several intense shockwaves were unleashed. ''Oh? The fire element contained within those mes are not as powerful as the first ming creature summoned, but... These mes, somehow, it''s splintering the space between the strands I''m manipting and the corridor. Employing this method, as long as he doesn''t make a misstep along the way, this corridor-'' Craaaaack...! ''Won''t be able to hold up.'' Shatter! The entrance into the corridor was destroyed as a hole of luminous light revealed itself. "Move now! We won''t have much time before the protection on the corridor repairs itself!" Lancesmanded. Woosh! Woosh! Without dy, Izroth and Lances were the first two to sprint through the corridor. Immediately after doing so, the brilliant light quickly started to fade as the entrance into the corridor seemed to be fixing itself just as Lances warned. "Go! No one is allowed to fall behind!" Niflheim shouted as he charged up the staircase along with the rest of the vanguard. Not far behind the vanguard were the rest of the 9th Division and 5th Unit members. And, one by one, they sped into the corridor. Woosh! After making sure there was no one left behind, thest two to go through the corridor were Kol''Jil and Zel''Kan. Zeeeeut! Almost instantly after the two Seventh Demon n members stepped into the corridor the light vanished as the corridor returned to its previous state. ... ''Strange... Are we still in the Night Lord''s Crypt?'' After rushing into the corridor, Izroth arrived in arge chamber that was lit by a red hue. However, it was nothing like that Night Lord''s Crypt he''d seen so far. The area mirrored a lifeless wastnd that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. ''An isted space within an isted space... No wonder it''s not easy to invade the Night Lord''s Crypt. Under normal circumstances, essing this ce is nearly impossible unless you''re apanied by the one who created it.'' Izroth attempted to scan the area with his Energy Vision Sense; however, he discovered that its range was limited. Therefore, he had to rely mostly on his natural senses. ''I don''t sense the aura of a shadahi. Was it my imagination?'' There was no telling the results that woulde from manipting the strands of the corridor in the manner he did. So, it was not aplete impossibility that he may have detected a fake aura. That being said, Izroth was not convinced that was the case. ''I''m certain the aura I sensed earlier was genuine. However, there''s no obvious ce here for anything or anyone to hide.'' In the wastnd-like chamber was apletely open area. The only thing in view was an object located at the chamber''s center¡ªa pitch-ck coffin epassed by an overwhelming amount of death energy. Naturally, the coffin was the first thing to draw Izroth''s gaze, as well as that of Lances who stood next to him. ''It matches.'' Izroth felt a familiar aura leaking out of the coffin. Even with his Energy Vision Sense not working correctly, he could tell that it belonged to the owner of this Night Lord''s Crypt. ''The Antumbra of Decay, Zars. So this is where you''re hiding away.'' Chapter 1039 Chaotic Force, Unforgettable Existence Chapter 1039 Chaotic Force, Unforgettable Existence "There''s something protecting the coffin. Compared to the life seal on the corridor, it''s leagues ahead. We won''t be able to use the same method to break through it." Izrothmented as he carefully surveyed the area. "My thoughts are the same. That being said, our goal is right in front of us. To give up aftering this far¡ªI''m sure the idea hasn''t crossed your mind." Lances stated. He sighed and continued, "Of course, we don''t have much time to sit around ande up with an in-depth n. Now that we''ve entered this area, I''m sure skounae reinforcements are on their way. And since we''ve managed to make it past a Duke of Zareign''s caliber, they won''t be half-hearted reinforcements." "Then, we''ll just have to find a way to interrupt the revival process before the reinforcements reach this ce," Izroth said as he began to walk toward the coffin at the area''s center. Lances followed next to him and said, "I''ll be honest, I have no idea where to begin this time around. I''ve never seen this kind of protective barrier before. It doesn''t seem to be the work of a magic formation. It employs a shielding concept that''spletely foreign to me. Even the energy it''s emitting feels off. It doesn''t remind me of mana or any othermon energy source at all." "Your analysis isn''t too surprising. The energy being used to power this protective formation shouldn''t exist in the Mortal Realm." Izroth responded casually. "What? Are you saying that you know the identity of the energy source being used?" Lances said as his brows rose in surprise. ''How can I not? This energy... It''s the same as the one I felt from him.'' The Envoy of the Netherworld, Nekrostalmenos¡ªthis was the existence Izroth became reminded of when he first detected the energy contained within the coffin''s shielding. It was an oppressive and suffocating death-like energy that made one feel as though their life was slowly fading away just by standing in its vicinity. However, given the ties between the skounae and the Netherworld, Izroth did not find the discovery too shocking. Needless to say, it was only natural that Lances had no clue as to the origins of that energy. After all, even if he was a part of the Pride n, the chances of him having ever encountered a person from the Netherworld were incredibly slim. As for Izroth, he had been marked by a curse from Nekrostalmenos as a result of severing his arm. Because of this, after the incident concluded, he already had two run-ins with creatures from the Netherworld. ''Hm?'' Out of nowhere, as Izroth moved closer to the coffin, numerous spikes of energy erupted from several locations throughout the area. ''It''s returned.'' The shadahi aura that Izroth detected earlier while manipting the strands on the corridor had revealed itself once more. Izroth halted his steps as he swept over the open chamber with his gaze. Seeing Izrothe to an abrupt stop, Lances also paused his steps as an inquisitive look formed on his face. But, not even half a breathter, Lances'' expression changed as he seemed to have noticed something. At the same time, he also started to look around the area. "Can you feel it as well¡ªthose chaotic forces?" Lances asked in a serious manner. "Yes. It''s hard to tell because of how chaotic it is, but there are at least twenty of them." Izroth replied nonchntly as he unsheathed his Sword of the Storm. He then warned, "Everyone, prepare yourselves. It would seem that we have somepany. "Commander?" One of the 5th Unit members called out with a perplexed look on his face. "Do it." Lances said without dy. Izroth and Lances were the only two capable of perceiving the chaotic forces. Therefore, while those of the 9th Division immediately moved to prepare themselves, besides Halls and Guan Yu, who knew personally knew Izroth, the rest of the 5th Unit seemed hesitant to follow his orders. Of course, this was not because he was a Captain of the GSU. Rather, their respect and consideration for Lances were simply that high. Not to mention, even after witnessing his strength firsthand, those of the 5th Unit did not have the same trust in Izroth''s judgment as Halls and Guan Yu. After all, just because one possessed a great deal of strength did not mean that they would automatically make for a good leader. "Hah, these guys¡ªare they looking down on our brother? Did they really have to wait for Commander Lances to speak up?" Guan Yu frowned. Halls sigh as he shook his head and said, "It can''t be helped. They don''t understand our brother like we do. If we were in their shoes, we probably would have done the same." "I know that, but still..." Guan Yu grumbled under his breath. Meanwhile, the 9th Division and 5th Unit readied themselves for whatever awaited them. Although there were still no visible enemies in sight, if Izroth and Lances were the ones telling them to prepare, then there had to be something out there. Roooooooragh... A faint noise that sounded like the mix of a low roar and eerie growl echoed throughout the chambers. Not long after the first sound emerged, many others followed after it. "There," Izroth said, calling attention to a specific area located a few meters away from the coffin near its back side. Right as he pointed out that area, a strange spatial fluctuation appeared and affected the physical realm to the point that even those without the Spatial Awareness skill could see it. Several simr spatial fluctuations emerged in different spots within the chamber until there were twenty-six such phenomena. ''How is this possible?'' Out of nowhere, a single dark red arm with sharp ws in ce of fingernails stuck out from one of the spatial fluctuations. However, even before seeing that arm, Izroth knew exactly what was within those spatial fluctuations as he instantly recognized that faint battle cry. The following moment, a creature stepped out of the spatial fluctuation as a chaotic aura quickly spread within the vicinity. Rooooooooooooooragh! The creature unleashed an ear-piercing battle roar as the chaotic energy in the atmosphere skyrocketed. "What the... That¡ªwhat is that thing doing here..?!" Halls said as his eyes widened in shock. "Huh? You''ve seen that monster before?" Guan Yu asked curiously. "Yeah. But if I''m being honest, I''d rather not fight those things again." Halls answered as he furrowed his brows with a troubled face. Back then, Guan Yu had still not yet met him and Izroth; therefore, Halls was not surprised that he had never seen those creatures before now. After all, they were not even supposed to be in this ce! For Halls, however, that time was an unforgettable experience forever etched into his mind. Dark red skin with piercing crimson eyes, sharp teeth that filled their mouth with row upon row, ws that looked as deadly as a ded weapon, and a towering height that stretched over two meters tall. ''I was hoping what I detected earlier was just my imagination, but... It seems that the aura I felt belonged to one of them after all¡ªa shadahi.'' Name: Lesser Shadahi Patroller(Unique Elite) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) One by one, more Lesser Shadahi Patrollers emerged from the spatial fluctuations. "That appearance, don''t tell me...!" Lances narrowed his eyes as his voice contained a tinge of concern. That''s because the creatures fit the physical description of the same entity who wreaked havoc in the Demilitarization Belt not that long ago. A creature said to be virtually unkible and, excluding Tempest, an existence that the kingdoms of the Mortal Realm tried to avoid at all costs. "So, that''s a shadahi, huh? It''s no wonder I was unable to pinpoint the origin of that chaotic energy. What an unnerving existence." Lancesmented. He nced over at Izroth and asked, "Seeing as how you recognized its origins beforehand, you must have seen the one in the Demilitarization Belt." "Well, something like that," Izroth replied nonchntly. Not only did Izroth see Commander Ekquilore, the shadahi that roamed the Demilitarization Belt, but he even fought him inside the Shadahi Realm! Of course, during that time, Ekquilore''s powers were suppressed due to the restrictions ced upon the shadahi within the Shadahi Realm. However, even at that time, he was not an easy foe to ovee because of the unique nature that surrounded his existence, as well as that of all other shadahis. "Watch out for their mes and charging skill! Those of you who are confident in your defense, if you see a dark purple aura appear around the creature''s hand, prepare to intercept the w of energy it fires! Those it targets with that w of energy will be unable to resist being pulled directly in front of the creature who used it! Also, try not to use the same skill against them more than once, or it''ll be useless!" Izroth warned. Chapter 1040 Willingness, True Protectors of the Night Lords Revival? Chapter 1040 Willingness, True Protectors of the Night Lord''s Revival? Excluding Halls, Izroth knew that he was the only one who had any experience when it came to fighting against a shadahi. If he allowed everyone to engage in the battle with zero forewarning, the results were bound to be disastrous. ''Since their power is no longer being suppressed by the restrictions that exist in the Shadahi Realm, it''s possible that they possess abilities unknown to me. But, at the very least, with my instructions, everyone shouldn''t be caughtpletely off guard.'' Back in the Shadahi realm, the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were only elite rank; however, with the restrictions lifted, they became a rank that Izroth had never seen before in RML¡ªUnique Elite. Because of this and his Energy Vision Sense not functioning at its potential, Izroth was unable to get a solid grasp on how much stronger the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers werepared to when he faced them in the Shadahi Realm. At the very least, he could tell that they were not in the legendary realm. But due to the special nature of the shadahi, even if one had not stepped into the legendary realm, it did not mean that they could be underestimated. The shadahi were creatures with an unparallel ability to adapt and grew stronger with every encounter they faced. Because of this, not only would the same things not work on them twice, but it was impossible to tell what they may already possess immunities to. Izroth believed it was for that reason alone they were ssified as Unique Elites. Lances nced over at Izroth as he gave out the warnings. Those kinds of precise instructions did note from someone who was merely on the same battlefield as a shadahi or saw them from afar. The first thought on Lances'' mind was that perhaps Izroth had a skill that allowed him to peer through the shadahi; however, the way he spoke, without a doubt, resembled someone who personally fought against them. But how was that possible? To Lances'' knowledge, the only shadahi outside the ones in front of them now was the monstrous existence in the Demilitarization Belt. Could it be that, during that time, Izroth actually confronted that creature and managed to escape with his life? There were several questions that flowed through Lances'' mind. But, right now, there were more important things to take care of. And so, with that, he made up his mind. "5th Unit, listen up! From now on, Captain Izroth''s orders are to be treated as my own! Those who fail toply will have to answer to me!" Lances shouted as he returned his gaze forward. The members of the 5th Unit seemed a bit taken aback by Lances'' orders; however, no one protested. Since it was the Commander''s order, they could only follow it and ce their trust in his judgment. ''How unexpected.'' Izroth knew that even if he was the winner of the second team''s selection, as a young talent of his generation with a powerful background, Lances had his own status to consider when out and about in the world. Given Lances'' position, Izroth did not think that he would willingly set aside his status and openly tell the 5th Unit to obey his orders as if they were his own. The fact that Lances gave out thatmand while likely thinking of the men who served under him caused Izroth''s impression of him to rise. "I assume you have no problem with it, right?" Lances said without adverting his gaze. "Not at all. It''ll make things a bit easier for both sides if everyone is on the same page." Izroth replied calmly. Rooooooooooooooragh! Suddenly, the first of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers unleashed its battle cry as it charged forward at full speed, making its way to where Izroth and Lances were located. Almost instantly after the first Lesser Shadahi Patroller made its move, the other creatures also rushed forth! "Leave this one to me." Lances stated as the fire element around him became increasingly dense. Wooosh! Lances kicked off his back foot and dashed on a direct collision path with the Lesser Shadahi Patroller that was targeting him and Izroth. While most of the shadahi who was struck by the heat wave just now suffered from 21:53 Crackle! Tssssst! The temperature within the immediate vicinity of Lances soared as the fire on his ming armor exploded outward in great quantity. BOOM! The Lesser Shadahi Patroller was sent flying back as it became swept up in the explosion of mes. Simultaneously, an intense heat wave pulsed out from Lances'' position that wooshed past several of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. The heat wave itself did not inflict much damage; however, it applied the Burn status effect to all those it came into contact with. "Hm?" Lances narrowed his eyes as he realized that something was off. While most of the shadahi who was struck by the heat wave just now suffered from the Burn status effect, there was a handful of them that remainedpletely unfazed. "Was there not enough power behind it? No, that''s not possible. Even if I''m only borrowing the power of the Inferno Ruler''s 8th Incarnation, it should still be more than enough. I deliberately overestimated them and put more power than usual into that strike. But, it turns out I may have still underestimated the sturdiness of these creatures." Lances said to himself. Lances heard many tales and legends about the shadahi''s terrifying innate ability to survive under virtually every harsh condition imaginable. Still, hearing about something and experiencing it for one''s self were two different things. Upon seeing the results of Lances'' attack followed by the brief look of surprise that shed through his eyes, Izroth saw that his previous thoughts were correct. ''I was hoping it wasn''t the case, but... It''s exactly as I thought. These shadahi have probably already evolved to a certain extent through their past battle experiences. The difficulty level just increased again. I guess this exins the rank of the quest I received.'' Having to fight a skounae Duke in the legendary realm and then confront a group of shadahi who have already adapted to who knows what¡ªit was no wonder the Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm was an SSS-ranked quest! ''It''s a shame that Sagarus and the other lightning soldiers were unable to cross through the corridor. Well, I suppose at the very least, if we receive any unexpected guests, they should be able to hold them off for a bit while we take care of things on this end.'' Izroth sped into action as he raced over to the first of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers who were immune to the Burn status effect from Lances'' attack. Woosh! As Izroth moved, without halting his motion, he swung sideways and released a wave of sharp sword intent from the edge of his Sword of the Storm as he executed the skill Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides. Immediately after he performed that action, Izroth swept downward with his Sword of the Storm and sent out an attack simr to his initial strike. This time, however, it was the work of his Sixth Sword Form: Double Blooming Lotus. Since thest sword skill he used was his fifth sword form, his sixth sword form mimicked its power and effects. Izroth''s Fifth Sword Form: Receding Tides was only a B-ranked skill; therefore, its attack power was not all that high. However, the purpose behind his strike was not to cut the shadahi down in one blow. ''There is something that I need to confirm as quickly as possible.'' Phhhtk! The first wave of sword intent reached Izroth''s target, as it struck a group of three Lesser Shadahi Patrollers who were close to one another. Woosh! Phhhtk! Not long after the first wave of sword intent arrived, the second also made it to its target and swept past the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. Rooooragh! The shadahis who were hit brushed the two attacks off and their HP did not fall by much. Additionally, they shifted their focus toward Izroth as he became their primary target. ''I see. So that''s how it is.'' Swish! Swish! Swish! In the blink of an eye, the three shadahi gained arge burst of movement speed and attacked Izroth simultaneously from three separate directions! BANG! The shadahis hands crashed into one another and canceled out their attack as Izroth was no longer anywhere to be seen. Zeeeut! Swoosh! Out of nowhere, Izroth appeared behind the shadahi who attacked him from the right side as he shed in one quick motion at the creature''s side. Crack! A cracking sound released as Izroth''s strike sessfullynded on the shadahi. The creature''s feet left the ground, and it shot to the side like an arrow being released from its string. The other two shadahi wasted no time striking out at Izroth, who once again seemed to vanish just before their attacks could connect. Izroth was not using Primed Instantaneous Movement to teleport around the battlefield, but rather the skill Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death. Chapter 1041 Another Possibility

Chapter 1041 Another Possibility

The Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death was a skill that granted Izroth arge temporary burst of movement speed that, when used to cover a short distance, almost gave the same impression of teleporting. As Izroth and Lances engaged the shadahis, the open chamber quickly became a fierce battlefield. Most of those from the 9th Division and 5th Unit were struggling against their opponents. This was despite many of them teaming up into groups of four or five. BANG! Whoosh! "These guys are even more annoying than I remember! It''s like theypletely ignore threat levels and do whatever they want!" Halls growled as he intercepted one of the charging shadahis with his Rebound skill, causing them to shoot backward several meters. Halls tried multiple times to build his threat level on the shadahis; however, no matter what taunt-type skill he used, it seemed to be ineffective. Though he was not the only one facing this problem. Crash! Niflheim pushed forward and twisted his body with his shield in hand as he used the skill Shield m on one of the shadahi who attacked him. He sent the shadahi crashing into the ground and momentarily stunned its movements. But, for some reason, there was a troubled expression on Niflheim''s face, apanied by a visible frown. "None of the threat-level establishing skills are working properly! If we in the vanguard can''t find a way to pull their attacks toward us, it won''t take long for these things to start picking off our supports and damage dealers one by one!" Niflheim warned. So far, the shadahi disyed clear signs of beingpletely immune to taunt-type skills. The frustrating part of this was that the creatures targeted whoever they wanted without any understandable pattern. This made it so that the vanguard had to constantly adjust their position and receive attacks with a rushed block. This increased the amount of overall damage they took and put more pressure on those with supporting roles. Fortunately, Izroth and Lances were able to draw the attention of several shadahi over to them. It was as if the creatures realized that those two were the biggest threats. This greatly reduced the overall stress on the 9th Division and 5th Unit. It also helped that Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan skillfully moved throughout the chamber and helped where it was most needed. But, despite everyone''s best efforts, they were still on their back foot and slowly being overwhelmed by the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. Woosh! Ding! Guan Yu swung the guandao in his hands with a heavy force as it mmed into the shadahi before him. However, instead of slicing through the creature or wounding it, Guan Yu felt as though his guandao had struck a steel wall. "What are these things made out of?!" Guan Yu frowned as he tightened the grip on his guandao and stomped his right foot on the ground. The next moment, an overflow of strength filled Guan Yu as an ancient blue aura epassed the de of his guandao. Shiiiiiing! The Lesser Shadahi Patroller who managed to withstand his initial strike suddenly had a part of its torso cleanly sliced through. "Not enough!" Guan Yu roared as he shifted the angle of the guandao at its reached its lowest point and swung it upward with ferocious momentum. At the same time, a small white marking that resembled a strange horn that curved upward emitted a faint glow appeared on the right side of Guan Yu''s face directly underneath his eye. The instant Guan Yu''s guandaopleted its upward striking motion, a floating ring of blue energy roughly 1.5 meters in diameter materialized around the Lesser Shadahi Patroller. Shatter! Guan Yu swiftly followed up on hisst strike as he shed downward and hit the ring of blue energy with his guandao. Shatter! Rooooooar! The moment Guan Yu struck the ring of blue energy, out of nowhere, the cry of an ancient beast erupted from his guandao. Simultaneously, his body became coated in the same ancient blue aura that epassed his weapon. Boom! When the ring of blue energy shattered, it unleashed a concentrated explosion that did not disperse any further than its initial area of coverage. The ancient blue aura around Guan Yu faded as the marking on his face dissipated and he brandished his guandao. But, before he could even determine the status of the shadahi, his Soul Sense went off, warning him of an impending danger. Roooooragh! Clink! "?!" Guan Yu reacted quickly as a set of sharp ws sped toward him and intercepted the blow with his guandao. As the energy from his previous attack dispersed, Guan Yu''s eyesnded on the shadahi that faced it head-on. That same creature was currently missing half of its torso; however, it had enough vigor to strike out at him. Guan Yu exchanged a few blows with the shadahi. And because of the state of its torso, he even gained a slight upper hand. But, this advantage was short-lived. "What the..." Guan Yu muttered as he noticed that the life-threatening wound on the shadahi''s torso started to repair itself. Countless ck strands connected the split portion of the shadahi''s torso. Then, in than a few breaths of time, the wound was no longer anywhere to be found on the creature. To make matters worse, the shadahi was even able to recover a good portion of the health it lost! "Heh, well, I did say I wanted a challenge..!" Guan Yu said with a look of determination in his eyes and an enthusiastic grin. Meanwhile, Izroth, who was still facing three of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers, positioned himself closer to the coffin that housed the Night Lord Zars. ''Dismantling the protection around the coffin is too time-consuming. There has to be another way to disrupt the revival process¡ªa more indirect approach.'' Woosh! Ding! Izroth activated his Eighth Sword Form: Formless Sway and parried the blow of one of the shadahi''s that locked its attention onto him. While he held off the three shadahi, Izroth shifted his strategy to a more defensive style that focused on dodging and parrying. That''s because, in reality, he was fixated on the coffin and the powerful protective aura that epassed it. Izroth used his Deep Insight and Appraisal skills to examine the coffin and protective aura. After doing so, he discovered two interesting facts. First, the coffin housed the fallen Night Lord Zars. So, without a doubt, they were in the right ce inside the Night Lord''s Crypt. As for the second thing, the protection around the coffin was the result of something that was not a part of this realm. Or, to be more precise¡ªsomeone. It was due to this that Izroth was unable to pinpoint the protective aura''s source. ''At first nce, the chamber seems to go on forever in all directions. But, in reality, the space inside this ce is curved in an unusual way, creating a section of isted space that coils around itself. There should be nowhere for anything or anyone to hide but in in sight; however, those spatial fluctuations that the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers arrived from... They are an anomaly.'' Izroth knew that the spatial fluctuations were not caused by the shadahis themselves. This meant that they were being intentionally hidden by the same existence that constructed the coffin''s protective aura. But, if that were true, did this mean that, somehow, the skounae found a method of controlling the shadahi? ''No, based on the future shown to me by the All-Seeing Goddess, if that were the case, Malentansium would not have been in the same state as the other kingdoms of the Mortal Realm. If it''s not a skounaemanding these shadahi, then that only leaves one likely possibility¡ªa more powerful shadahi is pulling the strings from somewhere.'' The first shadahi that came to Izroth''s mind was, of course, Commander Ekquilore. At the moment, he was the only other known shadahi that resided in the Mortal Realm. ''The rift that opened in Tempest¡ªwhat if it wasn''t the first?'' The only reason the other kingdoms even knew about the rift linked to the Shadahi Realm located in Tempest was due to the efforts of one of its royal family members, Robinarzin Tempest, who sacrificed his life to ry the information. But what if a second portal opened up beforehand somewhere in Malentansium? Given their blood-bound loyalty, it would be nearly impossible for the information to be leaked to other kingdoms. Also, so long as a higher-ranked skounae ordered it, those of a lower bloodline would willingly relinquish their lives to call forth something simr to the Gateway of a Thousand Bloodless Hands that was used to summon Commander Ekquilore. ''It''s certainly a possibility, however...'' Crash! Izroth kicked off his back and evaded two of the shadahi''s strikes as their ws smashed into the ground where he was just standing. ''If that turns out to be true, the Mortal Realm may be in even graver danger than we anticipated. I can only hope that my thoughts are wrong.'' Chapter 1042 The Missing Links

Chapter 1042 The Missing Links

Izroth evaded another one of the shadahi''s attacks as he shed down with his sword. At the same time, a wave of destructive lightning elements exploded from his Sword of the Storm and spread out within a 25-meter radius from his position. This was the result of one of the effects attached to his sword, Destructive Aftermath. Bzzzt! As the wave of destruction carried forth, it paralyzed the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers it came into contact with and temporarily sealed their actions. ''Hm?'' Izroth''s gaze shifted to an area located not too far away from the coffin. ''Strange, I''m certain that there was nothing there before. Was it affected by Destructive Aftermath?'' Although it was only for a split second, Izroth detected something with his Spatial Awareness and Energy Vision Sense skills. It appeared to be some kind of rupture in space; however, if that were the case, the rupture itself would not have been so stable and well concealed. Furthermore, there was something else that bothered Izroth. ''The mana and energy in the atmosphere are being pulled into the coffin. That spatial fracture I detected also had a close link to the coffin itself and seems to be a part of it. It''s almost as if the coffin and the spatial fracture are feeding off our fight against the shadahis in this ce. But, even if that''s true, it''s not like we can stay our hand under these circumstances.'' So far, there were no signs of an exit inside the chamber. Additionally, the corridor they came through was no longer there. At this point, Izroth believed that it was entirely possible that the only way out was to stop the Night Lord Zars'' revival. As for the spatial fracture he detected, Izroth sensed an ominous aura that made him nearly certain that it was not a way out. Unfortunately, it emerged and vanished so fast that he could not get a solid grasp of what it could potentially be. Nheless, he did not have a good feeling about it. ''I have to confirm it.'' Just as that thought crossed Izroth''s mind, the shadahis paralyzed by his Destructive Aftermath broke free of their status effects. Suddenly, Izroth felt a force of suppression lock him in ce. The next moment, a demonic purple w of dark energy shot out from the hand of a Lesser Shadahi Patroller and was on a direct collision course with Izroth. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has been targeted by ?Lesser Shadahi Patroller?''s ?Grasp of the Nether?!¡µ ?Immune? Izroth instantly broke free of the Lesser Shadahi Patroller''s attempt to pull him toward itself using the Grasp of the Nether as the force of suppression around him disappeared and the demonic w dispersed. The Lesser Shadahi Patroller who targeted Izroth looked confused and thrown off by the fact that Izroth had not budged from his spot. ''I thought that skill would still be a little troublesome to handle; however, it looks like the Greater Physique passive of my Heavenly Golden Body is able to resist its pull.'' The Greater Physique passive made it so that Izroth could ignore all crowd control effects from skills B-rank or lower. That, paired with the increased recovery rate of negative effects provided by his Might stat made it difficult for Izroth to fall prey to crowd control skills. Izroth took advantage of the shadahis fleeting state of confusion. He triggered the active effect of his Light Feather Footwork and gained arge temporary burst of movement speed. The three shadahis wasted no time giving chase to Izroth as he skillfully leaped several meters over the coffin with a frontal slip. ''If it''s destructive lightning element that reveals it, then...'' As he was mid-air over the coffin, Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath and tightened his grip on the handle. ''Third Sword Form...'' Bzzzt...! Ccckle! As Izroth''s body straightened out on his way down, a blinding sh appeared as he unsheathed his sword at a frightening speed in a downward swinging motion. ''Copsing Thunder.'' ...BOOOM! p! The sound of an ear-piercing thunderp rang throughout the chambers as a bolt of lightning struck down from above, striking the ground that Izroth''s sword impacted. During the small window of time when his sword first hit the ground and the bolt of lightning hit, Izroth noticed tiny ripples in the space right at the area above where he executed his Third Sword Form: Copsing Thunder. ''There.'' Izroth used the skill Deep Insight the instant the spatial rupture revealed itself through his Spatial Awareness. ¡´System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in ?Unknown Spatial Rift?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: w [1]: This spatial rift is not yet fully formed, making safe passage through it virtually impossible and will likely result in those who pass through it being forever lost in the (redacted).¡µ When the spatial rupture materialized, Izroth could see that the rift was covered by a thickyer of what appeared to be red clouds. ''It''s just as I thought... So there really was a spatial rift hidden away deep inside the Night Lord''s Crypt. The question is, does it lead to "that" ce?'' Out of nowhere, Izroth sensed an overwhelming auraing from within the spatial rift. At the same time, the red clouds that obstructed the view into the rift began to part. ''That''s...'' When Izroth witnessed what was on the other side of the spatial rift, the final pieces started to fall into ce. What came into Izroth''s view was a sea of shadahi that easily numbered in the hundreds of thousands! And, at the center of that massive crowd was a terrifying presence. That presence reminded Izroth of the shadahi he encountered in the Shadahi Realm that was bound to a throne by chains, Syxirius. However, this one was different from Syxirius in that its body was bound by chains to a huge stone-like pir and it appeared to be in a deep state of rest. Without warning, the eyes of that existence shot open as its gaze seemed to peer through the realms and stare right at Izroth! Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, the red clouds rushed to obstruct the view as the spatial rift once again concealed itself. ''That''s not a force meant to assist¡ªit''s an invasion force. Is it the same for the other rift that''s in Tempest? If spatial rifts have emerged in Tempest and Malentansium, there''s no guarantee that there aren''t more out there that we''re not aware of. It''s no wonder the destruction I saw in the future was so bad. Commander Ekquilore must have been sent here in advance to act as a distraction. If all the attention is drawn to stopping more gateway rituals, there''s a good chance these types of concealed spatial rifts will gopletely undetected. Then, Robinarzin escaping from Tempest and revealing the information of the rift to the Shadahi Realm there... Did they allow it to happen intentionally to make the allied forces believe that it was the only one?'' The rtionship between the kingdoms of Tempest and Malentansium had never been so close and amicable that the two would form an alliance with one another. Sure, the two had a few trading deals in the past, but nothing so grand that they would be mistaken for close allies. However, if there was a third party that connected the two kingdoms, it all started to make sense. ''Since the skounae worship the Netherworld Monarch, they would never work with the shadahi without approval from the Netherworld side. However, it still doesn''t exin why a being like the Netherworld Monarch is willing to work with the shadahi. Is it simply for the purpose of causing as much chaos in the Mortal Realm as possible?'' For reasonsrgely unknown, the Netherworld Monarch longed for the destruction of the Mortal Realm, causing the Nether Realm to be life-and-death enemies with the Mortal Realm. Izroth had to admit that using the shadahi as a weapon to do so was certainly a great way of bringing about destruction on arge scale throughout the Mortal Realm. But, why would the Netherworld Monarch risk the release of the eternal darkness, or rather the eternal chaos, that was sealed away within the Mortal Realm? The eternal chaos was the first shadahi¡ªan unfathomable creature brought into existence by the Timeless Chaos Pool. It was an entity from which all other shadahi originated. It was also possibly the greatest threat to ever exist beneath the firmament for the undying Netherworld Monarch. From what Izroth could tell, the main difference between the two was that, while the Netherworld Monarch sought the annihtion of the Mortal Realm, the eternal chaos only desired to consume without reason until there was nothing left. ''Is the Netherworld Monarch that confident in his strength that it doesn''t matter whether or not the eternal chaos is freed in his eyes?'' The eternal chaos was an existence that forced those in the Divine Realm to interfere with matters below the firmament. The price for such interference could not have been cheap. This was even more so considering that something as simple as directmunication with those outside the Divine Realm required a hefty price. Otherwise, Tal''Nis would have been able to directly contact her descendants in the Mortal Realm long ago. Chapter 1043 Purpose, Siren’s Song

Chapter 1043 Purpose, Siren''s Song

''Tempest, Malentansium, the shadahi, and the Netherworld¡ªall four are currently linked together. The Tempest royal family wants to regain their lost absolute authority, and Malentansium is probably acting based on orders from the Netherworld. The shadahis have a clear objective in that they likely aim to free the eternal chaos that''s sealed below the capital city of Amaharpe. But the Netherworld... There''s still too much that I don''t know about the Netherworld Monarch and how things work in the Nether Realm.'' Although Izroth formed a Soul Binding Contract with the Death Emperor and learned many things from him about the Nether Realm, Satoras sealed away the parts of his memories that held onto the greatest secrets. There was also the fact that it had been countless years since Satoras wasst in the Nether Realm. Who knows how much could have changed in his absence? Not to mention, even to someone like Satoras who once stood at the peak of the Nether Realm, the Netherworld Monarch remained aplete enigma. Therefore, it was difficult for Izroth to make any spections surrounding the other party''s ultimate goal. One thing that Izroth did know was that, not too long ago, the Envoy of the Netherworld attempted to cross over into the Mortal Realm with an army called the Legion of the Nether Realm. Fortunately, with the help of hispanions, along with Gear and the Seer Tererestiaa, Izroth was able to stop the invasion from ever urring. However, how could an existence like the Netherworld Monarch, who ruled over his realm with absolute authority, be willing to give up on something he set his sights on? Izroth was curious as to what was driving the Netherworld Monarch''s hostility towards the Mortal Realm. Why is he so desperate to see it fall to ruins? Did he merely want to spread his absolute authority to other realms? In Izroth''s eyes, whether it was a kingdom, sect, or realm, after one seized full control of their own territory, the next natural step for most with even the slightest of ambition was to expand their influence beyond their own domain. However, Izroth''s instincts told him that the Netherworld Monarch had a different purpose. There was something about the Mortal Realm that the Netherworld Monarch was drawn to. Or, more precisely, maybe it was not something "about" the Mortal Realm that drew his attention, but perhaps something "in" the Mortal Realm. Of course, if that turned out to be true, the question for Izroth then became something else entirely¡ªwhat could be so valuable in the Mortal Realm that the Netherworld Monarch desires so strongly to retrieve it? ''For the sake of the Mortal Realm''s future, I won''t be able to ignore the Nether Realm and those that support them in the shadows. But, for now, I will have to set it aside. What''s more important is to deal with the threat before me in the present and prevent the invasion of the shadahi. That starts by stopping the Night Lord Zars'' revival and finding a way to close this spatial rift that ties the Mortal Realm to the Shadahi Realm.'' Bang! Izroth kicked off to the side with his right foot, narrowly evading the attack from one of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers who finally managed to catch up to him. Woosh! In the same motion, Izroth''s swordshed out and cut cleanly into the shadahi who targeted him. He used one of the active effects from his Second Sword Form: Returning Wave, Sword Counter. This allowed him to instantlyunch a counterattack with his sword that ignored all of an opponent''s physical defenses. Roooragh! The Lesser Shadahi Patroller released a battle cry as it swiftly recovered from Izroth''s strike and charged forward at a speed that was at least twice as fast as their previous movement. The momentum behind the charge was much greater than any of its earlier attacks as it carried a violent aura of devastation. In a sh, the shadahi arrived before Izroth. However, right as the creature was about to crash into him, Izroth''s movement speed exploded in a short burst as he repositioned himself in the shadahi''s blindspot and immediately struck the side of the creature''s neck mid-movement. ''I have one more use of the Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death until it goes on cooldown. Flickering Steps is back up, but with Full Mantle still on cooldown, I''d rather not use it unless it bes absolutely necessary. Deploying the heavenly field in this chamber would have been ideal; however, there''s no use thinking about what''s already passed. I will just have to make do with the movement skills I have avable.'' Based on their exchange up to this point, Izroth found that the speed of a Lesser Shadahi Patroller was slightly above his own base speed. This gave them a small advantage when Izroth was not using any movement skills. That being said, Izroth knew that as long as he stayed a step ahead of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers and reacted appropriately to their Demonic Charge, he would have no trouble chipping away at their health. Needless to say, with the energy generated by their battle being pulled toward the coffin, Izroth understood that it was best to end this battle in as little time as possible. However, he also knew that it was imperative to proceed with a certain level of caution when faced with a shadahi. If they were not dealt a proper killing blow, they would only return stronger with a greater number of immunities. Izroth carefully scanned the battlefield as he skillfully weaved around the three Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. Lances was holding up well on his own as he used the explosive strength of his inferno to suppress a group of three Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan were also performing their tasks of assisting where needed splendidly. Izroth was also impressed by the level of growth Guan Yu disyed. If he were going by thest time they met, Guan Yu would not have been able to contend head-on against a Lesser Shadahi Patroller without assistance. But, at the moment, Guan Yu seemed to be holding up incredibly well and was even in an advantageous position. ''That ancient blue aura around his weapon contains a mysterious force that even my Energy Vision Sense can''t entirely see through. It also appears to be slowing down the regenerative powers of the shadahi to an extent. Though it may not work for much longer, it''s still an impressive feat. If utilized correctly, it can makending a killing blow against a shadahi much easier.'' As for Halls and Niflheim, both were performing their roles without fault and to the best of their abilities. But, Izroth could tell that those two, along with the other members of the vanguard, were having a rough time keeping the shadahis attention on them. Naturally, this made it so that the vanguard had to be infinitely more aware of their surroundings, position, and the timing of their execution of skills. The vanguard was not to me for this unexpected increase in difficulty. Unfortunately for them, even if the shadahi were not inherently immune to taunt-type skills, it was usible that they had already built up a resistance to them. As for the members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit, the majority of them were struggling to hold their ground against the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers. Out of everyone, the supporters seemed to be having the hardest time adjusting to the battle. Many of the supporters were just not used to dealing with enemies that disregarded their frontline protectors. There was also that insane charging skill that shadahis used and the other skill that robbed them of their movement and made them feel momentarily helpless. If not for Izroth''s warning and the vanguard intercepting the strange ws of energy that acted as if it wanted to pull them in, who knew how many losses they would have initially suffered from their oblivion? ''Our side is holding their ground well, but we''re still being slowly pushed back. At this rate, everyone will be overwhelmed by the adaptive abilities of the shadahi. We have toe up with a way to work around their ability to adapt. Then...'' Izroth lifted his hand as a forest-colored trinket in the shape of a crescent moon appeared in between his fingers. He lightly touched the trinket as he casually evaded another one of the shadahi''s strikes. Haaaaaaaaaaaa! Out of nowhere, a mesmerizing voice that originated from the trinket rang throughout the atmosphere as a beautifully carried note sounded within the chamber. ¡´Battle Alert: yer Izroth has activated the effect ?Siren''s Song?!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The perception of all friendly forces within 60 meters has been increased by 50% for 5 minutes!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: The perception of all hostile forces within 60 meters has been lowered by 50% for 5 minutes!¡µ As the sound reached every corner of the chamber, the 9th Division and 5th Unit saw the world around them transform as little details that had previously gone unnoticed suddenly jumped out at them. Additionally, to everyone''s surprise, the attacks and movements of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers abruptly turned messy and easier to perceive. "Woah, what the... Everything looks so much clearer now!" Guan Yu eximed. Chapter 1044 Watchful, Time Updated

Chapter 1044 Watchful, Time Updated

Siren''s Song¡ªthis was the active effect attached to the Song of the Siren trinket that Izroth obtained after he defeated the Head Master of Siren, Smiling Demon. It greatly enhanced the perception of Izroth and his allies while simultaneously lowering that of his enemies. This made it ideal for group fights and small skirmishes. More importantly, it was an item capable of changing the flow of battle. Not long after Siren''s Song took effect, the members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit finally started to push back and gain some ground against the shadahi. With the enhancement to their perception, those who were a part of the vanguard were able to react in a much more timely manner when it came to intercepting the Demonic Charge skill of the shadahis. Furthermore, the execution and timing of the heals or protective-type skills being cast by the supporters improved greatly. Of course, the damage dealers also benefited substantially as the shadahis revealed several openings in their defenses that did not previously exist. Because of this, they managed to keep up a more consistent stream of damage. However, even though things were looking up for them, there was still one major problem, and that was, of course, the shadahis ability to gain immunity to the attacks they executed. Crash! An ice javelin exploded as it impacted one of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers located several meters away from its caster. The spell came from a young man with dark blue hair and light blue eyes who wore avish set of mage robes. "I don''t know what that sound was just now, but it slowed down the reaction time of these mindless beasts. They might as well be standing still with how sloppy their movements have be." The young man said with a surfacing look of confidence. The young man was a yer by the name of Ace Viper. He was one of the Lieutenants of the 5th Unit under Lances''mand and an elite member of a guild called Titan. While Titan was not considered a part of the top ten guilds, it was still recognized as a strong force that ced somewhere within the top fifty guilds in RML. Therefore, even if their influence did notpare to that of guilds like Cross Haven or Sleeping Gardenia, they could not be underestimated. Ace Viper''s gazended on Noir before shifting over to Izroth. "Tch... I thought I was making some good progress these days, but those guys are monsters. Especially that Izroth guy. I heard rumors that he uses thebat master ss, but I don''t buy it one bit. He probably lucked out and obtained a super rare ss. I guess he just doesn''t want everyone to know the truth, huh?" Ace Viper said to himself. With the skills and power Izroth disyed so far, Ace Viper was convinced that Izroth was deceiving others by pretending to be abat master. It was well known that many guilds invested a lot of resources into exploring thebat master ss in great depth in order to gauge its usefulness. This effort heavily increased in poprity after the feats surrounding Izroth''s name spread throughout RML. As for the results, they were exactly as one would expect¡ªterrible. Regardless of the approach used by guilds, the answer always came back the same without fail. Even if one could by chance develop one or two high-ranked skills with thebat master ss, it was more efficient, not to mention a lot easier, to pick a pre-existing ss with a skill tree. It was true that thebat master ss could also learn ss-specific skills from skill books; however, the amount of money necessary for them to be anywhere near viable was too costly. Of course, that was if one could even find the proper skill books in the first ce. And, when it came to high-ranked skill books, the market for them simply did not exist. They were either all purchased by the top guilds and used for their core members or learned by the person who found them. In simple terms, even if guilds were willing to spend the money to raise a viablebat master, the return on their pricey investment would not be worth it. "I wonder how much money those top guilds are willing to fork out when ites to information about him. Well, I might as well try to get as much as I can out of those guys with bottomless pockets." Ace Viper pondered silently. From the moment he discovered Izroth''s identity, and they entered the Night Lord''s Crypt, Ace Viper had been secretly recording the events that transpired. Since video recording in RML required money and was not cheap by any means, Ace Viper had already spent a considerable amount to keep the recording process going. However, he understood that, ultimately, it would be a small price to paypared to what he could get out of those top guilds in exchange. "I heard Broken Exile''s offering 100 gold coins to those with any unknown knowledge about the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. I can only imagine how much they''ll pay for actual video footage of him in action. Should I try to befriend him and get some more information out of him?" Ace Viper thought to himself as he tried his best to control his excitement from the imminent payday ahead of him. "Look out!" A voice called out. "?!" Ace Viper snapped out of his daze as a towering shadow loomed over him. When Ace Viper turned his head, the first thing that greeted him was the sight of a huge red hand with ws that caused his eyes to widen in shock. BANG! In the blink of an eye, Ace Viper found himself positioned several meters away from where hest stood as cold sweats ran down his back. "That was a close call...! I got too distracted. But, who..." Ace Viper''s looked over in the direction of where he was previously located and saw the creature who had just attacked him being blocked by a shield. "Are you insane?! Why are you just standing around like a lost puppy?!" Niflheim reprimanded as he pushed back with his shield and knocked the shadahi back a few steps. Woosh! m! Niflheim used the skill Shield Smash to temporarily stun the shadahi in ce as he red back at Ace Viper in his state of stupor. "T-thanks." Ace Viper said as he tried to calm his shaken nerves and pull himself together. "You can thank me by keeping your mind on the battle and getting yourself together!" Niflheim stated firmly as he followed up with a sword strike on the shadahi. Just now, in order to save Ace Viper, Niflheim utilized the skill Safeguard Exchange to swap ces with him after realizing the danger he was in. But, the cooldown for Safeguard Exchange made it so that it was unusable for the rest of the battle. Using it skill to save someone who lost focus in the midst of a fight left a bad taste in Niflheim''s mouth. "He may not be a part of the 9th Division, but since we were instructed to work together, I decided to cover for him. That being said... How can someone drop their guard so easily under these circumstances?" Niflheim contemted as he inwardly frowned and swallowed his frustrations. Niflheim hoped that his scolding got through to Ace Viper and woke them up from whatever daydream they were in. "That guy... I could have been imagining it; however, from where I stood, it looked like he was watching Izroth." Niflheim thought to himself as he kept the shadahi he confronted at bay. Niflheim knew that it was not surprising for someone to be in awe of seeing Izroth fight firsthand. After all, his game mechanics and skillful movements he made look effortless were things to be admired. The thing that troubled Niflheim was that the expression on Ace Viper''s face right as he saved him was not one of admiration or awe but rather one of self-delight. But, for some reason, that look of self-delight caused Niflheim to sense that something was off about Ace Viper. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, he did not have time to dwell on those thoughts and decided to push them to the back of his mind for the time being. "I''ll try to keep an eye on him. For now, I have far more important things to worry about." Niflheim decidedly quietly. At the same time, near where the coffin was located at the chamber''s center, Izroth noticed an unusual influx of energy pouring into the coffin. This time, instead of the coffin sharing energy with the spatial rift, it appeared that the spatial rift itself was reinforcing the coffin with its own portion of energy. ''Is it trying to forcibly speed up the revival process?'' Right as that thought entered Izroth''s mind, he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: The Time Limit for the quest ?Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm? has been modified.¡µ Chapter 1045 Darkness

Chapter 1045 Darkness

... Meanwhile, in the skies above the battlefield outside the Night Lord''s Crypt... High General Caius was locked into an intense battle with the skounae Dukes, the Benevolent Darkseeker Malkonen, and the Twin Lunar des Duke Noresuga. At the moment, Caius was pushing back the two skounae Dukes and held a clear advantage over them. With every wave of his sword, Caius sent over a terrifying wave of the fire element shrouded in a heavy and sharp sword intent that demolished all that fell onto its path. "My, this human is quite the handful to deal with." The elderly Duke, Malkonen, said as he avoided the wave of ming sword intent. BOOM! "?!" An immense yet concentrated explosion erupted behind Duke Malkonen that caused a scorching heat to engulf his back and send him flying forward. "Die, human!" Noresuga bellowed as he appeared above Caius with his palm pointed towards the Crimson Dragon yer. Zeut! Zeut! Out of nowhere, tworge metallic discs hummed as they approached Caius from the left and right at blinding speeds. "I''ve had enough of this farce!" Caius roared as the mana around him red up. The silver de in his hands transformed as its surface mirrored that of flowing moltenva. Ding! Ding! In a sh, Caius deflected the tworge discs under Duke Noresuga''s control with his sword before sending over a sharp streak of white light from the tip of his de in Noresuga''s direction. From Noresuga''s perspective, this all took ce in the same motion, leaving no time for him to react. Noresuga''s eyes widened in shock as the white light rapidly approached his neck with overwhelming killing intent. Ooooom! Soooou! Just as the white light was about to separate Noresuga''s head from his body, a cloud of dark smoke materialized in front of the Duke in a swirling vortex. The vortex of dark smoke sucked in the white light from Caius'' attack, effectively neutralizing it. Caius narrowed his eyes as he observed the emergence of the dark smoke and sensed the foul dark aura attached to it. "It''s about time you revealed yourself," Caius said calmly as his gaze was drawn upward to the source of that foul dark aura. "Humans¡ªalways so impudent as if it is carved into their very existence." A voice sounded from above Caius and the skounae Dukes. This voice was apanied by a frightening release of energy that suppressed everything in the surroundings and scattered most of the fire element that had been umted by Caius'' strikes. Woosh! Woosh! Despite the wounds inflicted on them by Caius, Duke Malkonen and Duke Noresuga quickly moved to the air just below the new arrival. Then, without pause, the skounae Dukes lowered their heads and kneeled mid-way, showing a great disy of respect for the individual before them. But, more than respect, there was a high level of fear that went down all the way to the bones of the skounae Dukes. "We greet the venerable Night Lord!" The two Dukes said in unison. The person the two Dukes greeted so respectfully was a woman with a slender and elegant appearance. Her pale blue skin had a slight iridescent quality to it that gave off an otherworldly impression. She had a pair of piercing ck eyes, with ck scleras that added to her mysterious and enigmatic look and long flowing white hair cascaded down her back in loose waves. The extravagant robes she wore seemed to have been crafted using luxurious fabrics and contained an intricate level of design. This individual was a skounae who stood above all others of their kind with one exception. She was one of only three Night Lords that answered solely to the Night King¡ªthe Antumbra of Darkness, Night Lord Xenth. NPC Name: Antumbra of Darkness, Night Lord Xenth(???) NPC Level: ??? "Venerable Night Lord, this lowly one thanks you for saving my life!" Noresuga said without lifting his head. "We beg your forgiveness, venerable Night Lord! To have you personally make a move¡ªit is the greatest shame we can bear in this life!" Malkonen stated with a voice full of regret. Xenth''s looked down with a cold gaze at the Dukes as she reached her hand forward. The moment she performed this action, Noresuga''s and Malkonen''s hearts sank as a horrifying chill ran down their spines. Suddenly, Xenth paused her hand and withdrew it back to her side. "How useless. If not for the present circumstances, your lives would have already been forfeited as a result of your failure. Fortunately for the two of you, the sess of the resurrection takes priority-" Boom! As Xenth was in the middle of speaking, a scorching wave of heat exploded where she and the two Dukes were located, creating a widespread cloud of smoke. The next moment, the smoke generated by the explosion began to halt its expansion as it was all pulled to a single point. Woosh! In a blink of an eye, the cloud of smoke vanished. At the same time, a small vortex of the same dark clouds that saved Noresuga earlier could be seen hovering above the palm of the Night Lord''s hand. "You seem to be in a rush to wee death with open arms, High General," Xenth stated coldly as her gaze locked onto Caius. A transparent sphere of dark energy epassed Xenth along with the two Dukes that protected them from Caius'' strike just now. Xenth clenched her hand into a fist as the dark cloud dispersed and the transparent sphere shattered. "Absurd. I shall be the one sending you to join your fellow Night Lord." Caius stated as the intensity of the fire element within his sword rose severalfold. "Then, let us find out¡ªwhether your words stem from confidence or arrogance," Xenth said as she extended her right arm into the air. As she did so, a small object appeared at the center of her chest. The object was a silver cross wrapped in ck chains no bigger than one''s hand. The object had incredibly intricate design patterns of unknown origins carved onto its surface and emitted a horrifying aura that made one feel the natural instinct to retreat before it. Caius'' expression turned serious when his gazended on the item called forth by the Night Lord Xenth. At the same time, a mysterious darkness materialized in the sky above the battlefield,pletely blocking out all light from the sun above. This darkness continued to spread until a gigantic dome of dark clouds epassed the entirety of the battlefield around the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Nightly Descent: World of Darkness," Xenth uttered as thest of the light within the dome of darkness disappeared. ... On the battlefield below, following the abrupt emergence of the dome of darkness, chaos quickly ensued among the allied forces. "Light! We need light magic!" One of the War Brigade Captains by the name of Rnd, shouted. "Captain, light magic isn''t working!" One of the allied force members said in a panicked tone. "The light talismans we were given are also no good!" Another called out. "I can''t see anything! 8th Squadron, don''t stray too far!" "Ahhhhh!" "We''re under attack!" "Hey, watch where you''re casting! You almost hit me!" "It''s no use! It''s too dark!" As the situation rapidly started to deteriorate, Rnd furrowed his brows as his thoughts raced. "This is a mess...! How can we regroup if light magic and talismans are ineffective-" Rnd said to himself. Swoosh! "?!" Out of nowhere, a pair of glowing eyes rushed past Rnd as a deep wound appeared on his torso. "You''ve finally set foot into our world, humans! Don''t n on leaving alive! Ahahahaha!" An eerie voice echoed in the darkness. "Skounae scum...!" Rnd growled under his breath. He then shouted, "Everyone, fall back! We need to regroup!" Rnd''s situation was not unique. All throughout the battlefield, simr situations unfolded as the allied forces were being overtaken by the skounae. The skounae were a race that thrived in the darkness, which is why the allied forces attacked while there was still light out. However, now that the dome of darkness had appeared, the time window the allied forces thought they possessed had suddenly shrunk. And, since they were already outnumbered, to begin with, the allied forces had been thrown into a tough spot. ... A few moments ago, in the depths of the Night Lord''s Crypt... ¡´System Alert: The Time Limit for the quest ?Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm? has been modified.¡µ ''It changed?'' Without halting his movement, Izroth opened his system interface as he calmly evaded one of the iing attacks from the shadahi beforeunching a counterattack with his sword. Bang! Izroth cut cleanly across the shadahi''s torso with great force and sent it tumbling backward as he quickly nced over the new time limit for the quest. ''This... How troublesome.'' Quest Name: Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm Rmended Level: ??? Rmended Party Size: N/A Quest Rank: SSS Quest Objective: An important event is urring that will decide how the scale of bnce tips in the Mortal Realm. You must do whatever is in your power to stop the scales from tipping against the Mortal Realm itself. Time Limit: 1 day -> 15 Minutes 0/1 Prevent the full revival of the ?Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars?. ... Special Note: This quest will be automatically epted. This quest cannot be shared. Chapter 1046 Izroth’s Plan

Chapter 1046 Izroth''s n

Izroth had already anticipated that the time limit for the Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm quest would not be a full day; however, he still figured that they would at least have a few hours to work with. For the time limit to drop all the way down to fifteen minutes¡ªit did not leave them any breathing room. And, at this point, Izroth knew that they could not afford a single mistake. Otherwise, the Night Lord Zars would be revived and the battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt would quickly turn in the skounae''s favor. ''I have to find a way to get rid of the barrier that''s protecting the coffin. Perhaps...'' "Jol''Kil," Izroth called out as he calmly fended off the shadahi. Crrrckle! p! As Izroth swung his Sword of the Storm, its effect Destructive Aftermath activated, sending out a wave of destruction that swept over the shadahi and temporarily paralyzed their movements while damaging them. Right after the shadahis were paralyzed, Jol''Kil arrived next to Izroth and said, "Young master, you called for me?" "The mes you use increase the overall mass of its target, correct?" Izroth inquired. "Your observational skills are exceptional. It is just as you say. Those thate into contact with my mes be heavier based on the number of wisps I attach to them." Jol''Kil replied without hesitation. As a warrior of the Seventh Demon n, Jol''Kil would not typically expose the secret behind his mes so easily. However, since Izroth was the great benefactor of his Seventh Demon n and was even trusted by their ancestor, how could Jol''Kil dare think of keeping secrets from him? "How much heavier does one be for every wisp and how many can you attach simultaneously to one target?" Izroth questioned as the shadahis broke free of the paralyzing effects of Destructive Aftermath. But, without wasting a moment, Izroth employed the Lightning Cage effect from his Sword of the Storm, trapping all three of the shadahi within its confines. As the lightning jumped around in the cage, it kept the shadahis movementspletely sealed. "The first wisp makes a target five times heavier, the second ten times, the third twenty times, and so on with each doubling from thest. The most wisps that I can apply to a single target is five. Any more than that and my mes will start to be unstable and lose its effectiveness." Jol''Kil exined. ''Five wisps... At its peak, that would be eighty times. It would have been ideal if the Strength of the Ancient Colossus was avable, but it won''t be off cooldown before the time limit is up. Still, eighty times... If it''s that much, it may just work.'' "What about the range?" Izroth asked. "As long as the target is within my direct line of sight, no issues should ur," Jol''Kil responded. ''Good, that''s the best I could hope for. I was worried the range would be too limited to pull it off.'' "When I give you the signal, I want you to use all five wisps on me," Izroth stated. "?!" Jol''Kil''s eyes widened in shock as he was caught off guard by Izroth''s bizarre request. Why would he want to willing ce himself at a disadvantage at a crucial time like this? Jol''Kil was unable to make sense of it. "Young master, what you''re asking me to do¡ªI''m afraid I cannotprehend your intentions. If my actions were to ce you in danger, how could I ever face the n head?" Jol''Kil said in a troubled tone as he furrowed his brows. "There''s no time to go into details. However, you can rest assured. Your actions will prove more beneficial than detrimental. On that, I give you my word. Is that enough?" Izroth replied calmly. Seeing that calm expression on Izroth''s face and hearing him give his word, Jol''Kil could only release a helpless sigh. "Then, young master, I shall do as you say and await your signal. Please, prioritize your own safety." Jol''Kil said while trying his best to hide the reluctance in his voice. "I''ll be counting on you," Izroth stated with a carefree expression. Rooooragh! The shadahis broke free of Izroth''s Lightning Cage as they immediately charged toward Izroth with a level of aggression that seemed to rise severalfold after being rendered helpless for so long. Woosh! Izroth dashed with quickened steps in a direction that was away from the coffin as the shadahis chased after him without letting up in the slightest. ''First, I''ll have to get these guys to switch their attention away from me. In order to do that...'' Izroth set his sights on a field of scorching mes in the distance. At the center of those mes was Lances suppressing a group of shadahi with the strength of his zing inferno. At the moment, Izroth was headed that way with the three shadahi trailing not too far behind him. As Izroth moved closer to where Lances was battling the shadahis, he caught the Commander''s attention. "Hm? Why is heing over this way?" Lances pondered silently. "Lances, I need to leave these three in your hands for a while. Can you handle it?" Izroth asked as he arrived within a few meters of Lances'' position. "If you''re making a request like that, I''m guessing you have something in mind?" Lancesmented. Woosh! "That barrier¡ªI n to destroy it along with the coffin in one go," Izroth said as he passed right by Lances without halting his steps. Rooooragh! Lances set his sights on the three shadahis who were following after Izroth and moving on a path towards his position in an attempt to catch up with him. "Honestly... You just keep stealing all the good parts for yourself. Well, I guess I''ll let you have the credit this time." Lances said to himself with a light smile as the fire element around him abruptly expanded at a rapid pace. ...BOOM! Rooooragh! Lances unleashed a terrifying explosion of mes that formed a twister of fire more than ten meters tall at his location. Izroth nced back and noticed that the three shadahis who were chasing after him were no longer there. After getting caught up in Lances'' attack, the creatures shifted their focus to the immediate threat before them. ''He should be able to hold them off long enough. Still, even for him, handling that many shadahi at once is dangerous. I have to finish things on my end fast.'' Izroth changed directions and made his way back towards the coffin located at the chamber''s center. "Get ready," Izroth said as he dashed past Jol''Kil after he arrived back at the coffin. Without slowing down, Izroth leaped into the air above the coffin. Then, after making it a few meters into the air, Izroth kicked off the air and continued to make his way further into the air. Since the space in this area was abnormal, Izroth proceeded with a certain level of caution the higher up he got. ''Good, there doesn''t appear to be any issues with the surrounding space. With that, the biggest concern is out of the way. Now...'' Izroth turned his gaze downward as he arrived at the height limit of his Sky Steps. The next moment, Izroth began to gather essence at his sword as he pointed it towards the sky. Bzzzt...! Crrrrckle! A swirling vortex of storm clouds with purple lightning jumping throughout them formed in the air above Izroth. Almost immediately after the clouds formed, des of wind started to rain down on the battlefield below. ''By infusing Great Storm with my essence, it should have no problem reaching the shadahi on the ground. But, more importantly...'' The moment Izroth executed the Great Storm effect of his Sword of the Storm, a wisp of dark red mes materialized on his chest. ''I''ll only get one shot. Hopefully, I can still adjust myself properly in time.'' Right after the first wisp emerged, another two appeared on each of his shoulders, followed by two more that emerged on his legs. ''This feeling... It''s like I have an endless abyss of strength within me. Despite the increase in my mass, I don''t feel any different than before.'' Thanks to the Earthly Golden Bones passive of his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth''s physical strength was enhanced alongside his mass; therefore, he did not struggle to maintain control mid-air. Now that question was whether or not his current body could withstand what he had in mind. ''There''s only one way to find out.'' Suddenly, Izroth canceled his Sky Steps skill as he began to plummet from the sky! Izroth''s actions caught the attention of a few individuals from the 9th Division and 5th Unit; however, most did not have the luxury to let their guard down. "What is he up to up there?" Halls said as he blocked an iing strike from a shadahi. "Heh, who knows? But, if it''s our brother, then it''s gotta be something that''s gonna blow us away, right?" Guan Yu roared as he pushed back the shadahi he faced off against. Chapter 1047 Split

Chapter 1047 Split

As Izroth fell from the sky head first, he kept his sword pointed out before him toward the ground. At the same time, a series of alerts sounded from the system. ¡´System Alert: Recognizing ?Authority?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Authority? recognized as Mid Level!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Establishing active link with ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss?...¡µ ¡´System Alert: Active link established!¡µ ¡´System Alert: ?Immortal Persona: Dragon Lord of the Abyss? has answered your call!¡µ (Human, you haven''t forgotten about your promise, have you?) ''As long as you continue to prove your usefulness, I will find you a suitable body as promised.'' (Having to rely on the words of a human is disgraceful. However, this lord has already chosen to ce its fate in your hands. I hope that you do not disappoint me, human. That''s why, until the time of that promisees, this lord shall lend you its strength as you see fit.) ''Then, I''ll be sure to hold you to that.'' Immortal Persona¡ªthis was one of the skills attached to Izroth''s Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. An Immortal Persona was simr to a living spirit that resided within an object. In this case, the object was Izroth''s armor. Based on the level of authority he had over the Immortal Persona, Izroth was able to acquire ess to certain abilities rted to that particr Immortal Persona. He also discovered that if his authority was too low, the Immortal Persona could refuse his call. So far, Izroth currently had two Immortal Personas within his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. The first was an unknown Immortal Persona that refused all his call attempts. Although Izroth had no proof, given the nature of his armor, he believed that this specific Immortal Persona was likely the original living spirit of the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence itself. As for the second Immortal Persona, it was, of course, the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. With a Mid-Level Authority, Izroth had ess to a portion of two skills; an offensive-type skill known as Dragon''s Mark and a defensive-type skill called Dragon''s Scale. In this case, what Izroth required was the use of Dragon''s Scale. Dragon''s Scale made it so that as long as his maximum HP was above 80%, any damage he received would be negated and stored to the side. This effect wouldst until a threshold equal to 180% of his maximum HP was reached. After that, he would receive a massive bacsh of all the damage he umted, half of which would be inflicted immediately and the other half that would take ce over the next five seconds. Since healing and shielding could not reduce the stored damage amount, it meant Izroth would not have a lot of time once the threshold was reached. He hoped that it did not have toe to that; however, since this was his first time attempting something like this, Izroth knew that it was better to take some level of precautions. Under normal circumstances, Izroth would use Falling Feather Steps to break his fall. Unfortunately, for what he had in mind, utilizing Falling Feather Steps would only work against him. And, by the time achieved his goal, it would be toote to activate it. ''Well, if all goes ordingly, I should be fine.'' 20 meters... 10 meters... 5 meters...! ''Fusion Skill... First Baneful Sword-'' Suddenly, an overbearing aura of a chilling piercing intent epassed Izroth''s Sword of the Storm. Zeeeeeut! ''Destruction Point.'' DIIIIIIIIIIIIING! A deafening ring sounded throughout the chambers as the tip of Izroth''s Sword of the Storm collided with the protective barrier that surrounded the coffin. Crraaaaack! The ground beneath the coffin shattered, forming a sizable crater in the process as fractured fragments of the transparent barrier could be seen giving way under the immense pressure generated by Izroth''s strike. Shiiiiiiing! Woosh! Izroth''s sword sliced through the protective barrier and without slowing in momentum, cut the coffin in two! ...BOOOOM! Izroth''s sword crashed into the ground beneath the coffin, creating arge cloud of dust at the chamber''s center. Simultaneously, just as his sword sessfully cut through the coffin, Izroth prepared himself for iing bacsh as he mmed into the ground! ¡´Battle Alert: Warning! The threshold for the skill ?Dragon''s Scale? has been reached!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You have received [21,672] damage!¡µ ¡´Battle Alert: You will receive [4,334] damage every second over the next 5 seconds!¡µ When Izroth saw the damage warning, a carefree smile appeared on his face. ?Immune? ?Immune? ... ''I knew it would be a close call, so I nned to immediately activate Crystallization either way, but... It looks like I managed to stay just below the limit.'' Instead of bleeding out the 4,334 damage that he was supposed to, Izroth waspletely immune to it! This was due to the Greater Physique passive of his Heavenly Golden Body. As long as the damage did note from weapons like a dagger, if it were below 4,434, then Izroth would be entirely unaffected by it. Using this to his advantage, Izroth was able to effectively negate the biggest downside to the Dragon''s Scale skill. (This human is too crazy...! Will my fate really be alright left in his hands?) Meanwhile, Izroth''s allies who felt the earth shake from the impact just now were left dumbfounded. The fact that they could feel the force of the impact from tens of meters away made them question whether or not the person responsible for it could even survive something like that. "That guy... He''s even crazier than I am..!" Noir said with a grin. "Ahahaha! Didn''t I tell you, Noir? You should just follow my brother! You''ll have a much more entertaining time than rotting away in those top guilds!" Guan Yu stated proudly. "Maybe you weren''t just needlessly boasting, after all," Noirmented. Guan Yu was well known among the 5th Unit for the stories he often told about this mythical-like brother of his and the incredible feats he aplished. Of course, many of those in the 5th Unit did not take Guan Yu seriously. After all, some of the stories he told sounded like events pulled right out of the epics of heroes. However, after witnessing the person at the source of his stories in action firsthand, there was one thought that shed through the minds of the 5th Unit members¡ªcould it be that those insane stories Guan Yu told were actually all true? Just like the members of the 5th Unit, those of the 9th Division under Izroth were also at a loss for words. They knew how incredible their Captain was; however, he always seemed to exceed their previous expectations of him. "We really lucked out joining this Division, didn''t we, Sky?" Astral Knight said with an expression of high nerves and excitement. "Yeah, this Captain of ours is a real freak of nature. I''m d you talked me into tagging along with you at that time." Clouded Sky remarked. Lances nced over towards the center of the chamber. Just before the cloud of dust formed, he saw it clearly¡ªthe coffin being split in two. "The protective barrier that surrounded the coffin was something even I didn''t have confidence breaking in a short amount of time without having to pay a heavy price. Even then, my chances of seeding were only around fifty percent. Breaking the protective barrier alone is already an impressive feat, but for him to also cut the coffin itself in half... I''ve never seen such a precise level of swordsmanship." Lances thought to himself. If that attack had been performed by somebody with mediocre swordsmanship, the aftermath of destruction would have spread well beyond the area of the coffin. However, the only thing one felt with Izroth''s strike was the tremors. What made it more remarkable was the fact that the tremors were generated as a result of the vibrations produced by Izroth''s sword hitting the protective barrier. The reason Lances was so amazed by the precision of Izroth''s swordsmanship had to do with how he concentrated the entirety of that sword strike to a single point at the tip of his sword. The coffin of a Night Lord was not just some random object that could be found on the side of the road. It was, at minimum, an S-ranked magic item crafted for the sole purpose of guarding whatever, or in this case whoever, it housed. That kind of magic item was not something just anyone could cut through. This was even more so considering he did so immediately after breaking the protective barrier around it. It did not take long for the dust to clear out from around the chamber''s center. By the time it finished doing so, what revealed itself was Izroth standing before the damaged coffin. As he watched the numerous particles drift off into the sky, Izroth heard the sound of the system alerts go off. ¡´System Alert: 1/1 Prevent the full revival of the ?Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars?.¡µ ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm?!¡µ Chapter 1048 Clearing the Darkness and Turning the Tides

Chapter 1048 Clearing the Darkness and Turning the Tides

... A few moments ago outside the Night Lord''s Crypt... The tides of battle quickly turned in favor of the skounae as the allied forces became engulfed in darkness. The darkness conjured by the Antumbra of Darkness, Night Lord Xenth devoured all sources of light that dwelled inside the dome''s vicinity. Every time someone attempted to use light magic or talismans that released light, a mysterious force immediately moved to suppress it and smothered it in darkness. The emergence of this unique darkness empowered the skounae while simultaneously cing an unbelievable amount of pressure on the allied forces. At the moment, the center forces under the directmand of General Solomon were still holding on. This was mostly due to their timely reaction when the darkness first emerged. Upon seeing that darkness, Solomon immediately gave the signal for all of the allied forces to tighten their formations. Since the center forces were mostly made up of those who initially served under Solomon, they moved with haste as they disengaged from their fights and followed the General''s orders. Unfortunately, the left and right wings were unable to move with the same level of speed and efficiency. As a result, the left wing being led by the aggressive Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian Argousa found themselves on the back foot. As for the allied forces'' right wing under the Herald of the Surging Tides Lena Oras, while their situation was not as stable as the center forces led by General Solomon, they remained much better off than the right wing. Unlike Argousa who preferred to confront everything head-on, Lena retained a more cautious nature and often switched between offensive and defensive tactics based on the overall state of the battlefield. Nevertheless, the situation on the battlefield for the allied forces was quickly beginning to unravel before their eyes. If things continued on their current path, it would only be a matter of time before they werepletely overwhelmed by the skounae forces. "The powerful mana that emerged in the sky and this darkness that devours all light... Without a doubt, it must be the doing of the Antumbra of Darkness. The High General will have his hands full suppressing the Night Lord and it''s not time for that person to make her move yet. We''ll have to rely on ourselves to vanquish this cursed darkness. If we allow it to persist, it will only be a matter of time until our forces fall to shambles." Solomon pondered silently. A small purple orb appeared in Solomon''s hand before he crushed it in his palm. The next moment, a humanoid silhouette formed in front of the General, apanied by a yful and charming giggle with an alluring tone. "How I''ve missed you, Solomon~" A sweet and enchanting voice sounded as the General found a pair of arms wrapped around his neck in a loving fashion. Solomon seemed unbothered by the abrupt contact. That''s because he had already grown ustomed to the way this individual behaved every time he called them forth. "Celebrexa, I need you to extinguish this darkness," Solomon stated in a straightforward manner. "Right to business as always, I see. How cold, Solomon~" Celebrexa pouted as she lightly puffed her cheeks to disy her devilish frustration. "The circumstances are rather dire. The price?" Solomon inquired as he brushed aside Celebrexa''s mischievous nature. "Hmmm~ This darkness is abnormal. For your request, I''ll need seven." Celebrexa said as she licked her lips with a yful grin. "Take it," Solomon replied without hesitation. "Then, excuse me~," Celebrexa said as she stabbed her hand through Solomon''s chest. A stream of white energy rushed out of Solomon and flowed into Celebrexa as a look of euphoria formed on her face. A few secondster, the flow of energy was cut off as Celebrexa released a light sigh of satisfaction. "Thank you for the delicious meal~," Celebrexa said as she casually snapped her fingers. Soooooou! An immense wave of unknown energy was sent out in every direction before mming into the dome of darkness. Craaaack! Shatter! In a sh, the dome of darkness was obliterated as light returned to the battlefield. "Gaaaah!" Many of the skounae who were abruptly exposed to the light after beingpletely submerged in darkness cried out in distress. The sudden copse of the dome of darkness was akin to an intense sh of light that momentarily blinded the skounae. Seeing this, the allied forces wasted no time taking advantage of the skounaes state of confusion and releasing their pent-up anger. From the time the dome of darkness materialized to when it fell, the allied forces lost roughly fifteen percent of their troops as they were practically left to the mercy of the skounae. Additionally, numerous Divisions and Squadrons were in tatters as they had to group up with others in order topensate for their losses. But, the allied forces did not shriek back in the face of their losses. Instead, they pushed forward with unbelievable momentum and swiftly regained the ground they conceded to the skounae. "Charge! Avenge our fallenrades! For every life they''ve taken, we will im ten¡ªno a hundred!" Argousa roared as he pushed the left wing forward while smashing through the skounae in his path. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! With every step Argousa took, the earth beneath his feet shattered. "HAAAAAAA!" Argousa unleashed a terrifying battle cry as the earth fragmented by his steps started to break off and form an earth-like armor on his body. Suddenly, in every ce that Argousa passed by, the skounae were drawn in by an irresistible force as their bodies mmed into the earth-like armor that epassed the Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian. It went on this way until a huge sphere of hundreds of skounae was caught within the inescapable force that surrounded Argousa. Argousa jumped tens of meters into the sky as the earth-like armor broke off his body before mming itself together underneath him. Argousa clenched his fist tightly as the muscles on his right arm bulged and expanded severalfold. "Striking Heavy Judgment!" Argousa roared as he punched the earth-like armor and sent it tumbling down to the earth. As he did so, the hundreds of skounaes drawn to the armor followed along its path to the earth! ...BOOOOOOOM! Arge explosion erupted on the left wing of the battlefield as the earth-like armor collided with the ground and released an explosive wave of destruction that left behind a sizable crater. "LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE!" Argousa howled as he plunged from the sky. Meanwhile, on the right side of the battlefield, Lena also chose to shift to an offensive focus. "Sacred Colossus Tidal Wave!" Lena chanted as she pointed two fingers towards the sky. OOOOOO-AAAAAAAA! The cry of a blue whale echoed throughout the right side of the battlefield as a colossal sea beast made purely of the water element cast a giant shadow. The colossal sea beast spanned approximately one hundred meters and bore a close resemnce to a blue whale. However, the creature had three horns growing from its head and two extra sets of flippers attached to its sides. SPLASH! The colossal beast formed from the water element crashed into the crowd of skounae located on the right wing. However, the skounae who were fortunate enough not to perish from the initial impact had no moment to rest. Upon crashing to the earth, the colossal sea beast''s body dispersed and transformed into a huge tidal wave. The tidal wave viciously swept away arge portion of the skounae forces on the right wing and threw them into a state of disorder. In the blink of an eye, the left wing and right wing were able to regain their footing and even push forward deeper toward the Night Lord''s Crypt. As for the center forces under Solomon''smand, they also made sure to take full advantage of the skounaes moment of weakness. With Commander Aurie and Commander Ezra leading their own Units on the side, the center allied forces quickly overtook the skounae and finally managed to reach the entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt. However, just as they were about to charge forth into the Night Lord''s Crypt, something bizarre happened. Shrieeeeeeeeek! A terrifying sound that paralyzed the center forces spread throughout the battlefield and halted their advance into the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, it was not just the center forces who dealt with this abrupt noise that stopped their movement. The left wing and right wing were also caught off guard by its sudden emergence. At the same time, in front of the entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt, a mysterious figure shrouded in darkness rose from the shadows. The mysterious figure waspletely formless and gave off a sinister energy that immediately drew the attention of Solomon, Aurie, and Ezra. "General, that aura..." Aurie said with a troubled expression as she furrowed her brows. "Yes, it would seem that the worst we''ve feared hase to pass," Solomon stated with a cold gaze. Chapter 1049 Token of Fate and Master of Skills

Chapter 1049 Token of Fate and Master of Skills

... ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you havepleted the quest ?Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Token of Fate?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You have received the Unique* ss skill ?Master of Skills?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 16,134.54¡µ As Izroth received the rush of system alerts after breaking through the protective barrier and destroying the coffin, he quickly nced over the rewards he had obtained. ''Oh? Items like this exist as well? Is this what they call having a hack?'' Name: Token of Fate(Soulbound) Rank: Unique* Usage: The user of this item can influence probability up to [3] times to ensure the best or worst possible oue. After this item is used [3] times, it will be automatically destroyed. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold. Izroth''s thoughts were not too far off from what the Token of Fate was capable of doing. From the perspective of a yer, it was in all sense of the word, a hack! Imagine having at one''s fingertips the ability to make something disy its best or worst possible oue. A boss monster that only has a tiny chance of dropping a legendary piece of gear, suddenly, is guaranteed to do so. A skill with a 0.01% instant kill chance now bes a foolproof one-shot kill. These were just a few ways to utilize something like the Token of Fate. In reality, the possibilities were limitless! ''It''s a shame it can only be used three times. I''ll have to make every use count. As for this... It''s certainly an interesting skill to have acquired.'' Skill Name: Master of Skills Skill Mastery: MAXED Skill Rank: Unique* Passive: The user of this skill gains the following: Skill Archive(Passive) - Allows the user to create and ess a special storage that stores information regarding skills. Skills within the ?Skill Archive? can be processed and turned into a ?Skill Book?. This process can take up to 3 Weeks depending on the skill''s rank. Unique* skills can be stored within the ?Skill Archive?, but cannot be turned into a ?Skill Book?. Cannot store the ?%(*#&@?. Skill Enhancement(Passive) - Using information from the ?Skill Archive?, the user can improve pre-existing skills and help them reach their full potential. Cannot influence the ?%(*#&@?. Skill Combination(Passive) - The user canbine [2] or more skills contained within the ?Skill Archive? to create a new skill. Cannot create the ?%(*#&@?. Skill Analysis(Passive) - As long as a skill is used within 30 meters of the user''s location or within their direct line of sight, the user will be provided with an in-depth analysis of the skill and it will be stored within the ?Skill Archive?. This process can take up to 24 hours depending on the skill''s rank. The user cannot analyze more than one skill at a time. Cannot analyze the ?%(*#&@?. Special Note: Skills are at the core of one''s strength. As the master of skills, be the core of everyone''s strength! ''The corrupted text is somewhat concerning. But, based on the context surrounding it, it doesn''t seem like a bad thing. That being said, for abat master, the ability to analyze skills alone already provides a massive advantage. However, to be able to create skill books from pre-existing skills and evenbine or enhance them¡ªI''m probably- No, I''m undoubtedly the only yer in RML that''s capable of doing so.'' As Izroth glimpsed over his rewards, his time was swiftly cut short as he felt the gaze of every shadahi within the chamber shift to him. ''It looks like I''ll have to test it out at ater time. For now, I have to deal with this problem.'' Roooooragh! Everyst shadahi in the chamber, whether they were the one under attack or doing the attacking, immediately tossed aside all reason and ran with a blood-filled fevered craze towards Izroth. Of course, the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were never the friendly sort; however, there was something different about their behavior this time. It was as if a switch suddenly flipped and a berserk-like nature rose from the depths of their existence. "Stop them! Don''t let them surround the Captain!" Niflheim called out as he sped into action. "Where do you think you''re going?!" Guan Yu shouted as he chased after the shadahi who ran away from him to go after Izroth. Woosh! BANG! Guan Yu swung his guandao with an explosive force and left a deep wound on the shadahi''s back. But, instead of slowing down to confront him, the shadahipletely ignored the strike and continued onward. "What''s going on with these guys?! Why are they all suddenly so interested in our brother?! Are they trying to get revenge for that broken coffin?!" Halls said as he smashed his shield into one of the shadahi, throwing them off bnce and causing them to tumble several meters across the ground. Roooooragh! The shadahi knocked aside by Halls quickly sprung to its feet and, just like the shadahi attacked by Guan Yu, ignored Halls and proceeded to make its way towards Izroth at the chamber''s center. Guan Yu and Halls were not the only two people faced with this problem. Those from the 9th Division, 5th Unit, and even Lances himself, could not draw the attention of the shadahis. When Izroth witnessed this sight, it caused him to narrow his eyes as he maintained a calm expression. ''The shadahi are strange creatures; however, even for them, the abrupt change in their behavior is too abnormal. If they''re reacting like this, then... Can it be that they''re moving to protect the spatial rift?'' Since the coffin had been destroyed by Izroth, all the energy that it absorbed was now being redirected to the spatial rift itself. Izroth believed that there were two likely exnations for the shift in the shadahis behavior. First, the spatial rift was somehow damaged as a result of his attack just now. But, since there were no clear indications of the space around the spatial rift being fractured, Izroth pushed this possibility aside, which left the other remaining possibility. ''The spatial rift¡ªis it beginning to stabilize?'' "Look, over there! Where did that strange-looking cracke from?!" Guan Yu remarked as he pointed towards the chamber''s center. "Crack?" Without slowing his movement, Halls over to where Guan Yu pointed and witnessed a bizarre scene. Not far from where Izroth stood, there was a long vertical crack running along the air that seemed to constantly fade in and out of existence. The crack stretched at least five meters and appeared to be slowly expanding. There were mystical red clouds that covered the crack''s surface; however, it was gradually diminishing and unveiling what was on the other side. Despite bing the main target of the shadahis, Izroth calmly examined the spatial rift. "Jol''Kil, Zel''Kan¡ªdon''t let them disturb me," Izroth said nonchntly as his gaze stayed fixated on the spatial rift. Woosh! Woosh! Out of nowhere, Jol'' Kil and Zel''Kan arrived at Izroth''s side. "Yes, young master!" Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan responded in unison as they moved to intercept the closest shadahis. ''I hoped that by taking care of the coffin, the spatial rift would be destabilized after losing its connection to this ce. However, it seems my thoughts were too optimistic.'' Initially, Izroth figured that the coffin was acting as a beacon point of sorts that allowed the spatial rift that connected the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm to maintain a certain level of stability. But, as it turned out, the coffin was not a beacon. Instead, it would be more urate to call it a regtor that controlled how much energy the spatial rift pulled in. Most likely the skounae made it this way intentionally as a way of restricting and slowing the number of shadahi that coulde through the spatial rift. After all, even if they were technically on the same side of this war, the skounae were not so naive as to allow that massive army on the other side to cross right into the heart of their kingdom. ''The energy that was previously absorbed by the coffin is now being entirely monopolized by the spatial rift. At its current rate of expansion, it won''t be long until the spatial rift finishes stabilizing and the army of shadahis on the other side are able to cross through without worry.'' However, Izroth was not concerned about the army of shadahis. While they were certainly resilient, the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers could still be taken care of as long as the correct methods were used. But, that bound shadahi at the center of that army was a different story altogether. Even a shadahi like Commander Ekquilore did note close toparing to that dangerous existence. ''If that thing manages to step through this spatial rift, the allied forces outside the Night Lord''s Crypt won''t stand a chance.'' Chapter 1050 Third Option

Chapter 1050 Third Option

Out of nowhere, a series of zing mes erupted from the ground and formed a circr blockade roughly ten meters in diameter with Izroth positioned at its center. Not long after the mes emerged, Lances dashed through the wall of mes beforeing to a halt at Izroth''s side. Lances realized something was off the moment the shadahis started to behave strangely and immediately understood that it must have had something to do with the coffin''s destruction; or, rather, the spatial rift that appeared to form as a result of it. "Any ideas what this thing could be?" Lances inquired with furrowed brows. The moment he arrived in front of the spatial rift, Lances sensed a bone-chilling chaotic auraing from the other side that made the shadahis in the chamber seem insignificant inparison. The red clouds had yet to fully disperse, so Lances could not see the terrifying sight thaty on the other side of the spatial rift; however, the spatial rift itself still gave him a bad feeling. "It''s a portal that connects the Mortal Realm to the Shadahi Realm," Izroth replied without adverting his gaze. "What?!" Lances eximed as his eyes widened in shock. He then hurriedly asked, "Hey, you''re not joking right? This thing¡ªis it really a portal to that Shadahi Realm?!" "Yes, which is why we need a way to seal or sever its connection to this ce before it''s able to finish stabilizing," Izroth said calmly. "Unreal..." Lances muttered with a troubled expression. As someone from the Pride n, Lances heard countless stories from the elders of his n about the horrors of the shadahi and how the creatures were sealed away in a special realm. What many people did not know, however, was that there was a particr group of extraordinary existences among the shadahi. Those individuals were considered true monstrosities that had been forced to remain dormant even after being sealed away in the Shadahi Realm. That''s why Lances did not understand how Izroth could stand there and be able to speak such frightening words so calmly. "Can it be that he''s already discovered a way to close the spatial rift?" Lances contemted as he nced over at Izroth. At the same time, Izrothpleted his examination of the spatial rift. ''It''s just as I thought. This portal¡ªthere''s no way to effectively sever the connection in time.'' Izroth concluded that severing the connection within their limited frame of time was not a feasible option. As for sealing the spatial rift, if he had the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels in pristine condition, Izroth would have been willing to attempt it. Unfortunately, he handed the Twin Lasting Epoch Sentinels over to Morrighan for repairs since the magic item had be unusable. Another approach would have been to try using Zakra''s Harmonic Spear of Causality to try and for the portal to malfunction or seal itself shut. But that skill was still on cooldown after Izroth used it to suppress that vicious dark frost and prevent it from spreading throughout his body. ''I suppose that leaves us with three options. First, we try to search for a way out of this ce and report the existence of this spatial rift to our allies. Of course, by the time we do that, the link between the two realms will have finished stabilizing, and a fight will be inevitable. The second choice is that I use the Boundless Nullifying Expanse of the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. With it, I may be able to cut off the connection just long enough for the spatial rift to destabilize and copse in on itself. Sadly, it''s impossible to urately gauge the level of destructive force that will be generated by the portal''s abrupt copse. It''s likely that even if we were to seed, everyone within the chamber will perish.'' "I guess that leaves the third option..." Izroth said to himself. "Hm? Did you just say something?" Lances asked. "I may have a way to stop it, but I will need some time. In the meantime, do not let anything disturb me." Izroth stated as he opened up his system interface. Lances looked at the spatial rift and then back at Izroth. In truth, he was not sure how confident Izroth was in stopping the potential disaster in front of them. However, Lances knew that there was no choice but to trust in Izroth''s judgment and hope that he managed to seed with whatever he had nned. "Just focus on what needs to be done. Leave your back to us." Lances said with an air of reassuring confidence. Even if he was apprehensive inside, as a Commander and the highest-ranked person present, Lances understood that he did not have the luxury to disy such concern. If he started to show his worry, it would undoubtedly leak over those of the 5th Unit. And, if the 5th Unit began to crumble; as a result, it would not be long before the 9th Division followed right by their side. Roooooragh! Out of nowhere, two shadahi managed to break through the defensive wall of mes Lances set up. "As a descendant of the Pride n, I, Lances Pride, shall uphold the trust ced in me by those around me." Lances stated as the fire element around him erupted. He then continued, "On that, you have my word." Lances kicked off the ground and rushed towards the two shadahi who passed through his wall of mes and met the creatures head-on. ...BOOM! As Lances went off to keep the shadahi at bay, a transparent window opened before Izroth that only he could see. The next moment, a system alert sounded off. ¡´System Alert: You have opened the ?Special Event Shop?.¡µ ''I don''t have time to search through everything in the event shop. I''ll need to narrow the parameters.'' There were tens upon tens of thousands of items avable for purchase within the event shop. Sorting through all the items and finding something suitable would take much longer than Izroth could afford; therefore, he did not hesitate to use the search function to filter out most of themon items. By the time he finished, Izroth was able to narrow it down to less than 10,000 results. Each of the items listed that matched the search parameters Izroth used cost a minimum of 5,000 contribution points. What Izroth was looking for was simple¡ªan item that was rare quality over higher and had sealing or severing attributes. He also excluded things like equipment, weapons, potions, and pills¡ªitems that were unlikely able to do what he intended. ''There are still too many results to search through. I''ll have to add more restrictions.'' Izroth quickly changed the minimum quality requirement from rare to epic grade. And immediately upon doing so, the search results dropped down to just around 1,000. ''I can work with this.'' Although a thousand results were still a lot to go over, Izroth was someone with perfect memory. As long as he nced over it once, he would be able to retain all the information that was disyed. Therefore, as he was going through the items, there would not be anything he overlooked. Meanwhile, as Izroth swiftly browsed through the event shop, the 9th Division and 5th Unit were locked in a fierce battle against the shadahi. Though to call it a battle was not entirely urate. The 9th Division and 5th Unit were not struggling to fight against the shadahi. In fact, if one were to look at the fight from an outside perspective, it would seem as if they were one-sidedly ughtering the creatures. But that was only how it appeared on the surface. In reality, they were unable to hold back the shadahi despite their best efforts. The high regenerative abilities of the shadahi paired with their ever-building immunity and bloodlust made the creatures a headache to hold down. "Vanguard, get it together! We''ve already let two slip through the wall of mes made by Commander Lances! Do not let it happen a second time! East side, move closer together!" Niflheim barked orders as he suppressed the shadahi close to him. With Izroth''s attention on the spatial rift and Lances by his side within the wall of mes, Niflheim took it upon himself to take charge. Surprisingly, no one from the 5th Unit seemed to be against him doing so and followed his orders without fail. Chapter 1051 Taking Charge

Chapter 1051 Taking Charge

This wasrgely in part due to Niflheim''s actions during their fight against Duke Zareign and the Night Terror Shadow Beasts, as well as their current sh with the shadahis. Through his quick, well-timed actions and advice, Niflheim saved numerous people from the 9th Division and 5th Unit alike from spiraling into dangerous situations. The 5th Unit''s vanguard, in particr, had formed a great deal of respect towards Niflheim. He was not afraid to ce himself in unfavorable positions if it meant easing the burden on his allies. Additionally, whether it was a person from the 9th Division or the 5th Unit, he protected them with the same level of effort and intensity. Of course, it also helped that Halls and Guan Yu, two trusted members of the 5th Unit, took the initiative to follow Niflheim''s orders while Izroth and Lances were preupied. Although Halls and Guan Yu did not know Niflheim that well since their time together during the raid was short-lived, they did know that he used to be the top strategist of Blue Oasis. The two also knew that Niflheim was an upright man who did not shy away from upholding his word. That much was proven to them the moment he decided to walk away from Blue Oasis. More importantly, Halls and Guan Yu understood that Izroth would have never given a position as his Lieutenant to someone he had no confidence in. The fact that Izroth was willing to trust Niflheim to that extent was good enough for them to lend him a hand. Niflheim''s gazended on Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan. "Thanks to those two, the pressure on the vanguard has been reduced significantly. Still, even with their aid, it doesn''t change the fact that we won''t be able to hold these things back indefinitely." Niflheim thought to himself. With every passing moment, the shadahis were bing more aggressive and bloodthirsty. This made it easy to predict their movements; however, it also caused them to be much more challenging to face head-on. The vanguard was doing their best to keep things grounded, but Niflheim could see the more minor ws exposing themselves the longer the battle progressed. Roughly an hour had passed since the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt began and both the 9th Division and 5th Unit had been on the move without rest. Being in the heart of enemy territory left them with no moment to catch their breath or be at ease. They remained on constant high alert and had to traverse the inhospitable environment of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Not only were these things physically exhausting, but they were also mentally draining and gradually wore down the allied forces within the chamber. The 9th Division was a lot better off than those of the 5th Unit thanks to having consumed an Ocean Spring Pill. However, even the Ocean Spring Pill could not make up for the mental fatigue they were ced under. Not to mention, the 9th Division had been through many intense situations over the past few days. Their journey into Tempest territory and through the Ferae Jungle, their encounter with the Pzenium warriors in the Nightfall des, and now the battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt¡ªthe members of the 9th Division had endured more high-pressure situations in the past few days than most yers did in their entire time spent in RML. Nevertheless, they continued to press onward withoutint. This was for one reason¡ªthe presence of their Captain, Izroth. Whenever those of the 9th Division started to think about how rough they had it, their thoughts always ended up shifting to Izroth. Compared to the things he was doing and the pressure he was constantly under, what right did they have toin? If they couldn''t handle their small portion of the burden, then why did they even join the 9th Division in the first ce? These were the thoughts that lingered in the minds of the 9th Division members and caused them to fight through their fatigue. So long as their Captain was still standing and working hard, they had no intention of cking off! Menerva carefully observed the full scope of the battlefield from the back of where everything was taking ce near the chamber''s center. Just like Niflheim, Menerva had also managed to garner the respect of those around her, especially the supporters and ranged damage dealers of the 5th Unit. At first, many of them found Menerva difficult to approach and speak with. There was something about her that gave off a certain unapproachable aura. It also did not help that Menerva spoke in a straightforward manner without being afraid to speak her mind freely. Regardless, although it made Menerva hard to attempt to befriend, the way she carried herself was ideal for a person inmand. "Supports, do not attempt to reserve your mana! Be careful not to target the same creature twice with your attack! If you have exhausted all your offensive skills on a single target, be sure to switch immediately with someone else!" Menerva called out. Menerva narrowed her eyes as she looked at the spatial rift at the chamber''s center. She did not know what kind of secrets were contained inside that spatial rift; however, she was no fool. If a person like Izroth was that fixated on it, then its importance could not be understated. And, based on the recent events that transpired, it did not take much for Menerva to piece things together. Whatever is on the other side of that portal must be prevented froming through at all costs¡ªthat is what Izroth''s actions told Menerva. In order to make sure that happened, Menerva spared no expense when it came to handing out precise directions. "There exists no fluid synergy between our Division and the 5th Unit. Themands I give out must be as precise, to the point, and efficient as possible. Otherwise, the orders I give will only bring about more confusion." Menerva contemted silently. Menerva did not find it hard toe up with simplified ns on the spot; however, her true specialtyy in long, well-thought-out, and meticulous strategies. This kind of thinking on your feet with a constant shift of events and reacting in real-time was more in Niflheim''s wheelhouse. Seeing Niflheim being unafraid to take charge and lead the vanguard caused Menerva to have a newfound respect for the way he saw things. Menerva could never imagine herself being at the mercy of her instincts and letting them guide her actions. To her, it was still inconceivable and a part of her would never be able to fullyprehend Niflheim''s style. Nheless, she understood perfectly why Izroth decided to take her in alongside Niflheim. At a nce, Niflheim''s method seemed superior as it was certainly more effective in continuously changing moments. But, it had its disadvantages. For one, Niflheim''s ability to see ahead and n for the long term did note close to that of Menerva''s. This is why, by working together, the two could cover for one another''s weaknesses. Menerva believed that, without a doubt, Izroth had already thought this through from the very beginning. "I owe him a tremendous debt that cannot be paid in one lifetime alone. That is why, on that day, I made a decision. No matter what it may be, I will do everything in my power to see him seed." Menerva thought to herself as she released the massive arrow from her bow. The arrow pierced through the air and prated through one of the shadahi''s, leaving a gaping hole in its chest area. ... ''There are some promising items, but... I suppose these three stand out the most.'' Izroth finally managed to narrow down the list of items from the event shop that could potentially work to close the spatial rift to just three. The first item was capable of sealing space, the second item allowed the user to directly manipte the surrounding space, and the third item generated something called spatial fissures that were able to copse space itself. Each of the items costs somewhere between 25,000 to 40,000 contribution points to purchase. Needless to say, this was a huge price to pay to seal a portal; however, with the discounts he had as well as the event shop discount voucher, the price itself was not an issue to Izroth. Not to mention, the payoff for a contribution as great as stopping an army of shadahis from marching onto the battlefield could not be understated. What troubled Izroth was one thing¡ªthe existence on the other side of the spatial rift. The red clouds that previously obstructed the view to the other side had fully dissipated, revealing the massive army of shadahis as well as the powerful existence bound by chains at the army''s center. ''They''re hiding it well, but... Ever since the coffin was destroyed, I could sense it¡ªthat existence has be restless. It''s as if it''s silently waiting for me to act.'' Chapter 1052 Anticipating Actions Chapter 1052 Anticipating Actions Ever since the coffin was destroyed, Izroth felt that something was off. He knew that since hepleted the quest and received its rewards that the Night Lord Zars'' revival had been sessfully stopped. He also understood the impending danger of allowing the spatial rift to finish stabilizing. However, there was this nagging feeling constantly ringing in the back of his mind¡ªa warning that something was not right. It was not his Soul Sense giving this sensation; rather, it was the result of his natural intuition. And, so far, it''s always done him more good than harm not to ignore it. The problem was that there was not a lot of time left to dig any further than what appeared on the surface level. ''At its current rate of absorption, we have less than one minute until it finishes consuming the energy in the chamber. Then... Why is it not showing up?'' Izroth closed his eyes as he entered a state of deep contemtion. To Izroth, it did not make sense. He received a quest to stop the Night Lord Zars'' revival. So, why would he not obtain one when an army of hundreds of thousands of shadahis was on the verge of overrunning the Mortal Realm? An event of that magnitude was certainly several times more threatening than any single Night Lord could ever be and would throw the Mortal Realm into a state of total chaos. ''What am I missing?'' Izroth dwelled further into his thoughts as he swiftly reyed, in his mind, everything that transpired from the moment the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt started all the way up until this very point. Suddenly, Izroth''s eyes shot open as his gaze moved to the shadahi bound to the huge stone-like pir within the sea of shadahis on the other side of the spatial rift. Although it was difficult to see due to how far away the shadahi appeared, Izroth managed to catch a glimpse of it¡ªthe horrifying grin of that existence as if everything were moving ording to its will. ''I see. So this was your n all along. Creating such an borate trap from another realm away... It''s no wonder the system didn''t hand me a second quest. To think that it was hidden so deeply to that point that even I almost fell for it. I thought the shadahis were creatures only capable of destroying what was in their path. However, it would seem that they are also ratherpetent when ites to scheming.'' Izroth finally understood the nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Even though more than enough time had passed since they stepped foot into the chamber and the coffin had been destroyed, strangely, there were still no signs of reinforcements from the skounae''s side. It was almost as if they werepletely oblivious to what was going on inside the Night Lord''s Crypt itself. But, this should not be the case considering the amount of importance they ced on a Night Lord''s revival. Izroth did not believe that the skounae were idiotic enough to blindly entrust the protection of the coffin to a single Duke and a Marquis. As for having total faith in the shadahis within the chamber¡ªIzroth found this to be even more unlikely after he witnessed the restrictions set in ce by the skounae to maintain control over the spatial rift''s rate of expansion. They trusted the shadahi enough to guard Zars'' coffin while simultaneously putting restrictions in ce against them? It did not add up. Earlier, Lances mentioned how the mysterious corridor was being protected by a life seal. That life seal was linked to a specific individual linked who would be informed of their presence the moment they chose to mess with it. After sensing the aura of the shadahi through the mysterious corridor, initially, Izroth spected that perhaps the individual linked to the life seal was a shadahi located on the other side of the corridor. If it were done that way, it would be almost impossible for most people to even dream of finding a way to make it past the mysterious corridor''s safeguard. Of course, Izroth had already confirmed that was not the case based on recent events. However, it still left an important question¡ªwhere was the individual who was linked to the life seal, and why had they not yet arrived? Unless that person was someone with an unforgivable grudge against Zars, it was inconceivable for them to sit back and let things unravel to this point. Besides, since Izroth deemed that a shadahi was not linked to the life seal, that only left the other Night Lords and the Night King as the apparent options. Needless to say, the Night King was out of the question. If the Night King wanted Zars dead, all they had to do was say the word and Zars would have happily handed over his life to fulfill the Night King''s wishes. Izroth was unclear about the rtionship between the Night Lords and whether they got along or not; however, he did know that they could not go against the Night King''s will. Naturally, this included doing things that could be considered an indirect attack on them¡ªsuch as allowing one of their most loyal and powerful servants to perish. ''The reason I never received a new quest from the system to stop the spatial rift from stabilizing is that it''s unnecessary. The moment the coffin was destroyed, this spatial rift¡ªits copse was already unavoidable.'' Izroth inwardly shook his head as he exited out of the event shop window and closed the system interface. Izroth had almost been thoroughly deceived due to how well the other side yed their hand towards the end. However, he was able to see through their intentions before he ended up making a monumental misstep. Izroth, or anyone else for that matter, attempting to seal the spatial rift was exactly what the other party was hoping for. The spatial rift drawing in massive amounts of energy while expanding and the shadahis sudden surge in bloodlust gave off the impression that it was stabilizing and they wanted to guard it at all costs. But, even the unusual behavior of the shadahis was a part of that existence''s n. They created a situation where one was forced to act as quickly as possible while exercising a crucial judgment call with all the information they had been provided. Or, to be more exact, rather than calling it provided, it was more akin to being force-fed half-truths of information. In the end, everyone faced with the same choice as Izroth would have arrived at the same conclusion that he originally did¡ªthe spatial rift must be sealed regardless of price. However, that would prove to be a fatal mistake. Not just for those within the chamber but the entire Mortal Realm. In truth, the existence on the other side of the portal was hoping for someone to attempt to mess with the space surrounding it. That''s because the spatial rift was not actually expanding and forming a portal to link the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm, but it was taking itsst breath. If someone did attempt to manipte the space, it would create a small window of opportunity for the existence on the other side to take action. Izroth only managed to notice this not only because of his intuition but also his familiarity with high-level spatial magic. Izroth himself had no experience using such spatial magic in RML; however, he had witnessed firsthand the isted space created by the Wiseman of Everpeak Kryxelsia. During the time he visited that ce, Izroth realized the way spatial magic worked in RML was on two principles¡ªconnecting and influencing. One could connect and influence space to a certain degree; however, to fully control it was a near impossibility. However, even being able to do something as connecting and influencing space was a delicate thing. If someone made the wrong move, to those who had great knowledge regarding spatial maniption, it would provide them with a great advantage. In Izroth''s eyes, there was no doubt in his mind that the existence on the other side of the spatial rift specialized in spatial magic. The instant he moved to seal the space and "prevent" the spatial rift from forming, that existence would have used his actions to truly stabilize the spatial rift and create a pathway that linked both realms! Chapter 1053 Last Ditch Effort Chapter 1053 Last Ditch Effort Rmmmmmble! Out of nowhere, the entire chamber started to tremble. At the same time, the space around the spatial rift began to fracture like a broken ss mirror as its rate of expansion greatly increased. When the chamber shook, and the spatial rift continued to expand, the individuals from the 9th Division and 5th Unit were startled. In addition to the shaking and expansion, the spatial rift was outputting a massive amount of energy that gave off a threatening pressure. TSSSSST! Roooooragh! Lances incinerated one of the shadahis with his zing inferno as he looked over towards the chamber''s center with furrowed brows. "Did he fail? ...No, we failed. It''s partly my fault for leaving it all in his hands." Lances thought to himself with a troubled expression. Since he won the second team''s selection and managed to defeat a Duke of the skounae, Lances believed that Izroth still had a few secrets up his sleeves that could that portal from opening. However, Lances was beginning to think that perhaps he ced too much of a burden on Izroth. Suddenly, attempted to rush past Lances. But, right as they arrived within three meters of him, two giant hands of mes soared through the air and crashed into the creatures. The two shadahi were sent tumbling back. Then, without wasting a moment, Lances disengaged from his fight and made his way over to Izroth''s side by the broken coffin. "Izroth!" Lances called out as he stopped next to Izroth. He looked up at the spatial rift and said, "You should try to find a way out of here with the 9th Division and 5th Unit. You must inform the General of this portal''s existence. It might be toote, but... Maybe the allied forces can still make somest-minute preparations and brace themselves for the worse." "Th-" Izroth tried to respond, but he was quickly cut off by Lances. "There''s no time to argue! You''ve already done enough. This time¡ªlet me be the one who takes all the credit." Lances stated jokingly to lighten the mood. "Do me a favor and look after those guys well, Izroth. I''ll be right behind you. So, just leave this to me." Lances said as he shifted to a serious tone. ''This... Should I be grateful?'' A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face as he listened to Lances speak. Despite the situation seeming so dire, he was willing to potentially sacrifice himself to give everyone else a chance at surviving. As someone who came from an established power like the Pride n, Lances had a good head on his shoulders and was not afraid to do what needed to be done for the sake of the greater good. Because of this, Izroth''s impression of Lances and the Pride n rose. After all, a n that could produce such a young talent with an upright view of the world likely possessed a strong foundation. "There''s no need to worry. The portal will not be forming." Izroth said calmly. Lances brows rose in surprise. The portal wouldn''t be forming? Were they looking at the same scene unfold? Was he trying to save face after failing in this situation? No, Lances knew that Izroth was not that kind of person. Otherwise, he would never have entrusted the lives of the 5th Unit members to him. "But, if he''s telling the truth, then just now..." Lances pondered silently as he thought back to the words he''d just spoken. "...Can we never speak of this to anyone?" Lances asked as he cleared his throat. Izroth gave a carefree smile in return; however, he remained silent. "Hey, that''s a yes, right? That was a yes?!" Lances said as he was unable to read Izroth. "We don''t have to worry about any other shadahising through the spatial rift. We just have to make sure that we thoroughly clean up the ones that are already here." Izroth said casually before swiftly dashing off towards the nearest shadahis. "..." Lances stood silently for a couple of seconds before he released a long helpless sigh. "That guy... He really won''t tell anyone, right?" Lances thought to himself as he, too, returned to the battle. Woosh! Phhhtk! Izroth sliced through the torso of one of the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers with his Sword of the Storm, leaving a deep wound on its side. However, unlike how the creature typically regenerated after being injured, there were no signs of it doing so this time. Sensing that it was not healing properly, the shadahi became bewildered as its bloodlust diminished and it snapped back to its senses. Izroth could sense thest-ditch effort of desperation through the theatrics being put on disy as he nced back at the portal. After he turned his attention away from the spatial rift, the shadahis were no longer "lost in their bloodlust". Instead, they immediately returned to their previous way of fighting. ''Your actions won''t work.'' The shadahis abrupt loss of their bloodlust after he moved away from the portal was also just another part of the performance. That existence wanted them to think that by doing nothing, they would be allowing something tragic to happen. But, Izroth had already seen through its intentions. And, now that he was aware of what that existence desired, Izroth had no ns on doing things their way. ''Not only would I have helped the shadahi by acting, but I would have also paid most of my contribution points to do so¡ªhowughable.'' When Izroth thought about how close he was to being deceived, it caused a smile to appear on his face. But it was not his typical carefree smile. Rather, to the shadahi inside the chamber, that smile was like that of the grim reaper''s. ''It''s been a while since I''ve been this amused. Now, then, shall I give them a suitable reward for their efforts?'' Abnormal energy coated Izroth''s Sword of the Storm that made the shadahi who were closest to it tremble. It was as if the creatures were instinctively fearful of the energy that epassed Izroth''s de. Though this reaction was not surprising considering the source of the energy Izroth brought out. ''Seed of Celestial Energy... It''s still not as powerful as genuine Celestial Energy, but it''s able to interrupt the regenerative abilities of the shadahi long enough to deal the finishing blow.'' Swoosh! Izroth swept his sword with overbearing sword intent right through the neck of the shadahi he previously attacked. And, in one smooth motion, he severed the creature''s head from its body! Bang! The shadahi''s head fell to the ground and its massive body soon followed it. ¡´System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated ?Lesser Shadahi Patroller?.¡µ ... After Izroth dealt the killing blow to one of the shadahis and its body could be seen turning into countless particles, the members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit were stunned. That creature, which had been so difficult for them to deal with and finish off, had been defeated with so little effort! "Amazing..." One of the 5th Unit members uttered. But it did not stop there as Izroth pressed onward with his assault and immediately moved on to confront the next shadahi. Thanks to the Seed of Celestial Energy from the Resseki''s wless Armament, Izroth was able to temporarily mimic the effects of Celestial Energy. Celestial Energy was incredibly effective against the shadahi and made it so that the creatures did not have the benefit of regenerative and adapting to abilities at will. This was a trinket that Izroth received after hepleted Resseki & Kiren''s challenge alongside Niflheim. Of course, this also meant that he was not the only one capable of using the Seed of Celestial Energy. "Niflheim, the golden puppets!" Izroth called out. "Golden puppets...?" Niflheim muttered to himself with a darkened expression as he remembered that hellish time. However, soon after, a look of realization formed on his face. "That''s right...! The golden puppets...!" Niflheim quickly caught on to what Izroth wanted to do. Or rather, what he''d hoped to aplish. Just like Izroth, Niflheim also received a special item frompleting the quest that allowed him to utilize the Seed of Celestial Energy. Woosh! The next moment, Niflheim pulled out a circr artifact from his inventory and mmed it onto the surface of his shield. Oooooom! The artifact released an unnatural humming sound that caused a series of intense vibrations to sweep throughout the surroundings. Chapter 1054 Ressekis Flawless Armament and Kirens Perfect Guardna Chapter 1054 Resseki''s wless Armament and Kiren''s Perfect Guardna The artifact Niflheim attached to his shield was a circr golden medallion with an aqua-colored crystal embedded into its center. Around its edges were ancient texts inscribed onto the medallion that gave off mystical energy. Crrraaaack! Shiiiiing! The next moment, the artifact opened and split into five separate pieces on the surface of Niflheim''s shield. The crystal from the medallion acted as the centerpiece and the object''s golden exterior which was split into four even parts, rapidly rotated around the crystal. As it did so, numerous cracks formed throughout Niflheim''s shield and created fractures of glowing light blue energy. Woooooosh! A heavy aura washed over the shadahi inside the chamber that caused the creatures to instinctively set their gazes on Niflheim. Although it was difficult to tell due to the vicious nature of their physical appearance if one looked closely in their eyes, they would be able to see it¡ªthe natural sense of caution that crept into them. But that was not the only thing that changed with the sudden emergence of the mystical energy released by the artifact. Roooooragh! Demonic mes coated the shadahi''s hand as theyshed out at Guan Yu. Guan Yu skillfully sidestepped the blow at the veryst moment. Then, without missing a step in timing,unched a ferocious counterattack as he swung his guandao upward with great momentum. ROOOOOAR! BOOM! Guan Yu''s guandao crashed into shadahi with the ancient blue aura wrapped around the de of his weapon exploded forth. Phhhhhtk! Roooooragh! The guandao in Guan Yu''s hand cleaved the shadahi in two. But he was taken aback at what happened next. Countless ck strands emerged from the shadahi''s body¡ªit was preparing to regenerate. However, right when the ck strands attempted to connect and pull the creature''s body back together in one piece, they withered and crumbled. "What is this..?" Guan Yu said to himself as he looked down at his arms and saw that his entire body was being covered by a thinyer of light blue aura. Guan Yu looked over at Halls, who was positioned just a few meters away from him, and noticed that the same thing was happening to him as well. Halls pushed the shield in his hand forward as he blocked the iing attack of a shadahi. BANG! Swoosh! When the shadahi struck Halls'' shield with its w-like hands, the creature''s entire arm was repelled by a relentless force. The force was so powerful that it instantly broke the shadahi''s arm and caused it to bend in three parts. "Huh? Why did its attack just now feel so light?" Hallsmented as his brows rose in surprise. Halls had not used his Rebound skill since it was still on cooldown for a few more seconds. And, none of his previous blocks had felt so effortless as the one he had just experienced against that creature. "Is it the work of this weird aura?" Halls muttered as he nced down at the light blue aura that epassed his body. Guan Yu and Halls were not the only two who felt empowered by the strange aura put out by the artifact in Niflheim''s possession. The members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit also found it much easier to confront the shadahis that they were up against. As the tides of battle rapidly shifted in favor of the allied forces inside the chamber, Niflheim gritted his teeth as he remained still with his hand pressed to his shield. He appeared to be under a great deal of physical stress as several veins could be seen protruding from his neck and hands. "How is he moving so freely with this kind of pain? Is he seriously using something like this to fight? What a terrible feeling...! Now I know why he told me not to use it without his approval..!" Niflheim thought to himself as he winced from the pain. After he used the artifact, Niflheim felt as though his entire body was being pulled apart one muscle fiber at a time. It was not something most people would be willing to bear; however, it was the price that had to be paid if one wanted to use it. Resseki''s wless Armament and Kiren''s Perfect Guardna¡ªthese were the two items Izroth and Niflheim received, respectively, afterpleting the Unique* quest Resseki & Kiren''s Challenge: Sword & Shield. The Resseki''s wless Armament that Izroth used allowed him to utilize a Seed of Celestial Energy. Just as its name implied, the Seed of Celestial Energy was a still budding power that required time to grow and unleash its full potential. Still, even if it was just a seed of its true form, its goal was purely offensive and had, undoubtedly, been created for the sole purpose of dominating its enemies. However, Kiren''s Perfect Guardna that Niflheim acquired was different. It focused wholly on defense and providing support. He who wields the sword can only attack, never defend and he who holds the shield can only defend, never attack¡ªthese were the first two lines mentioned in the quest objective of Resseki & Kiren''s Challenge: Sword & Shield. But, this extended to more than just the quest objective itself. Just like during their time with the golden puppets, as long as Izroth was using Resseki''s wless Armament, he could never defend. And, so long as Kiren''s Perfect Guardna was in use, Niflheim could not attack. Additionally, utilizing the Seed of Celestial Energy ced a heavy burden on its users. For Izroth, the burden wasrgely canceled out by his Heavenly Golden Body and Might stat. Unfortunately, Niflheim did not have that same luxury and became forced to endure the Seed of Celestial Energy through his own willpower. Izroth observed Niflheim and witnessed the great amount of pressure that he was ced under by his artifact. ''I knew that we would have to use it to our advantage sooner orter; however, for it to be this soon is earlier than I anticipated.'' After experiencing the harsh side effects of the Seed of Celestial Energy firsthand, Izroth knew that even a yer with decent pain tolerance would find it challenging to handle it. That''s precisely why Izroth instructed Niflheim not to use Kiren''s Perfect Guardna under any circumstances unless he instructed him to do so. ''It certainly has its downsides. Since it''s impossible to rush the growth process behind the Seed of Celestial Energy, we have no choice but to let it happen naturally over time. Unfortunately, if we want to ensure that the shadahi cannot regenerate and return stronger than before, we have no choice but to employ this method. So, he will have to endure for a bit. That being said, it looks like it''s having a good effect and tilting the battle in our favor. As long as he can hold out for a while, we should be able to tie up the loose ends here.'' Unlike Resseki''s wless Armament which only benefited Izroth and his ability to attack, Kiren''s Perfect Guardna was capable of influencing everything in its surroundings. For its enemies, especially the shadahi, the aura from Kiren''s Perfect Guardna was akin to poison. As for those it deemed allies, it shielded them from harm and did so exceedingly well against the shadahi. Rmmmmmmble! As the 9th Division and 5th Unit started to gain a huge upper hand over the shadahis, out of nowhere, the space around the spatial rift started to visibly tremble as multiple rings like a stone being dropped into still water appeared around the area. Crack! Crack! Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the fracturing spatial rift. The following moment, a swirling vortex appeared right above the damaged coffin. The vortex was separate from the spatial rift; however, it seemed to be directly linked to it in some manner. Then, in the blink of an eye, the coffin disappeared as it was sucked into the vortex. WOOOOOOOSH! Without warning, the vortex released a powerful pulling force that started to draw in everything within the chamber. Even space itself was not sparred from this vortex as the fracturing spatial rift was being slowly pulled into the vortex itself. The members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit were caught off guard by the vortex and found themselves struggling to hold their ground and stop themselves from being pulled inward. ''The space... Is it beginning to copse?'' Izroth never witnessed space copsing before in this manner inside RML. It was almost as if a singrity had abruptly formed at the chamber''s center! Chapter 1055 Spatial Collapse Chapter 1055 Spatial Copse Izroth pierced his Sword of the Storm into the ground. In addition, he activated his skill Molding Earth to create a set of makeshift straps around his feet to keep himself in ce. ''This is troublesome.'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as he observed the vortex. Rather than being "pulled" into the vortex, the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm was being bent and warped by the vortex. Izroth quickly determined that the vortex itself was not aiding in the construction of the spatial rift. Instead, one could even say that it was tearing it apart and destroying the potential pathway. However, Izroth did not know what caused the vortex to emerge at the chamber''s center so close to the spatial rift. Though there was not much time to think about it as the pulling force of the vortex appeared to be increasing with every passing moment. One of the shadahis tumbled across the ground as they were sucked towards the vortex. The creature dug its ws into the ground, leaving a deep trail of w marks as it tried to stop itself from being devoured by the vortex. But, the shadahi was unable to hold on. Rooooragh! The shadahi''s hands left the ground as the creature soared towards the vortex before disappearing without a trace. "?!" The members of the 9th Division and 5th Unit were stunned by the sudden descent into a state of total chaos. After finally managing to gain an upper hand against the shadahis, the creatures were now being swept off their feet and sucked into the vortex. Of course, under normal circumstances, it would be cause for celebration. But, unfortunately, the shadahis were not the only ones left to the mercy of the vortex. "I can''t hold out much longer!" One of the vanguard members from the 9th Division, Astral Knight, shouted. Despite wearing a full set of heavy-ted armor and doing his best to stand his ground, Astral Knight was still slowly being dragged towards the vortex. "Try to hold on just a bit more!" Niflheim yelled as he was forced to cancel the effects of Kiren''s Perfect Guardna in order to brace himself. With the emergence of the vortex, the shadahis were no longer an issue as they seemed to be particrly susceptible to the pulling force of it. "I can try- Ahhhhh!" As Astral Knight was in the middle of speaking, he was hoisted off his feet as he lost control of his body. "Astral!" Niflheim wanted to reach his hand out to grab ahold of Astral Knight, but the instant he moved his hand slightly, Niflheim could feel that his feet had already started to drag. At that moment, Niflheim understood that if he shifted his position any further, not only would he be unable to save Astral Knight, he would be pulled in right alongside him. Astral Knight flew through the air and frantically reached his hands out to find something to grab onto; however, there was nothing within the chamber to hold. Bang! Suddenly, a short spear-like object pierced into the ground as Astral Knight was reaching out for something to grab. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a thick metallic chain. Astral Knight summoned all his strength and grabbed out the chain. Swoosh! Clink! At the veryst second, Astral Knight was able to sp onto the chain, stopping just a few meters away from where the vortex was located. When Niflheim noticed the chain, he nced back to see its point of origin. Though, he already knew exactly who fired that shot just now to save Astral Knight. Menerva furrowed her brows as she kept a tight grip on herrge bow. The shot she fired was simr to the one she used back in the Ferae Jungle to help create a makeshift bridge across the running waters. Fortunately, Menerva''s bow was reinforced to the ground, so she did not have as much trouble as the others when it came to finding a stable footing. Nheless, she could tell that the situation was quickly unraveling. After all, the only reason she fired that shot off in time was that her original target got pulled into the vortex while she was still charging the shot. It was not feasible to send a shot out under these conditions to save someone a second time around. "What now?! I''m open to ideas!" Lances called out several meters away from where Izroth was positioned. Their current conditions made it impossible to locate an exit inside the chamber¡ªif there even was one, to start with. Now, with the threat of the vortex breathing down their necks, the 9th Division and 5th Unit were barely managing to keep themselves together. ''If we had someone who could control and influence the surrounding space, it may be possible toe up with a few solutions. But...'' Izroth knew with certainty that there were no spatial casters among the 9th Division. As for the 5th Unit, Izroth had been quietly observing their performance. And, based on the things he''d seen, there was also no one among them familiar with spatial magic. However, this was not too surprising considering the rarity of spatial magicpared to other practices of magic in RML. To make matters worse, they were caught in a genuine lose-lose situation. Even if Izroth purchased one of the items from the event shop that he nned to use before seeing through that existence''s ns to close the vortex, he would only end up carrying out their will. After all, with the vortex and spatial rift already intertwined by the bending and warping space, it would not be possible to control one without also influencing the other. However, Izroth knew that if he did nothing, it might lead to the total annihtion of the 9th Division and 5th Unit. ''Is this the final trick you kept up your sleeves?'' Izroth''s gaze locked onto the spatial rift that was now distorted as a result of the vortex''s emergence. As Izroth contemted his next move, his allies were quickly being dragged closer and closer to the vortex. At its current rate, they likely would not be able to hold out for more than twenty seconds. ''I suppose there''s no other choice. If it''s my current self, it may be somewhat risky, but... I should be able to do it.'' "Niflheim, Menerva, Jol''Kil, Zel''Kan¡ªI''ll be leaving the 9th Division under your care for a while! Don''t follow after me!" Izroth notified. "Young master, what are you-!" Zel''Kan questioned. But before she could finish her question, something shocking took ce. Izroth canceled the Molding Earth skill that held his feet to his ground and plucked his Sword of the Storm from the ground. The next moment, Izroth kicked off his back foot and rushed towards the direction of the vortex! "What is he doing?!" Niflheim said to himself with an expression of disbelief on his face. Niflheim, Menerva, Halls, Guan Yu, Jol''Kil, Zel''Kan, Lances¡ªthere was not a single person present who was not taken aback by Izroth''s reckless actions. Did he not see the shadahi who went into that vortex disappear without a trace? What could possibly be going through that mind of his?! "Young master!" Jol''Kil called out as he tried to use his dark red mes to weigh down Izroth and prevent him from being pulled into the vortex; however, it was not enough. Zeeeeut! In the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished into the vortex just as the shadahi before him. "Brother!" Halls and Guan Yu shouted in unison. Without hesitation, the two stopped fighting against the pulling force of the vortex as they, too, were sucked into it. Oooooooom! Woosh! As everyone was still in a state of disbelief, something unexpected happened. The vortex began to shrink rapidly, and the spatial rift started to fade out of existence. Then, a few secondster, the inside of the chamber turned quiet as the chaos ceased. The shadahis had all been devoured by the vortex or in. And the spatial rift that seemed to be on the verge of creating a portal to link the two realms was no longer anywhere to be found. However, after the vortex closed, there were still no signs of Izroth, Halls, or Guan Yu. Niflheim and Menerva''s facial expressions darkened along with the others from the 9th Division as the same thought crossed their minds¡ªjust what happened to their Captain? Chapter 1056 Specter of the Peacekeeper Chapter 1056 Specter of the Peacekeeper ... Earlier, near the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt... "General, that aura..." Aurie said with a troubled expression as she furrowed her brows. "Yes, it would seem that the worst we''ve feared hase to pass," Solomon stated with a cold gaze as his eyesnded on the formless figure before them. Or, to be more precise, his gaze was drawn to the thick hard-covered ck book levitating before the formless figure. The ck book emitted a sinister aura that put those within its vicinity on high alert. Solomon''s gaze drifted to the skies over the Night Lord''s Crypt. The mysterious figure that appeared before them could not be underestimated; however, that individual was not the one responsible for the release of the terrifying sound that paralyzed the allied forces. That sound originated from the skies over the Night Lord''s Crypt. But, more importantly, Solomon could feel the difference in mana contained within that sound¡ªit did not match with that of the Antumbra of Darkness, Night Lord Xenth. However, even though it did not match the Night Lord''s mana, that frightening dark feeling it gave off was simr. Also, it was well on par with Xenth''s mana. To Solomon and those who were able to pick up on the differences between unique mana signatures, this could only mean one thing¡ªanother Night Lord had arrived on the battlefield. "General, please allow me to deal with this thing while you and Commander Aurie proceed into the Night Lord''s Crypt," Ezra stated firmly as he tried his best to conceal his heavy expression. "Commander Ezra, you..." Aurie wanted to protest; however, she could not find it within her to do so. With the presence of another Night Lord on the battlefield, if they failed to take action soon, it would be increasingly more difficult to aplish the task at hand. Besides, Aurie was also aware of a great secret that even Commander Ezra did not know about. Nevertheless, it was still dangerous for Commander Ezra to handle the entity blocking the entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt alone. A few secondster, the formless figure morphed into the form of a man. The man was roughly two meters tall and extremely thin to the point that one could see clearly see the outlines of the bones of his rib cage. He had withering white hair and possessed a pair of beady ck eyes and a face thatcked any signs of life. He wore a set of ck robes that appeared to constantly move on its own as if it were alive and made him look like an apparition stuck between the world of the living and dead. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "We are a Faceless One. Here, we shall ensure that peace is preserved." The man said in an eerie voice that seemed to echo naturally. NPC Name: Specter of the Peacekeeper, The Faceless One(???) NPC Level: ??? NPC Faction: League of The Eidolon NPC HP: ??? (100%) Faceless One¡ªthis was the name given to an individual under the control of one of the League of The Eidolon''s famed cursed weapons known as the Four des of The Faceless One. Although they were referred to as des, it was not in the literal sense. They merely served the League of The Eidolon and acted as the organization''s tools of destruction. Wherever they were pointed, a tragic event was bound to unfold. This particr Faceless One was different from the one Izroth faced back at the Tiger''s Mouth near the Proximus kingdom''s border. For one, it was not a greatsword, but rather a grimoire. Furthermore, the aura being given off by the Faceless One blocking the entrance was leagues ahead of the one that wielded that greatsword. However, this was not too surprising due to the nature of their existence. "Handling a Specter alone will prove dangerous even for you, Commander Ezra. Are you certain you wish to ept that heavy burden?" Solomon asked as he nced over at Ezra. The Four des of The Faceless One were cursed weapons thatpletely consumed the mind and soul of the person wielding them. But, despite the massive boost to one''s strength provided by the cursed weapons, it did not mean that every host was capable of withstanding its true might. That''s why there were two types of hosts. The first type of host was known as Shells. Just as their name implied, they were but simple empty shells of their former self and were typically discarded by the cursed weapon after a single use. Those chosen as Shells ranged from the devoted followers of the League of The Eidolon who volunteered all the way to any random unfortunate soul who dared to take the cursed weapon in their hands. This was the type of host that Izroth and his party confronted during the Guardians of the Caravan quest. However, the second host type was vastly different in terms of power andmonality. These hosts were called Specters. Specter-type hosts were raised and specially trained by the League of The Eidolon for the sole purpose of acting as the main body for one of the Four des of The Faceless One. Because of this, Specter-type hosts could withstand the near totality of the power unleashed by the cursed weapons. This particr Faceless One was controlled by the Cursed Weapon: Peacekeeper, which took on the physical form of a grimoire. "Compared to what the High General is facing and the mission that the General and Commander Aurie are about to embark on¡ªthis much can only be considered a light warm-up," Ezra stated without wavering as he brandished the weapon in his hand. "Very well. I will leave this cursed thing in your hands. Commander Ezra, I order you to open up a path to the Night Lord''s Crypt!" Solomon dered. "Your orders have been received, General!" Ezra replied as he dashed forward at incredible speeds towards the Faceless One. "We are merely here to keep the peace. Those who protest... Must perish." The Faceless One stated as the grimoire shot open and flipped through several pages before stopping as it emitted a dark purple glow. Woosh! Woosh! Ezra thrust his spear forward, aiming directly for the Faceless One''s neck. Even though the cursed weapon was powerful, in the end, they still relied on their hosts to move about and perform actions. And ultimately, their hosts were still living beings that could be eliminated. Therefore, Ezra''s goal was simple. He wanted to immobilize the host and deal with the cursed weapon immediately afterwards. Rmmmble! Shiiiii! Ezra''s eyes widened in shock as he twisted his body. Phhhtk! A small shallow cut emerge on Ezra''s left cheek as he lowered his stance and swept his spear out in a half-moon shape towards the Faceless One. Woosh! Woosh! Ezra''s spear sliced through the Faceless One. However, a frown appeared on his face. That attack just now¡ªthere was no feedback. Tssssst! Suddenly, the Faceless One''s body turned into ck smoke that dispersed in every direction. Ezra narrowed his eyes as he abruptly kicked off his back foot. BOOM! A series of explosive dark spikes emerged from the ground, but Ezra was able to avoid them at the veryst moment. Not long after, the ck smoke converged to a position several meters away from the entrance to the Night Lord''s Crypt and reformed the Faceless One. Without missing a step, Solomon and Aurie charged into the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt, along with many of the central forces. However, Solomon did not enter the Night Lord''s Crypt with all the members of his Legion. Instead, he positioned most of them outside the entrance to guard it and prevent any reinforcements from the enemy side from pouring in. Additionally, there were to provide support where needed to Commander Ezra. "General, ourmunication has been cut off," Aurie warned after she set foot on the descending staircase. The group had already prepared light talismans and light magic casters, so they had no issue seeing as they made their way down. "Strange, there should be nothing here to preventmunications from flowing in and out since the High General destroyed the barriers guarding it," Solomonmented. It did not take long for Solomon and Aurie to reach the end of the staircase along with the members of the Legion who apanied them. "Everyone, be on guard. Once we go through this portal, there will be no turning back until we''vepleted our mission. Is that understood?" Solomon stated. "Yes, General!" The members of the Legion answered in unison. Chapter 1057 Vanishing Act Chapter 1057 Vanishing Act ... ''So, this is what it looks like inside the pocket dimension. It mentioned a small pocket of isted space, so I wasn''t expecting much, but... It considers something like this small?'' At the moment, Izroth was standing at the edge of a smallke with a flowing waterfall nearby. As Izroth observed his surroundings, the sight of a vibrantndscape entered his eyes. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The area around theke was covered in lush greenery and filled with simple yet elegant nt life. There were a few trees scattered about with a size roughly equivalent to the average man. These trees had empty branches with no leaves and a unique appearance to their trunks that mirrored a twisting band; however, there was still a strong force of life emanating from them. In the great distance was a mountain range shrouded by a veil of mist. However, it did not seem possible to travel that far as a visible barrier encircled the area. And, besides the mountain range, nothing else was visible on the other side of the barrier¡ªlike a vast darkness. Thend in this isted pocket of space was filled with untainted natural worldly essence. And, if it were located in the Mortal Realm, it would have been a location that countless powers fought over for exclusive control. Needless to say, it was a stark contrast to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Of course, that was because Izroth was no longer within the Night Lord''s Crypt. At least, not technically. After he jumped into the spatial vortex, Izroth activated the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone¡ªan SS-ranked magic item he received from a quest hepleted back in the Secret Realm. The Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone opened up a special isted pocket of space that maintained ideal conditions for cultivating nts and special minerals. That being said, Izroth did not suddenly decide to start raising nts in the depths of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Instead, he used the construction of the magic item''s isted pocket of space to disrupt the vortex and "overwrite" its influence over the area it upied. However, Izroth had to time it precisely. For one, he still had to be cautious of the existence on the other side of the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm. If he had made a mistake, he would have only ended up providing the creature with a new window of opportunity. That''s why Izroth had to ensure that, first and foremost, the spatial rift would not survive the devouring effects of the vortex. ''There are no signs of the vortex or the spatial rift here. It must have gone just as I predicted... Well, almost as predicted.'' "Woah, what is this ce?" Guan Yu''s voice sounded from behind Izroth. "I don''t know, but it''d make for a great vacation spot." Hallsmented. "Vacation spot? Hmm, now that you mention it... Yeah, I can totally see that. It''s like the picture on one of those traveling brochures. Though I prefer vacations that provide a bit more of a challenge. You know, like one of those special training retreats where you''re pushed to your limits." Guan Yu said with a grin. "Brother, you... Do you have any normal hobbies?" Halls sighed as he shook his head. "I tried pottery once. It''s unfortunate, but I was forced to abandon that path against my will." Guan Yu replied casually. "Pottery? I can''t really picture you sitting still long enough to make anything decent. Also, what do you mean you were forced to abandon it? Heh, you probably got banned from that ce after you created a monstrosity or something." Halls teased. "..." Guan Yu''s body shook as he fell silent. "Hey, don''t tell me you actually got banned for real." Halls stated as his brows rose in surprise. "Those people just didn''t know how to appreciate a good work of art¡ªa masterpiece!" Guan Yu said as he quickly jumped to his own defense. "Pffft...! Bwahahaha! Brother, what the heck did you even make?! Hahahaha! A masterpiece? More like a piece of sh-" "You two¡ªdidn''t I say not to follow after me?" Izroth said as he cut off Halls and turned to face the two. ''If I reacted a step slower, who knows where these two would have ended up being disced? Fortunately, they''re both pretty sturdy, and the shadahi received the brunt of the crushing force.'' The vortex that appeared was not some kind of portal that led to another ce. It was more akin to a great force of destruction that crushed things under the immense pressure it exuded. Even incredibly sturdy creatures like the Lesser Shadahi Patrollers were unable to survive. That is why, even though he was confident in the durable nature of his physique, Izroth made sure not to underestimate the vortex. "That''s not right, brother. You didn''t mention our names when you said not to follow after you." Hallsmented with a grin that contained no remorse whatsoever. "That''s right, that''s right! Since you left us out of it, we couldn''t just sit back and let you have all the fun- I mean, face all the danger by yourself!" Guan Yu chimed in. Izroth could only inwardly shake his head at their defense. However, they were technically not wrong. Not to mention, although Halls'' and Guan Yu''s actions were reckless, a part of Izroth was touched by their unwavering reaction. They were not afraid to throw themselves into the mouth of unknown dangers for his sake. It further confirmed for Izroth that he did not make a mistake in epting these two as brothers. "Alright, I''ll ept your reasons this time. Right now, we have more important matters to tend to." Izroth said as he removed a small object from his inventory. "Any idea how we ended up here? No, I guess the better question is, is there even any way out of here without that vortex?" Halls questioned curiously. "Ah, now that you mention it, I don''t see that portal thing or anything that looks like an exit anywhere." Guan Yu stated with a frown. Chapter 1058 The Battle Isnt Over Yet Chapter 1058 The Battle Isn''t Over Yet ''Since I''ve already confirmed that there are no signs of the shadahi or the portal that linked their realm to the Mortal Realm lingering about, it should be fine to return.'' "Leaving this ce won''t be too difficult," Izroth stated in a carefree manner. The next moment, an unstable spatial rift began to form a few steps before Izroth. "?!" Guan Yu and Halls immediately went on guard with the sudden emergence of the spatial rift. After what urred not too long ago, the two were prepared to brace themselves; however, once Halls and Guan Yu realized it was different from the spatial rift that formed back in the chamber, they rxed their guards. "That was sudden..! For a second there, I thought were going to be pulled towards that thing again." Hallsmented as he rubbed the back of his head. Guan Yu stepped forward to observe the spatial rift and inquired, "Seeing as how we aren''t being pulled in; is this our way out?" Izroth nodded, "Our departure was sudden. Since we''re unable tomunicate outside this isted area of space, the others are likely unaware of our current status. I''ve already confirmed that there are no traces of the shadahis presence here; therefore, we should regroup with everyone as soon as possible. After all, the battle is not yet over." "Not over? But, didn''t you already destroy the coffin and stop the Night Lord''s revival?" Guan Yu inquired curiously. "Unfortunately, it''s not that simple. Although we were able to prevent the Night Lord''s revival, our actions will undoubtedly send ripples throughout the skounae. Right now, the skounae forces should still be on the defensive since their main goal is to safeguard the Night Lord''s Crypt and ensure Zaroloas'' revival. However, once they catch wind of their Night Lord''s fate, the skounae will switch to a more aggressive approach. We need to make sure our forces retreat before that happens." Izroth exined as the spatial rift fully stabilized. ''Not to mention, it won''t be long until nighttime arrives. Once it does, our forces will be ced at a huge disadvantage. After all, it''s only then that the skounae will be capable of disying their true strength. Seeing as how they already greatly outnumber us, it wouldn''t take long for our allies to be overwhelmed.'' The skounae were a race that thrived in the darkness and could only reveal their full might in itspany. Add that on top of their rage and bloodlust once Zars'' fate was uncovered¡ªthe losses incurred during a retreat would be monumental. At the moment, the allied forces of Amaharpe, Rosentarus, and Proximus were fairly deep in the heart of the Malentansium kingdom. Retreating was not as simple as falling back a few kilometers. They had to go back across the Malentansium border; otherwise, there would be no end to the pursuit of the skounae forces. "You two head in first," Izroth stated calmly. Not long after Izroth spoke, Halls, followed by Guan Yu, stepped through the spatial rift and disappeared from the isted pocket of space. Once the two entered, Izroth trailed right behind them as he, too, made his way into the spatial rift. ''If it''s those three, their thought process shouldn''t be that far removed from my own. Ideally, they should have already managed to find a way out of the chamber and contacted General Solomon to inform him of our sess.'' Of course, the three that came to Izroth''s mind were Niflheim, Menerva, and Lances. While Izroth was still not entirely familiar with Lances''mand style and foresight, he obtained a decent enough understanding of it during their time spent together within the Night Lord''s Crypt. He should have no trouble knowing what had to be prioritized. As for Niflheim and Menerva, Izroth had full confidence in their ability toprehend and do what needed to be done in his absence. ... A few moments ago... "What is he doing?!" Niflheim said to himself with an expression of disbelief on his face. Not too long after, Izroth, Halls, and Guan Yu disappeared into the vortex at the chamber''s center. Almost immediately after the three were swept into the vortex, it began to shrink rapidly before disappearing without a trace. Bang! Jol''Kil mmed his fist into the ground with enough force to leave an imprint behind. "Young master...!" Jol''Kil uttered as he could not hide the shame on his face. Jol''Kil was not alone. The atmosphere around Zel''Kan had be gloomy as a troubled expression formed on her face. "This is no time to lose yourself, Jol''Kil. If the n head saw you in such a miserable state, she would be disappointed." Zel''Kan said as she furrowed her brows and maintained herposure. Jol''Kil stood to his feet and clenched his fists as he tried to calm himself. He understood that Zel''Kan was correct. Nevertheless, he could not let go of his failure. Izroth''s existence to the Seventh Demon n was too important. If anything were to happen to him under their guard, they would have to forever bear the greatest shame as members of the Seventh Demon n. But, more than that, it would be the same as letting down their ancestor. "We should have never allowed the young master to enter such a dangerous ce, Zel''Kan," Jol''Kil stated with a darkened expression. "Don''t be foolish. We were left at the young master''s side by the n head to serve and follow his will¡ªnot to impede his duties. We have not been with the young master that long, but I understand his personality well enough to know that even if we were to have protested, it would not have stopped him." Zel''Kan responded with a heavy sigh. Jol''Kil could not refute Zel''Kan''s words. Indeed, Izroth had always done things with a firm resolution and decisiveness. To those who had never met him, his actions would seem almost reckless and ill-thought at first nce. However, there was a great deal he considered before every action. If that was the case, then... "You''re right. Still... What do we do now?" Jol''Kil asked as he pondered their next course of action. "The young master''s disappearance is concerning, but he is not the type to foolishly throw his life away. I''m certain he had a n when he allowed himself to be pulled into the vortex. That''s why, for now, we must follow the orders left behind by the young master and protect those whom he has left in our care." Zel''Kan responded as her gaze drifted over towards the members of the 9th Division. At the moment, those of the 9th Division were still in the middle of recovering from Izroth''s abrupt departure. However, the sound of a certain voice quickly snapped them out of it. "What are you guys doing?! Do you really think our Captain is the kind of man who would go down so easily?!" Niflheim''s voice sounded, immediately attracting the gazes of the 9th Division members. He then continued, "We may havepleted our objective, but the battle isn''t over yet. We need to find a way out of these chambers as fast as possible." "Even if we find a way out, what if the Captain doesn''t return by then? Are we really just going to abandon him here?" Champion inquired with a frown. "Our allies are still pushing forward outside the Night Lord''s Crypt. Sincemunications are still down, it is necessary to inform them of our sess here in person so that our forces can safely withdraw before nightfall. If aplishing that goal requires us to depart ahead of our Captain, then it is what must be done." Menervamented calmly. Champion and some other members of the 9th Division still felt uneasy leaving their Captain to fend for himself. However, they also knew that what both Niflheim and Menerva said was true. Their Captain was not the kind of man to go down so easily. Plus, he would undoubtedly want them to focus onpleting their mission and helping the allied forces still fighting outside the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Alright, we''ve wasted enough time chatting. Commander Lances and the 5th Unit have already started their search for a way out of this ce. We of the 9th Division will assist them!" Niflheim stated as he began to issue orders to the 9th Division members. After Niflheim gave the initial orders, Menerva took over and led the 9th Division in their search of the chambers. As for Niflheim, his gaze shifted to two individuals who stood isted from the 5th Unit and 9th Division alike. These two were, of course, the members of the Seventh Demon n, Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan. N?v(el)B\\jnn The two appeared to be patiently waiting for Niflheim and Menerva''s discussion with the 9th Division to end. "I don''t know much about those two since that guy didn''t go into any details about them, but their strength is the real deal. The situation outside the Night Lord''s Crypt has probably grown unstable by now. We''ll need all the help we can get if we want to ensure the 9th Division''s safety in that field of chaos." Niflheim thought to himself. Chapter 1059 The Void Chapter 1059 The Void ... ''Strange, I should have instantly arrived back inside the chambers within the Night Lord''s Crypt. That aside, what''s more troubling is that I can''t detect any signs of those two.'' At the moment, Izroth was drifting through what appeared to be an endless void. Even though there was no source of light in this ce, there was a mystical dark purple hue that lingered about in the atmosphere that made it possible to see one''s surroundings. After Izroth crossed into the portal that was supposed to take him outside the isted pocket of space created by the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension Stone, he arrived at his current location. As for what that location was, Izroth had no clue outside the fact that it was somehow rted to The Void¡ªan area that existed outside the normalws of the world in RML. To make matters worse, he had no idea what happened to Halls and Guan Yu who entered the portal before him. There was also no way for him tomunicate with anyone while within The Void. Even using an item like the Returning Scroll had proved to be a fruitless endeavor. "To end up drifting in The Void, there had to have been an undetectable rupture in space that formed in between the isted pocket of space and the chambers to the Night Lord''s Crypt. Did it ur when the spatial vortex that connected the Mortal Realm to the Shadahi Realm copsed? No, that alone would not have been enough to cause such a massive yet undetectable rupture. Then... Was it that creature''s doing?" Back when Izroth used Deep Insight to examine the spatial rift that linked the Shadahi Realm to the Mortal Realm, he caught a glimpse of a shadahi bound to arge stone pir on the other side. That shadahi was a monstrous presence that Izroth deduced was capable of manipting space to a fine degree. Izroth believed that it was possible that shadahi was the one responsible for his current predicament. After all, he ruined its ns to stabilize the spatial rift between their two realms. Once the shadahi realized that it was no longer possible to stabilize the spatial rift, it probably put forth ast-ditch effort to form a rupture in space. "If that shadahi was the one responsible for creating the rupture in space, it must have paid quite a heavy price. I suppose it''s not too surprising considering the shadahi''s vengeful nature. Whatever the case, what''s done is done. I have to find a way out of here. Well, I say that, but... There doesn''t seem to be anything that even remotely resembles an exit in sight." Izroth had spread his Energy Vision Sense out to its maximum range; however, even with an area coverage of one kilometer, he found that there was only vast nothingness. The only thing in The Void was strange floating inds of various sizes scattered throughout. These floating inds were constructed from some kind of dark purple stone. Unfortunately, the stone surfaces werepletely uninhabited and appeared to serve no actual purpose. Additionally, whenever Izroth tried to head towards one of the floating inds, there was an indescribable force that constantly kept the distance between him and the floating ind unchanged. To make matters worse, there was a bizarre and wild energy that fluctuated in a chaotic manner. This made it virtually impossible for Izroth to use his Energy Vision Sense to keep track of his position in The Void. As a result, he was left floating aimlessly with no idea if he was making any actual progress. Even something as simple as differentiating between up from down or left from right was a troublesome task. ''Finding a way out of here is a high priority, but... It would be a shame to let such a valuable opportunity go to waste. It seems that disaster and opportunity havee hand in hand.'' Despite his unfortunate set of circumstances, it did not take long for Izroth to find fortune in disaster as he received an alert from the system. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill ?Boundless Emperor Void Perfection? has increased.¡µ Izroth looked down at his hands as he felt a strange surge of energy pour into his body. There appeared to be no direct source for the energy being produced; however, that was not unusual given the unique nature of its existence. ''It''s incredibly faint, but there''s no doubt that it exists in this ce¡ªthe Law of Void.'' The Boundless Emperor Void Perfection was a powerful heavenlyw that allowed Izroth to stand at the peak of the Seven Realms. Unfortunately, when he attempted to create that same heavenlyw in RML, he was met with several roadblocks and dys. And, even though he was able to ovee the majority of the things that obstructed his path, there was one thing in particr that was beyond his current means¡ªencountering the Law of Void. In RML, the Law of Void was everywhere yet simultaneously nowhere. The reason this was so had to do with the fact that the Law of Void originated from The Void¡ªa ce that did not abide by thews of the world. From what Izroth understood, the only way for the Law of Void to exist outside The Void was if it had been contained within a divine-ranked magic item. Needless to say, it was not easy getting one''s hand on a divine-ranked magic item. In truth, Izroth did not even know if it was possible for a true divine-ranked item to appear below the firmament in RML due to the heavy restrictions that surrounded divine power. That''s why being trapped in The Void was both a blessing and a curse to Izroth. One could not simply ess The Void through a spatial rift or othermon means. It required a lot of effort and resources or a special method known only to a select few with a close connection to The Void itself. While Izroth had no intention of allowing himself to be trapped inside The Void forever, he also could not write off the opportunity that was abruptly dropped at his feet. Izroth opened his system interface and checked the progress of Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. ''It''s just as I thought. The skill level and skill rank remain unchanged. I can clearly feel the shackles starting to loosen, which means that progress is being made, but... the progress is still too slow. Unless I''m able to locate an origin point of the Law of Void, I estimate that it''ll take at least a week for my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection to increase by one rank. However, if I can find a source, that time can be cut down to a day, or possibly even a few hours.'' "Although it is somewhat troubling that I will have to remain out of contact with the 9th Division while I''m here, the biggest threat has already been dealt with. The trial that remains ahead in my absence will give the 9th Division some much-needed experience. More importantly, the 9th Division is in capable hands." ''Of course, I also can''t leave this ce until I confirm that those two aren''t trapped here. Once one bes lost in The Void, even if I were to somehow find a way back, it would be virtually impossible to locate them with the current means at my disposal.'' While ess to the Law of Void was a good incentive for staying in The Void, to Izroth, it was nothingpared to making sure that Halls and Guan Yu had not sumbed to a fate simr to his own. Izroth knew that Halls and Guan Yu were more than capable of taking care of themselves under normal circumstances. But, in an unpredictable ce like The Void where even legendary realm powerhouses found it difficult to traverse, the circumstances were far from normal. ''My first priority is to ensure that those two did not fall into this area The Void along with me. That being said... Even if they did fall into The Void not long before I did, there''s no telling where they might have ended up. For all I know, they could have emerged on a sidepletely opposite of my current position. How troublesome.'' Traveling to The Void in the same manner that brought Izroth there was like dropping a leaf in a turbulent flowing river that led to a boundless ocean. You could drop several leaves in the same exact spot in the river; however, the current would instantly sweep them away to different areas of the river. N?v(el)B\\jnn If Halls and Guan Yu had properly listened to his instructions and remained back in the chamber along with the rest of the 9th Division and 5th Unit, Izroth could have turned his full attention onto locating a source that housed the Law of Void. But, he could not fault their actions. In the end, it was their loyalty towards him that led them to leap into such a dangerous situation despite the potential consequences. Since the situation had already urred, Izroth understood that what was done could not be changed. All he could do now was make the best of what had transpired. Chapter 1060 Statue of The Void 1060 Statue of The Void n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ... Approximately fifteen minutester... Izroth spent thest fifteen minutes searching around The Void. Or, at the very least, the area of The Void he could cover with his current capabilities. In the end, Izroth did not discover any traces of Halls or Guan Yu having ever entered The Void. Whether this was a good or bad sign was yet to be determined; however,he understood that blindly searching in the chaos of The Void was a fruitless effort. At the moment, he had no way of pinpointing or even approximating the location of others. Ultimately, there was too much interference in The Void that obstructed Izroth''s sense of perception as well as his ability to detect others. ''It''s no use. I can search for a week and still be left without a trace in sight. I can only hope that they''ve managed to sessfully cross into the chambers of the Night Lord''s Crypt before the spatial shift took ce.'' Izroth believed that it was highly unlikely that Halls and Guan Yu got caught up in the incident that led to him being disced into The Void. Since he was the main target of that creature within the Shadahi Realm and manipting space with such finesse from so far away required a great price, Izroth spected that the creature would have had to time things perfectly. If that were the case, it would not risk failing solely for the sake of dragging two more individuals into the same position. Nheless, there was another troublesome matter. While looking for the whereabouts of Halls and Guan Yu, Izroth was also searching for anything that even remotely resembled an exit. However, he was left disappointed in his findings. ''With my current strength, creating a passageway that leads outside The Void is one thing, but generating a stable portal that leads directly to the Mortal Realm is something even those who specialize in void-type magic would find a challenging task. That being said, although my current level of strength may prove to becking, that does not mean there is no way to leave this ce on my own terms.'' Izroth still had a trump card at his disposal. It was just that this particr trump card still required a bit of development to be of any actual use. Of course, this trump card was the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. "If I can increase the rank of my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection to unlock the Void Turning ability, it should be possible to escape from this ce. I still won''t be able to exert absolute control over my destination, but arriving back in the Mortal Realm should prove doable." Void Turning¡ªduring his time in the Seven Realms, it was this ability that allowed Izroth to escape from various dangers. Additionally, before he reached his peak, it gave Izroth a method of defeating enemies many times stronger than him by taking them byplete surprise. Woosh! Tap. Suddenly, as Izrothnded on one of the floating inds, a dense wave that seemed to exude a boundless nothingness rushed past him. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill ?Boundless Emperor Void Perfection? has increased.¡µ ''This aura¡ªit''s close.'' Izroth felt intense traces of the Law of Void in the dense wave that had just passed him. More importantly, even though he was not close to the source of the Law of Void, Izroth could already feel the shackles that suppressed his progress start to tremble. "The Boundless Nullifying Expanse is but a prerequisite to the true first step of the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. It is the equivalent of having one''s hand on the door but not yet opening it. In order to take that first step and obtain the means of using Void Turning, I must achieve the Great Void Merging and tap directly into the power of The Void itself." Out of nowhere, Izroth came to an abrupt halt. However, despite his sudden stop, there was nothing out of the ordinary in Izroth''s surroundings. If someone were to view his current actions from an outside perspective, it would seem as though Izroth was standing alone on a deste floating ind in The Void. But, in the seemingly empty space in front of Izroth was a bizarre-looking statue that could only be perceived by those who had some connection with the Law of Void. The statue stood three meters tall and appeared to be some kind of creature¡ªone that Izroth had never seen before in RML. The creature had no defining facial features outside of four orifices that mimicked eyes. It possessed four wings and three tails that curled around it in a protective manner or maybe even one of slumber. It wasposed of a dark metallic-like alloy that was in a constant state of flux. Most importantly, it gave one a feeling of instinctual terror. "Even though I''m standing right before it, it is as though nothing is here. This statue... Is it a natural creation of The Void itself? Or, was it created and left behind in this ce by someone?" Izroth narrowed his eyes as he carefully examined the statue. However, no matter what methods he used, be it his natural perception, Energy Vision Sense, Appraisal, or even Deep Insight, he could not unravel any of the object''s secrets. ''This level of detail... It doesn''t seem like a natural urrence. But, I''m afraid that even a powerhouse at the peak of the legendary realm wouldn''t be capable of creating something this mysterious. The fact that it''s able to hold the Law of Void must mean that it''s an item of the divine rank.'' A divine-ranked item below the firmament was something virtually unheard of in RML. However, The Void was different. It was not bound by thews of the world and existed in a cepletely isted from that above and below the firmament. This made it possible for divine-ranked items to exist inside The Void without suffering any serious consequences. Ooooooommmmm...! ''Hm?'' Suddenly, a faint humming sound echoed from the statue that grew louder with each passing moment. Izroth''s eyes narrowed as his Soul Sense sounded a fierce warning. Woosh! Without hesitation, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm as a powerful gust of wind exploded forth from his position. In the same motion, he swung outward with a tightened grip on the hilt of his sword. BANG! ''?!'' An unknown force crashed into his Sword of the Storm, causing his entire arm to tremble. Then, in the blink of an eye, Izroth was sent sliding back tens of meters away from the statue. Crack! Izroth stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground, creating a shallow fissure that increased in depth the further back he traveled. It was not until Izroth was almost thirty meters away from his original position that he finally managed to quell his momentum. Izroth nced down at his trembling hand before briefly closing his eyes. When his eyes reopened, the trembling in Izroth''s hand ceased as he stood upright with his gaze locked onto the statue. Just now, if he had not reacted in time, he would have been sent flying off the floating ind! ''Is it a defensive measure? No, if it was the defensive measure of a divine-ranked item, I wouldn''t have gotten off so lightly. Then, is this its way of testing me? Or...'' When his Soul Sense went off, Izroth felt a sense of impending danger; however, what he did not detect was killing intent. This led him to believe that the statue was evaluating his worthiness. No, rather than testing him, it was something else entirely. "I haven''te across much information regarding divine-ranked items, but it''s been rumored that magic items that surpass SSS-rank develop a consciousness. In a sense, it''s not all that different from an Immortal Persona like the Dragon Lord of the Abyss. However, if it''s the consciousness of a divine-ranked item, forget testing me¡ªit''s more likely to treat me like a buzzing insect to be swatted away." Izroth sheathed his Sword of the Storm as his gaze turned distant. "To think there woulde a point when I''m looked down on to this extent by a mere statue. How interesting..." Izroth began to walk back toward the statue in a casual manner as if he were simply going for a stroll. "I don''t know how long this statue has been in The Void. Years? Decades? Centuries? Millennia? In that time, it''s bound to have forgotten how to open its eyes. Then, shall I help it to see clearly past the arrogance of its gaze?" Despite its inherent arrogance, Izroth did not look down on the statue. In the end, it was still a divine-ranked item. If something like it appeared in the Mortal Realm, another war would break out over who got to im ownership. Furthermore, Izroth understood that even someone at the peak of the legendary realm may not necessarily enter the sights of this statue. Nevertheless, Izroth was not in the habit of walking away from a challenge. Even more so when he was being looked down upon. (Unedited) Chapter 1061 Shattering The Outer Shell 1061 Shattering The Outer Shell As Izroth approached the unusual statue, he was met with a cascading wave of the Law of Void. The pressure from this wave alone was enough to send most yers flying back without a fight; however, Izroth continued to walk forward leisurely. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om After his initial encounter with the statue, Izroth understood that he could not approach itin a reckless manner. The moment he let his guard down,he would be swept away bythe wave of the Law of Void. While the statue did not appear to have any killing intent the first time, Izroth was not foolish. He knew that there was a possibility that the statue had a warning system. This meant that it may be "friendly" the first time and merely knock one away that it deemed not worthy of its attention. But, if one chose to ignore that warning, the statue could use a more stronghanded and permanent method in dealing with that individual. Nevertheless, Izroth was aware that reward and risk often worked hand in hand. Seldom did onee without the other. And, in most cases, the greater the risk, the better the reward. The closer Izroth moved to the statue, the more overwhelming the pressure and the denser the Law of Void became. ¡´System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill ?Boundless Emperor Void Perfection? has increased.¡µ ''Getting close to it alone is enough to affect the progress of my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. If I can absorb the Law of Void gathered in thatstatue or use it as a catalyst, it should be possible to reach the Great Void Merging and obtain Void Turning in one step.'' Since Void Turning used the power of The Void, it could not be executed without something like the Great Void Merging, an ability that would allow Izroth to connect to The Void and tap into its power directly. Izroth halted his steps in front of the strange statue as the aura around him abruptly changed. At the same time, a faint humming sound started to echo from the statue. It had used the same tactic thest time to knock Izroth tens of meters away. This time, however, Izroth was fully prepared. ¡´System Alert: You have activated the effect ?Strength of the Ancient Colossus?.¡µ The next moment, a sharp and prating aura of destruction formed around the palm of Izroth''s right hand as an explosive energy surged. Oooooooom...! Izroth''s gaze sharpened as he concentrated on the statue''s center. As he did so, an unknown force rushed out from that area in an overwhelming fashion. As the unknown force approached Izroth, in one motion, he struck forward with his palm, meeting the unknown force head-on. BANG! Shriiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! An ear-piercing shriek rang throughout the surroundings and echoed endlessly within The Void as Izroth came into contact with the unknown force. Craaaack! ''To think, even with the Strength of the Ancient Colossus active, I''m still being pushed this much. What a terrifying force.'' Izroth sheathed his Sword of the Storm because his physical strength was significantly enhanced without a weapon, thanks to the Might stat. However, if it were just that alone, Izroth would not have dared to attempt to meet the unknown force head-on. The Might stat also granted Izroth a certain level of resistance whenever he collided with anythingmagic rted. Of course, the Might stat was nowhere near its full potential where one could outright crush raw magic with their barehands. But that did not mean it could not create tiny openings in anythingmagic rted. Fortunately, Izroth also had his Heavenly Golden Body and Earthly Golden Bones, which further augmented his physical strength and worked harmoniously with the Might stat. Additionally, Izroth used the Essence from his Source to further improve his physical condition, allowing it to reach new heights that far surpassed that of any yer in RML. In addition to improving his physique, Izroth used the Fusion Skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. This attack possessed a devastating prative power capable of shattering even the most robust defenses. And, since it could be executed without a sword while still disying its full might, it was the perfect choice to break through any of the statue''s defensive measures. OOOOOOOOM! The statue trembled as the unknown force began to expand in all directions. As if sensing Izroth''s defiance, the force generated by the statue intensified, causing the entire floating ind to shake violently. Most others in a simr situation would retreat at this point. After all, a sudden spike in an already overwhelming force would not yield favorable results. But Izroth''s perspective was different. The fact that the statue was reacting so violently meant it was being pushed in a way it had not anticipated. If that were the case, it proved one thing for sure to Izroth. Even if it turned out to be a divine-ranked magic item, it was not invulnerable. Izroth carefully observed the statue as he kept pushing forward with his attack. ''How reckless. I suppose, even if it has some form of consciousness, in the end, it''s still a magic item.'' While its overall power had surged tremendously, its strike was no longer concentrated at a single point. Instead, it was unleashing that bizarre energy in all directions without any care in the world. Under normal circumstances, it would be more than enough to sweep away any challengers. However, Izroth was not someone who became intimidated by the sudden increase in the power he faced. In addition, Izroth''s Fusion Skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point was a skill that excelled in breaking through formidable defenses. More importantly, while he could not rely on any of his skills or natural perception when it came to deciphering anything about the mysterious statue, Izroth still possessed a great deal of experience. The statue had four wings and three tails that curled around it as though it were in a state of slumber. At first nce, there was nothing unusual about it. But, if one looked closely, there was a small section where all four wings and three tails intersected, positioned close to the center of the statue''s torso. While it could also simply be an artistic choice of its creator, Izroth knew that if he was right and this was a magic item above the SSS-rank, it should have the necessary intelligence to protect itself properly. Naturally, this meant it would keep its weakest point under constant guard. ''As I thought, it''s not enough. Then...'' Although it became somewhat easier to deal with the statue after its outburst, it was still difficult to break through itsyers of defenses¡ªeven with the Fusion Skill First Baneful Sword: Destruction Point. Therefore, Izroth decided to take his approach one step further. Izroth opened his mouth slightly, and a small spherical objectcould be seenhidden within. The object was crimson red, epassedwitha faint yellow aura, and released a fierce yet refreshing scent as it dissolved. The moment it dissolved, a powerful aura burst forth from Izroth''s body. ¡´System Alert: You have gained the temporary passive skill ?Sr Extremity? for 1 minute.¡µ ¡´System Alert: The effects of ?Lunar Touch? have been activated.¡µ BOOM! An explosive surge empowered Izroth''s strike after he consumed the Two Sr Extremities Pill. However, this was not thenormalTwo Sr Extremities Pill. It was one of the pills that had been affected by Blessing of Craft and upgraded to a grade-four pill. Not only did it increase all of Izroth''s offensive stats by 100%, but thanks to the Lunar Touch effect gained through the Blessing of Craft, the after-effects of consuming the pill that reduced one''s stats by 50% would bepletely negated. Izroth''s Fusion Skill First Baneful Sword:Destruction Point pierced onward as the sound of something cracking from the direction of the statue entered his ears. Craaaack! Oooooooooom! A terrifying wave of void energy resonated throughout The Void as the strange statue violently trembled. At the same time, the fluctuations that appeared on the statue''s surface stopped, and the dark metallic-like alloy that made up its outeryer shattered. ''Oh? Is this its true appearance?'' Izroth lowered his hand as an object twice the size of one''s fist slowly descended from where the statue''s head was originally located and into his palm. The object was a miniature version of the strange statue; however, there were no signs of any fluctuations. Furthermore, the intense pressure the object gave off hadpletely subsided. ¡´System Alert: You have received x1 ?Unburdened Null Beast Statue?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer to discover traces of the ?Silent Null Overlord?!¡µ Chapter 1062 Realm Ranked Quest 1062 Realm Ranked Quest ¡´System Alert: You have discovered the hidden quest ?Traces of the Silent Null Overlord?!¡µ ¡´System Alert: You are the first yer to discover a Realm-ranked quest!¡µ ¡´System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 1,000 points!¡µ ''I anticipated that an object like this would hold some secrets. But for it to be a Realm-ranked quest... What an unexpected gift. Not to mention, I only acquired 200 points of world fame for being the first yer to set foot into The Void. Receiving a thousand points of world fame merely for being the first yer to find a Realm-ranked quest shows its value. On the other hand, it also provides some insight into the risk involved.'' Needless to say,Izroth wasnever oshy away fromsomethingsimplybecause it was too risky. Thiswas the first time Izroth heard of a Realm-ranked quest. After all, the highest ranked quest he ever received was an SSS-ranked quest. Thatbeingsaid, it did not take a genius to realize what a Realm-ranked quest represented. If an SSS-ranked quest could alter thendscape of the Mortal Realm or destroy a capital city belonging to one of its powerhouse kingdoms, then a Realm-ranked quest went beyond that. It was a quest that could possibly change the very nature of a realm itself! Izroth carefully examined the Unburdened Null Beast Statue in the palm of his hand. Name: Unburdened Null Beast Statue(Magical Item) Rank: Artifact Durability: ???(Damaged) Usage: Contains and unleashes the power of ?The Void?. Special Note:This artifact once belonged to an ancient and powerfulbeing knownas the ?Silent Null Overlord?.If you wish to unlock its secrets, you mustfirstfind clues to thest known whereabouts of the ?Silent Null Overlord?. ''Artifact? Can it be... Is this a magic item that exceeds the SSS-rank?'' To yers, it wasmon knowledge that the highest-ranked magic item one could obtain was SSS-ranked. However, Izroth knew that an SSS-ranked magic item could not be the limit since a ce like the Divine Realm existed. Still, Izroth did not expect to find an item beyond the SSS-ranked in the Mortal Realm. And, if he did, he thought it would be a kingdom''s hidden trump card that was kept a closely guarded secret. To find one in a ce like this was unexpected, to say the least. 10:53 ''This item has a direct connection to the Realm-ranked quest. For it tobe leftin the middle of The Void¡ªI doubt it was by ident. It must have been ced here by someone intentionally to serve a purpose. A guide, perhaps? Whatever the case, given its location and the defensive capabilities it disyed, it''s not an item meant tobe obtainedunless one has at least stepped into the legendary realm.'' Despite his current strength and having faced off against multiple legendary realm beings, Izroth had yetto technically set foot into the legendary realm by RML standards. But,Izroth learned something important after his journey to the Ancient Celestial Realm. Astratis and manyof theother celestials were at level zero even though they hadclearlystepped into the legendary realm. At first, Izroth did not think much of it andsimplywrote it off as a quirk of the Secret Realm.However, after giving it more thought, Izroth began to askcertainquestions. For example, what if one''s level had nothing to do with reaching the legendary realm? What if stepping into the legendary realm requiredsomething more than justraw strength or numbers? Of course, this was just Izroth''s spection. In the end, reaching the legendary realm for a yer could be as simple as getting to a certain level.Nevertheless, Izroth believed that with everything he had experienced thus far in RML, it was likelynot that straightforward. Izroth set those thoughts into the back of his mind as he turned his attention toward the quest. ''I knew it at the time, but... Youreallydid get the better end of this deal.'' Izrothwas remindedof his brief conversation with the God of Craft Mazi and the deal thatwas struckbetween the two of them. In exchange for promising not to ignore any plight that may befall the Mortal Realm, Izroth received a few benefits from the God of Craft. Of course, Izroth knew how broad the task was and the challenges thatmay be presented. However, since he nned on using the Mortal Realm as his foothold, naturally, Izroth would not sit back and watch any harme to it. Not to mention, those who were under his protection resided in the Mortal Realm. Furthermore, even if Izroth did not have that deal in ce with the God of Craft, it would not make him turn this quest away. After all, the benefits of an SSS-ranked quest were already astronomical. But how could it possiblypare to a Realm-ranked quest? Quest Name: Traces of the Silent Null Overlord Rmended Level: 100 Rmended Party Size: 240 Quest Rank: Realm Quest Objective:Use the ?Unburdened Null Beast Statue? to find the long-lost traces of the ?Silent Null Overlord?.Be prepared. 0/1 Find thest known traces of the ?Silent Null Overlord?located somewherein the Wild Lands. 0/1 Locate the sealed Lost Ancient Civilization ??? that is said to have ties to the ?Silent Null Overlord?. 0/1 Obtain the hidden method to release the seal on the Lost Ancient Civilization ???. 0/1 Release the seal on the Lost Ancient Civilization ???. 0/1 ??? [Hidden] 0/1 ??? [Hidden] Quest Item: -x1 Unburdened Null Beast Statue Reward: -Seal released on the Lost Ancient Civilization ??? -x1 ?Divine Equipment Treasure Chest?(Main Quest Holder Only) -x1 ?Origin Skill Book?(Main Quest Holder Only) -x1 ?Pandora''s Box?(Main Quest Holder Only) -Reputation set to ?Trusted? in the Lost Ancient Civilization???(Main Quest Holder Only) -Gain +1-10 levels -x3 ?Rare Treasure Chest? -x2 ?Epic Treasure Chest? -x1 ?Legendary Treasure Chest? -x1 ?Low-High Grade Magic Item Treasure Chest? -x1 ?Rare-Divine Equipment Treasure Chest? -Gain 500-5,000 world fame -x1 ?Rare-Legendary Skill Book? -10% EXP Boost(Permanent) -Reputation set to ?Friendly? in the Lost Ancient Civilization ??? -Dy ?Null Beasts? invasion of the Mortal Realm. Failure: -?Null Beasts? invasion of the Mortal Realm. N?v(el)B\\jnn -Totaldestruction of the Lost Ancient Civilization ???. -All EXP gained in the Mortal Realm reduced by 50%(Permanent) -All stats reduced by 10%(Permanent) Special Note: This quest may be shared any number of timeswith other yers. Rewardquality will be based on the individual yer''s overall contribution to the quest. Skill books, numerous treasure chests, world fame, a permanent EXP boost¡ªany of these things alone would cause most yers to burn with jealousy and envy. However, none of that couldpare to the Divine Equipment Treasure Chest promised to the main quest holder. Divine-ranked equipment¡ªthis was something Izroth thought could not exist outside of the Divine Realm unlessit wereunder a unique set of circumstances. Thatbeingsaid, if a yer managed to get their hands on even one piece of divine-ranked, it wouldmost likelydrastically shift the power dynamics in RML.Thiswas even more so if that yer belonged to a top guild like Cross Haven or Blue Oasis. ''Since the rewardsare basedon an individual''s performance, does that mean they will receive a Rare Equipment Treasure Chest if they do poorly and a Divine Equipment Treasure Chest if they greatly contribute? If so, there would be no need to ensure motivation. No one would want to ck off and risk missing out on the opportunity to earn even a legendary piece of equipment, let alone one''s that divine-ranked.'' Izroth was curious about a few other interesting rewards, such as the Origin Skill Book and Pandora''s Box. There was also the question of the true identity of this Lost Ancient Civilization. It appeared that unsealing them was a good thing. But Izroth understood that he could not afford to let his guard down. However, what troubled Izroth the most was not the Lost Ancient Civilization or even the consequences of failing the quest. Instead, it was one thing¡ªNull Beasts. ''Null Beasts... Was that statue made in their image? Regardless, outside of that, I have never heard of Null Beasts or anything rted to the Silent Null Overlord. Since thest known traces of the Silent Null Overlord are somewhere in the Wild Lands... Hm... That guy might be able to help if it''s that ce. I''ll have to do some digging once things settle down in the Mortal Realm.'' Chapter 1063: Great Void Merging and Void Turning Chapter 1063: Great Void Merging and Void Turning ? [System Alert: You have epted the quest <>![] After confirming all of the details, Izroth epted the quest. He was not the type to shy away from a challenge. ''A Realm-ranked quest will be a huge undertaking. The rmended level requirement is level 100. As of right now, no yer has evene close to reaching that level. I''m only currently at level 61. As for those top guilds, even if they''ve focused solely on leveling up, it''s highly unlikely that they''ve made it past level 70.'' Izroth acquired a massive amount of experience points during the event as well as a good chunk from the battle at the Night Lord''s Crypt. However, Izroth never went out of his way to grind levels like those in the top guilds do. While he was surely among the highest level yers in RML, there were likely those who were further ahead in level. For one, levels were not as important forbat masters like Izroth as they were for other sses. This was due to the fact that most sses required yers to reach a specific level before they could utilize certain skills. Additionally, once a yer reached level 100, they would be able to undergo their third ss advancement, which would undoubtedly boost their overall power severalfold. However, for abat master like Izroth, no one knew what would happen since ss advancements did not exist for thebat master ss. At level 50, when one was supposed to obtain their second ss advancement, Izroth got the ability to create something called skill orbs. Skill orbs were simr to skill books, but they allowed one to manipte the overall power of a skill and transform it into a growth-type skill. Needless to say, Izroth believed that there was something forbat masters once they reached level 100. However, the sense of urgency was different since abat master''s level did not necessarily corrte to their strength and vice versa. ''Fortunately, as long as the three-to-one time ratio doesn''t change, that means there are still one and a half years left to prepare.'' At the moment, every three days in RML was equivalent to one day spent in the real world. This meant that the four and a half years time limit was actually one and a half years. After all, no matter how devoted yers were to RML and how much they pushed themselves, sleeping, eating, and even working for those who were not ying professionally¡ªit was all a necessity. ''One and a half years is not a lot of time. If we approach this quest half-hearted and unprepared, we won''t even make it past the first objective. I''ll have to give some serious thought to who will be participating. After all, I n on filling all 239 slots.'' Of course, Izroth already reserved spots for everyst one of his guild members and a few other individuals he had in mind. ''I''ll figure out the exact detailster. For now...'' Izroth closed out the quest information as he shifted his attention to the Unburdened Null Beast Statue. ''I have to start working on a way out of here.'' The Unburdened Null Beast Statue was damaged; however, Izroth knew that this was not due to him suppressing it. It was not wrong to say that if not for its damaged state, even he would have had a considerably tougher time dealing with it. Without a doubt, it had long since been damaged by someone or something. Whatever the case, Izroth considered it to be his fortune. In the end, the Unburdened Null Beast Statue was an Artifact-ranked magic item. It was nothing something that could be destroyed by ordinary means. ''I''ve finally obtained an item that can hold the Law of Void. With this, I now have a reliable way of making steady progress with the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection.'' [System Alert: Warning! You have arrived at this location through a forceful method! Are you sure you wish to log out from your current location? You will receive a heavy penalty if you log out now![] ''As I thought, it hasn''t changed.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Izroth brought up the logout option only to be greeted by the same message he received during his initial arrival at The Void. Seeing as hismunications were down in-game, Izroth figured that the smartest thing to do would be to contact someone in the real world. However, the system was not so lenient. If he wanted to log out, he would have to pay a certain price, which may not necessarily be worth it. "Although there is a good chance that Halls and Guan Yu made it back safely, I still have no idea what is going on outside of this ce. Our forces should be withdrawing since we aplished our objective in the Night Lord''s Crypt of stopping the Night Lord''s revival. Unfortunately,munications are restricted in The Void, and if I attempt to log out while still trapped here, I will receive a heavy penalty. I will just have to trust that those guys managed to handle things properly on their end." Izroth took a meditative pose on the ground and set the Unburdened Null Beast Statue in front of him. ''I''m not sure how long it will take to learn the Great Void Merging and Void Turning, but the progress should be much faster since I''m inside of The Void itself. I have to take advantage of every moment and quickly return to the Mortal Realm.'' Izroth closed his eyes and held the palm of his hand open before the Unburdened Null Beast Statue. The moment he did so, the statue violently trembled and released a noise that resembled the light growl of a lurking beast. At the same time, waves of void energy simr to what Izroth faced when he first came upon the statue rushed toward his position. This time, however, there were no signs of an unknown force attempting to drive him away. Instead, the void energy shot into the statue and lingered within for less than half a breath of time. Immediately after doing so, the void energy was expelled from the statue and flowed directly into Izroth. [System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill <> has increased. [System Alert: Your efficiency with the skill <> has increased. [System Alert: Your efficiency.... As time went by, Izroth repeated the process of drawing in and absorbing void energy hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times. He concentrated solely on sensing The Void itself. It was everywhere yet nowhere-nothing, yet everything. Such a paradoxical concept was difficult for even cultivators of the Seven Realms to grasp, let alone mortals. [System Alert: Your skill level with <> has increased. When the alert sounded, Izroth opened his eyes. The Unburdened Null Beast Statue stopped trembling, and the void energy around him became calm. For a brief moment, a mysterious aura shed through Izroth''s eyes that held a bottomless depth before dissipating without a trace. Izroth waved his hand over the statue and ced it into his inventory. He then stood to his feet and peered off into the endless void. ''It took longer than I expected, but... I finally obtained it.'' A full week in-game had passed since Izroth first entered The Void and set his full attention on making progress with the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. Every few hours or so, he got up and carved into his body the feeling of The Void and the techniques revolving around the Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. After doing so, Izroth would return his focus to absorbing the void energy in his surroundings along with what was being pulled in by the Unburdened Null Beast Statue. As a result of his efforts, Izroth was not disappointed. Skill Name: Boundless Emperor Void Perfection Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1->3 Skill Rank: Growth(Current Rank Equivalent: C-) <> ... Cooldown: 252 Hours -> 180 Hours *New-> <> Active: The user can draw power from [0.01%] of <> for [30 seconds], massively buffing the user''s HP, HP Regen, Attack, Defense, Agility, and Physical Resistance. Damage from the user attacks can be converted into void damage. During this time, any attack or negative effect against the user has a chance of being redirected to <> and nullified. Cooldown: 12 hours *New-> <> Active: The user can connect any two points through <> and instantly travel to either end of the connecting points or any point between them. Cooldown: 24 hours ''It''s tempting to stay here and keep making progress, but I''ve already been away long enough. It is time for me to leave this ce and return to the Mortal Realm.'' Chapter 1064: A Surprising Entry Chapter 1064: A Surprising Entry ? Somewhere in the Mortal Realm...n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om An undetectable ripple appeared in space as Izroth emerged out of seemingly nowhere. System Alert: You have entered into the seventh kingdom, ?Malentansium?>! [System Alert: Warning, the kingdom < you have crossed into is hostile territory! ''Oh? I actually managed to make it back to one of the seven kingdoms. That saves me a lot of trouble. It was more demanding to control than I anticipated. Is it because I activated it from The Void?'' Izroth sessfully used the Void Turning ability attached to his Boundless Emperor Void Perfection and safely arrived in the Mortal Realm. However, upon using Void Turning, Izroth found that his senses were overwhelmed by all the possible points he could instantly travel to. After all, The Void was connected to everything under the firmament. It took a while for him to sift through the abundance of information and find a point that led him to somewhere in the Mortal Realm. Izroth''s initial hope was merely that he would arrive anywhere in the Mortal Realm remotely close to one of the seven kingdoms. But, to his surprise, he actually managed tond in Malentansium! ''It should be easier to pinpoint an exact location using Void Turning while I''m outside of The Void. But, as I thought, traveling to and from The Void at my current skill level won''t be easy.'' The Void was filled with chaos unlike any other and remained unconstant. Attempting to use Void Turning to travel to and from The Void was akin to swimming against a strong current that constantly changed directions in the middle of an ever-expanding sea. If it were any yer but Izroth, they would have been swept away to some ce random by such an overwhelming force. Izroth furrowed his brows. He immediately felt that something was off. ''My connection to Empyrean and Selene should have been restored the moment I crossed over into the Mortal Realm; however, I can''t sense either one of them.'' Since Empyrean was Izroth''s Soul Avatar, regardless of distance, their souls were always connected. Unless it was special circumstances such as being trapped in a location like The Void, Izroth should have been able to sense his presence. As for Selene, she was a spirit contracted to Izroth through Soul Link. This meant that his connection to Selene was no worse than the one he had with Empyrean. ''I instructed Empyrean to prioritize their safety above all else. Could something have happened to them while I was gone?'' Izroth checked through his alerts and did not see anything that would indicate that Empyrean or Selene had perished. But, it was possible that they had encountered an unknown danger. ''Even a being at the peak of the legendary realm would find it challenging to stop Empyrean from escaping if he wanted to. Then, did they enter an area that''s capable of interfering with Soul Link?'' Thest time Izroth sensed their presence before being caught up in the chaos at the Night Lord''s Crypt, Empyrean and Selene were located somewhere in Amaharpe. ''I''m sure they''re fine, but... Just in case, I should check theirst known whereabouts.'' As Izroth organized his thoughts, he was bombarded by a stream of messages and system alerts the instant he left The Void. Many of the messages were sent over the course of the week in-game he spent out of reach ofmunications, while some were from almost the exact moment that he crossed out of The Void. Out of the system alerts, there was one in particr that caught his eye. ''I nned on contacting them right now. It seems they were one step faster than me.'' [System Alert: yer Niflheim has requested a voice chat![] System Alert: Do you wish to ept the iing voice chat from yer Niflheim? At the moment, there was nothing Izrothcked more than information. To be more precise, the fate of the allied forces after he prevented the resurrection of Night Lord Zars. Not to mention the current status and whereabouts of the 9th Division that was under hismand. There was also the matter of whether or not Halls and Guan Yu were able to make it back to the Mortal Realm or not. ''Even if it''s risky at my current strength, if those two truly have been trapped in The Void, I will do what''s necessary to make sure they''re able to return safely.'' Without hesitation, Izroth epted the voice chat from Niflheim. [System Alert: You have started a voice chat with yer Niflheim! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the yer system interface and manually end the call. Niflheim, "You really were too reckless this time, Captain. Disappear for more than two days without a word¡ªI was starting to get somewhat anxious." Izroth, "I could only do so because I have such reliable people under mymand. The 9th Division?" Niflheim, "Safe and sound. After the events that urred at the Night Lord''s Crypt, we retreated back behind Amaharpe''s border. We''re currently stationed in Danaharpe. Ah, and before you ask, those two are safe as well. It was a real headache trying to convince those stubborn guys to leave the Night Lord''s Crypt when you were nowhere to be found. You have some trustworthy brothers. I guess it makes sense when you all share that same reckless trait of diving into danger head first." Izroth''s face became carefree. He was relieved that Halls and Guan Yu had safely returned to the Mortal Realm. With that, one of hisrgest concerns had vanished. Izroth, "As long as everyone''s safe, then I''m at ease. Why have you moved the 9th Division to Danaharpe?" Danaharpe was known as the city of craftsmen. If one wanted to advance further in their profession in Amaharpe, paying a visit to Danaharpe was an absolute must. Niflheim, "It''s a long story. But, to summarize it, it''s where we were ordered to go." Izroth, "Ordered?" Even a High General could not order around those of the General Support Unit. After all, they were given the freedom to act freely and did not have to follow orders from any other war branch. This also included other Captains of the GSU. Izroth knew that this was something Niflheim must have been aware this fact. If that were the case, there was only one individual that came to Izroth''s mind who could give orders to the GSU. The current Head of the General Support Unit, Commander Seraphina. Although she was given the rank of Commander, it could only be considered honorary. In truth, Izroth realized that her power far surpassed that of a Commander and that she was no ordinary person. ''For that unbothered person who avoids responsibility like a gue to make a move-did Commander Aurie''s message get through? Still, why Danaharpe?'' ording to Izroth''s knowledge, there should be no major or important objectives located near Danaharpe. Of course, a lot could change in a week. ''I suppose this works out well. I have been meaning to pay a visit to Danaharpe for a while now. I can use this opportunity to progress beyond that of a Grade-Three Apothecary.'' Izroth''s skills have long since surpassed that of a Grade-Three Apothecary. However, the Apothecary Guild in the capital city of Amaharpe only allowed yers to progress up to that of a Grade-Three Apothecary. If one wanted to go further than that, one had no choice but to visit a city like Danaharpe with a more advanced and developed Apothecary Guild. Niflheim, "We received the orders from the Head of the General Support Unit a couple of days after we departed from the Night Lord''s Crypt. We''ve been stationed here ever since." Izroth, "If you''ve received orders from that person, it must be for a good reason. The 9th Division performed well during the attack on the Night Lord''s Crypt. I''ll be sure to prepare the proper rewards for their efforts. I would also like for you and Menerva to rmend any individuals who stood out so that I can arrange a more suitable reward." Niflheim, "We''ll see to it. You know, I have to admit, after everything that happened that day, this has been a much-needed resting period for the 9th Division." Izroth, "Oh? Were there some unexpected bumps along the way?" Niflheim, "That doesn''t even begin to describe it. A lot has happened since you''ve been away. It''ll take some time to exin." Izroth, "That''s fine. I have nothing but time. Right now, I''m somewhere in Malentansium. After I make a quick stop at a certain location in Amaharpe, I will head directly to Danaharpe." Niflheim, "Then, I''ll get right to it. While Amaharpe and its allied forces were attacking the Night Lord''s Crypt, the neutral second kingdom, O''Tohelm, finally decided to make their move. Theyunched a surprise attack-aimed at Amaharpe." Izroth narrowed his eyes when Niflheim delivered that piece of information. Chapter 1065: Contribution, Uncertain Troubles Chapter 1065: Contribution, Uncertain Troubles ? O''Tohelm was a kingdom of religious fanatics and zealots who did not look kindly upon those who did not worship the same divine being as them. That''s why it was no surprise to any of the kingdoms when O''Tohelm decided to remain neutral despite the fact that Tempest and Malentansium sided with the shadahi who were clear enemies of the Mortal Realm. But, for O''Tohelm to break their neutrality and choose tounch an offensive assault against Amaharpe of all targets it didn''t make any sense. This piece of unexpected news caused Izroth to frown inwardly. ''Why would a kingdom that looks down on all those who do not follow their way join hands with the likes of Tempest and Malentansium? Or can it be that they''re acting independently for their own benefit? Either way, their actions are aiding Tempest and Malentansium. How troublesome.'' O''Tohelm joining the war was inevitable; however, Izroth figured that they would ultimately have no choice but to join hands with Amaharpe, Proximus, and Rosentarus. After all, a world overrun by the shadahi would not be ideal for those of O''Tohelm who were constantly trying to obtain more worshippers. For O''Tohelm to attack Amaharpe, in Izroth''s eyes, was incredibly short-sighted and dismissive of the bigger picture. ''O''Tohelm has a strict hierarchy-almost as strict as the bloodline restriction ced on the skounae. The Order of the Radiant First Light''s movement on arge scale would not be possible without authorization from the Holy Emperor.'' In O''Tohelm, none had more status and authority than the Holy Emperor except the Goddess of Light, Primalux. Of course, since the Goddess of Light was a being in the divine realm, in the Mortal Realm, the Holy Emperor''s word was absolute to the worshippers of the Order of the Radiant First Light. ''From what I know, the Holy Emperor uses a special method tomunicate with the Goddess of Light, Primalux, and follow her will. At least, that is what was written in the books I read in the Amaharpe Pce Library. Is this truly the will of someone above the firmament?'' Izroth was well aware that those in the Divine Realm could not interfere in the affairs of those below the firmament without paying a heavy price. Therefore, while the Holy Emperor might receive an order to gather more worshippers or increase the faith of the Order of the Radiant First Light followers, it was highly unlikely that the Goddess of Light would instruct them to attack a kingdom fighting against the shadahi. Izroth, "Where did they attack?" Niflheim, "Their target was Terraharpe. ording to my sources, the city has been upied and fortified by the O''Tohelm forces. No one has been able to figure out their end game. I''m not sure what O''Tohelm is up to, but my guess as to why we were ordered to Danaharpe is so that we can depart toward Terraharpe and help recapture the city." "Terraharpe? What does O''Tohelm want with an outpost city that was set up to safeguard one of Amaharpe''s mineral deposits?'' Amaharpe would suffer a momentary material shortage around that region of Amaharpe; however, it wasn''t a huge game changer. At the very least, it was not enough to affect the direction of the war. At most, it was a hindrance. After all, how could a kingdom like Amaharpe have only one source of minerals? There was also the fact that the Land of Unity, a location with an abundance of rich resources, had been rtively recently captured by Rosentarus and Amaharpe forces. Therefore, even calling it a hindrance to the war efforts was overdoing it. Izroth, "Terraharpe... It''s not a bad target, but it''s not one that makes the most sense for an initial strike." Niflheim, "I had the same thought. But, who knows? Maybe O''Tohelm is short on resources and is desperate for materials."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Izroth, "Perhaps; however, something is telling me that we''re missing an important piece of the puzzle." As Izroth spoke to Niflheim, he traveled at a high speed through Malentansium. He made sure to avoid any potential skounae dwellings or towns along the way so as not to attract too much attention to himself. In the end, he was the person responsible for sending Night Lord Zars to the Night Lord''s Crypt as well as preventing his resurrection. Either one of those two feats alone was enough to make him an eternal enemy of the skounae. That being said, no one knew that Izroth was the one who caused Zars to end up in the Night Lord''s Crypt. At least, that was before the raid on the Night Lord''s Crypt ended. Izroth looked over his system alerts as his eyesnded on a certain section. [System Alert: Your feat of defeating the Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars has been revealed and acknowledged![] [System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 30,000! [Total: 46,134.540 [System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points][] [System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 46,634.540 [System Alert: Your fame with the seventh kingdom <> has decreased by 10,000 points! [System Alert: Your reputation with the seventh kingdom <> has be Irredeemable! You can no longer gain fame with the seventh kingdom ?Malentansium?>! System Alert: You are the first yer to receive an Irredeemable reputation with one of the seven kingdoms! [System Alert: Your world fame has increased by 1,000 points! Izroth''s reputation with Malentansium had sunken to the bottom of an abyss. Without a doubt, he would be attacked on sight by the skounae. Needless to say, it was not as though Izroth feared confronting the skounae. Rather, he simply did not have the time to waste on such uneventful encounters. ''It seems like she kept her word.'' After he defeated Zars in her Dream Domain, Aurie informed Izroth that she was unable to reward him properly since his feat could not yet be officially recognized. This was to keep it a secret that an assault was being nned on the Night Lord''s Crypt. At the time, Aurie expressed her regret, as her authority as a Commander was limited. However, Aurie promised Izroth that she would make sure he received a proper reward for aplishing such an incredible feat once the attack had beenpleted. Izroth expected to obtain arge number of contribution points; however, he acquired a massive 30,000 points-nearly double his previous total! ''With the 10% permanent discount I have and the 50% one-time special voucher, I can purchase an item from the event shop worth roughly 115,000 contribution points. There''s nothing I have an immediate for, but it never hurts to have a few hidden cards at my disposal.'' Izroth, "Has there been any unexpected newstely? Specifically, rted to Malentansium and any new Night Lords?" There was one other major event that troubled Izroth during the time he was trapped in The Void-The Great Rebirth. The Great Rebirth selected the most powerful of skounae Dukes and the one selected would undergo a rebirth and awaken as a new Night Lord. If a new Night Lord appeared, it would not take long for the news to spread. However, Izroth was unsure if the ceremony had been sessfully stopped or not. Niflheim, "As far as Zars goes, there was no issue after you dealt the final blow back then. In regards to other matters, well..." One week ago... NPC Name: War Brigade 1st High Legion High General of the 1st Core, Crimson Dragon yer Caius(???) NPC Level: ??? A dark cloud of smoke rushed out toward Caius as the High General waved his sword coated in the fire element and shed forward. Woosh! Boom! Caius was sent flying a few meters back before regaining his bnce in the air as a serious expression formed on his face. "It happened again," Caius said to himself as he narrowed his eyes. Just before Caius'' sword could make contact with the dark cloud of smoke, a mysterious force sucked in all the fire element and mana that surrounded his de. This greatly weakened his explosive attack power and caused his attacks to show less than half of their original might. NPC Name: Antumbra of Darkness, Night Lord Xenth(???) NPC Level: ??? Xenth looked down on Caius from above with a cold look in her pitch-ck eyes. "Struggle all you want, High General. The end result will remain unchanged until the end of time." Xenth stated as she lightly waved her index finger. The moment she performed this action, the dark cloud of smoke gathered above Caius before shooting down at shocking speeds. Caius reacted quickly and avoided the dark cloud of smoke; however, the High General knew that he could not outrun the smoke forever. As Xenth faced the High General, she could not help but avert her gaze to the ground. She was surprised that someone present on the battlefield outside of High General Caius was able to break her Nightly Descent: World of Darkness. "Duke Malkonen, Duke Noresuga, it would seem that there are a few rats attempting to enter the sacred crypt. See to it that they are exterminated. Do not disappoint me." Xenth said in a merciless tone. Chapter 1066: Raid At The Night Lords Crypt Chapter 1066: Raid At The Night Lord''s Crypt ? "We obey!" Malkonen and Noresuga replied without hesitation. Swoosh! Swoosh! In the blink of an eye, the two skounae Dukes began their rapid descent from the skies toward the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt. "Do you think I will permit you to leave this ce?!" Caius roared as the aura around him surged. The next moment, a fierce crimson wave of mes exploded from Caius as he swept his sword outward. BOOM! A powerful series of explosions rained down with the two skounae Dukes as its targets. However, just as the mes were about to engulf the Dukes, it was intercepted by the dark cloud of smoke. Zeeeeut! The dark cloud of smoke twisted several times like a vortex as it pulled in the mes just as it had done before,pletely extinguishing it in the process. Seeing as how his attacks were not working against the mysterious smoke, Caius decided to take a more direct approach as he rushed downward to stop the skounae Dukes from descending. "Your priorities are out of order, human." Xenth''s voice sounded from behind Caius. "?!" Caius reacted swiftly as he immediately gave up on his pursuit of the skounae Dukes and spun his sword backward with all his might while turning his body midair. Unfortunately, the High General was a step toote as a sharp and condensed wave of mana had already left the Night Lord''s hand aimed right for Caius. BANG! Crack! Out of nowhere, flowing pink hair appeared out of a rift in space that abruptly formed in between Caius and Xenth. Simultaneously, the wave of mana Xenth released was dispersed as a figure emerged from the spatial rift. A darkened expression formed on Xenth''s face as her eyes met with the person who had just interfered. Those sparkling eyes that had no irises in them as though one was staring directly into space and seeing the countless stars engulfed in darkness-ears that were slightly pointed which indicated that this person was a part of the Trephasia race. This woman was extremely beautiful with an aura of charming maturity. She wore a pure ck skintight battle suit and gave off an intense aura of martial might. "What''s this? A rather troublesome annoyance has appeared." Xenth stated as her gaze remained locked on the woman who had just blocked her attack. "That kinda hurts my feeling, you know? Here I thought you''d be looking forward to our reunion after such a long time, Xenth." The woman said in an unbothered tone. This woman was none other than one of the seven heroes who originally fought against the eternal darkness of the shadahi, Nova. "You alright, Caius?" Nova asked casually without averting her gaze. "I am fine, thanks to you, Lady Nova." Caius responded as he regained himself. "Save the thanks forter. Go stop the skounae Dukes. I''ll take over from here." Nova stated as the spatial rift behind her closed. Caius gave a slight nod in response before taking his leave to catch up with the two skounae Dukes. As Caius left, Xenth slowly drifted away from Nova and recalled the dark cloud of smoke to her side. The smoke wrapped around her body like a coiling serpent. "You aren''t going to try to stop him? That''s not like you at all." Novamented with a smirk. "Whether he leaves or stays, in matters not. In the end, this ce will be your grave." Xenth said calmly. "You really have changed. Back then, you would run away whenever I''d appear. I wonder what''s giving you that newfound courage of yours." Nova sighed. Xenth''s killing intent erupted as a sinister energy flowed to the palm of her hands. "How dare you!" Xenth shouted as a sphere of darkness formed above each of her palms. Xenth sped her hands together as the spheres of darkness collided andbined with one another. After doing so, they expanded at a rapid pace in all directions and formed a dome of darkness. However, unlike the massive dome of darkness Xenth conjured before, this one was different. For one, it did not seem to restrict or cut off all sources of life. Additionally, although it created an environment simr to night, one could still see just fine. Instead, the sinister energy from before that was concentrated near the Night Lord''s hands could not be felt everywhere. "Nightly Descent: Perishing Tremble." Xenth chanted as strands of darkness started to gather in the surroundings. She then continued, "The times have changed. You are but a relic of the past. Know your ce." "Oh? You skounae have always been an arrogant bunch. But, to call me a relic... I guess I''ll have to remind you of what this so called relic is capable of." Nova stated coldly as she clenched her fist and casually threw a punch forward. Riiiiiiiiiip! The sound of something tearing could be heard as the surrounding air waspressed and drawn to a single point before being expelled in every direction. The next moment, the space behind Xenth tore open into a rift! ... As Nova confronted the Night Lord Xenth in the sky, General Solomon, along with Commander Aurie and a few members of the 1st Legion, had descended the underground staircase that led to the entrance of the Night Lord''s Crypt. The surroundings were lit up by mages using light magic as well as a few illumination talismans that were prepared to deal with the darkness that the skounae were so used to. "General, we are ready on yourmand," Aurie stated as she approached Solomon after having finished a fewst-second preparations. "Have you sent someone back up to inform Commander Ezra of our status?" Solomon inquired. Commander Ezra had been left to face a Specter of the Peacekeeper, one of the powerful cursed weaponsmanded by the League of The Eidolon. Even for someone of Ezra''s skillset, he could not hold that monster back for long. "Yes, General. I sent someone to inform Commander Ezra to retreat with the rest of the 1st Legion above ground if things get too dangerous. If it reaches that point, they have been informed to regroup with the left and right wings. Solomon nodded as he walked up to the one-way portal that led into the Night Lord''s Crypt.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Everyone stay close. Once we''re inside, it''s likely that we''ll be cut off from our reinforcements. In other words, there won''t be anyoneing to our aid if things go sideways. So, keep your wits about you." Solomon stated. He then continued, "We''re going-" Just as Solomon was about to give the order to enter the Night Lord''s Crypt, something strange happened. Rmmmmble! "?!" "What''s going on?!" "The ground is shaking! Is it an earthquake?!" The members of the 1st Legion were taken aback as the ground violently trembled. Crack! Suddenly, arge piece of earth fell from the ceiling right above a group from the 1st Legion! Bang! Aurie split the fragment of earth into countless pieces with her tonfa as she narrowed her eyes. "Commander, the portal! Something''s wrong!" One of the 1st Legion soldiers called out. Aurie quickly turned her attention toward the portal as her eyes widened in shock. "The portal-it''s destabilizing...!" Aurie muttered to herself. Solomon narrowed his eyes before the portal as it had begun to fragment. The space around the portal started to rupture, making going through the portal now impossible. Or, rather, if one went through such a portal, they would undoubtedly be thrown to some random ce. It could be inside the Night Lord''s Crypt; however, it could also be halfway across the Mortal Realm. The oue was no longer certain. Solomon would not risk the lives of the 1st Legion on such a huge uncertainty. Therefore, there was only one path left. "Everyone, we''re falling back. Return to the surface immediately." Solomon ordered. "But, General, if we turn back here, then...!" One of the 1st Legion Captains started; however, he was swiftly cut off by Solomon. "It''s no use. Since I used Celebrexa to clear the darkness earlier, it will be a few minutes before I call upon her again. Without her, there is no way for us to stop the portal from destabilizing. Of course, going through in its current state is also an uneptable risk. Our only choice now is to retreat and look for another way into the Night Lord''s Crypt." Solomon said without faltering. As he spoke, Solomon turned his focus away from the rupture portal as the soldiers of the 1st Legion dealt with the fragmented pieces of earth falling all around them. The dejection on the faces of the 1st Legion members could not be hidden. Aftering so far and losing somerades along the way to make it here, they had no choice but to retreat. Had the sacrifice of theirrades been for nothing? "You all heard the General! We''re retreating! Captain Zas! Captain Edgar-clear a path forward! Everyone else, protect the General and fall back!" Auriemanded. Chapter 1067: Report, A New Rising Sun Chapter 1067: Report, A New Rising Sun ? "The aura that vanished just now... Was I mistaken?" Solomon thought to himself as he joined the 1st Legion in their retreat. ... Not long after the underground earthquake, Solomon, Aurie, and the other members of the 1st Legion had sessfully retreated above ground without any serious injuries. "Haa... We made it out." One of the 1st Legion soldiers said as they breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, they were almost crushed under the weight of the earth due to an unexpected earthquake. At least, that''s what most of the members of the 1st Legion thought. "General, did you feel it, too?" Aurie asked as she appeared next to Solomon with a serious frown on her face. "Yes, though, it is still necessary to confirm it before we get too ahead of ourselves. For now, we''ll have Captain Edgar and Captain Zas remain here to aid Commander Ezra in facing the specter. In the meantime, have Captain Ward lead a scouting party to search for another way into the Night Lord''s Crypt." Solomon stated. "At once, General-"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Zeeeut! Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of more than seventy individuals abruptly appeared above where the now copsed underground staircase was located. "Enemy ambush!" One of the soldiers of the 1st Legion alerted. When the soldier sounded the rm, the members of the 1st Legion wasted no time falling into formation and surrounding the neers. "That''s...!" Aurie immediately recognized a few familiar faces among those who had just seemingly appeared out of thin air. "Hold! Can you not recognize your own allies?!" Aurie said as she stepped forward. Aurie inwardly sighed. Everyone was on edge due to the pressure that epassed raiding a ce like the Night Lord''s Crypt. Therefore, she was not too harsh on the soldier for making such an obvious blunder. Besides, the soldier''s actions were not entirely wrong. A strange group had randomly found their way in the midst of their forces. How could they not sound the rms? That being said, upon a closer look, one could see that many of those who appeared wore the insignia of the War Brigade. "I am the 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride! I must speak to General Solomon at once!" Lances announced as he stepped forward to the front of the group. Those who apanied Lances and suddenly emerged above the copsed underground staircase fought by his side in the Night Lord''s Crypt. This included the members of his 5th Unit and, of course, the 9th Division under Izroth, along with Jol''Kil and Zel''Kan, the two members of the Seventh Demon n. "You will have to excuse me for skipping proper introductions, Commander. But, I must know -what is a 21st Legion Commander under General Rovanna doing here with the 9th Division of the General Support Unit?" Aurie inquired with an inquisitive gaze as she swept her eyes over the group. A slightly visible frown formed on Aurie''s face when she realized that the person she was looking for was not there. "Did Captain Izroth act separately from the 9th Division?" Aurie questioned internally. When the group first appeared, it did not take Aurie long to realize that half of them belonged to the 9th Division under Izroth. The 9th Division had spent some time together with the 2nd Unit under hermand; therefore, she was quite familiar with the appearance of its members. Lances put his right hand to his chest and said, "I have an urgent message for the General. As for my presence here we just returned from the heart of the Night Lord''s Crypt." Lances had a meaningful look in his eyes as he said thosest few words. ?! When the nearby soldiers heard Lances, they could not hide the surprise and shock on their faces. The heart of the Night Lord''s Crypt? Wasn''t that the ce where the Night Lord Zars was said to be resting and awaiting his resurrection? Not to mention, the path to get to that location must have been swarming with powerful enemies, traps, and defenses that could not be easily ovee without a great deal of sacrifice. If a group was returning from that deep inside of the Night Lord''s Crypt, that could only mean one thing-something unexpected had urred. This caused the atmosphere to turn gloomy and the facial expressions of the soldiers to darken. If they were talking about something unexpected, then it had to be that-the revival of the Night Lord Zars. Could it be that they were a step toote? The soldiers of the 1st Legion could not help but assume the worst-case scenario. After all, a group led by a Commander of the War Brigade and a Division of the General Support Unit would not be able to aplish much outside of scouting and maybe disabling a few traps in the process. Still, to make it to the very heart of the Night Lord''s Crypt left the 1st Legion soldiers with a great deal of respect for their newly arrived allies. "You journeyed that far into the Night Lord''s Crypt...?!" Aurie was unable to conceal the surprise on her face. The center forces led by General Solomon and spear-headed by the 1st Legion of the War Brigade had just reached the entrance of Night Lord''s Crypt not that long ago. However, ording to Lances, not only did their group already enter the Night Lord''s Crypt, but they even made it to the inner most part of it. Not only that, but they even returned sessfully before the 1st Legion could set foot into the Night Lord''s Crypt. It soundedpletely outrageous and inconceivable! If it were anyone else, Aurie would have had a few more reservations; however, it was a person of the Pride n, who held close ties to Amaharpe apanied by the General Support Unit''s 9th Division. "If he is rted to this, then... Can it be that what General Solomon and I sensed earlier was not false?" Aurie silently pondered. Aurie still had numerous questions, but her instincts and years of experience told her that she had to let Lances meet with General Solomon as soon as possible. "Make way for the Commander!" Aurie ordered. ... Not too long after Lances requested to meet with General Solomon, Aurie led the way. However, Lances did not meet the General alone. He decided to take Niflheim with him as a representative of the 9th Division. "Who would''ve thought that I''d be having a face-to-face conversation with a General of the war brigade in the middle of the battlefield? That guy sure knows how to leave the troublesome parts to others." Niflheim thought to himself as he maintained hisposure. "War Brigade 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride, reporting to General Solomon!" Lances stated respectfully. "General Support Unit 1st Squadron Lieutenant of the 9th Division Niflheim, reporting to General Solomon!" Niflheim said as he followed Lances'' lead. "Let''s cut the pleasantries short, gentlemen. If you have something to report, make it quick. The copse of the Night Lord''s Crypt-I assume you''re aware of the reason behind it?" Solomon remarked as he carefully observed Lances and Niflheim. "Reporting! Captain Izroth of the General Support Unit''s 9th Division has sessfully stopped the resurrection of the Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zars! General-we are victorious!" Lances reported as he could barely restrain his eagerness to deliver the news. Solomon''s eyes widened in disbelief. Earlier, when the portal began to rupture and the tremors started, Solomon sensed that the Night Lord''s aura had seemingly vanished without a trace. But, since there was no evidence outside of the Night Lord''s aura disappearing that the resurrection had been stopped, naturally, Solomon remained on the side of caution. "Your words do you have any proof to support them?" Solomon inquired with haste. Lances nced over at Niflheim, giving him the signal to proceed. The moment Niflheim received the signal from Lances, a pitch-ck shard roughly thirty centimeters in length materialized in the palm of his hands. The instant the shard appeared, a thick aura of death leaked into the surroundings, causing some of the nearby soldiers of the 1st Legion to almost instinctively retreat a step back. "This fragment...!" Solomon carefully inspected the shard Niflheim held out. "This is one of the fragments we collected after destroying the coffin that housed Night Lord Zars. As far as proof goes-I''m sure this should be enough." Lances stated. Not everyone was aware, but Solomon knew that a powerful barrier protected a fallen Night Lord''s coffin. This barrier was not normal by any means and required a massive effort to disable. Also, even if one got past the barrier, the coffin itself was no different than a high- tier defensive magic item. Destroying it required no less effort than disabling the barrier that protected it. Initially, Solomon nned on using Celebrexa to get past the barrier before dealing with the coffin. However, for a captain of the General Support Unit to aplish such a feat... "...A genius. No, the word genius is an insult for that kind of monstrous talent. The one called Izroth-he is a new Rising Sun." Solomon muttered to himself. Chapter 1068: A Previous Word Chapter 1068: A Previous Word ? Rising Sun-this was the title given to the most outstanding member of each war branch''s younger generation. In other words, they were unrivaled talents among their peers. There was only a single Rising Sun for each war branch in every generation. That is, except the General Support Unit. For the past few generations, no individual within the General Support Unit has been worthy of the title of the Rising Sun. In fact, thest person in the General Support Unit to receive such a high honor was the current head. In order to be a Rising Sun, one required more than just strength. They required great feats, achievements well beyond those of their peers, and, of course, a certain level of fame. Earning the Protector of Amaharpe title,ing in first ce during the second team''s selection at the Sky Pce, defeating Zars in Aurie''s Dream Domain, destroying a skounae outpost city while helping to secure the Land of Unity through those actions, infiltrating Tempest and capturing the sixth princess, and now stopping the Night Lord Zars'' resurrection. These were not even all his feats, and yet, as far as Solomon was concerned, with those achievements alone, Izroth more than met all the requirements to be a new Rising Sun! "By the time the sun rises again, there will be few in the seven kingdoms who have not heard of the name Izroth." Solomon thought to himself with a slight grin full of expectations on his face. "Those whoe after are destined to surpass..." Solomon said quietly to himself. "The timing of your arrival alongside the disappearance of Night Lord Zars'' aura and the copse of the entrance into the Night Lord''s Crypt-it is all too much to be a coincidence. Lieutenant Niflheim, hold onto that fragment well. Let it serve as a reminder of what Captain Izroth and the 9th Division have aplished on this day." Solomon stated. He then turned his attention to Lances and continued, "Commander Lances, I am sure you and the 5th Unit also yed a crucial role in aiding Captain Izroth and the 9th Division within the Night Lord''s Crypt. Rest assured, the efforts all of you have put forth will not go unnoticed." "Where is Captain Izroth?" Aurie asked the moment Solomon stopped speaking. "I was just getting around to that, Commander. But, first, we have a more pressing matter to address. It will not be long until nightfall. Since we have aplished our objective, we should not risk engaging the Immortal Umbra Horde any longer than we have to. Send the signal to our allied forces-we have seeded. Then, immediately proceed with the preparations to fall back behind the Malentansium kingdom borders." Solomonmanded. "...Yes, General," Aurie said as she gave a proper salute before moving to carry out her duties. Given what they went through together in the Dream Domain, the incident with Dolos Jestal, the Netherly Swathe, and other things, Aurie had already considered Izroth to be one of her people. Even if he was not a part of the 1st Legion or the 2nd Unit under hermand, Aurie was not the type to look the other way when arade was in danger. Of course, Aurie also knew the kind of person General Solomon was. He still had to take the whole picture into ount and could not forget his duties; however, there was no way he would abandon a young talent of Amaharpe without attempting anything.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Niflheim set the shard of the Night Lord''s coffin back into his inventory as he released an inward sigh of relief. But, there was still a look of concern on his face. In the end, he had no idea what happened to Izroth. It still showed Izroth online on his friendslist; however, his name was grayed out. This meant that he was in a ce where it was currently impossible tomunicate. After Izroth went into that rift at the heart of the Night Lord''s Crypt, the 9th Division, led by Niflheim and Menerva, as well as Lances and the 5th Unit, searched for a way out of the Night Lord''s Crypt. Upon doing so, they found a pathway hidden behind an advanced-level magic formation. With a bit of effort, they sessfully cracked the magic formation and discovered that the pathway led to another one-way portal. Almost right after they found the portal, Halls and Guan Yu reappeared without Izroth. Although it was a pain convincing the two to leave the Night Lord''s Crypt, ultimately, everyone escaped through the portal. That is when they arrived above the copsed underground staircase and met with the soldiers of the 1st Legion. ... -- ... ''It seems that a lot happened in my absence.'' After Niflheim exined all the events that unfolded after he entered the Night Lord''s Crypt, Izroth was in deep contemtion. Once Niflheim finished his exnation and Izroth confirmed the state of the 9th Division, the voice chat was terminated. At the moment, Izroth was traveling at a high speed through the Malentansium kingdom and had yet to run into any trouble. However, this was not too surprising. Izroth was wearing the Moonlit Concealing Mantle he received from the guild leader of Sacred Beasts, Meng Jiang. This special item allowed the user to blend into their natural surroundings and made it increasingly difficult for those more than ten meters away from their position to detect their presence. In the hands of someone like Izroth, who had a monstrous sense of perception, purposely avoiding others was as easy as breathing. ''At my current speed, it will take me at least half a day to reach the Amaharpe border and another six hours to reach thest ce I sensed Empyrean and Selene. By the time I finish my investigation, Void Turning should be off cooldown. I can use that to reach Danaharpe.'' "If I''m not mistaken, they went missing somewhere around the Kifa Karsts. From what I know, the terrain there is difficult to transverse for yers. But, for those like Empyrean and Selene who are capable of flight, it should not prove too challenging. There''s no guarantee that''s where they ran into trouble, but... I suppose it''s a start." Izroth made arrangements and sent someone closer to Kifa Karsts to search for clues ahead of him. After all, Kifa Karsts was not a small ce by any means and covered hundreds of kilometers. Even with the detection range of his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth knew that it would not be easy to search thatrge of an area. Of course, Izroth did not expect the person he sent to search the entirety of the Kifa Karsts. He instructed them to concentrate their efforts around the area where hest sensed Empyrean and Selene. ''Speaking of the Kifa Karsts, there was also that message...'' Izroth set his gaze on one of the messages he received during his time in The Void. It was one that, ording to the time stamp, arrived just yesterday. yer Haishe has sent you a message, "Greetings, Pce Master Izroth. I''m sure you haven''t forgotten about our previous arrangements. We will be attempting the Trial Dungeon I mentioned tomorrow at 6:00 PM sharp. The coordinates are..." Haishe-the newly risen leader of Fatal Touch. A while back, Izroth set a bounty on members of the Headhunter Syndicate and a special bounty on their guild leader, Vault. Haishe was the person who eliminated Vault and imed the reward Izroth set. However, instead of wanting the 10,000 gold coins, Haishe simply wanted to speak to Izroth and make a request. That request was, of course, the Trial Dungeon. Haishe, probably like many others by now, deduced Izroth''s identity as the Pill Emperor and requested his assistance to clear the Trial Dungeon. Of course, Izroth did not entirely trust Haishe nor his reasoning given his poor impression of Fatal Touch. But, Izroth needed to confirm whether or not Fatal Touch had any connections with the shadahi or if their previous leader, Silent Steps, was acting alone. Not to mention, Izroth was indeed interested in attempting a Trial Dungeon. After all, it would be his first time participating in one. ''I am a man of my word. Since the timing lines up correctly and the coordinates are in the Kifa Karsts, I''ll see what he''s up to with my own eyes. If it turns out that he and Fatal Touch have connections with the shadahi, then I''ll erase them myself.'' Izroth nned on keeping his word; however, if he suspected Haishe and Fatal Touch of being in league with the shadahi, when the Trial Dungeon ended, he would no longer be bound by his word. Swoosh! Zeeeut! BANG! Out of nowhere, a silver streak of light rushed toward Izroth. Izroth reacted quickly and avoided the silver streak with quickened steps; however, the impact of the silver streak left a sizable hole on the earth where he''d just stood moments ago. ''Oh? Someone managed to get this close and find my exact location?'' Chapter 1069: Dark Squall Pursuit Squad Chapter 1069: Dark Squall Pursuit Squad ? Izroth activated his Energy Vision Sense in intervals to conserve his essence; however, his timing was precise and left virtually no gap in his detection grid. This, paired with his natural sense of perception and the fact that he was wearing the Moonlit Concealing Mantle, meant that few individuals in the Mortal Realm could get this close to him undetected. Izroth nced over at the silver object that had prated into the ground where he once stood. It was a cylinder-shaped metallic rod approximately one meter in length. It had a smooth surface and released a wave of cold energy that could be felt from several meters away. Bang! Bang! Bang! Not long after the first metallic rod pierced the earth, three more quickly followed from different directions. But this time, none of them was remotely close to hitting Izroth and simply drilled into the ground. ''Oh? This is...'' Izroth narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze throughout his surroundings. The metallic rods were spaced perfectly apart at an exact distance of twenty meters and formed an invisible square. Each rod released the same cold energy as the first. Rmmmmble! The next moment, the four metallic rods drilled into the ground. Immediately after doing so, arge cube-shaped barrier materialized around Izroth with him at its center. "Brat, there''s nowhere to run!" A thunderous roar erupted, seeminglying from all directions. Zeeeut! In the blink of an eye, a figure rapidly descended from above and crashed into the ground before standing upright. The man who appeared before Izroth in such a domineering manner was a middle-aged man with long yellow hair, a full beard, and striking violet eyes that contained an aura of fierceness. He wore a set of extravagant, loosely fitting robes that gave away his identity as someone of high status. "This aura feels familiar.''N?v(el)B\\jnn Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense to observe the man who emerged before him and felt that he hade across them before. However, Izroth was not the forgetful type, especially when it came to those he once crossed paths with. ''I see. This aura-it''s simr to that guy.'' When Izroth infiltrated the kingdom of Tempest with the 9th Division and was escorting its sixth princess, Ranazera, out of its borders, he encountered a small hindrance in the form of a young man named Aurelius Windstorm. While his strength was not that impressive in Izroth''s eyes, Aurelius belonged to one of the most influential families of Tempest, the Windstorm family. The Windstorm family prided themselves on their Windstorm Sword Styles being ranked within the top 25 sword techniques in the world. But, in front of Izroth, such sword techniques were no different than child''s y. At the moment, the man just a few meters away from Izroth was giving off an aura simr to the one he felt when he encountered Aurelius. In truth, Izroth may have overwhelmed Aurelius, but the Windstorm young master''s defeat was by his own hands. After losing control of his own power, he basically defeated himself. That being said, an influential family like the Windstorms was not the type to sit back and suffer a loss and humiliation. This was even more so when the person affected was the current head''s grandson. "So, you''re the stinking brat that dared toy a hand on a member of the Windstorm family!" The man said as he unhurriedly walked toward Izroth. After taking a few steps, Izroth was finally able to see the man''s system information. NPC Name: Dark Squall Leader, Azio Windstorm(???) NPC Level: ??? "They''re rted after all. But, how were they able to track me so precisely?'' Izroth had just returned from The Void not that long ago. Furthermore, he hid his presence extraordinarily well and carefully covered his tracks. To pinpoint his exact location and even ambush him-was it the work of a skill or magic item? ''I would rather not waste time here, but there is no point in running away. As long as I can''t uncover how they tracked me, they will probably follow me into the depths of Amaharpe if necessary.'' [System Alert: Warning! The surrounding space has been sealed off by a mysterious force! [System Alert: You are unable to use spatial-rted skills or items.[] [System Alert: All stats have been reduced by 50%. [System Alert: The effect of < has been activated. [System Alert: Restrictions on spatial-rted skills or items have been lifted. [System Alert: The effect of Might has been activated. [System Alert: Stat reduction has been nullified.[ ''Is this a magic formation? Judging by its effects, it must be at least an advanced-level magic formation. How amusing.'' Thanks to his Might stat and his The Unbounded One passive, the effects of the magic formation werepletely negated. But, looking at Azio''s arrogant and unsurprised expression, Izroth could tell that he had no idea what had happened. "Windstorm family? I do remember a barking dog that stepped onto my path a while back that had the same family name. Can it be that you''re its handler?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. "Fearless child!" Azio roared as his killing intent flooded forth and washed over Izroth. He then dered, "I will rip that foul tongue of yours from your mouth and show you what happens to those who insult the Windstorm family! Dark Squall Squad-prepare to avenge the young master!" Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Out of nowhere, twenty cloaked individuals appeared and formed an encirclement around Izroth. Each of the cloaked individuals wore oni masks and wielded a ded weapon. Also, everyst one of them gave off an intense battle-hardened aura that revealed their experience inbat. NPC Name: Dark Squall Member, Storm One(Rare Elite) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Dark Squall Member, Storm Two(Rare Elite) NPC Level: ??? NPC Name: Dark Squall Member, Storm Three(Rare Elite) NPC Level: ??? ... "I''m in somewhat of a hurry, but I have been meaning to test something. Although it is a bit of a waste, I suppose you all will have to suffice," Izroth said calmly as the aura around him changed. "Hmph, mere words of a madman at the doors of death! Dark Squall Squad, eliminate the enemy of the Windstorm family before you!" Azio ordered. The instant Azio gave the order, the twenty members of Dark Squall made their move. Four of the members left the encirclement and dashed toward Izroth at high speed. Another four members began to chant simultaneously as the mana in the atmosphere around them grew restless. The remaining members of Dark Squall repositioned themselves to cover the exposed points of the encirclement left by the four members who moved to attack Izroth. "Although this brat is arrogant, he was able to defeat a genius like the young master. Not only that, but he used swordsmanship to do so, making the defeat even more humiliating for our Windstorm family. It''s no wonder the family head deployed the Dark Squall Squad. Still, it''s a little overkill to handle one child-even if he did defeat the young master." Azio thought to himself. The Dark Squall was a special unit of the Windstorm family that only answered to the family head. Its members consisted of those of the Windstorm family as well as those with potential who were recruited from some minor families of Tempest that served under them. All those who joined Dark Squall, excluding those of direct Windstorm bloodline, had to forsake their name and were simply referred to as Storm, followed by their assigned number. They were soldiers who would not hesitate to give their lives for the Windstorm family and do whatever it took to carry out their mission. However, this was not surprising considering the amount of resources invested into a single one of its members. As the first wave of attackers from Dark Squall closed in on his position, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm as a powerful gust of wind exploded around him. Simultaneously, a mysterious energy seemed to flow through Izroth, seemingly causing his existence to fade in and out of focus. It was to the point that if one took their attention off of him for a split second, they would lose track of his entire existence. ''It''s my first time using it outside of The Void. Shall we see what it''s capable of in a real battle?'' [System Alert: You have activated the skill <! [System Alert: Your HP, HP Regen, Attack, Defense, Agility, and Physical Resistance have greatly increased! [System Alert: Damage from your attacks can now be converted into void damage! [System Alert: The passive effect <> has been activated! Swoosh! The first attacker of Dark Squall arrived before Izroth and thrust forward with his dagger, aiming right for Izroth''s heart with wless precision. As the dagger shot forth, Izroth casually swung his Sword of the Storm downward. He did not use any special sword skill or item-his attack was simply a basic sh. Chapter 1070: Power of The Void: Great Void Merging Chapter 1070: Power of The Void: Great Void Merging ? As Izroth''s sword approached the Dark Squall member, he was greeted by a few alerts from the system. Swoosh! Right when Izroth''s Sword of the Storm was about to strike his assant''s dagger, something baffling happened. Zeeeut! Phhhtk! The assant''s eyes widened in shock as he tried toprehend what had just happened. One moment, his dagger was about to collide with Izroth''s sword. The next, his movements hade to aplete halt, and the world around him seemed toe to a standstill. In the blink of an eye, the Dark Squall member''s body started to dissipate into countless particles before drifting into the air. He perished not evenprehending how he died! ''As I thought, the effect of void damage cannot bepared to themon elements found in the Mortal Realm.'' [Battle Alert: Dark Squall Member, Storm Three has been affected by <![] [Battle Alert: For the next 10 seconds, your attacks will ignore everything but your target! [System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Dark Squall Member, Storm Three! [System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 55! [Total: 46,689.54] With Great Void Merging active, Izroth was able to cut down the Dark Squall member with a single swing of his sword! Based on the amount of contribution points he received and his own observation, Izroth ced the average strength of a Dark Squall member at the level of a War Brigade Captain. Of course, given the special support they received from the Windstorm family, in reality, they were actually a step above the average War Brigade Captain. Nevertheless, dealing with someone at that level using a basic sword strike provided a glimpse into just how domineering the Great Void Merging could be! In RML, each elemental damage had a special effect, such as Burn for the fire element or Agony for the dark element. However, each of these elemental effects required one to sessfullynd a hit on their target. For the void effect; however, there was no such restriction. So long as one was the target, there was automatically a chance that they would be affected by the void element''s unique effect, Nullify. Nullify allowed the user to ignore all things but their target for ten seconds. This meant that things like defense, magic barriers, armor-for ten seconds, it was all rendered utterly useless! Seeing theirrade cut down effortlessly before their eyes, the other members of Dark Squall, who charged forward as the vanguard, immediately adjusted their tactics. In terms of strength, with a few special exceptions like the Dark Squall Leader Azio Windstorm, the members of Dark Squall were not that far apart from one another. Therefore, they understood that if they continued to charge forward recklessly, their fate would turn out the same as Storm Three. The three remaining Dark Squall members who initially dashed toward Izroth had changed their course and began to retreat in three different directions. Their tactic was simple- momentarily divide Izroth''s attention and create a window of opportunity for the other Dark Squall members. One of the Dark Squall members nced back to confirm Izroth''s position. But, when he saw that no one was there, his eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! No one should be able to hide while trapped in the Suppressing Squall Array...!" The Dark Squall member said to himself. "Didn''t you want to attack me? Where are you running off to in such a hurry?" Izroth''s voice sounded from directly next to the Dark Squall member. "?!" The Dark Squall member felt a terrifying chill run down his spine as that voice entered his ears. He had been trained by the Windstorm family to the brink of death day after day and underwent countless battles to hone his senses. It was to the point that even if someone used a high-ranking stealth skill, he would be able to detect them. However, somehow, this person was able to not only avoid his sense of perception but also move up next to him without the slightest change to his immediate surroundings. "Monst-" Swoosh! Before the Dark Squall member could finish his words, Izroth sliced him cleanly in half and sent him following in Storm Three''s footsteps. [System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Dark Squall Member, Storm Two!] ''I can feel an endless power flowing into me through The Void.'' Izroth took what seemed like one step forward, and, in a sh, appeared next to another member of Dark Squall who was attempting to retreat. This kind of movement speed was several times faster than even an S-ranked movement skill like Flickering Steps! Izroth swiftly eliminated the Dark Squall member without giving him a chance to react before instantly moving on to his next target. ''With my current ability, I can only draw power from o0.01% of The Void. Despite how insignificant of an amount it may seem, The Void is a ce that holds boundless power like no other. If I can increase it to 100%, forget the Mortal Realm, even those beings in the Divine Realm will have to think twice before making a move against me.'' Zeut! Zeut! Out of nowhere, tens of sharp projectiles flew toward Izroth. The members of Dark Squall were unable to keep track of Izroth''s position with his newfound speed. Therefore, after realizing that he was going after the four members of the vanguard first, the other Dark Squall members who stayed back aimed ahead at their own allies! [Battle Alert: The effect <> has been activated! Oooom! Several ripples in space formed around Izroth, pulling the projectiles in and causing them to disappear into thin air without having a chance to get close to Izroth.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Almost right as the sharp projectiles were sucked into the spatial ripples, a wave of multi- elemental magic attacks rained down at Izroth''s location. Every magical attack was equivalent to at least an A-ranked skill. It was not that the members of the Dark Squall were necessarily impressive magic casters. Rather, it had to do with the Suppressing Squall Array they set up. The Suppressing Squall Array was an advanced-ranked magic formation that debuffed the user and enhanced the magic of those within its range of influence. It was mainly due to this power that the Dark Squall was feared. Members who were skilled in close-quarterbat, a strong debuff and restriction ced on their enemies, and basic magic potential that was empowered-it made for a fearsome all- arounder assault squad that specialized in physical and magical attacks. However, this same fearsome assault squad was being toyed with by a single young man. As Azio witnessed the members of his Dark Squall Squad falling like flies, his facial expression darkened. The atmosphere around Azio became cold as the killing intent he unleashed intensified. It was supposed to be a simple mission to eliminate one young man and repay the debt of humiliating their Windstorm family''s young master. But, what was this scene unfolding before his eyes? The Suppressing Squall Array made it so that the Dark Squall Squad was capable of taking down someone who reached the primary stage of the legendary realm. So long as they sacrificed themselves, even bringing down someone at thete stage of the legendary may be possible. That is why it did not make sense to Azio. How could someone who was in the same generation as the Windstorm family''s young master possess such power? "Except for that man, even the most monstrous geniuses of our Tempest kingdom should not be able to disy this level of strength under the effects of the Suppressing Squall Array. Is he hiding some kind of magic item that counteracts the effects of the magic formation?" Azio thought to himself. Bzzzt! Crrrrackle! Azio held their hand out as a magnificent spear appeared in his grip. ROOOOOOAR! When Azio grabbed the spear, it roared and released the cry of a mighty beast. At the same time, several crashing waves of lightning expanded outward in every direction with Azio at its center. Swoosh! Azio swept his spear to the side with a cold look in his eyes, causing a deep cut in the earth next to him. "It looks like I will have to personally step in to handle this matter. Hmph, useless trash. What did the Windstorm family even invest in you for?" Azio scoffed. "Gah!" A Dark Squall member yelled as he fell to the ground motionlessly, his body turning into countless particles. ''It''s a shame. I was hoping to get a chance to test things out properly. As I thought, it feels like a waste. Still, I suppose, at the very least, I was able to experience the effects for myself. Shall I end things here?'' In just five seconds, Izroth eliminated all twenty members of Dark Squall. Now, Azio was the only one left standing. Azio red at Izroth and pointed his spear forward. So what if he took down the members of Dark Squall? At the end of the day, those he brought with him were mere servants of the Windstorm family. How could theypare to someone like him who held the Windstorm name? "To take down the Dark Squall Squad with so little effort, I can see why my nephew lost to you. But, if you think that I-" "§´§Ñ§â. Izroth returned his Sword of the Storm to its sheath as he emerged behind Azio. At the same time, a thin red line formed around Azio''s neck. "Sword Arts: Four Steps of Death-Death In One Step." [System Alert: Congrattions, you have defeated Dark Squall Leader, Azio Windstorm! [System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 750! [Total: 48,484.54] Chapter 1071: Limit Testing, Droplet of the Liquid of Renewal Chapter 1071: Limit Testing, Droplet of the Liquid of Renewal ? ''Maybe I should have left one alive. Well, I doubt they would have told me anything useful anyway.'' Izroth was curious as to how Azio and the Dark Squall Squad tracked his location and arrived so fast after he left The Void. However, given Azio''s arrogance and the Dark Squall Squad''s unwillingness to retreat in the face of overwhelming strength, Izroth doubted whether he would have been able to gain anything useful. ''I still have a lot of time remaining on the Great Void Merging. Should I test its limits?'' [System Alert: You have activated the skill <>.[] [System Alert: Your agility has increased by 400% for 20 seconds. [System Alert: You have activated ?>.< [System Alert: You have activated ?>.[] [System Alert: You have activated <>. [System Alert: You have activated the skill ?>. System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first person to reach the 250,000 agility mark! [System Alert: The Legendary solitary title <>.] [System Alert: Congrattions, you are the first person to reach the 500,000 agility mark! System Alert: The Unique solitary title <> has been upgraded to the Pseudo- Divine solitary title <>.[] ... Izroth received a flood of system alerts as he activated skill after skill to increase his agility and movement speed. In the end, his agility shot up to over 500,000 points! If one includes the movement speed boost he received from Light Feather Footwork, then his actual speed was equivalent to somewhere around a breathtaking 1.2 million agility! This was a threshold that no yer in RML would have ever dreamed attainable. ''My body''s holding up better than expected. It''s a good thing I have the Heavenly Golden Body and activated the Strength of the Ancient Colossus. Otherwise, there''s no guarantee my body would be able to hold out. Still, it looks like using that at its full burst will still be a little tricky. I have to be careful; otherwise, even with the preparations I made, my body will tear apart.'' With Izroth''s current agility, his Compressed Lightning Movement at its max burst could move him an unbelievable distance of 200 kilometers in just 0.5 seconds. Not meters- kilometers! Even S-ranked long-distance teleportation skills did not have such an overbearing range! ''Let''s find out how much my current physique can take.'' The following moment, the space around Izroth twisted, turned, and rippled as lightning from the Fourth State: Heavenly Field rained down. Then, in the blink of an eye, Izroth vanished without a trace. ... ...n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ...Ooooooom! BOOOOOOOOM! Crrrrrckle! The earth where Izroth once stood shattered and created a deep chasm that caused the surrounding sixty meters of the ground to cave in as a powerful shockwave exploded in every direction from the epicenter. ... [System Alert: You have left the seventh kingdom <>! [System Alert: You have entered the first kingdom >![] System Alert: You have entered into ?Fragul''s Valley?>! ''As expected, I can only use it once.'' Izroth looked down at his hands and saw several glowing blue cracks as if his entire body was about to break down under immense stress. Izroth wasted no time deactivating his Compressed Lightning Movement and Flickering Steps as well as some other skills ahead of time-that is, with the exception of the Strength of the Ancient Colossus and the Great Void Merging. Those two skills were currently supporting his physical body and keeping it from falling apart. If he abruptly ended them without some preparations, the end results would be unfavorable. Izroth consumed a high-grade health potion and activated the Rapid Regeneration skill attached to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence to help with his HP recovery. He then removed an Ageless Vial of Sen from his inventory. However, this vial did not contain the Blood of the Immortal Hydra. Rather, it housed the Liquid of Renewal Izroth obtained during his time in the Ferae Jungle. The Liquid of Renewal was the byproduct of the pseudo-divine Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal Izroth acquired. It was an ancient-ranked resource that possessed strong rejuvenation and purification effects. More importantly, it was capable of being consumed in its natural state. Of course, since its effects were so powerful and potent, it was rmended that one dilute it before taking it. But, for someone like Izroth, in his current condition and the skills he had in ce, he believed it would not be a problem to use it in its natural state. Also, he had yet to test out the effects of the Liquid of Renewal. And, what better way than to experience the effects himself? Izroth poured out a single drop of the Liquid of Renewal from the Ageless Vial of Sen into his mouth. Thump! Thump! The moment Izroth consumed the drop of Liquid of Renewal, it felt as though his heart was ready to jump out of his body. At the same time, a refreshing aura of life rushed into his body as the glowing blue cracks on his skin receded and disappeared. System Alert: You have consumed x1 <![] [System Alert: Your HP has been fully restored. [System Alert: HP recovery from all sources has increased by 10,000% for 1 minute.[] [System Alert: All negative status effects have been cleansed.[] [System Alert: You are immune to all negative status effects for the next 1 minute.[] ''Oh? It was only a single droplet, but the effects are even greater than I anticipated.'' Not only did it restore his HP to full in an instant, but it also increased health recovery from all resources by a staggering 10,000% for one minute! This meant that if a healer cast a spell that typically restored 1,000 HP, instead, it would increase the amount restored to 100,000 HP! The purification effects were also strong and could likely cleanse high-level poisons, bleeding effects, and perhaps even curses. It was no different than a panacea-a cure-all potion! ''Even if I dilute a single drop to a 100:1 ratio, the HP recovery effect should be 100%. That still effectively doubles the healing power of the heals one receives. Not to mention, it should also boost the effectiveness of health potions. As for the cleansing status effects, I''m unsure how it will be affected in the diluting process. But, at the very least, it will probably be able to handle some poisons and simple things like bleeding or burns. I''ll have to take the time in the future to look into it a bit more thoroughly.'' Izroth returned the Ageless Vial of Sen to his inventory as the effects of his Great Void Merging finally wore off and he took in his new surroundings. Izroth had already scanned his immediate area with his Energy Vision Sense and detected a few presences scattered through the valley. ''I remember this ce on the Realm Chart. Fragul''s Valley... Based on the distance shown on the Realm Chart, I should be roughly four hours away from Kifa Karsts. Still, to think I''d end up in Fragul''s Valley of all ces. How amusing.'' Fragul''s Valley was a well-known ce among yers who were level 40 or higher. It was a good spot to level up outside of dungeons, and the resources avable were plentiful. However, it was also well known that Fragul''s Valley was a location under the protection of the top guild Broken Exile. Broken Exile, along with Cross Haven, were considered to be the strongest guilds in RML, and both of its guild leaders consistently ced in the top five event leaderboard rankings. Izroth''s interaction with Broken Exile and its members was nonexistent. Therefore, there was no bad blood between them. At least, that''s how it should have been. Izroth was informed by Niflheim and Sleeping Gardenia''s guild leader, Mariposa, that Broken Exile''s guild leader nned to suppress him and his Mystical Realm Pce along with some of the other top guilds. Apparently, their guild wanted to put him and the Mystical Realm Pce in their ce and have them bend to the will of the top guilds. Of course, Izroth never went out of his way to make enemies. But, if they expected him to simply sit back and bow his head to them-they could dream for an eternity and it would never be a reality. ''Since you made the first move, should I reward you a little?'' A carefree smile appeared on Izroth''s face as he swept his gaze over Fragul''s Valley before him. ''Seeing as how I am already here, wouldn''t it be a shame to walk away empty-handed?'' Chapter 1072: Chaos In Fraguls Valley (Part 1/2) Chapter 1072: Chaos In Fragul''s Valley (Part 1/2) ? Meanwhile, somewhere in Fragul''s Valley... Shrieeeek! A creature''s cry echoed throughout a certain part of Fragul''s Valley. It was a bird-like monster that stood approximately 1.5 meters tall. It had a razor-sharp beak, talons like metal des, and blue feathers that acted as natural armor against attacks. This monster was known as the Deadly Valley Hawk, a flightless bird-like creature that often roamed Fragul''s Valley. Woosh! Phhhtk! Name: Deadly Valley Hawk(Elite) Level: 58 HP: 0/184,890 (0%) The Deadly Valley Hawk fell to the ground as an axe sliced the creature''s head off, causing it to turn into countless particles and leave loot on the ground where it fell. After the creature''s defeat, four individuals hovered over the loot on the ground. "Heh, I''ve already gotten used to fighting these birds. Their feathers and beaks are a little annoying, but their intelligence is low. It''s easy to take advantage of their simple attack pattern to farm up experience and gain loot." One of the individuals said with a grin. This individual was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had dark blue hair, a pair of cyan eyes, and a handsome face that carried with it hints of confidence and arrogance. He wore a full set of light armor equipment that briefly showed a light white aura that epassed it, revealing its identity as at least rare-ranked equipment. In the young man''s hand was a blue and silver axe that held an intricate design. It was also the weapon he used to cut down the Deadly Valley Hawk and deal the finishing blow to the creature. This young man went by the yer name Feral de. More importantly, he was a rising star who had recently been recruited by Broken Exile, one of the most powerful guilds in RML. Feral de was apanied by three other yers: Hazard, a middle-aged man in fully ted armor with a serious facial expression; Nighting, a young male magic assassin melee dealer with a headstrong appearance; and I Am Diligent, a youthful girl with a charming aura who was a range supporter. Unlike Feral de, these three were not a part of Broken Exile. Instead, they were part of Broken Exile''s subsidiary guild, Shattered. It was not umon for top guilds to have a subsidiary guild where they raised new talents that could potentially move up to the main guild if they performed well enough. While these types of guilds'' main purpose was to discover new talents, they also served as the primary source of gathering and securing resources for their respective top guilds. After all, no matter how skilled a yer is, it was virtually impossible topete with other skilled top yers if they spent arge portion of their time farming resources while others focused on leveling up. That''s why, although it was well known that Fragul''s Valley belonged to Broken Exile, members of the Shattered guild were mostly seen in its vicinity. "As expected of a rising star from the main guild. Without you here, venturing this deep into Fragul''s Valley would have taken us three times longer." Nighting said as he sang Feral de''s praises. "That''s right! If not for you, we would have had to use many more resources to reach this ce." I Am Diligentmented with a glowing smile. As he received a wave ofpliments from Nighting and I Am Diligent, Feral de could barely control the wide smile on his face. "So, this is what it feels like to be a part of one of the top guilds. I have to thank my elder brother for pulling some strings to speed up my entry into the main guild. He even gave me such a great opportunity to prove myself. This kind of respect and worship-it''s no wonder the top guilds are so serious about maintaining their status." Feral de thought to himself. Feral de cleared his throat and said, "Naturally, this much is to be expected of me. If the main guild didn''t have confidence in my talent, they wouldn''t have sent me on such an important mission in the middle of an event." "Then, are the rumors true? Does that creature who grants any wish really exist somewhere in the heart of Fragul''s Valley?" I Am Diligent inquired with a look of curiosity. "Grant any wish? Your head is too far in the clouds. If it had such a ridiculous power, wouldn''t the guild leader or one of the Six Starse here in person?" Feral de scoffed. The Six Stars were the equivalent of Cross Haven''s Five Great Generals or Blue Oasis'' Seven Captains. They were yers who stood at the peak of RML and served as a foundation for their guild''s power. I Am Diligent''s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Indeed, if something like that were true, how would the main guild be willing to send one person and a few subsidiary guild members to take care of it? "Well, don''t feel too embarrassed. It''s not like your guess is entirely wrong. While the creature we''re looking for doesn''t grant any wish, it does give something that''s not that far off. As long as we manage to capture the Golden Imp, it will cough up a rare-ranked or higher item. From what I know,st time, the item that was dropped was legendary-ranked." Feral de said in a bragging manner. Legendary-ranked?! When the members of Shattered heard that, their faces were filled with expressions of disbelief and shock. One had to know that legendary-ranked items were extremely rare in RML and worth a fortune. Selling one was enough to pay someone''s annual sry for a few years. Needless to say, the number of yers in RML who have seen a legendary item firsthand was probably less than a hundred. This number was incredibly small given the millions upon millions of yers in RML. "Is it really okay to be telling us something so important? If it''s a legendary ranked item, won''t other top guilds want to get their hands on it?" Nightingmented. Feral de red at Nighting and said, "How will those top guilds find out? Is there anyone here foolish enough to betray Broken Exile? That''s no different than saying you don''t want to y anymore. But, just in case any of you get any funny ideas, don''t forget that my elder brother is one of the Six Stars. No matter where you run to in RML, you''ll never be safe." The three members of Shattered shivered at Feral de''s warning. "O-Of course. Sorry, I misspoke. There''s no way anyone would be foolish enough to covet what belongs to Broken Exile, let alone go around talking about it." Nighting said in an apologetic tone. "Y-yes. We will not speak of this to anyone. You can trust us." I Am Diligent chimed in. "Tch... Naive, spoiled brat. Just because his elder brother is one of the Six Stars, he walks around like he owns the ce. Who just gives away important information like that without thinking? Does he think that no one dares topete with Broken Exile? What about Cross Haven? Even Sleeping Gardenia is able topete with them on even footing now because of their connection with the Mystical Realm Pce. Why did I ever join this cursed guild?" Hazard thought to himself as he hid his annoyance. Originally, Hazard joined Shattered as a way to prove his skills and get recognized by a top guild. However, after being epted, it was nothing like he imagined it to be. The inner guild politics, the sucking up to advance, the constant backstabbing-it wasn''t what he signed up for. Unfortunately, he still had some time left on the contract he signed with Shattered. Otherwise, he would have already left that guild, which was like being stuck in the mud. "I overheard you talking about something rather interesting. How about sharing a few more details?" A voice abruptly sounded from in the middle of the group. "?!" Everyone was taken aback by the sudden emergence of an unknown voice. What was even more terrifying was the fact that no one was able to notice that person getting so close to them or react in time! Swoosh!N?v(el)B\\jnn After that initial pause and surprise, Nighting was the first to make a move as the dagger in his hands swept forward at the unknown assant. Ding! Nighting''s facial expression turned extremely ugly as his dagger collided with the unknown assant. Instead of inflicting damage, his entire arm went numb, and he could not stop shaking as the dagger bounced off his target''s body. It was like hitting a thick sheet of steel! "Eh?" Without warning, the world around Nighting turned gray and everything rapidly spun before turning upside down. Nighting eyes widened in shock as his head had been separated from his body without a chance to retaliate! "Nighting!" I Am Diligent cried out in horror. Too fast! Nighting died before she could even use a single healing or barrier skill. Faster than she could even blink, his HP went from full to zero! Chapter 1073: Chaos In Fraguls Valley (Part 2/2) Chapter 1073: Chaos In Fragul''s Valley (Part 2/2) ? Nighting possessed a rogue-type ss, so his defensive capabilities were not the best. However, he was still a level 52 yer with multiple pieces of rare equipment equipped. Not to mention, his mobility and evasive abilities could not be underestimated. Yet, despite that, he was not able to inflict damage or escape! After Nighting was dealt with, Feral de, Hazard, and I Am Diligent immediately retreated back a few meters. To their surprise, the person who appeared out of nowhere did not chase them down to attack. "Who the hell are you?! Do you have any idea where this ce is-whose person you just attacked?!" Feral de shouted with a darkened expression. It wasmon knowledge that Fragul''s Valley was under the protection of Broken Exile. No one should have been foolish enough to wander around this ce, let alone attack a yer in its vicinity. Doing so was no different than challenging Broken Exile''s authority and pping its face! In addition, hundreds of yers from the Shattered guild were nearby. Reinforcements equal to a small army would not take long to reach any spot in Fragul''s Valley. Therefore, harming one of its yers was tantamount to throwing one''s life away! "Isn''t that something you should ask before attacking someone who merely asked a question?" The assant replied in a carefree manner. This assant was, of course, none other than Izroth. "To think he would attack me with so much confidence and go down this easily. How troublesome.'' Thanks to his Heavenly Golden Body''s Earthly Golden Bones, Might stat, and natural resistances, Izrothpletely ignored the damage from Nighting''s attack. He then aimed a simple and precise punch at Nighting''s neck, which was full of openings; however, who knew that he would end up dying in one hit? Izroth had not even unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and used his raw physical strength to overwhelm Nighting. And, since his Strength of the Ancient Colossus was still active, the damage from his physical attacks was even greater than normal. Right after Izroth''s attacknded on Nighting, the effects of his Strength of the Ancient Colossus finally wore off. But, even without it, his physical strength could not be underestimated. "Enough nonsense! How long have you been following us?! Who sent you?! Cross Haven?! Don''t you know that attacking this ce is the same as offending Broken Exile?!" Feral de yelled angrily.N?v(el)B\\jnn Cross Haven and Broken Exile had been at odds for quite some time. The two were rivals, and yers always argued which of the two guilds truly stood at the top of RML. Naturally, Broken Exile did not enjoy having to share the spotlight with another guild, and the two often shed. ''Hm?'' Izroth noticed something with his Energy Vision Sense as a light amused smile found its way onto his face. "This guy... It seems he''s the type who uses his head a bit.'' Izroth could detect multiple presences from several directions headed to his location. Without a doubt, it was reinforcements. Feral de grinned inwardly as he looked at Izroth with a cold gaze. He was not stupid. Nighting was far from being considered an elite yer. That being said, he was still level 52 with decent equipment. To die in one hit so effortlessly, Feral de could tell that he was dealing with a skilled yer on par with the elites of a top guild. "Idiot. Do you think I''ll risk my experience and an event life just to fight you here? Any moment now, this ce will be surrounded by the Shattered guild members. Even if it''s an elite yer from a top guild, there won''t be anywhere for you to run or hide. You''ll pay for dying the mission entrusted to me." Feral de thought to himself. Feral de was confident in his skills as a yer. However, he was also cautious. He knew nothing about his opponent except that they were highly skilled. Therefore, Feral de decided that shing head-on was too huge of a risk, especially when there were no true benefits involved. "Wait... If he really is a member of Cross Haven, wouldn''t I be rewarded if I defeat him here? If I defeat one of their elite yers, it might even help me move up through the ranks faster." Feral de inwardly grinned as he thought about the amazing opportunity that had been presented before him. Izroth observed Feral de. He did not know what that guy was thinking; however, the atmosphere around him shifted. Not too long ago, he had a more defensive posture. Now, he had a look of greed in his eyes and looked as though he was ready to attack at any moment. "I just so happened to arrive here by chance. Now that I''ve answered your question, don''t you think it''s only right that you answer mine?" Izroth stated. "You want me to believe you just so happened to stumble this deep into Fragul''s Valley by chance? Do you take me for a fool?! Fine, since you refuse to talk, you can just be buried here!" Feral de scowled as he took an offensive stance with his battle axe. "Hazard, Diligent¡ªsupport me. If all goes well, I''ll put in a good word to my elder brother about you two." Feral de said as ayer of dark blue mana coated his battle axe. "I''ll be sure to support you properly!" I Am Diligent replied quickly as she cast several buffs on Feral de. Getting on good terms with Feral de and his elder brother was the same as guaranteeing her ce in Shattered. Perhaps, one day, it would even be enough for her to move up to the main guild and enjoy the benefits that came along with that. I Am Diligent knew that she could not let such a prime opportunity pass her by. "Bastard, like we have a choice..." Hazard quietly muttered to himself as he raised his shield and assumed a defensive position. Hazard was not a fan of Feral de; however, he still had to uphold the terms of his contract with Shattered. Plus, if Feral de was serious about putting in a good word to his elder brother, maybe he could finally leave this subsidiary guild. Izroth inwardly shook his head and released a light sigh. In truth, he just nned on taking all the resources possible from Fragul''s Valley. After all, even though Broken Exile was plotting to move against him, they had yet to act on their intentions. Therefore, Izroth was going to use this chance as a way of sending a warning of sorts. But, for some reason, talking to the person who appeared to be the group''s leader was like talking to a brick wall. ''A monster that''s capable of dropping legendary-ranked items that can be hunted by a group of yers like this... Is it a mythical creature?'' Mythical creatures-in RML, these were not existences like dragons, phoenixes, or unicorns. A mythical creature was a special monster that granted amazing rewards as long as certain conditions were met. Izroth read about the existence of mythical creatures in the Amaharpe Pce Library; however, he never personally encountered one. But, something was strange. Chapter 1074: What Kind of Monster Did We Run Into?! Chapter 1074: What Kind of Monster Did We Run Into?! ? ''He mentioned it dropping an itemst time, but ording to what I know, mythical creatures move locations once they are discovered. Is this one somewhat different?'' Initially, Izroth was just somewhat curious about this Golden Imp Feral de mentioned. But, if it was a mythical creature, he wanted to see it with his own eyes. ''I extended my Energy Vision Sense to its maximum range, but I didn''t detect anything that might be a mythical creature. Being able to hide itself so well, I suppose it''s not called special existences for nothing.'' Suddenly, Feral de''s glowed blue as his muscles bulked up and a fiercely wild aura epassed him. This was one of the main buff skills of his Rageborn Berserker ss, Battle Frenzy. This skill temporarily increased his attack power severalfold and caused his attacks to have a cleave effect. In return, his defense was reduced to zero for its duration. Of course, with such high attack power, Feral de was confident in ying his enemies before they got a chance to inflict any damage. This was even more so if that person was a yer. Along with the buffs he received from I Am Diligent, Feral de felt like a tiger with wings. "Given how he was able to sneak up on us, he must be a rogue-type ss who can use a high- ranking stealth skill. That attack just now was probably an ambush-type move. That''s how he managed to defeat someone like Nighting, who has low health and defense, in one move. We just have to prevent him from entering stealth and not allow him to ambush us. As long as we can do that, our victory is guaranteed." Feral de exined as he tightened his grip on his battle axe. He then continued, "Hazard, try to lock him down so that he doesn''t have a chance to use stealth or escape. Diligent-use any crowd control skills whenever you see an opening and watch my health. We''re going!" The instant Feral de gave the order, he dashed toward Izroth head-on. Almost exactly at the same time, Hazard charged forward with arge burst of movement speed, rushing ahead of Feral de. Hazard executed one of the warrior-type sses'' most popr skills, Unimpeded Rush. It granted one a short burst of massive movement speed and allowed him to close the distance with his target in a sh. However, there was a reason why most elite yers rarely used Unimpeded Rush against skilled yers. There was one ring downside. Woosh! Just as Hazard was about to crash into Izroth with his shield, he vanished, causing Hazard to hit nothing but air. "Fast...!" Hazard thought to himself as his Unimpeded Rush came to an end. As it did so, Hazard was unable to move or take any action. This was the downside to Unimpeded Rush. If the person executing the skill did not make contact with a target, they were staggered for 0.5 seconds. While that was not a lot of time, it was more than enough of a window for even the most novice of yers to take advantage of.N?v(el)B\\jnn A sleek ck dagger could be seen in Izroth''s hand, which had a cold sharpness to it as he stood next to Hazard. This was the Obsconis Hunting Dagger that Izroth received from ying the Ferae Obsconis Mantis in the Ferae Jungle. The moment Izroth equipped the dagger, his speed seemed to jump to an even more terrifying degree than usual. Although he was not using any movement-type skill, Izroth''s speed was even faster than when he had his Flickering Steps active. This was due to the effects of the new title he acquired, Gift of Divine Speed. ''It''s a shame I did not obtain a divine title. But, a pseudo-divine title sure lives up to its name.'' Title Name: Gift of Divine Speed(Solitary Pseudo-Divine) Title Benefit(s): -Immune to slow. -Gain 100% movement speed. Increased to 500% when out ofbat for 30 seconds. -Gain 100% agility. Increased to 200% for the first 1 minute ofbat. Gift of Divine Speed was not just a pseudo-divine title, it was the rarest type of title in RML- abat-type title! There were a near-limitless number of titles in RML; however, the vast majority of those titles did not directly affect a yer''s stats. Most titles were like Izroth''s Schr or Protector of Amaharpe titles; they simply allowed yers ess to things they may not have or granted them a small benefit. Titles granting five percent or ten percent stat increases were heard of; however, there was never any mention of it increasing a main stat by 100%. It even went a step further and doubled that amount to 200% for the first one minute ofbat. Perhaps the most shocking aspect was that the Gift of Divine Speed title was a solitary title. In RML, yers could only equip one primary and one secondary title at a time. However, when it came to solitary titles, a yer could equip as many as they wanted. Of course, while the boost to his agility was the main thing that caught Izroth attention about the title, he did not dismiss the other benefits it granted him. Being immune to slow meant that his agility stat and movement speed could not be reduced under most circumstances. And, gaining a permanent 100% movement speed buff that increased to a breathtaking 500% when out ofbat spoke for itself. With the Obsconis Hunting Dagger equipped, Izroth''s agility shot up to over 11,000 points. With the movement speed boost from his title and other skills, his current movement speed was more simr to someone with more than 22,000 points of agility! Suddenly, a sharp sword intent erupted from next to Hazard as he felt a heavy force crash into his side. Hazard felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him, and he was sent tumbling back several meters. "What did he just hit me with..?! It felt like I got struck by a giant hammer...!" Hazard thought to himself as his eyes fell onto the weapon in Izroth''s hand. What Hazard saw next caused his eyes to widen in disbelief as he tried to make sense of things. A dagger? Such a heavy attack came from that little dagger? He had taken hits from two-handed greatswords that did not have even half that amount of weight behind their strikes. He, a tank in fully ted heavy armor, had been sent flying back by an attack from a dagger? Additionally, that simple attack reduced his HP by more than 20%? "That''s ridiculous...! What kind of monster did we run into?!" Hazard thought to himself as The crashed into the ground. [Battle Alert: The effect of <> has been triggered! [Battle Alert: The special effect of the dark element <>.< Battle Alert: For the next 10 seconds, ?yer Hazard? will bleed out 537 damage every 1 second for 10 seconds.[] Chapter 1075: Perishing Threat Chapter 1075: Perishing Threat ? Without warning, Hazard could feel his defenses weaken as the world around him became increasingly difficult to perceive. Just as Hazard was rendered virtually useless, Feral de swung his battle axe downward mercilessly at Izroth, who had just attacked Hazard. "Idiot, haven''t you ever heard of don''t focus the tank?!" Feral de shouted with a grin. This was his n all along. Whether Hazard hit or missed his Umimpeded Rush, Izroth''s fate had already been sealed. If Hazard seeded, then Izroth would be locked in ce by the stun effect of Unimpeded Rush. Feral de would then use that chance to deal a critical blow. However, if Hazard missed and Izroth used that opening to attack Hazard, then he would leave himself open to Feral de''s attack. No matter how great a stealth skill, it wasmon knowledge that most could not be used in the middle ofbat without certain restrictions. But, at this point, even if Izroth used a stealth skill, Feral de was confident that Izroth would not be able to escape his assault because of one of his ss skills, Blood Feud. Blood Feud was a skill unique to Feral de''s Rageborn Berserker ss. It allowed a yer to mark one target and ce them under the effects of Feud. Feud made it so that as long as both yers were alive and within a certain distance of each other, Feral de would know their location indefinitely until one of them died. Feral de also dealt more damage while receiving less damage from a target marked by Blood Feud, making his ss ideal for one-on-one fights. BANG! Crrrrck! "?!" Feral de''s battle axe was mere centimeters away from striking Izroth; however, right before it could hit, he lost track of Izroth''s presence as his battle axe mmed into the ground. "Impossible...! I definitely used Blood Feud, so how-" Feral de thought to himself as his mind raced. Phhhtk! Feral de felt a sharp, cold feelinging from the sides of his neck, arms, and torso as Izroth''s presence reappeared somewhere behind him. <> -25,793 -12,897 <> -25,793 -12,897 -12,897 Without even realizing it, Feral de had been struck five times as he stood there dumbfounded. The damage from the first attack alone was already enough to kill him. Yet, he couldn''t even perceive the other four strikes. How could this have happened? He was a member of Broken Exile, the strongest guild in RML! Even if he was not a core yer, he was no pushover. How could he fall from an assassin sent by Cross Haven?! If his elder brother found out, there was no way he would be let off the hook! Feral de fell to the ground as he started to dissipate into countless particles. "You bastard! Once my elder brother and Broken Exile hear about this, you''re dead! Dead! You won''t have a ce to hide in RML! You hear me?! I''ll kill you!!!!!" Feral de yelled at the top of his lungs as thest of his body dissipated. I Am Diligent looked on in horror and said, "Y-you! D-do you have any idea who you justid your hands on?!" Hazard''s expression was gloomy as he struggled to his feet and consumed a health potion. His senses were still a mess, and it was clear that he had no intention of doing something useless like attacking Izroth a second time. Besides, now that Feral de had fallen, what was the point? His chances of ever advancing to Broken Exile were nonexistent.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "What a headache. Why did I have to get pulled into this stupid mission?" Hazard grumbled. "They''re over there!" A voice sounded from the distance. The reinforcements from Shattered had finally arrived; however, it was toote. In just a few breaths of time, Izroth was surrounded by more than fifty yers from Shattered. He maintained a calm and carefree expression as Hazard and I Am Diligent exined the situation to those who had just arrived at the scene. "Idiots! You couldn''t even do your job properly! Don''t you realize what''s going to happen to us once the main guild figures out what took ce here?!" One of the newly arrived yers said angrily. The man who scolded Hazard and I Am Diligent had a thin frame and appeared to be in histe twenties. He had straight ck hair and green eyes. He donned a set of mage robes and a magic staff on his back. This man went by the name Orion. He was the yer responsible for overseeing things in Fragul''s Valley and ensuring that everything ran smoothly. He was also the one who rmended Hazard, I Am Diligent, and Nighting to Feral de. This meant that he was in the same boat as those three for failing their task. No, his situation was even worse since it all happened under his watch. Orion red at Izroth as though he wanted to do nothing more than rip him apart. But, that look soon turned into one of resigned defeat. He did not dare make a move against him. That''s because, after everything settled down, Hazard and I Am Diligent realized just who they were fighting. The yer who was currently in first ce on the event leaderboards. The owner of the Mystical Realm Pce. The one said to have been responsible for the downfall of two top guilds, Sage Falls and the Headhunter Syndicate-Izroth. "What a headache. Should we be grateful that he isn''t outright attacking us after causing so many problems?" Orion scowled. "Given who attacked us, surely the main guild won''t me us for this, right?" I Am Diligent said with a look of worry. The yers from Shattered were not weak by any means; however, they could notpare to the elites of the top guilds. Even if someone sent by the main guild like Feral de was defeated so easily, what chance did they have? Wasn''t attacking him with their current forces the same as meaninglessly throwing their lives away? "If you believe that, then you''re naive. Someone has to take the me. Do you really think one of the Six Stars is going to allow it to be their own brother?" Hazardmented. "Hazard''s right. Even if Feral de receives some me, ultimately, it''ll be us who take the brunt force of everything. The funds we''re given for the amount of work we do is already barely manageable. If we receive a pay cut, how are we supposed to make a living?" Orion said as he released a long sigh. The contract they signed with Shattered was just barely enough to cover the bare minimum of the most basic living expenses. But it was also the only way that they could devote their full time to RML and improve their strength in-game to advance. After a few minutes of discussion, Orion and the members of Shattered seemed to have reached a decision. Orion approached Izroth with caution. Even though he had not attacked them while they were talking, there was no guarantee that he would not change his mind at any given moment. "We have no intention of fighting you. If it''s an apology you want, I''ll give it to you. All I ask is that we end things here amicably." Orion said respectfully. Chapter 1076: Oathkeeper Chapter 1076: Oathkeeper ? In the end, Orion decided that confronting Izroth was not worth it. Either way, the main guild would punish them. If, on top of that, they lost experience and dropped equipment as a result of fighting what was practically an unwinnable battle, the members of Shattered present would be set even further behind the curve. Therefore, Orion figured it was best to end things here and minimize their losses as much as possible. Some from Shattered did not agree with Orion''s approach. After all, they believed that the main guild would punish them more for letting someone who eliminated one of their members walk away unharmed. But ultimately, Orion had thest say since he was the one in charge of Fragul''s Valley. "To think they would choose willing to take a step back. I guess there are some people with a decent head on their shoulders.'' There was often a thin line between bravery and stupidity. If one did not tread it carefully, they would end up falling t on their face. Izroth had no desire to bully the weak. And, while Shattered may be a subsidiary guild of Broken Exile, he was well aware of how the rtionship between a main guild and its subsidiary guild functioned. This was even more so for a guild full of arrogance and pride like Broken Exile. "Forget it. What''s done is done. But, an appropriate price has to be paid. All the resources you have gathered-hand them over." Izroth said nonchntly. Orion furrowed his brows and said, "I''m not sure if you know, but the resources of this valley belong to Broken Exile. I know who you are, but it''s too dangerous to risk making an enemy of a top guild over a bit of resources." Orion knew that if he handed over the resources in his possession to Izroth, it was the same as giving away what belonged to Broken Exile. There was no way they would not notice the materials missing! Suddenly, immense pressure descended in the surrounding area, causing the members of Shattered to fall to their knees. Some of the weaker yers were even sprawled out on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the fifty-plus members of Shattered had been rendered utterly helpless. "What is this...?! I can''t move...!" Orion had a difficult time speaking as the pressure was too great. "Do not overstep my generosity. Originally, I nned on sweeping all the resources of this valley away. Be grateful that I am only taking what you already have in your possession. From now on, think carefully about your words. Otherwise, you will have to bear the consequences." Izroth stated with an emotionless gaze. After he finished speaking, Izroth released his Soul Pressure. Once he released his Soul Pressure, the yers from Shattered were able to move freely again. However, Izroth''s actions left an invisible scar carved into their hearts. Without even lifting a single finger, he managed to suppress everyone present! The most terrifying thing was that the lowest-level person was level 45, while arge majority present were at or over level 50. Those who were initially against Orion''s decision to let things pass were suddenly thankful that he chose not to fight. If they shed with such a monster... Just thinking about it gave them shivers. Orion struggled to his feet as he caught his breath. The atmosphere around him had be gloomy. At first, Orion thought Izroth only wanted the materials he had in his inventory. But, that was not the case. He wanted the materials farmed in Fragul''s Valley by all of the Shattered guild members present! To make matters worse, if they did not hand over the materials, he would clean out all the materials in Fragul''s Valley. And, after witnessing Izroth''s strength firsthand just now, Orion did not think he was bluffing. Orion closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. "It''s our total defeat." Orion thought to himself with a helpless expression.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ... Several minutester... ''Oh? They collected quite a bit. It deviates from my initial n; however, this will save me some time. Also, in a way, this is an even bigger warning.'' Forcing its subsidiary guild to submit and willingly hand over all the resources they gathered -once Broken Exile discovered what Izroth did here, they would cough up blood from anger. Orion ordered the members of Shattered to hand over their resources to Izroth. It did not take much convincing. In the end, Izroth acquired hundreds of resources of various quantities and qualities. He only kept a couple of each of themon and umon materials. After all, Sleeping Gardenia provided those free of charge due to their rtionship with his Mystical Realm Pce. As for the materials of higher grades, Izroth made sure to collect them all. Naturally, Izroth had no way of looking into another person''s inventory. Under circumstances, it would have been impossible to tell whether or not they were honestly handing over the materials they were supposed to. But, thanks to his title, Oathkeeper, Izroth was able to make sure no one was holding back any of the resources they collected from Fragul''s Valley. "This is my first time using the effects of this title. With the terms I set, there should be no issues.'' Title Name: Oathkeeper(Primary Rare) Title Benefit(s): -Can create an oath between two or more parties. All parties must agree for the oath to take ce. A broken oath will result in the agreed penalty for the party responsible for breaking it. -Exactly once, if death approaches, HP is set to 1, and invulnerability is gained for 3 seconds. After this effect takes ce, this title will be permanently removed and can no longer be obtained. The Oathkeeper title gave Izroth the ability to create "contracts" with others. In this case, the contract was that the other party agreed to hand over all resources in their inventory that they gathered in Fragul''s Valley with the conditions that Izroth set. This oath wouldst until all the respected materials were given to Izroth. Thest yer to hand over his materials to Izroth walked away with an aura of dejection. However, he was not alone. All the members of Shattered present had the same aura of dejection about them. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about their misfortune. "We''ve settled all ounts just as you''ve asked. I hope you won''t go back on your word." Orion said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Rest assured, I am a man of my word. I will not touch the material resources within Fragul''s Valley during my current visit." Izroth replied as he closed his inventory after looking over thest few items he had obtained. ''It''s a shame there wasn''t any mythical-ranked materials. But, I did manage to receive two ancient- ranked materials and a few superior-ranked materials.'' Mythical-ranked materials were a tier below divine-ranked materials; therefore, Izroth was not too surprised that no one had any in their possession. After all, how could mythical- ranked materials be so readily avable? As for divine-ranked materials, Izroth did not even entertain the thought. If this ce was capable of producing divine-ranked materials, there was no way Broken Exile would have left it in the hands of their subsidiary guild. Chapter 1077: An Accepted Fate Chapter 1077: An epted Fate ? Plus, divine-ranked materials did not simply grow on trees. Most were probably already consumed or being guarded by a peak legendary existence, waiting for the material to fully blossom. Such as the Half-Bloomed Divine Flower of Renewal that the Overlord of the Ferae Jungle, Beast King Invigris was guarding. "There''s just one more thing," Izroth said in a carefree manner. Orion''s heart sank when he heard Izroth''s words. He had already taken so many resources. What more could he possibly want from them? "The Golden Imp-tell me everything you know about it," Izroth stated. When Izroth mentioned the Golden Imp, the yers from Shattered began to whisper among themselves. "Golden Imp? Is he talking about that thing rumored to grant any wish?" "Isn''t that just a bunch of nonsense though? If such a thing existed, couldn''t you just wish to be the strongest?" "I''ve heard rumors about some sightings in the heart of Fragul''s Valley of a mysterious golden shadow." "Idiot, how can a shadow be golden?" "Golden Imp?" Orion uttered as he had a visible look of confusion on his face. He then continued, "If you''re talking about the creature who is said to grant any wish, I suggest you give up on it. It''s just a baseless rumor. No one from Shattered has ever run into such a creature." ''Oh? It looks like he''s telling the truth.'' Izroth could tell that Orion''s look of confusion was genuine. He also did not sense any hints of deception in Orion''s voice. Unless he was a master of deception, Izroth concluded that Orion truly did know nothing about the Golden Imp. "I see. Then, where was your destination?" Izroth asked as he turned his attention to Hazard and I Am Diligent. "That''s..." I Am Diligent seemed hesitant to answer. "I can guide you there." Hazard volunteered without hesitation. Everyone from Shattered looked surprised by Hazard''s decision. He would definitely suffer worse than others if it were found out that he personally guided their assant around Fragul''s Valley after everything that happened. Needless to say, no one else wanted to take such an unnecessary risk. "Fool. He should have just yed stupid and said he didn''t know..." One of the Shattered yers muttered. "Wouldn''t wanna be him." "Who cares? Maybe we''ll get lucky, and they''ll shift most of the me onto him?" "Hazard, what are you doing? If you guide him to that ce, then- " I Am Diligent tried to warn; however, Hazard quickly cut her off. "Then, what? Are you going to do it?" Hazard questioned as he was met with I Am Diligent''s silence. He then continued, "Yeah, I thought so." Hazard walked up to Izroth and gave a simple greeting. "I''m Hazard. I''ll guide you to where it is that you want to go. But, I can''t promise that you''lln/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om find the thing you''re looking for. Is that alright?" Hazard stated. Izroth nodded and said, "Then, I''ll be in your care. Lead the way." Izroth wasted no time and immediately departed from the scene as he followed alongside Hazard further into the depths of Fragul''s Valley. As Hazard left with Izroth, Orion let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, that''s over..." Orion said quietly; however, the look of relief on his face soon turned into one of frustration and stress. How was he going to exin all those missing materials to the main guild? No matter how he tried to justify his reasoning, they would not ept it. "Maybe it would''ve just been better if we all died and let Fragul''s Valley be looted by that guy. At least that way, even if they wanted to punish us for our failure, they wouldn''t have been able to find too much fault with us. Did I really make the correct choice?" Orion sighed. On paper, Orion knew that the decision he made was the correct one. When faced with an overwhelming difference in power, the only thing one could do was minimize their losses as much as possible. He did exactly as such, but would those in the main guild ept that? "Are you sure it was okay to let Hazard guide that guy? We''re already in enough trouble as is. Maybe we should have tried to stop him." I Am Diligentmented. "Would that person have allowed us to do so?!" Orion snapped angrily, causing I Am Diligent to jump from being startled. "You... Whatever. What''s done is done. Let''s just get back to farming materials. If we call in a few extra hands and work overtime, we might be able to rece most of what we''ve lost by tomorrow." Orion stated as he walked away. ... Fifteen minutester... "He hasn''t said anything since we left. Can it be that he''s still angered that I attacked him?" Hazard thought to himself as he furrowed his brows. At the moment, Hazard was acting as Izroth''s guide and had led him into one of the forested locations inside Fragul''s Valley. This area was well-known among the Shattered guild members for being difficult to navigate due to its rough terrain and steep areas. Only a select few members ever ventured this deep to gather materials. After all, those without experience would either get lost or perish due to an unfortunate ident. "No, I can''t let this chance pass me by. My time with Shattered and Broken Exile is finished. Even if it means having to pay the contract termination fee, I have to seize this opportunity," Hazard thought to himself. Hazard was the first to break the silence as he said, "Hey, about earlier... Well, the whole attacking you thing¡ªmy bad. I just hope that we can let bygones be bygones. If you''re still holding a grudge against me, then I''ll hand my life over to you once I''m done being your guide. After that, however, I hope that you''ll at least hear me out and give me a chance to prove my worth." ''I was wondering what he was so uneasy about. I figured it was rted to the reaction of his guild members or his nerves getting the best of him. But, to think he''d say something a little interesting.'' Izroth had been silently and indirectly observing Hazard on their journey. For one, he wanted to make sure that Hazard was not leading him into some kind of trap. He also sensed that Hazard was somewhat disconnected from his fellow guild members-an outcast of sorts. Izroth did not know why that was the case; however, he was not the type to pry into another''s personal matters. "Rest assured, if I wanted your life, I would have already taken it," Izroth stated calmly. In the end, he only spared Hazard, and I Am Diligent to have either one of them act as a guide. After all, there was no way someone like Feral de would have volunteered. "As for your request-first, you should concentrate on performing your role as a guide well. We can talk once that matter is settled." Izroth said. Izroth did not dislike those who were straightforward like Hazard and went out of their way to prove themselves. That being said, he was not someone who took in useless people out of pity. Chapter 1078: An Opportunity Seized Chapter 1078: An Opportunity Seized ? Hazard inwardly sighed in relief. The fact that Izroth held no grudge against him and did not outright turn him away was already a huge win in his eyes. "Leave it to me. I know this ce like the back of my hand." Hazard said confidently. ... Approximately thirty minutester... Hazard''s steps came to a halt as he stood at the bottom of a steep mountainside. His body shivered as breath mist escaped his mouth. "I really hateing to this ce..." Hazard muttered to himself. The air in this particr part of Fragul''s Valley was unusually cold and numbed one''s movements. If a yer stayed too long in this kind of environment, they would be riddled with debuffs and eventually fall to the monsters that lurked nearby. "This is the ce," Hazard confirmed as he looked at Izroth, who seemedpletely unaffected by the cold air. ''We didn''t run into any trouble on the way here. I detected quite a few monsters in the vicinity, but he took the safest paths to avoid direct contact with them. I suppose his intentions are probably genuine -whatever those intentions may be.'' Izroth nodded and replied, "Is this ce where the Golden Imp lives?" Izroth used his Energy Vision Sense to scan the surrounding area; however, there were still no traces of any mythical creatures or anything that remotely resembled one. "To be entirely honest, I have no idea. This is only the second time the main guild has sent someone to Fragul''s Valley who needed to be guided. Usually, once weplete our mission to guide the person sent by the main guild to this location, we''re instructed to leave." Hazard exined. ''I see. So that''s how it is.'' Shattered may be a subsidiary guild of Broken Exile, but that did not mean Broken Exile would entrust them with important secrets. ''If it is a secret worth keeping from their own subsidiary guild, then it is definitely worth checking out. Still, since I''ve already made some previous arrangements, I don''t want to waste too much time searching for something that may never be found. Not to mention, I doubt that those from Broken Exile will sit still once they discover what happened in their territory.'' Of course, Izroth was not afraid of a direct confrontation with Broken Exile. There was simply a high chance of them getting to the mythical creature before him since he was unsure of how to locate it. Even if he waited and followed them after they arrived, there was no guarantee that he could see the mythical creature. After all, while he had no idea of the conditions set by mythical creatures, it could be strict enough that only the first person to see it would obtain the reward it granted. ''Since Hazard said that the guides are sent back after aplishing their mission, seeing as how that guy came here alone, at the very least, approaching it myself should not pose an issue. In order to minimize the risks, I need to search for it by myself.'' "This is as far as you go," Izroth said as he opened his inventory and tossed a small pouch toward Hazard. Hazard was a little taken aback when Izroth suddenly threw something at him; however, he managed to catch it without fumbling. "This is...?" Hazard uttered as he checked the contents of the pouch. Hazard''s eyes widened in shock when he saw what was inside the pouch. The first thing that caught his eye was 50 gold coins! "50 gold coins...! That''s almost the same amount I make in two months of working for the Shattered guild...!" Hazard thought to himself. Hazard, like most others of Shattered, got paid a base monthly sry of roughly 27 gold coins. With the current conversation rate of 1:150, 27 gold coins were equivalent to 4,050 RMB. Because of this, most yers from Shattered had to take on a part-time job in the real world instead of being able to focus entirely on developing in RML. Unfortunately, they could not do anything about it. After all, 27 gold coins was certainly no fortune, but it was enough for most of them to barely scrape by from month to month. Hazard could only inwardly sigh as he released once again who he was escorting. No one knew exactly how much profit was being funneled through the Mystical Realm Pce; however, it was estimated that the shop had already made over 1 billion RMB worth of profits. Most yers would not see 50 gold coins at once unless they had been saving for quite some time or the exchange rate lowered. But, for someone like the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce, it could not even be considered pocket change. "With this, I can finally afford to pay the contract termination fee..." Hazard thought to himself as he tightened his grip on the pouch. Ever since Hazard joined Shattered, he felt trapped in a never-ending nightmare. When he first joined RML, the conditions Broken Exile promised through Shattered were too good for any yer to ignore. Like many others, Hazard was excited and could not wait to make a name for himself. But the reality was not as straightforward as he hoped. Eventually, Hazard became trapped and bound by the contract he signed. To make matters worse, if one wished to terminate the contract, it required that they hand over a termination fee equal to six months worth of their base sry. Hazard''s current goal was 162 gold coins. He had been working hard in RML and the real world to steadily save up enough to reach that number and pay the contract termination fee. However, what seemed like a distant dream had suddenly be reality. Hazard did not even nce at the other contents in the small pouch. The gold coins alone were already more than he could ever ask for. Besides, it would not be anything too extravagant, considering that he only acted as a guide. "My words alone are not enough to express my gratitude. I, Hazard- No, Xie Shan, will never forget your generosity." Hazard said respectfully in a thankful manner. "You shouldn''t thank me just yet. While part of that is your reward for acting as my guide, another part is merely a wee bonus. If you wish to truly prove yourself, you will have to work hard to earn and keep your ce. Head to the Mystical Realm Pce and ask for someone named Aurora. Tell them I sent you. She will take care of the rest. I will warn you beforehand¡ªmy Mystical Realm Pce does not employ useless people." Izroth stated calmly. Zeeeeut! Without waiting for Hazard''s reply, Izroth vanished from where he stood, leaving him standing there in disbelief. "Thank you, Pce Master Izroth! I won''t make you regret taking a chance on me!" Hazard yelled at the top of his lungs, as his voice echoed throughout the surrounding area of Fragul''s Valley. He did not know whether or not Izroth heard him, but it was not important. At that moment, Hazard felt as though he would be unable to move until he voiced his gratitude. After a few minutes, Hazard managed to settle down in his excitement. He was making his way out of the heart of Fragul''s Valley and still had difficulty believing what had just happened. "Ah, I got a little too lost in my excitement and forgot to look at the rest of the stuff that Pce Master Izroth gifted me. Looking back, I hope he didn''t think too poorly of me. I got too caught up in the moment." Hazard sighed as he took another look at the pouch. When he saw the 50 gold coins again, Hazard could not help but smile. However, when he turned his gaze to the second item, the smile on his face quickly faded as his mouth opened. And, as his eyesnded on the third and fourth items, he halted his steps as his entire body trembled. Hazard gulped as he rubbed his eyes and said, "I''m not dreaming, am I? This... It''s real, right?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om In the small pouch behind the 50 gold coins were three additional items. A grade-one pill, a grade-two pill, and a grade-three pill! Hazard nearly fainted from shock after he finished rubbing his eyes and realized that he was not hallucinating or dreaming. A grade-three pill! It was a real grade-three pill! "Last I heard, a single grade three pill is worth at least 150 gold coins...! This one pill is basically half a year of the annual sry I would have received from Shattered!" Hazard eximed. While the value of the grade three pill overshadowed them, the grade one and grade two pills were also valuable in their own right. In truth, some of Hazard felt guilty for epting such huge benefits. After all, all he did was get beat up a bit and then act as a guide. "Do I truly deserve something like this..?" Hazard said to himself. "No... I can''t think like that. Pce Master Izroth has given me a chance that may nevere again in my lifetime. If I don''t seize it with all my might, I only have myself to me. Deserve it? Even if I don''t deserve it, I just have to work hard enough until I do!" Hazard resolved himself. "Alright! I won''t let you down, Pce Master Izroth!" Hazard roared. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Fragul''s Valley... ''It should be somewhere around here.'' Woosh! Tap. ''So, this is the ce that my Energy Vision Sense is unable to see through.'' Chapter 1079: Imp of Dreams Chapter 1079: Imp of Dreams ? A few moments ago, Izroth treaded up the steep mountain using the Wall Walking skill and came upon a ledge. When he stepped onto the ledge just now, the first thing that came into sight a few meters away from him was the entrance to a mysterious dark cave. Izroth briefly extended his Energy Vision Sense to its maximum range as he thoroughly checked his surroundings. ''Good. He is heading back the exact way we came.'' Izroth spotted Hazard with his Energy Vision Sense and confirmed that he was on his way out of the heart of Fragul''s Valley. ''Who would have thought that I would meet someone like you here of all ces? Kalseign... '' A carefree smile formed on Izroth''s face as he recalled his time in the Seven Realms. Kalseign¡ªa man with no particr talents or gifts. In terms of cultivation, there were countless individuals more powerful than him. As for his background and status, both were not even worth mentioning. However, Kalseign constantly fought against fate. He worked ten times harder to prove himself because he knew how unfair the world was. He was aware of his own weakness, but he never let that stop him. In the end, while Kalseign was never a top-tier cultivator in the Seven Realms, through his efforts, he became the Fate Breaking Warlord who led the Great Realmbreaker Army. The Great Realmbreaker Army was known throughout the Seven Realms for its fierce nature, strength, and unrivaled tenacity. Needless to say, Izroth was not expecting Hazard to be someone like Kalseign. After all, it was not easy to fight against one''s fate. But, the simrities Izroth saw between the two made him want to take a chance on Hazard. After confirming that nothing was out of ce, Izroth walked toward the entrance of the dark cave. The system sounded an alert the moment he approached within a few meters of the entrance. [System Alert: Warning! You are about to enter >. Izroth walked into the cave without halting his steps as he disappeared into the darkness. ... ''I thought it would be dark inside, but it''s actually well-lit. Though, it is smaller than I expected.'' When Izroth entered ???''s Cave, the inside had plenty of lighting that came from an unknown source. However, when Izroth looked back toward the entrance, all he could see was darkness. ''My Energy Vision Sense is still not functioning properly. It looks like I will have to explore ahead the normal way.'' At the moment, Izroth was traveling down a narrow pathway big enough to fit two people if they stood shoulder to shoulder. The walls, ceiling, and ground all seemed to be a natural part of the earth, but they were incredibly sturdy and filled with mana.N?v(el)B\\jnn ''Strange, the walls in this ce do not feel like earth magic, yet everyst fragment is filled with mana that I have never seen naturally in this world.'' As Izroth examined his new environment, he reached the end of the short pathway and came to a small open space roughly five meters across in both directions. ''Oh? What''s this?'' In the center of the room was a t stone roughly one meter high and one meter wide. There was nothing special about the stone except for its unnaturally smooth surface. However, what caught one''s attention was not the object itself but rather the thing that sat on top of it. It was a thin creature that resembled an imp. It was approximately half a meter tall, with a horn protruding from its forehead, golden skin, beady red eyes, and long bony fingers with sharpened fingernails at the ends. The creature gave off a strange aura as if it were not part of the world but a separate entity. In front of the creature were three treasure chests with simr appearances, but all different colors. The chest on the left was red, the one in the middle white, and thest on the right was ck. There was nothing that seemed to separate the chests outside of their colors. Izroth viewed the information of the creature before him that revealed itself through the system. Name: Imp of Dreams (Legendary Mythical Creature) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) "This is a mythical creature? It does not seem that different from a regr monster. Still, I would be a fool to judge it based on its appearance alone.'' The creature looked scrawny and weak, as though even a strong breeze would be enough to take it out. Nheless, it was a mythical creature-more importantly, it was a legendary mythical creature! "To think Broken Exile has been hiding something like this. I guess the top guilds have quite a few secrets.'' If word got out that there was a legendary mythical creature located in Fragul''s Valley, even if Broken Exile was one of the strongest top guilds, they did not have the power to stop all the other top guilds from swarming this ce. At that point, whether or not Fragul''s Valley belonged to Broken Exile or not, there would be a battle over the rights of the legendary mythical creature. ''Imp of Dreams... The name doesn''t sound familiar. It''s also strange how it stays in one location even after encountering others. Then, was the information I read in those books about mythical creatures incorrect or outdated?'' ording to one of the books Izroth read about mythical creatures in the Amaharpe Pce Library, once certain conditions were met and the person who met those conditions was rewarded, the mythical creature would leave and set off to a new destination. No one knew what that location would be, nor could it be predicted. Feral de clearly mentioned that a legendary item was givenst time. Hazard also confirmed that those from Broken Exile hade to this ce at least once before Feral de. If the Imp of Dreams was still in this location, it meant that this was, at the very least, the third time one was able to im a reward from it. Izroth used Deep Insight to inspect the Imp of Dreams and all three chests. Then, he took the next minute and a half to use Appraisal for another point of view. ''How strange.'' [System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in <![] [System Alert: w [1]: This creature does not belong to its current world. [System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in <>! [System Alert: w [1]: This object does not belong to its current world. [System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in <>! [System Alert: w [1]: This object does not belong to its current world. [System Alert: [1] w has been discovered in <>! [System Alert: w [1]: This object does not belong to its current world. Name: Imp of Dreams (Legendary Mythical Creature) Level: ??? HP: ??? (100%) ~Appraisal~ Physical Condition: None ~ Appraisal~ The same message appeared for the Imp of Dreams and the three chests when Izroth used Deep Insight. Each of them did not belong to its current world. Instead of giving answers, it led to more questions. When it came to the Appraisal skill, it was less helpful as all it showed was the Imp of Dreams physical condition, which was listed as none. As for the three chests, it did not reveal anything about them besides what the system already showed Izroth. Izroth also carefully surveyed the room from top to bottom. The room itself was not thatrge, so it did not take him long toplete his inspection. After doing so, he found that there were no hidden mechanisms leading to another room, nor did there seem to be any traps installed. ''Am I overthinking it?'' Izroth did not find anything out of the ordinary. But, for some reason, he could not shake the feeling that something was off and things were not as straightforward as they appeared. ''If it were those guys from Broken Exile, they would have undoubtedly just picked a chest. For now, let''s just see what happens after I pick one.'' Since merely observing was not getting him anywhere, Izroth decided to open one of the chests himself to see what would happen. Besides, if things got too dangerous, he was confident in protecting himself. ''Let''s go with this one.'' Izroth turned his attention to the ck chest located on the right side in front of the Imp of Dreams. Then, without hesitation, Izroth reached down to open the chest. [System Alert: You have opened <>.[] [System Alert: You have received x1 <![] [System Alert: w [1]: This creature does not belong to its current world. Izroth wasted no time using Appraisal and Deep Insight to inspect the Umbral Imp Horn. Unfortunately, Appraisal was still at too low of a mastery rank to inspect a legendary-ranked item. As for Deep Insight, it revealed the same message it did for the Imp of Dreams and the chests. Swoosh! Swoosh! After Izroth imed the Umbral Imp Horn, the remaining chests disappeared. The Imp of Dreams closed its eyes and appeared to have entered a state of slumber without concern for Izroth''s presence. ''No matter how I look at it, it''s strange. It''s unlike the system to hand out legendary-ranked items with little to no effort involved. Yet, the proof is in my hand. Then, is the reward itself a trap? Can it be a cursed weapon?'' Most cursed weapons in RML were listed as such in their item description; however, that did not mean that all cursed weapons revealed themselves so openly. It could happen when someone picked it up, when they first equipped it, or even a week or month after constant use. Though, for some reason, Izroth did not believe that the item in his hand was a cursed weapon. Even if it escaped his natural perception, Deep Insight, and even his Soul Sense, it could not fool his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Under normal circumstances, his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence had no reaction toward weapons. However, when it was a weapon of superb quality like his Sword of the Storm, it showed its desire to consume it. How could his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence not show even the slightest bit of interest in a legendary-ranked weapon like the Umbral Imp Horn? ''Should I just try equipping it?'' Even if the Umbral Imp Horn turned out to be a cursed weapon, it was not as though Izroth had no methods of dealing with it. Without further dy, Izroth equipped the Umbral Imp Horn. The instant he did so, Izroth felt a powerful sensation flow up through his arm and all throughout his body. ''How interesting.'' Izroth looked down at the Umbral Imp Horn in his hand. With a seamless motion, Izroth''s arm flickered about as a strong aura of darkness exploded forth from his position and hundreds of cuts appeared on the walls a couple of meters in front of Izroth. ''It''s a good dagger.'' In a blink of an eye, Izroth had shed and pierced the wall more than a hundred times! The walls filled to the brim with mana were tough; however, the Umbral Imp Horn sliced through it with ease¡ªlike a hot knife through butter. Additionally, Izroth activated the wave of darkness effect of the weapon multiple times within less than half a breath of time. And, thanks to the attack speed restriction being removed, Izroth''s attacks seemed to happen simultaneously. The 7,500 agility and 1,000% attack speed, paired with the agility buffs he received from his Gift of Divine Speed, caused Izroth''s agility to reach a frightening degree in its base state. ''As far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with this dagger. There is still a chance that it''s a cursed weapon that is capable of hiding itself deeply, but even if that is the case, it''s still powerful enough to justify the potential risk.'' Izroth unequipped the weapon with ease before equipping it once again. The fact that it allowed him to equip and unequip the weapon of his own will was a good sign. "Typically, high-ranked cursed weapons do not allow you to unequip them once you''ve taken them up. No matter how I look at it, it''s just a good dagger. This kind of legendary-ranked weapon without requirements restrictions¡ªeven a level one yer could defeat someone 40 to 50 levels above them.'' Of course, that level one yer could be done in by any random AOE or homing skill of a higher-level yer, but that did not make the possibilities any less impressive. Izroth scanned the room onest time to make sure that he was not missing anything. But, with his Energy Vision Sense not working properly in this ce, he could only rely on his natural senses to perceive his surroundings. And, so far, he had not found anything out of the ordinary. Izroth turned his attention to the Imp of Dreams. ''Should I eliminate it?'' Izroth thought about ying the Imp of Dreams to prevent more potentially legendary items from falling into the hands of Broken Exile. After all, why would he leave such a good thing in the hands of those who were plotting to be his enemy? However, the Imp of Dreams was still a legendary mythical creature. If they were out in the open, perhaps it would be a good idea. But, fighting a small creature in such a confined space in its own territory was too reckless. ''Forget it. If those books in the Amaharpe Pce Library are right, then killing a mythical creature would only bring about bad luck. Instead, would it not be better to leak the existence of the Imp of Dreams to the other top guilds and have them settle things?'' If the other top guilds caught wind of a creature like the Imp of Dreams being monopolized by Broken Exile, they would undoubtedly make a move and pressure them into sharing the spoils. But, given their arrogance, there was no way that Broken Exile would ept that when they were the first ones to discover it. In the end, in order to save face and not be seen as weak by others, Broken Exile would be forced to fight a battle on multiple fronts. In many ways, this was even worse than outright ying the Imp of Dreams. After Izroth decided, he turned around and began to head back toward the way he came from. Right as Izroth was about to leave the room, the sound of a stream of system alerts entered his ears. [System Alert: The effect of <> has ended! [System Alert: Integrating... ''It finally finished? It took much longer than thest time around. Is it because of its quality or the fact that it was a weapon?'' A while back, after Izroth settled things with Aurelius Windstorm near the border of Duke Sorkoza''s territory, he fed the young Windstorm''s sword to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. It was the first time that his Apparel of Insatiable Transcence wanted to consume a weapon outside of his Sword of the Storm that was reforged by the Enati back in the Ancient Celestial Realm. It had been over a week in-game since Overeater took effect. Izroth was curious about what changes would happen to his armor after eating a weapon. Not any ordinary weapon, but one that contained the Law of Wind. System Alert: Integration sessful! System Alert: Conceptualization of the <> has formed! [System Alert: The <> has evolved! [System Alert: The skill <> for the <> has been created! [System Alert: <> has been added to the skill <>! [System Alert: The skill <> is now avable for use! ''Oh? This armor... Did it know that consuming the Sword of Twin Natures would help it evolve?'' Armor Name: Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence(Soulbound) Armor Rank: Growth Type Armor Level: 61 Requirements: ??? ...N?v(el)B\\jnn *New -> ?Vessel of Laws>> - This item can absorb thews of the world and allow its user to mimic its powers. Only [1]w of the world can be imitated at a time. *New -> ?Vessel of Laws: Stored>> - [Imitation: Law of Wind] ''It can actually absorb thews of the world?'' Izroth was a bit taken aback by the evolution to the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence. Items capable of absorbing thews of the world had to be at least unique-ranked. As for items that could absorb multiplews of the world, even if such a thing were possible, that item would have to be at least at the divine-ranked! Not only could his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence absorb multiplews of the world, but it also allowed Izroth to mimic its powers! ''Even if it''s an imitation of the realws of the world, its power cannot be underestimated. Not to mention, even if it allows me to imitate them, thews of the world it absorbs are the real deal. Right now, I can only use one imitationw at a time. But since I can use the Law of Void and have a basic understanding of the Law of Causality, doesn''t this mean that I can use threews simultaneously? Well, whether or not my current body can withstand it is another question.'' "Let''s test it out," Izroth said as he activated the Vessel of Laws. [System Alert: You have activated the <> item effect ?Vessel of Laws>>![] [System Alert: You are now using <![] When Izroth activated the Vessel of Laws, his entire understanding of his surroundings changed. He could feel the flow of everything in the cave and room. It was like his senses were everywhere at once. As Izroth was getting used to the new sensation from the Imitation: Law of Wind, he suddenly furrowed his brows. ''Hm? This is...'' Chapter 1081: Not of This World Chapter 1081: Not of This World ? Izroth detected an unusual flow around the t stone where the Imp of Dreams sat. Of course, Izroth inspected the t stone earlier with his Deep Insight; however, he received the same message as he did for all the things in this ce-this object does not belong to its current world. ''Is there a secret hidden in this stone that I missed?'' Izroth t stone did not seem unique or out of ce. Furthermore, there was no special energy that epassed or flowed through it. ''One cannot always trust what their eyes show them. There is something strange about that stone.'' The Imp of Dreams had not moved from the t stone since Izroth appeared. In fact, the only thing the creature did was nce at Izroth upon his entry into the room. After that, it seemed topletely ignore his existence altogether. ''Let''s see how far it can go, shall we?'' Izroth concentrated the Imitation: Law of Wind to the area around the t stone and Imp of Dreams. With his already monstrous natural sense of perception, the Law of Wind gave Izroth an incredible insight into his environment that wasparable to something like his Energy Vision Sense. "There... The flow changed.'' When Izroth concentrated the Law of Wind around the stone, he noticed that there was a shift in the flow located near the bottom of the object. There was no visible exnation for this change in flow; however, Izroth suspected that whatever it was had to do with the strange feeling he''d been experiencing ever since he entered the cave. "The Umbral Imp Horn, the Imp of Dreams, treasure chests that hand out legendary ranked items like random trinkets... Nothing in this ce makes sense. How can a cave like this exist in the Mortal Realm?'' "Exist..." Izroth muttered to himself as he narrowed his eyes. "This ce... Can it be that it''s somehow not considered a part of the Mortal Realm?'' If the cave he entered were not considered a part of the Mortal Realm, then it would certainly make sense as to why his Energy Vision Sense failed to function properly. After all, in a ce like The Void, the atmosphere was too chaotic, making his Energy Vision Sense practically useless. ''A minor realm? No... Something different by nature.'' This was not Izroth''s first time setting foot in another realm. The Netherly Swathe, the Ancient Celestial Realm, the Shadahi Realm- one typically received an alert whenever they left a realm and entered another. Additionally, there was usually arge contrast in terms of environment for each realm. Izroth turned around and approached the t stone where the Imp of Dreams sat. After he imed one of the treasure chests, the Imp of Dreams closed its eyes and they remained that way ever since. Izroth remained alert as he leaned over to touch the t stone. As he did so, he kept a close eye on the Imp of Dreams for any unexpected reactions. Once he saw that the Imp of Dreams seemed unbothered by his actions, Izroth tightened his grip on the t stone and pulled it up. Against his expectations, Izroth was able to lift the stone up with rtive ease. The moment he did so, a mysterious aura washed over him that flooded the entire room. At the same time, Izroth ced the t stone to the side as his gazended on a small hole in the ground. ''A hidden storage?'' Even though Izroth referred to it as a hidden storage, it was more like a simple hiding spot. Though calling it simple was not wholly urate. After all, if not for the Law of Wind, even he would have been unable to locate its whereabouts. Though the reason why it resembled a hidden spot more than an actual storage was due to what was inside of the hole. Izroth reached into the hole that was justrge enough to fit one''s hand into and pulled out a ck box. This box was small enough to fit perfectly in the palm of one''s hand. It gave off a profound aura and seemed to phase in and out of existence. "This box... It''s almost as if it''s simultaneously real and fake. Existing and not existing. How peculiar.'' Just as Izroth examined the small ck box, he received an alert from the system. System Alert: Congrattions, you have discovered the hidden item of a mythical creature! [System Alert: You have acquired x1 <>] [System Alert: The item ?Umbral Imp Horn? has been destroyed and removed from your inventory.[] Izroth was interested in the Chest of Dreams and Reality from its name alone; however, he did not have time to inspect it as his attention was turned toward thest system alert he received. Without a moment''s waste, Izroth checked his inventory. ''It''s really gone.'' Just like the system alert mentioned, the Umbral Imp Horn was no longer in his possession! In the blink of an eye, a level 61 legendary-ranked item had vanished into thin air.N?v(el)B\\jnn But, the timing was much too perfect for Izroth to write it off as a mere coincidence. ''It was destroyed right as I picked up this ck box. It must have something to do with the destruction of the Umbral Imp Horn. Still, what kind of item is capable of erasing a legendary ranked weapon with such ease? Or, can it be...'' The system information for the Chest of Dreams and Reality appeared before Izroth. And, by the time he finished reading over its effects, a carefree smile formed on his face. ''I see. So that''s why it was destroyed. The reason why one could walk away with legendary ranked items from this ce, a mythical creature like the Imp of Dreams remaining in one spot for so long-it all makes sense now. Though I have to say, I did not expect to receive such a good bonus gift. Broken Exile... You really missed out on a treasure. I''m also afraid you''ll have to suffer a bit because of it.'' Name: Chest of Dreams and Reality(Magical Item) Rank: Unique-SSS* Durability: (Indestructible) Usage: Every [36 hours], this item generates three ?Chest of Dreams?. The user can pick one of these chests. The item removed from a ?> by this item''s effect bes a reality. Non-consumable items obtained through this item willst [1 Month] before being automatically destroyed. Special Note: A magic item created by the <> can transform their dreams into reality. Once this item is obtained, all previous items acquired from a ?> are automatically destroyed. Chest of Dreams and Reality¡ªit was actually a Unique-SSS* ranked magic item¡ªthe only one of its kind in the entirety of RML! Not only that, but if this item was capable of what Izroth believed it to be, then the effects were, quite literally, out of this world. "This item must be responsible for generating the treasure chests that were here earlier. The item I received, as well as the items Broken Exile obtained from this ce, are the real deal. But, in a sense, they are also like a dream-fleeting.'' The Chest of Dreams and Reality, just like its name implied, was a mixture of real and fake. While Umbral Imp Horn was not a cursed weapon. Nor was there some kind of trick to it. It was, indeed, a true legendary-ranked item. However, since it most likely came from the Chest of Dreams and Reality, there was a catch-it would onlyst one month before being automatically destroyed! Nevertheless, having that kind of power at one''s fingertips, even for a month, served as a huge advantage. Even if it onlysted for one month, the amount of things one could aplish was not small by any means. Based on the item''s description, Izroth spected that it was possible to obtain craftable items like potions or talismans from a Chest of Dreams. Those items were actually more desirable in a way as they did not have the same one-month restriction as they did when it came to things like equipment. As for why Izroth mentioned Broken Exile having to suffer a bit, it had to do with thest line of the Chest of Dreams and Reality. The moment Izroth acquired the Chest of Dreams and Reality, all previous items obtained from a ?> were automatically destroyed, just like his Umbral Imp Horn! This meant that, any weapons, armor, magic items, any non-consumable that Broken Exile got from this ce had been destroyed. This would be a huge blow, even more so if they were in the middle of something like an important mission or raid. Of course, even if they were not in the middle of anything, suddenly losing a legendary- ranked item without any exnation or reason-how difficult would it be for a top guild as arrogant as Broken Exile to ept willingly? Izroth set the Chest of Dreams and Reality into his inventory and looked at the Imp of Dreams sitting atop the t stone. He moved off to the side. Once Izroth obtained the Chest of Dreams and Reality, the Imp of Dreams opened its eyes and smiled. However, with its faintly devilish appearance, it almost seemed like a devious grin. Though, Izroth did not sense any hostile intent from the creature. Then, without a trace, as if it were never there to begin with, the Imp of Dreams vanished. Even with the Law of Wind, Izroth was unable to track the Imp of Dreams or catch a hint of its trail. ''A mythical creature is indeed a mythical creature.'' Chapter 1082: A Different Way To Perceive Chapter 1082: A Different Way To Perceive ? Izroth was immediately transported out of the cave not long after the Imp of Dreams disappeared. He had already ced the Chest of Dreams and Reality into his inventory. ''It''s a shame that I did not discover the hidden spot sooner.'' Typically, the system would reset the cooldown timer of newly obtained items; however, that did not seem to be the case for the Chest of Dreams and Reality. It had already gone on cooldown for three days; therefore, Izroth would have to wait before he could use it again. Izroth knew that there were exceptions to every rule, and so he was not too surprised, seeing as how he just typically used the Chest of Dreams and Reality. ''If I use it together with the Token of Fate, I wonder what kind of results it will provide. I''ll have to wait to find out, but... Since it''s a Unique-SSS* ranked magic item, can it also produce unique-ranked items? It may even be possible for it to create pseudo-divine items.'' Izroth was not sure of the limits surrounding the Chest of Dreams and Reality; however, there was one sure way to find out-the Token of Fate. Name: Token of Fate(Soulbound) Rank: Unique* Usage: The user of this item can influence probability up to [3] times to ensure the best or worst possible oue. After this item is used [3] times, it will be automatically destroyed. Special Note: This item is soulbound and cannot be traded or sold.N?v(el)B\\jnn As long as Izroth used the Token of Fate, he could influence the probability of the Chest of Dreams from the Chest of Dreams and Reality in order to receive the best possible oue! ''I had an idea on how I wanted to use Token of Fate two times, but I was still searching for a third. Regardless of the oue, it won''t be a loss at all. It will also help that I can witness how the Token of Fate works firsthand before I use it for other matters.'' Izroth long since knew how he would use at least two of the Token of Fate charges. As for the third, he merely needed a good enough thing to use it on in order to test out if capabilities. Naturally, a Unique-SSS* ranked item like the Chest of Dreams and Reality met that criteria. After organizing his thoughts, Izroth set the Chest of Dreams and Reality to the back of his mind. There was no point in thinking too much about it since he could not use it for the next three days. As he organized his thoughts, Izroth approached the ledge and swept his gaze over Fragul''s Valley. He then closed his eyes as a gentle gust of wind blew around him. He activated the Imitation: Law of Wind from his Vessel of Laws. The instant Izroth used the Law of Wind, he could see everything crystal clear that was within 100 meters of his location. While his Energy Vision Sense was certainly powerful in its own right, in terms of providing physical information, it did note close to the Law of Wind. The movement of every leaf on every tree, the insects crawling on the ground, monsters trying to hide their presence in the forested area below, an awkwardly ced rock that appears off the path-Izroth could see it all as if he were standing there right next to everything in person! ''What an amazing level of detail. I can see why it''s said that the Law of Wind is the most suitablew of the world for ranged damage dealers.'' If a long ranged damage dealer were supported by the Law of Wind, the range and effectiveness of their attacks would increase severalfold to the point where it would bepletely iparable to its previous power. A few breathster, Izroth opened his eyes as the gentle wind around him died out. ''A strange sensation. You be one with the wind in the area to the point that it feels like you''re everywhere at once. There also doesn''t seem to be a cooldown timer or energy usage requirement, but I was still unable to maintain it for as long as I did back in the cave.'' When Izroth used the Law of Wind inside the cave, it felt as though he could use it forever. But, just now, itsted only a few breaths before giving way. He did not know if this had to do with the current level of his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence or something about thews of the world that he was unfamiliar with. That being said, he had a theory. When he was inside the cave, the Law of Wind was like a full bucket of water. In that confined of a space, it seemed endless and bottomless. However, the moment he used it outside, the cave was stretched to its limits; it was like finding out that the same bucket of water that appeared endless had merely been sitting in the middle of an ocean. Once it was pulled up and thrown into that vast ocean, it would appear fleeting and almost insignificant. More importantly, it would give the impression of vanishing without a trace. "There is still a long way to my destination. I''ll just have to take my time and figure things out slowly.'' Initially, Izroth only came to Fragul''s Valley by chance. Of course, after realizing his location, he also wanted to send a small warning to Broken Exile. But who would have thought that his intention to send a small warning would turn into something much bigger? "This has been a good trip. I obtained some free materials and a high-ranking magic item. It was worth looking around a bit. I suppose this much is enough for a warning. Since I''m done with everything here, it''s time I head to Kifa Karsts.'' The Kifa Karsts was thest ce that Izroth detected Empyrean and Selene before the incident at the Night Lord''s Crypt. It was also the location where Haishe, the current leader of Fatal Touch, requested his presence on a Trial Dungeon. "The Trial Dungeon is not until six tomorrow. Until then, I''ll focus on finding out clues to Empyrean''s and Selene''s whereabouts.'' There were plenty of powerful existences in the Mortal Realm that could beat Empyrean at his current strength; however, Izroth did not believe that there were any that could stop him from escaping if he wanted to. Empyrean was a member of the Skybreaker race who was also Izroth''s Soul Avatar. Capturing him and defeating him was one thing, but killing him was a task in which one would have to invest countless amounts of power and resources. More importantly, since the system still showed Empyrean and Selene as a part of him, Izroth knew that the two had to be alive somewhere. "There are many unknown things in the Mortal Realm. It''s possible that they stumbled into a minor realm by chance or a hidden secret area. Either way, I''ll find them before anything troublesome happens.'' Izroth used Sky Steps as he soared into the air at great speeds and began his journey over Fragul''s Valley. He used Flickering Steps to gain another massive speed boost due to the limited time on his Sky Steps, he wanted to clear the most bothersome part of transversing Fragul''s Valley. ... A few moments ago, somewhere in RML... "Don''t worry, I got this!" A booming voice roared as a burly man stepped in front of a huge beast. The man donned a full set of extravagant heavy armor. He held a shield in his left hand and wielded a hammer with his right. This person was one of the core members of Broken Exile and the guild''s main tanker, Judge. BANG! The huge creature mmed its heavy w downward toward Judge as he blocked its attack. Skrieeeeek! The creature was nearly three meters tall with a demonic nature about it. It had dark grey skin, strands of white hair, and emotionless eyes that glowed blue. At first nce, one who was inexperienced would easily mistake this creature for a skounae due to some simrities; however, it was apletely different monster-a ghoul. Name: Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga(Legendary World Boss) Level: 70 HP: ??? (8.95%) The Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga-Broken Exile had been preparing for the raid on this legendary boss for the past week. In order to make the time to raid it, many of their core members had to suffer a temporary setback for the event due to the fact that they technically abandoned their post; however, it would all be worth it soon. A level 70 legendary world boss! The kind of loot such a monster would drop could not bepared to other boss monsters in RML. Without a doubt, defeating this monster would put them in a ce where others would stopparing them to the likes of Cross Haven. They would be the undisputed number one top guild in RML! "Do not let your guard down! Finish strong!" Dragon shouted as he charged toward the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. Chapter 1083: Disaster Chapter 1083: Disaster ? At the same time, a sinister red glow formed around Dragon''s fist. "Shattering Fang!" Dragon''s fist crashed into the creature''s side, creating a deep red imprint on its body that caused the surrounding skin to fragment. Shrieeeeeek! The creature let out a painful cry as its HP continued to drop at a slow and steady pace. "Approaching this battle was originally one of our guild''s biggest headaches. Who would have thought that a single chance encounter would ease our worries?" Dragon thought to himself as he retreated back a few steps to avoid one of the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga''s skills, Death Aura. In total, 125 yers from Broken Exile participated in the boss raid of the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. So far, more than half of those yers had already been eliminated. Confronting a level 70 legendary world boss monster was a huge investment for Broken Exile. For one, a lot of resources went into preparing for the boss fight. Potions, pills, enchantment stones, equipment-the total price of everything was far from cheap. Hundreds of thousands of gold coins and millions of RMB had been poured into this single raid. In addition, the elite and core yers who perished under the hand of the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, had to suffer a momentary setback due to the penalty of dying in RML. On top of those, the ones who died also lost an event life, which was incredibly limited for most ranks one could receive. Initially, Broken Exile nned to keep the location of the legendary world boss a secret before confronting it at ater date. After all, it was best for everyone facing a boss monster to be a few levels above it. And, of course, the equipment at higher levels was more powerful. But, despite all the risks involved with facing the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, Broken Exile still decided to proceed with it. This was due to a fortuitous encounter and a recent stroke of incredible luck. A while back, during one of his explorations, one of the core yers from Broken Exile, who enjoyed venturing to out-of-the-way ces, discovered a hidden cave. In that cave was a strange creature that handed out gifts called the Imp of Dreams. At first, that yer tried to eliminate the creature and take all three treasure chests for himself. However, he found that no matter what attack he threw at the creature, it all phased through it as if it did not exist. Thinking that the treasure chests were a trap and the true prize was defeating the creature, the yer called for backup from Broken Exile. But, this yer would soone to regret his actions as he realized the value of what he''d just given away to his guild. Not long after backup arrived, they discovered that killing the creature was impossible. Magic, items, skills-none of it worked. Therefore, in the end, they decided to open one of the chests. As a result, they acquired an epic-ranked piece of equipment! They also noticed that the creature did not disappear. From there, Broken Exile assigned someone to stay and watch the creature. After that, they found out that the treasure chests respawned every three days. Once this discovery was made, Broken Exile ordered its subsidiary guild, Shattered, to manage the area surrounding the mysterious cave, Fragul''s Valley. Broken Exile knew that if they made a move themselves on arge scale, the other top guilds would know that something of amazing value was in Fragul''s Valley. So, they decided to keep it a close secret, with only a handful of people knowing the cave''s existence. Every three days, they would have someone from Broken Exile who already knew of the cave''s existence go to collect the item from one of the chests. This time around, however, due to the importance of the boss fight against the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, all the core yers and elite yers were busy. And so, they decided to leave the task of collecting the item to a new guild member, Feral de. Under normal circumstances, this task would have never been given to a new member; however, that person was the younger brother of one of the Six Stars, Judge. There was no chance that he would betray them or mess up such a simple task. "It''ll be at five percent HP soon! Judge, get ready to use Dawn Breaker!" Dragon ordered. "We would have suffered heavier losses this time around if not for that item. It was the right call to face the ghoul now. Even if the yers of my Broken Exile lose a bit of EXP, it can also be earned again. The loot that we''ll get from a legendary world boss will be well worth it." Dragon thought to himself as he could not hold back his grin of excitement. "Leave it to me! I''ll wrap things up nicely!" Judge roared as he collided with the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, interrupting one of its casts. The shield in Judge''s hand was shaped like an oval with golden, blue, and silver designs coursing throughout its surface. The shield unleashed a pulsing protective wave that seemed to epass all the members of Broken Exile. The reason why Broken Exile was so confident in facing the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, had to do with one of the items they received from the Imp of Dreams treasure chest. That item was the very shield in Judge''s possession, the Shield of The Breaking Dawn-a legendary-ranked item! Armor Name: Shield of The Breaking Dawn Armor Rank: Legendary Armor Level: 68 Requirements: None HP: 125,000 Defense: 8,750 Physical Resistance: 70% Magical Resistance: 50% Damage Reduction: 50% HP Regeneration: 2,500% Damage Return(Passive) - Reflects 25% of all pre-mitigated damage received back to the attacker as physical damage. Dawning Safeguard (Passive) - Damage to all allies within 35 meters of the user is reduced by 30%. Epassing Embrace (Passive) - Duringbat, every 30 seconds, release a pulsing wave within 35 meters of the user that shields all allies in range for 10,000. The shielding from this effect can stack any number of times andsts until it''s broken or at the end ofbat. Dawn Breaker(Active) - The user calls forth the power of dawn, instantly restoring 100% of their HP and making them invulnerable to all damage and crowd control effects for 10 seconds. For the duration of this skill, the user gains Attack Damage equal to their Defense, 500% Attack Speed, 500% Movement Speed, and their attacks deal 775% of their Attack Damage as bonus light damage. Cooldown: 1 Hour Special Note: A shield of unknown origins that does not belong to its current world.N?v(el)B\\jnn Thanks to the Shield of The Breaking Dawn, Broken Exile earned a trump card that was able to minimize their losses against the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. "Push on until the end! Once we obtain the rewards from defeating the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, the other guilds will have no choice but to fall in line and ept their ce beneath our Broken Exile!" Dragon roared as the mana around him exploded outward in all directions as he dashed forward. The members of Broken Exile quickly began to whittle away at the boss monster''s HP. 7%... 6%... 5.01%..! "It''s time!" Judge grinned as he tightened his grip on the shield in his hand. Shrieeeek! The Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, released an angered battle cry as itshed out with its heavy w at Judge. Judge raised his shield to block the iing strike and said, "This kind of attack-" Just as the ghoul''s attack was about to crash into Judge''s shield, something unbelievable urred as a system alert entered Judge''s ear. [System Alert: The item > intensifies! [Battle Alert: yer Juke has been killed by Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. [Battle Alert: yer Small Lizard has been killed by Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga.[] [Battle Alert: yer Yerim has been killed by Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga.[] ... In the blink of an eye, nearly all of the remaining members of Broken Exile were eliminated by the ghoul''s Death Aura and other attacks, leaving only Dragon alive. Without their main tanker, the threat level was all over the ce. Healers dropped like flies, and damage dealers quickly fell. "How did this happen?! We were so close! So-!" Dragon anguished as a heavy w descended from above. [Battle Alert: yer Dragon has been killed by Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. ... Shireeeeeeeek! Name: Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga(Legendary World Boss) Level: 70 HP: ??? (3.14%) The battle against the legendary world boss Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, for Broken Exile ended in utter defeat! Chapter 1084: Who Is To Blame? Chapter 1084: Who Is To me? ? A few momentster... Dragon and the other members of Broken Exile who had just participated in the battle against the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga currently, sat gathered around a long table inside of a spacious room. The room was in one of their temporary bases of operations, located in a town near the edge of the Proximus kingdom border. They chose this ce because it was the closest town to the area where the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga, roamed. At the moment, the room had a heavy and gloomy atmosphere. Broken Exile had invested a lot of resources and time into preparing for the fight against the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. However, in the end, it was all for nothing. "...Money, time, event lives, consumables, and even a legendary-ranked item-we''ve lost quite a bit this time around, wouldn''t you all agree?" Dragon was the first to break the lingering silence as he swept his gaze out over the room. He then continued, "Failure is not umon among top guilds. But, of course, that applies to other top guilds, not my Broken Exile. Failure is a weakness. Failure is a sin. Failure is uneptable. Yet, here we are, embracing failure like a long-lost lover. So, can anyone tell me why we failed?" Dragon''s question was met with silence. "No? No one? What about you, Judge? Any idea why we failed?" Dragon questioned as he set his cold gaze onto Judge. Judge furrowed his brows and hesitantly replied, "I''m not sure, leader. The shield just shattered without warning. If not for that, we would have-" BANG! Suddenly, the long table split in half and copsed, causing Judge to halt his words. Dragon''s fist could be seen hovering above the exact height where the table once stood. The aura around him had drastically shifted to one that was intense and overwhelming. The veins on his forehead, neck, and arms protruded as his expression turned fierce. "Shut up! The reason we lost is because you''re all too weak! Even the trash from Sleeping Gardenia has two members in the top ten of the event leaderboards! What about us? There''s only me! Must I do everything around here myself?! Core yers?! Six Stars?! More like Crap yers and Six Jokes!" Dragon erupted in a fit of rage and verbal onught. || || Despite the flurry of insults he threw at his guild members, none of them dared to speak out. Even if his words were harsh, what he said held some truth. When the existence of the event leaderboards was first revealed, Broken Exile had ns to dominate the top ten spots and show off its power to the world. It was a chance to let the other top guilds know exactly where they stood and belonged-underneath Broken Exile''s feet. However, things did not go as nned. "You mean to tell me we''re being outdone by a little pill shop owner, that masked bastard from Cross Haven, a group of women, and a handful of nobodies?! Ridiculous! You all truly amaze me with how worthless you are! It must take skill and intention to be so bad at what you''re paid to do!" Dragon shouted. Dragon proceeded to scold and insult his guild members for the next few minutes. He made sure to point out every mistake he witnessed during their fight against the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. He also brought up old failures and mistakes, rubbing salt into open wounds and causing many of the Broken Exile members to feel a great sense of shame. "And, don''t even get me started on-!" Dragon began to speak. "Guild leader, I think we should stop here." A woman''s voice sounded from one of the seats closest to Dragon. Dragon red at the woman who spoke up just now. She was a gorgeous young woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties. She had long white hair that stopped at her lower back and a pair of dazzling baby-blue eyes. She wore a set of exquisite silver and blue leather armor with a white crystal-like recurve bow on her back. There was a soft smile on her face as she spoke. And, more importantly, Dragon did not begin to immediatelysh out at her. That''s because this young woman was the current vice-guild leader of Broken Exile, Pax. It had not been that long since Pax had moved up to the position of Vice-Guild Leader; therefore, she was still establishing her authority and influence. While there was a base level of respect that the guild members had for Pax, it was still a long way off from how they viewed their previous vice-guild leader. Of course, Dragon was aware of this and the importance of a firm power structure for top guilds. That''s why he only allowed Pax to actually speak up. "Hmph... You all should thank the vice-guild leader. We''ll end the reflection session here." Dragon stated, causing the members of Broken Exile to sigh in relief. "Thank you for your consideration, guild leader. I believe that we need to focus our attention on the loss of the Shield of the Breaking Dawn. Even if we were facing off against a legendary world boss monster, a legendary-ranked item, especially a shield, should not have been so fragile. I find it suspicious that it broke at such a pivotal moment in the fight." Pax voiced her opinion. Judge cleared his throat and added, "...You''re right. There was no indication or warning that the shield was in a vulnerable state. Even after looking back through the system alerts, the only thing that shows is the Shield of the Breaking Dawn being destroyed. A legendary- ranked doesn''t just destroy itself out of nowhere. Something must have happened that we''re unaware of." "Could it have something to do with the method used to obtain the item?" Pax inquired. "Certainly, things that are too good to be true often are just as such. But, just to be sure nothing was wrong with it, we tested it out for three days straight before the boss fight. We didn''te across any issues, even after prolonged use, which we expected to face in a boss fight." Judge exined. "Leader, if I may speak." A male''s voice sounded from somewhere near the middle of the table. The voice belonged to a healthy-looking young man with short brown hair and ash-colored eyes. He donned a set of ck and gray leather armor and had two daggers at his side. This young man was a core yer of Broken Exile who went by the name Juke. "What is it?" Dragon asked with an intense gaze. "Well, it may be just a coincidence, but... I thought I should bring it up, just in case. The A- ranked magic item I received from that ce was also destroyed without warning. It doesn''t really add up since there were still five charges left in it." Juke said with a bit of hesitation. At first, Juke was reluctant to bring it up. After all, the A-ranked magic item was the reward that he was allowed to keep for discovering that mysterious cave and the Imp of Dreams in Fragul''s Valley. He feared that if he told others that the magic item was suddenly destroyed, they may not believe him or, even worse, me him for its destruction and force him topensate the guild.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om But, once he heard what happened with Judge''s shield, Juke decided to speak up. Dragon frowned as he looked over at Judge and said, "You''re the one in charge of assignments to that ce. Who''s the person we sent to collect this time around?" "Since we were short on hands, I sent my younger brother, Feral de. Rest assured, guild leader, I can personally vouch for his trustworthiness andpetence." Judge reassured. "Contact your younger brother immediately. Ask him for an update on that location and to note anything that seems strange. Pax, I want you to contact the section leader of Shattered in that ce. Ask them if anything out of the ordinary urred recently." Dragon ordered. "Leave it to me." Judge nodded. "I will get on it right away, leader," Pax replied calmly. "Why do I have this annoying feeling?" Dragon thought to himself as he visibly frowned. ... Somewhere in RML... ''I can already see it. I should receive an alert soon.'' After departing from Fragul''s Valley, Izroth had been traveling nonstop. Thanks to his title, Gift of Divine Speed, his journey time had been greatly reduced, and he was approaching his destination ahead of schedule. ''I''m a little earlier than expected. Though I already contacted them ahead of time.'' [System Alert: You have entered <>![] Right as Izroth received that system alert, another sound rang from the system. It was a message from one of the yers waiting for him at Kifa Karsts. The message contained updated coordinates to the spot where they agreed to meet up with one another. ''Perfect timing."'' Chapter 1085: Kifa Karsts Chapter 1085: Kifa Karsts ? ... After Izroth received the message containing the updated coordinates, he immediately began to head to that location. The Kifa Karsts was a level 60-70 area that spanned hundreds of kilometers and was a mixture of vibrant greenery and towering rocks. It contained countless sinkholes, caves, and springs. It was also well-known among higher level yers for being the home to a wide variety of minerals. Since the Kifa Karsts was so huge, no single guild was able toy im to it. As a result, the top guilds and other big guilds decided to divide the Kifa Karsts into their own sections. That is why it was not umon for intense battles to break out at any moment over territorial disputes. This was even more so if a new resource was discovered and bordered two different territories. "The coordinates should be somewhere around here.'' Izroth scanned the surrounding area and noticed the presence of thirteen individuals. "''There.'' Izroth slightly adjusted his direction as he headed toward a ce well hidden by the natural rock formations and greenery. ... "Are you certain that Pce Master Izroth has arrived in Kifa Karsts?" A woman''s voice sounded with a hint of skepticism behind it. This woman appeared to be in her early twenties, and if one word could be used to describe her, it would be pretty. She had wavy burgundy hair and light red eyes and wore a set offortable mage robes that contained a mixture of elegance and practicality. She was a yer who went by the name Zinnia. She was also an elite yer from Sleeping Gardenia and the section leader in charge of managing and safeguarding the guild''s territory within Kifa Karsts. Apanying Zinnia were eleven other members of Sleeping Gardenia, all of whom were considered elite yers and skillful in their own right. As for thest person present, she was the one whom Izroth entrusted with leading the investigation surrounding the sudden disappearance of Empyrean and Selene, Azalea Wraith. "Yes," Azalea replied nonchntly and straight to the point. Zinnia frowned before she released a helpless sigh. Azalea was not one for small talk, and Zinnia was unable to get much from her outside of a basic response. Because of her name, she thought that Azalea was someone who admired Sleeping Gardenia; however, that did not seem to be the case at all. "There is a lot to do when ites to managing Kifa Karsts; however, I cannot afford to overlook this matter, as it was a personal request from the guild leader herself. I have to perform well." Zinnia thought to herself. She was ordered to treat the personing as a VIP and help with whatever was needed. Even if he wanted to take some resources away, she was to allow it to happen without interfering. At first, Zinnia did not understand why the guild leader was going so far out of her way to amodate someone. But, when Zinnia found out that the who would being to Kifa Karsts was Izroth, everything started to make sense. By now, everyone knew what kind of rtionship the Mystical Realm Pce and Sleeping Gardenia had with one another. There were even rumors in Sleeping Gardenia that the guild leader''s younger sister, whom she was overly protective of, was a close friend of Izroth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Zinnia turned toward the members of Sleeping Gardenia and said, "Alright, everyone, listen up. Pce Master Izroth is an important guest of our Sleeping Gardenia. The guild leader has entrusted us to assist him with whatever needs he may have. Be sure to mind your manners." The members of Sleeping Gardenia became restless as they began to talk and chatter amongst themselves. "Hey, the young miss isn''t actually together with Pce Master Izroth, right?" One of the Sleeping Gardenia members whispered to the person next to her. "No, those are just rumors. I heard he is still up for grabs." "So, you''re saying there''s a chance?" "If I can be Pce Master Izroth''s woman, then... Kyaaah~" "You are dreaming. It is I who will be Pce Master Izroth''s woman." "Ho? Then, why don''t wepete to see who can earn Pce Master Izroth''s affection?" "You a lot... If the guild leader hears we made apetition out of this, she won''t be too happy." "Ehhhh... What a party killer." Azalea closed her eyes and tried to tune out the ridiculous chatter that entered her ears. "Hmph, how can any of you be worthy of being my teacher''s woman?" Azalea thought to herself as she scoffed. Woosh! Without warning, a dagger appeared in Azalea''s hand as she swiftly spun her body and struck forward with her dagger. Ding! Azalea''s dagger collided with something solid. "It''s an ambush!" One of the Sleeping Gardenia members cried out as they prepared themselves. They were shocked by the sudden emergence of someone so close to their position. If he attacked one of them instead of Azalea, could they have intercepted that attack in time? No, they did not even detect that person''s presence. It would have been impossible to block that kind of attack! "Huh? That appearance is..." Zinnia noticed something familiar about the person who just arrived. "Stay your hand!" Zinnia ordered with haste. The members of Sleeping Gardenia were a bit taken aback by Zinnia''s order. They had just been attacked, and they were not going to respond? "Oh? Your reaction time has gotten better, and your movements have be more refined. I see you have not been cking off in the training that I assigned to you." A carefree voice sounded from in front of Azalea. "I do not wish to bring shame to you," Azalea said as she retracted her dagger and returned it to the sheath hidden under the forearm. She then cupped her hands and gave a respectful bow, "Disciple Azalea greets her teacher." Izroth gave a small nod as he returned the Obsconis Hunting Dagger to his inventory and said, "You have done well." Izroth sized up Azalea and inspected her with his Energy Vision Sense. "To think she was able to react to and block my attack even with Dark Ambush from the Obsconis Hunting Dagger active. She must have already gotten used to the perception change of the Five Cycles Pill and made great overall progress.'' There were not many yers in RML who could keep up with Izroth in speed let alone surpass him. However, Azalea was one of the few yers capable of doing so. Of course, the same could not be said if Izroth used every movement speed skill at his disposal. But, in terms of maintaining a consistent speed without too great a penalty attached, Azalea may still hold the upper hand. When they first met, Azalea''s speed was already above Izroth''s. It was simply that her senses could not keep up with her great speed. That is why Izroth gave her a Five Cycles Pill to consume. With the improvement to her senses provided by the Five Cycles Pill, Azalea could not only achieve higher consistent speeds, but her overall reaction time and the smoothness of her movements increased by leaps and bounds. After exchanging greetings, Izroth turned to face Zinnia and the members of Sleeping Gardenia. Zinnia stepped forward and said respectfully, "Wee, Pce Master Izroth. Forgive our dyed wee. My name is Zinnia. I am the section leader in charge of managing Sleeping Gardenia''s territory inside of Kifa Karsts. The ones behind me are also elite yers from Sleeping Gardenia, who have been sent to aid Pce Master Izroth in any way that you see fit. We hope that you will not be afraid to let us know your needs." ''So, she''s the one Mariposa mentioned.'' Once Izroth learned from Azalea that the area of Kifa Karsts he gave her to search belonged to Sleeping Gardenia, Izroth wasted no time contacting Mariposa to request her guild''s cooperation in searching for traces of Empyrean and Selene. Of course, Mariposa agreed without hesitation. She informed Izroth that the members of her guild would help him in his search, and there would not be any problems with him venturing around in their territory. "I will have to trouble you, Zinnia. I had my own purposes, but I still caused you some concern. To make up for that and as thanks in advance for your assistance, feel free to distribute this among the members of Sleeping Gardenia present." Izroth said as he removed a small bag from his inventory and handed it over to Zinnia. "This-" Zinnia was about to turn down the gift. After all, this was a responsibility assigned to her by the guild leader herself. However, Zinnia was suddenly reminded of the guild leader''s words. "If Pce Master Izroth offers you a gift, ept it without hesitation. Don''t even think about declining it."¡ªthose were the words that Mariposa gave to her. With that in mind, Zinnia graciously epted Izroth''s gift. "I, and the members of Sleeping Gardenia present, thank Pce Master Izroth for his generosity," Zinnia said politely. Chapter 1086: Proper Motivation Chapter 1086: Proper Motivation ? After exchanging greetings and introductions, Izroth turned his attention back to Azalea, who had been patiently waiting behind him. "What have you found?" Izroth asked. "I have not discovered any physical clues as to the whereabouts of those teacher is looking for. But, ording to the information I gathered, I do know that those matching the descriptions you gave me were here three days ago. After that, the trail bes cold. My apologies, teacher. I wish that I had more to give you." Azalea said with a hint of dejection in her voice.N?v(el)B\\jnn "No, you have done well. Now, with this, I''m certain that they went missing sometime during their exploration of Kifa Karsts." Izroth said calmly. ''Outside of ensuring their safety, Empyrean''s main goals were to gather high-quality materials and grow his strength alongside Selene. Kifa Karsts spans hundreds of kilometers. Even with his flight skill, it would be impossible for Empyrean to explore and collect high-quality materials in just three days.'' Thest time Izroth detected Empyrean and Selene''s presence was back during the assault on the Night Lord''s Crypt. Since he was trapped in the void for six days, it would mean that Empyrean and Selene only stayed in Kifa Karsts for three days before disappearing without a trace. Many areas of the Kifa Karsts could not be viewed from the sky; therefore, the Empyreans would have had no choice but to descend and explore on foot. ''Since confined spaces seem to cause him difort, there is a good chance that he avoided searching the caves. If that''s the case, it will decrease the number of ces we''ll have to check. If no reasonable clues show up, we will have to circle back around to it.'' "Section Leader Zinnia, I would like for the members of Sleeping Gardenia to search around and report anything out of ce. It does not matter how small or insignificant it may seem; be sure to tell them not to hesitate to report it. Also, anyone who uncovers any clues regarding the whereabouts of my people will be rewarded by me personally. If, by chance, you happen to find the location of my people, then-you will never have to pay a single gold coin when you visit my Mystical Realm Pce in the future." Izroth stated. "?!" Zinnia and the members of Sleeping Gardenia were shocked by Izroth''s words. Not only would he personally reward them if they found any clues, but if they discovered the actual location itself, they would no longer need to spend any gold coins to obtain items at the Mystical Realm Pce. That kind of reward had a value that could not be replicated! As elite members of a top guild, naturally, they were provided with resources from Sleeping Gardenia. However, Sleeping Gardenia had to divide its resources among thousands of yers. Not to mention, resources such as high-grade pills or equipment were severely limited and were typically used for the core yers or as a way to incentivize guild members. In other words, even if a yer was part of a top guild, that did not mean that they had ess to unlimited resources. In fact, they needed to procure as many resources as possible without the guild''s help or allowing their skills to deteriorate if they wanted to climb higher and eventually be a core member. It was well known by now that the Mystical Realm Pce sold high-quality products. But, of course, its most popr product was, undoubtedly, its pills. The inventory of high-grade pills was severely limited, and the vast majority of them were snatched up the day they were released. Then, there were the prices. As elite yers of Sleeping Gardenia, most of them were given a monthly sry of 60 to 80 gold coins, depending on their responsibilities. There were also other ways to earn gold coins, such aspleting missions for the guild or contributing in some way. Overall, this kind ofpensation was considered fairly generous for elite yers of a top guild. But, one grade-three pill from the Mystical Realm Pce was worth at least 150 gold coins or, with the current conversation rate, 22,500 RMB-that was more than two months of sry for most of the elite yers present! To never have to spend another gold coin when they walked through the doors of the Mystical Realm Pce meant saving thousands upon thousands of gold coins. And, when a grade four, wouldn''t they be among the first yers to obtain one? If a grade three pill was worth a minimum of 150 gold coins, then a grade four pill would probably be at least 500 gold coins, perhaps even more! Even if the pill turned out not to be suitable for them or they had no use for it, couldn''t they just hand it over to the guild to be rewarded another way? Izroth''s words seemed to light a fire under Zinnia and the members of Sleeping Gardenia. Although many of them wanted to find a chance to get close to Izroth, there were still some traces of reluctance to spend their time searching for something that may or may not be there. But, after Izroth spoke, he could feel their eagerness to hurry and start the search. "This much should be enough.'' After providing more than enough motivation to the members of Sleeping Gardenia, Izroth removed another small bag from his inventory and held it out toward Azalea. "This is one of your rewards. I have not forgotten about the daggers I promised you. It will take some time to gather the right materials. For now, this much will have to suffice. Be sure to use what''s inside immediately." Izroth said as Azalea gracefully epted the bag. "Thank you, teacher," Azalea replied as she wasted no time checking the contents of the bag she received. ''It''s a shame that I was unable to keep the Umbral Imp Horn. I nned on handing it over to her as a reward, but I suppose this much will have to do for now.'' "Section Leader Zinnia, you can order the start of the search. We will join you once we finish our matters here." Izroth instructed. "Yes, Pce Master Izroth! Please, leave this to the members of our Sleeping Gardenia!" Zinnia responded respectfully. Zinnia had just finished dividing up the pills she received from Izroth. He had gifted each of them a grade three Five Cycles Pill. Since there were twelve of them in total, that single bag of pills was worth at least 1,800 gold coins-that was over 250,000 RMB! Zinnia gave a meaningful look to the members of her guild present before they all dispersed. Even without having to say anything, Zinnia''s message came across loud and clear to the yers from Sleeping Gardenia. No matter what, one of them had to be the one to locate clues that led to finding the ones Izroth was looking for! The moment Zinnia and the members of Sleeping Gardenia took their leave, Izroth''s Dark Abyssal Armlet transformed into the Dark Abyssal Cauldron and appeared before him. "There is one more reward I have for you," Izroth said as he removed three ancient-quality herbs from his inventory. Two of the ancient quality materials were what he received from the Shattered Guild. As for the remaining one, it was from Izroth''s personal collection. Izroth had given Azalea the grade four Five Cycles Pill, an upgrade obtained through the Blessings of Craft. Mass producing such a pill was not possible and that was Izroth''s only other grade four Five Cycles Pill; however, he knew that it would be incredibly useful in the hands of someone like Azalea, who required heightened senses. The other thing Izroth gifted to Azalea was the Obsconis Hunting Dagger. While it was a good item, it could notpare to his Sword of the Storm. Not to mention, Azalea''s current weapons had fallen off too muchpared to her level. At the very least, the Obsconis Hunting Dagger would increase her overall power until Izroth gave the promised daggers to her. As for thest reward, Izroth wanted to craft Azalea a Self Awakening Pill. While he had a few Self Awakening Pills in his inventory, they were all grade one or grade two. The chances of awakening were too low. Therefore, Izroth nned on crafting at least a grade four Self Awakening Pill for Azalea. Of course, a grade five or grade six pill would be ideal; however, a grade four pill had a fifty percent chance of allowing one to awaken. Those kinds of odds were good enough. Without wasting another moment, Izroth began to craft the Self Awakening Pills. ... Meanwhile... The members of Sleeping Gardenia had started their search throughout their territory of Kifa Karsts. Considering howrge of an area it was to cover, there was no way that only twelve yers were capable of leading a search. Therefore, Zinnia had called in most of the Sleeping Gardenia members stationed within Kifa Karsts to aid in the search. Of course, she also told them about the rewards Izroth mentioned. Chapter 1087: Dispute of Rights Chapter 1087: Dispute of Rights ? Generally, the members of Sleeping Gardenia were divided into two groups within Kifa Karsts. The first group was made up ofbat sses whose task was to focus on clearing monsters and exploring any potentially dangerous locations. They would also act as a protection force, ensuring that no one caused any problems for their guild members. The second group''s goal was to collect resources in areas deemed safe by the first group. Those from the second group generally ranged from level 45 to 55. This was well below the rmended level for Kifa Karsts; however, it was necessary. Most of those who took on supporting professions like Herbalist or Cartographer did not typically focus on leveling up. Of course, they could not ignore their levels outright and the guild did form dungeon groups aimed at helping those with supporting professions level up. But, in the end, their goal was to reach the pinnacle of their profession. If they spent all their time leveling up, naturally, that would be increasingly difficult.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om That being said, in theory, anyone could pick herbs or draw a Realm Chart, even without a proper supporting profession. But, the difference in quality for most yers was like that of night and day. For example, an ancient-quality herb recklessly picked by a yer without the Herbalist supporting profession had a huge chance of having its quality lowered by one or two grades due to the yer''sck of the right knowledge, tools, or skills to harvest it correctly. It was simr to a yer attempting to use a skill without the assistance of the system. It was something possible, but not easy by any means. "Hana, Hoa, Huae forth," Zinnia called out. Piri! Jiri! Kiri! The next moment, three creatures appeared before Zinnia. The first, Hana, was a blue thunderbird that resembled a hawk with four wings. The second, Hoa, was a monkey with golden eyes and mes that looked like clouds around its neck, wrists, torso, and ankles. Thest creature, Hua, was a dark blue and ck giant smander roughly 1.5 meters in length that gave off a natural mana scent of the earth and water elements. Zinnia''s ss, Elemental Beast Summoner, allowed her to summon creatures who possessed different elements. The reason Zinnia called forth these three in particr was so that she could search the air,nd, and water areas simultaneously. She may be a section leader, but her monthly base sry from the guild did not exceed 12,000 RMB. Even with incentives and bonuses, on a good month, she could only earn up to 23,000 RMB. Compared to the rewards offered by Izroth, 23,000 RMB seemed almostughable. "Search for anything out of the ordinary and then report back to me," Zinnia ordered. Piri! Jiri! Kiri! Upon receiving their orders, Hana, Hoa, and Hua immediately dispersed in different directions. Not too long after Zinnia sent her summoned creatures to explore the area, she received a voice call request from one of her guild members. "Hm? Aster? Did she already find a clue?" Zinnia said to herself with furrowed brows. The yer who messaged Zinnia was a member of thebat group who went by the name Starry Aster. It had not been that long since she sent out Izroth''s message to the Sleeping Gardenia members in the vicinity. However, since those from thebat group were the first to visit certain areas, it would not be strange for one of them to have already located something. "Section Leader, we have a problem!" Starry Aster''s voice sounded through the voice call. Zinnia frowned when she heard the urgency in Aster''s voice. That was not the sound or words of someone excited about having just obtained a great opportunity. "What''s going on?" Zinnia inquired. "We found an ore cave, but these bastards from Defiant are trying to make the im that it falls into their territory! It''s total nonsense!" Starry Aster responded hurriedly. An ore cave?! Zinnia''s entire body trembled when Starry Aster mentioned those words. An ore cave was just as its name said-a cave filled with ores. An ore cave abundance of ores could provide a steady stream of resources when mined and processed correctly. More importantly, only three ore caves had been discovered in RML. Or, at the very least, revealed to the public. Nheless, each of the ore caves brought about astronomical profit for the ones who sessfully mined it. "What happened? How did they find out about its existence if it was in our territory?" Zinnia thought to herself with a serious expression. It wasmon knowledge to keep things like ore caves a secret. This was due to the fact that establishing ownership rights would undoubtedly lead to a huge bloodbath between those who wanted a piece of it for themselves. There may have been a territory agreement at the Kifa Karsts; however, the discovery of an ore cave could very well end it. "Send me the coordinates. I''ll head there immediately. Try not to do anything until I arrive. But, hesitate to protect yourselves should ite to it." Zinnia stated. After that brief conversation, Zinnia contacted the other members of Sleeping Gardenia in the vicinity. She also sent an update on the situation to the guild leader, Mariposa. Since it involved a potential conflict with one of the top ten guilds, it was protocol to directly inform the guild leader. In situations like this, where only two parties knew about the existence of something of great value, it wasmon practice to split the ownership rights. This was to prevent further information about its discovery from leaking out. In this way, even though both sides would be losing out, they would not have to suffer any heavy losses. Sleeping Gardenia was not on bad or good terms with Defiant, but their interaction with one another was limited in RML. Zinnia inwardly sighed as she shook her head. "I also have to inform Pce Master Izroth that we may have to dy his search request," Zinnia said to herself as she released a long sigh. "Hm?" Suddenly, Zinnia received an alert from the system. Not even one minute had passed, but she had gotten a reply from the guild leader. "The guild leader sure moves fast. I guess this just goes to show the level of importance being ced on the ore cave. But, this part is..." [System Alert: yer Mariposa has sent you a message, "I sent some reinforcements. Do not let Defianty a single finger on what belongs to our Sleeping Gardenia. Also, there is no need to temporarily suspend what Pce Master Izroth has asked of us. Tell the others to continue with the search."[] For one, Zinnia was taken aback by Mariposa''s stance. She did not mention trying to bargain with Defiant but even went out of her way to ensure that they made no concessions. Furthermore, she wanted them to keep searching for clues as per Izroth''s request when an intense battle could break out at any moment. Even if most of those searching were not the highest of levels, that did not mean they could not be used to apply pressure and support. Nevertheless, the guild leader''s orders were absolute. Zinnia had every intention of carrying them out. "The reinforcements that the guild leader sent must be amazing if she''s not concerned at all. Were there some members of the Lotus Guard close to Kifa Karsts on a mission?" Zinnia said to herself. She wasted no time sending out the updated orders to the Sleeping Gardenia members in Kifa Karsts. As for Zinnia herself, she was still the section leader; therefore, she still had to personally give up on the search to manage the situation unfolding. Zinnia made her way toward the coordinates sent to her by Starry Aster. ... Meanwhile, somewhere in Kifa Karsts... "You are being ridiculous! What kind of nonsense are you spewing?! This ce is obviously inside of our territory!" Starry Aster said in a feisty manner. She was a young woman with a fierce yet beautiful appearance. She had neatly kept and wrapped ck hair and piercing pale silver eyes. She wore a set of light armor and wielded a simple yet elegant-looking sword in her hand. At the moment, several members of Sleeping Gardenia stood behind Starry Aster. They all seemed to be on edge as across from them was a group that had at least three times their number. Needless to say, if a conflict broke out, they were not confident of getting away unscathed. "That''s not the way we see it. It''s clear that a part of the cave stretches into our territory. If that''s the case, shouldn''t we also get a piece of the profits?" A rough male voice sounded from the front of the group across from Starry Aster and those of Sleeping Gardenia. This yer went by the name of Defeaning Silence. He was the section leader in charge of the area managed by Defiant within Kifa Karsts. Chapter 1088: Defiant Chapter 1088: Defiant ? "This shameless...!" Starry Aster muttered under her breath. Sleeping Gardenia and Defiant territories were located right next to one another in Kifa Karsts. Because of this, it was not umon for them to have minor disputes when it came to things found near their agreed-upon borders. However, this time was different from those minor disputes. "We just want a piece of what rightfully also belongs to us. You should know how dangerous it is to want to devour a mountain alone. Is Sleeping Gardenia really going to risk others finding out to satisfy their greed?" Defeaning Silence said with a grin. Starry Aster narrowed her eyes. She did not have the authority to make such a major decision, which is why she contacted Zinnia. "The section leader should be here soon. I have to endure until then." Starry Aster thought to herself as she tightened her grip on the sword in her hand. At the moment, both sides were posturing and had yet to make a move against one another. After all, once the first blow was struck, there was no turning back. And, even if they defeated Defeaning Silence and those from Defiant, there was nothing to stop them from informing the other top guilds of the ore cave''s existence. Once that happened, this ce would be swarmed from all sides, with everyone wanting a piece of the ore cave for themselves. "What my Sleeping Gardenia does is none of your concern!" Zinnia''s voice sounded as she arrived and joined Starry Aster and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia. Defeaning Silence''s gaze became cold when he saw Zinnia''s arrival. However, the members of Sleeping Gardenia seemed to gain a new wave of confidence. If the section leader was here, then it must have meant that reinforcements were nearby! Naturally, Defeaning Silence had the same thoughts as those from Sleeping Gardenia. "Tch, I wanted to apply a bit more pressure before that woman arrived and secure the area. Are their reinforcements already here?" Defeaning Silence thought to himself as he inwardly frowned. "Section leader Zinnia, how good of you to grace us with your presence. Maybe you''ll be more willing to listen to reason than your guild member over there." Defeaning Silence stated. "Aster, what happened here? Exin it properly." Zinnia said without entertaining Defeaning Silence with a response. "Section leader, it''s like this..." Starry Aster went on to exin how the situation devolved to this point.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om By the time Starry Aster finished her exnation, Zinnia was outraged at Defeaning Silence and Defiant''s actions. ording to Starry Aster, one of the yers from thebat group discovered the entrance of the ore cave close to the Sleeping Gardenia and Defiant territory border. However, when she entered the ore cave, there was already a small party of yers inside. Those yers immediately attacked the member of their Sleeping Gardenia. Fortunately, Starry Aster and others from thebat group were nearby and arrived in time to support their guild member. As a result, the yers who attacked their guild member was wiped out. That is when Starry Aster and the others of thebat group discovered what kind of existence the cave was-an ore cave. However, before they could even celebrate their great discovery, Defeaning Silence, apanied by arge group of yers from Defiant, abruptly appeared. The timing was too convenient. Not long after those yers who refused to reveal their identities perished, Defiant arrived as if they had been waiting the entire time. Most likely, those who attacked their guild member were yers from Defiant. They may have initially stumbled into the ore cave by chance; however, they had to be aware that the ore cave was in Sleeping Gardenia territory. Not to mention, there was no way to actually prove the yers who were originally in the cave were acting under Defiant''s orders. Nheless, even if there was no proof, Zinnia was not a fool. She could sense that Defiant set this stage up intentionally. "The entrance to the ore cave is within the territory of my Sleeping Gardenia; therefore, we reserve all rights to the ore cave and its contents as agreed upon when our guilds established the rules of this ce. If Defiant wishes to be the first to break those rules, then the Kifa Karsts will turn into awless area. Are you willing to go so far over a single ore cave?" Zinnia questioned with a serious expression. "Shouldn''t I be the one saying that to you? Is Sleeping Gardenia really willing to be the reason why this ce is turned upside down?" Defeaning Silence replied without hesitation. It was clear that neither side would budge from their position. Once the yers on both sides began to realize that, the atmosphere became increasingly intense. It seemed that a fight would break out at any second. "Then, we have both said all that needs to be said. There is no point in talking any further." Zinnia said as she gave Starry Aster a meaningful look. "Finally, something we both can agree on. Don''t say we didn''t give you a fair chance to y nicely." Defeaning Silence scoffed as he lifted his hand. "Defiant! Sleeping Gardenia selfishly wants to take a part of what rightfully belongs to us for themselves! We will not stand for such injustice and insult! Let''s show them what we of Defiant are capable of!" Defeaning Silence shouted as the members of Defiant prepared themselves to attack. "Everyone, do not pay any attention to their nonsense! We will not be bullied or threatened into handing over what rightfully belongs to us! We stand our ground and fight for what belongs to us and our Sleeping Gardenia!" Zinnia dered as the yers from Sleeping Gardenia readied themselves. "This is quite the gathering. Section leader Zinnia, I am a bit troubled that you did not invite us personally." A voice echoed from all directions. Zinnia was taken aback when she heard that voice. She immediately recognized its owner. But what was he doing here instead of searching for clues about his missing people? Whatever the case, Zinnia was grateful for him. Because of his sudden appearance, Defeaning Silence seemed to temporarily hold off on the attack. "The reinforcements sent by the guild leader have not made contact with me yet. We need to find a way to hold out until they arrive; otherwise, our losses won''t be small." Zinnia thought to herself. The next moment, two individuals appeared in front of Zinnia, Starry Aster, and those from Sleeping Gardenia. At first, Starry Aster and the yers from Sleeping Gardenia were surprised. However, Zinnia quickly told them to stay their hand. After all, she recognized the two who had arrived. "Pce Master Izroth, Miss Wraith-what are the two of you doing here?" Zinnia asked in a low voice curiously. Zinnia was not oblivious to Izroth and Azalea''s strength. Izroth was currently ranked first on the event leaderboards, while Azalea Wraith always stayed within the top ten. Zinnia knew that if she asked for their help to solve this matter, it could likely be handled with fewer losses. However, Izroth was a VIP guest. To make such a huge request of a guest who they were supposed to be helping-how would she be able to exin it to the guild leader? Sleeping Gardenia and the Mystical Realm Pce may be close to one another, but wasn''t that mostly only in regard to their financial exchanges rather than providingbat assistance? "Didn''t your guild leader already inform you that you would be receiving reinforcements?" Izroth said in a carefree manner. Zinnia''s eyes widened and shock, "Then, the reinforcements the guild leader mentioned...!" "You are looking at them," Izroth said calmly. Zinnia and the yers from Sleeping Gardenia were stunned. Why did their guild leader only send two people to reinforce them? Did she n on giving up on the ore cave? Or, did she just ce that much trust in the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce to resolve the situation? "Pffft...! Bwahahahaha! You guys hear that! Look at their reinforcements! It''s just one guy and some short brat!" Defeaning Silence burst out into a fit ofughter. "Hahaha! Guess that''s all they could send on such short notice!" "Looks like their actual reinforcements will be arriving a littleter!" "This''ll just be a small inconvenience at best, section leader!" "Hey, doesn''t Sleeping Gardenia only ept women? That''s one manly-looking woman! Hahaha!" The yers from Defiant joined in with Defeaning Silence to amuse themselves. They seemed to be at much more ease after realizing that this was all the reinforcements Sleeping Gardenia could call forth. As a result, the atmosphere among the Defiant members became lighthearted, as if the oue had already been decided. "...Teacher... Please allow me to take care of this trash myself. You should not dirty your hands and inconvenience yourself with such filth." Azalea said as she turned toward Izroth with her fist cupped and gave a respectful bow. Azalea was angered at their open mocking of her; however, she was enraged that they dared insult and look down on her teacher! Chapter 1089: Not According To Plan Chapter 1089: Not ording To n ? "This is a good chance to see how far she hase. It also gives me a chance to use that skill.'' Afterpleting the quest Hidden Guardian of the Mortal Realm back at the Night Lord''s Crypt, Izroth received a unique ss skill, Master of Skills. It allowed him to analyze, archive, enhance, andbine skills. More importantly, he could turn skills analyzed by Master of Skills into a skill book. Izroth had been storing information within the Skill Archive of Master of Skills; however, he had yet to use its other functions. Master of Skills was a one-of-a-kind support-type skill because it could permanently increase a yer''s overallbat ability. If others knew what it was capable of, Izroth would have no shortage of people lining up to request he grow their skills. Furthermore, Master of skills waspletely separate from the ability that he obtained after reaching level 50 to create skill orbs. Unfortunately, skill orbs had a downside. While Izroth could create skills using skill orbs and turn a B-ranked skill into a growth-type skill with SS-ranked potential, there was a limit to how many different skills orbs he could create. Izroth could create one skill orb; however, the number of slots for making different skill orbs was limited to one per every ten levels. At the moment, Izroth was level 61, and he had already made one skill orb, Phantom Shift. This meant that he could currently create five more skill orbs. Master of Skills, however, he did not have such a limit. In theory, one could use it to create an endless number of skills! "Make it fast. We still have a search to continue." Izroth stated calmly as he gave his approval. "Yes, teacher," Azalea replied respectfully before raising her head and turning toward the crowd of Defiant yers with a cold gaze. Zinnia furrowed her brows. Surely, he did not expect Azalea to face so many enemies alone. Even if Azalea was in the top ten of the event leaderboards, arge number of those on the opposing side were still made up of Defiant''s elite yers. Not to mention, there were more than thirty of them. To face those kinds of odds alone, one had to be either extremely confident or incredibly foolish. As Azalea stepped forward, Zinnia looked over at Izroth and said, "Pce Master Izroth, if the guild leader sent the two of you as reinforcements, then shouldn''t we join hands to prevent any unnecessary losses?" Zinnia could tell that Azalea was upset at having been insulted by those from Defiant. However, it was too reckless to let one''s anger guide their actions. "You can rx, section leader Zinnia. It will all be over soon." Izroth responded without adverting his gaze. Preventing unnecessary losses? This was the best way of doing so. Defeaning Silence smirked when he saw Azalea stepping forward. It appeared that his provocation worked, after all. Initially, he wanted Sleeping Gardenia''s side to be the first to attack so that he had another way to justify the attacks of Defiant as self-defense if necessary. At first, he thought it would not work because of how cautious Zinnia acted; however, it looked like his worries were for nothing. Defeaning Silence nced at the person next to him and gave a meaningful look. After doing so, that yer walked out in front of the group. It was a thin male with messy dark brown hair and a pair of eyes to match who went by the name Quick Edge. He wore leather armor and had a two sai at his side. There was a look of arrogance on his face as he walked forward. In situations like this, it wasmon practice for top guilds to test the waters by sending out someone with a simr ss type as the other side. If the first exchange went well, whichever side won would be the one to gain momentum while simultaneously lowering the morale of the other side. "Hey, kid. Be good and step aside while the grown-ups are talking." Quick Edge said mockingly as he stopped a few steps in front of Azalea to block her advancement.N?v(el)B\\jnn However, Azalea did not halt her steps as she continued onward. "Hey, I''m talking to you-" Quick Edge started; however, something bizarre happened the next moment. ''Oh? It''s truly a shame that I could not gift her the Umbral Imp Horn.'' In the blink of an eye, tens upon tens of tiny cuts started to form all over Quick Edge''s body. At the same time, Azalea did not halt her steps as Quick Edge turned into countless particles that she casually walked through as if there was nothing in her path to begin with. Defeaning Silence and the yers from Defiant were left dumbfounded. What was that? A surprise attack from a distance? A hidden magic item? Some kind of powerful curse magic? They had no clue as to what happened to Quick Edge. One moment, he was standing there perfectly fine, and the next, he had already begun to turn into particles and perish! However, there were no tricks involved. No surprise attack or magic item like they thought. Rather, it was just Azalea''s insane agility and attack speed at y paired with the Stalking The Cicada and Dark Ambush skills attached to the Obsconis Hunting Dagger. She had not used a special skill to deal with Quick Edge, only a barrage of basic attacks that took ce faster than anyone from Defiant could see! Defeaning Silence and the yers from Defiant were not the only ones confused by what just took ce. Zinnia, Starry Aster, and the yers from Sleeping Gardenia were just as baffled by Quick Edge''s fate. But, while everyone was momentarily stunned by what they had just witnessed, Azalea vanished into thin air. After seeing Azalea vanish, Defeaning Silence felt cold sweats run down his back as he quickly snapped out of it and shouted, "Careful! It''s a high-ranking stealth skill! Use AOE skills to draw her out and break it!" After Defeaning Silence gave the order, several yers from Defiant started to cast AOE skills in different areas in an attempt to reveal Azalea''s location. Under normal circumstances, such a method would work. However, there was just one thing wrong with their method-Azalea was not using a stealth skill. Out of nowhere, three yers on Defiant''s side turned into particles. But, no one seemed to notice as a phantom-like apparition skillfully weaved its way through the crowd of yerspletely undetected. Four yers... Six yers... Nine yers! "We''re under attack!" One of the yers from Defiant cried out. After the ninth yer turned into particles, one of the yers from Defiant finally realized what was going on in the chaos of AOE skills being cast. However, just as that yer finished giving his warning, he fell silent as he became the tenth yer in the crowd from Defiant to be eliminated. One by one, the members of Defiant were dropping like flies as they were unable to track the phantom-like apparition. From their point of view, it was no different than dealing with a stealth yer since they were unable to follow Azalea''s movements. But, this was not strange. When it came to movement skills, the Dance of Phantoms being used by Azalea was among the top in RML. Many yers had misconceptions about how agility and speed worked in RML. They believed that as long as one had a high agility stat and movement speed, one was the fastest. While that was something true on paper, in reality, it was not that simple. In order to truly be the fastest, one could not just have high agility and movement speed, one needed to have masterful control. And, most importantly, their senses needed to be able to keep up with their own speed. Izroth taught Azalea the importance of bncing her speed with control and senses using a method he learned back in the Seven Realms during his youth. As long as Azalea followed his instructions, forget the yers from Defiant. Even those core yers from the top guilds would never be able toy a single finger on her! Azalea mercilessly dashed through the crowd of Defiant yers. Every time she seemed to attack once with her daggers, she actually attacked ten, fifteen, twenty times. After a few moments, Defiant''s thirty plus yers quickly got cut in half! "Stop her! It''s just one person!" Defeaning Silence roared. This situation had unfolded to one that was embarrassing. How could he show his face to the guild leader after handling things in this manner?! Defeaning Silence knew that if he did not do something to salvage things, forget a promotion -his position as a section leader in Kifa Karsts would be in jeopardy! What infuriated Defeaning Silence the most was that his existence waspletely ignored. Was it not amon tactic to take out the enemy''s leader first? Then, why was everyone around him falling while he still stood? She was obviously looking down on him! Chapter 1090: Queen of Phantoms Chapter 1090: Queen of Phantoms ? The moment before Azalea took action, the sound of a couple of system alerts went off in Izroth''s head. [System Alert: The passive skill ?> has been activated.[] [System Alert: Beginning analysis of the skill <>. As Azalea carried out her assault on the yers from Defiant, Izroth used the Master of Skills'' passive, Skill Analysis on Azalea''s movement skill, Dance of Phantoms. After Izroth activated Skill Analysis, a transparent book appeared before him with the words "Dance of Phantoms" on its cover. When he reached out to touch the book, his hand went right through it. ''It is stated that the process can take up to 24 hours, depending on the rank of the skill. Dance of Phantoms is an SSS-ranked movement skill, so the time should not be short, but... What is causing it to progress this quickly?'' Hovering above the transparent book was a progression circle with a percentage at its center. This kept track of how far along the Skill Analysis of the skill was. At the moment, Dance of Phantoms was already at 12%. However, it had not been that long since Azalea started to use the skill. ''It is not just a time frame that it gives. It seems that the more that I observe the skill in use, the faster its progression status moves up.'' This was not Izroth''s first time using Skill Analysis. He had been testing it out whenever he got the chance and built up quite the Skill Archive. But, it was his first time using Skill Analysis on an SSS-ranked skill that was not his own. Whenever he used Skill Analysis on his own skills, most of the time, its progression status instantly filled up. Of course, Izroth believed that this had to do with his own mastery and understanding of his skills since he was the one who used them. Izroth casually waved his hand as the transparent book in front of him disappeared. The progress bar was still filling up; however, the book itself was merely a visual aid of sorts. As Izroth watched on, he could only sigh in disappointment. It was just as he thought-these yers from Defiant were not enough to truly test Azalea''s newest abilities. "The gap between elite yers and core yers among the top guilds is too vast. I suppose we should end things here.'' "Azalea, we have other matters to attend to," Izroth said calmly. As if understanding Izroth''s attention, Azalea increased the ferocity of her attacks. At the same time, something bizarre happened as a second Azalea seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was unlike the physical clones produced by her Phantom Image skill. Rather, this second Azalea appeared just as real as the first! The instant the second Azalea emerged, it used Dance of Phantoms, causing two phantom- like apparitions to weave throughout the battlefield and strike at the yers of Defiant. In the blink of an eye, the thirty plus yers from Defiant had fallen to one. Defeaning Silence had a look of bewilderment and disbelief on his face as he stood there speechless. It had not even been thirty seconds since the fight began, yet he was thest person standing from Defiant. No, to call it a fight was not correct. This kind of situation was no battle at all- it was a one-sided ughter! How were they supposed to deal with a monster like this?! Unless the core yers of Defiant made a move, there was no way they could fight over this ore cave! The strangest thing was that Defeaning Silence had never heard of a yer with such a terrifying ss being a part of Sleeping Gardenia. "Wait! Just, wait a second! We''re willing to share the ore cave! We''ll only take thirty percent, the rest can be left to Sleeping Gardenia!" Defeaning Silence spoke with great haste. Starry Aster looked on coldly at Defeaning Silence as a look of disgust appeared in her eyes. Not even one minute ago, he was ready to im the ore cave by force regardless of the territorial agreement. Yet, even at the edge of defeat, he was still shameless enough to try to im a piece of what was never his, to begin with! "That will not be possible. My guild leader gave me clear instructions-do not let Defianty a single finger on what belongs to our Sleeping Gardenia. This ore cave is ours. Defiant will never see a single oreing from that ce." Zinnia stated firmly. "The other top guilds won''t stand for this! I''ll tell everyone! I''ll-!" Woosh! Before Defeaning Silence could finish his words, both Azaleas attacked from the left and right sides, passing by one another. The next moment, numerous cuts could be seen forming on Defeaning Silence''s body before he turned into countless particles. Just like that, the yers from Defiant had been sessfully eradicated. Both Azaleas deactivated their Dance of Phantoms and looked at each other. Meanwhile, Zinnia released a sigh of relief. If these two were not here, the yers from Sleeping Gardenia stationed in Kifa Karsts would have had to suffer potentially heavy losses to fight off those from Defiant. It would have devolved into a full-on territory war. Though Zinnia''s relief onlysted a brief moment as a troubled look formed on her face. Since Defeaning Silence and Defiant had been chased off, it was almost certain that they would let the other top guilds in on the existence of the ore cave. Once that happened, Sleeping Gardenia would not be able to defend the ore cave with their current forces alone. "Aster, take your group and secure the ore cave. Make sure there is only one way in and out. I will contact the guild leader and update her on our situation. With the guild leader''s foresight, I am sure that she will send a proper team to manage the ore cave and its securities." Zinnia stated. "Yes, section leader." Starry Aster responded as she took her leave with the other yers present.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om There was a bit of dejection written on Starry Aster''s face, and she was not the only one. Many of those on Sleeping Gardenia''s side had the same look of dejection or defeat on their faces. It was not because they were not confident in handling the likes of Defeaning Silence and those he brought with him. Instead, it had to do with witnessing Azalea''s overwhelming performance. She alone was enough to crush Defeaning Silence and Defiant''s overbearing stance. That kind of strength-how were they supposed topete with something like that? Zinnia could sense the heavy atmosphere around the members of her Sleeping Gardenia. However, she could only shake her head. In truth, she understood how everyone felt perfectly. Unfortunately, nothing could be done except to y to one''s strengths. Not everyone could be the strongest or the smartest, but that did not mean one had no purpose. It was merely a point of finding out what that purpose was. Zinnia set her sights on Izroth and Azalea, who were in the middle of a conversation. She then opened up her system interface to update Mariposa on their status. "Hm?" Zinnia''s brows rose curiously as she received a message from one of the Sleeping Gardenia yers in Kifa Karsts. At the same time, Izroth had already approached the two Azaleas right as the battle ended. "So, this is part of the new trait you received from consuming the Self Awakening Pill. How interesting." Izrothmented. ''Even with my Energy Vision Sense, I can''t distinguish the two.'' Trait Name: Queen of Phantoms Trait Effect: The user has been deemed a candidate sessor for the Queen of Phantoms and gains the following benefits: -: Sight and Hearing are enhanced by 500%. -<: Cannot be blinded. -<: If the user''s agility exceeds an enemy''s agility by 400% or more, the enemy''s physical attacks cannot reach the user. The user can activate this effect regardless of its agility requirement for 1 minute. If this effect is activated this way, it will be temporarily disabled and cannot be used again for 24 hours. -<>: Once every 24 hours, the user can create a ? >. The < > will have the user''s original appearance and 33% of the user''s stats. < > is capable of using the user''s skills at 33% effectiveness. If the user has no < >, the user will create a ? > will have the user''s original appearance and 100% of the user''s stats. < > is capable of using the user''s skills at 100% effectiveness. -< > or < >. -< > or <>.[] Not long after Zinnia received a message from her guild member, she, along with Izroth and Azalea, entered the ore cave. As for Azalea''s phantom, for the time being, Azalea left it outside to stand guard at the cave''s entrance just in case Defiant tried anything else. After all, there was no way that they would allow things to end so one-sidedly. Under normal circumstances, outsiders would not be permitted to enter an ore cave that belonged to a top guild. However, Izroth was far from an outsider when it came to Sleeping Gardenia. Not only was he the reason why they obtained a Guild Order and became the first official guild in RML, but he also helped them clear the first hardcore raid and had a rtionship with them attached to his Mystical Realm Pce. If he was still considered an outsider at this point, the sincerity of Sleeping Gardenia''s gratitude would have alreadye into question. "Section leader Zinnia, tell me more about the message you received," Izroth said calmly. "ording to the guild member who sent the message, she discovered an unusual item that should not exist in an ore cave. I am not sure whether Pce Master Izroth knows this or not, but there are two known types of ore caves. The first is filled with monsters who use the ore as a food source, while the second has a dense mana environment with no monsters present. We have determined that this ore cave falls into the second category." Zinnia exined. She then continued, "Pce Master Izroth can see the item for himself and determine whether or not it counts as a clue." After following the instructions of her guild member in navigating the ore cave, Zinnia came to a sudden halt. "We are here," Zinnia said as she gestured for Izroth to walk ahead. The three arrived in a spacious area well-lit by severalrge glowing blue crystals on the ceiling. Various ores of differing qualities and quantities were embedded in the lower and middle walls of the ore cave. However, the mostmon ore seemed to be Sygrix Stone. The Sygrix Stone was a dark crystalline ore with a gently pulsing core. The higher the ore''s quality, the more gentle its pulsing core. Name: Unrefined Low-Quality Sygrix Stone Rank: Superior(52) Usage: This dark crystalline ore can only be found in dense mana areas without the presence of monsters. It releases a gentle pulse at its core. The more gentle a pulse, the greater its quality. Adding this ore to items will cause them to exhibit some physical or magical enhancements. Special Note: In its refined state, it is quite beautiful and is often a highly sought-after decoration by nobles. "Section leader! This ore cave is amazing! Even a low-quality stone is already at the superior rank! If we can find higher quality stones, it''s possible that we can acquire ancient or even mythical-quality materials!" Starry Aster''s voice sounded as she quickly approached the new arrivals. Zinnia lightly cleared her throat and reminded, "Aster, that can wait a moment. First, we have to show the item that Ivy found to Pce Master Izroth." "Ah, my apologies, Pce Master Izroth-section leader. I got too lost in my excitement. I''ll guide you to where the item is. I instructed everyone not to touch it since we wanted to allow Pce Master Izroth to see it the way it was found." Starry Aster said as she reeled in her excitement. Izroth nodded, "You did well. Lead the way." The next moment, Starry Aster led Izroth, Azalea, and Zinnia to a different area of the ore cave that seemed to be rich in Sygrix Stones. In front of that area was a group of three yers who looked to be standing guard. However, when they saw Izroth''s group walking toward them, the three yers cleared the way without hesitation. "This is the item Ivy found. How about it, Pce Master Izroth? Is it helpful?" Starry Aster asked as she pointed to the item on the ground. Izroth walked forward and looked at the item Starry Aster pointed to. It was a feather. Not just any feather, a silver feather filled to the brim with powerful mana and the wind element. Izroth narrowed his eyes as he leaned over to pick up the feather and examine it. ''So, they were here, after all.'' Without a doubt, the silver feather in his hand belonged to none other than Empyrean! Chapter 1092: Skill Enhancement Chapter 1092: Skill Enhancement ? ''Where they here to collect the Sygrix Stone?'' Izroth tasked Empyrean with gathering high-quality materials while also focusing on growing his strength alongside Selene. An ore cave like this was perfect for obtaining materials, seeing as how even a low-quality Sygrix Stone was already superior-quality. Izroth carefully examined the surrounding area. He used his natural senses, Energy Vision Sense, Deep Insight, Appraisal-anything that could help uncover even the tiniest of clues that may lead to where Empyrean and Selene wandered off to. He even used the Imitation: Law of Wind to get a deeper understanding of the ore cave and itsyout. Unfortunately, Empyrean''s feather was where the traces ended. Izroth was unable to find anything else that proved Empyrean and Selene visited the ore cave, let alone where they went afterward. ''How troublesome.'' Izroth released an inward sigh. Although it was not the exact result he was hoping for, Izroth was d to have found some traces of Empyrean and Selene. At the very least, he knew that whatever was behind Empyrean and Selene''s disappearance probably had something to do with the Kifa Karsts. ''It looks like I will have to keep searching.'' "Who is the one that found this feather?" Izroth asked. Starry Aster gave a meaningful look to one of the members of Sleeping Gardenia nearby. The person stepped forward and said somewhat nervously, "T-That would be me, Pce Master Izroth. I hope I have not wasted your time with a simple feather." The young woman who stepped forward had a pretty and refined appearance. She appeared to be in her early twenties. She had long, curly, mint-green hair and a pair of emerald eyes. She wore mage robes and had a small wand at her side that gave away her ss as a magic caster. She was a yer who went by Green Ivy, one of the elite members of Sleeping Gardenia who was a part of thebat group in Kifa Karsts. "You have done well. This item may not have led me to what I was looking for directly, but it has helped me confirm a few things. I, Izroth, am a man of my word." Izroth stated calmly. He then continued, "Show me your strongest skill." Green Ivy blinked a few times as she was caught off guard by Izroth''s words. Was that his way of saying he wanted her to attack him? Or, could it be that he wished to duel so that he could give her some pointers? But how could she lift a finger against a VIP benefactor of Sleeping Gardenia? Even if she received his permission, what if she identally did something wrong? Green Ivy looked over at Zinnia with a pleading expression in her eyes. Zinnia released a light sigh when she saw the confusion and uncertainty written all over Green Ivy''s face. "Ivy, Pce Master Izroth is offering you a reward. Do not worry about other matters. Whatever happens, I am sure that Pce Master Izroth will not me you." Zinnia reassured. "Section leader Zinnia is correct. Don''t hold back and go for it." Izroth said with a carefree smile. Green Ivy furrowed her brows before giving a small nod in response. Afterward, she extended her arm outward as the wand on her side appeared in her hand. The next moment, a strong concentration of mana began to converge at Green Ivy''s location. Then, three secondster, a series of powerful echoes started to pulse from all directions, causing the environment to undergo a drastic shift. At the same time, several terrifying monsters emerged out of nowhere. However, the members of Sleeping Gardenia were not taken aback by the sudden appearance of these monsters. That is because the environmental change was an illusion created by Green Ivy''s skill, Shades of Echoes. Skill Name: Shades of Echoes Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: S Requirements: Level 50 Echomancer Mana Cost: 2,500 Cast Time: 3 seconds Active: Creates a powerful illusion within 40 meters that makes it difficult for enemies to determine what is real or fake. This effectsts for 1 minute. During this time, an echo pulse is sent out every 5 seconds in this skill''s range, dealing 150% of the user''s magic as magic damage. Enemies struck by an echo pulse have a chance to be ?Disorientated>> for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 7 minutes 30 seconds After a minute passed, Green Ivy let out a small sigh of relief as the duration of her skill came to an end. "Was that okay?" Green Ivy asked anxiously. She was still unsure why Izroth wanted to see her strongest skill. It was well known that he was abat master. When she thought about it logically, there was no way that he would be knowledgeable when it came to high-ranking magic. But, if it was not to give her pointers, then why? Once Izroth finished observing Green Ivy''s skill, not long after, a few system alerts sounded in his head. [System Alert: <> is possible. System Alert: yer Green Ivy''s S-rank skill <> can evolve into the SS-rank skill <>. Would you like to proceed? (Warning: Evolving this skill will automatically reset its skill mastery) ''It''s a shame the information in my Skill Archive when ites to magic skills is somewhat limited. Otherwise, perhaps it would be possible to push an S-rank skill to be an SSS-rank. Still, I suppose this oue is more than enough for a reward.'' "Proceed," Izroth confirmed to the system. [System Alert: yer Green Ivy''s S-rank skill <> has sessfully evolved into the SS-rank skill ?>.[] [System Alert: Skill mastery for the skill <> has been reset. [System Alert: You will not be able to use <> for this skill''s duration. Cooldown: 15 minutes 25 seconds The attack power had increased by leaps and bounds. As for the effects, they were overall much more powerful than their S-rank counterpart. Green Ivy did not know how to thank Izroth. All she did was find a feather. She was even hesitant to report it for fear that she might be wasting Izroth''s time. Yet, instead of being scolded, she was properly rewarded! Chapter 1093: Trace, Booster Ore Chapter 1093: Trace, Booster Ore ? "I don''t know how to ever thank you, Pce Master Izroth!" Green Ivy said gratefully as she gave a polite bow. "You have already done your part. Now, it is time that we do ours." Izroth replied calmly. Izroth turned to Azalea and handed her Empyrean''s feather. "Can you do it?" Izroth asked. Azalea epted the feather from Izroth as she closed her eyes. The next moment, a faint darkness epassed the silver feather as the strong mana contained within it could be felt clearly. A few secondster, Azalea opened her eyes and nodded, "There is a trace. But it''s strange. The trace that I sensed covers a huge portion of the Kifa Karsts-enough to span several territories of the top guilds. It is possible that what teacher is searching for is outside of Sleeping Gardenia''s territory."N?v(el)B\\jnn Just now, Izroth had Azalea use one of her skills, Phantom Trace. Phantom Trace was a high-ranking tracking skill that could scan for traces of someone or something in arge area based on its mana. After using Phantom Trace with Empyrean''s feather as the mana target, Azalea discovered that there were traces of Empyrean''s mana spread all over Kifa Karsts. The only good news was that she managed to locate the strongest concentration of mana. It was due to this reason that she told Izroth that what he was searching for may be outside of Sleeping Gardenia''s part of the Kifa Karsts. Not long after Azalea spoke, Izroth faced Zinnia and said, "Section leader Zinnia, you can inform the members of Sleeping Gardenia to call off their search. Of course, if they find any worthwhile clue while performing their normal duties, my offer still stands. However, I have used up much of you and Sleeping Gardenia''s time." Zinnia quickly shook her head and responded, "Pce Master Izroth is a special guest of our Sleeping Gardenia and a close ally. It is only natural that we should help each other in a time of need. I only wish that we were able to find something more worthwhile for Pce Master Izroth. Your generosity is something that I and the members of Sleeping Gardenia will never forget." Zinnia then set her sights on Azalea and said, "I would also like to extend our gratitude to Miss Wraith. If not for your efforts, some of our guild members would have undoubtedly faced a great setback. You have our sincerest thanks." "Your thanks is unnecessary. I was just following my teacher''s orders. That is all." Azalea replied in a calm and straightforward manner. "Regardless, we shall dly offer it to you," Zinnia said with a lovely smile. She then shifted her focus back to Izroth and continued, "We have already been instructed by the guild leader to allow Pce Master Izroth to take whatever he wants from this ore cave. Although the main gathering and processing group has yet to arrive, there are a few members among thebat group who are capable of mining resources. If there is anything that you would like to collect, please feel free to instruct the members of Sleeping Gardenia to do so as you see fit." ''Oh? That woman... It looks like she really took my words to heart. She has quite the foresight.'' It was clear that Mariposa wanted to do everything she could to show Izroth that Sleeping Gardenia stood by his side. Even if Izroth wanted to clear out the entirety of the ore cave, Mariposa would probably have noints. Of course, Izroth was not the type to take advantage of others, and Mariposa was well aware of this. The fact that Mariposa gave him the green light to take anything he wanted from the ore cave was not done for herself, but rather for her guild members. She knew that, with his personality, Izroth would not take advantage of the efforts of her guild members and would reward them ordingly. ''I don''t dislike this kind of approach to support one''s people.'' "Then, I won''t reject guild leader Mariposa''s kindness. As for those who are willing to help me, of course, I will not be taking advantage of their kindness. Those who wish to collect the materials I list can feel free to step forward. I will make sure that they are not working for free." Izroth stated with a carefree smile. "I''m willing to help Pce Master Izroth!" A voice quickly sounded from among one of the yers of Sleeping Gardenia''sbat group. "Me, too!" "I''m also willing!" The moment those words left Izroth''s mouth, the yers from Sleeping Gardenia all jumped at the chance to assist Izroth. Many of them heard about the pills Zinnia and the others received from Izroth; however, that was no longer their main goal. After they learned about the reward Green Ivy obtained in the party chat, the anticipation and excitement in their eyes could not be hidden. Skill upgrade-he could actually increase the rank of one''s skill! More importantly, it was not limited to B-rank to A-rank skills. He was even able to raise an S-rank skill to its more powerful SS-rank counterpart! Unlike equipment that one had to constantly rece in RML, skills stayed with a yer throughout their entire journey and, in the vast majority of cases, could be used an endless number of times. Therefore, their value was several times above that of equipment. Green Ivy was fortunate. Most yers in RML did not have even one S-rank skill. Yet, she was able to obtain an S-rank skill thanks to the rarity of her ss. To have that skill upgraded to SS-rank, if one were to put a price on it, would easily cost tens of thousands of gold coins! As the members of Sleeping Gardenia jumped at the chance to help Izroth, Zinnia cleared her throat and reminded everyone to mind their manners. That being said, Zinnia could understand the excitement of her guild members. Even she wanted to grab a pickaxe and help mine some ores. Once the initial excitement died down a bit, Izroth took some time to examine the ore cave. As for Azalea, he sent her out to search the area of concentrated mana that she located using Phantom Trace. Izroth instructed her to contact him at the slightest sign of trouble. After all, whatever caused Empyrean and Selene to disappear could be rted to that area. Of course, the only reason he was willing to send her alone was due to his confidence in Azalea''s ability to escape should trouble arise. "There are quite a few number of useful ores here. Sleeping Gardenia has hit the jackpot with this ore cave.'' This ore cave was filled with various ores; however, the most prevalent one was the Sygrix Stone. A superior ore that was easy to work with and could cause a finished product that it was a part of to have physical or magical enhancements was worth at least 25 to 40 gold coins. And, the size of the ore cave was not small by any means. There were possibly thousands of Sygrix Stones buried in the ore cave alongside other resources! Something like the Sygrix Stone would be a highly sought-after material among cksmiths. High quality ingredients were already difficult toe by, let alone ones that were also easy to work with. Having a material that was easy to work with would reduce the overall crafting time of an item. But, most importantly, due to its main feature to add physical or magical enhancements, an ore like the Sygrix Stone was something the cksmiths in RML referred to as a "booster ore". A booster ore was an ore that could be added to virtually any crafting process, be it a weapon or a piece of armor, without disturbing the original recipe. It, in all sense of the word, boosted the item''s overall value and power just by bing a part of it! As Izroth explored the cave and made a list of the ores he wanted to obtain, a small glint of light managed to catch his attention from the corner of his eye. ''Oh? This is...'' Izroth approached the glint of light as the system information for the item popped up before him. Name: Unrefined High-Quality Sygrix Stone Rank: Ancient (60) Usage: This dark crystalline ore can only be found in dense mana areas without the presence of monsters. It releases a gentle pulse at its core. The more gentle a pulse, the greater its quality. Adding this ore to items will cause them to exhibit powerful physical or magical enhancements. Special Note: In its refined state, it is quite beautiful and is often a highly sought-after decoration by nobles. It was a high-quality Sygrix Stone-an ancient ranked material! ''I figured there would be some of these lying around, considering the system listed the others as low quality. But, isn''t the jump in quality a little too much?'' Under normal circumstances, an ore''s rank would not change even if the quality was a little different. It was like this for most ores before the refining process. However, the Sygrix Stone stood out in this aspect. Even before it had been refined, its high-quality version increased by one entire material ranking! Additionally, higher quality versions of ores were well known for being even more difficult to work with their than lower quality counterpart. This was due to the fact that it was more challenging to manipte high quality ores the way one wanted. However, the difficulty of working with the higher quality Sygrix Stone was not that far off from the low quality version! "This should be useful for Gu Chao. Perhaps I''ll have him add some to the weapons I''ll have him create for Azalea.'' Chapter 1094: A Weaving Story Chapter 1094: A Weaving Story ? Meanwhile, somewhere in RML... Bang! Feral de was knocked back and to the ground with a look of dejection on his face as he did not dare look up. "You idiot!" Judge roared with anger as a clear wave of rage exploded forth from him. At the moment, Judge was furious. He tried his best to hold back his anger against his younger brother, but the more Feral de talked, the more enraged he became. "It''s all that bastard''s fault...!" Feral de thought to himself as he held in his dissatisfaction. Of course, the target of his rage was none other than Izroth. After what took ce in Fragul''s Valley, Feral de hurried back to that location. However, by the time he returned, not only was what he was supposed to go there for nowhere to be found, but the yers of Shattered had also been robbed! It had not been long since Feral de joined Broken Exile as an official member. Yet, the first time his elder brother entrusted him with an important task, he not only failed but did so miserably. Judge had a major headache. While the Shattered guild took care of all the tedious tasks, ultimately, he was the person in charge of overseeing Fragul''s Valley. "The mysterious cave and the Golden Imp vanished. Based on the timing, it probably has something to do with why the Shield of the Breaking Dawn broke. But that''s not the worst part. To think that there is someone bold enough to rob our Broken Exile in broad daylight..!" Judge said to himself with a darkened expression. It was bad enough that they failed the assault on the legendary world boss, the Ghoul of Deep Sins, Travgelga. However, to add to that, they permanently lost a good source of loot, several resources from Fragul''s Valley, and the face of their guild had been pped. "If the guild leader finds out what happened..." Judge muttered as he furrowed his brows. With Dragon''s personality, he would not hesitate to kick Feral de out of Broken Exile. He might even demandpensation. More than that, even Judge''s position as one of the Six Stars might be in jeopardy. "Who all knows?" Judge asked with a serious expression as he looked down at Feral de. Feral de avoided Judge''s gaze and said, "J-Just the yers from Shattered who were there that day and that bastard pill shop owner!" Judge remained silent for a few moments. He appeared to be in deep thought. Not long after, Judge broke the silence and said, "No, get your story straight. He is not a bastard pill shop owner, he is a bastard without any respect for our Broken Exile who looted our territory knowing that it belongs to us. In the process, when the members of Shattered tried to reason with him, not only did he eliminate you, but he evenunched a full-scale assault." Feral de''s eyes widened in shock. That story was nothing like what he told his elder brother. But, the shock on his face soon transformed into a grin as he started to understand what his elder brother wanted to do. "T-that''s right! I tried to fight him off, but I was ambushed and outnumbered! That guy brought an entire party with him! He probably nned it!" Feral de chimed in. "Exactly that. Somehow, he must have gotten news that we would be targeting his Mystical Realm Pce and decided to retaliate. Fragul''s Valley just happened to be the ce he chose to take out his anger and frustration." Judge added. The two brothers spend the next few minutes weaving their stories together. In the end, their goal was to paint Izroth as a vengeful and greedy person who did not put Broken Exile in his sights. After all, if there was one thing their guild leader hated more than failure, it was people looking down on him and his guild. "But, brother, what about the people from Shattered? Will they really go along with it?" Feral de asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. "Hmph, will they have a choice? What is the alternative for them? If our guild leader finds out what really happened, they will be forced topensate for all the materials that were given away with interest. Their sries would also be cut, affecting their livelihoods. Our way is the only way they can avoid this oue." Judge stated firmly. He then continued, "Of course, they will still have to pay a price for failing. But, the punishment will not be as harsh considering the person at the center of all of this. I will also ask the guild leader not to be too harsh on them." "...Brother, that guy... Will I be able to get my revenge?" Feral de inquired as he could not hide the hate in his eyes. "Rest assured. No one can bully my little brother and get away with it. It''s the same as not giving me and my Broken Exile any face. That guy won''t even know what''sing for him until it''s toote." Judge scoffed. "The influence of the Mystical Realm Pce is growing stronger by the day. It is getting to a point where the top guilds may one day have to bend to their will if they want to obtain the pills there. No, there are already some top guilds who are doing just as such. The guild leader is someone who ces great importance on the status thates along with being a top guild. He was already searching for a reason to make a move against the Mystical Realm Pce. By giving him this reason, he may even be willing topletely overlook a few matters." Judge thought to himself. "I will personally contact Orion and tell him to update the Shattered members who were there that day. Let''s hope those idiotic bastards haven''t been running their mouths, and word hasn''t spread beyond Fragul''s Valley." Judge stated. As Judge contacted Orion, Feral de had already stood back up to his feet. He clenched his fists tightly.N?v(el)B\\jnn "No matter how strong you are, let''s see if you can still be so arrogant and calm in front of a top guild..!" Feral de muttered. ... Somewhere in Kifa Karsts... ''I didn''t expect to get another good haul so soon.'' After Zinnia informed him that he could take whatever he wished from the ore cave and that the members of Sleeping Gardenia would help him do so, Izroth did not stand on ceremony. He obtained tens of low-quality Sygrix Stones and other ores from the cave, along with three high-quality Sygrix Stones. In total, the resources he acquired were worth at least 4,000 gold coins. That meant that Izroth walked away with a minimum of 600,000 RMB in his inventory! That being said, Izroth was not an ungrateful person who only knew how to take advantage of others. To reward the members of Sleeping Gardenia for their help in mining the resources, he gifted them a bag of pills along with a few gold coins. Although some of the yers from Sleeping Gardenia were disappointed that they did not have their skills upgraded like Green Ivy, they were still incredibly grateful to Izroth. While it was true that Sleeping Gardenia was quite generous when it came topensation and bonuses for its guild members, it still had thousands of yers to consider. It simply could not afford the upkeep of giving all its guild members something like grade three pills. And, since elite yers had lower priority when it came to resources than core yers, it may be a while before they had a chance to consume a raremodity like a grade three pill. So, how could they not be thankful to Izroth? After Izroth concluded his business in the ore cave, he took his leave with Zinnia and the other members of Sleeping Gardenia personally seeing him off. Even though Izroth told them that they no longer had to actively search for clues, Zinnia informed him that they would still keep an eye out and let him know if they found anything else. As for Izroth, he was currently headed to the coordinates that Azalea sent him not too long ago. The coordinates were still within the Kifa Karsts; however, it was outside of Sleeping Gardenia''s territory. ording to Azalea, who had been gathering information since before Izroth''s arrival at Kifa Karsts, the territory he was headed to belonged to a familiar but also distant top guild, Blue Oasis. Izroth was not on the best of terms with Blue Oasis; however, due to Niflheim''s actions back at the raid, he was also not on bad terms with them. That being said, Blue Oasis may not necessarily see it that way. In their eyes, Izroth was someone who helped deny them the honor and fame that came along with being the first official guild in RML. Additionally, he was the major reason why one of their Captains, Niflheim, had left them. Chapter 1095: Confront Chapter 1095: Confront ? Nevertheless, even if Blue Oasis did not view him favorably, they would still not act openly hostile against him. In the end, the top guilds were wary of Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce. As the main provider of grade three pills circting throughout RML, offending Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce was no different than tying one''s hands. One wrong move, and they may be barred from ever entering the Mystical Realm Pce. If that happened, the guild faced with such a heavy restriction and limited ess to grade three pills would undoubtedly fall far behind the other top guilds. This kind of threat was exactly what the guild leader of Broken Exile, Dragon, did not enjoy having hanging above the heads of the top guilds. At the same time, it was also why he had not yet openly attacked Izroth or the Mystical Realm Pce. Most likely, he was looking for a way to approach the situation that left Izroth powerless while shifting the power of that threat into the hands of the top guilds. Or, more urately, into the hands of Broken Exile. "The coordinates should be somewhere around here.'' Izroth arrived at a lightly forested area with several fractured streams running throughout it. There was a strange smell in the air that resembled a mix of burnt paper andvender. When Izroth smelled that unusual scent, he was immediately reminded of the information contained in one of the books he read on the second floor of the Amaharpe Pce Library. "This scent... It matches the description of infected mana. If I can smell it from this distance, then I can''t be too far away from the source. Based on the direction the strongest scent ising from, it must be the source that Azalea mentioned.'' When Azalea used her skill, Phantom Trace, she detected a particrly dense concentration of mana. What troubled Izroth was that the source of the infected mana seemed to originate from the same origin point where Azalea detected that Empyrean''s mana was the strongest. ''If it is Empyrean''s mana that has be infected, then dealing with it won''t be a simple matter.'' Infected mana was just as its name sounded. It was mana that had been infected in a negative way by an outside force. The stronger one''s mana, the greater the infection and corruption. In truth, infected mana itself was not a great danger. At least, such was the case under normal circumstances. However, for those like Empyrean, who possessed a deep pool of mana, having their mana infected was no different than creating a natural disaster that would have a harmful impact on the environment. Not to mention, while it was possible to cleanse infected mana, Izroth could not use the normal method for a being like Empyrean. To fix infected mana, one simply had to rece it with mana of simr quality and quantity. Izroth could manage the quality part; however, even with his artificial mana pool, he could notpensate for the quantity. ''Whether it is Empyrean''s mana that has been infected or not, given the location, he must have been a part of it in some way. It''s not like him to throw himself headfirst into a dangerous situation. Then, was it someone or something that went after him, first?'' Numerous questions echoed through Izroth''s mind. But if someone or something did mess with his people, they would have to pay a suitable price. ... A few momentster... With the movement speed buff while out ofbat from his Gift of the Divine Speed title, it did not take Izroth long to arrive near the coordinates given to him by Azalea. ''Hm?'' Izroth noticed something at the coordinates with his Energy Vision Sense. Even though it was somewhat difficult to filter out the information through the heavy presence of corrupted mana, Izroth could still sense the energy of multiple people gathered in that ce. There was a total of fifteen energy sources-one of which belonged to Azalea. As for the others, Izroth actually recognized a few of them as he hade across them during his time at the raid on the Great Sea Pce. They were, without a doubt, guild members of Blue Oasis. And, judging from the way the auras were positioned, it looked as if they were currently confronting Azalea. Just as Izroth detected their presence with his Energy Vision Sense, he received a message from Azalea informing him of her run-in with the members of Blue Oasis. However, the choice of words she used to describe her interaction caused Izroth to inwardly smile helplessly. "This girl... Is she upset on my behalf?'' [System Alert: yer Azalea Wraith has sent you a message, "Teacher, I have run into some insects from Blue Oasis. Can I squash them?" Ever since Azalea learned of what happened during the Great Sea Pce raid, she held a strong distaste for the yers of Blue Oasis. Although Niflheim managed to salvage the situation by way of a technicality, Azalea still found the actions of Blue Oasis detestable.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om However, what truly made Azalea angry was the fact that Blue Oasis was stupid enough topare her teacher''s worth to that of a mere Guild Order. Even if a Guild Order became a million times harder to find, it would not be worth the ground her teacher walked on! Izroth sent Azalea a quick reply to inform her that he had arrived. He also made sure to tell her not to act unless they made a move first. In the end, Izroth did note to this ce to cause trouble or cross des with Blue Oasis. His first priority was to find out what happened to Empyrean and Selene. As long as Blue Oasis did not interfere in that matter, then he would have nothing to do with them. As Izroth reached the coordinates, he heard a familiar voice speaking out. "You''re trespassing in an area that belongs to our Blue Oasis guild. Yet, you still refuse to identify yourself properly? Are you a spy? Which guild were you sent by? Mist Pce? Hollow Tempo? If you speak up now, we''ll let you off easy." The voice sounded. The owner of this voice was the Captain of Blue Oasis'' 4th Squad in charge of exploration, Peaceful Chaos. Peaceful Chaos was one of the Seven Captains of Blue Oasis who was most vocal about forcibly snatching the Guild Order from Izroth. Fortunately for him, Niflheim stepped up and prevented a potential disaster, and the entire situation ended on somewhat reasonable terms. "I am not a spy. I have no interest in whatever you despicable people from Blue Oasis are up to." Azalea said calmly. "What?! Brat, do you know who you''re talking about?! Who are you to insult one of the top guilds?! Just a coward who doesn''t even dare say who sent them!" One of the yers from Blue Oasis'' side shouted. This yer went by Second Tyrant. He was also one of the yers who took part in the Great Sea Pce raid. During that time, his reckless leadership actions caused Luna to be possessed by one of the raid bosses, Ooudamu. Because of this, it was decided that he would be demoted. But, after Niflheim left and matters blew up at the end of the raid, Second Tyrant waspletely forgotten about and let off the hook for his actions. Azalea red at Second Tyrant. If Izroth had not told her to hold off until he got here, she would have already sent his head flying from his body. However, she would not disobey the words of her teacher. That being said, she hoped that those from Blue Oasis would make a move first. That way, her teacher could notin if she defended herself. "Hey, I''m losing my patience here. I''ll give you ten seconds to fork up any information on who sent you here. Otherwise, don''t me us for being impolite and doing things the hard way. One, two-" Peaceful Chaos began his countdown; however, he was quickly interrupted by a new arrival on the scene. "You can stop the count right there. If you reach the end, I''m afraid you''ll end up regretting it." Izroth said as he appeared next to Azalea. "?!" The yers from Blue Oasis were caught off guard by Izroth''s sudden appearance. However, when they realized who had emerged before them, there was a mixture of reactionsing from Blue Oasis'' side. Chapter 1096: Challenge Chapter 1096: Challenge ? A frown appeared on Peaceful Chaos'' face when he saw Izroth emerge next to Azalea. What was he doing in the Kifa Karsts? More importantly, what was his rtionship with the trespasser and why had they set foot into Blue Oasis territory? Whatever the case, Peaceful Chaos did not have a good impression of Izroth. It was due to this man before him that Blue Oasis had to pick up the pieces and fill the void left by Niflheim''s departure. He was also the main reason why they missed a huge opportunity to be the first official guild in RML. One had to know that bing the first official guild came along with its own benefits and rewards. However, the most important aspects of acquiring the prestige of being the first official guild in RML were fame and recognition. The more a top guild spread its name in RML, the higher the chances were of skilled yersing into its fold. Furthermore, their sponsorships and funds would increase because those with capital would want to create a connection with them for the future road ahead. But, Izroth had caused all of that to go up into smoke. In truth, Peaceful Chaos had not forgiven Izroth for his unreasonable and selfish actions back during the Great Sea Pce raid. Unfortunately, Izroth was no longer just some unknown nobody. Therefore, Blue Oasis was forced to swallow their humiliation, which left a bad taste in their mouth. "Who would have thought that such a good opportunity would appear before me? We may not be able to take action against Izroth, but that girl is a different story. Since they are trespassing in our guild''s territory, we can''t be med for what happens. Of course, if he wishes to interfere, then no one can find fault with us." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself as The narrowed his eyes.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "What''s this? If it isn''t Pce Master Izroth. Do you know this spy who has been sneaking around the territory of our Blue Oasis?" Peaceful Chaos inquired. "My apologies, teacher. I was careless and failed to realize in time that they set up stealth detection talismans in the vicinity." Azalea said apologetically. ''Revealing Eye Talismans? Why would they set those up in a ce like this?'' Although yers referred to them as stealth detection talismans, their real name was the Revealing Eye Talisman. They were expensive talismans that could be set up anywhere and would reveal all stealth targets in a certain range. Afterward, it would immediately alert the talisman''s owner to the stealth target''s presence. However, even if this ce was Blue Oasis'' territory, setting up Revealing Eye Talismans in the area as a mere defensive measure was too much. There was also the fact that a high-ranking member of Blue Oasis was on the scene. While Kifa Karsts was a good location for the elite members of the top guilds to gather resources and gain experience, it was far from ideal for one of their core yers. This is the reason why guilds like Sleeping Gardenia and even Defiant did not station any core yers in Kifa Karsts. After all, the best way for them to gain experience and earn equipment was through dungeons or raids. Peaceful Chaos'' presence was even more suspicious, considering that an event was going on. Instead of spending every waking moment trying to earn contribution points like other core yers of the top guilds, he was in an out-of-the-way ce like Kifa Karsts. "They must be protecting or hiding something.'' Izroth found it too much of a coincidence that Blue Oasis had set up defensive measures in the same ce where Azalea detected the strongest concentration of Empyrean''s mana. Not to mention, it was also the area where the infected mana was the most potent and prevalent. Of course, Izroth did not believe that Peaceful Chaos and the members of Blue Oasis present were capable of subduing Empyrean, let alone stopping him from escaping. Nevertheless, there was still a chance that they knew something about what happened in this ce. And, one way or another, Izroth nned on getting some answers. "Spy? Your imagination is quite vivid. Last I checked, you nor Blue Oasis do not officially own this territory. Any yer in RML is free to explore it as they please. Or, should I dere that I own all of Amaharpe and anyone from Blue Oasis who enters is a spy?" Izroth stated calmly. "That''s a rather unreasonable outlook, Pce Master Izroth. However, if you wish to use the logic, then that would be the case. That being said, it would only be the case if all the top guilds agreed to such. Though I find it unlikely they would ever do something so ridiculous." Peaceful Chaos replied as he held back his outrage at Izroth''s statement. He then exined, "Since you might be unaware, let me enlighten you. In Kifa Karsts, Blue Oasis, along with the other top guilds, have reached an agreement on how to divide the territory. Right now, you are in Blue Oasis territory. Viting the rules set by the top guilds, I''m afraid even Pce Master Izroth will not get away without paying a price." "Oh? But, I don''t think there is anyone who can afford to make me pay such a price." Izroth responded in a carefree manner. "We all have to pay for our actions eventually." Peaceful Chaosmented. "On that, I can agree," Izroth added. On the surface, it looked as if the two had foundmon ground; however, they were onpletely opposite sides where they stood. "Regardless, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the rules. That being said, I am not a petty man. Since that girl is with Pce Master Izroth, all the two of you have to do is apologize on her behalf and go on your way." Peaceful Chaos said casually. Some of the yers from Blue Oasis were taken aback at how easily Peaceful Chaos was willing to let things go. He was well known for being the most unbending and unyielding of the Blue Oasis Captains. The fact that he was willing to let them go with a simple apology, they felt as though Izroth and hispanion were getting off too easily. However, those with more insight into the matter could not help but admire Peaceful Chaos. If he managed to get Izroth to apologize to Blue Oasis, it would help them regain some of the faces they lost for everything that urred during the Great Sea Pce raid. But, if Izroth refused to apologize despite his brazen actions, it would make them seem arrogant and unwilling to admit their faults. At that point, he would be scorned by all the top guilds for ignoring their authority and looking down on them. Of course, Izroth immediately saw through Peaceful Chaos'' words. He knew that, in all honesty, Peaceful Chaos'' goal was not to get him to apologize. Nor was it to set him up to be scorned by all the top guilds. Rather, his purpose was much more barbaric and simple- minded than it appeared. And, Izroth nned to use this to his advantage. ''What a childish attempt. But, alright, shall I y along and give you what you want?'' "How dare-!" Azalea started; however, Izroth held his hand out in front of her and gave a meaningful look that caused Azalea to halt her outrage. Izroth returned his gaze to Peaceful Chaos and said, "If you have another method to settle matters, I am open to reason. However, I nor my people will ever have to apologize when nothing wrong was done." When Peaceful Chaos heard those words, he was inwardly gleeful as he tried hard to hold back his excitement. This was the exact moment that he wanted to create! "Since Pce Master Izroth does not want to settle things with words, then how about we take another approach? I suggest a duel. If you win, we will let bygones be bygones. However, if you lose, then you must openly admit to your wrongdoings against our Blue Oasis." Peaceful Chaos stated. Azalea could barely contain her anger upon hearing Peaceful Chaos speak. Wrongdoings? How ridiculous! He just wanted to use her teacher''s name and fame to increase his and Blue Oasis'' reputation! "Alright. However, I have one more thing to add. If I win, then you and all the members of Blue Oasis will never be allowed to set foot into my Mystical Realm Pce again." Izroth said nonchntly. After those words left Izroth''s mouth, a moment of hesitation set in for Peaceful Chaos. The other members of Blue Oasis were also wary. Losing ess to the Mystical Realm Pce was the same as tying their guild''s hands and feet. But, letting go of such a great chance to restore their guild''s reputation was too much. "I ept your conditions...!" Peaceful Chaos said through his teeth. "Captain...!" One of the Blue Oasis yers nearby gasped. "Silence...! I have at least this much authority!" Peaceful Chaos scowled. Chapter 1097: Duel Chapter 1097: Duel ? "That being said, a bet is only fair when both sides put up something of equal value. If I win the duel, then the Mystical Realm Pce also has to sign a one-year contract with Blue Oasis thates with favorable terms. Let''s see, I suppose an eighty percent discount on all pills purchased sounds good. Additionally, I get to choose the method we will use to duel." Peaceful Chaos stated. Now that things hade this far, he could not back down; otherwise, what face would he have left in front of his guild members? Not to mention, the odds were stacked in his favor. "I don''t mind. But you will also have to tell me what you''re up to in this ce." Izroth said nonchntly. Peaceful Chaos frowned. He had no idea why Izroth was so interested in what they were up to. "Did he manage to find out about that thing? No, that can''t be. Even we only just discovered it not too long ago, and those who do know aren''t stupid enough to open their mouths about it. Well, it''s fine-since it''s not like I''ll lose anyway." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. "I''m not sure why Pce Master Izroth is so interested in what my Blue Oasis is up to in its own territory, but I''ll ept that condition as well. You won''t mind if we put it all in writing, right? It''s not that I don''t trust Pce Master Izroth. It''s just that the stakes are somewhat high." Peaceful Chaos said as he sent a contract request to Izroth. ''Oh? He sent the contract request himself? This makes it easier for me.'' It was obvious to Izroth that Peaceful Chaos did not trust him. However, after what took ce in the Great Sea Pce raid, shouldn''t it be him making the contract request out of ack of trust? After all, Blue Oasis had already proven that they could not be held to their word. ''This guy is more thorough than he looks.'' Izroth read over the terms of the contract request and found that it outlined all the conditions both sides mentioned. There were also no hidden uses or additional terms. It even mentioned what type of duel the two would have. ''These duel conditions... Is he confident in his ss and skills as a core yer?'' The duel would be done via the system''s official request, where yers could adjust how they wanted to face one another. In this case, Peaceful Chaos listed a few restrictions. For one, both sides would have their base stats set to 100, and their HP set to 1,000. Furthermore, neither side could use skills above A-rank, inventory items, or equipment effects. The winner of the duel would be whoever was the first to win two rounds. Each duel wouldst for one minute. If both yers were still alive when time ran out, then the one with the highest HP remaining would be the victor. If their HP was tied, then the match would be considered a draw. If anyone interfered with the match, then the losing side would be whoever the interfering party was rted to. If it was another outside interference, then the match would be considered null and void. The rules were fairly restrictive and limited the number of outside variables. Most importantly, it was an ideal set of dueling rules for someone with a strong ss. Peaceful Chaos knew that Izroth cleared a hardcore dungeon raid and was currently ranked 1st ce on the event leaderboards by arge margin. Who knows what kind of powerful equipment or items he obtained as a result? This was the main reason why Peaceful Chaos put so many restrictions in ce. As abat master, in terms of the quantity of low-level skills, he believed that Izroth had an advantage. However, when it came to the quality of skills, Peaceful Chaos was confident that his ss was better than whatever skills abat master could conjure up. Abat master didn''t even have a ss upgrade. How could it possiblypare to other sses after reaching level 50? ... A few minutester, after both sides confirmed the final details of the contract request and signed, they prepared for their duel. Izroth and Peaceful Chaos stood roughly five meters apart from one another, facing toward one another. The other yers from Blue Oasis stood back several meters and watched from a safe distance. As for Azalea, there was a look of disappointment in her eyes for not being able to personally teach Peaceful Chaos and Blue Oasis a lesson in ce of her teacher; however, she knew that Izroth had to be doing this for a reason. Therefore, she silently spectated while keeping a close eye on the members of Blue Oasis off in the distance.N?v(el)B\\jnn [System Alert: A duel has been initiated between yer Izroth and yer Peaceful Chaos. Beginning countdown sequence. 10 seconds...] "Ah, I forgot to tell you. My ss specializes in one-on-onebat. I hope Pce Master Izroth isn''t too much of a sore loser." Peaceful Chaos said as he took abative stance. During the Great Sea Pce raid, Peaceful Chaos had the rare ss Bestial Champion. However, he had undergone a ss change after reaching level 50 to Mythic Champion. In terms of one-on-onebat potential, only the first Captain of Blue Oasis, Road, could match his ss! 5... "You forgot one important thing," Izroth said calmly. 3... "A duel is only considered as such when both sides are evenly matched," Izrothmented with a distant gaze as he moved his hand to the hilt of his Sword of the Storm. 1... [System Alert: Duel hasmenced! Right as the duel started, Izroth moved at an incredible speed toward Peaceful Chaos. "?!" Peaceful Chaos was caughtpletely off guard by Izroth''s abrupt burst of speed. With the restrictions in ce, there were only 100 points in his base agility. So, how was he moving so fast? Even though Peaceful Chaos had restricted skills above A-rank, he did not ce any restrictions on titles. Due to his Gift of Divine Speed title, Izroth gained a 200% agility boost for the first minute ofbat as well as a consistent 100% movement speed bonus. This alone made him six times faster than Peaceful Chaos! Peaceful Chaos had no time to react to Izroth''s speed blitz as he swiftly moved to raise his guard; however, he felt a slight cold chill brush past his neck as Izroth sped past him. At the same time, Izroth''s Sword of the Storm could be seen slightly positioned out of its sheath as he pushed it back in. ''Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke.'' ?Critical Hit>> -2,656 [System Alert: The duel has ended! Winner: yer Izroth Peaceful Chaos'' eyes widened in shock and a look of disbelief formed on his face as the winner of the first duel was announced by the system. The Blue Oasis Captain was not the only one present who was left stunned. From the yers from Blue Oasis'' point of view, it appeared that Peaceful Chaos just stood there and let Izroth attack him. However, it only seemed this way to them because of the stat restriction in ce. From Peaceful Chaos'' point of view, for a split second, hepletely lost track of Izroth and did not even know where the attack hade from! However, this was not surprising considering the skill Izroth used to attack. After raising the Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke to its max skill level, it provided Izroth with a terrifying attack that easily caught opponents off guard due to his weapon still being sheathed. Skill Name: Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: MAXED Skill Rank: A Requirements: Sword Equipped, Sheathed Sword Active: The user''s attack speed is increased by [1 Percent Per 6 -> 4 Agility] for the duration of this skill. The user quickdraws their sword from its sheath as it releases a high-pitched screech and cuts its target, dealing 130% -> 190% of the user''s attack as lightning damage after a 1 second dy. If the user hits a vital point, the target is stunned for 0.5 seconds, the damage of this skill is increased from 130% to 650% -> 190% to 950% of the user''s attack, the damage dy is decreased from 1 second to 0.5 seconds, and the cooldown is reduced by 75%. Special Note: This skill can also be leveled up through repeated usage and proper execution. Cooldown: 20 minutes -> 10 minutes "That''s one," Izroth said in a carefree manner without even looking in Peaceful Chaos'' direction. Chapter 1098: Delivered On A Silver Platter Chapter 1098: Delivered On A Silver tter ? [System Alert: The second round willmence between yer Izroth and yer Peaceful Chaos in 1 minute. Score: [Izroth: 1] [Peaceful Chaos: 0][] When Peaceful Chaos heard the sound of the system alerts sounding off in his head, an empty feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. Since it was just their stats that were limited, he was able to follow all of Izroth''s movements without a problem. However, with his base agility set to 100 points, he could not react to thatst strike. "How is this possible? Without items or at least an S-rank movement skill, how can he still move so fast? Plus, that attack just now-it felt like it went right through me. Is that really the power of a skill below S-rank? Am I going to lose this helplessly in front of my own guild members?" Peaceful Chaos thought to himself as he tried to maintain hisposure. "No, he just caught me off guard with his speed. That attack must have a pretty high cooldown if it''s capable of doing that kind of damage with stats this limited. I won''t fall for the same trick twice. This time-I''ll go all out from the start." Peaceful Chaos convinced himself as he looked at Izroth with a cold gaze. Izroth had already returned to his previous position and calmly awaited the countdown for the next round''s start. ''In terms of attack power, when it strikes a vital point, the seventh sword form isparable to an S- ranked attack skill. Still, to think he would sumb to such an attack. Did I overestimate him? It would seem that there is quite a considerable gap even among the core yers of top guilds.'' Izroth had sparred with Niflheim on several asions. While Niflheim had not won a single time, during their first duel, he managed to block Izroth''s Seventh Sword Form: Motionless Killing Stroke while he had Flickering Steps active. Furthermore, their stats and items were not limited during those duels. This meant that Niflheim would have been at an even greater disadvantage in terms of agility when it came to facing Izroth. [System Alert: Warning! The second round of the duel is about to begin! A 10-second countdown has been initiated! "I''ll admit, I underestimated you. However, this time--I won''t make the same mistake." Peaceful Chaos said as he locked his gaze onto Izroth. "I will try not to be disappointed," Izroth stated in a carefree manner as he ced his hand on the hilt of his sword. 3... 2... 1... [System Alert: Duel hasmenced! Woosh! Izroth kicked off his back foot. At the same time, he activated Light Feather Footwork, causing him to shoot forward at an even greater speed than thest round. Light Feather Footwork increased Izroth''s movement speed by 250% for two seconds. When paired with the agility and movement speed boosts from the Gift of Divine Speed title, it made it so, for a brief moment, Izroth was practically moving at the same speed as someone with 3,000 agility! "Protective Bulwark!" Peaceful Chaos roared as a thinyer of protective aura epassed him.N?v(el)B\\jnn This time around, he wasted no time and immediately used a defensive skill. "As long as I can survive the first blow, I cannd a counterattack." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Based on the previous round, Peaceful Chaos deducted that Izroth was a yer who specialized in speed-blitzing his opponents with a single powerful strike. However, it wasmon knowledge that such attacks could not be done repeatedly. It was also not umon for such attacks to leave their users with an opening. Therefore, Peaceful Chaos believed that as long as he managed to survive Izroth''s first blow, he could quickly turn the tides of the battle in his favor. Protective Bulwark was an A-rank defensive skill that created a damage reduction barrier around Peaceful Chaos. While it was active, all damage he received would be cut in half. Additionally, he would regenerate a portion of his health every second. Of course, Peaceful Chaos knew that this was not enough to withstand Izroth''s attack if it was anything like thest one heunched. After all, it dealt more than 2,600 damage with a critical hit. If Izroth was able tond another critical hit, even with Protective Bulwark in ce, it would still be enough to one-shot him with the stat restrictions. A part of Peaceful Chaos regretted cing the stat restrictions; however, another part of him was grateful that he did so. If this was Izroth''s speed with the stat restrictions in ce, Peaceful Chaos could only imagine how frustrating it would have been to face him without the stat restrictions. "Mythical Conjure: Great Sage Turtle." Peaceful Chaos chanted as the aura around him shifted. Oooom! In the blink of an eye, a green barrier formed of multiple hexagons of mana surrounded Peaceful Chaos. Ding! Boom! Right as the barrier formed, Izroth''s sword collided with it, creating a small explosion. ''Oh? I suppose a core yer should be capable of at least this much.'' A smirk formed on Peaceful Chaos'' face as he sessfully blocked Izroth''s first strike. Mythical Conjure: Great Sage Turtle-this was a skill unique to his ss, Mythic Champion. It imbued his body with the energy of the Great Sage Turtle, making it so that all harmful attacks below a certain threshold were expelled. While his Protective Bulwark alone was incapable of negating Izroth''s attack, it was more than capable enough to reduce its damage to the point where the Great Sage Turtle was able to take effect. The only downside was that Peaceful Chaos was unable to attack or take action for the 45 seconds that the Great Sage Turtle was in effect. "There is a reason why I chose one minute as the time limit for the duel. With Protective Bulwark and Great Sage Turtle, I can bait out all of his powerful attacks. Then, when the effect ends, I cannd a solid strike or two with the remaining fifteen seconds and win by having more HP remaining when the time runs out. I don''t care if people call me shameless for doing things this way. I''ll win this duel even if I have to roll around on the ground like a dog!" Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Peaceful Chaos knew that there was too much at stake for him and Blue Oasis. The future of his guild rested in his hands. If he emerged victorious here, Blue Oasis would receive several benefits that would make them hail him as a hero. His position in the guild would be even more solidified. And, if he yed his cards right, it was even possible that he could carve a path to being the new vice guild leader. No, with the way Asgard had been handling things ever since the incident with the Guild Order, maybe even bing the guild leader was possible! "What are you daydreaming about in the middle of a duel?" Izroth''s voice sounded, snapping Peaceful Chaos out of his thoughts. "Even if I want to stand here and daydream, so what? It''s not like you can do anything about it." Peaceful Chaos scoffed. "As long as my Protective Bulwark and Great Sage Turtle are protecting me, if it''s not at least an S-ranked skill, it''s impossible for him to harm me." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Peaceful Chaos wanted to lure Izroth into wasting all his strong attack skills in a prideful attempt to break past his defenses. Izroth briefly examined the barrier formed by Peaceful Chaos'' Great Sage Turtle. ''I see. If it''s like that, then-isn''t this basically delivering one''s self on a silver tter?'' Izroth could not help but inwardly shake his head as he returned his sword to its sheath. Just now, he used Deep Insight to inspect the green barrier set up by Peaceful Chaos. Since Unique* skills greatly varied in power within RML, the system did not consider it to be above A-rank. As a result, Izroth was still capable of using Deep Insight. Peaceful Chaos frowned as he witnessed Izroth''s actions. Could it be that he figured out what he had nned? "What''s the matter? Giving up already? I guess first ce on the event leaderboards is all just for show." Peaceful Chaos taunted. Without warning, Izroth casually tapped his foot on the ground, executing Behemoth''s Quake, as strong tremors echoed out from his location every second. -200 When the first tremor reached Peaceful Chaos, and he watched a chunk of his HP be shaved away, he was surprised. But, after the second tremor hit him, a sudden realization sunk in as a look of despair filled his eyes. Since he was unable to take action, naturally, that also meant deactivating the skill. Therefore, all Peaceful Chaos could see was stand there helplessly and watch as his HP fell before his eyes. -200 -200 -200 -200 [System Alert: The duel has ended! Winner: yer Izroth System Alert: As a winner has already been determined, round three will not proceed. [System Alert: Final Score [Izroth: 2] [Peaceful Chaos: 0] Winner: yer Izroth [System Alert: [1] ws have been discovered in <>! [System Alert: w [1]: Attacks from below are outside of the barrier''s area of influence. Chapter 1099: Izroth’s Solution Chapter 1099: Izroth¡¯s Solution ? "I... lost?" Peaceful Chaos uttered as he stood motionless with a look of disbelief on his face. "What happened? How did the Captain lose? I couldn''t even see it..." One of the Blue Oasis yers by the name of Thunder Stepsmented. "The first time was definitely a sword skill. This time-I''m afraid I also have no idea how the Captain lost." Another yer who went by Boulder Gate chimed in. "That guy must have used a dirty tactic to win! There''s no way that Captain Peaceful Chaos would lose so easily...!" Second Tyrant scowled. "Dirty tactic...? That''s..." Thunder Steps had a doubtful look in his eyes. Everyone knew that it was Peaceful Chaos himself who set the rules of the duel and sent the request to Izroth. Where did he have the chance to use a dirty tactic? As for him somehow getting around the system and cheating in some other manner, no one here would believe such a thing. RML was not like other games where one could find a way to cheat through hacking. The Imprable Fortress-that was the nickname given to the firewall that protected RML. Before RML wasunched, thepany behind it held apetition. They announced that whoever could break through RML''s firewall would be rewarded 1,000,000,000 RMB. When news of this got out, there was not a single hacker in the world who did not throw their all at attempting to crack the Imprable Fortress. It was even rumored that multiple governments secretlypeted to see who could crack it first. However, in the end, no one was able to im the prize. As a result, there was still a reward in ce for the first person able to break through the Imprable Fortress. Though, as if thepany behind RML was fearless, they increased the reward to a staggering 4,000,000,000 RMB! Why would someone who could easily earn 4,000,000,000 RMB waste their time cheating in a mere duel? Second Tyrant''s ims fell on deaf ears as the other Blue Oasis could not hide their dejection. "I''ve been saving up to buy a grade three pill from the Mystical Realm Pce. But now that our Blue Oasis is no longer allowed to set foot through its doors, what have I even been saving for all this time?" Boulder Gate grumbled. "Why should we all have to suffer for his choice? Does the Captain even have the authority to make such a decision for our Blue Oasis?" Thunder Steps questioned with a frown. "That''s right! The Captain had no right to make that kind of bet in the first ce!" One of the Blue Oasis yers added. "Yeah! The bet''s invalid!" "Invalid bet!" "Invalid bet!" The yers from Blue Oasis cried out one after the other. Why should they all have to give up on entering the Mystical Realm Pce because of Peaceful Chaos'' mistake? Besides, could one even call that a duel? Both duelssted less than a total of ten secondsbined. If one were to say that Peaceful Chaos was acting against Blue Oasis, it would not be difficult to believe. As Peaceful Chaos heard the shouts of his guild members, he clenched his fists and grit his teeth. If he had won, none of them would haveined about the way he handled things. In fact, there was not a single person here who would not have tried their best to get on his good side. But, since he had lost, it did not take long for them to turn against him and start to look out for their own interests.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "These ungrateful bastards....! After everything I did for them..!" Peaceful Chaos muttered as he swallowed his anger. "No, that''s not what''s important right now. I have to find a way to invalidate this bet. Otherwise, I won''t be able to show my face in Blue Oasis again. I might even end up losing my position as Captain...!" Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Blue Oasis was already on thin ice with Izroth and the Mystical Realm Pce because of everything that happened during the Great Sea Pce raid. As a result, the members of Blue Oasis were instructed not to agitate Izroth or anyone rted to his Mystical Realm Pce for fear of losing ess. Unfortunately, Peaceful Chaos was too blinded by his own greed. He saw this as an opportunity to restore Blue Oasis'' image while simultaneously knocking Izroth down a bit and gaining some benefits. However, nothing had gone as nned! Now, not only would Blue Oasis no longer be permitted to enter the Mystical Realm Pce and purchase pills, but he would even have to tell Izroth what they were up to in their own territory. As one of the top guilds in RML, this was a great humiliation. Peaceful Chaos regretted suggesting a contract. If not for that, he could have just used his words to twist the situation back to his advantage. However, he made sure that the contract he made was irond so that Izroth could not back out of it. However, by doing so, he ended up backing himself into a corner. In fact, there was probably a way to resolve this matter. But, Peaceful Chaos knew that using that method would be no different than pping his own face in front of everyone. "I have no other choice...!" Peaceful Chaos silently mulled. The next moment, he set his gaze to the ground and said, "This bet is invalid. I... Don''t have the authority to make such a bet on Blue Oasis'' behalf...!" Peaceful Chaos forced those words out of his mouth. Openly admitting that he did not have the authority to make the bet was the same as saying that he held no real influence in Blue Oasis. If word of this spread, his reputation would take a huge hit. This situation was no different than being offered two poisons. It just so happened that this poison was less potent than the other on the table. Izroth inwardly shook his head at the way Peaceful Chaos reacted after his loss. If he had humbly epted his defeat and sincerely apologized for his behavior, while Izroth would not have given Peaceful Chaos another chance, he would have considered giving Blue Oasis another chance. "Even if a regr member of your Blue Oasis signed this contract, it would be valid. Now, it''s time to uphold the other end of the contract." Izroth stated calmly. Whether it was Peaceful Chaos or a random member of Blue Oasis did not matter to Izroth. Since the bet had been made, the consequences had to be paid. He would not go back on it. Peaceful Chaos grit his teeth in anger. Did this guy have to be so ruthless and arrogant? Has he never heard of giving the other side face? If it was just some nobody he could understand, he was a Captain of a top guild like Blue Oasis. Did he merely not put the top guilds in his sight? Peaceful Chaos wanted to protest and ignore Izroth''s request; however, he understood the price of going against a contract. In the end, he had no choice but to hand over the information to Izroth. "...There is a spring nearby that members of the exploration squad discovered a few days ago. We were here to follow up on that discovery." Peaceful Chaos said begrudgingly. ''A spring?'' Izroth found it unlikely that a top guild would waste time and resources on a normal spring. Without a doubt, Peaceful Chaos was leaving out important information. But, since the contract did not mention him having to exin things in great detail, Izroth could only specte. ''Can this spring be linked to the infected mana I detected earlier? More importantly, can it have something to do with the disappearance of Empyrean and Selene?'' "Where is the location of this spring?" Izroth questioned. "Pce Master Izroth, although I agreed to give you information, you shouldn''t overstep unless you''re willing to make some concessions. This is still the territory of my Blue Oasis." Peaceful Chaos said with a cold gaze. Since the other party would not give him face, why should he? "If it is your territory that you are concerned about, then I have a solution. Azalea-" Izroth called out. "Yes, teacher?" Azalea said as she immediately appeared at Izroth''s side. "Eliminate every member of Blue Oasis in Kifa Karsts. This way, they will not have to worry about their territory." Izroth said in a carefree manner. Azalea''s eyes turned cold as she looked directly at Peaceful Chaos and replied, "I have received your orders." Chapter 1100: Response Chapter 1100: Response ? "?!" The members of Blue Oasis were shocked by Izroth''s brazen statement. He wanted to eliminate every member of Blue Oasis in Kifa Karsts? Even if he was the owner of the Mystical Realm Pce and currently ranked 1st ce on the event leaderboards, such a statement was too full of arrogance! The yers who were stationed in Kifa Karsts from Blue Oasis were mostly elite members of the guild. While they were not as strong or skilled as the core yers, how could it be so easy to eliminate all of them? There was a limit to how much one could look down on them! "Pce Master Izroth, do you intend to start an all-out war with the top guilds? I don''t think even your Mystical Realm Pce can afford to pay such a heavy price." Peaceful Chaos said with a gloomy expression. Izroth found Peaceful Chaos'' wordsughable. He was well aware of his current status among the top guilds. Even if some of them wanted to make a move against him, they did not dare do so openly for fear of losing ess to the Mystical Realm Pce. That''s why, Peaceful Chaos'' words were nothing but an empty threat. What starting a war with the top guilds? Those guilds were the type to just sit back and watch things y out so that they could move to benefit from it in some way. ''It would seem that my kindness has been misinterpreted.'' The only reason Izroth left Blue Oasis alone after everything that transpired at the Great Sea Pce raid was out of respect for the difficult choice Niflheim made that day. He understood that, despite making that choice, Niflheim still had a lingering sense of responsibility toward Blue Oasis. Of course, that had changed now that Niflheim had be one of his people. However, Izroth was not the type of person to go back on his decision once the dust settled. Yet, Blue Oasis seemed to think that he was hesitant to make a move against them because of their status as a top guild. After what happened to Sage Falls and the heavy damage he inflicted upon the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth figured Blue Oasis would have already disregarded that out-of-date notion. But, it appeared that being a top guild gave them the false illusion of being untouchable. If he did not remedy that outlook now, it would not be long before the other top guilds started to think that they could walk all over him. "Whether I can afford to pay the price or not-I will leave it for you to witness yourself," Izroth said indifferently.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Almost immediately as those words left Izroth''s mouth, a ghostly apparition sped past Peaceful Chaos and was headed on a direct path toward the members of Blue Oasis in the near distance. "This appearance-Death God...!" Peaceful Chaos eximed as his eyes widened in shock. When he caught a glimpse of the ghostly apparition, a look of dread appeared on Peaceful Chaos'' face. There had been rumors going around for a while now about a certain yer who emerged and vanished like a ghost. Not much was known about them except for the fact that whoever crossed their path met with an unfortunate end. Since their true identity or purpose was unknown, yers began to call this "ghost" Death God. One of their most notable feats was assassinating the elite members and core yers of the Headhunter Syndicate. Most notably, the Twelve Banes, who stood at the peak of the Headhunter Syndicate. Not only that, but anyone who remotely associated themselves with the Headhunter Syndicate seemed to be targeted mercilessly by the Death God. No one knew what kind of vendetta the Death God had against the Headhunter Syndicate; however, the fear of being the next target of the Death God left many people hesitant when it came to dealing with the Headhunter Syndicate. Of course, the top guilds had attempted to track the Death God down countless times to recruit them; however, the trail always ended cold. Now, that very same Death God had marked all the members of Blue Oasis in Kifa Karsts as her target! Peaceful Chaos believed that even if she was unable to face every member of Blue Oasis in Kifa Karsts head-on, if it came down to assassinating them from the shadows, there would be no way to defend against it! Azalea was ashamed at being detected by the Revealing Eye Talisman. Even if there was no way for her to know of their existence beforehand, she felt as though she had disappointed her teacher. "I won''t leave a single one of them alive," Azalea said to herself with a cold gaze. In the blink of an eye, she arrived among the members of Blue Oasis who had been observing the duel between Izroth and Peaceful Chaos from a safe distance. "Ene-!" Before the yer from Blue Oasis could warn his eyes, his head had been cleanly severed from his body as tens of deep cuts appeared on various parts of his body. "?!" The members of Blue Oasis were rmed as one of their fellow guild members turned into particles before their eyes. "Supporters, cast buffs and debuffs! Everyone, use all your AOE crowd control skills! Don''t hold back!" Second Tyrant ordered quickly. Falling here was not just as simple as losing experience and potentially dropping an important piece of equipment. Being in also meant that one of their event lives would be consumed, causing them to lose out on numerous opportunities. If that happened, they would undoubtedly fall behind their peers and be at a disadvantage. "Why did we have to get dragged into this mess?!" Thunder Steps scowled as he mmed the mace in his hands into the ground, creating a small fissure. Those caught by the fissure would be momentarily immobilized and then slowed for a certain period of time afterward. Despite not liking how things turned out, in the end, he was still a member of Blue Oasis. How could he just sit back while his fellow guild members were ughtered? Not to mention, he also found Izroth''s attitude to be too arrogant. He wanted to rely on one person to take care of them? How much did he look down on their Blue Oasis?! Just as Second Tyrant ordered, the supporters hastily cast several buffs on their allies. As for the debuffs, they tried to lock onto Azalea; however, she was simply too fast. Furthermore, the AOE crowd control skills seemed to not affect her whatsoever. It did not take long for the members of Blue Oasis to fall into a state of chaos as Azalea eliminated them one by one. "Are you insane?!" Peaceful Chaos roared as the look of dread on his face transformed into one of rage. He did not think that Izroth would actually follow through on his threat andunch an assault against them. This was not just a p to the face of Blue Oasis but to all the top guilds in Kifa Karsts. It was no different than saying he was above the rules set by the top guilds. There was no way he would be able to get out of this situation unscathed! Chapter 1101: Powerful Fists! Chapter 1101: Powerful Fists! ? "I suppose I shouldn''t leave everything to her," Izroth said as he stepped forward. A single step forward put Peaceful Chaos on edge as he immediately went on the defensive and took a step back. Peaceful Chaos retreated instinctively without even realizing his actions until it was already over. His expression darkened as he felt a tinge of shame wash over him. "This is ridiculous...! My ss was made for one on onebat and yet I''m retreating to somebat master?!" Peaceful Chaos thought to himself as he silently grit his teeth. ''It''s been a while since I''ve fought this way.'' Izroth took a simplebative stance as he stood straight with his left arm behind his back and his right arm out with his palm facing him. When Peaceful Chaos saw Izroth''s stance, he was filled with a newfound surge of rage as the shame quickly vanished. As if facing him one-on-one was not humiliating enough, Izroth had not even drawn his sword. Did he n on fighting without a weapon? No matter how Peaceful Chaos viewed it, he was being looked down on! "Good...! Let''s see how long you can keep up that arrogant act of yours!" Peaceful Chaos said through his teeth as he tried to hold back his anger. "Maybe a duel with those restrictions was the wrong approach. Even if he has good equipment, the items I''ve collected are nothing to scoff at. Besides, I have that trump card sitting in my inventory. Although it would be a waste to use it in a ce like this, I can''t allow myself to be humiliated any more than this. I have to regain the face I''ve lost in front of my guild members. At the very least, I need to have some good news to deliver after losing our rights to ess the Mystical Realm Pce." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Meanwhile, in the nearby distance, the confused and horrified sounds of the Blue Oasis yers echoed throughout the surroundings. "Gaaah!" "She''s over-! Ah!" "Stop her!" "I can''t debuff!" "Crowd control isn''t working!" As the chaotic scene unfolded, Peaceful Chaos tuned out the voices of his falling guild members and focused solely on Izroth. Even though he wanted to aid them, Peaceful Chaos could sense it-an overwhelming pressure. He knew that the moment he took his eyes off Izroth would spell his defeat. Therefore, even if it meant having to listen to his guild members being ughtered under his watch, he could only silently suffer and look for a way to avenge their deaths. "If you won''t make the first move, then I''lle to you," Izroth said in a carefree manner. The next moment, Izroth kicked off his back foot and shot forward with a huge burst of speed. Since he had been out ofbat long enough, he received the bonus of increased agility from his Gift of Divine Speed title. Peaceful Chaos was caught off guard by Izroth''s speed. Compared to when they dueled, the difference was like that of night and day. Of course, he expected Izroth to be fast after what happened during their first fight; however, for it to be this much so was a surprise. That being said, even if Izroth was fast, Peaceful Chaos was still able to keep track of his movement. He had long since consumed a Five Cycles Pill and improved his sense of perception. Additionally, as a core yer of Blue Oasis, he was no stranger to facing individuals who were faster than him. "Mythical Conjure: zing Fiery Phoenix!" Peaceful Chaos roared as a red aura epassed his body that exuded the fire element. Simultaneously, several towering pirs of mes erupted from the ground around his location, obstructing the path between him and Izroth. However, instead of retreating or finding a way around the pirs like Peaceful Chaos anticipated, Izroth did the unthinkable and charged in head first! "Is this guy insane? Well, that works all the better for me." Peaceful Chaos said to himself with a grin. Mythical Conjure: zing Fiery Phoenix was a damage-over-time skill that inflicted harsh fire damage on those who got too close to its ming pirs. And, if one were foolish enough to make contact with the mes, they would be automatically afflicted with the burn status effect. While under the effects of burn, one would take 100% increased damage from fire-rted attacks, receive a small percentage of their HP as damage every second, and have all healing reduced by 50% for 30 seconds. Furthermore, Peaceful Chaos had a special trinket equipped that slowed any enemies that he recently affected with an elemental status effect. He knew that such an impairment would give him a massive advantage against a yer like Izroth, who seemed to rely heavily on his speed. Woosh! As Izroth stepped through the mes, the grin on Peaceful Chaos'' face widened. However, just as he was about tounch a counterattack, the grin on his face quickly disappeared as he crossed his arms together. Bang! <> -114 Just as Peaceful Chaos raised his arms and guarded against Izroth''s first strike, he felt a stinging pain in his side. <> -424 "The damage isn''t that serious, but he managed to slip through my guard with a second attack from my blind spot in that short window of time? He''s also unaffected by my slow somehow. This guy... He''s a real monster." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself with a troubled expression on his face. A part of Peaceful Chaos still looked down on Izroth when it came to PVPbat. After all, even if he just suffered a loss, ultimately, it was with restrictions in ce. Additionally, he spected that Izroth must have used a different means outside of skills or items to increase his agility during the duel that he had not ounted for, such as a trait or title effect. In the end, Peaceful Chaos held onto the belief that Izroth was impable at PVE such as boss fights or quests. It would exin how Izroth created a seemingly insurmountable gap between him and the other yers on the event leaderboards. But, even though Peaceful Chaos hated to admit it, he had no choice but to acknowledge that Izroth was not just someone skilled solely in boss fights or conquering quests. He was also highly experienced in PVP. ''Oh? Something has changed.'' The expression on Peaceful Chaos'' had be serious and the aura around him had calmed. ''Not that it changes anything.'' Regardless of the shift in Peaceful Chaos'' demeanor, Izroth did not slow down on his assault as a hail of fists rained down nonstop at the Blue Oasis captain. ''I have to adjust the power of my strikes slowly.'' Every time Izroth struck out at Peaceful Chaos with his fists, the power of his strike changed. At first, the strikes could almost be described as being gentle. However, the force behind the strikes seemed topound and each consecutive fist brought with it a new weight. Woosh! Peaceful Chaos was on the defensive as he braced himself to intercept Izroth''s fist; however, just as he thought his guard was sessful, Peaceful Chaos felt a stinging pain at the center of his torso. <> -4,240 "How is he doing so much damage without a weapon...?!" Peaceful Chaos thought to himself with furrowed brows as he grit his teeth. While his ss did not specialize in defense, it was by no means brittle. If necessary, he could even act as an off-tank in case of emergencies. Yet, he was being overwhelmed without a chance to counterattack and the damage was no longer negligible. At the same time, right after Izroth''sst blownded on Peaceful Chaos, he received an alert from the system. System Alert: Congrattions, you have created a new skill. Please name the skill. ''It finally appeared.'' Izroth did not sheath his Sword of the Storm just as a means of looking down on Peaceful Chaos. He wanted to use the chance to hone his hand-to-handbat skills. Izroth believed that going down too many paths at once could lead to nowhere, which is why he focused mainly on sword skills despite his ability to branch out as abat master. However, now that he had learned the Three Baneful Swords along with all ten sword forms and mastered nearly all of them, he could finally look forward with a solid foundation. [System Alert: Generating skill... Complete! Skill Name: Endless Chained Strikes Skill Creator: Izroth Skill Level: 1/4 Skill Rank: A Energy Cost: 10 Active: The user strikes at their target, dealing 10% of their attack as physical damage and applying 1 stack of ?> for 3 seconds. If the user has at least 1 stack of <, this skill will deal an additional 10% physical damage per stack of <> is applied, the timer for all stacks of <> is refreshed. If a target is affected by 7 or more stacks of <> for 4 seconds. Description: A skill created by Izroth that draws in an opponent and creates an opportunity to change the flow of a fight. Cooldown: 7 seconds Cosmic Seizing Vortex-it was a technique that allowed one to draw an opponent into their strike. In this case, while its damage was somewhatcking for an S-ranked skill, Izroth knew that its true worth was in its crowd control and low cooldown time. For a brief moment, the opponent would be left virtually defenseless and unable to react. More so, there was no forewarning to prepare for it. It was skills like this that could create windows of opportunity in a battle that were among the deadliest when it came to PVP. Meanwhile, Peaceful Chaos struggled to his feet as the world around him spun, making it challenging for him to maintain his bnce as he staggered about for a few seconds. "What aplete and utter mess." Peaceful Chaos muttered to himself with a dreary expression. What was supposed to be an easy chance to regain the face of his Blue Oasis and find some benefits along the way had transformed into something beyond his expectations. Peaceful Chaos released a heavy sigh as he stood up straight with his gaze locked onto Izroth in the near distance. He was wondering why Izroth kept disengaging from his assaults after having him on the ropes; however, it suddenly donned on him. This whole time, Izroth was not taking their fight seriously. From the moment he offered that bet to duel with Izroth, Peaceful Chaos realized that nothing had ever been in his control. "In the end, everything must have gone exactly as you predicted, huh?" Peaceful Chaos muttered to himself as he looked down at the ground. His gaze then lifted once more as a certain sharp was contained within it. "You were probably looking down on me and Blue Oasis this entire time..!" Peaceful Chaos grit his teeth angrily as a small shing light pulsed from the palm of his hand. Right after the shing light vanished, an object appeared in Peaceful Chaos'' palm. The object was a half-white and half-ck t circr disc perfectly fit into Peaceful Chaos'' palm. There were ancient magic engravings of unknown origins that shown with a light golden hue. ''Hm?'' Izroth carefully examined the item in Peaceful Chaos'' palm. "You bastard! Let''s see how much longer you can look down on me!" Peaceful Chaos roared as an intense light and power erupted from the item in his hand. The next moment, Izroth felt a strange power flood into his body. At the same time, when he tried to move his hand, the action was so incredibly slow that even someone at level one would be several times faster! "Let''s see what you do without that speed of yours!" Peaceful Chaos stated with a grin. [Battle Alert: yer Izroth has been affected by the magic item <! Chapter 1103: Hygrins Great Seal, Beyond Control Chapter 1103: Hygrin''s Great Seal, Beyond Control ? "I don''t know what you were thinking, but you should have finished me off when you had the chance. You won''t get another opportunity." Peaceful Chaos stated with a cold gaze as the light from the item in his hand died down. "It feels like a waste to use it here, but I don''t have a choice. I must end this and save some face for Blue Oasis and myself. Otherwise, it''ll be hard to show my face in front of the others." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Hygrin''s Great Seal-despite its name, it could not be considered a genuine sealing item. Instead, it had the effect of swapping a target''s highest stat with their lowest stat. This meant that if one had 1,000 attack and 100 defense, they would suddenly have to deal with having 100 attack and 1,000 defense. However, for the vast majority of yers in RML, having one''s stat values suddenly shifted around was no different than having one''s arms and legs tied. Most yers were used to a specific ying style and focused their stats to match that. If an assassin abruptly lost their agility and had that moved to their nonexistent magic stat, they would be left virtually helpless. The same thing would apply to a tank having their defense stat switched with their agility stat. While they would be faster, what good was that when their ss was based on taking blows head-on? More importantly, would they even be able to control their newfound speed? That''s why an item like Hygrin''s Great Seal was useful against yers and monsters alike. Though Peaceful Chaos believed that it would be particrly harsh against abat master like Izroth. Everyone knew that thebat master ss had a ring weakness-magic. Thebat master ss was incredibly versatile; however, creating magic skills was several times more difficult than making physical skills. That was for the simple purpose that something like magic did not exist in the real world; therefore, there was no basis of knowledge for yers to build from. Peaceful Chaos did not know the exact value of Izroth''s magic stat, but he knew that it had to be much lower than his agility. With his agility being redirected to his magic and vice versa, what could abat master like Izroth achieve? "Mythical Conjure: Unrivaled Fierce Tiger!" Peaceful Chaos cried out as the ear-piercing roar of a mighty tiger echoed in the surroundings. Simultaneously, a light orange aura epassed Peaceful Chaos and an explosive seemed to surge into him as he clenched his fists. Then, in the blink of an eye, Peaceful Chaos charged forward, causing the earth where his feet stomped to fracture apart with every step. "Hahaha! This new strength-I feel like I''m overflowing with power!" Peaceful Chaos roared. Name: Hygrin''s Great Seal (Magical Item) Rank: S Durability: 72,447/98,000 Uses: 2/5 Usage: Upon activation, the user can select one target in their line of sight to be marked by ?Great Seal? for 30 minutes. The target affected by < will have their highest stat (excluding stats such as HP, MP, energy sources, Luck, or percentage stats) switch values with their lowest stat. For the duration of this effect, the two affected stats be fixed and cannot increase or decrease through any means. Additionally, the user of this magic item will have their highest stat increased by the same value as the target''s highest stat. Special Note: Let one''s greatest strength be their ultimate weakness. "You still dare to ce your attention elsewhere?!" Peaceful Chaos shouted as he arrived before Izroth and swung his fist forward. ...Boom! The heavy sound of a concentrated explosion rang from his fist as the tiger''s roar grew increasingly fierce. BANG! Peaceful Chaos grinned as his fist crashed into Izroth without obstruction. Thanks to the effect of Hygrin''s Great Seal, Peaceful Chaos'' highest stat, attack, had increased by a staggering 6,474 points! Including his own attack as well as the buff he obtained after executing Mythical Conjure: Unrivaled Fierce Tiger, Peaceful Chaos'' attack had soared to over 15,000 points! For someone like Izroth who had such high agility, Peaceful Chaos figured that his HP and defense stats were likely on the lower end. There was no way he would be able to survive an attack empowered by his Mythical Conjure: Unrivaled Fierce Tiger. After all, the total amount before reduction would add up to over 75,000 damage! Even most high-level heavy armored tanks would find it difficult to survive that kind of devastating blow, let alone abat master. As Peaceful Chaos'' strike connected to Izroth, the surrounding earth shattered and was upheaved as arge cloud of dust nketed the battlefield. Not long after, the dust began to settle. Peaceful Chaos inwardly frowned with furrowed brows. "What was that feeling just now? I definitely hit him, but..." Peaceful Chaos thought to himself. Peaceful Chaos found that when he struck Izroth, something bizarre happened. Instead of his momentum carrying him forward or feeling Izroth fly back from the impact of his attack, Peaceful Chaos felt like he hit nothing. It was as though his attack was there one moment and simply gone the next. As the dust cleared, Peaceful Chaos'' eyes widened in shock as an ugly expression formed on his face. "How is this possible...?!" Peaceful Chaos scowled. Standing before him without a single scratch or having moved a single step despite being hit in the face by such a ruthless attack was none other than Izroth. But, more than seeming unaffected, Izroth waspletely unbothered by it¡ªas if he did not even notice Peaceful Chaos'' existence. Woosh! Bang! Suddenly, Peaceful Chaos started to rain down a bombardment of attacks at Izroth. In terms of power, each attack was only slightly weaker than his initial strike. Still, each one of them was capable of inflicting a minimum of 50,000 damage. "Die! Die! Dieeeeeee!" Peaceful yelled as he did not let up on his assault in the slightest. However, with every punch he rained down, Peaceful Chaos could feel his willpower slip away as he looked at the unfazed Izroth. "This feeling...'' Izroth paid no heed to Peaceful Chaos as he examined his current state. Indeed, just as Peaceful Chaos anticipated, Izroth''s agility had reached rock bottom. Even the simple motion of lifting his hand would look to be in slow motion to those who observed him. However, there was one thing Peaceful Chaos did not ount for. To be more precise, he had no way of knowing that Izroth''s lowest stat was not his magic stat. Without even knowing it, Peaceful Chaos had set in motion something well beyond his control. [System Alert: Your Agility has been set to 1 from the effects of ?> for 30 minutes! System Alert: Might stat cannot exceed 10![] [System Alert: The skill <> has been activated![] [System Alert: Your Might has been set to 6,474 from the effects of ?> for 30 minutes! System Alert: You are now immune to all rank SSS or lower offensive magic.[] [System Alert: You are now immune to all physical attacks. [System Alert: System Admin Restriction! Percentage values cannot exceed 999,999! [System Alert: System Compensation In Progress...] [System Alert: The legendary-ranked item <> has been upgraded to the unique-ranked item <